Flash had never been on a boat before.
The best he had ever gone on was a small paddle-boat he and Twilight had ridden on that was shaped like a swan, (Which Cadance somehow convinced him and Twilight to ride when they were younger but neither of them understood why) but that was nothing compared the the Mighty Leviathan. The ship was beyond anything he had ever seen, its form not even fazed by the strong waves of the sea. The winds that blew into the sail would topple a tree in an instant, but the mast stood tall, unaffected by the gales.
Flash and Springer were sitting atop the lower deck's mast, in the crow's nest along with a pegasus member of the crew. Said pegasus was looking through a telescope, on the lookout for anything out of the ordinary. They had been sailing for about three hours and had seen almost everything there was on the ship. Springer was sitting on the basket's railing, enjoying the cool sea breeze as it blew through his fur and made the appendages on his eyes wave as he said, "This is great. I love the sea."
Flash just shrugged. "Eh, its alright. Still, I think I prefer flying to sailing."
"It takes a while for a pegasi to get used to it," the crew-pony told him as he stopped looking through telescope.
"I'll take your word for it," Flash replied as he spread his wings and leapt out of the crow's nest, Springer leaping onto his back as they descended. They continued to look around, watching the many sailor ponies do several different jobs that he had no clue about. But one sight alone almost made both him and Springer burst out laughing, as Iron was leaning over the side of the boat.
"You okay there?" Flash asked while trying to hide a smug grin.
"Yeah, you're looking a little...green." Springer added as he and Flash both struggled to not burst out laughing.
"Shut up," Iron moaned out. "I'm...urk! Ughhhhh….this suuuuucks."
Flash was about to make another wisecrack, only for Skybreaker to step up to him. "Go easy on Iron. Earth ponies are more sensitive to motion than pegasi and unicorns, and this is his first time on a boat. It'll take time for him to grow accustomed to it."
"Heather and Grand don't seem to be having any trouble." Springer pointed at the two ponies scattered around the deck.
Skybreaker shrugged. "They've probably been on a boat before, so they might be able to handle it better."
"Oh...huh." Flash remarked as he looked up at the top deck, his eyes quickly falling on Tidal as he continued to steer the ship. "Hey, Skybreaker. What's the deal with Tidal?"
Skybreaker looked up from checking on Iron to stare between Flash and Tidal. "What do you mean?"
"Well, he's a knight right? How did he become one?"
"Yeah!" Springer agreed, "The other knights we've met were never as...peppy as him. But then when we got on the boat, he went all serious."
"Oh. That's just how Tidal is." Skybreaker said as he looked down. "On land he hides his serious nature, but once he steps onboard, his true self appears."
"Why is that?" Flash asked as he sat down and leaned against the boat's side.
Skybreaker moved over to the side of the boat and pulled himself up, sitting on it before looking back at Tidal. "Well, to know that, you need to learn about his story."
"I'm guessing it's not the happiest of stories," Flash asked, Springer nodding in agreement. "I mean, most knights I've met don't have a good track record. No offense."
"None taken, and you'd be right," Skybreaker replied as he slightly shifted in his seat. "You see, Tidal's family have been sailors for generations. His father was a transporter, moving shipments from one part of Equestria to another via sea. That is, until the day they were asked to transport a large shipment of rare metals, which made them the targets of pirates."
"Pirates?" Springer asked with a raised eyebrow. "Like the ones I've seen in comic books?"
Air blasted out of Skybreaker's nostrils as he hissed, "Life isn't a comic book pup."
Springer did a slight gulp, leaning back as he whimpered, "Sorry."
Skybreaker just shook his head at this, growling as he continued his story, "These pirates were dangerous, and Tidal's father was no solider. Because of this, well...well, he knew he couldn't stop them. So to save his son, he placed Tidal in a barrel and threw him overboard."
"Seriously?"
Skybreaker nodded with crossed hooves. "It turned out to be a smart move. The pirates took the metal and to make sure there weren't any witnesses, they sunk the ship."
Flash and Springer's eyes went wide at this. "And...his dad?"
Skybreaker shrugged. "No one knows the details, but he went down with the ship. Tidal drifted in that barrel for days, until he was found by another ship and brought back to shore."
Flash sighed while Springer looked up at Tidal. "I'm amazed he'd want to ever get back on a boat after that. If it were me, I'd want to be as far away from a reminder of that day as I could."
"Tidal's love of the sea will overcome any bad memory," Skybreaker told him as he pointed to the knight. "After all, he was born on his father's boat, way out at sea. That's why he's called the Ocean Soul. After what happened to his father, Tidal vowed to make the seas a safer place. He joined the Equestrian Navy and quickly raised through the ranks, eventually becoming its leader at a young age. Once he did, he started to roam the seas for pirates and other criminals that'd dare blacken Equestria's waters. He brought many of them to justice, grabbing the attention of Celestia. After taking many trials, he earned the title of Royal Knight."
"So that's how it happened. Huh..."
"Wow..." Springer added as he leaned again the boat's side, "what is it with Royal Knights all having such horrible lives?"
Skybreaker chuckled as he leapt off the side and started to walk away. "A hero is one who can look into the dark abyss and not blink. You'll find that many of Equestria's greatest heroes have all suffered some form of tragedy or strife." He stopped and glanced back at them. "It's enduring that hardship that makes us strong, allowing us not to be consumed by darkness. For those who are consumed by the darkness will often times become the very thing they want to destroy."
Flash sighed. "You mean like Doom, don't you?"
Skybreaker nodded before walking off. "Think about where you came from, and how it could have made you something else entirely."
"Well, that was dark," Springer commented as he let out a long sigh.
"Yup." Flash agreed with a nod, "He's right though. Imagine how different we'd all be if we let our pasts affect us?"
"It wouldn't be that different," Springer said before turning to him. "Would it?"
