Last time, Ebon using his dark magic entered Dustin's mind and forced him to look at painful memories to bring down his confidence. Forced to relive his worse memories Dustin slowly succumbed to doubting himself. Can the ponies and warriors find a way to awaken him and renew his faith? Tune in now.
At Twilight's place, after getting the princess and Spike up they had Dustin lying down on her bed, as Twilight inspected him, "It's just as Alistair said, dark magic is radiating off Dustin." Twilight explained.
"And you're certain it's Ebon's?" Blaze asked.
"Positive." she answered.
"Any way we can deal with this?" Alistair asked hopefully.
"None that I know of." she answered with guilt.
Zyphon sighed, "Oh, dear what're we going to do now?"
"Leave this to me." a voice said, as the door to the library balcony opened up and entering was Princess Luna.
"Luna." Alistair and Blaze gasped.
"Princess." Twilight gasped.
"I knew trouble was stirring in Dustin's mind." Luna began, as she approached him.
"What's going on?" Alistair asked, hoping she'd have the answer.
"From what I can gather Ebon has used magic to force himself into Dustin's mind." she began.
"Why's he doing that?" Spike asked.
"Because he is forcing Dustin to relive hurtful and painful memories." she answered.
"Uh-oh." Alistair and Zyphon gasped knowing that would be bad, especially for Dustin.
"Oh, my gosh, we got to do something!" Twilight said in worry.
"And you will." Celestia's voice came, as she entered the library with the rest of the girls and Wildcard.
"Girls, Wild!" Spike gasped.
"What're you doing here?" Zyphon asked in confusion.
"Princess Celestia came by each of our homes and told us to come here." Applejack explained.
"I hope it truly is important, because it's so late." Rarity sighed.
"Rarity, things are critical with Dustin!" Blaze warned her.
"What do you mean?" Rainbow asked.
"Ebon's inside his mind and is torturing him with painful memories!" Alistair explained frantically.
"Oh, no!" Fluttershy gasped, with a hoof to her mouth.
"How painful are we talking?" Pinkie asked curiously.
"As in so painful he could be traumatized for life if we don't help him." Zyphon explained.
"That's bad." Wild noted.
"What can we do?" Muse asked.
"The only thing to do is go into Dustin's mind, and help him." Luna said.
"You can do that with us?" Rainbow asked.
"My dream walking magic can work with others so long as I choose it." Luna answered.
"Then we should hurry." Alistair suggested.
"Indeed." Celestia nodded in agreement, as they all surrounded Dustin on the bed.
Luna's horn glowed with her magic aura, and every pony was surrounded by a dome before they all fell unconscious. Zyphon whose mind being artificial could not be affected by the dream walk and instead watched over their bodies.
"Good luck, my friends." he said, while praying for their safety.
Inside Dustin's mind, they appeared in the void, "Whoo, that was far out!" Pinkie giggled.
"Where are we?" Spike looked around.
"No question about it. This is Dustin's mind." Twilight answered.
"Seems kind of empty." Rarity said seeing there wasn't much to it.
"Ebon must've really done a number here." Blaze stated.
"Where's Dustin?" Wild asked, as they looked around.
Alistair looked ahead and spotted Dustin lying on the ground under a spotlight, "Over there!" he shouted, as they ran over.
When they reached his position, Blaze lifted him up, "Dustin, Dustin, can you hear us?"
"Come on, man. Wake up!" Alistair pleaded.
Dustin's eyes flung open looking scared, "It's a trap!" he announced.
The group was confused, when suddenly they were launched backwards by a dark magic blast. They got up, only for them to be repelled by a force field, "What gives?!" Rainbow demanded, as they suddenly heard Ebon's laugh echo around him, before his pony head appeared above them giant sized.
"I knew you would all eventually come here. Now you can watch up close as Dustin Bowers becomes a shell of his former self."
"No, you won't do that to our friend!" Twilight shouted.
Ebon laughed, "And who's going to stop me? You're already too late to help him now that he's relived his worse memories." he showed them the same memories he made Dustin relive.
The ponies and the princesses gasped seeing just the kind of things Dustin had gone through in his childhood, and that Ebon had to torture him with the memories of them.
"You're a monster, Ebon!" Blaze screamed.
"Showing him his worse memories. You really are heartless!" Alistair called in anger.
"Soon you will suffer the same, Alistair," Ebon chuckled, "But first, Dustin must now join me."
"Join you?" the royal sisters asked.
"Yes," he looked down on the spirit warrior, "Dustin, don't you see how much pain they will suffer because you are not strong enough to protect them. You can only be truly strong if you join me."
"Dustin, don't listen to him!" Twilight shouted.
"You can't trust Ebon!" Alistair added.
"You don't need his help, you're already strong!" Wild put in.
