Lingering Shadows
It was a beautiful day in Ponyville and in the Castle of Friendship, Heart and Soul were hastily packing their bags for a trip they were about to take. "This is gonna be so awesome!" Heart cheered as he stuffed a bag of chips into his bag. "I can't wait to get to the Appaloosa County Fair! Just you, me, Ace, Mira and the CMC. Having a blast and enjoying everything they have there."
"Yeah," Soul nodded, "I can't wait to see what kind of animals they have at the petting zoo."
"I'm just glad we remembered to ask Flash to take us," Heart added, "Can you imagine what might have happened if we planned this huge trip, only to forget to ask for a chaperone to take us?"
"Oh please," Soul giggled, "Like that'd happen. If we didn't ask Flash, the CMC probably would have asked Rainbow or Rarity." They nodded at this as they then made their way through the halls toward the dining room. Once Flash was ready, they would go to Sweet Apple Acres to collect the jakhowls and CMC, then be on their way to Appaloosa.
But as they did this, a light suddenly appeared in the corner of their eyes, making them glance back to see Heart's cutie mark start to glow. Their eyes went wide at this, "The map?" Soul asked, "Now?"
"Oh, come on!" Heart groaned before turning to Soul, "What do you think the odds are that the problem I'm being sent to is in Appaloosa?" Soul shrugged at this, but hoped Heart's quest wouldn't take too long. As such, they ran into the map room as Heart added, "And if its not, don't worry about me. Just...make sure you have fun."
"Heart..." She started to reply, about to promise to bring him something back. But as they got there, they saw something that made going to the fair at all appear to be an impossibility.
"Not you too!" Soul cried, seeing Flash standing there with a glowing cutie mark. They went over to the table, where Flash and Twilight were trying to locate the place the pair were being sent.
"Wait..." Heart stared at his mentor, "You mean we're going on a friendship mission together?"
Flash smirked as he ruffled the colt's mane. "Looks like it, squirt." Heart pulled away, but smirked anyway as Twilight located the spot they would need to go.
"That's one of the furthest places the map has ever sent anypony," Twilight commented, "Looks like a small village surrounded by a dense forest. I wonder what could be going on there?"
"Only one way to find out," Flash replied, "Twilight, can you get the Rune Gate ready?" Twilight nodded and headed off to make one to send to the general location as the defender turned to Soul, "Looks like I won't be able to take you two to the county fair." Soul looked ready to start crying, only to see Flash shake his head, "Don't worry. I'm sure somepony else will be able to take you, even if it's last minute."
"I hope so," Soul muttered out, "Scootaloo and the others are gonna throw a fit about this, though."
"Yeah," Flash slowly replied, "They probably will." Soul's ears drooped at this, only to realize what Flash had just said. She then saw him put his hooves together, bowing his head. "Do me a favor and let them know, will ya?"
"What?!" Soul yelped, "You want me to tell them?!" Flash nodded, "So you're basically running away from getting yelled at."
"Hey, duty calls. The map has charged me with finding and fixing a friendship problem, and it's my responsibility to make sure it gets resolved as soon as possible." The look she was giving Flash told him that she wasn't believing that for a second. "Just tell them for me, okay?"
Soul groaned, "Fine." Flash shined a small grin and told Heart they had to be off. The pair headed for the Rune Gate room, knowing that he was probably gonna be in for an earful when he and Heart got back.
When they got to the Rune Gate, Twilight was there warping the temporary gate away. "Okay, I've sent it a few miles south of the village. That should keep the light of it from being seen so you don't spook anypony."
"Got it," Flash kissed Twilight on the cheek. "You gonna be okay on your own? Starswirl's flower didn't look too good when you showed it to me."
"Don't worry about it," Twilight replied, "I'll get it back to full health. Fluttershy's coming over to lend a hoof. You two just focus on your friendship mission."
The pair nodded as she activated the Rune Gate, the pair stepping forward. "I wonder what kind of problem we're gonna run into?" Heart asked, Flash shrugging as the pair put their saddlebags on.
"Only one way to find out. You ready?" Heart nodded and the pair leapt through the portal, being warped off to another location far far away.
When they reached the other side of the portal, they leapt out and found themselves almost crashing into a tree.
"WHOA!" The pair barely managed to pull themselves away as the portal closed behind them. They quickly landed next, now seeing they were in a forest with a pretty thick canopy that blocked off the sunlight. "Guess we're in the right place."
"Great..." Heart moved over to the Rune Gate in order to wrap it up. "So which way is the village?" Flash took out a compass and pointed himself north, the pair beginning to make their way toward the town they had been sent to help. The forest was pretty thick, Flash having to cut through it with his Celestic Gear, Heart wishing his had a weapon since his fire could set the whole place a blaze. That and the mixture of small and large trees made flying impossible, so they were forced to walk.
"Ahh," Heart growled as several small bugs tried to attack him. "Back off!" He swung his tail around to shoo them away. Flash was also not enjoying the bugs and knew if Heart lost his cool, he could end up exploding and burning the place down. Hopefully, they would get to this village before Heart's temper hit its limits. And as they moved through the forest, they heard a new sound which filled the air.
"Is that water?" Flash asked, Heart listening and picking up a rumbling sound.
"Sounds like a river." Neither of them remembered a river on the map, but guessed they had missed it. They made their way through the forest at this, arriving at the edge of the trees and finding themselves standing on the edge of a cliff that went down about five meters before a river could be seen flowing through it. The river was about fifteen meters across, with the other side also having a tall cliff on it.
"I wouldn't want to be the one swimming in that," Heart commented, Flash having to agree. He looked downriver and couldn't see anything like a waterfall or anything like it. But the water had to be going about thirty miles an hour, maybe faster. You would need to be a pretty strong swimmer to escape it.
"Guess the map sent us so we could fly over this thing."
Heart nodded as he looked up stream, only for his eyes to go wide as he poked Flash in the shoulder. "I don't think not being able to fly would be a problem." Flash turned to him, then followed his gaze to see what he was looking at. And to his surprise, he saw a large bridge stretching from one side of the canyon to another.
"We must be getting close to the village." He replied as they walked up to the bridge, only to soon notice that a bunch of ponies were on it. Focusing, they saw that the ponies were young colts and fillies, about the same age as Heart, all being earth ponies of different colors. They were glancing over the edge, holding onto the rope railing. They appeared to be laughing at something, but when they spotted the approaching ponies, one of the fillies lost her grip.
Flash's protective instincts kicked in and he leapt over the edge, attempting to catch the filly before she hit the water, only to just miss her. He pulled up so as to not be swept up in the rapid flow, the filly's head breaking the surface as she was dragged down the river. "Hang on!" Flash yelled as he flew down to grab her, but she was pulled under once again. "NO!"
He was about to dive down next, knowing the river would be dangerous, and was about to use his Sacred Light to propel himself in and out of the water, only to sense a presence behind him. But before he could look around, whatever it was shot past him and dived into the water. His eyes went wide, thinking the pony was insane. But then, a light appeared around the pony that had dived under the water. When it faded, something about the shape of the pony made Flash raise an eyebrow. It almost looked like they had...a fishtail.
"Wait..."
He watched as the creature shot through the water and caught up to the filly, not at all phased by the river's flow. And when they caught her, they shot up to the surface and light exploded off it before flying up to the edge of the cliff, Flash following them. He then heard a voice as he reached it, one that sounded strangely...familiar. "Are you alright?"
The filly coughed as she spat out some water, "I'm okay. Thank you."
"No problem." Flash reached the top of the cliff at this, now seeing the one who had saved the filly. And his eyes went wide at the sight of them.
It was a hippogriff. A hippogriff Flash would recognize anywhere. The front part of its body was a mix of dark and light blue, while its pony rear was black but turned blue at the knees of its back legs. He had a mane of light and dark blue, with a light blue tail while his wings were black with dark blue tips. Around his neck was a metal collar, with a purple crystal on the front of it.
