Halberd continued to sit upon Twilight's throne, as the rest of the guards were still tied up along Iron and Cold hidden away somewhere else in the castle. The Crown Crushers still kept them at bay, threatening to make them overdose on the smoke they could produce and seal their magic forever. That kept the guards pretty well neutralised, allowing Halberd to enjoy his seat of power with the biggest grin on his face.
That is, till the doors of the throne room flew open and Breaker stepped inside. Along with him were several more soldiers, who were dragging the captured Rarity with them. And like the guards, her front legs were tied to her side and her back ones were tied together. The guards were shocked to see a member of the legendary Elements of Harmony, and one of the princess' closest friends, captured and defenceless like the rest of them. Halberd just raised an eyebrow as he asked, "Who is this?"
"She's bait to lure out the ponies that could threaten this entire operation."
"I thought you'd defeated them," Halberd replied, "What were all those explosions in the city, if you didn't take Lightning and his friends out?"
"He'll be back," Breaker sighed, "And when he does, I'll be ready." The gem on his chest started to glow, "The power of the relic grows stronger all the time. He couldn't defeat me before, so he won't stand a chance against me when I'm even stronger."
Rarity grimaced at this, Halberd laughing at the pony's statement, "I see. And with him out of the picture, nothing will stop Overthrow from taking over Equestria."
"Exactly," Breaker chuckled before a sinister expression appeared on his face. "And I think it's about time you joined our organisation in an official capacity." As he said that, the doors of the room opened and several soldiers pushed what looked like a glass chamber of sorts hooked up to multiple tubes and canisters while having a door with a submarine lock on the front.
The machine was pushed into the center of the throne room as Halberd tilted his head. "What is that?"
"The future," Breaker declared, "Instead of sending our soldiers to the cave in order to run their final test, they simply have to step in here. We've already filled the cans with Phantom Magic gas. It'll be funnelled into the airtight chamber and they'll be exposed to it."
"Impressive," Halberd nodded before slowly going wide-eyed, "Wait, you don't intend for me to..."
Breaker shined a big grin at this, "I allowed you to join us without the trial because I needed somepony to get us into the castle. But now that we've taken it over, we have no more use for a pony who hasn't proven he's strong enough to survive the Phantom Magic."
A pair of pegasi soldiers flew down and grabbed Halberd, pulling him toward the chamber. "NO!" He cried, "You can't! I've already been exposed to Phantom Magic today! I don't have my Earth Pony strength! Shouldn't you let me regain it before I have to prove myself?"
Breaker said nothing, letting him be dragged into the chamber. Everypony watched as Halberd was thrown inside, the door slamming shut before he could do anything. "Don't do this to me!" But his words fell on deaf ears as the valves were spun on the canisters and a hissing filled the chamber. "NO!" Halberd saw the smoke stream into the chamber, "NOOOOOOO!" He was soon completely engulfed by the smoke, everypony gasping as they heard him gag and retch at it.
He slammed his hooves into the glass, but the chamber didn't budge. The strength of his punches weakened every time as he did this, his fur now going pale. And eventually, the punches just stopped and his now bleach white hoof slid down the glass. The gas slowly began to disappear next, fading into nothing and revealing the earth pony laying against the glass.
Rarity wanted to throw up while the guards looked horrified. And when the last of the smoke faded, Breaker nodded and the chamber was opened. A unicorn poked Halberd, then turned to their leader and shook his head. "Such a shame." Breaker sighed, "But if he wasn't strong enough, he didn't deserve to be part of the new regime." He turned to the rest of them, "I wonder which of you will have the strength when your time comes."
The guards all flinched at this as they watched Halberd be dragged out of the room. One then spoke up, "You're not doing that to me!"
"Why not?" Breaker asked, "Did you not swear to protect Equestria with your life?"
"You can't expect us to go through that after what we just saw!" Cobalt yelled, "That thing is a death sentence!"
Breaker glared back at him. "I survived being exposed to ten times that much when I first found the cave. If I can survive that, you can survive it. But if you can't, it just proves Twilight should have never trusted you with protecting Equestria." He then leaned back into the throne, "But that all changes now that I am in command. From now on, Equestria shall follow the natural order of the world: Strength...equals justice."
"He's insane," Rarity whispered before turning to the nearest window. "Lightning..."
In the Castle of Friendship's kitchen, Zecora was working with Starlight, Trixie and Sunburst. The zebra was following the instructions Twilight had created, adding the ingredients as Starlight said, "Thanks for helping with this." She then emptied a vial of something into the small pan they were mixing in.
"No thanks needed, my pony friends. Anything to bring this treasonous overthrow to an end."
Trixie added the last ingredient and it started bubbling over the stove. "Why are we making such a small patch?"
