The Cult of Shadow
Flash and his friends hadn't been in the city for more than an hour now, and they had seen quite a lot of sights. As for the one before them, their eyes shrunk as they saw a now army march into the place, everypony flinching at the sight.
"Uh...Flash?" Trixie turned to the pegasus, "Is there something you forgot to tell us about your dream?"
"Yeah! You said there were only seven creatures you didn't recognize! You didn't say anything about this!" Soarin barked as he pointed at the army. Everyone nodded in agreement as they all glared at Flash, only to see the pegasi just stare at the creatures with an almost transfixed look. "Flash!"
This startled the defender, making him turn to them, "I...I didn't see this," he muttered out, "None of this was in my dream."
The group started to complain, all but Springer as the jakhowl stared at the army. He saw it was trying to fit itself into any empty street they could find. He could only blink at the sight, soon closing his eyes as he reached out with his aura, only to let out a gasp, "What the-" his eyes shot open as he turned to the others, "Everypony, they're not real!"
"What?!"
"What are you talking about?!" Cold added.
Springer pointed at the army, "They're not real. I'm not sensing any kinda aura coming from them. Whatever they are, they're not alive."
Everyone exchanged glances at this, Ruby speaking up, "An illusion?"
Trixie rubbed her chin at her suggestion, "Maybe..." the former showmare turned and stared at one of the minotaurs as it lumbered down a street beside a canal, its footsteps causing the water to shake. "If they are illusions, whoever's casting them must be incredibly powerful. They're solid enough to shake the ground."
"Hang on!" Springer chimed in, "I'm picking something else up." He closed his eyes as he focused his aura, soon seeing a clump of life in one place in the crowd, "There!" He pointed at the box stationed atop the woolly mammoth. "Seven of them, all in there."
Hearing this drew Flash's attention back to the box, a chill now going down his spine. He could feel his whole body shiver, only to snapped out as Soul said, "Maybe they're friendly?" The little filly's comment soon went down in smoke as she then saw one of the large manticores reach a narrow street, raising its scorpion tail before swinging and shattering the buildings.
"You were saying?" Heart deadpanned with a raised eyebrow.
Soul shrunk back now, shivering as she saw the place she called home for so long start to be destroyed. "But...why are they here?"
"I don't know," Flash placed a comforting hoof on her shoulder. "But if it's something bad, my friends and I will keep you safe. Promise." Heart and Soul both looked up at him with a small smile, Heart now hugging his sister while apologizing for his snide comment. As he did this, the others also nodded in agreement with Flash.
Meanwhile...
Inside the metal box like castle, the city's newest arrivals stared out at the city. At the front was the pony known as Shadow Corrupter, his eyes staring through a pair of binoculars as he now saw the seven ponies watching them from a rooftop with a weird dog thing besides them.
"I knew he'd be here," he hissed as he dropped the binoculars.
"Master," he turned to see Tempera, the unicorn mare doing a small bow, "What would you like us to do with them?" She took the binoculars and glared at the group, now seeing Trixie and Ruby. "I'd be happy to keep those skanks away from you."
"Tempera!" A dark blue pegasus with a green mane and tail growled as he lowered a visor connected to his headphones, "We have to be careful. Three of those ponies are Royal Knights. We must be diligent or they could be our undoing." He looked back at the group, grumbling as he put the visor back on, "Not only that, that ice-making knight is with him. That worm is responsible for so many lost operations."
"Do not fear Storm," a brown unicorn mare with a purple mane and tail responded as she pushed her hood down. She magically pulled out a bunch of cards, shuffling them around before pulling three out, "The future is clear. Our victory is assured by master Shadow's mere presence."
"You don't need all that gobbledegook," a black and blue pony griffon hybrid said while sitting on the back of the throne. "Name one time we've ever had issues beating an opponent. Well Terror?" The mare said nothing, "Thought so."
"Wingill's right," a red unicorn lion hybrid added with a big smile on his face. "We're the best. There's not a single pony out there that can match us. Well, except the alicorn princesses...and those Elements of Harmony and the Royal Knights-"
"Enough," a pony in black unicorn armor with red trim interrupted as he marched up to Shadow. "Both sides make excellent points. Wingill and Terror Card are right that you are powerful, but Storm and Salix are right that you are not yet invincible and should take caution when dealing with unknown threats."
"I already know that," Shadow hissed as he glared at the armored pony, "As much as I appreciate your council Armalum, please get to the point."
"No point," he replied while bowing, "I simply wish for you to know all the information in order to make an informed decision. Will you take the cautious approach, waiting to see just how strong our enemies are, or will you charge head first believing they will be nothing compared to you?"
"I know they are nothing compared to me," Shadow replied before glaring at the group, "But the one who leads them is different. He has a power I have never seen before. I must understand it....and I must have it."
"Do you wish us to capture him?" Tempera asked the unicorn while bowing herself. "I'd be happy to bring him to you for extraction."
Shadow let out a low long breath, "I wish to understand the limits of this pony's power before acting. We must see just how powerful he is." His horn sparked with a black aura, "Time to show them what kind of power they're up against."
