Seven on One: The War's End PT2
Sombra just stared at the empty healing chambers, his brain trying to shift gears without the clutch as he muttered out three words, "Where are they?"
He knew that Cold, Heart and Ruby had been dusted away, meaning they should have been transported into these tubes. "But they're not..." He whispered, walking up to the chambers next, rubbing his hoof on one, "If they're not here, then what happened to them?"
As this question left his mouth, his eyes went wide as a new thought entered his head, "No...Ruby....don't tell me you're...you're...." He fell back to his flank next, rubbing his head with his hoof, "No. She turned to dust like that one time...but...she vanished. Vanished...like the others." The sound of explosions echoed in his ears next, reminding him that the battle was still going on. "Be careful everypony."
Back in the city...
Springer, Trixie and Soarin stared at where Ruby had just vanished from. The jakhowl's body shook in rage as he saw the orb float up and went over to the one responsible for Ruby's dusting. As for the unicorn who had done this, he was laughing as the sphere phased through him before grinning at the trio, "Well, this looks familiar."
"It better, because its gonna end the same way as last time." Springer growled as he pumped his paws together.
"No...it won't." Shadow replied while shaking his head, "It's true that your sudden transformation took me by surprise in our last battle, but this time...you will fail."
"We'll see about that," Springer responded as his body began to glow. "The power I get from my friends is nothing you'll ever be able to understand, so don't think you've got a grasp on my abilities, because they're as limitless as the bonds I share with my friends."
"Heck yeah!" Soarin nodded as he re-entered Theta Mode, "Show him Springer!"
"We've got your back," Trixie added, "Let's teach this jerk a lesson for messing with our friends."
"MEGA MODE POWER!" The jakhowl roared, the light shining off him as he turned into the Mega Jakhowl form. "Aura Force!" A white beam of aura came out of just one paw next, Shadow flapping his wings to take to the air to dodge the blow. But as he did this, Soarin zipped right up to him.
"Die fools!" Shadow spat as his horn fired a barrage of black lightning at the Wonderbolt, only for the Theta Mode pegasi to slip right through every bolt.
"Take this!" Soarin yelled as he unleashed a flurry of jabs into the unicorn's face, only to spin around and slam his back hooves into him next.
"Augh!" Shadow yelped as he was knocked back, his horn flaring as he created a barrier around himself. He then pointed his horn at Soarin, only for the Wonderbolt to vanish in a sudden cloud of smoke. Looking down, he saw Trixie on a rooftop with her horn shining before a group of Soarins appeared. The pegasi started circling him, Shadow sighing at the sight, "Seriously?! This parlor trick?! This got old a long time ago."
"Maybe," the Soarins replied, "But you can't hit us all while keeping your shield up!"
"I don't have too!" Shadow hissed as he fired a beam of magic at the Trixie, the mare gasping as she teleported away. And when she reappeared, a horde of Trixies came with her as they all stood on different rooftops. "Pathetic!" He spat as he suddenly lowered his shield before his horn sparked out purple small bolts of magic.
"Purple?!" Soarin asked, realizing that it was new.
Seconds later, his horn unleashed a purple lightning bolt that struck one of the buildings a Trixie stood upon. When it did this, it ripped the entire top of the building, forcing the Trixie to vanish. And before anypony could react, the lightning split at the ends and wrapped around large chunks of rubble like a rope before Shadow swung his head around. Do so caused the lightning to pull the rubble around, smashing the rocks into the building and through the air. The sight made both the fake Trixies and Soarins to vanish as the rubble tore apart the area.
But as they did this, Springer fired an Aura Blast at the rocks, shattering them to dust. Shadow glared at the jakhowl, firing a bust of dark fire at him. Seeing the attack, Springer created a head shaped Aura Guard to block the flames, thrusting his arms out next. The giant aura paws then scooped up some rubble, slinging them at the flying unicorn. Shadow hissed at the sight, summoning his sword as he sliced the rubble in two with two decay magic swipes.
"Seems I'll actually have to try." Shadow growled as his horn began to shine again, "Its just a shame this battle will end so soon."
On the other side of the city...
Flash glared at the four remaining members of Team Shadow, the group doing the same as Storm whispered, "He's got to be getting tired now. I mean, even with that form, he has to have his limits."
The others nodded as Tempera spoke, "Even if there's only one of us left at the end."
"As long as we take him down," Wingill went on.
"We win!" Salix cheered before galloping forward. "I'm gonna burn you to cinders, then burn those cinders!" Using his back hooves, he propelled himself like a rocket, Flash taking the swords off his back in response as he slammed them together. They formed an orb that exploded to form a wall of light, which Salix ended up bouncing off. "Augh!"
The defender chuckled at the sight, "Who's gonna burn who?" He said before he dismissed the wall, flying up to the Salix as he punched him in the gut.
"Blaugh!" the kirin yelped as he knocked back, Tempera teleporting in to catch him while Storm charged in next. He swung his blade down on Flash's head, only for the knight to raise his head, the blade clanging on the light armored helmet. The clash rattled Flash's brain a bit, but he pushed through as he headbutted Storm's weapon, locking it in the triangular blades on his helmet. He yanked his head back next, pulling it out of Storm's hooves before Flash spun around and slammed his back hooves into Storm's face.
"Augh!" Storm cried out, the defender spinning around to attack him again, only to see a stream of papers fall in front of him. An army of uni-troopers appeared next, making him flap his wings as he leapt back.
He then pointed his light swords at the scribeasts, two leaping at him that he cut down with one slice. And as the rest charged, he crossed his blades as the light from them intensified. Heat pumped out of the light, making the ink slowly dry out as he roared, "RAAAH!" He spun the swords around, the blades extending as he cut through the army in a tornado of slices.
And as they fell, Wingill helped Salix to his hooves, "You okay?"
"I'm fine," Salix grumbled as they saw Storm charge at Flash again, the defender easily blocking his attack. "I'm not going down that easily. For Master Shadow, I'll beat whoever he needs me to beat."
Wingill nodded in agreement, "He's the key to my people's freedom. I can't afford to fail him."
"And as long as I'm with him, I don't have to worry about who I am." Salix added as his body ignited again, "Let's show this guy why he shouldn't mess with us!"
