Canterlot, many years ago.
It was another busy day in the city, the many ponies going about their business. But as this happened, it was also the first day of the Royal Guard boot camp, where the many aspiring young ponies would begin their journey through the ranks of the system.
This included a dark blue pegasus stallion with yellow streaks, along with a green mane and tail. His wings had several green tips and he was carrying a saddlebag, which appeared packed to the brim. He was now flying over the city, trying to get to Canterlot Castle.
And as he landed, he saw a number of ponies in line, each stepping up to the guards before showing a piece of paper and being let in. He pulled out his own sheet of paper, reading it before looking back at the gate. The stallion took a step forward, only to step back. He did this again, his hooves going back and forth as his body shook. But as this happened, a voice behind him spoke up, "I think you've got to the point where you can shake it all about before turning yourself around."
He spun around to see a gray unicorn with a white and blue striped mane and tail. His cutie mark showed a knight banner with a shield printed on it.
"Excuse me?"
The unicorn laughed back as he walked up to him, "You were moving back and forth so much, you looked like you were doing the...nevermind." He then pointed to the paper before taking out the same paper, "You joining the guard recruits too?"
"Well...I want too. But what if it's not the right decision. I...I don't know how well I'd do, and I don't want to waste the trainer's time if I end up flunking out."
The unicorn rolled his eyes before engulfing the pegasus in his magic and pushing him toward the line. "You seriously worry too much. Just go in there and try your best."
"But...but..." He suddenly found himself at the back of the line, unable to move due to the magic, "Please, don't-"
"I didn't get a name by the way," the unicorn interrupted, "I'm Noble. Noble Banner."
The pegasus looked back at him, sighing at the sight of the unicorn's smile, "Swift Wing."
"Nice to meet you Swifty. I bet we're gonna be fast friends. Maybe we'll even get rid of that hesitant streak."
"T-t-there's nothing wrong with being cautious."
"True, but being overcautious isn't exactly great. You'll never be able to sniff the roses if you're worried a bee might fly out of it." Noble then tapped Swift's shoulder, "Come on, have some confidence in yourself."
Swift looked back at the castle, now seeing they were nearing the end of the line. "I...uh...I guess I'm in."
"Heck yeah you are," Noble chuckled as pointed at the castle, "Oh...this is gonna be awesome! Can you believe we're gonna get trained by a real Royal Knight?!"
"We are?" Swift asked with a long gulp.
"You a fan of the knights too?" Swift slowly nodded back, "Awesome. That's why I'm here. I wanna be a Royal Knight, just like them. What about you?"
"If I was offered the position, I'd certainly take it. I doubt I have the skills to become one though."
"None of us have the skills to become one. That's why we're here. To learn those skills and any other that might help us save Equestria. Hey, what kind of Celestic Gear would you have?"
"Me? Err...I'm not sure."
"I already have mine thought up. It'd be a triple elemental weapon." Swift raised an eyebrow. "A weapon that could switch between three different elements. I'm thinking lightning, wind and water. If I could control those three elements, I would be able to deal with anything. House fires, rampaging bulls, tornadoes...heck, even a blackout at a hospital with ponies on life support. Show me the generators and I'll zap the power on!"
"So you want to control a storm?" Swift asked, Noble turning to him with raised eyebrows. Seeing the confusion on his face, Swift continued, "A storm is made up of wind, water and lightning, so having control over all three elements would mean you would be in control of a storm."
"Yeah...I guess you're right." Noble replied, "Now I know what I'm gonna call me weapon. The Storm Blade."
"Sounds cool. I wonder what-"
"RECRUITS, LINE UP!" yelled a voice, both turning to see Grand Hoof walk down the line. The two quickly got into position as the knight passed over every one of them, a long glare on his face. "Well if you lot aren't the most sorry excuse for cadets I've ever seen! What, was there an error in the mail and your letters got swapped with the real soldier letters?! I bet there's some real confused filly scout leaders wondering why their newest recruits are a bunch of tough ponies instead of you weaklings!"
Swift gulped as he saw Grand go to the first cadet, asking for his name and where he was from. The sight made his heart hide in his stomach, sweat pouring down his face as he saw Grand slowly trot up to him.
"What about you, maggot?"
Swift stood to attention, "I...I'm Swift Wing from Rainbow Falls."
"Rainbow Falls, huh? They've only got two things in Rainbow Falls. Deers and fleers, and I don't see no horn on ya. Know what that makes you?"
"A fleer."
"So you're admitting you're impudent," Grand growled. "That's not something we take to kindly too in the guard." Swift's eyes went wide, his whole body shaking as Grand leaned up to his face. But before anything could be said, a chuckle entered both ponies' ears, making him turn to see Noble laughing under his breath. "Something funny colt?!"
"Yeah. That little back and forth you had there with Swifty was pretty funny." Noble chuckled with a nod, Grand stomping over to him. The two stared at each other, the other cadets trying to not gasp at Noble's comments.
And as this happened, Grand growled, "You must think you're pretty hot stuff."
Noble shined a big grin, "I do have a tendency to raise the temperature of any room I'm in. So-GRAH!" He fell backward, clutching his nose after Grand had headbutted him.
"Nopony told you to sit recruit!" He yelled as Noble started to pick himself up, Grand now walking away, "That kind of attitude won't get you far in the field. Cocky hotshots are always the first the fall. Remember that."
"Yes sir," he moaned as Grand continued to inspect them.
And when he dismissed the recruits, Swift whispered to Noble, "I can't believe you did that. That was just...insane."
Noble just shrugged, "Eh, I'm just glad I managed to get his attention off of you. I didn't think that deer fleer thing was really funny."
"You did that for me?" Swift asked.
"Sure, why not? But don't think I'll always be there to save your flank. No matter what, I'm gonna find a way to help you boost your confidence."
"Oh...thank you." Swift replied, the first smile today now appearing on his face as he knew he had found an irreplaceable friend.
The Present...
Storm's eyes slowly opened, the pegasi letting out a low breath as he now found his body in one of the medical chambers. Sighing at the sight, he opened the chamber's door, only to hear Salix and Wingill's doors opening as well.
"Seriously?!" Wingill yelled, "You all lost too?!"
"Don't give us lip. You were the first one beaten." Storm hissed as he put his hooves on the floor, only to feel his headphones spark with a static screech feeling his ears. "Gyah!" He shut his eyes and pulled his headset off, opening them a second later to see everything out of focus.
"You okay?" Salix asked, his voice barely a whisper for Storm.
"Sorry," he growled as he looked down at his headset, "My gear must have been damaged in that last fight." He could already feel himself getting a headache from the double vision, quickly closing his eyes, "Blast it..."
"Come on, let's get you upstairs." Wingill replied as he walked over to the pegasi, only to get his claws knocked away.
"I can do it on my own," he hissed as he walked over to the door, his shoulder banging the doorway. Despite this, he continued to walk as Wingill and Salix just exchanged glances with grimaces on their faces.
In the other castle...
Everypony was down in the training room, Flash now in his Sacred Light form. He had asked the others to help him get some practice with his old form. "RAAAAAH!" Cold, Ruby, Springer and Soarin yelled as they leapt at him, Cold and Ruby forming swords while Springer made a Bone Breaker.
"Flash Cutter!" Flash yelled as pulled his light swords off his back, blocking both the blades and bone while spinning like a top. Energy blades came out next, pushing Springer, Cold and Ruby back while Soarin was sent flying. Cold then slammed his hooves into the ground, summoning a Cold Dragon that made Flash spin around with light spiraling around him. "Flash Driver!"
He quickly cut through the dragon, the light drill tearing it apart before Flash landed in front of the group. Seeing this, Cold dusted his hooves as he said, "I think it's safe to say you're back in the groove."
"Heck yeah I am!" Flash cheered as his armor disappeared, "Oh...it feels so great to be running on all cylinders again!"
Ruby nodded in agreement, "And with only two orbs left to collect, we'll need every advantage we can to obtain them."
After getting back to the castle yesterday, Fire Heart had told them everything Soul had said. They were all relieved to hear she was alright and to know what their goal was. But as for the colt, he was on the opposite side of the training room.
"YEAH!" he cheered as he ran around, firing flames from his hooves at several illusions while Trixie watched him with a fire extinguisher.
"This...is...AWESOME!" he exclaimed as he swung his tail, a barrage of fireballs coming out next.
"Uh oh..." Flash said before grabbing the room's crystal, turning off the illusions, "Alright, that's enough!"
"Hey! What-augh!" Heart yelped as Trixie shot him with the extinguisher, putting the colt out.
"Sorry," Trixie replied, "But you really looked like you needed to cool off."
"Awww..." Heart moaned as he shook off the foam.
And as he did this, the group walked up to him, Cold speaking up first, "Heart, I know you're excited about your new abilities, but just having power is worthless without control. Instead of basking in them, you should be trying to understand them and what limiations you have with them."
