This chapter is taking longer than I wish...so for time's sake here is the first part. Hopefully I can finish the second part by next Friday, if not oh well.
Drawing update: We now have our first drawing of Night Shadow up on Deviant art. His eyes represent Dark Fire and Light Shade, purple is his normal color though. It was drawn by a friend of mine, go out there and follow/support her art work. She will be drawing the other characters soon and tends to do requests, just don't overwhelm her with love now.
You guys are going to have to go on Deviant art and plug in the links, it won't let me put the full link for some reason. Same with Instagram.
Here's the link: /art/Remember-that-Donut-530460290
Be sure to follow her Instagram as well if you have one, support from fans is always appreciated.
Link: /rpglogical/
With that said...I AM BACK!
Chapter 22 D: Reuniting Harmony. (Part 1 of 2)
Several weeks pass…
"Carry the three…subtract eight…." Twilight whispered, writing down numbers on paper before adjusting the scope on her rifle. "Seven hundred feet…twenty kph wind speed…"
After several moments she took in a deep breath and pulled the trigger, firing downrange.
"How was that?" Twilight asked.
"Close….you were off by ten centimeters." The sniping instructor informed.
Twilight slammed her head down on the table.
"Why can't I get this?!" Twilight yelled.
"You should take a break, you've been at this for hours."
"But I still don't understand what I'm doing wrong."
"No one gets it on their first couple of days, even the best of us struggled just like you. You might not get it now, but one day it will all click….no pun intended."
The instructor walked away as Twilight got up from her seat and stretched.
"I guess he's right….I should clear my head and practice with what I do best."
After grabbing some books and finding a quiet place to practice, she decided to brush up on her magic. She practiced what she would normally practice if Celestia herself was in the room watching her. From levitation to teleportation, she practiced and rehearsed everything she learned. But then it hit her like a ton of bricks. None of the things she was practicing was going to make a difference against Death Fire.
Yes, the spells and tricks she learned in the past are important, necessary even for a unicorn as herself, but unless she learns how to defend herself properly, to use magic to it's full potential, none of it would matter. With that in mind, she remembered what Night Shadow said about Trixie. Training with her, however, would be a different story altogether. Trixie once considered her a rival and now he expects her to just sit down, forget the past, and make up as if nothing ever happened. Was it fear that held her back, or was it shame? Twilight Sparkle, student of Celestia, learning from Trixie the boastful unicorn? She didn't know what she was feeling until she conveniently walked into the room, sending a wave of fear into her heart.
"Oh I'm sorry, I didn't know you were in here." Trixie said, apologetically. "I'll just come back later."
"No wait…" Twilight abruptly said with a raised tone. "I actually….ummmm….well…."
Twilight started to choke.
"What is it?" Trixie asked, somewhat confused.
"You see….I….books...magic…."
"Spit it out, Sparkle."
"Can you….help me?" Twilight finally said.
Trixie was slightly confused.
"With what?"
'Ok, here it goes….' Twilight thought.
She took a deep breath.
"IknowwehadaroughpastandIkindofruinedyourlifeandallandthatawarwascausedbecauseofmymistakesandyoualwayssaidyouwerebetterand-
"Slow down, I can't understand anything you're saying." Trixie interrupted.
"Can you teach me what you know!" Twilight yelled, trying to catch her breath.
There was at least a minute of awkward silence before Trixie spoke up.
"You want me….to teach you what I know?" She asked in shock. "Like magic and fighting?"
"Yes, everything you know."
Trixie struggled to comprehend what she was hearing.
"Me….Trixie….you want me to train you? Are….are you ok, Twilight. Did another gun hit you in the head again or did you drink something, because you better share-
"No I didn't hit my head or drink anything! I honest to Celestia want you to teach me what you know."
Trixie sat down and rubbed her head as if she was in pain.
"Is something wrong, Trixie. Isn't this what you always wanted?" Twilight said, attempting to not sound malicious or mingy.
"For years I wanted to get revenge on you….I wanted to make you suffer just like I had. I dreamed of the day you would grovel at my hooves and beg for forgiveness. But now that you're here….during these times of sorrow and pain…..it's just….it's not the same. Instead of pride….I feel shame. Is this what I wanted all those years ago…..to make an innocent pony suffer for my own mistakes?" Trixie said, reflecting on her life. "You should be the one teaching me…."
"Trixie…."
"For almost an entire decade, I have lived in the shadow of my own mistakes, my own decision, and look at what happened because of it. I caused….that thing to be released….I caused this stupid war….I'm the cause of everyone's mistakes…."
Twilight could tell Trixie was holding back tears but that didn't prevent her from walking to her and hugging her tightly.
"You know who else believes they are the cause of everyone's pain?" Twilight whispered. "Celestia, Luna, Night Shadow, and plenty of others. Even I believed it at one point in time. Dark Fire also believed he was the cause of all this suffering to. But do want to know what I learned? We can't fix our mistakes if we only look back….we are here in the present to change the future, and that's what we are going to do….together."
"Then lets finally put our differences and pasts behind….and finally accept each other as friends."
"Are you certain this is where they would go?" Night Shadow asked.
"Of course, dear." Rarity said, looking outside of the ship. "This is the only path possible for them."
"I saw it with my own two eyes." Fluttershy said softly. "If they are taking her to the capital this is the road they would take."
"Do you think they know?" Night Shadow asked.
"Unless her disguise was blow, I doubt she would have fought back." Rarity said.
"Then let's hope we're not too late."
The gunship quickly flew over the mountain tops and came into view of a massive highways system. Within several moment Night Shadow spotted a large commute of trucks and transport vehicles transporting prisoners straight towards Canterlot.
"Summers, fly us close!"
"But we'll be spotted!" Summers declared.
"We have no other option. Ready the guns!"
"The guns…" Fluttershy asked, nervously. "Can't we just...ask them to let her go?"
"FULL SPEED AHEAD!" Pinkie screamed, putting on a random pilot helmet.
Night Shadow set up the forty millimeter cannon and pointed it at the convoys.
"We're going to hit hard and fast. Fluttershy, Rarity and Pinkie, grab on to something and stay out of view."
"So you just expect us to stand here and do nothing?!" Rarity asked.
"YES, WHY DOESN'T ANYONE GET THAT!"
"Night Shadow, incoming homing missiles!" Imago shouted.
"Strengthen the gravity and evade!"
The gravity increased three fold as the gunship spun out of the way of the missiles. Once it stabilized, the gravity in the ship returned to normal. Night Shadow aimed the cannon and began firing at the convoy, blowing up multiple trucks as the vehicles. The main target, a massive, five hundred foot truck, activated a red shield to protect itself as anti-air guns were deployed.
"What in the…."
