Homeward Bound
"ITS OVER DOOM!" Flash screamed as he shot out of the end of the tornado like a cannon ball, spinning towards the colossal so fast that he wondered why he wasn't making his own Sonic Rainboom. But as he shot forward, he pointed Lightbringer towards his target as light surrounded his body. "FLASH...DRIVER!!!"
The pegasi then turned into a supercharged light drill, one that shot towards the colossal and finally struck the crystal in the chest. It was here that the sound of shattering could be heard, all throughout the island.
And as that sound rang out, everypony watched as Flash's attack pierced the giant's heart, only for a radiant burst of light to shine out, forcing them to shield their eyes.
"NO! Stay away you-" Doom cried out as he kept wriggling his body, only to open his eyes and see that he was suddenly now inside a white void. "What is...what is this? Where is my titan? Where is-"
His voice stopped as he spotted something floating in front of him. It was the Omni Sphere, now spinning slowly as the three differently colored energies within it spiraled around one another. "Hmm? Why is the-"
But his voice would stop again as his eyes went wide, his heart now stopping as well.
CRACK!
A small, tiny thin crack appeared on the orb as pure fear appeared on the Doom's face. He then heard another sound as the one on the orb started to grow, only for another to appear. Sweat poured down his face as he tried to yell, "No...NO! Stop!"
But his cries fell on deaf ears as another crack appeared, this one almost cutting the relic in half. Doom's horn then flared, his whole being now trying to grab the orb with his magic. However, it didn't work, as every attempt was rejected. He then tried to reach the sphere with his hooves, only for it to float further away.
"No! Stop it! You're mine!" he screamed, his hooves now dangling in the void, "Please, I can't lose you! You're all I've got left!"
It was then that the white void was suddenly filled with an orange glow, causing him to look behind the orb and see a blur moving towards him. "What is...no! NO! Stay away!" he yelled at the figure, the blur now morphing into a familiar pegasi named Flash Sentry. But as Doom continued to yell at the defender, his cries also went on deaf ears as Flash continued to charge, Lightbringer in hoof.
"NO!" Doom screamed, his horn flaring as magic poured out, magic power so strong that would destroy anything in its path. "Stay away! GO AWAY YOU PIECE OF FILTH! I'LL KILL YOU!" But it didn't matter in this void. No matter how much magic poured out of the horn, nothing would make shape. The aura on the horn didn't matter, as magic seemed to be useless here.
And so, Doom dangled there in the void, screaming at the top of his lungs as he watched Flash reach the Omni Sphere, his hoof now raising the blade over the relic. "NO! STOP IT! STOP IT RIGHT NOW! DO YOU HEAR ME?! STOP IT, YOU DISGUSTING INSIGNIFICANT-"
But it was too late. The blade swung down, slicing the orb down the middle, only for it shatter into pieces. And as it did, Flash never once acknowledged Doom in that void. He had no need as a grin graced his face. And as this happened, Doom screamed once more into the void, only for darkness to appear around them, consuming them both.
"NO.....NOOOOO!!!"
SMASH!
The once brilliant light suddenly faded, allowing everypony to unshield their eyes and to look up to see the drill of energy shoot out of the back of the colossal. They watched as the drill then faded to reveal Flash, dragging Doom out by the mane. Time seemed to slow down as the two of them flew through the air while the colossal remained standing in place.
"RRRRAAAHHH!" Flash yelled as time returned to normal, the pegasi now swinging Doom around before tossing him towards the ground. The defender then flared his wings, slowing his descent while Doom hit the dirt, his body rolling as the burnt ashes of the battlefield's rubble began to stick to his now spinning body before coming to a halt.
Seconds later, three bright lights burst out from the hole Flash had created in the titan and flew into the sky. The red and silver ones flew down into Ruby and Iron, the two taking deep breaths as they felt magic blast into their bodies. As for a certain brown light, it flew off towards the coast, back to its true master.
Without this magic, the colossal began to crack and crumble. It then fell to its knees as its arms and head broke off, hitting the ground before turning to dust. Finally, the behemoth's entire body gave out and collapsed in on itself, soon morphing into nothing but a giant pile of dust and rock.
A few moments earlier...
"Anything?" Lightning asked as he walked up to Springer, who now was on the front of the ship, watching the coastline.
"Nope. I got nothing. I can't even connect to Flash, we're just...we're just too far away." Springer replied as a low sigh followed. "I don't like this..."
And as these words left the jakhowl's mouth, a brilliant flash of white light shot into the sky, originating from the spot the knights were fighting. It lasted for several long moments before finally fading, causing everypony watching to start murmuring about what that might have been. Then, one of the villagers spotted something new in the sky. "What's that?"
It was a brown light, one filled with magic that was coming for the ship. Seeing this, Lightning's horn sparked as he yelled, "We're not safe yet! Everypony, get ready!"
The sailor ponies all ran up to the front with the duo, the crew pulling out weapons as they prepared for a possible battle. Lightning also readied himself, his horn barely summoning any magic as he felt his injuries start to affect him. "This isn't good...I don't much left."
"Don't worry! We'll fight with you this time!" one of the sailors responded, the others then yelling, 'Yeah!'.
The only one not on guard was Springer, who just blinked at the incoming energy. He felt something was off, and as he closed his eyes to scan the incoming magic, his mouth instantly said, "Grand?"
Then, before anypony could do anything, the slight suddenly shot like an arrow straight through the deck. Everypony leapt away from that spot as the light struck the wood and phased right through it. It was here that Springer realized what was happening, his feet instantly moving to the ship's infirmary. Lightning saw him run away, his own hooves soon moving to take chase. "Hey! Where you going mutt?!"
Below the deck in the ship's infirmary, Grand's breath continued to grow weak. He could feel his body slipping as the medical staff on board kept trying to keep him awake. And as he laid there, his mouth let out four words, "Live Wire...I'm sorry."
Then, his eyes closed as one last breath released itself from his mouth. But as it did, the light flew down from the ceiling, striking Grand in the chest. The medics all stepped back in surprise as the light surrounded the pony's entire body before just as suddenly fading away. Barely a second later, Grand's eyes shot open as he shot up and took a missive deep breath.
The medics rushed towards him at this, the crew grabbing his head as they tried to have him lay back down. As they did this, the doors suddenly burst open and both Springer and Lightning rushed into the room, "gramps!"
"Is he okay?" Springer added.
"He's...I don't understand." the head medic replied as his horn lit up and scanned the soldier's body, "He's...he's better than fine. He's back to full health and....and I don't why!"
Springer instantly grinned at his, "His magic's back! They did it!"
"HA!" was what was heard next as they stared at Grand, a series of chuckles following the sudden laugh before he whispered, "Flash...you little miracle worker." He turned to Springer and Lightning with a big smile, "get this ship back to shore. No doubt our friends are gonna be exhausted...and probably need some help from these docs."
Springer and Lightning both nodded, the two quickly leaving to tell the rest of the crew.
Doom let out a long, draining moan as he slowly picked himself up. His entire body felt like it was on fire, even if it was now covered in ashes from the battlefield. His eyes constantly blinked as they tried to refocus, his vision still blurry after being in the colossal for so long. And as his sight returned, he saw them.
Standing atop the dust pile that was once the colossal, were the knights. All seven were staring down at him, Skybreaker standing at the top with Tidal and First beside him. Heather, Ruby and Iron were further down the hill and Flash had landed at the very bottom of the pile. However, unlike the other glaring knights, Flash's expression was one of pain as a series of heavy pants escaped his mouth, only for his legs to give out as he then he fell onto his flank.
Doom let out a low growl at the pegasi, only for his eyes to then see a sight between him and Flash. It was the Omni Sphere, once again broken up into seven pieces, laying on the ground between Doom and the knights. His eyes stared daggers at the relic, his hooves immediately trying to move as his horn tried to spark.
"Mine...that's mine." he whispered as he tried to take a step, only for his face to kiss the ground. "Wha...what is..." he muttered as he tried to move, but to no avail. His hooves wouldn't respond, and his horn just let out a low sputter. "No...this can't....it can't end this way..." He then raised his neck, trying to move his body with just that, only for the energy for this to go out as well. He opened his mouth one more time as he said, "Daisy..."
