Machines upon machines sparked and beeped around a poorly lit lab, which was only overshadowed by the heavy hoof-steps and deep breathing of a certain cloaked figure. The pony slowly made its way to five metal doors on the far side of the room, going to the one on the far right. It stared at the sign on the door below the hatch, the words 'Trial-H' written upon it. The pony turned back to a nearby table, where the chunk of black rock had been split into five pieces.
Taking one of the rocks along with an extender claw, combining the two before opening the hatch and pushed one end through it. With a single thrust, the claw extended into the darkness of the cell and reached its destination. He opened the claw and retracted it, then twisted it before closing something and then retracting all the way out of the cell. He shut the glass hatch and watched the chamber, a pair of red lights illuminating the room to reveal an earth pony-shaped figure.
The pony let out a heaving laugh before taking out a familiar photograph and stuck it to the glass. "This is your target. Take them down. And make it very slow, and very painful." The creature inside the chamber stared at the picture, seeing an image of an orange pegasus with blue hair. The image became burned into the creature's memory, a hunger beginning to build within its very being.
The Present...
Three weeks had passed since the defeat of Malafear. In that time, things had gotten back to normal in Equestria, the only difference being Spike trying to learn to harness his newly discovered magic. But alas, he had no luck in finding a way to use it. The rest of that time was basically everyday situations, with the only exception being when Flash and the rest of the Mane Seven went to Manehatten for a retreat involving them trying to escape a locked room. Apparently, Starlight had been helping Soul with some magic and accidently teleported the friendship map away. Luckily, they were able to find it before they got back so only Flash was made aware of it thanks to his apprentice happening to blurt it out.
Flash decided to keep this to himself so Starlight wouldn't be embarrassed, instead just pretending he never heard anything. And after this happened, Flash found himself not in Ponyville. Instead, he was currently screaming his head off with his sister, "AAAAAHHHHH!" They both hollered as the cart they were riding went over the edge and shot down instantly.
"YEEEEE-HAAAAA!" Scootaloo cheered, raising her hooves up high.
The two were riding a roller-coaster, one of the many attractions that were at a carnival currently situated several miles outside of a small town between Ponyville and Manehatten. The pair were in the front cart as the train zipped around at top speed, spiraling and looping like crazy.
And as the coaster came to a stop a minute later, the cart's fastening deactivated and let the two out. They stepped out into a busy street of rides and games, Scootaloo cheering, "That was awesome!" Flash chuckled at the sight, seeing his sis hop up and down, "Oh...I wish my scooter could move that fast."
"It is cool to go that fast," Flash replied, "Heck, my Sacred Light's wing boosters can make me go almost twice that speed."
"Of course it can," Scootaloo rolled her eyes before she turned to two other ponies standing near the ride. It was Trail Blazer and Misty Veil, each carrying a pair of saddlebags on their back.
"Have fun?" Trail asked his daughter as Scootaloo nodded back before Misty placed the saddlebag onto her back.
"You should have come too," Scootaloo responded, only for Misty to shake her head.
"Absolutely not! I have to take motion sickness pills to not throw up on boats and trains. Something like that would be torture for me."
Trail laughed at this, his wife shooting him a glare as Flash took his saddlebag as Scootaloo then said, "Well you gotta go on something! What's the point of coming to a funfair if you don't go on any rides?!"
"Spending time with you two if enough for us," Trail giggled while patting Scootaloo's mane, "We're just lucky you two could come."
"Thank Twilight," Flash replied, "She's the one who convinced me. After everything that's happened recently, enjoying some fun with my family is just what I needed."
"It's too bad Twilight and the others couldn't come as well."
Flash sighed at this, "Yeah...she and Starlight are working on something at the castle. Soul had already made plans with her friends this weekend, and Heart...is still grounded." His eyes darted away at this, "I'm just glad Grand was okay watching over him."
They all chuckled at this, Scootaloo then pointing at a ride she thought her mother could enjoy, "Wanna go on the Tea-Cups?" They turned to the ride in question, which was full with younger ponies and their parents.
Misty laughed and shook her head, "Why don't we go play some games or get something to eat instead?" The others nodded and headed down another street.
Meanwhile...
At the entrance of the carnival, ponies were lining up to pay for entry into the funfair.
"Thank you," the mare at the booth replied to the ponies that just paid her some tickets. "I hope you enjoy your stay." The family thanked her and headed inside, allowing the mare to turn to the next customer. "Next."
But as she did this, she raised an eyebrow at the next pony. The pony was completely covered by a cloak, even its hooves seemingly shadowed as it walked up to her.
"Can I help you?" She asked, only for the pony to walk pass the booth. "Hey! Excuse me!" The pony stopped and turned to her, "You need to pay to get it. Seven bits per pony." The pony remained silent for a moment and then moved up to her booth, positioning themselves so the mare was able to see what was under the hood. And when she saw it, her eyes went wide, her face turning pale at the sight, "T-t-tell you what...t-t-the this one's on m-m-me." The pony nodded and turned to walk into the carnival, leaving the pony rooted on the spot.
And when the next customer walked up, the mare in the booth fell over, spirals in her eyes as she fainted.
Back in the carnival...
Flash and his family were all enjoying hay-dogs and milkshakes they got from a vendor, Flash's hay-dog being overloaded with onions and ketchup, Scootaloo and Trail putting mustard on theirs while Misty's was plain. They were all sitting on some benches, glancing around at the many games. There was a ring toss game, hook-a-duck and one that caught Flash's ears as the voice of a pony called out.
