An Explosive Confrontation
The screams that had filled the air of Canterlot had now settled down, but it was far from over. The city's hospital was soon jam packed with injured ponies now, others not so lucky being stashed in Canterlot Cathedral. Peace was trying to come to the city as they huddled inside.
And as they sat there, buildings around them kept falling apart. Structures and sites had been destroyed by the explosions, builder ponies trying to use every spell, support and quick repair they could possibly do. But despite all this, there was nothing they could do to prepare themselves if something worse happened.
It was no doubt that this day would go do in Canterlot's history as one of its darkest ones. And nopony would remember it better than Celestia. The alicorn was now flying over the city, looking over the destruction caused by this unknown assailant.
She sighed at the sight, only to hear a loud booming sound in the distance. They turned to see the sight of another smoke cloud flying up from behind several buildings. The princess shifted in the skies, flying toward it, only to see a large number of her guards along with many civilians standing at the two entrances of the street. The places had been cornered off with tape, while the rest of the street was filled with her guards, laid out with injuries that went from barely a scratch to life threatening.
She swooped down and used her magic to grab and teleport them over to the other guards. This action caught their attention and made them look up, seeing the princess before bowing, "Your majesty."
"No time for pleasantries," she replied as she landed, "Get these ponies medical attention. Now." They nodded and quickly began administering first aid while another ran off to try and find a doctor. "What's happening?"
"We've discovered the pony responsible for the destruction that's occurring around the city," the highest ranking guard responded before pointing to the middle of the street. Celestia turned to the smoke cloud, only for it to fade and reveal Bomber staring them down.
She glared back, only to gasp as she saw a pony tied to a street lamp beside him. "Live!" She exclaimed.
"I'm afraid none of us can save her," the guard replied, "The criminal threatened to blow up every building and object on the street if we tried. A few of our newest guards decided to play hero and...you saw what happened." Celestia's eyes narrowed at this, her horn starting to spark as she thought about what to do. But before she could make a proper plan, the guard continued, "There is one pony he said was allowed to get closer."
"Who?" Celestia asked.
"Grand Hoof."
Celestia raised an eyebrow at this, "Grand? Why him?"
But as she asked this, heavy footsteps rang out behind them. They turned to see Grand Hoof marching up with his Celestic Gear on his back. "Grand!" She called out, the ponies of the crowd moving aside to allow Grand pass. As he got closer, she noticed the large gash running over his left eye, "Grand, what's going on?" She gestured to Bomber, "That lunatic is threatening to destroy the whole street if anypony except you gets near him. Why?!"
"It's...complicated," Grand replied, "But don't worry. I'll deal with him." Grand walked up to the tape, only for a pony to run up to him, pushing through the group.
"Grand, wait!" He glanced back, seeing the voice was Remarie, "Please...help him." Grand blankly stared at her, only to do a small nod.
"I'll do what I can," he responded, "But no matter what, I'm stopping his reign of terror here and now." With that, Grand pushed the tape away, calmly strolling down the road. And as he did this, Bomber turned to him and sparked his horn, only to see it was Grand. His horn's magic cut as Live squinted her eyes at the sight of Grand before going wide-eyed, now seeing Grand's hammer now evolved into a true Celestic Gear.
"I had a feeling you'd show up." Bomber laughed as he put his Cutie Marker and placed it up to his neck, his suit suddenly vanishing to reveal the pony Grand had once called his friend, "I assume this means Technica was defeated. I figured she would fail. Let me guess, she kept ranting when she should have just beat you. Looks like I'll just have to-"
But as he kept talking, Grand turned to Live, "You okay?"
"I've been better," she replied, "I'm starting to regret carrying this thing on my horn now." Grand glanced up and saw the magic suppression ring on her horn.
"Don't worry," he responded, "I'll get you out of there. Just-"
"HEY!" Cruncher screamed, making Grand turn back to him, "Don't ignore me! I'm not somepony that can be ignored anymore!" He held up his Cutie Marker, "I'm more powerful than you are." Grand didn't respond, instead just staring at the ground, "HEY! What did I just say?!"
"One." He replied, Cruncher stopping before seeing Grand lift his eyes up, a stoic expression plastered on his face. "I failed to see the darkness of a friend who was always by my side. Two," his gaze shifted to Live, "I refused legitimate power offered by those I knew cared about me and hesitated to use it, despite knowing I needed it to fight." He stared back at the ground, "Three. Because I hesitated, the city and its ponies have shed tears."
