As we followed Discord out of his home, my gaze fell on Chrysalis, the Changeling queen who had been my sworn enemy since day one. I couldn’t help but frown.

Why do I keep getting stuck with sketchy teammates? At least with Discord I can rely on him wanting to get back with the ones who reformed him. Chrysalis, on the other hoof, doesn’t have such a connection with us. Nothing could convince me to trust her completely, and yet I have to let her roam free inside my head?

Goosebumps traveled down the back of my neck. Chrysalis could easily tap into the Royal Guard Codex, a hoofbook of strategies to combat enemy threats. Malice was no doubt the bigger threat. But still, I couldn’t ignore the chance of Chrysalis using this knowledge against us down the road.

That last thought stopped me in my tracks.

Was… Was this how Noble felt when she was forced to work with us? With me? If so, then damn. Still pissed off at her, but… damn.

“Flash? Are you alright?”

I stumbled, just now noticing Chrysalis giving me a worried look. “Wha, me? I’m fine!”

“Lying is dangerous thinking, especially where we’re going.” Chrysalis leaned uncomfortably close, eyes narrowed. “I won’t ask again.”

“Alright. Fine.” I reminded myself that I couldn’t afford to repeat Noble’s mistake of hiding the truth, even if I believed it wasn’t worth discussing. “I really hate the idea of you getting inside my head so much that... it made me think if this was how your daughter felt being around Shining Armor and I.”

“Absolutely,” Chrysalis answered without a second thought. “Noble adopted my hatred for you ponies quite well. Despite times she had her doubts, she eventually came around to realizing there would be no peace between us.”

“Is this really the time to be having this kind of conversation?” Discord asked incredulously. “We’re about to go inside Flash’s head, Chrissy. I’d rather he think about something far less stressful.”

“Having him attempt to hide his feelings will make things worse for all of us. Besides, we hate each other mutually. No point in pretending otherwise.”

I found myself gawking at Chrysalis, at a loss comparable to seeing my favorite buckball team lose a winnable game at the last second. “Can’t believe I’m saying this, but we’re both on the same page.”

Chrysalis grinned. “Liberating, isn’t it?”

Discord sighed. “If you two keep this up, I’ll throw both of you in a pool of chocolate ice cream.”

“What, the lord of chaos can’t take an unexpected occurrence of two enemies agreeing with each other?” Chrysalis teased.

“Unexpected occurrences are fine. It’s in my resume. But this… this weird frenemy thing you two got going on is like pineapple on pizza: so much nope.”

I gasped. “Are you serious? That’s the best topping on a pizza!”

“Finally, someone with good taste!” Chrysalis beamed.

Discord threw us a look as if we conspired to bury him alive, then shook his head. “You know what? I think I enjoyed this conversation better when you two talking about hating each other.”

Chrysalis and I chuckled.

I stopped shortly after.

Here I am in a literal alternate dimension where I am having a jovial chat about pizza and laughing with Discord and Chrysalis.

What a strange time to be alive.

Discord stopped several meters away from the house and turned to face us. “I think this is a good spot to start.”

With a snap of his fingers, a double door gateway appeared in a puff of smoke. It stood double my size in height, which was more than enough room for all of us to enter at once. Emblazoned across the entire doorway was my cutie mark. I wasn’t sure what to expect when it came to entering somepony’s mind, but a magical door was certainly not on my list of expectations.

“May I present to you all… Sentry World! Sponsored by Yours Truly.”

I rolled my eyes. That name was almost as ridiculous as the ‘love love amnesia kiss’ nonsense Noble came up with. It did little to help the tension that filled my legs. Each step I took towards the door was like my first time running the Tartarus Road obstacle course back in basic: I’m not looking forward to recovering from third degree burns. Again.

“So how will this work, exactly?” I asked. ”From the sound of it, we’re literally going to travel into my head… unless it’s just Discord being Discord.”

“It’s really quite simple,” Discord began to explain. With a snap he conjured a pair of reading glasses and a white lab coat. “Right now, you are using the ‘thinky’ part of your brain.” Using the chalk and blackboard that suddenly appeared in his paw he drew a poorly detailed image of a brain. “Hmmm…. Wait. this is your brain we’re talking about. Needs to be more realistic.” He erased the image and redrew it, making it far tinier and messier, like a mutant avocado. “Much better!”

Son of a…

Despite the urge to punch him again I settled for a deadpan stare as he continued.

“This part of your brain is what you are using right now to make sense of the world and go about your business. But then you got the ‘sleepy’ part of your brain,” Discord drew some z’s next to the “brain” image. “This is where the fun stuff happens that you can’t control. It’s like a fussy wife who thinks she knows what’s best for you and is a control freak. Kinda just does stuff without your permission.”

