The day passed as the two guards prepared a raiding party while Live worked on a way to keep them from getting caught. And the party drew near, they found the event was taking place in a newer area of the city, with the building itself being only a few weeks old. In one of the buildings across the street, Doom and Grand were watching from a window.
"That's the place," Grand whispered.
"Doesn't look much like a villain's secret headquarters," Doom pointed out. "Though I guess that's kind of the point. Maybe they just want to do another Cutie Marker advertising spree." He then squinted into the binoculars, "Wonder who's on the guest list for this?"
"We'll have to wait and find out," Grand replied, "But we'll have to wait until later to show up. Being one of the first arrivals will draw to much attention." Doom nodded back as Grand moved over to a radio. "All squads, check in."
"Squad one, check."
"Squad two, check."
"Squad three, check."
"Squad four, check."
"Good. Be ready to act once the signal's been given." He then returned to the window, staring through the binoculars as he saw somepony walk out of the building to talk to the bouncers. Grand readjusted the lens as he saw the pony, now seeing it was the pink unicorn he had seen at the theater the previous night. "No way."
"What?"
Grand gave him the binoculars, "The mare talking to the bouncer. She was at the theater last night."
"Really?" Doom's eyes narrowed at this. "Doesn't look familiar..."
"She was leaving when we got there, but it's definitely her." He watched her give some commands to the bouncers before heading inside, "It can't be a coincidence."
"I think you're right. She's about the same body size."
"For what?"
"To fit in Technica's suit."
Grand's eyes went wide at this, now noticing her body shape before saying, "You're right. I know I'm jumping to conclusions, but it makes too much sense. She has to be Technica."
Doom nodded and moved away from the window, opening a metal case and taking out a bunch of camera equipment, "If she shows up again, I'll snap a picture of her and we'll be able to figure out who she is."
Grand nodded and continued to stare through the binoculars. Ten minutes after the time on the invite, the first guest arrived. It was an earth pony stallion and pegasus mare, dressed up in impressive clothing as they made their way toward the door. Doom took a picture of them as the earth pony took out a pair of invites, the bouncer hitting it with magic before nodding. The pair walked inside right as a quartet of ponies arrived and did the same thing.
This went on for an hour or so, with pony after pony arriving, flashing their invites, and being let in. Doom made sure to take pictures of each pony that headed into the building while Grand kept in contact with the squads, asking them if any spotted anything out of the ordinary. That is, till something caught Doom's attention.
"Grand!" The earth pony turned to him, "I just saw something you're not gonna believe."
"What?" He gave Grand a photo, the earth pony blinking at it before going wide-eyed, "That's...Center Stage?"
The pony on the photo was the obnoxious unicorn, dressed up like all the other guests and waving an invite in front of the bouncers. "You don't think..." Doom didn't finish the sentence as Grand gave him back the photo.
"Center...is Bomber," Grand finished for him. "It makes sense. Bomber was after Remarie, meaning he had a bone to pick with her. And who did Remarie insult the moment before he showed up?"
"Center Stage," Doom replied.
"Exactly," Grand nodded. "It all fits."
"What all fits?" They turned to the voice, now seeing Live Wire as she trotted up to the pile of photos next to them. "Are these all the ponies in there?"
"Yup. And look who we just spotted." He passed her the picture, Live looking it over before raising an eyebrow.
"I don't know who this is." The stallions anime fell at hearing this as she added, "But I'm assuming you know them."
"It's Center Stage," Grand replied as he took back the photo. "And we're positive he's Bomber, and we think we know who Technica is behind that mask."
"So then let's get in there and arrest them," Live responded.
"Not yet," Doom added as he returned to taking photos. "Even if we catch them, we still have no idea who the mastermind behind the Cutie Markers are. It's possible they might reveal themselves at the party."
"Which is why we need to be in there," Grand sighed, "So I hope you got those disguises ready." Live just smirked before taking two objects out of her saddlebag. It was a black tie and a necklace with a gem on the front. "Put this on." She threw the tie to him, Grand catching it and putting it around his neck. Live put the necklace on and when she did, the pair were suddenly consumed by light.
"Whoa!" Doom yelped, flinching for a second until the light vanished. When he opened his eyes, he was now looking at two entirely different ponies. Grand was now green with a blue mane and tail while Live was rouge colored with a yellow mane and tail. Grand's cutie mark was now a pair of tap shoes while Live's was a flower pot. Grand was also wearing a suit and vest that went with his black tie while Live was wearing a silver sequin dress. "Whoa," Doom let out a whisper, "You two look great."
