Retirement
The Crystal Empire.
The usually busy streets of the Empire were like a ghost town, almost as bad as it had been when the empire had just returned from its banishment. This was due to a royal decree of Princess Cadance, telling the citizens to stay inside until further notice.
As for the reason, it was a large scale prisoner transfer. Over the last few months, a secret prison had been built up in the crystal mountains. With the Empire now part of Equestria's borders, it had to do its part to keep the kingdoms safe from its many captured enemies. As such, several criminals that had been previously held in Grand Stables were going to be moved.
This new prison was quite an ingenious design, being built in a location surrounded by large mountains. Even if the prisoner escaped, they'd freeze to death before reaching anywhere safe. As such, the prison was also connected to the empire through a two-way teleportation rune circle located in the empire's jail. Not only that, every cell was designed to absorb the magic of the pony inside it, as the designs were made after studying the data retrieved by the Royal Knights during their adventures in Ominiara.
Now the prison was ready to start accepting guests, which was why the streets were empty. At the train station, multiple guards were waiting on the platform, Shining and Ruby were amongst them. And as they waited, they now saw a dark metal train, its design more like a tank than comfortable transport. It pulled up to the station, the doors opening to show several guards that saluted Shining and Ruby. "Sir, the prisoners are ready for transport. The first batch is ready."
Shining nodded as his horn sparked, "Bring 'em out." As he said that, a magic bubble appeared around the open door before extending out into the street to form a corridor like construct. Seconds later, the first prisoner walked out, Ruby smirking at the sight.
"Hello, Hiveena."
The former Changeling Princess turned to glare at the unicorn, her horn trying to spark with no avail. She was currently wearing a collar around her neck that had multiple runes, all of which were cancelling out her abilities to shapeshift or use any magic. "Don't think your little prison will hold me. I'll find a way out."
"Sure you will," Shining barked back. "And after you do, maybe you could come have dinner with me and Cadance up at the castle. I'm sure it'll be a delightful evening."
Hiveena giggled at the prince, "It's a date."
"Hey! Can you hurry it up?!" a voice from in the train called out, "Some of us would like to get there before all the good cells are gone." Hiveena rolled her eyes before walking away, the voice's owner now revealing herself as Electra. She was followed by Banshee, the two glaring at Ruby as they remembered their last time in the Crystal Empire. "Ugh...its you again. Here to gloat, Miss Crystal Knight?!"
"Get moving you two, you won't be robbing anypony in the empire today." Ruby replied as she gestured to them, "You'll all be following us to the city jail, where you'll be transported to our new prison. Come along now."
The rest of the prisoners soon filed out of the train, travelling down the magic corridor with the guards marching beside them. They all trotted through the city, following the magical tunnel as the jail soon came into view. But as the guards got close to the jail, walking past a row of houses, something happened. A green blast of magic shot out from one of the alleyways, hitting the ground. One guard looked down at it, but before he could inform anypony, he felt himself sink into the ground. "Whoa!"
"What the heck?!" Shining yelped as he began to sink as well, trying his best to keep the shield up. Ruby then stared at the ground, now seeing they weren't sinking. Instead, the street seemed to be shifting and wobbling, as if it was turned into the floor of a bouncy castle. The guards all tried to regain their footing, but with each movement, the ground jiggled and they were knocked back. As they did this, one misstep made Ruby stumble into Shining, causing him to lose focus as the shield vanished around them.
"We're free!" One of the prisoners yelled as they all began jumping around, bouncing on the rubber floor to get away from the still recovering guards.
"Oh, no you don't!" Ruby declared as she got up, her horn shining like a star. Several blasts flew out of the horn, each hitting one of the prisoners and encasing all but their heads in crystal.
"Gah!" Electra cried as she barely managed to dodge a beam, she, Banshee and Hiveena now close to getting away. Another blast came close to hitting Banshee, but at that moment, another green spell shot out and hit it. A flash of light revealed a crystal shard appear in the air, which fell to the floor as they turned to its source.
"Over here!" A voice yelled out from between an alleyway, the three running to the source.
"Not happening!" Shining responded as he sparked his horn. Seconds later, a barrier appeared at the entrance of the alleyway. Electra and Banshee managed to get into it before it came up, but Hiveena instead found herself slamming face-first into it.
"Augh!" She yelped as she staggered back, only for another beam to hit her body, encasing her in crystal, "Oh, come on!"
As for Electra and Banshee, they continued to down the alleyway, only to come to a stop. Before them was now a green unicorn mare with a mane and tail that was both pink and yellow. Her mane was styled in a braid that created a pink and yellow spiral, which went over her shoulder. She also had a white muzzle, a large golden earring and her cutie mark appeared to be a bent metal sheet.
"Who are you?" Banshee asked, only to get a big grin in return.
"The pony who got you out of prison." She then placed something on the floor, "Now grab this." They were gonna argue, but their ears heard the approaching voices and they quickly grabbed what they now saw was a sheet of paper with some runes on it. The mare's horn sparked, causing the runes to glow as the light quickly consumed them.
It was here that Shining and Ruby managed to get to the end of the alleyway, only to be blinded by a pillar of light. And when it faded, they found a blank empty alleyway exit in the light's wake. The sheet of paper was still there, but it quickly caught fire and incinerated itself before they could even try and grab it. Shining bit his lip at the sight, "Well...this isn't good."
Meanwhile...
Electra and Banshee both flinched at the bright flash, their eyes clinching before a freezing wind embraced his body. Both opened their eyes, their pupils shrinking as they saw they were now a mile or so outside the city, nothing around them but rocks and snow.
"Aw, great..." Electra moaned as she wrapped her hooves around her body, "Now we get to freeze to death."
"Don't be so melodramatic. My plan worked perfectly after all." the mare replied as she leaned down and moved over a certain rock. "Granted, I was hoping to get more than two of you, but this can still work."
"What can still work?" Banshee asked as her violently chattered in the freezing wind. "And who the heck are you?!"
The mare grinned back as her horn sparked, "You can call me Slushy." The rock began to glow as it and a pile of snow was moved away, revealing a sheet. She then yanked it with her hooves, now revealing a snowmobile connected to a small trailer. "And together, the three of us will be pulling off the biggest heist Equestria has ever seen." Slushy then turned around and leaned on the vehicle with a big cocky grin, "So, wanna freeze out here, or do ya wanna get rich right after ya get out of slammer?"
Banshee and Electra shared a glanced before Banshee shined a huge grin, "We're listening."
Several days later...
Two long happy moans exited out of Flash and Twilight's stomachs. They had just finished a lunch date together and were now enjoying a leisurely stroll through town. "That Wasabi sure knows how to cook."
Twilight nodded in agreement, "I'm just glad they had a diet dish."
Flash rolled his eyes, shaking his head as he still couldn't believe how concerned Twilight had become about her weight lately. He then opened his mouth, only to raise an eyebrow as he saw a look of surprise on the alicorn's face. "What's wrong Twilight?" He followed her gaze and let out a gasp, "Grand?"
