Happy Birthday Flash

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Our story opens in the dry aired desert somewhere between Appaloosa and Dodge Junction. Celestia's sun was barely rising in that horizon, but already, somepony was up and working.

As the tumbleweed was blown along the ground, a single cloaked pony could be seen walking through the dirt. It was a pegasus, noted by the twin bulges that stuck out of his cloak. His head was concealed by the cloak's hood while his mouth and nose were covered by a ragged scarf and his eyes were wearing a pair of old goggles. The only thing you could see of this pony was his blue mane sticking out of his hood along with his orange hooves. Balanced on his back were a pair of plastic bottles, both filled with water.

The pony began to sway in the dusty wind, slowly glancing up to see his destination. It was a small rock formation that was covered in moss, a hole just barely showing inside the green foliage to show that it was actually hollow. The pony pushed the grass aside, soon walking inside the cave to see a cloaked unicorn staring at a dish-like object.

"I'm back," the pegasus said as he placed the water by her side and uncovered his face. He then looked down at the dish, which was showing an image of what looked like a younger version of himself asleep in a bed. "So it's that day again, huh?"

The mare chuckled at his question. "Yes. The only difference is that he actually knows its happening today."

The pegasus let out a long sigh as he took off his cloak and goggles. "Hard to believe its been twenty-two years since that day. Look at how far he's come in all that time."

The mare nodded, not taking her eyes off the dish. "I know. Leaving him was the hardest thing I ever had to do, but I know it was the right choice. He's grown into the stallion I saw he could become, and with many amazing friends by his side."

"And soon, we can hopefully return to his life."

Once again, the mare nodded. "All but two of the events I foresaw have come to pass. All that is left is his most important battle, and returning the Elements. Though I must say, that recent battle he had made me seriously worried about his future." the mare bit her hoof as she muttered her next words. "That Sombra...he was not part of any vision I had and yet he almost killed him!"

"Honey, its fine. He's-"

"It is not fine!" the mare yelled, interrupting the stallion as she slammed her hooves into the ground. "That blasted snake somehow wasn't in any vision I saw!" She slowly rubbed her face with her hoof. "That Sombra...he truly was a monster."

"As I said, he'll be fine dear. He's a part of us after all." The pegasus added as he sat down next to her, taking a drink from one of the water bottles as his left wing hugged the mare. He then raised the bottle high as he stared at the sleeping pony on the dish. "Happy birthday, son."

Ponyville...

It had been a few weeks since the liberation of the Crystal Empire and the defeat of its tyrannical ruler, King Sombra. And so, a new day started as the sun slowly rose above the horizon by Princess Celestia, its light spreading across the land. Eventually, it arrived at the Golden Oaks Library, funneling through one of its open windows. Inside the room that the window was attached to, we find a familiar pegasus sleeping on a bed, drool dripping from his mouth as a volley of snores released themselves to the world. His jakhowl partner Springer was also there, sleeping in a basket on the floor that was covered in blankets.

But sleep is a fleeting thing, especially when the light of the sun began its journey into the room. It hit Flash's face, making his drool disappear as his head scrunched up, his hooves grabbing his pillow and placing it over his head. "No...go away." he moaned, his lips flapping as he continued to mumble. "Leave me alone sun...just five more-"

BANG!

That was the sound of his bedroom door being ripped open, an orange blur zooming through the room as the wooden frame swung open. And before the door could complete its journey to the wall, the orange blur was already on Flash's bed, "Up big bro!" A young female voice cried as it landed onto Flash's body, knocking the wind out of his lungs. "Get up, get up, get up!"

Flash let out a groan, taking the pillow off his head as he looked up at his attacker. It was his little sister Scootaloo, who had a huge grin on her face. He gave her a playful scowl as he asked, "Okay...I'm up sis. Now why was I woken up in such a brutal manner?!"

Scootaloo smirked at this before hopping off the bed, her grin widening, "Blame Twilight. She's the one who told me to wake you up."

"Yes, I did." The two of them turned their heads to see a purple unicorn mare step into the room, a tray of food gripped in a purple aura hovering above her head. She was followed by one purple and green dragon that was still chuckling at the sight of Flash's abuse. That is, till Twilight slapped the drake with her tail as she continued, "But I didn't tell you to jump on him and nearly break his ribs."

Scootaloo and Spike both continued to laugh at this, causing the pup in the basket to groan as his head popped out from under the blankets. Springer rubbed his eyes as he moaned, "Ugh...what's all the noise for? Can't a guy get some sleep around here?"

"I keep asking myself that everyday buddy." Flash groaned in response, placing the pillow behind his head again. "And I have a feeling we're not gonna get that five more minutes of sleep we want."

Twilight began to giggle as she walked over and patted Springer's head. "I'm sorry we woke you up too Springer. You see, we decided to treat Flash to breakfast in bed." She levitated the tray onto Flash's lap, making him sit up to see a pair of freshly cooked waffles and a glass of orange juice.

Flash licked his lips when he saw the food, only to turn and give the trio of Twilight, Scootaloo and Spike a suspicious look with a raised eyebrow, "Not that I don't mind, but uh...what's the occasion?"

Twilight, Scootaloo and Spike smirked at him before all taking a deep breath, then in unison, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"

Flash's eyes went wide hearing this. He blinked several times as he looked over at the calendar that he hung from his wall, seeing the date was the same date as the one he had first seen on the door at Canterlot Orphanage. Today was his twenty second birthday, the first official birthday he was ever going to celebrate. The pegasus smirked before looking back at his friends. "Thank you." He said before staring back at his breakfast. He quickly scarfed the food down, enjoying every last bite until the tray was completely bare.

Once he was finished, Twilight removed the tray and turned back to him. "Pinkie's preparing everything for your party at Sugarcube Corner. It'll be ready later this afternoon."

"Good." Flash replied as he took his bed covers off, "That'll give me plenty of time to get in my patrol done along with a good workout before devouring as much cake as I want."

"You're gonna be working on your birthday?" Scootaloo asked him, almost backpedaling at his statement.

Flash chuckled at his sister, patting her head. "Of course I am. Bad things don't stop because it's your birthday. I've got responsibilities."

Scootaloo's face morphed into a long frown. "But...I was hoping we could spend the day having fun together. Maybe go to the park, play some games or something before going to the party."

Flash shook his head as he leaned down, patting her with his wing. "That's sweet sis, but you've still got school today. You can't skip that." This statement turned Scootaloo's frown into a pout, her hoof batting away his wing.

Another hoof tapped Scootaloo's shoulder. "Don't worry Scootaloo," Twilight told her as she winked at the filly. "There'll be an hour or two between you getting out of school and the party, so we can all meet up and have some fun in the park then."

"I'm up for that," Springer said with a yawn while stretching his legs out of the basket. "Iron and I can put up an extra tough workout so Flash can finish early."

"Sounds good to me," Flash replied, cricking his hooves. "If I can give Iron a good beating today, that'll be the best birthday gift of them all."

Twilight rolled her eyes at this. "Ugh...is fighting really the only thing you think about meathead?"

"Yes." Flash flatly responded.

Twilight resisted the urge to facehoof as she nodded. "Fine...guess I shouldn't expect anything different today." She then turned around, her horn shining as a magical aura grabbed the doorknob, "Alright then, its settled. So until this evening, it'll just be business as usual."

"Right!" The others all replied in unison.

A few minutes later, Flash and Springer had taken to the sky as they went off for their patrol. As soon as they were gone, Twilight poked her head out to see if they were still in sight. Once she was sure they were gone, she rushed towards Sugarcube Corner, Spike on her tail.

"Wait up!" the drake cried as he hopped onto her fleeing back. "What's the rush?"

"I want to get to Sugarcube Corner before Flash comes back around and sees us heading there!"

"Why? He already knows we're having a party for him and he knows its at Sugarcube Corner. Why the secrecy?"

Twilight rolled her eyes at this. "You know Flash, he never has the patience for a surprise. If he sees me, he'll follow to get a glimpse of the party."

"Oh...yeah, that sounds like him."

The two then arrived at the bakery, only to see Pinkie was already hard at work. The unicorn dragon combo stepped into the building, only to see multicolored party streamers with Flash's cutie mark hanging on the walls along with balloons that had the same lighting shield symbol. There were also boxes scattered around the room, filled with other party stuff that had yet to be put up.

"Wow..." Twilight gasped as she looked around, "This place looks amazing. Good work Pinkie."

"Oh, you're gonna make me blush Twilight. Though to be honest, you haven't seen anything yet." said a certain familiar voice. Twilight and Spike looked around the room for the voice's owner, only to find themselves alone in the room.

"Pinkie?" Spike asked the walls. "Are you in here?"

"Of course silly," Pinkie's detached voice replied. "If I wasn't here, I couldn't talk to you, could I?"

"Then where are you?" Twilight asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm everywhere....woooo..." the voice now 'sounding' like a ghost, only to break out into giggles. "Hee hee hee...just kidding!" Before the two could say anything else, the contents of one of the boxes exploded, revealing the head of everypony's favorite party planner. "SURPRISE!"

The unicorn and dragon both cried out in shock, only to soon start laughing. "Good one Pinkie," Twilight said while still chuckling.

Pinkie shined a massive grin. "Thanks Twi," she then leapt out of the box and moved over to a nearby table. Once there, she reached into her mane and pulled out a bunch of party hats to put on the table, "Anyways, like I was saying, you haven't seen anything yet!" She turned back to Twilight and Spike, showing the most serious face either of them had ever seen the pink pony have. "When I'm done, this'll be the greatest, most amazing-est party Flash has ever seen!" She placed her hoof over her heart. "I vow, on my honor as a party planner, that this will be the most perfect party EVER!"

Twilight and Spike both giggled at Pinkie's determination. "Loving the enthusiasm Pinkie," Twilight told her as she lifted Spike off her back. "Because of that, I decided to come over so we can go over everything. You know, make sure everything is perfect and in order."

Pinkie nodded before pulling a scroll out of her mane, unrolling it until unfolded all the way to Twilight's hooves. Pinkie then gave Twilight a salute as she pointed to the scroll. "Okey-dokey-lokey Twilight! We'll start with this, which is a list of every single invite I could get to Flash's closest friends."

Twilight nodded as her horn lit up, grabbing the scroll in her magic. "Good good...and how many have replied that they're coming?"

Pinkie's smile then turned to a frown. "Well...Soarin's got a Wonderbolts show. Cadance and Shining Armor have business in the Crystal Empire that they couldn't postpone and Grand said he might be able to make it, depending on how the guard's training and train times work. Oh! And Trixie will be coming with Grand, since they're both at the Canterlot Castle and Princess Luna is letting her have a day off."

"What about my parents?" Twilight asked as she continued to scan the scroll, Spike leaning over to start looking at the list as well.

"They said that they could definitely make it." Pinkie replied as she pulled out another party hat from her mane. "I'm really glad about that one. Always good to have family show up for a party."

"That's good," Spike commented as he pointed to a part of the scroll. "And everypony in town is sure to show up, right?"

"That's true," Twilight replied as she began to furl the scroll. "This looks good Pinkie, but I still want to check everything before we get really started."

In that moment, four new ponies stepped into the bakery. It was Rainbow, Applejack, Fluttershy and Rarity, who had all arrived to help with the preparations. Fluttershy had even brought some of her birds with her so that they could provide musical entertainment.

"Hey everypony," Rainbow said as she flew around and checked out the decorations. "Not bad Pinkie, not bad at all."

"I must agree." Rarity added as she flipped back her mane. "Pinkie darling, you've really outdone yourself this time."

"Flash is sure to enjoy this little hoedown," Applejack continued, scratching the side of her as she commented.

Fluttershy nodded in response. "I can't wait to see his surprised face, as long as he doesn't find it unpleasant of course."

"Thanks girls," Pinkie replied, slightly blushing.

"Ah, good timing." Twilight told them as she started rereading the scroll. "We were just going over Flash's birthday preparations."

"Awesome," Rainbow remarked out as she landed and patted Twilight with her hoof. "I had Fluffy Cloud check the weather forecast today. Sunny skies all day."

"And my birds are ready to give everypony a lovely show," Fluttershy went on as she motioning to her animal friends. "They've been practicing extra hard to give a great performance." To emphasize the point, the birds let out a lovely little tweeting tune.

Twilight nodded at this. "That's good. Flash, Spike, Scootaloo, Springer and me are going to hang out in the park after Scootaloo finishes school, so that'll be everypony's time limit on this party."

"Yay!" Pinkie cheered, confetti flying out of her mane. "That'll give me tons of time to finish working on the party!"

"And we'll help with whatever ya'll need sugarcube," Applejack told her.

Pinkie smiled. "Thanks. I could use some help with Flash's birthday cake." Once again, she reached into her mane and pulled out another scroll. They then looked at the image on the scroll, showing a picture of Flash with Lightbringer shining.

"Whoa!" The five girls and one dragon said as they saw the picture.

"What is it?" Spike then asked.

Pinkie giggled, waving her hoof. "Oh silly Spike, that's the cake image. I'm gonna put it on the cake using icing."

"You can really make an image like this out of icing?" Rainbow asked, blinking.

"Of course," Pinkie said with a nod, only for her face to turn serious. "But its gonna take time and an incredible amount of concentration. As such, I'll need to start work on it right away. Applejack, can you help me?"

"Then you and Applejack better get to work." Twilight commanded before turning to her friends, "Meanwhile, we'll finish up the decorations. Got it girls?" They all nodded as Pinkie and the farm pony moved to the kitchen. "Ready to get to work?"

"Yes!" They replied in unison.

Meanwhile...

Over in their canyon training ground, Flash and Iron Core were sparing. The two apprentice knights rushed at each other, slamming their Celestic Gear with a mighty clang. Flash swung his blade while spinning like a top, Iron blocking the attack as his gear turned into a shield. As the dance of slashes continued as Iron stood his ground, standing firm as Flash started to slow down.

"Stop hiding behind that shield Iron!" Flash yelled as he swung his blade once more.

"Not a chance wuss!" Iron barked back, pushing the shield forward. The dash made Flash leap backwards, only to duck as a morphed spearhead flew over his head.

Seeing this, Flash cocked his blade back, the sword now shining in pure light magic. "Flash Cutter!" a single energy blade shot out of the weapon, only to disperse as it hit Iron's shield. Two more followed, only for them to hit the shield once more.

After this, there was a pause of silence, causing Iron to look out from behind his shield, soon seeing Flash land while panting. Iron laughed at the sight, "Don't think I'm going easy on you birthday boy. I'm still gonna go all out, ya wimp."

Flash, still panting, smirked. "This is you going all out? And here I was about to ask you to not hold back."

"Laugh it up fly boy." Iron's shield changed to a lance, which glowed as he pointed at the pegasus. "Iron Lance Fury!"

He unleashed a flurry of metal projectiles, only for the pegasi to shut his eyes. But it wasn't a flinch or an act of being scared, instead, he opened them up and they were now blank. "Theta Mode!" As those words left his mouth, Flash's sword swung around like the wind, knocking every dart out of the sky in an instant.

No sooner had he done this, Iron charged at him, spear changing into a sword as he attacked the defender. As the bum-rush happened, Flash quickly blocked the attack, his body spinning as the two metals clashes. The two then took a step back, only to blitz at each other as several clangs embraced the air around them. Their swords continued to clash in those next few seconds, only for Flash to suddenly spin around, his back hooves kicking Iron in the face.

"Puwaugh!" Iron blurted as he knocked back, his body rolling on the ground as Piecemaker flew out of his hooves. Flash then tried to slash down at the earth pony that was now on his back, only to hit dirt as Iron quickly dodged to the side.

And as the sword hit the ground, a blow of dust soon blasting his face. But as the dust cleared, Flash looked down and he saw that half of his blade was now stuck in the ground. "Oops..." he said before trying to pull it out.

He then heard Iron chuckle, making him turn and see the earth pony cricking his hooves. "Hoof to hoof, you can't win bird boy." He charged forwards, both hooves swinging. However, before he his first punch could connect, Flash was already in the air.

"Neither can you if you can't hit me." Flash retorted, sticking his tongue out. "Try and get me, metalhead."

"Its on, ya wuss!"

Meanwhile, Springer was further in the canyon. He was standing at the bottom of a ramp like cliff, multiple rocks above him. He slowly stepped from left to right, like he was trying to get in the right position to take a picture. "Let's see...no. No, that won't....ah! Perfect!" he told himself as he clapped his hooves. Aura began to flow in his paws as he aimed at the top of the cliff. "Here we go! Aura Blast!"

BOOM!

The rocks on the top exploded off the cliff, the rubble flinging themselves down the slope. The jakhowl smiled at oncoming boulders, his feet already rushing him up the slope. And as the first rock got close to him, he held up his paws, only for a familiar trio of shining claws to appear. "Metal Paw!" he yelled, slicing the boulder in half with one clean swipe. "Ah yeah! I'm on fire!"

As the jakhowl kept running towards the rolling rubble, Metal Paw faded as a new aura weapon appeared in the young pup's paws. "Bone Breaker!" He took the staff in paw, spinning it as swung the weapon in a horizontal manner. The swing collided with a boulder, only for it to go airborne, instantly hitting the rock behind it. Both shattered into dust at the collision, kicking up a dust cloud. But Springer wasn't intimidated, for he ran right through the dust like it was nothing. He continued running, seeing one final big boulder coming his way that was too big to break. But he knew he couldn't stop his sprint, so he started to look around, only to see a small rock stuck in the ground infront of him. An idea popping into his head, the jakhowl slammed his aura weapon into the rock, quickly pole-vaulting him over the boulder.

After that, it was smooth-sailing to the top. Before he knew it, Springer reached the top of the slope, cheering as he raised both paws into the air. "Oh yeah! Who's the jakhowl? I'm the-whoa!" As Springer continued to celebrate, he didn't realize his feet were just a little too close to the edge of the slope's cliff, causing him to slip back onto the slope. "Wha-aaahhhh!!"

As he started to tumble down the hill, his body becoming like a rolling blue ball while Flash and Iron continued to fight hoof to hoof. Iron was on the defensive, as Flash kept getting away thanks to his wings. Flash would repeatedly shoot down and throw one or two punches, only to take to the air again. But as Flash tried this three times, the third gave the opening Iron needed. Before Flash could fly back up from his one-two punch, Iron used his teeth to grab his tail and swing him back into the ground.

"Augh!" Flash let out as he hit the gravel.

"Gotcha, ya feather-brain."

"Like Tartarus, you have!" Flash barked before swiping his hooves under Iron's, knocking the defender's off-balance. Using this moment, Flash spun his body, quickly getting back up, only for Iron to get up as well. The two raised their hooves for another round, but....

"GANGWAY!"

They both looked in the same direction for the voice's owner, only to see a blue ball rolling towards them. The duo took a step backwards, allowing the ball to roll past them as it smashed into a large rock. Flash and Iron then saw that the ball was Springer, who was currently plastered against the rock, his eyes now replaced with spirals.

The two moved over to the jakhowl. "Springer! You okay bud?!"

"Don't take me out coach. I can still play..." Springer replied, his head shaking back and forth. "I mean it coach. Don't replace me with the yellow mouse..."

Flash and Iron both chuckled at the sight before pulling Springer off the rock, quickly dusting the poor jakhowl off. "I think that's enough training for today," Flash said as he sat down next to his partner. "You okay buddy? Looks like you bit off more than you can chew."

"I'm okay..." Springer responded, his paw now rubbing his forehead. "Just feel....loopy."

Flash patted his partner's back with a smirk. "You'll be fine buddy."

Iron nodded in agreement as he sat down across from the two before taking out a canteen, taking a swig of water from it. "So...enjoying your birthday so far, wuss? Don't image training is what you had in mind for your birthday morning."

Flash just shrugged at the comment. "Eh, its the same as any other day, aside from the breakfast in bed. Sides, today I'll be spending the rest of the day in the park with Scoots, Twi, Spike and Springer." He looked over at his partner, who still looked a little unfocused. "Then its off to the party."

Iron rolled his eyes, "I'm sure that'll be fun."

Flash glared back at him, frowning. "Just because you don't celebrate your birthday doesn't mean the rest of us have to have no fun."

Iron mimicked his facial expression. "I celebrate my birthday."

"You do?" Flash asked in a surprised tone.

The earth pony apprentice knight rolled his eyes again. "I'm hard-boiled, not heartless ya moron." the defender began to grind his teeth as he began to explain, "Skybreaker would always celebrate my birthday with me, giving us both the day off and enjoying whatever fun things there were to do wherever we were. It was one of the few times I felt like a normal colt, not having to worry about being tough...even if I did find it annoying."

"Wow," Flash replied, his eyes slightly widening. "Growing up, I always imagined Skybreaker was some kind of tough, no nonsense pony. I wouldn't think he'd do stuff like that."

"He is tough and no nonsense," Iron barked back, taking another swig in slight frustration. "But he was only ever like that around his enemies or those who needed him to be that. When he's not, he's...kind and caring."

"And yet you turned out to be such a stick in the mud." Flash said with a smirk, leaning back with his hooves behind his head. "Though that does probably explain why you and her are like that..."

Iron growled at his fellow defender of the peace. "Shouldn't you be heading to school? You know, to pick up a member of a third of the disasters that happen to this town?!"

"You don't have to be such a jerk about it Iron. I was just saying..." Flash replied as he looked up at the sun, the sphere telling him that school would be getting out in the next hour or so. "Right. Welp, I'd better get going." He stood up and grabbed his still dizzy partner, putting him on his back before walking off. "See you later. Drop by Sugarcube Corner later if you wanna have some fun."

"Like I'd do that, ya wuss!" Iron's voice called back as Flash left the canyon and walked back into town.

As he did, his mind wandered back to his very first 'birthday'. The one year mark celebrating his living with Twilight's family.

The Past...

"Ooohhh...it hurts. Why does it hurt so much?!" a young Flash Sentry groaned as he walked down the streets of Canterlot. He was alone, as Grand Hoof had kept him back for extra training that day and Twilight had already left by the time he was done. "What was with Grand today? I know he wants me to be tough, but...my aching hooves..."

The colt then looked up, only to see his destination in sight. It was a cream colored spruce wood house, complete with a red roof. The sight made him let out a sigh of relief, his hooves slightly shaking as he walked up to the door. "Maybe I can ask mom for some ice cream and-huh?" his rant stopped as he opened the wooden frame, only to be greeted with a pitch black room. "What the..."

He placed his hooves inside, slowly closing the door behind him. He started to blink at the darkness, making his way to the dining room as he called out, "Um...hello? Anypony home?"

No response.

"Ooookay. This is weird. Where is every-"

"SURPRISE!" yelled a series of voices, light suddenly flooding the room. Flash let out a yelp before going into an offensive stance, Grand Hoof's training over the last year already showing itself. That is, till the colt began to look around the room. There, he saw Twilight, Shining, their parents, Cadance and the infant Spike staring at him. His eyes started to go wide as he then saw the dining table, its entirety filled with party food and a large cake in the center.

Flash then turned to the ponies smiling at him. "What the-what's all this?"

"It's a special celebration we decided to have for you dear," Twilight Velvet explained as she went up and patted his head.

"Special celebration?" Flash questioned, looking back at the table again. "What for?"

Night Light chuckled at the question. "Don't you know what today is Flash?" He saw the young pegasus shake his head. "This is the day we first met. The day you came to live with us."

"One whole year of you being part of our family," Velvet told him as she leaned down and gave him a hug. "We knew we needed to celebrate that."

"And...well," Shining added as he scratched the side of his head. "Since we don't know when your birthday is, we kinda decided to use this to day to uh-"

"We decided to treat today as your birthday," Cadance continued as she walked up and gave Flash a hug as well.

"Exactly," Shining completed as he trotted up and patted Flash's head. "So uh...happy birthday and all that, champ."

Flash was stiff as a statue, surprise consuming his being as shock covered his face. He had just now realized that it had now been a whole year since he had stopped living on the streets. "Wow...it's really been a year? Feels like its been a month."

Cadance just giggled at the comment. "Just goes to show how happy you are. After all, they say time flies when your having fun."

Flash's face morphed into the biggest smile possible. The colt could only nod at Cadance's statement, knowing it was true as he remembered the past year. He remembered all the good times, which were ten times the amount he had back on those years on the streets. And as he thought about this, tears began to form and flow down his face.

Everypony went wide-eyed at this, Twilight rushing over to him. "What's wrong Flash? Don't you like it?"

Flash, still crying, shook his head no. "No, I...I love it. It's just...I don't know. I'm really happy, but I can't...I can't stop crying."

The older ponies all smiled at this, Night Light patting him on the head again. "That's called tears of joy son."

Velvet nodded in agreement. "He's right. It's natural to cry when you're happy."

"Though it's not very stallionly," Shining joked, only to be dealt a swift jab to the ribs by Cadance. "Ow!"

Flash laughed at the sight, wiping away his tears. "Thank you. Thank you all for letting me into your lives. I don't know what my life would be like if you hadn't."

"Well, you don't have to think about it," Twilight said as she hugged him, only to then pull him towards the table. "Now come on. I want to have some cake."

Flash laughed again, but did as he was told and jumped up into his usual seat as Velvet levitated a party hat onto his head. But before he could even lick his lips at the cake, there was a knock at the house's door. Shining quickly answered it, only for one Grand Hoof to walk in the house with a giant grin on his face. "Hey kiddo," he told his apprentice, a big box in his hooves. "Sorry I kept you back. Twilight asked me to so they could get everything set up."

Flash shined a big smile at his mentor. "That's fine Grand. I'm just happy you're here to celebrate."

"Of course I am kiddo," the older pony replied before turning to the cake. "Now let's pointlessly light these candles just so you can blow them out."

Everypony laughed as Night used a simple fire spell to do so. Everypony then began to sing the traditional birthday song and the second it was over, Flash blew out the candles.

The Present...

"Those were the days..." Flash chuckled to himself as he walked to the outskirts of Ponyville, the memory still playing in his head. "And there's still plenty more to come."

In this moment, he had finally arrived at the edge of Ponyville, but decided to walk around the town to get to the school. He didn't trust himself with going near Sugarcube Corner, he knew his curiosity would get the better of him. So instead, he walked the edge, soon looking back to see his still recovering partner. "You okay there bud?"

"I'm getting there," Springer replied as he sat up, still holding his head with his paws. "Still a little dizzy though."

Flash frowned at hearing this. "Maybe I should take you to get checked out at the vets, or see if Fluttershy can take a look at you."

Springer shook his head. "No. I don't want you to waste your birthday doing that."

"I'm not gonna be able to enjoy anything if I think you're hurt buddy."

"I'm fine." Springer grumbled back, aura now enflaming his paws as he rubbed his head. "If anything, I'll just get Twilight to use some of her magic to make me feel better. Until then, I can use my aura to heal myself, okay? I'll be fine."

Once again, Flash rolled his eyes. "Yeah, sure. But if you don't get better, I'm-"

"Oh, hello Flash." The pegasus turned around at the voice, only to see Lyra and Bon-Bon walking up to him. Lyra then continued to speak, "I hear somepony's having a birthday today."

"Yeah," Flash blushed as he scratched the back of his head.

"Well, happy birthday." Bon-Bon told him.

"Thanks."

Lyra hopped in front of Bon-Bon with a big grin. "Oh yeah, we saw what Pinkie's doing for your birthday and its amazing! She has-"

"Ah! Don't tell me, don't tell me!" Flash shoved his hooves in his ears. "I want it to be a surprise!"

The girls giggled at this, Bon-Bon putting her hoof in Lyra's mouth. "Sorry! Don't worry Flash, our lips are sealed." Bon-Bon then removed the hoof as she winked at him before glaring at Lyra. "We need to be going now anyway, right Lyra?" The green unicorn gave a slow nod. "Good. We'll be seeing you later Flash."

"Got it." Flash replied as he walked past them, continuing his trek on the outskirts of town. As he did this, more and more of the townsponies passed by him, all wishing him a happy birthday. He thanked each of them in turn, soon arriving at the schoolyard as he made his way. Just as the school building came into sight, a sound of the school bell could be heard. The school day was now officially over, the fillies and colts bursting out of the building in a mad rush.

"Flash!" He looked at the crown of young ponies, only to see his sister running up to him. "Hey big bro!"

"Hey sis. Ready to go?" the pegasus asked as he gave her a quick hug. "Twilight's supposed to be meeting us at the park."

"Great," Scootaloo said as she let go of the hug and went up to her parked scooter by the school. Hopping on, she gave him a determined glare. "Race ya!" With that, she shot off and raced down the street. Flash laughed at this and took to the skies, Springer having to quickly grab his mane so he wouldn't fall off.

Meanwhile...

Back at Sugarcube Corner, Twilight and the rest of the girls were putting the finishing touches to the decorations. Since it was scheduled to be such a beautiful day, they had decided to have some of the party outside. As such, Twilight and Rarity were using their magic to levitate some tables outside while Rainbow was gathering the table cloth for the tables. Fluttershy and Spike were finishing up the decorations inside the bakery, using the floor plan Pinkie had provided.

"Little higher," Spike said as he looked up from the scroll, pointing at the wall for Fluttershy. "Little to the left...perfect."

Fluttershy landed as she pinned the last poster to the wall, so giving the drake a nod before moving over to the perch where her bird friends were practicing their song. "Oh, that's lovely," she told them happily. "Now remember to drink plenty of water. We wouldn't want your throats going dry while the party is happening."

The birds nodded and flew over to a nearby bowl of water, all soon dipping in to quench their throats. Seeing this, Fluttershy and Spike made their way outside, just in time to see Applejack and Pinkie also exiting the building while pushing a large cart. On that cart was Flash's cake, which looked even better than the image had shown. It was a three layered cake with orange marzipan and a blue icing trim. On the top layer was the image Pinkie had shown them earlier.

"That looks amazing Pinkie," Twilight praised the baking pony. She looked over the cake in amazement, checking every inch of it and not finding a single flaw. "In fact, I think it looks better than the drawing."

Pinkie blushed as she pointed to the earth pony beside her. "Thanks Twilight, but you better compliment Applejack too. She helped a lot."

"Aw shucks Pinkie, It was nothing." She turned to the unicorn. "Think you and Rarity can help get it on the table sugarcube? It's a mite heavy."

"No problem," Twilight said as her and Rarity's horns began to shine, a magic aura covering the cake as it was slowly lifted onto the table. "There we go. Perfect."

"I'll say," Spike said as his tongue rolled out of his mouth, his claws slowly reaching out at the treat. That is, till a magic aura covered him and levitated him away.

"Don't even think about it. That cake's not being touched until Flash blows out the candles."

Spike pouted at this. That is, till another voice rang out.

"Hey!" They all turned to the voice's owner, seeing it was Wild Smile with his puppets. "Did I hear that there was a party going on?"

"Party, party!" The puppets cried out.

"You sure did," Pinkie replied as she bounced over to him. "And you're just in time. We could use another unicorn since Twilight and Spike need to get going."

"Oh, that's right! I need to get to the park!" Twilight gasped before grabbing Spike in her magic and placing him on her back. "I'll see you girls later."

"Have fun," Rainbow told her as she put her hooves behind her head. "And don't worry, we've got this thing in the bag."

"I know you do," the unicorn replied before turning and beginning her sprint through town. As she did, her ears perked up as she suddenly heard a familiar voice.

"Twilight."

She came to a stop and turned to look towards the source of the voice, only to gasp at who she saw.

Meanwhile...again.

Over in the park, Flash watched as Scootaloo and Springer played a game a Blastball.

It was a game the Ponyville children had invented, and had a set of simple rules. There were two squares that they had to stand in, one for each player, that were right next to one another. Around those two squares were ten smaller squares of varying size, five around each one. The aim of the game was to hit a ball and try and blast it into one of the smaller squares on their opponents side, earning points depending on which square you hit. There were two one point zones, which were the two biggest. Two three point zones, that were the middle sized ones and finally one ten point zone, which was right at the back and was so small, it was almost impossible to hit.

Currently, the score was five to seven in favor of Springer.

Said jakhowl had recovered from his earlier injury and was now about to serve. "You ready?" Springer asked Scootaloo as he spun the ball on the end on his claw.

"Bring it!" Scootaloo replied, hopping left and right with a huge grin.

Springer smirked before throwing the ball in the air, "Its...BROUGHT!" With all his might, he spiked the ball at one of Scootaloo's three point zones. The filly was prepared, leaping to the area before spinning around, hitting the ball with her tail. The ball shot towards the jakhowl, only for him to kick it back with a quick horizontal swipe. But as the ball flew back to the filly, she spun again, bucking the ball a second later.

From the sidelines, Flash watched while leaning against a large rock they were using as a score board. He also had a timer in his hoof, which he was glancing at every few minutes. But as he took another glance, he then saw Springer deflect the ball back again, only to see Scootaloo sprint forward. There, she leapt in the air, using her tiny wings to do just a tiny hover before headbutting the ball. The sphere felt her forceful forehead, knocking the ball into Springer's three point zone.

"Point!" Flash called out before putting a mark down on the rock with chalk. As he marked this, the timer went off, showing the game was over. "Scootaloo wins."

The orange filly immediately started dancing at the announcement. "Oh yeah! I'm awesome! I'm the best! Aw yeah!"

"You're a cheater!" Springer pouted, walking up and pressing his face up to hers. "We agreed to no flying!"

"I didn't fly," Scootaloo told him smugly, sticking her tongue out. "I jumped up and used my wings to keep me up long enough for me to hit the ball. I can't fly, remember?!"

"She's got you there bud," Flash guffawed, patting his partner on the back. Springer just continued to pout at this, making the pegasus siblings both laugh even more.

"Having fun without us?"

The trio heard this and turned around, only to see Twilight and Spike. But they weren't alone, as there were also a pair of older unicorns.

"Night Light, Velvet!" Flash cried as he quickly ran over to them. When he got within hooves reach, Velvet pulled him into a hug. "I'm so glad to see you could make it! I thought you wouldn't be here until later."

Night laughed as he patted Flash on the back. "We wanted to surprise you. We ran into Twilight on the way through town and she told us you were going to meet up here."

Velvet continued to hug Flash. "Oh, it's so good to see you again son." She then pulled away and looked him over, frowning when she saw the scar on his chest. "That doesn't hurt, does it?"

Flash rubbed the scar with his hoof, giving her a small smile. "Not anymore. Granted, when I first got it, it hurt like heck, but now I'm fine."

"You can thank the Crystal Heart for that," Twilight told them as she smacked Flash with her tail, a disgruntled look on her face. "Don't bother giving him the reckless speech. I've done it enough times to see it doesn't work."

Flash rolled his eyes while Night Light chuckled at her remark, "Maybe he's not being reckless Twily. They say being reckless is acting without thought. Maybe Flash is just thinking about his action so fast that it looks like he's not thinking about the action at all."

"Yeah!" Flash said with a smug look, "That's exactly what I'm doing Twi."

Twilight just gave him a flat stare, her horn ready to light and magically pull his ear. "Oh really?! So you thought about all the idiotic things you've done in the past, and still chose to do them despite knowing what would happen?!"

Flash did a slight gulp as he darted his eyes away from the purple unicorn for a second. "Errr...yes? But that's why-ow!"

"Then you're an even bigger idiot than I thought," Twilight replied, her magic now pulling his ear. "Do you need another lecture?!"

"No!" Flash yelped, covering his ear with his hoof. "Please stop Twi!"

"Yeah yeah..." Twilight moaned as her horn stopped glowing, the others now laughing at their interaction. She then glared at them, "Anything you all want to say?"

"Nope." Twilight Velvet replied before slinging her hoof over Flash's shoulder. "Happy birthday sweetheart."

"Thanks," Flash shined a grin as he began hugging her again.

But before anypony else could say anything else, something new caught their attention. A large drop of water fell onto Springer's head. "Hey!" He cried out as he rubbed his head, only to look up and see a group of black clouds. "Uhhh...that's not-"

FWOOSH!

A torrent of water followed the sound, the group yelping as the liquid slammed into their body. That is, till Twilight created an anti-water bubble around them. "What the heck?!" the unicorn yelped as she continued to maintain the bubble. "Why is it raining?! We weren't scheduled to have rain today!"

"Obviously, there was a mix-up," Flash told her flatly, only to then dodge a tail-smack.

"But this is gonna ruin the party Flash!" Twilight whined, growling at the defender. "Most of it was gonna be outside! Now everything will be ruined!"

"I'm sure Pinkie will be able to save it."

Velvet nodded in agreement. "Indeed. If she's as good a party planner as you say, I'm sure she'll have a backup plan."

Meanwhile...one more time!

"No, no, no, no, no, no, NO!" Pinkie was currently having a panic attack after seeing almost all the outside party flavors getting water logged. Luckily, they had managed to get the food tables inside before the rain started, Rarity and Wild having to be extra careful with the cake since Applejack had left to go meet Grand and Trixie at the train station, but everything else was not so lucky. Several groups of ponies had already arrived for the party, and now had rushed inside the bakery once the rain had started, causing the place to get a little crowded.

"How did this happen?!" Pinkie yelled as she looked over the large crowd of ponies.

Rainbow was figuring this out right now, speaking with the weather pony she had sent to check the weather for that day. "You said it would be nothing but beautiful skies today!"

"That's what I was told!" Fluffy replied, pulling out a piece of paper from his saddlebag. "I asked the Cloudsdale weather office for the whole week's weather and this is what they gave me! You'll clearly see Ponyville was scheduled for sun today!"

Rainbow took the paper and looked it over, only to quickly see what had happened. "Augh!" She cried with a facehoof. "When did you get this report?!"

Fluffy looked confused as he replied, "Friday. Why do you ask?"

"I see what they did," Rainbow said as she slowly dragged her hoof down her face. "They thought you were asking for the weather for the rest of the week, so they gave you last week's time schedule."

Fluffy's eyes went wide, "Oh...sorry Rainbow Dash."

Rainbow let out a sigh before handing the paper back. "It's not your fault. Just...next time ask for the weather on the exact dates you want." Fluffy nodded before walking off, leaving Rainbow to move over to her friends and explain the problem.

"That makes sense," Wild said while crossing his hooves.

"Makes sense, makes sense." the puppets repeated.

Rarity was the first to ask the obvious. "Can't you make a hole in the cloud covering Sugarcube Corner? Let the rest of the town be rained on, but let this area stay dry?"

Rainbow shook her head. "If the wind was still, I might be able to. But there's a gust out there, making it much harder. There's also the case of the hole, which would need to be big and the head office would not like."

"So what do we do?"

They turned to Pinkie, who was obviously trying to think on the spot over a new party plan. "That's okay, I got this. We might not be allowed to play outside, but there's plenty of fun things to do inside." She turned to Fluttershy. "Looks like your birds are going from side event to a main one."

"Oh?" Fluttershy said before glancing at her bird friends. "Um...okay. We'll try our best." The birds all gave her a tweet. But before they could start the very first note, one of them let out a high pitch squeak that made the rest stop. "Oh dear, are you alright?"

The bird seemed to do a quick check of itself and was about to tweet yes, until it let out another squeak. This was followed by another bird doing the same thing, then another and another until they were all doing it.

"What's wrong with them?" Rainbow asked Fluttershy.

"I think they have the hiccups," the yellow pegasus mare replied, blinking at the sight.

"What?!" Pinkie cried in horror. "How'd they get hiccups?!"

Fluttershy quickly conversed with the birds, asking them to tell her everything they had done that day. She soon got her answer as she then moved over to the bowl they had been drinking from, taking a sip of the remaining liquid. "Oh dear."

"What is it?" Rarity asked her.

"They thought they were drinking flavoured water, but this is lemonade. They've drunk so much that they got the hiccups."

"Well, that's just great," Rainbow yelled as she pointed at the birds. "They can't sing with hiccups."

"That's okay," Pinkie quickly said, her face trying every way to hide her inner panic spell. "I've got this. Its not like anything else bad can happen."

"Bad news ya'll." They turned to see Applejack, soaking wet as she walked into the crowd. "Seems some accident caused Grand and Trixie's train to be stopped. They might not get here for a while."

The ponies all turned to Pinkie, seeing her eye beginning to twitch.

"You okay?" Wild asked her, slowly moving over to her. "You uh..."

"I'm...fine." Pinkie replied in a manner that reminded them of the time she thought they didn't care about her even though they were just trying to surprise her for her birthday. "I'm okay Wild."

"You sure?"

Pinkie nodded. "Of course. I got this." She moved over to the table where Flash's cake was resting. "We've still got this amazing cake, and as long as we have it, we're good."

She then tapped the table in pure confidence. Unfortunately, the table they had placed the cake on was a foldable one, made for easy storage. And also unfortunately, when Rarity and Wild had moved it and the cake inside, one for the legs had not be properly set into place. So when Pinkie tapped the table, that leg snapped pack into it, causing the table to tip over.

Everything seemed to slow down as the cake began to slide towards the edge, everypony in the group seeing the incoming disaster. They all gasped at the sight as they all cried, "NOOOO!"

The ponies all leapt at the spot where it would have landed, creating a dog pile that caused the sliding cake to knock over, launching it into the air. The pony pile was suddenly ripped apart, as Pinkie leapt out from the bottom and screamed, "Somepony grab that cake!"

But it was too late. The giant treat flew through the air, its destination being one door to the bakery. That is, till the door opened as somepony said, "Hey everypony! Who's ready to par-"

SPLAT!

Everyone gasped at seeing who the cake had hit. It was Flash, who was standing in the doorway with wide eyes as his face was now covered in frosting. Icing soon began to fall down his entire body, his eyes blinking as he felt the smushed treat sink into his fur. Everypony cringed at this, expecting him to be upset by being attacked by food on his birthday.

Twilight and the rest of the ponies, along with a dragon and jakhowl, all let out a gulp as Twilight asked, "Flash? You okay?"

Flash didn't answer, instead opening his mouth as his tongue scooped up the cake on his face. He soon took several bites into the cake before swallowing, letting out an approving hum. "Mmmmm...strawberry sponge cake. My favorite."

Everypony sighed in relief, with the exception of one pink party pony. She had her head turned away from the defender, tears dropping down her face. That is, till Flash walked up to her and tapped her shoulder. "Hey, what's wrong Pinkie?" Pinkie opened her eyes and looked up, seeing Flash looking down at her with a worried expression on his face. He offered her a hoof, wanting to help her up. "Come on, its not like you to cry at a party."

Pinkie sniffed and wiped her eyes with her leg. "This isn't a party, its a disaster."

Flash raised an eyebrow at this. "It is? But it looks like a great party."

Pinkie continued to sniffle. "No it isn't. The weather ruined half the party favors and stopped us from partying outside. Fluttershy's birds got hiccups and can't sing. Grand Hoof's stuck on a train and the cake I made you was thrown into your face and ruined. Nothing's gone right."

Flash looked around the room, seeing everypony had a frown on their faces. All they wanted to do was celebrate Flash, a pony who was always helping them even if he was not asked to. But now everything was ruined and Flash would most likely tell them to go home. "We're sorry Flash," Twilight said as she and the others looked down.

Flash's face seemed to be unreadable in that moment. He just blinked at the sight with a blank stare, only for his mouth to start moving. Then, he did the one thing nopony was expecting. He started laughing. "Heh heh heh...HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! You thought I...AHAHAHAHA!"

Everyone started to frown and glare at him, Rainbow flying up to his face with face full of anger, "Hey! All our hard work was destroyed and you're laughing at us?! What gives, ya jerk!?!"

Flash continued to chuckle, only to put his hoof over Rainbow's mouth. His chuckles turned to giggles as he said, "Hee hee hee...I'm not laughing at you Rainbow, I'm laughing at the situation. You think just because we've got some bad weather, no music and a busted cake, that the party's ruined?" He started laughing again, falling onto his back as he did. "Ahahaha! And I thought Pinkie was the party pony here in town!"

"But it is ruined," Scootaloo told him as she tilted her head in confusion.

"Yeah," Pinkie added. "Why don't you think it is?"

Once again, Flash kept laughing, only for him to put a hoof on his chest. A few deep breaths later, he got up, "You know why I love my birthday parties so much?" Everypony shook their heads no. "It wasn't the games or the presents or the cake. Though I would be lying if I did say the presents aren't something I love, I do like them, but who doesn't?" This made everyone do a slight chuckle as he continued. "But it wasn't that. It was because all my friends are here with me." He took a deep breath again. "You all know that I used to live on the streets, spending every single one of my birthdays alone. Heck, I didn't even know when my birthday back then. So...on the day everyone made my birthday, the day I first went to live with Twilight and her parents, I always remember what I have compared to before and I'm thankful for it."

Everyone started to realise what he was getting at. A birthday was a day to celebrate the pony, which included everything and everypony who's lives they made better because of their birth. Flash looked down at Pinkie, giving her a happy smile. "You see? I don't need a big party to enjoy my birthday. Having all my friends here is already making it a great party."

"But not all your friends are here," Pinkie told him, her lips quivering from her crying. "Soarin, Shining, Cadance and Grand. They're not going make it."

"And I might not make it to their next birthday. That doesn't mean it'll ruin their birthdays. As long as they know I care about them and that they care about me, it's okay that they're not here." He once again offered his hoof. "Come on Pinkie, turn that frown upside down. I'm sure Ponyville's number one party pony can make this a great party, even with everything that's happened."

Pinkie's face still showed a frown, but as his words sunk in, her face began to morph. There, it shined into a bright smile as he took his hoof, slowly standing up. And as she did, she blew into her hoof, causing her mane to somehow re-inflate. As it turned into its normal poofiness, she raised her hooves in the air and yelled, "ALRIGHT EVERYPONY! Let's enjoy this party, even if it kills us!"

"YEAH!" Everypony cheered.

And so, the party started. Everypony soon began celebrating, feasting on what was left of the party food while Flash began talking to everypony he could meet in Ponyville. Fluttershy's birds once again tried singing and everypony got to laugh whenever they hiccuped, making the tunes they played rather enjoyable. Wild Smile entertained the younger ponies with a puppet show, which Pinkie and a few other older ponies also enjoyed. Even Iron showed up, though he said it was just to get himself out of the rain.

"This really is a great party," Twilight said halfway through it.

"One of the best I've been to," Flash replied, only to feel a tap on his shoulder. He turned around, a smile soon forming on his face. "Grand!" He threw his hoof around his mentor's shoulder. "You made it!"

"Of course I did," Grand guffawed as he then patted Flash's back, "Happy birthday kiddo."

"Thanks. I'm glad you could-"

"And he's not the only one here." interrupted another voice, which made Flash look over Grand's shoulder. There, he saw a certain light blue unicorn wearing a star-patterned hat. "Trixie is here to celebrate as well."

"Trixie!" Flash and Twilight cried, both soon embracing her in a hug. "You made it too!"

With that, the party soon came to a close. Trixie announced she would do a small show for everyone, which was the last event before the final part of the party began. As it did, it came time for Flash to open the presents everypony had gotten him. Each one was just as good as the last. Twilight had gotten him a newly published book on different sword fighting styles. Rainbow had gotten him a poster with different pegasus workout movements while Applejack had gotten him a case of apple cider and some apple scented body spray. Fluttershy had gotten him a new set of bed sheets that had wolves and other canine animals, Flash's favourite type, on them. Rarity had made him a black zip up jacket with his cutie mark on the shoulder. Pinkie had gotten him a board game she felt he would enjoy along with Spike and Springer, who had gotten him several new issues of his favourite comic series. Twilight's parents had gotten him a box of Joe's Donuts along with a wing brush, which was used to comb out loose feathers. Trixie got him some hair spray, a special kind she found in Canterlot. Finally, Grand had gotten him a sword treatment kit, saying that even magical weapons needed to be kept in pristine condition.

Oh, and Iron had gotten him some dumbbells, which he didn't wrap as he just gave them to the defender, saying, "Can't have a Royal Knight with such puny muscles." Flash rolled his eyes at this, but accepted it nonetheless.

And last but not least, Scootaloo and her Crusader friends had made him a photo album. It was full of a bunch of different pictures of Flash, either on his own or with his friends while he training, helping ponies or simply enjoying life. The pictures made him almost want to cry tears of joy.

"Thanks everypony," Flash told them, the biggest smile possible gracing his face as he said that.

"There's just one more thing left to do," they heard Pinkie say. They then saw her enter the room carrying a new cake. It wasn't as big as the first, nor did it have any fancy icing decorations. It was also unfortunately lemon and not strawberry, but it didn't matter to Flash. Pinkie placed it on the table in front of Flash before placing twenty two birthday candles in it. Spike did the honors of lighting the candles before everypony started singing. By the time they had finished, Flash took a deep breath and blew out the candles.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY FLASH!"

Flash looked around at all the ponies who had come to celebrate him, making him once again remember all the years he had lived on the streets. He glanced at Twilight, remembering at how she had taken him out of that life and into something new, something worth living for. And as those memories faded, he looked back at his friends and repeated what he had said before.

"Thanks everypony."

The party continued well into the night, only ending after Luna's moon started to shine directly over the town. There, everypony left with full stomachs and giant smiles. With that, Twilight's parents and Grand Hoof headed back to Canterlot, all three catching the last train of the day. They all said their goodbyes and Flash now found himself in bed after tucking Scootaloo in. His bed was now adorned in the wolf sheets he had gotten, and he then looked over to his partner Springer getting into his bed. "Night bud."

"Good night," Springer replied as he buried himself in blankets. "Was your first real birthday all you thought it'd be?"

"Nope." Flash replied before shining a huge grin. "It was a hundred times better."

Springer chuckled at this. "Heh...wish I could have a birthday like that."

Flash gave him a look of pure confusion. "You're kidding, right? Of course you're getting a birthday and it'll be on the day we met. Pinkie's already marked it on her calendar."

Springer blinked at this. "She has?" Flash nodded. "Awesome..."

"See? You'll get your birthday. You just need to wait first, mister impatient." Flash remarked, causing Springer to stick his tongue out. "Heh...night buddy."

"Night partner."

And with that, the defender went to sleep, putting an end to a great day and an even greater birthday.

Sleepless in Ponyville

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Today's story opens in the main square of Ponyville one peaceful Saturday morning.

There were no dangerous monsters, psychopathic ponies or any other kind of threat that would put the population on edge. Instead, everypony was simply enjoying their lives, doing their day to day activities without a care in the world. This included one particular little orange pegasus filly named Scootaloo. This filly was racing through the square on her scooter, her tiny wings propelling her at speeds so fast, she was nothing but a blur to most. She shot past Bon Bon, zipped between two other ponies, and as she sped towards Granny Smith, the old pony raised her back so Scootaloo could jump off her scooter so it went under the old mare and the filly went over.

Landing back on her scooter, the little filly looked around for her next best trick, ready to keep doing stunts. It was here that she noticed something right infront of her, an upturned fruit and vegetable cart. Instead of slowing down or trying to avoid it, Scootaloo smirked as shot up the side of the cart, temporarily taking to the skies.

"WHOO-HOO!" She joyfully cried as she shot through the air. It was here that she noticed a slurping sound, causing her to turn and see Rainbow Dash flying right by her. The pegasus mare was flying with her back to the ground, sipping a drink as she passed by.

"Nice moves kid."

"Nice moves?!" Scootaloo gasped as she somehow pulled her scooter to a complete halt in midair. "Rainbow Dash thinks I've got-"

THUD!

That was the sound of one joyful filly landing into one of Sweet Apple Acre's hay bales, not noticing that she should have looked ahead due to the distraction that was one Rainbow Dash. At the same time, one of the grazing cows had been eating from the hay. As the bovine tried to take another bite, it suddenly found a piece of purple hay in its mouth. This turned out to be Scootaloo's tail, who's head then shot out of the hay. "Nice moves!" the filly yelled, only to feel the tug of her tail in the cow's mouth, which it let go of before mooing at her. The filly rubbed her tail as she looked back at the cow. "Sorry."

She soon pulled herself and the scooter out of the hay bale and made her way to the Cutie Mark Crusader's club house. There, she found Applebloom and Sweetie Belle playing a game of horseshoe checkers, and began to tell them about what had just happened.

"And then, all of a sudden, I'M AIRBORNE!" She leapt into the air, her tiny wings keeping her afloat for about two seconds. "And Rainbow Dash looked over and was like, 'nice moves, kid.'"

"Wow..." Applebloom said in a low tone.

"She really said that?" Sweetie asked, tilting her head.

Scootaloo nodded as she placed her hoof around the fillies' necks. "I mean, it's like she practically told me she wanted to take me under her wing, teach me everything she knows, and become like my big sister!"

Applebloom and Sweetie shared an unconvinced look. They both doubted that was what Rainbow had been implying when she made that complement, but they also didn't want to dash their friend's hopes to nothing.

"I dunno about all that," Applebloom told her, shaking her head. "I mean, it was a really nice compliment and all, but..."

Scootaloo sighed, slumping down into the wood beneath her. "I know, I know. But all that stuff I said could happen, right?"

The two looked at each other with frowns before Applebloom then asked, "But Scoots...what do you even need a big sister for anyway? You've already got a brother that's almost equal to, if not cooler than Rainbow Dash."

"Yeah I know," Scootaloo replied, folding her hooves as she looked away. "I love Flash. He's an awesome big brother, but...I don't know. I don't think I wanna be...like him. Not that he's not cool...I'm just not somepony that is..."

"Yah don't wanna be a knight?" Applebloom completed for her.

Scootaloo nodded. "Yeah."

Sweetie especially frowned at this. "But you wanna be like Rainbow Dash?"

"Of course!" They watched as Scootaloo laid on her back and looked up at the ceiling with a huge grin. "I remember the day I first met her."

Several years ago...

A nine year old Scootaloo was laying on a hill of grass, tears pouring down her eyes as she stared up at the cloudless sky. As she looked at the bland blue wonder, memories to today's doctor appointment kept flowing through her mind. The filly began to whimper as she continued to remember.

A little earlier...

"Sorry kid, it ain't gonna happen."

Scootaloo's whole body became ridged as the doctor's words flowed through her head. "What?!"

"Excuse me," Ms. Blossom said to the doctor with worry on her face. "What do you mean, it isn't going to happen?"

The doctor pointed to an X-ray of Scootaloo's wings. "I'm saying her wings aren't going to grow any more, so it's likely she'll never be able to fly on her own."

Ms. Blossom's hoof went to her mouth as she gasped, her eyes turning to Scootaloo. As for the filly, her eyes began to water, "Why?"

The doctor let out a long sigh as he flipped through the papers on his clipboard. "Most likely, its a genetic defect. Either it was passed down in your family, or one of your close relatives wasn't a pegasus. Do you know if anypony you're related to is an earth pony or unicorn?"

"I...I don't know."

"We don't know who her parents are," Ms. Blossom explained as she put her hoof on Scootaloo's shoulder. "She was left on my doorstep as a foal."

"I see." the doctor replied as he put the clipboard down. "I'm sorry, but there's nothing we can do. Her wings might start growing again when's she gets older, similar to a growth spurt. However, if they don't start growing by the time she's nineteen, it's likely she'll never be able to fly." The doctor then turned back to the filly and started to ask, "That being said, I would like to-"

But it was too late. The filly was gone, as Scootaloo couldn't take another word, and leapt out of her chair before running out of the office.

The Semi-Present...

And now, Scootaloo was laying on that hill, staring up at the sky that she now knew that she would never get to touch with her own hoof. Once again, her eyes began to fill with tears, soon closing as they rolled down her cheeks. The sounds of crying could heard for several minutes, only to be reduced to sniffles.

It was in this moment that she reopened her eyes, as she felt something block the sun from hitting her face.

"What's up kid?"

Scootaloo's eyes blinked as she stared upward at the figure blocking the sun. It was a pegasus mare with blue fur and a mane that seemed to have every color of the rainbow. The mare looked down at her in confusion. "You look like somepony ruined an awesome stunt you were about to pull. You okay?"

Scootaloo raised an eyebrow at her, obviously not understanding what she talking about.

The mare rolled her eyes. "I said, you look upset. So...what's up? What's wrong kid?"

Scootaloo wasn't sure why, but for some reason, she felt compelled to tell her. "I'm never gonna get to fly."

The mare looked at her in confusion. "What?! Why'd you say that?!"

"I was told I couldn't."

The mare's eyes narrowed, anger already shining on their face. "By who?! Some bully?!"

"A doctor. He said my wings aren't gonna grow anymore." She whimpered as she turned around, showing the mare her tiny wings. "I'll never get to fly."

"Pfft! Are you serious?!" The mare yelled as she landed by the filly, leaning down till her muzzle was almost in Scootaloo's. "You're gonna take the advice of some egghead like that?! He doesn't know a thing!" The mare then tapped Scootaloo's chest with her hoof. "Listen kid, if you really wanna fly, then you gotta try. That's all there is to it."

Scootaloo slowly sat up and stared at the mare. "What do you mean?"

"I'm saying you that shouldn't listen to what anypony else tells you, because the only one who decides your future is you. If you want to fly, then you'll find a way to fly."

Scootaloo's eyes slowly got bigger as the mare told her this. "You really think so?"

The mare nodded. "Sure, anything's possible if you really want it." She turned away from her and flexed her wings, ready to take off.

"Wait!" Scootaloo yelled as she fully stood up. "Who are you?! I haven't seen you around before."

The mare smirked back at her. "The name's Rainbow Dash, future member of the Wonderbolts. I just moved here from Cloudsdale." With that, she shot into the air, spinning into the sky as Scootaloo's eyes widened in amazement as the mare disappeared into the blue wonder.

The True Present...

Scootaloo stared out at the same sky she had watched Rainbow disappear into that same day. "Ever since that day, I've dreamed of being just like her. When she said that, it felt like a dream that was a little bit closer." She moved closer to the window, her eyes spotting Rainbow in the distance moving several clouds around. "I just need to find a way to spend some time with her. Y'know, so she can see more of my awesomeness."

"Well..." Applebloom tapped her chin in thought, "Applejack and I are supposed to be campin' up at Winsome Falls this weekend. Maybe I could get my sis to invite Rainbow Dash, and then you could come too."

Scootaloo's eyes and smile tripled in size at hearing that. "Really!?"

Applebloom nodded, only to hear a moan of disappointment as she turned to a pouting Sweetie. "I wanna go too."

Applebloom rolled her eyes at this. "Well, duh! Of course you can come too Sweetie Belle!"

Sweetie's pout instantly turned to a grin. "Really?! Then I'll get Rarity to come too! Rarity loves camping!"

"Awesome!" Scootaloo cheered, hopping in place.

Applebloom then raised a hoof to get her attention. "Um, one thing. What if Flash decides he wants to come? He'll likely want to spend tons of time with you too, won't he?"

Scootaloo frowned at this. That was true, which made her think about how she could get around him not coming without hurting his feelings. With that, the three left the clubhouse to make plans with their siblings.

A little later...

"Sorry sis, can't make it." Flash replied in a deadpan tone as he half-ate a carrot.

"Really?!" Scootaloo let out in a slight joyful tone, but she tried to make it sound like surprise, "Errr...why?"

They were in the kitchen of the Golden Oaks Library with Flash, he and the rest of its occupants having something to eat before the defender and Springer headed out for their evening patrol. Twilight had just placed a plate of food in front of them, the males soon beginning to scarf it down. With Flash's mouth now occupied, Twilight sat down and explained for him. "Iron's been called out of town by his mentor, so Flash is on cover duty."

Flash nodded as he finally swallowed. "Yeah. Sorry sis, but I have to do my job." Flash then got up and took his plate to kitchen without a second thought.

Scootaloo blinked at the sight, turning to Twilight. "That's alright," she said while trying to mask her relief. "Work's important. Any of you wanna come?" She wasn't that worried about them coming, as she had a feeling they would probably be stuck doing something else.

Twilight shook her head. "Sorry, but Princess Celestia just sent me a bunch of reading material. It's gonna take the whole weekend to get through them...though she's been giving me a lot of stuff to read recently."

Scootaloo turned to Spike. "That'll leaves your weekend open, right?"

The drake also shook his head. "Sorry, but Mac and I already made plans. It's guys night." Everyone smirked at hearing this, knowing what the little dragon meant by guy's night.

Scootaloo turned to Springer, the little jakhowl frowning. "I wish I could come, but Flash'll probably need me this weekend."

"No." Flash immediately said as he reentered the room. He gave his partner a small pat on the head. "You've done enough covering for me as well. Go have fun."

"But-"

"Go Springer. I'll be fine." Flash flatly replied, turning around and began heading to his room. The others blinked at the sight, surprised at how lifeless Flash's responses were.

"Is...is he okay?" Scootaloo asked while pointing to her leaving brother. "He's been...really distant lately. I mean, he still acts like the nice defender of the town, but lately, he's been a bit more...serious. Well, except for his birthday a few days ago."

Twilight let out a long huff, "I don't know. He gets like this every now and then. Granted, I haven't seen him like this since we lived in Canterlot...though it made sense back then."

"What do you mean?"

Twilight dragged her hoof over her face as she replied, "Let's just say...it was back in the days with Lightning Blitz. I'll just leave it at that."

"Ah." Scootaloo remarked before looking at the door to Flash's room. "So...what's wrong with him now? And why was he totally different back on his birthday?"

"He's always happy on his birthday." Twilight said with a slight giggle, "I've never seen a birthday where he isn't, and I've been to all of his birthday parties." Twilight got up and patted the orange's filly head. "Don't worry about it. He'll be fine."

"But-"

Twilight gave her a wink, "Trust me, it'll be fine." The unicorn mare then walked over and patted Springer on the back, "And he'll be joining you on the camping trip."

"I will?" Springer squeaked out, surprised that Twilight wasn't asking help over Flash.

Twilight nodded. "Yes. And this time, you should be able to go on a camping trip that doesn't end with you jumping off a cliff in the middle of a snowstorm."

Springer shined a grin before turning to Scootaloo with a nod. "Great! Alright, I'm in."

"Yay!" Scootaloo cheered before beginning to eat her meal. Looks like her weekend with Rainbow Dash was gonna be exactly how she wanted it.

Friday evening...

Scootaloo, Applebloom and Springer were now walking down the path towards on the far side of Sweet Apple Acres. The trio were each wearing the saddlebags, or backpack in Springer's case, which were jam packed full of the thing's they would need on the trip. (That and a series of comics that Springer had secretly stashed away from Flash, just in case he got bored on the camping trip) With all of this in mind, they arrived at where Applejack had told them to meet, with the earth pony mare standing there with her own saddlebag.

"You packed bug spray?" Applejack asked once they reached her.

"Yup!" Applebloom replied while somehow shooting the item in question out before it fell back into the bag. "You got the canteen?"

"Yup!" Applejack replied, mimicking what Applebloom had done before turning away. "Looks like we're all set then."

"Almost anyway," Springer said as he pointed at the path they just took. The rest turned to see what he meant, only to all sigh at the sight he was pointing at. Strolling up the path was what could only be described as a small mountain made out of suitcases, all towering on top of a cart. Standing in front of the cart was Rarity, dressed in a pink summer dress along with a yellow head scarf that had her cutie mark printed on it. Yellow pumps adored her hooves and pink sunglasses covered her eyes.

Rarity spotted them and smiled with a wave. "Hey everypony!" she began speed up her trot, revealing a previously blocked from view Sweetie Belle. It turned out, Sweetie was the one dragging the overloaded cart, working up quite a sweat as she did so.

Applejack stared up at the suitcase monstrosity and raised an eyebrow at the mare, "Gee Rarity, did you remember to pack?"

Rarity turned back to Applejack while magicking her shades over her horn. "Oh, well, let's see who gets the last laugh when you're absolutely desperate to curl your lashes, and you realise you didn't bring your eyelash curler." She put her glasses back over her eyes eyes before walking off, leaving a highly flummoxed Applejack.

Springer chuckled at the sight before leaning over to Sweetie. "Just say the word and I'll take over for you."

Sweetie smiled at the jakhowl. "Thanks."

Applejack then clapped her hooves. "Alright everypony, looks like we're all set now."

Scootaloo, who had been staring at the skies for any sign of the rainbow maned pegasus, turned to her in worry. "But what about Rainbow Dash? Isn't Rainbow Dash coming?"

"Course she is sugarcube," Applejack assured her with a pat on the head. "She's gonna meet us up at our first campsite."

"Oh...."

Applejack nodded before setting off, leading the pack. "Alright y'all, let's move 'em out!"

With that, the group of six began their trek through the woods. Springer and the younger ponies enjoyed the sights of nature, occasionally seeing the distant sight of Ponyville through the trees while Applejack stayed at the front to make sure they didn't get lost. The only one appearing to not have any fun was Rarity, who would ask the same question every five minutes.

"Oh, are we there yet?"

Applejack turned to give her an annoyed look. "The last thousand times you asked that, the answer was no." She then smirked. "But this time, its actually yes." She pointed to a clearing with a stream to the right, along with a blue blur zipping around the trees. "There's Rainbow Dash up there right now."

Everypony watched as Rainbow shot towards a line of trees, kicking them while somehow cutting the middle of their trunks so they flew right out, falling onto their stumps. She took the pieces she kicked out and flew them towards them, placing them on the ground to be used as seats. Everypony then watched as she shot into the lake, emerging a second later with wet rocks that she placed on the ground to be a fire break. In ten seconds flat, she had created their campsite.

"Wow..." Scootaloo gasped in amazement, only to look away as she put a on serious face. "Alright Scootaloo, just play it cool." She turned back to the pegasus and did a slight gulp. "Hey Rai–" She didn't get to say anything else, as in that moment, she tripped over one of the chairs and went rolling towards the lake. The orange ball then rolled right over the bank and hit curved tree before flying up and crashing into the ground with a thud.

Springer chuckled at the sight. "I'd give that landing an eight point five."

Scootaloo rubbed her head, fighting back the tears of pain as she got back up, her mind repeatedly telling her to 'keep cool'. "Hey Rainbow Dash...What's up?"

Rainbow, obviously seeing she was holding back from crying out in pain, just shrugged before turning to the others. "What took you guys so long?"

Applejack, after putting her pack on the ground, turned to Rarity. "Well, some of us didn't pack as light as the others, so we were slowed down a bit."

Rainbow saw the packs Sweetie was pulling and let out a snort. "No kidding. Did you bring your whole store with you Rarity?"

Rarity's eyes narrowed at the stunt pony, "Oh shut up and get the camp set up already."

With that, the group began to set up camp, everypony getting out their tents and starting to set them up. The only one who didn't bring a tent was Springer, who had instead brought a hammock so he could sleep under the stars. Flash had taught him how to set one up before Iron had started patrolling town, as it was sometimes used as a napping spot before patrols. (Iron didn't approve of the hammock, so Flash and Springer had to stash it back home)

"Need any help?" Scootaloo asked Rainbow as she watched the mare spread out all the pieces that she would need.

Rainbow shook her head. "No thanks. I've got it covered." With that, she started spinning around the equipment, a mini-tornado forming. After a few seconds, she stopped, only for the tornado to fade and reveal a fully built tent.

"Awesome..."

Rainbow smirked, obviously enjoying the praise. "I know, right?"

Springer was the next one to finish his sleeping arrangements, finally finding to trees strong and close enough to hold him hammock. Applejack and Applebloom soon fished their tent, while Rainbow sat next to Scootaloo.

"Looks like you'll be sharing a tent with me, huh?"

Once again, Scootaloo had to mask her excitement. "Heh...yeah. If that's okay with you and everything."

Rainbow smirked and ruffled her mane. "Sure. Long as you don't snore." She turned to give her a look. "You don't snore, do you?"

"Nope!" Scootaloo replied while shaking her head rapidly, "No way. Not me. Never snored a day or haha, night in my life."

In that moment, Springer walked by to grab his backpack while mumbling under his breath. "No, she just talks in her sleep." Scootaloo instantly panicked, but fortunately, it seemed like Rainbow didn't hear him.

"Then you and I are gonna get along just fine," she said to the filly, a big grin on her face.

Scootaloo sighed in relief, only to then give Springer the stink eye. The jakhowl was now eating a candy bar, (Sugar-free, of course) and saw Scootaloo's glare. "What?" He asked with his mouth full.

Before Scootaloo could answer, a loud popping sound caught everypony's attention. They all looked towards the source, seeing it was actually Rarity's tent. Said tent seemed to be an inflated from out of a box, growing until it was the size of a small house with two stories.

"You have got to be kidding me..." Rainbow grumbled, resisting the urge to facehoof.

"Rarity does understand the concept of roughing it, right?" Springer asked as he turned to the others in disbelief.

"Ah doubt it," Applejack added before pulling out a canteen of water.

In that moment, Rarity stepped out onto the second story balcony. "Sweetie Belle, do be a dear and see if you can find some fresh flowers for my bedside vase." She held out a vase and dropped it, the vase bouncing off the opening of the tent before landing on Sweetie's back.

As they watched the filly step into the woods, Rainbow turned to Scootaloo. "Hey Scootaloo," the way she was talking made it obvious she was trying to mimic Rarity. "Do be a sweetheart and see if you can gather some firewood."

Scootaloo, Springer and Applebloom all laughed at the sight, only for Rainbow to return to her normal way of speaking. "Seriously though, can you get us some wood for the fire?"

"Of course," Scootaloo saluted before shooting off into the woods.

One hour later...

The camp was now fully setup, everypony now enjoying themselves. Rarity was sitting on a large sofa, while Springer and the younger ponies were sitting on the logs as the jakhowl tried to open a bag of marshmallows. Applejack was working to light the sticks that Scootaloo had found, using a bow drill to do so.

After a another minutes of lifeless sparks, Applebloom looked up to the jakhowl still fiddling with the marshmallows. "Hey Springer, can't we just use your Aura Blast to light this?"

Springer looked up from his work to stare at her, giving her a bizarre look. "My Aura Blasts don't make things catch fire,"

"They don't? Why not?"

The jakhowl gave her a look of pure deadpan. "They're balls of concentrated aura. Aura, does not set things on fire."

"Oh..." Applebloom said, blinking. "Ah don't get it."

Springer rolled his eyes at the young pony's naivety, so Applejack hopped down and started the fire for the fillies. She then returned to her seat as Rainbow flew around the fire. "Okay everypony, get comfortable," she told them with a huge, mischievous grin. At this moment, Sweetie exited her tent while carrying a cup of tea for Rarity. "Cause I'm about to tell you the best story you've ever heard."

"Ooooohhhh..." Scootaloo gasped as she leapt off the log, "is it about the time when Rarity had wings, and then they got ruined and you saved her from plummeting to her doom?"

Springer laughed at this as Rarity blushed and Rainbow smirked. "Okay, maybe it's the second best story you've ever heard. But probably still the scariest." She slowly flew over the three fillies, trying her best to sound and act intimidating. "You like scary stories, right?"

Applebloom and Sweetie both showed they were a little scared, but Scootaloo looked completely fine. Emphasis on the word looked, as an obvious chill went down her spine.

"Mm-hmm," she replied with a slow nod, Springer blinking at her as his aura told him that she was lying.

Rainbow shined a creepy grin as she started flying above the fire, the light of the flames illuminating her. "It all happened on a night just like this one, in a forest, just like this."

Springer smirked as he put a marshmallow on a stick over the fire, "That's oddly convenient."

"You wanna tell the story furball?!" Rainbow barked back, glaring at the jakhowl.

Springer waved his paw at her before gulping down the marshmallow. "Sorry. Please continue your convenient scary story."

Rainbow rolled her eyes as she started her story. Springer had to admit it was a pretty gripping story, especially with how she changed her voice to match the character or sound she wanted to make. If Springer had not already fought monsters and dangerous criminals, he might have actually been scared. He then looked over and saw all three members of the Cutie Mark Crusaders were shaking in fear.

Then, the story was reached it terrifying climax, Rainbow now flying just over all three fillies. "And then, The Olden Pony asked-" She started mimicking an older pony, which reminded Springer of Granny Smith. "Who's got my rusty horseshoe?"

This made the Crusader's shaking to intensify as they huddled together. "Not me..." Sweetie squeaked.

"YOU DO!" Rainbow cried as she vanished, only to appear behind the trio. Applebloom and Sweetie Belle immediately screamed, rushing over to their big sisters for comfort. Rainbow laughed at the sight while Scootaloo tried to once again act like she was not afraid.

She coughed to try and mask the scream. "Something in my throat. I wasn't scared at all, heh heh...good story."

Rainbow smirked as she ruffled her mane again. "Knew you wouldn't be scared." She flew around the camp before landing on top of Rarity's tent. "The way you jumped that cart the other day, you're like me...fearless. Guess it must run in the family."

"Yeah...of course." Scootaloo squeaked as she leaned back on a log, only to lose her balance and fell backwards. She quickly recovered and looked back up at Rainbow. "Element of Courage's little sister here, can't let anything scare me." In that moment she heard an owl's hooting, making her flinch. Springer rolled his eyes at this, still not understanding why Scootaloo was lying since he could sense she was scared.

"Don't worry," Rarity told Sweetie as she pulled her closer to her. "Rarity's here to keep you safe and sound."

In that moment, Applejack let out a long yawn. "Think its about time for me to hit the straw." She turned around, revealing a shaking Applebloom clinging to her side. Applejack turned to her scared sister and gave her a reassuring smile. "Don't you worry, little sis. There's no Olden Pony in our tent."

As Rarity, Sweetie, Applebloom and Applejack entered their tents, Scootaloo was still a little shaken up over the story. Again, she tried to hide it. "Ha, that sure was funny, wasn't it? Heh heh...how they were all afraid of The Olden Pony? Heh, but not me, ha!"

"That's because you're tough kiddo," Rainbow said as she picked up a bucket and filled it in the stream. "Just like I was when I was your age." Scootaloo smiled at her compliment, but that smile quickly vanished as Rainbow emptied the bucket onto the fire to put it out. Scootaloo let out a shocked cry as she was enveloped by the darkness.

"I'm hitting the sack," the blue pegasus told her with a long yawn. "Come in whenever you feel like it." With that, she stepped into the tent, leaving Springer and Scootaloo alone.

"So," Springer asked as he jumped up onto his hammock and got comfortable, "wanna tell me what that was all about?"

"I don't know what you mean." Scootaloo lied, her whole body shaking like a leaf.

Springer rolled his eyes as he leaned over on the hammock. "You're afraid Scootaloo, I can sense it. But you keep acting like you're not. Why?"

"Afraid?" Scootaloo sounded offended, shaking her head as she replied, "I'm not afraid of anything! My brother's the Element of Courage!" She puffed up her chest. "I don't get scared."

"You do realize I can tell if you're lying, right?" Springer deadpanned before closing his eyes, reopening them as they shined blue with aura. "My aura can tell Scootaloo."

"Oh yeah? Well I say you're wrong!" Scootaloo barked back, puffing her chest again. "I'm not scared and I'm not lying! I'm going to bed."

"Ooookay." Springer replied, turning off the aura in his eyes as he laid back in the hammock. "But you shouldn't lie like that."

"I'm not lying. I'm the sister of the Element of Courage! I'm not scared!"

Springer turned over as he closed his eyes again. "You obviously don't understand what courage is."

"What was that?!"

"Never mind. Sorry I said that." Springer replied as raised his paw up and waved weakly. "Night Scootaloo."

"Err...night. Sorry I yelled at you."

"Its cool."

"Thanks..." Scootaloo stepped into the tent, soon seeing that Rainbow was already asleep. Scootaloo got into her sleeping bag and tried to get to sleep, but as she did, she couldn't stop hearing the sounds coming from outside. "It's nothing." She whispered to herself. "And even if it is, I'm not scared." With that, she shut her eyes and forced herself to sleep.

One hour later...

Springer was sleeping soundly that night, the wind gently rocking his hammock. He was having a dream involving marshmallows, which was mainly because he couldn't stop thinking about how good they were over the earlier fire. His mouth opened up, drool starting to form in his mouth. "Mmmm...so tasty. Its-" His ears suddenly sparked up, a negative aura filling his body. "What the heck?!" He cried as he jolted up, the aura coming in much clearer. It was fear.

He leapt out of his hammock and followed the fear, arriving outside Rainbow and Scootaloo's tent. It was then that he heard the sound of somepony moaning.

"No...get away." said a voice inside the tent. Springer stepped inside, soon seeing Scootaloo rocking back and forth in a cold sweat.

Springer leaned down and started shaking the filly. "Scoots! Scootaloo, wake up."

"NO!" Scootaloo cried, shooting up to a sitting position and making Springer stagger backwards before landing on his butt.

"Ow," he said while rubbing his behind before looking at her. "Are you okay? I sensed a giant amount of fear and heard you moaning."

Scootaloo wanted to reply, only to turn her head and see a still sleeping Rainbow. She looked back at Springer, a determined look on her face. "I'm fine, don't worry about it." She laid back down and tried to cover herself back up. "Go back to bed Springer."

The jakhowl tried to respond, only to let out a sigh. He turned around and began to leave the tent, "There's nothing wrong with feeling scared, you know. It shows you're alive." With that, he exited the tent, leaving a still scared Scootaloo alone with her thoughts.

"I'm not scared." she told herself, remembering what Rainbow had said her earlier. "I'm...fearless." But once again, the sounds coming from the surrounding woods entered her head and made her heart race.

The Next Morning...

As Springer finished untying his hammock and folding it back into his backpack, he looked over at Rainbow and Scootaloo's tent. He watched as Rainbow left, followed by Scootaloo. The filly had blood shot eyes, easily showing that she didn't sleep a wink last night. Springer sighed at the sight, knowing that even if he said something, Scootaloo would deny it. With that, the group were all packed up and continuing their trek to Winsome Falls.

Scootaloo, who had been helping Rarity and Sweetie repack their cart, had fallen asleep with nopony but Springer noticing. The jakhowl chose not to mention this, as he thought she needed to rest. As such, he agreed to help Sweetie pull it. Unfortunately, today was the day that Rarity had decided that walking was too much stress for her. As such, she chose to sit on her sofa while Springer and Sweetie pushed it up the hill.

"I figured...I was gonna...get to relax.......on this trip," Springer moaned as he and Sweetie both pushed and pulled. "This is...more work than...Flash usually has me doing."

As Rarity relaxed on her sofa, drops of water plopped onto her head. She got up, horror on her face. "Am I sweating?! I think I'm sweating!" She looked around and saw that it was Sweetie and Springer who were the ones sweating, said sweat landing on her head. "Oh. Uh...but it's absolutely worth it to get to spend time with my little sister." She patted the younger unicorn's head before looking back at her cart. "It's just that this cart feels like its getting heavier all the time!"

"We could leave it behind if you wanted," Springer said dryly, getting a horrified look from Rarity.

"Are you insane?! We can't just leave all this stuff behind! I mean, how would we survive without it?"

"The same way ponies survived before they invented to mane dryer and eyelash curler," Springer replied sarcastically.

Rarity rolled her eyes. "Well! We'll just have to bare the weight."

"What's this we?" Springer moaned as he gave her the stink eye.

Before Rarity could reply, Applejack called back to them. "If ya'll done jibber jabbin, ya'll wanna get your rears in gear?! If we don't get a move on, it'll be dark before we get to the campsite!"

"DARK?!" They heard Scootaloo cry out from behind the cart. A second later, the little filly scooted past them all. "I'll just ride ahead and make sure the path is clear!" She passed by Rainbow. "We don't wanna be out here after dark, right?

Rainbow shrugged her shoulders. "Doesn't bother me."

Once again trying to act cool, Scootaloo whispered to her. "Well y'know," she pointed to Applebloom and Sweetie Belle. "It's for the scaredy-ponies, heh heh."

Rainbow fell for it and nodded, with Scootaloo zipping into the bushes and out of sight. Springer let out another moan from pushing Rarity's stuff before asking Rainbow, "You sure letting her go off on her own's a good idea?"

"Why?" Rainbow asked with an oblivious look.

"Well...you know. Large forest, lots of animals...could be dangerous?"

Applejack smiled at his concern. "As long as she sticks to the path, she'll be fine."

Springer gave them a coy frown. "Fine, you be the ones to tell Flash that his sister got hurt because you let her out of your sight. I can't wait to see that conversation."

He watched as the three older mares imagined what would happen if they told the guy who had beaten a Scorpentine and stood his ground against several powerful enemies, that his little sister had gotten hurt on their watch. Now Rarity, along with Rainbow and Applejack, were sweating as the three soon starting rushing up the path.

"Scootaloo darling!"

"Make sure you stay in sight sugarcube!"

"Get back here!"

Springer and the girls laughed at this, making sure they kept up with the three. Or at least as much as they could do, especially since Rarity's luggage was almost too much for both Springer and Sweetie Belle. After a few minutes, they didn't find Scootaloo immediately, making the older ponies grow nervous until they heard the sound of something loud in a nearby bush off the path. Walking over to the sound, they saw Scootaloo asleep on a bush.

The filly suddenly woke up, looking startled as she glanced round at them. "Um...don't come this way!" She leapt up onto the path. "Take the path! It's, heh, way better than going through the bushes."

Applejack gave her a deadpan look. "Yeah, we already knew that. That's why we're using it."

"Right...sorry." Scootaloo squeaked as she hopped back onto her scooter. "I'll just uh....stay with the group for now."

A few minutes later, Scootaloo found herself in the back of the pack with Applejack. The farmer could tell something was going on with Scootaloo, considering how tired she looked. In that moment, Applejack accidently stepped on a twig, snapping sound instantly making Scootaloo's ears stand straight up.

"AHH!" She cried as she leapt up so high that she actually ended up grabbing a cloud. The cloud was not strong enough to hold her weight, causing it to break. She then hit the ground with a thud, creating a hole in the dirt.

Applejack looked inside the hole. "You're more nervous than a worm in an apple on cider making day. What gives, Scootaloo?"

"Nothing!" Scootaloo barked back as her head shot out of the hole. "Just thought I heard something! I'm okay!"

"Hoo!"

That was the sound of an owl, causing her to cry out again, her scooter quickly ripping up a trench through the ground. Applejack moved over to her as the scooter stopped and the filly started to wobble back and forth. "You sure you're okay sugarcube? You seem a little...jumpy."

Scootaloo let out a nervous chuckle as she gripped her scooter. "Just getting my exercise! You know how important it is to stretch out those hindquarters every so often."

"But yer on yer scooter."

Sweat began to pour down her face. "Um....I'm gonna help Springer and Sweetie!" She bolted over to them, quickly hopping off her scooter as she squeaked out to the two. "Uh....need some help?"

Sweetie just nodded while Springer gave her a deadpan stare before saying, "Sure. Just stay awake, okay?"

"Okay!" she squeaked, her hooves now pushing the cart. "I'll help because that's what friends are for!"

Springer just shook his head at this, but going anyways. Unfortunately, thanks to a few more delays, mainly caused by Rarity, the group didn't arrive at their location until the sun and moon had swapped places. Seeing this, Applejack then announced, "No need for tents tonight, y'all. We'll just take shelter in that cave up ahead."

Those words almost gave Scootaloo a heart attack, causing her eyes to go wide. She looked past the group and saw that she had not misheard the farmer. Applejack was pointing to a large cave that was so dark that she couldn't see the back.

"Alright!" Rainbow cheered as she flew to the cave mouth. "A deep, dark cave! Perfect for the story I've got for tonight." She flew down to Scootaloo. "All we need is a campfire, and we're good to go."

Once again, Scootaloo began to panic at the thought of going into the deep dark woods alone. Any rational pony would tell her no, but seeing Rainbow's expecting face made her gulp. "Uh, of course," she turned and headed towards the woods. "I'll be right back with lots of firewood from the deep...dark...not-scary-at-all forest!"

"Thanks," Rainbow said as she watched the filly go.

Springer, once again sensing the fear in her, followed after her while calling back to the others. "I'll keep an eye on her."

The two soon began their trek into the woods. But as they did, Scootaloo's imagination was already playing tricks on her. Her eyes widened as she saw a valley of glowing eyes around her, shadows covering the around her. That is, till a certain jakhowl tapped her shoulder, causing her to turn around. "Springer?"

"Want me to do it?" Springer asked, concern all over his face.

Scootaloo frowned at him. "Oh, now you want to help. What, you think I can't do it?"

"I know you can do it," Springer replied as he crossed his paws. "But I want you to know if you can do it. You're scared Scootaloo, and you need-"

Scootaloo frowned at this, wanting to show she was fearless. "I can do it! I can get all the wood we need!" She then began to hop around, tearing off little branches from the trees. A few minutes later, she had a small mess of twigs, barely enough for a fire.

"Seriously?" Springer asked dryly. "Scootaloo, that's not-"

Scootaloo glared at him before turning to the branches. "Its enough! I'm going back!"

With that, she took them back to the cave, her whole body shaking in pure fear. As she got closer she could hear Applejack complaining, "Bbbbrrr! Hoo-wee! It's colder than a timberwolf's toenail. Where are those two already?"

Scootaloo then entered the cave and dumped the sticks in the fire pit, her whole body shaking like a leaf. The sight made Rainbow raise an eyebrow, "That's it?"

Scootaloo was about to make an excuse, only for her ears to hear a new sound behind her. It was Springer, who was carrying a giant load of timber. "Here's the rest of it."

"Oh! That's more like it Springer!" Rainbow cheered, quickly taking some of the wood off of the jakhowl. "Now we can get a real fire going. Help me out Applejack."

As Applejack and Rainbow started the fire, Scootaloo pulled Springer off to the side. "How'd you-"

"Used an Aura Blast to break some branches off the trees, then used my Steel Paw to cut them up."

"Oh."

They moved over to Rainbow and sat down next to her, as the mare began to speak. "Now where was I? Oh yeah, the scary part." She let out a comically evil laugh, causing Springer, Applebloom and Rarity to smile.

"Hey," Scootaloo interrupted, "I have an idea. How about I tell tonight's story?" She gave Rainbow a pleading look, making the mare sigh.

"Alright, just make sure it's a horrible one."

Scootaloo nodded as Rarity and Applejack pulled their sisters closer. She began to story. "There once was a really really nice pony who lived in a bright and sunny land, where there are rainbows every day, and lots and lots of happy friends, and–" She did not get to continue, as Rainbow placed her hoof over her mouth.

"No offence, but it's not a real campfire story unless somepony's shaking." She jumped off the log and got next to the fire, the flames illuminating her as she began her story. "I've been told that these very woods are haunted." Springer looked over at Scootaloo and saw her gulp as Rainbow continued. "By the headless horse." All the young ponies were suddenly very scared, two of the three retreating more into their sister's hug. "It gallops only at night-"

Applejack chose this moment to interrupt. "If it doesn't have a head, then how in tarnation does this pony know where it's goin'?

Rainbow frowned at her. "It's headless, not brainless." She disappeared before her head slowly emerged from behind the Apple's log. "looking for little lost ponies–"

"So where's it's brain?"

Rainbow once again glared at Applejack, groaning as she jumped out from behind the log and leapt onto a large rock. There, she continued her story while Applejack wisely keeping her mouth shut and again, Springer felt like if he had not already faced worse, he would have been scared.

Finally, Rainbow's story grew close to its end. "And they were never heard from, ever again."

Sweetie and Applebloom shook in fear as Sweetie asked. "Never?"

Rainbow shook her head. "Never."

In that moment, the fire crackled, scaring the two fillies as they started crying out...only to start laughing. Springer also laughed at the story, only to then turn to see Scootaloo behind the log he was sitting on, still shaking like a leaf. "You okay?"

"I'm fine," she lied.

Rarity patted her sister's head. "Don't worry. You'll be safe with me tonight."

Hearing those words made Scootaloo realise something horrible, causing her to leap out from behind the log. "It's not time for bed yet, is it?"

"Fraid so Scootaloo," Applejack told her.

"But...we haven't even sung any campfire songs yet."

Sweetie was suddenly right next to her. "You don't have to ask me twice." She hopped onto the rock, knocking Rainbow off as she took a deep breath and-

"NINETY NINE BUCKETS OF OATS ON THE WALL, NINETY NINE BUCKETS OF OATS!"

"Augh!" Springer cried as he tried to block his ears from the horribly out of tune song. "What is that?!"

"Be nice," Rarity told him.

For the next half hour, the group was bombarded by Sweetie's off key singing. The only one who seemed to not be in pain from the sound was Scootaloo, who bobbed her head to the song the whole time. Eventually, thank Celestia, Sweetie hit the end of the song.

"TAKE ONE DOWN, PASS IT AROUND, YOU'VE GOT ZERO BUCKETS OF OATS ON THE WALLLLLLLLLL!" As soon as she finished singing, she was instantly asleep on the rock. Rarity's magic lifted her sister up into the cave, as she and the rest of the group headed inside and said their good nights.

"How about just one more song?" Scootaloo asked them, but got no reply. "Anyone?"

"Mind if I sleep in your tent?" Springer asked Rarity. "There's nowhere to hang my hammock in this cave."

"Of course darling," Rarity replied as she, her sister and the jakhowl went in.

"How about a dance contest?" Scootaloo asked as she rushed over to Rainbow. "I know you love to cut a rug, so how 'bout we mess up a cave floor?" She did not even wait for the answer before starting to talk again. "I have a brilliant idea! Hide and seek! Who's with me?" She turned to Applebloom, who yawned in response.

"Maybe tomorrow." That was all the filly said before face planting into her sleeping bag, instantly falling asleep.

Scootaloo moaned in disappointment, which did not go unnoticed. "Seems like you don't really wanna go to sleep tonight," Applejack commented as she rubbed her eyes. "Is there some reason why?"

"Pfft!" was Scootaloo's response. "Of course not! I just love camping and hanging out with Rainbow Dash so much that I don't wanna waste a single minute with sleep!" She let out a loud yawn, then laughed. "Silly sleep..."

Rainbow, who was putting earplugs in her ears, turned to her. "That's cool and all Scoots, but this pony needs her shut-eye and she needs it now!" With that, she turned over and went to sleep, Applejack doing the same.

Scootaloo now saw that she was the only pony awake, making her let out a long moan. "This is so unfair," she once again yawned as she slowly felt her eyelids grow heavy. "I'm falling asleep..." She shut her eyes once, twice, and on the third time, they stayed closed. When Scootaloo's eyes opened again, she found that she was no longer in the cave. Instead, she was walking through a much creeper version of the forest, with the ground now a haunting red and the trees a nightmarish black. Even her hoofsteps sounded spooky, causing her to stop walking.

However, the spooky footsteps kept up, making her look down at her hooves in confusion. It was then that the hoofsteps got louder and louder, as if whatever was making them was getting closer. Scootaloo's whole body shivered, making her restart her trot. But as she did, the hoofsteps got faster, causing her to pick up the pace until she was running. But no matter how fast she moved, the hoofsteps just got louder and louder.

Scootaloo was straight up panicking now, her breath growing hard. "If The Headless Horse catches me, I'm never gonna be heard from again! AND I WANNA BE HEARD FROM! AAAAHHHHH!!!" She was in such a state that she didn't notice the large drop-off she eventually ran off, causing her to go rolling down the hill like a ball. "AAAAHHHH!!! SOMEPONY HELP ME!!!"

She moaned as she hit the ground. Here, she slowly looked back up at the hill, only for her eyes to widen. There on the top, bathed in shadows, was a single horse with no head. Scootaloo's panic began to increase as she tried to crawl away, her body to scared to do anything else as the headless horse leapt down towards her. Eventually, she felt her back touch something, preventing her from moving any further away.

Capable of doing nothing else, Scootaloo shut her eyes and let out a single scared cry. "IT'S ALL OVER!"

"A warm welcome to you, Scootaloo."

Scootaloo's eyes shot open at the sound of the gentle, familiar voice. She looked over at the headless horse, only to see a bright light hit it from behind and destroy it. Standing behind where it had been was a pony, with wings and a horn. Scootaloo only knew of three ponies it could be and just as she had expected, the pony stepped into the light and revealed themselves.

"Princess Luna?" Scootaloo slowly walked over to the black alicorn. "But I...I thought you were...I thought you were the headless horse."

Luna smiled down at the filly, a smile that seemingly made her fears disappear. "You were mistaken, but I hope not disappointed."

Scootaloo nodded rapidly. "You are so, so much better than The Headless Horse. But what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in Canterlot?"

"I am the princess of the night," Luna replied as she put her hoof to her chest. "Thus, it is my duty to come into your dreams. I would have thought your brother would have told you this, considering his own experiences with my powers."

"Oh yeah...I remember him telling me that." Scootaloo said as she scratched her chin, only for another thought to pop into her head. "Wait...does that mean this is just a dream? But it feels so real." She reached out her hoof, only to feel the wind.

Luna nodded, chuckling at her response. "I assure you, you are asleep. But when you awake, the thing that frightens you most will still exist."

Scootaloo looked down, embarrassment all over her face. "I'm...I'm not scared of anything. I'm fearless."

Luna gave her a knowing look. "So your actions just now were what then?"

Scootaloo couldn't deny it, considering Luna had seen everything. "Okay! Okay...I was scared. I'm a wimp." She lamented, staring at the ground. It was then that she felt a hoof on her shoulder, making her look up at Luna.

The Princess of the Night gave her a reassuring look. "Do not be ashamed that you felt fear Scootaloo. It is only natural."

"But my brother's the Element of Courage," Scootaloo replied, her lip quivering. "How can I feel fear when he doesn't?"

Luna chuckled at the question. "Let me ask you, have you ever known Applebloom to lie?"

Scootaloo thought for a moment, rubbing her chin before nodding. "Yeah....I think I've seen her lie."

"And has Sweetie Belle ever acted greedy?"

"Sometimes."

Luna nodded as she stepped away. "Just because you share blood with a pony, does not mean that the two of you are the same. Besides, what makes you think your brother is fearless?"

Scootaloo gave her an odd look. "Element of Courage. Kind of obvious."

"Except courage is not having no fear," Luna told her as she put her hoof on Scootaloo's shoulder again. "Tell me, if you were ever in danger, how do you think Flash would feel?"

This made Scootaloo really think, trying to gauge how Flash would react if he saw her in danger. It was then she realized that he would be scared if he could not save her in time, making her realise what Luna was getting at. The alicorn nodded as she saw the realisation in her eyes. "Courage is not the absence of fear, but acting in spite of that fear. Fear is nothing to be ashamed of, for it helps us gauge danger and risk. Anypony who tells you that they have no fear, is either lying or too stupid to realise why they should be scared."

Scootaloo laughed at that, only to frown again. "Now Rainbow will never want to take me under her wing. She'll only want to have somepony just like her. She...doesn't want a wimp like me."

Luna gave her a reassuring smile. "You and Miss Dash are more alike than you think. You are both very loyal, caring and more than anything...share the same fear."

Scootaloo looked up at her in shock. "Rainbow's scared of something?"

Luna nodded again. "Remember what I said about ponies who say they have no fear?" Scootaloo nodded in response, still surprised at this. "You both share the fear of failure. You fear failing her, while she fears failing everypony around her. Hopefully, this is a fear you two can work together to both overcome."

"Do I have to?"

Luna nodded a final time. "You must face your fears, or they will only grow and the nightmares will continue."

In that moment, a strong breeze picked up and began to push Luna away. Scootaloo was waking up. And as the princess was blown further away, she called out to Scootaloo. "Face your fears!"

"Princess Luna!" Scootaloo cried as she sat up with a jolt. She looked around and saw she was back in the cave, making her sigh in relief. "It was just a dream." But before she could relax, she suddenly remembered her dream and where she was. "But the headless horse isn't," she got up and looked around as she rushed out of the cave. "Rainbow Dash said it lives here, in these very woods!" Before she could even try and calm herself down, a loud whining sound began to echo through the cave. "It's the wicked whinny of The Headless Horse!"

Flight response in full effect, Scootaloo grabbed her scooter, put her helmet on and began to beat her wings to make her zip out of the cave. She quickly rode into the woods, completely forgetting her previous fear of the place. "So..." she said to herself, "it's a horse without a head...which means it doesn't have a mouth...and if it doesn't have a mouth, then... it's not a horse-eat-pony kind of horse...but still...it's a horse, WITHOUT A HEAD!"

Much like in her dream, she was so focused on getting away from what was behind her, that she was not focusing on what was in front of her. As such, she was not prepared for the large rock she drove over, causing her to lose control of her scooter. "Whoa!" She cried as she tried to regain control, only to run into a bush and be thrown off. She rolled along the ground, unable to stop as she found herself heading towards a cliff. Said cliff was actually a raging river, which she would soon be swimming in if she didn't stop herself.

She soon hi it the edge, rolling over it but managing to grab onto a cliff hanging tree. Using all her strength to stop from falling in, she looked down at the raging waters bellow before looking back up. "Hello?! Anypony out there?!" She once again shivered. "Anypony except The Headless Horse." But the headless horse was the least of her worries, as her weight combined with its own was too much for the branch to handle. Bit by bit, it slowly creaked until finally-

SNAP!

"AAAHHHHH!" She fell, landing in the stream with a great splash. Before she knew it, she was being dragging down by the raging water, only to see a waterfall in the distance. And with one final cry, she went over the falls.

Second passed, but no splash of a body hitting the water bellow. Instead, a blue streak shot up into the sky.

"I gotcha!" Rainbow cried as she flew up and away from the falls, Scootaloo in her hooves.

The little filly looked up at her and smiled, quickly hugging her. "Rainbow Dash! Is that you?! Thank you, thank you! Thank you so much!"

Rainbow flew her down to the edge of the river and put her down, a look of anger and worry on her face. "What were you doing out here in the middle of the night!? Do you have any idea what Flash would have done to me if he found out that I let this happen?!"

Scootaloo's eyes filled with tears, threatening to break free as she tried to hide them from her idol. But in that moment, she remembered her talk with Luna, about facing her fears. She slowly turned back to Rainbow, who was still waiting for an answer.

In one deep breath, she started. "I'm so, so sorry, Rainbow Dash! I just wanted you to hang out with me and see how cool I was so you'd take me under your wing, teach me everything you know, and become like my big sister!" To say Rainbow was shock at this was an understatement as Scootaloo continued. "But then you started telling those spooky stories and I got scared!" Her voice started to break as her fears came barreling out. "I thought I heard The Headless Horse so I ran out here by myself, and...sniffle...well, I guess you know the rest" She sat down and took off her helmet, knowing her dreams of being Rainbow's prodigy would now remain just that.

Rainbow slowly processed what Scootaloo had just told her, only to give her a caring smile. "Hey," she sat down next to her, putting her wing around the filly. "I'm gonna tell you something, but if you ever tell anypony else...I'm gonna deny it. First time I heard those stories," she gave one final look around before turning back to her, "I was scared too."

Scootaloo's eyes went wide as she looked up at her. "You were?"

Rainbow nodded. "Sure. I mean, I got over it because I realized pretty quick that if there was such thing as a Headless Horse...I could totally take it on." Scootaloo held back a giggle, happy to know that her being scared made her more like Rainbow then less. "So..." Rainbow went on, "you're looking for somepony to take you under their wing, huh?"

Scootaloo nodded rapidly. "I know I've got Flash, but-"

"I get it," Rainbow told her with a big grin. "But you know, you didn't need to try and impress me to get me to think of you as a sister."

Scootaloo gave her a look of both confusion and surprise. "Why?"

Rainbow laughed, slapping the filly's back. "Because I already thought of you as a sister, the same way I think of Flash as a brother."

"REALLY?!"

Rainbow covered her ears, but nodded anyways. "Sure. You remember what Flash said when he told us how he beat Lightning, about everypony being his family?"

"Yeah."

"Well...after that, I decided I wanted to see others like that, and I don't think I'm the only one. So ever since that day, I've always considered my friends to be part of my family." She ruffled the filly's mane. "That includes you kid. If you want me to teach you how to be as awesome as me, all you had to do was ask." Scootaloo's tears returned, only this time they were ones of joy as she threw her hooves around the older pegasus's neck. "As long as you don't go falling into any more rivers in the middle of the night."

Scootaloo giggled as she pulled away. "It's a deal. Also, if you wouldn't mind-"

"Keeping this whole thing a secret from Flash?" Rainbow guessed, getting a nod from Scootaloo. "Sure, though we might wanna get back before Springer wakes up. He'd definitely tell Flash."

The two laughed at this, the laughter lasting all the way back to the cave.

The Next Morning...

The rest of Scootaloo's night was nightmare free, and the next morning was just as good. She found herself fully rested, and ready to enjoy the remainder of the trek to the falls. And when they finally arrived, Sweetie turned to the rest of them. "I call sister teams! Last herd to make it to the falls is a mouldy carrot!"

Rarity walked past them and let out a moan. "Oh, if you insist." But no sooner had she said that, she began to rush forward and giggle. "It is so on!" She and Sweetie quickly took the lead, with Applejack and Applebloom following close behind.

Springer, Rainbow and Scootaloo watched them rush off as Rainbow turned to her new little sister. "They think they can beat us?" She flexed her wings, Scootaloo doing the same. Rainbow grabbed the filly and hoisted her into the air, as the two pegasus shot off to quickly overtake the other four.

Springer, who was now alone, smiled at seeing this. He then reached into his backpack and pulled out a piece of paper and a pencil, which he started to write with. After all, he had figured out what had happened last night, mainly due to the massive fear aura now completely vanishing from Scootaloo's body.

Dear Princess Celestia,
I'm writing this letter in place of my friend, who's just learned a very important lesson about fear. She learned that fear is not something one should be ashamed of, but something to accept and try to overcome. Many times ponies believe showing their fear will alienate them, but my friend has learned that showing fear can actually bring those around you closer together. That's the only way to truly conquer your fear, by facing it with the help of your friends. I'm sure my friend will be able to conquer her fears in time, while also helping those around her conquer theirs.
Signed, Springer the Jakhowl.

Springer rolled up the scroll and placed it in his bag, ready for Spike to send to the princess when he got back home. Putting his backpack by Rarity's cart, he rushed towards the falls to enjoy himself with the rest of his friends.

Wonderbolt Academy

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Today's story opens up below the cloud home of one Rainbow Dash, where we find the Mane Seven relaxing on a blanket in the field. Twilight was reading a book while Flash was playing a gentle tune on his guitar. Rarity was enjoying a drink, while Applejack was eating from a bushel of apples. Finally, Fluttershy was just enjoying the scenery with Rainbow, who was staring at her hooves.

The seventh of the group, Pinkie, was bouncing around them with a nervous look plastered to her face. "Ooooh," she leapt next to a mailbox with Rainbow's cutie mark on it, "I wish the mailpony would just come already! I can't wait another minute to find out if Rainbow Dash got in or not!"

Twilight giggled as she looked up from her book. "Pinkie Pie, you're more nervous than Rainbow Dash."

It was Rainbow's turn to laugh, a cocky smile on her face. "I'm not nervous at all. When I get into the Wonderbolt Academy-"

"IF!" Pinkie interrupted while getting in her face, "If you get in! Don't jinx it Rainbow!"

Rainbow smiled at her friend and pushed her back to a reasonable distance. "I'm telling you, it's in the bag."

"DON'T JINX IT!" Pinkie cried out again.

Applejack then decided to give her two bits. "Stop worrying Pinkie. Rainbow's the best flyer in Ponyville, so she'll be fine."

This was followed by said flyer shooting into the air and stopping in front of a cloud. "In Ponyville?" Rainbow asked before flying around the cloud at high speed, molding it into a slide that she then slid down. "I'm probably the best flyer in all of Equestria! I wouldn't be surprised if they just went ahead and made me a Wonderbolt on the first day."

Flash, who had been relatively quiet until now, finally stopped strumming and spoke up, "That's a bit of hopeful dreaming. There's no way that's gonna happen."

Rainbow turned to him, gritting her teeth in anger. "And why not? Aside from a Wonderbolt, I've never run into a pegasus who could keep up with me."

Flash raised an eyebrow at her, a flat stare on his face. "So you've met every single pegasus that's alive right now?"

This threw Rainbow off. "Well...no, but-"

"Exactly. So saying you're the best is dangerous thinking." Flash interrupted, his hoof now restrumming the guitar. "With that kinda attitude, you'll only end up beating yourself. If you do get in, you might find somepony who's as good, if not better, than you."

Rainbow let out a growl as she walked up to defender. "So you're saying you don't think I'm any good?!"

Flash looked back up, only to see all six of his female friends staring at him. The sight made him slightly gulp, as he knew he needed the right response. He turned back to Rainbow as he let out a huff, "I'm saying you've got loads of raw talent, but its unrefined. The Wonderbolts probably have the same skills as you, but they've finely tuned those skills to near perfection. Remember, when you raced Soarin, you didn't lose to his speed, but his technique."

Rainbow took what he said in, but even so, "I don't see your point."

Flash rolled his eyes, resisting the urge to facehoof. "I'm saying you're a big fish in a small pond, but the Wonderbolt Academy is the ocean. If you start thinking you're a whale, you'll eventually end up as shark food."

Everypony stared at him, all seemingly amazed by what he had said. "That's very profound," Twilight told him, blinking at this in shock.

"Thanks." the apprentice knight deadpanned as he stopped strumming and began to tune his guitar, "Grand Hoof said it to me when I started getting cocky. I'm just quoting him."

Everyone suddenly collapsed anime style. "That explains it," Twilight moaned.

Flash rolled his eyes again. "Hey, at least I remember this stuff."

Rainbow picked herself up off the ground and growled at him before crossing her hooves. "Well, I guess you've got a point."

Flash nodded. "All I'm saying is, you shouldn't ever think you're the best. If you do, you'll start getting sloppy. Trust me, I know how that feels, and its not pleasant."

"Since when do you-" Twilight tried to say, only for Rainbow to interrupt her.

"Yeah, yeah...I get it." Rainbow smirked and put her hooves behind her head. "If I really wanna be the best, then I can't stop trying to go beyond-"

"Plus ultra!" Pinkie interrupted, only to see everypony staring at her. "Sorry, wrong show."

Rainbow blinked at this, only to then feel a presence next to her. Turning, she saw a mail stallion with a yellow coat and red mane. The stallion held up an envelope with the Wonderbolt seal on it. "Got a letter here for Rainbow Dash."

Rainbow nodded and grabbed the letter, soon ripping it open to read. But as she did, her eyes went from joyful to sorrowful. This didn't give her friends much comfort, especially when she looked up and said, "I didn't get in."

Everypony's eyes went wide, Pinkie unleashing an exaggerated gasp as she did.

Seeing this, Rainbow's frown started to morph as she flipped the letter over, revealing a large green tick stamped on it. "Gotcha!" She guffawed, the others all changing their expressions to bright and happy. "You guys are so gullible! Like I wasn't gonna get-" She said no more, mainly due to a pink mass tackling her.

Pinkie rolled them along the ground, the two ending up back on their hooves as Pinkie squeezed Rainbow in a bone-crushing hug. "I'm sooooooooooo happy for you!"

"Uh... thanks." Rainbow, who was starting to have trouble breathing, tried to pull away, only for Pinkie to squeeze harder. "Pinkie Pie? I kinda need to get going."

Pinkie replied with one last, massive, squeeze before letting her go. "Okay, I'm done." With that, she bounced off.

Now free, Rainbow leapt back into the air. "Sooner I get there, the sooner I get to show'em my stuff!" She shot pat the group and gave them all a salute. "See you all in a week!"

"Good luck," Applejack told her.

"Won't need it," Rainbow replied as she flew off.

"And don't forget what I told you," Flash called out but Rainbow didn't reply, as she was just now out of range.

It was here that Pinkie decided to try her luck, which included her pulling out a megaphone. "DON'T FORGET TO WRITE!" Her voice caused the whole area to shake, as she turned to the others. "You think she heard me?"

"I think Cadance and Shining Armor might have heard you," Flash barked back, his hooves over his ears. "And Celestia probably heard it too!"

They continued to watch as Rainbow disappeared into the distance. As she went out of visual range, the six of them turned to head back home, Pinkie rushing off to await the arrival of Rainbow's first letter.

"I hope she's gonna be okay," Fluttershy said as they strolled down the road.

"She'll be fine darling," Rarity told her.

Applejack snorted at the thought. "Yeah. This is Rainbow Dash we're talking bout."

Twilight nodded in response. "As long as she keeps a level head, she shouldn't have any trouble."

"She's doomed," Flash deadpanned as he walked past them, making Twilight glare daggers at the stallion. With that, the defender split apart from the group, having promised to come watch the Blast Ball tournament Springer and the younger ponies were going to compete in.

In the halls of Wonderbolt Academy, we find Soarin Skies wearing his formal Wonderbolt attire. He scratched under his wing and tugged at his overly tight collar, as he would easily admit that he hated his formal attire. But it was required, due to the fact that he was about to spend a week helping with Wonderbolt Academy training. As such, he made his way to a door of a certain office, where he raised his hoof and tapped several times before waiting. After a few seconds, he heard a familiar female voice call out. "Enter!" Soarin pushed the door and as soon as it was opened, he straightened up into a ridged stance developed over years of habit.

There in the room, the leader of the Wonderbolts was sitting behind a desk. Spitfire looked up from her paperwork, "Soarin, just in time. At ease." Acting like a piece of machinery, Soarin's body eased up after hearing that phrase. "Come take a seat, I was just going over all the recruitment folders."

Soarin nodded as he sat down and looked over a large pile of papers, one name catching his eye and making him smirk. Grabbing the folder and looking over it, he saw the information of one Rainbow Dash. Race history, competition titles and a bunch of stats that were recorded during trials week. Spitfire looked up from her own folder, and smirked at seeing him reading it. "So...any particular reason you wanted to help me with the academy this year?"

Soarin looked up from the folder, straight into her gaze. "Not really. Since I'm second in command and all, I figured I should learn how the pros teach. I might end up doing it someday."

"Yeah right," Spitfire spat as she looked back down. "You sure its got nothing to do with the pony in that folder? You know, the one I saw you dancing with at the royal wedding?"

Soarin slammed the folder shut with such force that the wind it caused almost knocked the other folders off the table. "Oh, is that who this is...heh, didn't recognize her for a second."

Spitfire looked back at him and smirked. "You were never a great lair Clipper. Stick to what you're good at."

"Being an awesome flyer?"

"Eating pies."

Soarin's face fell, causing Spitfire to laugh.

"Don't worry about it. There's no rule against dating recruits. Just don't let it affect your performance."

Soarin frowned. "I'd never do that."

"Good," Spitfire tossed him another folder, "now take a look at this recruit. She might be just as good as your girlfriend."

Soarin opened the folder and read the name, Lightning Dust. The picture showed a light blue pegasus with an orange mane, had stats that rivalled Rainbow's. "Not bad."

"Plus she's got drive," Spitfire explained as leaned over and tapped the folder with her hoof. "She's definitely lead pony material."

Soarin shut the folder and gave Spitfire a hard, cold stare. "You and I both know that there's more to being a good flyer than just flying skills. I'd prefer to see what this pony's like before making an opinion on her."

Spitfire smiled at his response. "That's why you're second in command, despite being at such a young age." She picked up her aviator shades as she got up from her desk. "Let's go show these maggots what it takes to be a Wonderbolt."

Soarin smiled back with a salute.

The two stepped out of the office and soon found themselves heading over to the runway, where the recruits were all to gather for the first day's training. They then spotted a large group of pegasi, all having just arrived if their bags were anything to go by. Soarin smirked when he spotted a familiar lock of rainbow colored hair, it's owner smiling when she saw him.

It was true what Spitfire had said. The reason he had agreed to help Spitfire with this training was because he would get to see Rainbow again. The two had not seen each other since the wedding, though the two of them had been writing to each other constantly. Soarin held back a chuckle as he remembered the last letter she had sent, depicting how she had taken Flash's younger sister under her wing.

And now, he was gonna get to spend a whole week training with her. That is, as the two stepped up to the line of recruits.

"Well, lookie what we got here!" Every recruit froze and stood to attention, though their posture left little to be desired. Spitfire, Soarin and another pegasus stepped up to the line with vigilant glares on their faces. "Bet y'all think you're Wonderbolt material, don't ya?"

"YES MA'AM!" The recruits all replied in unison.

"Think you got what it takes to be an elite flyer?!"

"YES MA'AM!"

Soarin and Spitfire shared a smile, knowing what was about to come next as she looked back at them. "Well then, let me be the first to tell you." She suddenly rushed up into the face of one of the trainees. "YOU DON'T!" She started walking up the line again, the look on her eyes showing how truly serious she was. "If you had what it took to be an elite flyer, you'd already be a Wonderbolt!" She came to a stop and turned her attention on the pony in front of her, Cloudchaser. "Still think you're something special?"

The pegasus mare's knees began to knock, pure fear on her face. "N-no ma'am."

Spitfire then turned to the next pony in line, Bulk Biceps, and looked him over. At first, she was impressed with Bulk's er...bulk, but a quick look at his tiny wings was enough for tell her everything. She flew up into Bulk's face, hooves on her hips, and stared him in the eyes. "You think you're hot stuff?"

Bulk did not reply, somehow managing to shrink away instead.

Spitfire then turned her attention on Rainbow Dash, Soarin looking forward to this confrontation. "You look like you're the worst flyer in the whole academy! You'll probably quit after the first day!"

Rainbow didn't look at her, her body instead remaining like stone as she replied. "No, ma'am! I'd never quit, ma'am!"

Soarin caught a smile hiding in Spitfire's lips, making himself grin. She had impressed her.

Spitfire walked passed Rainbow and focused on the last pony in line, Lightning Dust. "What about you? Bet you couldn't fly past the first flagpole without getting winded."

Lightning Dust's reply shocked everypony. "Try me, Ma'am."

Soarin's eyes went wide. This mare had some back bone.

"What was that?" Spitfire asked as she lowered her shades.

Lightning stared at Spitfire, showing no respect in Soarin's opinion. "Let me show you what I've got, ma'am."

Spitfire glared at her, raising her shades back up. "You want a chance to prove yourself, huh?