Then, his eyes closed as a tear appeared under one of them before finally losing consciousness. The knights all stared at him, waiting to see this was just some kind of trap. But after a few seconds, they knew he was truly down for the count. It was here that light suddenly assaulted their eyes, all of them then turning to see Celestia's sun begin to rise above the horizon. It was morning, and it was one that the citizens of Equestria could enjoy without fear.
Eventually though, somepony broke the silence. Flash let out a laugh, the joy of finally defeating their opponent hitting him after such a long battle. Soon enough, the rest of the knights joined in his laughter, all of them feeling happiness now overcome them.
"WE DID IT!" They all screamed at the top of their lungs as they threw their front hooves into the air. This turned out to be a mistake as the last of their energy faded, all of their bodies then giving out as they fell down to where Flash was. But despite this, they could not help but continue laughing.
"I can't believe we finally did it," Heather said as she tried to wipe away her tears of joy.
Ruby nodded at this. "I agree. I uh...I'm still kinda scared that this isn't real."
"Oh, its real," Iron complained as he tried to stand up, only to fall again. "Urk...yup, its real. I've got the aches and pains to prove it."
"That was a close one amigos," Tidal added as he slightly sat up and let out a long sigh. "Wasn't sure we were gonna make it there for a second or two."
First nodded as well, "You and me both. But we got there in the end."
Skybreaker chuckled as he lifted his head just enough to look at a certain pegasi. "Yes. And its all because we had a leader who was able to keep us from giving up." The others all smiled at the defender, who was now fully turned over as long heavy pants escaped his breath.
Flash didn't hear Skybreaker's words, as he was too busy letting the light of the raising sun warm his body. He then stared up at the sky as tears filled his eyes. "Twilight...Scoots...everypony. We did it. We beat him and kept ourselves alive. Don't worry, I'll be home soon." With that, his eyes drifted shut as the last remnants of consciousness faded. His friends watched as he fell into a deep sleep, his goofy smile not once leaving his face.
Meanwhile...
In the stony ridge known as Galloping Gorge, two cloaked ponies watched their son's sleeping face. The pegasi of the two chuckled at the sight as he pointed at the defender, "He truly is amazing. I've heard you talk about what he was going to accomplish time and time again...and yet, to actually see them play out is still incredible."
"He's growing stronger with every battle, though I am glad we found Lightning and told him to enter that battle. I would have hated to see the outcome where he wasn't there." the unicorn mare replied as she let out a long sigh. "And soon enough...the time will come for us to finally meet. I...I still can't believe it."
"How can you be so sure?" The stallion asked as he nudged her side.
"Because only one image remains. He must now lose his Element. Once that event plays out, we'll have reached the end of my visions." she let out a low hum as she stated the next fact, "I...I will no longer be able to see his future, and there will be no reason for us to remain away." Tears began to roll down her eyes as she looked up at the stallion, "Do you...do you think he'll let us back into his and Scootaloo's lives?"
"I uh...I don't know honey." he replied as he put his wing around her, "I hope so, but after all this...well, I can't give you that answer. I just hope they believe our story."
"They have the jakhowl," she told him as she put her head on his shoulder. "He'll be able to see that we're telling the truth."
"True," he replied before they turned back to the dish that their son's sleeping face could be seen on. "My boy. Even if you hate us, know that everything we did was so you could grow up to be the stallion you are today."
Tears poured down the mare's face as her hoof traced the outline of Flash's sleeping face. "We love you, Flash Relic. Please, please just know that...." She felt the stallion place his wing around her again and pull her in tight, causing her to hug him back before her horn started to glow. It was here that something floated out of her cloak.
It was a photo, a black and white picture showing a wall with something carved onto it. It showed a crude image of a pony that looked like an alicorn, but it was wearing some kind of armor. There were streaks of magic lines surrounding it, all symbolizing light itself.
Two days later...
Today was the day the knights were ready to return home. After their victory over Doom, Tidal's crew had found and brought them back to the town. The attacks from Doom had reduced almost every building into rubble, but the inn still stood tall, the structure taking the least amount of damage. As such, they all slept there for those two days, this of course after extensive bandages were applied to their bodies.
Flash had bandages over both wings, as they were both singed and slightly freezer burned from Tidal and Skybreaker's combo attack that had helped him defeat Doom. There was also bandages all over the barrel of his body, specifically for being hit by the colossal's tail. Thankfully, nothing had hit his x-shaped scar, which was something he was beyond thankful for.
Heather sported several straps of bandages on her head along with her front hooves, all of her muscles having been pulled repeatedly in the fight. Thankfully, First's gear was able to stop them from going too far in terms of muscle spasms, which made sure that there wouldn't be any permanent damage. First on the other hoof, had the least amount of injures, though he had a series of bandages on his back hooves after a few unsuccessful landings while trying to dodge Doom's massive attacks.
Skybreaker's metal wing was surprising still in shape, though it had several large scratches in it now. Iron was able to buff these out after a bit, though Sky's other wing wasn't as lucky. Thanks to the battle, he had strained it and was now forced to stay on the ground for another day under First's orders.
Tidal and Ruby had identical injuries despite having completely different experiences in the battle. Both had bandages on their forehead like Heather, along with bandages all along their frame, including one's on the chest. This was obvious as to why Ruby had so many injuries, as most came from the part of Doom capturing and squeezing her body like a doll. As for why Tidal also sported this, it was due to the combination of Ruby hitting him with the crystal block to save him and the landing that came from Ruby's attack that had saved him.
Finally, Iron was sporting a bandage on his left eye, as a lone rock during the end of the fight had hit there. First said he only needed to wear it for two more days. As for the rest of his body, his chest wielded a wrapping of bandages while his front left hoof and back right hoof wore bandages as well, these on the tips of the hooves. He had found himself very annoyed at this, as it made walking incredibly difficult.
Grand ironically had the least injuries, as most were restored right after his magic came back, which made Ruby extremely ticked off since it didn't happen to her. First surmised that this was because Grand had all of his magic stolen, but it didn't help. Iron on the other hoof, didn't get mad as he didn't want to look bad in front of his idol.
There was also Springer, but his aura abilities had healed all of his injuries after a night's sleep. Ruby told everypony that this was natural for a jakhowl, as aura is pure life force, making it possible for him to recover so quickly. Granted, it made the others jealous, all except Heather and First, the latter wanting to know if it was possible to use aura in terms of medicine.
Now, they were currently sitting around a table in the inn. They had asked for some space to properly talk, so Great and everypony else had kindly stepped outside. The whole group were now glaring down at the table, where seven pieces of the once mighty Omni Sphere sat.
"So uh...any ideas on what we're gonna do with these things?" Flash asked as he and the others continued to simply stare at the pieces.
"I say we drop them in the deepest underwater trench we can find," Tidal suggested as he slammed a hoof down on the wooden furniture. "The sea can take care of these damn relics. It is a cruel mistress that can crush these cursed pieces of magic power."
"But would that be a good idea?" Heather asked him as she blinked at the sea captain. "I mean, what do you think their magic might do to the ocean if they remained there for that long?"
First picked up piece in his magic and brought it close to his face, a low hum following as he scanned it over, "As far as I can tell, the pieces only have power when the seven of them are brought together. Once separated, they will become nothing but standard, yet useless crystal shards." He then glanced at Ruby, The Crystal Knight, "No offense."
"None taken." she replied as she pointed at the pieces, "Now, back to what you were saying....we just need to keep them separated, right?"
First nodded at this, "Yes. That is exactly what I am saying."
The others started to mutter over this, all glancing at each other as they continued to stare at the pieces. All but one were speaking, all but Grand. He had been oddly quiet the entire time, his body motionless as he stared at the crystals. Then, his hoof moved over to pick up a piece, his voice soon following, "Then its decided. We'll do as our predecessors once did and each take a piece to hide. We and we alone will hold the knowledge of each piece's location, allowing it to die when we do."
Everypony came to halt at his declaration, only for a series of nods to follow as each knight took a piece of the sphere. The only knight that didn't take one was Heather, who decided her and First would take just one piece together. As such, only one piece remained.
