True Aura
Back at the village, Salt and Pepper were sitting down in the inn's bar. They had been too nervous to sleep, so the siblings decided to try and wait for Flash and others, hoping they kept their promise. Salt was passing the time by peeling spuds while Pepper sat slumped over a table, sighs following the head resting on the wood.
But as they did this, their ears suddenly shot up as they heard the sound of hoofsteps. "Not again," Pepper whined as she grabbed her brother and rushed upstairs. They went to the top floor's farthest room, slamming the door shut before starting to barricade the door. Once that was done, the two cowered into the nearest corner, holding onto one another in a shaking pile.
It was here that they heard the sound of creaking stairs, signaling that somepony was coming. They held each other tighter as the hoofsteps got closer, the blockade soon rattling. The duo looked at each other as the barricade began to shake more and more, the blockade now falling apart as the sound was now forcing through the objects.
Then, the pile broke. The two young ponies closed their eyes as they waited for the inevitable, but then-
"Salt? Pepper?" The young ponies eyes shot open at the voice. They looked up at the voice, only for their hearts to almost explode when they saw who it was. The pony in front of them was a cream colored earth pony with a green mane and tail. His cutie mark was a plate of food with steam coming off it.
"DADDY!" They both screamed as they tackled him over, tears pouring out of their eyes as all three hit the floor.
"We thought we'd never see you again!" Pepper cried as Salt increased their hug's tightness.
"So did I," Great replied as he kept hugging his children as tightly as possible. "I've never been so happy to be wrong."
Salt pulled away from him and looked his father in the eye, his being filled with tears. "He did it, didn't he? He kept his promise."
Great wiped away his tears as he patted Salt's head. "If you mean to Royal Knights, then yes. They saved us all from those cloaks."
"Are they here too?" Pepper asked next, only for Great to shake his head.
"No, they're still in the city. You should have seen them, they ripped through those cloak creatures like they were nothing. I even watched as one of them singlehoofedly took down the bat pony that held us captive. It was incredible."
Salt giggled at this. "He wasn't an orange and blue pegasus was he? With a blue doggy?"
This question made Great blink in surprise. "Yes, how'd you know?"
"He's the one who promised to save you," Pepper replied while nodding.
"And he did," Salt once again hugged his father. "He kept his promise and brought you back, and I know he'll make sure you never have to leave again." With that, the dam of tears burst again, Pepper soon joining in as Great hugged them both again.
It was then that they heard sounds coming from downstairs, making them all pull away. "What was that?"
"One of the knights suggested barricading ourselves together," Great replied as stood up and gestured to his kids. "With this being the largest building in the village, everypony's working to fortify the place. Now come on, let's go help them. Nopony's eaten anything more than the bare minimum for a while, so we'll need to cook up a storm."
The two young ponies nodded before following their father downstairs, only to find almost every pony that had been captured by Doom working to board up the windows and barricade the doors. The place was so jam packed that there wasn't a single spot of floor that was unoccupied by somepony.
Outside, another earth pony was directing everypony else towards the inn. "Take as many provisions as you can get through the kitchen. There's no telling how long we'll be forced to hide in here, so we need to stockpile as much as we can."
Another pony stepped up as ponies walked in with bags of food. "Also, gather anything that can be used to defend ourselves! If those cloak things come back, we'll show 'em that we won't be taken back without a fight!"
"YEAH!" The ponies of the village all cheered as they all gathered up anything that might be useful.
"Everypony's so pumped," Salt observed as they stepped into the kitchen.
"Yeah," Pepper agreed, nodding. "Before, they were too scared to fight back."
Great chuckled as he put on a chef's hat. "I guess those knights helped us find the courage we needed. They fought those monsters despite being both outnumbered and outmatched. Yet, we saw them win against those monsters. That sight alone made us realize we need to stop being scared."
Salt stepped up to his father. "Daddy, do you think they'll be okay though?"
Great looked down at his son and shined a reassuring smile. "No doubt in my mind son. I bet they're fighting against the one behind all of this right now as we speak. By the time the sun rises tomorrow, whoever that rotten villain is will be laying face down in the dirt as the knights stand victorious."
Both Salt and Pepper could not stop their smiles from growing as they started to cook. They couldn't be any happier as they started to feed the civilians around them.
Meanwhile...
A groan of pain escaped Flash's mouth as he felt himself begin to come around. He hadn't been this dizzy since Soarin had made him practice on the Dizzitron for four hours straight back when Soarin did his aerial combat training.
"Flash? Flash?" a familiar voice repeated, causing Flash to blink rapidly as he tried to find the voice's owner. "Flash, can you hear me?"
As Flash's eyes flickered fully open, he saw Springer looking down at him with a huge frown. Another groan escaped his mouth as he blinked again and said, "Springer?"
The jakhowl let out a sigh of relief, "Sweet Celestia you had me worried."
"What happened?" The pegasus asked as he started to sit up, rubbing his head as he began to look around. It was here that he saw that they were in a small cell-like structure that had a metal door, a vent and hundreds of small square tiles making up the walls. "Where the heck are we?"
"We're in some kind of jail cell," Flash looked up at the ceiling, where he had heard the voice come from.
"Grand? Is that you?"
"Yeah...it's me." Grand groaned as his hooves tapped the floor below him, the noise banging the ceiling above Flash.
"And me," Skybreaker's voice spoke up. His voice seemed to be coming from the room next to Flash's.
"We're all here," Ruby's voice called out from further away.
"Everypony?" Flash asked blankly.
"YES!" The voices of Iron, Heather, First and Tidal all called out, each of their voices showing they were all coming from different spots. Hearing this, Flash moved over to the door, which had a small barred window he could look through. If one was outside of a cell, they would be able to see that the entire room was rectangular and about three stories high, all of them divided into three sections that had metal doors lining them. Each section had ten doors for ten cells. Flash and Skybreaker's cells were on the ground section with Ruby, First and Tidal's being in the middle along with Grand, Iron and Heather at the very top.
It was here that Flash spotted something on a table in the very center of the room. "Lightbringer!" He cheered as he saw his weapon along with everypony else's weapons and gear. "First, Ruby, Tidal, can one of you levitate our stuff to us?"
"Already tried that," Iron told him with a groan. "They can't use magic."
"What?!" Flash asked.
"It's these cells amigo." Tidal explained with a huff. "They have some kind of enchantment on them that's are draining our magic. Whenever we try and use any magic, it just sucks it out faster."
"All these cells seem to have been designed to stop a pony's abilities," Ruby added as she stared at the insides of her cell, only to see runes carved into the metal walls, all of them glowing green like the other unicorn cells.
"Tell me about it," Iron said as he looked around his cell. The entire thing was padded, even the inside of the door, which was some kind of shock absorbent material in the metal that would bounce back anything that struck it. When Iron had first punched the door, the rebound had sent him flying into the other side, which he bounced off soon after.
Flash looked around his cell, soon noticing nothing looked off. "So what's mine supposed to do?"
He then heard Skybreaker chuckle. "Try flying."
Flash shrugged his shoulders before flexing his wings, beating them to get off the ground. But the second his hooves left the floor, the tiles on the wall began to glow red. The next thing Flash knew, he suddenly found the walls and roof getting closer to him and Springer. "Whoa!" He yelped as he clung Springer to his chest and shut his eyes, waiting to be crushed.