"Agreed. Let's do it!" Wingill replied as he spread his wings, taking to the air as Salix galloped at the defender. And as Flash punched Storm away, Wingill unleashed a barrage of water projectiles, Flash turning to them as he began spinning his blade like a fan. The liquid was cut to pieces as he deflected them all away, only for Salix to launch a stream of fire that landed around the pegasi, turning into a circle of fire.
Flash grunted at the heat, glaring at Salix as the kirin charged at him next. "Get ready to fry!" he yelled as he spat out a stream of fire, Flash countering by crossing his light swords. The flames bounced off the blades, not even a singe getting through. Despite this, Flash could feel the heat from the flams, his breathing lowering as sweat went down his face. Salix shined a huge grin at this, only to see Flash let out a roar as he swung his blades apart, sending out a shockwave that extinguished the fire in a mighty gust of wind.
And before Salix could comprehend what happened, Flash's swords morphed into orbs of light that he slammed together before thrusting them into the ground. "Flash Vortex!"
Salix gasped as the light tornado exploded around Flash, firing several flames from his tail at the vortex, only for all the fireballs to bounce off. The kirin started backpedaling at the sight, only for Wingill to appear as he threw a giant burst of water at the tornado...only for nothing to happen.
Both went wide-eyed at the sight, only for Flash to suddenly shoot out of the tornado with his swords primed. "Flash Cutter!" Spinning like a top, he cut through both in the sides, cutting into their flesh while cauterizing the wound as well.
"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" They both yelled at the burning sensation, Flash turning to hit them again.
"Storm Surge!" A burst of wind came for the unsuspecting knight, pushing him back before taking to the air. And as he did this, he found himself now face to face with a scorpentine that appeared to have wings.
"You two okay?" Storm asked the two tried to keep themselves on their hooves.
"We're fine," Wingill hissed in pain, holding the injured side of his body, "I'm not letting him take us out that easily."
"Yeah, let's fry this sucker!" Salix added as he burst into flames, the others nodding as they stared up and saw Flash cut down the scribeast. They all shot up next, Salix and Storm unleashing a burst of fire and wind that combined into a flaming gust.
"Flash Force!" Flash countered with his laser, hitting and dissipating the supercharged flames. But as he did this, Wingill flew behind Flash and swung a whip of water into Flash's back, "Augh!" Flash flinched as the water smacked him down, making him start to fall down.
And as he fell, Storm charged at him, ready to thrust his blade into Flash's face. The defender looked up and yanked his head to the side, dodging the thrust before countering with a punch to Storm's face. "Grah!" the cultist yelped, Flash now flaring his wings to keep himself steady and stop as fall. And as he did this, he began to spin as light wrapped around him, morphing into a wheel-like weapon.
"Flash Grinder!" The wheel shot through the air, crashing into Wingill and Salix. Both were sent flying into different directions, Flash breaking out of the wheel before pointing his blade at Wingill, "Flash Force!"
The laser hit the hippogriff, making him scream in pain as he was sent into a building's roof. As he did this, Salix had the misfortune to crash into one of the city's canals. Flash smirked at the sight, only to then see Storm and several eyebats fly up to him, making him sigh.
Down below, Wingill groaned in pain as he picked himself up. As he did this, he heard some splashing and saw Salix struggling in the water. "Hang on!" He leapt into the water, morphing into his seapony form. He quickly yanked the kirin out, getting back on dry land.
"Thanks," Salix coughed.
"You okay?"
"I will be once I dry off," Salix shook himself like a dog before grunting, trying to ignite himself...only for no flames to come. "Oh no..."
"Hold still," Wingill replied before moving his claws over his body, now trying to pull the water off of him.
As this happened, Flash sliced up the last eyebat as Storm charged at him. He then blocked Storm's blade, the cultist spinning around next as he tried to hit Flash, only for the pegasi to zip behind him in a flash of light. He slammed his back hooves into Storm's back next, knocking him away before looking down and seeing Wingill.
Storm flared his wings, stabilizing himself before seeing what Flash was doing, "Wingill! Salix!" The two looked up to see the charging Flash, Wingill stopping his drying of Salix before raising his claws, creating a wall of water from the canal.
However, Flash just smiled at the sight as his light swords morphed into orbs of light again, Flash throwing the sphere into the water wall next. And when the ball hit the wall, it instantly dispersed the water, making Wingill flinch as Salix raised a dry hoof and unleashed a stream of fire at the orb. But as this happened, Flash flew into the sphere, thrusting a diving kick into the orb. The ball exploded, the light wrapping around him as he turned into a projectile that began to cut through the flames, "SHINING IMPACT!"
And as he cut through the fire, Salix tried to summon more flames while Wingill grabbed the kirin, trying to pull him away from the incoming attack. But it was too late, Flash's attack going through the flames and striking the duo.
"AAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!" They both screamed as the attack struck them, an explosion of light coming next as it consumed the trio. And as Storm and Tempera shielded their eyes from the light, Flash flew out of now appearing smoke cloud, skidding on the ground with a smirk.
The light began to die down next, making everypony now see the smoke start to fade and reveal Wingill and Salix. Their bodies were burnt to a crisp from the attack, the sight making Flash flinch before a sudden burst of water from Storm's blade hit his side, knocking him away. This was followed by five lindworm scribeasts charging at the defender, the knight starting to fight the monsters along with Storm.
As this happened, Salix and Wingill turned to one another as they saw they were fading, "We might not have beaten him, but at least we gave him a heck of a hard time."
Salix nodded back, "The others can finish him. I just hope we're awake when master Shadow finally shows them what happens when you mess with us." That was all they could say before they vanished, both hoping their efforts were enough to make the pony they called master happy.
"SEARING SALIX AND WINGILL, ELIMINATED"
Now gone, their orbs flew past Storm and Tempera, both reaching Flash together as they phased through his body. Flash smirked at the sight, the others glaring as Tempera flew a volley of pages upward. In a flash, an armored minotaur, manticore, winged scorpentine, roc and several uni-troopers appeared between them and the knight while Storm floated in front of them, "That's the last orb you're getting, I promise you."
Flash took his light blades off his back, a big grin on his face, "Don't make promises you can't keep." With that, the two forces charged, all roaring at the top of their voices.
A building exploded as Soarin crashed through it, crying out in pain as he was about to hit the ground. But before he could hit the dirt, Trixie and Springer teleported over as the mega jakhowl summoned an arm made of pure aura to catch him safely. "Owww..." Soarin moaned, "Thanks," he jumped out of the paw next, now seeing Shadow fly out of the dust caused by the building's destruction.
