//------------------------------// // 18. Haunted Maze! The Reaper's Scythe! // Story: Beyblade Burst Equestria Girls // by Chacorn //------------------------------// It was a calm day aboard The Sky Cruiser and most of the main 9 were enjoying themselves up on deck. Robin was having a hard time keeping himself down but Sunset and Amelia had made him relax. Sunset let out a sigh of relief and said "This is what I call a Cruise" Amelia then said "Yup. This feels good" Robin sitting between the two of them said "Can't lie. This is pretty relaxing" Sunset looked at him and said "I'm glad you're resting. You've been training non stop ever since we got on board" Roin turned to her and said "Yeah but I guess I forgot that resting is also important in training" But just as he said that, Adagio and Aria's angry screams were heard and they all turned their heads. With that they saw The two sirens covered in whipped cream chasing Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie and Bell who were running and laughing. They then ran past Applejack and Rarity with both of them confused. "What in Tarnation was that?" Applejack asked then Ranzo walked by and said "Bell seems to be on the move again. He's always pranking everyone he sees" "And with Rainbow and Pinkie with him it's going to be a triple dose of mischief" Rarity said exhausted. Twilight had sat down next to Amelia and was reading her book but just then a thick fog came. "Huh where did the fog come from?" Pinkie asked and everyone stood up. Fluttershy who was on the deck started shaking and hid behind Rainbow. "Don't worry Shy. It's just a little fog" Rainbow said but then Amelia pointed out "This isn't just a little fog. It's a full fog cloud" They all tried to see what was fanning in front of them and after a while they saw something . They all gasped as it saw a large castle surrounded by fog. The castle seemed old and quite spooky and in front of it it looked like some kind of labyrinth. "A castle?" Sunset said and everyone was focused on the castle. Down at the entrance of the castle, a young man was seen sitting, his hair was spiky and he was looking at something in his hand. They started to glow dark purple/black and a Grim Reaper like figure appeared behind him. They had all gotten off the cruiser and landed in front of the maze. Everyone was on edge with Fluttershy shaking behind Sunset. "This is so scary" Fluttershy said shakily. At the same time, Sonata shook behind Aria and said "I agree with her. This is too spooky" "Seriously. Stop fooling around Sonata" Aria said irritated and then Rainbow said "You can relax shy. Nothing is gonna happen" But just then a door opened behind Rainbow. Everyone looked inside and then there was a skull that rushed forward and roared. Fluttershy, Sonata, Rainbow and Bell screamed and got scared. But then they took the skull off and there was Wakiya laughing on the screen. "Finally you pranksters get to taste your own medicine" he said with everyone stunned. Just then the announcer said "Okay boys and girls. Time to send out a good couple of scary challenges here in the spooky castle of Transylvania" "Wait,Transylvania?" Twilight said in surprise and then the announcer said "That's right Beyfans. It's time for the creepiest event yet" Sunset said "So this is another challenge" with Fluttershy still shaking behind her. "Now listen carefully. This here is the stadium that has been chosen for today. The Hyper Stadium" Wakiya said, showing a stadium. It appeared to have a figure eight like figure with a yellow top ring like a tall deck. "Your job is to get to this stadium in front of the castle. But to get there you have to go through the maze" he said but then Adagio asked "Can't we just walk around?" "No can do. First we're going to have a spooky adventure in this maze so be ready" said the announcer. Everyone except Fluttershy and Sonata got excited. "You have one hour to reach the goal. Those who succeed will compete for this Beytoken" said Wakiya "Alright get ready now. Time starts in..." the announcer said counting down "3... 2... 