Flash Sentry, Defender of the Peace S3

by Banshee531

The Mission

Someplace far from Equestria...

Today's adventure opens up in a barren wasteland, where life can not be grown or even seen. The ground is rough and fruitless, a thin layer of dust covering it all. In the middle of this desert like area, a large crater could be found that was several miles wide, though only a few feet deep. The remains of several small ruins could be seen scattered around the surface of the crater, and moving between those ruins were many black dots.

Up on the edge of the crater, two cloaked figures could be seen leaning over the edge looking into it. The bigger of the two figures pulled out a pair of binoculars, revealing a pair of purple hooves, that he held up to his eyes. Doing so allowed him to take a closer look at the black dots. Those black dots were all figures in black hooded cloaks, their entire bodies completely hidden beneath them. Several of these figures were carrying different tools like shovels, pickaxes and drills, which they were using to dig out the rock hidden ruins.

"Looks like they're hard at work," the purple pony commented as he held out the binoculars to his comrade, which were soon engulfed in a dark blue aura before they floated in front of him.

The cloaked figure looked through the binoculars and nodded. "Impresionante! I don't know where he found these guys, but they work hard."

"Too hard," the first pony replied back, his tone deep with anger. "If we don't hurry, they'll have what they're looking for before we can act." He took back the binoculars and held them up, then pressed a button on the side that caused it to make a clicking sound, several more following this.

"What's the plan amigo?" The second pony asked.

The first pony picked himself up and stepped away from the crater. "We need to get back to Equestria. Princess Celestia and the others need to be told about this."

"Convenido," the second agreed as he too stood up. But in doing so, his hooves tapped the pebbles beneath him, only for them to fall down the wall of the crater. "Oops."

The figures soon heard this and looked up, only for their tools to fall out of their hooves as they saw the two figures on the edge of the crater. The two ponies then rushed away from the crater as the figures all climbed out and began to chase them.

"Great work Tidal," the first pony hissed at his partner.

"Sorry Sky," the one named Tidal replied. "It was an accident."

The one named Sky glanced back, seeing the figures following them getting closer and closer. "Dang it!" He barked as he came to a skidding halt before reaching into his cloak, pulling out a short twin bladed battle axe that had a light blue handle and white colored axe blades. "Sky Force!" He yelled as he pointed it at the group, a tornado blasting out of the sword soon after.

But as Sky's attack knocked the group chasing them away, another group of cloaked figures came from the side. All of them were now rushing at the two, only for Tidal to yell, "Tidal Force!" A stream of water shot into them, blasting them away. The axe wielding pony turned to the one responsible and saw Tidal. Floating next to him was a long blue trident with silver prongs and a drill like appendage on the other end.

The two ponies nodded at each other as the rest of the figures began to surround them. The cloaks rushed towards them, but the two were not intimidated. "Tidal Whip!" A rope of water shot out of Tidal's trident, which he whipped around to knock down several cloaked figures.

"Sky Cutter!" Sky cried as he swung his axe, unleashing a blade of concentrated wind that knocked down several of the figures.

Despite this though, three more groups appeared, all charging at the two. Seeing their position being one of unending danger, the two ripped off their own cloaks, revealing their full forms. Sky showed himself was a purple pegasus with a white mane and tail. His body was covered in scars, but the most noticeable thing about him was that his right wing had been replaced by a mechanical one. His cutie mark was that of a cloud with an axe cutting through it. Tidal on the other hoof, was a light brown unicorn with a blue mane and tail. His cutie mark was of a shield with a tidal wave on it.

The duo gave each other a knowing glance as Sky order, "Tidal, blast off! NOW!"

"Si!" Tidal replied.

Sky spun his axe above his head, unleashing a strong spiral of wind that began to blow the cloaked figures away. As he covered them, Tidal struck the drill part of his weapon into the ground. "Tidal Surge!" The ground began to shake before exploding beneath their hooves, a column of water soon blasting the two into the air before transforming into a tidal wave that washed the cloaks all away.

Sky then grabbed Tidal and spread his real and fake wings, allowing them to both fly off as the cloaked figures tried to pick themselves up. The two soon landed by a nearby beach, where a boat tied to a large rock was sitting. The duo hopped in, Sky untying the boat while Tidal began to use his magic to row.

Soon, the two were gone, out of the reach of the cloaked figures. As they continued to row through the sea, Tidal spoke up, "What now?"

"Now we get back to Equestria," Sky replied as he pulled out a strange jewel and dropped it into the sea. He stared at the spot he had dropped it for a while, gauging where he had sent the object. "Hmm....that should be good." He turned back to Tidal. "And with that my friend, we need to start planning our next step."

---

Meanwhile...

In a dark room, a certain pony was sitting in a chair, the pony's eyes glued at a certain object.

The object was a large orb, which was hovering in front of the pony. The orb was showing the image of Tidal and Sky's boat drifting further and further away. As the boat continued to ride the waves, the pony chuckled to itself, "So, they've finally caught up to me. It matters not. By the time they return, it'll already be too late."

The figure spun in his chair and jumped off, stepping into the light to reveal himself as a blood red unicorn with a yellow mane and tail. He was covered in scars and his cutie mark was of a bloodied sword. The unicorn stepped over to a glass tube, which had a large, broken crystal orb inside. The orb was almost complete, except for a missing piece on the top of the sphere. He let out a small sigh at the missing piece, "Soon...oh so soon. Once I have the final piece, unlimited power will be mine. And then they will regret shunning me."

He turned back to the orb showing the boat and smirked. "Go ahead and warn my father, you insignificant specks." Then, he began to laugh, "Heh....after all, he can't stop me. Nopony can!"

