Nightwing, Derpy, and Dinkie appeared in an area surrounded by trees and other various greens.
"What-what just happened?" Derpy asked shaking.
"I tried to use shadow stalking without full concentration. Now we've ended up Teach knows where." Nightwing answered as he looked around.
"Mr. Nightwing, what was that thing?" Dinkie asked.
"That was a gladiator. Things that were made long ago by earth ponies in the west mountains. The gladiators have one purpose, destroy."
"Why would anypony create such a thing?" Derpy asked.
"Dragons are kind of a nuisance in the west. That's why they made the Gladiators. They needed something that could kill dragons."
"But why is it attacking us? Wait...is a dragon attacking Ponyville?!" Derpy shrieked.
"No...I'm pretty sure we'd notice if a dragon was attacking. Besides this Gladiator is attacking us. Why us?"
"Maybe this has something to do with me being a prophet?" Dinkie suggested.
"Wait, your a what?" Derpy asked.
"Oh yeah." Nightwing said as he placed a hoof on Derpy's shoulder. "Congratulations Derpy your adopted child is a descendant of a powerful being know as the prophet. She has the power to see the future and all that stuff. But still, congrats."
"She's a what?!"
"Ugh. It's gonna be one of these days. Listen long ago there were magical creatures that had extraordinary powers. Only four are known, they are the Necromaner, the Sin Eater, the Punisher, and the Prophet. The Necromaner has the power to bring the dead back to life. The Sentinel is the one that defends Equestria and...well I'm not sure what he can do really. The Punisher is the one that brings judgement to those that have sins, either they repent or they suffer. And finally the Prophet, the one who has the power to see the future and see things no one else can." Nightwing explained.
"O-okay." Derpy said.
"Mr. Nightwing that Gladiator...it knows we're here." Dinkie cringed.
"How do you know?"
"Duck!" Nightwing tackled Derpy and Dinkie, moving them out of the way of a fiery blast the singed the wood and greens.
"How did it find us?!" Dinkie shouted.
"Don't know. Let's find out after we run." Nightwing said as he used shadow stalking. And teleported the three away.
Flash flew high up trying his best to find Twilight. But had no luck.
'Why do you care so much about finding this mare?' The stallion voice asked.
"I need to talk to her." Flash answered.
'You wish to talk to the one that took away your memory. Why?'
"I need to understand why she would do something like that."
'And what will you do when you don't like what you hear?'
"That doesn't matter."
'Your really serious about this aren't you?'
"More than ever."
'...*sigh*...fine. If your so keen on finding the truth then I'll tell you where she is.' The voice sighed. 'Shes in the forest known as the Everfree. Head there you'll find her crying under a tree.'
"Thank you...whoever you are."
'Dont mention it. Ever.'
'Dont mention what?' The mare voice asked.
'Nothing! You heard nothing!'
Flash shook his head and flew towards the Everfree. Once there he began to look around trying to find her. But saw nothing but the head of trees.
'Oh come one. Do we have to play hot or cold?' The stallion asked.
"That would kinda help." Flas said.
'...I was joking.'
"It's kinda hard to tell with you."
'*sigh*Your warm'
Flash flew forward.
'Stop.'
Flash stopped.
'Drop down. Walk forward until you reach a lone tree. You'll find Twilight there.'
"Thanks." Flash said as he dropped down and walked forward.
He kept walking forward until he heard a soft crying. He ran towards the source. He stopped when he saw Twilight under a tree. Her wings covering her eyes as she wept. Flash could feel his heart twisting at the sight. He slowly approached Twilight being cautious and silent.
"Twilight?" Flash asked softly.
The young alicorn gasped as she removed her wings and stared into Flash's eyes. Her fur under her eyes was stained with marks of tears.
"F-Flash?" Twilight quivered.
Flash bent down next to Twilight and wrapped a wing around her.
"Hey, it's alright. It's okay." Flash nuzzled Twilight.
"Why are you here?" Twilight asked in sorrow. "How did you find me?"
"That doesn't matter. Twilights why did you run?"
"Why are you caring for me? I took away everything that defined you as you. And made it so you would like me."
"So?"
"So why are you showing me kindness?"
"Because I forgive you." Flash said. "Because I don't care about what you did to me. I don't care if you made me love you. I care about you and your safety. Nothing else."
Twilight wiped away some of the tears in her eyes. "Thank you Flash. Thank you."
"Now come on." Flash helped Twilight up. "Nightwing needs our help."
Then the world blacked out.
"Ah!" Nightwing yelled as he ran into Flash and Twilight. Knocking the two down
"Oww." Twilight groaned.
"Oh hiya Twilight. How's your day going?" Nightwing joked.
"Well we solved our relationship problem but other than that. Horrible." Flash groaned as he sat up.
