Hello, fellow readers! Welcome back to Shadows of Harmony Redux! So, what do we have today:
Duskbrony94: I'm glad you're enjoying it, my friend! Here's more!
Thanks for the feedback! With that said, let's continue!
Chapter 4: Great and Powerful
"Huh? Is that..."
The hedgehog duo were traveling back through the plains, as it was faster for them to travel on feet than taking a train, when they were passing by the Everfree Forest. They saw a familiar unicorn going to the entrance of it, soon slowing down upon approaching her:
"Yo, Twilight!" Sonic greets, "What brings you out here?"
"Uh, that's quite the question." She admits, "Long story short, Trixie somehow made her magic stronger and banished me from Ponyville after winning our magic duel!"
The two were concerned, but kinda confused. Shadow mentally congrats his gut feeling before pointing out a certain detail:
"And this Trixie is..."
"Oh. She's a traveling magician that has us deal with some trouble a while ago. Now she's back with some amulet and is causing problems in Ponyville as we speak!"
"Then let's get going!" Sonic said before being stopped by Shadow, "Huh?"
"You heard her. Whatever this amulet is can enhance that unicorn's magic." The latter mentions, "If we could, I rather find any info to help us combat it."
"I was heading here to see if Zecora can help." Twilight points out, "She's another friend we made back when I first moved to Ponyville."
Sonic sees that the two were on the same page, so he decides to go along with it. "All right, lead the way."
The trio went inside the Everfree Forest, eventually reaching a tree hut and meeting up with a zebra named Zecora. She was interesting not only by her unique decor and design, but also in the way she spoke. If she wrote poems or haikus, the hedgehogs wouldn't be surprised in the slightest.
The zebra sits with a drink as she spoke, "Your tale of woe upsets me so..." She then takes a sip before finishing, "No wonder you're dour, it's an abuse of power."
"I don't know what to do, Zecora. I know I can't take her on, horn to horn." Twilight admits.
"It may be true you lack the power, but what about your friends here at this hour?"
She briefly turns to the hedgehogs before sighing, "It's more than that. I don't recall seeing an amulet that the one Trixie's using."
"Hmm... tell me, young pony. Did this amulet glow red in the eyes of the phony?"
"...Yes! Yes it did! Have you heard of it?"
"I've heard of such a tale. One where a pony grew power on a greater scale. The power he wielded reeks of corruption, leaving a trail of heavy destruction."
"Corruption?" Twilight repeats, "An amulet with corrupted power... power that corrupts the user... that's it!"
"You remember?" Shadow asked.
"Yes. I read a book of artifacts that mentioned it, but it was a long time ago. I think it was related to alicorns..."
Zecora shows a face of concern, "Should it be an amulet of alicorns, then you must bring more than your horn. These two hold great strength and skill, that much I can tell. With them and your friends on your side, you'll fair well."
"Facing the power of an alicorn?" Sonic wonders aloud, "If we're talking up there with Celestia, then we better bring our A-game."
"Then we got what we came for." Shadow said, "Let's take down this Trixie."
The trio were exiting the Everfree Forest in time to meet Fluttershy, who was dressed in a makeshift bunny suit. Likely for stealth, if Shadow had to guess. The shy pegasus had managed to get out of the dome to reach them, with information they found on this 'Alicorn Amulet'. It took a minute for them to get up to speed:
"The only way it'll come off is if she removes it herself." Fluttershy finishes with her explanation.
"Then she takes it off or we do." Shadow states.
"Let's not get too rough, Shadow." Sonic said, "Our target's the amulet."
The group headed out towards Ponyville, where they see a large glass dome trapping the town inside. Twilight was gonna tap the glass to activate the alarm, luring Trixie out. However, it would take some time since she travels with transportation instead of teleporting. Sonic didn't want to wait and neither did Shadow, the latter going for the more direct approach.
SHATTER!
The Black Wind punches the dome, practically popping it as it disappears into dust. As they reach the town itself, they see a large gold bed carriage being pulled by two unicorns, stopping to a halt as the unicorn on the bed calls out:
"You! How did you get back in here!?" It was Trixie, the magician with the amulet.
