A New Day Dawns
"BATTLE, OVER! WINNER, FLASH SENTRY!"
As soon as those words hit Flash's ears, he and Sombra were suddenly blinded by a bright light. The light washed over them, Flash feeling his body warm up as his injuries vanished and his energy was restored yet again. And as the light died down, they opened their eyes to see they were back in the crystal chamber. This was followed by a groan, making them to turn to see Shadow picking himself up, his injuries appearing to have not been healed as much as Flash.
He moaned as he got on his hooves, now seeing Flash and Sombra standing in the void. The sight made him go wide-eyed, a look of genuine shock and horror on his face. "No...it can't be." he whispered, "I can't have lost!" He shook his head, "It's not possible!"
"But it is," Faust instantly responded, "You have lost this battle, and you will have your powers sealed forever."
"WHAT?! This is an outrage!" Shadow screamed, "You will do nothing but-augh!" He let out a yelp as another flash of light appeared, interrupting him as he closed his eyes. And before he could react, the light died down to show all their friends now descending in bubbles. Each one floated down, touching and popping as they gently fell to the floor.
"Everypony!" Flash and Sombra exclaimed as they ran over, Flash placing a hoof on Heart and Springer while Sombra picked Ruby up. "Come on, wake up!"
"Flash?" Heart whispered as he started to open his eyes.
"What happened?" Springer asked as he let out a long yawn.
"Ruby, please wake up," Sombra said as he shook her, the knight's eyes fluttering open to see the stallion.
"Sombra?"
"I'm here. Let me help you up." Sombra replied as he slowly pulled her up, Trixie, Soarin and Cold now waking up as well.
"Where...are we?" Ruby asked as she shook her head, now seeing the void around her.
"It's a long story," Flash told her as he helped Heart to his hooves. "But right now, we've got more important things to worry about." He glanced up at Faust, Heart following his gaze before gasping at the sight.
"SOUL!" He spread his wings as he tried to fly up, only for Flash to grab his tail, pulling him back.
"Hold your horses, that's not Soul right now." Heart glanced back at him, Flash shaking his head, "Don't worry. She's not in any danger."
"He is right," Faust replied, "I've simply borrowed your sister's body in order to communicate with you all. Once our business here is concluded, I will release her and she'll be completely fine."
"What business?" Trixie asked, "And who are you?"
Faust was about to reply, only for a voice to yell out, "MASTER!" They turned to the cult, now seeing Tempera trying to help her master, "Are you okay, my love?"
"What happened to you?" Storm asked as the rest moved over, Armalum floating around the group before Storm glared at Flash's group, "Did they do this to you?"
"The war is over," everypony turned to Faust. "You all fought with everything you had, but in the end, there could only be one winner."
Everypony went wide-eyed at this, each member turning to their leader. Flash's friends saw him shine a huge smile, nodding back as they all sighed in relief. But as they did this, Shadow's minions all stared at their beaten up master.
"Impossible..." Tempera gasped.
"Master Shadow lost?!" Salix yelped.
"There has to be some mistake," Wingill added.
Terror nodded in agreement, "Master Shadow couldn't have been defeated!"
"It is true." A screen suddenly appeared in front of them, showing a sped up version of the fight. The sight made the cult go slack-jawed, unable to believe at the sight they were seeing as it concluded. "Your master put everything he had on the line, and fought with everything he had. But in the end, Flash Sentry claimed victory."
"Alright!" Soarin cheered before smacking Flash on the back, "You did it!"
"I knew you could do it!" Trixie added.
"Thanks," Flash chuckled as he scratched the back of his head. "But I couldn't have done it alone. It's thanks to you all that I got this far. You gave me your support to win this game, and I couldn't have won without you all cheering me on." He then turned to Sombra, "All of you."
Sombra nodded back as Faust continued, "Now, the time has come for Flash to claim his reward and for Shadow's powers to be sealed, such is the terms they agreed to."
Flash's team blinked at the defender while Shadow's team went wide-eyed again. And as these words settled over the groups, Shadow began to scream, "NO!" The dark unicorn began to push himself up, only to slump over in pain. "Urgh…"
"Master!" His followers tried to grab him, only for Shadow's horn to spark as he pushed them away with the little magic he had left before getting to his hooves.
"Do not touch me! Only I am worthy of the power!" He glared back up at Faust, "You cannot keep this power from me! Nopony deserves it more than me!" But as he said this, his body gave out, falling to the floor again. The cultists gasped as Armalum floated in front of him.
"Hold on master," he spun around. "I will lend you strength!" With that, he slammed himself onto Shadow's face, the armor manifesting around him in the blink of an eye.
"Armalum!" Tempera cried, "What are you doing?!"
"Silence!" The armored pony roared, the voice making the others stop as they knew it was Shadow's. The mask shifted downward after this, going to the chest to reveal the unicorn's face. A sinister smile appeared on his form as he pushed himself back to his hooves. "Excellent! With this, I'll take the power for myself!"