Flash couldn't believe what he was seeing, the hippogriff turning to him with a smile, "Hey, saw you trying to help her. Thanks, even though you couldn't really do anything." He walked up and held out a claw, Flash's instincts making him jump back a bit. "You okay?" He looked himself over, "A little weirded out because of how different I look? I get that."
"No..." Flash shook his head, "It's...not that."
"Flash!" They turned to see Heart fly over, the other young ponies following him. When Heart saw the hippogriff, his eyes went wide and he gasped.
Flash quickly shot over to his student and pushed him back, "Relax."
"That's Wingill!" He cried, not loud enough for the hippogriff to hear. He stared at the creature in question and saw the young ponies gather around them. "We've gotta get them away from him before he hurts them."
"I don't think he's gonna do that," Flash whispered, "He's...not the same. Remember what happened to Storm Blade?"
"But..." Heart stared at Wingill as he and the younger ponies laughed at something. It was then he remembered that the hippogriff shouldn't remember him or Flash, nor that he was once a member of a dangerous cult. "What...what do we do?"
"For now, we play things by ear and don't tell him we know who he is. Just treat him like you would any other hippogriff you're meeting for the first time." Heart flinched at that, only to slowly nod back before they flew down. "Sorry about that. Let us introduce ourselves properly. I'm Flash Sentry, a Royal Knight of Equestria. This is Fire Heart, my apprentice."
"Name's Wingill," he replied, "That's all I can really say about myself." Flash nodded back, "So what are you doing here? I don't know about this Equestria place, but I doubt it has anything to do with our little village."
"Actually, we were sent here on a mission. We don't know what the mission is, but it's connected to your village. Do you think you can take us there?"
The ponies all shared a glance, but nodded and Wingill lead them through the woods. It wasn't far before they arrived at the village, seeing it was located in a large clearing, with a few trees here and there that really tied the place together. Houses and other buildings filled the place, being made of stone and brick much like Ponyville. The place looked like a scenic place to live and as they made their way into the town, Flash and Heart saw a bunch of ponies on the street. The ponies noticed the newcomers, with one pony in particular stepping out.
"Wingill," he called out, "We have some new guests, I see?"
Wingill nodded as he turned to Flash, "This is our mayor, Great Oak." He turned to Oak, "These ponies are knights from a place called Equestria."
The earth pony went wide-eyed at this, "Equestria?"
"You've heard of it?"
"Of course. They were only stories, but my grandfather told me many things about the land of ponies." He walked over and shook Flash's hoof, "It's an honor to meet you. Can I ask why you've come here?"
"They said they're here on a mission," Wingill responded.
"A mission?"
"It's hard to explain." Flash chimed in, "A problem has arisen in this town, and we were sent to fix it."
"A problem?" Oak asked, "What kind of problem? Are we in danger?" Flash opened his mouth, only for the mayor to add, "Well, I'm sure our protector can deal with this issue no problem." He turned to the hippogriff, "Right Wingill?"
Wingill nodded, "If anything tries to hurt this town, I'll destroy it."
"Atta boy," Oak chuckled, "But still, we would appreciate any help you might be willing to offer. Wingill, why don't you show our guests around town? If they're here to solve a problem, they'll need to know everything about us here." Wingill nodded as Great Oak walked off, Flash and Heart following him as they made their way through town.
"Over there is the bakery," Wingill commented, "They make really good bread. And we have the food storage over there. We grow our own fruits and vegetables here, storing them for when winter comes."
"Makes sense," Heart nodded, "So how long have you been in this village?" Wingill turned to him, "I mean...there aren't any other hippogriffs here, so you can't have been born here, right?"
"Hippogriffs?" He asked, "Is that what my species is called?" Heart flinched at this, Flash rolling his eyes.
"Yeah," the older pegasus nodded, "That's what you're called. A hippogriff and seapony." Wingill went wide-eyed and looked himself over, "But Heart makes a good point. You're clearly not from here."
"Yeah," Wingill nodded, "Honestly, I have no idea where I come from." The pair raised an eyebrow at this, "I just woke up one day not far from the village. Great Oak and a few more of the villagers found us and brought us here."
"Us?" Heart asked as they passed by a stone building that was putting out a lot of smoke.
"Wingill!" The pair turned to see somepony else they knew. Somepony else that had tried to kill them in the past. A bright red kirin with a flame patterned mane and a dark red shell-like pattern on its back. "Who're your new friends? We getting new villagers? If they're gonna need a house, let me know and I'll start making the glass."
Wingill laughed at this as the kirin kept talking. "Sorry about him. Salix loves to talk. Honestly, he can't shut up sometimes. Also, don't be scared, but he can kind of burst into flames. It's like...his thing."
"That is what a kirin does," Heart replied.
"Kirin?" Salix zipped over to him, "You know what I am?" Heart nodded. "Wow! What else do you know about my kind? Do you know where I might find more of them? Are there any special customs I'm supposed to adopt? What-" He kept asking a bunch of questions, Heart slowly backpedaling at this.
Flash walked over to Wingill, "Is he like you?"
"Yeah," Wingill nodded again, "We both woke up with no memories of who we were or where we come from. All we know is our names. To say our abilities came as a shock to us is an understatement. You haven't even seen everything I can do."
"Really?" Flash asked, "What else can you do?" Wingill held up his claw as a bucket of water shook, the water then flowing out of it and forming a bubble in his claws. He then reshaped it into a blade, then a fan and a few more shapes before turning it to the bucket. "Cool. But hippogriffs can't do that." Wingill went wide-eyed at this, "The only thing hippogriffs can do is change into seaponies and that's only because of..." He looked down at the gem on his bracer.
"This?" Wingill glanced down at it, "I was wearing it when I woke up."
"It's part of the pearl of transformation. Queen Novo used it to transform her subjects into seaponies to escape the Storm King." He wondered if that name would affect him, but Wingill just looked intrigued.
"You're saying we were attacked?"
Flash opened his mouth to respond, only to notice Salix taking Heart into his store. "I'll explain more later." He headed inside and found the room was full of glass creations. There were bowls, cups and all sorts of other stuff. There were even glass figurines, showing fish, birds and other animals. They all looked absolutely incredible.
"Did you make all this?" Heart asked, Salix nodding as he walked over to one of the glass ornaments.
"Yeah. After we learned I could create fire hotter than the sun, I started using it to help whenever I could. I helped the local blacksmith and took over for him when he decided to retire, making knives and other farming equipment. But I really like glassblowing. Don't know why, but it just comes really naturally for me."
"That's pretty cool," Heart slowly replied, careful to not touch anything, knowing he would probably break it. "You could have made quite a name for yourselves with this level of crafting. You'd see something like this in a Canterlot Art show."
Flash turned back to Wingill, "So...was it just you two who woke up outside the village."
"No," Wingill shook his head. "We had some ponies with us. Two mares and a stallion. Glitter and Tempera are still here, but Storm Blade left."
Flash went slightly wide-eyed at this, "Storm Blade? Pegasus with weird headwear and a strange looking spear that could practically control the weather." Wingill and Salix now went wide-eyed, "We uh...we met him a while back. He was a freaking psycho that almost made a volcano erupt and destroy a village."
"That...that can't be," Wingill muttered out, "What happened to him after that?"
"He was captured and locked up. Actually, he would have been arrested even if he didn't do that. He deserted Equestria years ago, stealing an important artifact from it and leaving a fellow soldier to die."
Salix sighed and shook his head, "I can't believe him. But there did always seem to be something off about him." He turned to Wingill, "We should tell the girls." Wingill nodded and the two walked out, Flash and Heart following them out of the building.
"This is so weird." Heart whispered to Flash, the defender humming back.
"No kidding. Let's just play it cool for now."
And as they headed across the town, they saw what Flash could only guess was a school of some kind. Many children were playing outside with what looked like a bunch of rabbits and cats. One of the colts grabbed a rabbit and squeezed it tightly, only for it to burst like a balloon, causing ink to go flying everywhere. The colt started to cry, only for somepony to step up next to him.