That is, till a few second passed, making the two open their eyes. There, he saw that the room had somehow fitted to the pose he making. The squares from the wall had become pillars that snugly fit around him, even his wings. Seconds later, the walls quickly retracted and both Flash and Springer fell back to the ground with a thud. "Ow," he winced as he landed on his flank before groaning as he rubbed it. "Thanks a lot. You couldn't have just explained that to me verbally?"
"I figured it was better to just show you," Skybreaker replied with a chuckle. "The floor seems to have some kind of magic pressure sensor. If it doesn't sense any more than three hooves on the ground, it activates."
Flash let out another groan as he picked himself up, "Great...so what we do now?"
"That's what we've been trying to figure out," Springer replied as he stood up as well.
"This place must have been built to house Omniara's criminals," First added.
"Its amazing that the magic in this place is still going," Heather finished.
"Hang on a second. How'd we even get here?" Flash asked as he looked out the window again. "The last thing I remember was...well, it was Grand, and he attacked us. Then everything's a blur."
"Join the club," Grand told him as he let out a long sigh. "And that wasn't me. Just somepony who looked like me."
Tidal spoke up next. "The same thing happened to us. Somepony who looked like you attacked us after we beat Grimhorn."
"But I thought Ruby and Heather took out the Changeling?" Flash asked.
"We did," Ruby told him. "It seems Hiveena wasn't the only shape-shifter under Doom's command."
"She's not. Heck, this thing ain't even a bug that attacked us." Iron replied, only to hear several hooves tapping metal.
"What do you mean Iron? Have you been hiding something?" Skybreaker quickly asked, only for Iron to shake his head despite no one being able to see him.
"I just woke up like...a minute before Sentry, Skybreaker. I'm still trying to remember what happened..." Iron barked back as he crossed his hooves. "All I remember was before I got caught, I think the thing showed me what it really looked like."
Heather gasped, soon putting her hooves over her mouth. "Really?"
"Yeah. Must of been a really confident slimeball, whatever it was." Iron admitted as he continued, "It was like a...I don't know how to describe it. It was on two legs and it kinda looked like a fox? The ugly thing had a big ponytail and it could fire these dark looking energy spheres at me."
It was here that both Springer and Ruby went stiff, both wide-eyed as Grand spoke up next. "Are you sure? All I know is this thing could look like Doom and...I think it controlled me like a puppet. Heck, Springer had to knock some sense into me after it did that. Isn't that right Springer?"
The jakhowl didn't respond though. He just sat there, his eyes wide open as these facts went into his head. He knew that he hadn't known about what was going on despite the first one arriving in these cells. In fact, he woke up at the exact same time as Iron, making it impossible for him to know. But as what Iron said went into his brain, a huge gulp went down his throat. "Oh no...."
Flash turned to the jakhowl and saw the look of horror on his face. "What's the matter bud? You look like you've seen a ghost. Did you figure something out?"
"Yeah..." Springer replied as he turned to him, his frown now trying to exceed the limits of his face "I uh...I think I know what and who Doom's last flunky is."
"Oh, I'd prefer the term...business partner."
Everypony turned to the window, looking out just in time to see something drop down from the ceiling and land next to the table their gear was on. The figure then snapped its claws, a series of extra lights turning on as the motion ended. Here, they saw the figure, completely standing and shining a massive grin.
"That's the guy!" Iron yelled as almost pounded his hooves into the door.
"What is that thing?" Heather asked, only to hear the sound of a loud 'CLANG!', which made her hop in place.
"No....why is one of you here?!" They all heard Ruby hiss, her eyes now showing pure anger.
"Oh? You know about me?" the figure giggled as he turned to Ruby, his smile increasing as stared at her. "Oh, that's right. You're Ruby Scarlet, aren't you? You were around when my kind were a bit more....prevalent." He then pointed at her, "Considering that angry look on your face, I'm guessing you're not a fan of my species."
"I would never consider your kind as friends." She immediately growled back, "I've seen the horrors your kind does, and its disgusting."
"Tsk tsk tsk...so angry, yet so naïve. Perhaps-"
"Hey! Would you stop doing that and tell us what's going on?!" Iron interrupted, only for a volley of 'yeah's from the others to follow.
The figure blinked at this, "But that ruins the fun of-"
"He's a Trickster." Springer now interrupted with an angry hiss, ignoring the small pout appearing on the Trickster's face. "He's the natural enemy of my species, and I know its one cuz it doesn't have an aura. Also, I'm also guessing you're Shade, aren't you?" Springer tilted his head as he asked his next question, "Though I gotta ask, you look a lot different from our last encounter, and everypony here can actually understand you. Granted, that's nice since I won't have to translate like I did for Princess Luna, but...what happened to you Shade? Why do you look like that?"
Shade just turned to Springer and put his claw over his mouth, "Hee hee hee. What, you don't like my new look? I put a lot of work into this body, you know."
Springer let out a low growl, "I knew it. There's no mistaking that laugh. What are-"
"Whoa whoa whoa!" Flash interrupted as he pointed at Shade, "That's Shade?! I thought you told me he was....half your size buddy. That and he likes to disguise himself as a jakhowl. He's double your size now!"
"Oh, I used to be like that." Shade chuckled as he pointed to his chest. "But after your little friend barely defeated me, I-"
"Barely?!" Springer barked as he hit the door with his paws, "Don't sugarcoat it, you fox! I beat you paws down!" The next thing the two knew, Shade leapt at their cell door, his eyes glaring through the window.
"SHUT IT YOU AURA FREAK!" Shade yelled as he banged the cell door with his claws. "I'll admit I lost back then, but it was only because of your goody-two shoes alicorn princess you were with!"
"Hey! Don't you dare insult Princess Luna like that!" Springer instantly replied back, growling at the fox as the two locked eyes. "We beat your sorry hide because you were trying to destroy Appleloosa!"
It was here that Shade's glare turned to a big grin, which he then hopped backwards to the center of the room. "Oh yeah, that's what that dirt pile was called. I forgot what that town with those walking carpets was called...not like it mattered." Shade then rubbed his chin as his grin increased, "Maybe after all of this with Doom blows over, I should go back there and finish the job. I'd love to see their crying faces as I tear that town apart."
"Don't you dare!" Springer barked, only for Shade to just wave his claw at him.
"Eh, its not like their lives matter. They're just scum that exist so I can make them suffer."
The others were immediately surprised at his dark statement, with the exception of Ruby as she commented, "Ugh...you're a Trickster alright. Not a moral bone in your body, is there?"
"Morals? Why would I need that?" Shade giggled back as he pointed at Springer again, "Anyways, to answer your earlier question, after our last encounter, I went back to Doom for some more...power." Shade then turned to Grand as his grin kept getting bigger, "I have to thank you Grand. Your son is truly something else. Thanks to his experiments, he helped me realize my battle form so quickly despite my age."
"Battle form?" Springer asked, blinking at the statement.
Shade flashed the jakhowl a smirk before leaping into the air, transforming into the sphere of light before jumping out as a tiny fox Springer was very familiar with. "This is my standard form," he leapt off the table and turned into the sphere again, soon revealing the bipedal form once more, "and this is my battle form."