"Remember all the good you've done for us and your friends back home!" Applejack noted.
"I have done good." Dustin remembered, as Ebon spoke up.
"A few petty community service level good deeds. But they don't compare to the good you can really do if you give yourself to my darkness." Ebon tempted him.
"Dustin, do not fall for Ebon's trick!" Luna warned him.
"Silence!" Ebon's zapped at the group through the force field, knocking them off their hooves or feet. Ebon manifested a shadow hoof down to Dustin's level, "Join me Dustin and end the suffering of everything."
Dustin hesitantly reached out, as the group called for him to not do it. Before Dustin's hand could grab the hoof, another hand grabbed Dustin by the wrist, stopping him. The ponies, Spike, Alistair, Blaze, and Dustin gasped.
Standing at the spirit warrior's side was his mother Bianca, "Hold up there, kiddo." she told him.
"Mom!" Dustin gasped in shock.
"Dustin's mom?" the ponies gasped in wonder.
"But how?" Alistair asked in confusion.
Ebon frowned and spoke, "You are not welcomed here, woman."
Bianca looked up at him with a scowl, before answering, "Tough, luck. You stirred up my memories. Now you're stuck with me. And it's time Dustin saw the real memories that count." she said as her body glowed.
"No! Stop!" Ebon ordered knowing she'll ruin everything, but was too late.
Suddenly they were in another memory, where Dustin who was nine was training with his father. Dustin blocked a few strikes, but wasn't able to block a fourth one, and was knocked off his feet. Ross helped him up, "Good work, son. Your spirit energy level keeps getting stronger the more you practice."
"You think so?" Dustin asked.
"Yes, but remember this. Spirit energy can be powerful, but sometimes it won't always save you."
"Really?"
"That's right. Sometimes the best weapon you have is in here." he motioned to his head.
Younger Dustin took the words to heart as, everyone was watching, until Ebon spoke up, "Pretty words, but what good did they do?" he asked Dustin, "That best weapon didn't save your mother from dying!"
"Show's how little you know," Bianca retorted, "But that's not the point I'm trying to make."
"Then what is this point you're making I would like to know?" Ebon asked sarcastically.
Bianca smirked, as the memory flashed forward to twelve year old Dustin with Ralph, Xever, Burai, Alicia, Alice, Alistair, and Jethro taking on a pyromancer enemy over by the docks. Their opponent was keeping up against the warriors, and knocked Dustin away, "Dustin!" the warriors called, but could not help him due to their opponent keeping them at bay.
The girls watched in worry, while Alistair started recalling the fight, until Ebon let out a mocking laughter, "This is the point you're trying to make?"
"Hey, shut up!" Alistair silenced him.
"Yeah, I want to watch this." Rainbow said, as she got comfortable.
"She's right. You might actually learn something." Bianca added.
Dustin seeing he had to help his friends, but was low on spirit energy had to do something. He suddenly saw a crane that had a bridge girder connected to the cable. Dustin smirked as he climbed into it and fiddled with the controls before he knew how to work it.
As the pyromancer was looking ready to finish the others off, Dustin used the crane to swing the girder around knocking the pyromancer off the docks and into the sea. When he surfaced he was soaked and unable to ignite his flames leaving him powerless. He was apprehended and taken away by Burai and Xever, while the other warriors gathered around Dustin congratulating him.
"Dustin, that was awesome!" Ralph cheered.
"Yeah, the way you knocked him into the water!" Jethro laughed.
"How'd you know what to do?" Alice asked curiously.
"Simple, I used the greatest weapon of all." he answered.
"What's that?" Alicia wondered.
"Up here." he pointed to his head.
Older Dustin after remembering the good memories was coming out of his moment of despair, "Right. I defeated him without my spirit power."
"Yes," Bianca nodded, "You protected your friends, even when the odds were against you. You've even managed to protect your pony friends even when the odds weren't in your favor."
Dustin started recalling all the good he's done in New York and Equestria and smiled, "Yeah! That's right!" he got to his feet and looked up at Ebon, "Your words won't work on me anymore, Ebon! I see it all now. I'm not weak, I was never the weak one. The only one weak here is you!"
Ebon frowned, as he materialized into his full pony form at Dustin's size, "I will show you who is weak!"
Dustin looked to his mom, "Mom?"
Bianca smiled and nodded, "Go get him, son." she faded into the shadows.
Dustin turned to Ebon while powering up his spirit energy and the two started going at it. Ebon launched a blast of magic at Dustin, who jumped aside and landed on the wall of the force field clinging to it like a spider before jumping off it and flew around blasting at Ebon with his spirit gun.
Ebon kept retaliating by using magical shields to repel the attack, but when Dustin fired his shotgun it shattered, "All right, Dustin!" the ponies cheered.