"What limiations?" Heart responded, "I'm practically unstoppable."
"As long as Shadow's goons don't have a fire extinquisher," Soarin added, all but Cold laughing.
"They've got a point though," Flash told Heart as he patted the colt's side, "Your powers seem to be a lot like Salix's, so you might have the same weaknesses."
"Like overheating," Cold chimed in, "You might right now be fireproof, but that doesn't mean you can't feel the effects of the heat. You're probably feeling thirsty." Heart's hoof moved to his throat in response, Cold pointing at him next, "Exactly. That's something you'll need to take into account and find a work around for."
"How?" Heart asked back.
"With training and control," Ruby replied, "Start by trying to lower the heat of your attacks. You've been going all out, even on opponents that only need a tenth of the power used to beat them."
"Alright..." Heart moaned, everypony picking up his low tone, "But can we have a break first? I'm kinda worn out." The others nodded, Soarin leaving to get them all something to drink. As he did this, Flash turned back on his Sacred Light as Trixie tapped the control crystal to make some illusionary enemies. But as he did this, Heart tugged Flash's side, "Hey, I still can't get over how cool that is. How do you not do that accidentally?"
"Huh?" Flash muttered as he looked back at the colt, now remembering that Heart had been just randomly transforming whenever the thought of it popped into his head. "Oh uh...I guess I'm just more well trained. That and the Sacred Light is a...bit different."
"What do you mean?"
Ruby decided to chime in here, "Flash has likely developed a mental trigger that allows him to access it only when he wants too. It's the same thing you'll need to learn so you can keep yourself from setting everything around you on fire."
"Oh..." Heart stuttered for a bit, only for his tail to wag as he stared up at Flash, "So what's your mental trigger? Do you have to say something in your head or out loud?" Flash shook his head, "Seriously?! You totally should though! I'd be awesome, like one of those comics Springer showed me. What were they called again? Caravan ponies?"
"Kamen Ponies," Springer responded while Flash and Trixie mentally chuckled about their memories of their past adventure with that franchise.
"Yeah! They have a phrase they say to transform, and that means you should have one too!" Heart rubbed the side of his head, squinting his eyes in thought, "Armor...on? Nah. How about...pony armor energize! No...that's too long. Hmm..." he then clapped his hooves, "I got it! Armorize!"
"That's not even a word," Trixie deadpanned.
"Exactly! So there's no way he'd say it when he's not trying to transform!"
Flash chuckled as he began to ruffle the colt's mane, "I'll think about it."
Back at the other castle...
Storm was in his room, working on his headset. It wasn't easy due to his double vision, his teeth gritting as he finished the last bit of repairs. "There..." he sighed as he put the headset back on. His vision quickly stabilized as he turned it on, his hearing back to normal. "Perfect."
"Back to full power?" Storm jumped in his seat, turning to see Shadow at the door, holding his Celestic Gear.
"Master," he bowed, "my gear is now one hundred percent functional."
"Good," Shadow placed the weapon on the wall, "You'll need it. Flash Sentry has regained his abilities." Storm looked back up, his eyes slightly growing at the statement. "You'll need to be careful should you come up against him again."
"I will master," Storm nodded. "I won't let you down."
"I know you won't. You've served me well these last seven years, taught me a lot about how to wield my power. I expect you to continue that hard work, understand?" Storm nodded again, "Good. Now get to training." The pegasi ascended from this and grabbed his sword, running for the training room next. And as he did this, Shadow took a deep breath as he said, "I'm but one victory away from getting my full power back. I can't have anypony preventing that."
A few hours later...
Everypony had finished training a while back, deciding to have a full meal after that. And as they got done with their lunch, the alarm went off, Soul's voice now announcing, "Battle beginning. Please head to the map room for selection."
The ran over to the map room as the 3D model appeared, outlining a part of the city. "Alright!" Heart cheered as the bingo machine appeared, "Let's do this! I'm ready for some action!"
"Cool it Heart," Springer told him. "You might not even get chosen." But as he said that, an orb popped out showing Heart's brand new cutie mark. "Never mind."
Heart hoof pumped at this as the next orb flew out, revealing Ruby's cutie mark. "Alright," she said as the third orb rolled out, showing Flash's cutie mark. "Seems that's our team."
"The competitors have been selected. Flash Sentry, Ruby Scarlet and Fire Heart. Proceed to the battlefield."
The older pegasus turned to the other two. "Let's be careful, but let's get this done." They nodded back before the three disappeared, the others seeing the dots appear on the screen.
"Be careful you three," Soarin commented as then tapped the map to see what the other dots were. "Uh-oh."
"Agreed. I hope Ruby doesn't go overboard," Trixie gulped.
At the same time...
Down in the city, a flash of light signaled the arrival of Tempera, Storm and Armalum. The trio saw no sign of their opponents, Tempera turning to the others, "Plan?"
"Nothing yet," Storm replied, "We need to find out which ponies we're facing before we decide how to best split our focus." He took to the air next, "Let's split up. If you run into any of them, send up a signal."
They nodded back before Armalum spoke up, "Remember everypony, Sentry isn't like he was before. If he's here, we won't have such an easy time. If you see him and see an opening, take him down without hesitation."
"I'm fine with that," Storm responded with crossed hooves. "I never hesitate."
He then took to the skies, those words going through his head as a certain memory went over his words. That one time he hesitated.
Canterlot, many years ago...
Several years had passed since Swift Wing joined the guard. He had managed to get through basic training, actually coming in the top five of his class due to his high physical skill. Since pegasi were built for speed and agility, he aced the many obstacle courses and sparring matches. This was all thanks to his close friend Noble, who had helped him break out of his shell and come into his own as a guard. As for Noble, Swift found quickly that Noble didn't have skill, something Swift had to work hard for to teach the unicorn for the later tests of the military.
After their graduation, the two found themselves right on the front lines when their squad was set to investigate a disturbance in the west. There they found an ambush of a timberwolf pack, which they proved themselves by protecting several guards before being saved by Grand Hoof himself.
Receiving a commendation for their heroic deed, it lead to them getting many high ranking assignments, rising them through the ranks. Now the two both held the second highest rank in the guard, outdone only by the rank of captain. As such, Swift was now standing guard in one of the hallways near the treasury as the day began.
"Swift Wing!" He turned to see another guard marching up, "You've been summoned by the Princess. I'm here to relieve you." Swift nodded back, quickly making his way to the throne room, only to spot Noble Banner along the way.
"Hey Swifty!" The unicorn called out, "You get called to Celestia too?"
"Yes," Swift nodded, "And you really shouldn't call her that."
"What, her name? That's kinda silly. Why would she even have it if we're not supposed to call her by her name?" Swift rolled his eyes as they continued down the halls, "So, I haven't seem much of you in the last few months."
"I've been busy."
"No kidding. I heard about what happened in Vanhoover!"
Swift shook his head at this, the memory of the event going through his mind. Several weeks ago he had lead a team to capture a bunch of criminals that were on a crime spree. They were known for setting off bombs to cover their thieving escapes. As such, Swift's team managed to track them down, only to find the bombs they had always used. Seeing this, Swift suddenly frozen, unable to choose stopping the explosives or catching the thieves. It was here that his second in command had to jump in, suggesting to split up. Swift agreed to this...only to end in failure.
Their group wasn't big enough to completely surround all the criminals, allowing some to escape while the bombs ended up going off due to running out of time. The result was a disaster, injuring several ponies including the second in command. However, it was after this that he found the rest of the criminals, catching some of them before they left the city.
"What about you?" Swift asked as he tried to change the subject, "What's this I've been hearing about you taking a kid in?"
Noble nodded back with a huge smile, "Cold Steel. He's a pretty amazing colt. His ice magic is like none I've seen before. In a few years, he'll be a serious monster. You should meet him. I bet you two would seriously hit it off."
"Maybe..." Swift muttered before looking away, now seeing they were in front of the throne room. Walking inside, they saw Grand and Celestia and bowed in unison as they said, "Your highness."
"Please rise," Celestia replied while waving her hoof, "You're probably wondering why we called you here." They nodded back. "Well simply put, you two have done exceptional work since you both joined the guard. You should be proud of your accomplishments." They both blinked at this, only to go wide-eyed as she said her next words, "That's why I wish for the two of you to take a trial to become Royal Knights."
The two gasped at this, exchanging shocked glanced before turning back to the princess, "Are you serious?!"
"Very," Grand responded next, "We've set up a test for the two of you that plays to your greatest flaw. If you're able to fight past that flaw, you'll be on the road to being a knight. Your test will begin in one hour."
"That soon?" Swift asked, "Don't we get time to prepare?"
"The spontaneity of it is part of your test," Celestia added, "If you feel you're not ready, then speak now or forever hold your peace." The two remained silent, barely able to respond as she continued, "Very good. Then we'll see you in the training ground in an hour."
