//------------------------------// // Chapter 6 // Story: Flash Sentry Chronicles: The Movie // by Banshee531 //------------------------------// Having swam back to shore, the eleven Equestrians all moaned at the freezing chill of the ocean. Rainbow and Springer shook their entire bodies to get the water off while Heart tried to flame up, but was unable too. Rarity let out a gasp and fell to the floor, exhausted from the day's events. "Everypony okay?" Flash asked as he saw the miserable looks on everyone's faces. Spike looked ready to keel over from the cold, a cold-blooded dragon like him not doing so well. Applejack, after squeezing the water from her hat, turned to Twilight, who had walked a short distance from them to dry her mane. "What were you thinkin'?! Ah mean, stealin' their pearl?!" Twilight sighed, "It was the only way to save Equestria." "'Cept it wasn't!" Pinkie yelled, "The Queen was going to say yes! We did what you told us and that's what made her realize we were ponies worth saving!" But as soon as she said that, a look of shock, horror and betrayal appeared on her face, the earth pony gasping. "Unless...you didn't really want us to show her the best time ever!" Twilight glanced back at her, "You just wanted us to distract her!" The others gasped at this, Twilight standing up before slowly turning to the pink pony. "I never would have done it, but this isn't Equestria! We can't just dance around with con artists, make rainbooms in the sky and expect everything to work out!" The others frowned at this, knowing she was attacking them for what they had done since leaving home. "It's not enough! We are not enough!" "No, Twilight!" Pinkie glared her down. "We stuck together! We were gonna get the help we needed! The only thing that stopped us...was you!" "Well, I'm doing the best I can!" She yelled back, turning away from Pinkie. "It's all on me. I'm the one Tempest wants. I'm the last Princess!" "Well, you haven't been acting like one!" Springer chimed in, "At least not the princess we know. Did you forget your the Princess of Friendship. That meant something to you before this all started, but ever since we left you've done nothing to show you deserved that title!" The others nodded back. "We don't need friendship right now!" Twilight yelled. "Making friends isn't going to save Equestria!" "Newsflash!" Pinkie exclaimed, "That's always how we've saved Equestria! By sticking together, as friends! But all you've done since we left home is do what you think is right and not listened or trusted any of your friends!" Those words seemed to push Twilight over the edge, the alicorn turning to Pinkie with her horn sparking as if she was about to blast her. "Well, maybe I would've been better off without friends like YOU!" Those words echoed along the beach, everypony's eyes going wide. Twilight, having just realized what she had said, cut the power to her horn as her own eyes went wide. She saw Pinkie's brokenhearted expression before turning to the others, Rarity, Fluttershy and Soul looking upset while Rainbow, Springer and Applejack glared at her. Heart didn't seem to know how to take this while Spike just gulped at her words. And Flash, there was only one word Twilight could use to describe his expression: Disappointed. The pink earth pony then began to walk away, the alicorn staring at her. "Pinkie, I-" But she couldn't get the words out, and Pinkie's sniffles didn't make it any easier. "I can't talk to you right now." She continued, the others slowly following, passing by Twilight with different expressions on their faces. Rarity had her head and nose turned up at Twilight while Fluttershy stared down at the sand. Rainbow looked rightfully ticked and Applejack, though taking a moment to glance back at Twilight, shared her expression. Finally, Springer moved past her despite sensing that Twilight regretted her words, and couldn't bear to forgive her right now. "Girls!" Flash called out, "Wait!" But they didn't, "We shouldn't split up like this. GIRLS!" But it was no use. The ponies walked away, their friendships with Twilight possibly broken beyond repair. And this time, there wasn't an evil draconequus to blame for it. "No..." Spike ran up to Twilight, staring at his retreating friends. He then felt motion and turned back to Twilight, seeing she was now walking the other way. Heart and Soul stepped up to Flash, both frowning as Soul asked, "What do we do now?" "I'm not sure." Flash responded, staring at the fleeing alicorn before slowly starting to follow her. The others came with him, the defender calling out, "Twilight! Please! You've gotta stop!" But she didn't. She just kept walking until she reached the very end of the beach, where a large cliff was waiting for her. She dropped on her flank onto the stone, Flash hearing her begin to weep. "Twilight?" Spike asked, slowly walking up to her, "It's okay. We've still got the dragons. And the Changelings too. We can still save Equestria." But this revelation didn't seem to make Twilight any happier, "You'll figure it out." "No!" She told him tearfully with a sob, "I can't! I ruined everything!" She continued crying, "Even if we're able to save Equestria. My...my friends will hate me." She glanced back at Flash, "I should have listened to you." Flash frowned at this, moving up and sitting beside her, Heart sitting by him while Soul sat on Twilight's other side. He thought about what Grand or Celestia would say if they were here with them, and what he would want to hear to feel better. "You messed up. Like...royally messed up." She flinched at this, the others glaring at him until he added, "But, that doesn't matter right now." "But I ruined everything." "Only if you don't do something to