As the sound of foals' cries filled the air, Grand's heart was beating a mile a minute. He stared at the hospital bed, a pale blue unicorn mare with a red mane and tail laying there in pure exhaustion. He watched as the nurse carried a small blanket bundle over to the mare and happily deposited it into her hooves before saying. "It's a unicorn colt."
The mare, Live Wire, stared at the pony inside the blanket before tears filled her eyes. "He's perfect," she said as the tears began to flow. Grand remained completely still as mother and son began to bond, only for Live Wire to turn to him and smile. "Don't just stand there like an idiot. Come over here and meet your son."
Grand's paralysis slowly disappeared as his hooves moved over to the colt his wife was holding. "He's got your mane...and your eyes."
Live giggled at this. "Yeah, that's true. But I wonder where the red coat came from."
"My father's coat was red," Grand replied as he raised a hoof over the colt. "That's probably it, unless you want to admit something."
The two laughed as they continued to stare at their foal. "No, he's yours Grand. You can tell from his eyes."
"Didn't I just say he has your eyes?"
Live shook her head. "They might have my color, but they've got the same gentle look yours have. You just don't recognize it because you don't see them enough."
Grand's smile somehow grew even wider as he heard this, only for his ears to hear the opening of the door to the hospital room. In that moment, a familiar alicorn stepped in. "May I come in?"
"Of course Princess," Grand told her, bowing.
"Please, come meet our son."
Celestia smiled as she walked over to examine the foal. "Quite a handsome fellow, isn't he?" She watched as the new parents nodded their heads. "Have you thought about a name?"
The parents once again nodded. "We've decided to call him Doom Raizer," Live explained as she rubbed the colt's belly. "Raizer's a family name given to the stallions in my family."
Celestia nodded before turning to Grand. "And Doom...after your old partner."
Grand rubbed his eyes in response, fighting back the tears. "I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for him. It seems only right that I name my son after him."
Celestia nodded before turning away. "Well, I'm sure Live Wire is exhausted. I won't disturb you anymore."
"Thank you princess," Live replied as the alicorn and all the other hospital staff stepped outside. The effort of foalbirth had now caught up with the unicorn mare, forcing her to drift off to sleep.
Grand then took his son as she slumbered, moving over to a nearby chair as he held the foal tightly. "Doom...I promise you, I will always be there for you." Tears began to stream down his face as he continued to hug the sleeping foal, "I promise...I promise..."
Present Day...
The memories of that day flowed through Grand's mind as he rushed towards his goal, the castle. There, he would find his son and he would make sure to stop his foolish pursuit for power and vengeance. "I'm coming for you Doom," he said as he arrived at the entrance of the castle, only to see a bunch of cloaks guarding the way in, causing him to pull his Celestic Gear out. "And nothing's gonna stop me!"
Meanwhile...
"Come on, come on..." Flash grumbled in an impatient tone.
They were still in the prison as the Royal Knights grabbed and examined their Celestic Gears. He then turned to Iron, who was now examining one of the metal doors used in the cells. "How much longer is this gonna take?"
The earth pony turned to Flash with a sour look on his face. "I'd probably be done by now if you didn't keep distracting me."
Flash frowned at this as Heather stepped up to him. "I know you're worried, but it's better for the team to be at one hundred percent when facing against Doom."
Flash let out a long sigh. "I know...but I can't help it. We barely managed to beat the Doom Quartet, so fighting the guy who's stronger than all of them isn't something I think anypony should do alone."
"And we understand that," Ruby added as she rubbed her necklace.
"But if anypony can defeat Doom on their own, its Grand." First added as he looked over Springer, who had new injuries thanks to Shade.
"He's right amigo," Tidal finished as he looked over his gear. "He might be old, but Grand Hoof can still fight with the best of them."
"Even so, we should be there for support, and I for one am sick of being on the ground." Skybreaker grumbled as he turned to Iron, "Well?"
The earth pony picked up Piecemaker and touched the metal of a cell door. "I'm ready." With that, Piecemaker's blade flashed a light that quickly spread around the door. Everypony watched as it seemingly melted into a puddle, which then morphed into a ball before Iron lifted it up by the tip of his spear. He then stepped over to Skybreaker, who held out the damaged remains of his metal wing.
With a quick flick, the metal was sent into the wing, which quickly morphed around it. Everypony was amazed as they watched the metal of the wing and the door combine. Iron then held Piecemaker to the wing before pulling off the excess metal, tossing it to the side as it hardened into a metal ball. As for the wing, it was now brand new, which looked even stronger than it had before.
Skybreaker flexed the new appendage before smiling, "Nice. It feels better than ever Iron. Well done."
Iron smirked as he tapped the metal ball. "No prob. Though I gotta say, those ancient Omniarans really knew their metal works."
Flash and the others were staring at the two in amazement, Flash trying to talk, "How..."
"Since when have you been able to do that?" Springer asked him in succession.
Iron turned to them with a smirk, "Since always. I've just never had a need for it before now."
Flash and Springer wanted to retort, but Skybreaker stepped in between them. "Come on everypony, let's go find Grand before he gets himself killed."
"RIGHT!" Everypony replied before rushing out of the room, leaving only Springer. The jakhowl turned and jumped up to the window of the cell Shade was locked in. "You stay there, we'll deal with you later." With that, he leapt down and ran out the door.
Seconds passed before the trickster's eyes shot open, glaring at where the jakhowl's face had been. "Stupid jakhowl...this isn't over yet." A small grin began to form, "I've still got an ace up my sleeve, and I'm gonna....I'm gonna...." It was here that Shade tried to hop in the air to transform, only for to land in his usual tiny fox form. He blinked at this, a slight grimace on his face. "Shoot. I don't have enough energy for my battle form. That's not good..."
