In the city of Omniara, its civilians were still reeling from the previous explosion. Even on the edge of the city, the prisoner ponies were all poking out of the cover or buildings they had hid in from the incoming dust cloud. As they did this, they looked around for the ponies that had saved them along with the ones not able to find adequate cover, only to find that they were nowhere to be seen.
What could be seen however, were strange metal tent like constructs. They were spotted all around the area, confusing the ponies. But before they could question it, the metal structures began to unravel themselves, all of them returning into the earth. As they did this, it revealed the remaining ponies, including the knights Iron, Skybreaker and Tidal. It was here that Iron pulled his Celestic Gear out of the ground before collapsing, heavy pants expelling out of his mouth, "Did...did I get them all?"
Skybreaker looked around for a bit, only to pat his apprentice on the shoulder. "Yeah, you got 'em all. Good work kid."
"You did great amigo," Tidal added along with another pat. He then turned back to where the dust cloud had originated, remembering the giant sphere of energy they had seen explode. "I wonder what that thing was?"
"I don't know, and I'm pretty sure I don't want to find out." Skybreaker replied as he crossed his hooves. "Hopefully, whoever got hit by it was an enemy and not an ally."
Tidal nodded at this. "Agreed. Now, let's get these ponies out of here."
Iron and Skybreaker nodded back as they once again began their trek to the edge of the crater. As they did this, the knights could not help wondering about the fate of their comrades.
Back at the battleground, Ruby and Heather were looking Hiveena over. The changeling had taken the full force of her own super attack and fell to the ground like a rock. Yet somehow, and to the two knights surprise, the changeling was still in one piece. Her body was burnt all over, showing the magic had overloaded every bit of her, and even her legs couldn't even twitch due to her condition.
"Is she gonna be alright?" Heather asked as she poked the bug with her hoof. "I mean, I know she's an enemy, but..."
Ruby was a bit more dismissive, just letting out a snort from her nostrils. "Yeah, she looks fine. And I suspect she won't wake up for quite a while."
Heather breathed a sigh of relief before turning to Ruby, "What the heck just happened? Why'd she drop that thing on her own head?"
Ruby tapped the side of her head in thought before replying, "Want my best guess? She probably went past her magic limit." She blinked at Heather, only to see a look of confusion, which meant she needed to further explain to the earth pony, "All magic-horned users have an internal magical pool. Its where they store their raw magical power, which is then shaped into whatever magic they're able to use." She looked down at Hiveena and shook her head. "After all the changes she's done and the final attack she was about to unleash, her magic pool probably ran dry and she couldn't levitate it and herself. Without it, well...gravity kicked in and the much heavier object fell faster."
"Ouch," Heather winced as she looked back at Hiveena, a big frown on her face. "You know...I do feel kind of bad for her. I mean, it was obvious she was probably just rejected from her kind considering what she was saying during the fight, but...not to be mean, but I'm glad it was her and not us with that last attack of hers."
"Agreed," Ruby nodded as she tapped her necklace. A few moments later, the changeling was now sealed in a layer of crystal magic before the knight continued to talk, "There. If she wakes up, she won't be able to move thanks to my crystal magic. Now, we'd better go find the others."
"Yeah. Though with Flash's luck, something's probably after him. I hope First and Springer found him first."
Ruby giggled at this. "If Flash's connection to Springer is as strong as they say it is, they'll have found him by now. Jakhowls are incredibly loyal, more than willing to put their lives on the line for their partners."
Meanwhile...
A little further into the city, which was now buried in four or five feet of dust, was one big pile of dirt and sand. It was here that a small blue paw popped out, along with the blue and black head of Springer the jakhowl.
"Eww," he moaned as he stuck his tongue out. "Its in my mouth." He quickly managed to yank one of his arms out before digging the rest of himself free. He then stared around, now seeing that most of the buildings looked like their first floors had been completely buried, along with all the cloaks Springer had previously been fighting. "That's good, no more lifeless puppets to fight. Now I can go find Flash."
But as he said this, a certain cloak just a bit away now tore and ripped, the cloth torn to pieces. It was here that it revealed a mannequin body, complete with an axe as it slowly shifted back and forth towards Springer. With no aura to sense it, Springer just stood there, unaware of the puppet behind him.
That is, till the puppet stepped onto a soft rock, shattering it and-
"Huh?" Springer yelped as he turned around, only to see an axe being raised into the air. "WHOA!" The jakhowl leapt back, barely missing the axe. After this, Springer summoned a Bone Breaker, soon pointing it at the puppet, "One of you left huh? Not for long!"
However, Springer's cocky reply wasn't exactly the best thing to say. As Springer swung his aura weapon, the cloak did a slick downward swipe, splitting the bone in half. Seeing this, Springer smirked as he morphed the broken staff into a pair of Bone Breakers, quickly doing a double slash at the enemy before him. The resulting attack knocked the axe away, the aura weapons soon thwacking the puppet's head.
"And to finish it....Aura Blast!" Springer yelled as he shot the energy sphere into the cloak, instantly turning it into ash. Springer leapt back from the explosion he had made, only to cry out as pain clutched his stomach. "Augh! Not again!" He yelled as a blue aura surrounded his body, this time being even brighter. However, the jakhowl didn't notice this due to the pain, and just fell to his knees before the aura stopped. "Ugh....what was that? Why does that keep happening?"
He soon recovered, picking himself up as he tried to use his aura to locate Flash and the others. "Hmmm...okay. So Flash and First are over there..." he said to himself as he started to spin around, glancing at all the life, "Ruby and Heather are just a bit aways from them...Iron, Skybreaker and Tidal are with a whole bunch of auras I don't recognize. I guess they're the prisoners." He then let out a long sigh, soon turning back to Flash's direction, "Okay, guess I should get to Flash and...hmm?"
Springer's ears flared up as he turned around, his aura now spiking as he saw another aura. "Grand? Why is he way over there? And...his aura is really low." Springer took another glance at the direction Flash was, only to look back at Grand's location. "Its getting weaker, and there's no one who can get to him."
Feeling this, Springer clenched his paws, rushing towards the earth pony in the distance as he said, "I'm coming Grand."
Back in the castle...
