Season 10: Dawn of a new generation of Harmony

by xombiekilla

Chapter twenty-nine: A reunion with a wily usurper.

"So then, me mateys, we were just about to restock our supplies and then return to the Phoenix to sail the open waters. So, you caught us at the good time." Celeano said to Twilight.

"We'd like to board your ship, Celaeno. That mysterious robed guy was trouble; he was working with Lord Yami. They wear all-black leather robes with a hood that could conceal their faces. We saw him heading out toward a ship in the distance." Twilight said as Celaeno spoke.

"Gah?! Only cowards dare to hide their faces. Very well, then. A new ship for us to plunder; we haven't done a boarding in a long time. It'll be good to get back into it. Hop aboard then, guys." Celaeno offered to them as her crew and Twilight's group went on. "From the looks of things, he's not too far away either. Our vessel was outfitted with a smoother transition between sailing the air and the seas."

"Wow, it's been so long since we've been here. Remember when we raised our spirits to fight against The Storm King? It feels so long ago and also not."

"Aye, Twilight, that was a fine day for all of us; we got our pirate spirits again, and you saved Equestria." They saw that distant ship sitting on open waters near the port as if challenging them. "A staredown is a gesture a pirate takes as a challenge; he's goading us."

"Let's not keep him waiting; if he wants us, he'll get us." Hero confidently said as they prepared to sail to his ship. As they got within range of his craft, he began to circle the Phoenix, and the Phoenix did so in kind; it was a ship duel. Hero was gushing with excitement at the thought of a real ship battle. "Oh wow, a real pirate ship duel. Let's do it, guys." Hero's blood was pumping with excitement as they saw the robed figure standing at the forecastle of his ship and staring at them.

That robed figure pointed out to their ship and shouted, "Fire!" A horizontal volley of cannonballs launched out toward the Phoenix. A couple grazed the hull of the vessel.

"Everyone! Brace for impact!" Celaeno shouted as she returned fire, "Boyle, Return fire!"

"Aye, aye, captain. Returning fire! Mullet! On me, fire the cannons with me to keep the pressure on!" Mullet saluted and helped Boyle while Squabble squawked and panicked about the ship. Lix was standing next to Celaeno.

"Let's help our new allies, Capper; you're with me; we'll help both Mullet and Boyle with the defense," Tempest said as they stood by Celaeno's side, ready to fight back this enemy.

"Aye then, more support is coming up!" Capper went to one of the cannons to monitor it and use it when necessary. Hero then looked toward the enemy ship and got Twilight's attention by nudging her shoulder.

"Hey, Twilight, do you see their sail over there?"

"I do, Hero. That's the Tainted sigil. Of course, it would be." Twilight's chagrin unsubtle as they planned for their counterattack, "If we can get aboard that vessel, we'll be able to confront that mystery guy in the robes. I want answers."

"So do I, Twilight. Hero, are you ready?" Starlight asked Hero.

"Do you even need to ask? Let's do this!"

"I'll go, too!" Silversteam exclaimed happily.

"As shall I. Capper, take my cannon and cover for Mullet and Boyle. My duty is protecting the princess." Tempest said as she joined the group.

"Let's move in and go for a charge; we'll try to board them!" Celaeno steered the wheel towards the enemy ship to help Hero and their friends confront this big bad. They rammed the bow into the enemy's hull to create a bridge for them to cross. As the five ponies boarded that ship, they saw that robed figure turning to look at them.

"Well done, I must say, that captain is just as bold as ever. Believe it or not, that cannon fire was a bluff to draw you closer to me." The figure slowly clapped as Twilight saw his white neck-like beard and him grabbing his hood and unfurling it to reveal his identity. "So, I have the pleasure of meeting the pony who has been chosen."

"No way... Not you again! But how?" Twilight said as she was shocked; Starlight was slightly confused, Tempest was furious, and Silverstream was concerned. "Storm King. You survived?!"

"Eh, I'd rather not bore you with the details, my princess; besides, my job here is just about finished for him."

"Who, Yami?" Twilight questioned him.

"Oh, so you know his name then? Let me guess, Cozy spilled the beans, I'm sure." Storm King then briefly paused for thought, "Anyway, Hero, right? You should know how this will go by now; I send you a monster, you defeat that monster, and then I go away and probably challenge you another day or whatever." he waved his arm dismissively toward his enemies in a condescending gesture.

"Twilight, look at his eyes; they're yellow. He must be a vessel for that Yami guy, right?" Starlight asked her, and she nodded.

"Mhm, I do believe so, Starlight. I have a theory about them, but it's groundless right now. If we discovered other Tempest in Mount Aris, these guys must have been pulled from different periods; they are anachronisms."

"Your intuition is, of course, as sharp as always, Twilight. Yes. We were all gathered primarily through time, a few of us from the present day and some from different paradoxes and realities. It's like one big happy reunion, right?" The Storm King replied to affirm her theory.