Grand glanced down at himself, "What in the...how'd you do this?"
Live chuckled back as she held up her necklace, "Rune magic. A few ancient symbols charged with magic can do just about anything. Including putting a glamour charge on us."
"Huh." Grand responded while clapping his hooves, "Talk about a useful type of magic. They shouldn't recognise either of us now."
"Exactly," Live nodded before turning to Doom and giving him a walkie talkie. "This is connected to a one way radio in the tie. When you hear Grand give the signal, you and your units go in." Doom nodded and took it before she pulled out their invites, "Now let's get going."
Doom then held up a hoof. "Isn't it gonna look suspicious if you two step outside and cross the street in full view. This building isn't supposed to be inhabited." Live smiled at this and grabbed Grand in her magic, pulling him close.
"Later." With that, they vanished in a flash of light. Doom blinked at this, only to look back out at the window.
"Good luck you two..."
In an alleyway two streets over, the pair suddenly appeared, Grand then heeling over as he put his hoof over his mouth. Live giggled as she patted his back, "Sorry about that. Teleportation takes some getting used to." Grand took a few deep breath at this, shaking his head before getting back up. A minute later, the pair headed out of the alleyway, glancing around before going up to the building.
They got behind a group of ponies giving tickets to the bouncers, walking up next as they held up their tickets. The bouncers fired a blast from their horns, hitting the bar-code on the ticket, which vanished before they nodded at the duo, "Alright, you're clear."
"Thank you," Live replied before slinging her hoof into Grand's. "Come along, dear." Grand nodded back, both slowly walking in as Live winked at the bouncer. But as they entered, the bouncer took out a walkie talkie.
"Boss, I just scanned the tickets you told me to be on the look out for. They were in the possession of a green earth pony stallion and a red unicorn mare."
"Understood. Keep an eye out for anything out of the ordinary. I doubt they came alone."
"You got it boss."
Grand and Live walked through the building, following the arrows posted to the walls. "We need to be careful," Grand whispered, "If most of these ponies have Cutie Markers, this could violent very quickly."
Live nodded. "I still have the Celestic Gear on me. You know, in case you suddenly find yourself needing a helping hoof."
But as those words entered Grand's ears, he let out a huff, "I don't need that. I don't-"
"Deserve it?" Live interrupted, making Grand glare at her, "You know, Princess Celestia told me she wanted to give you the title a long time before this."
"I still don't need it." Grand grumbled as he looked away, "You should give that thing to Doom. He's more worthy of being a knight than I am."
Live giggled at that, "Celestia's in agreement with you there." He turned back to her with wide eyes, "The both of you have been selected to become knights. But Doom is gonna have to wait a little while."
"What?! Why?!"
"Do you have any idea how much magic is required to make a Celestic Gear?" Live asked as they arrived at a doorway leading into the party, a muffled beat coming from it. "If Celestia tried to generate all the magic needed, she would be completely drained and unable to accomplish her duties in raising the sun and moon. The process to safely make a Celestia Gear requires a month of charging a specially made conduit with the required alicorn magic."
Grand's brain slowly caught up to the information, "So...when this conduit thing is charged, you'll be able to make the Celestic Gear for Doom?" Live nodded back. "Well like I said, I'll save you time and tell you to give Doom the gear when this is over."
Live opened her mouth at this, only for Grand to push the door open, music now blasting into their eardrums. Live's next words were muffled by the sound, the two stepping in to see the was more like a club than a fancy Centerlot party. It was dimly lit, yet packed with well-dressed ponies along with others who were carrying trays of food. There was a stage at the back of the room, several windows several feet up that were different stained colors.
"So many ponies," Live whispered before taking a pair of drinks of a tray, "To think so many of these ponies would want a different cutie mark."
"It's possible they're not planning to buy anything," Grand pointed out. "Many are probably curious about whether or not Cutie Markers even exist. But we need to be ready to act if any want to escape." As he said that, he spotted a certain pony, "There he is."
"Who?"
"Center Stage," Grand pointed at the pony, who was leaning against a back wall near the stage, sipping his drink and glaring at anypony that got too close. "I bet he was invited to show off his bomber powers."
