Flash was amazed at how often he found himself in this situation. Sitting in a train, anxiously heading towards a big event in his life. First the entrance exam, then his first quest and now, he was on his very first big expedition.
And he wasn't alone. Soarin, Trixie and Wallflower were there with him, Soarin and Trixie playing a card game whilst Wallflower was looking out the window and eating some snacks she had gotten from the snack car. Then there was the fifth member of their group, Flash looking over Wallflower's head at the mare in question several rows away.
Princess Luna was reading a book, looking poised and elegant as one would expect from a princess. Flash wondered why she was keeping her distance, but guessed that was just the kind of mare she was.
"Gine!" Trixie smirked, laughing at Soarin's defeated face. "That's three to nothing."
Soarin moaned, "best four out of seven?"
Wallflower looked out at the wasteland, "how much further do you think it'll be?"
"I doubt where we're going is just a train ride away," Flash told her. "if it was, Luna wouldn't have bothered bringing us and would have likely gotten the guards or something to accompany her." Wallflower nodded, as Trixie shuffled the deck.
"I'm curious what's so important about this book she's after. She said it had magic that could spell doom in the wrong hands. But if it's so important, why is Celestia only sending somepony after it now?"
"Maybe Luna's the only one that can find it," Soarin guessed. "Maybe whatever magic she has is the only way to locate it."
"Then why bother going after it at all?" Trixie asked. "If it's been hidden away all this time, clearly nopony's gonna find if they tried. Why not leave it where it is?"
"Who knows," Flash told her. "That's not our focus. It doesn't matter why the princess wants the book. She want it and she's hired us to help her. Let's just focus on that." In that moment, the overhead speaker rang and told them they were coming to the end of the line.
Luna heard this and closed her book, putting it in her bag as she got up. The others took this as the cue to do the same, the lot of them putting their things in their bags and placing them on their backs.
Luna headed for the door and they followed, as the train pulled into a station.
"We're here," she announced as the doors opened and they stepped out onto the platform. They looked around and found they were in a barren wasteland, with multiple mountains a good distance away from them that were covered in a thick layer of cloud.
"This is where the spellbook is?" Wallflower asked, "guess it makes sense. I wouldn't think to look for it here."
"The spellbook isn't here," Luna told her. "This is just the closest we can get to it by train. From now on, we're going by hoof." The others didn't like the sound of that, as Luna began march towards the mountains. "The place we're heading to is on the other side of that mountain range and passed a marshland."
"Seriously?" Trixie didn't seem to like the sound of that idea, "that sounds like it could take a long time. And I didn't bring any marshland boots." The others thought the same thing, as Soarin smirked.
"No problem." he gestured at Flash. "We can get us over them in no time." They all looked at him, "Flash just has to make something the three of you can ride on and we'll pull it into the air. That way, we can fly over the mountains and marshland without a problem." His friends smiled at Flash placed his belt on his waist, about to create a large chariot. But before he could-
"That's a bad idea," Luna stated before pointing at the mountain range. "Those mountains aren't mountains. They're volcanoes. But even though they're mostly inactive, they still release a lot of sulphur and carbon dioxide, which is blown into the sky and rains down on them." They all gulped, not liking the sound of that. "It's tedious, but we'll have to go around the mountains."
"Can't you just teleport us to the other side?" Flash asked.
"No," Luna stated. "Teleportation is a very difficult spell, even for an omni like me. Even if I was at full power, teleporting all of us such a distance would almost certainly end in disaster." The four wondered what she meant about being at full power, Flash also thinking about what could help them pass the mountains quicker.
Slowly, an idea formed in his head. He had never attempted to make something so big and powerful, but he had to at least try. As such, he took out a card and held it to his forehead.
"What are you doing?" Trixie asked, as Flash stepped away from them. As he did, the card slowly began to make an image appear on it. And when the image was finally complete, he opened his eyes before slotting the card into his belt. As soon as he shut it, the belt unleashed a mighty blast of light that completely enveloped him.
"Flash!" Soarin cried, as they were all blinded by the light. But they watched as it slowly formed a shape, which grew larger and larger by the second. And eventually, the light faded to reveal what Flash had created. And they had no idea what it was.
Unbeknownst to them, Flash had created an all terrain van. It was black in colour, with large chunky tires and chrome armouring. Flash looked inside the van and was right behind the wheel, with another seat to his right. He looked behind himself and saw another row of three seats, whilst a larger space was behind them that would allow them plenty of room to sleep in.
