All In The Cards
Manehatten, many years ago.
In a small corner of the city, a little neighborhood was huddling multiple fillies and colts of differing races all playing together. Some where playing catch on the street while others played hopscotch or four square.
But on one sidewalk, there were a bunch of fillies sitting around an upside down box. One of the fillies was a brown unicorn with a purple mane and tail, the young pony smiling as she shuffled a bunch of cards around. She then placed them on the box, tapping the cards several times before shuffling and splitting them into three piles. "Pick one?" She asked the filly in front of her, the earth pony touching the pile. "Again." She touched another, the unicorn taking it while placing it on the pile not picked before placing the first pile atop them. She shuffled one last time before spreading the cards out. "Now pick three, as these will indicate your future husband's past, present and future."
"Okay." The filly pulled three out, leaving them uncovered as she did.
The unicorn flipped the first card, showing an image before glancing at a book on her left. "This card symbolizes excitement and adventure. It appears that the stallion you'll one day marry will be a pony that will have travelled far and wide before he meets you."
"Oooh," the girls all hummed as the second card was flipped over.
"This card symbolizes surprise. It's likely your first meeting with your husband will be unexpected, the two of you bumping into one another when you least expect it."
"What about our future?" The filly quickly flipped the last card over, showing an image of a basic pony with nothing else extravagant on the card.
"Hmm..." the unicorn looked through her book. "This card is one of blandity, representing a future of boredom. Once married, your husband will likely get a desk job and spend the rest of his life wasting away behind it." This caused the other filly to pout, all of her friends laughing until they turned to the unicorn.
"Wow Glitter," one spoke up. "You're getting really good at reading tarot cards."
"Though all your predictions seem to end in misery," another stated.
"Don't blame me," Glitter shuffled the cards back together. "That's just the way the universe works."
The others snorted at this as one laughed, "Tarot cards?! More like terror cards!" The rest began to laugh as well as they all ran away, all ready to go to their houses. Glitter was following behind as she held her cards in her magic, but as she followed her friends, she suddenly froze, her entire body going ridged. Her cards fell to ground next, scattering everywhere as the filly's eyes went wide with a purple glow.
The world around her suddenly whited out for a second, only to fade into a completely different location. It was one she recognized as a street several blocks over, which had one of her favorite candy shops on it. She tried to move, but found herself instead frozen as she then saw her friends standing at a crosswalk, waiting for the light to go green. "Glitter!" The friend she had just told her fortune too waved at her, "Come on! All the good stuff's gonna be gone!" The light then turned green, the girl quickly spinning around as she sprinted across the street...only for a voice to suddenly cry out.
"LOOK OUT!" Looking up the street, a taxi cab came charging at high speed, It headed straight for Glitter's friend, the filly freezing up in fear at the sight of the runaway carriage.
But as it got within inches of her, the world whited out again. Glitter found herself stumbling on the street, blinking as she shook her head. "What...was that?" she moaned as she rubbed the side of her head, a headache now hitting her brain.
"Glitter!" She glanced back up to see her friends now standing in front of one of their houses. "Hey, my mom just gave me a sack of bits! She said we can go to the candy store!"
"Candy store?" Glitter replied, only to grip her head as she felt pain rush into it again. She could feel some sweat go down her face before seeing her friends now run down the street, "Wait!" She yelled as she ran after them, only to gasp as she saw them stop in front of a very familiar crossway. "No...this can't be happening!"
"Glitter!" Her one friend yelled while waving at the unicorn filly, "Come on! All the good stuff's gonna be gone!"
"NO!" Glitter screamed as she light turned green, her friend turning around to sprint down the road as a certain voice yelled out.
"LOOK OUT!"
But it was too late. The taxi cab appeared again, the street soon being filled with screams of horror.
The Present...
Trixie and Soarin were now standing side by side as they stared down Terror Card. Their combo of illusions and speed had managed to trick the unicorn's foresight, beating the artist known as Tempera.
"You two are gonna regret what you just did," Terror growled as she slowly walked up to them. "Mark my words."
"Really?" Soarin laughed, "Is that something you foresaw?" But as he said that, a beam of light suddenly shot down from the sky. The pegasi's reflexes instantly kicked in, dodging the blast as it the ground with an explosion. "WHOA!"
"What was that?!" Trixie yelped before seeing one of the eyeball monsters Tempera had made, the creature glaring down at them, "That thing's still alive?"
"What, you thought because you took Tempera down, her scribeasts would go down with her? Hate to break it to you...actually, I'm gonna love breaking it to you. Even if Tempera's unconscious, her scribeast can still remain as long as they have orders to complete."
"And let me guess," Soarin added as he glared back at her, "Their last order was to find and take us down."
"Exactly," Terror chuckled as she pointed upward, "And it seems your little sonic boom caught the others' attention." The two looked up and went wide-eyed, now seeing the remaining eyeball monsters appearing before the uni-troopers and lindworms started charging from the alleyways.
Soarin and Trixie went back to back as they now found themselves surrounded and outnumbered, Terror pulling out a card while the scribeasts went in for the attack. The lindworms curled up and began to spin at them, both leaping away as Trixie fired a weak blast at the beast, just enough to make it pop.
"Oh? What's the matter?" Terror laughed, "Did all those illusions you used to trick Tempera and me drain you close to your limit? Tch, you really are a weakling."
Trixie growled back, knowing she was right as she barked back, "I doubt I'm the only one. Seeing into the future must burn through a lot of magic."
Terror did a small shrug, "Maybe, but I have ways around that." She took out an Empress card from her cape, her eyes glowing purple before sighing, "Not yet."
Her opponent saw this was about to spark her horn to fire a beam at the thinking unicorn, only for Soarin to yell, "Trixie, MOVE!" She leapt to the side, just in time to dodge a laser from an eyebat. Its eyes kept glowing as it soon fired another beam, Trixie running around as Soarin zipped up and slammed the bat from above before tackling it to the ground.
Like a balloon, the beast popped under his weight before Soarin rolled back to his hooves, jumping around as another beam hit just a few inches away from him. And as he and Trixie went back to back, the remaining eyebats, lindworms and uni-troopers surrounded them, ready to fight the monsters as Terror stood safely behind the crowd.
Meanwhile...
Flash and Springer were also standing side by side against Storm and Wingill. Flash soon raised his sword while Springer formed a Bone Breaker, the two glancing and nodding at one another. Wingill then broke the silence, "Don't think because you're together you'll suddenly be able to turn things around!" He pulled a stream of water out of the canal, "Storm and I have fought in countless battles together!" He swung the whip at the two, Flash slashing the water while his blade began to shine, the heat coming off it evaporating the liquid.
"And together we've defeated opponents with greater numbers than you two!" Storm yelled as he charged at Flash, only for an Aura Guard to appear around him.