"Shadow here helped us crack the code on your dome." Twilight answers with some snarky wordplay, "I also know about your amulet! You cheated in our duel!"
"What!? Me, cheating?"
"Yeah! So how about another duel?"
Trixie hops down from the bed carriage and walks over, "Oh please. I beat you once and I'll do it again."
"Only with that amulet on your neck. But I didn't say the duel was with me. How about we see you back up that so-called 'ultimate power' you claim to have?"
"Ha! You and what army?"
"No army..." Sonic and Shadow step in as the former finishes, "Us."
Trixie was understandably confused, "Who are you two?"
"The name's Sonic, and that's Shadow." The blue blur sternly answers, "We've heard about your little tirade, and it ends NOW."
"Oh? And what are you gonna do about it?"
"We can do many things. All you have to know is that you against us will end in five seconds flat."
They see a brief moment of panic on her face before she composes herself, "I-Isn't that against the point of a duel!?"
"Then I'll take you on myself." Shadow speaks up, "In a trial of combat."
Sonic would have retorted, but decides to let him have this one. "Fine by me. I'll keep the others safe, and maybe backup if you need it."
"Very well." Trixie accepts Shadow's challenge, "We duel at the town hall in five minutes. And make sure everypony is there to watch you fail."
Shadow only smirks, "Remember those words... you'll be eating them soon enough."
Five minutes later...
The dark clouds above the town was thundering as the citizens were gathered at the town hall. They stood at a safe distance as Shadow and Trixie had a standoff, ready to throw down. Sonic stood in between the crowd and the battle, curious to see how it's gonna go down.
"Ladies first." Shadow simply said, getting into a battle stance.
"With pleasure." Trixie takes the offer and starts off the duel.
It was a simple one as she fires a beam right at him, which he deflects with a swipe of his hand. She was surprised and tries again, firing off more. Each one was deflected like the first, with him hitting them away to avoid collateral damage.
She was just baffled as he casually speaks, "A warm-up, huh? Fine, I'll fire a warning shot."
With one swing of his hand, he fires a Chaos Spear. It was fast, where she barely processed it flying right past her head. The spear soon explodes up in the sky, making a large hole in the dark clouds above. Sonic smirks as he expected as much, the others...
"Whoa." Spike mutters as the ponies had their jaws dropped.
The most surprised was Twilight, as she didn't expect such potent power from an individual. Her shock soon turns to curiosity as she watches Shadow intently.
"H-How..." Trixie didn't dare to look back, as she felt the shockwave from where she stood.
"If you can survive the next minute, I'll give you an answer." Despite his words, he made it sound like a threat.
Most would logically surrender, but Trixie's corrupted mind has yet to comprehend that. "S-So what!? I'll show you what I can really do!"
She lifts herself into the air with a levitation spell, gaining distance as she fires down a barrage of magical fireworks upon her opponent. Shadow quickly launches into the air via his hover shoes, swiftly dodging the heat-seeking fireworks until they collided into each other. The explosion was thankfully high in the sky to avoid collateral, but it was rather pretty.
Trixie stares at the aftermath, expecting to see her opponent damaged in some way... but she didn't see him. At all.
"So, you're the 'great and powerful'?"
His voice shook her core, as it spoke in a cold tone around her. Her eyes start searching frantically to find him as he continues:
"Your spells are parlor tricks, at best."
"How dare you!?" She shouts back, "What would a creature like you know about-"
She immediately shuts up upon seeing him, his hand outstretched right in front of her face. The moment of silence was heavy before he retorts right back:
"I know a LOT more about power than you can imagine. Like so."
In an instant, he blasts a concussive force that sents her straight down into the ground below. A puff of smoke appeared on impact, along with the ground shaking before settling down. The crowd watches as Shadow flies down to land near where the smoke was, seeing it soon dissipate to reveal Trixie:
She was imprinted into the concrete path, cracks surrounding her frame as she was barely conscious from the impact.
Shadow approaches to crouch down next to her, "Final warning. Remove the amulet."
Despite her weakened state, she did exactly that as her hoof pulls off the amulet. Shadow takes it as he sees its power dissipate from her horn before she passes out.
