//------------------------------//
// MLP Loops 220 
// Story: MLP Time Loops 
// by Saphroneth 
//------------------------------//





220.1 (Anon e Mouse Jr) [MLP/Dragon Ball]

Dragon Ball Flash

"AAAAAIIIIIIIEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!"

Flash Sentry, recently Awakened in a setting he'd never been to before, looked up at the sound of the bloodcurdling scream and stared in the direction it had come from. "What in the world?"

Working his way out of his house, he looked around and saw the cause: one of his fellow villagers, running in fear from a monstrous boar with antlers and butterfly wings.

"Not sure what that thing is," he muttered. "But I'm not going to let it hurt those people." Quickly armoring up, he stepped into the thing's path. "Hey you!"

The boar, seeing him, stopped and snorted before eying him suspiciously, pawing the dirt and preparing to charge again. Clenching his fists, Flash held his ground, preparing to stop the thing when it came for him.

And indeed, it did. Right into his grip, as he grabbed hold of the beast's tusks, halting it in its tracks.

Grunting and snorting, the thing tried to break loose, but Flash refused to let go, hoping the beast's stamina would run down soon enough and he could knock it out.

"Wait!"

Looking up, Flash saw a strange humanoid being coming towards him, their skin the same plain white as Rarity's. Unlike her, they also had two red dots on their cheeks, and appeared to lack a nose, to his surprise. But what really surprised him was that they were flying.

"InoShikaCho," the person said as they flew up and landed next to the boar. "You bad boy… you know better than to go running off like this!"

The boar grunted, but stopped trying to push forward. Still, Flash decided to be cautious. Looking down at the smaller person, he asked, "Is this your pet?"

The person nodded. "Yep! Mine and my friend's… he likes to run off and cause trouble from time to time, and I'm so sorry if he upset you or anyone else here."

Flash, seeing the boar had calmed down, let go of him and reverted to his normal form. "You might want to get him a better leash," he said only semi-jokingly.

"Oh, I will-"

"Chiaotzu!"

Flash looked over to see another man coming their way, also flying. "Friend of yours?" he asked the small person.

"Yup!" Chiaotzu nodded.

The man finally came to a stop in front of them and gave Flash a piercing look as Flash stared back at him, taking in his features. Unlike Chiaotzu, he had what most in the multiverse would consider a normal flesh tone, rather than Chiaotzu's shade of white or Flash's usual pale, greyish white amber. And unlike anyone Flash had ever seen, he had a third eye above the usual two.

"Thank you for stopping our pet," the man said gruffly. "We'll take our leave now." With that, he turned to go.

"Wait," Flash said. "I want to ask you something."

"Yeah?" The man turned to look at him.

"You… you were flying." Flash looked at him. "But you don't have wings. So… how? And could I do it too?"

"It's a special martial arts technique taught to us by our former master." The man looked at him. "Not something most people can learn."

"I want to." Flash looked at him eagerly. "I… I got to fly a few times, but magic was involved, and I had to be something other than human to do it. I would love to be able to do it when I'm my normal self."

"Huh." The man considered. "My techniques aren't easy to learn, kid. They take a lot of hard work and discipline… and I don't like to teach people who aren't going to take this seriously."

Flash nodded. "I understand," he said. "But I'm willing to do whatever it takes to learn."

"Then prove it. After us." The man turned and headed off, Chiaotzu and InoShikaCho right behind him. Without hesitating, Flash followed.





The foursome had gone several miles without stopping when the man in the lead came to a halt, before turning to face Flash. "First things first. Your name, kid."

"Flash Sentry."

The man's eyes flashed in surprise. "Tien Shinhan," he said. "I believe you already know Chiaotzu and InoShikaCho."

"Yes, sir."

"Second." As the boar and Chiaotzu went off to one side, Tien shifted into a fighting stance. "Show me what you know. And I saw that armoured form of yours - no using it, or any other special techniques. I want raw hand-to-hand combat."

Flash instantly shifted into a stance of his own, grateful for all the training he'd received under Logan and the other X-Men, and nodded. He and Tien began trading blows, and right away Flash could tell the other man was holding back. A lot.

Still, he kept going.

Finally, Tien called for a halt. "Not bad, kid. Looks like a mix of styles… self-taught?"

"Some of it," Flash said. "My main teacher was Logan, and he learned a lot over the years. I only got to learn some of his moves, but it worked."

Tien's eyes - all three of them - raised at that. "Logan, huh? Tell me, how long did it take him to break out the claws?"

Flash's own eyes widened, and he smirked. "Right about the time he told me his name," he said. "You're a Looper?"

"Me and Chiaotzu both," Tien replied with a smirk of his own. "So, what branch are you from?"

"Equestria, human side," Flash said.

Tien looked surprised. "They finally got some new ones, huh? About time." He stuck out his hand. "Welcome to the Dragonball Loop."

Flash stuck out his own hand. "Thank you, sir."

"You were serious about learning how to fly from me, weren't you?" Tien said.

"Absolutely, sir," Flash said. "I'm a pegasus when I visit Equestria proper, and I love having wings."

Tien smirked at that. "No wonder you want to fly," he said. "Well, get ready for three years of the toughest training you've ever faced, and I guarantee that by the time it's done, you'll be flying in any form you take."

Flash nodded. "I'm ready to learn, sir."





Three years later…

Sixteen-year-old Son Goku was excited as he swam through the ocean. No matter how many Loops he and his friends went through, he always looked forward to the annual World Martial Arts Tournaments. Especially when he was playing it baseline like this. (Well, mostly. He'd teleported ahead to sign up early, then teleported back to where he'd been that morning so he could swim to the island like he usually did.)

Speaking of, the others should be there already, so he hurried up.

A while later, he was on the island and heading for registration, where he and his friends usually met up, when he sensed an unfamiliar ki signature. Hurrying, he soon saw two familiar faces, and one new one.

A visiting Looper? he thought excitedly, before calling out to get their attention.

"Hey!"

The others looked up. "Goku!" Bulma called excitedly. "Good to see you!"

"You too!" Goku grinned as he ran up to her. "How's it going?"

"Pretty good." Bulma looked at him. "You might want to go register - there's just a few minutes until it closes."

Goku waved a hand. "Nah, I did that this morning."

Krillin, who had yet to say anything, gaped. "Wait, this morning? Did you…"

"Teleport in, register, teleport back and then swim here again? Sure did!" Goku grinned at his friend.

Krillin shook his head, a resigned look on his face. "I should have guessed, as many times as you've pulled that stunt before."

Goku grinned at him, then turned to the others, including the two who weren't usually with them. "Tien, Chiaotzu! Good to see you guys! Is, um…" He lowered his voice. "Is he here?"

