Dawn of the Storm

by Real Solaris

A New Dawn

A loud *BAMF* echoes across the jagged peaks of the Storm King's lair as a golden flash of light dims to reveal Real, bat-blade in hand. Sheathing his weapon, the human looks around, taking in the scene. Grimacing, he heads for what he thinks is the center of the stronghold. A gust of wind howls by Real, giving his hair a combover and sending chills down his back. Pulling his jacket tighter against his body, he attempts to fix his unruly hair, putting his fingers through it until he felt it would stay that way - or at least until the next blast of wind.

“Ugh… this wind is doing wonders for my hair,” He grumbles, grimacing as another gust of wind blasts past him as he avoids the many acid pools lying about. “I’ll have to ask Rarity for hairstyle ideas when I get back because this is getting ridiculous.”

He continues to move through the Storm King’s domain, unaware he was being watched from afar by two pink eyes floating in a blue mist. They disappear as fast as they appear, moving to a new location to get a better view of him.

“Now if I were a giant, world-conquering beast made of mist and lightning, where would I be?” Real muses, scratching his chin. Climbing over the next hill, he comes across the biggest pool of acid he has ever seen, if it could be called a pool at that point. It was an entire lake of the deadly liquid, bubbling menacingly as it slowly ate away at the very ground it sat on. A hazy blue mist sat right above it, highlighting the small island in the middle, about the size of four Ponyville houses, with steppingstones leading up to it. The craggy cliffs surrounding the lake jutted high into the sky, curling down like a clawed hand holding it in its palm.

“Now this is giving me some serious boss fight vibes right here,” whistles Real, slowly making his way around the lake towards the stepping stones. “Gotta hand to the guy, he sure knows how to make a place feel welcome.”

“Why thank you,” rumbles a voice. The sound bounces off the cliffs, making it hard for Real to pinpoint where it came from. “I think it turned out pretty good, don’t you think?”

The mist starts to condense as it swirls around the island, rising to form a pillar of mist. It condenses further, shaping into a hulking torso made of crystals. Bright pink eyes glow from within as the Storm King’s head materializes, his massive chin taking up most of his head. It only leaves enough room for the rest of his head and the two horns that protruded from it.

"Welcome to my home away from home,” rumbles the Storm King, stretching his arms out as lightning strikes from behind him.

“Looking as ugly as ever, I see?” quips Real, jumping onto the first stepping stone. “Ever look in a mirror recently?”

“Taking after those nuisances, are we?” growls the Storm King. “Two was bad enough as it was. Three is just ridiculous.”

“I guess you could say that,” says Real, jumping to the next stone, flailing his arms as he nearly loses his balance and falls into the acid. “But I’m just taking hold of the confidence I didn’t have back at home.”

“Don’t care. Now let’s get to more pressing matters at hand,” says the Storm King, waving a claw dismissively. “Or claw in my case. Do you know why you have come here for?”

“Yeah. You want my magic, right?” asks Real, getting a running start before jumping to the next stone. “Well, you can have it.”

The Storm King freezes, surprised by what he just heard. He sticks a claw in his nonexistent ear, wiggles it around and pulls out a ball of wax the size of a watermelon, which he promptly flicks away into the acid below. “Wait, hold up, you’re just giving me your magic?”

“Yes, I am,” answers Real, landing on the next stone. “But only under one condition.”

“Oh?” muses the behemoth, his eyes glowing bright. “And what might that be?”

“Stay away from my friends,” Real simply says, reaching the second to last stepping stone. “That’s it. No bells, whistles, or string attached.”

"Ooh, bit of a problem there,” says the Storm King. In case you didn’t know, I really hate those guys, especially that hybrid. I have plans for him after I take over Equestria.”

“Well, if you don’t want my magic,” Real says, landing on the next stone before pointing back the way he came in. “Then I’ll just head back to Canterlot and let you go on with whatever you were doing.”

“Waitwaitwait!” the Storm King frantically says, shaking his hands. “Fine. I’ll reconsider your deal.”

“Ah, good men know when they see a good deal placed before them,” says Real, jumping onto the island, and walking a few paces inland before holding his hand out to the monstrous behemoth. “I will give you my magic, but you cannot hurt any of my friends.”

The Storm King ponders this trade for a moment, wondering how he can take advantage of the deal. Suddenly, a lightbulb lights up above his head, and an unnerving smile creeps across his blue face as he says, "Interesting proposition, I’ll give you that. Bold enough to give away one of the only things that could stop me for the safety of your precious little friends. We got a deal!”

His purple claw then reaches down, grasping Real’s hand between his thumb and pointer finger, sealing the deal. Suddenly, the wind begins to pick up as the blue mist holding the Storm King starts to swirl around the two, sparks of pink lightning zipping around them.