Doom was now watching his puppets continue to unearth the tomb, a slight yawn coming out of his mouth, "Not long now...but is it too long?" He then turned towards the viewing globe, which was constantly changing to show the progress of the groups. He also saw that the group freeing the prisoners were almost at the edge of the city, which made him wince, "Ugh...they freed them faster than I thought. I need to slow them down."
The viewing globe changed to show the image of Grimhorn, "What do you need master?"
"Focus on the group freeing the prisoners. If you can, kill them all."
Grimhorn smiled and nodded. "With pleasure."
With that, Doom looked back at the tomb, only to let out another sigh. "This isn't good. Once the tomb's completely unearthed, I still have to break its magical seal." Doom looked back at the viewing globe, switching it to another individual, "Well what do you know? He was right...and he's on the move as well. That's good. After all, as long as the knights remain occupied, victory will be mine." Doom then let out a low chuckle, "Though knowing him, he'll go a bit above and beyond."
Just a few minutes ago...
A certain individual was now sitting on top of one of the city's ruined towers, a big juicy red apple about to be bitten into by the figure. He was also using a pair of binoculars, commenting as he looked the city over.
"Looks like old bug butt lost. Tch, I told Doom that she wasn't up for the job. That and the...what was that pony again? A bird-bat thing? Eh, its not like that one matters anymore anyways." He then chomped down on the apple, the sounds of munching filling the air, "Now let's see here...the horn-head moron is about to take on the idiots who are freeing the prisoners and the two that beat the bug are meeting up with the others. If that's the case..."
His small monologue was interrupted by the sound of cloak landing behind him, causing him to turn and smile at the tool. "Ah, you're here. I'm glad Doom taught me how to use you guys." He took another bite of the apple, "So, you get what I wanted?"
The puppet did an almost invisible nod as it gave the figure several red spheres, making him smile at the sight, "Ah, you did. Good job." He then turned around and saw another sight, "And what do you know, the mutt is headed over here. Guess he'll be my first target with this new weapon of Doom's."
He glanced back at the cloak, "Hey, I know you can't talk, but how much you wanna bet I have to do all the work here?" As on cue, he got no response from the puppet. "Yup, I figured as much." He then took that last bite into the apple, "Guess I'll have to beat all the knights myself."
Back in the city and inside one of the abandoned buildings, the front door opened to reveal one First Aid. The unicorn doctor coughed heavily as he stared at the scene before him. "My word, it feels like I breathed in half the desert." He looked back inside the building and saw his patient, still unconscious but out of danger. The only thing different about him was the face mask over his mouth and nose, which First had placed on him to stop him from suffocating. "At least Flash is alright."
"First!" He turned to see the two mares of his team, Heather reaching him first and pulling him into a hug. "Are you okay?"
"I am unharmed," First replied as he hugged back.
"What about Flash?" Ruby asked, only for First to reply with a pointing gesture to the pegasi.
"He is fine. A little rest and he will be back to his old self."
"That's good," Ruby replied as she looked the orange defender over, "Were you able to get the poison out in time?"
Ruby then turned to First, only to see a frown and a huff from the doctor, "That is the thing, I did not need to heal the poison. It was already mostly cured, to the level that Flash was out of danger."
The mares went wide-eyed at this, Heather asking, "How?"
"I do not know. What is more, when I arrived here, I found a bunch of destroyed cloaks. It looked like they had been melted by something, but Flash did not have his Celestic Gear in hoof."
This two just blinked at this as Heather replied, "So who saved him? He's the only one of us whose magic could possibly melt these things."
First simply shrugged. "Again, I do not know."
"We'll have to ask him when he awakens," Ruby added.
"Ask me what?" The three spun around to see Flash with a slightly tired expression on his face.
"Flash!" Heather rushed over to him, immediately patting his chest as she tired to make him lay down. "Stop, don't get up. You should be resting."
"I'm fine, don't worry about it." Flash assured her, pushing her hoof away. "Whatever First did to me, it made me feel one hundred percent again."
First gave him a skeptical look, "All I did was basic first aid. You somehow managed to cure the poison yourself."
Flash raised an eyebrow at this as Ruby stepped in front of First, "Any idea on what could have done this Flash?"
Flash just shrugged. "Probably the same thing that makes me immune to Poison Joke, Discord's weird chaos magic and Chrysalis's mind control. I've learned not to question these things." He looked at his comrades and saw they all had a look on their face that said, 'you really need to start questioning these things', causing him to shake his head, "Look, I'll decide to worry about my mysterious powers when we're not in the middle of a war zone. Can we move on?" They all shared a glance, only to give him a nod a second later, "Good. So...what's the plan now?"
"Iron, Tidal and Skybreaker should almost be at the edge of the city," Ruby replied as she looked back at the city. "Once the prisoners are there, the three of them will be able to come back and help us."
"Plus, we also need to find Grand and Springer," Heather replied before turning to First. "Where is Springer anyway?"
"We ran into some cloaks on the way here," the unicorn replied. "He stayed behind to deal with them."
"But that shouldn't have taken too long, He should have gotten here before us."
The very statement made Flash's stomach twist as he spoke up, "I don't like this. We need to find him, fast."
"Hold on Grand, I'm almost there." Springer yelled as he ran down another street. "Come on...I'm almost there-" The jakhowl almost came to a skidding halt as he now saw the earth pony laying on the ground, completely still as blood dropped from the wounds covering his body. "GRAND!"
Springer quickly rushed up to him, leaning down as he rolled Grand over, "Grand, are you okay? Speak to me!" The jakhowl then put his ear to Grand's chest, soon breathing a sigh of relief when he heard the sound of a heart beat. But as he listened, he didn't notice that Grand's hoof lifted up.
POW!
"Augh!" Springer cried as he was struck in the back of the head, instantly knocking him into a nearby wall. "Blargh!" He moaned as he hit the pile of bricks, making him pop off the wall as he felt the pain smear itself over his face. "Oww...that hurt."
The jakhowl then shook his head rapidly, turning back to the knight with a glare, "Grand! What the heck?! What is wrong with you?!" It was here that he saw Grand lift his Celestia Gear, making Springer gulp, "Uh-oh..."
Meanwhile again...