Tien shook his head. "Chiaotzu and I left Master Shen as soon as we Awoke, about the time you were fighting the Red Ribbon Army," he said. "But we've spent the last three years training hard for this tournament. And so has our new student."

Goku nodded. "I thought I sensed someone new. Did you open your dojo early?"

"No." Tien folded his arms. "But we did meet someone who wanted to learn." He stepped aside, giving Goku his first good look at the newcomer, a young man with blue hair and pale amber skin, and an outfit a lot like Tien's usual style - baggy green pants, a white tank top with a badge marked with Tien's personal symbol over his left side, green armbands with red trim, and black boots. "Son Goku, meet the newest disciple of the Tien-Shin Style: Flash Sentry."

The boy stepped forward and bowed. "It's an honour to meet you, sir. Master Tien has told me a lot about you and this Loop."

Goku bowed back. "Nice to meet you too, Flash."





One day later…

Flash stretched, warming up. He'd spent the rest of the day trading stories with Tien's friends, getting to know them and learning how this tournament usually went, along with what came after, and now they were all heading towards the Preliminary Building.

As he and the others headed towards the line, he observed the other people also heading the same way, when one of them caught his eye. "Huh..."

At his reaction, Bulma looked up, and groaned. "Oh great. It's Man-Wolf again."

"Man-Wolf?" Flash repeated. "As in... werewolf?"

"More like a wolfwere," Bulma said quietly, so the others around them wouldn't hear. "He's a humanoid wolf who turns into a normal human when he sees a full moon, or if he gets hypnotised into thinking he's seen it. In our baseline, during Goku's first World Martial Arts Tournament, he sees the moon and turns into a giant ape form, so Master Roshi decides to just blow it up so he'll turn back. Because of that, Man-Wolf got stuck in human form and vowed revenge on the man responsible for it." She looked contemplative. "I don't know if he ever gets turned back into his wolf form in baseline, honestly - the only other time we see him in any of our Hub backup was just a few days later, and he was still human then. We never officially saw him after Earth's moon was brought back a few years from now."

There was clearly an unspoken qualifier there, so Flash looked at her. "And unofficially?"

Bulma looked back at him approvingly. "There's a variant where, about fourteen years from now this alien named Bojack and his gang show up at a tournament. One of the other people in the audience then looks just like Man-Wolf in his wolf form, and we don't know if it's really him or just someone else with the same condition."

Flash nodded, but looked confused. "Um... I've seen the moon, does that mean things are different this Loop?"

Bulma nodded back. "Master Roshi and Goku were both Awake, and Goku's got control of his Oozaru form now, so the moon only ever gets blown up in those Loops where neither of them are Awake then. But even if he doesn't, Man-Wolf usually shows up and enters this tournament anyway for the challenge of it."

"Right."

"Well, anyway!" Bulma straightened up. "Good luck, Flash. See you and the others in the quarter-finals!"

Flash smiled. "Thanks, Bulma."

Then he and the others entered the Preliminary Building.

Inside, the seven (including Master Roshi in his Jackie Chun disguise) stood together with the others, listening to what Tien had told him was the usual opening speech, before drawing their numbers and heading to the preliminaries.

"First half of Block One," Yamcha reported. "As usual."

Goku nodded. "Second half of Block One."

"Second half of Block Two. Again." Krillin gave Chiaotzu a look, with the other Looper grinning.

"First half of Block Three," Flash reported.

"Second half of Block Three," Tien told him.

"First half of Block Four!" Chiaotzu chirped happily.

"And I'm in the second half of Block Four," Roshi said. "Just like always."

Flash nodded. "See you all in the quarter-finals," he said before bowing to Tien.

Tien folded his arms and nodded back. "Don't get cocky, kid. Remember what I taught you."

"I'll be careful," Flash promised.

Several matches later, as he eyed his next foe, Flash looked grim. It figures, he thought.

"Hey, kid! You gonna fight me or what?" Man-Wolf bellowed.

"Hold your horses," Flash called back, ignoring the "kid" remark (even if it wasn't exactly accurate at this point - he was physically twenty now, the same age as his master) and inwardly wondering what Sunset would have said if she'd heard him as he moved into a stance. "I'm ready."

"Good!" The other fighter cracked his knuckles. "Let's do this."

Then he charged, claws out.

Ducking a blow, Flash grimaced. Wish I could use my armoured form… But, he knew full well that tournament rules forbade it. Lashing out, he swept at Man-Wolf's legs, before sliding around behind him and delivering a double punch to the other fighter's back.

"Grah!" Man-Wolf spun around and slashed with his claws, forcing Flash to duck away again.

Time to end this, he thought. As Man-Wolf charged him again, Flash stood firm, before catching his foe's arms in his grip.

"You," he grunted as he clutched Man-Wolf's wrists, "Are really starting to get on my nerves!"

Then he leapt up and over Man-Wolf, never letting go of him, before pulling his arms up and hurling the other fighter out of the ring. Slamming face-first into the wall, Man-Wolf groaned before passing out.

"And the winner is Flash Sentry!" the referee declared.

Flash smiled as he left the ring. Another one down, he thought.





It was another hour or two before the preliminaries were done, and the seven friends met.

"Nice work on Man-Wolf," Roshi told him.

Flash smiled. "Thank you, sir." Then he gestured to the last remaining fighter. "So, who's that guy?"

"That's Pamput," Tien told him. "A movie star and Muay Thai kickboxer. Goku can beat him in less than a minute even in our baseline, but he has won other tournaments against normal fighters before."

Flash nodded. Before he could say anything more, the announcer entered. "Greetings, fighters!" he called.

"Hey, Mr. Announcer!" Goku called back.

"Uh..." The announcer scratched his head and chuckled nervously. "Hey, Goku. Um, could you try to keep the damage to the ring down this time?"

Goku gave him a thumbs-up. "I'll do my best!"

"Right. Anyway!" Turning to the others, the announcer cleared his throat. "Please step forward and draw a number when I call your name. These numbers will determine your match-ups in the quarter-finals."

As he began calling names and the others drew, Flash waited his turn (and watched, amused, as Chiaotzu rigged the drawings like always). Finally, he was called.

"Flash Sentry, number one!" the announcer declared. "That means you'll be facing Pamput in the first match!"

Flash nodded. "Good to know."

Better enjoy myself, he thought, recalling the other drawings. If I win this, my next match is against Krillin or Master Tien, and I know I can't beat either of them.

A few minutes later, as the eight stood outside, Flash and Pamput entered the ring.

"The rules are simple!" the announcer declared. "If you fall out of the ring, give up, or go down for a count of 10, you lose. We will now start match #1, Flash Sentry Vs. Pamput! Fighters ready, begin!"

Flash nodded. "Let's do this."

Across the ring from him, Pamput raised his fists. "You may as well give up now," he called. "I'm Pamput and my best is the best."