The anti-air guns began to fire, sending flak rounds and more missiles towards them. Night Shadow pushed the gun to the side and used his magic to send out a powerful burst of wind that redirected the missiles and rounds into random directions.
"Death Fire would never guard prisoners this well….there's something else in that truck." Night Shadow whispered.
He turned back to look at Fluttershy, shaking in the corner of the ship while Rarity comforted her. Feeling a new resolve, he turned to Imago and Archangel.
"Cover the sky and keep the missiles off us!"
"Got it." Imago said as the gryphon next to him nodded.
They both grabbed their weapons and jumped out the side of the ship.
"Zenith, distract the ground forces." Night Shadow ordered.
The zebra smiled as he grabbed his spear off his back.
"For the homeland..." He said softly before saluting, slowly allowing himself to fall out of the ship.
"Fireball and Foxy, you're with me."
"The name is Foxx." The red fox said with annoyance.
"Whatever you say, Foxy." The small filly said with a grin.
"OOOO, what do I get to do?!" Pinkie asked with excitement.
Night Shadow blinked a few times in confusion.
"Uhhhhh….use the party cannon…." Night Shadow said, pointing to the forty millimeter cannon.
"YESS!" Pinkie screamed as she appeared behind the gun.
"Summers, take us close to the truck!" Night Shadow ordered.
"I'm trying!" Summers yelled from the cockpit.
After dodging several waves of missiles and rounds, Summers got as close as she could.
"Green light!" Summers yelled.
The three soldiers jumped out of the ship, leaving the elements of harmony in the ship by themselves.
"Pinkie….you know that's not a party cannon…don't you?" Rarity said with concern.
"Oh...I know exactly what it is…." Pinkie said with a smirk.
She pulled back the large lever on the cannon and aimed it at several enemy vehicles firing upon the ship.
"THIS IS FOR BANNING PARTIES, YOU BIG JERKS!"
As Night Shadow and the others landed on the massive truck, it drove through a tunnel, cutting off sight from the airship. They were now fending for themselves.
"Get to the front and stop this thing in it's tracks." Night Shadow said.
"You think it's going to be that easy!"
Several machines popped out from within the truck, arming themselves with weapons and surrounding the trio.
"Let's see how confident you are after we strip you of your freedom." The android announced with arrogance.
And now, a lesson on evil stupidity...
"Fireball?" Night Shadow asked with a smirk.
"I suggest you two duck." The small mare said.
Night Shadow and Foxx hit the deck as the small mare removed her cloak, revealing two flamethrowers on her fore-hooves. The filly leaped into the air and spun around like a tornado, spitting out flames that ignited the oil within the machines, forcing them to combust in a violent fit of fire.
"Clear a path for us, Fireball. Foxx, see if you can stop them from inside." Night Shadow ordered.
"Got it."
Within a second, the fox slipped through one of the entrances of the armored truck, followed by loud gunshots. Night Shadow continued to follow behind Fireball as she burned away everything in her path to the front of the truck. It was then Night Shadow realized he forgot something.
"Hey uhhh, Fireball."
"What."
"You are so awesome and stuff, and I was just wondering if-
"Ok, what did you do this time?!" Fireball asked bluntly.
"...Forgot my gun….."
"What kind of soldier are you?!"
Another cyborg jumped up from the hatch next to Fireball. The little filly kicked the droid's gun away before blasting it with flames.
"Hurry up and give me your sidearm." Night Shadow pleaded.
"Just use your superpowers you big wuss."
"I can't do that, I'm suppose to be dead, remember! Just give it to me."
"What, no! It's mine!"
"Don't argue with me, miss."
"Who are you, my dad?"
"DAMMIT WOMAN, GIVE ME THE GUN!"
"EXCUSE ME!" Fireball yelled, turning to look at him.
Night Shadow saw several machines pop out of cover and preparing to shoot at the filly. With a quick reaction, he tackled the filly to the floor and slid into cover behind one of the mounted AA guns.
"Now can I use the gun?" Night Shadow asked.
"What kind of truck has convenient cover to use in situations?"
"Who cares, just give me the gun."
"No."
"Are you kidding me!"
With the help of magic, Night Shadow spun the AA gun towards the ponies firing upon them and unleashed a barrage of lead. Needless to say, there wasn't much left, except for the fact that they were instantly replaced with more troops. Night Shadow continued to fire the weapon for a few more seconds before it was blown off the truck by a rocket, leaving him and the filly in the open.
"Great, got any more bright ideas?" Fireball asked.
They both stood there awkwardly until Night Shadow eyes widened.
"Yeah….duck."
Night Shadow hit the floor, narrowly avoiding a huge sign that knocked off the rest of the androids off the truck. Moments later, the vehicle emerged from the tunnel, coming back into view of the escort jets and allies in the sky.
"Night Shadow, you don't have much more time. Canterlot is just over this horizon." Summers said over the intercom.
The red unicorn looked ahead, seeing the bright lights of the capital city coming into view. Time was of the essence.
"Fireball, sever the link connecting the truck with the trailers. If we can't stop the truck then maybe we can improvise."
"Just do your part." The filly said before taking off into the sky with her jetpack.
Night Shadow looked shocked before he rolled his eyes.
"Why does she get a jetpack."
Night Shadow made his way to the very front of the truck, trying to find a weakness as he looked around. He noticed Zenith in the corner of his eye, taking care of a group of ponies before jumping to another combat jeep and doing the same thing.
"Zenith, I need help here!" Night Shadow called.
"I'm a bit busy here, as you can tell." He said, impaling several androids with his spear.
"Give me a weapon, anything, it doesn't matter."
"And what happened to your own?" Zenith asked, struggling with more machines.
"Not right now, Zen. I need your help."
Zenith stabbed his spear into one of the ponies hooves before kicking his weapon towards Night Shadow with a spin.
"PRESS B TO GRAB!"
"Press what to wha-
The gun hit Night Shadow across the face before falling of the truck and onto the road, lost forever.
"QUICK TIME EVENT FAILED!"
"...are you…..ARE YOU SERIOUS RIGHT NOW!"
What.
"A quick time event. Really! How long did it take to come up with that."
Uhhhhh….let me see…..I went to the bathroom….I did that….six point two seconds.
"WHY DID YOU DO THAT!"
Emersion….or some bull#( # like that.
"Emersion! I'M FIGHTING FOR MY LIFE HERE!"
Ohhhh noooo….Night Shadow is in danger….it's not like that happens often. I'm just trying out new things, calm down.
"Trying new…..and you decide to do them now?!" Night Shadow screamed.
Yeah, I realise that was stupid. Let me fix this. In the meantime, you might want to turn around.
"Turn arou…..oh….."
Night Shadow was face to face with a six foot tall pony android, holding a glowing red katana in his hooves.