"Thanks for giving me your magic,” cackles the behemoth, his smile growing and eyes glowing brighter. "I’ll be sure to say hello to your pathetic friends once you’re gone.”

“What?!” shouts Real. Now realizing that he had fallen for the Storm King’s trap, he attempts to escape, but his captor has a tight grip on his hand. “You said that you wouldn’t hurt them!”

"Yeah I did, didn’t I?” laughs the behemoth. “But I’m not the one who’s going to hurt them - you are! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!”

“Nonononono-!” Real shouts, still struggling to break free. “NOOOOOOOO— !”

---

“HE WHAT?!”

An eardrum-shattering shout echoes throughout all of Canterlot, rattling every window in the city. Princess Luna, the source of the shout, along with the Mane Six and Tionic (minus Sonic and Dash), was horrified to hear what Real had done an hour before their arrival back from their missions across the country.

“The man’s crazy!” Tionic says, his hands gripping the sides of his head as he begins to pace back and forth in worry. “What was he thinking?!”

“He went out there to face that thing on his own?!” Rarity gasps, dramatically placing a hoof over her forehead before falling onto a couch that appeared out of nowhere (again, no idea where they come from).

“Celestia, why didn’t you stop him?!” Twilight asks, her ears flat against her head. “He’s going to get himself killed!”

“I’m just as against what Real did as you all are, Twilight,” Celestia looks away from her former student in shame. “But he made it very clear that he must deal with this problem on his own.”

“You could’ve at least tried to stop ‘im!” Applejack says, slamming a hoof into the floor, cracking it.

“We did, AJ,” Sonic sighs, folding his arms. “But he said that he didn’t want to hurt anyone else because of something he decided.”

“Wait, what?” Tionic immediately stops pacing and turns to the hedgehog. “What do you mean ‘something he decided’?”

“We’re… not entirely sure,” says Dash, rubbing the back of her head. “But it’s almost like he did something really stupid before and he doesn’t want it to happen again.”

“So Real wants to make sure that we don’t get hurt because of what he does?” Fluttershy summarizes.

“Yes,” Celestia nods. “Even though he may have met us just a few hours ago, Real wants to keep us safe from harm.”

“Awww, that’s so sweet of him!” Pinkie exclaims, bouncing in place. “Next time we see him, let’s give him a big ol’ hug!”

“You won’t have to wait very long,”

Before anyone can turn to see where the voice came from, a pink and purple figure slams into Tionic, sending the Spark flying down the throne room. He hits the ground hard, bouncing before regaining his balance in midair and landing upright.

“Tionic!!” everyone shouts, before rushing to his side.

“Tio, are you alright?!” Twilight exclaims, gingerly touching a hoof to his bruised cheek.

“I’ve seen better days,” he winces, but holding a smile. The Spark shakes off the dizziness and faces his attacker. “Who are you, and what the hell do you want?”

The figure wears armor made of purple stone, with large clusters of pink crystals on their chest, back, and shoulders, pink electricity arcing from them. The purple stone that makes up the armor seems to be growing from their body, covering the entirety of their upper body down to their feet. His hands have deep blue crystals compared to the hot pink of the armor, but pink electricity sparks from the clenched fists.

It’s mask is much different from the rest - it was made of a blue crystal and was fashioned to look like the Storm King’s head, jawline and everything. Large horns protruded from the sides, curling forward before going straight, ending in sharp ends.

“I wouldn’t be surprised that you wouldn’t recognize me!” The figure says, reaching to take his helmet off. He deliberately takes the helmet off slowly, much to Sonic and Dash’s annoyance. But their annoyance is instantly turned to horrified shock when the the figure finally reveals their face.

“REAL?!”

“Hey, everypony! Didya miss me?” He grins, and he cackles as lightning strikes outside the castle. “GYAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”

“You are not Real,” Celestia says, narrowing her eyes as she glares at the human. “In body perhaps, but not in mind.”

“Quick as ever, princess!” ‘Real’ mocks. “Guess that’s why you’re the ruler of Equestria and not your sister!”

“WHY YOU-!!” Luna growls, gritting her teeth. “Come and face me in battle! I’ll pound you into the ground for that insult you -!” She stops as Celestia places a hoof on her younger sister’s back.

“Luna, don’t let him get to you,” Celestia says, keeping her sister from doing anything brash. “You are better than him, so show him that.”

“Hmph!” pouts Luna, sitting on her flank and crossing her hooves. “I’ll make him pay for that.”

“Wait, if this isn’t Real,” Pinkie says, popping up behind the human, surprising him. She then appears back on the ground with the group, pointing back at ‘Real’. “Then who is that imposter?!”

“I believe that is the Storm King,” Celestia says, glaring at the human. “But rather, the one that we know, not the one that Real spoke of.”

“Wait, that Storm King?!” Twilight gasps. Memories from years ago begin to flood back into her mind. “The one who took our alicorn magic?!”