Flash declined to reply, instead merely positioning himself, letting his foe make the first move. He had a feeling the other man's speed was one of his better assets, and he hoped to use it against him.

The match that followed was nowhere near as short as Pamput's defeat in baseline, as he proved he was indeed a strong fighter. But with Flash's skills, built up from his time in the X-Men and then further improved and refined over years and Loops of training, in the end the younger fighter won by knockout.

Joining his friends outside the ring, he stood back to watch the next matches, first Tien facing Krillin (Tien won handily, though he could tell both fighters were holding back), Chiaotzu facing and defeating Yamcha, and then Goku having a friendly rematch with Jackie Chun, who finally forfeited.

"The semi-finals will be held tomorrow!" the announcer called. "First up, it's student vs. teacher when Flash Sentry goes up against Tien Shinhan! The second match will be Goku vs. Chiaotzu! What a performance, folks - three out of the four semi-finalists all coming from the same school of martial arts! We'll see you then, folks!"

Hopping out of the ring to join the others, Goku grinned at them. "That was fun!" he said cheerfully. "So, who else is hungry?"

Flash could see his teacher shaking his head in amusement. "Oh, Goku... some things about you just never change," the three-eyed man muttered.





The next day, Flash stood in the ring, opposite his teacher.

"Don't expect me to go easy on you," Tien called. "This may not be a life-or-death match, but that doesn't mean I won't take it seriously."

Flash nodded. "I know."

"Good."

Then, the announcer made the call for them to start, and in an instant, Tien was right in Flash's face, his fists moving far quicker than most people in the audience could see.

Every move was countered by Flash's own, the two trading blows evenly, Flash matching him even as Tien increased his speed. Finally, Tien smiled. "You've learned well," he said. "But how about you try this on for size?"

Then, concentrating as his muscles bulked up, he let out a cry before two extra arms grew from his back.

"Four Witches Technique," Roshi noted where he stood in the audience. "I remember that."

Goku nodded. "The same trick he used on me in baseline," he said. "But does Flash know about it?"

Back in the arena, Flash was still managing to keep up the deflecting blows, though he didn't seem to be trying to hit back, to Tien's frustration. "What's wrong?" he taunted. "Am I too much for you at this level?"

Flash didn't respond, instead concentrating on his defence. Finally, he gave his teacher a look, and then leapt back, moving his hands into position.

Then there was a flash of light, leaving Tien wincing, his extra arms vanishing as he lost his concentration.

He barely had time to react and lift off before a sweep would have cut his legs out from under him, and as he floated above the arena, he laughed. "The Solar Flare technique! Good thinking!"

Flash grinned. "Thanks."

"But you're still not going to win this." Tien moved, and in an instant was in front of Flash. "Time to go out."

Then he struck...

And the afterimage that he'd landed in front of vanished.

"What the-"

"Dragon Flash!"

A ki-charged punch struck his side, catching him off guard, and he spun around to find Flash had already moved away.

"I'm not going down that easily!" Flash called as he levitated above the ring. "Haaaaa!"

Waves of air and ki rushed against Tien, who grunted in surprise before he shot into the air.

"Neither will I!" he called. "Haaaaa!"

The same technique met Flash's, the two blowing against one another. In the end, one had to give.

Dropping his kiai and darting around the arena, Flash dodged Tien's next attack, before countering another series of blows with his own. Finally, the two leapt back from one another, standing on opposite ends of the arena like they had at the start.

"It's been a good match, Flash," Tien said. "But only one of us can go on."

Flash nodded. "Yeah... but for a first-timer, making it to the top four's quite an accomplishment."

Tien nodded back.

Then, as if they'd read one another's minds, both charged forward one more time.

There was a loud crack! that sounded like the air itself had split, before both were visible again, each combatant standing on the far side of the arena from where they'd started.

And then Flash toppled to one knee, panting heavily, before looking back and grinning.

"Good move," he managed before looking to the announcer. "Sir? I forfeit, I can't keep going this time."

The announcer nodded. "You heard it folks! Flash Sentry has chosen to surrender, so the winner of this round is Tien Shinhan!"

As the crowd roared, Tien returned to his student's side. "You okay?" he asked.

Flash nodded. "Yeah. I guess I need to build up my reserves more and work on my stamina with those ki moves though. Must've held that last one a little too long and poured more into it than I meant to."

"Right." Tien held out a hand, helping Flash to his feet. "Guess we know what you'll be focusing on after you-know-who's dealt with."

With Flash's arm around his shoulders, Tien led him into the audience, where Bulma was waiting for them with a bag of Senzu beans (one of which she gave to Tien) and what looked like a peach, which Flash accepted gratefully.





Two more matches followed, in which Goku managed to defeat Chiaotzu through some interesting tactics (not the same ones he'd used against the other fighter in baseline, Krillin told him, but still interesting) and then tied with Tien via simultaneous ring-out.

"They usually do that this time of Loop," Yamcha explained as they went to meet their friends. "It's more for fun than serious competition anymore when they've got an audience like this one - if they were going to fight seriously, they'd have to use an abandoned field or something."

Flash nodded. "Right."

After much congratulations for both fighters and the tournament's closing ceremonies, the group prepared to head out when Krillin hesitated. "Hey, uh, guys? I need to stay back a bit."

"What for?" Flash asked.

"Baseline stuff." With that, Krillin walked off, leaving his friends behind, and Flash looked concerned.

"Is he going to be okay?" he asked quietly as Krillin stepped around the corner, out of sight.

Goku nodded. "We've been through this before, a lot," he said. "It's something he does every time he's Awake."

Just then there was a high-pitched whirring noise, and then a loud "ACK!" before what sounded like several wet thumps hitting the ground.

Krillin popped his head back around the corner. "Guys? Do you think one of you could come help me clean this up?"

Goku nodded, and went to join him. Flash could hear ki flaring up as he thought, trying to remember what he'd been told about this time of Loop, before he suddenly had it. "Tambourine?" he asked.

Bulma nodded. "Krillin... he's got some serious issues with that guy," she said. "Even before we got to the expansion with the Forest of Terror, and it really came home for him how much Tambourine scared his baseline self, he's never been fond of this time of Loop. So he started working to control his fear. And part of that is being the one to face and kill Tambourine every time he's Awake this early. He has it easier when it isn't a Null Loop, but he's dedicated himself to training enough early on so he can match Tambourine even then."

Flash nodded. "Makes sense."

"But now we've got to deal with King Piccolo," Master Roshi said. "This part's always a complicated one... since he's Awake, Goku can kill King Piccolo easily, but then that just causes problems later. So we've got to make sure he stays alive long enough to restore his youth, and then beat him in a way so he reincarnates himself, without letting him hurt too many people."

"So what do we do?" Flash asked.