Back at the edge of the city, Skybreaker, Tidal and Iron were still directing the prisoners, Iron in front of the group as he turned at the other knights, "Alright, I can see the edge of the crater. We're almost there."
"Good," Skybreaker replied as he looked over the former slaves, "We need to get all of them out of here now."
"Si," Tidal added as the rest of the prisoners all began to cheer happily, knowing that freedom was within there grasp. But then-
CRASH!
The knights skidded to a halt and spun around, just in time to see one of the nearby towers suddenly begin to fall towards them. The prisoners all began to scream, the tower's shadow quickly covering them all.
But as it fell, a certain pony rushed in front of the crowd, the pony being Skybreaker with Cloudhacker in hoof. "Sky...FORCE!" A magic tornado flew out of his weapon, blasting the tower into dust. Seeing this, Iron and Tidal quickly hopped in front of the group of prisoners, both weapons unsheathed as they looked at the base of the tower. There, they saw it had been cut in half, making them all glare at the culprit as the dust began to fade.
"Grimhorn," Skybreaker growled as he saw the minotaur stand, steam pouring out of the bull's nostrils.
Grimhorn was wearing a growing frown, pointing at the prisoners, "Those slaves are property of master Doom. What right do you have to take them?"
The knights all raised their weapons. "How about the right of pony decency? They're not objects to be used."
"They deserve freedom," Iron added.
Grimhorn just blinked at them, his brain barely moving as he tilted his head at the knights, "Why would you care about that? In this world, the weak bow to the strong. That is the law of nature." He pointed to the prisoners. "They are weak, and I am strong, That makes them mine to command, along with master Doom."
The knights all gave each other a glance, not liking the sound of this. Skybreaker then looked back at the minotaur, "If the weak obey the strong, then why do you work for Doom? Aren't you physically stronger than him?"
Grimhorn just laughed at this. "Ponies don't know anything, do you? I used to think that, but then Doom showed me how weak I truly was." He pointed to the burn mark on his chest. "This mark is a reminder of how weak I am compared to him."
"Doom gave you that scar?" Tidal asked with slightly widened eyes.
"Yes, and ever since, I have served him. Like I said, you must obey those stronger than you and there is nopony stronger than master Doom."
"Boy do we have some ponies to introduce to you," Iron replied with a snarky smile.
However, his bravado wasn't going to last long as Skybreaker whispered to his student, "Iron, Tidal and I will distract him. You need to get the prisoners to safety."
"What?!" Iron hissed as he glared at his teacher, "but I can help you here! Heck, I'm itching for a fight!"
Tidal then nudged the defender, "You need to help us by helping them. We can't fight properly if we have to worry about civilians. Once they're out of the crater, get back here to help us finish him off."
Iron opened his mouth to reply, only for his brain to instantly get what Tidal was saying. A sigh followed as he replied, "Grrr...fine." he turned back to the prisoners, gesturing at the group. "Come on you lot, let's get out of here." The prisoners all nodded and began to follow.
"Hey! Get back here!" Grimhorn yelled as he tried to run after the prisoners. But as he did this, the other knights appeared in front of him.
"Sky/Tidal Force!" The attacks struck the minotaur, sending him into another building. Seeing this, Tidal nudged Skybreaker, "Nice shot."
"Same," Skybreaker said with a nod, only for the two to see the building in the distance explode.
They then saw the bull lift itself out of the rubble, dusting itself with a smile on his face. "I think a fly just landed on me."
"Oh," Skybreaker started.
"Geez," Tidal finished.
Grimhorn held up his chains, the two extending until they were several feet long. He then began to spin them both around, the ends hitting the ground hard enough to make small trenches in the dirt. "This is gonna be fun."
Meanwhile...
Doom was still in the castle, his eyes staring at the battle in his globe.
"Grimhorn, my first and most loyal of servants." he spoke out to nopony in particular, "Are you capable of defeating these ponies? You've certainly come a long way from the meathead I met so long ago..."
The Past...
Doom was walking through a desert area, the night air blowing his cape about. He was still on his hunt for the pieces of the Omni-Sphere, which had led him here. While doing so, he had heard rumors of a monster terrorizing a local earth pony community, and was intrigued at the prospect of the creature. The pony was looking for helpers, and he knew if he could tame the beast, it could become a valuable weapon in the future.
And now, he was here. The monster was rumored to be living around a large rock structure in the desert, which Doom had finished climbing up. There, he was the beast in the distance. It was a minotaur, one that was stuffing his face with meat as drool splattered everywhere. The bull then heard Doom's hoofsteps, causing him to turn and stand up to full height over Doom. And as he towered over the pony, the metal chains around his body clanged into each other.
"You shoulda not come here," the minotaur hissed.
Doom smirked at his broken Equestrian. "And why shouldn't I have come here?"
"Because you not ever go back," the minotaur replied as he cracked his knuckles.
"Excuse me for not being as scared as I should be," Doom said as his grin widened. "I'd heard rumors of your exploits. You've been causing quite a bit of trouble for the ponies around this area."
"Why I care about weak ponies? Grimhorn stronger than all ponies. Makes them fear Grimhorn. Makes them chain him like animal. But Grimhorn too strong to be chained."
"Except you can't get those chains off. Obviously, they have quite the magical lock, something you minotaurs can't do." Doom motioned to the chains around his body. "I can help with that."
This statement didn't go well with the bull, as he then roared and charged at Doom, "Me not need weak ponies help!" Doom smirked as his horn glowed as Grimhorn tried to punch the unicorn. But as he did, the minotaur then saw his fist had come to a halt just inches away from Doom's face. "What the-"
"Oh? Having trouble?" Doom chuckled as his horn flared. Before Grimhorn could do anything, both of his fists were incased in magic, only for him to start punching himself up in a flurry of blows. Doom just laughed at the sight as he motioned his hooves, "You call this pony weak? Maybe you need a...how you say, better example?" Grimhorn's arms then raised like Doom's hooves, revealing his chest as the unicorn's horn glowed brighter. "Here we go. How about this?"
It was here that a beam of light shot into the bull's chest, Grimhorn screaming in pain as his flesh burned from the laser. It lasted for several minutes, screams now echoing across the desert. And as it finished, Doom released the minotaur's arms, Grimhorn soon slumping to the ground as an X shaped burn began to form. He then felt something step right up next to him, causing him to look up and see Doom staring down at him. Despite being the taller of the two, Grimhorn had never felt so...small.