Cruncher raised an eyebrow at this, only for Grand to say nothing else. "Uh...what was that all about?" Grand looked back up at him, his stoic expression now replaced with a fiery look of determination.
"I was counting up my sins," he replied, "And until the day i die, I'll do everything in my power to make up for them." Live smiled at this, hearing those words now making her see something new in his expression. There was no loathing or self hate, just simple facts. Something Grand accepted, but didn't allow to weigh him down. "And now my friend, it's your turn." He removed the hammer off his back and pointed it at Cruncher, "Now, count up your sins."
Cruncher's eyes went wide before they narrowed, letting out a hiss as he roared, "I have no sins! Everything I've done, I've had to do!" With that, he yanked his glasses off his face and threw them away before slamming his Cutie Marker back into his neck.
"Bomber!" In a flash of light, he was decked out in his costume again.
"My conscious in clear! It's you who's committed the sins...and you'll die with them unpaid for!" With that, he pointed his last remaining gauntlet at Grand as the hole in the device began to glow. "NOW DIE!" The gauntlet fired a blast of energy, only for Grand to swing his hammer, smacking the blast up into the air.
He then charged and swiped the hammer, Bomber ducking under it before firing a shot at Grand, only for Grand to side-step. The blast hit a nearby building, causing a chunk to blow off it. Bomber then leapt back and fired several blasts at the ground around Grand, but the knight slammed his hammer down. Chunks of the street went flying at this, only for Grand to smack the rocks at Bomber.
The pony gasped at this and raised his gauntlet to shield his head, the rocks exploding around him, buffeting his body with debris and shockwaves. And as this happened, Grand leapt and swung his weapon at Bomber's last gauntlet. But as he did this, Bomber fired a spell at the ground, making it explode that created a cloud of dust. "Augh!" Grand yelped as he the fog got into his eyes, allowing Bomber to slam his armoured knee-pads into Grand's chest. "Gyah!" Grand staggered back at this, only for Bomber to point his gauntlet at him.
"Grand Force!" Grand roared as he pointed his hammer back at Bomber, a tornado of sand and rock coming next.
Bomber cried out as the tornado struck him, pushing him down the street. As this happened, Live yelled, "Get me out of here!" Grand turned to her as she added, "Or at least get this thing off my horn!" Grand nodded and reached for the magic suppressor, only to hop back as a blast of magic flew past him and made the ground beside Live explode. "Ahhh!" She cried as she looked away, feeling the heat of the explosion singe her fur.
"Live!" Grand gasped before turning to Bomber, the pony now firing a barrage of blasts. Grand began side-stepping at this, dodging the first volley before one hit the ground under him, blasting the pony a second later, "Augh!" His hammer slipped from his hooves, the pony skidding across the street as Bomber raised his gauntlet. It began to hum, charging energy as he pointed it right at Grand.
Hearing this, Grand rolled over to his Celestic Gear, lifting the weapon high before slamming it into the ground. This caused three stone walls to fly up between him and a laser that shot out of Bomber's gauntlet. The laser struck the first wall and burned through it, making it crack and shatter. The second wall was then struck with a similar effect, though it took a little bit longer to destroy it, but the third barely took any damage. Instead, it just fell over as the laser lost all its energy, fading before it could hit Grand.
As the dust from the destroyed walls cleared, Grand marched up to Bomber with his hammer slung over his shoulder. "Not bad," the unicorn told him. "But it's only a matter of time before you go down."
"Wrong. Time is on my side. Your Cutie Marker's effects will eventually run out, and when that happens, you'll be wide open."
"I'll turn this city to rubble before that happens!" Bomber yelled, "Nopony can stop me!"
"Wrong again," Grand replied, "Even if you defeat me, Celestia will find a way to stop you. Her or any of the other Royal Knights. As long as you pose a threat to Equestria and its citizens, you'll always have somepony trying to take you down. You will never win!"