"We don't know that for sure," Live chimed in, "But you're right that it's weird for him to be here. If he's supposed to be a well known actor, then being seen at a secret party selling illegal merchandise wouldn't be a good idea. Even if we weren't here, if one of these ponies gets arrested, they could easily state that he was here under interrogation."
"I just wanna catch him red hoofed," Grand added, "If I can catch him using the Cutie Marker, or grab him while he's dressed up and pull off his mask, I'll have him dead to rights."
"Well just be careful," Live sighed. "From what I was told, the only reason he didn't kill you last night was because the effects of his Cutie Marker ran out. You might not get so lucky this time."
Grand glared at her for a second, only to growl as he glanced away, looking around at the place. He found very quickly that most around them seemed to be more the average pony, no Canterlot nobles in the audience. Live commented on it as well, stating it was probably why they were invited.
"Guess having a new cutie mark could change your standing." Grand grumbled as the two sat down at a table.
"Perhaps." Live replied, only for the room to suddenly go dark. They glanced up at this, seeing that lights were going through the stained windows and onto a stage that was now dazzled with colors.
It was here that Grand saw the unicorn mare he had spotted at the theater and talking to the bouncers. "Welcome!" She exclaimed through a microphone headset. "I hope you're all enjoying this wonderful party." Many of the crowd cheered, most having had a few to many drinks since arriving. "I'm glad. But of course, simply having a good time isn't why you all came here, is it? No, you came because you want to change your destiny."
Again, the crowd cheered as Live whispered, "Here we go. The big speech about the world being unfair and locking us into a single destiny."
"The world is unfair," the mare on stage announced, "It forces us on a single route in life at an age where we don't truly know who we are or what we want in life. It locks us into a single destiny before we have a chance to realize if that destiny is what we truly want." She turned to show off her cutie mark. "My mother always had me help make the pies she sold at a bakery. Every day I would help her bake them, putting the right amount of flower and sugar into the mixture. Eventually, I got so good at it that I could magically do it on my own without even looking."
Her words drifted into Grand's ears before turning back to where Center was. But when his eyes locked onto the wall, they went wide as he saw Center Stage had vanished. "What?" He whispered as he glanced around as the mare on stage continued.
"Then I got my cutie mark and thought working at the bakery was my destiny. But when I became a teenager, I discovered the amazing world of technology. I became intrigued by how these miracles of science worked. I could have spent my whole life playing with them and trying to make my own...only to realize...I couldn't." She showed them her cutie mark again, "Because of this!"
Back in the building across the street, Doom was listening through the radio in the tie.
"Come on," he grumbled while tapping his hoof, "Give Grand a reason to say the signal." Despite the gripping danger his friends might be in, he was also shaking with excitement as he remembered what he had heard about his future knighting. "To think I'm also ready for knighting...I wonder what weapon I'll get." He then smacked his forehead, "Augh! Stop it! Focus!"
"Lieutenant," the other radio spoke, "Waiting for progress report."
Doom grabbed the radio, "All squads, remain on alert. The targets are just about to make their move. Get ready."
"ROGER!" Multiple voices replied before switching off, making Doom stare back at the building.
"Come on...make your move."
"I thought my whole life would be spent making pies and pastries all because I was forced to help my parents when I was younger. But then, I discovered that there was a way to change my destiny."
"This is it..." Live whispered to Grand.
The mare took out a familiar looking tube, the same markings on it that were on the purple suit. "Behold, the future of pony kind! The Cutie Marker!" With that, she placed the tube against her neck and pushed the plunger down.
"Technology!" It hissed out as the mare's entire body was consumed by a bright light that wrapped around the mare and solidified into the purple suit with metal gadgets and bat mask.
Technica then spread her mechanical bat-wings. "The Cutie Marker! This extraordinary device allows anypony that uses it to change their cutie mark and grant them powers beyond their wildest dreams!" Several ponies came out holding metal cases and opened them up, showing the tubes inside to the audience. "Ever wanted to be able to swim faster than the fastest fish? Ever wanted to be able to create fabulous clothes out of nothing but random pieces of fabric and your own imagination? Heck, you might even want my natural cutie mark. Well with these, you can."
The ponies shut the cases and headed off stage, Live's eyes following them. "Maybe I should follow them and see where they're keeping those things."
"Can you do it without being spotted?" Grand asked, Live about to answer before Technica began to speak up again.
