The Equestrian air was warm out in the rugged badlands of the kingdom. There was barely a cloud in the sky as the tumbleweeds rolled through the terrain, along with water or shade in the stinging desert that a certain pony was staring at. It was the alicorn called Soul, huffing as she glared out of a train window.
"Ugh...it's so boring." Her head spun around as she then asked, "Why did we have to come here?"
Beside her was a relaxing orange pegasus, hooves behind his back as he sat back into the train seat, "You know why. There's a friendship problem here and we've been chosen to find and fix it."
Soul let out a long grumble at that, glancing back out the window, her ears going down as she began to remember how this situation happened.
Yesterday...
The ponies that lived in the Castle of Friendship were all gathered in the dining room, all enjoying a spicy curry. Well...most of them, as Flash was eating a spice free version.
"Whooo!" Heart grabbed a large cup full of water and guzzled it down before letting out a long sigh, "Nice." He then turned to his mentor and smirked, "Sure you don't want any?"
"I'm fine," Flash replied as he finished his bowl.
"I can't believe it," Starlight commented, "You've faced multiple monsters and super villains without batting an eye, but you're scared of a tiny bit of spicy food."
"I just don't like spicy food," he deadpanned, "And there's nothing wrong with that."
"He's right," Twilight nodded, only to let out a giggle, "Just don't let anypony know about it. We wouldn't want the villain of the week to find out about your all mighty weakness."
The others laughed as Flash rolled his eyes, opening his mouth, only to suddenly flinch. "Huh?" He felt his body shiver, "What the-" A light shined behind him next, making him glance back and see his cutie mark was glowing. "Oh. Looks like I know what I'm doing today."
"I guess so." Twilight commented as she finished her bowl, "Let's go-"
"Um...everypony?" said a voice, making them turn to Soul...and her cutie mark was also glowing. "Uh...why is that happening to me?"
Everypony was now wide-eyed, gasping at the sight of the filly now being chosen by the map. They had been shocked when Starlight had been chosen a while back, but they knew this was the first time a filly had been chosen. "I don't believe it," Twilight whispered before Flash raised a hoof upward.
"To the map room!" Everypony's dinner was soon forgotten as they ran to the map, now seeing it displaying Equestria. There it showed the light from Flash and Soul's cutie marks flew off and formed copies of the marks, which flew into the badlands of Equestria….and stopping at a certain small town.
"No way," Flash chuckled, "It's sending us there!" The others raised an eyebrow at this, "Wasn't expecting that."
"But why is it sending me?" Soul asked.
Twilight rubbed her chin in thought, "Clearly the map thinks you have a quality that's required to fix whatever problem they have there. But I'm still surprised it chose to send you. Who's gonna be the next ponies this thing choses?! The Cake Twins?!"
"But they don't have cutie marks," Spike chimed in, "Don't you need a cutie mark to be chosen?" As he said those words, he let out a huff, "Meaning I'll never get picked for a friendship mission."
"Well..." Twilight took a deep breath as she turned to Soul, "You've been chosen. That means you and Flash need to go."
Twilight then stared at Flash, the defender raising an eyebrow, "What?! I'll take care of her!"
"And who's gonna take care of you?" She asked, giving him a smirk. "With you leading this quest, it'll be a miracle if you figure out in a week."
"Hey!" Flash yelped, "I'm not an idiot! I might not be as smart as you, but I'm just as cunning."
"Oh really? You think I can't outsmart you?" Flash nodded back, "Say fort." Flash and Springer raised an eyebrow at this, but Flash began to say it.
"Fort."
"Now say it three times."
"Fort, fort, fort."
"Spell it twice."
"F, O, R, T, F, O, R, T."
"Say it two more times."
"Fort, fort."
"Now what do you eat soup with."
Flash smirked, "Ha! FORK!" Twilight grinned at this, Springer slapping his paw into his face.
"Really?" Twilight asked as Flash looked smug, "Cause I use a spoon." Flash's eyes shot open, the pegasus then growling at her before Twilight turned to talk to Soul.
And as Flash let out a groan, Springer spoke up, "you see if you ate soup with a fork, the liquid just-"
"I KNOW!" Flash roared before slamming his head on the table and crushing Applewood.
The Present...
Soul was still staring out at the wilderness as she sighed, "Of all the places the map could have sent me on my first mission, it had to be in the middle of nowhere."
"Don't be like that." Flash chimed in, "I know Twilight hasn't taught you to be cynical. That and the place we're going to is filled with nice friendly ponies."
"Yeah yeah..." Soul huffed as the overhead speakers announced they were arriving at their destination, "If the ponies here are so friendly, why do we need to come and solve a friendship problem?"
"We won't find out with that attitude. Now come on." Flash replied before the walked off the station, "Soul, welcome to New Omniara."
The filly stared at what was in front of her, the alicorn until now thinking no place could be more empty than the Lost City of Faust. "This is a town? It's almost as bad as Starlight's."
"Well, the place hasn't been here that long. It's barely been here longer than you, so the fact they were able to build this much should be impressive."
Soul just frowned at this, the two now making their way down a street. As they did this, Soul saw the waves and smiles Flash was getting from others and commented, "You're popular here."
"I did help rescue them from an oppressive dictator, and discovered a small...pest problem they had." Soul nodded, remembering the story he had told them about the loucarcolh. But before she could say anything, Flash then said, "Hey, cool."
"What?" Soul asked, Flash pointing to a large metal pole with a light on it. "A street lamp?"
"They didn't have that last time," Flash responded before seeing more lamps filling the street. "Looks like they managed to get electricity here. That's good."
Flash then directed her to a certain building at the end of the street, Soul asking, "What's this place?"
"An inn run by some friends. They should be willing to hold us up for a few days and maybe even help us narrow down our search." He then walked inside, Soul following, "Hello?" He asked, only to suddenly flinch. "Gyah!" Soul also flinched as a super bright light blasted into their eyes.
They looked down so they could reopen their eyes before flicking their sight upward to see the light was being caused by overhead lights that were almost as bright as one of Flash's attacks. "When did this place become a tanning bar?" He commented as they walked over the place's bar, "Hello?"