"Yes ma'am."

Spitfire stepped back from her, her teeth gritting as she let out a yell. "Well then, now's your chance. Give me five hundred laps! ALL OF YOU!" All but two of the cadets moaned, making Spitfire's glare harden even more. "NOW!" She blew her whistle, Rainbow and Lightning shooting into the air while the others followed far behind.

Spitfire then moved over to Soarin so they could watch the recruits do their thing. Here, she leaned over and remarked, "That Lightning's got spunk. I like her."

Soarin's nostrils let out a trail of steam. "She's cocky, I'll give her that."

"Is your marefriend any different?"

"She at least knows the value of team work."

"Well, let's not jump to profiling just yet. Keep an eye on Lightning, see if your impressions change."

Soarin nodded and did as he was told, watching as both Rainbow and Lightning remained wing to wing. They flew around the track faster then any other cadet, managing to fly three laps for the one they did. All the time, neither seemed to slow down or get ahead of the other.

"They're evenly matched," Soarin told himself.

"Four hundred and ninety nine..." Spitfire said as the two passed them.

Soarin watched as the two lead mares suddenly exploded with acceleration, a rainbow and lightning trail left in their wake. They soared around the course and soon headed towards the finish line, arriving at the same time and kicking up a large dust cloud as they landed. Rainbow was panting heavily, already surprised at having to run a difficult race already. She looked over at her opponent, who was panting just like her, and in doing so, she realized what Flash had meant before about not being the best.

"Not bad," Spitfire said as she and Soarin walked past them. "For a couple of newbies."

"Name's Lightning Dust," the mare next to her said as she held out her wing.

Rainbow did the same and the wings clapped. "Rainbow Dash."

"Wanna grab some grub in the mess hall?"

Rainbow smiled, nodding. "Definitely."

As the two headed towards the mess hall, they got to talking, Lightning going first, "So, where you from?"

"Originally from Cloudsdale, but now I live in Ponyville."

Lightning smirked, "Weather pony?"

Rainbow raised an eyebrow at this. "Yeah...I am. How'd you guess?"

Lightning just shrugged at this. "I'm from Cloudsdale too. I moved to Neigh-Neigh Village and started working as a weather pony as well. It's a cool job and it leaves loads of time to practice flying, but I don't wanna do it forever. After this week, I'll finally be on my way to becoming a Wonderbolt."

"Same here," Rainbow replied as she opened the door to the mess hall. "But its gonna be tough."

"Oh please," Lightning said as she rolled her eyes. "Nopony deserves to be a Wonderbolt more than me," she then nudged Rainbow in the shoulder. "Well, maybe one. But still, I'm not gonna waste my life stuck in that boring little town. When I become a Wonderbolt, everypony will be cheering me on and I'll eventually grow so popular that I'll be made the leader of the Wonderbolts."

Rainbow gave her a quizzical glance, surprised at her constant boasting. "I don't think the leadership works that way."

Lightning just shrugged as she grabbed a tray and started fill it with food. "It'll happen sooner or later. Like I said, I'm the best."

Was this what it was like for her friends to listen to her boast about herself? That thought invaded Rainbow's mind as the two sat down at a table and started eating. There, Rainbow got to know Lightning even more, but she could not help but find that she was just like her. The only difference was that while Rainbow was egotistical, Lightning had cranked her's up to eleven.

"So all you've ever done in your spare time is train?" Rainbow asked her as she gulped down another part of her meal.

Lightning gave her look that Rainbow could only describe as 'You're kidding, right?', "Well, yeah. What else would I do?"

"Hang out with your friends?"

Lightning let out a small laugh. "Pfft-friends?!" The mare waved her hoof at the question. "You're kidding, right? Let me tell you something about friends." Lightning leaned over, the cockiest grin possible currently plastered onto her face. "Never needed'em, never will. They'd just slow me down."

"Right..." Rainbow replied in a low, dry tone.

Before she could say anything else though, an overhead speaker went off. Spitfire's voice blared out of the device. "All recruits, head back to the main field. It's time for your first test."

Lightning turned to Rainbow and smirked. "Let's do this thing."

Rainbow smiled back at her. "Yeah, let's."

They headed out of the mess hall and towards the field, where they soon found the rest of their class still looking winded. They also saw that they were now in the process of putting on Wonderbolt Reserve uniforms. Looking over at a pair of boxes, they saw those uniforms and goggles waiting for them.

"Awesome!" Rainbow cried as she grabbed a uniform in her size, managing to get it on in under a second. Lightning was the same, and once the rest of their class were suited up, they all stood in a line.

Spitfire walked up to them, Soarin strangely absent, while a pair of pegasi were pushing something large that was hidden under a purple sheet. Spitfire took a deep breath and once again went into her sergeant voice. "The Wonderbolts are the fastest, best precision flyers in the world, but spin-outs can still happen. And when they do, a Wonderbolt must be able to recover quickly."

She turned towards the large object, motioning to the ponies pushing it. A pegasi then nodded to her command and pulled the sheet off. What was revealed was a large circular contraption, with what looked like a seat on the far right side.

"This...is the Dizzitron. It's gonna make you very–I repeat–very dizzy." She turned back to them, a dead cold stare in her eyes. "Your task is to ride this thing, which will make you spin-out. You are to then try and recover from the spin-out so you can fly straight again, and you will do it as soon as possible. Once you have recovered, you must also come in for a smooth landing." In that moment, Soarin, now out of his formal attire, flew in and sat in the seat. "To show you how its done, my lieutenant here will now demonstrate."

Everypony began to murmur between each other, amazed that they would get to see a Wonderbolt in action. "QUIET!" Spitfire cried, causing everypony to instantly shut their traps. Spitfire then pulled out a stop watch before turning to the pony in control of the Dizzitron. "Crank it up."

He nodded and pulled on the lever, causing the device to start spinning. It got faster and faster by the second, until it finally reached the speed Spitfire was happy with.

"RELEASE!" She cried, causing the pony to pull another lever. Soarin was shot into the air, spinning at high speed. But as soon as he hit the skies, the stallion quickly spun around, quickly performing a perfect landing next to his captain. Seeing this, Spitfire clicked the stop watch off. "Eight point seven seconds. Not bad Soarin."

Everypony once again started murmuring, amazed at the thought of anypony that could react in such a time. As they did, Spitfire turned back to them. "Now, don't expect to beat that time. The academy record for first tries is nine seconds, so for now, just try and do your best." She lowered her glasses as she scanned the line before her. "Now, who's first?"

Rainbow and Lightning both raised their hoof, but Spitfire turned to the pink pegasus next to them. "You, you're up."

The pink pegasus suddenly looked very nervous. "Me?" She looked past the Wonderbolt and stared at the machine, causing her to get dizzy already and gulp.

"NOW!" Spitfire screamed, scaring the pegasus into flying over to the machine and strapping herself in. "Ready?"

The pegasus didn't look the least bit ready, but still, she replied with a yes.

"GO!" The Dizzitron began to spin, getting faster and faster until Spitfire called out. "Release!" The pink pegasus was shot into the sky like Soarin was, spinning out of control in the air. Unfortunately, she was no where near ready, as she soon hit the ground, crashing into her stomach. As the cloudy floor stopped her, she got up with dizzy swirls in her eyes.

Spitfire checked her stop watch. "Fifteen seconds. Decent, but I wouldn't go writing home about it. Who's next?"

As the pegasus was dragged away, Rainbow raised her hoof and was quickly picked. She flew to the Dizzitron and strapped herself in, ready to show everypony what she had. The machine powered up and began to spin, Rainbow focusing on keeping unfocused. Years of accidental spin-outs had taught her how to prevent dizziness. As such, when the Dizzitron shot her into her air, she was able to correct herself and fly back towards the ground with ease.

"Six seconds!" Spitfire cried out, causing everypony to cheer. "That's an academy record!"

Soarin smirked at hearing this. Of course she would break the record, who else could? Lightning on the other hoof, just smirked as Rainbow flew back into line. "You made it look easy."

Rainbow laughed at this. "I make everything look easy."

"Okay, Lightning Dust. You're up."

Lightning smirked before flying up and strapping herself into the Dizzitron. "Ma'am, can you put the Dizzitron at maximum speed? I wanna push my limits."

Spitfire and Soarin shared a look before turning back to her. "You sure about that?"

"Yes ma'am," Lightning strapped on her goggles.

Spitfire and Soarin shared another look, Soarin replying with a shrug. "Okay, you asked for it." She turned to the one controlling the device and nodded. The Dizzitron activated and started to spin, as the controller changed the setting from turtle to the maximum. The device's speed picked up, going much faster than it had with the others. Eventually, Lightning was shot into the air. She spiraled at maximum speed, but even so, she still managed to quickly recover before flying back to the ground.

Spitfire checked her stop watch. "Six point five seconds. Not bad."

Rainbow and Lightning high hoofed as Spitfire called out to the next flyer. One by one, the cadets went on the Dizzitron and one by one, they each showed off their skills. However, the only pony that day whose time was anything close to Rainbow and Lightning's was Soarin.

Rainbow giggled as she watched the last flyer land and get it's time. "No pony even came close to six seconds."

Lightning smirked, putting a hoof to her chest as she whispered. "They should make us Wonderbolts right now."

"Yeah, they should."

Once the last flyer had recovered, Spitfire and Soarin stepped over to them. "Listen up! For the rest of the camp, you'll be working in pairs. 'Morrow morning, I'll post the teams, including who'll be lead pony and who'll be wingpony. Good luck." With that, she and Soarin walked off while the recruits headed off to the barracks to get changed.

Later that night...

Soarin, now back in his formal attire, was walking around the complex. Spitfire had put him in charge of lights out, making sure all the cadets were in their barracks and ready for a good night's sleep. He had already checked the stallion's barracks and was now on his way to the mares.

As he walked around the corner of the building however, he suddenly found himself running into somepony and the two hit the others' head.

"Hey!" a familiar voice cried out, "why don't you watch where you're-" The voice quickly shut up when the owner and Soarin's eyes met. Emerald connected with magenta, Soarin and Rainbow just stared at one another for a few moments. Soarin then spotted a towel around Rainbow's neck, making him realize that she was probably coming back from the showers. Rainbow however, instantly straightened up. "Sorry sir, I didn't mean to-"

Soarin let out a little chuckle, waving a dismissive hoof at the mare. "Enough of that. Don't worry about acting soldierly when we're alone Rainbow. We're friends after all."

Rainbow released a sigh of relief. "That's good to hear." She looked back up at Soarin, a tinge of worry on her expression. "Hey, why didn't you tell me you were gonna be at the academy? You didn't write anything about it with our usual letters."

"Last minute decision," Soarin told her with a shrug before putting his hoof on her shoulder. "Great work out there today. Spitfire would have to be insane to not make you a lead pony."

Rainbow's cheeks showed a small layer of crimson. "Thanks, though that Lightning Dust is gonna be stiff competition."

Soarin shook his head. "If it was just skill, then maybe. But there's more to being a Wonderbolt than that. Don't worry, you're miles ahead of her in my opinion."

"Maybe, but still....if she had been using the same setting as me, she would have likely beaten my score."

"Maybe, but like I said. Skill isn't everything." He gave her a wink, causing her blush to slightly grow. "Trust in yourself, because you've definitely got the heart of Wonderbolt." Rainbow's smile continued to grow as Soarin continued, "To be honest, Lightning's behavior reminds me of another cadet this academy had. They came a few years before I did and they were just as arrogant, but had the skills to prove it. Even so, they didn't have the heart of a Wonderbolt."

"What happened to them?"

Soarin was about to reply, but in that moment, his watch beeped. Lights out was about to begin. "Looks like we'll have to put that story on hold, mainly cuz its a long one. You'd better get to the barracks. Tell them it's time for bed."

"Right," Rainbow nodded and began to walk off, "see you tomorrow."

Soarin watched as she walked away, a smile plastered on his lips. Once she was out of sight, he headed to Spitfire's office. When he arrived, he found her going over the partner sheet. "Everypony's asleep."

"Good. I just finished partnering everypony up. Take a look." She handed Soarin a large piece of paper, allowing him to look it over.

Soarin nodded as he read all the names, agreeing with her choices due to the ponies' flight skills and personalities. That is, until he spotted one team and saw which name was where. "What the-"

"What's the matter?"

Soarin looked up at her. "Rainbow and Lightning, with Lightning as lead pony? Are you serious?"

Spitfire nodded. "I think those two together will be an unstoppable team, don't you?"

"Yes, but you've got their positions the wrong way around. Lightning isn't lead pony material."

Spitfire slowly lowered her shades, giving Soarin a look. "Listen Skies, I get you like this mare, but-"

"I'd be telling you this even if I'd never met Rainbow before today. Lightning isn't a lead pony."

Spitfire rolled her eyes at the Wonderbolt, "Yeah, sure. You're just saying that cuz you like this mare." She slammed her hoof on her desk. "Listed, Lightning's got a drive like no cadet I've ever seen. She's willing to push herself and you've got to admit, she's got skill."

Soarin let out a sigh before placing the paper down. "Yeah, I'll admit she has skill, but that's not enough Spitfire." He then went to the a pile of folders by the desk, knowing they were the profiles on the cadets due to him putting them there earlier today. "If you look at her profile, you'll notice that the only experience we have down for her is that she was a lone weather pony for a town."

"Why would that matter?" Spitfire spat back, shrugging at the statement. "Isn't that good she has experience when it comes to weather?"

"It does, but it shows why she can't be a lead pony." Soarin barked back as he put both Lightning and Rainbow's folders on the desk. "There's more to being a Wonderbolt than that Spitfire, and you know it."

Spitfire's expression soured at this, not liking how Soarin was so against her. "And this mare you like so much, which I'm starting to think is why we're having this conversation, is the better choice?! I've looked at both profiles Soarin, they're the same! The only difference, is I think Lightning has a true drive and skill compared to this mare you're in love with!"

"I never said any of that." Soarin growled as he looked at her dead in the eye. "And I know exactly why you like Lightning so much, even if you can't see it."

Spitfire raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh, come on Spitfire!" he barked back as he tapped the desk with a hoof. "She's willing to push her limits, doesn't care about the consequences of her actions, and is so focused on being the best that she doesn't care about what she has to do to get it. Spitfire...she's you!"

Spitfire's eyes went wide. Suddenly, her mind flashed back to when she had been a cadet at the academy. She had been top of the class, but even so, she had been made a wing pony. She remembered being so angry over this, and when she asked the instructor why, he answered the same way Soarin did.

"She's got skill, I won't deny that." Soarin opened Lightning's folder and glared back at Spitfire. "But she knows nothing about teamwork. Rainbow on the other hoof, runs a full weather team in Ponyville. Granted, the town is much bigger than Neigh-Neigh Village, which doesn't need a team for its weather. However, it shows that Rainbow has experience in leading a team."

Spitfire didn't respond. She just sat there in thought as Soarin's words finally reached her thick skull. As it did, Soarin saw this and continued with a question, "When I was at the academy, the one thing they stressed more than anything else was that being a Wonderbolt means you need to be a team. Do you remember who told me that?"

Spitfire slumped back into her chair. "I did."

Soarin nodded with a smirk, tapping the folder again. "I don't know when you started forgetting about that, but its something I've tried to remember everyday since joining. Heck, you were so much into the team aspect that you stood up to Grand Hoof went he wanted to borrow a Wonderbolt, which might I remind you, ended up being me!" He crossed his hooves as he gave her a knowing glance. "Now, Lightning needs to learn this, and Rainbow Dash is the leader to teach her. Trust me."

Spitfire looked back down at the sheet. It was true, she used to always stress this to the applicants. But in recent years, that had been slipping her mind. Her instructor had made her a wingpony because it was the best way she could learn to work as a team. Now, it was the same thing Lightning needed to learn. Letting out a huff of frustration, as she picked up her pencil and rubbed out the two names, rewriting them in swapped locations. "Yeah...I see what you mean. Thanks Clipper." She put the pencil down as she looked back up at Soarin. "You're right, this'll be good for Lightning Dust."

Soarin smiled with a nod. "She'll thank you for this someday."

The next morning...

"WHAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTTTTTTTT?!?!"

Rainbow saw the mess hall literally shake as the voice of Lightning echoed through the air. This caused Rainbow to rush into the building, looking around for the source of the cry. "What happened?!" She saw the other cadets standing around the wall, one in particular glaring at it while panting. "What's up Lightning?! What's wrong?!"

Lightning turned to Rainbow, a look of pure furious anger on her face. She then marched over and got into Rainbow's face, steam blasting out of her nostrils. "I don't know what you did, but this isn't over." With that, she pushed past her and rushed out of the hall and to the Spitfire's office.

Rainbow turned to the others. "What was that about?"

"You might wanna check the wall," Cloudchaser explained as she pointed to the sheet on the wall.

Rainbow nodded before moving over to the sheet, finding her name and Lightning's next to each other. "Lightning's my wingpony? But how? Shouldn't she be a lead pony?"

"Don't ask us," Thunderlane told her with a slight gulp. "Ask the ones who decided to make her one."

"Oh, I will." Rainbow said before walking out the hall after Lightning. She headed to the office building and walked down the hall, looking for the door to Spitfire's office. As she did, the door suddenly shot open, Lightning soon exiting with a sour look on her face. As the two passed one another, she gave Rainbow a dirty look.

Rainbow moved over to the door and looked inside, seeing Spitfire behind her desk stamping papers. The pegasus looked up and saw her. "What is it Rainbow Dash?"

The blue mare began to twiddle her hooves, "Um...it's about me and Lightning. I was just wondering-"

"Why I made you the lead pony and her the wingpony?"

"Um...yes."

Spitfire looked back down and started stamping papers again. "Believe it or not, I was planning to have it the other way around."

"WHAT...I mean, you were? Why? Shouldn't the two of us be lead ponies?"

"One, I believe you two will make a great team and two, to answer why I made you lead, it's because Soarin made me realize that Lightning needs to learn teamwork. Being a wingpony is exactly what she needs to be to learn it." She picked up her glasses and put them on before staring at her. "Soarin's put a lot of faith in you, so don't let it be a mistake. Show me you've got what it takes to be a leader. Show me...you've got what it takes to be a Wonderbolt."

Rainbow heart was suddenly filled with pride, a salute soon following. "I'll do my best, ma'am."

"Good. Now go get your lead pony badge."

Rainbow nodded before rushing out the door. It wasn't long will she got her badge and was out on the field with the other recruits. She looked them over, scanning over them all as they showed they were ready for action. The recruits were all wearing Wonderbolt badges, some gold and some silver, which showed whether they were a lead or wingpony. Rainbow, now wearing the gold lead pony badge, stood at the end of the line looking proud. She had gone over what Spitfire had told her a dozen times, especially over the teamwork part. She thought back to how Lightning acted in the mess hall, realizing that was the main reason Rainbow was now Lightning's leadpony. Lightning didn't have friends, so that's why she needed to learn teamwork. Rainbow knew she couldn't let Spitfire down in this. She would do everything she could to help Lightning see the importance of teamwork.

Rainbow then noticed her partner walking up to her, a silver badge on her uniform. Rainbow prepared to smile, but a had feeling that was the wrong idea and instead just gave her a wave, "Morning Lightning. Ready to do this thing partner?"

Lightning once again glared at her, her eyes almost going blood red in rage. "I...am gonna bury you." She growled as she leaned in, "Then they'll realize they made a mistake, got it?"

Rainbow raised an eyebrow at this. Not that she would admit it, but Lightning was kinda scaring her. Luckily, in that moment, Spitfire walked onto the field with Soarin. "Today, you will all be participating in a flag hunt." The group was then split into two, with a pegasus holding a different colored flag. "We'll divide you into two teams, red and blue. Whoever finds the most flags of the opposing team's color wins."

Everypony began to cheer, the pink pony from yesterday turning to her wingpony. "This is gonna be so much fun."

Spitfire did not take kindly to hearing this, and got right into their faces. "If you think this is gonna to be fun, you are sadly mistaken! This is for training purposes only!" Spitfire let out a deep breath before continuing. "This is not recess, you foals, so listen up! In this exercise, lead ponies and wingponies must fly together. If any pair splits apart, they will be immediately disqualified. Do you understand?!"

"YES MA'AM!" Everypony replied in unsion, but Rainbow's eyes dotted to her teammate in worry.

"Then let's go!" Spitfire cried before blowing her whistle.

The teams shot into the air, splitting into their two groups as they began their search for the flags. Rainbow signaled to the team of Bulk and Cloudchaser, telling them they would search this area as she and Lightning raced off. Rainbow glanced back at her partner, seeing her flying close. It seems her earlier vow to out-stage her was not effecting her ability to follow orders and try going solo. With that in mind, the two began to survey the area, looking for any sign of a red flag. "Anything on your three?" Rainbow asked, secretly thanking Twilight for making her read a book on military terms.

However, it seemed that Lightning had not read those kind of books, and turned to give her an odd look. "What?"

"See any flags on your right?"

"Oh...no."

Rainbow looked around again and noticed a flash of red, causing her to focus and see a red flag in a small crack in a nearby mountain. "There!" She said before redirecting herself that way, Lightning hot on her tail.

As the two began to pick up speed and get closer, Rainbow was able to better judge the crack's size. Knowing it would unsafe at top speed to go through such a small space, she turned to Lightning, "We should slow down. It doesn't look like both of us can make it at this speed!" Lightning however, simply smirked before accelerating and shooting past her. "Hey!" Rainbow cried before speeding up herself. "I said we need to slow down! Lightning!"

Lightning just gave her a glare back. "You slow down, I'm getting that flag!"

"Wait! Don't-" Rainbow tried to say as she tried to get past her, the mare's body now right in front of Rainbow, blocking Rainbow's vision. As she was in this position, Lightning suddenly straightened up, making Rainbow realize the hole was coming up fast and did the same. They shot through the hole, but the speed and Rainbow's inability to see didn't help as she flew through the hunk of rock.

"OW!" She cried as she felt her wing clip something. The two ponies retook their flying stances, Rainbow's hurt wing making it difficult to stay straight. Lightning grabbed the flag with a huge grin and bolted to the runway, Rainbow just barely keeping up with her.

"Rainbow Dash and Lightning Dust found the first flag!" Spitfire said as they landed, Soarin spotting Rainbow's injured wing and rushing over to her.

"What happened?" Soarin asked.

Rainbow, who was flexing her wing to see how badly it was damaged, turned to glare at her partner. "Somepony," she said through gritted teeth, "didn't listen to me and tried to show off. I told you to slow down Lightning!"

"We got the flag first, didn't we?!" Lightning barked back, pointing at the flapping banner in her hoof.

"And you were reckless!" Rainbow shot back as she folded her hurt wing. "I told you to slow down, as the crack in that mountain was too small to be going through at high speeds!"

"And yet I'm fine and I got the flag!" Lightning responded as she started to get up in Rainbow's face. "You just don't want to admit you don't have my skills."

Spitfire and Soarin looked at each other with a knowing glance. They knew what mountain and flag they were talking about, and Soarin gave Spitfire a certain glare. "This is exactly what I was talking about."

"Yeah...I can definitely see it now." Spitfire replied before turning to bickering duo. "Go get yourself to the medical bay Rainbow. Doesn't look like your wing's too badly damaged, but I'd rather not risk it."

Rainbow nodded at this, Soarin quickly walking up to her and glancing back at Spitfire. "I'll give her a hoof. The medics aren't here yet, but I've clipped my wings enough times to know how to treat it."

"Got it." Spitfire replied before turning to Lightning. "As for you...since you like going solo so much, I'm sure you're gonna love flying laps on your own until lights out."

Lightning's eyes went wide at hearing this, wanting to argue back. But, she knew she couldn't. She shot daggers at Rainbow, who didn't notice, before taking to the air, allowing Soarin and her to head to the medical bay. The medical bay had a large examination table in the center, with cupboards lining the walls that were full of medical supplies. Once there, Soarin had Rainbow sit on the examination table while he searched the cupboards for bandages.

"You don't have to do this, you know." Rainbow told him as she slightly flexed her wing.

"I know," Soarin replied as he found some bandages and moved over to her. "But I want to. Besides, I can get you flying again before your next drill. Now show me your wing, that's an order."

Rainbow smiled as she opened her wing, "Thanks."

Soarin nodded as he got to work. "Yeah, just as I thought. Its nothing bad, but it might be best to not fly for the rest of the day. The bandages can come off tomorrow."

Rainbow nodded as she stared at the injury. "How do you know so much about treating injuries?"

Soarin let out a quick laugh before he started wrapping her wing up. "When you've had as many accidents as I have, you tend to learn a thing or two about treating them."

"Really?"

Soarin nodded, a chuckle escaping his lips. "When I was in the academy, I was in here almost every day. You name it, I did it. They were actually considering naming this place Soarin's Barracks."

Now it was Rainbow's turn to laugh. "You goof. You're kidding, right?"

"Nope." Soarin admitted as he gave her his goofiest grin as he finished his work. "There, that'll do it. Like I said, no more flying today and you'll be perfectly fine."

"Thanks Soar."

"Oh? We're doing nicknames now, are we?"

Rainbow instantly stiffened, a slight nervous blush appearing on her face. "Um...well...what I meant to say was-"

Soarin interrupted her with a laugh. "It fine Dashy. I don't mind."

The two of them shared a smile, completely unaware that their faces were getting closer and closer until they were only inches away. And then-

Bang!

The two pulled away from each other, looking over at the door to see the Wonderbolt's medic stepping in. "I was told we had a medical emergency."

Soarin chuckled nervously. "Nothing I couldn't fix doc."

"Oh. Hey Soarin. Very well then, I'll leave it to you." With that, he turned and left, not even bothering to check Soarin's work.

Alone once again, the two shared as Soarin gestured to the leaving medic. "See? What'd I tell ya?" Rainbow giggled at this, Soarin joining in with a laugh before hopping off the table. "Welp, I'd better get back out there."

"Yeah..." Rainbow replied, her hooves now twiddling again, "and I need to...go rest up." Her eyes darted back and forth from Soarin, "You know....cuz of my wing."

"Yeah..." Soarin said as he started to walk backwards, "So uh...I'll see you later." His flank then smacked the door, making him to chuckle nervously again before redirecting himself through the exit. "Later." And with that, he was gone, leaving Rainbow alone as a sigh escaped her breath.

Ponyville, the next day...

Flash and Springer were flying over Ponyville, their usual patrol going smoothly. Today, the town was a place of peace, with no monster attacks, riots or crusader antics. In response, Springer repeatedly asked Flash if they could go get a snack at Sugarcube Corner, as he ate all of his in the morning training. After about an hour of pestering, Flash caved in, and the duo headed to the bakery.

As they arrived, they found one Pinkie Pie asleep in front of the mailbox. She had been doing this for the past three days, opening the mailbox every six seconds to check to see if Rainbow had written. Flash let out a long sigh at the sight, "Seriously?!" he groaned as he began to descend, only to see the rest of his friends watching her from an alleyway. Seeing this, he caught their attention and landed by the group as they continued to stare at Pinkie. As they did, the earth pony suddenly awoke with a gasp before continuing to open the box, only to be disappointed and slump back down.

"She's still at it." Rarity muttered as she crossed her hooves. "Poor dear won't stop doing that."

Fluttershy let out a small sigh, sadness covering her face. "I just wish we could help her."

"Help me?!"

"AHH!" Flash and Springer cried as they leapt away from Pinkie, who had suddenly appeared beside them.

"The only thing that could possibly help me right now is a letter from Rainbow Dash! It's been three days already! By now, she probably doesn't even know our names anymore!" She grabbed Twilight by the cheeks and pulled her face close. "She probably can't remember our faces! NOOOO!!!" She shot out of the alley before acting out what she thought Rainbow would be doing. "Pinkie Pie? I never heard of a Pinkie Pie! Who is Pinkie Pie?"

"You're being a little extreme, aren't you?" Flash asked as he and Springer picked themselves up. "Rainbow Dash's forgetful, but not that forgetful."

"But what if she is?!" Pinkie replied before breaking out into a waterfall of tears.

Flash just facehoofed at the sight, only to get a smack of the tail from Twilight as she walked up to Pinkie, "Well, if you're so worried, then why don't you send her a letter?"

Pinkie's tears stopped instantly. "Of course! That's a great idea!"

Everypony sighed in relief.

"Oh! I got an even better idea!" She disappeared in an instant, only to reappear by having her head and upper body shoot out of the mailbox. "How about we send Rainbow Dash a care package?" She pulled herself out, causing Springer to look inside the box trying to figure out how the heck she did that. "You know, before she forgets all about us? Although, come on, let's face it, its probably too late for that. But, uh...maybe it'll jog her memory somehow?"

Twilight placed her hoof on the mare's side, giving her a reassuring smile. "Pinkie Pie, I'm sure Rainbow Dash will still remembers our faces and who we are. But, I think sending her a care package is a great idea."

"A care package it is!" She turned and started bouncing toward the bakery. "We'll send it through the mail!" But then, she came to halt and turned back to her friends, "Wait a minute! This won't work at all!"

"Why not?" Applejack asked her, blinking at the pink pony.

"Because what if the package gets lost in the mail? What if somepony else gets the package by accident and then she remembers us instead of Rainbow Dash and then she becomes our new friend? And then the real Rainbow Dash won't ever know that she used to have friends because she forgot them! Oh, the horror! We can't let that happen! We have to-"

Applejack turned to the others. "Anypony else following this?"

The girls and Springer shook their heads no, while Flash had entered his Theta Mode to try and keep up. "Every third word or so...I think."

"I've got it!" Pinkie cried as she suddenly appeared next to them. "We'll deliver the care package to Rainbow Dash in person!"

The others all hopped in place at the idea, Rarity then doing a small clap, "Well, I do think you're going a bit overboard there darling. But, I would be lying if I said that I wouldn't mind a little trip."

Twilight nodded in agreement. "Yeah, that's not a bad idea. I'm interested in seeing what the academy looks like. I'll go."

"Count me in," Applejack simply stated, tipping her hat.

"Me to," Fluttershy added.

"Oh! I wanna go!" Springer piped up, raising one of his paws. "I wanna see what one of these cloud places look like!"

"Sure Springer." Twilight replied before glancing at Flash. "So Flash, wanna pull the air balloon like you did with the race between Rainbow and Soarin?"

Flash gave her a blank stare, crossing his hooves as he responded, "No."

"No?!" the others all replied in unison.

"That's right." Flash remarked as he continued the same unmoving stare, "I'm not going and I'm not going to help you all get up there."

"Why not?" Twilight asked as she tilted her head, "What's wrong Flash?"

Flash rubbed his head in slight frustration, "Twilight...how long have I known Soarin?"

Twilight rubbed her chin in thought as she answered, "Um...at least four to five years. Why?"

"Because in those years, he's told me what they do when they do in the recruiting process. They'll be using the full sky up there as their training ground, and we can't just show up to a military facility unannounced." Flash crossed his hooves at this, glaring at seven before him, "I'm not gonna let a bunch of civilians just go up there while that's happening, even if I, a solider of Equestria's military, is guiding you to the academy."

The others didn't respond, as they were all slightly surprised at Flash's serious attitude. That is, except Twilight and Springer, who had both seen his attitude change as of late. As such, Springer decided to comment first, "Hey partner, since when am I a civilian?"

"Yeah. And when did your friends become ponies you can easily reject like that?" Twilight added with a slight hiss, her horn lighting up. Flash then felt a certain aura grabbing his ear as the purple unicorn walked up to his face, "Or do you want me to find a spell that will make sure Rainbow does forget you?!"

Flash could already feel a slight tug on his ear as he replied, "Twilight, we could get in big trouble if we do this."

"I won't deny that you may be right, Flash," Twilight flatly said as a magic aura fully covered her horn, "But, I also want to support my friends, even if the one in front of me is in even deeper trouble right now." A small tinge of sweat could be seen going down Flash's face now, as he then saw Twilight's face morph into one of anger as she continued, "And guess who's both in trouble and going to help us?!"

Later that day, back at the academy...

Things were not going well for Rainbow. After being forced to do countless laps the following day, Lightning's attitude towards her had gone from bad to worse. Luckily, the laps seemed to have made her realize that she was stuck as a wingpony, so she had begrudgingly followed Rainbow's lead during the day's obstacle course.

Also, Rainbow's wing had fully recovered thanks to Soarin, so she didn't have to hold back in the obstacle course or today's other event. As for the event, it was a cloud busting contest, where each team had to bust as many clouds as possible and were awarded points for each one.

Soarin was watching from Spitfire's office, using a pair of binoculars to keep track of everything. As he did, Spitfire spoke up from behind her desk, "So...how's Lightning doing today?"

"Nothing bad so far," he replied as he focused on the pair as they ripped through the clouds. "Guess those laps finally got to her."

Spitfire let out a small snort, "Here's hoping. She's a good flyer. I'd hate to have to dismiss her."

"Well, as long as she doesn't do anything crazy, that shouldn't be a problem." Soarin put down the optical device for a second, "Still, it kinda worries me. She's the only one we have this round that has a bad attitude. The others are really...obedient compared to her."

"Eh, she'll be fine."

Meanwhile...

Rainbow and Lightning were racing through the clouds, blasting them to bits and earning a ton of points. Rainbow was glad at how easy it was, mainly because Lightning could easily keep up with her. And as they got rid of another rather large cloud, the duo took back to the skies as Rainbow gestured to Lightning, "Alright Lightning, we'll take those three up there on the left next."

Lightning didn't respond, instead just flying straight ahead with Rainbow flying by her side. They then made quick work of the trio of clouds Rainbow had pointed too, causing Rainbow to say her next command. "Good. Now, let's take those two above us."

But as Lightning didn't respond again, Rainbow glanced back at her wingpony and asked, "Hey!"

"WHAT?!" Lightning barked back, anger shining on her face.

"I said we-"

"I got it already!" Lightning interrupted as she shot upwards, Rainbow close behind. Before Rainbow could even catch up, Lightning took out both clouds, turning to Rainbow with a scowl, "There! Ya happy?!"

"Whoa, slow down!" Rainbow said as she stopped in front of Lightning. "I just said we're going to-"

"Shut up! There's no 'we'!" Lightning yelled, making Rainbow almost put her hooves of her ears at the volume. "I can do all of this by myself!"

Rainbow let out a sigh at this. "No, you can't."

"What was that?!"

"I said you can't do it alone!" Rainbow screamed back, anger now starting to appear on her face. She didn't want to do this, as she had to do something similar before the obstacle course earlier in the day. She had to tell Lightning that she had to follow right behind her in every step or Spitfire would get angry, which was the only thing she could think of to help her keep Lightning under control. However, she knew she couldn't do that here and pointed her hoof at the wingpony, "This is about teamwork Lightning, and we're a team. That's why-"

"SHUT UP!" Lightning barked again, "I say we split up and get all the points now!"

Rainbow almost replied instantly, but looked back at the rest of their competition, seeing the lot of them beginning to have trouble on taking out the thicker clouds. She turned back to her partner and crossed her hooves. "We're already way ahead Lightning. We're going to keep taking out the clouds together, as-"

Lightning let out a roar, "AUGH! I'VE HAD IT WITH YOU!" She cried out. "What'd they see in you? You're nothing but a wimp who keeps insisting we be soft! We can beat everypony here instantly!" Her wings then flared, steam blasting out of her nostrils, "Well I'm done. Its finally time I showed the Wonderbolts why I should be lead-no! Why I should be the head of the bolts!"

She then shot downward, catching Rainbow by surprise. "Hey!" Rainbow yelled as started flying after her. "What are you doing?!"

"What I do best! BEING AWESOME!" With that, the mare began spinning in a circle, quickly picking up speed.

Rainbow went wide-eyed as she instantly understood what Lightning was trying to do. "What the-what do you think you're doing?!"

"I'm taking out all of the clouds at once!" Lightning yelled as her plan began to come to fruition. Her speed and motion had created a tornado, one that quickly knocked Rainbow away.

"Augh!" Rainbow cried as she flew into a cloud, cushioning the blow. She then popped her head out of the white puff, her eyes going wide at the next scene, "Oh no!"

The tornado Lightning had created was now flying through the sky, sucking up and destroying the clouds in a spinning fury. Lightning smirked at this, thinking that she had finally showed what she was truly capable of doing. But as she continued to admire her work, the tornado's spin began to build. And as it did, her wings suddenly got struck in the intense winds, making her unsteady. "I can't control it!" She cried before being sucked into her own vortex and thrown out the funnel.

With nothing to control it, the twister began flying wildly, its path soon becoming the main runway. It blew through the landing the strip, sucking up anything in it's path as it ripped the rest to shreds. Rainbow's eyes turned to despair, knowing she would likely get blamed for this. But she soon regained focus, her form taking to sky as she flew after the twister.

A mile or so away...

"You okay Flash?" Twilight asked him from the basket of the air balloon he was pulling.

"I'm fine...." the pegasus growled under his breath. "Just as long as we get there soon. They'd better have snacks at this place before I get in trouble and lose my apprenticeship with Grand."

"Don't be a foal," Springer told him as he jumped up onto the balloon's basket edge.

Flash turned to glare at the jakhowl. "You try sprouting a pair of wings and pull a basket full of five mares and an oversized chihuahua! And need I remind you, I'm gonna get in-"

"What's that?" Springer asked he pointed to the sky in front of Flash. The orange pegasus then turned to where he was pointing, only to blink as a gust of wind hit him. The blow also shook the basket, causing Springer to slight stumble on the basket's edge. "Whoa! What is going on?!"

"Its a twister!" Applejack cried as she pointed with one hoof, the other grabbing her hat.

"Flash!" Twilight screamed as she clenched her hooves into the basket. "Get us out of here!"

"On it!" Flash spun to the left and pulled with everything he had, trying to pull the balloon out of the tornado's path. But, the sudden shift caused the basket to jostle, causing one of its occupants to lose his footing.

"Wait-whoa-AAAaaahhhh!" Springer yelled as he slipped off the basket, his body quickly hurtling towards the ground. "HEEELLLPPPP!!!"

"SPRINGER!" the other yelled in unison.

Flash heard this and looked down, seeing his partner falling to his doom. "Springer!" Acting without thought, Flash bit through the rope holding him to the balloon and shot downwards. Accelerating as fast as he could, he closed the distance between him and Springer until he shot passed him. Quickly spreading his wings, he began to slow himself as Springer bounced on his back. "You okay?!"

"I'm fine," Springer replied as he looked up. "But what about the girls?!"

Flash looked up at the balloon, just in time to see the tornado suck them inside. "NO!"

"NO!" Rainbow cried as she saw the balloon be sucked into the tornado, the force being too much for the ropes connecting the basket. The five mares screamed as they were thrown out of the tornado like ragdolls. Acting as fast as she could, Rainbow shot after them. She accelerated so fast that she almost caused a Sonic Rainboom, her form blazing past her friends as she searched the area for what she needed. Luckily, some clouds were positioned right below them and she began spinning around them as fast as she could. The force of this caused the clouds to bound together, becoming one large super compact cloud. It was so compact that even a non-pegasus pony could touch it, which was exactly what Rainbow wanted as her friends each fell into the over-sized cushion.

"Huh?!" Twilight yelped as she and the girls bounced on the cloud. Seconds later, the cloud's built up kinetic energy exploded, turning their platform into a trampoline, sending them back into the air. They all cried out again, only for Twilight to feel two orange hooves catch her.

"Are you okay?" Flash asked Twilight as he held her in his hooves.

Twilight, who was shakily clutching Flash, nodded. "My whole life flashed before my eyes. There were so many books..."

"Well, its gonna be okay." Flash replied as he gestured his head, "Look." She turned her head and saw that Rainbow along with the other recruits had successfully saved their friends, Springer also on the runway now. Flash then landed, helping Twilight to get balance back as she touched 'solid' ground again.

Rainbow arrived at that moment, a look of pure worry on her face. "Are you all okay?" She asked as she flew over to them. "That cloud didn't break anything, did it? I had to act fast, so I'm sorry if it scared you."

"I'm okay," four of the five replied in unison.

Rainbow glanced at the fifth, seeing her laying on the ground. "Pinkie Pie? You okay?"

Pinkie raised her head and saw Rainbow looking at her, causing her eyes to water before pulling the pegasus into a hug. "You...remember me!"

Rainbow leaned back with a confused look. "Well...yeah, of course I remember you. But uh..." she looked at the others, "what are you all doing here?"

"We wanted to bring you a care package," Applejack explained as she readjusted her hat. "Didn't realize you'd be in the middle of some crazy tornado drill though."

Rainbow's eyes changed from worry to anger as she pealed Pinkie off of her. She then turned to the one responsible for the whole mess. "It wasn't a drill. It was a selfish pony's desperate attempt to show off!"

Lightning, who had been slammed into the runway after getting ejected from her own tornado, slowly picked herself up off the ground. As she looked up, she saw Rainbow and the rest of the recruits glaring at her. Rainbow in particular, was steaming mad as she walked up and yelled, "I hope you're happy! You almost caused the deaths of five of my closest friends!"

Lightning just rolled her eyes. "Why should I care? They're not my friends."

Rainbow's face turned red with rage as she began to pant heavily. "Why should...Why should you...WHY SHOULD YOU CARE?!" She slammed into Lightning and pinned her to the ground. "It's called ponanity! You should care about what happens to those around you!"

"Get off of me, you weak little-"

"Yes, get off of her!"

Everypony spun around to see Spitfire and Soarin walking towards them, both look extremely angry. Rainbow got off of Lightning, who had a huge smirk on her face. Obviously, she thought she was about to be praised.

Spitfire moved over to Lightning, removing the badge from her uniform. "Clearly, I've made a mistake."

"Glad you finally see it ma'am," Lightning replied with a huge grin, her chest puffing out in pride.

Spitfire grit her teeth as she continued, "Yeah...my mistake was accepting you into this academy to begin with! Lightning, you're dismissed!"

"WHAT?!" Lightning screamed back, her expression changing to anger immediately. "You can't kick me out! I'm the best flyer you'll ever get!"

"Maybe, but there's more to being a Wonderbolt than being a good flyer. This is something we've been trying to tell you and every single recruit just showed you." She turned to the rest of the group. "Can you all tell me what that is?"

"TEAM WORK MA'AM!" They all yelled in unison.

"Exactly," she turned back to Lightning. "Something you've been refusing to learn. And now, your actions put several civilians in danger. If a Wonderbolt did that, it would result in a court martial and expulsion from the team. Since you're not a Wonderbolt, I don't have to take you to court, which makes this even easier." She leaned over, getting right into Lightning's face. "Now, it's time you left Lightning. You're dismissed."

"But-"

"I SAID DISMISSED! GET OFF OF MY RUNWAY AND LEAVE THIS ACADEMY NOW!"

Lightning flinched before backing away from her. She then turned and walked away, firing one final glare at Rainbow, "I'll get you back for this Rainbow Dash. One day...one day, you'll pay." With that, she flew off.

Everypony watched as she left, disappearing into the sky. Once she was gone, Spitfire turned to Rainbow and smirked. "Seems Soarin was right about you, Dash. You're no wingpony, you're a leader." Rainbow's face began to show a small smile, her ears perking as she heard the praise. Seeing this, Spitfire turned to the others. "I think this is an excellent reminder to us all. The Wonderbolts are looking for the best flyers in Equestria, who are willing to push their limits and go beyond."

"Plus ultra!" Pinkie interrupted, getting another wave of confused looks. "Sorry. I'll stop."

Spitfire blinked at the weird statement before continuing, "However, being the best should never come at the expense of our fellow ponies. Its not just about pushing yourself further, its about pushing ourselves in the right direction. I hope you all remember that."

"YES MA'AM!"

Spitfire smiled before turning away, walking back towards her office. "Soarin."

"Yes Captain?" Soarin asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Since Rainbow's without a partner, you'll be her wingpony for the rest of the academy."

Both Soarin and Rainbow glanced at each other before saluting, "yes ma'am!"

"Good. Now, get this place cleaned up." And with that, Spitfire left and both Rainbow and Soarin moved over to the rest of the recruits.

"Alright, you heard the lady. Let's make this runway fit to be called Wonderbolt Academy!" Rainbow commaned as Soarin and the other recruits all saluted before rushing off, following Rainbow's lead.

"Wait!" Pinkie cried as she held up the now flattened box they had brought her. "You didn't even get to open your care package!"

Everypony laughed at that while both Flash and Twilight just facehoofed at the sight.

Later that night...

After seeing her friends off, which Rainbow was glad to see they weren't going to get reported over coming because Spitfire would have to admit letting a maverick like Lightning Dust into the academy. Because of this, Rainbow spent some extra time with them while helping them make a new balloon, which they then used to promptly leave. Now, Rainbow had just got finished taking a shower and was heading back to the barracks.

As such, when she turned a corner in the building to leave, she felt herself slam into somepony. "Hey! Why don't you-" Once again, her magenta eyes met Soarin's emerald eyes as the two stared at one another.

Soarin chuckled at this, "This is happening way too often."

Rainbow smirked back. "Maybe you should just watch where you're going."

The two of them laughed as they subconsciously started walking, not realizing they were doing it until they found themselves at the edge of the academy's 'ground'. There, they decided to sit down, staring up at the stars in the sky.

"You did great out there by the way," Soarin told her. "You really do have the heart of a Wonderbolt."

"Thanks," Rainbow replied as she turned to hide a small blush. "And thanks for convincing Spitfire into making me a lead pony. Who knows what would have happened if Lightning had been lead." Both she and Soarin shivered at the thought.

"Well luckily, that didn't happen. And now we can enjoy the rest of the academy together." Rainbow smiled and nodded, only for a few seconds later, a frown began to morph on her face. Seeing this, Soarin spoke up, "You okay?"

Rainbow looked away. "No...I'm not."

"Why? What's wrong?"

"I..." Rainbow tried to reply, only to look back at him. There, she stared at his concerned face for a few minutes before looking down at the ground, "Alright. I'm gonna tell you something, but if you tell anypony else...I'll deny it."

"What?"

Rainbow took a deep breath. "I'm...kinda nervous. I was glad when Spitfire put me in charge, but now I'm scared I'm gonna mess it up. What if I give the wrong command, or decide to use the wrong move or...or."

Soarin put his hooves on her shoulders. "Rainbow, relax. You're not gonna mess up. You've got this."

"How can you be sure?" Rainbow asked as she looked back up, tears almost starting to form in her eyes.

Soarin just shook his head, smirking. "Because I had the same worries when I was made lead pony, and I still turned out fine." He then tapped her chest with his hoof, "And you, are ten times the leader I ever was. Trust me."

"I....thanks." Rainbow barely said, almost to the volume of a whisper.

Soarin's grin increased as he replied, "You're welcome."

Rainbow smiled at hearing that. Once again, the two were staring at one another, their heads slowly drifting closer and closer. There was no sound, no interruptions, nothing. Time itself stopped as the duo kept staring at each other.

Then, the gap closed, and the lips locked.

Gremlins

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It began like all good stories begin, with one orange pegasi asleep in his bed. There, the sound of soft snores could be heard as his hooves clenched his bedcovers over his body. The defender was having a nightmare, tossing and turning in his sleep as the dream continued.

"Ugh...no." he sleeptalked as he continued to roll around. "Don't...I can't...AAAAAH!" Then, he sprung up, his eyes wide open in fear. Sweat began to fall down his face, his hoof grasping the side of his head as he panted, "No! I....I...."

"You okay?" asked a voice in the room, causing the soldier to turn. There, his blue partner stood up and stared at him, "I could sense some fear in you Flash. Was it a nightmare?"

"It was..." Flash replied before shaking his head, "It was just a nightmare. Though I gotta say...it was a rough one."

"Wanna talk about it?"

Flash looked back at his partner, his breathing pace going back to normal, "No. I'm okay Springer. Its not like last time, where it kept happening and interfered with everything."

"Yeah...okay." Springer responded as he sunk back into the basket. He had to admit, it was true. Flash hadn't been having some marathon of nightmares like last time, as this was the first time in at least a week since Flash had a bad dream. Or, at least how his aura could tell. "Just...tell me if something's wrong Flash. Please."

"I will." Flash replied as he turned over, closing his eyes. With that, the two soon fell back to asleep, only to wake a few hours later for morning training.

Morning training...

Celestia's sun was about to crack the sky, ready to shine on for the day. As it did, two figures clashed over the grass, both weapons making a series of clangs as they battled. It was Flash and Iron, both using their weapons at full throttle.

"Eat it, bird boy!" Iron yelled as his metal spear swung at Flash, the pegasi easily blocking it. Iron then retracted the spear, quickly shooting it out again as Flash blocked once more. "Grrr...stay still!"

"Why would I do that?" Flash remarked as he blocked the attack for the third time. "That all you got Iron?!"

"Not a chance!" Iron roared as he switched the spear to a hammer, swinging the mallet downward. "Iron Quake!" Flash's wings flared as he took to the sky, dodging the attack. But this was what Iron wanted, who morphed his Piecemaker back into a spear and pointed it at the flying pony, "Iron Lance Fury!" The projectiles shot like bullets at the defender. But as they did, the orange pegasi closed his eyes, only to disappear as soon as he opened them. Iron just stared at the sky, surprise on his face, "What the-"

"Too slow." Flash said with a tap of the hoof on Iron's shoulder. Iron turned his head, only for his face to feel the might of one orange hoof uppercut.

"Puwaugh!" Iron spat out as he was knocked upward, his form soon hitting the dirt. He then began to roll, quickly recovering with a spin, only to feel Flash's blade at his neck.

"I win." Flash flatly stated, his eyes completely blank.

"Grrrr...stupid Theta thing!" Iron growled, putting his weapon down. Seeing this, Flash put his blade away as well, which Iron then commented, "You know, you're relying on that thing way too much lately."

"I'm not. I'm trying to figure out the best ways to use it Iron." Flash replied as he walked up to their gear and pulled out a canteen. "I have to get stronger, so I need to figure out all my tools."

"Tch...sure you do." Iron grumbled as Flash threw the canteen to him. "Too bad you can't figure out what the best tool you have is."

Flash opened his mouth to reply, only to look away, pulling out another canteen as he began to take a drink of water. "Yeah...I know."

Iron crossed his hooves as he took a swig of water, "So, you gonna finally tell me why you're so damn serious recently?"

"No." Flash replied as he put the drink away. "That's enough training. Let's go on patrol now."

"Now hang-"

"GOOOOOOOD MORNING!" yelled a new voice, causing the two to look over and see the voice's owner. It was one Pinkie Pie, who had Wild Smile trailing right behind her, his five puppets on his back. The duo blinked at the sight, wondering why the two were up so early.

"Hey Pinkie. What are you doing here?" Flash asked as Pinkie hopped right in front him.

"Hiya Flashy! Me and Wild are here to greet you two fine defenders and thank you for your service as Ponyville's protectors!"

Flash and Iron glanced at each other before blinking back at Pinkie, "Um...really? Why would you do that Pinkie?"

She shined a huge grin, "Cuz its the nice thing to do!"

"Nice thing, nice thing!" the puppets repeated.

"Those five are right! And as such," She put her hoof in her mane before pulling out a plate with three cupcakes on it. "These are me and Wild's 'Thank you for being the town's defenders' cupcakes for you!" She then leaned in and pointed to the cupcake that was colored blue, "Don't worry, this one is sugar-free, so Springer can have it without the whole 'yellow mouse rage' thing."

"Um...okay." Flash replied before him and Iron took the cupcakes from the plate. "Thanks Pinkie and Wild."

"You're welcome!" Pinkie shined another grin before zipping her head left and right, "Say, where's Springer?"

Flash pointed to a hill behind himself, "He's on the other side of that mound over there. He's trying to figure out something with his aura, so he's training alone."

"Okay!" Pinkie responded before bouncing onto her tail like a spring, quickly hopping over the two as she headed to the mound. As they watched the sight in confusion, the defender duo shrugged it off and both began eating the cupcakes.

"Mmm...not bad." Flash commented as he put the whole treat in his mouth, "Tastes like....huh?"

"What's wrong?" Iron asked as he gulped down his dessert.

"It feels like....AAAHHH!!!" Flash yelped, only for flames to suddenly come out of his mouth. "HOT! HOT! HOT!!!"

"What are you-urk!" Iron tried to say, only for his hooves to suddenly wrap around his body. "Cold....why do I feel so cold?!"

"AHAHAHAHA!" laughed the sound of two ponies as the two turned around, only to see Wild and Pinkie rolling on the ground, giggling like maniacs. "You fell for it!"

"Fell for it! Fell for it!"

"HOT! HOT! HOT!" Flash yelled again as another fireball flew out of his mouth. He then zipped up to the mare and grabbed her by the collar, "Pinkie! What did you do to those cupcakes?!"

"Oh, nothing much. Just a little prank me and Wild cooked up. Isn't it funny?"

"Its not-"

"Mmmph! MMMmmph!" said a new voice, causing them to all turn and see Springer, his mouth now completely covered in brown goo.

Flash glared back at Pinkie, "What did you do to Springer?"

"Peanut Butter."

"Peanut...oh, you gotta be kidding me." Flash groaned as he facehoofed, "Pinkie, why did you do this?!"

Pinkie just waved her hoof, patting the defender, "Aw come on Flash, we were just having some harmless fun. Besides, you looked like somepony who needed some cheering up with a dose of good old fashioned pranking. Here, have another cupcake." she said as she somehow conjured another plate with cupcakes.

"No. Go away Pinkie." Flash replied as he looked away.

"No. Stay Pinkie." Iron remarked as he cracked his hooves, "Please, give me another reason to-"

"We'll be leaving." Wild interrupted as he grabbed Pinkie's shoulder, "Right prank pal?"

"You got it, my mischief minion!"

"Leaving, leaving."

With that, the two ponies and five puppets hightailed it out of there, leaving the three defenders in the dust. But as they did, Flash turned to Iron, "They're gonna start pranking everypony in Ponyville, aren't they?"

"Probably."

As it turned out, the two were right. As they began their patrol, they soon found that Pinkie and Wild were going to be their source of trouble that day. It started with them replacing Twilight's ink for her research papers with invisible ink, (Pinkie mainly doing this as she thought it was an old classic) then a spree of random cream pies to anypony's face, which Flash got three different ones that day. The prank raid then went to Wild and his puppets painting a wall to look like gems with some help of his magic, causing Spike to run into the wall, teeth and claw first. It was here that Iron made Wild repair the wall while Pinkie was caught trying to make a paint-filled water balloon to sneakily use on Rarity. Flash was able to 'punish' her by making Rarity agree to bore Pinkie to death by making her model dresses at the slowest pace possible for the rest of the day.

But it wasn't enough. As the day passed, Flash soon found out Pinkie and Wild were just getting started. The next day, they continued their spree, mainly deciding to have a three day prank war with each other. Flash then had to help clean up just about every mess from these joke battles, causing his patience to grow thinner and thinner.

Three days later...

It was yet another beautiful day in Ponyville, a rainbow appearing in the sky due to the big thunder storm that had been blowing through the previous night. It had happened due to a mix-up in the weather schedule, (Not caused by Pinkie or Wild) in where a bunch of storm clouds got improperly placed and hit the roofs of several houses.

Flash, Springer, Twilight and the rest of their friends, minus Rainbow and Pinkie, were walking towards the street. Iron was pulling a large cart, full of cans filled with Time Turner's anti-lightning paint.

"Remind me again why we have to do this?" Iron asked as he continued to haul the heavy cart from the back of the pack.

Twilight turned to him. "The mishap with the thunderstorm last night caused several houses to get struck, but luckily, the insulation paint was able to protect them from the damage. Now, we need to repaint them so they'll be protected for the next storm."

Iron grumbled under his breath, obviously not liking the idea of this. With that explanation out of the way, the group arrived at the street they were gonna be working on, Applejack looking up at the roofs. "Hard to believe these things were hit by lightning. They still look brand new."

Rarity moved over to her, dressed in fashionable overall. "You can thank Mr. Time Turner's paint for that."

"Too bad it only works once," Flash said as he and Twilight started to remove the lids from the cans. "He said he's working on a batch that lasts longer, but for now, we need to repaint them."

Fluttershy, who had been carrying a bag of paint brushes, placed them on the ground. "So...um...we have to paint all these houses?"

"Just the roofs," Twilight replied as she started handing out face masks. "This shouldn't take too long, not with all of us chipping in."

Spike, the one holding the bag of masks, groaned. "Too bad Rainbow's still at that academy thing. With her speed, this'd be over in ten seconds flat."

"Well, she's not." Springer told him with a nudge. "Besides, this'll be fun."

Spike turned to him with a deadpan glare, "You and I have very different ideas on what counts as fun."

"Quit complaining you two," Flash told him as he looked around. "Now where's Pinkie and Wild? They said they'd help. That, and this is the only way we can keep them out of-"

"We're up here." Everypony looked up and saw the two standing on one of the roofs, Wild's puppets floating around them.

"What are you two doing up there?" Twilight asked with a cocked eyebrow.

Wild pointed at Pinkie. "It was her idea. I'm just here because it looked like fun."

"Fun, fun!" His puppets repeated.

"It is fun," Pinkie replied as she looked around in an exaggerated way. "Oh, cool! I can see my house from up here."

Wild laughed at that. "That's not hard, considering your house is one of the tallest in town." His puppets began laughing along with him.

Flash rolled his eyes as he said, "Will you two-er...seven, get down here?! We've got work to do!"

"Okay!" Pinkie said before leaping into the air. She then plummeted towards the ground, landing squarely on the end of the cart Iron had been pulling. Doing so caused the cart's rear end, where the lidless paint cans were, to be thrown into the air. "Oops."

Everypony watched as the paint cans spun through the air, the paint soon covering the sky. The batch of color turned into a wave as gravity pulled the liquid downward, splashing the group of ponies, jakhowl and dragon. Cries of annoyance filled the air as everypony except Spike was drenched in the paint. The young dragon, who had been on the far side of the group, looked down at himself and saw he did not have a speck on him. He breathed a sigh of relief before turning to the others, seeing them all covered in the stuff.

"Seriously?!" Flash moaned as he looked down at himself. "PINKIE!"

"Now Rarity," Applejack told the now panicking unicorn. "Try to stay calm."

Rarity was beginning to pant heavily, seeing the paint ruin her overalls along with her coat and hair. "I...I...I."

"Oh boy, that ain't good." Applejack gulped before turning to Twilight. "You think you can do something about this? You know, before she explodes."

Twilight nodded as her horn began to glow, the light quickly flowing to the others. Everypony watched as the paint began to float off of them. Twilight's magic then enveloped the fallen paint cans, making them levitate as they began to scoop up the floating paint. Despite this, the lot of them were still damp from the paint's moisture. Twilight then told them that there was nothing she could do about that, saying they would simply have to take a bath. This made the whole group turn towards the one responsible for this, Pinkie giving them a nervous smile as Wild finally managed to climb down and stand next to her. "Um...sorry?"

Their glares only intensified, Iron needing to be held back by Fluttershy, making them both gulp. Wild began to nervously chuckle as he grabbed Pinkie's shoulder, "So...if that's all you need from us." The two of them slowly started walking away. "Then we'll just...be...going-"

"Springer," Flash deadpanned as he rubbed his wings from the still-lingering paint goop feeling. Springer responded by creating an Aura Blast and throwing it at the two, the attack hitting the ground in front of them.

"Hey! Your dog just shot at us!" Wild barked back.

"Yes, I know," Flash growled as he gave Springer a small nod. "I told him to."

Wild and Pinkie both glared at the little creature. "Not cool Spring."

"Not cool, not cool."

Flash then walked over to them, an even bigger glare than before on his face. "Well, since you guys have nothing better to do than mess around..." His eyes narrowed as the volume of his voice increased, "You can cover for all of us while we go clean ourselves up!"

Wild shined a big smirk. "Ha! No problem! I'll just magic the paint onto-"

"No." Flash growled before holding up a pair of brushes. "The only magic you're allowed to use is to levitate these."

"What?!" Wild yelped, "But-"

"But nothing Wild." Flash interrupted before turning to one no longer smiling pink pony, "And no Pinkie shenanigans from you. Get to work."

"Okay." Pinkie replied as her hair deflated, her hoof slowly taking a brush. She then leaned over and loudly whispered to her partner, "You know, he's really become a tyrant."

"Power will do that to a stallion," Wild snickered. "Why do you think there's no male alicorns?"

Flash stomped his hoof, getting their attention. "Just get to work you two. Now."

Twilight leaned over to her assistant. "Spike?" The drake turned to the unicorn with expectant eyes, "Since you're clean, you stay here and make sure they don't shirk their duties or cheat."

Spike's expression turned to a frown, now wishing he had actually gotten dirty. That is, till Twilight's horn began to glow, soon teleporting a beach chair and a stack of comic books next to him. "You heard them," he said as he leapt into the chair. "No slacking."

Pinkie and Wild both frowned again before beginning to get to work, Flash and the others now starting to head out back home. As the two of them split off from the others, Twilight turned to Flash. "You think we might have been a bit too hard on them?"

Flash turned back to Twilight. "Look, I love Pinkie and Wild's...starting to grow on me. But those two have gotta learn to stop messing around when there's work to be done. Not only that, all they've done the past few days has been...annoying."

"They were just harmless pranks Flash." Twilight replied with a mid-frown.

Flash let out a long sigh in response, "Twilight, I like having fun as much as the next pony, but when something important is happening, it needs to be put on the back burner. We need to repaint the houses so they don't get destroyed if another storm happens, which means Pinkie and Wild need to learn how to be serious at times."

"Yeah," Springer nodded in agreement, "I mean, think if we were in a battle. You think how Pinkie or Wild acts would be at all useful in that situation?"

Twilight wanted to tell the jakhowl that in their battle against the Changelings, Pinkie's unusual mannerisms had defeated many of the insectoid ponies. But she really didn't want to get into an argument, instead wanting to simply get a bath going. "I guess that makes sense....but I still think we were too hard on them."

"We weren't, trust me. There's some lessons you need to learn, and you have to be harsh to learn them." Flash grumbled as looked down at his still damp and sticky body. "Now come on, let's get this stuff off of us."

"Okay..." Twilight whispered as she followed Flash back to the library. As she did, she stared at her old friend with worry in her eyes. That is, till she saw him rub his X shaped scar on his chest, making her blink at the stallion. He then entered the library first as Twilight stood outside alone for a moment, commenting at a new thought that hopped into her head, "But you were still too hard on her Flash. That and everything else lately...and I think I finally know why."

Later that day...

After getting themselves cleaned up, Flash and Springer went out on patrol. They had plans to check on Pinkie and Wild's progress, but first, Flash needed to grab something from the Ponyville jail cell.

The jail cell, the one built after Flash, Twilight and Trixie had beaten Big Score and his cronies, was a simple stone building. It was reinforced with magic, since ponies like Iron, or other criminals could smash right through normal rock and the building was also split into two, the front half with the door being where non-criminals would stand if they wanted to talk to the ones locked up.

Flash landed infront of the building, Springer jumping off his back. "Won't be a second bud," Flash told his partner. "I just gotta grab something." He opened the front door and stepped inside, only to hear something above him.

"Hmm? What the-whoa!" Flash cried out, as he felt himself suddenly be buried under something. Quickly pulling his head out of the pile dropped on him, he looked down at it and saw he had been buried in peaches. "Oh, for the love of Celestia!" He yelled as he started to try and free himself, "Who did-wait a minute, why am I even asking?!" His volume increased as he yelled at the ceiling, "PINKIE! WILD! Oh, I've got another street of houses with your names on it! I'm gonna-" His rant was cut short when he heard the sound of munching, causing him to look down and see Springer chowing down on a peach. "Really?! You're eating the evidence?!"

Springer, mouth full, only responded with a shrug.

When Flash finally managed to pull himself free, he and Springer were back in the air and on their way to where Pinkie and Wild were. "Where are those two?" He asked as he looked around. "I guess I've just gotta look for some kind of prank disaster or-"

"Flash!"

The pegasus and jakhowl looked down and saw a peach coloured earth pony they recognised as Nectarina, a pony who had a small but successful peach orchid at the edge of town. The two flew down and landed in front of her. "What's the problem?"

"Somepony stole my whole peach crop," Nectarina replied with tears brimming in her eyes. "I only looked away from my stand for a few seconds, but when I looked back they were all gone."

Flash and Springer both raised an eyebrow and shared a look with each other before replying, "I think we know where they are."

"You do?"

"Yeah," Flash crossed his hooves in irritation. "Somepony used them as ammo for some prank and I think know who."

"Oh dear," Nectarina gasped, putting a hoof over her mouth.

"Flash!" yelled another voice before they could do anything else. They all turned to see Lyra and Bon Bon rushing over to them, Bon Bon in the lead. "You've gotta help us!"

"What's wrong?" Flash asked as he turned to them.

This time, Lyra stepped up. "Mmmnnn, mmmnmnnmn."

Flash and Springer now shared a confused look. "Come again?"

"She can't talk," Bon Bon told them as she pointed to the green unicorn. "Somepony messed with my toffee recipe and made it to sticky! Lyra and a bunch of ponies who ate it now have their teeth stuck together!"

Flash scratched his head at this, "Oookay. Looks like those two were busy while I was-"

Suddenly, another pony rushed up to them, followed by another and another until Flash and Springer were completely surrounded. Some were telling him that they had had items stolen, like pins, sneezing powder, flowers, loud speakers and other stuff. Others were all complaining about having horrible pranks pulled on them, such as sitting down on chairs that had pins on the seat or finding flowers at the doorstep that they were allergic too.

"Okay, okay!" Flash told them all, leaping into the air with Springer on this back, "I understand and promise to get to the bottom of this. Everypony please head home and be on the look out." The ponies all grumbled before turning to leave, causing Flash and Springer to sigh in relief. "Good grief, this is a lot. Come on buddy, we need to do some investigating."

But their investigation wouldn't begin yet, as they then heard a, "ACHOO!" The two quickly turned to see Rarity walking down the street with a frown on her face. "Achoo!" She sneezed once again.

"You okay Rarity?" Flash asked as he landed back down.

"Hm?" The unicorn replied as she hopped in place, now seeing the duo at first before nodding to them. "Oh yes, I'm just...just...just...ACHOO!"

"What's wrong with you? Got a cold?" Springer asked before closing his eyes. "Hmm...your aura looks okay."

Rarity let out a long sigh. "I had just gotten out of my bath and started powdering my nose, but it seems my powder was replaced with some kind of high strength sneezing powder. I've taken another bath, but its still not stopped the sneezing. Achoo!"

Flash turned to his partner, "Wasn't sneezing powder one of the things that got stolen from the crowd earlier?"

Springer nodded at this while Rarity listened, causing her to speak up, "I'm guessing this is Pinkie's doing, especially with her and Wild's recent parade of pranks. Though I'm surprised, you said the powder was stolen."

"Yeah, somepony did say-"

"Sentry!" a voice interrupted them, causing them to turn and see Iron, Fluttershy and Applejack heading their way. "We've got a problem."

Flash crossed his hooves, "Let me guess. You've been pranked or had something stolen?"

"Yes," Fluttershy said with a nod and frown. "Somepony hid speakers all over my garden and started playing loud angry music which upset all my animals."

"I could hear it from my shack," Iron added. "The place got turned into a mad house."

Applejack stepped up next. "Somepony's put super glue on every single one of my apples. I can't buck them off, no matter how hard me or Mac kick."

Flash and Springer shared a glance at this as Flash commented, "Okay....this is going really far." He then motioned to Iron, "I don't know about you, but I'm more than ready to go stop this."

"Same here." Iron said with a nod, "I'm guessing you're thinking what I'm thinking?"

"You bet. Let's go."

It didn't take long for the two to get to their destination. As they made their way to the buildings they were about to paint earlier, Twilight had joined as well. She had been stuck at the library, as somepony had rearranged her books by basically putting them all on the floor. However, thanks to her magic, the cleanup didn't take long and she joined them in finding the cause of all the problems.

But as they arrived, they were surprised to see that both Wild and Pinkie were still painting the houses. It looked like they had only gotten half the street done, with Spike watching every now and then before focusing back to his comic. Seeing this, Twilight turned to the defenders before saying, "Um...it looks like they've been working the whole time. Are we sure they-"

Her words fell on deaf ears though, as Iron stomped the ground with a mighty quake, almost shaking the buildings. The force caught the trio's attention, specifically Wild and Pinkie as they looked down from the roof. "You two!" He almost yelled as he pointed at them. "Down here, now!"

The two shared a confused look before climbing down, Pinkie then asked, "What's up?"

Iron glared at them, giving them a look that would make anypony want to run away as Iron pointed at them. "Fess up you two! You've been playing pranks on everypony and it's driving them all nuts."

The duo both raised their eyebrows at this, only to share a look and then back at Iron as Wild said, "We don't have a clue about what you're talking about."

"Yeah," Pinkie added with a nod, "we've been here since you guys left."

"It's true," Spike told them from his chair. "Unless they figured out how to copy themselves, they haven't left this street once."

"See?" Pinkie replied as she pointed to Spike. "We've been good and were painting the houses with the lightning paint stuff."

Iron let out a shot of steam from his nostrils as he walked up Pinkie, his hoof slowly raising up, "Don't play dumb. You two have been on a pranking spree and everypony in town just went through a whole mess of pranks!"

"But we haven't done any pranks today Iron. Honest." Pinkie said with a slight gulp, only to see Flash put his hoof on her shoulder.

"Pinkie, you're on thin ice right now." Flash added before giving Wild an icy glare, "That includes you too. Now, I want you to tell me and Iron everything you've done today." He grit his teeth as then hissed, "Now."

Pinkie and Wild looked at each other again, both gulping as they looked back at the crowd glaring at them. They then recounted their day, was mainly them planning a water balloon fight if they hadn't gotten trouble with the paint ordeal. This was going to be followed with them helping the Cakes with the twins, where they were going to take the foals to the park. And as the group heard this, all the mares and Springer were convinced, but...

"Then how did all of this happen?!" Iron yelled as he and Flash told them the pranks the crowd from earlier had talked about.

"But...we would never steal." Pinkie whimpered out as she and Wild backpedaled from Iron and Flash's rage. "I mean, none of those things sound fun at all. Scaring animals, ruining toffee and stealing, that's just mean."

Iron and Flash opened their mouths to reply, only for both to be shut with Twilight's magic. She then magically pulled both of their ears as she said, "We get it you two. You're innocent."

"Twilight! What are you-ack!" Flash yelped as the tug on his ear increased. "Ow! Stop that Twilight!"

Twilight walked in front of the defenders and pointed to Pinkie and Wild, "Apologize to them. NOW!"

Flash and Iron shared a look, only to drop their heads as they both replied, "Sorry for suspecting you."

"Good." Twilight growled as she crossed her hooves. "Now, let's calm down and figure out what's really going on."

"But if it isn't them Twilight, who else could it be?" Flash asked, only to see Iron open his mouth. The pegasi quickly glared at him as he said, "And don't say its my sister and her friends. They're still at school!"

Iron closed his mouth at this, only to turn and glare at the Pinkie and Wild, "I don't like this. If its not them or those three, then we don't have any suspects."

"Yeah..." Flash muttered in agreement, his gaze now directing towards Pinkie and Wild again, "I don't like this either. If its not....hm?"

In that moment, Flash felt a familiar shiver go down his spine. In response, he turned to his jakhowl partner, only to see him with his eyes closed, his ears flaring as aura glowed around his body. Flash blinked at the sight, slowly speaking up, "What's up bud? Ya sense something?"

Springer didn't reply. Instead, the jakhowl suddenly leapt into the air and formed an Aura Blast in his paw, which he tossed towards some nearby trash cans. The strike knocked the cans flying, kicking up a dust cloud. But the cloud wasn't the strange part, as their ears now caught on to something new. Something was coughing, all thanks to the dust cloud.

The group all went on high alert as they watched the something slowly appear, the dust now settling. Standing on the upturned trash can, was a two foot high bipedal creature. It had bright pink skin with purple dots scattered around its body. Large pointed ears and purple hair like spikes struck out of its head, along with a long tail and sharp looking claws. The little creature turned towards the group, seeing that they were looking at it before looking down at itself. Whatever it was suddenly had a surprised look on its face, but the that surprise turned to strange focus as it scrunched up its face. This caused Pinkie to giggle, getting a strange look from everypony. "What?" she asked them as she pointed at the creature. "It looks like its trying to do number two."

The others rolled their eyes before turning back to the creature, seeing it was still doing whatever it was doing. Then, it stopped while panting heavily before looking back up at them.

"Uhhh," was all Flash could say at first, "anypony wanna tell me what the heck that thing is?"

"Beats me, I've never seen anything like it. Damn ugly though." Iron replied before turning to Fluttershy, who just shook her head.

"Sorry Iron, I don't know either."

"Great, another mystery..." Applejack commented in a deadpan tone as she pointed at the creature, "does anypony have any actual idea of what that thing is?"

Twilight, who had been searching through the vast mental library of her brain, finally found the mental book she had been looking for. Her eyes shrunk as she stuttered out the answer, "Gremlin."

The others turned her, Flash asking, "Come again?"

Twilight blinked at the sight, rubbing her chin as she scanned the creature over to be sure. "It's a gremlin."

"What's a Gremlin?"

"In one word...trouble."

As soon as those words left the unicorn's mouth, the gremlin quickly lived up to that name. It a bolt of motion, the being leapt onto Flash's back. "Hey! Get off!" Flash yelled as he tried to grab it, only for it to leap again.

"Get offa me, yah varmint!" Applejack yelped as it landed on her. She tried to buck it off, but the gremlin went full on rodeo and held on.

"I'll get him!" Springer yelled as he tried to tackle the gremlin, only for it to leap off Applejack and cause him to go flying over her. "Ow!" He cried as he slammed into the ground.

The gremlin this time landed back on the ground, and started laughing. Seeing that it was occupied with laughter, Flash turned to Twilight. "Some more info on this thing would be useful."

Twilight continued to scan her brain, tapping the side of her head as she began to explain, "If I remember right, they're pranksters by nature. They use their invisibility powers to play tricks on others."

"Guess we now know who's been playing all those silly pranks," Rarity said before sneezing again.

"But what's it doing here?"

"I don't know," Twilight told them with a shake of the head. "Their natural habitats are supposed to be mountains, where stray storm clouds gather."

"Storm clouds?"

"They're attracted to electrical energy. It acts like food to them, while also allowing them to turn invisible." A bulb instantly went off in Twilight's head as she finished her own explanation. "Yesterday's storm must have drawn them here."

"So...how do we deal with it?" Wild asked as his puppets hopped onto his back.

"Deal with it, deal with it!"

"I don't know," Twilight replied as she rubbed her chin. "None of the books I've read about it have ever explained how to get rid of one."

Iron let out a dark chuckle as he pulled out Piecemaker. "Oh please! I'll show you how we get rid of it!"

"I'm with you on that," Flash said as he pulled out Lightbringer. However, in that moment the gremlin snickered as it reached into the upturned trash can before pulling something out. That something what a bottle of some kind of liquid, which it ripped the top off before tossing its contents at the two knights.

Not expecting this, the two defenders of the peace didn't have time to react and soon felt the liquid land on their weapons. "What the?!" Iron said at his weapon.

Flash sniffed his blade, recognising the smell of the liquid. "Cooking oil?" He shook his head and focused on the gremlin. "Flash-" He didn't get to finish his attack, for when he swung his sword back, it slipped out of his hoof. Flash's friends all yelped as they ducked, the Celestic Gear going over their heads. They looked around to see Lightbringer stick into a nearby house wall before turning back to Flash, glaring at him. Flash cringed at this. "Sorry."

Iron stepped in front of him. "My turn. Iron-" He thrust his weapon forward, causing the spear to slip out of his hoof and land infront of the gremlin.

The little creature began to laugh again. "Gotcha!"

"It can talk?" Springer asked in surprise.

"No," Twilight immediately replied, "its just it's natural cry. Like a lion's roar or a cat's purr. That's where the term came from."

"Fascinating," Flash grumbled as he went over and tried to pull his weapon out of the wall, the oil making the grip extra tricky.

"I got this," Springer said as he created a Bone Breaker and charged at the beast. But as he did, the gremlin easily dodged the first swing with a hop, only to start hopping around like a bunny as Springer continued to miss. "Hold still, blast it!"

"That thing's on a permanent sugar rush," Wild said as he watched the two creatures rush around.

Pinkie chuckled. "That looks like fun."

"Its not!" Springer yelled as he missed again. "Can somepony please help me?!"

Twilight watched as the gremlin leapt away, trying to figure out where it would land next. As it hopped again, her horn lit up, only for a full magic aura to cover the gremlin in one fell swoop. There, it cried out as it tried to escape, but to no avail. Seeing this, Twilight levitated it up to the group, "Alright, you little trouble maker. Where should we put you until we find a way to get you back to your proper home?"

"I suggest somewhere small and very uncomfortable," Applejack growled with a glare.

Fluttershy stepped up next, putting her hoof between Twilight and Applejack. "Now hang on everypony. I'm sure he was only acting out because he's scared."

"Scared?!" Iron yelped with wide eyes.

Fluttershy nodded before turning to the gremlin. "You're in a strange place, and all of your friends are gone. That would make anypony act out. If you calm down and apologize, my friend Twilight promises to let you go."

The gremlin stared at her for several seconds, until finally it replied by spitting a raspberry in her face. Fluttershy moved back with a gasp. "How rude."

Iron picked his weapon back up. "You little-" He didn't get to finish his threat, as in that moment, the gremlin put two of its fingers up to his mouth and blew.

A high pitched whistle escaped his lips and echoed through the town, causing everypony to cover their ears. "What's it doing!?" Flash cried over the noise as he finally got his blade free and sheathed it.

"I don't know," Twilight replied, his face cringing up. "I have a feeling its nothing good though."

Pinkie, the only one unaffected as she had pulled out a pair of sound concealers out of her mane, saw the gremlin looking up at the roof. She followed his view and looked up, only to gasp and start tapping Flash on the shoulder.

"Not now Pinkie," Flash told her as he went up and began hitting the gremlin with his hoof. "Be quiet you little-" But Pinkie tapped his shoulder again, "I said, not now Pinkie! What do you-"

Pinkie didn't reply. Instead, she just pointed upwards.

Slowly, Flash and the others looked up and saw what she was pointing at. Gremlins, tons of them, appearing one after the other. They were all on the roof, smiling down at them all.

"Oh.." Flash, Iron and Springer said.

"Sweet.." Applejack, Rarity and Spike added.

"CELESTIA!" Twilight finished, as she accidently dropped the gremlin she was holding.

The free gremlin leapt up onto a nearby drainpipe and climbed up it, joining the rest of its kind. Once there, it let out some kinda babble before the group rushed off to cause more mischief.

"Oh ponyfeathers," Flash moaned as he with a face hoof, "This is gonna be worst than the Parasprite incident, isn't it?"

"Everypony after them!" Twilight called out. The group raced off in different directions, rushing around the town as they saw the gremlins do what they do best. Now that they were exposed, they were forgoing the previous subtlety and were simply causing major carnage.

Flash, Springer and Twilight followed one group and found them at the market, where they were throwing fruit and vegetables at running away ponies. "Gotcha, gotcha!" The gremlins cried out.

Flash pulled out his blade again, only for huge frown to appear on his face when he saw Scootaloo and her friends walk into the market. The Cutie Mark Crusaders, fresh out of school, had been heading to their club house and had cut through town, only to be bombarded by the gremlins. One of the gremlins had knocked Scootaloo off her scooter and started racing around on it, the pegasus chasing after it. "Give it back!" She cried as she tried to follow.

In that moment, Flash shot forward, knocking the gremlin off the scooter with one swift kick. He then turned to his sister and her friends, "You all okay?"

Scootaloo nodded as she got back on her scooter. "Yeah. Thanks Flash."

"No problem. Now get inside!"

Scootaloo nodded as she rushed away, grabbing her friends and heading to the closest building they could find cover in. With them out of danger, Flash turned back to the gremlins. "Alright, you freaks! You're going down, now!" He leapt into the air, the now dried Lightbringer in his grasp. "Let's see if you lot can handle this. Flash Cutter!" He swung his blade around, unleashing a barrage of energy blades.

However, the pink monsters saw them coming and smirked before pulling out a makeshift catapult and unleashing a barrage of tomatoes and carrots. The weaponized produce flew through the air and struck the energy blades, cutting them completely off. "What the heck?!" Flash cried before realizing they were already shooting another round, causing him to go into his Theta Mode and dodge the oncoming projectiles.

Twilight on the other hoof, was once again trying to use her magic to capture the gremlins, but the sheer number and their constant movements made it impossible. Soon enough, she found herself in the cross-hairs of their catapult as they fired a volley of oranges at her.

"Look out!" Springer cried as he leapt infront of her and created a Bone Breaker, spinning it around to block the fruit. But the jakhowl's defense wasn't enough, as they pulled out another catapult out of nowhere and shot another barrage. This time, a volley of pears struck the jakhowl, knocking him over instantly.

"Springer!" Flash yelled as he landed by him. "You okay?!"

"Look out!" Twilight told him, causing him to spin around and see another wave of flying fruit.

SMASH!

"Augh!" Flash yelped as the food hit him with full force, knocking him and Springer into Twilight. The trio then smashed into a stand, all of them groaning from the blow.

"Gotcha! Gotcha!" The gremlins cheered as they rushed off.

Twilight let out a moan as she pulled herself out of the stand. "That didn't go well. I really hope the others are having better luck than us."

Meanwhile...

Iron and Fluttershy had chased the gremlins to Time Turner's lab, where they found them messing with his machinery.

"Stop that!" Time Turner cried as he tried to use a broom to knock a gremlin off of one of his inventions. However, the gremlin was out of reach and more focused on the machine. It then stuck its claws onto the machine, sparks starting to shoot out of it and into the claws. Electricity began to surge around the gremlin's body, the creature's face one of pure bliss as it did this before the machine shut down to the loss of energy.

Then, as if on cue, the gremlin vanished into thin air.

"What the heck!? Where did it go?!" Iron asked as he looked around.

"I don't know," Fluttershy replied, only for the two to hear a sound above them. They looked up, only to see a floating can of grease.

SPLAT!

"Eeek!" Fluttershy cried as the grease drenched her and Iron.

"Gotcha!" The invisible gremlin cheered before leaping down and rushing out the lab, sliding on the greasy floor for fun.

"What in the name of time is going on?!" Time Turner screamed.

Meanwhile, again...

Applejack, Spike and Rarity had arrived in Bon Bon's candy store, where she and Lyra were standing on one of the island tables hugging each other in fear. The gremlins were going through their food, stuffing their faces with anything edible.

"Help us!" Bon Bon cried.

"Mmnnn!" Lyra tried to talk, but her mouth was still sealed shut.

"Hold on!" Applejack roared as she charged at the gremlins, spinning around and bucking them away with her hind legs. But the gremlins didn't seem phased by Applejack's unbelievable horsepower Instead, they all simply bounced off whatever surface they were bucked into like a rubber ball, laughing as they did.

"Lands sake!" Applejack yelled as she watched them return to their meal of candy. "What are these things made of?!"

Spike stepped up next. "Let's see how they like a little fire then!" He took a deep breath and unleashed a burst of flames, which flew at the gremlins and consumed them. However, the gremlins just stood there, unphased by the flames as well.

"They're fire proof as well?" Rarity asked in shock.

"Forget the fire! Just grab'em!" Applejack told the two, causing them all to leap at once. As they did, one gremlin grabbed a nearby bag of flour and slammed it into the ground, a white cloud flour quickly filling the room.

"I've got one!" Applejack yelled as the cloud continued to fill the building.

"I do too," Rarity added.

"Uhh...girls," Spike said as the flour cloud faded. When it did, Applejack and Rarity were revealed to be holding onto Spike, Applejack his tail and Rarity his right claw.

"Gotcha!" The gremlins all cheered from the door, all soon rushing out of the building to search for their next bit of mayhem.

"Aw shoot..."

Meanwhile, yet again...

Pinkie and Wild had chased a group of gremlins who had made their way to Sugarcube Corner, where Mr. and Mrs. Cake were cowering in the corner while protecting their twins. "Mister and Mrs. Cake!" Pinkie cried as she and Wild burst into the bakery.

"Pinkie!" Mr. Cake cried.

"Wild!" Mrs. Cake screamed. "What are these things?!"

"No time to explain," Wild said before turning to his puppets. "You know what to do!" The puppets zipped across the room and got between the bakers and the gremlins.

"Back off!" The five puppets yelled, their eyes glowing red. The gremlins looked at the wooden figures, only for all of them to jump on the puppets, banging them with their claws.

"Ha! We got them now!" Wild said as he pointed to this puppets. "Spin 'em till they barf, buddies!"

The puppets did just that, almost turning into a tornado as they spun the creatures around. Their eyes quickly turned to swirls as they all fell off, all of the gremlins either crashing or wobbling around the room.

"My turn!" Pinkie said as she pulled a leaf blower out from nowhere, blasting them out the door and the windows. "I like a good joke more than anypony, but you all go too far! You don't prank foals!" With that, she cracked the blower to its highest setting and created a small tornado that sent most of the gremlins flying away. Seeing no fun here, the remaining gremlins rushed out the door. Pinkie smiled at this, blowing the end of her blower like a cowboy would on a pistol. "Gotcha." She and Wild then turned to the Cakes. "Are you all okay?"

"We are now. Thank you."

"Aw, it was nothing."

"You four might want to lock this place up," Wild told them as he motioned to his puppets. "At least until we can rid of these things."

"Good idea," Mrs. Cake replied.

The two ponies nodded before rushing back out the bakery.

A little later...

Pinkie and Wild were now heading over to the main square, seeing the gremlins continue to cause major havoc on the way. The ponies of the town had all locked themselves away, trying to their homes safe from the invaders. And as they finally arrived outside town hall, they spotted the rest of their friends there. The eight of them did not look happy, as they were all covered in fruit, grease or flour.

"These things are unbeatable," Springer said as he tried to wipe the fruit of out his fur.

"I second that," Rarity added.

"There has to be some way of stopping them," Flash moaned as he helped Springer get clean. "We just have to think."

"There's too many of them to deal with one at a time," Twilight explained as she pulled an applecore out of her hair. "If we focus on one, the others use the distraction to get to us."

"Then we've gotta take them all out at once," Iron said while pumping his hooves. "Sounds good to me."

"And how'd you suppose we do that?" Applejack asked. "These things are so fast, plus they disappear whenever they get their claws on electricity."

"Agreed..." Twilight responded, only for another click to go off in her brain. "Wait a minute! We could use that!"

"What?"

"Storm clouds!" Twilight cheered as she clapped her hooves, "Remember, they brought the gremlins here. They're attracted to the storm clouds!"

Flash caught on to what she was saying, clapping his hooves as well, "Let me guess, you want us to use the storm clouds to lure them somewhere?"

"Correct. Then we can catch them all in one fell swoop." Twilight finished.

Pinkie's face morphed into a big frown. "Are you sure that's a good idea? These things seem pretty smart."

Flash just rolled his eyes. "They're just fun loving nuisances. They might be able to play a few pranks, but there's no way they'll outsmart us."

"But-"

"This isn't the parasprite incident Pinkie. We'll beat these things together." Flash barked back with a glare before turning to the others, "Okay, here's the plan. Fluttershy and I will gather as many storm clouds as we can while the rest of you work on setting up a trap. Agreed?"

"Agreed," everypony except Pinkie and Wild said before rushing off.

Pinkie's frown increased as her hair started to go flat. "I know they're still upset about the paint, but its like they're not even listening to me. Especially Flash."

Wild placed a hoof on her shoulder. "Don't worry about it. They're all just upset because of the situation."

"I'm upset too!" Pinkie whimpered back. "But even so, they're not thinking this situation through. What if the gremlins get their claws on the electricity in the clouds? That could make them unstoppable."

"Then we'll deal with it," Wild told her with a wink. "Now come on. The least we can do is try Flash and Twilight's idea."

Pinkie sighed before nodding, the two following the others at a slightly slower pace.

And so, the group began Flash and Twilight's plan. Flash and Fluttershy managed to get their hooves on some storm clouds, which they were flying over the two to attract the gremlins. Said gremlins quickly followed the lightning, almost as if they could smell it. Soon enough, the two of them had all the gremlins chasing after them, causing Fluttershy to shake a little in fear.

"Relax," Flash told her as he looked down at the gremlins. They had climbed onto the roofs of buildings before leaping off to try and grab onto the clouds, only to miss over and over again. "See that? They can't reach us. Just stick to the plan."

"Okay," Fluttershy muttered as she kept pushing forward. "Um...Flash?"

"Yeah?"

"If they're attracted to electricity, couldn't we just lead them out of town?"

"Hmmm...I guess we could try that. If it doesn't work, we could still do plan A." Flash remarked as the two pegasi changed direction and headed to the edge of town towards Flash and Iron's training ground. Flash knew that if they reached there, he could use Lightbringer to cause a rock slide in the canyon and block them from heading back.

But as they got closer, the two pegasi came to stop as they saw that the gremlins had stopped following them. The two looked down, only to see the gremlins all talk to each other in gibberish.

"What are they...hey!" Flash yelled, getting their attention. "Come on you guys! Follow us!"

But the gremlins just gave him a blank stare, only to turn and rush back to Ponyville. Seeing this, Fluttershy commented, "I guess they don't want to leave."

"Great..." Flash growled, "so much for plan B. Come on, let's get back to plan A."

Fluttershy nodded and the two of them turned back to the town, following their original plan and gathering the gremlins once again. As they did, Flash opened up his aura connection with Springer. "How's it going partner?"

"Working on it," Springer replied as he followed Rarity with a batch of fabric. "We need a little more time."

The team were currently working on digging a large pitfall trap. Iron, Applejack, Pinkie, and Wild were digging it, Iron using Piecemaker as a shovel while Twilight supervised and calculated whether or not it was deep enough. Rarity, Spike and Springer were gathering green fabric from her shop, which they would use to cover the pit once it was done.

"Please tell me you lot are almost done," Spike said as they arrived.

"Almost," Twilight said as she looked down at the pit. It was currently five meters deep and eight meters wide, which based on the size of the gremlins and their number was just deep enough. "Alright," she used her magic to lift the others out before throwing the covering over it. "We're ready."

Springer nodded and opened his connection with his partner. "Now Flash!"

"You got it!" Flash replied before he and Fluttershy turned towards the location. The gremlins followed suit, still chasing and jumping after the cloud. And as they arrived at the spot where the hole was, Twilight and the others hid themselves away.

Soon enough, the two pegasi were floating just above the edge of the pit. There, they slowly descended with the cloud while Fluttershy shook as they all stared at them, Flash instead waiting for them to act. "Come on...just a little more..." he whispered under his breath.

Finally, the gremlins all leapt at them with their claws at the ready.

"NOW!" Flash yelled as he dragged Fluttershy and the clouds up and out of their reach, causing the gremlins to jump right into the green covering of the pit. The whole lot instantly went through the fabric, all of them falling like bricks.

"Yes!" Flash cheered as he busted the clouds and flew down towards the edge of the pit, the others coming out of hiding at the same time. They all looked down into the pit and saw the gremlins clawing at the side of the hole, trying to climb out, but with no luck.

"Looks like it worked," Twilight said with a smile.

"Ah'll say," Applejack added. "No way them varmints are gettin out of there."

However, in that moment, a pink claw appeared over the edge of the pit. The group flinched back in surprise before looking inside the pit to see that one of the gremlins, who was standing on the shoulders of another, was now on top of a tower like creation made by other gremlins.

"Seems you were wrong darling," Rarity shrieked. "They've already got out!"

The gremlin pulled itself up, only to find Iron's hoof in its face, knocking it back into the hole. That is, till three more gremlins heads popped up, only for his hooves to knock them all down as well. "This isn't working," he told the others as another gremlin tried to pull itself out of the hole, only to get the same treatment.

Flash turned to Twilight. "Uhh...think you can do something?"

Twilight nodded and turned back to the hole, her horn glowing as it created a barrier over the entire pit. The gremlin looked up and the purple shield, trying to claw at it with no result. "This should hold them...for now!"

For several minutes, they watched as the gremlins tried to escape with no success. The rest of the townsponies soon came out of their homes, coming over to them so they could get a look at the gremlins.

"So...what exactly are we gonna do with them?" Fluttershy asked.

Flash scratched his head. "I'm...not sure."

Twilight's face was scrunched up in focus. "Well, could you hurry up and think of something?! I can't hold this barrier forever!"

"We'll think of something." Iron replied as he watched the put with a cold glare. "Just...give us a minute."

Pinkie continued to watch as gremlins tried to escape, but then she noticed something. The gremlins were now further away from the edge of the pit, but how could that be possible? She racked her brain, until a single horrible thought entered her mind.

"Um...Twilight?"

"Little busy right now Pinkie."

"I know, but I have a really important question."

"Can it wait?"

"No."

"Fine. What is it?"

"Can gremlins...dig?"

Twilight turned to her with a raised eyebrow. "Why do you ask?"

Before Pinkie could reply, a new sound caught everypony's attention. They turned to the sound's source, only to see the ground suddenly break open, creating a small mole hill like hole. From out of that hole, a gremlin's head popped out.

"Gotcha," the gremlin laughed before leaping out. Another gremlin then followed, along with another and another.

"Plug it up!" Flash yelled as he, Springer and Iron leapt at the hole to cover it. However, another hole appeared a few feet away and the gremlins began rushing out of it. Everypony watched as more and more holes appeared, with every single gremlin climbing out of them. Eventually, the pit they had dug was completely empty.

WIth this, the townsponies rushed back into their homes, as the gremlins once again started causing mayhem. Flash picked himself up and looked around and saw the gremlins rushing about the town, swinging from lamp posts and causing whatever bit of havoc they could find. Seeing that they were back to square one, Flash collapsed onto his flank. "That's it, I give up!"

Twilight and the others rushed over to him and frowned, "Flash, you can't give up."

"Why not?! These things are unstoppable!"

The others wanted to refuse that, but then they looked around and started think he was right. "Maybe...maybe we should call the princesses for help."

"This is gonna be embarrassing," Iron admitted as he slumped down as well.

Applejack had to agree with that. "We've beaten crazy alicorns, chaos demons and shadow monsters, yet we can't beat a bunch of two foot high critters."

Everyone sighed and sat down along with Flash, leaving only one pony on her hooves. Pinkie looked around at her friends, seeing them all simply giving up after their plan failing. This caused her usual happy look to shift to one of seriousness as she moved in front of them. "Up on your hooves everypony! We're not done yet!"

Everypony looked up at her, giving her an odd look. That is, except Flash who just glared at her, "What exactly do you think we can do to stop these things?! Everything we've done doesn't do a thing." He let out a long sigh. "And...You were right. They're too smart."

"Exactly," Pinkie told him as she tapped her chest, "which is why to beat them, we can't outsmart them. We need to out-prank them."

Everypony stared at her with a round of deadpan stares, Twilight speaking up, "Pinkie, what are you talking about?"

"I know these things better than they know themselves. They're only after their own enjoyment. If we turn the tables on them and stop their fun, they'll get bored and leave on their own."

The group continued to give her a flat look as Rarity decided to add her two cents, "Pinkie darling, I honestly doubt it's that simple."

The others nodded in agreement, making Pinkie frown, until one of them stood up. Wild got onto his hooves and moved over to her with his tongue sticking out, "Come on everypony, what have we got to lose by trying? If this doesn't work, we have the princess plan to fall back on." Turned to Pinkie and smiled. "If anypony has a chance of stopping these things, its her."

Pinkie shined a huge grin back before turning to her friends. "Please...just trust me on this one."

One by one, the group smiled at her before getting up. "Alright Pinkie," Twilight told her. "We'll give your plan a shot."

"Indeed," Rarity continued.

"What have we got to lose?" Applejack added.

"I'll help to," Fluttershy said with a nod.

Iron smirked. "Same here. Beats having to ask the princess for help."

"We're in too," Spike and Springer replied in unison.

They turned to the last pony on the ground, Flash. However, he kept staring at the ground, only to feel a certain magic tug on his ear as Twilight spoke up, "Come on Flash, give her a chance."

Flash looked back up and stared at Pinkie for a moment, a sigh following as he picked himself up. "Alright Pinkie, what's the plan?"

The gremlins were continuing to look for anything fun to do, but the ponies being locked away was seriously limiting their options. It was in that moment that a group spotted Flash and Twilight sitting at a table, the two involved in a game of pony chess. The gremlins all snickered at this before moving over to them.

Flash picked up one of his pieces and moved it in a L shape. "So if I move my cockatrice here, then isn't that checkmate and I win?"

Twilight looked the board over. "Hmm..." In that moment, one of the gremlins jumped up on the table and flipped the board over, ruining their game. The rest of the gremlins waited to see their angry expressions, but were shocked to see the two ponies looking completely unphased by their actions. Instead, Twilight horn flared, and caused the board and its pieces to reappear in the exact same way they were before. "Maybe."

The gremlins were befuddled by this.

"I'm pretty sure it is Twilight, your alicorn is trapped." He pointed to spaces on the board. "You can't move there because of my minotaur." The board was once again flipped over, only to be restored by Twilight again. "You can't move there because of my manticore, and you can't move there, there, or there because of my dragon. So, that's check mate."

All the while he had been talking, the gremlins flipped the table again and again, only to get no reaction. No matter how much noise they made, the two would not acknowledge them. Seeing this, the gremlins all shrugged before turning away to find someplace else to cause some havoc.

But no sooner had they did this, each of them suddenly felt something smack the back of their heads. They cried out as they spun around and looked down, seeing small stones on the ground. They then looked up at Twilight and Flash, seeing that they were still looking down at their game.

The gremlins frowned at this and turned around again, only to be struck in the back of the head once more. They looked around and saw the exact same thing as before, stones on the ground and the two ponies playing their game.

"Want a rematch?" Flash asked in a low, lazy tone.

"Sure," Twilight said with a small shrug, "that last game was just a fluke anyway."

They all growled and began to walk off, keeping their backs away from the two until they were a fair distance away. Once they were gone, Twilight and Flash smirked before high hoofing. "Looks like it's working."

"I can't believe it is." Flash commented as he stared at the stones that had been used to hit the gremlins' heads.

"Because you doubted Pinkie." Twilight hissed as her horn started to glow, almost ready to pull Flash's ear. "You were really not nice to her earlier Flash."

"I...I know. I'm gonna apologize to her later Twilight." Flash admitted as he slumped in his chair. He glanced back at Twilight, only to see a huge scowl on her face. "I promise. I will apologize to her."

"Good." Twilight replied, her horn now back to normal. "Now...anything else you want to talk about?"

"No. Why do you ask?" Flash said as he blinked at her, a questioning gaze on his face. But in that moment, his hoof subconsciously raised itself over the X shaped scar on his chest.

This did not go unnoticed, making Twilight frown. "So that's it. Looks like your battle with Sombra got to you."

Flash blinked at her again. "I don't know what you're talking about-urk!"

That little yelp of pain was from a magical tug on Flash's ear, causing him to cringe. Twilight then leaned over, a cold glare on her face. "Now that I think about it, you've been acting strange ever since that battle. I know you were really happy at your birthday, but you've been nothing but serious these past few weeks, even going so far with you not going with Scootaloo to go camping! You were also especially bad when we went to go see Rainbow."

"Twilight, I told you about that. I'm a solider and-augh! Stop pulling my ear!"

"No! No excuses!" Twilight yelled as she slammed her hoof on the table. "Tell me what happened, now!"

"Twilight, I'm not-"

"Stop it." Twilight interrupted again, her glare now changing to one of sympathy. "I know you better than anypony else Flash. I've seen you like this, it was only back when we lived in Canterlot when Lightning Blitz would pick on you all the time." Twilight put her hoof to her lips as she continued, "Flash...what did Sombra do? Is it the scar?"

"I....no." Flash admitted as he could now feel Twilight's magical aura disappear around his ear. He knew he couldn't get out of this, and continued, "I just...when I fought that guy, I...." He looked back up at her, misery mixed with fear all over his face, "I really thought I was gonna die. Like...he had me and everything."

Twilight blinked at this, tilting her head with a frown. "What do you mean?"

Flash shook his head, tears almost beginning to form, "I...no, me and Ruby....we didn't even hurt the guy. Any blow we did, it didn't do a thing Twilight." Flash pulled out Lightbringer and stared at the blade with sad eyes. "But it wasn't just that. That guy...Sombra, he was pure evil."

"Pure evil? You mean, he was worse than the others we've faced?"

Flash nodded, "Yeah. He...I could tell he wanted to do nothing but bring misery to everypony. And I couldn't stop him." Flash looked down and rubbed the scar again, "When he did this...this scar to me, I could see his face as he did it. He...was smiling. A full, genuine smile was on his face while he was causing me pain." Flash looked back up at Twilight, "Even Lightning, who hated me, was never like that."

"Flash..."

"And yet....I got in that situation because I was overconfident. I know I was also going in there to save Ruby but..." Flash let out a long sigh as he looked down at his scar again, "I thought for sure I could take him. I went in thinking I could just win the fight like I always do, only this time...this time I got punished for being an idiot."

"Oh Flash..." Twilight got up and hugged the pegasi, the defender slowly embracing back. After a few moments, she backed off and stared right into his eyes. "You need to stop punishing yourself over this. We still won that fight, Flash. You need to move on, got it?"

"But-"

"No buts Flash." Twilight interrupted, grabbing her shoulders with her hooves, "We're all here for you, and we'll help you move on, okay?"

"I..." Flash tried to reply as he looked up at her, only to see a huge, kind smile on her face. Seeing this, he nodded as a small smile appeared on his. "Okay. Thanks Twilight."

"Good. Next time something like this happens, you need to tell me and the others, okay? We're all here to help you."

"Okay." Flash replied with a nod.

Twilight released her grip as she motioned him to follow her. "Alright. Come on, the others might need our help."

"Sounds good to me."

Several more gremlins were in the park, looking for some fun. They soon noticed Rarity, Fluttershy, Applejack and Spike all having a picnic, with tea and sandwiches.

The gremlins smirked at this before rushing past them, grabbing the picnic supplies as they soon scarfed them down. No sooner had they swallowed, their throats suddenly seemed to catch fire. The lot of them screamed as they rushed over to a nearby fountain and dunked their heads inside. But they soon learned that this was also mistake, as the fountain contained not water but soapy bubbles.

The gremlins all cried out as the horrible taste mixed with the spicy food. They all stuck out their tongues and started scratching them, trying to get the bad taste off of them.

The three ponies and baby dragon laughed at this, making the gremlins angry as they ran off from the humiliation.

The last group of gremlins found Iron and Springer in the forest training ground, where they looked to be starting their exercise.

When they saw the two heading over to where they kept the heavy lifting gear, the gremlins smirked before racing past them. They each grabbed the heaviest weight they could find and pulled it away from them, holding each of them above their heads as trophies. They expected the two to be annoyed, but instead, they just smirked.

"Gotcha," Iron chuckled as he pointed to the weights they had grabbed.

The gremlins were confused by this, until they all realized their claws were stuck to the weights. It was as if somepony had covered them in glue, which was exactly what they had done.

"Try dodging now," Springer said as he and Iron prepared an Aura Blast and an Iron Lance Fury. They fired their attacks, easily striking the now weighed down gremlins. The gremlins all cried out in pain, soon trying to run away as they stumbled over the weights stuck to their claws.

"I can't believe this is working," Iron said as he kept laughing at the sight.

"It's up to Pinkie's grand finale now," Springer told him with crossed paws. "Can't wait to see it happen."

The gremlins all met up in the center of town, all of them seeing their friends in different states of annoyance.

As they all spoke to each other, a nearby door cracked opened to show Pinkie's eye. Seeing them like this, she giggled before yanking the door open. "Alright everypony, let 'em have it!"

The gremlins looked up at her before hearing the sound of doors and window flying open, causing them to turn around and see everypony else in Ponyville. They were all holding large cream pies, which they soon turned into a storm of pies headed towards the whole horde of gremlins. The gremlins cried out as they tried to run away, but no matter where they went, more and more cream pies kept splattering in their faces. As they did this, the sound of laughter filled the streets, making the gremlins put their claws over their ears.

But as they continued to run away, they then saw somepony up the street. It was Wild, who was holding up a book Twilight had given him. "Hope I get this right," he said as his horn glowed. He then shot a beam at the ground in front of the gremlins, causing it and the path ahead to become covered in ice. Before the gremlins could stop themselves, they slipped on the ice, soon sliding down the street at high speed.

Then they saw something that made them all go wide eyed. Pinkie had somehow gotten her hooves on a large ramp, which she pushed into position at the end of the ice path. The gremlins hit the ramp and shot up into the air, only to look down and saw that they were still in trouble.

Twilight, Flash, Rarity and Applejack were all carrying a gigantic cream pie, and were positioning it so the gremlins would land in it. "A little to the left," Twilight said as she judged the gremlins' flight path. "A little more...perfect. Drop it everypony."

They did just as the first gremlin flew into it with a splat, followed by another and until they all landed in the pie. As the gremlins all pulled themselves out, the sound of pony laughter made them look to see Pinkie and the rest of Ponyville's citizens laughing at them. "GOTCHA! GOTCHA! GOTCHA!"

The gremlins all growled at them, only for Pinkie to say, "Give it up. We can prank just as good as you. So either behave or leave, your choice."

The gremlins all looked at each other, seeing that they had been beaten. With that, they turned tail and ran away, admitting defeat. Everypony watched as the last of the pink monsters disappeared, never to be seen again. The entire town was filled with an uproar of cheer, everypony celebrating the gremlins' departure.

"I can't believe that actually worked," Flash commented with a big smile.

Twilight giggled at him. "I told you, you just needed to trust in Pinkie."

"Yeah..." Flash said before turning back to the party pony. He once again reached up and touched the scar on his chest. "I guess you're right."

The next day...

Rainbow Dash flew through the air, making her way back from the Wonderbolt Academy. After the Lightning incident, Rainbow's time at the academy had been incredible, especially after what had happened between her and Soarin. Just thinking about it made her blush.

But as she broke through some clouds and the town came into view, her eyes went wide as she found the town in disarray. "What the heck?!" She asked as she flew down and landed in the main square, only to see ponies walk by with timber and tools. "What's going on?"

"Rainbow!" The pegasus turned to see Twilight rush up to her. "You're back!"

"What happened to Ponyville?" Rainbow asked as she continued to look around. "It looks like a tornado just tore through this place!"

"It's a long story," Twilight explained as she levitated some tool up to the weather pony. "I'll tell you as we work. You up for a little rebuilding?"

"Um...sure?"

Pinkie and Wild were helping fix up Sugarcube Corner, specifically a part of the roof that had been damaged by a gremlin. Pinkie was hammering away at the wood she and Wild were using to fill the damage as she turned to the unicorn and smiled at him. "Thanks by the way. If you hadn't stood by me, the others might not have agreed to try my plan."

"No problem." Wild told her as he motioned his puppets to give him another piece of lumber. "I'm just glad it worked."

"So am I." said a third voice. The two looked down at the ground and saw Flash looking up at them.

"Pinkie, can I talk to you for a moment?"

Pinkie and Wild shared a glance, Wild nodding before returning to work while Pinkie climbed down the ladder. She and Flash moved away from the building as Pinkie spoke up, "So, what's up Flashy?"

Flash let out a small sigh as a big frown appeared on his face. "I just wanted to say...I'm sorry I've been so hard on you recently."

"It's alright."

"No, its not. I've been mean to you ever since we got back from the Crystal Empire." Flash told her as he traced his hoof over the scar on his chest. "It's just...when I fought against Sombra, I was still making jokes and messing around. I wasn't serious enough and...he almost killed me."

"But we beat Sombra."

"Barely. If I hadn't been kidding around, I might have been able to put up a better fight. So instead, I started being more serious and....mean lately." He admitted as remembered having Sombra's Spirit Breaker spell used on him, which made him clutch the scar again. "I needed to be focused and...and I realize that. But that doesn't mean I should force my friends to act that way....or be that way to them."

Pinkie shook her head at this. "Flash, you're wrong."

Flash turned to her. "What?"

"Making jokes, messing around, there's nothing wrong with that. You can be like that and still be serious." Pinkie put her hoof on his shoulder, "Laughing, joking, that's how ponies deal with their fear. Remember when we went after the Elements in the Everfree Forest when you got separated from us?"

"Yeah, I remember."

"Well, everypony got really scared, but then I helped them laugh their fears away."

"You did?"

Pinkie nodded. "I think making jokes and messing around is just your way of facing your fears. It's your way of giggling at the ghosties." Flash's eyes went wide. He had never thought of it like that. But before he could say anything, Pinkie continued as she patted his shoulder, "And it's not just you that your jokes make calm. After all, isn't it a knight's job to make everypony feel safe and calm?"

"It is..." Flash said with a slow nod.

Pinkie gave him a wink, a huge grin popping onto her face. "You see? You can be serious and still joke around."

Flash chuckled at this, shaking his head. "Thanks Pinkie. I get it now."

"That's good. But can you make me a Pinkie Promise?"

"Um....sure?"

"I want you to Pinkie Promise that from now on, whenever you're in a fight, no matter how bad it looks for you, that you'll keep a bright smile on your face. Even if it's just you fighting on your own, you should always have a big goofy grin on your lips." Pinkie's grin continued to grow, "That way, everypony, friend or foe, can see that you will win and save the day. Okay?"

For the first time in the last few days, Flash's face showed a true smile. "Alright. I promise to keep smiling," he said as he did the action. "Pinkie Promise."

Pinkie's own smile doubled as she threw her arms around his neck. "YAY!"

"Thanks again Pinkie." Flash laughed as she pulled away. "Now come on, this town's not gonna rebuild itself."

"Alrighty!"

Keep Calm and Flutter On

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Today's adventure opens up on the outskirts of Ponyville, where we find Flash, Springer, Twilight, Rarity, Rainbow and Spike. The group there were waiting for a very special guest. Princess Celestia had sent them a message yesterday, explaining that she would be visiting along with somepony very important. Of course, this had gotten Twilight into a frenzy, which Flash had to talk her down from as usual.

Now, they were simply sitting there, waiting for her to arrive. Flash watched as his friends all did their own thing, like Twilight nervously pacing with Spike on her heel. Rarity was spraying herself with perfume, which Rainbow did not appreciate since it was splashing on her. Pinkie was bouncing around in her usual bouncy self. "I love it when Princess Celestia comes to Ponyville! I got my hooves shined just like Rarity for the occasion." She showed them to her friends, the shine enough for them to see their faces in it. "Ya like?"

Rarity looked at the hoof, which she then treated like a mirror. "I certainly do," she commented as she started adjusting her hair.

Flash however, was not so positive. "As much as I love the princess, I'm a little concerned. Her visits to Ponyville haven't gone...flawlessly in the past."

"What are you talking about?" Rainbow asked as she flew overhead. "Her visits have been great."

Flash turned to her with a smirk. "Name one time her being here did not end in either the town under attack or something else bad happening."

Rainbow thought for a moment. "Well...there was...The Running of the Leaves?"

"You mean that event you and Applejack made fools out of yourself because of your competing?"

"That wasn't exactly Celestia's fault," Twilight told him with a smack of her tail.

"I know, I know." Flash added as he blocked a second smack. "But her coming her usually ends with one of us in a sticky situation. Remember Philomena?"

Twilight tried to create a counter, only to let out a small sigh. "Fair point. But I'm sure this time will be different....though I am surprised that she's not here yet."

Spike scratched the side of his head in thought. "I wonder what's taking her so long."

"Traffic?" Springer guessed.

"In the sky?" Flash asked him with a raised eyebrow, to which the jakhowl just shrugged.

Seeing this, Twilight started to impatiently tap one of her hooves, "And where are Applejack and Fluttershy?"

Rarity, who was still fixing her hair using Pinkie's hoof, explained. "Fluttershy's detained helping Applejack with a mishap at Sweet Apple Acres. I think Iron's there as well, just in case things escalate. They'll be along."

Spike continued to voice his concern. "I still don't get why the Princess would be so late though."

Twilight looked down at him. "She's bringing an important visitor, that could be part of it."

Springer, who was spinning an Aura Blast on one of his paws, turned to them. "You think this means we'll be on bodyguard duty?"

"It's possible," Flash told him as he scratched his chin in thought. "But if the pony's as important as Celestia made them out to be, I'm sure they'll have their own protection detail."

Rainbow let out a bored sigh. "Whoever this pony is, they're as slow as they are important! What's taking them so long?!"

Rarity finished her hair as she replied, "Maybe it's somepony so terribly important that they still had many more terribly important things to do before they got here."

Flash and Twilight shared a questioning look, until Flash just shrugged. "I guess that's a possibility? Seems kinda strange Princess Celestia would let that many coincidences pile up."

"I agree with that." Twilight said with a nod. "Whoever this visitor is, I doubt Princess Celestia would go to them with no plan."

Flash was going to add to this, only to hear Spike gasp as he blurted, "Maybe the visitor has a deer antler, a goat leg, a bat wing, and a snake tail!"

Flash's mental imagination put those pieces together, forming a shape that made him cringe. Twilight also made the same mental connection and rolled her eyes. "That can't be it Spike. That's Discord."

Rarity let out a giggle. "Why in the wide, wide world of Equestria would Princess Celestia bring along someone like that?"

They all turned to Spike, who was shaking on the spot. "M-m-maybe you should ask...her!" He pointed into the sky, the rest of them following his claw and seeing what he had seen...which made them all gasp. Princess Celestia was now flying towards them, riding on her guard drawn carriage. Besides her carriage was another, this one carrying a large familiar statue of the petrified draconequus, which both soon landed.