"As you've obviously noticed," Technica gestured to her own suit. "The Cutie Markers even deck you out in special suits that allow you to use your new cutie marks to their best ability. This is an additional extra that can be added for a slight charge. But if you don't want to go around wearing something like this, you can simply get the base model and enjoy all its amazing privileges. But I know what you're asking? Why should you take my word for it?" The crowd nodded, as more ponies stepped onto the stage. "Well, you don't have to. Instead, take the word of ponies that have actually used them and see their amazing abilities for yourself."
The ponies walked up and took out a Cutie Marker, pushing them against their necks before pressing down the plungers.
"Kung-Fu!"
"Shift!"
"Kung-Fu!"
"Gemini!"
"Kung-Fu!"
"Kinetic!"
"Kung-Fu!"
The crowd watched as those on stage began to change. The ones that used the Kung-Fu Markers were enveloped by light and suddenly transformed into black ninja style gi while the others turned to show off their newly transformed cutie marks.
"What's with all the kung-fu users?" Grand asked, remembering Big Score didn't have such a get-up when he used his.
"I'm guessing that's a commonly sold Marker...or just really easy to make compared to the others." Live commented, "Though I don't think I've met a single stallion who didn't want to be a ninja when they were young. My brothers certainly used to play it a lot."
Grand nodded back as the Cutie Marker users began to show off their skills. The ninja ponies started fighting one another, showing incredible fighting skills. As for the others, one pony suddenly phased through the floor of the stage like a ghost, while another suddenly split in two. Another moved over to one of the ninja ponies and asked them to punch him, the ninja throwing a punch into his chest...only for the spot on his chest to glow. Technica then threw a disk at this, the light now moving from the pony's chest into his hoof before thrusting it, allowing the light to stream out and shatter the disk. A moment later, the pony that had phased through the floor flew out of the ground. They did several flips through the air before diving back into the ground, phasing through it and disappearing again.
The crowd were gasping at the sight, now watching the gemini user do several tricks with their clones like making different shapes and structures out of themselves. However, Grand and Live just frowned at the sight, Grand turning to Live, "Moving through walls...which could mean bank vaults. Having the ability to become an entire army as a single pony and making you able to counter anything..." He crossed his hooves at this, "Just one of these could cause serious havoc if they fell into the wrong hooves."
"Agreed." Live sighed while nodding, "We need to stop this before it gets too out of hoof. Ready to send the signal?"
Grand reached for his tie, only to remember Center still hadn't shown up. He bit his lip as he said, "Not yet. We need to catch them all and Center hasn't shown himself off yet."
"Oh yeah." Live replied, "Where is he?"
As she asked this, Technica gestured to the audience, "Let's give our performers a big round of applause!" The ponies all gave a bow, the crowd clapping as Technica continued, "But we still have one performer left to show off his skills. The first pony to ever buy a Cutie Marker in Canterlot and a most talented user."
The ponies all jumped off stage as someone leapt down from above. Grand's eyes went wide as he watched a familiar figure fly down before firing a blast of purple magic, a small explosion appearing as it caused a shockwave. The blow almost knocked everypony off their hooves as he created an air cushion that allowed him to safely land. Bomber had now took center stage.
Grand growled before taking one final look around the room, "He's not here. It has to be him." Grand then watched as the costumed pony glanced around the room, the mask making it impossible to tell what kind of face they were making, but Grand could tell from his body-language that he seemed annoyed at something.
Bomber and Technica shared a glance with one another before Technica nodded, Bomber then turning to the crowd and pulling a jar of glitter out and taking off the cap. He threw clouds of it upward before firing his magic at it, causing the glitter to explode and create sparkly fireworks. Technica then threw several disks, the pony raising his gauntlets and pointing at the disks as his horn began to glow. The gauntlets did the same, holes opening up on the L-shaped handles. Light escaped from those holes and suddenly shot concentrated beams of explosion magic out of them, hitting the disks and completely destroying them.
The crowd cheered at the sight, Technica then saying, "At this point, we would offer to allow you to taste the power of the Cutie Markers yourself. But alas, that part will have to wait. Because certain ignorant ponies believe that we shouldn't have a choice in what our destinies should be." As she said that, her horn glowed as her eyes shot a glare at Grand and Live's direction. "They're unjustly attempting to stop progress and make these miraculous devices illegal."
