What it takes

Chapters

Act 1: Chapter 1: The Demon Bell
Act 1: Chapter 2: Harmony Introduced
Act 1: Chapter 3: Emotional Upheaval
Act 1: Chapter 4: Chaotic Entry
Act 1: Chapter 5: Repose, Family, and Memories
Act 2: Chapter 1: Fated Meeting
Act 2: Chapter 2: Chains vs. Chains

Act 1: Chapter 1: The Demon Bell

What it Takes

Act 1: Chapter 1: The Demon Bell

By: N30N-THUND3R

It was a quiet day for Princess Celestia. There were quite a few reasons for the peace that surrounded the alabaster-coated Alicorn, the main ones being that none of her loyal subjects had come to her any sort of requests or complaints or trivial matters, and that her faithful student Twilight Sparkle had no reason to contact her, be it about a lesson on friendship or anything Twilight thought that the Princess should know.

Due to the peace and quiet the day was offering, Princess Celestia had decided to take a stroll through the castle's statue gardens. It was an odd sensation for Celestia, having nothing to worry about at the time. She stopped for a moment, having felt a prickling sensation in the back of her mind.

It was a sensation that meant worlds to Celestia while meaning only one small thing. What the sensation meant was composed of three ‘somes’. Somehow, somewhere, somepony (This being due to the fact that only dragons were the only other species that had sufficient magic, but the only two registered dragons in Equestria were incapable of magic usage of that level at the time: one being magically inept, the other being a baby) was using an extreme amount of magic, the strength of that magic being higher than what was present during Twilight’s magical outburst when she was younger. It was alarming, to say the least. Nopony in Equestria, save for Twilight and the two Princesses, should be able to use such high amounts of magic. This worried Princess Celestia greatly. For her, it could only have meant one of three forseeable things.

One: Twilight was using her magic on an extremely powerful spell that required all of her energy at once, which would kill Twilight instantly.

Two: An artifact of strength akin to the Alicorn Amulet was being used to enhance a unicorns magic ability.

Last, and worst: An unregistered dragon was in Equestria and using extreme amounts of magic with or without any consideration.

None of these guesses could be further from the truth.

-(N)-

Three human beings were standing in front of a wrought iron gate that stood a good ten feet high. The tallest human, which was the one standing in the center, stood only a foot above the iron crossbar that marked the half-height of the gate, his sandy-brown hair barely achieving that extra height. The human standing to his left was only an inch shorter in height, the color of his hair, which was a crisp golden color just like his eyes, was intensified by the noonday sun.

One human was pale and thinly built, alluding to extreme amounts of time spent indoors, and in the case of the brown-haired Nathanius Aquus, studying ancient tomes with his bright blue eyes. In extreme contrast, the second human was muscular and tan. He was tan to the point that his skin was nearly the same color as the demon-sand, which was a shade darker unpolished oak.

Formalendale Bishop took great pride in his athleticism and loved being outside any time the sun was shining.

The third human, who was standing to the right of Nathanius, was roughly the same height as Formalendale. His skin was not as tan as Formalendale's, but it was still a much darker shade than Nathanius'. He was the most unique out of the three. Not because of his green hair, which was pretty eccentric considering the social norms, or even his status as an outcast.

It was because of the ink-chains that coated his forearms and calves.

The chains weren't simiply ink left under the skin. They were a form of speed and strength training called demon-chains. The idea for the training came from the unbreakable Binding-chains that were used to bind the stronger demons and were of extreme weight. Unlike normal ink, which was weightless, each 'link' -of which there were many- weighed approximately twenty pounds. Each individual 'link' was able to be removed or added through force of will, meaning that Tourmalyte only had to 'will' the links to disappear. Due to Tourmalyte's thin frame, the musculature from the training was hidden fairly well.

Nathanius was wearing a dark grey trenchcoat that reached his ankles. The blurite -otherwise known as blue-steel- buttons were stamped with what resembled a royal insignia. Underneath his trenchcoat was a blue cotton shirt that was laced with a blue metal wire. His pants were made of angelic leather -Commonly called Aethic: It is made from the hide of the Gretian Albino Sprite. It is one of the only types of lightweigt material that is naturally arcanized- that was still as white as the day he obtained it. From the belt of his pants hung a small brown pouch and the scabbard of a dagger, the hilt of which being made from Aethic leather.

Formalendale was wear a light brown tunic that had leather strings lacing the front of it. Underneath the tunic was a red poly-fiber shirt that was cut off at the shoulders, evident by the frayed strands showing from the shoulders of the tunic. His shorts were made from a tan-colored version of the same material as his shirt. From his belt hung a red pouch with gold thread lining the pouch's rim.

Tourmalyte was wearing an ensemble similar to Formalendale's in the fact that they both had a tunic overlaying a shirt as well as wearing shorts. That was where the similarities of clothing ended. The color of his tunic and shirt were a lighter green that what his hair was dyed to. His shorts were a bright white, the very same white that his belt-pouch was colored. The demon-chains stretched from his ankles an wrists all the way to his knees and elbows. The scabbard on his left side was a mottled green with a self-same colored material composing the hilt of the sword in the scabbard.

The gate opened silently, and without any assistance from any of the humans standing nearby. Nathanius took the initiative and immediately began walking to the castle-like structure beyond the gate.

“I have a very bad feeling about this. Something just doesn't seem right about what we're doing." Tourmalyte said, walking directly behind Nathanius. Formalendale was walking next to Tormalyte as they walked up the stone walkway towards the castle-like structure.

"I understand completely, Tourma. I have that feeling as well." Formalendale said, using the nickname that Tourmalyte went by in lieu of his full name. The three were nearing the tall wooden doors that made up the entryway of the building.

"There's nothing to worry about, guys. Father told me that we have no need to worry about the stone-ghasts or the sprites. And besides, if anything demonic attacks us, we can use our powers to deal with it." Nathanius said to quell the uneasiness the other two were feeling.

"Who cares what Lord Aquus said about the pathetic stone-ghasts and sprites? What we should be worried about are the demons that are rumored to stay around here. Lord Pyrus said that if we see anyt-" Formalendale was cut off by Tourmalyte coughing loudly.

"What do you expect me to see?" Tourmalyte questioned, his voice full of disappointment, probably due to the fact that Formalendale forgot, however breifly, that he was blind.

"Sorry about that, Tourma. It's just that-" Formalendale apologized, once again being interrupted, this time by a thunderous roar, "-What was that?" He exclaimed, widening his stance in preparation for a fight, while pulling a small, thin box from his coat pocket.

"Tantaric Demon. They only stay around areas of high arcane energy. It must have sensed us." Nathanius responded, reaching for the dagger at his belt. His fingers grabbed the Aethic leather that made up the hilt of the dagger. The dagger came free from the small scabbard readily, revealing a blade that seemed to be made from a sapphire.

"Nate, you've read about every demon in existence, what are its weaknesses?" Tourmalyte asked with a small bit of a compliment, using his nickname for Nathanius. Tourmalyte crouched low to the ground and held his right hand above the ground by an inch. His left hand pulled his short sword from his belt slightly. The revealed part of the blade of the short sword seemed to glow with a white energy as he pulled it from its scabbard.

"Tantaric Demons are sensitive to arcane energy, and are weak to magic." Nathanius answered as the doors bursted outwards. The creature that stood were the doors once were was seven feet in height. Its black leathery skin was free of any blemish except for the six barbed tentacles that sprouted from its back and reached in front of it. The Tantaric Demon's long snout sniffed the air as if smelling the arcane energy stored within the three humans standing in front of it, ready to fight.

"Pin it, Tourma!" Formalendale shouted while pulling a match from the box in his hand. Tourmalyte's right hand fell the inch between it and the ground, suddenly making contact. Tourmalyte's hand glowed a green color as several pillars of stone and earth erupted around the demon, pinning it briefly. Formalendale struck the match against the box, causing it to spark up in flames. His hand glowed with a red energy similar to the glow on Tourmalyte's hand as a horizontal pillar of fire erupted from the match, hitting the demon square in the face.

The demon roared in pain as the flames licked its face. Nathanius charged at the demon as the flames started to die down, brandishing his sapphire dagger. The dagger glowed a bright blue along with its wielder's hand as Nathanius plunged the now magically coated blade into the demon's skull.

As soon as Nathanius removed the dagger from the demon's cranium, the demon's black blood started to gush forth, coating the Sapphire blade in the dark ichor. The demon's legs collapsed under the demon's own weight.

"And that is how you deal with a demon!" Nathanius shouted with a hint of relief creeping into his voice. "Let's get inside now." He ordered, walking through the empty archway that had contained the two doors only moments previously. Tourmalyte and Formalendale followed after Nathanius through the empty doorway.

Inside the building, the decor gave off the impression that it used to be a chapel of sorts. In the middle of the main room, where a priest would normally stand, was what appeared to be a summoning circle. Something just felt off about the runic inscriptions on the outer edge of the circle.

"What do the runes say?" Formalendale questioned while staring at the summoning runes.

"It says, Auxilium vocat ad daemones." Nathanius answered without hesitation, having translated the runes upon seeing them. He crouched down and began to trace the straight and angular runes.

"Miserere animarum pauperum! A demon circle?" Tourmalyte spoke with shock and awe. Shock and awe at the fact that someone drew the circle.

"Dixit vero Deus suscitavit non erit daemonia ab homine custodia Angelorum. Where is the statue that is supposed to be here?" Nathanius spoke in a calm tone, quoting the ancient texts that held copies of the laws of old. He looked around a bit until he noticed a small pedestal. Upon said pedestal were the pieces of the wings of an angelic statue along with small weathered chunks of stone. "Well that answers that question. Without the angel statue, any sort of demon could be summoned

"What's through there?" Formalendale asked, pointing his extended finger at the only other door in the room.

"I don't know, but I think it might be what we came here for." Nathanius spoke with surity, walking over to the door. He grabbed the doorknob and gave it a firm twist. The door swung inwards.

-(C)-

Celetia was in walking through the Everfree Forest, her horn shining with a golden light, going to where the extreme amount of magic was being used. Seemingly unknown to Celestia, she was being followed by two dark figures who were darting back and forth between trees as to avoid being seen. But it was all in vain.