1... GO" and then Wakiya popped forward with the shell back on and roared once more. Futtershy and Sonata hugged Sunset and Aria with Aria saying "But now what?" Wakiya took off the mask again and said "That was the signal from the beginning. It really fits the moment" But then Adagio shouted "Okay but can you knock it off" All the groups went into the different entrances and Robin said "Come on. Time to go" Sunset tried to follow but Fluttershy held her arm and stopped her. "Shy?" said Sunset and Fluttershy said "I'm going back to the ship" Sunset then said "Really? are you sure?" Fluttershy nodded and Sonata then said "Ari, Dagi. I'm scared" "You're such a scaredy cat" Aria said, a little irritated. Robin looked at the two scared girls and said "Maybe you should look around a bit. You can try to find your way back but good luck" They looked around but the ship was completely gone. Both started to tear up and screamed "Where did the ship go?" Sunset then said "Don't worry Fluttershy. I make sure you're safe" Robin smiled and said "Same here" Fluttershy nodded and the three entered the maze. They walked slowly for Fluttershy's sake who let out a couple of screams a couple of times. They walked past a skeleton and when Sunset and Fluttershy looked at it, it started falling towards them. With a quick movement, Sunset pulled Fluttershy away and it landed on the ground. Robin asked "Are you guys okay?" and Sunset said "Yeah we're okay" with Fluttershy nodding. Robin looked at the skeleton and said "It doesn't feel like it was a fluke. It looks like there are traps here" Just then a scythe came out and Wakiya was there. "Did I forget to mention that? If you fall for a trap, you're out. You have to keep your eyes open" and then the screen disappeared. "Seriously. Now he's telling us" Sunset said a little irritated but Robin said "Don't worry. We just need to keep our eyes open" With that they all moved on. In another part of the maze, Rainbow and Pinkie walked until it came to a room with a strange pair of ramps. between them there were a pair of rings that were red, orange, yellow and green from outside to inside. But just then another door opened and Applejack and Rarity entered the room. "Hey you two" Pinkie said happily and Rarity greeted "It's nice to see you darlings" Just then a screen was opened on the wall and it was switched on. "Hey there. It's time for Bey to aim. One per team is to use the ramps to determine which way you take. The one in the middle is the short one while the red one is a trap. So aim well" Wakiya said on the screen. "OH OH. Can I do this? Please" Pinkie jumped happily. Rainbow then said "Okay then" and Pinkie hugged Rainbow tightly. "Do you want to take this Rarity?" Applejack asked and Rarity replied "Gladly darling" The Dazzlings walked through the maze with Sonata a little slower than the others. "Can we slow down a bit?" Sonata said a bit scared but then Aria replied "Stop complaining" irritated. "Stop bickering. We have to get to the goal before anyone else. I'm not going to lose to Sunset and her friends again" Adagio said but then someone came around the hen and all three screamed. But when it looked they saw Robin and then Sunset and Fluttershy. "Oh. It's you three" Robin said and Adagio said "It's just you three. The two people I least wanted to see" annoyed "Ready, Set" the screen said and began a countdown. "3... 2... 1... Let it, Rip!" cried both of them, and the two Beys went down the frames and leapt against the middle. They collided in the air but then they flew towards the sideline and both landed in the red zone. Both gasped and then the screen showed a big X and beep. Just then, trap doors opened under all four of them and they all fell through. "Oh my. Both teams failed and are out" said the announcer but just then a door opened and Bell and Ranzo looked in. "Wow. Talk about being lucky we weren't in there" Ranzo said. "Luckily with my knowledge of trapdoors, I can never fall for one" Bell said cocky. But when it went on, Bell stepped on a plate and the floor opened up. Bell started to fall down but he managed to jump off the wall of the hole and climbed up the other side. "Bell. Are you okay?" Ranzo asked but Bell just smiled. Ranzo looked at the gap and said "I don't think I can cross" Bell looked at the wall and saw a button and pressed it. Just then the trap door closed and Ranzo was able to go over. "Come on now. I'm not going to lose again" Bell said firmly and with that they both moved on. But without them showing it, someone around the corner saw them. Twilight and Amelia were walking in a corridor and Twilight was fascinated that they were in Transylvania and started talking about