"Maybe, but I bet they didn't have the teamwork we have." Flash countered as Springer leapt above the shield, throwing an Aura Blast at the pegasi. Storm quickly blocked the orb with his Celestic Gear, the Aura Guard dropping as Flash slashed at him, "Flash Cutter!"
An energy blade struck his side, causing him to yell out in pain. "Storm!" Wingill yelled as he flew upward while trying to summon some more water, only for Springer to zip right up to him.
"Steel Paw!" He roared as he slashed at the hippogriff, clipping the bird's wings. He let out a yelp of pain as the jakhowl fell back down, Flash catching him with ease.
And as they landed, Storm flapped backward to Wingill as they both clutched their injured bodies. "How'd they do that?" Wingill grunted as he pulled out his talons.
"Not sure. Its like they knew what the other was planning without even looking at one another." Storm added as he pointed his blade at the duo. "Doesn't matter. Get ready to tear them apart."
"Got it."
However, as they said this, Flash and Springer just chuckled as their minds did the talking for them. 'Nice work bud. They've got no idea we're talking through our auras. That being said, your aura okay right now?'
'I'm fine. Besides, they'll never see us coming since they have to speak all their plans.'
'Right. Get ready to give me another Aura Guard. Then drop it when I'm ready.'
'You got it! Let's take 'em down!'
With that, Flash charged with his sword fulling glowing. Wingill thrusted his claws in response, sending a blast of water at the pegasus. But before it hit, another shield appeared around him as Flash began to spin.
"FLASH DRIVER!" he yelled as his aura said, 'Now bud!' The shield dropped as Flash morphed into a light drill, cutting through the water as it charged at the two cultists.
Both saw the incoming attack, both leaping to the side as the drill struck the ground, sending chunks of flying rocks out next. The rubble flew everywhere, hitting both as they tried to dodge the rubble. And as the dust from the impact faded, Flash flew out of the cloud, both partners smiling as they now saw their opponents trying to recover.
"Cold Dragons!" A barrage of ice serpents shot out of the ground, all charging at a panting Salix as he kept running down a street. As he did this, Cold rode one of the frozen beasts, slashing at the nirik with an ice blade.
"Hey!" Salix yelped as he barely managed to duck, turning next to shoot a small fireball out of his mouth. "Back off!" The flame flew at Cold, only for him to cross two ice blades to block it. The flames exploded just an inch from the knight's face, the ice weapons remaining solid, though a bit thinner now.
"Seems I was right." Cold commented as he reinforced his weapons, "Tell me, where's your bigger fireballs?" Salix's eyes started to grow at the question, only to see an ice dragon's mouth coming right for him, making him hop out of the way. And as he dodged another serpent, Cold gestured for his creations to come to a stop. Salix halted as well, now seeing tree dragons surround him as Cold kept talking, "You know what I think?"
"That deep fried apples in barbecue source is an awesome idea for a restaurant idea?"
"No." Cold deadpanned, his face still not fazing as he continued, "I think you've got a limit to how much fire you can withstand." Salix's eyes went from growing to shrinking, doing a small gulp as Cold kept going, "I thought so. Even fire creatures like you aren't immune to the risks of overheating. I'm betting you're getting dizzy, nauseous...maybe even have a small headache."
Salix's face morphed back into one showing anger, growling as he replied, "You think you're so smart..."
"Smart enough to figure you out. Nopony noticed it before, but in your previous battles, you've kept your flames relatively low when you aren't attacking. But since I froze you, you've kept the heat high to save yourself from getting a repeat." Cold rested one of his blades on his shoulder, "I'm betting you can't keep that up for long." A big fake smile began to form on Cold's face as he leaned in and continued, "I wonder...would Shadow want you around if he knew you had such a pathetic weakness?"
"Shut up!" Salix barked back, flames exploding off his body as it melted the three ice dragons.
'Step one when dealing with hot-heads.' Cold thought as he felt the serpent he was riding melt under his hooves, gently putting him down on the street. 'Get them even more angry till their flames run without control and don't notice they reached their limit. But before that-'
He then slammed his hooves into the ground as he yelled, "Cold Field!" A sheet of freezing wind shot of the knight, encasing the whole area except Salix as the cold gust melted around him.
"Don't think your little popsicle powers scare me! I'll burn you into....into....into something hotter than anything I can think of!"
Cold just raised one hoof and gave a 'come on' gesture, "I'll take that threat. Bring it."
Another part of the city...
"Crystal Shot Barrage!" Tons of crystal arrows shot down a street, Shadow's morphing into a shadow as every one went right through him. As they did this, he summoned a portal to catch them, several more holes appearing around Ruby at the same time. He eyes went wide as she summoned a crystal barrier around her, blocking her own attacks.
However, Shadow just laughed as he went into another portal, coming out above her with blade in hoof. He slammed the sword into the shield, cutting in half as Ruby side-stepped from his attack. Shadow's body reformed again as he now landed, pointed the blade at her, "Tell me, do you still think you can defeat me?" He let out a chuckle while pulling his blade bac, "That's a laugh." The stallion thrust the sword forward, slashing horizontally next as Ruby hopped back from each attack, forming a crystal blade as well before swinging it back at the unicorn. However, the sword just clanged against his blade, both locking in place. But as they did this, Shadow laughed before pushing the knight back, "I mean, I would understand if you were simply trying to hold me back long enough for the others to find the orb, but you're actually trying to beat me."
"Of course I am!" Ruby yelled as she quickly began hopping backward, her horn flaring as she did this, "Everypony has a weakness, even ones with as many abilities as you! So no matter how unbeatable you think you are..." a giant amount of magic aura now consumed her horn, "I WILL FIND A WAY TO BEAT YOU!"
With that, she unleashed a Crystal Force at the unicorn. Laughing at the sight, the unicorn created another portal, catching the gem laced tornado, another portal firing it into a nearby building. The force of the attack ripped the place apart, causing the structure to collapse.
The two started to glare at each other, Ruby noticeably panting as Shadow just showed a tiny amount of breath. But as they prepared to attack, their ears suddenly spiked up. Both turned to the now collapsed building, both going wide-eyed as they saw a new sight. It was the sound and sight of a metallic clinking orb, the sphere rolling out of the rubble.
Shadow and Ruby stood frozen as it came to a stop fifteen feet from them. They then slowly turned to one another, the same thought entering their minds before Shadow's horn glowed, his form instantly warping away. At the same time, Ruby's horn sparked before stomping the ground. And as Shadow teleported over to the orb, crystal spikes shot out of the ground, encasing it within them. "Graaah!" He growled as he felt the crystals suddenly strike his hooves, making him turn to see Ruby charging with a pair of swords. But as she was about to hit him, Shadow summoned his sword and blocked it, getting pushed back only a few inches.