---

Six Weeks Later...

The high pitched whistle of the train blew in Flash's ears as he and his friends stood on the Ponyville Platform. He, Springer and Iron were standing in front of the train, all with saddlebags and backpacks on their beings. Lightbringer and Piecemaker were strapped to their wielders' sides, and all their friends were there to see them off.

Flash did a slight cock of the head as he looked back at the train, "Well, this is it."

Twilight stepped up to them. "Are you sure we can't come help? Maybe Grand Hoof would be willing to let us lend a hoof."

"Yeah! Why can't we go?!" Rainbow added as she hovered just over Twilight, "Whatever's going on sounds super awesome."

Iron shook his head at this. "No. The letter specified us and only us were allowed to go."

The letter he was talking about had arrived the previous day via dragon mail. It had been from Grand, and it ordered Flash, Springer and Iron to head to the city of Manehatten, though the reason had not been specified. The only other thing in the note was that they needed to pack for several days worth of a trip. As such, the three had instantly started preparing and were now about to board the train to Manehatten.

"No fair," Pinkie whined, her body slumping down with a big frown, "I bet you're going on a super fun Royal Knight mission! So why can't we come?!"

"You kinda answered your own question," Springer told her.

"It's a knight mission," Flash finished. "You need to be a knight to go on it."

"None of you are knights," Rainbow instantly countered.

"Yeah!" Scootaloo added while pointing her hoof. "You're a pair of apprentices and a sidekick! Why do you get to go?!"

The trio all glared at her before Iron leaned down, staring daggers in the filly's eyes, "Look here, troublemaker. We're going and you're not. If you don't like it, take it up with Grand next time you see him."

"Oh, we will," Rainbow replied as she put herself between Scootaloo and Iron.

Fluttershy then spoke up, looking scared as she tried to stop Rainbow. "I just hope whatever's going on isn't too dangerous."

"We'll be fine," Flash told her with a wave of the hoof. "We're highly trained fighters after all. We're not gonna go down that easily."

Applejack nodded as she tipped her hat. "Well, be sure you all come back safely."

"We will."

"And don't forget to take as many pictures of Manehatten as you can," Rarity added, a huge grin on her face, "I want to hear all about it when you get back."

"We're not going on a sightseeing tour," Iron growled back. "We're going on an important mission. At least...I think we are."

Twilight frowned at this statement, soon crossing her hooves. "Well whatever it is you're going there for, please don't do anything stupid." She poked Flash in the chest, "especially you!"

"Hey! I'm not-" Flash tried to say, only for everypony's ears to hear the sound of the conductor announcing it was time. Hearing this, Flash gave them all a salute, "Well, this is it."

Twilight and Scootaloo both pulled him and Springer into a hug, the pegasus looking over to see Iron was getting the same treatment from Fluttershy. Once they pulled away, the others all giving them a shorter hug before they boarded the train.

"We'll be back in a few days," Flash told them out of the window.

"Probably," Iron finished.

The train began to pull away, while the others began to run alongside it. Twilight spoke up first, yelling, "Good luck out there. Don't be too reckless, alright?!"

"We'll be waiting to hear stories of your adventures when we get back," Rarity added next.

"And we'll have a big party when you do!" Pinkie cried.

"Go kick butt!" Rainbow cheered.

"But be careful while doing it," Fluttershy cautioned.

"Don't go doing anything stupid, ya'h hear," Applejack finished.

"We won't," Flash yelled over the train's whistle. "Scootaloo, don't give Twilight any trouble!"

"I won't!" Scootaloo yelled as they reached the end of platform and came to a stop. "But please, come back safe."

"I will, I promise!" Flash yelled back as the train finally moved out of verbal range. After that, the trio pulled their heads back in and began to search for an empty car. Soon, they found one and all three stepped inside the barren box.

Springer grabbed the handle and closed it behind him before jumping onto the seat next to Flash. "So, why did we alone get that call to Manehatten?" The Jakhowl asked. "If this is a knight mission, why us? Just like Scootaloo said, we're not knights."

Flash just gave the jakhowl a shrug, "Good question. Whatever's going on, it has to be something big. Really big to ask for extra help like us."

Iron huffed as he crossed his hooves and leaned back. "Or its something so small that they decided it wasn't worth their time, so they decided to have us handle it."

Flash rolled his eyes. "You need to learn how to trust others. I think we're beyond the point of running errands for the knights. After all, Grand, Heather and First did see us fighting in the Battle of Canterlot. Plus, Ruby's seen me in action twice now."

"In the Battle of Canterlot, we were both defeated and detained. Plus, from what I hear, the Crystal Knight wasn't too happy about meeting you before that."

Again, Flash rolled his eyes. "That was before she saw what I could do. That and uh...Grand kinda screwed me over when he sent me alone into that situation." Flash then leaned forward with a focused glare, "Trust me, whatever this is, its gonna be something worth our skills."

"Tch, whatever," Iron hissed as he looked away. "I'll wait until I have some proof before agreeing with you."

"Seriously?!" Flash replied as he and Springer sat back before facehoofing. "Ugh...should have know better with you."

With that, several hours passed in that train car, silence mainly being present. Time slowly moved as they got closer to the bustling metropolis know as Manehattan. Soon, the train hit the station, the conductor quickly yelling out to the passengers it was time to leave. The train doors opened and the passengers began to disembark, Flash, Springer and Iron being the last ones off. As they did, Springer asked from Flash's back, "So, what now? The letter didn't say what we were supposed to do once we got here."

"Good point," Flash said as he looked around the station.

"You didn't think to write and ask?" Iron asked in a low, growling tone.

Flash replied with a glare, "I don't remember you suggesting that."

