Five years ago...
At the Peaks of Peril, another day was beginning at the kirin village. There, the pony-lion-deer hybrids were beginning their day, including one particular kirin.
"Good morning everypony!" Searing Salix announced as he leapt out of his house, sliding along the ground with a giant smile on his face. "Who's ready for another astounding day?!" And as he said this, he stopped sliding as his hoof hit a loose rock, making him roll on the ground and crash into a tree. "Blaugh!"
"AHAHAHAHAHAHA!" roared another voice, making Salix look up to see his friend Fern Flare on the ground, clutching her stomach.
"Oh, ha ha!" Salix laughed as he got back onto his feet, only to see another kirin walking by, "Hey Rain Shine!" She turned to him with a smile, "We gonna get to enjoy another awesome song any time soon?"
Rain tilted her head at this, "I may be working on a little something."
"Any chance I can hear a preview?" She gave him a deadpan stare, "Oh, come on! Just one little verse?" Rain contined to stare at him, no changes in her expression, "Half a verse? Maybe two thirds and that's my final off...one line?" Rain Shine rolled her eyes at this, laughing before walking away.
"Awww...I just wanted a preview." Salix sighed, only to feet a pat on his shoulder.
"Rain just wants to show everypony Salix. Don't take it personally." Fern chimed in.
"I know..." Salix's eyes then went wide as a bulb went off in his head, "Wait, that's it! Maybe I should start singing too! Then she'll sing with me!" She turned to see Rain vanishing into the town's market crowd. "Rain, come back!"
He started to trot into the market after this. And as he walked into the crowd, his ears heard a yell, "HEY!" he turned to one of the stalls, seeing it was his friend Autumn Blaze running up to two other kirin that were fighting over a flower pot.
"This is mine!" The first one yelled as she tried to pull the pot with her magic.
"No!" another yelled as he yanked it back, "It's mine!" The two continued to pull at the vase, their disagreement quickly shifting from the pot to an all-out argument. This included name-calling and other insults, Salix gulping as he saw the next sight.
"What did you just call me?!" The mare screamed at the stallion.
"You heard me!" He barked back, only for the mare's entire body to explode in flames, going into her nirik form.
"Not good," Salix added as he watched the stallion transform into a nirik as well. The pot had now fallen and shattered, all due to the niriks not having the ability to levitate things like their alter-egos.
The two growled at each other before the mare spat a fireball from her horn, the stallion dodging as the flames as it went flying and hitting another stall.
"Hey! Watch it!" another kirin yelled back at them.
"It wasn't my fault! Blame her!" the stallion barked back, only for a fireball to hit his side, making him glare back at the mare, "Hey!"
"Its your fault!" the mare roared as she fired another fireball, the stallion dodging again as the flames then hit a kirin.
"Augh!" The kirin yelled as the fire smacked his face, making him turn to his nirik form. Shaking his head from the blow, he glared at the couple, "You're gonna pay for that!"
However, the couple ignored them as they continued to shoot flames around, making the market into a wildfire. Multiple kirins turned into niriks after this, fire covering everything as the niriks started to yell at the two.
Soon enough, Salix was one of the last kirin still in the village. But as he watched the fights going off, he dodged a rogue fireball by backpedaling, only to step on another nirik's tail. "HEY!" The nirik yelped in pain as Salix saw it was Autumn, "WATCH IT!"
"Sorry! It was an accident!" Salix told her.
"Well, so is this!" She roared as she swung her tail at him, firing a wave of flames. Seeing this, Salix's reflexes kicked in and morphed into a nirik. But as the flames hit his face, he felt a slight stinging pain, making him bark back at Autumn, "Hey, that hurts!"
He opened his mouth, flames blazing out as it hit Autumn. As he did this, another rogue fireball hit his side, making Salix yell back before firing a wave of flames back. And as he did this, more niriks yelled at each other, the village catching completely on fire.
Present day...
Flash stared at his opponents, both hovering in the air with him. And as this happened, Salix turned himself into a fireball, his flames propelling him through the sky as he charged at the pegasus. The knight evaded with a flap of the wings, only for Salix to reangle his back hooves, jetting himself backward as Flash tried to counter. But as he did this, Storm swooped up and swung his blade, making Flash block the sword before flapping back as well.
And as Flash dodged another swipe of Storm's blade, he turned to see Salix taking a deep breath, "Flash Force!" he yelled as he fired a beam of light from his crossguard, the laser hitting a stream of fire coming from Salix's mouth. The two collided, an explosion covering the area instantly.
"Ack!" Flash yelped as he began flapping his wings, pushing the smoke away. But as he did this, Storm appeared within the smoke cloud, slashing downward at the pegasi, "Whoa!" he squeaked as he held his blade to block the blow, only for one of Storm's backhooves to hit him in the face, "Blaugh!"
"And now, let's make some noise, shall we?" Storm laughed as he spun the dial on his blade.
"Let's not." Flash barked back, Storm instantly seeing Flash swing his sword at him. Storm quickly blocked it, now noticing that Flash was in Theta Mode. "Flash Cutter!"
"Oh please," Storm spat as flapped his wings, quickly flipping himself over Flash as the light blade shot out of the Celestic Gear. The attack crashed into the street below them as Storm spun around, blocking Flash's next swipe of his blade.
"How did you-"
"I told you before, I was trained by Grand too." Storm replied before blocking a punch from Flash next, only to counter with a right jab that Flash blocked with his sword's broad side. "See? I knew you would guard there. Just like you're gonna-" Storm's wings flared as he leaned back, dodging a kick from Flash before the knight swung his blade again, Storm interrupting with his own.
CLANG!
The sound of metal echoed through the street as Flash spun around and tried to slash at the cultist again, this time going for a horizontal swipe. But as he did this, Storm easily blocked it with his sheath, Flash's attack not even getting started before both flapped their wings, the two going backward as they got some distance from each other.
"See? What did I tell you?" Storm chuckled as he rested his sword on his shoulder, "Let me give you some advice and just give up. You can't beat me alone."
"Oh yeah? I remember beating you while I was with Springer."
"And I blame Wingill for that."
"Don't wanna admit you're bad?"
Storm let out a cackle at this, "HA! Not at all...cuz I know I'm better. You see, I know how you fight. I've been watching the previous fights, and your moves are just like Grand's." Flash glared back at him, about to yell at him before gripping his blade and swinging the sword down. A Flash Cutter came out of the blade, Storm seeing that the energy blade was now hitting a fireball from Salix. Storm hummed at the sight as Flash looked back at him, "Not bad...for a rookie."
"I'll say this again, I don't believe you." Flash growled before looking down and see Salix turning into a charging fireball. The knight quickly beat his wings back, dodging the first attack before Salix swung his tail at him. A wave of flames came from this, Flash then yelling, "Flash Cutter!" The energy blade destroyed the flames, the excess from the fire suddenly scattering across the sky before hitting Storm's shoulder.
"Urgh!" Storm grimaced as he held his shoulder, Flash flapping back while Salix zipped over to him. They two then landed on a rooftop, Flash floating over to it as Salix used his flames to cauterize the wound. As he did this, Storm growled at the knight, "Lucky shot."
"Luck has nothing to do with it," Flash replied while pointing his sword at them, "Two heads aren't better than one, especially if those heads obviously have no idea how to actually fight together."
"Don't get cocky," Salix barked back. "We still outnumber you, and that's gonna win us this match! Maybe you should have kept that kid around. He could have been a great distraction."
"You're not going anywhere near him!" Flash yelled, "I won't let him vanish like his sister."
The two cultists raised an eyebrow at this, only to get into fighting stances as they saw Flash flare his wings.
