The little town of Ponyville, despite the insane things that seem to happen there, had always been a place one could enjoy a peaceful life. But with the new School of Friendship Princess Twilight and her friends had recently opened, the town's populace had grown tenfold. Students of the school, when classes weren't in session, spent their free time hanging around in the town, turning the place into an active community.
As such, it wasn't anypony's surprise when a train rolled in carrying a bunch of ponies wanting to see the sights of Ponyville. The engine came to a stop and unleashed a burst of steam and smoke as the ponies on board disembarked, only for a certain pegasus wearing a set of armor and carrying a shield on his back. As he stepped off, he looked back at the creation in wonder. "Such an amazing creature," he stated as the train unleashed a loud whistle and another burst of steam. "This iron dragon is certainly incredible."
The last of the new passengers finished boarding and the train began to pull away, the pegasus watching in amazement as it disappeared down the tracks. With it gone, the pony turned back to the town and sighed. "This place has certainly gotten a lot more lively over the last thousand years." He spread his wings and took to the sky, unaware that many ponies were watching him, wondering why he was wearing such old looking armor.
He continued to glance around, only to see a certain building right next to the castle of friendship. "So, that is the School of Friendship," he commented as he flew down, "Wonder what insane happenings are going on in there."
In the weeks since the School of Friendship had reopened, it really had become a great place to live and learn about friendship. The classes were all fun now, such as Rainbow Dash's class. "Alright class," the mare smirked as she flew into the room with another pegasus. "I'd like to introduce you all to my assistant for the day: Soarin."
"Sup everypony," Soarin replied as he waved at them. "Glad to be here, and happy to help you all in any way I can." He and Rainbow shared a grin as Rainbow grabbed a ball and threw it to one of her students.
"Alright, let's do some passing drills to build teamwork. Only you can't tell the pony you're passing it to that that's what you're gonna do. This is all about body language and learning to understand one another without words. And...go!" The students began passing the ball to one another, locking eyes as they did this. It was quickly proving to be effective, Rainbow and Soarin high-hooving at the sight.
In another class, Pinkie was showing her students a fun time by teaching them how to bake a bunch of cupcakes. The point of this lesson was to make a cupcake that somepony else in the class would enjoy, the group making different flavors that their partners would love. Applejack's class was working on a woodworking project, while Rarity's were working on stitch work and Fluttershy's were looking after some baby animals.
Meanwhile, Flash's class watched as Fire Heart stepped into the center of the room. "Alright class," the teacher said as he touched the crystal. "Today's lesson is about listening to each other and putting your trust in them, even when you can't see what they're doing to try and help you." The crystal glowed and a bunch of walls appeared within the room, forming a large maze around Heart before they disappeared. "In this exercise, the one working through the maze won't be able to see the walls, but their partner will, so they'll be in charge of directing them."
"Wait," Heart spoke up, "Who's my partner again?"
"Take two steps forward and then turn left," Ace's voice replied. The young jakhowl was staring a holographic screen with a layout of the maze and a red triangle that indicated Heart's location.
"Seriously? You gave me Ace? He gets lost in town all the time."
"Remember Heart," Flash responded, "This is all about building trust. You've gotta trust that Ace will guide you through the maze properly."
"Fine..." Heart sighed before walking left, only to hit an invisible wall, "OW!" He staggered back, turning to glare at Ace. "What the heck?! You said to go left!"
"But before that, I said take two steps forward."
Heart sighed and began to walk forward, only to slam into the wall again. "Ow!" He turned back to Ace, "Seriously?!"
"You changed direction. Turn ninety degrees to your left, then take two steps forward." Flash and the other students couldn't help but laugh at the sight, watching Heart hit wall after wall. And when he eventually stepped out of the maze, he had a lot of bruises on his face.
"That sucked," he moaned while the others laughed again.
"Okay, next pair."
The rest of the lesson went on in the same way, different methods of success for each team. And when the bell finally rang, the training room returned to its normal state. "Good lesson everypony. Be sure to remember what you learned today." They all nodded and headed outside while Flash remained in the class to write a report about the day's classes for Twilight.
"The one thing about this job I don't enjoy," he moaned while using the crystal to create a desk that he could write on. But before he could start writing anything, Heart rushed into the room.
"Flash!" He exclaimed, "You won't believe who's in the courtyard!" Flash raised an eyebrow at this, Heart gesturing him to follow. They soon left the room, only for the defender to go wide-eyed at a certain sight.
"Flash Magnus?" He asked, seeing one of the pillars of harmony standing beside the fountain.
"Ah, Flash Sentry." He responded while walking over, "It's good to see you again." He held out a hoof, Flash taking it.
"Same. But what are you doing here?"
"I was in town, and was curious to see what this school was all about."
Flash nodded, "Well, it's good to see you." He turned to the students, "Every-creature, please say hello to Flash Magnus. One of the ponies responsible for creating the Tree of Harmony, which is where the Elements you're all learning about come from." The students all went wide-eyed at this as Magnus waved at them. "Come on. I'm sure Twilight will be interested in seeing you again."
Magnus nodded and the pair headed to the headmare's office. As it turned out, Twilight was ecstatic to see him. "I'm happy that one of the pillars has taken an interest in my school!" the alicorn cheered they stood in her office. "How are the other pillars doing by the way?"
"They're all doing great," Magnus replied, "Starswirl is still learning about this modern world, but most of the others have chosen to settle down. Stygian's working on a book about his experiences during his...darker days, and the others have all returned to their homelands to make new lives for themselves."
"What about you?" Flash asked, "I don't think your legend ever stated where you come from."