As they hopped onto some of the stools, sompony stepped out from the back room. It was a brown teenage earth pony mare with striped red, white and green hair, and was wearing a pair of sunglasses. She turned to them and gasped, "Flash!" She ran around the bar and hugged the defender, "You didn't tell us you were coming!"
"Surprise!" Flash laughed before they pulled apart, "Say, can you tell us what the heck is going on with the miniature sun you all have?"
Pepper sighed and shook her head, "Our dad's gone nuts. Ever since the town got electricity, he's been like an overexcited kid with it." Soul nodded at that, remembering how amazed she was when she first came to Ponyville and saw the technology it had. "It wasn't so bad at first, but for the last week he's been obsessed. And he's not the only one. Half the town's gone bright light crazy. That's why he reset the lights so it's super bright all the time."
"But it's the middle of the day?" Soul asked, Pepper turning to her, "And you all live in a place that barely has any clouds in the sky. Wouldn't that be enough light."
"That's what I told him," Pepper sighed again, "But dad wouldn't hear anything about it." As she said that, a white earth pony colt with sunglasses appeared from upstairs, only to let out a gasp.
"Salt!" Flash chuckled as the colt ran over and hugged him, Pepper using this time to give Flash and Soul a pair of sunglasses. After this, he glanced back at Pepper. "Thanks. So anyway, we're here because we were sent to find a problem with the town."
The siblings raised an eyebrow at this, only for Soul to add, "A Friendship Problem. Do you two know if anypony's having a hard time with another?"
The pair glanced at each other before shaking their heads, "Sorry, I can't think of anypony."
"Me neither," Salt finished, Flash and Soul sighing as Pepper gave them a drink.
They gulped down the contents before turning to leave. "Thanks. Guess we're gonna have to do this the hard way." Flash commented with crossed hooves, "Say, do you have a spare room we can stay in until we find the problem?"
They nodded and Flash thanked them again before the two set out. "Alright, let's split up and ask around," Flash suggested, Soul nodding as they began walking around. After splitting up, Soul began to ask anypony she could find, only to find shakes of the head. And after a few rejections, she went into one of the stores, only to be blinded by the super bright lights before asking everypony within.
But every single pony had the same answer. They didn't have any clue about a friendship problem. "Geez," she sighed while marching down the street, "I figured a small place like this would make it easy to find a problem to fix."
And as she did this, she saw a flashing light come from a window of a building beside her. She saw it was a newer building, and one she hadn't gone into. The filly walked up to place, glancing inside before slowly trotting in. She saw it was just as bright as the other houses, though this one was due to all the spotlight-like lamps located around the place. The walls were all covered in framed pictures, Soul blinking at the sight before seeing that the photos all had they ponies she had talked to while the back wall had a large white sheet hanging down from the ceiling to the floor.
"Hello?" She asked, "Anypony here?"
There was no answer at first, only for somepony to walk out from behind the sheet. "Hello there," a gray unicorn stallion with black hair said, his flank showing a camera cutie mark. "You're a face I don't remember. New in town?"
"Visiting," Soul replied before glancing around, "Do you run this...photo studio?"
The stallion nodded. "Yup," he then pulled out a camera, "Just opened up two weeks ago. Name's Camera Trap." He closed an eye as he directed the device at her, only for the filly to look away.
"These are all really good. Did you take them?"
"I most certainly did," Trap chuckled, "Taking photos is what I do best."
"Wow." Soul commented as she kept staring at the photos, her eyes squinting at the pictures. She couldn't believe how good they were, the photos having a spark of life to them that she had never seen before. "You're amazing. But why set up shop here?" She glanced over to the building's window, "Can't be many photo opportunities in a place with so few ponies."
"I make do," Trap replied, "But what about you? What brings a filly like you here?"
"Oh," Soul turned to him, "I'm here with a friend. There's a problem here that we need to solve."
"What kind of problem?"
"We don't know. But it's something to do with friendship. Either somepony's having trouble with their friendship, or somepony's using it in a bad way and causing a rift in the friendship...or something else. It's hard to say."
"I see," Trap nodded.
"You know of anything like that? Even the smallest hint could help."
Trap shook his head, "Sorry, I don't know. Everything seems fine to me. Although I haven't been here very long. But all the ponies in this town have been very nice to me."
Soul let out a moan at this, only for a door to open behind her. They turned to see Flash walk in, "There you are," he commented before glancing around, "Nice place."
"Thank you," Trap chuckled before holding up a camera. "May I?"
"Sure." Flash struck a pose, Trap then asking him to position himself so his face and cutie mark were visible in the shot. Soul turned to the photos at that, seeing the same on every picture on the wall.
And as the camera clicked and printed an image, he showed it to the duo, Flash shining a big grin. "Nice. Hello handsome."
Soul nodded, only for her squint her eyes at the sight, "Huh. That's strange."
"What?" Camera asked.
"I...don't know. The picture just feels...off. Like its missing the spark like these other photos."
Trap raised an eyebrow at this, only to shrug, "Eh, don't worry about it. Some photos are just better than others." He help up the camera, "You mind?"
Soul stared at the device for a second, only to glance away, "Sorry, I'm...not really in the mood."
"That's cool," Trap responded, "A lot of ponies don't like to have their pictures taken." He took Flash's picture and placed it inside a frame and hung it on the wall. "Many believe that every time a photo is taken, a piece of their soul is trapped within the picture." He looked back at her, "Fear of losing one's individuality is something everypony has in some capacity."
Soul nodded and apologized again, Trap telling her to not worry about it. She turned back to Flash's photo at this, only to blink as she saw that Flash's cutie mark looked a little blurry in the photo. Her mind told her that that was maybe why she felt it was missing something, but didn't bring it up as she and Flash told him bye and left.
And when they were gone, Trap's smile vanished as he glanced back at the white sheet. "I'm sorry." He said to the wall, "But...I have to be careful. If I force the issue, it'll look suspicious." A cold wind blew in from this, a whisper going to his ear, "Yes, I know. They may discover us. The stallion may be a problem." He turned to the picture he had taken of Flash, "I'll handle it."
The sun began to set as Flash and Soul returned to the inn. The street lamps had began to illuminate, and they were now just as bright as some of the houses. "I can't believe we couldn't find the friendship problem," Soul sighed, "Don't you usually figure this out the first day?"