Several streets away...
Heart was flying as fast as he could, his tiny colt body zipping through streets and buildings.
And as he did this, he kept sighing as he felt himself slow down. Before long, he landed as he slumped over, 'Useless...I'm so useless! Why can't I help?!' he thought as his ears flopped down, 'I just...I wish I could be like Flash, or Springer or... any of them. I just want to help!'
The sound of an explosion hit his ears next, making him turn back to see a cloud of smoke cover the sky of the city. Seeing this, he then saw an orange dot in the air fly around, dodging several fireballs before a tornado appeared next. A laser of light shined down after this, colliding with another tornado as both attacks exploded on impact.
Heart shook at the sight, his whole body shaking as he got back on his hooves, "I...I can't run away! I have to help Flash!"
But as the colt began to take to the sky, his friends at the castle all saw his actions.
"What's he doing?" Trixie gasped.
"He's trying to help Flash," Soarin added before shaking his head, "Shoot...the kid's too brave for his own good."
"This isn't good," Ruby turned to Springer. "You have to tell Flash."
Springer nodded and closed his eyes, "Flash, can you hear me?"
"Little busy here bud. Can this-WHOA!" Flash mentally yelped as he dodged another fireball before firing a Flash Cutter at one of Storm's lightning blasts.
"Heart's coming back. I think he's trying to help."
"What?! Why?! I know the kid's got guts, but this isn't a time to be reckless!" Flash thought before shaking his head while blocking Storm's blade, his teeth gritting as he felt the cultist begin to push him back.
"You gotta keep yourself away from the battle," Springer added, "Try and keep him from finding you."
"Alright. Time for improvising." Flash then fired a Flash Force along the ground, an explosion of smoke rising from the laser's attack. Both opponent's had to step back from the sudden cover, only to see Flash fly away.
"HEY!" Salix yelled before the two started to chase after him, "GET BACK HERE!"
"You think Flash'll be able to get far enough away?" Trixie asked as they switched the screen back to Heart.
Soarin sighed at the sight, "Heart's still pretty young. A pegasus his age shouldn't be able to keep up with a fully grown one. As long as Flash keeps moving, Heart shouldn't get close to 'em."
Ruby nodded in agreement. "And hopefully, Cold will be able to take Wingill down fast so he can help Flash." The others nodded back, now switching to Cold for a second.
A few minutes ago...
In another area of the city, a flash of light signaled the arrival of Cold and Wingill. The two rolled along the ground, only for both to hop to their hooves as Wingill flapped his wings, taking to air as Cold summoned a pair of ice swords.
"Big mistake picking me!" Wingill barked as he pointed his claws at Cold.
The knight suddenly felt his blades vibrate, realizing Wingill was trying to control the water they were made from. "Not happening!" He and his swords teleported up to Wingill, the hippogriff yelping as he saw Cold swipe his blades at him. Wingill flared his wings at this, going backward as Cold now reappearing back on the ground in a flash of light before firing several icicles upward.
Wingill tried to stop them with his power, the icicles at the front coming to a stop mid-air before Cold summoned another volley, this one instantly soaring upward and clipping the tip of one of Wingill's wings. "Gyah!"
Cold hummed at the sight, "Guess he doesn't have too much control over frozen water. If that's the case..." The knight slammed his hooves down, a bunch of ice canons appearing before firing a giant barrage of icicles. Wingill gasped at the sight, thrusting both claws as he tried to stop the ice. And as he did this, Cold teleported to a nearby roof and yelled, "COLD FORCE!"
Wingill spun around just in time to see a tornado of frozen wind about to hit him, the hippogriff now feeling himself bombarded by snowballs that struck his wings. The feathery limbs froze at this, making him yelp, "NO!" before falling, crashing into the street as the ice on his wings shattered from the blow, "AUGH!"
He let out a long pained moan next as Cold hopped off the roof, landing and trotting over to the hippogriff. As he did this, he asked, "Why do you fight for Shadow?"
Wingill turned to him while letting out a groan, "What?"
"Why do you fight for Shadow? It's a simple question, and I am an individual who prefers having all the facts." He pointed at the hippogriff as he tried to get up, "What made you decide to join Shadow and fight for him? You glossed over it before when Flash asked you, but now I want the truth. So, why did you join him?"
The cultist let out a grunt as he began to pant from the frostbite, "I...I wanted to be on the winning team."
"Winning team?"
Wingill chuckled at his words, glaring up at him with a low dead-eyed stare, "That's right. Master Shadow...he's the most powerful being in this world. I've seen it." The hippogriff pointed at the knight before clenching his claws, "Sooner or later, he's gonna be the one ruling the whole world. And when he does, I'll be right there beside him."
"So that's it," Cold added with a small shrug, "You just want power."
"I want to be free!" Wingill almost yelled, "Free to live where I want, how I want! No more running! No more hiding! Just me, living the life I choose!"
"You could live that life without selling your soul," Cold instantly replied, "Equestria-"
"Is doomed to be conquered!" Wingill screamed back, "If not by master Shadow, then by something." His wings began to open as he stared at Cold, "A storm is coming, and when it gets here...you won't know what hit you."
And as those words left his mouth, Wingill charged at him with primed claws. Cold instantly summoned a ice wall at his, only for Wingill to pull his claws back, the ice wall shattering as half of it turned to water. Seeing this, Cold began to side-step as Wingill turned the water into a whip, only for his horn to fire a direct laser at the stream. Wingill gasped as he saw his new water whip turn to ice instantly, making him flare his wings before flapping backward.
"I'm not losing here." Wingill growled as the remaining water swirled around his claws.
Cold summoned an ice sword in response, "No, I suspect you will."
Meanwhile...
Flash's wings weren't feeling the best right now as he continued to fly away, constantly looking back to his opponents trying to catch him. He then came to a stop as a wind blade flew past him and struck the building to his left, causing it to collapse as Flash now saw a fireball coming for him. Swinging at the flames, he cut the fiery sphere with one swipe before Storm called out, "Storm Shot!"
"Gyah!" Flash yelped as a bullet of water hit his side, making him lose grip on his blade. Gravity took the sword as he then felt Salix fly up to him, slamming a burning punch into his chest, "Blaugh!" He felt the flames zap all his pain receptors before grabbing the nirik by the hoof, quickly spinning and throwing him down. But as he did this, Storm appeared and sliced his wing, kicking his back next as he hit Flash into the recently destroyed building.
"AAAAAHHH!" he screamed as he went sailing into the pile of rubble, Storm laughing at the sight as Salix got up. And as he popped out of the debris, he saw his sword was now sitting between him and the recovering Salix. "Aw horseapples." he muttered as he flared his wings, charging for the blade as Salix fired another wave of flames. As this happened, Storm unleashed tornado, both attacks merging into a flaming vortex that hit Flash before he could reach his sword.
"GYAH!" He cried as the fire cut into him, only for Salix to hop into the flames, punching him in the face. This was followed by two more jabs to Flash's stomach, the knight blocking a kick from the nirik next. But as he did this, Salix spun around and smacked Flash with his tail.
As this happened, the vortex began to dissipate as Storm spun the dial on his blade. And as he did this, Flash blocked another punch from Salix, only to counter with an uppercut to the nirik's jaw, knocking him back. He then dove at his blade, rolling on the ground as he heard the crackle of lightning from Storm's sword. Spinning the floor next, he hopped to his hooves before launching a Flash Cutter, the light blade just blocking a bolt from Storm's blade.