fix it," he replied, "Everypony messes up, even princesses. You know this. I get that this isn't really a situation that might allow you to mess up, but what's done is done. What you need to focus on now is fixing this mistake instead of dwelling on it." Twilight heard this and let it sink in, Flash knowing he was close to helping her see her was right. She just needed a few more nudges. And luckily, he had some help to do that. "We've all messed up before. Remember Spike's greed escapade? Spike didn't think anypony would forgive him, did you Spike?" But Spike didn't reply, "Spike?" They all spun around, only to go wide-eyed at the sight of Spike being held and muffled by a Storm Guard. "SPIKE!" Flash yelled as he went for his sword, only for a cloud of darkness to appear around him and body check him. "AUGH!" "Flash!" The others gasped as Heart ran to his mentor and Twilight sparked her horn. But just as she was about to fire, something shot down. A large cage made of a strange rock, which slammed down around the pair before the floor closed in beneath them. Twilight's spell fired, but when it hit the cage, the magic simply dispelled before the cage was lifted up. "No, no, no, no, no! Noooooo!" Twilight cried while Soul looked up and gasped seeing Tempest's ship appear out of the clouds. "Twilight!" Flash yelled as he got up, only for the shadow to appear in front of him. "Out of my way!" He swung his blade into the shadow, but the cloud dodged the attack before Armalum formed and thrust his hoof, "URGH!" He screamed as he felt something stab into him, looking down to see a blade of Corrupted Shadow sticking out of his gut, the pegasus feeling his energy being drained. "Gotcha," Armalum chuckled before kicking Flash away while retracting the blade. Heart rushed to his side and saw the stab wound turning black like before. This was quickly halted by the Sacred Light, which began to glow and seal it up, only for the strain to make the pony black out. Then, a cackle fill the air and Heart turned to see Void, "Finally. You're finally mine." Heart glared at him, the pegasi's rage building enough that he could feel the heat inside him explode. "STAY AWAY!" He burst into fire and thrust his hooves, unleashing a massive fire stream. But Void simply raised his hoof and when the flames touched it, they were sucked inside. Heart's eyes went wide as Void laughed. "Cute." His hoof began to heat up as the flames he had just stolen started to reappear, Heart glancing around and grabbing Flash's dropped sword and charged at the pony. "RAAAAAAAAAAH!" He roared as he swung the sword, but Void unleashed the fire. "GYAH!" He cried as the heat hit him, smacking the colt flying into Flash. The sword fell next to him and before he could do anything, another cage slammed down from the ship and surrounded them. The floor appeared and the pair were lifted up, Void and Armalum leaping up and grabbing the chain. Spike, having finally managed to pry the Storm Guard's claw off his mouth, breathed fire onto it and forced the ape to release him. "NOOOOOOOOOOO!" The Mystic Flame Dragon screamed as the cages were pulled into the ship. He tried to think of something, but none of his spells he knew would help. All he could do was watch as the ship's engines kicked in and the zeppelin flew off into the clouds, Spike falling to his knees. "Flash...Heart...Soul..." Tears appeared in his eyes, "Twilight." Flash wasn't sure how long he had been unconscious, but when he came around, he knew he was somewhere very hot and very dark. Opening his eyes, the first thing he saw was Heart's worried expression. "Flash!" He cried, "You're okay." Flash slowly pushed himself up, only to blink as he saw he was in a cage that was hanging over a pit of lava. Then pain surged through his body, making him look down at the stab wound. Like before, the black veins around it rang out while a golden pulse tried to neutralize it. "Great..." He groaned, only to look up and see Twilight in another cage, her horn flaring as she tried to blast her way through the bars, but whatever material they were made from simply nullified it. "Twilight," he moaned, "You okay?" "We have to get out of here!" She yelled, attempting to teleport next, but the cage cancelled that out too. Instead, she magically moved around in the cage, only for the group to then hear a chuckle, causing them to turn to see Void step into the room. "You," Flash growled, "Why are you doing this?! What did Equestria ever do to you?!" "Nothing," Void replied as he moved closer, "But then again, I'm not in this to make Equestria suffer...yet." The others glared at him at this, only for Void to add, "I'm doing this because it's the only way to save myself." He got in close and stared Flash down, "Plus I have to settle a score with you." "What?" Flash asked, "I've never even met you before...have I?" "Oh please," he turned away from Flash and started unfastening the cords connecting the helmet to the control pack. "I would have thought you'd have figured it out by now, especially after seeing Armalum." He removed the mask and pulled the cloth of his bodysuit off his head, revealing he had grey fur but no mane. He slowly turned to Flash, and when he did, every eye in the room went wide when they saw a pair of blood red eyes take could only belong to one pony. "Shadow..." Flash whispered, now seeing the alive Shadow Corrupter. However, he was nothing like before, Flash's eyes drifting up to the pony's hornless forehead, which had a large X-shaped crack running through it. "How...how are you alive?" "Well, that's just the thing," he grumbled, "Shadow Corrupter died when you allowed that pathetic excuse for a god to strip him of the power that made him who he