"Nowhere special," Magnus shrugged, "Honestly, I'm still looking for a place to settle down. I never really had a home before I joined the Royal Legion since my parents were nomadic. I join the legion quite young, so my entire life has been constantly travelling."
"I see," Twilight responded, "So finding a place to call one's own must be tricky. Is that why you've come to Ponyville? Are you thinking of living here?"
"Well...not really," Magnus replied, "I just happened to be passing through and decided to see what your school was all about. If you're teaching others to defend themselves against evil, then this is a place I have a lot of interest in."
"Why does everypony believe that's what this school is here for?" Flash asked Twilight, the princess shrugging.
"Well, teaching our students to defend themselves isn't the most important point..." she told Magnus. "This school was built to help strengthen the friendships of Equestria in a hope that those friendships can help the kingdoms of all races thrive."
"I see," Magnus nodded. "And these other races are all those that were once our enemies." Flash and Twilight shared a glance, only for Magnus to scratch the back of his head, "Apologizes. It's just that things were very...different back in my day. I'm still getting used to not needing to worry about non-pony creatures."
"I understand." Flash responded, "I mean, your legends are all about fighting dragons and...we've fought plenty of monsters over the years. But, things are different now. These days, anything and anyone can be either a friend or an enemy."
"Yes," Magnus nodded, "The world has gotten quite complicated since I've been gone. I guess I'll run into more and more non-ponies here in Equestria."
As he said this, Spike ran in while holding a scroll. "Twilight! I just got a message from Princess Celestia!" The ponies turned to him as he ran over to Twilight's desk, the alicorn taking the scroll in her magic, only to scan it over and frown.
"Looks like there's been some criminals that have been causing problems in a small town up north." She turned to Flash, "She wants you to go deal with them."
Flash shined a big grin, "Got it." He did a small stretch, "Been a while since I've had any real action. Any idea how many I'm dealing with?"
"She's unsure, but believes there's only two."
"I can definitely handle that. Got the town's coordinates?"
"Yup. I'll get the Rune Gate set up while you get ready." The pair nodded at one another and turned to their guest, "Sorry Magnus. I'm afraid we'll have to wait a while before I can give you a proper tour of the school."
"It's fine," he replied, "This is important. If there are criminals causing problems for Equestria, then taking them down must always be your number one priority. It was no different as in my day."
"Thanks for understanding." Twilight said as they left the room, Flash Magnus watching them go.
"Yes...no different at all."
Flash quickly headed up to his room and grabbed his saddlebag, packing in a few essentials that he would need. Medical kit, portable food, rope and other supplies before grabbing his Celestic Gear. "Alright." He then went to the Rune Gate Room, Twilight already having the portal open. "I got everything I need."
"Good," Twilight replied, "I've sent the temporary Rune Gate to the village you're heading too. Once you've captured them, you can activate it and it'll send you straight to Canterlot where Celestia will have some guards waiting to take those criminals into custody."
Flash nodded and kissed her on the forehead, "Wish me luck."
"Don't you mean, wish us luck?" The pair turned to the voice and saw Flash Magnus, looking ready for a battle.
"Magnus?" Flash raised an eyebrow, "What are you doing here?"
"I've decided to assist you with your mission," Magnus stated as he took his shield off his back. The ancient relic shined in the room's light while Flash and Twilight shared a glance, "You said there was at least two criminals. If I go with you, it'll be even, and you'll have a better chance of bringing them to justice."
"I guess," Flash nodded. "But...are you sure you wanna do this? This isn't exactly a thousand years ago."
"Exactly," Magnus replied, "Compared to dragons, sirens and the pony of shadows, a pair of pony criminals won't stand a chance against me. And with your abilities, it'll be even less of a challenge." Flash and Twilight shared another glance, only for Magnus to add, "This is who I am, a warrior who faces off against villains. Who knows, maybe I'll impress Celestia and the other princesses enough that they'll make me a Royal Knight like you."
Flash turned to Twilight. "What do you think?"
Twilight shrugged back, "I don't see a problem. Like he said, he does have a lot of experience fighting against villains like this." She turned to Magnus, "Alright. Good luck you two."
"Thank you, your highness," Magnus bowed before turning to Flash. "Ready?"
"Uh...yeah." Flash nodded before turning to the portal, Magnus following him as they both passed through the pillar of light. In the blink of an eye, the pair were on the edge of a village that looked very similar to Ponyville. Quaint looking buildings, simple pathways and even a few rivers running through it. Mountains surrounded it, some looking like big hills while others were big enough to fit every house in Equestria in them.
"Nice place," Magnus commented, "But not very well defended by the looks of things. No wonder those criminals started causing problems here."
"Come on," Flash took out the scroll, "It says here that the mayor of the town is waiting for our arrival." They walked up to the place, only to see nopony out on the streets. Looking up at some of the buildings, they spotted ponies looking out the windows but jumping away as soon as they realized they were seen.
"This is just like in my day," Magnus commented, "The world was such a dangerous place...ponies feared to even step outside their homes." Magnus sighed, "I had hoped things would be different in the future."
"They are," Flash replied, "Nine times out of ten, the ponies of this town would be enjoying their lives without a care in the world. But then those that take joy in causing misery appear and try to ruin those lives. That's why the Royal Knights and tge Defenders of the Peace are here."
Magnus nodded, "I can understand that. That's how I tried to live my life, trying to protect those that can't protect themselves." As he said that, they turned onto a street and their eyes went wide. The place was completely destroyed, several houses burnt to a crisp while others looking like a gale force hurricane had blown them over.
