//------------------------------//
// The Trials of Teamwork 
// Story: Flash Sentry Chronicles: War of the Lost City 
// by Banshee531 
//------------------------------//

"How much longer is he gonna be in there?"

Ruby turned to Heart as he gestured at Cold's healing tube, "As long as he needs to be."

"But he doesn't even have a scratch on him anymore." Heart replied as he pointed to Cold's chest, the hole Shadow had inflicted now completely gone.

"The outer wound might be gone, but there may still be internal injuries that needs healing."

"We should just be glad we even have this no matter how long it takes to heal him." Flash added as he placed a hoof on the tube. "Without it, he'd be a goner."

The others nodded in agreement, Trixie sighing as she said, "I hate to say this, but it's now clear they don't have any hesitation in ending us."

Soarin crossed his hooves at this, "That also means those two, Salix and Wingill are still alive...and I'd bet every show I've ever done that we'll be fighting them again."

As he said this, a loud clicking sound suddenly filled the room. They turned to the tube, now seeing its door crack open before mist flew out. Backpedaling from the sight, the smoke slowly dissipated before a hoof reached out of the capsule. A unicorn head's came out next, eyes flickering open as Cold let out a moan as he slumped over from trying to get out of the tube.

Seeing this, Flash and Soarin caught him, the defender responded, "Easy there. Don't push yourself."

A tiny breath escaped Cold's breath before looking up, now seeing an orange figure focus into his eyes, "Flash?" He nodded back, Cold then turning to see everypony else grinning down at him. The knight blinked at this sight before rubbing his chest, only to gasp as he finds it fully healed. "Wh-what happened...to me?"

"It's a long story," Ruby replied as she created a small crystal cane for him, "Come on, let's get you upstairs and get you something to eat while we explain."





Meanwhile...

In the dark castle, Wingill's tube was now giving off the same clicking noise before the door cracked open to unleash a blast of mist. The rest soon opened up, Wingill's head thrusting out before gasping, taking several large breaths as he hit the floor. Numbness now shook his entire body, eyes twitching as he tried to get up.

"You're awake!" Wingill looked up to see Salix standing in the doorway, his tail wagging as the hippogriff's eyes went wide.

"Salix?!" He pushed himself to all fours and staggered over, using his claws to touch him. "You're....you're alive?" He then raised an eyebrow, "You are alive, right?"

Salix shined a big grin, "I'm as alive as you are right now." He then saw Wingill raise an eyebrow at that, "That means yes."

Wingill clutched his head in his claws, "What...happened?"

"I'll explain later. Right now, master Shadow wants to see you." Wingill nodded and stumbled out of the recovery room, soon getting to the illusion room where he found Shadow along with Storm and Armalum. Behind them was a large machine built around a glass tube like the one Wingill had just escaped from.

The three turned to see Wingill, Shadow speaking up, "So, you're finally awake." Wingill quickly knelt down with his head pointed to the floor in shame.

"Master, I failed you. I'm sorry I couldn't be of more use."

"I would think so," Shadow hissed as he turned back to the machine. "But luckily, you managed to hold that dog thing back long enough for me to take down Cold Steel and retrieve the orb."

Wingill looked back up, a smile not on his face yet as he asked, "That's great. So, what is it?"

"We have no idea," Storm responded, "So far, it seems to just be a steel ball."

"Seriously?"

Armalum did a small nod, "We believe its purpose will be revealed once we collect more of them. Which is why we have this," he pointed to the machine.

"What is it?" His question remained unanswered as Terror and Tempera stepped into the room, carrying several glasses of colored liquid in their magic.

"Oh! Nice to you're awake." Tempera chimed in as she walked past him, "Just in time for the experiment."

"Experiment?"

"It's time you got an upgrade." Shadow replied as he turned around and glared at Wingill, the sight making him shrink back, "During your battle against Sentry and the wolf named Springer, you used the same strategy on both and were outmaneuvered both times. I doubt using it a third time will result in a different outcome."

Wingill resisted the urge to gulp as he muttered out, "So...you're going to put me in that?"

"Correct," Shadow took the bottles from the mares and raised them up to a large funnel. "Despite being an illusion, this machine will work just like the real thing. The cupboards were also able to create the right chemicals we require, so now everything's prepared for you."

"What's it gonna do to me?" Wingill asked before turning to see Shadow's glare again, "N-n-not that I'm questioning your decision m-m-master. Just...curious about what'll happen to me. This way, I'll know what to expect when it's over."

Shadow's eyes narrowed, staring at him for a few seconds before turning back to the machine, "The procedure should allow you to tap into more of your shard's abilities."

Wingill tilted his head at this, "But when I took it, Queen Novo locked the pearl to only allow transformation between a seapony and our natural forms. If I try to become something else, the shard could explode."

"I know that," Shadow growled as he looked over the chemicals, "Should this be successful, the magic on the lock will be weakened enough for you to make some kind of change to yourself that'll give you the edge."

"So I get to decide how I'll be able to change?"

"Theoretically. I've been theorizing the possibility of fully undoing the lock on your shard for a while, but it'll take time. Time we likely don't have. So..." he opened the door, "This will be the best we can do. Now get in."

Wingill finally gulped before stepping into chamber, Tempera putting an oxygen mask on for him, "Try to relax. Hopefully, it'll make the procedure easier."

"I'll try." With the mask on, Tempera closed the door as Shadow began fiddling with the dials on the machine.

"What happens if he gets chosen to fight?" Armalum asked next, "What if he's teleported out before the procedures finished?"

"No idea," Shadow grabbed a lever and pulled it. The machine lit up as the liquid poured down upon Wingill, who was trying with all his might not to transform into his seapony form. The liquid was a brownish red color and was soon consuming his body. Seeing this, Shadow spoke up, "Try to focus on what kind of abilities you want. Whatever it is, make sure it's something powerful." Wingill nodded as the liquid filled the tube to the top, now completely submerging him.