She was a silver unicorn mare, with a white mane and tail that had multicolored tips. Her cutie mark was a painting pallet, and as she placed a hoof on the colt's shoulder, she showed him a kind smile before taking out a notepad. With a few swipes of the pad with a pencil, she ripped it off with her magic and threw it into the air. Doing so caused the image to glow before flying off the pad, becoming a rabbit that began to bounce around.
The colt laughed at this and hugged the mare before racing off after the rabbit, the mare giggling at the sight. "Tempera." She spun around at this, "We need to talk."
"Oh, hello Wingill, Salix." Tempera responded, only to notice the two newcomers. "Hello there. I don't think we've met. I'm Tempera."
"Flash."
"Heart." Heart looked over at the animals the others were playing with as he remembered getting attacked by much larger and deadlier beasts. "That's a pretty cool skill you've got."
"Thank you," Tempera chuckled, "The other kids love it." She turned to Wingill, noticing his and Salix's worried looks. "What's wrong?"
"Is Glitter around?" Wingill asked, "We need to talk about Storm Blade."
"Storm Blade?" They spun around at another voice, now seeing a brown unicorn mare that had a purple mane and tail and was wearing star-shaped earrings. She also wore a silver cloak that was colored like the night sky on the inside, while her cutie mark was a fan of purple cards with an eye on the back of them.
"Glitter," Salix frowned, "These two know Storm Blade."
That shocked the two mares, who both looked at the pair with Flash sighing. "What happened to him?" Tempera asked, seeing her friend's face. "I'm guessing it's not something good." Flash nodded back, making her sigh. "Please, tell us what happened."
Flash took a seat on a nearby bench at this, now telling the tale of how Storm Blade was once a pony named Swift Wing. How he was a guard with the chance to become a Royal Knight, but failed while a friend of his passed. How he went on a mission with said friend and was believed to be killed, but it was later discovered he had abandoned his friend and stolen his Celestic Gear.
He had to lie at this point, telling them that Storm Blade was believed dead and there was no knowledge of what happened to him until he suddenly showed up and started attacking. Getting back on track, he told them the story of how Flash and his friends went out hunting him. How Cold Steel and Soarin Skies teamed up to stop him while the others prevented a volcano he had set to erupt from destroying a village. When the story ended with Storm in prison, the four all showed large frowns.
"I can't believe it," Wingill sighed. "I mean...he didn't stick around much so I didn't really know him, but he was still one of us."
"So, you four really have no memories of anything you did before coming here?" Heart asked, the four nodding back.
"We just woke up one day," Tempera replied, "And all we could remember were our names. For a long time, we simply stayed here and tried to remember...but we can't seem to remember anything."
Glitter shrugged at this, "After a while, we started doing what we could to help out around the village. Salix started helping the blacksmith and took over for him. Tempera and I helped out with the children and took over for the old school teacher when she decided to retire. And after Wingill realized what he could do, he started making sure everypony stayed safe."
"Sounds like you made a place for yourself here," Flash smiled, now remembering what Faust had told him when she warped the five away. She had hoped wiping their memories would allow them to start over and find a place for themselves that they could call home and be happy. And while Storm Blade had been unable to do that, four out of five wasn't bad.
"You're right," Wingill nodded, "This place is home." He looked down at the pearl shard, "But I'd still like to know who I was beforehoof."
"We all would," Tempera added.
Wingill looked up at Flash, "You said this thing was part of a pearl you've seen." Flash nodded, "Do you think I'd learn who I was if I go to the place you mentioned seeing it? I could talk to the queen you mentioned before."
"Maybe..." Flash slowly replied, "But...let's take it one step at a time."
And as he said this, Great Oak trotted up to them, "Ah, there you are." They turned to the town leader. "Managed to find that problem you came to solve?" Flash and Heart turned to each other, almost forgetting about that. Their eyes then drifted to the four former cultists. It couldn't be a coincidence they were at a place with a friendship problem.
"Not yet," Flash responded, "But in our experience, these things tend to make themselves known without needing to search for them."
"I see," Oak nodded, "Well then, why don't we all enjoy something to eat?" The six almost hopped in place at this, so preoccupied with the story of Storm Blade, they had completely forgotten about lunch. "Our town managed to whip up a little surprise for our two new arrivals. Come, let's enjoy."
The four cultists smirked as they got up and followed Oak, clearly excited. "You're in for a treat," Salix cheered, "This town throws the best parties. They have sandwiches, potato snacks-" He continued to list the treats they would get to enjoy while Flash and Heart held back and got out of earshot.
"You think we're here because of them?" Heart asked.
"Maybe," Flash whispered, "It's possible the map wants us to tell them who they used to be. Not knowing who they once were can make it kind of hard to accept who you are now. But still..."
"What if we tell them and they suddenly remember everything? Including how much they hate us?" Flash gulped, thinking the same thing. The last thing he wanted was for them to return to who they used to be.
"Let's keep it to ourselves for now and try to see if there's anything else that might tell us why we're here. And if it seems like nothing else stands out, then we'll tell them." Heart nodded as they arrived at the largest building in town. Flash figured it was the town hall, but in fact, it was the town's dining room. A place where all the citizens of the town ate together, enjoying their meals like one large family. And as they stepped into the room, Flash and Heart were amazed to see the tables were covered in food and drink. It was a Pinkie Pie level of deliciousness, complete with ponies in the corner starting to play music.
The four cultists laughed as they pushed the pair to a table and quickly started filling their plates. Flash and Heart were soon swept up in it all and did the same, the music getting louder with the ponies of the town singing to it. Salix and Glitter also started singing while Tempera started dancing around along with the colts and fillies. Wingill was stuffing his face, but bobbing his head around to the music. Flash and Heart couldn't help but start enjoying themselves, the pair also giving into the music while the ponies of the town asked about where they were from.
Flash started telling them stories about his adventures, like how he had tricked a chaos spirit into losing his cool and helped defeat an evil dragon ghost. At the same time, the townsfolk told them some of the stories of what happened in the town. It was actually a pretty simple place from what they told them. They grew crops for food and searched the woods for anything that might be useful. Being earth ponies, they had found themselves unable to cross the river canyon for years, but then the four cultists had shown up and with their help, they had built a bridge along the canyon that let them cross whenever they wanted.
But the biggest issue they faced, were wild animals like lions, tigers and bears. "Oh my," Flash gulped. "You've got those here?" They nodded.
"But then Wingill showed up," Oak laughed, "When a bear attacked the field he was helping out on, he suddenly discovered his ability to control water and fought it off. Before him, we would either run or get severely injured. But now, we don't have to live in fear anymore."
"Wow," Flash turned to the hippogriff, "So you're a Defender of the Peace, just like me and my friends back home."
"Yeah," Wingill smirked, "I guess I am. And I love every second of it." The others all cheered for Wingill, all now singing a song they had written just for him, Heart eventually singing along as best he could. The song lasted a good while and when it ended, closing on a super long note, they all cheered again and drank some cider.
"Oh yeah!" Heart cheered as he drank down his own cider. "Here's to the reformed Cult of Shadow. You all are way better of here then you were with Shadow!" As soon as those words left Heart's mouth, the dining hall went quiet as he slapped his hooves over his loose lips. Salix, Wingill, Tempera and Glitter turned to him, all staring at him as Flash resisted the urge to facehoof.
"Shadow?" Wingill asked, "What are you talking about?" The four could tell that wasn't just something Heart had made up, the colt sweating bullets as he turned to Flash. They did the same and saw him look upset.
"Flash..." Tempera asked, "Who is Shadow? And why are we better now that he's not around?"
Flash remained silent as Wingill glared at him, "We've met before, haven't we?" Flash sighed, "I thought as much. When you first saw me, the look you gave was of surprise. I thought it was because of how I looked, but you've seen hippogriffs before. So that means you were surprised to see me specifically. Because you've met me somewhere before, haven't you? And not just me." The other three glared at him, Flash knowing he was busted.
He took a deep breath and cleared his mind, knowing what he was about to say had to be just right. "Yes, we have met before."
"Why didn't you tell us?" Glitter asked, "You knew we had lost our memories and you decided to keep you meeting us before. Why? Was it some kind of sick joke?"