"Whoa..." Flash whistled, "I'm willing to bet this is one of the reasons we were called here." They continued walking through the town, now finding more of it destroyed. It was a strange assortment of burns and knocked over items, making them wonder what kind of criminals they were up against.
And as they passed another blown over house, an earth pony appeared around a corner, "Excuse me!" He yelled as he ran up to them, "Are you Flash Sentry of the Royal Knights?!"
"I am," Flash nodded, "Are you the mayor?"
"No," he shook his head, "I'm his aide. We saw the light and hoped it was you, so he sent me to collect you and bring you to the hospital."
"Hospital?!" Magnus gasped as the earth pony turned to run off. The pegasi flew after him and the three made their way through the town until they reached a large building that looked just like the hospital in Ponyville, the earth pony leading them inside.
They soon arrived at a corridor where a brown middle-aged stallion was sitting. He was a unicorn with a white mane, tail and beard, wearing a bowler hat on his head along with a collar and tie around his neck. The stallion turned to them and looked hopeful, "Are you the Royal Knights that Princess Celestia promised to send?"
"I am," Flash responded, "Flash Sentry, Knight of Friendship. I've come to deal with these criminals that have been causing you problems."
"And I am Flash Magnus," the pillar of bravery added, "And I swear to you, we will bring these fiends to justice no matter where they are or what they intend to do."
"I...see," the mayor replied as he stared at Magnus with a raised eyebrow before looking back at Flash, "I'm happy you're here. These criminals have been causing a lot of damage and destruction. They appeared several days ago and held up a jewelry store. When the store owner tried to fight them off, one of the criminals blasted him backwards with a super loud sound that shattered the windows of every building in the street. Then they stole a bunch of food from the nearby supermarket and took all the cash from the machine. When the store clerks tried to stop them, they were suddenly zapped by something that set the place on fire."
"A super loud sound and getting zapped..." Flash whispered, "Huh. Why does that sound familiar?"
"Did you attempt to stop them?" Magnus asked, the mayor nodding.
"Yes. Every able bodied pony went after them. They chased them into the mountains, hoping their numbers could stop them. However..." He pushed the doors open and they all saw a room filled with beds, every one having an injured pony. Bandages and casts were everywhere, soon even mummified.
"By Hurricane's wing," Magnus gasped as he moved over to one of the beds. "Two ponies did all this?"
The mayor nodded, "They both have power a normal pony couldn't hope to stand up against." He turned to Flash, "That's why we contacted the princess for help. We expected a few royal guards, but having you here makes me hopeful this horrible event will soon end."
"Don't worry," Flash replied, "We'll make sure these two are taken down. Now, do you have any idea where they could be hiding out? I'd rather not wait here for them to show up and our fight makes things worse here."
"We have an idea. Follow me." The pair soon left the room, Magnus staying behind.
He walked up to one bed, seeing an earth pony stallion laying unconscious with bandages around his chest. Sitting beside the bed was a young blue pegasus with black hair. Looking at him, Magnus was reminded of a friend of his from back in his day. Nimbus Dash, though this pony was a colt. The young pegasus looked like he had been crying, as he stared over the other pony. "Child," the colt turned to him, "Is this your father?"
The colt sniffed as he used his wings to clean his eyes. "Yeah. He went after those bad ponies, but he was hurt really bad."
"I see." Magnus sighed as he around the room, "That appears to be the story of many a pony here."
"Why did those bad ponies come here?" He asked, "Nopony here ever did anything bad to anypony else? So why is something like this happening to us?"
Magnus often wondered that. Ever since he was a colt, it seemed that bad things tended to happen more to ponies that didn't deserve it then to those that did. "That's...just the way the world is sometimes." The colt continued to cry and held his father's hoof, Magnus frowning and placing a wing on his head. "Do not worry. I can see your father is strong. He will pull through, and I will make sure nopony ever harms him again."
With that, he turned and marched out of the room. In the hallway, he saw Flash and the mayor looking out the window before the defender turned to him and saw the fire in his eyes, "Alright," he told Magnus, "I've got a basic idea of where the criminals are. You ready?"
"Yes!" Magnus growled, "I'm ready to make those monsters pay. When I'm through with them, they'll regret ever coming here."
Flash flinched at those words, only for the mayor to point out the window, "As I was telling Mr. Sentry, the criminals were last seen on that mountain." Magnus looked out the window, "It's next to one of the only ways in and out of the village, meaning anypony that attempts to come here will be in danger of being attacked."
"Not when I'm done with them," Magnus pushed the window open and leapt out.
"Magnus!" Flash yelled as he flew after him, "Calm down! We need to come up with a plan first."
"The plan is simple: Find them, beat them, and make them pay for what they did."
"You're starting to scare me Magnus," Flash replied, "You're not gonna...do something extreme, are you?" Magnus turned to him, seeing him glare at the defender, "Listen, I don't know how things were done in your time. By making them pay, you don't mean killing them, do you?"
Magnus let out a growl, "If that's what it takes. Criminals need to be dealt with."
"That's not how we do things in this time period," Flash responded, "If there's no other way to stop them, if we have no choice but to do an absolute last resort...maybe we do that. But it is never the first thing you do."
"Then how do you expect us to stop them?"
"We capture them. Take them to Canterlot and have them stand trial. That's how we do things here in Equestria now." Magnus glared back at him, only to see Flash stare right back, fire also in his eyes. "I know you're angry, but that anger isn't gonna solve this."
Magnus let out a huff, "Fine. We'll find them and take them to Canterlot."
Flash nodded back before they began to fly after the mountain, the defender commenting, "That thing is pretty big. If they're hiding somewhere, it could take us a while the find 'em."
"Maybe we should split up," Magnus suggested.
