Five years ago... Three of Equestria's greatest enemies formed an alliance and conquered it. They combined their magic to alter the senses and memories of the princesses and the lands inhabitants into believing they are royalty and their army come to join them. Before they could act, Princess Luna sent an ancient artifact to a friend of the main 6 to train for the coming battle. Five years later... Echo Wave has trained himself to defeat the monsters, their creators and free his home from their evil. Even if his friends and his land view him as evil and try to stop him, he will continue his mission. He shall be the hero that strikes from the shadows. He shall be known as Kamen Rider Shade. (Kamen rider franchise belongs to it's rightful creators) (Ponies are Anthro)
Five years ago, three of Equestria’s deadliest enemies: Discord, Queen Chrysalis and King Sombra formed an alliance. Their combined magic created monsters known as Rezythes, creatures that followed their commands without hesitation and Obsidians, the commanding officers of these mindless soldiers. Together, they stormed Canterlot, defeated its army, sealed the Elements of Harmony and captured the Princesses in one day. Before anyone else could do anything, they combined their magic to affect the ponies, even the princesses, senses and memories. The implanted memories and the altered senses depicted them as alicorn siblings from a destroyed, faraway country, The Kingdom of Vilotan, that have come to join and ally with them. The trio’s magic also showed their monsters as the kingdom’s pony inhabitants and army. They helped advance their technology to allow them to create two wheeled vehicles for transportation powered by gems and allowed their soldiers to attack periodically, free of their disguise only to be driven away by disguised soldiers. They said they were their country’s enemies called the Seracs and will help Equestria defeat them. This allowed them gain everything they need: Chrysalis gained their love for her changelings, Sombra has a country under his control, Discord enjoys the chaos that happens and no one could stop them.
However, unknown to them, a plan was set in motion. Two days before the attack, Princess Luna sensed the danger that was coming and sent a message to a friend of Twilight Sparkle and the other elements of harmony, telling him to go to the ruins of the old castle in the Everfree Forest and wait for further instructions. On the night he received the letter; he traveled to the ancient ruins of the alicorn sisters and waited. The clouds parted revealing the moon and its light shined through the roof onto the stallion, revealing his form.
He was a black coated earth pony with a silver mane and tail. He wore blue jeans and a yellow t-shirt. His hands were in the pockets of his gray jacket while his blue eyes scanned the ruins for any signs of life. In a flash of light, a small chest appeared in front of him and landed on the floor with a thud. He was shocked at first but, noticed the moon emblem on the lid and picked it up. There was a note on the side that read ‘In a week’s time, return here and open the chest and thy shall know what to do.’ He didn’t understand why the princess would ask him to do this but, he accepted the task and left the ruins.
A week had gone by and he didn’t see any changes accept for the arrivals of the new alicorn siblings and their subjects. He went home for the night but noticed that his door was opened. He cautioned himself as he heard growls when he entered the house. In the middle of his living room, was a small timber wolf made of black oak and in its maw was the small chest. It darted past him and he gave chase after it, running all the way to the ancient castle ruins. The small timber pup dropped the chest and he went over to it and picked it up. He remembered the note and wondered if the small creature had leaded him here on purpose. He decided to open it to find out what was so important. When he opened the lid, he was engulfed in a blinding light. He felt something enter him which caused slight pain and when he opened his eyes an image of Princess Luna in a regal dress was in front of him.
“You have followed my instructions and now you must listen to what I must say. Equestria has been captured by enemies thought to be defeated. They have manipulated the minds of all the ponies in our land, including myself and my sister. This chest had a spell incased inside that dispelled the effects of their magic from you. Inside, you will find an artifact that will allow you to change into a warrior not seen in a thousand years. You must train yourself with it to be able to fight this enemy one day. Know that due to the magic, myself, my sister, your friends and others may try to stop you but, you must push forward in order to save them from the darkness that holds us. The small timber wolf will assist and help you through this blight. Even if others view you as evil, I know you will become our greatest hero. Farewell.” Then, her image faded away.
He could barely understand of what just happened to him. He looked in the chest and found an object that looked like a weird belt buckle with glass in the center, a book that contained techniques an earth pony could use and five gem stones. A black gem that looked like a crescent moon, three different colored gems he recognized were elements of harmony: honesty, kindness and magic, and was shocked that the fifth gem was grey and shaped like his cutie mark: sound waves going outwards. He placed everything back into the box and told the small timber wolf to stay here as he walked out. He noticed the sun was already setting and walked back to town to collect his thoughts. When he was at the outskirts he stopped and was shocked at what he saw.
Monsters were everywhere and nopony has even noticed them. He saw a green tint around the eyes of ponies that passed by. He closed his eyes in concentration and when he opened them all the monsters were gone and were replaced by ponies but, he could see the magic that concealed their true form. The princess must have had the spell allow him to sense which ponies were monsters. Knowing that what Princess Luna said was true, he put a note on his door saying he was going to travel for a while and left the town he called home and returned to the castle ruins. He saw the pup obediently stayed where it was and opened the chest. He looked at the contents, took out the artifact and knew what he had to do. He would train himself inside the forest and prepare himself for the battles to come. The small pup, who he named shadow, would train with him to aid in battle. To rescue all the ponies of his home, he would become a warrior that strikes from the shades of darkness, a rider that goes into the unknown that protects the innocent from evil.The stallion’s name is Echo Wave and this is my story.
Scroll 1
Five Years Later…
”I still can’t believe that in past five years, so much has changed.” Twilight said as she talked with her friends. They were in the park for their usually pet play date, dressed in clothes that fit their personalities.
“I know sugarcube. New royalty, new ponies and they helped improved everything with what they know.” Applejack said.
“Still, I could do without those walking stone creeps that followed them. I know if I could fight them they wouldn’t stand a chance.” Rainbow Dash said confidently which earned rolling eyes from her friends. They were enjoying themselves when Winona smelled something and took off running.
“Oh my, where’s Winona going off too? Fluttershy said. The girls got up from the picnic table and followed the Border collie with their pets. They stopped when they saw her being petted by a pony.
“Darling, I thought Winona didn’t like strangers?” Rarity asked.
“She doesn’t let anypony pet her unless she knows them.” Applejack explained. That meant that Winona knew this pony. They walked closer to identify the unknown pony. They were close enough to notice it was a black earth stallion wearing a gray jacket and blue jeans. They instantly recognized him when he looked up and smiled at them.
“ECHO WAVE!” they yelled happily.
“Hey girls, it’s been a long time.” I said while smiling at them. They immediately got me into a group hug.
“It’s so great to see you. How were your travels?”
“They were fine but, I’m glad I came home.” I said. In reality, I stayed in the Everfree Forest must of the time training. I did travel to parts of Equestria but, I only did that to hone my skills by defeat roaming seracs and see how deep the magic’s influence went. I did see the green tint of the magic in my friends and their pet’s eyes and could only hold in my anger.
The girls said they took care of my house while I was gone and I appreciated it. Pinkie had immediately dragged me by my arms to my house where a party to welcome me back started as soon as I was through the front door. The party went on and I noticed a few disguised monsters in my sight. The girls pulled me away for a moment to introduce me to somepony.
“Echo Wave, this is our friend, Breaker.” Twilight said as she introduced me to a yellow, unicorn stallion wearing a guard uniform. I already saw the magical aura around him and just kept a blank face.
“Nice to finally meet you. The girls have told me a lot about you.” He said while holding out his hand. I just stared at it for a few seconds before shaking it. He said he was friends with them for the last two years and was part of the town guard.
The party went on into the night and all the party goers had left. Twilight was the last to leave but not before she told me that the three alicorn siblings will make an appearance here tomorrow. I noticed that it will be my time to show those three that their time of reckoning is upon them.
The next day, all the ponies in town gathered in the center of town waiting for the siblings to arrive. Breaker was with the other town guards and I noticed four of them were the monster's foot soldiers. In a flash of light, the three siblings appeared on stage and while everypony applauded their arrival, I got my first good look at them.
Prince Scythin was a black alicorn wearing a red regal suit, matching his red flowing mane, tail and eyes. Prince Chaon was a tan alicorn wearing brown regal suit matching his flowing mane, tail and eyes. Princess Morpha was also a black alicorn wearing a green regal dress that matched her flowing mane, tail and eyes.
Twilight asked me how I saw them in person. I said “They look just like the princesses.” However, I didn’t need a second glance to know who they really were: King Sombra (Scythin), Discord (Chaon) and Queen Chrysalis (Morpha). Before any of them could speak, a yell could be heard in the back.
”MONSTERS!” Everypony turned around and while they were scared, I have seen these abominations before, they were Rezythes. Their appearance resembled suits of armor coated in black stone wielding swords. They engaged the guards in combat and breaker lead the charge. I took a glance at Sombra and he had a grin on his face. Breaker had yelled that he will lead the monsters to follow him and his troops while leaving the others to protect the town and the royalty. This was my opportunity.
“Don’t worry; Breaker has always come back after the attacks.” Twilight said. However when she turned to look at me, I was already gone.
“Echo?”
In a clearing outside of Ponyville…
Breaker was laughing to himself while the ‘monsters’ and his ‘soldiers’ stood silently, waiting for the next order. He was about to give their next order when he heard a voice.
“I must say, that’s quiet the little stunt you thought of. The valiant heroes going off to defend the innocent from the monsters.”
He turned around to find the source of the voice, only to find me, leaning my back against a tree.
“Echo, how did you get here. Quickly, run before the creatures attack!”
“You can drop the act Breaker. I must say, the snake look fit’s your personality, slimy. That’s right I can see what you really are.” I said. He wore a shock expression at me. He really looked like a crocodile with the lower body of a snake. He then wore an evil smile at me.
“So, a little dog has broken free from his leash. What are you going to do?”
“I’m here to stop you.” I said and all he did was laugh.
“What can one pony do against us?” He asked. I didn’t answer and simply took out the artifact. It was silver; oval shaped, a handle on the right side and a black pad on the left. I placed it below my stomach and shadows formed around my waist, creating a dark belt and locking the artifact in place. I pulled out the handle, took out the grey gem, placed it in the slot the handle opened and said one thing before slamming the handle back into place.
“Henshin.”
The gem appeared in the center of the buckle and started spinning in place rapidly causing shadows to erupt from it, encasing me. The shadows receded from me, revealing my new form.
I wore a grey body suit with black arm and leg guards and a sword was on my back. My head was encased in a helmet that resembled wolf’s head with two blue, circular lenses in the middle for me to see. Breaker was confuse by my appearance but, smirked at it.
“What, you want to die in a suit, fine. You, go take care of him.” He said while, directing one of the monsters to attack me. It lifted its sword and charged right at me. I merely placed my hand on the handle of my sword and waited. Before it even swung the sword down, I was already behind, my sword in my hand. The blade of my sword is solid black with a single white line running through the center of the blade. The enemy behind me was still for a moment before falling to the ground. The magic that created it was gone and all that was left a pile of armor shaped rocks. Breaker wore a face of shock before it turned into rage.
“ATTACK!!!”
The main six, town guard and Vilotan siblings followed the path Breaker made in hopes of finding Echo Wave. They heard Breaker shout and quickened their pace, hoping that he found Echo. When they got to the clearing, they saw a different sight. The girls and the guard saw a stallion in a gray body suit and helmet attacking monster and guard alike with a sword. The three disguise villains only saw their soldiers falling one after the other.
“Why is he attacking the guard as well?” Twilight said through fearful eyes.
I had slashed through one more enemy until only Breaker remained. His face looked shock; seeing all your soldiers be destroyed by one enemy might do it. I reshethed my sword and turned my head to see the group that had arrived. I saw the looks of horror in my friends’ faces and noticed the guard ready to charge. I sighed loudly and clenched my hands together and slammed my right fist into the ground. Four lines of light shot out in different directions from where my fist impacted. When they were far enough, the lines connected and a barrier formed, encasing the area around us in a dome of light. The others were pushed back by it and Sombra tried to use his magic to dispel the barrier, only to have his spell absorb into it.
“WHAT!?” He yelled in confusion. He placed his hand on the barrier and it pulsated and turned the color red. His eyes went wide when he saw what kind of magic it was. ‘Archaic magic!’
“This barrier will prevent all from entering. It’s just you and me.” I said. I sprinted forward and immediately kicked him in the head. He staggered a bit and I transitioned into a hard left punch to the gut. I kept my onslaught of attacks going until he tried to run. I pointed my right arm and daggers flew out of my armguard, pinning him in place right in front of my friends as he yelled in pain. I walked and stood a few feet away from him, pulled the handle back out and pulled out the black gem. Breaker looked behind him, noticed the group and looked back at me with a smug grin.
“Your friends are right behind me. They’ve known me for two years. Are you going to destroy me, cause them saddness and have all of Equestria as your enemy in your foolish attempt to free it?” He said. I heard this but, my friends heard him begging for his life and asked if I was going to kill him. I looked at the girls behind the barrier and saw tears in their eyes. I closed my eyes and remembered why I am doing this, to free my home from this evil. I opened my eyes and said one thing before continuing my actions.
“Yes.”
I placed the gem in the slot and slammed back into place.
“Lunar Moon!”
The black gem replaced the first one in the center of the buckle and started spinning. A blue mist surrounded my chest and when it dissipated, a dark blue regalia chest plate was in its place. A white crescent moon appeared in the center of the chest plate and my helmet. I pulled the handle back out and slammed it back in.
“Lunar Moon, Exceed!”
The blue mist returned and focused on my right leg. I got into my fighting stance and jumped into the air. I flipped forward and launched myself forward into a kick. I uttered one phrase when I connected with him.
“May the darkness, consume this evil.” The mist that surrounded my leg jolted forward and encased him. He yelled in pain for a minute before there was silence. When it cleared, all that was left was his guard helmet. I looked up and saw fear in the guards, sadness in the girls and disbelief in the three alicorns. I crossed my arms and spoke.
“Know this, Vilotan siblings. I will not stop until you and all your monsters have been vanquished. This day marks that your reign is coming to an end and soon, all of Equestria will be free from you. I know who you are.” Shadows started to engulf me. Before they engulfed me completely, I said one more thing that shocked the three right to their core.
“I know who you really are.” When the shadows faded, I was gone.
The group returned to town and the girls found me ‘unconscious’ in a cart full of hay and were thrilled to find me safe. I told them that it was my first time seeing them and looked for a hiding place and hit my head when I landed in the cart and blacked out. They told me what happened and was ‘saddened’ to know what happened to Breaker and his guards. The siblings gave the town their condolences and will return to their temporary castle to discuss on who this unknown assailant is and disappeared in a flash of light. I stayed with the girls until they calmed down returned to their homes and I went to mine.
As I was in the darkness of my home, I knew the lengths I will need to go. Even if all my friends and my home see me as evil, I will continue my mission to free them from this evil. I am Echo Wave.
On a mountain cliff behind Canterlot, stands a castle made of black marble. It is not as tall as Canterlot castle but, still a sight to see. The halls are guarded by the foot soldiers of the serac in their pony disguises. In the center of the castle, lies the throne room where the Vilotan siblings wonder on today’s events. Sombra was sitting on the center, highest throne; deep in thought while, Discord was on his coach, floating in midair sipping tea and Chrysalis was pacing back and forth in the center of the room.
“Well, this has been quiet the eventful day hasn’t it?” Discord said in mid sip. Chrysalis stopped pacing and glared at him.
“How can you joke about this? This thing has discovered us and has slain some of our creatures and one of our generals!?” She yelled in anger.
“Yes, I was wondering who was taking down our soldiers.”
“You knew about this!”
“No, but I have seen reports over the last three years about a mysterious stallion in a suit and helmet taking down some of our creations. It’s nothing really.”
“What do you mean ‘It’s nothing’?”
“We can always make more of them. It’s no big deal.”
“IT IS A BIG DEAL!”
“ENOUGH!!!” Sombra yelled as he slammed his fist into his throne which shook the whole castle, dark magic seeping through his eyes. The shock stopped the argument and Discord and Chrysalis looked at him.
“This changes nothing.” He said calmly as he got off his throne.
“How can you react so calmly to this?”
“It’s just one insignificant pony trying to fix the impossible.”
“I saw that look you had when you touched that barrier, it was made from archaic magic and that technique he used contained magic not seen in thousands of years.”
“It doesn’t matter what magic he uses. He will be dealt with just like others that have tried to defy us, Equestria is ours.” He said while looking out the window.
“What will we tell the ponies?”
“We’ll tell them that he is an old enemy of ours. That he created the monsters and lost control of them. I don’t know who you are but, you will be the enemy of the ponies you try to free. Your demise is absolute.”
It’s been two days since those three appeared in Ponyville. The paper read that I was the ‘sorcerer of arcane’. It said that I had created the monsters and lost control of them. I am amazed that they could think of this. The siblings said that it was their kingdoms custom to postpone their inhabitant’s ceremony until the cause is dealt with.
The town was still distraught over the loss of Breaker and his guards, especially the girls. I hated seeing them like this but; I have to be strong, for their sakes and the others. I had told the girls to come to my house for a get together and to see how they were holding up. Spike and I were finishing up the snacks and tea as the girls waited in the living room.
“Thanks for the help, Spike.” I said to the little dragon. Spike had gotten taller in the past five years but, not by much. The little guy only comes up to my waist line now. He looked up to me and smiled.
“No problem, Echo. It’s great having you back.” He said. We walked backed into the living room with the snacks and tea to see the girls were still depressed. We placed the treats on the table and I poured the tea into the cups, gave them to each of them and took my seat.
“So, how have you girls been doing?”
“We’ve been able to pull through, sugarcube. It just still hurts.” Applejack answered.
“I still think that meany pants went too far in doing that to Breaker.” Pinkie said. I noticed that even though her main and tail was still puffy, it lost the vibrancy it usually had.
“I say will go out there, find this jerk and make him pay!” Rainbow declared. I gave her a stern look that caused her to sink back into her seat. I closed my eyes and gave a long sigh.
“Look, I know you girls are sad about what this masked stallion did to him and his guards but, that doesn’t mean you should go out there and try to find him. Vengeance doesn’t solve anything and I don’t want you girls to get hurt by him. You’re my friends and I don’t want anything bad to happen to you.” I said. The girls and spike looked at me with small smiles and thanked me for my words. We started eating the treats and talking about something else to get into a different subject.
“How’s Sweet Apple Acres doing, Applejack?”
“It’s coming along great. In fact, I brought some apples along for everypony, freshly picked right off the tree.” She said. She grabbed her bag and took out eight red apples and handed them to each of us. The others started eating and I was about to before I noticed something. I looked at it closely and saw it was emitting the same green tint as my friend’s eyes.
“Is something wrong with the apple?” Twilight said.
“No, I’m just not hungry. Hey Applejack, did anything change on the farm while I was gone?” I asked her.
“Nothing really noticeable but, we did receive a gift three years ago. The royals gave us this tree that grew only in their kingdom. They said it helped improve the health of the plants around it. Since we planted it, the harvest has been better than ever.” She said. I was about to ask another question when there was a knock on my door. Spike went over, opened the door and we were greeted by an unusually sight.
At the door was a female griffin. She was wearing a red tank top and blue jeans. Her feathers had a silver tint to them and her eyes were red. The others were shocked but, I knew who she was.
“I’m sorry but, can we help you?” Twilight asked. The griffin looked in my direction, noticed my expression and smirked. She walked past Spike, into the house, got behind me, leaned down and crossed her arms around my neck.
“Echo, that wasn’t nice? After all we’ve been through; it wasn’t nice to go without leaving a note.” She said in a slightly sultry voice. The girl’s eyes were wide when she said that. I just kept my blank expression.
“Echo, who is this and why does she know you?” Rarity asked.
“Girls, this is Zepha, I met her two years ago on my travels.” I answered. She waved her hand at them when I said her name. I told them I would explain tomorrow and that I would stop by the farm. They had confused faces but, they left regardless. When the door closed, my tone went serious.
“Okay, why are you here?” I asked while getting up and walking into the kitchen.
“Ah, you sound cute when you’re mad.” She replied as she picked up the apple.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”
“Relax, you know this doesn’t affect me but, it’s nice to know you care.” She said. She was right though when she said it didn’t affect her. During my travels, I learned that the spell only affected residents of Equestria, other inhabitants that weren’t ponies weren’t affected. However, this didn’t mean that Sombra and the other two didn’t take this into consideration. They found different ways to keep other races in check.
“Why are you here?”
“I just came to see how your mission was going and know if you’re going to keep your promise. You do remember you’re promise, right?” She asked. I did remember the promise I made to her. I first met her two years ago when she and her father, Swift Talons, were being chased by rezythes. I dispatched them and asked what happened. Her father said that they were escapees from the Griffin Kingdom. I learned that the current ruler, Iron Wing, was replaced by an obsidian named maelstrom and put a lock down on the entire kingdom, preventing anyone from leaving. I promised them that I would help free their people when mine were free. Now I know that the day I own up to that promise and others is approaching sooner than I thought.
“I remember.”
The next day, I told Zepha to stay inside while I checked out sweet apple acres. I got to the farm and noticed that the apple family added more trees when I last saw it. I saw Applejack and her brother and went towards them. Big Macintosh was still big as ever. He was wearing blue overalls with a yellow shirt. In his mouth was a stick of wheat.
“Well howdy, Echo Wave.”
“Hey, Applejack. Can you show me this tree that the siblings gave you?”
“Well sure. Big Mac, can you show him?” She asked her older brother. He replied the only way he knew how.
“Eeyup.”
Big Mac and I walked through the trees and I saw the green magic flowing through the tree’s roots and into the apples. We came to a stop and saw a dark brown tree at the top of a hill. I went closer and noticed that the magic was spreading from it. I turned around to talk to him, only to be shocked with what I saw.
“BIG MAC, WATCH OUT!!!” I yelled. Before he could react, a serac had blindsided him and knocked him unconscious. I heard movement and turned around to see the tree split open and a log like creature stepped out. The magic was coming from him and now I knew that it was the cause.
“So, you were behind all this? The magic seeping into the apples came from you, didn’t it?” I accused. It answered in a deep voice.
“Yes, I don’t who you are but, now that you’ve seen my true form, you and that farmer need to be dealt with, permanently.” It said. I would attack but, I can’t do anything until Big Mac was safe. An idea came to mind and I whistled.
“What are you doing?"
“I’m calling a friend.” I answered. Before it could say anything else, something black shot past it. It heard a crunching noise and looked up to see a full grown, solid black timber wolf with remains of the serac in its jaw. Its piercing white eyes looking right at it. This was Shadow, all grown up.
“Shadow, guard that stallion while I deal with this.” I said while taking out the artifact, which I dubbed the ‘Umbra Driver’. Shadow barked in confirmation. I placed the driver on my waist, the belt appeared and I performed the motions.
“Henshin.”
I transformed and punched the ground, erecting the barrier. I launched my daggers at it only to see them lodge into its arm. It lowered its arm and smirked.
“So, you’re the one that has been destroying our comrades. I will have you know that mere knives will not destroy my armor. Now, perish!” It yelled as it struck the ground with both its arms and the ground shook. Spear like roots shot out of the ground and tried to impale. I got out of the way in time but, more kept coming. I drew my sword, slashed the next set of roots, sprinted towards the creature and slashed its left arm off. It merely shrugged and swung its right arm at me. I blocked it but, the force of the impact pushed me back.
“It will take more than that to defeat me.” It said with a grin. If physical attacks were no good, I knew what else to use. I pulled the handle, took out the crescent gem, placed it in and slammed the handle back.
“Lunar Moon!”
The dark blue chest plate formed on me right before a root impaled me. The creature laughed at my ‘demise’ but, it didn’t notice my sword stuck in its chest, with me holding it.
“What!?” it shrieked in disbelief. It looked to where it thought I was only to see another me before it faded away in a blue mist.
“Each of my gems grants me a different ability; this one grants me illusionary powers. Your armor may protect you from the outside but, I bet the same can’t be said for your insides.” I pulled the handle back out and slammed it back in.
“Lunar Moon, Exceed!”
The blue mist returned but, this time it focused on my blade. Blue lines started to inch up its skin as I twist my sword.
“May the darkness, consume this evil.” It yelled in pain as the mist came out of its mouth and engulfed it. The mist cleared and it was gone and the roots receded back into the ground. I dissipated the barrier and went up to the split tree. The magic was gone and it returned to being a regular tree. The book I read had a chapter in restoration and dispelling magic on a simple level. I chanted the runic incantations and slammed my fist into the ground. A magic pulse was sent that restored the tree and was sent out to the other trees in the entire orchard. When it finished, I was left exhausted but, it was worth it to restore the orchard to the glory I remembered it had. I couldn’t affect the apples that were already picked but, at least the farm was pure once again.
I told Shadow to return to the castle ruins and to deal with any stray seracs he finds, once I gave the order, he disappeared into the trees. I waited there until Big Mac opened his eyes.
“You okay, Macintosh.”
“What happened? The last thing I remembered was you yelling at me to watch out for something.”
“The tree branch above you just snapped and landed on your head, knocking you out. I stayed here until you woke up, you ready to head back?"
“Eeyup.”
We went back to the farmhouse and I waved goodbye as I went home. The sun was already setting and the streets were clear. I opened my door and saw the girls chatting with Zepha. I walked in, closed the door and settled into my chair.
“Welcome home, sugarcube. Zepha here has been telling us about how yall met in Manehatten. She also said how she liked to tease you a bit. Echo Wave?” Applejack asked. I didn’t answer I was already fast asleep in my chair. The girls just smiled and Twilight levitated my quilt off my bed and placed it on me.
“He must have tired himself out while helping Big Mac collect the rest of the apples. You can tell him the letter tomorrow Twilight.”
“Yeah, he’ll be so surprised to find out that the Vilotan siblings have asked us to visit them at their castle."
I woke up the next day with quite the start. Apparently, Zepha had convinced the girls to play a little prank on me while I slept. She had put me on my bed and climbed in while, the girls waited in the living room waiting for me to wake up. The sound of me yelling and falling out of bed was drowned out by them laughing, especially Rainbow.
“Never try a stunt like that again!” I exclaimed when we were in the living room and the girls had calmed down.
“Ah, I thought it would be a dream come true waking up next to me” She said with a smile.
“More like a nightmare.” I muttered.
“Okay, now that our little prank is done, I can tell you the news I got yesterday.” Twilight said.
“What’s the news, Twilight?”
“The Vilotan siblings have asked the girls and me to come to their castle for something and I thought if it will be nice if you came with us.” She said. I was shocked when she said that. What could those three want with the girls now of all times? I wasn’t going to let them go there without protection.
“Are you sure that they wouldn’t mind me coming?”
“Don’t worry, darling.” Rarity said.
“Rarity’s right, Echo. You’re our friend and this will be your chance to meet them face to face.” Twilight said.
“Okay, I’ll come. Zepha, think you can watch this place while we’re gone?” I asked. She nodded and went back into the kitchen. We ate breakfast and were about to go when there was a knock at the door. I opened it and Apple bloom came in.
“Apple bloom, what’s wrong?” Applejack asked her little sister.
“There’s something wrong with Big Mac. He just got back home, went into the barn and said something about seeing the monsters in town but, there isn’t any.” She said. The girls were confused but, I knew something was wrong when she said not seeing any.
“That’s strange, maybe I should go see him and find out what’s wrong with him.” Applejack said but, before she went out, I spoke up.
“Wait, I’ll go talk to him. Twilight, when are the royals expecting us?” I asked.
“Well, they aren’t expecting us for another two and a half hours and it takes an hour and half to get to their castle.” She said.
“I’ll only need less than an hour. I’ll meet you at the train station.” I said as I grabbed my backpack and went out the door.
I made my way to Sweet Apple Acres and knocked on the barn door.
“Big Mac, you in there, it’s Echo Wave.” I said. There was a moment of pause and then the barn doors opened. I saw Big Mac holding an old sword and a pitchfork on his back.
“Where are you going with those?"
“I’m going into town, get the guard and get rid of those monsters.” He said in a stern voice. I looked into his eyes and saw that the green tint in them as gone.
“Big Mac, listen to me. Put that stuff back and follow me. I promise I will explain everything. You need to trust me on this.” I said in a calming voice. He was reluctant at first but, agreed. We walked into the sea of trees and made our way back towards the hill. When we got there, we took a sit at the base, facing each other and I began explaining everything to him from that night I got the chest, to my travels and me coming back. It took a good forty-five minutes telling him this, based on my watch. To say that he was shocked would be an understatement. He quickly composed himself and asked me something.
“If this is true, than how come the magic on me suddenly disappeared?”
“This is just a guess but, seeing that you were knocked out, the restoration and dispelling magic must have had an effect on you as well, breaking the magic’s hold on you.” I said. I reached into my backpack, pulled out the black book that was in the chest, flipped through the pages until I found the one I was looking for, placed my hand on his head and began the chant. He winced a bit but, stood firm. When I finished, he looked up and the green tint was back.
“What did you do?”
“Through training, I was able to use the spell that Princess Luna used on me. It will allow you to view the monsters in their disguise at your will. Remember, no one must know my secret.” I said. I got and was about to leave until Big Mac asked me something.
“Why do you think she asked you to do this?” I let that question sink in. Ever since the day I took up this mantle, I have wondered why the princess chose me for this task. However, if she did choose me for this than she must have confidence in me.
“I don’t know but, I deal with it in the end.” I said and then I left.
I met the girls at the train station with five minutes to spare and we got on board. We all sat in the same car and I watch the scenery go by us through the window. The trip was long and quiet until I asked a question that’s been bugging me.
“Twilight, how are the princesses?”
“They’ve been doing well. I still get letters from them. However, Princess Celestia sounded strange in her recent letters to me. I think she may be keeping a secret.” She answered. Before I could ask something else, we arrived at our destination. We exited the train and I had to hold back my surprise when I saw the amount of rezythes in the small streets. The ones that were guards guided us into the castle, through the corridors and into the throne room. There they were, sitting on their thrones. The doors closed when we walked in. the girls bowed when we got to the center of the room and I did as well.
“Your majesties.” We all said.
“Twilight Sparkle, it is good to see that you and your friends have come.” ‘Scythin’ said.
“It is a great honor for us.” Twilight said.
“Who is this stallion you brought with you?” ‘Morpha’ asked.
“This is our friend, Echo Wave.”
“It is an honor to finally meet you.” I said.
“Ah yes, I had heard you tell of your friend that was traveling. It is nice to finally meet you.” She said.
“The pleasure is all mine, princess.” I said while gagging on the inside.
“Look at that brother. Our sister has an admirer.” ‘Chaon’ teasingly said. She glared at him and I resisted the urge to puke.
“Now that introductions are over, we can move on.”
“Your highness, what do you need?” Twilight said.
“As you know, an old enemy of ours has returned. The ‘sorcerer of arcane’ is back to finish what he started. I have consulted with my brother and sister and we would like for you to go to different locations in Equestria to gain information on him.”Scythin said. The girls were shocked at this mission while I just listened.
“Where would you like us to go first, your majesty?”
“We would like you to go to Appleloosa first. We have heard rumors of incidents being there. Be warned, he is dangerous so, be careful.”
“We won’t fail you.” We all said. The royals gave us our blessings and we were escorted out. I took one last quick glance at them to remind me of who they really are. I promised myself that the next time we meet, one of them is going down. I told Twilight to have Spike send Zepha a message about where we’re going and to meet us there. We got on the train and began the long trip to the western settlement.
“I hope Braeburn’s okay.” Applejack said.
“It’s okay, Applejack. I’m sure your cousin is just fine.” Fluttershy reassuringly said. Applejack’s cousin, Braeburn, lived out there and ran an apple farm himself.
“Have there been any advancements out there?” I asked.
“No, it’s still the same but; some of the residents have started using those crystal powered bikes for traveling.” Twilight said. The crystal powered bikes, named zergers, came into existence two years ago. Two wheeled vehicles that the Vilotan siblings helped make. How they came up with this just adds to my worries of what else they have.
The trip was long and we were able to catch a glimpse of it the next morning. Through the window, I saw a few ponies riding on zergers with carts attached to the back of them. We got off at the station and Applejack immediately knew something was wrong.
“If he isn’t here welcoming new ponies, than something must be wrong with him. Let’s head towards the farm.” Applejack said. We made our way through town and towards his farm. There were only a couple of trees out here and I didn’t sense any magic from them and we didn’t see Applejack’s cousin.
“Where is he?”
“I don’t know, Applejack. Maybe he left somewhere. Let’s check the town one more time.” Twilight said. Before we left, I noticed what looked like a broken pitchfork in the dirt. I picked it up and it looked like the top was burned off. We went to ‘The Salt Block’ saloon for any information we could find. I went to the bar while the girls talked to the locals. I saw a burly looking blue earth pony next to me and decided to see if he knew anything.
“Excuse me, sir?” I said. He looked towards me for the voice.
“Yeah.”
“Sorry for bothering you. I was hoping you’ve seen Braeburn anywhere?” I asked him.
“Sorry, I haven’t seen him in quite a while. In fact, I haven’t seen him in four months. Of course, he hasn’t been acting right since then.” He answered. That didn’t make any sense. How could he be gone for four months without anypony noticing?
“What did you mean by he wasn’t acting right?”
“Five years ago, the buffalo came through town for apple pies but, I guess they saw something they didn’t like and left real quickly. He was hit hard because he thought we were friends and just stayed on the farm. All the residents helped take care of the trees because he matters to all of us.”
“When was the last time anypony saw him?”
“Hmm, that would be a week before he vanished. I was going over to check up on him when I saw him talking to two vilotan ponies. They were asking around for somepony help with their expedition but, the weird thing is that when I got closer, Braeburn looked scared to death of them. Like he saw something from a nightmare.” He said. I didn’t need to know why Braeburn thought that.
“Did you see any injuries on him?”
“Now that I think, I did see that he had some medical wraps around his head.”
“What did these two look like?” I asked. This was crucial.
“I know the boss was a unicorn but, I didn’t get his name. His partner was an earth pony, named Iron Crusher. In fact, that’s him now.” He said while pointing to a nearby table. I turned my head and saw Iron. He may look like a silver earth pony but, he truly look like a walking rock golem.
“Thank you.” I said as I got up. I walked to the girls and told them that I was heading back into town to find more clues. They nodded in agreement and I left the saloon and waited for my chance.
An hour had past and the sun as just setting. Iron Crusher was just coming out of the saloon. He looked up to the sky and saw a barrier forming.
“I heard about you but, I didn’t think you make it out here to this dirt trap.” He said as he turned around and saw me, fully transformed.
“Where is the stallion you took from here?”
“You’re going to have to be more specific than that and besides even if I did know him, what are you going to do about it?” He asked. My answer came in the form of a dagger thrown at him and bouncing off.
“You’re going to have to try better than that If you want to get answers from me!” He said. He raised his fist and struck the ground so hard, it caused everything to shake. All the patrons exited the saloon to see what’s going on, including the girls.
“There he is. He’s fighting that stallion” Twilight shouted.
I took out the crescent gem, pulled out the handle, placed it in and slammed the handle.
“Lunar Moon.”
My chest plate appeared; I drew my sword and went on the attack. I kept attacking slashing but, I wasn’t making a dent.
“You think a sword can harm me!” He swung his arm down and I barely dodged the attack. I tapped into the chest’s power and created an illusion of me.
“He cloned himself!” Rainbow Shouted. Fluttershy was shaking in fear from seeing this.
“No, it’s just an illusion.” Twilight said. I told my duplicate to attack from the left while attack from the right. We went forward and started slashing at him. He only laughed at our attempt as he swung his arms down at us. I dodged but, my copy was crushed. I heard Rainbow say I didn’t stand a chance and the crowd agreed.
“You can’t beat me. I’ll crush you beneath the earth itself!” He Proclaimed.
“The earth huh, funny. I was thinking the same thing.” I said. I took out another gem: a rectangular orange one. I felt a strange felling coming from it. I pulled out the handle, placed the gem in and slammed the handle in place.
“Honor Ground.”
The gem began to spin and an orange light appeared.
In Canterlot, behind an underground vault, deep in the castle. The element of Honesty shined bright.
The ground around me began to shake and small rocks began to swirl around my arms. When the shaking stopped, everpony saw that my chest plate was gone but, on both my arms were orange gauntlets with a gem in the middle and the symbol of honesty in the center of my helmet.
“Twilight, isn’t that the element of honesty’s symbol on his helmet!” Applejack said out of shock.
“Yes but, how can that be!” Twilight responded in equal shock. The others were also shocked by this as well.
“I’m going to ask one more time. Where is he?” I asked. He smirked and charged right at me.
“FIND OUT, YOURSELF!!!” He shouted. He raised his arm and struck down with all his might. The impact caused dust to cloud everpony’s vision. When the dust settled, no pony was more shocked than Iron. I had caught his fist with one hand.
