We walked inside the entrance gates to where the Grand Galloping Gala was being held, I noticed a few guards near the castle doors.
(Must be because of the Princesses.) I thought.
The group stopped and looked around the Gala, I stopped to see what was doing. I scanned around for any Changelings, my sight not failing me. I caught sight of a food stall and said "I'm going to go get some food, do any of you want any?"
"No thanks, Lightning." Applejack said
"I'm good, Sparky." Pinkie Pie said.
"No thank you." Twilight said
"I'm starving, lets go." Rainbow Dash and Rarity said.
Rainbow Dash, Rarity and I walked over to the stall. I ordered three apple pies and we sat down at a nearby table and ate them. Applejack was at a apple stall, Twilight was probably with Princess Celestia and Fluttershy was at a garden enjoying nature. Me and Rainbow Dash talked for half an hour. After five minutes, Rarity trotted off to admire peoples dresses and tuxedos. I saw Soarin, Spitfire and several other Wonderbolts at a nearby table.
"I'll be back in five minutes, I need to use the bathroom." I said and got off from the chair.
"Ok, I'll be here when you get back." Rainbow Dash said.
I walked across the festival and entered the colts room. I had a bad feeling in my gut.
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"What if he suspects something, he could find out you were lying?" A Changeling asked.
"He won't realise it until it is too late." Queen Chrysalis said.
Queen Chrysalis walked outside the hive, a small army of sixty Changelings amassed outside. Queen Chrysalis walked among the first line and said "We will attack their festival when Lightning Bolt exits the party and goes out in the open."
Her horn glowed green and she cast a spell.
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I felt a sudden pain in my head when I exited the bathroom. Queen Chrysalis was trying to attack my mind again, I fought back against her and cast the pain out of my mind. I walked into the open of the party and stood ready.
Queen Chrysalis and a horde of Changelings zoomed in from the darkened sky and landed in front of me.
"So I see you've found out the truth, but you shall die with it!" She said aggressively
"I have seen the light, and so shall you!" I shouted as I threw a flash pellet against the ground.
During the flash, I took off my tuxedo that revealed my ninja outfit and I attached my sheathed katana to my back. I pulled up my ninja hood and braced for the flash to waver. The pellet faded and the light was cast against me and my foe. Queen Chrysalis had cast a field around her, the changelings and I.
"Lightning!" Rainbow Dash called.
"Stay there, I'll handle this.." I said, returning my gaze to Queen Chrysalis.
"Nice trick, too bad it won't save you." Queen Chrysalis sneered.
"I don't need tricks to defeat you. Only the light." I said.
A group of Changelings charged toward me, I jumped into the air and in one fluid motion; pulling several shruikens and threw them at the attacking changelings. They flew through the air and pierced the Changelings' skulls. They fell dead at my hooves, blood spilling out through their heads. I put out one hoof and landed, looking up slowly.
"Your minions reek of evil and darkness, whereas I am only light." I mocked.
Ten Changelings converged on my position, I swiftly pulled out a kunai and shanked the first Changeling in the gut. It snarled at me and I took out another kunai and stabbed it in the throat with my free arm.
"I'm sorry, you've a knife in your throat!?" I mocked and kicked the Changeling off my kunai. It flew off the knives and still lived as it hit the ground.
I quickly glanced at it and left it alone.
(It's already going to die, so I better not interfere with the course of life.) I thought.
Quickly snapping back to reality, I focused and divided half my energy into a lightning ball, it grew in power as long as I focused. I opened my eyes and grasped the lightning orb with my hooves.
"Hit the dirt!" I yelled to the others outside the bubble shield sealing us off from everypony else.
Everyone outside ducked under cover, but the Changeling Queen and her minions didn't stutter. I cast the lightning orb at the centre of the bubble and it exploded with great force that it blinded everyone. I heard an explosion when the flash went off. The blindness subsided and I got up from the ground, the Queen's minions were no more. I chuckled and fell down due to the fact that my energy was burned up.