"Step right up! Step right up! Come on over and test your strength!" He turned to the voice and saw a unicorn holding up a mallet with a board of different prizes behind him. "Come on! Hit the bell and win a prize. Anypony can do it." An earth pony moved up with a pegasus mare, "You wanna give it a try good sir?"
The earth pony nodded and took the hammer, spitting on his hooves and rubbing them together before gripping it tightly. He then swung it down, slamming the spot that sent the metal straight up. Everypony watched it go high, but then stopped roughly two thirds of the way up before falling back down. "Oh! Too bad! Anypony else?"
The rest of the ponies around them said nothing, only for Flash to stand up and stuff the rest of his hay-dog into his mouth. He wiped his mouth with his wing and began cracking his hooves as he approached the game, catching the pony's attention.
"Ah! Do we have another contestant?"
"Sure. Let's do this." The unicorn passed him the mallet and he got a good feel of it, spinning it in his hoof before lifting it up and staying still for a moment with his eyes closed.
His family moved over to the crowd, Scootaloo hearing a unicorn speak up, "There's no way that guy's gonna be able to hit the bell."
"Of course he'll hit the bell," Scootaloo replied, "That's my brother after all. He's not just any pony. He's Flash Sentry!"
This made the ponies around them go wide-eyed. And in that moment, Flash opened his eyes as a mild golden glow pulsed off them for a moment. He then swung the mallet straight down, striking the board and sending the piece of metal straight up again. Everypony watched it zoom higher and higher, not slowing down before it struck the bell, causing a loud clang to ring out.
"We have a winner!" The unicorn cheered as the ponies around cheered as well. He then pointed to the board of prizes, telling Flash to take whichever one he liked. He stared at it before taking down a purple teddy bear and nodding at the unicorn.
He moved over to his family and held out the bear to his sister, "Here you go squirt." Scootaloo blushed at being given such a foalish toy, but happily took it and held it tightly. But before she could say anything, a pony stepped in front of her.
"Are you really Flash Sentry?!" Flash almost backpedaled at the sudden pony, only to nod back, "Dude, you're awesome! Can I get an autograph?!"
"Err...sure." The pony gave him a piece of paper and pen, which he took and asked who he was writing it to. But no sooner had he written it, another pony came up and asked for one. Then another and another.
"Can I get a photo with you?"
"Sure."
"Can I see your Celestic Gear?"
"Sorry, left it in Ponyville."
"What was it like being turned into a dragon?"
"Uh...scaly."
Scootaloo glared at the large crowd gathering around her brother, now seeing the ponies going gaga about him. "He's not that amazing," she said under her breath while her parents giggled.
After a few minutes, the crowd dissipated and Flash was able to rejoin his family. "Sorry about that."
"No problem," Misty chuckled, "Let's go find another ride to go on."
Nodding back to this, they began to make their way through the carnival again, only to find the atmosphere suddenly change. The truth about who Flash was spread like wildfire, getting to everypony in the whole funfair. Now everypony knew that a Royal Knight was there.
When Scootaloo asked to go on the waltzer, she, Flash and even Trail got in line. But no sooner had they done that, the ponies in front of them stepped aside for them. "Please," one of the ponies commented, "You go first. It's the least we can do after everything you've done for us."
"Errr...thanks?" Flash replied before the three walked up to the ride, only for it to come a stop and the current riders got off, everypony giving Flash's family first choice of which car to get in. Afterwards, the family went looking for another game or ride, passing a cotton candy vendor.
"Sir Sentry!" The vendor exclaimed, making them turn to him as he gave the family a cone of the candy each. "Here. On the house."
"Thanks." Flash responded before the four took them. He and Trail had to fly as they ate it, while Misty held it in her magic. She then noticed Scootaloo having trouble walking with only three hooves and having to balance the teddy Flash got her on her back, so she took the teddy in her magic.
Scootaloo thanked her, only to glare at Flash as flew above them without a care in the world. Her eyes then glanced back at her own tiny wings, but quickly pulled away and focused on eating her snack. When they were all done, they deposited their cones in the trash before spotting a ferris wheel.
They began to head toward it, but when they reached the line, the ponies in front moved aside for Flash again. "No, no," he told them. "I wouldn't feel right. We'll wait." The ponies glanced at each other at this, only for a unicorn mare to run up and put her front hoof around Flash's left wing.
"Flash, please ride with me. I might get scared of such a scary ride."
Flash raised an eyebrow at this, about to reply on how the ferris wheel wouldn't be scary, only for an earth pony mare to grab his other wing, "No, ride with me. It'll be so much fun."
Scootaloo rolled her eyes as the mares glared at one another. "Hey," the unicorn pulled Flash's wing, "I saw him first!"
"No you didn't!" The earth pony pulled Flash's other wing, "I saw him first. Back off!"
"You back off!" The two kept pulling on Flash's wings, the stallion not having the heart to tell them he was with his family and that he had a girlfriend. But before he could think of something, Scootaloo had apparently had enough.
"Both of you...BACK OFF!" Her voice echoed through the carnival, shocking all who heard it as she glared at them. The mares let Flash go, all eyes on Scootaloo as she began to pant. And as she did this, she went wide-eyed before running off.
"Scoots!" Flash yelled, but she disappeared into the crowd. And as he began to fight the crowd, his parents nodded to each other before Misty ran off for Scootaloo while Trail put a wing around Flash and gestured for him to follow.
Meanwhile again...
The cloaked figure continued to trotted around the carnival, barely being noticed as it marched through the crowds, pushing aside anypony that got in their way. That is, till it knocked another to the side, a stallion then exclaiming, "Hey!" The figure came to a stop at this, turning to stare at the stallion. His face went pale as he gulped, "Uh...nevermind. Sorry."