"You're caused a lot of trouble, little pony. Someone should put you in your place." The android said angrily.
Night Shadow tried to move but realised he was stuck in place.
"Why can't I move?!" He yelled in panic.
Uhhhh….yeah….that quick time event stuff. It's kinda taken over your movement for the moment."
"...It can't end like this….."
Look, don't panic, I'm sure this guy is total amature.
"I have been programed with the knowledge of the greatests swordsmen of all time." The android declared.
Maybe he's bluffing?
"Androids cannot lie, little soldier. It's over for you." The machine stated.
You know what, scratch that….panic to your hearts content.
"HELP ME DAMNIT!" Night Shadow pleaded.
I'm trying, give me a moment.
"WELL HURRY UP!"
Look down.
"LOOK DOWN, WHAT ARE YOU-
DO IT.
Night Shadow looked down, suddenly feeling his entire body hit the floor just before the android slashed off his head. Without much thought, he looked left and rolled around the mechanical beast before abruptly standing up again.
"What's going on?"
One minute, just last one minute.
"HOW!"
With your head.
"You owe me big time!"
Night Shadow dodged to the right as the droid lashed down at him, forcing him to slash into the tough metal of the truck with ease.
"So that's how I stop it." Night Shadow whispered.
The android turned around and slashed horizontally, missing to Night Shadow's duck and weave tactics. The more Night Shadow dodged, the fasted the machine seemed to get.
"I can't keep dodging forever you know."
Thirty seconds.
"I need a form of attack."
You think this is easy?
"Do you think THIS is easy?!"
"HOLD STILL!" The machine screamed, charging up the sword for an attack.
He swung forward, unleashing a wave of red energy from his blade. Night Shadow looked up as fast as he could, launching himself into the air. He hit the floor and rolled underneath the pony, dodging yet another attack. When he rolled to try to get up, the android punted Night Shadow in the gut, forcing him to slide across the truck.
He managed to stop himself just before reaching the edge, but now his entire movements were jammed. He couldn't move at all.
"I thought we fixed this problem!" Night Shadow yelled.
The android dragged his blade on the ground as he inched towards the downed unicorn, waiting to finish him off.
"It's over for you." The android declared wickedly.
"Can you say anymore cliche villain lines, yeah, that would be great." Night Shadow said bluntly.
You're out of time, Night Shadow. You need to use your powers.
"What, no. That will blow my cover."
It's the only way you can break the power of quick time events, Night Shadow. You're our only hope.
"Man….you've really run out of ideas, haven't you."
The android stood over Night Shadow before angling his blade to kill. With a flash of light, Night Shadow glew bright purple before spinning around and kicking the machine back to square one. With the machine dazed, Night Shadow stood up and brushed his hair out of his eyes.
"Insert epic but overused quote here." Night Shadow whispered.
The machine dashed forward and slashed his blade multiple times at the unicorn, missing as Night Shadow dodged his attacks with ease. Then, in a single moment, Night Shadow punched the machine in the chest, sending him skidding across the truck once again. The red unicorn then appeared before the android and unleashed a flurry of punches. With a strong uppercut, he knocked the machine into the air only for him to be pulled back down to the ground by his tail.
The droid attempted to fight back with an attack of his own as he lunged forward to impale the unicorn. He was successful…..if he intended for the attack to be reversed on him at the last moment. With the sword deeply plunged into the machine and with Night Shadow's back facing towards him, anyone could guess the next move. Night Shadow twisted the sword slightly before ripping it out and slashing exactly three times, ending up behind the android as it remained completely still.
"Three….two….one…."
The android fell to the floor as it split into three pieces, leaking out oil and short circuiting.
"Well wrap me up in water and throw me into a lake of kittens." Night Shadow said, turning to look at the machine. "I was expecting an explo-
The machine abruptly exploded in front of Night Shadow, forcing his heart to play a drum solo for a heavy metal band.
"OK, NEVERMIND THEN!"
Night Shadow held the sword tightly and jumped down to the truck's link. With a single slash, he separated the trailer from the vehicle and then teleported several thousand feet before the speeding armored truck. He held his hooves out, waiting to stop the truck with force. Meanwhile, the android driving the vehicle took it as a challenged and speed forward, intending to run over the unicorn. It was the ultimate game of chicken….or just stupidity. Regardless, right before the truck hit Night Shadow, it instead hit an invisible pillar of magic Night Shadow clearly summoned up before him and forced the android to fly out of the truck. Night Shadow casually swung the sword like a baseball bat and sliced the machine in two.
"Ok, what did you expect to happen. I mean, come on. I teleported in front of you and just stood there. Yeah, gonna totally stop it with my hooves, I'm so powerful." Night Shadow said with sarcasm.
This is the kind of attitude that gives OC's a bad name...you know that right?
"Oh give me a break. At least I don't cry about getting little to no views on my fanfic page."
Hey that was…...shutup….
"Just narrate and do your job."
Fine…..A$$%#^ ...*cough*...As the fight came to a close, the ship landed to the side of the road. Summers walked out of the ship and fell to the floor, completely exhausted.
"You have no idea how stressful it is to dodge missiles." Summers said, looking up to Night Shadow.
"We can rest as soon as we find who we came for." Night Shadow said to her.
"Did you see me?! Did you see me up there?!" Pinkie shouted, jumping around. "I was all like, BAM, BAM, BAM, and they were all like, BOOM, POW, ZAP! Explosions everywhere!" She shouted joyfully.
"Yeah, you did good and WHAT ARE YOU DOING OUTSIDE OF THE SHIP?!" Night Shadow yelled, freaking out!
He then noticed crowds of ponies gathering around the scene and glaring at Pinkie with shock and disbelief.
"HI EVERYONE, MY NAME'S-
She was cut off as Night Shadow shoved his hoof into her mouth.
"GENERIC PINK PONY!" Night Shadow screamed. "TOTALLY NORMAL AND NOT SOMEONE IMPORTANT AT ALL!"
Night Shadow released his hoof and looked into Pinkie's eyes.
"What are you doing….I told you to never leave the ship….everyone's supposed to think you're dead."
"But being dead is boring!"
"SHHHH!"
"Ooo, is this the shooshing game?"
"No, it's not the shooshing game. It's the game of hide and seek."
"But I want to play something else."
"Pinkie….please…..this is serious." Night Shadow whispered softly.
Night Shadow didn't know how, but he felt as if Pinkie understood what he meant.
"Wait back on the ship, this won't take long."
"...Ok."
Pinkie vanished in a pink blur as Night Shadow sighed heavily.
"Is she just stupid or something?" Imago asked.
"She's not stupid, just very innocent. There's a difference." Night Shadow said, walking over to one of the trailers "We shouldn't take that away from her."
