Gathering Shadows
Destruction, devastation, despair. Those were just a few of the words Flash could use to describe their current situation.
As he stood in the snow filled land outside the mountain containing the Crystal Empire, he stared at his friends now laid out in the snow. All were covered in snow and bruises, all moaning in pain. His Pokémon, friends and their Pokémon, along with Sunset, the professor sisters, their Pokémon and, of course, the Gym Leaders he had faced were laid out beside them.
And as he saw this, he glanced up and saw the cause. A massive humanoid figure, its true form hidden by the snow as its eyes glowed dark red, each arm showing a claw-like appendage that had its own set of eyes, which glowed either pink or yellow.
"Come on guys," he groaned as he pushed himself up. "We can't let him win." The others moaned as they glanced up at the figure, most barely moving as the figure raised one of their arms as a sphere of pink energy appeared within the claw. The sight made Flash go wide-eyed, "No...is this the end?"
One day ago...
Within the city of Dragonia's Pokémon Center, Flash and all his friends were at the reception desk. The Gym Battle yesterday was all anyone was talking about in the city, all talking about the fight and the surprise evolution of the challenger's final Pokémon. It had been a Gym Battle that wouldn't be forgotten in a hurry, ending with the challenger earning his final badge.
And thus, the group was now preparing for their long trip back to the Crystal Empire...though it was only three of them preparing.
"Haha!" Flash laughed as he polished the new addition to his badge collection. Once he was sure the Sceptre Badge was nice and shiny, he placed it back inside with the other seven, staring at them like a love-struck kid. "So beautiful..."
Twilight let out a sigh, "Okay Flash, we get it! You're happy you got all eight badges! But if you don't want them to be wasted, you should help us pack up so we can head out tomorrow!"
"Yeah!" Spike nodded, "You barely helped when we were shopping earlier!"
Flash turned to them, "I carried a bag."
"One bag," Doc countered, "We had to carry two." Flash glared back at him at this, "At least make sure you've got your stuff sorted. We've got a long trip tomorrow. We probably won't be able to find another shortcut through the mountain like we did on the way here, so if we wanna get over it as fast as possible, we're gonna need to start our journey very early."
"Fine..." Flash closed his badge case and zipped it back up before reaching for his bag. "Can't let a guy enjoy this victory, can you?" The others laughed as he got up and began sorting through everything he needed, the rest doing the same. And as they did this, he let out a groan, "Here's hoping nothing too crazy happens getting back there."
Meanwhile, on Mount Tartarus...
The members of Team Shadow were still getting things ready for their boss, Chrysalis smiling as she stared at the opening of the cave leading into the Altar of Summons. It had been completely excavated, the grunts now doing the finishing touches as she commented, "Perfect," she turned to Doom as he walked out of the cave, "How are our guests doing?"
"They're still struggling," Doom chuckled, "You have to hand it to them, they've got grit and determination. Not that it'll help 'em get out."
Chrysalis nodded back, only for the sound of chopper blades to ring out. They turned to see the a certain flying vehicle in the distance, now in front of the setting sun as it flew down with a large container under it. Both smiled at the helicopter, both running over to where they had set up a chopper landing-pad.
The flattest most open piece of the mountain had been cleared off, a grunt waving a pair of glow-sticks up at the helicopter and signaling where to place the container. It did so before a bunch of grunts climbed off the container and unhooked it from the helicopter, the machine then getting signals where to land.
As the commanders arrived, the chopper set down, the blades now stopping along with the engine as the door opened, stepping out the leader of Team Shadow: Sombra.
He turned to his commanders, a smirk appearing on his face. "Is everything ready?" The pair nodded, "Show me." They nodded again, both leading the way while the other grunts around them stood to attention. And as they got to the entrance, Sombra stared up at it with wide eyes, "So this is it. The place where my ancestors intended to use the Crystal Heart to summon the Legendaries and take control of them."
"It would have worked if Professor Cadance's ancestors hadn't gotten in the way," Chrysalis chimed in.
Sombra sighed and shook his head, "Indeed. Because of them, my ancestors were forced to use the Shadow Spear to destroy the heart. If they hadn't gotten in the way, the empire wouldn't have had to be abandoned and eventually lost." He began to head inside. "But now, history will correct itself."
The commanders followed him, the group now arriving at a doorway that Chrysalis walked up and took out a remote for. Pressing a button on it, the doors began to open up to allow Sombra inside. He shined a huge grin as he now saw the Altar of Summons. "Spectacular," he whispered as he walked up to it, only to glance to the side and see three Pokémon trapped within their energy cages.
Pegasoar, Mysticorn and Horsearth continued to squirm, only to look up at Sombra. The man slowly walked over to them, the sight making them shiver as they began to sense something from him: Pain, hatred, anger, suffering. All culminating into a single essence: Evil.
"Hello there," he leaned down as his grin grew, "I had hoped I'd get the chance to meet you three one day. I expected it to happen after I gained control over your master, but..." The three growled at him at that. "It seems you chose to come to me. Excellent."
"Peg!" Pegasoar neighed, the energy cage surging as he tried to move.
Sombra shook his head, "Now now…don't hurt yourself. I'll need you in perfect health when we begin our conquest of Equestria." The three hissed at him, clearly saying they would never help him. "Oh, you will help me. After all, you're sworn to follow any command Alicormony gives you. Once it is under my command, you'll have no choice but to accept me as your lord and master. And together, we will make right the injustice done upon my family a thousand years ago!"