Shadow then turned to Storm, who had just grabbed his Celestic Gear from the corner, and nodded. Storm shifted his blade to a lightning node on the dial before sending out a bolt of lightning which struck a wire connected to the tube. The electricity surged through this, charging the tube before going directly into the liquid. Wingill's whole body tensed up at this, but there was no screams of pain to be heard from the tube. Instead, all that could be seen is pain on Wingill's face.

While this happened, an energy gauge on the edge of the machine filled to maximum, causing Storm to take his blade away. "So how long should this take?" He asked Shadow as they watched Wingill twitch and flinch.

"As long as it takes," Shadow casually replied as he turned to head out the door. Armalum followed suit, only for the others to just sit and watch as the experiment continue.





Flash and the others were now in the map room, all re-watching Cold's battle with Shadow. They had explained to him what had happened as they ate, Cold now going over the battle, "Decay. Magic portals and chains. Transmogrification into shadows. Rune Magic." The knight took a long gulp out of his drink, "I've never heard of a unicorn having this many differing magics at this high of a level. I can see why he's the leader."

Trixie let out a huff at this as she leaned back in a chair, "I've never even heard of those first two magicks, though it's clear they're pretty powerful."

"I've never heard of them either," Cold added while crossing his hooves, "The magic portals seems like a form of teleportation, though much stronger since they can be used more than once and have many tactically advantages. The chains don't seem like they're too difficult to learn on one's own, though it's the last two that worries me."

Flash nodded in agreement, "Rune magic. Using that requires years of practice and study according to Twilight, especially if he could instantly do the magic like that instead of putting it on paper...and yet I keep encountering rune magic anyways." He pointed at the screen as the scene where Shadow used the rune on Cold was now showing, "How the heck could he learn that and still be able to study those others?"

"That's what I'd like to know. Plus, there's that other magic he used....turning to a shadow," he turned to Ruby. "Sound like anypony you know?" Ruby didn't respond, just staring at the screen as it now showed Shadow transform into a cloud. "Ruby!"

"Hmm?" Ruby replied, turning to the others as Cold glared at him, "What?"

Cold pointed at the screen, "Tell me this doesn't look like that King Sombra you and Flash fought."

Ruby looked back at the scene one more time, "I'll admit that's true...but considering the other magic this Shadow has, I suspect he could have figured out that magic as well."

"That's...true." Cold replied as he slumped back in his seat. "And according to the reports I've read, Sombra is dead."

"He's dead. I saw the Crystal Heart obliterate him myself."

"So did I," Flash finished before feeling Soul pull at his wing.

"Who's Sombra?"

The knight grimaced at the question, "Its a long story. He's...a friend Ruby used to have. Their friendship didn't end well."

Ruby looked away from Flash's comment, only for Trixie to clap her hooves and say, "I got it! I bet its a cutie mark spell!"

"A what?" Heart replied with a raised eyebrow, Trixie turning to explain.

"It's a spell that's connected to the pony's special talent, which is connected to their cutie mark. It's a spell only the unicorn, or somepony highly skilled at magic, can learn. Like Ruby. Her special talent is creating crystal weapons. Not just anypony could learn that spell, only highly talented magic users like Twilight."

"Or you," Flash added, Trixie shining a big grin at this before turning to Soul.

"Like your cutie mark. I'm sure it's connected to your magic considering its design. How'd you get yours anyway?"

Soul just looked away as she muttered out, "I'm...not sure. It just sort of...showed up one day. I woke up and it was there."

The others exchanged glances, knowing getting one's cutie mark was a special occasion, only for Flash to notice Heart now looking at his blank flank with a frown. However, before anything else could be said, Cold spoke up, "Let's get back to the topic at hoof. We need to find a way to counter his magic in case one of us ends up facing off against him again."

Flash crossed his hooves at this, remembering back to his fight with Sombra, only to go wide-eyed, "Wait...if the magic he's using is the same as Sombra, then it might have the same weakness."

"Which is?" Springer asked next.

"He can't stay in that form for very long. If he does, he'll end up falling apart...or something like that. He'll have to change back to solid form, which means he'll be vulnerable."

"Good," Cold replied, "That kind of information will be important. But we also need to think about something else: chain of command." This got several tilted heads from everypony, making him sigh, "Just by looking at how these enemies interact, it's clear to see how their team is structured. Shadow leads with either Storm or Armalum being the next in line."

"So?"

"So, the group instinctively knows who to turn to when they're in a battle situation. If Shadow's there, they follow him. If he's not, they follow whoever's the highest ranking. Because of that, they don't waste any time wondering what to do. The highest ranking member knows they need a plan and they're already thinking of one before they even enter the battle."

"And that's what you want us to do?" Flash asked with a grimace.

"It's what we need if we want to stay ahead in this war." Cold slammed his hoof into the table, almost grinding it, "Clear, precise leadership."

Trixie did a small hum at this, "Do we really need that? I mean, if we do...I guess it only makes sense that Flash be the one leading us. He is the whole reason we're here."

Heart nodded in agreement, "And you all are called Team Flash according to that screen thingy."

Cold would have rolled his eyes at this if he didn't carry his usual blank face as he responded, "I didn't agree to that name, but I'm on board with Flash as leader. After him, Ruby or me should be next." Ruby just nodded in agreement, Cold then turning to Springer. "After us, you'll take the lead since you have as much experience."

Springer showed a thumbs up, "Got it."

The knight now turned to the mare. "Trixie, as a princess's student, you must have studied up on battle situations. From what I heard, Luna isn't one to let those she teaches go without battle experience. I'm sure that'll come in handy if you find yourself leading."