"Looks like that orb's gonna go to whoever can overpower the other."
And as those words left Ruby's mouth, Shadow just laughed in her face, "That means it's going to me."
Meanwhile again...
"Take...this!" Soarin yelled as he slammed his hoof into a uni-trooper, causing it to explode into ink. Trixie then fired several more weak blasts in the scribeast's directions, destroying the many uni-troopers and lindworms with ease. But as they did this, several more began to appear all around them.
As the happened, Terror gestured to a lindworm, pulling out a card at the same time. She threw the card upward, a dome now appearing around her and the scribeast. And as the card spun, Trixie gasped as she destroyed an eyebat, "No way...she can use those cards on the scribeasts?!"
"Arcana of the Reversed Chariot!" The dome shrank around the lindworm before exploding, the wolf serpent glowing before howling. It then curled up and spun around, speed picking up so fast as that it dug a trench in the ground as it charged at the duo.
Trixie quickly tried to fire of a spell at it, but the spell just bounced off the spinning worm. And as it charged, it accidentally crushed some uni-troopers as it kept smashing the street under it.
"We have to stop that thing!" Trixie screamed as she tried backpedal.
"On it!" Soarin responded as he flew into the beast, Trixie gasping as she saw him slam into the wheel, grunting as he pushed it back with just his hooves. "Now!" Trixie didn't waste the chance and fired, the reduced speed managing to get through the wind pressure of the wheel like worm, destroying it with one blow.
Soarin spat out a glob of spit as he staggered back from the destruction of the worm, coughing next as he rubbed his new scratches covering his body. But as he tried to recover, three more lindworms appeared, all ready to mow him down. As this happened, Trixie found herself having to use hoof to hoof combat due to drained magic to help the Wonderbolt.
And as this happened, Terror just saw there with glowing eyes before pulling out a card, "Its time for a little payback. This one is for you Tempera."
Trixie then punched a lindword before looking up, gasping as she saw no dome appear, "Soarin, get over here! She's gonna do one of those attack cards!"
Kicking the last lindworm away, he sprinted into high gear to get over to Trixie. The mare began to form a bubble around herself as Soarin slid under as it closed, Soarin then asking, "Are you sure you can keep this thing up?" His question was followed by several eyebat beams, Trixie flinching as she felt their attack hit the shield.
Terror just laughed at the sight while she watched her card slow down, her horn sparking as it began its last turn. A flash of light consumed as she teleported over to the barrier, Trixie's shield faltering for a split second. And within that moment, she reappeared and grabbed Soarin.
"Surprise!" She cheered as she teleported both out of the shield and over to the card.
"NO!" Trixie cried as she watched Terror kick Soarin away, the pegasus staggering right under the card as it stopped right side up.
"Arcana of the Tower!" In that moment, the card exploded with electrical energy, striking Soarin with a pillar of lightning and thunder.
"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" He screamed as one billion volts ran through his body.
"Soarin!" Heart yelled, Soul covering her face in horror.
The two had been watching the battles intermittently, both barely able to watch Ruby, Trixie and Soarin's fights compared to the others. And as they saw the lightning slowly began to weaken and ground into the earth, it revealed a standing smoking Soarin.
"Is...is he okay?" Soul squeaked out while still closing her eyes.
"I'm...not sure." Heart replied, only for despair to cover his face as he saw dust begin to fade off of the pegasi. "Oh no..."
"SOARIN!" Trixie screamed as she tried to run after him, only for her legs to give out, making her stumble onto the dirt. She then tried to look up, now seeing the Wonderbolt fall over as well. "Soarin…" she whimpered out, his body silently fading into dust that was taken by the wind.
Terror laughed at the sight, soon turning to slowly walk over to Trixie, "You lose. You and your friend may have been able to trick my future sight once, but never again."
Trixie glared up at her, the mare trying to push herself back to her hooves, only to give out again as the scribeasts began to surround her. But as they readied to attack her, Terror raised her hoof, stopping them. And as they all hissed and glared at her, Trixie tried to pick herself up again, only to fall over again.
"No. I...I won't...give up."
"I know you won't," Terror giggled with glowing eyes. "But it won't matter. My victory over you is set in stone."
"I don't...believe that," Trixie growled, hissing as she glared up at the unicorn, "Even if you've seen it, I'll change it. You might have seen me losing, but I'll win and prove you wrong!"
This statement made Terror's giggling stop, her face morphing to a glaring frown as she leaned down to Trixie's level, "Don't be a fool. The future cannot be changed by somepony as pathetic as you."
Meanwhile once more...
"Storm Shot!" Storm roared as he unleashed several bolts of lightning, Flash charging at the attack with a giant grin.
"Flash Grinder!" Flash responded as he spun into a light wheel, deflecting every bolt as he descended. Seeing the attack, Storm held up his sheath to block the attack, only for Flash to stop spinning and slam his back hooves into the sheath. Feeling the sudden push, Flash kicked off the sheath and backflipped as Springer appeared right behind him with a Bone Breaker in paw.
Storm's eyes went wide at the sight, Wingill jumping in to form a wall of water to block the jakhowl. However, Springer instead broke his weapon in two and swung them in an X formation, dispersing the water as the jakhowl bent over, Flash rolling over his back before thrusting his back hoof into Wingill, smacking him into Storm.
"Blaugh!" they both yelped in pain, Flash and Springer hoof-bumping as they saw their enemies trying to recover.
"I told you, follow my lead!" Storm growled as he pushed Wingill off of him.
"I'm trying!" Wingill hissed as he picked himself up before summoning a large bubble of water. Storm then raised his weapon, lightning exploding off the blade.
"Now!" Wingill thrust his claws forward, the water flying past the pegasi as he thrusted the electricity into the liquid. Flash and Springer saw the zapping water coming, both smirking as they began to dance around the attack. Electric water whips swung around, Flash and Springer ducking and weaving as they mentally kept telling each other what to do. And as they easily dodged each one without a burn or singe, Wingill and Storm could just sit and watch with dropped jaws.
"How are you doing that?!" Storm almost screamed.
Flash and Springer just laughed as the knight replied, "Its called teamwork, right bud?"
"That's right. You might be able to work together, but it's nothing compared to us. We're not just teammates, we're partners."
"Friends..."
"FAMILY!" They both roared, their opponents yelling out as well as they charged at the two. Springer instantly put up an Aura Guard, blocking a swipe from Storm's blade and Wingill's claws, only to drop it as he ducked down over Flash's sword. "Flash Cutter!" A light blade flew out of the weapon, pushing both back as Springer summoned an Aura Force.
