Meanwhile underground, Krux and Acronix are walking down the sewer tunnels to their hideout with the Vermillion warriors behind with equipment and a few dragging the weakened and aging Wu and Celestia. "Such balance. Such power." Krux said as he held up the slow mo blade. "When Equestria is finally under our rule, they will sing songs about our triumph today, brother. And-"
"Oh, you're so right, brother." Acronix interrupted as he turned to Krux and looked behind him. "How are you both doing back there, Wu and Celestia?" They all stopped as neither of them gave a reply. "Perhaps they've gone deaf with old age."
"I really wish we had." Celestia said with a look. "Because having to hear you both babbling on really makes me wish we aged into dust faster."
"Agree. We can still hear your attempts at humor." Wu added with the same expression as the Hooves of Time gave a laugh as they walked ahead.
"Move it, old ponies." Machia ordered as she pushed the two forward as they walked ahead.
"This stinks." Blunck said to Raggmunck with a look. "She got the Time Blade back. Totally made us look bad with Krux and Acronix."
"I wouldn't worry about it." Raggmunck waved off. "They still need us."
"Commander Blunck, Commander Raggmunk, we need you!" Krux called out to the two commanders.
"See?" Raggmuck said with a smile. "Coming!" He said as he and Blunck rushed up to the Hooves of Time.
"As you know, my brother and I had been worried about the leadership of the Vermillion Warriors." Krux started. "And this mission certainly did not go as planned. The idea was simply to obtain the Time Blade, and in hopes of getting my daughters to join us. But now we are carrying two prisoners."
"Here it comes." Blunck said slowly.
"Someone's in trouble." Raggmunk added.
Acronix then turned to Machia. "Commander Machia, your initiative in capturing the Ninja's masters impressed us. You are promoted to the rank of Supreme Commander of the Vermillion Army." He declared.
"I am honored." Machia said with a bow.
"Commanders Blunck and Raggmunk will report directly to you." Krux stated, which shocked the two commanders.
"What?! Underserved!" Raggmunk exclaimed.
"So unfair." Blunck added.
"Did you say something?" Machia questioned as she turned to the two commanders with a glare.
"Well-deserved." Raggmunk quickly said nervously.
"So unfair… that it took so long." Blunck added with a nervous look.
"Isn't all this celebrating and promoting a bit premature?" Wu questioned.
"Indeed. Our pupils are still out there." Celestia continued as she and Wu gave serious expressions. "They will find you and they will stop you. And don't forget about my sister, who still has a grudge against one of you."
"Them against all this?" Krux questioned with a smirk as he turned and saw the entrance of the swamp. "They have no leaders, they have no Time Blades, my daughters have no experience with their powers, they have no chance." He bragged.
"One can only imagine how helpless they must feel." Acronix said with a smirk. "I know Luna is feeling it. I almost feel sorry for them." He mocked as Wu and Celestia gave him a glare. "Almost." He added as he and everyone else all shared a laugh as Acronix quickly went into his borg watch.
"What are you doing?!" Krux questioned his brother.
"Sharing this with all my InstaBook followers." Acronix said as he took a selfie and started saying the words that appeared. "Achieved… total… victory." He said with a smile.
"Why must you ruin every good moment with your modern techno-garbage?! I had enough of that with Clockwise!" Krux exclaimed as his brother gave an annoyed expression.
"And why must you be so stubborn about staying in the ancient past?!" Acronix countered as they all entered the swamp, not seeing red eyes glowing in the dark behind them.
Back at the Airjitzu Temple, Lloyd and Twilight gathered everyone into the training room as Misako and Luna watched. "Hey. This fight is far from over." Lloyd said to them.
"We know we had a setback, but…" Twilight tried to say.
"It's always darkest before the dawn. Blah, blah, blah." Trail interrupted as he held up the helmet he was researching about. "Come on. Let's get going already, okay?"
"Trail-" Aqua tried to say.
"We don't need a pep talk." Trail cut her off. "We need action."
"And we agree." Twilight told him. "They actually gave us a break by taking the Time Blade."
"How exactly is that a break?" Rainbow questioned.
"If any of you have captured something that powerful, what would you do?" Lloyd questioned them.
"I would bring it home and show it off." Morro said with realization. "They took the blade, and both Celestia and Wu, back to their hideout."
"Oh yeah, they did." Tempora said as she and her sister were looking at the Borg watch. "Our uncle just posted about it. 'Achieve total Victory' he posted."
"Heh, guess that explains where I got my love for technology." Clockwise said with a smile. "And he really got a good angel."
"So if we find the Time Blade…" Landrush started.
"We can find the Hooves of Time's base." Gaia finished with a smile.
"Hey, Frost and Clockwise, think you both can locate the blade with the temporal scanners?" Flash asked.
"Let me check." Clockwise said as she tapped her borg watch, but it frizzed out. "Dang it, that feature must've been damaged when I crashed on my first Spinjitzu."
Frost then focused his head. "Attempting access." He said before a beep was heard as he sighs. "I'm afraid mine was also damaged when we fought the Vermillion Warriors." He said as Thunder and Pinkie gave a laugh. "I failed to see the humor, you two."
"I still think Vermilion Warriors is a stupid name." Thunder explained with a grin.
"Yeah, my Snakurai name is way better." Pinkie Pie mentioned with an eye roll.
"Me and Aqua can see if the scanner on the Harmony's Bounty still works." Rivet spoke up.
"Yes. Good thinking, Rivet." Lloyd said with a smile.
"And the rest of us should go to the museum." Tempora spoke up. "Our dad hid in plain sight there as Dr. Saunders for 40 years and my sister and I grew up there. My guess is there is a clue to where their secret headquarters is."