I couldn’t catch what he said as he coughed into his paw, but it caused Chrysalis to throw a sharp glare his way.

“Malley is somewhere inside the sleepy part of your head, ” circling the z’s, Discord drew an arrow pointing to Malice’s poorly drawn face. The melodramatic scowl Discord made on his face pulled a chuckle out of me. “Chrissy and I will help you in giving Malice das boot outta you, but it will be up to you to guide.

“Guide us where?”

Discord shrugged. “We’ll figure it out when we get there.”

My shoulders sagged. “Can’t say that sounds promising.”

“What Discord means is that we’re attempting to isolate the source of Malice’s magic and see how we can use his ability to ‘champion’ to our advantage.. If all goes well, you and I will be able to wield enough magical power to counter Malice and his influence while staying right under his nose..” Chrysalis tossed me an appraising look. “Are you ready?”

Facing the door, I rolled my shoulders. “I’m about as ready as I’ll ever be.”

“Without further ado,” Discord gestured the door with a dramatic flair, “let’s go say hello to Ol’ Malley.”

I approached the door and placed my hoof on the handle.

Don’t keep me waiting.

I sucked in a breath, fighting the chill that crept up my spine.

“Don’t worry, I won’t,” I growled under my breath.

After a moment, I steeled myself and opened the door.

My vision went white.

I shot up from the impeccably soft ground, startled by the sensation of icicles piercing my senses. “Ugh, my head…” I rubbed my temples to dispel the minor headache and blurry vision. Although the chilly air made my body quiver, the feeling of the wind blowing through my wings along with the soft touch of the clouds beneath my hooves made me feel like I was back home.

Clouds?

Through the daze two formless blobs popped into view. They stood beside me on the largest cloud I’ve ever seen, stretched endlessly into the horizon.

However, as my world gained focus, Chrysalis and Discord’s attention were not on me. I followed their gaze.

Isolated on a cloud moat loomed a massive castle. I was reminded of Canterlot castle; spiraling towers and imposing stone walls which made the structure seem insurmountable. Yet, where Canterlot was a symbol of strength and unity, this castle, born from my own mind, was anything but welcoming.

Golden banners imprinted with my cutie mark were faded and tattered. My stomach churned at the aged vines that had snaked throughout the exterior, frosted onto the cracked walls. The long abandoned and decrepit Castle of the Two Sisters was a vacation resort in comparison to this nightmarish and haunted fortress.

“Is this really in my mind?” I took a hesitant step towards the castle, swallowing down my uneasiness.

“Yep! From here on out, we’re in the wild world of Flash Sentry!.”

I was only partially paying attention, distracted by the dreaded castle we were about to approach, until he booped my nose with his paw. “That’s you, Snowflake,” Discord smirked.

“Yeah, I know. And don’t call me Snowflake. I really don’t need anymore nicknames,” I grumbled.

“Oh? What other nicknames did you get?” Discord mused.

“Probably Buttermilk.”

I snapped towards Chrysalis so fast I almost gave myself whiplash. “How in the world did you know that?”

Chrysalis licked her lips. My skin crawled at the hungrily look that flashed in her eyes. “You actually t—”

“On second thought,” my hoof shot up to silence her, “forget I asked.” I shook my head and moved towards the castle which suddenly looked less uncomfortable than present company.

“Like mother, like daughter,” I muttered under my breath.

At the corner of my peripheral, I could swear Chrysalis stifled a giggle.

The world was mostly empty and plain, but I didn’t mind it. It was hard to believe this was my mind we were inside of. “Is this what it’s like to go inside someone’s mind? Does everyone have something like this in their heads?”

“Yep. Even me,” Discord said. “Where did you think you were earlier?”

I froze mid step, my head snapping towards him. “So that place was in your mind?”

“Not as easy as it sounds. We’re talking about having actual living beings kicking back and enjoying the best tea ever in your head. Can’t think of anyone else who is as amazing and magical as me who can do that..”

“That aside, we have more important things to worry about,” Chrysalis said sternly. “Discord and I will be providing support to defend you, but our lives are in your hooves, and I don’t say that just because Malice will no doubt be breathing down our necks.”

“What do you mean?”

“This is a world that is alive and shifting according to your consciousness. It is a cognitive world.”

“Minus demon-summoning teenagers,” Discord added as an aside.

“Discord, what are you… no, forget it. Please continue, Chrysalis.”

“How you go about manipulating this world is no different than how a spirit manipulates reality. Through your willpower and imagination, you can actively shape this world and conjure objects. I’ll explain as we go, but it is imperative that you are cautious with your thoughts. Any wrong thought could have Discord and I in serious danger, and that’s just without Malice’s influence.”