"Oh, no you don't!" Storm growled as he quickly turned the dial and pointed his weapon at the attack, "Storm Force!" A tornado shot out at the aura laser, the jakhowl's attack powering through the wind. Wingill saw this and summoned a wall of water, blocking the rest of the Aura Force. But as this happened, another voice yelled out.
"Flash Driver!" A drill of light broke through the water, slamming into both. The attack cut through the cultists, Storm quickly blocking the tip of the drill and tried to push it back. But as he did this, the rest of the water wall dropped to reveal Springer forming an Aura Blast in his paws.
"Grrr..." Storm grunted as he swung his blade upward, knocking Flash's attack upward before turning his dial while glaring at Springer's incoming attack. "I'm not done yet!" he roared as Springer threw the Aura Blast. Seeing the incoming sphere, he pointed the blade directly at the projectile. "Storm Vortex!" A tornado appeared around them and intercepted the orb, sucking it into the vortex and spinning it around until it was shot out behind them.
But as Wingill got back to his hooves, their ears heard a new sound, "Flash Cutter!" Storm spun around to see Flash swing his sword at the previous aura orb, knocking it back at the duo with Flash's light now wrapping around the sphere.
Storm raised his weapon, ready to deflect the attack again...only for the sphere to disappear. "Ha! Looks like your attack ran out!" he chuckled as he lowered his weapon, reaching for the dial. "Now I'll-"
BOOM!
"GYAH!" The cultists screamed, an explosion hitting their feet before knocking both into opposite building walls.
The two moaned as they tried to pull themselves out of the their own body-shaped holes in the wall, only to gasp as they saw Flash and Springer back to back, Flash pointing his weapon at Storm while Springer formed an aura sphere between his paws.
"Wait!" They yelped, Wingill only able to protect himself as he formed a water wall again. Storm on the other hoof, had dropped his Celestic Gear from the previous blow.
"Flash/Aura...FORCE!" The two attacks launched at the opposing winged beings, Wingill barely blocking the attack as Storm was sent flyting through the wall of the building. The pegasi was then flung through another building, crashing into the next street. And as this happened, the Aura Force broke through Wingill's defense and slammed into him, now being flung through only one wall before rolling to a stop.
"Did we get them?" Springer asked as he flexed his paws, aura sparking around his arms.
"I'll check on Storm," Flash replied while flying over to the hole, "You get Wingill."
"Got it." Springer walked into the destroyed building, scanning the room with his aura. And as he felt a certain aura, a claw suddenly came out of some rubble, "Whoa!" he yelped as he leapt back, evading the attack as Wingill pulled himself out of a pile of rocks. His body was battered, blood streaming down one of his wings and over his left eye.
"We're not...done...yet." Wingill moaned, not noticing some dust now fading off his tail.
Seeing this, Springer shook his head, "No, I think you are." He pointed to behind himself, "You and Storm are done today."
And as this happened, Storm groaned as he tried to pick himself up, his entire body screaming at him. He rolled over to his belly, pushing his legs upward, only to flop over. He tried again, only to see dust come off his body. "No...I can't lose..."
He then looked up, his eyes showing nothing but blurs...until he saw it. The orb was floating a few feet from him, making him gasp. The cultist began to crawl along the ground, his body still vanishing as he kept trying to move. "Victory...I have to-"
"Not today!" Flash yelled as he leapt into the room, pinning the pegasi to the floor. Storm whizzed out a gasp of air, feeling all the wind be knocked out at him.
And as he felt Flash's hoof push his head into the ground, he felt all his strength leave his body. He let out a long sigh, "Fine. You win this round."
"Thanks." Flash added as he started to release the tension off his hoof, only for Storm to start laughing. "What's so funny?"
"You. All you fools are hilarious." Storm's eyes looked up at the defender with a giant grin, his belly now fading as he said, "You'll never win, and you're deluding yourself if you think your friends can defeat master Shadow. Everything will still be even."
With that, he let out one last laugh before fading, leaving Flash alone with the orb. The knight shook his head as he grabbed the orb, "Maybe...but I trust them to pull off a miracle."
Another part of the city...
On a now half-frozen street, a giant ice snake slammed its body into a building, a certain nirik leaping just out of the way from the attack. As he did this, a second snake descended down on him, making him look up and spit a fireball right at the icy beast's face. Melting the creature's top half with the flaming sphere, the nirik let out a deep breath, his tongue waving as he gasped for air.
"So cold...need warmth." he moaned as he clinched his body, fire coating his form for a quick second. And as he did this, a giant ice hammer suddenly slammed the ground in front of him, making him yelp out, "Whoa!" he hopped back and spat another volley of fire, melting the weapon before turning to see Cold with two ice blades.
"Time's up." Cold commented as he thrust his left blade right at Salix's face. He stretched his head back, feeling the weapon nick his face cheek as he almost dodged the sword. His eyes darted over to Cold's other hoof, the knight swiping the other blade upward to strike the nirik in the chest.
But as he was about to hit the nirik, the ground suddenly shook, causing both to come to a stop. In the corners of their eyes, a pillar of light exploded in the distance. Cold dismissed his blades at that point, Salix stumbling backward as his flames rose again to keep him warm.
"Looks like our game's over." Salix barked as he glared at Cold, "I bet my team got the orb. I bet you anything. Name it and I'll bet it. Go on, name it!"
Cold didn't reply, instead just giving the nirik an emotionless, blank stare. And as the light caught up to them, he spoke, "Betting without all the facts is a fool's game." The light then hit them, "Remember that."
Salix didn't say anything else as they were both teleported away. In the blink of an eye, Cold found himself back in the map room with Flash and Springer. Shaking off the usual landing from the battlefield, he turned to the duo, only to see two giant grins. Turning to the map, he then saw the third orb, "Good work."
"You know it!" Flash cheered as he and Springer hoof-bumped.
As they did this, Cold sat down in a nearby chair and turned to Heart and Soul, "How are the others doing?"
Heart did a small gulp as he replied, "Soarin got knocked out, but he managed to take Tempera out as well. But you'll never guess what he and Trixie found out about Terror." The three raised eyebrows at this, all turning to the screen as they now saw Trixie surrounded by scribeasts with Terror staring down at her.
"I commend you on making it this far," Terror laughed as watched Trixie continue to try and pick herself up, "But you can't fight fate." She then held a her card, spinning it around to reveal the Empress Card. "It's time. With this, my magic will return and I'll have everything I need to defeat you."
"That's...not happening."
"Oh please. What can you do?" Terror spat, leaning down next as she grabbed Trixie's throat with her magic, "You might as well be an earth pony, you're as useless as one. Face it, you're going to lose, just like your friends. I've already seen it."
"Just because you saw it..." Trixie choked, her eyes trying to squint and glare at Terror, "It doesn't...it doesn't mean it'll definitely come true."