"I...guess," Trixie replied, doing a small shrug before Soarin smacked the table.

"Hey! Does that mean I'm on the bottom?!"

"Somepony has to be," Cold responded without even looking at him.

"But I'm the Wonderbolt's second in command! I take charge of the team all the time!" He pointed at Flash, "Heck, I trained him on how to fly!"

"Stunt flying doesn't really require leadership."

"Why you little-"

Flash quickly hopped between to them, "That's enough! No fighting!"

"I'm not fighting, I'm telling the truth." Cold instantly replied, "We need leadership-"

"No." Flash interrupted, crossing his hooves, "We're not an army Cold, we're friends. We don't put one pony on a pedestal."

This time Cold did roll his eyes, "And how do you suppose we decide who leads? We can't just run around aimlessly."

"Ha! That's simple," Flash shined a big smirk, "None of us lead."

"What?"

"I mean, none of us is the de facto leader." Flash pumped his hooves, "We're teammates, so we work together as a team."

Cold just barely glared at him, his expression still blank, "That makes no sense."

"No, I think it does." Springer added, "Like with the defenders. None of us are in charge, but we manage to keep things safe."

"Ignoring the fact that your town nearly blows up once a week," Trixie pointed out.

"Once a month!" Springer corrected, "But still, the point stands. One pony can't be expected to properly lead a group against everything. That's why it's better to have whoever's the most experienced in the matter take charge."

Flash nodded in agreement. "Me, Twilight and our friends have saved Equestria a bunch of times. And sure, most of the time Twilight and I are the ones leading...but when the time comes for an animal expert's touch, Fluttershy takes the reigns. Same with Rarity and fashion expertise, or Rainbow with weather knowledge. Pinkie's the same when making somepony happy and Applejack helps with farming issues. Twilight might be a princess and I might be a knight, but we're not all knowing."

"Some less knowing than others," Springer laughed, only for Flash to smack him with his tail.

"My point is, I don't wanna treat my friends like a bunch of mindless drones." He turned to Cold. "You wanted me to lead and this is how I lead: By not leading and putting my faith in my friends to build teamwork."

Cold remained silent, the others all smiling in agreement with Flash. Seeing this, Cold didn't make any expressions as he left his chair, "Very well. Its obvious you won't listen....but you better be ready to live with the consequences of this decision." He turned and walked away, "I'm gonna go train."

He then walked out of the room, the others doing the same while waiting for the alarm to sound again. While this happened, Ruby went to her room and laid down on the bed first. Memories poured through her brain as she thought, 'They were so focused on Shadow, they didn't even think to check on how my battle turned out. What I saw...that can't be real, can it?' She closed her eyes, trying to get to sleep as she whispered, "Armalum...what are you? Who...are you?"





Meanwhile...

Shadow was now watching the rerun of his fight with Cold, the close battle making him growl, "Not enough," he stared down at his hooves, "Still not enough power. I need more. I need...it." He looked back at the table as the 3-D image of the city appeared, "I know you can hear me. Just know that what you did will not go unpunished. When my power returns, I will use every ounce of it against you." As these words left his mouth, the doors opened to show the remaining members of his team step inside the room, "Wingill?"

Tempera did a small bow, "No errors have occurred yet. It looks like the procedure will continue without issue."

"Good."

"Master," he just now turned to Tempera, "We'd like permission to remain with Wingill during the next battle if we're not chosen. That is, in case something happens during it."

Shadow raised an eyebrow, only to look away, "Very well." The others smiled in agreement, only for the alarm to go off throughout the castle before the bingo machine appeared. "Let's just hope Wingill isn't chosen."

At the same time...

The alarm was also going off in the other castle, Flash and his friends all rushing into the map room. The bingo machine appeared next, orbs about to come out of it as Flash spoke up, "Remember, no matter who is picked, just remember to stick together and keep each other safe. We don't know if what happened to Cold will happen again." They all nodded in agreement before the first orb was thrown out of it, showing Trixie's cutie mark.

"Okay..." Trixie gulped as the second orb popped out.

"Alright!" Soarin cheered as he saw the sight of his cutie mark.

The final orb appeared, showing Cold Steel's cutie mark. The Frozen Wanderer nodded before turning to his teammates. "Just make sure neither of you get in the other's way."

Soarin and Trixie gave frowns back, only for all of them to be suddenly teleported in a flash of light. As this happened, Flash grimaced as he sat down at the table, "Cold..." He closed his eyes for a second, 'He's only recently learned to make friends...somewhat. Now he needs to learn to work with them.' The defender opened his eyes and saw their dots appear on the map, "I just hope he can figure it out before it's too late."





As soon as the three appeared in the city, Cold yelled out, "Circular formation!" Trixie and Soarin hopped in place, only to reflexively follow the order as Cold continued, "Keep an eye out for the enemy! Once we know who we're dealing with, we can decide who has the best chance against who."

"So you just want us to fight alone again?" Soarin asked first.

"That doesn't sound like teamwork to me," Trixie added.

Cold growled back, "There are three of us and three of them. If all three of us focus on just one at a time, we'll be so busy that the other two will find the orb."

"Oh, come on! We can still work together to-" Soarin tried to say before the ground began to shake, "Uh...what was that?"

A nearby explosion followed this, making them see a giant lindworm appear out of an imploding building. "MOVE!" Cold yelled as he and Trixie teleported away, Soarin zipping to the sky. As this happened, Cold sparked his horn and said, "So Tempera's here. Cold Bear!"

The unicorn summoned a giant icy bear, the sculpture tackling the lindworm. But as it did this, an army of uni-troopers suddenly rolled out from a nearby alleyway, the scribeasts surrounding the two unicorns. "Not good!" Trixie yelled as she started firing beams, turning them into piles of ink.