I gulped. “I’ll do my best to control my thoughts. Let’s go.” I pressed towards the castle, Discord and Chrysalis following closely behind.

It wasn’t long before we reached the edge of the moat. In front of us was this huge drawbridge that seemed to be the only way into the castle. Spiked chains barred the wooden bridge. I tried looking for a lever or something to summon the bridge, but found nothing. Considering what Chrysalis said about manipulating reality, I knew there was more going on here than what meets the eye.

“Welp, that explains a lot,” Discord commented.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked.

“Spoiler alert; you don’t have a literal castle in your brain. Your brain is trying to make sense of everything by creating these images. The real kicker is that everything here means something to you because it is you. Just like how this ridiculously creepy and guarded castle is a mirror image of the real you.”

“He’s saying you’re defensive and closed-minded,” said Chrysalis. “Also thick-headed by the looks of the castle walls.”

“Wha—I’m not closed-minded!” I barked. As if reacting to my words, the chains on the bridge shifted and tightened.

“Defensive~” sang Discord.

“This is no time to be worried about your brittle ego. Face the door and follow my orders,” Chrysalis barked.

“Freakin’ jerks,” I mumbled before setting my sights on the door. “Alright, tell me what to do.”

“Paint a clear mental image of what you want to happen,” Chrysalis instructed. “Be detailed with what you think. It’s not ‘you want the door to open’ but ‘the chains will retract and the drawbridge will unfold’. Don’t ask for the door to open; make the door open by imposing your will on it step by step.”

Focused on the drawbridge, I carefully painted the vision of the door opening. How the chains would unravel and retract into the castle. The drawbridge would lower.

Nothing.

For a minute or two I stood there like an idiot. I was having a staring contest with a bridge and I was losing.

“It’s not working. Am I supposed to feel something? What am I doing wrong?”

“Willpower is the key here,” Discord added. “When the world gives you magic, don’t play nice or ask for permission. Be like my dear Fluttershy and be assertive! Demand to see this world’s manager! Make the world rue the day they thought they could make Flash Sentry ask for permission to use magic!.”

“Is… magic always that aggressive to use?”

Discord shrugged. “What can I say? Magic likes it rough.”

“Huh. Alrighty then.” I nodded to Discord and tried again. I need to will this path to open. Command it.

Following my instincts,I lifted my hoof and pointed at the gate. My eyes narrowed.

The spark that ignites…

Channel the spark!

I grasped at the gate and yanked my forehoof back, as if I tore off the lock.

The drawbridge responded with a deep groan as the chains shook loose and pulled into the castle walls. Behind the now lowered bridge a grated, iron gate creaked open. Nothing stood between us and the castle now!

I turned to Chrysalis and Discord, beaming. “Did you see that?! I just opened that door with my mind! That… that was freaking awesome!”

Chrysalis gave the tiniest hint of a smile. “So easily excited, though I suppose I can’t blame a pegasus for getting happy over achieving something usually outside their ability.”

“Keep in mind you’re not restricted to only being a door pony, at least while in here. Just keep it simple, unless you don’t mind accidentally turning yourself into a pretzel.”

That mental image wiped away my previous joy of magic. I swallowed hard.

“I…I’ll keep that in mind. The gate is open, so let’s go.”

I crossed the bridge and motioned the others to follow. We were halfway across when Chrysalis and Discord were knocked back by some sort of transparent forcefield.

Chrysalis rubbed at her forehead. “I was afraid this might happen.”

“What?” I asked. Discord looked equally confused.

“It must be the shield device on your neck that’s preventing access into your mind. Even if you tried to will us through, we wouldn’t be able to break it.”

“Didn’t Malice get through somehow?”

“He got in by infiltrating your mind through fusing himself into your magic. It would seem that as long as this device recognizes it as your magic, that source can gain access.”

“Leave it to Shiny Plot-Armor to give something that helps you in the worst possible way,” Discord said with a grimace.

“Well it’s not his fault we weren’t prepared to face a spirit like Malice. It’s Noble’s.”

The second those words left my mouth, I knew Chrysalis was going to say something. Anything, like scoffing at me for putting the blame on Noble. But, then, Chrysalis surprised me: she had opened her mouth, as if she was going to say something, but then she immediately closed it, her lips pursed while her muzzle twitched.

Was she trying to keep herself calm for my sake? Or was it for her own?

Apparently, it was for neither of us. She was just trying to find the words to throw at me. Chrysalis let out a gritty-sounding growl that sent a shiver down my spine.

“This isn’t the time to be throwing blame. We need to get in there.”