"So it is just another transformation," First commented in an unamused tone.
"No, its not First." Ruby quickly replied, a low growl following. "Its much more than that. That form he's in now...that's what a adult Trickster is supposed to look like. Granted, to get that form takes a ton of aura absorption, but...he shouldn't be able to get to it that young." Ruby let out a long hiss, "That's part of the experiments, isn't it?"
"That's right." Shade said with a nod. "The experiments Doom did on me gave me the ability to take aura much faster, which allowed me to take over that dirt town back before I fought that aura mutt over there. Heck, thanks to Doom, I've had a ready supply of Aura for me to drain all I want."
The knights were confused by what he meant, only to hear Ruby gasp, "You used the prisoners."
Shade's sinister smile continued to grow. "I did. Fools didn't even know I was doing it. Now I've achieved my most powerful form despite me still being young for a Trickster." Shade then turned back to Springer, "And now, no one can beat me. That includes you, you stinking aura-loving snot."
"Wanna test that theory?" Springer asked as his paws lit up in blue aura flames. "Come on you fox, let me out and I'll show you that I can still beat your flank!"
A dark aura covered Shade's claws as he heard the taunt, showing he was considering to go with Springer's bluff. But as he did this, his ears heard the door leading out of the jail open behind him. They all looked towards it and saw Doom Raizer step inside, a smug grin on his face as he looked up at the jail cells, his eyes locking with his father's.
"Doom...." Grand growled as his whole body shook in rage, "You finally showed yourself."
"Hello father, long time no see." Doom said in a calm, almost graceful tone. "I would love to catch up, but I'm afraid I'm strapped for time."
Flash snorted at this. "Seriously?! If that's the case, why'd you come here at all?!"
Doom chuckled back as his grin increased. "Simple. I'm here to tell you personally that you've all failed." His horn glowed as he levitated the six pieces of the Omni Sphere into view, showing it off to the knights. "Moments ago, the tomb under the castle was fully uncovered. Once I've broken the seal keeping it locked, the final piece of this magnificent creation will be mine."
The knights all went wide-eyed at this. They knew him having all the pieces was a possibility, but they was just starting his hunt for the sphere. But as they did this, Doom continued, "When all seven pieces are united, any magic will become mine for the taking." He then looked down at Flash's Lightbringer sitting on the table, soon picking it up in his hooves. There was a strong glare coming from his eyes as he stared at the sword, anger now appearing in his expression for a second before calming back into his smug grin. "Ah...light. That power will be first. In fact, all of the elemental powers of your weapons will be mine. Light, earth, wind, crystal, iron, water, plant and even the ability to heal myself with all be mine. Once I have them, I'll make the long trek to Equestria and take my vengeance there. Though luckily, you fools gave me a quick way there."
The knights gulped at this, know he was talking about the portal they used to get here. If he absorbed its magic, he would be able to instantly warp himself to Equestria and possibly any other place he wanted to go. He would be unstoppable.
But before anypony could yell at him, Grand let out a long sigh as he weakly asked, "Why Doom? Why are you doing this?! You always wanted to just simply help keep Equestria safe."
Doom turned to his father, rage plastering itself on his face, "You can't be serious! My efforts to try and protect Equestria were thanked by locking me away!"
"You created a weapon that could destroy a city Doom!" Grand yelled back, his hooves ready to slam the cell door.
Doom just shook his head at this. "I still stand that I made something truly important. Not only that, I still intend to help Equestria by becoming its new leader. With the power of the Omni Sphere, I'll become an unstoppable force that no conqueror, knight or murderer can possibly go against."
"We won't let that happen!" Iron cried out.
"We'll stop you!" Heather screamed.
"We swear to you, we will beat you!" First finished.
Doom just laughed at them. "And how do you expect to do that? This prison was designed to hold each and every one of you. The unicorns' magic is being drained away, and that's being used to power the rest of the cells. They can't stop producing their own magic, meaning this place will only lose power when they die. So that means you're trapped for the rest of your lives. Or well, the unicorns' lives that is."
He turned towards Shade. "Keep an eye on them and don't let them pull any funny business. I'll be back once the Omni Sphere is complete. Don't fail me like the others." His horn then flared, a flash of light following as he teleported out of the room. And as he left, a growl rumbled from Shade's mouth as he glared at the spot Doom was before he left.
Springer saw this and smirked. "So...he's that benefactor you told me about last time, right? The one who gave you the power to fully control others instead of just influencing them?"
Shade glared back at him, a low hiss following. "That's right. During my journey back from the Dragon Lands, we ran into each other while I was searching for you. When I saw how strong he was and his....talents, I knew he was the perfect partner."
The Past...
A stream of blood went down Shade's right eye as he slumped down into the grass, a series of tired pants following as he tried to get up. However, his legs wouldn't let him move, causing him to look up at the unicorn towering over him.
Doom in turn, stared down at him with a huge smile. "Not bad, though you seem to waste a lot of energy."
"Don't mock me!" Shade yelled as he suddenly leapt into the air as a dark ball of energy formed in front of his mouth. "DARK BLAST!" The sphere shot at the unicorn, only for a flick of the horn to create a shield, negating the attack.
"See?" Doom replied as he watched Shade land, his little legs already staggering. "From what I've seen, you overcharge your attacks. That in turn makes them unstable , thus easy to protect against."
"Shut...shut up!" Shade barked as he rubbed a paw over the blood going down his face, "What would you know about my abilities?!"
Doom just shrugged at this. "Nothing, but I know magic. From what I've seen, you're using one hundred percent of your power when you only need ten."
Shade half-laughed back. "Isn't that a good thing? More power, the stronger the attack."
Doom shook his head. "Wrong. You're making your attacks unstable, thus making them weaker as a result. It's like your trying to use a fire hose to water a single small flower, doing more harm than good." Doom then leaned down with a hard glare, completing the smug smirk on his face. "You don't know how to control your power."
"Don't mock me, you snot!" Shade hissed back, "I am a Trickster, one of a race that will turn this world on its head! Don't think for a second that you're better than me!"
But as these words came out, Doom's horn began to glow. The next thing Shade knew, his body kissed the floor as he suddenly felt like he had become ten times heavier. "Augh!"
"Still think I'm weak? Maybe a little more gravity will change your mind." With that, Shade's weight doubled once again. The ground beneath him actually started to crack, a small crater now appearing.
"STOP!" Shade cried out. In that second, the heaviness disappeared, allowing him to take a large gulp of breath. He then looked up as Doom stood on the edge of the crater with a smile.
"As you can see, I'm more than powerful enough to help you. But the question is, why should I help you?" He turned around, ready to walk away. "Its obvious you're just a power-hungry untrustable fox, so I think I'll just take my leave. Granted, I did think you're interesting, as I've never heard of a Trickster before, but-"
"You're after the Omni-Sphere, aren't you?" Shade interrupted, causing Doom to spin around with a look of surprise. Seeing the expression, Shade's usual grin appeared as he pulled out a piece of paper from the tuft of hair on his head, "I'm right, aren't I? I was wondering why that saddlebag of yours had a piece of paper that had the mark of Omniara on it."