"Sometimes," Flash shrugged, "But not always. Rainbow and Pinkie's mission to Griffonstone completed before they even realized they had discovered the problem." He placed a wing on her back, "Don't worry. We'll figure it out."
Soul glanced away at this, "But...but...I don't wanna mess this up." She stared down at the ground now, "I'm Twilight student, and she's told me all the things these missions do and how important they are..."
"It'll be fine." Flash replied while patting her with his wing. "We'll figure it out. Heck, it could come to us."
"Really?"
"Eh, you never know." Flash responded as they walked into the inn, only to see a certain somepony behind the bar, "Great Taste! It's good to see you!"
"And you," Great laughed as they shook hooves. "My kids told me you were here and they've set up a room for you." Flash smiled back, only to feel Great's shake...and it felt off. He glanced down at his hoof, only for the kids to walk in with some food.
They sat down next, both chowing down while explaining why they were there and who they had asked about it. "So you've met Camera Trap?" He asked while washing a glass before putting it down, "Nice lad. Great photographer. He took my picture and I'd never looked better." Soul nodded at this, remembering he was one of the ponies on the wall of photos. "Honestly, I think your map might need some tweaking. After everything the ponies of this town have been through, I doubt any of them would have any issues friendship wise."
"I guess," Flash replied, "But the map is never wrong. It sent us here for a reason, and we need to find it."
Great nodded as Salt and Pepper came downstairs. "Your room's ready," the teenage mare told them. "And don't worry, this one has normal lighting."
"Unfortunately," Great sighed.
"Why are you so gung-ho about the lighting?" Flash asked, "I mean, I know you've probably spent your whole life living by candle light, but don't you think you're going overboard?"
"Nonsense," he scoffed, "This light is amazing. Just standing in it makes me feel alive."
The others shared a glance at this, Flash and Soul putting their plates down before following Salt and Pepper upstairs. "He's weird," Soul commented as they got to the top of the stairs.
"Normally I'd be annoyed somepony called him that," Pepper grumbled, "But for the last week, he's been weird. I don't know what it is, but something about him is...off."
"I felt that too," Flash nodded.
"And it's not just him," Salt replied, "Half the town's suddenly started acting goofy. I don't know what it is that got them acting so weird, but it kind of scares me." Flash and Soul shared a glance as they reached a doorway. "This is it." Salt opened it up and the pair looked inside. It was a simple room with two beds and a desk between them. Nothing fancy, but perfect for those just passing through.
"Breakfast is from seven to ten," Pepper added, "Hope you have a good night." The pair nodded as the siblings walked off, Flash and Soul each taking a bed at this.
"Half the town's acting weird," Soul repeated, "You think that's connected to why we were sent?"
"Maybe," Flash leaned his sword against the wall, "We'll look into it tomorrow." He let out a yawn, "Right now, let's get some shut eye. It's been a long day."
"You sure there's nothing else we can do?"
Flash shook his head, "Don't rush this Soul. If something weird is happening, we'll be more prepared to fix it when we're fully rested up." He shined a huge grin for the filly, the sight making her feel a wave of relief.
"Uh...okay." Soul nodded before they both got into bed, Soul using her magic to switch off the light. She also closed the curtains because of how bright it was outside, which almost made it seem like daylight in their room. But eventually, they managed to both drift off to sleep.
And as they did this, a certain pony walked up to the inn. It was Camera Trap, staring up at the window before taking out the photo he had taken earlier that day, showing the smug looking Flash. His horn glowed a transparent white, the picture doing the same. The light then flew off the picture and up to the window, seeping into the room...only for the light to consume a certain bed.
The next morning...
Soul felt the sun's light hit her face, causing her to flinch before opening her eyes. She turned to see the curtains had already been opened, making her wonder how the light of the street lamps hadn't instantly awakened her. She let out a yawn and began to stretch her body, moaning for a second before turning to Flash's bed...which was empty.
She blinked at the sight before hopping off her bed, only to turn to the door and see Lightbringer sitting beside the door. "Huh?" She whispered to herself as she stared at the sword, remembering that Flash hadn't gone anywhere without his trusty weapon since the second Trial attack.
The filly took the sword in her magic and walked out of the room, only to put her sunglasses on when she reached the lobby. "Morning," Pepper groaned, Soul seeing she was flinching at the lights, "What'll it be?"
Soul opened her mouth to reply, only to ask, "Have you seen Flash this morning?"
"Nope," she shook her head, "Haven't seen him all morning."
"Haven't seen who all morning?" They both turned around to see Flash and Great Taste walking in, the duo shining huge grins.
"There you are," Soul commented before giving him his sword. "You left this in the room."
"Oh?" Flash stared at the sword, only to shrug, "Thanks, but I don't think I need it." Soul raised an eyebrow at this, "This place is just so friendly. There's no reason for me to be armed." Great nodded and got behind the bar while Flash sat at it. "The ponies here are so friendly, I'll never get attacked."
"O...K." Soul slowly said, only to see Flash's giant smile.
"We'll probably have to stay here a while, so there's no need to be paranoid."
"What do you mean, a while?! We'll be leaving once we've found the Friendship Problem!"
Flash just waved his hoof, "There's no hurry. I just realized I never really got the chance to take a good look around this place, so...there's no time like the present. The problem's not going anywhere after all."
Soul went wide-eyed at this, only to shake her head. "Flash, what are you-" Her words came to a stop as she stared at the defender, only for her eyes to fall onto his back. Her wide eyes came again, making her gasp.
Flash turned to the noise, "What?" Soul quickly took a deep breath, "You okay?"
"Yup," Soul nodded, "But you know what? I'm...not hungry." She hopped off her chair, "I think I'll...go for a walk."
She trotted for the doorway, only for an orange wing to flare in front of her, "Now come on Soul," Flash chimed in, "You're being rude to these ponies." He then pushed her slightly back with his wing, "Say, why don't you make it up to them by giving Great Taste a picture?" She blinked at these words before spinning around to see Great had a camera, "He's thinking of making a wall of fame for his visitors."
Soul went wide-eyed at this, her hooves locking up as she muttered out, "I uh...don't know. I'm...not a great picture taker."
But as she started to backpedal away, she let out a squeak as Flash grabbed her sides, instantly yanking her up. "Now now. Mind your manners." He held her up, putting her front and center in the camera. Her eyes darted to Pepper, now seeing the pony squirming behind the bar as Flash said, "Say cheese."
