The Ranger's Journeyby SilentpegasusChaptersChapter II: New Man in TownChapter III: The ImpostorsChapter IV: AuraChapter V: The ClubChapter VI: Scarlet and CliffChapter VII: ColossusChapter VIII: Not so Light ReadingChapter IX: Tears in the RainChapter X: Into DarknessChapter XI: Of Monsters and MenChapter XII: RevelationChapter XIII: CiderChapter XIV: PenaltyChapter XV: What is Love?Chapter XVII: MessengerChapter XVIII: HomecomingChapter XIX: Reunions and DisguisesChapter XX: Wrath of the Spider QueenChapter XXI: Attack on TitanChapter XXII: Devils and Dragons (Re uploaded)Chapter XXIII: So Many BooksChapter XXIV: Queen Jumps KnightChapter XXV: Friend or Foe?Chapter XXVI: ReturnChapter XXVII: Mother's IntuitionChapter XXVIII: Facing the MirrorChapter XXIX: GraduationChapter XXX: The BallChapter XXXI: Don't Say GoodbyePrologueChapter I: DepartureChapter XVI: Reporters and AssassinsSequelChapter II: New Man in TownChapter II New Man in Town Crimson saw the sun rising over the far hills. He could make out the shadowy silhouette of a town in the distance. He marched ahead keeping his head under the black shroud. The man kept moving ahead as he heard his stomach growl in hunger. He ignored his body’s protests and kept walking down the pathway. As he made it to the edge of town he saw several people working hard, setting up tables, hanging up banners and a woman with electric blue hair was setting up a turn table. He made his way towards the center of town and seemed to go unnoticed. Just how he liked it. The red hair’d man hated unwanted attention. He was suddenly approached by a girl with curly pink hair. “HI!” She said with a wide grin on her face. Crimson cocked an eyebrow at the girl and gave her a nervous grin. “My name is Pinkie Pie!” She said as she stuck out her hand. Crimson shook it and gave her a weak smile. “You must be new since I’ve never seen you before and I know everyone in Ponyville.” The woman stopped as she let out a massive gasp. “Sorry I gotta go! See ya later.” She said as she zoomed away leaving behind a cloud of dust. What.....the...buck was that? He thought before continuing his search for food. His deep red eyes then fell upon a building decorated like a gingerbread house. Crimson made his way inside and sat on a stood next to a counter. A woman wearing a light blue apron and dark pink hair. “Hello, welcome to Sugar Cube Corner how can I help you today?” “Morning, what’s on the menu?” “Unfortunately we’re a bit preoccupied today. So some of our dishes will take longer than others.” She said with a weak smile. “Why’s that?” Crimson asked. “Well, you see there’s supposed to be a few people from the Academy coming to this town!” She said in excitement. Crimson gulped and thought for a moment. “Is that why everyone is running around like a pack of crazy monkeys?” “Yup, it’s a very big event.” She said with a smile. “So what can I get you?” “I’ll just take a cup of coffee and a muffin, if you have any already made.” “Sure thing, I’ll be right back with your order.” She said as she walked away with a smile on her face. Crimson let out a sigh and cracked his knuckles. The woman then returned with his order. “So what brings you into town? I don’t think I’ve seen you before.” “Just passing through.” He said with a shrug. “I’m actually looking for someone named.....hang on a second.” He said as he reached into his pocket and withdrew a piece of paper. “Twilight Sparkle.” “Oh Twilight!” She said with a smile. “You know her?” He asked. “Oh yes, very charming girl.” She said with a smile. “She’s going around town making sure the preparations are going smoothly.” “Know where she might be?” “Hmm....” She said as she put a finger to her chin. “Last I checked she was heading down to Sweet Apple Acres.” “Where’s that?” The woman extended her hand and pointed down the road. “Up to the end of the road and you’ll see a wooden sign. You can’t miss it.” “Thanks.” He said with a nod. He gave them a few bits and gave her a friendly nod. Crimson made his way out the door and down the street. He kept his hood up as he quietly made his way through town. He came to the wooden sign the baker spoke of and walked down the road that seemed to leave to a farm house. Crimson’s eyes widened as he saw hundreds of rows of trees harboring sweet delicious apples. He walked towards the farm house and saw a young woman with striking blonde hair tied on a ponytail carrying a basket of apples. “Howdy there.” She said with a smile. “Hi.” Crimson said with a nod as he pulled his hood off. “I’m looking for someone named Twilight Sparkle. I was told that she might be here.” “Shoot." The girl said as she adjusted her hat. "Ya just missed her.” The woman said as she put down the barrel of apples and pointed back down the road. “She headed off towards the center of town to check on the banners. Ah was heading there myself to drop off some of these apples.” “Need a hand?” He asked with a shrug. Applejack blinked in surprise. “Ah can’t ask ya to do-” She was cut off as he wrapped his hands around the handles and picked up the barrel with ease. “You didn’t ask I volunteered.” He said with a small grin. “Besides, letting a lady like yourself work whileI walk and do nothing just doesn’t seem right to me.” The farmer narrowed her eyes on the man. “Are you saying that ah can’t do any heavy lifting?” “Not at all. You seem very capable, I was just helping someone out.” He said with a shrug. The farmer was about to protest but let it go. “Fine, suit yourself.” She said as they started to walk down the path towards the road. “So are you new in town or something?” “Yup just got in this morning.” He said in a flat tone. “Where are ya from?” “All over. I’m a bit of a traveler.” The man’s ear twitched as he heard a whooshing noise. “Hey what’s your name?” “Applejack.” “Right. Ms. Applejack, you’re gonna want to duck in five seconds.” He said as he put the apples down. “Now why would I-” “Duck!” He said as he pushed her out of the way. He looked to his right to see a rainbow stream fly into him at full force. Crimson felt his back hit the dirt and slide on the ground. The man looked up to see an athletic girl wearing a cyan T shirt and matching shorts. “Ugh, my head.” She said as she rubbed the sore spot. She then noticed the red hair’s man shaking his head. “Oops sorry about that.” She said with a guilty grin on her face. Applejack hurried over to her friends side and groaned. “Dang it Rainbow, how many times have ah told ya to watch where you’re going?” She asked in a condescending tone. “Yeah, yeah I know.” She said as she got up. Crimson did the same and started dusting himself off. The two girls gasped as they saw blood coming from the right side of his head. “I am SO sorry.” She said as she gulped. “What?” “You’re bleeding hun.” Applejack said as she looked at his head. Crimson put his right hand to his head and saw that he was bleeding. “Eh, no big deal.” He said with a shrug. “No big deal?” Dash yelled in a panic filled tone. “You’re bleeding like a popped ballon!” “We need to get ya to the hospital and-” The farmer was cut off as the man raised his hand. “Unnecessary.” He said as he held up a hand. He extended his index finger and it glowed a faint red with magical aura. He ran it across the cut mark. The girls looked in amazement as the cut seemed to heal at a rapid rate. “See? Good as new.” “How in the hay did you do that?” Applejack asked. “Magic. I use it for small things like cuts and bruises.” He said with a sigh. The mares’s eyes then locked onto a piece of the torn man’s cloak. “Um dude, your cloak is torn.” Dash said as she pointed to the tear. Crimson looked at his right sleeve and saw the hole. “Eh, I’ll fix it later.” He said with a shrug. “No need for that hun, ah’m sure Rarity would be happy to fix it right up for ya.” Applejack said with a smile. “Rarity?” Crimson asked as he cocked an eyebrow. “She’s the local tailor.” Dash explained. “There’s no need I can-” He was cut off as the athletic girl grabbed him by the wrist and practically pulled the man along. “Look, I feel bad about crashing into you so let at least help you fix up your coat.” She said in a low tone. Crimson let out a groan as the girl pulled him along with the farmer walking along side. “Plus, you seem cool.” “How so?” He asked as he and the farmer cocked their heads at the flyer. “I don’t know, you just have that ‘experienced cool’ look about ya.” She said with a shrug. “How can I put this?” She said to herself as she flew next to them. “It looks like you’ve seen a lot of action and that’s cool. Does that make sense?” “I guess.” He said with a shrug. A silence fell in between the three before Applejack finally spoke up. “Where’d you learn a spell like that?” The blonde hair’d girl asked as she looked at the man. “Just picked it up somewhere in a book.” He said with a shrug. “Well, that’s mighty useful. Ah’m sure Twi will be impressed with that.” Applejack said with a smile. Crimson kept silent as he made his way through town. The group was then approached by a familiar girl with bouncy pink hair. “Hey guys!” She said with a smile. “Sup Pinks?” Dash said with a smile. Pinkie then noticed the red hair’d man standing beside them with an unwavering gaze. “Hey it’s you!” She said with a smile. “The Cake’s told me that you came in this morning looking for Twilight and they sent you to Sweet Apple Acres.” “Yes, do you know where she is?” He asked. “I think she’s still in the middle of town checking on the decorations.” Pinkie said as she tapped her chin with her index finger. The girls were then approached by a beautiful girl with wavy purple hair and very fair skin. “Hello everybody~” She said in a sing song tone. Her sapphire blue eyes then fell on the tall man. “Howdy Rarity.” Applejack said as she tipped her hat to her friend. “Afternoon Applejack, who’s your new friend?” She asked as she looked at Crimson. “I’m-” The man was cut off as the girls eyes shrank as the noticed the large gash in his coat. “What happened to your jacket?” “Um that’s kinda my fault.” Dash said with a guilty grin on her face. “Ah! I should have known!” She said in an accusing tone. “You weren’t watching where you were going were you and you barreled into this poor man didn’t you.” She said as she narrowed her eyes. “Maybe.” She said with a small smile. Rarity rubbed her fore head with two finger and let out an annoyed sigh. “We were actually on our way to see ya about that Rarity.” Applejack interjected. The purple hair’d girl dropped her jaw and let out an audible gasp. “Say no more darling. I shall fix that up for you right away.” She said with gusto. “It’s not necessary. I can just patch it up.” The woman cocked her head and looked at him with a shocked expression on her face. “Patch it up?....Patch it up?” She said as her tone reached new heights. “I simply cannot allow such a unique piece of clothing be subjected to a....patch job.” She said with a shiver of disgust. “It’s no big deal, I can-” He suddenly felt the four girls’s gaze upon him. Oh great, as if one Ivy wasn’t bad enough, now there are four. He thought with a groan. “Lead the way.” He said in a reluctant tone. The fashionista smiled and led the dark cloaked man towards her boutique. “Shoot! Ah still gotta bring these apples to the banquet.” Applejack said as she picked up the basket. “See y’all later.” The farmer said as she walked away from the group of girls. “Ugh! I gotta go clear the skies.” Dash said before taking flight. Pinkie gave her friends a wave before walking back towards back towards the bakery. Crimson was led by the pretty woman into a shop that had several dresses and different types of clothing on mannequins. The girl’s hands glowed and she summoned a needle and thread. “I must say that this cloak is quite fashionable.” Rarity said as she looked over the garment. “Where did you get it?” She asked. “Found it one day in some shop.” He said as he handed her the garment. Rarity looked at the rest of his attire and cocked an eyebrow. Crimson was donning a long sleeve red shirt that reached down to his waist. His pants had a thick layer of dirt. The kind of dirt you get when you’ve been on the road a long time. His boots had several scuff marks on them and the sole was worn down to near nothingness. “Um dear....how long have you had that outfit?” She asked with a gulp. “What day is today?” “Today is Tuesday.” “Oh, then about fourteen months.” The young lady almost fell over in shock. Crimson coked his head and nervously glanced at the seamstress. “You okay Miss?” Crimson asked as he looked at her in surprise. “Are you telling me that you’ve been parading around in this attire for over a year?” She said in shock. “Yeah, why?” A long silence fell over the two. Crimson saw the woman’s right eye twitch. “Unacceptable!” She yelled with the same gusto she used earlier. “I cannot allow this...this...crime of fashion to continue!” “It’s not that bad.” Crimson said in a low tone. “No offense darling, but have you seen the state of these garments?” She asked as she looked over the battle scared cloak. “I will make you a new ensemble post haste!” “Theres no need for that Ms. Rarity.” He said as he held up a hand. “You must let me fix this!” “It’s not-” “You must.” “I don’t need-” “You must.” “I really don’t-” “You must!” The woman said putting extra emphasis on the last ‘st’. Crimson looked back at the seamstress who’s crystal blue eyes seemed to bore holes through him. With a heavy sigh he held his head in defeat. “Alight fine.” Rarity squealed in excitement. “Just don’t make it too....frilly.” He said as he looked at the other creations put on display around the shop. “No worries darling.” She said as she led him over to a changing room. “Just leave everything to me. I promise you that you won’t even recognize it when I’m done.” “That’s what I’m afraid of.” He said in a low mumble. Once he was behind the changing curtain he quickly removed the rest of his clothing and handed it to the seamstress. The sound of a sewing machine filled the room as Rarity started to work. “I’m sorry for rushing you like this, I’m not usually like this.” She said in an apologetic tone. “It’s alright.” He said in a flat tone. “I hear that you guys are having a big celebration soon.” “Oh yes!” Rarity said in a cheery tone. “We have some members from the Academy coming to town!” She said with another giggle. “That’s a big deal?” “Why of course!” She said as she focused her attention to his shirt. “The Academy members are supposed to be some of the strongest fighters in all of Equestria.” She said in a dreamy voice. “I’ve even heard of some of them strong enough to lift a house with strength alone.” “Really?” He said in a low drawn out tone as he rolled his eyes. “Oh yes, I just can’t wait to start my new fashion line after them.” “Fashion line?” He said in a panic filled tone. “I was hoping to get some inspiration from them to start a new line of clothes.” Rarity said with a grin. “I may even get some of them to model for me!” “Good luck with that.” He said as he heard the door to the shop open. Crimson pulled the curtain aside just enough to see out of one eye. To call the girl anything but innocent looking was a crime. She had long pink hair that acted as a type of curtain to hide her fair skinned face and deep teal eyes. A pair of light yellow wings were folded neatly at her back. The wings also matched her butter yellow sundress that went all the way down to her ankles. The girl was holding what appeared to be a white carrying case that was made for small animals. “Good afternoon Fluttershy.” Rarity said with warm smile. “Hello Rarity.” She said in a soft, timid tone. The girl set the carry case on the ground as Rarity handed Crimson his newly mended shirt and pants. The carrier door opened up to reveal a less then amused white fluffy cat. “So I looked at Opal for you and she has a teeny, weenie cold.” “Oh Opal! You poor thing!” Rarity said as she looked at her pet. “She will be alright won’t she?” “She’ll be just fine.” She said as she reached into her pocket and withdrew a small vial of pills. “Just give her these when she eats for three days and she’ll be as good as new.” Fluttershy said as the clock struck six o’clock. “Impeccable timing as alway Fluttershy.” Rarity said as she took the vial and walked over to her cat. “Opal, din din.” The cat’s eyes shrank as she saw the vial and ran into the changing area. “Opal get back here!” Rarity said as she walked over to the curtain. As she approached the curtain opened revealing the clothed red hair’d man holding the white cat in his arm. Fluttershy let out a small ‘eep’ sound and stood behind her friend. “I’m Terribly sorry about this.” She said with a small smile. “It’s alright.” He said as he looked down at the cat who was purring in his arms. “Might be a good time to slip her the pill while she’s in a good mood.” He said as he looked at the bottle of pills. “Good idea.” She said as she uncorked the bottle. Opal’s ears twitched at the sound. The feline then gave a hiss and small swipe at the seamstress’s attempt. Crimson glared into the cat’s eyes for a second. Opal’s eyes shrank and gave a small gulp. The man motioned for the pill bottle. Rarity shrugged and handed him one pill. Crimson used two fingers to gently open the cat’s mouth and drop it down her throat without any trouble from the feline. After the deed was done the man gently put Opal down on the floor. The cat shook her head and looked at the three humans in confusion as if she had no idea what had happened. Crimson then turned his attention to the fashionista and her friend. The two had the same look of shock and surprise strewn across their faces. “How did you do that?” Rarity asked. “I’ve only seen Fluttershy get that close to Opal and come out without a scratch.” “Animals and I have a mutual understanding.” He said with a shrug. The once timid girl then smiled widely and rushed forward. “You like animals?” She asked with wide eyes. “They don’t bother me, so I don’t bother them.” He said in a flat tone. “Oh that’s wonderful!” She said with a smile. “I hope the Academy students are nice to them.” “I don’t know dear.” Rarity said with a sigh. “I’ve heard stories about them taking down Ursa Majors without breaking a sweat.” “I know, but I’ve heard stories that they manages to calm a pack of Manticores down without even casting a spell right before they invaded a town.” She said with a hopeful smile. Crimson shrugged and looked over at his freshly fixed coat. “I managed to patch up what I could and get a few stains out. Oh I really wish I had more time to work on this.” She said with a sigh. “You may get that chance Ms. Rarity.” He said as he slung it over his body and smiled. “Fit’s like new.” “Oh you flatter me dear. Although the coat goes great with your hair.” She said as she examined his dark red bangs. “What dye did you use?” She asked as she started to examine it and pick up a few ends. “This is actually my natural color.” He said in a flat tone. “Really? Well that’s just-” She stopped talking as she gazed into his deep red eyes. They looked as though they were endless pools of red wine and that he wasn’t just looking at her, he was looking through her. The woman gave a small gulp and nodded. “Interesting.” “Something wrong?” “I didn’t know you had red eyes. I’m guessing scarlet.” “Crimson actually.” He said with a shrug. He walked back over to his bag and threw it over his shoulder. He was about to leave when he realized that his silver gantlet was missing. Crimson quickly turned on his heel and walked back over to the seamstress. “Um I hate to be bother Ms. Rarity but-” “Oh please do call me Rarity dear. Miss sounds so.....old.” She said with a shiver. “Sorry, did you happen to see a silver gauntlet with my coat?” Rarity put a finger to her lip and looked around her work table. “Ah ha! Here it is!” She said as she held up the gauntlet. “Might I ask why you have this?” She asked as she slipped her arm through it. “No don’t-” His warning came too late. As Rarity’s slender arm went inside the gauntlet a series of rose vines wrapped around the woman’s body. “What in the name of Equestria?” She said as she fell to the ground. Fluttershy and Crimson immediately ran to her side. As she struggled in her restraints they seemed to grow tighter. “Sorry about this.” He said with a groan. “I should have mentioned that it was enchanted to my touch only.” The man said in a guilty tone. “Yes well, mind getting me out of this thing?” She asked in an aggravated tone. Crimson nodded and held up her slender arm. His hands glowed a faint red color and the vines retracted back into the metal. He quickly slipped the gauntlet off her arm and back onto his own. “Again, sorry about that.” He said with a sigh. “It’s alright dear.” She said as Fluttershy helped her to her feet. “Mind telling me why you need something like that?” She asked as she glared at the gauntlet. Crimson let out a sigh and held up his hand. He flexed his fingers into a fist and a light red blade shot out of the gauntlet. The two girls looked at one another in surprise and glared at the weapon. Rarity put on her glasses and saw that the blade was made of concentrated magic. Crimson let out a sigh and the blade vanished. “Personal defense. Can’t be too careful nowadays with bandits and highway men around.” He said with a small grin. “Very true.” Fluttershy said with a nod. “By the way, what’s your name. If you don’t mind me asking that is. “It’s-” The door suddenly burst open revealing a very excited Rainbow Dash. “Guys!” Goddamn it. Crimson thought as he face palmed. “What is it Rainbow?” Fluttershy asked. “The Academy members are here!” The three girls faces then grew into smiles as they ran out the door. “Yo Red, you coming?” Dash asked as she looked at Crimson. “Sure, why not.” He said as he followed the group of girls towards the train station. Crimson looked up as he saw three men. Two with wings coming from their backs. One had blonde hair and deep blue eyes. He was donning a long handled axe strapped to the back of his jacket. The other had dark brown hair that matched his wings, he had a spiked mace attached to his belt. The third was the biggest of the trio, he had jet black hair that match his black wings and was sporting a jet black wooden staff. Crimson bit his lip and quietly slipped away from the group after he set the barrel of apples down. Pinkie rushed up to the three men and smiled. “Welcome to