Chapter 7
The Storm King stared at his staff in amazement, the crystal on the head glowing with the stolen power of the five alicorns. "Whoa..." he gasped as he swung it around and unleashed several bolts of lightning. "Wow! Let's get this storm started! Oh hey, that's good! I should trademark that!"
Twilight was now slumped over, slowly turning her head to her young charge. "Soul," she whispered, "Are you okay?" She heard the filly crying, the alicorn draping her wing over the filly before hearing a rumble a chuckling.
Turning back, she saw the Storm King smirking at them, the pony going wide-eyed as she saw the Storm King point the staff at their cage and fire a beam of energy. The cage was blasted into the back wall, causing both it and the cage to shatter as Twilight held onto to Soul.
"Ahhh!" She cried as she hit the balcony floor, sliding along it. Twilight wanted to scream at Soul to fly away, but knew it wouldn't work.
"Not bad," she heard the king cackle, "Actually, kinda first rate." He swung the staff around, "What else does it do?"
As he poked the crystal, Tempest stepped out behind him, "Your Excellency, you promised to restore my horn and give me-"
"Deh-deh-deh-deh-deh," he held up a hand to stop her from speaking, "Okay. Hang on." He lifted the staff, and when he did, the sun moved position in the sky, moving to where the tip was pointing. The King laughed as he swiped the staff around, the sun following every movement, even setting when he pointed at the ground. "You gotta be kiddin' me! I can move the sun?!" He laughed again and kept talking as he stepped over Twilight and Soul, not even noticing them now that they were weak and pathetic.
Twilight turned to glare at Tempest, unable to believe she would allow such a childish buffoon gain unimaginable power. Tempest seemed to also see what a waste this idiot having that power was, but she had come this far and walked over to the Storm King.
"Ha ha!" He laughed as he was at the edge of the balcony and pointed the staff toward the horizon. "Time to play!" And with that, he started swapping the sun and the moon in quick succession while also listing off the days of the week. He was like a child playing with a new toy, one that didn't belong to him...and he had no intention of giving it back.
"GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Flash's screams echoed into the dark cloud filled sky, as Void continued to electrocute him. The evil pony had been laughing at the start, only for his coughs to return, making him growl as he pulled back after a few minutes.
"Willing to play ball now?" He asked as Armalum floated behind him.
Flash took several deep breaths, his slumped over body smoking as he slowly lifted his head, "Drop dead." Void scowled beneath his mask and upped the voltage of his next blast, Flash screaming again as his entire body thrashed around.
"Just give up...give me your power already!" Void roared as Flash screamed, "The Sacred Light is mine!"
As the sun and moon continued to switch places, a small group had arrived outside of Canterlot. Capper was leading the five ponies toward the gates, the cat still not sure how Pinkie Pie had gotten them there so quickly. The ponies behind him were all chained up and muzzled, pulling a large cart with a giant cake behind them. On top of the cake, a small purple dragon was standing perfectly while unleashing a tiny flame from its mouth.
When they arrived at the main gates, the two Storm Guards crossed their spears to stop them. "Uh, yeah," the baker dressed cat told the guards. "I got a delivery here for a Mister 'The Storm King'," he showed them the order slip. "I was given explicit instructions to bring this here cake to this here castle's throne room."
The beasts glared at him before staring at the cake and letting out a bunch of growls and pointing their spears at him. "All right, then." He began to backpedal, "Look here. Could one o' y'all go be a pal and go tell your boss he's not gettin' his congratulations on subduing defenseless pastel ponies cake?" He spun around at this, "Cause I don't wanna be the one responsible for the big guy missin' his special dessert. You know what I'm sayin'?" He stepped over to the ponies and used his paws to count down from three. As soon as he hit zero, the guards lowered their weapons and stepped aside. Pinkie smiled at this and Capper winked before they made their way past the guards. "Thank you kindly, fellas. I'mma be sure and put in a good word for the botha y'all."
The ponies passed the guards, all of them glaring at them, Applejack whispering to Pinkie, "Pinkie! Quit lookin' so happy! Ya ain't foolin' nopony!"
"Oh!" Pinkie replied quietly, "Okay!" Her expression then did a one eighty, the mare now whimpering as they made their way through the city. They saw their friends all chained up, caged and forced to do labor. Applejack and Rarity spotted their caged sisters and the fillies gasped when they saw this, Applejack winking at them.
And as they made their way to the castle, Grubber walked down the street and into a stand. "Mmm!" He smirked from behind a pie stand. "Pie!" But just as he was about to eat it, he spotted the cake. "Oh," he rushed over to it, "Hello cake!" He leapt onto the cart and swiped his claw through the icing. "Ooh! Don't mind if I do!" But as he pulled his hands away, it revealed an eyeball poking out of the cake. "Mmm! That's some, like, gourmet ithing!" But then he noticed the eye, which made him blink, "Who putth eyeballth in filling?" The eye then blinked, making Grubber yelp before spinning around and yelling, "Guards!" Before one of the parrots shot out of the cake and pulled him inside.
But the outcry was heard, the surrounding Storm Guards turning to them. "Uh-oh," Capper gulped as the forces glared at the group. "Plan B?"
"The jig is up!" Rainbow yelled before slamming her hoof into the cart. Barely a second later, the cake exploded, Springer leading Skystar and the pirates out of the cake before firing a beam of light straight into the sky.