“Well unless you can scowl your way past that barrier, we’re not getting any closer, my dear Bug-butt. I don’t think I can smuggle us through here like before,” said Discord. Of course, rather than offer a solution, Chrysalis gave Discord a generous helping of said scowling.

Smuggle through... that’s it!

“I have an idea. Maybe you can’t smuggle us through the barrier, but there’s a chance I can since it’s my magic. Let’s see if this works.” I stepped through the barrier and offered my forehooves, standing on my back legs. “Grab my hoof.”

Discord and Chrysalis gave each other a look before they grasped my forelegs. Moving backwards, I pulled them through the barrier effortlessly, not stopping until we were beyond the drawbridge and inside the entrance.

“Good thinking, Flash,” Chrysalis complimented. “Makes sense we would have to be connected to your energy intimately in order to be allowed entry.”

“Intimate, huh?” Discord smirked at me. “At least buy us dinner first.”

I facehooved. “Discord, knock it off! We need to be on guard from here on out. Malice knows we’re coming, so there’s no telling what kind of traps he’ll lay out for us.”

“Alright, alright. I’ll be as straight and narrow as the stick up your butt,” Discord beamed.

“If you keep this up, I swear I’m gonna kick your—”

The gate and drawbridge suddenly came to life and slammed shut, harsh metallic sounds assaulting our senses. Rattling chains moved to cover up the path. With the entrance closed, our only light source was blocked out.

“I… didn’t do that,” I warned. I tried to will the bridge open again, only to get rejected by a sensation I could only describe as a brick wall with a mean right hook. Whatever resisted my magic wanted to keep us here.

Chrysalis seethed. “No doubt Malice knew we were coming through with you, but there’s no avoiding him. We need to move carefully.”

With a snap, Discord conjured a few hard hats with attached flashlights on our heads.

“Discord, cancel your magic,” Chrysalis instructed.

“Come again?” Discord gave her an odd look, as did I. “Not everyone can give themselves nightvision like you, Cuddlebug.”

“Don’t call me Cuddlebug, and that’s not my reason for the request.” Chrysalis sent me a meaningful look. “Flash needs to understand how to manipulate this world. If you solve everything for him, he won’t stand a chance when we encounter Malice. Don’t give him the fish; show him how to catch.”

“Good point, Sweetcheeks,” Discord smirked. Chrysalis merely rolled her eyes. He turned to me and snapped his fingers, leaving only a lightsource on his own head. “Alright Flash, time for your next lesson. This will be a lot like how you opened that gate, but with a little more ‘oompf’. Tell me, were you creative when you were a colt? Or maybe a daydreamer?”

“Not really. I just kinda winged it when I was younger.”

“Ah, so you were boring. Perfect!”

I’m… not sure how I should take that.

“Mind telling me why that’s such good news?” I asked.

“Being such a simple-minded toy soldier means you get straight to the point. It’s pretty easy to lose your head, sometimes literally, when you try to create something out of nothing. Though, if your cheesy solo from earlier is any indication, you have a good knack for magic as long as you go with the flow.”

“Not surprising for pegasi,” added Chrysalis. “Pegasi magic works more like an impulse or reflex, which explains why you can do more when you’re not thinking about it.”

“How is that different from an Earth pony or unicorn?”

“Earth ponies exercise their use of magic like a muscle and channel it through their body. Unicorns craft and project magic with thought. For you, it will likely be more of a reflex than a conscious thought.”

“In other words,” Discord started, “you gotta think without thinking.”

Think without thinking? Is it even possible to be more confusing?

“Yes, it is possible for Discord to be even more confusing,” Chrysalis said.

I gawked. How did she… y’know what? I’m gonna just leave that one alone. I shrugged it off and focused on the task at hoof.

It was one thing to ‘interact’ with a tangible object, another to will something into existence.

Just like before. Channel the spark.

A jolt of energy flooded my chest. I held fast to that sensation and grasped at the air.

Come on, give me something to help us see.

White energy crackled in my forehoof, then stretched out and formed into a lengthy, silver telescope. I nearly dropped it out of shock, jaw agape.

I...I just created something…! Out of nothing!

“Whoa…” I inspected the telescope. Despite not being what I needed right now, the marvel of creating something out of thin air left me in awe.

“Be more specific,” suggested Chrysalis. “Your instincts will fill in the gaps as long as you feel out precisely what you need.”

“Got it. I’ll try again,” With a nod I tried again.

Be specific. I need something to light our path. Give me light.

White light engulfed my vision. I flinched, then peeked at the three steel necklaces dangling in my hoof. Each chain was attached to a glowing crystal sphere. I recognized them immediately. These were standard issue in the Crystal Empire for traversing caverns and mines. “Whoa…!”

“Not bad, newbie,” Discord snapped his fingers, removing his own lightsource. “Just keep it simple and stick with what you know.”