“That’s the one!” The Storm King cackles. “How’s it been you guys, didya miss me?”

“Oh, I remember you! You were the one attacking the place during the Friendship Festival!” Tionic says, snapping his fingers. “Hey, what happened to you again? Last time I checked, you didn’t look like a crystal growing set that’s gotten out of control!”

“I remember what happened that night very clearly,” The Storm King growls, electricity sparking over his fists. “You humiliated me in front of my army, destroyed everything that I had worked hard for, and turned me to stone!”

“Technically that was your fault,” Tionic says with a cheeky grin. “But I’ll gladly take credit when it’s given.”

“RRRRRGH! I will make you suffer the most when I take over Equestria!”

“That’s not gonna happen, and you know it! Now give us our friend back!” Dash shouts, boosting at the sparking demon. She slams into the human’s chest, knocking him back a few meters. But to her surprise, he barely flinches, smiling evilly before putting the helmet back on, the eyes glowing pink.

“Hmph, cute,” The Storm King throws a bolt of lightning at Dash. She dodges the attack, turning back to her attacker. "That all you got?!” She taunts. The Storm King simply grins, chuckling.

“Famous last words,” he says, and watches in glee as Dash suddenly screams out in pain. The bolt had arced back like a boomerang and hit the blue pegasus square in the shoulders. Her wings spasm out, and she drops like a rock, smoking purple. Everyone gasps at the sight, but Sonic’s eyes turn to pinpricks.

“RAINBOW!” He screams, dashing forward to catch his wife before she hit the ground. He dashes back before laying her down, while her friends stand by, worried. “Dash, speak to me! Are you alright?!”

She coughs, purple smoke coming out of her mouth. “J-just a little fried is all,” She stutters, everyone sighing in relief while she stands back up, shaking most of the purple soot off her coat. “It’s nothing that I can’t handle, you know that!”

“That’s what I’m worried about,” Sonic sighs, before pressing his lips to hers. A high-pitched squee can be heard from Rarity, her love fantasies going into overdrive.

“Bleh, get a room you two,” The Storm King groans, gaging at the sight. “Affection is soooo last year.”

“Oh hush, you ruffian,” scoffs Rarity, glaring at the controlled human. “You don’t know how it feels to love something, so don’t you dare try to interject.”

“Thanks, Rarity,” says Sonic, a small blush on his face, same as Dash. The hedgehog then faces the Storm King, fists clenched. “Now that that’s over with, I think it’s about time we sent this party crasher packing, eh, Tionic?

“Ohoho, yeah,” Tionic grins, slamming his fist into his palm as his powers activate, his quills and eyes glowing neon blue as the same colored electricity sparks across his body and scarf. “I want some payback for punching me earlier!”

Both speedsters get into starting positions, Tionic sparking more electricity while Sonic revs a Spindash up, building up speed.

“Bring it on, you pests!” The Storm King shouts, lightning sparking around him as his strength grows. “Let’s see how you fare against a king!”

*BOOM*

Sonic and Tionic boost in different directions, forcing the controlled human to decide who to concentrate on. The two speedsters quickly get to work, slamming into the Storm King’s chest, and then bouncing off it onto the walls. They then begin to rocket off them, slamming into the Storm King before jumping to the next wall. They continue to hit the Storm King faster and faster, until the trails they left behind couldn’t fade away fast enough, making it seem like a star had been brought inside. Sonic and Tionic then slide to a stop on opposite ends of the hallway, facing a battered Storm King, who was currently regaining his senses from that sudden flash bang.

“Ooh boy, everything’s shiny,” he groans, attempting to shake his head free of cobwebs. While he was busy with that, Sonic and Tionic boost towards the Storm King, who seems to be unaware of them, until his arms suddenly fly up, stopping the two speedsters' Spindashes in midair.

“Uh-oh,” Sonic gulps, still spinning. “That’s not good.”

“No, it’s not, hedgehog,” Rumbles the Storm King, the eyes of his mask lighting up. “Happy travels!”

He spins around, sparking lightning until he becomes a pink tornado of electricity. With a roar, the Storm King chucks the two speedsters out the window and into the nearby oak forest. He follows the two trails of blue, ready to pummel them even more. The Mane Six and the princesses follow as well, hoping that they could aid in the battle in some way. Back with Sonic and Tionic, they both landed face first in the ground for what seemed like the umpteenth time.

“Every time,” Sonic mutters, slowly pulling his head out of the ground. With a *POP*, he stumbles back and shakes the dirt out of his quills and ears. “Every time I’m sent flying, I always land on my face! I get I have a big head, but this is ridiculous!”

“You and me both, brother,” Tionic grumbles, also brushing dirt off his face and clothes. “It seems like someone is pulling the strings, don’t you think?”

“I’d like to have a word with them if that’s the case,” Sonic growls. “And beat some sense into them if they keep doing this.”

