It began in a dojo, two certain jakhowls sitting in meditative stances as another was standing over them. It was Springer, his paws aflame with blue aura as he said, "Feel the aura...mold it within you." He puts his paws together before separating them again, the blue flames from his paws melding together before forming a long stick-like object that soon turned into a Bone Breaker. He began to spin it around, the bone slowly extending and retracting as he continued, "You can change it, meld it, form it..."
Ace and Mira sat there, both forming small Aura Blasts in their paws. The duo had their eyes closed, both clenching as the spheres hovering between their paws fizzled and shook. Springer watched the two's paws squirm as they try to make the aura balls change shape. Ace's was glitching, the sphere squeezing and slowly starting to stretch in a horizontal shape while Mira's continued to stay as a sphere, instead just getting bigger than Ace's.
"Mira, don't pump more aura in. The more aura you have, the harder it will be to control." Springer commented as he leaned down to Mira, the jakhowl dissipating his aura weapon before putting a paw on Mira's shoulder. "Keep calm. Don't get frustrated."
"I know..." Mira replied as she shrunk the sphere. "I just-"
"I got it!" Ace suddenly exclaimed, making both turn to see Ace making a semi-bone breaker. "Come on...come on..." The aura bone was small, but the young jakhowl soon began to extend it.
And a second later, it was as long as the jakhowl, both Springer and Mira now wide-eyed. "YES!" Ace exclaimed, only for the aura bone to instantly fade, "What?!"
Springer laughed at this before patting Ace's shoulder, "You stopped concentrating. Try again."
"Oh...right." Ace responded before closing his eyes again, only to instantly summon the aura bone this time. He peeked open his eyes at this, seeing the bone appear, though it was slightly glitching. "Yes!"
He began to spin it in his paws, Springer nodding at the sight. "Very good Ace. Now, remember to keep your focus."
"Got it." Ace said as he stared at the bone, trying to make it stop glitching. And as he did this, Mira watched the two as Springer summoned a Bone Breaker and showed it to Ace. The young jakhowl began to morph the bone to Springer's size, only for it break down.
"Don't worry, just try again."
Mira's ears drooped down at this, seeing Springer get on one knee and show Ace how to do it again before looking down at her paws. The sphere of aura between them was tiny, only that she could barely keep stable before sighing. But as she did this, she felt a paw touch her shoulder.
"Mira? Are you okay?" She glanced back up to see Springer, concern obvious on his face. She then turned to Ace, the jakhowl starting to summon the Bone Breaker again. But as she did this, Springer grabbed both shoulders, making her look back at him.
"Mira, don't compare yourself to him."
"Huh?"
Springer shook his head at this, "I can tell you're jealous. Don't. Don't feel that way."
Mira blinked at him for a second, only to feel tears appear in her eyes, "But he-"
"Don't." Springer interrupted, "Everyone is different. Don't think because he's done something you haven't done yet means you're a failure. You're not. Your abilities are different to his."
Mira just stared at her mentor, seeing a kind smile appear on his face. And as she opened her mouth to reply, she saw him suddenly jolt up, the grin disappearing as he released her shoulders. "Springer?"
"Somepony's here."
A second later, the alarm for the Rune Gate went off. The other two jakhowl also glanced up at this, only to see Springer close his eyes, his aura pouring out of him. And as he opened his eyes, he wore a fierce look on his face. "Training's done for today."
"Why? Isn't it normal for the Rune Gate to be used?" Ace asked.
Springer shook his head, "It is normal, but not by the pony that just used it."
Springer zipped down to the Rune Gate room, Ace and Mira following. And as he got to there, they saw a certain crystal unicorn walking through with a grin frown on their face. The trio of jakhowls could feel a pit of dread coming off the pony as Flash walked into the room.
"Ruby?" Flash asked, the unicorn turning to the defender, her grim expression staying on her face.
"Hello Flash. My apologies for the sudden entrance, but I need Springer's help."
"Me?" the jakhowl pointed at himself.
"Yes." Ruby replied as her horn lit up, the Rune Gate activating at this. A second later, two more ponies walked in with a stretcher that had a pony on it. But as they entered the room, the three jakhowls all shivered at the same time. Seeing this, Ruby let out a long sigh, "I was afraid of that."
"Of what?" Flash asked, having not noticed the jakhowls' reactions.
In response, Springer walked up to the stretcher, got on one knee and put his paw over the pony, a small blue aura appearing around it. He took a deep breath as Mira and Ace walked up to him.
"Um...Springer?" Mira whispered, "Why can't I sense that pony?"
"Yeah! It's like his aura isn't there!" Ace added. "It feels...wrong."
"That's because his aura has been stolen from him." Springer replied while looking back up Ruby, "Who is this?"
Ruby let out a long sigh, "A guard at the Crystal Pen." Springer and Flash went wide-eyed, only for Ruby to add, "We lost communication with them, only for this pony to appear out of the rune gate we use to get there."
"That's not good." Flash grimaced, Springer slowly standing up at this. "Bud, you think this is-"
"Shade." Springer hissed, "He's back. Again."
Ace and Mira froze up at this, Mira looking back down at the guard, "That's what Shade does to other ponies?"
Springer nodded back, "Yes. Tricksters can take aura from others." He then turned to Ruby, "I'm guessing you need me to come along?"
"Absolutely. It's a fool's gambit to go after a Trickster without a jakhowl. I've done it before, and it did not go well." She turned to Flash, "Do you want to come along?"
"Sure, I'm in." Flash nodded back, only for Ace and Mira to grab Springer's legs.
"Let us come too!"
"Yeah! I wanna beat that creep again!"
Springer shook his head at this, "No. I need to do this. If you're there, he'll do everything he can to hurt you both."
"But-"
"Ace. Mira." Springer interrupted as he got down to their level, putting a paw on each of their shoulders. "Listen to me. What I'm about to do is something you're not ready for. It's...it's what we jakhowls are destined to do, and one day, you will do it as well. But for now...let me handle it."
"But...but why?! Why do you have to fight that jerk?!"
Springer closed his eyes, taking a long deep breath, "Because...because it's something I have to do." He opened his eyes and saw the duo glaring at him, making him sigh, "Listen, I'll explain it to you one day, alright?"