"Maybe not, but this future is a certain." She replied before letting Trixie go, "There's only one pony with the power to change the future, and that for sure isn't you."
Trixie felt her chin hit the ground, tensing at the pain before trying to push herself up again. And as she started to get up, her hooves shook like jelly as she responded, "Let me guess. It's you."
Terror shook her head, "No, not me. But Celestia knows I tried." Trixie raised an eyebrow at this, now seeing Terror spin the card in her hoof, "Ever since I was a filly, I constantly got visions of those around me. And every time, it was an event that caused great sadness and pain. Alas, no matter what I did, I couldn't change it. Whether I interfered or left things to unfold on their own, ponies I cared about would always be hurt, killed or lose somepony they care about." She let out a long sigh, "I even foresaw the loss of an unborn pony and was unable to stop it."
Trixie's eyes went wide at those words, "You can't be serious. Are you saying...the future really is that set in stone?!" She then watched Terror look away, seemingly staring off into the horizon, as if she was remembering a fond memory.
"I used to think so, but then I met him."
Two years ago...
In the market place of a small village, Glitter let out a long sigh as she leaned back in a chair inside her fortune teller's booth. She had grown a lot since she was a filly, now dressing in a silver hooded cape with earrings. As for her sigh, it was because she had just told a young couple their future, the two not happy when she predicted an eventual split that lead to the two stomping out and screaming to the rest of the ponies that she was a hack. Grumbling at the sight, she took a bite of a sandwich, knowing she would need to pack up and leave for the day.
After packing up her cart a few minutes later, she pulled the wagon out of town and into a forest that separated it from another town. But after an hour of travel, she came to stop before unhooking her wagon. "Come out," she called out in a bored tone, "I know you're there."
A light chuckle filled the air next, only for a yellow earth pony stallion to come out of the bushes and say, "I'm impressed you were able to detect us. Most ponies don't notice until it's too late."
"Don't be too disappointed. You did get the jump on me the first time." She lifted her head so her eyes could be seen through her hood, the stallion staggering back at the sight of her glowing eyes. "Why don't you and your friends save yourself the trouble and leave?"
The stallion growled before pointing at her, several more ponies appeared as he yelled, "Get her!" They all charged at her, only for Glitter to disappear in a flash of light. Two of the ponies bonked into each other as she did this, the others turning to see her appear a few feet away. And as they charged at her, she fired a beam of magic, knocking back two more before the others got to her. But as they tried to punch and tackle her, she dodged each blow, kicking them away with ease.
Several minutes passed as she continued to evade every blow, easily beating them without taking a single bit of damage. And as the leader flopped to the ground in exhaustion, he moaned out, "How...are...you...doing this?!"
"A mild advantage of the cursed life I live." Glitter replied, doing a small sigh as she dusted herself off, "Are you all done?"
"Grrr...not yet!" the leader roared as he got up again, roaring as he charged at her. But as he did this, her eyes began to glow purple, only for the glow to cut out.
"What?!" she yelped, now seeing her future vision suddenly go dark. She then looked back to se the charging stallion, fear now entering her mind as he got closer. "Wait, no-"
WHAM!
A black blur suddenly shot out of the forest, slamming into the earth pony with so much force that his body went through a tree. The others' jaws dropped at this, only to now see a gray unicorn with a red mane and tail that was covered in scars. "You lot really should have heeded her previous warning." The others replied by charging at him, yelling profanities as they did. But as they tried to reach him, an army of uni-troopers sprang from the bushes, striking them all down. And as the first fell, the other bandits quickly turned tail and ran, all running as the uni-troopers knocked out the rest.
"Should we go after them?" asked a silver unicorn that was now walking out of the nearby bushes.
"No." he shook his head, "They're of no consequence." He then turned to Glitter, "You, on the other hoof..."
Glitter got back into a battle stance, her voice slightly shaking at the sight of the stallion as she replied, "What do you want with me?" Her eyes instantly began to glow next, looking ahead to the answer he was about to say...only to gasp out as she saw the world around her suddenly turned fuzzy, filled with nothing but the static one would get on an untuned television. "Gah!" she screamed while clutching her eyes. Her eyes began to glow again, only for pain to surge in her brain again. And as she tried a third time, she began to pant as she stared up at the stallion, "You...what did you do to me?!"
"Hmm? Whatever do you mean?" He asked, his stance going between an offensive and defensive one.
"Don't play games with me! How are you stopping my future sight?!"
"Future sight?"
"Yes! How are you stopping my visions?!" Glitter screeched, her horn sparking as she squinted her eyes.
The mare then walked in front of the stallion, "Don't bother with her master, she's obviously insane. There's no way to see the future."
"Maybe not..." the stallion replied before slowly pushing the mare out of the way, "You can see the future? Truly?"
Glitter nodded back, "Yeah."
"Hmmm...that would explain how you were fighting so well earlier. You don't have a scratch on you."
"Oh please master." the mare added, "I bet she just has some fighting experience...despite her odd outfit for something like that."
"Hold on there." the stallion responded as he pointed at Glitter, "You obviously can do this ability on command. How far can you look ahead?"
Glitter blinked at his question, arguing in her head if she should respond. Despite this, she replied, "On demand, just a minute or so."
"A minute...that's a long time in a fight. Could turn the tide of an entire battle." The stallion shook his head next, "Too bad. I'm not interested if the ability only goes that far. I would prefer something much more long term. That being said, what did you mean by on demand? Do you not command your ability completely?"
"Well...no." Glitter added before sighing, "I can see further into the future, but I can't do it on command. The visions happen at random, letting me see events that can happen anytime in somepony's future."
"Does that include yours?"
"Always. Every future I see is one where I'm there. I've never seen a future that didn't have me in the vicinity."
The stallion did a long chuckle, "You were born with an amazing gift. Its a shame there is less control to it."
And as those words entered Glitter's ears, she grit her teeth, horn sparking as she yelled at him, "How dare you! This isn't a gift, its a curse!"
"Oh? How so?"
"This...this future sight has ruined my life!" she screamed, "Every time I forge a bond with somepony, family, friends or whatever, I always get a vision of a horrible fate that befalls them! And no matter what I do, it always comes true! Because of me, because of...this, I'm forced to be alone for fear of setting somepony's doom in stone."
The stallion and mare exchanged a small glance before slowly trotted over to her, "If that's the case, what do you see in that future now? Can you see my demise?" Glitter almost backpedaled at the incoming pony, her eyes glowing before static appeared in her vision. And as she got back to the present, the stallion closed the distance between them and grabbed her by the neck before thrusting her into the ground.
"Gyah!" She coughed as pressure was added to her neck, the mare held in place by a single hoof while the stallion chuckled.