Then, a huge, wicked grin plastered itself on Doom, "As you can see, I'm far stronger than you are."
Grimhorn tried to move, only to put his head in the dirt in shame. "You...stronger."
Doom chuckled at the sight. "Good. So...how about you do as I say? In this world, the weak obey the strong, as that is the law of nature. Will you obey me?"
Grimhorn slowly nodded, knowing he was outclassed. "Grimhorn...obey."
"Good. I'm sure this will be the start of a beautiful relationship." His horn glowed again, causing the chains around Grimhorn to change from silver to black. "My gift to you. Those chains are now bound to your will. They will shrink and grow to become whatever size you want. Try it."
Grimhorn looked at the chains connected to his wrist cuffs and watched as they shrank, until there were only five links from each one. He looked up at Doom and they both smiled.
"With my brain and your brawn, we'll be unstoppable."
The Present...
And unstoppable they were. Over time, Doom used several spells to increase Grimhorn's mental capabilities, though he was only able to make him to the level of average intelligence. Despite this, Doom found the Grimhorn was pure muscle through and through. "Don't let me down Grimhorn. I put too much work into you." He then magically changed the viewing globe's image to show his father fighting Springer. "Now...what will happen here?"
"Ahh! Stop it Grand!" Springer yelped as he felt a barrage of rocks fly at him, his Bone Breaker just barely blocking the onslaught of rubble. But as he smacked the last piece of hardened dirt away, Grand lifted his hammer again. "Wait! Don't-"
THOOM!
"Oh come on!" Springer screamed as a massive fissure formed into the earth from the hammer, making Springer sidestep away from the following cracks. And as one of the cracks made its way to a building behind the jakhowl, destroying it in the process, Springer let out a growl as he clapped his paws, "Grrr...you made me do this. Aura Blast!"
Seeing this, the earth pony smashed the orb away with his hammer, only to see Springer charging forward with another Bone Breaker, "Grand...." Springer hissed as he raised the aura weapon up high, "WAKE UP NOW!" With all his might, he smashed the staff onto Grand's head, a cracking sound following as the earth pony felt pain surge through his body.
"Raaaggghhh!" He cried out as he staggered back, Springer landing nearby while creating another Aura Blast in preparation. But as he watched Grand falter, he felt his aura start to return to the pony as he groaned, "Ooooohhhh...What happened?" Grand then rubbed his head, blinking as he saw the jakhowl in front of him, "Springer? What is...huh?"
Springer desummoned the aura sphere as he walked up to Grand and put his paw on his shoulder, "You okay?"
Grand blinked at the dog once more, "Springer? What is....what happened?"
"You were attacking me," Springer replied as he scanned the pony over with his aura. "Though you weren't trying too hard..."
"I was? Why?"
Springer stopped the scan as he looked at Grand right in the eyes, "What's the last thing you remember?"
Grand closed his eyes at this, his brain turning wheels. "I was...I was following Doom, but I lost him. I then remember seeing something...or somepony? I'm not sure. I thought it was Doom, but...its fuzzy. The next thing I remember, I felt something before blacking out. Then I woke up with my head exploding with pain." Grand then blinked at Springer, a slight frown on his face, "And you were there."
"Yeah...sorry about that. I had to wake you up somehow." Springer replied as an apologetic frown.
"Its fine Springer." Grand said as he rubbed his head again, "Though it really hurt...along with the rest of my body."
"Okay. Welp, come on then," Springer remarked as he put himself under Grand's right hoof, propping him up, "Let's get you to First. You're no use to anypony in that condition."
"I couldn't agree-"
BLAM!
"AAAHHH!" Springer cried as he was suddenly struck in the back by something, the blow sending him into the rubble of one of the houses Grand destroyed.
"SPRINGER!" Grand yelled as he saw Springer slam into the dirt pile. But before he could do anything, a metal sphere flew past the knight and hit the jakhowl, only for the orb to explode as a stream of red energy hit the defender. It then created a red ring around the jakhowl, which got bigger and bigger until it became a red sphere that completely encased him. "What in the name of-"
But before Grand could say anything else, the sphere suddenly shrank, only to instantly blink out of existence. "Springer?" Grand whispered as he stared at the now empty sight, only for his ears to hear something behind him. He then turned, only to see a new sight that made him gasp, "What is-"
"Oh no you don't." the figure replied as a 'snap' followed. Grand went stiff as a board from this, only for a small metal sphere to tap his body a second later. And as the same motions from this sphere happened to him, the figure could only chuckle at the sight.
"That's two."
Meanwhile...
"RRRRRAAAHHH!" Grimhorn roared as he charged at the two knights, his chains destroying the ground as he tried to strike the two. Both ponies quickly leapt out of the way, Tidal completely dodging the metal while Skybreaker had hopped just slightly away. Seeing this, Grimhorn flicked his wrist, making on of his chains wrap around Skybreaker's back leg.
With one strong yank, the flightless pegasus felt his leg be pulled out from under him. "Augh!" He moaned as he hit the ground, seeing Cloudhacker land next to him. He then felt Grimhorn begin to pull Skybreaker towards him, causing the Knight of the Wind to reach for his weapon and barely manage to get a grip on it. With a quick spin and a slash, he cut through the chain, making Grimhorn snarl.
But before he could react, his ears picked up another sound. "Tidal Vortex!" He turned to see Tidal slam his trident into the ground, causing the earth below Grimhorn's feet to break apart. A funnel of water shot out, soon spinning into a fifteen foot tornado. Tidal smirked at this only for his smirk to disappear when he saw Grimhorn remain completely still, his arms crossed over his chest. "Que?"
The minotaur then thrashed his arms forward, literally ripping the tornado apart with a sinister smile on his lips.
"Damn it!" Skybreaker picked himself up and looked Grimhorn over. "He's too heavy."
"That's right! All muscle!" Grimhorn boasted before swinging his chains again. This time, Skybreaker managed to dodge it, only for the metal to wrap around Tidal's neck. Seeing this, Grimhorn flicked his wrist to send a ripple down the chain. If it hit Tidal, it would likely break his neck.