"We don't have time to gather the ingredients again if we mess up a big batch," Sunburst replied, "Better to make sure we've got this right with a small amount before making a bigger dose." He looked into the pan and saw how much there was. "I think this potion will be enough for two ponies."
"So we need to test it on somepony?" Trixie asked, "Who would be dumb enough to agree to do that?"
Flash stood in the doorway of Twilight's old library, watching her work with Soul. The alicorn filly had agreed to help Twilight in making this new weapon, at least until Twilight's magic was back. Currently, the filly's magic was blasting the crystal Lightning had charged with his Phantom Magic. The plan was to combine it with several other crystals they had to make the weapon Lightning would use against Breaker.
"That's good," Twilight nodded, "Alright...done. Careful now."
Soul nodded back, Flash now watching the gems begin to merge together and reshape themselves. As it did this, he couldn't help but notice it was taking a very familiar shape. "The Alicorn Amulet?!" He yelped, "Twilight, don't you realise what that thing is?! What that means?!"
"I know." Twilight sighed as the crystals morphed into a form of silver metal. It began to form the head and chest of a unicorn, with a yellow gem on the chest this time. "I needed something as a base to help figure out how it'd work and...what I examined on Shade's machine from years ago gave me this solution in terms of making a device to fill with magic." She glanced back at him, "I'm sorry, but this was the only thing I could come up with."
"But-"
"It won't corrupt the wielder like the Alicorn Amulet." Twilight interrupted while crossing her hooves. "I know the history of this thing, but its all we got."
Flash stared at the device, now seeing it that instead of the pony looking to one side, this amulet was facing straight ahead and had two yellow gem eyes. "And you're sure this'll work?"
"It should," Twilight replied, "But even if we finish it, it'll still need something else before it'll be complete. How are Script and the others?"
Flash shook his head, "They're not in good shape."
In one of the empty rooms of the castle, three beds had been brought in for Script, Wild and Gorgenia to lay in. The three were heavily bandaged up, having received some treatment from Soul before the filly had gone off to help Twilight. Pinkie sat beside Wild's bed while Fluttershy, Applejack and Rainbow sat with the others. Lightning stood outside, watching through the door frame.
Grand stepped up next to him, "It wasn't your fault. Twilight wouldn't have been able to develop the cure if you had gone with them. All that would have happened is you would have been beaten, like you already were. Maybe even more so."
"I couldn't protect them," Lightning looked away, "I couldn't protect her." He let out a low growl before yelling, "I COULDN'T PROTECT ANYPONY!" He punched a wall, the pain he felt was barely anything compared to what he was already feeling.
"Lightning," Grand grabbed his shoulder, "This isn't your fault. We were taken by surprise. We couldn't have predicted something like this."
Lightning's eyes began to water, "That seems to be a theme in our family." Grand blinked at this, only for the unicorn to continue, "Grandma...mom...and now Rarity. They all got involved in our family and something horrible and unexpected happened to them." He slid down the wall at this, "Our family is cursed to lose the ones we love."
Grand shook his head and knelt down in front of him. "Stop that. We're not cursed. We've just...not had the best of luck in this area." Lightning just glanced away at this, making Grand flinch, "Lightning...what happened to Live Wire and Daisy Chain was a tragedy, and it caused our family a lot of grief. But that doesn't mean Rarity will follow in their footsteps."
"How can you be so sure of that?"
"I didn't have a chance to save your grandmother, and your father couldn't save your mother. But you still have a chance. You can save Rarity. But not if you just sit there feeling sorry for yourself." Lightning glanced up at him, only to sigh as he began to get up.
And then he heard hoofsteps, both glancing over to see Twilight and Flash. The alicorn was holding something under her wing, Lightning going wide-eyed as he saw it, "Is that..."
"It's not the Alicorn Amulet," Twilight replied, "Once it's fully charged, it'll create a suit of armor the same way Iron's Celestic Gear transforms him. Once the armor's been formed, it'll grant you added protection, strength, speed and possibly a few more abilities depending on how the next step goes."
"Next step?" Grand asked, only to see Twilight frown.
"In order to complete it, I need more Phantom Magic. A lot more."
"So...what do we do?" Lightning asked as Twilight's upset expression darkened.
"There is a source of Phantom Magic we can use." She turned to the room with three sleeping unicorns before walking inside, the alicorn now explaining everything to the group, "Once I've got my magic back, I can extract the Phantom Magic inside of them and use it to power up the item."
"Extract the Phantom Magic?" Grand grimaced, "Is that safe?"
"I...I don't know." Twilight turned to Lightning, "The Phantom Magic is a foreign substance, so removing it might have no serious effects. But...there's a chance they might not survive the process."