"When did you-" Doom gasped as he looked back at his saddlebag, seeing one of his papers now missing. He then glared back at Shade with a flared horn, "Why you little-"
"Hold it. I'll give it back." Shade interrupted as he walked up to Doom, immediately giving him the paper. "After all, I'm not stupid to keep it from you."
Doom grabbed the paper and stuffed it in his saddlebag in slight rage, "Grrr...you little thief."
"Hey, I'm not an honest individual." Shade replied, shrugging. "But...since you're after the sphere, I can help you. In fact, I can say that I can't really help with the sphere in terms of where it is, but I do know something you would be interested in."
"Oh really? Why would I trust you now?" Doom hissed as he leaned down, their eyes fully locked now.
"Simple. I scratch your back and you scratch mine." Shade crossed his paws as a cocky smirk shined on his face, "You're right, I can't beat you right now. In fact, considering how you were observing me, I'm betting you can help me get more power." Shade then leaned further as he said, "And in return, I can give you a backup plan."
"Backup plan?" Doom replied with a cocked eyebrow.
"Yes. Let me give you some advice if you're after the Omni-Sphere." Shade put his paw on Doom's shoulder, "Ruling the world doesn't mean a thing if you lose it the next day." Doom tried to reply to this, only to see the truth in his words. As such, he nodded as Shade continued, "You see, like you, I've been searching for a way to obtain a whole lot of power. But, I can't obtain it, at least not with the abilities I have. However, considering how smart you are and how you were fighting me, I'm guessing you could help me get to my goal."
"And that is?"
"I'm also trying to obtain a very powerful item. The difference is, well...I'm the only one who knows how to make it." Shade then leaned over and whispered into Doom's ear, causing the unicorn's eyes to go wide.
Doom jerked his head back as he yelled, "Are you serious?! You know how to-that's impossible! I've researched that power before going after the Omni-Sphere! There's not a single text out there that knows about that!"
"Hee hee hee…" Shade giggled as he put his paw on Doom's shoulder again, winking at him as he said, "It was never recorded on how to make it. As for how I know, why don't I just prove it to you? You got some pen and paper?" Doom nodded and gave him the materials from his saddlebag, which Shade quickly drew on. As soon as he was finished, Doom was in shock as he saw the results.
"This....this is amazing. I...I think I can make this." Doom looked back at the fox. "But you didn't draw me all the blueprints, did you?"
"Hee hee hee...I thought you would like it, and I need some insurance that you'll help me." Shade replied as he held out his paw, "Now....partners?"
Doom grinned back as he shook the paw, "Partners."
The Present...
"And its been great ever since. I've gained so much power since I met Doom." Shade gloated as he leaned over the table. He then stood back up and pointed to all the knights, "And don't ask what our agreement was about. I'll never tell."
"Wow...you were right buddy." Flash immediately replied, "He is totally full of himself."
"Hey! I am not full of myself!" Shade yelled back before pointing to himself, "I am a powerful, amazing being that none of you disgusting filthy ponies can dare compare too!"
"Seriously?" Flash grumbled, only to get a small Dark Blast that hit the side of the window.
"Shut up." Shade hissed before doing a few stretches. "Anyways, I'm just about done talking to you losers. After all, I need to make sure I'm in top shape when I take Doom's head and make the Omni-Sphere power for my own." He then shined a huge smile at the knights, "After that, I'll do what he was gonna do and make all your powers mine."
The knights all blinked at this, surprised at just how honest Shade was being as Grand asked, "So you're just using Doom? Even though he gave you all this power?"
Shade looked back at Grand with an expression that could only be described as: 'Are you seriously asking that?' as he replied, "Of course I am. I'm a Trickster. Using and fooling ponies is what we do. Its not my fault your son's too foolish to realize that. After all, in this world, there only two types of individuals, the users and the used...and I'm a user."
"You're wrong!" Heather cried, "there's more to life then that!"
"She's right," Springer added. "Just because you treat ponies like that doesn't mean the rest of us do. We work together as partners, AS FRIENDS!"
Once again, Shade leapt at his and Flash's cell with a deadly glare on his face, "Don't be ridiculous. You really think these ponies are your so-called friends? They're using you, you pathetic aura-loving snot. Why else would they have brought you here?!"
"I came because I wanted too," Springer replied, his form not faltering in front of Shade's glare.
"And we brought him because we trust him," Flash added. "We trust him to have our backs and help fight for what's right."
But as these words left Flash's mouth, Shade just laughed. "HA! So, you do believe your own lies. Tell me, if he didn't have any power, what would you have done? Would you have brought him if wasn't able to sense aura? And if he's such a great teammate, why isn't he being considered to one day become a Royal Knight?" Shade then turned to Skybreaker's cell, "I can think of one of them that doesn't care about this furball. In fact, I know I'm sure since Doom has let me observe you all."
However, as Shade had made his point, Springer spoke up, "Of course I wouldn't have come Shade. Without my abilities, I'd just be in the way. I know my fighting skills and abilities are why I'm here, but that's true with all of us."
"He's right!" Grand yelled from his cell. "We're here because we're the best choice for stopping Doom. If it wasn't us, then somepony else would have been chosen to come and stop him."
"And I don't care if I'm not a Royal Knight," Springer went on. "I'll do whatever I need to do to keep Equestria safe."
"That's the same with all of us," Iron added.
"We'll fight no matter what we're up against," Heather continued.
"Because we are the only ones that can," First finished.
"Which is my point exactly!" Shade replied as he leapt away from the cells. "Your precious princesses sent you because they'd prefer to sit back and sip tea all day. They use you. It's the same as the jakhowls and Tricksters a thousand years ago. Those jakhowl idiots were nothing but disposable pawns to the princesses, while we tricksters were bad mouthed just because we didn't bow down to them like those happy-go-lucky puppy dogs."
Iron almost slammed his cell's door again as he barked, "Why you little-"
"Everypony stop!" Ruby suddenly yelled, making everyone hop in place. She then let out a long huff as she stated, "Don't fall his lies. The reason the princesses rejected the Tricksters was because the Tricksters believed they had the right to do anything they wanted, including violent actions and thievery." Her eyes gave Shade a long, cold stare. "They don't believe in morals."
"Hee hee hee…" Shade chuckled as he gave Ruby a big grin, "You know Tricksters well Ruby Scarlet. Tell me, what do you think of me compared to these friendship loving morons?"
A small snort flew out of her nostrils as she replied, "Simple. I think you've been dodging the most important question of this whole thing. What is your real objective, and I don't mean the deal you made with Doom. What do you want after you gain power?"
"Ah...good answer." Shade remarked as he wagged a finger at her. "I won't tell you about the deal, but I will tell you the goal. After all, unlike the rest of this trash, I can tell you respect what I am compared to them. Or, at least what I am as your enemy." Shade leaned back on the table and shined the biggest grin he could at Ruby. "My goal is simple. I wish to accomplish one thing, and one thing alone." He then raised his claws, a dark aura encasing both of them as his grin increased, "I wish to fulfill the will of the greatest Trickster who ever lived. I wish to become the second Dark Mist."
CLANG!
That was the sound of Ruby slamming her cell door with her hooves, a stare of death and hatred now in her eyes as she whispered, "What...did you...just say?!"