"NO!" Soul screamed as her horn flash, grabbing a nearby table and flinging it in front of her. The camera went off just as the table covered her, the filly then pushing the table into Great with her her magic.
"Dad!" Pepper gasped as her father was knocked down.
"Soul! How dare you-"
"Shut up!" Soul interrupted Flash before her magic took Lightbringer and swung it right at the defender. Flash let go of the filly and leapt back, dodging the blade as Soul landed to the floor.
"What are you doing?!" Pepper asked as Soul fired a beam of magic next, Flash side-stepping the attack.
"That's not Flash!" Soul growled before pointing at him, "Look at his cutie mark!" Pepper blinked at her statement, only to go wide-eyed as she stared at Flash's flank. Where the usual shield was gone, instead showing what looked like a blurry version of the shield. This was followed by a third pony walking into the building, blocking the entrance.
Soul then grabbed a chair and flung it at the stallion, the pony batting it away with a swing of his tail. The chair shattered and sent pieces everywhere, including straight up toward the light. "NO!" Soul heard Flash cry, the pegasus leaping up and catching the pieces.
The alicorn was about to ask why he did that, only for all three stallions to suddenly charge at her, Grand having gotten back up. Soul took to the air at this, grabbing everything in the room in her magic and throwing it at the light. But as she did this, Flash zipped around, deflecting everything.
"What's so important about those lights?" Soul asked as the three glared at her. "If you're trying to kill me, the least you can do is tell me what the deal is with them!"
"Doesn't matter," Great replied, "You'll learn the truth soon enough." He held up his camera, closing his right eye.
"Sooner than you think!" The four turned to the voice, now seeing Pepper standing at a particular switch, the three stallion's eyes going wide. "Lights out!"
"NO!" They screamed, but she flipped the switch. The room instantly got darker, though the light of the sun still kept it somewhat bright.
But as the shade fell into the room, the three stallions suddenly began to scream. The two girls watched as Flash and the others all began to glow their mane and coat's colors, the light quickly overtaking their whole forms. They all tried to crawl over to the sunlight, but with one final cry, they all faded into nothing.
The two girls gasped at the sight, only for a door to open and Salt walked inside, "Did I miss anything?" He asked as he stared at the half destroyed room.
Pepper turned to Soul, "What was that? What happened to our dad?"
"I don't think that was your dad," Soul muttered out, "I think...they were fakes."
"Fakes?" Salt asked, "What are you talking about?"
"I...don't know," Soul glanced up at the lights. "Whatever they were, they needed to be in direct light to survive. That's why they had the lights on so bright, to make sure there wasn't an inch of darkness in the inn."
"But ponies all around town are doing that." Pepper replied, "Does that mean anypony with lights that bright are fakes?" Soul grimaced at this, now remembering that at least half of the buildings in town were super bright yesterday. "What do we do?"
"Where's our dad?" Salt added.
"I don't know," Soul gulped. "I just hope wherever they are, they're okay." She turned to a knocked over Lightbringer sitting in the corner, "Flash..."
A smacking of lips came first as Flash slowly leaned his body upward. He let out a groan next, his eyes creaking open. "Urgh...already miss my bed. Nothing beats sleeping with..."
His words came to a stop as he saw a certain sight before him. He was in a white void. The sight made him let out the longest groan he could make, "Oh no...not this again." He sat up at this, doing a quick stretch, "Alright, what is it this time? Some 'lost to time' threat you forgot to tell me about? Or is this a Sacred Light thing?"
He crossed his hooves next, waiting for a response....until a few minutes passed. "Ooookay. Something usually happens now."
The defender glanced around, raising an eyebrow as he found nothing in the white void. He began to trot around at this, staring at the endless nothingness. "I got a bad feeling about this...I sure hope Soul is okay."
Soul flew through the town with Lightbringer strapped to her back towards the only clue she had: Camera Trap. She arrived at his building and it was looking just as bright as before, the filly putting on her shades and staring through the windows. Camera Trap was nowhere in sight, the filly slipping through his front door before glancing around inside. There she found...nothing. Just a regular photography studio.
She walked into the room and turned to a certain photo on the wall: Flash's picture.
It looked different from the last time she had seen it, the photo now having the same spark she had seen from the others. His cutie mark was also different, no longer smudged like it had been yesterday. She remembered the fake Flash's cutie mark as she stared at the photo, her brain going over the facts. The filly crossed her hooves at this, closing her eyes as she whispered, "I don't get it. It's like Flash and his photocopy...swapped places. But if they did, why? And where's the real Flash?"
"My my, you're very perceptive for such a small filly." Soul gasped as this before spinning around, now finding Camera Trap staring at her. "It's amazing you were able to figure it out."
Soul pulled the sword off her back and pointed it at him, "What did you do to Flash?! Where is he?!"
"He's safe," the unicorn replied, "For now."
Flash let out a long groan as he continued to make his way through the white void. "Alright, this is definitely not the usual Sacred Light stuff. It never takes this long." It had like he had been wandering for hours, making him sigh, "I really wish I had brought a snack or something to this...wherever this is."
And as he continued to walk, he glanced around, only to see something shine in the distance. It was a light, a faint flicker just bright enough to catch his eye. "Finally!" He spread his wings and took to the air, shooting to the light as fast as he could. That light got brighter with every flap of his wings, the pegasus soon seeing the small light was just very far away.
But as he got closer, he came to a stop as he saw what it really was. It was a large dome of light, one as large as Twilight's castle, "Okay...that's definitely new for the white voids I've been in. And I've seen some pretty wacky stuff in these voids." he told himself. "Welp, fortune favors the bold. Let's see what's behind door number one."
He dove his body right in, closing his eyes as the light blinded him. And as he went through, he opened his eyes...only to go full wide-eyed. Inside the dome was a mess of strings all over the place. The light that made up the dome looked like endless tangles of string, all that had been tightly wrapped together to form a dome shape. Several strands of light came off the walls and struck the ground while string lines stretched from one side to the other through the air.
And hanging from those lines were a bunch of cocoon-shaped constructs.