"What?!" Lightning yelped, "What do you mean, they might not survive?! You said removing it wouldn't have any serious effects!"
"There won't be any serious effects after the extraction. But surviving the actual extraction is another story. There's a chance they'll survive and just need to rest. But there's also a chance it could be like when Flash's Sacred Light was drained out of him."
Pinkie turned to Wild, "Wild..." She clutched his hoof, as if fearing that she might lose him.
Grand looked down at Script, sighing as he thought about the unicorn dying. They might not have always gotten along, but he didn't want Script or any of Lightning's friends losing their lives. Wild and Pinkie had so much life to live together. Gorgenia one of the best sculptors in Equestria and Script's Rune Magic could change the kingdom for the better in so many ways.
Lightning stared at the three, then turned to Twilight, "I WON'T LET YOU DO THAT TO THEM!" He suddenly yelled, Flash jumping between them and pushing the unicorn back. "I CAN'T LOSE THEM!"
"Calm down!" Flash barked back, "You think Twilight's happy about this?!"
"But-"
"Lightning...this might be our only option."
Lightning glared back at them. "Would you be willing to do it?" He gestured to Rainbow and Applejack, "Risk them losing their lives so you could be strong enough to defeat an opponent?"
None of them answered this, the answer obvious to everypony. Lightning turned away and went to the door, reaching up and taking the dog tag out from behind his bracer and stared at it. The metal and plastic version of him smiled back, Lightning remembering the image he had seen when all the tags were together.
He clutched it tightly as tears filled his eyes. "These three have always been there for me. They're always going on about how I accepted them despite how different they were. But the truth is, they're the ones who accepted me. I was angry at the world and wanted to tear it down. They knew what I was doing was wrong, but they stood by me...because they didn't want me to be alone."
Grand nodded, "They're good friends."
"The best," Lightning replied, "I...I don't think I can carry on without them. If I don't have them by my side, I won't be able to move forward."
He began to walk out of the room at this, Applejack calling out to him. "Where are you going?"
"Home," he muttered, "We don't stand a chance, so what's the point?" And before any of them could say anything, he teleported away.
Everypony stood there, staring at where he had been, only for Gorgenia to suddenly speak up. "He's always like this." They all turned to her, seeing she was wide awake. "Always such a bad liar." She groaned as she tried to sit up.
Wild also tried to sit up, Pinkie telling him to lay down falling on deaf ears. "He thinks he can't do anything without us, but he's wrong. He's done so much without us there. The things he's managed to do on his own...so wild."
Twilight stared at them all, then suddenly felt somepony grab the hoof holding the item. She turned to see Script sitting up and holding her leg. He slowly moved it closer to him, "We're willing to sacrifice our lives," he slowly said, "If it'll give Lightning the edge he needs."
They all stared at them, shocked that they had been listening to the whole thing. And even more shocked, they would be willing to go through such a dangerous procedure.
"Wild," Pinkie cried, "Please..."
"It's okay," he told her. "We have to do this."
Grand walked over to Script. "If this is because you feel like you have to make up for what you did in the Battle of Canterlot..."
"No," Script shook his head. "I know we've repaid that debt. And we've more than made up for Lightning helping us in the past." He reached up and grabbed the dog tag around his neck, Wild and Gorgenia doing the same. "We're doing this because Lightning needs us to do it. Because he's our friend and Equestria is our home."
Twilight stared at them for a few more seconds, then nodded as somepony else stepped into the room. It was Starlight, who was holding two vials of brownish orange liquid. "They're ready. Enough for two ponies. If they work, we'll be able to make enough for everypony by morning."
"If they work," Grand repeated, "We still have no idea if it'll restore our magic. Somepony needs to test it."
Before anypony could say anything, Flash marched up and snatched a vial out of Starlight's hoof. "If this doesn't kill me, Twilight can take the other one and start extracting the Phantom Magic." He uncorked it and drank it down, everypony watching as he looked like he was about to throw up. "Augh! Couldn't you have made it taste better?!"
"How do you feel?" Soul asked, fearing Flash was about to keel over.
He used his teeth to scrape the top of his tongue, trying to remove the taste from his mouth. Then, he suddenly started glowing orange. "Is it working?" Fluttershy asked as Flash spread his wings and flapped.
He took to the air as he summoned his Sacred Light and Corrupted Shadow. It was weak, but he could tell the Phantom Magic was fading away. "I think so."
Twilight nodded and took the other vial, drinking it down and frowning at the taste. As she did this, Wild turned to Pinkie. The pair stared into one another's eyes, Wild clutching her hoof tightly. "Pinkie, if I don't make it-"
"You'll make it," she interrupted.