Back at the other group...
"We can't attack unless they attack first," Cold stated, everypony else nodding in agreement.
"So what are you gonna do instead?" Heart asked as he stared at the army, "I don't think they're in the mood to talk."
Soul nodded with a small gulp, "Are you just gonna sit back and wait for them to attack?"
Flash opened his mouth to answer, only to feel a shiver down his spine. Quickly spinning around to glare at the box, a sudden black beam of magic shot out of it, the attack heading straight for the building.
"MOVE!" He grabbed Heart and Soul before leaping off the roof, everypony else reacting by jumping or teleporting away just in time.
KABOOM!
The sound of the explosion swept across the city, the ground shaking to its very core as the building was reduced to rubble. Flash quickly looked around next, now seeing Soarin flying close by with Springer on his back, only to then spot three flashes of light that revealed the others on different rooftops. He flew down, the others moving over to him as he put the young ponies down, "Okay. Now we can fight."
A loud rumbling noise happened next, making them turn to see an army of beings that looked like the cross between a unicycle and a suit of humanoid armor. The top half was the armor, which was blackish blue and carrying a sword and shield, but from the waist down, it was a motorized unicycle.
"What the heck are those things?!" Soarin yelped.
"No idea." Ruby replied, "I've never encountered such creatures before."
Trixie and Cold nodded in agreement, both tensing up to get ready for a fight. As this happened, Soul hid behind her brother, her body now shaking like a leaf as Heart hugged her back. But before he could give her some reassuring words, Flash turned to them and showed a reassuring smile, "Don't worry, we'll keep you safe." He pulled out his Celestic Gear as it began to glow, only for him to spin around and point it at the army, "Flash Force!" The sword unleashed a beam of light that flew down the street, hitting the ground in front of the monsters before exploding. The smoke consumed the ones in front, only for the rest to walk through the explosion's aftermath unharmed.
"ATTACK!" Cold roared as the six charged ahead, Springer entering his battle mode while the two unicorn knights crafted twin blades from their respective elements.
Flash was the first to reach the army, raising his blade to block the first creature's sword, only to sidestep and swing his blade, "Flash Cutter!" He slashed his blade through the creature's waist, only to feel like he was cutting through mud. The next thing he knew, the cut in half creature suddenly melted into a black liquid that splattered on the ground. "What the heck?!"
As this happened, Springer, Cold and Ruby cut down a few as well while Trixie shot one through the chest. Each blow did the same thing, the creatures now melting into a pile of black goop. "What is this stuff?" Springer asked as some got on his paws, Cold taking the moment to dip his hoof in one and bring it to his face. He created several ice spikes to impale the monsters, making them melt while sniffing it.
"This is...ink?"
Everyone turned their heads to his statement, Ruby slashing another one down as she saw it also become a pile of black liquid. Seeing this, she added, "No wonder Springer couldn't sense any aura from them. They're not living creatures or illusions. They're...animated piles of ink. Living drawings."
"Sounds like I don't need to hold back then!" Flash yelled as his blade began to glow, "Flash Cutter Barrage!" With that, he swung his sword, several air blades flying out as it cut through the ink beasts. But as he did this, they then heard a loud squawking sound, making them all look up to see a barrage of giant birds now charging at them.
"Wings up and take no prisoners!" Soarin roared as he took to the sky, flying at such high speed that when he reached the first bird, he burst right through it, making it scream before melting. Soarin did the same with the rest, quickly destroying them in a blink of an eye. But as he finished off the last one, he turned to see a new group of birds with a few manticores now flying in the distance. "Or....not."
As he continued to fight the flying army, the others were doing the same on the ground. "Feel the wrath of the great and powerful TRIXIE!" The unicorn's horn sparked as a multitude of Trixie copies appeared around her, the ink beasts all slashing at the illusions. Giving her the time she needed, she teleported behind them before firing a spell into their backs, destroying them all.
"Cold Dragons!" Cold yelled as a column of ice shot out of the ground before taking the form of a serpentine dragon, the creatures slithering forward before eating the opposition alive. "Cold Tiger!" A trio of ice cats appeared next, the three slicing through the army with ease.
"Cool!" Heart gasped as he watched Cold slice up a few monsters with just an ice sword.
Flash chuckled at hearing this, glad to see Heart wasn't as scared as he was before. The Knight of Friendship dropped back down by them after the first charge, knocking away any creatures that got close to them. But as he did this, he saw Soul was still terrified, her body clinging to her brother. He then spoke up in a calm tone, "Don't worry," she looked up at him. "We promised to keep you safe, didn't we?"
"Look out!" Soul then yelled as she pointed behind Flash, the pegasus spinning around to slash down an armored ink beast. As it melted, he saw several more coming right behind it. "You're not getting past me!" Flash's eyes changed as he entered Theta Mode, launching his body forward as he spun like a top, "Flash Driver!" He morphed into a drill that cut through the army, only to leap back to the two before spinning again, "Flash Cutter Barrage!" Rapid fire blades of light flew out of his form now, cutting down the army with ease.