His mentor was standing in front of a recently vacated cottage alongside a yellow unicorn with green hair wearing a green tie. They appeared to be having a conversation, and as Flash and Twilight approached, they shook hooves. "Grand!" He turned around and went wide-eyed, "What are you doing here?!"
"Oh...this is awkward." the earth pony muttered as he looked away, "This was supposed to be a surprise."
"What's a surprise?" Twilight asked, tilting her head at this.
Grand took a deep breath. "Well...I've decided to...move to Ponyville."
"WHAT?!" They both yelped in unison, Flash now walking in front of Twilight.
"But....why?! What about your work in Canterlot?! You know, training the guard, being a Royal Knight, etc."
"Well..." Grand began to twiddle her hooves, looking away as he grumbled out, "I'm...retiring."
"WHAT!?" Flash and Twilight screeched now, their brains now started to burn.
Seeing this, Grand let out a long sigh. "Listen you two, why don't we meet up with Lightning and everypony else so I only have to explain this once?" The two shared a glance, only to do a small nod.
One gathering of all the characters montage later...
Now at the castle, Grand found himself staring at everypony around the map table. Everypony was wearing fear on their faces, Lightning showing the worst expression as he spoke up first, "No offense gramps, but what's this about? Since when did you decide to retire from the Royal Knights?! Heck, since when could you retire?!"
"I'm not retiring from the Royal Knights," Grand assured him as he leaned down in a chair, rubbing his face as he grumbled out, "I'm just...retiring from my active duties as part of the Royal Guard. Training the new recruits and other tasks are gonna be shifted to the most experienced members. I'll still be there if anything big occurs, or as a guard for special events, but other than that...I guess I'll be enjoying my golden years."
"I can't believe you're retiring," Rainbow replied while putting her hooves behind her head, "We figured you'd be working until you kicked the bucket."
"Rainbow! Don't be so crude!" Rarity scolded before looking back at the earth pony knight, "But...she is right. You don't seem the type to want to stop working."
Grand grit his teeth at this, "I'm not. This wasn't my idea."
A few days ago...
"Grand Hoof," Celestia said from her throne. "You have served this kingdom for many a decade, risking your life on multiple occasions in an effort to keep the peace."
Luna nodded in agreement before continuing, "As such, it would be cruel of us to expect you to continue working as hard as you do after everything you've been through. That is why we have decided you should step down."
Grand's eyes went wide at this, his voice almost squeaking before going back to his regular deep voice, "Your majesties, are you...firing me?"
Celestia shook her head, her expression unchanging, "Of course not. This is an honorable discharge. You've sacrificed enough to help keep Equestria at peace, so now it's only fair that you get the chance to enjoy that peace."
Grand started to backpedal before doing a small bow, "No offense your highnesses, and thank you for your generous offer, but I can't just stop doing what I'm doing. I still have much I need to do before I can even think of retiring."
"You are not the only guard Grand, and you are not the only Royal Knight." Luna instantly replied, "A new generation of guards and knights are ready to take the mantle."
Luna's words made something click inside Grand, making him sigh as he muttered out, "So that's it. You think I'm too old to continue my work."
The alicorns frowned, the sisters exchanging glances before Celestia responded, "We mean no disrespect Grand. However, there comes a time when a pony must step down and allow others to take their place. It's better to let that be eased onto a pony, instead of suddenly dropped on them with no preparation."
"You are not immortal Grand," Luna added before he could reply. "And you are not as young as you once were. Eventually, you will come up against an opponent you can not defeat. Should that happen, we would need to reassign your duties quickly, and that may make us make a mistake over who we pick. We do not wish to rush somepony into your duties when they would not have the time to process such labor."
"That would also mean we would rush mourning your loss," Celestia finished, shaking her head, "That is something that I will not have be improper." She saw the long frown addressing the knight's face, making her sigh as she walked up and patted his shoulder, "This is not only for your benefit Grand, but the benefit of Equestria. Please...understand our decision."
Grand just looked away though, muttering out, "I...understand, your majesties."
Back to the present...
"And that's that," Grand sighed as he slumped over in his seat. "My official retirement ceremony isn't for another few days, so I came out here to find a place I can relax and uh...you know, do all the stuff you're supposed to do when you're retired."
Everypony turned to one another, Pinkie now chiming in, "Huh...I can't tell if what they said was mean or not."
Grand sighed again. "I understand where the princesses are coming from. I mean, honestly...I haven't been the most useful knight recently."
They all turned to him with wide eyes, Flash yelling, "Don't say that! You're a great knight."
Grand shook his head in response, "But I haven't really done anything to help in most situations recently. Nightmare Moon, the Battle of Canterlot, Discord, the Wedding...even when it was my own son who was causing issue..." His eyes glanced over to Lightning, "Even my....grandson. Somepony else always had to step up, even though I'm the most experienced knight."
"That's not fair," Twilight told him. "You've done your fair share of hard work over the years."
Iron rapidly nodded at this, "Yeah! I mean, you're Grand Hoof! You singlehoofedly took down the Cutie Marker distribution, defeated countless criminals and stopped Doom the first time he acted out!"
"But I'm also the cause of Doom acting out, along with what happened with Lightning."
"That was me," Lightning added, shaking his head. "Don't take what my dad and I did as something you did wrong. We chose to do what we did, not you."
"You know you're wrong about that Lightning." Grand replied, crossing his hooves, "I'm the cause of it because I didn't do anything about you and Doom. I ignored you both and focused on the wrong things. You know that's why Solid hates me. I used him as an excuse over not fixing my own problems."
"But-"
"Its true Lightning. I-"
"Hang on there!" Flash interrupted, "You trained me to be the very best knight I could be. Everything I know about protecting ponies is from what you taught me. So every single good thing I did, you can take partial credit for."
Grand wanted to smile at this, only to shake his head. "Flash...you do realize that me taking you in also helped instigate all that with my family, right?"
Flash opened his mouth, only to shut it as he looked away, "Yeah...I uh-"
"Gramps..." Lightning tried to say as well, only to feel Rarity's hoof pat his shoulder.
Glancing at her, she gave him a nod as she started to walk around the map, "Now now darling, you need to stop looking at the wrong things. The princesses obviously did this because they believe you deserve to finally rest," Rarity then patted his shoulder now. "After all, you've been doing this...um...I'm sorry, but how long have you been in this job?"
Grand tapped his chin in thought, "Well...I joined the guard as soon as I was of legal joining age, then spent five years in the guard before Celestia decided to make me a knight. I've been one ever since."
Everypony blinked at this, Twilight doing the math as she said, "Wait...that means you've been a knight for over forty years!"
"Wow!" Rainbow added, "You must have some serious vacation time saved up."
"He's retiring," Applejack replied with a roll of her eyes.
"Oh yeah."
"Yeah...I apparently am." Grand grumbled as he crossed his hooves, "I'm guessing that I'm gonna spend my golden years here, enjoying my retirement."
"Well good for you," Rarity assured him.
Pinkie let out a loud squeal. "This means I can throw you a big welcome to Ponyville party. I'M SO EXCITED!"
