//------------------------------// // A Friend Among Enemies? // Story: My Little Spark: The Movie // by Real Solaris //------------------------------// The bar is packed to the brim, with patrons and creatures of every kind talking and drinking, and some even enjoying the games the place offers. The Mane Five are visibly nervous, and Spike sticks close to Twilight. Sonic and Rainbow, on the other hand, aren’t phased at all and look around the bar. Tionic leads the group toward the bar, and upon reaching it, he turns to the others. “Alright, just to be safe, do not talk to anyone else,” Tionic warns, eying a few tough-looking individuals sitting nearby. “You guys hang out here while I see what I can find.” “Are you sure you don’t need help?” asks Sonic. “Positive,” Tionic nods, then his expression hardens as he locks his gaze on the speedsters. “And remember, don’t start a bar fight.” “Okay, we heard you the first time!” Rainbow groans, rolling her eyes. “Sweet Celestia, you sound like Tails!” “You two are danger magnets, so don’t give me that,” Tionic points out. “I’ll be back in a bit.” With that, he leaves the Mane Seven at the bar and walks over to some creatures to ask them if they know anything about this queen. “Might as well order something while we wait,” Sonic shrugs, taking a seat. “Lessee what they got on the menu. Hey, waiter! Can we get some menus over here?” The waiter gives each of them one, and they browse the options. It only takes one look at the drinks section for Applejack’s eyes to widen in surprise. “Wait, they’ve got Sweet Apple Acres cider here?!” Applejack exclaims, amazed to see the beverage here. “Hoo-wee! Ah knew our cider was popular, but ah didn’t think it would make it out here!” “I know what I’m ordering!” Rainbow says, grinning happily. Once everyone had decided on a drink, they flipped the menu over to check out the food they had, and boy, did they have a lot to offer. “Chilidogs?! They have chilidogs here?!” Sonic exclaims, stars in his eyes. Then, something catches his eye, and he looks over to Twilight. “Ooh! I think you’ll like this, Twilight! They’ve got hayburgers, too!” “They do?!” Twilight’s head snapped to the menu again, and sure enough, hayburgers were on it. A few minutes later, the waiter takes their orders, and their food and drinks are swiftly brought over. As they happily munch on their food, Twilight spots Tionic out of the corner of her eye, and she turns her head to see him talking with a group of menacing-looking Klugetowners, each wearing a symbol she couldn’t make out on their clothes. She can’t hear what he’s saying, but Tionic suddenly bursts out laughing alongside the gang members. “Girls, Sonic, do you think Tionic’s hiding something?” says Twilight, not taking her gaze off Tionic as he continues talking with the gang. “Nope,” says Sonic, scarfing another chilidog down his throat. “What makes you think that?” “There’s something about him that doesn’t feel right,” Twilight grumbles, managing to tear her gaze off Tionic and direct it back at her friends. “Also, I’m not sure if I’m imagining it, but he seems familiar to me, but I don’t know why.” “Maybe it’s because he’s been secretly watching us for almost four years, hiding out in a burrow in the Everfree Forest, and we all caught glimpses of him during some of our Heart Songs that he got caught up in?” As usual, Pinkie spouts something that makes no sense to her friends as they stare at the mare. “…yeah, I don’t think that’s it, Pinkie.” Rainbow deadpans, rolling her eyes. “Hey, you never know!” Pinkie exclaims. “It could be true!” “I don’t know if I can trust him just yet,” says Twilight. “He might seem like a great guy, but what if he’s up to something?” “Twi, why would he do that?” asks Applejack. “He saved yer life, and he’s helpin’ to find this queen yer lookin’ for.” She gestures back to Tionic, who’s still talking to the gang. It looked like his talking had brought in more creatures, as he was now talking to others who had joined them. But he had a troubled look on his face, and his frown only grew deeper as they continued to converse. “If he was lyin’ ‘bout somethin’, ah’d know,” Applejack says, pointing to herself. “But he’s said nothin’ but the truth since we met him. Just give Tionic a