"But-"
Flash put his hoof on Ace's shoulder, "Let us handle this. Sides, I got a different job for you two."
The duo turned to the defender, seeing a grin on his face. "You do?"
"Yup. Go to town and tell the other defenders what's going on. Tell them we might need backup on this one."
The two jakhowls glanced over at each other before looking at Springer, the jakhowl nodding back at them. Seeing this, they shined two fierce glares at they looked back at Flash, "Okay! We'll do it!"
"Nice. Now get going." The two nodded and ran off, leaving the now chuckling defender.
"Seems they're starting to grow up." Ruby giggled as she turned to Springer, "You must be so proud of them."
"I am. They're good kids." Springer replied before pointing at the stretcher, "What are we going to do with him?"
"He will recover over time." Ruby responded before gesturing to the two helper ponies. "Take him back to the empire." They nodded and went through the gate, the crystal knight looking back at the duo, "Ready?"
"You bet."
"Let's do this!"
And with that, all three leapt into the Rune Gate, ready to take on what a certain fox was cooking up now.
The gate at the Crystal Empire began to glow, three ponies all staring at it. They were Princess Cadance, Shining Armor and Ruby's apprentice Jaden. A minute ago, the two helper ponies with the stretcher had came back through, and now three new ones walked through the portal.
Ruby appeared first, quickly bowing down, "Your majesty, I have brought Springer and Flash Sentry."
A second later, the two defenders appeared, the sight making the three smile. "Flash." Cadance said as she walked up and hugged the pegasus, "So good to see you."
"Same." He broke the embrace, "Sorry it's over something bad. Especially since we just had you go through Sombra again."
She shook her head, "It's fine. Him and Amore are keeping busy thankfully. And honestly, I feel this is a new challenge for me since I'm still trying to regain the crystal ponies' trust." She turned to her husband, "It's just...we're all a bit on edge. I know the prison is outside of the empire, but we don't want the empire getting overrun by criminals."
"No kidding." Flash crossed his hooves before glancing over at Shining, "What's the situation? Do we have the rune gate to the prison on lockdown?"
Shining nodded back, "We do. We got over half our guards waiting at the gate. We haven't sent anypony in yet because...well, we have a feeling if we did, things would get dicey quickly."
"Understood." Flash tapped the blade at his side, "Well, I'm ready to go in and knock some heads if need be."
"Jaden." Ruby spoke up, her apprentice standing to attention. "Thank you for staying here. I now want you to go and patrol the outer walls of the empire. I know the rest of our guards are there, and there is a blizzard going on right now, but we need to keep diligent watch."
"Yes ma'am!" He saluted her before running off, Flash chuckling at the sight.
"Ma'am?"
Ruby rolled her eyes, "I ask for some respect, unlike you. That and he needed to learn it after disobeying me with following me and Sombra." She gestured to him with her hooves, "Come. We have a lot to do."
The trio were now standing in the hidden room under the city jail, the place still filled with symbols and a rune circle on the floor. Flash and Springer nodded to Ruby, the unicorn nodding back before her horn shined. "Here we go..." Flash commented as the room shined with a runic light. And a second later, they found themselves in the exact same room.
"Get ready." Ruby whispered as Flash pulled out Lightbringer out of its sheath. Springer's paws burned with aura at this, Ruby putting her hoof on the door's handle and twisting it.
They slowly opened the door, Ruby glancing in first before entering, Flash and Springer soon following. But as they did this, the sight before them made them grimace. The Crystal Pen, the giant crystal fortress prison, was empty. There was nothing, no sound, no guards, no prisoners. Every door around them was open and the cells were empty. They glanced around at the octagonal place, seeing nothing.
"Uh...you don't think Shade released everypony and used a rune gate to get them all out of here, do you?"
Ruby shook her head, "No. We made precautions for that. We had Solid Script put anti-magic runes and anti-runes over the whole prison. No way to teleport out except the room we just used."
"Well, there's got to be something. Big Score somehow got out a while back."
Ruby hummed at this, "I know. We haven't figured that out, but think about it. A lot of criminals in here would not stay quiet if they got out."
"True."
"What I don't get is how Shade knew about this place." Springer chimed in, "Like, why come here?"
Ruby put a hoof to her chin at this, "I was thinking about that too. It might be because he was in prison when we were doing the prisoner transfers. We never transported him because we can't neutralize his powers regularly, but that doesn't mean he overheard about this place."
"Great..." Flash groaned as they walked down one of the bridges, still not seeing or hearing anything. "So...now what? Where did the prisoners go?"
"Oh, they're around. Just not here." said a new voice, making them glance up. There, they saw a certain bipedal black fox shining a huge grin as he laid out on top of the observation deck's side roof. "Hello Springer."
"Shade..." Springer growled, his battle form about to go mega until Shade flashed a claw.
"I suggest you don't do that. I mean, I know I turned off most of the anti-magic runes here, but I suspect you don't want to destroy this prison, do you? That includes your giant form from the last time we fought."
"What do you want Trickster?!" Ruby yelled as she summoned a crystal sword, "Where are the prisoners?!"
"Behind you."
The trio flinched at that before glancing back, only to see a unicorn they did not want to see. "Hello Sentry. Come to give me my Celestic Gear back?"
It was Doom Raizer, the unicorn shining a big grin before firing out a beam of magic. Flash quickly raised his blade at this, deflecting the beam before a sudden blur tackled him. "Whoa!" he yelped as the figure shoved Flash over the bridge and dived down with him.
"Hi again! I've been waiting for a rematch!" laughed the pony that tackled Flash, the defender now seeing it was Toxic Fang as the two fell down several feet.
"Flash!" Springer gasped, only for another flying pony to land in front of him.
"You two...where is my blade?! Where is it?!" the pegasi roared, both seeing it was Storm Blade. He then leapt at the duo, Ruby's horn shining as she summoned a crystal wall, Storm instantly ramming into it. A loud clang followed this, the pony slumping down as he had hit the crystal wall head first.
"We've got to move Springer! Now!" Ruby yelled, only for a bolt of lightning to come up from their left, both turning to see Electra. She was flying with electricity under her hooves, Banshee on her back as she leapt from her and onto the bridge.
"Hello Ruby." Banshee hissed, "I can't wait to blast your eardrums out."