The two nodded and turned to leave. And as they exited the room, Swift turned to Noble, "I...I don't think I can do this. You heard what they said. The test is designed to play to our biggest fears. That means I'll have to face some kind of choice, and if Vanhoover's anything to go by, I'm not ready for that!"
"Hey, relax." Noble patted his shoulder. "You can do this. Just don't overthink anything. Go with your gut and you'll have this thing down."
"But...but I..."
"You'll be fine." Noble added, patting his shoulder again. "Trust me."
"I don't know." Swift continued as he tried to slowly push Noble's hoof away, "I don't think I'm ready."
"Swifty." Noble gripped Swift's shoulder this time, spinning him so they could stare at each other's eyes, "We've trying to get to this moment since we first met. You'll be fine."
"I...I..." Swift tried to say, only to see the giant smile on Noble's face, making him sigh, "Okay...I'll try."
One hour later...
Swift and Noble were now at the training ground, now seeing Grand and Celestia with two large long metal containers. They each had Noble and Swift's cutie marks, Grand tapping the containers as he spoke up, "Your test is inside these." He held up a pair of goggles for the duo, "These goggles are enchanted so that once you're inside, it'll seem like you're in a completely different place."
Celestia then spoke up while two golden orbs of magic appeared in front of her. "Both containers have an enchantment that will allow us to watch and see what you see. When you're ready, please enter the containers."
Both nodded before moving up to the containers, Celestia magically opening them. Putting the goggles on, they walked in while the doors closed behind them. Swift then opened his eyes, only to now find himself in a rocky area, a length of rope around his body. He looked down, tilting his head before hearing a voice cry out, "HELP!"
Turning to the voice, he saw a fissure with two earth ponies standing on a pair of ledges thirty feet down and several feet apart. The ledges were crumbling, rubble and dirt falling off every second. "Hang on!" he yelled, flying over the fissure before noticing the length between them. Seeing this, he took the rope and said, "Alright, I'm gonna pull you both up. Just-" but as those words left his mouth, he now saw that the ponies were large, showing he wouldn't have the strength to carry both at the same time. "Oh no."
When Noble opened his eyes, he almost gasped at the sight.
"What about you, maggot?" He turned to see he was now back to the day he had met Swift and joined the guards, back when he got on Grand's bad side to help the pegasus from wetting himself. 'This is my test?'
Swift stood to attention, "I...I'm Swift Wing from Rainbow Falls."
"Rainbow Falls, huh? They've only got two things in Rainbow Falls. Deers and fleers, and I don't see no horns on ya. Know what that makes you?"
"A fleer."
'Maybe they want to see if I'm still the cocky punk I was back then. If that's the case...'
"So you're admitting you're impudent," Grand growled. "That's not something we take too kindly to in the guard." Swift's face shrunk as Grand leaned in and continued to berate him. And as he did this, Noble watched while holding his tongue. "Are you gonna cry?!" Grand now yelled at Swift. "I can't have cry babies on my squad. If you're gonna cry, just give up now. Maybe I can get you a job in the castle. I hear one of the bathrooms needs a replacement shower." Seeing Swift looking close to breaking down, Noble took a deep breath...and let out a chuckle, catching the knight's attention. couldn't take it anymore. So, despite his better judgement, he let out a chuckle and caught their attention. "Something funny colt?"
"Yeah. That little back and forth you had there with Swifty was pretty funny." Grand stomped over to him, the two staring each other down.
"You must think you're pretty hot stuff."
Noble shined a big smile next as he replied, "I do have a tendency to raise the temperature of any room I'm in."
Swift's eyes kept darting back and forth, his body vibrating like crazy as he stared at the situation.
HIs mind kept going over who to save, unable to focus as he tried to think up plans to save both. "W-w-what do I do?!" he muttered to himself, seeing both ledges crumble away, "How do I save them?! What do I-"
"SAVE ME!" One of the stallions yelled.
"NO! SAVE ME!" The other cried, their voices continuing to get louder.
Swift's mind began to crack at this, only to hear the sound of rocks shattering. One of the ledges broke apart, the pony yelling, "NOOOOOO!"
The pony then leapt to other ledge, the other screaming, "DON'T!"
But it was too late. The second pony's hooves destroyed the ledge, making both fall down into the chasm as Swift yelled, "NOOOOOOOO!"
Grand and Celestia were of mixed emotions when the two stepped outside of the container. Both guards came out next, the duo trembling as Grand went up to Swift first. He put his hoof on the pegasus's shoulder as he said, "Swift Wing, I'm sorry. You didn't pass your test."
"I...I don't..." Swift stuttered out, "W-w-which one was the right one to save?!"
"There was no right one to save," Celestia replied, "Your test wasn't too pick the right pony to save. It was to pick a pony to save."
"What?!"
"Swift..." Grand patted his shoulder again as he continued, "I hated how this test was set, but it was necessary. The one thing every knight must learn is that sometimes, you can't save everypony. As a knight, you're gonna find yourself facing a choice that will cost somepony their life. If you can, always try to save everypony...but you won't always get that opportunity."
Celestia shook her head at this, "I'm sorry. You're an amazing guard, but your over-hesitation in life will get you and those around you killed as a knight."
Grand lifted his hoof as he added, "Until you learn to overcome that, you aren't ready to be knighted."
Swift's eyes shrunk at this, looking down at the floor next as his whole body shook.
But the two then turned to Noble, Celestia speaking up, "Noble Banner, when you first came here, you were arrogant and overzealous about your skills. But since then, especially in the last year, you've truly matured. So I have to ask, why did you choose to speak up instead of staying calm? You must know what it would cost you."
Noble just smiled back, "If being a knight means holding myself back from doing what I believe is right, then I've changed my mind. I don't wanna be a knight. I'd rather spend my life looking out for those who can't help themselves, then smile and do what others tell me is right when I know it's not."
"Is that so?" Grand asked, Noble nodding. This caused them both to smile, "Well done." Noble raised his eyebrows at this, these words making Swift look up at Noble as Grand continued, "Being a knight is about more than following the princess's orders. It's about upholding what is right, even if nopony but you believes it is."
Celestia nodded in agreement, "Even I'm not perfect. I've made mistakes in the past, horrible ones. But I would have made many more if I didn't have brave ponies willing to voice their opinion and tell me they thought I was wrong." Noble nodded back at this as she continued, "I've seen many ponies who have been considered potential knights. Some had the heart, but lacked the skill. Some had the skill, but lacked the heart. Some had both the skill and heart, but also had a flaw holding them back from being ready. And some...some had the heart but lost it as they worked to gain the skill needed." She shined a big smile as she said these next words, "When you first came here, you had the heart of a knight but no skill."
"I know you didn't think my joke was funny back then," Grand added, "You did it to help Swift."
Celestia chimed in at this, "And as the years went on, you've gained more skill and matured. At the time, I feared you had lose that sense of right and wrong that first impressed Grand back then. But what you did back there proves you are ready. You have the skill and have bloomed into a mature young stallion, and your little protégé likely helping you with that. And now, you've proven you still have the heart needed. You are ready to begin the next level of training. Your future as a Royal Knight is all but set."
"Thank you, your highness," Noble replied with a bow, "I won't let you down."
"I know you won't." Celestia responded, only to turn to Swift, who had already turned away, "I am truly sorry Swift." He stopped and looked back at her as she continued, "Maybe one day you'll be ready to take this test again. Take this day not as a failure, but as a learning experience."
Swift said nothing, just turning around as he walked away. And as he did this, Noble wanted to follow after him, but Grand grabbed his shoulder. "Come on Noble, we need to set you up for the next part of your journey."
"Um...okay." Noble replied as he took one last look at Swift before walking away.
And as he did this, Grand turned to Celestia, "Do you think Swift will be alright? Its a shame that kind of talent is held back like that."
"We can try to help him..." Celestia let out a small sigh, "But in the end, it'll be up to him to do it."
And as they went back to Noble, ready to show him the way ahead, Swift began to stagger down a hallway of the castle. His breath was rapid, panting as the test went over again and again in his mind. Before he knew it, he raised a hoof and slammed it into the wall, "RRRAAAAAHHHHH!" he yelled, blood now forming over the hoof as he panted, "WHY?! Why am I so useless?!"
But as those words came out of his mouth, he felt something inside him snap. His eyes widened as he felt an anger swirl within him. "No more. No more hesitating."
The Present...
Heart shined a huge grin as he flew into the air, "Come on out! I'm ready for whatever you throw at me!" But as he said this, he felt something yank his tail, smacking him into the ground, "Yow!" He rubbed his flank as he glared back at Flash and Ruby, "Hey! What was that for?!"
"We don't want to fight if we can help it," Ruby replied, "Our objective is to find the orb before they show up."
"Like that's gonna happen," he pouted. "Have you not watched all the battles so far?! We're gonna get into a fight." He flamed up as he continued, "Might as well go out there and show them why they shouldn't mess with us." The duo just continued to glare at him, making him sigh as his flames went out, "Fine."