Cold did the same, forming a pair of ice axes as he started cutting the uni-troopers in half. Soarin then dived into the crowd, tackling then with enough speed to turn them to inky mush. But as they started to take them all out, more came out of another alleyway.

"These things don't quit!"

Cold sliced two more down as he added, "If we want to stop them, we need to take out their creator."

"Easier said than done," Trixie called out as she teleported away before two uni-troopers rammed, both smashing into each other instead. "She could be on the other side of the city for all we know!"

But as those words left her mouth, three ponies now watched the scene from a nearby roof. "Nice work." Storm told Tempera, Terror Card nodding in agreement. "Now we can let them tire themselves out before jumping in for the finishing blow."

"You can take them down," Tempera grumbled as she turned away and pulled out her sketchpad. "I have other plans."

"Like what?" Terror asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Finding the orb." She threw a page into the air, zapping with her horn before it turned into a giant winged serpent. "You two keep them busy while I search the city."

Before they had a chance to argue, Tempera teleported onto her scribeast's back, now flying off into the distance. Terror shook her head at this, "Typical." She turned back to the battle, seeing the scribeast numbers now whittling down. "We'll need to split that showmare from the rest of the ponies. She proved tricky last time."

"No problem," Storm spun the dial on his Celestic Gear. "You get ready to deal with her and I'll focus on the other two."

"You sure? That knight was able to keep the master occupied for a while."

Storm shined a huge grin in response, "Oh, don't worry about that. If he's anything like he was in the past, I can beat him with ease."

Back at the battle...

"Cold Force!" Cold unleashed a tornado of frozen wind, striking the last of the scribeasts as it turned them into frozen statues. Soarin and Trixie then shattered them, all three sighing in relief as Cold commented, "That's the last of them."

"For now," Trixie added as they got back into a fighting stance...only for nothing to happen.

Thirty seconds passed as they waited, Cold then growling, "Blast it! This is a just distraction! They've probably checked half the houses in the area by now!"

"But they still haven't found it yet," Soarin countered, "That means we still have a-"

"STORM FORCE!"

A tornado of wind flew down the street, instantly knocking them all off their hooves, "AUGH!" They all cried as they landed from the blow and tried to stay standing, only for a flash of light to appear in front of Trixie.

"Surprise!" Terror yelled as she suddenly tackled Trixie, her horn shining as she laughed, "You're all mine!"

Another flash of light followed this, making both vanish instantly. "TRIXIE!" Soarin screamed, only to hear some laughing above them. They looked up, now seeing Storm descend with a huge smirk as he clicked the dial on his blade.





"Oh no! What happened to her?" Soul yelped as she jumped up and down to try and get a view of the table, the furniture being too tall for her.

"There she is," Ruby pointed to the map, pressing the dots as the screen shifted to show Trixie and Terror rolling on the ground.

"That's not good. They're playing right into their hooves." Springer added.

"Don't worry. Trixie can take her." Flash finished.





"Get...off...of...me!" Trixie grunted as she tried to shove her hooves into Terror's face. But as she did this, the other unicorn's horn sparked before teleporting a few feet away. She then pulled a card out of her cloak and threw it to the ground, a wave of light firing out of the piece of paper that soon engulfed the entire street before forming a dome around them.

"What?! What is this?!" Trixie yelped as her eyes darted around.

"Just a little something our master cooked up to keep you contained." Terror pulled another two cards out of her cloak, which she tossed into the air before another dome appeared around the two.

"Not again," Trixie groaned as the cards spun, only to stop with both being right side up.

"Arcana of the Magician and Strength!" Terror announced as the domes shrank down around her before exploding into a wave of light that was absorbed into her. She laughed as she then fired a blast of magic at Trixie, the magician barely having a second to put up a shield.

But as the spell struck, her barrier shattered in an instant, knocking Trixie back, "AAAH!" She screamed as she started rolling on the ground, quickly scrambling to her hooves as she tried to stop herself. And as she did this, she turned to see Terror charging at her. The sight made her fire an ice spell at the floor, the whole place turning into a sheet of frozen water. However, Terror just leapt and slammed her hooves down, a sudden shockwave smashing through the ice.

Shards of ice flew off the ground as Terror kept charging, making Trixie yelp out, "Stay away!" She began to fire a barrage of random blasts, only to see Terror dodge each with ease. The unicorn didn't even look at the spells, just running ahead as she got closer to Trixie, making her mutter, "Impossible."

"Is it?" Terror asked as she got up to Trixie's face, the student of the Princess of Night now letting out a scream before throwing a punch...only to hit the air. She quickly tried to swinging several punches and kicks, but Terror just side-stepped every one, her eyes not even looking at Trixie as she raised a hoof, "Its pointless." Trixie's hoof was then caught by Terror's making her gasp as Terror pulled her other hoof back, "I see everything!"

Trixie's horn immediately sparked, trying to teleport away. But as she tried, her spell suddenly stopped, her horn no longer glowing despite knowing she had used the spell. "What!?" she yelped, only to feel a hoof collide with her chest. "BLAUGH!" Trixie screamed as she was sent flying back, slamming into a wall before slumping down the surface like a heap.





Meanwhile...

Storm Blade kept laughing as he twirled his weapon in his hoof, "My my...this is too good to be true." He then pointed the blade at Cold, "I have to say, its so good to see you again. You really have grown, haven't you?"

"What?" Cold responded as he barely raised an eyebrow.

"Let's keep this dance just between us, shall we?" Storm replied as he pulled out a card and flicked it to the ground. Both Cold and Soarin readied themselves for a Terror card effect, only for the piece of paper to explode into a wave of light.

It then formed a dome around them, making Soarin ask, "What is this thing?"

"Doesn't matter," Cold replied as he turned to the Wonderbolt, "You've fought him before, so you know what you're up against. I'm going to find Tempera." His horn sparked as he tried a teleportation spell...only for the horn to sputter out, "What?"