chance, alright?” “…okay,” Twilight agrees, though a little reluctantly. “I will, but I’m keeping an eye on him.” As she says this, she notices Tionic shake one of the member’s hands with a sigh. He pats one on the back, and he walks back over to the Mane Seven an Co. “Hey there, Tionic,” Sonic greets, noticing his frown. “I’m guessing from the look on your face you could find anything?” “Nope,” Tionic groans, plopping onto the seat next to Sonic. “They heard rumors of a queen of some sort, but that’s all I could find out. I’m starting to think this ‘Queen of Hippos’ doesn’t exist. But I did meet some great guys over there.” He gestures to the gang he was talking to earlier and waves to them, and they wave back. But before he could say anything else, they suddenly freeze, terrified looks crossing their faces. Tionic raises an eyebrow in confusion, but heavy footsteps draw his attention behind him, and he comes face to face with what is scaring them. A large blue shark-fish hybrid stands before Tionic, his yellow eyes glaring at him. Red gills run up the side of his head, and a fin extends to its full height on his head, as well as his tail fin flexing to intimidate. A jagged scar runs down the middle of his face, and his scowl shows four sharp, yellowed fangs protruding from his lips. “Hey, you,” The shark fish growls, showing more of his teeth as he glares at Tionic and the Mane Seven. “The name’s Mori, and I’m the one who calls the shots around here. I don’t like your kind around here, so I suggest you get out before I make you.” “Our kind?” Rarity scoffs, insulted by the comment. “My, how rude.” “N-no, it’s okay, w-we we’re just leaving!” Twilight stammers, quickly getting down from her seat and gesturing for her friends to do the same. Before she could get any farther, Tionic puts a hand on her shoulder, making her stop and look at him in confusion. “It’s alright, Twilight,” Tionic says, winking at her. He faces the shark fish, grinning. “Pop-quiz, hotshot,” He says, matching Mori’s glare. “You’re threatening two supersonic beings, an overpowered alicorn, a dragon, and five very capable mares. In what world do you think you can take us on, huh?” In response, Mori reels his fist back and throws it at Tionic. To Mori’s surprise, Tionic merely angles his head to the right, and the fist doesn’t connect. He chuckles as he steps away from the extended fist, a cocky grin plastered to his face. “Nice try, but that’s not gonna-!” Before Tionic can continue, another fist suddenly flies at him, and he narrowly ducks below it. “Wuh-oh!” The fist slams into a patron’s face who was unlucky enough to be standing behind Tionic when he dodged, and they stumble back into the waiter, causing her to drop her tray of drinks onto another patron. Soaked from the various liquids, they punch the waiter for that, and before they know it, a full-blown bar fight explodes between everyone. “What’d you say about not starting a bar fight?!” Sonic chastises, dodging a fist. “‘Cause I’m pretty sure you said not to!” “To be fair, they started it!” Tionic exclaims back, then notices Mori in front of him. “Heh, bring it!” He obliges, but Tionic jumps over him while rapidly punching Mori’s face as he sails over him. Tionic lands behind him, blowing on his fists like they were smoking. He turns around, expecting to see Mori on the ground, but to his disappointment, he’s not, and he’s even more livid than ever. Mori charges at Tionic, arms outstretched and ready to strangle him. As he’s about to grab him, time slows to a standstill, and Tionic stands in front of him, amused. “Really?” Tionic questions his still attacker. He was about to move when something out of his eye caught his attention. His eyes widen when he sees Sonic and Rainbow moving normally, shocking him and them both. “Wait, how are you two moving?!” Tionic exclaims. “You’re supposed to be at a standstill!” “Us?!” Rainbow questions. “I was about to ask you how you’re moving so fast!” “It’s my powers doing this,” Tionic quickly explains. “But that doesn’t explain how you two are unaffected!” “I’m naturally this fast,” Sonic says, then points to Rainbow. “Dashie has trained to keep up with me over the years, and her awareness has gotten this good.” “Oh, I see,” Tionic nods, looking around the bar. A