With that, he turned back to the altar, "So, this is where we will summon them?" The commanders nodded as Sombra walked up to the crystal pyramid and placed his hand on the side. "Exquisite."
"But also useless without the other heart fragment," Chrysalis added, "Do we have a plan for getting it?"
"We do." Sombra replied, "I've come up with something that should work. Keeping my cover during the last invasion was beneficial since Celestia and the other professors have been informing me about all their breakthroughs in the city. "
"Great," Doom added, "So what's the plan?"
Sombra gestured to them to follow, all heading back out of the cave, "I brought some equipment that should help us get any annoyances out of the way. It'll take some time to set up, but once that's done, the Crystal Empire won't know what hit it."
The pair laughed at this, the heralds turned to one another. "What do we do?" Horsearth asked in their language. "If we don't do something, they'll be able to do whatever insane plan they've concocted without anyone to stand against them!"
Pegasoar sighed and tried to shake his head, "We have no choice. We'll need to rely on the trainers we chose." He glanced over at Mysticorn, "You think you can connect us?"
Mysticorn nodded back, "It'll take some time, but I should be able to." With that, she closed her eyes. Her horn slowly began to radiate a soft glow, which none of the remaining grunts in the chamber noticed. That glow moved over to Pegasoar and Horsearth, the pair closing their eyes and concentrating.
Together, the three tried to reach out to the trainers they had chosen. They knew they would help in their time of need. They wouldn't have been worth picking if they hadn't.
A few hours later...
Back in Dragonia City, Flash and his friends were all in bed and fast asleep. Springer was curled up beside Flash, while Peewee was sleeping on Spike's raising and lowering stomach as he let out some low snores. And as they did this, Flash, Twilight and Doc were not showing comfortable slumber. The trio were each rolling from side to side, each letting out different grunts and groans as they began to dream.
And as this happened, Flash opened his eyes, blinking as he found himself in a black void, "What the?" He glanced around, only to see two blurry figures, both solidifying into Twilight and Doc, "Guys!"
"Flash?" Twilight asked.
"What's going on?" Doc added, only for a trio of blurry figures to appear in front of them.
"We have summoned you here." They squinted at the trio, only for things to clear up.
"Pegasoar?!" Flash gasped.
"Mysticorn?" Twilight whispered.
"Horsearth?!" Doc raised an eyebrow. "What's going on?"
"We apologize," Mysticorn replied, "We have summoned your consciousnesses here to ask for your help."
"Our help?"
"Yes. Team Shadow has captured us." Horsearth responded, making the three teens go wide-eyed, "We attempted to stop them from summoning our master and the other who we were sworn to battle against, but they were able to trap us with their technology."
Pegasoar nodded, "And this has allowed them to carry on with their insane plans without worry. What's worse, their leader intends to use us and the other Legendaries to try and conquer Equestria."
"You've met their leader?" Flash asked, "Who is it? Can you tell us?"
"We can do better then that," Mysticorn replied before a sphere light appeared between them, the trainers looking in and seeing a cave, "These are my memories of when we met him."
In that moment, someone they all knew stepped into the light's view. "Sombra?" Twilight gasped, the three all wide-eyed before seeing Chrysalis and Doom appear behind him as he spoke up.
"Hello there." A large grin that made the teens all feel a shiver go down their spines appeared on his face, "I had hoped I'd get the chance to one day meet the three of you. I expected it to happen after I gained control over your master, but...it seems you chose to come to me. Excellent."
"He's Team Shadow's leader?" Flash asked, "Sombra?"
"Now now...don't hurt yourself," Sombra then said, "I'll need you in perfect health when we begin our conquest of Equestria."
"Never!" Mysticorn's voice exclaimed.
"Not on your life!" Horsearth roared.
"When the Distortion World freezes over!" Pegasoar finished.
"Oh, you will help me. After all, you're sworn to follow any command Alicormony gives you. Once it is under my command, you'll have no choice but to accept me as your lord and master. And together, we will make right the injustice done upon my family a thousand years ago!"
With that, the light vanished, the trainers just sitting there in utter shock. "Sombra..." Flash whispered, "He...he tricked us all."
"I can't believe he's the leader of those horrible people," Twilight added.
"We have to tell Shining Armor!" Doc yelled, "Now!"
"Yes, we agree as well." Horsearth nodded, "But before that, we need your help to escape."
"You need us to go there, right? Tell us where it is! We'll save you!" Flash replied, his nodding, only for the legendaries to shake their heads.
"There's no time for that," Pegasoar replied, "We hate to ask you this, but we need you to give us your energy."
The three raised an eyebrow at this, only for Mysticorn to chime in, "If you're willing, I can transfer some of your energy into us. It should allow us to break free and escape our cages. Though, it may leave you exhausted for a while, so I understand if-"
"Do it!" Flash interrupted.
Twilight nodded again, "Yeah! Take our energy! You being free is worth us being tired."
"Don't worry about us," Doc finished, "Take whatever you need."
The three heralds of Alicormony smiled at them before Mysticorn's horn glowed. "Thank you," she replied before her horn unleashed a trio of energy blasts. They struck the three, the trainers all crying out as they felt their strength being sucked out, only for the dream world to fade away.