Wild smiled at this. "Just...promise me you won't throw your life away. If I'm gone and another stallion one day catches your heart, don't let yourself give up on happiness for me." Pinkie was really crying now. "You're gonna be a great mom someday, even if the child isn't mine."
"WILD!" Pinkie pulled him closer, crying while the others could only frown. Script and Gorgenia wanted to tell Wild he didn't have to do this, but they knew he wouldn't let them go through this without them. They would all risk their lives together to help Lightning overcome this evil.
Twilight fluttered her wings and her horn glowed, signalling her magic's return. She turned to the three as the others stepped out of the room. "I don't know how long it's going to take, but I do know it's going to hurt. You might have to suffer the pain for hours before-"
"We understand," Script replied, "But we're ready." The others nodded and they all laid down. "Do it." Twilight slowly raised the item over Script as a glow began to surround it. That light then flew out of the item and into the three of them, surrounding them as they started looking uncomfortable. Gorgenia gasped in pain, the other two flinching. And everypony watching knew that this was just the start.
"I can't watch this!" Fluttershy turned away, Starlight placing a hoof on her shoulder.
"Come on. Maybe you can help with making the potion." Fluttershy nodded and the two left while Flash and the others watched the process unfold.
Grand looked over at him, a worried expression on his face. "Even if Twilight gets that item working, Lightning can't fight all those Crown Crushers on his own."
"He won't be on his own," Flash pointed out, "I've got my magic back. I'll be fighting next time."
"And so will I," Grand nodded, "But three ponies against an army isn't going to be a good match. We need more soldiers."
"I know..." Flash sighed, "But Ruby, Tidal, Skybreaker, Heather and First are all out on their own missions at the moment. That just leaves Cold and Iron...and who knows where they are right now."
Iron and Cold were tied up, both trapped in one of the underground caverns that Cadance had once been held captured in. The two still couldn't wield any magic and the moment they tried, they would likely be gassed again by the soldiers guarding them. All the pair could do was lay there, letting the silence of not knowing what was happening drive them insane.
Then the soldiers looked away, Iron trying to break through his bonds. But they didn't even stretch, Iron's lost Earth Pony strength being the only thing that could possibly rip the bonds open. "Come on," he groaned, only to see the soldiers glance back, "Dang it."
Cold growled at this, frustrated that he didn't know what was happening up above. He wasn't even sure if it was night or day right now, but what he did know was that Canterlot was in danger and they needed to find a way to stop Overthrow.
It was the dead of night, and it was only thanks to Soul, who Twilight had given the amulet of day and night to, that ponies could sleep in Equestria. But the ponies of Canterlot weren't sleeping. They were all too terrified of the soldiers marching through the street to enforce a strict curfew. Many ponies feared what this military group would do to them, the citizens wishing that they had left Canterlot instead of hiding out at the edge of town.
In a hotel, Fancy, Fleur and Sassy were all in a room they had managed to find. They were bandaged up, but none were gravely injured. However, the ponies were worried about Rarity and the other ponies that had been captured by Overthrow. And as they heard a troop of soldiers marching through the city, they feared the worst for Equestria.
Rarity remained tied up with the rest of the guards.
Breaker was still sitting on the throne, not even looking tired along with the rest of the soldiers. Whatever that Phantom Magic was, it had turned them into tireless machines. Or maybe they had just learned some kind of technique that allowed them to go without sleep. Either way, they wouldn't be nodding off any time soon.
And as she stared out the nearest window, she thought about her friends. She knew Lightning was coming back, and if he was right about Twilight developing a cure for...whatever these ponies did, then Flash and the others would soon follow. But even with their magic restored, could they really defeat Mould Breaker and his army?
"Lightning," she whispered, "Please be careful."
Back at the Castle of Friendship...
The potion was slowly being made. Flash stood at the entrance with Springer and Mirage, the three watching the ingredients mixing together to form the elixir that would restore everypony's power. And as they watched, Flash turned to Mirage. "Are you sure you're up for this? There's no telling what you'll be walking into."
Mirage nodded back, "I can handle it. I just need something he has a strong emotional connection to."
Springer crossed his arms at this, "Maybe I should do this. I know him better and could probably track him down easier."
"Maybe," Mirage replied, "But your power is gonna be needed if we wanna stand a chance fighting them. These Iron and Cold ponies are probably being held somewhere with a few guards. I can handle that many."
"And she won't be alone," Starlight added, "I'm going with her."
"So am I." They turned to see Fluttershy with a picture frame under her wing. "I'm going to save Iron." They felt they should probably try and talk her out of this, but they knew Fluttershy could be stubborn when she wanted to be.
Mirage and Starlight nodded, only for Rainbow and Applejack to run into the room. "We've got a problem!"