"There was a secret passage somewhere in there last time we saw them." Clockwise mentioned. "If we find it, we should find out more."
"Okay. Let's split up." Lloyd spoke up as the group stood up.
"Ah, I'll help you and Rivet, sis." Trail said with a smile as they began to walk off.
"But one question, how are we supposed to get to the museum?" Spike asked in wonder. "Our vehicles got trashed by the snakes and the Bounty isn't in good flying conditions."
"Uh, we have the Super Sonic Raider jet." Lloyd spoke with a smile.
"About that, Thunder's father and I have been trying to get it up and running, but with no such luck. It easily breaks apart whenever the slightest touch hits it." Rivet mentioned as she scratched the back of her head. "Gotta say, those snakes really know how to break things."
"Well, we can take the lightning bike." Thunder suggested with a smile to him and Landrush.
"Gaia, Trail, and I have our Speedors." Aqua said with smile.
"And those of us with wings can just fly there." Applejack said.
"But what about Flash and I?" Twilight asked.
"Maybe I can be of some service." A familiar voice said before a familiar Genie up here before them. "Your kids have something for you, Flash, and I think you and Twilight are going to love it." Wish Star said with a smile.
"Wish Star?" Twilight asked in surprise. "Wait, what do the kids have in store for us?"
"Well, first of all, they are safe thanks to Starlight and the others, and secondly..." Wish started before she snapped her fingers and a vehicle appeared in the room. The vehicle itself looks like it was a large tank with a visor in the middle while it had two huge wheels on the back and a pair of treads on the front. The colors were in both Flash and Twilight's color with a few gold and silver details. "The Royal Assaulter. They were saving for your anniversary, times called for rushed matters."
"Whoa." Flash muttered in amazement.
"This… this is the greatest gift." Twilight said with a smile. "They are getting a big hug after this."
"What about me, Frost, Iron, and Morro?" Lloyd asked.
"Well… I was saving this for your birthday, son. But…" Misako said with a smile as she pressed a button as a miniature version of the Harmony Bounty came up as Lloyd looked in awed. "The Destiny's Shadow."
"Oh, come on!" Trail yelled out in frustration, "First Thunder, Flash, Twilight, then Lloyd?! Does everyone get a new ride for their birthday?!" He questioned before he noticed the others give him weird out looks as he realizes what he said. "Uh-I said that out loud, didn't I?" He asked sheepishly as he scratched his head.
"Yeah. And a bit jealously might I add." Rarity added.
Lloyd then hugged his mother, "I love it!" Lloyd cheered as hopped into the Destiny's Shadow.
"I wish Celestia could have seen this," Luna said solemnly.
"Don't worry, she will," Twilight promised, "We'll get her and Wu back sooner or later," She said but Luna still looked worried.
"It's being too 'later' that worries me," Luna said out loud.
The others were taken aback by this, "Huh?" Pinkie and Thunder said confusedly.
"What do you mean, exactly?" Fluttershy asked in concern as Luna realized what she said.
"We can't…" Misako said hesitantly. "Celestia and Wu made us promise not to tell you."
"Mom, we're a team. We don't keep secrets from each other." Lloyd said to her and Luna.
"So tell us, what's wrong? And what do you mean the 'later' makes you both worried for Wu and Celestia?" Applejack questioned as Luna and Celestia sighed as they knew they need to know.
"When Wu and Celestia fought Acronix alone at the old Monastery, he was they were struck with a punch powered by the time blade." Misako started, which shocked the group.
"The attack unleashed the forward energy of time onto them, and the effect it has is…" Luna hesitated to finish as she and Misako gave grim expressions.
"Master Wu and Celestia are rapidly aging!" Frost concluded in realization. "Of course! That explains their recent fatigues and the rambling!"
"And why Celestia's molting and her mane turning gray!" Rainbow realized.
"And Wu's super long old pony beard!" Thunder added.
"Wait, you mean to tell us that our time powers can do more than just control time? It can effect time into another person?!" Clockwise asked in shock as she looked at her hooves as each one glowed blue and green of her time powers.
"Even we weren't aware of this, not until Wu and Celestia spoke of it." Luna said with a grim look. "We believe that the time energy in the time blades must've caused a new power to be discovered. Like for the forward blade, rapidly aging until you…" She trailed off.
"We don't even know if the effect can be reversed." Misako finishes as she and Luna sigh sadly.
Flash thought for a moment, "Wait, maybe there is," He said getting their attention, "Wu once told me the solution if often found in the cause. Along with Forward and Slow-motion, there is also pause and…"
"Reverse!" Twilight gasped in realization, "Of course, if the Forward Blade makes a creature age faster, then the Reversal Blade could make them younger! It might even stop the Aging effect on both Celestia and Wu!"
"So all we have to do is find the Reversal Blade and cure Celestia and Wu." Morro concluded with a hopeful look.
"Or wait until it arrives so I can get its power." Tempora mentioned. "My sister got both forward and slow motion, so it stands to reason that I'll get pause and reverse powers."
"I agree, but one small problem." Spike spoke up with his finger raised. "How do we find it? In case you forgot, the other two Time Blades still haven't arrived yet and we don't know where or when they'll show up."
"Luna, you three tossed the blades through time, do you know when they'll arrive?" Rainbow questioned.
"Well, I know not of the Pause Blade but of the Reversal Blade, Wu and Celestia told me it arrived sooner than the others about 40 years ago." Luna explained.
"Wait, the Reversal Blade is already here?" Aqua asked in surprise.
"Yes, but unfortunately, only Wu knows the location of where it's hidden," Misako told them.
"Then we better get moving to save him and Celestia and find that blade." Lloyd declared as Frost and Morro entered the Destiny's Shadow while Twilight and Flash entered their new ride as Lloyd then started pressing some buttons.