Grand chuckled at her, only to look away again, "Yeah....but there's just...one small problem."
"What?" Springer asked next.
"I'm not really sure...how to spend my retirement." Everypony blinked at the old pony as he continued, "I never really thought I'd actually retire, so I...don't know what I'd do." He looked back at them and asked, "What do most ponies do when they're retired?"
Everypony began to exchange glances, Spike chiming in first, "You could...play golf?"
"Paint fruit," Pinkie added.
"Spend time with your grandkids," Flash said without thinking, all eyes now suddenly shifting over to Lightning.
The unicorn almost shrunk, scratching the back of his head, "Um....I'm happy to spend time with yah gramps, but you might wanna look at alternatives for when I'm busy."
Grand sighed again at this, only for Pinkie to appear next to him. "Hey, don't pout. Smile! You said we've got a few days before you officially retire, so we'll use it to find something you wanna do!" She then gave him a big hug, Grand not really reacting as he resisted another sigh. He had a feeling this would be his biggest trial yet.
Canterlot...
Inside an old warehouse, Slushy, Banshee and Electra were sitting around a table that was covered in maps and hayburger wrappers. Banshee and Electra were no longer wearing the rune collars as they looked over a giant map and list, "So that's the plan," Slushy said before taking a slurp of her milkshake.
Banshee hummed as she scanned over the map, staring at the layout with the two red X's drawn on a pair of locations that were quite close to one another. "You sure this is gonna work?"
Slushy rolled her eyes at this, "Of course it's gonna work, it's the perfect divergence. You two sneaks cause havoc on the far side of the city, drawing the guards to you. And while they're all trying to stop you, I'll sneak into the castle from underground. I already know where they keep their valuables, so all I've got to do is get there and use my magic."
"How is your magic gonna help us?" Electra asked next. "All you do is make things go bendy."
Slushy waved her hoof as she took another slurp, "I can do so much more. My magic let's me polymerize something's atoms, causing them to elongate."
Electra just blinked at her, the mare's brain not following, "So?"
"So...I can also reverse it. You see, the vault is on the ground floor, right above the sewers. Once I use my magic on the floor, the weight of it will drag it down, and then when I reverse it, the floor will rip apart and the vault will fall right into my lap."
Banshee took a bite of a hayburger, "Then you'll use your magic to make the vault's door floppy-"
"Allowing me to easily open it," Slushy nodded before finishing her drink. "Of course, it would have been better if I had several more distractions, but you two are all I've got."
"We're all you need," Electra added as she leaned back in her chair. "I'm in. Just make sure you don't forget to cut us a share of the profits."
"Eh, don't worry about it." Slushy replied as she twirled the drink in her hoof, "We're all partners here. Whatever I manage to get my hooves out, we'll split it. Fifty-"
"Fifty," Electra continued.
"Fifty," Banshee finished, only to go wide-eyed, "Hey! Wait a minute-"
"A toast!" Slushy held up her milkshake, "To our new partnership!" Electra and Banshee did the same with their drinks, knocking them together. "Now...let's make the finishing touches on the plan."
Several days later...
The day of Grand's retirement was just a day away. In response to the ceremony, Cadance, Shining and all of the Royal Knights had been invited, but wouldn't be arriving until tomorrow. As such, only Grand, Flash and the girls were in Canterlot, all making their way to the castle. Iron, Springer and Lightning would be arriving later after finishing their day's patrol.
And as they arrived, the guards at the gate came to attention and saluted as Grand passed. "At ease." They continued in, only to come to a halt as they saw a certain pegasi knight.
"So it is true," Skybreaker chuckled as he walked up to the old knight, "You really are calling it quits."
Grand shook his head, "Not completely. Just letting others lighten the load."
"Sounds like you'll be bored out of your mind." Skybreaker commented as they all stepped inside. "What are you even gonna do with all your new free time?"
"Well..." Grand muttered as he scratched the back of his head, "Let's just say I've already tried a few things..."
The past few days...
Grand let out a long sigh, wiping his brow as the sun beamed down on him. His hoof gripped a certain metal pole, its end showing an odd bit at the end. It was a golf cub, and his hoof was almost crushing it as he stared at a ball below him.
"Fore!" another pony yelled, Grand looking back up to see the pony smack the ball with his golf club, sending it across the green and near a pole with a flag in the distance.
"So that's all I do? Doesn't seem hard." Grand whispered before starting back at the ball. He pulled the club up, mimicking the previous pony's form and swung the club. "Five!"
THWACK!
The ball went flying at the hit of the club, ascending to the sky....and straight pass the green and far over the horizon. Blinking at the sight, he looked back at the others, "Do I get points for that?"
His next activity he tried was bird watching.
Grand was hiding under a tree, wearing a bush disguise he had gotten from Rarity. Binoculars in hoof, he stared up at a tree, one that Fluttershy said a certain rare bird was supposedly living in. However, after an hour of waiting, "Come on....its same thing. This is worse than the waiting for enemies on patrol."
And so he waited, the hours passing by until-
A tweeting of the rare bird filled the area as it flew up to its nest. It began to sink into its nest to take a rest, only for a loud snore to ring out. The noise made it flare its wings, quickly fleeing as the noise continued.
"W-what?" The earth pony muttered as heard a tweet in the distance. Putting the binoculars back on, he found himself still staring at the tree. "Gah! The thing's never gonna show!"
He even tried bingo.
"B three!"
"You sunk my battleship," the player sitting next to Grand said. The rest of the bingo house broke out into laughter...except Grand.
He sighed, that joke having stopped being funny after the fifth time. "G twenty-eight."
"You sunk my battleship." Laughter filled the room again, Grand groaning as he slammed his face into the table.
"I'll find...something to do."
"If you say so," Skybreaker replied with a shrug, "I don't ever plan on ever retiring."
"Say that again when you're my age." Grand growled as they walked into the throne room, Celestia and Luna now waiting for them.
"Hello everypony," Celestia greeted as she shined her usual smile, "Grand, I trust things went well in Ponyville?"
"Yes your highness," Grand nodded with a small bow. "I've found a place to live, and will be moving in after the ceremony. I've also gone over the list of possible replacements and have narrowed down the ponies I think would be the best ones to take on my duties." He reached into his saddlebag and pulled out several sheets of paper, which Celestia took in her magic.
"I see," she scanned them over before handing them to Luna. "I see nothing wrong with this selection."
Luna did a small nod, "I concur. These are all excellent choices. It may take them time to figure out the best way to perform the tasks, but I agree that they will do well."
Celestia's smile increased as she stared at Grand, "I hope you're looking forward to your retirement."
"I am...curious to see how it goes," Grand muttered, trying to look away.
"I can only guess," Celestia then turned to Luna. "Almost makes me wish we could retire."
Luna giggled at this, "I think we're a long way's off from that happening, sister." It was here that the two's gaze shifted over to Twilight, only Grand and Skybreaker noticing.