Bomber growled beneath his mask, "Even if you're right, which you're not, there's still one thing I can do!" He pointed his gauntlet at the sky as the device began to charge again, "I CAN BE RID OF YOU!" The gauntlet charged up to its absolute maximum, cracks beginning to appear along the grenade-shaped shell. "You can't possibly stand against my full power!" The energy began to spark out of the cracks as he screeched, "GOODBYE AND GOOD RIDDANCE!" With that, the energy exploded out of the device as he pointed it at Grand.
Grand's eyes went wide as he gripped his hammer, swinging it at the laser. The beam struck the hammer's head, the earth pony flinching as he felt the heat this energy start to burn the air around him. He pushed against the laser as much as he could, only for it hit critical mass and-
KABOOOOOM!
The street shook as the explosion unleashed a powerful shockwave. "GRAND!" Live screamed as she and those watching covered their faces, trying to keep themselves from getting knocked over as the force buffeted them.
Bomber laughed at the sight, only to hear a cracking sound. He glanced down and saw his gauntlet fall apart, the pieces falling onto his leg. He let out a sigh, brushing the piece away, his mind now telling him it was a worthy sacrifice to make Grand pay.
However, as the smoke from the explosion cleared, Grand Hoof was still standing. His fur was burned everywhere, multiple scratches and cuts all over him, but was he still alive. The knight was leaning against his hammer to keep upright, only to see Bomber start laughing again.
"Still standing? I'm impressed." Bomber chuckled, only to shake his head, "But still, all this is starting to bore me." He let out a loud cackle, "Where's the fun in defeating you if you don't care if you lose. I mean, your little speech made that quite clear. Although I guess I should have been expecting as much. You've wanted to die since the day you got everypony else killed....though you totally deserved it." Grand's eyes narrowed at this, growling at him as Bomber continued, "I bet you only joined the guard so you could get yourself killed, but still be consider yourself a hero. How pathetic."
"You really have become twisted," Grand grunted, "The Cruncher I knew would never say something like that." He pushed himself upright and gripped his hammer, "You really are far gone."
"Oh please, the Cruncher you knew wasn't even the real Cruncher. It was just some fool who never had the guts to say what he really felt. But now, that pony is gone, and a new, better pony has taken his place. A true stallion, one with the power to do and say whatever he wants."
And as he continued to rant, Grand felt his consciousness beginning to fade, his grip on his weapon beginning to slip. His eyes twitched at this, slowly closing next as Bomber pointed at him.
"If you refuse to entertain me, I guess I have no choice. Once I've made sure you've given up your life, I'll do the same to each and every one of the ponies left that you care about. Live Wire. Celestia. The guards. Even the ponies back home. I'll make them all pay because you tried to stop me!" Hearing this, Grand's eyes went wide before a fire began to burn within them, his grip tightening as Bomber let out a cackle, "Now that'll be fun." With that, he charged up his horn, laughing as he continued, "If only you were still around to stop me..." Grand closed his eyes. "But no!" The magic shot out of the horn, "YOU'LL BE IN PIECES!"
But as the blast drew close, Grand's eyes shot open and he swung his hammer at the magic. He then twisted the hammer's swing upward, smacking the blast into the sky, the magic harmlessly flying into the air and exploding, doing absolutely no damage.
"What?! No!" Bomber gasped before glancing back at Grand, the earth pony charging at him while letting out a roar.
"I'm just getting warmed up!" He leapt as he threw his hammer at him, "YOU JUST MADE A BIG MISTAKE!" Bomber yelped as the hammer struck his chest, the blow knocking him back as Grand kept charging at him as he yelled, "You just reminded me of what I have to fight for, and why I'll never stop fighting!"
"Pathetic!" Bomber's horn sparked, but Grand's hoof reached his face first, punching him straight out. As he did this, the magic from the horn sparked and caught onto his mask. Bomber saw this, quickly leaping back and using his magic to pull his mask off to reveal his true face. He threw it at Grand, but the earth pony just grabbed his hammer and smacked it away, making it explode half way between them.
Both let out grunts as the explosion pushed them back, but both managed to stay upright. "Give it up!" Grand yelled, "Surrender and we can put an end to this pointless battle!"
"Never!" Cruncher screamed, his eyes going red as spit flew out of his mouth, "I won't stop until one of us is left standing! And trust me!" He grinded his hooves into the street, "It isn't going to be you!" He charged at this, firing several blasts, only for Grand to deflect every one of them as he spun his hammer like a baton.