The pegasi flared his wings next, taking to the sky as he yelled, "Flash Cutter Barrage!" Spinning like a top, blades of light flew all around as Storm and Salix began to backpedal from the random attack. But as he did this, Flash quickly turned to Storm and yelled, "Flash Grinder!" He turned into a wheel of light next, slamming into the cultist as he raised his blade to block the attack. Sparks flew everywhere at this, pushing him back with ease.
As it did this, Salix's horn flared to prepare a giant flamethrower attack. And as he began to fire the stream at the pegasi, Flash suddenly stopped the wheel and kicked off Storm's blade, dodging the flames as they instead went for Storm.
"Whoa!" he yelped as he flared his wings, flapping backward as he tried to avoid the fire.
But as he tried to do this, his ears heard Flash yell, "FLASH FORCE!" The two looked up to see Flash fire a laser at the ground, the explosion knocking both back down the street. And as they went flying, Flash landed and coughed up a bit of blood. "Ugh...hurry up Cold. I don't think I can do this forever."
"FLASH!" The pegasi's heart stopped at the sudden yell, making him turn to see Fire Heart flying over a few buildings, "Hang on, I'm coming!"
"NO!" Flash screamed back, "Just get out of here!" And as he said this, Storm and Salix saw the colt and shared a certain grin.
"Storm Shot!" Storm yelled as he pointed his weapon at Heart, a bolt of lightning now going straight for the colt. The tiny pegasi gasped at the sudden sight of the attack, closing his eyes as it was about to hit him.
"RAAAAAHHHHH!" screeched another voice, Heart's eyes reopening to see Flash getting zapped by the bolt. And as the attack began to end, Salix propelled himself above them before firing a stream of flames. But as he did this, Flash quickly countered with a swing of his sword, "FLASH CUTTER!" The energy blade cut the attack in two, Heart gasping as he saw Storm appear and swipe his blade at them.
"Storm Cutter!" he said as the wind blade flew out of his sword.
"LOOK OUT!" Heart screamed as Flash turned to the attack, only to spin around and grab Heart's collar. "Huh? What are you-aaah!" he yelped as Flash threw him downward before the attack struck his back. The colt watched as he began to fall, now seeing Salix tackle Flash in mid-air before punching him in the face.
And as he landed, his body rolled on the ground for a second before hopping to his hooves. But as he did this, he now saw Flash get slammed into nearby building, both Storm and Salix firing their elemental attacks at the house's roof. Before anything could be done, the rubble from the roof collapsed on the knight, burying him instantly.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Heart screamed, falling to his knees as he slumped over at the sight, "What...what have I done?!"
Meanwhile again...
"COLD DRAGON!" A icy serpent shot out of the ground, the hippogriff countering by sending a stream of water at it. The liquid morphed into a claw that grabbed the dragon's neck, snapping it before it could freeze the water. And as he did this, Wingill charged at Cold, his claws primed as he tried to slash at him.
"Raaah!" He yelled as he kept trying to hit the knight, Cold blocking each blow with ease with his sword. And as he did this, his horn shined before making an ice hammer, swinging it back at the hippogriff. However, the cultist ducked under the weapon before uppercutting with a claw.
"Grah!" Cold hissed as the claw struck his cheek, the knight hopping back next. As he did this, Wingill's water turned into a pair of fists, thrusting both at Cold as his horn sparked in response.
Teleporting to a nearby rooftop, Wingill yelled at him, "That won't save you!" He then swung a whip of water at the building, cutting it in half. Cold responded with another teleport to a rooftop, only for that one to be cut down as well.
As this happened, Cold teleported to another before seeing a nearby lake just behind him. A bulb went off in his head before turning back to Wingill, the hippogriff about to slice the building up. A shine of light happened next, Cold reappearing in front of Wingill before slamming his hooves downward, "COLD DRAGONS!"
A trio of ice snakes ascended from the ground, quickly charging at the cultist as he summoned a water spear. He threw the weapons at the serpents, impaling two as the third tried to bite the hippogriff. But as it did this, he created a water fist and smashed it into the frozen beast. However, as the shards from the dragon began to fly apart from the blow, Cold teleported right up to Wingill as he said, "Cold Force!"
"Blaugh!" Wingill yelped as he felt a icy tornado strike him back, only to flare his wings as he tried to take to the air. And as he did this, Cold formed a long ice spear, lowering its temperature as much as he could. He then threw it upward, Wingill trying to stop with his hydrokensis. But as he did this, Cold summoned a volley of icicles and fired them up as well.
Seeing the attack, Wingill dodged the spear before firing several water saw-blades at the icicles. The two attacks collided, creating a blast of misty water to cover the sky. Growling at this, Wingill dove down at the knight, taking the mist to form new water blades to fire at Cold.
But as he fired them, the knight summoned a giant ice spoon. The sight made Wingill's eyebrows raise up as he saw Cold suddenly catch the blades in the spoon with one swing. Spinning around next, he slung the water out like a slingshot, reflecting them back into the hippogriff. And as the water started to fly at him, Wingill thrusted his claws to control the water, only to see Cold's horn shining as the liquid turned into icicles. A scream of pain happened next, the projectiles hitting him and making him fall.
"Cold Tiger!" An army of ice cats all appeared, charging at Wingill as he pulled out the icicles out while trying to descend slowly. He then dodged the first cat before shaping his remaining water back into a whip, using it slice the tigers with a single swipe. But as he did this, Cold just trotted up while forming an orb of ice in his hooves. His tone was firm as he spoke these next words, "You said you wanted to be on the winning team, that Equestria was doomed to be conquered." Wingill finished off the last tiger as he heard Cold say this, "But you're wrong, because Equestria has something you don't understand. Something that even I, who still feels like I should deny it somewhat, has that you do not."
"Oh yeah?" Wingill asked, "What's that?"
"The power born from friendship." With that, he slammed the orb into the ground. "CYCLONE BLIZZARD!" The orb exploded into a giant tornado, one that began to move across the battlefield.
The hippogriff gasped and tried to take to the air, only to feel the vortex pull him in. The wind from the cyclone yanked him into the vortex, a barrage of ice now smashing into his body. "RRRRAAAAAHHHHH!" he screamed as a full minute passed, the vortex then spitting Wingill out.
His body rolled down the street as Cold watched the hippogriff start to pick himself up. "Impressive. You managed to survive one of my best attacks." His horn flashed before an ice dragon ascended from the ground, the unicorn now standing on its head as it slithered up to the cultist.
Wingill let out a long hiss as he saw the charging icy beast. Summoning a buzzsaw of water next, he fired it at the sculpture's head, only for Cold to teleport away. But as he did this, Cold appeared by his side, Wingill yelling at him before reforming a water whip, slashing it at the knight. However, Cold just teleported away, reappearing just a few feet away.
"Stop that!" Wingill screamed as he tried to hit Cold again, only for him vanish.
"Make me." Cold replied in a deadpan tone, now seeing Wingill charge right at him as his horn began to spark, ready for another teleportation spell. And as he disappeared, Cold muttered to himself, "That's right...keep following me."
Over in the castle...
Everypony was just staring at the giant pile of rock that had buried Flash. Seeing this, Trixie stuttered out, "D-d-do you think he's okay?"
"Well...I mean, the dust that happens when you get knocked out isn't coming out of the rubble, so he should be okay." Springer replied, only to then see the pile start to move.
"Look! That's my bro!" Soarin cheered, "I knew it! It'll take more than that to stop Flash!"
"No..." Ruby pointed at Salix, "But maybe that will." They focused on the Nirik as he started to launch fire from his horn, the flames starting to melt the rock pile.
"That's not good," Trixie gulped, only to see another sight on the screen, "And that's even worse!"
"STOP IT!" Heart yelled as he appeared on the screen, trying to tackle Salix. But as he did this, the nirik morphed back to kirin form.