was. What you see before you is everything that's left once that was gone. A living husk of powerless flesh. Even my horn didn't survive the process, turning to dust and leaving what you see before you." "Like...a corpse?" "No, there's still some life left in *cough cough*...urgh..." He wheezed before putting the mask back on, attaching the cords and pipes back into place. After a few seconds, he managed to get his breathing under control. "And as you can see, this husk won't last much longer. I originally named myself after the power I wielded, but now that that power is gone, I can no longer hold that name. So...I decided to name myself after what I had become." "A void," Twilight continued. "Exactly," he nodded. "Faust teleported me far away from the Lost City, ripping the Corrupted Shadow and every other bit of magic I had out of me." "Well it's your own fault," Heart chimed in, "If you hadn't tried to steal Faust's power-" "Nopony deserved that power more than me! I-*cough*" Void roared, only to let out a wheeze before fiddling with the suit's dials. "I'm the most powerful pony that ever lived! I deserved as much power as was possible to acquire. But that fool didn't realize that and attempted to destroy me. It's obvious she knew that I would one day find a way to take her power. To ascend to become the god I was always meant to be. That's why she tried to silence me! But she failed..." "Clearly," Flash deadpanned while rolling his eyes before turning to see Armalum walk in, "How did you survive?" "I was still wearing Armalum's armor when my magic was stolen," Void responded, "When he realized what was happening, he managed to take full possession of my body, which allowed him to keep me alive. But we had very little power and I couldn't even move. All he was doing was delaying the inevitable. But then, the Storm King found me." "He saved you?" Twilight asked. "He was interested in Armalum's power and the Corrupted Shadow." As he said that, Armalum held up his hoof and a blade of the magical substance appeared. "When Faust removed it, my Corrupted Shadow was fossilized into what you see. Those chunks were littered all around me and with it, the Storm King grew curious. So he took me in, managed to get his claws on the equipment I'm wearing, and brought me back long enough to ask what the heck it was. I told him what it was and that he couldn't control it, no matter what he did." "I'm guessing he wasn't too happy about that," Flash suggested. "You'd be right," Void nodded, "He decided to destroy me, using Tempest's power to do so. But it was then I discovered a new benefit to my current predicament. With all my magic ripped from me, I was left with a void inside me. A void I could fill with other magics, such as what you've seen." They all grimaced at this, only for him to say, "But it's limited. Eventually, I run out and become as useless as...well you," he laughed as he turned to Heart, the colt growling back at him. Void then glanced back at Flash, "I need a source of limitless power. Something that can heal my damaged body and keep me alive for as long as I need to be." "You want my Sacred Light," Flash finished, Void nodding. "Why don't you just absorb your Corrupted Shadow?" Soul asked, "Losing it's what's hurting you so just absorb that and leave Flash alone!" She then screamed when Void ran over and slammed his head against the bars, Soul leaping back and Twilight pulling her behind her as Void stared them down. "Don't you think I thought of that, you blasted little alicorn?! When I discovered my new power, it was the first thing I did! It was *cough* blaugh!" He spun another dial, only to sigh, "But it was no use." He pulled away and trotted between the cages. "I don't know whether Faust did this to me, or if it's just a byproduct of having it ripped out of me, but my body cannot hold the Corrupted Shadow. When I attempted to absorb a tiny piece of it, I was suddenly bombarded with unimaginable pain, and I wasn't able to absorb any new magic until I expelled it." The ponies shared a glance, only to for Void to add, "I needed a source of power equal to the Corrupted Shadow, but also one I'd be able to hold without killing myself. And there was only one source of power capable of meeting those criteria." He slowly turned to Flash, the pegasus knowing he was smiling under that mask. "How poetic. The one that caused my downfall will now be the catalyst of my return to power." "I'll never give you my Sacred Light," Flash instantly responded. "Oh, I know that. If you were willing to give me your power, I would have simply asked you and not gone to all the trouble of sending my creations after you." "Creations?" Twilight raised an eyebrow at this. Void chuckled. "When I was sent to the Storm King's realm, I had only a single item with me aside from Armalum and the Corrupted Shadow. My sword. A sword that was still coated in the blood of my enemy. I used that to create a being strong enough to take the power I needed, saving myself and removing an obstacle in the Storm King's way." Flash went wide-eyed at this, "You sent Mecha-Flash." His friends gasped at this, "And the other Trials as well." "Bingo," Void cackled, "But alas, they were not enough to defeat you and take what I needed. However, they did help the Storm King's forces learn what you and your friends were capable of. The giant ape realized that you all had ridiculous amounts of skill, power and sheer dumb luck. That meant defeating you by force is practically impossible." He shook his head at this, "But you do have weaknesses. The bonds of friendship you rely on so much might make you strong, even if you're on your own, but take enough pieces out of the machine, and the whole thing