Roshi considered. "Well... it depends on how many spawn King Piccolo's got," he said. "In baseline - the Hub's manga and anime - he just had four, with Tambourine as the strongest, before Goku killed him. Even Drum, the last one he made before he died, had a lower power level. But we've seen Loops where he had up to fourteen or more of them sometimes."

"The extras don't come out of nowhere, in case you were wondering," Bulma added. "They all exist in the video game versions of the Hub's backup material for us. He'll probably be sending some of them after us now that Tambourine's dead."

"Right." Flash suddenly raised a hand. "Hey - quick question. These spawn of King Piccolo's, do any of them have magnetism-based powers?"

"No, not that we've ever seen," Yamcha said. "Why?"

Before Flash could answer, Goku and Krillin returned. "All done," Krillin reported. "Goku vaporised what was left of him."

"Good." Bulma nodded. "So now what?"

"Well, he'll still be coming for my Dragon Ball." Goku held up the orange sphere. "We have to let him get all seven so he can get his youth back and then pass it on to our Piccolo when he's born. So you guys, go after most of the Dragon Balls that are still out there. I'll go find Yajirobe and the one he's got, and then we let King Piccolo steal them all so he thinks he's won. Once he's made his wish and comes to try and take over the world capital, I'll be waiting there so I can fight him and finish him."

"So, same plan as always?" Yamcha asked.

"Yup," Goku told him. "It works most of the time."

"And when it doesn't?" Flash asked.

"Then things get uglier than Dodoria's face," Yamcha said.

Flash cringed, remembering the image Sunset had once shown him of the Frieza Force Commander. "Right."

Goku nodded at him. "See you later. Nimbus!"

The golden flying cloud zoomed up, and Goku hopped on before taking off, Flash watching him go with a smile. He knew Goku didn't actually need to use it anymore, but he liked to anyway, just for nostalgia's sake.

"Come on, let's get to work," Yamcha said.





Little less than forty-eight hours later, having largely evaded King Piccolo's troops and successfully had their Dragon Balls "stolen" by him so he could make his wish, the Dragon Team - Flash, Krillin, Tien, Chiaotzu and Yamcha - stood on the outskirts of Central City to await King Piccolo's arrival, while everyone else had stayed behind on Master Roshi's island, the old master himself having opted to stand watch there and protect the noncombatants of the team.

"You sure you feel up to this?" Krillin asked Flash. "King Piccolo's pretty tough, and you are still a rookie…"

"I'm not going after King Piccolo," the younger Looper said. "Unless we need to stall before Goku gets here. I'll settle for helping take out his spawn."

"Not exactly something I expected to hear from an Equestrian," Krillin said. "Even Sunset didn't like to kill."

Flash looked down. "I grew up human, remember? I regret that I'd ever have to kill. I won't kill, unless I absolutely have to, to protect the innocent from unrepentant monsters. Or if it's a Loop like that one Twilight told me about, where it's the only way to survive." His voice sounded thick for a moment, as if he were straining to get the words out. "And this is one of those times when I need to."

Tien nodded approvingly. "I trained you to be a fighter, Flash. Not an assassin, like I was. It's good that you feel that way." He sighed. "I just wish I'd realised it myself a lot sooner."

There was a moment of silence, before Yamcha muttered, "Well that got depressing fast."

"Incoming!" Chiaotzu yelled, and Flash looked up to see King Piccolo and a small army of his spawn, or Dark Vassals as he'd been told they were properly called, coming towards the city. Apparently, since losing Tambourine (to Krillin) and Cymbal (to Yajirobe), it seemed the Demon King had taken precautions.

And then the fight began.

Flash quickly found himself in mid-air, fighting against a pair of Tambourine-types - Harp, who was blue, and Mandolin, who was red - who moved to double-team him, while he saw Krillin facing a building-sized dragon-like Vassal, and Tien facing a large, ogreish frog-like one.

Looks like Drum was born earlier than usual, he thought as he fended off his two attackers. Tien had warned him in advance about the Vassal that had beaten him up in baseline.

Then he saw Yamcha fighting a trio of Vassals, including a pterodactyl-like one, a second that looked like Drum but with grey skin, and a third that looked like a humanoid octopus - Banjo, if he remembered right. All three seemed to be holding their own against Yamcha.

Frowning, Flash gave the two Vassals he was facing a stern look. "Time to take this up a notch."

Then he triggered his armour and delivered a double-fisted blow to the top of Mandolin's head, sending the Vassal crashing to the ground.

"What- you-" was all Harp had time to say before Flash kicked him aside, sending him to the ground too.

Landing next to Yamcha, he glanced at him, then at the trio. "Need a hand?"

"Nah, I think I've got this," Yamcha said as he raised one glowing fist. "Shotgun!"

Ukulele - the pterodactyl-like one - and Banjo both uttered startled cries as they were pummelled by the spreading energy bullets, before collapsing to the ground, while the grey Vassal growled angrily.

"Conga will make you pay for what you did!" he shouted as he charged Yamcha.

"Dragon Flash!"

"Ki Blast Thrust!"

Twin ki-charged blows impacted simultaneously, Flash's metal fist burying itself in Conga's gut and Yamcha's striking the underside of his chin, stopping him in his tracks before he fell to the ground, dead or unconscious.

Yamcha grinned. "Nice work, rookie. And now I know why you were asking about the magnetism thing." He patted Flash's armoured shoulder."

"Thanks." Flash looked at him. "Say, where'd you learn that other move - that Shotgun?"

"Spent a while in Yusuke Urameshi's home Loop," Yamcha said. "That's one of his moves, though he's technically some kind of psychic and uses spirit energy rather than straight ki like I do."

"Can you teach me how to use it, once King Piccolo's gone?" Flash asked. "I've seen Master Tien use his version of the Continuous Energy Bullet when he was training, but being able to do a one-shot spreading energy barrage like yours would come in handy."

Yamcha smiled. "Sure thing."

Just then, they heard a loud yell from Krillin, and looked to see him firing a barrage of razor-sharp energy discs that struck the giant Vassal and cut it to pieces.

A moment later, Flash looked to see Tien hovering high above a panicked-looking Drum, his hands in a diamond-shaped position.

"Tri-Beam! HAH!" the three-eyed man roared.

The energy blast vaporised the Vassal before he had time to scream.

Tien grimaced, before dodging a sudden blow from an enraged King Piccolo. "You!" the tyrant yelled. "You'll pay for this!"

"Not on my watch he won't!" another voice interrupted, and Tien ducked back just as Goku appeared in front of him. "I'll take it from here," he said.

"You!" King Piccolo looked stunned. "But… I killed you!"

"Ever heard of playing dead?" Goku folded his arms and scowled. "Your reign of terror is over, Piccolo."