As he placed his hands on the wheel, the passenger side door opened and Soarin looked inside. "What the heck is this thing?"
"If I made it correctly, the ultimate all terrain vehicle." Flash pressed the button and the magical engine exploded into life, scaring the others as they leapt back. Flash hit the gas and the truck moved forward, the force shutting the door Soarin had opened.
He smirked as all the years of playing racing games in the arcade came back to him. He drove the truck perfectly, turning it several times and getting a handle for the wheel. He then turned it back towards the others and pulled up right besides them, the four staring at it in shock.
He rolled the window down and smirked, "need a lift?"
Luna raised an eyebrow, "you're saying this...contraption, can get us over the mountain?"
"Yup," Flash nodded. "Plus, I added a sulphur and carbon dioxide detector along with air scrubbers that'll keep the gases out."
"Impressive," Luna nodded. "But how did you create something like this? From what I understand, the belt requires you to know everything about whatever you create. How did you come up with such an unusual vehicle?" Flash felt himself sweat, since he didn't want to explain that he had cursory idea of how an internal combustion engine worked because he read it in a book in his old life.
"Well...I just thought that I really wanted something strong enough to get over the mountains, but be sealed so we wouldn't breath the stuff in. I guess the belt was able to work with that." Luna raised an eyebrow, clearly not convinced. Flash feared he was busted, but she eventually shrugged and opened the passenger door. She climbed in as Soarin opened the back doors, he and the girls getting in and looking around the inside.
They all passed their bags back and slotted them into a small cage behind their seats, where they would safely remain until they were needed. Wallflower sat in the middle with Soarin and Trixie on either side, Soarin bouncing up and down on the seat whilst Trixie adjusted hers to be more comfortable.
"Alright," Flash pulled at his seatbelt, "these should keep you guys from getting thrown about." The others grabbed their seatbelts and pulled them around their bodies, the lot surprised by how tightly they held them in place. "Everypony ready?" They nodded, as Flash hit the gas. "Then let's get driving!" The truck rolled forward and they rocketed across the landscape, the rocky ground beneath the tires not even rocking them thanks to the great suspension Flash had installed.
Flash focused on the road, whilst the others continued to be amazed by the truck. When they started this journey, they didn't think they would be riding in luxury. They thought they were gonna end up hot and tired, but here they were being relaxed and air conditioned.
With the truck's increased speed, they managed to reach the base of the mountain within an hour. This impressed Luna, who hadn't expected to reach the mountain until nightfall on hoof. But as they got closer to the mountain, a beeping caught their attention and made them look down to see one of the detectors lighting up.
Said detectors each had ten lights, with one of them now have a light turn green. "What's that?" Trixie asked.
"Carbon dioxide detector," Flash explained. "It's outside the car."
"You said this vehicle would protect us from it, correct?" Luna asked, Flash nodding but still looking worried.
"It's not perfect. I asked it to make the detector show us how well the vehicle can protect us from them. As long as the green lights are glowing, we're safe. If the yellow lights come on, that means the truck's gonna be able to protect us but some of it might get through. If it's red...the truck won't be able to protect us long."
"I see," Luna nodded. "Then we had best try to avoid areas of high toxicity." Flash nodded as the truck started moving up the side of the mountain. As he did, Soarin leaned forward and started watching how Flash drove.
Now that they were on the mountain, the drive was proving much bumpier. Even with the truck's great suspension, the ground was so uneven the vehicle was rocked around all over the place.
They eventually came to an area that had a large ramp-like incline, which was rather steep. "You think we can get passed that?" Trixie asked, but Flash just smirked since he had foreseen this situation. He reached down and pressed a button, causing the front of the truck to open up and fold something out.
"Is that...a harpoon?" Luna asked, taking a close look at the device now on the bonnet.
Flash nodded as he used a pair of knobs to target it before hitting a button, causing the harpoon to be fired. It shot over the incline and as it did, the spearhead-like front split apart to make an X-shaped claw. It disappeared behind the rocks and when it landed, Flash hit the button again. This caused the rope to retract until the harpoon hooked something, making the rope go taught and pulling the truck forward.
Flash smirked and the others were amazed, as the vehicle was pulled up the ramp. When the truck reached the very peak, he hit the gas and pushed it over the top. He also stopped the rope retraction, allowing the harpoon to be unhooked and retract back into the vehicle.