Back in Mount Tartarus, a grunt in charge of guarding the Legendaries raised an eyebrow as he saw a light come off the three. "Huh? What are you up to now?" He then saw Pegasoar glow blue, Mysticorn glow purple, and Horsearth glow brown. "What are you-" He reached for a Pokeball, only for the Mysticorn to glare up at him.
BLAM!
A blast flew out of her horn, striking the satellites forming the cages, causing them to shortciruit. The energy disappeared for a second, but Pegasoar spread his wings and unleashed a blast of wind that knocked the machines away. The three landed at this, Horsearth then turning and firing a barrage of Smack Down attacks at the grunt.
"BLAUGH!" he yelped before two other grunts ran up and took out Pokeballs. "Don't let them escape!" one yelled as another grabbed the device that shut the door and pressed it.
But as the ancient doors began to close, the legendaries suddenly shot through the door, Pegasoar being first and turning back to use Hurricane. The wind pushed the doors back, stopping them long enough for Mysticorn and Horsearth to run through.
"NO!" The lead grunt of the group exclaimed before the door then shut them out. "Oh no...the boss is gonna kill us..."
Meanwhile again...
Back in Dragonia, Flash, Twilight and Doc all let out gasps, making Spike, Springer and Peewee wake up. The three turned to them, now seeing nothing but shock on their faces.
"What?" Spike asked as he saw the three turn to one another, "What's up? What's wrong?"
"Guys?" Twilight asked, "Did you have the same dream as me?"
"With Horsearth and the other legendaries?" Doc replied.
"And where they said Sombra was the leader of team Shadow?" Flash finished, Twilight and Doc nodding back, "That was no dream, was it?" He threw the covers off of him, about to get off his bed, only for his legs to suddenly give out. "Augh!" He yelped, falling to the floor instantly.
"Flash!" Spike gasped, the other two trying to get out of bed, only for Twilight and Doc to collapse as well. Spike turned to them as Springer started panicking, now sensing so little aura from his trainer. As this happened, Spike asked, "What's wrong with you all?"
"Looks like our energy really was drained," Doc moaned.
"I guess that just proves it wasn't just a dream," Twilight added, "Which means everything they told us was real."
"We need to tell Shining and the others. Now." Flash groaned as he tried to get up. "Darn it...I can't move."
"I'm on it." Twilight moaned as she took out her journal from her bag. Spike watched as she began panting as she tried to type in it, "Dear Professor Celestia..."
"Will someone please tell me what the heck's going on?!"
Outside the cave, Sombra was instructing his troops on the plan.
"Once the transporters have been set up, we'll send the bombs in before transporting our troops in to grab the Heart Fragment." Doom then held up a beach ball-sized orb that had a line running around the middle like a Pokeball. "This is one of these bombs. Once we have them-"
"COMMANDER!" One of their radios suddenly yelled, making everyone turn to Chrysalis as she grabbed it.
"What?" She asked, only for the grunt to not reply, the ground beneath them suddenly shaking, "What the-" She tried to say, only to turn to the tunnel as she recognized the vibrations, "Oh no."
"Just what is going-" Sombra said, only for Pegasoar to shoot out of the tunnel, unleashing a Hurricane attack before any of the grunts could do anything. Mysticorn and Horsearth then arrived and fired Luster Purges and Smack Downs, knocking away the rest of the grunts.
"What are they doing here?! How did they get out?!" Sombra yelled as Chrysalis grabbed the case holding the Heart Fragment.
"Come on!" Doom took out his Pokeball, "Let's get these things back in their cages where they belong!" But as he said that, Horsearth turned to the cave entrance and used Smack Down. The energy sphere struck the top of the cave, making it crack apart.
"NO!" Sombra screeched, onlyl for the rocks to break apart, all falling down to block the entrance to the cave. "NOOOOOOOO!"
And as the last boulder fell, Pegasoar shot into the air while Mysticorn ran over to Horsearth, the pair then vanishing in a flash of light. Sombra's eyes went red at this, his whole from shaking as the others saw this, "RAAAAAHHHHH!"
An hour after they had awakened and contacted those in the Crystal Empire, Flash, Twilight and Doc had recovered enough to at least stand and get a few caffeinated beverages into themselves. They were now on the phone with Shining and the professors in the Crystal Empire, all shocked by what the trio had to say.
"Sombra?" Shining asked, "You can't be serious."
"I wish we weren't," Twilight replied, "But it's true. Sombra is the leader of Team Shadow, and he's close to achieving their goal."
Cadance grimaced at this, "They must have discovered the Altar of Summons. This is really bad."
"Do you know if the Legendaries were able to escape after they took your energy?" Luna asked next, the three shaking their heads. "Blast it. Then we're completely blind in this situation."
"We'll need to focus on that later," Celestia added, "Right now, I want the four of you back here in the Crystal Empire. Then we can focus on making sure Sombra and Team Shadow are brought to justice."
"But it'll take ages to get back there," Spike pointed out, "By then, Sombra and his goons might have finished whatever they're doing."
"Maybe not," Luna chimed in, "Don't forget, we discovered a way to transport people here over vast distances. Doc," the gym leader stepped in front of the screen, "Do you remember how to reconfigure the Pokémon transporters to connect them to the warp tiles here?"