"I know you are following me. Come out of the shadows now." Celestia commanded in a caring yet authoritative voice. The two figures walked out of the shadows provided by the canopy and onto the sunlit path Celestia was on. The two ponies removed the grey cloaks they were wearing. "Luna! Twilight! What are you two doing?" Celestia said, the shock of seeing these specific ponies fully presenting itself in her voice.

"We were worried about the magical outpouring just like you are. If we face it together, nothing bad will happen to us." Twilight reasoned.

"There is strength in numbers. But remember, we must be very cautious. We don't know how strong this magical outpouring could get." Celestia said, ending the conversation. They continued walking along the marked path until they came upon a clearing on the edge of a ravine. Spanning the ravine was a rope bridge, the path on the other side leading to a derelict castle. The castle was the location that the magic was being used at.

Luna cast a sideways glance at Celestia, who looked back and nodded gravely.

"Princess, you don't think it could be Nightmare Moon, do you?" Twilight asked frightfully.

"I don't know anymore, Twilight. Each of my theories have been either disproved or are extremely unlikely." Celestia answered with a dull finality. They continued walking up to the castle in silence, too worried or scared to talk. They walked through the rotting double doors and into the main hall of the ancient castle.

"That's new. It wasn't here last time I was." Twilight said, extending her hoof towards a circle in the middle of the room, sitting right in front of the statue that once held the Elements of Harmony. Twilight turned to face Celestia and Luna, noticing a mix of emotions on their faces. Most noticable were fear, relief, joy, and, in the case of Luna, love. It was clear from the royal sisters' expressions that they had encountered this circle, or something like it, once before.

"Darius..." Luna whispere to herself longingly. Tears started forming in her teal eyes. Luna was not aware of the tears forming as she made no moves to wipe them away.

"Luna, do you think..." Celestia said, letting her sentence end softly. Luna nodded her head. Then, all of a sudden, a silver light appeared in the middle of the circle. The light grew until it reached the edges of the circle. A sweet jumble of musical notes started to come into existence as the light grew brighter, shifting in color from silver to white. Three figures were starting to appear in the bright light as the notes kept growing louder and louder. The light and notes disappeared as quickly as they had appeared. Laying down in the middle of the circle, clearly unconscious, were three humans.

-(N)-

Through the open door was a long flight of stairs.

The climb up the flight stairs was quiet and quick. Tourmalyte, however, didn't use the stairs to get up at all. He used a special form of parkour to wall-jump all of the way up the tower. He was waiting in the only room in the tower, which was at the top, for Formalendale and Nathanius.

The room was bare of any sort of decoration except or a bell-shaped mould and two pieces of paper, which were in different stages of age decay. Nathanius picked up one of the pieces of paper and read it intently, absorbing each detail explained in the ancient writing.

Note these instructions carefully. There are three things you must do to accomplish what this chapel was built for.

The Demon Bell requires a sacrifice of blood from each participant in the transporation to be made. In order to remove it, the mould must be tapped thrice.

The Demon Bell must be rung once for and from every participant using a bit of angel-stone.

The Demon Bell is to be placed in the center of the circle immediately after ringing it.

Nathanius re-read the paper once again to make sure he didn't mis-translate the paper. He picked up the second paper, which was written in a hastily written, ancient form of current English. Nathanius analyzed the text and put it to around the time of the Uprising, which was around 3000 years previously.

Keep your arms and legs inside the ride at all times.

~ Darius Marina Tarqus

Nathanius chuckled a bit at the humor of this Darius Tarqus. Nathanius then cleared his throat to get the attention of Tourmalyte and Formalendale.

"We have to put some of our blood into the mould if we want to do what we came for." Nathanius said, pulling his dagger and placing the blade in his palm. He drug the dagger across his palm, drawing blood immediately. He held his hand over the mould and allowed a few drops to fall into it. The mould immediately turned a silver color as the blood made contact with the bottom of the mould. Tourmalyte and Formalendale both repeated the process without any hesitation, allowing their blood to drop down into the mould. Nathanius tapped the side of the mould three times and removed a silver bell from the mould.

After a few moments of walking down the stairs, the three reached the main hall. They stepped inside the circle after taking one of the stone wings from the pedestal.

"Each of us needs to ring the bell using the stone wing once. I will go last, because I have to place the bell in the center of the circle after I ring it." Nathanius explained as he handed the stone wing and the bell to Formalendale. He tapped the bell with the stone wing once. The bell seemed to glow with a soft, silver light as a soft, solitary note rang through the hall. The note echoed off the walls, the note shifting every time it reverberated off of the walls. Soon the hall was filled with a haunting, unending melody that continuously shifted with each reverberation. Tourmalyte did the same as Formalendale, making the halls haunting melody sound even more vicious and haunting than before.

Nathanius took the Demon Bell as he struck it and immediately placed it in the center of the circle. The melody grew even fiercer and more chaotic as the bell's third chiming echoed throughout the hall. The soft light that once emenated from the bell now seemed to stretch across the entirety of the circle. The notes all shifted once more into perfect harmony. The light that covered the circle seemed to open up. The three humans fell through the opening portal and into the tunnel of white light below. Lord Aquus's warning rang through Nathanius's mind before he lost consciousness.

"Now remember the following three things, Nathanius my son." Nathanius's father's voice rang through his mind.

"Beware the Chaotic One, because he will always lead you astray."

"Put your total faith in Harmony, Day, and Night, because they will help you find your way."

"And lastly, stay away from the land in which the grass does not grow, because the queen of those who change their faces lurks and plots alone. The voice ended in Nathanius's mind. Then Nathanius, along with Tourmalyte and Formalendale, lost themselves to the blackness that was unconsciousness.

Act 1: Chapter 2: Harmony Introduced

What it Takes

Act 1: Chapter 2: Harmoy Introduced

By: N30N-THUND3R

-(T)-

The darkness was overwhelming, and Tourmalyte Marquee Glare had only his fast-moving train of thoughts to keep him company.

What the hell happened? One second I was standing in the middle of that damned demon circle, the next, I'm unconscious. Am I dead? Who's idea of a joke is this? Tourmalyte thought while in his unconscious state. Then, Tourmalyte became aware of a faint beeping sound.

Aww, that's just great. We got injured, and now, a medic has us hooked up to the cardio-monitors. Might as well open my eyes. Tourmalyte thought. His eyelids crept upwards.

His pupils were assaulted by the bright light from the lights overhead, and they contracted instantly.

"Nurse Redheart, one of them is awake!" A female voice immediately shouted. Tourmalyte turned his head to the sound of the voice. All that was visible to Tourmalyte's light-blinded eyes was a lavender colored blob. Tourmalyte blinked his eyes a few times and restored his vision. The sight he beheld shocked him greatly.

It was a lavender colored pony with a horn. Its dark blue mane and tail were styled, much like how humans style their hair. It also had two streaks through its mane and tail one purple, one pink. Plastered on the side of the pony's flank was a pink six-point stars, which was surrouded by several smaller white stars. The pony looked at Tourmalyte with its deep purple eyes, taking in everything about him that wasn't covered by the blanket he was trapped under. Its eyes lingered over his green hair and the chains on his uncovered arms.

"C-can you understand me?" The pony asked in the same feminine voice, looking nervously into Tourmalyte's green eyes.

"You can talk!" Tourmalyte shouted, pointing a finger at the pony.

"Of course I can talk. All ponies can talk. I'm more surprised that you can talk. My name is Twilight Sparkle. I'm Princess Celestia's personal protégé." Twilight introduced, pointing a forehoof at herself.

"My name is Tourmalyte Marquee Glare. May I ask, how did we get here?" Tourmalyte asked Twilight, motioning his arms in a circle.

"Do you mean 'here' as in here in Equestria, or 'here' as in the hospital?" Twilight asked Tourmalyte in response.

"Both, I guess." Tourmalyte said with a chuckle. It was then that two winged Unicorns, one white with a mane and tail of pink blue and green and the image of a shining sun on its flank, the other dark blue with a mane and tail like the night sky and a crescent moon on its flank, both looking regal, walked into the room and sat down on a bench right next to the doorway, which was in front of Nathanius's bed. "Wait a second. Before you start, I should wake my friends up so they can here this." Tourmalyte spoke, lifting the covers off of himself. He got off of the bed and proceeded to wake up Nathanius and Formalendale.

After shaking them awake and explaining the situation to them calmly, soothing them when needed, which took all of half of an hour, he motioned for Twilight to speak.

"You three seem pretty much unfazed by this." Twilight said, making a gesture that referred to everything around the humans in general.

"You get pretty used to new creatures when you've dealt with demons and angels alike summoning new creatures to fight their unending war." Nathanius explained succinctly.

"What are the demons and angels fighting over?" Celestia asked with a look of recognition creeping across her face in a curious smile.

"Humanity." Formalendale answered with a cocky smile.

"Why is that?" Twilight asked, curiosity peaking.

"Humans are the only creatures in our world able to summon both demons and angels. We have both light and dark in us, so that gives us the ability to communicate with both sides without any ill effects. But we're getting off topic. Twilight, please continue." Tourmalyte wrapped up.

"Okay. So Princess Celestia,"- she motioned to the white, winged, Unicorn -"Princess Luna,"- she motioned to the dark blue pony -"and I found you when you came through a white portal, unconscious, in the abandoned castle. We brought you here, to Ponyville General, so we could make sure each of you were okay." Twilight explained.

"I'm pretty sure I speak for all of us when I say thank you, Your Hignesses and Miss Sparkle." Nathanius said politely and gratefully.

"You even sound like him too." Princess Luna said under her breath. Unfortunately for her, Nathanius heard her.

"Sound like who, Your Highness?" Nathanius questioned, a strong hint of curiousity edging into his voice. Luna froze up at the question. After Celestia gently nudged Luna with her hoof a few times, she finally started moving again.

"It-it's nothing. It's just, you strongly resemble somebody I once knew, but it was quite a long time ago." Luna responded, ducking her head down as to avoid eye contact.