"Impressive," Luna nodded as the whole thing retracted into the bonnet.
"This bad boy should be able to handle this terrain these mountains throw at us." As he said that, another light went up. "So long as we stay in the green, we should be safe."
"Don't be so sure," Luna told him as they reached another incline though it wasn't so steep they needed the harpoon. "Toxic gases aren't the only thing this mountain has."
"You mean monsters live here?" Wallflower asked, Luna nodding.
"What kind of creature could live someplace like this?" Soarin asked. but got his answer when a loud squawking sound filled the air. They all looked out the window and couldn't see anything, but then Trixie looked up.
"There!" They all looked up and saw something flying towards them. It looked humanoid, but had a pair of large bat wings on its back. It was orange in colour and had the head of a crow, complete with a yellow beak. It also had taloned green hands and feet, along with a long blue tail that looked like it could cut through solid steel.
"A Whiptail!" Luna cried, "not good. its claws and tails are sharp enough to pierce almost anything. It'll rip us open like a tin can."
"Great," Flash growled as the whiptail flew towards them. "What do I do? I didn't equip this thing with any weapons."
"Everypony get ready to hold their breath," Luna told them. They looked confused and she cast a spell, her horn glowing before a transparent bubble appeared around her head. She then opened her door and they all held their breath, as she leapt out into the gas-filled area. She quickly took flight and shut the door, flying up into the air towards the Whiptail whilst taking out her staff.
The beast squawked at her, as her staff glowed along with her horn.
"Lumino Cutter!" She swung the staff around and the crescent moon unleashed a blade of light, which struck the Whiptail and knocked it back with a gash appearing in its chest. This allowed her to get in close and use the blade to cut it in half, making it squawk in pain before exploding.
"Wow," Soaring smirked, "she's good." The others nodded as more squawks filled the air, making them look around to see several more Whiptails flying towards the truck.
Luna shot towards them as her staff continued to glow. "Shadow Shroud!" She thrust the staff forward and unleashed a cloud of black smoke, which flew towards the Whiptails and completely enveloped them. "Aero Cutter!" She swung the staff around and unleashed blade of wind, which flew into the cloud before a squawk of pain could be heard.
"Lumino, Shadow and Sky Magic?" Trixie was amazed, as the smoke vanished.
"Super Freeze!" Luna launched the blue lightning, which struck another Whiptail and froze it in midair.
"Sea Magic to?" Flash was amazed, as the frozen Whiptail fell to the ground and shattered.
"She's an omni," Wallflower pointed out. "Omnis have the ability to use every element of magic. The only ones they shouldn't be able to use is Null Magic, though they can have their own." Luna began spinning in the air, turning her into a mini-tornado that slashed through several more Whiptails until only one was left.
That last one had dived down and landed on the bonnet of the truck, the teens inside yelling in shock as it raised its claws ready to cut through the window. But before it could, Flash hit the break and the vehicle came to a complete stop.
The Whiptail was knocked off the bonnet and thrown backwards, crashing into a rock as Luna landed on the roof. "Dirt Cannon!" She thrust her staff forward and a tornado of earth exploded out of it, hitting the Whiptail and ripping it to shreds.
Luna panted as she jumped down and opened the door, quickly climbing inside and pulling it shut before too much deadly gas could enter. As she buckled herself up, she turned to the others.
"Shall we get going?" They nodded and drove off, continuing over the mountainous terrain.
"That was pretty awesome," Soarin told her. "Where'd you learn to fight like that?"
"A thousand years ago, ponies weren't as skilled as they are now. Magic was still developing and magical weapons were difficult to craft and almost impossible to come by. So my sister and I were some of the few ponies that could fight against monsters like that. It was our duty to protect the ponies of Equestria. And since most of the more dangerous creatures came out at night, I ended up fighting the stronger ones and developing my skills more than my sister."
"You're saying you're stronger than Celestia?" Flash asked as they drove around a large rock.
"A thousand years ago, yes. My physical skills were higher than my sisters, whilst she had the edge on me in magical ability. But these days, I think she would have me bested in both aspects...for now." Those in the back weren't sure they liked the way she said that.
They continued driving for a few more hours, needing to circumnavigate most of the bigger obstacles the truck couldn't get them over. These obstacles were far and few between, so they were hardly stopped at all as they made their way over the mountain.