Flash thought about it for a moment before nodding. "I think so. Before meeting Twilight, I lived on the streets and everyone called me a pest because of what I had to do to live. What if that made me only care about myself? The only reason I'm where I am now is because I chose to help Twilight. What if I'd chosen not to?"
Springer rolled his eyes at this. "You wouldn't have done that."
"But he had a choice." The two turned to Iron, who they had forgotten was next to them, his face still contorted due to the sea-sickness. "Same with me. If I had chosen to kill my parents' murderer, Skybreaker never would have taken me under his wing."
Flash nodded in agreement. "Same here. I remember back when I first met Twilight. I did consider just turning around and not getting involved. I told myself, 'why should I help somepony when nopony's ever helped me?' If I had chosen to do that, I'd probably still be living on the streets. Who knows, I could have turned out like Big Score or one of the other criminals we've beaten. All because I let what others said get to me."
"Wow..." Springer said, tilting his head at thought. "I never thought about it that way."
"You're lucky furball." Iron moaned, "I think about it everyday. I ask myself if I shouldn't have let Longhorn off so easily. No matter how hard I try, I can't stop from asking myself that." His reflection came to a stop when the green coloring in his face increased before his cheeks swelled, causing him to once again lean over the side of the ship.
"YUCK!" Flash and Springer moaned as they quickly got up and walked away, fearing the smell would make the two of them join him. Wanting to be as far away as possible from that, they headed up to the higher deck. There, Tidal, Grand and Ruby were all looking around.
"Greetings Amigos," Tidal told them with a big cheeky grin, "come to learn how to steer a ship?"
"Not really," Flash said before pointing back at Iron's currently vomiting form. "Just didn't wanna end up covered in whatever he had for breakfast."
Tidal chuckled at this while Ruby and Grand rolled their eyes. "I'll be sure to have a crewpony get a mop and bucket ready."
Springer leapt off Flash's back onto the railing in front of the wheel, which he began walking along like a tight rope. "So," he asked before spinning around and walking back the other way, "how long's it gonna take for us to sail to wherever we're going? I like sailing and all, but I'm itching to help take this Doom guy down."
Tidal leaned forwards against the wheel and thought for a moment, doing the calculations in his head. "With the wind to our backs and no storms, I'd say the journey should take about...five weeks."
"FIVE WEEKS?!" Flash, Springer and even Ruby yelled.
"At minimum," Tidal finished.
"But the letter told us to only pack for a few days!" Flash yelped.
"As did mine," Ruby hissed as she turned to Grand, her horn starting to spark. "GRAND! This better be a joke! I cannot be away from the empire for that amount of time! It is my duty as its protector!"
Grand let out a long sigh, his eyes drifting away from her death glare, "Tidal, stop messing around. I told you what would happen if you said that."
Tidal just laughed at this, scratching the back of his head. "Well, they did ask how long it would take to sail there."
The three all stared at one another, all looking confused, though more anger was on Ruby's face. Seeing this, Grand turned to them and sighed again, "Don't get angry Ruby. It's true that the journey there by sailing would take five weeks, but we're not sailing there."
"But we're on a boat." Springer asked as he hopped down from the rope. "How else are we gonna get there?"
"If you tell me this boat can turn into a flying machine..." Flash started.
"Of course it can't," Tidal interrupted before turning to a nearby crew-pony. "Though that's not a bad idea. Write that down for the development team." The sailor pony nodded before rushing off.
"So if we're not sailing or flying," Ruby asked with crossed hooves, her horn now showing a full aura. "How are we gonna get there so quickly?!"
"With this." The group turned to see Skybreaker step up onto the higher deck, Heather, First and a still ailing Iron following him. They then saw that Skybreaker was holding a strange blue crystal, one that looked like it had a section of itself sliced off.
"What is that?" Flash asked as he pointed at the object.
First stepped in front of Skybreaker. "It is a Quantum Entanglement Crystal."
"What's a...quan...tron....whatever it's called?" Springer asked next.
Heather chuckled at this. "The better name for it is a Teleportation Crystal. First just calls it that to sound smart."
First rolled his eyes at this, "Anyways, a Quantum Entanglement Crystal is a rare magical artifact. They are magically linked and should even a tiny piece be removed, it will still share that link. In addition, by infusing one piece with magic, it will open a portal that will cause another to open where that piece is."
Skybreaker nodded at this. "When we escaped from the area Doom was hiding, we left behind such a piece."
"So we're going to use it to get ourselves there instantly?" Ruby asked.
"Exactly, but we had to wait until we were far enough away from the mainland."
"Why?" Flash asked as he scratched the side of his head at this. "Seems like a waste of time to me."
First shook his head. "Portals opened by Quantum Entanglement Crystals can damage the spacial area around it. Even when the portal closes, that tear will remain for several days."
"If we did it back in Manehatten, its likely somepony might stumble upon it and be trapped somewhere they don't know." Heather added as she pointed to the crystal.
"Oh..." Flash said, blinking.
"I thought this kid was supposed to be smart Grand?" Skybreaker asked Flash's mentor, getting a frown from the pegasus.
"It's his first big mission," Grand huffed. "Obviously, it'll take a while for his brain to process this and get back to working properly."
"I'm right here you know," Flash complained while Springer, Iron and Heather laughed.
"Pathetic." Skybreaker scoffed as he continued, "Anyways, with this, we'll cut the trip there down considerably. We just need a strong enough magic to activate the crystal." With that, he moved over to the back of the deck where a large saddlebag rested. Reaching in, he pulled out short twin bladed battle axe that had a light blue handle and white blades.
"Coooool." Springer said with shining eyes. "Is that your Celestic Gear?"
Skybreaker nodded. "It's called Cloudhacker. The Alicorn Magic within it will create a portal strong big enough for the whole ship to pass through."
"Then let's get moving," Tidal replied as he tilted the wheel slightly. "We're far enough away from land now."