its history. Amelia mostly listened and enjoyed that Twilight seemed to be having fun. After a while they entered a room and they saw a ripcord and a spin wheel that was divided into 32. "Hope you are ready for a test of strength with the trick wheel. This Ripcord is 4 times heavier and harder to pull than a normal. If the wheel lands on a green you pass. But if it's red, you know" said Wakiya on a screen. "Looks like a 50/50" Amelia said but then Twilight said "Wait a second" and started doing calculations. "If it's four times harder than mine and I use at least 80% of my full shaft, it's going to land on a green," she said, going against the ripcord. "Are you sure it will work?" Amelia asked and Twilight smiled and said "If I counted correctly. Let it, Rip!" The arrow on the wheel started spinning and after a while it slowed down into a green box. Both started to cheer but then it sped up again. Both were confused until it stopped quickly on a red. Both were momentary and the screen showed a red cross and beep. With that they both fell down through trap doors and Wakiya popped up on the screen saying "I told you it was a trick wheel" and then the announcer said "Oops. Looks like another team has fallen for a trap" Sunset, Robin and Fluttershy continued to walk through the maze but the Dazzlings went the same way they did. "Why do we have to go with you guys" Aria said irritated. "Stop complaining Aria. There is only one way to go" Adagio said. They all left with Sonata and Fluttershy scared. As they passed a creepy painting, Aria looked at it. It flashed an image of a Grim Reaper but just then it fell and landed on top of her and Sonata. They all turned and saw the two of them on the ground. "Oh, are you guys okay?" Robin asked, helping the painting off the both of them. "Thanks" Sonata said but then Aria said "Why are you thanking him?" irritated. Sonata tried to say something but then they all heard cracking and everyone stopped. The cracking slowly got louder and Sunset asked "What's that?" "Probably just speakers" Adagio said but Sonata suggested "Maybe it's a monster?" Aria got more annoyed and said "Sonata. There's no such thing as monsters" But just then Sonata saw something and said "Okay but then WHAT IS THAT?" They all turned their heads and saw someone in a dark coat walking towards them. "It's a monster" Fluttershy said shakily. "There are no monsters." Sunset said but the figure came closer. "But what's that" Sonata said startled but then Robin said "How about not staying and finding out" and with that everyone started running. They ran until they came to a rope bridge. "How did they manage to fit this in?" Robin asked. But just then Sonata pointed and shouted "That thing is getting closer" All six crossed the bridge one at a time and Adagio was the last to cross. Just when she was near the end, the rope snapped. Adagio started to fall but just then Robin caught her hand. Adagio gasped at that but then Robin called out "Can I get some help here" All the others helped him pull Adagio up and everyone was now safe. Adagio and Robin were breathing heavily until Adagio asked Robin "Why did you save me?" Robin looked at her and said "Well I’m not going to let someone fall like that" Adagio was a bit confused by that. She was sure Sunset had told him what happened during The Battle Of The Bands. But he was still willing to help her. Robin was more confused than before. The dark figure was behind those on the other side and the six began to move. After a while they all came out with Sonata rushing out first. They were all outside but then another door opened and the same dark figure came out. "AHH. The monster" Sonata shouted along with Fluttershy hiding. But just then a screen came down and a skeleton rode. "Alright everyone. Time is officially up" the announcer said. Bell and Ranzo who remained in the maze were angry that they didn't manage to win. After a while, everyone was out of the maze and they were standing on the side. The two teams that remained stood in front of the stadium with the dark figure on the other side. Just then the announcer said "With that we have two different teams that will take on the final opponent" Just then the figure threw off his coat and saw a young man with black, spiky hair and a red bandana on his head. He was also wearing an orange t-shirt, black pants and shoes. Finally, he wore a