Eventually, they managed to reach a spot that allowed them to get over the mountain and head down the other side, with no monsters showing up to attack them. This allowed them to roll down the slopes without much issues.
The sun was starting to set and as they began to reach the bottom of the mountain, which meant they had overcome their first hurdle. However, they still had another mountain to get over before they could put this journey behind them.
Flash let out a yawn as he let the car roll down the mountainside and kept his hoof on the break. "Tired?" Luna asked, Flash nodding.
"This might look easy, but it's kind of tricky. And that's when it's daytime and I can see. I'm really not looking forward to driving at night."
"Then we won't," Luna told him. "We'll search for an area that hasn't got any carbon dioxide and set up camp there for you to rest." Flash nodded as they continued down the rocky track, keeping an eye on the carbon and sulfur detectors. Sure enough, they eventually found a flat area of land for Flash to park on.
Once he did, he let out a sigh and laid back whilst the others got out. They looked around and smelled the air. It wasn't exactly fresh, but it wasn't toxic. Flash climbed over the back and opened the sliding door, allowing the others to grab their bags. Luna also used some Land magic to create four square stones for the others to sit on, whilst Flash remained sat on the truck.
"Too bad we don't have anything to make a campfire with," Soarin stated as he took out some marshmallows.
"Not a good idea," Luna stated. "There might not be any sulphur here right now, but a stray cloud could appear and be ignited. We'll make do with food we don't need to cook." They all nodded and took out some ration packs, all the while glad they weren't living fifty years ago. When these things were first created, they were bland, hard and barely edible. But now, they came in a variety of flavours, went down easy and still had everything an adventure needed not to collapse from exhaustion.
As the sun continued to set, they ate in silence but kept their ears open in case more creatures tried to attack them.
But after a while, Flash decided the silence was too uncomfortable. "So, princess." Luna looked up at him. "You said this spellbook we're after is special. But how special? Is there a particular spell inside it that Equestria really needs or something?" Luna clearly didn't want to explain it to him, "just wondering."
Luna sighed as she took another bite of her ration bar. "It's a very special book. It's probably the last book in existence that contains omni magic."
"Omni magic?" Trixie seemed intrigued by this.
"Spells so special, only an omni has the potential to use it." She looked over at the setting sun, as if caught in a memory. "It was from that book that my sister and I learned how to raise and lower the celestial bodies." That was certainly a surprise. "And there are other magics in it that are just as powerful."
"Amazing," Wallflower whispered. "So...how did it get lost?"
"Somepony stole it," Luna stated.
"Who?" Flash asked, but could see Luna didn't want to say it out loud. But after a few moments, she sighed.
"Me." Their eyes went wide, as Luna put her food away. "Things were very different a thousand years ago. Ponies were terrified of the night. They dared not step hoof outside their homes. To them, the darkness did nothing but help hide the monsters that wanted to devour them. They feared everything connected to the night, including me."
"Wow," Flash whispered, "I'm sorry." Luna just looked away.
"I didn't want to be the princess of the night, but I couldn't be anything else. I didn't have the magical power to move the sun, but my sister did. So, she took on the duties of raising the sun and governing the day. And left me to watch over the night...alone."
Team Relic all frowned, feeling sorry for Luna. They had no idea how isolated she must have felt back then.
"And so it was that my sister was forever loved as the bringer of light, who chased away the evil darkness and allowed ponies to play in the sunlight. And I was the evil princess, who shrouded them in darkness and gave the monsters the chance to hunt them."
"But that's not true," Flash told her as the sun completely set. They were delved into complete darkness for a moment, only for the light of the rising moon to shine. "Darkness is the absence of light. Technically, it's Celestia who brought the darkness. Your moon gave the ponies light, but a weaker one that would allow them to sleep."
"I know that. I tried to get Celestia to explain this, but she told me the ponies wouldn't understand. Back then, I thought she just didn't want to risk the ponies hating her for being the one to remove the light." She sighed, "she was so different back then. She loved the attention she got for being the almighty sun princess. All the while I was constantly feared. She didn't realise how miserable I was until I couldn't take it anymore."
"You stole the book," Wallflower realised.
Luna nodded. "All I wanted to do was find a way to make is so the ponies wouldn't be afraid of me. That's when I discovered a spell that could increase my magical power. I thought that if I used it, I would have the magic to raise the sun like my sister. So I used it without thinking about the consequences. But as soon as I cast it, I knew I'd made a mistake. The magic was too much for me. It completely overwhelmed my mind and corrupted me. It transformed me into a monster."