"I was hoping never to see you again, Storm King. So, let me guess, you want revenge against us, right?" Tempest shouted at him angrily.

"I am no longer afraid of you, Storm King. Not when I'm with Hero and My other friends." Silverstream confidently stood with her team, defiant to the old king's intimidation but still concerned about the threat he may pose.

"I may not know who you are, but I'll never lose against this Yami guy. So go ahead, and let's get this over with." Hero saw him chuckling, "Why are you laughing?"

"Well, someone sure is eager, I see. I love that spunk you've got. I'd probably be like that too if I knew my demise was inevitable." He snapped his fingers to summon a massive flying Tainted monster that looked like an undead vulture with blue flames for its eyes and the Tainted sigil on its stomach. The old king laughed mirthfully as his eyes drifted to Captain Celaeno, and Capper saw him and was gobsmacked.

"No way... That's that Storm King guy. I remember him all too well." Capper then saw Celaeno step forth to confront him.

"Storm King, you contemptuous bilge rat, you have a lot of nerve coming back here to Klugetown!" Celaeno stared him down with a death glare as he grinned smugly back at her.

"Aww, did my presence ruffle your feathers, Celaeno? Even now, with my second lease at life, it's nice to see that I've left such a poignant impression on all of you- well, most of you anyway." The vulture-like demon rose high into the sky as the Storm King summoned his dark pillar to escape, "Ta-ta, for now, try not to disappoint us, Hero."

"Grr. We'll deal with this big bad, too! I'll show them!" Hero drew his weapon out and glared at the Tainted monster as it shrieked balefully.

"We'll have to deal with him, Hero. Since flight would be a problem for you, I'll bring you up to his level. Hop on my back!" Twilight said as Hero climbed on, and she flew up so they could confront this beast. Twilight saw its beak opening up, and beams of blue light shot out toward her; she swerved and dodged the best she could. It wasn't as graceful as what Celestia would have done, but it was good enough not to get hit. "Now, Hero, we're at his altitude."

"Got it! Here I come, Tainted! Time to bring you down!" Hero declared as he jumped onto the monster's back to straddle it. Then, he began hitting it with his blade, cutting up the vulture's face with his weapon. The Vulture Tainted's head turned a complete one hundred and eighty-degree angle to face Hero as it shrieked in rage while he was attacking its face.

Then, the monster was about to hit him with its blue energy beam; he used his blade as a balancing pole with the tip stuck into its back, much to its chagrin, as he then used his harmony magic to spin around to create a shield of pure magic to deflect the beam as it hit him; Hero waited until its attack was finished before he stopped spinning to pull his blade out so he could deliver another volley of slashes to its face, this only made the beast angrier as it spun it's body in a swift corkscrew motion to knock him off. "Gahnn?! Crap, Twilight, I need a hand here."

"I'm on my way, Hero; just hold on!" Twilight flew up to catch Hero as she carried him back to the monster for a second foray. "You got him on the ropes, Hero; I think a little more is all we'd need then its history," Twilight stated confidently as Hero was now level with the monster once more. "You got this, buddy."

"You bet I do!" Hero leaped onto the beast's back again to continue his slashes to its face. That made him more furious, however, as he was also beginning to feel fear. This pony wasn't going down like it had wanted; this was terrible news, so he had to think of something. In a last-ditch effort, the Tainted then used a surprise volley of its blue energy on Hero to hit him. "Aaughhnnn?!"

"Oh no, Hero?!" Twilight saw his body falling off the vulture's back as he fell toward the ocean. She then saw an eerie blue shimmering forming on his body. "I'm coming, Hero!" Twilight rushed to his aid as she noticed the light growing brighter around his body before enveloping him entirely. "What's happening to him?" Then the ball of blue light sparks blue static before unfurling to reveal Hero's new form; his outfit was a rich royal blue instead of his standard colors. His horn was also shimmering brighter, and a sapphire-blue gemstone was in his second shoulder plate indentation next to that ruby-red one from the Crystal Empire. "Are you okay, Hero?"

"I do not know what this is, but Twilight, it feels amazing. It feels like I'm enlightened." Hero landed on Twilight's back as she dodged more of the Tainted's blue beams. Hero jumped up high and levitated in place before pointing his blade at the monster and firing a massive rapid volley of harmony magic; each blast was homing in on the creature's face as tiny explosions erupted on its face from each blast.

"Woah... oh, yeah, Hero! That is so amazing." Twilight cheered him on as she saw Hero's blasts pinning the massive beast toward the water below. Hero unleashed a warcry as he kept firing until the creature grew weary, and just then, he felt the form expire as he reverted to normal.

"I gotta finish this with this last attack, or Klugetown will be in trouble." Hero then dived to do one final stab at the monster's head; he put all his momentum into this dive, and his body was like a makeshift spear coming down, cleanly shooting through the Tainted's vulture-like head. Hero then fell back onto Celaeno's ship and looked up to see the monster shrieking in pain as its body was tearing itself apart from the abuse Hero gave it before a giant pink heart rose from its chest and drifted into the sky before disappearing.

