//------------------------------//
// The Trial of Flash Sentry 
// Story: Flash Sentry, Defender of the Peace S6 
// by Banshee531 
//------------------------------//

In a distant, far off land, lightning exploded in the night, dark sky, the perfect atmosphere within this area. Inside an elaborate laboratory was an arrangement of large pieces of machinery and computers, tables covered in different scientific equipment and beakers holding a large array of colored liquids. And on the far side of the room, there were five large metal doors with a tiny hatch in the center.

Only a single pony could be found within the place, the being showing a lack of wings and horn. Their entire body was covered in a grayish black body suit that was littered with wires, tubes and pieces of metal. The pony's face was covered by a silver mask, hiding even their mouth, nose and eyes. Eye covers on the mask were bright red while the end of the mouth-piece had a triangular vent-like design. The mask had several wires that connected it to a piece of metal that connected to a large tube coming out of the chin, which was connected to a square control console on the pony's chest. The pony's breath was heavy and loud, making an almost robotic noise.

With this, the pony walked through the lab, their metal boots clanging with every step. Their destination was the central metal door, but not before they reached one of the tables and picked up a pair of items. One was a metal claw on the end of an extendable stick, while the other was a small chunk of black rock that had a slight glow to it. The pony placed the rock onto the claw before moving over to the metal door, the center one having a piece of paper stuck on it that said this:


Trial-F


The pony opened the hatch, revealing a window into an almost completely pitch black room. Sliding it open, he placed the stick into the hole before it extended and moved the claw and rock further into the room. The claw and rock eventually disappeared into the darkness, a clunking sound coming next. After this, the pony spun the stick, the sound of something swinging shut along with a clicking sound. Retracting a the stick and closing the window next, the pony now stared at the door.

And then, a pair of bright red lights filled the room, illuminating the outline of a pony-like figure. An almost laugh came from the pony as the red lights walked up to them.

The creature then glanced down at them, the pony holding up a picture and placed it against the window. That picture was of an orange pegasus pony with a blue mane and tail. The creature stared at the picture, a look of rage and desire filling its eyes.





Several weeks later...

It was another beautiful day in Ponyville, the town having just recently finished repairing the damage done by Shade's attack on the village. Thankfully, there had only been minor injuries, mainly just fires that Shade had created. Now everypony was getting back to their normal day to day lives, including the town's beloved heroes.

At one of the restaurants, Twilight, Rainbow, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy and Pinkie were all sitting at a table. They were laughing as they enjoyed one another's company alongside a delicious meal, "And then Pound burped and it caused a bubble to blow out of his mouth," Pinkie giggled as she told them a story, "When he saw it, he laughed and started making the bubble bigger. I swear, it was almost as big as me when it finally went pop." They all laughed again as Rarity cut up the grilled cheese she had ordered.

"It's a shame the boys couldn't join us," she sighed, "But Lightning said they had something important they needed to check out."

"Flash said the same thing," Twilight added, "I wonder what it is."

"Maybe it's something really big that could spell doom for Equestria if they fail," Rainbow chuckled, only to see the others glaring at her. "What?"

"I hope not," Fluttershy gulped, "Shade was bad enough. I hope things stay quiet for at least a little while."

Applejack nodded, "Ah'm sure whatever they're doing, it's important, but not end of Equestria important."





"Flash Cutter!"

In the canyon outside of town, Flash shot through the air in his Shining Guardian armor, slashing his sword at Springer. The mega jakhowl smirked as he created a Bone Breaker to deflect the attack, then swung it around to lock swords with Flash. Grins were on both as they pushed against each other, only to leap back. Once that happened, they charged again, both incredible speed as they clashed again. Blue and orange flashes covered the place as they began dashing around, attacks now coming so fast that anypony watching would see nothing but blurry flashes of light.

As this happened, several ponies were sitting on the top wall of the canyon, watching as the two sparred. Grand, Lightning, Iron, Heart, Ace and Mira all watched intensely as they clashed.

"Remind me again why they're doing this." Iron asked.

"Now that Springer's mastered his power, it's time to find out who's stronger going all out." Heart replied.

Lightning turned to Grand, "And the reason we're not doing this in Twilight's castle?"

"Do you want to be the one to explain what happened when those two blow a hole in the wall?" Lightning shrugged at this as Flash and Springer finished their hyper speed clash, leaping back again before they glowed their respective colors. "Besides, there's no way those two can go all out inside the castle, even with how the training room is."

As he said that, the energy domes appeared around them before reforming into the head shapes. The two began to glow, forming their fully completed avatars.

"Go Springer!" Ace cheered as Mira gave a whistle.

Springer's avatar formed an extra large Bone Breaker and charged, swinging it at Flash as his avatar easily side-stepped to dodge it. The horn of the energy alicorn then unleashed a beam of light that struck the blue avatar, causing it to be thrown back, now hitting the side of the canyon.

"Whoa!" Heart yelped as the ground shook, flaring his wings as he was about to take to the air.

Springer huffed as he pushed off against the rocks, charging again while using Steel Paw with his avatar, raising his arms up high before swinging them down. But Flash raised his wings and used them to shield his avatar, Springer's claws digging in, but not doing any damage. After a second, Flash spread his wings, knocking Springer's avatar off balance before unleashing another beam of light, hitting the avatar in the chest.

"Looks like Flash is the stronger one," Grand commented, only to see Flash's avatar began to flicker, a grimace appearing on the defender's face. The avatar then vanished, forcing Flash to glide down while Springer picked himself up.

Iron hummed at this, "So Flash's avatar has more power, but Springer can hold his longer."

Grand nodded at this, "I'm sure with more practice, he can learn to hold it longer."

At the same time, Ace held out a paw and Heart huffed before pulling a bar of chocolate out of nowhere and was about to give it to him. But then, as Springer prepared to attack Flash, the armored pegasus leapt up and slammed the avatar in the chest, knocking it back again. This made Heart smirk and pull his chocolate away, Ace growling as he looked away.





"Agreed," Twilight nodded to Applejack. "And if it's not important, it's their loss and not ours." She picked up the menu and licked her lips, "Anypony for pudding? I heard this place just got a near black forest gateau." The others nodded, grabbing the menus at the same time.

And as they did this, something was happening on the edge of town. At the forest behind the train station, a figure appeared from between the trees. It was hidden beneath a dark brown cloak with a hood up. They walked out and moved around the train station, not being noticed as he walked over the tracks and into the town. The figure strolled through the town without a care in the world, shifting side to side, passing everypony as they stared at them.

Back at the restaurant, the girls were half-way through their dessert before Pinkie suddenly froze, her ears twitching and her elbows rattling. The other mares turned to her, knowing this was the fabled Pinkie Sense. When the twitching and rattling stopped, Pinkie's eyes went wide, "Ooh!"