"Anyways," Celestia got up off the throne, soon trotting off, "Everything is ready for tomorrow's ceremony. You would be surprised how many famous ponies RSVP'd."
"Of course," Twilight added. "After all, Grand's helped so many ponies during his time as a knight. He's almost as beloved as the princesses."
Grand blushed at hearing this, now glancing back up at Celestia, "Did you send the invites to the ponies I asked for?"
"Of course. They were some of the first ones that I sent out. Not only that, most were the first to reply yes."
Grand chuckled at this, Flash stepping up to him. "Who are they?"
"Ponies I've made friends with through my many missions. Its the ones that have always helped me, which I'm sure you've made a few of those on your missions." Flash nodded in agreement, only for Grand to sigh, "Maybe this ceremony won't be so-"
BOOM!
A shockwave suddenly shook the air, causing everypony to try to keep their balance. "What the heck?!" Flash yelped as Twilight stumbled over, the defender catching her. "You okay?"
"I'm okay. But what was-"
BOOM!
"What in the world?!" Celestia gasped as she felt another shockwave. She then floated over to one of the room's windows, only to see a cloud of smoke appear in the city. Not on that, a cloud of dust was on the other side of the city, her eyes drifting between the two, "What is this? Why attack there?"
Skybreaker chimed in next, "Is there anything over there that might be important? A building with something worth attacking?"
Celestia put a hoof to her chin, only to sigh, "Over there is one of the magical research laboratories. It's filled with multiple rare magical items that are currently being studied."
"Sounds like something we need to get to now!" Flash announced before running to the door, everypony except the princesses following.
"Hold on. There should already be guards around that area," Grand added as he came to a stop. "Not only that, considering where those attacks are happening, we'll need to split up."
"If that's the case, I have just the spell!" Twilight sparked her horn before the whole group started to glow, the light quickly dying down.
"What was that?" Rainbow asked next.
"A spell to mentally link us. It'll only last about an hour and its range is limited...but with it, we can hear anything anypony else says."
"That'll help," Skybreaker finished as he turned to the group. "Alright, here's how we'll split. Twilight, Applejack and Rainbow are with me. Flash, Grand, Fluttershy, Rarity and Pinkie are together as well. Got it?"
"Got it!" With that, the two groups split up, soon out of the castle.
It wasn't long till the two teams found what they were looking for. Both saw the a barrage of citizens all screaming in fear, running away from two blast zones. And as they arrived, both groups gasped as they saw several guards being laid out in the dirt, others now being blasted back by the cause of the shockwaves.
"No way," Flash whispered as he reached for his blade. "Electra?"
The unicorn looked up and smirked at the sight of the defender, another guard trying to hit her from behind, only for a bolt of lightning to fly out and zap him back with ease. He fell to the street like a rock, twitching as the electricity flowed through him.
"You know this pony?" Grand asked as he pulled out his Celestic Gear.
"Yeah. She's one of the ponies that attacked the Crystal Empire a while back. And if she's here-" he put his hoof to his head, "Hey Twilight, did you find the perp?"
"Yeah. Why do you ask?" the alicorn responded mentally.
"Cuz I'm guessing your opponent is a silver unicorn with a black and white mane and tail who attacks with a sonic scream."
Over at Twilight's group, the princess was simply stared at the unicorn in question before asking, "How did you-"
"Its the two me and Ruby fought back at the Crystal Empire. You know, when we preparing for the games."
"Oh...yeah, she does look familiar now."
"Yup. Be careful Twilight, they're tough."
"Well so am I!" Rainbow added as she charged at the unicorn, only for her horn to start glowing.
"WWWWWWWHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Banshee screamed, the sonic blast instantly knocking Rainbow back.
"YAAAAAAAH!" She screamed as she almost slammed into a nearby building, Skybreaker managing to put up a wind cushion to stop her before she crashed. "Oww..." she moaned as she caught herself, getting her balance back as she rubbed her ears, "That hurt."
"We can't just attack her blindly," Sky pointed out as he stared at the guards she had already taken down, most beginning to pick themselves up. "If her scream gets any louder, she could end up causing somepony serious harm."
"That somepony's you gramps!" Banshee yelled before taking another deep breath, her horn sparking.
"Sky Force!" The knight unleashed his tornado attack, striking the soundwaves that came out of her mouth.
Banshee went wide-eyed at this, only to start growling, "You cheat."
"Says who?" Skybreaker barked back as he charged at her with his axe, only for the unicorn to hop back as she shot out a small blast, making him fly above her attack to dodge it.
"Says me!" Banshee replied as she glared up at the steel-winged pegasus knight, only to then take another deep breath, "Now...WWWWWWWHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
Back with Flash's group, they were still battling Electra. The unicorn's magic let her go at high speed, frustrating Flash as he fired another Flash Cutter, "Oh, come on!" he yelled as another missed, only to dodge two bolts from her.
The unicorn was alternating between the ground and the air, firing singular bolts as Grand and Flash both dodging each as Grand found himself unable to get close. Seeing this, Flash was about to go into Theta Mode as his next attack missed as well. Noticing that, Grand gave him a glance and asked, "Any ideas kiddo? She ain't hitting us, but she's definitely keeping us back."
"I know. I just..." Flash stuttered out as he spun like a top, firing three more Flash Cutters. "Something doesn't feel right."
"What do you mean?" Rarity added as she shot a beam of magic as well.
"These two are just thieves." Flash replied as he blocked a bolt this time. "I mean, they're not even trying to steal anything according to Twilight."
Grand's brain chimed in a bulb as he turned back to the castle, "You saying this could be a distraction?!"
This caught everypony's attention, Pinkie looking away from Electra just as her party bazooka fired, the confetti now covering a downed guard. Pinkie then asked, "Wait...does that mean we shouldn't fight her?"
"No, he means this isn't what we should be doing." Grand explained as he smacked a bolt away with his hammer, "They're thieves, right? If they're doing a distraction away from the castle, that means they'll be after one thing-"
"The castle vault!" Twilight gasped.
"Didn't the Smooze clear that out?" Applejack asked next.
"Discord replaced it all after the gala," Fluttershy replied while twiddling her hooves, "He even made a little extra to apologize for the situation he made."
"Which means there's even more valuables to steal," Rarity added with a gulp.
"Along with several dangerous items that have been collected over the years," Grand finished before dodging another of Electra's lightning blasts.
Twilight created a magic barrier around herself, Banshee's sonic blasts not even phasing the shield as she started to monologue, "But even with most of us here, there'll still be guards at the castle. It'd be too risky to try and break into the vault."
Grand blinked at this, slamming the earth to summon a rock wall to block a barrage of thunderbolts. He then put his hoof to his chin, "If that's the case...they'd have to use the sewers." Electra's eyes went wide at hearing this, only for Grand to continue, "There's a tunnel running right under the vault."
"How?!" Electra yelped, firing another bolt at Grand, this one destroying the wall but missing the knight.
"I've spent forty years working security in this city. You really think you're the only one that's thought of using the sewers? Heck, the tunnels under the castle have magical shielding that prevents anypony except those with special permission to pass. Whoever is with you won't get within a mile of that vault."