It was here that the pair noticed a light below them, making them look down and see the tie and necklace glowing the same color as her magic. Before either of them could do anything, she ripped them off the pair and they were both reverted back to normal.
"YOU!" Bomber roared as he got into a battle stance.
Grand and Live stood back to back as the ponies around them backpedaled, the pair soon surrounded by a circle of ponies staring at them, Grand then whispering, "You know how to fight, right?"
"A little," she replied, "I'm pretty good with electrical magic."
"Look at the poor fools!" Technica exclaimed, "Underlings of Celestia, ordered to squash anypony that attempts to improve their standing in life! Just another example of the higher ups trying to put the common pony down."
"She's lying to you!" Live yelled at the ponies glaring at them, "Those Cutie Markers aren't what they seem! They'll turn whoever uses them into psychotic addicts!"
"She's right!" Grand continued, "Use it just once and you'll start to lose everything. All you'll care about is the power it gives you."
He turned to Technica as she growled at them, only to see some ponies now staring at her, "Now hang on there," she raised a hoof, "There may be a few...side-effects, but those are only temporary. With enough backing and research, we'll be able to create Cutie Markers with absolutely no drawbacks."
Live glared back at her, "But until then, you're happy selling those incomplete disasters to anypony that's naive enough to fall into your trap."
"Eh, that's just business," Technica shrugged.
"Well your business is shut down," Grand replied, "Everypony here in possession of a Cutie Marker is under arrest!"
But as he said this, Bomber pointed one of his gauntlets at him while the ninjas leap over the crowd. The pair stared at the ponies, only for the stain glass windows above them to shatter, several pegasi and a few earth ponies and unicorns flew into the room. "Royal Guards!" Doom's voice echoed as he flew in and landed while the doors opened as more guards ran in. "You're all under arrest!"
The ponies in the crowd began to scream as Technica and Bomber hissed at the sight, "I don't think so!" Bomber then fired several magic blasts at the ground, causing a series of mini-explosions. Dust filled the air, causing the crowd to break out into a frenzy, trying to escape while the guards were all pushed back by the sudden panic.
"Attack!" Technica screeched, the ninjas charging at the guards with a series of spin-kicks and punches. But as one tried to strike Grand, he just grabbed the pony's hoof before slamming his into the pony's stomach, instantly knocking the pony out. This was followed by tackling another ninja pony before throwing him at Grand, the earth pony clotheslining the pony into submission. A third pony then leapt from behind Grand, only for a surge of lightning to zap the pony, making him fly over the earth pony.
Grand turned to see Live tazing two more ponies, only to glance back at where Bomber was...only to see nothing. "Center's getting away!" Grand yelled, only to duck under to two ninja punches before grabbing their heads and slamming them together.
Doom began to spin on the spot, morning into a tiny tornado that he used to knock some ninjas down like bowling pins. "That's right!" He cheered, "Now you know not to mess with us!" He turned to the still panicking crowd, seeing several trying to escape. "Anypony that flees without making a statement will be prosecuted! And we have photos of everypony that's here, so we will find you and bring you in!" This statement caused many of the ponies to stop, the guards at the door now stopping the rest.
Meanwhile, Technica watched as several guards tried to grab her. But before they could, her suit's chest piece opened up and several long metal cords extended out, all with metal prongs on the ends that were sparking with lightning. She thrust them and stabbed the guards, electrocuting them just as Grand turned to her.
"That's it! This show is over!" He roared before charging at her, "You're telling us who's supplying these Cutie Markers!" But just as he leapt at her, Technica's metal wings extended as she took to the air before firing a cable. This one snagged onto Grand's front hoof, grabbing him instantly, "WHOA!" He yelped as the cord yanked him upward, only to spin him around.
"Grand!" Live gasped as the guard was swung through the area, the guards now looking up at this as some tried to hit the cable with magic.
But as they did this, Technica then turned to one of the windows. "Gyah!" Grand yelled as he felt himself being pulled through the glass, the pair crashing through it.
"Oh nuts!" Doom yelped as he flared his wings to fly after him, only for Live to suddenly tackle him. Before he could ask what she was doing, the pair vanished in a flash of light. The next thing Doom knew, they were back outside the building. "Err..." he groaned and put his hoof on his mouth.
"Come on!" Live exclaimed as he sucked his stomach back in, Doom pushing himself up as he unsteadily followed after her.