As this happened, Springer let out a roar, "Aura Blast!" He launched the sphere of blue energy at the closest enemy before using Steel Paw, swiftly cutting his way through the army before coming to a stop. He now stood by Ruby, the knight quickly dispatching a few more enemies, "Ruby! There's too many of them!"
"Stay strong," she told him before sending a wave of crystals along the ground, all impaling a group.
"I'm trying! But whenever we take one down, two seem to take its place." It was then the ground began to shake, making them turn to see a giant minotaur. "Aw horseapples." But as the minotaur raised its arms to attack, it was suddenly tackled by Cold's ice dragon, sending it staggering back.
"They're not the only ones who can create an army out of nothing," Cold said as he cut down another ink monster before closing his eyes. From his hooves, more ice shot out and began to take form, quickly creating an army of dragons, tigers, birds and even polar bears.
Ruby and Springer began to catch their breath as the ice army began to attack the forces, Ruby turning to the Frozen Wanderer. "Don't overexert yourself. These are just the foot-soldiers. We still have those seven others to deal with."
"Which is why its better that only one of us exhausts themselves while the others focus on those seven." They then saw the minotaur now wrestling with the Cold Dragon, Ruby and Springer sharing a nod before running at it.
"Crystal Saber!"
"Bone Breaker!" They formed their weapons as they charged at its legs, slashing the ankles. The beast roared as it fell to its knees, allowing the dragon to wrap its body around it before crushing it into exploding. Springer and Ruby stood behind where it was standing, Springer forming an Aura Guard to shield them from the ink rain.
"They're good," Storm commented, the others all semi-nodding in agreement as he added, "Makes me wanna take them all on."
Tempera, the only one who didn't nod besides Shadow, let out a huff, "How revolting. Nopony appreciates fine art these days."
Armalum then turned to Shadow, now seeing a look of intrigue on the unicorn's face. "Master? Your orders?"
"Attack. Salix, your flames will handle the ice unicorn. The rest of you, pick one and take them down. But leave them alive. I'm interested in seeing what I can get out of them."
"Yes master!" They all bowed before jumping out of to the window. Storm and Wingill caught Tempera and Terror while Salix's body burst into flames, the Nirik using the fire as a booster to slow his descent. Armalum simply dropped like a stone, slamming into the ground before kicking up a cloud of dust. And when that dust faded, he stood still, looking no worse for wear as the others landed beside them.
A black cloud appeared at Armalum's side before fading to reveal a black scythe with a red blade. He took it in his magic before pointing it in the direction Flash and his friends were in. "For Master Shadow!" The others roared in agreement, all rushing ahead.
"Yah!" Flash yelled as he sliced through another ink monster, panting as he now saw there wasn't any more creatures around him and the kids. He then looked up to see Soarin dodging a manticore's paws and tail, the knight pointing his weapon at it next, "Flash Force!" The beam shot out and hit the creature's wing, making it yell before losing control of its flight.
"Thanks bud!" Soarin added as he did a midair spin before accelerating, the pegasus tackling the beast into a nearby building.
While this happened, Trixie had teleported to a nearby rooftop in order to easily shoot the birds out of the sky, only to see Soaring tackling the manticore. "Soarin, move!" her horn sparked as the pegasi followed her command, kicking off the manticore as Trixie fired a giant ice spear at it.
The weapon impaled the creature and made it explode, getting rid of the last ink monster. "Finally," Flash panted as the others moved over to him. "I thought they'd never stop coming."
Cold turned to Trixie as she teleported down, "You know ice magic?"
"I'm not as good as you, but yes."
Cold nodded in agreement before they all now saw that ink was now covering every bit of the streets, "I don't like this. Whoever made these things is strong. We'll need to be careful."
Flash did a small shrug, "Eh, as long as we stick together, we shouldn't have too much-" He didn't get to finish as a sudden figure shot out of the sky, grabbing the knight off his hooves.
"FLASH!" Everypony yelled as they saw him be pulled into the air, each preparing to attack.
But before they could get a lock, a barrage of fireballs began to rain down on them. "Move!" Cold roared as he grabbed Heart and Soul in his magic before leaping away, the others all dodging in different directions.
Soarin took to the air, quickly evading the fireballs, only for a powerful gust to smack his back. "Gah!" He cried, his body being flung into a nearby building. "Ow..." he moaned before hearing wing beats, making him turn to see Storm fly up to him with a weapon in his hoof. "What the-"
Storm spun the dial on his weapon so the yellow section was pointing toward the blade. "So my opponent is one of the legendary Wonderbolts." Lightning began to surge around the sword, "Pitiful. You bring disgrace to your uniform." He then swung the blade, unleashing a blast of lightning.
"WHOA!" Soarin yelped as he kicked off the side of the building, quickly flying up to evade the electrical attack. And as he did this, he looked down and saw Storm spinning the dial again, "Is that-"
"Storm Shot!" He pointed the bladed staff at him before bullets of water shot out of the end, Soarin now evading the new attack before swooping down at Storm.