"What is it?" Rainbow asked first.

"Somepony new just arrived. Somepony that that's never been in Ponyville before." With that, Pinkie jumped under the table. But when the five looked under it, she was gone.

"Where did-"

"Up here!" Pinkie interrupted Twilight, making them look up to see the mare standing on the roof of the restaurant. She pulled a pair of binoculars out of her mane, glancing around before seeing a certain cloaked figure.

The mare then walked out of sight of her friends, her friends blinking before the pinky pony suddenly popped up from under the table. "We've got a new friend." She grabbed the plate and opened her mouth, causing her tongue to stretch out and grab her dessert. The tongue retracted back inside, swallowing the cake before turning to her friends, "Come on!" With that, she bounced off, her friends quickly finishing off their gateau before following her.

A few minutes later, they arrived on the street the cloaked figure was in. And as Pinkie's eyes fell upon him, she doubled her bouncing speed to catch up and jump in front of him. "Hi, I'm Pinkie Pie!" The figure said nothing in reply, instead turning to walk away, only for Pinkie to zip around him, "What's your name?" They still remained quiet, causing Pinkie to frown, "What's the matter? Are you embarrassed by your name?" The figure just walked away, making her bounce around him again, "Oh, come on. I'm sure whatever you're called is great." The being still stayed quiet, Pinkie looking like she was getting upset.

The others saw this, Rainbow flying over and landing between them, "Hey, what's your problem?! Would it kill you to say hello?!" The figure remained silent, just looking away. "HEY!" Rainbow growled before reaching out her hoof to grab the figure's hood, "I'm talking to you!" She was about to grab it, only for the figure to suddenly shift around and grab her outstretch hoof. "WHOA!" The rainbow maned pegasus screamed as she was suddenly thrown to the side, crashing into a nearby house, breaking right through the wall.

Everypony gasped at this, the remaining members of the Mane Seven glaring the figure down. "Now yah done it!" Applejack yelled as she ran up and spun around to buck them. But the stranger easily sidestepped the mare before grabbing Applejack's hooves, throwing her away like Rainbow, "WHOA NELLY!"

Twilight was next, now firing a magical blast at the stranger. But the stranger easily leap side to side, dodging every beam before Twilight tried to grab them in her magic, only for the figure to dodge this as well as they sped up their evasion. As this happened, Rainbow and Applejack recovered, the pegasi charging while Applejack pulled out a lasso. But the figure ducked under the pegasus before the rope wrapped around their neck, only to reach out and grab the lasso and swing the farmer around.

"Augh!" both Applejack and Rainbow cried as the figure slammed both into each other.

"Oh dear." Fluttershy grimaced as she saw Twilight attack the figure again, "Oh, if only Iron was here."





"Wow!" Flash gasped as he sat down while Heart gave him a water bottle, drinking half before pouring the rest over his head. "That was some workout."

"Tell me about it," Springer nodded as Mira did the same for him. "Looks like we're pretty even. I can hold my avatar longer, but you're still more powerful."

Flash chuckled at this, "Give me a little time and I'll have you beat in both categories." They both laughed at this, only for Springer, Ace and Mira to suddenly clutch their heads, causing the five ponies to raise eyebrows, "What's wrong?"

Springer shook his head, "We've got trouble."

Back at the town...

The street where the girls had met the cloaked figure was now complete ruin. Every house on the street had a hole or some kind of broken window, large clumps of the earth now overturned, and every single street lamp had been knocked over. And as this happened, the seven ponies that caused this destruction stood in the middle of it. The cloaked pony was standing in the center, the girls surrounding him, each mare panting.

"Geez," Rainbow wiped her brow, "This guy's good."

"Or girl," Rarity corrected, the hood still over the figure, "But you're right. Whoever this is, they're strong." She gestured to their surroundings, "Look at everything they've done."

Twilight blinked at these words, only to go wide-eyed. She then saw Rainbow about to charge again, only for Twilight to yell, "WAIT!" Rainbow came to a stop, "Don't attack." Everypony turned to her, the princess responding, "Stop. All they've done is defend. Everything that's been damaged was caused by them countering us."

The others turned back to the cloaked figure, now remembering that the being had only deflected their attacks. Every time something was damaged, it was caused by this figure throwing one of them or dodging an attack. They hadn't actually damaged to place themselves.

"So what do we do?!" Rainbow asked, "Not attack?!"

"I think that's all we can do if we want to keep the town in one piece," Twilight gulped, only to hear another voice call out.

"Twilight!" They turned to see Flash and Heart flying into the street, the rest of the defenders running up in the distance. The two saw the destruction, then glaring at the cloaked pony. "Are they the one that did this?"

"Yes, but don't attack. That'll-" She didn't get to finish as the figure suddenly charged with so much power that it caused a shockwave that knocked them all down. The cloaked pony practically flew at Flash, attempting to tackle him.

"Whoa!" Flash and Heart flew apart, causing the figure to miss before spinning around. As this happened, Flash landed while the other defenders appeared around them. "I'll only ask this once. Who are you and why are you attacking our town?"

The figure remained quiet, making everypony frown. "Don't wanna talk?" Springer created a Bone Breaker, "We don't have to talk!" With that, he and Iron charged, only for the cloaked pony to easily dodge both attacks, Grand, Lightning and Heart doing the same. But as they tried to hit the figure, it just leapt over them.

As it did this, the figure turned back to Flash, charging at the defender. Flash quickly countered with his sword, but the figure raised their leg under the cloak and stopped the blade. Something clanged against the sword, making Flash realize he hit something metal. "Huh?" Flash said before glaring at the figure, only for the pony to leap back, the rest of the defenders gathering around him.

But before Twilight could call out to stop, Flash leapt into the air. "ARMORIZE!" Flash's body exploded with light, taking shape in the form of his Shining Guardian armor. Once it was formed, Flash's wing boosters ignited and rocketed him at the cloaked figure. "Who," he spun around to perform a flying side kick, "ARE YOU?!" He struck the figure before they could dodge, causing an explosion of force that kicked up a cloud of dust that covered them both.

Everypony around was buffeted by the air, forcing them to brace and shield their eyes. And as they saw Flash leap back, he came out of the cloud as Heart asked, "Did you get him?"

"Not sure." Flash replied.

"Look!" Grand added as he pointed at the fog, the figure walking out as its cloak was torn apart. The cloud then faded away, showing the true form of the pony.

"What the-" Was all Flash could say as he stared at...himself.

The attacker was an almost exact twin of Flash, almost being the definitive word. This Flash's fur and mane were a slightly more pale color, but that wasn't the strangest part. Parts of his body weren't even pony, but machine. His mouth and nose was covered by a triangular vented mask, while his eyes were bright red and whizzed around with a robotic clicking. The front of his neck was metal and ran down to his chest, which was also metal and appeared to open based on the hinges on the sides. Instead of the standard wings, this Flash had a pair of metal poles coming out of its back which were connected to large metal boosters with bumps on the front that had holes on it. [AN]

"What in the name of Celestia am I looking at?" Iron asked as everypony stared at the pony machine hybrid.