"Nightmare Moon," Flash whispered. Luna flinched hearing that name.
"Yes. I don't remember much from my time as...that, but I do remember that I feared my sister using the same spell to increase her own power. As such, I hid it away in the place we are now heading to. Given my sister was unable to find it in the thousand years I was gone, I guess I did a good job hiding it."
Team Relic looked at one another, now curious about something else. Trixie then asked the question. "How did Celestia...beat you, if she didn't have the book full of omni magic?"
"She used a set of ancient relics to seal me within the moon. The Elements of Harmony. The very same Elements that were recently used to save me from my own foolishness. Six ponies that each represented an aspect of the Elements, unleashed their full power and destroyed the Nightmare Moon shell I was trapped within. Although, it also left my own magical abilities greatly weakened. Hence, why my sister continues to raise the moon in my stead." They nodded as Luna stood up and cast the breathing spell on herself. "I will go check the perimeter and make sure there aren't any more surprises for us this night." She grabbed hr staff and flew off, leaving Team Relic to let what they had just learned sink in.
"Wow," Wallflower whispered, "I feel kind of sorry for her."
"Yeah," Trixie nodded, "I know how it feels to have family that are so amazing they overshadow you. Must have been even worse for her, given who her sister is." They all nodded and remembered what the older students had told them about Luna and Nightmare Moon. Luna had just made one mistake and now she would likely have to live with the consequences forever.
Soarin then had a thought that made him frown. "Guys, what if she's planning to use the same spell as before?" They turned to him in confusion. "What if the only reason she's going after this spellbook, is so she can use its magic to restore the power she lost when she was freed from Nightmare Moon? What if she wants to become her again and delve the world in eternal darkness? If she does, we'll be known as the team that helped her. Instead of being Team Relic, awesome adventures. We'll probably go down in history as the four horses of the apocalypse."
"Soarin!" Flash frowned, "I really doubt she wants to become Nightmare Moon again."
"But how can you be sure?" Wallflower looked terrified, "should we take that chance? What if Soarin's right and she is after her former power? If she turns back into Nightmare Moon, what'll you think she'll do to us?"
"Maybe we should try and take the book when we find it?" Trixie suggested, "take it and run as fast as we can. Get the book to Celestia, where Luna can't get to it."
"You guys need to stop," Flash told them. "You're making wild assumptions. Luna might have made mistakes in the past, but that's where they are. In the past. We shouldn't judge her as evil just because she made a mistake."
"Really?" Trixie asked, "so you're absolutely sure she's not gonna try and turn back to Nightmare Moon. There isn't a shred of doubt at all." Flash was about to say yes, but then stopped as he thought to himself. It was possible, no matter how small, that she was intending to do that. But still, that didn't mean they should automatically label her a bad guy...right? "Thought so."
In that moment, Luna started flying back towards them. "Let's discuss this again later," Flash told them. "We should get to know Luna before we condemn her as a villain." The others frowned, but knew he was right.
Luna arrived and put her weapon down. "All's clear in the surrounding area. We should be free to sleep, but one of us should remain on guard in case something happens. I'll take the first shift and wake one of you when it's time to switch." They nodded with the four younger ponies climbing into the truck.
They each took a sleeping bag out of their backpacks and rolled it out inside the truck, which was just large enough for them all to do it. Soon enough, the four were laid out in the vehicle and wrapped up in their sleeping bags. Trixie had an eye mask and sleeping cap, whilst Wallflower's arms were wrapped around one another as if they were supposed to be cuddling something.
The four slept for a while, though Flash found it tricky to sleep since his thoughts remained on Luna and what she was planning for the book. He didn't want to accuse her of such a thing without actual proof, but did he want to risk the return of Nightmare Moon just because he was worried about hurting her feelings?
The thoughts caused his sleep to become rather strained and he kept rolling from side to side, doing so as softly as he could to stop the truck from rocking. But after a while, he sighed and sat up. As he did, he looked out the window expecting to see Luna sitting there. But she was gone.
"Huh?" He got out of his sleeping bag and carefully slid the door open, looking around but seeing no sign of the omni.
"Can't sleep?" He jumped at the voice and fell out of the truck, barely managing to keep his hoof on it as he hit the ground. He moaned and looked towards the roof, where Luna was sat cross legged. She raised an eyebrow at him before using her magic to pick him up, keeping his hoof on the truck.