"This keeps getting better and better." Springer commented, Shade laughing at this.
"Doesn't it? I'm so glad I snuck in here and let them all go. That being said..." Shade cackled before snapping his claws. The ponies all glaring at them stepping back as Shade pointed at the ceiling. "I'll make this easier on you Springer. Hop up here and follow me to the roof. We'll be fighting there while your two pals...well, they have a lot of friends here that really really want to kill them, and I'm not one to ruin their fun."
Springer and Ruby shared a glance before the jakhowl roared, "I'm not gonna abandon them to fight these villains alone!"
Shade just shrugged at this, "Oookay. Your funeral." He then hopped up from where he was and started to backpedal, "Well, good luck surviving. I'll be waiting up there."
Ruby and Springer went back to back at this, only to not just see Doom, Banshee and Electra, but a second later, Slushy, Longhorn and Grimhorn also appeared, the six surrounding the two.
"That's not good."
Meanwhile, on the prison's bottom floor...
"Get off of me!" Flash yelled as he kicked Toxic in the face, knocking him back. As he did this, another pegasi swooped in, kicking the defender in the face. "Blaugh!" His body slammed into the floor, soon skidding before spinning a second and hopping back onto his hooves. And as he did this, he looked up and saw the pegasi that kicked him, "Rickashay..."
The pegasi just grinned back, Flash quickly flaring his wings at the sight before leaping up. Just as the defender knew he should, a large figure suddenly dashed under him, hitting the wall a second later. Glancing down, he saw it was Boulder, the sight making Flash raise his blade up as his eyes darted around.
"Where's your boss?" Flash asked, only to get no response. Rickashay, Boulder and Toxic just smiled at him, the sight making Flash flinch. "Oookay...what's going on?"
"THIS!" yelled two voices as twin magic beams struck Flash's back.
"Yaugh!" he yelped as the blow knocked him down, his face hitting the floor. And as this happened, Boulder leapt at him, the defender glancing up before quickly rolling to the side, dodging the thug. This was followed by Rickashay diving at him with a kick to Flash's face, the defender blocking it with his blade. The pegasi's attack bounced off the enchanted steel, only for Flash's ears to perk up as he heard two horns charging up. Glancing back, he now saw the unicorns that had attacked him: Big Score and Shake Shocker.
BLAM!
Two beams came for Flash again, the pegasi spinning like a top as he flipped himself away from the attack. But as he did this, Toxic Fang leapt at him, tackling the defender as he opened his mouth wide. "Time for a snack!" Toxic laughed as he thrusted his fangs right at Flash's neck. But as he did this, Flash quickly thrust his knee into Toxic's stomach, making spit fly out of the bat pony's mouth, "Blargh!"
"I told you, get off of me!" Flash yelled as he then leaned his head back, only to thrust it forward, headbutting the bat pony. Toxic was instantly knocked off him, only for two beams to hit Flash's back again. "Yow!"
"Payback time, Sentry!" Big Score yelled as he fired another beam, Flash spinning around and blocking it with his blade. And as he did this, Rickashay and Boulder charged at the defender, Flash flaring his wings before taking to the air. "You're not getting out of this!"
"Yeah!" Shake added as he and Score kept firing beams at the knight. "We made the other prisoners give us first dibs on your flank! You die today!"
"Sorry, that's not on my agenda today, or for the rest of the week." Flash replied as he dodged both attacks, only to turn to see Rickashay charge at him. But as the thug came, Flash just clenched his hooves as Rickshay tried to kick him again. And as the criminal was about to strike, Flash caught the kick with one hoof, Rickashay going wide-eyed before Flash spun him around and flung the thug into a nearby wall. The pegasi's back hit the concrete instantly, the thug slumping down a second later.
And as this happened, Toxic tackled Flash from the back, both hitting the floor as Toxic opened his mouth, ready to try and bite the defender again. But as he did this, Flash flared his wings and yelled, "That's it! Armorize!"
"Armor-what?" Toxic replied, only to suddenly be blinded by a burst of light, "Yagh!"
"Get off of me!" Flash roared as the armor appeared on his body, the boosters in his wings instantly firing up as he rocketed Toxic off. And as he did this, he charged straight for Score and Shake, the two gasping at the impending knight. They began to leap away, only for Flash to screech, "Come here you!"
Score jumped away successfully, Flash tackling Shake before spinning mid-air and kicking him into a nearby cell, the unicorn hitting a wall before slumping over with swirls in his eyes. The defender then turned back to Score, Toxic and Boulder, rage clear on his face. "I'll give you one chance to give up. Get back in your cells, or else!"
The trio flinched at this, all starting to backpedal before Boulder glared at the defender. He then charged straight ahead, Score yelling, "No! Boulder, wait-"
But before Score's words could even hit Boulder's ears, Flash vanished before slamming a hoof into the earth pony's stomach. Spit flew out of his mouth, his eyes going white before slumping over. Flash then glanced back up at Score and Toxic, the two grimacing as they felt a wave on energy pour off the defender. And as they just began to react, Flash flung Boulder's body straight at Score, his horn sputtering as he tried to make a spell.
CRASH!
The earth pony collided with Score, knocking him out as well as both were thrown into an empty cell. This was followed by Flash glaring at Toxic, the bat pony flinching at the sight. But as he was about to speak up to surrender-
BLAM!
"Blaugh!" Flash yelped as a beam of magic hit his side, knocking him into a nearby wall. This was followed by another blast of magic hitting the defender, only for the knight to suddenly be slammed into the floor. Above the knight was now a small magic field of intense gravity, pushing him down. Toxic then turned to see Doom Raizer, the biggest grin on his face.
"I don't think so." He cackled before turning to Toxic, "Come on, don't be scared of him. He's just a rat my father picked up from the gutters. He's no real threat."
He glanced back at Flash, seeing him slowly move in the gravity spell pinning him to the ground. The sight made him smile, Toxic walking up to Flash as Doom just laughed, "Don't even bother." he commented as Flash began to slowly stand up, only for Doom's horn to flare, causing the gravity magic to slam him back into the floor.
"How are you-" Flash grunted out, only to see Doom start cackling again.