Skybreaker nodded and flexed his real and metal wings, jumping up into the air. As he watched him do this, Flash wondered how he had lost his wing. He would have to ask another time. They then watched as Skybreaker flew up to the front of the ship, landing on its figurehead. He held up the crystal and Cloudhacker, the axe beginning to glow as he channeled its magic. "You all ready!?"
"READY!" Everypony replied.
"Then let's do this." Cloudhacker fired a stream of magic into the crystal, causing the prism to begin reflecting the light. The light then shot out like a bolt of lightning, striking the ocean's surface before slowly moving upwards, causing a kind of tear to appear in its wake.
"Whoa...." everypony but Grand gasped as they watched the bolt fly higher and higher, causing the tear to also grow. Eventually, it stopped just above the ship's mast and held steady. Seconds passed and the tear began to widen, all the way until it was big enough for the ship to get through. There, the portal showed a white void, showing it was ready to be used.
Grand turned to Tidal. "The portal won't last long. Get us through and be careful not to touch the sides."
"Aye aye," Tidal replied as he pulled the levers that retracted the sails, soon kicking the engines into gear. Skybreaker flew back to the upper deck and together, the Knights, Springer and sailor ponies watched as the ship drew closer to the portal. The figurehead floated into the white void first, causing it to burst with light and force them all to shield their eyes. Soon, the light faded, only to now reveal the ship was inside a tunnel of multicolored light. It was here that they saw that the ship was floating.
"Wow...Hey, what's that?" Springer asked as he pointed at the side of the boat, the others following and a bunch of weird glowing writing that was painted onto the side of the ship.
"They're runes," Grand told them, a slight growl in his voice. "I had a to call in favor to a certain expert to get them placed. They're there so we can sail through the warp space without fear. Just don't fall over the sides, or you'll end up who knows where."
The group all pulled away from the side, not wanting to run the risk. As they did this, Flash turned to Grand, "Was it Solid Script who made the runes?"
"Yes." Grand hissed, soon giving his apprentice a death glare, "And don't you dare ask me what I had to do for the favor."
"Noted." Flash said as he looked away, "Looks like they still don't fully get along."
Heather then spoke up, "Hey, look. What's that?" She pointed down the tunnel where a pure white light could now be seen.
"That's our exit," Tidal told them. "Hold on everypony. I can't guarantee where the other side is gonna come out upon."
"That's not very reassuring," Ruby said as they all grabbed onto the railing before the ship hit the white light. Like before, the white veil exploded with light, causing them all to shut their eyes.
With his eyes closed, Flash's other senses took over and his sense of touch suddenly told him that the ship was now falling. It would only last for a second, as the ship suddenly began to rock, causing them all to be thrown backwards. The whole group hit the floor instantly, all moaning as they slowly picked themselves up while the sound of waves hitting the boat echoed through their ears. The gropu opened their eyes and found that it was now much darker than it had been before, looking over and seeing that the sun was beginning to set. They also looked back and saw the portal they had shot out of, slowly closing until it disappeared completely.
"Well that was fun," Flash said as he started stretching his wings from the previous fall.
"Maybe for you," Iron said as he moved back over to the side of the boat.
Skybreaker moved over to the side of the boat and stared out, Grand doing the same and spotting what he was looking at. Two or three miles away, there was a plot of land on the horizon. "Looks like the crystal fragment was washed quite far from land. That's favorable for us."
Grand nodded at this. "Yes. It lessens the chances of the portal being seen."
Ruby stepped up to them. "Maybe, but I'm sure they'll notice a big ship like this sailing close to the shore.
"The ship won't be going to the shore," Tidal told her. "It'll stay here."
"Then how are we going to get to land?" First asked next.
Tidal smirked before walking over to the stairs, "Simple. Follow me." He lead them down to the lower deck and inside the ship, directing them through the corridors and down several staircases. Eventually, they arrived outside the one door Flash had not been able to get through when he searched the ship.
"What's in there?"
Tidal chuckled as his horn began to glow and open the door. "What we're gonna use to get to shore."
When they soon stepped inside, they found that the room was completely circular, and was fitting what could be described as an average sized dingy that looked like a smaller version of the Mighty Leviathan. It looked just big enough to fit them all in and had both a sail and an engine. On the front of it was a smaller version of the ship's figurehead.
"Is that a-"
"Newly built," Tidal interrupted as he pointed at the tiny vessel. "Mighty Leviathan's child, the Mini Leviathan."
"Impressive, but will it be able to get us to the shore undetected?" Ruby asked with a raised eyebrow of skepticism.
Grand gave a reassuring nod. "It should. From what I've been told, the engine runs incredibly quietly. It'll get us close to the shore and then we can use the sail to get us the rest of the way."
Flash let out a low chuckle. "Forget the sail. Bring some strong ropes and both Skybreaker and me'll pull us to shore."
"Not a bad idea," Skybreaker replied as he made his way over to the boat. "Guess you do have a brain cell in there."
Despite the 'complement', Flash frowned. Skybreaker had been a big inspiration to him, but all the pegasus did was criticise him. How was-
"Flash," the pegasi's focus broke as he looked over to the Mini Leviathan, only to see Ruby staring at him."You coming?"
"Sorry. I'm coming." Flash said as he hopped onto the boat. "So, how exactly do we get this thing out of the ship?"
"Like this," Tidal replied as a magic aura grabbed a nearby lever. On the outside of the ship, the wooden inner of the black rings started to split in two, opening like a pair of doors. Once fully open, the Mini Leviathan tipped forward, only for a thin metal to extend out into the water. Once fully extended, Tidal smirked. "Hold on," he said before magically releasing the boat's hold, the vessel soon sliding down the ramp and into the water.
After giving the boat a few seconds to stabilize, Tidal kicked the engines on, the ship now moving. As it did this, Flash looked back and saw the ramp retract back into the ship before closing the doors, the Mighty Leviathan now looking exactly like it did before as they sailed away.