"Good hunting, son." Misako said hopefully, "Be safe."
"I will." Lloyd said as he kept pressing buttons.
"Any time now." Frost said with an awkward smile.
"What's taken so long?" Iron asked in confusion.
"Can't you start this thing?" Morro questioned with a brow just as the new master of metal jumped on board.
"It's a lot of buttons." Lloyd said in defense as he pressed another button, which made the air horn go off as Lloyd flinched as the others chuckled in amusement as Lloyd turned on some music before he started the engine, which made him smile.
"Finally." Morro said as Lloyd took the controls and a hatch opened up as the Destiny's Shadow flew off and headed straight to Equestria city as Flash and Twilight, with Clockwise and Tempora onboard, followed behind them while on the ground, Thunder and Landrush rode the lightning bike while Gaia was on her Speedor while the rest of the Mane Six followed behind them while flying.
On the ground, where the Bounty had crashed, Rivet was under a console as she was trying to get some power running through it. "I mean seriously, is there anything those snakes haven't broken in here?!" She complained while Aqua and Trail did their best to help with the repairs.
"Well, we are pretty lucky, Twilight and Lloyd agreeing to let you two split from the group. Almost like you have something in mind, Aqua." Trail said as he looked at his sister.
"I don't know what you're talking about." Aqua said to him without turning around.
"I think you do, Aqua. And so do I." Rivet said as she poked her head out with a smirk. "You still wanna find out who's got your Samurai X suit, don't you?" She asked with a teasing smirk as Trail kept a smirk as well.
"After we fix the scanners, of course." Aqua answered with a smirk.
"Oh, yes. Of course." Trail said with a smile. "You and Rivet are fixated, sis."
"I'm technically not fixated, just annoyed that the enemy keeps breaking all my stuff." Rivet argued while twisting some wires together.
"And this is coming from a stallion still carrying around the snake helmet." Aqua added as she brought out the snake helmet Trail brought, which made Trail go silent for a bit. "What is it, Trail?" She asked her brother in concern. "Something's been bothering you. Is everything okay?"
Trail gave a sigh. "When I was fighting Dr. Saunders-Krux. He told me something." Trail said as he inspected the helmet again and looked at the stamp. "Something you need to know. This stamp. Do you know who it belongs to?" He asked.
"No." Aqua said as Rivet looked at the stamp.
"I don't recognize it either." Rivet said as Trail gave a serious look.
"It belongs to our father, Aqua." Trail revealed.
At night in Equestria City, the flyers stick close to the grounders while the Destiny's Shadow and Twilight and Flash's new ride flew overhead. "We're almost to the museum. Should be just a few blocks over." Tempora said to them.
"Whoa!" Lloyd called as the Destiny Shadow flung around.
"Easy, Lloyd!" Iron called as she, Morro, and Frost held onto the vehicle.
"Ugh! I have no idea what any of these buttons do." Lloyd said as he looked at the controls. "And it doesn't come with a user's manual."
"You think your mother should really put one in this." Morro commented as he held onto the ship. "We're surprised you haven't crashed it yet."
"I'm on it." Frost called out before he looked forward. "Pixal, please do a vehicular spec analysis." He then quickly realized something he forgot. "Oh right, she's still offline. I'll do it myself." He reached for a plug before attaching it to his head. "The Destiny's Shaodw has four offensive weapons, seven defensive systems, five transformative reconfigurations, and one mini fridge." He informed as he opened up a mini fridge below him and took out a bottle of cider. "Beverage?"
"Maybe later." Lloyd said.
"I'll take one." Morro said as Frost gave him a bottle.
"I'll take a sip." Iron said as Frost gave another bottle to her as her and Morro took sips as they flew down the streets until they made it to the museum as they parked their rides.
Back on the Bounty, Aqua and Rivet were reeling from what Trail revealed, "Wait, what? How do you know that?" Rivet said in shock.
"How do you know our father made this?" Aqua asked her brother.
"Our family is a family of blacksmiths and we've been taught that a blacksmith always puts his mark on his work. Trail explained before tossing the helmet over to his sister. "And I have seen our father's cutie mark on every Vermillion Warrior helmet we found."
"So…?" Rivet asked in confusion.
"So… it means that our father must be working for the Hooves of Time." Trail told them. "Just like our ancestors once did."
"Trail, that doesn't make any sense." Aqua spoke up.
"Sure it does." Trail said as he looked at a console. "Krux told me our ancestors were traitors. What better way to betray the Elemental Masters than to forge armor for their enemies, like our father."
"And you believe Krux?" Aqua questioned.
"The Stallion who's been lying to everycreature around them for years?" Rivet told him.
Trail then kicked the console. "What about the painting at the museum, where the Elemental Masters were fighting the Hooves of Time?" He questioned.
"Yeah." Aqua said before Trail kicked the console again.
"We saw a separate painting that had our Predessors in it, but the one with the Hooves of time, they were nowhere in that one." Trail explained.
"No way, I refuse to believe our parents, or the masters before us, were villains without real proof." Aqua told her brother.
"She's right, you're really going to believe the words of a crazy stallion who tried to take over Equestria?" Rivet questioned Trail.
Trail had enough as he slammed his hooves on the consoles, which reactivated the monitor. "Ha! What do you know? I thought that only worked in cartoons." Aqua commented in surprise.
"We'll, let's fire it up." Rivet said as she went into the console and started typing as Trail gave it another slam, which short it out as the motherboard sparked up. "I can still work on that." She said before the motherboard went up in flames, "Oh come on!" She exclaimed as Trail coughed.
"Face it, the scanners are toast." Trail said to them.