"Oh please. Even if those idiots had that magic nullifier on my horn all this time, I still have my hatred for you." Doom spat as he pointed at his horn, "After all, magic can get all it's strength back even for a little bit, with emotions alone." He began to stride up to Flash at this, "And I've held in endless hatred for you, you worthless gutter rat."
He then gestured to Toxic, the bat pony opening his mouth as his fangs dripped poison. "Give him a bite Toxic while I use my magic to pry that armor off of him." Doom shined the biggest grin as he said his next words, "Then we'll tear him apart...piece by piece."
Springer and Ruby were still on that top bridge, the unicorn summoning a crystal wall that shut off Banshee before dodging a bolt from Electra. As this happened, Spinger dodged two punches from Grimhorn, ducking and flipping around him as he summoned a Bone Breaker.
"Take this!" Springer roared as he swung the weapon straight for the minotaur's head...only to shatter on impact. "Uh-oh."
"You...weak!" Grimhorn yelled as he slammed a fist into Springer's stomach, his mouth now firing out a glob of spit. He began to fall over at this, only to glance up and saw the minotaur about to slam both fists onto his head. The defender quickly rolling to the side at this, both fists hitting and slightly cracking the bridge.
But as he dodged this blow, Slushy fired a beam straight for the jakhowl, Springer doing a slight duck as he dodged it, only for the beam to hit the crystal wall. The beam bounced off it, hitting Ruby's side, "Urgh!" She winced before Electra tackled her, electricity pouring out of her horn.
"Time to fry you!" She screeched as her horn fully lit up.
"Not a chance!" Springer yelled as he spun around, dodging another punch from Grimhorn as he fired an Aura Blast. Electra turned to the sphere, firing a bolt that made the ball explode. But as it did this, Ruby slammed her hoof into Electra's face, knocking her back.
"Urk! You little..." Electra hissed, only to see Ruby's horn flare as she summoned a crystal club. "Eep!" She yelped as she leapt off the bridge as Ruby swung the weapon at her. And as she did this, Slushy fired another beam, the knight hearing the sound of the magical projectile and rolling away just in time. But as she did this, the crystal wall separating the bridge exploded.
"No more hiding! I'm destroying your eardrums now Ruby!" Banshee screamed, "I'm gonna-" She muffled out as Ruby fired a beam straight at her face, instantly going down her throat. Ruby smirked at the sight, reminding herself to thank Twilight for showing her that trick. Banshee then opened her mouth again, now nothing coming out thanks to the muting spell, only for Ruby to punch her in the jaw, knocking her out instantly.
And as she smiled at the sight, the crackle of lightning rang out again, making her turn to see Electra floating in the air. Bolts poured out of her horn, Ruby's horn flaring in response. The two got ready to face off, only for Springer to fire another Aura Blast, Slushy leaping away from the sphere as the defender dodged another punch from Grimhorn. The jakhowl had to admit that the minotaur was much slower than him, but also he couldn't really damage him due to the minotaur taking two Aura Blasts head on like it was nothing.
But as Electra fired a giant bolt straight for Ruby, the knight leapt out of the way, only to feel a stray bolt hit her side. She flinched at the blow, Electra laughing as Grimhorn yelled, "Stop...moving!" The minotaur swung another punch, Springer diving and sliding under his legs before aiming both paws into the minotaur's back.
"Aura Force!" Springer roared as he fired the beam into the beast, pushing him across the bridge just as Electra fired another bolt...that went straight into the minotaur.
ZAP!
"YEAUGH!" Grimhorn yelped as his whole body lit up and showed his massive skeleton before falling over.
"Uh...oops." Electra muttered out as she saw the minotaur now laid out on the bridge. This was followed by a magic beam hitting her in the face, "Augh!" She screamed as she was knocked out of flight, the unicorn hitting the bridge below them.
"And that's another one down." Ruby panted before both knight and jakhowl turned to Slushy. The unicorn tensed up at this, her eyes darting between the two as both glared at her...only to notice who was behind her as well. It was Longhorn, the bull just staring at both with a blank expression.
Seeing this, Ruby turned to Springer and said, "Springer, go to the roof and fight Shade."
The jakhowl turned to her, his eyes slightly widened, "What?! I can't just leave you here!"
"I'll be fine. Get going." Ruby replied as her horn began to shine again. She then looked straight into his eyes, the jakhowl feeling a surge of emotion from her. It was...trust. That was all he could feel. Seeing this, he gave a small nod.
"Okay. Thanks Ruby."
"No problem. Now get going."
With that, Springer spun around and leapt onto the platform Shade had been on before. And with a quick few motions, he began hopping up the structure, soon finding a hatch that led to the roof. And as he opened this, Ruby charged at Slushy, the criminal grimacing at the sight. She began to backpedal, her horn sputtering as she fired a beam at the knight, Ruby ducking under it before getting right up in Slushy's face.
"Urgh!" Slushy moaned as Ruby slammed a hoof into the criminal's stomach. Ruby then spun around and thrusted her back hooves into Slushy's face, knocking her flying into a wall. "Blaugh!"
And as Slushy slumped down to the floor, Ruby suddenly felt something hit her side. "Oof!" She yelped before feeling two hooves grabbing her sides before slinging her into the floor, "Augh!" She then saw it was Longhorn, who slammed a hoof into Ruby's face.
"HA! I knew if I waited long enough, you would forget about me!" Longhorn cackled as he punched her again, the knight spitting out blood as she tried to summon some magic, only to feel another punch. The horn sputtered at this, Longhorn laughing as he continued to punch her. "I'm getting out of here, and you won't stop me!"
A freezing wind was the first thing Springer felt when he opened up the hatch to the prison's roof. His mind reminded him that Ruby and the others had mentioned a blizzard going on...and it seemed it was even closer to the prison than the empire. Despite this, the jakhowl slowly climbed onto the roof, only to see a sleet of snow covering the whole building.
And as he spun around, he saw the being he was looking for. The fox was on two feet, shining the biggest grin as runes decorated his body in shining blood red glory. "So...you finally came up here." Shade remarked as Springer closed the roof shutter. And as he did this, he saw the fox point to a collection of figures all on the rooftop. All laid out on the roof's floor was the missing prison guards, all wrapped up in ropes with rune all over the bindings and clothes stuffed into their mouths. That, and they were shivering like leaves. Who knows how long they've been up here in the freezing cold.