This sight was caught by the Storm King and the ponies at the castle, Twilight gasping as she knew it was Springer. "What's that?" The Storm King asked, staring up at the laser as it cut through the clouds. When it did, it revealed something that had been hiding above them. "And what's that?"
It was two large groups of creatures. One was a reptilian army while the others were pony bug hybrids: The dragons and the changelings.
"Dragons!" Dragon Lord Ember roared, "ATTACK!"
"Changelings!" King Thorax announced, "Free the ponies!" The two armies dived down, the ponies watching in amazement while the Storm Guards were in utter shock. The dragons reached the city and started launching fireballs, the flames hitting their shields and spears and melting them. The changelings also turned into giant armadillo-like creatures, rolling up and crashing into the many Storm Guards. When they did this, they morphed into maulwurfs and other large clawed creatures, all slashing through the chains and cages that trapped the other ponies. The counterattack had begun.
Flash screamed again as Void continued to zap him, the pony no longer laughing. Instead, he was growling at the defender, "Why?! Why won't you give up already?!" He asked after stopping his assault, "Don't you understand?! It's over! You lost! Equestria is no longer yours, or the princesses! It's fate now rests in my hooves, don't you get that already?!" Flash said nothing and just kept hanging there. "Think of it this way. Who would you rather have ruling Equestria? Some insane and childish non-pony, or me, an already proven leader who is actually a pony!" Flash still said nothing, "Well?!"
"You're no leader," Flash muttered out with his head lowered. "You're the furthest thing from a leader."
"Excuse me?!" Void grabbed his mane and pulled him to look into his eyes. "Wanna repeat that?!"
"I said you're no leader," Flash spat, "Leaders, true leaders, are those that put themselves last. They use the power they wield in the service of others. That's why the only leaders I'll ever bow to are the four princesses: Celestia, Luna, Cadance and Twilight. The four ponies that have earned the right to lead Equestria."
"Maybe they earned it once," Void hissed as he let Flash go with a yank, "But they lost it the moment they allowed themselves to be defeated. Now, it will belong to me, its true ruler!" He began to float away at this, "You know, maybe if they focused more on gaining more power instead of silly little festivals, then they wouldn't have lost so easily. I mean, how many times have you and your friends had to pick up the slack for Celestia?! She's thought of as all powerful, but she's needed saving so many times it's probably a running joke somewhere." But as he said this, Flash let out a chuckle, "What?! What's so funny?!"
"Yeah, Celestia has been beaten a few times. But you know what, that's okay." Void tilted his head at this. "Celestia's biggest accomplishments have never been defeating powerful foes like Tirek or Nightmare Moon. Her greatest accomplishments are the ponies she's helped raise. The Wonderbolts, the Royal Knights, Twilight and my friends...thanks to her, each of them have had the freedom to grow and discover their own version of strength. And trust me. That strength will outmatch you all a hundred times over."
The Canterlot War was now in full swing, ponies, dragons and changelings all working together to defeat the Storm Guards and rescue the citizens.
More and more ponies were freed as the fight raged on, the main battle being with the remaining Mane Seven and their new friends. Applejack used her lasso skills to tie the beasts up while Rarity and Capper worked together to trip them. "Lovely," she smiled after tying them up in a giant bowed ribbon.
"Surprise!" Pinkie leapt up to a guard and held out a present, the guard dropping his weapons and taking it as Pinkie vanished. But when he undid the box, Pinkie shot out of it while holding a cupcake. "Double surprise!!" She thrust the cupcake into his face, making him stagger back as Pinkie began to unleash a barrage of cupcakes on him.
Fluttershy continued running, but stopped when a spear stabbed the ground in front of her. "Ooh!" The Storm Guard glared at her, making her quiver, only for the mare to remember what Springer had told her. "You seem tense," she showed a caring smile. "Do you wanna talk about it?" The Storm Guard blinked at her, raising an eyebrow. "Come on, sit down with me and tell me why you're so tense."
"You said our friendship made us weak," Flash slowly muttered out, "That relying on others means your useless on your own. But you're wrong. Don't forget, I beat you because I knew my friends believed in me."
"That was just luck and the Sacred Light. Your pathetic friends had nothing to do with that!"
"No, that was the power of friendship. A power that can never exist in a world run by those like you. And when somepony sees their friends in trouble, that power will allow them to do the impossible."
Up near the portal, Heart heard an explosion. He and his friends had seen the dragons and changelings appear, the colt now staring at his cage and the water in it. He quickly began slamming into the sides of the cage, knocking it back and forth until he finally tipped it over. "Ahhh!" He cried as the water fell out, dunking his head into it. And once the last of the water was spilled out, he held up his hooves.
His friends watched as the soaked colt attempted to heat himself back up. And as he did, they began trying to free themselves. The group tried to reach over and remove the horn rings from the unicorns, but they were just out of reach.
"Come on!" Heart roared as his body began to steam up, the water slowly evaporating. And as he did this, several Storm Guards ran into the area. They pointed at the ponies and yelled something they couldn't understand, the ponies assuming they intended to use them as shields to stop the invaders.
"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Heart screamed as he then exploded into flames before firing a blast that melted the bars of his cage. His friends gasped at this as the pegasus leapt out of his cage and glared at the charging monsters. "BACK OFF!" He unleashed a massive burst of fire that struck the ground in front of the Storm Guards, making them cry out and run back the way they came.