Electra growled at this, her horn now blasting out a huge sphere of electricity, "You little..."
"We should still warn the princesses," Skybreaker spoke up. "Rainbow, you're the fastest."
"On it."
Seconds later, they saw a rainbow blur shoot off to the sky as Skybreaker turned to the recovering guards, "You stallions get back to the castle too. There's no telling how many of these criminals there are."
Grand turned to the soldiers that had just recovered from their fight with Electra, "Get to the castle. We'll handle this mare."
They nodded and began to march off, only for Flash to speak up, "Grand, go with them. You know this city better than anypony. You'll be able to intercept them no matter where they go."
"Flash-"
"We got this. I've fought her before, remember? We'll be fine."
Grand let out a sigh, nodding as he saw he was getting pushed to the side again. "Alright, I'll be back as soon as I can." He turned to run away, only for Flash to block another bolt that tried to strike his back.
"Oh no you don't." Flash added as he fired another Flash Cutter. "Get going Grand!"
"I'm going!" he barked back as he started to get out of the unicorn's range. But as he turned a corner, a bulb went off in his head, "This is too easy. They wouldn't just make an easy distraction for the vault, unless..."
The stallion then came to a stop, gasping as he turned around, "That's it!"
"Sky Cutter!" Skybreaker swung his axe through the air, sending blades of wind at Banshee.
She quickly blocked them with another sonic blast, the shockwave pushing Twilight and Applejack back as well. Twilight then fired a beam of magic, Banshee sidestepping as Applejack got up close and tried to buck her in the face. But as she tried this, Banshee hopped back, Applejack's hooves catching a few stray hairs of her mane.
"You can't dodge us forever," Skybreaker yelled as he fired another wind blade.
Banshee just giggled as she fired another sonic blast, "Maybe...but I don't have to."
"I just have to keep you all occupied until our friend is in the vault," Electra finished after Flash told her the exact same thing Skybreaker had.
"That's not gonna happen!" Flash charged at her, Electra firing another bolt as he swatted it away with his blade, "Grand and the others will stop whoever they are. Count on it!"
Meanwhile...
At the castle, Rainbow, Celestia and Luna were now standing outside the castle's vault with a couple of guards. "So how secure is this thing?" Rainbow asked as Celestia opened it up.
"Very secure. Not only are there magical defenses, but I've also sent Trixie down through the tunnels with some guards to keep that area secure." Luna replied as she sparked her horn to cast the same mental spell Twilight had used before, "Trixie, are you there?"
Down below, Trixie was leading the group of guards as she heard Luna's voice. "We're almost there. We should be reaching the vault in about a minute or so. Hopefully, we'll get there before the thieves."
"They won't be able to even get close thanks to the barriers. You're down there just in case."
"I won't let you down," Trixie finished as the spell cut out. And as she did, the group reached the last corner turn, "Almost there..."
But as she made her way, another mare was going through the tunnels, Slushy staring at a map, "Hmm...it should be just...." she turned a corner, looking up before a big smile graced her face, "Hello there. Just what I was looking for."
A few minutes later...
Rainbow was floating, her hooves behind her head as she let out a yawn. "Darn. I really want to get down there for some action."
"Just wait a little longer Miss Dash." Luna replied as she slumped back into her throne, "Though I must say, Trixie should have arrived any-"
"Princess, I'm here." Trixie interrupted with her mental spell, all three now getting up at her voice. But as Trixie chimed in, her voice then echoing in their heads as she then said, "Princess, whoever's coming...isn't here yet. The whole place is deserted."
Luna let out a long sigh. "That's good. Stay there and be ready for anypony that shows up."
"Will do."
As the spell cut out again, Celestia hummed to herself, "Strange. With how much of a headstart they had, I would have thought the thieves would had have gotten there by now."
"What about the barrier?" Rainbow asked next.
Celestia shook her head. "That's the thing. If they wanted to get to the vault, they'd have to know about the barriers and found a way around it...but they're not there. Not only that, the barriers are setup to inform us if somepony had tried to break in....wait a minute."
Luna turned to her sister, now seeing Celestia's eyes going wide, "What's wrong sister?"
"We've been tricked," Celestia replied as her eyes narrowed. "They're not after this vault."
Slushy's smile grew as she stared at the ceiling of the sewer tunnel, her horn sparking. "Like taking candy from a foal." She fired a blast at the roof, turning it to rubber as the top slowly dripped down. A few seconds later, the mass fell to the floor, the mare firing another spell as the mass of concrete solidified, only to start cracking. The pile of concrete then fell apart, revealing a metal safe.
"Perfect. So....let's see what's inside." Slushy added as she began to walk up to the safe. But as she did this, the ground began to shake, making her come to a stop, "Hm? But I just ended my spell, what is-"
THOOM!
A pillar of pure rock spiked out of the ground, pushing the safe away. The sight made her backpedal, gasping, "What in the-"
"You're not getting that safe lass." The unicorn spun around, only to narrow her eyes as she now saw Grand, holding his Celestic Gear with the head sunk into the dirt.
"How-"
"How'd I know you were here?" Grand pulled his weapon out, "I'll admit, you almost had me. But this isn't the first time somepony's tried the double distraction trick on me kid. It's practically a cliché to try and keep forces distracted far away from your actual target, making it easy to figure out and counter ya. But you knew that, so you planned on it, as with our forces focused on the battle and the castle, you were free to sneak into your real target. The research lab."
Slushy grit her teeth, growling as she replied, "Damn you."
"Don't think you're anything special," Grand told her as he rested his hammer on his shoulder. "I've been in this job before you were born. I've seen every trick you criminals could ever dream up, which I'm guessing Electra and Banshee were meant to take the fall for you. They don't know you're actually attacking this place, do they?"
"So what if they don't?"
Grand just shook his head, "So boring....and naïve. You're exactly like all the other criminals I've put away. Even your magic's nothing new. I faced a pony with elastication magic my first year as a knight. Now do yourself a favor and turn yourself in."
"And what if I don't?" Slushy sparked her horn, leaning down a she got into a battle stance.
"Then I'll stop you."
"Really?" Slushy let out a snort, "Aren't you a little old for this grandpa?"
Grand smirked as he swung his weapon around before pointing it at her, "I may be old, but I can still pull it off. Now, count up your sins."
Slushy growled as she fire a quick beam, Grand slamming his hammer into the ground. The blow made of block of dirt fly up and block the beam, causing the concrete to now mimic a plate of jello. "Why you-You're not getting me!"
"You're not getting away lass!" Grand barked back as he did a horizontal swing of his hammer, the mare quickly hopping back. She then shot another beam, Grand ducking under this attack as he kept his hammer away from the magic blast as well. He then glanced back up, knowing he shouldn't roughhouse, as it could damage the sewer system. "This ain't gonna be easy."
"Die!" She yelled as she fired another beam, Grand spinning as he danced around the blast. "Grrr...stand still, ya old geezer!"