"You..." Springer growled as aura began to consume his paws.
"Don't bother." Shade cackled, shaking his head. His usual grin was still there, though it had a...melancholic tone to it. "If you attack me with aura, one of the guards will suffer. That's what all those runes are."
Springer glanced back at the guards, seeing ice forming around them and their ropes before glaring back at the fox, "Shade..."
"Put the aura away, jakhowl. We need to talk." Shade replied as he spun around, staring out in the distance. A second later, a harsh freezing wind hit them all. "Aaaah...this is why I like having fur. It lets me survive places like this." He glanced back at Springer, "Don't you agree?"
"No. I prefer being warm." Springer hissed as the blue flames around his paws sputtered out despite going into a fighting stance, "Let's skip the chit-chat. What do you want, Shade?"
"What do I want? That should be obvious." Shade laughed before shaking his head again, "We've done this so many times and yet you still don't get it? I only want one thing." He pointed at the jakhowl, "I wish to fulfill Dark Mist's dream. I want your kind dead, along with your precious princess of the night."
"And you did all this for that?!" Springer yelled as he gestured his arms out, "For this?! For some...stupid showdown between me and you while letting a ton of criminals loose?!"
"Of course." Shade replied in a calm tone, Springer's growls getting louder as Shade added, "I will always be there Springer. I told you before, you and I...we are destined to do this. That is the fate of the jakhowls and Tricksters." He raised both claws into the air before shining his signature grin, "This...is what we were born for Springer. This is yours and mine's destiny."
Springer's fists clenched up, every fiber of being trying to summon a spark of aura that he could just fire straight into the fox's face. But as he felt this, his eyes went back to the guards, making him snarl as he looked back at Shade, "Seriously?! That's it?! You know, you told me once that the Tricksters were a learning species that actually...what did you say? Oh yeah, value knowledge or something like that. How stupid are you?!"
Shade's grin instantly vanished as he yelled, "I am not stupid! I am doing-"
"Shut up." Springer interrupted as he got into a fighting stance. "I'm so sick and tired of fighting you. Let's just do this and get it over with."
Shade let out a snarl at that, "It is not stupid and neither am I!" The fox then pointed at the guards, "Why do you think I took hostages and let the prisoners free?! It is all to beat you! To kill you!"
"Seriously?!"
"Of course!" Shade exclaimed before pointing at Springer, "I know I can't beat you! Your power is greater than any jakhowl. So, I have to even the playing field. Create a scenario where you can't get any of your pathetic friends help or let you use your full power! That is my plan!"
"And I'll still stop you. I don't need my aura to beat you, Shade." Springer replied, Shade's body now erupting a black aura.
"You will not beat me!" The fox roared as the runes on his body glowed, "Tonight, I will take your head, and tomorrow, the rest of your kind and the princess of the night shall fall! And then, I will-"
"Oh, shut up!" Springer yelled as he charged at the fox, thrusting a jab straight at Shade's face. The fox instantly ducked under it, quickly countering with a dark aura infused claw as he tried to slash at Springer's stomach. But as the claw got close, the jakhowl instantly backpedaled, dodging it in a hair's breath before spinning like a top while swinging a kick straight for the fox's head.
THWACK!
The ankle of the foot smacked Shade's face, a bead of spit coming out of him before he thrust another claw at Springer. The jakhowl quickly sidestepped away, only for Shade to open his mouth, "Dark Blast!" A black orb instantly came out, firing straight for the jakhowl as he crossed both his arms.
BOOM!
"Yaugh!" Springer yelped as the explosion from the orb knocked him back, breaking his guard as Shade charged in. A claw instantly hit Springer's stomach, spit flying out his mouth now before getting backhanded by the fox. But as this blow hit him, Springer spun around again, thrusting another kick into Shade's face. The blow knocked the fox back, stumbling back before Springer rushed in, three jabs quickly hitting the fox's chest.
"Urgh!" Shade growled before wildly swinging his claws, Springer shuffling his feet as he dodged each blow, only for Springer to thrust a leg into Shade's chest, knocking the fox off his feet. His back hit the roof, the Trickster quickly rolling back onto his feet, only to see Springer's foot coming straight for his face. This was followed by four more kicks, every blow knocking the fox back before Springer did a flip, the tip of his foot uppercutting into Shade's head. The fox's head hit the roof again, the rest of his body smacking the floor as well before a black aura surged off his body at this, Springer about to charge in again, only to backpedal a step.
"Grrr...you're still the same old jakhowl, aren't ya?" Shade grumbled as a bit of blood dripped off his mouth as he got up, putting a claw up to his lips and wiping it. "Guess I'll have to try something else." He then snapped his claws at this, Springer raising an eyebrow before hearing a muffled scream behind him.
"MPMH!" The jakhowl glanced back and saw one of the tied up guards try to scream as a rune on his him suddenly surged a blast of electricity into the pony.
"What the-urgh!" Springer tried to say before Shade slammed a claw into his face. The jakhowl then thrusted a punch back, Shade ducking under the jab before stabbing a claw into Springer's stomach, making the jakhowl spit out a glob of blood. Shade opened his mouth next, summoning a Dark Blast before firing the orb right into Springer's face. "BLAUGH!"
The guards watched the jakhowl hit the roof's floor, Shade laughing as Springer rolled back onto his feet. The fox then shook his head as he put his fingers together, making the jakhowl tense up as he said, "Don't move."
"Or what? You're just gonna hurt your hostages because you know you can't beat me?!" Springer snarled, aura trying to appear in his paws.
Shade let out a hiss at that, "You..."
"That's it, isn't it?" Springer growled and pointed at him, "I put you in a corner and you immediately started cheating. That's why you'll never win, Shade." Springer then waved off his paw, "Just give up. You'll never beat me."
"You...you..." Shade muttered as a dark aura covered his body, the runes on his body now shining. And as the runes glowed fully, he let out a roar, "Why don't you get it?!" He pointed to himself before pointing at Springer, "This is why I exist! Why we exist! I exist to kill you and your kind, and that means I have to cheat to fight you! That is the fate of all Tricksters and jakhowls!"
Springer just stood tall at this, soon shaking his head, "Sorry Shade, but I don't care." He then pointed at himself, "I'm only here to make sure you stop causing trouble, beat you, go back down there and help round up the other prisoners, and then go home! That's my fate."