"Okay then. Oh, by the way, my name is Nathanius Aquus, this is Formalendale Bishop, and that is Tourmalyte Marquee Glare." Nathanius said, pointing to himself, Formalendale, and Tourmalyte in that order.

"Well it was nice meeting you three. Luna, we have much to talk about when we get back to Canterlot. Twilight, I hope to here from you sometime soon. I suggest you three rest a bit before you leave." Celestia said before she and Luna disappeared in a flash of light.

"Now that she mentioned it, I am still extremely exhausted. If I never wake up, it'll be too soon by half." Formalendale spoke before yawning. He then rested his head back down on the pillow and went back to sleep in ten miliseconds flat. Nathanius did the same and fell asleep.

"Thanks for explaining that to us. I expect Nathanius will have hundreds of questions for you later." Tourmalyte said before drifting back off to sleep.

-(N)-

Sleep had accepted Nathanius as fast as it had accepted Formalendale, and it seemed to release him just as quickly. Oddly enough, the sleep was dreamless for Nathanius. When he woke up, he saw the lavender Unicorn, Twilight, sitting on the bench in front of his bed. In her hooves was a leather-bound book. On the cover in big, golden letters, was his name. It was his journal.

"What are you doing with that?" He asked in an accusational tone, pointing his finger at the leather-bound book.

"I-i-i was just reading through this to gain some information about you and your friends. I'm so sorry." Twilight said apologetically, attempting to pass the book back to Nathanius. Nathanius leaned forward and grabbed the book.

"If you needed info about us, you could have just waited until we woke up. Then you wouldn't have to steal my journal. On a semi-unrelated topic, what part did you read up to in my journal?" Nathanius asked.

"I was able to read up to your entry three months ago. That entry was a bit strange. You claimed to have seen a mint-green figure through some sort of window, which you happened to stumble across in your home. Then when you looked at it again, it was gone. That reminds me of something that happened about a month ago. Lyra Heartstrings was bounding around the town at midnight claiming she saw one of her mythical humans, which I guess aren't that mythical after all. I believe that you saw into our world, and based on the time difference, I would say one day here is approximately three days there." Twilight said, her train of thought expressing itself through her speech.

"That makes a bit of sense. I mean, it would be a really strange coincidence if two completely unrelated worlds had the same time movement. That reminds me, due to the time difference, what is today's date?" Nathanius asked. Tourmalyte's eyes opened as he sat up and stretched.

"Today is March 12th." Twilight answered at once. Tourmalyte's eyes widened at the news of the date.

"Ar-are you sure?" Tourmalyte stuttered.

"Yes, totally sure. It's only a week and a half from Winter Wrap Up Day. Why do you ask?"

"N-no reason in particular. Just wanted to be sure." Tourmalyte glanced around nervously, tears forming at the corners of his eyes. "Do you know where I can get a slab of stone and get it engraved?"

"You can do both at Lapis Mason's shop. He is three stores down the street leftwards once you leave here." Twilight replied. Tourmalyte got out of the bed immediately and walked out of the room, and, presumably, out of the hospital. Twilight then turned her attention back to Nathanius. "Do you know what was wrong with him?" She asked.

"No one ever knows what's wrong with him." Nathanius replied. Formalendale woke up and sat up, yawning as he did.

"So are you two ready for a tour of Ponyville?" Twilight asked, an edge to her voice alluding to her wanting to get out of the hospital.

"Yeah! But where's Tourma?" Formalendale asked, gesturing to the empty bed beside Nathanius.

"He went out to get a slab of stone engraved. In fact, he should be back any minute now. Mr. Mason doesn't often take too long with engraving." Just as Twilight finished saying that, Tourmalyte walked back into the room, stone slab in hand. He held the engraved side to his body so nobody could read it.

"So how'd it go?" Nathanius asked, gesturing to the slab.

"It went well enough. He offered the stone and the engraving to me for free. The hospitality of these ponies is amazing." Tourmalyte commented in a flat tone, tears still in the corners of his eyes. Formalendale seemed oblivious to the tears, however.

"Let's go take that tour now!" Formalendale suggested enthusiastically, having already gotten out of bed and walking halfway out the door.

"Alright then." Twilight said leading the three humans out of the hospital. As soon as they left the hospital, the humans were met with an assortment of looks. Some were of curiosity, some of hostility, but most were warm looks of hospitality. It appeared as if most of the ponies were friendly. It was then that two ponies walked up to the humans and Twilight. One of the ponies was a pure white Unicorn with a deep indigo mane and tail, both of which were curled and shined, with a trio of light blue diamonds as the mark on her flank. The other pony was a soft yellow Pegasus with a pink mane and tail. On her flank were three butterflies.

"Twilight, darling. Just what are these three things with you?" The white Unicorn asked, pointing her manicured hoof at the humans. Nathanius quickly adapted his mannerisms before speaking.

"My dear lady. We are not things, we are humans. Nathanius Aquus at your service." Nathaniel's said with a short bow. "May I have the honor of knowing you and your companion's names?" Nathanius finished off. The white Unicorn giggled slightly.

"My, my, such a gentlecolt. The name is Rarity. My friend here is Fluttershy." Rarity said, gesturing to the Pegasus who was hiding behind her mane.

"A pleasure to meet two fine girls today." Nathanius held out his right hand. Rarity placed her hoof in it as he leaned down slightly and gently kissed her hoof.

"Enough. You've had your fun Prince Aquus." Formalendale spoke with a chuckle. Nathanius cringed at the mention of his title.

"A prince?!" Rarity gasped.

"Umm... yeah." Nathanius said dejectedly. "My father is one of the four rulers of New Britania. So in essence, I am a prince. But I am not even worthy of the title." Nathanius spoke, hanging his head dejectedly.

"What do you mean by 'not worthy'? If that's alright with you." Fluttershy spoke softly.

"It's just... How am I supposed to be able to help lead and control a nation when I can't even keep my family safe when Lord Aquus is away? Tell me that." Nathanius retorted furiously. He closed his eyes as a single tear escaped from the closed lids. It was painfully obvious to everybody that the question was rhetorical. Tourmalyte's body quivered with pent up emotions as Nathanius wiped the lone tear away. Rarity and Fluttershy walked off upon seeing how emotional Nathanius was. It was then that Tourmalyte's senses went off at a familiar sensation, relaxing him immediately.

"Sugary aroma along with the distinct smell of crisped crust." Tourmalyte muttered before walking towards the enticingly familiar smell. He had gotten no more that three steps before he was tackled to the ground by a pink blur.

"Hi there! My name is Pinkamena Diane Pie, or Pinkie Pie for short. You must be new here, because I haven't seen you before. I want to welcome you to Ponyville by throwing you a party!" Was what one might have understood, if Pinkie Pie wasn't speaking at an intensely and insanely incomprehensible rate. Then, without any warning, Pinkie gasped and darted off towards where the smell was coming from, which was a building that strongly resembled a gingerbread house that was topped with cupcakes. Tourmalyte was only able to stare at where the pink mare used to be. Nathanius's brow furrowed at the illogical situation which had just occured.

"How is she able to do that?" Nathanius asked Twilight, gesturing to where Pinkie once stood.

"I think it's better off left unknown. I tried understanding her once, and it did not work at all." Twilight chuckled at Nathanius's still puzzled expression.

"But-but-but... fine." Nathanius sighed in defeat.

"I'll catch up with you guys later. I have some stuff I need to do." Tourmalyte said, absentmindedly tapping his fingers against the stone slab in his arms. Nathanius nodded as Tourmalyte started walking off.

"Look out below!" A brash voice shouted from above as a cyan and rainbow blur of color collided with Formalendale.

"What is with people getting tackled by ponies today?" Formalendale asked to nobody in general while the cyan Pegasus got off of him.

"Sorry about that. I guess my new move didn't work as well as I planned." The Pegasus quipped.

"Oh yeah, and what move could that be? Hospitalizing someone with a kamikazi dive." Formalendale shot back.

"Hey! You're just lucky I didn't put you in the hospital. It's not my fault that you were standing where I crashed."

"Rainbow Dash!" Twilight shouted at the cyan Pegasus. Rainbow Dash seemed to pay no mind to anybody else as she took off into the sky. Twilight looked up into the sky after the Pegasus, only to notice the sun nearing the horizon. "It's getting late. Maybe we should head back to my house to recuperate." Twilight suggested. Her suggestion was met with nods from both Nathanius and Formalendale.

~(N)~

Nathanius, Formalendale, and Twilight were back at Twilight's house which was also a library.

"You actually live in a library? You are lucky. You can just walk over to the bookshelves at any time you want and just sit and read for hours upon hours." Nathanius said in awe, reaching for the door's handle.

"Hey guys." Tourmalyte said from behind the three, now having no stone slab burdening his arms.

"Hey, Tourma." Formalendale replied. Nathanius grabbed the handle and pulled down.

The inside of the library was dark. No lights or candles were lit at the moment.

"Spike, why are all the lights out?" Twilight called into the darkened abode. It was then that the lights flashed on.

"SURPRISE!" A group of ponies shouted as they erupted from hiding places from around the room. Amongst the ponies were Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and an orange pony with a blonde mane and tail wearing a stetson. There were balloons tied to the tables and chairs, streamers stretching across the length of the room. There was even a banner, which took up most of the ceiling space.

Welcome to Ponyville

Nathanius, Formalendale, and Tourmalyte!

Nathanius, Formalendale, and Twilight jumped in fright at the sudden noise and light. Tourmalyte, however, didn't move at all, save for some twitching in his right arm. Then, involuntary tears sprang out from Tourmalyte's eyes.

"No... please stop..." Tourmalyte muttered softly and repeatedly, closing his eyes. He then turned tail and ran right out the door. Everypony took notice of his strange behaviour, especially Pinkie Pie.

"What happened to him? Nopony has ever run away from a Pinkie Pie Party before." Pinkie said to Nathanius and Formalendale.

"I don't know, but we have to find him." Nathanius said as he ran out the door after Tourmalyte. Formalendale, Pinkie, Twilight, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and the orange pony followed suit as they chased after Tourmalyte as well.