A red glow came from his horn next, grabbing the colt in mid-air as he turned and glared at him, "Get lost kid." he then threw the colt clear across the street before turning to Storm. "Let's keep him there." Storm nodded back as he turned the dial on his weapon and pointed it at the melted rock, a jet of water coming out next. The water instantly started to cool the pile, the rubble soon hardening as it kept the rocks in place.
"HA! There's no way he's getting out of there now!" Salix laughed before tilting his head and rubbing his chin in thought, "Well...unless he can teleport, or phase through solid matter, or has some kind of super strength, or-"
"Stop panicking Salix, he won't get out of that." Storm interrupted in a deadpan tone, Salix blushing at this.
"Sorry. You know how I like to talk about all the different possibilities and-
"HEY!" They both turned to see Heart land beside the pile of rubble, his entire body shaking as he yelled at them, "Let him go!"
"And why would we do that?" Storm asked with a slight chuckle, "What strategic advantage would that do for us?"
Salix nodded rapidly in agreement, "With him stuck in there, we're free to find the orb and win this round with nothing to get in our way." He then shined a big grin at the colt, "Unless you wanna try and take us on."
"I...I...I..." Heart's entire body shook, only to take a deep breath before glaring at them, "I'll stop you two!"
Both cultists shared a glance before busting out into a fit of giggles, Salix cackling as he asked, "Oh yeah?! And how are you gonna do that?!" His laughter came to a stop as he turned back to Heart, his grin returning as it began to grow, "What could you possibly do that could stop us from just wailing on you?"
"I...I'll find a way!" Heart tried to yell, his mouth quivering at his own words, "Because...because the good guys always win!"
"AHAHAHA!" Salix laughed, Storm wheezing out a few cackles with him.
"Stop laughing at me!"
Storm shook his head at this, wiping away a tear from the laughter next before pointing his sword at the colt, "You need to wake up kid. This isn't some silly foal's story. This is the real world."
"Yeah!" Salix added while nodding, "And in the real world, good is nothing but a dream. Sure, sometimes something will happen to make you think everything is good, but in the end, reality always kicks in. And when that happens, you have two choices: Keep dreaming and live in denial, or accept it and move on with your life. Just like I had to."
Five years ago...
The village was in utter ruin. Every tree had been burnt black and the houses were turned into piles of cinders.
On a nearby hillside, Rain Shine stared down at her ruined home, sighing as she spun around and saw her kin just now calming down. But as they did this, a few turned to the couple from the start, only for the mare to point at the stallion and yell, "This is all your fault!"
"Me?!" He growled while gesturing to himself before pointing at her, "You're the one that flamed up first! If anything, it's your fault!"
The rest of the kirin hissed at the two as they began to yell at each other again, Salix and Autumn joining in as well. But as this happened, Rain Shine saw the flame wisps starting to come off their horns, making her quickly yell, "ENOUGH!" The kirin all stopped and turned to her, seeing she was closing to niriking out as well. "Don't you see what's going on?! If you keep arguing, all that'll happen is you'll transform and cause even more damage!"
The kirin all shrunk back at her words, a few exchanging glances as she glared down at them, "We have gone too far. We can not allow this to happen again."
Everypony grimaced at her words, Salix speaking up next, "But...what are we supposed to do? We can't help what just happened."
"We can." She instantly replied, taking a deep breath next before saying, "There is only one option. No more talking."
The statement made everypony go wide-eyed, Salix screaming out, "WHAT?! That's crazy! How are we supposed to not talk anymore?"
"Simple," Rain pointed to an area of the villiage many steered clear of: The stream of silence.
"No....NO!" Salix yelled as he glared at Rain, "I'm not going in there!"
"We have too," Rain replied, "There is no other choice. If we don't, it's only a matter of time before another big argument occurs. It's clear now that the ability to speak is nothing but a curse."
"Seriously?! You're crazy!" He yelped before turning to the others, "You all do realize this is nuts, right?" But as those words left his mouth, he saw the others all glance back at their village, seeing the damage they had caused. Biting his lip at this, he turned to one of his friends, "Flare, you'll never be able to laugh at anything!"
"Better to not laugh at something then have nothing to laugh at." she immediately replied.
Salix spun around and went up to Autumn, "Come on Blaze, you love talking just as much as me! If you became silent, all the stuff you would want to say but couldn't would drive you nuts!"
"I can live without words," she responded, making Salix's ears drop.
"But...but...what about your stand up?!"
"All the more reason I need to do this. What if one of my jokes gets somepony angry and they flame up?"
"But that's...you can't.....RAAAHHH!" He roared in frustration, the others flinching when they saw his horn catch fire. He quickly took a deep breath and patted his horn out before looking away, "Well you all can do it, but there's no way you're making me go in there." He crossed his hooves before glancing back, only to see all of their horns glowing, "What?" he yelped as he suddenly found himself floating, the group turning back to the stream, "Hey! Let me go! You can't do this me!"
"It's for your own good," Rain replied in a low tone.
"No!" He yelled as he tried to move, "Let me go...let me go!" But as he did this, he saw the kirin had put him in front of the group, his eyes going wide before he roared, "I said...let...me...GO!" With that, he transformed into a nirik, unleashing a wave of fire at the village. The kirin all flinched from the heat, dropping him as Salix landed inches from the edge of the stream.
Seeing this, he quickly hopped onto his hooves, spinning around to see a range of angry glares looking at him. Growling at this, he swung his tail, firing a sphere of flames at the group, making them hop away before he charged right through the crowd. And as he got past them, Rain suddenly appeared to him in front at the back of the group.
He came to a stop, panting as he turned to the others and pointed at them, "Don't do this. It might seem like a good idea now, but you'll come to regret it. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but someday."
Rain shook her head at this, "If you refuse to take this vow of silence, then I can not risk you living here."
Salix's heart split in two as he heard those words, the nirik turning with a low hiss as he looked away from them all. "Fine. If that's what you want, you'll never see me again." With that, he ran away while leaving a flaming trail behind him. He kept running until he reached a nearby hill that overlooked the stream, coming to a stop before looking down at the village.
There, he saw the kirin walk into the water in a line, stepping out the other side with a stoic emotionless expression on their faces. And after the last of her subjects took the dip, Rain Shine followed and soon all but one of the kirin race was completely silent and emotionless.
And the only emotion that kirin felt was sorrow as he walked off, leaving his home forever.
Present...
"This world is a cruel one, and will do whatever it takes to take away the few things in life that gives you pleasure. If you wanna keep those things, you've gotta have the guts to protect them."
"Is that why you joined Shadow?" Heart asked him, Salix shining a huge grin at this.
"He doesn't care if I talk a lot, and he certainly doesn't care that I set things on fire. He lets me be me, as long as me being me helps him."
"But Flash and his friends would let you be you too!" Heart barked back, "They don't care about those kind of things!"
"Maybe not now, but eventually they will. Eventually, they'll get scared of me losing my temper and burn something down, just like my kin. Then they'll do what everypony does when they're afraid, get as far away from the thing they're afraid of. That'll mean locking me up somewhere I can't escape or find a way to seal my powers away." His mane surged with flames at these words, his grin vanishing as he glared at the colt, "Well, I won't let that happen! I decide what happens to me and nopony else!"
"Too right," Storm added as he started spinning the dial on his sword, "You really need to learn that the world isn't so happy go lucky where good things happen just because you really really want them to, and you're really really good." He stopped the dial and pointed it directly at Heart, "There are only two choices in life kid. Be good, or be conquered. Maybe a good thrashing will teach you that."