comes crashing down." "What did you do to the Royal Knights?" Flash asked, "Grand, Ruby, Iron and the rest. Where are they?" Void only lifted his hoof and tapped his nose, making Flash growl. Twilight stared at the armored pony, only to point at Armalum. "So...who is it you have under there? Did another pony like Tempest join the Storm King, only to end up as his host?" "Oh no," Void moved over to Armalum. "There's nopony under there." He reached up and grabbed Armalum's face, a flash of light causing the armor to vanish as he pulled the mask away to reveal a mechanical doll. Pieces of the doll were made of the black rock stuff that had powered the Trials and had stabbed into Flash twice now. "I built his artificial body and began powering it with Corrupted Shadow, allowing Armalum freedom of movement without the need to inhabit a body that might try and fight back against him." He replaced the mask and Armalum's armor reappeared around the doll as Void turned back to them, "And now we reach the end game. The Storm King gets his alicorns, I'll get my Sacred Light, and you'll have to suffer through it all. How wonderful it is to have everypony get what they deserve." "Don't be an idiot," Flash instantly responded, "You really think the Storm King's gonna let someone with power equaling his stick around?!" "Yeah!" Heart nodded, "Even if you manage to get your hands on the Sacred Light, I bet the Storm King wouldn't let that power be around his!" Void simply chuckled at this. "Of course I know. There can only be one all powerful being in this world, and that...will be me. And before the Storm King can think of a plan to get rid of me...I'll have already gotten rid of him. He's an utter fool after all, and I plan to remove him as soon as I have the Sacred Light. Besides, he's already done all the grunt work in conquering Equestria's capital, the rest of the kingdom won't be a problem. Soon, all of Equestria will be mine as it always should have been. And who knows, I might just decide to free the magicless princesses from their stony prisons. I will need some entertainment when ruling gets boring." He glanced over at Twilight, looking her up and down with a smile that made Twilight shiver. That is, till he glared at Soul, the filly quickly hiding behind the older alicorn. Flash growled again, trying to summon his Sacred Light, but a flinch of pain from his quickly healing wound made him stumble, only for Void to say, "Well, I'm going to be going." He spun aroung at this, "I have a few final preparations before we reach Canterlot." He glanced back at Flash, "I'd suggest you enjoy the time you all have left together. After it, you'll never see one another again...and you have no idea how happy that makes me." With that, he was gone and Armalum left with him. The four ponies all hung there, letting what Void told them sink in. "We've got to get outta here!" Twilight yelled before she leapt back and charged up as much magic as she could muster, then fired. The blast struck the bars, turning into simple bursts that changed into sparkly rain that faded away. And as this happened, somepony appeared from out of the darkness where Void had left a minute ago. Tempest. "Aww," she chuckled as she walked up to them, "The Princess of Friendship...with no friends!" She let out a cackle until she heard Flash clear his throat, making her turn to him and realize her statement wasn't true. "And no way out." She corrected as she circled around the cage, Twilight making sure to stay between her and Soul. "Why are you doing this?" She asked, "You're a pony, just like us!" But when she said that, Tempest shot up and slammed her broken horn onto the bars. It unleashed a stream of blue electricity, illuminating the bar and sent a few rogue bolts into the cage that made Twilight gasp and push Soul back. "I'm nothing like you! I'm more than you'll ever be!" She roared, the group all flinching at her words, only for music to start playing in their heads. It appeared even evil ponies still had the need to sing their feelings at appropriate times. [Tempest] It's time you learned a lesson It's time that you understand Don't ever count on anybody else In this or any other land Tempest circled around Twilight's cage all while singing, only to step away from the princess with her back away from the mare. [Tempest] I once hoped for friendship To find a place among my kind But those were the childish wishes Of someone who was blind She spun around as steam from the lava below them flew up in a stream on either side of her. [Tempest] Open up your eyes See the world from where I stand Me, among the mighty You, caged at my command She walked over to Twilight's cage and spun it around as she kept singing. When Twilight stopped spinning, Tempest grabbed her by the chin and forced her to look up into her eyes. [Tempest] Open up your eyes Give up your sweet fantasy land It's time to grow up and get wise Come now, little one, open up your eyes And as she sang, Tempest told them a tale. A tale of a little unicorn filly with many friends that she loved to play with since she could use her magic with incredible skill in their games. But then one day, those friends lost their ball in a forest cave outside their hometown. And when that filly bravely ventured in to retrieve it, she found that the cave was home to an Ursa Minor. The beast, with a single swipe of its claws, broke the filly's horn from her head and left a large scar over her eye. The child was barely able to escape and spent months recuperating, but there were some things that just couldn't be healed. This included her horn, which she could no longer use properly. When she returned to her friends and attempted to use her broken horn to