Though the journey to find their quarry had been tiresome and fraught with doubt, now there was a renewed sense of hope among the group. Mutterings about what kind of new world they'd be bringing about because of the Amulet were abound among the lower-ranked members of the Guard, and of course Rockhoof was busy refining his story for when they got back to Equestria proper. As for Flash, he was at the head of the group as they journeyed, looking down to the tiny artefact that they'd spent so long trying to obtain. "It's strange, isn't it? So much power, so much hope, all inside this tiny, little thing."

Tempest smirked to him as she walked alongside him. "I just hope this King of yours appreciates it."

Flash chuckled as he set the Amulet aside in his saddle-bag. "Having spent as much time with him as I have, I'm not sure if 'appreciate' is something that can really be applied to him." He paused, albeit briefly. "But...it'll be pretty interesting to see how this all turns out. I was unsure about Discord's plan at first, but now?" He took a deep breath. "Now...it actually feels like things are going to turn out okay."

Moment after, Tempest's ears perked up, and she looked skywards, which was grey and overcast. Her eyes narrowed as she kept her voice quiet. "There's an old saying, Lieutenant. Never count your chickens before they're hatched."

Flash looked to her with confusion, but as soon as he saw her wary expression, he halted. He knew concern when he saw it, and so raised his forehoof up high, where all the followers could see it. Without even a word, all of them had stopped, and the sense of joviality that had been in the group until now had vanished, replaced with a sudden unease. There was utter quiet all around them, with nothing but large rocks and dead trees upon the grounds ahead of where they stood. But there was something else. A sense of something unseen. However, it did not remain unseen for long, as Tempest's eyes widened immediately, darting over to Flash and tackling him to the ground. "GET DOWN!!!"

All did as she said, just in time to see, to their shock, a torrent of fire hurl down from the cloud-cover above. It missed them by a hair's breadth, but the effect was the same. Panic. The Guard looked to their leader who, after giving Tempest a look of thanks, got to his hooves and spoke aloud to his escort. "Royal Guard! Defensive formation! Unicorns divisions, barriers up now!"

The soldiers carried out the orders instantly, with the unicorns of their number forming a circle around the rest, igniting their horns and combining their magic into a single, magical shield that domed over the entirety of the party. Tempest's horn flickered with her own power as she kept her gaze squarely on the skies, looking for their unseen assailant. "Cloud or not, I know the fire of a dragon when I see one!"

Rockhoof, shovel in hoof, looked to her with confusion. " I thought they were our allies now?!"

"Tell that to the one attacking us!" Tempest countered.

A loud bellow from the clouds seemed to confirm her suspicions, but that was far from the only movement that concerned them. Down on the ground level, new figures were emerging from behind the aforementioned rocks and trees, and Flash made sure to note every single one of them as they came into view. Unchanged Changelings, ragged-looking Storm Guards, even a few unsavoury ponies. A coalition, clearly, and ones that weren't happy to see them. Flash, knowing they needed to act fast with a dragon in play, called out to their attackers. "For what reason have you engaged us in battle?!"

One of them, a stallion in a fedora, smirked to him as he stepped ahead of their assembled enemies. "Name's Biff, friend. You may know me as a former enforcer of the famous Dr Caballeron." After seeing the nonplussed look on the armoured ponies, he continued. "The famous looter and pillager of ancient Equestrian artefacts?"

Flash frowned. "So...you're criminals then? That still doesn't explain why you attack us."

Biff chuckled, as did his fellow former henchmen. "Oh, I think you do know, buddy. We'll be taking that little trinket off your hooves for you."

Rockhoof pointed his shovel angrily at the stallion. "We will not be cowed by a mob of loathsome degenerates such as you!"

Biff shrugged. "In case you missed the memo, big guy, we've got you surrounded and outgunned here. Turns out there's quite a few folks out there with some serious beef against Equestria. And they were mighty willing to lend us a hoof in getting that old amulet off you. Putting that thing on the black market? Oh yeah, it'll fetch a pretty penny alright."