"Oh, this is not gonna be any fun," Flash said as he blinked at the sight. "I know I'm trying to be more positive recently, but please don't tell me that's what I think it is."

Twilight took a deep breath and stepped over to her mentor. "With all due respect, Princess Celestia...HOW COULD YOU BRING DISCORD HERE?!" She then cleared her throat and smiled up at the alicorn. "Your majesty."

Celestia smiled back as she watched Discord be unloaded. "I'm fully aware that the last time Discord was here, he created serious havoc."

Rainbow let out a forced laugh, her frown not once leaving her face. "If by 'serious havoc', you mean turning Ponyville into the chaos capital of the world!"

"And tricking almost all of us into being the opposite of our true selves," Rarity added before Pinkie hopped in front of her.

"And making yummy delicious chocolate milk rain all over the place without a single dollop of whipped cream to go with it anywhere in sight!"

Flash interrupted before she could continue. "And let's not forget, he almost KILLED ME!"

Celestia nodded at this. "Yes, I understand. But I have use for Discord's magic if it can be reformed to serve good instead of evil. This is why I've brought Discord here, because I believe that you are the ponies who can help him do just that."

Springer raised an eyebrow. "You want them to try and reform a being whose one goal is pure and utter chaos?"

Celestia giggled under her breath before simply replying, "yes."

Spike started having a panic attack at this, soon yelling as he put his claws up to his head as his eyes shook like crazy, "This will never work! This is a disaster! How will we ever control him?! We're doomed!"

Celestia shook her head at this, "Need I remind you that you are the ponies who turned him back into stone like this in the first place?"

The five ponies, one jakhowl and dragon shared a proud look as Twilight commented, "I suppose we can just use the Elements of Harmony against him again if it gets out of hand."

Flash nodded in agreement. "Which, let's be honest, will probably happen in the first five seconds of him being free."

"Have a bit more faith young Sentry," Celestia told him as she turned towards her guards, who were carrying a familiar box. "But here they are just in case, and I've cast a spell on them so Discord can't take and hide them again." The box was magically opened, revealing the crown, five necklaces and one helmet that the Elements adorned. Celestia then stepped over to them. "Now where is Fluttershy? I believe she may know best on how to begin reforming Discord."

"Fluttershy?!" Rainbow asked her with a cocked eyebrow, "Really?!"

Celestia nodded again. "Yes. Her kind and welcoming spirit maybe the only thing capable of affecting Discord in the most effective manner."

"Makes sense," Springer added as he pointed to the rest of the group, "I mean, besides Flash, Fluttershy was the only one to prevent Discord from tricking her into changing...well, until he cheated anyway. At least that's what she told us happened. The rest of you all got turned into seriously unlikable ponies."

"Hey!" Rainbow barked back, "I'd like you try and go up against him."

Springer replied with a flat stare. "I did. While you were off relaxing on a cloud, I was fighting him and ended up caught in a weird ball, and then stuck in a cage!"

Before Rainbow could respond, Flash got between them. "Alright, before this turns into a full on argument...." Flash turned to Rainbow, "Rainbow, do you mind getting Fluttershy and Applejack?"

Rainbow let out a huff. "Fine." With that, she shot off in the direction of Sweet Apple Acres.

The ponies waited for several minutes, only to eventually see the four of them appear over the horizon. "Princess?" Fluttershy spoke up as they got closer, "Rainbow said you wanted to talk to-AAAHHHH!" She leapt behind Iron when she spotted Discord. "W-w-what's he doing here?"

Twilight turned to Rainbow. "You didn't think to warn them, especially Fluttershy, that Discord was here?!"

Rainbow snickered under her breath. "Sorry, I couldn't help it. I wanted to see her reaction."

They all rolled their eyes as Celestia stepped over to Fluttershy. "I understand you are frightened, my little pony. But you don't have to be." She explained her plan to the shaking mare, who only began to look more terrified. "I realize that this is a tall order, but I wouldn't ask it if I weren't confident you could get him to use his magic obediently of his own free will."

Fluttershy looked down at the ground in an unsure manner. "And...you really think I'll know best on how to do that?"

Celestia smiled before gently placing his hoof under Fluttershy's chin, raising it until their eyes locked. "I do."

Hearing this, Fluttershy blushed as she smiled back at the princess. Seeing this, Iron stepped up to her and put his hoof on Fluttershy's shoulder. "And even if you can't, I'm pretty sure I can handle him."

"YOU?!" The others asked in disbelief, making Iron growl at them.

"Yeah right, this is way more then you can handle." Flash added, only to get an extra scowl from Iron.

Celestia chuckled at this exchange before spreading her wings, soon flying back towards her carriage. "Now, I must return to Canterlot for Equestria's royal summit. You may release Discord when ready." With that, her guards spread their wings and took off into the sky, pulling the carriage and princess behind them.

Once she was gone, everypony shared a concerned look before the silence was broken by Flash. "Remember girls, we can't let our guard down around this guy for even a second. Even if it looks like he's behaving, be on guard for anything he might be planning."

Twilight nodded as they all turned back to the statue. "Okay, ponies, guess it's time to get started." She levitated the Element chest over to them. "Let's just hope this releasing spell works."

Spike, still terrified, looked around from the back of the unicorn. "Or...let's not."

"I second that." Springer added, only to feel a smack of Flash's tail.

Twilight rolled her eyes before levitating the Elements out of the case and onto their bearers, Flash rubbing his head from the pain of the helmet being slammed onto it. "We'd best keep our Elements on at all times 'til further notice."

"Check!" The others agreed.

Flash sighed as he adjusted his helmet. "I can't believe we're using these things to release a villain."

"Don't worry," Springer told him as he, Spike and Iron stepped over to the side. "We're right here if you need us."

"Not that you need us," Spike told them with a huge gulp. "I'm sure you've got this. No need for us to even be here really."

Flash and Twilight both rolled their eyes this time.

Once the seven of them were all set, they took their position around Discord and readied themselves. The seven Elements of Harmony began to glow their respective color as the seven were lifted into the air. They then began unleashing a burst of light, which began to flow into the statue and slowly undo its magic. Finally, a ribbon of rainbow light flowed from both sides of the Elements and connected to form a rainbow circle as it spiraled around Twilight. Once the rainbow struck the Element of Magic, it unleashed a torrent of multicolored light that flew at Discord.

Slowly, the stone around Discord's body began to crack and chip. From them came a burst of light, as Discord's body was slowly freed from its prison. In one final burst of light, Discord was completely freed.

As his body finally moved once again, he unleashed a loud roar that caused them all to be on guard. But before they could act, his roar devolved into a yawn as he began to stretch his body out. "Oh! Ooh! Ooooh! Well, it's about time somepony got me out of that prison block. What a relief!" In that second, he snapped his fingers, causing them to notice a bright flash of light.

Everypony turned towards that light and gasped when they saw what Discord had done. A squirrel in a tree had been completely transformed, from cute and cuddly to a bulky bruiser with a mom tattoo on its shoulder. It growled before snapping off a branch of the tree and began gnawing on it.

Everypony gasped seeing this, Twilight glaring at Discord. "What do you think you're doing?!"

"Nnnnnnnnngh," was all Discord said as he continued to stretch out his body. "Why stretching, of course. When you're a creature of chaos, stone bodysuits aren't your typical go-to fashion choice. Nnngh," he snapped his fingers yet again. This caused another flash of light, which they all followed to see a nearby bunny had been transformed in a similar way to the squirrel.

Flash grimaced at the sight. "Greetings nightmare fuel."

Pinkie turned to Discord, an angry look on her face. "Make that bunny cute again! Now!"

Discord replied with a laugh before moving over to the bunny, scratching it under the chin. "Oh come on, he's adorable the way he is." The bunny responded by trying to chomp on Discord's fingers, causing the chaos monster to pull back. Discord then folded his arms and turned towards them, spitting a raspberry as he did. "You know what else is adorable? You ponies truly believe that you can reform me." He moved over to Fluttershy, summoning a magnifying glass as he continued to stare at her, "And that you're putting your faith in this one here to make it happen." He disappeared and reappeared wearing a granny outfit as he grabbed Fluttershy by the cheek. "Makes me wanna pinch your little horsey cheeks."

Iron growled at this before rushing over to Discord, where he pointed Piecemaker at him. "Back off monster!"

Discord just smirked as he snapped his fingers again, this time summoning a small pin. With one tap of the pin on the weapon, Piecemaker popped and deflated like a balloon. "You were saying?"

"What the heck?!" Iron asked as he looked over his deflated weapon.

Discord snickered as he got back up and looked at the rest of the group. "To think, Celestia thinks you lot can reform me. Hilarious!"

Twilight let out a low growl as she pointed at Discord. "How'd you know about that?!"

Discord just waved a claw. "Being turned to stone doesn't keep me from hearing every word Celestia says." He pulled back before taking out his eyeballs and tossing them to the ground. "Although I admit, it makes rolling my eyes a challenge." The eyes rolled along the ground until they fell into two holes, which then morphed into Discord's face.

"Wait a minute. You were conscious the whole time you were stone?" Flash asked in a slight bewildered tone.

"Not feeling so much like the good guys now, are we?" Discord replied, his eyebrows hopping up and down before starting a hat and cane dance.

Twilight stepped in front of Flash, her crown shining along with her horn, "Well, unless you want us to turn you back to stone, you'll zap those animals back the way they were, pronto!"

Discord let out a quick laugh as he folded his arms once again. "Oh, you wouldn't dare turn me back to stone and risk disappointing your precious princess."

Rainbow spoke up this time. "Try us, Dip-cord."

Then Fluttershy flew up to him. "You think you can treat poor defenseless animals like that and get away with it?!"

"You go Fluttershy!" Rainbow told her as she flew right up into her face.

"You'd best watch your step, buster, or I'll give you...the Stare!"

Springer gasped before literally collapsing in a faint, remembering the one time he had been on the receiving end of that. It turned out, the 'Stare' was a more efficient method to stop the 'Wild Sugar Springer Incidents'. Discord however, seemed to be taking that idea in a different way. "The Stare? Oh no, please, not that! Anything but your disapproving eyeballs!" He then shot into the air and spun around as he laughed.

Fluttershy frowned at this before going through with her threat, unleashing the full power of her legendary stare.

Discord saw this and suddenly stopped before acting like her was in immense pain. "Oh no! No no no, stop! No, no!" He let out a strangled sound. "I can't!" But Fluttershy only poured on the power, making Discord cower. "Stop! I can't take it anymore! I'll do whatever you say! Because..." He once again burst out laughing. "You're hilarious!"

Springer, who had revived at this point, looked horrified. "He fought off that?! HOW?!"

Twilight stomped her hooves to get Discord's attention. "If it turns out we need to use our Elements against you, I'm sure we can convince Princess Celestia it was for a good reason."

Flash nodded in agreement. "And since you can't steal them or break up our friendship this time with your magic, you're at our mercy. So you'd better do as you're told."

Discord glared at them before letting out a frustrated sigh. "I suppose that's correct." He snapped his fingers and returned the furry critters and Piecemaker back to normal. He then turned back to them. "Well, it looks like I know where I'll be crashing while I'm being 'reformed'." Suddenly, there was a flash of light and when it faded, Fluttershy could be seen receiving a noogie from the chaos monster. "With you, Fluttershy." He let out a boisterous laugh as Fluttershy looked horrified at the thought.

"Oh dear..." Fluttershy said with a gulp.

Iron once again pointed his weapon at Discord. "Put her down! Now!"

Discord glared back at him before letting out a huff, soon dropping the pegasi as he rolled his eyes, "Well anyways, what say we go 'hang' at your place?"

"Um...." Fluttershy tried to say, only to feel pat on the head from Discord.

"I'll be waiting for you there." With another snap of his fingers, he disappeared.

"Oh no...." Fluttershy gasped before flying off to her cottage.

The rest of them shared a glance, Iron growling as he rushed off after her. "I'm not letting her be alone for a second with that monster! Come on!"

"I couldn't agree more," Flash added as he motioned to this friends, "You heard the stallion, let's go!"

"Right!" the all replied in unison, all running towards Fluttershy's cottage.

One transition to Fluttershy's cottage later...

When the rest of the group arrived at the element of kindness's home, they found the pegasus mare cleaning up after what looked like a hurricane blowing through the building.

"Oh dear," Rarity gasped as she put her hooves up to her mouth. "Fluttershy, what ever happened here?"

"It looks like a nasty horde of paraspites made their way through here," Applejack added.

"Oh, hello everypony." Fluttershy replied while looking back at them. "It seems Discord's sudden arrival spooked some of my animals. They apparently, got a little overexcited."

Iron growled as he looked around the place. "And where is he now?!"

"Yoohoo!" They heard Discord's voice, making them look over at Fluttershy's couch. The master of chaos was currently laying out on it. "I must admit, this place is very cozy. Much nicer than the rock tomb I was stuck in."

Iron moved over to him and used Piecemaker to try and re-position his legs off of the couch, "Well, how about showing some respect and getting your feet off of the couch!" Discord's response was to snap his fingers, summoning a tiny boot to bat the backside of Iron's head, "Ow! Why you little-"

"Iron," Fluttershy said as she picked some books off a nearby coffee table and placed them up on a bookshelf. "Be nice. He may be horrible, but that doesn't mean we have to act the same way." She then placed a flower pot on the former coffee table. "We should at least try to be hospitable." It was here that she realized what Discord being on the couch meant and turned to her pet rabbit. "You don't mind giving up your favorite spot on the couch, do you Angel Bunny?"

Said pet rabbit looked horrified at this before rushing over to Discord and grabbing onto his foot, trying to drag him off the couch. Once it realized it was hopeless, it sulked and walked away. Iron patted the rabbit on its head as it passed by. "I know fuzzball, I know."

Fluttershy on the other hoof, was more focused on Discord, asking him if he was alright. The chaos master just shined a smirk as he replied, "Oh, yes. Thank you Fluttershy for your concern. If only your pony friends could be as considerate." He looked over at them, his smirk increasing as he did.

Flash spoke up first, a low growl coming out of his mouth, "Considering you're the guy who turned the girls into dark reflections of themselves and almost turned me into pulp, can you really blame us?"

"Yeah!" Rainbow yelled as she flew over to her buttercream colored friend. "Don't listen to him Fluttershy! He's just trying to drive a wedge between us like he always does."

Discord let out a gasp, pointing to himself, "Now why in the world would I ever try to do a thing like that?"

"So we can't unite and use the Elements of Harmony against you, that's why!" Rainbow barked back, shaking her hoof at him.

Discord summoned a tiny bulb over his head. "Gasp! I never thought of that!"

"You big liar!" Rainbow yelled again as she flew back to the others before turning back to him.

It was then that she saw he had changed his size, shrinking to a absolute tiny size. "Now look who's a liar. Anypony can plainly see that I'm not big at all." Angel took this opportunity to leap back onto his favorite spot, only for Discord to resize himself and knock the rabbit off the chair while also causing a nearby lamp to hit the ground and break. This caused Fluttershy to gasp, as that had been a Heart's Warming Present from her parents. Seeing he had gone too far, Discord put on an act. "Oops," he picked himself up and snapped his fingers. In a flash of light, the lamp was fixed, or at least...the pieces had been put back together into the form of Discord. "There, all better."

The others grimaced at this, Applejack going so far as to pull her hat over her eyes. "Ah can't watch this."

They turned on their heel and headed towards the door, Rainbow responding as she shut the door behind them. "We'll be outside."

Soon enough, only Flash, Twilight and Springer remained. Twilight looked over at Fluttershy and Iron. "You sure you're okay with this?"

Fluttershy nodded. "I know its not gonna be easy, but Princess Celestia's counting on me." Fluttershy then showed off a small but noticeable smile. "And...I think I actually know what to do."

"Really?" Flash asked with a raised eyebrow. "No offense, but this is a huge gap to leap over Fluttershy."

Fluttershy nodded again. "I know. I think the key is to befriend him. Being kind to him and letting him be my house guest is probably the best way to do that." While she said this, Springer watched as Discord and Angel waged a mini-war behind her, Discord unfortunately winning as he easily made the rabbit float in the air like a ragdoll.

"And you're sure that'll really work?" Twilight asked, disbelief obviously in her tone.

"I think its worth a try," Fluttershy replied.

Iron took this moment to step in. "And if anything does happen, I'll-"

"Rush to come and get us as soon as possible," Flash interrupted, tapping the magical helmet on his head. "Sorry Iron, but against this guy, you're no match. Let us handle this. Its why we're gonna keep the elements on at all times."

Iron sighed at hearing this, but nodded since he knew it was true. "Yeah, I know. Still, I'm staying here to help."

"We wouldn't have it any other way Iron." Twilight responded before turning to Fluttershy, "Now remember, if you need us, all you need to do is whisper 'help', and we'll be back here with our elements." She then turned to Discord. "So watch that goat-legged step of yours, pal!"

Discord, who was currently holding a flailing Angel by the tail, turned to them. "Wh-what?!" There was a flash of light and both Discord and Angel were now sitting in fancy chairs, Discord being dressed in a gentlemen suit and monocle. "Look at me! I'm practically reformed already."

The others turned to Fluttershy, who gave them a nervous smile.

"Ooookay." Flash remarked with a roll of the eyes, "That's all I needed to see."

Twilight nodded in response. "Agreed. I guess we'll see you all later."

"Of course," Fluttershy replied with a nod.

Twilight and Springer turned towards the door, but then stopped and turned back to Flash. The defender was standing still, staring at Discord as if he was lost in thought. Twilight walked up to him and tapped his shoulder, "You coming?"

Flash continued to stare at Discord, as something Fluttershy said before made him think. A small memory sparked in his head, causing him to turn to his friends and say, "Say...is it okay if I talk to Discord alone for a moment?"

Everypony looked at him as if he was mad. "Why?" Springer asked.

"I'll explain later," he turned to Fluttershy. "Please."

Fluttershy didn't hesitate to smile and nod before turning to head out the door, Twilight, Iron and Springer behind her. Before Twilight stepped outside, she turned to Flash. "Be careful."

Flash nodded before Twilight shut the door, leaving him and Discord alone. Before Discord could say anything, Flash reached up and pulled off his Element helmet, placing it on a nearby table. Discord literally twisted his head upside down at this in curiosity, "Taking off your Element? Isn't that a bit risky?"

Flash just let out a low chuckle. "We both know you can't steal it away, and your magic also can't touch me."

"That is true," Discord said as he readjusted his head, now pulling at his goatee as he asked, "You ever figure out why I can't do that?"

"You're the ancient demigod, you tell me."

Discord chuckled under his breath. "If only I knew. In fact, if it wasn't for that, I could have found a way to turn you against your friends, then I wouldn't have been turned back to stone."

"True." Flash admitted as he sat down on a nearby chair. "Oh well, I'll figure it out one day."

Discord leaned back in his chair, crossing his legs as he summoned a small glass of chocolate milk. "So, what was it you wished to speak to me about?"

"Well...I've been having problems being positive recently, and something Fluttershy just said made me realize something I need to say to you."

"Oh?"

Flash sighed, not able to believe he was about to say this. "I just wanted to say...thank you."

Discord's eyes suddenly went wide, only for his eyes to start blinking at such a pace, it looked like a film reel rolling. He then lifted one finger up as he said, "Excuse me a moment." He pulled out a handkerchief and literally removed his ears from his head, which he began to clean. "Just need to properly clean these, since they made me hear you say thank you to me."

Flash rolled his eyes at this. "I did say thank you."

Discord glared at Flash as he reset his ears. "And why, pray tell, would you thank me?"

"Do you remember when we fought and you told me about my blood type?"

"Triple Z. Not something most ponies would want to have, especially when it comes to your job." Discord replied as conjured several charts, all showing solider ponies with 'Triple Z' on their armor, all of them with X's on their eyes. He then turned back to Flash as he snapped the illusions away, "But what's that got to do with anything?"

Flash took a deep breath, he knew this would be a slightly tough pill to swallow. "Somepony else has that blood. My sister. She got poisoned and the only way to save her was a blood transfusion. If you hadn't told me what my blood was, she would have died and I would never have known she was my sister. So I'm thanking you."

For the first time since meeting Discord, Flash saw he was completely speechless. "Well....you're welcome?"

Flash nodded, a small wink following. "You see? You can do good things and you don't even have to change. You don't have to be evil."

Discord let out a loud laugh, waving his claw at the pegasi. "Of course I do. I'm Discord, the Master of Chaos. Chaos by definition is evil and destructive."

Flash snickered at this. He knew he was on to something, Flash could tell, as it was the same face Discord had went Flash got the upperhand against the chaos monster in their last battle. Taking the initiative, Flash pointed at the monster with a big smile on his face, "Wow, the only correct thing you said there was your name."

"Excuse me?"

"You sure you're evil? You do realize Princess Celestia wants us to reform you, right?"

"Oh please." Discord waved his claw again, "Like you want to reform me. You just want an excuse to put me back in my stone prison, right? You wanna get rid of the big bad chaos monster, right?"

"Not exactly." Flash replied while crossing his hooves. "After all, you're just chaos. That doesn't mean you're bad, or at least Celestia thinks so."

"Wait a minute..." Discord 'cleaned' his ears again, "What you do mean, 'chaos isn't bad'?! What makes you say that?"

"Just something my mentor told me after we beat you."

There was a sudden flash of light and when the pegasus blinked the spots out of his eyes, he saw Discord in a bed, complete with a nightcap on. "Ooooh, story time! Please, do go on!"

Flash rolled his eyes again. "Okay..."

The Past...

Flash and Grand were sitting at a table during the celebratory gala of Discord's defeat, Flash telling his mentor all about his experience against Discord. As he finished, Grand's face showed nothing but cringe as he said, "Yikes kiddo, sounds like you had quite the fight."

Flash let out a groan, rubbing his head in slight pain. "I did, and its one I hope I never have to repeat. Discord's magic was deadly, even if it didn't fully affect me. But then again, what'd you expect from Chaos Magic? That's stuff's pure poison." It was in that moment that Flash heard Grand chuckle. "What?"

"Sorry." Grand replied as he leaned back in his chair, "Just laughing at your narrow minded view on the subject."

"Narrow minded?!" Flash barked back. "I almost died to that stuff Grand! Discord almost destroyed everything with it!"

Grand shook his head at this, "You got a lot to learn kiddo, trust me on that one."

"So....you've fought chaos monsters before?" Flash asked, blinking at his mentor's sudden change in tone.

"No, but I've fought plenty of unicorns who use their magic for evil, just like Discord." He gave Flash a flat stare, something his student had not seen from him in a long while, "Let me ask you something. If some unicorn uses their magic for evil, does it make the magic they use evil?" Flash wanted to respond, but he had a feeling his answer would be deemed wrong. So instead, Grand continued, "Tell me, if somepony took Lightbringer off of you and used it to stab you, would that mean Lightbringer is evil?"

That was a question Flash could answer. "No, it wouldn't be evil."

"Exactly. Just because something is used for evil, doesn't make it evil."

"But he used chaos magic. Isn't that automatically bad with, you know, the whole destruction and madness that comes with it?" Flash asked, but before Grand could reply, the defender flashed his hoof at his mentor, "And before we continue, can I say that this sounds really smart for you? Like, more than usual? No offense."

"None taken. After all, I talked with Princess Celestia over this a bit when Discord first showed up earlier today. She kept telling me how she wished you all didn't have to fight him." Grand replied as he readjusted himself in his chair, "Now, about what you said with chaos being madness and all that. That is true, but that's not what all chaos is." Grand expected a reply from this, but got no response and decided to carry on. "Chaos is destruction, but that's only one half of it. The other half is so subtle, that barely anypony realizes its part of it. I bet even Discord doesn't know that."

"So what's the other half?"

Grand shined a small smirk. "Recreation."

"Come again?" Flash asked immediately, blinking at his mentor as he was still surprised at how deep his usually down-to-earth, simple-minded teacher was being.

Grand thought for a moment, trying to think up a good example. "Think of all the damage done that the Elements couldn't repair. Isn't Twilight helping to repair it and improve it?"

"Yeah."

"Well, that's it Flash. Because of the damage Discord did, everything that was damaged or destroyed will be remade to be better than before. But that only gets to happen because Discord created a need for it."

Flash was starting to get where he was coming from. "So, it's like a condemned building. Sometimes it has to be knocked down to make room for something better."

"Exactly," Grand said as he tapped the table with his hoof. "That's chaos. Fast mad destruction, followed by slow harmonic creation."

"But if that's the case, how come Discord only seemed to be about destruction? If he's the Master of Chaos, shouldn't he fit what you're saying?"

Grand shrugged. "Just goes to show that even after thousands of years, someponies still have trouble discovering their true abilities." Grand then began to chuckle. "I wouldn't call him the Master of Chaos. More like the...skilled user of chaos." Hearing this, Flash burst out laughing, Grand following suit. "Maybe someday, hopefully, Discord will realize his true potential."

The Present....

"Maybe that day, can be today," Flash said after finishing his story, his eyes now staring out a nearby window. Discord simply stared at him, actually looking like he was taking what Flash had said in as Flash continued, "You say your magic can only be used to destroy, but that's not true. If it was, you couldn't pull something into reality at a snap of your fingers. Creation is part of your power, you just need to embrace it."

Again, Discord said nothing.

"Maybe that's why Celestia wants you reformed and why she told Grand that so he could tell me. Not for her, or for Equestria, but for you. So you can grow into your full potential. To become the true Master of Chaos."

He turned back to Discord, expecting to see him thinking what Flash had said over. But instead, he saw Discord with a giant bubble coming out of his nose, signifying he had fallen asleep. This caused Flash to anime drop, moaning at his wasted effort before yelling, "DISCORD!"

The chaos monster stood straight up at the shout. "I'm awake!"

"Were you even listening?!" Flash yelled, his face turning red from anger.

"What?!" Discord asked, as he took out one of his eyes and 'rubbed' more sleep into it. "Oh, right...the lecture you were giving me. Sorry, but you were so boring that I couldn't stay awake. I'm not much for philosophies and other things that the author wants to me to hear."

"What are you...augh! Oh, just forget it!" Flash growled before grabbing his Element and sticking it back on his head. "All I wanted to do is help!"

"You did?!" Discord replied, causing Flash's eyes to twitch with rage.

"Yeah...I did." Flash hissed as he flung the door to the cottage open, exiting with a huff. There, Fluttershy, Iron and Springer were waiting outside, watching as he strode out with anger evident on his face.

"You okay?" Springer asked as he walked up to his partner.

"I'm fine," Flash replied, patting the jakhowl on the head. "Where's Twilight?"

"She and the girls headed back to the library. Said something about a backup plan."

"Sounds wonderful." Flash turned back to Iron and Fluttershy as Springer leapt onto his back. "I'll go help them. Will you two be okay?"

"We'll be fine." Iron said with a salute, causing Flash to nod before taking to the skies.

One transition to the library later...

As soon as they entered the library, they found Twilight and Spike searching through countless books. "No, no, no," she mumbled as she levitated several books in front of her face, all of them quickly shelving themselves in rejection. "No, no, no...where is it?!"

"What'cha looking for?" Flash asked her as he stepped inside.

"I'm trying to find a spell I can use to reform Discord," Twilight replied while not looking up from another book. "I know its in here somewhere..."

Springer raised an eyebrow at this, quickly lifting his paw in the air. "Err...question."

"Yes?" Twilight asked as she lifted her head up from the most recent book.

"You said reforming spell, right?"

"Yes. It reforms the target, making the being you targeted good again."

"So...you're planning on using a spell to force somepony to act against their nature?"

"In a way."

Springer gave Flash a blinking glance before turning back to Twilight, "I might have read too many of Flash's comics, but that sounds like brainwashing."

Twilight just gave him the bewildered look. "No. I'm planning to reform him."

"By using a spell to make him act different. Isn't that the very definition of brainwashing?"

"This is different."

"How?"

"It just is."

"He's kinda got a point Twi," Flash told her as he patted his partner's head. "I mean, we persecuted Discord for forcing us to change and now you're trying to do the same thing against him. Isn't there a word for that?"

"Hypocrisy," Spike replied as he walked by while carrying a stack of books.

"Thank you," Flash remarked before turning back to her. "Twilight."

The purple unicorn just gave him a flat stare, "This is different. We're changing him from bad to good, so its okay."

"Is it?" Springer asked, his head going back and forth from Twilight to Flash. "If magically changing him from evil to good was an option, don't you think Celestia would have suggested it? Heck, wouldn't she have done it herself eons ago?"

"That's true." Flash added, "I mean, that's what I would have done in her hooves."

"Flash, don't say..." Twilight tried to say, only to let out a long sigh, "Listen you two, this reforming spell is a backup plan, alright? We'll only use it if its necessary, got it?!"

Flash and Springer gave each other a knowing glance before nodding, "Okay. Though it does sound kinda wrong."

"I know it does." Twilight huffed as she closed another book. "And since when are you two so....philosophical and stuff?!"

"What does philo-something mean?" Springer asked back, getting a flat stare from Twilight.

"Its means we're being smarter than her." Flash chuckled, patting his partner's head. That is, till he felt a familiar magic tug to his ear.

Seeing this, Spike decided to chime in, "I have to agree with them Twi. Aside from the Elements, when has using magic to fix a problem ever worked? Remember the parasprites, Smartypants and time travel incident?"

Springer nodded at this. "Yeah. And it makes us sound like that changeling Chrysalis, or the trickster Shade. They forced others to do what they wanted, and we classed them as evil."

Twilight froze as she remembered those events, all of which involving her using magic as a solution to a problem and making it a thousand times worse. Then, she looked up from the next book, "I already suggested this as a plan B, and I'm sticking to it. But, if its so bad, what would you suggest we do if we can't force Discord to change?!"

They all just shrugged. "Guess we'll just have to trust in Fluttershy."

Twilight merely sighed at this. "Fine...I guess you're right. Not that it matters, since I can't seem to find any of the spells I was-OH NO!"

"What?"

Twilight showed them the book she was holding, which had pages torn out of it. "Princess Celestia didn't cast a spell protecting our books! Everywhere I thought I'd find the reforming spell-"

"Its gone, isn't it?" Flash replied, only to get a nod in return. "Now we really don't have a choice. Guess we have to do this Fluttershy's way."

"Yup..." Springer added, only to look back at his partner, "Wait a minute, did we just debate over nothing then?"

The next morning at Fluttershy's cottage...

When Fluttershy and Iron came downstairs that morning, (Iron refusing to leave yesterday and slept on the floor outside of her room) they found Discord on the couch eating out of a bowl. "Oh, there you are," Fluttershy said as they entered the room. "Listen Discord, I just want to make sure you know that if there's anything I can do to–" She stopped when she saw what he was eating. "Umm, are you eating...paper?"

Discord used a fork to stab into the pages of Twilight's magic book before shoving it into his mouth. "Am I?" He looked at the page covered fork, but just shrugged and shoved them into his mouth. "I am! Well what do you know...how odd of me."

"Well, he is part goat," Iron added.

Fluttershy shook her head before continuing to speak. "Well, um...I'm heading out, so you just make yourself at home while I'm gone." She turned and headed towards the door, only to look back and see Iron remaining where he was. "Iron?"

"You go on." he said before motioning his head to the chaos monster. "I'm just gonna stay behind and keep your guest company."

"Please don't do anything that might upset him. That'll have the opposite effect of what we're trying to do."

Iron nodded, shining a small smile, "I'll behave."

Fluttershy gave her own kind grin before leaving the cottage. As soon as she was gone, Iron suddenly felt a pressure on his head. Looking up, he found one Discord leaning onto him with his shoulders on top of the earth pony's head. "How touching. That mare must really mean a lot to you."

"Of course," Iron growled as he stepped away. This caused the perfectly still Discord to fall to the ground while making the sound a tree makes when it falls.

The chaos creature quickly recovered, appearing next to Iron in a flash. "Oh, I get why you're so hostile towards me. It's because you're scared if I become friends with her, she won't want to hang around you anymore. Is that right?"

"No," Iron grumbled back, stepping away again. "That would never happen. Fluttershy never forgets about anypony."

"If you say so," Discord said as he sat back down, head first into the seat before slithering into a sideways sitting position.

Iron just rolled his eyes. "I know what you're trying to do."

"Do you now? Pray tell, what am I doing?" Discord replied, his eyes popping out of his head, only to switch eye sockets. "Besides the usual nuttiness that is me, of course."

"You're trying to turn me against Fluttershy so she'll make me leave. Then you'll be able to pull your voodoo on her without anypony to get in your way."

"Moi?!" Discord remarked as he pointed to himself, along with three sudden wooden arrow signs appearing around himself, "I can't believe you would think I would do that. In fact, I'm offended that you would suggest such a thing!"

Iron shook his head while releasing a sigh. "Seriously? You really want me to tell you that I know you'll be cruel as soon as I leave?"

Discord smirked. "Oh please. Isn't it obvious what I'll do, mister big bad defender?" There was a flash of light and Discord now appeared to be wearing a brown overcoat, tiny tinted glasses, bowler hat, bucked teeth and carrying a cane. Music started playing as he began to sing. "It's a secret of survival in a very nasty world-"

"Alright, I get it!" Iron interrupted, putting his hooves over his ears. "Just don't sing, okay?!"

Discord's outfit disappeared because of this interruption, turning back to normal as he sat down with his arms crossed, "Anyways, the simple fact is, the only way to survive is to be mean. Being kind and-" he made a disgusted face, "make friends, only leaves you weak."

"Says the guy who was beaten by the power of friendship," Iron remarked as he pointed at the monster. "And you know, I used to be the same way. But then Fluttershy made me realize that no matter what you do or achieve, it's all pointless if you're alone."

"Oh? Are you sure its not you wanting to be with her and kick me out?"

"No." He immediately replied, the defender turning to go outside so he could check on Fluttershy's animals. "Hopefully, you'll figure that out someday."

Once he was gone, Discord continued to stare at the spot he had been. He let what Iron had said sink in, while remembering Flash's words from yesterday. "Huh. What do they know?" With that, he once again started eating the bowl of paper. It was then he had a brilliant idea, one that would keep Iron out of his hair for sure.

A little later...

When Flash, Twilight, and Spike headed over to Fluttershy's cottage to see how things were going, they did next expect to find what they found. Fluttershy's house was now floating in the air and spinning around, no doubt causing mayhem to everyone and everything inside. As they got closer, they spotted Iron standing below it and looking up at the building with hooves crossed.

"Well, I'll say this about Discord." Flash said as they arrived, "He sure can keep you on your hooves."

"This isn't funny," Iron growled at him.

"Sorry. Where's Fluttershy?"

"Inside," the earth pony responded, steam blasting out of his nostrils in frustration. "That creep did this so I couldn't get inside."

"Fluttershy!" Twilight called out to the cottage. "Fluttershy, can you hear me?" A few moments later, Fluttershy flew out the cottage with Angel in hoof. "Fluttershy, what's going on? Are you okay?!"

"We're fine," Fluttershy replied as she placed a very dizzy Angel on the ground. "Everything's going great. Isn't it, Angel?"

They all watched as the rabbit walked off, with some degree of difficulty due to being so dizzy. Once he was gone, Twilight looked back at Fluttershy. "We came to see how everything was going with Discord." She then pointed up at the building. "But from the looks of things, he's completely out of control!"

"Oh, but you're wrong!" Fluttershy replied, a brilliant smile adorning her lips. "We're making great progress!"

The three ponies, and one baby dragon all stared at her, then up at the cottage, then back to her before asking. "SERIOUSLY?!"

Fluttershy nodded. "I'm earning his trust by giving him a little space to be himself."

Spike frowned before holding up Twilight's spell book. "Hate to break it to ya, but he used that 'space to be himself' to tear out all the reforming spells from the library!"

Fluttershy thought for a moment, rubbing her chin as she said, "Huh. That does explain the paper eating."

"HE ATE THEM?!" Twilight cried before rubbing her head, making an unintelligent noise as she moaned in frustration.

"Well, he is part goat," Flash added.

"That's what I said," Iron finished.

Fluttershy then continued. "But we aren't gonna need a spell. He's already really considering being reformed! He said so."

Flash snorted at this, rolling his eyes as he said, "Oh yeah. And a guy whose evil has zero capability of lying."

"If I'm going to be his friend, I have to start by giving him the benefit of the doubt!" She looked her friends over and saw that none of them had that same faith in Discord that she did. "Tell you what. Bring everypony over for a dinner party this evening, and I'll bet his manners will have really improved by then.

The others shared a glance before Flash asked, "I don't know Fluttershy. Is that really a good idea?"

Fluttershy nodded before flexing her wings and flying up towards her house. "I'll even get him to put the cottage back on the ground first." With that, she flew inside.

The rest of the group continued to stare up at the cottage, eventually causing a sigh from Twilight, "Alright. Dinner it is." She gave Flash a look as she said, "We're gonna regret this, aren't we?"

"Uh....want me to be positive or negative here?" Flash asked as he gave the cottage one last glance. "Because I am honestly not sure what the answer is."

"Doesn't matter. Let's go." Twilight remarked before her, Flash and Spike walked off to tell the others, leaving Iron to continue to stare at the cottage.

A few minutes later, there was a flash of light, and when it faded, the cottage had been returned to normal. Iron stepped inside and saw the place was a mess, half of the cottage still upside down inside. The sight made him growl at the one responsible for said mess. "I hope you're gonna clean this place up."

With a snap of the fingers, Discord was dressed as a maid and began using a feather duster on the place. "Why of course. Why wouldn't I? I'm a good friend to Fluttershy." And so, he got to work as Iron continued to glare at him.

Evening...

Flash and the rest of his friends were now making their way to Fluttershy's cottage. As they did, Rainbow let out a moan, "Ugh, I can't believe we're having a dinner party with Discord!"

Rarity, who was wearing a dress that was kinda tame considering it was her, agreed. "This evening is sure to be a disaster. Glad I didn't bother wearing my fanciest outfit."

Twilight let out a sigh before turning to her friends, "Fluttershy thinks this is the way to reform Discord and asked us to give it a chance. So stop complaining and let's help her, okay?"

The others nodded as Flash pointed to his helmet. "We will Twilight, and I'm hoping it happens soon. Do you have any idea how hard it is to get to sleep while wearing this thing?"

Before anypony could say anything else, the doors of the cottage opened up and Discord stepped out dressed as a butler. "Oh, our pony guests!" He opened his mouth and stuck out his tongue, which extended and change color so it became a red carpet. It fully rolled out at Twilight and Flash's hooves before Discord appeared in front of them and bowed. "We're so delighted that you've come," he spoke in a voice that would put Fancy Pants to shame. He then vanished and reappeared at the door, "Please, do come in."

Everypony shared a nervous glance before heading inside. The cottage's interior had been completely transformed, now looking closer to a carnival fun house. The sight alone made Flash want to roll his eyes, "You have got to be kidding me."

"Just looking at it is making my head hurt." Springer moaned, blinking.

"See what a beautiful job he did helping?" Fluttershy said as she showed them inside and to a table that was shaped more like a splurge of paint. "Discord set the entire table himself. I'm so proud."

Everypony cringed at Fluttershy's denial, but quickly forgot about it when a nearby wall mounted coat hook transformed into Discord. He reached out a hand, which was aimed for Twilight's crown. "May I take your...hum, hum, hum...hats, ladies?" He tried to swipe it away, but Twilight managed to duck.

"Hang onto your Elements," she told the others. "It's gonna be a bumpy night."

In that moment, Iron stepped into the room carrying a tray on his back. Discord then appeared next to him, "Ah! Allow me!" He picked up the tray and took it over to the table as the ponies, dragon and jakhowl found a place to sit.

Discord then levitated the plates in front of them, the group all wary at the food presented to them. Seeing this, Springer asked, "Did you make this?"

"Oh, heavens no," Discord replied with a wave of the claw. "I haven't cooked for myself in over a thousand years. No, Fluttershy made this lovely banquet." Fluttershy nodded in agreement.

Hearing that, they all shared a sigh of relief before digging in. As they began their meal, Fluttershy spoke up. "As you all know, Princess Celestia hoped we'd help Discord use his magic for good instead of evil." She turned to Pinkie, whose face was currently covered in cream. "Pinkie Pie, care for some gravy?"

Pinkie smiled and nodded. "You bet."

Before Fluttershy could indulge her, Discord stood up. "Allow me." They all looked over to the gravy boat, which was suddenly consumed by a flash of light. When it died down, they saw it was now alive with a sloppy gravy tongue and acted like a dog.

The gravy boat rushed across the table towards Pinkie, who seemed to be taking delight in this abomination of nature. "Oh, what a cute little gravy boat you are!" she said as she stroked it, "Yes you are! Yes you are!" The gravy boat happily gave her a sloppy lick before pouring gravy on her food and walking off.

As it got closer to Rainbow, she frowned at it. "That's one creepy little gravy boat if you ask me."

Fluttershy growled at her. "Oh, come on now Dashie. You're not even giving this a chance."

Before Rainbow could respond, the gravy boat raced up to her and poured gravy on her lap. "Hey!" She cried in pain as she shot into the air, "that's hot!"

"Whoops," Discord said as he hid behind Fluttershy, "I'm so sorry."

Rainbow glared at him, hissing, "He did that on purpose!"

"Oh, well, I don't know about that. Mistakes happen." In that moment, a bunch of moving candle sticks hopped along the table. "Oh look everypony, dancing candles!" The candles got into position and were about to start dancing, only for their flames to be suddenly put out by Rainbow.

"I'm not falling for that!" She landed on the table and turned to the others. "Discord's just trying to distract us from–" She didn't finish her sentence, as in that moment, the candles hovered above her. She looked up at them, only to get bopped on the head by one. "Hey! Knock it off!" She cried as more of them began to bounce on her head, soon glaring back at Discord. "I suppose that's another 'mistake'?"

The look on Discord's face made Flash think he hadn't been expecting that. He glanced back at candles, "No, I think you just made them mad."

Twilight raised an eyebrow at this. "There's something fishy going on here. What is-" In that moment, a soup tureen shaped like a fish turned to her. It then spat thankfully cold soup into her face, which caused her to jerk backwards and fall out of her seat. It then turned to Spike and did the same thing, followed by Flash. Luckily, he managed to grab his empty plate and use it as a shield.

"Now what's happening?!" He asked as blocked a second barrage of cold soup. "Stop that!"

"Discord?" Fluttershy asked the chaos monster.

Discord chuckled nervously. "Well, its hardly my fault if the soup tureen finds the term 'something fishy' to be offensive."

The tureen then turned to Rarity, who gasped. "Not the dress! Not the dress!" It didn't listen, splattering her with soup before turning to Applejack and doing the same.

"That tureen's only doin' what you're makin' it do!" Applejack complained as she tried to find a napkin to clean her face.

"Now let's not jump to any conclusions," Fluttershy chimed in.

Flash interjected, still dodging the soup. "Sorry Shy, but I'm with the others on this one. Discord's obviously behind this."

"Yeah!" Rainbow cried as she kicked the candles away and turned to Fluttershy. "Can't you see what he's doing? He's playing innocent with you so you'll never agree to use the Elements of Harmony against him!" The soup tureen then turned towards her, forcing her to try and dodge its flying contents.

"Oh, well, that's a bit harsh, isn't it?" Discord asked.

"No, they're right!" Iron yelled as he tried to grab the tureen, only to get a blast of cold soup to the face, "You don't have any intention of changing your ways from the start, and you're just trying to keep yourself from being changed back to stone!"

Flash tossed a dinner dome to Rainbow, who used it to trap the tureen and stood atop it. "You see what we're saying, right, Fluttershy? Fluttershy!"

Fluttershy looked at all of her friends, who were either frowning at her or glaring at Discord. A small frown followed as she said, "You know what I see?" She turned and gave Discord a sympathetic smile. "I see that Discord's far from perfect, but I also see that none of you are giving him a chance!"

The others all complained about this in unison, Flash speaking up above them all. "I tried to give him a chance yesterday, but he wouldn't listen."

"So you try once and when that doesn't work, you just give up. Doesn't sound very knightly of you." She then turned to Iron and her glare intensified. "And you haven't let up on Discord since he got here. Did you ever think that maybe he's acting this way because he feels you're not even allowing yourself to believe in the possibility that he can change?!"

Iron glared back at her. "I'm just trying to keep you safe."

"Well maybe I don't want you constantly babying me. I'm fine!"

Iron frowned at this, turning his glare on Discord. Looks like he did manage to plant a wedge between him and Fluttershy.

"What's gotten into you?!" Rainbow asked as the dinner dome beneath her rattled. "Why do you keep cutting him so much slack?"

To respond, Fluttershy placed her hoof around Discord's neck. "Because that's what friends do."

This state surprised not only them, but also Discord. He rapidly blinked as he looked down at her. "We're friends?"

Fluttershy responded with a giant smile. "Why, of course we are!" She flew up so their eyes were at the same level. "I can't remember my house ever being this lively before you came along."

For the second time in a week, Discord found himself lost for words. "Oh...well, I've...never really had a friend before."

Fluttershy's smile increased as she took his hands into her hooves. "Well, you do now."

In that instance, everypony else at the table went slack jawed. Thankfully, they didn't have much time to focus on this, as in that moment, a nearby window opened and Angel leapt inside. He then started trying to mime something. Seeing this, Fluttershy turned to her pet, "Now is not a good time Angel. We're having a dinner party."

"Hold up!" Applejack interrupted, pointing at the critter, "I think he's tryin' to tell us somethin'!"

"Let me see," Springer said as he leapt up onto the table and connected his aura with Angel's. They waited a solid second, only for the jakhowl to speak up, "I'm getting...Sweet Apple Acres...and...flooded."

They all gasped, Rainbow turning and glaring at Discord. "Flooding at Sweet Apple Acres?! And we all know who's behind that now, don't we?!"

"Who me?" Discord asked innocently as a halo appeared above his head.

"Don't even try it!" Flash told him as he leapt out of his seat, swatting the halo away. "Come on everypony." He said as he turned and ran out the door, Iron and Applejack on his tail as the others followed.

Rainbow, Discord and Fluttershy were the last ones to leave. "What do you think of your 'friend' now, Fluttershy?" Rainbow yelled as she flew out the door while Fluttershy turned to Discord. The spirit of chaos just shrugged at her.

One trip to Sweet Apple Acres later...

When the group arrived at the edge of the farm, they found that when Angel said there was a flood, he was not kidding. They had been expecting water at knee height at best, not so deep that a whale could take a bath in it. The cause of all this was the many beaver dams that covered the surrounding area, blocking off the streams and causing the water to build up into this amount. As Flash and Springer flew overhead, they spotted Big Mac, Applebloom and Granny Smith floating in buckets, trying to save as any apples as possible.

"I've never seen the floodin' this bad!" They heard Applejack say as they arrived at the edge of one of the larger dams. "They've built dams 'round here before, but never like this! What's goin' on?!" For that answer, they turned to Fluttershy, who was currently talking to the head of the beavers.

Said beaver spoke in his beaver speak to her, causing her to gasp. "Such language!" She then had to duck as a stick flew over her head, causing her to sigh and fly back over to her friends. "Its no use. They won't listen to a word I say!"

Rainbow flew up to her. "You see?! Discord's behind all this and-"

"Of course I know his is!" Fluttershy yelled, interrupting Rainbow as she turned to the others. "Do you all think I'm a silly, gullible fool?!" The response to this was a load of mumbling and unsure sentences, all seeming to reply as yes. Fluttershy rolled her eyes at this before pointing at the group in anger, "I was trying to prevent this! I've been trying to gain his friendship any way I can so he'd come to trust and listen to me!"

"And you really thought that would work?" Iron barked back. "I don't know if you've looked around, but this isn't trust or listening! This is-"

"Hey there Fluttershy!" They all turned towards the flooded orchid, where they saw Discord. He was currently water skiing, using the two soup tureens as his momentum. "You want a turn? The water's great!"

"Time to find out if I've earned his trust." Fluttershy responded to Iron's question, giving him one last glare before turning to the chaos monster.

Discord skied right up to her, jumping off his skates and stepping onto the bank. "Fluttershy! Oh, there you are. You're a sight for 'sore' eyes." he remarked as band-aids appeared and began rubbing his eyes.

Fluttershy continued to frown as she pointed to the farm. "As you can see, there's a big mess down here at Sweet Apple Acres."

As expected by...well everypony, Discord didn't seem to care as he dried himself off. "Oh, yes. Awful business, that. Mm."

Fluttershy flew up so she was eye level with him. "It is awful. This is Applejack's home, and its being destroyed by innocent creatures who would never be acting this way if it weren't for your reckless behavior." She then turned away from him. "You need to fix this."

Discord looked like he was actually considering it, then smirked. "Oh very well, I will fix it." His smile increased as he leaned up to her face. "I only ask one thing in return."

"Yes?" Fluttershy asked, only for Discord to point at her Element.

"I ask that you never use your Element of Harmony against me. As a sign of out friendship of course." This caused everypony's eyes to go wide, as they knew that if she made that deal, she would hold it.

Fluttershy looked down at her Element, then to her friends. They were all shaking their heads no, but even so, she turned back to Discord before removing her necklace. "I will never use my Element of Harmony against you." She tossed it to Spike, who barely managed to catch it.

Discord's sinister smile appeared on his face. "Excellent!" With that he snapped his fingers and unleashed a power light, which Fluttershy expected to fix everything. But when she opened her eyes, she found that he had not fixed it. The water that once covered Sweet Apple Acres had now been replaced snow and ice.

"There, much better!" Discord called out as he skated along the frozen lake, "I do prefer ice skating to water skiing! Don't you?"

Fluttershy's shock, which was soon replaced by anger, appeared on her face as she leapt out onto the ice. "DISCORD! That's not fixing it!" As she neared the spirit of chaos, she tried to come to a stop. "Why, I oughta-" But instead, she kept sliding and flew right past him.

"Where are you going?" Discord asked as he skated over to Fluttershy, who finally pulled herself to a stop. "What's wrong, pal?"

Fluttershy continued to glare at him, putting all her effort into not slipping. "Don't call me your pal!"

Discord laughed as he caused a quartet of ice skates to appear. "Come skating with me, and we'll let bygones be bygones."

In that moment, Spike expertly skated over to her with the Element of Kindness in claw. "Here you go Fluttershy," he said as he offered it to her. "Game on!"

"He fixes this or he goes back to being stone!" Twilight yelled from the bank. "Princess Celestia will understand!"

"Do it Fluttershy! You have too!" Flash added, Iron yelling out the same thing as well.

Fluttershy looked between her Element and the skates, an internal struggle going on inside her head. As she did, she looked back up and said, "I made a promise to not use my Element against him, and I'm going to keep it." With that, she took the skates from Discord and walked off.

Pinkie gasped, Rainbow and Applejack groaned and Rarity looked like she was about to faint. Flash let out a low growl as he yelled out, "Come on Fluttershy! He didn't keep his side of the bargain! He said he'd fix everything if you promised not to use your Element. He didn't fix things, so you don't have to keep the promise!"

"Yeah!" Iron added. "Petrify his sorry behind!"

"No!" Fluttershy said firmly. "I won't use my Element!"

"Hahah!" Discord gloated as he skated by the ponies. "You see? She wants to have fun with me because we're friends. She can't use the elements against me because we're friends. I'm free forever!" All the time he was saying this, Fluttershy's anger had been building. All he had done was use her, not caring about her one bit. Finally, the anger peaked.

"Not...your...FRIEND!" She cried before tossing the skates away and walking off.

"Who cares? I can do whatever I want, whenever I want. I'm Discord, the master of chaos!" He disappeared and reappeared behind Fluttershy, craning himself over to look her in the eye. "You think you can boss Discord around? You think I'm just going to turn all this back because you say so? Because if I don't, I'll lose the one friend I ever had?"

"Yes. I do." Fluttershy replied, staring him right in the eye. "Because I believe in you. The others have tried and failed to either tolerate you or try to help you see, but I didn't give up. I still believe in you."

"You? Believe in me when just did that?!" he said as he pointed to the thrown away skates.

"Yes. Because I'm your friend, and you're going to lose me because of yourself." Fluttershy tapped her forehead into his, "I trusted you Discord."

"I..." Discord tried to say, only for his memories of what he had just said go through his brain. It was in that moment that he finally stopped, his and her words sinking into his heart. "I'm going to lose the only friend I have..."

"Yes." Fluttershy immediately replied, turning away as Discord just stood there, his brain still trying to function at what he just realized.

"What's going on?" Springer asked as they watched him just stand there.

Flash blinked at the sight, "I think....I think its working."

Discord looked back down at where the skates, causing him to frown. "Oh. Well played, Fluttershy. Well played." He skated over to the top of a nearby tree, which he sat on as a light flew off of him. As the light touched all he had done, it slowly reverted back to normal. When the light finally died down, everypony looked around to see Sweet Apple Acres was back the way it was meant to be. Fluttershy was shocked at what she was seeing, but soon forgot that when her friends rushed towards her, cheering as they surrounded her.

In that moment, Discord appeared beside them. "I like it better my way, but... I guess when you're friends, you can't always have things exactly your way all the time, eh?"

"Maybe, but it's a small price the pay." Flash replied before holding out his hoof. "Trust me. In time, you'll see that its worth it."

"We'll see," Discord said as he folded his arms, rejecting the shake. Everyone could tell he was far from being fully reformed, but they knew he was now firmly on his way.

The next day...

Twilight had sent a message to Celestia the previous night, and now they were waiting in the center of town for her. When she finally arrived, she asked for a full report on everything. Everypony told her what had happened, the flood and freeze making Celestia frown, but when they finished, she nodded before turning to Discord. "Do you truly believe you can use your magic to help Equestria, and all who inhabit it?"

Discord stepped forwards, bowing. "Yes, Princess. I'm ready to use my magic for good instead of evil." It was then that Flash's ears picked up something Discord said under his breath. "Most of the time."

Flash smirked, deciding to give him that one.

Celestia turned to them with a huge shining smile. "Congratulations on your success, everypony. I definitely sense a big change in Discord." She then moved over to Flash and Twilight, whispering in their ears. "I'll leave the Elements of Harmony with you two. Just in case." Discord frowned at hearing that, but he knew he couldn't blame her.

"You were right when you said Fluttershy would be the one to find the way to reform Discord," Twilight told her mentor. "By treating Discord as a friend, she got him to realize that friendship was actually important to him." This caused Fluttershy to blush. "And that's something that, once he had, he didn't want to lose."

"And now there's just one last thing we need him to say," Flash said as they looked up at Discord, all of them with huge grins on their faces.

Fluttershy took this moment to nudge Discord's side. "Go on. Say it."

Discord let out a huge, exaggerated groaned. "Oh alright....I'll do it." He said his next sentence very quickly, "Friendship is magic."

Fluttershy smiled as she took his lion hand in her hoof. "See? He can be a real sweetheart once you get to know him."

The look on everypony's face at this statement definitely showed they did not agree with her. With that out of the way, Celestia and Discord headed off to Canterlot so she could begin her own work with him.

Once they were gone, Iron stepped up to Fluttershy. "Sorry about babying you. I know you can look after yourself, but-" He stopped when he felt Fluttershy pull him into a hug.

When she pulled away, she gave him the kindest smile she could give. "I'm happy I have somepony special to look out for me. Just don't go overboard on it, okay?"

Iron chuckled back at her. "Alright."

Fluttershy's smile increased as she pulled him into another hug. "Good. And thank you for protecting me anyways."

"Of course."

Magic Duel

View Online

Today's adventure opens up outside Fluttershy's cottage. She and her animal friends were there, alongside Flash, Twilight, Spike and Springer. They were preparing to work on a special show that Twilight would be doing tonight as entertainment for several delegates from the nearby land of Saddle Arabia.

Fluttershy was currently laying on the ground, completely eye level with all the animals. "Don't be scared, little friends. Twilight is wonderful with magic." It was then she spun around with speed that would put Rainbow to shame, and glared at Twilight. "Anything happens to them Twilight, so help me-" She didn't get to finish her threat, as in that moment, Spike got between them.

"Aww, don't worry Fluttershy." Spike walked the mare away. "Twilight's magic has gotten a lot better since she accidentally crushed me and Applejack with a giant snowball." This got a blush from Twilight, while Flash and Springer snickered under their breath.

"She sure showed how much fun that Winter Wrap-Up thing was," Springer added.

"No kidding. I wish I could have been both there and with a camera for that," Flash finished, only to get a glare from Twilight. "Oh, don't give me that look. You know you'd be saying the same thing if it was me who'd done it."

Twilight rolled her eyes, but the smirk on her lips showed she was not denying it. Fluttershy on the other hoof, continued to worry as panic began to race through her mind, "Of course Twilight's good with magic, she's great with magic. I guess I just don't want my little friends to be scared." Her whole body shook in fear as she looked over at her critters. "Oh! Oh look how scared they are!"

Everypony turned towards the animals, all of them cheering without a single trace of fear on their faces. Flash snickered at this, turning to Fluttershy with a grin, "Oh, they're absolutely terrified. I'm surprised their fur isn't falling off from worrying so-Ow!"

Twilight had pulled Flash's ear with her magic once again, yelling in his ear. "Stop that Flash!" She then pointed to now doubly shaking Fluttershy, "Now look at what you did."

"I was just joking Twi-Ow! Stop that!"

"Yeah yeah, I know." Twilight growled as she moved over to the pegasus mare and placed her hoof on her side. "I promise Fluttershy, nothing bad will happen to them."

"I know," Fluttershy replied through gritted teeth. Twilight then stepped up to the animals with a serious look on her face, her horn glowing as a magic aura enveloping the group in one go. But as she did, Fluttershy then screamed, "Stop!" She laid on the ground and hid herself behind her hooves. "Please stop. They can't take it."

Everypony looked back at the critters and saw that they looked perfectly fine, completely unphased by the magic surrounding them. Twilight rolled her her eyes at this, now refocusing her magic. One by one, the animals shot into the air, moving around like they were super heroes. With a few flicks of Twilight's horn, they began to move in different directions and were soon performing an aerial feat that would put the Wonderbolts to shame.

"Whoa..." Springer gasped as he watched this.

"Twilight, that looks amazing." Spike added, his eyes shining like Springer's.

Flash nodded in agreement. "Not bad."

Twilight replied with a knowing smirk as sweat poured down her head. Deciding to wrap up the performance, she re-positioned the animals into a line before lowering them to the ground. As soon as the last bunny had its large feet on the ground, she sighed in relief as she wiped her brow.

The animals suddenly crowded around her, obviously wanting to go again. "That's all for now, little ones. Maybe we can practice again later, if Fluttershy says it's alright." Everypony watched as the animals rushed over to Fluttershy, the mare still hiding behind her hooves.

Spike turned back to Twilight. "Your magic has really improved since we came to Ponyville, Twilight. Princess Celestia's gonna love it."

Twilight smiled down at him. "Thanks, Spike. I have to be at my best when she arrives with the delegates from Saddle Arabia. I can't believe she's trusting me with the entertainment."

"I can. Who else could put on a better magical show?" Flash said before showing a large frown, "which I won't even get to see. Can't believe I'm stuck doing border patrol with Iron."

Twilight patted him on the side. "Just goes to show how well Celestia trusts you if she's letting you handle security for such important ponies. Sometimes being trusted means putting responsibility before personal enjoyment."

Flash still tried to frown, but hearing those words made it impossible for him to do anything but smile. That is, till-

"TWILIGHT, FLASH!"

The two looked up to see Rainbow flying towards them. "What's up?" Flash asked her in worry until he spotted the smirk on Rainbow's face. If something bad were happening, Rainbow wouldn't be smirking. Most likely, she would fly at them so fast, she would end up knocking them over.

"You two've gotta get over to Ponyville. You'll never believe who's here!"

Flash and Twilight shared a confused glance, but quickly shook them away and rushed off to town, Spike and Springer on their heels.

When the four of them eventually arrived on the edge of town, where were greeted by the sight of a barrage of fireworks gracing the sky. Seeing them made them all share a knowing smirk at one another as Flash said, "There's only one pony I know that can make great fireworks like that."

Twilight nodded in agreement as the two made their way to the center of the town. When they arrived, they spotted a large group of ponies gathered around something. Flash and Springer took to the air, while Twilight and Spike pushed themselves to the front, soon seeing the pony they were talking about. It was a familiar light blue unicorn, who was performing a bunch of different spells on a large stage. Her name was Trixie Lulamoon, and was currently dressed in her traditional magician hat and cape.

Everyone watched as she unleashed a bunch of fireworks spells, all exploding into different shapes. Many ponies were reminded of the last time they had seen Trixie do this, only to see that the shapes were much more detailed and moving more fluidly. They watched as the lights morphed into the shapes of manticores, serpentines, dragons, and ursa minors, which began to dance over the heads of the ponies. The younger ponies were amazed by this, while the older ones clapped in an impressed manner.

When the fireworks faded, they looked over to Trixie, who was now levitating a batch of eggs in front of them. She then tapped her hooves as the eggs flew into the air, her horn shooting a volley of beams at the white spheres. Each magical beam struck the eggs, causing a brilliant light to shine, only to fade immediately and reveal a bunch of flying doves.

The doves flew over the ponies heads, only to once again be struck by Trixie's magic and revert back to their egg forms. The crowd began their applause again, Twilight's eyes going wide as they did. "Did she just perform...an age spell?" Twilight whispered to herself, her voice lost in the cheering audience. "Those spells could only be done by the strongest of unicorn wizards..."

As she continued to stare in awe, Trixie performed several more tricks, only to soon bow, ending her show. A chorus of claps followed this, the crowd pleased at the performance before dispersing. Soon enough, only Flash and his friends, minus Fluttershy, were left, and they moved over to her as she began to pack up her cart.

"Trixie!" Flash called out, causing the mare to turn around and smile.

"Hey everypony!" Trixie replied as she grabbed a leaping Springer and pulled him into a hug. "It's so good to see you all again."

"What are you doing here darling?" Rarity asked her. "Not that we're not happy to see you, its just a surprise and all."

Trixie turned to her with a big cheeky grin. "Princess Luna suggested I come and help out with the entertainment for the Saddle Arabian guests."

"Really?!" Spike replied with his eyes shining, "That's great! With you and Twilight working together, this show's gonna be awesome!"

Trixie nodded in joy as she turned to Twilight. "So Twilight, ready to work with the Great and Powerful Trixie?!" She then laughed at mocking her old persona, the rest of them quickly following suit.

Twilight was the only one who didn't laugh, still thinking about that dove and egg trick. "How'd you do that?" Trixie looked at her in confusion. "How could you do an age spell? That's only for the highest level of unicorns."

Trixie just shrugged, a smile on her face. "Maybe I'm one of those highest level unicorns." She giggled under her breath, only to see Twilight looking at her expectantly. "Oh relax, I'm just kidding. It wasn't an age spell."

"But I saw you turn those eggs into doves!"

Trixie just smirked before moving over to her cart and opening it up. "You mean these doves?"

Everypony looked inside and saw several cages with the doves they had seen her use before. They then looked back to the unicorn and saw her hold a basket full of the eggs, which on closer inspection, they realized that they were plastic fakes.

"I'm confused," Pinkie admitted as she scratched her head.

"I teleported them," Trixie explained as she closed the cart back up. "I threw them in the air, then used a teleportation spell to swap them with the doves. Then I did the same trick to change them back."

"Incredible...." Twilight gasped as she glanced back at the closing cart. "That takes incredible accuracy and mental visualization to pull off. It took me years to gain that kind of technique, but you've mastered it in such a shot time."

Trixie blushed at this. "Thanks. The first time I tried it was with an apple, only I ended up teleporting the table it was on instead." This caused everypony to laugh, Twilight now giggling as well as Trixie continued, "Now I can teleport myself and small objects, but I'm getting better." She then gave Twilight a serious stare. "So anyways, what's the plan for tonight? I'm sure there's someway I can make it even better."

Twilight smiled back. "Well, I was gonna levitate some of Fluttershy's animal friends into doing a midair dance."

"That's a good main performance idea." Trixie replied as she rubbed her chin in thought, "I'm sure a few fireworks will work there, as long as the animals don't get frightened."

"I'm sure they'll be fine," Flash told her with a smirk, "Trust me, she was practicing with them earlier and they loved it."

"Sounds good to me." Trixie said with a nod before turning back to Twilight. "Then what's after that?"

Twilight raised an eyebrow. "Come again?"

"After the midair animal dance, what do we do then?"

Twilight twiddled her hooves at this. "Um...that's kind of all I have planned."

Trixie looked confused by this, blinking at the mare. "Okay...how long is this show?"

Flash was the one that answered. "An hour, hour and a half."

"An hour and a half?!" Trixie gasped, worry immediately plastering itself on her face.

"What's wrong with that?" Twilight asked back, still twiddling her hooves.

"Well, take it from a pony who used to make a living by keeping others entertained. Crowds, no matter who they are, tend to have short attention spans. Flying animals will probably keep them entertained for about fifteen minutes, twenty tops. But an hour and a half...they're gonna get bored."

Twilight was gonna try and argue with her, only for her eyes to shrink at this fact. An hour and a half of flying animals, that was gonna get boring eventually. Hearing this, Twilight began to panic, instantly starting her usual pacing, "This is bad, this is really really bad!" she yelled to herself as her hooves started their treading into the ground, "I need this show to be amazing, but I've only got an opening act!" She crouched down and grabbed her head, "WHAT AM I GONNA DO!?"

Flash sighed at the sight, remembering all the other Twilight panic attacks over the years. He then moved in front of her and lowered his head to her eye level, only to get a face full of her breath before saying, "Twilight, calm down. We'll think of something else to put in the show."

"Like what?!" Twilight yelped, "We're already on a time table here Flash! What do I do?!"

Flash stood back to full height, the smirk on his face giving Twilight hope. "I have no idea."

Twilight groaned as she rolled her eyes at this, her horn starting to shine as an aura appeared on Flash's ear, "I have an aunt called hope Flash, would you like to kill her too?"

"Oh relax." Flash waved his hoof at her, "I'm sure you'll think of something. Just stay calm and think."

"Right...stay calm and think." Twilight picked herself up and began pacing again, "think....think...THINK!"

Trixie kept blinking at this sight before letting out a small sigh, "As amusing as this is to watch, I think I should step in here." She walked up to Twilight and placed a hoof on her shoulder. "Alright Twilight, the first thing to consider when designing a show is the location. So, maybe being there will help you imagine it better."

"Right!" Twilight cried before rushing off, a pony shaped dust cloud left in her wake.

"Whoa....she always that fast?" Trixie asked as she looked back at Flash.

"Yup." Everypony laughed at Flash's reply, the defender then turning to the others. "Leave this to us. Pinkie?"

"Yes?" The party planning pony asked with a salute.

"Could you come up with some confections to offer the delegates? You know, in case they get hungry."

"On it!" Pinkie replied before bouncing off to Sugarcube Corner.

"Ah'll go to," Applejack added as she began to follow the pink pony. "Two heads are better than one."

Flash nodded and turned to Springer. "Do me a favor and tell Iron I'll be late for patrol. Just say its me helping with the stuff we'll be doing later."

The jakhowl gave him a two fingered salute before rushing off with the others, leaving Flash and Trixie alone. There, Trixie turned to Flash, "Alright Flash, could you escort me to the stage that Twilight ran off to?"

"You go it. Follow me," Flash replied as the two of them headed off to the stage. As they walked, Flash turned to the blue mare. "So, how's it been Trixie?"

Trixie shined her usual smile as she replied, "Its been quite well, me being Princess Luna's apprentice and all. In fact, I just met Ruby Scarlet a few days ago."

"Oh?" Flash responded, slightly tilting his head. "And how is she?"

"She's uh...good." Trixie said as she almost started to twiddle her hooves. Flash could see a bit of nervous sweat appearing on her forehead as she continued, "She told me about you after she said Luna had told her about my...history before becoming Luna's student. In exchange, she told me it was fine and then told me how she became Luna's student."

"I see. She didn't say anything bad about me, did she?"

Trixie shook her head. "Oh no, quite the opposite in fact. She praised you a bunch, though mainly to Grand Hoof. Apparently, it was their first meeting as well."

Flash was taken back by this. "Really? I thought she said she was going to join the Royal Knights as soon as possible after the Crystal Empire stuff."

"She said she had a lot to do in the empire before she was finally able to come to Canterlot." Trixie slightly shuddered as she then said, "Though uh....I really wish I wasn't there when she came."

"What do you mean?"

"Well....let's just say Ruby wanted to test Grand before she joined the knights."

Flash's eyes went wide as he heard this, a gulp quickly going down his throat. "Uh-oh. Don't tell me she insulted him, did she?"

Trixie slowly nodded. "Yup. She uh....didn't exactly like the fact that he only sent a 'squire' to the empire, even if it was you. She said he had no right to just send one soldier against a monster."

"Oh no..." was all Flash could say.

That is, till Trixie let out a nervous chuckle, "She also said she wasn't impressed with Grand when she first saw him."

Flash wanted to facehoof at this. "Don't tell me...they got into a fight, didn't they?"

"Well...."

A few days ago....

Trixie sat motionless at the scene before her. Pure streams of sweat covered in fear dripped down her face as she watched the sight in front of her eyes. It was the castle's training ground, where her mentor Princess Luna was sitting right beside her, a huge grin on the alicorn's face. Trixie knew she couldn't escape this situation, as Luna had declared it to be a great learning experience, and something she just really wanted to watch. This also included over half of the soldiers in Canterlot, all of them sitting on the sidelines of the field with amazement in their eyes.

As for what they were watching, it was two ponies in the middle of the training field. On the left was a middle-aged earth stallion who had cuts all up his front-hooves and a giant bruise on his right face cheek. His mane was tattered, all of his hair scattered like it had been through a tornado and then covered in sweaty water. On the right was a red-haired unicorn mare, who's left eye was closed due to a cut above her forehead that was making blood flow over it. She had less cuts than the earth pony, but her sides were plastered with bruises, all blows from either hooves or a certain hammer that the earth pony wielded. Her horn was just spurting tiny sparks of magic as she tried to summon a crystal weapon, only for it disappear in an instant.

"HA!" the earth pony called out, his tongue flapping in the wind as he panted a volley of deep tiring breaths, "Looks like yer…*huff* *huff*….oh..." he moaned as he tried to retort, his hooves slightly shaking side to side, "Looks like yer outta magic now! You're...*cough* oh...gotta catch my breath. *huff* *huff* You're going down!"

"Not a chance! I'm gonna....*cough* *cough* *cough*…..win, ya geezer!" the mare shot back as she then pointed to the side of the castle behind her, "After all, even if I can't make a weapon, you sure can't get that hammer of yours anymore." She was pointing to Grand Hoof's signature weapon, Grand Slammer, which was now stuck in a barrage of bricks on the side of the castle's wall. "And that was just two rounds ago Grand Hoof, and I've been beating....*huff* *huff*…..I've been beating you with ease the entire time."

"What was...*huff*….what was that?!" Grand barked back, anger trying to slightly show itself on his face. Well, mainly just blood-shot eyes as his face was mainly covered in bruises. "Oh no you don't! Don't think for a second I'll go easy on you anymore!"

Ruby just gestured a 'come-on' stance with her right hoof, "I can go another fifteen rounds, ya old fogey. Now come on, show me what..." Ruby's hooves fell down for a moment as she had to catch her breath. A second later, she put them back up, "Show me what you got!"

"Oh, I'll show ya. I'll...*cough* *hack* *cough*….augh!" Grand yelled before coughing up a bit of blood, his stance wavering. That is, till he looked back up and shined an almost visible confident grin. He then charged forward, both hooves swinging, "This old pony ain't don't yet Ruby Scarlet! Bring it on!"

Ruby's horn did one last sputter before going silent, her eyes narrowing. She clenched her front hooves before taking an offensive stance. As she did, Grand closed the distance between the two, ready to throw the next punch. But as his hoof raised itself, she raised her's as well as she barked back, "Let's go Grand! Its round sixteen, you old geezer!"

The Present...

"Whoa..." was all Flash could say.

"Yup." Trixie said with a slight gulp before turning away. "And um...don't ask me on who won. I'm actually not allowed to specifically tell you, or one of them will uh....they said they'd kill me."

"Got it." Flash immediately replied, crossing his hooves. He had a good feeling who won if that's the case, but decided to not bring it up. Instead, he asked, "So...did you do anything else with Ruby? I know her and Luna know each other very well."

"They definitely do." Trixie turned back to him, only to show an even more fearful face. "And I...I actually witnessed something even worse because of that."

"Really? How do you top that?"

Trixie's eyes darted back and forth as she slowly answered, "Let's just say...apparently, Luna and Ruby liked to...'go out for drinks' in the old days." Flash's expression slightly whitened at this, but Trixie continued, "Also, Ruby and Luna found out that there were a lot new drinks invented in the thousand years that they were gone. As such, they decided to bring me along and try them all at the same time!"

Trixie began to shake like a leaf at the thought of those memories, causing Flash to put his hoof on her shoulder. She looked back at him and saw a compassionate smile on his face. "Don't. You don't have to tell me anymore of that story."

Trixie's cheeks started to show a hint of red, "Thanks."

In that moment, the two of them arrived at the stage. Twilight was still pacing, but now in a motion that had her constantly checking every place around the stage repeatedly. Seeing this, Trixie and Flash nodded to each other before Trixie spoke up, "Twilight, we're here! Is this the stage?"

Twilight turned back to them and rapidly nodded, "Yes!" Twilight then pointed to a large box on top of a tower. "Celestia and the dignitaries will be up there."

"Alright..." Trixie replied before her horn glowed and she disappeared in a flash of pink light.

"Where'd she go?" Flash asked.

"Up here." They two looked up at the box, only to see Trixie now examining the box intently, seeing all the angles and positions she, and thus the dignitaries, could see. Eventually, she nodded before teleporting back to them. "Alright, we can differently work with this."

Flash shined a big grin as he said, "Great. Now, I wish I could stay and help you two, but...Iron's probably alright angry at me for being this late." He spread his wings. "I'll see you girls later. Think you can survive for a few hours without me?"

"Oh please," Trixie waved with a coy smile on her lips. "We'll probably be able to get this done faster without you here mucking it up."

Flash gave her a fake offended smirk. "What do you mean, muck it up?"

"Oh, you should know." Trixie told him before giggling. "I've been told that trouble follows you wherever you go."

"Who told you that?" Flash snorted as his coy smirk slightly disappeared.

"My teacher." Trixie replied, her eyebrows hopping up and down, "And Princess Celestia...and Grand Hoof."

"Everypony, huh?" Flash added, a comically deadpan stare on his face now, "Shows how much everypony trusts me."

"Oh, we do." Trixie giggled as she nudged his shoulder. "We just know you too well to know you're trouble."

As the two continued to playfully argue, Twilight watched them with shifting eyes. Her eyes blinked rapidly as she now saw Trixie and Flash hugging, big grins on their faces. But as she saw that happiness, she felt a sudden clutch in her chest. She immediately tapped her chest, and looked back at the Trixie and Flash, only to see no anger in their arguing, just...happiness. When that thought entered her head, the clutching on her heart felt like it tightened.

"What...what is going on?" Twilight whispered to herself, making sure no one could hear her.

"Well then, let's see how well you do without me," Flash finished as he gave one last grin, chuckling as he flew off with a smirk on his face.

Trixie turned back to Twilight, the biggest smile on on her face. "That Flash, what a card. Am I right?"

"Yes...." Twilight muttered back, "he's quite the character."

Trixie then gave her a coy smile, gesturing her head back to the sky, "By the way, you and he aren't...you know?"

Twilight gave her a confused glance. "What? What are you-" It was then that Trixie's eyebrows moved up and down two or three times, making Twilight's eyes go wide. "NO!" She then coughed, "I mean, no. We're just friends."

"Oh..." Trixie replied as she turned back around and looked at where Flash flew off to, "Then I guess you wouldn't mind if I asked him out?"

"WHAT!?" Twilight yelped, only to immediately try to lower her voice.

Trixie looked back at Twilight, "Why not? If he's not seeing anypony…."

"I just...I didn't realize you...and him. That you...well...like him."

"Well, I wouldn't say I like him for sure," Trixie said as she turned around again. "But isn't that the purpose of going on a date? To see if there can be more between two ponies than just friendship?"

Twilight opened her mouth, only for no sound to come out. She didn't know how to answer that, at least that's what her brain told her. She actually did know the answer, but something inside her refused to say it out loud. "I...I guess...maybe?"

Trixie just shrugged, not noticing the panic creeping onto Twilight's face. "You know what? I'll focus on asking him out later, maybe after the show or something. For now, let's focus on working out some more routines."

"Right...." Twilight said with a nod, Trixie hopping onto the stage with her.

Over the next few hours, the two unicorns came up with several more ideas for the show. Actually, Trixie came up with them and Twilight just agreed to every single one. For some reason, she couldn't keep herself focused enough to come up with any of her own ideas, which she apologized to Trixie, saying she wasn't a showmare like her. Trixie just patted her on the back at this, saying it was fine and agreed to show Twilight some basic magic show tricks. The techniques would be easy with her level of magical abilities, along with Trixie explaining proper showpony etiquette.

Eventually, the two decided to break for lunch and would reconvene an hour later at the stage. Trixie went off on her own, while Twilight found herself outside a local café, slurping on a chocolate milkshake.

As she did this, Twilight let out a long sigh, "Mmmm...what is wrong with me? Why couldn't I think up anything for the show? All I had was the animal trick...." She then laid her head on the table, her mind repeating what Trixie had asked her. And as that memory was put on repeat, she took another sip, "Why is that bothering me? I mean, Trixie's just going to ask him out and..."

She laid her head down again, unable to finish that sentence. All the while, she couldn't keep her mind from daydreaming about Flash and Trixie. She imagined the two of them on a date, then another date....then Flash moved back to Canterlot, proposed to Trixie and then there were foals and-

"AUGH!" Twilight moaned as she lifted her head up, only to slam it into the wooden surface. She then muffled out, "What's wrong with me?"

"Twilight?" Her head came up to see Spike, Rarity, Fluttershy and Rainbow moving over to her. "What's wrong darling?" Rarity asked as the four of them sat down around her. "You have the most miserable look on your face. Are you alright?"

"Oh...its nothing." She muttered back as she put her head into the table again, all while magically angling the straw into her mouth.

"Uh-oh," Spike said as he looked at the contents of the milkshake. "That's chocolate, isn't it?"

"What's wrong with chocolate?" Rarity asked the drake, only to see a grimace appear on his face.

"Its her comfort flavor. She always drinks it when she's depressed."

Twilight's horn was about to shine, ready to use some magic to punish the dragon assistant for saying that, only to sputter out. She didn't have the energy or motivation. Seeing this, Fluttershy leaned over and quietly asked, "What's the matter Twilight? Why are you depressed?

"Yeah, you can tell us." Rainbow added, "Is it about the show?"

"No..." Twilight moaned while still faceplanting into the table, "Trixie and I managed to come up with some more entertainment ideas."

"So what's the matter?"

"I'm not sure," Twilight muttered as she slowly looked back up. "Its weird. We were about to start working on the show when my heart suddenly felt like it had been stung by a Scorpentine."

Hearing this made her friends all share an unusual glance at each other, Spike speaking up next, "Are you coming down with something? Maybe you should let Trixie take the lead on this and get some rest."

Twilight slowly shook her head. "No, I'm not sick. At least...I don't think I am. It just came out of nowhere."

Rarity just stared at the mare, obviously suspecting she knew what was happening, though she knew she had to clarify it, "Twilight, darling....before this odd feeling appeared, what were you and Trixie talking about?"

Twilight's eyes began to go wide at this question, blinking at the mare as a nervous looked appeared on her face. "I'm...not really sure. We were talking about a lot of things."

"Well then darling, could go through them all?"

"Well...first me, Trixie, and Flash were looking over to stage and what we can do, then Flash had to go on patrol. Before he did, he and Trixie started like...playfully arguing or something."

"So they were flirting?" Rarity asked, her eyebrows raised at this.

"NO!" Twilight yelped, her eyes turning into a small glare, "It was a...it was more like how me and him argue."

"So flirting," Spike added, only to feel a magic tug on his ear.

"I said they weren't flirting Spike!" Twilight grumbled as she laid her chin on the table, now looking away from the others. "Anyways, Flash left us, so me and Trixie got to work. But then Trixie asked if Flash was seeing anypony, because she was hoping to ask him out."

"SHE WHAT?!" They all exclaimed in unison.

"Oh my, I didn't know Trixie liked Flash like that," Fluttershy added, her hoof over her mouth.

"She said she wanted to see if there could be anything other than friendship from it," Twilight muttered, taking another sip.

"Makes sense," Rarity said before tapping Twilight's shoulder. The purple unicorn then turned back around, only to see a look of pure seriousness on Rarity's face. "I'm guessing this is when that stinging feeling appeared in your chest, am I right darling?"

Twilight blinked at this, taking another sip before looking up to the sky. Her mind reeled through all her memories of that hour or so with Trixie, only to see Rarity was right. "Yeah...it happened around then." Twilight looked back at Rarity, "How'd you know?"

Rarity shook her head, chuckling, "Oh Twilight, can't you see?" She put her hoof on Twilight's shoulder, "Twilight, you're jealous."

Twilight's eyes went as wide as dinner plates at this, her mouth immediately opening with a yell, "Jealous?! Why would I be jealous?!"

"It's instinctual dear," Rarity told her as she nudged Twilight's shoulder. "You feel like Trixie's encroaching on your territory."

The others all rolled their eyes, Rainbow then saying, "She's not a tiger Rarity."

"We're all animals Rainbow Dash," the fashionista told the pegasus. "Even if we're highly evolved, we still have instincts that can react without warning. Trixie is causing Twilight's instincts to flare, making her jealous."

"But why would she be jealous?" Spike asked as he pointed at Twilight. "Trixie and Flash have been around each other before."

Rarity smiled at the young, naïve drake. "Yes, but back then, there wasn't a threat of Trixie taking Flash away from Twilight. Now, she thinks she is."

"That's ridiculous!" Twilight barked back, slamming the table with her hoof. "Even if Flash and Trixie started going out, why would I be jealous?! Me and Flash aren't like that!"

Rarity gave her a knowing look, only to then shake her head. "Okay, let's say that's true. How long have you and Flash been best friends? Ten, eleven years?"

"Yes."

"And in that time, you've forged an incredible bond, one that many ponies wish they could forge between one another. Now in comes Trixie, who wants to date the one you have a strong bond with. How do you think that makes you feel?"

Twilight saw everypony at the table stare at her, making her feel like all the times she had had to give an oral report at school. She searched her feelings, remembering the daydreams she had had before. "I guess I'd be worried that if Flash started seeing somepony, he might forget about me."

"Exactly darling," Rarity said as she slung her hoof around Twilight's neck, "and that fear of being forgotten is causing you to become jealous of Trixie."

"But when we first met you, you flirted with him and I didn't feel anything then."

This time, Fluttershy tapped her hoof on the table, getting Twilight attention, "That's because your relationship has changed. When you first came here, you were just best friends. But think about everything that's happened to the two of you since coming here."

"Yeah," Rainbow agreed, nodding. "You two went from being a pair of lackeys for Celestia and Grand, to being leaders that everypony in town looks to for answers."

Rarity gave her another nudge, "And that in turn, led the two of you to lean on each other more, which caused your bond to grow stronger. Especially after what happened the last time the two of you fought Big Score and his minions."

"Yeah...I guess so." Twilight mumbled, her eyes staring holes into the table.

Seeing this, Fluttershy nudged Twilight with a hoof, "Um...Twilight?" The purple mare gave her a slow glance, "You know we're all here for you, just like Rainbow said that the town looks up to you two. But..." Fluttershy twiddled her hooves at her next words, "Well, what do you think about all this? Would you mind Flash being with Trixie?"

Twilight thought about what they were saying. It was true, she did feel like her and Flash had grown closer since they first arrived in Ponyville. But as she thought this, she shook off Rarity and slumped back down on the table, admitting her feelings as she said, "I want Flash to be happy. I want him to find somepony special and one day have a family."

"Of course you do darling," Rarity added as she put her hoof back onto the table. "But even so, you are subconsciously scared about being left behind. Like you were when you learned your brother was getting married."

Twilight groaned in agreement, slamming her head into the table again. "What do I do?" This time there was no reply, causing her to look up at her friends. "Well?"

Everypony shared an unsure glance before looking at her. "We don't know," they said in unison.

"It's not like we have experience in these matters," Spike told her with a shrug.

"Maybe you should talk to Flash about it," Fluttershy suggested.

Twilight shook her head. "That'd be way too embarrassing." She got up from the table. "I'm just going to ignore it and focus on tonight's show." She turned to Fluttershy, a mix of despair and dread on her face as she asked, "Can you bring your animal friends over to the stage later? I need to practice with them."

"Oh...I guess so." Fluttershy replied, already not liking Twilight's response to her suggestion.

"Good," Twilight replied before turning and walking off. "See you all later."

Once she was out of earshot, everypony shared a glance at one another. Rainbow then broke the silence, "Wow...and I thought Flash was oblivious."

"I feel so bad for her," Fluttershy added, twiddling her hooves.

"Well, there's nothing we can do." Rarity told them. "I mean, Princess Cadance, the Princess of Love, said she couldn't get them to realize anything. I'm betting that if we try and force them to realize it, they're just going to deny it even harder." She let out a long sigh, "We'll just have to let them figure it out on their own."

"I guess," Spike finished as the others nodded in agreement at his next words. "I just hope they figure it out before its too late."

As Twilight made her way back to the stage, her mind was still a mess. The words her friends had told her, though she knew they meant no harm, hadn't really helped her view on the situation. She kept thinking about Trixie and Flash, her breathing becoming slightly frantic as she kept thinking. "I gotta focus..." she whispered to herself, "I just...what is wrong with me?!"

But then, she found that her own words meant nothing as she arrived at the stage.

Flash and Trixie were sitting on the stage, looking like they were enjoying a picnic together. The two were sitting side by side, eating sandwiches and both chuckling at each other. She then saw Flash get some of the ketchup he had on his sandwich on his chin, causing Trixie to magically pull out a napkin and wipe it away.

Afterwards, she watched the two lock eyes. And as their pupils did this, Twilight's horn immediately sparked, creating a flash of purple light as she appeared between the two of them. "Hey, you two!" she said in a tone that was a little too high pitched for her own liking, "So...what's going on with you guys?!"

Flash and Trixie, still surprised by her entrance, shared a look before shrugging. "Just...hanging out." Flash replied as he blinked at the sight of Twilight, noticing a tinge of anger on her face. "Springer and I were about to have lunch when we bumped into Trixie again."

"So we agreed to have lunch together while we waited for you," Trixie finished.

Twilight nodded at this. "So, where's Springer?"

"Oh, he's up there," Flash said as he pointed at the delegate box. Twilight looked up at it and saw the jakhowl sitting on the top, munching on an apple and waving at her when they locked eyes.

Twilight waved back before focusing on the two ponies. "So, what were you two talking about?"

"Oh, nothing much." Trixie replied, a grin slowly forming on her face, "Just making plans."

"Plans?"

"Plans for what we're gonna do tomorrow," Flash explained as he pulled a muffin out of his saddlebag and started eating it. "Since Trixie's going back to Canterlot the day after tomorrow, we thought we'd hang out tomorrow."

Twilight's heart rate suddenly started to race, causing her to squeak out, "Like...a date?"

Flash looked at her in confusion. "What was that?"

Twilight just shook her head. "Oh nothing. Nothing at all." She turned to Trixie, her teeth almost chattering. "If you're done with lunch, we should start practicing?"

Trixie nodded before tossing the last piece of her lunch into her mouth. "I'm down for that."

"Twilight!" They all turned to see Applejack and Pinkie rushing up to them, Applejack pulling a cart full of delicious looking goodies. "We've finished the treats for everypony."

Flash licked his lips as he moved over to the cart and inspected the treats. His tongue began to roll out of his mouth, "Yum....those look delicious."

"Flash, you're drooling," Trixie told him before grabbing his ear in her magic and pulling him away.

"Ow!" The pegasus cried as he was yanked back. "Not the ear! Not the ear!"

"You just had lunch," Trixie groaned as she pointed to the food. "And those are for the delegates. Not you."

Twilight frowned at this as well, seeing the two of them act like she and Flash would. Once again, she could feel a tug at her heart, only to quickly shake her head. "Focus Twilight, you gotta stay focused." she said to herself before walking up to Pinkie and Applejack, "They look great you two. Good work."

"Thanks," Pinkie replied before pulling out a tray of weird knickknacks. "I've also got a bunch of things we can sell to the crowd." She pulled out an orange stick that looked like it had a fork like appendage on the end, which she pointed at Applejack. "Flank scratcher?"

"Ah told yah before Pinkie, no."

"Flank scratcher?"

"Pinkie no."

"Flank scratcher?"

"NO!"

Pinkie's hair deflated as she lowered the device. "Flank scratcher..."

Everypony rolled their eyes at this before hearing the sound of another cart, which made them turn to see Fluttershy. She was pulling a cart of her animal friends behind her. "Hey everypony," she said as she unhooked the cart from her back. "We're, um...." she gulped, her whole body shaking, "ready to practice."

"Okay," Twilight replied as she magically unloaded the little animals. "So, let's run through the opening routine."

"Right." Trixie added as Flash, Pinkie, Applejack and Fluttershy moved to the side and sat down.

"Okay Trixie, let's go over the plan." Twilight said as she put the animals in position before turning to the blue mare, "We'll start with the flying animal routine for fifteen minutes. Then we'll be moving onto the animal light show."

"Animal light show?!" Fluttershy shrieked, her whole being now trembling.

"Maybe a preview will help calm your nerves," Trixie explained before her horn glowed. She then shot it at the animals, causing Fluttershy to squeal in terror, only for her eyes to widen a second later. The furry creatures were now glowing different colors, which got applause from the other ponies. Trixie turned to Fluttershy, "Pretty cool, huh?"

Fluttershy ignored this, rushing over to a bunny and picking it up. "Are you alright? That didn't hurt you, did it?!" The rabbit replied in a happy tone, shining a big smile.

"See? They're fine." Trixie told her as she put a hoof on Fluttershy's shoulder, "The illumination spell has no side effects, and I can stop it with a thought."

"Oh....okay." Fluttershy placed the bunny back on the ground.

Twilight nodded at this before turning back to the animals. "Okay everypony, let's do this!" The little critters all cheered as the unicorn closed her eyes and concentrated. Second later, the animals were all engulfed by her magic and started to be lifted into the air. Everypony watched in amazement as this happened, watching as the animals once again began their routine. That is, except Fluttershy who was still cowering away again, Flash being the one to support her this time.

"Alright Trixie," Twilight called out. "Start the illumination spell."

"On it," Trixie replied as he horn glowed. The animals then began to glow, the colors switching around while also dimming and brightening in perfect sync.

The ponies watching were all amazed at this sight. Even Fluttershy stopped panicking long enough to enjoy the sight.

That is, till Flash spoke up and said, "That's amazing Trixie."

Hearing this caused a snap to happed Twilight's brain. She started to remember all the times she showed Flash magic, showing off all the things she achieved....only to get a 'not bad' or 'it looks great'. But she couldn't remember the last time he said amazing or wonderful or...anything like that.

And in that single moment of broken concentration, Twilight's horn began to flare. Time felt like it came to a stop, as she instantly knew she had messed up. "Oh no."

But it was too late. As her horn flared, the animals all let out a cry, their bodies suddenly being flung like ragdolls through the sky.

"TWILIGHT!" Fluttershy screamed as she saw this.

"Sorry!" Twilight cried as she tried to get her magic under control. Despite her best attempts, her focus was gone. As soon as would get a hold of one animal, she lost her grip on another, causing them to be sent flying again.

"Twilight! What are you doing?!" Flash yelled as he and Fluttershy leapt into the air, grabbing a racoon that was flying over his head, only for a line of critters to rush past him.

"I'll get one," Springer added as he leapt into the air as well. He managed to grab a bunny, only to be pulled along for the ride as the bunny flew through the air, "WHOA!" He yelped as he let go, only to then crash into a nearby wall, "AUGH!"

Fluttershy was flying around at her top speed, trying to grab as many animals as she could. But as she did, she saw a beaver shoot towards the cart that was filled with the desserts Pinkie and Applejack had made, causing Fluttershy and the two earth ponies to gasp. Trixie quickly stepped in, jumping between the beaver and cart before her horn glowed. She unleashed a magical beam that struck the beaver, causing it to disappear. Fluttershy gasped at this, but before she could ask what was going on, Trixie fired several more beams. Each one struck one of her animals, only to clear the sky in a few seconds.

"My animals!?" Fluttershy exclaimed, tears appearing her eyes.

"They're fine, trust me." Trixie assured her. "I just teleported them somewhere."

Trixie's horn glowed again, causing a large flash that faded to reveal all the animals. They were unharmed, though very dizzy, as Fluttershy rushed over to check them. "Are you all okay?" The animals all collapsed from the dizziness, though they all said something that made Fluttershy frown. "That was not fun. Beaverton Beaverteeth junior almost slammed right into the dessert cart, which would have severely injured him and ruined Pinkie and Applejack's hard work!"

Twilight stepped up to Fluttershy, a huge frown on her face. "I'm so sorry. I...I don't know what happened."

"You lost focus." Twilight tensed up at the sound of that voice. She turned around, only to see Trixie, who was standing next to Flash. "You lost focus and then was unable to regain focus."

Twilight gave the unicorn a deadly glare. "What, you trying to rub it in?"

Trixie eyebrow raised in confusion, "No. I was just explaining what happened."

"Well nopony asked you!" Twilight barked back, making Trixie backpedal while shocking everypony else.

"Twilight!" Flash replied sharply, causing Twilight to flinch back and realize what she had just done. "What are you doing?! That was uncalled for!"

"I....I just..." Twilight began to stare at the ground, only to shamefully lift her head back up at Trixie, "I-I-I'm sorry Trixie, I just...I um...."

"It's okay, Twilight." Trixie told her as she slowly walked back up to Twilight. "But something's obviously up. Are you okay? Why did you lose focus?"

"Yeah." Springer added as he rubbed his forehead, the pain from his collision still lingering. "what's the matter with you? Why'd you do that?"

Twilight looked back at the ground. "Its nothing."

"It's not nothing sugarcube," Applejack said, "Ah never seen you mess up magic like that."

"Applejack's right." Flash agreed as he gave her a firm stare, "Something's obviously wrong if you of all ponies lost that much focus. And then you snapped at Trixie, which is not like you." He moved over to her and tried to place his hoof on her shoulder. "What's wrong?"

Twilight sharply pulled her shoulder away, surprising the pegasus. "I said I'm fine! Leave me alone Flash!" She once again flinched, realizing what she had just done. But before anypony could try and ask again, she turned away from them all, "I uh...I think it would be best if Trixie did the show on her own. I...I can't do it."

Flash tried to say, "Twilight, what are you-" But he did not get to finish, as in that moment, Twilight disappeared in a flash of purple light.

"Twilight?"

That evening...

As Celestia and Luna magically shifted the celestial bodies that they governed, we find Twilight sulking in her room. She was currently scoffing down a tub of chocolate ice cream on her bed, using a hoof and spoon combo to do so, as she didn't trust her magic right now. She had used her magic to do one thing though, which was her creating a force field around her room to prevent anypony from entering.

Knock, knock, knock...

Though it did not stop them from repeatedly knocking.

"Come on Twilight," Flash's voice spoke through the door. "Please open up."

Twilight didn't respond. Instead, she simply scooped more ice cream into her mouth, brain freeze be damned.

"Twilight..." this time it was Spike. "Come on Twilight, at least say-"

"Let us in!" Rainbow interrupted, smacking the door now.

"Rainbow, stop that! That's not helping!" Rarity added as she pulled the mare away before saying, "Twilight darling, please let us in. We just want to help."

"Please," Pinkie asked next. "We're all worried."

"And I'm not mad about what happened," Fluttershy softly said, "Please open up."

"Come on sugarcube," Applejack finished.

No response. Twilight was just sitting there, still stuffing the ice cream down her gullet as her ears had shut off the world around her. She was not going to move, with the exception of her mouth and the hoof giving it food.

On the other side of the door, the seven of them all sighed after hearing no response. They then turned to each other as Rainbow asked, "Now what?"

Flash sighed again as he slammed his head against the door. "I don't know. I wish I knew what's wrong with her."

The others all shared a worried glance. After what had happened, Flash had flew off to the library while the others decided to get all of Twilight's friends to together, knowing that all of them could help her. Fluttershy, Pinkie and Applejack explained what had happened to Rarity and Rainbow, while those two told the earth ponies about their talk with Twilight earlier. It didn't take long for them to all know what was wrong with her, and they didn't know if they should tell Flash this, thinking it could get much worse if they did.

Flash knocked on the door one more time. "Twilight, we gotta get going for the show. Please come to it. I'm sure Trixie could really use your help." But once again, no answer came. Seeing this, Flash let out another sigh before walking downstairs, his friends following as he asked, "This isn't good. We're out of time and she won't respond. Just what is going on with her?"

The others shared another glance, making sure Flash didn't see it as he walked to the middle of the library and slumped down in a chair. He knew he had to go on to patrol, as Celestia and the dignitaries were going to be showing up real soon. With that in mind, he looked up at his friends and said, "I gotta go and do my job. Please keep trying to get her out of there."

"We will darling." Rarity replied as the others nodded, "Go ahead and get going."

Meanwhile...

Back in Twilight's room, she finished off the ice cream and threw the tub to the floor. Somehow, the brain freeze didn't happen. Her mind was still focused on being mush, small tears going down her face as she continued to sulk. "I ruined it all..." she moaned as she looked down at the empty tub on the floor, "And I'm still hungry...."

She put her hooves onto her head, her head now feeling cold as she muttered to herself, "What is wrong with me?! Why am I...why am I messing up like this?" The unicorn mare began to sink into the bed, feeling like she wanted to just melt into the bed and forget all her troubles. That is, till-

SHING!

"Whoa!" Twilight yelped as a flash of pink light appeared in front off her face, making her leap back and fall off the bed.

The light faded to reveal Trixie, who looked around the room. "Twilight? Where are you?"

"Down here...." a familiar voice moaned.

Trixie looked over the bed and saw her laying on the floor. "Oh, there you are." She walked around the bed. "You okay?"

"I'm fine..." Twilight said as she picked herself up. "How'd you get in here? I put a forcefield spell up and everything."

"Teleported. I'm guessing you forgot to account for that in your forcefield."

Twilight let out a low groan, now realizing that she was not used to not being the only one able to do that trick. "Whatever..." she moaned as she got back on the bed. "Can you go away please? I'm sulking."

"I noticed." Trixie grumbled as she sat down. "So...you wanna tell me why you're sulking?"

"No." Twilight immediately replied, her head now burying itself in her pillow.

"Had a feeling you were gonna say that." Trixie said as she crossed her hooves, glaring down at the unicorn that was still sinking into the bed. "Well, it doesn't matter. I already figured it out. You're upset because I want to ask Flash out."

Twilight's head shot off the pillow, quickly glaring at Trixie. "How-"

"I might not be as smart as you Twilight," Trixie interrupted as she leaned down, her glare unchanging. "But don't consider me an idiot. Considering you were acting fine until I brought up me asking Flash out, it was pretty easy to figure it out."

Twilight let out a low snort before placing her face back into her pillow. Seeing this, Trixie rolled her eyes as she asked, "So...are you finally gonna admit to liking him?"

"No. I don't like him...." Twilight muttered into the pillow. "I'm just...I don't won't to lose him from my life."

Trixie blinked at this, almost leaning back as she tried to understand how Twilight got to the conclusion. "What the-why do you think that would happen?!"

"Because if Flash started dating, he'd spend less time with me and then eventually he'll move out." Her head slowly up off the pillow. "He's been in my life so long, I can't picture myself without him."

A big frown followed this as Trixie let out a low hiss, "Are you kidding me?! You just want to keep Flash all to yourself despite not having any romantic feelings for him?!" The unicorn's horn began to glow as she leaned down, "I can't believe you would be that selfish!"

Twilight once again pulled her head up. "What'd you just say?!"

"I said you're selfish!" Trixie barked back, her horn now sparking along with Twilight's. The blue unicorn then leaned forward, her forehead touching Twilight's as they locked eyes, "You think you can just hoard Flash because you can?!"

"Why you-I'm not being selfish! I just-"

"NO!" Trixie interrupted, tapping her hoof into Twilight's chest. "You're being a selfish brat Twilight!" Trixie then saw Twilight about to open her mouth, only for Trixie's hoof to cover it as she asked, "What if it was the other way around, huh?! What if you really like somepony and Flash didn't want you dating them because he wanted you all to himself?"

"I..." Twilight tried to reply as she swatted Trixie's hoof away. But as she did, her mind instantly thought over Trixie's words, "I...I don't know." Twilight admitted as she looked down at the floor, her brain already catching on, "I'd...I'd say that's pretty selfish."

"Exactly," Trixie grumbled as she rubbed her hoof. "Besides, why would him dating somepony cause you to be forgotten? Does that honestly sound like something Flash would do?"

"No...it doesn't." Twilight quietly replied.

"Exactly," Trixie said as she looked back at her. "I think this is something you need to talk to Flash about. But you can do that after the show, because right now, I need your help." Twilight looked back up at this, only to see worry all over Trixie's face as the showmare continued, "I can't pull off all those tricks we came up with, at least not on my own."

"But you're-"

"Stop it." Trixie interrupted again, tapping Twilight chest once more. "I need your help. So either get your flank in gear, or I'll have to go tell Celestia that the show has to be cancelled. I'm sure she and the dignitary will be severely disappointed."

Hearing this caused Twilight to grimace. If there was one thing she would never want to do, it was disappoint her mentor. Letting out a low gulp, she sighed as she said, "Okay Trixie. I'll...I'll try."

Trixie smiled and nodded at this. "Good. Now...um...could you...I'm still only able to warp myself." Trixie then glanced at the clock in Twilight's room. "And we really gotta get going."

Twilight rolled her eyes before sparking her horn, causing the duo to soon be consumed in a flash of purple light. When it faded, the two of them were now standing behind the stage. Seeing this, Trixie moved over to the corner and saw everypony in the stands. She then looked up at the box and saw Celestia and the ponies from Saddle Arabia, waiting patiently for the entertainment to begin. "Or its happening right now because of course it is." Trixie turned back to her partner, "Alright, you ready?"

Twilight took a deep breath and nodded. "As much as I'm going to be after that. Let's do this."

With that, the two stepped out towards the stage.

Meanwhile...again.

In the center of town, we find Flash, Springer and Iron patrolling. The Saddle Arabians as it turned out, did have their own protection detail and they were also scattered around the area, surrounding the town. Flash, Springer and Iron were likewise keeping an eye around the town, due to the three of them knowing the place the best.

"Looks like the shows starting," Flash said as the sound of applause filled the air.

"Wonder if your marefriend's gotten over herself?" Iron asked.

"She's not my marefriend," Flash deadpanned back.

"Yeah, sure," Iron scoffed, rolling his eyes. "So her little freak out earlier had nothing to do with the fact that that Trixie mare has been hanging around you?"

Flash had no idea what he was talking about, which he then said. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"You keep telling yourself that moron."

"Who are you calling moron, ya metalhead?!"

Springer laughed at this as the three of them began their patrol. And as they did, Flash just sighed as he went down one of the town's paths, his eyes staring into the ground. "I wish I knew what was up with her." Then, in that very instant, he froze as a bulb went off in his head. "Of course, that's it!"

An hour and a half later...

The show had gone off without a hitch. Twilight had managed to stay focused on what the act, the duo creating an assortment of magic with the animals that would make circuses the world over jealous. And as the finale finished, the two of them bowed as the ponies continued to applaud before getting up off their seats, ready to return home.

Twilight's friends all rushed over to her, all giving her words of congratulations. She shined them all a big smile as she told them, "Thanks everypony. I'm so sorry I worried you all."

"It's okay sugarcube," Applejack replied as she patted her friend's shoulder.

But before anypony could say anything else, Celestia stepped up to them, her presence simply demanding attention. "Excellent work, both of you." She turned to Trixie. "Ms. Lulamoon, I'm pleased to see my sister's teachings are going so well." She then turned to Twilight, "And I knew I could count on you, my little pony."

"Thank you, your majesty," Twilight and Trixie said with a bow of the head.

Celestia nodded at this. "Well, I'd better be getting the dignitaries to Canterlot. I'll be seeing you all later."

"Yes Princess," all of them bowing as she walked off. They then started heading towards their own homes, only to see Flash, Springer and Iron walking towards them.

Flash was the first to speak up, "Hey you two! How'd the show go?"

"Brilliantly," Trixie said while tipping her hat. "Twilight should do more stage acts with me more often."

"Awesome," Flash replied before turning to Twilight. "You okay now?"

Twilight let out a long sigh, but then nodded. "Yeah, I am."

"Good," Flash said before turning to the others. "Is it okay if I talk to Twilight and Trixie alone for a moment?" The others all nodded before walking off. Once out of earshot, Flash turned to the mares. "I've finally figured out what's been going on with you."

Twilight's eyes went wide at this. "You...you have?"

"Yeah, it was kinda obvious." He admitted as he looked the unicorn directly in the eye. "You Twilight...are jealous."

"J-J-Jealous?!" Twilight squeaked, her lips quivering as her mind started to race. "I-I-I-"

Flash pulled back and nodded with his eyes closed. "Yes, you're jealous of Trixie." He opened his eyes and stared at her. "And I'm here to tell you that you shouldn't be, because this doesn't affect you at all."

Now both mares were wide-eyed as Twilight yelped, "How can you say that?! Of course this affects me!"

Flash's eyes darting away for a second before biting his lip, "Right...sorry. That was a poor choice of words." He then put his hoof on Twilight, who was still too stunned to swat it away, "But what I'm saying is, this doesn't affect you in a bad way. So what if you're not the only one anymore? Who cares? I mean, this doesn't change who you are or how others see you." He gave her a big, almost too happy smile. "It definitely won't change how I see you."

Those words seemed to cut straight to Twilight's heart, causing her to remember what Trixie had said earlier. She was right, Flash would never just forget about her. So what if Flash started dating somepony else? That didn't mean she was any less important to him. This caused her to smile, tears beginning to form in her eyes.

Seeing this, Flash's grin continued to grow, "See? No need to worry."

"Yeah....yeah, you're right." Twilight admitted before turning to Trixie. "I'm sorry about how I've been acting."

Trixie just giggled at this, winking at the mare. "Eh, don't worry about it."

"Yeah, we all get jealous sometimes." Flash added as he patted Twilight's shoulder, "But like I said, so what if Trixie's magic is getting better? That doesn't change how good you are Twilight."

"You're rig-" Twilight didn't finish her sentence, as she and Trixie just stopped and blinked at what Flash had just said. They both shared a glance before turning to him and saying, "What?!"

Flash looked between them, confused by the question. "You know what Twilight, Trixie's magic is improving and you're jealous since you might not be the princess's number one student anymore." His grin grew even more as he continued, "But it doesn't matter Twilight, because you're both tied now and I know you'll both get better." It was here that he stopped, only to now be greeted with two very angry glares, "What?"

Ten seconds later...

Two ponies stared at the dish in front of them, the dish showing an orange pegasus laying on the ground. The pony was covered from head to hoof in injuries, including two bent wings, a right black eye, a rolled out tongue flopped over into the grass, and several hoof kicks to the crouch.

"So...any of your visions see that coming?" one of the ponies asked, a big smirk on his face.

"No." the other replied with a roll of her eyes, "And I'm pretty sure what he just did comes from your side of the family."

"My side?!" the stallion barked back, "I know for a fact that I wasn't that oblivious or naïve when I was his age."

"Really?" the mare let out a snort, cocking an eyebrow as she leaned over to him, "Remember how much I flirted with you before you asked me out? If I remember correctly, it took oh...I don't know, maybe a few years?!"

"It didn't take that long!" The stallion yelled, only to then grab the mare's hoof with a big smirk on his face, "And I'm pretty sure you fell for me after that first date, didn't you?"

The mare glanced away, hiding a big grin, "No. I'm sure you fell for me." She looked back at the dish, "And I'm pretty sure the same thing will need to happen with our son."

It was here that the duo saw Flash slowly rise from the ground, groaning as he tried to regain his balance before moaning, "Oooohhhh...that really hurt. What was with those two? What did I say wrong?"

"And its gonna take him a while to really figure it out, isn't it?" the mare asked sarcastically.

"Yup. That's our son."

Meanwhile....one more time!

"Boys..." Trixie groaned as she and Twilight walked away from the beaten defender.

"You can have him." Twilight told her.

"Naw," Trixie replied as she looked at her, "I think I'll hold off on asking him out." She then leaned in and whispered, "But you'd better ask him yourself sooner or later. I won't wait forever."

Twilight turned to her, confusion clearly on her face, "Huh?"

Trixie laughed at this, waving her hoof. "Oh nothing. By the way, there's something I want to ask you...though Princess Luna also asked me to ask you this."

"What's that?"

"Well..."

The next morning....

Before Celestia raised the sun, Twilight was already up and sneaking out the library. As she walked through the streets on her way out of town, she was completely alone. That was okay though, for this was something she wanted to do alone. She eventually reached the edge of town, her destination just ahead. It was Flash's canyon training grounds, where the two of them had agreed to meet.

And as she arrived, Trixie was sitting patiently on a rock, waiting for her opponent to arrive. When she heard the hoofsteps, she looked up, smiling when she saw Twilight. "You came."

Twilight smirked at her, ready to do what they came her to do. "Of course I did."

"Good," Trixie leapt off the rock and moved over so she and Twilight were now standing face to face, just a few feet from each other. "Then let's find out who the real number one princess student is."

Twilight's smirk increased. "Nothing against you, but I've had years more experience."

"Maybe..." Trixie said as she lightly chuckled, winking at the mare in front of her. "But I'm a fast learner."

"So am I," Twilight replied, cricking her neck.

The two of them stood in silence, staring at one another and waiting to see who would make the first move. Finally, the silence was broken by the blowing of the wind, causing the two of them to spark their horns. The pink and purple lights shot off and flew towards the opponent, the two clashing and causing a brilliant flash of light.

Their magic duel, had begun.

Just for Sidekicks

View Online

We open this week's adventure in Ponyville. It was a bank holiday Monday, meaning no school today. That is why, as we arrive in the Golden Oak Library, we find Springer and Scootaloo up in her room, playing a card game.

The two were each holding up a bunch of cards, with several more cards laying on the floor. Springer reached out and grabbed one of Scootaloo's, taking it out of her hoof before looking at it. "Ha!" He cheered as he saw it was a ten of spades, "High card!"

Scootaloo let out a low growl, "Don't celebrate to soon. I've still got plenty of high cards."

"Yeah, yeah..." Springer replied, waving his paw before leaning forward with a smirk, "But for how long?"

For those wondering what they were playing, it was quite simple. The players split a deck of cards between them and then take turns removing cards from the opponent's hand. When both players only have one card, they show them to each other and the one with the highest card value wins. The score went from two to ace, with the only thing that could beat an ace being a joker. The joker though, can be beaten by anything that's not an ace.

At this point in the game, the two only had two cards each and it was Scootaloo's turn. The little filly's hoof moved between one card and the other, until she grabbed one, "Oh yeah! I got a queen!"

Springer frowned before holding up his paw and looking between the two cards. He picked one and pulled it out, smiling when he saw what it was. "Yes! Ace!" He then showed Scootaloo last card. "The one thing that could tie mine," he was holding an ace of diamonds.

Scootaloo frowned at this. "Okay, you win...." She then lowered her head, only for a smirk to appear on her face as she looked back up, "is what I would have said if you had pulled this out!" She flipped her card to reveal-

"JOKER?!" Springer cried out, moaning as he fell onto his back, "Rats....I lost."

Scootaloo laughed at her victory as she herself laid on her back. "That was fun." Several seconds later, she sat back up and asked, "So....what do you wanna do now?"

"No clue," Springer replied with a light groan. "I had ten minutes set aside for a victory dance, but...you kinda blew my schedule out the window."

Scootaloo planted her chin in her hoof and frowned. "I'm bored."

"Me too. Still...better than going shopping."

"Yeah..."

Earlier, Flash and Twilight had asked them and Spike if they wanted to come with them to the market. The two were getting the stuff they needed for their trip to the Crystal Empire tomorrow, where Cadance had asked them to help with welcoming the head of the Equestria Games. The Equestria Games were the biggest sporting events to ever take place in Equestria, the event itself happening once every four years. Every city in Equestria would send its representatives to the games, which were held in different cities each time.

With the return of the Crystal Empire, Cadance and Shining Armor wanted the games to be hosted there as a way to get the ponies of the empire and Equestria to better connect with one another. But the games locations weren't up to them, as they would have to appeal to the representatives. And that was where Flash, Twilight and the rest of their friends came into play, as Cadance had asked them to do everything in their power to help show the empire's great merits.

Springer and Scootaloo had declined the older ponies' offer to go, but now were bored out of their mind. As such, Scootaloo let out a sigh, "Too bad Sweetie and Applebloom are helping their siblings. We were planning on trying for our skydiving cutie marks."

Springer gave her a bewildered, eyebrow-raised glance, "Skydiving?"

"Sure. Its sounds awesome for a cutie mark."

"Right..." Springer replied as he looked away, knowing full well to not question the crusaders' cutie mark getting antics at this point. "Good luck with that."

In that moment though, their conversation was cut by the sound of Spike screaming downstairs.

"WHY?!?!?!"