"Flash Sentry?" said a fourth voice, causing the trio to spin around. There, they saw a yellow earth pony wearing a sailor's uniform walking up to them. "Flash Sentry, Iron Core, and Springer the Jakhowl?"

The three all raised an eyebrow at this. "Yeah...that's us." Flash replied slowly.

"I was sent to collect you," the pony explained before turning around and gesturing them to follow. "Your transport is waiting outside."

"Transport?"

Making their way to the outside of the station, they found their transport was actually a luxury taxi. Flash whistled as they stepped up to it, the navy pony telling them to climb in. As soon as they did, the taxi started moving, the taxi soon moving through the city. It soon made its way around the bustling metropolis, passing a large park, a street with an entirely japaneigh theme and even spotted a street sign telling them that bridleway was on their next left.

However, they did not go left. Instead, they slowly began to enter less and less crowded sectors of the city, causing the three to all share a confused glance before Iron spoke up, "Hey, where the heck are we even going anyway?"

"The docks," the driver replied.

"Why are we going to the docks?"

"No idea. All I'm being payed for is to pick you up, then take you to an address located in the harbor."

Once again, the three shared a confused look.

The rest of the journey was entirely question-less, time slowing down at this point. Eventually, a sea breeze began to blow into their faces, making them look out the windows and see the city's docks. There, they saw a whole line of boats all lining the shoreline, which included sail boats, yachts and steam trams.

Then, the taxi came to a stop, allowing the three to see where they had been brought. They were now positioned outside a massive warehouse made completely out of rusted black metal that made it look like it could fall down at any moment.

"You have gotta be kidding me," Flash commented as he looked the building over.

"What's this?" Iron asked the driver.

"Your stop. This is the address I was told to bring you to, so please get out. I've got another pickup."

The three all sighed as they got out the taxi, which rushed away as soon as Springer jumped off. Now alone, the trio stepped up to the warehouse and looked at the front door, which appeared to be hanging by only one hinge. Blinking at the condition of the frame, Flash opened the door, the three of them flinching at the loud squeaking, and looked inside. "Springer?"

The jakhowl closed his eyes and focused. "I'm picking up a lot of unfamiliar auras, but none of them are malevolent."

"We should still be careful," Iron told them, Flash nodding to this as they stepped inside. The warehouse's inner was almost pitch black, though from what they could tell, there was only about a few hundred feet from a back wall. That was far less than the outside.

"What's this all about?" Springer asked as they looked around.

"Not sure," Flash replied before taking a deep breath, "HEY GRAND! ARE YOU IN HERE?!" No reply came, causing him to let out a low hiss. "If this is some kind of joke, I swear to Celestia-" He stopped when he suddenly heard laughing coming from the the shadows, causing the three of them to get into a battle stance.

"If this is some kind of joke," a familiar voice called out. "Then I am sad to say he got all of us."

"No contractions..." Flash said before his eyes went wide. "Wait, I know that voice."

The owner of said voice, stepped out of the shadows along with another pony, revealing themselves. The three hopped in place at the sight, "First!"

"And Heather!" Springer finished.

First Aid and Heather Bloom both smiled at them. "Hey everypony. How you been?"

"What are you guys doing here?" Iron asked instead of replying.

First just shrugged at this, "We were sent a message from Grand Hoof explaining to come to Manehatten. When we arrived, a sailor pony showed us a deluxe taxi and we have ridden it here."

"Just like us."

"We were beginning to wonder what was going on," Heather explained as she crossed her hooves. "But then you guys got here."

"So you don't know what's going on either," Flash grumbled as he rubbed his head in slight frustation. "What could be going on that Grand Hoof would need the five of us?"

"Six of us."

The group spun back towards the door, where a crystal pony that was many different shades of red stood. It was the Crystal Knight, Ruby Scarlet. Flash blinked at this, tilting his head at the sight, "Ruby? You're here too?"

"I am," Ruby replied as she stepped inside. "Seems it wasn't long till we saw each other again Flash Sentry."

"Ruby?" Heather gasped, pointing at the approaching mare, "You mean...the lost knight, Ruby Scarlet?!"

Flash nodded with a big smile, "Yeah! Let me introduce you." He stepped towards the Crystal Knight. "Ruby, this is Heather Bloom and First Aid. They're the Floral and Healing Knight." He turned to the two, "Heather and First, this is Ruby Scarlet, the Crystal Knight. Don't feel bad if she comes off as being cold, she takes some to time to warm up to ponies."

Ruby smirked as she stepped up to Heather and First. "I've read up on you exploits around Equestria," she held out a hoof. "You do tight, efficient work."

"Thank you," First replied as he shook her hoof.

"It's an honor to meet you," Heather said as she did the same.

"Okay....obviously she's been pre-warmed." Flash admitted before turning to his fellow apprentice, "this is another squire-"

"Iron Core," the earth pony interrupted as he stepped up to her. "Heard a lot about you."

"Wish I could say the same," Ruby replied as she smiled at him before shaking hooves. "I'm sure if you're on Flash's level, you'll do just fine."

Flash pouted at this. "Oh sure, he doesn't have to risk his life and sanity to get her respect."

"Oh, grow up," Springer told him, smacking Flash's shoulder with his tail.

Ruby turned to the voice, only to look down and see the jakhowl. Her eyes went wide as she leaned down, staring at the jakhowl with pure focus, "You...you must be Springer."

Springer shined a huge grin, puffing his chest as he replied, "That's me. I'm the number one defender of Ponyville."

"Tone it down, ya braggart." Flash snapped, smacking Springer with his wing.

"Hey!" Springer barked back, only to feel Ruby's right hoof under his ear, "What is-ohhh...that feels good."