"Yes," Doc nodded. "I'll get to work on them right away."
With that, he ran over to the nearest transporter device and began making the alterations. As he did this, Flash and the others continued to talk about what they had learned. "To think Sombra was the one behind all the trouble Team Shadow has caused Equestria." Celestia sighed, "And we've been feeding him information this whole time."
Cadance looked just as upset. "He was the one who paid for my expedition to find the Crystal Empire. For all I know, we've been funded on dirty money...and it was all so he could find the city and know where the Heart Fragment was."
"This does explain where Team Shadow's funding is coming from," Shining grumbled, shaking his head.
"But why would he do this?" Sunset asked. "What would he have to gain from trying to capture Legendary Pokémon?"
Flash chimed in at this, "According to Pegasoar and the others, he's planning to use them to conquer Equestria."
Twilight nodded. "He also said something about an injustice done upon his family a thousand years ago." He turned to Cadance, "Didn't he say his family first came from the Crystal Empire?"
Within the Crystal Castle, Cadance got up and moved over to a nearby table and grabbed the journal. "I wonder..."
"Wonder what?" Twilight asked, only to see Cadance hold up the journal they discovered in the ancient ruins. "Have you been able to decipher it?"
"Most of it," Cadance replied, "Some of it's still a mystery, but I've been able to figure out a good deal about it. One chapter talks about a revolt that occurred right before the city was evacuated." She sat back down in front of the screen. "It says that one of the more powerful families in the city, a side-branch of the royal family, became unhappy about their standing in the empire. They attempted to oppress the commoners of the city, but the royal family banished them in response. This caused them to rebel and try and take the Crystal Heart, planning to use it to summon the Legendaries and conquer by force."
"And you think Sombra's this branch family's descendant?" Shining asked, Cadance nodding back.
"I thought he said his family were just common citizens." Spike added, "Was he lying?"
"Possibly," Celestia responded, "But this is all hypothetical until we get some hard evidence. We'll look into it more when you get here."
"Which will be sooner rather than later."
They turned to see Doc patting the side of the transporter. "It'll be ready to go in just a few minutes. Better get ready."
The group nodded and ran back to their rooms, gathering everything they didn't wanna leave behind before turning to the reception. Doc made the final adjustment before turning the funnel, pointing it toward Flash as he put his bag on, "You ready?" Flash nodded, "Professor?"
"We're all set here," Celestia replied, Doc nodding before powering up the device, the energy within charging up before shooting out lightning. It struck Flash as the teen flinched, but he didn't feel anything. And as he opened his eyes, he found himself completely surrounded by a rainbow of light, only to feel himself beginning to spin.
"WHOA!" He yelped as he spun faster and faster, only to slow down as the light started to fade. As it did this, he saw he was no longer in the Pokémon Center, instead now seeing the Crystal Castle's throne room as he wobbled off the warp tile.
Shining ran up and grabbed the teen, "You okay?"
Flash nodded back, "I'm okay...but my stomach might not be."
They all chuckled as Twilight asked through the computer, "Did Flash arrive safely?" Sunset assured her that he was, Springer following next before Spike, Peewee, Twilight and finally Doc appeared. With the six back in the Crystal Empire, they all smiled at Shining, Sunset and the professors.
"Good," Celestia commented before turning to the window that pointed toward Mount Tartarus. "Now we can focus on stopping Sombra."
Back at Team Shadow's mountain headquarters, Sombra let out a growl as he stared at all the damage caused by the herald's escape. Pegasoar's Hurricane attack had destroyed most of their equipment, but luckily, the transporters Sombra had brought with him had survived unscathed.
"I want this equipment back up and fully functioning," he yelled, his grunts shivering at the sight of his fury, "NOW!"
The group ran away, the man then turning back to the blocked off cave entrance, now seeing Doom's Scrapummel and several other strong Pokémon working to unblock the cave. As Chrysalis moved up to him, he spoke without looking at her. "How did they escape?! The energy traps were supposed to drain almost all their energy. If they failed to work on those three, how can we hope to use them against Alicormony and Dischaos?"
"We won't be able to know until we get back in there and study them," Chrysalis replied in a whispering tone, "But...it's possible they were able to escape using an energy from an outside source."
"What energy source?" Sombra turned to her, "What else could they possibly use?!"
"I...don't know." She responded, whimpering as he saw Sombra scowled at her, "There's still a lot we don't know about these Legendaries. Ancient texts and unproved theories can only get us so far."
Sombra glanced back at the cave, "Reset the energy traps I brought. I wants them fifty percent more powerful."
Chrysalis went wide-eyed at this, "Master...if we make them too strong, we could end up doing permanent damage!"
Sombra began to walk off as he replied, "We don't make them strong enough, they'll just break out again. Do it."
Chrysalis nodded back before turning to where the energy traps were being kept. As she did this, she let out a whimper, "Oh...I hope this works."
Several hours later...
As the sun began to rise above the mountains outside the Crystal Empire, Flash and the others left the castle after he, Twilight and Doc managed to get some more rest to re-energies themselves. Now, they were heading to the Crystal Temple where the Heart Fragment was being kept.
"There's no doubt Sombra will make another attempt to steal the Heart Fragment soon," Celestia commented, "We need to move it somewhere they won't be able to find it."