The two started to move again, Heart shivering like a leaf as he flared his wings, "S-s-stay back. I'm warning you!"
"Oh, are you now?" Salix laughed again, "And how you gonna fight back? Ya got no muscles. No brains. No heroes to protect you when you do something stupid."
"And don't think Cold will save you either." Storm added with a slight chuckle, "Even if he beats Wingill, he'll never beat us both."
"Yeah!" Salix cheered, only to go wide-eyed, "Oh shoot! He is still out there and could find the orb!"
"It'll be fine Salix." Storm responded while making some air-quotes at his next words, "I know how these knights operate. He'll be 'duty-bound' to come back and help this kid." He then gave Heart a cold dead stare, "And before you get any ideas, know that out of your little group, Cold will never ever beat me one on one. Even that weakling Wonderbolt has a better chance against me than him."
Heart continued to backpedal at these words, seeing the pure confidence on Storm's face as Salix kept laughing at the colt, "So kid, what are ya gonna do, huh? What are ya gonna do?!"
The colt's entire body was screaming at him to flee, his hooves shaking like jelly before spinning around. His wings flared next, taking flight as he flew away. "As I thought," Salix yelled as him and Storm took to the air, "Don't think that'll get you off the hook!"
Storm nodded in agreement as he flapped his wings, "Seeing you hurt is just the thing that'll finally break Sentry and his friends. They'll be so scared, the next time you're picked, they'll be too petrified to fight back! HA!"
In another section of the city...
Cold reappeared as he finished another teleportation spell, now seeing the lake just a few feet away. But as he saw this, a yell entered his ears, making him turn to see Wingill flying at him. The hippogriff pulled a bunch of water out of the lake next, trying to turn it into a weapon before Cold's horn fired a spell at the liquid, freezing it over.
"You can't beat me." Cold said as he turned back at the cultist. "Just give up."
"Oh yeah?!" Wingill screeched before pulling out a card and throwing at the knight. He side-stepped from the projectile, only to see it explode unleashing a field of energy around the entire lake. "No more teleporting for you!" With that, he swung a clenched claw, a fist of water coming out of the lake within this motion.
The knight just turned tot he sight, hopping back with ease as he dodged the first punch from the fist. He then fired a Cold Force at it, freezing it place as Wingill thrust his claws upward, summoning two streams of water from the lake. Swinging his hooves down next, the first stream came for Cold as he froze it as well, only for the other to swoop around and hit the knight's back.
"Gyah!" he moaned as the water struck him, quickly turning into a bubble that Wingill levitated over the lake. And as Cold's horn sparked to freeze the bubble, Wingill snapped his claws, causing the water to burst, dropping Cold right into the lake.
"YES!" Wingill cheered as he leapt into lake, switching to his seapony form, "You're in my world now!" He then thrusted his body like a torpedo, instantly hitting Cold's stomach, making him release what little air he had. Wingill saw the pain on Cold's face, making him declare, "And now, its time for you to drown!"
But as those words left his mouth, Cold just glared down at him, the look of pain gone as he stared at him with a emotionless stare. The sight made Wingill freeze for just a second, not able to comprehend why Cold was like that. And as he did this, Cold suddenly thrust a backhoof into his stomach.
"AUGH!" he yelped, only for Cold to grabbed him by the fins and spin him around. "Hey, what are you-blugh!"
Cold kicked him straight in the head, the seapony falling back as Cold's horn shined, creating a ice platform under the knight. The laws of physics took over as the ice immediately took the unicorn upward, pushing him to the surface as he let out a gasp of air.
And as Wingill recovered from the kick, he looked up to see Cold coughing up water on the ice platform. His brain began to go into overdrive as he saw Cold's horn start to glow, making him scream, "No!" he smacked his tail back, trying to push himself as fast as possible upward. But as he did this, he soon realized he was too late.
"NO!" he cried as he kept trying to get up to the surface, but it was too later. Cold's ice spell had begun, ice now covering the entire lake faster than he could even blink. "NOOOOOOOOOOO!" Was all he could scream as he tried to get to Cold, only for his body to lock in place, the ice now covering the lake, including below the surface.
Above the water's surface, Cold stared down at his now fully frozen foe as he commented, "I don't know what happened to you to make you choose to join Shadow, but no matter what it was, it doesn't give you the right to do the things you've done." He then saw Wingill's body slowly turn to dust, the hippogriff likely running out of oxygen and falling unconscious.
Seeing this, he coughed out the last bit of water, only to then hear Soul's voice echo throughout the city, "WINGILL, ELIMINATED!"
He raised an eyebrow at this, his brain quickly switching to memories as he now remembered the current situation with Flash and Heart. "Right. No time to rest." He sparked his horn, only for it sputter out. "And no teleportation. Guess I have to go the old fashioned way." With that, he tapped his hooves on the frozen ground, summoning an ice dragon for a ride. "Stay strong Sentry, I'm coming."
Heart kept panting as he jumped into a nearby alleyway, hiding behind some crates as he saw a fireball flying over the buildings.
"Come out, come out, wherever you are!" He heard Salix call out, Storm flying above him. "I like a game of hide and seek as much as the next pony, but there's a time and a place." He then glanced into the alleyway, spotting a pony-shaped shadow.
He launched a fireball at the crates, an explosion following this. The colt gasped as he tried to leap away from the flames, only for Salix to fire another sphere of flames, this one exploding on the ground in front of Heart. "Aaaah!" He yelped as he sent out of the alleyway and down a street.
"There you are." Salix cheered as he hopped over the burning crates, the tip of his horn lighting at the same time. And as Heart started to get back onto his hooves, his brain went back to something he had seen Soarin do. Grinning at the sight, he spun around and swung his tail upward after hitting the ground. A load of dirt had been picked up from this tail, the mud splattering into Salix's face, "Blugh!" he spat, making him backpedal as the flame over his horn sputter out.
Seeing this, Heart ran up and dove under Salix's legs before flying back into the alleyway. But as he did this, a bolt of lightning suddenly came striking down at the end of the alley. "WHOA!" he yelled, looking up next to see Storm pointing his blade at him.
"End of line kid."
"Not a chance!" Heart yelled as he flared his wings, zipping under Storm as he flew out of the alleyway and into another. Storm turned to follow him, only to see Heart suddenly make a rapid turn at the end of the next alley.
"Hmm?" Storm muttered as he got to the end of the alleyway, not seeing that Heart had leapt into a window in the building right by him. The cultist looked into the window next, only to see nothing. "Where's he go?"
And as he floated to the next window, Heart jumped out of a window from the building next to that one. He then flew over to another window, quickly zipping under the cultist's view with a big grin on his face, "Sucker."
Back at the castle...
"Brilliant!" Trixie cheered as she now saw Heart beeline for a wall that had a hole in it, jumped through before moving behind some furniture as Storm flew by.
Ruby nodded in agreement, "Storm might be faster, but Heart knows this city like the back of his hoof."
"But that won't help him win," Springer added.
"But maybe that will," Soarin chimed in as he pointed at the face Heart was showing. "Looks like the kid thought up something. I just hope it doesn't screw up things."
"He's a smart kid," Springer continued, "He might have made a mistake before, but I think he's learned from it."
"I hope you're right," Trixie finished.
Back at the battle...
Heart flapped his wings as fast as he could, zipping between buildings everyway he could. And as he did this, he turned another corner, only to see a certain melted pile in the distance. A smile graced his face at the sight, but it soon switched to a gasp as a rain of fireballs suddenly hit the ground behind him.
"WHOA!" He yelped as he started zigzagging in mid-air, glancing back to see Salix charging at him.