mischievous grin grows on his face, and he looks at his fellow speedsters. “How ‘bout we have a little fun with these guys, eh?” “Oh-ho-ho!” Sonic chuckles, rubbing his hands together. “I’m starting to like you more and more, Tionic!” All three split off, ready to cause untold amounts of mayhem to the brawlers with their speed. But before they do that, they spot the Mane Five and Spike huddled together by the pool table, surrounded by Klugetowners. Sonic pulls down the hats of a few, covering their eyes while Rainbow hooks some underwear to a light fixture hanging above the pool table. Tionic pushes the girls and Spike back to the bar, placing the food and drinks they ordered in front of them. He runs over to the edge, where he spots a waitress tripping and dropping her tray of hotdog hamburger hybrids. He plucks one out of the air and tries it, instantly falling in love with the taste that greets his taste buds before gobbling up the rest, letting out a belch once he’s done. With Sonic, he’s taken to decorating a pig and turtle being head-locked by a shark with a bottle of ketchup and mustard until they are empty. Tionic scribbles on the shark’s face, dancing a jig with sparklers behind him before placing them in his ears. Rainbow zips in and out of the bathroom and whirls around a hedgehog about to throw a barrel at a gopher as she mummifies them in toilet paper. She admires her work momentarily before meeting back up with the boys. They all grab a streamer hanging from the walls and weave in and out between legs and limbs, not missing anyone. Tionic runs on the ceiling, twirling a lasso tied to the end above his head and tangling it in a ceiling fan. He takes to the wall, grabs a bear head, and jumps over brawlers back to Mori. He dunks it on his head and flips back in place, Sonic and Rainbow doing the same. Tionic grabs a plaid tablecloth, holding it out to the side like a bullfighter before letting time flow normally. Everything happens at once. The fan pulls on the streamers and, being tangled in everyone’s limbs, yanks their feet out from under them, crashing to the floor simultaneously. Fists are thrown, some hitting unintended targets or nothing at all. The stretched underwear hooked on the light fixture snaps back, taking the light with it as it slams into their owners, toppling them down as they yell out in pain. And finally, Mori charges Tionic but misses as Tionic moves out of the way. “Olé!” He exclaims, watching the fish crash through the glass and into the street. Patrons lie on the ground groaning in pain, streamers are everywhere, and someone struggles to move due to the amount of toilet paper wrapped around him before tripping over someone else and falling flat on his face. The Mane Five and Spike look around in bewilderment, wondering what happened and why everyone was on the floor. The speedsters zip next to them, smug looks on their faces as they look at their work proudly. “So, do you think we should get out of here?” Sonic suggests. “Definitely,” Twilight nods, heading for the exit. Everyone followed suit and quickly burst out of the bar, leaving behind the disaster the speedsters caused. “Did you see how much toilet paper I used?!” Rainbow exclaims. “Whoever goes next is gonna have nothing to wipe with!” Sonic and Tionic laugh in agreement, but it’s short-lived when they skid to a stop. Somehow, they had managed to get surrounded, and there was no way out. “Girls, Spike, huddle up! Sonic, Rainbow, take a place around them!” Tionic orders, moving a finger in a circle above him before taking a spot himself. “Crap, I didn’t think we’d get mobbed that fast!” To make things even worse, everyone in the bar had barged out into the street and joined the crowd. Mori was already closing in on Tionic, bear head in hand - er, fin. But before the crowd could get any closer, a cat wearing a patchy red trench coat gets between Tionic and Mori, surprising them both. “Back up, everyone! Back it up! Y'all in some serious danger!” He exclaims, waving his arms out to disperse the crowd a little. “Now, you didn't touch any of them, did you? Just look at all those colors! You think that's natural? They're infected with ‘pastelis coloritis’.” The crowd gasps, backing away from the Mane Seven, Spike, and Tionic in