Grand turned to the two apprentices and Springer, a giant smile on his face. "After everything you three have done to help us get this far, its only right you be entrusted with this task." He slid the final piece in front of them, allowing Flash to pick it up.
He, Iron and Springer all smiled at the trust they were being given, all swearing they would not let the Royal Knights down. "Thank you," Flash said for the three of them before turning to Iron and Springer, "I think we know a zebra who'd be able to make sure nopony gets their hooves on this thing ever again."
Iron nodded in agreement. "Not a bad idea Sentry."
"So I guess that means we can head home now?" Springer added with a raised paw, "I don't know about you, but I'm missing my own personal bed."
Grand laughed at this, the others chuckling as he replied, "It does Springer, and I couldn't agree with you more." He then turned to Tidal, "Captain, is the ship able to sail?"
Tidal nodded at this. "Aye, the ship should be ready to take to the seas by the time we get to it. Por suerte, the damage done to it wasn't all that much thankfully. We lost the Mega Buster, but the patch job being done will allow the Leviathan to pass through the portal without too much issue. I'm definitely glad that the runes stayed in tact, otherwise we'd have an extra long trip home amigos."
"That's good to hear," Heather added as she laid back in her seat. "But do you think it'll be able to handle carrying all the extra passengers and the cargo through it?"
Tidal nodded again. "I don't see any problems there. It might be a little cramped, but it should be fine none the less. She's the best vessel I got after all."
"Then let's get going," Grand said before getting up out of his chair, the rest of them doing the same before heading to the door. There, they stepped outside and saw the destroyed village, the villagers now picking up the last of their essential possessions. After everything that had happened, the villagers had all decided they no longer wanted to live on the island. They asked the knights if it was possible to return to Equestria with them, which nopony objected to. Grand soon contacted Celestia and told her of their success and of the new inhabitants, which she was all to happy to accept into her land. The princess quickly located an open area in Equestria where they could begin building their new settlement.
Thus, the villagers all began dismantling their lives. Without the fear and haste that had been brought on from the threat of Doom and his cronies, the ponies could take everything they needed. As such, many of the buildings had been stripped down of materials, which would be useful in constructions of their new home in Equestria.
And as the knights stepped outside, they spotted one particular pony helping with the process while using his magic. Like the others, Lightning was now almost fully recovered from his battle, though he still wore bandages around his barrel from the stone beasts that had caught him off guard. When he spotted the knights stepping outside, he turned and walked over to them. "So I'm guessing everything's been sorted out now?"
Grand nodded first, "Yes, it is. And, we have you to thank for helping us."
Lightning looked away, his teeth clicking as he replied, "Tch, I didn't do anything. Heck, I wasn't able to do what I supposed to do when I got here. I came to stop my lunatic father, but all I was able to do was slow him down."
Grand shook his head at this, soon walking up and patting his grandson on the shoulder, "You did more than just that my boy."
Flash nodded in agreement. "He's right. If you hadn't shown up when you did, I'd be sporting a hole through my head. I don't think I've got the fashion sense to pull that look off."
Heather stepped up to him with a kind, pure smile on her face. "You may have only slowed Doom down, but if you hadn't, we would have never had the chance to defeat him."
"So don't go saying you didn't help kid," Skybreaker added.
"Because you did," Tidal finished.
"And you helped me protect the villagers," Springer chimed in as he hopped in front of Heather. "That counts in this too!"
Lightning was about to reply, only for Iron to speak up, "The furball's right. I hate to say it, but we owe you one, ya spark plug."
Lightning chuckled at this, his face fighting back a smile. Before he knew it, he replied, "Thank you."
"No, don't say that. That's what we're telling you." Grand gripped the stallion's shoulder, a look of pure happiness on his face as tears began to form in his eyes. "Thank you, my boy. Its clear to me that you truly have changed yourself for the better. You...you found your way back, and I couldn't be prouder."
This time, Lightning couldn't help it as his face broke into a brilliant smile before tears rolled down his face, "Gramps..." was all he could say before Grand pulled him into a hug. The rest of the knights all smiled at this, happy that Lightning and Grand Hoof had truly made up.
After a few minutes, they separated as Grand stared deep into the colt's eyes. "So, what will you do now my boy? Sorry to say, but you can't follow me back to Canterlot."
"Yeah...that's definitely true." Lightning admitted as he rubbed his chin in thought, "You know....I'm honestly not sure. I've already seen so much of Equestria over the past few months that I don't think there's anyplace for me to go to now. Heck, I...I think I went just about everywhere except going out of the country. You know, except for leaving the country to come to this place of course."
In the moment, Flash stepped up. "There is one place you could go." Lightning turned to him, blinking at the stallion as a look of confusion graced his face. Despite seeing this, Flash continued, "You could come back to Ponyville with us."
Everypony went wide-eyed at this, especially Lightning, "Huh?! You're joking, right Sentry? Why would you want me to come with you?! I mean, after everything I did to you and your friends back at Canterlot and-"
Flash shook his head at the question, soon interrupting him as he put his hoof on Lightning's shoulder, "Stop. Just stop right there Lightning." A huge smile shined on Flash's face as he said these next few words, "Listen....Ponyville is a...well, its a place where one can put their past behind them. I'll admit, after what you did in Canterlot and uh...the years between us aren't ones where I would personally say are...great." a grimace appeared on both stallion's faces, only for Flash's to fade as he started to smile again, "I won't deny that back then I would've probably had a hard time trusting you. Heck, I probably wouldn't have believed you changed. But...you saved me and everypony here, and I can tell that Grand and Springer trust you." The pegasi then punched the stallion's shoulder, his smile increasing as he continued, "I know now that I can put my faith in you, so I'm willing to give you the chance to show everypony else you've changed."
The others all nodded at this, liking the idea as Grand turned back to Lightning. "And the best way to prove to everypony you've changed is to be around the ponies you've wronged and show it. You can't do that in Canterlot yet my boy, but Ponyville holds just as many of the ponies you've wronged. I think its a brilliant idea."
Lightning frowned at his grandfather. "But what if I do everything I can to prove I've changed, and they still don't believe me?"
"Then you'll just have to keep trying," Iron told him as he patted Lightning's other shoulder. "Trust me on this, Ponyville will give you plenty of chances."
"And we'll be there to show our support!" Springer added as he hopped onto Flash's back with a big goofy grin. "After all, we're friends now!"
Flash nodded at this before shining a cheeky grin, "Plus, your buddy Wild has been spending a lot of time there lately."
This caught Lightning's attention, only to hear a groan from Iron, "You forgot to tell him about the fact that that blasted prankster has a stinking house in Ponyville now!" Iron then did a facehoof as he mumbled, "Oh, I so hope him and that blasted pink menace haven't gone on another pranking spree. I hate the cleanup just as much as those stinking crusaders and their crazy-"
Flash just ignored the now ongoing rant as he continued to talk to Lightning, "And just to give you extra motivation, we've seen Gorgenia and Script there every now and again. I'm sure they'd love to see you there."
Lightning blinked at this, all of the knights staring at him before he nodded in agreement. "Alright, I'll give it a shot."
Everypony smiled at hearing this before a villager announced that the last piece of the village had been dismantled and placed in a cart to be sent to the ship. With this in mind, Grand announced, "In that case, I suggest we start making our way home."
Everypony nodded in agreement, ready to finally put this episode behind them and return to their normal lives. And so, they followed the carts as they began to make their way to ship, the knights all taking one last look at the now abandoned town and the destroyed ruins in the distance. The battle was now over, and the future awaited them elsewhere.
When the group finally arrived at the Mighty Leviathan, they saw the destroyed figurehead had been replaced by some wood from the village. The blade like construct was not as impressive as what had been there before, but it was enough to make the ship aerodynamic for its sail. The knights helped unload the final few carts, unicorn magic being the biggest factor in making the job quick. Soon enough, they were all on board and with one quick burst from the thankfully still working rocket, the ship pulled away from coast. And as the ship took to the sea, the ponies watched as they sailed away from the land that had called home for so many years.
The ship soon made its way back to the portal, ready to get back to Equestria. As it did this, Grand made his way through the crowd of ponies and headed into the ships lower decks. There, he passed by several sailors and villagers who littered the hallways as he made his way to the lower, less decorative, part of the ship. Eventually, he arrived on the ship's lowest deck, just below the Mini Leviathan's hanger, where a corridor leading to a single thick metal door could be seen. Grand stepped up to that door, staring at it for what seemed like a lifetime before his hoof pushed the steel door forward.