"Oh? Did I strike a nerve?" Shade chuckled back, his grin still growing at her response. "You actually know who I talk about?"
"How...how could you ever want to...want to be that monster?!"
"That should be obvious," Shade immediately replied.
"I don't get it." Springer said as he blinked at Shade, "Who's Dark Mist?"
The other knights all nodded in agreement, all of them having never heard the name before. It was here that Ruby barely spoke up, "He's...he's a monster from my era."
"Oh, I wouldn't call him that." Shade remarked as he began giggling again, "I would call him a true hero among the Tricksters."
"No he's not!" Ruby screamed, making even Shade slightly hop in place. "That Trickster....he was nothing but a monster!"
"What did he do?" Flash asked in a worried tone.
"He...he was known for destroying towns just for fun. He burned entire villages and made sure every villager all died. Nothing would escape him." Ruby replied in a staggered tone. "He did everything he could to bring misery to others. I...I once fought him in the battlefield, and I knew there wasn't a spit of good in him. He destroyed everything around him."
"And that's why I want to be just like him. To have that kind of freedom where I can destroy and torment everything around me...that is the very reason why I wish to fulfill his will." Shade immediately replied, only for a cloak to appear behind him. The fox then turned to the puppet as the figure nodded to him. "Ah. It looks like we're out of time. It seems Doom is just about to get the sphere, so I guess its Doom killing time." Shade then pushed the Celestic Gears off the table, revealing a red button. "Luckily, the Omni King installed this so I wouldn't have to hear you for the rest of this little crusade. After I'm done with Doom, you'll all be presents wrapped up for me and my new powers."
With that, he slammed his paw onto the button. The next thing the knights knew, the window shut and locked as the doors all flashed green for a second. As that happened, the sounds coming from the other side suddenly cut out.
Shade smirked as he looked up at them. "Now...let's go get some ultimate power."
"Hey!" Flash yelled as he started banging on the door. "We're not done yet!" He then shoved his ear into the door, only to hear absolutely no sound. He did the same with the other walls, only to get the same result each time.
"It must be some kind of soundproofing spell," Springer told him.
"Well that's just great," Flash complained as he slid down the wall and crossed his hooves. "How are we gonna get out of here?" He turned to his partner, realizing something as he did. "Wait, these cells are designed to keep me in. But what about you? Maybe you can blast the door off its hinges."
Springer shook his head at this. "Already tried that when you were asleep. Aura Blast, Bone Breaker and Steel Paw are all useless against whatever this cell's made out of. I could try continuously blasting it, but that would take hours."
"Time we don't have," Flash moaned as his head slumped forwards. Springer sat down as well, both slumping into the floor with frowns on their faces as Flash said, "Now what do we-"
BANG!
Both Flash and Springer looked up, confused by the sudden sound. "What was that?" Springer asked.
BANG, BANG, BANG!
The two looked up at the source of the sound, realizing it was coming from the vent. Flash then stood up, only for his brain to kick in as the banging continued, "This is...this is Morse code!"
Springer turned to him, blinking in confusion, "Morse what?"
"It's a way of communicating through tapping in a certain way. Grand taught it to me when I was training." he put his hoof to his lips. "Don't talk for a moment." Springer nodded as Flash began to listen. After a few minutes, he had a sentence. "This leads outside. Crawl."
"Is someone helping us?"
"Looks like it buddy, but I don't know who it would be. Did one of the prisoners come back?"
"Maybe we should discuss this once we're free," Springer told him as he walked up to the vent.
"You're right," Flash replied before pulling the grate off, only to see the small size of the shaft. "I'm too big to fit buddy, but I think you can. Think you can crawl through there?"
"Hmmm...probably. But uh...do you really want me to leave you all alone in here?"
Flash nodded at this. "I'll be fine. Just find your way through this thing and try to find something to help us out. If you can't do that, try to get to Doom and make sure he doesn't get that last piece."
Springer sighed at this, but knew he was right. "Alright. Give me a boost."
Flash nodded as Springer leapt up onto his back, then his head and into the air duct. The metal tunnel was just a tiny bit bigger than the jakhowl as he made his way through. "Good luck," he heard Flash tell him. "You're our last hope."
"I know. I won't let you down." With that, he started moving through the vents. It was a tight squeeze, with several corners especially bad. "Would it have killed the guy who built this place to make these things an inch or two bigger?!" He asked as he pushed himself around another corner, "now I know what a TV dinner feels like...ugh, Pinkie's rubbing off on me."
Eventually, he came across a section that only went straight up, forcing him to shimmy upward. There, he made his way through another corridor, only to feel his body start to dip under him. "Alright, need to be careful. I think my weight is affecting this vent..." He slowly started moving forward again, hearing a creaking sound as he did. "Really hope nopony heard that."
But even if they had not, what happened next they would definitely hear.
CRACK!
Springer looked forwards and saw that part of the vent was not properly secured, and his weight was enough to break it apart. "Not good," he whimpered as he tried to crawl backwards, only to hear another 'crack'. "Oh no..."
A second later, the metal below him bent, breaking as he was shot out of the vent and fell towards the ground, barely managing to spin around so he landed on his feet. His legs quickly turned to jelly and he fell to his knees, panting as he did. "Phew, that was close. At least I'm-" A coughing sound made him stop before slowly turning around, seeing Shade staring down at him with crossed arms and a tapping foot.
Springer looked around and saw all his efforts had only gotten him to the other side of the cell, "Oh, come on." He didn't get time to say anymore, as Shade leapt at him with claws at the ready.
"Looks like the trickster gods are smiling down on me," Shade said as he swiped at him. "I wanted a chance to take you down alone and now I have it. Its even better since I know the knights or your precious princess can't interfere!"
"Don't think because you're bigger you'll win," Springer replied as he created a Bone Breaker and rushed at him. He swung the weapon with a horizontal swipe, only for a dark aura to cover Shade's claw. He then swiped at the aura weapon, instantly shattering it.
"I don't think that, little mutt." Shade commented as Springer stopped in shock of his weapon was shattered. He then lifted both claws as a huge grin shined on his face. "I KNOW THAT! DARK CLAW!"
"BLAUGH!" Springer yelped as both claws struck, knocking him back into to the cell room. Springer quickly hopped back up, only to see the claws swiping at him again. The jakhowl slightly backpedaled, dodging both swipes as he put his paws together, "Aura Blast!" the aura sphere shot out of his paws, only for the Trickster's claws to cut it in half. "Oh, come on!"
"You can't win this time jakhowl." Shade said as he pointed his claw's palm to the ceiling, a giant dark sphere appearing in it. "I'm going to win mutt. Dark Blast!"
The dark ball shot at the jakhowl, who summoned two Bone Breakers. He then used them to block the sphere, only to see cracks to appear in the aura weapons as soon as the attack hit. "Rrrrggghhhh….come on...." Springer moaned as he tried to stand his ground, the sphere destroying his Bone Breakers.
But it wasn't enough.
SMASH!
"Augh!" Springer yelled as he body slammed into the cell room's table, his back hitting the button.
The windows on the cells all opened instantly, causing confusion to its prisoners as Grand yelped, "What the-what's going on?!"
"Springer!" Flash yelled out when he got to the window, soon seeing his partner knocked over the table. "What are you doing here?!"