play, all she could do was unleash sparks of raw magic that scared them. The friends quickly abandoned her, finding another unicorn that had a lot of skill with her horn, leaving the filly lost and alone. [Tempest] And as you take that first step Upon a path that's all your own You see it all so clearly The best way to survive is all alone She turned to glare at Twilight as she began to ascend a staircase leading up to the cage controls. [Tempest] Open up your eyes See the world from where I stand Me, among the mighty You, caged at my command She pulled a lever and the cages began to be pulled upward. [Tempest] Open up your eyes And behold the faded light She stopped Twilight's cage and smiled at her as Twilight felt all hope for saving her home dwindle away. [Tempest] It's time to grow up and get wise Come now, little one, open up your eyes She let the cage go and the pair were lifted up onto the airship's main deck. And when they were, the caged ponies gasped when they saw where they were. [Tempest] Open up your eyes! In the not too far off distance, the mountain that held the city of Canterlot could be seen surrounded by a thick layer of smog. It was surrounded by multiple zeppelins, clearly ready for any kind of aerial attack. Staring at it like this, Twilight couldn't see how any of her friends would hope to free the city from the Storm King's control. Even with the dragons and changelings, the odds felt insurmountable. But despite this, she also felt pity for Tempest as she let the story she told sink in. "I'm so sorry you felt so alone." Tempest rolled her eyes at this, "I saw the truth. My friends abandoned me when times got tough." She glanced back at her, "Looks like I'm not the only one." Twilight grimaced at this, "Face it princess, friendship has failed you too." She walked off, leaving the ponies to dwell on those words. "Friendship didn't fail me," the princess whimpered out, "I failed friendship." She looked down in shame and the others couldn't say anything, the three simply staring at their home and the fate it was currently suffering. "Springer," Flash whispered, "Everypony. It's up to you now." Heart heard this and sighed, hating that his mentor had given up. If only he had been stronger. Back near Mount Aris, Springer and the ponies were all laying about on the beach. Despair had overtaken them all, the hurt of what Twilight had said stinging greatly. Fluttershy let out a sigh as she ran her hooves through her mane. "This whole journey was such a mistake." She sighed as she fought back tears, slowly shrinking down to mouse size. "All we wanted was somepony to help us." Springer, who currently standing on the ocean angrily skimming rocks, turned to the others and could feel their pain. He himself was also feeling pain, fearing what those monsters could have done to Ace and Mira by now. He then heard Applejack sigh, "Ya think maybe it's time we talk to Twilight?" "They've...been...TAKEN!" They all turned to see Spike running down the beach, looking out of breath. "What?!" Rainbow yelped as Spike reached them. "Twilight!" He yelled, "Flash, the twins...they've all been taken! Tempest! She grabbed them! And took them away on her ship!" This caused them all to go wide-eyed, Springer now shattering the rock he was holding in his paws. "We gotta get'em back!" Rainbow told the others. "How?" Fluttershy asked as she grew back to normal, "We'll never catch up to an airship!" "And we got no way to defeat those monsters," Applejack added, "Dah dragons and changelin's won't attack until they get word from us, and we don't have anything to send ta them! By dah time they send us another message, it'll probably be too late." Fluttershy sighed at this, Springer turning back to the ocean. But as he did this, he sensed something. "Who's there!" He made an Aura Blast, pointing it at some rocks, "Come out here!" A moment later, a figure stepped out from the rocks, a figure they all knew. "No need to blast me," Capper replied, "And you're in luck, cuz I happen to know of a group of mighty heroes that could handle this easily!" "Well!" Rarity growled, "Look what the cat dragged in! Himself!" Capper chuckled at them as he continued his speech. "These heroes have faced the Storm King's army and escaped!" All but Springer and Applejack became very invested in his words. "I've seen them tackle the streets of the roughest towns, break out of the tightest situations, and inspire others to join their cause!" "Ooooh," they all said before Applejack spoke up. "Now don't get too excited. He's just talkin' about us." "Awww," they all moaned as Capper chuckled and leapt off the rock. "They even escaped certain doom at the hooves of Commander Tempest!" "Yeah," Rainbow added, "That was pretty great." "Are you kidding me?!" Another voice called out, making them look up to see Captain Celaeno and her crew atop the cliff above them. "That was awesome!" She exclaimed as they leapt down and landed next to them, one of the pirates letting out a might squawk. "Figured you could use a claw!" Boyle laughed, holding up his clawed metal hand. "We're on board to help you fight the Storm King!" Celaeno told them before looking sheepish, "Just not on board our...actual ship." "That crazy unicorn sunk it," Mullet growled before pointing at Rainbow. "But you got back our argh! And we're ready to kick some booty." The other pirates all laughed in agreement as Celaeno drew her sword, the others smiling at this. But before they could say anything, a new sound caught their attention. It was coming from the ocean, the group turning to see a large circle of bubbles. "Whoa!" They all yelped as something flew out of the water that was covered in sparkling light. It was a brilliant cocoon that