"DIE!" He roared as he launched one large fireball, an explosion following this as it hit the ground under Heart. The force from the implosion knocked the colt flying, heat singeing him as his body slammed into the magma tomb holding Flash.
"Trying to free him, were ya?!" Salix barked before laughing again, "And how exactly were ya gonna do that?! You're not strong enough to break through it. He's in there for the long haul."
"I'll find a way," Heart replied as he tried to get up. "I told you, I won't let you win."
"And we told you that the world doesn't work that way."
"Maybe for somepony like you, but I'm not you." The colt fully picked himself up at this, showing a bit smirk to the kirin, "Cuz unlike you, I've actually got the brains to free him."
"What did you just say?!" Salix hissed, flames in his mane flaring up.
"You heard me." Heart responded, chuckling as he continued, "I mean, you're just a hot head. Bet you couldn't even find your way out of a paper bag. You'd probably just burn your way out and roast the rest of the place to do it." Salix's eyes started to twitch as Heart kept going, "Is that why you got kicked out of wherever you came from? Couldn't open a pickle jar, so you melted it instead like a moron?!"
"Shut up."
"I mean, I thought my sister had a temper when she had a bad mane day, but you take the cake! Guess that explains why you're so dumb. You must of melted your brain."
"Shut up!"
"I guess it also explains why you thought joining up with a total loser like that Shadow guy was a good idea. Only an idiot would-"
"I SAID, SHUT UP!" Salix screeched, the hottest fire blast he could make now flying at Heart. However, the colt just shined a huge grin as he took to the air, the flames striking the tomb as Heart zipped right over the kirin.
"Gotcha!" Heart laughed as Salix went wide-eyed, now seeing the mistake he had just made.
"No, no, no, no, no, no!" He yelled as he hopped onto the melting rock, trying to stomp out the flames. And as he did this, he turned to see Storm flying over, yelling at the pegasi, "Hurry!" Storm began to turn the dial on his blade, only for a light to emit from under the rock, "Aw horse-apples."
KABOOM!
The tomb exploded, sending Salix flying off with a scream. Heart's grin grew as he saw Flash take to the sky, heavily panting with an angry glare on his face.
"That...wasn't...fun." He growled, only to fire a Flash Cutter, the energy going straight for Storm. The cultist blocked it, quickly spinning like a top as he tried to counter with a downward swing of his blade. However, Flash's sword met his, both locking in place.
Heart gasped at the sight, only to feel a blast of heat his back. Turning around, he saw a certain kirin getting up and screaming, "You little twerp! I'M GONNA ROAST YOU!" What followed was what looked like a beam of fire, consuming the street. The colt tried to take the sky next, only for the flames to strike him, exploding into a tornado of fire that spiraled around him.
"Heart!" Flash yelled, only for Storm to appear in front of him.
"You're not going anywhere! Not until your little friend learns what happens to brave little ponies that mess with us!" He unleashed a lightning storm next, a electric bolt instantly hitting Flash. The knight held up his blade to block it, now feeling the electricity surge through him despite his guard.
"I...won't..." Flash grunted as he tried to move.
And as this happened, Heart felt his fur burn inside the tornado. The colt watched as the flames grew closer, his throat choking as he now found it hard to breathe. Before he could do anything, his hooves gave out as he slumped over, knowing any second from now...it would be over.
Down below in the crystal chambers, Soul continued to float curled up within the crystal orb. Despite appearing asleep, the images of the battle were flashing on the forefront of her mind, keeping her awake. This included images of Heart, Soul's eyes filling with tears as she watched him about to be deep fried. And as she saw this, Salix laughed as he walked into the flames of the spiral.
"If you beg, I might be willing to let you off with a light scorching. What do you say kid?"
Heart moaned as he tried to push himself back to his hooves, "Dream on. I'd rather die than show you weakness. I don't care how much it hurts, I'm not losing to you!"
"Oh please," Salix spat with a giant grin, "What could you possibly do?"
"I...I don't know," Heart grunted as he got up, "But I'll do whatever it takes to find and save my sister!" A tear went down Soul's face as she heard this, seeing her brother start to stagger over to Salix, "No matter what...I'm gonna beat you and find my sister!"
"Yeah right," Salix laughed as he leapt out of the flames before slamming his hooves together. "The only thing you're gonna do is get roasted!" With that, the tornado began to quickly shrink, the top of spiral now closing up to prevent any escape. And as Heart saw this, his eyes closed as he waited for the flames to consume him.
But as his eyes closed, Soul's shot open. They were filled with a brilliant golden light, that same light now exploding out of her body and filling the room before shooting up through the ceiling. What followed was a pillar of light exploding out of the ground of the city. Time seemed to slow down at this moment, everypony turning to the light as it suddenly started to curve and shoot itself right into the fire tornado, hitting Heart as the light blinded everypony else.
Heart wasn't sure how much time had passed when he realized that the flames weren't hurting him. The feeling made him open his eyes, only to see he was in a white void. His eyes grew at the sight, making him blink as he muttered out, "Am...am I dead?"
"Not yet, you're not." Heart's...heart stopped beating as he heard that voice, making him turn to see somepony he had feared he would never see ever again.
"Soul..." he gasped as he saw his sister now floating several feet away, tears flowing loose as she spread her hooves. The colt instantly flew over to her, both hugging tightly as tears poured down all four eyes. They weren't sure how much time passed as they embraced each other, Heart muttering into her shoulder, "What...what happened to you?! Where'd you go? Why were you talking like that before? You...you scared me. I...I thought I lost you."
Soul ended the hug, only to look away from him, "I'm...I'm sorry. I didn't have a choice."
"Didn't have a choice?" Heart muttered, his eyes narrowing as he growled, "Wait...somepony did this to you?! Who?! I'll find them and-"
"No!" Soul interrupted while shaking her head, "Nopony did anything to me. I agreed to what happened."
"But you just said you didn't have a choice."
"Yes...but nopony's forcing me. It's more of a..." She twiddled her hooves at her next words, "Well, its a kind of 'something I have to do' type of thing. That's why I became an alicorn, so I could fulfil the task I was given."
"What task? Who gave it to you?"
"I'm sorry, but I can't answer that. The only reason I was allowed to come talk to you was because I promised not to give away too much information." She then put her hooves on his shoulders. "But I promise you, I'm okay. And once this game is over and my task is complete, I'll be let go."
"But...but...what's the point of this game, and when is it actually gonna be over?!"
"I can't tell you why, but I can tell you when." Her eyes narrowed as she gave him a serious glare, "The game is over when one of the two teams manage to gather seven orbs. Only then will the game come to an end."
"Seven orbs?" Heart replied, "That means the game is like...half over already. Wait, what happens after that?"
"I can't say. But it's vital that Flash be the one to win this game. If he doesn't, then...then the entire world may fall into a state of eternal ruin." Heart's eyes went wide at this, seeing Soul stare into his eyes with pure confidence, "That's why you need to help Flash and the others win, no matter what!"
"But...what can I do?" Heart asked, "I...I don't have any fighting skills. I've got no magical abilities. I'm...not like you or Flash or...any of our new friends."
Soul giggled at his response, patting his shoulder now, "That's why I'm here. To even the odds."
"How?" Heart responded while raising an eyebrow, only to see the huge grin on his sister's face.
"One upside of my current situation is that I'm pretty much all powerful right now, with perfect control." Her horn began to glow before a tiny rainbow light sphere appeared on the tip. The orb popped off the horn as the ball began to float over to Heart. The colt started to backpedal at the sight, only for Heart to say, "Just stay still Heart. Trust me, you'll enjoy what's about to happen."