"Hey when did we get to Ponyville?" Nightwing asked.
The group looked around and sure enough they were outside of Twilights castle in Ponyville.
"How did we get here?" Twilight asked.
"Better question. Where is Everypony?" Twilight asked.
The trio looked around. The dirt roads that were once full of ponies was fully deserted. And to show how deserted the place was a tumbleweed rolled past them.
"Where is everyone?" Flash asked.
"Hello! Anybody here?!" Nightwing shouted.
No answer. The trio looked at one another with worried faces.
"Be careful guys, this could be a dream." Nightwing warned.
"Wait what?" Twilight asked.
"Oh yeah, you weren't here when the Dream casted showed up. Don't worry I'll explain everything. See there are two areas, reality and the dream. We have no idea which is which, so we have to be carful and we can't take any chances." Nightwing explained.
"Okay...so this is all a dream?" Twilight asked.
"Could be."
"Wait if this is a dream then we can do anything right?" Flash asked.
Nightwing shook his head. "It's not gonna be that simple. This may be a dream but our brain doesn't know that, remember were switching between reality and dream. Which means three things. One, the dreams time will go faster than reality time. Two, the dream is so powerful we won't be able to tell reality and dream apart. Three, whatever you think may seem off to you please tell me, it might help us tell the difference."
Flash pondered that thought for a while until an idea came in his head.
'Don't bother Flash.' The Stallion voice said.
'So you already knew what I was gonna ask?' Flash asked in his head.
'Were not gonna be any help to you, even I can't tell these two places apart.'
'Your a terrible liar you know that?' The female voice asked.
'Hey! I helped him find that mare of his, he can figure the rest out on his own.'
'Do you two have some kind of relationship or something? Cause you two seem to argue like a married couple.' Flash thought.
Flash's mind went silent for five seconds before the stallion voice said something.
'Boy. If I could, I would punch you right now for even daring to ask a question like that.' The stallion voice growled.
'Noted.' Flash gulped mentally.
"Come on let's search these houses." Nightwing suggested.
"Right." Both Flash and Twilight agreed.
The trio split up and began knocking on doors, opening them up and searching them.
"This ones empty." Flash said as he flew out of a house.
"This ones empty too." Twilight said as she ran out of a house.
"Same." Nightwing said.
The group continued to look through the whole town but no one was found. Finally only one building remained unchecked. The town square.
"Okay...this is the last building." Flash stated the obvious.
"Alright let's see what's behind door number one." Nightwing joked as he approached the door.
His hoof reached for the handle but stopped when a green blast blew the door to splinters. Nightwing was shot back and landed on the hard dirt on his back.
"Owww." Nightwing groaned as he sat up. He looked at the doorway and his eyes nearly bulged at the sight.
"Hello there." A tall alicorn mare about the height of Celestia stood in the doorway. Her fur was black various holes pierced through her four legs. She barred her two fangs as her dark green eyes stared down the three ponies. Her long sick green mane flared wildly as she smiled.
"Chrysalis!" Twilight shouted as her horn glowed purple.
"Nice to meet you too." Chrysalis smiled.
"What have you done with Ponyville?" Twilight demanded.
"Easy. My children drained every last drop of love from your ponies."
"Your lying, there's no way my friends would let you do that!"
"Are you sure. We attacked when you three were put into a coma for four days. With one of the Elements of Harmony missing we wiped out the town easily." Chrysalis sneered.
"Nightwing?" Flash asked.
"Yeah?" Nightwing said.
"Is she telling the truth?"
"...yes."
Twilight shot her head backwards as she looked at Nightwing with disbelief. "You mean that...that all my friends...are...are gone?" Twilight asked on the verge of tears.
"...I'm afraid so Twilight." Nightwing hung his head low.
"...You monster!" Twilight shouted as a she glared at Chrysalis and shot purple laser from her horn.
Chrysalises horn began to glow a sinister green as a green dome appeared around Chrysalis, absorbing Twilights laser.
"Is that really the best you got?" Chrysalis asked not impressed.
A lightning ball was created by Flash that hovered slightly above his his hoof. "Take this!" Flash shouted as he threw the lightning ball at Chrysalis.
The lightning ball crashed through the green shield shattering it to pieces. Before the ball could hit Chrysalis however she dodged the attack. Causing the lightning ball to explode inside the town square.
*BANG*
Twilight was about to fire a laser at the fallen Changeling. But Nightwing put his hoof in front of her forcing her to stop.
"What are you doing?!" Twilight demanded. "I have a clear shot!"
"You really need to refresh your knowledge on fighting changelings you know." Nightwing said. "Rule one of fighting changelings. There's never just one changeling."
"How correct you are." Chrysalis sneered as her horn glowed sickly green again.