The cloaked one turned back, slowly walking through the crowd again. And as it did this, it arrived at a certain game. "Step right up and test your strength! Ring the bell and win a prize!" The cloaked figure saw the hammer, which was floating in the unicorn's magic. Their eyes zoomed in on the mallet, a red hue covering their eyesight as they saw a golden glow surround the hammer's handle. Their target had held it.
The cloaked figure walked up to the game, catching the unicorn's attention. "Hey there my mysterious friend. Wanna test your strength?" The figure turned to him before staring at the device. Before the unicorn could say anything, they lifted their leg under the cloak and positioned it over the board. They then pushed it down and the metal puck shot straight up, even faster than Flash's. And when it struck the bell, it ripped the device off the board and sent both flying.
Everypony stared at this in shock, then turned to see cloaked pony already walking off. The unicorn was about to tell them they had to pay to repair his game, only for the bell to fall down and conk him on the head. Everypony gasped as he fell over, soon running over to help him as the figure continued to walk away.
Misty had now found her daughter sitting on a bench, cuddling the teddy with a sour look on her face. She trotted over and sat down, "Hey," Scootaloo looked up at her, "So what was that about?" Scootaloo didn't reply, glancing away as Misty let out a sigh, "Scootaloo...I get that Flash probably got a little side-tracked, but that was no reason to explode at him like that." Scootaloo just hid her face into the bear, "Something else is going on here, isn't it? What is it?"
Scootaloo removed her face, only to look away again. Misty shook her head at this, "Scootaloo...I can't help you if you don't tell me anything."
"Why is it always him?"
"Huh?"
"Why is it always Flash that gets everything?" Scootaloo replied, making Misty raise an eyebrow. Scootaloo then looked up at her mother, showing a huge frown, "It's not that I don't love him, but Flash always seems to be the one ponies focus their attention on."
"Well that's not Flash's fault," Misty responded, "He's done a lot of amazing things, so of course he would get a lot of recognition."
"That's my point. Why is it always Flash that gets to do the cool stuff?!" She hugged her teddy harder. "Flash was the one who got to inherit your gene thingy and get the Sacred Light. Flash got chosen to be trained by Grand Hoof and become a Royal Knight. Flash has saved Equestria more times then I can count."
Misty chuckled at this, "And you're jealous because he gets to be the closest thing to a superhero that equinely possible?"
Scootaloo did a small nod as her face turned slightly red. "Yeah...why does he get that?"
"Well...there's a lot to it." Misty replied while crossing her hooves. "Let's start with this: Why are you jealous?"
"Why?" Scootaloo asked, Misty nodding back. The filly then put her hoof to her chin, "Um...well, I don't know. I guess...before I learned Flash was my brother, I never knew what it meant to really have something to live up to. I idolized Rainbow, but it wasn't the same as having a real family to have my back. And when I found out my brother was a Royal Knight of all ponies, it was awesome! I had something that gave me purpose! I could tell ponies something awesome about myself...but then I found out what kind of pony Flash really is." She glanced away at this, "He's so much more than me. He overshadows me in everything."
Misty began to giggle at this, "Look at you. You sound like an adult." She then patted her daughter's head, "Now, you know that Flash doesn't overshadow you."
"Yes he does!" Scootaloo countered, "If we compare everything I've done to everything Flash's done, there's no contest."
"Yes, there's no contest." Scootaloo glared at her, but Misty shook her head again, "Literally. You two aren't competing against one another. Besides, you're still young. You think Flash did anything spectacular when he was your age?"
"He saved a filly from a building that collapsed thanks to Twilight mega-sizing Spike."
Misty blinked at this, surprised at the instant response. "Okay...fair enough. But you've done some pretty amazing things too. After all, you got to be the flag bearer for Ponyville at the Equestria Games."
"I didn't do that on my own though."
"Flash didn't do a lot of the amazing things he's adored for on his own either." Misty leaned down at this, "Trust me on somepony that's watched him for a majority of his life. If Twilight wasn't around, Flash would have never got to where he is. Especially when they were your age."
Scootaloo giggled at this, Misty patting her on the head again before saying, "Why don't we sit here for a bit and then we'll go find the boys, okay?"
"Um...okay." Scootaloo replied before glancing back down at the teddy bear, hiding the small frown she was still wearing.
"You think Scootaloo's jealous?" Flash asked as he and Trail played a game of basketball, "That's ridiculous."
"To you and me," Trail replied as he passed the ball. "But Scootaloo's still young. She doesn't think the same way we do. She doesn't just see you as a brother, she sees you as the pony she's also supposed to be." Flash raised an eyebrow. "You have the same parents, meaning she should be able to do everything you've done."
"That's stupid," Flash threw a ball and it bounced off the net. "There's more to who ponies are than just their family."
"Again, Scootaloo thinks differently. She thinks that if you did something, then she'll need to do something of equal significance or you're the better sibling."
"That's dumb."
"You sure about that?" Trail asked as he threw a ball and got a perfect dunk. "You grew up with Shining Armor, somepony that was aiming for a very similar career to yours. You saying you never felt a little jealous of him when he ranked up in the guard?"
"No," Flash instantly replied, "I was always proud of him and it made me wanna try harder in my training."
"So you could try and surpass him?"
"No." Flash flatly said. "We both knew our goals and went for them."
Trail shook his head at this, "But Scootaloo doesn't know hers. So, she's trying to compare herself to others instead. In her mind, there's no way she'll ever surpass you." This caused Flash to freeze mid throw, the ball not even making it halfway to the net.