"It...looks like..." Springer stuttered out.

"Flash?" Twilight finished and asked at the same time. The others just went wide-eyed, some looking horrified while others soon switched to confusion.

But nopony was more baffled then Flash, who could only stare at his cyborg twin. "I don't know what the heck's going on here," Flash raised his sword. "But just because you look like me, that doesn't mean you're gonna get any mercy from me." But just as he was about to attack, the mechanical Flash suddenly charged at him, "Whoa!" Flash got into a counter stance, but the cyborg just came to a stop right in front of him. It then started breathing in, almost sounding like a vacuum cleaner as it sucked the air around its masked mouth.

"What the-what are you-" Flash asked, only to feel a shiver down his hooves. He looked down next, seeing a strange golden glow coming off his body. The glow was originating from his armor, which was slowly losing its shine...and going into the creature's mouth. "No way," he staggered back while his twin kept trying to get closer, "My...my Sacred Light."

Heart let out a loud gasp, "Mecha-Flash is stealing Flash's Sacred Light!"

"Mecha-Flash?" Rainbow asked.

"We gotta call it something," Heart replied.

"Who cares what it's called," Grand added as he charged, the others following. "Get him!"

"Get away!" Flash yelled as he swung his sword at the machine, but Mecha-Flash quickly blocked it with its hoof while still sucking his Sacred Light out. "Flash Force!" Flash fired a beam of light out of his horn, but the cyborg actually caught the blast in its hooves and held it until Flash stopped. The light from the blast formed an orb that it held in its hooves before bringing to its mouth, sucking it down as well. The ball shrank until it was completely gone, then turned back to Flash.

But before it could get close again, the others got between it and its target. "You're done!" Grand roared as he swung his hammer at the machine, only for Mecha-Flash to jump back. It was then that the cyborg's wings opened up and began to fire super-heated air out, allowing it to take flight and shoot over the grounded members of the group.

Rainbow and Heart flew up at this, Heart unleashing a burst of fire at Mecha-Flash. But the cyborg merely flew through the flames, getting through unharmed, while the holes in the front of its wings began to glow. And before either pegasi could do anything, Mecha-Flash unleashed a beam of light from each wing, hitting them both.

"AUGH!" They cried as they slammed into a nearby building, Twilight suddenly teleported up next, blocking the machine's path. Mecha-Flash repeated its last attack while Twilight created a shield to block it, only to stop it and charge at Twilight. The alicorn countered with a series of magic beams, but Mecha-Flash easily spun around them, only to fly around her in a tight circle. It quickly got up to extreme speeds, its jets blaring before buffeting Twilight back with a spiraling whirlwind.

"WHOA!" She yelped as she tried to teleport away, only to find herself still spinning and crashing into the side of a building.

Flash growled at the sight, only to then find Mecha-Flash land in front of him before resuming the extraction of his Sacred Light. "Stop it!" He barked, raising his sword to attack again. But before he could, he felt his body grow weaker. "What's...happening?" he lost his grip on his sword, falling over as his armor completely vanished. And as this happened, the light continued to be extracted from his body.

"FLASH!" His friends cried as Pinkie and Lightning ran up next, Lightning unleashing a bolt of electricity that Mecha-Flash jumped away from while Pinkie threw several smoke bombs. A pink cloud covered the area next, hiding Flash within the smoke. As this happened, Springer and Grand jumped into the smoke, zipping out of the other side with an unconscious Flash on Grand's back. The two raced into an alleyway as Mecha-Flash used its jets to blow away the smoke, only for the cyborg to now see its target was gone.

"Sorry," Lightning said as he, Iron and Heart charged at him. "But feeding time's over!" He pulled out a pair of knives and started slashing at Mecha-Flash, electrifying the metal, but the cyborg easily hopped back. At the same time, Iron and Heart unleashed burst of fire and metal, but Mecha-Flash just leap over their attacks, taking to the air again.

Once it was high enough, the holes on its wings lit up before firing a pair of energy projectiles upward. And when they got high enough, they exploded like fireworks. But the embers didn't fade, instead shooting down and bombarding the town.

"WHOA!" The defenders cried as they ducked for cover, Twilight teleporting over to her friends and created a shield to protect them.

"We have to get out of here!" Twilight screamed before turning to Lightning. "Teleport back to the castle!" Lightning nodded as Twilight's friends grabbed onto her while Lightning grabbed Heart and Iron. The two disappeared in a flash of light, right as the bombardment ended.

Mecha-Flash stared down at the wrecked town, its eyes glaring around as it couldn't locate its target.





Back with Springer and Grand...

The two had taken cover behind the post office, Springer glancing over to see the pony flying around. "What can you sense from that thing?" Grand asked, Springer closing his eyes for a second.

"It's weird," Springer replied, "It feels like Flash, but it's lacking something. Like whatever it is, its...lacking soul." It was then that the cyborg turned to them, "We need to get out of here."

"It'll spot us if we run," Grand responded, "And might level the town to try and get to Flash."

"So what do we do?"

Grand let out a huff, an idea slowly forming in his head. As he did this, Mecha-Flash flew through the town's streets, not seeing anypony, but it could sense it's target. It then flew over the post office, landing on the roof before staring down...and finding nothing.





Flash let out a moan, his eyes blinking open to see himself moving despite his body remaining still. "Huh?" he muttered before glancing up, now seeing he was in a dark tunnel with Springer carrying him on his back. Grand was digging the tunnel, using his Celestic Gear to carve through the rock as they ran, the tunnel behind them closing quickly.

As he watched this, memories rang out in his head, "Darn that guy!" He growled, making the two glance back at him, "Where is he?! I'll make him pay!"

"You're not doing anything," Grand replied, "It's you that thing's after, so we need to keep you as far away from it as possible so it doesn't get what it wants." Flash hissed back, only for the two to come to a stop, "Alright, we should be just outside the castle. Springer?"

The jakhowl let out a burst of aura and nodded. "I'm picking up Twilight and the others just ahead." Grand nodded back and slammed the ground with his hammer, causing it to shoot up while the ceiling opened. In a single motion, they were standing outside the castle.

"Hurry!" Grand yelled as they ran inside, closing the door before Mecha-Flash could spot them. They rushed into the throne room, only to see Soul, Fluttershy and Rarity bandaging up the rest of the defenders, Twilight turning to them.

"Flash!" She ran over and hugged him, "Are you okay?!"

"I've been better," he replied, their embrace quickly ending as he slumped over, "But whatever that thing did really took the wind out of me."