Flash couldn't believe what he was seeing as he looked back at Ruby. She was laughing, giggling as she scratched Springer's ear. "Heh...yes, you're a jakhowl alright. I was heartbroken when my old mentor told me that the jakhowls had also vanished in my absence...but I can see that there is a future for them yet."

"Ohhhh….that feels so good." Springer cooed as Ruby continued, "Just like when I was with Princess Luna."

"What are you doing to him?" Flash asked as he looked back at his happy partner.

"Just a trick true partners of jakhowls know. I guarantee Luna has done it to him as well. She told me about her adventure with Springer in Appleloosa." Ruby's eyes then scanned Springer over, a nod following as she looked back at Flash, "You have an excellent partner Flash. I can see he's been treated well for a jakhowl, even at his young age. In fact..." She looked back at Springer one last time, "Yes...you could become another Sharp Paw. You definitely remind me of him."

"I've been told that by Princess Luna as well." Springer added.

"It's a great honor to be compared to him," Ruby told him as she gave him a pat on the head. "I assure you."

"So anyway," Flash said as he stepped in front of Springer. "I'm guessing you got an invite too?"

Ruby let out a small huff, "Yes...but I am in the dark as to why as well."

"So we're all in the dark," Heather added.

"Both literally and figuratively," First finished.

"Maybe I can help fill in the blanks."

The group all spun around, just in time to see three other ponies step out of the shadows. "Grand!" Flash cried as he looked at the ponies on either side of his mentor, only to recognise one of them. "No way, that's-"

"Skybreaker!" Iron yelled as he rushed over to the pegasus with the artificial wing.

Skybreaker let out a hearty laugh, "What's up kid? Been hearing good things about you."

"If you're here, then that mean-" Iron stopped when Skybreaker raised his hoof.

"They'll be time to explain later," he told him.

At the same time, Heather and First stepped over to the brown unicorn that was also with Grand. First then flashed his hoof to the pony, "Tidal, it is good to see you again."

"Igualmente, senior First," Tidal replied with a hoofshake before turning to Heather. "Hola señorita Bloom!"

"Oh Tidal, you never change." She giggled before turning to the others. "Flash, Iron, Springer and Ruby, this is Tidal Wave. Royal Knight, head of Equestria's navy and the Ocean Soul."

"Hola amigos," Tidal said to them, giving a small bow.

Skybreaker also stepped up to the three he had yet to meet. "So, you're the new guys?" He looked them all over and turned to Ruby. "Ms. Scarlet, I've heard great things about you. It is an honor to meet you."

"Same." Ruby replied as she scanned him back.

Skybreaker nodded before stepping up to Flash. "So, your Grand's apprentice?"

Flash was speechless. This was the pony he had grown up hearing about, even going so far as to base his fighting style around him. "Flash Sentry!" He squeaked as he held out his hoof for Skybreaker to shake.

The pegasus just stared at the younger one with a smirk before turning to look at Springer. "So, we inviting pets on missions now." Springer's eyes went wide at this, but before he could complain, a crystal blade appeared before him and Skybreaker, causing the knight to reflexively backpedal. "Whoa!"

Springer looked up to the sword's owner, one Ruby Scarlet who was shining a death glare. "That is a jakhowl you are trying to insult." Ruby raised the blade slightly upward, "I have fought alongside many jakhowl in the past, and they are as strong, if not stronger than most knights. You would do well to respect him."

"Err..." Skybreaker tried to reply, only for Grand to tap his shoulder.

"Skybreaker, can I talk to you alone for a moment?" Grand grumbled, the two then turning around from the group. Grand then tapped Skybreaker's chest with a huff, "Skybreaker, what did I warn you about Ruby Scarlet?!"

"Uh...don't say anything wrong or she'll hate me?"

"Yes." Grand growled, leaning up to his forehead, "And you're doing just that and I know from experience that its not easy to earn her trust. Apologize to her before its too late."

"I will...but can I ask you something?" Skybreaker replied as he gestured his head at the group. Grand rolled his eyes at this, knowing what Skybreaker was going to say next, "Look, I know we're short with Cold being unable to make it, but do you really think its a good idea to let a bunch of kids in on this mission?"

"We need all the fighting skill we can get right now," Grand told him as he pointed to Flash and Iron. "Besides, they're ready. You've trained Iron, you know what he's capable of and he's grown in skill since the last time you saw him. As for Flash, he's stood is ground against a mad alicorn, chaos loving draconequus and power hungry umbrum. He's defeated many strong opponents, including an oversized Scorpentine. Both he and Iron have the skills to rival any knight."

"But the fact still remains that they aren't knights," Skybreaker hissed as he glared at Flash. "I know why my apprentice isn't, but what about yours? He looks like he isn't ready for anything when he introduced himself and he brought a puppy with him! I can't believe you accepted such a weak looking colt."

Grand turned to glance at Flash, who was in conversation with Tidal and Ruby. "He still has much to learn before he's ready, but he's getting there. And who knows, maybe this mission will help get him there faster."

"If you say so," Skybreaker groaned, shaking his head. "But I still want it put on record that this is a bad idea."

"Noted." Grand replied as he tapped the knight's chest, "Now, go apologize to Ruby and Springer so we can get this mission going."

"Fine." Skybreaker grumbled before walking over to Ruby. "Ms. Ruby Scarlet?"

She turned to him with a long glare, the sight almost making a chill go down his spine. He then gave a low bow, "I apologize for my behavior. I didn't mean to offend you."

Ruby just gave him a half-lidded stare, her vision hopping between him and Grand. She let out a long sigh, "Fine. I accept your apology, even though I know Grand put you up to it. I'll trust you, just like the rest of the knights here. However, you must consider that everyone here is to help, regardless of what they look like." She glanced back at Grand, "And remember Grand, I trust you, even though I don't approve of your methods."