He slashed open the doors, revealing hundreds of ponies compact into the confines of the trailer. He asked them all to walk out in a single file so that he could release them one by one. Even after they were all freed, he still couldn't find the one he was looking for.
"Looks like we're going to have to keep looking. She's not here." Night Shadow announced.
"Hey, you might want to look at this." Foxx said with concern, appearing on top of one of the trailers.
Night Shadow walked over to it and slashed open the door. Once light shined inside of the trailer, he dropped the sword in fear.
"...So this is what they were protecting…."
What they all stared at was a massive missile, hidden away from the eyes of the public.
"Is that what I think it is?" Summers asked.
"Sadly yes….it's a nuclear missile." Foxx replied, jumping down to the ground.
"Wait, you know about this stuff?" Night Shadow asked.
"Of course we do, it's our job." Foxx said.
"JOB?!" Night Shadow asked, confused.
"Did you really think Lighting Dust was just doing a scouting mission when you found her out there?" Imago asked.
"SHE DIDN'T TELL ME ANYTHING!"
"That's because it would cause too much panic, same thing with the elements of harmony. The world isn't ready to know." Summers said.
"But you understand what this means, right." Foxx said.
"This means they almost doubled...if not tripled their range." Fireball stated.
"That, and now they're more accurate. Death Fire's advancing in technology to fast to wait another year. We need to get this information to commander Trixie."
"Not without the elements." Night Shadow stated.
"We don't have time anymore. This is more urgent."
"We have only two more to find, we can't just abandon the others."
"How do you even know they're alive."
"Because if Lighting is a good as you say she is, then she did her job. It's time to fulfill our part."
Foxx looked away and sighed deeply, closing his eyes.
"You better be right about this." He said as he reopened his eyes to pry open a latch on the missile.
"What are you doing?" Night Shadow asked.
"Removing the core so that it can't be used. Disarming it won't be enough."
"Is it that simple?"
"There's more to it than just that….but once I have it, it should be simple enou-
As soon as he opened the hatch, a large, dark blue pony fell out from the inside of the missile, unconscious. If the squad wasn't shocked and speechless before, they certainly were now.
"That…might be a problem." Pinkie said over their shoulders.
"Focus your power on one target at a time, don't let them divide your attention." Trixie said from the sidelines.
"You make it sound easy." Twilight replied, being under stress.
The two ponies were outside in a wide open field of grass and trees, unaffected by the harshness of neverending winter or lack of sun. Trixie watched as Twilight fended off multiple ponies she personally picked to help Twilight train in melee combat. Twilight was making progress, but not as fast as she would have thought.
"You're being too soft with your attacks. How are you going to fight the real thing if you can't even give someone a bruise."
"Give me a break, Trixie! I'm doing my best!" Twilight yelled, turning to look at her.
By taking her eyes off the fighters, she was punched across the face by one of the guards. The guard's face turned white as he backed up in terror.
"I AM SO SORRY! I DIDN'T MEAN TO-
"Soldier, you have no need to apologize." Trixie stated. "It's not your fault your opponent took her eyes off the battle."
Twilight rubbed her cheek in pain as the trainers stood around her awkwardly. Trixie sighed softly before walking over to Twilight, staring down at her with slight disappointment.
"Are you even trying to fight back, Twilight? The whole point of training is to get better, yet you seem to have no intention of throwing a single punch."
"I'm trying to not get hit, Trixie. It's hard to hit someone when there's twenty stallions trying to hit you at once. I've told you before, it just doesn't feel right to me to hit someone."
"Are you saying it's to hard?"
"Yes!" Twilight abruptly said. "Twenty, fully trained soldiers against one clumsy unicorn. How is that fair again?"
"I'm sure you are more than capable of handling yourself."
"Yes, with magic, not with my hooves. I can do and perform many tasks with magic, but when you ask me to fight without it, it's like asking me to swim without my body."
"And that's a problem we are trying to fix."
"Swimming?" Twilight asked, confused.
"No, your dependance on magic. It's a crutch for unicorns that if not corrected could lead to their downfall."
"You don't understand Trixie, I need magic to fight." Twilight declared. "I'm useless without it."
"You need magic because you have never known a world without it." Trixie stated. "You, as Celestia's former student, never knew what it was like to live without it day after day, year after year. You grew up in a perfect home, with a family that cared for you. You could have asked for anything and it was yours. I however, along with many others, had to fight and struggle to achieve what we earned. In short, Twilight….you were blessed….but it has made you weak."
"So I'm weak because I use magic?" Twilight asked. "But you use it all the time, Trixie. What determines what makes a pony weak or not. Is it a stated fact or just a bias opinion."
"I wouldn't sit here and tell you this if there was no truth behind my words." Trixie said to her calmly. "But let me ask you this. Do you really think Celestia and Luna were born with their power, or do you think they earned it through tests and trials."
Twilight stood to her hooves and thought about the question.
"I never honestly asked….I just accepted them for who they were."
"Or how about Night Shadow, Starswirl, and countless others. Do you think they were just handed their abilities without sacrifice? Many of the threats we face now are as powerful as they are because they struggled their entire life to get that far. And then there's you...someone that was just born with it."
"You act like I'm a horrible person, Trixie. I didn't intend for any of this to happen."
"I'm not blaming you for anything. I'm simply asking you to open your eyes to what is before you. The only way you will be able to master this lesson is when you finally understand what it's like to be like them, to be in their hooves."
"But how is that even possible?" Twilight asked.
"Because I'm about to tell you what I felt all those years ago…"
Trixie slid across the floor of the throne room and crashed into the wall roughly, forcing her to gasp out in pain.
"Trixie can't….take it anymore…." She said weakly.
"You can't give up so easily, Trixie. Learn to feed of your pain and emotions." Dark Fire stated, gesturing her to stand back on her hooves.
Trixie slowly stood back up, panting softly as she stared into Dark Fire's eyes.
"Now fight." Dark Fire ordered.
The blue unicorn charged forward and attacked with all her strength, swinging punches left and right. Meanwhile, Dark Fire was blocking the attacks with just one hoof, admiring the ferocity Trixie showed before ducking under one of the attack and tripping her into the air. With a swift kick, Dark Fire smashed Trixie right into the wall, forcing it to crack and shatter from the force.
"You can do better than this, Trixie." Dark Fire said, attempting to encourage her.
Trixie slid down the wall and collapsed onto the floor, face first. She felt like every bone in her body was shattered from the last attack. Despite this, she stood back up as he legs ached in pain. She slowly walked up to Dark Fire and stood there for a brief moment before swinging a quick punch. It would have made contact with Dark Fire's jaw if it wasn't for him blocking by simply lifting up his foreleg.
"Is this seriously all you got?" Dark Fire asked in a calm, yet terrifying manner.