"It looked like it was absorbing your Sacred Light," Grand added, "I guess with a power as strong as that, it would attracted some unwanted attention."

"But what the heck even was that thing?" Iron asked, "And why the heck does it look like Sentry?"

"And why is half its body...like that?" Heart continued, the statement making Starlight let out a gulp.

"Um...Twilight?" the alicorn turned to her, "You don't think it's the evil Flash we met, do you?" Twilight and Spike shared a glance at the suggestion, remembering their time travel adventure as Starlight kept going, "You don't think he like...fell back hundreds of years and the only way to stay alive long enough to seek his revenge was to turn himself into a robot?"

The others turned to Twilight, the princess beginning to pace around at the thought, "I...I guess its possible."

"I don't think it is." They now turned to Springer. "I might not have met that version of Flash, but I don't think this is him. When I scanned him, I couldn't sense any kind of soul. That thing isn't just a machine on the outside, it's a machine on the inside. Whatever it came here to do, it isn't doing it under its own free will."

"So what are you saying?" Lightning asked. "If this thing isn't the evil Flash, then where did it come from?"

"Hmmm..." Twilight hummed, rubbing her chin. "That does make sense Springer. I mean, if it was evil Flash..." She turned to Starlight, "He probably would be after me, Starlight and Spike first before taking on Flash. That and he wanted to kill all versions of Flash, not...absorb the Sacred Light. But if that's the case..." She closed her eyes for a second before gulping at her own conclusion. "It's a clone. A clone of Flash."

"A clone?!" Iron asked while raising an eyebrow, "I thought those only existed in comics. Clones aren't real."

"They are," Twilight replied while shaking her head, "If somepony was able to get Flash's DNA, it's possible they could create a magical clone of him. It's a highly advanced spell, so usually only somepony with great magical skill would be able to do it."

"So that thing is just a copy of Flash?" Heart asked.

"Okay, I guess that makes sense." Iron commented, "If there is a spell for it, and getting Sentry's DNA wouldn't be hard since he leaves it all over the place." The other ponies turned to him, the defender scowling back, "Not like that! I mean with how reckless he is, he's probably dropped some of his blood in every town of Equestria by now!"

"So he's a magical clone," Rainbow repeated, "But what's with the tech?"

"Maybe the spell didn't work right," Soul added, "Maybe whoever made it didn't do a good job."

Twilight nodded in agreement, "That's probably right. They must have had to stabilize it with machinery." She clapped her hooves at this, "That means that it's the machinery that's keeping it alive. If we take it out, that thing goes down too."

"But how?" Fluttershy asked.

"Simple. It's got to have a power source," Twilight responded, "The question is where in its body."

"Who cares," Iron added, "We'll just keep pounding that thing until we finally hit something that makes it spark."

"I don't think it's that simple," Grand chimed in, "If it does have a power source, it'll be heavily protected. And let's not forget all the damage done to the town before we managed to find it."

"So we've gotta get it out of Ponyville before we can fight it," Rainbow sighed. "This is sounding like a pain."

"Yeah...but how are we gonna do that?" Heart asked next.

"We'll use me." They all turned to Flash, "I'm what that thing wants. The only way to lead it out of town is by using me as bait."

"Flash, no!" Twilight exclaimed, "It's too dangerous. You saw what happened last time that thing got close."

"It sucked the Sacred Light right out of yah," Applejack added.

Twilight nodded at this. "And don't forget, you losing your Sacred Light is dangerous. If that thing manages to get all of it, you'll die."

"I know that," Flash replied, "But I'm not just gonna sit here and let that thing hurt you or my home." He pointed at himself, "I'll show myself to it and then hightail it before Mecha-me can get close. And once I lead it someplace it's safe to go all out, we'll take that thing down together."

The others all exchanged glances, Grand letting out a sigh, "I hate to say this, but he's right. Using Flash as bait is our only option." He turned to the others, "Unless anypony has another good idea for taking it down." Everypony remained silent, "Then we have no choice. Heart, Rainbow." The pegasi blinked at him, "Stick with Flash. If that thing gets to close, try to slow it down long enough for Flash to escape the town."

They nodded as Twilight turned to Flash, "I don't like this, but I understand we don't have a choice." She placed a hoof on his chest, "Just be careful."

Flash nodded back before turning to the others. "Alright everyony. Let's go take this mechanical copycat down!"

"YEAH!" Everypony else yelled.





Back Outside...

Mecha-Flash was now wondering around, its connection to Flash having now vanished. It landed in front of a house at this moment, kicking the door in before hearing screams as the cyborg looked inside, now finding Berryshine holding a Piña Colada tightly to her chest. The machine stared at her before walking back outside, going to the next house. But as it raised a hoof to kick the door-

"HEY!" The cyborg spun around to see Flash, Rainbow and Heart in the air, "Looking for me?" The clone let out a mechanical hiss before its wings began to power up. "You want me? Come and get me!" Flash took off, Heart and Rainbow following while Mecha-Flash's wings exploded and pushed the cyborg into the air.

Flash looked back to see the cyborg had alrerady covered half the distance between them. "Come on!" He pumped his wings harder, "We've gotta get that thing away from Ponyville!"

"You two go!" Rainbow yelled before stopping. "I'll slow him down." The boys wanted to tell her not to be stupid, but they knew she wouldn't listen. "Alright Mecha-Fake!" she roared before flying in a circle. "Let's see how you do when I rock you like a hurricane!" With that, the mare's speed began to form a tornado between Mecha-Flash and the real one.

The cyborg saw this and Rainbow smirked, the machine just staring at the whirlwind. That is, till Mecha-Flash began flying in a circle as well, though in the opposite direction. A reverse tornado formed, the two air spirals clashing and merging, the winds now cancelling.

"What the-" Rainbow yelped as the tornadoes vanished, only to then see Mecha-Flash flying right at her. "Oh crab-apples," was all she could say before the cyborg slammed into her, her body flying away like a rocket. She screamed as flew through the air, with anypony seeing this being reminded of what Applejack tried to do an entire applebuck season on her own. Once she disappeared into the horizon, Mecha-Flash turned back to its true opponent.

"So much for Rainbow," Heart commented as the two of them got out of town. "This is really bad."

"At least she slowed it down so it won't stay in Ponyville," Flash added while glancing back to see his mechanical lookalike following them again, "Come on, let's see if we can take it down in the canyon. Hope you've been practicing your advanced flying!"

Heart shined a grin before his body ignited, the pegasi's back hooves exploding, allowing him to rocket into the canyon. Using his front hooves to steer, he flew at max speed through the turns and flying out of sight. Flash smirked at this before looking back, pointing at Mecha-Flash, "So you're fast and strong. But how good are you are turning?" With that, he also entered the curvier sections of the canyon, easily making the sharp turns without much issue.