"That's it! I quit!" Rivet called out as she tossed her wrench away. "I can't do this! I'll have to rebuild everything again from scratch!" She cried out as she sighs in defeat. "I'm sorry, guys. But it's gonna be a long time before the Harmony's Bounty will fly again."
"That's okay, Rivet. This wouldn't be the first time. At least she's still in one piece." Aqua said optimistically as she sighs. "What do we do now?"
"Join up with the others at the museum, I guess." Trail said with a shrug. Soon, the three exited the Bounty as Trail and Aqua were on their Speedors. "Ready?" He asked his sister.
"Yes." Aqua said with a smile. "Although… I might make a quick detour along the way. And I could use Rivet's company." She added.
"Really?" Rivet asked in surprise.
"Yeah. I could use you for this." Aqua said before Trail laughed. "Before you say it, no, I'm not obsessed with the Samurai X suit. I just need to know who has it." She lied before Rivet and Trail gave her a 'really' look. "Okay, I'm obsessed." Aqua admitted with a sigh. "Just… You gotta have to cover for me with the others, Trail. And I need you, Rivet, to help me solve this."
"Alright." Trail said with a smile. "We'll split up."
"And I'm not sure if we'll find any clues, but it wouldn't hurt to look." Rivet said while rubbing her chin, knowing that Aqua won't stop until she knows. "Sure, I'll come." She said as she hopped onto Aqua's Speedor.
"Good luck you two. Because I need to take a side trip of my own." Trail said with determination as they drove in separate directions, Trail to the left and Aqua and Rivet to the right.
At the museum with the others, they were searching top to bottom in each exhibit for any clues to the hideout of the Hooves of Time. "What about under here?" Fluttershy asked as Lloyd looked under a container.
"Nothing," Lloyd sighed.
"Negative," Frost said, looking under a statue.
"Nothing over here," Rarity said, looking behind a painting.
"Ugh, this was a waste of time!" Morro exclaimed as he tossed away multiple artifacts as Frost, Tempora, Clockwise and Rarity hastily caught them, "There's nothing but useless old junk," He said, batting a Ming vase as Rarity rushed to keep it from falling.
"Hey! Morro! Can you take it easy?!" Tempora yelled as she walked up to Morro. "We know this is father's old stuff, but it's ours as well, and its priceless!" She scolded. "And to top it off, me and my sister still work here!"
"Oh yeah, well send me the bill!" Morro spoke up, walking to a vase, "That crook captured both ponies who raised me like a son! If that old fossil was here, I'd be breaking a lot more than his pottery!"
Morro smirked as he moved the vase around as Rarity and Frost panicked and moved to catch before Morro tossed the vase to the other side as Frost quickly caught it before Clockwise pushed Morro away from the artifacts. "Will you cut it out!?" Clockwise snapped as Morro just casually stretched his head. "Breaking ancient and priceless relics isn't helping!"
"Okay, okay, sheesh." Morro said with his hooves raised as he looked away.
"I know you're worried about Celestia and Wu." Irona said to Morro in sympathy.
Morro sighed, "If anything happens to them," He said in worry.
"Don't worry, we'll find Krux and Acronix's base, somehow," Irona promised.
"Well, it looks like you're fully functional again, Frost." Twilight said as she got the vase off the Ice Ninja.
"Except for my inability to interface with Pixal, yes." Frost said with a frown. "It is highly frustrating then the alternate timeline where Nadakhan deleted her from my systems."
"Hey, I'm sure she'll pop up again eventually." Spike assured with a wave. "She is your mare after all."
"How about you, Landrush? Magma Hooves under control?" Lloyd asked the Earth Ninja, who is across the room with Gaia next to him.
"Oh, yeah. I am totally dialed in." Landrush said with a smile as he activated his magma hooves and did a few punches before he punched a wall, creating a huge hole. "Uh, okay, mostly totally dialed in." He said as the others rushed up to them.
"Oh rats! And I just had that washed!" Tempora complained.
"You are so cleaning that up and paying for the damages." Clockwise growled.
"Landy, maybe you should practice a bit more." Gaia said with a cringed look.
"But thanks to that punch, we found the secret room." Flash pointed out. "Look!"
"Yeah! Heh." Landrush said with a sheepish smile. "'Cause obviously, I meant to do that." He said.
"You're still paying for the damage." Tempora said with a look as Landrush gave a sheepish chuckle.
Soon, Trail walked up to his parents' old blacksmith shop, 'Six Weapons', as he entered and looked around with a fond sigh. "Home." He said with a smile as he remembered the fond memories when he was little.
At Aqua's old Samurai X cave, she and Rivet stopped at the main room as Aqua stopped her Speedor. "What are we doing in your Samurai X cave? This was the first place your suit got stolen." Rivet said in confusion and a bit nervous.
"Yes. And the Vermillion Warriors are totally picking up the bill for my cleaning service." Aqua said as she and Rivet looked at the damage the Vermillion Warriors caused in the cave while fixing Frost. But then she and Rivet turned and saw something that made their eyes gasped. "I knew it." She said as she saw the mysterious Samurai X in front of them.
At the blacksmith shop, Trail gasped as he looked at the gong with the same stamp that was on the helmet. "I knew it." He said.
At the museum, the rest of the group walked into the secret hideout as they gasped at what they saw. "I don't believe it." Tempora said in shock as they saw the Vermillion Eggs in tanks.
At the blacksmith shop, Trail looked at the symbol on the gong as he placed his hoof on it. "What does this mean? What does this mean?" He questioned as he slammed his hoof on the gong in frustration, which opened a secret trap door below him as Trail quickly flew up to avoid it as he looked at the trap door.