"I know." Grand huffed as he walked up to them. "And if its any help, Skybreaker doesn't like my methods either."

"Isn't that the truth..." Skybreaker grumbled as he lifted his head up.

"He's telling the truth señorita Ruby." Tidal added as he put his hoof on Sky's shoulder, "They don't always get along."

Ruby did a small nod at this, "Alright. I can definitely get along with you then, Skybreaker." She then pointed to Grand, "Now, mind telling us what's going on here?"

"Alright, gather round everypony." Grand said with a wave of his hoof, "We're gathered here because Skybreaker has managed to track down a threat that puts all of Equestria in danger." Hearing this made everypony blink at each other before looking back at Grand, who let out a long huff, "My son, Doom Raizer."

This caused all their eyes to go wide, Flash speaking up first, "Your son? As in Lightning's dad? But I thought you arrested him years ago."

Grand nodded at this. "We did arrest him, but he managed to escape and disappear. Since then, Skybreaker has been tracking him down till now."

"And we found him the most unexpected of places." Skybreaker continued, "He's in a land far from Equestria. More specifically, across the ocean."

First raised his hoof at this, "But does that not put him out of our jurisdiction?"

"If he was in another kingdom, then yes," Grand replied. "But the area he's in isn't part of any territory, so we have free reign to go get him."

"He's still across the ocean, right? How are we gonna get there?" Iron asked.

"In this," Tidal replied as his horn glowed.

Suddenly, the sound of gears and other mechanisms began to crank behind them. They all turned around and saw the back wall split in two, opening up as light began to flood the room. They all flinched at this, their eyes slowly adjusting to the sight.

What had been hidden behind the wall was a state of the art hanger, complete with metal walls so clean you could eat off them. Filling most of the room was a giant ship more than twice the size of any of the ones outside. It was made from brown wood with a red metal trim. The front of the boat had a figure shaped like a dragon's head, only it it was light blue and instead of horns, it had six longs spikes coming out of the side of its head, all of them folded back. On the rear was what could only be described as a rocket engine, made completely out of wood as well. On the left and right side of the center of the ship were black metal rings, which insides were also wood with a large number one pointed on them. The boat was also being held up by a pair of metal clamps on poles, which were above a pool of water.

As everypony stared at the ship, Tidal stepped in front of them. "I present the Mighty Leviathan. Pride of the Equestrian Navy, the fasted ship in all the land."

"WOW!" The younger ponies and Jakhowl exclaimed as they looked the ship over.

"An impressive vessel," Ruby told Tidal as she glanced at him. "You wouldn't think it was in here considering how this place looks on the inside."

Tidal smiled and tapped his nose. "Ah senorita, but that is the whole point. If ponies knew it was here, we'd have tourists flocking in to try and get a good look at it. That would slow down our efforts."

"Captain!" The ponies all looked up, soon seeing the sailor pony that had brought Flash and the others here standing at the top of a gangplank. "Everything's ready for the meeting."

"Gracias," Tidal told him before climbing up the gangplank. "Come along. We'll explain what we have to do in my room." They all climbed up the onto the ship, all of them spotting several more sailor ponies working as Tidal yelled out to the crew, "Prepare for launch."

"AYE CAPTAIN!" The crew all replied.

Everypony followed Tidal as he lead them into the ship's cabin, which was through a corridor and down some stairs. After passing through another corridor, they arrived at a large wooden door that Tidal opened before stepping away. "After you."

They all nodded and stepped inside, soon finding the room was a large circular one with a large round table and nine chairs inside it. They all took a seat, Springer smirking when he spotted one with a few pillows on it so he could be on the same level as them. Flash sat down between Iron and Springer, watching as Tidal closed the door and locked it before his horn glowed. The door then glowed the same color, which then spread across the rest of the room.

"There. Completely sound proof." Tidal admitted as he made his way to his seat.

"A little extreme, isn't it?" Heather asked, "You sound like you don't trust your crew."

Tidal shook his head as he took the final seat at the table. "I trust my crew with my life and my ship. But what we're about to discuss can only be heard by knights," he then looked at Flash, Iron and Springer. "And knight apprentices."

Grand nodded as he stood up from his seat before beginning to circle the table. "Let's get down to business. For those not in the know, we'll start with a little back story." Tidal flashed his horn, soon triggering eight strange glass orbs to float down from the ceiling and gently land on the table. The orbs began showing images of a red unicorn with a yellow mane and tail. Seeing this, Grand leaned over and pointed at the sphere, "That, is my son, Doom Raizer. He was once an accomplished scientist, a top graduate at Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. He was on the fast track, even managed to find a beautiful wife and have a son."

The image on the orb changed, now showing a yellow earth pony mare with a white mane and tail. Standing alongside her was a unicorn colt with the same color scheme, except with yellow tips in his mane and tail.

"I assume his unicorn body and scientific knowledge was inherited from his mother?" First asked.

Grand nodded. "My wife, Live Wire, was Canterlot's leading magical scientist. She was even the forger of Celestic Gears, including mine and Skybreaker's." Heather, Flash, Iron and Springer all let out 'wow's at this, only for Grand to tap the table, "Back on topic, you lot. Anyways, several years after my grandson's birth, Doom's wife was murdered in a robbery gone wrong. This tragedy began to unhinge him, causing him to be obsessed with finding ways to keep those around him safe. A noble cause, but his methods were less then pomane."

The orbs changed to show what looked like an plasma ball with yellow electricity, a sight that made Flash, Springer and Iron cringe. Memories of The Battle of Canterlot appeared into their heads, all shaking at those battles.