"Not a good idea. We've got no way to contact each other if we find them. If we're gonna take them down together, we're gonna need to stick together." Magnus nodded and they began to fly over the mountain, searching every nook and cranny. And as they searched, they found the mountain had a water source that welled up from beneath the mountain, shooting up all the way through it and coming out the top like a volcano. The water spilled out over the edges, creating a series of streams that flowed down, one of them feeding into the village's rivers while also allowing the mountain to be covered in trees and foliage, allowing plenty of places to hide. And after an hour and a half of searching, the pegasi warriors found no sign of anypony living there. They would have kept searching, but the sun was beginning to set.
"We'll have to set up camp and continue in the morning," Magnus told Flash, the pegasus nodding before finding a spot in the trees that was flat and dry.
As soon as they landed, they got to work, Flash going to gather wood while Magus built a small pit to put the fire in. When he got back, they arranged the sticks and leaves, Magnus soon trying to get it lit. "Come on," he moaned as he rubbed the end of a stick against a block of wood and blew on it. He had been trying for ten minutes, only to get nothing. "Come on." He sighed and turned to Flash, "Wood must be damp or something."
"Sure," Flash nodded before reaching into his saddlebag, only for Magnus to hear a sound and turned to see Flash holding up a lit match that he threw into the pit. Within seconds, the flames began to spread and soon the fire was raging.
"That's cheating," Magnus grumbled, "As amazing as some of the innovations of this modern day are, I fear they are causing many of the great skills of my day to die out."
"Oh no, I know how to do that." Flash responded as he pointed at what Magnus had been doing. "And if I ever find myself in need of fire without any matches, I'll use it. This is just easier right now." Magnus nodded as he stared into the flames. As he did, Flash reached into his bag again and took out a few food rations. "Here!"
He threw a bag to Magnus, the pegasi seeing it was a rice pack. He watched as Flash stuck his to a long stick and held it over the fire, Magnus doing the same. "I'm impressed. You're clearly used to roughing it," he commented, "In my day, we would spend hours hunting for something to eat wherever we set up camp. Many nights we'd go hungry."
"Well, we're not gonna have much luck fighting these monsters if we're hungry," Flash responded, "Equestrian Military always keeps its soldiers well fed to make sure they don't make mistakes because of their hunger."
Magnus nodded, "Makes sense. Even so, you certainly are an interesting individual. After all, it's not everypony that wields such incredible power as you." He remembered seeing that power in action in their fight against the Pony of Shadows. "Say, how did you gain such power to begin with?"
Flash smirked as he pulled his bag away from the fire and ripped the top open. "It's a long story." He then told him the tale of his birth, how he was the last generation of ponies to be born with the genesis gene of the Original Alicorn. How that allowed Faust to imbue him with the Sacred Light, and the long process it took for him to learn how to access and control it. The battles he fought with it, and the dream he had that led him to the Lost City of Faust and his meeting with Shadow and Faust.
"Incredible," Magnus whispered, "Truly amazing. I thought the adventures me and my friends went on were unbelievable, but they don't hold a candle to yours." Flash chuckled at this. "It's strange." Magnus laid back and looked up at the stars. "When I was younger, I wanted to make something of myself. To help those around me and prove I was somepony that could be useful. I once told some of my legion-mates that in the future, every pony with the name Flash would have that name because their parents would idolize me and want their children to have the same amazing qualities I possessed."
Flash let out a laugh, "No wonder you and Rainbow Dash get along so well!"
Magnus shook his head at this, remembering the brave but egotistical pegasus he was talking about. "I suppose...though I guess the name Flash will always be synonymous with you now rather than me."
Flash went wide-eyed at this, "Are you kidding?! No way could I ever replace you as Equestria's greatest Flash!" Magnus raised an eyebrow at this, "And even if every pony named Flash gets that name because of me, they'll still have it because of you."
"What?"
"Your dream came true. My parents named me after you. My dad's always looked up to your legend, especially since..." He stopped and looked away.
"Since?" Flash remained silent for a moment.
"Since he believes he's descended from you." Magnus' eyes went wide at this, Flash blushing. "I mean...we don't know that for sure. But apparently, it's something that's been passed down in my dad's side of the family for a long time. That we can trace our family roots all the way back to the famous Flash Magnus."
"That's impossible," Magnus waved his hoof, "I never had any children."
"You sure? Did you have anypony special back before...you know, you were sucked into limbo?" When Flash said this, Magnus' face grew dim. "You did, didn't you?"
Magnus sighed and leaned back, "Yes. Her name was Sparkling Effervescence. She was an amazing mare. I saved her from a manticore and we grew close. I always hoped I would one day make a home with her...but then the Pony of Shadows appeared and threatened the realm, forcing Starswirl and the rest of us to sacrifice ourselves."
"Did you and Sparkling ever...you know." Magnus nodded, "Any particular time right before you disappeared?"
"The night before."
"Well then...maybe Sparkling was pregnant. Who knows? Maybe she named her child after you like my dad did. If I had a kid with somepony and that pony sacrificed their life to save the world, I'd want to give them that name and tell them who their mother was. And if the kid felt great pride in that name, he'd probably tell anypony that would listen that you were their parents."
Magnus blinked at this, only to feel a great sense of pride fill his heart. "Maybe...maybe you're right. Maybe you are my descendant."
"I hope so," Flash nodded, "And even if I'm not, holding your name is still a great honor. Now whenever somepony's named after me, they'll also be named after you. They'll have the honor of two great pegasi warriors backing them."