The jakhowl and filly's heads shot towards the door. They then glanced back at each other before leaping to their feet and rushing out the room, running down the hall. "Spike!" Springer yelled as he burst through the house, creating a pair of Steel Paw claws on his paws. "What's the matter?! Are we under attack?!"

Scootaloo looked around the room. "Spike?"

"Down here."

The two looked down and saw Spike laying on the floor, a mopey expression on his face. He also had a heart emblazoned apron on, along with a bowl of cake mix and an empty measuring cup next to him.

Springer and Scootaloo stepped over to him. "Err...Spike? You okay there?"

"Yeah, you're looking a little...down."

"Hoo," Twilight's pet owl Owlowiscious added as it flew over and sat on Scootaloo's back.

"Spike," Scootaloo replied to the owl. "The one of the floor."

"Hoo."

"I said-grr...nevermind," Scootaloo grumbled as she looked back at the dragon. "So...what's up?" Spike didn't reply, as he instead picked up an empty measuring cup and held it out to them. Springer and Scootaloo shared a glance before turning back to him. "That's an empty cup Spike."

"Yup," Spike replied.

Springer took the cup and looked it over. "Does the cup...symbolise anything?"

"Yup."

"What?" Scootaloo asked him.

"My own lack of restraint," Spike said as he took the cup back. "I was about to bake a brilliant jewel cake, but I accidently ate all the jewels I was gonna bake into it. Now, I have nothing."

"You could still bake a normal cake," Scootaloo suggested. "That'd be just as good."

"Maybe better since we could all have a piece," Springer finished.

Spike glared at the two before staring back at the cup, "I have no jewels...I have no cake...I'm a sad little dragon with nothing to-"

Tap, tap, tap, tap!

The group of four's attention quickly turned towards the door, the sound of a gentle knocking echoing up into the room. "Who is it?" Spike called as he and the others headed downstairs. There, the front door opened to reveal Fluttershy and Angel.

"Hello everypony," Fluttershy said before noticing Spike's attire. "Oh, oh goodness." she looked away, "I-I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

Spike let out a low sigh, "Well, I do have this cake to not bake."

Fluttershy and Angel shared a confused glance. "Oh...sorry, is this a bad time?"

She was about to turn around, only for Spike to motion her to come inside, "Sorry, inside joke. Come on in."

"Yeah," Springer continued as she stepped inside. "Though if you're looking for Flash and Twilight, they're at the market."

Fluttershy then blushed before pointing to the drake in the room. "Actually, I was looking for you Spike."

Spike tilted his head before pointing a claw at his chest. "Me?"

Fluttershy nodded. "It's just that...Princess Cadance needs us to do a great job welcoming the Head of the Equestria Games when she visits the Crystal Empire tomorrow-"

"Oh, I know all about that," Spike grumbled in an annoyed tone before sticking his claw into his mixing bowl. "As if I wouldn't be any help at welcoming."

"Oh, don't be such a baby," Scootaloo told him.

"Yeah!" Springer agreed, nodding. "I wasn't invited either and you don't see me complaining."

"Well, you've got a reason to not go," Spike barked back, pointing at the jakhowl. "You've got patrol duty. Me? I've got nothing!"

Fluttershy suddenly looked embarrassed as she started to backpedal, fearing she had just unintentionally started an argument. "Oh, I don't know what was I thinking. Of course you might be upset for not being invited, and...here I am, coming to ask you for a favor." With that, she turned around and began to head out. "You were probably going to say no anyway. All I had to offer you in exchange was one little jewel."

"What was that?!" Spike exclaimed, somehow disappearing and reappearing right in front of the pegasi.

Fluttershy yelped in surprise, leaping into the air and grabbing a hovering Owlowiscious. The mare and owl shared a glance, a nervous smile for Fluttershy and a glare from the owl. The pegasi let the pet go, soon fluttering back to the ground before reaching into her saddlebag, pulling out a large green jewel.

Upon seeing it, Spike's eyes were literally replaced with images of the jewel as he leaned forward and licked his lips. "That's a really big one," he then leaned forward so much that he lost his balance, his face soon kissing the floor. He looked back up and now saw Fluttershy about to put the jewel away, only to leap and grab it, rubbing against his cheek as he landed, "A really big, juicy, perfect-for-a-cake-topper jewel."

"Ooookay." Springer cringed to Scootaloo as their faces scrunched up at the slightly creepy sight. "The second he starts calling that thing his precious, I'm out of here."

"Ditto," Scootaloo added.

Fluttershy just blinked at the sight before stepping over to Spike. "Does that mean you'll do it?"

To anypony aside from Fluttershy, it was obvious that Spike was not paying attention to her. "Yeah...sure."

Fluttershy smiled and rubbed her head against his. "Oh, thank you, thank you!" She stepped away and removed the bunny that was currently riding on her head. "So while I'm gone, you'll take care of Angel." In this moment, the rabbit looked horrified, as he knew where this was going. "And tomorrow is Tuesday, which is his tail-fluffing day, and it's really important for him to look good."

It was in this moment that Spike finally returned to reality, causing him to look over at her. "Wait, what?!" He moved over to her and glared at the bunny. "You want me to take care of him?" Angel glared back at the dragon, blowing a raspberry at him.

"Why'd you want Spike to do it?" Springer asked as he pointed to the rabbit. "Doesn't Iron get along with him better than anypony else?"

Fluttershy shook her head. "Oh, I couldn't ask Iron. With Flash gone, he'll be far too busy on patrol."

"Anypony else notice how much Iron picks up my brother's slack?" Scootaloo asked nopony in particular.

Fluttershy turned to Spike, taking the jewel back. "If it's too much trouble, I can always see if there's somepony else." She put the jewel back in her bag and headed for the door, only to feel the bag get heavier. She looked back and saw Spike was now digging in the bag for the gemstone.

"We already agreed on the whole jewel thing," he told her as he jumped out with it in his claws. "So I'll just-"

Fluttershy smiled and rubbed her head against his. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She looked over at her pet. "Angel, aren't you just excited?" Considering Angel was close to tears, Springer, Scootaloo and Owlowiscious could tell he was not excited. Unforunately for the bunny, Fluttershy didn't seem to notice as she put him down and headed to the door. "See you tomorrow," she said as she stepped outside. As she left, Angel blew them another raspberry.

Ignoring this, they all waved her off, only for Spike to suddenly get a brilliant idea. "You know..." he said as he put the jewel inside the cup. "She's not the only pony with a pet that might need some watching." A sinister looking smirk appeared on his face, causing Springer to shiver.

"Watch it Spike," Springer told the dragon. "Remember what happened the last time you got greedy? You almost tore the town apart with that greed growth spurt."

"Yeah!" Scootaloo added, nodding. "I don't wanna go through that again. You destroyed my room with your rampage in the house!"

"It'll be fine," Spike told them before taking off his apron and stepping out the door. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have some clientele to meet with." With that, he closed the door.

In watching him go, Springer, Scootaloo and Owlowiscious all frowned, only for Springer to comment with a sigh, "Those in agreement that this will end it total unmitigated disaster, raise your wing."

"Agreed," Scootaloo said as she did so.

"Hoo," Owlicious hooted as he did the same.

Springer just sighed again, facepawing and praying that this time, whatever would happen would result in less destruction.

The next day...

Springer yawned as he and Flash finished their morning patrol.

The two had to do it much earlier since Flash and the others were heading to the Crystal Empire as soon as they got back to the library. Flash smirked as he looked back at the jakhowl on his back, chuckling under his breath. "I warned you about what would happen if you stayed up too late."

"I couldn't help it," Springer replied as he put his paw over his mouth. "I came up with a super cool idea for a comic character and I had to write it all down before I forgot it." He then showed a big smirk, "It's about a jakhowl superhero."

Flash rolled his eyes, shaking his head while letting out a laugh. "Sounds interesting. Question, can you actually draw?"

Springer frowned. "Well...I'm not really sure. Never really tried it."

Flash laughed again. "Maybe see if you have that skill before quitting your day job."

In that moment, they arrived at the library and landed in front of the open door. When they stepped inside, they found Rainbow in there with Tank flying around. Rainbow was watching as Tank flew around, a nervous look on her face. "All I'm saying is, you might wanna think about a helmet," the mare told the dragon while he was currently reading a cookbook while holding a cup of jewels. "You only want to get hit in the head by a flying turtle...once."

"Agreed," Flash said before ducking to avoid said flying turtle.

Unfortunately, Spike wasn't paying attention to the warnings. Instead, he appeared to be fantasizing about the cake he would be making. "A thousand plus carats of pure deliciousness...."

"Yo Spike!" Flash called out to him. "Focus, would ya?!"

In that moment, the rest of their friends arrived along with their pets. Applejack stepped over to the dragon, Winona on a leash next to her. "Looks like you got a regular pet day care in here, Spike." She tossed the leash to the young drake, who just managed to catch it. "You'll still be able to get some good play time with Winona like you said would, won't ya?" She stroked her dog's head. "She tends to get a little wild if she doesn't get her exercise."

"Exercise..." Spike muttered half heartedly while looking back at his book. "Sure, of course." But in that moment, Winona saw Gummy and Opal rushing by and started chasing after them, dragging Spike along with her.

"WHOA!" He cried as he was pulled along the floor before slamming into the bookcase, just as Twilight and Owlowiscious came downstairs and saw them all.

"I don't remember seeing critters on the invite list," she told them as she blinked at the sight.

Applejack chuckled at this. "That's 'cause we're leavin' 'em here with Spike. He's gonna do a little critter-sittin' for us."

Twilight turned to the dragon, pure suspicion on her face. "Oh really?"

Spike, after peeling himself off the bookcase, turned and gave her an innocent smile. It didn't last long though, as in that moment, Tank slammed into his head.

"Rainbow did warn you about the helmet," Flash told him with a smirk.

"This is gonna be a disaster," Springer said as he grabbed a nearby pad and pencil before jumping up to the top of one of the bookcases. "And I am not gonna get involved." Safely out of the mayhem, the jakhowl began to see if he really could draw.

As he did this, the last of the group arrived. Fluttershy stepped into the library with Angel and a basket of fur cleaning products, which she placed on the floor before turning to them. "So sorry I'm late," she explained before turning to Angel. "Silly bunny had hidden his brush." Everypony looked at Angel, who was still scowling with his arms crossed, his tail also in curlers. "Be sure you get plenty on his tail, or it won't get as poofy as he likes it."

In that moment, they all heard the sound of the train, causing them to look at a nearby window while Applejack turned to everypony else. "Come on ya'll, or we're gonna miss the train." She leaned down to Winona, "one more for the road?" Winona barked happily before jumping onto her back, her owner rubbing her belly.

"No! No no no!" Pinkie yelled to Gummy, her pet alligator. "I love you more."

No response.

"No, I love you more!"

No response.

"I LOVE YOU MORE!!! WAAAAHHHHH!!!" Pinkie cried, a cartoony waterfall of tears bursting out of her eyes.

While this was happening, Flash was standing by the door, watching them all. He then noticed something that made him smirk, his hoof soon pointing to one Rainbow Dash. "Aha! I Saw that!"

The pegasus blushed, having been caught rubbing noses with Tank. "You saw nothing."

Fluttershy was still trying to console Angel. "Oh, I promise it'll be okay. I'll fluff your tail twice next week." Angel's reply was to rapidly lower his ears to show he was not amused. "Three times?" His ears raised back up before turning to her, nodding his agreement.

"Oh, I know," Rarity told Opal as she wrapped a scarf around her neck. "It's a chilly eighty one point two in here. Spike, take care of this, would you please?"

Spike held a thumbs up at her. "You got it!" He then turned to Twilight. "So, uhh...what are you thinking about that hooting little friend of yours? Suppose you want me to keep an eye on him too."

Twilight thought about this for a moment before giving him a worried look, "That would be nice. Thought, are you sure you don't already have your claws full?"

"Nah, pshaw." Spike replied with a wave. "I'll be fine. But, uh, just between you and me," he whispered into her ear before holding up his gem cup. "I gotta give priority to the...paying customers."

Twilight sighed before pulling out a small gem and tossing it into the cup.

"Yes," Spike cheered with a fist pump before turning to Flash. "And I'm sure Springer would-"

"No," Flash deadpanned as he flashed his hoof in Spike's face. "If anything, I should be paying him to keep an eye on you."

Springer heard this and leaned over the edge of the bookshelf. "I take my payment in comics and candy."

Flash rolled his eyes before walking out the door, the rest of the gang following. Twilight was the last and turned to Spike once she was outside. "You absolutely sure you can do this?"

Spike smirked as he shook his hips. "Of course. Wouldn't have agreed to it if I couldn't. Piece of cake." He then reached around the door and pulled out his hat and cookbook. "Speaking of cake, I got a little something I need to attend to."

Twilight frowned at this. "Yeah, like keeping an eye on a house full of critters." She then heard Spike lick his lips, causing her frown to turn into a full-on glare.

Spike, realizing his mistake, turned to her. "Uh, yeah, uh, that was totally what I was talking about." He then motioned for to get going. "Relax. Go to your welcoming thing in the Crystal Empire. Spike's got it all under control."

Twilight nodded, albeit nervously, and started heading over to the train station. Seeing this, Spike stepped back into the library and shut the door. But no sooner had he turned around, that he found the six of the seven animals causing major mayhem.

Winona was rushing around, her leash catching onto multiple things and dragging them behind her. Gummy was pulling books off the bookshelves, tossing them on the floor while Opal was ripping up the window's curtains and Angel hopping around frantically. Owlowiscious however, tried to help by grabbing Winona's leash, only for the border collie to drag her along as well.

But before Spike could even think about what to do, his head was suddenly struck by a flying tortoise. "Augh!" Spike yelled as he fell over from the blow. Soon recovering, he finally realized what he had just gotten himself into, his eyes now seeing the destruction of several crazed pets.

He then looked up at the only one capable of helping him, Springer. "A little help?" He asked.

Springer lowered the notepad enough for him to see Spike over the top. "Got any candy?"

Spike raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Um...no?"

"Got any comics I haven't read?"

"No."

The jakhowl raised the notepad again. "Sorry, not helping."

"Oh, come on! I thought we were friends!"

"We are friends," Springer replied as he began to erase what he had just drawn. "But if you can charge your friends for favors, why can't I?"

Spike's face began to turn red, ready to shout out in anger, only to stop himself. He knew he couldn't fully deny what Springer was saying, though he also knew he didn't have time for it. Instead, he turned to animals and yelled, "Alright, I'll do it myself. Sidekicks, front and center!" Winona barked before rushing over and sitting in front of the dragon, but she was the only one. "There are six of you, but there's only one right here in front of me." He then spotted tank flying overhead and leapt up to grab him, dragging him down and placing him next to Winona. "Two!"

"Hoo?" Owlowiscious hooted as he appeared from behind him.

Spike rolled his eyes and grabbed the owl, placing him next to Tank. "Spike, the boss of you, that's who."

Springer put the notepad to the side, now watching in amusement. "Oh, what I wouldn't give for some popcorn right now." He snapped his paw's fingers. "Popcorn! I need to ask Flash to teach me how to make some. Better write that down..."

Spike shot him a foul look before turning back to the animals, pointing at each one as he counted. "One, two, three!" He looked around before hearing a sound coming from upstairs, soon grumbling as went up there, only to return ten seconds later carrying a thrashing Opal. "Nngh!" He growled as he tried to avoid her claws. "come on, number four!" He stepped over to the others, only to feel himself trip and hit the ground. He let out a low groan, soon seeing that it was Gummy who tripped him, along with sucking on his foot. Spike then jiggled Gummy off his foot and placed him next to Opal. "One, two, three, four, five...argh, who's missing?"

It was here that the two of them heard the sound of the front door opening, the duo now seeing Angel Bunny on the house's welcome mat. The rabbit gave them a hefty salute, only to immediately disappear into a cloud of dust. Spike just glared at the spot the rabbit had been. "Angel!" he yelled, only for Tank to fly into his head again. "Augh!"

Springer snickered as he leapt off the shelf. "Well, that escalated quickly."

Spike moaned as he got up. "You're gonna help me now, right? Please."

Springer shrugged, a small smirk soon appearing on his face. "Sure, why not?" With that, he picked up all the leashes that the ponies had left before quickly connecting them to the animals. He then handed the leashes to Spike. "You're still in charge of them. Once we find Angel, you're back to being on your own."

"Fine..." Spike grumbled as he grabbed the devices, only to feel an immediate tug. He glared back at the jakhowl, "Now will you please use your aura thingy to track him down?!"

Springer rolled his eyes but did as he was told, closing his eyes and opening his aura. He reached out and connected to every single aura in town, going through them one at a time. "Hmmm...got him. Gotta say, that rabbit can move. He's already halfway across town."

"Great..." Spike grumbles as his claws felt the tension of the leashes, "So where's he heading?"

"I think he's trying to get back to Fluttershy's cottage, but it looks like he's off course. He'll end up at Sweet Apple Acres before he gets anywhere else."

"What?! If he get's there, I'll never find him in the farm's orchards!" He rushed towards the door, only to notice the brush in the basket that Fluttershy had brought. "Wait a minute, I got an idea." he said as grabbed the brush and held it up to Springer. "Here, take a whiff."

Springer raised an eyebrow at this. "Excuse me?"

"Sniff it, then you can track Angel's scent."

Springer glared at him, swatting the brush away with a growl, "I'm not that kind of canine. Try Winona."

Spike let out a sigh, switching his view to the border collie, who took a few whiffs of the brush before barking. "Good. Now, retrieve!" Winona barked again before rushing out the door, dragging Spike and the other pets out of the door with her.

Springer chuckled at this as he stepped outside, shutting the door behind him, "I'm sure he'll be fine."

The jakhowl decided to do a quick patrol around the town, making sure nothing was out of the ordinary. He then headed to their forest training ground, where he did a little practice with Steel Paw and Aura Blast accuracy before heading back out. On his way back, Springer headed over to Bon Bon's sweet shop to get some sugar-free candy. But as he made his way passed Sweet Apple Acres.

Spike was walking up the road while carrying a bunch of bowls, eggs, cutlery and a big bag of sugar. However, he was also missing not one, but six cuddly creatures. Springer raised an eyebrow before stopping right in front of him, crossing his arms and tapping his foot. Spike soon noticed his presence and stopped, looking around his mountain of baking supplies to lock eyes with him. "What?"

"Aren't you missing something?" Springer asked. "Or should I say, six somethings?"

Spike replied with a chuckle. "I managed to find somepony else to take them off my claws."

"Who?"

"Scootaloo and her friends," he said as he started walking past the jakhowl. He then pointed to the crusader clubhouse, a smirk on his face. "Angel and I was able to convince them into looking after them for the rest of the day. And all it cost me, was one little jewel."

"You don't deserve any of those jewels," Springer told him as he followed the dragon. "They were given to you so you would look after them! I should take them all off you and give them to the CMC!"

Spike stopped before turning to glare at him. "You wouldn't."

Springer responded by crossing his arms. "You know I would, and you also know you couldn't stop me."

Spike frowned at this, only to turn and continue walking anyways, "Gonna put in some flour, and add a little sugar for my five de-li-cious jewels!"

Springer growled with his paws clenched, ready to go through with his threat. That is, till him and Spike heard Sweetie Belle's voice. "But pink feathers would look so good with your eyes!"

Hearing this made the two stop, turning towards the clubhouse with confused looks on their faces, That is, till Spike just shrugged as he turned back to his route, "Meh, that bird could use a little color."

"Has anyone seen Tank's head?" They heard Scootaloo ask, causing them both to freeze in horror. "Where's his head?!"

Spike dropped all his baking gear and rushed towards the clubhouse, Springer on his tail, arriving there before slamming open the door. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO THAT TURTLE!?"

"Tortoise," Springer corrected as he leapt inside.

"NOW'S NOT THE TIME!" Spike yelled as both he and Springer looked over at Scootaloo, who was currently standing next to a headless Tank. Before the two of them could have a heart attack, Tank's head popped out of his shell.

"Ohhhhh," Scootaloo said as she saw this, "I totally forgot he could do that." She looked away embarrassed. "Heh...sorry."

Spike rolled his eyes while Springer clutched his chest, the jakhowl panting heavily, "don't...do that...again."

It was here that the duo saw that the clubhouse was now in worse shape than the library. Opal was scratching at the walls, Tank was flying around aimlessly and in the corner was a bathtub that Angel was hopping over as Gummy leapt out to try and bite him. The place was also covered in paint, along with the animals and crusaders. Springer turned to give Spike a knowing glance, which the dragon ignored and focused on the fillies.

"Yeah..." Applebloom groaned as she tried to keep Angel Bunny under control, "So, pretty sure critter-sittin' cutie marks are out."

"And our critter-grooming cutie marks probably aren't going to appear anytime soon either," Sweetie continued as she pointed up at Owlicious. The owl was covered in pink paint, with a brush and clip stuck to him.

"Hoo."

Spike sighed before walking over to them. "Alright, load 'em up. And you can gimme back that jewel I gave you."

Applebloom raised an eyebrow at this. "Sorry, we don't have it anymore."

"What?! Why not?!"

Scootaloo responded by pointing at the window. "How do you think we paid for the industrial-sized pet hair dryer?"

Spike and Springer both turned to the window, looking outside to see Winona being pinned by a powerful wind that was being created by a gigantic machine. Spike moaned as he slapped his claw into his face, while Springer turned to Scootaloo. "Remind me to suggest to your siblings, a lesson in buying more than you actually need." The crusaders replied with nervous chuckles.

Soon enough, Spike and Springer had the animals back on their leashes and were heading back to town. But with Springer refusing to still help him, Spike was forced to hold them all and soon found himself being dragged all over the place. Springer laughed as he followed him, enjoying the trouble Spike was getting into from his own greed. He then watched as Spike slam into a tree in the middle of town. "Ow. That had to hurt." His laughter increased when several of the animals began to run around the tree, causing Spike to be tied to it. Angel quickly joined the jakhowl in his laughter.

As he watched the dragon struggle to get free, he felt the presence of a familiar aura and turned to see the zebra Zecora stepping over to them. She smiled at Springer before turning to Spike. "Zecora knows just what to do, about all this bad mojo that's floating around you."

Spike turned to glare at the animals. "I'm thinking a cage and a great big lock might be next."

The zebra chuckled before moving her face close to Spike's. "Zecora can take the bad away, if you do just what I say."

Spike's eyes went from anger to joy as. "Really?"

Zecora nodded. "But before I can do my duty," she pointed to his cup of gems. "I am going to need some of your booty."

Spike moved his tail, which was holding the cup, away from her. But a few seconds later, he sighed before pulling a claw free and rummaging into the cup. He pulled out an orange jewel, which he tossed at Zecora.

She caught the gem on her nose and moved away from them. This caused Spike to give her a confused look. "Where are you going?"

Zecora moved over to a nearby filly-guide, who was standing next to a donation box. "You think jewels are what you need, but there's no worse mojo than dragon greed."

Spike suddenly realised what she intended to do, causing him to gasp as he finally pulled himself free and rushing towards the zebra. He probably would have made it, if Springer had not tripped him up. Spike fell to the ground with a thud, recovering just in time to watch as Zecora drop the gem into the box. Despair plastered itself on Spike's face while Springer crouched down and patted the dragon on his head. "Don't worry, its not the end of the world."

Spike turned to the jakhowl and growled, only to hear the sound of Angel laughing. This caused him to growl even more, only to now see the rest of the animals beginning to fight. "AUGH! You gotta be kidding me!"

Springer could now see smoke coming out of the dragon's nose and ears, his danger sense telling him to back away slowly. It was then that he noticed Spike looking at something, only to go into a thinking posture. Moving next to the dragon, he saw he was looking at a basket full of ribbons. "Spike, what are you thinking?"

Spike turned back to him, a smirk on his face. "You'll see."

Ten minutes later...

Springer walked with his jaw slacked, watching as Spike pushed a large ball made up of the six pets. He had used the ribbon to tie them up into that position, then started pushing it towards the library. "I'm pretty sure this counts as animal cruelty."

"They brought it on themselves," Spike told him in a cheeky tone. "I'm done being nice, so now I'm taking the gloves off."

Springer just shook his head, facepawing. "You ever hear of karma? This will only end badly for you."

"Oh please, what could possibly go wrong?" But in that moment, the two of them passed by Granny Smith. The old earth pony spotted Winona in the ball, followed by the rest of the animals, and frowned at the two of them.

"Don't look at me," Springer told her as he pointed as Spike.

Granny focused on Spike, who chuckled nervously as he patted the ball. "Just taking good care of everyone's animals." Granny didn't look convinced, causing Spike to start panicking.

"Told you. Karma."

Spike rushed over to her, grabbing her by the very loose cheeks. "What am I gonna have to do to get this to go away?" He finally let go of her cheeks, but she still didn't look happy. Spike sighed, knowing he was busted, then turned to look at his gem cup. He moaned before pulling out a purple one, handing it to the Granny Smith. "And this is just between you and me, okay? No other pony has to hear a word about it."

However, in that moment, the sound of several animal cries echoed into their ears. Before they could even look around to see what was happening, the six pets rushed by and trampled Spike into the ground. Granny grinned down at the young dragon. "A word about what now?"

Springer snickered and high hoofed the elderly earth pony, but after looking back at Spike, he felt his danger senses raising again. Spike's entire body had turned red, smoke blasting out of him. But before Springer could say anything to him, Owlicious landed on his head and tried to spin it around. "What's up?" He asked as he allowed his head to spin, seeing exactly what Owlicious was worried about. His eyes went wide and he reached over and poked Spike on the shoulder, "err...Spike?"

Spike, who was dusting himself off, turned to them. "This better be important."

Springer didn't reply. Instead, he simply pointed in a direction. Spike followed his finger and saw he was pointing at a train, and on that train was a particular white rabbit. Seeing this, Spike's eyes went wide before quickly turning to a glare. "Angel!" He rushed towards it, Springer and the pets on his tail. He rushed onto the platform, but before he could get on the train, he was stopped by the conductor.

"I can't have all of these animals on my train," he pointed to Springer and the pets. "Not without tickets and not without chaperones."

Spike once again began to panic. "All I need is to get on for one minute, grab a bunny, and get off! Promise!"

The conductor laughed at this, "Likely story. No chaperone, no train."

Spike was about to give up, only for his ears to perk up as he heard the sound of familiar laughter. He looked around and then smiled, Springer watching him rush off before returning a few seconds later with the Cutie Mark Crusaders. He placed them in front of the conductor. "Is three ponies enough?" The train pony held up his hoof, obviously expecting something to pay for the tickets. Spike sighed before reaching into his cup and pulling out the gem Twilight had given him. He placed it in the pony's hoof before climbing on board, looking into his significantly emptier cup. "At least I have you two left, my delectable little treasures."

They all climbed onboard as the overhead speaker announced. "All aboard for the Crystal Empire!"

"CRYSTAL EMPIRE?!" The three fillies cried, shock and amazement in their eyes.

"I've always wanted to see the Crystal Empire!" Scootaloo added.

Springer turned to her with eyebrows raised. "You've only known its existence for a few months."

"Yeah...but in that time, I've been wanting to see it. If we hadn't have had school today, I'm sure Flash would have let me go."

Sweetie was also giddy at the prospect of going. "I wish I were dressed for it, but still...THE CRYSTAL EMPIRE!" That last statement was done in the most cutest little squeal that Springer had ever heard.

Spike meanwhile, turned back to look at them. "We're not really going! We just needed to get on the train so I can get that rabbit! And when I do, we're off!"

"What?!" Scootaloo yelped.

"But that's not fair!" Applebloom moaned.

Spike wasn't listening though. Instead, he was looking around for the rabbit in question, only to see him sitting on a train seat, soon smirking and blowing a raspberry. "There he is!" Spike cried as he leapt at him. The rabbit tried to get away, but Spike managed to grab him. They fell and rolled on the floor, Angel held firmly in the dragon's claws as he glared at him. But before Spike could say anything, the train suddenly jerked and they all realised what that meant.

"Next stop, the Crystal Empire."

Spike's eyes went wide before he rushed towards the back of the train. "No, no, no, no, no, no!"

Springer sighed as he sat down. "Welp, looks like we're going after all." This of course got the response of cheers from the crusaders, who were all to happy to be heading to the empire.

Spike and Angel soon returned, and as he did, the animals all started running wild. Luckily, Springer and the crusaders were able to help him get them all under control. The conductor from before then showed up, warning them that if they did not keep the animals under control, they would be forced off at the next stop. Luckily, he was willing to suggest they use one of the empty box cars.

While in the carriage, Springer leaned against the door to make sure nopony opened the door and let the animals out. The crusaders meanwhile, were talking about the Crystal Empire. "So it seems like the Crystal Empire would be really cold, but I've heard that it's not!" Applebloom said first. "My sis says its as warm as can be!"

"Do you think the walls are crystal?" Scootaloo asked before she gasped. "Maybe even see-through! Can you imagine see-through walls?"

"We have those in Ponyville. They're called windows." Springer remarked, making the crusaders all laugh. As they did this, Springer felt a certain sensation in his stomach, only for the organ to start growling. He hadn't eaten anything since breakfast, and he could feel the hunger getting to him. That, and his nose, which suddenly got a whiff of a beautiful smell. His mouth began to water as he whispered, "Mmm...Donuts..."

Unfortunately, the animals also picked up on the smell and rushed towards the door, knocking over Springer in a mad rush. "Whoa!" He yelled as he hit the floor, the animals running right over him.

"Springer!" Spike yelped as he rushed over to the door, only the hear the sound of clatter as the animals all made a mess. The dragon flinched at the sound before slowly opening his eyes, seeing the donut vendor standing in front of him and he did not look happy. Easy to see why, since he was covered in donut cream and had a cat, dog and alligator biting onto him. Spike knew where this was heading and looked down at his two remaining gems before looking away and holding out the smaller of the two. "Take it! Just take it!"

The vender took the gem and managed to pry the animals off him. Once everyone was back inside, Spike turned and glared at Springer. "Hey, don't go blaming me. I haven't eaten anything all day."

"Well neither have I," Spike told him as he stomach growled. "We'd still be in Ponyville right now if you'd just helped me earlier!"

The animals and crusaders were all silently watching this, all of them knowing this was gonna go badly.

Springer let out a low grumble as he walked over and leaned down at the drake, "We'd still be in Ponyville if you had been patient and waited until after Flash and the others had come back to make your stupid cake. Then you could just look after the animals...LIKE YOU PROMISED TO DO IN EXCHANGE FOR THOSE GEMS!" He poked Spike in the chest. "We're only in this mess because you got greedy."

"Err...guys," Scootaloo tried to intervene. "Maybe you should-"

"NOT NOW!" Spike and Springer yelled, causing the nine other occupants to all flinch away.

The dragon and jakhowl continued to glare at each other, Springer continuing their argument. "You can be so selfish sometimes," he poked Spike in the chest again. "In fact, I'm amazed you haven't grown twice as big by now."

"Oh, don't think your so high and mighty," Spike said as he poked Springer back. "You're not perfect either fuzzball!"

"I never said I was," Springer replied, his tone's volume increasing. "But at least I keep my promises! And guess what that's got me? The trust to keep our entire town safe!" Springer fully leaned towards Spike, the eyes completely locked. "Instead, you think you can just be greedy and get away with anything! Heck, you can't even be trusted to take care of a baby phoenix!"

Time froze between the two after that, for as soon as Springer said those words, he instantly regretted them.

Everypony watched as Spike froze completely, obviously remembering Peewee. Peewee had been a baby phoenix, which had hatched from the egg that Spike has saved when he and Springer went to the Dragon Lands. He had done well at first, but over time, the responsibilities of looking after a young creature proved to much for him and he was forced to return him to his family.

Everypony watched and waited for Spike's response, but he had none. And so, Spriner spoke up, "Spike, I didn't mean-"

"Save it!" Spike yelled, turning around and sitting down on a nearby seat, avoiding everyone's gaze as he did. Springer wanted to say something back, but knew he should keep his mouth shut and instead, sat back down.

The rest of journey was filled with tension.

Everyone, even the pets, sat in relative silence the whole way there. Eventually, the overhead speaker announced that they would soon be arriving at their destination, causing the crusaders to move over to the window. There, they spotted the top of the crystal castle, causing their eyes to go wide as they saw the rest of the city.

"So beautiful..." Scootaloo gasped as the train pulled into the station and came to a stop.

"Well, enjoy it while you can," Spike told them. "Because we're not getting out of this car until we're back in Ponyville!"

The three all frowned at this while Applebloom stepped over to him. "There is no way, no how, we're comin' all the way to the Crystal Empire without lookin' around!"

"I'm with Spike on this one," Springer said as he stood back up to keep anyone from getting through the door. "What if Flash or one of the girls sees us?"

"That's a risk we're willing to take," Scootaloo replied as the three of them stood together in front of the jakhowl.

Spike leapt off his seat and stood by Springer, "Nopony's getting past us."

The three fillies smirked at the two before Scootaloo flexed out her wings, allowing Applebloom and Sweetie to pull a feather free. "Don't make us use these," Applebloom said as she and Sweetie got closer.

"You wouldn't," Spike growled back.

"That's just-urk!" Springer tried to add, only to quickly close his eyes, his paws clapping with burning aura.

The four blinked at him, Sweetie speaking up, "What are you doing?"

"I'm shutting my aura connection with Flash," the jakhowl replied. "I can sense him, he's close."

"How close?"

"Real close. I think he might be on the platform, about to board the train."

"Oh no," Spike gulped before taking a deep breath, turning to the others, "Its cool everypony. As long as we stay in the car, we'll be fine."

That plan however, was not to come to pass. Angel had jumped up on the window and had seen his owner, causing him to bang on the window to grab her attention. When that didn't work, he looked around for a way to escape, a plan formulating in his head. He then leapt off the window, quickly running over to Tank and kicking him toward Spike and Springer. The two saw the tortoise coming and barely managed to duck in time, causing Tank to hit the door and knock it down. Springer and Spike glanced at the broken door, but before they could do anything, Angel leapt onto and off of Spike's head before rushing down the corridor.

"Oh no! Get back here!" Spike yelled before rushing after him, Springer, the animals and crusaders on his tail. As they ran, they soon made their way to the last carriage. But as they made their way there, Spike then spotted Twilight and the others boarding the train. This caused him to gasp in horror before pulling Springer and the pets behind a large trunk.

"What do we do?" Springer asked him.

"Stay out of sight," Spike instantly replied.

"That might not be so easy," Springer pointed at the three fillies. Spike followed his view and saw what he meant, as the three were standing out in the open while looking at vendor table.

"Wow!" Scootaloo gasped as they stared at a crystal snow globe that had a model of the city inside it, "Just...wow!"

The girls giggled as they looked at it, their volume way beyond being heard. "I'm in crystal heaven!" Sweetie cried happily.

"Shhh!" Spike told them, "They're right there!" The crusaders moved so they to were behind the trunk, allowing them to see their siblings and friends. It was here that Spike saw what he was looking for, his claw soon pointing at it, "There's the bunny!" He turned to Springer. "Get them back on board!" With that, he rushed after the rabbit while Springer did as he was told.

"Come on!" Springer said as he motioned them all back into the train.

"Awww!" The three moaned as they boarded once again.

As they got on the train, they saw that their previous car had already been filled and the rest of the box cars were occupied. This forced them all to head back into the open cars, where they waited in a hope that Spike would get Angel in time. After about a minute, Spike rushed into the car carrying a crying Angel. "We made it!"

"Without seeing the palace!" Sweetie groaned.

"We got bigger problems," Springer said as he pointed at the door leading to the next car. The group looked into the car and saw what he meant. Twilight and the others were heading their way.

"I think this car's empty," Twilight said as she made her way to the door.

Spike began to panic, trying to think of a way out of this. The only cars left behind them were the box cars, which were all full, leaving only one alternative. "Everybody down!"

They all did as he said, the crusaders all ducked under a seat while Spike, Springer and the animals went under another. "There has to be a better solution!" Sweetie whispered before Spike shushed her.

The baby dragon crossed his claws, as sweat began to pour down his face. "Oh...please don't sit down, please don't sit down!"

"Whooeee!" They heard Applejack say as she stepped up next to the seat they were under. "My dogs are barkin'." She sat down on the seat,just as Winona let out a bark. Spike shut Winona's mouth with his claw as Applejack continued, "Did ya'll hear that? They really are."

As they all breathed a sigh of relief, they continued to listen to the ponies. "Are you sure you're okay Flash?" They heard Twilight ask the apprentice knight. "Maybe you should have gone to the hospital."

"Relax Twilight. The best she did was clip my wing. I'm fine...though my ears are still ringing."

Twilight let out a long, familiar sigh. "if you say so."

Springer raised an eyebrow at this, wondering what his partner was talking about. That is, till Rainbow spoke up, "Bummer Spike and Springer had to miss out on all this. They woulda' had fun here."

In that moment, Angel hopped up next to Spike and shined a sinister smile at him. "I'm sure he's having a great time watching all the critters back at home," Twilight then said as she sat down. Unbeknownst to her, Angel hopped under her seat and prepared to hit it with his foot.

"Think he's still got a handle on things?" Applejack asked.

Spike's eyes shrunk at this, knowing that he definitely did not have a handle on things. In fact, he knew he was about to be in for the mother of all punishments. But then, he heard what Twilight said next. "If he's staying calm and collected, I bet he's doing a terrific job as a leader." Hearing those words, Spike looked over the events of the day and realized he had this all coming. He should have done what he had promised, instead of being greedy. Now there was only one thing left to do.

"Go ahead bunny, do your worst." Angel smirked and was about to do just that, but then, Spike said, "I deserve it."Angel's feet came to a stop just a few inches from the seat, only for the bunny to turn back to Spike. The drake let out a silent sigh, "Springer was right. I was being greedy and I ignored you. I tried to pawn you off on someone else." He reached over and removed the curlers from Angel's tail, "I didn't take these silly things out, or fluff this like I was supposed to." He sat back and sighed. "I wasn't really thinking about you at all. Any of you. I just wanted the jewels." He turned to all the pets. "I hope you'll all forgive me someday." Winona replied by licking him,while the others simply smiled at him. "You will?"

Springer shined a small smile at this. "I think you've learned your lesson." But in that moment, Spike's stomach once again growled. It was definitely loud enough for the ponies to hear, and no doubt that would look for it.

"Oh great," Spike whimpered. "I'm gonna be the one who gives us away."

That is, till Angel seemed to have other plans as they bunny turned away and rushed down the corridor.

"Where're you going?" Springer asked.

Spike once again began to panic. Not only was he about to be busted, but he was now one pet short. That is, till Angel reappeared with the green gem he had been forced to throw away earlier. "Where did you–" Spike tried to ask, only for his stomach to once again growl.

"Did ya'll hear that?" Applejack asked.

Hearing this, Angel shoved the gem into Spike's mouth, the dragon instinctively taking a bite out of it. That one bite was enough to state his hunger, stopping his stomach's rumbling. With that done, the nine of them looked up at the seats and hoped the ponies did not look under them.

"Guess it was nothing," Flash said as the train began to pull away.

They all breathed a sigh of relief.

After several hours of uncomfortably hiding, the group eventually heard the announcer call out that Ponyville was their next stop. Soon enough, the train hit the station and ponies began to disembark. This allowed the group to come out of their hiding place and rush to the back entrance, where they leapt off the train and turned towards the station.

As the train pulled away, they saw their friends walking down the platform. "Hello!" Spike exclaimed, getting their attention. The ponies turned towards them, none noticing how they were all panting. "Thought we'd meet you at the station!"

The ponies jumped off the platform and started making their way to them as Sweetie added as she rushed up to Rarity, "So we could hear all about the Crystal Empire, and find out if you brought us one of those crystal snow globes that they sell at the train station!"

Rarity then looked down at her suspiciously. "How did you know about the snow globes?"

They all turned to her, the older ponies expecting an answer while the rest all panicked. Sweetie just shined an innocent smile, "Um...lucky guess?"

The others seemed to buy this while Flash moved over to Springer. "Hey bud."

"Hey..." Springer replied before noticing Flash's left wing had several blackened feathers on the tip. "What happened to you?"

Flash looked at it and chuckled. "Oh, that's a tale in a half. I'll tell you when we're back at the library."

With that, they all returned to the library. Spike and Springer were at the back of the group, the jakhowl turning to the dragon. "Long day, huh?"

"You said it," Spike replied.

"Sorry I brought up Peewee. I was just...you know."

"It's cool," Spike said with a shrug. "You did what you thought I needed to hear to learn my lesson. Which I did. From now on, I'll reap the rewards of my actions after I've earned them."

Springer smiled as they arrived at the library. "So, what are you thinking?" Twilight asked as she, Flash and Scootaloo headed upstairs. "Bake 'em into a jewel pie? Ooh, six-layer gem cake sounds pretty good!"

Spike smiled as he picked up his previously discarded mixing bowl. "Yeah, it does." He held his last gem over the bowl and dropped it, only for his tongue to shoot out and grab it.

But before he could pull it into his mouth however, Springer reached out and grabbed the tongue. Springer rolled his eyes at Spike before taking the gem. "Maybe I should hold onto this, at least until you're supposed to eat it."

Spike chuckled nervously. "Thanks."

In that moment, Flash stepped back downstairs, now relieved of his saddlebag and Lightbringer, and looked at the two suspiciously. "So, how did Sweetie know about the snow globe?" He asked, causing the two to freeze in place.

"Um...like she said," Spike told him while trying to hide a gulp. "Lucky guess."

"You sure?" Flash asked with raised eyebrows, "So it doesn't have anything to do with me spotting, say...Angel on the train from the Crystal Empire? Him running out of the car and then coming back with a jewel, which looks an awful lot like the one you guys have now?"

The two were now sweating buckets as Flash crossed his hooves.

"Well?" Flash said in a low, yet very demanding tone. "I'm waiting."

Games Ponies Play

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Rewind to that morning, where Flash and the girls stood on the platform as Flash stood in line to buy their tickets. Once he had them, the pegasus knight moved over to his friends as Twilight and Rainbow arrived on the platform. "Oh, this is gonna be a real treat," Applejack said as she took off her hat and dusted it with her hoof. "Princess Cadance said she'd never seen the Crystal Ponies so excited."

"Duh!" Rainbow exclaimed as she flew around them. "Of course they're excited! They're up for the Equestria Games," she flew up onto the station's roof. "It's only the biggest sporting event in all of Equestria!"

"Didn't Cloudsdale host the Equestria Games one year?" Rarity asked.

Rainbow's previous excitement quickly disappeared. "No, Cloudsdale should have hosted the games one year." She walked off the roof and slowly descended to the ground, a huge frown on her face. "I'll never forget when we got the bad news."

She then told them about how her uncle Blitz had taken her to the announcement, the young filly being overly excited at the prospect, only for her excitement to be squashed. It turned out that Fillydelphia had been chosen as the representative, which caused her to yell out at the top of her filly lungs. The group were all amazed to see Rainbow's eyes actually tear up from talking about the memory, only for the tears to disappear and be replaced with a look of sheer determination. She took to the air once again as she puffed out her chest, "These Crystal Ponies lost a thousand years to an evil king's curse. They've had enough bad news. No way we're letting them experience the pain of losing out on these games!"

Flash nodded at this. "Well said. Plus, it'll allow the Crystal Empire to really be seen as part of Equestria. Some ponies have probably already travelled to see it, but many others haven't. This'll force them to see it, if they want to watch the games that is."

"Exactly," Twilight agreed with a nod as well. "Princess Cadance is counting on us to convince the games inspector to choose the Crystal Empire." She turned to them all with a big confident smile. "And we're not gonna let her down, are we?"

Pinkie took this opportunity to be Pinkie, by sliding to her knees, closing her eyes and crying out. "NOOOOOO!" When she opened her eyes, she saw the rest of the group staring at her in confusion. "What? I was just answering Twilight's question."

Flash let out a long sigh, shaking his head as she walked up to the party pony and patted her shoulder, "Pinkie, let me give you a word of advice. Maybe tone down the Pinkie-ness in front of the games inspector."

"Really?" Pinkie asked, her eyes bugging out while her neck extended back.

Flash nodded. "We may need you to do your stuff, but just keep in dialed down mode. Right now, you're at a ten, we need you at a six."

"Got it," Pinkie replied before pulling her mane aside to reveal the back of her neck. On said neck was an actual dial, which she spun so the arrow pointed at a six. "Done." With that, she bounced towards the train, leaving her friends perplexed.

Flash was the most confused. "I...I just....I don't," he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "It's Pinkie Pie, don't question it."

The others all nodded in agreement to that statement and boarded the train. For the next three hours, the seven of them sat in a car and went over their plans for impressing the games inspector. The only one not in the conversation was Flash, who had been called to the empire for a different reason. With the crystal guard still in the works, Cadance was worried that Ruby might not be able keep the place in order. She didn't want anything bad happening today, so she had requested Flash to help out until the games inspector left.

So now, Flash was walking down the train, looking for the snack trolley as he had been forced to have a small rushed breakfast. He soon found the vendor, who was pushing a trolley full of donuts, causing him to lick his lips. "Two please." The vendor nodded and took out two, which he handed to Flash in exchange for the bits. Flash hummed happily and turned to head back the way he came, only to feel himself run into something. He barely managed to save his donuts from falling to the floor, his quick reflexes coming in handy. Once his snack was safe, Flash looked up to see what he had hit.

It was a unicorn mare, with a lightning blue coat and yellow hair. Her cutie mark was that of a black storm cloud, with three rings of electricity around it. The mare turned to give him an angry glare. "Watch where you're going dork!"

Flash held up his forelegs in defense, "My bad. I apologize, I didn't mean to hit you."

The mare continued to glare at him, only for another unicorn mare to step up next to her. This mare's coat was silver in color, while her mane and tail were a combination of black and white strips. Her cutie mark was that of a window with glass shattering. "Electra, chill out."

The mare named Electra turned to her friend and pouted, but nodded. "Whatever." With that, she pushed past Flash and walked down the car, the other mare following after. Flash stared at the mares as they disappeared, a funny feeling shuddering through his body as he did. After a few more seconds, he shrugged and flew in the opposite direction towards his friends.

Three cars later, the two mares sat down with Electra crossing her hooves in annoyance. "Not cool Banshee. You should have let me fry that nerd."

The unicorn named Banshee rolled her eyes as she sat down. "And draw attention to ourselves?! We're trying to stay as under the radar as possible until we hit our target."

"Whatever," Electra hissed, glancing at a nearby window with a low growl. "This place better have the loot we're looking for."

Banshee's eyes rolled again as she tapped Electra's shoulder, "It's the Crystal Empire, Electra. No doubt it's main product will be gem based. We get our hooves on some, hightail it and sell them on the black market, and we'll be on easy street. Plus, this place is a thousand years behind the times, so whatever magic it's protectors have will be no match against us."

Electra let out a low chuckle at this. "As long as I get to have my jolts."

"Oh, you will." Banshee's mouth morphed into a sinister grin. "And if we manage to get our hooves on some Crystal Empire relics, all the better. Maybe we can swipe that Crystal Heart that everypony's talking about."

Electra raised an eyebrow at this. "Aiming a little high, aren't we?"

Banshee smirked as she sat back, resting her hooves behind her head. "A girl can dream, can't she?"

As Flash finished his donuts and reentered his friend's car, he was greeted with the sound of them all singing. "Four, three, two, one! The Crystal Empire, that's the one!" They sang in perfect harmony with each other, finishing before Pinkie pulled out a megaphone, "OKAY EVERYPONY, GREAT JOB! SOUNDS LIKE WE'RE READY!"

They all cheered, Applejack and Fluttershy actually high hoofing at this. The only one not convinced was Twilight, who then said, "One more time, from the top."

This was met by moans from the others, Rarity speaking up first, "Oh please. I think that was perfect."

Applejack sighed as she turned to the unicorn mare. "We've run this like, twelve times already Twi. I think we've got it."

Pinkie turned to Flash as he sat down. "Will you talk to her? Please?"

Flash just rolled his eyes. "If I knew how to get her out of crazy worry mode, don't you think I'd have done it before now?"

Twilight rolled her eyes as his statement but kept her focus on the others. "Cadance said the games inspector really puts folks through the wringer on her visits. There's no margin for error here." She hopped off her seat, pure determination on her face, "And this time, we need to practice the steps."

"On a train car?" Applejack asked.

They all looked around, noticing the many ponies sharing the car with them. By the looks of things, they had not been too happy about their previous repetitive singing. Adding a dance number into that might cause problems. Rainbow though, didn't seem to care about this. "You heard the pony," she flew behind Pinkie and Applejack and pushed them off their seats. "On your hooves!" Twilight, Rarity and Fluttershy quickly following.

Flash smirked as he sat back to enjoy the show, only for the corner of his eyes to notice something. He turned back to the group, "Er...girls. The station's-"

He didn't get to finish, as in that moment, the mares began their routine. Pinkie and Applejack jumped next to each other and held up one of their hooves, which Twilight warped herself and Rarity onto as Rainbow and Fluttershy flew onto their backs.

"Two, four, six, eight–AAAHHHH!!!" They all yelled as the train came to a stop, instantly topple the tower of ponies.

"Oow!" Flash grimaced as he stood up, "wipe-out."

The door of the leading train opened and the engine pony's head popped out. "Crystal Empire ladies. Watch yourself on the way out." He then noticed the condition of six of his passengers. Pinkie had landed on top of Applejack, Rarity and Rainbow were bent over some chairs while Fluttershy was plastered to the wall. The one in best condition of the group was Twilight, who Flash was helping back to her hooves.

Applejack sighed as she tried to lift a very dizzy Pinkie's flank off her head. "Probably should've watched our step while we were still on it, too."

"I did try to warn you," Flash told them as he pealed Fluttershy off the wall.

"Well next time," Rainbow picked herself up and glared at him. "Warn faster!"

Flash just let out a huff from this, soon grabbing the group's luggage and stepping off the train with the group. As soon as the train pulled away, the ponies were greeted with the amazing sight of the Crystal Empire. "Wow!" Pinkie exclaimed as she and the others looked over the city. "The Crystal Empire looks crystallier than ever!"

She was not kidding. The place looked so clean, you could eat off of any surface. No matter where you look, the crystalline structures shined a brilliant shine. Flash had to squint so as not to be blinded by the light, which was reflected off the city. "Of all the days to forget my shades..."

As they stepped into the city, they saw the many crystal ponies cleaning the place. Some were polishing the crystal, others were sweeping the grounds and Flash even spotted a few cleaning the outside of the castle like a window cleaner. "They must have everypony in the Empire out sprucing it up!" Applejack said as they walked down the street.

"This must be why we were asked to handle the welcome committee routine," Twilight told them as she rubbed her chin at the sight. "At least things will be clean before the inspector gets here."

"And its probably also because we'll be awesome at it," Rainbow finished as they passed by the Crystal Heart.

In that moment, a pair of crystal fillies rushed by with a crystal empire flag in each of their mouths. "Princess Cadance was right," Applejack said as they watched the young crystal foals running around. "These ponies do look pretty darn excited."

Rainbow smirked as she picked up one of the fillies. "Yup, I remember that feeling." He face then turned to one of disappointment. "But not as much as I remember the crushing wave of disappointment that came when things didn't work out."

Flash grabbed the filly and pulled her out of Rainbow grip. "Seriously?! Ever hear of stranger danger?!"

He put the filly down next to her friend as a sad expression appeared on her face. Rainbow pointed at said sad expression. "That right there. That is the face I do not want to see."

The others all agreed with this as Twilight enveloped them all in her magic and pulled them further down the street to catch up with her. "Come on, we don't want to be late."

"If you're looking for the princess, you should check the spa." The group spun around and smiled as they spotted a familiar crystal unicorn wearing a certain snowflake-shaped necklace. Ruby Scarlet smiled at the group, her coat just as sparkling as the other crystal ponies.

"Ruby!" Twilight cheered as they rushed over to her.

"Hello everypony," Ruby said as he grin began to grow. "I'm guessing you're the welcoming committee the princess told me about."

"You betcha," Pinkie answered, nodding.

"And I'm here to help keep the place in one piece," Flash added.

"Getting sent a squire again, huh? Guess Grand still hasn't figured out how to be responsible with sending actual soldiers." Ruby growled with a frown, her hooves crossed with a huff. Flash slightly froze at this statement, but before could he reply, her frown morphed back to a smile as she giggled. "Just kidding. I'm glad to see you here Flash. With everything that's going on, I'd hate to see the crystal ponies' hopes be dashed by something unexpected."

"Well, while you do that, we'll make sure the games inspector decides to pick this place," Rainbow told her as she hopped in between Flash and Ruby.

"Then we'd better get to the spa," Ruby told them as she turned around, motioning them to follow.

"What's Cadance doing there?" Twilight asked.

"Getting her ceremonial headdress done," Ruby replied.

At the sound of those two words, Rarity's eyes went wide. "Ceremonial headdress?"

Ruby nodded. "When meeting with important guests, it was tradition for rulers of the Crystal Empire to weave crystals into their manes in a very specific way. According to Cadance, the games inspector is known for doing her homework. She'll certainly be expecting the princess's look to reflect the importance of her visit." Hearing this explanation, the group followed Ruby through the town, eventually arriving outside a large crystal building that reminded them of Lotus and Aloe's spa. Ruby then opened the door and said, "We're here."

They quickly spotted Cadance sitting on a sofa chair, the princess looking up and smiling as she saw the group, "There's my girls."

"Hey," Flash added with a small wave.

"And my boy," Cadance hopped up and pulled him into a hug before turning to Twilight, the two soon doing their traditional greeting. "Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake! Clap your hooves and do a little shake!"

While this was going on, Rarity was looking around the spa and saw all the crystal variants of modern day spa techniques. Even a casual spa goer like Flash could tell these skills likely evolved into the ones used in Equestria today. "Oh my," Rarity gasped. "This is spectacular. Please everypony, stand back! I need air!"

Cadance giggled as she walked up to the unicorn. "Go ahead and try whatever you like," she said as she placed a hoof around Rarity's neck. "It's all complimentary for the welcome committee."

"Nice," Flash grinned as he rubbed his hooves together. That is, till he felt a hoof tap his shoulder, causing him to turn and see a deadpan stare from Ruby.

"Not you Sentry. We've got work to do."

Flash let out a long sigh before Cadance then walked up to the duo, "Now now Ruby, I'm sure nothing bad would happen in the hour or so it would take for him to enjoy some of the spa." She put her hoof on Ruby's shoulder, "You especially might want to try some yourself. You'll never be at your best all stressed out...which I've noticed is all the time."

Ruby's glare increased, only to also let out a sigh as she nodded, "Very well your highness. We can spare...twenty minutes or so."

"Excellent. Maybe you'll get that super relaxed face you had after coming back from Canterlot a few days ago. Now, everypony follow me." Cadance replied as she motioned the group to follow. She lead them over to a nearby pool like area, which was filled with an odd green liquid. "This is a crystal mud bath, which relaxes your body and rejuvenates your coat." She turned to them with a smaller smile, "Now, I realize it can be kind of strange to climb into mud, but if you'll just give it a chance, I'm sure–"

"WOO-HOO!" Pinkie cheered as she leapt into the air, curling herself into up as she tried to cannonball the liquid.

"Pinkie no!" Twilight cried, expecting the cannonball to send the mud flying. But as Pinkie hit the mud, it seemed to act like a trampoline and stayed in one piece, Pinkie's body suddenly slowly sinking into it, causing her to sigh contently.

"Ahhhhh…." she moaned as her head slowly disappeared, "so relaxing!"

"Pinkie Pie!" Twilight rushed to the side of the pool as Pinkie's head reappeared, her eye twitching at the sight, "Honestly! Don't do that!"

Seeing this, Cadance stepped up to Twilight and placed a hoof on her shoulder. Noticing this, Twilight turned around and now felt Cadance's hoof on her chest, Cadance now taking a deep breath in. Twilight mirrored her, instantly calming down. Flash's jaw dropped at this, making him point and yell at Cadance, "Cadance! Did you just instantly calm her down?!" Cadance just nodded at this with a cheeky smile, "Then why was I not taught that trick years ago!? Do you know how many panic attacks and over-the-top situations I could have avoided if I had at?!"

Cadance just laughed at this as she moved over to the sofa chair she had previously vacated. "Go ahead girls. Have a good time while I get my ceremonial headdress done."

"Ooh!" Rarity squealed, "I would love to watch!"

"Sure." Cadance told her, only to hear the spa doors open and they then saw a crystal mailpony enter.

"Princess!" she rushed over to Cadance and quickly bowed, "If I may have a word."

"I don't like the sound of this," Flash commented before Twilight and Ruby shushed him.

"I-I have two pieces of news for you. First, your mane stylist has the flu and won't be able to make it for fear of you catching it, too."

Cadance looked shocked at this news. "Oh. Well...I hope she's better soon." She turned to the spa ponies. "Do any of the other stylists here know how to do the traditional royal ceremonial headdress?" The respond was a bunch of uneasy nos, the crystal ponies looking embarrassed by this detail. "Oh...that's not good." Cadance said before once again doing the breath in breath out thing, "Well, the headdress is just a small detail, so-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Rainbow interrupted as she flew right into her face, "You're trying to land the Equestria Games here! There is no such thing as a small detail!"

"Rainbow Dash..." Twilight warned her, only to see an orange hoof appear in front of her.

"I agree with her Twilight," Flash told the unicorn. "If the games inspector's really expecting this ceremonial thingy, then we can't not show it to her."

In that moment, Rarity stepped up to them. "I suppose...I could give it a shot."

Cadance smiled hearing this. "Rarity? You would do that for me?"

"Way to step up, Rare!" Rainbow cheered.

Cadance let out a small comforting sigh, "Fortunately, I have all the precise instructions right here." The crystal ponies pulled out a chest that she magically opened it, levitating a scroll into the air. The scroll reached the roof before unfurling itself until it almost reached the floor.

"Oh, my..." Rarity gulped as she inspected the scroll.

Flash turned to Ruby. "You must have seen this head thing before. Is it really so amazing that it needs all that?"

"You have no idea," Ruby deadpanned, a low breath of air coming out of her nostrils.

Cadance stepped over to Rarity, a slight glance going to the scroll as she asked, "You sure you're up for this?"

Rarity turned towards her, the flames of determination burning in her eyes. "Working on the hair of royalty on such an auspicious occasion is the opportunity of a lifetime! I will give it everything I've got!"

"See?" Twilight said as she stepped between Cadance and Rarity, "no worries."

"Besides, the Games Inspector isn't expected for several hours." Rarity commented as she stepped up to the scroll and took a closer look at the steps. "I'll have plenty of time to figure out exactly how to...do...this..."

"Oh Rarity, that's wonderful!" Cadance said before turning towards the mail pony. "Now, you said you had a second bit of news?"

The mailpony stood to attention and nodded. "Yes. The games inspector, Ms. Harshwhinny, will be arriving on the...next train."

"WHAT?!" Everypony cried in shock.

Rainbow flew up to her and got right in her face. "You couldn't have told her that news first!? That's fifteen minutes from now!"

The rest of the group began to panic, Fluttershy shaking while Applejack rushed to the door and looked out of it. Flash himself was about to start panicking, turning to see what kind of state Twilight found herself in. But despite looking worried at first, he watched as she did the breathing tactic and instantly calmed down before turning to Rarity, "How long before Cadance is ready?"

Rarity hummed as she looked over the scroll, "I'm sure to find some shortcuts Twilight."

"Can you have her back at the castle when we're done?"

Rarity nodded and smiled. "Done."

Twilight nodded back before levitating the note from the mailpony, reading it quickly. "Okay, we'll be fine." She turned to Flash and Ruby, "you two do what you can to stop any problems that the games inspector might not like."

Flash saluted her. "Yes ma'am."

"We won't let you down," Ruby added with a salute as well.

Twilight nodded before she and the others stepped over to the doorway. "Everypony, just be on the look out for the pony with the flower print luggage." She then shut the door and they were gone, as Rarity got to work on Cadance's mane.

Flash turned to Ruby. "Let's do this, partner."

Ruby nodded before they rushed out the door. "You go high, I'll go low. We'll deal with any situation no matter how small. We can't let anything escalate."

"Got it!"

One hour later...

Downtown, Banshee and Electra were scouting out their first target. Right now, they were in a jewelry store, or at least Banshee was while Electra leaned against the door. Banshee looked through the store's collection, mesmerized by the beauty of them all.

It was here that the store pony walked up to her. "See anything you like?"

"Oh yes. It's all so beautiful." Banshee replied as she reached out and brushed her hoof on a crystal necklace, "I've always had a love of shiny things. Makes sense since my parents decided to name me Magpie...before abandoning me."

"Oh," the sales pony said as he almost backpedaled from the sudden statement, "I'm sorry to hear that."

"I'm sure you are," Banshee hissed as she looked up at her, an icy dead glare in her eyes.

Outside the store and down the street, a mare with a brown coat, yellow mane and tail along with a trophy for a cutie mark, was dragging a suit case along the floor. This mare was named Ms. Harshwhinny, the games inspector for the Equestria Games. Harshwhinny had been expecting a big welcome when she arrived, only to receive nothing as she now hauled her heavy suitcase through the empire.

"They'd better have a good excuse for this," she groaned with great difficulty since her mouth was currently full of her suitcase's handle. She was also walking backwards, making it impossible for her to admire the empire as she kept pulling. That is, till she felt her flank run into something.

"HEY!" Harshwhinny spun around and saw she had run into Electra, who was glaring at the mare. "Watch where you're going, grandma!"

Harshwhinny narrowed her eyes at this, "How dare you! I know I ran into you, but there's no reason to be so rude!"

"Whatever, ya stupid hag!" Electra barked back, "Now beat it!"

Harshwhinny let out a small snort, ready to retaliate, but she then noticed something. The mare that insulted her wasn't a crystal pony and obviously not part of the party she was supposed to be greeted with. By the looks of the mare, she was probably just a tourist, and she knew she shouldn't judge her experience from the mare.

"I will go, but I suggest you-" Harshwhinny hissed out before her mouth suddenly stopped, her eyes widening as she took a closer look at the mare. "Wait, haven't I seen you somewhere before?"

"I doubt it hag." Electra replied, looking away with an uncaring glance.

Harshwhinny racked her brain, trying to remember where she had seen her face. Then, she remembered the newspaper she had read on the train to the empire and seeing her in it. "You...You're Lovely Rose." She saw Electra's eyes go wide, her face slowly looking back at the earth pony. "You're a criminal, wanted for theft...and assault."

Electra's eyes narrowed. "You should have left when you had the chance lady." Her horn flashed, electrical sparks flying off it. Harshwhinny quickly spun around, only to backpedal as she found her path blocked by pillars of electricity. She let out a gulp as she felt Electra's hoof grab her shoulder. "Nowhere to run hag," she told her before pointing at the store. "Inside. Now."

Harshwhinny frowned with her lip trembling but did as she was told, entering the store as the ponies inside turned to them, Banshee then asking, "What happened?"

"Grandma here recognized me," Electra growled as she nudged Harshwhinny to move. "Didn't know we had any wanted posters."

Banshee just shook her head. "Typical. Looks like we're done window shopping." She turned to the store pony, "Alright, I'll take it all."

"All?! But that'll cost-"

"Nothing," Banshee finished for pony. In that moment, her horn glowed as she took a deep breath in while Electra levitated a pair of earplugs into her ears.

Everypony wondered what she was doing, but they soon got their answer as Banshee let out a mighty scream. "WWWWWWWHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Her scream had been enhanced to the levels of Celestia and Luna's Royal Canterlot voice, though this was far more high pitched and seemed to shake the entire building. Everypony cried out in pain as they held their hooves to their ears, the force of the scream pushing them all into the back wall.

A minute so later, Banshee stopped screaming and the ponies dropped to the floor, small bits of blood now dripping from their ears. Seeing this made Electra laugh as she removed her earplugs, "I'd stay down if I were you. Though you probably can't hear me."

Banshee moved over to the store pony and grabbed the pony's mane in her magic, pulling her up to her hooves before grabbing a nearby sack. She shoved it into the store pony's hooves and pointed to the jewels, "Fill this up with everything of worth. Now."

The store pony just shook there, fear completely taking her over. Banshee opened her mouth again, pointing to it as a warning to the ear-bleeding pony. She did a small nod and went to the displays, quickly filling it with jewels. At the same time, Electra turned towards the door and saw ponies beginning to step closer to the store. "I'll keep them from getting any closer," she said before walking outside.

Across town, Flash and Ruby were continuing their patrol when they arrived at the crystal stadium.

"Wow," Flash commented as he looked around, "looks better than when I was here last time. Granted, it was just me and Rainbow cleaning the place up."

Ruby turned to him with a small smirk. "Prince Shining Armor had it fixed up so we could work on getting the soldiers for the crystal guard prepared."

It was then that they heard a familiar voice, causing them both to look down and see the pony they were talking about. "Speak of the devil," Flash said before he leapt into the air. "Shining!"

Shining Armor, who was coaching several crystal ponies in preparation of the games, looked up and waved to the landing pegasus, "Hey Flash, what's up?"

"The sky," Flash joked. "And the clouds, the birds....want me to go on?"

"Haha, funny guy." Shining turned to Ruby, "How's everything going? Any problems?"

"None so far," Ruby said as she walked up to them. "Let's hope we can keep it that way."

"Don't we all," Shining grumbled, only for his ears to hear the sound of a door opening. They turned to see a unicorn walk up to them from the stadium's entrance from the castle, "Twily!"

"Hello there!" Twilight replied as she walked down the stairs and up to her brother. "Shining Armor, you've gotta help me."

Shining's response was to grab the whistle around his neck and blow it, causing the crystal ponies to start running around the track. "Everything okay?"

"I left the other ponies behind after giving the Games Inspector the worst castle tour ever."

Flash raised an eyebrow at this. "And you're not hyperventilating? Wow, that breathing trick must really work."

Twilight frowned at him, but in that moment, Shining called out to the crystal ponies. "Come on gang! Are we gonna gallop, or are we gonna trot!?" He turned back to his sister. "Castle tour, huh? I'm pretty sure I can give you a hoof with that." Once again he turned to look at the athletes. "Let's move, move, move!" And one more time towards Twilight. "Everything's gonna be okay."

In that moment, a loud crashing sound filled the air. They all looked around and saw it was the doors Twilight had come out of, which had be thrown open. The cause of that was a yellow mare with a green mane and tail, wearing a pink top and had a chicken for a cutie mark. The mare took in a massive breath. "I'm outside!" She cheered before rushing down the stairs onto the track, knocking the crystal ponies out of the way as she did. "Feels so good to stretch the old legs!"

Shining Armor shined a look of confusion on his face. "Uh, what the–"

His question was answered when Rainbow and the others rushed to Twilight's side. "Turns out the crystal castle doesn't have a gymnasium," Rainbow told her.

Ruby turned to Flash in confusion. "I haven't been in this dimension in a while. Do modern day castles have gymnasiums?"

"Not to any I've been in," Flash replied.

"Watch it!" Shining cried out before they all heard a loud crashing sound.

"Woohoo!" The mare cried as she continued to rush about like a headless chicken.

Shining turned to Rainbow. "Make her...stop!"

"Wait!" Rainbow yelled as she flew down next to him, "That's the Games Inspector! Let her do her thing."

Flash, Ruby and Shining turned to look at the mare, all not convinced by what Rainbow had just said. "That's the games inspector?!" Flash asked suspiciously.

"Yes," Twilight moaned, her head drooping to the ground.

Ruby tilted her head in confusion. "I don't think I'll ever get this time period."

"Good!" The mare cheered again, "oh these hooves! I'm outside!"

"She's not what I expected," Shining said as he turned to Rainbow. "Why is she doing all this?"

"I have no idea," Rainbow told him with a nervous smile. "But she's in charge of choosing who gets the Games, and we're not."

They continued to watch as the mare as she broke through the hurdles on the field one at a time, the last one knocking a flower pot in the air. Seeing it fly up then back down towards the mare, Flash acted quickly and flew up to catch it. "Gotcha!" He said before flying down and smirking at the mare. "Wouldn't want you getting a concussion."

"Oh, you're too kind."

"Just doing my job ma'am."

The mare smiled at him, but before anything else could be said, the ground shook as a loud booming sound filled the air. "What was that?" she asked.

"I don't know," Flash replied as he flew up over the stadium, only for his eyes to go wide. He saw a surge of lightning, bolts flying through the city as a series of explosions. "What in the name of-"

"What is it?" Twilight asked.

"I'm not sure, but it looks like trouble." Flash replied as he looked down, his eyes staring at Ruby. "Ruby and I'd better go check."

"Let's get going then." Ruby yelled back before pointing to the 'game inspector' mare, "Whatever you do, don't let her out of the stadium."

Another crashing sound caused them all to turn to her, seeing her racing around the track. "I don't think that'll be a problem," Fluttershy commented.

Flash and Ruby nodded before Flash flew down and grabbed Ruby, lifting her into the air. She soon saw the bolts Flash had seen, "That's definitely trouble. Let's go!"

"Right!" Flash replied as he shot forward, his form flying over the city with Ruby in tow.

"Maybe I should go too," Shining said, only to feel Twilight's hoof on his shoulder.

"They'll be fine," Twilight added as she pointed to the inspector, "Let's just focus on getting the games inspector to pick the empire and leave whatever that is to the professionals."

Shining hated to agree, but Twilight was right. "I just hope whatever this is, its not too much for them."

Downtown...

The Crystal Empire was in a state of chaos.

Lightning bolts flooded the streets as crystal ponies were running for their lives, Electra and Banshee destroying everything in sight. Electra stood in front of the jewelry store, firing off multiple bolts to scare off anypony who got to close while Banshee stood in the store, watching the store ponies fearfully fill her a sack with all their best merchandise.

In the back corner of the store, several other hostages sat in fear of what these mares might do to them. One of them was Ms. Harshwhinny, who sat at the front of the group glaring at the two. "You'll never get away with this. The crystal guard-"

"The crystal guard doesn't exist," Banshee interrupted. "Before this city showed up here, it was in the middle of a war. You really think their military's gonna be in the best of shape after that?"

"I know that," Harshwhinny replied, her eyes narrowing. "But from what I looked up, they still have one warrior that will stop you. Ruby Scarlet, the Crystal Knight and protector of the city."

Banshee let out a dark laugh. "Yeah, I've heard of her. At least, what I read up on this gold mine." She then leaned down in front of the earth pony's face, "But she's a thousand years behind the times. Her magic won't compare to ours."

Harshwhinny frowned at this, fearing she might be right. Seeing her captive falter, Banshee smirked before turning back to the clerk, only to find that the store pony had finished filling the sack. She soon took it in her magic, grinning as she saw how full it was. "Nice. Next stop, easy street." She turned towards the door to leave, but stopped as a bulb went off in her head. She turned back to Harshwhinny and said, "Get up."

"What?!" The games inspector yelped.

"I said...get up!" Banshee took a deep breath, preparing to once again unleash her voice.

"Wait!" Harshwhinny cried as she picked herself up. "I'll do as you say! Just don't hurt these ponies!"

Banshee closed her mouth with a smile before gesturing to the door. "Good. Now, walk out to my associate."

Harshwhinny glared at Banshee but did as she was told, walking towards the exit in a slow trot. Electra noticed her walking out and was about to fry her, only to she her partner following in a calm manner. The electric unicorn knew Banshee too well to know she would let any hostage escape. "What's with the old mule?" She asked Banshee, smirking at Harshwhinny's horror of being called both old and a mule.

"Insurance," Banshee explained as she slung her hoof around Harshwhinny, a shiver going down the hostage's spine as she continued, "I'd prefer to not have to fight if I can help it. No way they'd attack us with a hostage, and if they do..." Banshee's grin grew, "Well, you said you wanted some jolts."

Electra let out a soft laugh at this, one Banshee joined in with. The only one not laughing was Harshwhinny, who was fearing for her life as she felt the hoof tighten around her shoulder.

But before anypony could say anything else, something shot down from out of the sky, kicking up a dust cloud across the street. Banshee and Electra got into a fighting position, while Harshwhinny just froze, her body still as a statue. They watched as the cloud faded, revealing what had kicked it up.

It was Flash and Ruby, standing side by side in preparation of battle.

"Hey sparky," Flash called out to them, "shrieky. Hi." He waved nonchalantly as the two began to step closer to the three, soon seeing the hostage between the criminals. "What do you say stepping away from that lady there and we settle this like mares?" That statement got confused looks from all of them, even Ruby who raised an eyebrow at him. Flash rolled his eyes at this, "What?! There's more of you girls here than me!"

Ruby shook her head with a smile as she turned back to the other mares. "Okay, listen up you two. There are two ways we can do this. You can give up and let the hostage go and be taken to prison quietly. Or those exact same things, plus far more pain for you two." Her necklace then shined, creating a giant crystal double-sided battleaxe, which she slung around her shoulder with a big smile, "And I'm in a good mood today, so please choose the latter."

"Listen to the Crystal Knight." Flash added as he pointed to the Ruby, "Trust me, you'll want to chose the latter."

Electra and Banshee however, weren't intimidated. Instead, they smirked at each other as the blue unicorn stepped forwards and pointed her horn at them. It then unleashed a burst of electrical energy, which flew at the two heroic ponies. Seeing this, Flash leapt in front of Ruby as he unsheathed his sword. The blade quickly blocked the bolt, deflected into the sky.

While this happened, Ruby's magic kicked in as the battleaxe morphed into a platform of crystals, which teleported to appear under Harshwhinny's hooves. They then shot her into the air, out of harms way as the platform morphed into a slide, pushing the hostage down the street.

"Eeeekkkk!!" she yelled as she slid down the street, Banshee soon trying to follow only for a wall of crystals to appear around all four ponies. The walls sealed them in, insuring the hostage was now safe. Seeing this, Electra stopped her attack, soon backpedaling up to her partner.

Flash smirked as he lowered his weapon while Ruby stepped up next to him, the two smiling at one another. "Nice move," Flash told her.

"Yours too," Ruby agreed. "Didn't know you could do that."

"Same here."

Electra turned to Banshee. "What now!?"

Banshee frowned at the two knights before turning to Electra. "Earplugs." Electra smirked as she put the plugs in, while Banshee's took and deep breath while her horn glowed. Flash and Ruby prepared themselves, believing they were ready for anything.

They were wrong.

"WWWWWWWHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

The two cried out as their hooves rushed to their ears, trying to block out the sound while the force slowly pushed them back. Ruby's horn soon began to shine, though only in sputters as Ruby tried to concentrate. As she did, a cluster of crystals shot out of the ground, creating a shabby, makeshift tent-like structure that they could hide in. Banshee looked at the cover and laughed, quickly firing another sonic wave at it. But luckily, the crystals drowned out most of the sound, allowing the two knights a chance to recover.

Flash hissed in pain as he lowered his hooves from his ears. "The one time having awesome hearing sucks."

"Agreed," Ruby groaned as she rubbed her ears, "We need a strategy. Any suggestions?"

"Yeah. In fact, experience is gonna help me here." Flash commented as he rubbed his ears as well, "Luckily, this isn't the first time I've fought a unicorn with lightning abilities. Same with sound abilities as well."

"How did you beat them?"

"For the lightning unicorn, I broke his source of power, which was a magic amulet he had around his neck."

Ruby glanced at Electra, "I'm guessing this mare is less powerful then?"

"Probably. I do know that lightning magic takes a lot of stamina to use, which is why the guy had the amulet in the first place. Its also a kind of magic that can be knocked off balance if you can react faster than the pony."

"And the sound unicorn you fought?"

"Well, for the sound unicorn, I dropped a building on top of him." He saw Ruby raise an eyebrow at this, "it was condemned."

"Well, we don't have any condemned buildings here," Ruby grumbled as she let out a low breath, her horn now fulling glowing. "We'll just have to go with what we've got." She then summoned a crystal sword, "Let's split up. You go after the zappy one and leave the noisy one to me."

Flash just nodded at this, gripping his blade in his hoof.

Back outside the tent, Banshee and Electra were getting bored, Banshee soon turning to her partner. "If they won't come out and face us, let's just get out of here." She lifted the sack over her shoulder, only to hear the sounds of the crystal structure cracking. Turning towards the sound of breaking crystal, the two criminals suddenly felt a rush of wind shoot passed them. They once again turned, this time towards where the wind had gone and saw Flash standing with a huge smirk on his face, his sword resting on his shoulder.

"Hello ladies. I'd take a glance at you loot if I were you." The two blinked at this, soon looking back at said sack and saw Flash had cut a large hole in it, the stolen goods already embracing the ground.

"NO!" Banshee cried as she began to grab some of it in her hooves before turning back to Flash, only to notice he was gone. She then looked up, only to see the pegasi floating in the air with a look of pure confidence on his face.

"I doubt your voice is that strong at a distance," Flash said as she gestured to the mare. "Well? Gonna try your luck?"

Banshee let out a low growl as she turned to Electra. "GET HIM!"

"Watch who you yell at," Electra barked back as lightning sparked around her body. Then something happened that Flash was not expecting. Electra shot into the air, seemingly riding on the electrical current around her hooves.

"She can fly!?" Flash yelped in shock before quickly dodging a bolt of lightning.

"You got that right!" Electra yelled as she shot a volley of bolts at him, the pegasi quickly taking evasive maneuvers.

As Electra continued to attack Flash, Banshee grabbed more of their stolen goods, only for a crystal sword to appear right in front of her. She slowly looked back up from the blade, soon looking up and seeing an angry Ruby Scarlet staring at her.

"What's the matter?! Surely you didn't forget about me, did you?"

Banshee let out a low gulp as she saw the sword levitate back to Ruby's side. She then began to pant angrily before her horn glowed, soon taking a deep breath while Ruby's horn and Crystal Promise glowed as well.

"WWWWWWWHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

The high pitched scream struck Ruby, slowly pushing her back. But as it did, Banshee quickly noticed that Ruby wasn't in pain, causing her to cut her assault short, "HEY! How did you....oh no." she said before noticing something on Ruby's ears.

Before Banshee had attacked, Ruby had created a pair of crystal headphones that had completely blocked out the sound. Ruby smirked at the horror that appeared on Banshee's face. "What?" She asked loudly due to her headphones, "you lose your voice?"

"NOOO! RAAAUUUGGGHHHHH!!!" Banshee screamed as she rushed towards Ruby, only for the Crystal Knight to sidestep the unicorn and use her sword to trip her up. "Augh!" she yelped as she kissed pavement.

"Give up," Ruby told her as she slung sword over her shoulder. "Without your magic, you can't win."

Banshee let out a low growl, quickly stumbling to get back up as she yelled, "Never!"

Meanwhile...

Up in the sky, Electra and Flash's battle continued to rage on. Electra was constantly firing electric bolts, the lightning lighting up the sky as Flash spun through the air, his blade deflecting every blow away. As he blocked the fifth bolt fired at him, he swung his blade, "Flash Cutter!" an energy blade flew at the mare, causing her to lift herself higher, barely dodging the wave. As she did, another stray bolt flew out of her horn, this one whipping through the air. The bolt then suddenly curved, singing a few tip feathers on Flash's left wing.

"GAH!" Flash hissed, quickly flapping his wings from the pain. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes in reaction, "Theta Mode!"

Electra raised an eyebrow at this, wondering what he was doing before firing another bolt of lightning. But as the bolt just exited her horn, Flash's eyes opened to reveal themselves as blank, only for his form to shift away from the attack effortlessly.

"Too slow," he said as he then dodged three more bolts, his body quickly making its way to her.

Electra let out a low growl as she fired again and again, only to see Flash easily dodged them all. "What the-grrr...DIE!" A electrical surge covered her body in response to her yell, only for Flash to appear in front of the mare, Lightbringer blocking every stray piece of static coming off her body. As he did this, Electra noticed the massive grin plastered on Flash's lips. "What are you smirking at!?"

"Oh nothing," Flash replied as he spun the blade like a fan, knocking every bit of electricity away. "Just keeping a promise."

"What promise?"

Before Flash responded, he stopped his blade and struck down, his blade now cutting through the surge around Electra's body. As it did, he said, "That no matter who or what I face, no matter how bad the situation looks, I'll always face it with a smile on my face."

As those words finished, the blade began to glow, only to push Electra back, instantly knocking her electric footing off. "Augh!" Electra cried as she lost her midair balance. But before she could recover though, she saw Flash spin his sword around until the crossguard was pointed at her.

"FLASH FORCE!" The crossguard shot out a burst of orange light, which changed into a beam that flew right at Electra. The beam instantly hit her chest, her electricity surge completely neutralized. And as the lightning dissipated, her body dropped like a rock, soon slamming into the ground with a loud thud.

Flash quickly flew down to where she had landed and found her moaning in pain as she tried to pick herself up. She looked up at Flash and glared, only for her eyes to roll into the back of her head, instantly losing consciousness. Flash smirked at this as he picked the unicorn up, wondering how Ruby was doing.

Ruby was doing fine.

With her sonic attack pretty much neutralized, Banshee was no match for Ruby. She charged at the Crystal Knight with a hoof prepared to strike her, but Ruby was ready.

"Crystal Guard!" a crystal shield appeared in front of the oncoming punch, Banshee screaming in pain a second later at her almost broken hoof. Ruby then crumbled the shield and created a pair of swords, "Crystal Sabers!" She began to swing them at Banshee, forcing the unicorn to start leaping backwards.

Banshee winced as she continued to land on her injured hoof, already feeling the blow slowing her down. But as she did, her horn began to glow again as she took another deep breath.

"WWWWWWWHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

The soundwave flew through the streets, making even the ground shake. But as it did, Ruby just stood there, her headphones blocking every bit of sound as her horn continued to glow. As she did this, she levitated the crystal blades and magically fused them, soon spinning them like a top. The blades soon made a small tornado, which flew at the mare.

Seeing this, Banshee stopped her wail, letting out a small gulp before taking another deep breath. Her horn shined again as she shot another sonic attack, only for it just dissipate the small tornado. But as she did this, her eyes went wide as she saw the blades stop spinning.

"What are you...*huff* *huff* doing now?" Banshee asked as she tried to catch her breath.

Unfortunately, the headphones made it impossible to hear the mare, so Ruby instead stopped spinning her swords. The blade then broke apart, only for a new glow of magic to spark out of her horn and create a small cloud of shining crystals. As it did, Ruby raised her hoof and yelled, "Crystal Shot!" The cloud faded, only to reveal a volley of crystal arrows, all of them flying at Banshee at high speed.

The mare panicked and tried to dodge the arrows, only for her mane and tail to get cut by two of them. Landing on her injured hoof, Banshee cried out as she lost her footing and fell to the ground.

Seeing this, Ruby levitated the blades together again, only for them to morph into a mallet like weapon. Banshee looked up and saw this, only for her ears to hear, "Crystal..." Banshee tried to scream, yelling 'No!' to the knight, only to fall on headphoned ears as Ruby exclaimed, "HAMMER!"

The mallet instantly struck Banshee's chest, "AUGH!" She cried as she was sent flying into the air.

Ruby dissolved her weapon and pointed her horn at Banshee, the Crystal Promise glowing brightly as she did. "CRYSTAL FORCE!" A gem laced tornado shot out of her horn and consumed Banshee, spinning her around and scratching her with the small crystals.

And as the attack soon ceased, Banshee fell to the ground, only to land on Ruby's back. Ruby panted heavily after rushing to where Banshee would land, not wanting to cause and more harm than necessary. She then dropped her to the ground and looked her over, now seeing that she was unconscious and covered in scratches. Not wanting to take any chances, her horn glowed as Banshee's body was soon sealed in crystal, from her hooves to her neck. Finally, a crystal muzzle overtook the mare's face, sealing off her wail.

She sighed in relief as she took of her headphones, allowing sound to once again travel into her ears. "There we go..." she moaned as she rubbed her ears, "Don't want to go through that again."

"Think you can do mine as well?" She turned to see Flash walking towards her with Electra on his back, who he quickly dropped to the ground. "I think she'll be out for a while, but better safe than sorry."

"Agreed," Ruby said as she got to work.

"Flash, Ruby!" The two of them spun around and saw Twilight and the others rushing towards them, all looking worried.

"You guys okay?" Shining asked them.

"We're fine," Flash replied as he tapped the hilt of his blade. "Just another day as a solider."

Twilight stepped up to him, worry on her face as she pointed her hoof at him. "Your wing."

Flash turned to see the now blacked feathers on his wing. Now that the adrenaline had worn off, the heat from them was beginning to itch but not wanting Twilight to worry, he turned to give her a smile. "I'm alright. This isn't as bad as it looks."

Twilight didn't look convinced, but knew now wasn't the time to argue. Instead, she glared at the two now sealed mares, "These were the ones causing the commotion?"

"Yeah," Flash replied as he tapped Electra's crystal seal, "if you call endangering lives commotion. At one point, they had a few hostages, but we managed to get them to safety."

"Which reminds me," Ruby moved over to the store she had sealed shut before with the crystal wall, which she soon lowered. While she was doing that, Flash explained everything that happened.

"That sounds awesome," Rainbow said first.

"Such a shame," Shining added as he looked over the criminals. "All that power and they chose to use it for their own gain."

"Hopefully they'll see the error of their ways," Fluttershy said next, shivering at the sight of the knocked out mares.

"Maybe...." Flash replied as he looked around. "Hey, where's the games inspector?"

The group suddenly all froze, as if looking embarrassed by something as Pinkie spoke up, "Yeah....about that."

Flash raised an eyebrow, obviously sensing something was up. "Alright, what happened this time?"

The group still remained silent, until Pinkie finally snapped. "We got the wrong pony!"

Both of Flash's eyebrows raised at this. "What do you mean, you got the wrong pony?"

"She wasn't the games inspector," Twilight explained with a huge gulp. "It turns out she just had the same flower luggage as Ms. Harshwhinny."

Flash quickly facehoofed, his hoof slowly going down his head, "You have got to be kidding me." He then leaned towards Twilight, his smile he had tried to keep the entire time now gone, "So, where's the real Ms. Harshwhinny?"

"We don't know," Fluttershy replied. "We were just about to head to the train station when we heard all the commotion."

"I doubt she's still gonna be there now," Shining added.

"Well, she's gotta be around here somewhere. We'll just have to split up and look around."

In that moment, Ruby returned to them while levitating a suitcase. "What's going on?" She asked.

"Don't ask," Flash replied before noticing the suitcase. "What's that?"

Ruby looked at the case and held it up to them. "Oh, it belongs to that pony we saved from being taken hostage. You know, the one I had to use that makeshift slide to get her out of the situation. I thought I'd try and track her down to return it to her, if I can find a name on it." She held it up for a closer look, "Wait, here we go. Its a Ms...Harshwhinny?"

Everypony froze hearing that, Rainbow actually falling to the ground in a faint. Ruby blinked at their frozen faces, "Is something the matter?"

"No, no, no, no, no, no!" Twilight cried as she fell to the floor. "Not only did we not give Ms. Harshwhinny the greeting she was expecting, we also let her get taken as a hostage! She'll never pick the Crystal Empire now!"

Flash wanted to say something that would cheer her up, only for his mind to go blank. He quickly noticed that Shining and Ruby were thinking the same thing, causing him to gulp. They were in trouble now.

In that moment, Rainbow revived and got back on her hooves. "We're not done yet!" She cried out as she leapt into the air. "Here's what we do! We split the Empire up into five sectors and each of us search one of 'em!"

"Yeah!" Pinkie chimed in, "Except for the spa. What's the point of checking there since that's where Cadance is." She then showed a small grimace, "Though if Ms. Harshwhinny is there, well then, game over, right?"

Everypony took in what she said and gasped, realizing she was right as Rainbow yelled, "We need to get over there. Right...NOW!"

They all nodded and rushed towards the spa, Shining Armor staying behind to guard the criminals. "Why would she have gone to the spa?" Ruby asked them.

"You said she'd been held hostage, right?" Twilight replied.

"Where else would you go to relax after a stressful situation?" Flash finished.

Ruby blinked at this, only to nod, "I guess you're right."

Soon enough, they all arrived at the spa and Rainbow plastered her face to the window for a second before pulling away. "I don't know what she looks like."

Flash stepped up and looked inside, soon spotting and pointing at the pony he and Ruby had saved. "There. That's her."

Rainbow followed his hoof and saw Ms. Harshwhinny before seeing Rarity next to a screen. "We're in luck! I don't think either of them knows yet that the other one's here!"

Twilight nodded and stepped into the building, the others following after her. Rarity soon noticed them and smiled. "Wonderful news!" she told them as Cadance stepped out from behind the screen. "Look! Princess Cadance, better than new!"

She wasn't kidding. Cadance was now dressed in a blue dress and her mane was done in an almost unbelievably beautiful way. Ms. Harshwhinny heard what Rarity had said and sat up, the cucumbers on her eyes slowly falling off. "Princess Cadance?" She spotted the alicorn and began to walk towards her. "So this is where you've been! I will have you know that this is by far the worst welcome I've had in all my years!"

Cadance was shocked to hear this. "I-I can't believe-what was wrong with your welcome?"

"There wasn't one!" Harshwhinny barked back. "Not to mention I ended up getting attacked while visiting this place!"

"Attacked!?!" Cadance yelped as she turned to the others, "what is going on?! How did she get attacked?!"

Twilight stepped up to explain, only for Rainbow to stop her. "Princess, we gave our welcome to the wrong pony, left the right one waiting at the station, and completely ruined everything."

"And as for the attack," Flash continued. "Well, you can't really blame that one on the empire since the criminals aren't from the empire."

"Criminals?!" Cadance exclaimed, her eyes now as wide as dinner plates.

"Long story," Flash replied with a nervous smile.

Rainbow then continued her speech. "When I was a little filly, I wanted so badly for Cloudsdale to win the Equestria Games. But it didn't happen. So I thought I could make up for that disappointment by helping the Crystal Empire win the chance to host the Games....but it looks like I ruined your chances instead. I'm sorry." Her gaze fell to the floor, tears almost ready to appear.

"Not so fast speedy." They all looked up to see the pony they had mistaken for the games inspector.

Harshwhinny smiled at them all as she pointed to the pony. "I just finished hearing about how this pony was just treated to the warmest, finest, most fabulous reception she ever had."

"Darn tootin!" The pony replied.

She then pointed to Twilight and the others. "Courtesy of these fine ponies right here. Which, in my expert opinion, amounts to the first ever unvarnished, unrehearsed, and unbiased appraisal of a potential host of the Equestria Games. Which can only mean one thing. I've found the host of the next Equestria Games!"

Everypony's eyes went wide hearing this. "Are you serious?!" Rainbow asked.

"Of course I am," she then turned to Cadance as she also pointed at Ruby and Flash. "Though I do expect increases in security. What you have now is fine but I expect more than fine for a host."

Cadance nodded. "Don't worry. My husband is working on training new guards as we speak. They'll be more than ready when the games arrive."

"Good to hear," Harshwhinny replied as she turned to Flash and Ruby, noticing her suitcase in Ruby's possession. "I believe that's mine."

"Of course," Ruby nodded as she gave it to her. "I'm glad to see you're okay."

"Thanks to you two. Excellent work, the both of you."

Flash and Ruby smiled and saluted at the praise.

The rest of their time at the empire was a blur. Electra and Banshee had been placed in the empire's magic proof jail that Ruby assured them was secure. Cadance soon announced to the city that would be hosting the games and soon enough, the group were back at the train station.

Rainbow sighed happily. "You know, it feels good to help others get something you always wanted but never had. Almost as good as getting it yourself." She then frowned, moaning, "almost..."

Twilight giggled at this as the train signaled that it was ready to be boarded. "We'll still be able to come back here and watch the games when they're played."

Rainbow's smile instantly appeared. "You're right. That'll rock!"

They all boarded the train and moved through the carriages to find an empty car. "I think this car's empty," Twilight said as they stepped inside and Applejack rushed to one of the seats.

"Whooeee! My dogs are barkin'." She sat down, only for the sound of a dog's bark to fill the car. Everypony blinked at this while Applejack looked down at her hooves, "Did ya'll hear that? They really are."

As Flash sat down, Twilight spotted him patting his wing. "Are you sure you're okay Flash?" She asked as she moved up to him, "Maybe you should have gone to the hospital."

"Relax Twilight. The best she did was clip my wing. I'm fine...though my ears are still ringing."

Twilight let out a long, familiar sigh. "If you say so."

"Bummer Spike had to miss out on all this," Rainbow said as she and Fluttershy stepped into the car. "He woulda' had fun here."

"I'm sure he's having a great time watching all the critters back at home," Twilight replied as she sat down.

"Think he's still got a handle on things?" Applejack asked.

Twilight took a deep breath and looked out the window. "If he's staying calm and collected, I bet he's doing a terrific job as a leader."

They all nodded in agreement as Flash sat back to enjoy the ride home. That is, till he noticed a flash of white and green running along the floor. Flash quickly went into Theta Mode and caught sight of the flash, realizing it was a rabbit. But not just any rabbit, it was Angel Bunny, who was also carrying a gem he recognized as one Spike had been holding that morning.

As he watched Angel now rush underneath Twilight's seat, he then heard the sound of a rumbling stomach.

"Did ya'll hear that?" Applejack asked.

They all listened, but nothing else could be heard. As the train pulled away, Flash switched off his Theta Mode and shrugged. "Guess it was nothing."

The others all seemed to agree and began to enjoy the journey, but Flash closed his eyes concentrated. Though faint, probably because he was trying to keep the connection closed, Flash could sense Springer's aura.

Oh, he was gonna enjoy hearing about this when they got home.

The Mission

View Online

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.

Evil Stirs

View Online

Flash had never been on a boat before.

The best he had ever gone on was a small paddle-boat he and Twilight had ridden on that was shaped like a swan, (Which Cadance somehow convinced him and Twilight to ride when they were younger but neither of them understood why) but that was nothing compared the the Mighty Leviathan. The ship was beyond anything he had ever seen, its form not even fazed by the strong waves of the sea. The winds that blew into the sail would topple a tree in an instant, but the mast stood tall, unaffected by the gales.

Flash and Springer were sitting atop the lower deck's mast, in the crow's nest along with a pegasus member of the crew. Said pegasus was looking through a telescope, on the lookout for anything out of the ordinary. They had been sailing for about three hours and had seen almost everything there was on the ship. Springer was sitting on the basket's railing, enjoying the cool sea breeze as it blew through his fur and made the appendages on his eyes wave as he said, "This is great. I love the sea."

Flash just shrugged. "Eh, its alright. Still, I think I prefer flying to sailing."

"It takes a while for a pegasi to get used to it," the crew-pony told him as he stopped looking through telescope.

"I'll take your word for it," Flash replied as he spread his wings and leapt out of the crow's nest, Springer leaping onto his back as they descended. They continued to look around, watching the many sailor ponies do several different jobs that he had no clue about. But one sight alone almost made both him and Springer burst out laughing, as Iron was leaning over the side of the boat.

"You okay there?" Flash asked while trying to hide a smug grin.

"Yeah, you're looking a little...green." Springer added as he and Flash both struggled to not burst out laughing.

"Shut up," Iron moaned out. "I'm...urk! Ughhhhh….this suuuuucks."

Flash was about to make another wisecrack, only for Skybreaker to step up to him. "Go easy on Iron. Earth ponies are more sensitive to motion than pegasi and unicorns, and this is his first time on a boat. It'll take time for him to grow accustomed to it."

"Heather and Grand don't seem to be having any trouble." Springer pointed at the two ponies scattered around the deck.

Skybreaker shrugged. "They've probably been on a boat before, so they might be able to handle it better."

"Oh...huh." Flash remarked as he looked up at the top deck, his eyes quickly falling on Tidal as he continued to steer the ship. "Hey, Skybreaker. What's the deal with Tidal?"

Skybreaker looked up from checking on Iron to stare between Flash and Tidal. "What do you mean?"

"Well, he's a knight right? How did he become one?"

"Yeah!" Springer agreed, "The other knights we've met were never as...peppy as him. But then when we got on the boat, he went all serious."

"Oh. That's just how Tidal is." Skybreaker said as he looked down. "On land he hides his serious nature, but once he steps onboard, his true self appears."

"Why is that?" Flash asked as he sat down and leaned against the boat's side.

Skybreaker moved over to the side of the boat and pulled himself up, sitting on it before looking back at Tidal. "Well, to know that, you need to learn about his story."

"I'm guessing it's not the happiest of stories," Flash asked, Springer nodding in agreement. "I mean, most knights I've met don't have a good track record. No offense."

"None taken, and you'd be right," Skybreaker replied as he slightly shifted in his seat. "You see, Tidal's family have been sailors for generations. His father was a transporter, moving shipments from one part of Equestria to another via sea. That is, until the day they were asked to transport a large shipment of rare metals, which made them the targets of pirates."

"Pirates?" Springer asked with a raised eyebrow. "Like the ones I've seen in comic books?"

Air blasted out of Skybreaker's nostrils as he hissed, "Life isn't a comic book pup."

Springer did a slight gulp, leaning back as he whimpered, "Sorry."

Skybreaker just shook his head at this, growling as he continued his story, "These pirates were dangerous, and Tidal's father was no solider. Because of this, well...well, he knew he couldn't stop them. So to save his son, he placed Tidal in a barrel and threw him overboard."

"Seriously?"

Skybreaker nodded with crossed hooves. "It turned out to be a smart move. The pirates took the metal and to make sure there weren't any witnesses, they sunk the ship."

Flash and Springer's eyes went wide at this. "And...his dad?"

Skybreaker shrugged. "No one knows the details, but he went down with the ship. Tidal drifted in that barrel for days, until he was found by another ship and brought back to shore."

Flash sighed while Springer looked up at Tidal. "I'm amazed he'd want to ever get back on a boat after that. If it were me, I'd want to be as far away from a reminder of that day as I could."

"Tidal's love of the sea will overcome any bad memory," Skybreaker told him as he pointed to the knight. "After all, he was born on his father's boat, way out at sea. That's why he's called the Ocean Soul. After what happened to his father, Tidal vowed to make the seas a safer place. He joined the Equestrian Navy and quickly raised through the ranks, eventually becoming its leader at a young age. Once he did, he started to roam the seas for pirates and other criminals that'd dare blacken Equestria's waters. He brought many of them to justice, grabbing the attention of Celestia. After taking many trials, he earned the title of Royal Knight."

"So that's how it happened. Huh..."

"Wow..." Springer added as he leaned again the boat's side, "what is it with Royal Knights all having such horrible lives?"

Skybreaker chuckled as he leapt off the side and started to walk away. "A hero is one who can look into the dark abyss and not blink. You'll find that many of Equestria's greatest heroes have all suffered some form of tragedy or strife." He stopped and glanced back at them. "It's enduring that hardship that makes us strong, allowing us not to be consumed by darkness. For those who are consumed by the darkness will often times become the very thing they want to destroy."

Flash sighed. "You mean like Doom, don't you?"

Skybreaker nodded before walking off. "Think about where you came from, and how it could have made you something else entirely."

"Well, that was dark," Springer commented as he let out a long sigh.

"Yup." Flash agreed with a nod, "He's right though. Imagine how different we'd all be if we let our pasts affect us?"

"It wouldn't be that different," Springer said before turning to him. "Would it?"

Flash thought about it for a moment before nodding. "I think so. Before meeting Twilight, I lived on the streets and everyone called me a pest because of what I had to do to live. What if that made me only care about myself? The only reason I'm where I am now is because I chose to help Twilight. What if I'd chosen not to?"

Springer rolled his eyes at this. "You wouldn't have done that."

"But he had a choice." The two turned to Iron, who they had forgotten was next to them, his face still contorted due to the sea-sickness. "Same with me. If I had chosen to kill my parents' murderer, Skybreaker never would have taken me under his wing."

Flash nodded in agreement. "Same here. I remember back when I first met Twilight. I did consider just turning around and not getting involved. I told myself, 'why should I help somepony when nopony's ever helped me?' If I had chosen to do that, I'd probably still be living on the streets. Who knows, I could have turned out like Big Score or one of the other criminals we've beaten. All because I let what others said get to me."

"Wow..." Springer said, tilting his head at thought. "I never thought about it that way."

"You're lucky furball." Iron moaned, "I think about it everyday. I ask myself if I shouldn't have let Longhorn off so easily. No matter how hard I try, I can't stop from asking myself that." His reflection came to a stop when the green coloring in his face increased before his cheeks swelled, causing him to once again lean over the side of the ship.

"YUCK!" Flash and Springer moaned as they quickly got up and walked away, fearing the smell would make the two of them join him. Wanting to be as far away as possible from that, they headed up to the higher deck. There, Tidal, Grand and Ruby were all looking around.

"Greetings Amigos," Tidal told them with a big cheeky grin, "come to learn how to steer a ship?"

"Not really," Flash said before pointing back at Iron's currently vomiting form. "Just didn't wanna end up covered in whatever he had for breakfast."

Tidal chuckled at this while Ruby and Grand rolled their eyes. "I'll be sure to have a crewpony get a mop and bucket ready."

Springer leapt off Flash's back onto the railing in front of the wheel, which he began walking along like a tight rope. "So," he asked before spinning around and walking back the other way, "how long's it gonna take for us to sail to wherever we're going? I like sailing and all, but I'm itching to help take this Doom guy down."

Tidal leaned forwards against the wheel and thought for a moment, doing the calculations in his head. "With the wind to our backs and no storms, I'd say the journey should take about...five weeks."

"FIVE WEEKS?!" Flash, Springer and even Ruby yelled.

"At minimum," Tidal finished.

"But the letter told us to only pack for a few days!" Flash yelped.

"As did mine," Ruby hissed as she turned to Grand, her horn starting to spark. "GRAND! This better be a joke! I cannot be away from the empire for that amount of time! It is my duty as its protector!"

Grand let out a long sigh, his eyes drifting away from her death glare, "Tidal, stop messing around. I told you what would happen if you said that."

Tidal just laughed at this, scratching the back of his head. "Well, they did ask how long it would take to sail there."

The three all stared at one another, all looking confused, though more anger was on Ruby's face. Seeing this, Grand turned to them and sighed again, "Don't get angry Ruby. It's true that the journey there by sailing would take five weeks, but we're not sailing there."

"But we're on a boat." Springer asked as he hopped down from the rope. "How else are we gonna get there?"

"If you tell me this boat can turn into a flying machine..." Flash started.

"Of course it can't," Tidal interrupted before turning to a nearby crew-pony. "Though that's not a bad idea. Write that down for the development team." The sailor pony nodded before rushing off.

"So if we're not sailing or flying," Ruby asked with crossed hooves, her horn now showing a full aura. "How are we gonna get there so quickly?!"

"With this." The group turned to see Skybreaker step up onto the higher deck, Heather, First and a still ailing Iron following him. They then saw that Skybreaker was holding a strange blue crystal, one that looked like it had a section of itself sliced off.

"What is that?" Flash asked as he pointed at the object.

First stepped in front of Skybreaker. "It is a Quantum Entanglement Crystal."

"What's a...quan...tron....whatever it's called?" Springer asked next.

Heather chuckled at this. "The better name for it is a Teleportation Crystal. First just calls it that to sound smart."

First rolled his eyes at this, "Anyways, a Quantum Entanglement Crystal is a rare magical artifact. They are magically linked and should even a tiny piece be removed, it will still share that link. In addition, by infusing one piece with magic, it will open a portal that will cause another to open where that piece is."

Skybreaker nodded at this. "When we escaped from the area Doom was hiding, we left behind such a piece."

"So we're going to use it to get ourselves there instantly?" Ruby asked.

"Exactly, but we had to wait until we were far enough away from the mainland."

"Why?" Flash asked as he scratched the side of his head at this. "Seems like a waste of time to me."

First shook his head. "Portals opened by Quantum Entanglement Crystals can damage the spacial area around it. Even when the portal closes, that tear will remain for several days."

"If we did it back in Manehatten, its likely somepony might stumble upon it and be trapped somewhere they don't know." Heather added as she pointed to the crystal.

"Oh..." Flash said, blinking.

"I thought this kid was supposed to be smart Grand?" Skybreaker asked Flash's mentor, getting a frown from the pegasus.

"It's his first big mission," Grand huffed. "Obviously, it'll take a while for his brain to process this and get back to working properly."

"I'm right here you know," Flash complained while Springer, Iron and Heather laughed.

"Pathetic." Skybreaker scoffed as he continued, "Anyways, with this, we'll cut the trip there down considerably. We just need a strong enough magic to activate the crystal." With that, he moved over to the back of the deck where a large saddlebag rested. Reaching in, he pulled out short twin bladed battle axe that had a light blue handle and white blades.

"Coooool." Springer said with shining eyes. "Is that your Celestic Gear?"

Skybreaker nodded. "It's called Cloudhacker. The Alicorn Magic within it will create a portal strong big enough for the whole ship to pass through."

"Then let's get moving," Tidal replied as he tilted the wheel slightly. "We're far enough away from land now."

Skybreaker nodded and flexed his real and metal wings, jumping up into the air. As he watched him do this, Flash wondered how he had lost his wing. He would have to ask another time. They then watched as Skybreaker flew up to the front of the ship, landing on its figurehead. He held up the crystal and Cloudhacker, the axe beginning to glow as he channeled its magic. "You all ready!?"

"READY!" Everypony replied.

"Then let's do this." Cloudhacker fired a stream of magic into the crystal, causing the prism to begin reflecting the light. The light then shot out like a bolt of lightning, striking the ocean's surface before slowly moving upwards, causing a kind of tear to appear in its wake.

"Whoa...." everypony but Grand gasped as they watched the bolt fly higher and higher, causing the tear to also grow. Eventually, it stopped just above the ship's mast and held steady. Seconds passed and the tear began to widen, all the way until it was big enough for the ship to get through. There, the portal showed a white void, showing it was ready to be used.

Grand turned to Tidal. "The portal won't last long. Get us through and be careful not to touch the sides."

"Aye aye," Tidal replied as he pulled the levers that retracted the sails, soon kicking the engines into gear. Skybreaker flew back to the upper deck and together, the Knights, Springer and sailor ponies watched as the ship drew closer to the portal. The figurehead floated into the white void first, causing it to burst with light and force them all to shield their eyes. Soon, the light faded, only to now reveal the ship was inside a tunnel of multicolored light. It was here that they saw that the ship was floating.

"Wow...Hey, what's that?" Springer asked as he pointed at the side of the boat, the others following and a bunch of weird glowing writing that was painted onto the side of the ship.

"They're runes," Grand told them, a slight growl in his voice. "I had a to call in favor to a certain expert to get them placed. They're there so we can sail through the warp space without fear. Just don't fall over the sides, or you'll end up who knows where."

The group all pulled away from the side, not wanting to run the risk. As they did this, Flash turned to Grand, "Was it Solid Script who made the runes?"

"Yes." Grand hissed, soon giving his apprentice a death glare, "And don't you dare ask me what I had to do for the favor."

"Noted." Flash said as he looked away, "Looks like they still don't fully get along."

Heather then spoke up, "Hey, look. What's that?" She pointed down the tunnel where a pure white light could now be seen.

"That's our exit," Tidal told them. "Hold on everypony. I can't guarantee where the other side is gonna come out upon."

"That's not very reassuring," Ruby said as they all grabbed onto the railing before the ship hit the white light. Like before, the white veil exploded with light, causing them all to shut their eyes.

With his eyes closed, Flash's other senses took over and his sense of touch suddenly told him that the ship was now falling. It would only last for a second, as the ship suddenly began to rock, causing them all to be thrown backwards. The whole group hit the floor instantly, all moaning as they slowly picked themselves up while the sound of waves hitting the boat echoed through their ears. The gropu opened their eyes and found that it was now much darker than it had been before, looking over and seeing that the sun was beginning to set. They also looked back and saw the portal they had shot out of, slowly closing until it disappeared completely.

"Well that was fun," Flash said as he started stretching his wings from the previous fall.

"Maybe for you," Iron said as he moved back over to the side of the boat.

Skybreaker moved over to the side of the boat and stared out, Grand doing the same and spotting what he was looking at. Two or three miles away, there was a plot of land on the horizon. "Looks like the crystal fragment was washed quite far from land. That's favorable for us."

Grand nodded at this. "Yes. It lessens the chances of the portal being seen."

Ruby stepped up to them. "Maybe, but I'm sure they'll notice a big ship like this sailing close to the shore.

"The ship won't be going to the shore," Tidal told her. "It'll stay here."

"Then how are we going to get to land?" First asked next.

Tidal smirked before walking over to the stairs, "Simple. Follow me." He lead them down to the lower deck and inside the ship, directing them through the corridors and down several staircases. Eventually, they arrived outside the one door Flash had not been able to get through when he searched the ship.

"What's in there?"

Tidal chuckled as his horn began to glow and open the door. "What we're gonna use to get to shore."

When they soon stepped inside, they found that the room was completely circular, and was fitting what could be described as an average sized dingy that looked like a smaller version of the Mighty Leviathan. It looked just big enough to fit them all in and had both a sail and an engine. On the front of it was a smaller version of the ship's figurehead.

"Is that a-"

"Newly built," Tidal interrupted as he pointed at the tiny vessel. "Mighty Leviathan's child, the Mini Leviathan."

"Impressive, but will it be able to get us to the shore undetected?" Ruby asked with a raised eyebrow of skepticism.

Grand gave a reassuring nod. "It should. From what I've been told, the engine runs incredibly quietly. It'll get us close to the shore and then we can use the sail to get us the rest of the way."

Flash let out a low chuckle. "Forget the sail. Bring some strong ropes and both Skybreaker and me'll pull us to shore."

"Not a bad idea," Skybreaker replied as he made his way over to the boat. "Guess you do have a brain cell in there."

Despite the 'complement', Flash frowned. Skybreaker had been a big inspiration to him, but all the pegasus did was criticise him. How was-

"Flash," the pegasi's focus broke as he looked over to the Mini Leviathan, only to see Ruby staring at him."You coming?"

"Sorry. I'm coming." Flash said as he hopped onto the boat. "So, how exactly do we get this thing out of the ship?"

"Like this," Tidal replied as a magic aura grabbed a nearby lever. On the outside of the ship, the wooden inner of the black rings started to split in two, opening like a pair of doors. Once fully open, the Mini Leviathan tipped forward, only for a thin metal to extend out into the water. Once fully extended, Tidal smirked. "Hold on," he said before magically releasing the boat's hold, the vessel soon sliding down the ramp and into the water.

After giving the boat a few seconds to stabilize, Tidal kicked the engines on, the ship now moving. As it did this, Flash looked back and saw the ramp retract back into the ship before closing the doors, the Mighty Leviathan now looking exactly like it did before as they sailed away.

Grand then clapped his hooves, getting their attention. "Alright everypony, listen up! They may have scouts running along the coast, so remain vigilant. The mission starts now!" They all nodded as they turned back towards land, all wondering what their reception would be. "We're coming for you Doom."

Meanwhile...

In a certain dark room, Doom sat in his chair as he watched the Royal Knights sailing towards the island. He chuckled at the sight. "Took you fools long enough. But you're too late. Soon, I'll have the final piece and you'll be unable to stop me."

"Master?" he turned his chair and saw four dark figures slowly enter the room.

"What are your orders?" A female voice asked him. "Shall we attack them once they make it to shore?"

"No," Doom replied before turning back to the orb. "They'll be expecting that. Better to have them not be prepared. My father may be desperate to stop me, but he's no fool. He'll want to get information first, and there's only one place he'll find it." He tapped the orb and it changed to an image of what looked like a small town, similar in design to Appaloosa and Dodge Junction.

He turned back to the group with a huge sinister grin. "Hiveena, Toxic and Grimhorn, take a portion of our troops and attack them once they're settled. Don't completely defeat them, just show them why it was a mistake for them to come here."

Three of the four nodded, while the last appeared to frown. "And what of me, master?"

Doom smiled. "I have something special that I want you to do."

The sun had finished setting by the time they reached the shore.

Taking Flash up on his suggestion, Tidal had cut the engine and had him and Skybreaker pull the Mini Leviathan the rest of the way. Once ashore, they tied the boat to a rock and started to look around. The beach they were on was rough and dry, covered in jagged rocks. It was also semicircle shaped, a high cliff wall surrounding every side that had a path beaten into it.

"Ow!" Springer cried as he stepped on a sharp stone, "This beach is horrible."

Heather smiled at the jakhowl's plight and bent down. "Hop on."

Springer smiled before leaping up onto her back, "thanks."

"Everyone remember to be on the look out," Grand reminded them as he gestured to the group. "They may attack at any time."

"Right," they all said as the pulled out their Celestic Gear. They grouped slightly together, their hooves slowly making their way down a path out of the beach.

As they kept walking, Grand muttered out, "That's odd. I had hoped no one would be here, but I didn't expect it to happen. That's never a good sign..."

As they continued to quietly walk side by side, Flash flew a little above the rest, his eyes glaring at the top of the cliffs. If anything happened, he would be ready. "Where are you? You've gotta be-" He stopped when he thought he saw something atop the left side cliff, but then took a double take, only to see nothing on the second take. "Huh?"

"See anything Flash?" Grand asked at his flying student.

"No. I thought I did...but it must have been a trick of the light."

"Well come down here," Grand told him, tapping the ground. "Don't want anypony to see you and attack before realizing there's more of us."

"Right," Flash called down as he took one more look at the cliff before flying down. As he did, a small figure escaped his eyes, the figure staring down at the knights walking down a path. The figure tugged at its cloak it was wearing, a small breath escaping its mouth.

"You came..." the figure whispered, only to backpedal into the shadows of the night.