“So be it.”
I brought my right fist back and the impact of my punch sent him colliding with the barrier on the other side. All the pony’s jaws dropped at how strong I had gotten. My fist left an imprint in his side, penetrating his rock like skin. I raised my left fist and slammed it into the ground causing a boulder to pop up. I grabbed it at sent it flying towards him. It impacted and shattered causing him to fall to his knees. I grabbed the handle, pulled it out and slammed it back in.
“Honor Ground, Exceed!”
Small rocks began encircling my right fist and gauntlet. I sprinted forward and slammed my fist into his chest. The shockwave caused ground beneath him jutted upwards and entombed him.
“May the Earth, Obliterate this evil.” He yelled as the rocks around and on him inwards and imploded on it. All that was left was dust. I turned around and saw the shock faces on all the ponies. The shadows started to engulf me but, before I disappeared and the barrier vanished, Twilight said one thing.
After the battle, the girls decided to go back to the farm house to figure out what to do next. They were discussing many things on the way back but, the main focus was on ‘kamen rider shade’ and the elements of harmony.
“How in the hay was he able to do all those things!? First he made a copy of himself, than he was strong enough to crack the ground with one punch!” Rainbow shouted. The girls were trying to figure that themselves.
“I don’t know, Rainbow. I’m still trying to figure this out myself.” Twilight exclaimed.
“Darling, I think there are more important matters to deal with.” Rarity said.
“Yeah, how was he able to use the element of honesty like that?” Applejack proclaimed.
“I don’t know. I know the elements are still in Canterlot but, that was the element of honesty’s symbol on his helmet. It just doesn’t make any sense and we still don’t know who this ‘kamen rider shade’ really is.” Twilight said.
The girls were pondering this all the way to the farm with more questions than answers. When they got there, they heard a banging noise coming from the shed. They walked towards and noticed the door was lock from the outside.
“Hello, is anypony in there?” She said. There was silence for a second before they heard a voice.
“Twilight, is that you out there?” They recognized the voice as their friend.
“Echo Wave, how did you get in there?”
“I walked through town and decided to check the farm again. One minute, I’m looking through the shed, the next, the ground starts to shake and the door closes, locking me in. Can you open the door please?” I explained.
They unlocked the door, opened it and checked to see if I was okay. I told them I was fine and asked what that noise was about. They told me everything and wondered what to do next.
“Send a message to the vilotan siblings, Twilight. They might send back up.” Rainbow said.
“Hold on, Rainbow. Look, I know this is important but, we already have a problem on our hands. When I was at the bar, I talked to one of the residents if they saw Braeburn. He said that he’s been missing for four months and the last time he saw him was when he was talking to two vilotan ponies about an expedition.”
“HE’S BEEN MISSING FOR FOUR MONTHS!” Applejack shouted. The volume of her voice caused us to cover our ears and for Fluttershy to hide behind me.
“Applejack, I need you to calm down. Look, from what you girls said, that stallion the ‘rider’ took down was one of the two to last see him.” I explained while trying to calm down Fluttershy.
“Thank you.” She said with a small smile.
“You’re welcome. Listen, it’s been a long day and we all need the rest. Let’s try to eat something and go to sleep. Tomorrow, we’ll see if we can’t find some more clues or that other vilotan pony.” I proclaimed. They agreed and went inside the house. I saw Applejack lookout at the farm and I went up to her.
“I hope he’s okay.”
“Applejack, I’m sure Braeburn is okay. Besides, he’s an apple and you did say your family is known for being tough.” I said trying to reassure her. She gave me a small smile and a hug which I returned.
“Thanks for helping me, sugarcube.”
“What are friends for?” I said as we walked back to the house.
We were able to make a few things from the apples on the farm. After we ate, the girls went to sleep and I quietly left the house. While I was outside, I saw the sun disappear below the horizon as night began to come. I was in deep thought as to where they could have taken Braeburn and hoped that he was okay. I was brought out of thought when I heard wings beat.
“That was quite the show you put on in town.” The voice said. I turned around and saw Zepha land behind me.
“I’m not in the mood for your jokes, not now.” I said with a blank expression.
“I just wanted to lighten your mood a bit. I know you’re worried about your friends.” She said. If you get past all her jokes, she really cares for others. I told her everything up to the point to when she arrived.
“You really do go all out to help your friends. I think I might be able to help you though.” She reached behind her back and pulled out an item I didn’t think she would have.
It was Braeburn’s hat.
“Where did you find this!?” I proclaimed as I looked at the hat.
“On the way here, I came across a buffalo in the desert north from here. He was injured badly so, I took him to a nearby cave. I was able to treat him but, most of those injuries were too old to heal. He told me to take this hat and look for help.” She explained. If this buffalo had his hat, than he must know where he is.
“Zepha, take me to him.”
Zepha flew me to where the injured buffalo was. I left a note for the girls when they wake up telling them that I went into town as I grabbed my bag and left the house. The flight took time and when we got to the cave, the moon was high in the sky. When I saw him, I was shocked at what I saw.
The buffalo was malnourished and he had wounds all over him. His clothes were in rags and both his arms were bandaged. His brown coat was covered in dirt. I heard him groan and he weakly opened his eyes.
“Did…you bring help?” He asked weakly. Ne tried to get help but, I stopped him. When I laid him back down, I noticed scars of his back.
“What happened to you?”
“Five years ago, my tribe went towards the town for apple pies but, when we got close enough we saw something that frightened. We saw creature that look like dark spirits of legend. The residents didn’t notice them which scared us so, we left.” He told us. I then realized how he was there five years ago.
“Your part of Chief Thunderhooves tribe, aren’t you?” I said.
“Yes, my name is Steelstrike and I am one of the warriors of the tribe.”
“What happened after you turned around and left?” I asked.
“Ten nights after we left, we were surrounded by the creatures. I saw some of my fellow warriors fall while we defended the women and children. They had this one creature that looked like a scorpion and it released flames from its tail and another that looked like a walking boulder. We were captured and imprisoned for years in a giant cave. They barely fed us to keep us too weak to escape or fight back.” He explained. I asked Zepha to pass me the hat and I showed him it.
“Who gave you this hat?”
“The pony known as Braeburn gave it to me. Four months ago, they brought him to where they held us. He was injured and Little Strongheart went to help him. Last night, I found an exit big enough for me to escape. I told the chief and he gave me his blessing and I promised I would bring help. Braeburn gave me his hat to show to someone for help.”
“Where is this cave?”
“It is north from here. Please…you must…save them.” He replied weakly. His strength left him and passed out. I stood up with determination burning in my eyes. No one harms my friends or their family and gets away with it. I turned towards Zepha and asked her to take me down from the cave that was ten feet up from ground.
“Look after him; I got some friends to save.”
I walked for what felt like four miles until I saw a large cave entrance. I walked inside and my blood just boiled. I saw buffalo behind steel bars in chains. They saw me and begged for help. I searched the many cages until I found the one I was looking for. I saw a large buffalo with a headdress that has lost some of its feathers. Beside him was a smaller, female buffalo with a weak, yellow stallion’s head in her lap.
“Who are you?” The chief said.
“I’m here to help.” I said trying to give them fate. I heard a groan and saw Braeburn move.
“Don’t harm yourself, stay still.” Little Strongheart replied. He slowly opened his eyes and saw me.
“Echo Wave, is that you?” He asked.
“Yeah, it’s me. I’m here to get you all out of here.” I told them. However, before I could pick the lock, a bolt of fire hit the ground in front of it. I turned around and the ‘scorpion monster’ and fifteen rezythes armed with swords.
“Are you the one behind all this?”
“Yes, my name is Infernox and you are not leaving here. Well, at least not alive.” He said with a voice laced with venom.
“Echo, get out of here!” Braeburn yelled as best as he can.
“Don’t worry. The only ones leaving is them.” I said. I pulled out the umbra driver, set it in place, pulled out the handle, placed the crescent gem in and slammed the handle back in.
“Henshin.”
The shadows surrounded and when they receded, I was fully transformed. The buffalo were stunned by this change and Braeburn’s eyes went wide seeing this.
“Echo, is that you in there?” He asked. I gave him the thumbs up to reassure them that I’m here to save them.
“Ah, so you’re the one that destroyed my partner. I must ask before you are killed, why are you really here?” He asked. I pulled out the handle, took out the orange gem, placed it in and slammed it back in.
“Honor Ground.”
The ground shook and my gauntlets appeared from a cloud of dust around my arms. I slammed my fists together in front of me and simply said two things.
“No one hurts my friends and gets away with it. Now, prepare for your judgment.”
“Fine, get rid of him.” Infernox ordered. The mindless soldiers followed and charged at me.
“COME ON!!!” I yelled. I punched the closest one and shattered it on impact. I blocked two attacks and destroyed two more. The process continued until only five remained. The captives were in a state of shock by the battle they are seeing. I slammed my right fist into the ground and rock spikes sprung from the ground and skewered the remaining guards. I ducked behind one of them to avoid a fireball. Infrenox rushed me and tried to impale me on his tail I dodged the first couple of strikes and grabbed it. I drew my sword and sliced it off. He yelled in pain but, used his fire to blind me for a second. When my eyes refocused, I saw him run away on a zerger. I used my sword to draw a circle in the ground and a six-pointed star inside of it. I placed an archaic symbol in the middle of the star and the whole circle began to glow.
“What are you doing?” Braeburn asked.
“Getting my bike.”
Infernox was a good three minutes away from the cave on his zerger (a red ATV) he thought he was in the clear when he heard a second noise. He turned around and was scared when he saw me closing in fast on my own zerger (a gray triumph Bonneville with a wolf based design). I drew two daggers and threw them at his back tires causing him to crash. I was close enough when I pulled the handle out and slammed it back in.
“Honor Ground, Exceed!”
The dust from the ground encircled my right leg. I jumped off my bike and into the air. I flipped forward and launched forward.
“May the Earth, Obliterate this evil.” He yelled in agony as I made I connected. The impact caused his zerger to explode and leave a crater as impact zone. I jumped out and landed on my bike. I took one last look and rode back to the cave as the sun began to rise behind me.
I got back to the cave and saw that all the buffalo were out of their entrapments. I noticed Zepha and Steelstrike and guessed that they must have released them. I pressed the pad on my driver and my transformation cancelled. I walked towards Chief Thunderhooves and the others to check on them.
“No thanks can explain how grateful I am that you have saved my tribe. We are in your debt.” He said. I looked around and saw Braeburn propped up against a wall with Little Strongheart next to him. He saw me coming towards him and gave a small smile.
“Well howdy, Echo Wave. Thank ya kindly for rescuing us.” He said.
“No problem. The girls and I were close by and we were looking for you.”
“How were you able to do all those things? You look like a super hero.” He said.
I began telling him everything about what has been happening or at least the rundown of it. When I finished recalling my tale, all the buffalo were around me with shocked faces.
“So, those royal siblings are really the bad guys my cuz and her friends have beaten and they put a spell on all us ponies that makes us see them and their monsters as ponies.” He said.
“That’s basically all of it.”
“I go to get back to town to let them know I’m alright.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea. Listen, if you saw them for what they really look like than they must have informed them of it as well. It won’t matter if you try to pretend.” I said.
“Than what am I supposed to do?” He asked. Honestly, I’m not sure myself. I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned around to see Zepha hand me what looks like a map.
“What is this?” I asked. I unraveled it and saw marks across the portion of the desert.
“I think they’re locations of other facilities like this one.” She said. They were spread far apart to what looks like the four corners of the desert. I wonder…
“Chief Thunderhooves, are there any more buffalo tribes other than your own?” I asked. The chief was in deep thought before he answered.
“Yes, including my tribe, there are a total of six. I know each one of them.” He said. If there were more buffalo in this predicament, than I think I know how to help them. I walked to what looks like an armory.
“How many of your warriors are left?” I asked.
“Before, we had sixteen. Now, we only have seven.” He replied sadly. I took out seven swords, axes and what remains of their bows & arrows. I took out the book and turned to the page I was looking for. I began the enchantment and the weapons began to glow. When the light faded, I was left winded and the weapons had archaic runes etched into them.
“What did you do?”
“I enchanted these weapons to work just like mine. You should be able to fight when you’ve recovered.” I explained. I saw what looked like the chief’s staff and grabbed it. I cast three different spells on this one and the runes were etched along the side. When I was finished, I stamped it on the ground and was engulfed in a small dust cyclone. I stamped it again and the dust receded. The buffalo were shocked at first but, it then turned to confusion. I gave it back to the chief.
“What was that?”
“I imbued your staff to be able to grant weapons the same attributes as the ones I enchanted. Next, I gave it the ability to cast an illusion of a dust cyclone while you are moving and a dust storm when you’re resting by stamping it into the ground. Lastly, I made it so only you can use it. You control it with your thoughts and can make the illusions as big as you want.” I explained. He looked at the staff and the weapons and then back to me.
“Why are you doing all this?”
“Chief Thunderhooves, I only ask that you listen. I am granting you these so that you have the ability to fight back and free the other tribes. I know you are peaceful but, you must understand that I may need your help one day. In order to free everypony from this evil, I need help from others.” I said. He looked at me for a moment and then to the others. They all shared the same look and he looked back at me.
“Although we are peaceful, we know when the time to fight is close. Know that when you need us, we shall cross the land like the wind to aid you but first, we must rescue our fellow clans.” He proclaimed. I smiled as I reached into my bag and pulled out a black diamond and a piece of paper and gave it to him.
“This gem will allow you to write on this parchment and send it to me to keep in touch.” I said. He nodded and we shook hands in agreement. He went to tend to the others and I was about to leave with Zepha when Braeburn and Little Strongheart approached us.
“I decided I’m gonna stay with them and help rescue their friends. Take this note to applejack telling her I’m fine” He said. I noticed that the two were holding hands and didn’t need any more ideas for his other reason to stay. I pressed a button on the throttle and my bike lost its wolf design and it changed from gray to white.
“Okay, be careful and you might need this.” I said as I gave him back his hat. He took it and placed on his head with a smile.
“Take care of my cuz and her friends. Next time, I give y’all a proper welcome to ‘AAAPALOOSA!” He yelled. I chuckled hearing a bit of the old him.
“Count on it.” I said as me and Zepha left for town on my bike.
The sun was high in the sky as noon struck. The western town had come alive and they were going about their business. In town, the girls were busy looking for clues and their missing friend.
“Where do you think he is? We’ve been looking since we woke up.” Twilight said.
“I don’t know but, he couldn’t have gone far. Wait, what’s that?” Applejack asked. The girls looked to where she was pointing and were greeted by a surprising sight. They saw somepony coming towards them on a white zerger. When it stopped in front of them, they saw that it was me and Zepha riding on it.
“Hey girls.” I said.
“Echo Wave, where did you get that?” Twilight said.
“It’s mine. Zepha brought it here when she showed up this morning when I met her in town.” I said while we got off the bike.
“That is so cool. Can I give it a try?” Rainbow excitingly asked.
“I don’t think so. I had mine modified a bit so, it might be a little too much for you.” I said. Rainbow pouted because she couldn’t drive it.
“Where have you been, darling? We’ve been looking for you all morning.”
“We decided to try and find some clues outside of town but, we found something better. Braeburn’s okay.” I said.
“How do you know?” Applejack pleadingly asked.
“I know because I got a letter from him?” I explain while taking out his letter. I gave it to Applejack and she immediately began to read it. When she finished, she lowered it and had a smile on her face.
“He’s alright. It says that he met up with the buffalos and wanted to know more about them so he won’t be back for a while but, he sends his best wishes.” She said. The girls gave sighs of relief.
“It’s good to know that he’s okay. While we were looking for you, there weren’t any more reports of attacks of any kind. I’ll have Spike send a report to the siblings informing that Appaloosa is safe. Thanks for finding out about Braeburn, Echo. Echo?” Twilight asked. The only response from me she got was light snoring. The girls looked and saw me leaning against my bike, fast asleep.
“He wore himself out on the way back. You can discuss talking to him when he wakes up.” Zepha said while picking me up. The girls nodded while giggling to themselves as they moved on.
The sound of metal hitting metal woke me up from my sleep. When I opened my eyes, I noticed I was in a train car with the girls and Spike looking at me with teasing smiles.
“Why are you all looking at me like that?” They all replied with the same thing.
“Nothing.”
I noticed that they were looking up and I noticed I that my head was on somepony’s lap. I suddenly cringed at what they were looking at and slowly turned my head to notice a beak in my face.
“Did my little stallion enjoy his nap?” Zepha said with a grin. I growled at her a bit as I sat up straight.
“How do you get them involved in your little jokes?”
“I guess that just want to catch up on you being away for so long.” She said. I looked to the girls for their answers.
“Sorry, Echo Wave. It’s just that we haven’t had time to really catch up before we were given this mission.” Twilight said.
“Yeah it was fun having you around.” Spike said.
“Sorry, sugarcube. It’s just great having you back.”
“It really is, darling.”
“There all just jokes. There all in good fun.”
“If you don’t mind, that is?”
I heard all of their responses and could give them a smile.
“I understand and I do appreciate it. Even if a certain griffin keeps antagonizing it.” I said as I shot a glare at an innocent smiling Zepha.
“Anyway, why are we on a train?”
“I had Spike send a letter to the siblings and Prince Scythin responded. He said that they are glad everything worked out and that we’re safe. He also gave us our next destination. We’re heading towards Baltimare. There have been strange reports near Horseshoe Bay.” Twilight explained.
“We’re going there next.” I said with a hint of irritation.
“What’s so bad about it?” Zepha asked.
“I grew up there before I moved to Ponyville. Let’s just say that there was a reason I left.”
“I know you got off on the wrong hoof with your sister but, I know you two can work things out.” Twilight said.
“I didn’t know you had a sister?”
“I don’t talk about her much for a reason.” I calmly said.
“We’re two days away from it. I promise you that it will all work out with the mission and between you two.” Twilight said with a smile.
“Wonderful.”
The trip to my old home town took two days by train and during that time, I had a chance to reflect on it. The city of Baltimare is a port side city. It isn’t as big as Manehattan but, it makes up for its proximity to Horseshoe Bay. The docking ports, nicknamed ‘The garage’, are where all the ships come in for trade, repair or transport. It really is a nice city but, I had my own reason for leaving. We departed the train when we came into the city right as the sun was coming up. We gathered our belongings and the conductor helped me unload my bike from the back car.
“Okay, we made it to the city.” Twilight said.
“It’s too early to try anything now. Where are we going to stay while we’re here?” Rainbow said.
“That’s taken care of. I sent another letter after receiving the royal’s reply. She sent a copy of her key to her house so that we can stay for the time being.” Twilight said while taking out a key.
“Twilight, who exactly did you send a letter too?” I asked with a hint of anger.
“Well, just promise you won’t be upset.”
To say that I was upset would be an understatement. When we go to the place we were staying at, I was absolutely livid. It was a two story house with a river next to it and a boat in it. The house was close to the bay and I already knew who Twilight asked. It was my sister’s house.
“I can’t believe you asked Aqua? You do know we don’t get along well!” I explained. Aqua is my elder sister by two years.
“I know your upset but, she agreed to let us stay and this might be a chance for you two to patch things.”
“Does she even know I’m with you?”
“She does now.” A voice said. We look to the house and in the doorway was a dark blue unicorn mare with a black mane and tail and wearing a business suit. This was my sister, Aqua Wave.
“Hello, Aqua Wave. Thank you for allowing us to stay with you.” Twilight said.
“It’s no problem, Twilight. I don’t mind you girls staying over. Although, I wasn’t expecting you to bring company with you.” She said as she glanced at me and Zepha.
“Echo Wave, so nice to see you again and I see you brought a friend with you.” She said.
“I’m not here because I want too. I’m only here for my friends and that is it.” I said with a bit of irritation in my voice. We continued to stare at each other until another voice broke the silence.
“Aqua, is something wrong out there?” The voice said. The girls looked towards the house and saw a tan earth pony with an orange mane and tail and also wearing a business suit but, I saw differently. I saw a walking shark-like creature.
“No, everything is find, Seeker.” She said to the stallion while placing a kiss on his cheek. The girl’s aww’d at this while I was left shocked and disturbed by the show of affection.
“Seeker, it’s good to see you again.” Twilight said.
“It’s good seeing you girls again as well and I see that you brought friends.”
“Seeker, this is my little brother, Echo Wave and Echo, this is my business partner and colt friend, Seeker.” Aqua said as she introduced the two of us.
“So you’re Aqua’s little brother. It’s nice to finally meet you. The girls told me a lot about you from their last visit.” He said while gesturing for a hand shake. I was reluctant at first but, gave a simple hand shake.
“Well, as much as we like to get acquainted, we have to get to the boat. We will see you in the afternoon.” She said as she and Seeker got into the boat and sped off. The girls and Spike went into the house as I saw the boat disappeared. I heard the girls discuss something as I walked in.
“I didn’t know Aqua worked on a boat.” Zepha said.
“Both her and Echo’s parents own a boat design and manufacturing company. Their parent’s gave the company to her because she was older.” Twilight explained.
“So, they don’t get along because Echo believes he should run the company?”
“No, that isn’t it.”
“Well than, what is it?”
“It’s because I don’t want any part of it. All I want to do is continue being an artist.” I finish the explanation as I sat down on the couch.
The girls asked Zepha to not push the explanation for and she agreed. It was mid noon when we got settled in and the girls decided to do some sightseeing and clue gathering. Twilight went to the local book store for any recent additions. Applejack went to the farmer’s market to acquire any new apple seeds from traders and Pinkie Pie tagged along to find new ingredients for cupcakes. Spike went along with Rarity to the shopping district for new fashion designs. Zepha had decided to take a nap and the only ones left awake in the house were me and Fluttershy.
“You know, Fluttershy, I thought you would go and see the park not too far from here.”
“Oh, I don’t mind. Besides, I don’t have anyone to go with me.” She said from the table.
“I can go with you if you want."
“Oh no, I couldn’t ask you for this.”
“Nonsense, besides, it will give us a chance to catch up.”
“Okay, thank you.” She said and we left.
We arrived at the park and she immediately began to enjoy sights of the park. She started a chorus with the local birds and I must say. She hasn’t lost her touch. We had just relaxed on a nearby bench.
“Thank you ever so much for coming with me.”
“No problem, Fluttershy. It was nice catching up with you.” I said and she smiled in response. It was then that I noticed that the park suddenly became silent. I than heard the sounds of wings.
“Do you hear anything?” I asked her. Before she could answer, something had tackled me and sent me flying into the nearby trees.
“ECHO WAVE!!!” Fluttershy shouted. However, before she could check on me, something landed behind her. She slowly turned around and went still with fear. A giant bird like creature stood behind her with an evil grin.
“Well, looks like I found a juicy little pony this time. Don’t worry, I don’t bite.” He said. Fluttershy was completely frozen in fear and couldn’t say anything. Before he could lay one claw on her, a dagger flew right past him. He turned around and saw me, fully transformed.
“You so much as touch her and I’ll pluck you alive.”
“Ah, I heard about you but, I didn’t think you would show up here.”
“Get away from her.” I growled.
“What could you possibly do against me?” He asked as he went ten feet into the air. I looked towards Fluttershy and she was looking at me in fear.
“Don’t worry, you’re safe now and as for you.” I said while pulling the handle out. I took out a pink pearl, placed it in the slot and said one thing before slamming the handle in place.
“It’s time to show you who really rules the sky.” The pearl began spinning in place.
“Kind Sky.”
The wind itself began to encircle and envelop me. When the wind subsided, both parties were shocked to see that metal wings with pink feathers appeared on my back with the pearl imbedded at the base of each wing. However, what shocked Fluttershy the most was the element of kindness symbol on my helmet. I drew my sword and flew straight up, slashing the monster’s left wing off. He shrieked in pain as he came crashing into the ground. I pulled the handle out and called out to Fluttershy before slamming it back in.
“COVER YOUR EARS AND CLOSE YOUR EYES!!!”
“Kind Sky, Exceed!"
I used my wings to jettison me downward into a kick. The wind encircled me and I turned into a diving drill.
“May the Wind, Scatter this evil” He yelled in agony when I hit him. It was like the wind itself was shredding him to pieces. When the wind subsided, there was nothing left of him. I was about to disappear but, a small voice stopped me.
“Wait!” I turned around and Fluttershy was standing there, still shaking a bit in fear.
“Thank you for protecting me but, why are you doing these things? She asked me. I only gave her one answer before the shadows consumed me.
Fluttershy just stood there in trying to figure out what to do next. After witnessing that fight, she just stood and waited for something else to happen. A groan behind her caused her to jump a bit. She turned around and went to see where the voice came from. She peaked behind the bushes and gasped at the sight of her friend.
“Echo Wave, please be alright.” She begged. I groaned a bit before I opened my eyes.
“Fluttershy, what happened?” I asked. She replied by wrapping me in a tight hug. I winced in pain a bit until I heard her sobbing. I looked down and saw her crying.
“Echo, I’m so glad you’re alright. I was so scared.” She said weakly. I hated seeing her like this. The only thing I could do is pet her head to try to calm her down.
“Shh. It’s okay, Fluttershy. The bad thing is over now and you’re safe. That is what’s more important now. I’m sorry I couldn’t keep you from harm.” I said. She looked up and managed a small smile but, then she gasped.
“Echo, you’re bleeding!” She exclaimed. I felt my head and there was a cut on my forehead. She helped get me to my hooves and walked me over to the bench. She looked through her bag and took out some medical wraps and a first aid kit. I only stared as she started treating me.
“I always have something ready in case a poor animal is hurt.” She said with a small blush. While she was tending to me, she told me everything that happened while I was out.
“Are you sure he said that?”
“Yes, I think so. I know the siblings said he created them but, I think he’s trying his best to correct his mistake. Even if it’s through violence.” She said. That’s Fluttershy for you, always trying to the best in any creature.
When she finished treating my wound, we decided to head back to the house. When got back, everypony was in the living room, including my sister and Seeker. When they heard the door open, they turned and were shocked at my condition. After they were done asking questions, Fluttershy began telling them what happened. When she was done, every face in the room had looks of shock. The girls immediately took their friend to the kitchen to calm her down. They wanted to see if I needed anything but, I reassured them and said to look after her. I was left in the room with Zepha and Seeker.
“Don’t beat yourself up. You couldn’t have guessed that would happen.” He said. He patted me on the shoulder and left for the kitchen.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Zepha asked out of concern.
“Yeah, I’m fine. The thing just surprised me. Right now, I’m more worried about my sister and sharky.” I said.
“I asked the girls about that. They said Aqua met up with him about nine months ago. Apparently, he was a manufacturer of boats back home and decided to work for your sister’s company. They hit it off four months later when he moved up the latter and she noticed him.
“When did she make him a business partner in the company?”
“She made him one a month later.” She answered. I sighed heavily about this information. This just begs the question of where else these things have gotten and how far up they are. I saw a glow from my backpack and picked it up. I opened it and the glow was coming from the book. I opened it and a letter appeared on the front page.
“What is that?”
“It’s a message from Chief Thunderhooves. It looks like they met some escapees from one of the facilities. The weapons I gave them worked and no one was hurt. The staff I gave him covered their movement and they are tending to them now.” I flipped the paper and responded. I placed the paper back on the front page, closed the book and a flash occurred. When I opened the book the letter was gone.
‘Where did it go?” she asked.
“I sent the letter back to him. The paper is special. Once the message is sent back with a reply, the first message fades away and vice versa. It can be used multiple times.” I explained. The girls came back and Seeker came back in from the kitchen. It looks like pinkie made cupcakes judging from the amount on the plate she balanced on her head. The rest of the time was spent on making sure I was okay and what to do next. They decided to check ‘The garage’ tomorrow and see what shows up. It got late and everypony decided to turn in for the night.
“Girls, the rooms you stayed in before are still the same. Echo, the basement is still the same as you left it.” She said. I nodded and everypony went upstairs for bed, except for Twilight. She had this worried look on her face.
“Twilight, what’s wrong?”
“I just don’t know what to do? The attack on you two just scares me. Now, this kamen rider shade can use the element of kindness. This is unlike anything we’ve been through. I just hope everything works out in the end.” Twilight said before walking up the stairs. The way she talked just proves to me that I must push forward until everypony is safe.
“It will work out in the end, Twilight. I promise “
Me and Zepha took the steps downstairs and into the basement. It was set up like a regular bedroom but, she noticed a sketchbook on the night stand and picked it up.
“Are these your drawings?” She asked. I nodded in agreement and she looked through it. In it were a few of my early drawings from when I was a colt. She liked most of them but, than she got to the designs.
“Are these boat designs?”
“Yeah.”
“I thought you didn’t want to be part of the company.” She said. I sighed as I walked over, got the sketch book and sat on the bed. I patted the spot next to me and she sat there.
“At first, I was joined with the company. My specialty was making the sonar equipment for the boats. That’s why my cutie mark is sound waves.
“How did you get your cutie mark anyway?”
“One day, when I was six, our parents took us to the company. I was curious about a piece of equipment and asked my dad about it. He said it was called sonar and I wanted to know how it worked. Dad said it was just sound bouncing off of things so, I tried it myself. I placed a bunch of stuff in my room, turned off the lights and used a radio and some earphones to see. While I did this, I realized that you can see without using your eyes. When I made it to the door, there was a flash of light and sure enough, there was my cutie mark. When I told my parents, they were so proud.”
“When did you start disliking it?” she asked and I sighed again.
“Well, when I got old enough and they gave the company to Aqua, I asked if I could work there making the sonar equipment and she said yes. Things worked out well and then, she asked if I wanted to be co-partner but, I declined.”
“Why didn’t you agree?”
“I didn’t join to run the company. I joined to make sure the boats that came out were safe and didn’t damage anything. My parents accepted that I wanted to find my new career but, my sister was another story.”
“That’s when things went south.”
“We got into a bit of a falling out after that. She was always more concerned with the company than I was. We got into a few arguments which culminated into me leaving. I took a train to ponyville, met the girls and the rest is history.” I said as I finished my tale.
“Wow, I didn’t think it was that bad. Do you still hate her?”
“I don’t hate her; it’s just that we left off on a bad note. I haven’t talked to her since and now she’s with this walking fish and I pray nothing has happened between them.”
“You really worry about all of them, don’t you?”
“Of course I do and I swear if that thing has done something to her.” I said angrily. I was just so agitated that my fist started to tremble. Zepha placed here hand under my chin and turned my head so I met her eyes. My blue eyes met her red ones and I knew she was trying to calm me down. She leaned forward and did something I was used to. She kissed me on the lips and I returned it before pulling back.
“I know you worry about them but, you need a calm mind before rushing off.” She said in a caring tone. I nodded in agreement as I got up and turned the lights off. I got back in bed, pulled the covers over both of us and prepared for sleep.
“Remember, a calm mind wins battles.”
“Right.” I replied and went to sleep.
The next day was anything but pleasant. The girls came downstairs to check up on me but, ended up seeing me, asleep in bed with a half-naked griffin in my arms. It took the next hour to convince them that nothing happened but, Zepha made it difficult.
After the explanation and breakfast, we headed out and went to ‘The garage’. Aqua and Seeker decided to tag along despite our protests. When we got there, our first decision was to split up and search. The group lead by me had Zepha and Seeker and we checked some of the warehouses for clues.
“This is the third warehouse and still nothing. What are the rumors anyway?” Zepha asked.
“The only thing Twilight said is that a few ponies have gone missing around here.”
“Well, we could check the one where we keep our prototype boats. The only time anypony is allowed in there is in the day.” Seeker said.
“Are you sure about that?” I asked. He nodded and we walked to the farthest warehouse.
“Echo Wave, I want to ask you something.” He said.
“What is it?”
“Have you ever been to Manehatten before on your travels?”
“I did, once, a long time ago. Why?” I answered with a question. He continued walking but, I caught a glimpse of the side of his mouth going up.
“No reason.”
We reached the warehouse and saw the doors open. Inside, we saw about twelve seracs disguised as workers. Seeker whistled to get their attention. They heard it and immediately dropped what they were doing.
“You guys can search in here. I’m going to check outside.” He said. Me and Zepha agreed but, immediately a problem showed up. The workers hadn’t moved from their spots.
“Seeker, why aren’t they moving?” I asked. He was silent for a minute until he answered.
“I don’t know but, I do want to say one thing though.”
“What would that be?” I asked while taking out my driver.
“I didn’t appreciate you slashing me across the back four year ago.” He said in a deep voice. The seracs began taking out their weapons. I set up my driver, placed the grey gem in and proceeded.
“Henshin.”
I transformed, drew my sword and gave it to Zepha.
“Do you know how to use this?” I asked. She answered by slashing the closest two with ease.
“I think I can manage.” She answered with a shrug. I drew two daggers and turned around to face Seeker.
“Last time, I was just learning. Now, I’m finishing the job.”
“Is that so? You wouldn’t be the first one that accidently snuck in here.” He said with a grin. It was then I noticed that his eyes were completely soulless. I sprinted forward and slashed his neck. He fell to the ground and his features faded away and his place was a serac. I heard laughing and noticed a walkie talkie next to it.
“Where are you?” I growled. He just chuckled and said one thing.
“Where do you think I am?”
“HELP MEEEEEEEE!!!” A voice said from the background. That was Aqua’s voice.
“Try not to keep us waiting.” He said and then it cut off. I looked back to see Zepha take down the last one.
“How are you going to find them?”
“Right before it cut off, I heard a boat startup, which means that he’s just leaving into open waters.”
“How are you going to catch them?” She asked. I looked around the warehouse and noticed a boat covered by a tarp. I walked over to it and took the tarp off. Underneath it was a medium sized jet boat. I got in it and noticed that the sonar equipment was on my design.
“This is the boat me and my dad were working on before I left.”
“Is it fast?” She asked.
“You have no idea.”
We got the boat in the water and I immediately took off. I told Zepha to find the girls and meet us at the house. I made it out into open waters and turned on the sonar. The sonar equipment I helped develop utilizes magic to specifically identify the object on or under the water. Other sonars dwarf in comparison.
I picked up a boat signature five miles out and put the boat on full throttle. I saw the boat and went up to it. I saw Aqua in it, shaking in fear when she saw me.
“Who are you?”
“Where is he?” I shouted. My answer was given when he jumped out of the water, took me overboard and dragged me underwater.
“You know, I think it’s poetic that I get to kill you before I do away with your sister. Don’t worry; I make sure it’s quick and painful.” He said with an evil grin.
“The only one going to get a quick and painful death is you.” I said while conserving air. I kneed him in the gut, releasing me. I pulled the handle out, took out the pink pearl, placed it in and slammed it back into place.
“Kind Sky.”
The water around me began swirling in place, making me look like a miniature whirlpool. When the water calmed down, my wings had formed.
“What good are wings in the water?” He said while laughing. He’s answer was given when I flapped my wings and jettisoned me forward and allowed me to throw a punch at him as I went by.
“These wings of mine aren’t just for the sky. They call on the power of the wind itself.” I proclaimed as I continued my onslaught. I went in close, grabbed him and shot toward the surface. We exploded out of the water, right next to the boats.
“GET TO THE OTHER BOAT!” I shouted down towards Aqua. She somehow heard me and jumped on to the boat I came on. When she was clear, I looked at Seeker and said this:
“This is for all the innocent ponies you’ve harmed and trying to do the same to my sister. Now, Prepare for your judgment” I threw him down straight toward the other boat. I pulled out the handle and slammed it back in.
“Kind Sky, Exceed!”
I drew my sword and the wind began surrounding it.
“May the Wind, Scatter this evil.” I clenched my sword and slashed it in his direction. The wind materialized and became a torrent of air. He yelled in pain as the air sliced him and the boat in half. The boat’s explosion pushed my boat away with Aqua in it. I flew towards it and landed right in front of her.
“Who are you?” She asked while still shaking in fear. I noticed that the magic in her eyes was gone. I pressed the pad on the side on my driver and the transformation cancelled. When she saw me behind the mask, she was shocked.
“Echo, is that you?” she said through her tears. I went towards her and embraced her in a tight and calming hug.
“Yes, it’s me. Don’t worry sis, your nightmare’s over.” I said and she began crying into my shoulder.
It took over twenty minutes to finally get my sister to calm down enough to ease her into a seat behind me. I got the boat started again and we made our way back to port. When we were half way there, she finally spoke.
“Echo, how were you able to do all those things?” She said.
“That’s a very long story and I don’t know you’ll believe me.”
“Please, I need to know what just happened and how you did all that.” She said. I decided to give her the short version on everything that has happened to me and I used the same spell I used on Big Mac on her and explained its purpose. I finished my tale as we pulled into port and I saw my sister’s head down.
“I can’t believe all this. How could I be so blind to not see him for what he really was?” She said crying. I turned the engine off and immediately drew her into a hug.