"He created a weapon known as the Thunder Tomb, which Princess Celestia and I decided was too dangerous to exist. We tried to talk him into destroying his invention, but he refused and tried to detonate them on Canterlot. We managed to stop him and was sent to prison, only for four years later, he managed to escape and has been on the run ever since."

"Until now?" Flash guessed.

Grand nodded. "Skybreaker has been on a deep undercover mission since then. He and Iron were searching for evidence of Doom's location and objectives, and until a few months back, we learned he had left Equestria."

"That's one of the reasons you sent me to Ponyville, isn't it?" Iron asked his mentor.

Skybreaker nodded. "That's right. I didn't feel you were ready for this kind of mission. That's why I asked Tidal for help."

Tidal nodded as well. "Since then, we've been tracking Doom's movements and finally managed to track him down."

They watched as the orb's image changed to show images of the crater with the cloaked figures in the ruins. "Who are those guys?" Springer asked.

Skybreaker and Tidal shrugged. "Servants, disciples, slaves? We're honestly not sure."

They continued to watch as the orbs shift between the images Skybreaker had taken back then. "It looks like their digging for something." Iron said.

Flash spoke up next, "what could they possibly want in some old ruins?"

However, Ruby's eyes went wide as she leaned in, her eyes narrowing at the sight of the ruins. "Those aren't just any ruins," Ruby said as she turned to Grand, "those ruins are the city of Omniara, aren't they?"

The eyes of Flash, Iron, Heather and First all went wide hearing this as Grand sighed. "Yes, they are."

They all turned back to their orbs as First spoke up, "I can not believe he found it."

"But why would he be there?" Heather added.

Springer was confused, blinking as he lifted up his paw. "Er...not to sound stupid but uh...what's Omni...what did ya call it again?"

The ponies all turned to him, then turned to frown at Flash. "You never told him?"

Flash replied with a shrug. "It never came up. Its not something that would pop into casual conversation."

Grand sighed as he shook his head. "Fair enough. Alright, we'll explain and...heck, its probably good to have a history lesson considering this mission." Grand turned to Ruby. "Since it was much closer to your original time, you'll probably have the best knowledge of it. Do you mind?"

"Not at all. Especially if it will let a jakhowl learn." Ruby replied before turning to Springer. "The City of Omniara, in a way, is the birthplace of the royal knights. Centuries ago, the land that would become Omniara was a desolate wasteland, a place where hardly anything could survive. Then one day, something fell from the heavens."

"Huh? You mean like a meteor?" Springer asked.

"A meteor like nothing seen before," Ruby replied as she rested her hooves together. "It fell to the earth with a mighty crash, forming a giant crater. One young nameless being, a satyr, saw the impact and rushed over to investigate. It was here that he discovered that the object was an orb of some kind. It was with this object that the world would begin to change."

"Really? What was the orb?"

"First off, the orb was later named the Omni Sphere," Heather continued.

First nodded. "And inside it was magic the likes of which had never before seen. Anypony who wielded it could do anything. Its power was limitless."

"The satyr used it to give new life to his home," Skybreaker continued. "He used it to turn the wasteland into a paradise, allowing those in the area an easy life. For this, he was named the Omni King and built a great city inside the crater that he found the Omni Sphere in."

"Omniara?" Springer guessed, only to get nods in reply.

"Because of this, the kingdom grew more and more prosperous," Tidal explained. "It was said to be a place beyond anything anypony has ever seen."

Grand nodded in agreement. "But whenever there is great power, there are those wanting it for themselves."

Flash then tapped his hoof on the table, now speaking up. "History says thieves wanted the power of the orb for themselves, so they constantly tried to take it. The Omni King was under constant threat of losing his power, which caused him to grow paranoid and untrusting. Then one day, a theft attempt ended in the Omni Sphere being broken."

Ruby nodded. "The breaking of the Omni Sphere caused the magic inside to be lost, plunging the kingdom back into its former times. Though he managed to repair it, the Omni Sphere's magic was lost."

"Too bad," Springer said with a slight frown. "All he wanted to do was help his people, but then that happens."

Grand placed a hoof on his shoulder. "Magic, no matter how strong, must be handled with respect. Without that respect, the magic will inevitably turn bad." Springer did a slight gulp, he had a feeling the story was about to take a darker turn as Grand continued, "Now that the Omni Sphere was broken, its lost magic left a magical void within it. A void that it tried to fill with whatever magic it could get its hooves on."

"The Omni King learned this and as such, he began a mad quest to regain his former power," Ruby continued. "He hunted for those with great magical ability and drained it out of them, leaving the victims weak and powerless. Eventually, he discovered a land where magic of all kinds was abundant."

"Let me guess. Its Equestria, isn't it?" Springer remarked, only to get nods.

"This was before the days of Celestia and Luna," Grand explained as he sat back down. "Back then, the princesses were still fillies, thus they could not protect their home. Their mentor Starswirl had disappeared years before, leaving Equestria defenseless. As such, the mad king began his theft of Equestrian Magic, only to come across a group of ponies who refused to bow down to him."

"Oh wow. Did they fight him all by themselves?"

"Indeed." First replied with crossed hooves. "These seven battled the Omni King, their courage, valor and fighting skills proving to be too much for the mad king. Eventually, the seven all struck the Omni Sphere and once again broke it into seven pieces. Doing this freed the magic, which returned to those it was stolen from."

"Without the Omni Sphere, the Omni King was unable to stand against the seven heroes and was defeated." Heather added, "But with his last breath, he swore that his descendants would one day return to Equestria and bring a storm in his wake."