Storm let out a hearty laugh, "Sorry! You're in a no teleporting zone!"

"Runes again..." Cold grumbled before slamming his hooves into the ground. "Fine! I'll take you down and go after her! Cold Dragon!"

The ice snake shot out of the floor, making Storm just swipe his sword, "Storm Cutter!" He slashed the weapon through the air, slicing the dragon's head off before flying through the beast's body, "Come on! I thought he trained you better than that!" He then spun the dial on the sword and pointed the blade to his side, "Storm Shot!" A bolt of lightning flew out the sword, Soarin spinning around the shock before getting up close.

"Graaaaah!" He swung a punch, only for Storm to block it with his sheath before spinning and smacking Soarin with left hook to his face. "Gyah!" He screamed as he was knocked flying, smashing through a nearby window as Storm flew down.

"Cold Saber!" Cold swung his sword, Storm blocking it before countering with a horizontal strike. Cold spun to block it, summoning a second ice blade as he tried to thrust it directly into Storm. However, Storm just flapped his wings, dodging the attack before slamming his sword down, Cold now blocking it with both blades. Storm then leaned down with a huge grin on his face, Cold just barely showing anger on his face, "You speak like you know me. How?"

Storm quickly backflipped, dodging Cold's next two strikes before hovering over Cold, laughing as he replied, "Oh come now, you should remember me." He pointed to his chest with a giant grin, "I was at the castle when you first arrived there. I was on guard when Noble Banner presented you to Grand and the Princess. Ah, the memories...I remember watching him teaching you the ropes." Cold's eyes slowly widened in shock, making Storm laugh again, "Surprised? It shouldn't be too shocking. Though I gotta say, if Noble saw you right now, he would be sorely disappointed."

Hearing these word made Cold's horn spark, his body barely shivering as his brain burned itself at his words, 'He's lying. He has to be. How could he know Noble? I don't recognize him at all...'

Storm's grin widened at this, making him point his blade at the knight, "Storm Force!" A tornado of wind shot out, only for something to hit his side, his blade swerving to fire the windstorm to the side. The tornado hit a building next, tearing it to pieces as Cold saw that it was Soarin that had saved him.

"You okay?" Soarin asked, only to see Storm charge at them with a gust of wind surrounding his blade.

"MOVE!" Cold yelled, his horn shining as he pointed it at Storm, "COLD FORCE!"

A tornado of freezing wind came out next, Storm turning the dial on his sword in response before spinning like a top. As he did this, he quickly morphed into a drill of lightning. "Storm Driver!" The drill pierced the tornado, smashing all the ice as he then swooped down at the two while still in drill form.

Cold countered with a giant ice shield, the drill colliding with the barrier as he tried to the push the drill back, "Soarin, now!"

"You got it!" Soarin replied as he zipped upward and then flew down with a singular thrusting back hoof, "Sky kick!"

His attack slammed into Storm's head, knocking him back as the drill disappeared. Seeing this, Cold reshaped the shield into a cannon ball before tossing it back at Storm. The pegasus saw this and swung his weapon, unleashing a crescent-shaped wave of water. It struck the ice ball, the attack slowing down before hitting both back as the ice ball hit Storm as well.

"Augh!" The three groaned as they all hit the ground, Storm managing to kick off from the landing before zipping back into the air, "Storm Surge!" A stream of water shot at the two next, Cold's horn shining as he formed an igloo around them to block it.

"Get up. We need to win this now." Cold growled as he helped Soarin up.

"Cold..." Soarin moaned as he saw anger barely appear on Cold's face, "There's only one way we can win this. We have to work together."

"We are working together," Cold hissed as he reformed two ice swords. "Just keep following my lead and we'll win." His horn glowed next, the igloo exploding as ice shards flew everywhere. Storm began to spin his sword to deflect the attacks, Cold letting out a roar as he charged at the pegasi next.

Soarin watched as the two began to clash, making him sigh, 'He still doesn't get it.'





Meanwhile again...

Trixie was barely able to stay on her hooves now, her body shaking as she got up. And as she did this, all she could hear was Terror's laughter, "Aw, did that hurt?! Sorry, don't know my own strength."

A hoof rubbed Trixie's head as she focused on her horn, trying the teleport spell again, only to get nothing. "How? What is this magic?!" But as she asked this, the words from Terror earlier echoed in her head, "Contained." She glared up at Terror, "What did that card do?! Did it just seal teleportation magic?!"

Terror did one slow clap in response, "That's right. Looks like you're not as dumb as I thought you were. Yes, that card was a bit of master Shadow's Rune Magic. As long as we're in its confines, the barrier will prevent any and all teleportation."

"But that means you can't teleport either."

"Can't I?" Terror replied as she pulled out another card, this one with runes on it. Her horn then sparked as she disappeared, reappearing in front of Trixie before grabbing her mane. "Guess I can!" Using her increased strength, she spun Trixie around, letting her go with one mighty swing. The mare screamed as she sent flying, unable to stop herself without teleportation, only for Terror to teleport right by her in midair.

Trixie then fired a beam, but Terror just shifted her head to the side, dodging it with ease. "How-" was all Trixie could say before she saw Terror's horn shine. But as this happened, Trixie's eyes went wide as she saw Terror's face. Her eyes...were glowing.

However, time caught up to the magician as Terror fired a spell, another beam striking Trixie's chest. Her entire body screamed in pain in response, the mare now flying down the street. She then hit the dirt, rolling as she barely kept her eyes open. And as she came to a stop, Terror reappeared above her, pulling her hoof back. Trixie gasped at this, quickly rolling sideways as Terror slammed the ground with her hoof, causing the street to shake from the impact.