"Note to self: Never check behind door number one first. Its...creepy." Flash commented before flying up to the nearest cocoon. When he reached it, he squinted his eyes at the thing, barely able to see through the thin sheet of light. And when he did this, he was greeted to the image of a pony sleeping within it. A pony he had talked to the previous day.
"What the heck?!" He yelped, only to hear a new sound behind him. The defender slowly turned around, now seeing something new walk out of the many strings that made up the dome.
"Bring him back!" Soul cried while waving the sword around. No light came out, the weapon being nothing but a basic blade for her.
Trap leapt back and pulled out a camera. "I can't do that. But if you're really worried about him, I'll send you to meet him." He readied the button to a take a photo, but Soul fired a light from her horn. It unleashed a light so powerful that shined right through the camera, making the picture Trap took nothing but a blurred image. "Ahhhhh!" He yelped, throwing it away when he saw it.
"Nice try," Soul replied, "But I figured out your little trick. You can swap ponies with a picture of them as long as the picture looks close enough to them. That's why you need their faces and cutie marks in the picture!"
"You really are smart," Trap grumbled, "Kudos...but it'll take more than knowing that to stop me."
"I can't believe you," Soul barked back, "These ponies welcomed you into their town, treated you with respect and called you a friend. And what did you do?! Use that friendship to pull of some evil plot just for your own amusement!"
"Oh please. You think I did all this for fun?" Trap asked with a raised eyebrow as he focused his camera on her again, only for her to flash another burst of light. "Stop doing that!"
"Stop trying to take my picture!" Soul countered. "I won't fall for your trick!" Her horn began to glow brighter at this, making him backpedal as he began to feel the magic pouring out of the alicorn, "Now give back Flash."
"I can't."
"Oh yeah?! Why not?!"
"Because...I have no choice." He replied, sighing as he added, "Just let me take your picture. Its the only way I can survive."
"Survive? Why would photos be needed for you to...to..." Her magic lessened its output slowly as she turned to the pictures on the wall. Her eyes went wide as the those words overlapped her thoughts on Flash, making her gasp as she glanced back at Trap, "Wait...if you're making fakes of everypony." She did a slight gulp at her next words, "Are you...feeding on the ponies you kidnapped?"
"You really are clever. To think you would jump to that conclusion so quickly." Trap responded, only to show a long frown, one that made Soul feel a shiver down her spine. It was one of not vengeance or hatred...but fear on his face as he continued, "No, I am not feeding on them. The one who created me is. A being that's centuries old, born during a time of chaos and has managed to survive since then." He held up a blank photo, "All within the being's own space. Its own little pocket world all for itself."
Flash's eyes went wide as he saw the beast now walked into the dome. It was a giant spider, one the size of a bus. It's main body was oddly bright for a monster, and it had eight spindly legs of different colors sprouting out of it. It also had eight crystals on its face that were acting like eyes, and a large black back section while on the tip of its rear where spider thread usually came out, was instead a crystal spike.
"Whoa..." Flash whispered as he flew down. "That's a new one. I don't remember fighting any giant spider monsters." He then saw it begin to reach for one of the cocoons, "Hey! Are you the one that did this?!" The spider just let out a low hiss as it twiddled with the cocoon before glancing back down at Flash, "Can't talk, can ya? And I'm guessing you expect to do what you did to those ponies to me as well?"
The creature let out a hiss and pointed its rear-end at him. Before Flash could respond, a beam of light shot out, the defender ducking under the laser. And as he did this, he instinctively reached for his sword...only to find nothing.
"Oh. Forgot about that. And here I was, trying to not use the Sacred Light so much." Flash sighed before an aura of light shined around him, "Armorize!" Light exploded off him, forming the Shining Guardian Armor as he charged at the monster.
He opened the wing hatches, unleashing the light thrusters as he sped up. But as he got close, the spider suddenly leapt over him, landing on some light strings as Flash came to a stop. The two glared at each, ready to do battle.
Soul's jaw dropped as Trap finished explaining who his master is, making her croak out, "That's the craziest thing I've ever heard. You work for a monster in another dimension that feeds on ponies?! That's insane!"
"Well, it's true," Trap replied, "And if you don't believe me, I don't care. All that matters is that I must keep sending him fresh victims. If I don't, then he'll stop giving me energy."
"So...you're not a real pony?" Soul asked next, "Is that why this place is also so bright? You're a fake like those other copies?"
"I'm no copy," he responded, "There never was a Camera Trap. My master created me to go out into the world and find those I could send to him so that he can feast without drawing to much attention."
"And what do you get out of it?" She asked.
"I get to live. As long as I send him more victims, I survive. And I can tell you, I've lived quite a full life."
As he said that, Soul heard hoofsteps and looked behind her. Multiple ponies were now standing outside the store, a few stepping inside. "Then...why not stop?" She squeaked as she saw the ponies slowly walk behind Camera, the sight making her backpedal into a corner, "Why do more ponies need to suffer so that you get to live?"
But as she said these words, she went wide-eyed at the next sight in front of her. The look on Camera's face was showing that fear again, only to be mixed with something else. It was a pained look, only for it to vanish as he slowly replied, "It wouldn't matter. If I stopped, he would just destroy me and create somepony new to do his dirty work."
The ponies around him began to march forward at this, Soul now feeling her tail touch the corner's wall. She glanced down at the sword in her hooves before she looked back up at him with a long glare, "Then Flash'll slay that creature. He's one of the most powerful ponies in Equestria!"
Camera shook his head at this, "I doubt that. The master hasn't survived this long just because he's careful."
"Flash Force!" The defender yelled as he fired a blast of light from his helmet horn. The beast was struck, flinching before spinning around and unleashing a beam at Flash. And as he tried to dodge it, the beam suddenly wrapped around, sticking his front legs to his sides.
"What the-get off!" He growled as the beam retracted into the crystal and pulled him. But before it could reach him, he sparked his horn and disappeared in a flash of light. He then reappeared right above the spider, his wing boosters igniting as he charged downward.
"Flash Strike!" His front hoof fired out energy from his boot's knee gem, thrusting it into the creature's face. It roared as three of its eyes cracked, Flash quickly flying back before firing several more beam of light. They collided with the creature and ripped off four of its legs, damaging another two eyes as cuts began to appear all over its body.