"You can't see a future involving me, can you?" She slowly shook her head. "That's because my future is mine to carve and nopony else's." He then released his grip, letting her breath as she began coughing, "I decide what my future holds, not you."
Glitter's whole body began to shake at those words, looking back up and staring at the stallion, "You mean, I won't be able to see your future no matter what?"
"I'm saying I won't allow you to see it. Even if you have a vision showing my death, I will change it. Because the future belongs to those who have the strength to push past their limits and keep fighting, even if something is set in stone." He turned to the other mare, "We're leaving."
And as the two began to trot away, Glitter quickly got up and yelled, "Wait! Please take me with you!" They came to a stop, both looking back as she continued, "If it's true that I can't see your future, then being with you will mean I'll be free!"
The mare growled as she stepped in front of the stallion, "Back off! If you think I'll let some hussy near my stallion, you've got another thing coming."
Glitter blinked at her for a second, only to stare back at the stallion, "Please. Please take me with you. I'll do anything to be free of this curse."
He responded with a long, deep stare before asking, "And what use would you be to me?"
"I might not be able to see your future, but I can see others. You said yourself that that power could be helpful."
The stallion nodded back, "That's true. Alright," he turned away, "You can join us....but you better prove your worth. If not, you won't see your end coming." Glitter cheered back as she ran over to her wagon, putting it back on before trotting toward her new 'friends'.
"Say, what do I call you?" She asked as she began to follow behind them.
"I am Shadow Corrupter. And this is Tempera." Shadow glanced back at her, "What about you?"
Glitter was about to announce her name, only for her mind to scream at her, saying her name was something he would never respect. And as she thought about this, a memory from long ago echoed into her mind as she replied, "Call me...Terror Card."
The Present...
"Since that day, I've never had a vision depicting the doom of those I've grown close too. Master Shadow's unbreakable will is so strong, it can change the course of any and all futures I see."
"Unbreakable...will?" Trixie whispered to herself, a small smile now appearing on his face, "So it is possible for Trixie to change the future if her will is strong enough?"
"HA! Not in a million years!" Terror laughed, "Only master Shadow has the power to shape his own destiny, not some scrub like you. Everypony else must simply accept what the universe has chosen to be their fate."
Trixie let out a long breath as she glared back at Terror, "You're wrong...anypony can shape their own destiny, if they're willing to push themselves." Terror rolled her eyes and gestured to the scribeasts, the group charging at her on command. Several uni-troopers came first, Trixie grabbing one and throwing it at another before dodging and eyebat blast.
And as she saw a lindworm about to swing its tail at her, Terror fired a blast at Trixie's feet. An explosion came next, knocking the magician back before her horn sparked, forming a bubble shield around her. However, the lindworm's body swung at her next, smashing the barrier in one go. The tail hit her stomach, sending her flying down the street.
Soul let out a scream while Heart flinched at the sight, the others simply staring as Trixie rolled down the road.
"It's over," Cold sighed while looking away.
"No way," he heard Flash say next, the others turning to him as he stared at Trixie. The mare was now trying to get back up, her body shaking like crazy as he continued, "It's only over if she gives up. And Trixie hasn't given up yet."
They looked back at the screen, Cold shaking his head, "I don't see it."
"Then watch and learn Cold. This is what happens when somepony never gives up."
Terror growled as she walked over to Trixie, the scribeast surrounding them all. "How many times do I have to explain it?! You are destined to lose this fight! That is the future that has been written." Her eyes glowed as she pulled out her Empress Card, "Last warning. Accept your fate, or be destroyed."
Trixie grunted in pain as she rolled onto her stomach, panting as she pushed on her hooves, "A long time ago...Trixie believed that her future was set in stone. Everypony, even her own father, believed she would achieve nothing worth while in her life. And slowly...she started to think the same thing. She started hiding her insecurities behind a façade, becoming an egotistic boaster that lied about her abilities."
Terror giggled at this, "Oh? Sounds like the hopeless opponent I'm fighting right now."
"You're wrong." Trixie replied as she kept trying to stand up, "You see, Trixie...I met Flash. He made me realize my future was whatever I could make it. He, Twilight and all my friends helped me find the strength I needed to achieve me true power. Then I met Luna and she took me under her wing, because she believed I had more potential then I had ever dreamed of." She finally lifted her head, glaring at Terror. "So go ahead, throw that card! I don't care what future you saw! It won't be the same one that happens!"
The mare growled back at her, raising the card, "Don't be a fool. I already told you how this ends. You lose and master Shadow will defeat your friend, earning us the orb!"
"You're wrong," Trixie's horn began to spark as Terror threw the card, "Even if it's already been decided," the dome appeared around them as the card began to spin. "Even if it's set in stone..." She galloped forward as she screamed, "I'LL SMASH THAT FUTURE!"
"You'll smash nothing!" She ducked under Trixie's punch, quickly side-stepping away, "The future has been confirmed and there's nothing you can-" She stopped when she looked up at the card, now seeing it come to a halt...upside down. "What?!" She screeched as the dome shrank around Trixie, "NO!"
The dome exploded into light, absorbing into Trixie as she felt a pulse of magic charge into her body.
"That's not possible!" Terror screamed as she shook her head, "That's...that's not what I saw!" Her thoughts were cut when Trixie's horn fired a blast of magic at her. Terror's eyes glowed before shifting her head to dodge it, only for it to hit her chest, "AUGH!" She yelped as a scribeast began to charge at her, only to be torn apart from a magic beam.
"This can't be happening!" Terror said as she tried to look into the future again, only to see Trixie fight a lindworm...only for it to go blurry. Blinking at the vision, she then saw Trixie about to be hit by the lindworm's tail in the vision, only for Trixie to hop out of the way, blasting the worm down a second later.
"This isn't possible...how is she changing the future?" she whispered, now seeing Trixie fire a barrage of spells that wiped out the remaining eyebats. And as she did this, she then formed a bubble to block several uni-trooper swords.
And as the blades bounced off the barrier, Trixie's horn shining as readied to attack the monsters. As she did this, Terror's eyes kept glowing, looking into the future again. But as she looked ahead, the vision was now fully blurry, only to turn into static. "GYAH! What...who...what are you?!"
Trixie laughed as her magic bubble lowered, her horn now shining in a pillar of magical aura, "I...am the student of the moon!"
With that, a wave of magic flew out the mare, Terror trying to summon a shield of magic, only for her horn to sputter out. "No!" And as she did this, a freezing sensation washed over her body, her form shivering as she now saw ice cover the entire street. Everything except Terror's head and the tips of her hooves were encased in ice, the rest of the scribeasts now turned into ice sculptures.
And standing in the middle of the ice field, Trixie shined a big grin as she walked over to Terror. The mare growled as she tried move, her eyes glowing as she kept looking at future...only to see static. "No...how?! How can you do what only master Shadow could?! You're nopony special!"