But Mecha-Flash didn't seem to have that kind of maneuverability, causing it to crash into the turns whenever it tried. But as it did this, it instead just busted through the rocks that got in its way. "Okay," Flash gulped, "That's kinda cheating."

The clone was soon only a few feet behind Flash and as it got in range, starting to make the vacuum noise again. And as it did this, the light began to be pulled off of Flash. "No..." he moaned, his wings flapping awkwardly as he felt himself get weaker.

But then he turned a corner, only for Heart to appear, "Hey Mecha-Flash!" He yelled before unleashing several fireballs from his hooves, "Here's a little something I learned just before I got my powers!" The fire struck the rocks atop the walls, making them come lose.

Flash smiled at the sight before pulling out his sword. "Nice one Heart! Let me help you! Flash Cutter!" Flash added as he swung his sword upward, the energy blades hitting the walls. Rocks upon rocks began to come crashing down, the defender escaping the rock slide as the boulders began to bury Mecha-Flash.

"Gotcha!" Heart cheered before unleashing a full force of flames onto the rock pile, causing it to melt into a tomb similar to the one Flash had been trapped within during their battle in the lost city. "That's gotta hold him."

"It can hold me," Flash corrected, "Doesn't mean it'll hold that thing." He let out a long moan, "Let's get going and meet up with the others."

"You okay?"

"I'm fine," Flash replied, "Just a...little winded. Come on, the others are waiting." The two flew off and left the tomb, which was still smoking.

However, a crack soon appeared on the surface, light pouring out before more soon appeared.





Outside the canyon, in the meadow-like area north east of White Tail Woods, almost everypony else was there. The only ones missing were Flash, Heart, Twilight, Springer and Rainbow, the rest now getting ready. "Ooh..." Pinkie bounced in a pacing motion, "Where are they?! It shouldn't have taken this long."

"Relax," Lightning responded, "They'll be here." Wild nodded in agreement, only for the group to suddenly see Flash and Heart leaving the canyon. "You made it!"

"Yeah, we did," Flash replied before landing, only to notice a certain pair were now missing. "Where's Twilight and Springer?" He got his answer when a flash of light made him turn to see them along with a very dizzy looking Rainbow Dash.

"Sorry we're late," Twilight told her boyfriend, "Springer sensed Rainbow's sudden blast off and we had to go get her." She glanced around next, "Where's the clone?"

Heart puffed out his chest at this, "Taken care off. I trapped him under a pile of melted rock. No way he's getting out of that." But as he said that, a large explosion shook the ground, making everypony turn and see a streak of light shoot into the sky.

Flash glanced back at Heart, "Wanna rethink that statement?"

"Battle stations!" Grand yelled as the shining meteor began to curve toward them. "Let's end this. Grand-"

"Aura-

"Iron-"

"Lightning-

"Fire-"

"FORCE!" The five screamed as they unleashed their attacks in the direction of Mecha-Flash, the machine unphased at the incoming danger. It instead unleashed a burst of lasers from its wing cannons, taking out the force attacks before they could get close. Mecha-Flash then began to spin as light appeared around it, transforming the cyborg into a shining energy drill.

"A drill attack?" Soul asked.

"Just like Flash," Heart whispered. "Is there anything that guy can't copy?"

"Let's hope so," Twilight replied before she, Starlight and Springer formed a shield around them. "Because at full power, Flash is almost unstoppable." She created a bubble around the group while Starlight created one around hers and Springer created another around hers.

But then the drill struck, shattering Springer's barrier, only to slow it down. It smashed through Starlight's next, only to hit Twilight's, her bubble starting to crack before shattering as well. And before anypony could do anything, the cyborg flew out of the drill and struck the ground, causing an earthquake and that sent everypony flying.

"AUGH/GYAH/OUGH/ARRRH!" Were some of the sounds as the shockwave made them go flying, Flash then feeling something tackle him.

A loud vacuum sound filled the air, making him look up to see Mecha-Flash pinning him to the ground, now sucking the Sacred Light out again. Flash tried to raise his hooves at this, only to let out a whisper, "No..."

"FLASH!" He then heard his friends scream before a blast of purple and blue magic struck Mecha-Flash, knocking it off him. Twilight and Starlight kept firing as Heart and Soul ran over, now seeing he was barely conscious.

"Come on Flash," Heart shook him. "Stay with us!" As he said that, Mecha-Flash picked itself up before staring at its prey. But as it did this, the Defenders stepped between him, glares on every face.

"You want him?" Springer asked while creating a Bone Breaker, "You gotta go through us!" As he said that, Grand raised his hammer before slamming it into the ground. This caused spiked rocks to explode out of the ground, a circle of rubble quickly pinning the cyborg on all sides.

The others charged in next, Lightning leaping up while electrifying his hooves. "Time for you to short circuit!" He yelled as he landed on the rocks and slammed his hooves into Mecha-Flash's wings. The lightning electrocuted the monster, Mecha-Flash now letting out a scream of what felt like pain.

The cyborg then thrashed against the rocks holding it in place, the spikes shattering before turning its cannons at Lightning. An instant laser came out, knocking the defender flying back, only for Rarity to catch him in her magic before he flew away.

As she did this, Springer, Iron, Rainbow and Applejack charged. "Mega Mode Power/Armorize!" The defenders yelled as they transformed into their upgraded forms, seconds before they and Mech-Flash reached one another. Iron was first, swinging his tail weapon that morphed into a sword, which was blocked by Mecha-Flash with just a hoof before spinning around and slamming one of its metallic back hooves into Iron's face.

At the same time, Rainbow and Applejack charged as Rainbow attempted to tackle it from above while Applejack tried to apple-buck it from below. But Mecha-Flash simply ducked down under Rainbow and used its front hooves to catch Applejack's back hooves. It then spun around and swung Applejack into Rainbow, sending both flying back.

Mecha-Flash then turned to Springer as the Mega Jakhowl began swinging his staff at him. The cyborg easily smacked the bone weapon away, only to see Springer suddenly begin to glitch out. A Velocity Strike came next, the machine feeling thirty punches hitting its body. Its wings, neck and hooves began to get dented and damaged, everypony gasping at the sight as they saw Springer finally get the upper hoof.

"Aura," Springer swept Mecha-Flash off its hooves as he formed an orb in his other paw, "FORCE!" He thrust the orb at Mecha-Flash, making it explode into a beam of energy, Mecha-Flash just managing to cross its hooves over its chest before the beam struck.

Mecha-Flash screamed as it was pushed back by the beam, digging a trench a good twenty feet long as it kept going back. And as the attack began to come to a stop, Springer let out a gasp, refocusing his aura as Grand asked, "Did you get him?"

"I...think so." Springer replied as they stared at the machine. It was now twitching, sparks coming off it as pieces were now missing from its body. That is, till a dark light began to seep out of the metal doors on its chest, the light spreading around its entire body, causing the damaged parts to slowly repair themselves. The cracks disappeared and the missing pieces of metal began to grow back.