"You can't win!" He told the unicorn, only for Cruncher to somehow leap and land on his hammer before spinning and kicking Grand in the face.
"You're so weak!" He roared as Grand staggered back, "You can barely fend me off!"
He then fired a blast next, but Grand just blocked it with his hammer, "Oh yeah?" He asked before lifting his hammer up, "How's this for weak?!" He slammed the hammer down, causing the ground to break apart as rocks went flying at Cruncher.
"Pathetic!" Cruncher screeched, using his explosions to make the rocks blow up before they got to him. He then fired another blast right through the remaining rocks, Grand barely managing to hold up his hammer in time to block it. Grand flinched as he felt himself being blown back, the earth pony digging his hammer into the ground to slow himself. But as he did this, he felt his body slow down, his strength not there thanks to everything that had happened over the last two days.
"Ahh!" He flinched, feeling the hammer start to pull him down as a dust cloud formed around him from the explosion. But despite this, Grand could see through the fog, glancing back up at Cruncher. He now saw the madness in the pony's eyes, making a line of thought enter his mind, 'No...I can't give up. Not now. I can't let everything what happened carry on. I can't let everypony's sacrifices be in vain.' As he thought that, he suddenly felt the hammer stop before it hit the ground. It was as if somepony had grabbed it.
And when he looked down, he was suddenly greeted by a pair of blue hooves gripping the handle as well. He followed them up to the body and when he did, he saw a face he never thought he would see again. "Doom?" His friend nodded back at him, showing a big smile as he helped him lift the hammer up. "Doom...thank you." Doom nodded back before he suddenly disappeared, but it still felt like he was holding the hammer. And as the dust faded, Grand dug his back hooves into the ground as a circular crack appeared around him. The ground suddenly lifted up and began to move forward, sliding across the untouched ground toward Cruncher.
The unicorn's eyes went wide at this, firing multiple magic blasts, only to miss each one as Grand began to charge at him. "What the-why can't I hit you?!"
"Its over Cruncher!" Grand roared as he pulled his hammer back, only for its head to suddenly find itself into Cruncher's chest. He let out a scream of pain as the hammer began to fling him back, but Grand kept moving, the hammer remaining in the unicorn's chest.Then, the slab of earth he was on stopped and began rotating, causing Grand to pull Crunch around with him.
Everypony watched as the pair spun around, spinning like a top until the slab stopped and Cruncher was thrown through the air. He continued to scream as he was sent flying, his legs flailing as he shot past Live before hitting the ground. He bounced off it before hitting the dirt again and again. And as he did this, something fell off his body, Live gasping as she saw it was his Cutie Marker, the unicorn turning to Grand and gesturing to it the best she could with her head.
Grand went wide-eyed at this, dropping his hammer as he ran for the marker. As he did this, Cruncher let out a moan as he picked himself up, only to see his precious device on the floor. He tried to grab it with his magic, but Grand was faster. He leapt and grabbed it before tackling Cruncher to the ground. "Get off me!" He yelped, his horn sparking to summon another blast, only for Grand to stab him with the Cutie Marker, "NO!"
Everypony watched as his suit exploded into light before being sucked back into the device. Grand then pulled away, now revealing Number Cruncher laying on the ground with his natural cutie mark adorning his flank. Cruncher glanced down at himself, only to turn back to Grand, his mouth foaming in rage as he yelled, "GIVE IT BACK!"
He leapt at Grand, tackling him back as the Cutie Marker flew out of his grasp. And as Cruncher pushed him down, a sickening crack filled the air as the Cutie Marker hit the ground, the device's shell cracking in this moment. While this happened, Grand threw a punch into Cruncher's face, then grabbed him by the hoof and kicked him off. Cruncher let out a cry of pain at this, only to quickly roll over and let out a mighty scream.
"RAAAAAAHHHHH!" Cruncher leapt at Grand again, only for the knight to side-step, dodging the stallion before grabbing Cruncher's tail in his mouth. He then yanked his neck, swinging Cruncher upward before slamming him into the dirt. "AUGH!" Cruncher yelled as he hit the ground, his body going limp at this blow.
Grand spat out his tail at this, now seeing Cruncher just squirm in pain. He let out a sigh before turning to Live, walking over and taking the ring from around her horn. As soon as he did this, she teleported out of her restraints and hugged him. "You did it!"