“Things I know, huh?” To test I gathered the energy again, my “spark”.

I need my blade staff and armor to fight Malice.

I reached out and grasped at the air, grabbing the blade staff that sparked into existence. The sudden weight of my helmet and armor that exploded out of light and formed onto me nearly made me lose my balance. “Is creating stuff with magic always this easy?”

“As long as you stay in la-la land, it really is that easy,” Discord answered. “But if you try that outside your mind, you’ll find it’s a lot tougher. Unless you’re me, that is. Just do us a favor and keep it simple; I’d rather not have your magic explode in our faces while Malley is breathing down our necks.”

“Good call. Speaking of which, put these on before we go any further.” I passed out the crystal lights. Once Discord and Chrysalis fastened them around their necks we pushed into the castle.

We followed the desolated path, minding each step on the crystalline frozen floor. Between the iced-over golden torches along the cracked walls and the faint howl of wind that never seemed to leave our ears, my nerves hung on by a thread. I don’t know what was worse: having a haunted castle inside my head, or imagining what Malice had been doing inside my head that led to this.

I craned my head around the circular room we had entered beyond the corridor. Though lighting was still poor, the stained glass depicting my cutie mark allowed a reasonable amount of light to filter throughout the towering chamber.

Between the several floors connected to who knows how many doors, my history with living in castles bestowed the cruel truth of how many hours it would take to fully scour this place. Time we didn’t have.

“Maybe we should split up and search for the magical source,” I pondered. “We don’t have a lot of time to go through each individual room.

“It’s too dangerous,” Chrysalis advised. “If Malice catches one of us away from each other, he can pick us off one by one. It will be faster to skim the area for traces of his presence. We’ll know it when we see it.”

As if on cue, flames erupted from the golden torches on the wall, lighting up one at a time towards a massive double door. The left door had an emblem of my cutie mark. The right door’s emblem was a dragon’s skull flanked by two crossing swords.

“Three guesses as to who that edgy looking mark belongs to,” said Discord.

“If Malice thinks I’m going to let him run around in my head like he owns the place, it’ll be the last damn mistake he’s ever made.” Just as I moved to go towards the door, Chrysalis’s foreleg barred my path.

“And if we rush in there without a plan, it will be our last mistake,” she warned. “It’s clear Malice wants us to go through there. He’s likely listening to us now, daring us to go in.”

“If we’re being perfectly honest with each other, I’d rather dodge this family reunion,” Discord said.

I gave Discord an odd look. “It’s weird seeing you actually want to avoid a fight.”

“You know what else is weird? Running into another spirit who might be stronger than me. I’m not a fan of getting my mind crushed by an angry sibling today.”

“I agree with Discord,” said Chrysalis. “He’s too valuable. If we lose him, any chance of dealing with Malice goes with him. I’d prefer to not take any unnecessary chances.”

Can’t really argue the point. Still, is this really an ‘unnecessary’ chance?

The fur on the back of my end stood on end. Uneasiness wore at my spine.

He’s definitely behind that door. I can feel it. It’s gotta be a bad idea to face him directly. But what choice do we have when it’s obvious he’s watching our every move?

I pondered the options. Face him head on, or evade as long as we can? He would come at us either way.

“What are the chances of us taking him down if we work together?”

“Depends on how much pathos he’s infused in you so far,” Chrysalis answered. “Considering he hasn’t instantly blinked Discord and I out of existence right away, there’s a chance he hasn’t hit a critical mass of power yet. However, I’ve never seen any of my Changelings get so much pathos inside them that Malice was literally fused with their consciousness. It’s a coin flip I don’t care to gamble on.”

I slowly moved towards the door, tossing the pros and cons of both paths in my head. The closer I got to the door, the stronger the sensation I felt that we were being watched.

The ghost version of myself that popped through the floor between me and the door turned that sensation into a terrifying reality.

I screamed and slashed at it. My blade passed through its incorporeal body harmlessly. It stopped before us, expressive as stone.

Discord tilted his head. “Huh. This creepy little thing feels like you, but also feels like Malice. It’s like a magical love-foal between you two. You’re welcome for that mental image, by the way.”

I facehooved.

Chrysalis hummed thoughtfully to herself. “I wonder; is this one of Malice’s vassals, or perhaps it belongs to both of you?”

Her musings brought something to mind that always bothered me with windigos. I remembered the Hearth’s Warming stories of these angry spirits, but never paid much attention what they actually are until now. If we’re going to be facing them, I need to know more.

“Chrysalis, you mentioned that these things are created by spirits, right? These windigos, vassals as you call them. What are they exactly? Are they, for lack of a better word, alive?”