Act 1: Chapter 3: Emotional Upheaval

What it Takes

Act 1: Chapter 3: Emotional Upheaval

By: N30N-THUND3R

-(T)-

Tourmalyte was sitting atop a gently sloping hill beside the small slab of stone he was carrying earlier that day. His eyes were closed and fresh tears were flowing freely down his face. Memories from his childhood were flashing through his head, causing more emotional trouble for him.

"There he is!" Tourmalyte heard from the base of the hill. He didn't even need to see him to recognize Formalendale's voice. Tourmalyte could hear the soft clatter of hooves on the grass as the group of people and ponies made their way up the hill.

"Tourma. Why did you react like that?" Formalendale asked, trying his best to soothe Tourmalyte's raging emotions.

"You wouldn't understand. None of you would." Tourmalyte answered glumly, opening his white eyes.

"Try us." Said an orange pony with a blonde mane and tail in a country accent. Something in her voice made Tourma want to open up and tell them everything.

"I-i-i just can't." Tourmalyte stuttered.

"It will only hurt worse if yah don't let it out." The orange pony spoke again. The 'thing' in her voice increased Tourma's conviction to reveal his entire story. "Please tell us." She begged. Tourmalyte's will to resist telling finally failed.

"It was thirteen years ago. I was only seven..."

~(Flashback)~

Citrine Marina Glare was a successful demon hunter in his youth. Amethyst Glare and him had retired after ten years serving in the hunters legion. The two of them had their entire lives planned. They planned to start a family on the land they had purchase in the Delta Forest. They planned to support the entire family by running a wax farm in the surrounding forest.

The start of their life together began with the birth of their eldest son, Zircon Darius Glare, eighteen years previously. The boy was born with light blue hair and the same blue eyes of his father. Zircon was an athletic boy who loved to prove he was the best. He wasn't a bully, however. Instead, he was a protector of the weak.

Their second child, who was born a year later, was a boy as well. Topaz Amaria Glare had an even brighter blue hair color than his older brother. He was the exact opposite of his brother as well. He was the brother that was very studious and always needed protecting. He always had ideas for inventions that were supposed to revolutionize the way the kingdoms were run. Ninety percent of his inventions failed within the first week of testing.

Next to be born were the third and fourth child exactly two years later. Ruby and Sapphire Glare were twin sisters, except for their red and blue hair respectively. They both were very mischevious and cunning. The two of them had managed to burn down seven doors, explode eight toilets, and managed to get four teachers fired while at school. And that was only what was proved to be them. The only time they weren't planning something was when Topaz and Zircon were watching them. Both of them, along with Zircon, were born with their mother's soft green eyes.

Three years passed by before the next child came to be. Garnet Obsidia Glare was the fifth child and the third boy born unto the Glare family. He admired his older brother Topaz and strived to be like him. The two looked like twins aside from their different hair and eye color. Garnet had deep black hair and red eyes that were unlike anything the Glare family had ever seen. Amethyst always told them his eye color came from her father. Garnet was even better than Topaz when it came to dedication to his studies.

Another five years passed by by the time sixth child was born. Tourmalyte Marquee Glare was born eleven years after the family started to settle down. Being the youngest son, Tourmalyte had a lot to live up to. He was determined to be better than his brothers. After he heard about what his parents used to be, Tourmalyte decided that was what he needed to be. If he were a demon hunter, he would be able to outshine his other brothers. He always tried to outdo his siblings in anything and everything. His determination surprised his parents. Citrine had even said that Tourmalyte was like him in determination.

The seventh and final child was born two years later. Agate Rista Glare was born on the twelfth day of March. It was on that day that Amethyst Glare died. Her heart had failed only minutes after her final daughter had been born. Everyone in the family was distraught at the loss of their mother.

~(Flashback Over)~

"... and Father had to work harder to provide for the seven of us. As soon as Zircon turned fifteen, he became a knight-in-training to help out with the family. A year later, Topaz became an assistant librarian to do the same as Zircon. Then, two years later, on March twelfth, disaster struck again"

~(New Flashback)~

Seven year old Tourmalyte was sitting in his fathers lap as he listened to his father talking. Outside the house, a thunderstorm was raging.

"Daddy. Can you tell me another one of Grandpa Chromatic's stories again?" Tourmalyte asked with wide, blue eyes. Citrine chuckled at his son's curiousity.

"Sure I can tell you again, but where would the fun be in that?" Citrine asked playfully. Young Tourmalye seemed to ponder his question.

"I always like it when you tell the stories, daddy. How about you tell me about the first demon you fought?" He asked innocently.

"Sorry, sport. I can't tell you that until you're older." Citrine answered in a tone that told Tourmalyte to drop the subject. Then, a bolt of lightning crashed near the house. The sudden flash of light and noise frightened Tourmalyte. The smell of ozone filled the air.

Then, the smell of smoke replaced the ozone in the air. Citrine recognized it immediately. The house was on fire!

"Tourmalyte, I need you to get out of the house with Agate. I want you and her to head down to the stream and wait for me and your other siblings. Can I trust you to do that for me?" Citrine asked forcefully. The tone of voice Citrine used alerted the young Tourmalyte of the severity of the situation. Tourmalyte nodded vigorously in response. Citrine let him down off of his lap.

Tourmalyte ran to his little sister's room. He opened the door quickly, rushing in to get to his sleeping sister. He shook Agate until she woke up.

"What's happening bwother?" Agate asked sleepily. She raised her balled fists to her eyes to wake herself up faster. Tourmalyte didn't know what to say, so he lied.

"Daddy told me to take you to the stream so we could play." Tourmalyte said smoothly and calmly. He grabbed Agate by the hand and let her out the back of the house. The trek to the stream was a short one. It only took Tourmalyte a minute to reach the stream with Agate in tow.

~(Flashback Over Again)~

"... Agate and I waited all night for them. They never showed up. When the sun rose the next morning, we went back to the hose. What was left of the house, anyways. All that was there was a smoldering wreck. I went in to find the rest of my family.-" Tourmalyte started to tear up, "-They were trapped in the basement. Asphyxiation. The smoke killed them before the fire even reached the basement. I couldn't let Agate see that. She wouldn't understand that they wouldn't get up. So we had to leave. The local orphanage took us in within the week.-" The tears were freely falling down Tourmalyte's face. Tears were forming in the eyes of everbody else, "- After exactly a year in the orphanage, March twelfth, a couple bullies decided to mess with me...

~(Yet Another Flashback)~

"HEY, TOURMA!" A couple of boys shouted at Tourmalyte. They were carrying small stones in their arms. Tourmalyte looked over to the building to see his little sister looking at him from the windows. Then the boys started to throw the stones at him. Each one found its mark, either in his chest or his face. Two of the boys picked up a larger stone together.

Hey, guys. How about we go after little Agate instead?" The leader of the group suggested. The boys all shouted in agreement. They proceeded to walk towards the building with haste.

Then Tourmalyte started to glow with a strange green aura. The boys took notice of this and backed away. He opened his eyes to show the same green glow coming from them. Some of the rocks the boys were carrying earlier began to glow with the same aura, even the larger ones that they hadn't even thought of using. The stones rose into the air.

"DON'T YOU DARE, HURT MY SISTER!" Tourmalyte shouted. The green aura became more intense as the rocks flew towards the boys. The rocks hit over and over as Tourmalyte lost control of his newfound power. After a minute, the power faded away, revealing five bodies. The four bullies had died, along with some bystander. Tourmalyte walked over to see who else he had harmed.

Tourmalyte retched.

The fifth body belonged to Agate. Tourmalyte had killed his own sister.

~(Final Flashback Over)~

"... I couldn't believe it. Even if it was an accident, I was responsible for my sister's death. I ran away from the orphanage. I figured that I had to control my power. I had to become stronger. When I turned twelve, I did two things. First, I had the enchantment done to get the demon-chains you see on me today. But something went wrong. The spell worked, but with a side effect. I became blind. Secondly, I became a demon hunter. The four kingdoms sent the applicants to the School. It was a place where we all trained together to become the best we could be. It was there that I met these two." Tourmalyte said, waving his hand at Formalendale and Tourmalyte. "When they met me, I was an emotional wreck. By that time, I had four links on each arm and leg. We stuck by each other. We passed or failed together. We even caused trouble together. We each had the same ability. Only one in seventy people are able to use magic freely. We graduated after six years. The rulers took notice of our extreme abilities and assigned us on the toughest of demon huntings. Then we were assigned a prophetic mission. The rulers said that we were the three to fulfill a prophecy. Don't ask me, because I don't remember it. And then we came here. The universe has a sort of sick sense of humor though. Today is March Twelfth, right? Everything happens to me on March Twelfth. I can see again. Every sight I take in reminds me of my family. The forest, the river, the stone." Tourmalyte finished, gesturing to the stone behind him. "I'm sorry for leaving like that. The sudden light and noise reminded me of the day my house burned down. I hope you can forgive me."

"Ah don't know about the others, but Ah sure forgive yah. The name is Applejack." The mare said forgivingly, extending her forehoof. Tourmalyte gratefully grabbed her hoof and gave it a firm shake. Pinkie Pie ran up to Tourmalyte and gave him a tight hug, which he returned softly.

"We all forgive you." Pinkie Pie said with a sob. The other mares all nodded their heads in agreement.

"What does it say?" Rainbow asked, pointing her hoof at the stone.

"In fidem memoriae familiae Invadam. It literally translates to-" Tourmalyte spoke.

"In honest memory: the family Glare." Twilight finished, easily translating the latin phrase.

"Et erit in sæculum desiderari." Tourmalyte said mournfully. His hand glowed a soft green as he reached down to the honorary gravestone. The moment his hand clasped the top of the slab, it starte to vanish. The stone disintegrated into a green mist that floated around before disappearing into nothingness. Everyone gasped. "Si egressus est lapis, memoria erit. Pax huic domui animae." Tourmalyte finished. He then stood up and walked back towards the town.

-(D)-

The place between worlds, the Void, was quiet, save for a few trans-dimensional spirits flittering about. One such spirit was a Draconequus. His appearance was that of every animal mashed together in one body. Discord was the spirit of chaos and disharmony. His yellow eyes and red pupils narrowed at the scene unfolding before his eyes on the screen in front of him.