"Lightning!" I heard Rainbow Dash shouted as she picked me up off the ground, I looked around where the lightning orb had been cast at. A crater was in my wake, the changelings were either electrocuted to death or were already vaporised. Queen Chrysalis was recovering from the fight.
"I'm fine, let me finish this.." I said faintly, lightly pushing her off me.
Princess Celestia flew down to where I was standing and pulled me backwards.
"She is defeated, do not waste your strength on her." She said softly.
"She is not defeated, I must purge her evil from this world, even if it kills me." I said ever so faintly.
I walked ten paces from where Queen Chrysalis was standing. A dead Changeling had my equipment splayed in its body. I pulled out a kunai and two shruikens from its rump and slid them into my belt. I looked back up from the crater, a few dozen ponies were spectating us from above. A recognised a few and noticed it was Twilight and her friends. Queen Chrysalis spear-tackled me and we both slid into the crater wall.
"You killed my minions, and now you shall share the same fate." She said angrily, her horn turned in a green glow.
"Warrior, take this!" I heard a guard yell, throwing a mirrored shield. I caught it and attached it to my arm.
Queens Chrysalis cast the spell, I pulled the shield in front of me and the spell rebounded into her. I bucked at her underside and she flew off me. I got up and drew my shruikens. I threw the shield at my foe, it struck her and shattered. Shrapnel flew in all directions, striking the crater walls and sticking in.
Queen Chrysalis recovered and charged at me; I flung a shruiken in her direction and it flew past her into the wall. I scuffed dust off my hoof and charged at her. We met at the middle, I slid under her and stuck a kunai into her ribcage. I quickly recovered from the charge and a green glow had engulfed me. Queen Chrysalis' horn was glowing and she tossed me against a wall. I got up, dazed from the attack.
"Throw me a spear! I need a polearm!" I yelled.
A Royal Guard's spear flew spearhead first into the dirt. I kicked it up and twirled it around, finally resting on my shoulder.
"Your petty weapons cannot kill me!" Queen Chrysalis shouted, pulling out the kunai I had stuck into her rib before and tossing it on the ground.
"Then what's that? Is that not blood?" I pointed to the small drops of blood coming from her gut.
"Very funny mortal! But when I defeat you, you are the one who shall bleed." She shouted.
I aimed my spear for her throat and charged; she started running too, with her horn glowing. We collided; the collision knocking us on separate sides of the crater. I looked down to my chest; a splinter of wood had found its mark in it. I looked across the crater, Queen Chrysalis had not been harmed; she was now making her way over to me, hoping to finish me off. I tugged at the splinter implanted in my chest and with great force, I tore it out, a large tear in my tunic and blood rushed down and coated the tunic in blood. Still on my back, I reached for my last shruiken with the blue gem in hand. I picked up the bladed projectile and spun it around my hoof.
A blue gem fell out of my tunic and spun wildly; it came to rest a few inches from my position. I picked it up and it spoke to me……
"Use the Light to defeat the Dark, you will survive if you do this."
(This is my last shruiken and I'll bleed out soon. So I better make this count….)
"This is the day the great warrior, Lightning Bolt meets his end." Queen Chrysalis shouted triumphantly
(We'll see who meets their end after this…..)
I threw the shruiken at the approaching Changeling Queen, it started spitting white and red flames. It impaled her in the chest, she fell over paralysed. She wasn't dead, but paralysed was good enough. The guards would make quick work of her if I didn't live to do it myself. I blacked out, with Princess Luna and four Royal Guards rushing towards me before I did.
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20 minutes later…..
I woke up and was pained by my wounds in the battle beforehand. I was resting against a tree with needles attached to blood packs stuck into my veins. I looked down at my chest, my tunic was still torn and bloodied; but the wound from the splinter was healed. A unicorn must have healed the hole, thank god they did. Lying against the ground near my hind hooves was the blue gem and my katana.