Grand then clapped his hooves, getting their attention. "Alright everypony, listen up! They may have scouts running along the coast, so remain vigilant. The mission starts now!" They all nodded as they turned back towards land, all wondering what their reception would be. "We're coming for you Doom."
Meanwhile...
In a certain dark room, Doom sat in his chair as he watched the Royal Knights sailing towards the island. He chuckled at the sight. "Took you fools long enough. But you're too late. Soon, I'll have the final piece and you'll be unable to stop me."
"Master?" he turned his chair and saw four dark figures slowly enter the room.
"What are your orders?" A female voice asked him. "Shall we attack them once they make it to shore?"
"No," Doom replied before turning back to the orb. "They'll be expecting that. Better to have them not be prepared. My father may be desperate to stop me, but he's no fool. He'll want to get information first, and there's only one place he'll find it." He tapped the orb and it changed to an image of what looked like a small town, similar in design to Appaloosa and Dodge Junction.
He turned back to the group with a huge sinister grin. "Hiveena, Toxic and Grimhorn, take a portion of our troops and attack them once they're settled. Don't completely defeat them, just show them why it was a mistake for them to come here."
Three of the four nodded, while the last appeared to frown. "And what of me, master?"
Doom smiled. "I have something special that I want you to do."
The sun had finished setting by the time they reached the shore.
Taking Flash up on his suggestion, Tidal had cut the engine and had him and Skybreaker pull the Mini Leviathan the rest of the way. Once ashore, they tied the boat to a rock and started to look around. The beach they were on was rough and dry, covered in jagged rocks. It was also semicircle shaped, a high cliff wall surrounding every side that had a path beaten into it.
"Ow!" Springer cried as he stepped on a sharp stone, "This beach is horrible."
Heather smiled at the jakhowl's plight and bent down. "Hop on."
Springer smiled before leaping up onto her back, "thanks."
"Everyone remember to be on the look out," Grand reminded them as he gestured to the group. "They may attack at any time."
"Right," they all said as the pulled out their Celestic Gear. They grouped slightly together, their hooves slowly making their way down a path out of the beach.
As they kept walking, Grand muttered out, "That's odd. I had hoped no one would be here, but I didn't expect it to happen. That's never a good sign..."
As they continued to quietly walk side by side, Flash flew a little above the rest, his eyes glaring at the top of the cliffs. If anything happened, he would be ready. "Where are you? You've gotta be-" He stopped when he thought he saw something atop the left side cliff, but then took a double take, only to see nothing on the second take. "Huh?"
"See anything Flash?" Grand asked at his flying student.
"No. I thought I did...but it must have been a trick of the light."
"Well come down here," Grand told him, tapping the ground. "Don't want anypony to see you and attack before realizing there's more of us."
"Right," Flash called down as he took one more look at the cliff before flying down. As he did, a small figure escaped his eyes, the figure staring down at the knights walking down a path. The figure tugged at its cloak it was wearing, a small breath escaping its mouth.
"You came..." the figure whispered, only to backpedal into the shadows of the night.
Back at the group, Skybreaker had taken lead. "This way," Skybreaker said once they were at the top of the cliffs. He then began to direct them onto another path, "There's a small town where we can get food and rest up while also seeing if we can gather information." He looked back at the group with a glare, "We'll head out to the ruins tomorrow, so we'll need to be in tip top shape. Got it?"
"Right," the others replied before walking down the path in silence, all of them on guard.
As they continued to do this, Flash leaned over to his partner, "Sense anything Springer?"
Springer didn't reply, his eyes closed as he continued to focus his aura. While this happened, Skybreaker turned to duo and huffed, "Hey! No messing around! We need to be on high alert and that dog ain't gonna help. Just keep your gear out and-urk!"
The knight stopped as Ruby summoned a crystal blade to his throat, a low hiss coming from her mouth, "What did I tell you about talking down on a jakhowl?!"
Skybreaker let out a snort as he tapped the blade away with his hoof, "Its a dog and we don't need it telling the enemy our position. Have it stop doing that blue flame thing and-"
A second blade appeared around his throat, making him stop talking again as Ruby replied, "Jakhowl have the ability to sense life in all things. If Flash is having him sense what is around us, let Springer do it." She removed the blades as she leaned forward, her forehead almost touching Skybreaker's, "If trained properly, a jakhowl could tell us how many living things on this island with just a single scan of the jakhowl's aura."
"That makes no sense." Skybreaker barked back, pointing at Springer, "How can that dog-"
"Stop it Skybreaker!" Grand interrupted, slapping the side of his head before glaring at Ruby, "And you stop as well Ruby. We need to get along, got it?!" Before they could reply, Grand turned to Flash, "What does Springer sense Flash? And make it quick."
Flash was about to reply, only for Springer to open his eyes and say, "I don't sense everything here, but there's a small assortment of aura about a mile or two the way we're going. It feels like what a small village would be in terms of amount of auras."
"That'll be the town," Skybreaker instantly replied. "Anything else?"
"Nope. Not a thing."
"So we can relax?" Heather asked as she looked at her passenger.
"I think so," Springer told her, rubbing his chin in thought.
"That's fine." Grand replied before looking forward, "Still, be ready for anything."
Half an hour later, the distant sight of buildings caught their attention and as they got closer, they all saw that they were not in the best condition. As they stepped onto the main street of the town, they saw that the place was almost completely deserted. There was even a cliché gust of wind and tumbleweed.
"You were not kidding bud," Flash said as he looked around. He spotted a few ponies looking at them through their windows, only for them to hide away as soon as their eyes met. "How many ponies are actually here?"
"Far less than when we were here last time," Skybreaker grimaced.
"They're all scared," Springer added as he closed his eyes again. "I can feel fear pulsing off of them."
"Well, we are strangers," First concluded.
Ruby nodded in agreement, "Yes. Its only natural that they'd be nervous around us."
"It feels more than just that," Springer said as he opened his eyes again. "The fear is...off. Like, more than normal."