Springer dismissed the arm and prepared a pair of Steel Paws, Soarin charging at the unicorn as Trixie created another army of him. Shadow began firing a volley of dark fireballs, taking down all the fakes but one.
"Surprise!" Soarin cheered as he kicked Shadow right in the face, this followed by a quick three jabs. And as Shadow grunted through the blows, his wings turned to claws as he lunged them at the Wonderbolt.
"Got you!" He growled as he grabbed Soarin's sides, making him yelp in pain as his horn began to glow. But as he did this, Trixie's horn shined as she flung Springer upward, the jakhowl shooting past the midair duo while using his claws to slice through Shadow's dark wings.
"Aura Force!" Springer then spun around and fired the beam, hitting Shadow in the side.
"RRRAAAAAGGGHHH!" He roared as he was pushed down, hitting the ground with enough force to crack it. Springer and Soarin were then teleported down to the ground by Trixie, the three converging on Shadow as he tried to pick himself up.
Springer created an Aura Blast before charging, planning to shove it right in the cultist's face. "Special delivery!" He yelled as he thrust his paw, the sphere inches from connecting, only for Shadow to suddenly turn into his smoke form. "No!" Springer cried as he saw his attack fly through the mist.
"I'll save you for later!" Shadow growled as he pressed his hoof into Springer's back, the jakhowl gasping as he suddenly vanished in a flash of light.
"SPRINGER!" His friends yelled before getting into a fighting stance with Trixie asking, "What did you do to him?!"
"Teleported him to the other side of the battlefield. Should take him a few minutes to get back, which is more than enough time to wipe you fools out."
"Don't count on it!" Soarin roared as he ran forward while Trixie began firing a barrage of magical blasts. The armored unicorn summoned his sword in response, spinning the blade as he deflected every attack. And as Soarin got close, he thrust his blade at the pegasi, only for the Wonderbolt to dodge and kick him in the face.
"Blugh!" Shadow spat as he felt two jabs hit him now, making him flare his wings and send out a gust. Soarin flapped backward at this, Shadow taking to the air while he did this and began to unleash a rain of dark fireballs. Seeing the incoming attack, Soarin zipped over to Trixie as she put up a shield to block them, the unicorn grimacing as she felt the attack bang on the barrier.
Shadow then flew down, landing with a giant grin on his face. Growling at the sight, Trixie dropped the shield and unleashed the strongest magical beam she could muster...only for Shadow's horn to summon a pair of portals. Trixie's attack flew into one and out the other, the mare gasping as her own spell hit the ground in front of them, causing it to explode.
"AUGH/GYAH!" They cried as they were thrown up, Shadow laughing before his horn fired the purple lightning from before. The attack zapped them both, quickly wrapping their bodies up at the same time. Both were screaming in pain as Shadow laughed at the sight, flicking his horn as he began to slam their bodies around like ragdolls.
The lightning then swung them into a building, blood now appearing as he swung them sideways into two more buildings. Laughter filled the air as they continued to scream, Shadow shining the biggest grin before slamming them back into the ground.
And as they hit the dirt, Shadow's horn sparked with red lightning that flew down his body and to his front hooves. While this happened, Soarin and Trixie tried to pick themselves up before he jumped up onto his back hooves and slammed his front ones into the ground. Doing so unleashed the red lightning out, the bolts flying across the street and reached the two before they even knew what was happening.
"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" They both screamed as they were electrocuted, sparking explosions flying off of them.
Springer was in full sprint, having reverted back to normal to save his energy as he followed his friends' life forces. And when he was only one street away, he heard them scream out in pain, gasping as he turned back into Mega Mode. He leaped over a building next, only to see Trixie and Soarin fall to the ground. "NOOOOO!" He roared while creating a pair of Bone Breakers that he swung at Shadow, forcing the unicorn hop back.
Soarin and Trixie moaned as they began to disappear. "Looks like this is it," Soarin told Trixie.
"Yeah..." Trixie replied with a weak nod, "But Springer will beat him. You can count on it." Soarin nodded as well as they both turned to look at the fight.
"Good luck," Soarin whispered before they both vanished, leaving their orbs behind.
"SOARIN SKIES AND TRIXIE LULAMOON, ELIMINATED!"
And as Springer and Shadow locked weapons, the jakhowl flinched at hearing those words. Shadow just chuckled, pushing Springer back as the two orbs flew into the unicorn. The pony let out a long laugh at this, "And then there was one. I must say, you all were truly disappointing. I was hoping for at least a workout, but you-"
"Shut up!" Springer barked as he tossed the Bone Breakers at the unicorn, the pony summoning a magic shield to block them. "Aura Force!" He fired twin lasers from each of his paws, Shadow flaring his wings as he took to the air to dodge the attack.
And as he flew over the jakhowl, the unicorn rained down another volley of dark fireballs, Springer creating a head-shaped Aura Guard to block it. But despite the shield, Springer felt his guard waver. "Urgh..." he grunted as his feet grinded into the ground, Shadow pulling out his sword as the last fireball hit. He began to swoop down next, only for summon an aura arm and lunge it at Shadow, "RAAAAH!" he roared, Shadow summoning a barrier as the punch hit him.
"GRAH!" He hissed, his horn flaring as he tried to push the shield through the giant aura arm, "Oh no you don't!" Shadow growled as he began firing some fireballs around the aura arm, curving to hit the Springer's aura avatar. The jakhowl let out a cry of pain as it felt the flames slam into his guard, Springer thrusting his paws trying to keep it stable.
"Just give up!" Shadow yelled as he landed next, his barrier still pushing Springer's aura arm back while firing more dark flames, "Surrender and bow before my power!" But as Shadow said these words, he saw Springer glare at him, a look of pure determination on his face. The sight made Shadow's face scrunch up in anger, "Why?! Why won't you just give up?!"
"I'll never give up! I...won't...LOSE!" Springer roared, these words suddenly making something snap in the jakhowl's head. And as this happened, his avatar exploded with light, sending out a shockwave that went right through Shadow's barrier, knocking him flying.
"RAAAAAAAAAAH!" He screamed, slamming through a building. A groan of pain came next, the unicorn pulling its head out of a pile a few seconds later. But as he did this, he came to a stop as he saw Springer standing there.