"What's wrong?" Springer asked.
"Lightning's gone," Applejack replied, "We went to his place, but he was nowhere in sight. We went to Rarity's and he wasn't there either. We looked all over town and he's...he's just gone."
They all gulped at this, Flash sighing, "That idiot. He's gonna get himself killed."
"What do we do?" Fluttershy asked, Flash about to reply before they all heard several screams. It was up above, the group grimacing before heading up to where Twilight was.
They soon arrived and found Grand and Pinkie outside the room. Pinkie was looking horrible at the sounds of Wild's screams while Grand tried to look stoic, but Flash could tell he was having a hard time listening to this. "Lightning's gone. We think he might have headed to Canterlot."
Grand sighed as well, "Of course he did." He glanced through the door, watching as Script, Wild and Gorgenia shake around in pain. "He's going to try and defeat Mould Breaker on his own. He must think that if he can win without this item, his friends won't have to risk their lives."
Pinkie frowned at this, "He must have known Twilight wouldn't do this without the three's consent. He probably thought they'd stay unconscious a lot longer."
"So what do we do?" Flash asked, "I might be able to stop him before he gets to Canterlot."
"No," Grand shook his head, "Leave him. Lightning's strong. He can handle himself. Right now, we need to focus on the fight that's coming." Flash nodded as they heard another cry of pain and looked around to see Wild clutching the sheets between his teeth. Pinkie looked heartbroken, the sight of her love in such pain looking like it would destroy her. But no matter how much it hurt her, it was obviously hurting Twilight more.
The alicorn was trying to block out the sounds of their screams, focusing only on removing the Phantom Magic. But the agony they were going through was just too much. "I'm sorry," she cried before looking up at the item. Even after all that, it still wasn't fully charged. "Just hold on a little longer." Script, Wild and Gorgenia all screamed as their bodies felt like knives were digging into them from every direction. "Come on...come on..."
The sun was beginning to rise in Canterlot, once again the work of Soul and the amulet. As the light of the celestial body filled the streets, a pony could be seen walking through it. Lightning Blitz, the unicorn marching toward the castle with a look of determination on his face. He would stop Breaker, free Rarity and prevent his friends from risking their lives.
And as he approached the castle, he found a large number of Crown Crushers standing guard at the entrance. Some of the soldiers were the ones he and his friends had fought the previous day, the group smiling at the chance to take him down.
Seeing this, he walked through the gates and into the front garden, only for one of the ponies to throw something at the ground between them. A crystal that embedded itself in the ground before unleashing a bright light, which took shape and created a large version of Breaker's head.
"Oh," the unicorn smiled, "You've returned. Didn't learn your lesson the last time, did you?"
"Oh, I learned my lesson. Don't let a pizza faced freak push me around." Breaker growled at this, "Where's Rarity?!" Breaker smirked before his face changed shape, showing a large group of tied up ponies. And in front of them all, was a very scared looking Rarity. "Hang on!"
"Lightning!" Rarity cried, but that was all she could say before her image was replaced by Breaker.
Lightning's anger surged as his electrical power sparked around him. "I'll beat you to a pulp with my rage."
Breaker laughed at this, "You can try, but after the disappointing display you showed me yesterday, I don't see why I have to get my hooves dirty. But if you can make it to me, I'll gladly face you again." With that, the light that made up his head disappeared and the soldiers prepared for battle.
Lightning just stared them down and took out a bunch of daggers, all of them floating around him. And as his body exploded with electrical energy, he charged, "OUT OF MY WAY!"
Trixie placed several glasses of the brownish orange liquid down on the table as she, Starlight and all the others hit by the Phantom Magic quickly drank them. As they did this, Zecora and Sunburst were filling a normal sized canteen up with the rest of the potion. Despite its size stating a single ladle would fill it, it continued to take more and more of the potion. "Undetectable extension charm," Sunburst explained to the others. "Twilight enchanted it for Flash, so he could carry a lot of water whenever he was on a mission."
"We've got a whole bunch of guards that need their magic back," Starlight nodded, "Carrying a bunch of potion bottles would just slow us down."
The others started glowing as their magic and powers were restored. Springer then sensed Flash's approach, the pegasus arriving in the kitchen with a sombre expression on his face. "Are you okay?" Flash replied by holding up the item Twilight had made. "Finished?"
"Yeah," Flash nodded, "Twilight's resting. The process took a lot out of her."
"What about Script and the others?" Trixie asked, but Flash's expression told them everything. "No way."
Up in the room, Twilight had fallen unconscious against the wall. As she rested, Grand and Pinkie were next to the three unicorns as they laid still on the bed. Pinkie was hugging Wild while Grand held something in his hooves. Three dog tags.