The blue unicorn's horn sparked next, a puff of smoke now surrounding her. Terror rolled her eyes at the sight, "Seriously? This lame trick again?" From out of the smoke came an army of Trixies, all firing beams of magic. As this happened, some light vanished off of Terror, showing her enhanced strength was now gone. Despite this, she began to levitate several nearby pieces of debris before tossing them at the illusions.

And as this happened, all but five Trixies were taken down, only for them to surround Terror while yelling, "YOU CAN'T DODGE ALL OF US!"

"I don't need to dodge all of them." Terror as she jumped backward while the five Trixies fired beams of magic, only for four of the five spells to hit her...and do nothing. "See? I just had to dodge the real one." She then shot a beam, this one hitting the fifth Trixie. The blow made her cry out in pain again, the other illusions vanishing as she sent down the street again.

And as she came to a stop, she whimpered out as she tried get up, "How? How did-"

"Oh, just give up!" Terror yelled as she pulled out a card and threw it upward. The card began to spin at this, only for Terror to fire another laser at Trixie. She responded by summoning another shield, the beam bouncing off this one. Terror rolled her eyes again as she spoke up, "That's all you're good for, isn't it? All you do is hide behind something. If you aren't hiding behind a shield, you're hiding behind an illusion or somepony else. Can't you actually do anything on your own?!"

"Be quiet!" Trixie cried out, another beam hitting the shield as cracks began to appear in the barrier.

"It's such a shame that you're blind to your own weaknesses. I can't believe this is the enemy we have to face in this place." Terror commented before looking up at the card, now seeing it stop right side up, "And now you'll be blind to everything. Arcana of the Sun!"

The card exploded into a light next, this one firing right at Trixie. Terror laughed at her spell, seeing it shatter Trixie's shield before striking Trixie's face, this light now burning right into her eyes as she screamed, "AAAAAAAHHHHHH!"





"TRIXIE!" Everypony yelled as they watched her fall over again, her eyes clenching shut.

Soul covered her mouth as she saw this, "Is...is she okay?"

Heart turned to her, "She just had her eyes burnt out, what do you think?!"

"That's enough Heart," Flash barked as he hit the colt on the head with his wing before looking back at Trixie, "This is bad. There's no way that light didn't do some major damage."

Ruby hung her head at this, "And with the others trapped, there's no way they can help her now...just like us."





Terror now stood over Trixie, the mare's eyes trying to open. But as she did this, her eyes could barely blink, unable to see anything but a white blur. "Wha…"

"How pathetic," she turned to the voice, only to feel Terror's hoof hit her face.

"Augh!" She cried, quickly trying to counter with a magic blast. She tried to fire in the direction she had heard Terror's voice, but there was no sound of pain. Instead, there was nothing but laughter.

"You missed!" She heard from behind her, spinning around as a fuzzy object came for her face. Trixie tried to put up a force-field in response, only to feel a sock to her jaw.

"Gyah!" She spat out some blood as she stumbled back from the blow, Terror still laughing. Trixie then fired another beam at the voice, but Terror just side-stepped the attack.

"Let me give you some advice." Terror started as Trixie tried to hit her, each beam flying past her as she continued, "The future belongs to those who have the strength to push past their limits and keep fighting despite the pain they feel. You however, just sit there and hide behind what little you have." She then pulled out another card. "You...have no future!" She tossed the card up, the dome not appearing as the card began to spin.

Trixie didn't see the piece of paper, unable to tell what was happening as the card stopped right side up. "Arcana of the Tower!"

In that moment, the card exploded into a massive surge of lightning, instantly striking Trixie before she could even try to react. And as it hit, a mighty scream of pain rang out across the city.





Both Cold and Soarin looked up from the sound of the scream, the Wonderbolt yelling, "Trixie!"

Storm shined a big grin at this, "Great work Terror."

And as he said this, in another section of the city, Tempera also heard the scream from atop her scribeast. "One down," she commented as a uni-trooper rolled out of a nearby building before going into another. "Now, where is that orb?" She flew past several upper level windows, her eyes darting around, "Don't think you can hide from me. I'll find you, and when I do..." Her face with bright red as her tongue stuck out, both of her hooves rubbing the side of her face, "My hunky, amazing, wonderful master will surely reward me!"





Terror shined the biggest grin as the last of the lightning faded, leaving nothing but a cloud of smoke. Inside the black dust was Trixie, her coat badly burnt and now frizzy mane with smoke coming off of her.

The mare began to sway, dust now beginning to wisp off her body. "Good riddance," Terror commented as she walked over to Trixie, "If I didn't know any better, I would have thought you were holding back. But of course, I do." She and Trixie were now face to face as she finished, "Do yourself a favor and find a way to forfeit the next time you're picked. After all, you're not doing your team any good trying to help." With that, she pushed Trixie with a single tap of the hoof, Trixie falling over before exploding into a pile of shining dust.

"Huh," Terror added as she raised an eyebrow at the sight, "Looks like whoever's teleporting us can even bypass master Shadow's Runes. Truly impressive."





As this happened, Flash suddenly zipped out of the table room, Springer yelping, "Flash! Where are you going?"

The defender didn't answer, instead running down the castle as fast as he could. And as he threw the doors open for the recovery room, he let out a long sigh of relief.

Trixie was in the middle tube, unconscious and in the exact same position Cold had been in. "Thank Celestia," he placed a hoof on her tube. "Don't worry, we'll get them back for this."





"Storm Cutter!" Storm roared as he swung his blade, a wave of lightning now coming for the duo. Soarin and Cold quickly hopped away, the ground exploding before them.

Soarin found his back hooves hitting a building and used it as a springboard, propelling himself straight up at Storm.

"Wait! Don't just rush in!" Cold yelled out as he pegasi took to the air. "Blast it!"