"Sky Cutter!" A blade of air struck the chain and cut Tidal free, seconds before the ripple hit it. Grimhorn turned to Skybreaker, who started swinging his axe around wildly. "Sky Cutter Barrage!" Multiple air blades flew at the minotaur, who simply crossed his arms as the Sky Cutters all just bounced off him, leaving not a spit of damage.
Tidal then rushed behind Grimhorn, raising Wavefang as he did, "Tidal Whip!" He swung his trident around, unleashing the whip shaped water attack as it struck the minotaur's back.
But the water just splatted along his back, causing no visible damage. Grimhorn looked back at the unicorn and laughed. "What do you expect to do with splashing me with water?" He turned back to Skybreaker, who had stopped his attack and was now panting. "Or puny breeze? Maybe you should quit being Royal Knights and find a career you'll actually be useful in. Oh! Like mane dressing! One of you can wash it while the other blow dries. Hahahaha!"
The two knights glared at the minotaur that was now laughing his head off, Skybreaker pointing his weapon at the bull, "Don't underestimate the power of wind and water."
"Especially when the two forces are fighting together!" Tidal completed as he rushed towards Grimhorn, who spun around to punch the unicorn. But as he did this, Tidal used Wavefang to pole-volt over him, making the minotaur instead punch the ground.
"Huh?" Grimhorn asked as he felt his fist hit the dirt.
Tidal then landed by Skybreaker, yelling to his comrade, "Amigo, let's show this brute our combo move!"
Skybreaker smirked at he pointed to Grimhorn, "You got it! Let's do this!"
"Tidal Bullet!" Tidal pointed the prongs of his weapon at Grimhorn, only for three watery projectiles to fly out of the trident.
Grimhorn laughed the sight. "I told you, water's useless against me."
"But what about ice?" Skybreaker asked as he pointed his weapon at the water bullets. "Sky Force!" The tornado shot at Grimhorn, hitting the Tidal Bullets as a cold wind encased them. As it did this, the water began to spin, soon turning into a trio of icicle drills.
Grimhorn quickly crossed his arms, only for the projectiles to stab into one. "Augh!" He cried as they drilled a few inches in, causing him to bleed.
"Excelente!" Tidal cheered.
"Not so invulnerable now, are we?!" Skybreaker added.
They watched as Grimhorn pulled the icicles out of his arm, looking down at the small holes they had made. Drops of blood began to seep out, causing his previous smile to turn into a sneer. "You...made...me...bleed!"
"Maybe now you see how strong wind and water are," Tidal told him.
"And that was only our weakest combo move!" Skybreaker completed as they pointed their weapons at him.
Grimhorn began to pant, his breaths growing heavier and heavier as his eyes closed. "You...made...me...BLEED!" At that last statement, his eyes shot open to show that his pupils had almost completely disappeared. These were not the eyes of a being thinking rationally, but the eyes of one consumed by rage. The eyes...of a beast.
"HOW DARE YOU!" He raised his arms in the air before slamming them down on the ground, the force making the whole city shake. "I'LL DESTROY YOU!"
At the edge of the city, Iron and the prisoners had just arrived at the wall of the crater. The prisoners had started to climb the stone wall when they felt the earth begin to shake. Iron then looked back at where his mentor and Tidal were fighting, a small whisper following, "Skybreaker..." He turned to the rest of the prisoners, who all nodded at him with soft smiles. The sight made him want to leave, but he knew he had to stay.
But as he thought this, a pony walked up and patted his shoulder, "Go. We'll be fine."
Iron looked up at him, noticing the kind smile on the pony's face, "But-"
"Go. Go help your friends."
Iron blinked at this, only to then look at the rest of the crowd. They all nodded in unison, causing him to smile and nod, "Thank you," he told them before pointing to their destination. "Once you're all out of this crater, head back to the village and barricade yourselves in your homes. Do whatever you need to do to keep yourselves safe...and don't let yourselves be alone."
With that, he turned back towards the battle in the distance.
Meanwhile...
"Oh what now?" Flash asked as he and the others felt the ground beneath them shudder. After agreeing to go after Grand and Springer first, Flash had showed Ruby where Toxic had landed and she had encased him in crystal like Hiveena. Now, they were trying to make their way around the ruined city, only for the shaking ground to knock them all off balance.
"An earthquake?" First proposed.
"I don't think we're that lucky," Heather added.
Ruby nodded at this. "Agreed. This is likely happening due to another battle going on. Don't forget how powerful that minotaur was."
"Oh I remember," Flash said as his brain flashed back to the sonic blast he had created just by clapping his hands. "I just hope whose ever fighting him remembers, and I hope they're not fighting him alone. Especially Grand and Springer since they're both out there alone."
His three comrades all nodded as the ground finally stopped shaking. But as this stopped, Heather spotted something that made her smile. "Seems we won't have to look to hard!" She then pointed down the street, which everypony followed to see Grand walking towards them.
"Grand!" Flash cheered as he ran towards his mentor, "I'm so glad you're okay! Where'd you-"
BAM!
"AAAUUGGGHHH!" Flash yelled as he felt pain surge into his chest, only for the sudden blow to knock him flying past the other three knights.
"FLASH!" They all yelled as they turned to the downed pegasus. They then looked back at Grand, only for Ruby and Heather to be bucked in the chest by Grand. The two let out yelps of pain as they both hit nearby walls.
"Grand! What are you doing?! What is wrong with you?!" First yelled, only for Grand to just turn to the unicorn with a huge smile on his face. "What in the name of-"
First didn't get to say another word, as a punch from Grand followed. First was able to dodge the first blow, only for a second to hit his face. The hit caused him to let out a yell of pain, only for three more punches to hit his chest. "Augh!" First cried as he felt another blow to the head, this one knocking him to the ground. Grand then pulled out four metal spheres, quickly throwing them at the other ponies, which were all soon encased in a red light.
Now seeing himself being bathed in the red light, Flash looked back up at his mentor and whispered, "Grand....why?"
Grand didn't answer though. Instead, he just stood there with a large, ever-increasing grin on his face.
Back to the battle with Grimhorn...