The fox then looked around, only to see what that he was in a pegasi cell. This made the fox cheekily grin, "Hee hee hee...guess luck's on my side. If this was the unicorn cell, it would have been trouble," he commented as he put his paw in his mouth, a second later pulling out a small metal red sphere. "Here we go. Good thing I kept a spare," His paw started tapping the sphere, the orb slowly increasing in size as he kept manipulating the device. "And...done. Now, since I can't get into my battle form, and all of them are going for Doom....darn. No real good options there, huh? Guess its time for plan B."
Back in the castle, Doom stared down at the large hole in front of him. A radiant glow pulsed from the very bottom, showing that the seal was all that was left. But as he stared, a big grin was on his face as the unsealing spell was stripping away the mystic binding piece by piece.
He then turned to the viewing globe, which was showing his father dispatching the cloaks guarding the doors. It then shifted to show the rest of the knights, all of them rushing out of the prison to follow after their leader.
"Ugh...I should have known." Doom grumbled as he shook his head, "I should have known that lousy fox would mess up. He probably got bluffed into fighting that dog he hates." The image on the globe changed back to Grand, who had now finished off the cloaks. Seeing this, his horn flared as he magically instructing the cloaks outside to gather at the entrance. They would not be able to stop the knights, but they would be enough to slow them down.
"I won't be stopped," he told himself as he watched his father fight one last group of cloaks. "This seems to be the story of our lives, isn't it Grand? You only remember that I exist when you want to hurt me." His mind then flashed back to the days when he and his father were close, Grand's mind also remembering those days.
The Past...
As the snow fell upon the ground, we find Grand in his back garden, still training like usual. He was currently striking a wooden dummy, placing every bit of strength behind each of his strikes. But as he tried to hit the piece of lumber once more, his ears spiked up from a sound.
"Daddy!" He spun around to see a five year old Doom Raizer rush out into the snow, laughing happily. "Daddy, play with me!" He leapt up into his father's grasp, accidently knocking him off balance as they crashed into the snow.
A gentle laugh could be heard from the door. "Careful Doom, careful now." Live Wire told her son as she stepped outside.
Doom giggled as he looked over at the dummy, then down at his father. "Daddy, when I grow up, I'm gonna be a knight just like you!"
"Is that so?" Grand replied as he picked himself and hugged his son. "Sure you don't want to be a scientist like mommy? You're smart enough."
"Nah," Doom replied as he tightened the hug, "I want to protect ponies like you."
"I see," Grand chuckled as he put Doom on his back. "Then I'm sure you'll be a great knight."
Live nodded at this, her hoof now patting her son's head. "I agree. And when you're a knight, I'll make you a Celestic Gear."
"Yay!" Doom cheered.
"But only if you promise to be a good boy, and don't abuse your power."
"I promise!" Doom replied, a huge grin shining on his face. "I'll protect everypony, including mommy!"
"Hey! That's my job!" Grand barked back, only to get a stuck out tongue in response, resulting in a laugh from his wife. It was truly a happy time for the young family, but it was a happiness that would not last.
Three years later...
Grand sighed in relief as he stepped off the train and onto Canterlot platform. It had been a rough mission, one with what he thought would be endless battles, but it was finally complete. Now, he was on the platform, looking for the usual party that would greet him after a mission. But as he looked around, he noticed no one was here.
"Sir Grand Hoof?" the earth pony spun around to see a stallion he recognized as one of the royal guards. He stepped over to him, a somber look on his face. "The princess sent me to retrieve you."
Grand raised an eyebrow at this. "Do you know why?"
The stallion looked down grimly. "All I know is...well, there was an accident in the royal labs." Grand's eyes went wide, only for the guard to say, "Your wife-" He didn't hear anything else, Grand had already rushed past him, making his way to the princess.
A little later...
Grand burst into the palace's medical wing, his hooves blasting down the hallways. "LIVE!" He cried as he slammed the door open, seeing his wife in the bed with Doom and Celestia around her. He rushed over, only to horrified at her now weakening face. "What happened?!"
Celestia let out a long sigh. "One of the rune studying scientists chose to see what would happen when they mixed some of the less known runes. Live saw this and tried to stop him, but it was too late and...and an explosion occurred. She managed to save the scientist, but was caught in the explosion."
"Dad?" an eight year old Doom whimpered as he looked up to his father, "Is momma gonna be okay?"
Grand turned to his son, patting him on the head. "She'll...she'll be fine. Your mom is the toughest mare I've ever met."
Doom didn't look convinced by his father's words, only for Celestia to put her hoof over the colt. "Come little pony, let's leave your parents to talk."
Doom reluctantly agreed and stepped outside, allowing Grand to stare down at his dying wife. "Please, you have to stay strong." He took his wife's hoof in his own, which he felt tighten. He looked into her eyes and saw them flicker open.
"Grand," she whispered.
"I'm here. I'll always be here."
Live smiled at this, a small weak giggle following. "You're here."
Grand nodded as he leaned over to her, using his hoof to comb her mane. "And I'm not going anywhere. I'll stay right here until you're back to full health."
Live giggled again, a slight shake of the head again. "I think we both know that won't be happening."
"No!" Grand almost yelled, his hooves grabbing her's. "Live, you can't do this. I'm sorry I was gone, I'm sorry I'm always gone. Live, you-"
Her hoof tapped his mouth, stopping his rant. "I've been fighting till you got back. I've...the accident happened over a week ago Grand." This made Grand gasp, now remembering he hadn't asked when the incident happened. But then she continued to talk, "Grand....when I'm gone-"
"Don't say that!" Grand interrupted her, his hoof gripping even more.
"Just listen for once," she told him firmly, her other hoof now rubbing his chin. "I left something for Doom, and when he's older, I want you to give it to him. Its almost complete, and it only needs the magic to mold into shape. But don't give it to him until you think he's ready."
Grand's eyes were now pouring a waterfall of tears. "Please....please don't do this Live. I can't do this without you."
Live's own eyes began to tear up. "You have to."
In that moment, the doors opened and Doom stepped inside. "Momma!" He yelled when he saw Live was awake, causing him to rush to her side.
Live patted the colt on the head, "Doom. My precious little boy."