"Sorry," he told her, "I was getting comfortable and noticed you weren't there. Just wanted to be sure you hadn't been taken or something." Once he was close enough, he grabbed the truck and flew up to sit beside her on the roof.
"There's still time for my watch," she told him. "You shouldn't push yourself after the long day you've had."
"I'm fine. Besides, you've spent way too many nights alone." Luna sighed at this, as the pair sat in silence for several moments until the omni spoke up.
"So, do you think I'm after the book to become Nightmare Moon again?" Flash's eyes went wide, wondering if maybe she had used a spell to hear what they said before. "I didn't hear you. I just knew that when I told you that story, that possibility would enter your minds. You're right to have those doubts. Trust is good, but being overly trusting can lead to disaster."
Flash nodded and thought about her question. He didn't know if she wanted to be Nightmare Moon again. But he felt there would be no harm in asking. "Do you want to become Nightmare Moon again." Luna looked appalled by that question.
"Never. I want nothing to do with the monster I became. I wish I could just forget about everything that happened." She sighed, "though that'll never happen. Especially with everypony looking at me and only seeing the creature that threatened to keep the world in eternal night."
"I doubt everypony sees you like that," Flash tried to comfort her. "I'm sure Celestia sees you as the sister she lost for a thousand years."
"Celestia," Luna sighed, "sure. If she cared so much, she would have found a way to tell the tale of Nightmare Moon without making me look like the villain." Flash cocked an eyebrow, "she could have pretended the two of use with separate entities. Stated I had been possessed or something, or that Nightmare Moon kidnapped me and her destruction freed me. But no, she had to be honest. No wonder she was the one who got to use that element against Discord."
"Discord?"
"Doesn't matter. Can't change the past, so there's no point dwelling on it. I'll forever be known as the mare that tried to usurp her sister and got turned into a monster for it."
"That's not true," Flash told her. "Sure, you can't change how ponies saw you in the past. But you can change how ponies see you now."
"How?"
"By being a good pony. Show that you're the kind of princess that's willing to put her past behind her and do what needs to be done for the good of the kingdom. I'm not saying it'll be easy, but nothing worth having is."
Luna frowned, "you're right about it not being easy. No matter how many good things I do, I'll always have the stain of Nightmare Moon upon me. I just wish I could make everypony forget about her. Including me."
"You shouldn't forget about what happened in the past," Flash told her. "You should embrace it." Luna looked at him in shock. "Who you used to be is still a part of you, even if you're now somepony completely different. But just because you're not that pony anymore, doesn't mean you have to ignore that they ever existed. Nightmare Moon is a part of you, even if you don't want to admit it. She made mistakes, which caused her to get banished to the moon, seen as a monster and defeated again after stealing the princess. You don't want to make those same mistake, right?"
"Of course not."
"Then you have to learn from those mistakes. Which means you have to accept that you were the one who also made them, back when you were Nightmare Moon." Luna looked down, clearly not eager to do something like that. "Who you used to be doesn't change who you are now. But if you ignore who you used to be, you'll be forced to make the same mistakes you made before. And you might not get another second chance this time."
Luna let this information sink in, then let out a sigh. "You're very wise, for somepony so young." Flash smirked, rubbing the back of his neck. If only she knew he had two life times of experience to pull from.
Luna looked like she was about to say something else, but before she could a loud squawking caught their attention and made them look up to see a flock of whiptails flying towards them. "Oh, great!" Flash banged on the roof of the truck, waking those inside up. "We got company!"
"Wha?" Was the general sound made by his teammates, as he took out a card and slotted it into his belt. In a flash, his water bowgun appeared and he quickly began firing blasts of ice from it. Meanwhile, Luna grabbed her staff and leapt into the air.
The ice arrows impaled several Whiptails at the front, allowing Luna to deal with those behind them. She used her staff's blade to cut the wings of the Whiptails, causing them to fall to the ground as the rest of Team Relic got out of the truck.
Trixie and Flash blasted those on the ground, allowing Soarin and Wallflower to get in close. Soarin quickly cut one in half, whilst Wallflower used her vines to wrap another up and swing it around. As she smashed the beast into the ground, its tail dug into the soil and got quit deep before it exploded.