“Don’t blame yourself Aqua. You couldn’t have known what he really was and it isn’t your fault. I’m just glad you’re safe now.” I said. She kept crying for a minute until it stopped.
“Thank you for saving me. I’m sorry I drove you away.”
“You’re welcome and don’t blame yourself sis. I’m the one at fault for not giving you a clear reason why I left but, it’s all in the past now. Come on, let’s get you home.” I said. She agreed and we made our way back home.
When we got back to the house, the girls were asking what happened and where Seeker is. Me and Aqua decided on the story that Seeker needed a vacation and that Aqua needed my help to convince him. They were confused about his sudden departure but, they accepted it. That’s when I noticed that someone was missing.
“Where’s Zepha?” I asked.
“She went into the basement while we were waiting for you two.” Twilight said.
“Why is she down there?” I asked.
“That’s the weird thing. As soon as we got here, she took one glance at the newspaper that was here, grabbed it and went into the basement.” She explained. That is strange, Zepha never acts like that.
“I’ll go see what’s wrong. Can you girls look after Aqua for me, she needs some support.” I said. The girls agreed and took my sister into the kitchen with them. I went to the basement door and carefully opened it.
“Zepha, are you okay?” I asked. I then heard soft and silent sobbing. I looked at my bed and saw her on my bed with her head hung low.
“Zepha, what’s wrong?” I asked. She looked up and her eyes were bloodshot from crying. When she saw me, she rushed over and started crying into my shoulder.
“They captured him.” She said through her tears.
“Who’s ‘they’? Who did they capture?” I asked in concern and confusion. She bent down, picked up the newspaper and showed me the front page. I looked at it and was shocked by what I saw. On the front page was Swift Talons, Zepha’s father, being taken into custody in chains by two griffins in grey armor. The title read “Griffin Fugitive Captured! Captain of disgraced ruler, Iron Wing’s personal guard taken back to the kingdom! Sentenced to Execution in Six Days!” I looked up to her in shock.
“They got my dad.”
I walked back upstairs after I had calmed Zepha down enough for her to get some sleep. All the girls were in the living room and had concerned looks on their faces.
“Is she okay?” Fluttershy said first.
“She’s fine. She’s was exhausted after today and she’s asleep now.”
“That’s good to know. We were real worried about her.” Twilight said.
“Thanks for the concern for her girls.“ I said.
“Before we left, I was able to learn that the missing ponies have been reported to have left by boat somewhere. I’ve already informed the siblings and we’re waiting for a reply.” Twilight explained.
“That’s good but, I can I ask you girls something?”
“What’s up, Echo?” Rainbow asked.
“I’m going to be staying here for a while. Aqua asked me to help her with something. It will be a chance to mend our ties.” I said.
“So, we’ll stay here with you.” Applejack said and the others agreed with her.
“No, you girls can’t do that. I know you want to stay and help but, this mission is too important and I don’t want to delay it.” I proclaimed. The other’s argued about this until Twilight spoke up again.
“As much as this Is wrong, I agree with what you’re saying but, promise us you will write to us.” She said and the others upsettingly agreed. I promised them I would and they began going to their rooms because it was getting late. I told Aqua to stay because I had to talk to her.
“I know when you’re lying, Echo. You may be able to fool Applejack somehow but, not me. What’s wrong?” She asked. I began telling her what the situation was and she was shock.
“What are you going to do?” She asked.
“Go to the Griffin Kingdom, save Zepha’s father and take down Maelstrom.”
“How do you plan on getting there? The Griffin Kingdom is on lockdown because of the rebels. The only way in is through passport and that takes weeks to get.”
“I been there before once and I know one of the leaders of the rebels. There’s a secret way in by boat.”
“Even if you take that boat of yours, it won’t be enough. Even at top speed, it will take a week for you two to get there.”
“That’s why I’m going to overhaul the mechanics and the engine to cut the distance to three days.” I said. She looked at me if I was crazy but, then began to think.
“You know, my company just finished the creation of a new crystal engine that takes in air to cool the crystal to give it more power. There’s only one and it could help you.”
“Thanks sis, I’m going to tell Zepha in the morning. Then, the real challenge starts.”
The next day, I informed Zepha and she couldn’t agree fast enough. The girls got the reply and were on their way to the train station to Manehatten. We said our goodbyes and the two of us made our way to the docks. I used my magic to direct Shadow to protect the others from the darkness. We got my boat back into the hanger and began working. Aqua arrived with the engine in the evening. It took the rest of the day and the next but, we got it finished.
It was day three and the boat was finished. Zepha, for some reason, decided to name it ‘The noble hunter’. We got into the water and were about to head out when something happened. Out of the water, a crab like monster jumped out and landed behind us, along with four seracs.
“You’re going to pay for what you did to Seeker!” He shouted. I turned around and had a blank expression on my face. I pulled out my driver and transformed.
“Zepha, get in the boat and start it up. I won’t be long.” I said. She nodded and got in the boat. I threw a dagger at the monster and it bounced off his shell.
“You won’t harm me with tricks like.” He pronounced. We didn’t have time to waste on this guy. So, I decided to just end this. I pulled out a new gem: a purple, diamond shaped one. I pulled out the handle and placed it in and slammed the handle into place.
“Magic Star.”
The gem began to spin and a purple light shined from the driver, engulfing me. When the light died down, I was holding a purple staff with the gem secured on top of it and the symbol of the element of magic on my helmet.
The seracs charged at me and I pointed my staff at the closest one. The gem glowed and a bolt of pure magic shot out. When the bolt connected, the serac was vaporized. I repeated this three more times until all the seracs were gone and the monster was shaking in fear.
I pointed the staff at the monster and purple magic shot from the staff towards him. He was shock and began being lifted into the air. I pulled the handle out and heard him say something.
“How are you doing all this!?” He shouted. I said one thing before slamming the handle back into place.
“Magic.”
“Magic Star, Exceed!”
A ball of energy began forming at the top of my staff. When it was big enough, it shot forward, following the beam and towards the monster.
“May the Essence of Magic, Annihilate this evil.” He yelled in pain as he was disintegrated. I cancelled the transformation and got into the boat as we sped off.
“I didn’t think you could finish a fight that fast?” She asked.
“Right now, we need all the time we can get. Now, let’s go rescue your dad and the Griffin Kingdom.”
As soon as we were out into open waters, I gunned the boat to full throttle. The velocity of the boat and the force of the air pushed us back into our seats. I pulled the throttle back a bit and we were able to sit in the seats normally.
“I’ll say this about your sister’s company; they sure know how to make an engine.” Zepha said.
“I know and I’m impressed. The design for it was made so it can take in air to cool down the crystal and with my modifications, the crystals energy will last twice as long.” I explained. I added a conduit at the base, near the propeller. The conduit is a tube that draws in sea water that runs it up to the crystal, goes around it and heads back out the other end back into the ocean, effectively cooling it more.
When we were about twenty miles out at sea, we saw an Equestrian border patrol boat. I focused and cast the spell that caused the ponies on the patrol boat to see us as a mirage of the ocean. I saw them blink and rubbed their eyes as we moved past them. As soon as we were out of their line of sight, I dropped the spell and pushed the throttle and we were off.
“Are you sure will make in time, Echo?”
“Yes, we’ll make in time Zepha. I promise you I won’t let anything happened to your father. I always keep my word and I never go back on my promises.” I said with a fire burning in me. She saw this and gave me a tearful smile.
“Thank you.”
I stopped the boat briefly so that we could eat lunch. After that, I kept the boat gunned well into the night. Zepha fell asleep and was sleeping in one of seats with a blanket keeping her warm. Ever since I got the ‘Umbra Driver’, I’ve been more active at night. While steering the boat, I began to remember what I can about the griffon kingdom.
The entire kingdom is sets of mountain ranges with towns and cities carved or built in the mountains themselves. Also, there are patches of forests and grasslands where animals can be taken for food. The griffons are a military type of society. They are always prepared for war and always ready for battle. All the mountains converge to one mountain that stands above the rest, Mt. Tempest. There are different clans of griffons but, they all answer to the king or at least they did. The castle itself is carved halfway up the mountain with a seaport town at the bottom. That was our destination.
If we kept going at our current pace, we’ll reach the kingdom on the evening of the fifth day. I won’t allow those two to be executed by that monster. I can only hope that the rebels will allow us to help. I guess only time will tell.
It was noon on the fourth day when I switched places with Zepha so I could get some sleep. It was just turning night when I woke up and saw her nodding off.
“Get some rest, I take over.” I said. She gave a drowsy nod ant went to go to sleep.
“I took out a lettuce and tomato sandwich for you. You have to keep your strength up.” She said before going to sleep. I got it out and started eating while keeping my eyes focused ahead.
By the time it was morning, I had to cast the spell again because I caught sight of the griffon barricade in the distance. They were dressed in military garb with golden colored shoulder armor, chest plates, leg guards and armed rifles that use crystals for a power source and can shoot a blast of energy from them. I had to concentrate more on the spell because a griffon’s sight is five times greater than a pony.
We made it past them before they could get a close look. It was a couple of miles before we saw the griffon’s flag flying high in the distance.
“Zepha, are you okay?” I asked. I then heard soft and silent sobbing. I looked at my bed and saw her on my bed with her head hung low.
“Are you sure we can trust this rebel leader you keep talking about. I mean, what if he’s been captured?” Zepha asked with concern.
“Trust me, if I know Tyfin, he’ll be there. I just hope he can be able to allow the rebels to accept our help.”
“How do you even know this guy? I didn’t know you knew other griffons before you met me and my dad.”
“Let’s just say I met his sister and I helped him calm her down.” I explained.
When we made it to the shore line, the sun was already beginning to set. We got out and pulled the tarp over the boat to keep it covered. We both put on our cloaks so that no one could see our faces. There weren’t any griffons on the street because of the fighting.
“How are we going to find the rebels anyway?” She asked. I didn’t answer and kept walking. We went down two sets of stairs to what can be considered the slums. We walked down an alley and I stopped near a door. I knocked on the door three times with a pause between the second and third. A metal slot slid open on the door and gray eyes stared back at us.
“What do you want?” a gruff voice said. I reached into my cloak and pulled out a silver badge with an image depicting a griffon’s eye in the darkness. The eyes looked at it for second before closing the slot and the door open. When we stepped inside there was no one their but, there was an open hatch on the floor leading down.
“This doesn’t feel right. This could be a trap.” Zepha said. I looked back and gave her a reassuring look.
“Trust me. “ I said.
We went down the hatch and saw a ladder sticking out of the ground. We climbed down it and we were in what looked like an abandon sewer tunnel. We followed the tunnel until we came into an open area. Before I could say anything, something was pressed against the back of our heads.
“If you want to keep your heads, don’t move.” The same voice from the door said. From the shadows, five more griffons, dressed in black and yellow clothes, armed with crystal rifles surrounded us.
“Now, start walking.” The griffon said and we did so. They lead us into another open area where a total of fifteen griffons were staring at us. Two griffons were in the center of the room behind a round table with numerous pieces of paper on it.
The one on the right was male dressed in the same uniform but, in all black. He had a scar going down his right eye that blended in well with his dark blue and white feathers. This was Tyfin, the griffon we were looking for.
On his left was a female griffon dressed in an all yellow uniform. Her light purple feathers blending in with her white ones. On her face was that scowl I knew all too well. This was his sister, Gilda.
“What were you dweebs thinking bringing strangers here? You should have taken care of them.” Gilda said. I felt the one behind me, nudge my head a bit.
“This one here flashed the old king’s guard badge at me.” He said. Tyfin gave a confused look. I reached in my cloak and pulled out the badge. I tossed it to him and he caught it in his talon. He eyed it for a minute and the back to us.
“Why do you have this? What was your purpose of coming here?” He asked. I reached up to hood and slowly lowered it. All the griffons were shocked to see a pony here but, no more than Tyfin and Gilda.
“You owed me a favor. I’m here to collect on it.” I said. The whole room was silent until Tyfin spoke again.
“Watcher, lower your gun. Now.” He said. The one behind me, Watcher, was reluctant at first but, complied. Tyfin walked from around the table and stood in front of me.
“Echo, I didn’t think you still kept that thing or held on to that favor. You had to come the day before our biggest operation. Why are you here anyway?” He said.
“Sorry, something came up and we had to be here and I figured I could take down Maelstrom while I was at it.” I said. My statement earned laughter from the rebels and Gilda.
“You still got that same attitude, huh dweeb.”
“Nice to see you too, Gilda.” I replied. Tyfin than looked towards the figure next to me.
“I get why you’re here but, who’s this?” I looked at Zepha and nodded. She replied by lowering her hood, revealing herself to everyone.
“She’s the reason were here. Her name’s Zepha. Her father is Swift Talons.” I said. My statement earned wide eyes from some of the rebels.
“The daughter of the captain of the guard. Well this is a surprise. No wonder you got here when you did. However, before I even think about letting you two in on this, you’re going to have to tell me you can handle yourselves when it gets ugly.”
“Yeah, how can a pony hel-“ Watcher didn’t get a chance to finish when I flipped him over my shoulder and onto his back with a thud. When he opened his eyes he was staring at the barrel of his own pistol.
“Would you like to finish that sentence or have me and my friend proven our point that we can look after ourselves.” I said gesturing to Zepha who was behind her guard, had his arms behind his back and a knife to his throat. The whole room was stunned silent until Tyfin and Gilda Started laughing.
“You still know how to surprise us! I think my sides are breaking!!!” Gilda said while trying to breath. We released our ‘guards’ and I gave mine back his gun. Tyfin stopped laughing and patted me on the back.
“Okay, you both proved you can handle yourselves but, you may still need something.” He said while walking over to a chest in a corner. He opened it and pulled out two items. One was a gem pistol but, the other one was slightly bigger, more compact and had two grips. He gave Zepha the pistol and me the other weapon.
“She’s more compatible at close range so, that will work well with her. The one I gave you is something are guard came up with before this mess. It fires three short bursts of energy with each pull of the trigger. It’s called the gem tri-shooter.” He explained while I looked the weapon over. I don’t know why but, it felt right holding it.
“Alright, now knowing that’s been taken care of, you guys are now ready. Now, everyone gather around and we can finish the explanation for tomorrow.” He said. The rebels were a little reluctant about the new additions but, followed his instructions and we were all around the table.
“Okay, you all know that tomorrow at noon, the public execution of Iron Wing and Swift Talons will be held in the center of town. ‘Lord’ Maelstrom will be their personally to oversee it. This will be are only shot of saving them both and taking him down all in one swoop. My informant in the guard said there is going to be twenty guards there for his protection. We’re going to get in there before that happens. The only problem lies in the signal.” He said with a frown. That gave me an idea.
“I think I might be able to help with that.” I said. Everyone looked toward me with a confused expression.
“What are you getting at, Echo?”
“I can disrupt the execution and that will be your signal to attack.” I explained. Everyone looked at me like I was crazy.
“Echo, I know you’re stealthy and all but, how the hell are you going to even get close enough without being spotted.” Tyfin said and everyone else wanted to know as well.
I only gave them one answer.
“You be amazed by what I have accomplished since you’ve last seen me.”
After my statement, Tyfin reluctantly agreed and finish up explanation and told everyone to finish up preparing and get some rest. After a couple of minutes, the only ones left in the room were me, Zepha, Tyfin and Gilda.
“So, is everything still a mess over on your side?” Tyfin said, trying to start up a conversation.
“Yeah it is but, I have been causing quite the stir lately.” I told him. He nodded in agreement and I saw that Zepha had a sad expression on her face.
“Zepha, what’s wrong?” I asked out of concern. She looked at me with hints of tears in her eyes.
“Echo, please promise that you’ll save my father. He’s the only family I have.” She pleaded. What happened next is what some may call bold. I walked over to her, cupped her chin and raised it so our eyes met. After a second, I kissed her full on the beak. She was shocked at first but, eased into it. After a minute, we pulled apart.
“Zepha, I promise you that your dad’s safety is guaranteed.” I spoke with determination. She gave a small smile and left to get some sleep. I turned around and saw that the siblings jaws had dropped and their eyes wide like saucers.
“Say anything about this and I will barbecue your hides.”
Celestia’s sun had just reached its peak the next day. In the center of the seaside town, a small crowd started to gather to witness the execution. The bell tower in the center of the town had just rung. In the center, guards stood in front of a raised platform with a stone block and a black hooded griffon holding an axe. On the other side of the platform, two griffons in chains were being lead up to the block.
The griffon in back was slightly bigger than the one in front and dressed in green prison garbs. His feathers had a slight gray tint to them and a portion of his left wing was mechanical. His face was twisted in rage. This was the ‘former’ ruler, lord Iron Wing.
The one in front was in the same garbs and had a rust-colored red tint to his feathers. He looked a little malnourished and had grief written all over his face. This was Zepha’s father and former captain of the personal guard, Swift Talons. They were lead on to the platform and heard the sound of wings beating.
They looked up and saw a griffon clad in a blue cloak and the top half of his face was obscured by an iron mask. This was the current ruler, Maelstrom.
“We are here today to witness the execution of two embarrassments of the griffon kingdom.” He said in an arrogant voice.
“I’LL HAVE YOUR HEAD FOR THIS, YOU WASTE OF FEATHERS!!!” Iron Wing yelled in anger. Maelstrom only smirked at the act.
“Defiant to the very end. Don’t worry, you’ll have your turn soon enough. However, let’s deal with the captain first.” He proclaimed. Swift was pushed forward and forced on his knees.
“Swift Talons, you are here today on the counts of treasons against the Griffon Kingdom. The punishment is death by beheading. Do you have any final words?” Maelstrom said. Swift’s head was placed on the block but, he looked up and spoke with a voice laced with venom.
“I’ll see you in tartarus.”
Maelstrom smirked and gave the order to continue. Swift closed his and waited for the end. The executioner raised the axe and swung down.
‘CLANG’
Swift heard the noise of metal against metal and opened his eyes to see the axe stopped by… nothing. A strong gust of wind came out of nowhere, blew the guards and the executioner of the platform and the chains holding the two were sliced off.
“What is happening?!” Maelstrom yelled in confusion. His answer came when the wind next to Swift started to swirl.
“A famed poet once said ‘Ask not for whom the bell tolls.” The winds died down and I appeared in my ‘Kind Sky’ form. I looked up at the stunned ruler and finished the phrase.
“.. It tolls for thee.'” As soon as I finished the phrase, there was an explosion and the crowd scattered. The rebels poured in from the alleyways lead by Tyfin and Gilda and the battle between them and the guards began. I got Swift and Lord Iron off the platform and into some cover.
“If you don’t want to get blasted, stay down.” I said before taking off into the air. Three of the guards were around him and ready to fire. I took out the tri-shooter and fired first. I nailed them in their wings and they yelled in pain as they fell to the ground. I drew my sword and clashed blades with Maelstrom.
“So, the little hero comes to dethrone the king. You’re out of your element, boy.” He said with a grin.
“We shall see, your lordship.” I said as we broke off. We kept clashing as we moved past each other but, between that and dodging stray energy blasts, it became dodgy.
However, when we past each other the last time, I thought it was the sound of the energy blasts going by but, every time I pass him, I heard… buzzing. We were hovering in the air facing each other when it dawned on me. It explained why the griffons haven’t notice it.
“So that’s it, huh. It’s time to shed some light on this.”
I held my sword in front of me and began chanting. The blade began to glow a green light and Maelstrom began to get nervous. I slashed the air in front of me and a streak of energy flew straight towards him. It turned and past right over his head. It may seem like I missed to the normal eye but, to my eyes, I had just cut something off.
“AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!” He yelled and held his head in agony. The sound of his yell caused the fighting down below to stop briefly and everyone to look up. Maelstrom was engulfed green flames and before any of the guards could fire; all the griffons were shocked at what appeared out of the flames.
In place of a griffon was a creature with black chitin like skin. His legs and hooves had holes in them. He had a dark blue mane and when he opened his eyes were red and his pupils were dilated. This was his true form, a changeling lieutenant. However, there was something missing.
His horn was gone.
“MY HORN!!! YOU CUT MY HORN OFF!!!” he yelled at me in agony and rage.
“I wouldn’t say completely. I just took off half.”
“I’LL KILL YOU!!!” He shouted as he sped towards. I dodged the reckless charge and countered by cutting of his right wing.
“AAAAHHHHHH!!!” He yelled as he tried to stay in the air. I pulled out the tri-shooter, pulled the handle and said something before I slammed it back in.
“You tried to rule through lies and deceit and caused harm to the innocent. Now, Prepare for your judgment.”
“Kind Sky, Exceed!”
Wind began forming around the muzzle of my gun and I pointed it at him.
“May the Wind, Scatter this evil.” I pulled the trigger and a giant ball of energy came out. He yelled in pain when it made contact with him and dragged him down with it towards the ground. Everyone got out of the way when the two impacted the platform and it was destroyed, sending up dust and debris. When the cloud settled, everyone looked down the newly created crater and saw an unconscious and battered changeling.
At some point, we were able to clean up the mess even though it took some doing to get the rebels to cooperate with the guards but, an order from Iron was enough to get them to comply. As of right now, I’m in the throne room of lord Iron Wing. The castle was like Canterlot but, with a griffon theme. I stood in front of him with Tyfin and Gilda to the right of me. He came towards us, now in his royal suit.
“It appears the entire griffon kingdom is in your debt and so is my life. On behalf of the kingdom, we thank you.” He said. The two bowed and took the acceptance and then he looked towards me.
“I never thought I would live to see the day when a pony would be instrumental in saving the lord griffon’s life. Truthfully, I thought Celestia and Luna had just handed there kingdom over to those three.” He said. It took some time but, I managed to tell them what’s been happening. To say that he was amused would be an understatement.
“Huh, to let yourselves be fooled like that. I guess we may as well bale you lot out.” He said with some sarcasm.
“Lord Iron Wing, that would be a terrible right now.” I spoke out. All the griffons stared at me in shock for speaking against their lordship. Iron stood in front of me with a stare.
“Are you questioning my word?” he said while waiting for an answer.
“Quite the opposite, it’s just now is not the right time.” I said and his eyebrow rose.
“Explain.”
“As you know, everypony in Equestria, including the princesses, are under the spell they cast. So, if you attack now, you risk all-out war.”
“Go on.”
“I propose that you proclaim in the paper that you have been executed and the rebellion has been stopped. That way, the enemy will know that the Griffon Kingdom is in their grasp and when the time is right, I’ll let you know when you can come. After all, there’s no better surprise than when the enemy thinks you’re dead.” I explained to him. The entire room was silent and no one said a thing. The silence was broken when Iron Wing started to laugh uncontrollably. He stopped and looked me in the eye.
“I never thought a pony could think of such a plan. Very well, I’ll play your game. Now, I must see to the council to be aware of the plan.”
“One more thing, your lordship. If they were able to place a changeling here there could be others. Fortunately, after dealing with maelstrom, I thought ahead.” I said as I reached into my backpack and pulled out a few things. Two items were the same gem and parchment I gave Chief Thunderhooves. The other two was a green gem suspended inside of a sphere and a tablet.
“This parchment and gem will allow you to communicate with only me. The sphere is a device Equestria had developed after we first met the changelings. It detects their magic and pinpoints them but, only if they are close enough, which is why I suggest wearing his outfit to avoid suspicion. The tablet has runes carved on it. If you place them on your weapons they will be able to destroy their horn, even if their transform, and send out a signal so that their queen doesn’t even know they are captured.” I explained while handing him the objects.
“You are quiet the little tactician.”
“One must always make plans, even if they are hidden in shadows.”
“I can’t believe you were able to make that plan on the spot.” Tyfin said as were outside the castle.
“Believe me; you always have to think on the spot. I’m going to have to hang on to the weapon you gave me though.”
“You can keep it. I gotta feeling you need it more than I know.” He said and I couldn’t have agreed more. We heard wings flapping and saw Zepha and Swift Talons land in front of us. She ran towards me and brought me into a tight hug.
“I can’t thank you enough for saving my father.” She said through tears of happiness. Swift walked up with a smile.
“You’ve lived up to your promise and I can’t thank you enough for saving my life or protecting my daughter.” He said. I smiled but, before I could respond, a letter appeared above me and dropped on my head and land on the ground. This startled us as I picked it up. Attached to it was what looked like a… wedding invitation?
“Where did that come from and who’s getting married?” Zepha asked.
“I don’t know.” I replied as I opened the letter and silently read to myself.
Dear Echo Wave,
I hope this letter has reached because I have exciting news! I received a letter from Princess Celestia to call us back to Canterlot. When we arrived she told us that she was engaged and the best part is that Prince Chaon proposed a month ago. They are going to get married in a week and I hope you’ll make it in time for the wedding!
I couldn’t believe the letter that Twilight had sent me said. Princess Celestia was going to marry Prince Chaon. The benevolent and kind hearted ruler of Equestria was going to marry Discord, the god of chaos.
I stood there in stunned silence and not even moving. The others notice this and wondered what I read.
“Echo what’s wrong? What did the letter say?” Zepha asked out of concern.
I silently gave her the note and she took it. She and the others read through and they were shocked by what it said as well.
“The princess is getting married to that nutjob!” Zepha Proclaimed. I can only nod in agreement. Multiple thoughts were going through my mind but, one stood out among the rest.
“I’ve got to get back home right now!’’ I said with a sense of urgency in my voice. No way was I letting this happen.
“Whoa, slow down for a second, hotshot. You have to at least rest for a day. You two just helped us liberate our rightful ruler, you deserve it.” Tyfin said, trying to calm me down.
“I can’t rest now; I have to get back now to stop this!” I said in a hasty response.
“Calm down, dweeb. The letter said the wedding isn’t for another week.” Gilda so kindly said.
“Yeah and it’ll take four and a half days to get there. It’ll take three days to get back home and another day and half to reach the castle.” I explained.
“You’ll still have two days to work things out and besides didn’t we just come in yesterday evening and you had a plan worked out.” Zepha said.
“This is different, Zepha. I was already planning on coming here sooner or later to take care of Maelstrom. When you told me your father was captured, I knew sooner just became now. I promised nothing bad would happen to him and I meant it.” I paused for a minute to catch my breath and continued. “Now I have to save Princess Celestia from her own wedding! I mean, I knew those three had something planned but, I didn’t think it would be this and to top it off…” Before I could continue, Zepha slapped me to stop my rant.
“Echo, calm down. I know this is serious but, you need to focus. Remember, a calm mind wins battles. You’ll think of something.” She said.
I wanted to protest but, I knew she was right. I had to calm down and think.
The rest of the day was spent with the rebels celebrating in their own way. Zepha spent it catching up with her dad and Tyfin and Gilda were off drinking. I got an update Chief Thunderhooves and they just liberated the second facility with minimal injuries. There were a couple of them that challenged me to a drinking contest and let’s just say that I proved I could hold my own, if only by so much. We both found a spot for us to get some well-deserved sleep.
It was the middle of the night when I woke up. All the rebels were passed out on the floor. I looked next to me and Zepha was fast asleep with her arm draped over me. I carefully removed it and got up. I placed a kiss on her cheek and quietly made my way out of the base.
The entire town was quiet and it made it easier for me. I made my way to the ‘noble hunter’ and checked to make sure everything was in good condition. Everything checked out and I was about to start it up when I heard a voice.
“I had a feeling this is where you would go.” I turned around to find Tyfin standing there in the shore.
“How long were you following me?”
“Since you left the hideout. I’m just lucky I got up just to use the bathroom.” He replied. This guy had luck I wish I had.
“I saw that kiss you gave her. You’re just going to leave without saying good bye when she’s awake.” I blushed for a moment at his comment but, I recomposed fast.
“It’s for the best right now. She’s been sneaking around back home to avoid being caught. Now, it’s more dangerous for her with what’s going on. Besides, she needs spend more time with her dad.” I told him.
“You do know she’ll probably come after you when she wakes up, right?”
“That’s why I need you and the others to explain to her if I need her, I’ll contact her.”
“Is this still part of the favor I owe you?”
“No, you already paid in full. This is a favor from me.” I said as started up the boat’s engine.
“You really do love her, don’t you?” he said. I just nodded with a faint blush on my face.
“Then, I already know how you can repay me?”
“Really, what is it?” I asked as I got into the driver’s seat.
“Don’t you dare die over there.” He said with a smirk. I looked back and gave him a smirk of my own.
“I don’t plan on it.”
The three days it took me to get back to Baltimare couldn’t have gone by faster. When I docked my boat, I put it back into the hanger and went straight towards my sister’s house. Being close to midnight, I didn’t expect her to be up but, when I ranged the doorbell, there she was.
“Echo, you’re okay. I was worried about you.” She greeted me with a hug. I returned it and she brought me inside. She brought out coffee for both of us and I filled her in on what happen.
“Changelings, I can’t believe there as far as the Griffon Kingdom.”
“I can’t believe I didn’t think about it. Of course their queen would have to find some way to keep them busy. But this is nothing compared to what’s going on now.”
“So, you know about the royal wedding.”
“Twilight sent me an invitation yesterday. I gotta stop this from happening.”
“You do know that it’s being held in the royal castle. How do you expect to get close enough to him without being caught?”
“I’ll think of something sis.”
“Just be careful Echo.” She said. I gave Aqua a reassuring hug and made my way out. I grabbed my bike and rolled it towards the train station. I was able to get a ticket on the late night train toward Canterlot. I got my bike in the cargo car and made my way to the passenger car. I found my seat and began pondering on the long trek to the kingdom.
The car was empty and I was the only one here. I got a daisy sandwich from the food cart and took the tome out of my backpack. If I’m going to fight the god of chaos, I’m going to need something to give me an advantage.
Most of these things I’ve learned when I first got it. There’s a transformation spell that might prove useful. Other than that, there’s nothing else. When I was about to close the book, a certain sentence caught my eye.
‘The true power of the gem lies within.’
I don’t know why but, something about it clicked. I asked Aqua to send Twilight a letter via magic saying that I should be there within two days. I needed to get some sleep. I was gonna need it.
The train got me there in the afternoon and it couldn’t have been sooner. I got off the train and got my bike out as well. I was lucky to find Rarity in the shopping district on my way to the castle.
“Echo Wave, darling, it’s so good to see you. How have you and your sister been doing.” She said when we found somewhere to sit.
“We were able to settle everything between us. However, I just had to come back in time for the wedding.”
“Oh yes, the wedding is going to be fabulous. The princess even asked me to make her dress. I can’t wait for the wedding tomorrow!” She said with excitement in her voice.
Wait…Tomorrow?!
“Uh, Rarity. What do you mean by ‘tomorrow’? I asked dreading the answer.
“I know you’re surprised by the sudden date change. We were as well but, the siblings and even the princesses agreed. The wedding is going to be held at noon when the sun is at its highest.” She explained with a smile and was hiding that I was a nervous wreck inside.
We finished up our chat and made our way to the castle. I met up with the others inside the palace. We caught up and went towards the throne room where the wedding would be held. It looked just like wedding hall between Shining Armor and Princess Cadence.
“Twilight, is your brother and Cadence showing up?”
“No, they still have to run the Crystal Empire but they send their best wishes.” She said. The girls were spread throughout the room. Fluttershy was conducting her song birds. Applejack and, surprisingly, Big Mac were heading out probably to the catering area, Rainbow was helping Pinkie set up the streamers and Twilight was checking everything off.
Before I could say anything, Rarity took me by the arm and dragged me off. She said that she had to get me fitted for a tuxedo. She took me to her room, got my measurements and ushered me out without so much as a say so. She said it’ll be in the room I was staying, next to Big Mac.
I spent the next hours going around the castle getting the layout or exit strategies if things went south. It was getting late I went towards the dining room. Dinner was difficult for me though. Celestia and Luna graced us with their presence. I saw the magic hue within their eyes and it pained me to know that even the princesses could become victims to their spell. They couldn’t stay long but they did say it was thoughtful to know we would be there. I glanced at Princess Celestia and for a second I thought she looked thicker. We finished eating and I went back to my room and found my tux on the bed. I placed it on a hanger and had a tough time going to sleep.
When I woke, I glanced at the clock to see that I had half an hour before the wedding. I got in my tux but, my thoughts were still going over of how can I do anything that doesn’t reveal who I am. I was brought out of my thoughts by somepony knocking on my door.
‘Who could that be?’ “Come in.” the door open and Big Mac walked in.
“Echo, I hope you gotta plan for this.” He said with nervousness in his voice.
“I don’t know what to do? The only option I have puts me on the pony hunt as not only my ‘other’ self but, as me.”
“There has to be some way for me to help you out?” He asked. I was about to tell him no right there but, then I remembered something.
“Actually, there might be something you can help me with.” I went to backpack and took out the tome. I told Mac to stand there and don’t move. I told him it wouldn’t hurt; at least I hope it won’t. I recited the spell and he glowed a dark blue. When it was over, he looked himself over and nothing had changed.
“Nothin’ happened.”
“Look in the mirror.” I said. He walked over, looked in the mirror and recoiled a bit. The reflection didn’t show him. It showed me.
“What did you do?”
“It’s an illusion spell I read up on the way here. It lets others see you as somepony as. The only ones it doesn’t affect are the caster and the pony the illusion is cast on.”
“How long will it last?”
“An hour and I hope that it’s enough.” After I told him where my seat was he left to get ready. The wedding was in ten minutes.
“I hope this works.”
As soon as the time came, the wedding began. The entire throne room was filled with nobles and regulars alike. The Pegasus ponies cleared the sky to let sun’s rays shine through the windows. Princess Luna and the girls were dressed in gowns fit for bride’s maids. Scythin and Morpha were on the opposite side of the wedding altar with their brother, Chaon, looking nervous. As soon as Luna gave the word, Fluttershy started conducting the song birds.
The doors opened and the CMC came out as the flower girls. Princess Celestia came from behind them and she looked even more stunning and beautiful than ever. She walked to the altar and had tears in her eyes.
“Mares and gentlecolts, we are gathered here today to witness this holy union of Princess Celestia and Prince Chaon. One is the princess of our lands and my sister and the other, a prince of a foreign land, brought together in holy matrimony. If there is somepony here that has a reason that these two should not be married, speak now or forever hold your peace.” Luna said. No one there had a reason to speak.
Before she could resume the speech, a gust of wind whipped through the throne room. The entire audience covered themselves to protect themselves from the wind. A voice could be heard in the wind.
"I have a reason."
The doors blew open with the guards being thrown in. I walked in with my ‘sky’ wings fully extended.
“Let’s take this outside, Chaon.” I flew right at him, grabbed by his collar and we were headed for the window.
‘CRASH’
We burst right through the stained glass window and threw him towards the royal gardens. He landed with a thud. I flew straight down and crafted two barriers because I was worried about the powers he had. He got up, dusted himself off and looked at me and the barriers surrounding us.
“I must say, I expected you to show someday but, did have to be on my wedding day. I was this close to having Celestia as a wife.” He said as he conjured a tea set. I drew my sword and began circling him.
“I wasn’t going to let the god of chaos marry her, you slimy draconequus.” I said. He took another sip of tea and just looked at me.
“Come now, Echo Wave. Surely you must have some manners.” He said with a smirk. I stopped moving and just stared at him in shock and horror.
“How did I know? I’ve been keeping my eye on you for the last three years. At first, I wanted to know who was attacking our creatures but, when I felt archaic magic, I figured one of the sisters dug up that relic, especially after that display we saw. When the girls brought you with them, everything clicked especially after they told us about your little stories.” He said. I was still stunned by this when another question presented itself.
“Before you ask no, I haven’t told them. Mostly because I wanted to see how far you would get. But, I guess you decided that the game must come to an end.”
‘BOOM’
“Apparently, my future wife and sister-in-law feel the same.” He said. I turned around and saw the princesses, the girls, the siblings and ten guards. Celestia and Luna were sending blast after blast of magic at the outer barrier and it look like it can only take so much.
“You know, it’s very bad to turn your back on your opponent.” Discord said net to me. Before I could react, I was blasted backwards by magic into a pedestal. He stood there with his hand smoking from a magic blast. The others were cheering for him as he turned around.
“Don’t worry; everyone. I shall deal with him shortly and the wedding shall resume.” He proclaimed. A bolt of magic went past his head and collided with the barrier. He turned around and saw me standing and wielding a staff however, the one that was most shocked was Twilight seeing the element of magic symbol on my head.
“I thought you said it was bad to turn your back to your opponent.” I said. He smirked and used his magic to conjure up a sword. I pulled out my blaster and started moving and shooting at him. He kept dodging and deflecting each blast I sent. I concentrated and sent a ball of energy right at him. He kept that same smirk and swung his sword, sending the energy right back at me. I braced myself but it still sent me flying and colliding with the barrier. I hit that and the ground so hard it cancelled my ‘Star’ form.