Magnus laughed at this, "That's certainly interesting." They both finished their meals and packed the empty bags away. Seeing nothing else to do and wanting to start their search early, they both laid down as Magnus took off his helmet. "If it is true, and you are my great great times a hundred grandson, I'm glad that my descendant has grown into an amazing knight. You make your family proud."
"Thanks." Flash responded before the pair felt themselves drift off.
The next day...
As soon as the sun was up, the two took to the air and began their search again. "They're out here somewhere," Magnus commented as they flew over to a river that splitting down the mountain. And as his eyes shifted around, he saw something fly out of a tree cluster, "Look out!" He yelled before flying over to Flash and holding up his shield, seconds before a bolt of lightning struck it. "Ahhh!" He flinched, the shield blocking most of it, but a few stray sparks managed to coil around and singe him.
"Where'd that come from?" Flash asked before looking down, "There they are!"
"Then let's get them!" Magnus roared.
"Wait!" Flash added as they both shot through the trees, landing in a clearing. The two went back to back as Flash took out his sword and Magnus held up his shield.
"Where'd they go?" Magnus growled.
"They're here somewhere," Flash continued, only to see a burst of light shine in front of him, making him hold up his sword, "There!" He blocked the bolt of lightning and then swung his weapon, "Flash Cutter!" The energy blade shot off the sword, hitting a tree trunk and causing it to explode.
"Hey!" A female voice yelped as she leapt out into the open to avoid getting crushed by the tree. "Watch where you swing that thing!" Flash saw it was a unicorn mare with a yellow coat and tail that had a cutie mark in the shape of a storm cloud with three lightning bolt rings around it.
"Electra?!" He yelped.
"A mare?" Magnus asked, turning to Flash. "And you know her?"
"Met her a few times," he hissed, "And if she's here, that means-" Before he could finish, a sound filled the air and grew louder, the defender soon spotting a wave of sound flying towards them, "COVER YOUR EARS!" Magnus did so and the pair braced themselves, the soundwaves slamming into them and pushing them back. And as the sound died down, a silver unicorn mare with a mane and tail that was a mix of black and white strips, her cutie mark being a window with glass shattering walked out into the open.
"Another friend of yours?" Magnus asked, his ears ringing a little as he and Flash lowered their hooves.
"Not a friend. Her name's Banshee."
"These two put all those ponies in the hospital?" Magnus asked, "How is that possible?"
"The same way your friends Meadowbrook, Mistmane and Somnambula are able to fight against powerful monsters like sirens and the Pony of Shadows. Or my friends."
Electra and Banshee glared at the defender, "Didn't expect to see you here Sentry. And who's your friend?"
"You might wanna tell him the renascence fair is two towns over," Banshee giggled before they both laughed.
"Jest while you can!" Magnus yelled, "But when this is over, we'll be the ones laughing."
He charged at this, his shield up and flying at Electra as her horn began to spark. She unleashed a bolt of lightning, but Magnus simply blocked it with ease, "Hey!" She cried as he got in close and threw a punch at her. "No fair!" She dodged the blow and leapt back, "What's that shield made of?"
"Ha!" Magnus cheered as he swung his leg around to try and kick her. "My shield is made of the ultimate magical bronze." Electra leapt back again. "It was designed to defend against fire, but it seems to protect against lightning just as well." He swung it next, trying to bash her in the head, but she rolled to the side and when she jumped to her hooves, her horn sparked and unleashed bolts of lightning that spread around her body. "That's new."
"Raaah!" She roared, flying at him while riding the lightning. Magnus leapt into the air, but was shocked to see Electra flying after him.
"Impossible!" He raised his shield just in time against an electrified punch, the blow pushing him back. "The skies...are a pegasi's domain!"
Electra laughed at this, "Shows what you know, grandpa!" She then zapped the shield again, "With the right spell, a unicorn can go anywhere." Magnus was soon pushed back, each block knocking him further as she continued to laugh.
Back on the ground, Flash and Banshee were locked in a long range battle. Flash kept firing Flash Cutters and Flash Forces, but Banshee dodged it all before screaming at him. Flash leapt behind a tree as the soundwaves slammed into it, ripping through the bark, but not touching the pegasus as he covered his ears.
"Earplugs," he whispered, "I've gotta add earplugs to my travel pack."
He then glanced around, only to smirk as he waited for Banshee to stop screaming. The defender dove for another tree next, Banshee firing another scream as the soundwaves slowly ripped through the wood. "You can't stay in there forever," Banshee told him once she stopped, "Just come out and have your eardrums shattered."
"You know," she heard the pegasus call out from behind the tree. "I met a bat-pony not too long ago. He was called Banshee too, and he also had your ability. And even though he was a kid, I'm willing to bet that he's way stronger than you."
"And what's your point?"
"No point. Just something I thought you'd like to know. And maybe hearing that you're not the best screaming banshee would shake your confidence enough." Banshee growled at this as he continued, "But honestly I was just trying to stop you from screaming for a minute or so." With that, Flash leapt out from behind the tree and charged as she unleashed her scream again. However, the attack struck Flash, but only slowed him down. To her shock, he didn't feel any pain in his ears and raised his sword, firing a laser she quickly leapt away from.
"How'd you do that?!" She glanced back at him, Flash smirking and shifting his head to the side just enough for her to see something green within his ears. "Moss?!"
"What?" Flash asked, holding his hoof to his ear. "What you say?"
"You made moss earplugs?!"
"Come again?" He asked, "Sorry, can't hear you. I made moss earplugs."
"Grrr...you little-"
"I can't hear you, so I'm just gonna get back to fighting! Flash Force!"
Electra panted as she fired bolt after bolt, Magnus easily blocking every blow. And as he charged at her, Electra shot to the side and spun to zap him again, but Magnus easily blocked it again. As she did this, she hissed as Magnus glared back at her, only to glance down and smirk.