“I believe I see where you are going with this. They’re not ghost like the way you might be thinking. They are sentient manifestations of a spirit’s magic. Servants, warriors, living extensions of a spirit’s will and mind.”

“I create them all the time,” said Discord. “Take Broomhilda the broom for example. She likes to clean Fluttershy’s house, enjoys hobbies like long walks on the beach and slapping Angel around once in awhile.”

The longer I stared at it, the more it freaked me out. Another ‘vassal’ popped up from the ground in my peripheral. And another. Before I knew it, dozens more emerged from the ground and took positions around and above us in a large dome. The only path left before us was the double doors. I braced myself, unsure what to expect.

Heaviness washed over and filled me with dread. He was coming.

“Welcome home, Flash Sentry.” The doors swung open with the emergence of Malice.

The half-plate and chainmail underneath his white furred cloak jingled with each step. All sound seemed to stop with him as he stopped a fair distance away from us, tension almost as thick as the greatsword that rested on his shoulders.

“I have to admit, it’s surprising to have both traitors brought to me rather than stay in hiding like rats,” said Malice. “You have my deepest gratitude, Flash Sentry.”

“Aww, I miss you too Malley,” taunted Discord, no trace of a smile on his lips.

“As irritating as ever,” Malice snarled. “I’m going to enjoy tearing you limb from limb.”

His gaze shifted to Chrysalis. The temperature in the room dropped. “Then there will be no one left to save you from my wrath.”

Chrysalis’ frown deepened, a glimmer of fear in her eyes.

I maneuvered protectively in front of them. “I’ll die before I let you lay a claw on Chrysalis or Discord!”

Malice chuckled. “Now I’ve seen everything. From harming your own princess to protecting the very threats Twilight Sparkle and her friends tried so hard to stop. Your aptitude for threat assessment is astounding.”

“You drove him into killing her!” Discord roared. His claw clenched into a shaky fist. “No matter how long it takes, I’ll make you pay for what you’ve done.”

“The pain of losing someone you cared for. Hurts, doesn’t it?” Malice grinned. “As much as I relish seeing you suffer, your anger towards me is only partially warranted. I did not make him attack her. It was his inability to master his hatred that led to it. Coddling him into believing otherwise is recklessness I would expect nothing less from you, foolish brother.”

“That’s a lie and you know it!” I yelled. “I would’ve never hurt Twilight!”

Malice’s expression softened. “I don’t doubt your intent was to keep her safe. You simply lack control. In time, you will learn how to properly wield your emotions and find your true potential. That goal, however, cannot be accomplished with these two manipulating you.”

His gaze swept over us. “Flash Sentry, Chrysalis, I will give you one chance to earn my mercy; Either kill Discord or get out of my way.”

Chrysalis smirked. “If you’re giving us a choice, then you can’t be very confident in your ability to face all three of us. The fact you’re stalling rather than trying to kill us speaks volumes. You know you cannot beat us.”

Malice tilted his head to the side, throwing her a raised eyebrow. “I always did enjoy how confident you get when you think you have all the answers.” He shrugged the blade off his shoulder and let it slide of. The ground cracked from the weight of it. Black lightning coursed through the blade. “If you believe yourself correct, then indulge in your convictions and come at me.”

Malice sounded far too confident for my liking. Then again, it could be a bluff if Chrysalis was correct. Either way, we had to take him down.

I sprung into a lunge, hoping to catch him off guard. His blade rose to block faster than it had any right to. With a twist and shove I was thrown into the air, stopping my fall with a strong flap of my wings.

Malice grin grew wide, eyes wild with excitement.

“Good. Very good. I like my champions with a little bite!”

He charged, the tip of his blade sparking along the ground. I took point and extended the blade of my staff. At the last second he sidestepped the blade and dove in. The back of his fist cracked my cheek and launched me into the air.

Soft green magic caught me in mid-air and let me down. Without wasting any time, Chrysalis fired off an impressive barrage of magic bolts. Malice darted left and right with small hops and slides in his footwork. His blade moved to both shield him from majority of the bolts and to reach his main target: Discord.

The blade swung horizontally at Discord. Right before it could connect, Discord vanished. With a pop, he appeared to Malice’s side and raised his fingers to snap a spell into existence. He never got the chance.

Momentum allowed Malice to spin on the ball of his foot and slash him.

Discord screamed, his chest torn from black lightning and steel. Within that tear was a twisting void similar to the empty space that made for the backdrop in his dimension. As if Malice’s blade literally shredded a part of Discord’s reality.

I’d nearly reached Discord to shield him when he teleported to dodge an overhead strike. Discord reappeared, flattened against the wall of windigo clones just before he was repelled by an explosion of pathos energy from a barrier. It seemed as if it was emitted by the windigos themselves.