Storm turned to point his sword at the athlete, only to see several ice spikes in the corner of his eye. "Storm Cutter!" He declared after spinning the dial on his weapon, swinging it again as a wind blade sliced the ice attacks into nothing.

"Gotcha!" Soarin suddenly said as he grabbed Storm's weapon, making Storm gasp as both began to spin around in the air.

The two began to do a tug-of-war for the sword, making Storm growl, "Don't be a fool! You really think I'd let you take my Celestic Gear?!"

"Nope!" Soarin laughed, "But I do know you don't know where I just pushed you to."

"Huh?" Storm yelped before feeling a burst of cold air hit his back. He quickly glanced back, now seeing Cold about to fire a Cold Force before glaring at Soarin, "You little punk!" He reached for the dial and spun it to yellow, Soarin's eyes going wide as he suddenly felt a jolt of lightning surge through his hooves.

"Gyah!" He cried as he was forced to let go, Storm then slamming his back hooves into the Wonderbolt's face before flying to a high altitude.

As this happened, Soarin landed by Cold, groaning as Cold said, "That was too reckless."

"It worked, didn't it?" They both looked up to see Storm now land, using wind from his blade to get off the ice that had got on his face from Cold's burst of cold air. While they stared at him, Soarin continued, "I told you, the only way we're gonna win this is if we work together. That means you have to listen to me just as much as I have to listen to you. Teamwork, remember?!"

Cold didn't reply, instead hopping back as Storm launched a lightning bolt at them. Soarin quickly zipped away, dodging another bolt from Storm as Cold summoned a flock of Cold Eagles. And as his attack went for the evil pegasi, Cold let out a low growl. 'Teamwork. What an absurd word. You're giving orders, that's all.' The ice birds dive-bombed Storm, only for him to easily smash them with his blade as Soarin tried to tackle him.

Storm flapped backward at Soarin's attempt, his hoof quickly spinning the blade's dial before firing a barrage of lightning blasts in response. Soarin yelped as he flew away, avoiding every bolt as Cold summoned a Cold Dragon. However, as the ice creature tried to reach Storm, a blast of magic suddenly struck the beast, destroying it in one blow.

Everypony turned to see the attacker, now seeing a smirking Terror Card atop a nearby building as she pulled out a card. As she did this, she suddenly teleported to Storm's side while tossing the card up.

"She can teleport?" Cold growled as he sparked his horn for the spell...only for it to sputter out again, "What?! How?!"

A dome then appeared around the two before the card stopped right side up. "Arcana of the Empress!" The dome shrank down on Terror, an explosion of light following this.

"You charged up?" Storm asked.

"Yup," Terror replied as the light now covered her body, "Magic levels back to full. Not that I needed much magic to defeat that wannabe mage. She should really go back to being a showpony...or a clown. I know I was thoroughly entertained by her pathetic antics."

She let out a laugh next as magic surged from her horn, now firing a volley of beams at the two. "Cold Defender!" Cold responded, forming a shield of ice as the lasers rained down on the barrier, "This won't hold long."

"We need a plan!" Soarin told him before Storm was teleported right beside them, "WATCH OUT!" He pushed Cold out of the way before Storm unleashed a burst of lightning, the two rolling on the ground as Cold summoned another shield. As this happened, Terror teleported over as well as she put her hooves into her cloak.

Soarin watched as her hooves shifted around, pulling out a few cards before selecting one. "What's she doing?" He asked as she threw it up, the card spinning around as the dome formed.

It then stopped upside-down, "Arcana of the Reversed Magician!" The dome shrank down around Storm before exploding, the light now being absorbed by him.

"YES!" He roared before pointing his Celestic Gear at the two, "STORM FORCE!" A tornado of wind exploded out, this one twice as big as usual.

Cold quickly created a wall of ice, him and Soarin hiding behind it as a blast of wind struck the frozen barrier. If they were gonna win this, they needed to work together. "That's starting to get annoying." Cold grunted as he formed a small ice blade, "They can power themselves up and teleport while we can't. There's gotta be an opening there..."

The Wonderbolt blinked at his words, now going over what his enemies had just done. "We're not gonna win unless..." his eyes went wide, "That's it!"

"What's it?"

"I think I have a plan to beat them, but you have to trust me." Cold gave a slight glare back, making Soarin sigh, "Look, I know you don't like the idea of there being no leader, but not everypony is suited to lead in every type of situation. You agreed to make Flash the leader because you trusted him, and he trusts in all of us to be able to work together." He and Cold locked eyes, "If you truly trust Flash, then you'll be able to put your trust in me."

Cold didn't respond. Instead, the memory of him asking Flash to be his friend showed itself in his head, making him sigh as he responded. "Fine. What's your idea?"





"So...which do you want to knock out first?" Storm asked as his attack continued to shake Cold's ice wall, Terror giggling at his question.

"Why not that knight? Isn't he a wimp according to you?"

"Oh yeah. After all, he-"

"That's a stupid idea! You're asking the impossible!" they suddenly heard Cold roar as the tornado shattered the last part of the barrier, only to show the two not even noticing the shield now destroyed.

"It'll work!" Soarin barked back, "You know, if you got your head out of your flank and realize there are others besides you who could make plans, you'd see that!"

Their opponents laughed at the sight, Terror now teleporting herself behind Cold and Soarin. The stallions were pulled from their argument and stood back to back, Soarin glaring at Terror while Cold stared at Storm. Soarin then glanced back at Cold, "We have to do it now."

"It won't work."

"It will."

"No," he pushed Soarin away, "it...WON'T!" He slammed his hoof into the ground, causing a massive ice wall to appear between them that went all the way to the dome's roof.

Storm let out a mighty laugh at this, "You'd rather fight alone than accept the help of somepony else." He raised his weapon again, "How sad."