"That's what you think!" The demon king promptly began unleashing a barrage of attacks, and as he and Goku lifted off into the air, trading blows, Tien flew back over to where Flash and Yamsha were standing, Krillin and Chiaotzu (whom Flash vaguely recalled having seen out firing thin laser beams at a couple of other Vassals during the fight, including one who looked like Tambourine but without wings) joining them a moment later.

"Good work," Tien told Flash. "Now, let's stand back and let Goku do his thing."

Flash nodded, but kept his armour up. Didn't want to risk being hit by any stray blasts, after all.

Several minutes later, he stared in open-mouthed shock as Goku, propelling himself with a Kamehameha from his feet and holding one fist outwards as the spectre of a massive ape-like form appeared behind him, pierced through King Piccolo's chest and out the other side.

"What was that?" he exclaimed.

"That was Goku calling on all his power," Krillin said. "He doesn't do that kind of attack often, but when he does, it's usually a big thing."

Flash nodded, and said nothing more, until he saw something flying through the sky, away from the battle. "Wait - what's-"

Then there was an explosion, and a moment later, Goku landed in front of them. "Hi, guys."

"Hi." "Hey." and other greetings followed, before Goku looked around. "We'd better move," he said. "Come on, hold hands - Master Roshi's on his island, right?"

Krillin nodded, then took Goku's hand. The others followed suit, and a moment later, they were gone.





Nearly a week passed before Flash had the chance to really sit and talk with his master again.

In the first few days after King Piccolo's death and the birth of Piccolo Jr. (Chiaotzu had, when Flash had asked, explained that the item he had seen flying away at the end of the battle was actually the egg that would soon hatch into their fellow Looper), everyone at Kame House had mostly focused on resting and recovering from the battles they'd taken part in. Goku hadn't hung around though; he'd set off to meet with Kami to get the Dragon Balls restored (King Piccolo had killed Shenron, just as he always did, after all). The young Saiyan had promised that he'd come back if he could, but if not, they should go ahead and throw a party to celebrate after they brought back everyone King Piccolo and his spawn had killed. Which they did.

Now, a day later, Flash sat in front of Tien and asked him what he'd been wanting to for some time.

"Master Tien? That move you used to kill Drum…"

Tien raised a hand to stop him. "I didn't teach you the Tri-Beam for a reason, Flash. It's beyond your capabilities for now."

"Yes, Master, I understand." Flash bowed his head. "Master… are we going to begin training again soon?"

Tien looked at him solemnly. "Flash, I understand your desire to grow stronger, so you can be prepared for anything you run into. But I think it's time you took a page out of Goku's book. For now, I release you from your pledge as my student. You are free to learn from others, though I do have a few suggestions for your future training." He smiled. "In three years, I intend to be at the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament. I expect to meet you again there, and I expect you to be even stronger."

Flash nodded and smiled back. "For all you have taught me, I am grateful. And you may have released me, but as far as I'm concerned, you will always be my teacher."

Tien nodded, before he looked serious again. "As for your training, I have a few suggestions. First, seek out Korin Tower, in the Sacred Land of Korin. If you climb to the top, Korin will help you - he's the one who grows the Senzu Beans, and he has a special challenge for people, to obtain what he calls Sacred Water, which is said to greatly increase the strength of the person who drinks it." He smirked. "It's actually just ordinary tap water. The real strength comes from the exercise people get from climbing the tower and chasing Korin until they can take the bottle from him. In one of our most common variants, my former master Shen's brother Tao climbed the tower to get the water, but Korin just gave it to him so he wouldn't get the benefits of all the training people go through when they're trying to get it."

Flash nodded and listened as Tien continued. "Both Goku and Master Roshi passed the Sacred Water challenge in our baseline, and Yajirobe did it with Goku on his back the first time around. After Goku went to train with Kami, Yamcha, Chiaotzu, Krillin and I all climbed the tower to train under Korin too, though we didn't go after the water itself."

"And you want me to do it too?" Flash asked.

"Mm-hmm." Tien nodded. "And to increase your strength, I suggest you do the whole thing in your armoured state."

Flash nodded eagerly. "I will," he said.

"The second challenge is one that you will have to wait on." Tien looked serious. "In our baseline, the Tri-Beam attack is a double-edged sword. It drains the user's stamina and life force, and can even shorten their lifespan every time it's used. I admit, the only time this ever came into play for me in our baseline, the effects were negated when I was resurrected by the Dragon Balls. Still, that drawback is why I didn't want to teach it to you yet."

He raised a finger. "But! Since I started Looping, I figured out a different way of using it. It still costs me, but I can replenish the source I draw from now without any problem. And the only reason I can do it this way is because I'm Looping. I still want to find a more permanent way of removing the drawbacks, but for now, the new method works." He looked even more serious. "I want you to exercise your mind, Flash. I want you to try and figure out the method I use now sometime in the next three years. But no using the Dragon Balls to wish for the knowledge."

Flash nodded. "All right, Master. I'll do my best."

"Good." Tien smiled. "If you don't get it yet, don't worry. We have another six years after the tournament before you really need the firepower." He shifted in his seat. "Now, there is one other thing I can suggest for your training."

"Oh?"

Tien nodded. "When I died, the first time, Chiaotzu, Yamcha, Piccolo Jr. and I all travelled down Snake Way, a winding road in the afterlife. The road is close to a million kilometres long, or thereabouts, and it took Goku a hundred and seventy-seven days to traverse it the first time. It took us a lot less, but that's because we'd gotten so much stronger than he was back then before we went. You can't go there yourself, but you can travel the same distance here on Earth. I want you to run that distance, in your armoured form, twice. After you've trained with Korin though. It's good exercise."

Flash nodded. "I'll keep that in mind, Master."

"And if you want to ask Krillin, Master Roshi or Yamcha for training ideas, feel free. I know that Yamcha's already agreed to teach you that one technique of his." Tien stood. "Flash… it's been an honour having such a willing and determined student."

"It's been an honour to learn from you, Master Tien." Flash bowed. "Thank you, for everything."





Three years later…

The man at the registration booth had seen a lot of strange things in the years he'd been working for the World Martial Arts Tournament Commission, so he didn't bat an eyelid when the man covered in metal walked up to register.

"Sir, are you aware that tournament rules forbid armour or protective gear?" he asked. "With one exception, to avoid damage from below-the-belt hits. Those are forbidden too, but sometimes, accidents happen."

The armoured man nodded. "This is weighted training gear," he said as he began filling out the forms he'd been given. "I'll take it off before I actually have to fight."

The registrar nodded, satisfied. "All right then." Accepting the paperwork back from the armoured man, he watched him go, then looked down and read the entry.

"Flash Sentry? Semi-finalist at the 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament? Hmm. Impressive." He shrugged, then called for the next entrant.





Flash smiled as he looked around the grounds. It was good to be back.

"Flash!"