Grand smiled and hugged her back, "Yeah...I did-"
"GRAND!" Celestia suddenly screamed, the alicorn's voice suddenly calling out to them.
Grand in response, glanced back at Cruncher. The stallion had got up with the damaged Cutie Marker from before in his hoof. "DON'T!" Live cried as Cruncher pushed the plunger down, only for sparks of magic to explode out of the cracks in the device.
"B-b-b-bomb-b!" It stuttered.
Live quickly fired a blast of lightning at this, hitting the Cutie Marker and blasting it out of his grasp. It fell to the ground and shattered, but the damage was already done. "AUGH!" Cruncher screeched, holding his hoof to his neck as the veins around the spot he injected began to glow purple. "What's...happening?!"
"Cruncher!" Grand was about to charge at the pony, only for another voice to call out.
"Stay back!" Celestia yelled as she, Remarie and the guards ran in. As they did this, the purple glow spread to more of Cruncher's veins.
"What's happening to me?" Cruncher asked as he held his neck, Remarie gasping and covering her mouth as tears formed in her eyes.
"The Cutie Marker was damaged," Live replied, "It couldn't properly affect you the way it should." Cruncher looked down at his hooves and saw the purple light glowing from under his skin. "It's turned your magic into explosive energy." She turned to Grand, "He's gonna detonate." Grand's eyes went wide at this, the earth pony's gaze not leaving Cruncher as his eyes began to glow as well.
"HELP ME!" He screamed, only for a golden dome of energy to appear around him. Everypony turned to Celestia, her horn glowing as a look of shame, pity and sorrow appeared on his face. The shield then morphed into a sphere, Cruncher tapping his other hoof into the shield as the light from his veins kept getting brighter.
"Please," he whispered as his entire body began to glow, "Please help me."
"We tried," Grand replied, "But you refused to accept our help, and now...now it's too late." Cruncher's eyes filled with tears as he turned to Remarie, who was crying back.
"I'm...I'm sorry," was all he could say before the light consumed his entire form and exploded. The shield expanded slightly, the light threatening to break free, but Celestia managed to keep it stable and lift it upward. Nopony could look away as the orb continued to shake for almost a full minute. But then, the light began to die down and Celestia made the orb shrink. Smaller and smaller until it was the size of a marble, only for it to vanish...and nothing was left. Cruncher and everything he was wearing...was gone. Not even a speck of dust.
Remarie fell to the ground and started bawling her eyes out, Live leaning over and hugging her. As she did this, Grand moved over to the remains of Cruncher's Cutie Marker laid and picked it up, Celestia shaking her head at the sight.
"It's hard to believe, such a little thing could cause so much pain and destruction." She commented, Grand nodding as he dropped the machine and stomped on it. The device was crushed into dust, Grand twisting his hoof back and forth before letting up.
"There's still a lot of them out there. And not just in Canterlot." He growled before turning to her, "I won't stop until I've found and destroyed every last one. And I'll find the one responsible for creating them and make sure to take them down. I give you my world...as a Royal Knight."
Celestia went wide-eyed at this, only to see Grand move over and pick up his Celestic Gear. The princess could only smile as she saw him walk back up to her, "Then there's only one thing left to do."
"Arise," he felt the ceremonial sword tap him on the shoulder, "Sir. Grand Hoof, Royal Knight of Equestria." With that, the hall exploded into applause as Grand picked himself up. He was dressed in the blue uniform of a Royal Knight, his left eye having been tended too and healed despite the scar that had formed over it. Guards filled the room and were all saluting him while a few ponies of high stature were also there. Even ponies from his old village, including Ms. Careheart, were all there to congratulate him.
Grand turned to them, the ponies quieting down. Clearly, they were expecting him to say a few words. He took a deep breath and began, "When I was younger, this was all I ever wanted. To be a Royal Knight. But I wanted it for all the wrong reasons. All I cared about back then was becoming a knight so that I could boss ponies around. I was the furthest thing from a Royal Knight as possible. I bullied and scared ponies into doing whatever I wanted...and it caused a lot of pain for those I treated like that."