Doom's eyes filled with tears, all of them soaking the bed covers over Live. "Momma...."
Live smiled at the two, her eyes slowly beginning to close. "My boys, I...love you." With that, her eyes completely shut as the grip on Grand's hoof was lost.
"Live?" Grand asked, but got no response.
"MOMMA!"
After that, everything went wrong.
Despite the rain pouring down on his body, Grand's only focus was on the coffin being placed into the ground. Doom was standing next to him, watching his mother disappear into the earth. As the funeral ended and the ponies headed off, Celestia, Grand and Doom remained behind to watch the grave be filled.
But as they did this, a low hiss came from one of the voices. "You lied," Celestia and Grand looked down at the colt, Doom looking up with tears covering his eyes. "You said you would protect us, but you didn't! You lied to her and me!"
Grand leaned slightly back, his mouth opening, "Doom-"
"I HATE YOU!" Doom screamed, making Grand almost backpedal. "I HATE YOU, YOU LIAR!"
Then, the colt ran away, Grand just standing still as he saw his son run off into the distance. "Doom!" Grand yelled, only for the colt to now disappear in the rain.
Celestia patted his shoulder, "You should go after him."
Grand lifted his hoof, only to shake his head. "No. I...I think it's best I just give him some space."
And space he gave him. Over the next few years, Grand threw himself into his work. Missions, training and constant patrols in Canterlot drew most of his time. But as he did, he didn't realize he was neglecting his son. Now, Grand was at the guard training ground, using his Celestic Gear to take down multiple dummies. However, his attention was soon drawn to somepony stepping into the area. "Princess. What do I owe this pleasure?"
Celestia walked over to him with a frown on her face. "I came to talk to you about Doom."
"Did he do something wrong?"
Celestia shook her head. "No, he's actually doing incredibly well. One of the best students my school has ever seen."
"So what's the problem?" Grand asked with almost little interest in his tone.
"The problem is that he seems to prefer being alone instead of being with others. He's isolating himself, choosing to work alone and...and I'm worried."
"Well, what can I do about it?" Grand asked as he now fully looked at Celestia, a small sigh almost coming out of his mouth.
"You're his father," Celestia told him as she put her hoof on her shoulder. "Its obvious that this attitude is coming from a lack of attention. When was the last time you and him spent some time together? When did the two of you...well, be together?"
Grand sighed as he looked back at the dummy. "Play time is a luxury I don't have."
"You used to have it," Celestia told him as she took her hoof off.
"And look what it cost me," Grand replied as he smacked down another dummy.
"What happened to Live Wire wasn't your fault." She then turned away from him, her form already walking away. "You've already lost your wife, and I don't want to see you lose your son Grand."
Once she was gone, Grand bit his lip as his mind battled over what he should do. He looked back at the dummy, only to let out a sigh as he decided to go to his office. Once inside, he moved over to a cabinet and opened it before pulling out a large box. Opening the box, he looked inside and stared at the crystal within. It was the last Celestic Gear his wife had ever made, built for Doom when he was ready to start his training as a knight.
But Doom never started his training. After graduating from Celestia's school, Grand had assumed he would ask his father to begin their training. Instead, Doom chose the path his mother had walked, the path of a unicorn scientist.
At the age of eighteen, Doom began this work as one of Canterlot's greatest scientists. His fields of study varied, mainly focusing on different ways to keep the ponies of Canterlot safe. As such, Grand watched from a distance as Doom worked his way up the chain. As he did, he remembered all the years he had spent ignoring Doom in pursuit of keeping him safe, believing he could fight all the enemies out there, making sure no one would invade Canterlot. But as he did this, Doom also continued to isolate himself just like his father. And as Celestia told Grand about this, the soldier kept staying on the sidelines, making sure he didn't interfere in pure fear of making things worse.
But then Doom met her.
Daisy Chain had been a simple gardener, working to keep the grounds around the school presentable. One day, she had come across a notebook that had Doom's name on it, which he had dropped after working outside, only to rush in when a sudden raincloud flew over the school. Luckily, the book had a waterproofing spell on it, keeping it in tact until Daisy found it.
She returned it to its owner, who was thankful to her and offered to buy her dinner in thanks. For Doom, it had been a simple favor repayment, but during the dinner, Daisy's kind and positive demeanor broke him almost immediately. He hadn't had a pony act like this to him in forever, and after the meal was over, Doom found himself asking her out again before he realized what he had just said.
Before Grand, Doom and Daisy knew it, two years passed.
"You may now kiss the bride."
Grand couldn't be any happier as he saw his son kiss his new wife. She was the perfect mare for the family, one that was helping put the father and son back together. Daisy helped to patch things up between the strained father son pair, at least managing to convince Doom to invite Grand. As such, Grand loved Daisy, seeing her as his own daughter.
As the next few years followed, Grand found himself becoming a grandfather. He remembered the first time he held Lightning, remembering the promise he had made his wife. He had failed to keep that one, but this time, he swore he would be there for Lightning.
And he was. As Lightning grew, Grand stood by his side, helping raise the colt. This alone helped mend the bridge between Grand and Doom, all the way until eventually, Doom's loner attitude had all but vanished. Now, he smiled more than anything, making Grand, Daisy and Lightning smile. Their family life looked to be a happy one, until that day.
Grand raced through the corridors of the hospital. He had been in his office when he had gotten the call, that a mugging gone wrong had put his beloved daughter-in-law in the hospital. When he arrived outside Daisy's room, he looked through the window and saw Doom and Lightning looking down at Daisy. The scene paralleled what had happened to his wife, only this time, it was Doom in his position. "No...not again." He then opened the door, only for the sound of one of the machine's giving a never ending beep rang out. The noise made him come to a complete stop, tears now flowing down his eyes.
"Daisy?" Doom asked, but got no response.
"MOMMA!" Lightning cried out.
Grand could cry, a sigh also following as knew what would happen next.
Once again, Grand found himself standing in the rain, watching a coffin containing somepony he cared about be lowered into the ground. He looked over at Doom and Lightning, once again reminded of when he had lost his wife. But this time, he had told himself that he would make sure it didn't happen again.