With that, he leapt into the air, using his magic to fly toward the orb containing Faust. "Shadow!" Flash yelled as he quickly leapt into the air, his friends attempting to do the same before getting blocked by a wall of wind and fire.
"Oh no, you don't!" They turned to the rest of Team Shadow as the five got into a battle stance, the others preparing to attack as Flash chased after Shadow.
"Stop it!" The knight yelled as Shadow and Armalum reached the orb, placing their hooves on it while Faust simply glared at him through Soul's eyes.
"I'll give you one chance to stop this before it's too late. Accept your defeat with dignity."
"NEVER!" Shadow roared as he started his draining magic, "it's time I take what's rightfully mine! Become mine, goddess! Give me the power to conquer all things!" With that, the rainbow colored magic within the orb flew out of the sphere and into Shadow's mouth, the very action now unleashing shockwaves throughout the chamber. "Yes...YES!" He laughed while Flash came to a stop, now getting pushed back from the shockwaves. And as he tried to get closer, Shadow let out a cackle, "It's just like you said before. You can't fight destiny! AHAHAHA!" He laughed again as Faust let out a sigh.
"I warned you."
And as those words left her mouth, a new light began to emit from the orb. This one creeped up Shadow and Armalum's hooves like a slime. The two quickly noticed this, looking down as Shadow asked, "What?" He cut his magic draining spell as he began to tug at his hooves, only to find they wouldn't come off the orb. "What is this?! This isn't supposed to happen!" Flash could only watch the light continued to spread around Shadow's body, the unicorn crying out as it did this. "Armalum! Undo the armor!"
"I'm trying!" The mask on his chest screamed, "I...I can't! What's happening?!"
"Just undo it already!" Shadow screeched before beginning to scream out in pain. "Its hurts! IT HURTS!"
"MASTER!" Tempera cried before turning to Storm, "Get me up there!" Storm nodded, taking her to the air as Wingill grabbed Terror before the five of them leapt up, flying toward the orb while the others just stood there, staring at the sight.
"THE POWER!" They heard Shadow yell as all but his head was consumed by the light, "IT'S TOO MUCH!" All but his face was surrounded. "I CAN'T TAKE...ANYMORE!" Finally, the light completely covered him as he let out one final cry. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
With that, his body unleashed a burst of light that filled the entire chamber, everypony covering their eyes. Flash was the first to reopen his eyes as the light died down, now seeing the void return to its rainbow color. He then saw he was alone with Faust as she spoke up, "Congratulations Flash, you were victorious in your battle against Shadow Corrupter. Now as promised, I will give you what you've earned." There was a flash of light in front of him that took the shape of a golden sphere of energy. "Step into this orb and you will be transformed into an alicorn, one with power ten times that of the four alicorn princesses combined. With this power, you will stand as Equestria's new ruler."
Flash simply stared at the orb, blinking at the sight as he the thought of becoming an alicorn entered his head...only to let out a sigh. "No, I don't accept this."
Soul's head tilted at this reply, "I don't follow. Isn't this what you wanted?"
"I didn't fight so I could become more powerful. All I cared about was stopping Shadow from getting that power." He turned to shine a big smile at her, "I'm a Royal Knight. It's my duty to protect Equestria, not rule it. Besides, Equestria already has four amazing rulers with a fifth on the way. They don't need me coming in and messing everything up. Trust me, I'm not the best candidate for something like that."
Faust remained silent, only to start chuckling. "I should have expected this much from you. Your decision is a noble one, and I can respect it. But even so, Shadow did have a point. It would be wrong of me to have you go through all this without something to show for it. Step into the orb. You'll like what happens, I promise."
Flash stared at the orb of a moment, blinking at it before turning back to her, "I'm trusting you." She nodded back as he walked into the orb, waiting for a few seconds. Nothing seemed to be happening, only for his Sacred Light armor to suddenly appear on his body, "Whoa!" he yelped as he saw the orb start to shrink around him.
The orb form fitted to his body, turning him into a golden figure, the armored sections starting to shift and change. His chest and hoof armor became sleeker while his armor for his wings grew bulkier as V-shaped horns on his helmet moved towards the center of his head and merged into one single shape.
"May I present, the Shining Guardian!"
With that, the light exploded off his body, revealing the full form. The light swords were gone, in their place were Flash's wings encased in golden armor that looked like they opened at the top. Flash's chest armor was thinner and had a light blue crystal gem in the center while his boots now went up to cover his knees, the knee-pads having the same blue gem on them. His helmet had more streamlines and instead of two horns, it had one horn that looked like a collection of golden triangles that were stuck one on top of the other to form something similar to Celestia or Luna's horn.
Flash gasped at the sight, feeling the power now course through his body. "Whoa..." he whispered before seeing another flash of light above him. Looking up, he now saw the broken remains of Lightbringer floating down. The shattered pieces of the blade came together and in another flash of light, were restored to normal. But as Flash reached out to grab it, the light from his armor flew into the sword and consumed it, changing the sword to have Flash's cutie mark on the front of the crossguard while the blade was slightly longer and straight until it curved at the tip.