The aura avatar around Springer had changed, no longer showing just a head and arms. Now it had a neck, chest and shoulders. It even had the headband like appendages coming out the back of the head. It touched the ground right below the chest spike, Springer standing behind that spike while looking over his creation.
"Wow..." he gasped, only to feel a certain pain in his chest. "Urgh…its still draining to use this though." Springer glanced up next as he saw Shadow charging at him. "Let's go!" He thrust both aura arms next, Shadow catching both with his wings. The unicorn fired a beam of magic next, only for the magic blast to bounce off the avatar's body.
"What?!" Shadow yelped at the sight, Springer taking this moment to pull his fists back and spin around, swinging his legs to kick the unicorn...only to remember the avatar had no legs. Despite this, the avatar spun around and used its headband appendages to whip at Shadow, smacking the unicorn's side, "Blaugh!"
"Yes!" Springer cheered before letting out a gasp of air, "Shoot...gotta make this quick." He turned to a nearby destroyed building, quickly using his avatar's hand to grab the rubble and fling it over to Shadow. And as he did this, his avatar vanished and he fell to his knees panting.
Shadow saw the incoming rocks unleashed several blasts of magic, destroying the rubble before yelling, "That's it! This ends now!"
A barrage of black flames came next, the mega jakhowl barely managing to make a Bone Breaker to deflect them. And as he smacked them away, Shadow charged with blade in hoof. The two met in a loud clang, sword clashing with the Bone Breaker as the two grinded into the ground. Both let out grunts of pain as they pushed, not daring to make another move as their blades clashed.
And as this happened, both bodies started to sink downward, Springer feeling his Mega Mode about to fade while Shadow was started to waver from the previous fights. They then hopped back at the same time, landing on their feet/hooves as Springer created an Aura Blast in his paw. The aura sphere began to grown as Shadow's horn sparked, both set of eyes locked as they pumped power into their attacks.
"RAAAAAAAAAAH!" They both screamed next as they let their attacks fly, Springer thrusting the Aura Blast as it exploded into a laser while Shadow fired a black beam of magic out his horn. The blue and black beams collided next, a shockwave blasting out of the collision that hit the two. They both grunted at the force, but stood their ground as they kept pushing. And as the attacks kept colliding, the tug of war went on for almost a full minute until-
KABOOM!
Back at Flash's battle...
"AAAAAAH!" Flash screamed as he was thrown through a building, a tornado following him as he made a hole in the structure's wall. This was followed by Storm destroying the rest of the wall, a manticore, scorpentine and roc right behind him.
"Storm Cutter!" Storm roared as he swung his weapon, several blades of wind cutting through the air as Flash barely dodged them, his armor clanging as one of them hit his side. As this happened, the scorpentine thrust one of its claws, Flash spinning around to grab both pincers before pushing them away. But as he did this, the manticore got above him and swung its tail down. The knight saw this coming and leapt back, the tail piercing the claw.
"Flash Driver!" Flash yelled as he morphed into a drill, cutting right through the manticore above him before meeting the roc right by him. Breaking out of the drill, Flash swung his sword with a single swipe, beheading the giant bird before turning back to the scorpentine. The manticore's melting had freed its claw, only to get hit by a Flash Force, destroying it in one blow.
The knight spun around next, feeling the crackle of electricity fill the air as he now saw Storm charging at him. Flash quickly put his light swords away next, taking out Lightbringer as Storm swung his blade downward. The defender followed this with an upward strike, both blades clanging as they hit. And as their swords wobbled from the clash, Storm proceeded to do a thrust into Flash's head, the knight ducking the attack before spinning around and doing a horizontal swipe. Storm smirked and shifted his blade to his side, blocking the attack with a grin.
The cultist then replied with a push, shoving Flash's sword away, thrusting his blade again as Flash flapped his wings, dodging his spear-like thrusts. Flash swung his blade next to knock Storm's away, only for Storm to spin around, dodging the blade as he spun and did another thrust. The defender put his sword to his chest, blocking the thrust before they pushed each other away. Flash pulsed his blade back next, thrusting for Storm's waist this time before Storm did the same block as Flash, spinning next as he swung his blade upward, making Flash fly back to dodge the blow.
"Flash/Storm CUTTER!" The two launched blades of light and electricity at one another, both attacks meeting head-on. An explosion followed this, pushing both back before flaring their wings, stopping themselves as they safely landed.
"Oh, this'll be good." Storm chuckled, "One knight fighting against another. And in the end, only the strongest will survive."
"You're no knight," Flash barked back, "I don't care what you say, there's no way you were ever a royal knight!"
And as those words hit Storm's ears, a giant grin graced his face. "You're right. I'm not a knight." Flash's eyes slightly widened at this, eyebrows raising a Storm continued, "I'm something even better. I'm a knight who isn't restricted by some silly title or things like chivalry."
"Oh please, that doesn't make you better!" Flash replied, feeling his hooves grind in the dirt as he glared at the cultist, "You have no right to call yourself a knight!"
Storm shook his head in response, chuckling as he added, "Oh, but I do. Its true that I was almost a knight, but I hesitated and it cost me the title." The grin on his face grew as he said these words, "But you see...that one moment taught me everything! It told me that a true knight is one that must never hesitate!" He flexed his hooves as this, only to start rubbing the side of his blade with his hoof, "And when I learned that lesson, when I obtained my blade...my whole world opened up for me. Look at me now, future captain of the guard once master Shadow conquers Equestria!" He flared his wings as he finished his monologue, "I'll take over the guard and teach the next generation the true ideals of being a knight! Power with no hesitation!"
"Not happening!" Flash yelled as his Sacred Light dispersed, "I'm taking you down the way a true knight would!" He raised his sword in a ready position, Storm laughing as he did the same.
"You can try..."
"Flash Force!" Flash fired the laser at Storm, but the cultist just swung his blade, deflecting the beam with ease. He charged at Flash next, the defender doing the same as both swords began to glow. Flash took the first move, slashing at Storm's head as the pegasi ducked under the attack before swinging his blade upward. The tip clanged on Flash's making him stagger back before thrusting Lightbringer at Storm, who shifted to the side to dodge the blade.
Storm then grabbed Flash's sword holding hoof and pushed it upward before thrusting a back leg into Flash's stomach, making him cry out as he fell back. And as Flash staggered again, Storm roared as he charged at Flash, sparks flying off his blade, he swiped his blade for the defender's head. However, Flash jumped forward and rolled under the blade in response.