It started with Grand asking one of Daisy's mourning friends to take Lightning away so he could talk to his son. She did so, and soon the two were standing side by side, continuing to stare at the grave.
"I know how you feel son," Grand said as he put his hoof on Doom's shoulder, only to feel it be instantly pushed off.
"No you don't. How could you possibly know how I feel?"
"Because I've been where you are now," Grand told him as he put his hoof back on the ground. "And you've been where Lightning is. Don't make my mistake. You...you need to be there for your son. He needs you now, more than ever."
"No...no he doesn't. What he needs is his mother." He turned away as one final tear hit the ground, "But she's gone now. Gone because some monster decided to take her away." His tone began to shift, a dark hiss beginning to form. "I'm sick of this. I'm sick of the good being hurt while the bad get away without judgement. I'm going to find a way to keep all of Canterlot safe."
"How?" Grand asked, concerned at where this was heading.
"I don't know yet, but I'll find a way."
"But Lightning-"
"Don't try and act like a perfect father!" Doom almost yelled at him. "You're too many years to late for that." Before Grand could say anything else, his son walked away. But as he did, Grand could easily see that he didn't know what to say to his son.
As such, the years passed yet again.
However, Doom did take his father's words to heart. He spent time with Lightning, but it was mostly spent teaching him magic. He would make sure his son could keep himself safe. The rest of his time, he spent working on stopping the travesties he had felt from ever happening again.
But then he went too far, which forced Grand to step in.
Grand, Celestia and several guards found themselves outside Doom's underground lab. One of the other scientists had discovered what he had been working on and warned them, leading to the current situation. Grand slammed open the door, just in time to almost be blinded by a burst of electricity. "DOOM!"
Doom looked up from his work and turned towards Grand, levitating his goggles off his eyes. "Father? What are you doing here?"
"We're here to stop you," Grand told him.
Celestia stepped up behind Grand, "Doom Raizer, we know what you're up to, and it ends now."
"No....no! I won't be stopped! Look!" He held up a sphere, electricity sparking every bit of the orb. "This is the Thunder Tomb, a device that will allow us to protect Canterlot, and any other place we want to protect." He then levitated the orb up, allowing them all to see it join the hundreds more floating in the ceiling.
Grand just shook his head. "Doom, no pony should have that much power. We were told what you've already experimented on with this, and we will not let you do anymore. You hurt innocent ponies with this device!" He then let out a low sigh, "Doom...think about what you're doing."
"I am thinking, and you won't stop me." He spotted the guards now all enter the room, all of them getting closer. "Get back!" He grabbed a welding torch and lit it before levitating it at them, ready to fry whoever it touched. Celestia saw this and teleported in front of them before creating a force field, only for the bubble to suddenly fill a volley of sparks.
"Princess!" Grand yelled.
"We're fine," Celestia replied from the bubble. "But if I drop my guard for even a second, the forcefield might break and we'll be in trouble. I'm sorry, but you're on your own."
Grand growled before turning to his son, pulling Grand Slammer out with a slight shake of rage. "Last warning Doom. Stop this...stop this right now!"
Doom shook his head. "Don't you see?! I'm able to keep her back! And the tomb is even more powerful! I...I can protect everypony with this!"
"Its too dangerous son. No pony should have that power."
Grand's response was immediate, the words quickly flowing into Doom's ears. As they did, Doom's eye twitched as rage covered his being, "You...you cowards. If you can't see what I have done, I'll show you how powerful the Thunder Tomb is!" His horn flashed as the orbs began to spark.
"Grand, you must stop him now!" Celestia yelled, her horn now blasting out magic as she increased the power of the shield over her.
It was here that Grand knew what he had to do. With no other choice, Grand raised his Celestic Gear and pointed it at his son. "I'm sorry," was all he could say to him. "Grand Force!" He fired the tornado of rock and dirt at his son, hitting him with tremendous force before the unicorn could even react.
"AAAAAHHHHH!" Doom cried as he felt the rocks slice up his skin, the aura around his horn dissipating. As this happened, Doom lost consciousness, instantly deactivating the Thunder Tomb orbs. Grand rushed over to Celestia and knocked the torch away, allowing her to drop the forcefield as the guards rushed over to Doom. They tied him up and placed an anti-magic ring on his horn as Grand stared down at his son. He looked over the wounds he had given him, knowing they would scar him over.
And in that moment, a piece of Grand Hoof died.
Present...
And now, history repeats itself. Doom was moments away from gaining everything he wanted, while Grand was trying to stop him.
Doom's thoughts were now interrupted by the sound of the doors opening, causing him to turn and see his father step inside. Grand dropped the head of one of the cloaks he had beaten onto the floor, causing a clanking sound to echo throughout the hall. His glare didn't leave his son as he walked to the center of the room.
Doom smirked at this, soon moving so he and his father were perfectly parallel to one another, the smiling son staring down the glaring father. "So....here we are again. How do you want to do this?" There was a flash of light and a broadsword with a red blade and yellow crossguard appeared. "Do we just get to it, or do we chitchat first?"
Grand continued to glare before taking his Celestic Gear of his back and placing it on the ground. "One, I allowed my own grief to overcome me and cause me to neglect my son." Doom raised an eyebrow at this. "Two, I failed to see the darkness beginning to corrupt your soul until it was too late. And three, even when I knew you were up to no good...I didn't stop you until it was too late."
"What are you doing?" Doom asked with a tilt of the head.
"I'm counting up my sins son," Grand replied as a tear went down his face. "And now, I will atone for them by making you atone for what you have done." With that, he pointed at Doom. "Now...count up your sins."
Doom growled at those words. "I always hated that phrase." He swung his sword around himself, "and I won't count them. I have no sins!" He leapt at his father, swing his sword towards the earth pony's head. "I would have kept Equestria safe if you hadn't been a coward and stopped me!"