"Amazing," Flash gasped as he held his new weapon.
"With this, your powers have grown to an even greater extent, with new abilities waiting to be discovered. But learning to control this new power will take time, and you'll find yourself needing to grow accustomed to the drain they will have on you."
"I understand."
"One more thing. From now on, I won't be foalsitting you anymore. No more saving your flank from mind control and other magics."
"Huh?!" Flash yelped, raising an eyebrow, "Wait...that was you?"
"Oh course. I had to make sure you didn't get killed and cause the Sacred Light to be lost, knocking the world out of balance. But now that won't be needed. From now on, you'll have to look after yourself. You can still nullify any magic originating from the Sacred Light, but now you'll need to consciously do so. Understand?"
"Yeah, I got it." Flash nodded before asking, "But uh...if you don't mind me asking, what did you do to Shadow? If you killed him, wouldn't his Corrupted Shadow be lost and knock the whole world balance thing off?"
"He may be dead, but I made sure the Corrupted Shadow remained in this world. I teleported him and his little mask friend far away, to another of my access points. I also removed the Corrupted Shadow from him as punishment for attempting to steal my power. The Corrupted Shadow will be sealed away, still a part of the universe until the time I undo the seal and cause it to fade. But hopefully, that won't be for a long long time....the same with you when you die."
"Huh." Flash replied, barely able to say words as he tried to respond, "So...after all this, Shadow's just...gone?"
"I said he may be dead, but I didn't confirm it. I extracted the Corrupted Shadow from him, but he may have survived. It's much too early to tell right now, but even if he did survive, the loss of that much power will leave him crippled. He shouldn't be an issue for you any more." Flash nodded back before noticing another flash of light, the pegasus now seeing five bubbles of light floating off to the side. Inside the bubbles were the five ponies that had tried to kill him plenty of times in this war. "Now, what should we do with them?"
"Well, I-"
"I'm sure they have dealt you and others a tremendous amount of pain, but I think the best thing to do is place them someplace they can start over." Faust interrupted, the defender turning to her with wide eyes. "I'm not excusing what they've done, but you of all ponies should understand the importance of giving somepony a second chance. Each have suffered in some shape of form, whether it be in certain circumstances, in anger or just life itself. Had they not crossed paths with Shadow, who knows what they may have made of their lives. I will now teleport them far away and hopefully, they'll be able to make a fresh start."
"More like they'll find a way back to Equestria and try to get revenge for what happened to Shadow."
"I've already considered that." In a flash of light, the five vanished. "There. They have been transported far away and their memories have been erased."
"What?!" Flash yelped.
"Do not worry. All they shall remember are their names, even if they are the ones they gave themselves at a later time in their life. I hope this will allow them to change, to start anew and build a better life for themselves, discovering who they were truly meant to be if Shadow had not entered their lives."
"Whoa, hang on there!" Flash yelled, "They chose the dark path before, and they're dangerous! How are you so sure they won't choose the bad side again?!"
"I'm not. I will keep an eye on them and see what they do with this second chance. If they choose to live peaceful lives, I'll leave them be. But should they choose to once again follow the path of evil, I'll step in if I can."
"And if you can't?"
"Then I know a certain pegasus that beat them all once, and will have no issue beating them again." Flash was about to reply, only chuckle at her words. A big smirk appeared on his face as the void was consumed in a flash of light, blinding the pegasus for several seconds. And when it faded, he heard a new voice.
"Flash!" He turned to see he was back in the crystal chamber, his friends staring up at him as he began to fly down.
"What happened?" Springer asked.
"Where's Shadow?" Trixie added, gulping at the thought of what the dark unicorn could have done.
"Don't worry. He's...well, he's gone," Flash replied as he landed.
"And the others?" Cold asked as his eyes darted around, "Where is the rest of the cult?!"
"They're gone too. It's a long story, and I'll tell you all about it later." Flash then turned back to Faust, his mind playing over everything that had happened since the day they had arrived. Every fight, loss, win and every hurdle they had managed to overcome. And now...it was over. The journey had come to an end. "So, it's over now? After everything that happened, you expect us to just leave?"
"Yes. My reason for bringing you here is now fulfilled. The world is safe from being destroyed, and you should all be proud of what you achieved here. You overcame many trials, and have grown both physically and mentally. It is no surprise that your team stands as the victors given how far you were willing to push yourselves. But what you should be most proud of is the teamwork you portrayed." They all smiled at this, even Cold as she continued, "Even when things got difficult, each of you rose to the occasion, supported one another to help find the strength needed to overcome the difficulties presented to you. As long as you remember what you have learned during this event, I'm sure you will all continue to grow into the ponies you have the potential of being."
"Thank you," Flash replied.
"Now, I have one last order of business."
"What's that?" Flash asked, only for another flash of light to appear in front of them. This faded to show something new, the group blinking at the sight as two objects floated over to Springer.
"Springer, I believe these should remain in your care for now on."
"Huh?" Springer yelped as he saw the orbs hovering over, now seeing the objects were eggs. The jakhowl reached out a paw, grasping both as he pulled them close to not drop them. "What is...why are you giving me these?"