"Sonic, take this to Zecora." He orders, tossing the amulet to the blue blur. "Tell her to keep it sealed up, hidden, yada yada..."
"Sure thing." Sonic held the amulet tight as he takes off to the Everfree Forest.
The crowd was glad that Trixie was defeated, but wasn't cheering like they wanted to. Twilight understood why, since the result was harsher than expected. She approaches Shadow as he stood there contemplating:
"Do you know how much influence the amulet had on her actions?" The black wind questions.
"...All I know is that she wanted to get back at me." The studious student answers, "She believed that I ruined her career as a magician. Frankly looking back, that incident wouldn't have happened if her fans didn't lure an Ursa Minor to Ponyville."
"And that is?"
"A giant bear based on constellations."
"Hm. Then the amulet only amplified her emotions, therefore her desire for revenge."
"It's very likely."
Once he has the info he needed, Shadow made the choice to help the injured magician. "We'll nurse her back to health."
That night, after carrying Trixie to the hospital, Shadow decides to wind down with some reading. Though before he picked a book to read, he hears Twilight enter the study:
"Hey. May I talk to you for a moment?"
"Sure." He simply answers, having an inkling of where it might go.
"It's about that power you displayed in the duel today."
"It wasn't magic, if that's what you're wondering."
"Really? Then what kind of energy is it?"
"...Back in our world, the energy we use is called Chaos Energy. And no, we don't mean it comes from the 'God of Chaos', but rather a set of artifacts that most called the 'Chaos Emeralds'. They're more like 'Miracle Gems', but their capabilities can become destructive in the wrong hands."
Twilight blinks for a moment as she processes that, "I-I see. Strange that both our worlds have their own magic, yet are similar enough since you can use that energy here in Equestria too."
"It's possible. Though if it's alright with you, I'd rather be reading for the night than give a lecture."
"Oh, I'm not here for a history lesson. I wanted to ask if you can assist me in something."
Shadow was now curious, "Assistance in what, exactly?"
"Well, it was clear to me that you held back in that duel. Your capabilities with this Chaos Energy is rather different than when Sonic used his gems. Yet despite all that strength, you seemed to have mastered your control over it."
"More or less..."
Twilight pauses for a moment before continuing, "I was told that my magic is strong, having great potential that even I'm not aware of. I want to learn how to control it, be able to focus it like you can."
"The way I use my power isn't for spells or tricks, Twilight. I was made for combat. If you want me to help you, then you have to be willing to do more than just read books."
"I know... I realized that the hard way." She admits, "Even if it was because of the amulet, I still lost to Trixie. It wasn't due to my lack of knowledge on spells, but the strain on my physical body."
Shadow crosses his arms as he summarizes it, "I'm guessing the stronger the spell, the more of a toll it takes on you?"
"Even for me, the higher spells were always difficult. Can you help me get stronger?"
The black wind contemplates for a moment, even staying silent for a few seconds longer, before giving her his answer:
"If I do this, you must remember this. The path to strength isn't about gaining power, it's about improving yourself. Physically, mentally, and even emotionally. But you have to be willing to put in the time and effort to do so. Understand?"
Twilight didn't hesitate, "Yes, I'm ready."
"Good. Then you better get some rest, we'll start first thing tomorrow."
"All right! Thanks, Shadow."
The next day...
"This Ponyville is pretty cool."
After their camping trip, the girls had brought Naturo with them back home. Mainly since he has nowhere else to go, but he's thankful either way. The CMCs already went back to their usual plans, Rarity went back to her boutique and Applejack went to check on her family back at the farm. This left Rainbow and him as she gave them a small tour of the town, soon wrapping it up as they reach Sugarcube Corner:
"Yup, it's the go-to place for ponies!" The rainbow pegasus said, "Seriously this place can be packed at times, even when it's just the citizens."
"I-I see. Thanks for the heads up." Nat nervously chuckles before catching a sweet scent, "Ooo, what's that delectable smell?"
"That's Sugarcube Corner, our local bakery. Our friend Pinkie makes the best sweets in town."
"Really? I gotta see this for myself!"