"The seven heroes were celebrated all throughout the land," Iron went on. "Eventually, they were granted the title of Royal Knights and became Equestria's newest protectors."

"Cool. But what about the sphere?"

Flash nodded to his partner as he decided to finish the explanation. "As for the Omni Sphere, the Royal Knights each took one of the pieces and hid them away, hoping they would never be found and exploited."

"Until now," Skybreaker ended.

The group all turned to him, Ruby speaking up, "What are you talking about?"

"This is the reason Doom is digging up the city of Omniara," Tidal explained as he pointed to the orbs.

Skybreaker nodded in agreement. "When I realised where Doom was, I began to remember the connections between the places he had previously been spotted. Every single one of them was an area where sightings of Omni Sphere pieces have been reported. That lead me to determine his objective."

Hearing this made all of them gasp, Heather saying, "He's trying to reassemble the Omni Sphere, isn't he?"

"And he believes a piece was hidden in the city where it originated," First finished.

"Exactly. Its unclear how much of it he has managed to obtain." Grand grumbled as he lowered his head, "He could have all of them or none of them. But what is clear is that we can't allow him to get all the pieces."

"If he manages to get his hands on the Omni Sphere, Equestria won't stand a chance." Skybreaker said next. "The princesses, our friends, heck, even the Elements of Harmony, all of them will be in danger. Doom will drain them all, and nopony will be able to stop him."

"Then we stop him before that happens," Flash exclaimed as he stood up in his seat and slammed his hooves into the table. "We'll get to this city, take out his flunkies and beat Doom before he can even look at that piece of the Sphere."

Springer and the knights all smiled at his enthusiasm. Even Skybreaker was slightly grinning as he said, "That's what I like to hear kid."

"That's right," Heather added. "We won't let Doom destroy our home."

First nodded in agreement. "I agree. With the nine of us working together, we will have no trouble. I am sure of it."

Ruby nodded. "It seems that no matter what era, there will always be those who wish to cause pain and suffering. I will not allow that."

Iron smirked as he punched one hoof into another. "Doom Raizer's about to find out what happens when you go up against so many Royal Knights."

Springer nodded at this. "Whatever you need from me, I'm in. I might not be a knight, but I refuse to allow anyone to try and hurt those I care about."

"Well said amigo," Tidal said with a laugh. "We're proud to have you on the team."

Grand sighed as he slumped down in his chair. "Thank you everypony. As his father, capturing Doom should be my responsibility, but against such dangerous odds, I want to take no chances. Together, we will fight until the very end and keep our home and everypony there safe." He looked around the table, smirking at all the serious faces staring at him. "So I have to ask, will you stand by my side?"

The serious faces all turned to smirks as they all nodded, his apprentice speaking up, "You don't even have to ask Grand. No matter what, we stick together. Until the very end."

"Until the very end!" They all said in unison.

Grand smiled at their reply.

In that moment, a strange rolling sound echoed through the cabin. Hearing this, Tidal hopped out of his seat and went to a wall which had a pipe coming out from the ceiling. From out of that pipe rolled a blue ball, which landed in a basket.

"What's that?" Heather asked him.

"Messaging system," Tidal replied before picking up the ball. "The pipe leads to the main deck, and different color balls mean different things. Blue means they're ready to cast off." He pocketed the ball and moved over to the door, deactivating the soundproof spell and opening it. "Follow me. You'll wanna see this."

The group left the room and headed back the way they came, arriving back on the deck as the sailors continued their work. They watched as the last of the crew rushed and pulled up the gangplank. "Captain on deck!" One of the sailors cried as Tidal appeared, causing all the ponies to go stiff as a board and salute.

"At ease," Tidal told them.

Ruby then stood beside the sailor, "Tidal, you said you wanted the ponies of Manehatten to be oblivious of the ship's location."

"Si. Why do you ask?"

"Well, won't they spot the ship when it launches?"

Tidal's smile increased as he turned back to them all. "No, they won't. I told you, you'll wanna see this." With that, he turned and walked up to a higher deck. There, he stood next to a wheel that had several levers on either side. "Everything ready?"

"Aye captain," replied a sailor currently on the wheel before hopping off.

Tidal stepped up to the wheel and placed his hoof on it. "Then prepare for launch." In that second, the wall leading to the fake warehouse once again shut. "Active air seal."

The unicorn members of the crew nodded before their horns all glowed, the sides of the boat around the deck soon beginning to glow a pale aura. That gas like light then began to float up into the air before slowly curving inwards, joining at the center of the ship to create a dome like bubble that encased the entire deck.

"What's this?" Iron asked as he stepped up to the bubble and poked it with his hoof, which went straight through the bubble without even wobbling it.

"Begin flooding procedure," Tidal went on.

A pegasus sailor nodded before flying through the bubble and pulling another lever before retreating back to the boat. As that happened, the water the ship was floating on began to raise. It soon covered the dock and crept up the side of the boat, only to be held back by the bubble, leaving those on deck bone dry.

Soon enough, the entire room was underwater. "Dive."

The sound of gears moving echoed through the water as the floor below the ship opened up. The poles connected to the ship's clamps began to lower, causing the Mighty Leviathan to drop down like a rock into the underground. The underground area turned out to be a large circular chamber, which the ship dropped into before spinning a one eighty. Everypony looked out at the front of the ship as it stopped spinning, seeing that they were now looking down a large dark tunnel.

"Wow..." Flash gasped as he and Springer flew up onto the ship's figurehead.

"This is cool," Springer added, Flash nodding in agreement.

"Detaching clamps," one of the sailors said as the clamps let go, causing the ship to start floating.

