What it takes

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.