Trail then flew down until he gasped and saw a secret room with two banners of fire and water while in the middle was a golden double blade with one side with a blue and red color on either side with a dragon head engraved on both blades as one was breathing fire while the other was breathing water. The whole room was filled with old weapons as Trail flew to the floor and walked up to it as he noticed the same stamp on the handle.
"What else were you making down here, father?" Trail questioned before he look at a familiar helmet on a wall.
Back at the Samurai X cave, Rivet was surprised by seeing the mysterious samurai in front of them while Aqua gave a glare. "Return to the scene of the crime, huh? Maybe you're one of the Vermillion Warriors after all." Aqua said as she got into a ready stance.
"Easy, Aqua, I don't think s-this Samurai is one of them." Rivet said to her gently.
"Rivet's right. Those snake samurais are no friend of mine." The Samruai said in Ronin's voice as he took an Abyssian body shape and walked up to a chair.
"Ronin?" Aqua asked in surprise while Rivet raised a brow. "Can't be. Ronin's leg is-"
"Broken." 'Ronin' said in realization. "Right. Forgot. Maybe I'm Dareth. The Brown Ninja." He said as his body shifted into pony form and spoke in Dareth's voice.
"Wait. What?" Aqua asked in disbelief. "How did you-"
"Heh, looks like this samurai might be a true master of disguise." Rivet said with a chuckle.
"Okay, fine, Dareth." Aqua said with her eyes rolled. "I want my suit back." She said as she ran up to 'Dareth' and started throwing punches, but 'Dareth' kept blocking them while Rivet watched.
"Chill, Aqua. I don't wanna fight…" 'Dareth' said as he kept blocking each strike.
Aqua gave a sigh. "Impressive." She said with a smirk. "But that pretty much rules out you being Dareth," She said, knowing Dareth couldn't possibly have these skills.
"Yeah, Dareth couldn't even break a plank of wood." Rivet commented with a small laugh.
"Good point." The Samurai said in Misako's voice now with a mare figure. "Perhaps I'm Misako."
"Liar!" Aqua shouted before she kicked 'Misako' back hard as she rolled back to the edge before she managed to stop. Aqua charged at her as 'Misako' move to avoid a kick while also grabbing her back hoof to prevent her from falling as the two rolled across the room on the chair.
"You two, stop!" Rivet called out to them, but they wouldn't listen.
"You're not Misako! She has too much honor to steal my armor!" Aqua shouted as the two kept fighting before they tip over before the Samurai's body shifted to a six legged alicorn figure.
"Garmadon has a nasty side." The Samurai said in Garmadon's voice. "Maybe that's who I am." He said before he kicked Aqua off as the two laid on the floor as Rivet watched from the sidelines.
"Garmadon sacrificed himself for good! Now he's gone forever! Just like my patience!" Aqua shouted with a look. "Reveal yourself!"
"Sorry, Aqua." The Samurai spoke in Twilight's voice as his body shifted to a smaller Alicorn figure with four hooves. "I'm afraid I can't do that."
"I know you're not Twilight!" Aqua shouted.
"Maybe I am, or I could be another partner of yours." The samurai spoke with Applejack's voice. "Then again, I am not your enemy." She spoke with Ocellus as the wings on her back became Changling-like.
"But I'm yours, you thief!" Aqua shouted as she stood up.
"Oh, this can't go well." Rivet muttered in concern.
Back at the secret room, the group are looking around. "What's this?" Lloyd asked while looking at the eggs in the tank.
"It looks like a breeding tank for snake eggs." Fluttershy noted. "But much bigger than the ones I have at the sanctuary to breed baby snakes."
"All of this was here, and we had absolutely no idea." Clockwise said with guilt. "As if I didn't feel bad before."
"You said it, sister." Tempora said with the same expression. "Dad really hid this from us."
"You two didn't know. It's not your fault." Twilight assured them.
"Look." Thunder said as he held up some blueprints. "Plans for armor, weapons, and a bunch of I-Don't-Know what." He said.
"Krux surely had way too much time on his hooves." Pinkie said before she saw some cupcakes on the counter. "Ooh, cupcakes!" She said before she ate them all in one gulp with a cheerful smile.
"What's interesting is what is not here." Frost said to them. "No computer, no modern equipment or any kind."
"Frost, this is our father we're talking about." Tempora said with a brow. "He doesn't like technology very much, so I don't think he would go with modern tech and just go old school."
"Yet he has a calculator in here." Rainbow pointed out. "Guess he has to have some cool tech in here just not the newer ones."
"He's one complicated old school." Irona commented with a brow.
"Hey y'all, we got something!" Applejack called out as she and Landrush found a secret entrance.
"Whoa. A hidden door inside a hidden lab?" Spike asked in surprise. "Krux sure do love hidden entrances."
"Well, this must lead somewhere important." Flash said with a serious look.
"Heh, heh. Hopefully not to a bathroom that Krux really didn't like to share." Thunder joked.
"We're going down there, aren't we?" Gaia asked in disgust, as did Rarity.
"It looks very disgusting." Rarity added in disgust.
"What other choice do we have?" Lloyd questioned as they all entered into the sewers.
Back at the Six Weapons blacksmith shop, Trail held up the two helmets and compared them. "Really old, brand new. How did I not put it together?" Trail questioned before he sighs. "There's only one pony who could possibly understand what I'm going through." He said as he then looked at the golden double blade as he picked it up.
Back at the Samurai X Cave, Rivet cringed as she watched Aqua fight off this mysterious Samurai as the samurai kept on changing forms with different voices. "You know, for an Elemental master of water that's supposed to be all cool and stuff, you sure have a hot temper like your brother!" The samurai spoke with Smolder's voice as the body looked like that of a young dragon.