"Hello, are you okay?" A doctor pony asked.
I turned towards the doctor pony and said "I am now, I would have died if the splinter wound wasn't healed."
"You can thank the Princess and her star pupil for that." Dr. Sparks said.
(Star pupil? He must mean Twilight…)
Twilight and Rainbow Dash walked over to the tree where I was propped up against.
"You took a beating out there, Lightning. But you came through" Rainbow Dash said "You said you weren't a fully-fledged ninja, but out in the open with those knives and those stars, you were truly a combat-worthy friend."
"I said I only used my skills when others or I are in danger." I said.
"That spear collision you took was brutal, Princess Celestia closed the wounds you had been given and you should have near-full blood capacity." Twilight said.
"Thanks Twilight, if it weren't for you and Celestia, I wouldn't have made it." I said.
"If it weren't for you, everypony wouldn't have survived." Twilight remarked.
I got up and picked up the two items near my hooves, slinging the katana on my back and the gem in my pocket.
"What was all that about with you and the 'Light' being one?" Twilight asked.
"When I picked up the gem, it spoke to me. It said I needed to unlock my true potential by being one with and truly amount to my connection to it with being the companion of the representatives of the Elements of Harmony." I explained "But I have no idea who and what the Elements of Harmony are…"
"The Light….. Of course! I did some research on the matter and among a friends ranks was the hidden seventh element. The Element of Enlightenment!" Twilight said.
"Ok, I'm the representative of Light , but who are the representatives of the other elements?" I asked.
"We are!" Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Twilight, Rarity, Fluttershy and Applejack said in unison.
"I represent the Element of Honesty, letting friends know when they are in the face of trouble and never lying." Applejack said.
"I represent the Element of Kindness, putting a solution to anything without resorting to violence, and tending to a pony's or creature's flaws." Fluttershy said.
"I represent the Element of Generosity, lending a need or want to someone in need and not being greedy." Rarity said.
"I represent the Element of Laughter, laughing in the face of danger or anything scary and also teach other to as well." Pinkie Pie said.
"I represent the Element of Loyalty, never abandoning my friends for anything." Rainbow Dash said.
"And I represent the Element of Magic, the glue that sticks each of the other elements together." Twilight said.
"Ok, the Elements have been my friends after all." I said, smiling.
"Yay, we found the seventh element!" Pinkie Pie laughed.
"As you all now know, I represent the Element of Enlightenment, never giving in to the Dark and purging the world of evil in the name of Light." I said.
I pulled out my katana and twirled it around my hoof. "Now if you excuse me, I have some Dark to purge…" I said after getting interrupted by Princess Celestia.
"Chrysalis fled after you passed out and went into hiding. I suspect that she is going to gather her army once she recovers from the grave wounds you gave her. That may take her a while, so I suggest you wait until she comes back to finish business with you." Princess Celestia said.
"Fair enough, I'll come back to Ponyville with everypony. Just let me retrieve my weapons." I said to the group.
"Ok, I'll come with you while you do that." Rainbow Dash said.
We walked into the Gala and jumped down to where the crater was, I saw a flicker of light and walked over to a dead Changeling. I pulled a kunai from its throat, I examined the weapon, the blade was soaked in blood.
"What you pulled off there was awesome, Lightning." Rainbow Dash squealed in excitement.
"Awesome as you may think, I only killed because of three reasons…. One, Everypony was in danger. Two. There was a plethora of Dark in their beings, I as the Light must purge them. Three. I couldn't let Chrysalis go unharmed without doing large amounts of wounds to her unless I died."
"Oh, yeah…" She said plainly
"But I do agree it was awesome…" I said, slightly squealing over how cool I looked.
I looked down at my torn tunic and looked at the surroundings. I took the torn tunic off and threw it on a dead Changeling as I pried a shruiken from its gut. I looked over the bladed weapon.
"I can't believe this thing saved my life." I said, chuckling as I spun the weapon on my hoof.