"Gotcha!" He cheered, only too see the spider fire several beam strings...but not at him. They struck some of the cocoons holding ponies, the lights combining. And when they did, Flash watched as the ponies inside flinched in pain as light the same colors as the ponies flew into the beam strings and was absorbed into the spider's crystal rear. The light spread around its body, its injuries now beginning to heal themselves.
"No freaking way..." he whispered before looking back at the ponies, now seeing them all in pain. He glared back at the monster, "Stop that! You're hurting them-whoa!"
The beast fired another beam at the defender, Flash leaping to the side as the spider began firing threads of string everywhere. Flash began zipping all around, dodging the beams that came next. He fired a Flash Force next, hitting the spider back before flying up to one of the cocoons. "Hang on, I'll free ya."
He pulled at the cocoon, now seeing it felt like silk. "That's sticky...guess I gotta cut it. Figures that I don't have Lightbringer." He pulled out a light sword at this, only for a light thread to hit him in the back. "Gyah!" Flash felt a yank at this, throwing him down into the ground. "Blaugh!"
The spider raced up to him at this, raising its legs to slam them down on the defender. But as the legs came down, a light shined from the armor's helmet, blinding the spider as it staggered back. Flash then hopped onto his hooves, rubbing his back as he glared at the spider.
'Not good. If I hurt him too much, he'll hurt the ponies in here.' He glanced down at his hooves, feeling the armor around him. 'And I can't keep this up forever either.'
"Get back!" Soul cried as she swung Lightbringer, trying to get the fakes to retreat. But no matter what she did, they kept getting closer, "Get back!"
This time, the sword hit one in the chest. The sword sliced through its body like a hot knife through butter, but the photo-pony didn't even flinch. She pulled the sword back, now seeing the wound she had caused...but it didn't bleed. Instead, light trickled out of it.
The pony stepped back and pointed its wound to the light, the wound now glowing before it was sealed up. Soul gasped at the sight, only to smirk as an idea hopped into her head. She grabbed the lights in her magic, now tightening them in her grasp, Camera yelling, "Get her outside!" The ponies leapt at her, the filly forced to stop her magic and try to take to the air, but there wasn't enough room for her to fly up. She managed to jump over three ponies, landing on top of the pile, but then she was tackled by another before being flung through a window.
The sound of shattering glass filled the air as she was pinned to the ground by a fake. Multiple ponies heard this and looked around, raising an eyebrow while Trap and the others walked outside. "No way to turn out the lights out here," he told her before holding up his camera.
"Trap?" He stopped at the voice, making him turn to see a few ponies gathering around, "What's going on here?"
Trap stared at them, now seeing the many staring faces before turning to his army, "Get them. Get them all." With that, the fakes started attacking the real ponies. They all cried out as they were grabbed and forced to the ground, the fakes heading into every house and pulling more townsponies out.
"Stop it!" Soul screamed as young ponies began crying. She squirmed under the fake before staring up at Trap, "Please stop this."
"I don't have a choice," he replied, "If I don't, my master will obliterate me."
"So that gives you the right to hurt others?! They have just as much right to live as you do! Why should they have to die and not you?!"
"Because they have a chance!" He roared, making Soul go wide-eyed along with the ponies around them.
"What...what are you talking about?" She asked, Trap just looking away before taking out his camera. "Please! If you're gonna kill us, the least we deserve is to know why! What did you mean that they have a chance!?"
Trap remained silent at this, not responding as Soul stared at him. She thought back to why she was chosen by the map, thinking back to her ability. Healing. She now knew what she had to do. She had to heal him in some way.
But before she could do anything, Trap spoke up, "What I mean...is that they have a chance to move on."
"Move on?"
"Yeah..." Trap sighed before glancing away, "Think about it. I've been around long enough to hear all those different theories ponies have about what happens when they die. Their spirits going to another place, or getting reborn as somepony else or...whatever. Those stories wouldn't have shown up unless at least one of them was real. When the master's finished with you, you'll move on and be at peace. But if I die...if the master stops giving me power...I'll just be gone. I'll cease to exist. It'll be nothing. Like I was never there to begin with."
As those words hit her ears, she went wide-eyed again before the most honest words she could say instantly came out of her mouth, "Trap...you're scared, aren't you?"
"Of course I'm scared!" He almost yelled at her. "I'm not a real pony. I'm just a shadow of what you are! A mirage! Something that'll never be remembered once I'm gone. So why should I have to die when somepony else can and get the chance to move onto another life?! This is the only one I have!"
Soul blinked at him, only for her horn to spark. A light spread around her body before flying out, knocking the pony holding her down off of her. Trap gasped at this, only for Soul to fly up to him with Lightbringer at his neck. "I'm sorry," she told him, "But I can't let you keep doing this."
"You destroy me and your friend will be trapped forever," he chuckled before feeling the blade press into his skin, forcing him to backpedal into the store.
"Don't let them follow us," Soul commanded, Trap nodding as the fakes remained where they were. And with a single motion, Soul closed the door behind them, leaving them alone in the photography studio. Seeing this, she let out a sigh, "Trap, I know you're scared...but you're making other ponies suffer just because you're worried about what might happen to you."
"Why not?! Don't I deserve to live?!" He yelled back at her, "Why should I have to disappear into nothing just so ponies can continue living a life that's just filler until their true life begins?!"
"Because nopony knows for sure what happens after we die," Soul replied, "I...I'm training to be a doctor. I saw what it meant to heal others...and I wanted to do it more and more. But..." Memories of when the virus took over Ponyville now went through her head, the moment she realized what her magic really was. "I've seen when ponies lives are ending." She then stared directly into his eyes, hers showing nothing but sadness, "But I believe that there's something waiting for us after it, but everypony at some point in their lives worries that there's nothing. That's why we have to make this life as spectacular as any other." She put her hoof on his chest, "And you shouldn't get to take that away from them."
"But they have a chance!" Trap barked, "I don't get to move on! I'm a fake!"
"Who says you won't get to move on?" She asked, "Why are you so sure that you'll just disappear?"
"Because...because...I'm not real. I'm not a real pony," he responded, "I'm just a construct of light, with no soul or spirit. I'm...just a hollow body."