Discord staggered in a daze, clutching the deep gash on his chest. Malice opened his mouth and let loose a screaming jet of blackfire.

I pumped my wings to beat Malice to Discord, barreling him to the side to avoid getting roasted by crackling pathos flames. I rolled onto my hooves and rushed at Malice, spear poised to stab him. He didn’t notice me, being distracted enough by Chrysalis pelting his face with beams.

Just as I reached him, however, he pivoted around in the blink of an eye.

Chomping down at the staff’s neck, he tore off the blade. I reeled back. His tail wrapped around my neck before I could react. Any air I thought I could contain in the strangle was lost when Malice rammed his fist into my gut. Black spots bubbled my vision when I found myself lifted up, then crushed into the ground with a resounding crack.

Malice released me, then went after the wounded Discord. Precious seconds ticked by as I struggled to find my hooves. All I could do was watch as Malice swung his blade.

Only to slam into a halt just before it could split the stoic Chrysalis’ head in two, who popped into existence in a flash of green magic. Her horn emitted a blinding light before firing an explosive blast at point blank. My senses rattled from the boom of the detonating spell.

Malice staggered for half a second before grabbing her throat.

“You live only by my good graces,” Malice growled. “Reflect on this.”

Chrysalis clawed uselessly at his grip. Ice appeared all over her body, akin to what happened to Twilight in my dream. Within a blink of an eye, Chrysalis was trapped within a block of ice, unmoving.

“Chrissy!” Discord cried out. He snapped his fingers. Transparent energy shimmered around the ice, then fizzled like smoke. His eyes grew wide, horrified.

Malice fixed his glare on Discord, and with his free hand on the blade, prepared to cut him down.

I conjured another blade staff and charged at Malice without second thought. This time he didn’t notice me, and the blade plunged itself dead center into his back.

Malice grunted and turned his glare on me, letting the solidified Chrysalis drop to the ground. I paled and shuffled back, ripping the blade out of him. Malice walked towards me.

I attempted to stab at him again. He slapped the blade away. Regaining my footing, I spun around, coming in low. I aimed for his legs, but quickly aborted when I saw him spin on one leg and aim with his other foot for my head with a roundhouse.

I blocked him with both forehooves and was shoved back a fair distance. Grabbing my staff in the middle, I dove in low, prepared to hit his abdomen with an upwards strike. Even at my fastest he managed to grab my staff right below the blade. I yanked it around in an effort to free it, but Malice still ripped it out of my hold with a single pull. While he tossed the blade aside, I had already conjured a new one.

I took into the air before his full attention was back on me and threw the staff like a javelin. He slammed it away with the back of his fist, but in doing so wasted any precious time of focus. I dove down again, beating my wings as quickly as I could while conjuring yet another staff.

His head snapped upwards. He focused me with a grim look. There was no surprise or fear in his eyes.

The tip of my spear was rammed into his shoulder armor with all my weight and momentum. The tip barely penetrated.

Whatever his armor was made of, my staff was no match for it, and his scales had probably absorbed the rest of the force. Malice reached up, grabbed the blade directly with his armored gloves and broke it clear off the staff. He pulled the sharpened metal out of his armor and, just to make a point, snapped it in half with his thumb.

Still hovering in front of him, I was too shocked from the result of my attack to react in time. From one moment to the next Malice dropped the shards of my blade, grabbed the base of my wings, and smashed me into the ground.

I swore the impact made my vision go black. I was just glad to be back before he had reached me again. Hastily pulling myself back up, I almost tripped over my own hooves while retreating backwards. It was only when I felt something ice-cold prickling against my tail that I noticed I had reached the windigo’s shield barrier.

Malice was still drawing closer, and I had just become cornered. My heart pounded heavily inside my chest. The moment I noticed his look, I shuddered.

His eyes were filled with cold determination and unrelenting focus. I was his target, and he was going to destroy me.

Like he had taken out Chrysalis, the very mare that had bested Princess Celestia in magical combat. Like he had incapacitated Discord with a single strike. Despite all our attempts to stop him, he had worked his way through us like the force of nature he was.

He was an enemy that knew no fear, no doubt, no weakness. Only the next target ahead: Me.

My hooves trembled as I reached out into the air. When I tried to conjure another staff however, my hoof only grabbed air. The next moment, Malice was upon me.

“I expected more,” he muttered, apparently more to himself than to me.

I threw myself at him. I was all out of options, but I would go down fighting. My hooves hammered against his chest armor. I was able to land three quick strikes before he grabbed my face in his claw.

“Unacceptable!” he roared, crushing me against the shield barrier behind us.