black, purple jacket and a skullcap necklace. "This blader has participated in several tournaments and can really use the term ghostly very effectively. Let me introduce Daigo Kurogami" the announcer said and everyone looked at Daigo. "See, it wasn't a monster. I said so" Aria said cockily as Sunset rolled her eyes. With that the screen showed four pictures of the four of them and the announcer said "Okay. time to decide the order they will go" The images spun around and lined up with Aria first. "And it looks like the first one to go up is Aria Blaze" the announcer said and Aria smiled and walked towards the stadium. "Hope you're ready for defeat" Aria said but Daigo looked down at the ground. But just as he raised his head, he glared at Aria. Aria was taken back by that look. "Let me tell you something. People like you, Who are just talk without putting in any effort, really grinds my gears" Daigo said irritated. "Excuse me" Aria said and Daigo then said "You overestimate yourself with every little win. I can't stand that" Aria was irritated by that but then he held up his Bey "Now you're going to learn hard work and effort from my Hollow Doomscizor" and he showed his attack type Beyblade: Hollow Doomscizor. "Start Battle" the screen said and both got ready and Aria said "I don't care who you are. You are going to get those words slapped in your face" angrily. "Ready, Set" the screen said and began the countdown. "3... 2... 1... Let it, Rip!" both shouted and they both went in for an attack. "Get them sirens" Aria called but then Doomscizor moved out of the way. But then it ducked and landed an attack. "Oh My. Both attack over and over but only Doomscizor lands any attacks" the Announcer said. Everyone looked interested and Adagio asked "How can both attack but only him landing attacks?" Robin then said "It's unbalanced" Both Sunset and Adagio looked at him and he said "Doomscizor is a bit unbalanced so it's movements are unpredictable. Through that Doomscizor avoids direct contact with Siren" Aria was getting a little irritated and yelled "Get them. Bass Strike" and Siren dived right at Doomscizor. "Kick them. Howl launch" Daigo shouted and the two beys collided twice but during the second collision Siren was knocked off and hit the wall and burst. "Hollow Doomscizor with a Burst Finish, Daigo Kurogami is the winner" said the screen and Aria stood there shocked. "Unbelievable. Doomscizor crushed Siren with just a couple of hits" the announcer said. "H-how" Aria said shocked and then Daigo said "That's how it goes. The overconfident always fall on their pride" Aria got angry but then walked away from the stadium. "That bastard" she said quietly angrily but quickly came to the other three. "Alright then. Looks like it's Adagio Dazzle's turn to go up against Daigo" the announcer said and she walked towards the stadium. When she was ready she said "I hope you are ready. I will send you to the other side of the grave" Daigo however glared at her. "You're the same as the first one. I hope you actually have skills and not just talk" said Daigo but then Adagio replied "You're going to get punished for what you said to Aria. So be prepared" "Start Battle" the screen said and both got ready and then the screen said "Ready, Set" and began the countdown. "3... 2... 1... Let it, Rip!" both shouted and Siren went against the middle with Doomscizor going for the attacks. "On them. Howl launch" Daigo shouted and Adagio shouted "Here we go. Melody Spin" Doomscizor landed the attacker but Siren managed to absorb its energy. "Unbelievable. Siren manages to block Doomscizor's attacks. More than that, Siren drains all energy from them" said the announcer. Daigo looked at Siren and said "Looks like you have a strategy. But unfortunately it's not enough" Adagio was irritated by that and said "We'll see about that" Just then the two collided and left the middle with Doomscizor going up one slope. But just then, Daigo was overcome by a black and purple energy. Adagio was getting a little nervous but then Daigo shouted "Do it Doomscizor" With that he resonated with his Bey so its avatar came forth. The avatar was a Grim Reaper like figure. It had dark gray armor with glowing purple lines and a hood over its skeletal head. Finally it was surrounded by purple fire carrying two large dark gray Scythe. They both went at each other and Adagio shouted "Take them