"You think you've won because you captured the princess and the Royal Knights?" Flash asked, Void not replying. "You're wrong. They might have fallen, but there'll always be ponies willing to fight and protect their homes and their friends. Take down the princess, the Royal Knights or my friends will step in. Take them down, then ponies like Trixie, Starlight and others will step up. No matter how many ponies you beat, there will always be another waiting to help them."
"Then I'll beat them too," Void responded, "I am unbeatable! I will always win!"
"Oh please. Do you really think you can win every time?" Flash scoffed, "Face it, reigns like yours never last because ponies who are willing to put everything on the line will appear."
Heart turned to his friends as Starlight managed to get the ring off Trixie's horn, the mare teleporting out of the chains as Script turned to him. "Destroy that staff!"
Heart turned to the machine and nodded, flying up to it while grabbing Lightbringer. He then swung the Celestic Gear into the staff, shattering it in one blow. The energy field covering the city fizzled away, the ponies that had been taken now instantly reappearing.
"What the?" Grand asked as he glanced around, now seeing the enemy he had been fighting had vanished.
"What just happened?" Cold added as the other knights appeared.
"Everypony!" Heart cheered as he landed, "You're back!"
He hugged Grand, the knight glancing down at the colt, "Did we go somewhere?" The older knight asked, only for an explosion to appear in the distance, the knights looking up and seeing the dragons and changelings battling the Storm Guards. "Okay...clearly we missed something."
"We'll catch up later," Ruby chimed in, "Let's get back into this fight!" The others nodded, and as Trixie freed the others, the greatest warriors in Equestria charged into the battle.
"An Equestria with ponies like you in charge will begin with you and end with you, because there is no hope. The world Celestia and the other princesses created is a world with no last hope."
Captain Celaeno kicked a Storm Guard away and slashed at another, locking weapons with it until Rainbow flew down and tackled it. "Yeah!" The pegasus cheered as she soared around with a smirk on her face. That smirk doubled when Soarin suddenly appeared. "Soarin! You're okay!"
"Thanks to you all!" Soarin laughed as the other Wonderbolts appeared along with Skybreaker, Heart and several other ponies.
"Springer!" Heart yelled when he saw the jakhowl knock a Storm Guard down with a Bone Breaker, "Listen! Void is Shadow Corrupter!" The ponies who knew that name gasped as they kept fighting, "Faust took his Corrupted Shadow and he thinks the only way to keep himself alive is to take Flash's Sacred Light."
Springer blinked at the colt before saying, "Void is Shadow...but that means if the Corrupted Shadow was infused into his spirit, then having it ripped out would..." He shook his head as Celaeno knocked a Storm Guard down, "No time to think. We gotta save Flash and Twilight!"
"Head for the castle!" The parrot captain called out with a swing of her sword, "We'll hold them off!" Starlight, Trixie, Rogue, the Wonderbolts, dragons and changelings all appeared at this, knocking away more beasts.
"Come on!" Rainbow exclaimed as she led the group toward the castle, the only one staying behind Fluttershy as she was comforting the storm creature that was bawling his eyes out.
"Let it all out," she told him while patting his shoulder, only to hear her friends yell her name. "Oh!" She smiled at him, "Sorry. Your time is up." She spread her wings and flew away, "Buh-bye!" The storm creature returned the statement as she caught up with the others, smiling when she and Iron locked eyes.
"That's why, even if you and the Storm King get our magic, you won't win. Because Equestria isn't a place. It isn't a large speck of land with multiple buildings in it. It's the ponies, dragons, jakhowls and many other creatures that live there. And as long as they're alive and defy you, even if it's only one pony, you'll never win."
They reached the bridge leading to the castle and Heart pointed at the rune gate. "There! Void and Armalum took Flash through there!"
Springer ran ahead at this, before glancing back at the knights, "I know what we need to do! Grand, Ruby, Cold, Iron and Heart, I need you to come with me to save Flash!"
"Us?" Ruby asked, but saw a smirk on Springer's face that told her he had a plan. "Okay," she turned to the others, "You in?" They all nodded except for one, "Heart?"
The colt flinched at this, "You really want my help? I'm...I'm not as strong as you all."
"Heart," he turned to Springer, seeing a big smile on his face, "You can do this. I need you. Flash needs you. Are you gonna turn your back on him when you know you can help? That doesn't sound like you."
Heart stared at him, only to hear the cries of more Storm Guards appearing behind them. Skystar appeared at this, yelling, "Keep going!" They nodded and ran ahead, Heather, First and Tidal staying behind as the hippogriff took out her googly eyed clams. "Shelly. Sheldon." She threw them at the closest guard and blinded him, Tidal unleashing a blast of water the knocked another one down while Heather used her chain mace to wrap up another and throw him at the others.
The others reached the end of the bridge and found several more Storm Guards, but Capper used Spike like a flamethrower while Lightning electrocuted several more, letting the two groups pass, Springer and his chosen ponies rushing over to the machine.
As this was happening, Tempest, Twilight, Soul and the Storm King had been watching. Tempest and the Storm King were fully wide-eyed, Tempest yelping, "What?! How?!"