Grand reacted quickly, grabbing Grand Slammer and holding it up so the handle blocked his son's blade. "It wasn't a matter of us being scared. The power you were creating shouldn't belong to anypony, good or bad."
"We'll just have to agree to disagree," Doom replied before leaping back, his horn lighting as an energy blast shot out. Grand replied by slamming his Celestic Gear on the ground, causing a rock wall to shoot up between himself and Doom's attack. The blast struck the wall, only to blast it into pieces as it sent pieces of rock and dust everywhere.
"Grand Force!" A tornado of pure earth shot out the dust cloud, aimed squarely at Doom. The unicorn's horn immediately summing a forcefield that blocked the attack. As it did this, the dust cleared, their eyes now meeting again.
"Let's end this, shall we?" Doom said as he twirled the blade in his hoof.
"Let's." Grand replied, only for the two to charge at each other a second later.
Meanwhile....
Back outside, the rest of the knights were still making their way to the castle. As they did this, Springer was now riding on Flash's back as he commented, "I can sense Grand. He's in a room half way up the building, and he's not alone. He's fighting another pony, but I don't sense anything else...except something big under them."
"Then we'd better get in there," Skybreaker replied with a slight grimace. "Grand will need all the help he can get with facing Doom."
"Window!" Flash suddenly yelled as he pointed to the pegasi's way in. With that, he shot towards it, only to feel something shock him and Springer as soon as he touched the glass pane.
"YOW!" They both cried as they were zapped, Flash quickly leaping back from the tiny entrance.
Skybreaker couldn't help but crack a smile at the two's statically charged hair before looking back at the castle. "Electrified force field. He's making sure there's only one entrance."
"Great..." Flash grumbled as he landed, "What do we do now?"
"Go through the only entrance. It's are only way in." With that, the Skybreaker landed as well, his hoof now pointing at the castle's main doors. As they did this, the Royal Knights arrived behind them, all of them seeing a barrage of cloaks come out of the doors. Skybreaker sighed at the sight before turning to the other soldiers. "Y'all ready?"
"Ready!" They replied in unison.
"Then lets go!"
The knights charged forwards, the army of cloaks rushing as well as the two forces clashed. Flash, Iron, Ruby and Skybreaker were cutting them in half, while Springer, Heather and Tidal smashed the puppets into pieces. First at the same time was firing a series of Aid Bolts, all to keep the others at full energy.
"Flash/Sky Cutter!" The pegasi launched blades of wind and light, the blades blasting through the crowd.
"Iron Lance Fury!"
Ruby Shot!" The two fired off projectiles, shredding another section of the cloaks.
"Bloom Coil!" Heather wrapped up one of them before swinging it around, knocking down several others. She then let go before whipping it around, smashing another on the head with the mace.
"Tidal Bullets!" A trio of water drops shot towards more cloaks, shattering them as he spun trident, impaling a fourth cloak with a flick of the hoof, "Buen intent."
"Steel Paw!" Springer yelled as he slashed at another cloak, its head flying off. He could still feel the exhaust from the Shade fight, but still kept going. As he did this, he saw the army of cloaks, the knights now seeing that the fight was far from over. That is, till he felt a hoof tap his shoulder.
"Springer!" Ruby told him as she gripped his shoulder. "I've got a plan. Make an Aura Blast and hold it above your head."
Springer turned to her and raised an eyebrow, but did what he was told. As he raised the sphere above his head, he noticed more cloaks rushing towards. "Whatever it is, hurry up."
"Skybreaker!" Ruby yelled as she beheaded another cloak. "Use your wind on the Aura Sphere!"
Skybreaker, like Springer, was confused, but did as he was told. "Sky Vortex!" He unleashed a burst of wind, which flew at the Aura Sphere and began to spin around it. This caught everypony's attention as the wind and aura seemed to merge and change shape. The spinning wind began to flatten and curve until it looked like a large blade, spinning around the Aura Blast. As it did, it released a high pitched humming sound.
Springer looked up at it in amazement, only to hear Ruby yell, "throw it!" Nodding, he turned to the cloaks before throwing the new weapon at them. The attack spun through a whole group, shredding them until nothing could be seen.
"No way," Flash gasped as he took down another cloak before turning to Ruby, "how'd you know how to do that?"
Ruby just giggled. "You're not the first Royal Knight to be partnered with a jakhowl. One with a wind affinity like Skybreaker could easily do that with his partner. They called it the Aura-Shuriken."
"That's awesome!" Flash said as he effortless sliced another cloak.
"Yeah," Springer added as he kicked a cloak that was about to attack Flash. "We totally gotta come up with our own combo move now."
"Focus on that later," Skybreaker grumbled as he decapitated another cloak. "For now, let's finish these things off and go help Grand."
"Right!" the two yelled as they charged at the army of cloaks once more.
Back inside the castle...
"RRRAAAUUUGGGHHHH!!!" Grand roared as he slammed his hammer into the ground, a barrage of rubble soon flying at Doom. The unicorn flared his horn, a forcefield blocking the rocks while his sword swung through the air, slicing every piece of gravel into pieces. The blade then went back to Doom's hoof, the unicorn shooting forward as he tried to slash Grand. And as the sword tried to impale him, Grand quickly deflected it, his hammer immediately smacking Doom's chest.
"Blugh!" Doom yelled as the blow struck, only for his horn to spark as his sword sliced Doom's shoulder with one quick swipe.
"Augh!" Grand cried as he leapt back, trying to get some distance from his son.
"Give it up," Doom told him as he clutched his chest in pain, small pants happening as he continued, "I'm not the same pathetic weak unicorn you defeated with one attack. Since escaping from prison, I've spent every waking moment training myself to match your power. I've master the art of battle, all so I could defeat you when this moment arrived." He levitated his sword back to him, ready to attack once more. "I got stronger, while you grew old and weak."
Grand looked over his wound, a long sigh following. "Its true. I grew older in the time we last fought." He raised his hammer once again, "but thinking that made me weaker...is a dangerous idea!" He then smashed his hammer into the ground again, causing the whole castle to shake.