"I was doing it for your own good," Flash replied, "Trust me, you don't want to know who you were before losing your memories."
"What gives you the right to decide that?" A villager asked. "It's their lives. They should know about it." The other villagers all nodded in agreement while Heart flew over to Flash.
"Who were we?" Salix demanded, "Tell us!"
"You were criminals!" Flash yelled, making everypony go wide-eyed, "Each of you was part of a group of criminals bent on one day conquering Equestria. You were led by an insane maniac called Shadow Corrupter. I don't know exactly how you joined up with him, but each of you became one of his most devoted followers. You pledged yourself to him, no matter what he wanted you to do."
The four let this info sink in as Heart spoke up. "You tried to kill us. Shadow wanted ultimate power and to get it, he had you guys fight me, Flash and some of our friends. We fought over and over, winning and losing against one another. And eventually, Flash managed to beat Shadow."
"Then what?" Wingill glared at him, "You stole our memories and sent us here?"
"No. The one Shadow was trying to take the power from did that. She thought you deserved a second chance. She took your memories and sent you here. Clearly, she knew what she was doing. Look at you four." The four glanced at one another. "You were once insane killers that could have spelled doom for Equestria. But now...you're living lives that make you happy."
"Except it's all a lie," Tempera looked close to tears. "You say we're living happy lives, but we're nothing more than pretending to be this way. We're not the ponies we're supposed to be, because who we once were was stolen away from us. I...I don't even know who I am anymore."
"You're Tempera," Oak told her.
"But who is Tempera?!" She screamed, "Is she a teacher or a psychopath?! Who am I supposed to be?!"
"You're whoever you want to be," Flash responded, "You went through terrible things in your past and Shadow took advantage of that. He used the pain you were in to mold you into who you once were. But now, you've been cleansed of all that pain." He pointed at her, "This is who you were supposed to be before Shadow got to you."
Tempera didn't listen to this and rushed out the room, Wingill and the others following her out of the great hall. "Wait!" Oak cried, but they didn't listen and kept running toward the edge of town. Once they were gone, Oak turned to Flash. "Did they really do all that?" Flash frowned and nodded. Oak always told himself he was a good judge of character, so he knew this was the truth. "I can't believe it."
"Like I said," Flash repeated. "Shadow got to them during their lowest moments. If they hadn't run into him, they might have been able to work through their problems and overcome them to be the best ponies they could be. But once he got his dark hooves on them, the only possible way to save them was to erase their memories."
"They've done so much for us," Oak replied, "I...I'm finding it hard to believe they were once villains."
"What's gonna happen to them?" A filly asked, "You said they did bad things. Are you gonna arrest them for what they did?"
Flash crossed his hooves, huffing at that. "I'm...not sure. It depends on what they want to do." He slowly got up at this, "Come on Heart, we've gotta find them." Heart nodded and got up, both flaring their wings before taking to the air. "I just hope we're not too late."
Tempera kept running until she was deep in the woods, her hooves finally giving out as she tripped over something. She cried out as she fell, the weight of what she had just learned keeping her from picking herself up. All she could do was lay there, crying as she imagined what terrible things she must have done so long ago. It wasn't long before she felt others around her and she knew who it was, the mare lifting her head and seeing Wingill, Salix and Glitter standing around her.
Glitter reached down and helped her up as Wingill used his water control to remove the tears from her eyes. "You okay?" Salix asked as Tempera sat against a tree. "Sorry. Stupid question."
"It's fine," Tempera sniffed.
"No," Wingill growled, "It's not okay." He slammed his hoof into a tree, "What did we do?" The others turned to him as he reached down and felt the crystal on his bracer. "I always wondered what this was and where it came from. I wondered why I had it, and now I find out I probably stole it! What other terrible things did I do?!"
Salix sat next to Tempera and wondered the same thing, Glitter just standing there. A part of them also wanted to know the truth, only for fear to show on each face over the idea of it. "What do we do now?" Glitter asked, "We can't just forget about this. But where are we supposed to go from here?"
"Maybe there's a way to undo what happened to us," Salix replied, "Flash said some powerful being did this to us. Maybe they can undo it."
"And what if remembering turns us back into the monsters Flash said we were?" Tempera countered.
And as that statement settled over them, a chuckling sound rang out. It made Wingill turn to noise, "Who's there?" He summoned a bit of water as the laughter continued, "I'm warning you..."
"Now now," a voice replied, "I'm not here to hurt you. After all, we're old friends." They all shared a glance, only to suddenly see a dark suit of armor walk out into the light. "Wingill, Tempera, Salix and Terror Card. It's been a while."
"Who are you?" Tempera asked, "Are you a friend of Flash and Heart? Are you someone we tried to kill as well?"
Armalum growled, "Flash Sentry is here? How the heck did he...that Rune Gate of his." He shook his head, "Nevermind. I'll deal with him later. To answer your question, no and kind of. I'm no friend of that fool, and yes, a few of you did try and kill me at one point. But I guess you could call it a bonding moment between us."
"What are you talking about?" Salix asked, "Who the heck are you? And what's with that weird suit of armor?"
"This suit of armor is me," he chuckled. "If you still had your memories, you'd recognize me. Armalum, the loyal servant to our master, Shadow Corrupter."
The four gasped as they remembered Flash saying that name. "So...it's true?" Glitter asked, "We really were working for an insane pony that wanted to conquer the world?"
"Insane?" Armalum huffed, "Hardly. Shadow Corrupter just knew what he wanted and that to get what you want takes power. You all agreed to follow him because he offered you what you wanted." He pointed at Wingill, "The power to protect those you care about." He pointed at Salix, "The freedom to be who you wanted to be without consequences." He pointed at Glitter, "The chance to change your future for the better." He finally pointed at Tempera, "The place to call home and make your own decisions. You all came to him needing something and Shadow granted it to you for the simple price of loyalty."
"That's not what Flash told us," Wingill responded.
"Flash Sentry wants you to be unhappy. To leave who you used to be forgotten. If you still had your memories, you'd remember that he is the enemy that stole everything from you." He chuckled as his horn sparked, "But I can change that."
"What are you talking about?" Tempera asked.
"I can restore your memories. Just like how I restored Storm Blade's memories."
"You restored his memories?" Salix asked, "So he remembers everything that happened to him?"
"That's right," Armalum nodded, "And now, it's your turn." He stepped up as lightning sparked on his horn, "Ready to be the real you once again?"
The four stared at him, only for Glitter to shrink away, "I don't know if I want to remember. What if I remember and I don't like who I am."
"Of course you'll like who you are. You liked yourself before. Trust me, this'll help you." His horn flared at this, "Besides, I'm not giving you a choice."
The four flinched at this, Salix yelling, "You can't make us do something we're not ready for!" His body bursted into flames whiled Wingill summoned water from a nearby stream to form a sword. Tempera took out her sketch pad, while Glitter took out her cards.
Armalum sighed and shook his head, "So be it." His shadow wings flew out of his back before charging at them.
Flash and Heart continued to look around the village, the townsponies also looking for their friends. "Any sign of them?" Flash asked, everypony shaking their heads. "Where the heck did they go?" He got his answer when a large explosion rocked the forest and caused a bunch of birds to go flying out of the canopy. They all turned to it and saw a blast of lightning shot out of the sky, "Everypony stay here!" Flash yelled as him and Heart ran into the forest.
The pair got ready for a fight as they sprinted, only to hear the roar of a tiger and the cries of pain from somepony. "What's going on?" Heart asked as they pushed their way through the trees, only to find the four they had come to help. Then they saw who they were fighting. "No way."
"Armalum?" Flash could hardly believe what he was seeing, having hoped he had seen the last of the suit of armor when Heart wiped Void off the face of the planet. But seeing him now, he had a feeling things weren't gonna go well. "Come on!" Flash took out his sword and prepared to fight, but Armalum saw him coming.