"Saved your life?" She asked.
"This was my last one, when I threw it, it burst on white and red flames; wounding Chrysalis and stopping her from finishing me off." I explained.
We went back to Ponyville, I picked up my ninja outfit and put it back on. We went into Twilight's library and I uncovered my face.
"Why do you still have that ghastly thing on?" Rarity asked, pointing out the blood stains and cuts in my ninja outfit
"I don't know…., minus the cuts I look cool in it." I said "Listen, I'd better get some shut-eye before I pass out from exhaustion from the fight." I said.
Cloudsdale is where we live too, so we'll accompany you." Rainbow Dash said, nudging Fluttershy in the shoulder. I pulled up my hood and face-cover.
We flew to Cloudsdale and landed near the entrance gates. Ponies swarmed me left to right, with news reporters and camera ponies mixed in.
"Did you fight Chrysalis out of self-interest or the safety of the royalty and others?" A news-pony asked me.
"Listen, I'm not answering any detailed questions about the incident or of my identity, I only did what I did out of need to protect those who can't protect themselves, good day." I said mysteriously.
I walked out of them swarm and walked to the district with Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy.
"Why didn't you answer anything?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"I'll do it tomorrow, right now I'm exhausted from the lightning orb I threw." I said
"That was awesome! It was equally as awesome as my sonic rainboom." Rainbow Dash said
"I agree, next time I go out I'll wear this only without the hole. I have a few spares." I said
We arrived at my house and I stood inside the doorway.
"I'll see you tomorrow,." I said as I closed the door and locked it.
I walked up to my bedroom and took off the torn white ninja suit and put it down. I took off my katana, kunai and shruikens and put them on my dresser. It was one hell of a day.
(I need a name….Shade will do…)
I got in my bed, closed my eyes and went to sleep.
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Next morning 7:30am.
I woke up slumped against my pillow, my gear scattered all over the room. I got up and picked up my torn suit from yesterday; the chest region was bloodied and splintered beyond recognition. I walked downstairs and stood in front of my training room door, I heard grunting and high-pitched yells from inside; I slowly opened the door and spotted a pony wearing a black ninja suit, the pony was not facing me, so I went for the surprise attack. I dove into the black-clad pony, tackling them into a wall.
"Who are you?" I asked slowly, still restricting the pony's arms.
"Lightning, it's just me!" The black-clad pony said, she pulled off the hooded mask and it revealed her true identity; Rainbow Dash.
I got off Rainbow Dash, letting her gain movement again. I pulled her off the ground and said "You could have just knocked….."
"You were asleep and I wanted to train…." Rainbow Dash said.
"You want training? I'll train you in what I know if you want…." I said, pulling out a new white ninja suit.
"Cool, where should we start?" She asked.
"I think we should start with what I started with….. Taijutsu" I said "C'mon we'll train at the Cloudseum."
I put on my white ninja suit and pulled the hooded mask over my face. I took a medium box filled with the equipment we needed to start Rainbow Dash's training and put it on my back.
"Keep your mask off, I only need to hide my identity. And I prefer to be called Shade, now that I am a hero to the people." I said
"Yes, Master Shade…' Rainbow Dash said.
"Just call me Shade…." I said.
"Ok, Shade." She replied.
We headed out of the room and went outside to go to the Cloudseum, several gossipers chatting away about what my identity could be, or what Rainbow Dash was doing with me, the mysterious ninja.
We walked along the clouded path to the Cloudseum, only to be stopped by a group of guards.
"State your name and business." The Guard Captain said.
"My name is Shade, and I have come to use the Cloudseum's grounds to train my apprentice. May I pass?" I replied.
The Guard Captain took a look at the chest keeping my equipment.
"What's in the box?" The Guard Captain asked.
"Training equipment and miscellaneous items." I said.
"You may pass, use the grounds to your standards, ninja." The Captain said.