"I know," Trixie replied with a slow nod, "I am nopony special, no matter how much I boasted once." Cracks began to appear on the frozen scribeasts. "But I'm also no less special then you, and neither am I less special than your precious master, Flash, Soarin, Cold, Ruby, Springer...or Twilight." The cracks continued to spread around the statues. "Nopony is more special than anypony else, even the princesses. Our lives may be different, our skills and magical abilities may be miles apart, but I'm just as important as anypony else. The only difference between us is that I choose to forge my own future. Let others believe in destiny and fate. My future is whatever I choose to make it. That's why-"
Terror gasped as the scribeasts ice finally broke apart...only to fall apart into chunks of ice. "No..."
"You can't predict my future anymore. Because, it's mine to shape."
"You...you....You insignificant nopony!" Terror screeched as her body suddenly smashed out of the ice. "I won't let you beat me! Your defeat is in my future!" She quickly charged at Trixie, throwing several blind visionless punches at the mare. Trixie dodged the first blow, her horn sparking next as an army of Trixies appeared around them before hopping back into the crowd.
"Don't you dare! Come out and fight!" She screamed, only to get sucker punched in the face by one of the Trixies. She staggered back, quickly firing a beam to counter the magician, only to hit an illusion. This was followed by another blow, Trixie hitting her side with a beam of magic.
"What's the matter?" One of the Trixies asked.
"Can't fight if you don't know what's gonna happen before it does?" another Trixie added.
Terror panted as she glared at the army around her, "You're only delaying the inevitable."
"I don't think so," a Trixie replied.
"Your future sight might give you the edge in most fights."
"But without it, you've got no fighting skills."
And as another beam of magic came out of the crowd of Trixies, Terror ducked under the attack, a death glare in her eyes, "Don't mock me. I'm still better than you." A blazing aura covered her horn next as she stared all the illusions down, "I will win this, just as Master Shadow will win his battle."
Meanwhile...
"Crystal Hammer!" Ruby roared as she created the biggest hammer she could, slamming the weapon at Shadow's barrier he created, only for the dark unicorn to stagger back from the blow as the shield shattered. Seeing this, Ruby charged with two crystal blades, Shadow turning to smoke in response. But as he did this, the tip of the blade cut his cheek.
"Gyah!" He hissed as his smoke form flew back, reforming as he put a hoof to his cheek. The stallion felt the red liquid soak it, making his eyes narrow as he let out a roar, firing a black beam of magic at Ruby.
"Crystal Guard!" She formed the largest shield she could produce, the spell hitting the barrier before refracting into another building. The structure was sliced in half, leading it to begin to fall toward them. Shadow instantly teleported away while Ruby created a crystal tent like before, she and the orb getting buried beneath the rubble.
And when Shadow reappeared, he stared at the debris, only for Ruby to shoot out of the rubble on a crystal pillar. A beam fired out of her horn, Shadow creating a portal to deflect it at another building. Ruby let out a scream as she kept firing more blasts, Shadow creating a crowd of portals that reflected every attack.
"Its pointless." Shadow commented as he blocked another attack, "You will not beat me."
"I can try." Ruby yelled as she summoned a volley of arrows, "I'll never stop."
"Pitiful." Shadow replied as his horn began to glow, an aura encasing his entire body, "This ends now."
"I agree!" Ruby screamed as a surge of magic encased her entire horn, "CRYSTAL FORCE!" A crystal laced tornado came out of her horn a second later, Shadow firing a singular beam back at her as both forces clashed. And as both attacks fought, the two magics mixing together before one began to overpower the other.
At the same time...
Terror's horn kept sparking as she fired beam after beam, fake Trixies turning into dust as kept going. But as she did this, more illusions kept appearing, the fakes now mocking her. "Not that one," one said after she dispelled another fake, only for it to be destroyed as well.
"Ooh," another laughed, "I felt some wind from that one."
"I should have brought popcorn."
"ENOUGH!" Terror screamed as she pulled out a Tower Card, not even bothering to look into the future. "This ends now!" She tossed it into the air, the card spinning as she kept attacking the clones. And as the card came to a stop, it stood right side up, "HA!"
A bolt of lighting came out next, heading right for a certain Trixie. The unicorn formed a shield, blocking the bolt as the others vanished. But as the attack ended, Trixie dropped her shield, only to be tackled by Terror. The two began rolling down the street, punching, biting and kicking one another until Trixie managed to throw Terror off. The mare hit the ground sliding, pulling out a random card and throwing it.
The dome appeared as the card span, both mares jumping up and sparking their horns. They screamed as they unleashed two beams of magic, both attacks clashing as they began to push each other. And as they did this, the card came to stop...upside down. As such, the dome encased Trixie, light now consuming her as Trixie's eyes shot open as a flood of power exploded out of her horn.
Terror's eyes went wide as she saw this, "No...don't tell me that was the Magician!" She screamed, now feeling the full force of Trixie's power. "This can't be happening..." she groaned as the magic pushed her back, the spell about to hit her, "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
KABOOM!
The entire street shook, an explosion following as smoke filled the area. Trixie coughed and waved her hoof at the ash, throwing up a shield next to keep the smoke off of her. And as the cloud faded, Trixie blinked as she saw Terror had completely vanished. Looking around, she saw a pile of rubble in the far corner.
Walking over to the debris, a battered Terror pulled herself out, her entire body filled with bruises and streaming blood. "I'm...not...done." She wheezed, only to see her body begin to radiate dust, "No...I can still...fight."
Trixie shook her head in response, "Its over Terror. I beat you and your power over me is gone. And when you fight my friends, I know they'll be able to do the same thing I did. Your future sight is gone."
And as those words hit Terror's ears, her eyes went red as she let out a roar, "RAAAAAAHHHH!" She pushed herself out of the rubble, trying to punch Trixie...only to turn to dust.
Trixie let out a long sigh next, slumping over as she felt some pride in the battle. "I did it...I can't believe it, but...I did it. I won. I...can shape my own future." Her flank hit the ground as she stared at the debris Terror had been in, only to see a notebook under the rocks, "Huh?"
She grabbed the book and wiped off the dust, opening it next to see tons of written pages. Blinking at the sight, she saw that the writing was faded, some sections missing while all of it was in a dialect she had never seen before.
"What is this?" She muttered, only to feel the street rumble. Looking up, she saw a pillar of light explode in the distance, "Ruby..."
One minute earlier...
An entire street was now completely destroyed, several buildings leveled into piles of rubble. And atop those stones, one pony stood above another with a cackling laugh. It was Shadow, continuing to chuckle as he saw Ruby's body slowly turn to dust. He would have mocked her, but he doubted she could even hear him in her half conscious state. Instead, he just let her see his smug expression as she finally vanished.