"Maybe that's what you started as," Soul replied, "But you said it yourself, you've been around for a long time. And in that time, you could have evolved into something more than what that creature made." This made Trap go wide-eyed, about to respond until Soul continued, "I can see it in your eyes. You're fear, your guilt, emotions that a hollow creature couldn't possibly feel. You have a soul."
"I...have a soul?"
She nodded, slowly lowering the sword. "But a soul is made up of the choices we make. And you've been corrupting your soul with all the bad deeds you've committed. Everytime you steal somepony away for that monster, a small piece of your soul dies." Trap reached up and touched his chest while Soul pointed to outside the store. "Look at them."
Trap glanced up, now seeing the ponies of the town all trapped by the fakes he had created. Fear was all he could see on their faces, an apt departure from the happy smiling faces he was so used to seeing here.
"Those ponies trusted you, accepted you and treated you as a friend. If you betray them and send them to your master after everything they've done for you...then maybe you really don't have a soul."
Trap gasped at this, backpedaling before glancing down at the camera in his hooves. Soul watched as he appeared to be having a battle in his head as he slowly responded, "I...I don't know what to do."
Soul put a hoof on his chest again, "I don't know if there is another life after this one. But if there is, how can we be sure the ponies that have lost their lives in that dimension managed to get there?" Trap looked up at this. "For all I know, dying in that pocket dimension means your spirit is trapped there. Does that sound good to you?"
Camera shut his eyes at this, and the next sight made Soul gasp again. He was crying. If there was any proof that Trap had a soul, this was it. Suddenly, his horn sparked as a flash of light from outside caught Soul's attention. She turned to see the fake ponies vanish, letting the real ones free. She then turned back to see Trap throw away his camera and wipe his face, "I'll help you."
Flash panted as he stood there, staring at the spider monster as it hung in front of the cocoons.
Their impasse was starting to dissolve as Flash was starting to tire. "Gotta think...gotta be something I can do." He ran through everything he had done to try and free the ponies, pulling at the cocoons, burning them with his horn beams, and even trying to bite through it. But nothing worked. Even the light swords were useless, only nicking the cocoons hard strings due to the swords just being pure magic.
"What else is there?" He asked before hopping away from another beam from the spider. "Grrr...if I only had Lightbringer."
"Alright..." Soul commented, "How do we save them?"
"I've already done the first step," Trap replied, "The fakes act as a blockage, keeping the rift I use to send them into the pictures closed. But without them, all the ponies would need to do is think about coming home and they'll be free."
"Great! So we just need to get a message to them."
"Not exactly," Trap continued, "The master captures ponies and places them in cocoons that put the captives to sleep. As long as they're inside, they won't be able to escape. And the cocoons are made of a powerful light. You need something very powerful to through them."
Soul glanced down at the sword in her hooves, "I know what to do." She picked up Trap's camera, "Send me in there." Trap's eyes went wide as she pulled the sword close to her. "With this, I'll give it to Flash and he can use it to free the ponies. Then I'll tell them how to escape."
"Are you sure? You trust me to do this and not betray you?" Soul nodded back, "Alright..." he held up his camera, "Say cheese." Soul held the sword tightly to her chest as the picture was taken, the photograph being printed a moment later. He took the picture as his horn began to shine, "Good luck."
"Thank you," she replied as Trap began his magic. The light flew off his horn and onto the photo, then off it and onto Soul. The filly felt an odd sensation as her body was consumed by the light, only to be sucked into the picture.
"I hope this works," he whispered.
Flash grunted as he was thrown against the wall of the dome, sliding down with an "Urgh…" as the spider snapped its talons at him. It scuttled up, ready to attack again, only for a flash of light to appear behind the spider. Both it and Flash turned to the light before it faded to reveal a certain with Lightbringer in her hooves.
"Soul?!" He yelped, the filly smiling back at him before hearing a hiss from the spider.
Her eyes went wide as she looked down and saw the monster, "That's what created Camera Trap?!" The spider growled at her before firing a beam, the filly letting out an "Eek!" before flying down, dodging the attack. She then glanced over to Flash as she landed, "Flash!" She threw Lightbringer between the beast's legs, "Catch!" The sword slid along the ground, under the spider before stopping right in front of the pegasus. "Free the ponies!"
"You got it!" Flash laughed as he grabbed the sword, the weapon transforming upon contact. He ignited his thrusters as the spider turned to him, barely having a second to register what happened before Flash zipped past the beast, slicing the monster's rear end. It let out a scream at this, spinning around to strike Flash with its legs...only for the pegasi to suddenly disappear. The monster hissed at this, only to hear Flash say, "Wakey-wakey!" With a single super-powered strike, Flash cut the closest cocoon in half.
The light forming the cocoon faded as soon as it was cut, freeing the pony within. And as the pony fell, Flash shot to the next cocoon and repeated the process. He did this again and again, every pony beginning to wake up before Soul yelled, "Everypony!" They heard her cry, "Think about home! Think about your friends and family! It's the only way to escape this place!"
The ponies raised eyebrows at this, only for the hissing of the spider to catch their attention. The sight made them all scream before running away while wishing they were back home. And sure enough, they all started glowing as their bodies began to turn transparent.
"It's working!" Soul cheered as the spider scuttled after them, only for Flash to fly down between them, his chest gem glowing.
"BACK OFF!" He roared, unleashing a blast of energy that struck the beast in the face. And as the blow knocked it back, the last pony vanished.
"It worked! They're back home!" Soul exclaimed, "At least...I hope."
Trap stared at the pictures of the wall while telling the other ponies of the town asking what the heck had happened. But as this happened, the pictures on the wall suddenly began to glow. The sight made all the ponies gasp, all trotting back until the lights exploded off the picture. Those lights shot out of the store and toward different houses, eventually slamming into the ground and taking pony shape.
The lights faded, revealing the pony that called the building they were in front of home. Great Taste blinked as he opened his eyes, now staring at his inn. "DAD!" He looked down to see his children, the pair running up and tackling him, the three laughing as they hugged as other similar reunions occurred all over town.
Trap chuckled at the sight, only to flinch as he clutched his chest. He fell to the ground and let out a moan, knowing what this meant. "My time's almost up..."
With the ponies gone, Flash smirked as he stared at the monster. The spider began to backpedal, Flash chuckling as he pointed at the beast, "Not so tough without your batteries to protect yourself, huh?" The spider hissed, trying in vain to scare Flash away. "Don't worry," Flash held up his sword. "I'm not cruel. I'll make this as quick and painless as possible."