A piercing pain shot through my cheekbone, and I screamed. Lightning cracked where my fur touched the barrier. I half expected Malice to grind me against it until I was done for.

But he didn’t. He just kept me there, dangling by a thread known as death. Then, he dropped me to the ground.

“All that potential, wasted on a weakling. Is this how it’s supposed to end?”

I looked up. From down here, Malice towered over me like a mountain. I drew in a shaky breath, but released it when I couldn’t think of a single answer to give him.

“Stand up,” he demanded.

All I could manage was to cough. Even if I wanted to get up, I wasn’t sure my body was up for it anymore. However, when I didn’t react Malice was all too willing to help. He grabbed my neck and pulled me up like a doll, pressing my back against the shield once more while almost choking me.

“The Royal Guard are supposed to be fear incarnate,” he grunted. “Or perhaps your false bravado has finally caught up to you? I’ve only seen glimpses of you so far, but it’s enough for me to recognize the path of a coward. One who to tells others to be strong while he can’t even brave his own failures.”

He made a short break. I didn’t know what to answer, but he continued regardless.

“Never cower before your enemies, Flash Sentry. And all the more, never surrender.”

To my surprise he sighed, before dropping me again. “You have much to learn. Yet still, pathetic as you are, you are not beyond saving. I will teach you. I will hammer you into shape like a fine blade, until the weakness has left you and you’re a true warrior.”

His look went over to Discord, who was currently freeing Chrysalis from the block of ice with a flourish of fire magic. Malice’s fist clenched around the handle of his sword. “I have to take care of an old score. Stay here and ponder upon your failings.”

He quickly strode towards Discord.

No!

I pushed myself back up. Pain shot through my hooves, my back, and my muscles all at once, but I didn’t care.

If he killed Discord, Chrysalis and I were finished, and Equestria would be next. There had to be something I could do! Anything!

Looking at the dome of windigos around us, it dawned on me. If this would fail to work, it would have consequences for me. Malice had spared me once for whatever twisted reason, I doubted he’d do it a second time. However, if I could protect our only glimmer of hope, it was worth the risk.

Never surrender? Damn right, asshole.

Heat built up in my chest. I rose to my hind hooves. They were trembling with exhaustion, but there was no time to waste. Malice had almost reached Discord, who only now noticed the approaching enemy.

I drew a single breath. Even though the air chilled me to my core, I couldn’t let it get to me.

I will protect them. I will get us out of here. And I will not! Let! Him! Win!

I felt something powerful ignite inside of me, and aiming with my hoof at the space between Malice and Discord, I decided to let go.

Malice lifted his greatsword over his head, ready to deal the final blow. As if he had noticed something was off, he turned around. Just in time for his eyes to grow wide. He raised his arms to cover himself, but he was not my target.

My bolt of magic arced just past his head and into the wall of vassals behind Discord.

Sparks exploded off their forcefield. It flickered, followed by a large crack spreading across it. However, most of the lightning seemed to penetrate right away. It struck one of the windigos behind the barrier in the chest. The lightning danced over his body and the creature howled before being torn to shards of white magic. The second it shattered, the lightning travelled into the ones beside each other, who quickly faced an equal fate.

Once destabilized, the forcefield’s energy violently disintegrated, taking another portion of the vassals involved down in an explosive chain reaction. Sparks of radiating magic and more lightning randomly shot around, laying waste to our isolated sphere. Wherever struck, the ground turned soot-black, and rocks and dust were tossed up.

It took several seconds for it all to calm down again, and once the dust settled, I could see that a gap in the dome had been created, hopefully enough for Discord to slip through.

Discord took a good look between me and Chrysalis. Why was he wasting his time? He should get out now!

Suddenly, a literal lightbulb appeared above his head.

“Flash,” Discord’s voice whispered in my head. “I appreciate the help, but the answer here isn’t me.”

I whipped my head towards him. “Discord? What are you—”

“Stay with Chrissy and keep her safe. Don’t screw this up.”

Just as Malice lunged to decapitate him, Discord snapped his fingers.

A bright light engulfed my vision.

Author's Notes:

What's up, my fellow paladins?

Things are heating up as we get to throw down with Malice and delve deeper into magic. While a simpler chapter than some of the heavier ones we just got through, I thoroughly enjoyed the chance to explore the mechanics of magic more and give Malice the screentime he deserves.

Hope Flash and the others are ready to have a bad time.

Special thanks to Curify for lending his aid with this chapter. Learned quite a bit and I'm looking forward to implementing this in future chapters.

I'm curious to hear from you guys, though. What do you think of how magic is viewed and implemented here? What's the deal with this Malice guy? How cool was that magic blast from Flash? I wanna hear it all.

Until next time, stay classy my paladins.