I stood up weakly but, I didn’t let it show. I got out another gem and got ready for round three.
“Honor Ground”
My gauntlets appeared and I sprinted towards him with both fists. He sent out bolts of magic but I kept knocking them away. As soon as I got close, I threw my left fist at his sorry mug. When I connected, it went right through him. Before I can think of what happened, I was knocked back from the side.
“You’re not the only one that can use illusions. “ He said as he reappeared. I tumbled a bit before I landed on my back. I heard cheering and that just make the pain hurt more. I propped myself up to see him just a few feet away from me.
“I must say, you’ve put on quite the show for our crowd, especially with you getting knocked around.” He chuckled. I could only grow through the pain.
“I do believe it’s time for your final curtain call but, I think I’ll keep that belt buckle of yours for my child.” He said with a smile. As soon as he said child, my blood ran cold. I couldn’t say anything; I just looked behind him and stared at the princess as did everyone else while she blushed. It couldn’t be; there’s no way. Even with a helmet, he could tell where I was looking.
“She’s two months along if you were wondering. We were planning to announce at the reception but, I guess the cat’s out of the bag. However, as me being kind, I’ll let you have one more shot.” He said with a smile. I got up and tried to think of something but, what else could I do. None of my powers worked and he’s just toying with me. No, I promised that I would free Equestria from their curse and I meant it. I just need to dig deep and fight back.
‘Thump’
What was that? I reached into my gem case and pulled out the circular grey gem with my cutie mark on it and it was resonating but; I it does is help me transform, what good can it do. Then, I remembered that phrase from the tome.
‘The power of the gem lies within’
Well I hope you got more power than I thought you had. I pulled the handle out, placed it in, hoped for the best and slammed it back in.
“Sonic Shield”
The gem began to spin and bright light appeared. When it faded, a round grey shield appeared on my right arm with the gem placed on the center. The odd thing was that there was a handle on the left side.
“Interesting, it appears your last card is defense. Well, let’s see how strong it is.” He said as brought his sword down. I brought the shield up and they collided.
‘SCREEEEEECCCCCHHHHH’
“AAAAAHHHHHHH!!!” He screamed as he dropped his sword to cover his ears. The others were doing the same trying to block the piercing sound except for me. Sound, couldn’t have asked for a better weapon. I rushed towards him and bashed my shield right into his chest.
‘BOOM’
Pure sound blasted right through him and sent him backwards. Now that I have some time, I took a closer look at the shield. When I grabbed the handle, it pulled out and there were multiple slots. If this does what I think this does, than this is a new level of power. I took out the purple gem, placed it in and slammed it back in.
“MagicShield”
The upper part of the shield turned purple. Discord got his breath back and glared at me. I pointed my shield at him and concentrated. A ball of energy formed in the center and released a beam of pure magic and sound at him. He brought up a shield but the beam ripped right through it and sent him colliding into the barrier over the crowd. They were all shocked and scared at will happen next. When the beam ended, he fell and crashed into the ground.
Something landed next to me and I looked down at what it was. It was his wedding ring with the band gone. A clear, rectangle like gem with cornered ages. I held it up to the sun and chanted a few words. It glowed with energy and felt warm to the touch. I pulled the driver’s handle out, placed the gem in and slammed it in.
“Solar Sun”
The gem began and a blinding light engulfed the area. When the light died down, no one was more shocked at what they saw than Celestia herself. I stood there holding a broadsword with a white handle and the gem in the middle. However, the most dominate feature was the mark of the sun on the top of my helmet.
“How is that possible?” She said as a whisper. I stared at Discord with hateful eyes and knew what had to be done. I took out the crescent gem, pulled the handle back out, placed it in and slammed it in.
“Lunar Moon”
The gem spun and darkness surrounded my chest and the dark blue chest plate appeared and sword the remained. The only difference made was that half of the sun’s mark was gone and was replaced with half of the moon mark. I guess if the powers are compatible, they combine.
“You were wrong about one thing. It’s not my final curtain call, it’s yours. You are one of the three that have caused so much pain to Equestria and its residents. Now, prepare for your judgment.” I proclaimed. I grabbed the handle, pulled out and pushed it back in.
“SolunarExceed!”
The shadows from my chest plate formed at the tip of my blade along with the light of the sword. The two powers covered the blade and swirled with energy. Discord conjured his sword and rushed me. I did the same and prepared to end this.
“May the forces of Light and Darkness, Eliminate this evil.” I swung down my sword at the same time he tried to block it with his my sword went right through it and him as I went past. Our backs were facing each other, not moving. He turned around to look at himself and besides his sword being in two, he didn’t have a scratch on him.
“You might want to get a new sword if you plan on killing me.” He said while failing holding back his laughter. I turned around and simply looked at him.
“Who said anything about killing you?” was all I said to him. He looked confused and when he tried to move, he couldn’t. He looked down and he stared in horror. From his knees down, they were completely stone and it was moving up.
“WHAT’S HAPPENING?!” He shouted as his legs were completely stone now. I only replied in a cold manner.
“I’m putting you back where you belong, a stone prison. This time though, nothing will help you escape again.” I said as the petrification had reached his chest. He struggled in vain and gave one last yell before the spell encased his head.
There was nothing but silence over the entire area. I turned to look at the crowd in time to see Celestia fall to her knees. No one could come up with anything to say. Even though she was under a spell, I could still see the heartbreak and pain in the princesses’ eyes.
‘Forgive me, your majesty.’ I sadly thought to myself. The shadows composed around me and I vanished without a trace.
I was able to switch places with Mac just before the spell wore off. The castle was crawling with guards trying to find me. Princess Luna was overseeing things herself. Everypony offered their condolences to the princess and the siblings. Celestia excused herself to retire to her room and no one was to disturb her. I noticed she tensed up a bit when Scythin touched her shoulder but shrugged it off. The girls decided to stay in the castle for a few days for support and to help in the hunt. I truly wish that this nightmare won’t last.
In the royal bedchambers, Celestia stood looking out the window over the royal gardens. Even though she had tears in her eyes, she had a small smile.
It was close to midnight and I couldn’t get to sleep. My mind was still going over the details of today. I just hope the princess has calmed down. I was brought of my thoughts by a knock at my door. I opened it and there was a palace guard on the other side.
“Can I help you?” I asked with a sense of dread.
“Princess Celestia has requested your presence in her bedchambers.” He said. I was confused but nodded in agreement. I followed the guard with multiple thoughts going through my head. We reached the doors and knocked. The doors opened and there she was in a pure white nightgown.
“Princess Celestia, I have brought the one you requested to see.” He said.
“Thank you. You may return to your duties.” She said with a smile. The guard saluted and left the room, closing the doors. I stood there as the princess used her magic to cast a spell. She walked towards the window and gestured for me to come. I did and stood beside her looking out the window.
“Echo Wave, it’s nice to talk with you again.” She said in her motherly tone.
“The pleasure is all mine princess.” I said. She gestured me to look down into the gardens and there I saw Discord in his stone prison with a look of disbelief and fear forever etched on his face.
“Tell me, what is you see down there?” she said while still starring out the window. I was confused for a minute before I answered.
“I see Prince Chaon encased in stone. Again, you have my deepest sympathy.” I said while sounding humble.
“That’s very kind of you. However, do you know what I see?” she asked.
“No, your majesty. What do you see?” I said turning to her. She was looking at me with a small smile on her face.
“I see the pony responsible for imprisoning discord once again.” She said. I stood there in shocked silence but then I looked into her eyes and saw that the influence was gone.
“You have done a great thing today, my little pony.” She said as she walked to her dresser while I was still in shock.
“Princess, you’re back to normal! How did the spell release?!” I wondered as questions were racing through my head.
“Calm down, Echo Wave. I will explain what I can.” She said in her motherly voice. I did what she asked and calmed own. She gestured to come closer. I did and stood in front of her.
“Now, I shall try to answer some of your questions. Five years ago, Luna and I sensed a growing evil coming and knew we had to take precautions. I instructed Luna to retrieve the artifact you use to prepare but, I left the choosing of the recipient too her.” She explained. I understand them being careful but, that still left blanks.
“Celestia, is Princess Luna back to normal as well?”
“Yes, it appears Discord portion of the spell only grasped her and my mind. I doubt the other two are even aware of this fact.” She said. It’s good to know that both princesses were back in control but I still had my questions.
“Princess, I still want to know something. If Princess Luna was responsible for choosing, why would she choose me? Why wouldn't she pick someone more capable for the role? Like a guard, a soldier or even one of the girls, why me?” I asked. This was the question that has been going over in my head ever since I gained this responsibility.
“I’m afraid I can not answer that question. Only Luna would know the answer into why she chose you. Even I do not know her reasons for you.” She said with a small frown. I guess the only one that can answer my question is Princess Luna but, I doubt I would get the chance to talk to her now. Celestia used her magic to levitate a small bag over to me.
“I know I can not answer the questions you must likely want to ask but I can give you items that will aid you in this fight. I believe you are familiar with.” She said. I took the bag in my hand and looked in it. Inside was something I have been accustomed to use. Gems, three of them in fact. A red triangular ruby, a light blue pearl shaped turquoise and a purple oval opal. I can only guess as to what they represent. I wonder what powers these will grant me.
“I trust you know what to do with them. I can only wish you luck in your future battles.” She said as she pulled me into a hug. I returned it but then another question popped up. Something I wish wouldn't be true.
“Princess, was Discord telling the truth when he said that you were… pregnant?” I asked. Everything went silent after I asked the question. I heard her sniffle and that was probably her answer. I looked up and saw tears in her eyes.
“Regretfully, he was telling the truth. I am with child.” She said while I stepped out of her hug.
“I am so sorry, your majesty.” I said while trying to hold back my own emotions. Even on the verge of tears, she managed a small smile as she placed a hand on her stomach.
“Even though that discord is the father, it is still a life that I will cherish. When it’s born, I will teach it the joy of peace, harmony and love and hopefully, not follow in Discord’s footsteps.” She said. I truly hope that it follows through. I bowed to the princess and turned to leave.
“I and Luna will have to keep up the façade of still being under the spell’s influence. We know the spell to aid us in this. I will try to contact as discretely as possible. I am sorry we can not be as much help.” She said. I turned to her just when reached the door.
“Don’t worry your majesty. I’ll be fine besides, I have some surprises hidden in the dark.” I said cryptically. I left the room with that thought.
In the Vilotan castle
“What are we going to do?!” Chrysalis shouted as she paced back and forth in for in the royal throne room.
Sombra stayed silent as he stared out the window.
“Discord has been turned back to stone by this ‘kamen rider’. I felt the spell weaken for just a second. How are we going to fix this!” She yelled at him.
Sombra remained silent.
“ANSWER ME!!!” Chrysalis screeched. He slowly turned around and fixed her with a deadly glare which silenced her.
“I’ve already applied more of my magic to the spell to fill in the gap so it still holds. Discord was a fool with proposing the idea of marriage and it was his downfall. As for this ‘kamen rider’, I admit he has proven more than a simple nuisance.” He said as he walked over to a small podium with a chest on it.
“I’ve already ordered two of our generals back to deal with this.”
“You saw what he could do to Discord. Even if our generals are more powerful than the regular obsidians, how will they fair any different.” Chrysalis said skeptically. Sombra opened the chest and took an item out.
“When we first saw him, I spent my time constructing this and finding the one that can operate it.” He said as he looked at something in his hand.
“What are you holding and operate what?” She asked. He turned around and showed her the item that made an evil smile come across her face.
In his hand was a diamond shaped device that was pure black with a single red diamond in the center and a handle on the side. He’s mouth formed a menacing grin.
“I think the old saying goes ‘fight fire with fire.’ We’ll see how he fares fighting his own.” He said with a chuckle which turned into an evil laughter that echoed throughout the castle.
Inside the Vilotan castle’s throne room, four figures were gathered. Chrysalis and Sombra were on their thrones as two figures stood before them. The two figures were wearing cloaks so their faces couldn’t be seen, they only difference that could be seen is the height. The one to the right was two feet taller at 7ft and wider than the one on the left. The only similarity between them was the symbol on their cloaks: a red and black sword inside of a green crystal.
“I trust you two know what must be done.” Chrysalis said.
The two nodded.
Sombra stood up and walked towards the smaller of the two. He held out his hand which held the diamond shaped device towards him.
“The one I’ve chosen has already left towards the town. Make contact with him and deal with this nuisance. Do not fail.” He said. The shorter one took the device and acknowledged the order. Both gave a salute and left the throne room.
“I’ve heard what this Kamen rider guy has been doing. To take down Discord must mean that they want him gone now.” The bigger one said.
The smaller one stayed silent.
“Come on, Obsidian. I know that I may be stronger than the others but, aren’t you overkill.” He said.
“They want this taken care of.” Obsidian said bluntly.
“That and you want to see if this guy is ‘worthy’ of being your opponent, right?” He said.
“Don’t twist my code, Firma.”
“Whatever look, what makes them think that he even shows up in this small town? It’s been a week; he could be halfway to Las Pegasus by now.”
“This rider first appeared to them in this town and he shows when these ponies are in danger. I have a way to draw him out.” He said. Even though the cloak hid his face, a smirk appeared on Firma’s face.
“What did you do?”
“I sent someone to assess his skills.”
It took two days for things in the castle to even have a shred of normality with everything that’s going on. The siblings were staying in their castle and haven’t been heard from. The guards are still on alert but they couldn’t find the intruder. The girls insisted on staying but Celestia told them that she was fine and that they need to go home. They were reluctant but agreed. The girls and I took the next train home.
It has been five days since the wedding and everything was relatively quiet. There’s been no attacks, no recent sightings or anything but I had to be careful because the quiet is when I’m the most cautious.
I’ve been training in the forest since we got back with my shield and the gems I recently got and I must say they nearly match the girl’s personalities to the letter, if somewhat sharper. The girls themselves have been doing all they can to track me down that they are gathering all the facts they have to find a connection. As of right now, I’m in the library with them going over the facts again.
“Alright everypony, let’s begin.” Twilight announced to us to get our attention. It earned nods of approval from us and a grunt from Rainbow.
“Ugh, again. We’ve been at this all week and we come up with nothing.” She voiced her argument which earned an elbow to the gut by Applejack.
“Be quiet, dash. Carry on, sugercube.” She said. Twilight nodded and motioned to a nearby chalkboard.
“Now then, the object of this discussion is reviewing everything we know on kamen rider shade.” She said and I swear I felt a tint of venom in her voice. The girls had put on very stern faces, even Fluttershy and Pinkie looked different.
“The siblings have told us that they first heard rumors of his appearance, three years ago. A little over two months ago, we saw him for the first time. Two days after, the siblings gave us the assignment of tracking him.” She said. Applejack then took over from there.
“The first place they sent us was Appleloosa. While there, we learned that my cousin, Braeburn, was missin’. While lookin’ into it, he showed up. He was fighting somepony and used some jewel to somehow get stronger and I felt the element of honesty comin from him. After telling us his name, he vanished and that was the last we saw of him.” AJ finished while Twilight wrote down everything with fine detail. She then took over.
“We were then sent to Baltimare to investigate the disappearances of ponies. We stayed at Aqua’s house for the time. The same day, he appeared again but this time, he saved Fluttershy.” She said and Fluttershy said her piece.
“He appeared right after the monster attacked me and Echo Wave. He then used a different gem, grew wings and I felt Kindness from him.” She said.
“Correct, then after you two got back, we decided to check the docks the next day. While there, we split up to find out about the missing ponies. I learned that there was boat that was stolen a week earlier. We can only assume that whoever was behind it sent them somewhere else.” Twilight summed up. I then decided to pitch my piece.
“Girls, I know that I haven’t said much but, where did you go after you got on the train?”
“Well the siblings sent us to Fillydelphia. At first, we all summed up the idea that the kamen rider was following us. However during our time there, we never saw sight of him but one of us saw something.” Twilight said and Rarity took over.
“When I was coming back from the shopping district to the hotel we were staying, I caught a glimpse of something moving through the alleys. It was too dark to see but it almost looked like an animal.” She said. Way to stay out of sight Shadow. Twilight then took over again.
“We stayed there for a couple of days until Princess Celestia called us back for the wedding. We reported to the siblings on what we found out and left to help with the preparations. Everything was wonderful until… the incident.” She somberly said. All the girls had faces that were a mix of sadness and anger.
“He stormed the throne room, grabbed Prince Chaon and threw him to the stone garden below. We all followed them outside and while they were fighting, the princesses were using their magic to break the barrier. Inside the barrier, the rider displayed a new weapon and showed us that he’s able to call upon power from the element of magic.” She paused a bit after saying this but resumed shortly.
“While fighting, it appeared that the prince was going to be victorious. However, the rider showed another power that conjured a shield. When Chaon’s sword connected with it, the shield emitted a high pitch sound that disorients and causes damage to the attacker. Also, even though he used it once, I can assume that the shield has the same properties as him due to it gaining the effects of magic.” She said. Leave it to Twilight to think far ahead.
“It was then that he used a different type of power. He conjured a sword that radiated with Princess Celestia energy and I can assume the Chest plate has the energy of Princess Luna. How he was able to attain this, we don’t know and it seemed he combined the powers of the two. The energy turned Prince Chaon to stone and disappeared. The spell on him was too strong to break even with the royalties help.” Twilight said finishing detailing the events the girls have put all their free time into finding the one responsible.
“Well, that’s everything we know as of now and we still don’t understand where he came from or who he is.” She said. The girls started talking to see if they could find a connection. It took two hours and they still couldn’t figure anything out.
“Argh, who is this guy?!” Rainbow shouted.
“Look everypony were not getting any more answers. So, why don’t we all take a break right now and pick up later.” Twilight suggested. We all agreed and decided to go to Sugarcube Corner. We left the library and made are way to the sugary shop. I still couldn’t but think on how much the girls have tried to figure out whom he is which just give more reason to end this soon.
We made it to Sugarcube Corner and found a table to sit at. It’s been awhile since I’ve been in here and Pinkie Pie and the cakes seem to be doing well. Mr.cake came out and took our orders. The twins were with him and they were growing up and following in there parents footsteps.
“Look girls, I know you want to find this guy but, maybe you should not get as involve right now.” I said breaking the silence.
“Echo, we were tasked to protect Equestria. As the elements of harmony, we have to do everything we can to stop him and bring peace.” Twilight said and the girls agreed with her.
‘If only you knew.’ I thought. Before I could say anything, a voice cut me off.
“My, oh my, and here I thought you never speak to a girl, let alone be surrounded by them.”
Wait… I know that voice.
We looked at the entrance to the source and I was surprised at who was there. At the door was a dark green unicorn with a spikey dull yellow mane. He wore a black shirt and blue jeans. On his shirt was an image of his cutie mark: two spinning disks.
“Reverb, is that you?” I asked, not believing it was him. He lifted his glasses showing his yellow eyes.
“The one and only. Good to see you again, buddy.” He said with a smirk. I got up, walk towards him and bumped fists.
“Reverb, what are you doing here? Last time I heard of you, you were in Fillydelphia.”
“I’ve been going around equestria with a group I met. Not the most sociable but there a nice bunch of ponies.” He replied.
“Echo, who is this?” Somepony said. We turned around and I forgot about the girls for a minute.
“Sorry about that girls. This is Reverb, my foalhood friend. Reverb, these are my friends. There...” I was beginning to say.
“I know who they are, dude. Everypony knows who they are.” He said. We took a seat back at the table.
“So Reverb, how do you know Echo?” Twilight asked.
“Well, like he said, we’re foalhood friends. We’re both from Baltimare and we grew up in the same neighborhood. While he stuck to his drawings, I was drawn to the rhythm of music.”
“A musician, that is interesting” Rarity said.
“It’s not the kind you would like, Rarity. He delves into the techno genre of music. In fact, he even has a stage name. DJ Rev3rse.” I said.
“I heard about you. You were supposed to be on par with DJ PON-3 at the competition two years ago.” Rainbow knowingly said.
“I wouldn’t say ‘on par’ with her but, I was close.” He said with a smirk.
“Reverb, you still didn’t answer my question? What are you doing here in Ponyville?” I asked.
“I’m taking a break from music and what better place than this cozy little town.” He replied. I was going to say something else but something happened. I don’t know why but, I felt something pulse in my backpack.
“Guys, I’ll be right back. I just remembered something.” I said as got up from the table.
“Everything alright, Echo.” Reverb said.
“Yay, I just forgot something at home. I’ll meet you all at the library.” I said. I left the store and walked a good distance before ducking into an alley. When it was safe, I took out the umbra driver. It was pulsating in my hand, almost as if it sensed something.
“What’s going on? It’s never done this before.” I said. My thoughts came to a halt with a sound.
‘RAAAAAAAGGGGGHHHHH’
I peeked out the alley to see a lizard like obsidian causing havoc in the market. I’ll have to figure this out later, now I got work to do.
“Henshin”
The monster was causing havoc all over the market. Ponies were running and screaming for cover. The scene attracted attention and other things. The girls and Reverb were watching this from inside the store.
“What is that thing!?” Reverb questioned.
“It’s almost like the one that attacked me.” Fluttershy said shaking in fear.
Everypony in the store was cowering and wondering of what to do until they noticed something.
A barrier forming around the monster.
“He’s here.” Twilight said.
The monster looked around as the barrier formed around it. It heard a whistling sound coming towards it. An object impacted against its side which emitted a loud screech. The creature howled in pain and looked towards to where the pain came from and saw recalling my shield.
“I don’t know what you’re doing but you pick the wrong town to come too” I said. The monster admitted a low grow at me.
“Don’t pester me, I’m only following orders.” It said before lunging at me. I jumped over him and out of the way. I launched my daggers at it and damaged it.
“You maybe be dangerous, but you can’t hit what you can’t see.” It said before fading into the environment.
I scanned the area to see if I could catch a glimpse of it. I saw a shimmer in the air and brought my shield up to barely block a slash. I drew my sword and swiped the area but made no contact. I heard a rustle behind and ducked to avoid attack.
”I wonder how long you can last until you give up.” Its voice carried in the wind.
Everypony in the shop were staring out the window, not sure of what to do or figure out what might happen.
“What do we do, Twilight?” Rainbow whispered.
“I don’t know. I’m not even sure what could happen.” Twilight replied. Reverb suddenly tapped her shoulder.
“Um, Twilight. I think something’s wrong with Pinkie.” He said. The girls looked towards their friend and saw the party pony shaking nonstop.
“Mmm-mmm-yyy piii-inkk—i—iiii-eee se—n---ssee is—s-ss goo---ooo inn-ggg loo—ooppp-iii-eee.”She said through her shakes.
“Her what?” Reverb asked confused.
“We’ll explain later. Pinkie, what is going to happen?” Twilight said.
“A doozy. A really big doozy.”
I kept blocking attack after attack and I’ve only gotten in a few lucky hits. Maybe there is something I can do.
‘I hope this works.’ ”Time to give one of them a field test.” I said. I reached in my holder and pulled out the pear shaped blue gem. I pulled out the handel, placed it in and slammed it back in.
“Laughing Break”
The gem spun and the area around me was engulfed in light. When the light died down, my shield was gone and replaced with a large two-handed mallet with a spiked left side. The handle and neck was blue, the spike was yellow and the mallet itself was pink with white polka dots. The most important fact anypony noticed was the symbol of laughter on my helmet.
“Laughter?!” Pinke, is this the doozy.” Twilight asked her friend. Pinkie’s whole body stopped shaking but, her tail had not stopped.
“It’s a doozy alright but, not the big doozy.”
“Just because you have a new weapon, won’t save you.” The creature’s voice called.
I stood there holding my weapon, just waiting for an attack. I sensed it coming and brought the spiked end up to block. The attack connected and I was pushed back a bit. The mallet began to glow.
‘Time for the fun to begin.’ I brought the hammer back and swung to the side. It collided with an invisible wall and the monster reappeared and was knocked back five feet; from behind me.
“How the hell did you do that?!” It growled. It cloaked itself again for another attack. I swung again and it was knocked back again. This time from above me. It landed two feet away from me.
“You aren’t getting away from me. Once you touched the spike, no matter where you are, I’ll always hit you.” I told. I dashed forward and slammed the mallet right into his stomach. The blow knocked it back with a force that could break stone. I pulled the handle on the driver out and slammed it in.
“Laughter Break, Exceed”
I slammed the mallet’s handle into the ground and the mallet and spike end split open. Inside the spike end was a black handle and the mallet side revealed an opening. I grabbed the handle and pulled back. Energy began to form from the center until it glowed a bright pink.
“Let Joyous Laughter, Bring light to the darkness.” I pushed the handle back in and a ball of pink energy shot out. It collided with the creature with impressive speed and it yelled in pain as the ball compressed it before exploding in sparks of light. With the deed done, the shadows surrounded and the barrier and I disappeared with it.
Unknown to anypony, two figures watch the entire exchange from atop the train platform.
“Well, this rider is just full of surprises; I didn’t think he would take down cloaker that easily.” Firma said.
Obsidian silently watched as he looked at the place the battle took place.
“So, did you hand over that device to him yet?” Firma asked.
“I gave it to him as soon as we arrived.” He responded.
“So, do we go down, locate and attack now while his exhausted.” Firma chuckled. He heard the unsheathing of a sword and saw Obsidian pressing it against his throat.
“We attack when he is ready. Attacking now while he is weak is pointless.” He responded coldly.
“Okay, okay. You always take the fun out of everything. So, tomorrow than.”
“Yes, I have a feeling tomorrow, our answers will be revealed.”
As the full moon rises above the night sky, all is not quiet. Even though the sky has begun to clear, deep within the enchanted forest of Everfree, rain falls down like a torrent. This forest is home to numerous enchanted animals and if one could listen close enough, they can hear the howl of the timber wolves. Though it may seem calm despite the rain, all is not right.
Deep within a part of the forest, a creature runs at full speed and not stopping. If one could take a closer look, they can make out the outline of a four legged beast with something on its back. The creature continued running until it came to a small clearing. It bowed its head so that the thing on its back could gently roll off.
The object the creature had was a pony, a very injured one. The pony’s breath was hard and shallow. The beast looked down at the pony with pure white eyes. While the pony was drifting in and out of consciousness, one question kept going through its mind.
‘Why… did this… happen?’
Yesterday Afternoon…
The commotion in the market place died down enough for everypony to start cleaning up the damage of the battle. The amount wasn’t that bad and it was situated within a confined space so they could get it fixed faster.
The girls and Reverb were helping clean up the last bit of damage when I showed up to lend a hand.
“I heard this town deals with crazy stuff on a daily bases but I didn’t think it was like this.” He told me when I showed up.
“Believe me; this town doesn’t deal with this kind of crazy unless something big is in play.” I said. I glanced at the girls as they were coming towards us. I noticed that Pinkie’s tail was twitching non-stop.
“Pinkie, why is your tail twitching?”
“It’s because of the doozy.” She responded with a little strain in her attitude.”
“A doozy?” I asked and looked towards the girls.
“During the attack, when the monster turned invisible, Pinkie started shaking non-stop and when the rider pulled out that new weapon, she suddenly stopped.” Twilight explained. I looked at the party pony again and her twitching tail.
“Then why is her tail still twitching if the fight’s over?” I asked.
“She said the fight was part of the doozy but not the big one she was talking about.” Twilight finished. That has me worried, when you live in this town; you learn to heed the warnings of the party pony. But, what could happen that could make her pinkie sense come in parts.
“We’ll think of something tomorrow. It’s been a long day and we all could use the rest.” I said to them. Everypony agreed and decided to meet at Sugarcube Corner tomorrow. The girls said their goodbyes and went home.
“Well, this has been an interesting day if I ever did see one.” Reverb said.
“Agreed, so where are you staying at tonight?” I asked.
“I don’t know. I got in this morning but, all the hotels are booked.” He said.
“You can stay at my place. My couch folds out into a bed.”
“Nice, I left my stuff at the train station. Meet me there and will head to your place.” He said as he started walking to the station. I guess I got a roommate.
I met up with him and we went our way towards my place. The sun was just setting when we got to my house. We walked in and got him situated.
“Thanks for letting me crash here, Echo.” Reverb said.
“No problem. What are friends for?” I replied. We got the living room set up for the night and sat down to catch up.
“So, where did you go after the competition, Reverb?” I asked.
“Well, I went towards Las Pegasus for a convention for all the best disc jockeys as a wrap up of the competition. After that, I went to different towns, doing small shows to pass the time.” He said. Something came up though.
“At the shop, you said you were traveling with a group, what about them?” I asked.
“When I stopped in Manehatten, I met them in the club. They said they’ve been looking for me because of my skills. They asked if I wanted to join them to train.” He said. Okay, now I’m confused.
“Train?” I asked.
“My dj skills of course.” He said with a grin. I could tell he was hiding something. For as long as I have known him, I can tell when he lies to me. The question is: what is hiding from me this time? I made some hayburgers for us to eat, lucky I could decontaminate the food I bought. We finished them just as the sun was going down. I got up just as he asked a question.
“So, where’s this Zepha the girls were talking about?” He asked out of the blue. I was caught off guard by this and stuttered a bit which caused him to laugh.
“I don’t believe it; I never thought the day would ever come.”
“Shut up.” I said with a blush forming. He just snickered.
“Alright, I’ll stop. So, where is she?”
“She’s visiting her father. I don’t know when she’ll be back.” I said.
“Oh, okay. Sorry about that. Hey, where’s the wash room? He asked.
“Down the hall and to the right.” I told him. He went down the small hallway and disappeared from my vision. I heard a pulse and looked at my bag. I got up from my seat and went over to it. I opened it and took out the driver. It was pulsating like crazy, almost as if whatever it was reacting to was close.
“What is wrong with you, it’s like you’re afraid of something.”
‘KNOCK’ ’KNOCK’ ‘KNOCK’
‘Who could that be at this hour’ I put the driver back in my bag and went towards the door. I opened it and saw no one out there. I was about to close the door when I heard a voice.
“Echo.”
I turned around and Pinkie was right behind me. She had her head down so I couldn’t see her face.
“Pinkie, what’s wrong?” I asked.
She didn’t respond and continued to look down. She walked towards and wrapped her arms around me in a tight hug. I was surprised by this but returned it.
“What’s with the sudden hug?” She still didn’t respond but I felt her hug tighten a bit. I could hear mumble something but, I couldn't hear it clearly.
“Pinkie, what’s the matter?” She didn’t say anything. She slowly let go of the hug and raised her head to look at me. Her eyes were misty and looked like she was close to crying.
“I don’t understand why but, be careful.” She said and ran out my door. I noticed that her tail was still twitching. I just stood there mulling over the words she said to me. I didn’t know what to say until I heard Reverb’s voice.
“Echo, I heard someone knocking at the door? Who was it?” He shouted. I closed the door before answering.
“It was just Pinkie Pie.” I called back.
“What did she need? Did her tail stop twitching?” He replied.
“No, she just needed to see me.” I said.
“Did she need anything?” He called.
“No.” I replied. I got my bag and went towards my room.
“Reverb, I’m turning in early for the night. I had a long day before you showed up.” I called.
“Alright, dude. See you in the morning.” He called back.
“Goodnight.” I said. I went into my room and closed my door. I set my bag against my bed and sat down on it. I could still hear the pulsating noise form my bag. I put my head on the pillow and stared at the ceiling. I could still hear the words Pinkie said to me.
‘I don’t understand why but, be careful.’
‘What did she mean by that?’ I thought. Every time her pinkie sense acts up something always happens and the fact that it started when fight did worries me and the fact that it’s still going means it’s not over. But, the first part of what she said is what worries me the most. The only thing that crosses my mind that may relate to that is something I’ve dreaded since the very beginning.
“Pinkie, I hope your pinkie sense is wrong this time.” I said to myself. I closed my eyes to try to get to sleep. Not knowing what tomorrow will bring.
Morning
I woke up at around as soon as the rays of the sun hit my face. I was able to get to sleep last night but, I was still a bit worried. I washed up, got on some fresh clothes and decided to make breakfast. I noticed that Reverb wasn’t there when I left my room. It wasn’t until I finished making breakfast that my front door opened and he walked in.
“Morning, Echo. You get some sleep last night.” He said almost out of breath.
“Yay, I did. Where were you anyway and why are you out of breath?” I asked while I put two plates of breakfast down on the table.
“I woke up two hours ago and went for a morning jog.” He said. I checked the wall clock in the kitchen to get the time.
“Two hours ago was five a clock in the morning.” I said.
“Really, I didn’t think I was gone that long.” He replied.
“What time did you go to bed?”
“I think about an hour after you did.” He said. Okay, now I know he’s hiding something.
“Let me get this straight: you, Mr. ’I-stay-up-until-three-in-the-morning-redoing-my-remixes’, went to bed at ten, woke up at five and did a two hour jog. Who are you and what have you done with my friend?” I said with shock.
“Ha ha, very funny. I’ll have you know that I’ve really matured over the years.” He said with an adult voice.
“Reverb, the last I heard from you, you were in a club and you partied all the way until closing time at six in the morning.” I deadpanned. He let out a small snicker.
“Okay, I may not have matured that much but, I’m still different from what I was.” He replied. Something is wrong and I’m going to find out now.
“Reverb, I know you’re lying to me. Ever since we were colts, I could always tell when you’re hiding something. What is it?” I said, trying to get to the point. He didn’t answer and put on a serious face that I didn’t think he could make. There was no noise for a few minutes until he answered.
“Echo, do you trust me?” He said with a stern voice.
“The question you should ask is: do you trust me?” I fired back.
“You know I do and you know that if I’m ever hiding something from you, it’s for good reason.” He answered. Something clicked in my head when he said that.
“You coming to Ponyville wasn’t just choice, was it?” I questioned.
He didn’t answer.
“Reverb, what have you gotten yourself into this time?” I asked with a stern voice. He looked me dead in the eye and replied.
“Believe me, when all of this is over, I’ll explain everything.”
After are little discussion, we stayed inside until it was time to meet up with the girls. We did talk about other things to get ourselves off the topic. We talked about early foalhood memories and small adventures we used to have to ease the tension in the air. He got that smile he always had right back on his face. I just wish I knew what was going through his head.
We left around noon and went towards Sugarcube Corner. The sky was starting to gray and look like it was going to rain soon. We made it towards the shop and went inside. We looked around to try to find the girls.
“Over here.” A voice said.
We followed the voice and saw Twilight with the girls at a table. We went over and sat down with them.
“Good morning, girls. When did you all get here?” I said.
“We got here a few minutes before you two showed up.” Rainbow said.
“Your tail still twitching, Pinkie?” Reverb asked. I looked at Pinkie and saw her tail still twitching. She gave a small nod and looked back down at the table.
“The poor dear hasn’t said a word since we got here.” Rarity said with worry.
“How long does her pinkie sense usually last?” Reverb asked.
“This is the first time it’s lasted this long before. Also, this the first time that her pinkie sense has actually come in parts and one is still going.” Twilight explained.
We were all worried about our pink friend. Every time she looked up she avoided my sight. I still remember the conversation last night and still had trouble believing it.
“Reverb, are your friends on their way here?” Twilight asked.
“Yay, I talked to them a while ago. They should be here soon.” Reverb said.
“Friends? What are you guys talking about?” I asked confused. The girls looked at me and confused.
“Reverb, you didn’t tell him?” Twilight asked. Okay, now I’m confused.
“Tell me what?” I asked towards Reverb. Before he could say anything, I voice cut him off.
“There he is, over there.” It said. We all looked towards the entrance and saw two figures walk in.
‘What the…’
I couldn’t explain how these two looked. They looked like crystal ponies but, they were obsidians but not ones I have ever seen before.
The taller of the two was like Big Mac’s size but, a little bulkier. His coat and eyes were orange and his mane and tail were short and red. His other self though, everything was the same except for the bull horns on the side of his head and the shin and arm guards he wore.
The shorter one was my height but, he gave off a commanding sense. His coat was black and his mane and tail were white. His eyes were icy blue that look like they could see into your soul. He carried a sword on his waist. But, there was no difference between his two sides. That’s what he really looked like but, I could still sense that he was an obsidian.
The only similarity the two shared was that they were both wearing dark red suits of armor with the vilotan symbol on the front.
“Hey guys, over her.” Reverb called to them over. They walked to over our table.
“I see you’ve met a few ponies in the short time you’ve been here.” The big one said.
“It’s a gift, what can I say.” Reverb replied.
“I bet.” The big one replied. The short one remained silent for the whole thing.
“Reverb, are these the ponies you were talking about?” Twilight asked.
“Yay, everypony these are two of the ponies of the group I said I was travelling with. The tall one is Firma and the short one is Obsidian.” Reverb announced.
"It’s nice to meet all of you. It’s not every day you get to meet the elements of harmony.” Firma said with a smile.