fear. Miffed by that outright lie, Applejack confronts the cat. “Now, you listen here, fella, there ain't -!” “As long as you don’t have purple splotches,” The cat interrupts, secretly dipping the tip of his tail into some berry juice and flicking it at someone next to him, who just so happens to be Mori. “You’ll be fine. Uh oh!” He gestures to Mori, who starts panicking when he sees the purple splotches while the crowd backs away. “What do I do?!” “Enjoy your last moments. Oh, and don’t touch anyone,” He says nonchalantly. “Because parts will fall off.” “Me parts!” That strikes home. Everyone gathered zips away from the ponies, fearing they might catch the dreaded ‘pastelis coloritis’ and lose their ‘parts,’ leaving them alone in the deserted street. “Well, all right,” The cat purrs, turning around to face the Mane Seven, Spike, and Tionic. “Gotta admit, that was real smooth right there, dude!” Sonic compliments, and the cat nods in agreement. “And quite charming,” Rarity giggles. Spike huffs in annoyance, annoyed that his crush was flirting with the cat. “Capper's the name, charming’s my game,” He introduces, bowing slightly. “I overheard you asking around earlier about hippos. Thought I would lend a paw to you new bloods.” “Um, can you give us a second?” Twilight asks, and Capper shrugs. She gestures for the others to huddle up for a moment. “I don't know if we should trust him,” She mutters. “There’s something about him that doesn’t feel right.” “Give him a chance, Twilight,” Tionic says. “Who knows, maybe he’s a great guy! And if it does come down to it, we’ll be fine.” “Yeah!” Pinkie exclaims. “We could definitely use a friend out here!” “Little Cotton Candy Hair is right,” Capper says as he inserts himself into the huddle. “Having a friend in Klugetown is necessary if you want to survive. Follow me, I’ll bring you to my place.” Capper gestures for them to follow him, and they quickly follow behind the cat. Twilight, however, lags behind a little, still wary if she should trust this individual to help them. Tionic notices this, so he slows down enough so Twilight can walk next to him. “Don’t trust Capper, do ya, Twilight?” He asks, surprising her as she has been too focused on watching Capper. She is about to say something, but Tionic beats her to the punch. “I understand trusting a stranger is hard, and it’ll take time for them to earn that trust. But you shouldn’t distance yourself and keep thinking he’s up to something – that’ll make you paranoid about everything and give you unnecessary anxiety.” Twilight stops and thinks momentarily, Tionic’s words echoing around in her head. ‘I guess he’s right. I am acting kind of paranoid about all of this. Maybe I’ll give this cat a chance…’ Twilight’s train of thought is interrupted when Tionic places a hand on her shoulder, causing her to glance at Tionic. “Remember, Twilight,” He says, squeezing her shoulder. “You’ve got seven dependable friends to count on if something goes wrong, so don’t worry about it. Now let’s catch up with your friends, alright?” Twilight nods, giving a small smile in response. The two of them quickly matched the pace of the Mane Six and Capper, and luckily, none of them noticed them disappearing for a moment. Capper leads the Mane Seven and Co. through the streets of Klugetown, avoiding encounters with anycreature and taking shortcuts when possible. Soon, they reach the windmill, and Capper gestures them inside. Before he heads inside himself, he quickly looks around and spots a small raccoon wearing a tiny top hat, sitting by the entrance, bundled up in a coat and scarf. “Here,” He says, pulling a piece of paper from his coat and tucking it into the raccoon’s scarf. “Tell Verko, ‘My place, twenty minutes.’ I’ve got something that will magically erase all of my debt.” Before the Mane Seven and Co. could suspect something was amiss, Capper rejoins them and leads through the inside and up top. Reaching it, he opens a trapdoor in the floor and hops through. “Welcome, my little ponies, to my little manor,” He says. Various items lie on shelves and in glass door cabinets around the place, ranging from plates to paintings, and even a gramophone sits on a table, ready to play music. “Ooh! A sort of roco, hobo, Bohemian hodgepodge!” Rarity says, though she’s careful with her choice of words, as she’s not exactly the biggest fan of how Capper’s place looks and doesn’t want to insult him. “Apologies for the state of my litter box,” He says. “I wasn't expecting guests.” “Ooh! So many fun breakables!” Pinkie exclaims, eyeing the hanging bottles from the ceiling. Twilight spots a bookshelf placed underneath the stairs and, being a natural bookworm, heads over to browse the books on the shelf, hoping to find something important while the Mane Six and Co. talk with Capper. “Hey, Capper,” Tionic says, grabbing the cat’s paw for a handshake. “I just wanna say thanks for the help. If you hadn’t come along when you did, I’m not sure what would’ve happened!” “Yeah, uh, it was no problem!” He says, ending the handshake before plopping down in a sofa chair next to the gramophone. “Now, y’all sure you want the Hippos?” “Yessirree!” Pinkie confirms. “The Queen of the Hippos!” “So, not like the Queen of the Lions, Tigers, and Bears?” Capper suggests. “Oh, my!” Fluttershy giggles. “She sounds pleasant!” Twilight, however, has tuned out their conversation as she continues looking through the books and various cat-related items. One book in particular catches her eye – a brown book with bronze corners and a picture of a cropped map of the Badlands on the front. The four cardinal directions are placed below it, and some designs look like wings. Twilight instantly recognizes that the book may hold the answers she needs. Back at the market, a massive commotion erupts when Storm Guards arrive and start flinging barrels and upending stalls, searching for something, or somepony. “Please! Please! I don't know anything!” A shark vendor exclaims, shaking in fear as a Storm Guard lumbers to his stall. In one quick motion, it swipes all of his products off the table and flips the table they were on out of the way to get face-to-face with the shark and growl. “Ah!” In the middle of the chaos, Tempest and Grubber stroll down the street, watching the guards terrorize the Klugetowners as they search for their target. “You really think the ponies got this far?” Grubber questions, munching on a caramel apple. “Oh, they're here, alright,” says Tempest, her eyes sliding right to lock onto a curly pink strand of hair caught by a piece of wood from a broken barrel nearby. She then addresses the crowd. “Attention! A little purple pony passed this way. Tell me where she is...” “…or something real bad’s gonna happen.” Grubber finishes, pointing his snack at the crowd. Then, one individual lumbers out of the crowd, towering above the pair and making Grubber squeak in fear and slide behind Tempest. “You think we're gonna fall for this again?” Mori growls, showing more of his yellowed, crooked teeth. “I don't know what kinda scam you're workin' with Capper and the rest of your friends, but—“ “Friends?" Tempest raises an eyebrow as she tests the word, still not taking her gaze off Mori. “Poison or no poison, you're gonna pay!” He throws a hefty right hook at Tempest, but she easily ducks underneath the blow and bucks Mori’s gut hard. He stumbles away, clutching his throbbing abdomen as he groans from the pain. Before Mori can recover, Tempest sweeps his feet out from under him and drops an axe kick to his gut again to slam him to the ground, making him gag, and his eyes bulge. Not giving Mori a second, Tempest grabs his tail with her mouth and jumps an impressive height for a unicorn while dragging the fish shark along. Using Mori’s considerable size to her advantage, Tempest swings him around twice before throwing him to the ground, dust exploding from the impact. “Ohhhh, Fishman just got dropped!” Grubber exclaims, having enjoyed the display of skill and agility. “Now...” Tempest says, climbing onto Mori’s back, making him whimper in fear as she activates her magic and lets the mana spark and fizzle. “...about this... ‘Capper’.” Back at the windmill, Capper, Tionic, and the Mane Six are in Capper’s room talking and laughing. They’re currently listening to Sonic talk about one of the adventures he had as a kid, his story amusing Capper. “Stop playin’ me, a sonic boom?” Capper scoffs, getting off of his bed. “There’s no way any creature can go that fast, especially not with legs as small as yours!” “Despite my