"I won't let your sacrifice be in vain," he told them before turning to leave.
Lightning threw the daggers around him at several soldiers, cutting several down as the others avoided the blades. Earth Ponies charged at him, hoping to all punch the pony. But as they threw their jabs, Lightning completely vanished and they ended up hitting themselves, the unicorn reappearing next to one of his daggers. The pegasi near him were shocked by this, only to be more shocked when they were electrocuted.
Lightning quickly zapped from one knife to the next, blasting the Crown Crushers down before moving to the next. One unicorn tried to guess where he'd be, but Lightning had no fixed pattern and popped up somewhere else. And when he sent a bolt of lightning at the unicorn soldier, the Crown Crusher was blasted back and through the doors. Lightning then leapt into the air and unleashed his Gatling Spark attack, which blasted the rest away before he landed in front of the door and headed inside...only to find more soldiers waiting for him.
The sounds of the battle could be heard from the throne room.
Breaker listened with a slight frown as the sounds of the fight got closer and closer. "That fool doesn't know when to give up." He sighed before picking himself up, heading to the exit as the gem on his chest glowed bright. "Guess I'll have to teach him what happens to criminals while I'm in charge."
"You're the criminal." He stopped and turned to Rarity. "And Lightning is the hero. He may have made mistakes in the past, but he's more than made up for them. And he's spent every day since then fighting to protect this kingdom." The unicorn glared at him, "You will never defeat him."
"And why's that?" Breaker asked.
Rarity smiled as she heard Lightning's roar of battle. "That stallion is stubborn, arrogant and prideful. That's just who he is. But he also cares for his friends. And so long as they need help, he'll fight until his last breath to help them." Her grin grew at this, "Because he is a hero of justice."
Breaker stared at her, then chuckled. "Hero? Oh please. They don't exist." He walked up and crouched down, staring right into her eyes. "That's just your imagination." With that, he headed out the throne room.
In Canterlot's streets, a flash of blue light revealed Starlight's arrival with Mirage and Fluttershy. Starlight glanced around before whispering, "We're clear." She turned to Mirage, who was holding a picture Fluttershy had given her. On it was a young Iron Core and two ponies that were his parents. "Do your thing."
Mirage nodded and scanned the picture, which was bathed in an emotional tie linking it to the ponies that owned it. As the only picture Iron had of his parents, it was very important to him, making it the perfect thing to help her track him down. The jakhowl then sent out a wave of aura, which spread through the entire city and several miles around it. And after a few moments, she said, "Found him!" She frowned, "He's...under us?"
"He must be in the underground caverns," Starlight sighed, "That could be a problem. I could teleport us down there, but not knowing what's waiting for us means I could accidentally drop us into a solid wall."
They grimaced at this, only for Fluttershy to almost yell, "Let's do it!"
The other two nodded and they all held onto each other before teleporting, soon appearing inside a large chamber. They were only a few inches away from a wall, which made them thank Faust they didn't miss. "He's that way," Mirage pointed to another wall.
Starlight nodded at this, "I think I can figure out how to navigate down here. Just give me a second." Her horn glowed and a wave of light flew out, passing through the rock and into the many different tunnels that were between them and their target. "Alright. We shouldn't have to worry about teleporting blind anymore."
They held onto one another and Starlight warped them through the wall into another tunnel, then into another chamber and two tunnels after that. After this, Mirage said, "I can feel him. He's right behind that wall...but he isn't alone."
"Alright," Starlight replied, "You girls know what to do."
They nodded and with one final warp, they appeared inside the chamber. "What the?!" A soldier cried, only to be blasted by Mirage's Aura Force.
Fluttershy quickly shrank down and spotted Iron as Starlight and Mirage fought against the soldiers. She ran over to them and morphed into a tiny rabbit in order to give herself the awareness to not be taken by a surprise attack.
"Gas 'em!" One soldier yelled, the group unleashing their white smoke. But even after they were surrounded by the gas, Starlight and Mirage were still able to blast them with magic and aura.
"Fluttershy?!" Iron saw his wife as she leapt behind him and started undoing his binds, "What's going on? How'd you find us?"
"No time," she untied his hoof and moved over to Cold as Iron freed his legs. By the time they were both free, Starlight and Mirage had taken the soldiers down.
"Here," Starlight gave them both a vial of the potion. "This will restore your magic and make it so they can't seal it again." The pair smiled and quickly drank it down, flinching at the horrible taste while Fluttershy returned to pony form and rushed over to grab Iron's weapon.
Once he finished his potion, Cold turned to them. "Please tell me the others are dealing with Mould Breaker and Overthrow."
"They're working on it," Mirage replied.