"You..." Shade hissed, his claws shaking as dark aura consumed them.
Springer gave the fox a 'come on' gesture with his right paw, "Come on Shade, let's finish this already."
Shade's eye twitched at that as a chilling wind hit both, the blizzard that was still a few miles away now pushing itself closer to the jail. "You will do nothing." Shade growled, "I will win today. You will die, your friends will die...and I will win! It...it is why I exist!" Two Dark Claws appeared on his paws, "I won't lose, jakhowl!"
Springer just shook his head and switched to a fighting stance. "You're not winning today. You or the prisoners."
"SHUT UP!" Shade screeched as he charged at the jakhowl, "IT ENDS HERE SPRINGER! YOU DIE TODAY!"
Toxic's fangs slowly descended onto Flash's shoulder, the biggest grin on his face as he did this. The defender was still squirming, the ground under him rumbling as he kept fighting against the gravity magic, glaring up at Doom with anger filled eyes. The sight made Doom laugh, "My my...even now, you try to defy me."
His horn flared even more at this as he slowly said, "Make it extra painful Toxic."
"Absolutely." the bat pony chuckled as his fangs were about to touch the defender. "Time to eat! I'm gonna-"
ZAP!
A lightning bolt suddenly slammed into the bat pony, making him scream as he thrown across the floor. Doom flinched at the electricity that streamed right by him. "What the-"
"Hey pops." chimed in a voice, making Doom glance back and see a certain smiling unicorn. "So, do you want me to zap you now, or let Sentry go and let him have fun with you?"
Doom blinked at the sight of his son now flaring his horn, the villain replying, "Aw, son of a-"
"DIE!" Shade screamed as he thrust Dark Claw after Dark Claw, Springer dodging each like he was dancing. The jakhowl sidestepped each attack, ducking under another before jabbing the fox in the face. This was followed by three more punches, each hitting Shade in the face and stomach.
"Urgh!" The fox sputtered before firing another Dark Blast at point blank range, only for Springer to raise his arms in a cross position, blocking the attack as it exploded in front of him. And as Shade thrusted another claw, Springer twisted his arms and snagged Shade's before pulling back his head and then thrusting it forward. The jakhowl headbutted the fox, making the Trickster cry out before Springer slammed a foot into the fox's stomach, knocking him off his feet.
"Just give up Shade. I don't need aura to beat you." Springer commented as Shade rolled across the roof, feeling the sheet of ice under his body as a freezing wind struck both.
"No..." Shade then snapped his claw, a muffled cry ringing out next. Springer glanced back at this, seeing one of the guards now getting hurt from the runes as Shade stood up. "No moving till I say so!"
He then charged at the jakhowl as Springer looked back at him, the fox slamming a claw into Springer's chest before hitting him twice in the face. And as he did this, Springer grabbed the third attack, his paw clenched over Shade's claw and began to squeeze. "Augh! No! No fair! Stop attacking or that guard-"
"Shut up!" Springer yelled as he slammed a fist into Shade's face, knocking him back again. And as Shade's body rolled on the roof's floor, Springer slowly walked up to him. "Turn off the runes and fight me fairly."
Shade spat out a bit of blood before getting back up, wiping his mouth at the same time. "Alright..." He snapped his claw, the rune deactivating before he opened his mouth again, "DARK FORCE!"
A black beam shot out of him, Springer about to dodge until he saw he was directly in front of the guards, making him instead guard himself against the attack. The beam hit him head-on, Shade laughing as an explosion followed, the jakhowl crying out in pain. However, the fox's laugh instantly vanished when the freezing wind blew away any smoke the explosion caused, revealing a still standing proud jakhowl.
"I told you. You're not winning this Shade."
"You..." Shade hissed as he charged again, Springer doing the same as both began to clash once more.
Longhorn now had Ruby pinned to the floor, the knight barely able to move as he growled and leaned down to her face, "Listen here, knight. You're gonna come with me and you're gonna be my ticket out of this blasted place, and if you don't cooperate, I'm gonna turn your skull to dust."
"I...I..." Ruby squeaked out, only to feel another hit to her face.
"Shut it! I do the orders here! You're helping me, so shut up and-"
"Give up." interrupted a voice.
"Yeah! Give up!" Longhorn roared, only to go wide-eyed as he glanced back at the voice, only to see a certain earth pony. It was Iron, a long frown on his face.
"Get off of her, or else." Iron hissed, Longhorn quickly spinning around before slamming his hoof down on Ruby's head.
"Don't move or I cave her head in!" Longhorn screamed, only to see a blank expression appear on Iron's face, making him shiver for a second before adding, "I'll do it!"
"You'll do nothing." Iron replied as he pointed Piecemaker at the bull, only for it to instantly turn into a long metal pole, the weapon thrusting out and slamming into Longhorn's head. The blow knocked him off Ruby, the bull stumbling back. And as he tried to recover, he then saw that Iron was already up in his face before Piecemaker turned into a big metal club.
WHAM!
With one swing, the bull's body was flung into a wall, making him slump down a second later. "That felt good." Iron chuckled as his weapon turned back to normal before glancing down at Ruby. He slipped his hoof under the mare and helped her up, "You okay?"
"You're...late..." she mumbled out, making Iron sigh.
"Sorry. This is what happens when you just rely on Sentry and nopony else."
"I...know..." Ruby muttered before limping over, Iron then moving her over to the prison's observation deck.
"Now, time to go clean up a mess." Iron commented as he put her in a chair before turning to the door where the rune gate was, two empire guards walking through. "Take care of her."
"Yes sir!" they both saluted before rushing over to the knight.
And as Iron left the deck, he let out a sigh as he glanced down and saw Lightning finish up with Doom...and several prisoners now scrambling around the prison. "Time to get to work."
"Blurgh!" Shade spat as Springer's fist slammed into his face, only for the jakhowl's foot to hit the fox's stomach, making the Trickster stumble back. He then raised a claw, snapping it as a muffled cry of pain to ring out. Springer flinched at this, the fox then saying, "Stop. Stop or one of them will die."
Springer glanced back to see a guard now being electrocuted by the runes, the jakhowl grimacing at the sight. He looked back at the fox, Shade spitting out a glob of blood as a dark aura appeared in a claw. "Don't...move." Shade growled as he took a deep breath, trying to get his balance back.