Grand grunted as he found himself now just being pulled rather than spun, his hoof grabbing the cable as he had got some balance back. But as he did this, Technica saw a nearby construction site and released the cable, making Grand fall into a pile of sand. "Oof!" he moaned as he rolled along the ground, only to stop as Technica landed on the arm of an excavator.
"You made a mistake trying to get in the way of my business," she hissed, "Now you'll suffer a terrible fate."
"You're not taking me down," Grand told her as he pushed himself up. "I won't let you get away with this. Selling these dangerous devices to ponies that don't know any better...you're just a filthy criminal drug dealer!"
"All I'm doing is helping them become the ponies they were always meant to be," Technica replied. "Right, Bomber?!"
Grand raised an eyebrow at this, only for several magic beams to hit the ground around him. He quickly leapt back just as explosions consumed the area, getting just out of the range as he looked up and saw the costumed unicorn step out of the darkness. "Center..."
Bomber didn't seem to hear this, instead walking up to the excavator Technica stood on. "You should have stayed out of this."
As he said this, Technica's horn glowed before the sound of engines filled the air. Grand turned to see multiple types of heavy machinery now activate, their lights switching on as the vehicles began to roll toward him. A backhoe loader pointed its scoop at him and tried to run him over, Grand sidestepping before having to leap to the side just as a bulldozer charge at him. He found himself landing in its scoop, the bulldozer picking up speed before instantly stopping, Grand being thrown from the device next. As this happened, Grand spins in the air before landing on his hooves, skidding on the ground just as a skid-steer loader rolls up and tries to impale him with its drill. Seeing this, Grand rolls out of the way, only for an explosion to set off under him.
"Augh!" he yelped as explosions covered him, his body getting flung over to the excavator.
Technica hysterically laughed at this, "Good job Bomber." Her horn flared again as the machine turned on, "Now, time to end this!"
She took to the air as the machine rolled forward, Grand seeing this as he lifted both his hooves as the machine's arm slammed the shovel down on him. "AUGH!" he yelped as the shovel pressed into him, gritting his teeth as he tried to push it back.
"Ahahaha!" Technica guffawed, "Now, you will suffer for-"
"Grand!" a sudden voice yelled, making the three turn to the entrance of the site, now seeing Live and Doom, "Hang on!" Doom then body checked Technica off the machine, only for Bomber to fire a spell at his side, knocking him back. "Gyah!"
"Grand!" Live gasped as she saw the vehicle still crushing Grand, only for Technica's magic to take it over again. Two vehicles rolled in front of her, blocking her as she heard Grand groan under the machine's weight. "Um..." she stammered, her eyes glancing between the vehicles and the criminals.
"AUGH!" Grand cried again, his body giving out as his head fell back.
She watched the shovel lift itself up, preparing to slam down on him, only for her to take out a wooden box in her magic, "GRAND!" The earth pony turned to her, just in time to see her throw something, "CATCH!"
Grand's vision was blurry, unable to see it as the object fell beside him. Reaching out his hoof, his skin making contact with it...only to go wide-eyed. The entire building site was then filled with a super bright light, blinding everypony.
And when the light dimmed, they turned to Grand and saw the shovel being held in place as Grand held up a new weapon. It was a rectangular hammer with a thirty centimeter handle that had a strap on the end of it. He was holding it up in both hooves, blocking the shovel as the weapon's energy flowed through him.
Grand stared at the weapon he had just bonded with, sighing before pulling his hooves back and then thrusting them forward, "RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" He smashed the shovel as hard as he could, the whole excavator sent hurtling into the air before crashing down and exploding.
Everypony flinched at this, but kept their eyes on the fireball as Grand calmly walked through the flames without a care in the world. Technica quickly got the machines to turn their attention on him, only for Grand to wrap his hoof around the hammer's strap and swung it around. It picked up speed, and once it did, he swung it down.
BOOM!
The ground shook at this, unleashing a tremor so powerful that it threw everything not nailed down into the air. This included the vehicles, all falling over as Grand stood back up while spinning the hammer in his hoof.
"Alright..." Doom muttered as he glanced down at the weapon.
"That's it!" Technica exclaimed, making him look back up at her, "No more holding back! GET HIM!"
Grand raised an eyebrow at this, only for a sound to ring out. "Kung-Fu!" One of the ninja looking ponies leapt out of the darkness, this one appearing to be an earth pony. "Kung-Fu!" Another one did the same, this one being a pegasus. "Kung-Fu/Kung-Fu/Kung-Fu/Kung-Fu/Kung-Fu/Kung-Fu/Kung-Fu!" Again and again the sound filled the air, more than twenty ninja ponies of different species now appearing.