"I maybe hot tempered, but I still have my cool." Aqua retorted before she was about to fall over the edge while doing a single hoof-stand but the Samurai caught her hind hoof in a Draconequus. "Not bad. You clearly mastered several different fighting styles."
"Such high praise coming from the former Samurai X," the Samurai spoke in Discord's voice.
"You're right. I'm not Samurai X anymore. I'm the Master of Water!" Aqua called as she sent a waterblast at the Samurai, causing them shift between different body shapes. "It's over! Reveal your identity!"
"I-I can't!" The Samurai spoke in Fluttershy's voice while still shifting into different forms.
"You must!" Aqua demanded as the Samurai stopped shifting forms until it hit the body of that resembled Aqua's.
"Never! I hide my identity to protect the innocent, to protect those who can't protect themselves!" The Samurai spoke in Aqua's voice which sounded scared as Aqua listened in shock, almost feeling she was listening to herself. "My friends, allies and the one I love most would be at risk if my enemies knew who I really was! You were me once, so you would know this!"
"I…I do…" Aqua said with understanding. The Samurai then help Aqua right up and away from the edge as Rivet went up to them.
"Glad you two finally worked things out. And also, hehe, it's a bit surreal seeing some creature, technically fighting themself." Rivet said while gesturing to both Samurai X and Aqua.
Back in the sewers, the group were walking down the tunnels. "Maybe Rivet, Aqua, and Trail got the scanners back online." Spike spoke up.
"No, we'd have heard from them by now." Lloyd told him as a drop of sewage fell on Rarity's head, causing her to let out a shriek.
"Oh, I just had my mane washed!" Rarity called out before they heard squeaking sounds before they looked up and saw a bunch of spiders above them, making the whole group scream as they ran further down the tunnel as they turned a corner.
"Um, heh, heh, it was just a spider." Pinkie said nervously, peaking out, "Nothing scary about that."
"Hehe, none of you wouldn't happen to have a reconfigurable amphibious vehicle on you, would you?" Thunder asked nervously, peaking out with Pinkie.
"Unfortunately, no," Flash answered.
"Wish we did." Irona said with a groan.
"Actually, we might." Frost spoke up. "Let me access those specs of the Destiny's Shadow again." Frost said as he then looked at the specs of the Destiny's Shadow. "Reconfiguration 3 of the Destiny's Shadow is the Experimental Amphibious Multi-Terrain Assault Vehicle, XAMTAV." He said.
"Oh, that's a catchy name." Pinkie said with a chuckle. "XAMTAV. Heh."
"That sounds like a laxative." Rainbow joked. "No wonder Trail was so jealous." She said before the tunnel shook as they all screamed before the Destiny's Shadow came up to them.
"Uh, how did it get here so fast?" Morro questioned in confusion.
"I took the liberty of using the museum Wi-Fi to interface with the Destiny's Shadow and bring it here." Frost explained with a smile.
"Heheh, dad hates modern tech but still uses Wi-Fi?" Clockwise asked with a chuckle. "Now that's weird."
"Actually, that was me." Tempura explained with her hoof raised. "I bought the Wi-Fi behind dad's back."
"Really? I thought you were more of an ancient history type of pony." Clockwise said to her sister with a smirk.
"Hey, nothing wrong with a little tech every now and then." Tempura said with a chuckle.
"Sure beats walking or flying." Twilight said with a smile as they all look at the Destiny's Shadow.
Back at the Samurai X Cave, Rivet was typing something on the computer while Aqua was talking to the new Samurai X. "Whoever you are, you have proven that you are worthy to become the new Samurai X and protect Equestria." Aqua told Samurai X.
"Thank you." Samurai X replied with Aqua's voice.
"Could you please stop talking with her voice?" Rivet asked Samurai X. "It's giving me the creeps."
"Okay, Rivet." The Samurai said in a synthetic voice as he and Aqua walked up to Rivet.
"I guess all of this is yours, now." Aqua said as she gestured to the cave.
"Heh. Thanks." Samurai X said.
"Oh, then I guess now is the time to show you that those Vermilion Warriors didn't wreck everything." Rivet mentioned before she looked at Samurai X. "You might want to move out of the way."
"Okay." Samurai X said as he moved aside as Rivet pressed a button as a new Samurai Vehicle appeared from behind a storage room. "Aw, nice." He said before Aqua's phone starts buzzing.
Aqua answered it as she looked at the message. "Guess the phones are back up. Gotta go, it's my brother. Need to meet with him right away." She said as she rushed up to her Speedor.
"You go ahead, Aqua. I'll stay here and fix up the Samurai X cave for the new Samurai X. Might need help to fix this place." Rivet said as Samurai X walked up next to her.
"Sure thing, Rivet. I'll see you back at the temple." Aqua said with a smile before she gave a smirk to Samurai X. "One more thing, red's my thing. You gotta find a new color, Topaz." She said with a smirk as she power up her Speedor.
"Hmm. A mare's gotta have her secrets. Right?" The Samurai said with a shrug as her body shifted to Topaz's shape.
"Knew it." Aqua said before she drove off while Rivet looked at Samurai X.
"She does know that Topaz still doesn't have her powers back yet, right?" Rivet asked Samurai X.
"I don't think she does. But still, my secret is safe." The Samurai said in a familiar voice. "Thanks to you, Rivet. And thanks for doing this for me."
"What are friends for? I'm just glad that the project worked." Rivet said with a proud tone. "I wasn't sure the new liquid metal and nanotech was going to work, considering their prototypes. But hey, they worked like a charm. Now, let's find you a new color scheme."
"With pleasure." Samurai X said with a nod as the two walked up to the computer.