Flash put his wing to his chin, "Huh. I never thought of it like that."
But as he said this, a certain cloaked figure stepped out from between two booths behind the pair. It turned to stare at Flash, a pair of glowing red lights appearing under its hood.
"Flash gets a Celestic Gear, he gets the Sacred Light and gets a statue in a museum! And what do I have?" Her eyes turned to her tiny wings.
Misty went wide-eyed at this, "Oh, Scootaloo." She grabbed her child in her magic and pulled her in for a tight hug. "Don't think that way. I know what happened to you isn't fair, but it's also not Flash's fault. And if you let those thoughts in, they'll just get worse."
"I know..." Scootaloo replied, tears now forming in her eyes.
"I know sweetheart. But know that nothing your brother does has any reflection on you." She pulled away at this, staring straight into Scootaloo's eyes. "Yes, Flash can be pretty impressive. But you should never compare yourself to anypony else, not even you brother."
"But why?" Scootaloo asked, "Why does he constantly get all the cool things happening to him?"
"The two of you are on completely different paths. Flash might be a Royal Knight-"
"And it's pretty obvious he's gonna become a prince one day," Scootaloo interrupted.
Misty took a deep breath, "Err...yes. But none of that means you're any less important. You're still young. Who knows what will happen to you in the future." She pulled her daughter into another hug, "Maybe the universe has been a little overly generous to Flash, but that still doesn't make you any less important." Scootaloo remained quiet as she continued, "You still have many years ahead of you to do something amazing. And it doesn't have to be as amazing as the stuff Flash has done. All that matters is when your days are up and it's time to move onto the next life, you can look back at your life and honestly say you lived a life you think was worth living."
Scootaloo blinked at this, a smile trying to form on her lips before hugging Misty back, "Thanks mom."
"No problem sweetheart," Misty responded, "Remember, I'm always here to-"
KABOOM!
The mare and filly's head shot up and turned to the sound, now seeing a pillar of smoke appear as screams could now be heard. "What was that?" Scootaloo asked as Misty stared at the black fog.
"We need to find Flash and your father." She grabbed the filly in her magic and put her onto her back, the unicorn running into the fair at top speed.
Trail let out a long moan, eyes twitching as he tried to push himself up. A surge of pain went through his head, now remembering talking to Flash...then his son pushed him to the side. A moment later, something slammed into Flash, the blow happening so fast that is destroyed the court and made a few fair machines blow up.
It was here he got onto his hooves, "Flash!" He yelled, turning to a now scattered pile of debris. He slowly walked through it, only to find his son being pinned to the ground by a cloaked figure. "What the heck?!"
Flash groaned as he felt a pair of metal hooves gripping his neck, his eyes opening to see a long shadow in the figure's hood. That is, till he saw a pair of glowing red eyes along with a bunch of clicking noises.
"Great," he moaned out, "Another one."
"Flash!" He heard Trail yell, turning to see his dad grab a piece of the broken booth, "Back off!" He slammed the wood into the assailant's body, only for it shatter, doing nothing. "Uh..."
The figure turned to him and part of its cape ripped open. It then revealed a long rubber cord with a metal egg-shaped instrument on the end. It continued to extend before whipping around Trail, backhanding him with a single swipe.
"Gyah!"
"Dad!" Flash yelped as his father was smacked away. And as the cord retracted back, Flash gripped the attacker's hooves and pulled the legs up before thrusting them into the figure's chest. As he did this, he felt something hard and cold, only to push the figure off him at this moment.
The defender flared his wings as he scrambled back onto his hooves before flying over to his father, "Dad! You okay?"
"I'll live," he replied as Flash helped him up. "But who the heck is that?"
"Not a who," Flash sighed before turning to the cloaked figure. "Enough of the cloak and daggers routine. I know who you are, Mecha-Flash."
The figure just stared back at him, Trail then asking, "Mecha-Flash? You mean that thing that attacked you before? I thought you said it was destroyed."
"It was made once," Flash grumbled, "Guess they could make it again. Although I think this one might be a little different from the last one. The other one didn't have that whip thing." He focused on the pony again. "So what's up with you?! You get an upgrade or something?!"
The creature remained silent for a moment, then the cord flew out again. But it wasn't alone. Five other cords ripped out from the back of the cloak, all almost extending to ten feet in length. They curled back at this, ripping the cloak apart to reveal the pony hidden within, only for Flash to go wide-eyed.
"Heather?!"
It wasn't Heather. It might have looked like Heather, but just like the last time, Flash was staring at a fusion of pony and technology. Her fur and mane were more pale, while her mouth and nose had the same triangular vent covering it. The front of her neck and chest were just like Mecha-Flash, with the chest having two doors that looked like they had swung open. However, this cyborg didn't have wings, instead having a back with a metal covering with six holes that the cords were coming out of while its lower-legs and hooves were made entirely of metal, with a seam where the leg and hoof met.
"Oookay..." Flash commented, "Wasn't expecting that." As he said that, metal vines shot out for him, "MOVE!" He and Trail leapt back, both taking to the air as the vines followed them. But after about five meters, they came to a stop. "So that's their limit."
"You said that mecha-thing can steal your Sacred Light, right?"
"Yeah. I gotta be careful."
But as Flash replied to this, Mecha-Heather retracted the six vines back before turning to a nearby dodgem set and raised her hoof. As she did, the metal that made up the appendage began to transform. Parts of it retracted into the leg while others came together and turned her hoof into a cone shaped appendage. They watched as the hoof then shot off the leg, remaining connected by a metal chord as it shot through one of the dodgems.