“Well, it’s certainly nice meet at least two of you.” Rarity said. Obsidian stayed silent through the whole exchange until his gaze rested on me. I don’t know why but that look he gives looks like he sees straight through you.
“Who’s he” he said in a firm voice. His sudden speech made the girls surprised at how firm his voice is.
“Oh, sorry. Guys, this is my foalhood friend, Echo wave.” Reverb said as he patted me on the soldier.
“So you’re the foalhood friend he’s been telling us about. Well, it’s nice to finally meet you.” He said while sticking out his hand for a handshake. I hesitated for a minute before returning it. He had an iron grip.
“I noticed the armor insignia. Are you ranking officers in the army?” I spoke out.
“The guy’s got an eye for detail. Yay, actually were generals in the Vilotan army.” He explained. So they have generals now. We talked for about an hour but, I stayed quiet. I got a bad feeling from these guys and the driver was going crazy. I hope I don’t regret this. I got up from my seat and walked to the door.
“Excuse me, I got to go somewhere?” I said.
“But, you just got here? What’s the problem?” Rainbow asked.
“Don’t worry; I just forgot something at home I was going to show you. I’ll be right back.” I assured the girls. I got up from the table and left the shop. As I was walking, one thought kept going in my head.
‘I hope I can keep my promise this time.’
Ten minutes after I had left, both Firma, Obsidian and the others left the shop after finishing talking. The clouds were becoming grayer and the sun was all but blocked. They were walking to the library when Obsidian stopped.
“Hey, why’d you stop all of a sudden?” Firma asked as the others turn to look at him. He didn’t say a word as he looked up to the sky.
“He’s here.”
A barrier started appearing, separating the group from the two. Reverb tensed when he saw it form.
“Girls, find somewhere to hide! I’ll be right back!” He shouted as he ran towards the library. The girls understood and went to find a hiding place. The two generals just stood there and look to see shadows starting to take a shape. Firma started grinning when he saw that.
“Guess you were right. Now, the fun can start.” Obsidian just stood there with a hand on his sword. The shadows dissipated and I appeared in full form.
“So, you’re the big, bad kamen rider we've been hearing about. I gotta admit, I thought you’d be taller.” He snickered. I drew my sword and got ready.
“I don’t know why you two are here but I’m sending you right out.” I said as I stood my ground.
Obsidian moved forward and unsheathed his blade. A pure black sword with a deep red handle. He kept his gaze on me as he took a stance.
“Will you be a worthy opponent for my blade?”
Neither one of us made a move and watched each other. Outside the barrier, it had begun to drizzle. When the first rain drop hit the barrier, we both sprinted towards each other. Both are swords clashed in a show of sparks.
We separated and I went for a downward slash. He parried it and delivered two consecutive strikes which I barely blocked. I tried to return with a forward thrust but, he blocked it and returned with a vertical and diagonal slash, the latter which connected. For every one of my attacks, he returned two of his with deadly precision.
‘This guy’s on a whole new level than those I fought before.’ I thought as I took another hit. One more hit between are swords and we separated. Both my arms were shaking after the exchange and I barley acknowledged a voice coming from the side.
“You remember you’re fighting two of us, right.”
I barely got my shield out and blocked the attack from Firma. He punched dead center and sent me skidding all the way backwards towards the barrier. My whole arm was shaking and I doubt the sound recoil did anything to him due to the massive dent in my shield.
‘Damn near shattered my arm!’ I had to fight through the pain. I looked up just to see Obsidian raise his sword to Firma.
“This was my duel. You had no right to interfere.”
“You had your fun already. Now it’s my turn to fight.”
‘Damnit , I got to at least beat one of them to have a chance.’ I placed my shield on my back and pulled out the orange gem. I got it in placed and pushed it in.
“Honor Ground.”
Both my gauntlets appeared and I dropped into my fighter stance. Firma grinned when he saw it and mirrored it.
“Now we’re talking! Let’s see what you got.”
We dashed towards each other and I threw the first punch. I connected with his stomach but it felt like punching a steel wall. He threw a left and missed but I still felt the pressure coming off it. I kept dodging and hitting in the same spot until I could at least the beginning of cracks. We took steps back to assess the damage.
“You’re the first one to even remotely hurt me. You gotta be better than this.” He said as he looked at the small cracks.
“I’ll show you my better.”
“Honor Ground, Exceed!”
The energy gathered and I sprinted forward with a left hook. He copied with a right and our fists connected. It sent out a shockwave that shook the barrier and sent us both backwards.
“I think my arm’s busted!” I hissed through gritted teeth. Firma was just laughing after recovering.
“I haven’t had this much fun in years! You do know how to entertain.” He said with a smile on his face. I looked between the two and small amount of damage I was able to do.
‘I can’t go down here.’ I thought with determination. I placed my shield back on my arm despite the pain, took out the orange gem and placed it in the shield’s slot and slammed it in.
“HonorShield.”
The top half glowed orange and I drew my sword ready to fight to my last breath. Both of them saw this and Firma just chuckled.
“I gotta give him this much, he’s got guts to think he can take us both on at once.” He said with a smile. Obsidian just raised his sword and got ready to fight.
‘I’m not going down that easy.’ I got ready to strike…
“HOLD IT!” a voice shouted. Wait… I now that voice.
All three of us looked the direction of the sound and I was shocked to see Reverb running and coming to a halt outside the barrier. Firma and Obsidian looked at him with irritated expressions.
‘What the hell is he doing?!’ I shouted in my head. Reverb collected himself and looked at us.
“You guys could have at least waited for me to get back.” He said to the two.
‘What is he talking about?’
“You were to slow getting here and I don’t wait for a fight to start.” Firma replied. Obsidian just stood there with the same irritated expression.
“Hurry up and get ready.” He said sharply. Reverb winced at the tone.
“Alright, I wanted to test this out anyway.” He said pulling out a diamond shaped object.
‘What is that?’ I thought as he held by its handle in front of his waist and I was shocked when a belt formed around it.
“I don’t know who you are but I think it’s time you fought somepony on equal grounds.” He pulled the handle out and the object split in half with the red gem glowing bright red. He closed his eyes, breathed in and opened them.
“Henshin”
He pushed the two halves back together and the red gem glowed bright red. Crystals began to form in thin air and began to swirl around him as his appearance turn dark. The crystals merged onto him and the transformation ended.
Reverb’s appearance now resembled that of a knight. His body suit was pure black and his armor was dark red. He wore arm and knee guards, shoulder pads and chest armor. His helmet was a lighter shade of black with a red v-shaped visor in the middle. Two dual bladed axes were on his back with black blades and red handles.
I stared there in shock and disbelief at what had just happened.
‘What?’
Reverb looked and assessed his new appearance. “Not Bad.”
He walked towards the barrier and grabbed one of the axes in his right hand. He raised and slashed a crossed it, tearing an opening in it and walked in before it repaired itself.
‘He tore a hole through it.’ I was brought out of my thoughts to block one of his attacks. The shield was to damage to even create the recoil.
“You’ve hurt a lot of ponies, let’s see you fight me for a change.”
‘I don’t want to fight you!’ I screamed in my head as I continued to block his hits but it was difficult with the continued assault. Where did he learn to fight like that and more importantly where did he even get that thing?!
A kick to the ribs knocked me back and the wind out of me. Reverb looked back at the vilotan generals.
“Do we really have to do this? I mean, he can barely fight back.” He said with an unsure voice. Obsidian was about to speak when Firma cut him off.
“The big guy says to take him down no matter what.” He said. Obsidian growled in response as Reverb turned back to me.
‘I got to fall back; I can’t fight in this condition.’ I began to gather the shadows to retreat but something was wrong.
“If you were thinking about escaping, sorry to disappoint you. We found a way to block it.” Reverb said as I looked in confusion. I checked the barrier and everything was fine. I looked closer and saw a purple tint to it.
Wait purple… Twilight.
‘Oh no’ I looked around and I could just make out the shape of her horn behind a building. They were helping them.
“Sorry to do this but your time is up.” He said. He brought both axes in front of the buckle and the gems glowed bright red.
“Chaos Force, Overcharge!”
The blades of the axes glowed black and he crossed his arms preparing to attack.
“Let’s give the kid a hand, shall we.” Firma said as his right fist began pulsating with orange energy. Obsidian merely grunted held up his sword as it glowed blood red with energy. I got up, brought my shield in front of me and prayed it withstood the damage to come.
“NOW!”
Third POV:
All three attacks launched simultaneously and connected with his shield, resulting in a big explosion. The smoke from the blast covered the rider and obscuring the view. The barrier around them began to recede until it disappeared. The drizzle began to pick up and would begin to pour down rain.
“Did we get him?” Reverb said as he eyed the smoke cautiously.
“After that, I’ll be surprised that he didn’t keel over.” Firma stated. Obsidian just continued to watch the smoke.
“Is it over?” A voice said.
Reverb looked back and saw the girls approaching underneath a dome of magic to keep the rain out. He looked at pinkie saw that her tail stopped twitching and she was ready to tear up.
‘What’s wrong with her?’ ”Girls stand back, we don’t know what will happen.” He said. The girls kept a fair distance as the smoke began to die down. They all looked on as they saw the kamen rider, badly hurt but still standing with his sword and his shield, heavily dented, at his sides.
“His more resilient than I thought.” Firma commented. Obsidian didn’t say anything as Reverb raised his left axe and pointed it at him.
“You can’t beat us, surrender now.” He stated. Nothing happened, until something did that would shock him straight to his soul.
The buckle on the rider began spark and the handle popped out and the shadows covered him. The others thought he was escaping but, the transformation was cancelling out. When the shadows were gone, what stood there was somepony they didn’t expect.
There stood a badly injured Echo Wave. His clothes were damaged and his left arm seemed broken and he looked like he was just moments from blacking out.
The girls just stood there in stunned silence and two were close to tears. Firma was somewhat surprised by this while Obsidian continued to watch. However, no one’s reaction was more direct than Reverb.
There he was, his best friend, someone he considered a brother, beaten down close to consciousness.
Regardless of their sides, he had a hand in his current condition.
He reached his buckles handle and pulled them apart, undoing the transformation. He stood in the rain and looked at his friend.
“Echo?” He said silently. The stallion just looked at his friends with a sad and teary gaze.
“I’m... sorry” He breathed before collapsing to the ground face first. Reverb was about to dash over to him when Obsidian held out his sword to block him.
“What are you doing?!” he questioned angrily. The vilotan general merely stared straight ahead.
“Something’s coming.”
A black shape sprung from the forest and raced towards the group. It leapt over the down stallion and stood in front of him. The girls gasped as a solid black timberwolf growled menacingly at the three. Shadow turned and looked at Echo Wave and gave a small whimper as it he picked him up in his jaws, carefully threw him on its back and bolted for the forest.
“Oh no you don’t, you over grown bunch of twigs.” Firma said he launched another pulse of energy at the two. Shadow spun on its heel howled. Black roots shot out of the ground and formed a wall that took the attack as the two dissappered in the Everfree Forest.
Pinkie dropped to her knees in tears as thunder was heard.
“That was the doozy.” She said through her tears.
Present
I laid there as shadow looked down at me with sad eyes. I had failed and now my secret has been exposed. Couldn’t do anything to defeat them and I couldn’t fight my friend. I could hear something coming and I only had shadow to protect me. Before I succumbed to my wounds, someone spoke.
“It is far too soon to meet your end, worry not for you are with a friend."
The moon was at its zenith in the sky as the storm clouds dissipated. The rain had ceased and a light fog blanked the entire town. Most of Ponyville’s residents have long since gone to bed, but not all was peaceful in the small town.
Inside Golden Oaks library, a group of ponies were discussing what they had just learned.
Something had happened earlier that shocked most of them to the core and drove two to tears. An identity finally revealed. An agenda brought to the light. A hidden secret unlocked by cruel fate.
The girls were still reeling from what they found out earlier about Echo Wave. Pinkie and Fluttershy’s eyes were still red from the tears earlier but had calmed down a bit. Rarity and Applejack had been trying to calm them down while keeping themselves in check. Rainbow was fidgeting her wings out of uneasiness.
Twilight was the only one among them that seemed to be calm enough. However, even she was struggling with herself over recent events. While she was trying to figure out a reason for it, she heard someone clear their voice.
She looked up and saw Firma sitting in front of them with his arms in his lap.
“Girls, I know this is hard for you all, but I need you to focus. Can you do that?” he asked them.
Twilight thought for a minute pondering the question. She turned to the others and they talked for a minute before turning back to him.
“We’ll answer what we can.” She answered and the girls nodded in agreement.
“Okay first, how long have you all really known Echo Wave?” He started off his questioning.
“Well personally, we’ve known him since after the ‘misshape’ at the Gala years back.” Rainbow said.
“Rainbow is right, we didn’t really learn about him until a couple weeks before that.” Twilight added.
“So, how did you all first meet him?” He asked his second question.
“One day, Sweetie Belle came home and told me about this part-time teacher’s assistant in her music class. She and the girls talked about how he could find the smallest mistake in a song without much trouble.” Rarity explained. “After that, I just so happened to bump into him at Sugarcube Corner with the girls and we became friends.”
Firma looked at them all and could tell they were telling the truth. “Okay one last Question.” He said.
“You told us that he up and left all of a sudden and you haven’t had contact with him for over five years, right?” The girls nodded. “Before he vanished, did any of you notice any changes in his behavior?”
The girls thought about that question hard. It had been so long ago that they barely remembered anything.
“Sorry, we can’t remember anything. He just seemed and acted the way he usually did.” Twilight said.
Obsidian watched to see if they were lying before giving out a sigh. “No, it’s alright. You’ve answered my questions.” He got up and walked to the kitchen.
“What happens now?” Rainbow asked.
“Well tomorrow, me and the others are heading back up to the castle to report in. After that, we’re going to see if we can’t track him down and bring him in.” he replied while getting a glass of water.
“You’re not going to try to follow him.” Pinkie spoke up since the accident.
“We could but, we might need backup. Also,” he paused for a minute trying to think of his next words. “…the Everfree Forest affects vilotans differently and we don’t want to take the chance.
“Y-you’re n-not going to h-hu-hurt him, are you?” Fluttershy choked out while trying not to cry again. The image of their injured friend still fresh in her mind.
“…We won’t try but, if he resists again, we might have to.” He announced.
After that, the whole room was silent. Firma busied himself in the kitchen. The girls were still trying to come to terms with this.
“Why is he doing this?” Fluttershy whispered.
“I don’t know sugarcube, but he’s got to have a reason for this.” Applejack replied.
“What reason could Echo possibly have for going around and hurting ponies? Has he gone nuts?!” Rainbow harshly snapped, resulting in a silent ‘eep’ from the yellow mare.
“Darling, you must calm down. Yelling will solve nothing.” Rarity spoke out, causing Rainbow to grumble her next words. “While I can not condone what he is doing, he did save Fluttershy back in Baltimare. So, I must agree with Applejack, he must have some reason.”
“We just don’t know what it is.” Pinkie added.
Silence returned to the girls until another topic came up.
“How do you think Reverb’s takin’ it?” Applejack asked.
“I sent Spike upstairs to check up on him. He’s been up there ever since we got in. I can’t even imagine what he’s going through right now.” Twilight answered with worry.
The girls looked and wondered on the status of their new friend.
Looking up at Luna’s moon, Reverb stood on the balcony in silence. Since coming to the treehouse, he has not said a word. He went up to the top floor and has been there since.
Spike had come up an hour ago with food and to check up on him on the girls behalf. He been up there since but Reverb had not acknowledged his presence and the food had gone cold. When they came home, he was given a small version of what happened but still didn’t understand what was going on or why.
“Spike?”
The dragon looked up to the sound of his name. Reverb had not moved but spoke to the young drake.
“Did you know that me and Echo have been friends since we were foals?” He asked out of the blue.
“Well… yay, he once told me about that.” Spike said.
“My second week in kindergarten and I was already labeled the ‘class troublemaker’. I pulled pranks on students and teachers but they were usually small things, nothing big.” Reverb began, telling about his foalhood. Spike listened on as he spoke.
“One day, I was cornered on the playground by the class bully and his crony; they didn’t like the prank I pulled on them. I was this close to being beaten up when this soccer ball comes out of nowhere and hits the jerk in the back of the head and he goes down and guess who I see right behind him.” He spoke.
“Echo Wave?” Spike guessed.
Reverb gave a small chuckle. “Yay, he always did have a good kick. The bully gets up but before anything else, the teacher shows up. Not wanting any trouble, the jerk says we were playing and Echo forgot to yell ‘heads up!’. The teacher takes him to the nurse but not before he fixed me with one more glare. I walk up to Echo to thank him and he says ‘Ponies that bully others are just scaredy cats.’ ” Reverb spoke in his best Echo impression that caused a chuckle from Spike.
“After that, we got to know each other and soon enough, we became best friends. Anytime we, mostly because of me, got into trouble, he’d always be the one to pull us out of the fire. He’s always been there helping me, even when I got my cutie mark.” He told.
“Echo helped you discover your special talent?!” Spike shockingly asked.
Reverb turned to look at Spike and gave a small smile and a nod. He went up to his neck and pulled out a necklace. The chain was silver but the charm was unique. It was small, silver, flat, and shaped like a like a square. In the center was a carving of his cutie mark with a black gem in the middle of the records.
He fiddled with it between his fingers while continuing his story. “About a year or two after we became friends, we were hanging out at my house. We were bored and it was raining. He was working on his drawing skills but I had another problem.”
“I still didn’t have my cutie mark. I was the last one in our class and he had just got his a few days earlier. I was so bored that I actually put on one of the copies of my dad’s records. Lucky for me, my dad had a test for rock.” He spoke.
“So, when did Echo help you discover your talent?” Spike asked but stopped when he realized he interrupted. Reverb gave a small chuckle.
“The very same day. I had gotten bored with the record and went over to stop it. I didn’t raise the needle and ended up scratching the record. Whatever I did, it sounded cool to us and I did it again. Soon enough, I had my own little jam session.” He said.
“Six years old and I was already a dj-in-training.” He stated with a chuckle and Spike joined in it. “My dad was upset that I ruined a record but it was worth it. Echo reminded me about that our school was having a talent show and wondered why I don’t sign up for it. At first, I thought he was crazy but he told me about what I just did and how much I enjoyed doing it.” he explained.
“So did you do it?” Spike asked.
“Reluctantly, I did. It was a month away and he helped me practice after school every day. With that hearing of his, he picked up any mistakes I made and helped picked right songs to use with each other. I asked my dad for any old records he didn’t listen to anymore and used those.” Reverb spoke.
“The night of the show came and I was last up. I was a nervous wreck but Echo convinced me to just have fun with it. When I went on stage, I froze where I stood. The auditorium was packed and I didn’t know what to do.” He said.
“What helped you out?” Spike asked.
This caused another smile.” I looked out into the audience and saw my parents, his parents, his sister, and him. They were right there and backing me up. I steeled myself, went up to the record players, turned them on and started. When everypony was hearing this, they were shocked a six year old could be this in tuned with the songs to re-mix them like that.” He laughed at his own joke.
“As soon as I was done, the whole place was silent. At first, I thought I messed up until the placed erupted in cheers. No one was shocked more than my parents despite cheering as well. Echo gave me a thumbs up and I returned it.” He recounted the happy memory.
“I won by a landslide but the real shock came when I got home. I was getting ready for bed when I just glanced down and nearly drop my toothbrush. My parents came in when I screamed but learned the cause of it when they saw it too. I must have been so engrossed in the show that it came without anyone knowing.” He said, finishing his tale.
Spike was amazed at how much the two have done, even as colts. He still was interested in the necklace.
“What about your necklace?” He asked.
“After we graduated from school, my mom gave both of us a present. She‘s a jeweler and had these specially made for us. He’s got one of his cutie mark made just like mine. In the middle of his is a dark green gem where the sounds come from.” He said.
He flipped it over and showed an engraving of Echo’s cutie mark and an inscription underneath it. “Echo’s got the same thing on his only with mine. It reads ‘No matter the paths we take, we’ll always be connected.’ ” He stated.
“You two are more like brothers than friends.” Spike said with a smile.
“We practically are. Growing up, he always had my back no matter what.” Reverb stated.
Spike went over to the food and used a small flame to heat it back up. Reverb gave a small ‘thanks’ as he sat down in chair and began eating.
“Why do you think he’s doing this?” Spike finally the question.
Reverb just sat there, recalling everything about his friend and trying to contemplate what was happening.
“I don’t know Spike. Growing up, he always told me that if he ever did something, it was for good reasons. I just can’t think of any.” He said.
Spike was quiet for a minute before something else came to mind.
“Reverb, can you keep a secret?” he asked the stallion.
“Of course, if you need help romancing Rarity, I know a few ways you can try.” He snickered with a sly grin.
This caused the young drake’s cheeks to turn bright cherry red before shaking his head, trying to clear his mind. “T-Th-That isn’t it at all!” He exclaimed despite red cheeks.
Reverb gave a small joyous laugh while trying his hardest to stay quiet. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry but I was trying lighten up the mood a bit.”
Spike calmed his flustered self-down enough to talk. “Anyway, it has something to do with the vilotans.”
Reverb immediately calmed down. “What do you mean, Spike?”
The young dragon was a little shocked at how fast he calmed down but continued on. “I can’t really explain it but I always get like a weird vibe when I’m near one of them.”
“What do you mean by weird vibe?”
“I don’t really know but it’s been growing and growing to point to the point where my get shivers whenever I’m near one.” Spike explained.
Reverb thought for a minute on what Spike had just told him.
“Have you told Twilight about this?”
“I tried to tell her but she said it must be my mind playing tricks with me.” He stated.
“I don’t know what to tell you, Spike. I mean, Twilight may be right about it but… keep this to yourself. I’ll see what if I can’t find something out to explain it.”
Spike agreed and silence came back to the two. However, unknown to them, they had company.
On top of the tree, obscured by the branches, a lone figure was there.
Obsidian sat there cross-legged with his sword in his lap, looking in the direction of the Everfree Forest. He sat there silently as he listened to the conversation and story of the two. Especially the part when Spike mentioned his ‘weird vibe’.
“One should be careful trusting your senses. Before it leads you to an unfortunate end.”
Spike got the shivers and quickly looked behind and above him but only saw tree branches.
“What’s wrong, Spike?” Reverb asked as he noticed his reaction.
Spike continued to watch the branches with a sense of dread but saw nothing.
“I don’t know. I just… don’t know.” He whispered.
Somewhere else…
Darkness, darkness was everywhere.
I woke up and found myself in a void. Nothing was here except darkness. I looked down and noticed all my injuries were gone as it was not dark enough that I couldn’t see myself.
“Hello? Helloooo?”
My voice echoed into the endless expanse.
“Anypony here?!” I shouted.
“Hehehe, well there is but, I’m not exactly a pony.” A distorted, male voice spoke out.
Footsteps could be heard from behind me. The steps were getting closer and from the sound I could tell the individual was bigger than me. The steps ceased and I slowly turned around to face him.
The creature that stood before me was dog-like in every sense of the word but was by no means a diamond dog. He looked more like a wolf with a pointed noise and angular face. He was lean and fit but could probably be as strong as Big Macintosh, if not more.
His arms were thick and he stood two heads taller than me on hind-legs. His coat was dark red, almost close to black and he wore a beige tunic and beige pants. There were three things that separated him diamond dogs though.
The entire of his arms and legs were covered in black armor, his eyes were red and slitted like a snake…
…and he wore the umbra driver around his waist.
“NightShade.” The creature grinned hearing his name, showing his sharpened fangs.
There was silence between the two after NightShade gave his greeting.
“What’s wrong, Echo? I thought you be happy to see me again after so long.” He said.
I just gave a glare. “You’re the last one I ever wanted to see, especially now.”
“You wound me, Echo. It’s been what, close to five years since we last spoke. I was starting to think you've forgotten me.” He said in mocked hurt.
‘I couldn’t even if I wanted too.’ I thought.
“Look, can I have the Umbra Driver back.” I spoke and gestured to the item around his waist.
He gave a look of confusion. “You’re seriously calling it ‘that’? Interesting choice of words anyway, why would I do that?” he said as he patted the device.
“After all, I am its original owner.” He said with a sly smirk.
I harshly sighed as he reminded me of that. I remember the day when I first met the guy. When I first used the Umbra Driver, I got a shock when he suddenly popped out of nowhere.
I still don’t understand his whole story though. All this time and I only know bits of his past, connection with it, or even what he is.
I shook my head and looked up and saw he was gone. I looked around and found him behind me, lying down on a couch. Don’t even ask me where it came from.
‘He’s just like Discord.” I thought on comparing him to the spirit of chaos himself. “Look, what are you even doing here?”
“Hm, that is a good question. What am I doing here?” He asked. He propped his right arm on his elbow and placed his head in his hand. “It might be because that you just got your ass handed to you on a silver platter.” He told with a dry look.
“Hey! I did my best out there, alright!” I shouted.
“Yay, and look what that got you: a broken arm, busted ribs, and a concussion. Sounds to me that you got in over your head.” He bluntly said.
“Look, I just underestimated them. I thought they were just like the other seracs. How was I supposed to know they would be that strong?!” I stated incredulously.
“Of course you could have known how strong they were.” He must have sensed my confusion. “Tell me, did the Umbra Driver start acting differently than it usually did?"
I thought back for a minute. “Yay, it started to pulsate the day before.”
“That’s what it was designed for. It’s a warning function.” He told.
“Warning function?”
“Yes, it reads the energy levels of those around it. If it detects a signature higher than the user than it starts to pulsate, and by how much it was doing it, it probably wanted you to get the hell out of there.” He explained.
Now I’m even more confused. “But, that doesn’t make sense! If it can do that, than why didn’t it go off in the castle and how do you know about all this?!”
His only response was a flat look. He sat up, raised his right hand and snapped his fingers. I rectangular screen appeared to the side of us with a frozen image of the fight.
“I know everything that’s been going on up till now. You honestly thought I wouldn’t keep an eye on you.” He explained.
‘He’s been watching me this whole time’ I thought angrily. “You still didn’t answer my question.” I said through gritted teeth.
He let out a sigh. “Did you honestly think they would just let their power be known like that? First rule: ‘Never let the enemy know how strong you are.’ It’s not that hard to keep it cloaked.”
Before I could answer, he stopped me. “Now, let me ask this: Did you think you could beat Discord?”
“What are you talking about? If you been watching, you know I beat him.” I shot back.
He raised an eyebrow. “You really think that. I know enough Equestrian history to know it took both princesses and the elements of harmony just to seal him. Do you honestly think you could beat someone like that even with all your experience, by yourself?”
“Well …no but” I began.
“But nothing besides, if he fought seriously, you would have a lot more difficulty fighting him.” He responded.
I didn't like the way he said that. “What do you mean ‘if he fought seriously.’?”
“Think about it; if you were going to align yourself with someone like Discord, wouldn't you put a leash on him to make sure he wouldn't betray you.” He told me.
I though on that for a minute until the answer hit me like a brick. “He wasn’t at his full strength.”
He gave a small clap. “He can be taught; of course he wasn't at his full strength! If he was, his magic would be on par with Celestia herself” he pointed at the Driver “and this thing would be causing small tremors if it sensed that.”
“But… I still beat him! Thanks to my shield and sun crystal!” I tried to talk back.
“Ah yes, your ‘Sonic Shield’.” He snapped his fingers again, the driver glowed and my shield appeared in front of him, still damaged from the fight. “It’s quite interesting that your gem took this form. But I still can’t believe how banged up it is, and you just got the thing too!”
I was just now looking at the full damage. There was a fist sized dent in the middle, courtesy of Firma, and multiple dents, nicks, and gashes from the combined attacks of him, Obsidian and…
…Reverb.
“Also, sorry to say this but, you didn’t exactly seal him away for good.”
Now my mind came to a halt. “What?! What do you mean I didn’t seal him for good?!” I shouted.
NightShade gave a small sigh. “The spell you got from the book is only as strong as the one who cast it and their magic level. Seeing as you’re not truly gifted in the ways of magic, the spell was only powered by the gems. Hate to say it, but Discord will probably find a way to break out in a year or two, give or take a month.” He spoke with a shrug.
“A YEAR?!!! YOU MEAN I ONLY FROZE THAT GUY IN STONE FOR A YEAR!!!” I screamed at the top of my lungs.
“Well I wouldn't put it like that but, yeah pretty much.” He said, unfazed by my outburst.
“AND YOU COULD HAVE WARNED ME ABOUT THIS BEFORE?!” I quickly shot back.
“Hey, don’t back sass me! I’m not the one who used that spell, that’s on you!” He replied, pointing to me.
“Because I thought it was PERMANENT, NOT TEMPORARY!!!” I shouted. No strength left after all that shouting; I fell down hard on my flank.
“… I can’t believe this is happening. All that work, gone in a single day.” I announced, feeling defeated.
“Hey, hey, don’t feel so down. You got a year before the spell wears off. Just get rid of the other two before then and your golden.” He said trying to find a plus side.
I shot him with a death glare. “Oh yeah smart guy, how?! It’s going to be damn near impossible to get in the castle now. It was hard enough the first time, even with the invite. The guards are on full alert 24/7 because I crashed the royal wedding. I can’t even sneak in if I wanted too, not like it matters! Cause right now my face, my REAL face is going to be in ever paper from Las Pegasus, all the way to the Griffon Kingdom!”
“…Yeah, that does pose a problem, doesn't?” He replied.
I let my shoulders slump as I stared at the floor or whatever I was sitting as I couldn't even think any more.
“How did that happen anyway?” He asked.
I looked up and gave a flat look. “You should already know, seeing as you've been watching me.”
“I know what happened but I want to know how it happened. Who was that guy anyway?” He asked.
“Which one?”
He sighed irritated and snapped his fingers. The image on the screen changed to… Reverb in the rider suit he put on. I didn't notice it but NightShade glared at the device around his waist.
“The one in the suit, the one that looks almost like you. Who is it?”
I stayed silent, not sure of even what to say. “…He’s name is Reverb. He’s my foalhood friend.”
“So he’s your foalhood friend and you didn't know about this.” He asked.
I could only nod to say ‘yes’. There was silence between us before he spoke again.
“So why didn’t you fight back?"
My head shot back up and I looked at him in confusion.
“What?” I whispered.
“You heard me, why didn’t you fight back? So what if he’s your friend, big deal.” He said bluntly.
“I-I couldn't just fight him!” I responded.
“Why not?”
“Because he’s my friend!”
“And again I ask; so what?”
I shot up on to my hooves and glared at him with renewed rage. “I WILL NOT FIGHT MY FRIENDS!”
My shout echoed around us as it spread into the void. After it faded, there was silence between us. I maintained my glare as NightShade still kept his flat look. Finally, he gave a sigh as he got up from the couch and stood on his hind legs before he spoke.
“Pathetic.”
“WHAT DID YOU CALL ME?!” I shouted back.
“Did I stutter? I called you pathetic.”
“OH YEAH, SO WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE DONE IF IT WAS YOUR FRIEND?” I countered.
“I beat him until he was unconscious and couldn't fight back.” He responded without hesitation.
“…What?” I barely whispered.
He looked at me for a minute before speaking again. “Echo Wave, do you remember the day you fought Breaker? Do you remember what he said to you before you finished him off?"
That was so long ago. That was when I came back to Ponyville after five years. But, I still remember those words.
“Your friends are right behind me. They've known me for two years. Are you going to destroy me, cause them sadness and have all of Equestria as your enemy in your foolish attempt to free it?”
“When you first transformed, I asked you a similar question. Despite your answer, I could tell you didn’t truly mean it. You tried your best to avoid fighting friends but now that’s been taken away from you. You don’t have that option anymore.” He spoke with conviction.
“Well, what am I supposed to do know, huh?!” I asked incredulously.
He gave a long sigh. “Keep doing what you’re doing. Don’t give up yet. If you do, then we’re all screwed.”
“But how can I do it? I mean, I didn't ask for this.” I spoke with tears coming to my eyes.
“We never ask for many things to happen to us. But, the only thing we can do is take what’s been handed and move forward with what’s been given.” he responded. I just stared at him.
“You've been through this before, haven’t you?” I questioned him.
He just stared at me. “…That’s a question for another day.”
He looked up and noticed a speck of light that began to grow bigger. “It looks like our time is up for now. Remember, it’s too soon for you to just give up.”
I looked and was seeing the light expelling the shadows and darkness.
“Hey, Echo” I looked back at NighShade as he began to fade away. “I got one more question to ask you. And until you give me a truthful one, you won’t unlock the Umbra Driver’s true power.”
“What’s the Question?!” I shouted before he vanished.
“The same one I asked when we first met?” His voice carried in the wind.
Then everything went white…
Unknown Location...
I opened my eyes as moon light shone on my face from a hole from above me. I looked around and can tell that I was in a cave of something.
I grunted in pain as I tried to sit up. I looked down and saw bandages wrapped around my entire torso. I was lying on what looked like a bed of leaves. I glanced at my left arm and saw it in a sling. I still hurt all over but it wasn't as intense as when I first got hurt.
I heard shuffling and looked to my right. I saw a shape shift in the darkness and move towards. The moonlight revealed Shadow at full height. The black timberwolf walked over and nudged my face with his nuzzle in concern.
“I’m alright, Shadow. A little worse for wear but I’m okay.” I responded softly while patting his head.
“Ah, it seems that our patient has come back to us. It pleases my heart that you have awoken with no fuss.” A slightly deep, exotic voice spoke.
‘Hold on a second, I know that speech pattern anywhere.’ I thought carefully.
Shadow and I looked forward, there in what looked like a doorway, stood a figure. Her features were concealed by the cloak but there is only one pony, or zebra, that I know that speaks in rhyme.
My guess was answered when she brought her hood down and showed her face. Her coat was grey with black stripes. Her golden rings still adorned her neck and ears. Her mane wasn't in it’s usually Mohawk-style and was worn down but I could still see the transition from black to white.
Her blue eyes showed both a mixture of wisdom, compassion and happiness that went with the smile that was now on her face.
“Zecora! I didn't think to found you here?” I asked in surprise.
The zebra gave a sad smile. “It is also good to see you again, Echo Wave. However, I wish it was for better circumstance than your life that had to be saved.” She spoke sadly.
“Yeah.” I replied softly. “But how did you find me?”
“It was not as hard as you may think. Your loyal pup, I instructed to help save you from the brink.” She replied with a smile.
I looked towards Shadow and the response he gave was a happy bark and a lick to my cheek. ‘He may be made out of wood but he acts like a regular dog.’
“How long have I been out?” I decided to ask.
She walked over to me and placed a hand on my uninjured shoulder. “I know that you can not be besieged by delays, but you have been asleep for three days.”
“Three days!” I shouted only to grunt in pain. I looked up and she gave me a sympathetic look. I glanced around to get my bearings.
“Where are we?” I asked when I calmed down.
She walked toward the entrance and with a hand, gestured me to follow. With some effort, I was able to get up on my hooves. I looked down and saw my pants had tears all over them.
Shadow was right next to me and had me lean on him for support. We went out the door Zecora left out into another cave chamber. This one was larger and had a wheel shaped hole at the top. Her cauldron was in the middle and some of her books, ingredients, and cart were to the side.
I looked around and spotted her at another entrance that look like it lead outside. Me and Shadow moved to where she was standing and looked outside. We were still in the Everfree Forest from what I could tell but just really deep in it, judging by how thick and tall the trees were.
“Once these creatures had begun to arrive, I knew moving deeper was my only chance to survive. Though it pains me to leave my friends, I know I will see them again to make amends.” She spoke with a sad voice.
‘You and me both.’ I couldn't help but think. “So, you went deeper in to the forest to avoid them. Aren't you worried about the animals that live this deep in?” I ask with concern.
“Even though I do not go on an evening jog. Do not worry; I have had a very reliable guard dog.” She smiled at Shadow.
I looked down at him, eyebrow raised. He gave a solid bark in confirmation. “You've been protecting her all this time?” I gave him a few pats for good work.
The three of us went back into the cave. I sat down and Shadow sat beside me. Zecora came around and gave me a bowl of what looked like fruit. She placed another bowl filled with crushed branches and herbs near Shadow and he began to eat.
“The path you take is unknown in length. First, you must regain your strength.” She said as she walked back to her cart. I looked down at the strange fruit and began to eat. Oddly enough, they tasted fine.
“You have been through so much my friend. But I’m afraid that your journey is not yet at its end.” She spoke. I looked up and saw her holding the Umbra Driver in her hands. For a long time, I just looked at it, unsure if I can keep doing this.
“We never ask for many things to happen to us. But, the only thing we can do is take what’s been handed and move forward with what’s been given.”
NightShade’s words still echoed in my head. I heard a thump and saw my backpack on the ground. I didn't even notice that Shadow had moved because he was now next to Zecora.