"No way," Twilight whispered, "It can heal itself?!"

Her question was confirmed when Mecha-Flash pushed itself back up, looking as good as new. "This just got a whole lot harder," Springer added as Mecha-Flash's boosters exploded and propelled it into the sky. "Everypony watch out!" The machine then unleashed twin blasts from its wing cannons that shot straight up before exploding into a hundred more energy blasts that rained down on the meadow like a meteor storm.

Everypony screamed as they ducked for cover, Twilight, Starlight, Lightning and Springer doing their best to shield everypony. But some couldn't get there in time, now getting caught in the explosions that rocked the meadow.

"RAAAAAAAAAAH!" Rainbow, Applejack, Iron and Grand screamed as they knocked back, each slamming into the ground, tree or stray rock.

"NO!" Heart cried before igniting and charging straight up, "You'll pay for this!"

"Heart!" Twilight yelled as she flew after him, Starlight using her magic to do the same. Even Fluttershy flew up, while Heart reached Mecha-Flash and started throwing fireballs.

But the mechanical pony just stood there, smacking the flames away with its hooves before firing an energy blast at the colt. "Augh!" He yelped as one struck his shoulder, Mecha-Flash then descending on Heart before Twilight and Starlight flew past the colt.

The two unleashed a massive magical beam, hitting the cyborg back while Fluttershy caught Heart. "You okay?"

"I'm fine," the colt replied before hopping out of her hooves, Fluttershy sighing before growing three times her usual size. They watched as Twilight and Starlight circled around Mecha-Flash, firing more beams that the machine easily dodged.

"Raaah!" Heart screamed as he rocketed up and tried to punch Mecha-Flash with a blazing punch, but the cyborg simply blocked his jab, easily smacking him away with a swat of a metal hoof. As he did this though, Fluttershy appeared and clapped her hooves together around the machine. But before she could crush it, Mecha-Flash held out his hooves, managing to push the giant clapping hooves back. Fluttershy growled at this, trying to crush the cyborg as he continued to push back.

Twilight and Starlight took this chance to get on either side Mecha-Flash, both firing magic blasts. The cyborg saw this and flared its wings, then rocketing straight up and out from between Fluttershy's hooves. This made the magic beams hit one another, cancelling each other, only for the machine to see Heart waiting for him.

"FIRE FORCE!" He unleashed the strongest blast of fire he could, making sure the wind was behind him for added power, the flames rocketing at Mecha-Flash before it could react. The cyborg just took the attack as its body began to warp, the flames soon dying out after about thirty seconds.

Several of Mecha-Flash's metal body-parts were melting while its pony body-parts were badly burnt. But before Heart could celebrate, the light from Mecha-Flash's chest appeared again, spreading across its body, healing every part and burnt piece of skin and fur. The colt growled as Twilight and Starlight flew past him, the mares unleashing two beams as Mecha-Flash fired its wing cannons. The orange beams struck the blue and purple ones, putting them in a deadlock.

Heart and Fluttershy began to attack again at this, only to for Mecha-Flash to point its front hooves at both. They then shot off the main body, firing off like missiles as fire rocketed out of them. The two hooves hit both Heart and Fluttershy before they could react, knocking the wind out of both before sending them straight down.

"Heart!" Soul cried.

"Fluttershy!" Rarity screamed, seeing the two hit the ground with so much force in created a crater. The dust from the impact faded to reveal the two, still being pinned by the rocket hooves that were digging into their chests.

Twilight and Starlight gasped at this before turning back to seeing the metal hooves had been hiding something. Mecha-Flash had a pair of thin metal tubes coming out of its legs, which it pointed at the both of them as the ends began to light up. The mares then cut their spells, seconds before lasers exploded out of these barrels, the two barely dodging the beams.

"Geez!" Starlight yelped, "What else can this thing do?!" As she asked that, the hooves from before flew off the downed pegasi and went back to the main body.

"I'm afraid to find out," Twilight whispered, then teleporting them back to the ground. "Are they okay?" She asked the ponies looking over Heart and Fluttershy, the mare having returned to her normal size.

"I'm fine," Heart moaned, Fluttershy just letting out a whimper.

"Okay, that's it!" Springer suddenly yelled, making everypony turn to him. "No more holding back!" he began to run as his body shined, the light exploding off him before forming his full aura avatar. "You're not hurting anypony else!" His avatar formed a Bone Breaker and began to swing it down at Mecha-Flash, the machine flying back to the avoid the attack while unleashing lasers from its wings.

The lasers hit the avatar, only to be absorbed and not hurt Springer at all. The jakhowl then dispelled his staff and created an Aura Blast that he threw at the cyborg. Mecha-Flash responded by once again firing its lasers from its wings, blocking the orb before it launched its rocket hooves. However, the rockets simply passed through avatar harmlessly. Mecha-Flash took this moment to fire its leg blasters at the avatar, but they too were absorbed.

At the same time, Twilight and Starlight took to the air again while Lightning teleported onto the avatar's shoulder. "Try this! Gatling Spark!" He unleashed a barrage of lightning bolts while Twilight and Starlight got behind it and launched their own attacks.

Mecha-Flash began to dodge all three attacks, its vision focusing on the magic as Springer swung his avatar's hand at the machine. Smacking it down, it slapped the being right into the ground, the impact making a crater.

"Got it! Nice one Springer!" Lightning cheered as Springer lifted his giant aura paw back up. The crater was now a dust cloud, soon fading to reveal the badly damaged cyborg picking itself up, only for darkness to cover it as it looked up to see the avatar's giant foot overhead.

"Time to end this!" Springer exclaimed, only for Mecha-Flash to turn to the others. It as Pinkie, Rarity Wild, and Soul now pulling everypony that was unconscious into one group. And seconds before Springer could stomp on him, Mecha-Flash unleashed twin blasts from its wings that flew diagonally up before exploding...right above the injured ponies.

Those fighting gasped as they turned to their friends, quickly forgetting the machine as the magic users teleported down to them and deflected the closest blasts while Springer used his avatar to swat the rest away.

As this happened, Mecha-Flash began to repair itself again. But once it was fixed, the light from its chest didn't go away. Instead, it flew up as the light continued to grow, the machine soon flying above Springer's avatar. It was then that the doors opened up, the blackish purple light now getting brighter by the second. The glow also seemed to unleash a force that was trying to push it back, stopped by the cyborg's wings doing the reverse.

Springer was the first to notice this, turning to Mecha-Flash as he saw the light get stronger. A bad feeling struck him as he saw this, making him turn to his friends, "Twilight! Starlight! Shield!" The two nodded and put up a combined barrier around them all as Springer turned back to Mecha-Flash.