"How do you have a Celestic Gear!?"
"Like I'd tell you!" He spun the dial again, this time unleashing a barrage of wind blades as he swung his sword. "Information is the key to winning a battle. The less your opponent has, the easier they are to defeat." Soarin spun around the attack, dodging the blades before spinning to deliver an axe kick to his head. But before it could make contact, Storm blocked the kick with his weapon, the sight making him chuckle, "You're no soldier. Speed is all you have, and against somepony who is equally as fast as you..." he pushed Soarin away before spinning like a top, quickly doing a stomp kick to Soarin's stomach, "Your movements are easy to predict!"
"AUGH!" Soarin cried as he felt the wind get knocked out of him, now taking everything he had not to throw up. 'This guy...he's not just some thug. The way he talks., the way he moves...he's had military training.' He then managed to spread his wings to stop himself from falling any further, the pegasus glaring up at Storm as he fiddle with the dial again. "Is he...a Royal Knight?"
As this happened, Flash was still struggling to fight off the opponent that had grabbed him. While this was going, he now saw it was Wingill, his eyes going wide as he recognised the creature's outline from his dream.
"You!"
Wingill shined a big grin, "Me." He doubled his grip on Flash's wings, making Flash flinch before thrashing around. And as he did this, Flash tried to grip his blade to slash at him, only for Wingill to keep him in a lock.
"Let...me...go!"
"Sure!" Wingill spun around and threw Flash up, the defender now trying to flare his wings. But as he did this, Wingill shot up and slammed his hoof into Flash's chin.
"BLAUGH!" Flash yelped as he was thrown back, his sword slipping from his grip. He then quickly recovered, looking up to see Wingill charging with primed claws. Flash reacted with a barrel roll, dodging the attack before tackling Wingill mid-air. They both began to fall, Wingill clawing at him while Flash began to punch him. And as both hit each other, Wingill glanced at the ground before smirking, quickly spinning and grabbing Flash's legs before pulling him down.
"What are you doing?!" Flash yelled as he felt himself plummet.
"Putting us into my element!" The defender quickly looked down and now saw they were both heading for a lake. He then flared his wings to fly, only for Wingill to grip them both in his claws, making Flash cry out in pain before both submerged into the water depths.
And as a mighty splash shot out in the distance, Springer was trying to chase after Flash. Thanks to his aura abilities, he knew he going the right direction, his feet increasing pace. But as he did this, the building to his left suddenly exploded, making him come to a halt, "Aura Guard!" He formed the aura shield to block the debris, only for him to now see what had destroyed the building.
The being looked like a wheel, the monster slamming into Springer's shield, knocking him back. "AUGH!" He cried as he fell over, only to back-flip back onto his feet. As he did this, the wheel stopped spinning and pulled itself apart. Springer then saw it become a type of wolf-serpent hybrid. Its body was snake-like, covered in gray fur but it had a wolf's head and a pair of clawed arms. "Are you another of those ink monsters?"
"They're called scribeasts," Springer looked up to see Tempera riding atop the head of a snake with bird wings. "And they are not monsters. They are art, true beauty in motion....and they will destroy you." She held up a sketchpad and pen before drawing on it, only to rip off the page and throw it into the air. She then fired a pink blast from her horn, hitting the page as it exploded into a giant cloud of dust. From out of the smoke fell ten more unicycle armor monsters, all of them landing behind the wolf snake creature.
"So you're the one who made them," Springer growled.
"That's right," she saw with a giant blushing grin, "Now become enraptured by their beauty. Lindworm, Uni-Troopers, ATTACK!" The wolf snake curled up and bit the end of its tail before its entire body started spinning like a wheel, which rolled forward with the Uni-Troopers following.
Springer charged at the wheel, Tempera about to laugh as she the jakhowl about to be run over...only for him to jump over the lindworm, "Aura Force!" He unleashed an aura laser from his paws, the beam hitting the Uni-Trooper group right in the center, making the ground explode which tore apart four of them. Springer then landed with a now forming Bone Breaker before spinning it like a baton, beheading the monsters with a quick few swipes. But before he could rest, the lindworm's tail slammed down on top of him, making him block it with his aura weapon.
"Gah!" He grunted as he felt his feet give out under the pressure.
"Peekaboo!" He then saw the winged serpent fly down before whipping around its tail to hit him.
"YAGH!" He was knocked out from under the lindworm's tail, his form slamming into a building. And as he slumped over from the blow, the lindworm slithered over before curling up.
"Good. I doubt my master will have any need for a mutt like you." Tempera commented before turning to the lindworm, "Do it." The scribeast began to spin in place, building up speed while Springer blinked his eyes open. And as his body began to refocus, he then saw the lindworm charge at him. The sight made Springer go wide-eyed, quickly trying to summon any aura as he could.
And as he did this, his body twitched, his form suddenly consuming itself in aura. As this happened, his whole body began to glitch out, only for the lindworm to tackle him. But as it did this, the worm now found the building the jakhowl was in collapse onto him, crushing the beast into a pile of ink.