With a shaky hand, I took the belt from her. I stared at it with an uncertain but steady resolve.
“Though you have an entire nation, I can not see your next destination.”
As if answering her, my backpack began to glow. I could already tell what that meant.
“It looks like I already got one.”
Canterlot Castle…
Princess Luna was on her balcony, staring into the night sky in a regal dress. It had been three days since the vilotans returned with a report on the situation.
She hid her emotions well for when she heard the news; it took all her control not to erupt in rage. Since her and Tia regained their senses, they had done their best to keep up the façade. Despite everything that is happening.
She let out a soft sigh as she closed her eyes.
“I sense thy presence. Thou can not hide it from me.” She spoke.
The shadows in her room began to shift and move, as if they had a will of their own. They all converged into one spot and a form began to rise from it. The form took the shape of a sphere and floated until it was next to her.
“I trust thou were successful in thy attempt in recovery.” She asked without opening her eyes.
“I gave the kid what he needed; a kick in the ass to keep him moving.” NightShade’s voice came from the orb.
“Thy language maybe cross but thou did achieve in what we asked.” She spoke.
“I don’t know if its permanent but at least he’s still moving. I still don’t know why you chose him though. I mean, he’s just a kid.” He said.
Luna didn’t speak as she opened her eyes. She looked at the moon she raised every night before answering.
“Thou must realize that the young have the greatest potential to unlock. The reason I chose him, is linked to the Umbra Driver itself.”
The orb looked at her for a while before turning to look up at the moon. NightShade’s eyes glared up at the moon from the orb.
“Well, I hope he realizes it fast.” He growled. “I got a feeling… an old friend of mine is coming sooner than I hoped.”
Dawn was just appearing over the mountain ranges. The glow from the sun made the desert floor sparkle and shine like the sea. One could almost think it was the sea.
The sound of a motor could be heard coming from the distance. A cloud of dust was picking up in the direction of the sound. As the motor got louder, the cloud moved forward. The dust cloud continued to move until it stopped and so did the motor cease.
The dust began to settle and figure could be seen inside. When it cleared, the grey clad figure was on top of a two-wheeled zerger wearing a grey helmet. The figure looked around, taking in the surroundings.
“This is the location the letter mentioned. Now I just have to wait.” I spoke through my helmet. I unclasped my helmet strap and took it off. I looked over the entire expanse of sand.
“The San Palomino Desert, never thought I’d come out here.” I said. My left arm bumped against the handlebar and I hissed in pain as I held it. I pushed the sleeve back to see the bandages.
“A week and my arm still isn’t fully healed, even with Zecora’s help. Too much to ask for I guess.” I muttered.
I unslung my backpack and placed it in front of me. I unzipped it and took out a piece of paper. I still remember the letter I got from Braeburn.
‘Dear Echo Wave,
Hey, it’s Braeburn. I know you were probably expectin’ the chief but, he’s a little busy at the moment what with helping the other tribes and all. Little Strongheart and me have been doing our part with rescuing and nursing the injured, so we’ve all been pretty busy. Anyway, before I get off track, we could really use your help. We’re about to head to another facility somewhere in the San Palomino Desert. Now this wouldn’t be a problem except that it’s twice as big as the others and there’s another issue with it. The chief can explain it better than I can. Hope you can make it here.
From, Braeburn Apple
P.S. How’s my cousin and her friends doing. I’m hoping you can give me an update.
I had gotten that message on the night I had woken up. I still wasn’t a hundred percent so I replied to see if they can wait at least until next week so I can help them. Braeburn reply said they would but only until the first day of the week, they sent a location of where I could meet up.
I spent the next few days trying to heal as much as possible. Zecora explained that I couldn’t rush the healing. While I appreciated her concern and for patching up my clothes, I didn’t have the time to wait. The day before the scheduled meeting, I summoned my bike and left Shadow to continue to be her ‘guard dog’. It was touch and go driving past Ghastly Gorge but I made it.
The reply on the letter told where one of the bison would meet me. So now I have to wait and hope I didn’t miss the deadline.
“Just as the sun rises from the sky, you rise from the shadows.”
I look to find where the voice came from and spotted the speaker. On top of a nearby boulder, sitting cross-legged was a buffalo. He had a thick brown coat but, that didn’t help cover his muscles. He wore light tan vest and pants that intricate patterns sewn into them. He also wore a green headband with triangles above his brown eyes that also held what look like an eagle’s feather.
I walked over and stood in front of him. “I trust you’re the one Chief Thunderhooves sent?”
“Indeed I am however, this is not the first our paths have cross.” He said.
I raised an eyebrow. “It’s not?”
“No, though the last time that we have spoken, I was close to joining my brothers on the great plains of the sky.” He spoke.
When I got a better look at him, I recognized who he was. “You’re the bison Zepha saved back then, Steelstrike.”
He gave a small smile. “Yes and I am grateful for her aid in my dire time. I had thought she would be with you so that I could thank her.”
“She’s busy with personal matters for the time.”
“I understand, next time you meet, give her my thanks.” He jumped off the boulder and fixed me with a harden look. “However, now we have more pressing issues to deal with.”
“Right, the facility you all found.” I said.
“Yes, this one contains an individual that is very close to our chief. He can explain better.” He spoke.
“Well, what are we waiting for?” I revved my bike back to life. “Hop on; we can get to the others faster on my bike, just point the way.
He looked at my bike in confusion but agreed. Before he got on however, he whistled sharply. Out of nowhere, a bird just swopped down and perched on his outstretched arm. He took something from the pouch on his waist and let it smell it. The bird took off and flew away as he walked got on the back of my bike.
“The hawk is a bird from our tribe’s scouting party. Follow her and she will lead us back to the tribe.” He explained.
I looked at him in confusion over what just happened before just shrugging my shoulders. “Alright, but I got to tell you, this the first time a bird is giving me directions.”
I placed my helmet back on, revved the engine and shot off after the bird. Steelstrike was shocked by how fast we were suddenly going and tighten his hold around my waist.
“Sorry about that, but we got a lot of ground to cover!” I shouted back to him over the wind.
Vilotan Castle library…
The library inside the Vilotan castle did not have the same size as the one in Canterlot but it still held a vast amount of knowledge. Others were reading history books donated to them but for one; he was studying something personal.
Reverb was sitting at a table, pouring his time on a different source of reading. Since coming back to the castle a week ago, he had changed his style of clothes. He now wore the same red suit of armor the others did but it was more compatible to move around in. The Severance driver was secured tightly around his waist.
Right now though, all his attention was on what was in front of him.
On the table was every file, report, and image on kamen rid… on Echo Wave going back five years. Every detail, every accident, every purpose for the attacks that happen he went over since he first started.
He was so engrossed in his work that he didn’t notice the presence of something coming from behind him.
“Never took you for the bookworm type.”
“Gah!” Reverb jumped and looked behind him to see who said that. “Oh, it’s you. Don’t scare me like that!”
Firma had a small smirk on his face he looked at him. “Well, I was trying to figure out where you and here I find you, muzzle deep in books.”
“Sorry, I was busy with something.” He responded while turning back to the table.
“I’ll say; what are you looking at anyway?” Firma asked as he looked down at the table. He raised his brow at the material. “What are you doing with this?”
Reverb chose his words carefully “I’m trying to find a pattern.”
“A pattern? A pattern for what?”
“Echo has never done anything without good reason. As long as I’ve known him, anytime he did something, it always had a purpose behind it.” He explained.
“So, what’s his purpose then?” Firma asked
Reverb gave a small sigh. “I don’t know, that’s why I’m going over all this evidence we’ve collected. I’m trying to find a connection with all of them.”
“What’s to connect, they’re all vilotans.” Firma bluntly said.
“I know that but, there has to be something else that connects them all. Something we haven’t thought of. I don’t know what, but I’m going to find it.”
Firma didn’t respond and remained silent for a while. ‘How much has this kid put into this.’
“Well, study time is over, training time is now. Come on, get up.” He spoke out.
“What do you mean?” Reverb asked.
“Just what I said, the reason I was looking for you is because Obsidian wants you in the training yard ten minutes ago.” Firma explained.
“What?! Can’t it wait?”
“No, you know how he hates to be kept waiting. So you might as well hurry up.”
Reverb gave a small sigh as he got up from his seat, walked past him and towards the stairs. Firma saw him disappear down the steps and looked back at the table. A smirk spread across his face as he gave a deep chuckle.
“Ah kid, if only you knew.” He placed his hand on top of the file with a picture of Echo in his armor. “Be careful of what you ask for though.”
He dragged his hand across the picture with claw marks tearing into the picture.
“Or you’ll become the next casualty.”
Unknown to what transpired; Reverb was making his way down to the training yard. He passed by a couple of cleaning staff and a few guards. He made his way down a flight of stairs and walked passed the barracks before stopping.
He turned to look on his right. On the right wall, was a bulletin board marked with schedules, announcements, guard detail and everything else, but that’s not what caught his attention. In the middle of the board was one, lone piece of paper. On it was a picture of… Echo Wave and Kamen Rider Shade. Underneath the pictures was the content:
Name: Echo Wave
Alias: Kamen Rider Shade
Description: Earth pony, Black coat, Silver mane and tail, Blue eyes
Cutie mark: Sonar Waves
Age: 26
Wanted for: Multiple counts of assault, Destruction of property, Assualt and injury to the royal families, Suspect in multiple missing pony reports
CAUTION!!! Considered highly dangerous. Information shows he is a skilled combatant, DO NOT APPROACH. Relay any and all information to your nearest guard post or police station concerning him.
Reverb stared at the poster for a good minute. So far this exact poster was in every major and small city in Equestria and some in the surrounding nations. He released a long sigh before continuing own his way.
‘One minute, he’s your best friend, the next; he’s Equestria’s most wanted.’ The thought bounced in his head as he continued his trek. He stopped in his steps for a moment.
“What could have happen for you to do this?” He asked, mostly to himself.
“Questions like those rarely have good outcomes.”
Reverb jumped at the voice and looked around for the source, though he didn’t look long. Obsidian stood a few feet from him in the middle of the training yard in full armor and hand on his sword with a neutral expression.
Reverb blinked when he noticed he arrived here without knowing. He immediately straightened up. “Sorry I’m late, Obsidian. I was just-“
“Double the work.”
Reverb stopped mid-sentence and blinked. “Excuse me?”
“Give excuses after training, I’ll listen then. Lateness results in training being doubled.” He said with the same neutral expression. He drew his sword and gripped it with both hands. “Now, don you armor or it will be doubled again.”
Reverb stuttered for a minute over the blunt response before deciding that he should follow the order. Training usually lasts until Obsidian says it’s over and it usually ended with him on his back.
He gripped the Severance’s handle and pulled; splitting it in half, save for the red diamond in the middle. The gem glowed dark red and he took a deep breath before exhaling.
"Henshin."
He pushed the halves back together and the glow intensified. One could hear the sound of swords clashing as the diamonds appeared and merged onto him. One final sword clash and the exterior shattered, leaving reverb in his transformed armor.
‘Where’d that sound come from?’ He thought upon hearing. He drew his two axes and readied himself for battle. Obsidian nodded and rushed forward.
“PREPARE, YOURSELF!” and the weapons clashed.
Meanwhile…
The sun was higher in the sky and I guess it was almost noon. Me and Steelstrike have been following his hawk for the past hour or two. He had gotten his balance and now gripped the seat.
“How far away are we?! We’ve been following your friend for over an hour!” I shouted back at him.
“The tribe is positioned near a cliff side, it should not be far!” He shouted back, his voice muffled by his scarf to protect from dust. The hawk in the sky had not stopped since I saw it and continued onwards.
“So, how have things been for the tribe since I last saw you?” I shouted, striking up a conversation.
“It has been as well as one would think. We recovered as best we could. After that, we went out to rescue our fellow tribes.” He responded.
“How many have you rescued so far?”
“So far, we have rescued two tribes but these are only young ones and the women.”
‘Just the women and children’ Why would they split them up? “How many facilities have you hit?”
“As of now, four.”
I swerved out of the way of a boulder and tried to regain my balance after a minute.
“FOUR! And you’ve only gotten two tribes worth. How many buffalo is that?!” I asked with a surprised voice.
“In total, we have rescued thirty-two, seventeen from one tribe and fourteen from the other.” He explained as we went over a small hill. He still kept his balance.
That many from four facilities! They must be spread out more than I thought.
“How come they separated them?”
“One of children answered this for us. He said that it happened two months ago, the monsters had taken the men and transported them somewhere; …the boy’s brother and father were among them” He added sadly.
“Could it be because I helped your tribe escape?”
“That is what we think as well.”
So, they decided to split them up to make it harder on them to move. Damn, they really know how hinder their enemies.
Wait …32
I did the math in my head. “Steelstrike, you said you and the others have rescued thirty-two buffalo.”
“That is correct.”
“I added the numbers and that only comes up to thirty-one. What about the last one?” I asked.
He didn’t answer me. What’s he hiding?
“Steelstrike, what about the last one?” I asked again.
The only sound was motor of my bike as moved onward. It wasn’t until he spoke up a few minutes later. “She… is a special case. Chief Thunderhooves said he will explain when we arrive.”
‘She?’
I picked up something on my side mirror and notice a small dust trail. I slowed down a bit and came to a stop.
“Why did we stop? What’s wrong?” I raised my left hand to tell him to be quiet. He got the message and stayed silent.
I unclasped the helmet strap and took it off. I closed my eyes to focus. I heard a small amount of sound. I strained my ears to find the source of it.
‘Vroooooom’
I opened my eyes. “We’re being followed.”
“How do you know?!” He asked as he looked left and right.
I put down the kickstand and got off the bike and turned around. “I noticed a small dust trail in my mirror a second ago and I heard a zerger engine.”
“How could you hear them from this far away?”
“Working with sonars for so long, I learned how to tune things out and listen. If hear something I can make out what it is.” I explained.
“How long do you think we’ve been followed?” Steelstrike asked.
“I don’t know, I just noticed them. Best guess, they camped out ways off from where we met and followed my bike trail.”
I heard a shout and turn back to see him slam his fist on the seat with a mad expression.
“They must have spotted me and waited to be lead back to the others.” He growled.
He felt something and looked up to see me place a hand on his shoulder.
“Calm down, Steelstike. I understand but at least we caught them sooner rather than later. They don’t know where the others are yet.” He appealed to him.
The buffalo took in deep breathes to calm himself. It took a minute but he calmed down and looked back to me.
“What do we do?”
“I got an idea.”
The sun was just starting to dip in the sky but its rays still poured down. A total of six four-wheeled zergers were following a single dirt tail. Five rezythes followed one obsidian without question.
The obsidian looked to be modeled after a viper with head and tail of a snake. He had a deep brown colored skin and talon like arms and legs. His red eyes were focused on the trail ahead of it.
They followed the trail for another mile until they stopped abruptly. The snake-obsidian got off the bike and moved in front of it a few feet. He looked down and then straight ahead.
The bike trail they were following was gone.
“The hell isss thissss? Where’d they go?” He hissed through his fangs.
“You’re not going to be following us anymore.” A voice called out.
The snake whipped his head to the right to where the voice came from. I stood in front of a boulder in full armor.
“How the hell did you know?”
“I saw your trail and I took precautions.”
“I got an idea.”
I took off the kickstand and took his hands and placed them on the bikes’ handle bars. I twisted the right, revving the engine while holding the brake.
“What are you doing?” He asked confused with my action.
“You know where the others are by yourself, right?” I asked. He nodded his head. “Good, use my bike and get back to them. I’ll take care of the trail and deal with are tailgaters.” I took my right hand of the handle.
“Wait, I don’t know how to use this contraption?!” He looked up at me in worry and slight fear.
“Don’t worry; all you have to do is keep your balance. Left silver bar stops the front wheel. The right one stops the bike completely. Slowly grip it to slow it down, don’t just grab it. When you get there, pull out the kickstand and press the red button, it’ll shut the engine off. Got it?” I asked after the quick rundown.
“What?!” He shouted.
“Good luck!” I let go of the brake and the bike shot off. Steelstrike screamed at the sudden acceleration and pulled off a small wheelie before regaining his balance and speeding off.
“Well, at least he stuck the landing.” I muttered. I walked over to a nice size boulder and set my bag and helmet down. I took out the Umbra driver and looked at it.
“I hope you’re ready for this.”
I placed it on my waist and the belt formed securing it. I pulled the handle out and took the grey gem out. I placed it in the slot, grabbed the handle again and took a deep breath.
"Henshin."
I pushed the handle in and the gem spun in the middle. As the shadows formed I began to hear the faint chiming of tower bells. Before the shadows dissipated, I heard what resembled the bell at midnight and my armor appeared as the shadows were gone.
“Where those bells come from? It never did that before.” I muttered. I shook my head and drew my sword. I held it in front of me and muttered a few words. it glowed a faint blue for a second before fading.
I turned to where Steelstrike left and the trail my bike left. I swung my sword and a small gust of wind swept over the trail a mile away, covering it in sand. I turned back towards the other part.
“Now, we wait.”
“I wasn’t going to let you near my friends.” I spoke as I gripped my sword.
The snake hissed in anger and pulled two scimitars from his back and gripped in both hands.
“I’m going to ssslice you in half!” He hissed and sprinted forward.
I raised my sword and blocked both of his from coming down. He pulled the left sword away and swung for my mid-section. I pushed the other sword away and brought mine down to block the other.
I didn’t see the right sword come back quick until I felt pain shoot through my left arm as it struck it. I gritted my teeth, pushed that sword away, slashed him across the chest and gave him a hard kick pushing him away.
He spun around falling back and I ducked as his tail went right over my head by an inch. The snake got his balance just as I did. He hissed in rage and looked to the stationary rezythes.
“Don’t jussst ssstand there, ATTACK!!!” He ordered. The warriors nodded and charged at me. I jumped back, dodging one of their swipes. I drew my blaster with my left hand and fired. One of them went down hard but that still left four more.
“I’m going to have to finish this fast.” I muttered. I sheathed my sword and took out the orange gem. I pulled than handle out, placed the gem in and slammed it back in.
"Honor Ground."
My gauntlets formed and I charged forward. I attacked the closest one and it went skidding across the ground. However, it still stood with what looked like half the damage.
Confused, I looked at my gauntlets.
I don’t know what happened to them. All the color was gone from them and were dull grey. The gems in the middle had lost their luster and almost resembled rocks.
“What the heck happened to them?” I muttered. I didn’t have time think when the same rezythe attacked again. I brought my fists up and blocked the sword. I growled, brought my fist back and slammed it straight into its chest. The resulting hit shattered the foot soldier to pieces.
I was panting when I heard something and jumped out the way. The snake’s swords brought down where I was. I stood back up, drew my blaster and kept firing at him.
He stood back up and spun on his heel. While he spun, he spread his arms to the side and used his swords to deflect the shots. I kept firing until I spotted movement. I stopped, pointed left and fired again, taking out an approaching rezythe.
I looked back and saw the obsidian approaching with grin, showing his fangs.
“Looks like you’re ssstill hurting from the beating you took. That’sss going to make thisss all the more sssweeter.” He hissed.
I glanced around and saw the remaining rezythes surrounding me, swords drawn. I’m breathing hard and my left arm was killing me. I don’t know what’s wrong with my gauntlets and I’m running out of ideas.
Before anyone of us could move, something flew around one of the rezythes and bound its arms to its sides. We looked at what ensnared it.
“A rope?” I spoke.
The rope was snapped back and rezythe was pulled onto its back and dragged across the ground. It was pulled a couple more feet until it stopped at a figure’s hooves.
The figure was a stallion with a light brown coat wearing brown jeans, a white t-shirt and a brown sleeveless opened vest. His face was covered by the Stetson.
The captured rezythe began thrashing a bit in the rope. The figure looked down at it. He reached behind his back and took out a tomahawk with his right hand. He twirled it a bit and brought it down on its chest.
The rezythe stopped struggling and went limp before imploding into dust. We all looked at what had just happened. I stared at the figure and the words came out.
“Braeburn, is that you?!” I spoke out.
The figure looked up and I knew those green eyes and big grin of his anywhere.
Braeburn stood up as he twirled the tomahawk in his right hand once and recoiled his rope with the other. The snake obsidian turned to face him and bared his fangs.
“You.” He hissed with venom.
Braeburn showed a smirk. “Nice to see you again, Rattle Vane. Ah see you’re causing trouble for my friends again.”
“I won’t be causing trouble when I ssskin you both alive.” Rattle Vane hissed as he tightened the grips of his swords.
“Wait a minute. Braeburn, you know him?!” I asked as I started to focus again.
“Yeah, you could say that. Ah’ll explain later after we deal with them.” He says.
“There will be no next time. Today, thisss endsss.” Rattle Vane speaks. He sprinted forward and lunged at him. Braeburn was quick and jumped out of the way just the sword came down.
“You may look like a snake, but you don’t move like one!” He proclaimed with his smile.
Rattle Vane hissed in rage and looked towards the remaining rezythe. “Don’t just stand there, help me!”
The last rezythe followed orders and rushed forward. I still had my blaster and raised it to shoot. Before I could, Braeburn smirked and someone beat me to it.
Quick as the eye, an arrow flew right past Braeburn and struck the rezythe in its left shoulder. It glanced at it but moved forward none the less. Two more arrows zipped by and struck the rezythe in the other shoulder and the head. It fell hard on its back before imploding into shards.
I squinted in the direction of where the arrows came from but I couldn't make out the figure.
Rattle Vane kept taking swipes at Braeburn. He saw another arrow heading towards him and struck it down before it reached him. He growled even more. “I grow tired of your harlot’s antics!” He screamed.
Braeburn growled and caught Rattle on the side of the face leaving a scar. “That’s no way to talk to a lady! Ah don’t take kindly to that.” He jumped back avoiding another swipe and pointed the tomahawk’s head at him.
“Also, I don’t think you should be looking away.” He added with a smirk.
Rattle Vane didn’t understand until his eyes widen in realization. He turned around and blocked my sword strike.
I attacked at him with repeated hits as he blocked them. I switched my sword stance in a backhand grip and struck diagonally. The slash went across his chest causing him to stumble.
Now’s my chance! I jumped back grabbed the Umbra’s handle pulled and slammed back in.
“Honor Ground, Exceed!”
“Braeburn, get out of the way!” He got the idea and moved behind the boulder. Dull orange energy gathered and formed into a drill shape in front of my blaster as I aimed.
“Let Resolute Honesty, Break through the darkness!” I pulled the trigger and a beam shot out, taking some of the ground with it. Rattle Vane tried to block but it broke through one of his swords and pierced through him. He groaned and fell face first and was consumed in an explosion.
I watched the explosion as Braeburn walked beside me. I turned to face him. “You sure know how to make an entrance.”
He gave a small chuckle. “Yeah, ah guess so.”
I smiled under my helmet. It was nice hearing him again. I looked back as the explosion died down. “At least Rattle Vane’s gone.” Braeburn frowned a bit. “Ah wonder about that?”
“What do you mean?” I asked him. He didn’t answer and walked towards the epicenter of the explosion. He got to the middle and I think I heard him curse.
“Echo, ah think you should see this!” He shouted. I cocked my head and walked over to him. I got to where he was and pointed at his feet. I looked down and was confused.
“What the heck?” On the ground was what looked like dried up blue plastic. I knelt down and touched it. It felt almost like leather.
“What is this?” I asked. It almost looks like…
“It’s a snake’s skin.” I looked up at Braeburn as he clicked his tongue. “Must have shed it after the explosion.”
“What are you talking about?” I asked.
“Just like a snake, he shed his skin to take off some of the damage. Look,” he pointed at the center of the skin where there was a good sized hole. “that’s where your gun hit him.”
“Wait, are you saying he survived that?!” I exclaimed.
“It wouldn’t be the first time” He muttered.
I looked back at the zergers they came on and walked over to them. Sure enough, one of them was gone.
“Damn it.” I silently cursed. I pressed the pad and the transformation canceled. I scratched my head as Braeburn walked up behind me.
“Must have snuck around us while we focused on the explosion.” He said.
I looked back at him. “By the way you two spoke, I'm guessing this isn't the first time you fought.”
“More than you may think.” A voice spoke out, this one feminine.
Braeburn smiled and looked behind to his left. I looked behind me and saw a figure approaching.
The figure turned out to be a female buffalo. She wore a sleeveless light brown tunic with small tassels along the edges and a v-shaped pattern on the front. There was a slit on the side that showed she wore knee-length shorts. The edges had the same purple and white pattern as her headband which two eagle feathers. She had a slight dark orange coat and a lighter mane.
She looked a lot better than a few months ago. Her clothes fit her nicely and she was healthy. Also, her reddish brown eyes showed her spirit, much like her smile.
I smiled back. “It’s nice to see you again, Little Strongheart.”
She gave me a small chuckle. “Yes, it is nice to see a friend and the one who saved us again.”
It was then I noticed the arrow quiver slung over her left shoulder and the bow in her right hand.
”You were the one who shot those arrows?” I exclaimed which caused her to blush a bit.
“Hehe, yeah she’s a heck of a shot, ain’t she?” Braeburn chuckled as he stood next to her.
“I’ll say.” I replied. I looked at the bikes before those two again. “How did you find me?”
“After you replied to our message, father gave the task of contacting you to Steelstrike.”
That’s right, Strongheart’s Chief Thunderhooves’ daughter. It was quite the interesting topic when the girls told me.
“Right after he left though, ah had this feeling in the back of my mind that something might happen. So, ah snuck out to follow him. Course, ah didn’t count on Little Strongheart to come with me.” He said as cast a glance at her.
“Well, I couldn’t just let you wander off by yourself. You would probably get lost out there if I didn't come.” She spoke with a faint blush.
He gave a faint smirk. “Right anyway, after some convincing she agreed to let me go if she came with me. We stayed a ways back so Steelstrike wouldn't see us.”
“We followed close enough so that we could see him in the distance. We heard the rumble of your machine and decided to wait for you both. That was the idea until, something flew past us.”
Braeburn gave a small laugh. “More like someone, ah swear ah never heard that calm Steelstrike yell like that before. He zoomed right past us screaming his head off on that bike of yours!”
“Oh yeah, right.” My ears lowered in embarrassment. “You guys can tell me about Rattle Vane later. We should probably head to the camp and make sure he’s alright.
“How are we going to get back? It’ll take too long to walk even with how close we are.” Braeburn said as he gave me my backpack he picked up.
I thought about how we get there when I glanced back at the remaining zergers. I looked back to him.
“You know how to ride one?” I gestured to the bikes.
Braeburn looked at the bikes for a second before looking at me. “No, but ah’m a fast learner.”
R-V Desert Facility…
Somewhere in the San Palomino Desert, lies a prison encampment. It took up 6,000 sq. feet of area with a flat-rectangular building situated in the back in front of a cliff face. Large stone walls enclosed the east and west sides with an iron gate to the north.
A circular guard tower was placed in the center of the grounds with a large circular top. Multiple rezythes patrolled from the walls, down below and the guard tower, both looking out for enemies and keeping an eye on the prisoners.
Multiple buffalo were pushing carts full of rocks, breaking the rocks and placing them into the carts regardless of age. Some were young enough to be just out of their teens while others were old enough to be elders. They wore their tattered clothes and worked in the blazing sun. Fixed around all their necks were black collars with small, round stones placed on the sides.
On top of the northern wall was a scorpion-like obsidian. He had a black exoskeleton and a pincer for a left hand. He had three red slits for eyes and yellow plates on his arms and legs.
He looked down at the prisoners and watched them work with a worried look. He was interrupted by a passing rezythe tapping his shoulder.
“What?” He growled. The soldier said nothing and pointed toward the desert. The obsidian looked outward and saw an approaching form. He had to focus before until he could make out the figure.
“Open the gates!”
The Iron Gate doors slowly opened inward. The buffalo looked in the shout’s direction wondering what was happening. The obsidian made his way down and waited at the gates.
Rattle Vane rode into the compound on the four- wheeler however, he had trouble steering due to his left hand being pressed against his chest where a jagged scar could be seen under it. He stopped once he got past the gates and breathed in hard.
The obsidian moved to him as he got off and kneeled.
“Commander Rattle Vane, are you okay?” He asked cautiously. The snake didn’t answer. “Command-“
He was caught off as Rattle Vane grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled himself up. When they were face-to-face, the snake obsidian’s eyes burned with rage.
“Lisssten to me, very carefully.” He hissed, fangs dripping with venom. “Put the buffalo back in their cellsss and make sssure they ssstay there.”
The scorpion blinked or what could be considered with his eyes. “But sir, your hurt and we just-“
“NOW SCORPHIN and if you question my orders again, YOU’LL END UP LIKE THAT FOOL OF A BROTHER!” Rattle Vane yelled in his face.
Scorphin only nodded in fear and confirmation. Rattle Vane only growled and shoved him out of the way as he stalked towards the building. He lowered his left hand from his chest, the damage was mostly gone but some remained along with a spiral scar with jagged edges on his chest.
Scorphin remained rooted in place still shaking. He got some strength back and turned.
“Uh, commander?”
Rattle Vane stopped and glanced back with slitted eyes. “What isss it?” He hissed with venom in his voice.
“Before you returned, someone arrived here for you.” Scorphin said.
“Throw him out; I don’t have time for guestsss.”
“Uh, I don’t think I can really do that?” He replied.
‘Damn coward.’ “Fine, I’ll talk to him. Just get the damn buffalo back in their cellsss!” He shouted as he stomped away. He made it to the doors of the building when he heard Scrophin giving the orders.
He pushed the doors opened and walked in. The east and west walls were lined with five cells that could hold 9 to 12 buffalo each with a skylight on the ceiling. He walked up a small flight of stairs to a square-windowed office.
He grabbed the door handle and pulled it open. The office space was sparse at best. Not much was there except for a wide desk, cabinets, a phone and a swivel chair pointed away from him. Rattle Vane growled as he closed the door behind him.
“I don’t have the time to be dealing with you stoogesss. Ssspeak your words or leave in two.” He growled as he motioned for his remaining sword on his back.
He heard a chuckle from the chair. “Now that is a rude way to greet a guest. And here I was just coming to visit.”
The chair slowly turned to face him and revealed its occupant. He was a tall figure wearing a black cloak that covered his whole body and a hood that hid his face.
Rattle Vane scoffed at the figure and lowered his arms. “Oh, it’s you. I wasn’t expecting you to ssshow up here.”
“Yes, I wanted to surprise you and see how things are progressing. However, judging by the giant scar on your chest, I take it you had another run in with your buffalo friends.” He spoke with a hint of delight.
A fist slammed into the desk that didn’t cause the figure to even jump. Rattle Vane leered at him with fangs showing.
“Don’t patronize me. You know damn well only one thing can do thisss kind of damage.”
The figure's face couldn't be seen, but his voice sounded mockingly sweet. “Ah, so our kamen rider friend has come out of hiding, has he?”
“You’re damn right he has! He’s helping those runaways and I was thisss close to finding where they’ve been hiding! Even closer to taking hisss head off!” He shouted until he grabbed his chest in pain and breathed heavily.
“I figured that he was still weak but appears he pushed your abilities to the limit this time.” He said as he got up from the chair.
“They’ll be coming here for them.” Rattle Vane said as he calmed his breathing.
“Yes, I kind of figured. Don’t worry; I’ve already contacted the castle when I got here and told Scorphin. Help should be here by the morning or at the earliest, tonight.” He said as he made his way to the door.
“Where are you going?” He hissed.
“My visit is done. What happens next is up to you.” The figure was half way out the door before he turned around one last time.
“Good luck.” The door closed.
Rattle Vane breathing steadied and he stood up and went to the door. He threw it open only to find no trace of the figure and most of the buffalo in their cells and Scorphin and a few rezythes ushering the last ones in.
“SCORPHIN!” The obsidian straightened and looked at the Rattle Vane. “PUT THE LAST BUFFALO IN THEIR CELLS AND PLACE THE REZYTHES ALONG THE WALLS! I WANT THIS PLACE ON LOCKDOWN, YOU HERE ME?!”
“YES, SIR!” Scorphin pushed the last buffalo in the cell and he and the rezythes exited through the doors leading outside. Rattle Vane growled one last time before going back into the office and slamming the door behind him.
There was nothing but silence from all the buffalo. They were all just wondering what had happened. One in particular gave it his utmost attention.
One buffalo stood up against the bars and stared at the office. He was well built and looked to be in his late 30’s. He wore a dark brown, long sleeved tunic and dark brown pants that fit his rusty-brown coat well. He had four-inch long horns that were partially covered by brown hair. His black eyes trained at the door.
There was another difference on his clothes. The edges of his clothes were blue with white diamond patterns. On the back of his shirt was an embroiled rain cloud.
“Chief Rainwalker.”
The chief turned around to the sound of the voice. A buffalo that looked to be just turning twenty in tattered clothes looked at him with worried eyes.
“What is happening?” The other buffalo in the cell looked at him for answers. The chief looked at all of them before speaking.
“I’m not sure.” He spoke in a caring voice. He turned back to the bars and looked up at the skylight.
“The wind carried the scent of change. But for what, only fate can decide.”
Vilotan Castle…
The castle was bustling with activity as its occupants were continuing their duties. However, two of these occupants were on their way to a new destination.
Firma and Reverb were making their way to a separate part of the castle. They were both geared up in their respective armors. Reverb had a worried look on his as he walked. He still remembered when they got the message.
Reverb was pushed back as he skidded across the training ground. He breathed heavily as he looked up at his opponent. Obsidian still looked calm and posed with sword leveled.
‘It’s been four hours since we started and I’ve only had one break! I’m about to pass out and he looks like he can go another four!’ He mentally shouted.
He took a couple of deep breathes before charging forward. He swung the left axe in a downward arc. Obsidian raised his blade and blocked it. The second axe came in from the side in his blind spot.
The general sensed it coming and stepped back to avoid the swipe while keeping the block. Reverb spun a bit and didn’t see the kick that connected with his head.
He stumbled back a bit but was able to get his bearing to avoid a sword swipe. However, he didn’t see the fist that followed that knocked him to the ground. He saw stars for a minute before seeing the tip of a blade in his face.
There was silence, no one moved until Obsidian relented and stepped away.
“That will be enough for today.” He said as he sheathed the sword and walked away.
Reverb’s arms remained limp on floor a he gave a tired sigh. He let go of one of the axes and closed the Severance driver, cancelling the transformation. He remained motionless on the ground as he breathed in and out heavily with eyes closed.
“At least… I made it… to… the end… this time.” He breathed out. He heard hoof steps and opened his eyes. Obsidian stood over him with arm extended and hand out. Reverb grasped it and was pulled up to his hooves.
He uttered a ‘thanks’ and was handed a bottle of water. Reverb uncapped it and gulped down half of it in a few swallows. He breathed a sigh of relief as he sat up on the floor.
“Now, you can explain why you were late getting here.” Obsidian spoke up.
Reverb looked up at him and sighed. “I was looking at old case reports that involve the kamen rider or any other disappearances.”
“Why were you doing that?”
“I was trying to find a pattern. Echo has never done anything without purpose.”
Obsidian looked at him before speaking again. “Most things in this world rarely do have one.”
“Maybe, but Echo’s not like that. I’ve known him long enough to understand that.” Reverb responded.
“And what do you believe is his?”
Reverb stared at him for a moment before looking at the ground. “I don’t know. I just wish I could at least talk to him.
“Well, it looks like you’re wish just got granted.”
The two looked to where the voice came from. Firma stood there in the door way to the training ground with arms crossed.
“What are you talking about?” Obsidian asked.
“You’ll never believe this, our wayward strategist just called.” He said with a smirk.
Reverb’s eyes widen a bit. “Really, we haven’t heard from him in a while.”
Obsidian however, narrowed his eyes. “What does he want?”
“He gave us an update. It seems a friend of ours has just been spotted.”
Reverb’s eyes shot up as he jumped to his hooves with full attention. “He saw Echo Wave?” He blurted out.
“Yup, up and kicking from the report he gave us.” Firma said.
“Where did he see him then?” He asked.
“It seems he’s been spotted in the San Palomino desert.” He responded.
Reverb had to blink at the location. “The desert, why would he be out there?”
Firma glanced at Obsidian for a minute before answering. “I don’t know but, there is a facility out that way. We use it for storage.”
“What do you store out there?” Reverb asked.
“Stuff for dismantling and safety. Some of the stuff is kind of, explosive if not handled carefully.” Firma replied.
“Anyway, the royalty gave the call, we are to deploy immediately and meet with the guard detail. The faster we get there, the better so, let’s get rolling.” He finished as he turned and walked out.
Reverb began walking towards the doors. He didn’t hear footsteps behind him and looked back to see Obsidian still standing in the same spot.