Trixie tried to respond, but all that she could muster was heavy panting and breathing. Dark Fire closed his eyes, whispering what sounded like an apology before he grabbed Trixie by her hair and forced his knee into her stomach. The mare remained motionless for over several seconds before she spat out blood onto the floor with a loud cry. Dark Fire retracted his knee, allowing gravity to take Trixie's body just before his hoof made contact with her back, slamming her into the ground. The black unicorn reopened his eyes, looking down at the broken mare.
"I guess the rest of the world was right about….you're pathetic and a fraud….and you will never be able to defeat Twilight."
Dark Fire heard the small whimpering of Trixie reach his ears as she shook in place, feeling defeated.
"I do not have time to deal with worthless ponies such as yourself….now leave this place, and never return."
Dark Fire turned to leave the room, walking away from the scene and to the door. Just as he reached the exit and put his hoof on the door, he heard an electrical spark out of the corner of his ears.
"Now let it sink in….and release..." Dark Fire whispered with a smile.
He turned to see Trixie standing up before him, brightly glowing with blue energy as electrical pulses flowed out from her body.
"I….am not….WORTHLESS!" Trixie screamed out.
Just then, she stood up to her hooves and cried out into the sky, summoning everything she had with a huge burst of light and power. Dark Fire had to look away because of it's intensity, but smiled with pride nonetheless.
"Trixie! You're done it! You're finally released your hidden power!" Dark Fire shouted with joy.
Trixie slammed her hooves forward, summoning a huge ball of energy before her.
"...Oh *#* "
"CHEW ON THIS, YOU ARROGANT PUNK!" Trixie screamed out in rage.
She fired the energy ball right at Dark Fire, forcing the black unicorn to act quickly and block with his hooves. Once the ball made contact, the force of the impact alone blasted away everything behind Dark Fire before erupting in a violent explosion. Dark Fire's forelegs twitched violently from the stinging the blast left behind. Right when he tried to shake off the pain, Trixie practically appeared before Dark Fire and punched him across the face, launching him through several walls of solid concrete. Dark Fire quickly got back up to his hooves and shook the dust off his head.
"For a mare….she can hit pretty hard..." He said, attempting to rub away the pain from his cheek. "I'm actually impressed." He complimented.
Dark Fire teleported before Trixie, taking on a more serious look and tone.
"That's enough Trixie, stand down before you hurt someone."
"I'M GOING TO SHOVE THAT HORN RIGHT UP YOUR FLANK HOLE!"
"...can you at least take me out to dinner first…."
Dark Fire quickly ducked under Trixie's hoof before she could punch him again and jabbed the mare several times in the stomach and chest. What was suppose to be a move that would have knocked her unconscious turned out to have absolutely no effect whatsoever. Dark Fire was left completely surprised just before karma stuck. He was grabbed by his hair and then shoved right into Trixie's knee, making his eyes bulge out of his face.
"Ok….I deserved that….." Dark Fire moaned in pain. "But I can't let you continue your rampage."
With that said, Dark Fire threw Trixie off of him and quickly charged up to full power before her eyes. Trixie, unfazed by reality at this point, stared right into Dark Fire's eyes before summoning everything she had for one massive attack.
"Don't make me do this, Trixie!" Dark Fire warned.
"I'VE LOST EVERYTHING BECAUSE OF TWILIGHT! MY FAMILY, MY HOME, MY HOPES TO EVER CHANGE! YET I STILL STAND BEFORE YOU! I CONTINUE TO STAND BACK UP NO MATTER WHAT THEY'VE DONE! AND YOU CAN'T TAKE THAT AWAY FROM ME!"
Right before Trixie fired, Dark Fire dashed before her and redirected her hooves to the sky. Once she fired the massive blast of power, the dark unicorn spun around and chopped Trixie's neck in a blink of an eye. Trixie shook softly before her aura faded from her body. But just before she hit the ground, Dark Fire caught her in his hooves and hugged her tightly.
"And that is why I love you….." He softly whispered as the energy blast from Trixie slowly vanished in the night sky.
"That was the day I learned how to use energy, the day I unlocked my hidden power." Trixie recalled. "But what stuck with me the most was the pain I felt from his words."
"But you know he didn't mean it. He did that so you would look within yourself and see the truth. He wanted you to reject his word so you would come out stronger." Twilight informed her.
"Even if he never meant it, he had no idea how right he was….." Trixie said with sadness. "It tore me apart on the inside to know what everyone thought, what everyone believed. I wanted to just lay there and cry….knowing I was just a waste of space and everyone's time. But for some reason, I stood back up even though I had nothing left to give."
"So what am I suppose to get from this, Trixie?" Twilight asked softly.
"I was born with nothing, Twilight. You had the entire world in your hooves. Me, Desolent, and Night Shadow all started with nothing, we lived with nothing, and we ended up with nothing. What this means is that the only way you will be able to truly unlock your potential, to truly know what it means to lose everything and come back stronger than ever….you have to endure the pain of true loss."
"But how does that make any sense, Trixie?" Twilight asked, standing up to her hooves. "I lost everything to, you know. My family, my home, my friends, my loved ones. I blamed myself for causing the war, the death of millions of innocent lives….and you're telling me that's not enough?"
"That's because your spirit hasn't been broken, your hope hasn't been shattered. You have the willpower to move mountains, Twilight. Even though that has made you strong over the years, it's just not enough to defeat Death Fire."
"So what am I suppose to do, Trixie? Believe there's no hope?! How in the world is that going to work?!"
"I don't know, Twilight. I'm simply telling you what I know."
"But what you're telling me is that I'm not strong enough to face Death Fire or his army without it. I just don't get it. One moment you're telling me I can't rely on magic, the next your telling me to give up on everything. What do you want me to do!"
"I DON'T KNOW!" Trixie abruptly screamed out. "I just…...don't know…."
Several days later….
Night Shadow paced around in the grass, concerned and generally worried as he walked around in the red moonlight.
"She hasn't moved since we found her….I doubt she will even wake up."
"But she's still breathing, there's still a chance."
"Her will and soul are broken, she has nothing to keep her going."
"And you can tell that just from looking at her?"
"Can you not sense or feel it from her."
"How long ago did it happen?"
"Months….maybe even years…."
"She's been through alot in the last thousand of years." Night Shadow commented with his back turned. "Yet she always pulled through with her resilience and strength."
Night Shadow turned to walk over to the unconscious pony, placing his hoof on her head and feeling chills run through his body.
"But to see her like this….so….broken….I never thought anyone could do it, not even Death Fire could."
"Until now I suppose." Summers said softly.
"But the question remains….if she's already been broken, why didn't Death Fire dispose of her?" Imago asked.
"Death Fire must want more than just revenge now." Night Shadow said with worry.
"This is why we have to report back now rather than sitting around for something to happen." Foxx said, sharpening his hook. "We don't have any more time left."