Once gone, he turned to a section of rubble as a dark cloud appeared around his horn. The dust soon went over the debris, melting everything down to molecules as the rubble began to disappear. And as it did this, it slowly revealed the crystal tent Ruby had created around the orb.
Shadow hopped off the rubble next, walking over as he summoned his decaying sword. With one giant slash, he smashed the tent to pieces, the orb not moving as the crystals shattered around it. And as a final chuckle escaped his mouth, he reached down and grasped the sphere, the orb unleashing a powerful light. "I win."
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Great flushing out of Ter... sorry Glitter, her magic, what she can do how it works.
Love how Trixie proved Glitter wrong... that only Shadow or someone on par with him can change the future... but kind of right because Trixie cites that she is the student of Princess Luna... (Yeah say what you want, but Trixie is a hypocrite... and narratively speaking it looks like Glitter is the sincere one... huh, the world and actions in the story proves the villains' philosophy right and when the heroes try to challenge it they are exposed to be where they are because they, at best unwittingly, followed the villains' philosophy... just something to chew on)
Love the use of Cold's cold logic (I regret nothing, I will not see myself out) against the Kirin. (I know I should his name, but I haven't been given enough of a reason from the story to justify caring about him)
Sorry, Storm and hippo (because hippogriff-hippocampus) (I know his name, but I haven't been given enough of a reason from the story to justify continuing to care about him) but you're bond never stood a chance, as for you Strom, looks like you've haven't learned as much as you thought from Grand.
No, I am not gonna address the end. I am not gonna point out that the score had no effective net change, I am not gonna point out the near narrative cul-de-sac that this whole I am gonna call Terror Card sub-saga became at the end, because Team Shadow ended with one point ahead of Team Flash, much like how it started this sub-saga with one point ahead of Team Flash. Nope. Nope. Nope.
Wow, that was pretty awesome! I admit, Terror's backstory makes me feel a bit of sympathy for her, with her ability to see into the future essentially being a curse for her, but as she is right now in the Present I say she got exactly what she deserved. I wonder if every member of the cult is using an alias though?
Trixie getting her revenge on Terror was awesome! She really has come a long way since her introduction. Luna is going to be so proud when she hears about this. Though it might have been a bit downplayed due to Shadow beating Ruby and winning the match for his cult I kinda was expecting that anyway. I think it is safe to guess that the only one who can beat Shadow right now is Flash, or maybe Soul since she's an alicorn. But that being said, Trixie was the MVP for her team this match. I wonder if that notebook she found at the end could be of some help to them, assuming she was able to keep it and brought it back with her.
Flash's team didn't get much focus here, similar to last time, but they were in top form. Flash and Springer's teamwork blew Storm and Wingill's out of the water and Cold had Salix on the ropes the entire time to the point of just messing with him. The scores are still tied but anything can happen next!
Lots of fights & backstory on this chapter, even though Shadow is still 1 orb ahead at the end of this chapter it was so satisfying to see Trixie come out on top against Terror, plus the double fight of Flash/Springer VS Storm/Wingill was awesome in itself!
Highlights for this chapter include :
Damn, that went dark fast!!!
Welp, another bit of information there on the nut squad, good to know!
Ouch, want some cream to treat that nasty burn there Salix?
Oh............right, forgot about the orb thing for a minute there!
Oh yeah, been missing seeing the teamwork between these 2 when fighting creeps!!!
Well you were half-right at the end there Terror.
Glad to see Trixie walking away from this fight with something else beside her win, hoping the gang can put it to good use.
I so totally gonna enjoy it when it's your turn to get trampled jackass!
A lot to ups & downs on this chapter, looking forward to the next one!!!
10229836
Actually, Flash and Shadow's teams are tied with 3 orbs each.
10229853
Actually no, Flash picked up his team's third orb after he and Springer beat Storm and the hippo and Shadow picked up his team's fourth orb at the end of the chapter. The baddies still lead the heroes by one.
10229868 No, the teams each have three.
10229868
Nope. They are tied, I kept track.
Chapter 3: Flash wins 1-0.
Chapter 4: Shadow wins 1-1.
Chapter 5: Shadow wins 1-2.
Chapter 7: Flash wins 2-2.
This chapter: both teams win 3-3.
Well done, Trixie!
Also Salix mentioning Apples seems to foreshadow an event in his future.
10229853
Wait really????
*goes back to check*
Huh can't believe I missed that, thanks buddy!👍😀
10230017
No problem pal!
10229884
10229876
Given how the story has been written, can you blame me, as
10229836 also has seen, one can easily infer that the baddies lead the heroes.
And even if I were to concede that it's a tie, plotwise this sub-saga focused on Glitter is still a narrative cul-de-sac. Sure they each are one orb closer to completing the set, but that's not much different than every time Sun Wukong saves Tripitaka from a demon trying to eat the latter in almost every other chapter in The Journey to The West, namely from chapters 23 to 86, and to a lesser extent from chapters 13 to 22 after Tripitaka freed Sun Wukong after he titular journey and recruited Zhu Bajie (Pigsy), Sha Wujing (Sandy) and the dragon Yulong who would be Tripitaka's mount, and again between chapters 87 to 99 from when the band finally exited China and entered India until they reach Vulture Peak. While there is some forward motion, so much of the story can be broken to 'Tripitaka and come across a mountain or river, demon sees Tripitaka, demon kidnaps Tripitaka to eat him, Sun Wukong rescues Tripitaka and the company heads to the next mountain or river. Rinse Wash Repeat.
This was a pretty long chapter with lots of action and some backstory. That being said, considering how many chapters you said you had planned and how much more backstory you're going to need to cover, I was kind of expecting a little more backstory than what we got. Are you saving Wingill and Salix's backstories for when the hippogriffs and kirin/nirik are officially introduced? I know Foxhelm's been hard on you ever since you introduced those two, but he does have a point in that those two need a little more fleshing out, and I'm not sure if we can wait until your version of the movie and season 8 for those backstories. Trixie's comeback was immensely satisfying. I'll give you that much.
10230084 No, they'll get backstory here. I actually thought they'd be the least wanted backstory, so I left them until later in favour of the ones I thought people would want to know the most.
10230094
I think most of the curiosity surrounding them comes from the fact that their species aren't supposed to be introduced until much later, so a lot of readers (well, mostly Foxhelm probably) are wondering what you changed in canon that is allowing them to be out and about so soon. I mean, sure, they're both idiots who mainly exist for comic relief, but they're also two non-ponies belonging to species that got a late introduction into the show's canon.
10230106 Well a bit of their backstory was mentioned in previous chapters, mostly before Wingill got his upgrade and during their two on one fight against Flash.