Flash looked up and smiled even wider. "Yamcha! Good to see you!"

"Same here, Tin Grin." The other man, who'd grown his hair out and picked up a scar on his cheek since Flash had last seen him, grinned. "How's it been?"

"Oh, it's been." Flash shrugged. "Did a lot of training. Stopped off at a few music festivals every couple of months. Spent almost the entire time like this." He gestured to his armour. "The added weight really helps build up my strength and stamina."

"Know the feeling," Yamcha said. "I used one of Master Roshi's turtle shells when I was training under him, and special weighted clothing when I was training under Kami in our baseline. We all did, actually, but Goku and Piccolo are about the only ones who never take theirs off unless they have to."

"Right."

The two walked, chatting happily until they'd caught up with the rest of their friends, including Goku. Flash, having been warned that he and Krillin had both undergone a growth spurt in the three years away, barely batted an eye at their new looks.

He also happily greeted Tien and Chiaotzu, who were both very glad to see him.

"So, how'd that special training I suggested go?" Tien asked.

"It worked out very well, Master," Flash said. "And I did a lot of it. I don't think I've quite worked out that other thing just yet, but I did think on it. Mostly, I focused on building up my stamina for my special moves."

Tien nodded approvingly. "Good work then. Keep at it."

"I will, Master."

Just then, the tournament officials began calling for them to gather in the preliminary hall, and Flash joined his other friends there.

There was some minor fuss when he stepped into the ring in his armoured form, but when he turned back to flesh and blood in front of everyone, the officials calmed down.

Then he proved able to match his opponent in speed, and a lot of jaws dropped.

The preliminaries went by in a breeze, and at the end of it all, eight people stood in the final room: Goku, Krillin, Yamcha, Tien, Flash, "Ma Jr." (whom Flash recognized as Piccolo), a man calling himself Tao (whom Flash noted Tien's negative reaction to), and a fat, masked samurai that he easily recognized as their comrade Yajirobe. The other man had yet to activate as a Looper, but Goku was hopeful it would happen at some point.

Drawing their numbers, the eight were all satisfied with their matches: Yamcha Vs. Yajirobe, Goku Vs. Krillin, Tien Vs. "Ma Jr.", and Flash Vs. Tao, with their match up first.

"Be careful about this guy," Tien warned Flash. "He's a trained assassin, a cyborg, and one of my old teachers. In baseline, he tried to kill me and got disqualified for carrying a concealed weapon, but I still had to beat him when he refused to leave."

"I'll be careful," Flash promised. "And no armour, I know." He cocked his head. "Wait - would it actually count? It's part of my body, after all, and they let natural weapons slide, like Man-Wolf's claws."

"Good question." Tien looked thoughtful. "Better not risk it though."

"Right." Flash nodded. "I'll win this, Master Tien. I promise."

The match began soon after, with the two trading blows for a while.

"So you think you're worthy of the Crane School," Tao jeered as he fought. "The traitor's standards must have gone downhill if he took you as a student."

Flash ignored him, merely concentrating on matching the cyborg's blows.

"What's the matter?" the cyborg taunted him. "Too afraid I'm righ-"

He was cut off as Flash delivered a punishing uppercut that shut his mouth with a loud CRACK!, sending a couple of his teeth flying loose.

"You talk too much," Flash told him, before grabbing the man's wrists and gripping tightly, the metal underneath creaking as he did so. Then, lashing out with one leg, he knocked the man's own legs out from under him, before he spun, lifting Tao off the ground and hurling him into the wall outside the arena.

"Tao is out of the ring, so the winner is Flash Sentry!" the announcer declared. "What a match, folks!"

The audience roared with approval, even as Flash walked over to Tao.

"It's over," he said. "Never come near my friends or I aga-"

Tao roared with rage as one of his hands dropped off, exposing a knife blade that he tried to swipe at Flash.

Only to meet Flash's now armoured hand, which caught the blade and snapped it off, before the armour spread to cover the rest of his body.

"I said, it's over." He glared at the man.

"What… what are you?" Tao asked.

Flash tilted his head. "I'm complicated."

Then he lashed out and knocked the man unconscious.

"Um…" The announcer hesitated, seeing Flash turn to him. "Normally, we disapprove of fighting outside the ring, but since we have an obvious case of self-defence here, we'll let it slide for this time."

Flash nodded. "Thank you, sir."

Then he picked up Tao and carried him over to a moustached man in green, who was standing in the audience.

"Take your brother and go, Crane Hermit," he said.

The elderly man reacted with faux surprise. "So you know me. Good." He peered at Flash. "You know, you seem to have quite the skills, young man. A good instinct, a ruthless style. Perhaps you'd like to train under the real Crane School Master?"

Flash gave him a dirty look. "I only fight like that when it's a life-or-death match, and I knew Tao was out for blood. Tien Shinhan is my master, and always will be… never you."

Then he turned and walked away, leaving the old man to fume.





The next matches followed, with Goku and Krillin both grinning as they fought (Goku won, naturally), Tien facing Junior and finally letting the other fighter advance, and Yamcha knocking Yajirobe out of the ring with a Wolf Fang Fist. His next match would have him facing Junior and actually progressing for a while, demonstrating both his Shotgun and Spirit Ball techniques in the process, though he ultimately lost.

But before that match, Goku faced Flash.

It lasted ten minutes before Flash surrendered and went to join Bulma and the others in the crowd, including a dark-haired woman he'd seen cheering on Goku earlier.

"Interesting match there," she remarked as he walked up.

"Thanks," Flash said. He'd dropped the armour after being sure the Crane Hermit had left Papaya Island and taken Tao with him. "Really, I knew I didn't stand a chance against him, but making it this far again is still worth it."

The woman nodded. "New Loopers usually don't stand a chance against Goku, but you still did a good job. And nice work on Tao too."

Flash almost did a double-take, but shook it off. "Again, thanks," he said. "You know my name, what's yours?"

"Chi-Chi," the woman introduced herself. "Son Chi-Chi, soon."

Flash nodded. "So you're Goku's future wife."

That established, the team turned back to the ring and watched Yamcha facing Junior, and then Goku Vs. Junior. Thankfully, they'd established that the youngest Namekian was Awake, and so not actually out for blood. Consequently, the match ended with Goku officially winning.

Once the match was done, both fighters left the ring to thunderous applause.





"So you're a visiting Looper," Piccolo rumbled to Flash as he joined his fellow Loopers at the post-tournament celebratory dinner party Bulma was holding for them that evening. (The Namekian didn't actually need solid food; his species only drank water, but he'd agreed to join them anyway.)

Flash nodded. "One of the post-Crisis activations for my branch."

"Hmm." Piccolo eyed him. "So, what's your plan for the rest of the Loop?"