"Stop hurting him." Springer replied, his paws clenching up as he saw the fox try to fully stand up. In the past few minutes, Springer had found every time he got the advantage over Shade, he would instantly hurt one of the guards. This was followed by Shade hitting him once or twice, only for Springer to counterattack, easily knocking the fox back.
And as Shade snapped his claw, the runes turned off as the fox got into a fighting stance. A long deep breath escaped the fox's mouth, Springer speaking up again, "Just give up Shade. Even if you make it so I can't use aura, you still won't win."
"Shut up!" Shade roared as he widely opened his mouth, "Dark Blast!" A black orb shot out of it, only for Springer to raise a paw and smacked it away, "What?! But-"
"I told you, you can't win." Springer responded as he flexed the paw that had deflected the orb away. It was here that Shade saw what he meant, as the paw was unharmed despite not using aura. The fox went wide-eyed, Springer knowing he was about to ask what the jakhowl was doing, and decided to just go ahead and explain it, "I knew that when we would fight again that you would do something to restrict me. I'll admit, it took me a while to figure it out, but since you're so keen on making sure I don't use my aura, I decided to use it a different way." He then patted his chest, where the damage from Shade's earlier strikes were now gone, "If I don't use my aura in battle, I'll instead make sure it uses every bit of itself to heal me. As long as I'm not taking constant damage, or some weird magic or runes like you did last time isn't affecting me, you won't win."
"You..." Shade hissed as he raised his claw to snap it again.
"Don't even bother. Even if you want me to turn it off, I can't. You and I both know that my aura is part of me. You can't make it go away." Springer countered.
"You filthy furball..." Shade growled, "Are you saying I can't win this?!"
Springer just blinked at him before resisting the urge to facepalm as he said in a deadpan tone, "Yes. Yes, I am. Along with the last like...twenty times I said it."
"You...NO!" Shade screeched as he charged at Springer again, wildly swinging his claws around as the jakhowl just backpedaled from each blow. And as he dodged four swipes, Springer ducked under a fifth before thrusting a leg straight into Shade's face, "Blaugh!"
The fox began stumbling back again, only to see Springer charging at him now. "Don't touch me!" Shade yelled as he snapped his claws again, a muffled cry ringing out once more. "I...I..."
Springer glanced back to see the guards grimacing in pain again, only to look back at Shade with a snarl, "Let them go Shade!"
"Shut up! This is the only way I can win!" Shade cried as he still tried to get his balance, the runes on his body glowing like crazy as he stood back up, "I have to win! I have too!" He opened his mouth again, "DARK FORCE!"
Another black beam shot out of the fox, hitting Springer head-on once again. The jakhowl let out a scream at this, an explosion consuming him next. Shade shined the biggest grin at this as another frigid wind struck the prison roof. But as it instantly blew away the explosion's smoke, his smile began to vanish as he saw Springer still standing. His body was full of wounds now, but Springer was still standing strong.
"Why?! Why doesn't that finish you?! Why are you still standing?!"
"I told you." Springer replied as smoke came out of his mouth, "You're not winning."
"Shut up!" Shade spat, "I'll show you! Dark-"
ZAP!
"Eeyaugh!" the fox yelped as a lightning bolt struck his chest, the bolt knocking him off his feet. The sight made Springer go wide-eyed, glancing back to see Lightning now standing in front of the guards.
"Sorry I'm late." the unicorn announced as he saw the wounds all over the jakhowl, "You okay?"
"I'm fine." Springer grumbled as looked back at Shade, the fox now standing back up. "See Shade? Now I've got backup, which means your little jailbreak distraction plan failed as well."
"No...I can't..." Shade muttered out before holding up his claws to snap them again.
"Just stop it. Even if you hurt them again, you still won't win." Springer interrupted before putting his arms to his sides, not even bothering to get into a fighting stance. "It's over."
"It's not over!"
"It is." Springer instantly responded before closing his eyes, "It's over...because I say it is. I'm done fighting you Shade. This feud between jakhowls and Tricksters has gone on long enough." The jakhowl shook his head at this, "I won't fight you again. There's no point."
"No point?! NO POINT?!" Shade screeched before pointing to himself, "That's why we exist, jakhowl! We exist to kill each other!"
Springer opened his eyes at this, "If that's your reason for living Shade, then I pity you."
"Pity me?!" Shade yelped, the dark aura on his body now surging like a pillar off his back. The sight made Lightning tense up, his horn flaring...only to glance over at Springer. The jakhowl hadn't moved an inch.
"Yeah. I pity you Shade. You're just a fox stuck in the past."
"I...I..." Shade sputtered out before yelling, "Oh yeah?! Then what is your reason to live, huh jakhowl?!" He then pointed a claw at the jakhowl, "Let me guess, it's so you can be with those stupid ponies and their worthless friendship nonsense! Am I wrong?!"
Springer just stared at him for a second, only to shake his head, "No. I'll admit, I spent a long time thinking about who and what I am recently. When I saw what happened to our races, and then learning our origins along with you attacking me again and Ace and Mira...I still didn't understand what to do next."
"Our origins?" Shade slowly replied.
Springer nodded back, "I know why we exist Shade. And...I realized that it's pointless to dwell on it. It's in the past, and it needs to stay there. Sure, we can learn from it, but it still needs to stay there." He then pointed to himself, "I came here to fight you because I believed it was something I had to do to protect Ace and Mira...but I was wrong. I think...I think my reason to exist is...it's to help the next generation of jakhowl." He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. "This fight...seeing you like this, stuck in the past...it made me realize that we both need to let go of the past and move on."
Shade didn't respond at that. The dark aura that was pouring off him was still there, Lightning still flaring his horn as he glanced between the two. However, as this happened, Springer said one final thing, "I'm done fighting you Shade. I'm going to go home, and I'm going to tell Ace and Mira everything, and then I'm going to stop looking at the past and into the future."
Springer then spun around, making Shade go wide-eyed. The jakhowl began to walk away, making the fox grind his teeth before yelling, "What are you-where are you going?!" But the jakhowl didn't respond, the sight making Shade screech, "Don't you dare walk away from me! I am your destiny! I am the reason you exist! We must fight Springer!"