“Maybe I can take that off your mind?” Acting on pure instinct, Sonic roundhouse kicks the space where the voice was and sends the Storm King flying into a nearby tree.

Tionic boosts at the controlled human, reeling a fist back. The Storm King quickly ducks, letting the fist slam into the tree behind him and split it down the middle.

‘That could’ve been my head!’ The Storm King flies up, dodging another fist from Tionic. Sonic runs up a tree that was close enough to where the Storm King was, using his momentum to throw himself up at the controlled human. Slamming into his chin, Sonic uses the opening he created to repeatedly slam into the Storm King with Homing Attacks. Tionic then joins in, using his powers to slow everything down (except Sonic of course) and pummel the Storm King.

Getting hit from every angle and having barely any time to react, the Storm King releases a shockwave, stopping the two hedgehogs and knocking them back down to the ground. They flip upright before hitting the ground, landing upright before sliding back a few yards.

“Oof. Power Ring and Daulspin time?” asks Sonic, as he reaches into his quills and pulls out four Power Rings, each held between his fingers.

“Power Ring and Daulspin time.” agrees Tionic, grabbing two rings, which immediately disappear with a *D-DLING*.

The two speedsters grasp each other’s hands, and quickly rev up their Spindashes, packing much more of a punch thanks to the Power Rings. They shoot forward at the Storm King, who puts up a shield just in time to block the powerhouse move.

Sonic and Tionic slam into the shield, creating sparks as they grind against it, pushing back against its user. Realizing that he couldn’t beat the two speedsters in a battle of strength, the Storm King improvises, using the ideas from Real’s mind to his advantage. He angles the shield to deflect the Dual Spindash into the mountainside, which causes a landslide to occur, burying them. Thinking he’s downed them, the Storm King starts to gloat.

“Is this the best your so-called ‘heroes’ can offer?” mocks the Storm King, laughing manically as the rockslide stopped. “I would have thought this at you two would have put up more of - hm?!” A short, one-note whistle from behind the Storm King attracts his attention, turning around to see the two speedsters standing next to a hole in the ground.

“Hedgehog. Noun. A burrowing animal.” quotes Sonic, dusting off his gloves.

The Storm King quakes in anger, his face turning deep red as even more Storm Lightning flies off the crystals on his body. “How hard is it to kill you?!” he screams. “No one should be this difficult to defeat!”

“Just ask ol’ Eggy,” says Sonic. “He’s been coming up with ways to take me down for years now! And ever since we came to Equestria, he’s had an even harder time doing that!”

——Somewhere in Equestria, at an undisclosed underground location——

“AAAHHHCHOO!”

A massive sneeze rocks the underground base, the sound bouncing up and down the metal hallways of Eggman’s secret base. A round red and black robot hops up to the seated doctor, holding a box of tissues.

Here you go, boss.

“Urgh, thank you Orbot,” Dr. Eggman says, taking a tissue and blowing into it. He tosses the tissue into a metal trash can that appeared out of the floor, which quickly retracts back. “Cursed pollen. I knew I shouldn’t have built this place so close to Equestria.”

May I suggest changing the air filters in the base? It has been a while since they have been renewed.

“I’ll send an Egg Pawn to do that later,” dismisses the doctor, waving a hand. “I have much more important things to attend to at the moment.”

If you say so.

——————————————————————

“Ugh, I can see why that doctor of yours hates you two so much!” groans the controlled human, dragging his hands over his face. “Your attitude just grates on my ears!”

——————————————————————

“YAAHHCHOO!”

Another sneeze echoes through the base, and tools lying on the desk Eggman jump a foot in the air before landing perfectly back where they were. The evil genius grabs another tissue, blows in it, and chucks it into the trash can on the other side of the room. A square yellow and black robot applauds the doctor.

Nice shot there Doc! Ever think about joining a basketball team?

“I don’t have time for such trivial things, Cubot,” grunts Eggman, continuing his work. “Even if I wanted to, you can be sure that the blue rodent would be there to keep an eye on me.”

Well, you probably need it. I mean, considering all you do is just sit around in here all day, and maybe have an occasional fight with Sonic, you don’t get out mu-!

Eggman slams his foot down on Cubot, forcing him into his compact mode before punting the cubed robot across the room and into the hallway.

Hey! Maybe you could take up soccer? Maybe you’d be good at -

“I WILL TURN YOU INTO SCRAP METAL IF YOU DON’T SHUT UP THIS INSTANT!”

——————————————————————

“Well, we wouldn’t be us if we didn’t have our charmingly good looks and amazing charisma that woos the ladies,” says Tionic. You can practically hear the Mane Six roll their eyes from the edge of the forest.

“ENOUGH!” roars the Storm King, sparking even more lightning. “It’s about time I did what that doctor couldn’t do and wiped you off the face of the planet!”