"You seemed to have forgotten the whole point of coming here." Night Shadow argued. "Look at who we found, what we've discovered. If we back out now we will leave everything behind."
"You have to guarantee they are alive!"
"Quiet, both of you!" Fireball shouted. "Foxx, you might be right, but our mission is to rescue the elements of harmony. What's your excuse going to be when we return with three bearers of harmony and an unconscious alicorn!"
"My excuse?" Foxx asked with a laugh. "We found machines that can not only talk, but look and act the same as us, photographs of critical bases and defenses scattered around Equestria, prototypes and schematics of new tech they are currently working on, and the stockpile of nuclear warheads with increased range and destructive capabilities. Oh, and lets not forget the other thing I just found."
Fox stood up and pulled back a massive branch from the tree before them. Everyones eyes lit up with shock as they witnessed hundreds upon hundreds of factories miles away from their location.
"Factories every square meter."
"So what's so important about factories, we've seen plenty before." Night Shadow commented.
"What's so important, you ask….What's….so….important...how about the mass production of mechanical ponies by the thousands, does that seem important enough to you!" Foxx yelled in rage.
"Calm down before you give away our position!"
"Calm down! CALM DOWN!" Foxx screamed. "You have no right to tell me what to do! No say in what my choices should be!"
"What's your problem? You know what was asked of us, yet you act like our mission is-"
"Our mission?! You mean your mission, Night Shadow, because this entire mission has centered around you and you only!"
"They are the elements of harmony, Foxx! They are the saviors of the world and we have to do everything in our power to save them!"
"All you care about is yourself and your friends! Did you ever think about everyone else that was effected, everyone that you put in danger for something that might not even exist!"
"What we're doing is for the world! You're the only one too stubborn to see it!"
"Where were you when I needed help! Where where you when I cried out for my friends and family to be saved!" Foxx shouted with more rage.
"We've all lost something to this war, you can't act like you are the only one that suffers!"
"It's easy for you to say, considering you and your elements were never there for us to begin with! While you and your friends hid away from the world, we were busy suffering and dying from their mistakes! YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT IT'S LIKE TO LOSE EVERYTHING YOU'VE EVER LOVED!"
"I KNOW EXACTLY WHAT IT'S LIKE!" Night Shadow said with rising anger.
"No you don't, Night Shadow….that's the sad truth isn't it. You act like you're there for the rest of us, yet you don't understand what we all went through."
Foxx pointed to Imago before he began to speak his mind.
"He lost his home and failed to protect the queen for Death Fire's wrath."
He then pointed to Angle.
"Watched as his nation burned around him as he tried to protect the cowards that you try to save today."
He then looked over to Summers.
"Was pinned to the ground and ravaged by the same stallion that murdered her mother."
Foxx walked over to Fireball and placed his paw on her shoulder.
"Heard the screams of her family burning alive as she ran for her life."
With one final gesture, he pointed to himself as he looked into Night Shadow's eyes.
"And I had the front row seat of my son's skull crushed underneath Death Fire's hoof while he laughed at my face and hung my wife from a tree!" Foxx yelled as his eyes filled with tears. "So now, every time I have to look at your stupid face, all I see is him….laughing at my neverending sorrow…."
Night Shadow had nothing to say as he looked down to the ground in shame.
"I'm….sorry…."
"Don't be….it's not like they mattered to you anyways." Foxx said before walking away from the scene and vanishing through the thick vegetation without another word.
The rest remained silent, having nothing to say after the argument they witnessed. Summers was the first to try as she walked to Night Shadow and placed her hoof on his shoulder.
"It's not your fault..."
"Don't talk to me." Night Shadow whispered, shrugging off her hoof. "He has every right to hate me, just like everyone else."
"Don't say that about yourself."
"And why not? You heard him loud and clear! If it wasn't for my stupid mistakes none of you would be here now!"
"Night Shadow…."
"I've always been blamed for everything, but it still hurts to know it's my fault and that I can't do anything about it!"
"What would Twilight tell you if she was here now?"
"TO LEAVE ME ALONE!" Night Shadow abruptly yelled as he turned his back on her.
Summers reached out to try again, but stopped midway and placed her hoof back onto the ground. She turned to the others with remorse and signalled them to move to another spot to give him space. They slowly packed up their things and disappeared into the woods, leaving Night Shadow alone with his thoughts.
"You can't blame yourself for everything." Light Shade commented as a ghostly image formed before him.
"You of all ponies should know why I do."
"I don't understand why you continue to do this to yourself even after all the good you have done."
"Like what….and what good has my life been for anyone anyways?" Night Shadow asked. "My existence has caused nothing but pain and misery for everyone around me. I was trained to ruin lives, to destroy homes and families...it's all i've ever done even when I try my best to prevent it."
"You are blaming yourself for what Death Fire has done and what Herus brainwashed you to do, not the actions you have taken."
"And who was responsible for giving life to such a monster, Light Shade? Who was too naive to question their morals and orders. It's like you live in a world where everything isn't my fault."
"Because it isn't, Night Shadow." Light Shade stated strongly. "You want to tell me that you didn't try to fight for your freedom, that you didn't stand up against Death Fire's control."
"I did….but I failed. I was to weak to defeat him….that is why I blame myself."
"Rather than blaming yourself, you need to take up responsibility and ask yourself what you can do for today rather than yesterday."
"But if it wasn't for me, he would have never been created in the first place."
"You can't go through life wishing things were different. You are here now for a reason, don't deny your purpose. You are not worthless no matter what anyone says, you are loved by many. Even though you were not there for them before or were too weak to stop him before, it is what you do today that will count towards tomorrow."
"And you think I haven't tried that?" Night Shadow asked in sorrow. "My friends, loved ones….all dead because of me."
"They died defending what they believed in, fighting for the ones they loved, not because of your mistakes. This isn't what they wanted for you, they didn't want you to fall into never ending depression. They wanted you to live on, to live a life free from control and sorrow. You, along with Twilight, are the last ones to stand in Death Fire's way, standing in the way of eternal darkness. You are doing exactly what he wants you to do….break free…and realize who you truly are, not who they want you to be."
Light Shade vanished away in the wind, leaving Night Shadow alone with his message. He wiped away his tears and smiled softly.
"Thank you….for believing in me…."
An hour later, he caught up with the rest of his squad and sat them down around a fire, giving them a complete breakdown on how they would extract the element bearor. Summers and the others, throughout the briefing, noticed something different within him. For the first time, he seemed to be confident in himself, almost proud. A weight and burden, lifted off of his shoulders after so many years of blame and misfortune. They were here to make a difference...and no one was going to stop them from finishing their fight.
"What's the latest report?" A pony said behind a desk.