Luna flew down and landed atop and wingless Whiptail, slicing its tail off before it could attempt to stab her. Soarin then fired a lightning bolt towards it, Luna leaping off and the electricity blew it up.
Trixie then extended her blade and rushed forward, blocking another Whiptail's tail before thrusting the staff part into its chest. "Water Pressure!" A blast of water blew it backwards towards Luna, who held her staff out so the creature flew into the blade and cut itself in half.
Only one Whiptail was left and Flash fired an ice blast at its feet, freezing them to the ground whilst Soarin and Wallflower charged. Soarin blocked the tail and Wallflower wrapped her vines around its neck before pulling, the creature squawking as its neck was ripped off its body and it exploded.
They all sighed, three of them still half asleep as the battle ended. Luna nodded, "excellent work." They nodded and hoped they could go back to sleep. But in that moment, the truck started beeping.
"What's that?" Soarin asked, as Flash swung down and checked the carbon and sulphur detectors. Both were in the yellow.
"We've gotta get out of here!" He told them, the four's eyes going wide before they rushed into action. Luna used her magic to pack everything they had up and throw it in the back, she and the others then climbing into the truck as Flash started the engine. Once the doors were slammed shut, Flash hit the gas and they raced away.
"What happened?" Trixie asked, "I thought there weren't any gas here?"
"Wind must have changed and blown some towards us," Luna frowned. "Or the fight did damage to the area that let the gas escape. Doesn't matter now. What matters is getting out of here before the gas gets to a level this vehicle can't protect us from."
Flash drove as fast as he could, the bumpy ground making it an uncomfortable ride. And as he did, the lights on both the detectors get higher and higher. Nine of the ten lights glowed green and yellow, meaning one more and they would be in trouble.
"We have to get out of here," Flash growled. "The truck can't handle shielding us from this much gas for long."
"And if it goes into the red?" Wallflower asked, but Flash's silence told her all she needed to know. She began to look terrified, whilst the others just looked worried.
Flash looked ahead and saw a particular steep bit of rock ahead of them. Getting up it wasn't going to be easy. And sure enough, when the truck tried to drive up it gravity proved stronger. The wheels rolled against the unstable ground, beginning to dig themselves into the ground.
Flash hit the button and fired the harpoon upwards, over the top before retracting it. It caught on something and the truck began to slowly pull itself up, but as it did the detectors both turned red.
They all panicked, knowing the two gasses were likely getting into the truck at that very moment.
Luna turned to the four she had brought on this quest, Soarin actually letting out a cough. If they died, it would be her fault. She wouldn't let that happen.
So, she lit her horn and dug deep. The others noticed this, as Luna slapped her hands together. In a flash, the shield spell she had used before formed between her hands before quickly expanding. It filled the inside of the truck, then flew through the metal and encased the entire vehicle. As it did, the detectors began to go down.
The ponies were amazed by this and turned to Luna, who looked like she was having trouble. It was then they realised this spell must be difficult to cast, especially if Luna's magic was weakened like she mentioned. "Hold on," Flash told her as the truck reached the top of the hill. The harpoon retracted into the car and he hit the gas, allowing them to continue down the route.
Luna could feel her magic quickly depleting. The size of this spell, coupled with the times she had used it and several other spells had her magic reserves slowly dropping.
Those in the back were amazed by what Luna was doing for them. They had heard what might happen if a magi overused their magic and wondered if the same was true for an omni. If it was, Luna could cripple herself protecting them.
They suddenly felt really bad at the accusations they had thrown at her before. Here she was, risking to lose her magic forever whilst they had been worried she was still evil. They watched as the minutes passed and Luna started panting, a bit of blood dripping from her nose.
She felt her head beginning to spin and as the truck flew off the top of another hill, she felt her magic hit rock bottom. But she kept going as everything went dizzy for her. And as the ten minute mark of her casting it passed, everything went black and she fell forward.
"LUNA!" The others cried as her head hit the dashboard, the magical barrier around them vanishing.
This caused the detectors to beep as the lights came back on, but stopped at the eighth light which was yellow. Trixie leaned forward and grabbed Luna, pulling her back so she was laying back against the seat. As she did, Wallflower took out some cloth and ripped it up.
"Tie this around her mouth," she told Trixie. "Keep the gas out." Trixie used her magic to do so, as Wallflower handed out the other cloths to the rest of them. Soon, their mouths were all covered as Flash kept driving over the rocks. As they did, the ninth light came back on.