"I'm just glad we didn't fall for Sombra's trick after the last time Team Shadow attacked," Luna pointed out as a Guardroid walked past them. "If we had, we would have ended up giving Sombra the last thing he needs to achieve his twisted schemes."
"Well, we need to move it somewhere he won't be able to find it," Cadance added as the temple came into view. "But where? And how do we move it safely without Team Shadow finding out and attacking the transport?"
"Simple," Sunset replied, all turning to her as she pointed to the warp tile they were currently walking past, "We move it the same way I've been going back and forth between here and the lab."
"You mean use the warp tile?" Twilight asked, Sunset nodding. "That's...brilliant."
Celestia nodded as well, "We can teleport it back to the lab and then have it transported somewhere safe and remote."
"Not a bad idea." Shining chuckled, "By the time Sombra or any of his goons finds out where it is, it'll be safely locked up until we can bring Team Shadow to justice."
The others smiled as they arrived at the temple, Flash gasping as he saw someone standing in front of the building, "Grand?!"
The former champion ran up to them, "Flash! Good to see you." He patted the teen's shoulder, "I'm guessing this means you managed to get your last Gym Badge?"
Flash nodded back, only to say, "I'll uh...tell you about it later. What are you doing here?"
"I said I would be coming to the Empire once we had everything sorted at the tomb. Rocky Road and I arrived here a week ago. I've been helping with security ever since." He turned to the rest, only to see nothing but frowns, "What's wrong?"
"Sorry Grand, with everything that's happened, I forgot to inform you." Celestia replied, only for the rest grimace as they began to explain everything that they had learn. And as they did this, Grand's eyes went from concern, to surprise, and finally to angry.
"Sombra..." he hissed, "I always thought there was something strange about him. He had this...dark aura around him. Like his kind and friendly persona was just a mask he was wearing. I never said anything because I didn't have any proof and a lot of people liked him." He shook his head, "Should have trusted my gut."
"Don't blame yourself," Shining responded, "Sombra had us all fooled."
"So what's the plan?" Grand asked.
"We're gonna move the Heart Fragment," Celestia explained, "We're gonna take it to Canterlot and then move it someplace safely out of the way."
Grand nodded at this, "I'll go with it. I'm sure the Pokémon League will be willing to help keep it safe. We have a lot of Gym Leaders willing to help take Team Shadow down. I just hope none of them decide to side with Sombra once we tell the world who he really is. He's spent a lot of time making friends over the last few years."
The others nodded back as Cadance went to open the new security doors that had been built. But as she did this, a nearby warp tile lit up, making them turn and see a light shoot out, only for something not human to take shape. Staring at the tile, a bunch of large orbs suddenly appeared, all flying out and rolling in multiple different directions. And as this happened, the tiles all over the Crystal Empire did the same, littering the empire with the spheres.
"What's that?" Spike asked, only for one of the orbs to roll up to them. It then began to beep, their eyes all going wide at this.
"MOVE!" Grand yelled as they turned to run away, the beeping growing more and more rapid. And then, it became one long flat-line.
Everyone flinched and braced themselves...only for nothing to happen.
"Aren't we supposed to be blowing up?" Spike asked.
"Don't jinx it," Twilight replied before turning to the bombs. The devices continued to let out the annoying beep, but nothing happened.
"A dud?" Flash asked, only for Doc to walk up to it. But as he did this, the device stopped beeping. Then, it suddenly popped open, the top section jutting up a few inches before a bunch of nozzles folded out from the gap. A second later, the nozzles unleashed a blast of orange mist. Everyone gasped as the mist filled the air, the group unable to stop themselves from breathing it in. And as they did this, they felt every muscle in their bodies freeze up.
"AUGH!" Flash yelped as he felt his legs give way, causing him to fall along with the others.
"What's...happening?" Spike coughed out.
"I think...it's...Stun Spore," Twilight groaned. "But...it's much...more...potent." Shining glanced up at the other orbs, seeing them all spewing out the orange mist,.
"How?" He asked, "How did...they...do this?"
Celestia went wide-eyed at this, "Oh no..." she moaned, "I...gave Sombra...the specs...for our warp tile...control system."
The others went wide-eyed at this as well, knowing what this meant. The warp tile began to glow again, a humanoid figure appearing within the light. And as it faded, the figure walked out and let out a laugh they all recognized. "Chrysalis..." Cadance growled as the woman that now stood over them, wearing a large gas-mask.
"Hello everybody," she laughed before walking around them, "Wish I could stay and chat, but I'm a very busy woman and I have a lot to do." She opened the metal case she was carrying and pulled out a device, which she threw at the temple's security doors. It stuck and Chrysalis removed a metal stick with a button, which she pressed.
KABOOM!
The doors were blown off their hinges, Chrysalis laughing at the sight. "You won't get away with this!" Cadance yelled as Chrysalis walked into the temple, "Androrg and the Guardroid will have heard that explosion! They'll be on their way!"
But then, Chrysalis turned back to her, smirking under her mask, "I doubt that. The Stun Spore was specially made for them."
In another part of the city, Androrg fell to his knees, now letting out several coughs. His biological systems were starting to be effected by the Stun Spore, causing him to freeze up.
The Guardroid were having just as many issues, the Stun Spore affecting their motors. Like sand in an engine, the dust had been sucked into their bodies and started messing with the gears.
"An...drog," the Bio-Mech Pokémon groaned before he fell over.