"There you are!" His metal hoof sparked with energy and he quickly slammed it into the ground, creating a ring of energy that quickly spread out. It passed the four previous cult members and right before it passed Flash, it stopped and extended itself upwards. Flash suddenly found himself slamming into a wall of darkness, making him bounce back as the wall curved upward and formed a dome that trapped the five inside.
Wingill and his friends looked around, now seeing they were now trapped. And before they could think of what to do, Armalum's horn unleashed four bolts of black lightning. Each one slammed into them and they found themselves unable to move as their bodies felt like they were being ripped apart.
"What are you doing to them?" Flash yelled as he and Heart tried to break through the barrier.
Armalum cackled at this, "Restoring their lost memories. It's time they became who they were meant to be, so that they can once again serve our master's goal."
Flash's eyes went wide at this, only to hear the four scream in pain. Before he could do anything, the four now remembered the tragedies of their lives, causing them to leave home and journey through the world. Then, they remembered the events that lead to them meeting Shadow Corruptor.
"I remember," Glitter whispered as she saw herself being defeated by Shadow despite seeing a vision of him falling to her.
"I remember," Salix cried as he re-lived Shadow offering him the chance to be who he wanted to be, not needing to give up his voice or his flames to be accepted.
"I remember," Wingill groaned as was reminded of the fear he had felt about the Storm King. He then remembered meeting Shadow and realizing he had the power to stop the maniac.
"I remember," Tempera gasped, remembering that first day of meeting Shadow, leading to the obsession she had and everything she had done to get his favor. "I remember everything."
They all fell to the ground at this, Armalum laughing at the sight. "Yes! Now, remember the hatred you feel for Flash Sentry! If it wasn't for him, you never would have had your memories stolen! You never would have been sent this backwater place! You never would have lived those pathetic lives you were likely leading!"
As they heard those words, the four were also made to re-live everything they had been through since losing their memories. Waking up in this forest, being taken in by the townsponies, finding roles for themselves inside the town. Despite not knowing who they really were, they were happy. Happier than they had ever been under Shadow's control.
"Now," Armalum cackled, "It's time to take that hatred and use it for myself."
"What?" Flash asked as he kept trying to cut through the shield. He summoned his Sacred Light and fired a blast form his horn, hitting the dome and causing it to weaken.
Armalum could feel his shield giving, but by the time he broke through, it would be too late. "You will not win this. When your apprentice killed my master, his hatred became infused with the Corrupted Shadow he was holding. And when he was destroyed, that Corrupted Shadow's power merged with me. Now I no longer need a host so long as I have the hatred within me directed straight at you."
"You're fueled with hatred?" Flash asked as the shield continued to weaken.
"That's right. And the more hatred of you that I absorb, the more powerful I become. So I've been going around, meeting with every villain you've ever faced and put away and I've taken their hatred from them."
Flash went wide-eyed at this, remembering what he had seen at the Crystal Pen. Seeing every villain he had in a coma. "That...that was you?"
Armalum chuckled at his reaction, "Taking their hatred had a slight side effect, but it doesn't matter because their lives will go to a good cause. The destruction of Flash Sentry."
"No!" Flash pushed even harder, the light making the barrier crack. But as this happened, the memories of the cultists were now completely restored.
"And now...give me your hatred!" Armalum laughed as his magic kept its grip on the four...only for the connection to suddenly cut. "WHAT?!" He dropped the four, all of them hitting the dirt with a thud. "What's...what's going on?! You remember everything about your lives before, don't you?!"
"Yes," Wingill groaned as his eyes opened up and began to stand up, "I...remember everything. Every crime I committed. Every pony I've hurt. Everything I did since joining that maniac." Armalum, Flash and Heart all stared at him, only to see all four push themselves to their hooves. "And I hate myself for what I did."
"No..." Armalum shook his head, "NO! This can't be possible! Are you saying that even with your memories restored, your hatred for Flash Sentry is gone?!"
"Flash never did anything worth hating him over," Salix responded, "We were the ones that tried to kill him and take over Equestria."
"We were fools to follow Shadow," Glitter replied, "We thought he had the answers we sook, but we were fools to ever let him convince us he was what we needed."
Tempera looked sick, as she remembered how she used to act around him. With her new clarity, she realised she despised the kind of pony he was. "A monster like that knows nothing of love. I won't let myself waste my life trying to live for him anymore." The memories of all her new friends, of the children that loved her, filled her heart with a warmth that burned away the darkness Shadow had infested her with. "Flash Sentry defeating Shadow was the best thing that ever happened to me."
"She's right," Wingill nodded, "Losing our memories may have left us confused, but it gave us the chance to start over. And now that we've got them back, we know all the mistakes we made and what we have to make up for." He pointed at Armalum. "So no, I don't hate Flash for what he did. He showed us a better life. A life out of the darkness."
The others nodded, as Armalum glared at them. "You..."
And as he was about to attack them, the shield around them shattered. Flash zipped up to Armalum next, only for the armor's body to burst into a cloud of darkness, which swirled into the air and avoided the fire, water and light blasts his opponents sent his way. Once on a tree branch, he reformed and glared down at them.
"Traitors! After everything my master did for you!" The former cultists glared at him while Armalum focused his attention on Flash. "Just you wait, Sentry. You will soon feel the full wrath of my hatred! I will destroy you with the anger and rage of every pony you've ever wronged!"
Hearing those words, Flash growled at this, "If you hold the hatred of everypony I've ever been enemies with, that must make you the one who hates me the most."
Armalum hissed back, "More than you could possibly imagine." In that moment, Flash was back in his battle against Shroudheart and heard what he had told him.
"Beat me and you will be forced to face the one who hates you the most. And that hatred will fuel them into becoming the greatest threat this world will ever see...and in order to defeat him, you will have to give up everything that's precious to you. You'll give everything up to save this world and make your friends feel despair like they've never felt before."
"So this is what he meant." He pointed his sword at Armalum, "I won't let you get away with what you've done. And whatever you're planning isn't gonna happen. I'll stop you, no matter what."
"You can try," Armalum cackled, "But I will make sure doing so takes everything from you. Until then, enjoy the time you have left. Because the good times end here." With that, he exploded into shadows and flew into the forest.
They tried to follow after him, but he disappeared in the darkness and they had no idea which way he went. Flash stared at the last place he had seen him and was still in shock by what he had learned. "Armalum...that's bad."
"Twilight needs to know about this," Heart added, "Who knows what he'll do if he's not taken down."
"Yeah." He spun around at this, only to see the former cultists, who were all still reeling from what they had learned about themselves. Wingill leaned his head against a tree while Glitter was crying and Salix looked like he had just seen a ghost and Tempera was staring into space.
"What are you all gonna do now?" Wingill asked him, Flash raised an eyebrow at this. "We're criminals. We've committed many crimes. Now that we remember them, we can stand trial just like you wanted."
Flash shook his head, "I don't want to make you stand trial, but my job is to make sure dangerous criminals can't hurt anypony else." They all flinched at this, only for him to add, "And I don't see any criminals." They all went wide-eyed, "You four have done terrible things, that's for sure. But you're clearly repentant for what you did and won't do it again. I don't think jail time will do you four any good."
"You're going to let us go?" Tempera asked, "After everything we've done?"
"I'm not gonna make you four do anything you don't want to do," Flash replied, "However, I think you should go back to where you originally came from." The four flinched again, "You left your homes because of intense situations. Back then, you couldn't do anything except run away. But you're not the same ponies. You need to face your pasts or you'll be haunted by them." He turned to Wingill, "Your mother's been really worried about you."
Heart turned to Salix, "Autumn Blaze and the other kirin want to see you again as well."
Wingill reached up and held his pendant, a part of him fearing what might happen if Queen Novo took it away. But he knew Flash was right. He couldn't hide from his past any more. If he truly wanted to make his life better, he had to face up to it and accept the consequences.
"Alright," Wingill nodded, "I'll go." Flash smiled at this, "But I'm not sure I can do it alone."
Flash placed a hoof on his shoulder, "You won't be alone."