"Ohohoho!" Tempera laughed, only to feel something slam into her winged snake's face. "Eep!" She screamed as she was knocked off it, only to now see Springer, his foot now slammed into the snake. "What?!" She asked as the ground began to get closer, only for her horn to flare, making her teleport away.
At the same time, Springer kicked off the beast and landed on another building, now seeing the scribeast plummet before splashing into an inky mess. And as he saw this, his body suddenly shocked him, making him yell, "Augh!" He fell to his knees, grunting in pain, "What...was that?!" The jakhowl then stared at his paws, now seeing the aura in them fluctuate, "My aura...I haven't felt this since retrying Velocity Strike. But I'm not supposed to-"
"You stinking mutt!" he glanced back up and saw Tempera fly up on another winged scribeast, "I don't know how you did that, but you won't beat me that easily!" She then threw several pages into the air, hitting them with her magic as they created a minotaur, lindworm, and a swarm of giant hornets. "ATTACK!"
Springer watched as the monsters charged, creating a pair of Bone Breakers before retaliating.
Meanwhile...
Cold was still running through the city while carrying Heart and Soul in his magic. "Why are they attacking us?" Soul asked as Cold pulled them close, his magic summoning an ice shield to block a barrage of flames.
"Because they want too," Cold replied as he kept glancing around, trying to find out where the fireballs were coming from. "And that's all the reason ponies like these need." He then leapt to the side as another fireball appeared, this one coming out of an alleyway. Cold quickly threw the two behind him before creating a giant ice spear, firing it at the fire...only for a stream of fire to appear, melting it into nothing.
"Who are you?!" Cold yelled into the now forming mist, only to hear a chuckle.
"Who...me?" A figure stepped out of the smoke, revealing a certain horned being that pointed at himself with a huge smile, "Why, I'm Searing Salix! It's nice to me you, though you probably don't think so. I'm guessing all the fireballs would put you in a bad mood, but don't take it the wrong way. I'm actually a nice pony when you get to know me, just doing my job is all. So what about you? You're a Royal Knight, right? I've heard of you. You're supposed to be really strong."
Cold's face showed its usual emotionless state as he stared at the motormouth of a creature, "I'm not sure if you've ever been in a fight before, but there's usually not this much talking."
"Oh, sorry. Love the sound of his own voice, this one does." He then raised his tail, "Let's play!" He spun around and flicked the burning appendage around, unleashing several fireballs.
Cold quickly summoned a wall ice, the fireballs exploding on the wall as Heart commented, "You just had to stop him from talking, didn't ya?" Cold turned to shoot him a slight glare, only for his ice wall to melt instantly.
They then saw that the ground began to burn with each step the creature took as it charged at him, making Cold yell out, "Cold Dragon!" The knight created his ice serpent, firing at Salix at full speed. But Salix just walked into the snake, the flames off his body now intensifying as they exploding off him, the fire now melting the serpent in one go.
"MOVE!" Cold roared as he grabbed the two foals before cutting into a sprint, only for a wall of flames to appear in front of them. Looking back at Salix, the flames began to form a large circle around them, making Cold put the foals behind him again, "What are you?"
"I am a Kirin," he told the knight. "I am also the last Nirik."
"Kirin? Nirik?"
"How can he be two things?" Heart asked, Soul simply shaking as she hugged Heart's side.
"A being with amazing power over fire?" He then glanced up to see Soarin and Storm battling, "A pegasus with unnatural control over the weather...and a pony with the power to create an army from nothing." He glared at Salix, "Are you...the Cult of Shadows?"
Salix chuckled as his smile began to twist and turn, "We're the Cult of Shadow, loyal followers of the great Shadow Corrupter."
While this was happening, Trixie was running through the city, "ANYPONY!?" She yelled as she sprinted down a street, her ears picking up the sounds of battles going on, "Where are they? I need to help them!"
"You'd do better to worry about yourself." Trixie turned to see Terror Card walking over with a small smile, the sight making Trixie take a battle stance.
"Why are you attacking us? What did we ever do to you?"
"Nothing. Nothing at all. This is just the path that has been set. Your future was decided the moment you and your friends ran into us. Now, my master will take your strength and whatever power brought him here. And with it, he will create a future where he rules over all."
Trixie's eyes narrowed as she bent down, growling, "I won't let that happen."
"Like you have a choice," She magically pulled a card out of her cloak. "I told you, the future has already been set, and nopony can ever hope to change it." She spun the card around to show the image of a pony sitting on a platform being carried by other ponies. "All that awaits you is pain and suffering!" She tossed the card into the air before it began to glow, a bright light now forming a dome around them both.
"What is this?" Trixie yelped, now seeing the card spin clockwise, only to stop right side up.
"Arcana of the Chariot!" The dome began to shrink until it encased Terror, only to explode as its light absorbed into her.
"What did you do?!" Trixie asked as she sparked her horn, only for her horn to sputter out as she saw Terror Card flicker out of existence before appearing in front of her. A hoof quickly hit her face, making Trixie cry out before being knocked back.