As the ground finally stopped shaking, Tidal and Skybreaker both looked at Grimhorn in pure fear. The two shook like leaves as they saw the minotaur let out a series of long, heavy pants. His eyes were fully bloodshot now, and his feet were now slowly moving towards the duo as he moaned, "Destroy...weak...ponies!"
"Somepony woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning," Tidal joked with a chuckle, trying to fight his fears away.
However, his laughing entered the minotaur's ears, soon making a surge of steam come out of the bull's nostrils as he then yelled. "SHUT UP!" The bull then swung a volley of punches into the air, only for the force of the swings to turn into bullets of air. The very shots made both knights scramble back and forth, dodging each blow.
"Whoa!" Tidal and Skybreaker yelped as they leapt around, another air bullet sailing past them. As it did, the blow struck a building behind them, only for it to crumble into dust from the singular strike.
"Impossible," Skybreaker gasped as he stared the now destroyed building.
"That was one hit," Tidal proclaimed in shock.
Skybreaker turned back to Grimhorn as he clutched his weapon in even more fear. "It's like his strength has been super charged? Don't tell me...." A horrible thought entered his head as he glanced at his partner. "Was he...was he holding back?"
As Doom continued to watch the battle, his face started to show a slight tinge of fear. He gulped at the sight of the minotaur, his body shaking as he talked to himself, "Everypony has mental limiters in their bodies, mainly there to limit how much physical strength they can access. These limiters coincide with one's intelligence, which is why smarter ponies are so weak compared to the less intelligent ones. The smarter you are, the more limiters your brain creates to hold back your maximum strength." He then let out a small sigh as he continued, "I increased Grimhorn's intelligence to limit his strength...but powerful emotions like anger and rage can suppress that intelligence and remove those limiters. If that happens, Grimhorn's power could become unlimited."
Doom then turned to the cloaks, seeing them still working at to unearth the Omni-Sphere. "I must hurry. If I don't have the sphere soon, even I might not be able to stop Grimhorn's rage."
Back at the battle again...
"RRRAAAAAOOOORRRRR!!!" Grimhorn screamed as he charged full force at the ponies, his footsteps causing small earthquakes as he did. The minotaur then slammed the earth with his fists, even stronger earthquakes following the attacks.
Seeing this, Tidal and Skybreaker kept leaping back, trying to dodge every fissure created. But as they did this, Skybreaker swung his axe, a blade of energy soon coming out of the weapon, "Sky Cutter!" he yelled, only to see the air blade bounce off Grimhorn's shoulder, "Oh shoot....that's really not good."
"RRRAAAUUGGGHHHH!" Grimhorn screamed again as he kept smashing the ground, "STUPID PONIES!!! DESTROY PONIES!!!"
"Not today bull face! Sky Force!" Skybreaker launched the tornado at the minotaur, the attack striking him in the chest. And as the attack hit the minotaur, his charge didn't stop, but his speed slowed. The knights stared as Grimhorn suddenly flinched in pain, only to charge again. Seeing this, the two hopped away again, this time fully dodging the charge. As he did this, the minotaur ran into another building, this one made of stronger stone, which caused his horns to be stuck in the rubble.
Skybreaker rushed to Tidal's side as the bull began to thrash about from his predicament. The pegasi then panted as he asked, "Did you see that?"
"Yes amigo. He slowed down...but why?"
Skybreaker shook his head at this, "You didn't see his face. He was...he was hurt by that attack."
Tidal turned to him in shock. "How? We've done nothing to the monstruo!"
In that moment, Grimhorn slammed his arms into the building, only for him cross his fist and make the building collapse over him. But as the walls fell over the bull, he felt nothing as turned back to the knights. It was here that Skybreaker saw his chest again, this time making him gasp as he saw the scar on his chest again.
Skybreaker pointed at the spot, "That scar. Before, he was protecting it from being hit. That must be his weak spot."
Tidal smiled as he raised his weapon in his magic. "So we just gotta keep hitting that spot. Perfecto!" In that moment, Grimhorn let out another roar, ready to charge again. But as he sprinted towards the two, Tidal spun his weapon again, "Tidal Whip!" A volley of water was summoned from the trident, the stream splashing right into the Grimhorn's chest. He let out another yell of pain, but his charge didn't stop.
Seeing this, they once again leapt to the side, Skybreaker rolling away as Grimhorn sailed past him. But before the minotaur could stop and turn, the pegasus used all his strength to leap up onto his back. "Gotcha!" He yelled as he positioned Cloudhacker in front of his neck, his hooves pulling the axe back as he tried to cut off his air.
Grimhorn cried out as he began to thrash violently, trying to buck Skybreaker off. Seeing the opening, Tidal pointed his trident at him again, "Tidal Bullets!" The trio of water blasts flew at Grimhorn, but two of them were stopped by his trashing arms and chains. The third one hit dead center, causing him cry out yet again. His trashing then increased, his arm grabbing Skybreaker and slamming him into the ground.
"Augh!" Skybreaker yelped as he felt the dirt, only for his eyes to go wide as he looked up. There, he saw an upside down Grimhorn glaring at him.
"RRRAAARRRGGGHHHH!" He launched another punch at the pegasus, but as he did, Tidal leapt in front and blocked with Wavefang. As he did this, the force of the punch clanged with the weapon, instantly knocking the unicorn away like a ragdoll.
"Eeyagh!" Tidal yelled as Skybreaker rolled over and hopped back on his hooves. The pegasi then thrust his hoof into the minotaur's chest, a cry of pain following. But before Skybreaker could jump away to a safe distance, Grimhorn backhanded him, sending him away like Tidal.
"Aaahhh!" Skybreaker yelped as he struck a building, the walls breaking and crumbling as he was now buried in a pile of rubble. The knight then pulled his head out of the dirt, only for his blurred vision to see the metal sticking out of his artificial wing. The sight made him want to sigh, as he knew that if he had the wing, he could fly around and hit the minotaur with no trouble.
Then, another shake of the ground made him look back at the battle, only to see Grimhorn staring down at him, a large piece of a broken building in his arms. Skybreaker tried to jump away, but the minotaur quickly slammed his foot down on his back, pinning the pegasus to the ground.