And so, Flash and Heart began the next part in their mission. After sending a message through the Rune Gate to Twilight, he brought the four through the portal to be met by Twilight. To say the Princess of Friendship was wary of the four being in her home was putting it lightly. Flash assured her they weren't a threat and explained everything to her. Twilight was certainly surprised to hear how much they had changed and chose to let Flash handle the situation.
They also contacted Celestia and Luna, who were also amazed by Flash's discovery. They agreed to help the two ponies that had run away from Equestria. First was Glitter, who's family had been looking for her ever since she ran away from home. Celestia set up a meeting with her and them, along with a meeting with Tempera's family.
To say Tempera had many things to say to her parents was an understatement. She went off on them for how they treated her, starving her of love so much that she had become blind to what love really was. Her parents tried to apologize, as her running away had caused their reputation a great amount of strain. They had fallen on hard times and Tempera wanted nothing to do with them, saying she had found a place she was loved and would be staying there from now on.
Glitter got to reconnect with her family, explaining everything that had happened to her leading to her running away. They were shocked by this and wished they had known, but Glitter assured them it wasn't their fault. She had to learn for herself that the future could be changed, and now she was ready to change her future for the better. And she would do it in the new home she had found for herself.
The Kirin Village...
Inside a newly constructed building of the village, a Rune Gate was located there, having been recently installed when Rain Shine was interested in maybe joining the UFC. That Rune Gate quickly activated and created a portal, which Heart and Salix stepped out of.
Salix showed a nervous frown, only to suddenly hear laughter and singing coming from outside as the gate powered down. Heart stepped out first, seeing the kirin all running around and laughing with joy. He then spotted one appearing to be getting angry, steam coming off his horn, only to take a deep breath and the heat stopped, though he would likely go to the rocky area later to blow off some steam.
"Fire Heart!" He turned to see Autumn Blaze, "You're back!" She picked him up in her magic and pulled him in for a hug. "Oh, it's been so long since I last saw you!"
"Hey Autumn," Heart groaned, "How's it been?" She finally let him go, though not without leaving him with a possible broken rib, and smiled.
"Things have been great! We haven't had a single problem since you and your friends showed up. Everypony's learned to control their anger, and when we do reach a breaking point, we just head out of town for a bit and come back feeling refreshed. It's actually kind of therapeutic! I actually kind of look forward to when I get annoyed, cause it means I can go out to the rocks and go bam! Bam! Bam! We should go there while you're here. We can roast some boulders and oh, I have a new play you might enjoy and-"
"Autumn!" Heart yelped, "It's great you'd doing okay, but listen. Can you gather everypon-er, everykirin up? I need to show you something." Autumn raised an eyebrow at this, only to zoom off a second later.
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Salix asked from within the hut.
"Don't worry," Heart replied, "They've been missing you ever since they got their voices back. They want to apologize." After a few minutes, Autumn returned with all the kirin. Rain Shining was next to her, the leader of the kirin clearly interested in seeing why Heart wanted them all to gather.
"Okay, I got'em. So, what's the big surprise? Is it a party? Are we getting invited to-" Heart grabbed her mouth before she could say any more.
"Kirins of the Peaks of Peril, I have somekirin here who wishes to greet you all!" He ran into the hut, only for the group to hear him say, "Come on."
"I don't think I can do this," another voice replied.
"Would you just get out there already?"
"Stop pushing!"
"Go!" Someone was sent staggering out of the building and when everyone saw him, their eyes went wide as the individual looked up at them. He then let out a nervous chuckle.
"Uh...hi."
"SALIX!" Autumn screamed, leaping at the kirin and tackling him to the ground. Salix cried out as Heart stepped out next. "Oh, I've missed you so much!"
"You have?" Salix yelped.
"We have," Rain Shine nodded as she stepped up, Autumn letting him go as Salix stood up, only to see Rain bow her head, "We're sorry." The other kirin followed her lead, much to Salix's shock. "We never should have banished you. We should have listened to you."
"Um...it's okay. I guess I understand why you did it. And I'm just glad you all realized how important keeping your voice is."
"Indeed," Rain nodded, "But it wasn't until Autumn, Heart and their friends showed us the truth that we realized how foolish we had been. All we can say now is that we're sorry for banishing you. And we hope that you will find it in your heart to forgive us and return to the village."
Salix smiled at this, "I do forgive you." He then frowned, "But I'm not staying." This made the kirin go wide-eyed, "I um...I've found a new home. Someplace I love living. I'll still come back and visit, but that's where I belong."
Rain sighed and nodded, "We understand. You must go where you feel at home. But you will always have a place here if you wish to return." Salix smiled at this. "And while you're here, we can celebrate your return. I'm sure nopony here needs anymore excuse to party."
The kirin all cheered, as Salix laughed. Heart smiled at the sight as he watched the kirin all hug their formerly lost tribal member. He could only hope that things were going as well with Flash.
Flash and Wingill were also at the Castle of Friendship, about to step through the Rune Gate as well. Twilight had gone ahead to tell Queen Novo about Wingill's return, Flash and him getting ready for their trip there. And sure enough, a cloud of smoke appeared out of nowhere and flew toward them, forming a scroll.
"You ready?" He asked as the hippogriff, who was currently wearing a cloak to keep himself hidden. He nodded and Flash activated the portal, the pair stepping through it and travelling to Mount Eris.
They stepped out the other side and found themselves in a stone building, which opened its doors as two hippogriff guards walked in. "Please state your name and business here." Queen Novo might have been willing to have a Rune Gate placed in Mount Eris, but she was still focused on security since she knew how easily this portal could be used.
"Flash Sentry," he replied, "Royal Knight of Equestria. Come to see Queen Novo."
The guards nodded. "Princess Twilight has explained everything to us." They stared at Wingill, who tried his best to keep his head down. "Please follow us." They headed out of the building and up the side of the mountain, many hippogriffs noticing the cloaked figure being lead through it by the guards and a Royal Knight.
Eventually, they reached the very top of the mountain. There, a large hall was constructed that almost looked like a courthouse. This was where Queen Novo conducted her business whenever she was above ground, the four heading inside. Many hippogriffs followed them in, knowing something big was happening. The inside of the hall had a stage on the far side of it, where a long table was located. Queen Novo, Sky Beak and several more high ranking hippogriffs could be seen there, Twilight and Skystar also standing behind it.
Wingill looked around at this, only for his eyes to fall upon one hippogriff in particular: His mother.
Soft Current was looking just as confused as the rest of the hippogriffs as Wingill reached the bottom of the stage. There, Queen Novo stared down at him. "Remove the hood. Let us see your face."
Wingill sighed and did so, a collective gasp filling the air as every-griff saw the one that had abandoned their home and stolen a piece of their magical pearl. "WINGILL!" Soft screamed, Wingill turning to her as he saw her try to push her way through the crowd.
But the guards stopped her from approaching, only for more guards to walk up to Wingill and removed the neck bracer that held his pearl fragment, the guards flying it over and giving it to Novo. "Wingill. You stand before us having stolen a piece of our magical pearl. And through testimony from Flash Sentry and Princess Twilight Sparkle, you also stand guilty of crimes committed during your time working under the mad pony known as Shadow Corrupter. How do you plead?"
"Guilty," Wingill sighed. "I joined Shadow because I thought he could defeat the Storm King and allow the hippogriffs to be free of our forced exile. But I see now that I was just being a fool. Even if Shadow had destroyed the Storm King, he probably would have conquered us himself and taken the pearl for his own ends."
Novo nodded at this, "You were trying to protect our citizens, but in doing so brought great risk to us. Am I also right in assuming you caused great bodily harm to others during your time under his hoof?" He nodded. "I see."
"I'm willing to accept any crime you see fit," Wingill replied, "I...I just want to say that I'm sorry."
Novo nodded as she turned to Flash. "Mr. Sentry. You were the one who found him. How do you think he deserves to be punished?"
Flash frowned and shook his head, "It's not my place to say how hippogriffs should punish hippogriffs, but I do think Wingill should be shown some leniency." Wingill turned to him with wide eyes, "Wingill made a mistake, but I'm sure you can all understand why he did what he did. He stole a part of the pearl because he didn't want to be trapped anymore...and he didn't want you to be trapped either."