"Victory is ours today, me hearties!" Celaeno said as the other pirates, Twilight, and her friends were cheering for Hero's victory. Hero fell onto his back, exhausted from that sudden form change and magic exertion, but was otherwise fine as he reverted to normal.

"Nice job, Hero. Way to go!" Starlight said under her breath as they all rejoiced for their victory.

"You sure showed that thing, didn't you?" Silverstream said to Hero as he nodded before sitting back up.

"So, what would you call that form, Hero?" Twilight asked as she waited for his response.

"It enlightened me and boosted my magic tremendously; I think I'll call it Wisdom Form."

"Wisdom Form; I like it. Like knowledge through experience. Well, I think we can call this another town saved." Twilight said as Tempest approached Hero.

"That was an awe-inspiring display of power you just demonstrated, Hero. And that was only your first time using this Wisdom Form?"

"Yeah. This is just like that Valor Form from The Crystal Empire. But this one seems to be only good at magic."

"Well, even then, this is quite remarkable, Hero. You truly are an impressive stallion, to be sure." Tempest admired the magical power that Hero wielded with the grace of a seasoned veteran. They all arrived back at the pier of Klugetown so that Twilight could depart for Canterlot.

The party arrived at the Klugetown Station to wait for the train to go home as they said their goodbyes. "Well, this is it, guys. It was great to see everybody again after several years, but it's time to head back to Canterlot." Twilight said to Capper, Celaeno, and her crew as they waved their goodbyes.

"Yo, Twilight. If those things ever come back. You'll be here to help us, right? I'm not a fighter but a scrapper, which is not as good if you think about it."

"Don't worry, Capper, if the Tainted ever come back, then we'll be here to sort it out; I promise," Twilight said as she hugged him before they departed.

"May the tides of fate bring us back together someday, Twilight. You can also expect us to be here to offer our aid." Celaeno stated proudly as her crew cheered in agreement.

"Of course, Celaeno, it's always appreciated; bye, guys," Twilight said as the party entered the train to return to Canterlot.

---

In the barren wasteland of The Thirteenth Spire, a dark pillar manifested as Storm King returned to Yami. "You have returned, Storm King. I trust you have a progress report for me?" Yami's interest was piqued at the prospect of Hero's encroachment toward his cause.

"That would depend; does hearing the news that Hero likely succeeded count as a progress report?"

"Hmm? I suppose I shouldn't be too shocked. Hero is, of course, extraordinary, given the level of skill that he developed over such short brevity; my expectations are more than satisfied, Storm King."

"Well, that's just great then; that means he's closer to our grasp. He believes he's making a difference; what a naive fool." Storm King jeered as he saw the look of mild amusement on Yami's face.

"Indubitably, Hero's fate has been slated since I had chosen him as my vessel." Then, two more pillars were revealed, one still concealed and Cozy Glow.

"Gee, golly, Mister Yami. How much longer do you think you'll bide your time? How much closer is Hero to being perfect for plucking?"

"I would surmise that with a few more monsters, he'll be ready for ascension into my ranks." Yami said with satisfaction laced in his voice, "So, are you ready to advance to your destination?" Yami asked the one still concealed, who nodded.

"It was lucky that Young Luna had recovered this one. I can't believe she's from a point where she succeeded in her big plan of tyranny. I'm genuinely impressed." Cozy said to the figure who responded.

"Of course, my accolades precede me; besides, how difficult can it be to make this place as normal as mine?" The concealed figure said ominously as she created a dark pillar to walk into to teleport to her destination. Then, the other vessels, save for Yami and Cozy, dispersed.

"There is one task that requires my utmost attention, Cozy; to craft my perfect vessel, I must first acquire the essence of one with darkness similar to mine and what's currently flowing through each of you."

"Who would be that ideal choice, Mister Yami?"

"Someone who is the manifestation of darkness incarnate; you're aware of the story of King Sombra, yes?"

"What?! Him; we're bringing him back?! How many times has he already been defeated by now? I lost count after four."

"Sombra has the perfect level of darkness I need to finish my last vessel; however, after his most recent defeat, bringing him back in his original form won't be so simple."

"So what, his body is fractured or something?"

"In a sense, yes; his original state had accrued too much damage that would be beyond ordinary repair; he would require a new body."

"Oh... now I get what you're doing; once Hero's darkness is strong enough, you're planning on using his body, aren't you?"

"I am, dearest Cozy; I'll grab his essence, his darkness from within his body to craft the ideal husk needed to sustain Sombra's new life."

"Ooohhh... what a cruel and ruthless thing to do; what will happen to Hero?"

"Who knows, but he will have served his purpose to me; should he survive, he'll be in grave danger. I plan for every eventuality."

"Well, golly, Mister Yami, you have thought all this through; I'll take my leave now so you can retrieve Sombra's Soul or whatever he is now." Cozy then summoned her dark pillar to leave Yami to his thoughts.