Everypony else huddled around him, now seeing the eggs. Both had a downward black zigzag pattern near the top while the rest of the egg was a certain color. One was a navy blue color while the other was more golden. The blue one also had a golden ring pattern around the top while the gold one had a light blue ring.
Springer, Flash and Ruby went wide-eyed at this, Flash remembering the scene he, Sombra and Shadow had watched before while Springer's mind went over the game Shade had made him play. At the same time, Ruby gasped as her memories went over the many times she had worked with Springer's parents.
"Jakhowl eggs," Ruby whispered before looking up at Faust. "Where did you get jakhowl eggs?!"
"They, along with Heart, Soul and the princesses of Equestria, are all that survived the great plague that wiped out the citizens of this city. Flash can explain how they came into my possession. I have kept them safe until the day when they could be returned to somepony who could protect, raise and train them in the ways of their species. And Springer, that someone is you."
"Me?!" Springer replied, his eyes darting between the eggs before looking back up. "Um...wow. Thank you."
"Of course. You are a jakhowl chosen by both the Sacred Light and Princess Luna. And that reminds me...if you don't mind, I would like you to send a message to somepony for me."
"A message?"
"Yes. To Princess Luna." This made everypony go wide-eyed, Faust giggling at their expressions before continuing, her tone slowly going lower, "I wish for you to tell her...I'm sorry. I'm sorry I couldn't help her in her time of need."
Everypony exchanged glances at this, Flash speaking up next, "Sorry...but I don't think any of us understand. What couldn't you do for Princess Luna?"
A long sigh came next as Faust responded, "I failed to prevent the destruction of Equestria's jakhowls." Everypony went wide-eyed again, Ruby putting a hoof over her mouth, "I had watched from afar the day Dark Mist destroyed the jakhowls...but where she was, it was too far from one of my access points. At most...I could only guide her after the tragedy had happened."
"But that's..." Springer muttered out, his mind replaying over what Luna had told them, a certain event now entering his mind as he asked, "Wait...are you the golden being Luna met back then?"
There was hesitation in Faust's voice as she said these next words, "Yes. I am the one who told her to seal you within the Tree of Harmony. I knew I couldn't allow your species to die in such a...awful manner." A long sigh followed this, "I wanted to prevent the disaster...but I had no power. So instead, I guided her to the tree. I knew it had the power to keep you safe, ready to face the world when Equestria would need jakhowls again." One last pause came next, her words slightly shaking, "And I wish to apologize to you too, Springer. I am sorry I could not save your race."
Springer blinked at this before staring at the eggs, the jakhowl now feeling the burden of what these two meant and what Faust had held for so long. For a thousand years these eggs had been here, safely kept so they could be returned to the world. The jakhowl could feel all the eyes now staring at him, his head slowly raising up with a determined glare on his face. "I understand...and thank you for giving me this chance."
"Of course. And thank you for understanding."
Everypony looked down at the eggs as Springer held them tightly, Ruby slowly reaching out to rub the gold one. "The last two jakhowl eggs in existence..."
"From two different jakhowl families. Hopefully, these eggs can be the hope for the species restoration."
"I'm not alone any more," Springer whispered as a lone tear began to fill his eye. "But with just the three of us, restoration might not be possible."
"I wouldn't say that." Faust instantly replied, "The one thing I've learnt in my time watching this world is to never think something is impossible. You three escaped the extinction, so who's to say there aren't more out there that found a way to keep themselves alive. Another form of stasis, or even time travel...I've seen many species appear to vanish off the face of the world, only to show up again completely out of the blue. I have faith that your race will one day find a way to return. Maybe not today, maybe not in your lifetime, but someday. As long as you keep the faith, anything's possible."
The group of seven all nodded at this, Springer hugging the eggs before he let Ruby do so as well.
"Now then, I'm sure you all have a lot of questions, but I'm sure Flash and Sombra can easily answer them. So-"
"Wait!" Heart interrupted, "I have a question I think only you can answer."
"Go on."
Faust watched as Heart transformed into his fire form, making everypony backpedal for a second as he said, "You're the one who gave me these powers, aren't you?"
"Technically, it was your sister who gave them to you. But since she was manipulating my powers to do so, yes."
Heart nodded as the flames around him went out. "Do you know if they'll ever go away? Since this whole thing is done, will they just stop working after we leave this place?"
This caused Faust to start chuckling, "Your sister imbued you with this power by using Searing Salix as a blueprint. Basically, you are now a kirin in pony form, and the fire powers kirin possess are infused into their bodies the same way a unicorn's magic is fused into them. These powers will be with you until the day you die."
"YES!" Heart exclaimed before looking down at his hooves, "I so didn't wanna lose 'em. Heck, ever since I got them, these powers have just felt so natural. Like I was always meant to have them." He turned to the others, "These powers are a part of me and I won't let anypony take them away."