burst open, shattering to reveal a young half bird half pony creature with a light blue mane and tail. "Is that what I think it is?" Capper asked, the others simply standing there with their eyes wide. Princess Skystar glided down and landed on a rock in the middle of the water, "Hellooooooo!!" She sang, "Me again!" She let out a series of giggles, "I'm gonna get so grounded, but I talked things over with Shelly and Sheldon and they pointed out that you were just trying to help your friends." Pinkie's smile grew huge as she walked up to her, "So I wanna help too." She flew onto the beach and smiled at the party pony, then held up her now claw tipped front legs. "'Cause ya know...one small thing..." She whispered the next part, "Can make a really big difference!" "That's it, right?" Spike asked, "We didn't make friends with anypony else?" The others smiled as Springer stepped up next to Capper. "Let's get to Canterlot," he cracked his knuckles. "Are friends need us and we've got a lot of ground to cover." It was here that Capper pulled something out of his coat: A couple sheets of paper. "Figured you might need some more," he told Spike as the dragon grabbed them along with a pencil. "Ya'll ready to do this thang!?" The others nodded with a smirk as Pinkie turned in the direction of home. "We're coming Twilight!" The others nodded, cheering loudly while Rainbow and Skystar took to the air. "As soon as we bake up a plan!" That statement got everypony to stop, "So..." Pinkie turned to the others, "Got any ideas?" There was no response. "Nothing?" "That's usually Twilight's area," Applejack pointed out. "Maybe," Springer chimed in, "But we know Twilight better than anypony. We know that if she was here and not one hundred percent stressed out from what was going on, she would find a way to use our strengths but also use our weaknesses." "Weaknesses?" Rainbow asked, "How do we use our weaknesses?" Springer smirked at her. "Rainbow, you're cocky and confident. Tempest probably thinks you'll go in guns blazing without a plan. So use that. Let them think that's what you're doing to lull them into a false sense of security, then hit 'em where it hurts with your super speed." Rainbow grinned at this as Springer turned to Applejack. "Applejack, you care about others more than anypony I know of. Especially your family. They'll probably try and use them as a shield to beat you." Applejack looked angry at this, "But a trapper's trap can trap the trapper. When we get there, find your family and anypony else you know can help and free them." "You got it," Applejack tipped her hat as Springer turned to Rarity. "You might seem ladylike and nothing to fear, but I've seen you become the most brutally dangerous pony when you wanna be. Show the Storm King being beautiful doesn't mean being weak." Rarity nodded and flicked her mane as Springer turned to Fluttershy. "You're one of the most special ponies in the world. You see the good in others, when even they don't see it in themselves. I can't imagine the Storm King's army is one hundred percent bad. Find those who seem hesitant and show them the Storm King doesn't have to dictate how they live their lives." Fluttershy nodded back, not looking scared at all. "Okay." Springer glanced over at Spike, "Spike, your loyalty to Twilight speaks volumes. You'll go above and beyond for her. And you're not some weak little kid like you used to be. You're a Mystic Flame Dragon. Son of dragon heroes. Show the world why you hold the title of number one assistant." "Oh yeah," Spike breathed a short fire blast as Springer turned to Pinkie. "And Pinkie. You might act like a brainless goofball, but you're one of the smartest ponies I know. Even smarter than Twilight in some areas. But it's that goofball side of you that makes you so dangerous. You're so unpredictable, it's impossible to figure out what you'll do next. So use that to throw them all off." "He's right," Pinkie cheered, "Let's use our strengths and our weaknesses. Let's take Equestria back, save our friends and have a lot of fun while doing it!" "YEAH!" The others cheered as Pinkie's eyes suddenly went wide. "I think I have an idea," she turned to Fluttershy. "Remember when you and Twilight went on that mission to the Smoky Mountains?" Fluttershy nodded again, "Tell me everything that happened." Canterlot... Now that the ponies had finished building the strange contraption for them, they were now being led around on chains like dogs while others were forced to weight on the creatures by giving them back massages and filing their claws down. If this was what the future of ponykind was like, many were praying for their lives to end. But some kept hope, one of them being Songbird Serenade. The mare was locked in a cage, singing a song about breaking through a storm in a hope that the ponies wouldn't give up. But she soon stopped when a Storm Guard slammed the side of her cage, saying something in its language she could only assume was a threat to shut up. She sighed at this as the sound of two carts rolling through the street made them look up, going wide-eyed as they saw Twilight, Flash and the twins being pushed through the street. The ponies all gasped at this, seeing that the two most powerful ponies left in Equestria were now prisoners like them. Songbird and Twilight locked eyes with one another, Twilight giving her a look of sorrow and apology before looking down in shame. And as they continued through the city until they reached the castle, they spotted some of their friends still chained to a post. "Twilight!" Starlight cried, only to almost be whipped by one of the Storm Guards. Flash glanced up and saw Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle in a cage