"Well whatever the problem is, we won't be sticking around long enough for them to get used to us." Grand remarked as he pointed at the end of the street. "Ah! There's our destination, the inn."
The group followed the older knight down the street, noticing more stares coming out of the nearby building windows. They soon entered the inn and as they stepped inside, the found that it looked more like a restaurant than an inn. There were many wooden tables and chairs scattered all over the place, along with a bar at the back and a flight of stairs to the right.
Skybreaker stepped up to the bar with Grand. "Great, you here?"
"Great?" Flash asked as he and the others sat at some of the tables.
"The owner. His name's Great Taste." Tidal told him. "He runs this place with his children. Sky and I met him the last time we were here."
Skybreaker and Grand continued to wait at the bar, only to notice that the door behind the door to crack open. A small single eye appeared in the crack, which soon saw Skybreaker and slowly opened the door. A brown teenage earth pony mare with striped red, white and green hair stepped out. "Skybreaker? You're back?" She asked before looking at the group, "Who are they?"
Skybreaker smiled and nodded. "Hello Pepper." He pointed to the others behind him, "don't worry about them. They're my friends."
Pepper nodded before turning back to the door. "Salt, it's alright. You can come out." Seconds later, a white earth pony colt stepped out. He looked up at them, only to let out a squeak before hiding behind his sister.
"Hello Salt," Skybreaker waved before turning back to Pepper. "Where's your father?"
Both Salt and Pepper's faces grimaced, Pepper letting out a long sigh. "We don't know."
"What do you mean?"
"He's gone," Salt spoke up. "The bad ponies took him."
"Bad ponies?" Flash piped up as he and the others stood up and walked over to them, all gathering on the bar now.
Grand leaned over the bar with worried eyes, "Don't be afraid. Please, tell us what's going on."
Pepper glanced at Skybreaker, who gave her a nod. She then took a deep breath, "It started not long after you left Skybreaker. Every other night, somepony would go missing without a trace. Sometimes it was just one pony, but other times, whole families would disappear. A few days ago, our daddy was cleaning the restaurant and we were upstairs. We then heard a commotion and I rushed down here, only to find the place a mess and daddy gone."
"It was the bad ponies," Salt said again. "I saw them out my window." Tears began to fill his eyes as he gripped his sister's forehooves. "They were wearing funny clothes and dragging daddy away." His tears burst out into full blown sobs, causing Pepper to pull him into a hug despite her own tears threatening to break free.
"Oh, you poor things." Heather said as she rushed over and hugged the duo.
"Funny clothes?" Tidal asked before turning to Skybreaker. "It must have been those guys we fought before."
Skybreaker nodded in agreement. "But why would they take random ponies?"
"We'll just have to go there and find out," Ruby added.
"No!" Pepper suddenly barked out, making them all turn to her. "Ponies have gone there before, but they haven't come back."
Iron smirked at this. "Well, we're no ordinary ponies kid."
"We're Royal Knights," Heather finished as she pulled out of the hug. One by one, the ponies all held up their Celestic Gear, or just struck a cool pose in Springer and Ruby's case.
"No matter what, we always get the job done," Grand assured her.
The two young ponies looked at them in awe and wonder. "So you'll help us, even though you don't really know us?"
"Of course we will," Flash said as he stepped up to them. "Helping ponies, especially those we don't know, is a knight's duty. Say the word, and we'll help bring back your dad."
Both Salt and Pepper began to tear up at that before nodding. "Then please....please bring our daddy and everypony else home!"
"We will," Flash replied as he placed a hoof to his heart. "I promise you I'll help bring them back and I never break a promise, that's my Knight's Vow." He shined a goofy yet reassuring grin at the two, causing them both to smile back, tears still going down their face as Heather hugged them again. The others all smirked at Flash's antics. Even Skybreaker could not help but register Flash's good heart, which would serve him well.
"Alright," Pepper said as she wiped the tears from her eyes. "But if you're gonna save our dad, you're gonna need something good to eat." She turned and headed back towards the door. "Let me make you dad's famous dish."
"Nice," Springer cheered, licking his lips at the thought of the food.
Salt finally noticed him and smiled. "Doggy!" He rushed over to Springer and started petting and tickling him.
"Hey! Stop that!" Springer growled, the others all laughing at his plight.
Meanwhile....
Just outside of the town and atop a large hill, three figures stood. The trio were glaring at the town, all shining big grins as they looked at their destination.
The first was a black pegasi like pony, only its wings looked as if they were made of leather. He was wearing purple armour around his entire body, even over his wings, leaving only his face and a blood red tail visible. From out of his mouth, grew two long pointed fangs.
The second was a changeling. She looked like a younger version of Chrysalis, her height halfway between her and a drone. The only difference between her and Chrysalis was that instead of green eyes and blue hair, these were both bright red.
The final figure was a grey minotaur with black metal cuffs around his wrists and neck, linked together by long black chains. A large X shaped burn mark could be seen on his chest as his smile increased at the sight of the town.
And as they stared, the bat pony broke their silence. "Pitiful ponies. No idea how much danger they've put themselves and those around them in."
The changeling giggled at this statement. "Agreed. Tonight they'll find out what a mistake it was to ever put others before themselves. That and actually coming here of course."
The minotaur simply nodded before turning around to the other side of the hill. "ATTACK!"
Back in the inn, the Knights were all enjoying the delicious soup Salt and Pepper had served them. Flash in particular was moaning in delight as he finished his meal. "This is great. What's in this."
"They're just basic vegetables," Pepper replied while cleaning one of her cooking utensils. "The trick is to add the different ingredients at the right time."
"Well it's delicious," Heather added. "The mushrooms and onions are done perfectly."
"Thank you."
"You should totally take this stuff to Equestria." Tidal then said, "My crew would love this. Heck, I might even endorse you."
Pepper laughed at this. "Dad always hoped we'd get to go somewhere better than here, but never knew where. Is this Equestria really such a great place?"
"It's the best," Springer replied, nodding. "We all like it."