Ponyville.” She said with a smile. The three men gave a small smirk and grinned at one another. “Happy to help the fine people of.” He took a moment to read the banner over their heads. “Ponyville.” The middle one said with a sly grin. The group of people cheered as the DJ started the music and the three men descended the train station and made their way through the crowd. Crimson ducked behind a building and pulled out a silver pocket watch on a long chain. He ran his magic through it and a small image of the cane wielding man appeared as he opened the watch face. “Crimson, nice to see you.” The image said with a smile. “Is everything alright?” “Yeah, I made it to the town alright.” He said as he checked his corners. “Did you send anyone else after you gave me the job as back up?” “No, why?” “There are three guys here that are passing off as Academy students.” He said in a flat tone. “I need you to send me a few wanted posters, they look familiar.” “I’ll send them within the hour.” He sad with a nod. “Do you want back up?” “Nah, I can handle these chumps if they cause a problem.” He said in a flat tone. “I figured. I’ll send you those forms pronto.” Crimson gave him a sharp nod and closed the watch. Crimson came out from behind the building and started to survey the three strangers from afar. The festivities started out with gusto and the three men started drinking heavily. Crimson kept to the shadows and waited for the reply from Crow. Chapter III: The ImpostorsChapter III The Impostors Across the room Rarity was sitting inside Sugar Cube Corner at a table directly across from the three travelers. Twilight and Rainbow Dash were sitting with Rarity across from the trio of travelers. The pretty seamstress had a look of annoyance strewn across her face. “Something wrong Rarity?” Twilight asked. “Yes, something about these Academy members just rubs me the wrong way.” She said as she bit her lip. “Yeah, I got that feeling too.” Dash said as she looked at the men. “How so?” Twilight asked in confusion. “Well, I just expected....more.” Rarity said with a sigh. “More of what?” “Everything! I mean just look at them!” The two girls cast their gaze on the three men who were sweet talking a few of the other girls from around town. “Just look at how they dress and their behavior!” She said with a scoff. “Well, they’re on the road a lot, so they probably don’t have time to keep themselves looking nice.” Dash said with a shrug. “But I get what you’re saying.” “You do?” The other two girls said in surprise. “Yeah, not in the same way though.” Rainbow then put a finger to her chin and let out a puff of air that blew her messy rainbow bangs up. “Yeah, I mean they should be...I don't know, cooler.” “Cooler?” Twilight asked as she cocked her head. “Like, they don’t seem like anything special. From what you’ve told me Twi, these guys should be as awesome as the Wonderbolts.” She said with a shrug. “These guys just don’t seem like that.” “True.” Rarity said with a groan. “That young man you introduced me to was so much more tolerable.” The seamstress said with a sigh. “Now he is something I could work with.” “What guy?” Twilight asked. “I accidentally crashed into some red haired guy today.” Dash said with a small grin. “He was cool. I mean, I was going pretty fast before I crashed into him and he walked away like it was nothing.” The girl said in amazement. “Really?” “Yeah it’s like, no matter what he see’s nothing is ever gonna move him.” “So he’s like a rock?” Rarity asked. “Yeah like Tom.” Rainbow said as her and Twilight shared a laugh. The seamstress scrunched her nose and blushed. “I though that we agreed to never speak of that again.” “Oh lighten up.” Dash said with a laugh. Something in the back of her mind suddenly clicked. “Ugh! I totally forgot, that guy was actually looking for you Twi.” “Me? Why would he be looking for me?” She asked as the other girls walked up to them. “Who’s looking for who?” Pinkie asked. “Some guy with red hair.” Twilight said with a shrug. The other girls immediately let out an ‘oh’ sound. “You guys know him?” “Darn toot’n.” The farmer said with a smile. “That feller helped me bring a whole barrel of apples down to town. Well, before Rainbow came and crashed into the guy.” Applejack said as she glared at the flyer. “It was an accident!” Dash yelled. “It was a miracle that you didn’t turn him into a pancake.” The farmer said with a sigh. “Yer lucky that he had that healing spell.” “Healing spell?” Twilight asked. “He used some fancy magic to heal a cut he got when Dash crashed into him.” Twilight blinked in surprise. “He used a healing spell?” “Eeyup, fixed himself right up.” “Sounds like an interesting guy. What’s his name?” The group of girls looked at one another. It had just dawned on them that none of them knew the man’s name. “Um, I didn’t get his name.” Applejack said. “Same here.” Dash said. “Neither did I.” Rarity said in a low tone. “Likewise.” Fluttershy said in a timid tone. The group was then cut off as the green haired teenager walked over soaking wet. “Um Spike, why are you dripping wet?” Fluttershy asked as Twilight handed him a few towels and started drying himself off. “Those three guys decided it would be funny if they poured their drinks on me.” He said with a grunt. The six girls looked at one another in shock. Rarity then got to her feet and straightened her blouse. “That is it!” She said in a ‘matter oh fact tone.’ “I can understand their fashion and a little of their raunchy behavior, but pouring drinks on somebody is crossing the line.” She said as she removed her glasses. “What are you going to do?” Fluttershy asked. “I am going to have a word with those three about proper etiquette.” She said before storming off towards the three men. The pretty seamstress walked up to the three men who were laughing as one of them spilled a drink on themselves. Rarity gathered her courage and tapped one of them on the shoulder. “Excuse me, sir?” The mace wielding man looked to his right and let out a whistle. “Well, how can I help you hot stuff?” Rarity stayed her anger and threw on a fake smile. “I was just wondering if you could maybe tone down the antics and be more courteous to your hosts.” The other two then perked up. The burly man looked at the young woman who gulped at his size. “Look missy, we traveled a long way to come and help this little backwater town out.” He said in a rough tone. “So I suggest that you start giving us the appreciation we deserve.” He said as he lightly slapped the seamstress’s behind. Whatever self control Rarity had was lost right then, right there. “Why you beast!” She yelled as she slapped the man clean across the face. The entire room fell silent as the sound of the slap traveled through the room. Rarity was red faced with rage and was panting heavily. A red hand mark could be seen on the man’s face. “That was a bad move missy.” He said as he quickly withdrew his mace and ran a current of blue magic through it. Rarity gulped and backed away. Twilight immediately rushed to her friend’s aid and tried to calm the man down. “Okay everyone, let’s just calm down and-” She was cut off as the stranger used the handle of his mace to slug the librarian in the stomach. Twilight crumpled to the ground and couched heavily before being shoved aside. The crowd let out a gasp of surprise as Rarity stumbled back against a table falling to her knees. She heard the sound of the metal weapon cutting the air and the man standing right behind her. The woman turned around to see the man holding the mace up over her and with a wicked grin strewn across his face. The woman gulped and time seemed to slow as the man brought the mace down. The purple hair’s girl closed her eyes and waited for the pain. The crowd gasped as the woman opened her eyes to see a familiar red hair’s man holding the attackers arm in a vice like grip. “What do you want whelp?” The staff wielder yelled. “Striking an unarmed woman isn’t becoming of a man.” He said as he let go of the mace and followed up with an uppercut that sent the man flying through the window he was standing in front of. The other two men immediately got to their feet. Crimson quickly jumped through the hole and stood up as the mace user got to his feet. “You got some nerve buddy.” The three men then surrounded the man with their weapons drawn. “We’re members from the Academy.” “Really? Here I thought you were the bandits of the stone fox mountains.” The three men instantly gulped as Crimson reached inside his coat and withdrew three wanted posters. Each had the impostors face on. Each with a bit amount under their pictures. “You each have a hefty price on your heads.” The staff user chuckled and stepped forward. “Since you know the truth. We can’t let you walk away just like that.” A crowd had gathered outside the bakery and watched in anticipation. The mace wielder swung at the man who quickly dodged the blow and slammed his right palm into his jaw causing making a loud cracking noise. The large Pegasus dropped to the ground and groaned in pain. The axe holder’s blade glowed and he swung a large magical slice that cut through the air at an alarming speed. Crimson slammed his hand on the ground and a cloud of red smoke covered the man’s body. As the attacker drew closer he saw two bright red horizontal lines shoot out from the smoke. The Pegasus quickly dodged them and return his attention to the hooded stranger. When he turned back around all he saw was a pair of deep red eyes only a few inches away from his face. Crimson gripped the handle of his weapon and slashed it across the attackers chest. The axe wielder felt numbness over take him and fell to the ground. The now terrified lone mage looked at the hooded man. In his right hand was a long black, Scythe with a red edge that was radiating with magical aura. The staff user quickly snapped his fingers and let lose a barrage of bright blue fire balls.The hooded stranger dodged them with ease and closed in on his target. The mage charged what magic he had left into a small ball that was swirling at the base of his palm. “Eat this!” He yelled as he thrust his palm forward and a bright blue beam shot towards the running hooded figure. Crimson took a defensive stance with his blade drawn as the blast came into contact with him. There was bright explosion that seemed to outshine the stars and lights inside the nearby buildings. “Ha! Blew that weakling to bits.” He said as he let out a massive sigh. The crowd let out a gasp at the size of the scorch mark in front of them. “What weakling is that?” The staff user froze. He felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. He slowly turned around to see the red stranger staring at him with his blood red eyes. Before he could react, the scythe’s blade glowed and Crimson slashed the man across the stomach with the weapon. The man felt nothing, he collapsed on the ground in front of him. “Alright nobody move or the broad gets it!”The crowd turned to see the mace wielding Pegasus holding the librarian by the throat. “Let me go!” Twilight yelled as she felt the injury from earlier cripple her stomach. “Can it wench. You and I are going for a little stroll.” He said with a wicked grin n his face. The rainbow hair’d flyer was about to jump into action when the man put the mace to the woman’s throat. “Any of you move and the bitch get’s it.” “You, stranger.” He said as he looked at the red warrior. “Drop that weapon.” Crimson held out his scythe and dropped it on the ground. Fast as lightning, Crimson raised his left hand and the silver gauntlet glowed a magnificent red. “I said-” Was all the thug got out before a solid beam of red magic erupted from the gauntlet and made contact with the man’s face, missing the librarian by mere centimeters. As the man fell back, Twilight felt her legs give out. Before she hit the ground, Twilight felt a pair of strong arms catch her before she hit the cold dirt. Twhe girl opened her eyes to see the red hair’d man holding her in his arms. The librarian felt a small blush creep over her as he sat her on the ground. “Are you okay?” He asked. “Yeah, just a little roughed up.” She said as she clutched her stomach. The man nodded and his hand glowed a faint red as he reached for her abdomen. “Hey! What are you doing?” She asked in a flustered tone. “Relax, it’s a healing spell.” Twilight reluctantly let the man’s hand come into contact with her clothed stomach. The librarian felt a small tingling sensation as the magic seemed to make the large bruise vanish. The five other girls then raced over to the par with looks of astonishment on their faces. “That was so awesome!” Dash yelled like a fan girl. “That was totally cool!” Pinkie yelled in excitement. “I mean those guys were super duper scary and then you come along like, out of nowhere and then you were all like, bam! Zap! Swoosh and-” The waterfall of words was cut off as the farmer put a hand over her mouth. “Are you alright darling?” Rarity asked as she looked at her friend. “I’m fine.” Twilight said with a groan. Applejack walked over to one of the thugs and poked him with the tip of her boot. “Do that again, and I’ll tear that foot right off!” The Pegasus said in a pain filled tone. Applejack immediately jumped back and got into a fighting stance. “These fellers are still kicking and how come ah don’t see any blood?” The group then realized that despite the battle they had just witnessed there wasn’t a single drop of blood spilt on the ground. “What? But I saw that guy slash them!” Dash said as she looked at the man. Crimson chuckled and summoned his blade. “A good swords man only cuts what he wants to cut.” He said as he held up the blade. “You see, my blade cut through magic itself and absorbs it.” The warrior said with a smile. “I didn’t kill them, I only absorbed enough magic through the blade so that they won’t move for a while.” He said as he sheathed the blade. He then faced the crowd and let out a sigh. “Now that that’s done can someone please tell me where Twilight Sparkle is?” The five girls then pointed to the bookworm who was sitting on the ground. “Yeah that’s me.” Twilight said as she slowly stood up. “How can I help you?” Crimson reached int his pocket and withdrew an envelope. Twilight took it from the man and hastily opened it up. A small image of Princess Celestia appeared on the parchment. “Hello Twilight Sparkle.” The image said with a warm smile. “If you are receiving this, then the agent from the Academy has made contact with you.” The six girls’s jaws dropped at the message. “I know not who or how many Headmaster Crow has sent, but I trust his judgement completely. I have also been hearing reports from Trottingham that a group of bandits may be passing through your area. As soon as the agent arrives contact me via mirror portal. Good luck and be careful my faithful student.” With that final word the message vanished in a flash of yellow light. The group of girls looked at the stranger in shock as he gave them a shrug. Applejack walked over and gave him a hardy slap on the back. “Well, shoot. Why didn’t you tell us that you were the agent they sent?” The farmer asked as the group of girls held a skeptical look. “You never asked.” ........... “We didn’t?” Dash said in realization. “Nope, plus I had no idea what these three were up to. For all I knew they could have been some idiots looking for attention or assassins.” He said in a flat tone. “Well, now that that’s out of the way can I ask something?” Twilight said as she looked at the man who gave a nod. “What’s your name?” “Crimson Storm, at your service.” He said a with a nod. “So, who exactly are these ruffians?” Rarity asked as some police men dragged the thugs away. “They’re a group of bandits that have been passing themselves off as guards, bodyguards and just recently Academy members.” He said in a rough tone. “There’s been a bounty on their heads for a while now.” The librarian nodded and looked at the man. “I have to go report to Princess Celestia that you’re here. Thanks again for your help!” She said before going off towards her home. “Well, now that that’s out of the way, let’s party!” Pinkie said with a smile. Crimson held up a hand and let out a sigh. “Sorry, but I’m beat and I have a lot of work to do tomorrow. If you guys need anything then give a shout.” He said before vanishing in a puff of dark red smoke. The girls looked at one another and shrugged as they went back inside. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Twilight raced into the library and walked over to a large mirror. Her right index finger glowed as she tapped the reflective surface of the mirror. The smooth surface rippled and an image of Princess Celestia appeared. “Ah Twilight, I’ve been expecting-” The Princess then notice Twilights disheveled appearance. “My goodness! What happened to you?” “I had a little run in with those bandits you mentioned.” She said with a weak smile. “Don’t worry though, the real Academy agent is here and dealt with the bandits post haste.” “That’s a relief.” Celestia said with a sigh. “How many did they send?” “One.” The Princess looked at her student in surprise. “One?” The librarian gave her a sharp nod. “What is their name?” “Crimson Storm. He’s got shoulder length dark red hair and red eyes.” Celestia’s eyes shrank and a small look of worry was strewn across her face. She quickly replaced it with a small smile and nodded. “Thank you for the update Twilight. Be sure to keep me informed.” The Princess said before the mirror flickered out only leaving the young scholar’s reflection. Chapter IV: AuraChapter IV Aura Crow sat at his desk behind mountains of seemingly endless paperwork. He let out a groan as he dropped the quill and cracked his fingers. “What I’d give to have a paperwork spell.” He said to no one in particular. The door to his office opened to reveal a woman with brown hair that was tied into a bun and had a secretary look about her. The woman was donning a formal white blouse with a light brown skirt that matched her hair and high heels. “Sorry to disturb you sir.” “No problem Hazel. What is it?” “There’s someone here to see you.” She said with a gulp. “Who?” Crow had never seen Hazel so worried before and she had taken down a fifty foot troll single handedly before she became his secretary. “Princess Celestia and Princess Luna.” Ah there it is. He thought as he relaxed his posture. “Send them in and ring for a pot of tea if you would be so kind.” “Right away sir.” She said with a nod and turned on her heel and exited the large office. Crow sat back in his chair and waited for the two royal sisters to enter his office. He turned around in his swivel chair so he faced the window. The door creaked open and the man heard the foot steps of the two royal sisters. He turned around in his chair and smiled. Celestia was wearing a flowing white dress that went down to her ankles. A golden crown sat atop her flowing hair and her wings were neatly tucked at her back. Luna was wearing a dark blue dress that was similar to her sisters and stood a good foot shorter than her. “Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. So good to see you both again.” He said with a warm smile. “You as well Crow.” Celestia said as she and her sister took a seat in front of the man’s mahogany desk. The door opened to reveal a cart carrying a piping hot pot of tea with three cups. “Ah yes, thank you Hazel.” He said with a smile. The brown hair’d woman nodded and left the room. Each of them took a cup of tea and sipped it. “To what do I owe this visit from royalty?” He asked in a calm tone. “I just received word from my student Twilight Sparkle.” She said before taking a sip from her tea. “She has made contact with the one you sent.” “And?” He asked as he cocked an eyebrow. “I’m surprised and a bit concerned that you sent him.” She said in a flat tone. Crow narrowed his eyes on the Princess. “What’s there to be concerned about?” He asked. “You asked for the best and I sent the best.” Celestia stood up and glared at the man. “Don’t play games Crow!” She yelled. “If he loses control then-” “He won’t.” He said in a rough tone. “Sister, I must agree with Headmaster Crow.” Luna said finally piping up. The other two looked at the dark haired girl in surprise. “I read his file and the child is quite strong. He took down that rock troll that was giving Missourneigh issues.” She said as she sipped her tea. “I see no reason for you to be-” She was cut off as Celestia snapped her fingers and a red folder appeared in the palm of her hand. Celestia levitated the file over to her sister. Luna looked at the file in surprise and opened it up. She gave the contents a quick scan. As she looked at the last page her eyes shrank and gave an audible gulp. “I see. That’s why you’re so concerned.” “Precisely.” Celestia said in a flat tone. “I can only imagine if ‘it’ were to get loose again.” Luna said as she made the file vanish. “Still, he is quite powerful and your seal is still working is it not?” She asked as she looked at the green eyed man. Crow let out a sigh and gulped. “For the moment.” He said in a flat tone. The two Princess’s looked at him in confusion. “The seal is starting to deteriorate and ‘it’ can feel it.” “So he should-” “Be out living his life.” The man said as he narrowed his eyes. “You’re letting your personal feelings for Crimson cloud your judgement.” Celestia said. “There’s one thing that you, and almost everyone else who knows about his secret tend to forget.” “What’s that?” Luna asked. “That he’s not some rouge animal that should be locked up in a cage somewhere, hidden away from society.” He said in an agitated tone. “I wasn’t-” “No, that’s exactly what you were saying!” He said as he squeezed his tea cup so hard that it shattered in his hand. “I’ve seen that boy help this country more than the royal guard has in the past decade.” Celestia gritted her teeth at the comment. “Tell me who was it that cleared up that issue in the Crystal Empire six months ago?” The two sisters grunted as they remembered the incident. “Not only did he handle that place’s constant snow storming problem, but he made contact with-” “Enough!” Celestia bellowed. “I see your point and I admit that my feelings about the child are....mixed.” She said in a flat tone. “I will admit, what he did in the empire was extraordinary. Even by my standards.” After those words were exchanged a long silence fell between the three. “So what do we do now?” Crow asked. “I’ll allow his presence in Ponyville.” She said as the man let out a sigh. “However, should something go wrong regarding ‘it’ I’ll hold you personally accountable.” She said in a flat tone. “I will also ask Twilight to keep an eye on him.” “You wouldn’t-” “I won’t tell her about ‘it.’ That I promise you.” She said as she got to her feet. “Good day Headmaster. We must return to the castle.” The goddess said in a flat tone. As she made her way towards the door Crow stood up and glared at the two royal sisters as they left his office. Crow sat back down and grunted as he looked at the shattered tea cup. He waved his fingers and a light green aura started to repair the shattered china. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Crimson woke up to the sight of Celestia’s sun rising over the mountains. He sat up in his bed and gave a long yawn before hopping off the tree branch he was occupying and landing on the dirt path. As he made his way around the edge of town he was approached by the cyan flyer from the day before. “Yo Big Red, what’s up?” She asked with a smile. “Who’s big red?” He asked. “You dummy.” She said as she landed next to him. “What are you doing out here anyway?” “I just got up.” “Dude, we’re in the middle of the park.” She said in a flat tone. “Where’d you sleep?” Crimson then pointed to the tree that he was previously occupying. “You have got to be kidding me!” “What’s wrong with sleeping in a tree?” He asked as he scratched the back of his head. “Nothing, but living in one is a bit crazy for my taste.” The man just shrugged at the comment as he walked towards the park exit. “So do you have a place to stay?” “Not at the moment, but I’ll fix that soon enough.” He said with a yawn. “Wait, what are you doing up so early?” “I always get up early on workdays.” Dash said with a smile. “Gives me time to get some practice in before work.” “Practice?” He said in confusion. “You training for something?” “Yup, I’m gonna be the worlds best Wonderbolt!” She said in a proud tone. “Quite a goal. Some of the best Wonderbolts came from the Academy.” He said as the two reached the small town. “Yeah, Twi mentioned that.” “Both Soarin and Spitfire excelled in areal combat. Nice people too.” The girl then let out a squeak and jumped in front of the man. “You met Soarin and Spitfire?” She asked in anticipation. “Yeah, a few times when they were still in training and a few others when I was on a job and bumped into them.” He said with a shrug. Rainbow was giddy with excitement. “Why are you up so early?” She asked as she calmed down. “I like it early. Gives me a chance to plan out my day and schedule time for practice.” He said as the two entered the bakery shop. “Practice what?” Dash asked. Crimson rolled his eyes and snapped his fingers. A bright light appeared in his hand and took the form of the scythe he used yesterday. “Oh, right.” She said as she face palmed. The man chuckled and made the weapon vanish as they sat down at a table. The two were soon approached by a familiar pink haired girl. “Hey Dashie! Hey Big Red!” “Seriously how does everybody know about that nickname already?” He asked with a groan. “Ponyville is a small town dude. News travels fast.” Dash said with a snicker. Pinkie handed them each a menu and the two started looking at the food. The two were soon joined by the farmer, seamstress, veterinarian, the scholar, along with her young dragon assistant. “Howdy folks.” Applejack said with a smile. “Morning everyone~” Rarity said in a sing song voice. The four girls then noticed the rainbow aviator and the dark haired warrior. “Hello Crimson, how are you this morning?” “Fine. Yourself?” He asked as the girls sat down next to them. Pinkie came back with a note pad in her hand. “So what can I get ya?” “I’ll have a bagel with a cup of coffee.” Crimson said with a smile. “Really? Sure you don’t want an egg?” Pinkie asked. “Egg? I thought this was pastry shop.” He said in confusion. “It is, but we’re also a deli when sweet’s aren’t enough.” She said with a smile. “Alright, in that case then I’ll take two eggs, scrambled.” He said with a nod. “I’ll have the usual Pinks.” Rainbow said as she handed her the menu. “Okie dokie lokie!” She said as she happily skipped away. Crimson cocked an eyebrow and looked at the other girls. “I don’t mean to sound rude, but is she always like that?” He asked as the girls all chuckled. “Yup, that’s just Pinkie being Pinkie.” Twilight said with a smile. “You’ll get used to her.” The librarian said with a smile. The other girls ordered their food and talked amongst one another while Crimson kept silent. “Um....Mr.Storm.” Fluttershy said in a timid tone. “You can just call me Crimson.” “Okay, I was just wondering about kind of animals have you encountered.” The girls then turned their attention to the stranger. “All kinds.” He said as he sat back. “Trolls, goblins, ursa minors, dragons. You name it.” Crimson said as his food arrived. The man took the cup of coffee and poured a little bit of cinnamon in place of the sugar. The group of girls cocked an eyebrow and looked at him in surprise. “What?” “Why are you using cinnamon?” Twilight asked. “Why aren’t I?” He said as he sipped his beverage. The indigo haired girl rolled her eyes and let out a sigh. “One rule I’ve learned while on the road is ‘don’t knock it till you try it.’” The farmer shrugged and did the same to her cup of coffee. The farmer’s eyes shrank and a smile crept across her face. “That there is a good mix! Ah’ll have to try it more often.” She said with a smile. Crimson nodded and then got to his feet. “Where are ya going?” “I gotta set up some wards around town and find a place to stay.” He said as he got out of the booth. “Wait, where did you stay last night?” Rarity asked. “In a tree.” All the girls looked at one another in surprise. Rarity then got up and glared at the man. “Unacceptable!” She said with gusto. “I cannot allow a guest such as yourself sleep in...a treehouse!” “Hey!”Twilight said in aggravation. “Not like your house Twilight. I mean a normal tree.” Rarity clarified. Crimson sighed and turned his attention to the seamstress. “The only reason why I slept in a tree last night was because I was too worn out to go and find a house to stay in.” He said in a flat tone. “Besides, I’ve slept in worse places other than a tree.” He said as he made his way towards the door. As the man left the girls all huddled up and whispered to one another. “He seems nice.” Fluttershy started. “He obviously has seen a lot of the world and is bound to have interesting stories.” Rarity said with a smile. “I don’t know, I’m getting this weird vibe from him.” Twilight said with a shrug. “He’s probably just getting use to things around here.” Applejack said with a smile. “I guess you’re right.” Twilight said as she sipped her coffee. As Crimson made his way to the edges of the small town, his mind drifted back to days gone by. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The red haired child sat out in the stone hallway with his hood up over his head. Hiding his hair and dark red eyes. As he sat alone with his thoughts his mind drifted back to the train incident. The memory sent a sharp shiver down his spine. “Hey!” A shrill voice shook him from the memory. The boy looked to his left and saw a girl about the same age with a pair of light green wings sprouting from her back that matched her long green hair. “Um, hi?” He said with a gulp. “What are you doing here?” “Nothing, just sitting.” He said in a low tone. The girl then sat down next to him and smiled. “I’m Ivy by the way. Ivy Evergreen.” She said as she stuck out her hand. “Crimson Storm.” He said as he shook it. “So are you going to enroll here?” “Yeah, I just took the entrance exam and I’m waiting for the results.” He said in a nervous tone. “You?” “Same. That test was wicked hard!” She said with a groan. “Tell me about it.” Crimson said with a groan. The door that was to the right of the boy opened and the green eyed man motioned for him to enter. “Good luck.” Ivy said with a wave. Crimson nodded and returned the wave as he entered the room. “Already talking to the ladies eh?” Crow said with a snicker. Crimson grunted and followed the man. They stopped in front of a desk with an elderly man with long white hair and dark blue eyes sitting behind it. His robe was the same shade of blue and only made his eyes look deeper. “You are Crimson Storm are you not?” He asked in a gravely tone. “Yes sir.” The boy said with a gulp. The elderly man put on a pair of rectangular shaped glasses and read over the paper that laid in front of him. “How old are you boy?” “I’m eight. Nine next month.” He said with a small grin. The man’s ever piercing gaze didn’t waver. He looked at the child like a snake watching it’s prey. His gaze then drifted from the paper and back to the child. “I just want you to understand that I can’t be held accountable should you sustain injury’s or die while you attend the Academy.” Crimson felt a smile creep across his face. Crow let out a sigh of relief. “Is that clear?” “Crystal sir!” Crimson said with a smile. For once the man sitting behind the desk smiled. “Good.” He said as he spun his chair around to face the window. “Crow will get you settled and you’ll start next week.” He said in a flat tone. “Dismissed.” Crow motioned for the boy to leave. “Crow, a moment.” The dark haired man stopped as Crimson left the room and closed the door behind him. “I know what you’re trying to do.” The elderly man said with a sigh. “Admirable and completely stupid.” “What would you have do then?” Crow shot back. “Let him be alone in the world? That’s not fair to him or his parents. No child should ever have to walk this world alone.” “You and I both sense what lies beneath. Should that thing ever come out, then it will be complete and utter chaos!” The old timer said as he stood up. Crow grunted and made his way out the door. “Should something happen it’s on your head!” “Thanks for the advice dad.” He said with his words dripping in sarcasm as he slammed the door shut behind him. Crow grunted and ran his fingers through his messy black hair. He looked to his right to see Crimson staring out the window looking at the large tower at the West wing of the school. “Something caught your eye?” “That tower.” He said as he pointed up to the large building. “What’s up there?” “Storage. Why?” “Just wondering, I know that the Academy has dorms for student to stay in.” Crow cocked an eyebrow and put the pieces together. “You want to live up there?” Crimson gave a small nod. “Perhaps that can be arranged.” He said with a smile. “Mind if I ask something?” “Sure.” Crimson said as the two walked down the hallway. “Why do you want to live all the way up there? I have a spare bed in my quarters.” He said as he looked at the child. Crimson lowered his head slightly and let out a sigh. “Look, you’re still young and mom told me how people your age need your space.” He said in a flat tone. Crow felt a small wave of panic and embarrasemnt creep over him. “I don’t want to draw attention to myself by staying with a professor.” Crow let out a sigh and nodded. “You don’t want anyone thinking you rode in on your parents coat tails right?” Crimson gave a nod. “I understand.” He said as he put a hand on the boy’s head. “Just remember that if you need anything then I’m here for you.” He said with a smile. “Thanks.” Crimson said as the two walked down the long hallway. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The memories left Crimson as he finished putting up the last ward spell on the outskirts of town. He wiped the sweat from his brow and made his way back towards the small town. He stretched his arms and made his way back down the dirt path. As he passed Sugar Cube Corner he was approached by the Seamstress and Librarian. “Good afternoon Crimson.” Rarity said with a smile. “What do you mean? Do you wish me a good afternoon, or are you saying that it is a good afternoon whether I want it to be or not?” He asked as he looked at the sky. “Pardon?” “Or perhaps you’re saying that you feel good this particular afternoon.” The two girls looked at one another in confusion at the man’s words. “Or are you stating that this is an afternoon to be good on?” Rarity’s right eye twitched slightly trying to come up with a response. “All of them at once I suppose.” She said in a nervous tone. Crimson let out a small chuckle. “Relax Rarity. I’m only kidding.” The two girls let out sigh and looked back at the man. His red eyes taking in everything around the area. “What are you two up to?” “Not much. We were just going out for some lunch.” Twilight said with a smile. Rarity’s eyes narrowed as she spied a small patch of blush on her friend’s cheeks. “Would you care to join us?” Rarity asked. Twilight looked at her friend in surprise and gulped. “I don’t want to intrude.” He said as he scratched the back of his head. “It’s no intrusion at all dear.” She said with a smile. Crimson weighed his options and shrugged. “If it’s not too much trouble then I’ll take you up on your offer.” Rarity clapped her hands together and led the group through the town. The trio found themselves in front of Sugar Cube Corner. The two girls entered the bakery. Crimson’s eyes shrank as his eyes blinked a bright red magical aura as he stepped inside. The lights flickered on and he snapped his fingers summoning his scythe. “SURPRISE!” Crimson looked in shock to see almost twenty people crammed into the tiny shop with smiles on their faces. Crimson relaxed his stance and let out a sigh. Some of the faces turned from happy to shocked as they looked at his weapon. Crimson sheathed the blade and holstered it onto his back. “Sorry if I startled some of you.” He said in a flat tone. “Reflexes.” The man was then approached by the pink party animal. “Well, did we surprise ya?” She asked with a smile. “To say the least, yes.” Pinkie’s smile grew bigger. “There’s just one thing.” The group looked at him in surprise. “What’s all this for?” The entire room was silent. Crimson heard a few snickers coming from some of the ponies. The entire room erupted in laughter as Dash barreled over in a fit of laughter. Crimson narrowed his eyes. “It’s your ‘Welcome to Ponyville Party’ silly.” Pinkie chimed. “I throw everyone one of these whenever they come to Ponyville.” “Yeah dude, what was there to figure out?” Dash said as she wiped the tears from her eyes. “The last time I was given a surprise like this, the entire thing was a trap set up by a group of goblins.” He said as his eyes glowed a bright red. “Since none of you are giving off like one, I doubt that’s the case here.” He said with a shrug. The rainbow flyer gulped and sat back down. He then turned his attention back to the pink girl. “Thank you for the party.” Crimson said with a nod. “Let’s party!” Pinkie yelled. The other people all cheered and started to talk amongst themselves. Crimson walked over to the corner of the room and sat down. The man set his weapon down on the seat and leaned back as he pulled the hood over his head. Twilight motioned to her friends over towards the man. The group nodded and made their way over to the red mage. Crimson picked his head up and moved his weapon aside so the girls could sit. “Why aren’t you enjoying the party?” Twilight asked. “Party’s aren’t really my scene.” He said in a flat tone. “Why not?” Pinkie asked. “I usually don’t have the time.” “What about back at the Academy?” Rarity asked. “I’m not much of a socialite.” He said with a shrug. The girls all looked at one another and let out a sigh. “Hey, mind if I ask you something?” Crimson gave the flyer a nod. “What did you mean when you said, ‘none of you are giving off like a goblin?’” “I scanned your auras and they didn’t look like a goblin’s.” “Aura?” Dash said in confusion. “You do know what aura is right?” Crimson asked. The rainbow haired flyer had a sheepish grin on her face and shrugged. “Ho boy.” He said as he rubbed his head. “How can I put this?” “Aura is the physical manifestation of ones magical energy.” Twilight interjected. “Magical energy is a combination of physical strength and mental awareness. A balance of both is required to perform magic.” She finished with a smile. Crimson looked at the librarian in surprise. “Correct. Aura surround and protects your body from harm.” “Oh like a force field?” Dash said. Crimson rolled his eyes and took one of the knives that was lying in front of him. He held it in his left hand and held the sharp end over his right palm. “What are you-” The flyer was cut off as he slammed the implement down onto his right palm, The girls shrieked in surprise. The hooded figure then held up the blade. The six girls saw that the sharp end was bent in half and his right palm was untouched and glowing a faint red. “That is awesome!” Dash yelled. “So everyone has this 'aura' in them?” Applejack asked. “Yes, mages just have an easier time of manifesting it and changing it into magic. Those thugs that I took care of last night had some aura protecting them.” He said in a relaxed tone. “So how did you beat them then?” Fluttershy asked. “Simple, my aura was just stronger than their’s.” He said as he glanced at his silver gauntlet. “I’ve been meaning to ask you about that thing darling.” Rarity said as she focused on the vambrace. “What exactly is that thing?” “This has saved my skin more times then I can count.” He said as he raised his left arm. He flexed his fingers and a bright red magical blade sprung out from the end. The girls looked in amazement at the gauntlet. “I can manipulate my magic into physical form. Light as a feather, but stronger than dragon scales.” He said in a flat tone. “And it also fires magic bolts?” Twilight asked. “Correct.” He said as the blade vanished. “I can manipulate my aura into several different forms with this gauntlet.” “Where did you get it?” Dash asked. Crimson lowered his head at the question. “It was my mother’s.” The rainbow haired flyer gulped and lowered her head. “Sorry.” “It’s fine. You didn’t know.” He said as he got to his feet. “Where are ya going?” Applejack asked. “I still need to find a house to stay in. Can’t really do that by sitting here.” He said as he made his way towards the door. He was then stopped by an older woman with wavy gray hair. She was wearing a light brown formal jacket with matching high heels and a skirt that went down to her knees. A green tie was wrapped around her neck and a pair of golden rimmed glasses sat atop her nose. “Can I help you?” “Hello, I’m the Mayor of Ponyville and I couldn’t help over hear your need of a house while you’re with us.” She said as she shook his hand. “I’d be more than happy to show you our available residences.” “That’d be splendid. Mayor....what’s your full name?” “My full name is Mayor Mare.” Crimson cocked an eyebrow. “My parents had high expectations of me when I was born and luckily I met those.” “Trust me, I know the feeling of having high expectaions being put on you.” He said as he followed the woman out of the bakery and into the town of Ponyville. The six girls huddled up once again and talked amongst one another. “Wow, he sure knows a lot about magic.” Pinkie said. “Sounds like it. I wonder what else he knows.” Twilight said with a smile. “Looking to spend some one on one time with him Twi?” Dash said as she waggled her eyebrows. Twilight blushed at the comment as she narrowed her eyes. “Not like that!” “Oh don’t be coy dear.” Rarity said with a smirk. “I saw how you were looking at him.” “I don’t know anything about him!” Twilight protested in an angry tone. “Alright simmer down sally.” The farmer said. “We ain’t trying to get a rile out of ya hun.” Applejack said as she put a reassuring hand on her friends shoulder. “He seems like an interesting guy.” “Thank you Applejack.” She said as she stood up. “Now if you’ll excuse me I have a report to write.” With that final word the mage teleported away with a flash of purple light. Applejack looked back at her friends and grinned. “She likes him.” Pinkie chimed. “Oh yeah.” Dash said with a chuckle. Chapter V: The ClubChapter V The Club. Crimson paid the mayor for his new home and filled out the proper paperwork. The man had selected to live in the clock tower at the center of town. It was up and running. Luckily the living quarters had a sound proof enchantment around it so the sounds of the bells were drown out. The living arrangements were simple. One bathroom, a kitchen connected to the living room and a bedroom was at the top and had an incredible view of the town. If it was one thing Crimson loved about the place it was the view. He ascended the staircase and made his way to the balcony. He could see all of Ponyville from his room. The sun was just beginning to rise and he heard a voice coming from below. He looked down towards the door to see Twilight, Rarity and Applejack. “What’s up?” He yelled down to the three girls. The trio looked up in surprise to see the man leaning over the balcony. “We heard that ya just moved in.” AJ hollered. “I’ll be right down.” The three waited patiently for the man to unlock the door. Rarity put her hands on her hips and looked up. Her sapphire eyes shrank to the size of pin tips as she saw the man vault off the balcony and fall towards them. The other girls all shrieked in horror as they saw the man rocketing towards them. Crimson smirked and his gauntlet started to glow a bright red. He raised his left arm and a red beam attached itself to the balcony’s edge. Crimson used his weight to swing around the tower. He landed with a quick summersault and stood up. “What?” He said as the three girls glared at him. “You could have died!” Twilight yelled. “I’ve jumped off higher buildings.” He said as he cracked his neck. He side stepped the seamstress and inserted a key into the door. Crimson held the door open for the three as they made their way inside. Rarity looked around the small living area and gave a weak smile. “Very....interesting.” She said with a gulp. “I’m a man with simple tastes.” He said with a shrug. “There’s simple and then there’s no taste.” Rarity said in a hushed tone. “I heard that.” The fashionista threw on a weak smile and gulped. The red haired man then started to make his way towards the door. “Where are ya going?” Applejack asked. “I need to check on the wards.” He said with a shrug. The girls looked at one another and followed the man out of his barely furnished home. “So