The others nodded, only for Faust to speak up, "You won't have to worry. I couldn't remove these powers even if I wanted to. They're fused into your very DNA. But I would suggest caution. Having these powers means it'll be your responsibility to make sure they don't go out of control. Fire can be a very dangerous tool if used without care."
Heart nodded back, only for Flash to walk up and place a wing around him, pulling him close. "Don't worry, I'll be sure to keep an eye on him. If he has any issues, I'll be there to help him through it."
"I know you will. Now, I believe we have finally reached the point where our time together has come to an end. As said before, Flash and Sombra should be able to answer any further questions you have. As for me, unless there is anything else you wish to discuss, it's time I was on my way."
"Just one thing," Flash replied while raising a wing. "Do you think you could teleport us back to Equestria before you leave?" He turned to his friends, "After everything we've been through, getting here and fighting for over two weeks, I don't think any of us are really in the mood to spend another two weeks going back to Equestria."
The others all nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly as Trixie pointed at the Springer. "Plus, I wouldn't feel safe travelling through such rough terrain with these eggs. The terrain we'll be passing is not safe for them."
Ruby groaned at this, "Avoiding all that dangerous terrain could add weeks, or maybe months to our travel time."
Soarin finished up by saying, "You wouldn't want that on your conscience, would you?"
Faust let out a hearty laugh, "You all drive a hard bargain. Alright, I'll help you. Considering everything I put you through, you deserve an easy return flight." There was a flash of light as a small glass ball appeared between them before floating into Flash's hooves. Inside the orb was a cloud of some sort that was glowing. "Just think about where you want to go and throw this orb to the ground. It'll create a circle of magic and transport anything within the circle to that exact spot."
Flash nodded back before giving it to Cold as Faust continued to speak, "Now before I go, I have only one more thing to ask. Please take care of Soul. I know becoming an alicorn wasn't something she wanted, but it was her destiny. The power she now holds is her's to control and decide how she wishes to wield it. And like how Heart must learn to use his flames correctly, so must she. Please guide her in learning that control."
"No worries," Flash replied, "We'll watch over her."
"Not only that, I can already think of somepony that should help her learn to control this magic without a problem." Trixie added with a wink.
"Thank you."
With that, the crystal chamber slowly began to fill with light. "What's happening?" Springer asked as they started to squint their eyes.
"It is time for me to make my exit. Hopefully one day we'll get to meet again under a less world-shattering situation. With this, I bid you all ado."
And as these words left her mouth, Soul closed her eyes before her body started to fall, phasing right through the orb. Flash quickly zipped up to her, catching her in his hooves and hugging her close. He then looked up at the crystal orb, the sphere now radiating an incredible amount of light that forced everypony to shut their eyes. Slowly, the entire room was consumed in the light, everything vanishing in an instant.
Outside, the city had finally been repaired from the damage done in the battle royale. And as the last building in the center of the city was restored, it began to glow a bright light. That light spread out onto the ground and flooded off in every direction, causing every building to glow. This spread continued until every sector was glowing, even the castles belonging to Flash and Shadow's teams. The light's brightness got so intense that it would be impossible for anypony to see the city.
And then, in the blink of an eye, the light exploded upward, forming a giant pillar of light that shot up into the sky. It was unclear how high up the pillar went, anypony who saw it would likely say it went into deep space. It stayed like this for almost a full minute before, only for the pillar...and the city to vanish.
In its place was a round sector of mud and dirt where the construct had once been, with a natural river that was being filled by the mountain stream that'd once filled the canals. But as this happened, the ground began to glow a gentle light, the dirt turning from a dark brown to a very light green. Grass then sprang from the muddy plot of land, turning into a beautiful meadow. And once the grass was lush and thick, the light vanished.
Seconds later, there was a small flash of light in the middle of the meadow, Flash and his friends appearing next. The light shot off of them, the group now landing as another light shot out of the ground behind them and took shape.
"What happened?" Soarin asked, "Where's the city?"
"It's gone," Trixie added, now seeing the mountains they had climbed before first getting to the city.
"Now what?" Heart continued before they noticed the light off to the side, now seeing it finish take shape and began to fade to reveal a familiar building. "No way..." he whispered as he now saw his and Soul's old home. It was just like it had been before the war started, the paintings Soul had drawn still on the side. Heart ran up and opened the door, gasping as he saw his and Soul's hammocks hanging from the ceiling and the boxes with all their things were in the corner.
"I guess Faust wanted to leave us someplace to rest before we go home," Flash commented.
"Aren't we heading there right now?" Soarin asked before noticing the others staring at the filly sleeping in Flash's hooves.
"Maybe it's best to wait until she's up," Ruby responded, "If we head there now and she wakes up in Equestria, she might be a little overwhelmed finding herself in a new location."
"Same," Flash replied with a long yawn, "And I could totally use a good night's sleep after what I've been through today."
The others nodded in agreement, only for Cold to step in, "Hang on there. When we arrive at Equestria, we'll likely be bombarded with hundreds of questions, and I will agree that I would rather answer those once I'm rested and relaxed. But..." He turned to Flash and Sombra, "I have my own questions I want answering. Like who that strange figure really was, and what happened to Shadow and the others." Flash and Sombra shared a look, both sighing as Flash carefully put Soul in one of the hammocks.