We walked into the grounds and I set the chest down near us, and I taught Rainbow Dash all there is to know in unarmed combat within thirty minutes. She learned quickly, and I thought she was ready to go into a full-blown hoof fight.
"You've learned much, let us see if you remember it." I said, bowing to Rainbow Dash.
She bowed back and I counted from three.
"Commence." I said, quickly shifting into a defensive position.
She ran towards me and threw a punch at me, I countered and grabbed her hoof and flung her into the ground. I circled around her.
"Never aggressively attack or your opponent will gain the advantage." I quoted to her.
She got up and brushed dirt off her suit. She threw another punch, I ducked from it; she quickly reacting and using her hind hoof to sweep me off the ground. I fell with a thud and got back up.
"Good, you've used my advantage to make your own." I said, smiling at her progress.
I shifted pace and quickly threw jabs at her, she dodged my attacks and countering by vaulting over me and immobilising me by grabbing my hooves. I flipped over her, kicking off the hold. I slid under her and took hold of her legs, tripping her over. I got up from the slide and bowed; she got up and did the same.
"Good, you've learned one essential skill in ninjutsu, let us continue to Kenjutsu, the skilled use of swords. Since you are a rookie, we will start with Kendo." I said, taking two sets of Kendo swords and armour out of the box.
I gave one set to Rainbow Dash and we put on the equipment. We trained in other forms of skills in ninjutsu the rest of the day, By the time she finished her training, she was an adept ninja.
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Cloudseum, 4:00pm
"You sure you want to do this?" I asked, pulling out my katana from its scabbard and stabbing it into the ground.
"I'm sure, Shade." Rainbow Dash said, readying herself for the sparring ahead.
"Even though I'm more experienced and have more training?" I asked, not wanting to have a real sparring session.
"Shade, if I didn't want to do this, I wouldn't." She said.
"It's your choice, do you want me to go easy on you or not hold back. And I assure you I am hard to stop when I don't hold back, you seen what I did to the courtyard at the festival." I said nervously.
"Don't hold back, but don't use any ninja magic." Rainbow Dash said.
"Right, I won't." I said, walking over to the equipment chest.
I pulled out thin sheets of body armour and gave a set to Rainbow Dash.
"Put that under your outfit, if we are going to not hold back; this will protect us from any wounds." I said, putting the sheets of armour on under the outfit.
She did the same and readied herself.
I took a set of flash pellets and smoke bombs and tossed them to her, she caught them and attached them to her belt. I took a case of weapons and laid them out.
I took out a katana similar to mine and put it in its scabbard, walking over and giving it to her.
"You'll need this." I said, packing up the laid out equipment and putting it in the chest.
A small crowd had amassed in the Cloudseum's seating areas. I turned around and walked back to my katana that was implanted in the ground.
A Guard Captain came out into the grounds and inspected our gear.
"Don't you need armour?" He asked.
"We have thin but strong plates of armour under our clothes, it will be enough to stop a blade." I said "A ninja like myself does not need full plating like you guards do, only slight protection."
"Fair enough." He said, and walked out of the grounds.
I noticed a familiar group of friends in the seating area, the other Elements were in the crowd.
"We got a crowd, do not let that distract you from the fight." I said, kicking up my katana and gripping it backwards so the blade was facing behind me.
Rainbow Dash pulled up her black hooded mask and nodded, unsheathing her katana and holding it low to her side.
"Commence in three…..two……one." The Guard Captain counted down.