"Small hiccup," Springer replied as he got back up with a slight moan. "Relax, I've got this."
"You've got nothing!" Shade yelled as he fired a Dark Blast, Springer summoning a Bone Breaker to defend. However, the force of the attack instantly broke through, blasting the jakhowl into the wall between Flash and Skybreaker's cells.
"Springer!" Ruby screamed as she saw the jakhowl slump to the floor.
"Is he okay?" Heather asked while chattering her teeth, unable to see him from her height and angle.
Springer groaned as he slowly picked himself up again. "I'm fine!" His paws began to glow as they created a pair of Steel Paws, "I'm not done yet Shade. You're gonna taste my Steel Paws!"
"Let me change that." Shade hissed as his paws became encased in a dark arura. "Dark Paws!"
The two creatures immediately rushed each other, a barrage of claws clashing. The knights all stared at the two, watching a series of swiping light and dark auras, the two powers covering both of them as they fought. They clashed over and over, the two swiping, kicking, and punching each other to a point that the knights could barely keep up.
"They're even," Skybreaker gasped as he watched the blows exchanged.
"No....Springer's losing." Flash commented as his eyes were now blank. He had entered Theta Mode to keep up with the fight, allowing him to see their action clearer then the others. Despite looking close to even, Springer's attacks were always being dodged, blocked or deflected. The trickster was easily managing to defend himself, while Springer barely doing so.
It was here that Springer swiped with an uppercut, only for Shade to sidestep back. The small opening let him slash both claws at the jakhowl, who quickly tried to go back as well, only for Shade's foot to suddenly strike his head. "Buagh!" Springer cried as he felt the blow, only to feel Shade's claw grab the back of his head. A second later, Shade slammed his head right into the floor, his nose hitting it first as blood started to appear. But before Springer could react, Shade spun around once, then threw the jakhowl into a nearby wall. The defender let out another cry, only for Shade to rush up and grab his neck.
"SPRINGER!" Everyone cried as they saw Shade tighten his grip.
"I warned you..." Shade hissed as he leapt into the air before slamming Springer into the wall between Ruby and First's cells. "I warned you that allowing these ponies to use you would make you weak! You're a disgrace of a jakhowl!" He then grabbed Springer's tail and swung him towards the opposite wall, making a dent into the metal. The claws gripped the neck again, instantly knocking the air out of his lungs as Shade let out another growl. "You jakhowls are all the same. You never learn that to survive in this world...YOU NEED TO ONLY CARE FOR YOURSELF!" He then flung Springer into the ceiling, only to leap up and grab the defender, soon slamming Springer into the ground with all his might.
SMASH!
"AAAUUUGGGHHH!" Springer screamed as he hit the ground, pain surging throughout his entire body.
"SPRINGER!" They all cried as they watched while Shade landed just a few feet away.
Springer let out a moan as he tried to pick himself up. "I don't...believe that," he got on one knee. "And even if it were true, I...I don't care."
Shade growled at this. "So you pick having friends over true power?"
As Springer finally got to his feet, he turned towards the trickster and flashed the biggest grin, "Every single time!"
Shade's face went red with rage as he raised his arms above his head. "You idiot. You really are one of those stupid mutts. And do you know what happens to stupid mutts?!" He brought his paws close together, dark energy beginning to spiral between them. "They die! DARK...BARRAGE!" He thrusted his paws forward, only for the dark aura to turn into a jet black tornado. Springer quickly crossed his paws as the attack came at him, the jakhowl closing his eyes as it got closer.
BOOM!
"SPRINGER!" Everypony cried as they watched an explosion consume their friend.
Shade on the other hoof, just laughed. "Hee hee hee...looks like I just won!" He then raised his claws into the air as a huge grin graced his face, "At long last, the final jakhowl is finished!" However, in that moment, the smoke finally cleared and he saw the true results of his attack. "Huh?!"
Springer was just standing there in the same position as he was before the attack. The only difference was the blue light now surrounding his body. The young jakhowl opened his eyes and saw the light, "Wh...what? What is..."
"That again?" Flash commented as he blinked at his partner.
"You've seen this?" Ruby immediately asked him.
"Yeah, during our first battle against the cloaks. He glowed like that and cried out in pain."
"Ahh!" Springer yelped once again as he clutched his stomach, "not now!"
Seeing his reaction, Ruby yelled, "Springer, stop! Don't fight it. Let it happen!"
"Let what happen?" Springer asked through his cries of now new pain.
"Just trust me!"
"Or better yet, die! Dark Claw!" Shade yelled as he charged and swiped his paw at Springer. Springer gasped as he saw the incoming attack, only for something inside him to suddenly clicked. Seconds before Shade's attack struck, the light surrounding Springer exploded off of him, instantly knocking Shade back as the light shot up into the air and actually broke through the roof.
"What's happening?" Heather asked as the knights shielded their eyes.
Ruby didn't reply, simply smiling as she looked down at her body. She and the rest of the knights were all glowing, the light they were creating now being sucked into the light coming off Springer.
And it wasn't just here. All over Equestria, many ponies slept in their beds, only for several of them to all begin to glow the same bright light. Everypony in Ponyville, along with several in Canterlot and the Crystal Empire. Even a few in Appleloosa as well, all of them shining the same light. And within each of the glowing ponies dreams, the image of a certain wolf like creature appeared, one that made all of them smile at the sight as the glow flew off of them and into the air.
That light flew hundreds of miles, only for all of them to be absorbed into the light Springer created. And once the last speck of light was absorbed, the tower of light shot back down onto Springer.
"AAAAAHHHHH!" Springer yelled as the light consumed him.
"Aaaaaaahhhhh-oof!" Springer yelped as he felt his face kiss the ground. The jakhowl then let out a long moan, his eyes now blinking rapidly, "Ooooohhhh….what happened?"
It was here that the young jakhowl looked up, only to a black, inky void. Darkness. Unending was all around him, as if light had no right to exist where he was. He blinked at the sight as he put his paws into the 'ground', only to see it was nothing but darkness as well.
"Huh? What is...where am I?" he asked out loud, only to get no response. The jakhowl then stood up, soon spinning around to see if he could see anything else. But as he spun around a second time, he noticed that there was nothing here. Nothing in this dark, blank void.
He then scratched the side of his head, a big frown gracing his face as he asked himself, "I don't...I didn't die, did I? I mean, where am I? How did I..."
Young jakhowl.
A sudden voice echoed through the voice, making Springer hop in place. He started looking around, trying to find the voice's origin, only to still see the endless void. "What the heck?! Where are you?! Who said that?!"
Young jakhowl.
"Yeah, I heard you the first time!" Springer barked back as he now clenched his paws. It was here that his blue aura covered his paws, showing a small blue flame in the dark void. But as he did this, a new sight appeared before him. A blue flame just in front of him, one that was just like his aura. "What the-"
Young jakhowl.
"Stop repeating that and show yourself!" Springer yelled, only for the flame to suddenly disappear and reappear right in front of the jakhowl's face. "Whoa!"
Your resolve.
"Huh?" was all Springer could manage as he backpedaled from the flame. But as he did this, the flame started to grow. It grew till he was almost three times as high as Springer, and it resembled something he had seen before. It was the figure he had seen when he learned Bone Breaker and Steel Paw. "You...you're-"
Your resolve.