Twilight and Soul smiled as the purple alicorn remembered the only power strong enough to overcome any evil, "It's...It's the Magic of-"
"Yeah, yeah!" The Storm King laughed as he pretended to hug the pair. "Friendship, and flowers, and ponies, and bleh!" He stuck his tongue out in disgust before throwing the ponies aside, "I'm so totally over the cute pony thing. This...ends...NOW!" He thrust the staff into the air, unleashing a bolt of lightning into the clouds above Canterlot.
The whole city looked up and saw the clouds begin to spiral around. "Uh oh," Capper gulped before a powerful gust of wind flew past them and almost knocked them over.
Springer saw this wind hit the Rune Gate, the blow about to break it. The jakhowl gasped as he quickly put up an Aura Guard to protect it. "Come on!" He yelled as Heart ran over to the machine. He pulled the lever and the power came on, causing it to create the rune vortex.
As it powered up, a giant tornado appeared from the sky and looked ready to suck anypony away. "Move them hooves ponies!" Capper told the others, the group running into the castle.
"Come on!" Heart yelled at the machine, Springer grimacing as he tried to keep the protective barrier up. As this happened, Iron, Cold, Ruby and Grand all stepped up and struck the ground. A giant tepee of their different elements appeared around the device, wedging into the ground to not be pulled up by the storm.
"Thanks," he sighed as he lowered the shield. They watched as the tornado grew stronger and stronger, with many Storm Guards getting swept up into it. Luckily, all their friends managed to get to safety.
"You think the others will be able to stop that thing?" Iron asked.
"They can do it. We have to save Flash before its too late." Springer replied, "After all, we know Shadow will come back here and make a mess if he gets the Sacred Light." They all nodded at this, only for the portal to finish forming. "Let's go!" He leapt into it, Iron, Ruby and Cold following him. Grand and Heart were all that was left, the earth pony turning to the colt.
"Ready?" But then he noticed the look of fear on Heart's face, "You can do this."
"How do you know?" Heart asked as something crashed against the tepee due to the wind. "What if I just make things worse? You...you all said I was just like Flash when he was a kid. A loser."
Grand sighed at this, shaking his head, "Heart, that's not what we meant." Something else crashed against the tepee. "When we called Flash a loser, we didn't mean it like that. And we don't mean it like that for you either. You're one of the biggest losers I've ever seen," Heart frown grew at this, only for Grand to add, "And you know why? Its because you're somepony who absolutely hates to lose." Heart's eyes went wide at this, "And that's what we need right now. Somepony who absolutely hates to lose."
As he said this, a massive explosion filled the air and they looked back to see Spike and the rest of the Mane Seven shooting into the air. "What the?" He asked as they flew into the tornado.
Grand smirked and grabbed Heart. "Are you ready? Because we need you to be absolutely sure that you're not gonna lose if you come with us." Heart stared at him, only to shine a big grin and nod.
"Let's go!" The two leapt into the portal, both now flying through a giant tunnel of light, "So the reason I'm a loser is because I don't like to lose?" Grand nodded as they met up with the others, the group flying up to the end of the tunnel. "So why is Flash always pulling me back whenever I try and help?"
The others smiled at this, "There's times like this that that attitude is needed." Heart turned to Grand, "But you also need to learn when to accept a loss. That's not an easy thing." Heart nodded, "But that's not why Flash pulls you back." The colt raised an eyebrow at this, making Grand chuckle, "Heart, you're just a kid. A powerful kid, but a kid all the same. You'll have your whole life to become a great hero. Flash wants you to enjoy being a kid because if you make your whole life about a single goal, then you become blinded to everything else."
"Oh...huh. Okay. I get it...I think." Heart muttered out.
"Listen Heart." Grand added as he put his hoof on the colt's shoulder, "Things are different now. You're about to go into a battle that might determine the fate of Equestria. If we win, it'll throw you into the spotlight. Ponies up until now only saw you as Flash's apprentice, a pony that would be expected to do great things one day. But that'll change once this is over. If we win, it'll mean ponies will expect you to keep doing amazing things for the rest of your life. They'll be keeping an eye on you, watching you when you fulfil your accomplishments...and judging you when you make a mistake."
"Really?" Heart asked. As he said this, his brain started playing music as Grand closed his eyes. A look of pain appeared on his face as he started singing.
[Grand]
I was younger than you are now
When I was given my first command
I led my friends straight into a massacre
I witnessed their deaths firsthand
Heart's eyes went wide hearing this.
[Grand with knights in brackets]
I made every mistake and felt the shame rise in me
And even now I lie awake, knowing history has its eyes on me (Whoa, whoa, whoa)
History has its eyes on me (Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, yeah)
Heart let these words sink in, now getting what he meant. Ponies would forever remember this day, whether it be the day of celebration for defeating an invading force, or of the turmoil for losing it. Either way, Heart would a part of this day and he would be forever remembered by his actions.
[Grand]
Let me tell you what I wish I'd known
When I was young and dreamed of glory
You have no control
[Grand and Knights]
Who lives, who dies, who tells your story
[Grand]
I know that we can win
He placed a hoof on Heart's shoulder.
[Grand with knights in brackets]
I know that greatness lies in you
But remember from here on in, history has its eyes on you (Whoa, whoa)
The end of the tunnel was coming up, which meant their battle was about to begin.