"Good," Ruby responded, "Now don't transform again until you actually need too."
"She's right. Don't wanna overheat yourself too quickly," Flash added as the trio started to make their way through the streets, searching through the first few houses.
"There's nothing here," Heart commented, "The orb's not gonna be closer to our side. It's probably gonna be somewhere in the middle of the city."
The older ponies sighed, Ruby now saying, "I suppose you're right. Let's-"
Her words came to a stop as they all felt the ground suddenly rumble, Flash adding, "That's not good."
"Flash!" Flash's head shot up at Springer's voice, "Watch out! Tempera's-" The jakhowl's words cut out as a nearby building exploded, making Ruby teleport away while Flash grabbed Heart and took to the air. The pegasi looked down next, now seeing a minotaur standing where the building once was, snorting as it glared at them.
"Awesome!" Heart cheered.
"You and I need to have a serious talk about what is deemed 'awesome'," Flash deadpanned before looking up to see what looked like a firework fly up into the sky. The sight made him growl as turned to a certain unicorn standing on a quetzalcoatl. "Warning your friends?"
"With you here, I'd be a fool to try and take you on myself." she spat back, only to see a barrage of crystal shards strike her serpent, making it burst into ink. However, as this happened, Tempera teleported to a nearby roof before throwing a page that morphed into a giant lindworm.
"Nice! I got this!" Heart yelled as he hopped out of Flash's hooves.
"Heart, wait!"
"Get ready to feel the heat!" Heart's body ignited as he charged into the lindworm, a giant fireball flying out of the colt's hooves that struck the beast. Tempera's eyes went wide at this, the fire now turning to the lindworm completely stiff. The sight made Heart lower his flames, "Huh?" The lindworm's body began to crack next, soon collapsing into dust that littered the ground. "What just happened?"
Back at the castle...
"That's what I'd like to know!" Soarin yelled at the screen while Trixie rolled her eyes at his outburst.
"Its pretty obvious Soarin. He evaporated the water." Trixie chimed in.
Soarin and Springer turned to her answer, seeing a smirk on her face as Cold continued her train of thought, "Those creatures are just ink brought to life. When ink dries, it turns hard, so it makes sense that when the water making up a scribeast dries, that happens."
"Oh." Soarin replied before looking back at the screen, "Right. I knew that."
"No you didn't." Springer deadpanned.
"Shut up." Soarin pouted as he now stared at Heart on the screen, "Guess he's the best pony to take on Tempera. Go get 'em little buddy."
"Aw yeah!" Heart cheered as he spun around and launched another fire blast, this one destroying the minotaur in one go.
Both Flash and Ruby went wide-eyed at this, seeing Heart easily destroy these usually durable monsters. But before they could say anything, Tempera spoke up, "Don't think you're so great! You think I don't know what fire does to my creations? I work with Salix."
She then fired a magic beam from her horn at the colt, only for Flash to appear, blocking it with his sword. "Yeah, we know." He replied as he swung his sword, unleashing a Flash Cutter.
Tempera teleported again at this, going to another rooftop. As she did this, Ruby sparked her horn to follow, only for Heart to fly up at her, "I got her!"
"Wait!" She yelled at the colt, but her warning fell on deaf ears. Instead, Heart shot a fireball at Tempera, only for the unicorn to easily block the flames with a simple magic shield. But as she did this, a sudden gust of wind slammed into Heart.
"Wow wit WOW!" he yelped as he was thrown into a building, hearing the sound of laughter as he slumped down the structure's wall. Looking up, he saw Storm chuckling as he spun the dial on his weapon to lightning, only for Flash to appear between them.
"Seems we're doing another dance." Storm replied as he pointed his blade at the defender, "Though I gotta say, looks like your little friend is getting a little overzealous with his new powers."
"He's young and he's got new powers. Of course he'll be eager to show them off." Flash replied as he fired a Flash Cutter, Storm swatting it away with a swipe of his own blade. As he did this, Flash spun his sword and pointed it at the cultist, "And don't think your little speech from yesterday holds any water."
Storm growled back before both charged at each other, light and electricity sparking as they collided, locking swords as Storm replied, "I was told you were now able to wield that strange power again. If that's so, then where is it?"
"Trust me, your really don't wanna mess with me like that."
"Don't I?" Storm flared his wings, flapping back as he spun the dial before pointing the sword at Flash, "STORM TRI-FORCE!" The triple attack shot out of his blade, Flash quickly crossing his front hooves in response.
"ARMORIZE!" His entire body exploded with light, blocking the tornado as the armor appeared around him. And as the Storm Tri-Force faded, Flash's full form appeared.
At the same time, Heart shined a big grin as he heard Flash use the phrase he had coined. But before he could say anything, he found himself surrounded by a bunch of flying scribeasts. As this happened, Ruby watched the battles from below, seeing Flash and Storm now flying high in the sky while Tempera kept teleporting around. "What do I do here? Should I find the other member or help out here?"
"I know what you can do! YOU CAN DIE!" yelled a voice, making her turn to see a red fissure coming right for her. The mare's horn sparked at this, teleporting her away as the street now exploded.
And as she reappeared, she let out a low growl, "Armalum."
The living armor chuckled as he walked out of an alleyway, "Finally decided to call me by my real name, huh? What, not gonna call me somepony else, or blame me for something I didn't do?"
She shook her head, "No. I know the truth now. You're not Sombra, you're just some...mask using him to exist in this world."
"Got it in one," Armalum laughed as his scythe appeared in his hooves, "And maybe now you'll fight me for real."
With that, he teleported right in front of Ruby, swinging the blade down, only for it to be locked on a crystal shield. Feeling the weapon now stuck, Armalum heard these words from the knight, "I was always fighting you for real."
A flash of light happened next, Ruby reappearing behind him with a crystal sword. But before it could strike, he quickly pulled the scythe out, blocking the blow with its handle. He then yanked his scythe's bottom upward, smacking the soft end on Ruby's neck before spinning around. This was followed by a horizontal slash of the scythe, which Ruby blocked again with the crystal blade. However, the sword was being held by her magic, her hooves now hitting the ground as she summoned a wave of crystal spikes. But as they tried to hit Armalum, he merely hopped back before tapping the ground, channeling a red fissure that met the crystals before morphing into an explosion.
And as a smoke cloud formed from the blast, Ruby dove through the fog, her blade back in her hoof as she swung it down. But as she did this, Armalum raised his scythe, blocking the sword again as the two now locked blades. Their eyes glared at each other, Ruby now seeing her reflection on the soulless black mask.
"I will win this." Ruby growled as she started to push.
"No, I don't think you will."
"TAKE THIS!" Heart yelled as he unleashed a fire blast at one of Tempera's eyebats, roasting it before turning to a charging roc, "AND THIS!" He burnt the giant bird, evaporating the moisture from it instantly. Heart shined a huge grin at this, turning to see a now created monster hornet, the sight making him laugh, "Seriously?! You're gonna have to do better than that."
Tempera growled as she saw the bug be destroyed, looking back down at her drawings. But as she did this, the corner of her eye saw something in the distance. A smile graced her lips, turning back to Heart before summoning an army of uni-troopers.
"Really?!" Heart barked as the flames on his back hooves burst into ignition, causing him to turn into a rocket as the flames that made up his mane exploded into a cocoon around him. The colt was transformed into a fireball, moving like a comet through the air. "It's gonna take more than these freaks to beat me!" He crashed into the scribeasts, burning them all with ease before jetting right up to the rooftop Tempera was on.
But as he was about to hit her, the unicorn's horn shined as she teleported away, making him come to a stop. "Whoa!" he flared his wings as the flames on him settled down a little, "Huh? Where'd she go?"
"Up here!" He spun to see Tempera on another rooftop, a growl escaping his breath as he used his flames to catapult himself at her. And as he was about to reach her, she vanished into thin air, making him crash into the roof. He yelped as he rolled on the rocky surface, coming to a stop as he then looked up to see Tempera now riding a winged serpent. "Come and get me colt!"
The beast spun around next, making Heart growl as lit himself up again, "Oh, I'll get you alright!"
Meanwhile...
"Flash Driver!" Flash roared as he morphed into a light drill.
"Storm Force!" A tornado of wind shot at the drill, only for the attack to cut right through the gust. Storm quickly prepared to block the drill next, only for Flash to suddenly cut out his attack and clock Storm in the face. "Blaugh!"
Flash then grabbed the swords off his back before slashing the air, "Flash Cutter!" Twin energy blades came for Storm next, causing him to fire a large slash of wind at the incoming attack. An explosion happened next, Flash not flinching as he charged right through the smoke cloud. Storm raised his blade to block again, only to feel a backhoof hit his head as Flash did an axe-kick into the pegasus's skull.