"Keep training, and keep helping out when the world's in danger, as long as I can," Flash said. "I don't expect to get strong enough to last the entire Loop, but I'll do my best."

"Good."

"We've got five years of peace now," Bulma reminded everyone. "Barring variants. Then Goku's brother Raditz shows up." She looked at Flash. "I haven't done a full scouter reading on you, but your power level must be around three to four hundred, or maybe a little higher, I'm guessing - Tao was just two hundred and ten, from what I remember. Raditz was fifteen to sixteen hundred, so you'd need to more than triple your strength to match him. When Nappa and my husband arrive a year after that, their Saibamen are at twelve hundred, Nappa is four thousand or so, and Vegeta's up around eighteen thousand. Assuming he isn't Awake, then he's in the millions."

Flash nodded. "I'll do my best to get up there," he said.

"Better be careful," Yamcha warned. "Those Saibamen have a self-destruct move that can kill people with higher power levels than them. I speak from experience."

Flash gave him a friendly grin. "Colossus, the guys whose powers I inherited? His armour is a lot tougher than you'd think," he said. "The guy can swim in magma without getting hurt. And I… may have tested that, while I was away."

"You what‽" Tien looked startled.

"Hey, it wasn't my idea!" Flash defended himself. "I was in my armoured form, helping evacuate a village near an erupting volcano when I got caught in the lava flow, but it didn't hurt me. At all. I didn't actually go swimming in the volcano."

"Good." Tien heaved a sigh of relief. "Don't scare me like that, Flash."

"Sorry, Master."

Chi-Chi eyed him carefully. "You know, we might want to have you come with us when Goku and I go to get married," she said. "Sometimes, we have a problem with my father's castle suddenly catching fire because of a giant, leaky furnace at the border between Earth and the afterlife."

"I'd be glad to help," Flash said.

"Thank you." Chi-Chi smiled. "And of course, you're all invited to the wedding," she said to the others.

"Count us in," Bulma said with a smile of her own, and the others all nodded in agreement.

Flash smiled. This is the life, he thought to himself.





Twenty-eight years later…

Flash Sentry blinked as he Awoke to once again find himself in his teenage body, and in the halls of Canterlot High School. Sending out a quick Ping, he was rewarded by a few dozen replies, and smiled.

Then a minute later, his phone buzzed, and he read the incoming text from Sunset.

Flash - feeling Loopy?

Flash typed a quick reply. Yep, and adjusting to my usual body again.

Cool. Meet me behind the Auto Shop room after classes?

Sure thing.

Closing the program, silencing his phone and tucking it away, he headed for class.





Hours later…

"Hey, Sunset!" Flash called as he entered the back area of the Auto Shop's workspace.

Sunset looked up from the work she was doing. "Hey, Flash."

"What's up?"

"Not much," Sunset said. "Just doing some work on one of my extra DeLoreans. Got a couple of hoods out to clean up; you're welcome to join me." She gestured in one direction. "Of course, first I had to deal with a couple of hoods that were lurking around out back for some reason."

Flash chuckled as he picked up one of the cloths, gave it a squirt of abrasive and started work on the next hood over. "How'd that go?"

"I called Bulk Biceps over and asked him to go look malevolent at them." She chuckled. "They saw him, decided they had better things to do and skedaddled."

"Good." Flash smiled. "So, how's the Loops treating you?"

"Pretty good," Sunset said. "You?"

"Well, I just got back from a long fused Loop," Flash said. "And it was awesome."

"Oh?"

Flash nodded. "I can fly now, Sunset. In any form."

Sunset looked up at him. "Really?" At his nod, she beamed. "That's great! Where'd you go?"

"Dragon Ball." Flash smiled. "You are looking at the newest Looping practitioner of the Tien-Shin Style - the non-assassin's version, at least."

Sunset smiled back. "Wow… that is awesome. I didn't get a formal apprenticeship there, I just spent most of my time trying to improve my hand-to-hand style."

"Yeah, I remember reading about that," Flash said. "Hey - you were there before the Super expansions, right?"

"Yeah," Sunset said. Then she looked at him. "Did you fight in the Tournament of Power or something?"

Flash shook his head. "No, I quit fighting regularly around the same time you did, except for a couple of the later World Tournaments," he said. "Never stopped training though."

"Want to tell everyone about it when we get done here?"

"Sure."





Hours later, Flash and his friends sat in Mac's bar, and Flash had just reached the end of his adventure in the Furnace of Eight Divisions.

"So after Goku and Chi-Chi got married, I spent the next six years training," Flash said. "Master Tien put a good word in for me with Kami, so I spent some time up there until Nappa and Vegeta finally showed up. Bulma offered to take me to King Kai's place, but I figured I'd save it for a while."

"How'd the fight with the Saiyans go?" Apple Bloom asked eagerly.

"Well, Goku knocked out Raditz and teleported him to some other planet without a scouter," Flash said. "He checked up on him every now and then. I think he's hoping to redeem the guy, one of these Loops. Nappa and Vegeta still showed up; Vegeta was Awake, so we didn't have to fight him." He scratched his head. "Thing is, he didn't show it until after we'd had to kill the Saibamen - Yamcha and I blitzed them with our Shotgun attacks - and beat up Nappa. Not his Abridged personality, thankfully, but still not willing to give up, so we had to knock him out and have Goku drop him off on the same planet as Raditz."

"So, Namek after that?" Twilight asked.

Flash nodded. "Most of us went," he said. "Master Roshi and Puar stayed on Earth, but the rest of us Loopers went. I got to beat up Dodoria, even figured out what Master Tien had done to fix up his Tri-Beam - using energy straight from my Pocket instead of my body - and used that to finish him, while Goku and Chi-Chi killed Frieza together. The look on his face when two Super Saiyans clobbered him was priceless."

"Since when was Chi-Chi a Saiyan?" Cheerilee asked.

"Variant Loop, one of her first times Awake," Flash said. "She and Goku had switched places so she was the Saiyan and he was the Ox-King's child. She kept the ability to go Super Saiyan, and Goku's trained her to master it ever since. I think she's even mastered the Super Saiyan 2 state by now, like Goku and Gohan did for the original form in baseline."

"Wow."

"Anyway, I fought off some of King Cold's goons when he came to Earth looking for revenge, but Trunks killed him. I decided not to join the fight against the Androids, knew they were too tough for me - didn't want to stop training though, so Bulma made me a Gravity Room. I spent most of my training time in there. Not all of it though."

Seeing the look on his face, Twilight laid a hand on his shoulder. "What happened?"

"Well, I'd been out in the desert training, just to get some fresh air, when Cell found me," Flash said. "Somehow, he'd felt my power and decided I was interesting. I told him I wasn't entering his tournament, because I couldn't give him the challenge he wanted. Then I… kind of started babbling at him, asked why he bothered wasting his time killing civilians who were too weak to give him a good fight and should have been below his notice."