This caused a power surge and as Mecha-Heather retracted her hoof weapon, another explosion occurring as it sent debris flying everywhere. Mecha-Heather then used her vines to grab onto a roller-coaster and pull herself up, Flash ready to dodge her as she got up high, only for her to glance down at a crowd that was trying to leave.
"NO!" Flash gasped as he saw her swing back and forth before letting go, causing her to go flying toward the ponies. The defender followed and reached her as she used her vines to break her fall, the ponies she had just landed between screaming as she pointed her hooves at them.
But before she could fire, Flash tackled her as he yelled at the crowd, "RUN!" They didn't need to be told twice, all fleeing as he and Mecha-Heather wrestled.
"Flash!" He heard Trail scream, "Get away before it starts sucking the Sacred Light out of you!" Flash was about to do so, only for the cyborg to wrap one of its vines around his body.
"Augh!" He cried, expecting Mecha-Heather to start draining him...only for nothing to happen. Instead, she started squeezing tighter and tighter, making Flash feel his himself go blue. He heard Trail call out his name at this, only for Mecha-Heather to send several of her vines at the stallion.
As this happened, Flash continued to be squeezed, his eyes twitching as he felt his consciousness begin to fade. But as he began to lose it, a blast of magic struck Mecha-Heather's head, making the cyborg stagger back as it loosened her grip on Flash. The pegasus took a deep breath and used this opening to pry the vine off before flying back.
He glanced to where the spell had come from next, now spotting his mother and sister, the defender flying over as Misty asked, "Are you okay?"
"I'll live," Flash replied as Trail flew over to them.
"What is that thing?" Scootaloo asked, hiding behind her mother's leg.
Flash growled as he turned back to the cyborg, "Its something like Mecha-Flash. A magical clone of Heather, equipped with robot parts and powered by a fragment of Corrupted Shadow. Only it's not using me as a template."
"So it's trying to steal your Sacred Light?"
"Not sure. She had me, but she didn't try to siphon my Sacred Light out of me." This made Misty raise an eyebrow, only for Mecha-Heather to raise her hoof and fire it at them. Flash and Trail went to the air again, Misty putting up a shield that barely pushed the spick back as it hit the barrier.
"Maybe it can't take your Sacred Light," Trail chimed in, "Maybe your clone could do it because it was your DNA that made it."
"And cuz it isn't a clone of me, it can't." Flash continued, "Then why is it attacking me? Wouldn't it want the same thing as Mecha-Flash?"
"No idea." Trail replied as they watched Mecha-Heather use her vines to grab some debris and flung them at Flash. Both pegasi zipped around this, only for the cyborg to fire both its front hooves at the defender.
"Maybe it's meant to take your power the more direct way?" Misty asked, the unicorn magically grabbing a barrel before it could hit Flash and throwing it back at the creature. "Perhaps its planning to knock you out and take you away so it can take your power."
"I..guess?" Flash responded, "And I don't have my Celestic Gear." He began to glow at this, "But if it can't steal my power, I got no choice. Armorize!" He was consumed by light at this, which took shape and formed the Shining Guardian armor. Once made, the horn on his head glowed before firing a blast of magic.
The cyborg earth pony raised her vines at this, Flash expecting her to try and grab something to shield herself. But instead, they all flew together and connected at the ends before the light struck them...and the egg-shaped appendages began to absorb the magic before the light flowed down into Mecha-Heather's body. Everypony's eyes went wide at this, Flash cutting the magic at this.
"What the heck?!" He yelped, only for the vines to suddenly shoot out and grab his tail, "WHOA!" The defender was then slammed into the dirt, the vine holding him now sucking the Sacred Light out through the tail.
"Flash!" Misty screamed, "Cut the power! Now!"
The armor exploded off the pegasi, only for Mecha-Heather to raise one of her hooves up and fired a spike at Flash. The defender was then hit in the stomach, the spike turning into a four clawed appendage that pushed Flash into the ground before the others spikes all flew out and transformed into the same type of claw.
His family gasped as they watched the claws were about to get to Flash, Misty and Trail charging at the cyborg. In response, the machine swiped its tendrils around, grabbing and throwing things at them. Pushing them back, Flash felt the claw in his chest continue to slam him into the dirt, feeling the wind get pushed out of him.
"Rrrrrggh. Come on..." he whispered as he tried to push the claw off, only for it apply even more pressure.
And as this happened, Scootaloo's eyes darted between her parents getting hit back from the cyborg's vines and seeing Flash pinned to the ground. As she continued to watch, hers eyes turned to a nearby booth that was doing a water gun games.
Not having any other ideas, she leapt onto the booth and pulled the pistol off the counter before pointing it at Mecha-Heather. A thin stream of water hit the cyborg next, the clone crying out as it hit it in the face. Flash heard this and looked up, seeing Mecha-Heather flinch as the claw began to loosen its grip. And in that moment, the other claw got close and continued to chomp the air.
He smiled as an idea formed in his head, quickly grabbing the cord behind the chomping claw. Mecha-Heather seemed to feel this and turned to see him, only for Flash to thrust the claw into the cable of the claw that was holding him down. The claw snapped shut, slicing right through the cable. The pony robot hybrid let out a cry of pain at this, retracting the remains of the cable back while Flash rolled onto his hooves and pulled the now powerless claw off of him.
"You okay?" Trail asked as he and Misty ran over to him.
"I'm fine," he replied before turning to Scootaloo, "Thanks sis."
She nodded back, about to reply until Misty asked, "Flash...can that thing absorb any magic you use with the Sacred Light?"