now Siren" But then Daigo shouted "Now hit them with Hollow Scythe" and they hit Siren with its long Scythe blade. Sparks flew everywhere but quickly Siren burst. "Hollow Doomscizor with a Burst Finish, Daigo Kurogami is the winner" the screen said and the announcer said "Unbelievable. Not even the spin stealing Siren can take the Doomscizor attacker" Adagio was shocked and angry but then left the stadium. "That bastard" she whispered and then the announcer said "Okay people. Time to move on with the next one up is Robin Kings" said the announcer. "Alright. Time We go" he said and headed towards the stadium. "Let's see if Robin has the power to surpass Doomscizor" the announcer said and Robin arrived at the stadium. Daigo glared at him "You. Why did you do that?" "Huh" Robin said then Daigo said "I saw you before. When Adagio fell you saved her at the risk of falling. Even if she had fallen she would have been fine. So why? that would have been one less opponent to worry about over" Robin was a bit taken back but then he said "To be honest I don't know for sure. I just didn't want to let anyone fall like that" Daigon was quiet for a moment but then he said bluntly "Then you're naive" "Start Battle" the screen said and both got ready and Robin thought quickly. "Hollow Doomscizor. Clockwise spin. Unreadable movements. I have to prioritize timing over power" he thought and the screen then said "Ready, Set" and began the countdown. "3... 2... 1... Let it, Rip!" both shouted and they both went for an attack. "Now, Howl launch" Daigo shouted and Robin shouted "Crash Launch" They both attacked but Drago's attack was slowed so it dodged Doomscizor's attack but landed on its own. "But what now. Doomscizor misses the attacks but Drago manages to land attacks. This is the opposite of Aria's match" said the announcer. The other friends cheered Robin on but Aria was angry that he did the same as her but succeeded. "I don't understand. How can he attack?" Aria said angrily but then Adagio said "He purposely launched it at an angle so it attacked later than Doomscizor" Aria was a little angry but hoped Robin would put Daigo in his place. Just then Doomscizor went up a slope with Drago going up another but managed to get onto the upper deck. "Looks like Doomscizor is taking a turn up the slope while Drago rides the upper decks" the announcer said and Robin shouted "Let's go. Drago" and then he resonated but his bey and it's avatar came forward. Doomscizor went down the slope and Daigo shouted "Now Hollow Scythe" But when Drago got off the deck it flew into the air and headed straight for Doomscizor. "Here we go. Crash Breaker" Robin called, sweeping his hands down. The attacks collided and Doomscizor was knocked away. "But what the. Drago managed to take the win in this collision" said the announcer. Everyone including the Dazzlings cheered at Sunset's surprise, but when they noticed, Adagio and Aria stopped. Doomscizor was close to the edge but managed to bounce off and landed on the upper deck. "But what do you know. Doomscizor managed to survive" the Announcer said and Robin said "So close" Just then Daigo shouted "End this Doomscizor" and then he resonated so its avatar appeared. Drago went up the opposite slope and quickly dived. "Get them. Crash Upper" Robin called and Drago leaned forward. But then Doomscizor bounced off the wall and into the air. "Doomscizor is airborne" the announcer said and everyone gasped. "Flying Hollow Scythe. Go" Daigo shouted and Doomscizor dived at Drago but like a wheel its Scythe blade slashed straight down. After a few moments so something clingd in drago but then it bursted and the screen said "Hollow Doomscizor with a Burst Finish, Daigo Kurogami is the winner" "unbelievable. aigo has managed to take three Burst Finishes in a row. Can he even be defeated today" the Announcer said. Robin walked from the front of the stadium slowly and stood by the other three. "It was exhilarating but the show must go on. Vilekt means the last one to go up today is Sunset Shimmer" the announcer said. "Guess I'm the last one" said Sunset and others started walking. but Robin took her arm and she stopped. "Sunset. Daigo is good at psyching out his opponents. Whatever he tells you. Don't listen" he said trailing her. Sunset was confused but then went to the stadium. When she was framed Daigo said "Hm. Dark" Sunset was confused by that and Daigo then said "You have a dark past. Wonder why your friends trust you" Sunset started to shake but then thought about what Robin said. She tried to calm herself but then Robin shouted "Come on Sunset. win now" She turned to him and the other friends started cheering her on as well. When Sunset heard her friends cheering her on, she became more confident. "Start Battle" the screen said and both got ready with Sunset putting Phoenix in defense mode. "Ready, Set" the screen said and began the countdown. "3... 