"Last time, we attacked your technology. It didn't work, so we decided to switch things up and take you down a different way."
She turned to walk off, only for Flash to moan out, "I'm guessing...this was...Sombra's...idea."
She froze up and turned to him, "What did just you say?"
"We know...he's...your leader," Twilight coughed out, "The heralds...showed us...who he...really is."
Chrysalis was happy they couldn't see her face, since they would see her looking terrified. She froze up, only to take a deep breath and reply, "Yes, this was his idea. An excellent idea, clearly. And I refuse to let one of his plans fail again." The group watched her run to the temple as thought back to the last time Team Shadow attacked, now remembering Sombra patting Androrg on the spot they would later find the device that hacked him, all feeling stupid for not seeing it sooner.
Once Chrysalis was out of sight, Cadance tried to turn her head to Shining. "Can you...reach my...Pokeball?" The way the pair had fallen, Cadance had her back to him and his arm had fallen near her belt. He reached out and managed to get two fingers onto the Pokeball and unhook it.
"Grah," he winced as the ball slipped from his fingers and rolled away...only to hit its button and enlarge.
"Crystardian!" Cadance yelled, causing the ball to shake before bursting open and reveal the ancient Pokémon of the Crystal Empire.
"Crys..." it replied while hovering over them.
"Quick," she yelped as the Stun Spore began to form around it, "Crystal Cleansing!" Crystardian's gems began to glow, sucking the Stun Spore in them. After a few seconds, everyone felt something being pulled out of their bodies, now feeling they could now move.
"What's happening?" Twilight asked.
"A new move that only Crystardian can use," Cadance responded as she sat up. "It allows him to heal himself and any surrounding Pokémon of Paralysis, Poison and Sleep Status conditions." Once the Stun Spore around them was sucked inside, she looked up at Crystardian. "Circle the area and absorb as much of this stuff as you can." Crystardian did as told and began floating in a circle, sucking up the Stun Spore.
Meanwhile, the others picked themselves up, all turning to the temple. But as they did this, they found themselves stumbling, barely moving as Spike fell over again. "Hey!" He called out, "Wait up! My foot fell asleep."
Inside the temple, Chrysalis placed the Heart Fragment into the case and shut it. She then grabbed the Shadow Spear from off the alter. "You won't be stopping anything this time," she told it before turning to the doorway, only to see Shining, Grand and Flash standing there, "What the-how are you standing?!"
"Your Stun Spore's been neutralized," Shining told her as he and Grand took out their Pokeballs.
"Not completely by the looks of things," she chuckled as Springer moved in front of them, his form shaking as he did this, "Probably have a few specks of dust still floating around."
"Not enough to stop us," Grand replied as he and Shining held out their Pokeballs. In a flash of light, Galladin and Hariyama appeared next to Springer. "Give up."
"Sure..." she held out both the spear and the case holding the Heart Fragment, "NOT!" She threw the spear at the window depicting Horsearth and shattered it, the males gasping as she ran to and jumped through the opening.
"Guys!" Flash yelled to the others, pointing around the building. Twilight, Celestia and Luna staggered over, now seeing her pulling the spear out of the ground.
"Goodbye," she waved before running to the warp tile. But before she could reach it, a blast of fire shot in front of her, making her turn to see Spike and Doc with Peewee, the dragon having just fired an Incinerate attack, "You guys really don't give up, do you?"
Cadance was the one to reply, "Not when it comes to stopping criminals from hurting innocent Pokémon just because they have some lunatic power fantasy."
"Oh please," Chrysalis laughed. "How is this any different from you all catching your Pokémon? All we're doing is setting our sights a little higher than most people."
"The difference is you're trying to upset the balance of nature," Celestia responded, "You intend to hurt others with those Pokémon, forcing them to bow to you or accept undeserved punishment."
"I don't have time to argue philosophy with nobodies," Chrysalis spat as she took out her Pokeball, Queensect soon appearing above her. "Bug Buzz!" Queensect unleashed a wide-range shockwave that struck the group, making them cry out as they covered their ears. Chrysalis ran for the warp tile again, only for Springer to fire an Aura Sphere at Queensect.
"QUEEN!" It cried as it was thrown back, the buzzing coming to a stop just as Chrysalis reached the warp tile.
"Stop!" Shining yelled as Galladin ran up to stop her, but Queensect recovered from the Aura Sphere.
"Queen!" It roared as it fired off a Giga Drain attack, stopping Galladin as it raised its shield. Chrysalis then threw the Shadow Spear upward before reaching into her jacket and taking out a bunch of pellets, which she threw back at them. The pellets hit the ground and exploded, unleashing black smoke everywhere.
Chrysalis caught the Shadow Spear and put the case under her arm before holding up her Pokeball, returning Queensect as she stepped on the warp tile. "Hariyama!" She heard Grand yell as the smoke began to get waved away by the sumo's massive hands.
But as the smoke vanished, everyone saw Chrysalis standing on the warp tile she had appeared from. "This has been a blast," she cackled as the light began to engulf her. "Later!" With that, she disappeared as the others charged at the tile.
"NOOOOOOOOOO!" Shining roared as the light vanished, everyone coming to a stop as they saw what had happened. Team Shadow had won.
Back at Mount Tartarus...