“Aren’t you coming?” He asked. Obsidian turned and walked the other way.
‘No’ was all he said as he was heading to the other doors.
Reverb was confused at the response but knew he couldn’t change Obsidian’s mind.
He sighed and turned to catch up with Firma. He was almost out the door until he thought he heard Obsidian’s voice.
“I don’t trust snakes.”
‘What did he mean by that?’ Reverb went over those words as he and Firma walked to the airfield. Firma looked over his shoulder and saw his expression.
“Ah, don’t worry about it kid. Obsidian and Zerak never did get along well.” He spoke. Obsidian looked up from his thoughts.
“Why is that, anyway?”
Firma shrugged his shoulders. “Judgment, morals, how they do things and a whole bunch of other stuff. I never got to into it really. They just don’t like each other.”
“How come the others never interact with us more, though?”
“They wanted to pursue other ‘interests’ in Equestria. Look, don’t think too hard about it. We got a long flight ahead of us so, try to stay positive.” Firma said as he continued forward.
Obsidian only nodded as they continued walking. They were down the hall from the entrance to the airfield were an airship will take them to the desert facility.
They were at the entrance when Reverb walked into something. He looked up and saw that Firma had stopped in front of him.
“Well, this trip might not been as boring as I first thought.” He quipped.
Reverb cocked an eyebrow and walked around to see what Firma was looking at. What he saw shocked him just as much when he heard the report.
The airfield of the Vilotan castle was located in an open area in the back where the castle met the mountain. Airships of different sizes were housed here. It was divided so that the guards were on one side and royalty on the other.
Airships have come a long way from simple hot air balloons and propellers. The inventions of the gem engine and smaller turbines allowed them to become sleeker and move faster. However, some retain their old shapes for numerous things.
The airship that they were boarding had a black, 30 foot long gondola that was 15 feet wide with the Vilotan emblem on the side. It had dual, adjustable cylinder turbines on both sides. It was attached to a 20 foot tall white, oval shaped balloon above it.
However, the two soldiers’ attention was not on the massive airship in front of them.
“What are you doing here?!” Reverb shouted.
Their attention was on the figures in front of the ship.
Seven figures to be precise.
Twilight, her friends and Spike were in front of the ship with bags behind them. In Rarity’s case, she had several suitcases stacked on each other.
Reverb rushed over and slid to a stop in front of them. “What are you all doing here?”
“We were waiting for you slowpokes to get here.” Rainbow pointed out.
“Why were you waiting for us?” Reverb asked worriedly.
“Isn’t it obvious darling, we’re coming with you.”
Reverb’s eyes widen at the statement he just heard. “What do you mean ‘you’re coming with us’?!”
“We’re coming to help look for Echo Wave.” Applejack answered.
“Yes, siree!” Pinkie shouted.
“That is, if you don’t mind.” Fluttershy added.
“What! You girls can’t come with us, it’s too dangerous!”
“We’re well aware of the danger, but we are still coming along.” Twilight stated.
“Twilight, there is no way that you’re coming with us!” Reverb proclaimed.
“I thought you might say that, which is why we came prepared for this.” She said and motioned for Spike. The dragon assistant flinched a bit before walking in front of Reverb and handing a rolled up scroll.
“What’s this?” He asked as he looked at it.
“That is a sealed document written and signed by the Vilotan siblings and Royal sisters that entitles the elements of harmony and any individual we choose to accompany a select group dealing with the location of Kamen Rider Shade.” Twilight punctually explained.
“What?!” Reverb shouted. He was a little lost on the explanation but knew what she meant. He quickly undid the seal and unfurled the scroll. He read through the contents and sure enough, there was everything that she said in fine detail.
At the bottom of it were the signatures of all four royalties with the seal of Equestria below them.
He looked up from it, mouth open in shock. “And they all agreed to this?!”
“Yes, they did. Princess Celestia and Luna were against it at first but we pleaded that we needed to find him and the siblings agreed with our case.” Twilight spoke and the others nodded on agreement.
Reverb stood there not knowing what to say about this. It was a minute before he felt a hand on his shoulder.
“Well then, I guess we don’t have much of a choice do we.” He looked up to his right to see Firma standing next to him with a small smile. “Nice to have you with us.”
“Firma!”
“What, it’s not like we can do anything about it.” He replied. Reverb gestured they move and they walked away until they were out of earshot.
“What are you saying; we can’t take them with us!” Reverb stated.
“Look, I know you’re worried but, what can we do? Those are official orders from ponies way above are paygrade.” Firma replied.
“Forget the orders! Never mind the fact that they are some of the most important figures in Equestria. If something happens to them; A) we might as well resign, B) I’m never gonna forgive myself and C) I’m not going to be able to look my friend in the eyes again!” Reverb almost shouted.
“Whoa, whoa calm down! Look, we’re only going to be there for a day or two. He might have already left! They can stay on the ship the whole time. They’ll never come off and we can be gone in an hour.” Firma explained.
Reverb stared at him for a moment before looking back at the girls and Spike. He bit his lower lip before giving a defeated sigh. “Fine, they can come.”
Firma gave him two pats on the back before they walked and stood in front of the others.
“Is everything okay?” Applejack asked.
“Yeah, we just had to discuss a few things.” Firma said.
“You all can come but please, promise me you all will stay on the ship and do not leave unless one of us is with you.” Reverb explained the conditions.
“We promise, right?” Twilight asked the others. They all nodded in approval.
“Well then,” Firma gave a smile brought his hand out “welcome aboard the VMS FALCON.”
Vilotan throne room…
Sombra, in his Vilotan prince disguise, watched as the airship began flying towards the desert.
“Are you sure it was wise to let them out of our sight.” He looked to his right to see Chrysalis in her disguise.
“You need to calm yourself, my dear. They are still within our grasp and their presence will bring him out of hiding.”
Chrysalis looked at the disappearing airship and a smirk formed on her face. “And if something were to happen to them?”
Sombra matched her smirk and gave a small chuckle. “Well, accidents happen.”
Somewhere in the San Palomino Desert…
By my guess, it was just a half an hour after leaving the battle site. As of right now, me and Braeburn were riding two of the zergers Rattle Vane left behind with Little Strongheart riding with Braeburn on the back. It took us a minute to get them started and to make sure they couldn’t be tracked. I looked back at them as I pulled ahead.
“How are you holding up?” I shouted back at them. Braeburn gave an ‘ok’ sign before gripping the handle again.
“Not bad, this things got a lot of kick too it!” He shouted, his voice muffled by a scarf. He revved the throttle and the bike surged forward a bit that caused a yelp from Strongheart and tighten her grip.
“Please stop doing that!” She screamed which earned a chuckle from him.
We drove for a few more minutes until I decided to stop near a cactus. The sun’s rays were pouring down on me. I took off my helmet and rubbed my eyes as Braeburn parked next to me.
“Okay, I give up. Where is this place?!” I shouted. Braeburn looked at me in concern.
“You alright, Echo?” He asked.
I sighed heavily as I wiped sweat from my brow. “Yeah, it’s just, I’ve been out here since morning and the heat’s just getting to me. *Sigh*, it feels like we’ve been going in circles.”
“That’s because we have been.” Little Strongheart said.
“What?!” I shouted wide eyed. She pointed to a trail in front of us. I got off the bike and walked towards it. Sure enough, there were tire tracks from our bikes.
“I thought it would be a good to go in a circle in case there were any more enemies.” She explained her reason.
I stared at it for a minute before replying flatly. “You know, in hindsight, I would’ve done the same thing.” I walked back and got back on the bike.
“So, where’s the camp?” I asked them. Little Strongheart got off the bike and opened a pouch on her left side. She pulled a flat, clear stone out and held it above her.
“What’s she doing?” I asked Braeburn.
He gave a chuckled. “Just watch, you’re going to see a treat.”
She angled the stone a bit so it could reflect the sun light. She waved it a bit so that it gave off flashes. They went straight ahead and that’s where I looked. The flashes were hitting a low cliff face.
Right after she stopped, I swear I saw a few flashes returned to us from the cliff.
It was then I figured out where the camp. The area around a portion of it started to shimmer. The portion began to blow away as if it was sand particles in the wind. After it was gone, I saw that a chunk of the cliff was gone, leaving a massive indention and a stone roof. On the ground, I saw the tips of tents behind a small constructed wooden gate.
I blinked a couple of times at the sight I just saw.
“So, what do you think?” Braeburn asked with that grin of his.
I replied a minute later. “Well, I see that the chief learned fast and then some.”
It took us a minute to get to the gate. Two archers were stationed on both sides, arrows drawn due to the bikes. They recognized Braeburn and Strongheart and they took a minute before they recognized me.
“Please, open the gates. We have returned with help.” She said.
They nodded and pushed the gates open. We had to leave the bikes outside but that was understandable. Zergers weren’t exactly common around buffalo.
The camp was quiet large. There were tepees placed all over in circles. There were taller ones placed near the back. There were multiple buffalo walking around, most of them female, carrying water jugs and baskets.
As we walked through the camp, we got numerous looks. Some recognized who I was gave small thanks while most of them eyed me with caution and moved children away from view.
“Don’t let it bother you, their just a little cautious about strangers is all.” Breaburn said.
“After what they went through, I don’t blame them.” I responded.
We kept walking until we neared the center of the camp. This was where a massive fire pit was located. A buffalo started walking towards us and it was then that we noticed that it was Steelstrike.
“It is good to see you my friend, you were able to rid us off our followers.” He said.
I gave a small smile. “Yeah, with thanks to these two.” I said as I gestured to Braeburn and Strongheart.
“Yes, I was wondering who was following me. I knew they were friends, I just didn’t know who. The chief was worried when he couldn’t find either of you.” He said as he eyed the two. My friends looked away at having been caught.
“Take it easy on them, they were just looking out for us.” I tried to explain.
“While that is commendable it was still dangerous for them. Especially for the daughter of the chief. If something were to happen to you, who knows what would happen to your father.” He reprimanded them, including Little Strongheart who looked down in shame.
Braeburn placed his hand on her shoulder for comfort. “Hey, go easy on her! It was my idea to follow and she wanted to come. Ah tried to get her to stay but she kept insisted on coming. If it’s anypony’s fault, it’s mine!” Braeburn stated, trying to take the blame.
Little Strongheart looked to him and placed her hand on top of his in gratitude for support and worry for trying to make the blame his. Steelstrike looked between the two before looking at me. I shrugged my shoulders not knowing what to say.
He looked back down at them before sighing. “Chief Thunderhooves believes I asked you two to station yourselves at the midway point between here and the nearby lake out of view. That way you would show up with him.” He explained when he pointed at me.
Little Strongheart looked up and smiled. “Thank you, Steelstrike.”
“Just don’t do it again. Now, if that is everything, the chief is waiting on us.” He said as started he started walking around the pit.
I looked at my friends. “I’ll talk to you guys later, okay?” I said. They nodded and walked back into the camp. I jogged a bit to catch up with Steelstrike.
“Thanks for covering for them.” I said with a smile.
“While I do not agree with lying, I understand them trying to help us.” He replied. We were walking up a small incline and towards the cliff.
“They mean well. Still, it’s good to see you made it here safe.” I said.
He brought up his fist and coughed in it a little. “Yes well, while it wasn’t my most joyous moments. I did make it here alive.
My ears lowered in embarrassment. “Sorry about that, we didn’t have much time and that was my only option at the moment.”
“I understand. It was an interesting experience, I will say that much.” He said as he offered a smile.
“Thanks. Uh, where is my bike anyway?” I asked.
He gestured forward and I looked ahead. We were about halfway underneath the cliff, casting a large shaded area. There were fewer tepees here the biggest one was in the center. Two buffalo with spears guarded both sides of the opening. On the right side of the tepee was my bike.
“Chief Thunderhooves wanted your vehicle close to him so that no one would bother it.” He explained.
We were right in front of the tent when he told me to stop. He walked forward and the guards let him past as he went past the flap, into the tepee.
I stood out here waiting while the guards stood unmoving. I gave a small wave but they didn’t budge.
‘Now I know how Dash felt that time.’ A moment later, Steelstrike brought me out of my thoughts when his head popped out from behind the flap.
“You may enter now, the chief is expecting you.” He said before going back behind the flap. I walked forward and the guards let me through. I moved the flap aside and walked in.
The inside of the tepee was very spacious. There were multiple hand woven rugs on the ground, laid out in a circle. A circular, stone fire pit was in the center with a beam of light shining on it from the opening at the top. There was artistic work drawn on the walls. However, my attention was on buffalo situated around the pit.
To the right of the pit was another male buffalo. He was a bit taller and thicker than Steelstrike. His coat was light brown and had dark brown eyes. He wore dark tan pants with small tassles going up the sides. He didn’t wear a shirt as his chest showed. He had multiple scars on his body, including one under his left eye. He wore the same headband under his horns but this one was red. He glanced at me for a second before closing his eyes.
To the left of the pit was a female buffalo. She was about my height but she carried a presence with her. She had a dark orange coat and light brown hair that was in a pony-tail and eyes. She wore a brown sleeveless vest that only covered her chest and brown shin-length pants. She wore a light yellow headband with circular patterns with two feathers on both sides. She eyed me with suspicion and uneasiness.
Sitting in front of the pit with Steelstrike off to his left was the buffalo I came to see. Chief Thunderhooves looked a lot better from last time we met. His dark blueish grey coat was healthier. His black eyes still showed the wisdom they always did. His headdress was restored to its former glory. His clothes were fixed with no seam in sight.
He looked up to me with a small smile. “It is good to see that you have arrived to aid us.”
I gave a small bow. “Thank you for allowing me to help.”
“So, this is the warrior you sent for?” The female buffalo spoke up. She looked me up and down. “He looks like couldn’t even hold a sword.”
“Judging one solely based on appearance is a fault.” The male buffalo said with his eyes still closed. The female glared at him from across her seat.
“Enough you two, we did not convene to fight. We convened to discuss what must be done.” Thunderhooves said, diffusing the situation. The male nodded while the female gave a small scoff.
Thunderhooves sighed a bit before looking back at me. “Forgive the argument, please sit.” He gestured to the rug in front of me. I looked down for a sec before complying and sitting down. It was actually pretty comfortable.
“Now, before we begin, I believe introductions are needed. You already know my head scout, Steelstrike.” The named buffalo gave a nod in my direction. "The one to my left is my leading warrior, Bear claw.” The large buffalo looked at me and gave a slight nod. “The one to my right is Flame weed; she is the second leading warrior from Chief Desertflower’s tribe.” The female gave me a half glare before looking away.
‘So, she’s from another tribe.’ “It is nice to meet you both.” I said.
“Steelstrike informed me that you were able to dispatch enemy scouts.” Thunderhooves said.
“Yes I did, but it was more than a few scouts.” I said. This caused some confusion and concern to appear on his face.
“What do you mean by that?” He asked.
“There was a commanding officer among the scouts. I think he called himself Rattle Vane.” I said. The mention of the name caused growls from both Steelstrike and Flame weed, a glare from Bear claw and deeper concern from the chief.
“I take it you’ve dealt with him once before.” I theorized.
“More than once.” Steelstrike said through gritted teeth.
“That damn serpent still refuses to die!” Flame weed snarled.
“He always returns to cause more strife.” Bear claw stated with a hint of anger.
“ENOUGH!” The outburst from the chief caused them to stop speaking but the glares were still there.
I waited for a minute before trying to speak again. “Excuse me for asking but, what are the details with him.”
Chief Thunderhooves managed to calm down enough to speak. “It happened sometime after you saved us. One of my scouts spotted a cage transport with buffalo inside it. There were few guards and we couldn’t let more of our brothers be taken that was when we first encountered him.”
“He was stronger than the others.” Bear claw spoke out. He looked at the Chief and was given a nod to continue. “I lead the charge with our remaining warriors. The weapons you blessed let us dispatch of the drones with little issues but not him.”
“Even with me aiding my brothers, he deflected our blows and injured others. It was by our ancestors’ luck that our archer’s arrows aimed true and brought him down.” He finished.
“But it seemed my aim was not true enough.” Steelstrike picked up with permission. “After we rescued them, we took time to heal before deciding to leave. We were on our way to the nearest compound when we were attacked.”
He shook his head before continuing. “It was like a ghost come to haunt us. There were no wounds or scars. It was like he was never harmed. He was just as deadly as ever. It wasn’t until the pony, Braeburn, helped us.”
“What did he do?” I asked.
“He was able to use his rope to bring a boulder on top of him. It was a sight to see, we had hoped it was the last we saw of him. …We were wrong.” He finished with a sigh.
“Time and time again we have faced this dangerous opponent. We feared that he could not be killed or harmed. I did not believe it until he returned from a wound I gave him after taking off his arm.” Flame weed gave her piece.
“He is a very dangerous opponent. But if you said you faced him...” The chief asked with some hope. I gave a small shake of my head that took it away. “I see, so he still lives.”
“I’m sorry chief, I tried. I didn’t know he had healing abilities.”
“It is not your fault, young friend. But this does complicate things.”
“Chief, I know you that there is another compound nearby but, what exactly was the plan?” I asked.
Chief Thunderhooves looked to Steelstrike and gestured for him. “The compound is placed along a cliff. There are three stone walls, two are from the cliff and the third is in front with an iron gate. We can not pierce the walls and there are multiple guards along the top.”
“Our plan is to use a sandstorm as cover and to attack from within. That way, we can finish with our enemy without being detected.” He explained.
The more I listened to the plan, the more I had to wonder about it. In theory, it was a basic surprise attack. But something about it just didn't sit well with me.
My concern must have showed because the chief noticed it. “Is something wrong, young friend?”
I looked up and saw that all eyes were on me.
“Oh ah, no. No, I was just thinking to myself.” I quickly said.
“Do not be afraid, young friend. Speak what worries you.” He reassuringly spoke.
I thought for a minute before giving in. “It’s just that, I have some concerns about this plan.” I began.
“What do you mean?” Steelstrike asked.
“Well, from what you said, you’re planning on using a sandstorm as cover, sneak in and take them out, right ?” They nodded in agreement. “It’s just; I don’t think it will work.”
“Why do you say this?” Bear claw asked.
“If they see a sandstorm and learned how you appear, then they know it’s you coming. There’s no other point of entry except the front, which is a problem itself. Also, you’ll need to know how to get in. Then there’s Rattle Vane.”
"I see where your concern lies.” Chief Thnderhooves spoke. “I am also worried about his influence.”
“So what are you suggesting we do?” Flame Weed asked me directly.
“I just don’t think it’s wise to use this plan. If you can give me time I’ll…” I began.
“Time is something we don’t have. The attack is tomorrow. We either succeed or fail. Or would you just have us give up.” She interrupted.
I flinched at her anger. “No! I just think that-“
“The more we wait, the more our kind suffer at their hands or worse!” She continued unfazed as her voice grew"
“I understand but-“
“I WILL NOT ALLOW ANOTHER INNOCENT TO FALL AGAIN!” She shouted at me.
“FLAME WEED!” Chief Thunderhooves shouted.
She turned and glared at the chief. She noticed that the others were looking at her and poised to restrain her. She looked at me once more with anger before standing up and stomped out of the tent.
Chief Thunderhooves looked at the flap before sighing heavily. “We shall discuss the plan of attack later. I wish to speak with young Echo Wave alone. Steelstrike, try to calm her rage. Bear claw, prepare the warriors for my decision. Dismissed.”
The two left the tepee soon after the decision was given. Soon, the only ones left were myself and the chief. He massaged his temples before giving a tired sigh.
“Forgive Flame Weed, my young friend. Out of all of us, she is the most temperamental due to these dark times.” He said.
“It’s okay. …I don’t mean to pry but, what happened to her?” I asked.
“We are not sure but, from what little she told us and from what I can assume, she and others tried to rescue her tribe and someone close to her fell in the process. I believe that’s how she was captured.” Chief Thunderhooves explained.
“Will she be okay?” I asked out of concern.
“Only time and care can heal her wounds.” He spoke with wisdom.
He slowly stood up and I just now realized how tall hew was, he stood a good foot and a half taller than me. He walked toward the entrance and motioned for me to follow. I got up and followed him out.
The guards gave a small bow to the chief as he passed them. We walked around the tepee and began a slow pace toward the very back of the cliff.
“Despite how things have turned out, I am grateful that you have come to help us.” He said.
“It’s the least I could do. I’m happy I could help.” I respond.
“You are admirable though I must admit. I half expected you not to come.” He said.
“Why would you say that?”
“With everything that has been happening across the land. I’d assume you would be far away or too engrossed by it to help us again.” He explained.
“I always help anyone if I can. Besides, I’m… not exactly in peak condition as of late.” I said.
Thunderhooves stopped walking and looked at me in concern. “What has happened?”
“…An old friend of mine is working with the enemy and I had to fight him. But I couldn’t do it and now, all of Equestria now know who I am.” I explained, eyes on the ground.
The chief looked at me for a long moment before speaking again. “This has harmed you more than just physically.”
I didn’t answer.
“You fight deceitful enemies, ones who use tricks and power. Your heart is burden by uncertain friendships and unfavorable odds. Also, an old bond hangs in the balance of either strengthening or severing.” The chief placed a hand on my shoulder as I looked up.
“You are still young yet you face things that even warriors of many battles haven’t faced. Now I ask this; can you still keep up the fight?” He asked me.
I looked at the chief for the longest time while searching for an answer. Could I really keep fighting? I know I said it once but, did I really meant it?
“I’m not sure but I know I have too because no one else will.” I responded.
Thunderhooves looked at me for a moment before responding.
“Your spirit is heavy let you continue onwards knowing the costs if you don’t. Self-sacrifice is a noble trait but do not forget others that share your burden.” He spoke, passing on some wisdom.
I took it gladly but deep down, it somewhat lessened the burden. We stood there in silence for a moment before I decided to change the subject.
“I talked with Steelstrike on the way here and got the gist on what you’ve been through.” I said.
“Then you should know of the position we find ourselves in at the moment.”
“Yes I do, I was going to ask more but, Rattle Vane saw fit to interrupt.”
“He does seem to enjoy causing strife to others. However, I’m glad the others were able to help you.”
“What do you mean?”
He gave a small chuckle. “Though I am a chief, I am also a father. I had a feeling Braeburn would leave to meet you and wherever he goes, my daughter is not far behind.”
I was stunned that he knew what happened. “So you knew Steelstrike was covering for them.”
“He has probably already given a lecture on the matter to them so I will not try to push it. However, I will need to have a chat with Braeburn. He is trustworthy but when it concerns my daughter, we need to talk.” He said in a half-serious, half-jovial tone.
‘Never underestimate a chief, especially when he’s the father of the girl you like.’ “Well anyway, he told me about how many you saved so far but, he said the last one was special.”
The smile disappeared from his face and was replaced with a somber expression. “She is.”
“He didn’t tell me who she was, he said you could explain.” I said.
He was quiet for a moment, gathering his thoughts. “…It would be better if I just showed you.”
We resumed walking but we didn’t go far. A few feet and we were in front of another tepee. He lifted the flap and gestured for me to enter. I hesitated a bit before stepping inside.
The inside of it was somewhat bare, not much decoration save for a few patchwork art. There was a makeshift bed near the back however, my attention was toward the occupant.
Underneath a few blankets was a female buffalo. She had a dark brown, almost black coat with light brown hair done in a long braid. She was sleeping but, there was something else about her.
She was pregnant, very pregnant.
“Her name is Gentle wind.” I looked over my shoulder to see Chief Thunderhooves behind me. “She fell asleep before you arrived.”
“Who is she?” I asked, keeping my voice down.
“She is the wife of another tribe’s chief, we believe that he is being held captive in the nearby facility.” He said.
‘So that’s why they can’t delay.’ I thought as I looked at the sleeping chieftess.
“There is one other thing.” He said. I looked at him as he paused for a minute. “The chief’s name is Rainwalker and… he is my younger brother.”
My eyes widen when he said the word ‘brother’ and I looked at him in shock. I slowly turned my head and looked at the sleeping chieftess. There is no way the implications could be this messed up.
I swallowed hard before speaking again. “…How far along is she?”
“The last I saw her, she was just starting to show. It could be any day now, and I wish the first thing the child sees are both parents.” He said as he looked at sleeping, soon-to-be mother.
I bit my lower lip hard but not enough to draw blood. “Chief, I know time is crucial but please, let me come up with a safer plan.”
He turned his head slightly to glance at me. “Myself and the tribe are in your debt for saving us however this is something we cannot delay. Also, if Rattle Vane is involved, than time is surely not on our side.”
“I understand but, please give me time. If I don’t have anything by sunset, then I’ll do everything I can to help get them out.”
Thunderhooves looked at me not saying anything. “…Very well but no more, I appreciate your help and hope that you succeed.”
We left the tent and went our separate ways. I walked back to the camp and wondered about trying to think up a plan.
I was sitting on a ledge outside of the camp, overlooking the small lake in the desert. It’s been like, two hours since I talked to the chief I haven’t come up with anything.
At this rate it’s going to be their original plan and I don’t know if it’ll work and if it doesn’t, I don’t want to think about it.
“This is a mess.” I sighed, my head in my hands.
“If it was easy, we wouldn’t be dealing with this.” I looked behind me and saw Braeburn climbing up the ledge.
“Where’s Little Strongheart?”
“Looking after her aunt. Woke up a while ago and is helping her around.” He said as he sat next to me and swung his legs over the edge.
“The chief told us, you’re out here thinking on a new plan aren’t you?” He said.
“Yeah.”
“Any luck?”
“No.” I sighed as I sat up a little. “I got to find out how to get them out but first, I need a way to get in.”
We sat in silence as we looked at the lake. “Echo, do you think you can answer something for me?”
“Sure, what is it?” I asked.
“I know you’re busy with this but, do you think you can tell me what’s happening back home. I just want to know if the others are okay” He asked.
I figured he was going to ask sooner or later. Honestly, I was hoping to avoid it until this situation was over.
I let out a tired sigh. “The girls are okay, everyponies safe.”
He looked at me for a moment. “Ah’m thankful and happy they’re safe but, there’s more to the story, isn’t it?”
I gave another sigh. “That’s another and even longer story.”
“If you got the time, so do ah.” He spoke.
“…Alright, I might as well start off when we last met.” I said as I began.
He gave his undivided attention as I began to tell him everything that’s been going on back home since we last met. Every detail, every encounter, and every battle I told. I was vague with some details and full honest with others.
He stayed quiet throughout the whole thing. He tried to keep a straight face but his eyes betrayed him. They showed the emotions he wanted to act on but kept in checked. He stayed like this until the very end.
“…and so after healing up at Zecora’s, I left Shadow to guard her, got on my bike and came this way. I made it here and waited for the scout. Then, well you know the rest.” I said, finishing my tale.
Silence came from both of us. For the longest time, Braeburn didn’t say anything. He just sat there, looking down at the lake. He finally spoke since I started my story.
“…Ah didn’t think things were that bad.” He said.
“They are, well, for me at least.” I said.
“So, the girls finally know?”
“Yeah but, not the way I wanted them too.” I responded. I looked back at the lake and closed my eyes.
“You can come out know, story’s over.” I spoke out. Braeburn was confused until he heard something behind us. He looked around and saw Little Strongheart pulling herself up on the ledge.
“How did you know she was there?” He asked.
“I heard her coming about halfway through the story.”
“I didn’t mean to interrupt.” She said as she sat down behind us. I noticed there was a hint of sadness in her voice.
“No, it’s alright.” I said turning around to look at her. I noticed that there were the smallest hint of tears in her eyes. “I didn’t think the story was that sad?”
“Forgive my tears, “She said. “I was listening and couldn’t believe what you went through.”
“Neither can I.”
“Does your friend know what he’s doing?” Braeburn asked.
“By the way he fought, I think so. But I’m more worried about where he got that tool.” I said, thinking back to Reverb’s transformation.
“You have no idea on where he got it?” He asked.
“Not one, but that’s a mystery for another day.” I said. “Right now, I need to come up with a plan and by how low the sun is, I don’t have much time left.”
It was true, I had glanced at it after finishing the story and it lowered significantly. I’d wager I had close to an hour left to go.
“You do not need to push yourself so hard.” Little Strongheart said.
“I do when circumstances are like this.” I said.
“Well maybe we can help you.” Braeburn said.
“Look, I appreciate it but-”
“But nothing! We’re a part of this and you need help. Besides, we’re your friends.” He said.
I felt a hand on my shoulder and look to my left to see Little Strongheart.
“He’s right, we’re your friends Echo and that means we’re always here to help.” She said with a smile.
I turned back and looked at the lake. Even with that’s going on, they were right. Friends are there to help.
‘Self-sacrifice is a noble trait but do not forget others that share your burden.’
The chief’s earlier words came up. He was right, I’m not the only one out here fighting for what’s right.
I let out a tired sigh and looked up. “Alright, you can help. Thanks guys, really.”
Braeburn slapped my back as he gave a grin. “Don’t mention it.”
Strongheart also offered a smile. “Now, what is the problem?”
Another sigh escaped. “The main problem is getting in. I thought of a diversion but I’m drawing a blank.”
“Can’t we just go over the walls?” He said.
“No can do, I got the specs from Steelstrike.” I began. “According to him, the walls are a good 15ft tall. It’ll take too long to climb over.”
“And they will be upon us before we have a chance to climb.” She added.
“Well then, maybe we do it tonight. Use it as cover.”
“I thought about that too. But they probably might expect a night rescue and I doubt they need much sleep. They'll spot us then too."
Strongheart was deep in thought as she tried to think of an idea. “What if we were to come down from the cliff behind them?”
“Yeah, we could come down right on top of them!” He encouraged.
“That may seem like a good idea but we’d be too out in the open. Not to mention how long it would take to climb up the cliff to repel down it.” I said, shooting down another idea.
We sat there in silence as each of our ideas were shot down, one after the other.
“Dah, this is harder than ah thought.” Braeburn exclaimed.
“Welcome to my world.” I muttered.
Strongheart looked up at the sky. “We are running out of time.”
The sun had continued to lower as we thought of ideas. Time was not on our side.
“Isn’t there anyway to get in there?!” He almost shouted.
“It would seem that the only option is the original one.” She sadly came to the conclusion.
This isn’t good. There’s no time left, none of our plans will work and if they use their plan, everyone could be charging into a trap.
‘There’s got to be a way.’ I thought, teeth clenched in frustration.
“Ugh, if we had shovels, we could dig our way in.” Braeburn said.
“Braeburn, try to be serious!” Strongheart snapped.
“Ah am, its just that there’s no time left and we still don’t have anything!” He exclaimed in frustration.
“I know but being agitated will not help us. We must be calm and the answer will find us.” She said trying to calm him.
“Yeah, yeah ah know. Ah’m just so-” One look from Strongheart was enough to stop him. He let out a frustrated sigh. “Okay. Ah get it.”
“Thank you.” She said with a smile.
“Yeah, but we still have no idea on getting in or the captives out. Any ideas Echo?” He asked.
No response.
“Echo?” Breaburn asked, turning to me.
Strongheart looked at me also. I had been staring at the lake, eyes wide with in shock.
‘Dig. …That’s it!”
“Braeburn, you’re a genius!” I shouted, shooting to my hooves.
“He is?”
“Ah am?”
“Yes, that’s how we rescue them!” I exclaimed. I spun around, jumped down and ran straight for the camp.
Braeburn and Strongheart didn’t budge for a second before jumping down and running after me.
“Echo, wait! What do you mean by ‘that’?!” He shouted.
“Yes, how will it rescue them?!” She added shouting.
“Trust me, I’ll explain everything!” I called back.
This just might work.
Desert facility…
The moon was high in the sky as all was quiet. There was no activity down below except for the patrolling rezythes on the walls. The VMS Falcon was stationed a few feet away to the right of the facility.
“Thank you again for responding to our call.” A blue coated, red mane stallion said.
After landing an hour ago, Firma and Reverb disembarked to meet with head of security. Firma told the others to stay aboard for their safety. They had met with the security head, Iron Guard, and got the details from him.
Currently, they were all situated on the airships’ common/meeting area. Twilight and the others were off to the side on a couch while Reverb, Firma and Iron Guard were seated in the middle.
“Think nothing of it. We came as soon as we heard.” Firma said.
“You said that the kamen rider might be coming here. Why?” Reverb said.
“As you know, this is a storage facility.” Iron explained. “It was built out here to house experimental and dangerous devices. I can only suspect that he’s coming here to claim them.”
Reverb licked his lips. “And you’re sure it’s him?”
“Yes. I sent out a few of my guards on scouting just in case he might come here. One made it back, thanks to your fellow general. He was injured but he told me all I needed know.”
“How could Echo know that there was a storage facility out here?” Twilight spoke out.
“We don’t know how he learned of it. All that matters is that he’s here.” Iron said.
“Do you have any idea of what he maybe after in there?” She asked.
“I can’t discuss the contents.” He said, irritated at the questions.
“Girls, you promised you wouldn’t get in the way.” Firma said.
“We’re sorry, we’re only trying to help.” Twilight said, which the others agreed.
“I know but, this is a delicate matter.” He said.
“We only want to know why Echo would be out here.” Applejack said.
Iron Guard’s eye twitched at the accent. He turned and glared at the mare. “I’m sorry Ms. Apple but that information is classified. I can’t discuss it and I suggest you accept it.”
Applejack flinched at the tone the guard’s voice carried, as did the others.
Sensing the hostility, Firma intervened. “It’s getting late, why don’t we call it a night. Reverb, could you take the others to their rooms.”
Reverb blinked before agreeing. He ushered the others out the room but noticed that Iron’s glare hadn’t left them, especially Applejack. Once the door closed, only he and Firma remained.
“I dessspise these damn ponies.” Iron hissed.
“Settle down, Rattle Vane. No one likes a sour puss.” Firma joked.
“I can’t believe you brought them here. I don’t have the patience to play babysssiter.” Iron Guard/Rattle Vane angrily said.
Firma raised an eyebrow. “Ain’t my fault, orders came from the top. Besides, you better remember who you’re talking too.”
Rattle Vane tongue clicked as he looked away. Firma rolled his eyes at the act.
“He’s coming here for the prisssoners. I ssswear, these damn buffalo have been a thorn in my ssside long enough.” He hissed.
“Relax, from what you said, it sounds like he ain’t a hundred percent healed, that gives us an edge. Have Scorphin inside with a couple rezythes to guard them.”
“And what about the other buffalo? They can defeat the soldiers with little problem.”
Firma thought for a minute before smiling. “Don’t you worry, I have surprise for them.” He stood up and walked towards the door. “Reverb’s going to be with you in the guard tower.”
“And where will you be?” Rattle Vane said.
Firma stopped and smiled over his soldier. “That would ruin the surprise.”
Buffalo Camp…
I sat in the middle of the camp, everyone was asleep save for a few that were preparing for tomorrow. The small flame from a fire pit illuminated a small area around me. However, my attention was elsewhere.
Ever since the fight with Rattle Vane, I wondered why the honesty gem and equipment lost their color. I didn’t have time earlier to check but now that I do, it was worse than I thought.
It wasn’t just that one, several others had lost their color and luster. It was like they …lost most of their power but that couldn’t be possible. Before I could think about, I heard something. I looked behind to see Braeburn walking towards me.
“Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, Flame Weed and Steelstrike are watching things for me.” He said.
I still remembered the fiery buffalos’ anger from earlier. “Are you sure it’s alright to leave those two together?”
He gave a small chuckle. “Don’t worry, Steelstrike found a way to keep her temper in check, somewhat.”
I had noticed that he seemed nervous. “Braeburn, what’s wrong?”
He rubbed his left arm as he shifted from one hoof to the other. “It’s just that… are you sure about all this?”
I thought this would come up. Frankly, I had my own doubts too but this was our best bet.
“Honestly …no I’m not. But this is our only chance at this even working, so you’ll have to trust me.” I explained.
Braeburn closed his eyes and released a long sigh. “Alright, ah trust you.” He looked at me again. “What are you doing anyway?”
I let out my own sigh as I looked back at my hands. “Trying to solve another problem.”
He walked up and looked over my shoulders. “What happened to them?”
“Remember early when it looked like my gauntlets looked different.”
“Ah thought something was off. They looked dull.” He said.
“Well I decided to check the others and it was the same problem. Nearly all of them have lost their color, look.” I said as I showed my right hand.
He looked at it. In the palm were differently shaped gems but they all were a dull grey.
“They look like they’re out of power.” He said.
“I know but that shouldn’t be possible.” I said.
“How come?”
“They’re connected to the Elements of Harmony. Those things have unlimited power, as far as I know. So they can’t lose energy.” I explained.
Braeburn squinted his eyes at the gems, deep in thought. He glanced at my left hand. “So how come they look fine?”
I looked at my left hand. In the palm were the only gems not affected: sound, laughter, kindness, moon and sun.