"If its like the other one, yes." Flash responded while groaning.
"Great," Trail sighed, "Our best weapon against this thing and you can't use it."
As those words entered Flash's head, making him blink, "Wait...maybe I can." His parents raised an eyebrow at this, only for Mecha-Heather to use her vines to start throwing things again. Scootaloo leapt behind the booth while Flash and Trail took to the air while Misty caught anything thrown at her. "Look at its chest!"
"What about its chest?" Misty asked as she threw the objects back, the cyborg just cutting them down in response.
"Mecha-Flash had the same thing. I bet anything the Corrupted Shadow powering it is behind its chest. If we break that, the thing won't be able to steal my Sacred Light."
"So we have to pry that thing's chest open and smash the rock inside?" Trail asked, Flash nodding back. "Sounds fun."
Mecha-Heather then brought four of its vines down and used them to lift it into the air, acting as its new hooves due to the recent loss of the one hoof. With this, the cyborg leapt up and used a vine to grab onto the nearby ferris wheel. It then began to pull the ride apart, flinging the pieces all around.
One of the larger pieces fell toward Scootaloo, the filly trying to run away, only to trip. Her face hit the dirt before she tried to get up, only for something to yank her away. "Huh?" She felt the teddy she still had now slip from her hooves, making her look up and see her brother carrying her just as the booth she was hiding behind get crushed by a piece of metal.
Flash looked back at Scootaloo, "You okay?" He asked, his sister nodding back. Flash then glared back at the cyborg, "Scootaloo...get out of here."
"But Flash-"
"I can't beat this thing and protect you at the same time. It'll just keep putting you in danger to make me slip up and give it an opening. NOW GO!" Flash spread his wings and shot into the air, Scootaloo frowning as she watched him fly up to the ferris wheel.
Mecha-Heather pulled more parts of the ferris wheel off before throwing them, Flash now going into Theta Mode to dodge the flying debris. He then swooped in and threw a punch at the creature's metal chest, but without his Sacred Light, he wasn't able to break through the steel, making him flinch for a second. The hybrid fired its vines at this, grabbing the defender. But as it did this, Flash flapped his wings, pushing himself back and pulling Mecha-Heather away from the ferris wheel. He then spun around, swinging the cyborg around with him before slamming it into the ground.
But as it hit the dirt, the machine just got up, unflinching at the attempt of damage. And as this happened, Misty tried to grab the metal chest with her magic while Trail charged with a small piece of metal. It turned to the two, now feeling its chest doors straining to stay closed. Trial then got close, thrusting the metal shard into her, but she shifted positions so it hit the door on her chest and shattered. She grabbed the pegasus next, swinging his with a single yank, throwing him into his wife. Both cried out as they began rolling along the ground, Misty's magic cutting out.
Scootaloo flinched at the sight, "No...if only I could help." she whispered, "But I'm not a hero. I'm just a filly everypony else feels like they need to protect." She heard a sawing sound next, now seeing the cyborg lift itself up onto its vines while its remaining three hooves extended and transformed into buzz-saw-like devices. It swung them at Flash, the pegasi flying about to dodge each one as a few hairs were now flying off of him.
Flash then flew down, only to see the test your strength game from earlier just a bit away from him. He swooped down and grabbed the large mallet, Mecha-Heather charging at him with her buzz-saw tentacles at the same time. Flash charged back at her at this, "RAAAAAH!" He roared before knocking the saws away before lifting the hammer up.
"Take this!" He swung the hammer down as hard as he could, smashing it right into the cyborg clone's head. A large gong sound filled the air, part of the mallet striking the mouth covering. But the rest of it collided with Mecha-Heather's forehead, Flash now waiting for a response from her, but the hybrid simply stood there.
Then, the sound of something cracking caught his attention, only to see cracks begin to form around the mallet's head. "What?!" He yelped before the whole thing broke apart, leaving him with just the handle. "That's not good." In that moment, he felt something wrap around one of his hind legs before yanking him. "WHOA!" He was sent hurtling toward the ground, dragging him along the ground before flinging him around.
As this happened, Misty and Trail picked themselves up and saw Flash get flung into a nearby carousel before crashing into another game booth. The cyborg then turned to the parents, the pair standing firm against the creature. And as they began to fight the machine again, Scootaloo watched as Flash begin to pull himself out of the destroyed pieces of the booth. He took to the air just as Misty started firing blast after blast, only for them to be deflected by the ends of Mecha-Heather's whips. The cyborg fired one of its hooves at her, which reshaped into a sphere-shape and slammed her in the chest. She cried out as she was thrown back, Trail catching her before she was flung into the debris around them.
"They can't stop it," Scootaloo whispered as Trail put Misty down before grabbing another a piece of metal, charging at the pony with it, only for it break upon contact. "The only thing strong enough to penetrate it is..." Her eyes went wide as she looked over at the claw Flash had decapitated, remembering how he cut it off, "Itself."
Flash shot down at the cyborg, dodging every vine before tackling the machine. He then pinned it to the ground, grabbing the chest as he tried to pry it open. "RAGH!" He roared with all his might, but the metal wouldn't give.
Mecha-Heather then swung one of her vines around Flash, wrapping it around his neck. He was whipped off the machine, letting him go as Flash was flown into the roller-coaster supports. The section began to crack at this, dropping the pillar onto the defender.