Inside was an entire room made out of metal, with four doors similar to the one that had just been opened. The only difference was that it all had windows, allowing anypony to look inside. This was the Mighty Leviathan's brig, where four beings were being kept for transport. Grand looked into each one, seeing how the prisoners were being kept. He had been amazed to hear that three of the four Doom Quartet had survived Doom's destruction of the city and had somehow gotten to the very edge of the crater before collapsing. Of course, they surrendered as Tidal's crew found them, their bodies still battered and beaten.
Toxic was in the worst condition when found, both wings damaged in trying to survive Doom's destroying of the ruins when he first used the sphere. The crew had no problems knocking him out after this. Hiveena straight up surrendered after they were found, despite the fact she took the least amount of damage from Doom's destruction. Even though she did this, they knocked her out as well. Interesting enough, she had not stopped crying after being put in the brig, constantly muttering to herself that she had failed her life purpose. Grimhorn on the other hoof, resisted the most despite taking severe damage just like Toxic. However, the minotaur soon surrendered as well as Tidal, Skybreaker and Iron were asked to help confront him. Seeing the knights that had defeated him earlier, he immediately bowed to them, saying they were now stronger than him.
As such, they had now been placed in suitable restraints. Toxic was trapped in Ruby's crystals, which his toxic sweat couldn't dissolve. Hiveena was tied up and had a magic suppression ring around her horn, keeping her from transforming. Grimhorn was wrapped up in so many chains that even his enormous strength could not free himself. But it was the cell at the very end of the room that Grand was most interested in as he stepped up to it and opened the window. "Doom."
The unicorn opened his eyes and stared up at his father. Everything but his head was tied up in chains, which were also covered in Ruby's crystal magic along with three suppression rings on his horn. Despite this, the unicorn's mouth was free, and the defeated monster let out a low chuckle as he asked his father, "You finally came. So...come to gloat about your victory?"
Grand shook his head, sighing at his son's words. "No. I...I've come to tell you that I'm done beating myself up over you. It's true I wasn't the greatest father, and I did fail you. I failed every step of the way...but I still tried to fix it. I will admit I didn't try enough...but I still want to reach you. And yet...you made your own choices and this is where they left you. As such, I...I saw what you became and I know now that its impossible. I know I shouldn't do this, but...I'm done son." A lone tear began to form under his eye as he uttered his next words, "I'm sorry son, but...but I'm done. I'm through trying to reach you."
Doom just gave him a long, sinister grin back, "Oh? You know you can't just forget about me Grand. I'm a part of you." Then, a low hiss followed as he said his next words, "What would mother think Grand? Hmm?" A low dead look in his eyes appeared as he stared at his father's face, "What would Live Wire think?"
A low guttural growl came out of Grand's mouth as instantly replied, "She'd be ashamed of me son. Me and you both. She'd tell me to never give up on you, and she'd tell you that you should be ashamed of what you've become."
"I'm proud of what I am father." Doom retorted, his grin not leaving his face.
"I know." Grand then leaned in, his face feeling the cold steel as he said these next words, "And Daisy would be ashamed of you as well."
Doom's smile vanished in that moment, his chains now rattling as he tried to move, "Shut up! Don't you dare speak her name! You don't have the right!"
"You're right son." Grand immediately responded, making Doom suddenly halt at his words. "You're right that I don't have the right to speak about her, or your mother. I failed them and it still haunts me to this day that I failed them." It was here that is his face lifted itself from the steel frame, a long sigh following, "But I'm through allowing the past control me. I won't be haunted by it or you anymore. My life might not be perfect, but I have my friends, my duty, and now I have my grandson back. I'm happy with that, even if I have to leave you behind."
He stepped away from the cell, turning to leave before he heard Doom continue to struggle out of his confinement. "This isn't over! I escaped from prison before, I'll do it again! I'll find another way to get my vengeance! Mark my words Grand, I will have my revenge on you! I will escape this, and I will kill you and that piece of dumpster garbage filth that is your apprentice!"
Grand sighed as he turned his back to the cell. "Thanks to your fox friend that setup your prison, the structure stayed in tact from your transformation that destroyed the rest of the ruins. As such, Ruby went back and managed to memorize the runes used in the cells, and we've already sent them to Princess Celestia. She, Twilight Sparkle and...well, I'm going to ask Princess Celestia to get Solid Script to reverse engineer them. And until the Canterlot prison is equipped with them, you'll be staying like this and will have as many ponies as possible to guard you night and day. If you so much as twitch, they'll be ordered to knock you out as quickly as possible. You won't be seeing daylight again for a long, long time." Grand stepped back up to the cell and placed his hoof on the window. "Goodbye...my son." With that, he slammed the hatch shut before leaving the brig.
Once the metal door was shut behind him, he breathed a sigh of relief. He could still feel the scars on his heart from what he had said, but he knew he was ready to move on. He had no need to look back, as the weight on his heart had been lifted. But as he walked away from the brig, his eyes spotted something staring at him with a long, cold glare, "Springer?"
"No offense Grand, but what you just did doesn't exactly help me." Springer replied, a half frown on his face.
Grand sighed at this, knowing exactly where it was going. "I'm sorry Springer. I know Doom is our best lead, but...well, I know my son. If he doesn't want to tell you where Shade has gone too, there's no convincing him otherwise."
Springer swung his paw into the nearby steel wall, a loud clang following as he yelled, "That's not the point Grand! I spent the last two days with Tidal's crew searching this whole island over and all we found was one empty cell where we put that stinking fox, and one empty hidden dock with no boat!"
"I know." Grand replied in a low, serious tone. "And I know you all spent those two days trying to get any information out of Doom in terms of what Shade could have taken. All we know is where Doom hid his lab, which you also found empty."
"Along with the dock where he hid his boat to get to this island, which is also now missing!" Springer growled, rubbing his head in frustration as he continued, "I'm sorry Grand, I'm not blaming you....its just that Doom is the only pony that knows his plans. I asked the others, and I can tell from their auras that they hated Shade....and don't know anything about him or his plans."
Grand let out a long huff at this, "And let me guess. Doom refuses to talk because your Flash's partner? That, or to spite me?"
"Both." Springer instantly replied, "And I'm sorry that I yelled at you there."
"Its fine Springer." Grand said as he went up and patted Springer's shoulder, "Don't worry so much. Individuals like Shade....well, they don't stay quiet. He'll come back, and when he does, we'll be ready to help you take him down."
Springer looked back up at him with a tiny smile, soon nodding in agreement. "Yeah...you're right. Thanks Grand."
"No problem kiddo." Grand finished as he walked past the jakhowl and back up to the deck.
And as the jakhowl watched him walk away, a low growl could be heard as he whispered, "Shade...I don't know how you escaped or whatever your plan was, but when I find you again," blue flames consumed his paws as he continued to growl, "I will win! I will beat you, this time for sure!"
Meanwhile, inside a large ship somewhere out at sea....
"Hee hee hee...hee hee hee! Oh, that was priceless! Oh, what a sham that was! That...hee hee hee...that was an absolute idiotic farce, and it was HILARIOUS! Hee hee hee...hee hee hee!" a certain tricky fox chuckled to himself as he laid back in a chair. It was Shade the Trickster, and he was currently lounging in a sea captain's chair, his teeth now biting down on an apple. "Ahh...this is the good life! Keep the sails high, my puppets! We need to make sure they can't possibly follow us!"
As he took another bite, the fox glanced at a nearby window, where he had been staring at the battle two days ago on the island of Omniara. Now, it was nothing but endless water, which made him let out another series of laughs as he gestured for a cloak to spin the ship's navigation wheel. At the same time, several other cloaks flew all over the boat, all of them moving different parts of the ship to make it sail away.