The spider let out a scream before turning to run off, his web-like light dome vanishing as it tried to scamper. Flash responded by holding his sword up high while the gems on his armor lit up while his wings opened up and unleashed the Sacred Light. The gems unleashed blue lightning, which sparked around his body and then into the blade of his weapon. The Sacred Light spiraled around the sword, creating a tornado of light that spun around the blade.
Flash then swung the sword, the energy of the blade increasing every second. Soul pulled out her shades, putting them on as Flash swung the sword down, "ULTRA FLASH CUTTER!"
An energy blade exploded off his sword, a massive crescent moon-shape with blue lightning sparking around it. It moved faster than the eye could follow as it reached the spider instantly, the beast barely turning to see it coming. And with one final hiss of terror, it was consumed.
Back in New Omniara, the ponies that had just escaped were telling the ponies what had happened. And as the stories continued, they all turned to the photo studio and glared at it. But before they could charge in, twin flashes of light made them freeze before a pair of light orbs flew out and hit the ground in front of the store. Those lights quickly took shape and exploded off the pair, Flash and Soul falling to the ground.
"Wow...now that was nuts!" Flash gasped as he leaned over, Soul nodding in agreement.
"Flash!" Great exclaimed as he ran past the crowd, "You're okay?"
"I'm fine." Flash replied before turning to Soul, "Thanks Soul. I couldn't have done that without you...but how did you get in there? That thing seemed surprised you showed up."
"Well, its-" She let out a gasp at this, "Trap!" She suddenly ran into the store, Flash following after her with a few more ponies. When they did, they spotted Camera Trap on the ground, looking like he hadn't eaten in a month. "Trap...no..." she whispered as she kneeled down next to him.
Flash knelt down as well, looking the pony over. "What happened to him?"
"He was the one working for that spider," she replied, "It created him to send ponies into that dimension to feed it. But now that it's gone-" She did a gulp, tears appearing in her eyes as Trap turned to her.
He smiled as he said, "You...did it. You...beat him."
"Yes," Soul nodded, "I'm sorry. I-"
"It's okay," he interrupted, "You...were right. This was for the best." He looked over at the ponies staring at him through the windows. "I...I was hurting ponies, and that was wrong. Using the friendship they offered me to hurt them, for my own selfish ends. All I can do is hope this makes up for it."
As he said that, Flash and Soul's cutie marks began to glow, the pair going wide-eyed at this, "That's why we were sent here..." Flash gasped, "To help you realize using friendship like this was wrong." Trap nodded as his body began to slowly give off orbs of light.
"Trap!" Soul cried, "Wait! There has to be something I can do!"
"It's okay," Trap replied, "This is for the best." He flinched for a moment before putting his hoof up to her, "Just...do me a favour." Soul nodded, "Remember me. Then, even if there's nothing on the other side, I'll still live on through you."
Soul sniffed and nodded, "I will." She then saw his camera by his side, taking it in her magic. "Here...I have an idea." She brought it over and held it up in front of the two's faces. "Say cheese." She snapped the photo, the pair managing a smile. A moment later, the picture came out and showed the two, "I'll keep this for as long as I live, so I can't forget about you."
Trap did a small nod at this, the fake pony taking a deep breath, "Thank you. I'm ready." With that, the lights start flowing off of him quicker, his body starting to turn transparent. Nopony said anything as he grew more see through, and as he became almost invisible, he whispered one final statement. "Remember me."
And before anypony could say anything, he was gone.
Soul stared at where he had been laying and started crying, Flash pulling her into a hug. The other ponies grimaced at this, now seeing what this meant. He might have put them in danger, but he sacrificed everything to save them in the end. He was a hero, and a true friend.
The next day...
Flash and Soul were waiting at the station, their train about to arrive any moment. As they stood there, Flash stared at the filly, a giant frown on her face. She had spent the whole of the previous day crying, eventually managing to cry herself to sleep by late afternoon.
Flash wanted to help her, thinking about what to say before speaking up, "You know...I can see why the map chose to send you." Soul slowly turned to him as he continued, "I think it knew you were the only pony to help Trap do what was right. And it knew you would care about what happened to him afterwards."
"And now he's gone."
"Maybe physically, but I'm sure he's out there somewhere. You helped him do the right thing and saved his soul, so I have no doubt he's out there somewhere. And even if he's gone, he said it himself. He lives on in your memories. From now on, anything you experience will be experienced by him."
Soul nodded at this as tears began to appear again in her eyes, "I just wish...I just wish I could have saved him."
Flash sighed and shook his head before placing his wing on top of her head, "Soul...I know this sounds mean, but if there's one thing I've learned from my job, its that you can't save everypony. Even Faust wasn't able to save your city, no matter how hard she tried. But she was able to save you, Heart, Ace and Mira. And that's something she can be proud of." He grabbed her shoulders, a hard stare in his eyes, "I know you couldn't save Camera Trap the way you wanted to...and if you wanna be a doctor, you'll have to accept that there'll be somepony you can't save."
Soul sniffed at this, "Its just...its just hard to admit that."
"I know. But if you don't learn to accept it, you'll never be able to carry on. If we let out failures overcome us, then they'll have happened for nothing."
"So what do I do?"
"Learn from your failures. So that you'll never fail like that again." He looked up at the sky, "There might be a spell out there that could have saved Trap. Though if there was, Twilight would have probably known it and the map would have sent her with us. But I'm sure she can find a way to make one."
"Then I'll learn it!" she replied, "If I ever meet another pony like Trap, I will save them."
"There you go!" Flash laughed before patting her side as their train arrived. "Come on, let's go home!"
She nodded back before they climbed aboard and took their seats, ready to head home and tell their friends all about their adventure. And as the train pulled away from New Omniara, Soul pulled out the picture she had taken the previous day. The sight of Trap hurt, but she refused to let herself ignore it. She told herself to put this picture in a frame and place it in her room so that she could remember the pony that sacrificed their life to help her.
And in the years to come, Soul would help many ponies with her magic. And every time she saved one, she would thank Trap. If he had the strength to do what he did, then she would have the strength to help as many ponies as she could.