Sombra stared at their multiple transporters around him, all of them inactive as the grunts stood around holding rope and nets. Then, one of the transporters activated and began firing out energy, the grunts pointing their weapons at the light.
But as the person appeared, the grunts backpedaled as they saw her standing happily with the case and Shadow Spear in hand. "Switch 'em off!" Sombra ordered, the grunts deactivating the transporters. "I'm assuming this means your mission was successful." Chrysalis pulled off her gas-mask, only to show Sombra a large frown, "What?! What's wrong?!"
"I was able to get both items," she replied as she handed the Shadow Spear to another grunt before holding the case out. "But...we have a problem."
Sombra quickly opened the case and saw the Heart Fragment laying in it, "This is it...what's the problem?"
"I don't know how, but they know you're our leader."
Sombra's eyes went wide at this, the man slamming the case shut as he glared up at her. "How?!" He hissed, Chrysalis remaining silent as she didn't want to repeat herself. He then turned away, his eyes scanning over the many grunts that were with them. He knew many of them were discovering he was their leader right here and now, but he also knew that none would be foolish enough to give that information away. And after a second, he let out a sigh, "It doesn't matter."
"Sir?" Chrysalis asked.
"I was going to reveal myself to the world eventually anyway. This just speeds the process up." He walked away with the Heart Fragment, "Now we have to succeed or else I'll lose everything." The grunts all nodded as Sombra turned back to the blocked off cave and saw that it was almost half cleared. "It won't be long now..."
Back in the Crystal Empire, the group was outside the temple. "I can't believe she did this," Cadance picked up a shard of the broken window Chrysalis had smashed during her escape. "Survived over a thousand years, and now...it's completely destroyed."
"Just goes to show how little she and her team care about Equestria's past," Grand chimed in, "If it can't help them in their goals, it's useless."
"They're more concerned about Equestria's future," Shining pointed out. "A future where they're ruling over the land and forcing everyone to serve them or be destroyed."
"Which is why we have to find them!" Spike finished, the others nodding before they turned to Celestia and the others, all around the warp tile as they some computers hooked up to it, "Anything?"
Twilight sighed as she looked up from the computer. "No. We can't find any signal that might help us locate where Chrysalis had come from or gone too. Whatever they used to do it, they've clearly switched it off now."
"So we can't follow them?"
"It appears so. I'm afraid we have no idea where they are or where they took the Heart Fragment. But now that they have both pieces, as well as the location of the Altar of Summons, it's only a matter of time before they attempt to summon the Legendaries. And without knowing their location, we can't stop them."
"So...we failed?" Spike asked, everyone grimacing at the question.
But as this happened, Shining let out a growl and punched his fist into his palm, "I can't believe this. Is there really nothing we can do?!"
Again, nobody replied...only for a trio of bright lights to appear in the distance. They turned to the lights, seeing one was blue, one purple and one orange. They stared at the lights as they came down the mountain before somehow passing through the ice and appearing on the other side. And as they did this, Flash, Twilight and Doc all sensed something. Everyone watched as the three lights shot across the city, the purple light reaching them first before being joined by the other two. They shot down and struck the ground, the light exploding off blinding the trainers and their Pokémon.
When the light finally faded, everyone slowly opened their eyes...only for them to grow much wider when they saw the source.
"Peg!" Pegasoar neighed as he, Mysticorn and Horsearth stood upon the Crystal Empire's street. Everyone simply stared at them, unable to respond.
Flash was the first to recover, the teen slowly moving up to Pegasoar and holding a hand out. "Is this real?" He asked as he held his hand a few inches from Pegasoar's face. After a few seconds, Pegasoar closed the gap and pushed its head into his hand. Flash breathed a sigh or relief and started petting Pegasoar while Twilight and Doc moved over to do the same with Mysticorn and Horsearth.
"Incredible," Twilight whispered as she stroked Mysticorn's mane.
"Unbelievable," Doc added as his hand brushed down Horsearth's side.
"Amazing. I can't believe the heralds of Alicormony are really here," Luna gasped.
"But why are they here?" Grand asked, only to get an answer when the three lowered themselves enough to be mounted. "Wait...are they asking you to go with them?"
"Of course!" Celestia clapped, "They must know where the Altar of Summons is! If that's the case, then they know where Team Shadow are." The three chosen trainers shared a glance before all nodding. But anyone could say anything, the three leapt up onto the Legendary's backs.
"Wait!" Cadance yelped, "You guys can't face Team Shadow on your own."
"Maybe not," Twilight replied, "But we can hold them off long enough for you guys to catch up."
"Don't be reckless," Luna countered, "Sombra's a powerful trainer. If he sees you as a threat, I'd worry what he might do to you."
The three shook their heads at this, Flash responding, "The heralds chose us for a reason," Springer then sat in front of him as he continued, "And I'm not gonna let their trust in me be unfounded." The others nodded. "I'll stop Team Shadow from summoning the legendaries and hold them off until you guys get there."
The three professors stared at the trio with hesitation while Grand and Shining saw the conviction in their eyes, both nodding as Grand spoke up, "Alright..." He reached into his pocket and pulled something out, "But take this." He threw something at Flash, the teen catching it and seeing it was a coin-like device with a small light on it. "It's a tracer. That should help us track you to Team Shadow."