Back at the sewers, the group piled up on the Destiny's Shadow as they rode down the sewer tunnels. "Does anyone have any idea where we're going?!" Thunder questioned.
"Not really!" Flash called out.
"So, we're winging it?!" Irona questioned.
"I'm trying to track our progress, but these tunnels are confusing." Frost said to them.
"What is it with villains and their total lack of signage?" Landrush questioned.
"Tell me about it." Rainbow muttered.
"Frost, any chance the Destiny's Shadow has a temporal scanner?" Lloyd asked.
"Unfourtainly not. But it does have a collision avoidance system that indicates multiple targets ahead." Frost informed them while looking at a monitor with red dots.
"It's an ambush!" Applejack exclaimed as he got close to the targets.
"Ah, ah! Finally, some payback!" Morro called as they stopped to the side as Morro and Rainbow jumped off and tackled a couple of figures.
"Lights. Lights. Lights!" Twilight shouted as she ran up to the light switch and shone a light on Morro, Rainbow, and the two figures who were wrestling them. "Wait! Morro! Rainbow! Let them go! That's Skales!" She shouted as she used her magic to separate the two Ninjas and reveal Skales shielding his two children from their attacks.
"And my ssson and daughter, Skales Junior and Serena." Skales said with a look.
"Ha! Imaginative names." Thunder joked at the two siblings. "Took you both long to come up with that?
"Out of my way, Blue Bell!" Junior said as he pushed Thunder down.
"Brother, easssy. They look to be on edge." Serena said to her brother as she held him back.
"We are so sorry, we're kind of on edge because of the Vermillion." Twilight said sheepishly. "We thought that, well you know…"
"We understand, your majesty." Skales assured her. "We heard about them too."
"What are you three doing down here?" Lloyd questioned.
"Don't you know, Lloyd?" Pinkie asked in confusion. "They're sewage experts."
"I mean what are you doing down here now?" Lloyd asked as he jumped down and walked up to Skales.
"Tracking the Vermillion Warriors along with these Constrictai." Skales explained as he gestured to a few Constrictai at the side.
"Why? Looking to join them?" Morro questioned with a look.
"No, to avoid them." Junior said firmly as he pushed Morro, but Serena held him back again.
"Brother, no! They don't underssstand." Serena scolded.
"We don't understand what exactly?" Irona questioned.
"Skales, what is wrong?" Gaia asked.
"You don't know what you're dealing with, do you?" Skales asked in concern. "The Vermillion Warriors are the pure first generation progeny of the Great Devourer." He revealed.
"Wait, you mean those snakes we've been fighting are related to the giant snake that nearly ate all of Equestria?" Clockwise asked in complete shock.
"I have never heard of them." Frost said in confusion.
"Or even read more about them in the history books." Flash said in confusion. "Why is that?"
"Because we don't speak of them." Skales answered. "They have the same singular drive as the Great Devourer. To consume everything in their path."
"We fought them." Thunder said seriously.
"Yeah, they aren't so tough." Rainbow added.
"In small numbers, no." Skales said while giving a grim look. "But if Krux and Acronix are able to raise and equip enough of them, they will be an unstoppable horde. A swarm of Vermillion that no one can stop."
"We did see breeding tanks in dad's lab…" Tempura said in concern.
"That's sufficient to start the growth process for a few Warriors." Skales stated to them. "But creating a large army requires a very specific environment. A swamp. They are using a swamp."
"Can you tell us where it is?" Twilight asked Skales.
"I can." Skales nodded.
"Can you take us there?" Twilight asked again.
"I cannot." Skales shook his head. "I have a Kingdom and a family to protect. But I can give you a map." He said as he gave a map to Frost. "The Constrictai are reconnaissance experts. I must warn you, there's more going on there than just raising eggs. They're readying for war." He warned them. "And they have your master and former princess with them."
"We know." Lloyd said as they all gave him grateful smiles. "Thank you, Skales." He said as they all got on the Destiny's Shadow.
"Uh… Sorry if I jump to conclusions, junior. Heh." Thunder said sheepishly.
"Don't call me, 'junior'." Skales Jr said firmly.
Rainbow gave a chuckle. "I kinda like that kid." She said with a smile.
"Don't call me 'kid' either." Skales Jr added as Rainbow gave a laugh.
"Now I know I like him." Rainbow said as the Desinty's Shadow started up and took off.
"Good luck Ninja and Council!" Skales said to them before he gave a concern look. "They're going to need it." He said to his children.
"Sure. Just as long as they keep out of my way." Skales Jr said before Serena bump him.
"We're gonna have to work on your sssocial manners, brother." Serena said with a brow as Skales Jr crossed his arms.
At Chen's noodle house, Trail was sitting on a chair while having the helmets beside him as he was talking to someone. "It's just that it's shocking to find out that your past lives of previous Elemental Masters, somepony you have idolized your entire life turns out to be-" He trailed off as he gave a sigh. "There's no other word for it… evil. It makes you question everything you know. Everything you are. Which is why I came to you." He said to the figure. "Because you went through the same thing. And I-" He trailed off as Aqua came in through the door as Trail gasped. "Aqua! Over here!"
"Glad you called, because I found out who took my Samurai X gear, Topaz has them and she's Samurai X." Aqua told her brother when she went up to the table, but did a double take when she saw Topaz sitting in front of him.
"Am I now, I have no idea. Does this also mean I get that cool armor and cave of yours?" Topaz asked with a grin while Aqua looked confused.
"Uh… It has to be you." Aqua said in shock. "Everything fits. The skills, the different fighting styles, the voices and transformations."