Hours passed as Flash and Sombra repeated the story Faust had told them. About how she created the Sacred Light and Corrupted Shadow, who created the world before heading down and taking the form of the original alicorn and umbrum. She then went over how those two spawned other magical species before succumbing to old age, the alicorns slowly fading from existence until they created this city and the plague wiped them out, leaving only the four ponies and two eggs behind. They then went over the umbrum and how they were sealed away and created the armors like Armalum, along with Starswirl's discovery of Celestia and Luna.
The two went over how Flash and Shadow had been imbued with the powers, and why Faust summoned them to the city. The reason for the game, the issues that kept popping up before going over the final battle that Flash had almost lost. They were surprised to hear that Sombra was the reason he found the strength to push forward, leading to his eventual victory over the dark unicorn. And finally, Flash explained what happened to Shadow, the story making them skeptical at the least.
"He's...dead?" Ruby asked. "Just like that?"
"Most likely," Flash replied with a nod. "Faust said having the Corrupted Shadow sucked out of him would be like taking out a heart or lungs. If he did survive, he won't be the same pony we fought before."
"And his minions?"
"Teleported away with their minds wiped. Hopefully, they won't be a problem for us anymore."
Cold's eyes narrowed at this, "Flash...they should have been left for us to deal with! That cult has been causing problems all over Equestria! You have no idea how many crimes they've committed! They need to pay-"
"Stop." Flash interrupted as he flashed a hoof up into Cold's face, "I know you wanted them to face charges, but it's too late now. Even if you manage to find them, they won't even remember committing those crimes. And they certainly wouldn't be able to answer any questions you have."
"So they get off scott-free?" Trixie asked next.
"It doesn't seem right," Soarin added, "Especially after everything they did to us."
"Faust felt it was the right move," Flash responded with a shrug.
"This Faust clearly doesn't understand the justice system," Cold growled while crossing his hooves.
"What do you expect?" Ruby replied, "She's an outer god. She's beyond good and evil. She was willing to grant one of the most evil ponies in the world the power to annihilate all foes and conquer it."
"All she cares about is balance," Sombra added as everypony turned to him. He had kept quiet for the most part, only speaking up when Flash forgot a part of the story they were telling. "Since they didn't upset the balance, she didn't see what they did as a crime."
The others frowned at his explanation, Soarin chiming in, "She probably just wanted to know what they would do now. See if they actually do make a better life for themselves, or if they go back to what they were doing before, just under a new boss."
Flash put his hooves behind his head, "If that happens, I'll deal with 'em, along with anypony who wants to help."
The others all nodded in agreement, only to suddenly hear a moan. They all turned to see Soul slowly walk out of the building while holding her head.
"SOUL!" Heart exclaimed as he jumped to his hooves and flew over, his sister looking up just in time to see him coming before he tackled her, "You're finally awake!"
"Heart," Soul giggled while hugging him. "I missed you."
"I missed you too," Heart replied before helping her up.
The alicorn filly turned to see the others, only to stare at Flash before suddenly running over and hugging him, "Thank you." Flash blinked at the sudden embrace, only to pat her head as she continued, "Thank you for winning." She pulled back while staring up at him, tears in his eyes. "I saw it all. Your fight with Shadow....thank you so much for beating him. If you hadn't, who knows what he would have done to me after Faust vanished."
Flash chuckled before ruffling her hair. "Don't mention it. Honestly, I doubt you would have been in any danger. If Shadow had won, Faust probably would have teleported you away with her."
Soul giggled before hugging him again, "I'm still glad you won."
"We all are," Ruby added, "You didn't just stop Shadow. You saved all of Equestria from almost certain doom."
Cold sighed before nodding in agreement, "That's true. If Shadow had gained the power Faust offered, there would have been very little the protectors of Equestria would have been able to do. Even if they managed to somehow defeat him, the damage he would have done to the kingdom would have taken decades to fix. You've done a great service for the kingdom." Flash shined a big grin, surprised at the praise coming from the Frozen Wanderer.
As this happened, Heart and Soul stared at the only building that remained, Heart then speaking up, "Our home is...gone."
Soul's ears folded down, "What'll happen to us now?"
"That's easy," they turned to Flash and the others, "You're coming with us. Back to Equestria." The two young ponies blinked at the suggestion, now remembering the day they first met this group and what they offered.
Flash then walked up to the filly, "Soul, I know you didn't want to become an alicorn, but Faust believes you have what it takes to control the magic you've been granted. This is your power, and you're the only one who gets to decide how to use it. And in Equestria, you'll have lot of ponies who can teach you how to control it....and there's nopony better suited to teaching you then another alicorn, which Equestria has four. Celestia, Luna, Cadance and of course, Twilight, who've all gone through what you're about to when they became alicorns. I know they can help you find what your role as one is."
"But my role as an alicorn was to act as Faust's voice."