"That is true," Novo responded, "But he put us all in danger. If the Storm King had captured him, who knows what he would have done to get our location out of him. And he would have had the pearl fragment to come down here and attack us."
"Didn't Skystar do the exact same thing?" Flash gestured to the princess, who had once abandoned her people to help battle against the Storm King. "It's just a shame that Wingill found Shadow before he found us. If he had, he could have been the hero that warned us of the Storm King and we wouldn't have been taken by surprise like that."
Wingill sighed, wishing that had happened. Who knows what might have happened if he had warned the ponies about that psycho.
"I know Wingill has done a lot of bad things for what he thought were the right reasons. But he's also done a lot of good since that time. Losing his memories allowed him to learn what it truly means to be a hero. I can assure you, the town he was protecting wouldn't have a bad word to say about him."
"I see," Novo hummed, "Wingill, I'd like you to tell me everything that happened to you since appearing in that town." Wingill nodded and told them about how he had awoken in the town with five other members of the mindwiped Shadow Cult. How the townsponies had taken them in, helped them get settled and welcomed them with open hooves. And how Swift Wing had left to uncover the truth about who he was while the other four had began to find a place for themselves in the town. And how Wingill had discovered his abilities and realized how he could use them to help others.
Then, he told them of Flash's arrival and their run in with Armalum, resulting in their memories being restored. "And that's it," Wingill finished. "I know I have a lot to answer for and I'm willing to accept any punishment you wish to give to me. I just want to get it over with and live my life."
Novo nodded at this and began to discuss everything with the other hippogriffs at the table. She even asked for Twilight's opinion and Twilight seemed to agree with her. Finally, she turned back to Wingill. "In light of everything we have heard, we have reached a verdict about your punishment." Wingill took a deep breath, preparing himself. "Five years."
"Five years in prison?" Soft cried.
"No," Novo shook her head, "Five years banishment. Wingill abandoned his people and put us all at risk. As such, he shall not be permitted to return here for five years."
"That's it?" Wingill asked, "After everything I've done, that's all you're going to do?"
"Don't expect to simply do whatever you want during that time," Novo replied, "I'll be having a hippogriff guard meeting with you every month. I expect you to spend these five years giving back. Every month, my guard will make sure you're doing everything you can to help this village that showed you so much kindness. If even one pony that lives there has a complaint, I'll have you back in front of me for a harsher punishment before you can blink. Is that understood?"
Wingill went wide-eyed, soon turning to Flash, who smiled and nodded, then back to the queen. "Yes, your majesty."
"Very good," Novo nodded, "One final thing." She picked up the neck bracer and had a guard carry it over to Wingill.
"Your...your majesty?"
"I gave each of my citizens a piece of the pearl in order to give them to freedom they desired. You might have stolen your piece, but you also showed us the pearl's power still worked in pieces. Call this a thank you for teaching it to me."
Wingill could hardly believe he was being shown such mercy, even after everything he had done. But he wasn't going to say no to this, the hippogriff placing the bracer around his neck and feeling the pearl's power flowing into him. "Thank you, your highness."
Novo smiled and nodded. "Alright, let us bring this trial to an end. I have a seaweed wrap to get to. You have until sundown, and after that, your banishment will begin." The hippogriffs all rose and waited as the queen flew out of the room. Once she was gone, everyone relaxed and Soft rushed over to her son.
"WINGILL!" She pulled him into a hug and Wingill gasped as he held her, the pair crying into one another. Twilight walked over to Flash and the pair smiled, Flash glad Soft Current got to meet her son again. She pulled away from Wingill and turned to him. "Thank you."
Flash nodded, knowing he barely did anything. But he wouldn't deny her thanks. Everything seemed to have worked out.
The next day...
The temporary Rune Gate in the small village powered itself up and in a flash, the pillar of light appeared with Flash, Heart and the four former cultists stepping out of it. The townsponies were all waiting for them, glad to see their fellow town members had returned.
Wingill sighed, happy to be back. He was also happy to have spent time with his mother again, with Soft Current planning to visit as soon as she could. The others were just as happy to be back, the townsponies cheering for them.
"So what happens now?" Glitter asked, turning to Flash.
"Now, you go on with your lives. You know of your past now, and how you chose to live with that knowledge is up to you. All that matters is that you live a life you can all be proud of." They smiled at this while Flash turned to all the townsponies. "The princesses of Equestria plan to connect your town to our kingdom. A permanent Rune Gate can be constructed to allow you to visit Equestria or for other places with one to come visit you,but if you ever feel like you'd like to increase your town's security, Equestria will be happy to welcome you."
"Welcome us?" Great Oak asked, "You mean you would have us move to Equestria?"
"That's up to you," Flash replied, "You can stay here, or we can relocate your entire village to a place within our borders. That way, you won't be cut off from us if the Rune Gate ever fails. And you would be under the protection of Celestia and the Royal Knights. Wingill can keep you all safe from everyday issues, but if something big shows up, he might need help."
"An interesting suggestion," he nodded. "We will consider it."
Flash smiled as Wingill stepped up to Flash. "Thank you. For everything. Now that we know who we are, we're not walking blindly through life. We're going to live our best lives, no matter what happens." The other three nodded and this made both Flash and Heart smile, only for a light to catch their eye.
They looked back and saw their cutie marks were glowing, signaling that they had completed their mission. The pair cheered, high-hoofing at their victory. Despite everything they had gone through over the last few days, they were glad they had come. Now they could head home and enjoy a well-deserved break.
"I guess you'll be going," Salix chimed in.
"But what about Armalum?" Tempera added, "What if he comes back?"
"I don't think he will," Flash assured her, "You have nothing for him to bother coming back for."
"Still," Wingill frowned, "It's unsettling to know he's still out there. And now that he's more powerful than before. How the heck are you gonna beat him?"
"Relax," Heart waved his hoof, "Flash can handle it. He'll take Armalum down, no sweat. Right?" He turned to Flash and his teacher was once again reminded of what Shroudheart had said, coupled with Heart's future self telling him about something happening in the future. "Flash?"
"Huh?" Flash shook his head, "Uh...yeah." He nodded, "I'll take him down." He turned to the four. "But if he shows up again, contact us. Trust me, with the power he now has, the four of you might not be able to handle him." They nodded as Flash and Heart headed for the Rune Gate.
Their friendship mission had certainly been an interesting one. Discovering four of their past enemies, completely changed from their experiences. Learning of Armalum's return and his new ability to steal hatred and helping the four move on from their past. It was certainly a mission they would remember for the rest of their lives, no matter how short that might be.
Armalum was sitting in the darkness of the forest, tapping his hoof impatiently. He could feel the hatred within him festering, the spiritual energy he had absorbed along with the hatred merging more and more with his own essence. He had incredible power, but was it enough?
"Guess there's only one way to find out," he hissed, "Time for the final phase of the plan." With that, he picked himself up and headed back toward Equestria. There was only one place he could gain the power he needed. From the one who had ruined his master's plans originally and stolen his teammates memories. "It's time to pay, Faust.
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I can summed this chapter up as "4 former cultists earned their happy ending"!
Glad Wingill, Salix, Tempera and Glitter didn't give in to the hatred and is willing to atone themselves, preventing Armalum from getting their hatred. (To be fair, unlike Storm Blade, Flash didn't do anything to them that earned their hatred toward them, only Storm Blade hate Flash)
Unfortunately, Armalum got even worse plan as he going after Faust and if he succeed, the universe may collapse like it almost happened in School Raze.
Wingill?
Heart!
GODDAMNIT, HEART!!!!!!
Oh no, not him again!
Ha! Look like your plan on stealing their hatred totally backfired on you, Armalum!
Uh no…. I forgot Flash didn't tell them about his potential demise!
I had a feeling Flash keeping this from others will eventually backfired on him when they found out the truth.
Oh, great! 4 cultists manages to not give in and now, Armalum is going after Faust?!
Also, how can he get "hatred" from Faust?! Faust doesn't even hate Flash compare to other villains he fought in the past!