"My resolve?" Springer replied back in a dumbfounded tone.
Yes. We have sensed that many connections have brought you here, and as such revelations, we must know your resolve young jakhowl. Tell us...what do you seek? Why are you here?
"I don't..." Springer couldn't manage another word. He wanted to ask a thousand questions, but his brain already told him that it was pointless. Instead, he just stop backpedaling and stood still as a question came out of his mouth, "Um...I don't really get what's going on, but....could you help me?"
Help you?
Springer nodded at this. "Yes. I...I want to save my friends. They're in trouble and I'm all they got right now."
I see. Is that your resolve? You wish to save your friends?
"Yes! More than anything, I wanna save them!"
Is that so? So your resolve is to save your friends. Do you seek more power to obtain this goal? Will you do anything to protect and save them?
Springer blinked at this, only to shine a grin that was almost identical to Flash's, "I'll do whatever it takes to protect them, even if it means I gotta have more power!"
I see. If that is the case....we accept your resolve.
"We?" Springer barely said before a barrage of light shined in front of him. He immediately closed and shielded his eyes, only to feel a tap on his shoulder. Turning towards to small nudge, he opened his eyes to see a new, familiar sight. It was the figure he had seen back when he first learned Bone Breaker. It was an adult jakhowl, one that stood over Springer as it tapped his shoulder before walking in front of Springer.
But as it walked over, it was here that Springer's eyes went truly wide. He had just now noticed that this wasn't the only jakhowl here with him. The young jakhowl spun around as he saw hundreds upon hundreds of jakhowls around him, all of them both his size and taller ones, all of them smiling at Springer with a smile similar to his earlier grin.
"What is...what is this?!" Springer gasped as he looked back at the jakhowl that had tapped him, only to see the jakhowl sit down at a large throne. Beside him was the female jakhowl Springer had seen back when he learned Steel Paw, a large smile gracing her face.
"We are the jakhowl, masters of aura." The jakhowl on the throne replied. "Since the beginning, we are the ones that channel life. We understand what others can not hope to grasp, as we see what life is in this world. We see the auras, the channels of how all things work around us, both light and dark."
"I..." Springer tried to say, only to just blink at the other jakhowl.
The older jakhowl just let out a chuckle as he continued, "Do not worry. I won't bore you with our history, I know it has no meaning for you."
"What do you mean?"
The older jakhowl just shined a big grin before lifting its paw, a brilliant blue flame encasing it. "We have accepted your resolve young jakhowl. Granted, we were already sure we were going to help you considering how many connections we sense in you. That being said, if you seek more power to protect those you care about, we will do everything we can to help you. As such in this decision, we have decided."
"Decided?"
The paw in the blue flame was pointing at Springer now, "We have decided that you, Springer, shall be the future of our race. From this point on, you shall determine if the jakhowl should flourish in the world once more."
"Huh?!" Springer yelped as he pointed to himself, "What did you just-HUH?! What do you mean 'I'm the future of our race'?!"
"Exactly that, young jakhowl." the older replied as lifted his paw upward, only for Springer to notice that the hundreds of jakhowl around him were doing the exact same motion. Then, the jakhowl pointed at Springer once more, the others soon joining. "Now, we will fulfill our promise. We will give you the power you seek."
"You...will?"
The older nodded, "Yes. Now...go, and defeat the Trickster. We, just like your friends that brought you here, are all with you. You are our path now, one that will lead the jakhowl to the next generation."
As these last words left his mouth, a giant blue flame encased Springer. He let out a gasp at the sight, only to suddenly feel something new. It felt...warm, yet powerful. And as this feeling surged through his body, he disappeared along with the flame, leaving not a trace behind. As such, the sight made the older jakhowl slump back into his seat as he spoke one last time.
"And now, we will watch over you Springer. Never forget that the aura is always there, as are we."
The light finally faded, allowing everypony to open their eyes and look back at Springer. And as they did, their eyes all went wide at what they saw.
Standing in Springer's spot was a creature only two of them had seen before. Flash had only seen a picture of it in a book, right next to the picture of Springer. Ruby on the other hoof, had seen it time and time again during her years fighting alongside the jakhowl with Luna.
Springer then opened his eyes and looked down at his body, seeing that it looked exactly like the other jakhowls. "Whoa...awesome." he said with a slightly deeper voice as he tapped the spike on the back of his paw, "Well what do you know? Its just like that guy said. Nice."
Shade stared at Springer in horror. "No...NO! This isn't possible! How could a weakling like you unlock their battle form! You...you're too young to have that power!"
"Battle form?" Flash asked with a tilt of a head.
Ruby chuckled at his confusion. "Tricksters aren't the only ones with battle forms. Jakhowls can achieve this form once they've become strong enough and have created strong enough bonds with others around them." She turned to Shade with a smirk. "You called friendship and caring for others a weakness, but you're wrong. For jakhowls, friendship is their strongest source of power."
Springer smirked as he finished looking over his new form. He then smirked up at Shade, "this is gonna be awesome." He pointed at the trickster. "Now...count up your sins."
Shade growled at hearing this. "It doesn't matter if you've achieved that form." He shot forwards with a Dark Paw attack, "I'M STILL STRONG! I'LL KILL YOU!" He thrusted his claws at the jakhowl, but the newly evolved defender just smirked before his raising his own paw.
The Dark Paw struck this and was stopped cold, not a spit of damage happening as Springer shined a grin. "I'm gonna have to disagree with you there." He pushed Shade back with a flick, only for the Trickster to quickly spin and swipe his Dark Paw again. But as he did, Springer knocked it away as well as a Steel Paw appeared in his other paw.
"BLAUGH!" Shade yelled as he felt the paw slice down his chest, pain now surging through him. He backpedaled for a second, only to summon a Dark Blast in one of his claws, "Grr....take this!"
"Bone Breaker." Springer calmly said as he swung the summoned aura weapon once, instantly slicing the dark sphere in half.
"No....NO!" Shade screamed as the dark aura around his claws grew even more. "I won't lose to you! I am Shade, the most powerful-ugh!" the fox yelped as a punch to the face interrupted him, knocking him across the room.
"I beg to differ." Springer chuckled as he lifted the palm of one of his paws, only for an Aura Blast to appear above it. The jakhowl then glanced at it, his smile increasing, "Well what do you know? I can make one with just one paw now. Cool."
"Alright little buddy!" Flash yelled. "You're looking awesome!"
"Way to go amigo!" Tidal cheered.
"It's like his aura power has been supercharged!" Heather added.
"It has," Ruby told her as she crossed her hooves in confidence. "The battle form has doubled his power, making him stronger than ever before."
Skybreaker smirked at the sight. "Not bad mutt."
"You go furball!" Iron yelled out. "Kick his flank!"
Springer then dismissed the sphere, only to smirk as he now held the Bone Breaker in one paw while the other was enveloped by a Steel Paw attack. "You got it!" He charged forwards, both attacks now happening in conjunction as he swung at the fox.
"AAAHHH!" Shade cried as he tried to defend himself, only for both to hit him. But before he could recover, Springer punched his face again, only to then slash his chest with a Steel Paw before kicking the chest as well. The resulting attacks knocked him into the wall, his body slightly slumping. "Damn it....this can't....this can't be happening."