"Yeah!" Alistair and Blaze pumped their fists up, while Celestia and Luna smiled.
Ebon and Dustin stood on the ground facing off, "This mind isn't big enough for both of us." Dustin warned him.
"I agree," Ebon answered, "So one of us must go. Preferably you!" he sent his shadow magic at Dustin surrounding him with it.
"Hey, I can't see!" Dustin groaned, as the darkness was blinding him.
"Dustin, no!" Alistair shouted, as he pounded on the force field.
"Leave our friend alone!" Twilight called, when suddenly all eight of the bearers of the elements started glowing.
Spike, Alistair, Blaze, and the princesses watch in surprise, as the eight broke through the barrier, "What?!" Ebon looked in shock.
The eight illuminated the dark magic surrounding Dustin who got back to his feet and stood by their side, "Nice try." he smirked.
"This can't be, there is no greater power here but mine!" Ebon declared.
"You never learn, Ebon," Dustin answered, as Celestia, Luna, Alistair, Blaze, and Spike go over to his and the ponies side, "Your dark magic can be intimidating, but it's no match against the power that comes from the friendship I share with my friends." he said as all his friends and family from New York and even Equestria were standing by his side.
"No!" Ebon gasped.
"I don't need some special weapon or power to defeat you," he was channeling all his spirit energy, "My friends are my power! And with that power I force you out!" he fired his spirit force at Ebon who screamed while fading away into nothing.
Suddenly Ebon back in Felix's body at the one castle woke up in shock, "No!" he bellowed, which in turn caused Johan and Omaddon to rush in.
"Sir?!" they asked.
"You're awake?" Johan raised a brow.
Ebon got up and blasted a table, "I was so close!" he growled.
"Maybe we should leave him alone?" Omaddon suggested, and Johan nodded as they backed away.
Back in Dustin's mind, Dustin powered his energy down as all but his pony friends, Spike, Blaze, Alistair, and the princesses faded away, "Dustin, you ok?" Applejack asked in concern.
"Best I've felt all night." Dustin smirked.
"You were so awesome back there!" Rainbow cheered, as she flew around.
"Congratulations, Dustin." Celestia congratulated him.
"You really did it." Fluttershy added with a smile.
"It wasn't just me, it was all of us." Dustin explained.
"Indeed it was." Bianca said, as she reappeared.
"Mom!" Dustin gasped, as she approached them.
"Well, Dustin, aren't you going to..." Bianca began, until Dustin caught on.
"Oh, right!" Dustin began, "Mom, these are my friends, Alistair Savage and Blaze Shadow. And these are my friends from Equestria. Twilight Sparkle, Spike, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Princess Celestia, and Princess Luna. Guys, I'd like you to meet my mom."
"Bianca Bowers, and it's nice to meet you all." Bianca greeted them.
"The pleasure's ours, darling." Rarity insisted.
"Dustin's told us so much about you." Fluttershy said.
"I'm so very glad he did," Bianca smiled at her son, who blushed, "And I want to thank all of you for looking after and protecting my son."
"It's an honor to fight along side this guy." Alistair said, as he held Dustin close.
"What he said." Blaze agreed.
"So what happens?" Pinkie asked.
"It's time Dustin awoke." Luna said.
"But what's gonna happen to..." Dustin wondered about his mom.
"Don't worry, Dustin. I'll always be with you in memory as well with your father. I'm proud of you, Dustin. I want you to know that." she smiled.
Dustin's eyes started brewing up with tears before he embraced his mother who returned it, "I love you, mom!" he whispered.
"I love you too." she answered, as Dustin's friends started getting emotional, including Rainbow Dash who was trying to hide it.
When the mother and son broke embrace, the void started illuminating as Dustin watched his mother vanish into his memories.
Outside the mindscape, every pony, Spike, Blaze, and Alistair woke up, as Zyphon, Fievel, and Domino saw them, "Are you all ok?" Zyphon asked in concern.
"We're fine." Alistair said, as they all rose up.
"And Dustin?" Domino asked in worry.
They all looked at Dustin on the bed, seeing he was twitching before opening his eyes, "Dustin?" the ponies asked.
Dustin sat up and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, "Ugh, what a sleep." he groaned.
"Dustin!" the girls cheered, as they, Spike, Alistair, Blaze, and Wild piled on him.
As they laughed and voiced how worried they all were, Zyphon pried them off, "Please, let's give him a moment to breathe."
"Thank you, Zyphon," Dustin said ash e got off the bed and stretched, "Thanks for all you've done in snapping me out of it."
"Of course, what're friends for?" Twilight asked.
"It's what we do." Alistair added.
"And I'm glad it is," Dustin smiled, until he saw Celestia used her magic to raise the sun, "Morning already?"
"Looks like it." Applejack said.
"Well, another day another adventure." he finished, and they all laughed.