Rolling back to his hooves as Storm spun around, Flash ducked under his blade again before shifting to the side as Storm thrust it forward. Flash then knocked the blade with a quick swipe, making Storm stagger slightly as Flash spun around and dealt a roundhouse kick to his face.
And as Storm was pushed back, Tempera and her uni-troopers arrived on the scene as she yelled, "Storm!"
"Stay back! Let me handle this." Storm replied as he flashed a hoof at her, Tempera about to tell him that he couldn't beat him alone. But as she was about to do this, she noticed Flash wasn't wearing his Sacred Light. Despite this, Storm then said, "Don't interfere Tempera. This is a matter of pride."
"You gave up that pride a long time ago!" Flash yelled as he charged at Storm, the cultist doing the same. The defender started with three slashes, Storm blocking each, only to thrust his blade back. In turn, Flash slammed his sword down on Storm's, knocking it into the ground. Flash then jumped off Storm's blade, kicking him in the face before landing behind him.
And as Storm reeled from the attack, he tried to spin around, only for Flash to unleash a Flash Cutter right to his chest. "AUGH!"
"It's over!" Flash roared as Storm went flying back, the defender following him to do the finishing blow.
But as he got closer, Storm just let out a laugh, "Didn't Grand teach you anything?!" He swung his blade upward as Flash reached him, clanging against the knight's sword right before he could slash the cultist's head. "Landing the final blow-" Flash was knocked back by the defection, only for Storm to point his blade at Flash's stomach, "Is a step away from one's own demise! Storm Surge!"
Flash gasped as a bolt of lightning shot out of the blade and hit him at point blank, causing him to cry out in pain as he was thrown back, "AAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!"
"Yes!" Tempera cheered as the pegasus landed just a few feet in front of her. She began clapping, only to stop and growl as she saw Flash's body suddenly rise up. His body was burning, smoke coming off it as he raised his sword at Storm. Tempera turned to the cultist, only to see him shake his head at her. She sighed at the sight, nodding back.
"I swear..." Storm slowly said, "This time...this time I'm sending you to Tartarus!" With that, both pegasi charged, Storm first to strike as he fired a burst of water at Flash. The knight quickly slashed through the water, evaporating it before seeing Storm was now gone. Flash then looked up, seeing Storm swooping down with blade raised high.
"RAAAAAAAAAAH!" He roared as he swung the blade down, the sword exerting blasts of wind. But Flash leapt back to dodge the incoming blows before Storm slammed his sword into the ground. The blow caused a small quake as Storm pulled the weapon out of the ground, spinning the dial next. "Storm Force!" An explosion of electrical energy shot out of the blade after this, flying at Flash as he stood there, unflinching at the incoming attack.
"RRRRAAAAAHHHHH!" Flash swung his blade at the lightning, the bolts deflecting off the sword. The attack scattered at Flash's swing, explosions covering the area. And as one of the explosions consumed Flash, Storm shined a grin at the sight...only to gasp as the smoke faded.
Flash was still standing, not a new singe on him as he pointed his blade at the cultist. Storm growled at the sight as he hissed, "This ends here."
"Agreed." Flash replied as his blade shined, light pouring out of his Celestic Gear.
"DIE!" Storm screamed as he charged, spinning the dial as all three of his elements pulsed off his blade. Both pegasi were now roaring at the top of their lungs as they drew closer, pulling their weapons back now. And as they reached each other, their blades swung, a massive explosion of light consuming the two.
"Augh!" Tempera cried as she was forced to close her eyes, looking away while squinting. And as she noticed the light was dying down, she turned around and saw Flash and Storm standing back to back several feet away, both holding their weapons outstretched.
They stayed like this for several seconds before Flash finally flinched, falling down as he used his sword like a cane to hold himself up. Long pants and groans escaped his breath as Storm let out a laugh. But as this laughter left his mouth, he fell to his knees, unable to catch himself as he crashed into the ground.
"Storm!" Tempera screamed as she ran over to him, his body turning to dust, "Don't go! I can't beat him without you!"
"Sorry..." Storm replied as he closed his eyes, "It's all on you now. But in his state, it shouldn't be impossible for you." All but his head was gone as he shined a grin, "Defeat him. Make our master proud." With that, he vanished as his orb appeared.
"STORM BLADE, ELIMINATED!"
And as Flash pushed himself back to his hooves, the orb flew over and entered his body. Once this happened, he slowly turned to Tempera as she stood up while her uni-troopers gathered around her. "So...it's just you and me."
"You and us," Tempera hissed as the scribeasts moved in front of her. "As long as I have my creations, I'm never alone. That's how's it's always been for me."
"But they're not real-"
"They're real to me!" Tempera screeched, putting her hoof on one of the uni-troopers, "They are my power, my art!"
Flash sighed at her outburst, "Is that why you're so fixated with Shadow despite how little he clearly cares for you? Because your art can only do so much?"
"Be quiet!" She screamed as the uni-troopers charged. "Once I've taken you down, we'll see how much he cares for me!"
His reply was to charge at the scribeasts, blocking one of their swords before pushing it around and cutting another one down. He then returned to the first, slashing it in half before roundhouse kicking another in the head before turning to block another sword, taking that chance to jump up and kick it in the chest.
This lead to more uni-troopers charging at him, Flash easily cutting them all down. Ink splattered everywhere as Tempera watched him roll under another sword before pointing his blade at the scribeast, forcing the uni-trooper to stop in fear of getting stabbed. Flash then spun his tail, knock the beast off its wheel, causing it to go splat as Flash backflipped into a circle of uni-troopers.
"Flash Force!" the knight yelled as he fired the laser while spinning around, cutting all the remaining scribeasts in half.
Once the last scribeast was destroyed, he turned to Tempera, the scrambling backward as she fired a beam of magic at him. He quickly swung his blade, deflecting the blast before spinning the sword as a few more beams came next. And as he blocked each one, he walked up to her, slashing down at the unicorn. She let out a yelp as she hopped away, only for Flash to spin around and sweep his tail, knocking her balance before impaling her on his sword. But as he did this, his eyes went wide as he saw her melt.
"What?! When did she-"
"RAAAH!" He spun around to the voice, now seeing Tempera charging with a sword in her magic. Flash quickly swiped his blade at her sword, knocking it away as it splattered into ink on a nearby wall.