"And that role is done," Ruby added, "But just because one duty ends that doesn't mean your life will have any meaning. Now you get to go out and find your next role, no matter what it is."
Trixie nodded in agreement, "Like Flash said, this is your power. Now that Faust is done with it, only you get to decide how it's used."
"So what do you say?" Flash asked, seeing Soul slightly flinch at the question. Knowing she wasn't going to answer yet, he turned to Heart, "What about you Heart?"
Heart looked up at him, "If Soul wants to go to Equestria, so do I. But...I'm not like her. I'm not an alicorn. And even though I love my fire powers, what use would I have for them in Equestria?" He turned away, staring at the ground, "I'm...just not sure if there's a place for me there." He stayed like that for a few seconds, only to hear Flash laughing, making him turn to the defender, "Hey! Don't laugh at me!"
"Hang on, let me explain." Flash replied before shaking his head as he stopped his laughter, "I'm laughing because you think you don't have a place in Equestria." He leaned down and tapped the colt's chest, "Trust me, I know the perfect place for you, and I would be offering it to you even if you didn't have those powers." Heart and Soul exchanged glances, making Flash chuckle as he continued, "Heart, you're young, fool-hardy and have a tendency to jump into a situation without thinking." Heart frowned at these words, only for Flash to pat his mane, "But you're also brave, you learn from your mistakes, and were willing to go beyond your limits to help those you care about." Heart blinked at his words, a smile appearing on his face as Flash's next statement made his heart almost explode with pride. "Basically, you're just like me when I was your age."
The others giggled at this, the knights knowing where Flash was going with this as he continued, "The perfect place for you Heart...is by my side, learning to protect Equestria and all its citizens." This made Heart's eyes go wide as he caught on, his brain barely able to comprehend what Flash was saying.
"Are...are you asking me-"
"Fire Heart," Flash interrupted as he put his hoof in front of the colt to shake it, "Will you grant me the honor of becoming your mentor and stand beside me as my squire, who will one day raise to the level of Royal Knight?"
Everypony focused on Heart to see his reaction to this statement, the colt looking like he had just been hit by a carriage. That is, till the colt started to sway, backpedaling in shock, "I gotta sit down."
Soul was quickly by his side, using her wings to help him sit, "Breath bro."
Once Heart got his breathing under control, he looked up at Flash. "Are you sure? You've only known me for a hoof-full of days? Is that really long enough to think I'm worthy of being your squire?"
Flash chuckled at this, "My mentor didn't even know me a full day before he decided to ask me to be his apprentice. I've seen what you can do, and I'm impressed. You've got the skills, you've got the power, and you've got the spirit to be not just a Royal Knight, but one of the greatest Royal Knights ever! So what do you say?"
Heart stayed quiet, turning to Soul as she smiled and nodded vigorously back. He shined a huge grin at this before turning to Flash, "I'll do it! Teach me everything you know!"
"That's what I like to hear!" He leaned down and patted Heart's head again, "But this won't be easy. I'm gonna train you hard, and you won't just be learning how to fight. Being worthy of this title isn't something that'll happen over night. It'll take years of hard work and dedication." Heart shrunk back at this as Flash continued, "Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to talk you out of this." He then tapped Heart's chest, "I just want you to understand what you'll be agreeing to. If you don't think you're up for it, there's no shame in admitting it."
Heart stayed still for a few more seconds before looking back up at Flash, the golden light of the setting sun behind him illuminating his body. A determined stare appeared on the colt's face as he pushed himself back to his hooves, "Do you believe I can do it?"
"I wouldn't be offering it to you if I didn't."
"Then I believe it too!" Heart replied, his grin growing, "I will be a Royal Knight!"
Soul stood up with him, nodding as she spoke up. "And I'll learn to control my magic." She looked back at this others, "I'll find my role as an alicorn in Equestria." Everypony nodded back, only to see her shrink back, "Though uh...I'm gonna need a lot of help. I mean, I've only had my horn for like...a few weeks."
"We'll figure something out."
Everypony gathered around the younger ponies as Ruby spoke up, "Alright you two, I think it's time we all got some sleep. By this time tomorrow, we'll be in Equestria and I doubt you want your first meeting with the princesses to be when you're sleepy and yawning." The two nodded and headed inside, the others following into the cramped building as they decided to take shifts watching out since they no longer had to protection of the castle.
But as they did this, the only pony who stayed outside was Sombra, a giant frown on his face as he looked around the area. After everything that had happened outside its borders, the ponies of Equestria could look forward to a happy life. One where Shadow Corrupter would never harm them. One where a new alicorn and a new future knight would soon be making their home there and one of their greatest heroes, Flash Sentry, was now more powerful than ever.
However, these facts made Sombra just slump over, staring at the night sky as he thought about tomorrow. He knew that once he was in Equestria, he would be locked in chains the second Celestia or Luna saw him. The former king would be dragged down into the castle dungeons, never to see the light of day. Nopony he knew or cared for would be there to support him...and he deserved it.