Back at the group, Skybreaker had taken lead. "This way," Skybreaker said once they were at the top of the cliffs. He then began to direct them onto another path, "There's a small town where we can get food and rest up while also seeing if we can gather information." He looked back at the group with a glare, "We'll head out to the ruins tomorrow, so we'll need to be in tip top shape. Got it?"

"Right," the others replied before walking down the path in silence, all of them on guard.

As they continued to do this, Flash leaned over to his partner, "Sense anything Springer?"

Springer didn't reply, his eyes closed as he continued to focus his aura. While this happened, Skybreaker turned to duo and huffed, "Hey! No messing around! We need to be on high alert and that dog ain't gonna help. Just keep your gear out and-urk!"

The knight stopped as Ruby summoned a crystal blade to his throat, a low hiss coming from her mouth, "What did I tell you about talking down on a jakhowl?!"

Skybreaker let out a snort as he tapped the blade away with his hoof, "Its a dog and we don't need it telling the enemy our position. Have it stop doing that blue flame thing and-"

A second blade appeared around his throat, making him stop talking again as Ruby replied, "Jakhowl have the ability to sense life in all things. If Flash is having him sense what is around us, let Springer do it." She removed the blades as she leaned forward, her forehead almost touching Skybreaker's, "If trained properly, a jakhowl could tell us how many living things on this island with just a single scan of the jakhowl's aura."

"That makes no sense." Skybreaker barked back, pointing at Springer, "How can that dog-"

"Stop it Skybreaker!" Grand interrupted, slapping the side of his head before glaring at Ruby, "And you stop as well Ruby. We need to get along, got it?!" Before they could reply, Grand turned to Flash, "What does Springer sense Flash? And make it quick."

Flash was about to reply, only for Springer to open his eyes and say, "I don't sense everything here, but there's a small assortment of aura about a mile or two the way we're going. It feels like what a small village would be in terms of amount of auras."

"That'll be the town," Skybreaker instantly replied. "Anything else?"

"Nope. Not a thing."

"So we can relax?" Heather asked as she looked at her passenger.

"I think so," Springer told her, rubbing his chin in thought.

"That's fine." Grand replied before looking forward, "Still, be ready for anything."

Half an hour later, the distant sight of buildings caught their attention and as they got closer, they all saw that they were not in the best condition. As they stepped onto the main street of the town, they saw that the place was almost completely deserted. There was even a cliché gust of wind and tumbleweed.

"You were not kidding bud," Flash said as he looked around. He spotted a few ponies looking at them through their windows, only for them to hide away as soon as their eyes met. "How many ponies are actually here?"

"Far less than when we were here last time," Skybreaker grimaced.

"They're all scared," Springer added as he closed his eyes again. "I can feel fear pulsing off of them."

"Well, we are strangers," First concluded.

Ruby nodded in agreement, "Yes. Its only natural that they'd be nervous around us."

"It feels more than just that," Springer said as he opened his eyes again. "The fear is...off. Like, more than normal."

"Well whatever the problem is, we won't be sticking around long enough for them to get used to us." Grand remarked as he pointed at the end of the street. "Ah! There's our destination, the inn."

The group followed the older knight down the street, noticing more stares coming out of the nearby building windows. They soon entered the inn and as they stepped inside, the found that it looked more like a restaurant than an inn. There were many wooden tables and chairs scattered all over the place, along with a bar at the back and a flight of stairs to the right.

Skybreaker stepped up to the bar with Grand. "Great, you here?"

"Great?" Flash asked as he and the others sat at some of the tables.

"The owner. His name's Great Taste." Tidal told him. "He runs this place with his children. Sky and I met him the last time we were here."

Skybreaker and Grand continued to wait at the bar, only to notice that the door behind the door to crack open. A small single eye appeared in the crack, which soon saw Skybreaker and slowly opened the door. A brown teenage earth pony mare with striped red, white and green hair stepped out. "Skybreaker? You're back?" She asked before looking at the group, "Who are they?"

Skybreaker smiled and nodded. "Hello Pepper." He pointed to the others behind him, "don't worry about them. They're my friends."

Pepper nodded before turning back to the door. "Salt, it's alright. You can come out." Seconds later, a white earth pony colt stepped out. He looked up at them, only to let out a squeak before hiding behind his sister.

"Hello Salt," Skybreaker waved before turning back to Pepper. "Where's your father?"

Both Salt and Pepper's faces grimaced, Pepper letting out a long sigh. "We don't know."

"What do you mean?"

"He's gone," Salt spoke up. "The bad ponies took him."

"Bad ponies?" Flash piped up as he and the others stood up and walked over to them, all gathering on the bar now.

Grand leaned over the bar with worried eyes, "Don't be afraid. Please, tell us what's going on."

Pepper glanced at Skybreaker, who gave her a nod. She then took a deep breath, "It started not long after you left Skybreaker. Every other night, somepony would go missing without a trace. Sometimes it was just one pony, but other times, whole families would disappear. A few days ago, our daddy was cleaning the restaurant and we were upstairs. We then heard a commotion and I rushed down here, only to find the place a mess and daddy gone."

"It was the bad ponies," Salt said again. "I saw them out my window." Tears began to fill his eyes as he gripped his sister's forehooves. "They were wearing funny clothes and dragging daddy away." His tears burst out into full blown sobs, causing Pepper to pull him into a hug despite her own tears threatening to break free.

"Oh, you poor things." Heather said as she rushed over and hugged the duo.

"Funny clothes?" Tidal asked before turning to Skybreaker. "It must have been those guys we fought before."

Skybreaker nodded in agreement. "But why would they take random ponies?"

"We'll just have to go there and find out," Ruby added.

"No!" Pepper suddenly barked out, making them all turn to her. "Ponies have gone there before, but they haven't come back."

Iron smirked at this. "Well, we're no ordinary ponies kid."

"We're Royal Knights," Heather finished as she pulled out of the hug. One by one, the ponies all held up their Celestic Gear, or just struck a cool pose in Springer and Ruby's case.

"No matter what, we always get the job done," Grand assured her.

The two young ponies looked at them in awe and wonder. "So you'll help us, even though you don't really know us?"

"Of course we will," Flash said as he stepped up to them. "Helping ponies, especially those we don't know, is a knight's duty. Say the word, and we'll help bring back your dad."

Both Salt and Pepper began to tear up at that before nodding. "Then please....please bring our daddy and everypony else home!"

"We will," Flash replied as he placed a hoof to his heart. "I promise you I'll help bring them back and I never break a promise, that's my Knight's Vow." He shined a goofy yet reassuring grin at the two, causing them both to smile back, tears still going down their face as Heather hugged them again. The others all smirked at Flash's antics. Even Skybreaker could not help but register Flash's good heart, which would serve him well.

"Alright," Pepper said as she wiped the tears from her eyes. "But if you're gonna save our dad, you're gonna need something good to eat." She turned and headed back towards the door. "Let me make you dad's famous dish."

"Nice," Springer cheered, licking his lips at the thought of the food.

Salt finally noticed him and smiled. "Doggy!" He rushed over to Springer and started petting and tickling him.

"Hey! Stop that!" Springer growled, the others all laughing at his plight.

Meanwhile....

Just outside of the town and atop a large hill, three figures stood. The trio were glaring at the town, all shining big grins as they looked at their destination.

The first was a black pegasi like pony, only its wings looked as if they were made of leather. He was wearing purple armour around his entire body, even over his wings, leaving only his face and a blood red tail visible. From out of his mouth, grew two long pointed fangs.

The second was a changeling. She looked like a younger version of Chrysalis, her height halfway between her and a drone. The only difference between her and Chrysalis was that instead of green eyes and blue hair, these were both bright red.

The final figure was a grey minotaur with black metal cuffs around his wrists and neck, linked together by long black chains. A large X shaped burn mark could be seen on his chest as his smile increased at the sight of the town.

And as they stared, the bat pony broke their silence. "Pitiful ponies. No idea how much danger they've put themselves and those around them in."

The changeling giggled at this statement. "Agreed. Tonight they'll find out what a mistake it was to ever put others before themselves. That and actually coming here of course."

The minotaur simply nodded before turning around to the other side of the hill. "ATTACK!"

Back in the inn, the Knights were all enjoying the delicious soup Salt and Pepper had served them. Flash in particular was moaning in delight as he finished his meal. "This is great. What's in this."

"They're just basic vegetables," Pepper replied while cleaning one of her cooking utensils. "The trick is to add the different ingredients at the right time."

"Well it's delicious," Heather added. "The mushrooms and onions are done perfectly."

"Thank you."

"You should totally take this stuff to Equestria." Tidal then said, "My crew would love this. Heck, I might even endorse you."

Pepper laughed at this. "Dad always hoped we'd get to go somewhere better than here, but never knew where. Is this Equestria really such a great place?"

"It's the best," Springer replied, nodding. "We all like it."

Pepper once again smiled, but before she could say anything else-

BOOM!

The entire building shook, knocking everypony off their seats. Luckily, their battle instincts took over and they all righted themselves instantly before pulling out their weapons.

"What was that?!" First yelped.

Grand frowned, knowing exactly what it was. "They're here."

With that, he rushed outside, the others soon following. And as they got outside, their eyes went wide. There, they saw hundreds of the cloaked figures Tidal and Skybreaker had fought before, all running rampant around the village. Some were wielding weapons like swords and axes, using them to smash anything that was within reach. Others were simply chasing after the towns ponies, attacking them or putting them in nets.

The knights were all horrified by this, with Iron turning to Springer. "How did you not notice this many ponies appearing?!"

"Iron's right dog!" Skybreaker added as he glared at Springer, "You're useless!"

Springer wanted to reply, only to close his eyes. As he did, he found he couldn't sense anypony, "I don't..."

Ruby quickly clapped her hooves, getting their attention. "Don't get mad at Springer. What's done is done. We need to help these ponies."

"Spread out!" Grand ordered. "Do what you must but try not to hurt them until we know what we're dealing with."

"RIGHT!" They all yelled before rushing into the horde of cloaks. Soon, they were spread all over the small village. Iron, Ruby, and Tidal used their weapons simply to block the attacks of their opponents, while Flash and Skybreaker flew up out of the attacks range before they all hit them with punches and kicks. First and Heather started working to help the citizen of the town escape, with Heather capturing the chasing cloaks with her Flower Chain while First used his Crossbolt to heal the injured or increase their speed to get away.

And Grand was simply swinging his weapon around, though only at half strength, knocking the cloaks back. The only problem was that no matter how hard the Knights hit them, the cloaked figures simply kept getting up.

"What is with these things?!" Flash asked. "No matter what we do, they won't stay down!"

"Just keep fighting!" Skybreaker yelled as he swung Cloudhacker around, blocking an incoming sword strike before slamming the hilt into the owner's head. "We'll beat them eventually!"

Springer was not so sure. As he used some paw to paw combat skills to knock another one down, only for it to pick itself up again, he could not help focusing on how he couldn't sense any aura from them. But as he continued to focus, his aura slowly started to feel something, but he knew it wasn't life. It felt more akin to magic.

As he dodged an axe swing with a back flip, his ears suddenly picked up on a strange kicking sound. It was coming from the cloak, every single time he moved a part of himself. The only time he had heard something like that before, was when he was in Rarity's shop. "Wait....could that be it?" He frowned as he raised a paw. "If that's the case...I hope I'm right about this. Steel Paw!" The razor sharp light appeared around his paw and he shot forwards, aiming his attack at the cloak's neck.

Flash saw this and his eyes went wide. "Springer, what are you-" He didn't get to finish, as in that moment, Springer's slash went straight through its neck. Everypony gasped as they watched Springer land behind the cloak, only for the cloak's head roll out of its hood, only for the body to remain upright. Before anyone could yell at the jakhowl, he reached down and grabbed the head, noticing it had a black mask covering it. He then ripped the mask off, quickly turning and showing the head to the others. "Thought so."

Everypony saw that the head actually belonged to a mannequin.

"A dummy?" Flash gasped.

"So they're not real?" Heather added.

"I couldn't sense any life, but I did feel a tiny bit of magic aura." Springer replied as he then crushed the head in his paw.

"I see. No wonder you couldn't sense them. If that's a case..." Ruby said as her horn glowed, only for a magic aura to cover all the opponents around them. A second later, a mad rush of masks were all yanked off, revealing them all to the mannequins. "Somepony's controlling these things from afar."

"But who?" First asked.

"Who cares?!" Iron said with a massive grin on his face. "Since they're not real, we don't have to hold back."

The rest of the knights all caught on and smiled as Skybreaker spoke up, "Everyone, I want these things in a hundred pieces minimum."

"RIGHT!"

"Flash Cutter Barrage!" Flash cried as he unleashing a torrent of energy blades, slicing through the cloaks like a knife through butter.

"Iron Lance Fury!" Iron unleashed a volley of metal projectiles, all of them impaling the mannequins into the ground, preventing them from moving. "Iron Saber!" He then rushed forwards and sliced all the impaled dummies, leaving nothing but shreds in his wake.

"Bloom Coil!" Heather yelled as her Flower Chain spun around a whole bunch of them while First stood behind her and pointed his Crossbolt at her.

"Viribus Aid!" He fired a red arrow that struck her, bathing Heather in its aura and increasing her strength. With one massive cry, she spun around and tossed the cloaks into the air, only for them all to fall down in pieces.

"Dual Crystal Saber!" Ruby rushed towards a group of them as a pair of crystal swords appeared on either side of her, both spinning like sawblades. The resulting assault tore them apart, only for her to come skidding stop after she ran through one group. She then pointed her horn to another bunch, "Crystal Force!" She fired the gem laced tornado at them, ripping the remains into even smaller pieces.

"Tidal Whip!" Tidal yelled as he spun his trident around, unleashing a stream of water from the end, which whipped around and knocked the mannequins down. He then stuck his weapon into the ground. "Tidal Surge!" From out of the ground, a ring of water shot out and transformed into a tidal-wave that struck all the enemies, knocking them into the nearby buildings.

Flash saw this and whistled. "Nice moves. What's that Celestic Gear called?"

Tidal smiled up at the Pegasus, chuckling. "Wavefang. Pretty cool, huh amigo?"

Flash nodded at that before noticing Skybreaker flying towards the ground. "Sky Cutter Barrage!" He roared as he swung Cloudhacker around and unleashed several blades of razor sharp air, all of them striking the dummies. He then turned to another bunch of dummies and flew forward, soon spinning in the air, only for a shard stream of air to surround him and make him look like a wheel. "Sky Grinder!" The wheel flew at the dummies and knocked them down like bowling pins. And as the attack finished, Skybreaker leapt back into the air at a safe distance away.

Flash went wide eyed at the sight. "Whoa...his moves are just like mine!"

"Flash!" He turned to see Springer fighting off the dummies, all of them surrounding him while he was wielding two Bone Breakers. "Can you give me a lift?"

"No prob bud!" Flash rushed down as Springer leapt up, Flash managing to catch him.

"Thanks," Springer replied before turning back to the dummies, firing an Aura Blast that blew the group away.

"Nice shot bud," Flash told him as they landed on a nearby roof.

"Thanks," Springer replied, only to suddenly fall over, his paw clutching his stomach in pain. As it did, a strange blue light started to radiate off his body.

"Springer? You okay?"

The jakhowl did not reply, to occupied with the strange cramping that suddenly appeared all around his body. But as quick as it started, it stopped along with the light fading. "Huh? What was that?"

"I don't know," Flash said as he leaned down to Springer's height. "But we'll have to worry about it later."

"Why?" Springer asked as he looked down at the street. "It looks like we're almost done."

He was right, there was only one group of cloaks left and Grand was facing them. The earth pony knight stared down the group as it charged towards him, the lot all carrying weapons. The knight then raised his weapon above his head before yelling, "GRAND FISSURE!" He swung the hammer down, the ground trembling as a hole soon appeared under the cloaks. As they fell into the hole, Grand hit the ground again, only for the hole's wall to slam the group from all sides, crushing them in one mighty sweep. Grand then pulled his Celestic Gear out of the ground before turning to the rest of his team, who were all beginning to gather around him. "Is that all of them?"

"I didn't see anymore while I was in the air," Flash replied.

"Neither did I," Skybreaker added.

"We can't relax yet," Ruby said as she inspected the remains of one of the dummies she had destroyed. "Somepony sent these things to get us."

"Well they obviously didn't send enough," Iron chuckled with a smirk. "Heck, they needed to send ten times as many to beat us."

"I do not think these creations were meant to defeat us," First replied as he lifted a lifeless head of one of the head. "It is more likely that they were meant to test us."

"So we just showed the enemy what we can do?" Skybreaker asked, blinking.

Nopony said anything after this, trying to take in the new information. Springer was also thinking about it, until his aura suddenly flared up, causing him to turn and see something that made his eyes go wide. He then yelled, "EVERYPONY SCATTER!"

The Knight's instincts took over and they all leapt away from where they were standing, seconds before a massive boulder rolled right by them. The following rock went straight through a nearby already broken building, turning it into a dust cloud.

"What the heck?!" Heather yelped.

"Who threw that?!" Tidal yelled next.

"Him!" Springer screamed as he pointed in the direction the boulder had come through.

There, the group's eyes went wide as they saw three figures appear on a nearby hill. The trio, consisting of a bat pony, changeling and minotaur hopped off the hill. All of them strided slowly to the knights, all of them having a smirk on their faces. Seeing this, the knights all grouped up as Grand yelled, "Who are you?!"

The trio stopped and their smiles grew, the changeling speaking up first, "Sorry to interrupt, but our master sent us to welcome you all here."

The knights tensed up and the sound of the word 'master', Flash soon remarking, "If this is how you welcome ponies, I'd hate to see how you turn them away."

"Identify yourselves," Skybreaker growled next, pointing his weapon at the three.

"Very well," the bat pony said, giving a quick yet mocking bow. "I am Toxic Fang, Doom Raizer's aerial combat specialist."

"I am Hiveena," the changeling continued. They could tell she was trying to look as elegant as possible. "Doom Raizer's infiltration specialist."

"And I am Grimhorn," the minotaur finished. Suddenly, the chains coming off his wrist cuffs magically extended into a pair of long whips. He swung them around. "Doom Raizer's ground combat specialist."

"You all work for Doom?!"

"We do," Hiveena said as she waved her hooves around, soon assuming a pose.

"Alone we are powerful," Toxic added as he assumed a pose similar to Hiveena's.

"But together..." Grimhorn added before they all spoke in unison.

"WE ARE THE UNBEATABLE DOOM QUARTET!"

The knights all shared a confused glance before looking back at them as Flash spoke up, "Uhhh...no offense, but there's only three of you."

The three all let out a long laugh. "Yes, there is. It kinda messes up our poses."

"So they must have a fourth comrade, waiting in the wings," Heather grumbled as she looked back at her comrades.

Grand stepped up to them. "If you're here, I'm guessing Doom has sent you for a reason."

"He has. You see, he sent us to deliver a message," Grimhorn explained before pointing at the group. "Leave this place, and Doom Raizer will let you all keep your lives. Remain here, and become nothing but corpses."

Everypony felt a little intimidated by that statement, all except Grand as he continued to step forward, "Well you can go back to him and take my message. The Royal Knights do not give into threats. You will release the ponies you've captured and come quietly, or we will be forced to subject you to justice the hard way."

The Doom Quartet all frowned at this, obviously not intending to deliver that message.

"Very well. Then you leave me with no choice but to step over you." Grand replied as he tossed his hammer into the air, causing it to spin before dropping to the earth, landing with a thud in front of the earth pony. Grand then pointed at the three of them. "Now...count up your sins."

Flash raised an eyebrow at this before turning to Skybreaker. "What's he doing?"

Skybreaker just smirked. "You obviously haven't fought by his side before, have you?"

Flash frowned, not getting what he was saying.

"It is Grand's catchphrase," First said.

"He has a catchphrase? What is he, a foal?" Ruby asked, letting out a small sigh, "I can't believe the knights are in this shape right now..."

"It's really more of a warning," Heather added as she tapped Ruby's shoulder. "He says it whenever he faces an opponent. He's warning them to count up their sins, because they're gonna need to explain them when they get to the other side."

"Coooool." Springer gasped, only to feel a whap from Ruby's tail.

"Its not cool Springer." Ruby grumbled, "Don't let something like that woo a jakhowl like you."

"You don't scare us!" Grimhorn yelled at Grand, getting everyone's attention.

"I should," Grand replied before rushing forwards, hammer now in Grand's mouth. The two charged at each other, Grimhorn soon grabbing Grand Slammer at the two ends while Grand held the middle in his mouth, as the two pushed at one another.

"Tch, you're pathetic." Grimhorn growled as he slowly pushed Grand back. "I'm gonna blast you off this island!"

"Fat chance. I will-" Grand replied, raising his hoof to knock Grimhorn back, only for his eyes to go wide. Just in the distance, there was his son, Doom Raizer standing the distance. The unicorn had a long black cloak on, covering everything but his head. However, the unicorn was staring straight at his father, a look of pure disgust on his face. Seeing this, Grand let out a low whisper, "Doom?"

"Hey! Stop ignoring me, you piece of garbage!" Grimhorn yelled in Grand's ear, instantly pulling Grand back into the fray. The minotaur then lifted his arm to strike the pony, only for Grand's hoof to block it in an instant. "What?!"

"Shut up." Grand hissed while doing a quick glance at where Doom was, only to see he was no longer there. Seeing this, Grand turned back to Grimhorn, pushing him back again as the two turned back into a standstill.

As the two became deadlocked, Hiveena and Toxic appeared on either side of him and rushed forwards. But as they tried to strike, they suddenly found new opponents between them. Toxic was now facing Iron, Ruby and Springer, while Hiveena was facing Heather, First and Tidal.

Flash and Skybreaker leapt into the air above Grand, the two swinging their weapons down towards the minotaur. As they did this, Grimhorn let go of the the hammer and leapt back, causing the two to miss. Seeing this, Grand shot forward, his hammer swinging in full motion now. "So annoying!" Grimhorn yelled as he held up his arms, only for a pair of black metal chains to shoot out. He then started swinging them around, causing the three to begin dodging

Toxic leapt into the air and held up his front hooves, metal claws shooting out of his armour. His claws quickly shred the air, ready to strike Springer, only for Iron's Iron Guard to block the slice. Seeing this, Springer and Ruby leapt up over the shield.

"Ruby Shot!"

"Aura Blast!"

The bat pony's wings flared open, blasting him back while dodging the attacks. Seeing this, Iron switched Piecemaker to a sword, charging forward as he swung at the ascending opponent. But as he swiped at him, Toxic dodged the blow at hair's length, only to see Springer and Ruby jumping again, Crystal Sword and Bone Breaker following.

At the same time, Tidal, Heather and First were all out attacking Hiveena, First firing Aid Bolts to keep her on the defensive while the two got closer. "Bloom Lash!" Heather swung her whip, almost hitting her in the hooves if not for her leaping back.

"Tidal Force!" Tidal unleashed a stream of water at the changeling that actually hit her. "Bonito," he cheered before the stream suddenly cut into two. A bright light could be seen coming out of the water. "What?!" He yelped before hopping back from the attack, only for a small dust cloud to appear where Hiveena was.

"What's going on?" Heather asked. The answer came when they saw the dust clear and found Flash standing there, a shining Lightbringer in his hooves. "Flash?"

Hearing his name, Flash turned towards their fight and saw himself. "What the-" Flash tried to say, only for Grimhorn's chains to suddenly wrap around his neck, "Uh-oh..." he squeaked, only to feel the dirt a second later.

"Flash!" Grand yelled.

"Dang it!" Skybreaker growled.

"Here!" Grimhorn laughed as he swung Flash in a circle before throwing him at Grand, "CATCH!" The chain released and sent Flash flying at his mentor, the earth pony rolling the dirt as he tried to soften Flash's landing.

"Grand!" Skybreaker yelled, only feel a hand grab his artificial wing. The next thing he knew, he was being lifted into the air, only to feel pain from his fake limb.

"Time to pluck this birdy!" Grimhorn joked as his hand slammed the fake wing into the ground, causing the metal to be bent and flattened beyond repair. A loud cry could be heard as the damage detectors in the wing worked just like pain receptors, making Skybreaker wretch in pain. As it did, Grimhorn just continued to laugh, only to kick the knight away like a ragdoll.

Seeing his mentor be taken down, Iron gasped. "Sky!"

As he turned to run after his mentor, Toxic quickly leapt in front of Iron, "SURPRISE!"

Iron braced himself as Toxic shined his fangs, showing they were primed to bite him. But as Toxic lunged forward, Iron suddenly felt himself being pushed.

"AAAAHHHHH!" Ruby's voice cried out, causing Iron to spin around and see that she pushed him aside before being bitten in the back of the neck. Toxic released Ruby and flew back, her body slumping down as the bite marks started turning purple.

"Poison..." Iron gasped.

Toxic laughed as he wiped his mouth. "Well that was tasty. I wouldn't bother saving her, she'll be dead by sunrise."

Tidal, Heather and First saw the rest of the team taken down and abandoned their fight, rushing over to them with worry as First got to Ruby first.

"That looks bad," the Flash copy said as he and Toxic moved over to Grimhorn. Red fire then surrounded him before fading to reveal Hiveena, a smirk on her face. "So so bad."

While they did this, Flash clenched his hoof around Lightbringer, soon charging straight at the three. "RRRAAAAUUGGGGHHHH!" He roared as he aimed the sword at Grimhorn. The minotaur just turned at him, only to simply smash his hands together, creating a massive shockwave that knocked Flash out of the sky instantly. It didn't stop there though, as the shockwave quickly hit the ground, knocking them all down.

A chorus moans followed this as the trio laughed at the sight, Toxic then speaking up, "I think that's enough."

"Agreed," Hiveena said with a nod.

Grimhorn stuck his tongue out at the knights. "You've been warned. Don't interfere or yer dead."

With that, the three of them turned and walked away. As they did this, Flash tried to pick himself up and give chase, only for his legs to give out. "Darn it..."

Extreme Aerial Battle

View Online

Doom Raizer was sitting in a dark room, watching a rerun of the Royal Knights getting their tails handed to them by three of his four underlings. Every time he watched one of them fall, his smile got a little bigger.

In that moment, he sensed a new presence behind him and spun around to see Grimhorn, Toxic and Hiveena step out of the shadows. "Master," Hiveena spoke as the three of them bowed, "we did as you asked."

"The Knights have been crushed." Grimhorn continued. "They would be foolish to try and continue their assault."

Doom let out a low snort, "Don't assume anything Grimhorn, my father does not give up so easily. He and his band of weaklings will come here, don't think for a second that they'll give up." He leaned slightly in his chair, his eyes staring daggers at the minotaur, "Remember why I asked you to fight them, because it was not to stop them."

"Yeah, yeah...like they're an actual threat." Toxic said as he slammed an armored hoof into the other. "The next time I see them, I'll melt 'em all into a pile of decaying ash."

Doom jumped off his chair and walked over to Toxic, staring him down as the bat pony shrunk a little from the glare. "Don't get cocky Toxic. Many of the knights' previous enemies lost because they got overconfident." He turned to Grimhorn and Hiveena. "Remember, I'm the one who saved you all and made you what you are now. Do not make me regret those decisions."

The three all stared at the floor, fear and shame covering their expressions, "Yes master."

In that moment, a new presence appeared in the room. They turned to see that is was the fourth member, causing Doom to smile. "Ah, you're back. About time."

"You're way too impatient, you know that?" the minion replied as it rolled its eyes. "Anyways, I got a report. It appears we're ahead of schedule now, as they've finally discovered the tomb."

Doom's eyes went wide, a huge grin shining on his face as he turned to the container holding the Omni Sphere's pieces, which he soon magically unlocked. The six pieces started to float out as Doom looked back at the fourth member, "Where is it?"

"The tomb is in the center of the city, below the ruins of the castle."

"Of course," Doom replied before turning to the other three. "Transport the prisoners to the outer edges of the city and have them dig there. Then start to patrol that area."

The three all shared a confused glance before Hiveena spoke up, "Master-"

"Do as I say!" Doom interrupted, his tone near a yell now. Hearing this, the trio quickly nodded before leaving the room.

As the trio fled with fear on their faces, the fourth laughed at the sight, "HA! They think they're so smart!" He turned back to Doom, "I still can't believe you recruited those idiots. They can't even understand the simplest of strategies."

Doom just waved his hoof at him, "Eh, they're all muscle in the end. If those three are around the prisoners, the knights will focus on freeing them."

"And while they do that, we grab the last piece?" the other finished, causing Doom to let a hearty laugh.

"You know it!" Doom then put the Omni Sphere's pieces together, almost making the sphere. He then cast a cold glare at the fourth member, "So...are the preparations ready?"

"Including the trap and the...facility, yes." the other replied while nodding, "Getting the magic to work properly was tricky, but we managed it." He then pointed at Doom, "Also, I wanted to give you a reminder-"

"I know." Doom interrupted, "I know that unlike those three who are loyal cause I saved their pathetic hides, our relationship is purely business." Doom then trotted up to him, Doom's eyes glaring daggers into his, "I fulfilled my part of our deal, and you need to fulfill yours."

"I will. You don't have to worry about that."

"Good," Doom grumbled before turning to leave. "I'm heading out. Do not fail."

The fourth member only nodded as he watched Doom step out the room, only to let out a hollow chuckle. "Tch, what an idiot." He then rubbed his chin in slight thought, "Well...he's not that stupid. Thanks to him, I already have everything I need, including if this goes south." A loud happy clap could be heard next as he began to leave the room as well, "Not only that Doom, once you've gotten the final piece, I'll take the Omni Sphere for myself. After all, in this world, there only two types of individuals. There are the users and the used...and like you Doom, I am a user."

Meanwhile...

Flash's head was pounding as he woke up, releasing a low moan before sitting up in his bed...wait, bed? He looked down and saw he was now sitting on a small yet comfortable bed, a white bed sheet now over his body. He blinked at the sight, only to then see that he was in a hardly decorated room that only had the mattress and a small wardrobe in it, complete with Lightbringer leaning on a nearby wall.

"What happened?" He asked himself as he rubbed his head. "All I remember was fighting those Doom minions and then...nothing." He stared at the room again, "How'd I get here?"

His answer came when the door burst open and Springer rushed in. There were signs of tears trying to pop out of his eyes, "I thought I sensed you waking up. How do you feel partner?"

Flash petted the jakhowl's head, "I'm okay Springer...but uh, where are we?"

"In the inn." Flash looked up to see Pepper enter the room. "After the fight, some of your friends brought you and put you in here."

Flash nodded before turning to Springer. "How long was I unconscious?"

"Twelve hours. First said you'd be okay with some rest."

"Right...twelve hours. Ouch." Flash mumbled as he rubbed his forehead, a new thought entering his mind, "How's everypony else?"

Springer let out a long sigh at this question. "Iron, First, Heather and Tidal are okay, only getting a few bruises and scrapes from the fight and that bull's shockwave. But Skybreaker's fake wing was destroyed, and Ruby..."

Flash didn't like the sound of that pause. "Ruby what?" When Springer still didn't answer, Flash pulled himself out of bed.

"You should be resting," Pepper told him, only for Flash to push past her with his wing, grabbing Lightbringer as he left the room. As he did this, he soon found the room he was looking for.

"Ruby!" he cried when he spotted her laying on her bed. Her body was showing a purple like hue on her skin, her breathing slow and unsteady with her eyes closed. First, Heather and Iron were all around her, First using Crossbolt to unload a steady stream of light blue magic into her body. "Is she gonna be okay?"

"She'll be fine," First told him. "Thankfully, after our run in with the Scorpentine, I began to study up on more potent anti-poison spells."

Flash looked down at where the magic was flowing into her body, only to see two large neck bites. Luckily, First's treatment was causing them to slowly shrink in size. Unfortunately, Flash still sighed. "How could this happen?"

"Because you got distracted." They all turned to see Skybreaker, Grand and Tidal step into the room, Skybreaker not looking to happy. "You let that changeling distract you, causing the minotaur to get you and knock Grand down. We would have won if you had stayed focus on your own fight. You've fought changelings before, so you should know they can change form." Flash frowned at this, looking down at the ground. But as he did, he found his vision suddenly jerked upward as Skybreaker grabbed his collar and pulled him eye to eye, "Give me one good reason to not shove you to the boat and make sure you never touch that blade of yours again colt!"

"HEY! Hang on a minute Skybreaker!" Heather spoke up as she walked up and pushed the two apart. "Who are you to talk?! You got distracted too, which let the minotaur break your wing! If you're gonna criticize somepony, don't be a hypocrite."

Skybreaker turned to her, glaring and growling at the knight, "Don't you dare Heather. He is not a knight and he brought a dog to a-"

"Oh grow up!" Heather barked back, tapping her hoof at his chest, "We weren't expecting these kind of fighters Skybreaker, which included a changeling!"

Skybreaker opened his mouth, only for no sound to come out. Instead, his eyes took a quick glance at his broken wing, only to let out a sigh. "I..."

"Stop it Skybreaker. No more fighting." Grand growled, only to get a small nod from Skybreaker.

"Yeah...I'm sorry." Skybreaker admitted as he turned to Flash with a small frown. "I apologize. I don't..."

"Its fine." Flash replied as he put his hoof on Skybreaker's shoulder, "Let's just get along so we can finish this mission, okay?"

"Yeah..."

Grand smirked at his apprentice, seeing he was starting to get things going with Skybreaker. He then turned to the others, "Now, let's get down to business everypony. For starters, we seem to be up against some truly different opponents, including that changeling."

Flash thought back to the fight, remembering every last detail. As he did this, he remembered a certain moment, "That changeling...she used my abilities, didn't she?" The others all gave him either nods or looks of intrigue as he continued, "She used a Lightbringer technique to stop Tidal's attack. The other changelings I've fought only copied appearances, and any other magic they used was only the magic they had."

"He's right," Grand added as he rubbed his head in frustration. "They can copy physical abilities, but not magical ones. The fact that this changeling could means she's even more dangerous than Chrysalis."

"And what about that bat pony?" Iron piped in. "What was with all that armor? Does he just use poison?"

"Not only that, this poison is incredibly unnatural." First added as he let out a sigh, his Crossbolt still healing Ruby, "I have studied bat pony venom and this...it is four times stronger than what I have ever seen."

"That's insane." Springer replied. "How can something make venom that strong and not get poisoned by it themselves?"

"I do not know."

"That pony could be a problem," Grand said as he crossed his hooves, "And that minotaur was nothing to scoff at."

Tidal stepped up to the center of room, tapping his hoof to get their attention. "Alright amigos, let's stop moping and whining and start getting things going." They all nodded at this, even Skybreaker, "Now, let's go over what we do know. Doom has a bunch of cloaked puppets under his control along with four underlings, one of which we haven't even seen yet."

Flash sighed in response. "Meanwhile, we're all pretty badly beaten up. We have one of our own poisoned and Skybreaker's wing is broken so he can't fly." He turned to Iron, "can't you fix it?"

Iron shook his head. "No. I checked the metal this town has, but none of its strong and light enough to repair his wing with."

"Dang..."

Grand was gritting his teeth at seeing his teammates all badly beaten up, all at the hooves of his own son. "Listen...maybe we should-"

"Stop right there," Skybreaker held his hoof up at his face. "If you're about to tell us to head back to the boat, then you can forget it." He moved his hoof around the room and pointed at the lot of them. "Everypony here promised that we would help you no matter what, and none of us would be worthy of being Royal Knights if we broke that promise."

"Too right."

Everypony turned to see Ruby picking herself up, Heather rushing over to her. "Ruby, don't-"

"Don't stop me Heather." Ruby moaned as she barely pushed Heather with her hoof, "Don't think this will stop me."

"Ruby, you're still recovering."

"I only just extracted the poison," First added.

"It doesn't matter," Ruby told them as her back hooves tapped the floor from the bed. "I refuse to be taken down so easily, and don't even think about making me stay here, because I won't." Her horn began to shine, her necklace glowing unison. "Like Skybreaker said, I vowed to help bring this criminal in, and I will not stop until he's brought to justice."

The others all glanced at Grand and then Flash, both knowing they would know the most about Ruby. Grand replied with a sigh while Flash just shook his head, telling them to not even bother. After that, Grand spoke up while crossing his hooves, "Alright. If you all are sure about this-"

"We are!" They lot of them interrupted in unison.

Grand nodded. "Then let's get ourselves ready to head out."

They all nodded and stepped out of the room, off to get everything they would need for their mission.

Outside the inn, a cloaked pony stared at a window, this one showing Flash talk to Springer. The pony just stared at the glass, letting out a small sigh.

"Excuse me?" a voice asked, causing the figure to look at the front door. There, Salt was standing, blinking at the pony, "Can...can I help you?" The figure didn't respond. Instead, the pony turned around, slowly walking away from the confused Salt. The colt continued to watch until the figure was finally out of eyesight, making him uncomfortable since that direction was the one the attacks had come from last night. "Who was that?"

In that moment, he heard hoofsteps coming down the stairs, making him turn to see Pepper and the knights. "Hey Salt," Springer said as felt the colt's confused aura. "Are you okay? You seem...flustered."

"Yeah, I'm okay." Salt replied as he stepped back into the building before walking up to Flash. "You remember your promise, right?"

Flash smirked as he patted the colt's head. "You know I do. I'll bring your dad back no matter what."

Salt nodded and stepped aside, letting the knights walk outside. The eight ponies and jakhowl all stepped onto the track leading to the crater, Skybreaker leading the way. As they walked, Iron stepped up to Flash. "You know you might not be able to keep that promise, right?" Flash turned and gave him an uneasy glare, causing Iron to shake his head. "I'm just saying. We don't even know if the kid's dad is alive. What'll you do then?"

Flash just smirked, "I'm going to keep my promise no matter what. He's alive, and I'm gonna bring him back."

Hearing this made Iron sigh, a facehoof soon following. "You know Sentry, you really need to learn to accept reality. Besides, who knows what they've done with the prisoners now that they know we're coming."

Grand then nudged Iron, "That's exactly right Iron. Unfortunately for them though, we now know that they know that we're coming. Attacking us last night might have injured us, but it also put us on guard. They overplayed their hoof."

"But they know we know they know that we're coming," Ruby replied, a small smack of her tail following. "What if they're setting up a trap for us?"

Tidal then piped up, his head slightly tilting, "Maybe, but we know that they know that we know that they know that we're coming. So-"

"Alright, we get it!" Springer cried, his paws covering his ears. "We don't need to do the whole shtick! Let's just do the mission already!"

Grand chuckled at this. "He's right. Let's focus on our mission and deal with whatever's waiting for us."

"Right!" Everypony replied in unison.

With that, they continued to trek through the wasteland for a few more hours until Skybreaker explained that they were close to the crater. On the way, they ran into more of the cloaked puppets, all obviously meant for sentry duty. Luckily, they were easy enough to dispatch, and soon found themselves at the edge of the crater. Getting down and crawling to the edge, the nine of them looked into the crater and saw something they were not expecting. "They've already dug it out?"

It was true. The crater was now much much deeper, and the buildings had been dug out to reveal high towers that had only had their tops sticking out the last time. There were several other buildings that were smaller and had previously been completely engulfed by dirt and digging destruction. In the center, a giant castle stood made of a different kind of stone than the buildings that surrounded it.

"So this is Omniara," First commented as he turned and saw Skybreaker pull a few pairs of binoculars out of his bag.

"Looks like the entire city has been unearthed," Skybreaker said as he scanned the sight over.

"How did they manage to dig it out in only six weeks?" Tidal asked as he took a pair of binoculars. "That would require massive amounts of horse power. Where'd they get that many ponies?"

In that moment, Heather spotted something that gave her the answer, "Maybe from a bunch of captured villagers."

The rest of them all followed her sight line and saw what she meant. On the far right side of the city, a bunch of cloaks were escorting ponies, all of them bound in chains. They all had looks of defeat and despair on their faces, their heads staring at the ground.

"Those poor ponies," Ruby whimpered out, her memories of her own people going through the same thing now flashing through her mind. "We have to do something."

First nodded at this. "Agreed. It is obvious Doom is using them to excavate the city. Who knows what horrors he has subjected them all too."

"So let's get down there," Iron told them as he gripped Piecemaker.

Grand quickly extended a hoof in front of Iron, "Hold on. We can't just run off half-cocked. We need a plan."

"Yeah...we might have a problem with that." Springer commented as he pointed to the bottom the crater, the others all glancing at him before following his paw. There, they all went wide-eyed as they now spotted Flash skidding down the crater before reaching the bottom and hiding behind a building, out of sight of the nearby cloaks. And as the cloaks moved past him, he quickly started to sneak into the site.

Grand sighed as his head slammed into the ground. "That kid and his kind heart. He's gonna get himself killed."

"Come on," Skybreaker grumbled as he stood up, motioning the other knights to follow as they all soon skidded down into the crater.

Doom walked through the corridors of the castle, the shards of the Omni Sphere floating around him. He already knew his father and the other knights were there, having felt several of his puppets being taken out.

"Just try it you old fool," he said as he found himself in front of a large pair of stone doors, soon opening them. There, he entered the Omni King's throne room. The room was similar to the one Celestia and Luna had in their castle, at least it would have been in its prime. Now, it was just a dust-filled room with rubble everywhere, its throne missing from the gravel-encrusted place.

But it was not the throne room he cared about, but what was under it. At the far end of the room where the king's throne had once stood, a large hole could be seen. Several cloaks were standing around the hole, pulling on ropes that lifted large bags of rock, dirt and sand out of it.

Doom stepped up to one of the cloaks. "What's the status of the tomb?" Despite being mindless drones, the cloaks could still retain information that could be magically implanted into Doom's head. "I see. So...we'll have to unearth the whole thing? Blast it, why did they bury the tomb that deep?!"

He stared down into the hole, which was so deep that he couldn't even see the bottom. The hole only showed a jet black abyss, light having little meaning in the darkness of the pit. "Hmmm...this could take longer than I thought." Doom then turned to one of the cloaks. "Go to my living quarters and bring the Omni Sphere's case, as well as the gravity bands. I may need them."

The cloak nodded before rushing out the throne room while the rest of the puppets continued working. Doom then took out his viewing globe and levitated it into the air, only for it to show an image of Flash sneaking through the city. "Of course you'd go after the innocents. After all, my father trained you." The image then changed to show Toxic Fang. "Toxic, Flash Sentry is making his way to you, so I want you to take him out. As the only one capable of flying, losing him will be a big hit to the knights' forces."

"Of course master, I will not fail you." Toxic replied, only for his image to fade away in the orb. Seeing this, Doom turned back to the cloaks, letting out a low, long sigh.

"Let's hope those three can slow them down long enough. I don't want to ask him to help with that." Doom crossed his hooves as he said his next thought out loud. "This is cutting things too close. I don't want to owe that blasted snake anymore than I already do." He turned back to one of the cloaks, "I need to see if my backup plan is ready yet. If the gravity bands get here before I come back, make sure they're set properly." Despite being a puppet, the cloak did a small nod, "Good."

With that, Doom left the room, leaving only the cloaks to continued their silent work.

Flash continued to sneak through the city, ducking in and out of any shadow he could find. Soon enough, he arrived where the prisoners were digging, only to also find a bunch of cloaks patrolling. Seeing this, he narrowed his eyes, soon seeing the ponies were also chained together, making Flash realize that he had to do a bit more than just beat the cloaks.

"Great...this isn't gonna be easy, is it?" Flash whispered to himself, "Gotta be smart about that..."

"Yeah you do." Flash barely stopped himself from yelling out before turning around, instantly seeing Springer standing by him with a smile.

"How'd you get here so quickly?"

"I'm not as big as you ponies partner." Springer replied as he leaned against the pegasi, "I can move around without being seen a lot easier than you."

Flash let out a low chuckle, "Should have guessed. Alright bud, here's the plan." Flash turned back to the prisoners. "I'll distract the Cloaks while you free the prisoners, got it?"

Springer nodded. "Got it."

"Then let's do this!" Flash leapt out of his hiding spot and charged at the Cloaks, drawing Lightbringer, "Flash Cutter!" A blade of light flew at the Cloaks, cutting several down and blinding the others.

Seeing this, the prisoners all started to backpedal as they saw another figure attacking them, making them think this was someone else that wanted them as slaves. That is, till they heard, "Bone Breaker!" They then saw a bipedal wolf creature rushing up to them, a bone shaped energy staff in his paws. He leapt at them, causing them to flinch as he began to swing down the weapon.

CLANG!

They opened their eyes at the noise and saw the creature had struck one of the connectors that locked their chains together, only to see that he had done no damage. "Damn it!" he cried as he started hitting it again. "Come on, break already!"

The sight made the slaves glance at each other in confusion, only for an earth pony spoke up. "You're...trying to free us?"

Springer looked up at the voice. "Of course! Name's Springer, and my friends and I are here to save you. Anypony here know Skybreaker? He stayed in your village a while back."

Several of them nodded at this, the others talking amongst themselves as relief soon showed on their faces. As they did this, Flash was still fighting the cloaks. After his initial attack, he had been forced on the defensive as the cloaks had all now turned their attention to him instead of the slaves. The whole group were now crowded together, all jumping at the defender in one singular attack. Seeing this, Flash spun his blade at the attack, "Flash Vortex!" he yelled as a whirlpool of light shot out of the sword, striking half of the group down.

"And..." Flash then spun the blade around both hooves, only to spin his body like a top, "Flash Cutter Barrage!" A flurry of magic energy blades flew out, cutting them all down before Flash put both hooves on the blade, "Flash Grinder!" He then transformed into a wheel of light, mowing down the rest of them.

The prisoner ponies were all amazed at the sight, shocked as he tore the cloaks apart. "Incredible..." a unicorn mare gasped, her eyes shining at the sight of the pegasi taking down the last cloak.

"Aw yeah! I win!" Flash cheered as the cloak fell into the dirt. He then let out a small 'whew' as he wiped his forehead, while letting out a breath of fresh air. That is, till his ears hopped up as he turned and saw the sound of footsteps of a fresh army of Cloaks coming his way. "Oh, come on! You gotta be kidding me!" Flash turned to his partner, "Springer, how's it going?!"

"Working on it!" Springer replied as he tried to slash at the chains with his Steel Paws.

"Work faster!" he heard Flash call out.

Up on one of the higher towers, Toxic smirked as he watched Flash and Springer try to save the ponies. He had not intervened yet, as he had wanted Flash to tire himself out before fighting. "Hmm....yeah, that should be long enough," he commented as he spread his wings. "Though I think I'll take the puppy out first."

With that, he shot off the roof and flew down towards Springer. The metal claws retracted from within his armour, the talons ready to strike. And as he flew towards the jakhowl, Springer had gone from trying to break the locks to picking them with his claws. But as he did this, his aura began to shiver. He then turned, blinking as he looked around, "Hmm?"

"Say goodnight!" The bat pony screamed as he slashed at Springer. But in that moment, an orange blur shot between them, making Toxic's claws touch dirt as he target disappeared. The bat pony came to a halt, soon looking where the blur had moved too, only to see Flash flying with Springer on his back.

"Whew! That was a close one." Flash commented as he pointed his blade at the bat pony.

"Yeah..." Springer gasped, putting his paw on his chest in relief, "thanks partner."

"No prob partner."

They then saw Toxic fly up to his level, claws still primed to strike. "You're not getting away that easily."

Flash shined a huge grin, gesturing his hooves in a 'come on' stance, "We'll see about that."

"FLASH!" They three looked down and saw the rest of the knights approaching, Grand now yelling, "Are you okay?!"

"We're fine," Flash told them before pointing at the slaves. "Just get those ponies to safety."

Grand looked between Flash and Toxic, knowing this was likely going to be a battle in the skies. Letting out a sigh, he nodded. "Alright, I'll leave him to you. Just don't get yourselves killed."

"Got it," Flash said before turning back to Toxic. "Alright tough guy. You ready to get your armored flank beaten?"

Toxic licked his fangs at this, "I'd rather just melt you into nothing,"

"We'll see who melts who," Flash replied as he tossed his blade into the air and pointed at the bat pony. "Now...count up your sins." He caught his blade and took a battle stance. "I see why Grand does that. It's fun."

"And looks super cool," Springer finished.

"Enough playing around! Its fighting time!" Toxic yelled as he shot towards Flash, trying to slash him with his claws. As he did, Flash easily dodged with a simple back flap.

"Now what?" Springer asked as he held on for dear life.

"Fire at him! Do it now!"

"Aura Blast!" Springer shot one of the aura spheres at the bat pony, only for the heavily armored pony to suddenly dodge and charge forward, slashing both claws.

Flash held up his blade and blocked both claws. Seeing this, Flash quickly pushed back before kicking at Toxic's chest, only pushing him slightly back. "You missed him. What are you doing?!"

"Give me some time, I'm just getting warmed up!" Springer yelled before unleashing a barrage of Aura Blasts, all of them covering the airspace. However, Toxic Fang managed to either evade or block them all using his armor. "No way! Not even one of them hit?!"

"My turn!" Toxic barked as he began slashing at the two, the talons repeatedly hitting Flash's blocking blade. "Stop hiding behind the sword coward! Fight me!"

"Give me a second slimeball!" Flash said as the claws created another swipe of sparks on his sword. Seeing this, he flapped a mighty gust of wind, just enough to push Toxic back. "Flash Cutter!" Flash swung his sword, a blade of energy flying straight for Toxic. However, the bat pony simply crossed his legs and allowed his armor to take the brunt of the attack, only for no damage to occur.

"You gotta be kidding!" Springer yelped.

"What is that armor made out of?" Flash added. "It's strong enough to handle my attacks, but light enough that he can dodge yours?!"

Toxic simply laughed. "Its amazing what Master Doom Raizer can do. He created this armor for me, and with it, I'll put an end to you." He licked his fangs again. "I haven't had a good meal in a long time, so I'm gonna enjoy this one."

The two frowned at this, Springer barking, "Take a bite out of me and you'll get a nasty hair ball."

"And a wicked case of heart burn," Flash finished as his sword glowed.

"I'll be the judge of that," Toxic told him, pounding his hooves together. "Let's go."

Back on the ground, the rest of the knights were working to free the prisoners.

Grand, Skybreaker, Tidal, Heather, First and Ruby were fighting off the Cloaks, while Iron worked on unlocking the chains. "How's it going there kid?" Skybreaker asked his apprentice as he finished another bunch of puppets.

"Working on it," Iron replied, a long heavy snort following. He was using Piecemaker, reshaping it into a key that could undo the lock, but getting the shape was proving difficult.

"Well work faster!" Skybreaker yelled. "There's a million of these things!"

Iron looked up from his work. "You know, when I'm not actually looking, he sounds a lot like Sentry....and now that I think about that, it terrifies me." With that, he got back to work.

At the same time, Grand was busy slamming the puppets with Grand Slammer. He was on the edge of the group, making sure to take down the brunt of their forces and leaving the strays for the others. "Grand Impact!" He yelled as his hammer shattered the ground, knocking all the cloaks away like they were ragdolls.

But as the dust cleared, Grand looked around to see if there were any more coming. As he did this, he saw something else. "Doom." Once again, Grand saw his son standing down a street of houses. Doom Raizer was just standing there, several cloaks around him. The unicorn then turned, instantly disappearing as more cloaks appeared around him.

"Doom!" Grand yelled as he broke into a full-on sprint.

"Grand!" Skybreaker called out, only for a wave of Cloaks to appear before the him and the fleeing Grand. "Darn it..."

"Flash Cutter!" an energy blade flew at Toxic, only for it to be split in half from his claws.

"Aura Blast!" A ball of blue flames shot across the sky, the sphere soon deflected by the bat pony's claws. It was here that Toxic thrusted forward, his claws ready to slash Flash. Flash quickly spun, trying to kick Toxic away, only for his leg to get caught in Toxic's hoof, his mouth now opening for the bite. "Bone Breaker!" A blue energy staff swung at Toxic's head, knocking him off the defender.

"Grraugh!" Toxic barked as flap back a few meters. "Grr....stop dodging and let me bite you!"

"Like I'd let you do that!" Flash yelled before grabbing Springer and flinging him upward. As he did this, Toxic stared at the now airborne jakhowl, only to hear, "Flash Grinder!" The wheel of light flew at Toxic, but he crossed his claws and blocked the attack.

"Nice try!" Toxic yelled before pushing Flash away, his claws managing to graze Flash's shoulder within the push. "But I'm not falling for such a straight forward attack!"

"Damn," Flash winced as looked his shoulder over, "he's good." At this point, Springer landed back on his back.

"His armor's too strong. Its blocking every move."

"I know," Flash growled, his wings slowly flapping. "And it doesn't help that you have to be careful each time you attack. One wrong move and you'll fall."

"I know..." Springer replied before an idea popped into his head. "I've got a plan." He began to whisper it in Flash's ear, making the pegasi frown.

"That's risky."

"Beats doing nothing."

"Alright," Flash cricked his neck, only for his wings to flare forward as he suddenly bum-rushed his opponent.

Toxic watched them flying towards him. "What's his plan?"

"Now!" Flash yelled as Springer leapt off his back while he pointed his sword at Toxic. "Flash Driver!" He started spinning and transformed into a drill of light, only for Toxic's claws to cross again.

"I already told you!" Toxic exclaimed as his guarding of the attack caused the two to freeze in midair. "I'm not going down to a straight forward attack like that!"

"Then how about a straight above attack!" Toxic looked up to see Springer falling towards him at high speed. "Steel Paw!" The claw shaped light appeared around his paws as he got close, ready to slash at Toxic with everything he had. Acting quickly, Toxic flared his wings, instantly hopping and pushing Flash downward. As he did this, Toxic's claws collided with Springer's, knocking them both back. Seeing this, Toxic flapped his wings, creating a gust to blow Springer away.

"Whoa whoa whoa!" Springer yelled as he found himself flying away from the battle.

"Springer! Hang on bud!"

Flash quickly nosedived to save his partner, only for Toxic to appear right in front of him. "Not happening," Toxic hissed as he slashed at Flash, forcing him to block with his sword. "Your little pet is about to become a pancake, so I suggest you worry about yourself."

"SPRINGER!" Flash cried out.

As Springer fell faster and faster, he noticed a nearby tower to his left and got an idea. "Aura Blast!" He yelled as he threw a ball of energy down towards the ground. He then threw a second sphere, which struck the first and exploded. The force of the explosion shot upward, pushing Springer into the tower roof, allowing him to grab the edge. "Whew...that was close." He moaned as he started to pull himself up.

Seeing Springer land safely, Flash breathed a sigh of relief before turning back to Toxic. "You'll pay for that."

"Oh will I?" Toxic flapped backwards, a big grin on his face. As he did this, the two began to stare each other down as they hovered in midair.

That is, until Flash broke the silence. "Why?"

Toxic raised an eyebrow. "Why what?"

"Why do all of this? Why put those ponies through all this pain? Why are you trying to get the Omni Sphere? Why are you working for Doom? Tell me...maybe I can help you."

Toxic simply glared at him. "You wouldn't understand."

"Try me."

The bat pony growled under his breath. He wasn't sure what to say, but he knew that even keeping one knight distracted for a bit would help Doom. He then shrugged as he began to explain, "Alright. I'll tell you. For a thousand years, my kind has been forced to hide in the darkness. Ever since the loss of our princess, the rest of Equestria has subjected us to oppression and hiding away. We were forced to make our homes in caves and other dark areas, where other ponies deem them 'unfit' for 'normal ponies'."

Flash crossed his hooves at this, letting out a snort. "Yeah, Luna already told me all about this. I know the thestrals had a hard time after Luna's banishment, but things are different know. The night guard is returning, and I'm sure she I could convince her to let you join. Heck, with your skills you'd go far. You could help so many-"

"SHUT UP!" Toxic interrupted, his tone now at yelling levels. "I don't care about helping others! Why should I help them when nopony has ever helped me?! Not even my own kind cares for somepony like me!"

Now it was Flash's turn to raise an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about this," Toxic then did something totally unexpected. He started to remove parts of his armor. Piece by piece, he removed them and dropped them to the ground. As he did, Flash's eyes grew wider at what he saw. Toxic's entire body was covered in tiny round scars. Neck, body, legs and hooves, twin marks could be seen through his black fur. Flash instantly recognized them, remembering the same markings on Ruby's neck that morning. They were bite marks, all from bat ponies.

"You see," he said, a long tongue slowly sticking out of his mouth. "My own kind tried to kill me all because they feared me."

"But why?" Flash asked in horror.

Toxic smiled as he raised his hoof. "Here...LET ME SHOW YOU!" With that, he shot towards Flash, his hoof pulled back for a punch. Flash reacted on instinct, his own hoof quickly raising to punch his opponent as well.

The two hooves soon met, the force of the punches causing a small shockwave. For several seconds, they remained like this. That is, till Flash's face became screwed up in pain as he pulled back while holding his hoof. "AAAAAHHHHHH!" He cried as he looked down at his hoof, seeing the veins in it turning purple. "What the hell?!"

Toxic just laughed at this. "Now do you get it?! That armour wasn't meant to protect me! It was to protect others...from me!"

Flash did get it. Somehow, this guy had poisoned him through a simple touch. "But how? What did you do?!"

Toxic's face now showed a truly devilish smile. "Simple. I secrete a venomous sweat from any part of my body. The venom is so toxic that one touch is all I need to take anypony down."

"That's insane..." Flash commented, only to realize he was starting to fell light-headed. "How...how can somepony have that kind of ability?"

Toxic frowned as he stared at his hoof. "This power, is my curse. It made everypony, even my own family, fear me."

"I was only ten years old when it started. All bat ponies start to develop poison and grow fangs at that age, but I was something different."

"Mommy!" A young Toxic rushed towards his mother, a large smile on his face. "Look, look! My first fang!" He opened his mouth wide, showing off the tiny sharp tooth poking out of the top of his mouth.

Toxic's mother leaned down and saw the fang, a big smile soon shining on her face, "Oh honey, that's wonderful." She pulled her son into a hug, holding him tightly. But as she continued to hug him, her eyes suddenly shot open. She felt...cold. She tried to release the hug, only to feel a barrage of wetness on her chest.

Confusion covered Toxic's face as he felt his mother stiffen up, her hold suddenly weakening. The next thing he knew, his mother fell to the floor, unmoving from the fall. "Mommy?" He asked as he shook her, "mommy...MOMMY?!?!"

"Everything changed after that."

As Toxic walked through the many large tunnels that acted like streets in their underground home, the bat ponies around him all stared. Whenever he got within ten feet of one, they would quickly back away in fear. It didn't take long till he would come to a stop, soon seeing the fear and disdain in their eyes. "Stop it...STOP LOOKING AT ME LIKE THAT!"

He soon walked away, trying his best to not touch anypony as he did.

"All it took was one touch, barely a graze, and they'd fall. They tried making drugs that would stop the venom, but I would always become immune after two or three uses. So for so many years, I was feared for what I could do. Sometimes it'd be by accident, other times it would be a reflex, and other times..."

A fifteen year old Toxic once again found himself being yelled at by another bat pony.

"What are you still doing here?! Nopony wants you here, so just get lost!"

"But this is my home-" Toxic tried to say, only for the bat pony stallion to walk up to him, leering over the young bat pony.

"No it isn't. Freaks like you don't have homes."

"I'm not a freak!"

"You're right...freak's to good a word for you. You're a monster."

Toxic began to shake at this, his anger slowly piling up. "Shut up," he whispered. "Shup up right now."

"What'd you say monster?"

"I said shut up," Toxic replied more loudly.

"Make me...monster."

"I am not-"

"You're a monster." the pony leaned over, fires of hatred in his eyes, "And a freak."

"Grrr….RRRUUUUAAAGGGGGHHHH!" Toxic screamed as he tackled the bat pony, pinning him to the ground and shoving his hooves into his chest. The bat pony let out a mighty cry as the venom flowed into his heart, only to feel Toxic leaned own and bite him, pouring more and more of the poison into him.

It was only after this that Toxic realized what he had done. He slowly got up from the body, only to now see all the bat ponies around him, staring at him in shock.

"One moment of anger, that was all it took to change my life forever."

Toxic looked around at the bat ponies circling him, causing him to be backed up again a tunnel wall. "What do you want?"

"We want you gone," one of them said before pulling out some kind of needle. Before he could react, Toxic was injected with it.

"Ahh!" He cried as he pulled it out, only for him to start stumbling, "What...was that?"

"A special drug," another bat pony told him. "It'll cause your venom to be temperately negated, while also making you weaker."

"You'll likely grow immune to this one too," the first one said.

"But it'll give us time to do what needs to be done," another at the back called out.

"Do what?" Toxic barely asked, only for his legs to give out. As he hit the dire, he looked up and saw that the all the bat ponies were now retracting their fangs. "No..." Toxic cried as he realized what was gonna happen, "no...NO!"

He then felt that first bite, only to pass out a second later.

"Obviously, they expected me to die," Toxic explained as his fangs began to shine on his ever increasing grin. "But it seems my venom came back in time to neutralize theirs. When I woke up, I was outside the mountain where are caves were located. I was bleeding out and growing weaker, but luck was on my side."

Flash crossed his hooves at this, "Let me guess. Doom saved you, didn't he?"

"You bet. Not only did he heal my injuries, but he also showed me the truth behind who I am." He raised his hoof, his grin still growing, "this power was my curse, but Doom showed me that it was actually a gift, one that would allow me to get whatever I want."

"So you're trying to take the Omni Sphere for what, revenge?"

Toxic smirked at this. "No, I already got my revenge on the ones who tried to kill me."

Flash's eyes went wide. "You didn't..."

Toxic's smirk turned into a chuckle, which then evolved into a full-on laugh. "Yes! I did to them what they tried to do to me! They're all gone now thanks to Doom's help! Now, I will help Doom get his revenge. I owe him everything after all."

"Not if I can help it!" Flash roared as he shot towards Toxic, Lightbringer in his un-poisoned hoof. He slashed at the bat pony, only to find him suddenly disappear into thin air. "What the-"

"That's the thing," Flash heard behind him. "You can't!" The pegasus tried to spin around, only to feel a hoof smack his side along with the same burning pain as before.

"AAAHHH!" Flash cried as he fell back, only to flare his wings, catching himself. "Geez he's fast. Guess that armor wasn't light."

"Nope. It just slowed me down from being insanely fast to above average fast." Toxic replied as he raised his hooves. "Let me show exactly what I'm capable of!" With that, he vanished, only for a hoof to hit Flash's side, causing the defender to yell out in pain. But before he could say anything, two more strikes to hit the pegasi.

Toxic then flew backwards as he said, "Now feel my venom and fall!" the batpony charged forward after this, only for his hoof to hit Lightbringer, blocking his strike. "WHAT?!" He looked up at his target, only to see two blank eyes.

"I see you!" Flash yelled as he slashed at Toxic, only for him to dodge the blow. Toxic then tried to punch him again, only for Flash to block the blow again. After this, the two pushed away from each other as Flash raised his blade, "Now...Theta Mode Flash Cutter Barrage!" The flurry of energy blades scattered across the sky, Toxic barely dodging every single one. As he did this, he forced his wing's sweat glands to open.

"Poison Gale!" Toxic yelled as he let out a mighty flap, a gust of black and crimson red mixture covered the sky, all of it flying towards Flash.

"Whoa!" Flash yelped as he flapped his wings, barely managing to evade the gale as he ducked behind one of the towers. The tip of one of his hooves was the only thing hit by the assault. "Ugh...that stings." He moaned, only for more than just his hoof to start hurting. "The poison...I feel it all over."

Toxic started laughing at this. "You're a strong one, I'll give you that. Most ponies would have melted into sludge by this point, but you're managing to hold on." He then posed in the air, drops of poison now falling from his body, all the drips turning the ground into a black toxic mess. "Though I suspect you're just about done, am I right?"

Flash smirked as he wiped his brow and flew out from behind the tower. "Yeah, well...I'm not like regular ponies."

Another laugh followed, "You still won't last long. As every second passes, my venom is melting your body into a pile of goop. It's just a matter of time."

"If that's the case, I'd better finish you off before then." Flash commented to himself, knowing the task was not something he could just do. But as he started to think, he soon saw Toxic rushing towards him. Flash prepared to defend himself, but even with Theta Mode active, Flash's body was beginning to slow down.

"Poison Touch!" Toxic swung at Flash, only for Flash to raise his sword in defense. The hoof clanged off the sword, only for the bat pony to spin around, his back hoof slamming Flash's stomach. "Poison Strike!"

"Augh!" Flash cried as the air was forced out of his lungs, a purple haze soon covering his stomach.

"It's over!" Toxic roared as he spread his wings, "POISON GALE!" He flapped his wings once more, a double powered poisonous wind stream following as it hit Flash dead-on.

"AAAAHHHHH!!!" Flash screamed, the wind blasting his body into the side of one of the towers, smashing right through it and kicking up a dust cloud.

All over the city, the explosion could be felt and seen.

Springer, who had just finished climbing down the tower, saw the dust cloud across the city and began to panic before rushing towards it. "Flash, don't you die on me you idiot!"

The rest of the knights also saw the dust cloud, Skybreaker soon yelling, "Damn it! I knew that colt couldn't handle it!"

"Flash..." Heather whispered, her right hoof slowly covering her mouth.

"Be strong," First added.

"Come on amigo," Tidal finished, "Beat that bat pony."

Ruby said nothing, unsure how to feel. She knew Flash's power, and knew he never gave up. But as she looked up at the dust cloud in the distance, she remembered how the poison had hurt her. "Flash...be strong."

Iron, the last of the group, was not conflicted. Knowing Flash the best out of all of them, he knew Flash's would not lose so easily. "Come on Sentry," he whispered so quietly that barely anypony could hear it. "Remember your promise. Are you really gonna break it?"

Back in the air, Toxic hovered in the air with a huge grin. Then, a large laugh followed, "Oh come on, is that really all you've got?! I thought you were gonna stop me."

In that moment, he heard the sound of rocks being pushed away, Flash soon appearing the hole from his landing into the tower. He was panting, exhausted from the hit as the poison continued to wreck his body. Every single part of him felt numb, and his vision was beginning to become blurry.

Seeing his enemy in such a state, Toxic smirked. "It's over."

"Not...yet," Flash croaked out as he held Lightbringer in his shaky hoof, his wings slowly opening. "I'm gonna..." he tried to say, only for his body to fall off the tower. "No..."

"AHAHAHA! I win!" Toxic exclaimed as he saw Flash drop like a rock.

"FLASH!" The others all cried as they watched him fall.

Flash, feeling himself black out, heard his friends cries. Feeling like this might be the end, he closed his eyes and pictured the thing he felt was most precious to him. Twilight, Scootaloo, and all his friends. If he was gonna die, he would do it with their faces in his mind. And as he felt the last bit of his consciousness fading, he seemed to hear Twilight's voice whisper six words.

"Don't you dare break your promise."

Suddenly, Flash's wings shot open, and with one mighty flap, he shot back into the air. Toxic went wide-eyed as he saw the pegasi take to the sky, "What the heck?! How are you-whoa!" Toxic immediately flew backwards, just dodging a sword slash from Flash. He then saw Flash's hoof flying towards him and blocked it with his own, putting the two in a stalemate. Toxic yelled, "HOW?! How are you still going?!"

Flash just let out a long pant, only for his face to morph into a giant smile before getting a strong grip on Toxic's hoof. "Because I promised them I'd come back." The images of his friends continued to play in the back of his head, allowing him to ignore the pain he felt from poison.

"Let go of me!" Toxic yelled as he tried to get out of Flash's grip.

He then looked back at Flash's face, the smile increasing as he saw the poison continued to cover the burning hoof, "AND I NEVER BREAK MY PROMISES!" The image of Salt and Pepper also appeared in Flash's head as he shoved the crossguard of his Celestic Gear into Toxic's chest.

"What are you doing?" Toxic yelped, still unable to get out of Flash's grip.

"Keeping my promise. I'm taking you down!" Lightbringer's crossguard began to glow, "there's no way I can miss if I'm this close!"

"No! Nothing can survive my curse! Nothing!" Toxic cried as he shoved his free hoof into Flash's chest. "Just die already! Die to my poison!"

"No way!" Flash told him as he felt the sword's power increase. "No matter what, I am not gonna die! And I...will...WIN!"

"NO!" Toxic cried.

"Flash....FORCE!!!!!" The Celestic Gear unleashed the burst of light, flowing point blank into Toxic's chest.

"AAAAAAHHHHHH!" Toxic cried out in pain, his body trying to escape at the laser of light struck him. The force of the energy would have blasted him across the battlefield, but Flash's grip kept him up close. A full minute passed as Flash continued the attack, only for his grip to finally lessen. And with one slight tug, Flash let go, the two immediately being shot in opposite directions. Flash was sent upwards, high into the sky

As for Toxic, his body found itself going through one of the many towers, only to go through the second and a third. And as he hit the third tower, a dust cloud followed, as the impact made the stone monolith fall like a rock. What followed was a partially buried bat pony, a pile of gravel on top of him. Everypony watched as the smoke around the bat pony faded, revealing that his chest was badly burned, a circle of fur now missing. Toxic moaned as he tried to pull himself out of the pile. "One hit. He got me...in one hit." He tried to fly, only for his wings to hit the ground, his form soon following suite as he let out one last moan. "No...master Doom...forgive me."

The rest of knights all saw this and smiled, unable to believe what they had just seen. Especially Skybreaker, who gasped out, "No way...that colt did it?"

"He sure did," Tidal grinned, patting Skybreaker's shoulder, "You should have more faith amigo."

"And he's okay," Heather said in a relieved voice.

The prisoners were also amazed, all showing smiles as they saw one of their captors beaten. And as for their hero, they all looked up at him and saw he was badly beaten and bruised.

But despite all that, a massive smile could be seen on his face. Because he had kept his promise.

Copycat Fight

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Back in Ponyville, we find Twilight, Spike and Scootaloo in the library.

Twilight and Spike had just finished preparing dinner and Twilight was going up to Scootaloo's room, now opening the door. "Scootaloo? Dinner's ready." She peeked her head inside, only to see the pegasus filly staring out the new bedroom window. "You okay?"

Scootaloo turned to Twilight with a big frown, her eyes filled with sadness as she stared at her for a few seconds before turning back to the window. "I'll come down. Just give me a minute."

Twilight did a small shake of the head, soon trotting up and placing a hoof around her. "You're worried about your big brother, aren't you?"

"Aren't you?" Scootaloo asked as she looked back, her lip slightly quivering. "We have no clue where they are, what they're doing, or when they're coming back...if they are."

Twilight let out a sigh at this, soon tightening her hoof's grip, "Don't say that. Of course they're coming back."

"How can you be sure?" Scootaloo replied as her eyes started to shake, "This is like when you all went to the Crystal Empire. I'm sick of being left behind while my brother goes to do who knows what." Tears began to fill her eyes. "When you all came back and I saw that scar and-"

Twilight quickly pulled her into a tight embrace. "I know. I felt the same way. When I saw Ruby carrying him into the empire, I felt my heart stop. Even now, I can't help but fear I won't get to see him again." She did a slow release of the hug, leaning slightly back as she shined a big smile at the filly. "But you need to know that that's just what he's meant to be."

"But...but that's not fair!" Scootaloo barked back, a tear now going down her cheek. "Why does he always have to be the one to be put in danger?!"

Twilight's smile began to grow. "Because he's the only one with enough dumb luck to survive."

Scootaloo let out a hearty laugh, a smile starting to form on her face. "Pfft-HA!" She then wiped her eye as she continued, "Yeah, probably. I just hope he doesn't do something too stupid."

Twilight rested her head on Scootaloo. "Your brother is a lot of things. Headstrong, rash, reckless, has no education, has an annoying level of determination...and he's way too sarcastic." Scootaloo kept giggling at this. "But the one thing he's not, is stupid. Well, he is stupid in terms of education, but not in life. Everything he does is done knowing exactly what the consequences will be. He just doesn't care about them."

"So he doesn't care about getting himself killed?" Scootaloo asked as she tried to tilt her head.

"Oh, he does care about that," Twilight assured her. "Another thing about Flash: When he makes a promise, he always keeps it. You remember what he promised you right?"

Scootaloo wiped the last bit of tears from her eyes. "He promised he'd come back safely."

"Exactly. And he made that same promise to me. That's twice the promise he has to keep, and he'll keep them."

Scootaloo's smile tried to grow at this, only for a frown to appear as she looked back down. "But...but what if he doesn't come back? What if he doesn't and I'm alone again?"

"Oh Scootaloo..." Twilight once again hugged her. "Even if something does happen to Flash, I promise you that you won't be alone. You're not just a part of Flash's family, you're part of mine as well. Me, Spike, Shining and Cadance, even our parents. We'll be there for you. I promise."

Scootaloo smiled back at her, a fresh wave of tears now spilling out of her eyes. "Thank you."

"No problem," Twilight told her as she pulled back again and helped wipe away the tears. "Now come on. Dinners ready and Spike's probably getting impatient."

"Okay..." Scootaloo replied, nodding.

She then got up and headed towards the door, Twilight on her tail. As she watched the filly leave the room, Twilight looked back out the window she had been staring at. A long sigh blasted out of her mouth as she glared at the horizon beyond the glass. "Don't you dare break your promise."

Back to the orange pegasi they were talking about...

Flash let out a long moan, sweat pouring down his face as he stared at where Toxic had been blasted to. There was a gigantic grin on his face as he watched Toxic pull himself out of the building, spoke some words he was too far away to hear, and finally fell to the ground. The defender then weakly chuckled at the sight, only to let out another groan. "Aaahhh...heh. I won. I told you not to underestimate me."

But as he said this, his body decided to tell him that his fight was not over. The adrenaline that had dulled the pain was now wearing off, causing him to feel a twist in his stomach. "Hnnnggghhh...I don't feel so..." Flash did another moan, some tears of pain appearing as he clutched the hoof that had been gripping Toxic's. The hoof was still steaming, the orange color completely replaced with purple fur, showing him how much poison had been absorbed in the final attack. "Oh...that's not good."

It was here that Flash felt his wings slow down. Or, more to the point, stop. "Aw crude." It was here that his body let out, his eyes blurring as he fell to the earth like a rock. And as he landed, the monster smile was still on his face as he let out one last groan, "Sorry guys. Looks like I'm down for the count."

"Flash!" Heather cried as they watched the battle end.

"He needs medical attention," First added.

"But we can't leave the prisoners," Tidal replied as he pointed to the ponies.

"Got it!" They all turned to Iron, who was smiling at the lock he had been working on. "Finally got this damn thing unlocked." He pulled the lock apart, causing the chains around the prisoners to all fall to the floor. The now freed ponies began to cheer, their cuffs falling to the dirt as smiles shined on their faces.

"Alright, good job Iron." Sky complimented as he gestured to the knights, "Iron, Tidal and I will get these ponies out of the crater. First, Heather and Ruby, you lot find Flash and make sure he survives long enough for a lecture about impatience and rushing in."

"What about Grand and Springer?" Ruby asked him.

"If the mutt's as loyal as you say he is, I'd wager he's on his way to find Flash as we speak. As for Grand," he let out a sigh, knowing that Grand was probably going to do this when they first started the mission. "I'm not sure where he is, but he can look after himself. Let's just get these ponies out of here, alright?"

"RIGHT!" They all agreed before First, Heather and Ruby rushed off.

The others all began to direct the freed ponies back the way they came. As they did, Tidal gave Sky a cheeky smile, "So, what do you think of Flash now?"

Skybreaker let out a guttural growl, "The kid's got guts, I'll give him that. He's also got a will of steel and a heart of gold, which will serve him well. But he still needs to learn not to rush in. He got lucky this time, but I know first hoof how that can backfire."

Tidal let out a hearty laugh. "I know all about that. He reminds me a lot of the stories Grand told me about you when you were younger."

"Exactly," Skybreaker replied, more groans following. "But like I said, that kind of attitude can backfire."

Tidal nodded as they continued to direct the prisoners, running into a fresh wave of cloaks as they did. The three knights pulled out their Celestic Gear and began to dispatch them. "How many of these things does Doom have?"

"No idea, but there's way too many of these things." Iron commented as he cut one of the cloaks to pieces. "Of all the times for Grand to go awol."

"Where'd he go anyways?" Tidal added.

Meanwhile...

Grand was rushing through the city, having lost sight of Doom after defeating a group of cloaks that were defending him. He let out a low growl as he went down another alley of the broken city. "Blast it....where are you? Just where..."

His mouth stopped as he looked back up at the sky, seeing there were no longer clashes happening. He had also seen Flash's battle end, concern still in his mind over his student. But he knew he had to trust his safety in the others. Right now, he needed to find and stop his son.

This was his responsibility, as a knight and as a father. And as he did this, he looked back down, soon seeing another group of cloaks stand in front of him. The sight made him shake his head, his hoof gripping his weapon, "Doom...I'm coming for you."

Meanwhile....again.

Doom watched as the knights began to divide their numbers.

"That helps me a lot," he commented as he changed the viewing globe's image to Toxic, the bat pony still knocked out. "Such a pity. I had hoped you'd be able to kill at least one of them before failing. Oh well," he changed the image again. This time it showed in unconscious Flash, laying on the ground succumbing to the effects of the poison. "At least you managed to incapacitate one of them."

In that moment, he opened the doors of the throne room, a pair of cloaks following him with the Omni Sphere's glass container while the others were carrying large metal bands of differing sizes. "Place the bands in the corner." The cloaks nodded and did as told while the container was placed next to him.

The pieces of the Omni Sphere flew into it. "There, safe. Just like my back-up plan." He turned back to the cloaks before pointing to viewing globe, still showing Flash. "Find this pony and end him. He'll be no trouble in his condition."

The cloaks nodded before rushing out the door. Once that was done, Doom changed the image on the globe to show a certain changeling. "Hiveena, several of the knights are on their way to save their comrade. Make sure the don't get there in time."

Hiveena nodded. "Yes master."

"Do not let what happened to Toxic happen to you. I have no time for weaklings who cannot get the job done."

"I will not fail you," Hiveena assured him, bowing in the image. "I will stop them, no matter what."

"Be sure that you do," Doom replied before cutting the image.

Hiveena sighed as she continued to stare at the miniature viewing globe, then looked away and down at the city. Like Toxic, she had been surveying the city from on of the high towers.

"I can't fail. Doom is the key to getting me the power I need." she told herself. "I must have my revenge on that wretch, and take what truly belongs to me."

The Past...

"Ever since the beginning, I've always been different."

The first thing Hiveena remembered was waking up, instantly feeling her body covering in a disgusting liquid. She also felt the space she was in to be confining, as if she was being squeezed inward. Not liking the cramped feeling, she began to push against the walls of her confinement. As she did, her head began to feel a layer of goo above her, soon breaking it with her noggin. She then shot her face out of the goop, taking a deep breath before looking around.

What she saw was a room filled with many strange green rocks, all of them having odd yet familiar patterns on them. She then looked down at what she had been trapped in, only to see it was the same as the rocks. Her ears then stood up, causing her to look up and see an entirely new sight. It was Chrysalis, Queen of the changelings.

Queen Chrysalis stared down at the changeling maggot, raising an eyebrow as she did. "Someling's early," she commented as her horn glowed, an aura soon picking up the baby changeling. Levitating it up to her face, she scanned it over as a look of surprise slowly appeared on her face, "Interesting. A week early and so different from the others. I wonder what other surprises you have in store." With that, she turned around and walked out of the chamber, levitating the baby changeling with her.

"I soon discovered that I was different from the other changelings. Not only in appearance, but in raw natural ability."

Chrysalis and Hiveena were both in the queen's throne room, Chrysalis sitting on her dark stone throne. Hiveena had now grown to the twice the size she was after hatching, while having also developed features that made her look more like Chrysalis, though she had a small tuft of red hair growing out of the top of her head.

"Alright Hiveena," Chrysalis told her daughter. "Try it again."

The young changeling nodded before closing her eyes and concentrating, a cocoon of red fire soon encasing her. The fire quickly disappeared, revealing a newly molted jet black dragon with red spikes and wings.

Chrysalis smiled at this, nodding. "Not bad. A full transformation after a single week of training. You're progressing faster than the others."

Hiveena shined a big grin before opening her mouth to cheer, only for a burst of flames to fly out. Surprise quickly covered both of their faces, only for Hiveena to slam her mouth shut soon after. Red fire followed, soon reverting back to her normal form. "I'm sorry. I don't know what happened."

"Neither do I," Chrysalis replied as she stepped over to her daughter. "You shouldn't have been able to do that."

Hiveena gave her mother a nervous smile. "Well, you did say I'm progressing faster than others my age, right?"

Chrysalis shook her head at this, "But you shouldn't be able to create flames. No changeling can mimic dragon fire. Despite looking like them, we cannot synthesize the methane needed to do so. The fact that you can..." she then muttered off, looking away as she started to pace around the room.

"Mother?" Hiveena asked, blinking at look of worry appearing on her mother's face.

Chrysalis came to a halt, turning back to her. "This requires further experimentation."

"We travelled everywhere. I studied all kind of creatures, learning their abilities before transforming into them, soon discovering that I could use their powers with little to no difficulty. Eventually, it was confirmed that I could mimic both the form and abilities of anything I copied, even magic and the knowledge of how to use it."

"Impressive. So impressive..." Chrysalis commented as they returned to the throne room after their journey. Hiveena had now grown to the size of most changeling drones, while her hair had grown all the way down to her back.

"What does this mean mother?" Hiveena asked. She had asked this over and over in the journey, unable to get any answers.

That is, till Chrysalis sat back down on her throne. "It means that you have much potential, and we will need to explore them and all their capabilities." Hiveena just blinked at this, still not fully satisfied with the answer. But before she could answer, Chrysalis got off the throne and began to head out of the room, "I'm going to check on the newest batch of hatchlings. I want you to study up on more creatures, okay?"

"Yes mother," Hiveena replied, nodding.

"Hiveena," the young changeling blinked at Chrysalis, only to see a smile on the queen's face. "I'm proud of you."

Hearing those words caused Hiveena's heart to almost stop in amazement. Chrysalis never told any changeling this, causing a huge smile to appear on her face as she replied, "Thank you."

"I truly thought my mother cared about me. I loved her and would do anything for her and the hive. I truly loved them all.

But now as I look back, I can't believe how much of a fool I was."

Hiveena was now walking through the hive. She was slightly taller than the other changelings her age, with a longer horn and a mane that now reached down to her hips. Her wings were now sparkly and her hunger for love had lessened recently.

But as she passed the grub training room, a trio of changeling infants rushed out, screaming in fear. She raised an eyebrow at this and moved over to the chamber, only to hear a familiar voice.

"Why are you hitting yourself?! Stop hitting yourself! Why are you hitting yourself?!"

She peeked into the room, spotting a pair of young changelings. The two were well known in the hive, thought for very different reasons. The first was Pharynx, the most aggressive hatchling of his generation, a true born warrior through and through. His transformation skills were second only to her. The other was Thorax, who was known for his timid un-warrior like nature. The two were truly an unusual pair, made even stranger by the fact that they were brothers.

"They're right you know," Pharynx yelled at Thorax as he turned to walk out of the room. "You need to have tougher skin."

Hiveena frowned the sight, Pharynx soon passing her and leaving the room. She feared this situation might lead to him losing his confidence, and one lacking warrior could endanger the whole hive. She let out a low breath, calming herself as she stepped up to Thorax, who turned and gasped at the incoming changeling, "Hiveena?"

Hiveena graced him a big smile. "Do not worry Thorax. You will one day find your place, but you cannot allow them to make you lose confidence in yourself."

"Really?" Thorax replied, his eyes growing wider and wider at her words.

She nodded at this. "Don't try and force yourself to be something you're not. Instead, simply do what comes naturally."

"I...can do that?" Thorax asked, getting another nod in response. "Ooohh...okay, I will. Thank you Hiveena."

"You're welcome." Hiveena replied as she turned to leave the room, only to hear Thorax's voice again.

"Hiveena?"

"Yes?" She turned back to the changeling.

"You're the best. Thank you."

"I was happy. My life was great, something I cherished so much. I believed I had a true future with the hive, one that would continue to lead me to even greater heights. I believed that like Thorax, I would bond with all my changeling brothers and sisters, soon making a greater hive than before.

But I was wrong. Soon, I would learn that everything I knew was nothing more than a lie."

Hiveena was walking through the chambers of the changeling hive, looking for her mother as she had wanted to show a new transformation she had learned. She arrived outside her mother's chamber, but as she raised her hoof to knock, she heard her mother's voice.

"I have to act now. Hiveena is growing too fast."

Hiveena stopped her hoof and raised an eyebrow. Why would her mother think that was a bad thing? Slowly, she cracked the door open and leaned in, her ears listening to every word.

"Your highness," the now grown up Pharynx spoke up. "Is that not a good thing? She's growing stronger, meaning she can protect the swarm better."

Chrysalis turned to him with a hiss, anger covering her face. "You fool, her growth is the worst thing for the swarm. Don't you know what she is?!"

Pharynx backpedaled, soon looking down. "No your majesty. I don't."

"Then I'll tell you," Chrysalis growled. "She's a Royal Changeling, like me. That's why she looks different from other changelings." She then looked away, fear now mixing with the anger on her face. "I knew her coming was inevitable. She's just like me."

"Your majesty?" Pharynx asked in confusion.

"I was like her. I hatched early and developed at a faster rate than the others in my brood all because I was meant to take over after my mother." Chrysalis turned back to her changeling guard. "But she would not go easily. That's why I had to overthrow my mother, and now Hiveena will do the same to me. Once she starts to lay her eggs, she'll work to usurp me. Not only that, but when her eggs hatch, the changelings born will be stronger and more powerful than the ones I birth. It'll be the end of my era."

"Then why didn't you simply destroy her as a grub if you knew she would be such a danger?"

"Because I thought I could use her for my own needs. I've been magically suppressing her abilities, but all I've been able to do is slow her growth. She would probably have taken over by now if I hadn't. That's why I've been keeping her so close, so I'd know when she became a threat." Chrysalis chuckled at her next words. "The silly thing thinks I actually love her, the fool." Her expression turned back to one of anger, "As if I would love something that could take my place. Not only that, she loves the other changelings in the hive rather than strength like myself. To think, a queen that would love their subjects more than power? What nonsense. I have to get rid of her."

Hiveena's eyes widened at this, a tear soon falling down her face.

"I couldn't believe what I had just heard. But before I could react, things were already destined to fall apart."

Hiveena felt sick. She wanted to throw up as she put her hooves over her mouth, her ears still listening in as she kept thinking about what Chrysalis had just said. But as she did this, she didn't notice the sparks disappear from her wings. She did however, notice the growing hunger beginning to rise.

"If she reaches full maturity and sits on the Dark Stone Throne, she'll become a full Changeling Queen and my time will be over." Chrysalis continued, crossing her hooves in frustration. "It seems I have no choice now. I'll have to make sure she never reaches full maturity."

Hearing this made Hiveena let out a gasp, only for her hoof to hit the door, causing it to swing and creak. Both Chrysalis and Pharynx turned towards the sound, instantly seeing Hiveena with a small tear down her cheek.

"Hiveena..." Chrysalis spoke up, her eyes wide as she realized what this meant. But before she could say anything else, Hiveena turned around, immediately running away. The sight made Chrysalis's eyes narrow, "Stop her! Stop her now!"

Pharynx quickly rushed out of the room, soon calling upon the other changeling guards as they all began to give chase.

"I knew I couldn't escape. I ran down corridor after corridor, my heart still hurting as I ran. But as I ran, I knew the others would catch me.

That is, till I ran down that one corridor..."

Hiveena was still in a full-on sprint, dodging every ling she could. And as she took another turn, she felt a hoof tap her shoulder, causing her turn in fright. But as she did, her eyes went wide as she saw who it was, "Thorax?"

"Hey Hiveena. Come on, I'll help you get out of here." Thorax answered, gesturing her to follow him. He then pointed to a tunnel entrance behind himself, "This leads to the edge of the territory. You can use it to get out." Hiveena nodded and began to climb in, only to hear the guards getting closer. "I'll hold them off."

"Thank you Thorax," Hiveena replied before pulling Thorax into a tight hug. Seconds passed before she let go and ducked into the tunnel, crawling her way as her ears soon heard Pharynx's voice.

"Thorax, did Hiveena come through here?"

"Yeah," Thorax replied, making Hiveena freeze for a second. "I've been guarding this escape tunnel since the warning went up. She came by trying to escape through it, but she saw me and rushed off in the other direction. Guess she felt taking me down would take too long."

"Alright," Pharynx replied as he patted his brother's shoulder, "good job for once."

Hiveena sighed in relief before continuing to crawl. Eventually, she arrived out of the tunnel at the edge of the changeling territory. Once out, she ran into the horizon, tears falling from her face as she did.

"I spent months hiding myself away, taking whatever form I could while sneaking through towns and cities. While this happened, I continued to dwell on what my mother had said. It ate away at my heart, rotting it away until nothing remained. All I cared about was my revenge, destroying my mother and the changelings she ruled over. But I knew I could not do it alone.

But then, he found me."

A hooded figure stepped into a rundown tavern, the place filled with grumbling figures and ponies drinking hard cider. The figure looked around and saw who he had been searching for, stepping over to a booth at the back of the building. There, he found the biggest, buffest earth pony in the place.

"You're not an easy pony to find. Or...should I say ling to find?" the figure said as he removed his hood, soon revealing the face of Doom Raizer. He then flashed his horn, creating an invisible bubble around them. "You don't have to hide your true form anymore. This spell will make anypony outside see you as you are now."

The pony glared at Doom before being enveloped by flames, which faded to reveal Hiveena. "What do you want?"

Doom shined a devilish grin. "I need your assistance."

Hiveena raised an eyebrow. "And why would I help you?"

"Because if you do, I can help you with getting what you want. Revenge."

Hiveena, impressed that he knew who she was, was intrigued. "Go on."

The Present...

"Once he has the Omni Sphere, he'll help me get my revenge." Hiveena spread her wings and flew into the sky after Ruby, First and Heather. "I will sit on the Dark Stone Throne. I will become the next Changeling Queen."

Meanwhile...one more time!

A long moan was followed by a flickering of eyes for one orange pegasi. It was Flash, who was now trying to raise his head, only for the first inch up made his neck give out. "Damn...I'm a sitting duck like this." Flash whispered to himself, his whole body still aching. "How long have I been out?"

It was here that his ears perked up, the sound of hoofsteps in the distance now tapping the ground. He tried to do a gulp, his eyes darting around as he kept hearing the hoofsteps. "Lightbringer….I need my blade." he groaned, his eyes soon seeing the sword just a few feet away. "There....I gotta….shoot."

Flash let out a small growl. "I can't move. Blast it." He then heard the hoofsteps again, his smile faltering, "Please be an ally, please Celestia let this be an ally." Finally, the owners of the hoofsteps came into view, "Damn it!" Flash almost yelled as he saw the cloaks come into view. He tried to push himself up to defend, but his body still refused to work. And he struggled, her felt himself black out again, "No....Twi...light..."

Then, his eyes closed, the defender now completely helpless. One by one, the cloaks pulled out weapons, ready to skewer the solider. But as they began to gather around the pegasus, new hoofsteps caught their attention.

Back to the knights...

First, Ruby and Heather continued to rush through the city, "Where is he?! Just how far did his fight go?!" Heather asked as they passed down another street.

"He's here," Ruby replied as he stared straight ahead. "We just have to keep looking."

"But we have to be fast," First added. "One bite from that bat pony was enough to render you unconscious. Flash was infected with who knows how much venom. I do not want to think about what that could do to him without treatment."

"And I don't want to think about what happens if something else finds him before us."

"You're right," Ruby stated as she took a deep breath. "But we're no help to him if we're in a frantic state. We must remain calm, or-"

"THERE!" Heather interrupted as she pointed down a street, the sight before them being Flash surrounded by a bunch of cloaks. This alone made her gasp as she pulled out her Celestic Gear, "GET AWAY FROM HIM!" She whipped her chain mace at the cloaks, flicking them into a nearby wall in a second motion.

"Aid Bolts!" First added as he fired his magic arrows at several more while Ruby rushed forwards.

"Ruby Hammer!" She created a giant mallet in her magic, flattening a whole group with one mighty swing. With this, they continued to fight until the cloaks were all destroyed, the three of them panting once done.

"Is that all of them?" First asked as he fixed his glasses.

"I think so," Ruby replied, nodding.

Heather turned to her fallen comrade before whispering, "Flash? You okay?" She then stepped up to him, but as she got close-

"AURA BLAST!" A sphere of blue energy hit the ground between them, forcing Heather to leap back. They then turned and saw Springer running up to them, a look of pure anger on his face.

"Springer!" Ruby yelled, "What in the wide world of Equestria are you doing?!"

The jakhowl didn't reply, instead creating a Bone Breaker as he rushed towards Flash. He then leapt into the air, ready to strike his partner, "RRRAAAHHH!"

"SPRINGER!" The three knights cried as they watched, only to go wide eyed as they saw the unconscious Flash leap into the air to avoid the strike.

"What the heck?!" Heather gasped as she stared at Flash, his form now looking like he was at perfect shape along with a smirk on his face.

But before they could say anything else, Springer pointed his weapon at him. "Drop the act. You can't fool me."

Flash's smirk increased. "Not bad," he said before being consumed by red flames, soon revealing a certain changeling.

"Hiveena," the knights growled in unison.

"What gave me away?" Hiveena asked with a glare at the jakhowl.

Springer put his Bone Breaker over his shoulder, "You can copy appearance and abilities, but not aura. I can see right through you."

"So she was gonna sneak attack us," Ruby concluded.

"Looks like it," Heather added. "Good thing Springer was close."

"And I know where Flash is," the jakhowl replied as he desummoned the Bone Breaker. "I can sense his aura close by."

"Then you and First need to get to him," Ruby told him. "We'll handle the bug."

"Right!" The two agreed before First began to follow Springer.

"You're not going anywhere!" Hiveena yelled as her horn began to shine, only to feel a sudden pain in her wing, "AUGH!" She cried as she fell to the ground from the blow, barely managing to land on her hooves. She then stared at her wing and saw a crystal arrow stuck into it.

"Your fight's with us," Ruby hissed as she created a pair of crystal swords.

"We won't let you hurt anymore of our friends," Heather told her as she retracted her mace head. She then pointed at the changeling, "now...count up your sins."

Both Hiveena and Ruby glared at her. "Seriously?" Ruby asked deadpan.

"What?" Heather asked with a shrug. "I wanted to try it out."

Hiveena smiled as she pulled the arrow out and crushed it with her front hoof. "As entertaining as this is, did you forget who you're fighting against?" In that moment, she was consumed by red flames, only to be replaced with a large jet black dragon with red spikes. "RRRRRAAAAAOOOOORRRRR!" She screamed, unleashing a burst of fire at the two knights.

Ruby quickly leapt in front of Heather, creating a giant shield of crystal which the bounced off of. "Try all you want, but heat and pressure only makes crystals stronger."

The dragon stopped and glared at them before being covered in flames, which soon faded to reveal an exact copy of Ruby. "Then I'll fight using crystals as well," she said as she created a pair of crystal swords. The crystal shield vanished a second later as Ruby recreated her pair of blades from earlier. The two then clashed, locking swords before a slashfest began.

As they did, both of them hopped around, cuts and swipes happening everywhere. Heather watched as the two continued to fight one another, waiting for an opening to hit the fake one. But as she did, she began to blink at the sight, her eyes starting to have problems following the fight. And as it when on...she soon realized she had no idea which one was the fake. The two had been moving around so much that she had lost sight of who was who.

And after three minutes of clashing, the two Rubys leapt away from one another, panting following from the fight. They stared at their opponent before turning to Heather, "get her!"

Heather's head turned from right to left to right and so on, completely confused as her weapon shook in her hoof. "Um...which one is her?!"

"She is!" They both yelled as they pointed at the other with their sword. "Don't listen to her, I'm the real one. No you're not, I'm the real Ruby!"

"Aaaahhhh! Its too confusing!" Heather cried as she put her hooves on the sides of her head. She looked back at the two, knowing she had no idea which one was who. As she did this, she thought about yesterday, trying to rack her brain about the pony she had just recently met. That is, till a bulb went off in her brain, "Wait...I got it!"

The two glared back at her. "Huh?! What are you talking about?!"

"Who does Springer remind you of?"

The two both blinked at this, until the Ruby on the left smiled. "Sharp Paw!"

Heather smirked at this before turning to the other Ruby, her mace instantly lashing at the imposter. The Ruby tired to block with her swords, only for them to shatter as she felt herself be struck in the chest. "AAAHHH!" She screamed as she fell back, reverting to her true form as she did.

The real Ruby, rushed over to Heather and the two smacked hooves. "Well done. Good idea asking that."

"Thanks," Heather replied.

Hiveena picked herself up and glared at the two. "Don't think you've won," She hissed as she was consumed by red flames again, only to reveal something Heather wished she would never have to see again. The giant Scorpentine. "I heard my mother used one of these."

"Oh no...I really hate those things," Heather whined as she and Ruby leapt back, the giant pincers already trying to strike her. But as she did, a giant poisonous tail swung down, only for the Floral Knight to sidestep at the last second. "Watch the tail! Its poisonous!"

"Understood," Ruby replied as she started swinging her swords around, only for Hiveena to counter with her pincers before shooting her stinger at her. As the tail thrusted toward the knight, it soon collided with a crystal shield, "None of that please. One poisoning is enough for me, thank you very much."

Hiveena retracted her tail and tried to swipe at her with her pincer, but in that moment Heather's Flower Chain wrapped around it. "Got ya!" She cried as she tried to pull her pincer down.

Hiveena smirked. "Do you now?" She flicked her pincer around, pulling Heather along for the ride. The knight cried out as she was thrown through the air. "Because I think I'm the one who has you!" She swung the pincer, causing Heather to go flying.

"Aaahhh!" She cried as she was forced to unwrap her chain, only to swing the chain at the ground pulling her down to the earth, stopping her airborne adventure. She winced at the pain in the landing, but was otherwise unharmed.

"Heather!" Ruby yelled as she struck at the pincers again. "Are you alright?!"

"I'm fine," Heather replied as she picked herself up. "It'll take more than that to take me down."

"We'll see about that," Hiveena replied as her body ignited again, soon revealing Grand Hoof with his Celestic Gear in hoof. Hiveena then raised the weapon above her head. "Grand Impact!" She smashed it into the ground, a barrage of rocks flying out of the earth at the knights.

Seeing this, Ruby dashed towards Heather with another crystal shield, "Hang on!" she yelled as she protected them both, blocking the entire attack. But as the attack ended, Ruby and Heather heard something new.

"Tidal Surge!" A tidal wave suddenly struck them, knocking them off their hooves and sweeping them away.

The two mares were then slammed into a wall, crying out as they fell to the ground. They then started to pick themselves up, only to look up and see Tidal stepping towards them. He then reverted back to Hiveena, who shined a huge grin, "Face it, you can't beat me."

The two mares let out a series of heavy breathes. "Don't...underestimate us," Ruby gasped as she tapped her necklace.

"Yeah..." Heather panted as she gripped her mace, "We're full of surprises."

Hiveena simply shook her head. "Excuse me for not believing that. I think I'll destroy you both now. Then...I'll rip the rest of your team apart." She then changed into each of the members, her grin increasing over each change before turning back to her changeling form. "It'll be so easy..."

"That won't happen," Ruby told her as she created a single sword and held it up, shaky but firm. "No matter what, we will protect our comrades."

"Agreed. You're going down, here and now!"

The knights both took stances, only to rush towards the bug as she took Iron's form, the bug now holding Piecemaker.

"Then bring it!"

Meanwhile...

First and Springer were still trying to get to Flash. Springer was now sitting on First's back as he raced through the streets, his focus on keeping a lock on Flash's aura. "Left...then a right. Then another left."

"How much further?" First asked.

"Not far. One more left turn and it'll be straight to Flash. Now!" First turned the corner, only to find a group of cloaks blocking their path. "Aww nuts..."

"We do not have time to fight them all," First replied.

"I'm on it! Aura Blast!" Springer yelled as he hopped off the pony's back before unleashing the attack. The cloaks all backpedaled from the attack, making a straight path as they did. This allowed First to rush past them as they picked themselves up, Springer landing in between them. The jakhowl glanced back at First. "Keep going, I'll hold them off!"

"Understood. Good luck Springer."

Springer turned back to the cloaks and smiled while cracking his knuckles. "Alright," he created a pair of Steel Paws, "lets do this thing!"

At the same time....

"Damn it!" Grand yelled as he cut down another group of cloaks. "Where'd he run off too?"

He had lost sight of Doom after two cloak group attacks, now finishing that second group. As he did this, he yelled into the distance, "Doom! I know you're out there! Please, give up this pointless quest for vengeance!"

However, there was not response.

Grand just shook his head, his tone slightly lowering as he continued to yell, "I know Daisy's death was heard on you. I'm sorry I wasn't there for you or Lightning...but please, you must know that this isn't what she would want."

But as these words left his mouth, Grand heard a new sound. It was somepony walking towards, causing him to spin around and say, "Doom, is that you?"

He got no answer, only a new sight that caused Grand's eyes to go wide.

Back to First...

First was continuing to rush down the street towards Flash's location, hoping Springer did not forget to mention an extra turn or something. "Come on," he panted through his steps. "Where are you Flash?" It was in that moment that he spotted something floating up above the roofs of some of the smaller buildings. Smoke. "That can not be good." He redoubled his efforts as he continued to run towards the smoke, only to see his destination ahead, "Flash!"

Flash was still unconscious, his body limp on the ground.

But as First arrived in the area and looked it over, what he saw surprised him. Cloaks, or at least what remained of them, were all destroyed, turned to piles of goop that were now creating the smoke.

"What happened here? Did he...No, that is impossible in his current state. But then who?"

As First investigated the scene, the cloaked figure Salt had met earlier stood a bit aways, soon turning as it said, "You'd better not let my efforts go to waste."

First then pulled out Crossbolt and used it to magically scan his body. But as he did, he realized something. "The venom...it has been neutralised? But how? There...there is not even close to the amount Ruby had." First they looked over his body, soon seeing the injuries were nowhere near what they should be considering the fall and battlefield around them. "What is going on?" Soon choosing to look into this later, First got to work on healing the remaining poison and injuries Flash had.

"Flash Sentry, you are truly an oddity in this world. What will you do next to excite and amaze?"

Back to the battle...

"Iron Lance Fury!" A barrage of metal projectiles shot at the mares, only for Heather to whip her chain mace around, deflecting the attack.

"Crystal Shot!" Ruby swung a crystal blade, the form unleashing a barrage of crystal arrows.

Hiveena cried out as the arrows struck the area around her, kicking up a dust cloud that shielded her from view. The two knights then took an offensive position, ready for whatever might come out of the dust. They saw a flash of light within the smoke, only to hear a familiar voice cry out. "Bloom Coil!" From out of the dust shot a particular chain mace, aimed squarely at Ruby.

The Crystal Knight grunted as the weapon wrapped around her neck, just as the cloud faded to reveal Heather. "Gotcha now!" The fake yelled before using all her mimicked strength to flick her captive into the air.

"Ruby!" Heather cried as she watched her comrade be tossed towards another building, the chain releasing her as she slammed into the wall.

"Your turn!" Heather heard before turning back to her double, the two of them both tossing their chains at one another. The flower shaped mace heads locked and the two began to pull at the other, trying to out muscle the other.

Heather glared at Hiveena while the changeling simply smirked. "Give it up!" Heather hissed through gritted teeth. "A fake won't ever be able to stand up to the original!"

Hiveena smile faltered at this, her head tilting as she replied, "You might be right..." Once again, she was surrounded by fire, only to reveal the form of Grand Hoof. "Much better!" The now far stronger pony grinned before pulling Heather right off her hooves.

Seeing this, Heather let go of her weapon before being flung into close quarters with the bug. After this, Hiveena happily tossed the mace away, soon transforming back into the giant Scorpentine, which began to snap at Heather with its pincers. "Not so high and mighty now, are we?"

Heather just smiled as she dodged the pincers. "Just because I don't have my weapon doesn't mean I'm helpless!" As if to prove her point, she hopped onto one of the pincers, quickly leaping and kicking Hiveena straight in the face.

"Augh!" Hiveena cried as she staggered back, "you little-AAAHHH!" A piecing pain shot through her back, causing her to look back and see Ruby now stabbing her backside.

"Forget about me?" She asked before jumping off her back, landing next to Heather. "Nice work. You okay?"

"I'm fine," Heather replied instantly.

Hiveena reverted back to her true form, the crystal sword on her back now falling and clattering to the ground. She let out a moan, now feeling the blood stream down her back. Pain surged through her body as Ruby and Heather both glared at her, Ruby speaking up next, "This has gone on long enough. Give up."

Hiveena continued to pant as she looked up at them. "Never...I'll never..." she whispered before her body ignited, this time changing to Flash with Lightbringer in hoof. "FLASH FORCE!"

Ruby and Heather hopped back as a crystal shield formed to block the laser, which began to push them back. "This won't hold long," Ruby said as she felt cracks forming along the shield. "Flash's magic is too strong, especially if its not held back."

"So what do we do?" Heather asked as she felt her hooves drag along the ground.

Ruby glared straight ahead, only to see something, "I've got an idea. Jump up on my back! Now!"

"What?!"

"Trust me! Just do it!"

Heather blinked at her companion, only shrug as she hopped on, soon leaping into the air. As she did this, Ruby slammed the ground with her hooves, a barrage of crystals quickly rising from the earth. Seeing this attack, Hiveena cancelled the laser as she hopped back, dodging the sudden spikes. At the same time, Heather saw what the plan was and grabbed it with a big smile, "I got it Ruby!"

Hiveena turned to Heather, only to see that she was once again in possession of her Celestic Gear, "Bloom Lash!"

The mace head flew at the fake pegasi's head, forcing Hiveena to block with her blade. But as she did, she pointed at Heather and said, "Flash-"

"Crystal Saber!" She looked back at Ruby, only to see two crystal blades coming towards her. Knowing she couldn't defend herself in her current form, flames consumed her body again, soon revealing her new form as a cragadile. She then curled up as Ruby's blades slashed at her body, the swords shattering on impact. But before she could gloat, she suddenly felt something wrap around her body.

Looking down, she saw that Heather had wrapped her Flower Chain around her body. "Gotcha!" She then heard the earth pony yell, only to look up and see Ruby hop over to Heather.

"Oh no..."

"Oh yes!" The two mares replied in unison, both grabbing hold of the chain as they flung the changeling with all their might. Hiveena cried out in pain as she went flying, her transformation failing as she soon felt dirt in her face. As she hit the earth, she tried to get free, only to feel the chain unwrap. She then looked back at the knights, only to see them both aiming their weapons at her. "Crystal/Bloom...FORCE!" The two of them unleashed a pair of tornadoes, the attack combining into a blast laced with gems and leaves.

"AAAAAHHHHH!" The changeling cried out as she was struck, the two types of razor sharp projectiles slicing at her skin. The attack knocked her airborne, her body soon crashing as rolled through the dirt in pure pain.

Heather and Ruby both panted at sight, Heather asking, "Is it over?"

"I hope so," Ruby replied. "I think that was the best attack we're gonna get off on her."

However, in that moment they saw Hiveena's body move once again. She slowly picked herself up, staggering at first as she wobbled back and forth, "I won't...let it end...like this."

The mares readied their weapons. "Don't try anything."

"Yeah!" Heather added, "Sides, can you honestly say you can keep going with the injuries you have?"

Hiveena continued to breathe heavily. "I...will not...be...DEFEATED!" She shot her head up, showing her eyes were blood shot and deranged. In that second, she transformed into Flash and raised the fake Lightbringer in the air. Doing so unleashed a burst of light, which formed into a large ball. She then transformed again, becoming Grand and unleashing a similar burst of energy from a fake Grand Slammer.

"What in the world?" Ruby asked as they watched some rubble summoned by the hammer be absorbed into the light, the two elements mixing.

Hiveena then changed into Iron, a fake Piecemaker unleashing a burst of metal that flew into the ball. She did this again and again, transforming into the different knights and unleashing a magic burst that mixed with the others. Tidal and water, Skybreaker and wind, Ruby and crystals, Heather and leaves. She then took First's form and used Crossbolt to unleash a burst of energy, one that made the now massive sphere twice the size.

"What is she doing?" Heather asked.

"She's pooling all the different magics she's copied into a single point!" Ruby replied as she summoned another crystal shield. "But with that much power, how is she hoping to control it?!"

Hiveena laughed as she reverted back to her normal form. "I am Hiveena, rightful heir to the changeling throne! I can copy anypony and their magic! I...AM THE STRONGEST BEING IN EQUESTRIA!" With that, she used the rest of her magic to levitate both the sphere and herself up into the air.

"If that thing hits, it'll wipe out the whole city."

"And everypony in it," Heather finished.

Hiveena began to let out an insanity-filled laugh. "With this, its over!"

"But what about your team?" Heather yelled at the bug. "Toxic, Grimhorn...Doom! If you unleash it, you'll kill them too!"

"So what?! It just means they weren't strong enough! I don't need them, not if I can do this!" The death ball stopped moving, now a good distance up. Despite Celestia's sun setting a little while ago, the sky remained brightened by the orb.

Hiveena looked down at her targets. "YOUR TIME HAS COME!"

Heather and Ruby could only stare in horror, knowing there was no way they could stop this.

But in that second, something strange happened. Instead of tossing the sphere at them, Hiveena seemed to let it go as both she and it began to fall to the ground. "What the-" They heard Hiveena ask herself before the sphere fell onto her body.

KABOOM!

The explosion could be felt across the island, all its residents feeling the impact. The first was Springer, he yelped out, "Whoa!" as a huge dust cloud blasted into him. He soon leapt around the corner of a building to protect himself, only to then see that the cloaks he had been fighting were not so lucky, the lot of them being swept away.

A ways off, First had managed to pull Flash into another of the buildings. Doing so protected the two of them from the dust wave, only for First to yell out, "What the heck?!"

Further to the edge of the city, Skybreaker saw the dust cloud coming and cried out. "Everypony take cover!" They soon did, all hiding behind cover and debris. As they did this, they watched as the cloaks they were just fighting be blown away, causing Skybreaker to scream, "What the devil is going on?!"

Meanwhile...

Over in the castle, Doom had been watching the fight with pure intrigue on his face. "So they beat Hiveena too, huh? How disappointing."

When Hiveena had unleashed that attack, he had grown worried. He knew he would be able to survive, but the damage done to the castle from the attack's shockwave could have buried the tomb forever. Luckily, the castle had only been mildly shaken by the shockwave.

"Hmm....eh, oh well. Its not like I really cared about her little 'I will be queen' crusade." Doom muttered to himself as he magically changed the viewing globe to show a different image. "After all, I'm not worried in the slightest. I already got rid of their most powerful member."

On the viewing globe, the new image was one Grand Hoof. But this Grand Hoof did not look well, in fact, he was covered in bruises, his body battered and beaten, complete with the pony losing consciousness. A big smile shined on Doom's face as he watched the sight, soon seeing another blow appear on Grand's body, a small stream of blood now dropping from Grand's mouth.

"With that, I've already won."

The Doom Quartet's Final Member

View Online

In the city of Omniara, its civilians were still reeling from the previous explosion. Even on the edge of the city, the prisoner ponies were all poking out of the cover or buildings they had hid in from the incoming dust cloud. As they did this, they looked around for the ponies that had saved them along with the ones not able to find adequate cover, only to find that they were nowhere to be seen.

What could be seen however, were strange metal tent like constructs. They were spotted all around the area, confusing the ponies. But before they could question it, the metal structures began to unravel themselves, all of them returning into the earth. As they did this, it revealed the remaining ponies, including the knights Iron, Skybreaker and Tidal. It was here that Iron pulled his Celestic Gear out of the ground before collapsing, heavy pants expelling out of his mouth, "Did...did I get them all?"

Skybreaker looked around for a bit, only to pat his apprentice on the shoulder. "Yeah, you got 'em all. Good work kid."

"You did great amigo," Tidal added along with another pat. He then turned back to where the dust cloud had originated, remembering the giant sphere of energy they had seen explode. "I wonder what that thing was?"

"I don't know, and I'm pretty sure I don't want to find out." Skybreaker replied as he crossed his hooves. "Hopefully, whoever got hit by it was an enemy and not an ally."

Tidal nodded at this. "Agreed. Now, let's get these ponies out of here."

Iron and Skybreaker nodded back as they once again began their trek to the edge of the crater. As they did this, the knights could not help wondering about the fate of their comrades.

Back at the battleground, Ruby and Heather were looking Hiveena over. The changeling had taken the full force of her own super attack and fell to the ground like a rock. Yet somehow, and to the two knights surprise, the changeling was still in one piece. Her body was burnt all over, showing the magic had overloaded every bit of her, and even her legs couldn't even twitch due to her condition.

"Is she gonna be alright?" Heather asked as she poked the bug with her hoof. "I mean, I know she's an enemy, but..."

Ruby was a bit more dismissive, just letting out a snort from her nostrils. "Yeah, she looks fine. And I suspect she won't wake up for quite a while."

Heather breathed a sigh of relief before turning to Ruby, "What the heck just happened? Why'd she drop that thing on her own head?"

Ruby tapped the side of her head in thought before replying, "Want my best guess? She probably went past her magic limit." She blinked at Heather, only to see a look of confusion, which meant she needed to further explain to the earth pony, "All magic-horned users have an internal magical pool. Its where they store their raw magical power, which is then shaped into whatever magic they're able to use." She looked down at Hiveena and shook her head. "After all the changes she's done and the final attack she was about to unleash, her magic pool probably ran dry and she couldn't levitate it and herself. Without it, well...gravity kicked in and the much heavier object fell faster."