"Flash Cutter!" Flash swung his sword again, unleashing a wave of light that struck Tempera in the chest. A cry of pain followed this, the unicorn being thrown back as Flash dashed at her. He tried to slash her, ready to end the battle, only for her horn to shine as she teleported away.
Flash's sword hit the ground with a clang as a light appeared behind him, making the pegasus spin around to see Tempera throwing a bunch of paper in the air. In a flash of light, every single type of scribeast she had used up until then appeared. The knight tensed up as a giant lindworm charged first, Flash holding up his hooves and yelling, "Armorize!" In a burst of light, he was back in his Sacred Light form seconds before the lindworm struck. The increased strength allowed him to stop the beast with his bare hooves, only to kick the beast right back.
The minotaur, manticore, scorpentine and quetzalcoatl ran around the worm after Flash's blow, the defender then talking to the air while pulling his swords off his back. "Flash Cutter Barrage!" He spun around with his blades out wide, energy blades now slicing through each beast with ease. Tempera let out a gasp as she saw this, sweat pouring down her face as she felt the energy leave her from summoning that many at once, only to see all her work be destroyed with ease.
"Flash Driver!" Flash morphed into a drill that bore its way through a roc, dragon and bladed mantis before breaking out of it and tossing his blades towards the ground. "Flash Cutter!" The blades hit the dirt in front of the rest of the scribeasts, an explosion happening next as it turned the rest into the piles of mush.
And as the pegasus landed, he saw Tempera struggling to draw something. "Getting tired, huh?"
Tempera glared him him as she pulled the paper out of her sketchpad, dropping the book to the floor. "I'm putting everything I have into this! Even if it kills me, I'M TAKING YOU DOWN!" She threw the page up, firing a continuous beam at it. The paper exploded next, forming a mass of ink above her.
But just as a smile was about to grace her face...something happened. Her entire body tensed up as her magic sparked and cut out, the mare feeling her legs giving out as well. She was out of magic. This caused the mass above her to stop taking shape and fall on her, landing atop the mare while forming a pile of inky sludge.
Flash raised an eyebrow at this, expecting this to mean he had won, but Soul's voice didn't call out. Instead, the pile began to glow Tempera's magic's color before it began to shift and reshape. Flash took out his blades next, only to see the pile remold itself into the shape of Tempera's face. The monster let out a roar next as two giant hooves flew out of the pile and slammed down on Flash. He let out a cry of pain before reflexively pulling out Lightbringer, unleashing a Flash Cutter that cut both its hooves off. And as the ink splattered everywhere, Flash saw the slime start to regrow new hooves.
Seeing this chance, Flash took to the air and swooped down at the beast, striking its cheek in a single long blow. The beast roared in pain as Flash spun around and flew past it again, moving like lightning as he cut another gash into it. This kept happening again and again, Flash zipping around the creature as he kept cutting it down. And as he sliced it across the face one last time, he flapped his wings back to land in front of the beast.
"This...ends...NOW!" He slammed his Celestic Gear into the ground before the light blades exploded off his back, both now spiraling around the sword. This formed a shining tornado that Flash reached into before pulling out his sword's handle, the blade following suit as it now had the Sacred Light wrapped around it to extend the blade Flash jumped up into the air.
The reforming beast looked up at the light, now seeing Flash lifting a fifty foot blade above his head. "Ultimate Final Move!" He yelled as he started bringing the blade crashing down, "SHINING BLADE OF THE HEAVENS!" The beast let out a roar as the giant sword crashed down into its face, evaporating the ink that made up its body.
And as Flash's attack ended, the light from his sword faded to reveal Tempera floating in the air before crashing into the dirt. The defender landed next, now seeing the mare laying there with a flood of tears in her eyes. "How?!" She asked, "How are you so strong? How could a nobody like you defeat us all on your own?! HOW?!"
Flash sighed and shook his head, "Simple. I'm not alone." Her eyes slowly shifted over to him as he continued, "Even if I can't see them, even if I can't hear them....even if they're a million miles away. My friends are still there for me. As long as I know I have their support, there's no way I could lose to you or any of your team. Because I...am the Knight of Friendship."
Tempera rolled her eyes at his words, "Hmph. You're an idiot. You may have beaten us, but you'll never defeat Master Shadow with something like that. After all, it's his destiny to stand above all others as the strongest pony alive."
"I don't believe that," Flash instantly replied, "Destiny isn't written in stone, t's what we make of it. And as long as I'm around, your master will never win." Tempera just glared back at him as she completely vanished, leaving only the orb in her place as Soul's voice called out.
"TEMPERA, ELIMINATED!"
As the last orb flew into Flash's body, he panted as he fell onto his flank while dispelling the Sacred Light. And as he tried to get his breath back, his eyes were soon shifted to see the barrier cutting the city in half in the distance now flickering. Before he could react, the wall vanished, making him slowly get up, "Guys..." He spread his wings and took to the air, crossing the barrier to now find a half destroyed city, "Oh no..."
And as he glanced around, he then saw a fresh cloud of smoke in the distance. Flash shifted direction as he flew toward the cloud, gliding down to the fog. "Guys!?" He called out as he touched down, "Anypony!?" There was no answer, Flash now flapping his wings to make the smoke clear out. And as the black mist began to fade, he saw a figure walking up.
Getting into a battle stance, he prepared for a fight just in case...only to see the figure come in view. "Springer..."
The mega jakhowl was barely walking, his form staggering all over as he smiled at the sight of the pegasus. However, his smile then dropped, along with the rest of his body.
"Springer!" Flash cried as his partner fell over, exploding with light as he turned back to normal. The defender quickly caught his partner before he hit the dirt, now seeing the burns all over the jakhowl, "Springer! You alright?!" He slowly placed him on the ground, "Where are the others?"
Springer let out a groan as he opened his eyes, "Sorry Flash...we couldn't beat him." Flash's eyes went wide as these words entered his ears, "He was just...too strong." As he said that, his body began to turn to dust.
"NO!" Flash yelled, only to hear a familiar chuckle that made him look up and see somepony else appearing out of the smoke.
Shadow stepped out into view, still wearing his Corrupted Shadow armor along with a sinister smile adorning his lips. "Nice of you to finally show up. I'm assuming you being here means you defeated the rest of my cohorts."
"So what if I did?!" Flash growled.