Heart glanced between her and the orb, only to sigh as he came to a stop. And as he did this, the orb floated over and phased into his chest, "What did-YAAAAAAAH!" His entire body exploded with light while a piecing sting surged through his heart. But before he could do more than scream, the pain stopped as he suddenly felt a warmth cover his entire body. "What is..."
"With this, you'll be able to fight with Flash and the others. Just...don't do anything too reckless." Soul interrupted, the colt looking back at his sister. But as he did this, he saw they were now floating away from one another, Soul sighing a frown appeared on her face, "I'm sorry, but that's all the time I have. I have to go now Heart."
"Wait! Don't go!" Heart screamed, "Please...come back!"
Soul shook her head, new tears going down her face, "I don't have a choice. But don't worry...you'll see me again. Just focus on helping Flash win. That's all that is important right now." The void around them started to fill with light, causing the two to blur out as she her final words, "I love you."
Heart felt himself tear up, as he yelled back into the void, "I love you too! And I promise, I'll help Flash win! No matter what!" With that, the void blinded both, the two vanishing within the light.
The pillar of light had now vanished, time going back to normal speed. Flash blinked his eyes as he turned to the flaming tornado, his mouth moving on its own, "Heart?"
What was once a fiery vortex now seemed to be getting sucked into something, which turned out to be Heart. The young pegasus seemed completely unphased as the fire was absorbed into his fur, a calm smile on his face as the last bit of fire was sucked into him. He wiped a single tear from his eye before opening them, turning to Salix as his smile morphed into a confident smirk. "Alright. Now that that's out of the way...where were we?"
"Wha...but...how did...what did you do?!"
"Oh, nothing much," Heart replied, chuckling as he stretched, "Let's just say, my sister saved me."
"Sister?" Flash gasped, "Wait...Soul's okay?!"
Heart cricked his neck in response, "Oh yeah. And thanks to her," He pointed at the kirin, "I can now go hoof to hoof with you."
Salix almost chuckled hearing that, "And how exactly can you now do that?! I don't know what that light did to you, but you look exactly the same to me!"
"Really?" Heart snickered, "Then maybe you should take a better LOOK!" As he yelled that, his entire body burst into flames. Everypony gasped at the sight, the flames now swirling around Heart as he revealed a new form. His mane and tail were now completely ablaze while flaming rings wrapped around the ends of his front legs but kept his hooves uncovered. When he opened his eyes, they were now completely white like Salix's.
The sight made everypony freeze up, Flash noticing this as he quickly body-checked Storm. Slamming him into a nearby building, Flash then flew over to the now flaming colt as he yelled, "Heart?! Is that really you?!"
"You know it." Heart cheered, spreading his wings as he began to hover. He looked down next at his form, seeing his burning hooves before shaking his head to make embers fly off his mane. "This is so awesome! I've never felt so much power!"
And as those words left his mouth, a light suddenly shined off him. Both him and Flash saw this, Heart looking back at his flank as a blue shield with a heart-shaped flame inside it appeared.
"No way...my cutie mark! YES!"
"A shield?" Flash muttered as he saw the design, a certain memory from Grand talking about shield cutie marks now entering his mind.
"What a joke!" yelled a voice, making the two return to reality as they now saw Storm blow up the roof of the building before flying over, "You may look different, but you're still the same puny little colt that ran from us before!" He spun the dial on his blade, "I'm gonna skewer you both!"
Salix nodded as he slammed his hooves into the street, flames pouring off his body, "Yeah! And when this is over, you'll be running with your flaming tail between your legs again!"
Seeing this, Flash instinctively spread his wings in front of Heart, only for Heart to suddenly fly over him. "Guess again hothead!" Heart yelled as his body began to radiate an intense heat, "Say hello to the new improved me!" The flaming bands around his front legs suddenly grew until they enveloped both hooves, Heart then slamming the two together before pulling them apart to form a fireball. "This'll be over before it begins!" With that, he thrust the ball forward, the flames suddenly exploding into a giant stream of fire.
Storm and Salix gasped at the sight, quickly trying to guard as the flamethrower pushed both back down the street. The sight made Flash's jaw drop, turning to Heart as he said, "Whoa...that was incredible. It's like you've got your own Force attack."
"Force attack?" Heart replied with a raised eyebrow, "Oh....you mean that thing you, Springer, Cold and Ruby can do!" He stared at his hooves for a second, "I can do that? Huh...its like its a...Fire Force attack."
"Hey, that name works." Flash added.
"Doesn't matter what you call it!" They both turned to see the two cultists charging at them again, "It won't save you!" Storm then spun the dial to the water section, "You're still just a weak little kid!"
"A kid with more power than any of us when we were his age," Flash barked back before giving Heart a big smirk, "You really wanna help?" Heart nodded back with his own grin, "Then follow my lead!" They turned back to their opponents before charging, Flash in front of Heart as Storm aimed his weapon.
"Storm Shot!" A stream of water came flying at them as Flash's sword began to glow.
"Flash Cutter!" He swung his blade and hit the liquid bullet, dispelling it as he reached Storm. The cultist blocked the knight's next slash, quickly countering with a right jab that Flash blocked with his left hoof. And as he did this, Heart dove under both pegasi, heading straight for Salix.
"BACK OFF!" Salix unleashed a flamethrower at Heart, hitting the colt dead on. But Heart just pushed right through, the flames not even phasing him, "What?!" he yelped as Heart suddenly ran up to him, instantly slamming a hoof right into the kirin's face, "BLAUGH!"
Heart then spun and slammed both back hooves into him, backflipping next as he hopped a few feet away. Laughing as he did this, he swung himself around, the action causing his blazing tail to suddenly launch a bunch of random fireballs. Salix grunted as one of the fireballs slammed into him, the flames doing nothing but the force making him stagger back.
"HA!" Heart laughed as he saw Salix shake his head in frustration. At the same time, the colt charged at the kirin, ready to punch him again. But as he did this, his back hooves suddenly exploded with a burst of flames, firing him like a bullet right at the cultist, "WHOA!"
Salix smirked at the sight, doing a small sidestep as Heart went sailing past him and crashing into the street. His body rolled like a barrel, the flames on him sputtering as Salix pointed at him, "HA! Maybe you should have asked your sister for a manual, cuz you're a million years too early to call yourself a master of this power."
"Ugh..." Heart moaned as he picked himself up, 'Shoot. He's right about that...I just got this.' He then turned to Salix, now seeing the kirin already right up to the colt's face. Salix quickly hit his face, Heart flinching as he ducked under a second punch, only for the kirin to buck him in the stomach. "Gyah!" Heart yelped as he was thrown back, his hooves scrambling as he tried to keep on his hooves. He then slammed his hooves together, forming a familiar flame attack. "FIRE FORCE!"
"Oh please," Salix spat as he launched his own flamethrower from his horn, the two attacks now meeting. But as they collided, Heart's fire was being overpowered, Salix's dark flames pushing through and hitting the colt again.
"Blaugh!" he yelped, his body rolling down the street again.
"Nice try kid, but I don't fall for the same trick twice." Salix chuckled as flames started to dance around his horn.
At the same time, Flash and Storm were continuing to block each other, only for the defender to see Heart get hit by Salix's attack in the corner of his eye. The sight made his head turn, Storm's blade clipping his ear at this moment. Flinching in pain, he glared back at the cultist before launching several Flash Cutters at once.
"Storm Vortex!" An aerial whirlpool blocked the attacks, Storm zipping through his own wind as both blades locked again. Seeing this, Storm leaned up to Flash's face, "You should focus on your own battle instead of worrying about your subordinate. If you haven't trained him well enough, you should have thought of that before bringing him here."