"I won't be slowing down for you!" Grand countered as he swung again, the mare firing as well as both dodged each others' attacks. "Now give up!"
Meanwhile...
Back on the streets, the two battles raged on. "Flash Driver!" Flash charged in his drill form, Lightbringer pointed squarely at Electra. Seeing this, the electric unicorn began to evade, only for her tail to be singed.
"Gah!" she hissed as she landed, "You'll pay for that!" But as she said that, she let out a long breath, her horn's aura becoming thin. "No....I gotta-"
"Time to end this!" In the blink of an eye, Flash entered his Theta Mode and flew at Electra as Rarity and Pinkie both nodded to each other.
"Surprise!" Pinkie fired her party bazooka at the unicorn, Rarity also flinging some debris from Electra's earlier assault with her horn. Fluttershy was also there, but hiding behind a building as she didn't know how to help.
"Back off!" Electra screeched as she shot two bolts at the mares, Pinkie dodging the first blow.
"Augh!" Rarity screamed as the second bolt hit her in the chest, knocking her flying back.
"RARITY!" Pinkie and Fluttershy yelling, Flash shooting a glare at the criminal as Fluttershy flew over to her friend.
"Oh no..." the pegasus began to help up the unconscious unicorn, "Please be okay."
"You big MEANIE!" Pinkie barked as she launched a barrage of confetti.
"Get lost!" She fired another blast, Pinkie ducking as she as fired another bunch of decorations. As she did this, the confetti in the unicorn's mane was hit by the heat, causing it to catch fire. "AUGH!" She yelped as she started swinging her head side to side, "Put it out!"
"FLASH GRINDER!" Flash yelled as spun like a wheel, which instantly hit the panicking mare.
"AAAAARRRRRGGGGHHHHH!" She screamed as the light wheel slammed into her, burning her with both friction and the light. This lasted only a second, as the force of the impact sent her flying across the street, slamming into a nearby building...and slumping over with swirls in her eyes. "Owww…"
Flash then flew over, taking a second the make sure she was breathing. After confirming this, he went over to Fluttershy and Rarity, asking, "Is she okay?"
Fluttershy nodded, "Yes. I don't think that blast hit anything bad." Flash sighed in relief, turning back to where the other battle was happening.
"I hope the others are having better luck than us."
"Sky Cutter Barrage!" Skybreaker unleashed a barrage of wind blades, Banshee countering with a long sonic blast. The knight then flapped his wings back to keep balance, Banshee glancing at the others before firing another sonic boom.
"Whoa!" Applejack yelped as she was thrown back, only for Twilight to catch her in her magic. Seeing Banshee about to scream again, she teleported away, hiding behind a nearby building. After putting AJ down, the farmer adjusted her hat, "This ain't workin' Twi. You got any ideas?"
"Hang on, I'm still thinking." Twilight pulled her head out of the corner, watching Banshee finish another scream. As she did this, her face looked like it was in pain, the mare now placing her hoof over her chest. The sight made Twilight's eyes go wide, "That's it!"
Applejack liked that look on the alicorn's face, "Ya got somethin'?"
Twilight nodded back, "I think I do...but I gotta get close. Can you distract her?"
"Ah sure as sugar can!" Applejack replied as she charged at the unicorn, Twilight staying back behind the building.
Seeing the farmer charge, Skybreaker held up his axe. "Time to push this girl to her limit. Sky Force...EXCEED!" He pointed the axe before a tornado flew out of the weapon, the unicorn taking a deep breath as she unleashed the most powerful sonic blast she could create. The two attacks connected, cancelling each other out as Applejack grabbed a bunch of fallen over bricks.
"Here ah come!" Applejack yelled as she flung the rocks up, only to spin around and buck the bricks flying at the criminal.
The unicorn saw the projectiles coming and gasped, accidentally cutting her scream, which allowed the last of Skybreaker's attack to hit her. "Augh!" She yelped as she was pushed back, her body now dodging the bricks due to the pegasi's attack.
She then hopped back on her hooves, instantly recovering as she started to take another deep breath. But as she did this, Twilight appeared in front of her in a flash of light. Before Banshee could finish, the alicorn shot a tiny beam down her throat, smirking at the sight, "Gotcha!"
"Oh yeah?!" Banshee screeched as her horn flared, taking an even deeper breath.
"TWILIGHT!" Applejack and Skybreaker screamed as they saw Banshee about to scream...only for nothing.
The unicorn blinked at this, her eyes going before trying to scream again, but no sound came out. She then began moving her lips, but no sound could be heard. And as she kept trying to speak, she suddenly found herself being lifted up by Twilight's magic, making her try to scream as she squirming in the alicorn's hold.
"What did you do to her?" Skybreaker asked as he landed, Applejack now trotting up to the princess.
"I realized her magic increased the power of her voice, meaning that without her voice, she's harmless. So, I hit her with a muting spell I used to use on Spike back when he was younger and started learning to curse. And if you're wondering, I also used it on Flash, as he thought it was funny to teach Spike those words." The others giggled before looking up a Banshee, the mute mare now flailing around as she kept trying to struggle against the magic hold. "Though...she seems really panicked now. Guess losing your voice does that."
"Girls!" They looked up to now see Rainbow flying over to them.
"Rainbow? Shouldn't you be helping stop the crooks at the castle?"
"That's the thing," the pegasus replied as she landed. "The castle's not being attacked. The whole place is on alert, but they haven't found anypony."
"What? But why would they-" Twilight closed her eyes as she went back to her mental spell, "Flash? Are you done with your fight?"
"I am Twilight. We managed to take down Electra, though Rarity got hurt. I'm gonna get her to the medical ward. How are you doing? I'm not hearing any loud screams anymore."
"We've got Banshee, but Rainbow says the castle isn't under attack."
"What? Then why were these two trying to distract us?! What did Grand say?!"
"Grand?!" Rainbow raised an eyebrow, "I thought Grand was still with you."
"We sent him back to the castle. Don't tell me he didn't go there?"
Skybreaker hummed at this, "That's not like Grand. The only reason he wouldn't return to the castle...is if he figured something out." He turned to Twilight, "Try and connect me to him." She nodded and opened the channel to the one she hadd given Grand. "Grand! You there?"
"Yeah!" the earth pony's voice called out, "I hear yah."
"Where are you?" Flash asked next.
"Fighting the one who tricked us all, even her own friends."
Down in the sewer, Grand was now heavily panting as he found himself in a tunnel filled with jellified rocks, the knight dodging a new set of magic blasts. As he continued to do this, he kept talking to the mental spell, "She just wanted us to think she was attacking the castle, but her target was actually the research lab. She almost got away with whatever was in a safe."
"How'd you know she was going after the research lab?" Twilight asked.
"Call it a hunch," Grand replied.
"Then why didn't you tell us?"
"In case my hunch was wrong. But it wasn't."
"Alright, we'll be there soon." Skybreaker chimed in, "Just hold out a little longer."
"No problem."
"Hey! Stop muttering to yourself and fight me!" Slushy yelled as she fired another beam, Grand countering by summoning another rock shield. "Ragh! Stop doing that!"