"So they've made it into Equestria? This works perfectly." A second screen appeared in front of the Draconequus. Then another. Then a fourth one. Each screen captured his attention equally. The movement on the screens stopped as Discord paused them.

"BELLUM! I know you can hear me. I want you to collect the other three travelers I have been watching and bring hem to the Equestria that these others are in. And watch out for Crystal. Void knows what trouble he and his little 'warriors' can cause for us." Discord's attention shifted back to the second screen that appeared. Then the third. Then the last. "Watch yourself little 'heroes'. I hear and see all. No person or pony escapes my gaze. But then again, some of you aren't either." Discord laughed maniacly.

Act 1: Chapter 4: Chaotic Entry

What it Takes

Act 1: Chapter 4: Chaotic Entry

By: N30N-THUND3R

-(Je)-

The jungle was restless. Animals were rushing to and fro amongst the leaves and the branches of the canopy. The members of Legion Squad Eta were no exception. The three members of Eta were tracking a powerful source of energy that had appeared six days previously.

The leader of the group was a moderately sized man. He stood at 5'9" with his black hair blending in to the shade that the jungle had provided from the sun. The sun that did poke through had provided him with his somewhat blotchy tan. His steel grey eyes pierced the shadowy veil that surrounded the group. The majority of his figure was camoflauged by the mottled green and brown cloak that he had shrouded over his shoulders. Underneath his cloak was his trademark bow and quiver of arrows.

Michael Steele, or Jet, as he called himself, was also one in seventy. He had the ability to use magic.

His second and third in command were the exact opposite, as far as anyone could tell. The Shadows, as Jet called them, crept around in utter silence, not breathing a single word since joining Eta. The two were coated from head to toe in obsidite plate armor. The only noticable feature about the two that could be seen with a glance of any sort were their eyes. Their red eyes that, instead of being rimmed with white, were rimmed with yellow. Their eerie gaze had sent several small demons running in fear and had even caused greater demons to tremble.

Jet reached down, with his hands glowing yellow, and picked up some leaves that had fallen from the trees, courtesy of the mid-October weather. He crushed the leaves in his hands and tossed them into the air. The yellow shards that were once leaves flowed towards a patch of underbrush that blocked a path between two clusters of trees. Jet took two steps before his limbs seemingly stopped working on him.

"What's going on?" Jet shouted fearfully. His eyes darted around trying to get a glimpse of his attacker. That was when the Shadows walked into the corners of his vision. "You!" Jet shouted venomously.

"Yessss. Lord Disssscord will be mosssst pleassssed at thissss development. He told Lady Bellum to ssssend you to where your ssssoul wassss taken from." The Shadow on Jet's right hissed, each word sending chills down his spine.

"What are you talking about?" Jet asked furiously.

"You have felt as if you don't belong here. You have felt that you belong somewhere other than where you are, no matter what you do. You don't belong in this plane of existence." The Shadow on Jet's left spoke in a deep and steely voice. Jet opened his mouth to protest before a harsh white light enveloped him.

-(Ch)-

The Greater Demon hit the wall, several throwing knives piercing through its black, leathery skin and holding it in place. Its humanesque mouth formed into a cruel, yet defeated smile. The demon tried to extend his black wings in an attempt to get free, but it was no use.

Then a man stepped out of the shadows and into the silver moonlight shining through the only window in the large room. He was wearing nothing but a black tee and black poly-fiber shorts. A scabbard hung by his left side and was currently occupied by the Hunter's New Scottish Claymore, which was made to mimic the old ways of swordcraft. The hunter stood at 6'5" and was very muscular in stature at twenty-two years of age. His arms and legs were covered in the black chains used as strength training in Hunters that opted for it. His dark brown hair and his matching eyes glowed in the moonlight shining through the window.

Cheshiren Grim, or Ches as he called himself, walked towards the defeated demon calmly, drawing his sword as he did so, the three feet of pure blade gleaming in mock anticipation. He got no closer than two feet to the snarling, trapped demon. He set the wicked sharp point of his blade against the demon's throat. The demon flinched at the contact.

"Raztak, you'll tell me what I want to know now. I have tracked you for weeks, hoping to catch you. And now that I have you, you have to answer me. If a hunter can capture or summon a demon without killing it or the hunter, then the demon has to answer all questions the hunter asks. You are his third in command. Now tell me, where is Discord?" Ches asked forcefully, digging the point of his sword into the demon's shoulder.

"You dare speak Master's name? If I wasn't bound, you would be slain for heresey." Raztak spoke with venom and malice.

"But you are bound, now answer me." Ches commanded forcefully.

"What does a pathetic hunter like you want with Master anyways?" Raztak asked, stalling for time.

"He is the reason my parents are dead. My mother attempted to summon him in order to save my father, but he killed her in the attempt. I want to kill Discord." Ches answered, digging the point of the sword deeper into the demon's shoulder. The demon only grinned sadistically.

"Bwahahahaha. You are such an amusing little hunter." A voice said from the shadows. "You think you have the strength to kill me? Oh my that is hilarious. I guess it's time to send you off unto your new 'adventure'." Discord said popping up out of nowhere in front of Ches.

"You better start making sense Discord, or I'll let Oblivion make you." Ches threatened, motioning with his sword.

"What fun is there in making sense, Cheshiren?" Discord said before snapping his fingers and enveloping Ches in a harsh white light.

-(Sk)-

Skylar Tarqus was one of the Flame Guards most promising candidates. This was because of three things. One, she had the endurance and physical stamina that surpassed that of the most senior of members. Two, she had managed to kill two Maroch Demons while defending her family. And three, she had a personal recommendation from Lord Pyrus himself.

Skylar was in her last year of guard training, being eighteen years old. She had not much visible muscle mass, but it was there, especially after going through the toughest training session ever scene since the first guard, her ancestor of 3000 years, Darius Tarqus. According to her fathers picture book, which had been passed from father to son since the first Tarqus, she had the same green eyes as Darius. She also had fiery red hair and her face was dotted with freckles. She was tan from the days laboring on the training field. It was on the training field where she was using her broadsword where she was approached by one of the senior Guardsmen.

"Lord Pyrus has asked me to bring you to the throne room at once." The Guardsman said, walking off towards the castle entrance. Skylar followed behind into the castle. She stopped at the throne room door, having heard someone speaking. Skylar pressed her ear up to the door.

"It has been six days here since you sent the first three off. Why aren't you using them?" The regal voice of Lord Pyrus spoke.

"Because they have encountered Harmony. I can't have just three there if Harmony found them. I need six in order to counter them." Said a second voice.

"So you have sent two of the new three you have been watching, Master?" Lord Pyrus asked.

"That is correct, Pyrus. And I am about to send the third one soon. In fact, she is listening in on us right now." The other voice spoke. Then, with the sound of snapping fingers, the door flung itself open and Skylar was tossed into the room by an invisible force. She got up and looked at the source of the second voice.

The figure seemed demonic in appearance. He was a mismatched assortment of body parts that came from all sorts of creatures. His appearance seemed to match the description of the leader of the demon armies. It was Discord, spirit of chaos and disharmony, king of the void, ruler of the demons.

"What are you doing here, demon? Why are you associating yourself with this demon, Lord Pyrus?" Skylar asked hatefully.

"I'm only doing what is in my power to protect my kingdom. We made a deal. If I let him take you and two others, he will leave this world and take his demon armies with him. It's the perfect win-win situation. He gets what he wants, we get what we want. Who cares if three people disappear for the rest of eternity?" Lord Pyrus argued smoothly.

"I care, especially if I'm one of the people to disappear." Skylar said fiercely.

"I'm afraid you have no choice in the matter, dearie." Discord said before snapping his fingers. A flash of light blinded everyone in the room.

Everything seemed to vanish around Skylar. The floor underneath her feat disappeared. Skylar was falling through the white light. Then she noticed two more people falling with her. One was a guy in just a black tee and shorts while the other was wearing a cloak that was pointing end-up due to the speed at which the three where falling. The only problem with falling was the fact that there was no sound of the wind rushing in their ears. It was as if the void they were falling through want them to talk to eachother.

They had no chance to speak before everything went dark.

-(Unknown)-

Eight ethereal figures of undescribable appearance, save for the color of the energy around them, stood around a large viewing window showing them all that had occured and is to occur. The light blue figure started to speak.

"It appears as if Chaos is rebelling against us once again. But he will fail as he always has, but only if the heroes are led in the right direction, with a little room for error along the way. I have foreseen the paths that they can take to either bring peace to the worlds or destruction. They must awaken Virtue and Valor." It spoke in a male voice that was deep and smooth like the flowing of a river.

"We know, Time. The path they must walk will not be straightforward, but neither is it jagged. I hope that they have the strength to walk that path." The black one spoke, his voice deep yet caring.

"I know they have the strength of spirit, body, and mind to make it through. What they need to do is unlock it. Space. Time. Together you two helped shape everything. Nudge them in the right direction." Said the bright lavender spirit in a caring, feminine voice.

"I agree with you completely, Harmony." Said a new figure as he walked up to the beings of energy.

"Ah, Silver Walker. You surprise us yet again with your appearance. I assume you want us to send you to help them." Time spoke calmly.

"You know that is not the name I choose to go by. But your assumption is correct. Do you remember what happened to the last human there?" The man said adamantly. The midnight blue aura nodded her head softly.

"I remember. I let my darker emotions get the better of me. I don't even want to remember what happened next." She spoke.

"I'm sorry about that, Night. But this time, it will be different." The man said once more.

"We agree to your request, Crystal. You, Emotion, Night, Day, and Harmony are to go and help the six out. May your journey be fruitful." Time said as the five he referred to left the area.

"You know that you letting him go is just fulfilling more of the prophecy." Said the bright white spirit.

"I know, Life." Time said. Then out of nowhere a voice began to speak.

"Three of Virtue and Three of Valor, enter the world and meet their fate. All will crumble and all will rise as Virtue and Valor make sacrifice. The one who walks through silver alone, changes the path and leads them home. Two of Valor and one of Virtue, find themselves and change forever. Two will challenge Chaos's reign, and defeat him and leave him slain. Then one of Virtue will meet rest everlasting." The voice spoke ominously.