"Sorry to disappoint. But it's not me." Topaz said to her with a small smile. "And even if I wanted to, my powers haven't returned yet," She said while holding up her hoof as nothing happened. "See? And the skills and fighting styles, yeah that would be me, but Samurai X isn't me. Plus the voices and transformation sounds more like the master of form, and she's with her family last I heard."
"I don't suppose she just got here seconds before I did." Aqua said to her brother, who shook his head. "Then I still don't know who Samurai X is! I don't believe it!" She said in disbelief while ruffling her mane.
"We can solve that riddle later." Trail said to his sister. "Aqua, I have news for you. And it's not good. You better sit down." He said as he scooted over for Aqua to sit in.
"I'm gonna get some noodles." Topaz said as she stood up and went to get noodles.
"I went back to the blacksmith shop." Trail said to his sister. "What Krux told me is true. Our predecessors were indeed traitors."
"No. They couldn't have been." Aqua denied.
"They were." Trail said to her as he looked down. "And still are. Aqua, our parents… they're alive."
"But… that's impossible." Aqua said in disbelief as Trail showed her the rusted helmet. "A rusty old helmet. So?"
"So, this one is new." Trail said as he showed the snake helmet he carried that it was similar to the rusted one. "Our dad was making them right under our nose to follow his predecessor's plan. Which can only mean…" He started before Aqua gasped in shock.
"Our father is still alive." Aqua said in shock.
"And working for the Hooves of Time." Trail added with a serious look. "But here's the worst part. What does that mean for us? Are we destined to turn evil?"
"Of course you're not." Topaz said as she came over with three bowls of noodles. "Our parents leave behind their legacies, not their destinies. We choose who we become. Noodles? Nice and hot. They always cheer me up." She said with a smile as she gave them the noodles.
"No thanks. I lost my appetite." Trail said as he put the helmet down.
"Trail, you can't let this news get you down." Topaz said gently to him. "We find our own paths."
"Topaz's right. Look at her." Aqua said with a smile. "She could have inherited her grandfather Chen's evil empire and rule the world. But instead, dedicated her life to spending her day bent over a hot stove providing low-cost quality noodles to the creatures of Equestria City." She said as Topaz lowered Aqua's chop-sticks down.
"Gee, when you put it like that…" Topaz started before she sighs and looks at the extra noodles. "Let me get some of those." She said as she pulled the bowl of noodles towards her.
"Oh, sorry…" Aqua said sheepishly.
At the swamp, Wu and Celestia were still being guided across the swamp with a couple of Vermillion Warriors dragging them while the airship passed by. Inside of Acronix and Krux's headquarters, Dr. Gear and Borg duck to avoid a swipe from Acronix's Time Blade. "Here. For the apparatus." He said to the two scientists.
"We're not ready for that." Borg said to him.
"Indeed. You can't rush good design." Dr. Gear added with a firm look.
"Says the mare and stallion who released three updates to the Borg pad in one year." Krux said with a grin. "Stop stalling!"
"Or both your time may run out." Machia threatened them while holding up the Slow-Mo blade while giving the two scientists a glare as Borg gave a nervous chuckle while Dr. Gear gave a glare.
"Yes, Ma'am." Borg said nervously.
"Fine." Dr. Gear said with a look as she and Borg got back to work.
"That's better." Acronix said with a smirk as they all shared an evil laugh.
At the exit from the sewer tunnels, the rest of the Ninja, san for Trail and Aqua, walked out and saw the swamp before their eyes. "That's a lot of eggs." Landrush said nervously.
"And a lot of armor. Er. Ers?" Thunder asked in confusion.
"I didn't even realize that there was a swamp outside of Equestria City." Pinkie commented.
"Or that Krux hid this from plain sight." Spike added while scratching his head.
"Dad really knows how to hide things." Clockwise said with a worried tone.
"Wu and Celestia are gotta be down there somewhere." Lloyd said to them.
"Along with my mother and Cyrus Borg." Frost add.
"One thing's for sure. We're gonna need the whole team." Twilight said seriously as she picked up her phone and started calling Aqua.
Aqua soon heard her phone buzzing as she picked it up and saw Twilight's call. "It's Twilight." She said as she answered it. "Twilight? Sorry, we couldn't, um- Uh… get the scanners working, but…" She trailed off after hearing what she's saying. "You found it? Where?" She asked before she got her answer. "We'll be there right away."
"What is it?" Trail asked as his sister stood up.
"They found Acronix and Krux's base." Aqua said with a smile.
"Let's roll!" Trail declared as he stood up.
"Guys, if you need any he-" Topaz tried to say before Aqua spoke.
"To-go bags? Heh. No, thanks." Aqua said to her. "Finding out about my parents killed my appetite." She said as she and Trail rushed out.
"Oh. I guess quality noodles is all I'm good for." Topaz said sadly with sigh as she ate some noodles before she smiled and hummed, seeing that she really is good with noodles.
"You coming or what?!" Trail called out, which snapped Topaz out of it. "Sorry, but sometimes my sister keep forgetting to let other finish." He said as Aqua gave him a look.
"Well, she's right about one thing, I am good with noodles." Topaz said as she took another slurp of her noodles before setting the bowl down. "And I was just gonna help you guys anyway." She said as she then rushed out. "Make room." She said as she exited the door with the two.
Trail and Aqua rushed up to their Speedors as they hopped on with Topaz sitting behind Trail before Trail realizes something. "Aqua, something just occurred to me." He said to her.
"What?" Aqua asked in confusion.
"If the others found Krux and Acronix." Trail started out, when Aqua and Topaz realized what he meant.
"Then they found our father!" Aqua realizes.
"Whoa! Now that is a turn around." Topaz said in surprise and a bit shock as the two siblings looked at each other at the details, that if they found Krux and Acronix's hideout, they would find where their father was all this time.