"Hee hee hee...I'm pretty sure I got away by now, but you can never be too careful. That being said..." another series of giggles followed as his body shook the chair from his uncontrollable laughing, "Hee hee hee...hee hee hee! Oh, that was brilliant! All that power, and you threw it all away cuz you're a moron! Hee hee hee...hee hee hee!" He took another bite out of the apple as he continued to laugh, "Oh, I'm Doom Raizer! I'm so confident that I'll just take one of the ponies powers instead of all of them at once! Oh, and I'll just turn myself into a giant rock pony instead of oh, I don't know, maybe something with wings that could just fly to the portal and take its magic! Or maybe I could have just teleported with all my new magic, but no! I'm gonna save what could possibly be the most valuable magic, the portal, for last! HA! What an idiot! What a moron! Hee hee hee...hee hee hee!"
The fox leaned back in the chair as he took the last munch of the fruit, a huge grin on his face. "Hee hee hee...what a fool you were Doom! You threw everything away cuz you were an idiot. Not only that, you were so confident that you thought you just taught me how to use your precious 'cloaks'. Little did you know that I stole your original blueprints of these puppets and made a few of my own! HA!" The fox's claws put themselves behind his head as the chair tipped back in a relaxing fashion. "Good thing I made sure I knew how this freighter of yours works when we were first coming to the island. You made things so easy for me, you stupid moronic loser! Sure, I didn't get the Omni-Sphere. Heck, I didn't even get my revenge on that stinking mutt. But..."
His grin continued to grow as the fox hopped off the chair, his bipedal form now walking up to view the rest of the ship. There, he saw the cloaks putting up a series of huge boxes below deck, all of them filled with every piece of Doom's equipment he had brought to the island. The sight alone made Shade chuckle, "Hee hee hee...I have a huge haul now. Granted, I'll have to read up on how to use some of this stuff, but that doesn't matter. I still got what I wanted after all."
The fox then reached into its long ponytail, only to pull out one small gem. The gem glowed an almost unspeakable, albeit deadly shine, "Not only that Doom, you kept your side of the bargain. I showed you a plan B and you made the one thing I couldn't make. Too bad you were a total idiot."
Shade put his other claw over his mouth as continued to laugh, "Hee hee hee...what a moron. I gave him a full backup plan and I stole every bit of it from him! HA! The only thing that could make this sweeter is if I had a portal back to Equestria like those other losers! But...guess I can't get everything."
The fox went back to the chair and leaned in it as he stared at the gem again, "Eh, so what? I can wait six weeks at sea before getting back to Equestria. After all, I got all the time in the world for my revenge." The grin grew a centimeter more as he started to laugh, "Just you wait you stinking aura-loving snot, I'll be back to beat you once and for all! And when I'm done, I'll be the next Dark Mist! Hee hee hee…hee hee hee!"
The next day...
Ponyville Station was buzzing with activity as all of Flash, Springer and Iron's friends were on the platform, waiting for the train. The only one not there was Pinkie. Twilight had received a letter the previous day from Princess Celestia, explaining that their mission had been completed and though she might need her to come to Canterlot later due to certain rune magic expertise needed, she assured Twilight that they would come home today. So now, the group was here, waiting for their friends to arrive.
"Oh, come on!" Rainbow moaned as she paced through the air impatiently, "What's taking it so long?! Stupid train!"
"Hold yer horses Rainbow," Applejack told her with a roll of her eyes. "We all want it ta get here quickly, but moanin bout it won't make it come no faster."
"But it's taking forever!" Rainbow groaned as she let out a fake yawn, "Come on! Why isn't it here yet?!"
"The train is not scheduled to arrive for five more minutes darling." Rarity added as she filed her hooves while sitting down on a bench, "Besides, might I remind you that not everypony is here yet."
"Where is Pinkie anyway?" Spike asked as he looked around, scratching the side of his head at the same time.
"I'm here!" Pinkie's voice suddenly rang out, causing the group to look around aimlessly. Literally one second later, she appeared as a pink blur, soon coming to a halt as she started panting with her tongue. "Sorry...I'm...late...every...pony." She then pulled an oxygen tank out of nowhere and took several deep breaths.
"It's about time," Rainbow growled as she landed right by her.
"Sorry," Pinkie said again once the tank was empty. "I was just putting the finishing touches to the welcome home party."
"I'm still amazed you were able to get all that done and planned in just a day. How do you do it?"
"Trade secret Rarity," Pinkie replied, giggling at the same time. "Besides, its not like I have a secret underground party planning cave where I keep detailed plans for any possible party for any possible situation. That would just be silly."
Everyone laughed at this, all except Twilight who wanted to ask why Pinkie would even go to that conclusion. After that, they continued to wait for the train, where Scootaloo then spoke up, "I'm starting to get antsy too. Why isn't it here yet?"
"It'll be here soon," Twilight told her as she patted the filly on the head.
"You don't think something bad happened to them, do you?" Fluttershy asked in a low, nervous tone. "I mean, I know this is Iron and Flash, but..."
"I'm sure they're fine," Twilight replied as she then patted the shoulder of her kind friend. "If something happened, Princess Celestia would have told us..." But as these words left her mouth, her face contorted to one of worry, "Unless something did go wrong and its some kind of princess and royal knight super secret thing! But then again, maybe what she said about the rune magic is involved and something bad did happen! What if one of them lost a limb or was poisoned or-"
BONK!
That was the sound of Applejack smacking Twilight upside the head, the blow now stopping the unicorn from hyperventilating. She then started to rubbing her back, "Slow down there sugarcube. Yah know Princess Celestia wouldn't keep something like that a secret. Flash is fine, ah promise."
Twilight let out a long breath, soon repeating standard length ones as she replied, "Yeah, you're right. Thanks Applejack."
"No problem."
"I see you haven't quite nipped that bad habit of yours in the bud, Twilight." Everypony turned to see Solid Script, Gorgenia and Wild Smile stepping up to the platform. "You need to learn control. You're too smart to lose yourself like that."
"Solid?" Twilight replied, blinking at the unicorn and two with him. "What are you doing here?"
"Hey Wild!" Pinkie chimed in. "Are you and your friends here to welcome the guys home too?"
Script shook his head at this. "No. Gorgenia and I are heading back to Canterlot. I was specifically called by her majesty Princess Celestia over some sort of rune magic favor."
"You too huh?" Twilight added as she rubbed her chin. "I got the invite as well, but she told me to come later. Do you need me to come along now Solid?"
Solid blushed slightly at the thought of Twilight joining him, only to shake his head as he replied, "No. You uh...you can come at your own pace Twilight."
"Oh. Well, if that's the case Solid, maybe-" Twilight tried to say, only for a pink pony to interrupt her.
"You can't leave right now! You'll miss the party!"
Wild walked up and nudged the mare, "Don't worry about these two. I'll just party extra hard for them."
"Extra hard, extra hard, I'll party extra hard." his puppets repeated.
Before anypony could say anything else, the sound of an approaching train caught their attention. Scootaloo rushed towards the edge of the platform, an excited look on her face. "They're here, they're here!" Purple magic engulfed her tail and pulled her back, making her look up at the smiling Twilight.
"Yes, so give the train some room so it doesn't take your head off."
Scootaloo blushed as they all watched the train draw closer before eventually arriving at the platform, where it soon pulled to a complete stop. Everypony watched as the carriage doors opened, allowing the influx of ponies to step out. They waited and waited, but as the last passenger stepped out, there was no sign of the three the large group were waiting for.
"Where are they?" Fluttershy asked. "You don't think they missed the train, do you?"
"Nah," a familiar voice replied from further up the platform. They all looked around, only to see Flash and Iron step out of the very last carriage. "We just wanted to make a cool entrance."
"He's lying." Iron quickly chimed in with a huff.
"Hey! I am not lying!" Flash retorted as he nudged Iron with his wing, "You're just mad cuz First told you to wear that bandage over your eye for an extra day!"
"Yeah, well-blaugh!" Iron yelped as Fluttershy ran up and hugged him, tears streaming down her face. As soon as he realized who had hugged him, he quickly embraced her back. "Hey...I'm back."
"Welcome back Iron." she softly replied.
As for Flash, Twilight and Scootaloo tackled the poor pegasi in a mad rush. It wasn't for a few more seconds that he opened his wings and embraced the two as his little sister said, "Welcome back."
"Glad to be back sis," Flash replied as the rest of the group walked up to them.