"Production is fine and the slaves are doing their part on the fields, nothing out of the ordinary." A messenger pony informed.
"Are you sure, we've been getting reports of terrorist attacks within the countries borders. You can bet they will attack here."
"A slave encampment? What for?"
"They help work the factories along the plans of Appleloosa, what else would they come here for."
"With all due respect, they would just attack the factories and not the encampment. Why waste their time here."
"They're too well defended, releasing the slaves that work there would be more devastating." The pony informed.
The messenger rolled his eyes as he placed letter onto the slave master's desk.
"I think you're just paranoid. What are the chances they will attack this particular site and not anything else? There are more encampments, you know."
"Because I'm here you moron. They think I'm a high priority target."
"Yeah….because a random slave master with no name is going to be a target for them…." The messenger said with sarcasm.
The slave master grabbed the messenger and slammed him on the desk, getting in his face.
"Listen you smart mouthing messenger boy, I don't pay you to talk back to me. So unless you want an early retirement, I suggest you shut your mouth and treat me with respect."
"But….ummm….what about-
"Speak another word without my permission and I'll put you on the fields myself! You got that!"
"But, sir-
"Not another word!" The master screamed.
"Wow….looks like the interrogation started without me." Summers said to herself.
The pony turned around to see the yellow mare standing there casually, staring at him.
"And who the hel-
Summers leaped forward and punched the slave master over the desk, forcing him to roll and hit the wall with a huge thud.
"I always wanted to do this." Summers said happily, taking out a massive side arm.
"SEE, I WAS RIGHT, THEY ARE COMING FOR ME!" The slave master screamed.
Summers then stopped, confused.
"Wha….what are you talking about…."
"You're here to capture me, aren't you?" The pony asked with a grin. "Well good luck, I've been trained to resist torture and interr-
"Oh will you quit acting like you're the most important pony in the world!" The messenger shouted.
"Why you arrogante, son of a-
"OK, BOTH OF YOU BE QUITE!" Summers yelled. "What the heck you talking about?!"
"This idiot thinks you're here to capture him because he thinks he's so important to you guys." The messenger said, pointing to the slave master.
"And this fool wouldn't know high priority even if it slapped him across the face!" The master shouted.
"I can't believe I worked this long for you! You're a complete egotistical narcissist."
"You're only worked for me for two days and then asked for a raise! Tell me who's the bad guy again?"
"You made me travel over a hundred miles just to get you milk and bread, which was already expired by the way!"
"If you had got here sooner it wouldn't have been."
As they continued to argue, summers eye's twitched in annoyance.
"Did you find out where the element is?" Imago asked.
"Remind me to never do another interrogation mission." Summers replied.
"So you don't have the identity?"
"No….the guy I was suppose to integrate is arguing with another guy like they're a married couple."
"Ohhhh….yeah, that happens from time to time."
"This has happened before?!" Summers asked in shock.
"It's...well….it's what I get for disguising as a mare's husband who forgot her anniversary."
"Ouch…."
She continued to watch the ever increasing argument get out of hand.
"Are they still arguing?" Imago asked.
"Yeah…"
"Just….shoot one of them."
"Are you joking?!" Summers asked.
"It's how I solved the previous situation."
"YOU SHOT A STALLIONS WIFE WHILE BEING DISGUISED AS HIM?!"
"No, of course not."
"Oh thank Celestia…."
"I used a tranquiliser after I punched her face."
"..."
"What?"
"Never go out with me, ok."
"Figures."
Summers loaded a tranquil dart into her gun and pointed it at the messenger pony.
"You sure this will work?"
"Quite being a pansy and man up already." Imago yelled.
"...I'm a girl." Summers deadpanned.
"Fine, take your time, it's not like Night Shadow and Foxx are distracting a massive security force or anything."
"...*sigh*..."
Summers casually shot the messenger pony in the shoulder with as much enthusiasm she could muster, completely disappointed with how her mission turned out. The pony was out and on the floor within a few seconds, leaving the target by himself.
"It's about time you shut him up." The slave master said a grin. "That was getting annoying."
"Oh for the love of…."
Summers grabbed the pony by the neck and forced him into a wall.
"I'm not normally violent and I try not to be mean...but I have limits man."
"Do what you want, I will never go quietly." The pony said with confidence.
"I'm not here to capture you…..I'm here for questions."
Summers took out photo of a mare and practically shoved it in his face.
"Where is this mare and where are you keeping her?"
The slave master suddenly became confused.
"Wait...why do you want her. She's not important as me."
"That's not the point, you blockhead. Are you housing this mare or not?"
"Why do you care so much for a simple slave, I'm clearly better than her."
"I don't care, answer the question."
"Well I'm not going to care unless you care that I don't care about that mare."
"Oh my #*$#&$# Celestia, just answer the question!"
"Why should I?"
"Because I have a GUN pointed at your HEAD!"
"Yeah, so." The stallion said, as if he wasn't in danger to begin with. "You need me alive, I have diplomatic immunity."
"One, I'm not after you. Two, that's not how diplomatic immunity works!" Summers said, starting to lose her cool.
"Ok then, then let me ask you something." The stallion began. "If you're trying to capture me, then what are you here for?"
It was at this time Summers completely lost it and punched the pony right between his legs. Needless to say, Summers wasn't the only mare in the room anymore.
"I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THIS #*&!#!(&*^%&^*%$# ^%$^&**(&^%$&^&*(!*& ^%!^(*( #)*#*)!&#(#&!*&%!^%$#^%!(& # &#!*&^^#!&#%&!^%$& %#!#^*!&&#(!* &# #& #^%!&$^#%^(* *#^!* ^#(! (&^! &*#^!*%#&!% &#^%! #*&%#^!&^#!^# (!& #(^!* #%#*^%#&*%! &%!"
The stallion was rolling on the floor in agony as she continued to curse to the heavens.
Meanwhile….
"Why did you agree to do this?" Foxx asked, looking at Night Shadow.
"This was mainly for you." Night Shadow replied, holding a bomb in his hooves. "You need this."
"Even after what I said...you went out of your way to help me….why?"
"We all make mistakes, you deserve to fix yours."
Night Shadow dropped down from the rafters, quickly followed by Foxx before they dashed towards a door and kicked it open.
"NOBODY MOVE!" Night Shadow shouted, pointing his rifle at multiple ponies working inside the factory.
All the ponies quickly jumped in fear as they immediately stopped what they were doing.
"Against the walls, now!"
As they moved towards the walls, Night Shadow tossed Foxx the bomb he was carrying. The fox caught it in his mouth and walked towards a huge reactor in the center of the room. After looking at it for several seconds, he spat the bomb into his paw and placed it on the reactor, arming one of dozens of other charges throughout the massive factory complex.