Pepper once again smiled, but before she could say anything else-
BOOM!
The entire building shook, knocking everypony off their seats. Luckily, their battle instincts took over and they all righted themselves instantly before pulling out their weapons.
"What was that?!" First yelped.
Grand frowned, knowing exactly what it was. "They're here."
With that, he rushed outside, the others soon following. And as they got outside, their eyes went wide. There, they saw hundreds of the cloaked figures Tidal and Skybreaker had fought before, all running rampant around the village. Some were wielding weapons like swords and axes, using them to smash anything that was within reach. Others were simply chasing after the towns ponies, attacking them or putting them in nets.
The knights were all horrified by this, with Iron turning to Springer. "How did you not notice this many ponies appearing?!"
"Iron's right dog!" Skybreaker added as he glared at Springer, "You're useless!"
Springer wanted to reply, only to close his eyes. As he did, he found he couldn't sense anypony, "I don't..."
Ruby quickly clapped her hooves, getting their attention. "Don't get mad at Springer. What's done is done. We need to help these ponies."
"Spread out!" Grand ordered. "Do what you must but try not to hurt them until we know what we're dealing with."
"RIGHT!" They all yelled before rushing into the horde of cloaks. Soon, they were spread all over the small village. Iron, Ruby, and Tidal used their weapons simply to block the attacks of their opponents, while Flash and Skybreaker flew up out of the attacks range before they all hit them with punches and kicks. First and Heather started working to help the citizen of the town escape, with Heather capturing the chasing cloaks with her Flower Chain while First used his Crossbolt to heal the injured or increase their speed to get away.
And Grand was simply swinging his weapon around, though only at half strength, knocking the cloaks back. The only problem was that no matter how hard the Knights hit them, the cloaked figures simply kept getting up.
"What is with these things?!" Flash asked. "No matter what we do, they won't stay down!"
"Just keep fighting!" Skybreaker yelled as he swung Cloudhacker around, blocking an incoming sword strike before slamming the hilt into the owner's head. "We'll beat them eventually!"
Springer was not so sure. As he used some paw to paw combat skills to knock another one down, only for it to pick itself up again, he could not help focusing on how he couldn't sense any aura from them. But as he continued to focus, his aura slowly started to feel something, but he knew it wasn't life. It felt more akin to magic.
As he dodged an axe swing with a back flip, his ears suddenly picked up on a strange kicking sound. It was coming from the cloak, every single time he moved a part of himself. The only time he had heard something like that before, was when he was in Rarity's shop. "Wait....could that be it?" He frowned as he raised a paw. "If that's the case...I hope I'm right about this. Steel Paw!" The razor sharp light appeared around his paw and he shot forwards, aiming his attack at the cloak's neck.
Flash saw this and his eyes went wide. "Springer, what are you-" He didn't get to finish, as in that moment, Springer's slash went straight through its neck. Everypony gasped as they watched Springer land behind the cloak, only for the cloak's head roll out of its hood, only for the body to remain upright. Before anyone could yell at the jakhowl, he reached down and grabbed the head, noticing it had a black mask covering it. He then ripped the mask off, quickly turning and showing the head to the others. "Thought so."
Everypony saw that the head actually belonged to a mannequin.
"A dummy?" Flash gasped.
"So they're not real?" Heather added.
"I couldn't sense any life, but I did feel a tiny bit of magic aura." Springer replied as he then crushed the head in his paw.
"I see. No wonder you couldn't sense them. If that's a case..." Ruby said as her horn glowed, only for a magic aura to cover all the opponents around them. A second later, a mad rush of masks were all yanked off, revealing them all to the mannequins. "Somepony's controlling these things from afar."
"But who?" First asked.
"Who cares?!" Iron said with a massive grin on his face. "Since they're not real, we don't have to hold back."
The rest of the knights all caught on and smiled as Skybreaker spoke up, "Everyone, I want these things in a hundred pieces minimum."
"RIGHT!"
"Flash Cutter Barrage!" Flash cried as he unleashing a torrent of energy blades, slicing through the cloaks like a knife through butter.
"Iron Lance Fury!" Iron unleashed a volley of metal projectiles, all of them impaling the mannequins into the ground, preventing them from moving. "Iron Saber!" He then rushed forwards and sliced all the impaled dummies, leaving nothing but shreds in his wake.
"Bloom Coil!" Heather yelled as her Flower Chain spun around a whole bunch of them while First stood behind her and pointed his Crossbolt at her.
"Viribus Aid!" He fired a red arrow that struck her, bathing Heather in its aura and increasing her strength. With one massive cry, she spun around and tossed the cloaks into the air, only for them all to fall down in pieces.
"Dual Crystal Saber!" Ruby rushed towards a group of them as a pair of crystal swords appeared on either side of her, both spinning like sawblades. The resulting assault tore them apart, only for her to come skidding stop after she ran through one group. She then pointed her horn to another bunch, "Crystal Force!" She fired the gem laced tornado at them, ripping the remains into even smaller pieces.
"Tidal Whip!" Tidal yelled as he spun his trident around, unleashing a stream of water from the end, which whipped around and knocked the mannequins down. He then stuck his weapon into the ground. "Tidal Surge!" From out of the ground, a ring of water shot out and transformed into a tidal-wave that struck all the enemies, knocking them into the nearby buildings.
Flash saw this and whistled. "Nice moves. What's that Celestic Gear called?"
Tidal smiled up at the Pegasus, chuckling. "Wavefang. Pretty cool, huh amigo?"
Flash nodded at that before noticing Skybreaker flying towards the ground. "Sky Cutter Barrage!" He roared as he swung Cloudhacker around and unleashed several blades of razor sharp air, all of them striking the dummies. He then turned to another bunch of dummies and flew forward, soon spinning in the air, only for a shard stream of air to surround him and make him look like a wheel. "Sky Grinder!" The wheel flew at the dummies and knocked them down like bowling pins. And as the attack finished, Skybreaker leapt back into the air at a safe distance away.