Terror laughed and pulled out another card, this one showing the image of a pony holding a lion, then tossed it into the air. The dome appeared around the two again while the card spun, once again appearing right side up. "Arcana of Strength!" The dome shrank around Terror Card before exploding, the light absorbing into her skin.
And as Trixie picked herself up, Terror raised a hoof before slamming it into the ground. Doing so caused an small earthquake, shaking the building behind Trixie with such force that it began to crack. Trixie turned to see this, gasping as she saw the building now collapse before looking back at Terror, "Wha...what is this?!"
Another part of the city...
Ruby was now standing on a crystal pillar, looking over the city as she tried to think of which battle to help in. And as she was about to make her decision, something hit her pillar, making it start to collapse. She quickly reacted and leapt off the pillar, now forming a sword in her hoof as she then cut through the side of the wall, slowing her descent.
And as she landed, she formed a sword and shield, "Okay, who did that?! I know you're out there!" She spun the blade in her hoof, "Show yourself." She waited for an answer, the echoing sounds of the other battles now hitting her ears....only for a new sound to appear. The sound of heavy hoofsteps.
She turned to the noise, now seeing a fully armored pony approach her. It was Armalum.
"Who are you?" She asked as she raised her weapons, seeing the scythe floating beside him, "Why have you come here? Why are you attacking us?"
"I go where my master wishes me to go," Armalum responded as he slowly put his hooves on the scythe's handle. "And I do what my master wishes me to do. That is my duty as his loyal servant."
"Quite the leash he has you on."
"I pledge myself to his service. He who gave me life, owns my life." The blade of his weapon began to glow. "And my master wishes me to capture you. Make this easy and do not fight back."
"Sorry, not gonna happen!" Ruby barked back, making Armalum swing the scythe around, unleashing a wave of red energy at the knight. Ruby then raised her shield, the wave knocking her back a few inches while cracking her shield before turning to dust.
She then saw Armalum fully charge at her, quickly leaping as he swung the scythe down. Ruby reacted by raising her blade, catching the scythe at the top of the blade's staff, stopping it only a few inches away from her face. The knight created another sword next, swing it horizontally before Armalum jumped to the side, pulling his scythe back. Ruby didn't let up, swinging her swords with rapid succession, only for the armored pony to knock them back while spinning his body with the scythe.
'He's good,' she thought before slamming her hooves into the ground, summoning crystal spikes to shoot out at his direction, Armalum now thrusting the tip of his scythe into the ground. This caused a crack to appear along the ground, red energy seeping out before a shockwave followed. The crystals and crack then met, causing an explosion that pushed both back.
And as Ruby came to a stop, she glared at her opponent as he easily recovered from the blow. There was not a scratch on his armor, her body not showing much damage either as she summoned another sword. "This is gonna take a while..." she muttered to herself.
Back at the lake, Flash had just broke the surface of the water, now taking a massive gulp of air. He gasped as he started panting, his eyes glaring out at the water to see where Wingill was, "Where'd he go?! And what did he mean 'my element'?"
And as these words left his mouth, something suddenly yanked his tail, making him yelp, "YOW!" He barely had any time to suck in half a breath before he was submerged. Within seconds, he was about teen feet under water and getting deeper.
He began to kick and thrash, trying to hit whatever had his tail, only to feel his hoof make contact. The defender was then let go, allowing Flash to float to the middle of lake. But as he did this, he could feel his body starting to get low on air, now swimming up with all six limbs. But before he could get remotely close, something shot out the darkness of the water and slammed into him.
The pegasi almost lost his air by yelling out in pain, only to puff up his cheeks to keep the air in. He then spread his wings to stop his movement, Flash's eyes going wide next as he saw what hit him. It was Wingill, but his wings had now morphed into an insectoid form while his front feet and claws had changed to look like flippers. His beak now looked like a normal pony mouth while his back legs and tail seemed to have merged into one long fish tail.
Wingill smirked at Flash's shocked expression, quickly swimming through the water at mach speed. Flash tried to punch the enemy away, only for Wingill to easily evade and then slap him with his flipper. Wingill zipped back next, only to quickly jet around in the watery depths, hitting Flash from a different angle with ease as the water kept the defender's movements inhibited.
Feeling himself about to drown, he tried to swim back to the surface, only for Wingill to block his path every time. He then spun around in the water this time, only to smash his tail in Flash's face. Flash let out a cry as he was sent downward, now hitting the bottom of the lake.
"Oh? What's the matter?" he mocked while swimming above him, "The great Royal Knight not so good in water? Ha!" He stared at Flash, waiting for a response. "Hey!" he started to poke him, "You alive in there? Come on, I'll be in trouble if you die." His face got closer to Flash, now inches apart as he then said, "Wake up little knight-"
His words drowned out as Flash's eyes shot open, a bright light shining out of them. "What?!" Wingill yelped as the light suddenly exploded out of Flash, forming a tornado that spun up to the surface. As this happened, the others battles came to a stop as the lake exploded in the distance, making them all turn to see the tornado of light shoot out of the water.