[Grand and knights]
History has its eyes on you
As his friends sung that last line, Heart felt his entire body shiver. He wouldn't let himself get scared. Springer and the others trusted him. Flash needed him. Equestria was watching him. No matter what, Heart would do everything in his power to stop Void.
Back at the tree...
Flash had finished his speech, the defender now staring at a snarling Void, "You say that I'll never win...but what do you call all this?! I'm about to rip the Sacred Light out of you, then I'll use it to slay the Storm King and take my rightful place as Equestria's ruler! Even if there are those that are foolish enough to stand against me, they won't stand a chance against the power I wield!"
"But they won't stop," Flash instantly replied, "If you want your rule over Equestria to be absolute, you'd need to eliminate every single creature that lives there. And if you do that, what's the point of ruling the kingdom then?"
"I'll find a point," Void chuckled while shrugging, "After all, if I have to eliminate everyone to rule the kingdom..." He shined a huge grin at this, "It still means I won."
"And you'll have nothing."
"You couldn't be more wrong. I'll have victory, the true display of power!" Void's grin twisted at this, "And that...is something a friendship loving idiot like you will never understand!" Void then turned to Armalum. "Alright. It's clear he's not going to break. I have to admit, his will is stronger than I thought...but there are other ways. I personally wanted to bring the purple alicorn...but I'll go for sloppy seconds. Go get the kid." Armalum nodded and his craft floated down to a perfect copy of the Rune Gate in Canterlot.
"What are you doing?" Flash asked.
Void laughed at this, "Surely its obvious. Since torturing, which I have really enjoyed doing to you, won't work...I'm going to change tactics. After all, I know your greatest weakness. You might be willing to let yourself be tortured to madness, but are you willing to allow the same thing to be done to your apprentice?"
Flash's eyes narrowed at this, growling at the smirking unicorn as Armalum reached the Rune Gate. But as he was about to active the device, the machine activated on its own. "What?" He asked as he backpedaled, only for several individuals to suddenly shoot out of the portal.
"Surprise!" Springer cheered as he fired an Aura Force, striking Armalum in the chest, sending him flying. This made Flash and Void look down, now seeing Springer, Iron, Ruby, Cold, Grand and Heart appear. Springer quickly glanced up and fired several Aura Blasts.
"WHAT?!" Void roared, only for his saucer to get bombarded by the attacks. "Augh!"
"Flash!" Heart screamed as he used his fire to rocket up to his mentor, "Hang on!" He swung Lightbringer around as he reached the tree and slashed through the chains holding his hooves and wings, Flash falling down, only to get caught by Springer.
"Annoying little pests! What is that storm-loving buffoon doing?! How are you all free?!" Void growled as Iron and Grand fired attacks at him, Void quickly maneuvering his saucer away. Ruby and Cold did the same for Armalum, both summoning weapons of their elements as Springer landed and placed Flash down next to Heart.
"Don't even think about trying to escape," Grand told the masked pony. "You have a lot to answer for what you did to our home." He pointed his hammer at him, "Now...count up your sins."
"Sins?!" Void barked, "How dare you speak of such nonsense to me!"
Grand rolled his eyes at this. "Figures. Get him!" Him and Iron charged at this, Ruby and Cold doing the same against Armalum.
Springer looked Flash over, seeing the pegasi was absolutely exhausted, "You're here," the pegasus panted. "And...you saved the knights." He slowly glanced up at the jakhowl, "What about Twilight? The Storm King-"
"Is being dealt with," Springer stood up. "Our friends are handling the overgrown ape, so we came to save you before you did anything stupid." He turned to the battles, Grand and Iron trying every way to hit Void while Ruby and Cold were both firing crystal and ice projectiles around. "Catch your breath. We'll hold these two off until you're ready to fight."
With that, he ran off, leaving both Flash and Heart at the base of the tree. Flash slowly turned to his apprentice, only to see a fire in Heart's eyes. "You okay?"
"Yeah," Heart nodded, "Just...it's been a really long couple of days."
"Tell me about it," Flash laughed, "But we can't rest yet. This is where the fun begins." He glanced down at the two fights now happening, Iron swinging his spear at Void's head, but the pony flew back on his saucer and before unleashing a blast of lightning, only for Grand to slam his hammer into the ground, creating a wall of earth to block the bolt.
But before either could do anything, Void flew forward and touched the wall. The rock crumbled and was absorbed into him, Iron then thrusting his spear into the ground and summoning a bunch of spikes, but Void grabbed one of them and absorbed it as well.
"That's...not good." Heart gulped, "He's not gonna be easy to beat."
"No kidding." Flash added. "This might be our toughest battle yet." He turned to Heart, "You don't have to be here. You can go hide and-"
"No," Heart shook his head, "Springer said I was vital to doing this. If that's true, I can't just hide while others put their lives on the line for me." He looked down at this, "Grand said you don't want me growing up to soon. That I should enjoy being a kid for a little bit longer."
Flash sighed and nodded, "You're right, I don't want you to grow up too soon." He leaned back and let his strength return to him as he thought of the best way to explain it to Heart. "When I was your age, all I wanted to do was grow up so I could go on missions with Grand and the other knights. I felt completely helpless and had to follow so many rules and constantly hear ponies tell me I had to be patient. It drove me nuts."
"Yeah...I know that feeling."