——————————————————————

“GYAAHHCHOO!”

Another sneeze, another tissue, and another three-point shot.

“Okay, maybe I should get those filters changed sooner rather than later,” mutters Eggman, readjusting his glasses on his nose.

Wise choice Boss.

“Don’t get snarky with me, Orbot,” warns the doctor. “You know what happens to robots that get out of line, right?”

*gulp* Yes, boss.

“Good. Now where is Cubot?” wonders Eggman. “I need him for something.”

I believe he was down by the repair bay after you kicked him down the hallway.

“Ah, right. Never mind, send an Egg Pawn, it’ll do for now.”

Will do, boss.
——————————————————————

“Heh. I think he’s ready for us now, don’t you think, Sonic?” chuckles Tionic, nudging the hedgehog’s arm. “Cause it sounds like that to me!”

“I think so too! Playtime’s over!” Sonic says. He and Tionic close their eyes, grunting slightly as they concentrate. Seven lights flash around them, revealing the Chaos Emeralds.

“Alright, Storm King,” says Sonic, opening his eyes as he and Tionic float off the ground, the Chaos Emeralds spinning around them. “You wanna do this? Then let’s do this -"

A blinding gold flash emanates from the speedsters as they absorb the Emeralds, and a huge burst of golden power explodes from them. After the shock wave subsides, floating in the air were Super Sonic and Super Tionic, their quills slightly raised up and now lemon-colored, eyes bright red.

Super Tionic’s clothes had changed color as well, his shirt and gloves turning to a deep silver (minus the symbol in the middle), and his blue pants to a golden yellow. The ring at the end of his scarf also changed, turning into a Red Star Ring.

The Mane Six and the princesses look on in knowing awe as the golden auras from Super Sonic and Super Tionic wash over them. The Storm King starts to sweat bullets, as memories from Real flood into his mind of the incredibly powerful forms that are the Super States.

“Oh Tartarus…”

“- SUPER SONIC STYLE!” Super Tionic shouts, pointing to his controlled friend. With that, the two Supers blast forward at light speed, taking the Storm King by complete surprise.

Before he can react, the Storm King is uppercut in the jaw by Super Sonic, allowing Super Tionic to use his Spindash to slam his leg in between his horns, right into the helmet. The force of the attack shatters it completely, revealing Real’s scowling face, eyes glowing bright pink.

“How dare you attack your king!” shouts the Storm King, clenching his fists. “I’ll make you suffer so much after I take over Equestria!”

"You mean like last time?” quips Super Tionic. "Because I’m pretty sure that didn’t go so well for you, now did it?”

The possessed human’s eyes glow brighter with rage, the Storm King’s hatred for the Spark growing by the second. “I’ll make you eat those words, you freak!”

“I’d like to see you try!” taunts Super Sonic. “You seem to do the exact opposite of what you say though!”

With a roar of rage, the Storm King opens his mouth, a ball of energy condensing in front, his horns glowing yellow before firing a massive beam of Storm Lightning and magic at the two Supers. They blast forward, dodging the attack at the last second before putting on speed. Pulling their fists back, they slam them into the possessed human’s gut at the same time. He doubles over in pain, leaving the now yellow horns on his head open to attack, which Super Sonic takes advantage of. Curling into a ball, he charges a Super Spindash and blitzes into the horns several times per second, breaking them until they shattered, and removing them entirely from Real’s head. With a shout of pain and rage, the Storm King releases a shockwave of Storm Lightning, forcing the two Supers back.

“I’ll make you two pay for this!” yells the controlled human. Shaking off the last bits of nausea coming from his gut, he faces his attackers, putting on a straight face. “Hmph. Doesn’t matter, you won’t win this fight. You’ll fall and I’ll claim my ownership over this planet, as well as those stupid gems of yours!”

“Not if we have anything to say about it!” shouts Twilight, drawing the Storm King’s attention. Twilight and the Mane Six had their Elements ready, each shiny brightly as they began to charge up Harmonic energies. Beside them, Celestia and Luna’s wings are flared open and their magic glows brightly.

“Are you kidding me?!” screams the Storm King, rage filling his voice and his pink eyes letting off more Storm Lightning from the sides. His hands spark up and charge another attack.

“This is for insulting me earlier, you cretin!” shouts Luna, and she and Celestia lunge forward, firing beams of lunar and celestial magic, combining into one. The Storm King fires his own, colliding with the princesses. From behind him, Super Sonic and Super Tionic charge Super Spindashes, then combine into a Super Dual Spindash and blitz ahead, slamming into the human’s back, and destroying the glowing yellow crystal placed there. The shock of the crystal being shattered and his back being slammed into disrupted the Storm King’s focus, and allowed the princess’ attack to overtake his and hit him, instantly exploding. Luckily, the two Supers were invulnerable, so they were unaffected by the attack.