"You've gotta be kidding me," Grand sighed as the ninjas surrounded him. "This is how you're gonna take us down?"
"You were barely able to defeat one pony with this cutie mark," Technica cackled, "How do you intend to beat this many?"
"You obviously weren't watching in your little club. I beat these without even trying." And as he said that, one pony charged behind him, only for Grand to slam his hoof into the pony's face without even looking at him. The pony fell over instantly, the others then leaping at him. He swung the hammer horizontally, knocking away three while another ninja ducked under the weapon before trying to kick Grand in the face. The solider blocked it with the staff of the hammer, only for two more ninjas to charge at him, which he spun around and knocked them back with the end of his new weapon.
But as he did this, a stray beam from a unicorn hit his face, knocking him back. "Augh!" Grand yelped before another ninja tackled him, both rolling on the ground before Grand kicked him away. And as he did this, three more ninjas leapt at him, Grand blocking their jabs and kicks.
As this happened, Doom and Live began to charge in, only for Technica to fly in with Bomber. Explosions covered the area as Bomber's horn flared, making Doom do several back flips as Technica shot several buzzsaw-spheres at Live Wire. But before they could hit her, the unicorn's horn expelled several bolts of lightning, zapping them all out.
"Not bad," she chuckled before running up and throwing a punch at the blue unicorn. "But you're not good enough either." Live ducked under the jab, only to throw her own before Technica blocked it with her robo-wing.
While this happened, Grand continued to find himself blocking more blows of the ninjas, only for his back to feel something. He had been pushed to a nearby wall, making him snarl as he yelled, "That's it!" He swung his hammer into one of the ponies, slamming it into the pony's stomach. The pony went flying before Grand slammed the hammer into the ground, causing several small rocks to fly out before he hit them, knocking them into the remaining ninjas with seemingly impossible accuracy.
The other four ponies saw this, Bomber and Technica glaring at him under their masks before turning and charging at Grand. Bomber raised his gauntlets before the holes appeared, all of them glowing, "DIE!" He screamed as the force of an explosion blasted out of them. The earth pony responded by slamming the hammer into the ground, creating a ten foot stone wall, blocking the explosion as it shattered the rocks while leaving Grand unharmed.
"Wow..." Doom gasped as Technica unleashed several buzzsaw spheres at Grand, "Talk about power."
Live shook her head at this, "No, it's not powerful enough." Doom glanced at her as Grand smashed the devices with ease. "I've seen other Celestic Gears in action and this one can't compare to them. I'd say it only has about...twenty five percent the normal power."
"Why?" Doom turned back to the fight as Grand charged at Bomber.
"The weapon knows Grand doesn't want it. It won't be able to unleash its full power until he accept its and what it stands for." Grand continued to swing the weapon, Technica and Bomber dodging each blow. "Come on!" Live yelled, "We have to help him!" Doom followed and they charged at the two criminals, both glancing at them as Bomber raised his gauntlet.
"Look out!" Grand exclaimed before slamming the hammer into the ground, causing a stone wall to explode out of the ground in front of the two. Seconds later, Bomber's gauntlet fired an super explosion that struck the wall, making the wall shatter.
But as this happened, Technica thrusted a taser cord from her suit, stabbing Grand's back and electrifying him. "RAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" He screamed as he was shocked.
"GRAND!" They yelled, running out from behind the crumbling wall, Doom taking his spear off his back while Live fired several lightning bolts at the pair.
Bomber and Technica leapt back at this, only for Grand to stand up as the criminal duo now found their backs hitting a wall. "Enough of this!" Bomber roared as his horn began to glow, "I have more important ponies to deal with."
Technica saw this and gasped, "Wait! If you use that much power, the explosion-"
"I KNOW!" Bomber barked back, "But at least these three will be taken care off!" A blinding light shot off the horn at this, a beam coming next as it headed for Doom and Live.
"GET DOWN!" Grand yelled, tackling the pair to the ground. The purple magic shot over the three and struck a stone slab that sat atop a large pile. The trio glanced back and saw the slab begin to glow the same purple color, the light pulsing off of it.