2... 1... Let it, Rip!" both shouted and Phoenix went against the middle while Doomscizor went for the attacks. "Now, Flare Guard" Sunset called and Phoenix was surrounded by fire. "Cut them apart. Howl launch" Daigo shouted and Doomscizor attacked again and again but Phoenix blocked them all. "Unbelievable. Doomscizor can't seem to get through Phoenix's defenses" the announcer said. They continued for a while with the others cheering on Sunset. But then Daigo shouted "You're not getting away. Now Doomscizor" and Doomscizor landed an attack on Phoenix that both got it out of the middle but also sent Doomscizor going up the slope. They both took a curve and went against each other. "Strike Them With Hollow Scythe" Daigo called out and Sunset called out "Flare Counter" and snapped her finger. They both collided and created sparks. After a while, both went from the middle and up the upper decks. "This is my only chance now" Sunset thought and then shouted "Go" The others were surprised that she went on the attack in defense mode. "What is she doing?" Adagio asked and Robin thought "Come on Sunset. You can do it" Daigo smiled and said "This is really fun" But just then he resonated with his bey and shouted "Time to win this Doomscizor" and then its avatar appeared. "Give it everything you've got. Phoenix" Sunset called out and resonated with her Bey so its avatar emerged. They both rode the upper deck and bounced off the wall and flew at each other and the announcer said "They're flying" "It's time. Flying Hollow Scythe" Daigo called out but then Sunset called out "End this. Flare Recoil" and they collided with sparks everywhere. But after a while, Doomscizor was facing down while Phoenix was facing up. Just then, the Phoenix blades were retracted and they were thrown away from each other. Doomscizor hit the stadium and exploded while Phoenix was up in the air. "Flare Phoenix with a Burst Finish, Sunset Shimmer is the winner" said the screen with Sunset shouting "Alright" All her friends, even the Dazzlings cheered for Sunset. "And there we have it. Sunset Shimmer has successfully defeated the legend Daigo Kurogami. Congratulations" said the announcer. Just then Wakiya came up on the screen and said "Not bad Sunset. You've managed to give your team a new token" and then the screen showed that she and Robin had two Beytokens. Daigo looked at Sunset and thought "Seems like she's really separated from her past" As everyone started walking on the ship that had returned Daigo talked to Wakiya. "Hey. What did you say to her during your match" Wakiya asked. "I saw that she had a dark past," Daigo answered. "Really? She doesn't seem like the type. Could she be a problem?" Wakiya said thinking. "I don't think so. She really seems to have changed herself. Her friends by her side is proof enough" Daigo said. But then Wakiya said "But still. We haven't had a bigger threat in the Beyblade world since Inferno and maybe Lane. We can't risk someone like Arthur or Ashtem becoming a serious threat" Daigo said after a while "If you ask me. Sunset is a person who made a bad choice once but is now an honest and kind blader" and Wakiya then said "I have the same thought. But I'm looking into it more , Just to be sure" It was in a dark room with several screens and several people with metal masks at the buttons. A person sat in the middle of the room and looked at a screen that showed the bite after Robin had helped Adagio in the maze. "They're getting unsafe, Weak. They won't be of any use any time soon," the man said in a condescending tone. One of the others said "Sir. We have made contact with this man and he is on his way" The man in the middle then said "Good. Begin The Ruler project" and everyone in the room said "Yes Sir" and they got to work. "Soon it will be time for a new era of Beyblade" the man said with an evil tone in his voice.