"Ouch," Heather winced as she looked back at Hiveena, a big frown on her face. "You know...I do feel kind of bad for her. I mean, it was obvious she was probably just rejected from her kind considering what she was saying during the fight, but...not to be mean, but I'm glad it was her and not us with that last attack of hers."

"Agreed," Ruby nodded as she tapped her necklace. A few moments later, the changeling was now sealed in a layer of crystal magic before the knight continued to talk, "There. If she wakes up, she won't be able to move thanks to my crystal magic. Now, we'd better go find the others."

"Yeah. Though with Flash's luck, something's probably after him. I hope First and Springer found him first."

Ruby giggled at this. "If Flash's connection to Springer is as strong as they say it is, they'll have found him by now. Jakhowls are incredibly loyal, more than willing to put their lives on the line for their partners."

Meanwhile...

A little further into the city, which was now buried in four or five feet of dust, was one big pile of dirt and sand. It was here that a small blue paw popped out, along with the blue and black head of Springer the jakhowl.

"Eww," he moaned as he stuck his tongue out. "Its in my mouth." He quickly managed to yank one of his arms out before digging the rest of himself free. He then stared around, now seeing that most of the buildings looked like their first floors had been completely buried, along with all the cloaks Springer had previously been fighting. "That's good, no more lifeless puppets to fight. Now I can go find Flash."

But as he said this, a certain cloak just a bit away now tore and ripped, the cloth torn to pieces. It was here that it revealed a mannequin body, complete with an axe as it slowly shifted back and forth towards Springer. With no aura to sense it, Springer just stood there, unaware of the puppet behind him.

That is, till the puppet stepped onto a soft rock, shattering it and-

"Huh?" Springer yelped as he turned around, only to see an axe being raised into the air. "WHOA!" The jakhowl leapt back, barely missing the axe. After this, Springer summoned a Bone Breaker, soon pointing it at the puppet, "One of you left huh? Not for long!"

However, Springer's cocky reply wasn't exactly the best thing to say. As Springer swung his aura weapon, the cloak did a slick downward swipe, splitting the bone in half. Seeing this, Springer smirked as he morphed the broken staff into a pair of Bone Breakers, quickly doing a double slash at the enemy before him. The resulting attack knocked the axe away, the aura weapons soon thwacking the puppet's head.

"And to finish it....Aura Blast!" Springer yelled as he shot the energy sphere into the cloak, instantly turning it into ash. Springer leapt back from the explosion he had made, only to cry out as pain clutched his stomach. "Augh! Not again!" He yelled as a blue aura surrounded his body, this time being even brighter. However, the jakhowl didn't notice this due to the pain, and just fell to his knees before the aura stopped. "Ugh....what was that? Why does that keep happening?"

He soon recovered, picking himself up as he tried to use his aura to locate Flash and the others. "Hmmm...okay. So Flash and First are over there..." he said to himself as he started to spin around, glancing at all the life, "Ruby and Heather are just a bit aways from them...Iron, Skybreaker and Tidal are with a whole bunch of auras I don't recognize. I guess they're the prisoners." He then let out a long sigh, soon turning back to Flash's direction, "Okay, guess I should get to Flash and...hmm?"

Springer's ears flared up as he turned around, his aura now spiking as he saw another aura. "Grand? Why is he way over there? And...his aura is really low." Springer took another glance at the direction Flash was, only to look back at Grand's location. "Its getting weaker, and there's no one who can get to him."

Feeling this, Springer clenched his paws, rushing towards the earth pony in the distance as he said, "I'm coming Grand."

Back in the castle...

Doom was now watching his puppets continue to unearth the tomb, a slight yawn coming out of his mouth, "Not long now...but is it too long?" He then turned towards the viewing globe, which was constantly changing to show the progress of the groups. He also saw that the group freeing the prisoners were almost at the edge of the city, which made him wince, "Ugh...they freed them faster than I thought. I need to slow them down."

The viewing globe changed to show the image of Grimhorn, "What do you need master?"

"Focus on the group freeing the prisoners. If you can, kill them all."

Grimhorn smiled and nodded. "With pleasure."

With that, Doom looked back at the tomb, only to let out another sigh. "This isn't good. Once the tomb's completely unearthed, I still have to break its magical seal." Doom looked back at the viewing globe, switching it to another individual, "Well what do you know? He was right...and he's on the move as well. That's good. After all, as long as the knights remain occupied, victory will be mine." Doom then let out a low chuckle, "Though knowing him, he'll go a bit above and beyond."

Just a few minutes ago...

A certain individual was now sitting on top of one of the city's ruined towers, a big juicy red apple about to be bitten into by the figure. He was also using a pair of binoculars, commenting as he looked the city over.

"Looks like old bug butt lost. Tch, I told Doom that she wasn't up for the job. That and the...what was that pony again? A bird-bat thing? Eh, its not like that one matters anymore anyways." He then chomped down on the apple, the sounds of munching filling the air, "Now let's see here...the horn-head moron is about to take on the idiots who are freeing the prisoners and the two that beat the bug are meeting up with the others. If that's the case..."

His small monologue was interrupted by the sound of cloak landing behind him, causing him to turn and smile at the tool. "Ah, you're here. I'm glad Doom taught me how to use you guys." He took another bite of the apple, "So, you get what I wanted?"

The puppet did an almost invisible nod as it gave the figure several red spheres, making him smile at the sight, "Ah, you did. Good job." He then turned around and saw another sight, "And what do you know, the mutt is headed over here. Guess he'll be my first target with this new weapon of Doom's."

He glanced back at the cloak, "Hey, I know you can't talk, but how much you wanna bet I have to do all the work here?" As on cue, he got no response from the puppet. "Yup, I figured as much." He then took that last bite into the apple, "Guess I'll have to beat all the knights myself."

Back in the city and inside one of the abandoned buildings, the front door opened to reveal one First Aid. The unicorn doctor coughed heavily as he stared at the scene before him. "My word, it feels like I breathed in half the desert." He looked back inside the building and saw his patient, still unconscious but out of danger. The only thing different about him was the face mask over his mouth and nose, which First had placed on him to stop him from suffocating. "At least Flash is alright."

"First!" He turned to see the two mares of his team, Heather reaching him first and pulling him into a hug. "Are you okay?"

"I am unharmed," First replied as he hugged back.

"What about Flash?" Ruby asked, only for First to reply with a pointing gesture to the pegasi.

"He is fine. A little rest and he will be back to his old self."

"That's good," Ruby replied as she looked the orange defender over, "Were you able to get the poison out in time?"

Ruby then turned to First, only to see a frown and a huff from the doctor, "That is the thing, I did not need to heal the poison. It was already mostly cured, to the level that Flash was out of danger."

The mares went wide-eyed at this, Heather asking, "How?"

"I do not know. What is more, when I arrived here, I found a bunch of destroyed cloaks. It looked like they had been melted by something, but Flash did not have his Celestic Gear in hoof."

This two just blinked at this as Heather replied, "So who saved him? He's the only one of us whose magic could possibly melt these things."

First simply shrugged. "Again, I do not know."

"We'll have to ask him when he awakens," Ruby added.

"Ask me what?" The three spun around to see Flash with a slightly tired expression on his face.

"Flash!" Heather rushed over to him, immediately patting his chest as she tired to make him lay down. "Stop, don't get up. You should be resting."

"I'm fine, don't worry about it." Flash assured her, pushing her hoof away. "Whatever First did to me, it made me feel one hundred percent again."

First gave him a skeptical look, "All I did was basic first aid. You somehow managed to cure the poison yourself."

Flash raised an eyebrow at this as Ruby stepped in front of First, "Any idea on what could have done this Flash?"

Flash just shrugged. "Probably the same thing that makes me immune to Poison Joke, Discord's weird chaos magic and Chrysalis's mind control. I've learned not to question these things." He looked at his comrades and saw they all had a look on their face that said, 'you really need to start questioning these things', causing him to shake his head, "Look, I'll decide to worry about my mysterious powers when we're not in the middle of a war zone. Can we move on?" They all shared a glance, only to give him a nod a second later, "Good. So...what's the plan now?"

"Iron, Tidal and Skybreaker should almost be at the edge of the city," Ruby replied as she looked back at the city. "Once the prisoners are there, the three of them will be able to come back and help us."

"Plus, we also need to find Grand and Springer," Heather replied before turning to First. "Where is Springer anyway?"

"We ran into some cloaks on the way here," the unicorn replied. "He stayed behind to deal with them."

"But that shouldn't have taken too long, He should have gotten here before us."

The very statement made Flash's stomach twist as he spoke up, "I don't like this. We need to find him, fast."

"Hold on Grand, I'm almost there." Springer yelled as he ran down another street. "Come on...I'm almost there-" The jakhowl almost came to a skidding halt as he now saw the earth pony laying on the ground, completely still as blood dropped from the wounds covering his body. "GRAND!"

Springer quickly rushed up to him, leaning down as he rolled Grand over, "Grand, are you okay? Speak to me!" The jakhowl then put his ear to Grand's chest, soon breathing a sigh of relief when he heard the sound of a heart beat. But as he listened, he didn't notice that Grand's hoof lifted up.

POW!

"Augh!" Springer cried as he was struck in the back of the head, instantly knocking him into a nearby wall. "Blargh!" He moaned as he hit the pile of bricks, making him pop off the wall as he felt the pain smear itself over his face. "Oww...that hurt."

The jakhowl then shook his head rapidly, turning back to the knight with a glare, "Grand! What the heck?! What is wrong with you?!" It was here that he saw Grand lift his Celestia Gear, making Springer gulp, "Uh-oh..."

Meanwhile again...

Back at the edge of the city, Skybreaker, Tidal and Iron were still directing the prisoners, Iron in front of the group as he turned at the other knights, "Alright, I can see the edge of the crater. We're almost there."

"Good," Skybreaker replied as he looked over the former slaves, "We need to get all of them out of here now."

"Si," Tidal added as the rest of the prisoners all began to cheer happily, knowing that freedom was within there grasp. But then-

CRASH!

The knights skidded to a halt and spun around, just in time to see one of the nearby towers suddenly begin to fall towards them. The prisoners all began to scream, the tower's shadow quickly covering them all.

But as it fell, a certain pony rushed in front of the crowd, the pony being Skybreaker with Cloudhacker in hoof. "Sky...FORCE!" A magic tornado flew out of his weapon, blasting the tower into dust. Seeing this, Iron and Tidal quickly hopped in front of the group of prisoners, both weapons unsheathed as they looked at the base of the tower. There, they saw it had been cut in half, making them all glare at the culprit as the dust began to fade.

"Grimhorn," Skybreaker growled as he saw the minotaur stand, steam pouring out of the bull's nostrils.

Grimhorn was wearing a growing frown, pointing at the prisoners, "Those slaves are property of master Doom. What right do you have to take them?"

The knights all raised their weapons. "How about the right of pony decency? They're not objects to be used."

"They deserve freedom," Iron added.

Grimhorn just blinked at them, his brain barely moving as he tilted his head at the knights, "Why would you care about that? In this world, the weak bow to the strong. That is the law of nature." He pointed to the prisoners. "They are weak, and I am strong, That makes them mine to command, along with master Doom."

The knights all gave each other a glance, not liking the sound of this. Skybreaker then looked back at the minotaur, "If the weak obey the strong, then why do you work for Doom? Aren't you physically stronger than him?"

Grimhorn just laughed at this. "Ponies don't know anything, do you? I used to think that, but then Doom showed me how weak I truly was." He pointed to the burn mark on his chest. "This mark is a reminder of how weak I am compared to him."

"Doom gave you that scar?" Tidal asked with slightly widened eyes.

"Yes, and ever since, I have served him. Like I said, you must obey those stronger than you and there is nopony stronger than master Doom."

"Boy do we have some ponies to introduce to you," Iron replied with a snarky smile.

However, his bravado wasn't going to last long as Skybreaker whispered to his student, "Iron, Tidal and I will distract him. You need to get the prisoners to safety."

"What?!" Iron hissed as he glared at his teacher, "but I can help you here! Heck, I'm itching for a fight!"

Tidal then nudged the defender, "You need to help us by helping them. We can't fight properly if we have to worry about civilians. Once they're out of the crater, get back here to help us finish him off."

Iron opened his mouth to reply, only for his brain to instantly get what Tidal was saying. A sigh followed as he replied, "Grrr...fine." he turned back to the prisoners, gesturing at the group. "Come on you lot, let's get out of here." The prisoners all nodded and began to follow.

"Hey! Get back here!" Grimhorn yelled as he tried to run after the prisoners. But as he did this, the other knights appeared in front of him.

"Sky/Tidal Force!" The attacks struck the minotaur, sending him into another building. Seeing this, Tidal nudged Skybreaker, "Nice shot."

"Same," Skybreaker said with a nod, only for the two to see the building in the distance explode.

They then saw the bull lift itself out of the rubble, dusting itself with a smile on his face. "I think a fly just landed on me."

"Oh," Skybreaker started.

"Geez," Tidal finished.

Grimhorn held up his chains, the two extending until they were several feet long. He then began to spin them both around, the ends hitting the ground hard enough to make small trenches in the dirt. "This is gonna be fun."

Meanwhile...

Doom was still in the castle, his eyes staring at the battle in his globe.

"Grimhorn, my first and most loyal of servants." he spoke out to nopony in particular, "Are you capable of defeating these ponies? You've certainly come a long way from the meathead I met so long ago..."

The Past...

Doom was walking through a desert area, the night air blowing his cape about. He was still on his hunt for the pieces of the Omni-Sphere, which had led him here. While doing so, he had heard rumors of a monster terrorizing a local earth pony community, and was intrigued at the prospect of the creature. The pony was looking for helpers, and he knew if he could tame the beast, it could become a valuable weapon in the future.

And now, he was here. The monster was rumored to be living around a large rock structure in the desert, which Doom had finished climbing up. There, he was the beast in the distance. It was a minotaur, one that was stuffing his face with meat as drool splattered everywhere. The bull then heard Doom's hoofsteps, causing him to turn and stand up to full height over Doom. And as he towered over the pony, the metal chains around his body clanged into each other.

"You shoulda not come here," the minotaur hissed.

Doom smirked at his broken Equestrian. "And why shouldn't I have come here?"

"Because you not ever go back," the minotaur replied as he cracked his knuckles.

"Excuse me for not being as scared as I should be," Doom said as his grin widened. "I'd heard rumors of your exploits. You've been causing quite a bit of trouble for the ponies around this area."

"Why I care about weak ponies? Grimhorn stronger than all ponies. Makes them fear Grimhorn. Makes them chain him like animal. But Grimhorn too strong to be chained."

"Except you can't get those chains off. Obviously, they have quite the magical lock, something you minotaurs can't do." Doom motioned to the chains around his body. "I can help with that."

This statement didn't go well with the bull, as he then roared and charged at Doom, "Me not need weak ponies help!" Doom smirked as his horn glowed as Grimhorn tried to punch the unicorn. But as he did, the minotaur then saw his fist had come to a halt just inches away from Doom's face. "What the-"

"Oh? Having trouble?" Doom chuckled as his horn flared. Before Grimhorn could do anything, both of his fists were incased in magic, only for him to start punching himself up in a flurry of blows. Doom just laughed at the sight as he motioned his hooves, "You call this pony weak? Maybe you need a...how you say, better example?" Grimhorn's arms then raised like Doom's hooves, revealing his chest as the unicorn's horn glowed brighter. "Here we go. How about this?"

It was here that a beam of light shot into the bull's chest, Grimhorn screaming in pain as his flesh burned from the laser. It lasted for several minutes, screams now echoing across the desert. And as it finished, Doom released the minotaur's arms, Grimhorn soon slumping to the ground as an X shaped burn began to form. He then felt something step right up next to him, causing him to look up and see Doom staring down at him. Despite being the taller of the two, Grimhorn had never felt so...small.

Then, a huge, wicked grin plastered itself on Doom, "As you can see, I'm far stronger than you are."

Grimhorn tried to move, only to put his head in the dirt in shame. "You...stronger."

Doom chuckled at the sight. "Good. So...how about you do as I say? In this world, the weak obey the strong, as that is the law of nature. Will you obey me?"

Grimhorn slowly nodded, knowing he was outclassed. "Grimhorn...obey."

"Good. I'm sure this will be the start of a beautiful relationship." His horn glowed again, causing the chains around Grimhorn to change from silver to black. "My gift to you. Those chains are now bound to your will. They will shrink and grow to become whatever size you want. Try it."

Grimhorn looked at the chains connected to his wrist cuffs and watched as they shrank, until there were only five links from each one. He looked up at Doom and they both smiled.

"With my brain and your brawn, we'll be unstoppable."

The Present...

And unstoppable they were. Over time, Doom used several spells to increase Grimhorn's mental capabilities, though he was only able to make him to the level of average intelligence. Despite this, Doom found the Grimhorn was pure muscle through and through. "Don't let me down Grimhorn. I put too much work into you." He then magically changed the viewing globe's image to show his father fighting Springer. "Now...what will happen here?"

"Ahh! Stop it Grand!" Springer yelped as he felt a barrage of rocks fly at him, his Bone Breaker just barely blocking the onslaught of rubble. But as he smacked the last piece of hardened dirt away, Grand lifted his hammer again. "Wait! Don't-"

THOOM!

"Oh come on!" Springer screamed as a massive fissure formed into the earth from the hammer, making Springer sidestep away from the following cracks. And as one of the cracks made its way to a building behind the jakhowl, destroying it in the process, Springer let out a growl as he clapped his paws, "Grrr...you made me do this. Aura Blast!"

Seeing this, the earth pony smashed the orb away with his hammer, only to see Springer charging forward with another Bone Breaker, "Grand...." Springer hissed as he raised the aura weapon up high, "WAKE UP NOW!" With all his might, he smashed the staff onto Grand's head, a cracking sound following as the earth pony felt pain surge through his body.

"Raaaggghhh!" He cried out as he staggered back, Springer landing nearby while creating another Aura Blast in preparation. But as he watched Grand falter, he felt his aura start to return to the pony as he groaned, "Ooooohhhh...What happened?" Grand then rubbed his head, blinking as he saw the jakhowl in front of him, "Springer? What is...huh?"

Springer desummoned the aura sphere as he walked up to Grand and put his paw on his shoulder, "You okay?"

Grand blinked at the dog once more, "Springer? What is....what happened?"

"You were attacking me," Springer replied as he scanned the pony over with his aura. "Though you weren't trying too hard..."

"I was? Why?"

Springer stopped the scan as he looked at Grand right in the eyes, "What's the last thing you remember?"

Grand closed his eyes at this, his brain turning wheels. "I was...I was following Doom, but I lost him. I then remember seeing something...or somepony? I'm not sure. I thought it was Doom, but...its fuzzy. The next thing I remember, I felt something before blacking out. Then I woke up with my head exploding with pain." Grand then blinked at Springer, a slight frown on his face, "And you were there."

"Yeah...sorry about that. I had to wake you up somehow." Springer replied as an apologetic frown.

"Its fine Springer." Grand said as he rubbed his head again, "Though it really hurt...along with the rest of my body."

"Okay. Welp, come on then," Springer remarked as he put himself under Grand's right hoof, propping him up, "Let's get you to First. You're no use to anypony in that condition."

"I couldn't agree-"

BLAM!

"AAAHHH!" Springer cried as he was suddenly struck in the back by something, the blow sending him into the rubble of one of the houses Grand destroyed.

"SPRINGER!" Grand yelled as he saw Springer slam into the dirt pile. But before he could do anything, a metal sphere flew past the knight and hit the jakhowl, only for the orb to explode as a stream of red energy hit the defender. It then created a red ring around the jakhowl, which got bigger and bigger until it became a red sphere that completely encased him. "What in the name of-"

But before Grand could say anything else, the sphere suddenly shrank, only to instantly blink out of existence. "Springer?" Grand whispered as he stared at the now empty sight, only for his ears to hear something behind him. He then turned, only to see a new sight that made him gasp, "What is-"

"Oh no you don't." the figure replied as a 'snap' followed. Grand went stiff as a board from this, only for a small metal sphere to tap his body a second later. And as the same motions from this sphere happened to him, the figure could only chuckle at the sight.

"That's two."

Meanwhile...

"RRRRRAAAHHH!" Grimhorn roared as he charged at the two knights, his chains destroying the ground as he tried to strike the two. Both ponies quickly leapt out of the way, Tidal completely dodging the metal while Skybreaker had hopped just slightly away. Seeing this, Grimhorn flicked his wrist, making on of his chains wrap around Skybreaker's back leg.

With one strong yank, the flightless pegasus felt his leg be pulled out from under him. "Augh!" He moaned as he hit the ground, seeing Cloudhacker land next to him. He then felt Grimhorn begin to pull Skybreaker towards him, causing the Knight of the Wind to reach for his weapon and barely manage to get a grip on it. With a quick spin and a slash, he cut through the chain, making Grimhorn snarl.

But before he could react, his ears picked up another sound. "Tidal Vortex!" He turned to see Tidal slam his trident into the ground, causing the earth below Grimhorn's feet to break apart. A funnel of water shot out, soon spinning into a fifteen foot tornado. Tidal smirked at this only for his smirk to disappear when he saw Grimhorn remain completely still, his arms crossed over his chest. "Que?"

The minotaur then thrashed his arms forward, literally ripping the tornado apart with a sinister smile on his lips.

"Damn it!" Skybreaker picked himself up and looked Grimhorn over. "He's too heavy."

"That's right! All muscle!" Grimhorn boasted before swinging his chains again. This time, Skybreaker managed to dodge it, only for the metal to wrap around Tidal's neck. Seeing this, Grimhorn flicked his wrist to send a ripple down the chain. If it hit Tidal, it would likely break his neck.

"Sky Cutter!" A blade of air struck the chain and cut Tidal free, seconds before the ripple hit it. Grimhorn turned to Skybreaker, who started swinging his axe around wildly. "Sky Cutter Barrage!" Multiple air blades flew at the minotaur, who simply crossed his arms as the Sky Cutters all just bounced off him, leaving not a spit of damage.

Tidal then rushed behind Grimhorn, raising Wavefang as he did, "Tidal Whip!" He swung his trident around, unleashing the whip shaped water attack as it struck the minotaur's back.

But the water just splatted along his back, causing no visible damage. Grimhorn looked back at the unicorn and laughed. "What do you expect to do with splashing me with water?" He turned back to Skybreaker, who had stopped his attack and was now panting. "Or puny breeze? Maybe you should quit being Royal Knights and find a career you'll actually be useful in. Oh! Like mane dressing! One of you can wash it while the other blow dries. Hahahaha!"

The two knights glared at the minotaur that was now laughing his head off, Skybreaker pointing his weapon at the bull, "Don't underestimate the power of wind and water."

"Especially when the two forces are fighting together!" Tidal completed as he rushed towards Grimhorn, who spun around to punch the unicorn. But as he did this, Tidal used Wavefang to pole-volt over him, making the minotaur instead punch the ground.

"Huh?" Grimhorn asked as he felt his fist hit the dirt.

Tidal then landed by Skybreaker, yelling to his comrade, "Amigo, let's show this brute our combo move!"

Skybreaker smirked at he pointed to Grimhorn, "You got it! Let's do this!"

"Tidal Bullet!" Tidal pointed the prongs of his weapon at Grimhorn, only for three watery projectiles to fly out of the trident.

Grimhorn laughed the sight. "I told you, water's useless against me."

"But what about ice?" Skybreaker asked as he pointed his weapon at the water bullets. "Sky Force!" The tornado shot at Grimhorn, hitting the Tidal Bullets as a cold wind encased them. As it did this, the water began to spin, soon turning into a trio of icicle drills.

Grimhorn quickly crossed his arms, only for the projectiles to stab into one. "Augh!" He cried as they drilled a few inches in, causing him to bleed.

"Excelente!" Tidal cheered.

"Not so invulnerable now, are we?!" Skybreaker added.

They watched as Grimhorn pulled the icicles out of his arm, looking down at the small holes they had made. Drops of blood began to seep out, causing his previous smile to turn into a sneer. "You...made...me...bleed!"

"Maybe now you see how strong wind and water are," Tidal told him.

"And that was only our weakest combo move!" Skybreaker completed as they pointed their weapons at him.

Grimhorn began to pant, his breaths growing heavier and heavier as his eyes closed. "You...made...me...BLEED!" At that last statement, his eyes shot open to show that his pupils had almost completely disappeared. These were not the eyes of a being thinking rationally, but the eyes of one consumed by rage. The eyes...of a beast.

"HOW DARE YOU!" He raised his arms in the air before slamming them down on the ground, the force making the whole city shake. "I'LL DESTROY YOU!"

At the edge of the city, Iron and the prisoners had just arrived at the wall of the crater. The prisoners had started to climb the stone wall when they felt the earth begin to shake. Iron then looked back at where his mentor and Tidal were fighting, a small whisper following, "Skybreaker..." He turned to the rest of the prisoners, who all nodded at him with soft smiles. The sight made him want to leave, but he knew he had to stay.

But as he thought this, a pony walked up and patted his shoulder, "Go. We'll be fine."

Iron looked up at him, noticing the kind smile on the pony's face, "But-"

"Go. Go help your friends."

Iron blinked at this, only to then look at the rest of the crowd. They all nodded in unison, causing him to smile and nod, "Thank you," he told them before pointing to their destination. "Once you're all out of this crater, head back to the village and barricade yourselves in your homes. Do whatever you need to do to keep yourselves safe...and don't let yourselves be alone."

With that, he turned back towards the battle in the distance.

Meanwhile...

"Oh what now?" Flash asked as he and the others felt the ground beneath them shudder. After agreeing to go after Grand and Springer first, Flash had showed Ruby where Toxic had landed and she had encased him in crystal like Hiveena. Now, they were trying to make their way around the ruined city, only for the shaking ground to knock them all off balance.

"An earthquake?" First proposed.

"I don't think we're that lucky," Heather added.

Ruby nodded at this. "Agreed. This is likely happening due to another battle going on. Don't forget how powerful that minotaur was."

"Oh I remember," Flash said as his brain flashed back to the sonic blast he had created just by clapping his hands. "I just hope whose ever fighting him remembers, and I hope they're not fighting him alone. Especially Grand and Springer since they're both out there alone."

His three comrades all nodded as the ground finally stopped shaking. But as this stopped, Heather spotted something that made her smile. "Seems we won't have to look to hard!" She then pointed down the street, which everypony followed to see Grand walking towards them.

"Grand!" Flash cheered as he ran towards his mentor, "I'm so glad you're okay! Where'd you-"

BAM!

"AAAUUGGGHHH!" Flash yelled as he felt pain surge into his chest, only for the sudden blow to knock him flying past the other three knights.

"FLASH!" They all yelled as they turned to the downed pegasus. They then looked back at Grand, only for Ruby and Heather to be bucked in the chest by Grand. The two let out yelps of pain as they both hit nearby walls.

"Grand! What are you doing?! What is wrong with you?!" First yelled, only for Grand to just turn to the unicorn with a huge smile on his face. "What in the name of-"

First didn't get to say another word, as a punch from Grand followed. First was able to dodge the first blow, only for a second to hit his face. The hit caused him to let out a yell of pain, only for three more punches to hit his chest. "Augh!" First cried as he felt another blow to the head, this one knocking him to the ground. Grand then pulled out four metal spheres, quickly throwing them at the other ponies, which were all soon encased in a red light.

Now seeing himself being bathed in the red light, Flash looked back up at his mentor and whispered, "Grand....why?"

Grand didn't answer though. Instead, he just stood there with a large, ever-increasing grin on his face.

Back to the battle with Grimhorn...

As the ground finally stopped shaking, Tidal and Skybreaker both looked at Grimhorn in pure fear. The two shook like leaves as they saw the minotaur let out a series of long, heavy pants. His eyes were fully bloodshot now, and his feet were now slowly moving towards the duo as he moaned, "Destroy...weak...ponies!"

"Somepony woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning," Tidal joked with a chuckle, trying to fight his fears away.

However, his laughing entered the minotaur's ears, soon making a surge of steam come out of the bull's nostrils as he then yelled. "SHUT UP!" The bull then swung a volley of punches into the air, only for the force of the swings to turn into bullets of air. The very shots made both knights scramble back and forth, dodging each blow.

"Whoa!" Tidal and Skybreaker yelped as they leapt around, another air bullet sailing past them. As it did, the blow struck a building behind them, only for it to crumble into dust from the singular strike.

"Impossible," Skybreaker gasped as he stared the now destroyed building.

"That was one hit," Tidal proclaimed in shock.

Skybreaker turned back to Grimhorn as he clutched his weapon in even more fear. "It's like his strength has been super charged? Don't tell me...." A horrible thought entered his head as he glanced at his partner. "Was he...was he holding back?"

As Doom continued to watch the battle, his face started to show a slight tinge of fear. He gulped at the sight of the minotaur, his body shaking as he talked to himself, "Everypony has mental limiters in their bodies, mainly there to limit how much physical strength they can access. These limiters coincide with one's intelligence, which is why smarter ponies are so weak compared to the less intelligent ones. The smarter you are, the more limiters your brain creates to hold back your maximum strength." He then let out a small sigh as he continued, "I increased Grimhorn's intelligence to limit his strength...but powerful emotions like anger and rage can suppress that intelligence and remove those limiters. If that happens, Grimhorn's power could become unlimited."

Doom then turned to the cloaks, seeing them still working at to unearth the Omni-Sphere. "I must hurry. If I don't have the sphere soon, even I might not be able to stop Grimhorn's rage."

Back at the battle again...

"RRRAAAAAOOOORRRRR!!!" Grimhorn screamed as he charged full force at the ponies, his footsteps causing small earthquakes as he did. The minotaur then slammed the earth with his fists, even stronger earthquakes following the attacks.

Seeing this, Tidal and Skybreaker kept leaping back, trying to dodge every fissure created. But as they did this, Skybreaker swung his axe, a blade of energy soon coming out of the weapon, "Sky Cutter!" he yelled, only to see the air blade bounce off Grimhorn's shoulder, "Oh shoot....that's really not good."

"RRRAAAUUGGGHHHH!" Grimhorn screamed again as he kept smashing the ground, "STUPID PONIES!!! DESTROY PONIES!!!"

"Not today bull face! Sky Force!" Skybreaker launched the tornado at the minotaur, the attack striking him in the chest. And as the attack hit the minotaur, his charge didn't stop, but his speed slowed. The knights stared as Grimhorn suddenly flinched in pain, only to charge again. Seeing this, the two hopped away again, this time fully dodging the charge. As he did this, the minotaur ran into another building, this one made of stronger stone, which caused his horns to be stuck in the rubble.

Skybreaker rushed to Tidal's side as the bull began to thrash about from his predicament. The pegasi then panted as he asked, "Did you see that?"

"Yes amigo. He slowed down...but why?"

Skybreaker shook his head at this, "You didn't see his face. He was...he was hurt by that attack."

Tidal turned to him in shock. "How? We've done nothing to the monstruo!"

In that moment, Grimhorn slammed his arms into the building, only for him cross his fist and make the building collapse over him. But as the walls fell over the bull, he felt nothing as turned back to the knights. It was here that Skybreaker saw his chest again, this time making him gasp as he saw the scar on his chest again.

Skybreaker pointed at the spot, "That scar. Before, he was protecting it from being hit. That must be his weak spot."

Tidal smiled as he raised his weapon in his magic. "So we just gotta keep hitting that spot. Perfecto!" In that moment, Grimhorn let out another roar, ready to charge again. But as he sprinted towards the two, Tidal spun his weapon again, "Tidal Whip!" A volley of water was summoned from the trident, the stream splashing right into the Grimhorn's chest. He let out another yell of pain, but his charge didn't stop.

Seeing this, they once again leapt to the side, Skybreaker rolling away as Grimhorn sailed past him. But before the minotaur could stop and turn, the pegasus used all his strength to leap up onto his back. "Gotcha!" He yelled as he positioned Cloudhacker in front of his neck, his hooves pulling the axe back as he tried to cut off his air.

Grimhorn cried out as he began to thrash violently, trying to buck Skybreaker off. Seeing the opening, Tidal pointed his trident at him again, "Tidal Bullets!" The trio of water blasts flew at Grimhorn, but two of them were stopped by his trashing arms and chains. The third one hit dead center, causing him cry out yet again. His trashing then increased, his arm grabbing Skybreaker and slamming him into the ground.

"Augh!" Skybreaker yelped as he felt the dirt, only for his eyes to go wide as he looked up. There, he saw an upside down Grimhorn glaring at him.

"RRRAAARRRGGGHHHH!" He launched another punch at the pegasus, but as he did, Tidal leapt in front and blocked with Wavefang. As he did this, the force of the punch clanged with the weapon, instantly knocking the unicorn away like a ragdoll.

"Eeyagh!" Tidal yelled as Skybreaker rolled over and hopped back on his hooves. The pegasi then thrust his hoof into the minotaur's chest, a cry of pain following. But before Skybreaker could jump away to a safe distance, Grimhorn backhanded him, sending him away like Tidal.

"Aaahhh!" Skybreaker yelped as he struck a building, the walls breaking and crumbling as he was now buried in a pile of rubble. The knight then pulled his head out of the dirt, only for his blurred vision to see the metal sticking out of his artificial wing. The sight made him want to sigh, as he knew that if he had the wing, he could fly around and hit the minotaur with no trouble.

Then, another shake of the ground made him look back at the battle, only to see Grimhorn staring down at him, a large piece of a broken building in his arms. Skybreaker tried to jump away, but the minotaur quickly slammed his foot down on his back, pinning the pegasus to the ground.

"Skybreaker," Tidal groaned as he tried to pick himself up, only to collapse as he felt the pain from the previous blow. Skybreaker on the other hoof, tried to move, only to feel the minotaur's hoof drill into his body. He then tried to look for his weapon Cloudhacker, only to see it a few feet away, just out of reach. The knight looked back up, only to see Grimhorn now holding the rock as high as he could, ready to drop it on him.

"Bye bye birdy!"

Skybreaker closed his eyes and readied himself for the end. "I'm sorry everypony. I-"

"IRON HAMMER!"

Skybreaker's eyes shot open as he looked up just in time to see Grimhorn be knocked back by a familiar hammer ended staff hitting his chest. It was his apprentice Iron Core, the earth pony now using every ounce of strength into his hammer as he hit the bull. Grimhorn staggered back from the blow, dropping the rock right onto up his own head, only for it become rubble as it crumbled into a million pieces. But before he could recover, Iron returned Piecemaker to its normal form and pointed it point blank into his chest. "Iron Force!" The metal laced tornado struck Grimhorn, pushing and slicing him back into another building, the structure falling onto the bull in an instant.

Their opponent now safely pushed back, Iron looked down at his mentor. "Skybreaker, you okay?"

Skybreaker moaned as he picked himself up. "Fine now. Thank you Iron. Are the prisoners okay?"

Iron smirked and nodded. "They're all safely out of the city and heading back to the village. We don't have to worry about them anymore."

"Good," Tidal had finally managed to recover and had walked over to them. "So that means that after we beat this guy, we can finally focus on Doom."

The three of them turned to Grimhorn as his head started to form out of the building's rubble. Iron then pointed at the bull, "What happened to that guy?"

"He got mad. Really mad." Skybreaker replied as he cricked his neck from the pain he had just experienced. "But that doesn't matter right now. What does matter is that we have to hit that scar on his chest as many times and with as much force as possible."

Iron shined a big grin at this. "Then let's get this done." He was about to charge after this, only for Skybreaker's real wing to unfold in front of him.

"Don't be careless. He might not be thinking, but one hit from him is enough to shatter every bone in your body."

"Then what do we do?" Iron asked as he pointed his weapon at the minotaur.

Skybreaker turned back to Grimhorn as he once again began charging, swinging his chains around wildly. "We wait for him to slip up, then hit him with everything we got." With that, the pegasi charged at the bull. And as the two got closer to each other, Skybreaker dropped to the ground, skidding between Grimhorn's legs as he dodged the chains as well. He kept sliding until he reached his Celestic Gear, which he quickly grabbed.

Grimhorn skidded to a stop and turned back to Skybreaker, ready to strike the knight with his chains. But as he did this, Iron leapt into the air and yelled, "Iron Lance Fury!"

The projectiles flew at the minotaur's back, bouncing off his muscular hide like they were nothing. However, it did get the bull's attention, making him turn around again, this time glaring at the earth pony.

"Tidal Force!" Tidal yelled as he ran to the side of the minotaur, a flurry of water now coating Grimhorn without a spit of damage. This too got his attention, making him now look at the unicorn as Iron ran around the bull while Skybreaker unleashed a cold blast of wind at the bull.

The water on Grimhorn's body froze, encasing him in ice. But the minotaur didn't seem to notice it, his body slowly moving as he just shook off the ice. However, Skybreaker had not been trying to freeze the water on him. Instead, he had now frozen the water on the ground, turning it into an ice rink-like area. They watched as Grimhorn's foot touched the ice and quickly slipped. He yelled out as he landed on his face, his own momentum making him skid around the ground.

Seeing this, Iron shoved his Celestic Gear into the ground. A second later, metal shot out around the minotaur's hands, binding them away from this chest.

"Tidal Whip!" A water rope shout out of Tidal's weapon and wrapped around Grimhorn's neck, as the unicorn rushing behind him and pulling with all his might. These two events exposed Grimhorn's chest, allowing Skybreaker to rush up and shove Cloudhacker into it.

"This is over!" Skybreaker yelled as he pushed the axe in with all his might, "SKY...FORCE!" A tornado blasted out of the weapon, all of it point blank at the scar.

"RRAAAAAUUUUGGHHHHH!!!" Grimhorn screamed, the tornado still surging as he felt pain cover his whole body. But as this pain continued, Grimhorn let out one last roar as he pulled his arms up, shattering the metal like tissue. The knights all gasped at this as Grimhorn raised his arms and clapped his hands, the force instantly destroying the tornado and blasting Skybreaker away.

"AAAHHH!" the knight cried as he went rolling into the dirt, pain plastering itself all over his body.

"Skybreaker!" Iron cried as he and Tidal stopped their attacks and rushed towards their friend. But Grimhorn saw the two coming, his arms quickly flicking as his chains suddenly swung themselves into the knights. Before they could react, both were wrapped in the metal ropes, only for another flick to follow, flinging the two into the air.

"WHOA!" Tidal yelled as he and Iron slammed into a pair of buildings, their bodies instantly slumping down into the dirt below.

Skybreaker opened his eyes just in time to see them fall, their bodies becoming completely still as they slumped over. "No.....NOOO!" he yelled, as he scrambled up, only to hear the footsteps of Grimhorn approach him.

"Stupid ponies!" Skybreaker looked back at Grimhorn as he raised his fists again. He then punched the pegasi, "Think you can beat Grimhorn!" he punched him yet again. "Grimhorn...UNBEATABLE!" He punched him again, and again and again.

Both Iron and Tidal saw this, fear on their faces as they watched their friend take a beating. The sight made Iron moan in despair, "Skybreaker…"

"Amigo..." Tidal did the same.

Grimhorn continued to punch the pegasus as he monologued. "When I beat you, your friends next! I turn them to dust! Die pony die!" But when he brought his fist down for another punch, he felt something new. It was Skybreaker, who had now managed to catch his fist in his hoof and was pushing back, the force equaling his own.

"No..." Skybreaker cracked his eyes opened and glared at the minotaur. Grimhorn frowned before throwing his other fist into a punch, only for Skybreaker to catch that one too. Then, as if a miracle before their very eyes, Skybreaker began to push the minotaur back. "I won't...let you harm them...anymore."

Grimhorn growled as he began to increase the pressure, but Skybreaker was able to keep up. "Stupid pony. You can't out-muscle Grimhorn!"

"I will!" Skybreaker yelled as he began to push back even harder. "I won't lose anymore comrades! NEVER AGAIN!" He then did another push, this one actually forcing Grimhorn back. "As a senior knight...it is my duty to keep my juniors from harm!" Finally, he pushed Grimhorn back enough that the minotaur was forced to stagger back, allowing Skybreaker to reach down and grab Cloudhacker.

Grimhorn's growling increased as he charged towards the pegasus. "STUPID PONY! GRIMHORN STRONGER! GRIMHORN DESTROY PONY!!!"

As the minotaur threw a punch at Skybreaker, the pegasus's years of training kicked in, his body quickly outmaneuvering the fist and punched the scar again, "Maybe physically, but there are many different types of strength!" He punched Grimhorn's scar again, making him flinch and stagger back once more. "True strength comes from having a reason for it!" He shoved Cloudhacker into the minotaur's chest again, "from having something to protect!"

Then, Cloudhacker glowed a bright blue color. The sight made Iron gasp, as he had never seen such a thing. "What...what is that?"

"The ultimate Celestic Gear attack," Tidal replied as he tried to get up. "An attack that only the strongest of knights can achieve."

"This is the power born from the desire to protect what you love!" Cloudhacker's light intensified as Skybreaker took a massive breath before crying out. "Sky Force...EXCEED!" At the sound of this outburst, a tornado bigger and more powerful then any of the ones seen before blasted out of the Celestic Gear, striking Grimhorn with the force of a meteor.

"RRRRRAAAAAUUUGGHHHH!" Grimhorn cried as he was bombarded by the attack, the force of the tornado pushing him back like he was nothing. He tried to fight it, only for a yell of pain to follow as he was sent flying backwards, crashing through a building. But even as the tornado dispersed, Grimhorn still kept flying, crashing into three more buildings.

As he hit the last structure, the whole thing collapsed on itself, burying the minotaur alive. And as they watched the building fall, the three knights all breathed a sigh of relief. Iron then turned to Skybreaker, who instantly collapsed after doing such a move.

"Skybreaker," he slowly picked himself up and walked over to his mentor. "Are you okay?"

Skybreaker turned to his apprentice and nodded, "I'm fine kid. Just a little exhausted."

"Nice shot there amigo," Tidal said as he continued to lay on the ground. "Finally beat that horrible bull."

"Thanks...but it took a lot out of me. No time to rest though." Skybreaker then tried to pick himself up, only for his legs to give out.

"Don't push yourself," Iron told him as he tried to help his mentor.

"I'll be fine kid," Skybreaker replied as he took Iron's hoof.

The three all shined smiles after that, happy the battle was over. But as they did this, the sound of hoofsteps behind them caught their attention. They looked back, only to see the figure of somepony getting closer. The knights all reached for their weapons, only to let out a sigh of relief as they saw Flash Sentry walk out of the shadows.

"Sentry..." Iron wheezed as he pointed at the defender, "Am I glad to see you. You missed some serious action, but if you're here..." Iron's words stopped as he now took a good look at the orange pegasi. He noticed that Flash was just standing there, silent and with a smile Iron had never seen before. Even Skybreaker and Tidal were taken back from this, as they knew Flash was one for talking.

"Hey! What's wrong?" Skybreaker said as he pointed at the defender, "Don't just stand there idly."

"You okay amigo?" Tidal asked next, only for Flash to turn to him before pulling out a small metal ball, "what's that?" Tidal's answer came when Flash tossed it at him, the sphere hitting him in the head before activating.

Skybreaker and Iron stared in horror as they watched Tidal be consumed by the red light, which shrank away until it completely disappeared. "TIDAL!" They turned back to Flash and saw another orb flying towards them.

"Iron move!" Skybreaker pushed him out of the way, the orb instantly hitting the knight with ease.

"SKYBREAKER, NO!" Iron yelled as he watched as the stallion who had raised him completely disappear. The earth pony then turned to their attacker, screaming, "FLASH! WHAT THE HELL?!" Flash didn't respond, instead he just tossed another orb, only for it be cut in half by Iron's Piecemaker. "ANSWER ME!"

Seeing this, Flash raised his hoof, a sphere of black energy soon appearing before him. He then tossed the ball at the last remaining knight, which Iron quickly tried to block by thrusting his weapon at the sphere. But as the tip punctured it-

KABOOM!

Iron was sent flying, crashing into the last remaining building that surrounded them. "AUGH!" He slumped to the ground again, trying to keep himself from blacking out. As he did, he saw Flash step towards him. "You're...not Sentry. He doesn't smile like that...."

The fake Flash simply gave off another sinister smile, this one growing in size as he took out another orb. "Hee hee hee!"

"Who...are you?"

The fake Sentry's eyebrows then hopped up and down in a cheeky manner, only for him to leap into the air as his body was enveloped by a ball of multi-colored lights. Yet...the lights did not shine. The colors just flowed through the ball as it stayed in the air, only to disappear as a new figure appeared.

The figure was now bipedal, its fur both dark crimson red along with gray, black and brown. It wielded two three-fingered hands, all of them completely red along with his toes, which were just like his hands. Also, despite not being a pony, he had a long red mane that was in a ponytail, complete with a teal bangle at the beginning of the hair style. The red mane also had black tips in it, along with black fur at the bangle. He also had an almost pure black tuff of hair under his neck and over the top of his chest. Finally, its eyes were light blue with red tips of fur over the eyelids.

Iron's eyes went wide at the sight. "What...what are you?"

The creature smiled down at Iron. "You'll find out soon enough. For now, just know I'm the fourth and most powerful member of the quartet." With that, he dropped the sphere onto Iron, the sphere's light enveloping his body in an instant.

And as he disappeared, the figure pulled out another apple to eat as a cloak walked up to him. He grinned back at the puppet as he said, "Well, would you look at that? I beat them all, just like I said I would. HA! Just goes to show that I'm the best around." He then put a claw over his mouth as he chuckled, "And now that both the knights and those three idiots are out of the way, Doom will be easy pickings! Hee hee hee...that sphere of power will be mine! Hee hee hee...hee hee hee!"

True Aura

View Online

Back at the village, Salt and Pepper were sitting down in the inn's bar. They had been too nervous to sleep, so the siblings decided to try and wait for Flash and others, hoping they kept their promise. Salt was passing the time by peeling spuds while Pepper sat slumped over a table, sighs following the head resting on the wood.

But as they did this, their ears suddenly shot up as they heard the sound of hoofsteps. "Not again," Pepper whined as she grabbed her brother and rushed upstairs. They went to the top floor's farthest room, slamming the door shut before starting to barricade the door. Once that was done, the two cowered into the nearest corner, holding onto one another in a shaking pile.

It was here that they heard the sound of creaking stairs, signaling that somepony was coming. They held each other tighter as the hoofsteps got closer, the blockade soon rattling. The duo looked at each other as the barricade began to shake more and more, the blockade now falling apart as the sound was now forcing through the objects.

Then, the pile broke. The two young ponies closed their eyes as they waited for the inevitable, but then-

"Salt? Pepper?" The young ponies eyes shot open at the voice. They looked up at the voice, only for their hearts to almost explode when they saw who it was. The pony in front of them was a cream colored earth pony with a green mane and tail. His cutie mark was a plate of food with steam coming off it.

"DADDY!" They both screamed as they tackled him over, tears pouring out of their eyes as all three hit the floor.

"We thought we'd never see you again!" Pepper cried as Salt increased their hug's tightness.

"So did I," Great replied as he kept hugging his children as tightly as possible. "I've never been so happy to be wrong."

Salt pulled away from him and looked his father in the eye, his being filled with tears. "He did it, didn't he? He kept his promise."

Great wiped away his tears as he patted Salt's head. "If you mean to Royal Knights, then yes. They saved us all from those cloaks."

"Are they here too?" Pepper asked next, only for Great to shake his head.

"No, they're still in the city. You should have seen them, they ripped through those cloak creatures like they were nothing. I even watched as one of them singlehoofedly took down the bat pony that held us captive. It was incredible."

Salt giggled at this. "He wasn't an orange and blue pegasus was he? With a blue doggy?"

This question made Great blink in surprise. "Yes, how'd you know?"

"He's the one who promised to save you," Pepper replied while nodding.

"And he did," Salt once again hugged his father. "He kept his promise and brought you back, and I know he'll make sure you never have to leave again." With that, the dam of tears burst again, Pepper soon joining in as Great hugged them both again.

It was then that they heard sounds coming from downstairs, making them all pull away. "What was that?"

"One of the knights suggested barricading ourselves together," Great replied as stood up and gestured to his kids. "With this being the largest building in the village, everypony's working to fortify the place. Now come on, let's go help them. Nopony's eaten anything more than the bare minimum for a while, so we'll need to cook up a storm."

The two young ponies nodded before following their father downstairs, only to find almost every pony that had been captured by Doom working to board up the windows and barricade the doors. The place was so jam packed that there wasn't a single spot of floor that was unoccupied by somepony.

Outside, another earth pony was directing everypony else towards the inn. "Take as many provisions as you can get through the kitchen. There's no telling how long we'll be forced to hide in here, so we need to stockpile as much as we can."

Another pony stepped up as ponies walked in with bags of food. "Also, gather anything that can be used to defend ourselves! If those cloak things come back, we'll show 'em that we won't be taken back without a fight!"

"YEAH!" The ponies of the village all cheered as they all gathered up anything that might be useful.

"Everypony's so pumped," Salt observed as they stepped into the kitchen.

"Yeah," Pepper agreed, nodding. "Before, they were too scared to fight back."

Great chuckled as he put on a chef's hat. "I guess those knights helped us find the courage we needed. They fought those monsters despite being both outnumbered and outmatched. Yet, we saw them win against those monsters. That sight alone made us realize we need to stop being scared."

Salt stepped up to his father. "Daddy, do you think they'll be okay though?"

Great looked down at his son and shined a reassuring smile. "No doubt in my mind son. I bet they're fighting against the one behind all of this right now as we speak. By the time the sun rises tomorrow, whoever that rotten villain is will be laying face down in the dirt as the knights stand victorious."

Both Salt and Pepper could not stop their smiles from growing as they started to cook. They couldn't be any happier as they started to feed the civilians around them.

Meanwhile...

A groan of pain escaped Flash's mouth as he felt himself begin to come around. He hadn't been this dizzy since Soarin had made him practice on the Dizzitron for four hours straight back when Soarin did his aerial combat training.

"Flash? Flash?" a familiar voice repeated, causing Flash to blink rapidly as he tried to find the voice's owner. "Flash, can you hear me?"

As Flash's eyes flickered fully open, he saw Springer looking down at him with a huge frown. Another groan escaped his mouth as he blinked again and said, "Springer?"

The jakhowl let out a sigh of relief, "Sweet Celestia you had me worried."

"What happened?" The pegasus asked as he started to sit up, rubbing his head as he began to look around. It was here that he saw that they were in a small cell-like structure that had a metal door, a vent and hundreds of small square tiles making up the walls. "Where the heck are we?"

"We're in some kind of jail cell," Flash looked up at the ceiling, where he had heard the voice come from.

"Grand? Is that you?"

"Yeah...it's me." Grand groaned as his hooves tapped the floor below him, the noise banging the ceiling above Flash.

"And me," Skybreaker's voice spoke up. His voice seemed to be coming from the room next to Flash's.

"We're all here," Ruby's voice called out from further away.

"Everypony?" Flash asked blankly.

"YES!" The voices of Iron, Heather, First and Tidal all called out, each of their voices showing they were all coming from different spots. Hearing this, Flash moved over to the door, which had a small barred window he could look through. If one was outside of a cell, they would be able to see that the entire room was rectangular and about three stories high, all of them divided into three sections that had metal doors lining them. Each section had ten doors for ten cells. Flash and Skybreaker's cells were on the ground section with Ruby, First and Tidal's being in the middle along with Grand, Iron and Heather at the very top.

It was here that Flash spotted something on a table in the very center of the room. "Lightbringer!" He cheered as he saw his weapon along with everypony else's weapons and gear. "First, Ruby, Tidal, can one of you levitate our stuff to us?"

"Already tried that," Iron told him with a groan. "They can't use magic."

"What?!" Flash asked.

"It's these cells amigo." Tidal explained with a huff. "They have some kind of enchantment on them that's are draining our magic. Whenever we try and use any magic, it just sucks it out faster."

"All these cells seem to have been designed to stop a pony's abilities," Ruby added as she stared at the insides of her cell, only to see runes carved into the metal walls, all of them glowing green like the other unicorn cells.

"Tell me about it," Iron said as he looked around his cell. The entire thing was padded, even the inside of the door, which was some kind of shock absorbent material in the metal that would bounce back anything that struck it. When Iron had first punched the door, the rebound had sent him flying into the other side, which he bounced off soon after.

Flash looked around his cell, soon noticing nothing looked off. "So what's mine supposed to do?"

He then heard Skybreaker chuckle. "Try flying."

Flash shrugged his shoulders before flexing his wings, beating them to get off the ground. But the second his hooves left the floor, the tiles on the wall began to glow red. The next thing Flash knew, he suddenly found the walls and roof getting closer to him and Springer. "Whoa!" He yelped as he clung Springer to his chest and shut his eyes, waiting to be crushed.

That is, till a few second passed, making the two open their eyes. There, he saw that the room had somehow fitted to the pose he making. The squares from the wall had become pillars that snugly fit around him, even his wings. Seconds later, the walls quickly retracted and both Flash and Springer fell back to the ground with a thud. "Ow," he winced as he landed on his flank before groaning as he rubbed it. "Thanks a lot. You couldn't have just explained that to me verbally?"

"I figured it was better to just show you," Skybreaker replied with a chuckle. "The floor seems to have some kind of magic pressure sensor. If it doesn't sense any more than three hooves on the ground, it activates."

Flash let out another groan as he picked himself up, "Great...so what we do now?"

"That's what we've been trying to figure out," Springer replied as he stood up as well.

"This place must have been built to house Omniara's criminals," First added.

"Its amazing that the magic in this place is still going," Heather finished.

"Hang on a second. How'd we even get here?" Flash asked as he looked out the window again. "The last thing I remember was...well, it was Grand, and he attacked us. Then everything's a blur."

"Join the club," Grand told him as he let out a long sigh. "And that wasn't me. Just somepony who looked like me."

Tidal spoke up next. "The same thing happened to us. Somepony who looked like you attacked us after we beat Grimhorn."

"But I thought Ruby and Heather took out the Changeling?" Flash asked.

"We did," Ruby told him. "It seems Hiveena wasn't the only shape-shifter under Doom's command."

"She's not. Heck, this thing ain't even a bug that attacked us." Iron replied, only to hear several hooves tapping metal.

"What do you mean Iron? Have you been hiding something?" Skybreaker quickly asked, only for Iron to shake his head despite no one being able to see him.

"I just woke up like...a minute before Sentry, Skybreaker. I'm still trying to remember what happened..." Iron barked back as he crossed his hooves. "All I remember was before I got caught, I think the thing showed me what it really looked like."

Heather gasped, soon putting her hooves over her mouth. "Really?"

"Yeah. Must of been a really confident slimeball, whatever it was." Iron admitted as he continued, "It was like a...I don't know how to describe it. It was on two legs and it kinda looked like a fox? The ugly thing had a big ponytail and it could fire these dark looking energy spheres at me."

It was here that both Springer and Ruby went stiff, both wide-eyed as Grand spoke up next. "Are you sure? All I know is this thing could look like Doom and...I think it controlled me like a puppet. Heck, Springer had to knock some sense into me after it did that. Isn't that right Springer?"

The jakhowl didn't respond though. He just sat there, his eyes wide open as these facts went into his head. He knew that he hadn't known about what was going on despite the first one arriving in these cells. In fact, he woke up at the exact same time as Iron, making it impossible for him to know. But as what Iron said went into his brain, a huge gulp went down his throat. "Oh no...."

Flash turned to the jakhowl and saw the look of horror on his face. "What's the matter bud? You look like you've seen a ghost. Did you figure something out?"

"Yeah..." Springer replied as he turned to him, his frown now trying to exceed the limits of his face "I uh...I think I know what and who Doom's last flunky is."

"Oh, I'd prefer the term...business partner."

Everypony turned to the window, looking out just in time to see something drop down from the ceiling and land next to the table their gear was on. The figure then snapped its claws, a series of extra lights turning on as the motion ended. Here, they saw the figure, completely standing and shining a massive grin.

"That's the guy!" Iron yelled as almost pounded his hooves into the door.

"What is that thing?" Heather asked, only to hear the sound of a loud 'CLANG!', which made her hop in place.

"No....why is one of you here?!" They all heard Ruby hiss, her eyes now showing pure anger.

"Oh? You know about me?" the figure giggled as he turned to Ruby, his smile increasing as stared at her. "Oh, that's right. You're Ruby Scarlet, aren't you? You were around when my kind were a bit more....prevalent." He then pointed at her, "Considering that angry look on your face, I'm guessing you're not a fan of my species."

"I would never consider your kind as friends." She immediately growled back, "I've seen the horrors your kind does, and its disgusting."

"Tsk tsk tsk...so angry, yet so naïve. Perhaps-"

"Hey! Would you stop doing that and tell us what's going on?!" Iron interrupted, only for a volley of 'yeah's from the others to follow.

The figure blinked at this, "But that ruins the fun of-"

"He's a Trickster." Springer now interrupted with an angry hiss, ignoring the small pout appearing on the Trickster's face. "He's the natural enemy of my species, and I know its one cuz it doesn't have an aura. Also, I'm also guessing you're Shade, aren't you?" Springer tilted his head as he asked his next question, "Though I gotta ask, you look a lot different from our last encounter, and everypony here can actually understand you. Granted, that's nice since I won't have to translate like I did for Princess Luna, but...what happened to you Shade? Why do you look like that?"

Shade just turned to Springer and put his claw over his mouth, "Hee hee hee. What, you don't like my new look? I put a lot of work into this body, you know."

Springer let out a low growl, "I knew it. There's no mistaking that laugh. What are-"

"Whoa whoa whoa!" Flash interrupted as he pointed at Shade, "That's Shade?! I thought you told me he was....half your size buddy. That and he likes to disguise himself as a jakhowl. He's double your size now!"

"Oh, I used to be like that." Shade chuckled as he pointed to his chest. "But after your little friend barely defeated me, I-"

"Barely?!" Springer barked as he hit the door with his paws, "Don't sugarcoat it, you fox! I beat you paws down!" The next thing the two knew, Shade leapt at their cell door, his eyes glaring through the window.

"SHUT IT YOU AURA FREAK!" Shade yelled as he banged the cell door with his claws. "I'll admit I lost back then, but it was only because of your goody-two shoes alicorn princess you were with!"

"Hey! Don't you dare insult Princess Luna like that!" Springer instantly replied back, growling at the fox as the two locked eyes. "We beat your sorry hide because you were trying to destroy Appleloosa!"

It was here that Shade's glare turned to a big grin, which he then hopped backwards to the center of the room. "Oh yeah, that's what that dirt pile was called. I forgot what that town with those walking carpets was called...not like it mattered." Shade then rubbed his chin as his grin increased, "Maybe after all of this with Doom blows over, I should go back there and finish the job. I'd love to see their crying faces as I tear that town apart."

"Don't you dare!" Springer barked, only for Shade to just wave his claw at him.

"Eh, its not like their lives matter. They're just scum that exist so I can make them suffer."

The others were immediately surprised at his dark statement, with the exception of Ruby as she commented, "Ugh...you're a Trickster alright. Not a moral bone in your body, is there?"

"Morals? Why would I need that?" Shade giggled back as he pointed at Springer again, "Anyways, to answer your earlier question, after our last encounter, I went back to Doom for some more...power." Shade then turned to Grand as his grin kept getting bigger, "I have to thank you Grand. Your son is truly something else. Thanks to his experiments, he helped me realize my battle form so quickly despite my age."

"Battle form?" Springer asked, blinking at the statement.

Shade flashed the jakhowl a smirk before leaping into the air, transforming into the sphere of light before jumping out as a tiny fox Springer was very familiar with. "This is my standard form," he leapt off the table and turned into the sphere again, soon revealing the bipedal form once more, "and this is my battle form."

"So it is just another transformation," First commented in an unamused tone.

"No, its not First." Ruby quickly replied, a low growl following. "Its much more than that. That form he's in now...that's what a adult Trickster is supposed to look like. Granted, to get that form takes a ton of aura absorption, but...he shouldn't be able to get to it that young." Ruby let out a long hiss, "That's part of the experiments, isn't it?"

"That's right." Shade said with a nod. "The experiments Doom did on me gave me the ability to take aura much faster, which allowed me to take over that dirt town back before I fought that aura mutt over there. Heck, thanks to Doom, I've had a ready supply of Aura for me to drain all I want."

The knights were confused by what he meant, only to hear Ruby gasp, "You used the prisoners."

Shade's sinister smile continued to grow. "I did. Fools didn't even know I was doing it. Now I've achieved my most powerful form despite me still being young for a Trickster." Shade then turned back to Springer, "And now, no one can beat me. That includes you, you stinking aura-loving snot."

"Wanna test that theory?" Springer asked as his paws lit up in blue aura flames. "Come on you fox, let me out and I'll show you that I can still beat your flank!"

A dark aura covered Shade's claws as he heard the taunt, showing he was considering to go with Springer's bluff. But as he did this, his ears heard the door leading out of the jail open behind him. They all looked towards it and saw Doom Raizer step inside, a smug grin on his face as he looked up at the jail cells, his eyes locking with his father's.

"Doom...." Grand growled as his whole body shook in rage, "You finally showed yourself."

"Hello father, long time no see." Doom said in a calm, almost graceful tone. "I would love to catch up, but I'm afraid I'm strapped for time."

Flash snorted at this. "Seriously?! If that's the case, why'd you come here at all?!"

Doom chuckled back as his grin increased. "Simple. I'm here to tell you personally that you've all failed." His horn glowed as he levitated the six pieces of the Omni Sphere into view, showing it off to the knights. "Moments ago, the tomb under the castle was fully uncovered. Once I've broken the seal keeping it locked, the final piece of this magnificent creation will be mine."

The knights all went wide-eyed at this. They knew him having all the pieces was a possibility, but they was just starting his hunt for the sphere. But as they did this, Doom continued, "When all seven pieces are united, any magic will become mine for the taking." He then looked down at Flash's Lightbringer sitting on the table, soon picking it up in his hooves. There was a strong glare coming from his eyes as he stared at the sword, anger now appearing in his expression for a second before calming back into his smug grin. "Ah...light. That power will be first. In fact, all of the elemental powers of your weapons will be mine. Light, earth, wind, crystal, iron, water, plant and even the ability to heal myself with all be mine. Once I have them, I'll make the long trek to Equestria and take my vengeance there. Though luckily, you fools gave me a quick way there."

The knights gulped at this, know he was talking about the portal they used to get here. If he absorbed its magic, he would be able to instantly warp himself to Equestria and possibly any other place he wanted to go. He would be unstoppable.

But before anypony could yell at him, Grand let out a long sigh as he weakly asked, "Why Doom? Why are you doing this?! You always wanted to just simply help keep Equestria safe."

Doom turned to his father, rage plastering itself on his face, "You can't be serious! My efforts to try and protect Equestria were thanked by locking me away!"

"You created a weapon that could destroy a city Doom!" Grand yelled back, his hooves ready to slam the cell door.

Doom just shook his head at this. "I still stand that I made something truly important. Not only that, I still intend to help Equestria by becoming its new leader. With the power of the Omni Sphere, I'll become an unstoppable force that no conqueror, knight or murderer can possibly go against."

"We won't let that happen!" Iron cried out.

"We'll stop you!" Heather screamed.

"We swear to you, we will beat you!" First finished.

Doom just laughed at them. "And how do you expect to do that? This prison was designed to hold each and every one of you. The unicorns' magic is being drained away, and that's being used to power the rest of the cells. They can't stop producing their own magic, meaning this place will only lose power when they die. So that means you're trapped for the rest of your lives. Or well, the unicorns' lives that is."

He turned towards Shade. "Keep an eye on them and don't let them pull any funny business. I'll be back once the Omni Sphere is complete. Don't fail me like the others." His horn then flared, a flash of light following as he teleported out of the room. And as he left, a growl rumbled from Shade's mouth as he glared at the spot Doom was before he left.

Springer saw this and smirked. "So...he's that benefactor you told me about last time, right? The one who gave you the power to fully control others instead of just influencing them?"

Shade glared back at him, a low hiss following. "That's right. During my journey back from the Dragon Lands, we ran into each other while I was searching for you. When I saw how strong he was and his....talents, I knew he was the perfect partner."

The Past...

A stream of blood went down Shade's right eye as he slumped down into the grass, a series of tired pants following as he tried to get up. However, his legs wouldn't let him move, causing him to look up at the unicorn towering over him.

Doom in turn, stared down at him with a huge smile. "Not bad, though you seem to waste a lot of energy."

"Don't mock me!" Shade yelled as he suddenly leapt into the air as a dark ball of energy formed in front of his mouth. "DARK BLAST!" The sphere shot at the unicorn, only for a flick of the horn to create a shield, negating the attack.

"See?" Doom replied as he watched Shade land, his little legs already staggering. "From what I've seen, you overcharge your attacks. That in turn makes them unstable , thus easy to protect against."

"Shut...shut up!" Shade barked as he rubbed a paw over the blood going down his face, "What would you know about my abilities?!"

Doom just shrugged at this. "Nothing, but I know magic. From what I've seen, you're using one hundred percent of your power when you only need ten."

Shade half-laughed back. "Isn't that a good thing? More power, the stronger the attack."

Doom shook his head. "Wrong. You're making your attacks unstable, thus making them weaker as a result. It's like your trying to use a fire hose to water a single small flower, doing more harm than good." Doom then leaned down with a hard glare, completing the smug smirk on his face. "You don't know how to control your power."

"Don't mock me, you snot!" Shade hissed back, "I am a Trickster, one of a race that will turn this world on its head! Don't think for a second that you're better than me!"

But as these words came out, Doom's horn began to glow. The next thing Shade knew, his body kissed the floor as he suddenly felt like he had become ten times heavier. "Augh!"

"Still think I'm weak? Maybe a little more gravity will change your mind." With that, Shade's weight doubled once again. The ground beneath him actually started to crack, a small crater now appearing.

"STOP!" Shade cried out. In that second, the heaviness disappeared, allowing him to take a large gulp of breath. He then looked up as Doom stood on the edge of the crater with a smile.

"As you can see, I'm more than powerful enough to help you. But the question is, why should I help you?" He turned around, ready to walk away. "Its obvious you're just a power-hungry untrustable fox, so I think I'll just take my leave. Granted, I did think you're interesting, as I've never heard of a Trickster before, but-"

"You're after the Omni-Sphere, aren't you?" Shade interrupted, causing Doom to spin around with a look of surprise. Seeing the expression, Shade's usual grin appeared as he pulled out a piece of paper from the tuft of hair on his head, "I'm right, aren't I? I was wondering why that saddlebag of yours had a piece of paper that had the mark of Omniara on it."

"When did you-" Doom gasped as he looked back at his saddlebag, seeing one of his papers now missing. He then glared back at Shade with a flared horn, "Why you little-"

"Hold it. I'll give it back." Shade interrupted as he walked up to Doom, immediately giving him the paper. "After all, I'm not stupid to keep it from you."

Doom grabbed the paper and stuffed it in his saddlebag in slight rage, "Grrr...you little thief."

"Hey, I'm not an honest individual." Shade replied, shrugging. "But...since you're after the sphere, I can help you. In fact, I can say that I can't really help with the sphere in terms of where it is, but I do know something you would be interested in."

"Oh really? Why would I trust you now?" Doom hissed as he leaned down, their eyes fully locked now.

"Simple. I scratch your back and you scratch mine." Shade crossed his paws as a cocky smirk shined on his face, "You're right, I can't beat you right now. In fact, considering how you were observing me, I'm betting you can help me get more power." Shade then leaned further as he said, "And in return, I can give you a backup plan."

"Backup plan?" Doom replied with a cocked eyebrow.

"Yes. Let me give you some advice if you're after the Omni-Sphere." Shade put his paw on Doom's shoulder, "Ruling the world doesn't mean a thing if you lose it the next day." Doom tried to reply to this, only to see the truth in his words. As such, he nodded as Shade continued, "You see, like you, I've been searching for a way to obtain a whole lot of power. But, I can't obtain it, at least not with the abilities I have. However, considering how smart you are and how you were fighting me, I'm guessing you could help me get to my goal."

"And that is?"

"I'm also trying to obtain a very powerful item. The difference is, well...I'm the only one who knows how to make it." Shade then leaned over and whispered into Doom's ear, causing the unicorn's eyes to go wide.

Doom jerked his head back as he yelled, "Are you serious?! You know how to-that's impossible! I've researched that power before going after the Omni-Sphere! There's not a single text out there that knows about that!"

"Hee hee hee…" Shade giggled as he put his paw on Doom's shoulder again, winking at him as he said, "It was never recorded on how to make it. As for how I know, why don't I just prove it to you? You got some pen and paper?" Doom nodded and gave him the materials from his saddlebag, which Shade quickly drew on. As soon as he was finished, Doom was in shock as he saw the results.

"This....this is amazing. I...I think I can make this." Doom looked back at the fox. "But you didn't draw me all the blueprints, did you?"

"Hee hee hee...I thought you would like it, and I need some insurance that you'll help me." Shade replied as he held out his paw, "Now....partners?"

Doom grinned back as he shook the paw, "Partners."

The Present...

"And its been great ever since. I've gained so much power since I met Doom." Shade gloated as he leaned over the table. He then stood back up and pointed to all the knights, "And don't ask what our agreement was about. I'll never tell."

"Wow...you were right buddy." Flash immediately replied, "He is totally full of himself."

"Hey! I am not full of myself!" Shade yelled back before pointing to himself, "I am a powerful, amazing being that none of you disgusting filthy ponies can dare compare too!"

"Seriously?" Flash grumbled, only to get a small Dark Blast that hit the side of the window.

"Shut up." Shade hissed before doing a few stretches. "Anyways, I'm just about done talking to you losers. After all, I need to make sure I'm in top shape when I take Doom's head and make the Omni-Sphere power for my own." He then shined a huge smile at the knights, "After that, I'll do what he was gonna do and make all your powers mine."

The knights all blinked at this, surprised at just how honest Shade was being as Grand asked, "So you're just using Doom? Even though he gave you all this power?"

Shade looked back at Grand with an expression that could only be described as: 'Are you seriously asking that?' as he replied, "Of course I am. I'm a Trickster. Using and fooling ponies is what we do. Its not my fault your son's too foolish to realize that. After all, in this world, there only two types of individuals, the users and the used...and I'm a user."

"You're wrong!" Heather cried, "there's more to life then that!"

"She's right," Springer added. "Just because you treat ponies like that doesn't mean the rest of us do. We work together as partners, AS FRIENDS!"

Once again, Shade leapt at his and Flash's cell with a deadly glare on his face, "Don't be ridiculous. You really think these ponies are your so-called friends? They're using you, you pathetic aura-loving snot. Why else would they have brought you here?!"

"I came because I wanted too," Springer replied, his form not faltering in front of Shade's glare.

"And we brought him because we trust him," Flash added. "We trust him to have our backs and help fight for what's right."

But as these words left Flash's mouth, Shade just laughed. "HA! So, you do believe your own lies. Tell me, if he didn't have any power, what would you have done? Would you have brought him if wasn't able to sense aura? And if he's such a great teammate, why isn't he being considered to one day become a Royal Knight?" Shade then turned to Skybreaker's cell, "I can think of one of them that doesn't care about this furball. In fact, I know I'm sure since Doom has let me observe you all."

However, as Shade had made his point, Springer spoke up, "Of course I wouldn't have come Shade. Without my abilities, I'd just be in the way. I know my fighting skills and abilities are why I'm here, but that's true with all of us."

"He's right!" Grand yelled from his cell. "We're here because we're the best choice for stopping Doom. If it wasn't us, then somepony else would have been chosen to come and stop him."

"And I don't care if I'm not a Royal Knight," Springer went on. "I'll do whatever I need to do to keep Equestria safe."

"That's the same with all of us," Iron added.

"We'll fight no matter what we're up against," Heather continued.

"Because we are the only ones that can," First finished.

"Which is my point exactly!" Shade replied as he leapt away from the cells. "Your precious princesses sent you because they'd prefer to sit back and sip tea all day. They use you. It's the same as the jakhowls and Tricksters a thousand years ago. Those jakhowl idiots were nothing but disposable pawns to the princesses, while we tricksters were bad mouthed just because we didn't bow down to them like those happy-go-lucky puppy dogs."

Iron almost slammed his cell's door again as he barked, "Why you little-"

"Everypony stop!" Ruby suddenly yelled, making everyone hop in place. She then let out a long huff as she stated, "Don't fall his lies. The reason the princesses rejected the Tricksters was because the Tricksters believed they had the right to do anything they wanted, including violent actions and thievery." Her eyes gave Shade a long, cold stare. "They don't believe in morals."

"Hee hee hee…" Shade chuckled as he gave Ruby a big grin, "You know Tricksters well Ruby Scarlet. Tell me, what do you think of me compared to these friendship loving morons?"

A small snort flew out of her nostrils as she replied, "Simple. I think you've been dodging the most important question of this whole thing. What is your real objective, and I don't mean the deal you made with Doom. What do you want after you gain power?"

"Ah...good answer." Shade remarked as he wagged a finger at her. "I won't tell you about the deal, but I will tell you the goal. After all, unlike the rest of this trash, I can tell you respect what I am compared to them. Or, at least what I am as your enemy." Shade leaned back on the table and shined the biggest grin he could at Ruby. "My goal is simple. I wish to accomplish one thing, and one thing alone." He then raised his claws, a dark aura encasing both of them as his grin increased, "I wish to fulfill the will of the greatest Trickster who ever lived. I wish to become the second Dark Mist."

CLANG!

That was the sound of Ruby slamming her cell door with her hooves, a stare of death and hatred now in her eyes as she whispered, "What...did you...just say?!"

"Oh? Did I strike a nerve?" Shade chuckled back, his grin still growing at her response. "You actually know who I talk about?"

"How...how could you ever want to...want to be that monster?!"

"That should be obvious," Shade immediately replied.

"I don't get it." Springer said as he blinked at Shade, "Who's Dark Mist?"

The other knights all nodded in agreement, all of them having never heard the name before. It was here that Ruby barely spoke up, "He's...he's a monster from my era."

"Oh, I wouldn't call him that." Shade remarked as he began giggling again, "I would call him a true hero among the Tricksters."

"No he's not!" Ruby screamed, making even Shade slightly hop in place. "That Trickster....he was nothing but a monster!"

"What did he do?" Flash asked in a worried tone.

"He...he was known for destroying towns just for fun. He burned entire villages and made sure every villager all died. Nothing would escape him." Ruby replied in a staggered tone. "He did everything he could to bring misery to others. I...I once fought him in the battlefield, and I knew there wasn't a spit of good in him. He destroyed everything around him."

"And that's why I want to be just like him. To have that kind of freedom where I can destroy and torment everything around me...that is the very reason why I wish to fulfill his will." Shade immediately replied, only for a cloak to appear behind him. The fox then turned to the puppet as the figure nodded to him. "Ah. It looks like we're out of time. It seems Doom is just about to get the sphere, so I guess its Doom killing time." Shade then pushed the Celestic Gears off the table, revealing a red button. "Luckily, the Omni King installed this so I wouldn't have to hear you for the rest of this little crusade. After I'm done with Doom, you'll all be presents wrapped up for me and my new powers."

With that, he slammed his paw onto the button. The next thing the knights knew, the window shut and locked as the doors all flashed green for a second. As that happened, the sounds coming from the other side suddenly cut out.

Shade smirked as he looked up at them. "Now...let's go get some ultimate power."

"Hey!" Flash yelled as he started banging on the door. "We're not done yet!" He then shoved his ear into the door, only to hear absolutely no sound. He did the same with the other walls, only to get the same result each time.

"It must be some kind of soundproofing spell," Springer told him.

"Well that's just great," Flash complained as he slid down the wall and crossed his hooves. "How are we gonna get out of here?" He turned to his partner, realizing something as he did. "Wait, these cells are designed to keep me in. But what about you? Maybe you can blast the door off its hinges."

Springer shook his head at this. "Already tried that when you were asleep. Aura Blast, Bone Breaker and Steel Paw are all useless against whatever this cell's made out of. I could try continuously blasting it, but that would take hours."

"Time we don't have," Flash moaned as his head slumped forwards. Springer sat down as well, both slumping into the floor with frowns on their faces as Flash said, "Now what do we-"

BANG!

Both Flash and Springer looked up, confused by the sudden sound. "What was that?" Springer asked.

BANG, BANG, BANG!

The two looked up at the source of the sound, realizing it was coming from the vent. Flash then stood up, only for his brain to kick in as the banging continued, "This is...this is Morse code!"

Springer turned to him, blinking in confusion, "Morse what?"

"It's a way of communicating through tapping in a certain way. Grand taught it to me when I was training." he put his hoof to his lips. "Don't talk for a moment." Springer nodded as Flash began to listen. After a few minutes, he had a sentence. "This leads outside. Crawl."

"Is someone helping us?"

"Looks like it buddy, but I don't know who it would be. Did one of the prisoners come back?"

"Maybe we should discuss this once we're free," Springer told him as he walked up to the vent.

"You're right," Flash replied before pulling the grate off, only to see the small size of the shaft. "I'm too big to fit buddy, but I think you can. Think you can crawl through there?"

"Hmmm...probably. But uh...do you really want me to leave you all alone in here?"

Flash nodded at this. "I'll be fine. Just find your way through this thing and try to find something to help us out. If you can't do that, try to get to Doom and make sure he doesn't get that last piece."

Springer sighed at this, but knew he was right. "Alright. Give me a boost."

Flash nodded as Springer leapt up onto his back, then his head and into the air duct. The metal tunnel was just a tiny bit bigger than the jakhowl as he made his way through. "Good luck," he heard Flash tell him. "You're our last hope."

"I know. I won't let you down." With that, he started moving through the vents. It was a tight squeeze, with several corners especially bad. "Would it have killed the guy who built this place to make these things an inch or two bigger?!" He asked as he pushed himself around another corner, "now I know what a TV dinner feels like...ugh, Pinkie's rubbing off on me."

Eventually, he came across a section that only went straight up, forcing him to shimmy upward. There, he made his way through another corridor, only to feel his body start to dip under him. "Alright, need to be careful. I think my weight is affecting this vent..." He slowly started moving forward again, hearing a creaking sound as he did. "Really hope nopony heard that."

But even if they had not, what happened next they would definitely hear.

CRACK!

Springer looked forwards and saw that part of the vent was not properly secured, and his weight was enough to break it apart. "Not good," he whimpered as he tried to crawl backwards, only to hear another 'crack'. "Oh no..."

A second later, the metal below him bent, breaking as he was shot out of the vent and fell towards the ground, barely managing to spin around so he landed on his feet. His legs quickly turned to jelly and he fell to his knees, panting as he did. "Phew, that was close. At least I'm-" A coughing sound made him stop before slowly turning around, seeing Shade staring down at him with crossed arms and a tapping foot.

Springer looked around and saw all his efforts had only gotten him to the other side of the cell, "Oh, come on." He didn't get time to say anymore, as Shade leapt at him with claws at the ready.

"Looks like the trickster gods are smiling down on me," Shade said as he swiped at him. "I wanted a chance to take you down alone and now I have it. Its even better since I know the knights or your precious princess can't interfere!"

"Don't think because you're bigger you'll win," Springer replied as he created a Bone Breaker and rushed at him. He swung the weapon with a horizontal swipe, only for a dark aura to cover Shade's claw. He then swiped at the aura weapon, instantly shattering it.

"I don't think that, little mutt." Shade commented as Springer stopped in shock of his weapon was shattered. He then lifted both claws as a huge grin shined on his face. "I KNOW THAT! DARK CLAW!"

"BLAUGH!" Springer yelped as both claws struck, knocking him back into to the cell room. Springer quickly hopped back up, only to see the claws swiping at him again. The jakhowl slightly backpedaled, dodging both swipes as he put his paws together, "Aura Blast!" the aura sphere shot out of his paws, only for the Trickster's claws to cut it in half. "Oh, come on!"

"You can't win this time jakhowl." Shade said as he pointed his claw's palm to the ceiling, a giant dark sphere appearing in it. "I'm going to win mutt. Dark Blast!"

The dark ball shot at the jakhowl, who summoned two Bone Breakers. He then used them to block the sphere, only to see cracks to appear in the aura weapons as soon as the attack hit. "Rrrrggghhhh….come on...." Springer moaned as he tried to stand his ground, the sphere destroying his Bone Breakers.

But it wasn't enough.

SMASH!

"Augh!" Springer yelled as he body slammed into the cell room's table, his back hitting the button.

The windows on the cells all opened instantly, causing confusion to its prisoners as Grand yelped, "What the-what's going on?!"

"Springer!" Flash yelled out when he got to the window, soon seeing his partner knocked over the table. "What are you doing here?!"

"Small hiccup," Springer replied as he got back up with a slight moan. "Relax, I've got this."

"You've got nothing!" Shade yelled as he fired a Dark Blast, Springer summoning a Bone Breaker to defend. However, the force of the attack instantly broke through, blasting the jakhowl into the wall between Flash and Skybreaker's cells.

"Springer!" Ruby screamed as she saw the jakhowl slump to the floor.

"Is he okay?" Heather asked while chattering her teeth, unable to see him from her height and angle.

Springer groaned as he slowly picked himself up again. "I'm fine!" His paws began to glow as they created a pair of Steel Paws, "I'm not done yet Shade. You're gonna taste my Steel Paws!"

"Let me change that." Shade hissed as his paws became encased in a dark arura. "Dark Paws!"

The two creatures immediately rushed each other, a barrage of claws clashing. The knights all stared at the two, watching a series of swiping light and dark auras, the two powers covering both of them as they fought. They clashed over and over, the two swiping, kicking, and punching each other to a point that the knights could barely keep up.

"They're even," Skybreaker gasped as he watched the blows exchanged.

"No....Springer's losing." Flash commented as his eyes were now blank. He had entered Theta Mode to keep up with the fight, allowing him to see their action clearer then the others. Despite looking close to even, Springer's attacks were always being dodged, blocked or deflected. The trickster was easily managing to defend himself, while Springer barely doing so.

It was here that Springer swiped with an uppercut, only for Shade to sidestep back. The small opening let him slash both claws at the jakhowl, who quickly tried to go back as well, only for Shade's foot to suddenly strike his head. "Buagh!" Springer cried as he felt the blow, only to feel Shade's claw grab the back of his head. A second later, Shade slammed his head right into the floor, his nose hitting it first as blood started to appear. But before Springer could react, Shade spun around once, then threw the jakhowl into a nearby wall. The defender let out another cry, only for Shade to rush up and grab his neck.

"SPRINGER!" Everyone cried as they saw Shade tighten his grip.

"I warned you..." Shade hissed as he leapt into the air before slamming Springer into the wall between Ruby and First's cells. "I warned you that allowing these ponies to use you would make you weak! You're a disgrace of a jakhowl!" He then grabbed Springer's tail and swung him towards the opposite wall, making a dent into the metal. The claws gripped the neck again, instantly knocking the air out of his lungs as Shade let out another growl. "You jakhowls are all the same. You never learn that to survive in this world...YOU NEED TO ONLY CARE FOR YOURSELF!" He then flung Springer into the ceiling, only to leap up and grab the defender, soon slamming Springer into the ground with all his might.

SMASH!

"AAAUUUGGGHHH!" Springer screamed as he hit the ground, pain surging throughout his entire body.

"SPRINGER!" They all cried as they watched while Shade landed just a few feet away.

Springer let out a moan as he tried to pick himself up. "I don't...believe that," he got on one knee. "And even if it were true, I...I don't care."

Shade growled at this. "So you pick having friends over true power?"

As Springer finally got to his feet, he turned towards the trickster and flashed the biggest grin, "Every single time!"

Shade's face went red with rage as he raised his arms above his head. "You idiot. You really are one of those stupid mutts. And do you know what happens to stupid mutts?!" He brought his paws close together, dark energy beginning to spiral between them. "They die! DARK...BARRAGE!" He thrusted his paws forward, only for the dark aura to turn into a jet black tornado. Springer quickly crossed his paws as the attack came at him, the jakhowl closing his eyes as it got closer.

BOOM!

"SPRINGER!" Everypony cried as they watched an explosion consume their friend.

Shade on the other hoof, just laughed. "Hee hee hee...looks like I just won!" He then raised his claws into the air as a huge grin graced his face, "At long last, the final jakhowl is finished!" However, in that moment, the smoke finally cleared and he saw the true results of his attack. "Huh?!"

Springer was just standing there in the same position as he was before the attack. The only difference was the blue light now surrounding his body. The young jakhowl opened his eyes and saw the light, "Wh...what? What is..."

"That again?" Flash commented as he blinked at his partner.

"You've seen this?" Ruby immediately asked him.

"Yeah, during our first battle against the cloaks. He glowed like that and cried out in pain."

"Ahh!" Springer yelped once again as he clutched his stomach, "not now!"

Seeing his reaction, Ruby yelled, "Springer, stop! Don't fight it. Let it happen!"

"Let what happen?" Springer asked through his cries of now new pain.

"Just trust me!"

"Or better yet, die! Dark Claw!" Shade yelled as he charged and swiped his paw at Springer. Springer gasped as he saw the incoming attack, only for something inside him to suddenly clicked. Seconds before Shade's attack struck, the light surrounding Springer exploded off of him, instantly knocking Shade back as the light shot up into the air and actually broke through the roof.

"What's happening?" Heather asked as the knights shielded their eyes.

Ruby didn't reply, simply smiling as she looked down at her body. She and the rest of the knights were all glowing, the light they were creating now being sucked into the light coming off Springer.

And it wasn't just here. All over Equestria, many ponies slept in their beds, only for several of them to all begin to glow the same bright light. Everypony in Ponyville, along with several in Canterlot and the Crystal Empire. Even a few in Appleloosa as well, all of them shining the same light. And within each of the glowing ponies dreams, the image of a certain wolf like creature appeared, one that made all of them smile at the sight as the glow flew off of them and into the air.

That light flew hundreds of miles, only for all of them to be absorbed into the light Springer created. And once the last speck of light was absorbed, the tower of light shot back down onto Springer.

"AAAAAHHHHH!" Springer yelled as the light consumed him.

"Aaaaaaahhhhh-oof!" Springer yelped as he felt his face kiss the ground. The jakhowl then let out a long moan, his eyes now blinking rapidly, "Ooooohhhh….what happened?"

It was here that the young jakhowl looked up, only to a black, inky void. Darkness. Unending was all around him, as if light had no right to exist where he was. He blinked at the sight as he put his paws into the 'ground', only to see it was nothing but darkness as well.

"Huh? What is...where am I?" he asked out loud, only to get no response. The jakhowl then stood up, soon spinning around to see if he could see anything else. But as he spun around a second time, he noticed that there was nothing here. Nothing in this dark, blank void.

He then scratched the side of his head, a big frown gracing his face as he asked himself, "I don't...I didn't die, did I? I mean, where am I? How did I..."

Young jakhowl.

A sudden voice echoed through the voice, making Springer hop in place. He started looking around, trying to find the voice's origin, only to still see the endless void. "What the heck?! Where are you?! Who said that?!"

Young jakhowl.

"Yeah, I heard you the first time!" Springer barked back as he now clenched his paws. It was here that his blue aura covered his paws, showing a small blue flame in the dark void. But as he did this, a new sight appeared before him. A blue flame just in front of him, one that was just like his aura. "What the-"

Young jakhowl.

"Stop repeating that and show yourself!" Springer yelled, only for the flame to suddenly disappear and reappear right in front of the jakhowl's face. "Whoa!"

Your resolve.

"Huh?" was all Springer could manage as he backpedaled from the flame. But as he did this, the flame started to grow. It grew till he was almost three times as high as Springer, and it resembled something he had seen before. It was the figure he had seen when he learned Bone Breaker and Steel Paw. "You...you're-"

Your resolve.

"My resolve?" Springer replied back in a dumbfounded tone.

Yes. We have sensed that many connections have brought you here, and as such revelations, we must know your resolve young jakhowl. Tell us...what do you seek? Why are you here?

"I don't..." Springer couldn't manage another word. He wanted to ask a thousand questions, but his brain already told him that it was pointless. Instead, he just stop backpedaling and stood still as a question came out of his mouth, "Um...I don't really get what's going on, but....could you help me?"

Help you?

Springer nodded at this. "Yes. I...I want to save my friends. They're in trouble and I'm all they got right now."

I see. Is that your resolve? You wish to save your friends?

"Yes! More than anything, I wanna save them!"

Is that so? So your resolve is to save your friends. Do you seek more power to obtain this goal? Will you do anything to protect and save them?

Springer blinked at this, only to shine a grin that was almost identical to Flash's, "I'll do whatever it takes to protect them, even if it means I gotta have more power!"

I see. If that is the case....we accept your resolve.

"We?" Springer barely said before a barrage of light shined in front of him. He immediately closed and shielded his eyes, only to feel a tap on his shoulder. Turning towards to small nudge, he opened his eyes to see a new, familiar sight. It was the figure he had seen back when he first learned Bone Breaker. It was an adult jakhowl, one that stood over Springer as it tapped his shoulder before walking in front of Springer.

But as it walked over, it was here that Springer's eyes went truly wide. He had just now noticed that this wasn't the only jakhowl here with him. The young jakhowl spun around as he saw hundreds upon hundreds of jakhowls around him, all of them both his size and taller ones, all of them smiling at Springer with a smile similar to his earlier grin.

"What is...what is this?!" Springer gasped as he looked back at the jakhowl that had tapped him, only to see the jakhowl sit down at a large throne. Beside him was the female jakhowl Springer had seen back when he learned Steel Paw, a large smile gracing her face.

"We are the jakhowl, masters of aura." The jakhowl on the throne replied. "Since the beginning, we are the ones that channel life. We understand what others can not hope to grasp, as we see what life is in this world. We see the auras, the channels of how all things work around us, both light and dark."

"I..." Springer tried to say, only to just blink at the other jakhowl.

The older jakhowl just let out a chuckle as he continued, "Do not worry. I won't bore you with our history, I know it has no meaning for you."

"What do you mean?"

The older jakhowl just shined a big grin before lifting its paw, a brilliant blue flame encasing it. "We have accepted your resolve young jakhowl. Granted, we were already sure we were going to help you considering how many connections we sense in you. That being said, if you seek more power to protect those you care about, we will do everything we can to help you. As such in this decision, we have decided."

"Decided?"

The paw in the blue flame was pointing at Springer now, "We have decided that you, Springer, shall be the future of our race. From this point on, you shall determine if the jakhowl should flourish in the world once more."

"Huh?!" Springer yelped as he pointed to himself, "What did you just-HUH?! What do you mean 'I'm the future of our race'?!"

"Exactly that, young jakhowl." the older replied as lifted his paw upward, only for Springer to notice that the hundreds of jakhowl around him were doing the exact same motion. Then, the jakhowl pointed at Springer once more, the others soon joining. "Now, we will fulfill our promise. We will give you the power you seek."

"You...will?"

The older nodded, "Yes. Now...go, and defeat the Trickster. We, just like your friends that brought you here, are all with you. You are our path now, one that will lead the jakhowl to the next generation."

As these last words left his mouth, a giant blue flame encased Springer. He let out a gasp at the sight, only to suddenly feel something new. It felt...warm, yet powerful. And as this feeling surged through his body, he disappeared along with the flame, leaving not a trace behind. As such, the sight made the older jakhowl slump back into his seat as he spoke one last time.

"And now, we will watch over you Springer. Never forget that the aura is always there, as are we."

The light finally faded, allowing everypony to open their eyes and look back at Springer. And as they did, their eyes all went wide at what they saw.

Standing in Springer's spot was a creature only two of them had seen before. Flash had only seen a picture of it in a book, right next to the picture of Springer. Ruby on the other hoof, had seen it time and time again during her years fighting alongside the jakhowl with Luna.

Springer then opened his eyes and looked down at his body, seeing that it looked exactly like the other jakhowls. "Whoa...awesome." he said with a slightly deeper voice as he tapped the spike on the back of his paw, "Well what do you know? Its just like that guy said. Nice."

Shade stared at Springer in horror. "No...NO! This isn't possible! How could a weakling like you unlock their battle form! You...you're too young to have that power!"

"Battle form?" Flash asked with a tilt of a head.

Ruby chuckled at his confusion. "Tricksters aren't the only ones with battle forms. Jakhowls can achieve this form once they've become strong enough and have created strong enough bonds with others around them." She turned to Shade with a smirk. "You called friendship and caring for others a weakness, but you're wrong. For jakhowls, friendship is their strongest source of power."

Springer smirked as he finished looking over his new form. He then smirked up at Shade, "this is gonna be awesome." He pointed at the trickster. "Now...count up your sins."

Shade growled at hearing this. "It doesn't matter if you've achieved that form." He shot forwards with a Dark Paw attack, "I'M STILL STRONG! I'LL KILL YOU!" He thrusted his claws at the jakhowl, but the newly evolved defender just smirked before his raising his own paw.

The Dark Paw struck this and was stopped cold, not a spit of damage happening as Springer shined a grin. "I'm gonna have to disagree with you there." He pushed Shade back with a flick, only for the Trickster to quickly spin and swipe his Dark Paw again. But as he did, Springer knocked it away as well as a Steel Paw appeared in his other paw.

"BLAUGH!" Shade yelled as he felt the paw slice down his chest, pain now surging through him. He backpedaled for a second, only to summon a Dark Blast in one of his claws, "Grr....take this!"

"Bone Breaker." Springer calmly said as he swung the summoned aura weapon once, instantly slicing the dark sphere in half.

"No....NO!" Shade screamed as the dark aura around his claws grew even more. "I won't lose to you! I am Shade, the most powerful-ugh!" the fox yelped as a punch to the face interrupted him, knocking him across the room.

"I beg to differ." Springer chuckled as he lifted the palm of one of his paws, only for an Aura Blast to appear above it. The jakhowl then glanced at it, his smile increasing, "Well what do you know? I can make one with just one paw now. Cool."

"Alright little buddy!" Flash yelled. "You're looking awesome!"

"Way to go amigo!" Tidal cheered.

"It's like his aura power has been supercharged!" Heather added.

"It has," Ruby told her as she crossed her hooves in confidence. "The battle form has doubled his power, making him stronger than ever before."

Skybreaker smirked at the sight. "Not bad mutt."

"You go furball!" Iron yelled out. "Kick his flank!"

Springer then dismissed the sphere, only to smirk as he now held the Bone Breaker in one paw while the other was enveloped by a Steel Paw attack. "You got it!" He charged forwards, both attacks now happening in conjunction as he swung at the fox.

"AAAHHH!" Shade cried as he tried to defend himself, only for both to hit him. But before he could recover, Springer punched his face again, only to then slash his chest with a Steel Paw before kicking the chest as well. The resulting attacks knocked him into the wall, his body slightly slumping. "Damn it....this can't....this can't be happening."

"Just give it up," Springer warned him as he summoned another Aura Blast. "Its over Shade."

Shade growled as he raised his arms up. "Never!" He created another Dark Barrage, the dark tornado soon flying at Springer. But as it did, Springer just shot the Aura Blast at the attack, only for the sphere to cut right through the tornado like butter. And as the sphere took out the last bit of the dark spiraled funnel, the Aura Blast dispersed right before it could hit Shade.

"No....this can't be happening!" Shade gasped again as the sphere disappeared just a few centimeters away. "Not after everything I've done to gain the power I have! How can you bridge the gap between us so easily?!"

Springer's smile never wavered as he summoned another Aura Blast. "That's because my power doesn't come from stealing it. It come from the bonds I've made, the feelings I share with everyone." He looked at the cells, all of the prisoners now smiling back as he glanced back at Shade. "Before I met them, I had nothing. I don't remember where I came from or how I got where I was, but it doesn't matter. It led to me meeting Flash, which let me meet all my other friends." Flash's smile increased as he remembered the day he saved Springer from those Timberwolves. Back then, he never would have guessed their friendship would lead to this as Springer continued, "The more ponies I met, the happier I became. And as such, I'll now use that to protect everyone. Its why I'm here."

But as those words exited his mouth, the knights all smiled at his statement, only for another sound to ring out. It was the sound of a Trickster sticking his tongue out in disgust as a bit of spit shot out as well. "You're disgusting." he said as a dark aura covered his body. "You make me sick."

However, Springer didn't falter here. He didn't even change expressions as a blue flame began to encase his body. "Even if you think that, I don't care. There's only one thing I want to do now. I...I want to protect everyone!" With that final declaration, the blue light from before reappeared around his body before being absorbed into his Aura Blast. "I don't care if I'm not seen as a Royal Knight, I'll still do what I can to keep Equestria and everyone in it safe!"

Shade watched as the Aura Blast turned from light blue to pure white. "What...what is going on?! What is this?!"

"I am Springer the jakhowl, and I will carry the jakhowl legacy to protect Equestria!" With that, he pulled the Aura Sphere back into two paws. "Aura...FORCE!" The Aura Blast then transformed into a beam of energy, which flew right at the trickster.

Shade's tried to defend himself, only to feel the full might of the attack, "AAAAAHHHHH!" He cried as the attack struck him, pummeling him through the wall. Eventually, his body couldn't take anymore and he blacked out, reverting back to his smaller form.

Seeing this, Springer ended his attack and watched Shade fall to the floor with a thud. Springer sighed in relief as he was consumed by a bright light again. When the light faded, the young jakhowl had shrunk back into the form he was usually as. "Awwww..." Springer moaned. "I can't keep it?!"

"Ahem!" He turned at the sound of the cough, seeing Flash staring at him. "You mind letting us out bud?"

"Oh...yeah. Sure." He hopped over to Flash's cell and grabbed the handle, soon opening it for the pegasi.

"Nice work bud. I'm proud of you partner. You showed that scumbag what for." Flash told him with a hug.

"Thanks." Springer replied as he tightened the hug.

They then opened Skybreaker's cell next, which him and Flash then flew up to free the others. While that happened, Springer rushed over to Shade and picked him up before throwing the fox in Skybreaker's cell. "That'll hold him," Springer commented as he closed the door.

"For now," Skybreaker added.

"SPRINGER!" He heard Heather cry as she pulled him into a tight hug. "My hero."

"That was some battle amigo," Tidal told him as he and the rest of the knights gathered around.

"Thanks," Springer replied with a big red blush, "too bad I changed back so quickly."

Ruby laughed at this as she gave him a hug as well. "Don't worry Springer, that's natural. For the first few times, you'll only be able to hold that form for a few minutes. Over time, your body will be able to handle the change for longer and longer until eventually, it'll become your default form."

"Cool..." Springer gasped, his eyes shining like stars at the idea.

Skybreaker then stepped up to him and put his hoof on his shoulder. "Listen mu-Springer. I'm sorry about how harsh I've been to you. The others were right, you do belong here."

Springer nodded at this. "Thanks. And I don't mind the harsh stuff. Let bygones be bygones for me."

Skybreaker shook his head. "I don't think you understand. When this is over, I'm gonna recommend to the princesses that you get put on a short list to one day become a Royal Knight."

Everypony gasped at this, Springer as well. He then shook his head at the pegasi, "Thank you...but I think I'd prefer to stay as I am. With respect to you guys, I don't need a title to tell me I'm a hero."

"Are you sure Springer?" Ruby asked as she leaned over his shoulder. "It'd be an honor to have you by our side."

"I'll still be by your side," Springer told her with a big grin. "Just...in a different way."

They all nodded in agreement, knowing he was right. Skybreaker just shook his head again, "Alright....if you insist. But if you ever change your mind, the offer's still open." Springer nodded in agreement.

Flash smiled at his partner, glad he was finally being recognized as the true hero he was. "Pretty amazing, eh Grand?" He turned towards his mentor, only to find nothing. "Grand?" He looked around and saw the Great Mountain was gone, along with his Celestic Gear. "Oh no...."

"Not again." Skybreaker added.

Grand rushed through the city, one location on his mind. He looked up at the castle right in the middle of the crater. The jail had been a ways away, so getting there would take some time for the earth pony. But he would not stop, not when he was so close. "This ends now Doom."

Up on one of the roofs nearby, a cloaked pony looked down at Grand as he rushed through the town. "So, the little dog managed to free them. Looks like learning that old code did have some benefits. But where are the rest of your team? I'd expect them to be coming with you...or are you trying to stop him all on your own?" The figure let out a sigh, "Doom...Grand...this won't end well, will it?"

Reunion, The Darkness of Grand Hoof's Family

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As the sound of foals' cries filled the air, Grand's heart was beating a mile a minute. He stared at the hospital bed, a pale blue unicorn mare with a red mane and tail laying there in pure exhaustion. He watched as the nurse carried a small blanket bundle over to the mare and happily deposited it into her hooves before saying. "It's a unicorn colt."

The mare, Live Wire, stared at the pony inside the blanket before tears filled her eyes. "He's perfect," she said as the tears began to flow. Grand remained completely still as mother and son began to bond, only for Live Wire to turn to him and smile. "Don't just stand there like an idiot. Come over here and meet your son."

Grand's paralysis slowly disappeared as his hooves moved over to the colt his wife was holding. "He's got your mane...and your eyes."

Live giggled at this. "Yeah, that's true. But I wonder where the red coat came from."

"My father's coat was red," Grand replied as he raised a hoof over the colt. "That's probably it, unless you want to admit something."

The two laughed as they continued to stare at their foal. "No, he's yours Grand. You can tell from his eyes."

"Didn't I just say he has your eyes?"

Live shook her head. "They might have my color, but they've got the same gentle look yours have. You just don't recognize it because you don't see them enough."

Grand's smile somehow grew even wider as he heard this, only for his ears to hear the opening of the door to the hospital room. In that moment, a familiar alicorn stepped in. "May I come in?"

"Of course Princess," Grand told her, bowing.

"Please, come meet our son."

Celestia smiled as she walked over to examine the foal. "Quite a handsome fellow, isn't he?" She watched as the new parents nodded their heads. "Have you thought about a name?"

The parents once again nodded. "We've decided to call him Doom Raizer," Live explained as she rubbed the colt's belly. "Raizer's a family name given to the stallions in my family."

Celestia nodded before turning to Grand. "And Doom...after your old partner."

Grand rubbed his eyes in response, fighting back the tears. "I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for him. It seems only right that I name my son after him."

Celestia nodded before turning away. "Well, I'm sure Live Wire is exhausted. I won't disturb you anymore."

"Thank you princess," Live replied as the alicorn and all the other hospital staff stepped outside. The effort of foalbirth had now caught up with the unicorn mare, forcing her to drift off to sleep.

Grand then took his son as she slumbered, moving over to a nearby chair as he held the foal tightly. "Doom...I promise you, I will always be there for you." Tears began to stream down his face as he continued to hug the sleeping foal, "I promise...I promise..."

Present Day...

The memories of that day flowed through Grand's mind as he rushed towards his goal, the castle. There, he would find his son and he would make sure to stop his foolish pursuit for power and vengeance. "I'm coming for you Doom," he said as he arrived at the entrance of the castle, only to see a bunch of cloaks guarding the way in, causing him to pull his Celestic Gear out. "And nothing's gonna stop me!"

Meanwhile...

"Come on, come on..." Flash grumbled in an impatient tone.

They were still in the prison as the Royal Knights grabbed and examined their Celestic Gears. He then turned to Iron, who was now examining one of the metal doors used in the cells. "How much longer is this gonna take?"

The earth pony turned to Flash with a sour look on his face. "I'd probably be done by now if you didn't keep distracting me."

Flash frowned at this as Heather stepped up to him. "I know you're worried, but it's better for the team to be at one hundred percent when facing against Doom."

Flash let out a long sigh. "I know...but I can't help it. We barely managed to beat the Doom Quartet, so fighting the guy who's stronger than all of them isn't something I think anypony should do alone."

"And we understand that," Ruby added as she rubbed her necklace.

"But if anypony can defeat Doom on their own, its Grand." First added as he looked over Springer, who had new injuries thanks to Shade.

"He's right amigo," Tidal finished as he looked over his gear. "He might be old, but Grand Hoof can still fight with the best of them."

"Even so, we should be there for support, and I for one am sick of being on the ground." Skybreaker grumbled as he turned to Iron, "Well?"

The earth pony picked up Piecemaker and touched the metal of a cell door. "I'm ready." With that, Piecemaker's blade flashed a light that quickly spread around the door. Everypony watched as it seemingly melted into a puddle, which then morphed into a ball before Iron lifted it up by the tip of his spear. He then stepped over to Skybreaker, who held out the damaged remains of his metal wing.

With a quick flick, the metal was sent into the wing, which quickly morphed around it. Everypony was amazed as they watched the metal of the wing and the door combine. Iron then held Piecemaker to the wing before pulling off the excess metal, tossing it to the side as it hardened into a metal ball. As for the wing, it was now brand new, which looked even stronger than it had before.

Skybreaker flexed the new appendage before smiling, "Nice. It feels better than ever Iron. Well done."

Iron smirked as he tapped the metal ball. "No prob. Though I gotta say, those ancient Omniarans really knew their metal works."

Flash and the others were staring at the two in amazement, Flash trying to talk, "How..."

"Since when have you been able to do that?" Springer asked him in succession.

Iron turned to them with a smirk, "Since always. I've just never had a need for it before now."

Flash and Springer wanted to retort, but Skybreaker stepped in between them. "Come on everypony, let's go find Grand before he gets himself killed."

"RIGHT!" Everypony replied before rushing out of the room, leaving only Springer. The jakhowl turned and jumped up to the window of the cell Shade was locked in. "You stay there, we'll deal with you later." With that, he leapt down and ran out the door.

Seconds passed before the trickster's eyes shot open, glaring at where the jakhowl's face had been. "Stupid jakhowl...this isn't over yet." A small grin began to form, "I've still got an ace up my sleeve, and I'm gonna....I'm gonna...." It was here that Shade tried to hop in the air to transform, only for to land in his usual tiny fox form. He blinked at this, a slight grimace on his face. "Shoot. I don't have enough energy for my battle form. That's not good..."

The fox then looked around, only to see what that he was in a pegasi cell. This made the fox cheekily grin, "Hee hee hee...guess luck's on my side. If this was the unicorn cell, it would have been trouble," he commented as he put his paw in his mouth, a second later pulling out a small metal red sphere. "Here we go. Good thing I kept a spare," His paw started tapping the sphere, the orb slowly increasing in size as he kept manipulating the device. "And...done. Now, since I can't get into my battle form, and all of them are going for Doom....darn. No real good options there, huh? Guess its time for plan B."

Back in the castle, Doom stared down at the large hole in front of him. A radiant glow pulsed from the very bottom, showing that the seal was all that was left. But as he stared, a big grin was on his face as the unsealing spell was stripping away the mystic binding piece by piece.

He then turned to the viewing globe, which was showing his father dispatching the cloaks guarding the doors. It then shifted to show the rest of the knights, all of them rushing out of the prison to follow after their leader.

"Ugh...I should have known." Doom grumbled as he shook his head, "I should have known that lousy fox would mess up. He probably got bluffed into fighting that dog he hates." The image on the globe changed back to Grand, who had now finished off the cloaks. Seeing this, his horn flared as he magically instructing the cloaks outside to gather at the entrance. They would not be able to stop the knights, but they would be enough to slow them down.

"I won't be stopped," he told himself as he watched his father fight one last group of cloaks. "This seems to be the story of our lives, isn't it Grand? You only remember that I exist when you want to hurt me." His mind then flashed back to the days when he and his father were close, Grand's mind also remembering those days.

The Past...

As the snow fell upon the ground, we find Grand in his back garden, still training like usual. He was currently striking a wooden dummy, placing every bit of strength behind each of his strikes. But as he tried to hit the piece of lumber once more, his ears spiked up from a sound.

"Daddy!" He spun around to see a five year old Doom Raizer rush out into the snow, laughing happily. "Daddy, play with me!" He leapt up into his father's grasp, accidently knocking him off balance as they crashed into the snow.

A gentle laugh could be heard from the door. "Careful Doom, careful now." Live Wire told her son as she stepped outside.

Doom giggled as he looked over at the dummy, then down at his father. "Daddy, when I grow up, I'm gonna be a knight just like you!"

"Is that so?" Grand replied as he picked himself and hugged his son. "Sure you don't want to be a scientist like mommy? You're smart enough."

"Nah," Doom replied as he tightened the hug, "I want to protect ponies like you."

"I see," Grand chuckled as he put Doom on his back. "Then I'm sure you'll be a great knight."

Live nodded at this, her hoof now patting her son's head. "I agree. And when you're a knight, I'll make you a Celestic Gear."

"Yay!" Doom cheered.

"But only if you promise to be a good boy, and don't abuse your power."

"I promise!" Doom replied, a huge grin shining on his face. "I'll protect everypony, including mommy!"

"Hey! That's my job!" Grand barked back, only to get a stuck out tongue in response, resulting in a laugh from his wife. It was truly a happy time for the young family, but it was a happiness that would not last.

Three years later...

Grand sighed in relief as he stepped off the train and onto Canterlot platform. It had been a rough mission, one with what he thought would be endless battles, but it was finally complete. Now, he was on the platform, looking for the usual party that would greet him after a mission. But as he looked around, he noticed no one was here.

"Sir Grand Hoof?" the earth pony spun around to see a stallion he recognized as one of the royal guards. He stepped over to him, a somber look on his face. "The princess sent me to retrieve you."

Grand raised an eyebrow at this. "Do you know why?"

The stallion looked down grimly. "All I know is...well, there was an accident in the royal labs." Grand's eyes went wide, only for the guard to say, "Your wife-" He didn't hear anything else, Grand had already rushed past him, making his way to the princess.

A little later...

Grand burst into the palace's medical wing, his hooves blasting down the hallways. "LIVE!" He cried as he slammed the door open, seeing his wife in the bed with Doom and Celestia around her. He rushed over, only to horrified at her now weakening face. "What happened?!"

Celestia let out a long sigh. "One of the rune studying scientists chose to see what would happen when they mixed some of the less known runes. Live saw this and tried to stop him, but it was too late and...and an explosion occurred. She managed to save the scientist, but was caught in the explosion."

"Dad?" an eight year old Doom whimpered as he looked up to his father, "Is momma gonna be okay?"

Grand turned to his son, patting him on the head. "She'll...she'll be fine. Your mom is the toughest mare I've ever met."

Doom didn't look convinced by his father's words, only for Celestia to put her hoof over the colt. "Come little pony, let's leave your parents to talk."

Doom reluctantly agreed and stepped outside, allowing Grand to stare down at his dying wife. "Please, you have to stay strong." He took his wife's hoof in his own, which he felt tighten. He looked into her eyes and saw them flicker open.

"Grand," she whispered.

"I'm here. I'll always be here."

Live smiled at this, a small weak giggle following. "You're here."

Grand nodded as he leaned over to her, using his hoof to comb her mane. "And I'm not going anywhere. I'll stay right here until you're back to full health."

Live giggled again, a slight shake of the head again. "I think we both know that won't be happening."

"No!" Grand almost yelled, his hooves grabbing her's. "Live, you can't do this. I'm sorry I was gone, I'm sorry I'm always gone. Live, you-"

Her hoof tapped his mouth, stopping his rant. "I've been fighting till you got back. I've...the accident happened over a week ago Grand." This made Grand gasp, now remembering he hadn't asked when the incident happened. But then she continued to talk, "Grand....when I'm gone-"

"Don't say that!" Grand interrupted her, his hoof gripping even more.

"Just listen for once," she told him firmly, her other hoof now rubbing his chin. "I left something for Doom, and when he's older, I want you to give it to him. Its almost complete, and it only needs the magic to mold into shape. But don't give it to him until you think he's ready."

Grand's eyes were now pouring a waterfall of tears. "Please....please don't do this Live. I can't do this without you."

Live's own eyes began to tear up. "You have to."

In that moment, the doors opened and Doom stepped inside. "Momma!" He yelled when he saw Live was awake, causing him to rush to her side.

Live patted the colt on the head, "Doom. My precious little boy."

Doom's eyes filled with tears, all of them soaking the bed covers over Live. "Momma...."

Live smiled at the two, her eyes slowly beginning to close. "My boys, I...love you." With that, her eyes completely shut as the grip on Grand's hoof was lost.

"Live?" Grand asked, but got no response.

"MOMMA!"

After that, everything went wrong.

Despite the rain pouring down on his body, Grand's only focus was on the coffin being placed into the ground. Doom was standing next to him, watching his mother disappear into the earth. As the funeral ended and the ponies headed off, Celestia, Grand and Doom remained behind to watch the grave be filled.

But as they did this, a low hiss came from one of the voices. "You lied," Celestia and Grand looked down at the colt, Doom looking up with tears covering his eyes. "You said you would protect us, but you didn't! You lied to her and me!"

Grand leaned slightly back, his mouth opening, "Doom-"

"I HATE YOU!" Doom screamed, making Grand almost backpedal. "I HATE YOU, YOU LIAR!"

Then, the colt ran away, Grand just standing still as he saw his son run off into the distance. "Doom!" Grand yelled, only for the colt to now disappear in the rain.

Celestia patted his shoulder, "You should go after him."

Grand lifted his hoof, only to shake his head. "No. I...I think it's best I just give him some space."

And space he gave him. Over the next few years, Grand threw himself into his work. Missions, training and constant patrols in Canterlot drew most of his time. But as he did, he didn't realize he was neglecting his son. Now, Grand was at the guard training ground, using his Celestic Gear to take down multiple dummies. However, his attention was soon drawn to somepony stepping into the area. "Princess. What do I owe this pleasure?"