Crimson, how long will you be staying in Ponyville?” Twilight asked. “The mission statement said three months. Although that may change.” He said as the librarian matched his pace. “Why would it change?” Applejack asked. “I might get reassigned on some other mission or if time runs out and I need to face the trials.” The girls all looked at one another in confusion. “Trials?” “You see. There are four ranks within the Academy. The beginners are called Scavengers, then Hunters. The next is Rangers, which is what I am. Finally there are Zealots.” He said in an explanatory tone. “Within each rank there are levels of jobs you can take. The jobs are rated E through A. E being the lowest and A being the highest.” “So how do these jobs get ranked?” Rarity asked. “They’re ranked on pay, difficulty and location.” “Location?” Twilight asked. “Yes, we don’t get jobs just from Equestria. We are sometimes we’re put on loan to other kingdoms.” The girls all looked at him in surprise. “A colleague of mine is away in Gryphonia right now.” “What about difficulty?” Applejack asked as they passed Sugar Cube Corner. “Well, it depends on what the job is.” He said as he withdrew his pocket watch. He pressed the button and a small rectangular board with a short description appeared under it. At the top it had the title ‘Ranger’ and the letter ‘B’ next to it. Crimson groaned and face palmed. “That ass hole. He set me up.” “Pardon?” Rarity said. “Sorry for the language.” He said as he gave them an apologetic nod. “Looks like my boss altered the job description.” Crimson as he pointed to the top. “He told me that this was Zealot class. Looks like he just pulled another one over on me.” He said with a groan. “Why would he do that?” “He likes to pull pranks on everyone once in a while. This is the butt end of the joke.” He said as he closed the watch. “Why does it matter?” Rarity asked. “The higher level the job the bigger the pay and the faster you rank up.” He said with a shrug. “After you complete a number of missions at a select difficulty then you’re able to take the trials.” “So these trials are like tests?” Twilight asked. “Exactly. They’re a series of tests that goes over what you’ve accomplished over your years of training at the Academy.” The group of was then approached by a familiar rainbow haired flyer. “Sup guys. What are you guys doing?” She asked with a smile. “Crimson was just telling us about the Academy Ranking system.” Twilight said with a smile. “Sounds boring.” She said with a sigh. The man then felt something vibrate in his pocket. He pulled out his pocket watch and flipped it open. A small map of the town showed up with a blinking dot in the far corner. “What’s that?” “Something tripped one of the wards that I set up.” He said as he focused on the area. “Looks like something came from the Everfree forest.” Crimson said as he took off towards the forest. The group of girls gave chase and followed the red haired man. The man focused his magic into his feet and took off with speed that made the winged flyer’s jaw drop in surprise. The girls looked in shock as they saw a dark red blur take off ahead of them towards the dark forest. The girls caught up to him as they approached the small cottage. The man summoned his scythe and quietly made his way around the house. He looked behind him to see the the five girls looking at him. “What are you guys doing?” “Helping.” Dash said. “This is my mission. Stay back.” He said in a stern tone. As the girls stepped forward he snapped his fingers and a bright red wall appeared in front of the girls. Sealing them off from the man. “Sorry, but I can’t afford you all to mess this up.” Dash banged on the wall and yelled. “That wall is sound proof too.” He said as he stealthily made his way around the cottage. As he peered around the corner he saw a large manticore laying in the middle of the yard. The door to the cottage opened and the man saw the animal caretaker from before. The pink haired girl had a platter with a syringe and a vial of liquid on it. “Okay mister Manticore. Now I need you to hold still.” She said with a smile. The beast groaned and lifted a paw to the smiling woman. Fluttershy smiled and put the needle into the solution and filled the syringe. The woman smiled and gently put the needle into the beast’s paw. The beast growled and the woman patted it’s mane and hummed softly. “Hush now, quiet now.” She said as the beast purred. Crimson watched in amazement as the woman finished the injection and wrapped the paw in a cast. Seeing no danger, the man made his weapon vanish and approached the woman. The girl perked up and smiled at the man. “Oh, hello Crimson. What brings you here?” “I got a notification from the ward I set up that a large animal had breached it.” He said as he looked at the manticore. “What is that thing doing here anyway?” “Oh, well you see.” She started as she got to her feet. “Some of the forest animals come to me whenever they get hurt.” She said with a warm smile. “This manticore got into a fight with some other animal and it’s paw was broken.” She said in a timid tone. “I just gave it a pain killer and set it in a cast for it to heal.” “And this thing won’t try to kill you?” He asked with a skeptic look on his face. The two were then interrupted by a loud banging noise. The two looked over to the side of the house to see the other four girls with cross looks on their faces. “Hey!” Dash yelled. “How did you guys get out?” Crimson asked as they ran up to him. “I managed to crack your ward.” Twilight said in an icy tone. “Really? No one’s ever been able to do that before.” He said in an impressed tone. Twilight fought off a small smile as she focused on the man. “That’s beside the point.” Rarity said with a sigh. “Why did you put us in that thing in the first place?” Crimson crossed his arms and let out a sigh. “Look, I had no idea what was going on here. For all I knew there could have been a hydra attack and you guys would have just gotten in my way.” He said in a stern tone. “It was for your own protection.” “We can handle ourselves just fine!” The farmer yelled. “Then why did you guys need the Academy’s help then?” A long silence fell between the group of girls. They looked at one another and gulped. “Look, I came here to protect this town from the animals that have been acting more aggressive.” He said with a groan. “I can only do that if you all listen to me and let me do my job.” He then reached into his pocket and withdrew a yellow crystal as he turned towards the yellow winged girl. “Just so a false alarm like this doesn’t happen again.” He said as he handed it to the vet. “What is it?” Fluttershy asked as she looked at the crystal. “If the ward gets tripped by some animal that is coming to see you, then just hit it twice and I’ll know that you’re taking care of it.” Fluttershy looked at the crystal and tapped it twice with her finger. The rock blinked at her touch. The girls then saw Crimson’s gauntlet blink yellow twice. The group of girls then crowded around the small crystal. “Thank y-” As she looked up, Fluttershy noticed that the spot the man was once standing in was vacant. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The small red haired child sat in the cafeteria and watched as several other people were talking amongst one another. Crimson ventured out of the room and walked along the corridors in silence. He looked out the window and saw storm clouds staring to move in. The child then felt his body crash into something hard. Crimson fell down on his back and looked up to see a man with dark brown hair and matching brown wings staring down at him. “Watch where you’re going!” “S-sorry.” Crimson said as he stood up. “I don’t want any trouble and-” he was cut off as the man grabbed him by his shirt collar and lifted him off the ground. “You must think you’re something special just cause one of the professors got you in eh?” He said in a rough tone. Crimson felt a small wave of fear creep over him. “Hey put him down!” The two looked to the right to see see a girl with light green hair marching towards the two. “Oh how cute. Your girlfriend has come to your rescue.” The man said with a snicker. Ivy frowned as the man threw the boy to the ground. “Hey back off!” She yelled. “Or what? You’re not even a scavenger.” The man then slapped her across the face. Ivy felt the force from the man’s palm. Crimson immediately got to his feet and slammed his fist into the man’s back. The group heard a loud crack come from the man’s back. The large winged man staggered forward and turned around slowly. Crimson gulped and tried to stand his ground. “That was a bad move.” The winged man said before his fist glowed a faint yellow and collided with the small boy’s chest. Sending him back against the stone wall. A group of other students gasped as they saw the wall crack as the boy’s back collided with the stone. Crimson slowly stood up and groaned as a small bit of blood trickled out of his mouth. Crimson’s vision started to blur as the large man focused his magic into his hands and continued to pound the boy into the wall. Several other students winced as the upperclassman continued to beat the child like a drum, forming new cracks in the wall. The large man then felt the green haired girl latch onto his back and try to choke him. The man gaged for a moment as he felt the girls arm wrap around his neck. The large person then grabbed the girl’s arm and threw her into the side of the wall. The girl slumped to the ground and groaned in pain. The man cracked his knuckles as Crimson stepped between him and the girl. “Back off.” Crimson winced in pain as the words left his lips. The man chuckled and pulled out a large club from his belt. “Too late freak.” He said as he raised the club. Several people gasped as he did. For some reason Crimson felt a growing rage at the words. He stood completely still as the large weapon came racing towards him. The crowd’s jaws dropped as Crimson outstretched his hand and stopped the club from moving all together. “What the-” Was all the man got out before Crimson crushed the weapon in his palm. The crowd then saw what looked like dark red shadows encircled his arms. Crimson then let loose a barrage of punches that made audible cracks come from the man. The winged man instantly backed away and lunged forward. The red energy circled around Crimson’s legs and he vaulted over the man and kicked him in between his wings. The force from the leg sent the man through the stone wall. Crimson panted and walked over to Ivy who was staring at him is disbelief. He helped her to her feet as a large cloud of white smoke moved through the crowd and appeared before the two children. The white vapor then took the form of a silver haired woman donning a white blouse and a purple knee length skirt. Her green eyes pierced through everyone as they gulped. “What in the name of Celestia is going on here?” She said as she looked at the destroyed wall and the injured man. “Who is responsible for this?” She yelled as she looked at the stunned crowd. The group then pointed towards the red haired child who had the green winged girl’s arm over his neck. The woman adjusted her black rimmed rectangular glasses as her eyes flashed white for a moment. Her eyes shrank and then frowned. “I see.” A white phoenix then landed on her shoulder. “Get the nurse and tell her that we have an injured student. The green haired girl then coughed up a small amount of blood. “Make that two.” She said as she started to walk away. “Are you two coming?” Crimson gulped and helped the hobbled girl down the hallway. The crowd broke apart and created a pathway as two women in white coats arrived with a stretcher. As the pair arrived at the medical center Crimson sat still as the medics scanned him with several spells. Ivy had several bandages going across her abdomen. The door burst open to reveal Crow with a worried look on his face. “Are you alright Crimson?” He asked as he walked over to him. “I’m fine.” He said in a flat tone. Ivy looked over and saw the blank look on the boy’s face. She then slowly go to her feet and walked over. “Hey thanks.” She said with a smile. “Forget it.” Crimson said as he got up. “Honestly inside your first month and you start a fight?” Crow said as he shook his head. “It wasn’t him!” Ivy piped up. Crow cocked an eyebrow at the girl. “It was that other guy. He just attacked him when he accidentally bumped into him.” She said as she pointed at the red haired child. “The he used some big club on him.” “Really now?” He said as the stretcher arrived. “Using weapons in an unofficial fight is strictly against Academy rules.” “Buck rules!” The man yelled. “Ah yes, Thunder Kicker.” Crow said as he adjusted his glasses. “Problem child if I ever saw one.” He said with a sigh. “Who are you miss?” He asked. “Ivy Evergreen.” She said with a nod. “Ah yes, you’re Fern’s daughter.” He said with a smile. “Well, thank you for helping Crimson out of a jam.” He said with a smile. “Hey where’d he go?” The man then noticed that the seat that the child occupied was now empty. Crow looked at the empty spot and grinned as an idea came to him. Crimson laid on his bed in the high tower that overlooked the vast forest. He groaned as he turned over on his side and yawned. The door to his room opened to reveal the cane wielding man. “What’s up?” Crimson asked as he sat up in his bed. “Oh nothing. I’m just showing your new roommate to her room.” “Her?” Crimson said as he cocked an eyebrow. Crow stepped aside to reveal the giddy green haired girl from earlier. “This is one of your jokes isn’t it?” He asked. “No joke ma boy.” Crow said as the girl dropped two duffle bags on the opposite bed. “Why do you torture me?” Crimson groaned as he laid back. “Oh come now, you didn’t think that you’d get a view like this all to yourself did you?” Ivy said as she looked outside. “Awesome!” Crow took this opportunity to slowly sneak out of the room. “Play nice kiddies.” He quickly said before closing the door. Crimson face palmed and looked over at Ivy who was smiling at him. Chapter VI: Scarlet and CliffChapter VI Scarlet and Cliff Ivy let out a yawn as she walked out of the cave with barely a scuff mark on her outfit. She looked out to see several towns people looking at her in shock. She put her arms over her head and smiled. “All clear folks.” She said with a grin.The town folk cheered and soon surrounded her. Ivy smiled weakly and felt a small shiver run down her spine. She immediately jumped back into the cave and kicked something with her right foot. The beast roared in anger as it felt the impact. The mob of people immediately stepped back as they saw a Hobbe the size of a small troll come out of the cave and step into the light. “Everyone stand back!” She yelled as she pulled out her two batons and twirled them in her hands. “Alright big guy. Let’s see what you got.” She said with a smirk. The large beast roared and threw a massive fist at the girl. Ivy smirked and easily dodged the massive fist. She then took the two batons in her hands and pointed both ends at the massive creature. The ends then glowed a bright green and a barrage of small green balls shot out the end. The tiny spheres exploded as they made contact with the beast. The large hobbe then staggered backwards and yelled in pain. Before the beast could recover, Ivy slammed the ends together and the newly formed staff started to split apart and turn into a whip. The girl roped the monster’s legs and gave a hard pull. The large Hobbe landed on it’s back and it’a head hit a rock. Stunning it. “Now for the coupe d grace.” Ivy then took the whip and changed it back into a staff form. She heard a satisfying locking noise and smiled. She then took flight and slammed the end on to the monster’s head. The girl heard a loud crack come from the monster’s skull. The beast staggered for a moment and fell forwards. The woman walked up to it and poked it’s nose with the tip of her staff before turning back to the frightened crowd. “Okay, now it’s all clear.” She said with a smile the group cheered and thanked the warrior with a smile on their faces. The large group made their way back towards the small town. Ivy leaned her head back and looked up at the sky. Wonder what Crimson is up to. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Crimson made his way through the quiet streets of Ponyville with a blank expression on his face. He was then approached by the boy that hung out with Twilight. Crimson had noticed several oddities about the child. Including his, long nails, sharp teeth and spliced green eyes. “Hey dude.” “Spike right?” Crimson said with a cocked eyebrow. “Yeah that’s me. So what are you doing?” “Just looking for something to do. I’m so bored.” He said with a groan. “I bet you’re not used to the quiet life yet eh?” “Correct.”He said with a sigh. “I’m a Ranger it’s my job to fight things.” “What have you fought anyway?” Spike asked. “Name it I’ve fought it.” He said in a humdrum tone. “Even....zombies?” “Yup, two years ago while I was guarding a research team in some ruins.” He said with a shrug. Spike’s jaw dropped as he looked at the man. “Everyone got out alright.” Spike twiddled his thumbs and looked up at the man. “Can you keep a secret?” Crimson looked at the small dragon in confusion. “Sure, I guess.” Spike motioned him to lean over so he could whisper. “I have a crush on Rarity.” He said ina hushed tone. “The seamstress?” “Shhh!” “Sorry, but why tell me?” “I figured that since you’ve been around a lot, that you might have some advice for me.” He said with a guilty grin. Crimson thought for a moment and scratched the back of his neck. “Sorry Spike, but you’re asking the wrong guy about that kind of stuff.” The dragon cocked his head in surprise. “I’m about as clueless as you when it comes to girls.” “Seriously?” Crimson rolled his eyes and nodded. “I’m usually too busy working to focus on things like that.” He said in a flat tone. “Sorry.” “It’s fine.” He said with a shrug. “Mind if I ask something?” Crimson said as he looked at the child. “Sure.” “What’s up with your nails and eyes.” Spike then looked at his claw like nails. “I’m half dragon.” He said ina flat tone. “What?” “Long story short Twilight went nuts with one of her spells and it turned me into a human.” He said with a shrug. “Anyway to change you back?” “Nope, it's permanent."Spike shrugged. "It’s fine though. I’m pretty sure I’d freak everyone out if I was a full dragon.” He said with a small chuckle. “So can you breathe fire?” “Yeah, but only a little bit.” “How’d you get stuck with Twilight anyway?” “She had to pass some test and hatching my egg was the test.” “Hatched?” He said as he cocked an eyebrow. “Her magic went nuts and my egg absorbed the magic thereby causing me to hatch.” He said in an explanatory tone. “Twilight took me in and the rest is history.” “Interesting.” Crimson said with a nod. “I’d better get back to the library. See ya around.” He said as he ran off towards the center of town. Once the man was alone with his thoughts he ventured towards the park. He sat down at a lone picnic table and summoned his scythe. Crimson sat down and started to look over the blade and hand grips. The warrior then saw Twilight making her way towards him. She was donning a neat purple blouse and a pair of tan pants that went down to her ankles. “Morning.” He said with a nod. “Same to you.” She said as she sat down across from him. The librarian then noticed the scythe laying on the table. “Um, what are you doing?” “I need to clean Scarlet.” “Who?” He then nodded towards his weapon. “You named your weapon?” The man gave her a stiff nod. “Why?” “It’s bad luck not to name your own creation.” He said as he withdrew a cloth and cleaned the blade. “Wait, you made this?” She said in confusion. “Well, sort of.” He said as he rubbed his head. “I’ve modified her over the years so she’s more versatile, but at the core she’s still the same the first day she found me.” “She found you?” Twilight said as she cocked an eyebrow. “My dad always told me that, ‘the warrior doesn’t pick the weapon, the weapon picks the warrior.’” “So you’ve had that thing for a long time?” He then twisted the staff part of the scythe. “Yeah, our first test is to go out and claim a weapon that we’ll use for the rest of our time at the Academy. Each member has to have a weapon that can be powerful and versatile.” He pulled the end out to reveal a long sharp sword. The blade was jet black and had a menacing sharp edge. “I usually keep her in reaper form though.” “Reaper form?” “The scythe.” He said as he held up the weapon. “The sword I use when I get serious.” He said in a flat tone. “What do you mean?” “The scythe itself is powerful, but it’s a bit slow. If I need speed then I switch to sword form.” He said as he looked at the blade. “What about long range?” Twilight asked now clearly interested. “I either use my gauntlet or I switch her to gun form.” He said as he put the sword back in the scythe part. He then turned the handle counter clockwise twice and a scope popped up on the handle. Twilight looked at the end near the blade to see an opening. Crimson picked the weapon up and pointed it at a nearby tree. His hands glowed for a second before the end glowed and unleashed a salvo of magic. The tree took the hit and a bright red flash filled the scholar’s vision. When she opened her eyes she saw that there was a large holed going straight through the large tree. Her jaw dropped and walked over to inspect it. The hole was precise and felt that it had been burned over. “That tree is toast!” She said in astonishment. “I could have made it gone through the rock too if I wanted too.” He said with a shrug. “I usually stick to close range combat if I can help it.” Twilight then eyed the odd weapon. “How heavy is that thing?” “All together? I’d say about eighty pounds.” He said as he held it with one hand and offered it to the girl. Twilight put both hands on it. As she got a grip Crimson let go and the librarian felt the weight and fell forward as she let go of the ranger’s weapon. The scythe’s blade stuck in the ground and stayed in place. Crimson lunged forward and caught the scholar as she fell. Twilight looked up to see his dark red eyes glaring down at her. Twilight felt a bright blush creep across her face as he stood her up. “You okay?” “Y-yeah, I just wasn’t expecting it to be that heavy.” She said with a gulp. “I could make