Worry filled them all again, as the truck came to the top of a large hill that headed straight down into a bowl-like area filled with white mist. Flash knew going into there was a death sentence, so rolled around the side of the bowl. But the ground was very unsteady. At several points, part of the edge gave way and they almost fell in.
The lot of them were starting to get a bit light headed. But as they finally reached the other side of the bowl, the ninth light went out.
They hoped that meant the gas was starting to lessen and as they rolled down the side of the hill, the eighth light went off as well. Flash kept driving and relief filled him, as more and more of the lights went out. Eventually, all the yellow lights went out and they were safe...for now.
Flash pulled the cloth away from his mouth and sighed as he eased up on the gas, the truck slowing down. "We should be safe for now. So long as the wind doesn't change again." The others nodded as they turned to Luna, who was still unconscious.
"You think she'll be okay?" Wallflower asked.
"I don't know," Trixie sighed. "But she'll be a lot better when we get out of this sulphur filled death trap." They all agreed and hoped the omni would be okay.
Luna's head was killing her, as she felt herself coming around.
"Princess?" She heard a voice call out, "princess? Luna!?" Her eyes fluttered open and as they did, she was greeted to the sight of Flash Sentry's face looking down at her. She moaned as she opened her eyes more, Flash sighing in relief. "You're alright."
"Sentry?" She sat herself up, holding her head. "What happened?" She looked around and saw both Trixie and Wallflower kneeling beside her, the lot of them being in the back of the truck. She then noticed the truck was moving and looked at the front, where she saw Soarin was at the steering wheel.
"You okay?" Trixie asked, "you blacked out from using too much magic."
Luna remembered what happened and gasped as she looked around, Flash smiling. "Don't worry. We managed to get out of there before we could suffocate. Getting over the second mountain wasn't too tricky. Actually, we didn't have any problems once we cleared the gas fields."
Luna sighed in relief, as he reached up and touched her horn. "Is your magic okay?" Trixie asked, "you overdid it and we'd hate it if your magic was lost protecting us." Luna took a deep breath and summoned some of her magic.
Her horn lit up and she was able to create a small flame in her hand, which she quickly snuffed out before her magic ran out. "My magic's fine. A bit of rest and it'll recover." The others sighed in relief, "you shouldn't worry about me."
"Too bad," Soarin called back to her. "We're teammates right now. That means we worry about you." The others nodded, as Wallflower looked upset.
"We're sorry," she told the omni. "We were worried you couldn't be trusted and would try and do something to us, but you put your magic at risk to keep us safe."
Trixie nodded. "Yeah, we're really sorry."
"Really really sorry," Soarin sighed. "Flash was right. We shouldn't have judged you before we got to know you."
Luna smiled, "don't worry about it. You were right to be suspicious of me. As I told Sentry, being overly trusting can be dangerous. But I hope I've proven myself trustworthy to you all." They nodded, smiles on their lips as they did. She then turned to Flash. "Thank you. You were right. I can't change how ponies used to see me. But I can improve what ponies think of me now."
Flash nodded and as he said that, the truck suddenly came to an abrupt stop. The four in the back all found themselves sliding forward, crying out as they did so. "Soarin!" Trixie cried out, but Soarin wasn't listening.
As Luna recovered, she felt she was pressed up against something. She looked down and gasped when she saw she had landed on Flash, with her chest having landed on his face. The teen was bright red as he was blinded by Luna's shirt, the omni gasping and pulling back. "I am sorry."
"It's...fine," Flash told her whilst adjusting his legs so they were hiding his crotch. "Soarin, why did you stop?"
"You guys gotta see this." The four picked themselves up and looked over the seats, allowing them to look out the window and see that they had reached the edge of the mountain. And at the bottom of the cliff's edge, they saw a giant woodland in front of them.
They were amazed at this, as they realised they had overcome their first hurdle on their exploration. The dangerous mountains were now behind them and in the distance, they spotted what appeared to be a small village besides the woods. The perfect place to stop and rest.
The lot of them smirked as they climbed over the seats. Flash took the wheel from Soarin with Luna sat besides him, the others behind them. Once they were all strapped in, Flash looked to them all and they nodded. Even Luna looked a lot happier now that she had the trust of the others, Flash happy their team was coming together.
Putting his hoof down, he began to drive down a pathway he spotted. Their adventure had just begun and many more obstacles awaited them. And together, they would accomplish their mission and go down in history.