The vibrations made Doom shudder, his vision soon looking back at the hole where the tomb was. Seeing this, he dropped his sword before focusing his magic, placing a force field around the tomb and its tunnel. However, as he did this, Grand charged, striking the unicorn in the shoulder, causing him to going flying back.
"Aaaahhhh!" he cried as he staggered back, his horn spurting magic now as he wobbled back and forth. Grand then charged again, only for Doom to balance himself this time. Seeing the incoming attack, his horn shot a spell at the solider, the magic tapping Grand's chest as swung his hammer again. The hammer struck Doom's chest, knocking him back even more, only for Grand to suddenly fall.
"Blaugh!" Grand yelled as he felt blood fly out of his mouth. A mighty pain had suddenly erupted in his chest, causing him to cry out as he fell to his knees, now clutching his chest. "What's happening?" He got his answer when he heard his son now laugh, making him look up to see Doom standing once more. "What did you do?"
Doom smiled as he stood tall, rubbing the spot where he had been struck. "Magically linked my body to yours. Now any damage I take will also be given to you." He levitated his sword in front of him once more, "But the same cannot be said with me!" With that, he shot like a bullet at Grand, instantly slashing the stallion's chest. The blow made Grand let out a scream of pain, only for his hoof to quickly uppercut Doom's cheek, knocking the unicorn back. But as the punch struck, a flame burned in Grand's face, causing him to bleed again.
"Uurrgghhh...you gotta be kidding me." Grand moaned as he gripped Grand Slammer again. "If that's how this fight's gonna go, I'll stop you a different way Doom! Now, Grand Prison!" He then slammed the ground with his hammer, a circle of rocks instantly summoning themselves around Doom.
But as these pieces of rubble encased him, Doom's horn shined again. Here, his sword cut through the rocks, slicing them to bits as he leapt out of the circle. "Nice try," he said as he swung his sword, only for Grand's hammer to block it. Their foreheads were inches away from one another as Doom continued, "But you can't stop me without physically harming me father. And you know that'll only harm you as well." He leapt back as his horn continued to glow, a barrage of magical blasts soon firing from the tip. "But I am not restricted by such things!"
Seeing this, Grand summoned another rock wall, only for the blasts to destroy it in an instant. There, he began spinning his hammer, deflecting every laser coming his way as the reflections of the blows started to rip the room apart. As he did this, Doom continued to scream out. "All I ever did, I did to keep those around me safe! But you and Celestia took that away from me, branded me a criminal and sent me away!" Doom screamed as the aura around his horn continued to grow, "But what did you do afterwards?! Did you come to visit me?! Did you look after your grandson like you promised you would?! Did you actually try to help your family?! WELL?!"
"I did all I knew how to do Doom! I-"
"SHUT UP! You didn't do a thing!" Doom yelled as the lasers continued to flood the room, "No! You just ran away from your problems like always! Family doesn't mean a thing to you! All you care about is your little solider life, complete with the little bird brain you picked up off the streets that you decided to focus on instead of your family!"
"Leave Flash out of this!" Grand barked back as he deflected another blast. "He never did anything to you! This is between you and-"
"Oh stop it!" Doom screamed as his blade fell into his hoof, the unicorn now charging as he started to slash away at Grand, "Don't think I don't know what that little brat took away from me! I know the last gift mother made for me was stolen by him!"
Grand's eyes went wide at Doom's statement. "Lightbringer?"
"That's right," Doom replied before leaping back and firing another series of blasts at Grand. "You thought I didn't know that mother left me that. Unlike you, she kept her promises. She understood what it meant to be family. She was better than you, and she left that for me because she knew I deserved it!" Then, a single tear went down Doom's face, "But that doesn't matter, does it? No. Not to a disgusting pony like you. Instead, you threw away mother's greatest creation to a filthy street rat!"
A barrage of smoke flew out of Grand's nostrils as his hammer hit the ground once more, a new defensive wall forming as he replied, "You didn't deserve that Celestic Gear! Live Wire may have created it for you, but your mother would agree with me that the pony you've become is not the pony she made it for!"
Doom's left eye twitched at these words, a new series of blasts flying out of his horn as he asked, "Then why not give it to Lightning who also wanted to be a knight?! Why not take him as your student instead of some idiotic, wisecracking pegasus?!"
Grand felt his defensive wall begin to crumble, only for him to put his hammer into the wall, a stream of magic flowing out of it as it held the incoming attack. "Because unlike you and Lightning, Flash didn't allow the pain of his past to consume him." Images of the boy he had trained raced through his mind. "He has the potential to be a great knight and he needed somepony to show him that. You chose to abandon your dreams of being a knight, and Lightning was on his way to becoming one on his own. Had he stayed on that path, I would have given him the Celestic Gear. But then you did what you did, making Lightning chose to follow your path."
Doom smiled at this. When he had heard what his son had done, he had felt proud at his attempt for power, but also felt shame when he heard of his failure. Doom then shook his head as his horn's aura continued to shine, "And if it hadn't been for your little apprentice, my son would be Equestria's new ruler. Something that I would have been happy to be under." The force of his attack once again increased. "Tell me father, do you have any regrets about what you did to me? Do you regret that I am now a pony worthy of ruling?!" More and more power was funneled into the laser blasts, which grew larger in size but less in number. "Tell me...Tell me...TELL ME!" With that last declaration, his barrage evolved into a single yet powerful beam.
The beam struck the stone wall, the force instantly destroying the shield as it hit Grand directly, "AAAHHH!" He screamed as his body went flying into the wall above the door, the attack continuing to push at him. It was here that Doom stopped his attack, the body of his father instantly falling to the ground with a thud. The unicorn then staggered, a series of heavy pants flying out of his mouth as he glared at his laying father.