"I ain't stopping lass! Not till you're behind bars where you belong!" Grand barked back as he spun his hammer with one hoof. As he did this, he glanced up and saw that their fight had now loosened some rocks in the ceiling. "Gotcha!" He then leapt out from behind the elastic rock, slamming the ground with his hammer, "Grand Impact!" A singular rock flew up, the knight spinning like a top as he smashed it with his hammer. The rubble shattered into a barrage of fragments, all ready to hit Slushy.
"You'll have to do better than that!" she countered, a wide spread beam flying out of her horn that struck every piece. But as she did this, Grand continued to spin, leaping at her with his swinging hammer like a tornado. Slushy could only hop backwards, only for hammer's head to smack her face, the unicorn yelping as was sent flying into the wall. "AUGH!"
Grand then leapt back to a fair distance and raised his hammer. "It's over."
"Like heck it is!" Slushy screeched as she immediately picked herself back up. But as she did this, Grand smashed his hammer into the floor, the entire tunnel now shaking at the blow. The rattling quickly shook Slushy over, making her lose her balance as her face now kissed dirt. "Eep!"
And as she tried to get back up again, her ears picked up a new sound, making her look up and see a giant rock falling right for her. She yelped as she fired a spell at the rubble, rubberising it seconds before it bonked her head. "Argh!" She cried as it bounced off her face.
She then tried to rub her face with her hooves, only to let out an 'eep' as Grand's hammer slammed into the ground in front of her. The mare quickly tried to scramble back onto her hooves, only to see Grand push off with his back legs, using the hammer to polevault as he thrust a hoof right into her stomach. Spit flew out of this mouth as he slammed her back, the knight now on his hooves as he pulled the hammer out and pointed it at her.
"Grand...FORCE!" From out of his weapon fired a tornado of dirt and rock, instantly striking the still-recovering mare.
"AAAAAHHHHH!" She screamed as she went flying down the tunnel, soon striking a wall as it started to crack behind her.
It wasn't long till the attack stopped, Grand lowering Grand Slammer as he watched Slushy slide down the wall, her body slumping over in defeat. Shaking his head at this sight, Grand put the hammer on his shoulder, "That's the problem with most unicorns. No physical stamina. One good hit, and it's all over."
But as these words left his mouth, he started to fall over as well, his flank hitting dirt as he started panting heavily, "Ugh...that took more than I thought."
"Grand!" His ears spiked up as he turned to see Flash and Skybreaker, Flash kneeling down beside him while Skybreaker checked on Slushy. "You okay?"
"Yeah...just tired."
Skybreaker chuckled at his reply, "Maybe you should retire if you're tired after fighting just one pony."
Grand glared back at him as he pulled himself up, "I might be tired, but I can still kick your flank. Now come on, let's get this mare in prison before she wakes up." They nodded before Slushy was hoisted onto Skybreaker's back.
"Talk about a great way to end your career," Flash told him as Grand put his hoof over his shoulders. "Stopping a major theft, complete with catching the criminal mastermind. Talk about ending on a high note."
"Yeah..." Grand nodded as Flash and Skybreaker ran ahead, Grand staring at his Celestic Gear, the battle playing back in his head. "Maybe..."
The next day...
Despite all the chaos that had occurred the previous day, Celestia decided to keep the event on schedule. Now Flash stood beside the rest of the knights, minus Grand and Cold, in front of the stage with several guards all lining the walls. He was reminded of his knighting, now seeing a full crowd a ponies while the four princesses stood behind him.
Before he could think anymore, trumpets caught his attention as the back doors opened to reveal Grand, the stallion in his blue suit the rest of the knights also wore. As he approached, the knights and guards all stood to attention. And as he reached the stand, he stood between Flash and Skybreaker.
And as the trumpets came to a stop, Celestia now speaking up. "We're here today to commemorate the efforts of one special pony, who has spent forty years of his life protecting both Canterlot and Equestria. Now, it's time for him to finally rest and allow others to take his place." Twilight held up a pillow with a scroll on it, Celestia taking the paper and floating it in front of Grand. "Grand Hoof, I hereby grant your honorary discharge and relief you of all your guard duties."
Grand took the scroll and tried to form a smile as he stared at the princess, "Thank you, your majesties. But even though I'm no longer a member of the guard, I am still a knight. If Equestria is ever in need of me, don't hesitate to ask."
Celestia did a small nod, giving her usual kind smile as she announced, "Fillies and gentlecolts, please give a warm round of applause for Sir Grand Hoof, the Great Mountain!" Grand turned to the crowd, the room now filled with applause. He smiled at all of them, spotting many faces he hadn't seen in a long time, seeing many old close friends.
Everything after that seemed like a blur, hours passing in what felt like minutes, all filled with many conversations about all his adventures as a guard and knight. Time only seemed to slow back down as the party ended, the stallion back in his room as he laid his suit down before walking up to the balcony, now looking out at the night sky.
A knock on the door then caught his attention, "Come in." He looked over his shoulder and saw Flash step in, the defender quickly making his way up to his mentor, "Hey. What's up?"
"Just wanted to see how you were doing." Flash started staring up at the night sky as well, "Hard to believe you're actually retired."
Grand chuckled at this, shaking his head, "I honestly never expected to make it this far. Always figured I'd end up...you know, in the field."
"Ah, you're too stubborn for that."
"Yeah..." Grand let out a long sigh, "I don't want to be retired." Flash turned to him with wide eyes, "I'm not ready yet. I still have so much to do."
"What are you talking about? You've done more than your fair share."
"I don't feel like I have. Yesterday, when I took that mare down, it made me feel like I was thirty years younger. And it uh...it made me remember that I still have a lot to atone for."
"Atone for?"
Grand turned to him with a low, deep glare. "My catchphrase, count up your sins, I didn't just come up with it. It...came from something that happened to me, a mistake I made."
Flash leaned back on the balcony, remembering an old conversation, "Is this the same mistake that made you not want to be a knight?"
Grand replied with a small nod, "After it happened, I felt like I had no right to even live. I probably would have ended it all right there, that is if a friend of mine hadn't made me realize doing so would have meant that what happened would have been for nothing. He told me to keep that mistake in my heart and spend every waking moment atoning for it. And so....I've been doing that everyday, counting my sins to atone."
"And after forty years, you still don't think you've atoned enough?"
"Maybe for what happened back then, but I've made more sins. Doom and Lightning, despite what you say, were my fault. I didn't watch after them when I should have and...others paid the price, including you. Don't deny what they did to you."
"Grand..."
"Its true Flash, and you know it. Heck, I've made many more mistakes you don't even know about. I don't think I have enough time left to make up for all of them."
Flash groaned at the statement, facehoofing, "Grand, I don't think it's healthy to treat your life like a set of scales, constantly trying to balance things out like that. It's not fair to always try and punish yourself for the mistakes you made. You'll drive yourself crazy."
"Maybe."