Storm let out a scream of pain as he was sent crashing down, slamming the ground with a thud. And as he tried to recover from the blow, he looked up to see Flash raising his blade upward and yelling, "Flash Vortex!" A tornado of light formed around him, sucking all the air and the cultist up. Feeling the pull, Storm thrust his blade down, trying to keep himself from being sucked up.
However, the suction attack suddenly cut, making Storm lose his balance as Flash dove down and slammed his backhooves into the pegasi's face. "GRAH!" he yelped as he was sent flying down the street, crashing into a nearby building.
And as this happened, Flash flew over to him. Storm glanced up at him next, seeing the defender crossing his hooves with a smirk, "Starting to regret egging me on, huh?"
Storm grunted as he wiped some blood off his mouth, "I never regret anything. Regrets just leads to hesitation, and I never hesitate."
Flash raised an eyebrow at those words as he replied, "That's dumb. Without hesitation, you're gonna end up doing something stupid. Ever wonder about the consequences of your actions?"
As those words entered Storm's ears, a cold dead glare appeared inside his visor as he responded with a low growl, "You know...you remind me of somepony I knew a long time ago. He once told me the exact same thing...and I hate him for it with every fiber of my being."
Years ago...
Several weeks had passed since the day of the test. Noble had not heard anything from Swift since then, his new knight training occupying all his time. However, he was on a patrol in town today, only to hear somepony yell, "STOP!" He turned to see teenage earth pony running with a bag in his mouth, another earth pony chasing after him. "Thief!"
Noble quickly rushed after him, able to outpace the second earth pony while the teenager rushed around a corner. But as the solider turned to the alleyway, the teenager was now letting out a mighty cry of pain. Gasping at the sight, Noble now saw Swift with the not-pointy end of his spear on the teen's throat...and pushing him down as the teen began choking for air.
"Nice move Swifty, but I think you might be going a bit overboard."
Swift gave Noble a low glare before spitting out, "Why? He's nothing but filth." And as Noble heard Swift's reply, he picked up the bag the teen had, looking inside before glancing back at Swift. His horn shined next, magically pulling the spear away. "Hey! What are you doing?!"
Noble didn't reply as he gestured to the teen, the pony quickly scrambling to his hooves before running away. Swift turned to the fleeing pony, only to feel a yank on his tail. Glaring back at Noble, he then yelled, "Stop that!"
"I don't think so. That was going too far Swifty."
"He's a criminal. He needs to be punished."
"And that justifies guard brutality?! Look." He pulled what the teen had stolen out of the bag, showing it was just a loaf of bread. "This is his terrible crime. If anything, this would have gotten him a slap on the hoof. What's wrong with you?! What were you thinking?!"
"I was thinking that that kid is just gonna do it again unless he faces serious punishment. He needs to be held accountable for his actions."
"Well, what about your actions?" Noble barked back, "If I hadn't stopped you, you would have broken a major guard code. Did you even for a minute think of the consequences to your actions?!"
"THINK?!" Swift screamed before walking up and pushing Noble back, "Don't you dare say that word to me! Thinking about the consequences is what cost me my dreams! After that, I finally took your advice and I don't hesitate anymore!"
"I just told you not to overthink. I never said to stop thinking all together!"
"Why not?! You never think about your actions, and it's only ever gotten you good things. I know it because I had to teach that thick skull of yours!" Swift yelled, spit flying out of his mouth and into Noble's face. "And now, I don't get to be a knight because you didn't think about the consequences of your actions!"
"Me?! What did I do?!"
"I told you I wasn't ready for that test, and now I don't get to be a knight!" Swift screeched as he got up into Noble's face, "And now, I'm doing what you always do! I'm not doubting or hesitating anymore!"
"That doesn't justify you beating up a kid!" Noble replied as he pushed back Swift, "What is wrong with you Swifty?! You were never like this!"
"Well I am now." Swift growled as he spun around before glaring back at Noble, "I'll never hesitate again. I'll charge through my goals and tear apart anything in my way...and that includes you."
With that, he took to the sky, leaving a wide-eyed Noble as he fell onto his flank and mutter out, "Swifty...what is...what happened to you?"
Several days later...
Swift did exactly what he said he would. He continued to act on impulse without a second to think about his actions. The pegasus began to be known for his reckless actions: Running into a burning building, knocking over a street lamp to stop a runaway cart, beating a local gang with a brutal bone-breaking beatdown.
But it all came to a head when he almost comatosed a cleaner he had spotted trying to nab something from the royal treasury. This got him several reprimands from the captain, Grand and even Celestia herself. Now he was stuck on outer wall guard duty, no pony wanting to interact with him.
All but one that day as Noble walked up to him. He had been asked to bring Swift along for a mission, Grand now asking him to try and help Swift's attitude. As such, he was now trotting up to the guard as he yelled, "Swift!" the pegasi turned to him with a low glare, "We have a mission. Bandits have been spotted in the badlands, and I think you've fought them before. A few are from Vanhoover."
Swift raised an eyebrow at this, "And you want me there with you?"
"I'll admit your attitude isn't the best right now, but I need your skills...and there's no pony I trust more." Noble replied, only to see Swift just look away, "Swifty...come on buddy."
"Fine." he growled as he let out a sigh.
"Great! Come on, let's get to the briefing room."
It wasn't long till they got there, only to see Celestia and Grand in the room. "Ah, Noble." Celestia said before floating a box over to Noble, "Here. You'll be needing this."
"What's in it?" Noble asked as he tried to open it, "Huh? It won't open."
"That's because there's nothing in it." Celestia responded, "Yet that is. You see, there are some special runes inside in that connect it to another set of runes here. This will allow us to teleport things to you."
"Teleport what?" Noble asked, only to get a smile from the two.
"What else? A knight's best friend." Grand replied, chuckling at the smile now forming on Noble's face.
"A Celestic Gear?!"
They nodded back as Celestia chimed in, "It's almost ready, but we can't wait for it to be finished before you leave. That's why we're giving you this. You may need it." Noble nodded back, thanking the two before running off to meet their team. And as Swift followed him, his eyes were now locked on the box as one thought went through his head.
'I should be the one with that box.'
The Present...
"Hesitation only lead me to failure. I lost everything because I hesitated...only to find that if I force myself to stop hesitating, I can become something so much greater."
"And what's that? A deranged psycho that works for an even more deranged psycho? Really living the high life, huh?" Flash mocked as he let out a low chuckle, "Sounds like you didn't listen to your friends and just decided to go full nutjob instead."
"Shut up!" Storm yelled as he pointed his blade at Flash, a bolt of lightning flying out of the weapon. But as the attack came for Flash, the defender blocked it with one of his light blades, only to then disappear. Storm growled at the sight before feeling a hoof punch his face, another jab then hitting his back. "Blaugh!"
Storm let out a hiss of pain as he spun around and swung his blade at Flash, only for the sword to go right through the defender, "Huh?" He blinked at the sight, now seeing two more Flashs just a few feet away from him. The cultist quickly fired two bolts of lightning at the other Flashs, both vanishing from the blow before another sudden punch smacked Storm's face. "Augh!"
He winced in pain as he turned around again, now seeing a whole army of Flashs in front of him. "What?!" he muttered as the light mirages all stared at him. And before he could react, one Flash slammed his backhooves into the cultist's back, pushing him down the street and into the other mirages. "AAAAH!" he yelped as the mirages began to hit him, each one smacking him around like a pinball. Each mirage punched him, the final one axe-kicking him into a rooftop.
THOOM!
Storm's body went through the roof, slamming into the building's bottom floor as Flash hovered over him with Lightbringer pointing at the cultist. "Give up! This is your only warning."
And as Storm laid there in the roof's rubble, he let out a long sigh before opening his eyes and yelling, "NEVER!"
With that, he charged at Flash while spinning the dial on his blade, creating a giant storm at the same time. As for Flash, he merely spun his blade in his hoof before diving right back at the incoming cultist.
In another part of the city...
"Come back here!" Heart yelled as he flew after Tempera. The unicorn was now on a roc, having switched between scribeasts as Heart kept destroying her army. She had just sent out a pair of blade-armed mantises, which Heart charged into like a rocket before firing himself right at the cultist.
"Take this!" He screamed as he slammed into the roc she was riding, knocking the unicorn off. She let out a gasp as she fell, quickly drawing a trampoline before throwing the paper down to summon the object. A mighty 'boing' came next as she bounced off the springboard before landing, Heart seeing this while noticing the unicorn now panting for air.
"Now's my chance!" he said to himself as he charged at her.
As this happened, Tempera began to draw something onto her notepad, only for her horn to sputter out, "No!"
"HA!" Heart laughed as he tried to bum-rush her, "What's the matter?! Not as tough as you think you are?!"
"No..." Tempera then looked up from her pad, a giant smirk on her face, "But I know I'm smarter than you."
With that, she teleported right before he could punch her, making the colt come to a halt. "Huh?!" He spun around to see Tempera reappear where she had been standing, "How?!"