"FLASH!" Misty screamed, her horn flaring as she began to grab the wood that now buried her son. But before she could, the cyborg fired a vine that wrapped around Misty's back hooves. "Eep!" She pulled off her hooves, throwing her back at this. As this happened, Trail flew down and grabbed three of the vines before Mecha-Heather could notice. He then quickly tied them together, only for the vines to pull away and punch him in the face with the newly formed knot. And as he staggered back, the vines almost instantly untangled themselves.
The vines hit Trail again after this, the cyborg firing its vines at a nearby swing ride next. She ripped off the chains before wrapping them around Trial, then thrusting him into the ride and tying him up. "Aaah!" he yelped, squirming at this.
As this happened, a pile of wood flew into the cyborg, making it turn to see Flash ascend from the pile of debris. But as this happened, one of Mecha-Heather's tendrils shot at him and grab his hoof, pulling him as he tried to pull it back. And as it did this, three other vines grabbed his other hooves, the four starting to pull them apart.
"Gyah!" He cried as he felt his legs about to pulled out of his sockets.
"Flash!" Misty gasped as she got up, only for the two remaining vines to grab her. They wrapped themselves completely around her, leaving only her head free, but the end of one of the vines slithered up the back of her head and wrapped around her horn, somehow making her magic vanish.
And as all three tried to move, they found that none could escape. Mecha-Heather raised her three remaining hooves at this, all shifting into their different forms. A buzz-saw, a claw and a spinning spike that formed a drill all came for Flash, threatening to cut him apart if he didn't use his Sacred Light to escape.
He squirmed as he the vines continued to pull on him, the three weapons getting closer as he did this. His mind with to the Sacred Light, making him growl as he prepared to use it. And as he closed his eyes, ready to summon it till-
"HEY!" Mecha-Heather turned to the voice and saw Scootaloo had somehow gotten up close, its decapitated claw in her grasp. "SURPRISE!" She thrust the claw into the creature's chest, piercing it around the doors of its metal front. The cyborg screamed as its metal body was penetrated, causing it to let go of Flash and Misty.
A jolt of power was then sent into the mechanical appendage, causing the claw to snap shut around the doors of its chest. Flash saw this and charged up and grabbed the end of the cable connecting to the claw, pulling it with everything he had. The mechanical doors ripped off at this, revealing the chunk of black rock stuck inside. It was surrounded by a golden light, which exploded free as soon as the doors were pulled off.
Flash threw the claw away as the golden light flew into him, the pegasus feeling a burst of renewed energy flowing through him. He smirked at this before turning to Mecha-Heather, the cyborg now staggering back at this. But before it could do anything, Flash thrust a glowing hoof into the hole in its chest. This shattered the Corrupted Shadow, making it cry out against as the black energy flowed out as Flash pulled away.
Misty had spent this time freeing Trail, the pegasus landing beside her as they watched the cyborg continue to scream as its vines and hoof weapons began to flail around.
"Is that it?" Trail asked, "Is it beaten?"
"Not yet," Flash replied as he tensed up his hooves, "As long as this thing's in one piece, it won't stop even without its power source. But there's one thing that's different now." The others saw him begin to glow, "Now it can't drain away my power. ARMORIZE!" With that, he was consumed by a blinding light that formed the armor around him. When the light faded, the Shining Guardian stood tall as the cyborg turned to him.
Flash shined a grin at this, "What's the matter?! This is what you wanted, right?!" The creature replied by firing its vines at him. But as they tried to whip at him, his form became blurry as the vines began to pass through him. That's what the others saw. Mecha-Heather's robotic eyes allowed it to see the truth, Flash simply moving around the vines before returning to where he was standing before-hoof.
After a few seconds, he started moving toward the hybrid. It might have been their imagination, but the creature looked terrified as he approached. It fired one of its hoof spikes at him, but he easily blocked it with his own before firing a blast from his horn that cut right through the cable.
It cried out in pain again as the gems on Flash's armor began to glow, then unleashed beams of light that sliced down each of the vines. One by one, the lasers teared through the vines until all that was left were six much shorter strands of cable that were barley long enough to scratch the cyborg's back.
The monster's fear seemed to turn to rage at this, firing the last two hoof weapons at Flash, only for the pegasus to grunt as his horn glowed. Seconds before the weapons struck him, he vanished in a flash of light, only for another flash of light to appear above it.
The cyborg stared up at the pegasi, gasping as Flash crossed his front legs over his chest before flinging them apart and unleashing an extra powerful beam of light from his chest gem. The spell hit the cyborg dead-on, causing it to explode and destroy the cables connecting it to its last line of defense. The monster was then sent flying, crashing into a waltzer with a mighty clang.
Flash opened his wings at this, building up power as the gem on his back hoof began to glow. The energy spread into teh rest of the metal boot as Mecha-Heather began to pick itself up, Flash's wings exploding as he propelled himself at the machine. And as the cyborg's failing body tried to stand, a light made it look up and see Flash shooting down like a meteorite, thrusting the glowing boot forward.
"SHINING IMPACT!" He roared seconds before the boot slammed into the cyborg, causing Mecha-Heather's already badly damaged body to overload. Flash then changed his wings directions, propelling himself back seconds before the cyborg reached critical mass.
A final mighty scream filled the air before Mecha-Heather exploded, the force of the explosion causing many of the surrounding rides and games to be ripped apart. Flash's family hid behind Misty's shield, though the force still threatened to throw them back.
And after a minute passed, the force of the attack receded and the smoke started to fade away. Flash flew down at this, his eyes glancing around to see the damage that had been done during the battle. A place of fun and wonder, reduced to a complete wreck.
"Why?" He asked as he turned back to the destroyed waltzer, "Why would somepony do this?"
Signal Lost.