After the dust settled, it left a stock still and blank-eyed Storm King, the crystals on his shoulders glowing yellow and open for attack. Right at that moment, the Mane Six were ready, and they fired a rainbow beam that consumed the possessed human. The crystals shattered, having taken heavy damage from the previous attack. After most of his vital crystals were totaled, the Storm King realized that he may not win this.

“If you’re so intent on taking me down,” roars the Storm King, and starts to charge up his biggest attack yet. Holding out his hands, the possessed human concentrates Real’s magic and the power of the Storm into a ball of energy, growing bigger by the second before turning towards Canterlot. “Then I’ll take your precious little city down with me!”

“WHAT?!” shouts everyone, shocked by what they just heard. They knew that the Storm King was evil but crazy enough to commit mass genocide? Not even Eggman would do such a thing - he at least had standards.

“That’s not gonna happen!” shouts Super Sonic. He and Super Tionic blitz in between the Storm King and Canterlot, charging chaos energies.

“CHAOS -!” shouts Super Sonic, pulling his arm back, ready to fire.

“- CONTROL!” finishes Super Tionic, and both release their power.

“TAKE THIS, YOU FREAKING ANNOYANCES!” At the same time, the Storm King fires his attack, infused with the full fury of the Storm and with Real’s untapped potential of magic. The two beams clash, the intense power of the attacks creating a shockwave that sent debris and anything not held down flying in every direction.

The two attacks are at a stalemate, sparking and fighting for ground over the other until the Supers decide that enough is enough. Their quills turning a darker shade of yellow and lift up more as the beam of Chaos slowly begins to push back, overtaking the Storm King’s with ease.

As a last ditch effort, the Storm King aims one hand at the Mane Six and the princesses, an orb of blue magic forming in his palm. The ponies don’t realize they were being aimed at until something brings their attention to the Storm King.

“N-NO!” the Storm King suddenly shouts, the attack he was charging dissipating. He grabs ahold of his face as Storm Lightning in his right eye fades away, showing a glowing blue eye. The massive beam firing from his left falters, losing more of its already limited strength. “I-I won’t let you do that!”

"What the?!” exclaims Twilight. "Was that Real?!’

“He must be fighting back!” says Celestia, quickly piecing it together. “The Storm King must be losing control of Real’s body!”

“H-how are you fighting back?!” shouts the Storm King, enraged by the fact that Real was fighting against his control. “You agreed to let me take control!”

“Well excuse me for not elaborating on the details!" Real shouts, fighting the Storm King's control, more Storm Lightning fading from his body. "You used me to get at my friends, and I don’t take too kindly to that!”

“So if you think I’m just gonna sit back and let this happen, you’re dead wrong!” Real continues, giving everything he had. “I will never stop fighting! Now leave my friends ALONE!"

With a final roar, Real manages to take back control over his body from the Storm King and stop the flow of magic and Storm Lightning. With nothing resisting their own, Super Sonic and Tionic put everything they had into their attack.

"This is our chance!" shouts Super Sonic. "Let's give this everything we've got!" Nodding, the two Supers reach into their reserves of power and unleash it all at once.

"RAAAAAAAAGGGGHHHHH!!!" With a roar of rage, the Storm King takes control over Real once again, the Storm Lightning sparking across the crystals once more. "You won’t win! I’ll win this battle and lay waste -!" Midway through his rant, the Storm King realizes that Chaos Control was bearing down on him like a freight train. Frantically, the Storm King starts to put power into the attack again, but it's too late.

"NO, NO, NO, NO, NO!" the Storm King screams in anger. He is struggling to hold his position, but the king’s shoes were failing to grip the ground as he was pushed back farther and farther. "THIS CAN’T BE HOW IT ENDS! I WAS SUPPOSED TO WIN, NOT THEM! HOW COULD I HAVE LOST TO THESE PONIES AGAIN?!"

"Because," shouts Real, wrenching control from the Storm King as a smirk crosses his face. "When you have friends that stick by your side no matter what, that proves that your friendship with them is real! Which is something that you could never understand!"

The human relinquishes control back to the Storm King, only to let him see his doom. "NONONONO!" he screams, his face morphing into one of pure fear and terror. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-!!!"

The controlled human is swallowed by power, Chaos energies ravaging his body and reducing the crystal armor he wore to atoms. Chaos Control destroys the Storm King's conciseness, letting the human take back control over his mind. With an explosion, Real is blasted out of the cloud, trailing smoke as he descends. He hits the ground hard, leaving a trench as his body digs into the ground before coming to a stop, dirt, and dust everywhere.

A massive explosion is heard above, as a golden shockwave races across the sky. The shockwave destroys all the Storm clouds across Equestria, pushing them back and clearing the skies. Storm Towers and Creatures instantly disappear, fading to dust across the land as their source of power no longer exists. Finally, the stronghold of the Storm King crumbles to the ground, a giant dust cloud exploding from the gigantic spikes as they collapse in on themselves, reverting it to the green grassy plains they once were before the Storm King’s influence.