"Skybreaker," Tidal groaned as he tried to pick himself up, only to collapse as he felt the pain from the previous blow. Skybreaker on the other hoof, tried to move, only to feel the minotaur's hoof drill into his body. He then tried to look for his weapon Cloudhacker, only to see it a few feet away, just out of reach. The knight looked back up, only to see Grimhorn now holding the rock as high as he could, ready to drop it on him.
"Bye bye birdy!"
Skybreaker closed his eyes and readied himself for the end. "I'm sorry everypony. I-"
"IRON HAMMER!"
Skybreaker's eyes shot open as he looked up just in time to see Grimhorn be knocked back by a familiar hammer ended staff hitting his chest. It was his apprentice Iron Core, the earth pony now using every ounce of strength into his hammer as he hit the bull. Grimhorn staggered back from the blow, dropping the rock right onto up his own head, only for it become rubble as it crumbled into a million pieces. But before he could recover, Iron returned Piecemaker to its normal form and pointed it point blank into his chest. "Iron Force!" The metal laced tornado struck Grimhorn, pushing and slicing him back into another building, the structure falling onto the bull in an instant.
Their opponent now safely pushed back, Iron looked down at his mentor. "Skybreaker, you okay?"
Skybreaker moaned as he picked himself up. "Fine now. Thank you Iron. Are the prisoners okay?"
Iron smirked and nodded. "They're all safely out of the city and heading back to the village. We don't have to worry about them anymore."
"Good," Tidal had finally managed to recover and had walked over to them. "So that means that after we beat this guy, we can finally focus on Doom."
The three of them turned to Grimhorn as his head started to form out of the building's rubble. Iron then pointed at the bull, "What happened to that guy?"
"He got mad. Really mad." Skybreaker replied as he cricked his neck from the pain he had just experienced. "But that doesn't matter right now. What does matter is that we have to hit that scar on his chest as many times and with as much force as possible."
Iron shined a big grin at this. "Then let's get this done." He was about to charge after this, only for Skybreaker's real wing to unfold in front of him.
"Don't be careless. He might not be thinking, but one hit from him is enough to shatter every bone in your body."
"Then what do we do?" Iron asked as he pointed his weapon at the minotaur.
Skybreaker turned back to Grimhorn as he once again began charging, swinging his chains around wildly. "We wait for him to slip up, then hit him with everything we got." With that, the pegasi charged at the bull. And as the two got closer to each other, Skybreaker dropped to the ground, skidding between Grimhorn's legs as he dodged the chains as well. He kept sliding until he reached his Celestic Gear, which he quickly grabbed.
Grimhorn skidded to a stop and turned back to Skybreaker, ready to strike the knight with his chains. But as he did this, Iron leapt into the air and yelled, "Iron Lance Fury!"
The projectiles flew at the minotaur's back, bouncing off his muscular hide like they were nothing. However, it did get the bull's attention, making him turn around again, this time glaring at the earth pony.
"Tidal Force!" Tidal yelled as he ran to the side of the minotaur, a flurry of water now coating Grimhorn without a spit of damage. This too got his attention, making him now look at the unicorn as Iron ran around the bull while Skybreaker unleashed a cold blast of wind at the bull.
The water on Grimhorn's body froze, encasing him in ice. But the minotaur didn't seem to notice it, his body slowly moving as he just shook off the ice. However, Skybreaker had not been trying to freeze the water on him. Instead, he had now frozen the water on the ground, turning it into an ice rink-like area. They watched as Grimhorn's foot touched the ice and quickly slipped. He yelled out as he landed on his face, his own momentum making him skid around the ground.
Seeing this, Iron shoved his Celestic Gear into the ground. A second later, metal shot out around the minotaur's hands, binding them away from this chest.
"Tidal Whip!" A water rope shout out of Tidal's weapon and wrapped around Grimhorn's neck, as the unicorn rushing behind him and pulling with all his might. These two events exposed Grimhorn's chest, allowing Skybreaker to rush up and shove Cloudhacker into it.
"This is over!" Skybreaker yelled as he pushed the axe in with all his might, "SKY...FORCE!" A tornado blasted out of the weapon, all of it point blank at the scar.
"RRAAAAAUUUUGGHHHHH!!!" Grimhorn screamed, the tornado still surging as he felt pain cover his whole body. But as this pain continued, Grimhorn let out one last roar as he pulled his arms up, shattering the metal like tissue. The knights all gasped at this as Grimhorn raised his arms and clapped his hands, the force instantly destroying the tornado and blasting Skybreaker away.
"AAAHHH!" the knight cried as he went rolling into the dirt, pain plastering itself all over his body.
"Skybreaker!" Iron cried as he and Tidal stopped their attacks and rushed towards their friend. But Grimhorn saw the two coming, his arms quickly flicking as his chains suddenly swung themselves into the knights. Before they could react, both were wrapped in the metal ropes, only for another flick to follow, flinging the two into the air.
"WHOA!" Tidal yelled as he and Iron slammed into a pair of buildings, their bodies instantly slumping down into the dirt below.
Skybreaker opened his eyes just in time to see them fall, their bodies becoming completely still as they slumped over. "No.....NOOO!" he yelled, as he scrambled up, only to hear the footsteps of Grimhorn approach him.
"Stupid ponies!" Skybreaker looked back at Grimhorn as he raised his fists again. He then punched the pegasi, "Think you can beat Grimhorn!" he punched him yet again. "Grimhorn...UNBEATABLE!" He punched him again, and again and again.
Both Iron and Tidal saw this, fear on their faces as they watched their friend take a beating. The sight made Iron moan in despair, "Skybreaker…"
"Amigo..." Tidal did the same.
Grimhorn continued to punch the pegasus as he monologued. "When I beat you, your friends next! I turn them to dust! Die pony die!" But when he brought his fist down for another punch, he felt something new. It was Skybreaker, who had now managed to catch his fist in his hoof and was pushing back, the force equaling his own.
"No..." Skybreaker cracked his eyes opened and glared at the minotaur. Grimhorn frowned before throwing his other fist into a punch, only for Skybreaker to catch that one too. Then, as if a miracle before their very eyes, Skybreaker began to push the minotaur back. "I won't...let you harm them...anymore."