looks, I can break the sound barrier anytime, anywhere!” Sonic grins as he strokes his ego. “Plus, I’m not the only one who can do it! Dashie over here can do it too, but when she does it, she creates a massive rainbow shockwave from the epicenter, and it’s called the ‘Sonic Rainboom!’” “You wanna see it?” Rainbow exclaims, quickly flapping her wings and getting airborne. Before she can get anywhere, Capper quickly intervenes. “Nonono! I don’t need you ‘Sonic-Rainbooming’ up in my place, thank you very much,” Capper exclaims. He feels a tug pull on his left sleeve, now covered in a light-blue aura, as it brings his arm out and forward. “Woah, hey, hold up now.” “Here you go,” Rarity says, sewing up the hole in his sleeve and adding two golden buttons to Capper’s coat. “I do apologize; if we were back home, I could’ve done something truly amazing.” “Okay…” Capper says hesitantly, narrowing his eyes. “What’s the catch?” “After all you’ve done for us, consider it a thank you,” Rarity giggles. Capper stares at the button, guilt building up inside him. “Speaking of which, Tionic, I have something for you as well.” “Me?” Tionic points to himself. “What for?” “Well, you saved Twilight from Tempest earlier,” Rarity states. “You even kept Sonic from doing something reckless back in the forest. Also, I’ve noticed your rather… unique choice of footwear.” “True on all fronts,” Tionic sighs, raising a leg behind him and eyeing the holes in the shoe, his pale, dirty feet visible. “I think I wore them and the socks out a couple hundred miles ago.” “That’s why I made you these,” Rarity smiles, hovering a pair of shoes over to Tionic. “Again, I must apologize, but with limited supplies, it’s the best I can do for you. I’ll swap the buckles out for power rings once this is over to ensure they never wear out again.” They are bright red shoes with a white stripe down the middle, which stop halfway down the shoe. Two white fasteners are placed on both sides at an angle, held together by a golden buckle like Sonic’s. As a bonus, he even got a new pair of built-in socks since his last pair had long since died. “Woah-ho-ho!” Tionic gapes, his eyes sparkling. He pulls his old ones off, tossing them aside, and quickly puts on the new pair. Tionic pulls a few moves to break into them, getting a feel for them. “Alright, looking good!” “Guys!” A voice exclaims, and everyone turns to see Twilight trotting in with a map in her magical grasp. She places it down on the table, and they all gather around. She then points to a mountain with two eagle-like ponies drawn on both sides. “We've been looking for the wrong queen! We don't need the Queen of the Hippos, we need the Queen of the Hippogriffs - part pony, part eagle!” “Oh. Oh, the Hippogriffs!” Capper exclaims, snapping his fingers as he remembers what they are, but a troubled look crosses his face. “Well, the problem with that is... no one knows exactly where they are. They haven’t been seen for decades.” “Says here they're on the top of Mount Aris!” Twilight counters, gesturing to the top of the map again. “You mean the mountain right outside the window?” Pinkie asks, pointing out the window toward the obvious mountain poking out of the smoky haze far off in the distance. “Objects in windows may be less mountainous than they appear,” Capper says, shrugging. “In my defense, I don’t clean my windows as often as I should, so they get pretty grimy. Plus, there hasn’t been any activity on that mountain for a long time, so who knows if anyone’s there.” “In any case,” Twilight folds the map up and trots toward the door. “Let's go, everypony.” “Wait!” Capper yowls, zipping in front of the door. “Hold up! You can't make it by y'allselves. You’ll need an airship! And lucky for you, I can get you a ride.” “I think we can get there on our own.” Twilight pushes Capper aside and goes to open the door. Opening it, she’s met with the less-than-pleasant sight of a naked mole rat wearing a black tuxedo, a droopy top hat, and copper, leather-bound goggles that cover his eyes. “Here's Verko!” He exclaims, making Twilight backpedal in surprise. He turns to Capper, walking up and poking him in the chest. “These ponies better shoot rainbow lasers out their eyes if they're gonna settle your debt! Brought the big cage. Let's