The green hedgehog enters with her following behind, the two getting the fresh smell of baked goods when a pink pony sees them from behind the counter:
"Hey, Rainbow! Who's our new green friend, who happens to look kinda similar to our blue friend?"
"This is Naturo, Nat for short." Rainbow answers, "We met them during our camping trip."
"You must be Pinkie. Nice to meet you." Nat greets.
"Likewise, nice guy!" The pink pony greets back, "Here to get some sweets?"
"Oh yes! But, I should start with a classic. Let me get a slice of strawberry cake."
In an instant, Pinkie hands him a plate that has said slice on it with a fork in tow. Nat didn't really wait to taste it, taking a sizable bite in the process. Rainbow and Pinkie waited for what felt like a full minute, seeing the hedgehog's face go through various emotions:
Surprise, intrigue, delight, then joy.
"Whoa! This... is the best cake I've had in years!" He admits.
"Of course you'd like it!" Pinkie confidently said.
"And I bet I know what you're thinking." Rainbow brings up before looking right at him, "It's... just right."
"Yes!" Nat exclaims, "This is just right! How!?"
Pinkie giggles at that, "A baker never reveals her goods..."
Shadow wanted to start with helping Twilight train her stamina first and foremost, allowing the latter to choose the location for their run. She remembers the Falling of the Leaves race way back when, even winning fifth due to pacing herself, so it'll be nostalgic to return to the Whitetail Woods. Shadow decides to change things up and actually run for a change without hovering, making a mini challenge for himself.
Other than them, the only sounds were the rustling of the colored leaves and the gentle breeze. By the time they finished their run, they were resting up in the clearing when something unexpected happened.
"So you're the energy I sensed."
The duo look over to where they heard the new voice, one that belonged to a dragon. Though unlike the ones Twilight had met, this one was quite different:
In terms of height, he reached about four feet total standing up straight on his hind legs. His physique was that of a warrior, evened out to provide speed and power, though they notice his lack of wings. He has cerulean blue scales with a sandy beige underbelly, sharp navy blue curved spikes lined up from the back of his head down to the shoulders, and gold eyes.
Interestingly, he wore apparel of a traveler. Shadow notices that he has a makeshift kasaya wrapped around his torso, made from the remains of a dragon's wings. For said traveling, he has a black leather silver-buckled belt around his waist, complete with a satchel attached for his items and whatnot.
"And you are?" Shadow asked the stranger.
"My name is Volcan." The dragon warrior answers, "I'm a simple traveler of the land. Some time ago, I sensed a strange energy and have followed it here to you."
"I see." The black wind then gets up to his feet, "And your motive for finding me?"
"I seek to improve myself, and I mainly do so through battles. I would like to spar with you, though let's keep it to physical combat. I wouldn't want your ally here to get caught in the crossfire, nor ruin this beautiful forest with fire and... whatever possible power you hold."
Speaking of Twilight, she was honestly taken aback by this dragon's demeanor. It was radically different from the other dragons she's seen, which only makes her more curious. For Shadow, this presents a new opportunity as he turns to Twilight:
"Should the situation arise, you might have to resort to your own hooves."
"So you want me to observe?" She concludes, "Got it."
Shadow then turns back to Volcan, "Very well. I, Shadow the Hedgehog, accept your challenge."
"Well met, Shadow." The latter said with a small smile.
Once Twilight was at a safe distance, she watches as the two fighters got into their battle stances. The breeze returns to add the calm before the storm, making Volcan's kasaya flow in the wind and revealing the length of the mainsail to reach about half the length of his tail. Shadow's quills and chest fur lightly flows from said wind, yet he remains as still as a statue.
The wind soon blew some leaves into its current, where one was flying in between the two combatants. The red leave soon crosses their eyesight...
BOOM!
Only to be crushed as the two clash, soon trading blows one after another. They swiftly move across the field, yet they never broke away from each other. Though what surprises her was the dragon's flexibility, seamlessly switching between being bipedal and quadruped to keep up with Shadow's speed.
Speaking of the black wind, he lands a solid punch to Volcan's jaw that made the latter skid back a bit. To the former's surprise, the dragon was fast to retaliate with his own punch, landing it squarely into his jaw. Shadow firmly stood his ground to skid to a halt, looking back with a smirk:
"Not bad. Not bad at all."