"Of course, I...I regret what I did." Grand squeaked out from the floor. There, he started to pick himself up, Doom's eyes squinting at the sight as Grand continued to talk, "But I don't regret stopping you and sending you to prison. What I regret...is everything leading up to that event." His legs gave out and he fell to the floor, only to start dragging himself towards his Celestic Gear, which had fell when the blast had hit him into the wall. "I regret letting my grief keep me from caring for you. I regret not watching you grow up until it was too late. I regret not trying harder to help you when you lost Daisy. I regret...I regret everything."
He finally reached his weapon and picked it up, using it to steady himself as he tried to stand up. "Every night, I went to sleep with those things floating in my head." Tears filled his eyes as he stared at his son. "All I can do now, is to tell you I'm sorry...and beg for your forgiveness."
Doom stared at his father, a tear almost forming under his eye. But as this sight made him hesitate for a second, the unicorn ran up to the earth pony, his hoof grabbing Doom's neck, "I don't want your forgiveness, you old geezer."
"Then what do you want son?" Grand asked, his tear-filled eyes now staring right into Doom's.
"I want a world where a colt doesn't lose a mother because of some two-bit idiot who doesn't know what he's doing. I want a world where a pony doesn't lose the love of their life because of a punk on the streets. I want a world where a son doesn't lose his inheritance to insignificant gutter filth that has no right to even exist, let alone be a smear on my hoof." he hissed as he put his blade up to Doom's neck, "But more than anything at all, I want my revenge against you."
Grand felt his heart break hearing his son say those words, only for the fur in his neck now feel the steel just about to graze him. "This is the end. Goodbye...father."
And as that blade started to move, Grand closed his eyes, waiting for that final moment. But as he readied himself, his ears heard a new sound.
"BACK OFF!" yelled an orange blur as it flew into the room. Doom instantly felt a punch to the face, the blow knocking him back as he skidded across the floor from the attack.
"Blaugh!" Doom yelped as he quickly recovered, only for his eyes to go wide as he saw the orange blur completely. It was Grand's pupil, the pegasi now helping up the earth pony.
"Grand!" Doom then saw the rest of the Royal Knights rush inside, Heather and First rushing to Grand's side as First took Grand away from Flash as Heather asked, "Are you okay?!"
"This is what happens when you go off on your own," Skybreaker told him as he, Ruby, Iron and Tidal stood beside Flash while Springer jumped onto Flash's back.
Grand let out a low, painful sigh. "I'm...sorry."
"Save it," Skybreaker told him as he twirled his weapon in his hoof. "We'll talk about it after we finish the job."
Doom on the other hoof, just stared at the sight before glancing at Flash. The pegasi had now just unsheathed his weapon, only for Doom's eyes to twitch at the sight. He then took his own sword and pointed it at Flash, "That Celestic Gear. It belongs to me."
Flash raised an eyebrow at this before shrugging, his hoof quickly giving a 'come on' motion. "Come get it!" With that, he leapt forward, the duo's blades both clashed, only for Doom to push is blade forward, knocking Flash slightly back. Feeling Doom's strength, Flash quickly leapt back, gaining some distance. Seeing this, Doom readied to charge forward, only to see Ruby and Skybreaker charging him. His horn quickly summoned a forcefield before they could react as a series of voices yelled out.
"Iron Lance Fury!"
"Tidal Bullets!" The projectiles flew and bounced off the shield. The blows weren't enough to remotely break it, but Doom could feel his magic waver. He had been fighting too long, causing him to bite his lip as a frown embraced his face. His horn then flashed, his form vanishing along with the forcefield.
"Where'd he go?" Tidal asked.
"He must have teleported," Ruby added.
"So he ran away?" Iron asked.
"No," Grand said from where he was resting. "He wouldn't just leave without the Omni Sphere."
"So he's here somewhere," Skybreaker commented as he put his axe over his shoulder. But as he did this, he felt something coming, making him quickly raise his weapon, only for something to slam into it. "Whoa! What was that?!"
Heather's eyes narrowed at this, her brain quickly lighting a light bulb. "Its an invisibility spell!"
Hearing this, Flash turned to his partner, "Springer, can you sense him?"
The jakhowl quickly nodded before closing his eyes, "I'll try. Let's see...there!" He yelled as he pointed to a corner.
"Flash/Iron Force!" The two yelled as their attack flew towards the spot Springer had pointed out, but the aura signature quickly disappeared.
"Now there!" Springer pointed to another spot in the room.
"Sky Cutter!"
"Ruby Shot!" Again the two attacks were launched, only to miss as the aura once again vanished.
"Tidal, behind you!" Tidal spun around, just in time to block something with his trident.
"Give it up!" The sea fairing unicorn told his opponent.
In that moment, Heather tossed her Flower Chain at the spot in front of Tidal. When she felt it wrap around something, she flicked it, tossing the invisible object into the air. They all watched as Doom returned to being visible before aiming their weapons at him.
"Flash/Iron/Sky/Ruby/Tidal...FORCE!" The five attacks flew at Doom, who saw them coming as his eyes went wide.
KABOOM!
The lot of them all stared at the explosion, only for Springer to leap off Flash's back. "Not yet!" Springer yelled as he ran to another part of the room, a flash of light consuming him as he transformed into his battle form. "Steel Paw!"
However, despite the jakhowl's attempt to strike, Doom saw the incoming attack and raised his sword. The blade caught the claws, causing Springer's body to vibrate from the impact. As he did this, Doom's horn flashed, a beam following the spark as it knocked Springer back into Flash. "Augh!"
"Hang on bud!" Flash yelled as he grabbed his partner, the jakhowl now reverting back to his normal form.
"Sorry." Springer moaned as he felt Flash's wings, his hooves soon putting the dog onto the pegasi's back.
"It's fine bud," Flash told him as he pointed his sword at Doom. "Just stay on my back and tell us where he is if he goes invisible again."
"Got it." Springer replied, nodding.
It was here that Doom slightly backpedaled, his form now fully visible as all the knights stared him down. He knew he was outnumbered and outgunned, but a long sigh escaped his lips as his horn began to spark once more. That is, till Grand pointed his weapon at his son. "Its over Doom. Stop this before it goes too far."