"I hate when the voice does that. The prophecy doesn't even rhyme. I loved it when they rhymed." Life spoke softly.

"Good luck to you all." Time said, looking back at the viewing window. The image focused on Crystal. "Good luck to you, Crystal Glare."

Act 1: Chapter 5: Repose, Family, and Memories

What it Takes

Act 1: Chapter 5: Repose, Family, and Memories

By: N30N-THUND3R

-(N)-

The problem of who sleeps where was solved immediately after the group of people and ponies walked back towards the town. Nathanius was given the spare room at Twilight's home to sleep in until they were able to get a house. Formalendale agreed to being put in the barn at Sweet Apple Acres for the night. Tourmalyte, however, argued rather fiercely to sit vigil throughout the entire night to honor his family. Everyone indulged in his request and allowed him to stay atop the hill for his family.

The morning came rather quickly for Nathanius as his sleep was dreamless and peaceful. The same couldn't be said for the other occupants of the library. Nathanius walked down the stairs that led from the door of the guest bedroom to the main room in the library. In the kitchen directly cross from the stairs was Twilight and her baby dragon and assistant Spike. The two of them looked as if they had next to no sleep.

"This just doesn't make sense!" Twilight shouted, tossing the papers she had on the table into the air with her magic.

"What doesn't make sense?" Nathanius asked, alerting the kitchen's two occupants to his arrival.

"You and Formalendale. You, Formalendale, and Tourmalyte each give off a strong magic signal and only Tourmalyte has shown any magic. How you even have magic is confusing me." Twilight said exasperatedly. Nathanius chuckled at her confusion for a second before raising his hands.

"Our hands are the focal points for our magic release most of the time." Nathanius said, his hands starting to glow a brilliant blue. The air next to Nathanius shimmered a bit before a second Nathanius appeared.

"Blue magic is used for mind manipulation and imagery. It can also make solid objects when used in conjunction with green magic." The second Nathanius said.

"That would be me. Green magic is the manipulation of the base elements to either disintegrate or build using the surrounding elements. Green magic can also be used to help plant life grow, but only plant life. That's Tourmalyte." The real Nathanius said.

"Red magic is the-" The second Nathanius said before vanishing in a blue mist.

"Manipulation of pure energy to create devestating offensive attacks. Red magic is also used to augment or de-augment the body in any way, from increasing or decreasing muscle mass to even adding or removing body parts new or not. That's Formalendale. There is also yellow magic, which is used for tracking and binding as well as causing bodily functions to stop. Then there is silver magic, which is defensive magic, used for creating shields and barriers of any sort." Nathanius took a breath.

"Then there is white magic. White magic is used for illusions as well, but the illusions are more centered around the manipulation of lights and shadows. Finally, there is black magic. Black magic is the ability to summon spirits to bend them to the will of the summoner and the ability to enslave the mind. All branches of magical ability have the ability of simple levitation, teleportation, telekinesis, and base magic coating. That is all of the types of magic usable in our world." Nathanius explained, noticing the look on Twilight's face shifting from curious to satisfied. "Speaking of those two, we should go check up on them to make sure that they don't kill anybody, including themselves." Nathanius said before walking to the door with Twilight following closely behind.

-(F)-

"So why am Ah takin ya to the cliff?" Applejack asked Formalendale.

"Well, AJ, I have a little 'stunt' that I want to perform, and I need a cliff to do it." Formalendale answered.

"Okay. But that still doesn't explain why ya had Tourma get RD."

"I sent Tourma to get Rainbow because, if her boasting is anything to believe in, she can fly at around mach one, and if she tries to run, we need someone who can keep up."

"Tourma keep up with Dash? I would like to see that."

"Knowing them, they'll be racing here soon."

-(T)-

"Yo Dash! AJ and Fox need you at the cliff!" Tourmalyte shouted up at a puffy white cloud with a multichromatic tail.

"No can do. I'm busy napping." Dash called down from the cloud.

"Fine." Tourmalyte shouted up at the cloud. He turned towards the direction he had just come from. "I guess you don't want to race me there then." There was a sudden rush of air as soon as Tourma said 'race me'. In less than ten milliseconds of Tourma finishing his statement, Rainbow Dash had dashed from her cloud onto the ground in front of Tourmalyte.

"Pfft. Yeah right. Nobody of any species can keep up with me." RD countered.

"Then I guess you have nothing to lose then." Tourmalyte taunted.

"You're right, I don't" Rainbow said, puffing out her chest.

"On the count of three." Tourma held up three fingers.

"One..."

"Two..."

"Three!" Rainbow bolted into the sky, leaving a rainbow trailing right behind her. On the ground, Tourmalyte was sprinting through the streets. Tourmalyte was steadily catching up to Rainbow and had even passed her on the ground as he passed Sugarcube Corner, where Pinkie Pie was standing with the pony equivalent of a foam finger. "MINUS TWELVE!" Tourmalyte shouted up at the perplexed Rainbow Dash, who had noticed Tourma passing by beneath her.

She added an extra burst of speed, barely managing to keep up with the blur of a human on the ground. Soon, Dash had passed the human, a white cone of air compressing around her outstretched hooves.

Damn, she's fast. But I'm faster. Tourmalyte thought smugly. "MINUS FOUR!" Tourmalyte shouted once again. His speed dramatically increased, made noticable by the cone of compressed air forming around him. Within a few more seconds, Tourmalyte had passed Dash once again. Dash had noticed him speeding up and put a little bit more speed into her flying. All of a sudden, there was a loud boom from directly behind Tourmalyte as Dash broke through the sound barrier and rocketed forward. "MINUS FOUR!" Tourmalyte shouted before doing the same. He rocketed forward throught the barrier holding him back and shot ahead of Rainbow. The cliff was getting within twenty miles at the moment.

Then ten miles.

Now five.

As soon as Tourmalyte was within two miles of the cliff he was supposed to bring Rainbow to, he started to slow himself down the only way he knew how. "PLUS TWENTY!" He screamed. He slowed down dramatically, his feet dragging into the soil and creating two parallel channels in the dirt. He finally came to rest thirty feet from the edge of the cliff and right in front of Applejack and Formalendale. Applejack was standing there open-mouthed and Formalendale was without his tunic or undershirt. Rainbow appeared by Tourmalyte's side moments later. Applejack reached her head into he saddlebags and pulled out two silver coins and passed them to Formalendale.

"What was that about?" Tourmalyte asked the pair.

"We made a bet on which one of you would be first to get here. You better be fucking grateful that I put enough faith in your speed and endurance that I would be willing to bet a whole week of work on you." Formalendale answered. "So how far did you have to push yourself?"

"Minus twenty. I only got a third of the way to my max." Tourmalyte replied. Dash's wings extended to their fullest at the mention of Tourmalyte being able to go faster. Applejack laughed hard and loud in response to Rainbow's reaction.

"What's so funny?" Tourmalyte asked.

"Wingboner." Was all Applejack managed to say between trying to catch her breath and laughing like a maniac. Formalendale started laughing with AJ at Rainbow's misfortune. Rainbow blushed so hard that her entire face turned a deep shade of red, and Tourmalyte had an embarassed expression that nearly matched what Rainbow was feeling. Formalendale backed up closer and closer to the edge, seemingly unaware of the lack of ground only two feet behind him. He took a step back.

Rainbow Dash was the only one to notice how close to the edge Formalendale was. "Look out!" She yelled, her wings lowering themselves in response to her emotional change.

-(F)-

"Look out!" Rainbow Dash yelled at Formalendale. Applejack and Tourmalyte stopped their laughing, and Applejack's expression changed from one of jolliness to fear. They both moved to stop Formalendale, but were unable to move due to a green aura surrounding the two. Tourmalyte's hands were glowing a steady green as he looked to both mares and simply shook his head from side to side.

Formalendale took another step back...

... And plummeted over the edge of the cliff. Formalendale channeled his magical energy into two familiar spots on his body and began to focus one single thought.

Fly.

~(Flashback)~

Two figures were standing on top of the Hundred-Floor Tower that Lord Pyrus's castle was built around. One was a tall figure with pure white hair and eyes, wearing gleaming gold armour with ethereal wings sprouting from the back. The other was a ten year old Formalendale, who was standing at a solid five-and-a-quarter feet.

"Now Formalendale, remember your lessons. Now I know we haven't seen your abilities, and we have only studied the theory on red magic, but I know that you can do it." The taller figure spoke reassuringly and calmly.

"I will Uncle Gabriel." Formalendale said dejectedly, having no faith in his magic abilities.

"Now don't act like that. Listen, your father Michael wouldn't want me to tell you this, but when our Father was training your dad, Michael wasn't at all confident in his abilities, just like you. But he was the most powerful of us all. He was put in charge of the army of our Father and has been the best leader we have ever seen. And I can see the talent he has now inside of you." Gabriel encouraged. Something inside Formalendale seemed to light up at those words. His eyes sparked with faint red glow, which prompted Gabriel to relax. Formalendale took off his pure white shirt off of his torso and closed his eyes.

When Formalendale opened his eyes, his irises, pupils, and sclera were a bright shade of red. The same energy that had entered his eyes had also formed two vertical strips of energy on his back. The energy grew outwards and shaped itself into two red wings. He stepped up to the railing and jumped over it.

"FLY!" Formalendale screamed as he was falling. The red aura had spread all around his frame as his wings started to flap frantically. His speed decreased and soon he was hovering only fifty feet below the balcony he jumped off of. He angled himself directly downward and stopped flapping his wings but kept them fully outstretched. He leveled himself out and soon rose once again back up to the balcony where Gabriel was standing with another tall figure wearing the same armor.

"I never thought I would see the day that my son would develop his power." The other figure said.

"Did you see me father? I flew, I actually flew!" Formalendale asked excitedly.

"I sure did Formalendale. Father was doubtful, but now we know that when your time comes, you will be a perfect candidate for ascension. I am so proud of you." Michael answered with pure pride in his caring voice.