"What did he say?" Celestia asked.

"He said I had a point," Flash admitted. "Then he invited me to the Cell Games because he thought I had the right talent and told me if I didn't come, he'd blow up another city. I went, I didn't have a choice."

Several ponies nodded.

"Turns out, I'd gotten stronger than I thought," Flash said. "I managed to outthink one of the Cell Juniors that attacked me, and kept it busy until Yamcha got it with a cheap shot. After Cell died, I kept travelling and training, visited my friends when I wandered their way, did a couple of music festivals and smaller tournaments, and the World Martial Arts Tournaments - didn't join the fight against Babidi and his people, Bulma sent me to the planet where Raditz and Nappa were living because she didn't want to see me get killed. I came back to Earth afterward. Then she sent me there again after the 26th World Martial Arts Tournament and before Beerus showed up, and I stayed there until after the Tournament of Power and Broly's attack were done."

"So what happened then?" Scootaloo asked eagerly.

Flash smiled. "Well, I fought in the 27th World Martial Arts Tournament, and then the 28th. The Loop ended a little after that instead of going on to the GT portion - that tends to happen when the Super events occur - and I Woke Up back at CHS."

"Sounds like fun," Rainbow Dash said. "And it's great you can fly as a human now."

Flash smiled. "Yeah… yeah, it is," he said. "What about the rest of you? What were your last Loops like?"

As his friends each began describing their own Loops in turn, Flash thought back to the end of his last Loop.

I'll never forget you guys, he thought. Master Tien, Chiaotzu, Yamcha... everyone.

Until we meet again, my friends.

The End





220.2 (Anon e Mouse Jr)

Armored Might

"Take that!"

"Hah!" Flash grinned as the armoured pegasus ducked and evaded the other stallion's swipe. "Missed!"

"I'll get you soon enough," Thorax called as he leapt back and flared his leg blades before leaping. "Emperor… Burst End!"

Flash just reared up and crossed his armoured forelegs, standing his ground as Thorax's spinning heel kick struck.

Then the changeling king flew backwards, staring. "What- how-"

Flash grinned. "Didn't expect that, did you?"

"Time out!" Starlight suddenly called from where she'd been refereeing their sparring match. "Flash, how did you do that? I mean, you're metal, he's practically a blowtorch! How did that not affect you?"

Flash turned to her. "Have you read much about Colossus?"

"Not really, I don't think," Starlight confessed. "I've had other things on my mind." Suddenly, she tilted her head. "Wait - I almost forgot. Didn't you say something about surviving a run-in with a volcano when you were armoured up?"

Flash nodded. "I did," he said. "And I've done some digging on what the X-Men didn't tell me outright. Colossus may be made of metal, but this-" and he held up his arm - "is osmium steel. Or close to it, at least. Anyway, it's a lot tougher than you'd think. Their tests have proven that in his full metal form, he can stand almost any temperature up to what it's at on the surface of the Sun. Well." He reached back and scratched his head. "Give or take a few hundred degrees. His max limit, and mine too now, is about nine thousand Fahrenheit."

"Wow." Thorax looked impressed. "I don't think I can get that hot yet. I don't think Heart could get that hot yet, even with his Dead Zone active."

Flash nodded. "Yeah, I'm pretty durable like this. It works the other way too - my low resistance is about sixty degrees above absolute zero. And I can take blasts up to about forty-five hundred pounds of TNT, or impacts equal to a collision with a loaded, ten-ton flatbed truck at a hundred miles an hour, without getting hurt." He shrugged. "Don't get me wrong, I'm not immune to everything - anti-metal weapons can hurt me, and power-negating methods are a pain too. And of course I'm still vulnerable outside my armour, though I've been working to improve that too. But if it gets to the point where I'm fighting alone against someone with that kind of power, then something's gone terribly wrong." He tilted his head. "Note to self, avoid fighting Shinigami captains Yamamoto and Hitsugaya. And especially Rukia Kuchiki, because temperature control, all the way to hitting absolute zero, is one of her default powers when she releases her zanpakuto."

At their startled looks, he shrugged. "Like I've said, I research so I know what I might be going up against at some point."

"You and Twilight really have that in common, don't you," Starlight said.

"Yup."

"So, what say we get back to this spar?" Thorax suggested, flaring his hindlegs again.

Flash grinned. "You're on!"

And then the two clashed again, grins on their faces as they fought their friendly match.

Watching them, Starlight smiled. These guys…

"How's it going?" Sunset asked as she trotted up.

"Pretty well," Starlight said. "I think they're really having fun."

"That's good." Sunset smiled. "You know, sometimes I worry about Flash, for those times when he's by himself at CHS. But seeing him making friends here, it's all worth it."

"Yeah." Starlight looked at her. "Have you figured out a more permanent solution that'll let him cross into Equestria whenever he wants to?"

Sunset nodded. "I've asked if he wants to undergo the Bequeathing when we have a Kingdom Hearts Loop together, so he could get a Keyblade of his own like Twilight and I have. He said he'll think about it."

"Wait - Twilight has one?" Starlight asked.

Sunset nodded. "I'm not sure when or how she got it, and she only really uses it to unlock the Crystal Mirror so she can visit me without relying on our journals, but yeah, she has one. Of course, she and I aren't the only ones outside the Disney Cluster to have them - I asked King Mickey to do the Bequeathing with Finn Mertens, which he has, and I know Roronoa Zoro has one. Nobody's admitted to being responsible for that one yet, though it doesn't surprise me."

"Huh." Starlight turned back to the fight. "Haven't been to his world yet."

"It was a fun one," Sunset said. "I mostly just honed what I already knew there. But those guys really know what friendship means." She considered. "I almost wonder what Elements they'd have if they ended up being the ones to face Nightmare Moon at the start."

"Good question," Starlight said. "I'm not sure I've read their source material yet - it's a manga and anime, right?" At Sunset's nod, she continued. "I've had a lot of other stuff to catch up on."

"Surprised you haven't, since some of Vinyl's powers come from there," Sunset said. "You know, the Devil Fruit she ate?"

"Right." Starlight shook her head. "Well, now I know what my next project is going to be."

"You do that," Sunset said, as she watched Flash and Thorax continue to trade blows.

"Hah!" Thorax suddenly changed forms, his now taloned leg heating up as the changeling-turned-owlbear aimed a kick at his friend.

"Dragon Flash!" Flash's ki-fueled punch met the blow, before the two leapt back, circling one another cautiously.

Sunset shook her head. "Actually, now that I think about it, I think Sanji's training could help Thorax," she said. "The Diable Jambe, especially. It's pretty close to what he already does."

"When I get to the point in the series where I find out what that is, I'll let you know if I agree or not," Starlight told her.

"Of course."