Super Sonic and Super Tionic float down to the ground, powering down and releasing the Chaos Emeralds to Faust knows where. As the ponies come up to them, they spot Real inside the trench, seemingly unconscious after hitting the ground like that so hard.

“Real!” they yell, rushing over to their downed friend, hoping that he was alright.

“Real, are you alright?!” asks Celestia, worried that something might have happened to him.

“Uuuuuugh…” groans Real, rubbing his forehead, reeling from the pain of being slammed into the ground so hard. Sitting up, he opens his eyes to see the Mane Eight and the princesses sigh in relief. “Urg, did anyone get the number of that freight train?”

“Yep, he’s alright,” says Sonic, before everyone bursts out laughing. Real also cracks a grin, chuckling to himself. After the laughter subsides, Tionic helps him get up out of the trench, dusting his jacket off.

“Are you alright?” asks Twilight, concerned for his well-being, gesturing to the massive trench. “You hit the ground hard enough the leave a pretty deep trench.”

“I’ve survived skydiving without a parachute,” says Real, fixing his jacket before stretching backward and getting a few good pops from his spine. “I think I can handle a hundred-meter fall after being blasted by Chaos.”

“Is the Storm King gone?” asks Luna, wondering if the evil yeti’s influence was fully purged from his mind. “Do you feel any form of evil plaguing your mind?”

“Nope. I think he’s gone for good this time,” says Real while dusting himself off, confident in his answer. “I’m not gonna doubt that an incredibly powerful force of nature couldn’t stop one angry yeti anytime soon.”

“Good,” sighs Luna, grateful that the beast that was the Storm King was finally gone for good. “Now we can ask you this one question that we have all been wondering.”

“WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!” everyone shouts, minus Dash, Sonic, and Celestia, startling Real. Hearing the rage come from the Tionic, Real could see. The Mane Six was unlikely, but they could get mad at times. Luna could be terrifying at times, but hearing it come from Fluttershy? You might as well kill yourself.

“Are you trying to make the same mistake that I made a thousand years ago?!’ Luna shouts, nearly as loud as her Royal Canterlot Voice. “I do not want to have a repeat of Nightmare Moon, especially after what everypony close to me had to go through!”

“Where was the logic behind that idea?” says Twilight, her hair somehow frizzling up. “Did you give it any thought before doing that?! Was there any thought?!’

“Why’d ya think that was a good idea?!” exclaims Applejack, whacking Real upside the head, getting an “ACK!” In response. “Somethin’ might’ve happened to ya!”

“Darling, we appreciate what you did, we really do,” says Rarity. “But there are times when you need to play the hero. That was not one of them.”

“I wouldn’t be able to throw you a ‘Welcome to Equestria’ party!” pouts Pinkie Pie.

“It was horrible seeing you like that,” says Fluttershy, showing more confidence now than most of her lifetime. “Even though it was the Storm King doing all that, it didn’t feel right.”

“What would’ve happened if the Storm King didn’t show your face?” asks Tionic. “We would’ve destroyed you entirely!”

“If you’d give me a second to respond, I’ll try to explain!” Real snaps. This gets everyone to shut up, allowing him to collect his senses before speaking.

“It was a spur-of-the-moment decision,” Real sighs. “If I hadn’t done anything, the Storm King would’ve hurt you or did something entirely else.” He breathes a long, heavy sigh before pinching the bridge of his nose. “And now that I think about it, that was probably the absolute dumbest thing I’ve ever done while under pressure.”

“Probably?” everyone says at once.

“Yeah, yeah, okay it is the dumbest,” He admits. Averting his gaze, he turns around, slightly shaking as he starts to recall some rather… painful memories. “I’ve made some serious mistakes in the past six months. Many decisions I’ve made while here or help that I’ve accepted from others have gotten myself into situations that have could have hurt me… or worse.” Barely noticeable was a single tear that fell from Real’s eye as emotions started to well up inside him.

“So, me being me, I started to do what I thought was best and decided things on my own or a whim,” says Real, sheepishly rubbing his arm. “I didn’t want to bring anyone else to harm because of my problems.”

The clearing is silent for a moment, save for the wind whistling through the trees. The one to break the silence is Twilight, who walks up behind Real before placing a hoof on his shoulder, getting his attention.

“But this isn’t just your problem Real,” says Twilight, a small smile on her muzzle. “It never was yours to begin with. You knew more about the problem than we did, so you thought it best that you take the burden alone.”

“But in doing so,” continues Twilight, now gesturing to everyone. “You forgot that you had others who would be more than willing to help you.”