further down the street, but he didn't spot Scootaloo or his parents. Twilight's parents were also nowhere to be seen, though he hoped they were okay. And as the carts came to a stop, they saw the device now completed. "Excellent," Void chuckled as he looked it over. "I assume it's been built exactly to my specifications?" The Storm Guards nodded back, "It better be. You'll be using it first." They gulped at this as Void turned to Flash. "Well my friends, it seems we've reached the end of the line. I hope you've said goodbye to your loved ones." "Where are you taking him?" Soul asked as the Storm Guards powered up the device. They watched as the lightning appeared and formed the swirling vortex, Twilight going wide-eyed at this. "A Rune Gate...but how?! We've only recently invented that!" Void laughed at her face, "Oh please, you think something this simple couldn't be figured out by me?! Pathetic." Void spat as the portal grew larger and larger. "This tech is something I figured out years ago. Granted, this one is only a two-way system, but I'd prefer not to have these knuckle heads work on anything too tricky." He turned to Flash and Heart's cage as he raised his hoof, which sparked with lightning. He then thrust it into the cage and the lightning struck the pair, who started screaming while their friends called out their names. "Ahhh!" Flash fell to the cage's floor, Heart slumping down beside him. He felt himself barely able to remain conscious as Void let out a chuckle. The floor of the cage retracted and the Storm Guards lifted it up, allowing two others to grab Flash by the front hooves and pull him along the ground. A smaller cage was brought over, this one having a tub-like floor that was filled with water. The top was open as Armalum picked Heart up and dropped him inside, soaking him to the bone as he shut the top. The colt gasped as he woke up, lifting his head up out of the water, only to find that was the only part of his body in the small cage that was dry. He looked through the bars and gasped seeing Flash being pulled towards the portal. "Where are you taking him?" He heard Twilight ask as one of the Storm Guards carefully stepped through the portal. "Where it all began," Void smirked as the Storm Guard returned and gave them a thumbs up. "Excellent." The two carrying Flash pulled him through next. "FLASH!" Heart cried, seeing his mentor disappear. "No..." He then heard a noise and turned to see a Storm Guard stabbing Lightbringer into the ground. "I'll leave that there until I'm finished," Void chuckled, "It'll make a fun souvenir to remember the day I finally triumphed over that worthless fool." He and Armalum walked through the portal as Twilight and Soul were pulled away to the castle. "This isn't over Void!" Heart yelled, "You'll pay for this!" Void stopped in front of the portal and glanced back at Heart, "And who'll be the one to make me pay? You?" Heart flinched at this, "That's what I thought. Face it kid, if Flash Sentry couldn't beat me, then what hope do you have? You think you're special because you can shoot fire? Any unicorn could do that if they trained hard enough." Heart looked down at this, "Sentry might have made you his student, but nothing you do will ever allow you to succeed him. I'm actually doing you a favor, since the only way you'll ever get out of his shadow is for him to not be around anymore. You're welcome." He turned back to the portal, "I'll be back once this is all over. Don't have too much fun without me." With that, he and Armalum vanished. Heart watched this and slumped back in the cold water. "Heart!" Trixie called out to him, "What happened?!" "We lost," Heart replied, "Because Void's right. I'm not Flash, at least not the older Flash. I'm the Flash of his younger days, just like the other knights said." Tears began to well up, "I'm a loser." Twilight continued to hug Soul as they were carted through the now dimly lit castle. And as they arrived at the throne room, the Storm Guards pushing it open. The once beautiful room was now dark and depressing, as the stain class windows that were supposed to fill the room with light now covered by Storm King banners. The two spotted the three fossilized princesses near the throne, Grubber using a feather duster on them and smiling when he and Tempest locked eyes. A pattern had been drawn on the floor, which was a circle along with a four petalled flower. Each statue was positioned on the tip of a petal while their cage was placed on the final petal. A hole was also in the middle of the petal, and as soon as the cage was lowered, the Storm Guards led the ponies pulling the cart away. Grubber shut the doors and laughed as Twilight turned to her captor. "Tempest, don't do this. Don't give the Storm King-" "Your magic?" Tempest glared at her. "Did you think you'd keep it all to yourself?!" Twilight flinched at this, Tempest grinning at the sight, "Time to share." She looked away and closed her eyes, imagining what it was gonna be like when the Storm King restored her horn. "I'd love for everypony out there to know what I can really do." "Ooh," every head shot up and turned to a doorway beside the royal throne, "Fascinating!" The voice's owner stepped through the door, Twilight and Soul finally coming face to face with the one behind their misery. The Storm King stood tall, his staff gripped tightly in hand as he looked down at Tempest. "What can you really do?" Tempest flinched at this as Grubber spoke up. "Your bidding, of courth, Your Mighty One." He bowed, then looked around before rushing out of the room so quickly that Twilight wondered if somepony had hit fast forward on the DVD. The Storm King trotted up to the cage, a childish smirk appearing on his