"But they're gonna need your help dealing with them. He's got an army after all." Starlight added, "You ready to get back into the fight?" Iron took his Celestic Gear and smiled when he saw it transform while Cold's horn glowed and formed an ice sword.
"You have to ask?" The Frozen Wanderer replied as Starlight surrounded them all in her magic. And in a flash, they all vanished.
"Static Spear!" Lightning launched a thunderbolt, blasting an earth pony into a wall. Lightning rushed down a hall after this, only to almost get decapitated by a sword while coming around a corner. Ducking under it, he did a small roll before firing another bolt, zapping another soldier before turning to see more soldiers waiting for him.
"Is that all you got?" He picked himself up as more lightning surged around his body. "I'm still not satisfied!" He charged at this, the electricity causing him to speed up and turn into an electric blur. He shot past several soldiers, zapping them all as he rushed through them like a lightning fused bull, "Who else can fulfil my rage, huh?!"
And as he knocked out another group, Breaker stepped out from around a corner with a grin. Lightning turned to him, Breaker's smile growing as he asked, "You want somepony to take your rage out on?" He smirked as his relic glowed. "I can help with that." His horn glowed and took out a dagger, Lightning pulling out his own knife.
"Raaaaaaaaaah!" The electric unicorn charged, Breaker doing the same. They both swung their knives, the blades clashing before Lightning threw a punch. Breaker ducked under it before blocking Lightning's second punch, only for Breaker to spin around and deal a kick to Lightning's stomach. "Augh!" The defender staggered back as Breaker tried to deal another kick, only for Lightning to catch this one and threw Breaker away.
The unicorn rolled along the ground and managed to get back to his hooves, Lightning appearing in front of him as Breaker tried to counter with a punch, only for the electric unicorn to catch it. "I'm not letting you beat me this time!" He threw Breaker's hoof away and dealt his own punch before spinning around and kicking him in the chest. Breaker staggered back before firing a beam from his horn, only for Lightning to dive under it before doing a back flip and kicking Breaker right in the head.
"Gyah!" Breaker staggered back as Lightning landed, the defender then slamming a punch into Breaker's chest before he could respond. He then kept dealing strike after strike after strike at Breaker, not giving him the time to react and counter.
"YAAAAAH!" Lightning then surrounded his hoof with energy before thrusting it, knocking Breaker back before summoning a bunch of electricity, "Storm..." Lightning charged at this, "HOWITZER!" The lightning flew into his back hooves and he thrust it toward Breaker, who barely managed to put up a shield in time. The hooves slammed into the forcefield, lightning surging into it as the two unicorns gave it everything they had.
But then, the shield began to crack and explode. Breaker gasped as he tried to escape, but the electrified kick smashed into him, making him roar in pain before being blown back. And as this happened, Lightning flipped back and landed as Breaker crashed into the ground sparking.
Breaker let out a long hiss before pushing himself up. "You...insolent...worm!" He stood tall at this, "YOU WILL PAY!" It was then that the relic on Breaker's chest began to glow, the light from it growing brighter. And as Breaker picked himself up, the light exploded out of it and completely surrounded him.
"What the-"
"RAAAAAAAAAAH!" Breaker roared, as the light merged with his body and made it start to change shape. And when the light faded, it revealed a monster in its place. It was still roughly pony shaped, but its body was now covered in murky green scales. The relic was still in the same spot, but now it seemed to be embedded into the body with the green scales surrounding it. Spikes were also sticking out of the scales, at the shoulders, knees and along the back of his body. His head also had scales, covering everything except his eyes and mouth, while his horn had transformed to look more like a harpoon. And instead of his normal pony tail, he had what appeared to be a scorpion tail. But instead of a stinger, it had the blade from his knife sticking out the end.
Lightning looked him over, as Breaker let out an animalistic growl. "I am the apex predator who will hunt down any that threaten Equestria." He was then surrounded by gray mist that came out from between his scales. "I AM THE PHANTOM BEAST!" With that, he morphed into a blur of gray speed.
"What?" Lightning suddenly felt a powerful wind blow past him, then the stinging pain of a hundred slashes ripping through his body. "GYAAAAAAH!" He was then knocked flying into a wall, only for Breaker to suddenly appear and axe kick him into the ground. "AUGH!"
"This is what true power is!" Breaker yelled as he crushed his hoof into Lightning's chest. "The power to crush anything that gets in your way." He kicked Lightning upward and grabbed his cloak. "Strength is justice. And the strongest make the rules!" Suddenly, Lightning felt himself being dragged along the ground at super speed, the pony screaming as he felt his body grind against the ground.
Then, Breaker stopped and Lightning continued forward, his cloak ripping to pieces as he was thrown into a wall before screaming in pain. And as this happened, Breaker's horn began to glow. "And the weakest have to sit back and take it." He unleashed a blast of light at this, the beam of magic instantly hitting Lightning.