"AAAAAHHHHH!" Wingill yelled as he was thrown out of the lake, transforming back into his default form before hitting a nearby building. "AUGH!"
"What is that?!" Heart asked while Soul just went wide-eyed at the sight.
"Our secret weapon." Cold answered as the tornado exploded, Flash now appearing in his Sacred Light armor. The cultists and young ponies all saw this, staring in awe.
Flash opened his eyes and flicked them around, now seeing each of his friends in trouble. He then raised a hoof as the light from the tornado spiraled into a sphere, which he tossed up. The orb exploded into five bolts of light, each one shooting in the direction of the fights.
By the time the cultists realized what was happening, the bolts hit the ground by them, explosions following this. All five were knocked back, the Knight of Friendship smiling at the sight. But as he did this, he saw something in the corner of his eyes, making him turn to see a black beam suddenly hit his chest. "AUGH!" He screamed, falling to out of the sky like a rock.
"FLASH!" Everypony yelled before quickly trying to run over to where they had seen them, only for their opponents to appear in front of them. "GET OUT OF OUR WAY!"
Back on a nearby roof, Flash moaned as he rolled over and shook his head. "Ugh...anypony get the number of that carriage?" He then began to pick himself up, only to feel the ground shake, making him look up to see the mammoth from before walking up to him.
As he stared at this sight, the defender blinked as he saw a balcony on the box, a pony standing there with a low glare. The stare was one that Flash had seen only one time before. It was like Sombra, a glare where the one making it looked down on everypony they meet.
It was Shadow Corrupter, the sight of the unicorn now making Flash feel a long shiver go down his body. Flaring his wings to take to the air, Flash soon put himself only a little bit higher than the unicorn, only to see a small smile on the unicorn's face as he spoke up, "So...you're the one they call Flash Sentry."
"That's right," Flash replied with crossed hooves, "And who are you supposed to be?"
"You're not worthy to hear my name," he almost growled as his horn began to glow, "Besides, once I take you down, you'll know exactly who I am, you worthless peasant."
"Worthless, huh? That's some big words." Flash reached back and pulled his light blades off the back of the armor, "Why don't I show you just how worthless I really am?!" Shadow's reply was a flash of his horn, a barrage black beams quickly covering the sky. Flash spun like a top to dodge them, zipping across the air before tossing both swords at Shadow.
"Pathetic." Shadow commented as he created a shield of black energy around him, only to notice the swords didn't hit his barrier. Instead, they struck the mammoth's feet, cutting both legs off, "WHAT!?" He yelped as the creature slammed into the ground, causing the box to tilt over. His horn sparked again as he teleported away, reappearing on a nearby roof as the box hit the ground and shattered to pieces.
He turned back to his wrecked transport before glaring back up at Flash, the pegasus now hovering above him. "What was that you said about taking me down?" He roared before charging at Shadow. "Flash Driver!" He spun into a drill of light that slammed the building under Shadow's hooves, causing the whole place to fall apart. The drill then shot up and out of the roof before Flash broke out, he and Shadow now only inches away.
"Don't think such weak parlor tricks will harm me!" He yelled as his horn began to be consumed by a giant black magical aura.
"Then get ready to hurt," Flash barked back as he flared his wings, "BADLY!"
"Don't make me laugh!" Shadow roared as he charged at them, both about to clash.
But before their attacks were about touch...something happened.
Deep below the city inside a chamber made entirely of reflective crystals, a single orb-like crystal began to glow a rainbow of colors. A light then shot out, hitting the rest of the crystals and blinding out the entire chamber. As this happened, despite the danger they were in, Soul's entire body froze as her eyes went wide. She let out a gasp as trickles of light sparkled within her eyes, the only one noticing this being Heart.
"Sis?" His question was cut short as another light appeared, this one coming from above him. He turned around to see a bright light now coming from where Flash and Shadow were fighting.
Everypony stopped their fights and turned to them, now seeing that the light was coming from the space between Flash and Shadow, the two appearing to be frozen as it illuminated them. "MASTER/FLASH!" They all yelled, only for the light to suddenly explode and sweep across the city. Everypony felt themselves being almost blinded by it, yet nopony seemed to be able to close their eyes.
They weren't sure how much time had passed when the light had consumed them. Despite this, Flash opened his eyes to see he was still in front of Shadow, the unicorn looking just as confused as him. He tried to move, but his body appeared to be frozen in the position when the light first appeared. The only thing they could do was move their heads, both now seeing they were in the crystal chamber.
Flash instantly recognized it as the place he had seen in his dream. "This place again." It wasn't just Flash who had said that, both he and Shadow had spoken in unison. They then turned around, both saying, "You."
As for why, it was because they now saw the blacked out figure from their dreams. The being was over the rainbow crystal, the rock now glowing as Flash asked, "What are you?"
Flash didn't get an answer, instead now looking back at the crystal, its glowing now blasting out a bright light as they were blinded again. And when the light faded, they opened their eyes to see they were back outside, now floating above the city. When Flash turned back to Shadow, he then saw his minions floating behind him. He looked back behind himself, now seeing his friends there as well, along with Soul and Heart. The sight made Flash notice it was just like his dream, the only differences being the foals.