"Just give it up," Springer warned him as he summoned another Aura Blast. "Its over Shade."
Shade growled as he raised his arms up. "Never!" He created another Dark Barrage, the dark tornado soon flying at Springer. But as it did, Springer just shot the Aura Blast at the attack, only for the sphere to cut right through the tornado like butter. And as the sphere took out the last bit of the dark spiraled funnel, the Aura Blast dispersed right before it could hit Shade.
"No....this can't be happening!" Shade gasped again as the sphere disappeared just a few centimeters away. "Not after everything I've done to gain the power I have! How can you bridge the gap between us so easily?!"
Springer's smile never wavered as he summoned another Aura Blast. "That's because my power doesn't come from stealing it. It come from the bonds I've made, the feelings I share with everyone." He looked at the cells, all of the prisoners now smiling back as he glanced back at Shade. "Before I met them, I had nothing. I don't remember where I came from or how I got where I was, but it doesn't matter. It led to me meeting Flash, which let me meet all my other friends." Flash's smile increased as he remembered the day he saved Springer from those Timberwolves. Back then, he never would have guessed their friendship would lead to this as Springer continued, "The more ponies I met, the happier I became. And as such, I'll now use that to protect everyone. Its why I'm here."
But as those words exited his mouth, the knights all smiled at his statement, only for another sound to ring out. It was the sound of a Trickster sticking his tongue out in disgust as a bit of spit shot out as well. "You're disgusting." he said as a dark aura covered his body. "You make me sick."
However, Springer didn't falter here. He didn't even change expressions as a blue flame began to encase his body. "Even if you think that, I don't care. There's only one thing I want to do now. I...I want to protect everyone!" With that final declaration, the blue light from before reappeared around his body before being absorbed into his Aura Blast. "I don't care if I'm not seen as a Royal Knight, I'll still do what I can to keep Equestria and everyone in it safe!"
Shade watched as the Aura Blast turned from light blue to pure white. "What...what is going on?! What is this?!"
"I am Springer the jakhowl, and I will carry the jakhowl legacy to protect Equestria!" With that, he pulled the Aura Sphere back into two paws. "Aura...FORCE!" The Aura Blast then transformed into a beam of energy, which flew right at the trickster.
Shade's tried to defend himself, only to feel the full might of the attack, "AAAAAHHHHH!" He cried as the attack struck him, pummeling him through the wall. Eventually, his body couldn't take anymore and he blacked out, reverting back to his smaller form.
Seeing this, Springer ended his attack and watched Shade fall to the floor with a thud. Springer sighed in relief as he was consumed by a bright light again. When the light faded, the young jakhowl had shrunk back into the form he was usually as. "Awwww..." Springer moaned. "I can't keep it?!"
"Ahem!" He turned at the sound of the cough, seeing Flash staring at him. "You mind letting us out bud?"
"Oh...yeah. Sure." He hopped over to Flash's cell and grabbed the handle, soon opening it for the pegasi.
"Nice work bud. I'm proud of you partner. You showed that scumbag what for." Flash told him with a hug.
"Thanks." Springer replied as he tightened the hug.
They then opened Skybreaker's cell next, which him and Flash then flew up to free the others. While that happened, Springer rushed over to Shade and picked him up before throwing the fox in Skybreaker's cell. "That'll hold him," Springer commented as he closed the door.
"For now," Skybreaker added.
"SPRINGER!" He heard Heather cry as she pulled him into a tight hug. "My hero."
"That was some battle amigo," Tidal told him as he and the rest of the knights gathered around.
"Thanks," Springer replied with a big red blush, "too bad I changed back so quickly."
Ruby laughed at this as she gave him a hug as well. "Don't worry Springer, that's natural. For the first few times, you'll only be able to hold that form for a few minutes. Over time, your body will be able to handle the change for longer and longer until eventually, it'll become your default form."
"Cool..." Springer gasped, his eyes shining like stars at the idea.
Skybreaker then stepped up to him and put his hoof on his shoulder. "Listen mu-Springer. I'm sorry about how harsh I've been to you. The others were right, you do belong here."
Springer nodded at this. "Thanks. And I don't mind the harsh stuff. Let bygones be bygones for me."
Skybreaker shook his head. "I don't think you understand. When this is over, I'm gonna recommend to the princesses that you get put on a short list to one day become a Royal Knight."
Everypony gasped at this, Springer as well. He then shook his head at the pegasi, "Thank you...but I think I'd prefer to stay as I am. With respect to you guys, I don't need a title to tell me I'm a hero."
"Are you sure Springer?" Ruby asked as she leaned over his shoulder. "It'd be an honor to have you by our side."
"I'll still be by your side," Springer told her with a big grin. "Just...in a different way."
They all nodded in agreement, knowing he was right. Skybreaker just shook his head again, "Alright....if you insist. But if you ever change your mind, the offer's still open." Springer nodded in agreement.
Flash smiled at his partner, glad he was finally being recognized as the true hero he was. "Pretty amazing, eh Grand?" He turned towards his mentor, only to find nothing. "Grand?" He looked around and saw the Great Mountain was gone, along with his Celestic Gear. "Oh no...."
"Not again." Skybreaker added.
Grand rushed through the city, one location on his mind. He looked up at the castle right in the middle of the crater. The jail had been a ways away, so getting there would take some time for the earth pony. But he would not stop, not when he was so close. "This ends now Doom."
Up on one of the roofs nearby, a cloaked pony looked down at Grand as he rushed through the town. "So, the little dog managed to free them. Looks like learning that old code did have some benefits. But where are the rest of your team? I'd expect them to be coming with you...or are you trying to stop him all on your own?" The figure let out a sigh, "Doom...Grand...this won't end well, will it?"
Stats
Page generated in 0.03 seconds
Total duration
972 users online
1,269,747 hits today, 1,822,946 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
Your Riolu has evolved into a Lucario, congrats Flash, you are now a pokemon master.
Way to go Springer, you have achieved your Super Saiyan form.
I regret nothing!
That was epic! Springer got his Lucario form! So his Lucario form is a power up for the time, a battle mode, until it becomes his default mode. I wonder how long that will take? I still hope to see his Mega form one day.
Stop borrowing Grand's catchphrase!
I know, bud. I know.
The more that cloaked figure shows up, the more confused I get about who he or she is.
9110097
Totally, Flash and Springer each their own.
9110308 Heather also did it.
9110404
The point still stands
Okay. This was awesome. Go Springer. I wonder if he will have a mastery mode at the end. Great chapter. I cant' wait for the next chapter, and Grand's defeat.
9114411
If a Mastery mode is the equivalent of a Mega form, then I completely agree. Though first he needs to make his battle mode his default mode, and who knows how long that might take.
9115240
Yeap. That is what Mastery Mode is. It probably will be unlocked if Flash's magic can enter Springer. Sort of a unique increased mental link between the two.
I thought Skybreaker couldn't fly, with his broken wing?
Also, "Pegasi" is plural, so long as you ignore the fact that things like Word insist that's its not a word, it may as well be official by this point.
"Pegasus" is singular.
Hope you don't mind my attempts at corrections.