"Then it seems we're both in the same boat," Shadow pointed at Springer, Flash looking down to seem him about to fully vanish.
The jakhowl moaned again as he spoke up next, "Flash, it's up to you now." Flash's face scrunched up at these words, Springer chuckling at his face, "Don't worry. I don't know why, but I get the feeling this was my last fight. The others too. Now, it's just you and Shadow. You'll have to do this on your own."
Flash shook his head, "You're wrong. I won't be alone." Springer raised an eyebrow at this, "Even if you're not here, I know you'll be here for me in spirit." He then glared at Shadow, "As long as you all are there to give me your support, I know I can take this monster down."
Springer nodded back as he was almost completely gone. "You got it. Good luck...Flash." With that, Springer turned to dust that was picked up by the wind. All that remained was the orb, which floated over to Shadow as Soul's voice called out.
"SPRINGER, ELIMINATED!"
The orb reached Shadow and phased into his body, the unicorn smirking as he watched Flash continued to glare at him. Another chuckle left his breath as he began to dust off his chest, "I'll give your friends props, they were a determined lot. Almost gave me a full warm-up. But determination doesn't win battles. Power does."
"Shut up," Flash growled as he stood up. "I don't want to hear another word out of you if it's some kind of insult." As he said this, light began to cover his body. "Let me guess, you don't even care that your friends lost, do you?"
Shadow just shrugged at this, "Why would I care? They failed me. There's no point in caring for them if they fail to achieve my goals. Why should I care if they're that weak?"
"Because each of them would give their lives for you, but you wouldn't even care if they did that!" Flash then slammed his hooves in the ground, the earth shaking as he did this, "I've had it with you!" The light exploded off his body and formed a tornado, armor appearing around him. "I'm taking you down, right here and right now!"
"You can try..." Shadow laughed as the tornado exploded and formed the swords that Flash pulled off his back, "But you'll fail."
"RAAAAAAAAAAH!" Flash screamed as he leapt at Shadow, the unicorn getting into a battle stance with a giant smirk on his face. But before the two could get even get started, the ground beneath their hooves suddenly exploded, a pillar of light erupting around them.
The two weren't even surprised that they couldn't move, the two freezing in place as the light began to blind them.
Outside the pillar of light, Sombra could only watch as the pillar of light extended upward before splitting in two at the end. Those two lights began to curve until the tips struck the very top of the castles. Flash and Shadow both grunted as they suddenly found themselves flying up as their super forms vanished, leaving them powerless as they were pulled into separate lights streams. Flash let out a cry of surprise, feeling like he was flying down a water slide without the water.
And before he could get used to what was happening, he felt his face slam into a floor. "Augh!" he groaned from the impact as the light began to fade. He moaned as his eyes began to blink open, letting him look up and find he was back in the castle. "Huh?" He was in the map room, the seven orbs he had won now floating above the table again.
It was then he noticed he was the only one there...alone.
"Springer?" He yelled, even trying to sense his partner, only to feel no response. "Heart? Ruby? Soarin?" He began to get up, slowly moving through the castle, "Trixie? Cold? Anypony?" he reached the staircase and headed downstairs. "Please..." He pushed the door to the medical room open...only to find three empty recovery chambers. "No."
The pegasus slowly shut the door and headed back upstairs, his movements slow with his head hung low as he got to the dining room. Never before had Flash felt so alone, not even before he met Twilight, as he stood in the room that should have been filled with the voices of his friends. But the room was silent. His friends were gone.
"I'm sorry," Flash told nopony at all. "I...I lead you all to your doom. And now, who knows where you are." He felt himself slowly beginning to fill with guilt, slumping his head on the table. "I..."
"Oh, stallion up," Flash jumped at the voice and spun around, only to see Sombra standing in the corner of the room.
"Sombra?! What are you doing here?! Why are you out of your cell?!"
Sombra shrugged in response. "Well...your jail cell suddenly vanished when your big fight started, so I left and watched the whole thing from the map room." He shined a small smile at the defender, "I gotta say, it was quite impressive to see you take all six of Shadow's goons down."
"Fat lot of good it did me," Flash sighed. "My friends are all gone."
"I don't think so," Sombra shook his head. "I don't know what happened to them, but I'm sure wherever they are, they're safe."
"But where are they then?!" Flash barked back, only to see Sombra just give him a frown. "Right...sorry. I know it isn't your fault."
"Its fine." Sombra replied as he walked over to the door, "Let's go to the map room. Maybe we can figure out something there."
Flash nodded as the two walked to the room, both turning to the map while staring at the seven orbs. The defender then stared at the roof as he suddenly spoke up, "Okay...you brought us here. You made me and my friends fight over and over and now...now you've taken them and left nothing but these stupid orbs! Can you finally explain why?! Why make us do all this?!"
There was no answer, causing Flash to sigh as he slumped into a chair. "Figures."
Sombra sat down on another chair, rubbing his chin in thought as he stared at the orbs. "Strange. These orbs haven't changed their properties, even after they were absorbed into you and the others."
"So?"
"Well, you would expect something else from them. Perhaps...hmm?" Flash raised an eyebrow at this, turning to the orbs as they both now saw them starting to glow.
"What's going on?" Flash asked as Sombra didn't answer, not now seeing the orbs suddenly start to melt. Drops of liquid metal started falling off the orbs as they floated above the table, those drops landing and beginning to pool together. Bit by bit, the spheres grew smaller while the pool of liquid grew larger as Flash and Sombra watched in confusion.
And as the final drops of each orb fell into the puddle, the liquid metal decided to defy the laws of physics and began to shift and move, taking shape and lifting itself up off the table to join with the rest of the liquid. The ponies' confusion only intensified when the liquid began to take shape, slowly forging itself into a form they both recognized.
"A key?"
The liquid metal had taken the shape of a key, the metal quickly beginning to harden once it was in the right shape. Soon enough, a simple metal key lay on the table as the light the metal had been giving off faded. Both ponies just stared at the object, Flash slowly saying, "This...this is it?" He reached out and took the key, being careful in case it was hot. "A key. We went through all of this for a key?!"
"Maybe the key isn't meant to be the prize," Sombra guessed. "Perhaps it's the key-" he said in quotation marks, "to finding the answers you seek."
Flash turned to glare at him, only to come to a stop as a thought entered his head. "Wait a minute..." He got up and moved past Sombra, stepping up to the door with the keyhole in the middle of it. His gaze shifted between the key and the door, realization dawning upon him. "Could it be this?" He held the key out and slowly placed it into the keyhole, carefully pushing it in.