But as he stared at the sky, knowing it could be his last view of the stars, he knew he didn't want to be chains. He wanted to know why Faust had saved him instead of letting him fade, wondering if he was supposed to have a greater purpose now then just sit in a cell forever. And as his mind went over this, he asked himself, "What do I do? Just...why do I exist now?
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Finally..... After months of enduring that @$$hole's insane monologuing and BS... Shadow Corruptor finally gets what he deserves. And it's ironic, he wanted the power and he surely "gotten" the power he wanted alright and it was just so satisfying. This story was a truly a journey and I look forward to what comes next.
Hey Shadow Corruptor, you get what you f***ing deserve.
10402385
Agreed
That was epic! Shadow showed how much of a sore loser he really is, and it cost him big time. He got what he deserved, having his power stripped from him instead of just sealed away. I don’t know what will happen to him after this or if he will even survive, but it will be hard for him to cause trouble without the Corrupted Shadow. Meanwhile, while I can understand Flash’s team being upset over the rest of the cult getting away instead of being arrested, at the same time I also understand Faust’s logic. Like Sombra explained, Shadow found each of them when they were at their lowest and made sure they stayed there, so maybe without his toxic influence they can make something better of themselves. Most of them had pretty sympathetic or tragic backstories anyway, with the only real exceptions being Armalum and Storm.
For the heroes though, things truly worked out for them. I look forward to seeing Flash Master his new powers, and him training Fire Heart (I totally called that). It also is a relief that Springer won’t be the last Jakhowl forever now, not once those two eggs hatch. That leaves a lot of hope for the future.
Only one chapter left before this epic story concludes.
Everything was great... until Soul decided to remain alicorn... way to trip at the finish line. While Sombra pondering his existance was a nice job of getting back onto foot, as Stannis Barathoen said "A good act doesn't wash out the bad, nor a bad to good"
Here's a monster, The Lou Carcolh, it's a French 'dragon' that was half dragon half snail.
Welp I expected Deluded One not taking his defeat gracefully & he sure paid a heavy price for it (totally deserved that). Like the saying goes : "be careful what you wish for, you just might get it!", well he sure *GOT IT* alright!
Glad to see Springer got the eggs, at least he's not the last one of his race anymore. Plus seem Faust hinted that there might be some more jackhowls out there, we'll see!
Kinda figured Heart would become Flash apprentice for Royal Knight, the kid sure got the drive for it. As for the rest of the Deluded One's forces getting mind-wiped & dropped far away, I can agree with only 4 of them. The 2 scummy ones (Storm & Armalum) are sure to cause trouble later down the road, one way or another!
Lastly I hope you have something awesome for Sombra's road to redemption, hoping he gets that chance (other than jail time that is)
And now, our featured Highlights! :
Welp, he sure *GOT IT!*
OOOOHHH Lightbringer V.2!!!
Can't wait to see these little guys when they hatch!!!
Glad to finally know *who* that voice Luna heard back then during Shade's twisted game.
We're just making you feel guilty Faust........is it working?
Heck yeah!!!!
So do I, unlike Deluded One I really don't want Sombra to just rot in a dungeon somewhere.
Was expecting to see the Friendship Games hookup here, hopefully that will happen in the final chapter next week!
As for names for the little jackhowls so far I got Boomer for one of them at least.
Looking forward to see what happens in the last chapter of this story, later Banshee!!!
Okay, what's going to happen to Sombra now? Also, I agree with the rest of the commentors about Storm and Armalum. Regarding Storm, he killed his best friend out of jealousy and bitterness, and that happened before he met Shadow. I doubt a mind wipe is going to be able to resolve the issues behind that. Regarding Armalum, he's a living war machine who can't do squat without taking away someone else's free will. How is a mind wipe supposed to fix that?
As for baby jakhowl names, I'll need to know each one's sex, appearance, and overall personality to come up with anything good.
10402414 10402529 10402696 Armalum didn't get mind wiped. If you reread that scene, you'll see five bubbles not six.
10402750
I knew Armalum wasn't mind wiped, I just pointed out that he and Storm were the only two cultists that didn't have much sympathy in their backstories. So out of the remaining cultists that were mind wiped, Storm is the most likely one to continue being evil in my opinion.
10402750
Oh boy, that's even worse! Now I'm sure he'll pop up somewhere else & steal some pony/creature body to do Faust knows what!
Well now that Fire Heart is Flash's Apprentice. I wonder if he'll be trying to tech the boy how to.......https://youtu.be/kvS6zMThiZU
LOL
Well I'm glad that the war's over and that Flash and his friends have defeated Shadow. Still I feel bad that Sombra, even though he's no longer evil, will still be viewed as a criminal, just like Jellal from Fairy Tail.
Also I REALLY hope Twilight won't mind her amazing sweet heart taking on Fire Heart as a squire/apprentice. Of course on the other hand, Twilight does well with being around children.
10402756
Relax, Banshee probably means that he got destroyed/incapacitated like Shadow did.
10402750
I guess I just got used to thinking of them as an inseparable set over the course of the story.
I rechecked. You're right. Sorry about that.