~(Flashback Over)~

Formalendale's red wings flapped in response to the stimulation the wind was providing. "I hope you are still proud of me father." He whispered softly into the wind. Turning completely around, he could see the two mares standing at the edge of the cliff with two figures were standing behind them. One he immediately recognized as Tourmalyte, the other, which was standing further behind Tourmalyte in golden armour, was Michael, his father. He noticed Michael nod his head before vanishing.

-(CG)-

A silver Unicorn with a white mane and tail coupled with a gilded mirror for a cutie mark was standing in an cave along the selfsame cliff that Formalendale jumped off of. He watched with golden eyes as Formalendale glided, showing off to those on the cliff. Then, a golden armoured bipedal figure with ethereal wings appeared in the cave with the Unicorn.

"I take it that everything is still in order Sir Glare." The figure said to the pony.

"Michael, you know I don't like titles other than the ones I give myself. But yes, everything is still in order, even with these new arrivals. They all show promise. All twelve of them. It's funny, when you think about it." Crystal Glare said.

"What is?" Michael asked, cocking his head slightly.

"The fact that He will be stopped in this world. Not my world, which has changed so much, and not your world, but this one. The final battle against Discord will be in the world he hails from. The world he fears the most." Crystal responded, before the two vanished.

Act 2: Chapter 1: Fated Meeting

What It Takes

Act 2: Chapter 1: Fated Meeting

By: N30N-THUND3R

-(L)-

A tall black-haired and pale bipedal figure was standing on the moonlit balcony that rested just outside of the nocturnal princess's bedroom. The human was looking out over the small groves of trees that had started to grow only recently. A dark coated Alicorn walked up behind the human and nuzzled his arm affectionately.

"It's going to become a marvelous forest one day. I think the name Everfree will be suitable, will it not?" The human spoke to Luna.

"You are right, Darius, like always. It is going to be a marvelous expanse of trees. But I must ask, what compelled you to call the forest Everfree?" Luna questioned.

"Everfree, meaning it can grow outside of the influence of ponies. I just hope that the growth of the forest won't affect the castle and any towns that sprout up in the future." Darius spoke calmly.

"There should be no need to worry. Tia and I can keep any encroaching trees away from the castle." Luna spoke defensively.

"I know that Luna, I shouldn't worry at all." Darius said before leaning in towards Luna and kissing her on her cheek.

Luna woke up and immediately looked out her door and onto the balcony. Her new room in the castle in Canterlot was modeled in the exact same way it was back before Nightmare Moon. Luna always looked out onto the balcony every morning since her banishment, hoping to see the one thing that would always calm her and make her feel secure. But no matter how many times she looked, Darius wasn't there.

-(F)-

Tourmalyte, Formalendale, and Nathanius had been residing in Ponyville for five days before anything remotely interesting happened. It was made known to the three humans that Princess Celestia was visiting Ponyville, being told this by Twilight. It was midday by the time Princess Celestia arrived, except she was accompanied by three figures. As they exited the carriage- which happened to be pulled by Pegasi -it was revealed that the three figures were in fact humans to the humans and the ponies that had gathered to greet the Princess.

The first human to step out was a tall man of around six-and-a-half feet, give or take an inch. He was wearing a plain black tee and shorts with no items on his person except for a three foot scabbard which held the blade of the sword by his side. Twisting around his arms and legs were the same chains that decorated Tourmalyte, except fewer in number. His dark brown eyes gave off a look of hospitality and pure determination.

The second human was a tan, redheaded girl wearing leather armour over plain white clothing. She had the build of a guard, a Flame Guard to be precise. Formalendale had seen hundreds of the trainees during his time at Pyrus's castle, and the armour matched.

The last human to step out of the carriage was another guy. His dark hair seemed to absorb sunlight as he stepped out of the carriage. His steel grey eyes scanned over Tourmalyte, Formalendale, and Nathanius. A smile broke out over his tanned face as he seemed to recognize the three humans standing in front of him. His mottled green and brown cloak looked as if it would provide ample camouflage in a forest.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't Delta Squad, the pride and joy of the Legion." Said the first human. "The name's Cheshiren Grim, or Ches for short." Ches held out his hand for someone to shake it.

"It's good to meet you, Ches. I see you have chains like me. Would you like to see who got the better end of the deal sometime?" Tourmalyte asked with a cocky grin on his face as he shook Ches's hand.

"Sure thing. I've been needing a new punching bag for a while now. What has it been, Princess? Four, five days?" Ches turned to Princess Celestia.

"It was four days since you arrived and I found you three." Celestia answered.

"Well, now that's out of the way. Name's Skylar Tarqus. I already know you three. Prince Aquus, Tourmalyte Glare, and Pyrus's golden boy himself, Formalendale Bishop." Skylar said with venom and jealousy.

"It's good to see that the Flame Guard still accepts the arrogant ones." Formalendale responded with equal venom.

"Hey guys, don't fight here. If you're going to fight, do it somewhere that you won't disturb the peace." The third human said calmly.

"I agree, just because you two have the same fiery emotions that generally come from Pyrus's kingdom, doesn't mean you have to be at each other's throats." Nathanius said in agreement.

"Tourmalyte, I thought you were blind." The third human stated bluntly.

"I was, Jet!" Tourmalyte answered just as bluntly.

"Then why..." Jet started before being interrupted by Tourmalyte.

"Magic." He answered simply.

"Okay then." Jet said, still perplexed.

"Did you guys just see that?" Formalendale asked.

"See what?" Jet and Ches asked in response at the same time.

"That bright flash of light. Did you see it Princess?" Formalendale turned to Celestia.

"She isn't moving!" Nathanius shouted.

"Well of course not! I wouldn't want her to hear or see me." Discord said, floating not five feet above the six humans.

"Discord! What do you want?" Ches shouted at the floating Draconequus.

"I just wanted to make sure my little test subjects got along just fine. Let's see now. We have Angel Boy, Chained Glare, Little Prince, Descendant of the First, The Stolen Soul, and Wielder of Oblivion. Oh I'm going to have fun with you six. It's so painfully obvious now that you are all here together which one of you is going to die." Discord said glancing at Nathanius briefly. "And which three are going to change." He looked at Cheshiren directly when he said this. "And which ones are going home. Oh so much fun!" Discord said before literally popping out of reality.

"What did he mean by that?" Ches asked fearfully. Nathanius was standing stone-still, fearfully comprehending what Discord had just said.

"What did who mean by what?" Celestia asked, now unfrozen.

"Discord! He just showed up and called us test subjects!" Ches answered.

"Oh dear. It seems as if now is not a good time to be here." A new voice joined in. The voice came from a silver Unicorn with a pure white mane and tail. His cutie mark, a gilded mirror, stood proudly on his flank, the silver in the mirror rippling like a pool. His golden eyes seemed to look around the group of seven, resting on Celestia briefly and then settling on Tourmalyte.

"And who might you be?" Nathanius questioned viciously.

"You can call me Crystal or anything else really. Names don't matter to me." Crystal answered.

"Okay, Crystal. Tell me, do you know what Discord meant by calling us test subjects?" Nathanius interrogated.

"Unfortunately, I do. But I cannot tell you that at the moment. Until next time." Crystal said before vanishing in a golden light.

"I hate it when people, or ponies in this case, do that. Just when they reveal they know something, they vanish." Cheshiren said. "So Tourma, when are we going to duel?" He asked with a Cheshire smile.

-(D)-

Discord was sitting a cloud at the top of Canterlot Mountain. There was a bright flash of golden light as Crystal Glare, in his human form, sat down on the cloud next to Discord.

"You know what, old friend. Eventually, one of them is going to defeat you. And I will be there to help you move on." Crystal said to Discord.

"Pffft. You saw how disorganized they were. They'll never be able to work together and defeat me. I would place my money on that Cheshiren to be the one to single-handedly get close enough to try and get me. But he won't. You know as well as I do what happens to him. Their determination was the only thing that saved him, albeit at a terribly great cost. He managed to cope with his changes with the help of the Hurricane." Discord replied.

"What you call a terribly great cost, I call a blessing. The same thing will happen to two others, but not in the same fashion. You know exactly who strikes the final blow against you. And you are the one who strikes the final blow against him. Just know this, when it all ends, I am sure you will find the peace that you have always been searching for deep down." Crystal said.

"I never was searching for peace. I was searching for rest." Discord snorted.

"What's the difference?" Crystal asked softly.

A Few Excerpts From the Journal of Prince Nathanius Aquus IV.

Journal Entry #1 November 18th, 5248

I have decided to use this gift I got from my mother for my tenth birthday to honor her. Six years it has been since I got this and four since I last saw mother. I have decided to use this as a means of escape from reality. I will also be using this as a sort of reference guide for any and all things we may encounter as well as anything that might occur.

Today was the first day that the Academy assigned practice teams. I was paired with two other students, Tourmalyte Glare and Formalendale Bishop. What I find most odd about the two is that they are like me and are able to use magic. What we went through was an obstacle course with several Lesser Demons to fight through the course. We were able to complete the course in record time at seven minutes exactly.

Journal Entry #75 May 1st, 5250

It has recently come to my attention through reading all of my previous entries up to this point that my journal has a severe lack of detail on the vast armies of the Demon Horde. I have decided, with some help from Tourma and Formalendale, that I would create a compendium of our knowledge on the various demons that exist, including the twelve demon generals and Discord himself. It is with him that I will start.

Discord is what is known in mythology as a Draconequus. His physical makeup is similar to that of many fusion beasts, except for in the instance that his body is made of a mix of all creatures. From what manuscripts from witnesses of Discord, he has seemingly unlimited reality bending powers that seem to always have a chaotic effect on the surrounding world. His physical strength is still an unknown due to nobody being able to get close enough to gauge it directly.

Recommended course of action (In general): Try to avoid any encounters with Discord at all costs except for the loss of any team members. It is unknown whether physical strength could defeat him, but it is inferred through distant observation that any other type of attack, ranged or mental, is ineffective against him.

Recommended course of action (Delta Squad only(with no options for retreat)): Send in Formalendale and Tourmalyte to get in close while I use ranged and mental attacks to distract Discord. Have Formalendale use a combo of his 'fire pillar' and 'prism bolt' to distract from up close while Tourma goes 'minus all' and tries to engage in physical combat. I have labeled this plan of action 'Attack Form Omega'.