The others nodded and Flash pocketed it before the heralds turned around, only for Spike to suddenly jump up and sit on Mysticorn with Twilight. "I'm coming too." The others turned to him. "I might not have been chosen, but I'm a member of this team as well! There's no way you're leaving me behind."
"Terra!" Peewee roared in agreement as he climbed into Spike's hoodie. The others chuckled at this before nodding in agreement.
"Alright," Flash turned back to them, "We'll hold them off as long as we can. Let's just hope it's not too late." With that, Pegasoar spread his wings and leapt into the air, Mysticorn and Horsearth now galloping down the street at incredible speed.
Everyone watched the three move through the city, and within a minute, they reached the edge of the city and began running through the grass. "Guys?" Spike asked, "How are we gonna get through the ice wall?"
The heralds began to glow in response, the colors from before appeared and the light spread around those riding them. And as they drew closer to the ice wall, Mysticorn and Horsearth leapt up while Pegasoar flew straight at the wall. Everyone braced themselves, only to feel nothing as the light let them fly through with no issue, getting to the other side, the light vanishing as they came out completely untouched.
"Whoa..." Flash gasped as the legendaries began to sprint again. "Awesome."
Back in the city, Celestia and the others frowned at the sight, "Now what?" Cadance asked, "Are we just supposed to follow them?"
Everyone shared a glance, only for Celestia to snap her fingers, "I know what to do. Sunset, follow me!" The girl nodded as the two ran off, Grand then turning to the other professors.
"Luna, I've got an idea to help even the odds. Mind giving me a hand?" She nodded and the two sprinted off as well, Shining and Cadance following them. As they did this, Shining turned to where he siblings and their friends had disappeared from. "Be careful guys. Who knows what Sombra's planning."
Within his tent, Sombra as now busy changing clothes. He was changing into the armor he had shown his commanders once before, but this one was even more enhanced.
He slipped on an arm braces on and fastened it up, doing the same before getting into his metal boots. Then he pulled a red cape off of a nearby table and slung it over his shoulders to connect it into place. And finally, he turned to a glass case that held a metal crown. The metal was silver in color, and had two horns sticking out of each side that was the same color while a large red horn was sticking out the front.
He opened the glass case and took the crown out, placing it on his head.
Armor set complete, he turned to leave the tent with a grin on his face. "Nothing's going to stop me from taking my rightful place. Not the heralds, not Shining Armor, not even those silly children." The grunts turned and went wide-eyed before bowing in respect to their future king. "My ambition for a new, united Equestria will be accomplished on this very spot. When the legendaries are in my grasp, I will become all powerful."
The grunts cheered at this as Sombra turned to the cave, now completely open as he began to walk inside. But as he did this, the ones chosen to stand against them were heading to them right now. The three heralds and their riders all glared at the mountain, ready to do whatever it took to protect Equestria from the one that wanted to subjugate it. But could they stop Team Shadow and save Equestria before it's too late? Find out, as the journey continues
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I'm gonna bet that Team Shadow will be defeated at the end of this story.
Sorry, but I find the four believing Twilight with out any evidence then that she, Flash and Doc had bizarre dreams and woke up from an unrestful sleep, not a creditable as you want me to, Banshee. I knew they would have faith in Twilight, but they have more tangible proof that Sombra is who he presents himself as.
Just a reminder, History tends to written by the victor and Cadance's ancestors were the victor, so we should take what they wrote with a massive pitch of salt (I'd recommend a pillar of salt)
Now that would make everything much more interesting, as Sombra's investing was more likely then not critical for many things and if Sombra pulled out, that money would have to be returned, nothing like the human heart in conflict with itself
Well given everything, he could either give up or follow through, either way if he fails he's going to jail, only by chancing it will have any shot of freedom
If you're gonna rule the world, best done in style.
I did enjoy it, but I firgured that this would take place after Flash defeats Lightning in such a way that Lightning has to let go of his power alone philosophy. Well let's see what happens.
Wow, that sure was a lot.
Not exactly the way I was expecting Sombra’s identity to be revealed, but it certainly makes sense pragmatically. I’m also glad we were able to skip backtracking to the Crystal Empire and just teleport back there so we can move on with the plot and action.
Probably the biggest surprise was how easily Chrysalis was able to infiltrate the Crystal Empire and steal what Team Shadow needed. But again, thanks to that we can keep the plot moving with Team Shadow’s endgame in sight.
Sombra putting on his armor from the canon series is basically him embracing his role as the main villain of the series now that is identity is exposed. Seeing Flash’s group team up with the heralds that chose them is going to be awesome. Though, based on how this chapter opened before flashing back a day, looks like things are going to get worse before they get better. Still can’t wait to see how this turns out.
Here comes the intense part. I wonder if Lightning is gonna show his ugly mug. It be good to see Sombra putting him in his place
Yeah you say it Spike
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I agree, I have thought of that as well and it would be absolutely satisfying. Though I’m not sure how he would get from wherever he is all the way to Mount Tartarus. Alternatively though, it would be pretty funny if for all his talk about how “the strongest trainer” should protect Equestria, he misses out on the whole epic battle and never even encounters Team Shadow while Flash and the others save the day.
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Agreed. I just want that punk to be put in his place
What a drama king!
He's gone full-tilt diva.
The beginning of the end for Team Shadow. The lesson to learn here is that evil gloating is never worth it, since it always backfires someway or another.