her lighter, but I like her this way.” “I still don’t see why you call it ‘her.’” Twilight said with a shrug. “A weapon isn’t just a tool it’s an extension of yourself. It reflects your personality and the very essence of who you are.” He said as he holstered the weapon onto his back. “Without her then I’d be dead more times that I can count.” Twilight processed the info and let out a sigh. “I see. Sorry if I caused offense.” “It’s fine. I can see why you don’t understand, since you don’t have one of your own.” The two were then interrupted by a familiar cyan winged flyer. She landed next to the two and smiled. “Hey guys.” “Morning Rainbow.” Twilight said as Crimson nodded. “What are you guys doing out here?” “Crimson was just telling me about his weapon.” Twilight clarified. Dash then threw on a devilish grin. “Sure, that’s totally what you were talking about.” She said in a lewd tone. The two mages looked at one another in confusion before putting the pieces together. Twilight’s face turned bright red and frowned at the flyer. “Real mature Dash!” She yelled. “Oh calm down Twi.” She said with a shrug. “My god, you and Ivy would get along like a house on fire.” Crimson said as he face palmed. “Who’s Ivy?” “She’s one of my partners.” He said with a shrug. “Partners?” Twilight said in a nervous tone. “Every Academy member gets assigned missions remember?” He said as he started to walk with the two girls. “You see, starting out as Scavengers everyone is required to be in a four person squad.” The girls nodded. “When they reach the rank of Ranger, they then have the option of taking jobs on their own. Like I’m doing now.” “So, this Ivy person is on your team?” Dash asked. “Yup, she’s also my roommate.” “So she’s the one who’s taking care of Cliff?” Twilight asked. “Well, right now she’s clearing out a hobbe cave somewhere.” He said with a shrug. “So where are the other two?” Dash asked. “Long story.” He said with a shrug. The trio then started to walk out of the park and back onto the street. “So Crimson, where did you get that thing?” Dash asked as she looked at the scythe. “I made it.” “No way!” “Yup, you see when you start out in the Academy your first assignment is to get a weapon.” He said in an explanatory tone. “So how did you get yours then?” Dash asked. “You see-” Crimson then felt his watch vibrate. He pulled it out and flipped open the lid to see another animal had tripped the ward. “Dash, fly up and see if you can see what’s-” He was cut off as he heard several screams. The trio then took off towards the edge of town. The three stopped as they reached the apple farm. Applejack, Applebloom, a tall man with shoulder length rust colored hair who was carrying an elderly woman in his arms. Crimson ran up to them and nodded. The man then heard a gut churning roar. The group looked up to see an Ursa Minor towering over them. “Applejack is this everyone?” “Y-yeah.” “Good, tell the towns folk to take cover.” He said as he pulled his scythe out from it’s holster. “You’re not gonna fight that thing are you?” Twilight asked. “That’s the plan.” He said as he cracked his neck. “Get going now!” He ordered. Applejack nodded and led her family to safety. Dash and Twilight went off to go warn the town. Crimson let out a sigh and focused on the massive beast in front of him. Crimson lunged forward and swung his scythe. The blade glowed a deep red and several energy slash marks hit the beast. The Ursa roared in anger and set it’s sights on the small red warrior that stood before it. Crimson then saw that the beast swung one of it’s massive paws at the him. The man quickly dodged the attack and fired a few salvo’s from his gauntlet. The blasts hit the beast in the face and the warrior saw that it barely left a scratch. Crimson relaxed and cracked his neck. No choice then. He thought as he let out a sigh and placed his left hand over his face. He didn’t see that the six girls had come back with whatever they could use as a weapon. Twilight’s eyes blinked a light purple color and saw that his dark red aura immediately sky rocketed. Crimson’s eyes had also changed. The whites surrounding the red pupils was now pitch black and the pupils themselves were spliced. Crimson pulled out his scythe and stuck it in the ground. He looked back to see the group standing there with nervous looks on their faces. His hands started to glow and he picked up his weapon. He slammed the blade into the ground and funneled his magic to the blade. Crimson immediately made large slash mark in the ground and sheathed his blade. He put two fingers to his mouth and let out a high pitched whistle. The girls saw the massive slash mark glow bright red and a massive spell circle appear on the ground above the crack. The girls felt the ground shake and saw a bright flash of light. Smoke filled the air. The group opened their eyes and let out a gasp. Standing in front of them was a massive dark red, three headed dog. The beast easily matched the size of the Ursa Minor. On the middle head stood the red haired warrior. His dark red eyes focused on the large bear. The large bear gulped in surprise as it stared into three sets of eyes that had rage in them. “Sick em.” Crimson ordered. The large dog roared and charged at the beast. The Ursa swung it’s massive paw at the dog. It’s target evaded the attack and found an opening. The three dog heads then bit into the bear’s hide. The large dog growled and jumped off the heavily bleeding beast. Crimson jumped off the center dog’s head and landed on the large bear’s chest. The heavily bleeding monster looked at the small red dot in confusion. Crimson frowned and bore holes through the monster. “Leave. Now!” Crimson yelled as the Ursa gulped. “If you think about coming back, then remember that my pet is always hungry.” The man said with a wicked grin as he motioned to the large three headed dog. The bear gave a slow and fear filled nod at the man. “Good boy.” He said as he hoped back onto the large dog’s head. “C’mon boy.” Crimson said as he pointed towards the town. He watched as the Ursa got to it’s paws and slowly limped back towards the Everfree forest. The large dog stopped on the edge of town and looked down at the group of frightened girls. Crimson hoped off his pet’s head and landed with a smile on his face.”What?” “That’s all you can say?” Twilight yelled. “You summoned a Cerberus!” She said as she looked at the massive dog. “Yeah, remember that pet I told you about?” He said as he scratched his head. The group’s jaws dropped. “That thing is Cliff?” Dash yelled. “Yup.” “He’s not gonna try to eat us is he?” Applejack asked. “You honestly think that you’re enough to fill that huge stomach of his?” He asked with a snicker. “Not helping.” The farmer said with a scowl. “Sorry and no. He’s well trained and won’t attack unless I order him to or is provoked.” He said with a smile. Fluttershy slowly flew up to the large dog’s head and started to scratch between the middle head’s ears. The beast let out a sound of approval and it’s tail started to wag. “Oh he’s just the sweetest thing.” She cooed. “He’s a monster!” Twilight yelled. The three heads then lowered to her height and growled. Twilight’s hairs stood on end and gulped. “Yeah, he’s really sensitive.” Crimson said as he looked at the frightened scholar. “Best not to get him pissed.” He said in a flat tone. Crimson snapped his fingers and the large beast vanished in a puff of smoke. “Where did he go?” Fluttershy asked. “I sent him back to the Academy.” He said as he sat on the ground panting. “It takes a lot of magic to summon and keep him here.” He said with a groan. “Takes a lot out of you.” “You okay?” Dash asked. “Yeah, I just need to rest.” He said with a pant. The man got to his feet and staggered forward only to be caught by the strong man. “Least ah can do for saving mah family and farm.” The man said with a grin. “Thanks, who are you?” “This here’s my brother Macintosh.” Applejack said with a smile. “Ah, should’ve guessed.” He said as Mac helped him stand up straight. “I’ll see you guys later.” He said as he started to walk away from the group. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ivy Evergreen laid on her hotel bed and relaxed after a long day of Hobbe killing and yawned. The girl then felt something in her pocket glow and vibrate. She pulled out a small green gem and focused her magic into it. A small image of Crow appeared. “Hello Ivy, how goes the mission?” “Done, just relaxing.” She said with a smile. “Need something?” “I’m redirecting you to Crimson’s location.” “Why?” “I just got a report that he summoned Cliff to deal with an Ursa Minor.” He said in a flat tone. Ivy looked at him in confusion. “He’s losing it Ivy. I need you there to keep him calm especially with ‘it’ around the corner.” “I understand. I’ll leave first thing tomorrow. Should I call Cobalt and Rouge?” “I’ve sent them a message, but it’ll take a while before they are back.” “No problem.” She said with a smile. “I’ll keep him under control.” “Thank you and good luck.” He said before the image vanished. Chapter VII: ColossusChapter VII Colossus Crimson stood in a single file line outside and in front of a vast forest with several other students. He stood up straight as a familiar cane wielding man stepped in front of them. Even though Crimson was family Crow treated him like any other student, which the boy agreed to so he wouldn’t draw attention to himself. “Students!” He barked getting the students’s attention. “Today is the day we see if you’re Academy material.” Everyone buzzed in excitement. The green eyed man then pointed towards the forest. “Within the forest lies a series of ruins. Within them are weapons you will need to complete your stay here.” Crimson nodded in approval. “The forest is teeming with different types of creatures and the ruins themselves have guardians that are ever watchful and will try to stop you.” He said as the crowd grew silent. “I will not lie to you, I cannot promise that all of you will come back alive,” He heard an audible gulp come from the crowd. “and those that do come back, you will not be the same.” He said with a sigh. “We will also assign you all into four man cells upon your return.” Crimson groaned at the thought of being forced to be social. “You have until midnight to claim your weapon and reach the grand hall where we will all be waiting for you. Those who fail will be expelled from the Academy post haste.” Everyone looked at one another and gulped. “Now then. Begin!” He said as his body turned into a flock of crows and flew away. The students looked at one another and immediately took off running towards the structures in the distance. Crimson hastily made his way through the thicket and through a series of bushes. As he came to a clearing he caught his breath and saw a familiar green haired girl land a good hundred feet away from him. Ivy saw the boy and quickly made her way over to him. “Sup roomie?” She asked as she caught her breath. Crimson let out a sigh and gave her a nod. “Could you see the ruins from up there?” He asked as he looked towards the sky. “That is such a good idea!” She said as she flew up and looked around. Back on the ground Crimson face palmed and let out a sigh. “Um, I think I see something over there!” She yelled as she saw an old tower in the distance. “Thanks. Good luck.” He said as he took off running. As he entered the forest he felt the green haired flyer fly up beside him. “Why don’t you play lookout so you can see if there are any monsters up ahead?” “Good idea! See ya!” She said as she zoomed forward. Crimson silently thanked Celestia that the chatty girl was gone and he could focus on reaching the ruins. As he made his way into another clearing he heard a loud rustling sound. As he looked to his right, he saw a blue haired boy with similar colored wings running from what looked like a manticore. The boy then noticed Crimson and flew towards him. “What? Don’t bring that thing here!” He yelled. Across the clearing he then noticed a girl with jet black hair firing a few spells at something behind her. The two boys then saw what looked like an entire pack of Timber wolves follow her. The Manticore the spied the wolves and deviated from it’s path thinking it could get a bigger meal from one human. The winged man then took flight towards the other child. As he was banking left a wind gust knocked Ivy off course and she flew right into the blue haired flyer. The two were sent crashing towards the ground and rammed into the dark haired mage. The three combined trainees then rammed right into Crimson. “Great, gang’s all hear. Now we can all die together.” He said as he pushed the blue flyer off him. “Sorry about that.” Ivy said as she offered her hand to the dark haired girl. The young mage grunted and got up on her own. As the blue flyer got up he noticed that the Manticore had finished with the wolves and set his sights on the four children. “Manticore! Run now talk later!” He said as he took off with the others following close behind. “I saw a cave up ahead. We can hide in there.” Ivy said as she took the lead. The others nodded and followed the green flyer into a cave. The manticore stopped in it’s tracks as it saw the humans run into the cave. The beast roared and ran away post haste. The four looked at one another and let out a sigh of relief. “Well, that worked out pleasantly.” The blue flyer said as he sat down. His hand felt something wet and slimy. “Gross.” He said as he wiped his hands on his pant leg. “Ugh, what is that stench.” The dark haired girl said as she held her nose shut. “No idea. For a cave this place is pretty soaked.” Ivy said as she sat down on a white rock. Crimson and the blue flyer looked around the cave and felt shivers go down their spine. “I’ve got a bad feeling about this.” The dark haired girl said aloud. Crimson slammed his foot down on the cave floor in frustration. The four then felt the entire area shake. “What was that?” Ivy asked. Crimson did it a second time getting the same result. He thought for a moment as a big gust of putrid air came from the back of the cave. “Oh buck! We need to get out of here now!” He yelled. “Why? It’s just a cave.” Ivy said as she cocked her head in confusion. “This is no cave!” He yelled as the group ran out of the cave just in time to see two sets of massive teeth close behind them. The group looked at one another in shock and groaned. “What. The hell. Was that?” The blue flyer said as he panted. “Must have been a mountain dweller.” The dark mage said. “I read that they like to burrow into the bottom of mountains and pose as caves so it can eat animals that venture inside.” She said with a pant. “Didn’t think to mention that sooner?” The blue flyer said. The dark haired girl grunted and charged her hands with a dark purple aura. Crimson then stepped between the two. “Look, guys. We’re all here for the same reason.” He said in a calm tone. “Let’s just agree to work together at least until we get our weapons and pass this thing okay?” The flyer bit his lip and relaxed his stance. The girl’s hands stopped glowing and let out a sigh. “Fine.” The flyer said with a groan. “Deal.” “Since we’re going to be working together we should at least know each other’s names.” Ivy said as she got up. “Ivy Evergreen.” She said with her hand outstretched. “Rouge Nightshade.” The dark haired girl said. “Cobalt Striker.” “Crimson Storm.” He said as he shook their hands. The red haired child then pulled out his pocket watch and looked at the time. “We’ve got seven hours left.” “Then we’d better get a move on.” The mage said as she got to her feet. The four students hastily made their way towards one of the ruins. Five hours past and the full moon was just beginning to rise as the four found one of the ruins. The architecture looked old and decrepit. The four took a moment to rest before venturing into the old ruin. Their stomachs growled in protest. As they reached the top of the temple they saw that the place had been ransacked. “This place is cleaned out!” Cobalt yelled in frustration. “Maybe not.” Crimson said as he felt an odd pulse coming from inside. “There’s something in there.” He said as he walked forward. “How would you know?” Rouge asked in a rough tone. “Look, we only have two hours left and we don’t have time to go to another ruin. This is our last chance.” Ivy said as she walked behind the red mage. The other two groaned and followed them inside. They searched each room and found nothing but dust. As Rouge looked at a wall she found a large crack. She placed her hand over it and focused her magic. “There’s something behind this wall.” She called out as the other three raced over to her. “How do you know?” Crimson asked. “There’s a breeze coming from the other side and I can feel something.” Crimson and the others shrugged and started cracking away at the wall. The group then saw the years of decay and neglect take it’s toll against their strength and crumble away revealing a hallway. “I can’t see anything.” Cobalt said as he looked into utter darkness. Rouge reached into her pocket and withdrew a crystal. She held it in her hands and poured her magic into it. The dark hallway was instantly illuminated by a bright purple light. “Nice.” The blue flyer said as the group ventured down the hallway. The four then came to a large room that was decorated with four statues. One had a sword and shield in front of it and a warrior statue behind it. Another showed a female hooded figure with a bow and arrow laying in front of it. The third showed a woman with a whip in her left hand. The final was without a doubt the most ominous of the set. A hooded figure with a demonic wing sprouting from the left side of it’s back and a normal feathered wing from it’s right. “Dibs on the sword!” Cobalt said as he ran forward. Ivy went over to the whip holding statue and examined it before picking it up out of the statue’s hand. Rouge immediately went over to the bow and felt it’s light weight. Crimson stepped forward before the fallen angel and reached for the scythe. As Crimson picked it up out of it’s hands, the entire room started to shake and crumble away. “What’s happening?” “Booby trap!” Ivy yelled. “No shit Starswirl!” Rouge yelled. The place was falling apart and shifting. The four ran out of the room with their weapons grasped in their hands. As they made their way out of the temple they saw the stone shifting and take a form of a massive warrior. “What is that thing?” Cobalt yelled. “It’s a Colossus!” Rouge yelled. “A what?” Crimson said as he looked at the mage. “An ancient creature that is said to lay waste to entire nations!” “What’s it doing here then?” “Who cares? Run!” Cobalt said as he took flight and flew as fast as he could away from the massive giant. The other three then took off away from the beast. They didn’t dare look back as they heard the giant’s footsteps grow closer. Ivy looked in the distance and could see the silhouette of the school. “Hey I can see the grand hall! We’re-,” She was cut off as she heard a massive crashing noise. Crimson looked up to see the massive stone giant leap over them and in front of their path. “screwed.” She said as the giant landed. Cobalt and Ivy flew up to the two mages and gulped. “What now?” Rouge asked. “We fight it.” Crimson said with a sigh. “Are you nuts? Look at the size of that thing!” Cobalt yelled. “I have an idea. It’s crazy, but it just might work.” Crimson said as he slowly whispered to the group. The three looked at one another in confusion and back at the red haired boy. “That is the worst idea ever, of all time.” Rouge spat out. “Got any other ideas? We’ve only got ten minutes left before midnight!” The three looked at one another and let out a sigh. “This had better work.” Cobalt said as he took flight. Rouge readied her bow and started firing dark magical bolts at the giant. Ivy flew around it’s head like an annoying fly. The giant swatted at the flyer who barely dodged the blow. The giant then set it’s sights on the mage firing the bolts. It raised it’s foot and was bout to step on the mage. Cobalt then raced to her aid and raised his shield. He closed his eyes and waited for the pain. He felt the crushing force meet him. He opened one eye to see that a massive magical barrier protrude from the shield. The blue flyer then summoned whatever strength he had left and forced the beast back. “Ivy now!” Crimson yelled. The green flyer the wrapped her whip around the beast’s foot and pulled. Rouge focused her magic into one last magical arrow and sent it flying into the giant’s chest. The colossus fell backwards on the hill’s incline with it’s neck at the start of the hill. The green flyer then wrapped crimson in her whip’s grip and pulled him up towards the sky. “Are you sure about this?” She asked. “You’re seriously asking that now?” The flyer nodded and threw him towards Cobalt who had his shield ready. As Crimson passed over head he slammed his shield against the boy’s feet. Crimson felt himself launch at an alarming rate. The other watched and he looked like a dark red blur. As he passed the full moon the beast saw the silhouette of the scythe wielder close in on him. The red haired child felt a large amount of strength pour into his hands. He looked in his hand and saw that the blade was glowing a bright red. He gripped the weapon and let loose one slash that cut clean through the stone giant’s neck. As Crimson landed on the hill he saw the head disconnect with the body and fly sky ward. The others flew up to him with Rouge hanging onto Cobalt’s arm as they landed. “That was awesome!” Cobalt said with a smile. “How did you do that?” “No idea.” He said as he looked at his watch. “Gah! We’ve only got two minutes before it’s midnight.” As the words left his lips he felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise and the color drain from his face. He slowly turned around and saw the Colossus’s body stand up and reattach it’s severed head. After a series of cracks it looked down at the four tired out children. “It has been over a millennium since someone has bested me in combat.” It said in a deafening tone. “It can talk?” Ivy said. “You.” He said as he pointed at Crimson. “Red warrior, as a follower of the Colossus’s Code I am now your servant.” Crimson gulped and looked at the three other children in surprise. “O-okay.” He said in an uneasy tone. The Colossus then spread it’s hand out and hovered over the red haired