Grimhorn growled as he began to increase the pressure, but Skybreaker was able to keep up. "Stupid pony. You can't out-muscle Grimhorn!"
"I will!" Skybreaker yelled as he began to push back even harder. "I won't lose anymore comrades! NEVER AGAIN!" He then did another push, this one actually forcing Grimhorn back. "As a senior knight...it is my duty to keep my juniors from harm!" Finally, he pushed Grimhorn back enough that the minotaur was forced to stagger back, allowing Skybreaker to reach down and grab Cloudhacker.
Grimhorn's growling increased as he charged towards the pegasus. "STUPID PONY! GRIMHORN STRONGER! GRIMHORN DESTROY PONY!!!"
As the minotaur threw a punch at Skybreaker, the pegasus's years of training kicked in, his body quickly outmaneuvering the fist and punched the scar again, "Maybe physically, but there are many different types of strength!" He punched Grimhorn's scar again, making him flinch and stagger back once more. "True strength comes from having a reason for it!" He shoved Cloudhacker into the minotaur's chest again, "from having something to protect!"
Then, Cloudhacker glowed a bright blue color. The sight made Iron gasp, as he had never seen such a thing. "What...what is that?"
"The ultimate Celestic Gear attack," Tidal replied as he tried to get up. "An attack that only the strongest of knights can achieve."
"This is the power born from the desire to protect what you love!" Cloudhacker's light intensified as Skybreaker took a massive breath before crying out. "Sky Force...EXCEED!" At the sound of this outburst, a tornado bigger and more powerful then any of the ones seen before blasted out of the Celestic Gear, striking Grimhorn with the force of a meteor.
"RRRRRAAAAAUUUGGHHHH!" Grimhorn cried as he was bombarded by the attack, the force of the tornado pushing him back like he was nothing. He tried to fight it, only for a yell of pain to follow as he was sent flying backwards, crashing through a building. But even as the tornado dispersed, Grimhorn still kept flying, crashing into three more buildings.
As he hit the last structure, the whole thing collapsed on itself, burying the minotaur alive. And as they watched the building fall, the three knights all breathed a sigh of relief. Iron then turned to Skybreaker, who instantly collapsed after doing such a move.
"Skybreaker," he slowly picked himself up and walked over to his mentor. "Are you okay?"
Skybreaker turned to his apprentice and nodded, "I'm fine kid. Just a little exhausted."
"Nice shot there amigo," Tidal said as he continued to lay on the ground. "Finally beat that horrible bull."
"Thanks...but it took a lot out of me. No time to rest though." Skybreaker then tried to pick himself up, only for his legs to give out.
"Don't push yourself," Iron told him as he tried to help his mentor.
"I'll be fine kid," Skybreaker replied as he took Iron's hoof.
The three all shined smiles after that, happy the battle was over. But as they did this, the sound of hoofsteps behind them caught their attention. They looked back, only to see the figure of somepony getting closer. The knights all reached for their weapons, only to let out a sigh of relief as they saw Flash Sentry walk out of the shadows.
"Sentry..." Iron wheezed as he pointed at the defender, "Am I glad to see you. You missed some serious action, but if you're here..." Iron's words stopped as he now took a good look at the orange pegasi. He noticed that Flash was just standing there, silent and with a smile Iron had never seen before. Even Skybreaker and Tidal were taken back from this, as they knew Flash was one for talking.
"Hey! What's wrong?" Skybreaker said as he pointed at the defender, "Don't just stand there idly."
"You okay amigo?" Tidal asked next, only for Flash to turn to him before pulling out a small metal ball, "what's that?" Tidal's answer came when Flash tossed it at him, the sphere hitting him in the head before activating.
Skybreaker and Iron stared in horror as they watched Tidal be consumed by the red light, which shrank away until it completely disappeared. "TIDAL!" They turned back to Flash and saw another orb flying towards them.
"Iron move!" Skybreaker pushed him out of the way, the orb instantly hitting the knight with ease.
"SKYBREAKER, NO!" Iron yelled as he watched as the stallion who had raised him completely disappear. The earth pony then turned to their attacker, screaming, "FLASH! WHAT THE HELL?!" Flash didn't respond, instead he just tossed another orb, only for it be cut in half by Iron's Piecemaker. "ANSWER ME!"
Seeing this, Flash raised his hoof, a sphere of black energy soon appearing before him. He then tossed the ball at the last remaining knight, which Iron quickly tried to block by thrusting his weapon at the sphere. But as the tip punctured it-
KABOOM!
Iron was sent flying, crashing into the last remaining building that surrounded them. "AUGH!" He slumped to the ground again, trying to keep himself from blacking out. As he did, he saw Flash step towards him. "You're...not Sentry. He doesn't smile like that...."
The fake Flash simply gave off another sinister smile, this one growing in size as he took out another orb. "Hee hee hee!"
"Who...are you?"
The fake Sentry's eyebrows then hopped up and down in a cheeky manner, only for him to leap into the air as his body was enveloped by a ball of multi-colored lights. Yet...the lights did not shine. The colors just flowed through the ball as it stayed in the air, only to disappear as a new figure appeared.
The figure was now bipedal, its fur both dark crimson red along with gray, black and brown. It wielded two three-fingered hands, all of them completely red along with his toes, which were just like his hands. Also, despite not being a pony, he had a long red mane that was in a ponytail, complete with a teal bangle at the beginning of the hair style. The red mane also had black tips in it, along with black fur at the bangle. He also had an almost pure black tuff of hair under his neck and over the top of his chest. Finally, its eyes were light blue with red tips of fur over the eyelids.
Iron's eyes went wide at the sight. "What...what are you?"
The creature smiled down at Iron. "You'll find out soon enough. For now, just know I'm the fourth and most powerful member of the quartet." With that, he dropped the sphere onto Iron, the sphere's light enveloping his body in an instant.
And as he disappeared, the figure pulled out another apple to eat as a cloak walked up to him. He grinned back at the puppet as he said, "Well, would you look at that? I beat them all, just like I said I would. HA! Just goes to show that I'm the best around." He then put a claw over his mouth as he chuckled, "And now that both the knights and those three idiots are out of the way, Doom will be easy pickings! Hee hee hee...that sphere of power will be mine! Hee hee hee...hee hee hee!"