load 'em up!” The Mane Six gasp, and Sonic quickly gets in front of them. Tionic glares at Capper, clenching his fists as his powers come to life. To his surprise, instead of seeing a smug smile on the cat’s muzzle, he sees Capper frowning and biting his lip. It would seem that Capper was having second thoughts about this arrangement. “You were... You were going to sell us?!” Rarity gasps. Capper doesn’t make eye contact and stares at the floor, struggling with the thoughts tumbling in his head. “I knew it!” Twilight growls. “We gotta get outta here!” Before she can go anywhere, familiar laughing from outside the door makes her and the Mane Five’s eyes shrink in horror, and the two speedsters place themselves between them and the mare who had been chasing them down. “Tempest?!” Twilight gasps, stepping back in shock as she stares at the crackling mana from Tempest’s broken horn. “Silly little ponies,” She chuckles, making Spike hide behind Twilight and Fluttershy to put a lampshade over her head. “Trusting strangers, now are we? Big mistake. Big...” “Huge!” Grubber finishes, waving his arms out wide to emphasize. “Hoo-hoo! My goodness!” Verko exclaims, grabbing Tempest’s face. “Well, look at you, with your scary broken horn and scowly eyes. What tricks do you know, my little pony-wony?” She responds by showing the mole rat her magical strength for a few seconds, electrocuting and frying him to a crisp. “N-not bad...” Verko weakly says, coughing out smoke and collapsing to the floor, leaving The Mane Seven and Co. in Tempest’s line of sight. “Get her now!” Tempest commands and multiple Storm Guards charge into the room, ready to capture Twilight. “Twilight! You, Spike, and the girls run out the window!” Tionic exclaims, pointing to it as a blade goes by. “Sonic and I will keep Tempest and her goons busy!” “But what about you?!” She exclaims, staying behind while her friends leave through the window and clamber onto the windmill’s blades. “We’ll be fine!” Tionic assures. “Now go!” Twilight hesitantly nods, but she does as he says and bolts out the window to follow Spike and the girls. Tionic then stands next to Sonic. “Alright, Sonic,” Tionic says, putting up a fighting stance alongside his fellow speedster. “You wanna take the goons while I deal with Tempest?” “Sure, why not,” Sonic shrugs before grinning. “Just save some for me later on!” “I can’t guarantee that, but alright!” Tionic exclaims before Sonic Spindashes into all of the Storm Guards and sends them flying out the door and windows. One guard manages to stay in the room, and seeing the Mane Six hanging onto a windmill blade, he grabs it, stopping it from moving. Twilight and Rainbow quickly get into position and start pushing in the other direction, flapping their wings hard. With a creak and a groan, the blade the Storm Guard was holding cracks off, and the windmill spins uncontrollably from Twilight’s and Rainbow’s efforts. The next blade hits him in the face, knocking him back into the room, but only for a second as Sonic kicks him back out the window, only for another blade to send him flying. Being an old structure, the bolts holding the windmill in place come loose and out of the metal bracket, letting the mill separate from the building and crash to the ground. Since it was still spinning when it hit the ground, the mill bounced down the street while the Mane Six and Spike held on for dear life. “Ah’m! Gonna! Be! Sick!” Applejack exclaims, trying to hold down her lunch. Back at Capper’s place, Tionic and Tempest face each other, neither relenting as they keep eye contact. “Get out of my way, whatever you are,” Tempest growls as her magic fizzles from her horn. “My business is with the princess, not you.” “Sorry, can’t do that,” Tionic shakes his head, then offers a deal. “How ‘bout you leave us alone while we try to stop your boss from taking over Equestria?” “Not happening,” Tempest scowls. “Now, I suggest you surrender before you really get hurt. You are no match for somepony like me.” “You sure you want to test that, Tempest?” Tionic grins, his powers jumping from his quills. “You should be the one surrendering, not me.” “Confidence!” Tempest scoffs. “A fool’s substitute for intelligence and experience.” “Oh, yeah?” Tionic grins as he clenches his fist. “If that’s the case, then try to keep up.” He crouches down slightly, tensing his muscles. His body flickers slightly, and the next thing Tempest knew, she was on the other side of the street, her muzzle throbbing from the hit she inexplicably took. ‘Did he hit me?!’ Tempest wonders, groaning as she gets to her hooves, shaking the dust and stars from her head. ‘From over there?! He hasn’t even moved! Is he moving that fast, or is it something -!’ She never finishes the thought as Tionic disappears and reappears right in front of her, a toothy grin plastered on his face showing his sharp canines, making her backpedal in shock from his sudden appearance. But Tempest doesn’t let it surprise her for long and quickly retaliates, firing a bolt of crackling mana at Tionic point blank. To her surprise, the mana bolt phases through him and strikes a barrel by the door she flew out of, splinters and colorful lights going everywhere. “What’s the matter, Tempest?” Tionic taunts, folding his arms across his chest. “My confidence too much for you?” “Shut up!” Tempest exclaims and decides to go for a melee attack, swinging her back leg in hopes of knocking him off his feet. Unfortunately for her, Tionic jumps over the leg sweep and connects his leg to Tempest’s muzzle, sending her flying into a stall. Fed up with this, she sends a shockwave of magic out, obliterating the booth and anything around it. Tempest flings multiple mana bolts at Tionic, but he easily dodges and ducks under each one, angering his attacker more. “Argh! Hold still, you pest!” “How ‘bout ‘no’!” He says, cupping his hands around his mouth and splitting his legs apart to let several more bolts fly underneath him. “How are you moving this fast?!” Tempest exclaims, her anger getting the best of her as she bucks some nearby barrels at her opponent in quick succession. “Nopony can move that fast without a speed spell or some outlying source!” “Nope, it’s all natural,” Tionic says, knocking away the barrels with well-placed kicks. “By the way, there is somepony that can go this fast without a spell.” “You’re lying,” Tempest says, thinking she’s calling his bluff. “You must be using some kind of spell to move and react that fast.” “Keep telling yourself that,” Tionic shrugs, and his expression darkens. “Also, this fight is over.” “What are you talking abou-?” Just like before, Tionic disappears, and Tempest finds herself lying on her back. Tionic stands above her, his fist drawn back and crackling with electricity, poised to strike. Tempest tries to think of a way to escape this situation, but even with years of training and mastery of various combat arts, she cannot see a way to escape Tionic’s grasp due to his speed. All she can do is lie there and sigh in defeat, knowing that she may not come out of this alive. “Well?” Tempest groans, closing her eyes due to the sudden surge of pain rippling through various parts of her body. “What are you waiting for? Do it.” “Mmmm… nah.” “What?” Her eyes slam open in shock to stare at her would-have killer. “Y-you’re not going to kill me?” “Why would I kill somepony who doesn’t deserve to die?” Tionic says, his powers dimming as he backs off Tempest. “You aren’t a bad pony, Tempest, but I can see you’re misguided. Are you sure the path you’ve chosen is the one you want?” “Of course it is!” She exclaims, struggling to get to her hooves. She manages to stay upright, and she levels her gaze at Tionic. “I am loyal to the Storm King, and I serve under his orders! That’s not going to change.” “Suit yourself,” He shrugs, then turns around. He glances back for a moment. “Just remember what I asked you, alright?” “Hmph, as if I would ever keep a promise to you,” Tempest scoffs, clutching her left arm. “You’ll regret letting me go.” “Sure I will,” Tionic says, rolling his eyes as he crouches into a runner’s starting position, his powers showing. “Wait!” Tempest exclaims, making Tionic stop in his tracks. “What, no, who are you?” He chuckles, standing back to his full height, and faces Tempest. “The name’s Tionic,” He grins, jabbing a thumb at his chest. “Tionic the Spark!” And with that final note, he blitzes into Capper’s house and comes out with another blue blur following his electrical one in the direction the windmill bounced off.