The rest of the group all said their hellos as Twilight pulled away from Flash, only for a long sigh to follow as she saw the bandages he was sporting. "Couldn't help yourself, could you?"
Flash let out a nervous chuckle before rubbing the back of his head. "Yeah, sorry."
Twilight rolled her eyes, but smiled all the same. "As long as you're back home safe." With that, she pulled him into another tight hug.
While this happened, Spike walked up to him and tilted his head in confusion, "Hey Flash. Where's Springer?"
Flash was still hugging Twilight when this question entered his ears, but before he could reply, he saw Script and the others. Seeing this, he pulled away and walked up to them. "Hey! I sure am glad you're all here." He turned back to Iron, who shined a small smirk back, "Perfect timing, eh Iron?"
"Couldn't agree more Sentry." Iron commented as he walked up to the three before gesturing to the others, "There's somepony we need you all to meet, including you three. Springer's with him right now."
Script turned to him and raised an eyebrow in confusion. "I'm afraid it'll have to wait. This is our train to Canterlot."
Flash laughed at this. "Trust me, this is somepony worth catching the next train for." With that, he turned back to the carriage he had stepped out of. "You can come out now!"
Everypony turned to the carriage, only to all gasp when they saw a certain unicorn walk out with a grinning jakhowl on his back.
"LIGHTNING BLITZ?!" yelped the mares of the group along with one dragon. As for the other three, they all whispered his name. Lightning then looked the entire group over, seeing a mix of different reactions from them. Fear from the filly, a buttercream colored pegasi and a dragon of the group, while pure shock covered his friends' faces.
However, the ones that truly made him fill uncomfortable was the other mares. There was a pure mix of shock and anger in their expressions, Applejack being the first to speak up, "What's he doing here?!"
"And why is Springer riding him with that smile on his face?!" Rainbow added as she flared her wings.
"He's our new friend!" the jakhowl instantly barked back, his grin growing wider after saying this.
"WHAT?!" they all screeched back.
But before anything else could be said, Flash walked in front of the Lightning , "Everypony, please calm down. Just let me explain. For starters, Lightning is gonna be staying in Ponyville for a while."
"WHAT?!" Almost everypony screamed.
"Are you crazy?!" Rainbow yelled back.
"I agree Rainbow! Why would you let that brute anywhere near here?!" Rarity added.
"Because he's changed," Flash instantly replied, "And me, along with Iron and Springer have all seen it. Trust me on this."
"Its true! He helped me out a lot on our mission!" Springer cheered as he hopped off of Lightning's back. "In fact, he saved all of us!"
Iron nodded at this. "Not only that, he's gonna be sticking around to help up keep the town safe."
"Him?!" Rarity asked in horror.
"He's what this town needs keeping safe from!" Scootaloo cried out next.
"I agree!" Twilight added as she pointed at Lightning, "How can you three say this after everything he's done? Don't tell me you've forgotten what happened during the Fantasia Festival Flash!"
"I haven't." Flash replied as he crossed his hooves, his smile gone as he glared at Twilight. "But, I also know that me, Springer and Iron can say we'd be dead on this mission if it hadn't been for Lightning. He saved our lives on this mission, including the other knights." He then pointed at Lightning with a face of pure sincerity. "I won't deny his past, and I won't deny we've never really got along...but he's not the same unicorn he was back then. He's changed."
"Sure he has," Rainbow replied with obvious suspicion in her tone.
Flash let out a sigh at this, only for Lightning to step in front of him. "Listen, I know uh...I know I did a lot of bad things to all of you. I know you probably hate me, but...." the unicorn then made a gesture that made them all step back, his three friends going wide-eyed as they saw this. The unicorn was bowing, his face almost kissing the platform. "Please, give me a chance to prove I've changed. That's all I can ask for."
The group continued to stare at him, not sure what to make of his apology. Solid was the most amazed, as he knew Lightning the longest and he had never seen him be this humble. But as this happened, Flash stepped back up and pointed to himself, "Even if you don't trust him, trust me. If he steps out of line, I'll deal with him. But we've already shown that everypony deserves a second chance. We gave one to Luna and Discord, so why not him?"
Everypony took Flash's words to heart, with Twilight blinking at the sight before sighing. "Alright Flash, we'll give him a chance." She then turned to Lightning, "but we'll be keeping a very close eye on you. Unlike the rest of us, I've known you for a long time as well Lightning. Don't think I'll forget what you were in the past."
"I understand." Lightning replied, nodding before turning to his friends with a smile. As for them, their jaws were still hanging down, their eyes wide as they could be as Lightning's smile continued to grow, "Hey. Long time, no see."
"This...this isn't a dream, is it?" Gorgenia asked as tears streamed down her face.
Lightning laughed at the question, shaking his head in response. "No, its the real me. Glad to see you're all doing so well."
Wild then ran up and slung his hoof around Lightning's shoulder, "Hey! It's great to see you buddy!"
"Great to see you, great to see you!" his puppets repeated.
"Hey Wild, good to see you too. Sentry told me you're living here now."
"Eh, its just one of my pads now." Wild replied as he shined a huge smile, "And if you are sticking around, feel free to stay at my place as long as you like."
"Thanks Wild. I still can't believe you moved from Canterlot...but I think I can guess why," he looked over his shoulder at a certain pink pony and smiled. He then turned to Script, who had been completely silent for some time. "You doing okay Script?"
The unicorn's voice cracked as he replied, "Its...its really you, isn't it?"
"Yeah, it's me. Glad to see you're doing okay."
"How?"
"It's a long story," Lightning replied as he walked up and hugged the unicorn. Solid quickly embraced back, a waterfall of tears going down his face at the same time. The very sight made even the mares smile, as they saw the friendship of the two. Lightning then pulled away and slung his hoof around his friend's shoulder, "Which I would be glad to tell you, though I need to ask you something first buddy."
"What?" Solid instantly responded.
"I uh...I was with my gramps for a bit and he..." Lightning sighed at this as his face showed a tinge of anger, "You and him haven't been getting along." He then tapped Solid's chest, "I told you to move on from that Solid."
"Oh yeah..." Solid replied as his head slightly sunk, "Um...I uh...sorry."
Lightning let out another sigh, shaking his head at this, "I should have known. Don't worry Solid, we'll get this figured out where you and gramps can get along, alright?" Solid didn't respond, but Lightning knew it was a start. He then turned to Flash, "So, do we wanna tell them the whole story?"
"Oh yeah we do!" Flash replied, a huge smile on his face, "And I know exactly where you can tell that story!" He then turned to a certain party pony, "If I know Pinkie, she's got an awesome party waiting for us."
But before Pinkie could reply, Springer hopped onto Flash's back and yelled, "HEY! You're still forgetting something!"
"What am I forgetting buddy?"
The jakhowl pointed to himself, "Me and my new awesomeness!"
The others just blinked at this while a bulb went off in Flash's head, "Oh yeah, I totally forget! I'm sorry buddy." Springer then hopped off the pegasi as Flash raised his wing, covering the jakhowl from view, "May I present....the all-new Springer!"
SHING!
A bright light shined behind the wing, only for it to retract and reveal Springer in his battle form. A series of wide eyes followed as Twilight exclaimed, "Sweet magic! He...Springer looks just like that other jakhowl illustration in the Equestria's Top One Hundred Extinct Animals book!"
"That's right!" Springer cheered as he struck a pose, "This is the new-"
SHING!
"Augh!" yelped the jakhowl as the form disappeared, only for him to trip and get caught by Flash's wing. "Awww...I still can't hold it for long."
"Sorry buddy. Looks likes you'll be needing some training till ya can hold it."
"That was amazing!" Scootaloo and Spike cheered, "You looked so cool there Springer!"
"But how is that possible?" Twilight added.
"Its part of the story that is our mission Twilight." Flash replied as Springer got off his wing, "Though uh...Ruby did tell us that he'll be able to learn how to keep that form the more he trains. In fact, she said he'll soon stay in it if he trains enough. Says its part of his adulthood."
"Cool..." Scootaloo and Spike said in unison.
"Ruby is part of this too?! Did it involve all the knights?!" Twilight asked with the tilt of the head.