"I didn't bring him here," Flash grunted back as he saw Heart pick himself up. "And he's not my subordinate. He's a kid. A kid with more guts than I've ever seen from somepony his age."
"I can't disagree there. And with those powers, he could become a force to be reckoned with..." A smile began to creep onto Storm's face, "The only question is, how will he choose to use this power? For others, or himself?"
Flash growled back, his sword glowing as he pushed Storm back. "I'll make sure he uses it right!" He roared as a spiral of light began to appear his blade, "Just watch me! Flash Vortex!"
"So naïve. Storm Vortex." Storm replied, both light and water attacks striking. An explosion followed this, water splattering everywhere. But as this happened, Storm shook his head at the sight. "What you do for him will not matter. That kind of power...Master Shadow will be interested. He will get his hooves on him, and when that happens, the colt will either bow or be destroyed."
"You won't touch him, or his sister!" Flash hissed. "I promised him I'd protect him, and I won't let him down."
"Typical." Storm replied, shrugging, "And what if he chooses to use his power like my master? What will you do then?"
Flash glanced back at Heart, now seeing the colt tricking Salix in missing an attack. Even though he had only known him a little over a week, he knew he saw the good in him. The Knight of Friendship's face shined a huge grin, turning back to the cultist, "That won't happen. And even if at some point he strays onto the dark path, I'll be there to help show him the light."
Storm gritted his teeth at this, seeing the resolve on Flash's face. The sight disgusted him, his hooves clenching on his weapon. But before he could say anything, the building to his side exploded. Turning to this, a giant Cold Dragon appeared as it charged at the cultist, tackling him into a nearby building. Seeing this, Flash's grin grew as he now saw Cold on a rooftop.
"Great timing!" He cheered, "Guess you beat Wingill?"
"You didn't hear the announcement?" Cold asked, making Flash tilt his head at him. But before he could explain, an explosion made them turn to see Heart biting Salix's tail, making the kirin cry out. He barely raised an eyebrow at this, seeing Heart's new look, "Did I miss something?"
"Explain later!" Flash replied as he dove at Salix. Cold teleported over there next, Heart seeing this as he let go of the kirin's tail. Cold reappeared right in front of Salix, a Cold Force slamming into the cultist's face. He let out a yelp of pain as he was slammed back at from the freezing attack, his mane flaring as he tried to keep his body heat going. But as he did this, Flash zipped up to him and swung his blade, "FLASH CUTTER!"
"RAAAAAH!" Salix screamed as the attack hit his chest, a wound opening and gushing blood from the blow.
But before they could continue, an explosion made them turn to see a building fall over. Storm hovered over the collapsing structure, his sword sparking off a tiny thunderstorm. "Storm Force!" he roared, a bolt of lightning flying out of the blade, Flash taking to the sky as Cold grabbed Heart and teleported them away. This allowed Storm to fly over to Salix, the nirik slumped over in pain, "Get up! Now!"
"I'm...trying," Salix moaned as he clutched his chest, trying to get up.
Storm growled at this, now turning to see his opponents group up. He then spun the blade's dial, pointing the weapon at the trio, "I'm ending this. STORM TRI-FORCE!" An electrified tornado of wind and water shot out, the three sharing a glance before nodding.
"Flash-"
"Cold-"
"Fire-"
"FORCE!" The three launched their attacks, the fire and light mixing with the ice tornado, morphing it all into a flaming tornado filled with ice that was covered in a shining laser. This bizarre combination of attacks struck Storm's attack, pushing right through and headed for the pair. Both gasped at the sight, Storm trying to summon a barrier of wind from his blade.
KABOOM!
The entire city shook from the impact, the force sending a burst of wind across the whole place. Cold quickly made a shield, trying to make sure they weren't blown away as the mini-earthquake continued. And as it died down, Cold dropped the barrier and they all saw their opponents laying on the ground. Both we covered in burns, bruises and frostbite. The two let out pained moans as their bodies began to dust, Storm getting to his hooves as he growled at them, "Enjoy this victory while you can, as it will be the last one you will celebrate."
And with that, both vanished into dust, all of it scattering into the wind.
"STORM BLADE, ELIMINATED!"
"SEARING SALIX, ELIMINATED!"
"What was that?" Flash asked.
"Yeah...I heard that earlier too. What was that?" Heart added as he then saw his body began to turn back to normal.
"It seems Soul is acting as the announcer and ref," Cold responded. But as he said this, a pillar of light exploded a few streets away, the three seeing the pillar curve and land in front of them before revealing a floating orb.
The sight made Flash chuckle before patting Heart's shoulder, "Go on kiddo. You earned it."
"Huh?" Heart gasped as he looked up at Flash, seeing a big grin on the defender's face. Seeing this, he turned back to the sphere and flew over to it. A moment of hesitation followed this, taking a deep breath before tapping the ball. And as he did this, the orb exploded with light that flew across the field.
However, when it struck the three...nothing happened.
"Huh?" The three said in unison, confusion striking them and the ones in the castle.
"What's going on?" Springer asked next.
"I'm...not sure," Ruby replied with crossed hooves. She then saw the four orbs from their previous victories, seeing them all glow with a gentle light. Before she could say anything, a light shot out of them, striking each in the chest, only to suddenly teleport them away. In the blink of an eye, they were warped from the castle down to the city, appearing right beside Flash and the others.
"What are you all doing here?" Flash asked, only for the group to gasp as the orbs flew out of them and joined the sphere in Heart's grasp. They watched as the balls flew up, forming a circle that they spun around. "What's happening?"
"WINNERS!" Soul's voice echoed throughout the city, "TEAM FLASH!"
"Maybe we won," Trixie chimed in, "Maybe we managed to get all the orbs."
Heart shook his head at this, "No. Soul said we need to get seven orbs."
"Seven?" Ruby asked, the others turning to him for answers.
But before anything could be asked, the orbs suddenly flew around Flash. "What the-" he yelped as the spheres came down to their level, the others getting into a battle stance. But as they saw this, Flash felt something...an almost comforting feeling. "Wait!" he yelled to the others, "Don't move."
"What?!" Trixie yelped back, "What do you mean, don't move?!"
"I don't know, but I feel like this isn't something bad." He stood up straight as the orbs spun around, picking up speed. Light poured off them as they merged into one single white circle. Everypony watched as the light grew brighter, only to explode as the light suddenly engulfed Flash.
"FLASH!" They all screamed, Cold, Soarin and Springer running up to get to him, only for them all to be suddenly thrown backward by a pulse of energy. And as this happened, the others just watched at the light pillar consumed the defender.
Inside, Flash took a long deep breath, filling a warmth flow through his body. And as this happened, his eyes shot open with a golden light. Outside the pillar, everypony saw the light suddenly turn from white to gold, the light then spiraling into a tornado. The sight was followed by the whirlwind exploding, now showing Flash with a certain set of armor on with a pair of swords on his back.
Silence followed this, Flash taking one of the swords out and spinning it in his hoof, "Hello old friend."
"Flash...you got your powers back." Springer gasped.
Flash chuckled as he put the blade back, "Yup. This'll definitely help for the battles ahead." He then turned to the five orbs, which had stopped spinning and were now floating off to the side. "Just two more to go."
Inside the black castle, silence filled the air as Shadow, Armalum, Tempera and Terror watched Flash regain his power.
Armalum remained silent, appearing unmoved by this development. However, Tempera and Terror both shook in fear, gulping at the sight as they slowly turned to Shadow. And as their eyes got to the throne, they went wide-eyed as they saw something new.
It was Shadow smiling, a huge grin growing on his face. "Excellent." He whispered as he turned to the four orbs they had, "Just one more...that's all I need to win everything."