Celestia walked over to him with a frown on her face. "I came to talk to you about Doom."

"Did he do something wrong?"

Celestia shook her head. "No, he's actually doing incredibly well. One of the best students my school has ever seen."

"So what's the problem?" Grand asked with almost little interest in his tone.

"The problem is that he seems to prefer being alone instead of being with others. He's isolating himself, choosing to work alone and...and I'm worried."

"Well, what can I do about it?" Grand asked as he now fully looked at Celestia, a small sigh almost coming out of his mouth.

"You're his father," Celestia told him as she put her hoof on her shoulder. "Its obvious that this attitude is coming from a lack of attention. When was the last time you and him spent some time together? When did the two of you...well, be together?"

Grand sighed as he looked back at the dummy. "Play time is a luxury I don't have."

"You used to have it," Celestia told him as she took her hoof off.

"And look what it cost me," Grand replied as he smacked down another dummy.

"What happened to Live Wire wasn't your fault." She then turned away from him, her form already walking away. "You've already lost your wife, and I don't want to see you lose your son Grand."

Once she was gone, Grand bit his lip as his mind battled over what he should do. He looked back at the dummy, only to let out a sigh as he decided to go to his office. Once inside, he moved over to a cabinet and opened it before pulling out a large box. Opening the box, he looked inside and stared at the crystal within. It was the last Celestic Gear his wife had ever made, built for Doom when he was ready to start his training as a knight.

But Doom never started his training. After graduating from Celestia's school, Grand had assumed he would ask his father to begin their training. Instead, Doom chose the path his mother had walked, the path of a unicorn scientist.

At the age of eighteen, Doom began this work as one of Canterlot's greatest scientists. His fields of study varied, mainly focusing on different ways to keep the ponies of Canterlot safe. As such, Grand watched from a distance as Doom worked his way up the chain. As he did, he remembered all the years he had spent ignoring Doom in pursuit of keeping him safe, believing he could fight all the enemies out there, making sure no one would invade Canterlot. But as he did this, Doom also continued to isolate himself just like his father. And as Celestia told Grand about this, the soldier kept staying on the sidelines, making sure he didn't interfere in pure fear of making things worse.

But then Doom met her.

Daisy Chain had been a simple gardener, working to keep the grounds around the school presentable. One day, she had come across a notebook that had Doom's name on it, which he had dropped after working outside, only to rush in when a sudden raincloud flew over the school. Luckily, the book had a waterproofing spell on it, keeping it in tact until Daisy found it.

She returned it to its owner, who was thankful to her and offered to buy her dinner in thanks. For Doom, it had been a simple favor repayment, but during the dinner, Daisy's kind and positive demeanor broke him almost immediately. He hadn't had a pony act like this to him in forever, and after the meal was over, Doom found himself asking her out again before he realized what he had just said.

Before Grand, Doom and Daisy knew it, two years passed.

"You may now kiss the bride."

Grand couldn't be any happier as he saw his son kiss his new wife. She was the perfect mare for the family, one that was helping put the father and son back together. Daisy helped to patch things up between the strained father son pair, at least managing to convince Doom to invite Grand. As such, Grand loved Daisy, seeing her as his own daughter.

As the next few years followed, Grand found himself becoming a grandfather. He remembered the first time he held Lightning, remembering the promise he had made his wife. He had failed to keep that one, but this time, he swore he would be there for Lightning.

And he was. As Lightning grew, Grand stood by his side, helping raise the colt. This alone helped mend the bridge between Grand and Doom, all the way until eventually, Doom's loner attitude had all but vanished. Now, he smiled more than anything, making Grand, Daisy and Lightning smile. Their family life looked to be a happy one, until that day.

Grand raced through the corridors of the hospital. He had been in his office when he had gotten the call, that a mugging gone wrong had put his beloved daughter-in-law in the hospital. When he arrived outside Daisy's room, he looked through the window and saw Doom and Lightning looking down at Daisy. The scene paralleled what had happened to his wife, only this time, it was Doom in his position. "No...not again." He then opened the door, only for the sound of one of the machine's giving a never ending beep rang out. The noise made him come to a complete stop, tears now flowing down his eyes.

"Daisy?" Doom asked, but got no response.

"MOMMA!" Lightning cried out.

Grand could cry, a sigh also following as knew what would happen next.

Once again, Grand found himself standing in the rain, watching a coffin containing somepony he cared about be lowered into the ground. He looked over at Doom and Lightning, once again reminded of when he had lost his wife. But this time, he had told himself that he would make sure it didn't happen again.

It started with Grand asking one of Daisy's mourning friends to take Lightning away so he could talk to his son. She did so, and soon the two were standing side by side, continuing to stare at the grave.

"I know how you feel son," Grand said as he put his hoof on Doom's shoulder, only to feel it be instantly pushed off.

"No you don't. How could you possibly know how I feel?"

"Because I've been where you are now," Grand told him as he put his hoof back on the ground. "And you've been where Lightning is. Don't make my mistake. You...you need to be there for your son. He needs you now, more than ever."

"No...no he doesn't. What he needs is his mother." He turned away as one final tear hit the ground, "But she's gone now. Gone because some monster decided to take her away." His tone began to shift, a dark hiss beginning to form. "I'm sick of this. I'm sick of the good being hurt while the bad get away without judgement. I'm going to find a way to keep all of Canterlot safe."

"How?" Grand asked, concerned at where this was heading.

"I don't know yet, but I'll find a way."

"But Lightning-"

"Don't try and act like a perfect father!" Doom almost yelled at him. "You're too many years to late for that." Before Grand could say anything else, his son walked away. But as he did, Grand could easily see that he didn't know what to say to his son.

As such, the years passed yet again.

However, Doom did take his father's words to heart. He spent time with Lightning, but it was mostly spent teaching him magic. He would make sure his son could keep himself safe. The rest of his time, he spent working on stopping the travesties he had felt from ever happening again.

But then he went too far, which forced Grand to step in.

Grand, Celestia and several guards found themselves outside Doom's underground lab. One of the other scientists had discovered what he had been working on and warned them, leading to the current situation. Grand slammed open the door, just in time to almost be blinded by a burst of electricity. "DOOM!"

Doom looked up from his work and turned towards Grand, levitating his goggles off his eyes. "Father? What are you doing here?"

"We're here to stop you," Grand told him.

Celestia stepped up behind Grand, "Doom Raizer, we know what you're up to, and it ends now."

"No....no! I won't be stopped! Look!" He held up a sphere, electricity sparking every bit of the orb. "This is the Thunder Tomb, a device that will allow us to protect Canterlot, and any other place we want to protect." He then levitated the orb up, allowing them all to see it join the hundreds more floating in the ceiling.

Grand just shook his head. "Doom, no pony should have that much power. We were told what you've already experimented on with this, and we will not let you do anymore. You hurt innocent ponies with this device!" He then let out a low sigh, "Doom...think about what you're doing."

"I am thinking, and you won't stop me." He spotted the guards now all enter the room, all of them getting closer. "Get back!" He grabbed a welding torch and lit it before levitating it at them, ready to fry whoever it touched. Celestia saw this and teleported in front of them before creating a force field, only for the bubble to suddenly fill a volley of sparks.

"Princess!" Grand yelled.

"We're fine," Celestia replied from the bubble. "But if I drop my guard for even a second, the forcefield might break and we'll be in trouble. I'm sorry, but you're on your own."

Grand growled before turning to his son, pulling Grand Slammer out with a slight shake of rage. "Last warning Doom. Stop this...stop this right now!"

Doom shook his head. "Don't you see?! I'm able to keep her back! And the tomb is even more powerful! I...I can protect everypony with this!"

"Its too dangerous son. No pony should have that power."

Grand's response was immediate, the words quickly flowing into Doom's ears. As they did, Doom's eye twitched as rage covered his being, "You...you cowards. If you can't see what I have done, I'll show you how powerful the Thunder Tomb is!" His horn flashed as the orbs began to spark.

"Grand, you must stop him now!" Celestia yelled, her horn now blasting out magic as she increased the power of the shield over her.

It was here that Grand knew what he had to do. With no other choice, Grand raised his Celestic Gear and pointed it at his son. "I'm sorry," was all he could say to him. "Grand Force!" He fired the tornado of rock and dirt at his son, hitting him with tremendous force before the unicorn could even react.

"AAAAAHHHHH!" Doom cried as he felt the rocks slice up his skin, the aura around his horn dissipating. As this happened, Doom lost consciousness, instantly deactivating the Thunder Tomb orbs. Grand rushed over to Celestia and knocked the torch away, allowing her to drop the forcefield as the guards rushed over to Doom. They tied him up and placed an anti-magic ring on his horn as Grand stared down at his son. He looked over the wounds he had given him, knowing they would scar him over.

And in that moment, a piece of Grand Hoof died.

Present...

And now, history repeats itself. Doom was moments away from gaining everything he wanted, while Grand was trying to stop him.

Doom's thoughts were now interrupted by the sound of the doors opening, causing him to turn and see his father step inside. Grand dropped the head of one of the cloaks he had beaten onto the floor, causing a clanking sound to echo throughout the hall. His glare didn't leave his son as he walked to the center of the room.

Doom smirked at this, soon moving so he and his father were perfectly parallel to one another, the smiling son staring down the glaring father. "So....here we are again. How do you want to do this?" There was a flash of light and a broadsword with a red blade and yellow crossguard appeared. "Do we just get to it, or do we chitchat first?"

Grand continued to glare before taking his Celestic Gear of his back and placing it on the ground. "One, I allowed my own grief to overcome me and cause me to neglect my son." Doom raised an eyebrow at this. "Two, I failed to see the darkness beginning to corrupt your soul until it was too late. And three, even when I knew you were up to no good...I didn't stop you until it was too late."

"What are you doing?" Doom asked with a tilt of the head.

"I'm counting up my sins son," Grand replied as a tear went down his face. "And now, I will atone for them by making you atone for what you have done." With that, he pointed at Doom. "Now...count up your sins."

Doom growled at those words. "I always hated that phrase." He swung his sword around himself, "and I won't count them. I have no sins!" He leapt at his father, swing his sword towards the earth pony's head. "I would have kept Equestria safe if you hadn't been a coward and stopped me!"

Grand reacted quickly, grabbing Grand Slammer and holding it up so the handle blocked his son's blade. "It wasn't a matter of us being scared. The power you were creating shouldn't belong to anypony, good or bad."

"We'll just have to agree to disagree," Doom replied before leaping back, his horn lighting as an energy blast shot out. Grand replied by slamming his Celestic Gear on the ground, causing a rock wall to shoot up between himself and Doom's attack. The blast struck the wall, only to blast it into pieces as it sent pieces of rock and dust everywhere.

"Grand Force!" A tornado of pure earth shot out the dust cloud, aimed squarely at Doom. The unicorn's horn immediately summing a forcefield that blocked the attack. As it did this, the dust cleared, their eyes now meeting again.

"Let's end this, shall we?" Doom said as he twirled the blade in his hoof.

"Let's." Grand replied, only for the two to charge at each other a second later.

Meanwhile....

Back outside, the rest of the knights were still making their way to the castle. As they did this, Springer was now riding on Flash's back as he commented, "I can sense Grand. He's in a room half way up the building, and he's not alone. He's fighting another pony, but I don't sense anything else...except something big under them."

"Then we'd better get in there," Skybreaker replied with a slight grimace. "Grand will need all the help he can get with facing Doom."

"Window!" Flash suddenly yelled as he pointed to the pegasi's way in. With that, he shot towards it, only to feel something shock him and Springer as soon as he touched the glass pane.

"YOW!" They both cried as they were zapped, Flash quickly leaping back from the tiny entrance.

Skybreaker couldn't help but crack a smile at the two's statically charged hair before looking back at the castle. "Electrified force field. He's making sure there's only one entrance."

"Great..." Flash grumbled as he landed, "What do we do now?"

"Go through the only entrance. It's are only way in." With that, the Skybreaker landed as well, his hoof now pointing at the castle's main doors. As they did this, the Royal Knights arrived behind them, all of them seeing a barrage of cloaks come out of the doors. Skybreaker sighed at the sight before turning to the other soldiers. "Y'all ready?"

"Ready!" They replied in unison.

"Then lets go!"

The knights charged forwards, the army of cloaks rushing as well as the two forces clashed. Flash, Iron, Ruby and Skybreaker were cutting them in half, while Springer, Heather and Tidal smashed the puppets into pieces. First at the same time was firing a series of Aid Bolts, all to keep the others at full energy.

"Flash/Sky Cutter!" The pegasi launched blades of wind and light, the blades blasting through the crowd.

"Iron Lance Fury!"

Ruby Shot!" The two fired off projectiles, shredding another section of the cloaks.

"Bloom Coil!" Heather wrapped up one of them before swinging it around, knocking down several others. She then let go before whipping it around, smashing another on the head with the mace.

"Tidal Bullets!" A trio of water drops shot towards more cloaks, shattering them as he spun trident, impaling a fourth cloak with a flick of the hoof, "Buen intent."

"Steel Paw!" Springer yelled as he slashed at another cloak, its head flying off. He could still feel the exhaust from the Shade fight, but still kept going. As he did this, he saw the army of cloaks, the knights now seeing that the fight was far from over. That is, till he felt a hoof tap his shoulder.

"Springer!" Ruby told him as she gripped his shoulder. "I've got a plan. Make an Aura Blast and hold it above your head."

Springer turned to her and raised an eyebrow, but did what he was told. As he raised the sphere above his head, he noticed more cloaks rushing towards. "Whatever it is, hurry up."

"Skybreaker!" Ruby yelled as she beheaded another cloak. "Use your wind on the Aura Sphere!"

Skybreaker, like Springer, was confused, but did as he was told. "Sky Vortex!" He unleashed a burst of wind, which flew at the Aura Sphere and began to spin around it. This caught everypony's attention as the wind and aura seemed to merge and change shape. The spinning wind began to flatten and curve until it looked like a large blade, spinning around the Aura Blast. As it did, it released a high pitched humming sound.

Springer looked up at it in amazement, only to hear Ruby yell, "throw it!" Nodding, he turned to the cloaks before throwing the new weapon at them. The attack spun through a whole group, shredding them until nothing could be seen.

"No way," Flash gasped as he took down another cloak before turning to Ruby, "how'd you know how to do that?"

Ruby just giggled. "You're not the first Royal Knight to be partnered with a jakhowl. One with a wind affinity like Skybreaker could easily do that with his partner. They called it the Aura-Shuriken."

"That's awesome!" Flash said as he effortless sliced another cloak.

"Yeah," Springer added as he kicked a cloak that was about to attack Flash. "We totally gotta come up with our own combo move now."

"Focus on that later," Skybreaker grumbled as he decapitated another cloak. "For now, let's finish these things off and go help Grand."

"Right!" the two yelled as they charged at the army of cloaks once more.

Back inside the castle...

"RRRAAAUUUGGGHHHH!!!" Grand roared as he slammed his hammer into the ground, a barrage of rubble soon flying at Doom. The unicorn flared his horn, a forcefield blocking the rocks while his sword swung through the air, slicing every piece of gravel into pieces. The blade then went back to Doom's hoof, the unicorn shooting forward as he tried to slash Grand. And as the sword tried to impale him, Grand quickly deflected it, his hammer immediately smacking Doom's chest.

"Blugh!" Doom yelled as the blow struck, only for his horn to spark as his sword sliced Doom's shoulder with one quick swipe.

"Augh!" Grand cried as he leapt back, trying to get some distance from his son.

"Give it up," Doom told him as he clutched his chest in pain, small pants happening as he continued, "I'm not the same pathetic weak unicorn you defeated with one attack. Since escaping from prison, I've spent every waking moment training myself to match your power. I've master the art of battle, all so I could defeat you when this moment arrived." He levitated his sword back to him, ready to attack once more. "I got stronger, while you grew old and weak."

Grand looked over his wound, a long sigh following. "Its true. I grew older in the time we last fought." He raised his hammer once again, "but thinking that made me weaker...is a dangerous idea!" He then smashed his hammer into the ground again, causing the whole castle to shake.

The vibrations made Doom shudder, his vision soon looking back at the hole where the tomb was. Seeing this, he dropped his sword before focusing his magic, placing a force field around the tomb and its tunnel. However, as he did this, Grand charged, striking the unicorn in the shoulder, causing him to going flying back.

"Aaaahhhh!" he cried as he staggered back, his horn spurting magic now as he wobbled back and forth. Grand then charged again, only for Doom to balance himself this time. Seeing the incoming attack, his horn shot a spell at the solider, the magic tapping Grand's chest as swung his hammer again. The hammer struck Doom's chest, knocking him back even more, only for Grand to suddenly fall.

"Blaugh!" Grand yelled as he felt blood fly out of his mouth. A mighty pain had suddenly erupted in his chest, causing him to cry out as he fell to his knees, now clutching his chest. "What's happening?" He got his answer when he heard his son now laugh, making him look up to see Doom standing once more. "What did you do?"

Doom smiled as he stood tall, rubbing the spot where he had been struck. "Magically linked my body to yours. Now any damage I take will also be given to you." He levitated his sword in front of him once more, "But the same cannot be said with me!" With that, he shot like a bullet at Grand, instantly slashing the stallion's chest. The blow made Grand let out a scream of pain, only for his hoof to quickly uppercut Doom's cheek, knocking the unicorn back. But as the punch struck, a flame burned in Grand's face, causing him to bleed again.

"Uurrgghhh...you gotta be kidding me." Grand moaned as he gripped Grand Slammer again. "If that's how this fight's gonna go, I'll stop you a different way Doom! Now, Grand Prison!" He then slammed the ground with his hammer, a circle of rocks instantly summoning themselves around Doom.

But as these pieces of rubble encased him, Doom's horn shined again. Here, his sword cut through the rocks, slicing them to bits as he leapt out of the circle. "Nice try," he said as he swung his sword, only for Grand's hammer to block it. Their foreheads were inches away from one another as Doom continued, "But you can't stop me without physically harming me father. And you know that'll only harm you as well." He leapt back as his horn continued to glow, a barrage of magical blasts soon firing from the tip. "But I am not restricted by such things!"

Seeing this, Grand summoned another rock wall, only for the blasts to destroy it in an instant. There, he began spinning his hammer, deflecting every laser coming his way as the reflections of the blows started to rip the room apart. As he did this, Doom continued to scream out. "All I ever did, I did to keep those around me safe! But you and Celestia took that away from me, branded me a criminal and sent me away!" Doom screamed as the aura around his horn continued to grow, "But what did you do afterwards?! Did you come to visit me?! Did you look after your grandson like you promised you would?! Did you actually try to help your family?! WELL?!"

"I did all I knew how to do Doom! I-"

"SHUT UP! You didn't do a thing!" Doom yelled as the lasers continued to flood the room, "No! You just ran away from your problems like always! Family doesn't mean a thing to you! All you care about is your little solider life, complete with the little bird brain you picked up off the streets that you decided to focus on instead of your family!"

"Leave Flash out of this!" Grand barked back as he deflected another blast. "He never did anything to you! This is between you and-"

"Oh stop it!" Doom screamed as his blade fell into his hoof, the unicorn now charging as he started to slash away at Grand, "Don't think I don't know what that little brat took away from me! I know the last gift mother made for me was stolen by him!"

Grand's eyes went wide at Doom's statement. "Lightbringer?"

"That's right," Doom replied before leaping back and firing another series of blasts at Grand. "You thought I didn't know that mother left me that. Unlike you, she kept her promises. She understood what it meant to be family. She was better than you, and she left that for me because she knew I deserved it!" Then, a single tear went down Doom's face, "But that doesn't matter, does it? No. Not to a disgusting pony like you. Instead, you threw away mother's greatest creation to a filthy street rat!"

A barrage of smoke flew out of Grand's nostrils as his hammer hit the ground once more, a new defensive wall forming as he replied, "You didn't deserve that Celestic Gear! Live Wire may have created it for you, but your mother would agree with me that the pony you've become is not the pony she made it for!"

Doom's left eye twitched at these words, a new series of blasts flying out of his horn as he asked, "Then why not give it to Lightning who also wanted to be a knight?! Why not take him as your student instead of some idiotic, wisecracking pegasus?!"

Grand felt his defensive wall begin to crumble, only for him to put his hammer into the wall, a stream of magic flowing out of it as it held the incoming attack. "Because unlike you and Lightning, Flash didn't allow the pain of his past to consume him." Images of the boy he had trained raced through his mind. "He has the potential to be a great knight and he needed somepony to show him that. You chose to abandon your dreams of being a knight, and Lightning was on his way to becoming one on his own. Had he stayed on that path, I would have given him the Celestic Gear. But then you did what you did, making Lightning chose to follow your path."

Doom smiled at this. When he had heard what his son had done, he had felt proud at his attempt for power, but also felt shame when he heard of his failure. Doom then shook his head as his horn's aura continued to shine, "And if it hadn't been for your little apprentice, my son would be Equestria's new ruler. Something that I would have been happy to be under." The force of his attack once again increased. "Tell me father, do you have any regrets about what you did to me? Do you regret that I am now a pony worthy of ruling?!" More and more power was funneled into the laser blasts, which grew larger in size but less in number. "Tell me...Tell me...TELL ME!" With that last declaration, his barrage evolved into a single yet powerful beam.

The beam struck the stone wall, the force instantly destroying the shield as it hit Grand directly, "AAAHHH!" He screamed as his body went flying into the wall above the door, the attack continuing to push at him. It was here that Doom stopped his attack, the body of his father instantly falling to the ground with a thud. The unicorn then staggered, a series of heavy pants flying out of his mouth as he glared at his laying father.

"Of course, I...I regret what I did." Grand squeaked out from the floor. There, he started to pick himself up, Doom's eyes squinting at the sight as Grand continued to talk, "But I don't regret stopping you and sending you to prison. What I regret...is everything leading up to that event." His legs gave out and he fell to the floor, only to start dragging himself towards his Celestic Gear, which had fell when the blast had hit him into the wall. "I regret letting my grief keep me from caring for you. I regret not watching you grow up until it was too late. I regret not trying harder to help you when you lost Daisy. I regret...I regret everything."

He finally reached his weapon and picked it up, using it to steady himself as he tried to stand up. "Every night, I went to sleep with those things floating in my head." Tears filled his eyes as he stared at his son. "All I can do now, is to tell you I'm sorry...and beg for your forgiveness."

Doom stared at his father, a tear almost forming under his eye. But as this sight made him hesitate for a second, the unicorn ran up to the earth pony, his hoof grabbing Doom's neck, "I don't want your forgiveness, you old geezer."

"Then what do you want son?" Grand asked, his tear-filled eyes now staring right into Doom's.

"I want a world where a colt doesn't lose a mother because of some two-bit idiot who doesn't know what he's doing. I want a world where a pony doesn't lose the love of their life because of a punk on the streets. I want a world where a son doesn't lose his inheritance to insignificant gutter filth that has no right to even exist, let alone be a smear on my hoof." he hissed as he put his blade up to Doom's neck, "But more than anything at all, I want my revenge against you."

Grand felt his heart break hearing his son say those words, only for the fur in his neck now feel the steel just about to graze him. "This is the end. Goodbye...father."

And as that blade started to move, Grand closed his eyes, waiting for that final moment. But as he readied himself, his ears heard a new sound.

"BACK OFF!" yelled an orange blur as it flew into the room. Doom instantly felt a punch to the face, the blow knocking him back as he skidded across the floor from the attack.

"Blaugh!" Doom yelped as he quickly recovered, only for his eyes to go wide as he saw the orange blur completely. It was Grand's pupil, the pegasi now helping up the earth pony.

"Grand!" Doom then saw the rest of the Royal Knights rush inside, Heather and First rushing to Grand's side as First took Grand away from Flash as Heather asked, "Are you okay?!"

"This is what happens when you go off on your own," Skybreaker told him as he, Ruby, Iron and Tidal stood beside Flash while Springer jumped onto Flash's back.

Grand let out a low, painful sigh. "I'm...sorry."

"Save it," Skybreaker told him as he twirled his weapon in his hoof. "We'll talk about it after we finish the job."

Doom on the other hoof, just stared at the sight before glancing at Flash. The pegasi had now just unsheathed his weapon, only for Doom's eyes to twitch at the sight. He then took his own sword and pointed it at Flash, "That Celestic Gear. It belongs to me."

Flash raised an eyebrow at this before shrugging, his hoof quickly giving a 'come on' motion. "Come get it!" With that, he leapt forward, the duo's blades both clashed, only for Doom to push is blade forward, knocking Flash slightly back. Feeling Doom's strength, Flash quickly leapt back, gaining some distance. Seeing this, Doom readied to charge forward, only to see Ruby and Skybreaker charging him. His horn quickly summoned a forcefield before they could react as a series of voices yelled out.

"Iron Lance Fury!"

"Tidal Bullets!" The projectiles flew and bounced off the shield. The blows weren't enough to remotely break it, but Doom could feel his magic waver. He had been fighting too long, causing him to bite his lip as a frown embraced his face. His horn then flashed, his form vanishing along with the forcefield.

"Where'd he go?" Tidal asked.

"He must have teleported," Ruby added.

"So he ran away?" Iron asked.

"No," Grand said from where he was resting. "He wouldn't just leave without the Omni Sphere."

"So he's here somewhere," Skybreaker commented as he put his axe over his shoulder. But as he did this, he felt something coming, making him quickly raise his weapon, only for something to slam into it. "Whoa! What was that?!"

Heather's eyes narrowed at this, her brain quickly lighting a light bulb. "Its an invisibility spell!"

Hearing this, Flash turned to his partner, "Springer, can you sense him?"

The jakhowl quickly nodded before closing his eyes, "I'll try. Let's see...there!" He yelled as he pointed to a corner.

"Flash/Iron Force!" The two yelled as their attack flew towards the spot Springer had pointed out, but the aura signature quickly disappeared.

"Now there!" Springer pointed to another spot in the room.

"Sky Cutter!"

"Ruby Shot!" Again the two attacks were launched, only to miss as the aura once again vanished.

"Tidal, behind you!" Tidal spun around, just in time to block something with his trident.

"Give it up!" The sea fairing unicorn told his opponent.

In that moment, Heather tossed her Flower Chain at the spot in front of Tidal. When she felt it wrap around something, she flicked it, tossing the invisible object into the air. They all watched as Doom returned to being visible before aiming their weapons at him.

"Flash/Iron/Sky/Ruby/Tidal...FORCE!" The five attacks flew at Doom, who saw them coming as his eyes went wide.

KABOOM!

The lot of them all stared at the explosion, only for Springer to leap off Flash's back. "Not yet!" Springer yelled as he ran to another part of the room, a flash of light consuming him as he transformed into his battle form. "Steel Paw!"

However, despite the jakhowl's attempt to strike, Doom saw the incoming attack and raised his sword. The blade caught the claws, causing Springer's body to vibrate from the impact. As he did this, Doom's horn flashed, a beam following the spark as it knocked Springer back into Flash. "Augh!"

"Hang on bud!" Flash yelled as he grabbed his partner, the jakhowl now reverting back to his normal form.

"Sorry." Springer moaned as he felt Flash's wings, his hooves soon putting the dog onto the pegasi's back.

"It's fine bud," Flash told him as he pointed his sword at Doom. "Just stay on my back and tell us where he is if he goes invisible again."

"Got it." Springer replied, nodding.

It was here that Doom slightly backpedaled, his form now fully visible as all the knights stared him down. He knew he was outnumbered and outgunned, but a long sigh escaped his lips as his horn began to spark once more. That is, till Grand pointed his weapon at his son. "Its over Doom. Stop this before it goes too far."

Doom simply shook his head with a smile in response. "Not a chance. I'll never stop."

And as these words were said, the ground shook. Then, from out of the hole behind Doom, a brilliant light exploded into view. The sight made everyone cover their eyes, Flash yelled, "What the heck?! What's that?!"

"The seal," Doom replied as he turned around. "Its finally broken." He looked over his shoulder at the knights, his horn glowing as a sudden flare of magic burst out. The flash was followed by a brilliant display of light, all which surrounded the knights and Springer. Before any of them could react, the light died down and the knights saw what Doom had just done. Around their necks, legs, stomachs and the pegasi's wings, were the strange bands Doom had had the cloaks bring.

"What in the world?" First asked as he tried to move his legs.

"Oh no." Grand gasped as he tried to move, only for the rings to activate. Simultaneously, all nine of them suddenly felt themselves being pulled into the floor. The bands made them feel like they weighed a hundred times what they should do, the force now pinning them to the ground.

"Augh!" Ruby yelped as she felt her face kiss the floor. "What...what are these things?!"

"Gravity bands," Grand replied as he tried to lift his head, only for his face to feel another round of destroyed carpet. "Doom, you-"

Doom just laughed at the sight. "HA! I can't believe that worked!" The unicorn's horn continued to glow as another band levitated to his side, "These are gravity bands. They're one of my earliest inventions, and they're quite useful in certain circumstances. These special bands have increased gravity spells enchanted into the metal, and once they're activated, they increase in weight just enough so you aren't crushed, but still unable to move."

As his explanation ended, the knights felt the truth to his words sink in. They couldn't move an inch, even the earth ponies with their extra strength. Seeing this, Doom continued, "Originally, I had over ideas for them. But...while you're here, I might as well use them on you." Doom laughed at turned back to the hole, his horn glowing as he began to levitate the unsealed tomb out of the pit.

All the others could do was watch as the tomb flew out of the pit. It was a large six sided cube, roughly fifteen feet on each side. It appeared to be made out of a black stone with many different patterns and designs etched into it. Doom then put it on the floor, his horn now glowing as he placed his forehead on the box. "Finally...I can feel its power. I'm so close now." His horn once again flashed as he started muttering in a strange language that no one else understood. And as soon as the last bizarre word left his mouth, the patterns on the tomb began to glow a deep red. In that moment, clicking sounds could be heard from within.

Doom turned back to the knights with a huge grin on his face. "The internal locking mechanism has begun to unlock. Once its open in the next few minutes, the final piece of the Omni Sphere will be mine. But first..." The unicorn started to slowly walk over to them, his magic now enveloping Lightbringer before putting it in his hooves. "I should get rid of the only things that will try to stop me."

It was here that a long sigh exited Doom's mouth, his eyes scanning the sword. "Hmmm....it is a magnificent blade. A true weapon. This sword really is my mother's masterpiece." Doom then walked up to Flash, leaning down to where they were both at eye level as Doom levitated the blade of to the bottom of Flash's snout. "Tell me little bird, did my father tell you the story behind this blade? Did he tell you that it was meant for me if I went down the road of a knight?"

Flash didn't reply. He just stared at Doom, not a single flicker of emotion on his face. Seeing this, Doom just shook his head, "I'm guessing he didn't. Its too bad, especially considering he should have given it to my son. He was much more worthy of this blade, probably even more than me. My son was no scientist, but he was a true fighter." He then traced the blade along Flash's snout, making sure not to cut it as he continued, "But Grand didn't give it to him. He gave it to you. Lightning told me about you back when I lost Daisy. He said you were a pathetic street rat that Grand took pity on because he didn't care about me or his grandson."

"That's not true Doom! You know its not!" Grand yelled, only to fall on deaf ears as Doom and Flash continued to stare at each other.

As the staredown continued, Flash still not showing a single emotion, Doom decided to finish his rant. "My son was right. Your existence is nothing but a sin to this family. To that extent, I'm going to kill you first before killing the rest of you pathetic knights." Doom's face shined a huge evil grin, "And I'll save Grand for last."

"Don't do this Doom!" Grand cried out while everypony else tried to struggle against the gravity bands. But it was pointless, none of them could move as Doom gripped the blade into his hoof.

That is, till Doom noticed something. Flash was still staring at him, not a single emotion on his face. The sight made Doom raise an eyebrow as he asked, "What's the matter with you? Aren't you scared?"

Flash's face didn't change as he replied, "I'm terrified." His glare then hardened, anger now showing in his eyes, "but I refuse to give you the joy of seeing it."

Doom growled at the statement, his other hoof gripping Flash's mane as a series of hisses left his mouth, "Oh really?! If that's the case..." Then, Doom's face switched to a grin as he said, "I guess I can live without seeing it."

With that, he thrust the blade forwards.

"FLASH!" Everypony screamed as time seemed to slow down, Flash watching his own Celestic Gear get closer and closer. The defender just stared at the incoming blade, unable to even blink as the approaching sword. And as it readied itself to strike his head-

KA-THOOM!

The sound of thunder covered the room, a flash light blinding everyone, including Doom. The light made the unicorn step back, only for his fur to suddenly start tingling as he felt static electricity fill the air. Everyone had closed their eyes due to the light, but as Doom opened his, the blade in his magic fell to the floor.

Then, a voice spoke out, "Geez lousie, how many times do I gotta save your sorry flank, Sen-turd-y?!"

Flash's eyes flew open at this, his eyes soon going wide along with the other knights. The sight made the others all gasp, all of them lifting their heads up as a new pony appeared in the room. Flash instantly recognized the cloak the pony was wearing, connecting it to the cloaked pony he had saw when they arrived on the island. Only now, the hood was down, revealing a yellow unicorn with a white spiky mane and headphones around his neck.

"Lightning..." Flash whispered.

Lightning Blitz now stood between Flash and his father, his father now standing still in complete shock of the sight. However, unlike his father, Lightning just smirked at the sight as he asked, "Long time, no see pops. How you been? "

Return Stroke

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Ponyville...

Wild Smile had the biggest grin he could have as he brought a large bowl of popcorn over to his sofa. There, two of his closest friends were sitting on the cushion seats, their eyes staring at a thick book. They were Gorgenia and Solid Script, and they were both staring at a photo album, which contained the pictures of them before they lost Lightning to his banishment.

The two unicorns had come for a visit, wanting to see the place Wild was now spending half his time at. As such, Gorgenia stifled a laugh as she pointed at a picture, "Oh dear, anypony remember this?" She asked as they all stared at the photo, which showed the four of them at a karaoke bar Wild had dragged them too. In the photo was Script, singing into a microphone with a huge embarrassed blush on his face.

"Yes...." Script moaned as he rubbed his face in frustration. "I remember not wanting to go."

"Didn't stop you from singing, did it?" Wild asked as he sat down, the puppeteer now sitting by Gorgenia, who was now between him and Script.

"I couldn't help it," Script replied as his horn started to glow, taking several pieces of popcorn in his magic aura. "I was trying to not look like a coward in front of Lightning."

"And instead, you looked like an idiot," Wild laughed, his puppets soon mimicking him.

"Oh, don't be mean Wild." Gorgenia told him before turning the page. This page showed the four of them at Gorgenia's first sculpture show, her in a dress while her three male friends stood around wearing fancy suits. She could tell just by looking at it that both Wild and Lightning didn't enjoy wearing the suits, along with their forced smiles.

"That was a fun night," Wild almost whispered, only to get a nudge from Gorgenia.

"Don't lie Wild," Gorgenia grumbled. "The only reason you were even there was to support me. And uh...thank you for that."

"Any time," Wild replied as he slung his hoof around her shoulders. "What are friends for?"

The three of them continued to look through the photos. smiling as they remembered the events. But then they reached a section of the book showing only images of Lightning, causing them all to sigh. It was here that Wild and Gorgenia turned to Script, seeing the large frown appear on his face. "You okay there little buddy?"

Script nodded with a sigh. "Yes. I just wish I could see him again."

"We all do darling," Gorgenia replied as she patted his back. "But its not all bad. We know he'll be back soon."

"Yeah, sure..." Solid mumbled as a tear began to form in his right eye, "When the Fantasia Parade arrives, he'll be back. But that won't be for many, many more months, and even when it arrives, who knows if Lightning will be welcome back there." He jumped off the sofa and walked over to a nearby window, which he looked out to see the whole of Ponyville. "Not only that, I'm the only one that stays in Canterlot now, especially with Wild spending time here and Gorgenia heading to the Crystal Empire."

Both Gorgenia and Wild went wide eyed as they glanced at each other before the mare turned back to Solid, "How did-"

"I overhead some ponies talking about it," Script replied as he looked back to them. "I know Princess Cadance invited you so you can learn how to make statues out of crystal."

Hearing this, Gorgenia looked down at the floor while Wild continued to stare at her, "Why didn't you tell us?"

"Because....because I'm not going Wild." Gorgenia replied in a low mumble. "I...I can't."

Now it was Script's turn to be surprised as he tilted his head at the mare, "What do you mean? You have to go. Aren't you friends with that princess you used to despise?!"

"No, I can't." She looked up at Script with a small frown, "I made a promise to Lightning. I said I'd be there for you and I intend to keep it."

"We both did," Wild added as he stared back at Solid.

"And now its stopping you from doing what you love," Script said as he stepped up to them, "Do you really think Lightning would have asked you to make that promise if he knew an opportunity like this would appear? Don't forget, he also asked Princess Cadance to help you."

"And she has. My career's been doing better than ever since she started endorsing me, especially with all the love for her wedding statue." she answered before letting out a sigh, "But I'm not going to leave you Solid. I know you Solid, and I can tell you're lonely without Lightning. You're my friend, so if I can stop that loneliness, then I will."

Script shook his head at this. "And as your friend, I can't let you put your life on hold for me." He then turned to Wild, "both of your lives."

Wild raised an eyebrow at this, "wotcha talkin bout?"

"Talkin bout, wotcha talkin bout." his puppets repeated.

Script rolled his eyes. "Whenever you're in Canterlot, you only ever talk about two things Wild. Its either the shows you just did, or Ponyville. I know how much you love it here, but you've been putting off living here full time because of me."

"Yeah...I guess that's true." Wild replied as he fiddled with his hooves before looking back up at Solid, "But its like Gorgenia said. I made a promise to keep you out of trouble."

"Even if that means you can't do something you really, really want to do?!" Solid countered as he leaned up to Wild's face, "Like...you finally asking Pinkie Pie out properly?!"

Wild's face instantly locked up, a red blush shining on his face. Gorgenia giggled at the sight as she said, "He's right Wild. She does seem to be the main subject of your stories about Ponyville. Will I be creating another wedding statue soon enough?"

Wild shot Gorgenia a dark glare as his puppets laughed.

But before he could say anything, Solid put his hoof on Wild's shoulder, "The point is, I'd never forgive myself if I end up being the thing that ruined your lives just so you can keep me happy. If anything, that'd make me less happy."

"You know you won't be doing that Solid." Georgina immediately replied before crossing her hooves, "Besides, I know for a fact that you're still miserable in Canterlot, especially since they've wanted you to work with Grand more often."

A pitch black frown appeared on Solid's face as he glared at Gorgenia. "Don't say that name around me. That old geezer ruined my life, just like Lightning's. He's the reason all this garbage happened in the first place."

Gorgenia let out a long sigh again, "Solid...you know that isn't true. He's been trying really hard to get along with you."

"Yeah yeah..." Solid mumbled as he shook his head, his gaze soon focusing on both of his friends as he continued, "But that doesn't matter. What matters here is that I know you made Lightning a promise, but I want you two to make one for me." He then pointed to himself, "Don't let me, ruin your life."

Wild and Gorgenia then saw the conviction in his eyes. They knew he wouldn't be taking no for an answer, which made them sigh before nodding in agreement. "Alright little buddy," Wild said first.

"We'll do it," Gorgenia added. "But you have to promise that you'll come visit us as much as possible, okay?"

"I will," Script told them as he turned back to the window, his eyes now looking up at the starry night sky. "You guys ever wonder where Lightning is right now? What he might be doing?"

"All the time," Wild instantly replied as he leaned back on the couch with a big smile.

"Almost every day darling," Gorgenia added as she looked back at the photo album. "But wherever he is, I know he's doing something great."

Script chuckled at this as he sat back down on the couch, "Yeah, you're right. He's Lightning, he can't do anything else."

Meanwhile...

Flash couldn't pull his eyes away from what he was seeing. It was Lightning Blitz, the unicorn that had plagued his years under Grand's training, the pony that made him miserable at times. And yet, here he was, Lightning Blitz. The unicorn was staring his own father down, who in turn was just as shocked at the sight.

"No way. It really is Lightning," Iron gasped as he blinked at the sight.

"That's Doom's son?" Ruby asked before turning to Grand, "What's he doing here? Why is he here?! I thought you told me that he was banished from Canterlot after attempting to overthrow the Princesses."

"I don't know," Grand replied as his eyes just stared at the sight. "Lightning...why-"

"Hey! What are you doing here Lightning?!" Skybreaker interrupted as he stared at the unicorn. "What's your game kid?"

Lightning didn't turn to the knights, as his gaze was squarely focused on Doom. "I came to help. Is that so wrong?"

"Why would you help us?" Iron growled as he continued to wiggle, his body still trying to escape the bands.

Hearing this from Iron, Doom chuckled to himself as he stepped towards his son, "Then obviously, he's come to help me." A huge grin shined on his face, "My son...I was so proud of you when I heard about your attempt to take the kingdom as your own. Now together, unlimited power will belong to us." He reached out to touch his son's shoulder. "But first we need to deal with some annoyances." But in that moment, a spark of electricity shot out of Lightning's horn, cloaking his body. The armor made Doom pull his hoof back, a small cry of pain following, "Yow! Lightning! What was that for?!"

Lightning smiled as his electric cloak faded. "Sorry pops, but you're wrong. I came to help the knights like I've been doing all day long."

"What?!" Doom yelped, his eyes going wide.

"Who do you think saved Sentry from those cloaks when he passed out or who showed the fuzzball how to escape the prison?!"

Doom's eyes went wide, only to narrow as he let out a hiss, "You...don't tell me you're...you're that cloaked pony I couldn't get a good view on my viewing globe?! The one that keeps reappearing everywhere on the island this past week?!"

"Yeah, that was me. I've been watching you for a while pops." Lightning admitted with a slight snort of air coming from his nostrils, "And I'm the one that kept evading your little cloak spy groups you would send out."

A low growl followed as Doom's left eye began to twitch, "I should have known it was somepony related to me. How else would you know how to dodge my magic?!"

Lightning just shrugged, a small chuckle following, "I learned from the best pops. I had to keep a close eye on you and the knights. Especially Sentry." The unicorn then turned around with a big smirk on his face as he stared at Flash, "Though I gotta say, you look really pathetic right now Sentry. Show a little more backbone, will ya?! After all, you're the pony that beat me. You losing so easily will only make me look bad."

Flash, unable to properly move his body, just stuck his tongue out at the stallion, "Yeah, whatever. I was just going easy on him, that's all."

"Sure you were." Lightning commented as he turned back, only to place his hoof on Lightbringer, which Doom had dropped when Lightning had made his entrance, and kicked it back. The weapon slid over to Flash, landing in his hooves. "Get your act together while me and my old stallion catch up."

"WHAT?! What are you talking about son?!" Doom yelled before pointing at the knights, specifically Flash, "Why are you defending them?! After everything they did to you, especially that piece of gutter trash over there, who's existence might as well be a sin to our family, you would still defend him?! He's the reason you aren't sitting on the throne!" He pointed to Grand, "he's the reason the two of us have had to live as outcasts! That old geezer screwed both of us over so he could give what your grandmother made to a street rat! A street rat Lightning, as in something that doesn't have the right to even exist!" His horn began to spark as he said his next words, "WHY?! Why would help them?!"

Lightning let out a long sigh, "You're wrong pops. They're not the reasons we've had to live like this. It was our own choices that put us on that road, but at the time, I was too angry to realise it." Electrical energy once again shot out of his horn, surrounding his body as it recreated the cloak of lightning. "Growing up, all I wanted to do was protect ponies. Mom's death only increased that desire, as I wanted to stop others from feeling that pain." His eyes then showed a long, almost slightly dead sight at his father as he continued, "But gramps chose to train Flash over me, and I thought that meant I wasn't good enough. Then you were banished, and I allowed my disappointment to become anger, which I directed in all the wrong ways."

Grand frowned at the explanation, tears beginning to form in his eyes. Even now he wanted to tell his grandson that the only reason he didn't take Lightning as an apprentice was because the colt didn't need his help when it came to being a knight. He already had the training, just not the mind set, something Grand knew Lightning would have to realize for himself. If only he could go back in time and tell the younger Lightning that.

"My anger and resentment made me believe power was everything," Lightning went on. "But what I didn't realize was that my search for power had made me into the very thing I hated." The electrical power increased around his cloak, forcing everypony to close their eyes. "I...I became the thing that took mom away." He then looked back at Flash, the only one who had not shut his eyes, only to turn back to his father. "But then he beat me and I realised all of this. Now, I'm gonna return the favor for opening my eyes."

"Oh? And what's that, my misguided son?!" Doom hissed, his tone snarling at the last three words.

"I'm taking you down." With that, Lightning shot like a bullet at his father, his full body now cloaked in electricity.

Doom barely had time to raise his shield before his son struck it, the force making him stagger back as Lightning leapt up and floated in the air. "You dare attack your own father?!"

"Why not? You did!" More electricity surged out of Lightning's horn as he yelled, "Static Spear!" A giant lightning arrow appeared, the bolt flying at Doom. The unicorn's horn immediately sparked, teleporting him away right before the arrow struck.

A explosion followed as Doom reappeared on the far side of the room, the father now barking, "You'll regret doing that son!"

"Make me, ya old snot!" Lightning replied as he pointed his horn at Doom. "Gatling Spark!" A flurry of tiny thunderbolts flew out of his horn, only for Doom to summon his magic shield again. The assault started to pelt the shield, causing Doom to be at a standstill.

"Wow...that grandson of yours is powerful." Tidal said as he turned to Grand.

"Yeah, he is." Iron muttered as he blinked at the fight, "He's almost as strong as when he had the Alicorn Amulet...though that's not saying much."

"That's why we've got to get out of these shackles and help him," Skybreaker replied before turning to Flash. "How's it coming kid?"

"Erkin un it," Flash mumbled with Lightbringer's handle in his mouth. He was currently using his Celestic Gear to try and get the Gravity Minds around his right hoof off, specifically using the weapon's light to melt the connection off. Unfortunately, the angle he had to use was proving to be a long process.

"Well hurry up lad!" Grand yelled as he stared at the fight in front of them. "We gotta hurry. Lightning doesn't have long."

Back at the battle, Lightning had ceased his onslaught, his horn sparking as he began to pant. Doom just laughed at the sight, his shield now released as he said, "Still having trouble pacing yourself, I see. You never change when it comes to fighting son. Remember, I taught you lightning magic and you're not wearing the Alicorn Amulet anymore."

"And you rather hide behind a shield instead of fighting me pops."

"Oh, I wouldn't say that son." Doom chuckled as he summoned his sword, quickly putting it in his hoof. "I'm not some unfit, non-exercising unicorn scientist toiling away for a stupid alicorn anymore." The unicorn then charged Lightning, blade in hoof as he prepared to strike his son. Lightning in turn summoned another Static Spear, only to use the electric weapon to block the blade. His father quickly flicked his wrist, his sword soon swiping left and right as he kept trying to hit his son as the electric spear blocked every attack. But as it hit the spear for a seventh blow, it faded.

"Now you're mine!" Doom yelled as he thrusted his sword towards Lightning's chest. However, as the blade made its way to his son, the unicorn leapt up, electricity now surrounding his whole body.

"Wrong! You're mine!" His horn once again sparked before a thin stream of lightning shot out towards Doom, striking him in the chest. "Try my Plasma Anchor!" Lightning flicked his head back with all his strength, dragging the stream with him, which pulled Doom off the ground.

"Augh!" Doom cried as he was lifted into the air, his body now feeling electricity hit every nerve. Before he could counter, his body slammed into the ground like a ragdoll, a thud following as he yelped, "Urgh!"

Lightning returned to the ground as well, panting heavily as he started to stagger from using so much magic. Grand saw this and glanced back at Flash, "He's running low. Hurry up Flash!"

"RRAAAUUGGGHHH!!! Stupid brat!" Doom yelled, getting everyone's attention as they all stared at the stallion. His face was now red with anger as his horn began to flare, "You'll pay for that!"

In that next moment, a series of magic blasts covered the room as they all flew towards Lightning. In response, the unicorn cricked his neck as his horn started to glow once more. "Gatling Spark!" A barrage of thunderbolts soon followed, all of them striking Doom's attacks, the flurry of blows now filling the room with firework-like explosions. Once again, everypony was forced to close their eyes as the two unicorns continued to clash magics. Despite the light continuing to blur their vision, the two fired off bolts and blasts that the other barely managed to dodge or block.

And as the light show ended, they all opened their eyes to the sight of the two panting and staring each other down. Lightning was once again in front of Flash while Doom now stood atop the tomb. Doom looked down at the large locked stone device, before looking back at his son. "It doesn't have to be this way my boy. Join me, let us rule side my side. We could still bring in a new era of peace to Equestria. One which will never be under threat and true strength reigns supreme."

Hearing this, Lightning just shook his head as a low chuckle followed, "Tch...its funny. You and I have basically been through the exact same situation. We both tried to seize power, both were stopped and banished from Canterlot, and both had to travel the land of Equestria."

Doom raised an eyebrow. "Your point?"

Lightning sighed at the question as he pointed at his father. "My point, is that we both did the same thing. And yet, you didn't realize the same thing as me."

"And what didn't I realize son?"

Electricity once again surged around Lightning's body. "That the era of peace you want, where true strength and power reigns...it already exists!"

With that, his horn flared as his body turned into what could only be described as a missile made of lightning. Doom frowned at the sight as a red aura surrounded his body before he leapt off the tomb, colliding with the electric missile. Everypony watched as the red and yellow lights flew around the room, clashes striking the room again and again. They were moving at tremendous speeds, so much so that only Flash and Skybreaker could keep up with them.

"I WON'T LET YOU GET IN MY WAY!" Doom screamed as he fired a thin magic beam at Lightning, who replied by launching a Static Spear to block it.

"WELL I WON'T LET YOU GET YOUR HOOVES ON WHATEVER'S IN THAT TOMB!" Lightning roared as he bum-rushed at Doom, only for another shield to stop him. The unicorn then slammed the forcefield with a flurry of lightning infused punches, the blows striking every bit of the shield. But as it did this, no real damage was being made, causing Lightning to soon leap back.

"Give it up!" Doom yelled from within the shield. "It's pointless son! Just give up and let me win. I'm already tired of fighting you!"

"Well I'm not done!" Lightning replied as his horn summoned a orb over his head, only for it start growing. Everypony watched as the orb grow until it was roughly three times the size of Lightning. "This'll get through that shield! Thunder...BAZOOKA!" He tossed the sphere at Doom's shield, the electric sun crashing down like a meteor.

KABOOM!

As the blow struck the shield, a blast of light followed, blinding everypony in the room. And as the light began to fade, everypony looked up to see Lightning slump down, falling to the floor with a thud.

"Lightning!" Flash yelled as he watched the unicorn kiss the dirt.

"What happened?!" Springer asked next.

Grand let out a long sigh, "The major downside of electricity based magic. It burns up way more magical power than most other types of magic. That last attack must have used up all of his reserves."

"But did it stop Doom?"

Everypony looked up at where Lightning's attack had landed, only to see Doom still standing with a huge smile on his face. His shield was definitely weakened, but not enough to shatter it as he walked up to the tomb again, "I warned you son. Don't forget, I taught you that magic. I know exactly what your limits are." It was here that Lightning began to squirm, his body already trying to pick itself up. But as it did, Doom shook his head at the sight. "Don't bother, you're out of magic. Fight me again and it will only end in pain for you." The unicorn then let out a huge sigh, "So disappointing. I had hoped your journey throughout Equestria would have made you stronger, made you understand how hard it is and how far you must go to gain power. But it seems being around lesser beings has only made you as weak as the rest of them." He then heard Lightning begin to grumble something, "what was that?"

Lightning was now weakly standing on all fours, his eyes staring at the floor as he panted. "I said...they're not weak. I've been all around Equestria now, and I've seen how the other ponies live. I...I've seen the strength it gives them." He then looked up at his father, fire in his eyes as he growled, "You're wrong pops. They're stronger than either of us."

The Past...

Several days had passed since the Battle of Canterlot. Lightning had just now left the city, his pilgrimage first taking him to Rambling Rock Ridge. Celestia had told him to travel the land and see for himself how the ponies of Equestria lived, so that he might one day be allowed to return to Canterlot. He had yet to find himself in a city or town, as the closest one he knew of was Ponyville, which he doubted he would be welcome at. And so, he was stuck simply wandering.

It was here that he found himself standing outside a simplistic little town named Dodge Junction. But before he could breath a sigh of relief, a grumbling in his stomach drew his attention. He knew he had just used the last of his provisions the day before, and didn't have a bit on him. This meant one thing and one thing only, he had to get a job.

One convenient job interview later...

"You're hired," a cream colored mare with a cherry red mane and tail told him. "Welcome to the Cherry Hill Range family, owned by yours truly, Cherry Jubilee."

"Yay..." Lightning mumbled in a low, dry sarcastic tone.

"Come along," Cherry told him before heading out of her office. "I'll get you started with harvesting the cherry trees."

Lightning let out a low snort as they walked up to the range of fruit-filled lumber. "No problem. I'll just levitate the them off the trees for ya."

Ms. Jubilee frowned as she turned back to him, "I'm afraid I can't allow that. Unless you have a spell specifically designed for picking the cherries, no magic is allowed."

"What?! That's crazy!" Lightning yelped as he glared at her, "Why?!"

"No, its not crazy, its common knowledge. Unless the magic is specifically attuned to the particular food, the magic will cause a reaction that makes it go bad."

Lightning grumbled at the statement, only to for his stomach to moan. A long sigh followed as he walked up to the tree, knowing he needed the money. And so, Lightning got to work, shaking the cherries out of trees for hours on end. He wasn't alone of course, there were plenty of earth ponies there as well. It wasn't long till he saw that they made it seem effortless, all of them able to empty three trees in the time it took Lightning to do one.

Over the next few weeks, Lightning continued to work at the cherry range. The days passed, only for the hours to feel like they were shrinking. And as they did this, he felt a tinge of respect for the other earth pony workers, soon seeing how they could get so much done because they did this day in and day out with such ease.

But he knew he couldn't stay in one location, so exactly one month after leaving Canterlot, he took the money he had earned and headed out. Ms. Jubilee had been kind enough to give him a map, allowing him to better plan out his journey. As such, he discovered the closest town to Dodge Junction was a place called Appaloosa, though he would make it there before his supplies would run out. Despite this, he made his way across the desert, his hooves slowly taking him to the dusty cowpony town.

However, as the journey to the town started, a new event happened. Just a few days in the trip, the sound of thunder suddenly struck the usually cloudless desert. The noise made Lightning look up, only to see pink colored clouds appear above him. "What the heck?!" He asked himself before the clouds released a raid of strange brown liquid. Lightning groaned as he began to be drenched by the rain, only for his nose to react to the smell of the falling liquid. "Is that...chocolate milk?"

That was only the first weird thing.

As he continued his journey to Appaloosa, he saw a tornado that spat things out instead of sucking them up. He came across a herd of buffalo that all wore tutus while ballet dancing across the sand. But as he finally started to accept the strange sights, a massive rainbow colored energy wave passed over the horizon. The beam seemed to undo all the havoc that had been filling the desert, making the unicorn even more confused.

The next day, he arrived at Appaloosa, which was a complete wreck that the citizens were in the process of fixing. "What happened here?" He asked as he got the attention of a yellow earth pony wearing a brown hat and jacket.

"Chaos," he replied as he told Lightning about Discord. The news had been sent across Equestria, Canterlot specifically sending out messages to every town in Equestria. In these messages, they told the towns what had happened and how the chaos monster was stopped by the efforts of Flash Sentry and the rest of his friends.

"Figures. Of course he'd save the day again." Lightning grumbled as he decided to stay the night in the town. While he did this, he was asked by the earth pony to help out, as they didn't have any unicorns and would ask the innkeeper to give him a free stay. Lightning decided to take the offer, soon staying for several days as he helped the ponies and buffalo of Appaloosa rebuild their home. His magic had become quite the handy tool, as full buildings needed repairs, which were foal's play for a unicorn understanding levitation. And as he did this, he felt happy to help them, actually somewhat enjoying the thanks the ponies were giving him over the work.

Eventually, Lightning once again left town, this time deciding to simply get on the train to the next closest town. He soon saw that he had three choices: Ponyville, the Mysterious South, or a place called Rockville. Since the first option was a no go and the second didn't appeal to him, mainly because he could technically leave Equestria with that destination in mind, Lightning chose to head to Rockville.

Unfortunately, he had just ran out of bits on the train ticket, which would once again force him to find work. This time, he got himself a position at a place called the Pie Family Rock Farm. The name Pie had seemed oddly familiar, but it wasn't until a week in that he remembered Pie was the last name of one of the mares he had captured and threatened to turn to rubble. He decided not to mention this to his employers, and prayed that the mare didn't come to visit while he was there.

And as the weeks turned to months, Lightning travelled all around Equestria, taking many different jobs to pay for his travels. In Applewood, he got a job as a stage hand, which was his shortest endeavor due to his lack of interest in pure theatrics. Next was a small town near White Tail Woods, where he also started working in a little old mare's bakery. He then found himself in the Smokey Mountains, where he found himself unknowingly participating in a family feud between two families living atop large mountains.

Choosing to leave as soon as possible, he found himself in Tall Tale. There, he found work as a field hoof, working on an apple farm run by yet another group of relatives of one of the mares he had held hostage. It was during this time that he learned of a royal wedding happening in Canterlot before learning it had been attacked by the changelings. But before he could even hope to rush back and try to help, he learned that the day had been saved by Shining Armor and Princess Cadance, along with the help of Flash and his friends.

A few weeks later, he found himself in Vanhoover. There he found work in a pear jamming warehouse, as a janitor. It was during this time that he learned about the return of the Crystal Empire, which was saved thanks to, big shock, Flash and his friends. "Flash..." Lightning whispered as he continued to sweep up the floor, his horn levitating a newspaper in front of him. "Still going, huh? Guess gramps really did pick the right colt...the right pony for my old dream." As he continued to work, he remembered back to when he was a foal, back when his only goal in life was to be like his grandfather. Now, that path was what Flash was walking instead of him. Despite giving up that dream years ago, the dream still lingered in his mind. The dream to be a Royal Knight.

But as these thoughts started to fill his mind, a spark flared from his horn. A second later, the newspaper was consumed in flames as he told himself, "And I threw that away. Tch….to think I would thinking about that now, especially after everything that's happened." The broom he was holding hugged the floor as he continued to think about being a Royal Knight, the thought of Celestia actually knighting him now appearing in his mind. "And yet, I can't help but still want that."

As those words exited his mouth, a new picture popped into his head. His grandfather, Grand Hoof. He was standing there in full Royal Knight garb, something Lightning wanted to wear so much when he was a colt. As that picture lingered, the unicorn nodded to himself, "Yeah...yeah! I still want it, even now!" He looked back down at his hooves, his limbs slightly clenching as he remarked to himself, "What have I been doing?! Why am I just sitting here?! I...I still need to fulfill my dream, and I can't let anypony stop me from making it, and that includes me! I might be banished from Canterlot, but I can still grow stronger, even more stronger than I was when wearing the Alicorn Amulet!"

A fire soon appeared in his eyes, his horn sparking as electricity started to form around his body. "I'll do it! I'll become even stronger! Strong enough to be a knight!"

And so, he began his training. By day, he worked to earn money to live off, while at night he trained to reach new levels of power. His abilities soon grew, new magic forming as he taught himself Gatling Spark and Plasma Anchor while improving his other attacks like Static Spear and Thunder Bazooka. Even after leaving Vanhoover, he continued his training every chance he got. He then found himself in Galloping Gorge, a place where he could truly let loose and learn to harness his full power. It was here that he learned how to create his Lightning Cloak, which allowed him to even somewhat fly.

Then one night, he met them.

Lightning was sitting around a campfire, exhausted after a hard day's training. He looked into his saddle bag and saw he was down to the last of his provisions, meaning he would once again have to get to a town and find work. The unicorn then looked back at the corn he was cooking, his horn flicking as he levitated it out to check if it was ready. But as his eyes scanned the meal, his ears suddenly heard the sound of hoofsteps, coming from behind him.

Acting quickly, he spun around and leapt to the far side of the fire. His horn started to shining as he yelled into the night, "Who's out there?! Show yourself!" As these words left his mouth, two figures appeared, both wearing hooded cloaks as they stepped up to the fire. "Who are you?!"

The two ponies then removed their hoods, both showing their faces. One was a silver unicorn with a purple tail and mane. The other was a large bulky orange pegasus, complete with a strong blue mane and tail. Lightning just blinked at the sight as the mare graced him with a smile, "Please, do not be alarmed. We are not your enemies."

"We've been looking for you for a while," the stallion added, "And I have to say, you move around a lot."

Lightning raised an eyebrow at this, his horn still glowing as he replied, "And why would you want to find me?"

"We know who you are Lightning," the mare explained as she sat down by the fire. "And we also know what you've done."

"Is that so?" Lightning hissed, his brain already telling him that he wasn't in the mood for some guilt trip. "What, you think I got off too easy and came to dispense your own justice?!"

"Not at all." The pegasi replied as he sat down as well, "We won't deny that...well, we would have a problem with what you've done, but we're not petty. No, we're here to help put you on the right track."

"Come again?" Lightning yelped, blinking at the words. The mare giggled at his response, her hoof tapping the ground as she gestured him to sit down. The unicorn didn't want to comply, but he saw they meant no harm. After a few seconds, he sat down as well, his hooves crossed as he said, "Alright. Let's talk...whoever you two are."

The mare nodded. "Thank you Lightning. Now, I can't tell you my name, but I can tell you that I have a certain...talent. A skill which allows me to know what needs to happen to keep this world safe."

Lightning tilted his head at this. "So you're what, a psychic or something?"

The mare chuckled at his guess. "More like precognition. I can...well, I see images of what is to come."

"So you're psychic." Lightning flatly stated as he then asked, "What's that got to do with me?"

"Well...I have had many visions Lightning Blitz." The mare let out a low sigh as she pointed at the unicorn, "It is these windows into the future that have made certain things change. As such, one image showed you fighting a red unicorn with a yellow mane and tail."

Lightning's eyes went wide at this, the statement instantly fitting a certain pony of his past. But that pony made his mind start to swim as he remembered his relationship with him, along with the other family members that would no doubt be involved. Despite this, his eyes didn't change as they stayed wide-opened as he said, "There's only one pony I know who looks like that. That...that's my father."

The duo's eyes mimicked his as they glanced at each other before the pegasus spoke up, "That uh...that explains a lot more than I thought it would."

"Agreed. I never imagined it would be that."

The pegasi turned back to Lightning, "If that's the case, if you do not face your father in combat, whatever your father has planned will likely end in his victory."

"Victory?"

The duo nodded, the mare speaking up next, "Yes. Though you don't have to decide right now, I fear that your father will do something horrible. As such, I also fear that the moment I foresaw is fast approaching."

"And let me guess, you can't tell me anything else."

The mare shook her head. "I'm sorry."

Lightning let out a long sigh, the words she had just said now repeating in his brain. But after a few minutes, he moaned as he said, "I'll uh...let me sleep on it. When it comes to my family...its a mess for me."

"We understand. If you don't mind, could we stay the night here? We'll watch the camp with you." the mare asked, soon getting a nod in return. After this, not another word was spoken as Lightning ate his corn and went to sleep soon after.

That night, Lightning dreamed a terrible dream. In it, he stood in pure silence as he watched Canterlot burn with everypony he ever cared about in chains. The ponies he had met during his journey were also there, misery on their faces as they were forced into slavery.

"No," he moaned as the pain in his heart became excruciating, the sound of laughter filling his ears as he stared at the sight. He then spun around, only to see his father standing over several bodies. Those bodies, were the ones of Grand Hoof, Script, Wild, Gorgenia...and Flash.

"NOOO!" Lightning shot up from his sleep, heavy panting following his rise. Light then touched his face, causing him to shield his eyes as the morning sun began its journey to rise over the horizon. It was here that he saw that the strange couple had vanished. In their place was a package and a note. Grabbing the two in his hooves, he blinked as he read the note.

Lighting,
By the time you read this, we will be gone. I'm sure you'll make the right choice because Equestria is counting on you. In this package is everything you'll need to find your father. There's also a scroll inside as a gift, for its knowledge may be useful against your father. We wish you luck.

Lightning quickly opened the package, soon discovering it was filled with a cloak and supplies. There was also another letter which had instructions to find his father, along with the scroll he had been told about. Opening the scroll, he saw it was a spell, one that made his eyes go wide. "Amazing...if I could learn something like this..."

But after a few minutes, he looked back down at the cloak and letter, his eyes blinking as the words written. His thoughts drifted back to everything he had been through on his journey. What he had learned, what he had experienced, and what he now strived for. The very thoughts made him stand tall, his spirit renewed with sense of purpose as he threw the cloak around his neck. "I'll do it. I'll make sure to save them all."

The Present...

Electricity was covering Lightning's body once more, a blaze of determination in his eyes as he glared at his father. "I won't lose to you!" He yelled as he bum-rushed his father, only for Doom to leap in the air, his magic keeping him levitated.

"I told you, its pointless!" Doom barked back as a series of magic blasts flew out of his horn.

Lightning's body quickly zipped around, dodging every shot as he replied, "Nothing is pointless pops. Even if you have no chance of winning," his horn flared as a Static Spear appeared, the attack soon flying at Doom who created a shield, "If you have something to protect, then you'll always find a way." Lightning dashed forward, shattering his father's shield as his horn sparked a Plasma Anchor. And as Doom yelled out in pain, his son continued, "I had to learn this lesson the hard way, and I'm going to protect them now!" he glanced back at Flash, the two smirking at each other before Lightning turned back to Doom. "And because I learned this, I know that beating you is possible!"

Doom let out a low hiss the anchor slammed him into another pillar of the room. But despite the pain, his horn shined as his body disappeared, soon teleporting in front of Lightning with a sword in his magic. The blade quickly swung down, only for the sword to bounce off of Lightning's electric-filled cloak. And as he tried to get his balance from the attack's failure, a lone bolt shot out of Lightning's horn.

"AAAHHH!" Doom cried as the bolt struck his chest, his body slamming a wall from the blow. As his form slumped down from the strike, the unicorn growled, "Lightning...you'll pay for that."

"I don't think so!" Lightning yelled as a sphere of electricity appeared above his horn. This one was not as big as the last, obviously due to lack of magic needed. "Thunder Bazooka!" He tossed the ball at his father, only for Doom to smirk as his horn flashed. A second later, his form blinked out of existence, dodging the blow instantly.

Lightning growled at the sight, realising his father had teleported himself away. Then, his voice spoke up, "Nice try son, but you'll need to do better than that to defeat me."

"Careful Lightning," Grand called out as he saw Lightning heavily pant, his hooves slightly staggering. "You can't afford to waste magic on pointless attacks."

"He's right son. Even with all your determination, you still have your limits. How many electric attacks do you have left? Two or three?"

Lightning let out a low growl, knowing he was right. He only had enough magic to perform three more spells, "Which means I need to be quicker..." he whispered as an idea formed in his head while he noticed where his cloak he was wearing earlier had fallen during the battle.

This moment of distraction was all that Doom needed though, as he charged with his sword primed. "Lightning!" Grand screamed, his grandson quickly reacting to the charging enemy. His form barely dodged the swipe of the blade, only for him to leap back from Doom. There, he quickly ran into a slide, his mouth grabbing the cloak on the ground. There, he pulled out a knife inside the cloak, one that had his cutie mark on it.

Doom raised an eyebrow at this, his sword magically spinning around his body. "Cute, but what's that supposed to do?"

"You'll find out," Lightning said as he held the blade close to him. "Let's hope that scroll's spell works..."

The two unicorns stood firm, glaring at one another as they waited for the other to attack. Everypony else watched with baited breath, as they felt that this would be the defining attack, one that could end the fight. Then, they charged.

"I'm ending this!" Doom yelled as shot his blade forward.

Lightning smirked at this, "No...I AM!" With that, he tossed the knife at his father's head before creating another electric sphere on the tip of his horn. But as this happened, Doom's horn flashed, instantly teleporting him away, only to show up right behind the knife's path. Everypony saw this and feared Lightning's attack had failed.

As this happened, Doom's sword still tried to strike Lightning, specifically at the pony's heart, Doom yelled, "This is over! DIE!" But seconds before his son could be skewered, Lightning suddenly disappeared in a flash of yellow light. "What?!"

"Surprise!" He heard Lightning cry out from behind his head, now appearing with knife in his mouth. Now in his father's blind spot, Lightning pointed the sphere at Doom's back. "Take...THIS!"

BOOM!

Doom's screams echoed throughout the room as the explosion slammed him into the floor. But as he hit the ground, his horn shining as he teleported back to his hooves. Lightning instantly kissed the floor, the knife he held slipping out of his mouth. A flash of light made him look around, just in time to see if father stumble around, the tomb standing behind him.

"You...little punk," Doom growled as he shakily stood tall. "YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT!"

"Maybe...but not if I take you down first." The unicorn panted as he slowly got up, his horn sparking as he dug deep inside. He pointed his horn at Doom, seconds before a beam of electricity energy shot out. "Lightning...FORCE!"

Doom's eyes went wide, his horn shining as he fired his own magical blast. The two attacks collided, pushing at one another in perfect stalemate. At one point, Lightning's started pushing Doom's back, only for Doom to up the juice and return it to a dead lock. They continued this for several seconds, only for the pressure of the attacks to increase until-

KABOOM!

The entire castle was rocked by the explosion, specifically both Lightning and Doom were sent flying from the blow. Doom hit the tomb with his back while Lightning landed in front of his grandfather with a thud. "NO!" Grand cried as he saw his grandson close his eyes, showing he was now completely unconscious. "Lightning...oh Lightning..."

The rest of the knights looked over at Doom, praying that he too had been rendered unconscious. But that hope was quickly dashed as they watched him pick himself up. A low growl exited Doom's mouth as he glared at his knocked out son, "Stupid brat. I warned him...." He then spotted his sword on the ground, the blade soon levitating as he started to move back over to the knights. "Now, where were we? Ah yes, I was about to kill all of you stinking-"

CLICK! Click, click...CLUNK!

Doom froze at those sounds before slowly turning back to the tomb, a sinister smirk appearing on his face. Dropping his sword, he slowly stepped over to the tomb as it started to open. The four corners of the cube detached themselves from the main body, releasing bursts of steam as the side of the tomb facing Doom split in two, with the top half beginning to fold upwards while the bottom folded down. As this happened, a brilliant light was unleashed from within. Despite this, Doom didn't close his eyes or look away. He simply stepped up to the tomb as the light faded to reveal what he had been hunting for all this time.

A small crystal fragment, one which looked like it could fit perfectly with the rest of the pieces he had. Doom could feel the power surge from the crystal piece, his hooves soon stroking the fragment. "Finally, after all this time. Its finally mine. Ultimate power is mine! Heh heh heh...all mine!"

Back outside the tomb, everypony all had dread on their faces as they heard Doom laugh at what he had now just obtained. That is, till-

"Finally!" They heard before the sound of something hitting the ground followed the voice. They turned to Flash, only to see his right hoof was free. "Took long enough," he said as he removed Lightbringer from his mouth, only to start slashing away the rest of the Gravity Binds holding him. Flash then took a deep breath as he leapt up to his hooves, his body stiff after being held in place for so long. "That was annoying. Now...hold still everypony, I'll get you out of those-"

"No time Flash! Go stop Doom!" Grand yelled, trying to gesture to the tomb.

Flash nodded and spun his blade in his hoof. "Game's over Doom!" He yelled as he flew towards the tomb, only for a series of objects to fly through the room, knocking Flash aside. "Whoa! What the heck?!"

Doom smirked as he looked at what had hit Flash, which were the other fragments of the Omni Sphere. The six pieces flew over to him, taking position of the sphere as the final piece was slotted into place. "Now, let us begin Omni Sphere. Let me become the being that I deserve and give me the power that only I can obtain!"

The seven crystal pieces began to glow, only for the Gravity Bands to do the same thing. Everypony watched as that light slowly flew off the bands, all of them flying off the knights as they floated over to the orb.

"What's happening?" Iron asked as he picked himself up.

"He must be using the gravity magic in them to fuse the pieces together," First gasped in horror.

"Exactly!" Doom chimed in, a long series of laughs following, "With this, the Omni Sphere will be whole and its magic draining powers restored!"

As Grand felt the last bit of the increased gravity disappear, he picked himself up as he whispered. "Doom...how dare you..." The knight then looked down at his grandson. He had done everything he could to try and stop Doom, making a small smile appear on the old stallion's face, "I'm proud of you my boy. You found your way again." He then turned to Doom, a low long growl following. "You however..." he picked up his Celestic Gear. "I WON'T ALLOW YOU TO CONTINUE DOOM!" With that, he shot towards his son before anypony could stop him.

Doom saw the incoming knight as the Omni Sphere's repair was finally completed. And as Grand Hoof swung his hammer at him, he raised the artifact before it unleashed a blinding light. Everything seemed to stop as Grand and his weapon were cloaked in place by a strange clear magic surrounding them. "Why thank you father. Your magic will make an excellent start to my collection." With that, the magic around Grand turned brown before it was sucked into the sphere, causing the earth pony knight to cry out in pain.

"AAAAAHHHHH!" Grand screamed as everypony cringed at the sight.

"GRAND!" Heather cried as she started rushing towards her comrade, only for Skybreaker to stop her.

"No! If you just rush in, you'll be caught and your magic will be absorbed too!"

"But we can't just sit here!" Heather barked back, only for Skybreaker's grip on her to tighten.

"Don't be stupid! We need to-"

"Hold on Grand!" Flash yelled as he had now recovered from the earlier blow. He had then saw his mentor in pain, causing him to bum-rush Doom with Lightbringer in hoof. "I'm coming!"

"Flash, wait!" Skybreaker yelled, but it was too late.

Flash grabbed hold of Grand and was enveloped by the light, which quickly changed orange as it was drained away. The sight made Doom let out a giant laugh as he cheered, "You stupid idiot! Keep doing what you're doing, you piece of filth street rat! Give me more, no! Give me your power! HAHAHA!!"

Flash felt like his very soul was being ripped out of him, the pain making it impossible to even scream in pain. But as he tried to keep himself together, his eyes suddenly shot open with a familiar golden glow. The orange light from his eyes soon encased his coat, a golden shine now encompassing his body. And as it did this, the light spread to the Omni Sphere, which made Doom blink, "Hmm? What's this? Is it absorbing another magic, or-"

SHING!

"Blaugh!" Doom yelped as him, Flash and Grand had seeming been turned into positive magnets, the opposite forces blasting them across the room in different directions. Doom was shoved into the tomb as Flash and Grand skidded across the floor, all three yelling out in pain from the blow.

"Flash!" Springer cried as they rushed over to them.

"Grand!" Ruby added as she ran over and shook the earth pony.

"Speak to us amigos!" Tidal yelled. "Please tell us you're alright!"

Flash let out a long groan as he blinked, his hooves reactively picking his body up, "I'm...okay?"

"What happened?" Skybreaker asked as he helped steady the defender.

"No clue, but I'm not complaining." Flash replied as he shook his head, his hoof rubbing the side as he turned to Grand, "is he okay?"

"He is unconscious," First commented as he scanned the knight over. "It seems to be magical exhaustion, like Lightning."

"Oh, its more than that." Everypony turned towards the voice, only to see Doom with the Omni Sphere levitating over his right hoof. A huge sinister smile was on his face as he said, "All his earth magic is now in the Omni Sphere, meaning it is now mine.: They then saw that the previously clear crystal was now the same brown color Grand's magic had been. That, and Doom's other hoof was now caressing the orb, "Its where it belongs now. Out of the hooves of a pony who abandons his family to serve weakling garbage, and now in the hooves of one who understands true power."

Flash let out a low hiss as he gripped Lightbringer in his hoof, "Give him back his magic right now!"

Doom's reply was a crazy laugh as he stepped out of the tomb and held the orb above his head. "I think it'll be more fun to use it to destroy you all!" With that, the sphere unleashed a brilliant glow that filled the whole room.

The room then began to shake, only for the debris from the battles began to fly around Doom. The rubble turned to dust, then began to spiral around Doom and the Omni Sphere. As it did this and before anypony could say anything else, the walls and floor began to break apart and do the same.

"EVERYPONY OUT!" Skybreaker yelled before flinging Grand over his back, Iron doing the same with Lightning. The knights all rushed out of the throne room as the entire place crumbled apart. As they continued to run through the halls, a wave of destruction was not far behind as the rest of the castle was sucked towards Doom, transforming into a giant tornado of earth. And as they got out of the castle, they saw the nearby buildings start to be consumed by the twister.

"We need to get out of the city!" Ruby ordered as her horn flared, her magic summoning a large crystal cart. They placed Grand and Lightning on the cart before climbing on it themselves, Flash and Skybreaker grabbing the handles and pulling with all their might. Moving faster thanks to the pegasi took the air, the group rushed towards the edge of the city as the buildings and rubble were all sucked into the vortex.

"Its getting closer!" Springer yelled as he looked back.

"Hurry amigos!" Tidal added.

"We're almost there!" Skybreaker screamed as the edge of the crater came into view. Seeing it, the two pegasi unleashed one final burst of speed that launched them up the edge. They went flying off the top and into the air, with Ruby, First and Tidal using they magic to keep the cart levitating as the pegasi pulled them to safety. Everypony looked back as the tornado of rock and earth consume the entire crater, only to suddenly stop.

They began to circle the crater, watching from a safe distance as the vortex started to compress. Then, the rocks began to cling together and take shape, soon forming something new....and massive.

"What's...what's happening?" Iron asked.

"It seems this is what Doom sees as a perfect use for Grand's earth magic," First replied. "And I suspect it will not be pretty."

They watched as the shape became more and more clearer, until it showed what looked like a giant unicorn made entirely out of rock. The statue was just over hundred and fifty feet tall, making them all grimace as they realized that it was supposed to be Doom, bigger and badder than before. The stone pony's head then turned towards them, and though it did nor have eyes or a mouth, they could tell it was looking at them.

But nothing happened. The statue just stood there, motionless.

Seeing this, Skybreaker turned to the others, "We need to get Grand and Lightning some medical attention. Then we can come up with a plan to go against....whatever that is."

"Right," Flash agreed as the two of them swung the cart towards the village and began their journey back. But as they flew, Flash looked back over his shoulder at the stone behemoth. He knew that to defeat that thing, it would take everything they had.

U-Knighted We Stand

View Online

A few minutes earlier...

Back at the village, the townsponies had finished barricading the door of the inn and were now all huddled inside. Great Taste, Salt and Pepper were now giving out the food they had prepared, trying to ration it out as much as possible.

"Here you go little guy," Pepper said as she poured some soup into a colt's bowl. The colt smiled and gave his thanks before moving over to Salt, who was now giving out bread rolls. "Next."

While this was happening, Great moved over to the front door with a few plates of food. There, the strongest of the town's stallions and mares were keeping watch. "Anything?"

A stallion shook his head, a low huff following, "Not yet. But who knows what that mad stallion that's behind all this could have up his sleeves. We can't afford to let our guard down, even for a second."

"I'm sure the knights have everything under control," Great replied as he gave the stallion a plate. "They saved us all and now they're gonna stop those psychos."

"Maybe...but we can't put all our faith in them. If by some chance they fail, I want to be able to keep everypony safe. I refuse to allow my family to be taken away again." The rest of the guards all nodded in agreement, Great also agreeing as he continued to give them the rest of the food.

But as he made his way through the soldiers, loud hoofsteps could be heard rushing down the inn's stairs. Everypony glanced at the wooden steps, only to see a mare appear. She was panting heavily as she yelled, "You ponies have gotta come up to the roof!"

"What is it?" Great asked.

The mare's face soon contorted to what could only be described as a combination of fear and confusion, which she then used to reply, "Its...its something....I don't know what it is! You just gotta see it for yourselves!" She then turned and ran back up, her hoofsteps still loud as she may her way to the top.

Everypony exchanged worried glances before Great, the stallion he was talking to, and several others rushed up after her. She lead them to a door that lead to the roof of the inn. After a few moments of organization from moving in one group, all of them were outside. There, the mare pointed in the direction of the crater they had just escaped from, only for everypony's eyes to go wide in shock.

"What...what in the world is that?!" Great asked in amazement. What he was looking at was a giant vortex-like tornado, only it wasn't made out of wind or clouds. He grabbed a pair of binoculars the mare had just offered him and looked through, only to shiver at the next sight. The tornado seemed to be made out of stone and dirt. "What's going on?" Great asked nopony before giving the binoculars to another so they could take a look.

"It just...appeared," the mare who had brought them up explained. "I was on lookout, trying to spot if those cloak things were coming back when that suddenly appeared. I came down to tell you as soon as I saw it, but...but..."

"But what?" The stallion looking through the binoculars asked.

The mare's lips trembled as she quibbled out the next few words, "its much much bigger than when I left to get you all. Like, its twice the size than when I was first looking at it."

Hearing this, Great and the others exchanged another round of worried glances. As they did this, another pony piped up with a large gulp, "If uh...if that's the case....um, I don't want to ask this but...how much longer until it gets here?"

"We don't even know if it will come here," Great told the one who asked that.

"But I'm pretty sure that's something we need to worry about," another added. "I mean, if that comes for us...well, I don't know what we could do."

"Maybe we could evacuate?" The mare suggested, only to get a tilted head from Great.

"And go where?"

"As far away from that thing as we can," she replied as she shook all over. "Though I don't-"

"Wait!" The pony with the binoculars interrupted as the viewing device shook in his hooves, "Something's happening to the tornado!"

Everypony turned back to the vortex, their eyes just barely seeing the tornado in the distance. It was here that they saw it had stopped growing, but they couldn't see why. They then turned back to the binocular pony, Great asking him, "What's going on? Give us some details!"

"I...I don't know. It looks like...it looks like the tornado is making something."

"What do you mean?"

"Umm....I'm not sure. Hold on a second." he commented as the others waited with baited breath. And so, several minutes passed as the pony continued to watch, describing everything he was seeing. Slowly, the rocks and dirt within the tornado stopped swirling and spinning, all of them now merging together into a solid shape. This shape was a colossal of the highest magnitude, and only when its form was complete did the stallion recognize what it was before saying what the sight was.

"A pony?!" Great repeated. "You can't be serious! Why would a tornado make a giant rock pony?!"

"See for yourself," the stallion gave him the binoculars, Great soon replying by looking through the glass. And just as he had been told, the figure now standing in the crater was that of a giant unicorn pony made entirely out of stone.

"I don't believe it," Great gasped as he lowered the binoculars but continued to stare. "I don't...I don't understand."

"What do you think it is?" A stallion asked next.

"Please tell me this is the knight's doing," a mare added.

"I don't know," Great said as he gave the binoculars to another pony. "All we can do now is keep watch and pray that whatever's happening is happening for the better."

The other ponies all nodded in agreement, not liking the plan but knew it was all they could do for now. That is, till the pony currently holding the binoculars saw something new, "Hey, what's that?"

Everypony else turned and saw something moving towards them, and it was being pulled by a pair of winged creatures. Great quickly grabbed the binoculars, his eyes focusing on the new figure. He instantly recognized them, especially the two pegasus stallions that were now pulling a crystal cart. "Its the knights!"

Smiles appeared on all of their faces as they saw the chariot land, causing Great to spin around and rush towards the door. The rest of the ponies quickly followed as they all headed downstairs, the group soon making their way outside. As they did this, the chariot stopped in front of inn, in which the knights lifted a pair of ponies on the backs of Iron and Skybreaker. Seeing their injuries, Great immediately asked, "What happened?"

"Long story," First replied as he started to direct Iron and Skybreaker, "Right now, I need space to properly examine these two. Do you have a spare room we can use?"

"Yes. Follow me." With that, they all headed inside the inn. Great went first to tell the ponies inside to clear a path to the stairs, allowing Iron and Skybreaker to get through with no problems. "This is the biggest room I have," Great explained as he opened a door in the second floor. "I'm sorry if its not big enough."

"Thank you," Skybreaker said as he stepped inside and placed his comrade on one of the two beds. Iron did the same with Lightning, First soon following after he told Great this was more than enough room.

"Lightning is fine. He is magically exhausted and suffering a strong case of fatigue, but nothing deadly. He needs rest more than anything else." First responded as he gave the unicorn another scan. He had already examined them while in the chariot, and had a feeling Lightning was okay. Then, he turned to Grand as a slight glum frown appeared on his face, "As for Grand..."

"How is he First?" Ruby asked as she and the rest of the knights entered the room.

"Still too early to know for sure. Give me a few minutes." He pulled out Crossbolt and used its magic to connect to Grand, the gear now showing him all the damage that had happened to Grand's body. "Hmmm..."

Flash moved over to Grand's side, looking down at his mentor with fear in his eyes. His mind flashed back to the Battle of Canterlot, where he had seen Grand fall ill. Back then, he looked just like this. He was so sure that Grand would be okay when he left for the fight after that, only for Fluttershy to later tell him, Lightning and Iron the news mid-battle. He had almost died, and now history was repeating itself. "Grand..."

He felt a hoof on his shoulder, making him turn to see Skybreaker with a look of confidence on his face, "It's okay kid, you don't have to worry. Grand's gonna be fine. He's a tough old mule." Despite the sure look on his face, Flash could see the fear in his eyes.

But before he could say anything, First spoke up, "I am done with the analysis." They all looked to First, who was now lowering his Celestic Gear. There was an unreadable yet purely analytical look on his face, one that no one could understand except a certain mare in the room, Heather Bloom.

"I know that look. Give it to us straight First," Heather asked as she pointed to Grand. "Is he gonna be okay?"

First sighed as he pushed his glasses up his nose. "I am afraid that it is bad news. Personally, I do not care for what I am seeing here."

Tidal then stepped in front of Heather, "Grand's gonna be alright though, won't he amigo?"

His question was met with a sigh as First replied, "All creatures in this world carry some form of magic in their bodies. Magic users like unicorns, Alicorns and others have the ability to stockpile it for spells, but they are not the only ones with it. Earth pony strength, pegasus flight, even the aura Springer uses to an extent. We all have magic. It is part of our very being, like blood."

"What does that have to do with Grand?" Springer asked with a tilt of the head.

First looked down at the stallion before taking off his glasses and rubbing them with a handkerchief, "All of the magic within Grand is gone, drained right out of him. Like I said, magic is like blood. And like blood, if you lose a little of it, you will still be fine. If you lose a lot of it, you can still be okay depending on the situation. But lose all of it and...well, I suspect you all get the idea."

Everypony looked down at Grand, nopony wanting to say a thing. The silence was eerie, hanging over them like a shadow before Ruby whispered, "Grand..."

"It is not just that he lost it either," First continued as he put his glasses back on. "It is the way that it was simply ripped out of him that has done most of the damage."

Again, the silence shrouded over them before Skybreaker turned to First, "is there anything we can do?"

First shook his head at this. "He needs magic, and by magic, I mean his magic. Not a transfer from somepony else, as that is meaningless with this condition he is in. Only when that is returned will he stabilize and have a chance of survival. But he needs it soon."

"And how long is it before it's too late?"

First looked back at Grand, another sigh following, "My best guess would be...it would be morning. In particular, sunrise."

For a third time, silence fell upon them. The very thought of losing Grand was now in their minds, making them all realize just how far this mission had gone. But before anypony could say anything, a coughing sound rang out in the room. They all followed the noise and saw Grand, now waking up from the ordeal. He opened his eyes and stared at them all, "what are you all looking at? I got something on my face or something?"

Everypony laughed at this as Heather moved over to his bed. "We're just glad you're awake. Try not to move too much, you've been through a lot."

"Maybe...but I still got work to do." Grand muttered as he tried to move his body. "Doom's still out there and he has all of my power. He could reshape the land like its nothing now. He needs to be stopped."

"But not by you," Skybreaker said as he put his hoof over Grand. "You're in no position to fight."

"Don't give me that," Grand replied as he swatted Skybreaker's hoof away. "I'm not giving up that easily. Where's my Grand Slammer?"

It was Ruby's turn to put her hoof down, stopping the old knight from getting up. "Its downstairs. Not that it'll do you any good anyways. Its been drained of all it's magic, just like you."

Hearing this, Grand sighed before laying back down. "I can't believe I let Doom get this far. I'm a failure."

"You're not a failure Grand." Flash told him next. "You may be out of this fight, but we're still here. We're not gonna let Doom do what he wants."

Tidal nodded at this. "That's right amigo. We said we'd stick with you till the very end, and that's what we're gonna do."

Grand looked around the room, at the faces of the ponies who had come to lend him their support. It was here that he noticed they had gone further beyond the very concept of support. While he was off chasing his son, they had defeated Doom's quartet and freed the ponies of the island. Now they would need to do even more, they would have stand in for him in the fight against Doom. Seeing this, Grand let out another sigh, "Very well. I'll leave it in your hooves for now. But don't any of you fail, you hear me?"

They all nodded with small smiles before Skybreaker gestured to the group, "Come on everypony, let's give Grand some time to rest."

With that, they all stepped outside. There, Ruby spoke up first as they walked down the hallway, "You think he knows?"

"That he has only a few hours to live?" First replied with a cocked eyebrow. "Almost definitely."

Everypony sighed as they headed downstairs.

Back at the crater, the fifty meter stone giant simply stood there. Within it, we find Doom. He was inside a small section inside, one that had little free space, but his hooves appeared to be covered in mud that was slowly spreading up his legs. The Omni Sphere floated in front of his chest as a series of pants followed from his mouth. The energy he had stolen from Grand Hoof was now flowing inside the orb, which was now connecting small strands of energy into its new master.

"Power...so much power..." Doom moaned as he felt his mind sink into the magic the sphere was giving him. "Soon father, so soon...once I've fully merged with the Omni Sphere's power, I'll make my way to your precious Equestria. Its magic...all of its magic will be mine! I'll pay a visit to Canterlot first and suck those pathetic alicorns dry, then I'll head over to that Ponyville town I've heard so much about. That'll be fun, maybe drain them into husks. Then...who knows, maybe the Crystal Empire? As long as it has magic for me to take, I don't care where I go." With that, the mud spread further and further up until it reached his knees. "Yes...yes, I can feel it all. It feels...wonderful."

As this happened, Doom remembered everything leading up to getting the power he now had. Finding the city, capturing the villagers, unearthing the ruins and releasing the tomb. The memories kept flashing in his head, along with the visions of his minions failing over and over. It was here that a big smile shined on his face, "I don't need any minions anymore. I don't anyone!" Then, the memory of him fighting his father and son entered his head, "Grand...Lightning...oh Daisy, our son is such a disappointment. Lightning, you could have had all this alongside me. Alongside what Daisy, your mother, would have wanted....but no. No, you let your fool of a grandfather get in your head! Why?! Why would you let that powerless ancient relic of a pony get in your head?! Now I don't have a choice." The mud continued to creep up his legs. "Now the power is mine and mine alone. Such a disappointment."

Back at the inn, Flash was sitting at the bar, watching the ponies of the town work with each other. First and Heather could seen moving around the room, administering first aid and anything else the ponies might need. The rest of the knights and Springer had headed up to the roof to keep an eye on the colossal that now threatened to simply walk through the town and turn it into a pancake.

Seeing the many families work together reminded him of his own. Twilight, Scootaloo, Spike, Shining, Cadance, Night Light and Velvet, along with all his other friends across Equestria. All those he considered apart of his family, they were all now in great danger. He turned back to the bar, crossing his front legs on it before resting his head and shutting his eyes. Grand and Lightning were down for the count, the rest of them were all tired from everything they had been through that day and their enemy was now more powerful than ever. He sighed into his hooves, only for his ears to flicker as the sound of something being placed on the bar in front for him caught his attention.

He opened his eyes and raised his head, only to see a steaming bowl of soup and bread roll sitting in front of him. He looked further up and saw Great Taste. "You'll never be able to save the day if you're fighting on an empty stomach."

Flash smirked as he grabbed the bread and ripped it apart before dunking it, taking it out once fully soaked. Flash could not help letting out a moan as he put it in his mouth, "Its really good. Thank you."

"Its the least I could do," Great replied as he started cleaning down the bar. "Especially after everything you guys have done for us."

Flash let out a snort at the compliment. "We didn't do much."

"Oh yeah? You putting your life on the line for a bunch of ponies you don't even know is nothing much?" He looked up from his cleaning and right into Flash's eyes. "You knights did the impossible for us. You gave everypony here hope when we thought we had lost it all. Don't say you didn't do much, because I get the feeling you're not a liar."

A small smile started to form on Flash's face as he stared at Great. "Thank you."

"No...thank you knight Sentry." With that, he headed back into the kitchen and left Flash to enjoy his soup in peace. Once he was finished, the pegasus squire left his bowl on the bar and headed upstairs.

Up on the roof, the rest of the knights were watching as the stone unicorn simply stood there. A certain young jakhowl let out a sigh as he kept staring at the figure, "What's it doing? Why isn't it, you know...moving?"

"It probably can't yet," Ruby said in a low grumbling tone. "Doom must still be integrating himself into it."

Tidal nodded at this. "Agreed. No doubt that when that villano is fully linked to the beast, he'll move it telepathically the same way he'd move his real body."

"So what are were waiting for?" Iron asked as he tightly gripped Piecemaker in his hoof. "Let's get over there and take him down before he's fully linked with it!"

"How?" Skybreaker asked his apprentice. "That thing's made out of solid rock and enhanced by the sphere. Even if we combined our attacks, I doubt we'd even get a quarter of the way inside."

Ruby sighed at his statement. "Doom and the Omni Sphere are likely in the very center of the construct, where the heart would be. That's the thickest area of rock, meaning we'd have to break through that to get to him. Not only that, if he knows we're attacking, he'll know what to do in order to protect himself."

"Exactly," Skybreaker said as he nudged Iron, "That's precisely why we can't just go off half cocked and without a plan. We need to be smart about this." He looked back at the stone titan and low out a depressing hum. "What we need is to be up and close with the body, see if we can locate a weak spot. We couldn't do that when he summoned that giant stone vortex earlier. If we had been caught up in that, we would be torn to shreds."

The others all nodded before Skybreaker turned towards the door leading downstairs, "I'll go get the others. Once we're all together, we can come up with some kind of a plan."

Once he was gone, Tidal went over to his saddlebag and pulled out a book. The sight made Ruby raise an eyebrow, "Is that a two way journal?"

"Si," Tidal replied before opening it up. "I'm ordering my ship to come closer to the shore. We don't need to be stealthy anymore and the Mighty Leviathan will likely be the last line of defense if that thing gets to the ocean. After all, that villano said he wants to absorb the power of the portal. We must make sure he doesn't get his hooves on that amigos."

"Wait...does your ship even have any sort of weapons?" Iron asked him. "When we were last on it, I didn't see a thing."

Tidal chuckled at this, shaking his head, "The figurehead on the front of the ship isn't just decorative amigo. Inside that holds a powerful magic cannon. Though considering that's rock goliath's size, I doubt it'd even scratch the surface. Even so, it is more than worth a try in this situation." Tidal finished his writing as he said his last words, "There. The ship will be near the shore within the hour."

"Let's just hope that's soon enough," Springer added as the rest nodded at the jakhowl's statement.

When he arrived on the second floor, Skybreaker spotted the door leading to Grand and Lightning's room was open. He looked inside and saw Flash, staring down at his mentor. This made the pegasus sigh as stepped inside and tapped Flash's shoulder. "You doing okay kid?" Flash turned to him, the look on his face giving the answer immediately before the apprentice looked back at his mentor. "I know this is hard for you. Grand was one of the first ponies you ever forged a bond with, isn't he?"

Flash nodded. "He was the first pony to believe I could be more than what I was when he met me. Before I met him, I was just a foal on the streets, something not worth anypony's time." A slight teary-eyed sniff followed the next words, "I wouldn't be here if he hadn't seen my potential, potential I didn't even know I had back then."

Skybreaker chuckled at this, "He made a good choice. You might be young, naïve and headstrong, but you've got guts and heart. That'll go a long way in this business, trust me." Skybreaker then saw that Flash's expression wasn't changing as he started down at his mentor. Seeing this, the pegasi let out a long sigh as he said, "Hey um...I'm sorry about how I treated you and Springer when this all started. I know I still kinda need to apologize to him, but-"

"It's fine," Flash interrupted, still not looking at Skybreaker. "Don't worry about it."

Skybreaker put his hoof on Flash's shoulder, slightly gripping it as he said, "No, it's not kid. You didn't do anything to get on my bad side, yet I treated you like you had, and I'm sorry." A low huff followed as he then said, "And...and I did that because..."

Flash turned to him as confusion now graced his face, "What?"

Skybreaker sighed again. "Because you remind me a lot of me when I was your age, back when I first joined the Royal Knights." Flash's eyes went wide at hearing this. But before he could say anything, Skybreaker continued, "As you've probably noticed, we knights aren't the cheeriest bunch. We're serious folk, especially birds like us. Pegasi knights are as serious as they come at times. After all, why else do the Wonderbolts exist as well?"

"Yeah...I guess I could see that. But why did I remind you of you?"

"I knew it the moment I saw you." Skybreaker admitted as he turned and stepped over to look out the nearby window, "You're an act first pony, much like other young pegasi. In fact, pegasi knights are rare because of this." He looked back at Flash with a face that showed nothing but grim experience. "Its this naïve, happy-go-lucky act first nature that makes others see you as weak. Its why I did kid....and I'm sorry." The knight glanced back at the window, "I'm sorry because...well, because I've seen that kind of dangerous behavior burn way too many Royal Knights."

"Really?" Flash asked as he walked up to Skybreaker, getting a nod from the knight.

"I was just like you when I first joined the Royal Knights. Talented, cocky," Flash smirked at the praise. "Dumber than all my teammates," that smirk quickly vanished.

"Wait, who says I'm dumb?!" He asked, only to get no reply.

"I used to rush in head first without thinking about the consequences," he turned back to Flash again. "The same way you did when you went to free the prisoners." The apprentice knight looked down, a little bit of shame filling his heart.

He didn't regret doing that, but he realized now that the situation could have gone a lot worse when he did so. "I'm sorry."

Skybreaker sighed again before looking out the window once more. "I was sorry too on the day my rash actions finally caught up with me. And it cost me the most important thing I had." He glanced back and saw Flash staring at his metallic wing. "No, not that. But it did happen on the same day."

Flash felt a twinge of fear, but asked anyway. "What happened?"

Skybreaker let out a long huff, "I...I killed my mentor." He watched Flash as he showed the reaction he had expected, wide eyes and a fully dropped jaw. "As you probably know, I was inducted into the Royal Knights after saving both Canterlot and Cloudsdale from a griffon attack. Because of that, I was never an apprentice knight and was instead placed under the supervision of another knight until I learned the ropes."

He then leaned his back against the wall as his body slowly slid down it until he was sitting right under the window. "That knight became my closest and most trusted friend. He helped me master my Celestic Gear and stood by me through many missions. But like I said, I was cocky and took too many risks. I thought I was invincible, until I finally found myself against an opponent that was...well, you know the saying: 'There's always someone better'."

"And this led to you killing your mentor?" Flash asked while tilting his head in confusion.

Skybreaker nodded. "My opponent was a unicorn, with swords skills the likes I'd never seen before or since. My mentor and I had been hunting him down and when we got a lead, I rushed in and tried to take him down alone. But...I was a fool thinking I could win." He glanced at his metallic ligament, "I lost so much that day, including my wing. But that doesn't matter. I...I should have died that day."

"But you didn't." Flash stated as he sat down beside Skybreaker.

"Yup. You wanna know why?" Flash nodded at this as a small tear went down Skybreaker's face. "Well...I didn't die because my mentor leapt in front of me and took the hit. And by hit, I mean him getting himself stabbed in the heart." Flash's eyes went wide at this, his mouth unable to make talk as Skybreaker continue, "My mentor took that chance to injure the unicorn. As he got hit right in the heart, my mentor struck the guy's horn." Tears began to fill his eyes, "I...I won so easily after that. I beat the guy with ease since he couldn't use his horn. And yet...I...I can still see him. Sometimes when I close my eyes, I find myself looking down at him." The knight started to wipe away his tears as he continued, "I...I still remember what it looked like. I remember being covered in his blood...watching as he took his last breath."

"That's awful," Flash told him, unable to think of anything else to say.

"Yeah...it is." Skybreaker said as he looked over at Flash, "And that's why I was so harsh on you before. It took me months to get back my confidence, and even then I still had trouble." He looked down at the floor in shame as he continued, "When I saw you smiling and joking around like I used too and that you were a pegasi...well, I'm the kind of pegasi that instantly judges other pegasi, even when I shouldn't. That and uh...it made me...well, it made me remember my own experiences doing that and what it cost me. I shouldn't have done that...but I'm still naïve after all this time." He let out a low dark chuckle, "I didn't want you to make that same mistake and I'm sorry kid. I shouldn't have judged you like that."

Skybreaker looked back up at Flash, only to see a smile on his face. But before he could ask, Flash chuckled as he said, "I appreciate your concern, but you're a little late. I've already made that mistake." Skybreaker raised an eyebrow of confusion at this, which made Flash point to the X shaped scar on his chest. "I didn't get this thing in training. I got it when I fought against Sombra at the Crystal Empire."

Skybreaker's eyebrow rose slightly. "Oh? And what does that have to do with me being late?"

Flash let out a long sigh, rubbing his face while grumbling. "Well, for starters, I did everything I could when fighting him but...just like you said, I met my better. When I fought Sombra, I was joking around, making fun of him as I tried to stop him." Air flew out of Flash's nostrils as he admitted the next part. "But Sombra...if I'm honest, and you can ask Ruby on this one, he might be tougher than anything we've faced here on this island."

"That's a tall order to say kid."

"But I guarantee its true, even if you don't ask Ruby." Flash immediately replied, "I...I couldn't even scratch him. The guy was basically invincible, as any blow would instantly be healed. And if you're wondering, his body could heal the wounds, not unicorn magic."

Skybreaker slightly hummed at this. "Okay, I could see a tough fight out of that. But what does that have to do with you..."

Flash raised his hoof, "I'm getting there. For starters, I completely lost. Heck, even if I did stand a chance, all I could do was slow him down, as the Crystal Heart was the only thing that could beat him. Thankfully, my friends got to it and used it on him..." He rubbed his chest after saying this, "But I wasn't left uninjured. He pierced me with his scythe, so much so that another inch in and...and he would have got my heart. I almost died, and would have if Ruby hadn't got me back to the empire in time."

Skybreaker crossed his hooves at this, a huge frown on his face, "Let me guess, this is when it happened."

"Yup. After that, I started to change. I stopped joking around and acted all doom and gloom. I stopped listening to my friends and tried to do everything the Royal Knight way. Basically, I became like you are."

Skybreaker raised his eyebrow again at this, "So what changed? Why'd you stop being...like me?"

Flash gave him a huge smile. "My friends made me realize that I can still be serious but not forget who I really am. When I'm scared or when I'm up against something I have no idea about or...when I'm up against somepony I know I can't beat, I can still make jokes. Even if everything is wrong, I can still giggle at the ghosties." He saw Skybreaker's expression show more confusion at this, "Inside joke. But I am serious about stopping Doom, helping others, and being a knight Skybreaker. And I know I'm not invincible, Sombra showed me that. But if I am gonna be a knight, I'm gonna be one that fights with a smile on his face because I know when others see that smile, even if it's only a little smile, they feel safer."

Skybreaker smirked at this, a small series of chuckles following. "You know kid, I think you're gonna be one heck of a knight someday."

Flash's smile would not stop growing at this, especially the joy of hearing praise from the pony he had idolized since he was a colt. "Thanks."

But as the mutual respect had just started, everything came to a halt as the sound of the door being thrown open could be suddenly heard. The duo quickly turned and saw a certain jakhowl yell, "We've got a problem!" But before he could say anything else, a shushing sound came from the pegasi before pointing to the sleeping ponies. "Sorry. Forgot about that." Springer's turn red with embarrassment for a second before pointing behind him, "but you've gotta come see this. Doom's finally on the move."

A few minutes earlier...

"Yes...yes...I can feel it all now. Power...so much power."

Back inside the colossal, Doom's entire body was now completely covered by the mud. The only part of him still showing was his head, thought the liquefied dirt was quickly spreading up it. The Omni Sphere had also been covered, though it was still connected to the unicorn. It was here that everything but his face was consumed, meaning he was ready. As such, his eyes shot open, revealing them to be blood-shot as the Omni-Sphere's magic flowed into his brain. A series of screams followed as the overwhelming magic took its time devouring his already unhinged brain.

Then, one last outcry pierced through the rock titan.

"It...is...TIME!" With that last outcry, the mud around his body glowed, the light now spreading throughout the entire construct. The cracks between the rocks that made up the colossal's body glowed with this same shine as it slowly began to move. At first, it was only the head, slowly moving from one side to the other as the rest became animated.

Despite not being able to see a thing outside his new form, Doom could tell where everything was and where he needed to go. "Never thought I'd have to learn to walk again," Doom told himself before thinking about moving his front and back legs. The colossal did the same, stepping forward to the edge of the crater. Once there, it held pulled itself out of the hole, each step violently shaking the ground. But as it walked, it showed its power as the earth flattened into many mini-craters, all made from just one step of the titan.

Doom laughed even harder as he walked. "Yes...I have the power now. I am unstoppable...I am invincible! AHAHAHAHAHA!!!" Another layer of magic aura shined from the rocks of the colossal as Doom then said, "Now...time to send those knights a warning of my new, unending supreme rule."

Back at the inn, Flash, Springer and Skybreaker had just reached the roof to see the colossal rock monster make its way out of the crater. "This is really bad," Skybreaker commented as he took the binoculars from Iron. "If he's that big, he could squash this whole town with one strike." The knight put down the eyeglass and gave the others a grimace. "We need to evacuate the town. Now."

"And send them where?!" Iron asked as he pointed at the titan. "Nowhere on this island is anything gonna be safe against that."

"My ship should be able to hold them," Tidal said next. "We could send them through the portal to Equestria if absolutely necessary."

"They will not be safe there for long," First added as he glanced at Tidal. "Though to be fair, they will not be safe any place now."

"You're right," Skybreaker continued as he passed the binoculars to Flash. "Our only hope is to rally the Equestrian army."

"So we're just gonna let that guy into Equestria?! Are you nuts?!" Springer barked back, "That thing could stomp a city in no time!"

"I get what you mean Springer, but I don't think we have much of a choice," Heather told him while patting his shoulder. "I mean, we're just a few knights and-"

"Err...guys? I think we have a new problem." Flash spoke up, the tone making the others worried.

Everypony turned back to him as Skybreaker asked, "What is it?"

"I'm...not sure," Flash replied as he gave his senior the binoculars. There, they saw the rocks around the colossal's back begin to crack apart before sliding off towards the ground. As they hit the earth, the rocks started to take shape. It was here that all of the knights grimaced as they saw what the rocks were morphing to. The stones began to swirl in a ball-like shape, only for rock wings to appear out of the stone sphere. Then their shape changed until they showed themselves as large stone birds, all of them taking to the sky as large rocks morphed under their stony claws.

"That's bad," Springer commented as he watched more and more rock birds appear.

"Looks like Doom's showing us what else he can do," Ruby added as she tapped her necklace. "This isn't good."

"We've gotta stop 'em!" Flash yelled as he gripped his Celestic Gear and spread his wings. With one mighty flap, he shot off the roof and into the sky.

"Kid's got the right idea." Skybreaker said next as he did the same. "Everypony guard the inn. If any get past us, turn 'em back or turn 'em to dust!"

"RIGHT!" The others all replied as they left the roof, weapons in hoof.

At the same time, Flash and Skybreaker flew towards the flock, both weapons ready to destroy the incoming enemies. But before they could reach them, the birds dropped the rocks they were holding. Said rubble hit the earth, only to morph into what looked like large stone cats, all of them rushing towards the village. Seeing this, Flash groaned as he finally cut the first rock birds, "That's not good! We already got our hooves full with these birds!"

"Let the others deal with them!" Skybreaker told him as he cut down two birds in one swipe of this gear. "We got to deal with these first!"

"I know!" Flash barked back as he fired a barrage of Flash Cutters. "Let's do this Skybreaker!"

As they continued to light up the sky, the rock cats rushed towards the inn at high speed. But as they got close, a certain jakhowl appeared in front of the impending monsters. "Aura Blast!" he yelled as a Aura Sphere tore through three cats in one go.

Tidal, Heather and Ruby appeared behind Springer as they started cutting down the army of rock creatures as well. At the same time, Iron and First gave a volley of support as they raised their weapons to the sky, their gear knocking out a series of rock birds. It was here that First shot another group of arrows from his crossbow as he said, "Like shooting fish in a barrel!"

"Don't use that expression in front of Fluttershy," Iron joked as he fired a series of metal spears into the sky. "She'd give you the stare for that one."

As the knights continued to fight against the beasts, the villagers were watching through the windows. It was here that they spotted a stone cat rushing towards them, their guards bracing themselves. But as it pounced towards the inn, a metal pole fell from the above, crushing it into dust. The civilians sighed as they saw this, stress pouring over all of them as they continued to watch the knights.

"Flash Cutter!" Flash yelled as another series of energy waves cut through a whole group of rock birds.

"Sky Grinder!" Skybreaker spun into a wheel of wind, the attack turning into a spinning whirlwind that sliced through another group of birds.

"Tidal Whip!" Tidal spun around while unleashing a surge of water, his trident whipping a slash of water that instantly turned the rock cats into mud.

"Ruby Hammer!" A crystal mallet followed this battle cry as Ruby slammed the earth, a small quake knocking a group of rock cats off balance. "And now....Crystal Sabers!" A pair of swords appeared as Ruby cut the group with two slices, tearing them into pebbles.

"Bloom Coil!" Heather wrapped her chain mace around several of them, pulling them all together into a compact ball of stone. "Now Iron!"

"Iron Lance Fury!" Iron yelled as series of metal missiles into the sphere, destroying them instantly.

This all continued for half an hour, all of them tearing through the monsters like paper. But as they did this, they made sure not a single rock monster got through. And as this happened, the knights took down the last one, that being Flash as he landed and slashed a final rock cat, "Is that...is that all of them?" Flash asked through haggard breath.

"I...think so," Skybreaker replied as he landed as well. "Whew...what a workout."

Beside the two warriors was Ruby, who was looking over the remains of one of the cats. "This is bad. If Doom can do this with only one piece of stolen magic, what else will he be able to do if he gets more?"

"We can't think about that now," Tidal told her. "We need to get the villagers to my ship. Now."

But in that moment, the doors of the inn were ripped apart as the ponies inside rushed out in a mad panic. "We need to get out of here!" A stallion cried as he ran around in circles.

"But where?" another mare cried. "We're stuck here with that monster!"

"ANYWHERE!" Another mare screamed in fear. "As long as it's away from that monster!" The rest of the citizens continued to simply run around, logic and survival instincts overrode by fear.

"Everypony! Please calm down now!" Skybreaker yelled as he took the air, only to fall on deaf ears. "Please, we can help you! Just stop for a second!"

The rest of the knights all tried to calm the ponies down, but none of them were getting results. As such Iron signaled the knights, all of them quickly huddling towards the earth pony as he said, "This is bad. We can't deal with panic riot right now!"

"Agreed. Getting these ponies to the ship will be impossible if they're like this." Heather added as she glanced back at them.

"So what do we do?" Springer asked as they all turned to Skybreaker, their expressions begging for an answer.

"I...I don't know," he replied in staggered breath, "I'm not sure what to do now. I'm sorry."

"Well, we gotta think of something. Doom's still on his way and we don't even have a plan yet."

"And if he can do that with only Grand's power," First grumbled while holding up a piece of rock. "Then imagine what he could do if he got all of us."

"Then we don't have a choice. We've got to get out of here." Skybreaker admitted, the others sighing as they all nodded in agreement. The knight then turned to Flash, "Flash, got get Grand and Lightning. The rest of us will try and calm the locals down and get them ready to leave."

Flash nodded as flew into the inn. Rushing into Grand and Lightning's room, the sounds of the commotion outside echoed as he entered before stepping over to Lightning. "Lightning, wake up."

Lightning let out a moan as a small yawn escaped his mouth, "What? I'm trying to sleep Sentry."

"Well sleep's gonna have to wait. We need to get out of here." Flash then moved over to his mentor's bed, "Grand, I need you to wake up."

Grand's eyes cracked open as he looked up at Flash. "What's the matter kiddo? And what's with all that noise?"

"The villagers are...yeah, they're terrified." Flash told him with a sigh. "Your son just sent a horde of rocks monsters and...lets just say it made everypony scared."

Grand wanted to sigh at this, his body pushing him back from groaning, "So Doom's mastered my magic. That's not good...we don't have much time left."

"Which is why we need to get out of here. Come on, let's get you outside."

"No," Grand replied as he raised a hoof. "We can't let Doom get any further than he already has. We have to stop him here."

"But how?" Flash asked as he pointed to the room's door. "There's only eight of us able to fight, and if he gets any of us, he'll be even more powerful than before."

"Maybe...but if he gets to the portal, then he'll be unstoppable."

Flash sighed, having forgot about the portal. "If he absorbs that magic-"

"Then he'll be able to teleport over vast distances," Grand finished as he rubbed his face in despair. "He'll be able to appear anywhere, attack and steal magic from any place in the world. He could get to Canterlot in a snap. You...you have to stop him before he gets that far."