"Yup." Flash chuckled, "But now that I'm older, I can see now why I had to wait to grow up. Because it's what I did during that time that shaped who I am today. Every game I played, every lesson I learned and every moment with my friends...I needed them all until I was truly ready to chase my dream of being a knight. They all helped me realize the kind of knight I wanted to be." He placed a hoof on Heart's shoulder, "And it helped me realize why I had to become a knight: So others, like you, can have the chance to enjoy their foalhoods and grow into the ponies they're meant to be. And if you miss that chance, you'll never understand why it needs to be protected for others. Understand?"
Heart nodded, "I guess. But I still wanna help fight." As he said that, Armalum fired several projectiles at Springer, Cold and Ruby, one of them flying past Cold and cutting his shoulder. "My friends are in trouble and I wouldn't be a very good pony, Royal Knight or not, if I let them get hurt when I can help. I can enjoy myself when everypony's safe."
"That's the way." Flash laughed as pushed himself up, "It's you saying stuff like that that makes me glad I chose you as my apprentice."
Heart smirked back as Void unleashed a massive wave of five, Iron and Grand leaping back before Void landed, rock and iron spikes coming next as Heart asked, "You really think we can take him?"
"As long as we stick together," Flash replied, "Then there's nothing we can't do. And besides, there's one big difference between us and him that'll be a big part of determining how this plays out." Heart raised an eyebrow at this, "Effort. He might have a lot of power, but he didn't do anything to earn it. He just stole it from others, so it'll never be able to match the power we've worked night and day to achieve."
Void then leapt at Iron with a blazing hoof, but the knight easily sidestepped the attack before spinning his spear and smacking it into Void's chest, making him cry out before he unleashed a burst of fire. But as he did this, Grand charged through the flames, his hammer going right through and slamming into Void, swinging the pony away.
"See? We've earned the power we have. We spent a lot of time learning to control and use it, so there's no way it'll fail us against somepony so arrogant he thinks he deserves to be a god just because he has a lot of power he didn't work to build." He reached down and picked up his sword. "I don't know about you, but letting somepony like that beat me would feel like an insult."
"The biggest," Heart added as he flexed his wings.
"So, what do you say we go show him what real power looks like?" Heart nodded and after taking a deep breath, master and apprentice shot off the branch.
At the same time, Springer and Armalum were locked in a close quarters, Springer with Bone Breaker in paw while Armalum had several blades sticking out of his body. He swung his leg, about to cut the jakhowl, only for Springer to backpedal and say, "You're too slow!"
Armalum responded by slamming his hooves into the ground, sending the blades flying off his body, forcing Springer to spin his staff around, deflecting the attacks. But as he did this, Armalum charged and swung his tail, which was a long chain with a metal ball on the end, which suddenly morphed into a black hammer that slammed into Springer.
"Augh!" He cried as he was thrown back, crashing into the one of the roots of the tree, causing the bark to crack. Armalum summoned a long blade on his hoof next, hopping onto his saucer, only to glance back. A giant ice blade flew through the air, making him leap off the device right before it was destroyed.
"For a bunch of heavy metal, you're rather nimble." Cold commented as he fired an ice arrow at Armalum, only for it to be shattered as the armor summoned several more blades from his legs.
"You'll live to regret that!" He roared as he swung the swords at Cold, the knight leaping back and summoning his own ice blade. But as he tried to counter the living armor, Armalum's tail changed shape again, switching to an axe. Quickly spinning around, the axe smacked the ice blade out of Cold's hooves, Armalum then slashing at Cold's chest with his swords, knocking Cold into one of the roots. Armalum laughed at the sight as he charged next, "You're wide open!"
"And so are you." Cold chuckled, only for a flash of light to shine between them, Ruby appearing with a crystal spike around her right hoof.
"RAAAAH!" She screamed as she thrust the spike into Armalum's chest, making him stagger back as the two unicorns lit their horns and each fired a burst of magic. They struck the living armor, blasting him through another root before bouncing off another.
And as he fell, a blue shadow suddenly appeared in front of him. "Huh?" He glanced up just in time to see a certain jakhowl thrust an Aura Sphere into him, the orb exploding and rocketing him toward the ground. "GYAH!" He roared as he smashed into the dirt, creating a small crater.
And as he began to pick himself up, he heard Cold's voice call out. "Cold Prison!" A wave of frost flew across the ground at this, followed by a bunch of ice that began to wrap around his body.
"Crystal Lock!" Seconds later, crystal appeared and created a second coating that locked him into place.
Springer landed on one of the roots as Ruby and Cold stood next to the trapped Armalum. Cold then looked up at him, "Go help the others. We'll keep this one in place until you're finished with him." Springer nodded and shot off, the two unicorns now glaring at Armalum. "Making a move against Canterlot while every Royal Knight was there...not a very smart move." Armalum growled at them as he tried to move, only for Ruby and Cold to add more crystals and ice to the prison.
"Grah!" Armalum snarled, only for a thin layer of ice to appear over him.
"You're not going anywhere." Ruby added.
"You..." Armalum hissed, "Mark my words. When Void has the Sacred Light, he'll make you all pay. Your pain will be so great that you'll be begging for death."
Ruby smirked as she repaired a crack in the crystal. "I can't let you kill me. I've only just begun Jaden's training, and I still have a lot to teach him." Cold nodded in agreement, the two staring at the trapped armor as he continued to try and move.