His avatar brought its paws together, beginning to charge a blast of its own while Mecha-Flash continued charging its up. And as this happened, a black beam of energy exploded out of Mecha-Flash's chest while Springer unleashed a giant Aura Force. The two attacks collided, pushing against each other, appearing even in power.

But soon, Springer's attack began to get pushed back, "No!" Springer groaned as the beam got closer to his avatar, eventually pushing past his attack and striking the main body. "NOOO!" Springer yelled as his felt his energy body get overpowered, soon shattering as Springer was struck by the beam.

The ponies gasped at this, the beam then hitting the barrier, causing it to crack and strain. "That's not gonna hold!" Twilight yelled before turning to the others, "Brace yourselves!" Everypony tried to take cover at this, the attack getting through before hitting the ground.

KABOOM!

The entire meadow shook from the blow, a cloud of smoke and dust soon filling the air. Mecha-Flash watched and waited to see the damage, the fog covering its vision. And as the smoke cleared, most of its opponents were now laid out on the ground. Several had serious wounds, most now fully knocked out.

Only Twilight, Starlight and Springer were able to stand, the three wide-eyed at the destruction around them. Springer was surprised he was still in Mega Mode after that blast, but he knew it wouldn't be enough as he saw Mecha-Flash begin to float down. But as it did this, the three final obstacles stepped up in front of Flash, Springer turning to Twilight. "I'll hold it back," Springer told Twilight, "You grab Flash and teleport someplace else."

"We can't keep running from it," Twilight replied, "We have to stop it, here and now." Springer nodded as he formed a Bone Breaker, the mares lighting their horns.

But as they were about to attack, a sudden blast of gold and blue magic shot down from above, knocking Mecha-Flash back. The three looked up, Twilight gasping, "Princess Celestia! Princess Luna!" The Royal Sisters glided down with small grins.

"We got your message," Celestia replied as they landed. "And we have a battalion of guards marching here as we speak."

"But the three of us decided to teleport ahead," Luna added.

"Three of us?" Starlight asked before a flash of light revealed a blue unicorn beside her.

"What's up besty!" Trixie giggled before the six heard a loud clanging noise, all turning to see Mecha-Flash pick itself up. The machine stared at them before releasing its jets, flying up a split second later.

"Twilight! Luna!" Celestia called out as she took flight, the smaller alicorns following her while Trixie, Springer and Starlight charged. The princesses got above the cyborg and began firing as the others shot from below, Mecha-Flash letting the attacks collide with it while it fought back with its wing cannons, rocket hooves and leg blasters.

As this happened, two of the previously unconscious ponies began to come around. Applejack and Rainbow moaned as they pushed themselves up, only to gasp as they saw everything happening. "Everypony!" Applejack yelped, now seeing Mecha-Flash fight all the magic users.

Celestia and Luna each fired a blast that were blocked by the wing cannons while Mecha-Flash fired its rocket hooves into Trixie and Springer. "Augh!" They cried as they were thrown back, Twilight and Starlight firing a set of beams that were also blocked by the leg blasters.

The four magic users pushed against the multiple attacks, only for Mecha-Flash to fly back, dodging the magic beams all at once. And as this happened, Twilight yelled out, "Don't stop! We have to keep attacking before-" She couldn't finish as energy from its chest flew out and spread across its body.

"It can heal!?" Trixie gasped, getting a nod from the others.

"Whatever's in its chest must be its power source," Twilight added, "It keeps protecting it, so we have to destroy it!"

"But how?" Springer asked, "We can barely dent it when we work together." He got his answer when a sudden sonic boom rocked the meadow, followed by a flash of light.

Mecha-Flash wasn't able to process what happened as it was slammed by Rainbow, the pegasi tackling it before charging it into the ground. "RAAAAAAAAAAH!" She screamed as they picked up speed, Mecha-Flash just now realizing what was happening. The two then slammed into the dirt, shaking the meadow again. And as a resounding thud rang out, a quick dust cloud kicking up before revealing Rainbow pinning a slightly damaged Mecha-Flash. "Gotcha!" She cheered, only for Mecha-Flash to reach up and grab her mane, slinging her off its back, "Augh!"

Mecha-Flash turned to fire a blast at her, only for a coil of rope to fall down over its neck and yank it back. "Oh, no yah don't!" Applejack yelled as she pulled her lasso back.

The cyborg tried to grab the rope, only for a light to appear around both its metal hooves. Its hooves were pulled away from its neck, then the light spread to the rest of its legs. The light on its right leg was a mixture of gold and purple, while its left leg was held by a mixture of blue and pink light.

The Royal Sisters and their students strained as they worked to keep Mecha-Flash from escaping, Starlight rushing around its back and seeing its wings about to ignite. "You're not escaping this!" She exclaimed as she created a bubble around the wings, forcing the air out. No air, no combustion.

Its head began to turn around, its body squirming as the magic kept it held. But as it did this, it saw its chest was aimed at several of the downed ponies. It instantly opened it up, light beginning to form around it. "NO!" Twilight screamed, now seeing what was about to happen.

"Oh, no you don't!" Springer roared as he jumped down in front of Mecha-Flash, an Aura Blast in his paw. "This ends...NOW!"

With that, he thrust the orb into its chest, the aura quickly reacting with the power source. A dome of energy began to form as he pushed the sphere through, the dome growing around the machine. The dome began to burn through Applejack's lasso, and blocked the magic holding it, growing more and more by the second. This allowed Mecha-Flash to grab Springer's shoulder, the cyborg trying to push the defender away. But the Mega Jakhowl refused to let up. "Not...gonna...happen!" He yelled while the others saw the dome wouldn't hold much longer.

"SPRINGER!" Twilight screamed.

KABOOM!

Another explosion rocked the meadow as the dome exploded, unleashing a wave of energy that knocked all those standing flying back. The impact sent them across the fields, Springer flying the farthest as he returned to his normal form before falling unconscious.

And then, Mecha-Flash just stood still. It was badly damaged, but it could heal. As it began to do this, it turned to see the still unconscious Flash. It headed for the knight, ready to extract the last of the Sacred light. But as it did this, the machine noticed some sparking in its chest.

Looking down, the sight of its metal chest doors, batted and dented, filled its optics along with sparks that came from within. But before it could try to heal, a large explosion burst from its chest, causing the doors to fly off. The cyborg clone let out screams of pain, staggering back as something fell out of its now open chest and hit the ground.

This was followed by a second explosion, this one being entirely of golden light. The light rocketed out of its chest and formed a cloud above it, the cyborg screaming as it felt itself beginning to lose power. At the same time, the cloud began to move away, streaming back into its true host.

Flash let out a groan as he woke up, opening his eyes before getting up. "Uh...what happened?" he moaned before looking up, now seeing the stream of light flowing over and entering his body, "What the-" He turned to see Mecha-Flash now turning on its vacuum, trying to suck up the Sacred Light...only for all of it vanish inside Flash.