"It's called acting," Tempera replied before pointing down, "But you know, all that fire must be making you thirsty. How about a drink?" Heart blinked at her gesture, only to turn and see he had stopped just above a canal.
"Or maybe you would prefer to swim!" She yelled as she tossed the paper from before, summoning a giant rock above Heart.
The colt gasped as he saw the boulder, making him yell, "FIRE FORCE!" He blasted it with as much fire as he could, unable to now see his body glow the same color as the aura encasing Tempera's horn. And as he destroyed the rock, he felt a sudden yank of his body, pulling him into the water.
"Gotcha!" she cackled as he fell into the canal, his entire body sinking as his flames sputtered out. It was only a few seconds later that he flew out of the water, the colt gasping for air as he pushed his wet mane out of his eyes.
He then growled at Tempera, seeing the giant smile on her face, "You'll pay for that."
"Then roast me, little colt. That is, unless you're scared."
"I'll show you who's scared!" He thrust his front hooves forward...only for nothing to happen. "What?!" He looked down at his body, grunting as he tried to set himself ablaze, "Come on! Why isn't this...oh no."
"Oh yes," Tempera laughed as she threw another piece of paper upward, "You're helpless now. Completely rained out!"
And with that, a beam hit the paper before summoning a giant minotaur. The beast towered over the colt, Tempera warping up to the monster's shoulder as she said, "This would be the part where you start to run away, crying like the little foal that you are." Heart began to backpedal as the scribeast started to move, his eyes going wide as she added, "Now, let's have some real fun."
Meanwhile...
"Crystal Rain!" Ruby yelled as she fired a series of crystal spikes at Armalum, the armored pony just spinning his scythe to block the incoming attack.
And as this happened, Ruby charged with a crystal blade, only for Armalum to swing his scythe right at her neck, the knight ducking under the swipe of the weapon. She then thrusted her blade, making the armored pony block it with the staff of the scythe as he let out a chuckle, "My my, I guess you weren't lying about not holding back before. This really is all you can throw at me."
"It's more than enough to beat you!" Ruby barked back, "I won't stop until I've completed my mission."
"HA!" Armalum laughed, "Give it your best shot then." He then leapt backward before slamming his blade into the ground, unleashing a red crack. "You won't free your friend!"
"I don't want to free him!" Ruby yelled as she thrust her hooves down, summoning a wave of crystal spikes that met the fissure, causing an explosion. The two then dove into the forming smoke cloud, the sounds of metal on crystal echoing out as the fog faded to show them in a stalemate again.
As they began to push each other, Ruby leaned in and hissed at him, "I won't free him. I intend to end him."
"Oh?"
"All I have to do is break you off of him and keep you from reattaching yourself."
"You want to cause your friend's death?"
"It has to be done!" She roared as her horn began to spark, "CRYSTAL FORCE!" A tornado of crystals came next, only for Armalum to summon a shield, blocking the full blow.
"You must really hate him." he chuckled as he waved his hoof, desummoning the barrier, "Or perhaps this is something different. Maybe you still care about him, but can't bring yourself to forgive him, so it's better if he's just gone. Am I right?"
"Shut up!" Ruby screamed as she charged at him with a crystal blade, Armalum just backpedaling to dodge her slashes.
"I am right. You don't want him gone, but you can't let go of the pain he caused you. And I thought you knights were supposed to be brave and chivalrous. How dull."
"SHUT UP!" She screeched as she thrust the sword again, only for him to swipe his armored hoof into the blade, shattering it inn one blow.
"Good...very good. Let the hate flow through you." he replied as she summoned another sword, only to suddenly feel her hooves give out. She let out a cry of pain as he sweeped her hooves with a quick move from his own legs. His horn sparked next, firing a red beam into the knight
"GYAH!" She screamed as she was sent flying back.
And as she came to a stop, Armalum breezily trotted over to her as he said, "Your body is strong, but your spirit is weak. Until you learn to finally let go of the hate in your heart, you'll always be weak."
Ruby grunted as she saw him walk over, the words ringing in her head. "Hate...in my heart?"
"Maybe this will teach you a lesson." He jumped up onto his back hooves before thrusting his front hooves into the ground. As soon as they hit the earth, the ground began to shake before a quartet of crystal pillars shot out around Ruby.
She gasped as the pillars formed a pyramid-like design. "No...this is-"
"One of the benefits to your friend getting his memories back," Armalum's chuckled as his horn shined a crimson glow. "I now have all his abilities." The horn shot out a blood red beam that that struck the top of the pyramid. "Spirit...BREAKER!"
Ruby could only watch as red lightning sparked around the four pillars, a bolt of magic now striking her instantly. "AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" She screamed as her whole being felt the electrocution, all her energy being drained in one go. And when the attack ended, Ruby slumped over onto her back, unable to move as Armalum just roared in laughter.
At the same time...
CLANG!
That was the sound of two Celestic Gears clashing, metal echoing across the streets of the city. As this happened, each clang let Flash push Storm back more and more. The cultist then thrusted his blade at him, Flash side-stepping before disappearing and striking Storm's back with an elbowed hoof, "GYAH!" he yelped as he spun to counter the pegasi, only for his sword to bounce off of one of Flash's light blades. He spun his blade to his side next, punching Storm in the face with a quick jab. "Pugh!"
"Stinking brat! Storm Cutter!" the cultist yelled as he tried to fire a blade of wind. However, Flash just swung his gear downward, cutting the wind in two before throwing Lightbringer upward. Teeth clenching at his next move, Flash's two light swords morphed around his hooves, forming into what looked like boxing gloves.
Storm quickly crossed his hooves, trying to guard the next few punches. But as he tried to do this, Flash grabbed both his hooves, literally pulling his guard open before rapidly pummeling the stallion with a barrage of punches. Burn spots began to form as Flash continued to jab him, only to catch the falling Lightbringer. As this happened, the light flew off his hooves and into the blade, causing it to glow brighter as he yelled, "SHINING BLADE OF THE HEAVENS!"
With a mighty downward slash, a giant light blade extended out of the gear before slamming into Storm, "GYAH!" he screamed as he sent crashing down into a nearby roof, collapsing the building with the blow.
A low moan escaped his breath as he opened his eyes, adjusting his headset as he now saw Flash flying over him. The defender had his blade pointed right at him as he said, "You've lost. Now give up before I have to do something worse."
Storm let out a low growl, now seeing his own weapon was laying behind Flash. Despite this, his face started to show a small smile as he replied, "I may have lost this battle, but I haven't lost the war."
Flash raised an eyebrow, only to hear a sudden cry of pain. Shifting his head around for a second, he gasped, "Heart!" The colt was flying through a nearby street while getting chased by a giant minotaur. "Oh no, I-"
"Looks like you have a choice," Storm interrupted as Flash turned to the cultist, now seeing him fly back up to his level. "Beat me, or save him." Flash hissed back at him, Storm laughing at his face, "It's funny, I faced a similar decision a long time ago. And I know that I made the right choice."
Years ago...
"Come on!" Noble yelled as he ran through a high canyon, Swift flying behind him. A rain of magic blasts were trailing them, a bunch of unicorns on the top of the canyon while firing at duo with deadly accuracy.
As for why this was happening, Noble had lead his troop through the canyon in search of a criminal's hideout, only to be ambushed. A pair of rock slides split the two from their party and trapped the platoon, making them fair pickings for the criminals up above. Now it was just the two, trying to escape while evading the blasts.
And as they turned a corner, they spotted the exit to the canyon. But as they saw this, several unicorns and pegasi came out of the entrance, all firing attacks. Seeing this, Swift turned and saw a crack in the canyon's wall.
"There!" He grabbed Noble and pulled him to side, both squeezing into the crack.
"Great. Now we're trapped." Noble grumbled as the criminals now fired several beams at them, keeping them pinned.
"This isn't gonna hold, is it?" Swift commented.
"I figured it wouldn't," Noble gulped. "So I guess this is it, eh old friend? We had a good run." A loud shake entered the crack next, both feeling the continued bombardment from the criminals' attacks. Swift glared back at him, only to see a big frown on Noble's face, "Swift, if this is it-"
"Don't say that kind of crap." Swift spat as he turned away, "I'm not going down like this."
"Swift..." Noble reached out and patted his shoulder, making Swift glance back at him. He then saw a face that could only be described as one filled with regret. "I'm sorry Swift."
"What?"
"I'm sorry." Noble repeated as Swift's glare went slightly away, "I...I shouldn't have pushed you to do that test. Grand was right, you weren't ready...but I pushed to do it anyways and now you're like this. I...I'm sorry I did that. I didn't know that it would affect you like that and...and I'm sorry."
As those words left his mouth, silence embraced the duo. Even with the shaking of the canyon, all the two could do was stare at each other. But as this happened, Swift's face began to no longer show that glare from before. Noble was about to smile as he saw some softness in his face, only to go wide-eyed as Swift's glare returned as he swatted Noble's hoof away, "You can take your apology and shove it."