child. A beam of light then enveloped the child and the boy felt a shocking sensation go through him. He looked down at his right arm and saw an odd symbol etched into his skin. “Should you require my assistance then only call and I shall come.” Crimson looked at his watch and gasped at the time. “Hey, what’s your name?” “I have none.” “We’ll figure something out later. How good are you at throwing?” The Colossus picked the four students up and held them in his stone palm. “Cobalt, get that shield ready.” The other three instantly caught on and looked at him in surprise. “This is the second worst idea, ever of all-” Was all rouge got out before the giant threw them towards the school. “Cobalt?” “I know. Hang on!” He said as the students grabbed each other and the flyer activated his shield. The group gulped and held on fro dear life as they heard the sound of breaking glass. Crow sat in the auditorium along side his fellow teachers. The grand hall was filled with several other children who had already gotten their weapons along with upperclassmen who seemed to bored to care. The large clock hanging in the center of the room signaled the final thirty-seconds of the assignment. The green eyed man hung his head low hoping that Crimson was alright. He shot his head up as he heard the sound of crashing glass. He looked behind him to see four students holding onto a rounded shield. As they started to descend Crimson pulled out his weapon and slowed them down by cutting into the concrete floor. The shield skidded and the passengers braced for impact. The four finally stopped moving and slowly got off the shield and staggered forward. The four then shook off the crash and looked to see that everyone in the room was staring at them. Most of them were dumbstruck as to what they just saw. “Um....did we make it?” The blue flyer asked. As they made their way through the walkway several members, both new and old started to laugh and clap for them. Crimson gave a weak smile as the Headmaster stood up and motioned fro them to come closer. As they stood on the stage he looked at their battle tested attire. “What happened to you four out there?” “Sir, I doubt that you’d even believe us.” Ivy said with a sigh. “Judging from what I just saw, I’ll take your word for it.” He said as he looked at the broken stain glass window. “You four just made it with five-seconds to spare.” The four all let out a sigh of relief. “May I see the weapons you have claimed?” Te four nodded and held out their prizes. The elderly man adjusted his glasses and scanned the weapons. His eyes shrank and looked at the four in shock. “These were taken from the Colossus’s tomb.” Several teachers looked at one another in shock and started whispering to one another. “How did you escape him?” “Well, he kinda gave us a lift.” Crimson said as he looked at the large shattered window. “His idea!” Rouge said. “Snitch.” He hissed. The Headmaster was too dumbfounded to even respond to that. “Anyway, you four pass.” He said with a sigh. “You four shall be known as team Horsemen.” The four smiled. “Squad leader is Crimson Storm.” He grumbled in a barely audible tone. The red haired child looked at him in surprise and then back at the other three students who shrugged. “You four must be famished.” He said with a small grin. “Food definitely sounds good right now.” Ivy said with a smile. The headmaster returned their weapons and motioned for them to take a seat. As they did several students started to whisper to one another. After dinner Crimson and Ivy climbed the tower to their room. As they opened the door they saw that there was a pair of bunk beds instead of the two single ones that occupied the room earlier. “What is this?” Ivy said with a groan. The two then heard a familiar voice coming from the balcony. They walked out and saw that Cobalt was looking out. He then spun around and saw the two staring at him. “What are you guys doing in my room?” “Your room? We were here first.” Crimson said in confusion. The door opened again revealing Rogue. “You’ve got to be kidding me.” She said with a groan. “Look guys, I’m way to tired to argue right now.” Crimson said with a yawn. “We’ll talk about this tomorrow.” He said before laying down on the lower bunk on the right. The other three soon followed his example and collapsed on their own beds. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Downstairs Crow sat in the Headmaster’s office with a scowl on his face. The elderly man was pacing, looking for where to begin. “Of all the places he could have ended up it had to be there!” “It was a twist of fate.” He said with a groan. “To think that the demon child-” “He has a name.” Crimson said as he narrowed his eyes. “Like it matters. Point is he has that thing is dangerous! He beat a Colossus that has stayed dormant for over one thousand years and if their rules still apply then the child is now in control of him.” He said as he sat down. “Did you tell him that that was there?” “Do you honestly think that I’d endanger my godson like that?” Crow said as he grunted. “You tell me. He did kill your squad mates.” Crow bolted up and bore holed through the man’s eyes. “That wasn’t him!” Crow yelled. “It may has well have been.” Crow was now becoming infuriated at the man. “I made a promise to Orion and Rose that I’d look after him and that’s what I intend to do, with or without your help.” He said in a stern tone. “Should ‘it’ get loose. Celestia save us.” The elderly man said as he sat down. “Tea?” He asked as he gave him a cup. Outside the door a bandaged, brown winged warrior smirked as he finished listening to the conversation. Author's Note Before you guys get all bent out of shape let me just clarrify a few things. 1. Yes, the weapons are based on the four horsemen of the apocalypse. 2. I know that the red rider, War is supposed to have a sword but I switched them around a bit. Sue me for trying to be creative. Chapter VIII: Not so Light ReadingChapter VIII Not So Light Reading Crying. The sound of crying filled the man’s ears as he walked through a snow storm. The sound wasn’t coming from the red haired man who was freezing with every step in the snowbank. As he stumbled forward he could hear the cries getting louder. He could make out the shape of a girl with white hair sitting in the middle of the storm sobbing as she buried her head in her knees. “Hello?” He called out. No response came from the girl. A sudden gust of ice filled wind struck the man. The shards of ice felt like he was being impaled by thousands of spears. He pressed forward and fought through the pain. As he forced his way against the wind. He could see the girl’s figure. She looked only a year younger than him and her eyes were icy blue. “It...hurts.” She said as she held her head. “The voice.” She said with tears streaming down her face. Crimson felt the wind increase and the shards form giant icicles. “Take it easy.” He said as he gulped. “I’m not gonna hurt you.” “Lies!” She yelled as she sent an icicle hurtling towards the man. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Crimson’s eyes snapped open and woke up covered in a cold sweat. He walked over to his bathroom and splashed cold water in his face. He ran a wet hand through his hair and panted heavily. As he looked up in the mirror he grunted at the reflection. The reflection showed the same face only with snow white skin and the whites of it’s eyes were pitch black. Crimson grunted and slammed his hand into the mirror causing it to shatter. He grunted as he looked at his bleeding hand which started to heal rapidly. He sat back down on his bed and stared at the ceiling. What’s happening to me? His thoughts were put aside as he heard a knock on the door. Crimson quickly made his way downstairs. He opened the door to see Twilight with a smile on her face. “Morning.” He said with a nod. Twilight was about to respond, but found that her brain functions had stopped as she looked at the man’s well toned upper body. A few scars, as expected by the young scholar were scattered across his chest. Twilight felt her face flare up and gulped. The man also blushed at his predicament. “Um, hang on a sec.” Crimson quickly closed the door, grabbed a nearby shirt and threw it on his body. The man put a hand to his mouth and checked his breath. Crimson stopped what he was doing and had a confused look on his face. Why am I checking my breath? He shrugged off the thought and returned to the student who smiled. “Sorry about that. I just woke up.” “I didn’t wake you did I?” She said in a panic filled tone. Dear Celestia, why am I so nervous? “No, I was just dozing.” He said with a yawn. “So what’s up?” “I was just wondering if I could ask you about the Academy.” She said with a smile. “Sure, I need some breakfast anyway.” He said as he grabbed his coat and closed the door behind him. The two walked through the town’s dirt road and walked into Sugar Cube Corner. The two sat down in a booth across from one another and looked at their menu’s. “So what do you want to know?” “How big is the library there?” “You know the Canterlot Royal Library?” The girl nodded. “About twice as big as that.” Twilight’s eyes widened and a large smile spread across her face. The two were then approached by a woman with light pink hair and wearing a cyan apron. “Morning Mrs. Cake.” Twilight said. “Oh good morning to you too dear. What can I get you today?” She asked as she removed the pencil from behind her ear and a pad from her pocket. “I’ll have two sunny side up eggs with a cup of hot tea.” The woman finished writing the order down and faced Crimson. “I’ll have two scrambled eggs with a cup of coffee.” He said as he handed the woman the menu. “Alright I’ll have those out in just a few minutes.” She said as she walked away with a smile on her face. Twilight then turned her attention back to the red haired man. “Do you have any books on Star Swirl the Bearded?” “Hundreds.” He said with a shrug. “He was the first Headmaster of the Academy.” Twilight’s jaw dropped. “I never heard of that.” She said in a surprised tone. “Not surprising.” He said as their drinks arrived. “I think that he was Headmaster for only five years before he died.” He said as he sipped his drink. “Why did he start the Academy anyway?” She asked as their food arrived. “After the whole Nightmare moon fiasco a thousand years ago,” He said after swallowing a fork full of eggs. “Starswirl and Celestia knew that they would need something to handle problems so the royal guard can focus on securing Equestria’s borders and the capital city. An ace in the hole if you will.” Crimson said before taking another mouthful. “Have you had to deal with anything like that since Nightmare Moon?” Crimson thought for a moment. The man gritted his teeth as he thought back to the ‘incident.’ “No, Nightmare moon was a once in millennium ordeal.” He said in a flat tone. “Hopefully something like that won’t happen again.” He said as the other girls walked into the shop and sat down next to them. “Hey girls.” Twilight said with a smile. “What are you two up to?” Rarity asked. “Crimson was just telling me about the formation of the Academy.” Twilight said with smile. “That sounds interesting.” The designer said with a smile. Dash then perked up. “Hey I was chatting with my folks about you Academy guys and they said something about an attack fifteen years ago.” The flyer said as she snapped her fingers. Crimson gulped and sipped his coffee. “Now that you mention it, I do recall hearing about some sort of incident that occurred there.” Rarity said in a refined tone. “I think it had something to do with a monster.” She said as she put her finger to her lips. “Eh doesn’t sound so bad.” Dash said with a shrug. Crimson gripped his coffee mug in frustration. “It was only one monster and-” “Just shut up Dash!” Crimson yelled as the cup shattered under the pressure from the man’s palm. The group of girls looked at him in shock. The man grabbed a few napkins and cleaned up the spilt coffee. Afterwards he threw some bits on the table and made his way out the door. As they went after him Pinkie’s hair started to twitch. “Twitchy hair!” She yelled. Crimson looked back at the girls who all dove for cover. “Why are you-” He was cut off as bright green blur slammed into the red haired man. Crimson felt the impact and made a crater where he landed. The group of girls looked in shock. Crimson groaned and looked up to see a familiar green haired flyer shaking her head. “Ugh, sorry about...Crimson!” She yelled as she picked him up by the collar and gave him a bone crushing hug. Crimson felt his bones creaking. “If I were anyone else, my spine would be dust Ivy.” He said as she let him go. Crimson brushed himself off and looked at the green girl with a cocked eyebrow. “Crow?” He asked as he cocked an eyebrow. “Yup. Figured you could use some backup.” She said with a smile. “What is going on here?” Twilight said as she and the other girls hurried up to him. The girls looked in surprise as their eyes fell upon a stunningly beautiful girl with light green hair, eyes and wings. Her lean physique could match Rainbow Dash’s, combined with the upper body strength of Applejack, Rarity’s looks and Pinkie’s happy attitude. “Ladies,” He said as he gestured to the flyer. “This is Ivy Evergreen, one of my squad mates.” He said as she smiled and gave them a wave. “Hi, nice to meet ya.” She said in a happy tone. The girls gave her a smile. “Ivy, this is Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash.” She looked at the group of friend with a raised eyebrow. “Aren’t they-” “Yup.” Rarity then stepped forward. “Um, pardon me.” She said with a weak grin. “I know you just got here, but why is your hair green?” Ivy then narrowed her eyes and Crimson gulped. “Why?” She asked in a challenging tone. “Well, it’s just that green is the wor-” She was cut off as Crimson stepped beside her and covered her mouth with his hand. “She was just wondering if it was natural or not.” He said in a nervous tone. “Rarity here is quite the designer and she probably wants to make you a dress so that it matches your natural appearance.” Ivy’s expression then shifted back to her usual happy self. “Oh, well that’s very kind of you and yes it is natural.” She said with a smile. Crimson let out a sigh of relief. “So where are you held up anyways?” Crimson pointed to the clock tower. “Figured. See ya later.” She said before taking off. “Mph!” The dress maker said through the man’s fingers. “Sorry Rarity.” He said as he let her go. “Why in the name of Celestia did you just do that?” She asked with a frown. “Look, Ivy is one of the nicest girls you’ll ever meet. She’d give you the shirt off her back even if she didn’t know you.” He said with a sigh. “However, if there’s one thing you never make a comment about, it’s her hair.” “How bad could it be?” Dash asked. “Dash, she will literally snap you over her knee like a dry twig.” Crimson said in a flat tone. “The last person that dissed her hair ended up in a full body cast for nine months.” The girls all gulped at the man’s words. “So long as you don’t get her angry then everything will be fine.” He said with a nod. “I gotta go get Ivy settled. I’ll see you all later.” He said before running off after the green flyer. Dash walked up next to the young scholar and put a hand on her shoulder. “Tough break Twi.” “What are you talking about?” She asked in a nervous tone. “Did you not see his roommate? Even I have to say that she looked good.” Dash said with a shrug. Twilight gulped and felt a blush creep over her. “Wh-why should I-” “Oh don’t be coy dear, we know that you like him.” Rarity said with a smirk. Twilight tried to hide her blush, but found it futile. “I do not!” She yelled as she blushed brightly. The girls had a smug grin on their faces. As the group dispersed Twilight spied a piece of folded paper on the ground. She flattened it out and saw that it was a picture of a woman with dark red hair, a man with jet black hair and red eyes. She then saw that the woman was holding a small child with short red hair. She folded the picture back up and headed back towards town. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Crimson opened the door to his temporary home and showed the green flyer in. The girl immediately started to look around the home and smiled. “Awesome! It’s gonna be just like old times!” She said with a wide grin. Crimson closed the door and glared at the flyer. “Okay Ivy, out with it.” He said in a serious tone. “Why did Crow send you?” “I told you as-” “Backup? Yeah right.” Crimson groaned. “He just happens to send you when ‘it’ is only a few days away?” Ivy lowered her head and let out a sigh. “Fine.” She said in a defeated tone. “Crow knows that you used Cliff to deal with an Ursa Minor.” “So he sends you to babysit me?” He yelled. “He’s worried about you! I’m worried, hell everyone is worried!” She yelled. “I know what happened last year and-” “Enough!” He yelled. “It’s my burden and I’ll deal with it however I damn well want to!” “Do you even hear yourself?” She argued back. “We both know that the seal is weakening and that your anger is only making it easier to come lose!” Crimson groaned and sat down on the couch. Ivy held her head and sat down next to him. The flyer put a wing around him and rested her head against his shoulder. “I’m sorry Crimson, I-” “No, you’re right.” He said with a sigh. “I can feel him, cawing to get out and it’s getting harder and harder to block him out.” He said as he held his head in his palms. “Crow also sent Cobalt and Rouge a message.” “Looks like the gang’s getting back together.” He said with a chuckle. The man then reached into his cloak and started feeling around. Crimson’e eye shrank as he checked his pockets. “Oh no.” “What?” “No no, no!” He yelled. “What’s wrong?” “The photo, it’s gone!” The flyer gulped and got to her feet. “Did you leave it here?” Crimson looked at her with an, ‘are you kidding me’ expression on his face. “Sorry, had to ask.” “Maybe when you crashed into me it knocked it out.” “That is,” She started out in an accusing tone. “possible.” She said in a low tone. The two immediately bolted towards the door. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Twilight walked into her library with the photo in hand. “Spike? Spike?” She called out. “What?” He asked as he came down stairs. “I need you to get the identification spell book.” She asked as she pulled out the photo she had found. The child quickly ran over to book shelf and removed a book with a brown leather cover. “Here it is.” He said as he put it on the book on the table. “What do you need it for?” “I need to identify some people from a photo.” She said as she opened the book and found the spell. Spike shrugged and went back upstairs to his room. Twilight’s hands glowed and waved them over the photo. The photo glowed and a small box over the dark haired man showed up with some lettering beside the picture. Orion Comet Status: Deceased. Age of Death: Twenty-nine Former Occupation: Professor of Magical History at The Academy. Awarded Celestial Cross posthumously. Twilight gulped at the information. She then scanned the woman. Rosario Vermillion Status: Deceased Age of Death: Twenty-eight. Former Occupation: Professor of Demonology at The Academy. Awarded Celestial Cross posthumously. The scholar then ran her hand over the small child. Crimson Storm. Status: Alive. Age: Twenty-Three. All intelligence: Classified. Twilight looked at the information and cocked her head in confusion. “Doing some light reading?” The young woman snapped her head up to see the red haired man standing in the doorway with a blank look on his face. Twilight was frozen as she looked down at the photo and back to the man. Crimson gently took it off the table and put it back in his coat pocket without saying a word. As the man turned to leave he felt a pair of arms wrap around him and pull him into a tight hug. Crimson felt the woman’s head lean against the back of his neck. He felt the tears come from the scholar. “I’m so sorry.” She said with a sniffle. “You were only eight when you lost them.” “Yeah.” He said in a flat tone. “What happened?” “They went out on a mission. Didn’t come back.” He said in a flat tone. Twilight let him go and looked into his dark red eyes. “How-..No, I shouldn’t ask.” She said with a gulp. “The demon attack fifteen years ago.” He said with a sigh. “We lost a lot of good people that day.” He said with shrug. “I remember hearing reports from my brother. It was one of his first assignments.” She said with a gulp. “Did he-” “No, he’s fine.” She tried to say in a cheery tone. “You don’t have to feel bad for me Twilight. It happened a long time ago. I’m over it.” Crimson said in a flat tone. As he turned to leave Twilight rushed forward again. This time she tripped over her own foot and fell into the man. As she yelped Crimson turned and was pushed down to the ground. Crimson opened his eyes to see a pair of purple pupils looking at him. Twilight’s face turned bright red. Crimson could feel the scholar’s breath on his face. Crimson gulped and felt his face turn as red as his hair. The two looked up to see the door open to see the cyan flyer. “Hey Twi, I-” Dash was cut off as she saw her friend on top of the red warrior. Rainbow snickered before bursting out in pure laughter. “Wow, Twilight and people say that I move fast.” She said as she rolled on the ground in a fit of laughter. Twilight grunted and bore holed through the rainbow haired comedian. “This isn’t what it looks like!” Twilight yelled. “Sorry Twilight, but I can’t take your word for it with you like that.” She said as she looked at their position. Twilight’s blush grew redder and quickly got off the man, who pulled his hood up to hide his blush. “It was an accident. I just tripped and fell on him.” Twilight protested. “Sure, I totally believe you.” She said in a sarcastic tone. The young scholar had had enough and her hands glowed. A bright purple beam made a dark storm cloud appeared behind the girl. A large lightning bolt then discharged from the cloud and shocked the flyer. “Ow! Jeez Twi, lighten up.” She said as she rubbed the sore spot. “Did you need something Dash?” Crimson asked as he looked at he flyer. “Pinkie’s planning a party for Ivy. You two coming?” “Yeah, we’ll be right there.” Crimson said as he walked passed Dash and ventured out into the town. Dash threw a smug grin as she looked at the scholar who put the book away. “So, what were you two doing before I walked in?” “I was using an identification spell on a photo I found.” She said with a sigh. “Turns out that the photo belongs to Crimson.” “Really? What was it of?” She asked. “It was a photo of himself and his late parents.” She said in a low tone. Dash gulped. “Apparently they both died in that demon attack you labeled as ‘not such a big deal.’” Twilight said as the flyer hung her head in shame. “Awe man.” She said before taking flight and charged out of the door. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A few hours later Crimson and Ivy were walking through the evening street streets of the small town in silence. Ivy let out a sigh and looked at the red haired man. “Hey, did you find the photo?” “Yeah, Twilight found it and ran an identification spell on it.” He said in a flat tone. “How much does she know?” “Only that they’re dead and were apart of the Academy.” He sighed. “Apparently, I’m ‘classified.’” “Can you blame them?” “Of course not.” Crimson said as he looked at his friend. “They don’t want just anyone knowing about my....condition.” “Where are we going anyway?” She asked as she looked at the passing buildings. “Just going to duck into the bakery for some coffee.” He said with a shrug. The green haired flyer followed him inside. The interior was pitch black. The lights suddenly turned on revealing several people with smiles on their faces. “Surprise!” The group yelled. “What is this?” Ivy asked as she looked at Crimson. “Pinkie has this thing where she throws a party for every new person that comes to town.” He said with a shrug. “Oh, that’s cool.” She said with a smile. The two were then approached by a familiar pink haired girl. “Were ya surprised?” “Yeah, looks awesome!” The flyer said with a smile. The party was in full swing when the green flyer sat down next to her friend. The other six girls then made their way over to the pair of warriors. “Sup?” “Not much. How are you liking the party?” Dash asked. “It’s great. Feels nice to unwind after clearing out a Hobbe cave.” The girls looked at her in shock. “How’d that go by the way?” Crimson asked. “Alright, only took me about twelve hours. The I had to deal with some monster hobbe.” She said with a shrug. “Monster hobbe?” Dash asked. “Yeah. It was as big a s a small troll.” “So like twelve feet tall?” “Yeah, never knew they got that tall.” “They don’t.” Fluttershy said. “The biggest Hobbe I’ve ever seen was almost three feet tall.” The group looked at one another in surprise. “So what could make a hobbe grow that big?” Dash asked. “I don’t know could have something to do with-” Ivy was cut off as Crimson shot her a stern look. “Possibly the strange animal activity.” She said with a whistle. Applejack glared at the flyer and cocked an eyebrow. “Well, it’s been a long day and I’m bushed.” “Right, we have a long day ahead of us tomorrow.” Crimson said as he got up and followed the green haired girl out of the bakery. Applejack watched them leave and turned back to the group of girls. “Those two are up to something.” The farmer said. “What are you talking about?” Dash asked. “They know something and they’re not telling us what it is.” She said in a hushed tone. “Yeah, those two are a bit mysterious.” Rarity said. “Look guys, I know they seem a little odd.” Twilight interjected. “But they’re here to help.” “Easy for you to say Twilight, since you have the hot’s for Red.” Dash said. The scholar’s face turned bright red. “I told you that I’m not into him!” She said in a flustered tone. “That scene at the library that I walked in on begs to differ.” Dash said with a smug grin. The rest of the girls looked at the scholar in confusion. “That was total accident!” She yelled as her hair started to smolder. Rarity gulped and put a hand on her shoulder trying to calm her down. The girl let out a sigh and vanished in a flash of purple light. The librarian appeared back in her home and made her way over to her kitchen. As she opened one of the cabinets she groaned. Ugh, out of herbal tea. Looks like I need to pay a visit to Zecora tomorrow. She thought to herself. Her mind drifted back to the exchange she had with the red haired warrior. She blushed at the memory and shook her head. He’s a warrior and won’t be here forever. All the more reason to make a move. Shut up. She argued. I don’t know anything about him. Only one way to find out. He’s probably in a relationship with Ivy. What do I do then? Fight her for him? Be serious. I’ll think of something. You are me. Exactly my point. The librarian groaned and decided to go up to her room and lie down. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Across town, Crimson laid in his bed and stared up at the ceiling. His gaze then drifted towards the window. He looked at the sky and sighed. “It’s gonna rain tomorrow.” He said to himself. “Seems appropriate.” The man got back into his bed and laid down to sleep. Ivy woke up on the couch she was lying on and made her way upstairs into the living quarters. She saw the red haired man grunting in his sleep and saw a single tear form in his closed eye. The flyer felt pity for the man. Despite his rough exterior, Ivy still saw the same frightened child she had seen curled up in the corner of their room, shaking in fear. Ivy laid down beside the man and wrapped him in a comforting hug. Chapter IX: Tears in the RainChapter IX Tears in the Rain Crimson made his rounds through the small town with his head held low. Rainbow Dash who was resting on a tree branch. She spied the red haired man, she gathered her courage and flew down to him. “Hey Red.” She said as she landed next to him. Crimson didn’t even bother to look at the flyer as he walked by her. Dash blinked twice and flew next to him again. “Look, I know that you’re probably mad at me for what I said yesterday.” She said as she scratched her head. “I’m sorry, I was out of line when I said that.” Crimson picked his head up and looked at the flyer. “Oh hey Dash, when did you get here?” Dash’s right eye twitched and was about to unload on him when she looked closer at his eyes. The calm and collected glare she had come to know was replaced of one that was hollow and almost sad. “N-nothing. I’ll catch you later Red.” She said before taking off. Crimson shrugged it off and continued to make his rounds around the small town. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Twilight sat at her desk in her library with a book in hand. The door then opened to reveal the pretty seamstress with a smile on her face. “Good morning Twilight.” She said with a smile. “Hey Rarity, what’s up?” “Nothing much. I just came by to have a friendly chat.” She said with a coy smile. “About?” Twilight asked as she put the book down and looked at her friend. “Rainbow mentioned what she walked in on yesterday.” She said with a small giggle. Twilight blushed and grunted. “It was a fluke! I accidentally tripped and fell on him.” Twilight grunted. “I know that.” She said as she rolled her eyes. “I know full well that Rainbow jumps to conclusions,” She with a smile. “but that doesn’t change the fact that you’re infatuated with our red guest.” “I don’t know.” Twilight said as she hung her head. “I’ll say that he’s caught my attention, but for all I know he’s dating Ivy.” She said with a sigh. “I mean come on you saw her, she’s gorgeous. Why would he go for someone like me when-” “Now that is quite enough of that!” Rarity said as she got up from her seat. “I will admit that Ivy is rather attractive from the male perspective, but I refuse to let one of my best friends talk about herself in such a manner.” The designer then grabbed her friend by the arm and started to pull the scholar by the arm. “Rarity?” Twilight said as she was pulled towards the door. “What are you doing?” “We’re going to go clear this up right now.” She said as she pulled her friend towards the clock tower. As the two reached the front door Rainbow Dash landed beside them. “Hey guys, what are you two doing here?” “We’re just here to clear up a few things concerning Ivy and Crimson.” Rarity answered. Rainbow smirked and looked at Twilight. “Seeing if Red’s available eh?” Twilight grunted and was about to protest when she saw the apple farmer, pastry chef and the yellow winged veterinarian making their way towards them. Twilight then noticed that Pinkie’s hair was straight and tinted darker than usual. “You okay Pinkie?” “Yeah, I think so.” “You sure? You seem kinda down.” “Yeah, for some reason I feel really sad.” She said as she hung her head. “I was fine until I saw Crimson.” The group picked their heads up at this. “Did he pick on you?” Fluttershy asked. “No, I said hi, but he didn’t even gesture back. Now I feel weird.” She said in confusion. “Ah saw him earlier today and he didn’t seem like himself.” The farmer said with a shrug. “Yeah, even when I tried to apologize to him, it was like he didn’t even see me or something.” The group looked at one another in shock. “Regardless, Ivy may have a sense of what’s going on.” Rarity said as she knocked on the door. The group waited a few minutes until the door opened to reveal the green haired flyer. Ivy rubbed her eyes and let out a yawn. “Hey guys, what’s up?” She asked. “Mind if we come inside?” They green mage nodded and held the door open for the group. The girls all sat down at the table and looked at the flyer. “So what’s up?” Rarity then took the floor. “We were just wondering if you and Crimson were together?” “Yeah.” Twilight felt her heart being crushed. “I mean, we’ve been together since our team was formed.” “No, I mean together as a couple.” Ivy’s right eyelid twitched. The flyer chuckled before falling out of her seat in a fit of laughter. “Oh my ribs!” She yelled as she continued to roll on the floor in a fit of laughter. After taking a few deep breaths and wiping the tears of laughter that had formed in her eyes, Ivy got back in her seat. “No, we’re not like that.” She said with a smile. “Crimson is more like my brother than anything else.” Twilight let out a small sigh of relief. “Why?” She asked as she smirked. “One of you have the hots for him?” “Well,-” “It’s Twilight.” Dash said as she pointed to the scholar. Twilight snapped her fingers and changed the cyan flyer’s hair snow white. “Gah!” “Dash, keep your mouth shut or it’ll be the wings next.” Twilight said as she glared at the flyer. She snapped her fingers and Dash’s hair returned to it’s normal seven colored spectrum. “I figured as much.” Ivy said with a grin. “It was written all over your face last night at the party.” The scholar blushed and held her head low. “Is that all you wanted to talk about?” The flyer asked. “No, there’s something else.” Dash said. “Crimson is acting weird and we were wondering if you knew why.” Ivy cocked an eyebrow at the words. “Define weird.” “Well, I tried to apologize to him today and-” “Apologize?” “Yeah, he told us about the demon attack yesterday and I said that it wasn’t a big deal and-” Was all the flyer got out before Ivy rammed the cyan winged girl up against the wall with her forearm to her throat. “You said what?” Dash gulped as she stared into the once cool green eyes that were now filled with rage. Ivy clenched her right hand into a fist and started to glow with bright green magic. “Start talking. Now!” She yelled as she clenched her fist harder, making her knuckles crack. “Okay, I said that it wasn’t a big deal.” Ivy pulled her arm back and was getting ready to punch the girl’s face in. “Then I heard that his folks died in the attack and I felt really, really bad about it so I went to apologize to him today.” Ivy slammed her fist just beside the flyer’s head. The woman gulped and saw a large hole in the stonework that was the size of a large watermelon. “You have the worst timing ever, of all time for apologies Dash.” She said as she let the girl go and walked back over to the table where the other girls looked at her in shock. “Don’t you people know what today is?” “Tuesday?” Pinkie said with a gulp. “It’s the sixteenth anniversary of the demon attack.” She said in a flat tone. The group all gulped at the words. “So today is-” “Yeah, it’s the day his parents died.” She said in a low tone. “Along with several others, including my dad.” The group fell silent. “Ivy, we didn’t-” “It’s fine.” She said as she put up a hand. “It’s not an uncommon back round amongst Academy members.” “Huh?” Dash asked as she rejoined the group. “Most of the Academy members are orphans.” She said in a calm tone. The group of girls fell silent at her words. “R-really?” Fluttershy said with a gulp. Ivy gave her a nod. “Even though the incident was so long ago we all feel it. Crimson feels it more than anyone.” She said as she hung her head. “He blames himself for his parent’s death.” “Why?” Twilight asked. “They died protecting him.” She said with a sigh. “He’s always blamed himself and feels responsible.” "So why is Pinkie sad?" AJ asked as she looked at her friend. Ivy glared at the pastry chef and perked up. "Pinkie has sensor type aura." She said in surprise. "Sensor type?" Pinkie asked as she cocked her head. "Have you ever known when someone was watching you without looking at them or sense that something was about to-" "Oh, you mean my Pinkie sense!" "Call it whatever you want, but your aura let's you know when certain things are about to happen." Ivy said as she sat back. "People with sensor aura are extremely affected by emotions. Not just your own, but other people's as well." The girls nodded. "Since you spoke to Crimson today, some of his sadness must have rubbed off on you." The girls all let out a collective 'oh' sound. "So Crimson is giving off sad emotions like a light house and Pinkie can sense them?" Dash asked. "In a practacle sense, yes." Ivy said with a shrug. "He always get's like this around this time." “What exactly happened?” Twilight asked as she held back tears. Ivy let out a sigh and walked over to the stove. “Might as well put some tea on. This is gonna take a while.” She said with a sigh. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Crimson made his way to the edge of town and into the dark forest. After following the pathway, he stumbled upon a clearing with a crystal blue pond in the center. He sat down on a nearby rock and hung his head. He heard a low growl coming from his right. He looked to see a manticore glaring at him with murder in it’s eyes. “Piss off, I’m not in the mood.” He said as he looked at the pool. The manticore roared and charged at the man. As it leapt to land a blow at the man. It then felt something large and sharp in it’s mouth. It looked to see the man holding a large scythe with the blade end pointing towards the beast’s mouth. Crimson focused his magic and let loose a large blast from the end of the weapon. The beast was sent flying back against a nearby tree and groaned in pain. The manticore looked at the man again and saw that he had an ominous energy around him. “I said, scram.” The beast grunted and limped away from the man as he laid his weapon beside him. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ivy poured them each a cup and let out a sigh. The group was silent and a layer of tension filled the room. “Okay, I might as well start at the beginning.” Ivy said as she put her cup down. “Crimson’s parents were members of the Academy. Strong as hell. They were on the same team as the current Headmaster, Crow Blackbird.” “I’ve heard of him.” Twilight said. “He’s one of the council of nine right?” “Council of nine?” Rarity asked. “Okay, there's a group of mages that keep all of the magic users in check and make sure that they’re following the rules of magic.” Ivy explained. “Our Headmaster Crow, has the seventh seat out of the nine. The higher the rank, the stronger the mage.” “So he’s pretty strong?” Dash said. “I heard that he managed to go toe to toe with Celestia once.” Twilight gulped. “That was a long time ago though.” “So what happens if someone isn’t following the rules?” Applejack asked. “Every one of the nine is in charge of a school. They would send students out to deal with the threat.” The girls looked at her in surprise. “It’s what we train for, to protect Equestria.” “So like the royal guard?” Pinkie asked. “No, we operate on our own and the nine aren’t under Celestia’s orders either. We’re an independent force, which is why we take on missions. To get funding for the school.” “Why don’t you work for Celestia?” Twilight asked. “Mostly due to the fact that she’s our biggest threat.” She said in a calm tone as she sipped her tea. The girls all looked at one another in shock. “You can’t deny that Celestia is powerful.” “Well yeah, but she’d never-” “That’s what they said about Princess Luna and look what happened a thousand years ago.” She said as she glared at the girls. “Celestia was afraid of what would happen if she ever lost control like that, so she allows the Council to do as they wish. We’re the 'ace in the hole' in case she goes nuts.” She said with a sigh. “We’re getting off topic, back to Crimson. Where was I?” She asked a she scratched her chin “You were about to tell us about his mom.” Twilight said with a sigh. “Right, his mom was a Professor of Demonology.” “Demonology?” Dash asked. “She’s skilled when it comes to fighting and sealing away demons.” “Sealing them?” Applejack asked. “Demons are immortal. You can’t kill something that’s already dead.” She said with a sigh. “You can only imprison them.” She said as she sipped her tea. “That’s what she did, with Crow’s help.” “So where did they seal it?” Dash asked. Ivy gulped at the question. “Sorry girls, it’s classified. We can’t have everyone knowing where one of the most dangerous monsters are.” “Why?” “Because then we’d be constantly getting attacked from people trying to steal it and possibly destroy Equestria.” She said with a sigh. “You said ‘one of the most.’” Twilight said. “Are there more?” “Yeah, there’s a few.” She said with a shrug. “What would you use to seal them?” “Coffins, tea pots, crystals, anything with an enchantment.” “What about people?” Dash asked. Ivy glared at the flyer. “We’re done talking.” She said in a flat tone. Ivy got up and walked towards the door. “Why?” Dash protested. “Drop it before I rip your wings off and ram them where the sun doesn’t shine.” She said as she glared at the flyer. Dash gulped and shut her mouth. The group all got up and made their way back towards their homes. It was pouring rain outside and lightning cracked in the sky. Twilight snapped her fingers and a forcefield of purple magic covered her body. As she made her way towards the library she saw a red hooded figure walking towards her. Crimson was soaked from head to toe and kept his head held low. “Crimson?” Twilight asked with a gulp. The man paid her no mind. Twilight then stepped in front of the man’s path. A flash of lightning struck in the distance illuminating the two. Twilight could see through his dark hood and saw the tears almost fully concealed by the rain. The man grunted and side stepped her only to be caught by her arms. The woman held him tightly and cried into his already soaking wet cloak. “Ivy, she told us about your parents.” The man narrowed his eyes. “I’m so sorry.” “Not your fault.” “Not yours either.” She answered back. “That’s debatable.” He said in a low tone. “It’s not! It was a freak accident and-” Crimson glared at her as he broke the hug. His gaze was like two spikes sticking into her. “What makes you think you know anything about it huh?” He bellowed. “You don’t know what it’s like to lose something that special to you!” Twilight gulped. “If they hadn’t brought me along...If I hadn’t begged them to take me with them...Things would have turned out differently.” He said as he held his head in shame. “Crimson I-” “Just don’t.” He said as he held up a hand. “I don’t want your pity.” The man said as he walked past her. Twilight stood frozen, facing away from the man. When she turned around to try to stop him, all she saw was the pouring rain. She held her arms as her own tears mixed with the rain. The scholar slowly made her way back to the library with her head held low. Crimson stormed into his temporary home to see Ivy lighting a fire in the fireplace with her magic. Crimson glared at her as she made eye contact. Ivy gulped at the dirty look. “Look Crimson, they just wanted to know and-” “Did you tell them about ‘it?’” He asked in an emotionless tone. “No, I didn’t.” She said as she hung her head. “Good.” He said as he walked past her. Ivy stood up and glared at him. “Crimson!” She bellowed. “That attitude may work on everyone else,” She said with tears forming in her eyes. “but don’t think for a second that it’ll work on me.” She said as she glared at the man. “The only reason I told them was because they were worried about you.” “Why? It’s none of their concern.” He said in a flat tone. “They’re your friends, or at least want to be.” She argued. “Something like me doesn’t-” Was all he got out before the woman slammed him across the face. “Finish that sentence and I’ll put you through the wall.” She said in an uneasy tone. “You’ve been through a lot. That goes without saying, but that doesn’t give you the right to talk about yourself like you’re some sort of monster!” “The thing in me begs to differ.” His eyes were devoid of all emotion and his tone was like ice. What I did-” “It wasn’t you.” She argued. “That thing just got loose and-” “Who’s fault is that?” Ivy tried to answer, but found no argument. “That’s what I thought.” He said before side stepping the girl and making his way up to his room. Ivy pulled at her hair in frustration. She looked at the fire and threw a bright green fire ball into it put of frustration. Crimson walked over to his bed and pulled out the gem from before. He ran his magic through it. A small image of Crow appeared on the gem. “Ah Crimson, how are you doing?” “I’ve found an odd power flux coming from the nearby forest.” He said in a flat tone. “Power flux?” “Yes, I think that it’s what’s causing the animal disturbances for the town.” “Interesting.” The image said as it folded it’s hands. “I’ll send Cobalt and Rouge to your-” “Unnecessary. I’ll take care of this.” He said in a flat tone. Crow frowned and glared at the man. “Crimson, you are not, I repeat, are not to move in until-” “Sorry sir, you’re breaking up.” “Crimson! If you-” The connection ended as Crimson cut off the magical flow and