Outside...
Part of the castle exploded as Lightning was thrown out, the unicorn screaming as he crashed into the ground, his body burned and battered from the attacks. And as skid across the dirt, Breaker leapt down as several soldiers appeared and stood behind him. The Phantom Beast shined a grin at this, "Play time is now over."
Lightning's head slowly raised up at this, rage flying through him as he stared at the monstrous beast before him. "No...you...little..."
"Get away from my grandson!" yelled a voice, making Lightning's eyes go wide. He turned to see Grand with his Celestic Gear on his back with a glare on his face.
"Gramps," he groaned as Grand stepped up to him. And when he did this, Lightning noticed something in his hooves. "That's..." He glanced up at his grandfather, "No...they didn't."
Grand sighed as he turned to their opponents. "Those three willingly sacrificed themselves for your sake."
Those words were like a dagger to Lightning's heart. And as he took the item from Grand, the faces of his friends appeared in the forefront of his mind. Their happy, silly and stupidly loyal faces. "No." He felt himself fighting to hold back his tears. "Why?! Why would they do this?!"
Grand's own heart felt like it would break as he held something else out to Lightning. When his grandson looked up, he saw they were his friend's dog tags. "They did this because they wanted to help you. To give you the strength to keep moving forward, even if they weren't there with you."
Lightning took the tags and really did start crying. "Idiots!" He clutched the tags to his chest, "I never asked them to do this." Memories of his time with them flowed through his mind. How they met, their times growing up together. The times they got in trouble and when they reunited after he came to Ponyville.
Grand nodded before glaring at The Phantom Beast. "They gave their lives, to create the power to defeat this evil. Are you going to let their sacrifice be in vain?"
And as he heard this, Lightning's eyes narrowed before saying, "Never." He began to pick himself up and stood beside his grandfather, while Breaker just stared at them. Lightning pulled his own tag out and put the others around his neck, reminding him of his bond with his best friends. "Please help me with this power."
He and Grand stood side by side, Grand taking his hammer off his back in preparation for the fight.
In another part of the castle, the soldiers continued to stand guard.
But their boredom ended when they saw Flash and Springer with Spike, Rainbow, Applejack and Trixie behind them. Flash drew his sword while Springer began to crack his knuckles.
In another part of Canterlot, another group of soldiers were guarding the last entrance into the castle. That is, till a flash of light appeared in front of them. And from out of it, Iron, Cold and their rescuers stood, the Metal Guardian spinning his spear around as he connected to its magic and the power he had obtained in Animarium.
The magic flowed into him and he started glowing. And he wasn't the only one. Flash and Springer called upon the power within them. And as they did this, Lightning took the item in his magic and connected to it. The item flew into and connected to the bracer around his chest. It merged with the metal as lightning shaped bands came out the side and wrapped around the metal bracer. And as it did this, Lightning could feel the power flowing into him.
Light began to flow out of the gem on the front, being a mixture of red, green and blue. The lights then split up and surrounded Lightning into a triangle, each one changing to take the ghostly images of Script, Wild and Gorgenia. And as they did this, Lightning clutched the tags around his neck.
In that moment, Flash, Springer and Iron spoke in unison.
"Armorize!" Flash yelled as his body was engulfed in Sacred Light and Corrupted Shadow.
"Armorize!" Iron added as his Celestic Gear morphed into a tiger themed suit of armor.
"Mega Mode Power!" Springer roared as his body transformed and reshaped.
Lightning took one final deep breath, letting all his sorrow and rage toward Breaker flow out of him. Instead, he felt his urge to save Rarity and protect Equestria fill him up and spoke that single word. "Armorize." The ghostly forms of his friends exploded into the coloured light and shot toward him, slamming into his body and forming the armor around him.
When the light faded, Lightning was now wearing a mixture of red, blue and green armor. He was wearing a white body suit beneath the armor, which also wrapped around his tail. The item Twilight made was now locked into red chest armor, while his legs were in a quartet of green metal boots. And on his back was a pair of blue metal rods, each rod having a pair of yellow gem spikes sticking out of them to make them appear like wings. A similar spike was on the end of his tail, while his head was inside a yellow helmet. His face was uncovered and his horn was now inside a protective part of the helmet, that section being green, blue, red and then yellow at the tip.
Breaker flinched at this, now seeing electricity wildly fly off the new armor. "I feel power overloading." Lightning commented, "My soul is sparking." The energy died down and began to flow properly through him. "MY STORM IS SURGING!" It was in that moment that he and all the other transformed warriors began to charge, "LET'S GET THIS PARTY STARTED!"