The night of the manticore incident flashed through the minds of everypony that had been there at this, Grand included as he continued, "Eventually, I started to believe I didn't deserve to be a knight. That my life wasn't worth being given any special treatment. But I know now that being a knight isn't just a cushy job where you're adored by ponies. It's the greatest responsibility that can be asked of a pony. It's not a role that just anypony can be given, but for those considered worthy of that title. And...and it's not something that can be turned down." He looked down at his hoof. "I've seen with my own eyes, what happens when a Royal Knight refuses to accept the role. This kingdom needs ponies to protect it. Heroes that can be trusted to save those who cannot save themselves. And until the day comes when heroes more worthy than me arrive, I'll fight to my very last breath to protect this kingdom." He raised his hoof, "THIS I SWEAR TO YOU!"
The crowd cheered at this, Celestia smiling as she walked up to him, "Well said Grand. You've been through a lot, but those trials have only made you stronger. They are but rocks being thrown against a great mountain. They strike it, then lay against it and become part of the mountain, adding to its strength. And thus, to honor the many challenges you have faced and overcome, I hereby grant you the title of Grand Hoof, the Great Mountain."
Grand nodded at this as the crowd began to cheer again, all chanting his name and title over and over again. Everything after that was like a blur, the ponies present moving to the reception hall that the celebratory feast was being held. With everything that had happened to the city as of late, it was agreed that this party wouldn't be a big event, but just a small banquet with light conversation and music.
Despite this however, the ponies filling the hall made if difficult to keep track of everypony, including Grand. Careheart was actually talking to Celestia, the princess wishing to hear more about him as a young pony. "And when he was seven, he and Doom were having a race through the forest and accidently ran into a patch of poison ivy. The pair were itching for a week. One of the first times I ever saw them working together was when they scratched one another's backs."
Celestia laughed at this as she commented, "You raised a pair of amazing ponies. Both heroes in their own right."
"Yes," Careheart replied before sighing, "I just wish Doom could be here to enjoy this moment."
Celestia nodded at this, "In a way, he is here." Her eyes glanced up at the moon, focusing on the craters that made a particular equine shape. "Even if a pony isn't physically with us, they still exist. As long as we remember them, they live on within us." She turned to Careheart, "Doom survives because he lives within you, and he lives within Grand as well."
Careheart smiled and nodded, only to ask, "Speaking of Grand, where is he?" Celestia glanced around at the room, only to also notice he was gone.
"I'm...not sure."
Outside the reception hall, the door cracked open as a particular pony walked out. Grand's eyes darted around, only to let out a sigh as he tried to silently close the door until-
"Going somewhere?" Grand jumped and spun around, only to see Live standing behind him in a shiny yet simple dress.
Grand glanced away at this, "I've got work to do."
"You're gonna cut out on a party that has you as the guest of honor?" Live giggled, "Ballsy."
"I'm just...not really in the partying mood right now." He walked off and Live quickly followed after him, trotting beside him as he headed for the exit. "There are a lot of Cutie Markers out there, and the sooner I start hunting them, the quicker I can stop the spread of 'em."
"What's all this I stuff?" Live asked as they continued down the corridor, "You might be a knight, but you can't do this alone. Besides, I wanna stop whoever's behind this from using science and magic to harm ponies." Grand turned to her, only for find her hoof grab his as she showed him a big grin, "You know, when I first met you, I thought you a some arrogant slacker who didn't deserve any title."
"And what do you think now?"
"Well..." Her eyes darted away for a second, "I don't think you're a slacker..." she chuckled before tapping his side, "But I still think you need some help. So I guess you're stuck with me."
Grand stared at her for a second before letting out a laugh, the first true laughter from the pony in years. Both were soon laughing as they exited the castle and stepped out into the night as a true adventure about to begin for the pair. Over the next few years, Grand and Live would travel around Equestria to hunt down the makers of the Cutie Markers, finding that sometimes they were able to save the pony using them, while others...well, they would be beyond reason, just like Cruncher.
Eventually, they were joined by another: a Royal Knight by the name of Skybreaker, who helped them in their quest. And during this time, Live and Grand's relationship slowly began to evolve. Constantly fighting alongside one another, they formed a bond that very few can honestly state they share. From partners, to friends...to lovers.
And eventually, they discovered the ponies responsible for them. It was a mighty battle, but they were victorious, shutting down the Cutie Marker operation. Though there would be the occasional rogue Cutie Marker that would show up every now and then, the epidemic was mostly over.