"Swift!"
"What?! I have every right to tell you off!" Swift growled as he leaned right up to Noble's face, "Tell me Noble, did you hesitate saying sorry? Is that why you did it now, when you think you're gonna die instead of when we were back at the test?! Do you think you could've 'made sure I'm not like this' back then?!"
"No, I...I..."
"See?! You hesitated! That's what's gonna get you killed!" Swift looked back at the opening of the crack, "I'm not going down that way. I won't hesitate. I'll find a way out of this, and take those criminals down."
"Swift, you can't just-"
"I can!" Swift barked as glared back at Noble, "I'll find a way! Unlike you, I'm not afraid! I'll get out of this and I'll...I'll-why is your bag glowing?"
Noble raised an eyebrow before looking down at his saddlebag. Pulling out the box, he saw the runes were now glowing, "My Celestic Gear! This is just what we need!" He then pulled on its door, only to feel it not even budge. "Huh?"
"It's probably still being teleported," Swift added, "You'll be able to open it when the light dies down."
"So we'll just wait here until its here, then use it to wipe these baddies out!" But as he said this, a small rock tapped Noble's head. The two looked up next, now seeing more rocks beginning to fall.
The barrage on the canyon was starting to make the place fall apart. Seeing this, both yelled, "GO!" they then leapt out of the crack, Noble firing a beam at the criminals at the same time. And as they did this, Swift quickly swatted two pegasi away with his spear, blocking a third. But as he did this, a magic blast suddenly hit his spear.
BOOM!
"GYAH!" he yelped as he sent flying back.
"SWIFT!" Noble yelled before firing a sweep of magic at the criminals, pushing them back before putting a shield over him and the pegasi, "You okay? Swift?!"
The pegasus turned to him, squinting his eyes as everything around him distorted into double vision. A loud ringing went through his ears, everything else now just barely a whisper. "Swift?" Noble asked again, only to see Swift's non-reply. He then glanced down at his bag, seeing the light go down. But as he did this, he turned to see his shield was now weakening, causing him to pour his magic back into the barrier. He let out a yell next, the energy bubble exploding into a wave that knocked the criminals back. He gripped Swift's side as he started to run for the exit, "Hang on! We're almost home free!"
But as he said that, one of the criminals picked itself up...and pointed his horn at the rocks above them.
BOOM!
Noble looked up to see the cliff explode, a bunch of rocks coming right for the duo. Reflexes kicking in, he threw Swift in his magic, Swift rolling along the ground as the rocks crashed down on the unicorn, "GRAH!"
Swift moaned as he tried to get up again, his double vision not letting up as he started to see something that made him gasp. "NOBLE!" He yelled as he ran over to his friend, seeing his backside trapped under a pile of rocks. He was bleeding from his forehead and his horn had a crack running up it.
And as he began to check for a pulse, Noble let out a moan as he opened his eyes, looking up at Swift. "You okay?" He said in a low, quiet tone. Swift's ears tried to hear him, but a rock bouncing down the pile made them both look up and see the criminals climbing over the rock wall.
Seeing this, Swift grabbed the first rock on top of Noble, trying to pull it away. But as he did this, he found he had no strength to move the rubble. And as this happened, Swift's double vision made him see a certain box just a few feet away, the box having been knocked out of Noble's bag in the rock slide. The lights were gone, signaling one thing.
Swift's eyes went wide, his hooves grabbing the box instantly. The sight made Noble gasp, making him yell, "Swift, give the box to me!" But Swift didn't hear him. "SWIFT!" He turned to the unicorn this time, his ears barely hearing him as Noble held out a hoof, "Swift, I need to get my Celestic Gear! Give it to me!"
The pegasi's eyes shifted between Noble and the box, his pupils' shaking as his hoof slowly unlocked the box. His eyes went fully wide at this, the crystal within illuminating Swift's face. Noble saw this and yelled, "Swift, don't do it!"
But his words fell on deaf ears, even though Swift could barely hear him in the first place. Seeing this, Noble tried to grab the crystal in his magic, only for a painful spark to shoot out of his horn. He let out a yell of pain next before trying to tell Swift to not open the box again. And as he tried to do this, his heart sank as he saw Swift take the crystal in his hoof.
The next sight hit the entire badlands, filling the area with light. And when it faded, Swift could be seen carrying a long black bladed sword with a spinning dial on it that was spilt into three sections, one blue, one yellow and one green. Swift stared down at his new weapon, gasping as he whispered, "Storm Blade."
Noble's eyes were just as wide as Swift's, seeing the weapon he had conceived so long ago in his friend's grasp. But as he did this, the sound of falling rocks made them both turn to see the criminals now running around the sides of the canyon. The sight made Swift smile, making him flare his wings before taking to the air. As if on instinct, he spun the dial on the blade, sparks surging out of the blade as he swung it. Bolts struck several ponies, knocking them all away.
He then flew over the canyon, his hooves, repeatedly spinning the dial. Lightning, wind and water struck the canyon, beating every pony with ease. Despite his damaged sight and hearing, his blade struck them all down, leaving only the pegasi that had blocked his sword before. And as he charged at Swift, he spun the dial before pointing it at him. "STORM TRI-FORCE!" The electrified tornado of wind and water struck the pegasus, making him scream as he was cut open, doused and electrocuted.
The attack lasted over a minute, only for nothing put a burnt corpse to be seen after that. Noble gasped at the sight, Swift now landing in front of him as he said, "Swift...you did it."
"I sure did," Swift chuckled as he smiled at his weapon. "So much power....and it's all mine."
"Swift," he turned back to Noble, "You know you can't keep that. Only Royal Knights are allowed Celestic Gears. Celestia will likely take it from you when we get back. But I'm sure she'll keep it safe for when you're ready."
Swift looked back at his weapon, his hooves shaking as he gripped the blade. He then turned to Noble with a look of venom and anger, "No."
"What?"
"This gear...is mine. I didn't hesitate, which means I deserve it!" Swift spat as he looked back down at the sword and put the blade in its sheath. His eyes began to look as if they were entranced by the blade, hooves shaking as he held it. "Its mine. And if I go back, I'll...I'll lose it. All because I hesitated that one time." He glared back at Noble, "I can't let that happen. I won't let that happen."
He turned to walk away, Noble's horn trying to spark before sputtering out. Seeing this, Noble yelled out, "Swift! Come back! You won't get away with this!" His words made Swift come to a stop, spinning around as Noble continued, "They'll figure out what happened! They'll come after you!"
Swift blinked at him, his unfocused eyes showing a look of thought. "You're right. I have to prevent that."
"Wha-" Noble barely said as he saw Swift walk over to the burnt pegasi. "Wait...what are you doing?!"
"I'm making sure they don't find out." Swift replied as he put the burnt pegasus near Noble while putting the criminal's also very burnt blade just out of Noble's reach. He then took some blood off of Noble's head before smearing the blade's handle. "There. They'll think this is me, and they'll think this sword was your Celestic Gear. They lose their power when their owners die, so it won't look suspicious. Now all I have to do is make sure you never escape that rock pile."
Noble's eyes shifted between him and the corpse as Swift spread his wings in front of him one last time. "SWIFT!" He yelled as the pegasi went to top of the pile and began to push a rock onto Noble, "DON'T DO THIS! SWIFT!"
"I had a single decision where I chose victory over saving others...and it shaped my whole life. I believe I made the right choice. Now, what will you choose?" Storm stretched both hooves out before gesturing to Heart's cries while his other hoof pointed at himself, "Will you go save the colt, making you hesitate and not solve the problem before you, or will you be a true knight and fight me without hesitation?!"
Flash's eyes darted between Storm and Heart, only to go wide-eyed as he saw the minotaur had now grabbed Heart. The scribeast was squeezing the colt like a doll, making Flash flare wings before charging at the monster. "Hang on Heart, I'm coming!"
"So predictable." Storm laughed as he flew down to his gear and picked it up, "But what could I expect from Grand's brat?"
And as the cultist flew away, Heart was now groaning as the minotaur squeezed and lifted him up to Tempera's height at the same time. "You weren't bad," she commented with a low giggle, "But you really need to learn to not be so cocky. The loudest mouths are always the easiest ones to shoot down. Now my lovely creation, show him what it means to be turned into street paste."
The minotaur let out a snort before raising him up, ready to slam him into the ground. But as he did this, a golden blur suddenly flew by, slicing the beast's arm off. Heart let out a gasp for air, looking up to see his savior, "Flash?"
"You okay?" the defender asked back, "What happened?"
"Hey! What are you doing here?!" Tempera barked back, making him turn to see the artist glaring at him, "I didn't hear that annoying girl's voice, so you couldn't have beaten Storm. Why are you...wait." She let out a cackle next, "Oh, this is too good. Don't tell me you let him go to come help your little friend!"
Heart's eyes went wide at the words, only for Flash to put him down as he pulled a light sword off his back, "I didn't let him go. When I'm done here, I'll find him and finish him off." He looked back at Heart, "What happened to your flames?"