Meanwhile...
Void was in his saucer again, using it to dodge Iron and Grand's attacks. Iron had leapt off one of the roots to try and cut down the masked pony, but Void easily dodged it, only for Grand's hammer to nick the saucer. And as Void prepared to counter them, Flash and Heart flew into the battle.
"Sorry we're late!" Flash yelled.
"Flash!" Heart called out to him, "Remember, he can absorb any magical attack you throw at him!"
"I know!" Flash nodded as he reached Void, slashing the pony as Void quickly pulled back. The masked pony then responded by firing several blasts of lightning, fire and ice, but Flash barrel-rolled around them all. And as he did this, he and Heart got in close, using all their hoof-to-hoof knowledge, trying to punch the pony.
As this happened, Springer appeared in front of Grand and Iron. "We got Armalum trapped for the moment. How can I help?"
"Just stand right there." Grand replied, spinning his hammer in hoof before smacking the ground, allowing a large pillar of earth to shoot up beneath the jakhowl's feet. Propelling the blue canine in the air, he then formed an Aura Blast in his paw.
"Blasted pests!" Void growled as he blocked both Flash and Heart's punches, "I will-"
"Surprise!" Springer cheered as he thrust the orb into the bottom of the saucer, causing it to explode, sending Void flying as Flash caught Springer in a quick swoop.
"Augh!" Void yelped as he began to fall, only to spin around and unleash a burst of fire from his hooves, slowing himself down enough to land on a root without injury. Springer leapt down at this, Grand right behind him as Iron landed on a root to his left and the pegasi flew down to his right.
"You might be able to absorb magic," Springer formed a Bone Breaker and pointed it at him. "But I'm betting the same isn't true for aura. That's why you tried to get Armalum to take me out." Void growled at this, making the jakhowl smirk, "And I bet you don't have a limitless amount of magic. You can only unleash the same amount of element magic you absorbed. Once you use it all up, you'll be defenseless."
Flash and Heart nodded, Void clenching his hooves as Grand let out a guffaw, "Is that so? Then the way to beat you is obvious."
"Take you down using brute force alone," Iron added, "Sounds easy enough."
"You really think you can beat me without using magic?!" Void spat.
"We didn't become knights just because we're good at using our elemental magic," Grand countered, leaping at the pony with his hammer. Void quickly hopped back, only for Springer to appear to his left and slammed his staff into his chest.
"Gyah!" He cried, the masked pony flying into a root as his horn shined, firing a bolt of lightning at the group. The knights all side-stepped the attack, only for Void to lift his front hooves and fired a barrage of ice spikes. But as they came, Heart landed in front of the attack, flames flying off his body to melt the attack, only to cut it just as Void could try to absorb the fire. And as this happened, Flash swooped in and cut several wires on Void's suit before Iron and Grand slammed the butts of their weapons into his chest, causing the control console to explode. Springer then disappeared, only to reappear in front the pony and began to bombard Void with punches from every angle. "RAAAAAAAAAAH!" Void screamed, only for Springer to reappear with an Aura Blast in paw.
Void staggered back, only to fire a barrage of metal needles. But as they came, the jakhowl spun around every projectlie, Flash and the others deflecting the needles as the Knight of Friendship yelled out. "DO IT!"
"AURA FORCE!" The sphere exploded into a beam, Void responding with a burst of lightning. The two attacks collided and pushed against one another, appearing at a complete deadlock...only for the lightning to start sputtering out.
"No!" Void hissed as the thunderbolt weakened, allowing the Aura Force to push it back towards him. The de-powered unicorn attempted to summon another one of his magic sources, only for the beam to completely overpower the thunderbolt and strike his body. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" He screamed as he was blasted back, smashing through three roots along the way until he crashed into the final one.
"YES!" Heart cheered, only to see all the knights charge after the downed Void. The colt quickly tried to follow, the group soon seeing him now slumped over into the root, completely weakened and drained. They all glanced at each other, the knights debating what to do next, as they knew that the Storm King still controlled Canterlot, so they couldn't just arrest him and go back into a battlefield.
And as this happened, from his cage, Armalum was barely able to turn his head enough to see Void in his downed state. "Void..." he grunted as he tried to squirm in the ice and crystals. "No...Master Shadow." After another shake, his head slumped over, Ruby and Cold raising an eyebrow at this. "You freed me from my entombment. You've allowed me to possess bodies and gave me freedom of movement, even building me a body I could control without worry of losing control."
"What are you talking about?" Ruby asked, only for a dark glow to appear around the armor.
"Now, I once again give up my power to suit your needs. Even if it hurts, your will can withstand the agony long enough to defeat these fools." Cracks began to appear around his helmet, the sound of their appearance filling the air as his entire body slowly broke apart. As it did this, a black shadowy mist slowly seeped out. "Take this power and become the pony you were destined to be!" With that, his body exploded.
"GYAAAAAH!" Ruby and Cold yelped at the shockwave, their ice and crystals shattering in an instant. They both hit the ground and rolled, only for something to hit the ground in front of Ruby: Armalum's mask.
The explosion made the others turned to the noise, only to see shadowy mist start to fill the air. "What's that?" Iron asked, the others blinking at the sight, only for Flash and Shadow to both notice what it was, both having very different reactions.