"A solider that refuses to follow the chain of command is useless." Cold formed a pair of swords, "I'm better off alone."

"Figures. Let's dance!" With that, the two charged as both blades clashed, spark flying all around them.

As this happened, Cold growled as he swung both swords in a x formation, Storm dodging by backpedaling before trying to grab the dial on the blade. However, Cold got ahead of him, forcing Storm to block two more blows. While he did this, Cold's mind went a mile a minute as he thought to himself, 'I trust Flash...' He remembered back to their mission on the bridge, memories of them saving the town from Gold Hoof. 'Back then, Flash and I weren't taking orders from one another...but that doesn't matter. We did the job, simple as that. That was no different than taking orders...or teamwork.'

Storm leapt back next with a flap of his wings, "Storm Shot!" He fired a blast of high pressure water at Cold, the unicorn forming a shield to block it, only for it to shatter instantly.

"Gyah!" Cold yelped as he was sent into the ice wall, grunting in pain.

"Looks like that's game." Storm pointed the blade at Cold with a huge grin, "Its been fun."

Cold just let out a long breath, his mind growling at him, 'Power, discipline, and the courage to stand by oneself. These are the weapons you use to crush your foes. That's what I've always believed.' He watched as Storm spun the dial hard enough to keep it spinning, all three of his elements now sparking around the blade.





A few seconds earlier...

"Cold!" Soarin slammed his hooves against the ice wall, "You jerk!"

"Awww..." he heard Terror mock, "It's too bad your friend doesn't want to play with you."

Soarin growled as he glared back at her, "I'll make him pay after I'm finished with you! You'll pay for what you did to Trixie!"

He kicked off the wall in a bolt of speed, only for Terror to disappear in a blast of light. Soarin pulled himself to a stop as Terror appeared behind him, throwing a card up while firing several beams at him. The pegasus quickly started spinning, dodging each attack as the card stopped spinning right side up.

"Arcana of the Moon!" The card exploded into a black fog that instantly homed in on Soarin. Before he could react, the clouds surrounded him, making him flap his wings...but the gust from them did nothing.

"What the heck?!" He yelped before flying upward, but the cloud moved with him. The fog was thick as well, so much that he couldn't see as he began to fly blind. But as he did this, a burning blast of magic slammed into his wing. "Augh!" He fell like a rock from the blow, only to roll back onto his hooves. However, as he did this, a hoof then hit his face, making him yelp in pain before feeling another punch hit his side, a kick to his head.

His eyes rapidly blinked at each blow, only to notice the black cloud was now gone. But as he saw this, he turned to see Terror right up in his face with a shining horn. "Surprise!" A giant beam of magic followed this as he slammed into Soarin, knocking him into the ice wall. And as he slumped over from the attack, Terror just causally waked up to him, "You really should have known you didn't stand a chance against us. We fight for a living. What do you do?"

Soarin panted as he tried to pick himself up, his body now leaning against the wall, "I'm...a Wonderbolt."

"Oh? And how is that supposed to help you win in a fight?" Soarin said nothing, instead looking away as Terror let out a cackle, "As I thought. Face it, your future has nothing but pain in it." She pulled out a card and threw it up, the card spinning till it stopped right side up. "Arcana of the Magician!" The dome shrank down around her, a layer of light soon consuming her, "Its over." Soarin tried to get up, only to stagger to the side for a few inches before falling over. "Don't bother trying to run. Nothing can save you!"

"Cold," Soarin whispered as he stood back up, his back now against the wall.





"That's what I've always believed." Cold muttered as he saw Storm point his supercharged weapon at him. "But now..."

"STORM TRI-FORCE!" The swored unleashed an electrified tornado of water and wind.

"Teamwork..." Cold whispered as he slammed his hoof into the wall, causing it to shatter. At that exact moment, Terror unleashed her attack at Soarin, only to now see Soarin and Cold standing back to back. The two glanced and nodded before Soarin leapt and grabbed hold of Cold, both zipping into the air. This allowed both to dodge the attacks, the two colliding as Terror and Storm gasped at the sight.

KABOOM!

The attacks exploded on impact, the force creating a mushroom cloud that hit both the cultists before they could protect themselves. Cold cast a shield spell around him and Soarin as they flew up, only to feel the explosion's force propel them upward.

"WHOA!" Soarin yelped as he did everything he could to keep himself level. And as the attack began to fade, both looked down to see a massive smoke cloud began to vanish. The damage done was a giant crater, several houses all obliterated by the blast. Among the debris were both Storm and Terror, the two badly burnt and bruised on top of rubble piles.

Their bodies began to fade as Storm moaned out, "How?! How...could you beat us?"

Cold looked up at Soarin as he responded, "By working together...as a team." Soarin chuckled back as both Storm and Terror fell to dust and were teleported away, Soarin now dropping Cold to the ground.

Soarin then nudged Cold's shoulder, "Great work partner."

"Thanks," Cold replied as he looked away, "I guess there is more to this teamwork thing than I thought."

"See? That's what we mean!"

"Yeah...don't push your luck." Cold deadpanned as his usual emotionless face returned, only to let out a sigh, 'I suppose this was what Flash meant by believing in your friends.' A small smile appeared on his lips, "Maybe it's not so bad."

It was here that he felt Soarin pat his shoulder, "Come on, we're not done yet. We've still got one more left before we can relax." Cold nodded in agreement, only to feel the ground shake. The two then turned to where the shaking was coming from, only to see a giant pillar of light.

"Oh no."





"Well done." Tempera said as one of her uni-troopers handed her the orb. She rubbed her hoof on the sphere, a big grin gracing her face, "Yes...victory is now ours!"

A shining light came out of the orb next, the glow passing over her as she and the remaining competitors were teleported back to their castles. And as this happened, both screens showed the same three words after going white.


Team Shadow wins.