"I uh...I got wet," Heart instantly replied with a large blush on his face.
Flash blinked at this, only to sigh as he looked back at Tempera, "Of course. Should have known that would be your weakness."
"It is pretty obvious," Tempera laughed as threw some paper upward, her horn zapping the sheets before summoning a small army of uni-troopers, lindworms and even a few timberwolves. "Take him."
Flash watched as the army charged, the pegasus glancing back at Heart, "I'll handle this. Just stay behind me and try to heat yourself back up." With that, both light blades came off his back as he began to cut down the art monsters.
Another part of the city...
Ruby was laid out on the ground, her back embracing the street as Armalum trotted over to her. Her horn was sputtering as she tried to breathe, now finding both to be an absolute chore to do.
Armalum just chuckled at the sight, twirling his scythe around as he commented, "It's over. You thought you could destroy me, but you don't have anywhere near the power to do that." He then heard her trying to mumble something, "Oh? Do you have some last words? I love listening to last requests, mainly because I make sure to never fulfill them."
"Sombra..." Ruby gasped out, "I know you can hear me. Fight him."
Armalum shook his head at this, still chuckling as he responded, "Your friend can't hear you. Master Shadow made sure of that."
"I don't believe you," Ruby growled as she tried to lift her head up, her eyes glaring at the armored pony, "Sombra, you're better then this. If you really are the pony I knew all those years ago, you'd never let yourself be controlled like this. You...you have to fight it!"
"Oh please, why would he fight it? Don't you remember? I'm the only thing keeping him alive, which I'll remind you, is why he put me back on. Without me, he would just be dust in the wind. Now then," he raised his scythe up above his head. "Time to end this. Goodbye...whatever your name is."
With that, he swung the blade down, Ruby shutting her eyes as she prepared for the blow...only to feel nothing. Reopening her eyes, she now saw the scythe hovering just above her chest. The whole weapon was shaking in a magical aura, the twitching being mimicked by the armored pony's body. "GAH!" he grunted, "What is...augh!" Armalum put one hoof on his helmet while the other was on his scythe, trying to push the blade down. "Grrr...no...why..."
"Sombra?" Ruby whispered as she saw the scythe shake above her, only to suddenly be slung aside in a blast of magic aura. Her eyes followed the weapon for a second before going back to Armalum, seeing him now stagger backward as both his hooves clutched his head.
"No...you can't!" he yelled as he began to thrash around, "I'm...I'm...in...control! This is body is mine!"
Ruby could only blink at the sight as she now saw Armalum punch himself in the face, only to see cracks appear in the hoof. She took a deep breath as a new thought coursed through her mind, closing her eyes next as she began to focus her magic through her horn. And as she reopened her eyes, she barely pointed the horn at the armored pony as she poured every last ounce of magic she had.
"CRYSTAL FORCE!" she screeched, a gem laced tornado flying out of her horn that struck Armalum immediately.
"RAAAAAAAAAAH!" He screamed as he was thrown back, more of his armor cracking as he was thrown into a building. The structure collapsed on him as Ruby saw the rubble consume the pony. And with that one attack, she fell back, unable to keep herself from succumbing to unconsciousness.
"Where are you?" Storm said to himself as he flew into another house, only to find no orb.
He had been flying as fast as he could, knowing Tempera would only be able to buy some time. And as he did this, he repeated to himself, "I won't let you down my lord. After all, you gave me a purpose again."
As he said these words, certain memories began to flow through his head.
Several years ago..
Swift had spent a long time roaming since his betrayal. He had traveled around Equestria, making sure to not be noticed by any guards or military while continuing to improve his skills. The pegasi now wore a visor he had a tinkerer create for him, which helped his now semi-broken vision. After this, he left the country, picking fights with the strongest thugs he could find in the world, trying to master the gear he had stolen.
That is, till he picked the wrong fight.
"GRAH!" Swift cried as he was knocked into a tree, his blade slipping out of his hooves from the blow.
He let out a long groan as he pushed himself back up, adjusting his headset as he stared at his opponent. It was a sixteen year old Shadow Corrupter, Tempera and Armalum standing behind him as they watched the fight.
"You're...strong," he moaned as he pushed himself back to his hooves.
"So are you," Shadow replied, "Though that's only because you have this." In a flash, the Storm Blade was warped over to the unicorn. "Without it, you're nothing." He began to bend the weapon, Swift gasping before trying to leap at him. But as he did this, an army of dark chains appeared and wrapped around him.
"NO!" He cried as Shadow began to bend the blade more, "Don't break it!"
"Why?" Shadow asked, "What will you give me in return?"
"Anything! I'll give you anything!"
"Oh? And what can you offer me?" Shadow responded as he stopped bending the weapon, "Besides your strength."
Swift stared at the colt, thinking about the fight they had just had. His brain then told him one thing, and he said it without hesitation. "Training."
"Training?"
"Yes." Swift replied while nodding, "You have a lot of power, that's clear. But you lack control, focus, and strategy in battle. You were strong enough to defeat me without it, but that won't always be the case...but I can teach you that. I was once a royal guard. Strategy and fighting tactics are ingrained into me. I can teach it all to you." Shadow blinked at his response, an unamused look soon appearing on his face. Seeing this, Swift then blurted out, "I can teach you to defeat a hundred opponents with the power you would normally need to beat ten."
Shadow stared at the pegasi for a minute, silence embracing the area before he dispelled the chains and threw the gear over to the pegasus. "Alright. What is your name?"
Swift scrambled to his hooves, now seeing his weapon at his hooves. His name was the last shred of his old life. And as he stared at the Celestic Gear, the face of Noble appeared in his mind...only to vanish. He was gone for good in Swift's mind, and this made a giant smile appear on his face as he looked up at Shadow and said, "Call me Storm Blade. And I promise, you won't regret taking me into your employ."
The Present...
"And you were right," Shadow commented as he watched Storm check another house. "I never regretted that decision. You taught me well."
A giant smile graced his face next as Storm came to a stop at a certain house before walking inside. And as he did this, the screen shifted to Flash's battle against Tempera. He was easily carving his way through the scribeasts, only for Tempera to replace it with twice as many monsters.
"That all you got?" He yelled as he wiped out a line of uni-troopers, only for the number to double, "Oh, come on! Do you ever run out of paper?!"
Tempera laughed as she kept drawing on her pad, only to then see flickers of fire coming off Heart. "Yes!" The colt cheered, "I'm almost dry enough." He took a deep breath before focusing, his entire body now igniting. "AW YEAH!" He flew up next, "I'm back in the game!" But as he said this, an explosion of light occurred several streets away, making them all turn to the light, "Oh, come on!"
"Please let that be Ruby." Flash added, only to hear Soul's voice as the light wave flew over them.
"WINNERS, TEAM SHADOW!"
In an instant, he and Heart found themselves back in their castle with Ruby also appearing. She flopped to the floor, turning to others as she moaned out, "What...just...happened?"
"We were gonna ask you that," Springer replied, "What happened between you and Armalum?"
"I...don't know." She then gasped, "Who won?" Flash and Heart both gave her a frown back, "I see."
Heart sighed before turning to Flash, "I'm sorry. It's because of me you had to let Storm go. Because of that, we couldn't win."
"It's...fine," Flash told him before patting his shoulder. "Though right now, we might have bigger issues."
The others raised an eyebrow at this, only for the screen to show Storm walk out of the house with the orb in hoof. "What's happening?" Cold asked next.
Flash grimaced as he said these next words: "The same thing that happened to me when we got five orbs."
A flash of light caught Storm's attention, the pegasus now seeing the rest of his team appearing before him. Armalum's armor was still repairing itself while Tempera looked really winded, but the rest were all smiling at him.
And nopony looked more pleased than Shadow as he walked up to the pegasus, "You did well my friend. Very well."
Storm nodded as he got down on one knee, presenting the orb, "I live to serve you, my master." Shadow chuckled as the sphere floated out of Storm's hooves, the other four following suit as they began to circle above him.
"Finally...the power will be mine once again."
With that, the light from the orbs exploded and enveloped Shadow. Everypony had to shield their eyes at this, only to reopen them as the light morphed into a giant black shadow that spiraled around the unicorn.
Within Flash's castle, everypony's eyes went wide at the sight as Springer tried to say, "Is that..."
"Yeah," Flash added in a low hesitant tone, "He has almost the exact same power as me. Only the source of his power is the Sacred Light's exact opposite."
The tornado then exploded off of Shadow, revealing a set of dark armor. It was pitch black, stationed on his chest and hooves. Covering his face was a black X shaped mask, which ran along the contours of his face. The shadows then flew onto his back, morphing into a pair of bat wing-shaped appendages. The almost alicorn-like pony spread his dark wings as his followers all bowed, a smile creeping onto his face as he clenched his hooves, "It's good to be back."