"Intruders in the base! Intruders in the base! Kill on sight, I repeat, KILL. ON. SIGHT!" An intercom announced above their heads.
"THEY'RE IN HERE!" A soldier shouted from the entrance.
Night Shadow spun around and shot the soldier in the chest with a stun round, paralyzing the stallion as he hit the floor.
"Arm that bomb, I'll delay them as long as I can." Night Shadow shouted, jumping over a railing.
He reloaded his rifle and planted himself at the entrance of the room, holding his rifle rambo style. It wasn't long before multiple guards started to flood the hallways along with their android counterparts, taking no time at all to fire upon the unicorn. Night Shadow fired back as he tried to determine which pony was actually real or fake, casting an X ray spell in his left eye to help out his determinations.
After narrowing down and incapacitating all the living ponies with his rifle, he removed his handicap and quickly loaded in his armor piercing rounds along with increasing his strength. Once the machines got close, Night Shadow casted a magmatism spell that launched all the machines away from him and began to fire as he walked forward, pushing the enemies back. Unknowingly to him, by doing this he let some of the machines through, giving them an easy shot at Foxx who was still arming the bomb.
By sheer luck, the machine that shot first had his targeting computer damaged from the recent attack from Night Shadow, forcing him to aim slightly to the left and just barely miss Foxx's head. He quickly jumped behind cover and shot back with his sidearm, taking out the android with the broken computer. The other five would not be so easy. They continued to suppress fire, forcing him to stay behind cover in fear of being shot as they moved forward, attempting to intimidate the fox into submission.
Foxx reloaded his heavy caliber pistol, examined his hook blade that took the place of his left paw and took a deep breath. Once one of the androids got too close, he leaped out and sunk his hook into the machines neck, pulling him behind cover before blasting the droid three times in the skull. The second one appeared behind him just as Foxx removed the hook from the droid, but just before he fired, Foxx spun around and slapped the gun away from the android. With another spin, he stabbed the droid in the temple with his hook, flipping over his body and ripping it out as he got behind a massive computer. The machine spewed out oil before Foxx blasted it in the head several times, blowing it off it's shoulders.
The machines were now cautious of his strategy and kept their distance, allowing Foxx to reload as they came up with a new plan of approach. Foxx took out what looked like a metal stick and smacked it against the ground, forcing huge spikes to sprout out from the top. As he stood up, he chucked the grenade into one of the androids face and quickly hit the floor. A split second later, a loud click was heard before the entire room shook violently from the explosion. Using the smoke from the blast, he ran forward and emptied out his clip into the next machine, incapacitating it long enough for him to get close and finish the job with his hook attack.
Quickly picking up the android's rifle, he aimed it right at the last machine and fired. Unfortunately for him, the machine used his rifle as a shield and blocked the attack as it dashed forward and smashed Foxx to the wall. Foxx recovered just in time to dodge the android's punch as it sunk it's hoof right through a solid steel wall. He smashed his paw into the androids head, attempting to damage it in someway but to no avail. The machine ruthlessly ripped it's hoof out from the wall and backhanded Foxx to the floor effortlessly. Foxx tried to counter by stabbing his hook into the machines hoof, only for it to chuckle darkly in amusement before lifting up its hoof and crashing it down on Foxx's shoulder.
Foxx felt his bones shatter like glass from the pressure, forcing him to cry out in pain as the machine stared down at him without emotion. The machine then moved his hoof up to his head and slowly applied pressure as if he was trying to squeeze a lemon dry. Foxx continued to cry out in vain, hopping Night Shadow would hear his plea for help as the machine slowly began to kill him. Just when the android heard a loud crack, it was blasted as Night Shadow rushed in, unloading everything he had into the soulless creation. Once the machine fell to the floor, clearly destroyed, Night Shadow ran over to Foxx and threw the rifle to the side.
"No….no, no, no, NO!" Night Shadow screamed, looking around frantically for anything that could help.
"I wouldn't bother if I were you." A voice said before him.
Night Shadow's ears twitched as he looked up to see a yellow pegasus standing right before him with a smirk.
"You…" Night Shadow whispered.
"Surprise." Flash Sentry said, pressing a button on his wrist.
Within seconds, dozens of machines filled the room and surrounded Night Shadow and his downed friend, making sure there was nowhere for them to escape.
"I'm impressed really." Flash began. "Two rogue spies infiltrating my factory, sabotaging everything in sight, attempting to stop what is destined to happen."
Night Shadow chose to remain silent as he held Foxx in his hooves.
"But what did you expect would happen. That you could just waltz in here and do whatever you wanted? That you could get away and not lose something in return?"
Night Shadow continued to remain silent.
"So you're one of the silent type then." Flash said in a more serious tone. "Fine, I'll just cut straight to the point."
Flash motioned behind him with his hoof before a mare was pushed to the floor before him. The ruthless commander grabbed the mare by her mane and shoved his gun into her head.
"This mare remind you of someone?" Flash said with a grin.
This time, Night Shadow couldn't say anything even if he wanted to. Before him, right in front of his eyes, was Applejack being held hostage by Flash Sentry. It didn't make sense to him, she was still in her disguise. How could he have known.
"I have reason to believe this mare is quite important to you and your cause. Perhaps the bearer of the element of honesty and goes by the name of Applejack? Care to elaborate before I lose my patience?"
Night Shadow continued to stare in total disbelief.
"How did you…."
Flash clucked at his reaction.
"I can see that you're confused, so allow me to explain. I knew there was no way we had won so easily after we killed off Celestia and her allies, no way she would have died so boldly if she didn't have a plan up her sleeve. Yet I never found evidence to back up my claims until now. Celestia hid away to real bearers of harmony from our eyes until two particular ponies returned from the past to seek them out once more. Twilight Sparkle….and you….Night Shadow."
Night Shadow's heart stopped when he heard his name. How did he know all of this, how could he see through his disguise and her's?
"Now I know the truth and soon the rest of the world will too. You never died out at sea, the elements of harmony still live, and I'm willing to bet Celestia still lives to this day. I can expose all of this and more….unless you do a simple task."
"I will never work you a traitor like you."
"It's ironic how you said that…..considering you are holding one in your hooves."
Night Shadow's eyes widened in shock.
"How do you think I know all of this, Night Shadow?" Flash taunted.
Night Shadow slowly looked down at Foxx, seeing him unconscious and slowly bleeding out onto the floor.
"Not so hesitant now, are you?" Flash asked.
Night Shadow closed his eyes as he shook with fear and rage.
"Why…." He whispered, trying to hold back.
"My wish is this, Night Shadow. Hand me the detonator to the charges you have placed throughout the factory and I let you walk away. However….if you wish to keep your secrets and save Applejack..." He said, applying pressure to her head with his gun. "You will finish what was already started….and spill his blood...