And before anypony could say anything, two new lights caught their attention. A black light surrounded Shadow's transport while a golden light wrapped around Heart and Soul's house. In the blink of an eye, they were transformed and grew in size, creating a pair of crystal castles standing on either side of the city. They were both the same shape, both being thirty meters tall with many windows and balconies. One was light blue with orange banners hanging from it that had Flash's cutie mark emblazoned on them while the other was blue-red with banners that had Shadow's cutie mark.
Everypony gasped at the sight, only to feel themselves starting to move, Flash and his friends flying toward the blue castle while Shadow went to the red one.
"What's happening?!" Trixie screamed.
Flash couldn't answer. All he knew was they were about to slam into the castle's wall at high speed. "AAAHHH!" They all yelled as they braced themselves. Then, everything went black
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Let's see. Flash + Soarin + Trixie + Ruby + Cold + the 2 kids = 7. Also, Springer would make eight, but he's not a pony.
I see references to Teen Titans: Trouble in Tokyo and Captain America: Civil War. Also, man, that ending.
Why do I feel as if the two forces stepped into some kind of a game designed to determine the fate of the world? 
10145207 I can see the Teen Titans reference, unintentional, but what's the captain america one?
Oh boy, quite a few match-ups right out of the gate! That sudden twist that the power beneath the city pulled on both heroes & villains at the end there caught me unprepared, feels like quite a big chess set's been prepared!
Some highlights :
Hmmm nice nod to Naruto there, sweet!
Fallen Knight maybe?
lol yeah, get off your high mammoth there Shadow!
Hmmm interesting...............again!
High-stakes game of Risk incoming!!!!
Things are gonna heat up even more next chapter by the looks of it, can't wait!!!!
10145285
I believe it's the part where Falcon tells Spidey about not that much talking during a fight!
10145398 Oh yeah.
Huh, so the entire army was just Tempera's drawing brought to life. That's pretty clever. We finally have an official name for this mysterious cult, the Cult of Shadow.
The first clash between the cult and the heroes was pretty epic, and showed the heroes are going to have their work cut out for them. Though they aren't completely outclassed, as we saw with Flash using his Sacred Light to complete turn the tide and actually surprised Shadow for a moment.
The ending scene really surprised me though. Shadow Corrupted saw the city in a dream just like Flash huh? With that in mind, and how both sides were given castles, like home bases, it almost feels like something brought these two teams together on purpose to have them fight. Kinda like how the Beyonder brought a team of heroes and villains together on Battleworld in the Secret Wars. Though it seems whatever is going on, Heart and Soul are at the center of it, whether they know it or not.
I think you mean "birds"
You probably wanted that to be a period.
10145396
It might also be a nod to Teen Titans: Trouble In Tokeyo, or any villain that has the power to bring drawings and art to life.
10145398
Yeah I saw that too. That was an awesome reference.
… um lindworms are almost universally rendered as wingless and flightless...
Beyond that, well this is getting really intense. Love how Cold cut off the Kirin... goof heaven does Autumn Blaze run her mouth off. If I were to guess, Armalum sees to be some sort of remaking of Sombra by Shadow.
Not sure how much I can buy Wingill of being able to transform, as in the source matter the Seaponies could only return to their Hippogriff forms thanks to Queen Novo's pearl, so how can he transform back, let alone to transform between the two?
10145649 The winged serpent is a quetzalcoatl. The Lindworm is the spinning creature, based of my favourite Huntik titan.
10145652
I don't recall you mentioning a quetzalcoatl being summoned. That being said, it would only be called a coatl as Quetzalcoatl is a name.
But still how does Wingill transform, and how can the Kirin talk... unless he left the village before the stream of silence he must have had some blind dumb luck to find the Foal's Breath...
Unless you're going to say Shadow used his corrupting shadow magics to... the immortal works of Cpt. Picard "Make it so."
10145662 All will be explained, in time. Though you might want to go back and read their into scene in S5
10145664
I find what was offered back in their intro in Season Five severally lacking in a explanation that should justify (in my perspective) buying into the premise of the hippogriff/hippocampus transformation at whim without a piece of the pearl, which was not broken apart until the start of season 8 and the ability of a kirin to speak like a chatty-katty without having lost it due to the Spring of Silence and the astronomical odds of finding Foal's Breath after as present, or (in your perspective) suspending my want of disbelief.
And that doesn't address that this takes away from the uniqueness of Skystar and Silverstream (with regards to Wingill) and Autumn Blaze (with regards to the Kirin...)
10145683
I read over the intro also. Winggull was wearing something that sounds eerily similar to Silverstream's pearl fragment. It may or may not be a pearl fragment, but I have a feeling that it's going to be plot relevant.
10146126
That only raises more questions and compromises the explanations offered thus far all the more.
10146562
Just let Banshee play with his toys. I'm sure the pieces will come together eventually.