Flash went wide eyed at the sight. "Whoa...his moves are just like mine!"
"Flash!" He turned to see Springer fighting off the dummies, all of them surrounding him while he was wielding two Bone Breakers. "Can you give me a lift?"
"No prob bud!" Flash rushed down as Springer leapt up, Flash managing to catch him.
"Thanks," Springer replied before turning back to the dummies, firing an Aura Blast that blew the group away.
"Nice shot bud," Flash told him as they landed on a nearby roof.
"Thanks," Springer replied, only to suddenly fall over, his paw clutching his stomach in pain. As it did, a strange blue light started to radiate off his body.
"Springer? You okay?"
The jakhowl did not reply, to occupied with the strange cramping that suddenly appeared all around his body. But as quick as it started, it stopped along with the light fading. "Huh? What was that?"
"I don't know," Flash said as he leaned down to Springer's height. "But we'll have to worry about it later."
"Why?" Springer asked as he looked down at the street. "It looks like we're almost done."
He was right, there was only one group of cloaks left and Grand was facing them. The earth pony knight stared down the group as it charged towards him, the lot all carrying weapons. The knight then raised his weapon above his head before yelling, "GRAND FISSURE!" He swung the hammer down, the ground trembling as a hole soon appeared under the cloaks. As they fell into the hole, Grand hit the ground again, only for the hole's wall to slam the group from all sides, crushing them in one mighty sweep. Grand then pulled his Celestic Gear out of the ground before turning to the rest of his team, who were all beginning to gather around him. "Is that all of them?"
"I didn't see anymore while I was in the air," Flash replied.
"Neither did I," Skybreaker added.
"We can't relax yet," Ruby said as she inspected the remains of one of the dummies she had destroyed. "Somepony sent these things to get us."
"Well they obviously didn't send enough," Iron chuckled with a smirk. "Heck, they needed to send ten times as many to beat us."
"I do not think these creations were meant to defeat us," First replied as he lifted a lifeless head of one of the head. "It is more likely that they were meant to test us."
"So we just showed the enemy what we can do?" Skybreaker asked, blinking.
Nopony said anything after this, trying to take in the new information. Springer was also thinking about it, until his aura suddenly flared up, causing him to turn and see something that made his eyes go wide. He then yelled, "EVERYPONY SCATTER!"
The Knight's instincts took over and they all leapt away from where they were standing, seconds before a massive boulder rolled right by them. The following rock went straight through a nearby already broken building, turning it into a dust cloud.
"What the heck?!" Heather yelped.
"Who threw that?!" Tidal yelled next.
"Him!" Springer screamed as he pointed in the direction the boulder had come through.
There, the group's eyes went wide as they saw three figures appear on a nearby hill. The trio, consisting of a bat pony, changeling and minotaur hopped off the hill. All of them strided slowly to the knights, all of them having a smirk on their faces. Seeing this, the knights all grouped up as Grand yelled, "Who are you?!"
The trio stopped and their smiles grew, the changeling speaking up first, "Sorry to interrupt, but our master sent us to welcome you all here."
The knights tensed up and the sound of the word 'master', Flash soon remarking, "If this is how you welcome ponies, I'd hate to see how you turn them away."
"Identify yourselves," Skybreaker growled next, pointing his weapon at the three.
"Very well," the bat pony said, giving a quick yet mocking bow. "I am Toxic Fang, Doom Raizer's aerial combat specialist."
"I am Hiveena," the changeling continued. They could tell she was trying to look as elegant as possible. "Doom Raizer's infiltration specialist."
"And I am Grimhorn," the minotaur finished. Suddenly, the chains coming off his wrist cuffs magically extended into a pair of long whips. He swung them around. "Doom Raizer's ground combat specialist."
"You all work for Doom?!"
"We do," Hiveena said as she waved her hooves around, soon assuming a pose.
"Alone we are powerful," Toxic added as he assumed a pose similar to Hiveena's.
"But together..." Grimhorn added before they all spoke in unison.
"WE ARE THE UNBEATABLE DOOM QUARTET!"
The knights all shared a confused glance before looking back at them as Flash spoke up, "Uhhh...no offense, but there's only three of you."
The three all let out a long laugh. "Yes, there is. It kinda messes up our poses."
"So they must have a fourth comrade, waiting in the wings," Heather grumbled as she looked back at her comrades.
Grand stepped up to them. "If you're here, I'm guessing Doom has sent you for a reason."
"He has. You see, he sent us to deliver a message," Grimhorn explained before pointing at the group. "Leave this place, and Doom Raizer will let you all keep your lives. Remain here, and become nothing but corpses."
Everypony felt a little intimidated by that statement, all except Grand as he continued to step forward, "Well you can go back to him and take my message. The Royal Knights do not give into threats. You will release the ponies you've captured and come quietly, or we will be forced to subject you to justice the hard way."
The Doom Quartet all frowned at this, obviously not intending to deliver that message.
"Very well. Then you leave me with no choice but to step over you." Grand replied as he tossed his hammer into the air, causing it to spin before dropping to the earth, landing with a thud in front of the earth pony. Grand then pointed at the three of them. "Now...count up your sins."
Flash raised an eyebrow at this before turning to Skybreaker. "What's he doing?"
Skybreaker just smirked. "You obviously haven't fought by his side before, have you?"
Flash frowned, not getting what he was saying.
"It is Grand's catchphrase," First said.
"He has a catchphrase? What is he, a foal?" Ruby asked, letting out a small sigh, "I can't believe the knights are in this shape right now..."
"It's really more of a warning," Heather added as she tapped Ruby's shoulder. "He says it whenever he faces an opponent. He's warning them to count up their sins, because they're gonna need to explain them when they get to the other side."
"Coooool." Springer gasped, only to feel a whap from Ruby's tail.
"Its not cool Springer." Ruby grumbled, "Don't let something like that woo a jakhowl like you."