The pieces all fell into place in Flash's mind. He gazed around, seeing the patchwork of forces arrayed against them. Changelings unhappy with the new regime of King Thorax. Storm Guards eager for revenge against those of the nation who deposed their fallen ruler. And as for the dragon, he knew there were plenty who'd be willing to cause problems for Equestria against the wishes of Dragon Lord Ember, especially if an infamous treasure was on the table. And though he was loathe to admit it, their enemy was right. They were seen in all directions, cutting off any escape, and their numbers surpassed their own. But as for being outgunned? Well, that was something Tempest was sure to comment on. "Let me out of the barrier, Flash! One good shot and their leader is toast!"

But Flash shook his head. "No. They could be waiting for that. You're our heaviest hitter. If the dragon comes down for some serious fighting we'll need your power to fend it off." As if the beast had heard him, a loud roar caused all to look upwards, seeing that the draconic opponent was now divebombing from the clouds. He was a big fellow too. Not quite on the same level as the one that had sent up plumes of smoke from Ponyville's adjacent mountain all those years ago, but certainly in a class above the younger generation that Ember belongs to. With claws outstretched, it collided with the barrier, causing the unicorns to flinch under the impact. Flash, turning again to Tempest, gave his command. "Now!"

And strike she did, letting loose the full force of her electric magic against the beast that stood atop their protection. It found its mark, hitting the dragon squarely in the chest and causing it to yelp in pain, as well as forcing it to retreat back above the clouds. The ground forces that surrounded them saw this as a clear sign that their reptilian friend wasn't going to be the one-shot victory they'd hoped, and so, after a whistle from Biff, the other charged. The Changelings transformed themselves, becoming enormous, insect-like beasts, Yaks, Storm Guards and any other burly creatures they could think of to bolster their strength. And together, they and the genuine Storm Guards collided with the barrier, again causing a collective wince among the unicorns. Rockhoof looked to his leader, speaking aloud what they were all thinking. "We need to fight back, Flash! We cannot simply defend forever!"

Tempest walked alongside the pegasus stallion as she surveyed the continued assault outside the barrier. "He's right. Equestria has no clue we're in trouble out here. We either fight, or we give them what they want."

Flash looked to her, and his expression gave away that her words had triggered inspiration in him. "That's it!"

Biff looked ahead as best he could, trying to see within the magical barrier. Through that obscured sight he could make out Flash speaking to Tempest, holding up his saddle-bags to her. The criminal knew, from looking, what those bags must contain. "Keep up the attack, lads! We've got our target in our sights!"

Meanwhile, within the bubble, Tempest sighed before giving a solemn nod to Flash, who gave her a quick salute before turning to look to his fellow guards. "On my command! Lower the barrier!" There was understandable surprise over this order, but the dutiful guards nevertheless obeyed it, lowering their spell and leaving the entirety of their group exposed to their foes. Flash, flapping his wings, launched himself into the sky, causing all of their adversaries to look to him. "You want, this, Biff?" He began, holding up his bags for all to see, before promptly fastening them to his back yet again. "Then come and get it!"

Biff watched as the pegasus flew off in the other direction from where he'd come from, back towards the ruins of the Sphinx. Enraged, he grabbed hold of one of his cohorts before angrily pointing in said direction. "Well?! Don't just stand there! Get him!"

One of the other criminals, seeing all of the other assembled ne'er-do-wells follow that order to pursue Flash, nevertheless felt the need to speak up. "But Biff! What about the rest of them?"

"Ignore them!" His leader answered. "The Amulet is what matters!"