The dragon smirks back, "I actually felt that punch of yours. Shall we continue?"
The two got back into their battle stances, letting a moment pass before going back into the fight. Volcan dived in with a punch, slamming the ground instead as Shadow sidestepped him. The latter tries to counter with a roundhouse, the dragon dodging via ducking and spins around to attack with a tail swipe. The hedgehog was quick to jump over it, delivering another kick that forced his opponent to block.
Volcan then pushes him back, launching the hedgehog into the air as he goes to close the distance. Shadow had just enough time to recover before narrowly dodging a claw swipe, grabbing onto the outstretched arm as leverage to swing in with a knee into a bicycle kick. The dragon was knocked back by his counter, which the hedgehog attempts to follow up with a sweep...
Though Volcan anticipated this. He managed to keep his balance from the last attack, using the leftover momentum to counter his opponent back. This actually caught Shadow off guard momentarily as he got knocked upwards, just enough for the dragon to grab him. In his grip, he performs a swift three-sixty spin before throwing him into the distance.
The black wind wasn't done yet, seeing where he was flying towards and recovers to land on a tree's trunk. He leaps off with enough force to fly right back, spinning into a ball to increase his impact as he dives towards the dragon.
"Huh!?" Volcan's surprise was very brief before he quickly tries to block it...
BOOM!
In that moment, Shadow delivers a double axe kick into his opponent's skull. Turns out, the hedgehog was above him just enough over his block to land his attack. He then leaps off his head, pushing the dragon down onto the ground as he lands gracefully a few feet away.
"...Whoa." Was all Twilight could say at what she just witnessed.
Volcan didn't stay down long as he pushes himself back up to his feet, "Impressive, Shadow. I knew what I sensed before was a warrior."
"No, I only fight because I have to." The black wind admits, "I don't seek out battles like you do."
"You wield the power of a warrior, yet your mind says otherwise? For what purpose would you fight then?"
"It's a long story. To keep it short, I'm protecting what I have and a promise to keep."
"...To protect?"
Twilight had walked over by this point, overhearing their conversation before chiming in. "Yes, that's what we do. Though, we prefer to avoid violence if possible."
"I'm aware of ponies essentially being the opposite of dragons. Yet they wonder why they're targeted by enemies like the Changelings."
"There's a difference between not being capable and choosing not to fight!" She defended with an annoyed glare.
Volcan realizes his words and corrects himself, "I'm only making observations. I didn't mean to make it sound insulting."
Twilight was still annoyed, but cools off from his apology. Shadow then moves the topic back on track:
"So, were you just here for a fight?"
"I was, until I realized on my way here that I'm short on supplies." Volcan answers, "If I can, I would like to resupply in your town."
Understandably, Twilight was a little concerned. "Uh, that might be a little difficult."
"Let me guess, ponies aren't accustomed to seeing dragons in person?" Shadow shoots.
Her nervous smile was enough to tell him he hit the mark. The dragon was unfazed by this, even letting out a chuckle:
"I'm aware. Hence why I'm asking for your company, to help keep them at ease."
Twilight and Shadow didn't see why not, so they agreed to assist the dragon warrior. After finishing their training for the day, the trio headed to Ponyville where things will take an interesting turn.
And done! So, I've decided to shake things up a bit more. Here's the rundown:
1. I actually made the events of Magic Duel happen during Sleepless in Ponyville, since with Sonic and Shadow here, it'll be solved just like that. Because of this, it left some room for me to fill in with other ideas.
2. I know I just included Naturo in the last chapter, but I wanted to include a character that was entirely new from the MLP side. That and I wanted to include a dragon for some time, since there's serious potential with dragons and their history. Don't worry, these are the only OCs I'll be including for now.
3. I've recently found out about the cut episode ideas for G4 and was thinking of incorporating an idea or two from them. For example, the original idea for Magic Duel was that Twilight would train with Rainbow and learns that there are other ways to win a battle. Considering where I'll be taking this story, I decided to have her train with Shadow.
With that said, thanks for reading and I'll see you next chapter!