I shot off, quicker than lightning and appearing behind her. I vaulted over and faced her, I ran towards her with katana in hoof. I swung my sword at her, she parried it and pushed me off. I attacked again, now locking in a sword-clash with her. I forced against my weapon, trying to overpower her. She held tight onto hers, not giving any signs of weakness. I grabbed a smoke bomb from my belt and threw it against the ground; the small metal capsule shattered and burst into smoke. I recoiled from the clash and jumped into the air, sheathing my katana and pulling out two kunai and landed. Rainbow Dash switched to her shruikens and spun wildy; throwing them at me as she did. Two of them flew past me and stuck into the wall. One found its mark in my chest, I looked down and saw the bladed projectile stuck in the thin plate armour; I lightly tore out the weapon and dropped it, landing with a clang. She charged toward me, I quickly putting one kunai into my belt. She reached my location and swung her sword; I dodged it and punched her in the gut, knocking the wind out of her. I pushed her over; she fell on the ground. Quickly getting back up, she slashed across my armour with her sword, only lightly scraping it.
I threw another smoke bomb in front of Rainbow Dash, when the cloud emitted I ran at full speed and tackled Rainbow Dash onto the ground with a kunai inches from her throat.
"Do you yield?" I asked
"I yield…" Rainbow Dash said.
I got up from her and held my hoof out to her, she took it and I pulled her up from the ground. She took off her mask. We shook hoofs and collected our equipment, once we finished we walked outside the Cloudseum and returned my gear in the box to my house. We went back to Ponyville.
She went to take off her black-ninja suit.
"Keep it, it's yours." I said "I need to do some things, see you later?"
"Ok, see you later" She replied.
A guard clad in golden plate armour ran towards me and said "You fought well out there son, listen we need someone with your expertise to obtain an artefact from a sacred dig site."
"I'll see if I can fit it in my current schedule." I said politely, leaving the guard and heading back into Ponyville.
A magician with a cart of possessions had rolled into town and was boasting of her feats. Twilight walked up to me.
"Shade, what are you doing?" Twilight asked
"Who is that?" I asked, pointing toward the entertainer.
"That's Trixie, she sometimes overreacts her boasting of her feats." Twilight replied.
I walked through the crowd near Trixie, stopping in the middle of it.
"THE GREAT AND POWERFUL TRIXIE WILL AMAZE YOU WITH HER TALENTS!" Trixie yelled loudly, getting up on her hind legs.
(Really? She boasts too much, I'd give her a taste of her own medicine if it didn't make ME look like a show-off)
A female unicorn noticed my outfit and shouted "Hey, look it's the hero of the Gala!"
(I seriously wish she didn't do that…..)
That Pegasus caught Trixie's attention better than anything.
"The great and powerful Trixie heard of your battle at the Gala." Trixie said, looking down at me from the stage.
The crowd around me dispersed so I was the only one standing between Trixie.
"But you do not show your identity, do I sense shyness?" Trixie mocked.
"A true hero does not openly show their identity, such as I do not to you." I said plainly, looking up at Trixie.
"A wise decision, but why not roll in the fame that you will get if you unmask yourself to the public?" Trixie asked.
"I do not need fame to be a hero, only the support of the ponies I save." I replied.
"Trixie challenges you to a contest of skill." She said, laughing.
"A challenge against me? You may have your magic, but you do not see the full extent of my abilities…" I said oddly.
"I will once you show them, the challenge is to banish an Ursa Major back to its own dimension." Trixie said.
"A fight? This should prove easy…." I said.
Twilight ran up to me and said "What are you doing?"
"Hey, she challenged me; not the other way around, even though I have no clue of what an Ursa Major is." I said surprisingly.
"An Ursa Major is a spectral being."
"A spectre? Then banishing should be easy…."
"So you say…" Trixie butted in "But if I win, you must reveal what is under that mask."
"I need no compensation for winning, and I do not think I will be handing over my identity just yet." I said.
"The contest starts on Wednesday, ready yourself." Trixie said, me and Twilight walking off.
"Ok, what have I gotten myself into?" I asked Twilight.
"Trixie challenged you to fight and banish an Ursa Major." Twilight replied.
"A little lightning should make quick work of it." I said, making a small lightning ball.
"Right and you won't have to reveal yourself to Trixie." Twilight said, extinguishing the ball in my hoof.
(Go to the Mountains of Light)
"See you later…." I said.
End of Part 5