Springer came to a stop at those words, only to slightly glance back at the fox, "That's the thing Shade. I don't want to fight you anymore."
And as those words left Springer's mouth, Shade felt something snap in his head. Lightning watched as Springer looked away again before the fox put his claws to his head and began scratching, "No...no...NO! This is all wrong!" His eyes went bloodshot red at this, making Lightning flinch as he saw the dark aura surrounding the fox now surge even more. "I'll kill you!"
"Springer, watch-"
"RAAAAAAAUUUUUGGGHHHHH!" Shade screeched as the dark aura consumed his entire body, runes glowing like a spotlights shining off his body...only for a blast of smoke to consume him. The sight made Lightning flinch again, only for another burst of freezing wind to hit the roof. A second later, the smoke was gone...and it revealed a tiny little black fox.
"No...no!" Shade cried while looking down at his paws, "I can't...why did my...what just happened to me?!"
Springer spun around at this, seeing the fox in his true form and said, "It means you lost again."
"No...shut up. I haven't lost." Shade muttered, "I just-"
"You have." Lightning chimed in, "Stop tormenting Springer and give up."
"Never!" Shade roared as he pointed at the unicorn, "Stay out of this, you disgusting pony! I am a Trickster, and I'm above your worthless kind!"
"You're nothing but a criminal." Lightning instantly responded, "Just come quietly already. We got a nice cell waiting for you just a few stories-"
"SHUT UP!" Shade screamed, "SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! I won't lose! I refuse to lose!" He then thrusted a paw into his mouth, pulling out a small red and white ball a second later. He tapped the main button on it as he continued to scream, "This isn't the end! I will return! I will win one day, and I-"
ZAP!
A single bolt shot over the roof, instantly hitting the ball in Shade's paw. The sight made him go wide-eyed as the ball split in half, the top part now in pieces. The device he had used so many times to get away...was now broken.
He glanced back at the two, now seeing Lightning standing with a smoking horn. "You lose." Lightning chuckled, "Now, how about you take a little visit to one of the cells right under-"
"SHUT UP!" Shade screeched, making Lightning stop as he found himself surprised how loud the tiny fox could be. "You...do you have any idea what you've just done?!"
"He broke your way out of here." Springer chimed in, "Now give up Shade. This unending fight between us is over."
"Over?! OVER?!" Shade exclaimed, his right eye twitching as the group then felt another blast of icy cold wind hit them. They turned to see that the blizzard was now picking up, snow smacking the roof in giant sheets. Seeing this, Shade's teeth grinded into each other before pointing back at Springer, "Fine. You win." The two glanced back at him, only to see nothing but pure raw anger on the fox's face. "But I won't go in a cell. I'm leaving Equestria."
"You're not going-" Lightning started, only for Springer to raise a paw in front of him.
"Where are you going?"
Shade's eyes narrowed as he glared at Springer, "That's not important. What's important is this: I will never give up. One day...one day you'll see why we have to fight. Until then..." He put his paw in his mouth again, this time pulling out a small black ball before yelling, "I'll see you in your nightmares, jakhowl!"
With that, he threw the ball down, a burst of black smoke covering him. Lightning quickly fired a bolt into the black fog, but it went right through. And as the blizzard shoved another harsh wind over the roof, the smoke was instantly destroyed...only to show nothing. Shade was gone.
"Where did he-"
"He leapt off the roof...and into the blizzard." Springer interrupted, "Don't bother going after him. It's not worth it."
Lightning turned to the jakhowl, seeing a look of pain on his face. Springer...looked tired. As if he had aged years upon years just doing this one fight. The unicorn did a small nod before putting a hoof around him, helping him back down into the prison and out of the cold.
It wasn't long till Shining came into the prison with a full group of guards. Glad to see most of the prisoners knocked out, Iron commenting that he should have been invited earlier as he did a lot of the fighting of other prisoners, they quickly stuffed them back into their cells while taking the guards that had been tied up on the roof to the hospital. This was followed by Cadance asking Celestia for an extra set of guards until things could get settled again.
As for the defenders and Ruby, they were all checked up by the empire hospital, soon getting a clean bill of health. The only one that didn't was Springer, the jakhowl telling the others he needed to get back to Ponyville. Flash told him to stay, but his partner refused. He said he had to take care of something.
And as Springer came home first, he found Twilight waiting at the gate. She was horrified by his wounds, but he told her it was nothing, as his aura would heal him. He then used his aura to telepathically summon Ace and Mira, the two quickly appearing a few minutes later. And as they arrived, they saw how badly beat up Springer was, gasping and worrying over him. However, despite this, he led them to the crystal room and turned on the crystal. The room shifted to the Everfree Forest, showing the Tree of Harmony.
"What the-what is this?" Ace asked as Mira recognized the tree.
"That's the-"
"Sit down." Springer pointed to a log, the two quickly hopping onto it. And as they did this, Springer kept his paw on the room crystal, "I need to show you two something."
"What...what are you gonna show us?"
"My life." Springer replied, "I want to show you because...because you're the next generation, and I haven't treated you right. I felt you needed to grow up and be your own jakhowls. I didn't want you encountering Shade and...and having to fight that battle." He took a long deep breath at this, "But I was wrong. You need to know everything. And more importantly, you need to know why I had to fight Shade."
The two shared a glance before looking back at Springer, now seeing what he truly was. He was an adult jakhowl, one that had gone through ten times the amount of things they had. And despite that, they could tell from just his aura...that he cared. He truly cared and was proud of them.
"We're ready." Both said in unison, Springer nodding back.
"Thank you. Now, it begins here because...my egg was sealed here."
And as he began to show them, the two young jakhowls went wide-eyed as he began to show them scene after scene. They saw the history of Springer the jakhowl, how he had first met Flash, became a defender, how he had to figure out everything with his aura all on his own...and then his first encounter with Shade. How that led to more and more fights, each one causing him pain and grief...only to learn from it. To endure and become something greater. And as the story came to an end, one where he received their eggs, he stopped the room and saw the looks on their faces. Their eyes were filled with starry-eyed wonder, something that made him chuckle. And it was at this moment he knew, he knew that the future of jakhowls would be alright. Even if disaster struck, he would make sure that everything turned out alright for the two.