Then they heard it. All the houses and homes in Ponyville began to groan and creak as snarling and thrashing could be heard from inside them. The walls and windows began to bust open as Changeling hooves, teeth, and horns began to break through the homes.
One by one, crawling out of the cracks and holes like the insects they were hundreds of changelings crawled out of the houses. The changelings surrounded the trio, some smiling with glee others barred their fangs at them.
"Did it ever occur to you why I let you three live in the first place?" Chrysalis asked. "It was because I wanted to see your face. I wanted you to be the last ones to die knowing that everything you ever held dear has been taken from me. Kill them."
On her command the Changelings began to swarm the three. Twilight, Flash, and Twilight tried their best to fight the oncoming drones. But soon they overpowered them. Flash and Nightwing and been pinned down and we're stuck in a sticky green goop. Twilight was held by two changelings that had trapped her in a green aura.
Chrysalis approached Twilight with a sinister grin. "Now then...what to do with you?" Chrysalis pondered. "Oh I know. Bring me my sword."
A Changeling in black armor carried a scabbard with a dark black sword hilt in it. The changeling kneeled before the queen, who unsheathed the sword from the scabbard and levitated it in front of her. The swords structure was like a dead tree. The blade had several holes in it along with some cracks.
"Goodbye Princess." Chrysalis said as she held the sword high above Twilights neck. "I'll remember you the least."
Chrysalis swung the sword down. Twilight shut her eyes tight expecting a sharp pain. But there was no pain. Only a gasp and a crash was heard. Twilight opened up one of her eyes to see Chrysalis had been impacted in a wall.
She gasped once she saw that Flash was standing on his hind legs and was pressing his right foreleg against Chrysalises throat. But what surprised her the most was his mane had changed from blue to black with the tips blood red. His wing were half unfolded showing that his wings feather tips were red.
Both Twilight, Nightwing, and the hundred Changeling all stood frozen in fear.
"Don't just stand there." Chrysalis coughed. "Attack him."
The Changelings quickly regained their focus as they were about to attack. But they couldn't move. They struggled as they tried to move and attack Flash but no luck.
"What are you waiting for?! Kill him!" Chrysalis shouted.
"We...can't...move." The Changeling in armor struggled to speak.
"What?! How is that possible?!" Chrysalis demanded.
Flash turned around and faced the changeling army not removing his foreleg from Chrysalises neck. His Crimson eyes striking fear into the hundred Changelings. He raised his left hoof a red aura engulfing it. Once he did that black tentacles rose up from the changelings shadows. The tentacles wrapped themselves around the changelings body, neck and face and began to squeeze.
The changelings howled in pain as their body's were being crushed by the tentacles. Until the screaming was immediately silenced as the tentacles broke the changelings necks. Flash released his hoof causing the tentacles to retreat back into the shadows the came from as well as the changelings lifeless bodies to became limp and fell to the ground.
Both Nightwing, Twilight, and Chrysalis became dead silent as they failed to remove their eyes from the corpses. Flash turned his attention away from the dead changelings and back to the changeling queen.
"What...what are you?" Chrysalis stuttered.
Flash kneeled down to where his muzzle was inches from Chrysalises.
"Do you remember the city know as Timbuktu?" Flash asked. His voice changed, it became more dark and low.
"Y-yes." Chrysalis answered.
"The day you attacked. Your army killed my friend. I'll make your pay for that."
"What-what are you going to do?" Chrysalises eyes became wide with fear.
Flash placed his hoof on Chrysalises chest.
"I'm going to let my friend be at peace." Flash answer simply as a katana with a black blade and a red cloth wrapped around the hilt emerged from Flash's shadow. Flash picked it up with his left hoof and slid the blade through Chrysalises heart.
Chrysalises eyes went wide as pain engulfed her whole body. She wanted to scream but all she could do was gargle as blood began to fill her lungs. Flash watched as the life began to disappear from her eyes. When he was sure that Chrysalises was dead he removed the katana from Chrysalises corpse. The blade slid out with ease as Flash dropped the blade back into his shadow. The sword disappeared into the shadow as if it had sunken into water.
Flash turned back to Twilight and Nightwing. "Sorry about that. Needed to settle some old business." Flash said coolly. "Let's get you out of there shall we?"
Flash lifted his right hoof. It glowed red as a small laser began to cut up the green goo that trapped Nightwing and Twilight. Once free they didn't move a muscle, they just stood there wide eyed and in shock.
"Oh don't look at me like that." Flash rolled his eyes. "If anything you should be thanking me. After all I did just save your necks."
"How...what...what are you?!" Twilight stuttered.
"Now Twilight is that anyway to talk to your lover?"