"Perfect," she whispered before charging at him, Magnus raising his shield as Electra slammed her hooves into him, pushing him back a few inches, but nothing more. And as this happened, Electra shot around him in the blink of an eye.
He spun around, expecting another attack, only to see her flying back to the ground. "Hey! Get back here!" He yelled, diving down as Electra's lightning cloak vanished. "Out of magic, are we?" He watched she did her best to keep herself flying, pulling herself up moments before she almost crashed into the ground. She skimmed along the dirt until she reached one of the mountain streams, her magic cutting out as she fell into the water. She then laid there, the water not deep or strong enough to wash her away. Magnus landed on the edge and glared at her, the pegasus blinking at the sight before stepping into the water.
"It seems you're out of energy. That's what you get when you break the law and try to hurt the innocent," he told her, "I'm sure Flash has already defeated your friend. You'll soon be locked in a cell where you belong."
But as he said that, Electra's eyes shot open and suddenly shot up. Her horn unleashed more electricity than she had fired at Magnus, only to miss the pegasi completely...and struck the water under his hooves. The sight made Magnus say, "What are you-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!" He screamed as his entire body was shocked, causing him to drop his shield.
Electra laughed as she fell to the ground on the edge of the river, watching as Magnus shook in pain, only to flop over. "HA! Old fool. Don't you know water conducts electricity?!" Magnus barely heard her, his brain feeling like he had just drunk a hundred tankards of cider. "Later loser!" She covered herself in lightning and shot off, laughing all the way.
Banshee was leaping around, letting out every scream she could, only for Flash to brace through each blast of sound. With Flash's ears plugged, the unicorn had lost her best weapon against him, the defender getting closer to her with every attack. And as she dodged another blow, Flash spun around and slammed his backhooves into her chest, spit flying out of her mouth before getting thrown into a tree.
"It's over!" He yelled as Banshee started coughing. "Give up and you won't get hurt any more than you have too." Banshee glanced up to glare at him, only to cough again. Flash stared down at her, only for a bolt of lightning to strike the ground in front of him. "What?!"
"Surprise!" Electra laughed as she landed between him and Banshee.
Flash went wide-eyed at this, only to yank out his earplugs, "Where's Magnus?!"
Electra shined a big grin, "If you're talking about your friend, he's having a little nap in a nearby stream." She pointed behind herself, "Looks like you've got a choice. Arrest us and hope your friend doesn't roll over in his sleep and drown, or let us go and help him."
Flash's head shifted from behind her before glaring at her, only to flare his wings and fly off. "Sucker," Electra chuckled before turning to Banshee. "You okay?"
"Ugh..." Banshee moaned as she pushed herself up, "I will be."
"No time to rest though. We gotta get out of here before they come back."
Flash zoomed across the mountain, soon hearing a rushing river and flying up the stream. He then found a pony laying in the water, making him gasp, "Magnus!" He swooped down and scooped him up, putting him on the ground and taking off his helmet, patting his cheek. "Come on...wake up. Please!" He checked his pulse and he was alive, "Magnus!"
The pony let out a moan and his eyes flickered open, Magnus spitting out a drop of water, "Flash?" He sat up, moaning in response, "What happened? Did we win?"
"Not exactly," Flash rubbed the back of his head. "You kind of...lost."
"I lost?" Magnus asked, rubbing his head, "That's right. That mare...she blasted the water with her lightning. Somehow that caused me to get zapped. And she said something about...conducting? What does an orchestra have to do with this?"
Flash couldn't help but crack up at that, only to sigh, "Water conducts electricity. That means the lightning can travel through it and zap it."
"It does?" Magnus replied, Flash knowing that this pony from a thousand years in the past probably didn't know something that was common knowledge now, "Augh!" he groaned as he pushed himself up, "I can't believe I let something so pathetic happen to me." Magnus let out a long sigh, "Maybe I should have spent some of my past learning to control the weather with the other pegasi. I might have learned something like that."
Flash placed a hoof on his shoulder, "You can't be expected to know everything. You're still relatively new to this world, so of course you wouldn't know about certain things."
"Eh...maybe I'm too old fashioned. Back in my day, just one of those ponies who had that much power would have been a rarity...but this modern day has so many powerful ponies." He looked over to his fallen shield and picked it up, "Maybe this would do more good in the hooves of somepony else. Somepony that can actually stand hoof to hoof with powerful enemies like that."
"No way," Flash shook his head, "You might have lost this time, but that doesn't mean you can't beat them next time." He put a hoof on pillar's shoulder, "You're Flash Magnus. You fought off a bunch of fire breathing dragons."
"All I did was run while the others saved my friends. Back in my time, I could outthink my opponents, and when I couldn't, I had Starswirl or the others to help me. I got by on being smarter than my opponents, but if all the villains in this day and age as smart as that mare was...I don't stand a chance."
"Well...you're right," Flash responded, "Criminals are always getting smarter and stronger." Magnus frowned at this, "But so do the heroes. Just because Electra outsmarted you once doesn't mean you can't outsmart her next time. You just have to play to your strengths and keep an eye out for any more of her tricks."
"If I can," Magnus sighed. "But I'm a thousand years behind. There's no way I can learn everything my enemies will know. What's that saying you have in this time? You can't teach an old dog new tricks?"
Flash chuckled at this, "Except you can. You just using that phrase proves it. The world might be a thousand years more advanced, but it's still the same world in the most important parts. The good guys, us, always bring the baddies down." He spread his wings. "I can't do this without you. I need you. That town needs you. So, what's it gonna be? Are you just gonna give up, or are you gonna prove why you were a legendary hero and keep trying?"