‘…Twilight’s right,’ thinks Real, contemplating what she had said. ‘I was so busy trying to help them that I didn’t see that I needed help, and I had ten very capable candidates right next to me.’

‘Heh,’ Real chuckles to himself. ‘Guess I still have a lot of growing up to do.’

“I wanna make a promise to you all,” Real suddenly says, facing everyone. “And all of Equis.”

“What kind of promise?” asks Pinkie, instantly coming nose to nose with the human, poking his chest with a hoof. “Is it a Pinkie Promise? Because if it is, and you break it, I will find you.” A cobalt aura then surrounds the party pony, levitating her off him.

“No, it’s a lifetime promise,” answers Real, cutting his magic off, and letting Pinkie drop onto her flank. “Even bigger than a Pinkie Promise.”

“And what kind of promise are you willing to make?” says Celestia, asking the question that was on everyone’s mind.

Taking a deep breath, Real starts to explain. “I have told you that I was sent here to help you,” he starts. “And so far, I haven’t done such a good job of that. Instead, it’s you who’s saving my ass, not the other way around. So, I want to learn how to do so with you guys, who have years of experience in the field.”

“Once I know how to do that,” continues Real, still not done with his declaration. “No matter what happens, no matter how hard the challenge, I will help protect you all. I will do everything in my power and abilities to ensure the safety of this world and its inhabitants, even going as far as to lay my life on the line to make sure my friends can live their lives the way they want to.”

Right as he finishes his speech, Real is promptly glomped by everyone, taking him by surprise.

“Wha-?!” he exclaims, shocked by the group hug that seemingly came out of nowhere. Especially so from the speedsters, as he didn’t take them for huggers. After a few seconds, it ends.

“You’d do all that for us?” asks Fluttershy, brushing tears out of her eyes but smiling all the same. “We barely even know you!”

“Of course, I would!” proclaims Real, raising a clenched fist. “Just because we’ve just met doesn’t mean we aren’t friends! You are amazing ponies, hedgehog, and Spark that saved me, so it’s only natural that I return the favor tenfold!”

“Well, then I think it’s only natural that we do the same and help him learn, right my little ponies?” says Celestia, opening her wings.

“Ahem.”

“And hedgehog. And Spark. Are we in agreement?”

“Yes, I’m ready to do just that.”

“If it’s not a problem, then I’ll try.”

“He’ll need someone to teach him.”

“I’m more than willing to help a friend.”

“I think it’ll be fun!”

“You betcha I’m gonna help, pardner!”

“You know nothing’s gonna stop me.”

“Let’s see if he can keep up with us.”

“I will help to the best of my abilities.”

“Aw, you guys,” says Real, tearing up a little. “C’mere!” Using his magic, he levitates everyone in for another group hug.

“You know what?” says Real, hugging his new friends, no one noticing two cobalt lights flashing on his upper forearms.

“I think I’m going to love it here.”

——Ponyville, The Temple of the Elements of Harmony——

Hidden deep below the earth just outside of Ponyville is the Temple of Harmony, a place built by the ancients long ago. Why it was built has long been lost to time, as its discovery was fairly recent.

But whatever use the temple held, there was one use unknown by even the builders millennia ago, as it was placed below by the creator of Equestria itself - Lauren Fausticorn. A female voice fills the temple, shaking the foundations of the millennia-old building.

“The time has come for the Warrior of Worlds to rise.”

Underneath the temple, a hidden room lights up, a slab of circular stone that was placed in the center surrounded by seven smaller slabs shines cobalt blue, revealing a picture engraved into it. The light draws what looks to be a shield with a large star in the middle, with seven smaller stars around it. The light also reveals that the shield is surrounded by twelve spikes, making it look a little like Sonic and Tionic's
Spindash.

The light branches off from the center, snaking its way along hidden lines in the carved stone, making its way around the building until the whole room is lit up. The temple shakes as six large pillars rise up around the slab depicting the shield. Each pillar has three slots facing outwards for something to be placed inside of - an Element of Harmony, a Chaos Emerald, and six different holes of varying shapes and sizes. The temple stops shaking, as the lights fade, plunging the room into darkness once again and leaving the six lone pillars behind for someone to discover.

The mysterious voice is heard one final time, saying; “Let us hope that you are up for the challenge…”

The voice pauses.

“…Real.”

To Be Continued…

Author's Note:

The final battle between the Storm King and Equestria's heroes. This battle kickstarted a series of events that lead up to many events and a destiny far greater than Real ever could ever imagine. Let's hope he's ready for what's to come...

OH MY FAUST I FINALLY DID IT!!!! 12 CHAPTERS - OVER A YEAR IN THE MAKING - IT'S FINALLY HERE
With The Dawn of The Storm complete, now it's time for me to get working on the next arc. Things will be a little slower this time around and we'll delve deeper into backstories and information.
Thank you for reading this! I hope you enjoyed it!