"You idiot!" Technica cried before taking to the air and using a metal chord to wrap around Bomber. "That explosion is gonna take out a mile of the city! I don't know if I can get away in time!"
"Who cares?! It'll get rid of them!"
"WHAT!" The three screamed as Technica pulled Bomber into the air, the two flying away as Grand and Live turned to the explosive stone.
"They're getting away!" Doom exclaimed, but Grand shook his head at him.
"No time for that. We have to stop this thing!" Grand replied before turning to Live, "Can you defuse it?"
"It's not a real bomb!" Live cried back, "I don't know how this magic works!"
"What if Grand just breaks it apart?" Doom asked, pointing to his friend's new weapon. But as Grand gripped it, Live shook her head.
"No! If you do that, it'll probably just explode instantly. We need to think of something else!"
"But we don't know when this thing is gonna blow!" Doom screamed.
"I know!" Live barked back.
"Wait..." Grand chimed in, "If we can't stop it, we gotta move it out of the city. What if you teleport it away?"
Live shook her head again, "I can only teleport about a half-mile. No matter where I send it, part of the city's gonna be destroyed."
The duo grimaced at this, only to see the pulsing on the rock began to beat faster. "It's getting closer to blowing!" Doom cried before looking straight up, "What if we moved it into the air? Once it's high enough, the explosion shouldn't cause to much damage."
"That...would work," Live responded, "But like I said, I can only teleport half a mile away. It wouldn't be high enough and probably fall back down before blowing."
As she said this, the pulsing increased, making the three grimace at the rock. But as it did this, Doom stared at the rock...only to show a huge frown on his lips. He glanced back at the city, only to gulp before turning back to his friends with a determined glare. "I know how we can save the city."
"How?" Grand asked, Doom turning to him with the deep frown from before. "Doom? What's wrong?"
"Sorry Grand." Doom replied before suddenly punching Grand straight in the face. The earth pony fell back, letting out a yelp of pain.
"Grand!" Live gasped before glaring at Doom, "Why would you-" She stopped when she saw Doom pick up the slab and spread his wings. "Wait...no. You're not-"
But before she could say anything else, Doom shot up with the pulsing slab in hoof. As this happened, Grand got up and yelled, "Doom! What are you doing?!" Doom stopped and glanced down at his oldest friend and brother in arms.
"The only thing that'll save countless lives."
Grand went wide-eyed at this, his lips quivering as he replied, "Doom...don't. Don't do this!"
Doom smiled and shook his head, "Sometimes we have to do the things we don't want to do for the good of those around us. Remember that."
With that, Doom shot into the air.
"DOOOOOOOOOOM!" Grand yelled as the pegasus flew straight up, soon flying above the city.
"Come on," Doom whispered as he beat his wings as hard as he could. "Faster....higher....all the way! I...I can do this!" The light from the slab practically became a constant shine as the speed of the pulse grew more rapid. "Just a little bit further! Just a little more!" He strained at the force of the wind pushed against him, the Gs slamming into him as gravity tried to push him back to the ground. "Almost!" And in that moment, the pulsing completely stopped before the slab unleashed a radiant burst of light. "Grand..." he whispered, "It's up to you now. Good luck...Royal Knight." With that, the energy stored within the slab hit critical mass and-
KABOOOOOM!
The night's sky filled with light, a mighty shockwaves shooting down and rocking the city. Every plane of glass a half-mile around the sight of the explosion shattered while the taller of the surrounding buildings were buffeted. The light from the explosion continued to burn in the darkness of the night, as every eye in the city turned to look at it. The younger members of Canterlot were staring in awe at the firework they thought had gone off, while the older civilians wondered what it really meant.
Ad at the castle, Celestia and her guards saw the explosion, the princess knowing the area the explosion was above was the same area Grand and the others were. "Grand...Doom...Live...please be alright." she whispered, but in her heart, she knew something terrible had just happened.
Back at the building site, Grand and Live stared at the explosion with wide eyes.
They watched as the light began to fade away, hoping that by some miracle Doom had survived. But as they continued to wait...nothing came down. Live knew, but didn't say, that a blast of that magnitude would likely vaporize anything next to the source of the explosion. There was no way Doom could have survived.
And as this realization happened to Grand, he fell to his knees, tears filling his eyes. "No...Doom..." he whispered as his entire body shook. He glanced back down at his hooves at this, his mind shaking as he slammed his hooves into the ground and let out a scream, "RAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!"