lips. "Bidding's good. I like bidding!" As he spoke, Twilight felt something in her heart drift away. Fear. The Storm King, who she had heard again and again ruled through fear and threats, didn't sound like the kind of evil tyrants she had met. Sombra, Chrysalis and Tirek, all felt more dangerous then him. Even Discord, who liked to joke even when he was a villain, felt more threatening. Even so, Twilight knew she couldn't take him likely. Even if he sounded and looked like a joke, he still commanded the army that had actually conquered her home. The satyr then noticed Twilight and Soul, raising an eyebrow and pointing a claw at them. "Um, what are you supposed to be?" Twilight pushed Soul behind her and stood tall, "I'm the Princess of Friendship!" But as she said this, the Storm King simply laughed and clutched his stomach. "Oh," he wiped away a tear. "That's nice." He turned to Tempest, his smirk vanishing with a deadly glare replacing it. "Why are these ones still moving?" "They and their friends put up a bit of a fight, but they're alone now." She turned to smirk at them, "They won't be a problem." Her smirk vanished when the Storm King patted her on the head and stroked his claws through her mane like he would a pet dog. "Yeah. So..." he looked around the throne room with disgust, "Speaking of problems, this place, it seems a little too...oh, I don't know...CUTE!!!" His roar echoed through the throne room as he turned to Tempest. "I don't like cute! I never did like cute! Doesn't really go with my whole big bad powerful magic guy thing, does it?! Deliver the punchline, Tempest, because this has gotta be a joke!" With that, he thrust the staff into the hole in the center of the flower. Twilight and Soul watched as the staff unleashed a light that made the pattern light up. When the light touched them and the other princesses, veins of light flew up their legs and bodies until they reached their horns. Both mares cried out as they felt the magic flow through them before exploding out their horns. "NO!" Twilight cried as the fives lights struck the staff, the Storm King laughing. "Check out the light show!" He cheered as all the magic in the five alicorns was completely drained from them, Twilight and Soul both falling to the floor. Magic gone, Twilight could only cry as she heard the Storm King laugh. Soul was the same, laying behind her as the two had fulfilled their role for these monsters. And as they laid there, Twilight could only think about how she had failed her friends, her friendship and Flash. And that lost thought made her cry even harder, the princess fearing it was already too late for him. Flash moaned as he began to come around. When he did, he felt his hooves and wings were pulled back by something strong and tight. He opened his eyes, only to see he was locked into shackles that were connected to a chain that was wrapped around a giant wooden post. He looked around, only to see his other hooves and wings were tied up in the same way. His eyes glanced around, only to see that the wooden post he was connected to was actually a giant tree. A huge one that was even bigger and thicker than Twilight's castle. He was suspended about halfway up the tree, Flash realizing the chains holding him were wrapped all the way around the trunk. "What is this place?" He asked, only for Void to appear in front of him. "Morning sleepyhead," he chuckled as he was standing on a hovering metal saucer. Armalum was next to him, on his own saucer. "Ready to get started?" "Where are we?" Flash asked. "What, don't you recognise it? I'll admit, I was surprised to see it like this as well. If Faust had a real form, I bet she would have green hooves. That's the only explanation for why this massive tree has grown where the city once stood in such a short amount of time." Flash let that info sink in, only to go wide-eyed. He now recognized the place, the area that the Lost City of Faust had been. Where Flash and Shadow had met and fought. Where all this started. "Why come back here?" "To settle things once and for all," Void smirked, "This was where I was supposed to become the most powerful being in existence, so this is where my return to power will take place. Now," he held up his hoof and placed it onto the spot Armalum had stabbed, "Let's get to work." The black veins suddenly began shrinking as he absorbed the Corrupted Shadow inside of Flash, both ponies flinching at it. Void quickly placed his other hoof onto Armalum, the Corrupted Shadow flying through his body and into the armor. When the last of it was sucked out, both Flash and Void gasped as they felt the pain be relieved. "Finally," Void sighed. "Now," he turned back to Flash, "Unleash your Sacred Light! Give it to me!" Flash raised an eyebrow at this, only to roll his eyes, "Oh...so you need me to give it to you. Can't drain it from my unless I'm using it, just like most of your Trials." He couldn't see Void's face, but Flash knew he was likely scowling at him. "Sorry to tell you this, but you're not getting your hooves on my power. If you think I'd just give you the Sacred Light, then you're even more crazy than I thought." "Oh, you'll give it to me." Void held up his hoof as it began to spark, "Because you'll be feeling nothing but agony unless you do." With that, he thrust his hoof out and started unleashing a blast of lightning. The pegasus screamed at this, every nerve in his body now being frying. Void chuckled at the pain on Flash's face, hoping this process would be long and slow, wanting to see the pony suffer. And soon, he would have the Sacred Light and the Storm King wielding the alicorn magic of the four princesses, plus one filly, and nothing and nopony would be able to stop them.