“I can’t explain it. The sound gem is connected to me. I don’t know about laughter or kindness but the other two are connected to the sun and moon.” I said.
I couldn’t explain it, none of it made sense. How come only these five were unaffected but the others were fine. It just didn’t add up! I was so lost in thought I almost didn’t hear Braeburn speak.
“Couldn’t they be the same?”
I blinked and looked up at him. “What?”
“You said that one” he pointed at the oval gem. “, was connected to you, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, couldn’t the others be connected to the girls?” He said.
I shook my head. “No, no that’s not right. They’re connected to the Elements of Harmony, I explained that.”
“Ah know, but aren’t the Elements connected to the girls.”
I blinked as he said that. I had never thought about it like that. I mean, if you thought about it like that, it made sense. The girls practically embodied the elements. Also, the same could be said about the princesses. All of it floated about until it all clicked.
“Oh my faust” I groaned as my face fell into my closed hands. “, that’s it.”
“What is?” He asked.
“That could be how the gems work; through their owners!” I saw the confusion. “Just follow me on this. What if the gems were connected to the ponies they represent, like the crescent gem representing Princess Luna?”
“That would explain why their cutie marks show up on you, but what about them losing power?”
“That part I’m still at a lost. I just can’t figure out.” I said.
“Don’t worry about it, I’m sure you’ll work around it.” Braebrun said as he patted me on the shoulder. Moments before I released a long yawn. ”You should probably get some sleep.”
“It’s okay, I’m a night pony anyway.” I tried to explain.
“Okay nothing! You need as much rest as you can get. You’re pushing yourself too hard and you need to slow down before you collapse.” He sternly said.
I tried to protest but the glare he gave laid to rest any arguments I had. I gave a tired sigh as I stood up.
“Alright, I get some sleep after I check o-“
“No, I’m heading back to check on things. You’ve done everything you could, let us handle the rest.” He spoke.
I blinked at the tone his voice and gave a small chuckle. “You sound more like a soldier than a farmer.”
He gave a chuckle of his own. “Yeah, well, a pony’s got a do what he knows seems right. Goodnight Echo.”
“Goodnight Braeburn.” I replied as he turned and walked away. I stood there for a minute before returning my attention to the gems in my hands.
I glanced up and looked into the small fire. Tomorrow is going to be hectic. I gave a small prayer as I placed the gems in my pouch, picked up a nearby bucket and doused the flames. The smoke lifting up to air towards the moon.
The sun was slowly rising into the sky, only a few hours after dawn. Down below, the facility was in full blown activity. The disguised rezythes lined the top of the walls, looking towards the desert.
Inside the guard tower Reverb, Iron Guard and a couple of guards looked out the windows that was high enough to look over the walls. Ever since last night, the DJ turned soldier was both anxious and worried to see his friend and the battle to come.
“Are you sure we need this many guards for one pony?” He asked worriedly.
“You know what he’s capable of. We take no chances here.” Iron Guard said, not taking his eyes away from the window and gripping the hilt of a sword at his side.
Reverb frowned and glanced back at the building. ‘What could be so important in there that Echo would want?’
“Sir” A guard’s voice brought him out of his thoughts. “, something’s coming.”
Iron Guard looked at Reverb. “Suit up.”
Reverb gave a sigh before nodding.
“Henshin.”
The sound of clashing swords followed as diamonds materialized and his armor appeared. Once the transformation was done, he walked up to where Iron was.
“Where did you see it?” He asked. The guard gave him a pair of binoculars and pointed straight ahead. He raised the binoculars and looked in the direction.
“Do you see anything?” Reverb asked.
Flame didn’t speak for a minute. “…It’s one of our missing zergers.”
“Is Echo driving it?”
“Unless he’s invisible, I don’t think so.”
“What do you mean?”
Iron lowered the binoculars. “No one’s driving it.”
Back on the airship, the girls and Spike were currently back in the common room. They had been told not to leave the ship until the issue was settled. As of now, Rainbow was leaning against the railings outside while the rest were inside.
“Ugh, can’t believe we have to stay in here away from the action.” Rainbow said, loud enough for the others to here.
“We promised Reverb and Firma we wouldn’t interfere.” Twilight said from the couch. Rainbow gave a muttered ‘yay,yay’ in reply.
Twilight shook her head and looked down. Spike was sitting next to her looking around nervously.
“Spike, are you okay?” She asked softly.
Her voice spooked the young dragon for a second before looking up to her eyes. “Huh, oh yeah I’m fine.”
“Positive?” She asked. He nodded and looked back down. She was starting to get worried. When Spike first told her about his nervousness around the Vilotans, she had chalked it up as him being paranoid but now, it’s been getting worse.
“Ah just don’t get it?” Twilight looked to where Applejack’s voice came from. She was at the other side of the room talking to Rarity. Pinkie and Fluttershy were a couple feet away listening.
“Darling, I know he seemed offensive last night but it was probably stress.” Rarity said. The cowpony shook her head.
“What’s wrong?” The two looked to the voice’s owner to see Twilight walking towards them.
“Applejack was telling me about her suspicion towards Iron Guard.” Rarity said.
Twilight raised her eyebrow and looked at Applejack. “What are you suspicious about?”
“It’s nothing it’s just...something don’t seem right with that guy.” She said.
“How do you mean?” Twilight asked.
“Well-"
“What’s that?” Shouted Rainbow, her voice loud enough for the others.
Twilight and the others heard her and came outside to see what was wrong.
“Is something wrong?” Twilight asked. Rainbow pointed and the others followed the direction. A small, moving object was heading towards the facility.
“What is that?” Rainbow repeated, squinting to see the object.
“I don’t know.” Twilight said. “I can’t tell from here.”
“Whatever it is, it’s moving fast.” Applejack said. The object was closing in on the gates.
Spike caught a glimpse of something reflective from the object. “I think it’s one of those gem-powered bikes.”
The zerger was not slowing down as it near the gates. As soon as it was close.
‘BOOM!!!’
The self-moving zerger detonated when it connected with the gates. The explosion rattled the surrounding area sending those standing to the ground. The patrolling guards were either knocked down, thrown off the wall or caught in the blast.
The group in the tower had taken more of a hit. The glass windows were blown in from the resulting pressure of the blast.
The girls and Spike were taken back by the sudden explosion that they held onto the railing for balance.
“What’s happening?!” Rainbow shouted. The others were trying to recover, some better than others, Fluttershy was shaking and clung to the railing for dear life.
They looked at the damage as the smoke cleared. The gates were completely destroyed, a sizeable hole was created.
The group stared in shock but it was short lived. Not a moment later, more noises could be heard in the direction the zerger came from.
“Are more of them coming?!” Rarity shouted. However, what came over the sand dune shocked them.
Two zergers came over it, one had a masked figure and the other carried two occupants. But what truly left them in confused shock were armed buffalo following them.
In the guard tower, Reverb was shocked at not just the destroyed gate but also at what was coming towards them. The other guards had already left to confront the attackers.
“What are the buffalo doing here?” He asked himself, dumbfounded.
“Isn’t it obvious?” He looked to see Iron Guard standing to his right, eyes narrowed and sword in hand. “They allied themselves with him.”
“But why? What could they possibly get out of this?!” He confusingly asked him. Iron didn’t and turned towards the stairs.
“Doesn’t matter, they are aiding a wanted fugitive. So they must be dealt with.” He said as he got to the stairs.
“Wait, what do you mean ‘dealt with’?” Reverb asked him.
Iron stopped and glared at him. “You’re not here to ask questions. You’re here to help keep them out. Ssso move it.”
Reverb watched as Iron disappeared down the stairs. He didn’t think anypony could have that much venom in their voice. He could already hear the sound of fighting going on outside and could tell something was wrong. But the answer eluded him even now.
Inside the building, the buffalo prisoners were shocked by the explosion and could hear the sound of battle. At first they were confused until they heard the war cries of tribal warriors.
“Don’t get your hopes up.” A voice said. Scorphin and a few rezythes stood guard near the double doors leading outside. “Your friends will be joining you soon. The lucky ones at least.”
“Then why do you speak with uncertainty.” Rainwalker spoke. Scorphin glared at the chief that stood against the bars of his cell.
“The voice is our spirit’s way of talking. It tells others of what we truly feel. And despite whatever you may be, we all carry a spirit, even you.” He continued. As he talked, Scorphin stomped over until he stood in front of the cell.
“Yours tells of the uncertainty it has for your life.” He finished.
The scorpion obsidian glared at the chief. He reached behind his back and pulled out what looked like a small cyndrical device with a diamond shaped gem imbedded at the end. He raised and pointed at the chief.
The gem glowed and the gems on the chief’s collar glowed as well. Rainwalker yelled in pain as electrical charges surged through his body. The others moved back from shock and fear. The glow stopped and he fell to his knees. Scorphin looked down at him.
“If I were you, I be more concerned about your own.” He stated. The chief’s cellmates helped him to his hooves as Scorphin turned and walked backed to the doors.
Unbeknownst to them all, a small hole began to form in the middle of the building.
Third Person:
Though the fight had just begun, based on the scene, one would guess it began an hour ago. Though taken back by the surprise attack, the mindless rezythes advanced forward. The buffalo charged forward to meet them, war paint dawned their faces and courage ran through them as the two collided.
Weapon met weapon as the two fought each other. Led by Little Strongheart, the archers picked targets off from a distance and at those still stationed on the wall before they could fire as well.
Rattle Vane moved, dodged and attacked like the deadliest snake. Two buffalo charged him, axes drawn. He dodged the first and ducked the second before sweeping the hooves off from under him, sending him down. He rose with an upward slash that sliced the arm of his first attacker, causing him to drop his weapon in pain only to be knocked down by a high kick. The second looked to see a sword in his face. Before he finished them Rattle Vane blocked an arrow meant for his head and growled in rage. Another kick knocked the buffalo out before he moved on.
Bear Claw and Flame Weed both showed their battle prowess. Whereas one was a calm, collected warrior, the other was a rage fuelled, forward attacker. While he used his shield to block attacks, defend downed warriors and axe to strike enemies he knocked down in perfect balance. She leapt into the fray with spear in hand, slashing and skewering those that dared stood in her way.
In the heart of the battlefield, a masked warrior fought his way through the enemies that charged him. One rezythe struck with a sword only to be met with a shield that sent him back via a sound pulse. He was cut down by sword through gut. Multiple rezythes surrounded him before he spun in a circle striking them all at once before a return swing brought them down. The warrior breathed hard and was about to move before a voice stopped him. A familiar voice.
“Guess I don’t have to worry about you being hurt anymore.”
First Person:
I looked up and saw the last person I needed to see. Reverb stood a few yards in front of me in his armor. Time seemed to stand still as we looked at each other. The battle going on didn’t faze us.
“Not fully but, I manage.” I said, shrugging my shielded left arm.
He nodded as we continued to stare at each other. I glanced at him gripping his axes.
“How did you get the buffalo to help you with this?” He asked, glancing at one lunging at a rezythe with a spear.
“Something important to them are in that building, I’m here to help.”
“What could they possibly want with a storage facility?”
‘Storage? Heh, that’s one way of putting it.’ My head tilted to the right. “Is that what they told you? Do you really believe they need this much force for storage?”
He looked down at the ground and his grip lightened. “I don’t want to fight you, Reverb.”
“Then why are you doing this?” He asked.
“It’s because I have to, this is bigger than both of us.”
“Then come in and explain it. Let me help you.” He pleaded.
‘If only I could.’ “I can’t do that?”
Reverb head dipped before looking at me and raising his axes. “Then I can’t let you pass.”
Painful as it is, I raised my sword at him. “I know.”
We stared at each other, weapons up, not moving an inch. A second went pass, then we rushed each. Our weapons clashed and time sped up to normal, the battle still in full swing.
He brought his left axe down for an over-head swing. I blocked it with my shield and it bounced back. I pushed back the other one and swung from the side. He jumped back and pivoted with a roundhouse. I back flipped, landed on my fists and sprung back. He blocked my hooves hitting his chest with his arms but it did push him back a bit so that I could land back on them. I looked to see Reverb getting his bearings back.
‘Where in equestria did he learn to fight like this?’ That question would have to wait as we charged again.
On board the airship parked away, another scene was playing out. Twilight and the others had a front row seat as they watch battle increased as vilotan and buffalo fought.
“Th-this doesn’t make sense? Why are the buffalo here?!” Twilight exclaimed, frantically looking back and forth between the two forces.
“Not for a party.” Pinkie whispered as she tried to calm a scared Fluttershy from the horrible battle.
“This is absolutely horrid!” Rarity said as she looked away from the fighting.
“This is not cool.” Rainbow exclaimed before looking right and noticing something else.
“Where’s Applejack?”
The others looked at her before realizing it. Their cowpony friend was missing. They were both confused and worried as they looked for her inside the airship. Fluttershy was about to follow them when she glanced back.
“Applejack!!!” She shrieked.
The others ran back to her to find out what was wrong. She pointed at the ground and saw the cause. Applejack was running right towards the heart of the fighting.
“Where is she going?!” Rarity shouted. They looked and followed where she was heading. She was running towards one of the fighters.
“Is that?”
Braeburn was busy dealing with a rezythe that was swinging a sword at him. When the sword came again, he caught it in the crook of his tomahawk and used the other to slice the hand off. A second swipe brought the rezythe down as he breathed hard in exhaustion after fighting for this long.
“Landsakes, could this get any more complicated.” He muttered in frustration. The universe must have a cruel sense of humor.
“What in Equestria is going on?!”
Despite the battle, his eyes widen at the sound of the voice. “Oh horseapples.”
He spun around only to meet the hardened gaze of his cousin. Applejack stood a few feet glaring at him, no even acknowledging the battle happening around them.
“AJ! What are you doing here?!” He yelled in confusion.
“Ah should be asking you! What in sam hell are you doing out here?!” She shouted at him.
“AJ, this isn’t the time or place for this! Get out of here!” He shouted, trying to get her to leave.
“Ah’m not moving until you tell me what’s going on!” She exclaimed, stomping her hoof.
Braeburn’s mind was starting to race, he needed to get Applejack out of here but here stubbornness was making it difficult. He was about to argue again when caught a shadow began to grow around her. He looked up and saw what it was.
Without thinking, he rushed over and tackled her out of the way and to the ground.
“Braeburn! Are you cra-” She was caught off from her rant when a boulder crashed right where she was standing.
Both our weapons had clashed again and we struggled to get one over the other. I noticed that it got darker and looked up to see something coming.
“Watch it!” I pushed him away and jumped back as a boulder crashed between us.
“Where’d that come from?!” Reverb shouted. I looked up and saw more coming.
“Worry about the rest of them!” I exclaimed as I avoided another one.
Multiple boulders began raining down on the battle. The combatants scattered to avoid being crushed. Some weren’t as lucky as they were injured.
I noticed that they were all coming from the cliff behind the facility. I looked up at it and saw something flinging the boulders. I could just barely make out the shape but it almost looked like a minotaur.
“What is that thing?” I didn’t have time to think as I dodged another.
Rattle Vane dived out of the way as one flattened a nearby rezythe.
“Damn that Firma.” He growled. “This is his idea of a surprise!” He glanced to his side and paused, glaring at two figures.
Braeburn and Applejack had picked themselves up and were busy dodging falling rocks. One particular boulder clipped her and she yelped as she fell to the ground. Brabeburn skidded to halt as he looked back at her.
“AJ, you alright?!” He exclaimed worriedly. She looked up and was about to answer when she saw it.
“LOOK OUT!” She yelled, pointing behind him. He only had time to turn before the blade came down.
Time slowed down for Applejack as she saw the blood fly up, her cousin slowly falling to the ground with his hat following, and the security chief standing over him, crimson drops staining his blade and a twisted smile on his face.
“Well, at leassst one good thing can come out of thisss.” He hissed as he brought the sword to his mouth and licked some of the blood off.
“You BASTARD!” Applejack screamed, tears streaming from her face. “How could you do that?!”
He glared down at her. “It’s my job to protect this place no matter what and besides” He looked down at Braeburn. “, I’ve been wanting his head for a long time.”
She saw him raise his sword again. “You call yourself a guard?! You’re nothing but a monster!”
He paused and slowly looked at her. Applejack thought her eyes played tricks on her because she thought his eyes became like a snakes.
“You know, you’re right and I just got an idea.” He stepped over him and walked towards her, sword raised. “Why kill him, when I can make him sssuffer.”
Her eyes widened when he stood in front of her and closed her eyes knowing what was coming as the sword came down.
‘CLANG’ ‘BOOM’
She heard the noise but hesitated on opening her eyes. Slowly, she opened and looked up at the scene.
I stood in front of her, shield up as Rattle Vane stumbled back from the backlash.
“Over my dead body.” I growled as my grip tightened on my sword.
“Echo?” Applejack muttered as she got to her knees. I glanced back at her.
“Don’t worry AJ, it’s gonna be okay.” I assured.
“Big talk after your friend’s been cut down.” Rattle Vane stated after regaining his bearings. I glared back at him, smirking under my helmet a little.
“You sure about that.”
He didn’t understand until a tomahawk slashed his arm, stating my point and causing him to jump back to look at his attacker. Braeburn stood on shaky hooves, mane dirtied from the desert floor with one hand gripping the weapon and the other over his bloodied right eye.
“Nobody threatens mah family.” He proclaimed through gritted teeth. Rattle Vane growled as he heard someone coming. Reverb came up behind him with a few rezythes.
“Iron! Have you lost your damn mind?!” He shouted at him. I heard hoofsteps behind me and glanced back seeing Stongheart and Bear Claw coming up. All our weapons were drawn and dared moved.
‘SCREEEECH!!!’
We all looked up at the sound to see a hawk flying across the sky. That’s the signal. All of a sudden, all the remaining buffalo abandoned their fighting and retreated. Some helped the injured escape while others covered them.
“What’s going on?!” Reverb exclaimed at the retreat.
“Strongheart, Bear Claw” I said to get their attention. “, help Braeburn.” The two acknowledge and went to him. Strongheart got his arm over her shoulders gently while Bear Claw covered them. She looked at Applejack and offered a sad smile.
“Don’t worry my friend, I’ll take care of him.” She reassured her as they moved back.
“What’s the matter?” Rattle Vane mocked. “Giving up sso sssoon.”
I glared back at him. “As much as I want to put you down, we finished what we came to do.” He looked confused as I looked at Reverb and motioned at Applejack. “No matter what, keep them safe.”
He didn’t have time to respond as I began to fade away in a blue mist instead of shadows.
‘That wasn’t the real one.’ Despite the revelation, Reverb rushed over to Applejack, canceling his transformation, to check on her.
“Are you alright?!” He questioned as he helped her to her hooves. She offered a slight nod as he looked back at the guard.
“What do you think he meant by ‘we finished what we came to do.’?” He asked. For a moment, Rattle Vane pondered the cryptic words until his eyes widen in realization. In a second, he spun around and sprinted towards the facility.
He stormed past the ruined front gates and made it to the buildings doors. He threw doors open and looked inside, not noticing the scorch marks on the door. Seconds later, he screamed out in rage at what greeted him.
A massive hole in the middle of the floor, caved in on itself, and all the cages empty.
The glow from the small torches were the only thing that illuminated the otherwise dark tunnel. I was trailing behind the others to guard the rear. I had to be careful to avoid tripping as I kept looking over my shoulder. In front of me, the captive buffalo were wary about the dark space but kept moving forward.
“We’re almost out, the entrance is just ahead!” Steelstrike’s voice echoed throughout the tunnel, which quickened the former captives pace. It wasn’t long until cheers of freedom were heard as one by one, they left the tunnel.
The sudden glare caused most to shield their eyes but it was a welcome discomfort to be free. I climbed up the small slope and welcomed Celestia’s sun fully. We had come out a few feet away from the lake and some we’re already taking mouthfuls of water, while others were celebrating being free.
“Truly a warming sight, isn’t it?” I turned to see Chief Thunderhooves walking towards me. “None of this couldn’t have happened without your help.”
“I’m just glad I was able to help.” I said as I canceled the transformation. “Did you find your brother?”
“Yes, seeing him again raised much off my shoulders.” He said with a smile. “I asked a healer to tend his wounds and to take him to his beloved. Truly, I can’t thank you enough.”
“It was nothing, I was just… doing what I can.” I said with a smile. “Did the others arrive yet?”
“Yes, they arrived moments before you did. The injured were already moved to the camp.” He answered. I thanked him and politely excused myself as I headed back to the camp.
Even before reaching the gates I could see numerous injured being attended too. I walked through the gates and saw various injured but it looked like the worse were broken bones. While walking, some of the warriors gave nods at me while others offered their thanks. I looked right and saw who I was looking for.
Braeburn was propped up against a tepee with Little Strongheart knelling right beside him. I walked towards them and noticed that a female buffalo finishing wrapping a cloth over his right eye. He looked up and gave a smile.
“Ah say that plan was successful… with a few hiccups.” He said. I gave a short nod as I looked at him.
“How bad is it?”
“The injury was not severe as it looked.” The healer answered as she stood up with her equipment. “He has not lost his sight but, the wound will leave a scar.”
She walked away to tend to others as all three of us breathed a relived sigh. I heard a muttered ‘thank goodness’ from Braeburn.
“Where are the others?” I asked.
“Bear Claw is helping the healers and injured but, Flame Weed went somewhere on her own.” Strongheart answered.
“Is she alright?”
“Ah don’t worry, she probably went off some steam.” Braeburn said.
“What do you mean?”
“She was fussing about wanting to stay and fight. Guess she didn’t like the retreat part.”
“But she knew what the plan was before we left!”
“I only know little about her tribe from speaking with father.” Strongheart spoke. “They pride themselves on standing before any enemy and never running. Retreating may have hurt her pride a bit.”
I sighed as thought about it. “You think I should talk to her?”
“Ah say let her cool off for a while, she knows we achieved what we did and can’t complain about rescuing them.” He said.
Silence took us as thought about what took place today. It was a minute before Braeburn spoke.
“Ah hope AJ’s okay.”
“Me too. Don’t worry, I’m sure Reverb got her to safety.” I tried to reassure.
“Are you sure we can trust him?” Strongheart asked.
“Yeah, he may be doing what he think is right but he won’t let anything happen to her or the others.” I said.
“Ah still don’t get what she was doing all the way out there?” Braeburn wondered.
I looked at the ground because I knew why. “It’s because I was there.”
Braeburn and Strongheart looked at me. “What do you mean?” She asked.
I closed my eyes as I sighed heavily. “My guess, she and the others tagged along with Reverb to find me… to find out why I’m doing this.” I opened my eyes and looked at them. “So anything that happens to them, is on me.”
“Hold on there, Echo!” Braeburn exclaimed as began to stand up, with some assistance on Strongheart’s part. “This ain’t your fault.”
“I doubt that.”
“You couldn’t have known the girls would follow you. They chose to do this to try to help you.”
“Still doesn’t deny that I dragged them into this?” I said, looking at the ground.
“I believe you’re being too hard on yourself.” Strongheart said.
“Besides, if you need to blame someone, blame me.” Braeburn said.
I looked at him in confusion. “For what?”
“Putting AJ in danger.” He said with a sadden tone. “If I acted faster, I could’ve gotten her out there and to safety from all that mess.”
“Braeburn, you couldn’t have predicated she’d show up there. You can’t blame yourself for that.”
“Then don’t blame yourself for something you couldn’t know would happened.” He said looking at me.
I was about to say something when I stopped myself, realizing what he meant.
“He is right you know.” Strongheart spoke up. “We can never know what lies ahead of us, all we can do is hope that in the end, all we care about are safe.”
I looked at her, blinking at what she had just said.
“No truer words could not have been spoken.” We looked to see a male buffalo approach us with a smile. “I see your mother’s teachings have not left you, Strongheart.”
She returned the smile. “I always keep them close to my heart so they can never leave. It is truly good to see you again, Uncle Rainwalker.”
The chief gave a small chuckle as he looked at Braeburn. “I heard of your injury, I hope the damage is not life changing.”
“Ah, nurse gave me the okay, just gonna leave a scar. Honestly, I’ll take a dozen hits to protect mah family.”
“As do we all, my young friend.” Rainwalker than looked at me. “And you must be the one to I must thank for this.
“I was only doing what was right besides, I always help out a friend.” I said.
He gave a small nod. “I admit, the only interaction I’ve had with your kind is from what my brother has told me.” His face formed a smile. “But what he speaks holds true, you value friendship above all.”
I returned the smile and was about to respond…
“Forgive me for interrupting” We heard Steelstrike’s voice. We looked and saw him standing a few feet away with an uneasy look. “, but something has come up.”
Chief Rainwalker looked at him. “What is the issue?”
Steelstrike looked at me before answering. “Your ‘friends’ want to speak with you.”
I just stood there as numerous thoughts went through my head about this. I looked back at Braeburn and Strongheart and they were worried.
“It’s alright, probably want to talk before leaving.” I looked at Rainwalker. “Excuse me, this won’t take long.”
The chief nodded as I turned and walked towards the entrance. He looked at the others with a confused expression.
“I wasn’t aware he had other friends with him.”
Braeburn’s face turned into a frown. “Uh… they ain’t exactly friends.”
“I don’t understand.”
“You know those tunnels y’all came through?” Rainwalker nodded. “They were the ones who made them.”
The chief looked more confused. “If they created the tunnels, then why the caution?”
“Well…”
I approached the entrance to the tunnels. The rest of the former prisoners have moved to the main camp to be treated for injuries and to get something to eat. I peered into the tunnels, seeing nothing but pitch blackness.
“All right, I’m here!” I shouted, my voice echoing off the walls. No response came, only silence.
I was about to call again when I spotted something. Or rather, something spotted me. Two bright, yellow glowing eyes glared back at me.
“What’s the problem?” I asked unfazed.
“We did what pony asked us.” A low, gruff voice called out. “Not forget promise pony made.”
“I didn’t forget, it’s just things are a lot more complicated than I first thought.” I explained.
A growl came from the tunnel. “Me no care, took risk coming here, not much time left.”
“I understand but there was no other way to pull this off.” I tried explaining. “Look, I promised I’d help and I will, just give me time.”
I didn’t get an immediate answer. I figured he had left after a minute until I got a response.
“Pony keep promise. When time comes, we come for you.” The voice said.
“Agreed, thank you again for your help.” I said as I turned to leave.
“No worry about snake, no more problem.”
I stopped in my tracks as I turned and looked back into the cave’s mouth.
“Snake?” I asked in confusion. “What are you talking about?”
“Two legged snake, no longer problem.”
A second later, I understood what he meant. “You mean Rattle Vane? What do you mean by ‘no longer problem’?”
“Other snake beat him, he no more.” He said. He closed his eyes and I heard footsteps.
“Wait, hold on a sec!” I shouted as I ran up to the entrance. “What do you mean by ‘no more’? What other snake?! HEY!”
The only response was my voice echoing down the tunnel. I just stood there, gazing down it.
`Other snake beat him, he no more`.
Those words; somethings not right. I turned around and headed straight back to the camp.
“I got a bad feeling about this.”
R-V Desert Facility…
It took me a while to make it back here and already I could feel something was wrong. I was in full armor and was still a few minutes off but I was close.
…I mean ‘we’ were close.
After getting back to the others, I told them there was something I needed to check out and went for my bike. They asked what was wrong and I said I needed to check the facility.
They were shocked, wondering why I would go back. I told them I needed to confirm something. I tried to tell them I would be fine but my friends and both chiefs wouldn’t have it. They wouldn’t let me leave unless someone went with me.
Unfortunately, all of them were mostly injured or too busy to go, all except one.
Flame Weed gripped onto my shoulders as she held on in back of me as we got closer on my bike. She had a scowl on her face back at the camp and hasn’t said a word since leaving.
“We’re getting close. Get ready for anything.” I called, looking back at her. She had a frown on her face but gave a nod as I turned back.
I spotted the facility in the distance and turned towards a nearby boulder. I parked behind it and we got off.
“Why are we hiding here like cowards?” She spoke for the first time.
I gave a sigh. “It’s because I don’t want us to get attacked before we even reach the gates.”
“Yet you wished to come back to this place of sorrow, by yourself.”
“I didn’t come to fight, just to confirm something, nothing more.” I whispered. I peeked around the corner and looked back. “Alright, it looks like the airship’s gone and I don’t see any patrols. Stay low and let’s move.”
I drew my sword, we crouched down and began moving toward the base. We ducked behind any boulder we could find, avoiding detection.
“Why do you do this?” She asked as we ducked behind another boulder.
I looked back at her. “What do you mean?”
“You risk your life for our people yet you know nothing of us? You forge alliances with those others see as dangerous? Also, you fight a war alone, with no seeable end? Why???” She asked, staring at me for a response.
I looked at her for a long time, my helmet covered eyes lost in thought. Those were deep questions she asked and thought hard on how to answer them. I stayed silent for a while before taking a deep breath and releasing it.
“For your first question you’re right. I don’t know anything about the buffalo tribes. In fact, the only things I know are from what my friends told me and from what Chief Thunderhooves has told me.”
“Then why help us?!” She questioned.
“Because Braeburn is a friend of mine. If it’s for my friends or family, I will do everything within my power to make sure they stay safe no matter what. And any friend of theirs is my friend as well.” I told my answer.
I couldn’t read her expression as she stared at me. “As for your second and third question… sometimes unforeseen circumstances lead to unforeseen results. Also, even if I can’t see the end, I want to at least know those I care about are there.”
We sat in silence as Flame Weed processed what I told her. In all honesty, my mind was still discussing those last two questions. I was so engrossed that I didn’t notice something.
“Do you here that?” I asked her.
She raised her head and listened for a minute before looking back at me.
“No, I don’t hear anything. Isn’t that the point?”
“Yes in most cases but not now.” I reached in my gem pouch. “Something’s wrong.”
“Lunar Moon”
My breastplate appeared and I tapped into its power. The shadow beneath me darkened and moved forward. Something began to rise from it until a near perfect duplicate stood in front of us. It gave a nod and sprinted past us and towards the base.
“Quite the technique you have there.” Flame Weed commented.
“Yeah well it ain’t all that.” I huffed, short of breath. “It takes a lot just to make one and range is limited, so I got to be close. One plus is any memories it gets, I get when its beat or I dismiss.”
We sat there in silence while my copy went on ahead. For the next minutes we waited in for something to happen. We tensed when we heard movement and readied ourselves for battle.
The tension somewhat relaxed when my copy came back. I was worried when there wasn’t a scratch on it and the shake of its head confirmed. I grasped my hands together and the clone disappeared into shadows.
“What’s wrong?” She asked. I turned to look at her, if she could see my eyes, she would see the uncertain feeling in them.
“The base is… empty.”
Once we got to the base, we got a real look at the damage. The metal doors were scorched from the explosion with one of them laying on the ground and the other practically leaning against the partially destroyed wall. Various size of rocks littered the ground from the ‘rock shower’ that graced us earlier.
However, what had us on edge was that there was no one here. No patrol, no guards, no Rattle Vane, not one rezythe. It was like they all vanished. We swept the place and by the time we regrouped, there wasn’t a shred of clues.
“Perhaps they left with the flying ship after losing their leverage against us?” Flame Weed suggested.
“And leave this place without as much as a few guards, I don’t know. Plus, I doubt Rattle Vane would just leave things as they are.” I said.
She scowled at the mention of the name. “Yes, he is one who wouldn’t just abandon his vengeance. He wouldn’t leave without cause.”
‘That and something else.’ I thought as I tried to get an idea on what happened. “Look, let’s take one last look around this place.”
“What would that accomplish?” She asked with an eyebrow raised.
“Just to confirm that nothing else is here. We don’t find anything, than we leave.” I explained.
Flame Weed agreed and walked off to somewhere. I decided to head to the guard tower. The door leading inside was wide open and it was a short climb up the stairs.
There wasn’t much in terms of objects on the observation deck. Glass littered the ground as it crunched under my boot. I walked up to the busted windows and looked out.
I could see the whole courtyard and parts of the field. Doing this gave me time to gather my thoughts. None of it made sense; why just up and abandon this place? Why leave it unoccupied and unguarded? There were so many questions with no answers.
I looked out one of the windows and saw the cliff behind this place. One more question that bothered me: what was that figure tossing the boulders down on us? By chance I glanced down at the foot of the cliff. I couldn’t see but it looked like something was there. I turned around and headed back to the stairs outside to take a better look.
Flame Weed just walking from the building after another look inside. She too was suspicious of these circumstances. After the battle, she had thought they would planning a counterattack or rebuilding, not just abandoning their encampment.
She still was a little irritated that they ran from a fight. Her tribe never retreated from battle, which was their code. When she first heard the idea, she could not believe it.
“I will not participate in such an underhanded scheme!” She shouted at him.
After the pony had returned, he explained the plan to all of them. She was the first to dismiss it and few agreed with her. The scout saw recognition in the plan, she still didn’t understand why he got under her skin, while Bear Claw remained neutral.
In the end, the chief was the deciding factor. While he saw the caution and dangers, he thought that it would prove better than their current one. As soon as the decision was given, the group broke up into their duties while she took Echo somewhere to talk.
Right now, he was pinned against the cliff as she glared at him.
“This idea is more obscured than the shadows themselves. You expect us to go along with this!” She exclaimed as Echo struggled as her arm kept him there.
“I-It’s the only thing that might work better than the original. You just have to trust me.” He grunted as he tried to breath.
“Your plan is more obscured than the shadows you hide in.” She hissed as she leaned down to glare at him more. “How do we know you are not planning our downfall?”
“Why the hell would I do that?!” He shouted despite the discomfort.
“Your people were easily swain by illusions and lies.” She narrowed her eyes even more. “How can I trust one who hides in darkness?”
Echo looked at her in defiance. “Look, I would never propose it if I didn’t make sure that everyone can come back safe. And what do you mean underhanded?”
“What you propose goes against the values of my tribe.” She looks at the ground for a minute “Our pride doesn’t allow this deception, it is not the warrior’s way.”
For a solid minute, nothing was spoken as Echo processed this.
“Flame Weed, I’ll admit. I don’t know anything about your tribe and yes, I know I have to earn your trust but answer this one question, personally.” She raised her head and looked him straight in the eyes.
“What’s more important to you: your pride as a warrior or the freedom of your people?”
Flame Weed was brought out of her thoughts after nearly tripping over something. She stumbled for a second before regaining her balance. She growled irritably before looking down at the cause.
A group of rocks were strewn out together. But something was wrong, these weren’t like loose rocks. They were a different shade of color than the others and looked like they were once one piece.
Curious as to what they are, Flame Weed knelt down and picked up one of the largest to look at.
I stood at the bottom of the giant cliff face as I examined something. I still remembered that figure at the top of the cliff, hurling boulders at us, from earlier today. I don’t what it was, but now I had a clue.
I was examining hoof prints in the ground, but not usual ones. The prints were about two or three inches into the dry ground itself. They looked like minotaur prints but about twice the size.
“What could do something like this.” What could be strong enough to do this-
“AAAAaaaaahhh!!!” A loud scream sent me shooting straight up. On reflex, I drew my sword and looked for the source. Where could it have-
“Flame Weed.” I muttered before taking off in the scream’s direction. It wasn’t long before I spotted her. She was sitting on the ground but from that scream and look in her eyes, something was wrong. I rushed up and kneeled beside her.
“What happened? Are you alright?!” I exclaimed. She didn’t even register me speaking. I placed on her shoulder and shook a bot. “Flame Weed, it’s me. What’s wrong?”
Upon finally recognizing my voice, she simply raised her arm and pointed straight ahead. I looked in the direction and only saw a pile of rocks. Confused, I moved over and picked up the closest to her. It looked like a regular rock, looking back she still had that shocked look so I looked back at the rock and flipped it over.
“Aahhh!!!” I shouted in shock as I dropped the rock. I couldn’t believe what it was.
Or more precise, who it was.
Some of the pieces had chipped off and there was a crack running down the middle but I recognize the face.
“Rattle Vane.” I whispered under my breath. His face was frozen in rage and fear. I looked at the other pieces of rock. In the middle of what was his chest was the scar from my attack. This wasn’t a statue.
Someone had turned him to stone.
“What madness is this?” Flame Weed muttered next to me. I hadn’t notice she had got up.
“I don’t know.” I shifted my eyes back and forth across the place, my hair standing on ends. “We need to get back to the camp, right now!”
She didn’t argue as we ran back towards my bike to get out of here.
Unbeknownst to either of us, a clocked form watched from a nearby cliff as we sped away from the abandoned place. The figure gave a small chuckle as he watched us go.
“He really is quite the strategist. I look forward to when we meet.” The voice said, the same voice which spoke with Rattle Vane. A green glow came from underneath his hood and in a flash of light, the figure was gone.