"And again, I ask how?! We have no idea how to stop him Grand! We don't know what else he can do or what weakness that sphere has!" Flash let out a long groan as he sat down by Grand, "Plus, we're not exactly organised right now. Without you leading us, we're lost."

"Then the team needs a new leader. One that can inspire hope in not just the knights, but the ponies of the town as well." With that, he turned to stare at Flash.

The apprentice knight instantly realized what he was getting at, his hooves quickly waving back and forth at his suggestion. "Oh no, I can't do it. I'm not even a true Royal Knight yet, I'm...I can't lead Grand. I'm not that pony." Flash then looked down at the floor, depression on his face as he sighed, "I'm...I'm not that kind of pony Grand. I can't do it."

But as these words left his mouth, a hoof tapped his shoulder. He looked back up, his eyes now staring right into Grand's confident eyes. "You can do this Flash. You've passed the Great Test, and you've already proven yourself as a leader. I believe in you my boy."

A small yet faltering smile started to form on Flash's face, "You...you really think I'm worthy? Grand, you heard what Doom said about me and how I've affected your family. I can't-"

"Don't." Grand interrupted, a glare following that made Flash wince. "Don't even think about what he said back then. Every bad thing that's happened to him is mine and his fault. You're not involved in the slightest." Grand's expression started to form back into a smile, "You've forged a strong bond with each of the others knights, earning a trust needed to lead others. You can do this Flash, you're the only one. You...you can stop Doom." Flash wanted to say he was wrong, but Grand's face melted all those fears away as Grand then said, "Now stop feeling sorry for yourself kiddo, and go get these ponies under control. That and stop Doom of course."

Flash nodded before turning to Lightning, who was now getting up. "I'll get the old stallion outside. You focus on what you need to do Sentry."

"Thanks Lightning." Flash said as he ran out the door, soon leaving the inn to see that the villagers were still panicking. Seeing this, he took the sky and pulled out Lightbringer, a bright flash following as the shining blade embraced the sky with a shining light. This made the panicking ponies stop for a second, which was enough for the defender as he yelled, "Everypony listen!" These two words made them come to a halt, only for Flash to then yell, "Now I know you're all scared, but you need to listen to me! You're all in danger right now, so we have to get you to safety!"

"And where the heck are we supposed to go!?" A stallion cried out to him, his comment gaining murmurs from the rest of the crowd.

In response, Flash pointed towards the coast. "My friends and I arrived here on a ship that's big enough to take you all away from here. It'll take you to our home of Equestria, where you'll be protected. But you don't need to worry about your home, because my friends and I are gonna stop that monster that's heading our way!"

This announcement confused not only the villagers, but also the knights and Springer as one of the villagers yelled, "How the heck are you gonna stop something like that?"

Flash just shined a confident smirk. "We're the Royal Knights. We fight monster like that on a weekly basis, and that thing over there is no different." The smirk was just barely enough to make them feel safe, making Flash feel relieved as he saw that they were all starting to calm down, "Alright. We're gonna go stop that thing, but you guys being here will make it a lot harder. So here's the plan. Everypony gather up any essential item you need and started heading to the coast."

"What if those rock monsters come after us?"

Flash was about to instantly reply, only to come out a halt as he scratched his chin in thought, "Right...good point. Guess we'll need to have one of our team come with you."

"Who?"

"Um..."

"Me," said a voice, making them all look down and see Springer stepping forward. "I'll get all of you to the ship."

The statement made Flash shine a huge grin as he landed down by the jakhowl. "Alright, you heard my partner. Springer here will keep you safe, trust me on that one." Flash then patted Springer's head as he continued, "Heck, Springer's more skilled than some of us here, and even if you think its not enough, you're just gonna have to deal with it." Flash pointed at the crowd as his grin turned to an expression of pure drive and confidence, "Now, go and get everything you need. Make it quick, as this place is gonna be a battleground soon." Everypony nodded as they spread out, gathering everything they could while Flash walked up to the other knights.

Iron spoke up first with crossed hooves, "So...since when are you calling the shots?"

"Since Grand put me in charge in his absence," Flash replied as he went up and tapped Iron's chest. "And that's final."

"He made you leader?" Heather asked with a raised eyebrow.

Flash turned to her and nodded. "Yup. I'm not sure if he was in his right mind at the time, but that doesn't matter. He put his trust in me and I'll be damned if I let him down."

"Alright," First said next as he pointed to the titan in the distance, "Then do you mind explaining why we are now going to fight that monstrosity?"

"Because we need to stop him here. Doom's headed for the portal, and if he gets his hooves on it, its all over. Think about it, if her gets that-"

"He'll be able to go anywhere instantly, won't he?" Ruby interrupted, finishing his statement as Flash nodded. "Okay, you're not wrong there Flash. But do we even stand a chance against something like what Doom has become?"

"Sure we do," Flash told her as a smirk appeared on his face.

Ruby giggled at his expression. "Always the optimist, aren't you Flash?"

Flash shook his head, his smirk still on his face. "Nope. I told you before Ruby, I'm a realist. And the reality is that we can beat the power of the Omni Sphere because its happened before. Don't forget, the original Royal Knights beat the Omni King and he was packing way more magic than Doom has."

The rest all glanced at each other, a series of nods following as Skybreaker looked back at Flash, "Yeah...you're right Flash."

"Sounds good to me Sentry. Let's go take that freak down!" Iron cheered as he pounded one hoof into the other.

Heather nodded in agreement. "We can do anything as long as we stick together."

"Could not have said it better my self," First added.

Ruby let out a light chuckle. "It seems history repeats itself. Seven ponies, fighting to stop a deranged wielder of the Omni Sphere. Very well, I don't mind being put into history once more."

Tidal laughed as he held out a hoof. "Let's do this amigos!" The rest of the knights all did the same, created a circle of hoofs, with only one not doing so.

They all turned to their new leader, who smirked as he held up his own hoof and placed it into the group, "Alright! This is it, our final stand. And that stand is gonna be a united one. You all ready?"

"READY!" The others cheered in unison.

Over at the inn, Lightning and Grand stood with smirks on their faces as Grand chuckled at the sight, "Watch out Doom. This is one battle you can't win."

Doom continued his trek towards the village, excited at the prospects of finally getting to crush it. With each hoofstep, he absorbed parts of the earth into his body, replenishing every bit of his form that he had used to create the rock beasts. But as he continued his stride, the titan's 'eyes' allowed him to see a new sight.

Just in the distance was a large field of giant rocks and stones, one's that had stood there for the longest time. He remembered first seeing these when he first arrived on the island, right before he began enslaving the ponies that lived nearby. But it wasn't this sight that stopped him. It was the sight of seven figures standing atop the largest rock of the field. Flash Sentry, Iron Core, Heather Bloom, First Aid, Ruby Scarlet, Tidal Wave and Skybreaker stared the colossal down, not one of them having any look of fear in their eyes. Seeing this, the behemoth stopped and moved his head so it was pointed directly at them.

"Have you come to surrender? Come to bow before my new rule?!" Doom's voice echoed through the stone, "A wise choice."

Flash, who stood in the center of the line, stepped forwards. "We didn't come to surrender. We came to put a stop to you, once and for all."

Doom let out a mighty laugh, one that almost shook the ground. "Seriously?! A piece of gutter trash like you thinks he can say such a thing?! HA! You chose to throw away your lives so recklessly, you idiotic fools!"

"Maybe we are fools," Skybreaker said as he stepped forward. "But I'd rather die a fool than live a coward."

First stepped up next. "Your evil agenda ends right now."

"We won't allow you to just do whatever you want," Heather told him as she joined First.

Tidal put his weapon on his shoulder as he stepped up as well. "Do yourself a favor and surrender yourself villaino. Trust me, it'll be a lot less painful."

"Agreed," Iron said as a huge grin shined on his face before walking up, "And trust me on this, we won't stop until you're begging for mercy. Especially me."

Ruby nodded as she trotted up to Flash's side. "After everything you've done, you don't deserve any mercy."

Flash pulled out his Celestic Gear and pointed it at Doom. "Get ready Doom! We're gonna stop you, right here and now!"

The rest of the Royal Knights pulled out their weapons before pointing them at Doom, then all spoke in unison. "Now...COUNT UP YOUR SINS!"

Inside the colossal, Doom growled. "You dare mock me? You dare say that pathetic line to me?! You...you insignificant specks! PREPARE TO FEEL THE WRATH OF THE OMNI SPHERE!"

"And you prepare to feel the wrath of the Royal Knights!" Flash yelled before turning to the others. "Let's do this guys!"

"RIGHT!"

First leapt back before pointing his Crossbolt at the group. "I will start. Aid Force!" He unleashed a wave of energy, the force hitting each of his comrades.

"Oh yeah!" Iron cheered as he felt the energy surge through him.

"Talk about a power boost," Tidal added.

"Then let's put it to good use," Flash said as he and the six remaining knights pointed their Celestic Gear at the colossal.

"Sky-"

"Tidal-"

"Crystal-"

"Bloom-"

"Iron-"

"Flash-"

"FORCE!" Six beams of different elemental energy shot towards the colossal, aimed straight at the beast's heart. The battle for the fate of Equestria had begun.

Doomsday

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"Sky!"

"Tidal!"

"Ruby!"

"Bloom!"

"Iron!"

"Flash!"

"FORCE!" Six beams of different elemental energies shot towards the colossal, all aimed straight at the beast's heart. They watched as the six attacks joined at a single point before they began to spiral around one another, creating a super powered multi-elemental attack. And before Doom's rock suit could react, the attack exploded into his chest, a giant cloud of smoke and dust soon consuming the entire thing.

The knights all smirked at this as Skybreaker chuckled at the sight, "That got him."

But then the cloud began to fade, allowing them to see the result of their attack. "No way!" Heather cried as she and the others saw that the colossal was completely undamaged, the area where their attacks struck smoking but no other damage showing.

The sound of Doom's laugh then filled the air, making them all growl at the rock titan. "Is that honestly the best you can do? I expected more from the mighty Royal Knights...no wait, I didn't! This is exactly what I expected from you pathetic weaklings!"

"Weaklings?!" Iron barked, his face showing pure anger at the insult.

"Who are you calling weak?" First added with a slight hiss in his voice. "At least we do not rely on ancient relics to grant us power!"

"Is that so? And what would you call your Celestic Gear? How are they any different from the Omni Sphere?!"

Tidal let out a low growl. "The difference estúpido, is that Celestic Gears only harness the power inside us and give it form! That power you wield is nothing but greed and arrogance!"

Ruby nodded at this. "All the power we have is our own, forged from hard work and a desire to grow stronger."

"So that we can protect those we care about," Flash added before pointing Lightbringer at the colossal. "And we're gonna use that power to take you down!"

"YOU SAID IT!" The others finished before everypony except First leapt off the rock they were on, Flash and Skybreaker taking flight at the titan. Iron then tossed his Celestic Gear at the ground while Ruby fired a beam at a spot nearby. The two hit the ground and created a pair of towers, one made of metal and the other crystal. Iron and Tidal landed on the metal tower while Ruby and Heather landed on the crystal on. Those two towers then extended, sending the ones atop closer to Doom.

While this happened, First took aim at Flash and Skybreaker. "Celeritas Aid!" He fired two arrows made of green energy at the pegasi.

Flash smirked as he saw his body glow green from the arrow, his body now feeling three times lighter than usual. "Aw yeah!" He cheered as both him and Skybreaker shot through the air at blinding speeds. "Flash Cutter!" He swung his sword and unleashed an energy blade, striking the colossal's left shoulder.

"Sky Grinder!" Skybreaker yelled as he rolled up into a wheel, spinning into the right shoulder. The attack started to grind away the rock, shredding it for several moments before jumping away.

"You little pests!" Doom screeched as he saw the attacks start to knock off his stone armor. "Grrr….take this!" his shoulders started to firing the rocks like arrows, both sides now pelting the sky with rubble. They were all aimed directly for the pegasi, but with First's speed enhancing spell, the two zipped away from the shots like they were nothing.

"Nice try!" Skybreaker joked as he and Flash flew around the colossal, both taunting him repeatedly.

"Thanks for the opening though!" Flash added as he swung at the now even more exposed shoulder, "Flash Cutter Barrage!"

"Sky Cutter Barrage!" Skybreaker also said, both now blasting away at the shoulders.

Doom let out an anger-filled howl, "Blasted insects! I'm going to-"

"Our turn!" Ruby interrupted as the two towers arrived. She and Iron had leapt into the air while Heather and Tidal jumped down to the feet. "Crystal Shot!"

"Iron Lance Fury!" The two unleashed their projectiles, the attacks focused squarely on the areas Flash and Skybreaker had just struck. The barrage smashed the damaged area, the cracks growing bigger with each hit.

"Tidal Surge!" Tidal slammed the end of his trident into the ground near the colossal's right hoof, his body surging in as much energy as he could muster. Seconds later, the ground beneath the stone foot erupted, a torrent of water soaking the stones.

"Bloom Coil!" Heather tossed her chain mace at the left hoof, wrapping it as tightly as she could. She then pulled at the chain, causing it to fall and dig deeply into the rocky surface.

Up on the rock, First continued to watch everypony fight. "Time for a boost!" He aimed his crossbow at Heather, "Viribus Aid!" a red arrow struck Heather, the same colored aura consuming her form.

"Nice! Thanks First!" Heather cheered as she felt her strength increase. She then pulled harder on the chain, the mace now breaking into the leg. "Come on! I...got...this!"

Then, the rock gave out just as the water from Tidal's attack completely soaked the right hoof. The colossal's front hooves fell forward after that, the left crumbling as Heather did one last pull while the right turned into a pillar of mud. It was here that the head started to fall forward, causing the knights to all leap to either side as Doom yelled, "NOOOOO!"

CRASH!

It struck the ground, kicking up yet another dust cloud that struck the group. Everypony coughed, as they turned towards the dust cloud as it faded to show the downed behemoth.

"Did that do it?" Tidal asked.

"For Celestia's sake I hope so," Heather replied.

"No time to relax," Skybreaker told them as he readied his weapon. "Be ready."

The all got into a battle stance, and just in time as the rocks covering the body started shaking. Seconds later, the body collapsed as the rocks re-positioned themselves. "It's rebuilding itself," Ruby told them.

"Get it before it finishes!" Flash cried before shooting forward, Skybreaker right behind him.

First and the ones on the ground started firing at the rocks, but they soon found it to be impossible to stop. Before a minute passed, the colossal was completely rebuilt. The only difference was that this one was about ten feet shorter, which made them grimace at the sight as Tidal spoke up, "Well, at least we managed to get that thing a bit smaller."

First shook his head at this. "I do not think its smaller size was of our doing. There is too much rock and dirt around for him to be that size."

"Correct diagnosis doctor," Doom yelled from inside the beast, "They usually say bigger is always better, but for now I think being a smaller target is the way to go." The colossal's head then turned towards one knight in particular, "at least until I'm able to take out the one making you faster and stronger than my large form can handle."

Everypony quickly realized who he was talking about, only for a rock-shaped cannon to form in the colossal's chest. Before they could do anything, it fired a massive boulder as Heather cried out, "FIRST!"

BOOM!

Everypony gasped as the dust from the blow quickly faded, the vanishing fog now showing the rock First was on and the boulder had been turned into a pile of rubble. "No!" Flash cried, only for a flash of light to appear by Heather as a familiar pony collapsed over from using teleportation.

First let out a groan as he started to get himself back up, Heather helping him. "That...was too close."

"You can teleport?" Iron yelped in surprise.

"Yes...but it burns a lot of magic in doing so."

"Well don't overdo it," Skybreaker told him as he pointed back at the titan. "Go take cover and provide support where you can."

"Understood," First replied before pointing his cross bow at them. "But first, Aid Force!" a series of bolts crossed the sky, hitting the knights as energy flowed through them soon after.

After these struck, the unicorn turned to leave as Doom let out a roar, "Don't think you'll be going anywhere, you spineless wimp!" But as he tried to do another attack, the colossal's head was struck by a fast moving chain mace head. "Ack! What the-"

"He may not be able to do a lot of physical damage you freak, but he's put himself in danger too many times to save the lives of me and many others in the past." Heather screamed at the colossal, "You will show him some respect!"

Doom's reply was a long bellowing laugh. "Don't be ridiculous! Why would I respect an insect?! I only respect those stronger than me, and now nopony is stronger than me!" The 'cannon' in the colossal's chest disappeared as the rocks sucked back into the titan. "Now...bow before my supreme power! Bow before your superior!"

"Oh yeah?!" Flash yelled as he pointed Lightbringer at the giant. "We're stronger than you, and we'll prove it Doom!"

"He's right!" Ruby yelled as she tapped her necklace, a series of crystal bolts soon firing at the beast. "Come on everypony! We can take down this monster!"

"And even if we can't beat him..." Skybreaker added as slashed at the neck.

"We can slow him down long enough for Springer to get the villagers to safety," Tidal continued as he fired several water bullets at its chest.

"Yeah! Let's kick his flank!" Flash finished as he flew under the colossal and cut into its underbelly. "Stay safe bud..."

Meanwhile...

Many miles away, the ponies of the village were now near the coast where the Mighty Leviathan should soon dock. They were all travelling down the path in a line, with four or five ponies on each layer.

Springer was standing atop a large rock on the side of the path, looking over at the villagers as they slowly trotted down the path. Some ponies that were too old or injured were being pulled in carts, and Springer spotted one getting struck in the mud. He quickly leapt off the rock and started to push the cart. "Don't worry, I got ya." He then managed to push it free of the mud, allowing it to continue.

"Thank you," the pony pulling it said before moving on.

Springer nodded before looking back and then up at the sky. He mentally noted that there were no signs of any of other rock monsters, which was good in his book. His ears however, were now picking up explosions and other sounds in the distance, each one making him grow more and more nervous.

"They'll be fine Springer." The jakhowl turned to see the crystal cart that both Grand, Lightning, Salt and Pepper were riding on. Great Taste had been kind enough to offer too pull the cart while Grand continued to talk, "They can win Springer. And they can do it because they're together."

"Yeah...I know." Springer replied as he looked back into the distance, "I just can't help but worry, you know?"

"I do. But...we need to focus on what we can do right now." Grand replied, only for the old stallion to clutch his chest a second later as a series of coughs followed.

"Grand!" Springer leapt up onto the cart as he, Lightning, Salt and Pepper looked the older pony over.

"Is he gonna be alright?" Pepper asked in a low, trembling tone.

"I don't know," Springer replied as he looked back up into the sky, this time his eyes were on the moon. "But I do know that it'll be sunrise soon. We're running out of time."

Salt turned to him. "Flash'll make it through though, won't he?"

Before Springer could reply, Lightning spoke up. "Yeah, he'll make it." They turned to him, seeing he was staring up at the sky. "After all, he's the pony that beat me. That means he can't lose to anypony else. Trust me." The ponies blinked at this, but saw the huge smile on his face. It made them smile as well as Springer turned back to battle in the distance.

"Flash...keep going." the jakhowl commented as he let out a sigh. "You can't lose now."

"Flash Driver!" Flash spun in the air as he transformed into a drill of light, the attack burrowing through the titan with ease.

"Get off me you filthy disgusting WORM!" The colossal began to shake, causing Flash to be dislodged and sent flying away. But as he caught himself in mid-air, the defender looked back at the hole he had made, only to see it be blocked by new rubble.

"Damn it!" Flash yelled, only to then dodge an incoming flying rock.

"Every time we hit him, he regenerates," Ruby growled in annoyance.

"Well, he is the big boss. Our only hope is to tag team him." Skybreaker turned to Tidal, "time to break out our combo move!"

"You got it amigo," Tidal said as Skybreaker flew above him, the knight pointing at his Celestic Gear at the pegasi, "Tidal Vortex!" He unleashed a tornado of water, which spiraled around Skybreaker.

The Knight of the Winds pointed Cloudhacker at Doom, "Sky Force!" The tornado flew out of his axe and broke through the water, carrying it as it flew towards the colossal. The ice cold water struck the behemoth, freezing as it made contact and soon froze the titan in a sheet of ice.

Skybreaker laughed at the sight. "Lets see how well he handles sub-zero temperatures."

"I always thought he needed to chill out," Flash quipped.

"Hang on! This isn't over!" Iron yelled as he pointed at the colossal. The titan started to shake, cracks appearing in the ice. Before they knew what was happening, the ice was blasted off the body. Following it were more rocks, all of them shooting off the main body towards the knights.

"Move it!" Heather cried as they began to dodge the rocks.

As they did this, Iron simply slashed through the incoming rubble. He then looked up and saw that using the Sky/Tidal move had left the mud like under-body exposed, "That's an opening if I've ever seen one." He commented to himself as he charged forward, leaping off a rock as he hopped to another one. He repeated this until he was close enough to the beast's chest.

Skybreaker saw his apprentice and yelled, "Iron wait! Don't-"

"Open wide Doom!" Iron yelled as he transformed Piecemaker into a large jousting lance. The defender then thrusted the spear upward, only to feel a sudden tug. "What the-" The colossal's mud like body shot out, curving around the Celestic Gear before suddenly grabbing Iron in a mucky grip. "Whoa! What the heck?!"

"Iron!" Skybreaker screamed as he tried to rush to his apprentice, but it was too late.

Doom's laugh could be heard as he said, "Here we go. Thank you for volunteering, as your magic will go nicely with my father's."

With that, a clear light shot out from the main body and spread up the mud arm before consuming Iron. "AAAHHH!" Iron cried out as the clear light turned silver and headed back to the body. As he felt his magic being ripped out of him, he dropped his Celestic Gear, making sure it wouldn't lose its magic.

"Hold on! We're coming Iron!" Flash and Skybreaker yelled as they rushed forward, dodging more incoming rocks as they did so. Flash then performed a Flash Cutter on the mud, the earth pony soon falling as the sludge lost its power. And as the defender fell, Skybreaker cut through the air and caught his apprentice.

"Don't worry, I got you Iron." Skybreaker said as Tidal, Ruby and Heather covered their escape, firing at the colossal as he flew behind one of the large rocks. First had taken refuge there and when the pegasi arrived, he placed Iron on the ground so the Healing Knight could examine him. "How is he?"

First magically scanned him, a small grimace soon showing on his face. "He is in much better shape than Grand was, likely because the process was interrupted. A little rest and he will be fine."

Iron opened his eyes as a surge pain went through his body before looking up at his mentor. "Sorry Sky. Guess I blew it."

"Don't beat yourself up, just rest for now." Skybreaker stood back up. "If you feel up to it, rejoin the fight when you're ready." With that, he shot back into the air, only to see that none of his comrades were fighting. "What the-what are you all doing?!"

"We're...not sure what to do." Heather replied as she pointed at the colossal, Skybreaker soon noticing that it was not moving. "He just uh...stopped."

"But why would he-"

"I'll tell you why, you pathetic weak filth!" Doom interrupted, making them all hop in place. "I know you can not strike me down instantly, so I'm now taking time to visualize how to use my new power!" Skybreaker out a gasp as he knew where this was going as Doom continued, "I might not have gotten as much out of that metalhead as I did my father, but I got just enough to do this!" Before they could say a word, the colossal's body once again began to shake and crumble, only for the earth to also shake.

"W-w-what's happening?" Heather asked as her whole body shook like the ground.

Iron knew what it was, a grimace on his face as he tried to sit up, "Oh no...this area's rich in minerals. I felt it before when we were heading to the city, and during our fight. If he's got my power-"

"I CAN USE THEM!" Doom finished as the ground around them cracked open. From out of the cracks, multicolored dust flew up into the air and towards the colossal before the titan transformed into a ball of rock and mud. The minerals then surrounded this ball, the two elements mixing together.

Then, the sphere began to take shape. This time, it changed into a being that was only about thirty meters tall and was standing on two legs. Its shape was similar in design to Springer, but it had a pony-like head. Its body appeared to be made out of the same rock and mud as before, only for it all to now be covered in metal. It's hooves, lower legs, chest, back, and head were now wearing armor similar to what an Equestrian Guard would have while its arms weren't covered in armor, but instead the forearms appeared to be large metal-like blade sticking out of them. From its rear shot out a long metal tail with a spiky club-like end.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Doom guffawed from within his new creation. "How do you like me now, you worms?! Before, I was simply an indestructible titan pony, but now I'm even more...I am now metal! I am supreme!" The anthro colossal looked down at the tiny ponies. "Plus, I'll now have an easier time fighting back!" With that, he raised a bladed arm and pointed it at them. "Let's dance, you insignificant specks!"

"SCATTER!" Ruby screamed as the knights all leapt into the air to dodge the blade now piercing the ground.

"This is insane!" Skybreaker yelled as he dodged another series of rocks.

"And he was strong before," Tidal gulped as he and the others on the ground regrouped.

"We're not out of this yet!" Flash told them as they watched the colossal pull its blade out of the earth before standing tall.

"And don't think I forgot about your little friends! I think I'll give those villagers a present!" Doom laughed as the rocks on his shoulders morphed into stone birds. "After all, I am being worthy of worship now! If those villagers will not stay and be my prisoners like they were before you freed them, they don't have the right to exist! Now...go my new minions! Show them the despair that is the fate of not worshiping me! AHAHAHA!" With that, the rock birds took flight, all of them heading straight for the coast.

"Not good!" Flash said as he slashed three birds down, only for two more to fly past him.

"Stay focused Flash!" Ruby yelled up at him. "Let Springer take care of those things!"

Flash wanted to retort, only to look back at Doom and sigh. "You're right. Gotta finish this first." Flash looked back at where the birds were flying too. "Be careful buddy."

Flash and Skybreaker then flew towards the chest, the two using the Cutter attacks, only for them to bounce right off. At the same time, Tidal, Ruby and Heather attacked the legs, "Crystal Saber!" Ruby slashed at the armored hoof, only for her sword to shatter.

"Bloom Coil!" Heather threw her chain mace around both legs, trying to trip it up, but the metal tail quickly lashed at her. "Whoa!" She leapt back, retracting her weapon as she dodged the attack.

"Tidal Bullets!" Tidal unleashed a trio of water blasts that struck the legs, only for the water to pelt the metal before dripping down back to the earth.

"You won't be muddying up my plans anymore," Doom told him before attempting to kick the unicorn. Luckily, First managed to hit him with a Celeritas arrow, allowing Tidal to leap out of the way.

"This is nuts!" Flash yelled as he dodged one of the colossal's bladed arms. "He wasn't this fast a moment ago! What did he do?! Did you go on one of those extreme dieting schemes? You know those things don't really work!"

"Funny, you little street rat. Though if you must know, the only reason I wasn't as fast before was because doing so would have made my form crumble." Doom replied as he swung both arms around, the force creating a wind slash that forced the two pegasi back. "But now, thanks to my new metallic skeleton-"

"You don't have to worry about that!" Skybreaker finished as he flew forwards, attempting another slash at the behemoth. But as he tried this, the colossal blocked his attack with its arm.

"Exactly!" Doom replied before backhanding him, sending Skybreaker crashing towards a nearby rock formation.

"Skybreaker!" Heather cried out.

"Focus on your own problems!" Doom interrupted as he raised his foot and tried to stomp on her. But as the hoof came down, several large crystal poles shot out of the ground, striking the foot and knocking the colossal off balance. "What the-" Doom tried to say as the titan started to stagger back.

Heather turned to see Ruby a ways off, the girls sharing a smirk at one another. "Get him!" The Crystal Knight screamed, the knights following her order as Flash, Heather and Tidal charged at the beast. Flash beagn slashing at the goliath's chest while Heather and Tidal whipped its unstable legs. The unsteadiness, coupled with the force of those attacks, caused the colossal to completely fall off its feet.

"Come on!" Flash yelled as the four shot forwards to finish it off, only for the downed behemoth's tail to suddenly swing around and strike the ground in front of them. "AAAHHH!" They all cried as the force from the blow sent them flying back, allowing the colossal time to get back to its feet.

"Time to crush you like the bugs you are!" Doom yelled as he raised his bladed arms. "Die you worms!"

Seeing this, Iron knew he had to get back into the fight. He gripped Piecemaker as he started to sprint. "I'm going in!"

"I will cover you!" First told him before firing several Aid Bolts.

They bounced off the metal colossal, causing Doom to blink as the arrows fell off with ease. Confused by the sudden new attack, Doom did not notice it was a distraction, causing Iron to get close. "Iron Spike Assault!" He thrusted his spear into the ground, causing a large metal spike to grow out of it and slam into the beast.

"Augh!" Doom yelped as he staggered back again, only to feel another force slam his side, "Grraugh! What is going on?!" He screamed as he tried to find the reason for the attack, only to see Skybreaker flying to a safe distance away from him.

"Forget about me, did you?" He asked as he regrouped with the others before turning to his student. "Iron, are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Iron replied as he pointed at Doom. "And I'll be even more so once we take this creep out."

"I'm with you on that," Heather as she cracked her whip. "I still got another few rounds left in me. How about the rest of you?"

"You got it!" Flash replied as they turned towards the beast, only to feel First's arrows strike the group again. Feeling this, Flash and the others charged as he yelled, "Let's go everypony!"

Meanwhile, back with Springer...

Springer let out a long sigh of relief as he and the villagers had finally gotten to the coast. There, they spotted the Mighty Leviathan, which had pulled right up to the cliff with many of the sailor ponies standing on the mountain in preparation. Springer rushed up to the front of the group, where one of the sailors was waiting. "You're the creature that went with Captain Tidal."

"Name's Springer. We need to get these ponies aboard and out to sea just in case the others are unsuccessful."

"Very well," the sea pony replied before turning, gesturing to the rest of the crew. A few minutes later, they managed to get half the population aboard. Grand had been one of the first, taken to the ship's infirmary as he collapsed in the cart.

"Alright Lightning, you're next." Springer said as he and Great helped him up. But as they got him off the cart, Salt looked up at the skies and the pony's eyes went wide.

"AAAAHHHHHHH!!!! Look!" Salt screamed while pointing to the sky, everypony soon following his vision as they saw the danger in the distance. It was the horde of stone birds Doom had shot out earlier.

"Oh great, more rock monsters." Springer moaned before turning to one of the sailors. "Get the rest of the villagers on board. Now!"

"What are you gonna do?" The sailor asked, only to be met with a bright flash of light.

When it faded, Springer could be seen in his battle form. "I'm gonna buy you all as much time as I can. And once the last passengers are aboard, cast off, even if I'm not there."

The sailor nodded before turning back to the others, "Well come on you land lubbers! Let's get a move on!"

As Springer ran towards the first wave, he looked up put his paws together. "I'll take you all out at once! Aura Force!" He unleashed the beam of aura, his paws going into a sweeping motion. The beam then sliced through the sky, blazing through the birds in a single motion. Soon enough, every bird disappeared form the sky, the rocks they were made of fell to the ground. But before they landed, the rubble morphed into the rock cat creatures from before, making Springer sigh again.

"Seriously?! Grrrr...Steel Paw!" The spikes on the back of his paws transformed into claws, the jakhowl taking the horde alone as he slashed through the first incoming cat. "Come on you monsters! I'll take you all out!" he yelled as he cut through two more, "I'm gonna-oof!"

A rock claw hit the jakhowl's face, knocking him off balance. Then two more bum-rushed him, causing a yelp of pain to release from his mouth. "You stinking little-" he growled before slamming both paws into the two, quickly cutting them in half. And as he regained his balance from the attack, he took a glance back at the ship, noticing three rock cats how got past him. "NO!"

The last few passengers were being loaded onto the ship, only for one sailor to look back and see the incoming beast. "Oh no..." he gasped as he unsheathed the cutlass he had on his being before looking back at the other sailors getting the ponies on board. "Defend the civilians. I'll take these on!"

But before anypony else could even reply, a knife with a familiar cutie mark landed in front of them. In a flash of light, a certain unicorn appeared beside the knife as he pulled it from the ground. "I'll handle these things. Get the villagers in that tub now!" Lightning yelled as he tossed the knife towards the cats. And as the dagger flew through the air, the unicorn disappeared in a flash of light. Before the incoming beasts could react, Lightning appeared beside the flying weapon, his horn surging with power as he gripped the knife in his mouth. "Raging Bolt!"

Springer saw the lightning blast and smiled, his paws flicking as he created a Bone Breaker. He then turned and rushed at the unicorn, just as Lightning had cut down another rock beast. "Bone Breaker!" Springer yelled as he swung the aura weapon like a baseball bat, shattering a cat that was about to attack Lightning's back.

Lightning glanced at the defender, a small smirk shining on his face. "Thanks."

"No prob." Springer replied as he created a second Bone Breaker. He then turned around and faced yet another group of rock cats, "Here they come. Just don't push yourself Lightning, you're still recovering."

"I'm fine," Lightning told him as his horn flared. "Let's just take these things down."

"I hear that." Springer cheered as he rushed forward, Lightning just a hoof's pace behind him. The jakhowl swung both of his weapons like crazy, cutting down two more cats as Lightning's horn blasted a third into pure disintegrated rubble.

"Not bad dog. Now let me show you true power." Lightning commented as a fifth cat leaped at him, only for his dagger to slice it in two. His horn flared once more after this, "Gatling Spark!" As these words left his mouth, a barrage of bolts covered the area, cutting down five more rock beasts. "And that's how its done." Lightning turned to Springer with an increasing smirk, "How about dog? You-"

"Lightning, look out! Aura Blast!" Springer yelled as he shot an Aura Blast at the unicorn, but it was too late. The unicorn's body was slammed in his side as a smaller version of the rock cats threw itself into the pony. A scream of pain followed as Lightning felt the blow, only for the attacker to be consumed by Springer's Aura Blast. And as it disintegrated, Springer ran over to Lightning to cut down another incoming beast before yelling, "You okay?!"

"Ugghh...that hurt." Lightning winced as he picked himself up, his eyes watching Springer as he cut down three more opponents. "Dang...you really are Sentry's pet. Guess I gotta step it up." His horn flared once more, a pure lightning storm of bolts following as it tore apart the most recent group of rock cats.

"Whoa..." Springer gasped as he stepped back from the attack.

"Its nothing." Lightning remarked as he walked up to Springer's side. He put his hoof on the jakhowl's shoulder as he then said, "Come on. Looks like there's only one more group coming after us."

"Yeah...I see it coming." Springer remarked as he put his paws together. "You ready?"

"Heck yeah." Lightning replied, his horn shining bright with magic. "They don't stand a chance."

"Aura/Lightning FORCE!" They fired their super powered blasts, the attack striking the group in one blow. An explosion followed, turning the beasts into nothing but dust.

And as the dust took itself in the wind, Springer returned to his smaller form, exhaustion starting to take over. They then turned and saw that the Mighty Leviathan had just pulled away from the shore. "Come on," Lightning levitated Springer onto his back before rushing towards the cliff.

"Maybe we should go help Flash and the others," Springer suggested.

"Sentry put you in charge of looking after them, so we stay with them."

"Good point," Springer stared at the incoming distance between the ship and the cliff. "We're not gonna be able to make it," he then felt a familiar knife be shoved into his paw.

"If we don't, throw that to the ship." Lightning commented as he started to pick up as much speed as he could, the cliff edge getting closer. Once at the very edge, the unicorn used all his strength to leap towards the boat. Everypony on board saw the two fly through the air, but only to get halfway there.

"NO!" Many of the villagers cried out as they saw them fall, only for a knife to hit the deck soon after. They all blinked in confusion at the sight, that is till a flash of light consumed the dagger. And when the light, one unicorn and jakhowl collapsed onto the deck, both heavily panting.

"You okay?" A sailor pony asked as he ran up to them.

After a series of pants, Springer nodded. "Yeah...but we need to help Flash and the others. Does this ship have any weapons that might help them?"

The sailor nodded at this. "Just one. Should we get it up and ready?"

"I'd say yes," Springer replied as he and Lightning started to pick themselves up. However, Lightning fell over soon after, causing Springer to gesture to the sailor again, "Get him to the infirmary. He took a beating out there. Also, can somepony get me to the crow's nest?"

Back at the battle, Flash and Skybreaker were still flying around the colossal's head while the others attacked the hooves and legs. Doom had grown increasingly irritated at this, but his titan was not slowing down as it continued its attacks. On the other hoof, the others were beginning to slow down, their strength starting to drain. First did his best to replenish their power, but even he had his limits.

Only one pony still seemed to have enough energy to keep going. A single orange pegasus named Flash Sentry. "Missed me!" He taunted as he stuck his tongue, his form dodging another blade arm swipe. "Missed me again!" He flew under the other one before landing on the right arm blade, the pegasi now sliding along it as his sword tore into the metal. "Seriously Doomy, do you even have a license for this thing?!"

"Grrr….raugh! Do you ever SHUT UP?!" Doom screamed as he slammed the arm into a nearby rock pillar, trying to crush his hitchhiker between the two.

"Flash!" Heather screamed as the arm tore through the pillar, only for a laugh to follow from the swing.

Flash had had his back against the rock and was pushing at the metal, keeping himself from being crushed. "Sorry, but no Doomy. My fans expect a certain amount of quipage in every battle."

"SHUT UP! Just shut up you street rat!" Doom yelled as he raised the arm up again, only to see Flash sitting there with his tongue out again, this time spitting raspberries as well.

"Now that's just unoriginal. You shouldn't steal your son's lines Doomy."

Doom was about to scream again, only to feel something coming up from behind him. He looked over his shoulder and saw Skybreaker heading his way, causing him to lift the colossal's tail before swinging it back down at him. But the pegasi raised his axe and blocked the attack, his muscles tensing as he pushed it back. "Not getting rid of me that easily Doom."

Heather then tossed her chain at the tail and wrapped around it, her hooves soon pulling at the tail. But as her earth pony strength showed her what she was trying to accomplish, a Viribus Aid bolt struck her body. Within seconds, she made one mighty pull, the force making the giant vibrate and stagger. The motion alone let Skybreaker and Flash take to the skies, both dodging Doom's incoming attacks.

"Get back here!" Doom yelled as he swung the blade at the pegasi, only for Heather to pull the tail again, instantly knocking him off balance. "Augh! What the-" but before he could say anything else, Flash and Skybreaker flew in front of him, their blades pointed at the behemoth.

"Flash/Sky Force!" The beams of energy struck the unsteady colossal's chest, causing him to stagger back as Heather released his tail. Doom quickly repositioned his hooves, trying to keep himself up right. But as he did this, he then spotted Iron, Ruby and Tidal on nearby rock formations his body had staggered over too.

"Iron Lance Fury!"

"Ruby Shot!"

"Tidal Bullet!"

The trio of projectile attacks flew towards the colossal, striking both his arms and his back. Doom then felt his artificial body vibrate, causing him to flinch and tense up. He had managed to get his arms up to defend against Iron and Ruby's attacks, while Tidal's struck his armored back, making a straining surge of pain follow from the blow. It was here that he lifted his tail again, the mighty bladed structure now swinging into the rock Iron was on. The metal construct cut through the rock's base, forcing Iron to leap off as Doom started to swing his tail at the other two rock formations.

Ruby and Tidal leapt off their platforms, both landing together on another one. Doom then turned to them with both bladed arms, "Not this time! This time, you're mine!" He screamed as he swung both at the duo, only to watch them leap off towards the ground.

But as they did this, Doom's tail swiped at the two. Ruby spotted this and gasped, her horn shining as she summoned a small crystal. She then turned and shot the projectile at Tidal, the block knocking him away as the tail just missed him thanks to her quick thinking. Unfortunately, Ruby winced as she saw the tail now come for her, the metal construct soon hitting her at full force. "AUGH!" She cried as the tail smacked her, only to suddenly wrap around her.

"RUBY!" The others yelled as they saw the tail start to squeeze her.

"Hang on, we're coming!" Flash cried as he shot at the titan like a bullet, the others rushing in as well.

"I don't think so, you worms!" Doom shouted as another series of rocks flew out of his shoulders, all of them transforming into some very familiar bird and cat creatures. The beasts instantly tackled the knights, knocking all of them back as the colossal turned to Ruby. "Now, if you would be so kind as to give me your magic."

"NEVER!" Ruby screamed as her horn tried to spark, only for the tail to squeeze her again. "AUGH!"

Doom let out a laugh, "HA! You pitiful ancient relic! You seem to think I'm giving you a choice! Now...give me your magic, you insignificant speck!" the clear light from before flew up the tail and started to consume Ruby.

Seconds later, it changed to a crimson color as Ruby screamed, "AAAAAHHHHH!"

"No!" Flash cried as he cut down a rock bird in front of him, only for two more to tackle him. "Augh! Get off!"

"Let her go!" First yelled as he fired at the cats surrounding Heather and Tidal. "Let her go now!"

Doom didn't reply, as his mind was now swimming in the new magic that now flowed into the Omni Sphere. "Yes...give me more! More power! I NEED MORE! MORE!!!"

"RUBY!" Heather screamed as she charged at the colossal, only for two cats to land on her and pin her to the ground. "Hang on, we're coming!"

"You'll do nothing worm!" Doom yelled back before laughing again. "With this magic, I will ascend even higher! I will-"

BOOM!

"BLAUGH!" Doom yelped as a burst of blue energy flew at the colossal, striking it in the chest. And as the blast struck, the colossal was sent flying back, instantly releasing Ruby from its clutches.

The rock beasts also crumbled to dust, allowing Skybreaker to fly up and catch the crystal unicorn. "Are you okay?" he yelled as he flew her back to First.

Ruby let out a long moan, the light now fading from her body, "I think so. I feel...I feel drained, but I think I can still battle." She then turned to First, who had already started to scan her, "I feel strange. Do I...do I still have my magic?"

"Hold on..." the doctor replied as he switched his weapon to its Force attack, the crossbow now healing the crystal pony, "You lost a lot, but you will be alright."

At the same time, Flash was now looking at where the blast had come from. "What hit him?"

Tidal's face shined the biggest smile possible. "That amigo...is The Mighty Leviathan."

"Talk about serious range," Springer commented from atop the crow's nest. He was now looking through some binoculars, directly staring at the downed colossal. "I didn't think anything could hit it from this far away."

The sailor pony next to him chuckled. "That's why you should never underestimate the power of the Mighty Leviathan's Mega Buster." They both looked down at the ship's figurehead, which had its mouth open and a large cannon was folded out and pointed at the shoreline.

"Nice." Springer turned to the sea pony. "How long until it can fire again?"

"Several minutes. If we didn't have to fire so far, it would take a lot less time. But with that distance-"

"I get it," Springer replied before looking through the binoculars again. "Just hold on Flash."

"Nice one Springer." Flash commented as he looked back at the ship in the distance. "Thanks for the assistance."

However, his happiness would be short lived as he turned back and the knights saw the colossal begin to pick itself up onto all fours. "Don't let it get back up!" Skybreaker yelled as he pointed at the beast, the other knights ready to charge at the monster. But in that moment, the colossal looked up at them, its mouth suddenly opening.

"RRRRROOOOOAAAAAAARRRRR!"

A shockwave followed from the beast's roar, the blast sending the entire group flying backwards. A series of screams followed as they all hit the dirt, pain surging as they rolled on the ground from the wave. And as they recovered from the attack, they looked back at the titan and their eyes went wide.

The colossal was standing once more, the armor on its shoulder blades now cracking as they soon fell off, revealing the muddy underside before bubbling. Seconds later, a pair of metal poles shot out of the shoulders, each about fifteen meters long. Once these were fully extended, three giant blood red crystals grew out of each one, only for them to morph into what looked like wings, which went on the titan's back. At the same time, more spike-like crystals appeared on the body, ones at the knees and elbows, along with two more spikes shooting out of the shoulders. A pair of crystals appeared on its head, mimicking eyes while the end of it's tail gained a spiky crystal bludgeon. The part of the helmet covering his forehead also broke away, as a pointed crystal spike shot out to mimic a horn. Finally, in the very center of its chest, an opening in the armor appeared before a large red crystal grew out of it.

But it was what was inside the crystal that shocked everypony. The sight made them gasp, Flash growling at the sight as he said, "Doom..."

Doom's body was now resting within the chest crystal, the Omni Sphere in front of him. His eyes then opened, showing them to be completely white as he stared at the knights before letting out a long, bellowing laugh, "Heh heh heh....AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"Somepony's happy," Flash grumbled as he crossed his hooves at the sight.

Pretty stupid move though," Heather added as she gripped her mace. "He just showed us exactly where to aim."

"He's overconfident," Skybreaker said next as he helped Tidal up.

"Which will be his undoing amigo," Tidal finished. "We're not done with the job yet."

Doom's laughing continued as he looked down at them. "What do I have to fear from you?! You weaklings....you are nothing now! Nothing to my unlimited power! AHAHAHAHA!!!"

"You shouldn't underestimate us," Iron told him as they readied their weapons. "We've been able to keep up with you this entire battle. A few shiny crystals aren't going to change that."

"You pathetic, dirt-groveling fools! While you must join forces to do battle, I can completely fight on my own! And my power will grow with every one of you I defeat."

"You haven't defeated any of us yet," Heather commented as she pointed her weapon at the beast. "And you never will."

Doom chuckled at this while his wings folded out. "Allow me to correct that oversight." They watched as the crystals on his body began to glow, only for the wings, shoulders, knees, elbows and horn to all start to radiate a shining bright red aura. "NOW DIE!" The crystals unleashed a barrage of lasers, all of them wildly blasting the battlefield apart.

"MOVE!" Skybreaker screamed before they all scattered, explosions following as the lasers began their assault. But as this attack started, First quickly fired a volley of Celeritas arrows, all of them hitting their targets as the knights' speed increased. With this, they quickly escaped the blasts, along with the rubble now flying through the raging battlefield.

"Theta Mode!" Flash roared as his eyes went blank, his body quickly zipping through the lasers as he charged at Doom, "FLASH CUTTER!" He slashed at the colossal, which raised its arm blade to block, only for the energy attack to simply bounce off the metal.

"You'll have to do better than that!" Doom guffawed before firing a beam from his shoulder.

"AUGH!" Flash cried as the beam struck him, his body soon flying through a nearby rock pillar.

"Flash!" Heather cried as she saw him disappear into the now falling rubble of the pillar.

"It didn't even flinch," Iron whispered.

Doom unleashed another hysteric laugh. "Now you see?! Your power is nothing next to my own! My power! MINE!" His titan's body began to glow red again, "Now stop wasting your energy trying to fight back, you pitiful scum. All you're doing is wasting my supply."

"What do you mean, your supply?" Skybreaker yelled as he and Tidal charged towards the colossal.

"Our power belongs to us and us alone, villano!" Tidal cried out before spinning his trident on his hoof, "Tidal Whip!"

"Sky Vortex!" Skybreaker spun his axe around and unleashed another tornado, this one being bigger but not as fast. The two attacks flew towards the colossal, only for its knee and elbow crystals to fire a quartet of blasts. The lasers instantly cut through the attacks, blasting both knights back with ease.

Doom laughed once again as the knights let out a cries of pain from the attack. "Can't you see its pointless?! This is why you must give me your power! You have no right to the power you wield!" Doom roared as he fired another volley of random lasers. "I'm doing this for everypony's own good! Think of how life will be once all the power in Equestria is controlled by a single source! Nopony will be able to cause problems against a being who wields all the power in the world! Now give me that power! ITS MINE!!!"

"And what makes you think you are the one who should wield all that power?!" First barked back as he and Ruby bum-rushed him.

"Who else would be worthy of such a role?! Don't tell me you think you have the right to your power, you wretched filthy vermin!" Doom asked as he raised and then slammed his titan's hoof towards the two, the duo quickly hopping back to dodge the attack and its afterquake. "Of course I'm the most worthy! I am the only one that can handle the true raw power of magic! I am the one that is above all in magic! I am supreme!"

"You're insane!" Ruby yelled as her horn created a twenty foot crystal sword while she raced towards the colossal. "Nopony can handle all that power, not even the alicorns! That's why it was spread out to the other creatures of the world. It exists for them, not you!"

"Viribus Aid!" First fired his red arrow into Ruby, her strength doubling as she leapt into the air. Her blade swung at the behemoth's center as she let out a mighty battle cry.

"Those alicorns were weak! They're trash, unworthy garbage that have no right to even exist before my power!" Doom countered as he blocked Ruby's attack with his arm, causing the sword to shatter as she bounced off the metal. The colossal then spun around, his tail swiping at both Ruby and First, knocking them both flying as its new crystal spikes tore into their bodies. And as they flew back, blood now splattering out of their forms, Doom yelled at them once more. "Now stop playing around like foals and simply listen to your better! Give me your magic that you have no right too! ITS MINE!!!"

"NO!" Heather screamed as she threw her mace at the colossal wrapped around its right arm, "you're the foal!" She pulled on the chain and forced the colossal to the ground. "You don't like the way the world works, so you think you can just tear it down cuz you got hurt once. You're not a stallion," she then watched as Iron leapt up onto the arm. "You're just a bratty foal throwing a tantrum!"

Iron rushed up the metal arm as the colossal stared down at him, its horn firing another laser blast. But as it did this, Iron outran the laser, the beam just grazing his skin as the defender yelled, "I'm gonna put this bluntly, there's nothing special about you! You're nothing but a run-of-the-mill criminal!" He leapt off the arm with his Celestic Gear in hoof and pointed squarely at Doom. "All you are is a pathetic old geezer who can't deal with his problems like a real stallion!"

"SHUT UP!" The crystal horn fired again, this time striking Iron and blasting into the ground. He then yanked on his arm, dragging Heather into the sky and flinging her back into the dirt as well. "HOW DARE YOU INSULT ME! I AM SUPREME! I AM INVINCIBLE! MY POWER FAR SUCCEEDS YOURS, AND I AM ABOVE YOU ALL!"

But as he lifted his hoof, ready to crush both under his hooves, an orange blur shot out of a rock pillar. The figure zoomed around the colossal at high speed, slicing at the behemoth's hooves, knocking them away from the knights as they tried to recover from the blow. It was here that orange blur hit the ground in front of the others, revealing himself to be Flash as he stared up at the colossal with a determined smile on his lips. "You just don't get it, do you? Power is meaningless if it isn't your own. True power is one that you work to achieve, and it's only when you have a good enough reason to achieve it that you'll actually be able to reach your true potential." Flash pointed Lightbringer at the titan, "You stole all your power, so you'll never have to right to it. You won't ever get there, to reach where we can!"

The rest of the knights picked themselves up and gathered around Flash, all of them pointing their weapons as well. "And once you've reached that true potential...NOTHING WILL STOP YOU DOOM! THAT MEANS US AS WELL!" But as they readied to charge, another sound hit all of their ears.

BOOM!

Another blast from the Mighty Leviathan flew over their heads, aimed right at the colossal. Said monstrosity raised his arms to block the attack, only to feel his form being slowly pushed back. "NO!" Doom screamed as he tried to endure the blow, "I WILL NOT BE DEFEATED! I WILL NOT LOSE TO TRASH THAT DOESN'T UNDERSTAND TRUE POWER!"

He spread his wings as far as they would go, all of them glowing as they and the titan's horn fired back at the ship's beam. The two equal forces held steady, neither managing to overpower the other. But with it's opponent's attack blocked, the colossal could lower its arms as the chest crystal glowed. "BEGONE SCUM! DIE BEFORE YOUR SUPERIOR!" The remaining crystals on the body all fired, the lasers now joining together as it struck back the Mighty Leviathan's.

"NO!" Flash screamed as he and the others watched the ship's blast die out, the colossal's attack now flying off into the distance.

Boom!

The explosion was quiet, but that was only because they were so far away. But as the sound reached their ears, Flash's smile faded as he turned towards the beast. "YOU MONSTER!" He and the others rushed forward, all ready to strike, only for the colossal to glow once more.

"JUST DIE!" The crystals unleashed their power once more, striking the ground around the knights. Before they could react, the exploded as debris went flying along with the knights.

"AAAHHH!" Skybreaker and Heather cried as debris smashed into their bodies, both taking a full beating from the rubble.

"YAAAUUGGHHH!" Iron and Tidal yelled as the lasers directly struck them, knocking them into the dirt.

"GAAAAHHHHH!" Ruby and First screamed as the ground beneath them exploded, both now airborne before another laser blasted them both.

Flash had managed to reenter Theta Mode and dodged the incoming storm of attacks. But as the dust from the explosions faded from his enhanced vision, he found himself flying right into the path of Doom's tail. Before he could react, the crystal bludgeon slammed into him, smacking him into the ground near his comrades.

And as the knights all started to try and pick themselves up, the colossal looked down upon them as its crystals once again glowed brighter than ever. "THIS...ENDS...NOW!"

Then, Flash opened his eyes and looked up, his vision now completely filled by red light.

"Owww…." Springer moaned as his ears rang like a thousand bells going off at once. "Wha….what happened?"

The young jakhowl's eyes blinked as he slowly lifted his head up, his memories now playing themselves in his brain First was a memory of him ordering the cannon to be fired once again. That and the cannon was hit back with a red beam, which the ship tried to move away from, only for the blast to hit the front of the ship. The force of the attack had knocked Springer out of the bird's nest and sent him slamming into the deck, causing him to blink again as his ears continued to ring.

"Right....that's what happened." Springer groaned to himself as he felt the blow from the blast along with his earlier fight with the stone beasts to now retake their effects on his body. "Ugh...don't feel so good."

It was here that the ringing in his ears disappeared, replaced by the sounds of foals' cries and other outbursts. His eyes started to fully refocus, opened his eyes, allowing him to see many ponies rushing around the deck.

"Hey mutt," he looked up to see Lightning staring down at him. "Come on, this ain't no time to be snoozing."

Springer rubbed the side of his head as he stood up and leaned against the mast, both of his paws now holding his head. "Is everypony okay?"

"Just a few bumps and bruises, more than us I'll say." Lightning replied as he rubbed a wound from the earlier rock beast battle, which was also now bandaged. "Mostly, they're just rattled. That blast came close to sinking the whole ship."

"How's the ship?"

"Still sea worthy," a passing sailor replied. "But I'm afraid we can offer no more assistance to the Royal Knights."

Springer looked over at the front of the ship, seeing smoke starting to rise. It was here that Lightning helped him fully get up, both now walking over to the front. There, they saw that the blast had completely destroyed the figure head, meaning the cannon was also down for the count.

"Damn it," Springer growled before looking over to deck. "Well, at least everypony on board is okay." He looked back at where the back at where the battle had been. "I just hope the others are okay."

Lightning's face shined a grimace as he replied, "Yeah...that's not all. Something else happened."

Springer turned to him, almost gulping at Lightning's expression. "What?"

"I saw a giant explosion, bigger than anything else we've seen in the battle. I...I don't know if anything could of survived that."

Springer's eyes went wide, only to narrow as he asked, "Remember what happened last time you underestimated Flash?" He saw Lightning nod. "Then don't do it now. Flash and the others will win." He looked back at the island, his confidant face starting to disappear. "They've just got too."

The battleground was a wreck. Upturned rocks and rubble littered the ground, along with the giant craters where they had been pulled from. Several spots were now steaming, as the rocks inside had now melted due the intense heat and pressure.

The royal knights also laid among the rubble, battered, burnt and finally at their limit.

Meanwhile, the colossal simply looked down at its opponents. From within his crystal, Doom was heavily panting, as that last attack had drained much of his energy. He now figured that he would not be able to fire more than one more weaker blast for some time, but still, it was worth it in his eyes. "Finally reached your limits I see. Ah...that's such a shame. A small part of me expected to see you knights try to continue...but I guess I can't expect too much from weaklings. Just goes to show you why you don't deserve the magic and power you wield. How pathetic." It was then that he spotted movement, as the knights were trying to get up, the key word being trying.

"Augh!" Iron groaned as he started to stand along with First and Tidal, only for all three to fall on their faces. "No good," he moaned out in pain. "I'm...out of power. Damn it..."

"This is...oh...." Skybreaker moaned before he tried to help Ruby and Heather up, his own body wobbling as energy wouldn't stay in his body, "This can't...this can't be the end."

"Oh, but it is. You should have known that when you faced me, it would always lead to this outcome. In fact, this is the only outcome possible." Doom then raised his arms, as if preparing to grab them. "Now don't struggle, and I'll promise it'll be over quickly. I will assimilate what remains of your power, then finish you. Your lives will become part of a being that is truly worthy of your magic, unlike you lowly, insignificant worms."

Heather's eyes filled with tears as she saw the incoming limbs. "No...I can't even stand up."

"I'm sorry my lady," Ruby whimpered as her thoughts flew back to the crystal empire, which had only just regained its freedom. "No...its happening again. I...can't fail...the empire again."

"Is this...really it?" Tidal asked as he felt blood go down his face. "Amigos...my crew..."

First raised his head, dirt clumps falling off his face. "It...can not...end like this."

Iron also thought back to his home. Ponyville, the one place he had found acceptance since the day he had lost his parents. All his friends not knowing they were in mortal peril. "No....I can't...." then, another face appeared in his head, "Fluttershy...I can't...no."

"Grand...I'm sorry." Skybreaker wheezed out as he put one hoof on the earth below, but no energy flowed through it. "We tried, but..."

"Don't you dare give up!" Everypony's eyes blinked at the sudden yell, only for them all to look and see one of their group still somewhat standing. Flash, Lightbringer in hoof, sat on his back legs with his eyes pointed towards the ground. "No...this fight ain't over." He finally looked up at the colossal, determination burning in his eyes as he picked himself back up onto his hooves. "WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?! HIT ME WITH YOUR BEST SHOT! DO IT, I'M STANDING RIGHT HERE!"

Everypony was shocked by this, but Doom merely chuckled before shaking his head. "With pleasure. I will be glad to remove you first. After all, unlike these scum that are unworthy of their power..." the colossal raised it giant hoof and moved it above the pegasi's head. "Your existence is a sin. You've had no right to exist since the day you were born, you filthy disgusting street rat." With that, he thrusted the hoof down.

Flash didn't flinch, nor he did cower or try to run away. Instead, he raised his blade above his head and caught the hoof. The force alone caused the ground beneath him to crack and crumble, but Flash somehow remained standing and was holding the hoof back. And as he did this, his face was shining a huge grin as he barked back in a strained voice, "I'll...say...it...again...Doomy," Another series of cracks in the ground followed as he pushed the hoof up again, "Stop...stealing....your son's lines!"

"Flash...how are you..." Heather whispered as she stared at the sight.

"What are you doing Sentry?!" Iron barely yelled at him. "You can't stop him! You're all out of power!"

"No I'm not!" Flash cried out as he kept the colossal from crushing him. "I...I won't quit! Not with everything that's at stake! Our friends...our families...everything we care about....I refuse to let this lunatic take them away from us!" He began to push back, actually lifting a foot a few inches. "So even if it kills me, I'll find the strength I need to get the job done....NO MATTER WHAT!" Flash's eyes flew open as a mysterious golden glow blasted out of them, the glow quickly spreading around his body. The pegasus let out a mighty battle cry as the new strength flooded through his muscles and he forced it all upwards.

"WHAT?!" Doom yelped as he felt a powerful force propel his hoof up, causing him to lose his balance and stagger backwards.

The light around Flash faded as he stared up at the behemoth. "DON'T EVER UNDERESTIMATE THE ROYAL KNIGHTS!"

The rest of his comrades all stared in pure awe at what they had seen. But as they did, Iron laughed at the sight before his body moved on its own, picking itself up as he said, "You're right Sentry! I'm...no, we ain't gonna lose here!"

"Not now..." Heather added as she picked herself up.

"Not ever!" Ruby finished as she and the others stood tall.

The colossal finally found its footing and looked down at Flash, "I told you before you pieces of filth, you have no right! LEARN YOUR PLACE!" Doom surged all his remaining power into the giant's horn, which unleashed a single blast that struck the earth beneath Flash's feet.

"AAAHHH!" He screamed as the ground exploded and sent him flying straight up into the air.

"I AM YOU BETTER, AND YOU WILL ALL BOW DOWN BEFORE ME!" Doom screamed at the stallion before sensing another incoming threat. He looked back down and saw three ponies charging at him. He quickly started to focus his magic back into moving the titan, only to suddenly find himself stuck. He couldn't move, as the sphere needed to recharge from the laser he had just shot. "No....I can't-"

"You're the one who needs to learn his place, you pathetic old stallion!" Ruby interrupted as her necklace shined like the sun. A second later, a giant crystal lance appeared as she landed at one of the colossal's hooves, the spear striking through it with ease.

"Yeah! Because when we're done with ya-" Iron added as he leapt onto the other hoof, Piecemaker in hoof as it morphed into an iron version of the Ruby's just summoned lance before slamming it into the hoof.

"It'll be you who's on your knees!" Heather finished as her Flower Chain swung across the sky, wrapping all three things of arms, wings and tail of titan in one go.

"What?!" Doom yelled as he started to pour magic back into the sphere, trying to put everything he could into moving the titan. "You can't-no!"

Heather just stood behind the behemoth with a huge grin on her face, blood starting to appear on her hooves as she used all her remaining strength to keep the colossal as confined as she could. "Gotcha now!"

"You dare do this to me?! ME, YOU'RE SUPERIOR?!" Doom screamed as he kept trying to move. "YOU SCUM! STOP THIS AT ONCE!"

"Oh we dare," Iron replied before looking up at the now descending pegasus. "SENTRY!"

"IT'S UP TO YOU NOW!" Ruby screamed.

"FINISH HIM!" Heather cried as she made one last tug with her whip.

Flash stared at the sight as he made his descent, only to turn to the three remaining knights and yell, "Sky, Tidal, First! I got a dumb idea that I think will work!" Flash pointed to himself with a huge grin as his wings flared open, "Blast me with everything you got!"

"What?!" Tidal asked in shock, "you crazy amigo?!"

"Just do it! Hurry!"

Skybreaker blinked at this, only to turn and nudge Tidal, "You heard our leader, let's do this." Tidal blinked back at his friend, soon nodding as the two raised their weapons.

"I will lend a hoof," First told them as he pointed his weapon at them and charged it with every last piece of power he could dig up. "Aid Force!" The energy shot into the two, increasing their power as they aimed their weapons at Flash.

"Sky/Tidal...FORCE!" The two unleashed a powerful tornado of wind and water, which combined right before they hit Flash. But as the blow struck, the pegasus scrunched himself up and slowly started spinning. It was here that he felt his body's speed increase, his own form now riding the freezing wind blasting him forward. The knights all smiled as they realized what he was doing.

Doom had also figured it out, which made him struggle even harder but to no avail. "No...he's riding the current and using it to increase his speed. NO!" His horn flared as a barrage of magic flowed into the sphere, but the giant wouldn't move an inch. "No....move you piece of junk! MOVE RIGHT NOW! MOVE!!!"

"ITS OVER DOOM!" Flash screamed as he shot out 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.

Homeward Bound

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"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!!!"

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."

Magic Mystery Cure

View Online

A week had passed since the Royal Knights had returned home along with Ponyville's newest defender. Despite everypony hearing about how he had helped them, Lightning's presence in the town was still causing some friction with its residents. A lot of them had been at the Fantasia Festival, thus forced into the Battle of Canterlot before getting zapped by the Thunder Tomb. Forgiveness was going to be difficult for the unicorn, and it didn't help that he wasn't the biggest social butterfly.

Currently, Flash, Springer, Iron and Lightning were in their usual forest training ground. Today was the day the group would be getting back into the swing of things, as the bandages they had been wearing had finally been removed thanks to approval of the local doctor yesterday. Now, they were about to begin their first bout of training with Lightning, who had agreed to act as an opponent. This was also to help the defenders figure out Lightning's fighting ability, having only been able to see snippets of it in his fight with Doom while they were pinned to the ground. That and to see if Lightning could fight well beside the three.

"Alright...here we go." Flash commented as he swung Lightbringer around, "You ready to do this thing?"

Lightning smirked as he dropped his saddlebag on the ground, "Are you?"

"Oh, we're ready," Springer replied before transforming into his battle form. After a week of daily practice, which he was mainly able to do since he didn't need to be wrapped up in bandages for a week thanks to his healing aura, he could now hold this form for about ten minutes. Unfortunately, this form would only last that long if he didn't do any attacks.

"Watch yourself spark plug," Iron told him as he pointed Piecemaker at the unicorn. "We're not the same ponies you fought at the Canterlot Cathedral."

"I already knew that. Don't forget, I watched you all fight the Doom Quartet and I got a good look at your skills. However..." his horn flashed as his saddlebag magically opened, several identical knives soon levitating out of the sack. They were all exactly the same as the one he had used in Omniara, each one having his Cutie Mark engraved on it. "I'm not the same pony you fought before either." His horn then flared, the knives flinging across the field, yet not landing anywhere near the defenders. As they did this, he yelled, "GET READY!"

The trio took defensives stances as Iron asked, "What's he up too?"

"Let's find out!" Flash roared before shooting towards Lightning, Lightbringer in hoof. "Flash Cutter!" He launched a slash at the unicorn, but Lightning simply smiled before tossing the last knife in his possession straight up. Barely a second after that, he disappeared in a flash of light.

"He disappeared?" Iron yelped as he starting darting his eyes around, "Where'd he go?!"

"No. He just teleported. I can sense his aura....there!" Springer replied as he pointed at a tree, soon seeing Lightning standing on one of the forest's tree branches. One of the knives was embedded in that branch, but he wasn't there for long as another flash of light consumed him, this time teleporting him right above Flash.

"Gotcha..." he whispered as he tossed the dagger upward as his horn sparked, "Static Spear!" A bolt of lightning flew towards Flash, only for Springer to hop in front of the bolt, deflecting the shot with a Bone Breaker swing.

"Whoa!" Flash yelped as he leapt backwards, Springer following his motion as Flash turned to his partner, "That was close. Thanks buddy."

As Lightning began to fall to the ground, Iron charged at where he would land. "Iron Saber!" He swung the blade at Lightning, who saw it coming and smirked before dropping the knife out of his grasp and vanishing.

He reappeared several meters away next to another knife as his horn once again sparked. "Plasma Anchor." The electrical stream shot out and hit Iron in the chest, allowing Lightning to spin his body off the ground. The earth pony let out a yell of surprise, only to feel his body be flung towards Flash and Springer.

Flash saw Lightning coming and took to the sky while Springer tried to catch Iron, only for his form to suddenly disappear. "Oh crap!" the jakhowl yelled before the pony slammed into him, pinning him to the ground a second later.

While this happened, Flash entered Theta Mode as he stared back at Lightning. Barely a second later, Lightning disappeared. But as he did this, Flash quickly changed his vision's direction, only to see Lightning appear beside him. The defender effortlessly raised his sword at this, blocking a punch to the head as he commented, "I see...I get it now."

"You finally caught on?" Lightning smirked, only to leap away before Flash could counter him.

"I'm a fast learner," Flash replied as he pointed his blade at the unicorn. "That spell your using is letting teleport yourself to your knives, isn't it? And with this many of them, you can pop up anywhere."

"Got it in one," Lightning said before disappearing again. Flash blinked at this, his eyes now constantly looking the battlefield over. As he did this, flashes of light covered the ground, all showing glimpses of the unicorn. Growling at the sight, Flash could feel Theta Mode straining to keep up, only to turn and block another punch at the last second. "Nice." Lightning commented as he disappeared again, "Let's see you do that again."

"This is getting annoying..." Flash replied as he blocked another sudden blow. "Stop that!"

Off to the side, Iron had recovered and got up off of Springer. The two picked themselves up in time to watch as Flash and Lightning continued their duel, Lightning teleporting all over while Flash was on the defensive. The pegasus had now started firing off Flash Cutters, but was still unable to strike the teleporting pony.

Eventually, Lightning picked up two of his knives before tossing them at either side of Flash. The apprentice knight knew Lightning would appear at one of them, which made an idea pop into his head. Flash quickly spun around like a top, firing light energy from his blade, all of it forming a ring around him. But as he did this, he soon felt nothing get hit. "Huh? What is-"

"Peekaboo!" Flash looked up and saw a lightning ball coming straight for him.

THUD...BOOM!

The field was filled with dust as Lightning teleported off to the side. The unicorn chuckled at the sight as he said, "I think I win." With that, the dust settled and showed a crater with one Flash Sentry tasting dirt.

From out of that crater, a single orange hoof could be seen raising a white flag. "Yeah, I give."

Lightning smirked before turning to Iron and Springer, to two raising both paws and front legs. "We give."

Lightning laughed as he started warping around again, collecting his knives and returning them to the saddlebag. "Too bad I didn't have all these back in Omniara. I only had enough time to make one before you guys showed up." he commented as he put the last dagger inside the sack. "If I had this many with me, I would have creamed that old stallion."

"Yeah," Flash agreed as he pulled himself out of the ditch. "I don't know who gave you that spell, but I really hate them."

"Well, I hope I get to see them again. I mean, they're the reason I got to the island in the first place, and I need to thank them for making life so much easier." With that, he disappeared in a flash of light. Seconds later he returned, carrying a big bag of chips. "There we go."

Iron raised an eyebrow at this. "Did you just-"

"Warp to Wild's house and grab a snack, then warp back here? Yes, yes I did."

"I want that power," Springer complained as he pointed at the bag.

"Well, master electrical magic and maybe you can mutt," Lightning told him as he opened the bag. "Ahhh...finally! I can finally have some junk food after all this time on the road."

Flash reached into his saddlebag and pulled out an apple, which he started munching on. "So, how exactly does that spell work? Its probably best to know its limitations."

As Iron and Springer pulled out their own breakfasts, Lightning let out a yawn before explaining, "Eh, its nothing much. Its just a type convenient teleportation spell."

"Twilight's told me about those before." Flash added as he took another bite, "Something about visualization making it very hard for most unicorns."

"She's not wrong." Lightning replied as he pulled out one of the daggers, "The problem with teleportation spells is the location process, which you need to perfectly visualize where you wanna go. But...thanks to this spell, it gives me a mark, so I just need to visualize it and think of the location its in."

Springer snapped his paw as he said, "So since all the knives are identical, its easy for you to visualize it?"

"Exactly that mutt." Lightning replied as another chip went in his mouth, "Makes it so convenient since its a electric spell. All I need is to have the mark be conductive and tied to me specifically."

"Is that why you have your cutie mark on all of them?" Flash asked, getting a nod in response. "Huh. I bet Twilight would be interested in looking that spell over."

Before Lightning could reply, a new voice called out, "Flash!" The group turned to see Scootaloo rushing into the training field on her scooter, a look of pure worry on her face.

"Hey Scoots! What's up sis?"

Scootaloo came to a panting stop, her wings now killing her due to how fast she was going. "I was on my way to school when I found something really weird! You need to see it!"

"What?" Iron asked as he finished his meal.

Scootaloo opened her mouth, only to close is as she turned around, "I uh...I honestly can't really explain it. You've just gotta come see it for yourself." With that, she spun her scooter around as well and zipped off. The three stallions and jakhowl shared a look before rushing after her. Soon enough, the four of them were at the edge between the forest and Ponyville. As soon as they were there, Scootaloo pointed up at the sky, all of them now seeing several storm clouds flying wildly over the town, all of them dropping rain, snow and thunder bolts that came dangerous close to the buildings.

Flash and Springer both raised an eyebrow at this as Flash commented, "What the heck?!"

Meanwhile, Iron and Lightning shared a glance at each other before looking down at Scootaloo. "What are we supposed to be looking at?" Iron asked, confusing the others.

"What are you talking about?" Scootaloo replied before pointing at the sky. "Does that look normal to you?"

"Yes." Iron and Lightning replied in unison.

"Come again?"

"The weather around here is always like that," Iron commented as he turned to Lightning, "Right?"

"Yeah. Well, at least it has been since I got here," Lightning added with a long grumble. "Honestly, why don't they fire that mare? I mean come on, she always tries to make the clouds look nice without thinking about where they're actually needed."

"Are we talking about the same pony here?" Springer asked while scratching the side of his head. "Rainbow always does the weather perfectly."

"Rainbow?" Iron and Lightning asked in confusion. "What's she got to do with weather control?"

"She's to busy running that nightmare she calls a nursery for animals..." Iron hissed as he rubbed his face in anger. "Seriously, I don't sleep some nights because she can't get those things under control."

"What the heck are you talking about?!" Flash yelped, only to get two glares in return.

That is, till Iron let out a sigh. "Whatever. I'm gonna go see if I can't grab a few extra Zs. Here's hoping she can get them to shut up for twenty minutes." With that, he walked off.

Lightning did the same. "I'm supposed to meet up with Script and the others. What time's the next patrol?"

"Just...this afternoon," Flash replied as he blinked at the sight of Lightning walking off. "Yeah...this is officially weird."

Scootaloo turned to Flash. "What's going on?"

"I don't know sis, but I'm gonna find out." Flash added as the trio ran into town. As they did this, Flash then said, "By the looks of things, I'd say a unicorn is causing this. Be on the lookout for any unicorn acting strangely."

"Sounds good." Springer replied, only for his ears to pick up something that made him look in one direction. He poked Flash's leg. "Does singing a full song and dance number count?"

Flash turned to him, his ears also picking up on the sound and following it to see Twilight skipping down the road. Like Springer said, she appeared to be singing with several other Ponyville citizens backing her up. "Around here, not really. I guess she's just in a good mood."

"She won't be for long," Scootaloo replied before pointing up at what Twilight was about to step under.

"And I know for absolute certain," Twilight went on without noticing. "That everything is certainly-"

SPLASH!

"BLUAGH!" Twilight yelped as she was suddenly completely drenched by the rain that had been magically squeezed out of the cloud above her. The unicorn frowned before calling out, "Rainbow Dash!" She looked up at the sky as Flash and the others walked up to her. "That's not funny!"

"Terribly sorry, darling." They all turned to see Rarity standing on a bridge, her horn glowing as she manipulated the clouds flying above her. "I'm afraid I'm...I'm not good with the thundery ones."

"Looks like we found the cause of the weird weather," Flash commented as he tilted his head at the mare. "Now the question is, why are you doing this Rarity?"

"Doing what Flash?" Rarity asked before turning around. Doing so exposed her flank, allowing Flash and everypony else to get a glimpse of her cutie mark...which was now a cloud with a rainbow-colored lightning bolt coming out of it.

Everypony gasped at the sight, "Something tells me everything is not going to be fine," Twilight responded in horror before rushing over to Rarity. "What are you doing?" She then pointed at her flank. "What happened to your cutie mark?"

"Whatever do you mean, Twilight?" Rarity asked, not taking her eye off her work. They then stared back up, only to see Rarity positioning the many different clouds in the sky into an array of patterns and shapes. "I'm simply doing what I've done since the day it first appeared." The final square shaped cloud was placed, giving the sky a checker board look as the many different weathers assaulted Ponyville. "Does my sky look fabulous or what?"

It was in this moment that the ponies of Ponyville stepped up to them, not a single happy look in the crowd. "Oh, this'll be fun," Flash said sarcastically as a barrage of complaints followed.

"Too last season?" Rarity asked in fear as she was surrounded, the ponies shoving Twilight and the others further and further away.

"Where is Rainbow Dash?" Twilight asked as she looked around. "Why isn't she handling this?" Rarity didn't seem to hear her over the cries and complaints of the others.

"I got this," Flash said before taking to the sky. He then raised Lightbringer and unleashed a burst of light, grabbing everypony's attention. Once everypony quieted down, they looked up at Flash. "Alright everypony! Please vacate the area, now!"

"But the weather!" a stallion moaned.

"We'll handle it! Everypony, scatter!" The ponies all complained back, but did as they were told.

Rarity sighed in relief, "thank you darling."

As Flash landed, Twilight and the others gathered around. "You can thank me by telling me what the heck is going on. Where's Rainbow?"

"Rainbow?" Rarity asked before thinking for a moment, "I guess she's at her cottage." She then pointed in a direction close to the forest, which everypony knew only housed one cottage.

"But that's Fluttershy's house."

Rarity raised an eyebrow at this. "What are you talking about? Fluttershy lives with the Cakes, in Sugarcube Corner."

"But that's where Pinkie lives," Springer replied as he scratched his head in confusion.

"Pinkie lives on the apple farm, though I guess you need actual apples to call it an apple farm."

The lot of them all shared a look of pure confusion as Flash did a large gulp, fearing the next response as he asked, "Where's Applejack?"

They all watched as Rarity rolled her eyes. "Probably in her boutique, making those awful dresses of hers. I'm telling you, I could make better dresses. Now if you excuse me dearies, I should really get back to work. I need to figure out a way to get these clouds in an assortment that I won't get yelled at for...." With that, she walked off as she continued to inspect the sky.

Scootaloo turned to the others. "What the heck is going on?"

"I think we've asked that like five times now." Springer responded, only to get a smack on the head from Flash.

"I don't know...I'm so confused." Twilight moaned as she turned to Flash, "Any ideas?"

Flash titled his head as he rubbed his chin. "Not sure. You don't think its something like...changelings maybe?"

"No," Springer interrupted with a shake of the head, "I checked her aura. That's Rarity, but it seemed a little...off."

"So what do we do?"

"We need to check on the others," Twilight explained as she tapped her hoof in frustration. "Let's grab Spike and head to Fluttershy's cottage."

"You mean Rainbow's Cottage," Flash corrected her, "Since for some reason, she apparently lives there now."

"Not if I can help it," Twilight replied as she motioned them to follow her.

Soon enough, the group found Spike sleeping in the rain. The little dragon wasn't happy about being awakened, but came along as they headed to Rainbow's. Spike also seemed to be the only other being in Ponyville aside from Flash, Twilight, Scootaloo and Springer who was unaffected by whatever strange memory alteration magic was causing this. It was here on the path that Spike yawned and stretched, "I still don't know what you had to wake me up for. I love sleeping in the rain."

"It's not about the weather Spike," Twilight told him as she glared back at the dragon. "Rarity had Rainbow Dash's cutie mark and said this was Rainbow Dash's cottage!"

It was here that they finally arrived outside the cottage as Scootaloo pointed up the road, "Hey look." They then all saw Iron walking towards them, bags under his eyes and an unhappy scowl on his lips.

"You okay there?" Flash asked as Iron started to pass them. "I thought you said you were gonna take a nap."

Iron let out a low hiss. "I tried, but those stupid animals woke me up again. I seriously need to talk to Skybreaker about re-stationing me."

"What about Fluttershy?" Twilight asked him, only to get a confused glare back from Iron.

"What about her? I don't see why some pony I barely know has to do with me being located somewhere else." he huffed as he walked off, leaving everyone stunned at his response.

"He doesn't remember that?!" Twilight whispered in shock. "Oh no..."

"This is going from bad to worse," Springer commented with a long gulp.

"Then let's get to the bottom of this," Flash replied before stepping up to the cottage's door and knocking.

A moment later, the door cracked opened and Rainbow's head popped out. "Hey guys." Just by the look on her face, everypony could tell she was obviously miserable and exhausted. Her usual flare was gone.

"You look awful," Scootaloo told her idol.

"I know," Rainbow moaned as the frown on her face continued to grow. It was this that made the others worried, as they knew the regular Rainbow Dash would have taken offense to such words. They knew she would immediately deny it or try to act cool, but instead, she just frowned at them.

Twilight shook her head at this, "Rainbow Dash! Why is Rarity doing your job?!" Before Rainbow could ask what she was talking about, a loud crashing sound could be heard from inside. The pegasi then shot back into the cottage as Twilight and the others tried to walk in, Twilight commenting, "And what in Equestria is going on in...here."

The place was a disaster zone, with many of the normal calm and friendly animals rampaging. Rainbow was rushing all over the place trying to corral the critters, only for no results. Instead, the animals continued to ignore her, all of them yelling and destroying everything in sight.

"This is insane." Flash said as he watched the scene unfold. But as he did this, the inbuilt music makers that seemed to exist in all of Equestria's citizens started playing a tune. It seemed Rainbow was going to answer them in song.

(Rainbow Dash)
These animals don't listen, no, not one little bit.
They run around out of control and throw their hissy fits.
It's up to me to stop them, 'cause plainly you can see.
It's got to be my destiny, and it's what my cutie mark is telling me.

In this moment, Rainbow's flank was revealed and they saw that it just like Rarity. Her cutie mark was now three butterflies instead of the usual rainbow storm cloud. The family of five all shared a horrified look, knowing who they were going to have to locate next and left Rainbow in her misery.

Remembering what Rarity had told them, the group headed to Sugarcube Corner. There, they found a large group of ponies watching some kind of show, but none of them were laughing or having any fun at all. It was obvious why though, as the group entered the place and found the entertainment was now Fluttershy.

"This is just gonna get crazier, isn't it?" Flash commented, getting a nod from his sister and jakhowl partner. "Yup. I figured as much."

Despite not being petrified at being watched, the pegasi's many attempts to get the crowd to laugh were coming up short as Fluttershy began to sing.

(Fluttershy)
I try to keep them laughing, put a smile upon their face.
But no matter what I try, it seems a bit of a disgrace.
I have to entertain them, it's there for all to see.
It's got to be my destiny, and it's what my cutie mark is telling me.

As Fluttershy's disastrous show ended, she turned to show her flank was now sporting three party balloons. The sight made them all sigh, knowing they needed to find Pinkie.

Once again, the group headed out, making their way to Sweet Apple Acres this time. When they arrived, they found the entire place was barren. The trees were all either dead or dying, the fields brown and lifeless while the buildings were a wreck. Among the disaster was a certain party pony, who didn't look a bit happy as she pulled a cart of chickens along the ground. Her hair was also flat, something that only happened when Pinkie was sad or depressed.

(Pinkie Pie)
I don't care much for pickin' fruit and plowin' fields ain't such a hoot.
No matter what I try, I cannot fix this busted water chute!
I've got so many chores to do, it's no fun being me.
But it has to be my destiny, 'cause it's what my cutie mark is telling me.

Pinkie then tried to buck some apples out of a tree, only to get the result of several painful looking bumps to the head. It was here they spotted the three apple shaped markings on her flank. Seeing this, Twilight told them to stop as her horn sparked. Her magic soon created a small magical window, which showed the inside of the Carousal Boutique, where Applejack was busy making dresses.

One look was all it took to show that Rarity was not kidding earlier. The clothes she had made looked like the kind you would see on a homeless pony, mismatched patches and loose strings on every single one.

(Applejack)
Lookie here at what I made, I think that it's a dress.
I know it doesn't look like much, I'm under some distress.
Could y'all give me a hand here and help me fix this mess?
My destiny is not pretty, but it's what my cutie mark is tellin' me.

As Applejack put the finishing touches onto her...'creations', her flank came into view and showed three blue diamonds. Twilight then created four more windows, each one showing one of their friends. They first focused on Rarity, as she tried to control the clouds that were swirling above her head. Once again, she created a checker boarded sky, only for snow, rain, lightning and harsh sunlight to cover different parts of the town.

(Rarity)
I'm in love with weather patterns, but the others have concerns.
For I just gave them frostbite over top of their sunburns.
I have to keep on trying, for everyone can see.

(Rarity and Rainbow Dash)
It's got to be.

(Fluttershy)
It's got to be.

(Pinkie Pie)
My destiny.

(Applejack)
My destiny.

(Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy)
And it's what my cutie mark.

(Pinkie Pie and Applejack)
It's what my cutie mark.

(All)
Yes, it's what my cutie mark is telling me!

As the song came to an end, Twilight dispelled the windows while Flash just blinked at the closing sight. That is, till he spoke up, "Okay, what the heck is going on?!" He then turned to glare at Twilight. "What did you do?!"

Twilight turned to him in shock. "What makes you think I had anything to do with this?!"

"Well...I don't know! Why aren't we affected by this crazy stuff that's happening?!" Flash replied as he swung one hoof around in slight anger, "I'm sorry Twilight, but I don't know any other ponies who could possibly cause this! You know, except the princesses or Discord, and I'm pretty sure its not him because it would probably be way worse! Especially to me since he hates me!"

Twilight frowned at this, ready to yell at the defender. But before she could speak, Springer got between them. "Cool it. We don't know what could have caused this, but we need to find out. And to do that, we need to keep stay calm."

"He's right," Spike added as he nudged Twilight. "Okay Twilight? You and Flash need to calm down."

"But...what do we do to solve this?" Scootaloo asked next. "I still don't get what's happening."

"Same here sis." Flash admitted as he rubbed his chin in thought, "Hmmm....I have no ideas." Flash then turned to Twilight, "Think we should contact Princess Celestia? I mean, whatever this is, its gotta be some kind of crazy powerful magic."

Hearing this statement made the unicorn freeze in place, her brain suddenly ticking as a million jigsaw pieces started to fly through her mind, all of them falling into place. "Oh no..."

They all turned to her, seeing the look of pure fear on her face as Flash asked, "You figure something out?" The defender didn't get an answer, as the unicorn quickly went into a sprint, running towards the library. "Twilight?"

Soon enough, Twilight arrived at their library home and ripped open the door. "This is bad," she said as she paced on the spot. "This is very, very bad."

"Then explain," Flash replied as he and the others walked inside.

"Yeah!" Spike added while crossing his claws, "What's going on? Why is this happening!?"

Twilight moved over to the case where the Elements of Harmony had been stored since Discord's redemption, looking them over with a horrified expression on her face. Flash stepped up next to her and looked them over, realizing what had her shocked. Almost all the Elements were different colors. The Elements of Magic and Courage were the same, but the Element of Loyalty was now pink, the Element of Laughter was green, the Element of Honesty was purple, the Element of Kindness was blue and the Element of Generosity was red.

"Oookay. That's weird." Flash turned to his best friend, "Twilight?"

The unicorn sighed before moving over to a table, picking up a book none of them had ever seen before. "Last night, I got a special delivery from the princess."

The group all blinked at this, not remembering her mentioning this yesterday. Springer raised his paw at this. "Uhh...where were we?"

"Spike was taking his seven hour bubble bath, Flash was helping Scootaloo do her homework, which I still don't get how he would know that stuff, and you were reading comics. Anyways, the letter said the book contained an unfinished spell written by Starswirl the Bearded and she said she wanted me to try and finish it. I cast the spell so I could find out what it was, but nothing seemed to happen." In that moment, she turned back to the Elements. "But now I know something did happen! The spell has changed the Elements of Harmony, and that's why our friends' cutie marks are now all wrong!"

"But why aren't you two affected?" Scootaloo asked next.

"Well, since I was the caster, it means my Element wasn't targeted. As for Flash..." Twilight turned to the pegasus with a slight glum face. "This isn't the first time magic hasn't affected you. I'm guessing being linked to the Element means it must share that same immunity....that or something I don't know."

"But why does everypony else seem to act like this is normal?" Springer asked as he pointed to the front door.

"The spell must rewrite reality and memory to match the changes it made. That's why the farm looks so withered and how everypony is suddenly living in different houses."

It was here that the other four all shared glances, confusion still consuming them as Spike turned back to Twilight, "I don't get it. Why do we remember?"

Twilight rubbed her chin in thought at that. "If the spell that changed everypony's memories was fired from this building, it's likely being inside it protected you from the effects." She then blinked at Flash, "Granted, that could also be the explanation as for why you're immune Flash."

"Okay...that's a bit concerning, but I'm also thinking we should ignore that part for a bit Twilight." Flash commented as he pointed at the book, "We know what's going on now Twilight, so let's fix this before any irreversible damage is done."

Spike nodded in agreement, "Yeah! Just cast a counter-spell to switch them back."

Twilight just gave them a glum look as she flipped through the book, "That's just it, there's no counter-spell! I don't know if there is one because the spell was never finished in the first place!"

This made the rest frown as well before Spike suddenly snapped his claws. "Hey, I know! Why don't you just use that memory spell you used to fix everypony when Discord was here?"

Twilight shook her head. "It's not their memories Spike, its their true selves that have been altered!"

"What about Zecora's cure for the cutie pox?" Springer suggested before being handed the book.

"That won't work either." Twilight immediately replied as she gripped and shook her head in frustration, "Augh! I messed up everything and there's no solution to fix it!"

Spike sighed at this, "Well...maybe it won't be so bad. Maybe our friends will grow to like their new lives."

Twilight's eyes filled with tears at this suggestion. "No Spike. They're not who they're meant to be anymore. Their destinies are now changed, and it's all my fault!"

Twilight then headed upstairs as Flash watched her go, not sure what to say. The defender once again heard music ringing in his ears after this. Not wanting to be part of the sad song that was probably about to happen, he walked outside with Springer and Scootaloo following. Scootaloo zipped off, wanting to see how her friends lives were now in this new reality. Springer could also sense that Flash wanted to be alone, so also went off and left the pegasus to wonder the streets.

Flash took the skies and began to patrol the town, taking his usual route out of simple habit. As he traversed the village, he saw just how different this new Ponyville was. Gone was the bright, lively, crazy little town he had fallen in love with. Now, it seemed to have some kind of gray aura to it, with none of the ponies living their looking at all happy. It reminded him of when Discord got a hold of his friends, only it now gripped the town.

"What am I gonna do?" Flash asked as he landed on a nearby roof and looked around. "The whole place is a mess now."

"Hey!" A pony yelled out from the window of the house he sat on, "get off my roof!"

"Oh...sorry." Flash replied before getting off. "I didn't mean to-"

"Get lost!" The pony interrupted before slamming the window shut.

Flash sighed as he flew off, finding himself in view of a certain house that he knew to well. Outside that house was a large cart, which several unicorns were beginning to pack. "What the?" He asked before flying down, "Lightning, what's going on?"

"We're helping Wild pack his things," Lightning replied as he put another case on the cart.

"I don't know what I was thinking moving here," Wild added, his tongue surprisingly in his mouth for once. "This place is duller than a brick wall."

"Brick wall, brick wall." his puppets repeated.

Flash was about to ask him about Pinkie, but then remembered Iron's reply to that question. "So...you're just leaving?"

"Yeah, I am." Wild replied as he motioned his puppets to grab another piece of furniture.

"Why should it matter to you?" Script asked next with a raised eyebrow. "Lightning said he might leave as well."

"What?!" Flash turned to the unicorn.

"No offense, but this place isn't what you made it out to be. I think I'll head to Manehatten or Fillydelphia, I have some contacts there that should help me get by."

Flash tried to think up a way to stop this. "But...it's just...well."

"It doesn't concern you," Gorgenia told him next as she walked past him and put another case on the cart. "Now if you'll excuse us, we have some work to do."

Flash sighed before nodding and once again flying off. Eventually, he found himself atop a hill where he could overlook the entire town. "Ponyville….my home."

It was here that he thought back to all the adventures he had had since coming to the town, all the lessons he and his friends had learned. He remembered the fights he had fought to keep the place safe, his first meeting with Springer, him finding his sister here. And as he kept looking through those memories in his head, an orange light suddenly surrounded his body. But he didn't notice this as the memories continued to flow.

Then, a long steady breath escaped his mouth as he said, "I won't let it end this way." He got up, a look of pure determination in his eyes. "I'll find a way to fix this, no matter what." With that, he leapt into the air and shot back to the library.

As soon as he got there, he flung the door open and jumped inside. "Twilight, we need to-" His speech came too a halt when he spotted Twilight magicking the Elements into their travel case. "What are you doing?" His question was met with his helmet being shoved on his head before a magic aura encased him, dragging him outside. Feeling this sensation, he started to try and use his hooves to escape Twilight's magic as he yelped, "Hey! Twilight! Answer me! What are you doing?!"

"I'm fixing my mistake. I know how to get the others back to normal." Twilight admitted as she walked out the door, Spike following with the Element case.

This made Flash shine a huge grin. "Now you're talking! So what's the plan? Are we going to do some reverse magic thing? Maybe do some kind of anti-element mumbo jumbo or do a friendship rainbow beam?!" Flash's smile grew even wider, "How can I help?"

"You don't do anything except wear that helmet while I explain on the way to our friends." She then gave him a slight glare, "And that means no action or fighting. Leave it to me."

"What?! But I wanna help!" Flash cried as he tried to move again, "Stupid anti-magic light thing that sometimes happens! Why aren't you working right now?!"

"You'll be fine. Listen Flash, we need to show the others who they truly are, and that means we need to be with them and nothing else." Twilight explained as her magic stopped, causing him to finally land and start walking beside the unicorn. "We need to support them and show each one their true selves."

"Alright, I think I get where you're going...but we've gotta hurry. Wild and Lightning are planning on leaving, and who knows what else is gonna happen if we don't put things right."

"Of course. Now, we need to-" Twilight said before suddenly coming to a stop with a gasp. It was here that both her and Flash saw Fluttershy dragging a saddlebag along the ground while heading towards a hot air balloon. "Oh no..."

"Fluttershy, wait!" Flash yelled as they ran up to her, the pegasi soon turning to them with a sad look on her face.

"Oh...hey Twilight, Flash."

"Where are you going?!" Twilight asked as she pointed to the balloon.

"I'm moving back to Cloudsdale. I don't know what's wrong, but I can't seem to make anypony laugh." She then pulled out a whoopee cushion and squeezed it, unleashing the slow farting sound.

Flash tried to force a laugh, only to get a glare from Twilight, "Sorry."

Twilight turned back to Fluttershy and put her hoof on her shoulder, "Fluttershy….I'm not trying to stop you, but before you go, I was wondering if you might be willing to help Rainbow Dash. She's really struggling with her animals."

Confusion covered Fluttershy's face at this, twiddling her hooves in concern as she said. "But...I don't really know anything about animals."

"But you do know something about Rainbow Dash," Twilight replied with a big smile.

Fluttershy tilted her head slightly before saying, "I...know that she's a true friend, and I'll do anything I can to help her."

"Atta girl!" Flash told her next as he patted her other shoulder, "Now come on. The way things are going, I wouldn't be surprised if we find her tied up in a pot about to be eaten by those things."

One transition/foreshadowing to the cottage later...

"I was kidding!" Flash yelled as he saw Rainbow tied up inside a pot, several animals dancing around it like a tribe of barbarians.

"Help! I'm trapped!" Rainbow screamed, only for a nearby bear to unleash a roar, terrifying the pegasus.

Fluttershy turned to Twilight. "Hurry, Twilight! Can't you do some sort of spell to get her out?"

Twilight shook her head at this. "No. Fluttershy, you're the only one who can help." She then pointed at Rainbow, "Rainbow Dash needs you Fluttershy!"

Fluttershy still looked terrified, but nodded before stepping inside. Seeing the look of horror on her face, Flash gulped as he said, "Let's hope you're right about this, or else those animals will be getting dessert."

"Um....hello? Little...woodland creatures?" the mare started, only to immediately catch the animals' attention, causing them to turn to her. "I know that you're all very upset and feel like giving Rainbow Dash a hard time, but we'd all really appreciate it if you'd calm down and, um, maybe...rest for a bit?" As she spoke, more and more animals stopped their rampage and turned to her, anger leaving their faces.

"Sweet Celestia it's working," Flash said in disbelief. "That was fast."

Fluttershy saw the animals gather around her, quickly making her look around and see a bowl of vegetables on a counter. "Oh! Uh...look! Here's some nice, juicy leaves for you to munch on." She placed the bowl on the ground, allowing the rabbits to dig in before getting some nuts and placing them in front of the mice and squirrels. "And some crunchy, munchy acorns too." She then moved over to the animals surrounding the cauldron that Rainbow was in. "Uh, wouldn't you like to take a break and have a little snack?"

The animals all shared a look at one another before shrugging, all soon moving over to the others and started eating. Fluttershy let out a sigh of relief as she watched the animals all enjoy their meal. "Aww, look at that. I guess you were all just cranky because you were hungry." A familiar white rabbit then turned towards her before leaping into the air. Fluttershy caught him as he gave her a hug, followed by the rest of the animals. "Oh, you are very welcome little friends." Suddenly, the bear grabbed her and pulled her into a hug, kissing her forehead as he did.

"I think this is it. She's about to realize it." Twilight commented as she watched the sight. "Please let this work..."

"Come on," Flash begged as he fiddled with his hooves.

As Fluttershy was surrounded by the animals, a strange feeling washed over her. This was followed by a pink aura that surrounded her body. "Goodness, it's like I can understand them!" Twilight took the moment to open the case Spike was holding and pulled out the Element of Kindness and levitated over to Fluttershy as she continued to speak, "I...I feel strange, like...like this is what I'm meant to do! Like this is who I am!" She flew out of the bear's arms as Twilight placed the Element around her neck. "My DESTINY!" As soon as she said those words, the Element of Kindness exploded with light. Everypony shielded their eyes until the light died down, and when it did, everypony saw Fluttershy had fallen to the floor. She opened her eyes and blinked as her friends rushed over to her. "Wha... what happened?"

No pony answered her, instead all focusing on the image printed on her flank. "Fluttershy, look!" Twilight cheered, "Your cutie mark!" Fluttershy looked and saw that three bright pink butterflies had replaced the balloons.

"YES!" Flash hoof pumped as Twilight bounced around the yellow mare.

"It worked! It worked!" She pulled Fluttershy into a hug. "Oh, I'm so happy you're back to normal." She then pulled away and gave Fluttershy a serious glare, "Now, we need your help."

Once again, the inbuilt music maker began to generate a tune. Twilight began to sing, Flash and Fluttershy joining in a few seconds later.

(Twilight)
A true, true friend helps a friend in need.
A friend will be there to help them see.

(Twilight, Flash and Fluttershy)
A true, true friend helps a friend in need.
To see the light that shines from a true, true friend.

"Um, hello?" They all turned back to Rainbow, "Friend that needs help is trapped inside a cooking pot! Remember?!" They all laughed before beginning to free her from the cauldron and ropes as Twilight began to explain.

(Twilight)
Rarity needs your help.
She's trying hard, doing what she can.

They then took Rainbow to where Rarity was, the weather still a mess and everypony miserable because of it. Fluttershy put her hoof on Rainbow as she started to tell her what she needed to do as Flash flew up and demonstrated how to bust a cloud.

(Fluttershy)
Would you try, just give it a chance.
You might find that you'll start to understand.

Rainbow flew up to a cloud and did what she saw Flash do, tapping a cloud and make it fade out. It was here that something inside Rainbow seemed to click. At the same time, Rarity looked at the ground in shame, not even caring that her mane was getting soaked. But as she did this, the clouds above her suddenly disappeared. She looked up and saw Rainbow flying all over the place, destroying the clouds as she allowed the sun to shine down on the town.

Deciding to have a little fun, Rainbow started doing tricks and spins, loving every second of it as the music continued.

(Twilight, Flash, and Fluttershy)
A true, true friend helps a friend in need.
A friend will be there to help you see.
A true, true friend helps a friend in need.
To see the light that shines from a true, true friend.

Rainbow panted in exhaustion, wiping her brow as a red glow radiated off of her. In that second, her Element was placed around her neck and a blinding light flashed. When it faded, everypony saw Rainbow on the ground, her cutie mark restored. "Uh, what just happened? The pegasus asked.

"We'll explain later," Flash told her as he patted her shoulder. "Trust me, its a long story."

Twilight nodded at this. "But right now, we need your help. Applejack's trying to make dresses."

Rainbow's eyes went wide before smirking. "Say no more!" She and everypony else turned to Rarity, who just gave them a look of confusion. They quickly took her to the boutique, showing off all the horrible clothes Applejack had made.

(Rainbow)
Applejack needs your help.
She's trying hard, doing what she can.
Would you try, just give it a chance.
You might find that you'll start to understand.

Rarity continued to look around, remembering what she had said earlier that day. It was here that something just clicked in her brain, and she started gathering fabrics that went together, Applejack amazed as she watched the unicorn get to work.

(Twilight, Flash, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash)
A true, true friend helps a friend in need.
A friend will be there to help them see.
A true, true friend helps a friend in need.
To see the light that shines from a true, true friend.

Soon enough, the horrible dresses were replaced by beautiful masterpieces. Rarity smiled at her work as a purple aura shined off her and Twilight placed her Element around her neck. In a brilliant flash of light, Rarity collapsed against the desk and when the light faded, her flank showed three blue diamonds.

Rarity picked herself up, holding her head. "Oh my, what a terrible dream I had." She then spotted one of the Applejack pieces that had yet to be removed from the building. "Or maybe I'm still having it."

Twilight then tapped Rarity's shoulder, getting her attention, "Rarity, Pinkie Pie is about to lose the apple farm. We need Applejack's help!"

"Lose the apple farm?" Rarity asked in slight shock, only to switch into a look of determination. "Well, we can't let that happen, now can we?" With that, she walked over to Applejack and grabbed her hoof.

(Rarity)
Pinkie Pie is in trouble.
We need to get there by her side.
We can try to do what we can now.
For together we can be her guide.

They took Applejack to Sweet Apple Acres, the earth pony almost having a heart attack at the state of her family's home. Instantly, something clicked and she rushed off into the farm. At the same time, Pinkie was having trouble with fixing a water shoot, only for Applejack to appear next to her and push it into proper place. Over the next few hours, Pinkie watched as Applejack did everything she was unable to.

The rest of the Apple family came to help as well, they and the rest of the mane seven fixing up the farm and collecting the apples from the remaining live trees. With Applejack's skill and earth pony magic, the orchard soon returned to its former glory.

(Twilight, Flash, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity)
A true, true friend helps a friend in need.
A friend will be there to help them see.
A true, true friend helps a friend in need.
To see the light that shines from a true, true friend.

Applejack trotted in front of the main barn with her family, a green light beginning to shine off of her. Twilight took this moment to place the Element of Honesty around her neck, the contact causing a massive surge of light. When it faded, Applejack was prancing around, showing off her true cutie mark. "Yee-haw! Now that's more like it!" She turned to the others, "what's next?"

"The townsponies are furious," Twilight replied before pointing at the last altered pony. "We need the old Pinkie Pie back."

Applejack nodded and tipped her hat. "I'm on it. I know just the thing." She grabbed Pinkie and placed her on her back, trotting back towards town as she sang:

(Applejack)
The townsponies need you.
They've been sad for a while.
They march around, face a-frown.
And never seem to smile.

Pinkie saw all the ponies in town, their faces showing nothing but sadness or anger. Seeing this made Pinkie sad, wanting to do something to help. At the same time, Flash spotted Wild putting the last pieces of luggage into his cart. He flew over and grabbed him, pushing him towards Pinkie as Applejack placed her Element around her neck along with a pair of comedy glasses.

(Applejack)
And if you feel like helpin, we'd appreciate a lot.
If you'd get up there and spread some cheer.
From here to Canterlot.

She pushed the pink earth pony up towards the crowd, Pinkie stumbling onto a nearby fountain as a blue aura surrounded her. In a flash of light, Pinkie was restored to normal with her cutie mark and puffy pink mane. "Come on ponies!" she cried out in joy. "I wanna see you smile!"

The rest of the town looked towards her, Wild in particular as something clicked within them all. It was as if all the misery and angry suddenly vanished, replaced with happiness and joy. They then expressed this joy as they all cried one word. "PINKIE!"

Soon enough, the entire town was singing along and celebrating. Springer, Scootaloo, Iron, Lightning and everypony else gathered in the town square as the seven ponies they had all come to respect hugged each other.

(All)
A true, true friend helps a friend in need.
A friend will be there to help them see.
A true, true friend helps a friend in need.
To see the light! (To see the light!).
That shines! (That shines!)
From a true, true friend!

The Elements all shined a brilliant light, the radiance soon washing over the land and reversing the effects of the magic spell. As this happened, Twilight let out a gasp. "Wait a second...that's it! I understand now! I know how to fix the spell!" With that she rushed off, her friends all following after her.

And as the sun began to set, Twilight arrived at the library. Once inside, she picked up the book and opened it before grabbing a quill. As the others arrived, they heard Twilight speak as she wrote. "From all of us together, together we're friends. With the marks of our destinies made one, there is magic without end!"

As soon as she placed the book down, the magic inside the Elements began to radiate. Suddenly, it sent out a pulse of magic that pushed the ponies around her back. Then before anypony could ask what had happened, the six remaining Elements unleashed a blast of magic that flew right at Twilight. Everypony cried out as the magic began to swirl around the unicorn. Twilight looked around in shock, only to shine a small smile as the magic consumed her. "Twilight!" She heard Flash cry, but it was too late.

FLASH!

A new, shining blinding light filled the library, lasting only a second before disappearing. Once the light was gone, everypony opened their eyes. "What happened?!" Fluttershy asked before Pinkie let out a loud gasp.

They all knew why. In the center of the room where Twilight had been standing was now nothing but a burn mark and smoke. Everypony began to panic, asking what the heck had happened. The only one silent was Flash, whose mind went completely blank at the sight of the burn mark. "Twilight?" was all he could whisper.

But before anypony could do anything else, Flash rushed outside and look around the now night bathed streets. "TWILIGHT!" he screamed out at the night, the rest of the group doing the same. They all called out, praying that Twilight had merely been teleported away. "Twilight...please. PLEASE COME BACK TWILIGHT!"

Then it happened.

From out of nowhere, the moonlit night was illuminated by a familiar brilliant purple flash. "What the heck?!" Flash yelped as they all looked up, trying to see what it was. And as the light dulled, they then saw an image that reminded the group of Twilight's cutie mark now shining in the sky. Slowly, the image floated towards the ground and landed right in front of them, and as soon as it hit the ground, it began to take the shape of a pony they all knew.

"Twilight?" Applejack asked as the last of the light faded, "Is that...is that you?"

Twilight stood in the middle of the group with her eyes closed, a long sigh following as she stood there. Then, as if on cue, she did something none of them were expecting. From out of her sides, a pair of purple wings shot out and unfurled themselves, causing everypony to gasp.

Applejack was the first to recover, stepping up to the new alicorn. "I...I've never seen anything like it!"

Rainbow laughed as she flew up to Twilight, grabbing one of her new appendages. "Twilight's got wings! AWESOME!" She then hugged Twilight, "A new flying buddy!"

"Why you've become an Alicorn!" Rarity exclaimed as she walked up and start to touch Twilight's wings. "I didn't even know that was possible."

"ALICORN PARTY!" Pinkie screamed as she swung from a rope, balloons and confetti appearing out of nowhere behind her.

Fluttershy put a hoof over her mouth in awe, "Wow...you look just like a princess!"

"That's because she is a princess," said a new voice. They turned to it, only to see Princess Celestia land and grace them with a giant smile.

"Hold on a second!" Pinkie yelled before pulling a glass out of nowhere, drinking it then spitting it out in surprise. "What did you just say?! Did you just say what I think you said?!"

Celestia just nodded at this. "I did. Twilight is now a princess."

The rest of the group went wide-eyed at this, Flash's jaw now sinking to the ground as Celestia walked past the ponies. And as she did this, Twilight showed an expression of pure confusion and shock as she gasped, "A...a princess? Me?" She then felt a hoof on her shoulder, making her look up into her mentor's calming gaze.

"Since you've come to Ponyville, you've displayed the charity, compassion, devotion, integrity, optimism, bravery and of course, the leadership of a true princess."

Twilight looked a little scared by this revelation. "But...does this mean I won't be your student anymore?"

"Not in the same way as before. I'll still be here to help and guide you, but we're all your students now, too." With that, she bowed to her former student. "You are an inspiration to us all, Twilight." The rest of the group all copied Celestia, all bowing before the new member royalty.

All but one.

Flash had not said a word since seeing Twilight reappear, the shock of his best friend's ascension completely frying his brain. Twilight turned to him, a look of worry upon her face. "Flash? Are you okay?" her questions got no response, making her lips quiver as she then asked, "Um...say something Flash! Please!"

Flash's shocked expression instantly disappeared, replaced with a joyous smile. "Congratulations, Princess Twilight." He then bowed as well, "nopony deserves this more than you."

Twilight's face shined a brilliant smile, her eyes filling with tears as she rushed over and pulled Flash into a hug. Flash quickly hugged back, happiness now filling them all as their friends all came together and group-hugged the duo.

And once Twilight and her friends pulled away, the new princess turned to Celestia. "So...what do I do now? Is there a book about being a princess I should read?

Celestia giggled at this. "There will be time for all of that later."

The next day...

Nervous was the definition of Flash's mood as stood there inside Canterlot Castle. The room was the same exact one that Cadance and Shining had gotten married in, and speaking of those two, Cadance was up on the main stage along with Celestia and Luna. The three were wearing fancy royal-styled dresses while Shining was standing around the edge along with many guards, all in full uniform/armor.

Flash was standing by the rest of his friends, dressed in the same clothes he wore for the wedding. Springer was wearing a tuxedo fitted for a jakhowl, which Rarity had on hoof for some reason, and was pulling at the collar as his fur didn't care for the black-colored suit. The rest of the room was filled with ponies from Canterlot and Ponyville, like Trixie, Moondancer, Twilight's parents and many more. The only one not there was Lightning, though this was for obvious reasons, while Iron stood by the rest of the guards.

Celestia's voice broke him out of his observations, making him turn to her. "We are gathered here today in celebration of a momentous occasion. My most faithful student Twilight Sparkle, has done many extraordinary things since she started living in Ponyville." The ruler turned to give a smile to her sister. "She even helped reunite me with my sister, Princess Luna. But today, Twilight Sparkle did something truly extraordinary. She created new magic, proving without a doubt that she is ready to be crowned Equestria's newest princess. Fillies and gentlecolts, may I present for the very first time, Princess Twilight Sparkle!"

In that moment, the doors of the hall opened and the mare of the hour stepped inside. She was followed by identical white earth pony mares, all of them carrying banners with her cutie mark. Behind them were the Royal Knights Grand, Skybreaker, First, Heather, Ruby and Tidal. The mares began to sing as Twilight stepped up to the stage. Everypony watched as they started to sing, Spike stepping up to them while carrying a cushion with Twilight's Element crown atop it. The crown was then picked up by Celestia's magic before being lifted into the air and then placed onto Twilight's head.

Equestria's newest alicorn princess smiled as she looked back at her friends, all of them giving her supportive smiles back along joyous laughter. She then turned towards her new subjects as her Element shined like a star. A round of applause filled the room after this as the six knights stepped in front of her and bowed as well. Twilight then gave a look of that showed she was unsure on how to react to this, but luckily, the knights stood back up and she was led out towards a balcony overlooking the courtyard. Said courtyard was filled to the brim with the ponies of Equestria, all waiting to get a look at their newest princess.

Twilight's friends followed her out, but as Flash started to go with them, he felt a hoof tug his shoulder. He turned to the pony grabbing him, only to see Grand, "Grand? What's up?"

"I know this probably isn't the best time, but we need to talk about your new duties."

"New duties?"

Grand nodded. "As Equestria's newest princess, that puts Twilight in danger. The guards we train aren't just for show, you know. As an apprentice knight, your fighting skills are above that of a run of the mill guard. As such, Celestia and I both agreed that you will be Twilight's first personal guard."

Flash blinked at this, the logic slowly turning through his brain as he asked, "Okay...though uh, will this change my regular duties?"

"It doesn't really. You'll still be defender of the peace in Ponyville, but in times of trouble, your sole focus must be Twilight." the old stallion shined a small smile next as he continued, "In fact, I'm glad Lightning will be joining you in Ponyville, so you don't have to worry about the defenders being understaffed. From now on, you must keep Twilight safe no matter what the cost."

Flash smiled back and nodded. "I'd do that anyway. But since I know you'll want me to say it," He gave his mentor a full salute. "I swear I won't let any harm come to her."

Grand chuckled at the sight before the two stepped out onto the balcony, listening as Twilight finished her speech. "Today, I consider myself the luckiest pony in Equestria. Thank you my friends. Thank you, everypony!" The crowd cheered as everypony stepped back inside where Cadance and Shining were waiting for Twilight.

"Twilight!" Shining cheered before pulling her into a hug, "I'm so proud of you!"

"Thanks BBBFF." Twilight replied before pulling away, her eyebrow soon raising as she looked at her brother's face, "Wait...are you...crying?"

"Of course not," he wiped his eyes. "Its...its liquid pride. Totally different thing."

"Right..." Flash joked in a sarcastic tone.

Shining threw a playful frown at Flash before pointing at him. "Better keep my kid sister safe, or else." He then winked at Flash, soon getting a nod in return.

"Don't worry. I'll keep her in one piece."

"Yeah, sure you will." Twilight replied as she rolled her eyes at his statement, "But whose gonna stitch you back together, mister reckless?" Everypony laughed at this as the friends gathered around Twilight.

"Way to go, Princess!" Applejack cheered.

Pinkie Pie leapt up and hovered in the air as she cried out. "Best coronation day EVER!

"We love you Twilight," Fluttershy told her before they once again hugged.

Twilight Sparkle began to produce her own liquid pride as she hugged back. "I love you too, all of you!"

Twilight was then led out to the courtyard again, where a carriage was waiting to take her out to meet her new subjects. As it pulled out, she began to sing once again.

(Twilight Sparkle)
Life in Equestria shimmers
Life in Equestria shines
And I know for absolute certain.

She leapt out of the carriage and trotted in line with her friends who began to sing as well.

(Mane Seven with crowd in brackets)
That everything, (that everything)
Yes, everything, (yes, everything)
Yes, everything is certainly fine.
It’s fine.

Yes, Equestria had entered a brand new era. With a fourth princess on the throne, new protectors growing stronger every day, and the Magic of Friendship there when it was needed. It seems the future was in good hooves.

"Yes! Everything’s going to be just fine!"

Flash Sentry, Defender of the Peace S3

by Banshee531

Happy Birthday Flash

Sleepless in Ponyville

Wonderbolt Academy

Gremlins

Keep Calm and Flutter On

Magic Duel

Just for Sidekicks

Games Ponies Play

The Mission

Evil Stirs

Extreme Aerial Battle

Copycat Fight

The Doom Quartet's Final Member

True Aura

Reunion, The Darkness of Grand Hoof's Family

Return Stroke

U-Knighted We Stand

Doomsday

Homeward Bound

Magic Mystery Cure