And so, with all of his enemies now firmly fixed on him, Flash breathed heavily as he flew as fast as he'd ever flown before. "Okay...going against a small army by myself now. Not how my day was supposed to go, but there we are, I guess." And his day soon became even worse as a familiar roar caught him off-guard, causing him to look up. "Oh, right, that guy." It was only thanks to the faster reflexes of pegasi that Flash was able to dodge the incoming ramming of the dragon flying down from the clouds. But this was more than just out-flying a single beast now. He was needing to keep ahead of dozens of others. Dust was kicked back from the sheer number of those on the ground chasing after him, and many of the Changelings too had taken to the sky, to join the dragon in trying to catch him. On and on they flew, and after a while Flash knew that tiredness was starting to creep in, which was where his pursuers took their advantage. The dragon raised its claw and struck, finally managing to land a hit on the Lieutenant. With a yelp of pain, Flash plummeted to the ground, and it was only by righting himself at the last moment that he avoided a full-on meteoric slam against it. But still, he knew that flying away again was no longer an option, as he was yet again surrounded, but this time with no fellows to help him fight. The ground forces were around him and the dragon above, leading to a sigh on his part. "Well...this day just keeps on getting better, doesn't it?"

A laugh drew his attention to one direction in particular, where Biff walked ahead of the rest of his fellow conspirators, heading straight for an object upon the ground. Flash realised, to his dismay, that it was his saddle-bag, which must have been knocked off him when the dragon struck. Biff, casually picking it up, twirled it in his hoof before smirking to the downed guard. "Well, let it never be said that you didn't lead us a merry chase, Lieutenant. But, all good things must come to an end, and your fight certainly has." Flash watched with narrowed eyes as the enemy leader opened the bag, putting his hoof in to rummage around its contents. But then, that look of victory on the stallion's face faded, and he brought the bag up to get a better look inside. Then, after panting furiously, he threw it upon the ground, pointing to Flash. "Where?! Where is it?!"

In response, Flash shrugged. "Oh, I gave it to Tempest before the barrier was lowered."

"...WHAT?!?!" Biff bellowed angrily.

"Yep," Flash continued. "I'd wager it's been taken across Equestria's border by now. Naturally, this will make things a lot harder for you if you plan to go and get it." He smiled to the stallion. "Though I'm sure these fine fellows who've followed you wouldn't mind you letting their prize get away, now would they?"

There were numerous growls that proved that Flash's obviously sarcastic comment was far from true, and Biff, realising the precariousness of his current position, was fuming. "You...Do you realise how stupid you've just been? You sent that thing away but now you're totally done for! Look around! We surround you, you're not flying away again and you've got no chance of making it out of here alive! What's wrong with you?!"

To that, Flash's smile vanished, and he narrowed his eyes before scraping his forehoof against the dry ground. "What's wrong with me? I'll tell you. I am Flash Sentry. Lieutenant of the Canterlot Royal Guard. Servant of the royal house of the sun and moon. And if it comes down to me letting Equestria's enemies undermine its future or giving my life...then I give my life gladly." He stood tall, looking to his assembled captors with defiance. "Do what you will."

Slowly, Biff's own eyes narrowed, and he took a single step forward. "...If you get on your knees and beg...I might overlook this and just ransom you back to them."

Flash, in spite of everything, chuckled. "Sorry, Mr Biff. But I'm not giving you the satisfaction of making even a single bit from this attack of yours."

Caballeron's former underling was flabbergasted by all this. "But...why?! Why throw your life away like this?!"

"Because..." Flash took a deep breath. "In a land of hope and friendships like Equestria...there can be a victor!"

Grinding his teeth, Biff again pointed to him. "In that case...GET HIM!!!"

All charged forward, the dragon foremost among them, and the beast raised its mighty claws, ready to strike the pegasus with a single swipe. Flash stood his ground, never flinching nor even closing his eyes. He awaited his inevitable end, looking his doom right in the eye, which was fast approaching as the draconic claws were brought down. But then, mere milliseconds from being hit by them, his brain suddenly registered something. He wasn't in that desolate landscape anymore, and nor was he surrounded by his enemies. Instead, after spinning around to get his bearings, he found himself in a very familiar-looking chamber, and on all sides were smiling, friendly faces. Blinking, and naturally unsure of what had just happened, Flash slowly looked up to find a massive, alicorn skeleton upon a pedestal. "WELL THEN. SEEMS YOU'VE HAD QUITE A TRYING TIME, HAVEN'T YOU, MY CHAMPION?"