Magnus stared at him, then down at his shield. He looked at his reflection in it before nodding. "You're right. No matter what time I'm in, there are ponies that need my help." He grabbed his helmet and put it back on, "Let's do this!" Flash smirked as Magnus spread his wings and the two high-winged before taking to the sky.
Electra and Banshee continued to run down the mountain. "Hurry up!" The electric unicorn yelled to the screamer, "We gotta get out of here!"
"I know," Banshee replied, "But you said you fried the other pony. Sentry's not gonna just leave him behind. He'll take him to hospital, and that'll give us plenty of time to get away." But as she said that, a bright light filled the air above them. The mares quickly leapt to the side, seconds before a Flash Force hit the dirt, an explosion coming next.
They both looked up and saw the two pegasi flying down, Flash's sword smoking from the attack he had just unleashed. Electra turned to Banshee, "You were saying?"
Banshee growled at her, "You're the one that blasted him! If you used a little more power, he wouldn't be up and flying at us!"
"I hit him with enough juice to overload every building in Manehatten!" Electra hissed, "There's no way he should be up and flying."
"It'll take more than a little lightning to stop me," Magnus yelled as the ponies landed in front of them. "Now, if you ladies down mind, we've got a nice cell we're sure you're going to love."
"Yeah," Flash nodded, "You'll love it so much that you'll want to stay...for fifteen to twenty years." The mares growled and Electra sparked up, Banshee taking a deep breath. Flash and Magnus braced themselves as she used her magic and unleashed her super sonic scream.
The attack washed over the pair, pushing them back a few inches, but doing nothing to their ears. Banshee stopped at this, going wide-eyed as Magnus chuckled and turned to Flash. "These moss earplugs work like a charm!" Flash couldn't hear what he said, but he nodded back before turning their attention back on the two criminals.
They both charged, weapons at the ready. Banshee leapt back as Electra and started unleashing a bunch of electrical attacks, Flash and Magnus both using their weapons to block. Flash swiped at her, but the unicorn cloaked herself in lightning and once again took to the air, Magnus leaping after her.
The screaming unicorn unleashed a beam from her horn, Flash then deflecting it before leaping into the air. "Flash Grinder!" He spun and morphed into a wheel of light, slamming into Banshee instantly.
"Augh!" She cried as she was knocked back, the wheel pinning her between itself and a tree. She hissed in pain as the light burned her side, but she then took a breath and screamed.
The soundwaves sent the wheel flying back, Flash breaking out of it as he did this. "Flash Cutter Barrage!" He roared, unleashing multiple blades of light as Banshee tried to run away. But as she did this, Flash pushed his hooves on a tree and leapt off. Banshee then screamed again as Flash fired another Flash Cutter, the two attacks colliding with the energy blade exploding. Banshee quickly got a face full of smoke, which she accidently inhaled. This resulted in a large coughing fit for her, preventing the mare from screaming.
Flying down, he quickly grabbed her tail, "Hey!" She yelped as Flash flew her right up before spinning around, the mare spinning like a pinwheel before he released her with a flick of the hoof. She screamed as she fell into the dirt, crashing and losing consciousness instantly. Flash sighed in relief as he flew down and checked on her, not finding any broken bones. She was breathing, so he had completed his task.
Meanwhile...
Magnus spun through the air, dodging a barrage of bolts. But as he tried to get close, she would unleash a sphere of lightning that zapped anything within a hundred feet of her. Magnus sighed as he flew back, panting from his previous injuries.
"I gotta find a way to pull her blug." He wasn't sure he was saying that right, but he didn't care. Then, he heard a sound and looked past her before smiling. "Time for a spot of revenge." He charged at this, Electra firing several bolts as he thrust his shield, blocking through them. He then shoved his shield at her, Electra spinning around him to zap him, but Magnus followed her and blocked it as well. The pegasi flew down at this, blocking another bolt as he kept going lower.
It was here taht Magnus flew down to another river, this one higher off the ground. A series of large rocks piled together and bound by mud and other things formed a natural aqueduct, which the water was rolling down at tremendous speed. Magnus flew down at this stream, panting as he yelled at Electra. "Come on! Come and get me!" He raised is shield, ready to defend himself. Electra's body kept sparking with lightning as she dived, letting out a mighty roar as she prepared to body slam Magnus. "That's it," he quietly told her. "Just focus on me." He waited and waited as she got closer and picked up speed. Then, when she was moments away from slamming into him, he leapt out of the way. "GOTCHA!"
Electra watched as the stallion leapt out of the way, allowing her to see what was behind him. Her eyes went wide and she tried to stop, Magnus rolling to a stop as he expected to hear a splashing fill the air...only to hear nothing. "Huh?" He turned to see Electra flying above the river, laughing.
"How stupid do you think I am?" She asked while flying down and landed on the ground between him and the river. "You really think I didn't notice that river? Please. I knew what you were doing the whole time. You can't trick a trickster."
Magnus growled and readied his shield as Electra's body sparked with lightning. "Now, it's time to put you down for good!" She built up as much power as she could before letting it rip, the electrical blast flying at Magnus.
"Gotcha." He then positioned his shield, the lightning bouncing off it and back toward Electra, only to bend upward and slam into the rock pile. Electra gasped when she heard the rocks explode, blowing a large hole in the side of the aqueduct...which shot out a blast of water right at her.