Doom simply shook his head with a smile in response. "Not a chance. I'll never stop."
And as these words were said, the ground shook. Then, from out of the hole behind Doom, a brilliant light exploded into view. The sight made everyone cover their eyes, Flash yelled, "What the heck?! What's that?!"
"The seal," Doom replied as he turned around. "Its finally broken." He looked over his shoulder at the knights, his horn glowing as a sudden flare of magic burst out. The flash was followed by a brilliant display of light, all which surrounded the knights and Springer. Before any of them could react, the light died down and the knights saw what Doom had just done. Around their necks, legs, stomachs and the pegasi's wings, were the strange bands Doom had had the cloaks bring.
"What in the world?" First asked as he tried to move his legs.
"Oh no." Grand gasped as he tried to move, only for the rings to activate. Simultaneously, all nine of them suddenly felt themselves being pulled into the floor. The bands made them feel like they weighed a hundred times what they should do, the force now pinning them to the ground.
"Augh!" Ruby yelped as she felt her face kiss the floor. "What...what are these things?!"
"Gravity bands," Grand replied as he tried to lift his head, only for his face to feel another round of destroyed carpet. "Doom, you-"
Doom just laughed at the sight. "HA! I can't believe that worked!" The unicorn's horn continued to glow as another band levitated to his side, "These are gravity bands. They're one of my earliest inventions, and they're quite useful in certain circumstances. These special bands have increased gravity spells enchanted into the metal, and once they're activated, they increase in weight just enough so you aren't crushed, but still unable to move."
As his explanation ended, the knights felt the truth to his words sink in. They couldn't move an inch, even the earth ponies with their extra strength. Seeing this, Doom continued, "Originally, I had over ideas for them. But...while you're here, I might as well use them on you." Doom laughed at turned back to the hole, his horn glowing as he began to levitate the unsealed tomb out of the pit.
All the others could do was watch as the tomb flew out of the pit. It was a large six sided cube, roughly fifteen feet on each side. It appeared to be made out of a black stone with many different patterns and designs etched into it. Doom then put it on the floor, his horn now glowing as he placed his forehead on the box. "Finally...I can feel its power. I'm so close now." His horn once again flashed as he started muttering in a strange language that no one else understood. And as soon as the last bizarre word left his mouth, the patterns on the tomb began to glow a deep red. In that moment, clicking sounds could be heard from within.
Doom turned back to the knights with a huge grin on his face. "The internal locking mechanism has begun to unlock. Once its open in the next few minutes, the final piece of the Omni Sphere will be mine. But first..." The unicorn started to slowly walk over to them, his magic now enveloping Lightbringer before putting it in his hooves. "I should get rid of the only things that will try to stop me."
It was here that a long sigh exited Doom's mouth, his eyes scanning the sword. "Hmmm....it is a magnificent blade. A true weapon. This sword really is my mother's masterpiece." Doom then walked up to Flash, leaning down to where they were both at eye level as Doom levitated the blade of to the bottom of Flash's snout. "Tell me little bird, did my father tell you the story behind this blade? Did he tell you that it was meant for me if I went down the road of a knight?"
Flash didn't reply. He just stared at Doom, not a single flicker of emotion on his face. Seeing this, Doom just shook his head, "I'm guessing he didn't. Its too bad, especially considering he should have given it to my son. He was much more worthy of this blade, probably even more than me. My son was no scientist, but he was a true fighter." He then traced the blade along Flash's snout, making sure not to cut it as he continued, "But Grand didn't give it to him. He gave it to you. Lightning told me about you back when I lost Daisy. He said you were a pathetic street rat that Grand took pity on because he didn't care about me or his grandson."
"That's not true Doom! You know its not!" Grand yelled, only to fall on deaf ears as Doom and Flash continued to stare at each other.
As the staredown continued, Flash still not showing a single emotion, Doom decided to finish his rant. "My son was right. Your existence is nothing but a sin to this family. To that extent, I'm going to kill you first before killing the rest of you pathetic knights." Doom's face shined a huge evil grin, "And I'll save Grand for last."
"Don't do this Doom!" Grand cried out while everypony else tried to struggle against the gravity bands. But it was pointless, none of them could move as Doom gripped the blade into his hoof.
That is, till Doom noticed something. Flash was still staring at him, not a single emotion on his face. The sight made Doom raise an eyebrow as he asked, "What's the matter with you? Aren't you scared?"
Flash's face didn't change as he replied, "I'm terrified." His glare then hardened, anger now showing in his eyes, "but I refuse to give you the joy of seeing it."
Doom growled at the statement, his other hoof gripping Flash's mane as a series of hisses left his mouth, "Oh really?! If that's the case..." Then, Doom's face switched to a grin as he said, "I guess I can live without seeing it."
With that, he thrust the blade forwards.
"FLASH!" Everypony screamed as time seemed to slow down, Flash watching his own Celestic Gear get closer and closer. The defender just stared at the incoming blade, unable to even blink as the approaching sword. And as it readied itself to strike his head-
KA-THOOM!
The sound of thunder covered the room, a flash light blinding everyone, including Doom. The light made the unicorn step back, only for his fur to suddenly start tingling as he felt static electricity fill the air. Everyone had closed their eyes due to the light, but as Doom opened his, the blade in his magic fell to the floor.
Then, a voice spoke out, "Geez lousie, how many times do I gotta save your sorry flank, Sen-turd-y?!"
Flash's eyes flew open at this, his eyes soon going wide along with the other knights. The sight made the others all gasp, all of them lifting their heads up as a new pony appeared in the room. Flash instantly recognized the cloak the pony was wearing, connecting it to the cloaked pony he had saw when they arrived on the island. Only now, the hood was down, revealing a yellow unicorn with a white spiky mane and headphones around his neck.
"Lightning..." Flash whispered.
Lightning Blitz now stood between Flash and his father, his father now standing still in complete shock of the sight. However, unlike his father, Lightning just smirked at the sight as he asked, "Long time, no see pops. How you been? "