"You don't scare us!" Grimhorn yelled at Grand, getting everyone's attention.
"I should," Grand replied before rushing forwards, hammer now in Grand's mouth. The two charged at each other, Grimhorn soon grabbing Grand Slammer at the two ends while Grand held the middle in his mouth, as the two pushed at one another.
"Tch, you're pathetic." Grimhorn growled as he slowly pushed Grand back. "I'm gonna blast you off this island!"
"Fat chance. I will-" Grand replied, raising his hoof to knock Grimhorn back, only for his eyes to go wide. Just in the distance, there was his son, Doom Raizer standing the distance. The unicorn had a long black cloak on, covering everything but his head. However, the unicorn was staring straight at his father, a look of pure disgust on his face. Seeing this, Grand let out a low whisper, "Doom?"
"Hey! Stop ignoring me, you piece of garbage!" Grimhorn yelled in Grand's ear, instantly pulling Grand back into the fray. The minotaur then lifted his arm to strike the pony, only for Grand's hoof to block it in an instant. "What?!"
"Shut up." Grand hissed while doing a quick glance at where Doom was, only to see he was no longer there. Seeing this, Grand turned back to Grimhorn, pushing him back again as the two turned back into a standstill.
As the two became deadlocked, Hiveena and Toxic appeared on either side of him and rushed forwards. But as they tried to strike, they suddenly found new opponents between them. Toxic was now facing Iron, Ruby and Springer, while Hiveena was facing Heather, First and Tidal.
Flash and Skybreaker leapt into the air above Grand, the two swinging their weapons down towards the minotaur. As they did this, Grimhorn let go of the the hammer and leapt back, causing the two to miss. Seeing this, Grand shot forward, his hammer swinging in full motion now. "So annoying!" Grimhorn yelled as he held up his arms, only for a pair of black metal chains to shoot out. He then started swinging them around, causing the three to begin dodging
Toxic leapt into the air and held up his front hooves, metal claws shooting out of his armour. His claws quickly shred the air, ready to strike Springer, only for Iron's Iron Guard to block the slice. Seeing this, Springer and Ruby leapt up over the shield.
"Ruby Shot!"
"Aura Blast!"
The bat pony's wings flared open, blasting him back while dodging the attacks. Seeing this, Iron switched Piecemaker to a sword, charging forward as he swung at the ascending opponent. But as he swiped at him, Toxic dodged the blow at hair's length, only to see Springer and Ruby jumping again, Crystal Sword and Bone Breaker following.
At the same time, Tidal, Heather and First were all out attacking Hiveena, First firing Aid Bolts to keep her on the defensive while the two got closer. "Bloom Lash!" Heather swung her whip, almost hitting her in the hooves if not for her leaping back.
"Tidal Force!" Tidal unleashed a stream of water at the changeling that actually hit her. "Bonito," he cheered before the stream suddenly cut into two. A bright light could be seen coming out of the water. "What?!" He yelped before hopping back from the attack, only for a small dust cloud to appear where Hiveena was.
"What's going on?" Heather asked. The answer came when they saw the dust clear and found Flash standing there, a shining Lightbringer in his hooves. "Flash?"
Hearing his name, Flash turned towards their fight and saw himself. "What the-" Flash tried to say, only for Grimhorn's chains to suddenly wrap around his neck, "Uh-oh..." he squeaked, only to feel the dirt a second later.
"Flash!" Grand yelled.
"Dang it!" Skybreaker growled.
"Here!" Grimhorn laughed as he swung Flash in a circle before throwing him at Grand, "CATCH!" The chain released and sent Flash flying at his mentor, the earth pony rolling the dirt as he tried to soften Flash's landing.
"Grand!" Skybreaker yelled, only feel a hand grab his artificial wing. The next thing he knew, he was being lifted into the air, only to feel pain from his fake limb.
"Time to pluck this birdy!" Grimhorn joked as his hand slammed the fake wing into the ground, causing the metal to be bent and flattened beyond repair. A loud cry could be heard as the damage detectors in the wing worked just like pain receptors, making Skybreaker wretch in pain. As it did, Grimhorn just continued to laugh, only to kick the knight away like a ragdoll.
Seeing his mentor be taken down, Iron gasped. "Sky!"
As he turned to run after his mentor, Toxic quickly leapt in front of Iron, "SURPRISE!"
Iron braced himself as Toxic shined his fangs, showing they were primed to bite him. But as Toxic lunged forward, Iron suddenly felt himself being pushed.
"AAAAHHHHH!" Ruby's voice cried out, causing Iron to spin around and see that she pushed him aside before being bitten in the back of the neck. Toxic released Ruby and flew back, her body slumping down as the bite marks started turning purple.
"Poison..." Iron gasped.
Toxic laughed as he wiped his mouth. "Well that was tasty. I wouldn't bother saving her, she'll be dead by sunrise."
Tidal, Heather and First saw the rest of the team taken down and abandoned their fight, rushing over to them with worry as First got to Ruby first.
"That looks bad," the Flash copy said as he and Toxic moved over to Grimhorn. Red fire then surrounded him before fading to reveal Hiveena, a smirk on her face. "So so bad."
While they did this, Flash clenched his hoof around Lightbringer, soon charging straight at the three. "RRRAAAAUUGGGGHHHH!" He roared as he aimed the sword at Grimhorn. The minotaur just turned at him, only to simply smash his hands together, creating a massive shockwave that knocked Flash out of the sky instantly. It didn't stop there though, as the shockwave quickly hit the ground, knocking them all down.
A chorus moans followed this as the trio laughed at the sight, Toxic then speaking up, "I think that's enough."
"Agreed," Hiveena said with a nod.
Grimhorn stuck his tongue out at the knights. "You've been warned. Don't interfere or yer dead."
With that, the three of them turned and walked away. As they did this, Flash tried to pick himself up and give chase, only for his legs to give out. "Darn it..."