"Oh yeah." Flash nodded before turning to Pinkie, "Say Pinkie, you don't mind showing us where the party is, do ya? I think its best we tell the full story there."
Pinkie smiled and nodded at this before they all turned to leave the station. Their destination was now Sugarcube Corner, a place where Flash, Springer, Iron, and Lightning would tell their tale about their battle against Doom Raizer, his four minions, and everything they had to do to stop him.
The Crystal Empire...
As Ruby stepped into the throne room, she was met with the sight of Cadance and Shining Armor. The royal couple smiled when they saw her arrive as Cadance said, "Welcome back. I hope your mission was a success."
Ruby immediately bowed as she replied. "It was."
Cadance shook her head at the sight, "Ruby, its just us. You don't need to bow."
"You are the princess. I must do this regardless of our friendship, your highness." Ruby then stood back up, only to blink at the smiles on the duo's faces. "I'm guessing you would like to know all the details of the mission? I will start with this, it was a very touch and go job, but you can thank your brother-in-law for pulling it off in the end."
Shining let out a guffaw, "HA! Of course he did! You're definitely gonna have to give us all the details on that one!"
Ruby nodded and half-bowed. "I can have a full report on your desk by tomorrow if you wish."
Shining shook his head at this. "Love the professional enthusiasm, but I think I'd prefer you to just tell us what happened."
"Agreed. Will you tell us over dinner tonight?" Cadance added as Shining slung his hoof over her shoulders.
Ruby nodded again, this time with a smile. "I would love to your highness."
The royal couple both copied the action. "Good. And don't worry about going back on duty right away. By the looks of those bandages, I'm sure you'd appreciate a few days to relax and recuperate after such a dangerous mission."
"I would, but my mission is yet to be completed." She reached into her saddlebag and pulled out a wrapped up package, which she opened to reveal her Omni Sphere fragment. "First, I and I alone must hide this in the snowy depths of the crystal mountains where nopony will find it."
The two blinked at the sight, confusion on their faces. Despite this, they nodded in agreement, and proceeded to get her some equipment for the snowstorm she would be heading into.
Somewhere out at sea...
Tidal was in his personal boat, a small solo sailing ship, and was a few miles from the coast. With the Mighty Leviathan under repairs, he was forced to use it. He didn't mind though, as he always enjoyed the solo ventures out into the sea. Not only that, it was perfect for the task at hoof.
Tidal dropped anchor another mile in and moved over to the edge of the boat, looking down at the waters he floated on. Below the boat was a trench roughly two and a half miles deep. Anything dropped into it would never be found, at least with anything possible in this era, even including magic. This was especially important with what he had planned, as he took out his Omni Sphere Fragment.
He then picked up a rock he had on the deck, which he was actually able to split in two to reveal a hollow inside. He placed the fragment within, followed by a load of dirt that would weight it down before closing the rock. He then used all his might to toss it into the sea, watching it hit the water with a splash before sinking below.
"Buena adiós," he said before moving back over to the anchor, ready to raise it and set sail once more.
The Galloping Mountain...
Atop the large mountain, a single pegasus landed on the tallest peak possible. Skybreaker looked around, seeing nothing around him except a few Flufflepuffs. A sigh of relief followed as he started feeling the ground, trying to find some soft soil.
Once he found some, he took out a shovel from his saddlebag and began digging. Thirty minutes later, he had a hole roughly ten feet deep. Flying back out, he reached into his saddlebag and pulled out his Omni Sphere fragment before tossing in the hole. "Nopony will find it now," he commented to himself as he filled the hole back up. "Nopony knows where it is except me, and they'll have no reason to look for it here. Mission accomplished."
He breathed a sigh of relief before spreading his wings, his new destination begin the town of Cloudsdale. No doubt the citizens would be surprised to see one of its greatest heroes had returned, especially after the many years of being away.
Somewhere on the road...
First and Heather were now continuing their journey to learn everything they could about herbal and medical science. Along the roads they walked, they kept debating over a good place to hide their fragment of the Omni Sphere.
"Any ideas yet?" Heather asked her partner.
First shook his head. "None. Though, we could just dig a ditch right here and hide it. No pony would ever know."
Heather shrugged with a frown. "Eh, why don't we put that into the maybe pile."
"Very well. We will just have to keep our eyes open for something that could become a suitable hiding place."
"That might take a while," Heather replied as she fiddled with the crystal in her hoof. "But what else can we do?"
"I suspect we keep moving Heather."
"Agreed."
With that, the two continued to walk down the road.
Canterlot...
Grand watched as Celestia placed his Omni Sphere Fragment in a magically sealed box before locking it into the Canterlot vault. Celestia then turned back to him, Luna by her side.
"Excellent work Sir Grand Hoof," the lunar princess told the knight. "You and your team have done Equestria proud."
"I think this event is worthy of its own window display," Celestia added as her horn stopped glowing from locking the vault.
"Thank you your highness, it would be an honor. Might I suggest having it show the final attack which destroyed Doom's colossal?"
The royal sisters raised an eyebrow at this, specifically Luna as she asked, "But your reports say you were not there when that happened. Why ask for that event?"
Grand shook his head at this. "I didn't take this quest to gain fame, and the others did far more than me. It seems only right that they should get the credit."
The two alicorns smiled back before nodding. "Very well. If that is what is what you wish, we will honor it."
Grand gave his thanks to the princesses and headed out of the room. He then left the castle, heading towards an area he knew far to well. Along the way, he bought two batches of different flowers and made his way to his true destination.
The Canterlot Graveyard.
He stepped past the main gate and navigated through the graves without even paying attention to where he was going. He didn't need too, as he could do it blindfolded if need be. After all, he had done it for years now, and knew he would continue to as he arrived in front of a pair of gravestones. There, he stared at the names on the graves.
Live Wire
Daisy Chain
Grand sighed before placing the two bouquets on the graves, his tail soon cleaning off the dirt and grime on the stone. After this, a small tear went down his face as he spoke up, "I know I don't deserve to ask, but I hope the two of you can forgive me for my sins. I've done so many wrong things, and I keep trying to do what I can to make up for them. I just..." his face faltered as the next words came out of his mouth, "I just...I just pray and hope you'll accept that." He then looked at his wife's grave, "I screwed up with Doom. I...I gave up on him Live Wire, and I'm sorry I did. I just hope you aren't mad at me for that, as I'm not strong like you. I...I just couldn't keep trying, and I'm sorry. Also...I hope you aren't mad that I gave the Celestic Gear you made to Flash. I know I've apologized to you about that before but...I had to say it again." He then turned to Daisy's grave, "I'm sorry I failed you as well Daisy. I failed Doom, the one you loved so much. But...I have good news..." his face now streamed tears as he said these next words, "I got Lightning back! He...he almost went too far, but...but he found his way! I'm so proud of him! He helped us so much and...and I know you would be so proud of him like I am."
After that, silence fell onto the pony. He didn't know what else to say except, "Goodbye. I...I'll be back again, like always."
With nothing more to say, Grand picked himself up and headed out of the graveyard. He returned to the castle and headed to the guard's training ground, his office being located there. But as he stepped inside, he suddenly went into a battle stance, ready to fight as he felt a presence nearby. "Who's there?!"
"You look like you've been through hell," a male voice said from the corner of the room.
Grand sighed in relief without even looking, knowing that voice anywhere. "Decided to show up, I see. Could have used you a few days ago Cold." He turned around now, his eyes fully staring at a unicorn who looked around the same age as Tidal, but his voice and demeanor said otherwise. He had a light blue coat along with a snow white mane and tail. Around his neck was a metal collar with a light blue crystal in the center. His cutie mark was a shield with a snowflake on it.
The unicorn was sitting in a chair in the corner, his hooves crossed as he glared at Grand. "I would have been if I could, but I'm not exactly able to teleport Grand. As such, I was forced to come by land."
"Whatever." Grand grumbled as he walked around his desk. "I don't mean to be rude Cold, but you better have got me something good for not being on this latest mission. All of Equestria was at stake Cold, not something a Royal Knight should skip out of."
"I know." Cold replied as he gestured to Grand's desk, a file sitting on the wooden frame. "Take a look at that, and I'm pretty sure you'll be satisfied. Its everything I was able to find on that cult."