This allowed the trio to move on with their lives, Grand and Live soon getting married. This union resulted in the birth of their son, who they named after the pony that saved their lives and all of Canterlot. The happy family lived together for many years, until the accident that changed everything.
Despite the loss resulting from it and the issues it caused Grand and his son, they continued on with their lives, Doom finding his own love and marrying her, resulting in a child of his own while Grand continued to go on with his knightly duties. He trained the next generation of guards, keeping his eye out for ponies worthy of the rank of Royal Knight.
Over the years, he found many ponies: Noble Banner, Heather Bloom, First Aid and even Tidal Wave. But one day, he met a pony that would grow into the greatest Royal Knight Equestria had ever seen. A pony he would personally train himself, teaching him everything he needed to know to protect the kingdom and the ponies that live there.
But that's a story you already know. And hopefully, this story will help you know it a little better. A story, that will one day become a legend. The legend...of Grand Hoof.
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Sad but overall Awesome story!
It was sad that Grand have to lose both of his best friends because of that damn Cutie Marker! But at least, he finally accepted his role as a Royal Knight….
What a better way to end this story with a song!
Here's highlights
Ha ha ha ha… sorry… my bad.
DOOM!!!!!
Oh no…. :(
Poor Cruncher…. At the end, he was nothing more but a misguided pony whose obsession with Cutie Marker ultimately killed him… he could've a wonderful life with Remarie…. But now, she has no one to fall in love with…
Lesson learned: Never use a Cutie Marker.
Yeah!!!!! :)
Awesome work! Can't wait for your take on Season 7!
The only thing i disappointed is lack of previous Royal Knights in the story… we never got to meet who are knights that Grand work with before meeting the current Royal Knights… I wonder where were they during the whole crisis? But hey, it still an awesome story.
Although, I wonder… what happened to Remarie? Is she still alive or did she died of a broken heart at some point? We haven't see her in previous Flash stories.
If so…. Poor Remarie, that mare never got a break…
was interesting and i am happy we will be moving on to season 7 now I really want to see how that one goes
Awsome origin story, a little dark but it work. I'm really excited for season 7 or the next story. Sad for Remarie. Continue the good work.
Nice back story for Grand Hoof
This was a great story. We got an in-depth look at Grand's past and finally got answers to events that were previously only alluded to in the series. That closing narration also puts things into perspective. The Flash Sentry Chronicles are just as much Grand's story as they are Flash's, because he helped make Flash into the pony and hero he is today.
Grand had a tough life, but he was tougher.
This was an intense, brutal & somber tale for Grand's Past, well done Banshee!
Think all of us agree that this was the darkest tale from the Flash series so far, starting with the first chapter, glad it was told though! Grand sure went to Tartarus & back though this whole tale!
The road for a Royal Knight was a very thorny path indeed! 
Final Highlights for this tale :
He's done with your crap Chuncher, prepare yourself!
Sure, keep telling yourself that!
Such an awesome move by Doom from beyond the grave, well played!
Damn, what a way to go! Sadly Cruncher you made your bed, now you get to lie in it!
Good tale Banshee!
Well we already have quite the raising development for my fave purple dragon in there, so we're off to a great start!
A nice story.
The exposition dump after Grand and Live started their journey could have been better utilize as either the bases for another entry into Grand's life, or as flash backs in when dealing with other knights or a spin off series based on Grand's life until Flash enters it. You know, show don't tell.
But it overall it's a good story for Grand as he finale able to forgive himself for his past sins and actually moving forward.
Let me take a crack at it.
In the answer to All Bottled Up, Flash will either be in the escape room with the Mane 6 or on patrole and try to get Starlight to not bottle up her emotions when dealing with Trixie after seeing the two
In A Flurry of Emotions' answer, well since the main conflict was easily avoided by someone deciding to get the items on the list and meet up with Twilight at the Hospital, so it would either be massively overhauled or cut to justfy it's existance or cut... I
In Rock Solid Friendship, maybe tone down Pinkie
In Fluttershy leans in, perhaps have the screw up be because Iron decided to make the sanctuary as a surprise, well intended mistakes
In Forever Filly, have Lightning try to point out to Rarity that Sweetie Belle is becoming more and more a mare and that Rarity needs to stop treating Sweetie Belle like a new born foul.