"I'm gonna take an assumption that I'm not speaking to Flash but to the Element of chaos, correct?" Nightwing stepped forward.
"Element of what?" Twilight asked.
"How right you are, I am the dark part of Discord. The Element of Shadow." Flash said.
"Wait hold on. Can somepony explain what's going on?" Twilight asked.
"About three weeks ago Flash, Lightning strike, Comet tail, and I tracked down a pony by the name of Clutterstep. When we found him he killed both Flash and Lightning strike. However I was able to bring them both back with two Elements of chaos that Discord told me to get." Nightwing explained.
"Flash died?!" Twilight screamed.
"Almost died. But I was able to heal his body with some of my magic." Flash explained.
"Why would you do that?" Nightwing asked.
"Because I had been given a chance to have a body again. You think I'd just pass that up?"
"You have a good point there." Nightwing muttered.
"Well hello there." Flash said.
"Huh?" Nightwing questioned. He and Twilight turned around to see Dreamcaster.
"You again." Twilight growled as her horn began to glow.
Dreamcaster smiled as he stomped his left hoof against the road. He was clapping.
"Bravo." Dreamcaster congratulated the three. "I really didn't think you'd figure it out. But you pulled through in the end."
"What do you mean by that?" Flash asked.
"Was I not clear? I created two problems for you. One in a dream, the other in reality. You solved the one in reality. Congrats."
Twilights Magic died down and a shocked look appeared on her face. "You mean that...all my friends...are...are..."
"Are dead? I'm afraid they are. So sorry." Dreamcaster smirked.
Twilight fell apart when she heard that. Tears began to fall off her cheeks as she silently sobbed.
"Wow. You are a terrible liar." Nightwing said as he pointed his crystal at Dreamcaster. A blue laser shot out from the crystal and struck through Dreamcaster's heart.
Then the world blacked out.
"Gah!" Starlight shouted once she woke up.
"Something the matter?" The hooded pony asked.
"It's those three. They've figured out my spell. Their awake." Starlight said as she sat up.
"I figured as much. But there is no need for worry, we have what we need. Although I would prefer more time, it seems that won't be an option."
"Ow." Nightwing held his head.
"Mr. Nightwing your awake!" Dinkie exclaimed.
"Dinkie? Derpy?" Nightwing groaned as he got up. But froze when he saw the Gladiator was down on its back no fire was emitting from its insides.
"Did...did you guys kill the Gladiator?!" Nightwing asked in shock.
"Yep." Derpy smiled.
"How?!"
"Well.."
"FACE ME METAL DEAMON!" Derpy shouted as she jumped into the air and began to beat down the Gladiator with a rusty shovel. "FACE THE WRATH OF DERPY!!!"
"I hit it with a shovel." Derpy smiled.
"...I'll take it." Nightwing sighed
"Mr. Nightwing? Am I gonna be okay?" Dinkie asked.
"Course you are. Why wouldn't you be?"
"Because a metal creature that could breathe fire just tried to kill me."
"Oh yeah. Look I don't think that creature was attacking you. I think it was after me. You just got in the way of it." Nightwing explained.
"Oh."
"Now then. I'll ask Teach to help pay for the hole in your wall. In the meantime however I'm gonna head home you should do the same." Nightwing suggested as he flew off. Dinkie and Derpy walked home.
"Tick tock." Dinkie sang. "Goes the clock. Two friends all alone."
"Tick tock, goes the clock. Their fates carved in stone."
"Tick tock goes the clock. He cries softly in sorrow."
"Tick tock. Goes the clock. Till Comet tail ends the Shadow."
"That's a lovely tune sweetie. We're did you hear it?" Derpy asked.
"I made it up. It's kind of an ear worm really I can't seem to stop hearing it." Dinkie smiled as the two continued down the path. Unaware of how important the song really was.
"Where...where am I?" Comet tail questioned as his eyes tried to adjust to a bright light.
He tried to move but something kept him from doing so. He looked down and saw that he was buckled and strapped down on a table. His eyes wandered over to a side table with a steel tray with various sharp and scary looking tools set on it. Behind the tools was a black rectangle box with strange markings on it.
"Hello! Anypony here?" Comet tail shouted.
The sound of a door opening echoed through the room. Instinctively his eyes looked over towards the sound. From the darkness the hooded pony emerged.
"Who are you? Where am?" Comet tail demanded.
"Who I am has yet to be discovered and you are in my laboratory." The hooded pony answered.
"What do you want with me?"
"Simple." The hooded pony said as the rectangle box was levitated in front of her. "I want you here because your gonna be my little genie pig."
The rectangular box opened up and curved black horn with it's tip red was levitated out of the box.
"Don't worry this won't hurt a bit." The hooded pony walked over to Comet tail. "What comes next however. Will be excruciating."