And then there are 5 left looking foward to them.
another thing from the past cleared up,
loved the moment with Flash and Twilight at the start before leaving.
Was very worried for the former remaining Shadow cult members cause unlike Faker Knight they didn't deserved been wrecked by Junkpile for their *hate* fuel. Glad you gave them the ending they deserved while also sticking it to Junkpile at the same time Banshee!
Also glad Flash & the gang finally know who's messing around/leaving comatose villains in it's wake, the final fight's coming soon! 
*a paper floats in front of my face offscreen* Oh hey Tempera, what's this? Oh it's today's Highlights! :
Well it's not like there's a plant that could turn them into adults or anything!
*sigh* hope you have a lot of bits for the impending disaster relief for Appaloosa there Twilight!
Ooooooohhhh boy, awkward time incoming!
To be fair Faker Knight was already a piece of crap before joining the Deluded One! (unlike these 4)
lol couldn't resist putting that one in eh Banshee?
Damnit Heart!!!!
Yeah, they aren't going down willingly Junkpile!
LOL how's that crow taste Junkpile?
Still hoping Flash can change *that* outcome!
Yep, not liking the sound of that!
So glad that the former Shadow team had their good outcome, looking forward to the next chapter Banshee!
man that was close thought they would give in and get absorbed or something that was a moment that could give you a heart attack
Yes! Oh man, this one felt so good!
I was hoping that the four other former cultists would find true redemption after we got a glimpse of their happy lives previously. The implication that Armalum was going to hunt them down and restore their memories just to drain their hatred of Flash like he did with Storm Blade was sickening, since I didn't want them to go back to being who they were before.
Thankfully, these four prove that they are good at heart. Unlike Storm and Armalum, who were both evil long before they met Shadow, these four were just dealt a bad hand in life and Shadow manipulated them to keep them that way and be of use to only him. They might have their old memories back, but now thanks to keeping their new ones they can see they prefer their lives the way they are and realize what they did before was wrong. I am very proud of them all for recognizing their mistakes, but especially for Tempera, since she was the most obsessed with Shadow out of all of them. It is kinda like getting out of a toxic relationship once you recognize it.
Shadow is dead, his entire cult is dead, and once Armalum is dealt with then everything Shadow stood for will be dead too. Even better, now Flash and the others know that Armalum is out there now, so he's lost the element of surprise. Plus, Flash knows that he is the one that he was warned about, the threat that will apparently end his life. I'm still not sure if it is a good idea for Flash to keep his fate a secret from Twilight and the others. I doubt Twilight would be pleased to know that he knew about this for so long and never told her about it. I just hope Flash will survive his fate and make the future even brighter for everyone.
On a more positive side, it also felt good that the reformed cultists got to reunite with their families and loved ones, especially Salix meeting with all the Kirin again and Wingill reuniting with his mother. It makes sense they would decide to stay in their village, given it is their home now, and that Wingill faced some sort of punishment, being 5 year banishment, but it is still a happy ending for them. Heck, I'm even glad Tempera told off her abusive parents for what they did to her growing up, and didn't make amends with them. They never cared about her and are part of the reason she ended up clinging to Shadow, desperate for love. Even now, they are only apologizing to her because their reputation and wealth fell to ruins after she left. She is better off without them, since she has real friends who are her family now.
11661597
đź‘Ť
Couldn't have said it better myself regarding all of these points Super!
11661683
Thanks.
I really enjoyed this chapter I’m glad the former cult members were able to get the happy ending they all deserved. This actually reminds me of the a Lion King quote. "Oh yes, the past can hurt. But from the way I see it, you can either run from it, or learn from it." Highlights below
So the events of “Growing Up is Hard to Do” won’t be happening in this series
Huh, I just realized that Flash and Heart have never been on a mission together. Not including the visit from future Heart
Real mature Flash
, and I stand corrected. It does look like the events of “Growing Up is Hard to Do” will be happening.
Let's-a go!
You accidentally wrote “to” instead of “the”
Aww, I’m sure his mom would be proud of him
So he became a glass blower? I could totally see a Kirin doing that
You accidentally wrote “come” instead of “came”
Awwwwwww
She was always good with kids.
You forgot “she” between “as” and “placed”
You accidentally wrote “to” instead of “the”
You accidentally wrote “he” instead of “we”
I like how they all found something to do that fit in with their personalities and character
*Meanwhile in Ponyville*
Pinkie Pie: “I suddenly have this really strange desire to go a certain village.”
Oh I see what you did there.
Also someone should get Fluttershy, she would probably be able to help.
Once again Mama would be proud of you Wingill.
Also I kinda wanna hear this song now.
Dang it Heart!
That cider might be a little on the hard side
Shouldn’t it be “pledged” instead of “pledge”?
You accidentally wrote “we” instead of “we’re”
You accidentally wrote “the” instead of “to”
Did you mean to say “him” instead of “them”?
Uh what?
I think there might be an error here
Oh no!
Don’t do it!
pbs.twimg.com/media/BvwhGYWCcAEPuHH?format=jpg&name=900x900
You mean your goal you liar!
You accidentally wrote “this” twice.
Hmmm, interesting
Wait coma? I thought he killed them?
OH HECK YEAH!
I KNEW IT! TAKE THAT YOU WALKING PILE OF GARBAGE!
Oh sure THAT’S what you’re so concerned about. Why am I not surprised
This is totally something that Autumn would say, you nailed it.
Pinkie Pie immediately shows up. “Did somebody say party!?”
You accidentally wrote “to” instead of “the”
The moment we have all been waiting for and it did not disappoint
Also you accidentally wrote “soon” instead of “son”
Flash’s time is running out. Let’s hope he finds a way to change the future
Overall a really great chapter. I hope we get to see the former cult members again during the final battle. Until next week which looks like it might be on “Growing Up is Hard to Do”.
11661323
Actually I think he’s planning on killing Faust and taking her power for himself
11661446
Me too. I don’t want to go through this series and caring for these characters for all these years only to have Flash die
11661597
Me too. Maybe she’ll even meet someone who would be a better husband for her than that jerk her parents tried to push her onto her.
Also seeing your comment I had to reference this:
11661884
No, he did not killed them.
All he did was drain the hatred out of them... Armalum only care about their hatred.
If you re-read the chapter, they never said they are dead, it instead put them in a coma while aging them to very old.
11661891
If he did that, Armalum may ends up destroying the entire universe cause without Faust, Equestria will be destroyed like it almost happened in School Raze as Cozy Glow's action of draining all magic almost killed both Flash and Faust, especially Flash as Sacred Light is the source of his life.
11661891
Honestly, part of me hopes she gets together with Wingill. It might be a bit fun if she is just drawn to anyone with a leader-like attitude, given Wingill is the leader of their group of friends now, and is clearly much better at it than Shadow. Plus, I am sure Wingill's mother would happily welcome her into the family after Wingill's banishment is over. We can see there is plenty of love and understanding in Mount Aris and Seaquestria.
11661961
Oh my gosh, dude I was thinking the same thing! Totally agree with you!
I hope Banshee sees this comment
Oh, thank goodness! Sure, things got complicated for a while, but I'm so happy those four found happiness and made the right choice.
Okay, so, Flash knows who is coming for him and that facing him will be his hardest fight ever. I have a feeling that the key to changing Flash's future depends on being able to rely on his friends and loved ones. I just hope Flash realizes that before he's beaten to an inch of his life. I don't know. Given how this version of Flash is pretty much a shonen anime protagonist, I'm honestly worried that he's going to attempt to solo against Armalum before he realizes that he needs to rely on his loved ones because that would be a pretty stereotypical thing for a shonen anime protagonist to do.
Wait a minute.
Armalum is collecting the hatred of every villain Flash has ever defeated. Well, with every villain Flash defeated, he has helped at least three other creatures, maybe more. 
I could be wrong, but I think I have an idea of how you are going to save Flash. 
I just really hope I'm right. 
11662131
Oh do tell, but DM me so we don’t spoil it for others if you want to
11662136
Me too