The pony growled at the screen, only to let out a wheezing cough. He put his hoof to his mouth as he continued to choke, getting his breath back after a minute. After this, he pressed a button on the keyboard, the screen changing to show the image of four pony figures.
Trial-T...74%
Trial-R...52%
Trial-G...36%
Trial-C...19%
"You survived this time, but your luck will run out eventually." He hissed, only for another device to start beeping. It was an intercom device, with a speaker that he reached out and touched a button, "Yes?"
"Void," a female voice called out, "The latest batch of weapons is due soon. They better be ready for when I pick them up."
"They're *cough* ready," he grumbled, "Just be patient."
"I think we've been more than patient given the state you were in when we found you."
With that, the device beeped and the pony known as Void let out a growl before he started coughing heavily again. "Just wait until I have the Sacred Light," he told the voice that couldn't hear him. "Then you'll be sorry." With that, he began to walk away, his heavy hoof-steps continuing to fill the room as he moved over to a certain machine, "You'll all be sorry."
Back at the destroyed carnival...
The authorities had arrived to try and figure out what had happened. Luckily, Flash had been there to explain everything that had happened, the guards and police all shocked at this. The knight asked them to inform the Princesses of the situation right away, soon heading back to the city while the others began doing a damage report and making sure nopony had gotten caught in the crossfire during the fight.
Scootaloo was back at the shooting game's remaining, the little pony looking around for something. "Scoots." She turned to see her brother fly down, "What are you doing over here?"
Scootaloo blushed at this before looking away, "Nothing."
"Scoots..." Flash replied, crossing his hooves as Scootaloo tried to walk away. He then grabbed her shoulder, making her turn to him as he said, "Scootaloo, I'm...I'm sorry if I ever made you feel like you weren't as important as me."
"It's okay," she quickly responded, "I'm sorry for getting jealous. It was stupid of me."
"No, it's natural for somepony to feel like they can't live up to those around them. Trust me, I know. I used to feel like I could never live up to Grand and the other Royal Knights."
"You did?"
"Oh yeah."
"How...how'd you get over it?"
"I'm...not sure. I guess as time went on, I just got over it." Scootaloo glared at him at this, Flash then shining a small grin, "But I also realized that one day, I'd find something I'm really good at." Flash sat down in front of her at this, putting both hooves on her shoulders. "Scootaloo, I might get a lot of attention for what I do, but that doesn't make me any better than you. Because what you do is just as important."
"It is?" Scootaloo asked, Flash nodding before he pointed to her cutie mark.
"You help ponies find out what their destinies are. Sure, you might only help a few ponies here and there in Ponyville, but just wait. One day, I know you'll help lots of ponies discover who they truly are. And that's way more important then what I do."
"Really?" Scootaloo gasped, getting a nod back from him.
"Of course. After all, I can't do what I do without you." Scootaloo raised an eyebrow at this. "My destiny is to protect Equestria and make sure the ponies that live here have a future. But you help shape that future. Without you, the Crusaders and all the other ponies that help others find their true calling...well, without that, Equestria wouldn't be worth protecting."
Scootaloo's eyes went wide at this, "You really think that?"
Flash nodded back again, "Sure I do. You're helping build an Equestria worth protecting. Everypony you've helped and will help find their true callings will all help the kingdom. Grand taught me this a long time ago, that all ponies help make Equestria great. Its why I fight, and that's why you do what you do." He then nudged, "And if you think that's unimportant, maybe you'll help Flurry Heart and other future rulers discover what makes them special. You build it, and I'll protect it."
Scootaloo blinked at this, a smile forming before she asked, "Wait...does that mean we're a team now?"
"We've always been a team. I couldn't have done anything I've done without knowing you were cheering me on." Scootaloo's smile doubled at this, tears forming in her eyes before she jumped at Flash and hugged him tightly. Flash hugged her back, the pair holding each other as tight as possible for the longest time.
It was a wonderful little scene, though Scootaloo did decide to ruin it. "By the way, you better stay on my good side unless you want Twilight to hear about those two mares you let be flirty with you."
Flash's eyes went wide at this, the thought of an enraged Twilight staring him down now terrifying him more than the cyborg had. They let go at this, only for Scootaloo to notice something under some rubble. She let out a gasp and went over, Flash raising an eyebrow as she lifted several pieces of wood and metal up.
She pulled something out at this, now seeing the teddy Flash had won her. It was a little dirty, but miraculously hadn't been damaged despite getting buried under the debris. He smiled as he watched her hug the bear tightly, the pair then leaving to find their parents over where Scootaloo had saved them from the monster. Trail lifted up a claw as Misty began to pull it open, the metal doors that had once been on the cyborg's chest eventually falling off.
"What are you doing?" Flash asked as Trail put the claw back down.
"This is all that's left of that thing," Misty replied, "Meaning they're our only clues to figure out who sent it after you."
"Any idea who it could be?" Scootaloo added as Misty picked the metal doors up.
She squinted at them, only to see notice something in the inside of the door, "Look at this." Misty pointed at it as Flash took a closer look, seeing something had been etched into the metal.
"Trial...H?" Flash read, the saw that the same small writing had been etched into the other part of the door, "Trial H? Trial...Heather?"
"You think Trial is what these things are called?" Trail asked, his son showing a big frown.
"Maybe. That means my clone was likely called Trial F."
"So whoever made these things decided to name them?" Scootaloo asked. "You think that means there's more of them?"
"I really hope not...but I'm betting there's going to be plenty more." Flash then patted Scootaloo's head, showing a big grin as he added, "But don't worry. Next time, I'll be ready take them down."