In Parental Guildance... no real changes necessary, but maybe tone both Rainbow's parents' reaction to Rainbow being a Wonderbolt and Rainbow's lashing out for the almost smattering support done a couple of conches
In Hard to Say anything, 1)It will be established why Big Mac has fallen for Sugar Belle and is no longer seeking a relationship with Marble, 2) Make Feather Bangs more akin to Guston from Diseny's Beuty and the Beast and less Justin Beever, maybe play off of more of Vincent Tong's own music
In Honest Apple, Maybe Rarity will be kept as the protagonist and have Lightning point out to her that Applejack is only the antagonist because Rarity wanted Applejack's opinion so badly, in other words, Applejack is only the antagonist because of Rarity's own poor decisions, a monster of Rarity's own creation as it were and the focus is kept there, that Rarity knew better and made her bed this way. And maybe Rogue can say something to AJ about word choice,
In A Royal Problem, no changes from cannon, not a single one, this episode is flawless, don't touch, no touchy!
In Not Asking for Anything, maybe the time will be taken to explain Yak's self reliant culture and not make Rutherford sound like an idiot
In Discordant Harmony, maybe have Iron plant the idea that Discord need to make it 'normal' this time it's out of a sense of jealousy or envy about how friendly Discord and Fluttershy are and he's not okay with it however is not fully cognitive of his envy
In the Perfect Pear, Roque is with the Apple Siblings and is the one asking the questions, since he of all the characters would not know any of the details
In Fame and Misfortune... some things are best left forgotten, this doesn't happen
In Triple Threat... Spike at this point shouldn't be capable of making the mistake of inviting Thorax to come on the same day he has something for Ember, so there will be some massive over hauls or this never happens
In Campfire Tails... no changes
In To Change a Changeling... no real ideas what changes can occur... maybe Starlight and Trixie are just visiting Thorax, because they are Suicide Squad buddy
In Daring Done?, maybe Caballeron will be presented with at least one more dimension, or maybe a greater focus on Somnambula and her story
In It isn't the Mane thing about you, maybe Lightning suggests that Rarity take on a more Punk look and he's the one that arranges the photo shots, which are taken discreetly
In A Hearth of Information, no real changes, maybe Iron will either be tending to Zecora while Fluttershy and Twilight leave or he's with them
In Marks and Recreation, Rumble's point of view won't be present with so few dimensions, have the CMC first go to Heart for help before Thunderlane
In Once Upon A Zeppelin... somethings are best left burred, this never happened
In Secrets and Pies... somethings are best left forgotten, this never happened
In Uncommon Bound, Not sure how Sunburst would bound with Rogue, but Heart and Soul would try to console Starlight by playing the board game with Starlight, but since they are both born Pegasuses from over a thousand years ago, they don't get it, but they try
In Shadow Play... somehow Flash will be shoehorned in, but given the Pony of Shadows is most likely made from the Corrputing Shadow, his Sacred Light would be more of a liability then an asset... or he's not involved as the Royal Knights are called for their own quest, I hope the later, because it going to be harder to explain a Seventh Pillar was part of the ritual when Stygian already made his pack with the ooze that is the Pony of Shadows and it's not really just or fair to any of the Pillars to have Flash Magnus' element (virtue) of Bravery alone be spilt into between RD's Loyalty and Flash Sentry's Courage...
Beyond that, there will attempts on Twilight's part to train Spike in Magic, which will call to question their relationship and it's nature.
Perhaps given the focus on Cutie Markers, this is something that Grand thought was resolved but has only reemerged with vengeance and Grand needs to come out of retirement, but needs the help of the rest of the order to resolve, and maybe Grand doesn't see this resolved
Then there are Heart, Soul, Ace and Mira growing up more, maybe a story that shows to Ace and Mira and Springer that Shade is an actual threat to the three and one that can't afford to not take seriously, maybe a story focused on Soul and how come magic is so hard for her and she's given a different set of advice, and not from Starlight, that actually works, maybe a moment of existential crisis as Soul is forced to wonder did she make the right choice of remaining an alicorn or would she have been happier and better off being a pegasus,
Well time will tell how far from the mark any and all my guesses are.
Not one of my favorites, but not bad.