But when the key entered the hole, the two began to resonate and glow before the hole began to shrink.
"What's happening?" Sombra asked as the hole shrank down until it was the perfect size for the key.
Flash took this as a good omen and turned the key, the sound of many mechanisms turning and clicking filling the room. And when he made a complete three sixty, the key was suddenly pulled completely into the lock before the hole began to shrink until it vanished.
Flash and Sombra shared another confused look before a grinding sound caught their attention, making them turn back to see the door split in half and retract into the wall. When the two sides disappeared, the two stared into the darkness and found that the door had been hiding a spiral staircase that had little to no light.
"Fascinating. I wonder what kind of magic that was." Sombra commented Flash pulled out Lightbringer and ignited it.
"You sound like Twilight."
Sombra chuckled at his comment, "Well, things did just get interesting here."
Flash sighed as he began to walk down the staircase, only to look back at Sombra, "You coming?"
The unicorn raised an eyebrow at this, "You know, the old me would have stayed here and made sure there wasn't a trap before heading down myself. But now...I guess I picked up a bit of your curiosity."
"Enough to actually go down first?" The pegasus asked with a smirk, Sombra giving a deadpan stare in return.
"Don't push it." Flash rolled his eyes and began to trot down the stairs, Sombra following after him. "What do you think is down here?"
"I have a theory," Flash replied. "But I think I'll keep it to myself until I'm sure."
"That's comforting."
At the same time...
In the dark castle, Shadow watched as the key his orbs had formed was pulled into the keyhole. Seconds later, the lock vanished and the door slid apart, revealing his own spiral staircase.
"At last..." he hissed as he looked down the stairs, "Now, let's see what this is all about."
Miles below the city and within the crystal caverns, Shining Soul continued to float within the shining orb while in a sleep like state.
As she did, her lips began to move as she softly spoke words that were not her own. "They are coming."
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I stand by the criticisms from the last chapter namely that you should have left "Seven on One: The War's End" as one chapter.
Maybe the next chapter will be worth while
You might want to cut out this paragraph.
I'm starting to question what the point of all that was. I mean, what did the mysterious entity seek to prove/reveal by having the heroes and the villains fight each other like that?
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Not with those incredibly drawn out, shonen animesque fight sequences.
10367323
I disagree, getting the boring fights out of the way and move on with the story would have been the better choice
I think my biggest problem with this two part-er is because there wasn't enough of investment.
Here me out, yes everyone did end up fighting one another, but there was much of a square off to this that justifies caring about each group of team mates veruses the heads of each,
Now a Flash Vs Gleaming duel is interesting, a Trixie Vs Glitter duel is interesting, a Soarin Vs Swift duel is interesting, a Ruby Vs Armalum duel is interesting, a Springer Vs Tempera duel is interesting... As for Heart and Cold and Salix and Wingill... I got nothing on how they would be paired off, but those seven duels would have been much more interesting, mainly because each individual duel is so much more personal and so much better.
10367334 Hopefully, the next chapter will explain why this fight was necessary.
10367336
I want to hope so, but given last time there was such a set-up for a payoff in this story, Tempera's utterly boring backstory, I'm gonna have to press X to doubt
Gotta admit, after all of these intense fights for both leaders I can't help but wonder what was the point of all of it? At the very least I wanted Flash to smack one across Deluded One's face when it was over!
Hopefully we get to find out the reasons for all of it next chapter (not many more left), wonder if the former dark unicorn will play a part for whatever's coming up next?
A few highlights for this chapter :
Okay.....OUCH!!!!
Should've expected that cheap shot from Deluded One!
Sorry pal, you're much of a Knight as Deluded One's King of the world!
Really, REALLY????!!!
Waiting for the other hoof to drop here!
He may be a bit reformed Flash, but not that reformed!
Hope an explanation's coming next chapter for all of these matches purpose, or at the very least get to see Flash sock one across Deluded One's fat head!
Till next chapter!!!
That was epic! I personally enjoyed watching Flash's battle a lot more than Shadow's, both because I enjoy the good guys winning more and because the final battle against Shadow and Springer being mostly off-screen felt a bit unfair to me, but the whole thing was intense on both ends. I think you made the right choice dividing this into two chapters, since both parts felt like they were just the right length.
My favorite parts for Flash's fight in here were him spinning and cutting the sides of Salix and Wingill, him telling Storm that he is not a knight and will never be one before they finish their battle with a Single-Stroke Battle, and Flash using his ultimate attack on Tempera.
I am a bit surprised that Flash and Shadow were pulled back to their castles without getting to fight each other. I would have thought Flash would at least get some kind of bonus prize for defeating all his enemies before Shadow. This war is nearing its end, with only two fighters left, but I don't mind if we are finally going to get some answers before Flash and Shadow's final battle, like who or what is behind this, why did they make everyone fight each other, and what happened to Flash and Shadow's teams?
I hop this story comes to an end becuse it taking way to long then it should not that its a bad it just taking way tonlong then it should. Looking forward to season 6. Oh and I just move in to my own apartment.
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How would I know what a good drawn out, shonen animesque fight sequence looks like? To me, they're all long and boring.
10367602
I was saying that it would have been better to get these boring fights out of the way in one chapter, that way the story can progress.
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Now, you know how I feel trying to sit through Dragonball Z or Naruto.
10367748
DBZ isn't that bad, the fights are much more character driven... but if you're not sold try Dragon Ball Z Kai, it cuts out about 95% of the filler.
Naruto on the other hand... even if the fights were just as character driven as story driven, the characters... well... they suck...
I have yet to read this, but I just wanted to say I appreciate you keeping at this series even if it may not be getting as much attention as other fics. I really envy that sort of drive.
I meant to comment on this earlier, but I guess you can say that Tempera is both figuratively and literally loving a shadow. I mean, Shadow does one nice thing for her, and she suddenly thinks he's love interest material. How messed up is that!
EDIT: And Shadow is totally taking advantage of that so he can keep using her!
According to Sombra, Shadow keeps his followers at their worst and lowest so that they stay dependent on him. That's why he doesn't do anything to confirm or deny returning Tempera's feelings. As long as Tempera keeps believing her own lies about him, she will do anything for him. Good golly, how does he sleep at night?! 