Tidal's face turned serious as he reached out and grabbed the closest left hand lever. "LAUNCH!" He pulled the lever all the way back, causing the rocket engine on the back of the ship to come to life. It unleashed a burst of concentrated air, instantly propelling the ship through the tunnel, the force of the acceleration causing the first timers to all be pushed back a few inches. Flash and Springer got the worst of it, the two barely managing to grab hold of the figurehead so as not to be blown away. "WHOA!" Flash yelped as he felt his face being contorted. "Bet Rainbow'd love this."

"I'll...say!" Springer cried over the sound of the acceleration.

Tidal then steered the ship through the tunnel without getting close to the wall, his hooves crisply manipulating the wheel. He slipped through every slight curve like it was made on the back of his hoof, compensating accordingly with each turn. Soon enough, a bright light could be seen, signalling the end of the tunnel, which the Mighty Leviathan shot out of like it was nothing.

Tidal then pushed the lever so it was half way up, causing the engine's power to weaken as the acceleration slowed. Soon, the Royal Knights recovered from the sudden jolting experience, only to pick themselves up and looked out at the underwater world. They were all amazed by what they saw, seeing fish of many different sizes and species swimming past them. None of them wanted to even blink, not daring to miss a single moment of this.

"Incredible," Heather gasped.

"An amazing sight indeed," First added.

"Huh. To think ships controlled by the knights have advanced this much in my absence." Ruby commented as she stared at the murky blue deep. "Truly remarkable."

"I wish the others could be here to see this," Springer said as he hopped off Flash to get a closer look.

Flash smirked as he patted his partner on the head. "We'll just have to remember every little detail."

Springer nodded as they continued to watch the underwater marvel. Looking through the many species of marine life, they even spotted a creature that looked like a plesiosaurus that had purple skin, dog like ears and three horns on its long nose.

"A tri-horned bunyip," First said in amazement.

"Beautiful," Ruby whispered.

Tidal smiled at his friends amazement as he reached out and pulled another lever half way down. Doing so caused the ship to gently float upwards, getting closer to the surface until finally it broke the water and was back above the waves. As the ship steadied itself, the air seal began to disappear, which made Tidal push the levers back up before pulling a third one down. Doing so caused a circular hole to appear, one up on the higher deck and another on the lower deck that was twice the size. Seconds after opening, a pair of wooden poles unfolded out of them and extended until they were several hundred feet high. Once they stopped growing, the poles opened up into square obstructions which then had a bunch of leather unfurl out.

The others watched this happen, seeing that Tidal had just unfolded a pair of sails. Flash and Springer also noticed the six spines on the figurehead's sides fold out before extending out into a fork like structure, complete with thin membranes between them. These also acted like sails, picking up the wind and causing the ship to shoot forwards.

"Launch...complete." Tidal told them as he patted the wheel.

"Excellent." Grand said as he walked up to the front of the ship. "Set a course for Omniara."

Everypony looked out at the horizon, all knowing that this might be the biggest battle any of them had ever faced. If they wanted to win, they had to work together and stay strong.

"We're coming for you Doom," Flash said from the figurehead.

---

In a dark area, Doom was once again sitting in his chair.

He was staring at a tube which contained pieces of the Omni Sphere that he had found. Only one piece remained, which made him stare daggers at the other pieces. "So close...I'm so close now."

Suddenly, he felt something in the back of his neck. "I feel it....they're coming." He turned his chair around, allowing him to stare into the darkness of the room. "Be prepared."

Four sets of eyes shined in the darkness in response, all of them shining sinister smirks.

Author's Note:

Well...you were all wondering how I was gonna make this season the same length as the others, well here's how. What trials and tribulations can we expect them to face? You'll have to keep reading the find out.

Comments

[Foxhelm]

*Sees the author's notes*, you didn't have to do that.

Interesting start to the Doom Raizer arc (which I hereby dub this part of the story). I am honestly surprised that Doom is his actual name, this is the literal land of sunshine and rainbows, after all. I can see it being something not unlike 'Morgoth' (Melkor being his actual name) or 'Sauron' (Mairon being his actual name), but not one given to him at birth. Maybe it was 'Fate' originally
I can understand where Skybreaker is coming from, Iron and Flash don't have the years the other knights have.
But if I can place a bet, the last piece of the Omni Spere was used to make Flash's Celestic Gear.

[Godslittleprincess]

Oh my gosh! You brought back Tidal Wave! Also, if I had to make a guess about the last piece, I say it's with Flash's parents.

[SuperSonicHeroes]

Wow, this is a surprise. Cool that we get to see Tidal Wave in this continuity. The submarine reveal was nice. I have a feeling this mission is going to last for quite a few chapters.

[SageBrony07]

Wow we got an intense mission here. I can’t to see what happens. We have almost every Knight here!

[HolyCross9]

For some reason Tidal's ship, the Mighty Leviathan, reminds me of the SHIELD Helicarrier from The Avengers, even though that vessel isn't a seafaring one.

[AstralFlare42]

What had been hidden behind the wall was a state of the art hanger, complete with metal walls so clean you could eat off them. Filling most of the room was a giant ship more than twice the size of any of the ones outside. It was made from brown wood with a red metal trim. The front of the boat had a figure shaped like a dragon's head, only it it was light blue and instead of horns, it had six longs spikes coming out of the side of its head, all of them folded back. On the rear was what could only be described as a rocket engine, made completely out of wood as well. On the left and right side of the center of the ship were black metal rings, which insides were also wood with a large number one pointed on them. The boat was also being held up by a pair of metal clamps on poles, which were above a pool of water.

At first I thought that you were gonna describe the Destiny's Bounty.

[Jam5022]

i noticed a lot of similarities to the Power Rangers Forever Red episode