"NO!" Flash cried as the energy suddenly flew toward Void, the pony raising both hooves in preparation. The Corrupted Shadow that had once powered Armalum flew into him, Void roaring in pain, but not stopping as more and more of the magic flew into him.
"Yes!" He laughed as his body began to swell, ripping apart his suit to reveal his scarred form, veins beginning to bulge out of him. "YES!" Springer could sense the sudden shift, quickly forming a Steel Paw as he leapt around the roots. But as he swung his claws down toward's Void's neck, the last of the Corrupted Shadow was absorbed into his body. "RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
A shockwave exploded out, followed by a powerful wave of light as it struck Springer back. The others quickly braced themselves, the wave almost knocking them back, Heart expelling flames from his back hooves to keep himself in place while Grand, Iron, Cold and Ruby formed wall of their element behind them. Flash used his sword to stab into the tree root, Springer doing the same with his Steel Paw.
And as they waited for the shockwave to weaken, the light from the blast also faded, allowing them to see Void begin to float into the air. His body was now more muscle bound, as if he had been stacking up on steroids as veins covered his whole form. The scars of his body were also visible, only now they were pitch black instead of red. Black fire was coming off his body, the ends of his hooves and around his chest were surrounded by it. The chest fire also reached out to become a pair of flaming shadow wings that sent out black embers whenever they beat in order to keep him aloft.
His mask fell from his face, revealing his deranged bloodshot eyes covered by a mask of the same black fire. And from his forehead where the crack once appeared was now a spike of black crystal sticking straight out, giving him the appearance of a dark alicorn. Shadow laughed as he hovered, staring down at the creatures that had given him so much trouble. "This game has been very amusing," he cackled as the flames around him flared, "But now it's time for it to end...and for me to collect my prize. The Sacred Light and Equestria...are mine!"
The ponies and jakhowl all glared up at him, knowing that the true battle had only just begun. They had to win. If not, Equestria and all those they cared about would be doomed...and they weren't going to let that happen.
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Damn… look like we are far from over! This climax is more crazy than canon!
definitely feel more of movie climax than actual one.
Hopefully Flash and others can take on more stronger Shadow Corrupter before it's too late!
Nice use of Hamilton song.
Here's highlights:
Oh, be quiet, Deluded One!
Yeah! It's go time!
Damn straight, Flash.
Keep talking, Deluded One and you will get your ass whoop!
Oh shut up already!
Ha! Yeah, a lot, Grand.
Royal Knights are back!
Wow! No wonder why everyone called you, Deluded One.
Sonic the Hedgehog reference!
Uh oh… this doesn't sound good.
Oh great! Not only Shadow Corrupter's back but he got himself One-Winged Angel form! Goddamn you, Shadow!
HOLY SHIT, this story is better and better. This is more epic than the movie, you did a really good job for this. I'm excited for the next chapter.
Good work Banshee and compagnie, don't stop.
Wow, that was epic! While the Mane 5 and their allies battle the Storm King's forces in Canterlot, Springer and Fire Heart take a few Royal Knights to help Flash fight Void and Armalum. This is even more epic than the climax from canon!
Void is just as deluded as he ever was, having Flash talk down to him and the Knights discover his weakness with his absorbing powers was satisfying. But then Armalum went and threw a wrench into everything by retuning the Corrupted Shadow to Void, or I guess I should say Shadow Corrupter now. It seems like he unlocked some kind of One-Winged Angel form, but if what he said in the last chapter is right and his body can no longer handle the power then he might end up defeating himself with this, perhaps making it more like a "Clipped-Wing Angel" form. We will just need to wait to see.
I also really liked the talk Grand had with Heart. The little song included was unexpected, but I liked it since it kind of reminded me of one song from Hamilton. Plus Grand explaining what he did as colt to Heart, how he foolishly lead others to their deaths. That was a hard lesson, but it helped shape him into who he is now. I also noticed you used the "Loser means someone who hates to lose" explanation you used in your Pokémon series. That was clever.
You tell him Flash!
Nice signal! The counterattack has begun!
Heck yeah, you raised the final battle at Canterlot to epic levels on this chapter Banshee!
It was good seeing Heart bounce back after all the crap thrown at him last chapter, not to mention the entrance of the dragons/changelings armies into the fight! 
Course not everything's fine yet, while Junkpile's finally done (good riddance!
) it seems Deluded one's going for one more push against Springer, Heart & the Royal Knights...........next Tuesday can't come quick enough! 
Oh seems Spike dropped the Highlights list for today's chapter, let's check it out shall we?
:
Love how Fizzie kept grumbling about ponies wasting all of their power on parties, yet you gave this overgrown fool all of it......who's eyes need opening now lady?!!!
My sentiments exactly!
Heck yeah, Death from Above!!!!!!
Well said Flashyboy!!!
Now that was an epic comeback for our young-firey apprentice!
Understatement of the year Grand!
Ohhh aura-dog's on to something I see!
Yep, that never gets old!
lol Springer read you like a book Deluded One, prepare for a whole world of pain!!!
Figures taking down Deluded One wasn't gonna be easy......bring it on!!!!
Things are going down to the wire here, looking forward to it's conclusion next time around Banshee!!!
Oh my gosh! WHY?! They were so close.