The cyborg then let out a scream at Flash, glaring at the knight.

"Not so tough now, huh?" Flash stood up, only to glance around to see his friends all knocked out. Anger filled his entire being at the sight, the pegasus turning to his doppelganger with a look of pure fury. "I've had it with you. You stole my look. You tried to steal my power. And now, you've hurt my friends!" The cyborg screamed again before charging, "I'm gonna make sure you never hurt anypony...EVER AGAIN!" He raised his sword and held it high, "ARMORIZE!" With that, light exploded off his body, quickly forming the Shining Guardian armor.

The light also flew across the area, causing everypony to glow as their wounds began to vanish. They opened their eyes, all beginning to look up and see Flash about to be attacked by his clone. But when the light faded, Mecha-Flash leapt at the original, only for the Pegasus to simply throw a single punch, slamming his armored hoof into the cyborg. Mecha-Flash screamed as it was thrown backwards, flying a good ten meters before landing on the ground.

As this happened, Flash held his sword up in a battle-ready sword stance. Mecha-Flash pushed itself back up before calling on the last remaining drops of power it had left to unleash a single burst of energy from its wing cannon. But Flash didn't even attempt to dodge it, instead letting the light hit him. But as it struck, the attack merely bounced off, flying harmlessly into the air.

This made the clone roar, charging again as it tried to punch Flash. But the original simply blocked the metal hoof with the flat side of his sword blade while his own hoof began to glow with Sacred Light energy. And before the cyborg could react, Flash threw another punch, causing an explosion upon impact.

Mecha-Flash screamed as it was thrown back, crashing into the dirt before quickly rolling itself back to its hooves. It then unleashed a barrage of energy blasts, Flash spreading his wings to fly up and over the explosions that hit the ground next. And as this happened, the five blue gems on his armour began to glow.

The machine also spread its wings, igniting the boosters while pushing into the air. It rocketed for Flash, but the defender just waited before unleashing the energy beams from his boots and chests, hitting the cyborg. Every beam that struck blasted through Mecha-Flash's armor, especially doing serious damage to its wings.

"Flash FORCE!" He screamed before unleashing a blast of magic from his helmet horn, the beam striking Mecha-Flash instantly. The cyborg screamed as it felt itself be burnt, its armor melting before it struck the ground, slamming into it so hard that it actually carved a ditch as it slid along it.

Flash cut the power of his attack before flying down, landing roughly thirty feet from his clone. The cyborg tried to pick itself up, but everypony watching knew it was on its last legs. "Alright," Flash pointed his sword at the machine, "Last chance tin can. Tell me who made you, or be destroyed!"

Mecha-Flash growled at him before giving the pegasus its answer, pushing itself up and charging at Flash with a wild animalistic scream.

"So be it," Flash whispered before the tips of his wings opened. His Sacred Light exploded out of them, propelling him at the machine as he held his sword so the tip of the blade pointed behind him. "RAAAAAAAAAAH!" He screamed, swiping his blade the second he reached his clone. In a blink of an eye, the sword slashed through the area, the knight sliding to a stop behind Mecha-Flash with his sword pointed forward.

Mecha-Flash stood there for several seconds before lightning began to spark around it, the cyborg short circuiting while letting out screams of pain. And as this happened, the cyborg's entire body self destructed, now consumed in a large explosion.

It wasn't long till the force of the explosion faded, Flash turning back to where his copy had been before looking down at the crater the explosion had caused. All that was left of the cyborg were a few bits of metal, Flash staring at the sight. He knew he wasn't sure if his attack had destroyed the clone, or the damage to the machinery had caused the magically created body to fall apart. Either way, it was gone.

"FLASH!" He turned to see his friends running over, most limping than running though. Twilight was the first to reach him, tackling him to the ground, Flash managing to disperse his armor before he accidently poked her.

"You did it!" She laughed, hugging him tightly. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine now," he replied as she pulled away, allowing him to get up, "Are you all okay?" Everypony gave some form of positive response, although he could see most still had a few bad burns and cuts.

"We're a lot better than we were before your Sacred Light swept over us," Grand added, "I think you saved us a good few weeks of healing. Is there anything your Sacred Light can't do?"

"Protect me from that thing," Flash responded while pointing at the remains of Mecha-Flash.

"You kidding?" Trixie asked, "You completely owned that thing!"

"Yeah," Lightning nodded. "Kinda made the rest of us look bad with how easy you made it look."

Flash shook his head, "I only finished the job. It was already beaten before I armored up." He glanced around at all his friends, "It was you all who did all the hard work. Fighting that thing off and protecting me while getting hurt in the process. If you hadn't destroyed that thing's power source, I'd be dead right now."

"You've always put everything on the line to help us," Celestia responded, "It's only right we do the same for you." Flash saw a series of nods back, making a smile appear on his lips. "That being said," Celestia turned to an area of the meadow that was still smoking. "I am curious to see what could have powered such a dangerous weapon."

Flash flew over to the smoke in response, landing next to the fog before seeing a black rock that had been broken into several pieces. He reached down to grab it, but pulled his hoof back after feeling a surge of pain rocket through his hoof the moment he touched it. "Ahhh!"

"Are you okay?" Twilight asked, looking at his hoof, but seeing no damage.

"It...burned me." The others stared down at the stone, Twilight then reaching down and doing the same thing Flash did. But she felt no pain, now able to pick it up.

"It doesn't hurt when I hold it." Celestia, Grand and Springer all touched the rock, but none felt anything. "It's just you." She saw Flash stare at the rock, a grimace appearing on his face, "What is it?"

"I know exactly what it is."

"You do?"

Flash did a slow nod, "I've seen it before. The only thing on this planet that can give life to something so powerful, heal it, and give it the power to nullify and absorb my Sacred Light." He turned to the others with a scowl, "It's Corrupted Shadow."

Everypony's eyes went wide at this, all then staring down at the rock, now wondering where it came from, and for what purpose.





Back in the lab, the pony was staring at a computer screen. It was now showing nothing but static, two words flashing on the screen.


Signal Lost


The pony let out something that was the mix of a growl and a wheezing cough, only to quickly reclaim their composure. "Enjoy your victory while it lasts," the figure hissed, their voice deep and muffled, spoken alongside long deep breathing, "Soon, you will all fall."

With that, the pony turned to a table that had five vials on it. Within each vial was a small fly-like insect, though upon closer examination, one can see the bug was nothing more than a tiny robot. Each vial also had sticker on it with almost the exact same word one it, though the last letter was different. They were Trial-H, Trial-T, Trial-G, Trial-C and Trial-R.

And in front of each vial was a small chunk of black rock, the future power source for what was to come. It had been a long, hard fought battle. But in the end, Flash and his friends had been victorious...but the war had just begun