The unicorn gasped at the sight, the water slamming into her. She screamed in pain as her lightning zapped her, Magnus leaping upward as this happened. He watched as Electra was swept away, then flew over to the aqueduct and slammed into it. Some of the rocks above the hole fell down at this, blocking it up and cutting the water. The flowing died down and Electra surfaced as the water washed away, the electric mare laid out on the ground while still sparking.
Magnus flew down, being careful not to touch the wet grass before looking Electra over as she began to moan and move. "Don't you know water conducts electricity?" he told her before raising his shield and slamming it down on her head just hard enough to knock her out.
Electra cried out as she fell into unconsciousness, Magnus sighing as he tried to think of a way to contain her so he could go back and help Flash. That is, till Flash suddenly appeared above the trees and flew down him with a tied-up Banshee on his back. "You okay?"
"I'm fine," Magnus replied, "Don't touch the grass yet." Flash nodded as Magnus turned to see a knocked out Banshee, "Managed to defeat her, I see."
"Yup," Flash nodded, "So did you."
Magnus sighed again, "Yes. But it was a close one though. If my aim had been even an inch or so off, I would probably be overly crispy right now." Flash smiled at this and put Banshee down, taking out another length of rope.
"Come on. Let's get these two tied up before they come around and return to town. I'm sure the mayor will be happy to hear he doesn't have to worry about them anymore. At least until the next group of criminals decide to use this place as their stomping grounds."
"Yes," Magnus nodded with a long frown, "That could be a problem."
With their targets caught and contained, the pair returned to the village. The mayor and its citizens were all happy to hear the two criminals had been apprehended, all cheering when Flash and Magnus paraded the mares down the street toward the spot Twilight had placed the rune gates. Both mares were now wearing anti-magic horn rings and had their hooves chained, making it impossible for them to escape or fight back. All they could do was see the glares of anger coming from the ponies they terrified.
"Oh, thank you," the mayor told them both. "You've saved my citizens from living a life of terror. With these two behind bars, the town can get back to normal."
"No problem sir," Flash replied, "I'm happy to help." He looked around the quaint little town, which continued to remind him of Ponyville. "This place in a nice quiet town, but that can also work against you." The mayor raised an eyebrow at this, "Electra and Banshee chose this place because they knew there was nopony here to fight back. And they might not be the last ones to do that. You might wanna look into upping your security around here, at least a little bit."
"I guess you're right," the mayor sighed, "I don't suppose I could convince you to stay, could I Mr. Sentry?"
"Afraid not," Flash responded, "I have too many responsibilities back in Ponyville." The ponies all sighed at this, Magnus staring at all the fillies, colts, mares and stallions that made up the population. The ancient warrior knew the likelihood of the town needing to be saved again were low, but still it was better safe than sorry. That is, till an idea formed in his head.
They all continued through the town until they reached the Rune Gate, the townsponies watching in amazement when Flash activated the device. Electra and Banshee were forced to step inside, where an army of armed guards were waiting to put them into holding cell to await trial.
Flash then turned to Magnus, "Ready to go? I bet you'll be excited to see Canterlot again. Maybe we can drop by the guard's training ground, and you can show them how the legion did it in the old days."
Magnus chuckled at this, but then shook his head. "Sorry Flash, but...I don't think I'll be coming with you."
"What?"
Magnus looked back at the town, Flash doing the same. "This town needs somepony to protect it, and I don't have any place to call home. So...maybe I can make a home for myself here."
"You...wanna stay?"
"Why not?" Magnus asked, turning back at him. "You said it yourself that the town needed better security. I might be out of touch with modern times, but I can still protect this town when it needs it." He glanced over at the mayor, "If you'll have me."
The mayor smiled and nodded, "We would be honored." The rest of the townsponies cheered at this, Magnus smiling before turning to Flash.
"Well...I guess this is it."
"Yeah," Flash nodded, "I guess it is." He held up a hoof, Magnus taking it before the pair shook. "Good luck. I hope you enjoy yourself here, Mr. Defender of the Peace." Magnus let out a laugh before the pair split apart and Flash stepped into the portal, waving back at him with his wing. And when he was gone, the portal deactivated, and Magnus was left with his new duties. It was a whole new beginning for him.
The next day...
Twilight was in her office at school, filling out some papers when the alarm she had placed in her office that signaled the Rune Gate's activating went off. She quickly teleported to the room and smiled at the sight of somepony step out of the portal.
"Flash!" She ran over and hugged him, Flash embracing her back. "How'd things go? Did you manage to capture the criminals?"
"Yup. And they're already being shipped off for hopefully the last time." Twilight blinked at his comment, only to notice he was alone.
"What happened to Magnus?"
"Don't worry about him." he chuckled, "He's where he needs to be."
As Magnus flew above the town, he felt something he had never felt before. Not with his parents, or with the legion, or even with the other pillars. Contentment. Like he could live the rest of his life in the small and never be sick of it. He landed atop one of the houses and turned to a building currently being reconstructed. And as some of the ponies were lifting a large beam using a pulley, one of the lines snapped and the beam began to fall, the ponies screaming at the sight.
But as it began to fall on a pony, Magnus swooped in and scooped her up before the beam crashed into the ground. The ponies cheered at their new hero as Magnus lowered the mare to the ground before taking flight again. He then landed on the roof of another house and smiled, spotting a bunch of young ponies playing in the streets. This included the colt he had met at the hospital, who was a lot happier now that his father was awake and recovering.
The colt saw Magnus and smiled, his eyes glowing with admiration. Magnus grinned back, happy he could make the ponies feel safe again. It just goes to show that as long as you love doing what you do, there'll always be a place for you in the world. A new line of heroes now existed within Equestria, starting with the legendary Pillar of Bravery, and carrying on to those he inspires. The chain that would go on for generations.