Grand nodded before sitting down and opening the folder. "Known members, activities and-" He stopped when he came to a picture, which caused his eyes to go wide. The image made the stallion want to puke as he looked back at Cold, "Oh my...ugh! What...what is this?!"
"Best guess? Some kind of ritual they were performing. Whatever magic they were messing with, I'm guessing it didn't work the way it was intended." Cold then leaned over, tapping the photo with his hoof, "And as you can see, its a mess and half a nightmare combined. Not only that, whatever happened there....well, it happened a long while ago. The bodies were old, probably about ten years according to the crime lab I was able to get to. I also found traces of blood, though its all dried up after a decade. I will say this, there was a whole lot of blood everywhere. It must have been a bloodbath."
"That...is disgusting," Grand spat as he turned the photo over and looked back up at Cold, "That's gonna give me nightmares, me and my stomach. That being said, I'm glad you went. Though did you find anything else?"
The unicorn shook his head, "Not much. After whatever that was happened, their activities went almost silent. They're probably trying to rebuild their forces before trying something else, with only a few mentions of them here and there." Then Cold frowned. "However, four words have been popping up every now and again. I think these guys are interested in...well, I'm honestly not sure, but I do know the words." Cold then leaned in close and whispered, "Tell me, have you ever heard of something called the Sacred Light, or the Corrupted Shadow?"
Grand raised an eyebrow at this. "No, I haven't. Have you checked the archives for anything like that?"
Cold sighed as he sat back. "I have. I got nothing but the names. Whatever these things are, they're old Grand. Super old. I've been searching in all of Equestria's libraries and museums, but nothing's come up."
Grand frowned at this. "Then how do they know about them?" He looked back down at the turned photo. "You don't think the...bloodbath they did was them trying to find this 'Sacred Light' or 'Corrupted Shadow', do you?"
"Good question, and I'm not sure." Cold replied as he rubbed his chin in thought. "To be honest Grand, I don't know if we'll get an answer until we find these guys and make them talk."
"That could be a problem," Grand admitted as he closed the folder. "If we are able to locate them and if they're doing disgusting things like this, we might need the power of every Royal Knight we have to face them."
"True. Luckily, we might have two new knights by then." Cold then leaned back with a slight smile, "I mean, we just got one with that Ruby Scarlet, right?"
Grand let out a low sigh. "While that's true, and I'm glad she's with us...I'm not sure about the two. For starters, Skybreaker will be the one to decide when Iron is ready to be knighted."
"And what about your apprentice? From what I hear, he's made a name for himself already. You think he's ready to take the next step?"
Grand shook his head. "Not yet. Check in with me in a few months and...well, he might be ready then. Right now, he's nowhere near that point yet." He then stared at Cold straight in the eyes. "And when that point comes, I want you to be his opponent."
Cold raised his eyebrow at this. "Really? Why me?"
"You're the only knight he has yet to meet. The only one he doesn't know of and will be able to challenge him. When the time for him to be tested comes, I want him pushed to his limits. Can you do that?"
Cold thought for a moment before nodding. "Yes, I can do that." He got up out of his chair and headed for the door. "I might be near the crystal empire in a few months, as I remember you telling me I need to meet Ruby Scarlet and earn her trust like you did, right?"
"Oh yeah. You'll especially want too since you didn't come on the mission. Also, I'll go ahead and warn you, she was Princess Luna's student, and that means she knows how to fight."
"Really? Sounds like fun." Cold admitted as he opened the door, "Alright. If you think he's ready then, I'll face your student. Till then, I'll continue investigating these psycho cultists."
Grand nodded before the unicorn stepped outside. Once the door was shut, he opened the file once again. "In a few months, he might have to be. Something's coming. Change is approaching, and we'll need everything we've got to face it when it does."
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Is Flash going to be M A Larson-ed as well at the end of Magical Mystery Cure?
And what are these cultists? Sacred Light, Corrupted Shadow? This is going to involve Flash, isn't it?
Just asking, how many more chapters will there be before Magical Mystery Cure, it would make sense to have some space to breath before such a change.
Next chapter.
Doom
No. Just No. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Just stop. Banshee, love yeah, but stop. Just stop.
That foreshadow was a subtle as a freight train.
Looking forward to Flash's duel with Cold. I wonder how he'll handle learning not all the knights were there for the mission. I want to have it set to Duel of Fates, you know the score from Phantom Menace when Qui Jon, Obi-Wan and Maul fought.
9178462
For the love of God, I hope not. Magical Mystery Cure is Twilight's moment, her episode. Flash can have a supporting role, but that is her moment, not Flash's. He just had his awesome moment, let Twilight keep her's, Banshee making the last chapter of Element of Courage Flash's moment almost killed this entire story line for me, what sincerely saved it was that Flash could not win against Sombra in Crystal Darkness, to make Flash an alicorn during Twilight's own ascent would just destroy this entire story.
Please don't alicorn-ify Flash. I like him the way he is.
I normally have nothing against ponies becoming alicorns, but if Flash becomes one, he'll become OP, and if there's anything Dragon Ball Z has taught me, characters becoming OP means that all the less powerful characters start losing relevance, and I don't want the Mane 6 losing relevance. 
I know I don't even like Dragon Ball Z, but that's beside the point.
9178656
Okay, for me personally, Flash didn't steal Twilight's thunder at the end of Element of Courage. They were sharing it. I mean, Flash had to make his epic debut somewhere. Personally, I have my own reasons for not wanting Flash alicornified.
9178657 Don't worry. I promise you that Flash will never become an Alicorn in my stories. He may become as powerful as an Alicorn, but not become one.
Well, it took half the season but this arc is finally concluded. But Shade is still out there, and he could become even more dangerous with enough time. I was shocked to see Cold appear. I haven’t seen him in any of your stories since Shadow Gates. If he is going to be Flash’s opponent one day, then I wish Flash the best of luck since this Cold must be just as skilled as his counterpart in your Yugioh continuity.
I though Solid might become a villain one day, but with Lightning back that seems unlikely. Also, that drawing of another alicorn is interesting. Maybe it symbolizes how Flash is as strong as an alicorn or maybe it is a completely different character. Either way, the finale is next and I can’t wait for the coronation!
You mean reconstructing.
were
before
9178667
So you're going to Flash the earned GlimGlam before GlimGlam makes her début. I can live with that.
9178657
I have to agree, and I love DBZ... more of a Team Vegeta then Team Goku guy, but that's neither here nor there.
9178665
Fair enough, but the creation of a 7th element of harmony... can we agree that's just a bit too far. I still argue that Nightmare Moon was Twilight's foe and should have remained it, maybe if she (Nightmare Moon) had some sort of muck or minion that barred the way after the drawbridge, one only Flash could fight and if he didn't they couldn't get to Nightmare Moon, that I could get behind. But it is what is.
9178614 9178722. It's deconstructing. If they were reconstructing, then they would be fixing the buildings. But they're not, because their taking them apart.
9178722
I'm glad someone acknowledged that with Shade. That's probably my favorite scene...though it might be because I wrote it. I love scenes where villains just laugh at their own failure but then show they're far from beaten.
9178735
Deconstructing has a certain connotation and denotation that makes it sound like they are leaving.
Reconstructing means they are repairing so that they can remain.
9178745 But they're not remaining. They deconstructing the buildings to take to Equestria. Did I not make that clear?
9178667
Can I assume then that the armour depicted in the carving includes a helmet with a horn, presumably a magical artefact and can be used to perform magic in it's own right, but wearer does not have a horn?
In other-words, the pony in carving just looks like an Alicorn, but not actually an Alicorn?
Is anything in the above statement correct?
9178755 If i told you, I'd be giving away to many secrets. Sorry.
9178747
I guess this is an incident of people being divided by the same language, because in the US there are connotations and denotations of the word that leads it to be view in a negative light. Dismantle, would have conveyed the concept you were going for and avoid a lot of confusion.
Yay! Lightning is officially redeemed! He was such a jerk before, but I have always been a sucker for redemption stories, and I look forward to seeing more of him
I also like how you put various renditions of your original characters in all these AUs, it really connects them in a fun and interesting way.
Now what else do you have in this story and in the works? I suppose I shall just have to read and see!