Discord's second in command, a demonic spirit named Bellum, is a violent and temperamental force to consider. She adopts a fighting style that favors speed and strength, but she lacks mental fortitude. She still is very dangerous and has been reported to be able to take over bodies, lifeless or not, and control them.

Recommended course of action (In general): Distract Bellum with physical attack while mounting a mental attack. If that fails, run. There is no other course of action.

Recommended course of action (Delta Squad only): Tourmalyte and I will distract her with direct attack while Formalendale, who has the stronger determination and will, begins a mental assault against Bellum. Once Formalendale has her subdued, I will use my Sapphire dagger to cut the spirit away from the material world.

Act 2: Chapter 2: Chains vs. Chains

What it Takes

Act 2: Chapter 2: Chains vs. Chains

By: N30N-THUND3R

-(T)-

"You still want to go through with this?" Tourmalyte asked Ches as the two made their way to an open expanse of land. There was a dull pop and thunk as Twilight conjured and set down several chairs of the observers to sit in.

"Of course I do. So weapons or not?" Ches inquired.

"Not. I don't want either of us to definitely die." Tourmalyte responded. He and Cheshiren chuckled a bit before removing their weapons, both hidden and not, from their persons. Nathanius walked up to Tourmalyte and Ches and stood between the two.

"Are you both ready?" Nathanius asked.

"Of course we're ready." Tourmalyte and Cheshiren responded, the both of them adopting a fighting stance.

"Then you may begin." Nathanius announced.

-(T)-

"MINUS SIXTEEN!" They both shouted just as Cheshiren dove at Tourmalyte. He then began to throw punch after punch in extremely rapid succession. Tourmalyte ducked and dodged around each fist at an equally blinding speed. Tourmalyte hit Cheshiren in the center of his chest with a open palm, sending Ches sliding backwards. Tourmalyte rushed forward and threw two punches at Cheshiren. Cheshiren then mimicked Tourmalyte's earlier strategy and pushed him back. That pattern kept on repeating between the two.

"MINUS TWENTY-FOUR!" They both shouted at the same time, both of them anticipating the other's next move. Their movements soon became nothing more than colored blurs to the ponies and people observing. Every time Tourmalyte and Cheshiren collided, the air and earth seemed to shake with the force of their blows.

Every few seconds, the dust surrounding Tourmalyte and Cheshiren would clear slightly, giving Tourmalyte a clear view of the awed expression on the ponies, Jet's and Skylar's faces. Tourmalyte paused slightly, his hands glowing green slightly. Cheshiren took advantage of the opportunity and charged at Tourmalyte.

-(N)-

Nathanius looked on in shock as the dark figure that was Ches moved in a blur through the light dust at Tourma. There was a loud, sickening crack and Tourma yelling, "IRON DEFENSE" as Ches's fist collided with Tourma. The dust grew thicker and then dissipated, revealing Ches with his bruised right fist in the middle of a crater that had been made in an iron wall between him and Tourma. Tourma's hands, which had been glowing a soft green, were now coated in a dark green aura.

"It seems that your magic can serve as a last line of defense. Let's see how powerful that defense is!" Ches shouted before taking his fist out of the crater. The wall of iron dissolved into iron sand and started to swirl around. Cheshiren charged at Tourma again, rapidly throwing punch after punch, each punch was blocked by a new wall of iron that was created by the floating iron sand. After realizing that his attacks were useless, Ches backed off slightly. "Let's see what you can do!" He taunted.

"MINUS FOUR" Tourmalyte shouted, charging at Chew with both of his hands glowing a bright green. The green faded fast and was replaced by iron.

~-(T: Flashback)-~

"So what are we going to learn today, Sir Nightingale?" A sixteen-year-old Tourmalyte asked a man of six feet with white hair and chains snaking their way up his arms and legs. The man's bright blue eyes were tinged with green from the amount of green magic he had used in his life.

"Today, I'm going to show you a technique that Lord Sustine himself created. This technique was designed specifically for people like you and I. It is called 'Precious Metal Attack Strategy'. Now let me show you how to do it." Nightingale answered. Immediately, a green glow engulfed both of Nightingale's hands and a patch of the ground a couple of feet away from him. The glow dissipated, leaving his hands covered with a pair of gauntlets with four circlets of different metal attatched to the iron gauntlets. The circlet connected to the iron itself was made of bronze. The next one was made of silver. The one after that was made of gold. The last one was made of platinum. Standing in front of Nightingale was a stone golem. "These gauntlets are modeled after Sustine's own precious metal gauntlets. Supposedly, they were imbuned with magic to increase the wearer's strength dramatically, but were lost over time."

"So how does the technique work?" Tourmalyte asked curiously.

"The user begins by knocking their opponent back about ten to twenty feet. Then, the user uses their green magic in order to coat their hands in iron gauntlets. The user then charges at their foe and delivers a powerful uppercut, launching them into the air. Next, the user covers the iron with bronze while simultaneously jumping into the air above their enemy. They level their enemy out in mid-air and knock them down into the ground as hard as possible with both hands clenched together. After that, the user would coat the bronze in silver, along with creating a silver spring board behind them, and use the silver as a point of leverage, throwing themselves to the ground, punching their enemy in the gut. After that, even I don't know. I wasn't taught about what to do for gold and platinum." Nightingale said with a slight chuckle. "I guess you'll just have to come up with an addendum of your own to add to that technique. Now let the demonstration begin." Nightingale charged at the stone golem, the chains on his arms and legs disappearing. He hit the creature in its jaw, sending it flying into the air. He jumped after the golem with his gauntlets now coated in bronze up to the circlet made of the selfsame metal. He leveled the golem and immediately smashed it down into the ground with both hands. He immediately coated his gauntlets in silver and created a silver wall above and behind him. He kicked off of the wall down towards the golem stuck in the ground. He heavily brought his fists down upon the golem, which immediately shattered upon impact.

"Like this?" Tourmalyte asked, his hands covered in iron.

"Exactly like that. Now let's get to practicing!"

~(Flashback End)~

Tourmalyte closed the distance quickly, delivering an uppercut into Cheshiren's jaw. "PRECIOUS METAL ATTACK STRATEGY. IRON" Tourmalyte shouted. There was a sickening crack as the bone in Ches's jaw shattered. His open eyes lost all life as Cheshiren lost consciousness. Tourmalyte jumped after Cheshiren's unconscious body, his gauntlets now made of bronze.

"Tourmalyte, stop!" Formalendale shouted. Tourmalyte ignored him, his blood pounding in his ears. Tourma leveled out Cheshiren before delivering a powerful blow that sent Ches rocketing into the ground. "BRONZE" Tourmalyte's hands glowed green as the dirt turned into sand as Ches hit the ground. Then the sand changed back to dirt as Tourma's hands were coated in silver atop the bronze. A wall of silver appeared behind Tourmalyte in midair, which Tourmalyte proceeded to kick off of and launch himself towards Ches. Ches was tossed into the air by a silver pillar, and as soon as he landed, he punched the airborne Cheshiren in his shoulder, sending him flying. "SILVER. MINUS FOUR." He bolted after Ches, his hands a golden blur while the rest of his body became a green blur. Suddenly, Tourmalyte stopped moving. Ches hit the ground with a dull thud as Tourmalyte started swaying. Then he collapsed, his eyes going blank as he lost consciousness.

-(F)-

Formalendale stood, his mouth gaped in shock at Tourmalyte's loss of control and then his falling unconscious. Everyone who was watching the two rushed forward to the two combatants. Formalendale ran over to Tourmalyte to check on him. All of the others went to Cheshiren. Tourmalyte's eyes fluttered open, green light fading fast from them. Tourmalyte shot up immediately, his eyes immediately resting on Cheshiren's body. Tears began to stream down his face as he stood up.

"I've got to go." Tourmalyte whispered, only Formalendale being able to hear him. He only nodded in response. Tourmalyte turned toward the Everfree Forest, and ran.

"Where is he going?" Twilight asked, looking in the direction that Tourmalyte ran off towards.

"If he's doing what I think he's doing, then Tourmalyte's going to be gone for a while. Even I can't determine exactly how long." Nathanius replied. "Jet, if I remember correctly, you were in the yellow magic training program back at the Academy. If he's gone for more than two months, track him." Nathanius spoke calmly. Jet gave a nod in agreement.

"That strength." Skylar said in awe, staring at the severe cuts and bruises that marked Cheshiren's exposed skin. Most noticable was his right hand, with blood coming from his split knuckles and torn palm.

"He's going to need a few days to heal, even with magic." Twilight said, also noting the severity of his injuries.

"I just hope the injuries aren't lasting." Formalendale said.

"I hope so too." Nathanius agreed.

-(Unknown)-

"He's running yet again. This is the fourth time he's lost control over his other half." The blue figure known as Time spoke to his brother.

"Yes he is. That incident in his childhood shaped his other half and split it. I am worried." Space replied.

"It is the price that comes with strength like his. Remember our pledge to not directly interfere. We can only have one of the other's go down to help. Send down Life. She might be able to help the youngest Glare learn some control over his other half." Time said. Space walked over to a door with no frame and opened it.

"Life, we need you to help the youngest Glare. He needs to control his other half." Space spoke through the door. Through the door there was the sound of a balloon popping. "Alright, she's off to Tourmalyte's location now. I sure hope everything turns out okay."

"I hope so too." Time replied.

Another excerpt from the Journal of Prince Nathanius Aquus IV

Journal Entry #74 April 24th 5250

Graduation. It seems to far away for us but also so close. Tourmalyte, Formalendale and myself are only a few months away from that sweet goal that is on all of our minds. We are almost there. I almost fell as if I will explode with anxiousness. I just hope that our final exam will be manageable. I only want for the three of us to become fully fledged Legion members. We have been preparing everything. Formalendale had undergone special red magic training as Tourmalyte underwent green magic training. I myself found no need to go into the blue magic course because I already know everything there is to know about blue magic. I just hope that all of our training pays off in the end.