"And don't forget what I said before about everything I did being thanks to what you taught me. And I'm not the only one. You brought First and Heather into the Royal Knights, so anything they've done as knights is thanks to you. You've helped so many ponies, who in turn helped a load more. You might not have been directly involved, but you are responsible for more good than you could possibly know, and far more than all the mistakes you've made."
Grand gave him a small smile, chuckling as he replied, "Well...maybe you're right." He gave the defender a playful nudge, "When did you get so wise?"
Flash laughed, "I had a good teacher....or I've been reading too much sweet stuff to help me with dating Twilight."
"HA!" Grand guffawed, a big toothy grin on his face now, "I gotta say, it sure took you two a long time! Heck, we called it way back when, and I still couldn't believe you finally got together after becoming a knight!"
Flash rolled his eyes at this, "Oh yeah? What, we're you betting we'd never get together?"
Grand let out a mocking hum, "Hmm....yeah. I mean, I told Princess Cadance to not try to get you two together back when you were still training under me. Told her it would never work, and I was right! HA!"
"Yeah yeah..." Flash muttered as he looked away, trying to hide a blush.
Grand then let out another long sigh, looking back up at the sky. "Even so, I still feel like I'm not done helping Equestria Flash. It's just...who I am. Out of all the things I'd like to do now that I'm retired, helping others is still at the top of the list."
Flash took the words to heart, rubbing his chin in thought before a bulb shined above his head, "Well...I might have an idea."
"Oh?"
"Yeah. It'll allow you to help ponies, and you'll get to relax and enjoy life as much as you want."
A few days later...
The sun was rising over Ponyville, its many residents now beginning to awaken. But as they did this, it's newest resident had already been up for an hour. The little cottage door opened, Grand stepping out with his Celestic Gear attached to his back. He took a deep breath of the country air, a big smile gracing his face.
The knight soon calmly trotted through the town, smiling and giving hellos to anypony he passed. He then spotted Flash, Lightning, Iron and Springer coming up to him, the four gathering around as he said, "Morning boys."
"Morning," they all replied in unison.
Flash then walked up to his side with a smirk, "So, how's Ponyville's newest defender of the peace enjoying his first day on the job?"
"Pretty good so far. I also got a letter from Celestia saying I can come give lectures to the new guard trainees whenever I feel like being back in Canterlot. Though I gotta say....thanks for this idea Flash."
"Glad you like it. Now come on," Flash then took to the skies, "Knowing this town, there'll likely be five potential disasters for us to stop before lunch."
Grand nodded before the five ran off, all ready to keep Ponyville safe. His life as a guard may be over, but his role as a protector was one he would keep until his dying day. And there was nowhere he would like to spend that time than in Ponyville, alongside his student, grandson, and so many friends.
Retirement was gonna be good
Stats
Page generated in 0.022 seconds
Total duration
625 users online
1,152,323 hits today, 2,818,023 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn%3AANd9GcScdhSynkpPUaD9s9FpNKBNmdrxalvjBCUTpv9dCoEkvR8YyOGj
KayC this is what I was talking about... But still, DAME GRAND IS OP EVEN IF AGE HITS HIM LIKE A VERY STRETCHED SPEEDO!
Grand is a good character and now I can’t wait to see how he deals with The cutie mark Crusaders.
Raindow, sugarcube, darling... you are made of stupid.
Earth pony master race!
one of the most insightful things of Grand every granted to us readers. So what is the 'sin'?
If there are that many potential disasters before lunch, how is a single building Ponyville still standing? Seriously, how?
Grand has been a great character thus far... thus far.
9949613
Thanks but no. Sticking yo what I've got.
https://www.deviantart.com/xxxkayceejrxxx/art/Mlp-fim-OC-villains-Cujo-820647364
Good chapter here, wasn't expecting you to deal with Grand's retirement Bansheee, glad that the old stallion have quite a few tricks & experience on his hooves now that he'll be around Ponyville, he will not be bored at all there!
As for highlights :
Do I need to bring another hay-burger mountain again Twilight?
In baseball that would be quite the homerun!
lol figures the big brother would teach his younger sib some choice curse words!
For Ponyville that's just a Thursday, Tuesday's are for World Ending threats!
Awesome chapter all around, looking forward to the next one Banshee!
9949660
I am too maybe he can have Flash stand up to Spoiled rich for Diamond tiara.
This was an awesome and bittersweet chapter about the next phase in Grand's life. My favorite part was when they stopped that robbery in Caterlot, it was indeed quite a high note for Grand before his retirement.
Also reading Princesses Celestia and Luna commenting about them not retiring for a long time is something I really understood. Especially since I didn't agree with the show having them retire at the end of Season 9.
So, what are you going to do with him now that he is retired? That's what I'd like to know. Also, I like Grand, but you might want to tone the pity party back a little. You're kinda running into the same problem that a lot of your readers had with Script.
Man I was really expecting you to do the whole, dying in battle thing. "I was only 2 days to retirement." I mean you love a good cliche XP
9949955
Wow. I don't WANT to assume why you think its gross. But to react that violently IS making assume a few things about you.
That was nice. I really enjoy Grand so it is nice to see him have a big role here. I have noticed he seems to blame himself for a lot though, so maybe he should ease up on himself eventually. Sure he made mistakes with Lightning and Doom but their choices were ultimately their own.
On a more positive note, it was cool seeing Banshee and Electra again, and a cameo from Hiveena, plus the new villain Slushy. I know the new prison they are being sent to is described as inescapable, but I wonder if we'll see more of them someday? Also, with Grand retired now, is he still the leader of the Royal Knights (since he himself said he is still a Knight even if he is not a guard anymore), or will someone else become the leader now?
I also noticed that small moment of Celestia and Luna saying they can't retire for a long time. I know a lot of people have a problem with how that was part of season 9, but I personally had no problem with it. I guess unless they change their minds between now and then, season 9 is going to have some major differences.
9950084 He's still the leader.
9950089
Okay, thank for clarifying that.
Wait a got it I ship Grandhoof with Granny Smith!
9949878
With that comment the princesses made in mind I wonder what kinds of changes we can expect in season 9 when we eventually get that far. Unless the princesses change their minds by then, though given the way they phrased it that seems unlikely.
9950139
I was possibly thinking the same thing! I mean it's potentially possible, assuming that AJ and her sibling don't mind.
Really like Grand and this chapter. He's a thought, Flash going to Grand for advice on teaching when Twilight opens the school of friendship? Grand might even have history with Chancellor Nieghsay.
Look like Grand Hoof promoted himself from Recurring Character to Main Character status and joining along with Flash, Mane Six, Springer, Spike, Iron Core, Wild Smile and Lightning Blitz. (I’m not sure about Trixie and Soarin since they seems to be recurring characters and I also not sure if Scootaloo is considered to be main or recurring character in Flash Sentry Chronicles but who know?)
Yeah, I don’t mind Grand Hoof and I actually looking forward his backstory at some point.
EDIT: Grand Hoof doesn’t want rest, does he? After spending 40 years of being Royal Guard and Royal Knight, he still not ready to retire yet? Man! That’s an old tough knight!