put the gem back in his coat pocket. Ivy sat down stairs tending the fire when she felt her own gem glow and whistle. She pulled it out and looked to see the small image of the man. “Ivy, we have a problem.” “What’s up?” “I just talked with Crimson and he says that he found an odd power reading coming from the forest. He mention it to you?” “No.” She said in a low tone. “How bad is it?” “Worse than ever.” She said with a sigh. “He’s still blaming himself, no matter what I say it’s not reaching him.” Crow held his head low. “Ever since he found out about what happened, he hasn’t been the same.” He said as he waved his hands. Ivy looked to her left to see an old box appear beside her. “If worse comes to worse, then use this on him.” Ivy opened the box and her eyes shrank. “You can’t be serious!” “Wish I weren’t.” He said in a low tone. “Good luck and I hope that you don’t have to use it.” He said with a sigh. “Keep a close eye on him.” “Will do sir.” She said as the connection was terminated. Ivy sighed and looked at the box. She gulped and hid the item away before lying down on the couch to sleep. Chapter X: Into DarknessChapter X Into Darkness It was early morning when Crimson left his home. The man managed to sneak out without waking the green flyer. As he made his way past the library, the door opened revealing the librarian donning a light purple blouse and long dark pants. Crimson let out a sigh and walked up to her. Twilight felt a wave of sadness and guilt creep over her. “Crimson I-” “No need to apologize. I was out of line yesterday. Sorry.” He said in a flat tone. “N-no it wasn’t your fault and-” “Yes, it was. End of story.” He said as he continued to make his way towards the forest. “Where are you going?” She asked as she walked next to him. “There are some old ruins that are giving off a strange energy.” He said as he pointed to the forest. “I think that it might be connected to your animal problem.” “Is that possible?” “It’s only a hunch, but worth looking into. Sooner I get this mission done, sooner I can get to the next.” Twilight felt her heart sink a little. “Hold up, I’m coming with you.” “No, you’ll only get in my-” The woman then stuck her index finger in the center of his chest and bore holes through him with her dark purple eyes. “I’m going. End of story.” She said in a stern tone. “I’ve been to the ruins you’re talking about. I know the quickest way to get there.” She said in a matter-of-fact tone. Crimson narrowed his eyes and let out a sigh. “Fine, but if I say run then you run and don’t look back.” He said in a serious tone. “Got it?” “Crimson, I’ve gone toe to toe with Nightmare Moon, sealed Discord in stone and helped save an empire.” She said in a flat tone. “I can handle this.” “Fine, just try to keep up.” He said as he hastily made his way towards the forest with The scholar following close behind him. The two entered the forest and made their way towards the ruins. Something in the bushes rustled and Twilight immediately squealed and hid behind the red haired man. Crimson looked over at the bush and saw a small rabbit hop out and look at them before scampering away. The man looked at the scholar who was blushing in embarrassment. “You sure you beat Nightmare Moon?” Twilight then gave him dirty look as she blushed. “It just surprised me.” She said as she scrunched her nose. Crimson chuckled at the spectacle and continued to march forward. The two then came upon a deep ravine with a rickety wooden bridge spanning the gap. “Is this a good idea?” “Seriously asking that now?” He said as he looked at her. “If you want to turn back, then nows your chance.” Twilight deadpanned at him. “Fine, suit yourself.” He said as he slowly made his way across the bridge. The wooden planks creaked as they stepped on them. “Is this safe?” “We’re going into a seemingly abandoned castle that once housed Nightmare Moon. One of the most dangerous people to ever walk the face of Equestria. You’re gonna start analyzing now?” He said in a dead panned expression. The two heard the rope snap and held on. Crimson grabbed Twilight around the waist and aimed his gauntlet at a nearby rock. “What are you doing?” “Trust me?” “No!” “Too bad.” He said as he let go of the feeble rope bridge and swung. The scholar was clinging to him for dear life. She felt the wind whip at her hair. She then felt them rising. The two swung up on the ledge and landed with a hard thump. “See? Nothing to worry about.” He said with a smile. Twilight was panting heavily and was trying to regain her composure. “Yeah, but how are we going to get back?” “I’ll think of something.” He said in a calm tone. The man then turned his attention to the dark castle in front of him. “Now comes the real problem.” Twilight gulped and walked up next to him. “There’s something in there. Something that’s trying to get out.” “Like a monster or something?” “Could be. Regardless, I’ll deal with it.” He said as the two walked up the stone steps. “You’ve faced monsters before?” The librarian asked in a nervous tone. “Yeah.” Crimson said as he frowned. “Are you scared of them?” “No," Crimson said in a bone chilling tone "they’re scared of me.” He said as the two walked through the broken archway. They had just passed the point of no return. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “Crimson! You are so dead!” Ivy yelled as she flew through the sky at an alarming speed. She then saw a bright Rainbow blur fly up next to her. “Hey Ivy, what’s up?” She asked. “Not now Dash, I need to find Crimson and then I’m gonna beat him to a red stain.” She said as she cracked her knuckles. “Why?” “He went ahead without me!” “Ahead where?” She asked as she stopped in front of the flyer. “Crimson found some weird power source in the forest and went to investigate.” She said as the two landed. “We were supposed to wait for back up, but he’s so stubborn!” “Where is this power source?” “I don’t know. He said something about old ruins and-” “Oh! I know where that is!” Ivy looked at Dash in surprise. “You do?” “Well, sort of. Twilight would know. We can go ask her.” The two took flight and rocketed towards the library. The two then saw Applejack and Rarity enter. The two flyers shrugged and made their way inside to see the small dragon hybrid sitting at a desk. “Hey Spike do you know where Twilight is?” Dash asked. “As I just finished telling AJ and Rarity, I saw her head out with Crimson this morning.” He said as Rarity and Applejack giggled. “Looks like Twilight finally got the nerve and-” “Oh shit. That’s not good.” Ivy said. “Why not? Maybe they went fora picnic or-” “They didn’t go on a date Rarity.” Ivy said in a dry tone. “Crimson went to go investigate some old ruins in the forest and it sounds like Twilight tagged along.” “Ruins? The only ruin that’s in there is the old castle where we beat Nightmare moon.” Applejack answered. “Well, you all know where I’ll be.” Ivy said as she tarted to walk out of the building only to be stopped by Dash. “Hold up there girl. We’re coming with you.” “Why?” “Twi’s a friend of ours, so is Crimson. We ain’t gonna let em get trapped in that place.” The farmer said. “We also happen to know the way there.” Rarity said. Ivy grunted and weighed her options. “Fine, just don’t fall behind.” She said with a sigh. The group then spent the next ten minutes getting Pinkie an Fluttershy together. The group then neared the entrance to the forest. Ivy took a moment and looked back at the group. “Okay, if you want to back out now then this is the time. I have no idea what we’ll find in there.” “We know.” Dash said as she rolled her eyes. Applejack took the lead and started leading the group down the pathway. “Hey Ivy something’s been bugging me.” “What’s up?” “How are you able to use magic?” She asked. “I mean, I know that people with wings can fly and control the weather, but I’ve never seen one use magic like mages can.” “That all?” The girl then pulled out her whip. “This help me focus my aura into spells. I can use a few complex spells, but I usually use it to increase my strength and speed.” She said as she showed them her fingerless brown gloves. The gloves stretched past her wrist and went up to her mid fore arm. “These also help.” “So what kind of spells can you use?” Rarity asked. “Mostly fire spells.” She said as her hands were enveloped in bright green flames. “See that rock?” She said as she pointed to a boulder the size of Fluttershy’s cottage. The group nodded. Ivy extinguished her flames and cracked her knuckles as she walked up to it. When she was a foot in front of the boulder, she brought her right hand back and punched the large rock. The group looked in shock as they saw the large rock crack and break apart from the girl’s strength. “Works like a charm.” She said with a smile. The group of girls all gulped in disbelief. “That’s just the tip of the iceberg.” She said with a grin. “How so?” Rarity asked. “You guys have seen Cliff right?” “How could we not see something that big?” Dash said. “Why?” “Let’s just say that Crimson isn’t the only one with a pet.” She said with a grin. The girls all gulped and continued to make their way towards the old castle. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Twilight followed the red haired man who had a torch in his hand. The two made their way down a dark hallway. Twilight stayed right behind the man and kept close to him. Once in a while she would ‘accidentally’ walk a little too fast and collide with the man’s back. As they stepped out of the hallway, the scholar felt the stone slab under her left foot sink a little. Crimson’s eyes shrank and grabbed the girl as he hit the floor. The woman heard a loud slashing sound and looked up to see a large axe stuck in the spot where she would have been standing. “Booby traps. Must be getting close.” He said as he got to his feet. Crimson offered his hand to the scholar who gladly took it. Twilight blushed as he helped her up. The scholar cleared her throat and continued to follow the man down the hallway, being extra careful where they stepped. After dodging a few more traps that consisted of flaming arrows, spiked pit traps and the occasional giant boulder the two made their way into a large round room. Crimson looked around the room and saw that it was filled with different chests and a few jewels scattered around the room. The two then heard a series of crashes. Twilight jumped in surprise into Crimson’s arms. The two looked in surprise to see Pinkie, Dash, AJ and the rest of the group come from the other entrance completely out of breath and looked like they had just been trampled by a herd of horses. “Okay, we do NOT go back that way.” Ivy said as she sat down. The flyer then saw the other two mages looking at them in surprise. “Are we interrupting something?” She asked with a smug grin on her face. Twilight then noticed that she was still in the man’s arms. She blushed violently and quickly got to her own feet. “How the hell did you guys get here?” Crimson asked. “Well, after we saw that the bridge was out we went around back and found another entrance.” Dash said. “Turns out that it was booby trapped so we ran like hell and here we are.” She said as she got up. “You took them with you?” He asked as he looked at Ivy. “They’re stubborn and wouldn’t let me go if I didn’t take them.” Crimson frowned. “What? You took her.” She said as she pointed at Twilight. “Touche.” He said with a sigh. “Okay everyone listen up.” He said catching the group’s attention. “There’s an odd power signature coming from the bottom of the palace. We work our way down and hopefully find a way out.” The group nodded. “If there’s fighting to be done then leave it to Ivy and me.” “We can help out.” Dash said. “No, just find some cover and wait till it’s safe to come out.” Crimson said. “You’ll only get in our way and we can’t protect you all the time.” He said as he walked off down the path way. The group sighed and followed the man with Ivy brining up the rear. The group continued to make their way through the old ruins. Crimson kept his eyes forward, staring into the barely lit hallway. He stopped moving as they came to a large hallway. Hundreds of rows of stone pillars stood before them. “Wow.” Dash said as she echoed. “What is this place? Store room?” Applejack asked. “Maybe a mine?” Pinkie said with a shrug. “This is no mine.” Crimson said as he looked at the inscriptions on the stones. “It’s a tomb.” He said with a gulp. The group all looked at one another and gulped. “Stay together and keep quiet.” He said as he withdrew his weapon. The group kept quiet and slowly made their way through the old structure. “Ivy, you feel that?” “Yeah.” She said as she pulled out her whip. The group stopped moving and looked around to only see darkness. Crimson then spun around and slashed at the darkness. The group heard a high pitched squeal come from the shadows. Ivy changed the whip into her baton form and shot a bright green flame towards the ceiling. The green light illuminated the hallway. Crimson’s eyes shrank as he saw hundreds of small shadowy figures clinging to the ceiling. Their bright green eyes staring down at them. “Shadow Goblins.” Ivy said with a gulp. The group stood back to back. The creatures started to move and surround the group. “Got any ideas boss?” Ivy asked as she looked at the red haired man. “One, I saw the exit on the far side of the room.” He said as he pointed straight ahead of him to show a large archway. “I’ll make a path, when that happens run to it.” “What about-” “I’ll be right behind you.” He said as he held up his weapon. He removed the slim sword from the scythe and gripped it in his right hand as he took the scythe in his left. “Get ready!” The man then vanished in a flash of dark red light. Twilight squinted and saw a few flashes of red light. The room was then illuminated by a massive line being cut through the goblins that were in front of the scholar. “Now!” Crimson yelled. The group immediately ran as fast as they could towards the exit. As one of the goblins launched itself at the farmer it was met with a blast of red energy and was sent rocketing back into the crowd. Ivy used her batons to provide some cover fire fro the group as they made it to the archway. As the last of them made it through Crimson grabbed one of the creatures and a bright red orb appeared in his hand. Crimson rammed the ball into the goblin’s stomach and threw him back into the horde. As he passed through the arch way he motioned for everyone to take cover. The group held their heads and ducked as they heard and felt a massive explosion come from the large hallway. The floor shook and the group saw a massive bright red light incinerating the goblins. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Out in Ponyville, a tall man with dark blue hair and light blue wings, donning a white long sleeve shirt with a dark blue vest and pair of dark blue pants that stretched down to his ankles. His right arm was covered in armor while his left had a small gauntlet attached to it. A large sword was at his side and seemed to move with him as made his way through town. Next to him was a young woman with light purple hair wearing a dark purple hood and cape. A tight fitting outfit that started just below her collar bone and covered the rest of her upper body until her navel. Her pants were long, dark and stretched down to her black leather boots that had a slight heel to them. At her sides were two crossbow like pistols. The two walked up to a young man who had spliced green eyes and claw like hands. “Excuse me.” The man said as he walked up to him. “Yeah how can I help you?” He asked as he looked at the two. “We’re looking for two people that may have come here.” The girls said. “What do they look like?” “One of them has dark red hair and usually sports a dark red cloak. The other is a woman with bright green hair and-” The woman was cut off as the hybrid perked up. “Oh you mean Ivy and Crimson.” “You seen them?” The woman asked. “Earlier today. Last I checked they were heading towards-” He was cut off as the group saw a bright red light hit the clouds over the dark forest. “Thanks, but I think we know where to go.” The man said with a grin. The man took flight as the woman turned into a cloud of shadows and the two raced towards the forest. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The group all got to their feet and checked themselves over. The farmer brushed herself off and glared at the red warrior. “What in the hay was that?” Applejack yelled. “I injected a bit of my aura into one of the goblins and expanded it, thus creating an explosion.” “Awesome!” Dash said. “Yeah, but now everything in this place knows we’re here!” Twilight protested. “They knew we were here the second we stepped inside this place.” Crimson said as he panted heavily and sat down. “You okay?” Fluttershy asked. “Yeah, using a trick like that just uses a lot of magic.” He said with a sigh. The man then got to his feet and let out a sigh. The group heard a gurgling sound. The group looked over to see one of the creatures stumble through the archway. The creature groaned in pain and growled at the group. “I will clean the flesh from your bones!” The goblin said as it stumbled. Crimson walked over to it and frowned. The creature focused it’s gaze on Crimson and gasped. “Of course, who else could wield such mighty magic.” The beast said with a cackle. “To think that the Prince of Darkness has finally been tamed by-” Was all he got out before crimson slashed it across the chest, silencing it forever. The goblin’s body turned to ash. “What did that thing mean by-” The cyan flyer was interrupted by the ground violently shaking. A massive crack in the ground appeared separating the scholar and warrior from the group. Before they could react the ground gave out from underneath the two. Crimson grabbed the scholar and shot a beam from his gauntlet. Ivy reached out to grab the beam and held onto it. “Hang on!” Ivy yelled as she started to pull the two up. Sweat was forming on the man’s brow. He could feel his strength fading. Crimson looked down at Twilight who had tears in her eyes. He tightened his grip on her and tried to stay focused. The man looked down and saw nothing but darkness. As he looked up at Ivy, he saw something come from the shadows. A massive claw opened and cut the magical beam. Time slowed as he and the scholar fell into darkness. Ivy tried to go after them but the hole was soon sealed by the broken pieces of the flooring tat seemed to grow back. Crimson held the girl close to him and tried to see ahead. He used his right hand to pull out his scythe and slammed it into the rock wall beside him. Twilight gulped and outstretched one of her hands and shout out multiple purple beams that connected to the rock wall and started to slow them down. One by one the magical beams started to snap. We need to slow down more! She thought as her eyes glowed and a massive purple dot appeared in the darkness. Crimson gulped and aimed for the small dot on the darkness. As the two got closer the dot got larger and the two started to slow down. Their speed slowed as they reached the bottom of the pit. As they hit the magical layer the two hit the ground. Crimson grunted in pain as he skidded on the floor. The man sat up and took in his surroundings. Darkness. That’s all the man’s eyes could see. Crimson fumbled in his pocket and pulled out two small crystals and struck them against one another. The room was then illuminated in a light red light. The man then walked over to the librarian and his eyes glowed. Shit, her magic level is too low. Do it. A dark voice said in the back of his mind. And let you run amuck? How stupid do you think I am? She’ll die if you don’t. Do yo really want more blood on your hands? Crimson’s eyes shrank and focused what magic he had left into his right hand. He placed his glowing hand on the woman’s head and let his magic flow. The man’s vision was starting to fade as he let the girl go. The man took off his red coat and placed it over the woman’s body. Crimson staggered back and collapsed on the ground. As he looked up he felt darkness take him. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Rainbow Dash was punching the ground trying to get a crack. “Open damn you!” The flyer yelled. Applejack put a hand on her friend’s shoulder and gulped. “C’mon, we still have to find what ever is down there.” Ivy said in a flat tone. “What? Twilight and Crimson are trapped down there!” “I’m aware Dash, but I have a job to do.” Dash got to her feet and glared at her. “You’re just gonna abandon him? I thought you were his best friend?” Rainbow yelled. Ivy remained silent. Dash marched over to the green flyer and shook her. Dash gulped as she saw a few tears run down her face. “You think I don’t know that?” She yelled. “You think I don’t want to bust open this floor and jump down head first to get them back?” The flyer said as she grabbed Dash by the collar of her shirt. “I know that Crimson will make it out of there in one piece with Twilight. He’s been through worst things than this! Right now we have to focus on finding the power source and getting out of this crazy death trap.” Applejack then stepped between the two. Ivy took a fe deep breaths and wiped the tears from her eyes. “Look, the power source is at the bottom of this joint, hopefully Crimson and Twilight are already there. So the sooner we get to the bottom the sooner we can help them. Sound good?” “Got it.” Dash said as the group of girls continued to make their way through the ruins Chapter XI: Of Monsters and MenChapter XI Of Monsters and Men Crimson’s eyes slowly opened and he gazed up into the seemingly never ending darkness. He felt his coat around him. As he tried to sit up he looked to his right where a feeling of extra weight was coming from. Crimson was now thoroughly confused and embarrassed. Along with his coat, a familiar clothed arm was draped over his chest and a head with indigo hair was resting on his right pectoral muscle. The scholar let out a soft snore as she rubbed her head on his chest. Crimson gulped and searched his mind to figure out how to deal with this situation. The man gulped and gently prodded the girl’s head with his finger tip. The girl shook her head slightly. “Twilight. Wake up.” “Five more minutes Spike.” She said with a grunt. “It’s Crimson.” The man said in a flat tone. The girl’s eyes snapped open and looked at the man’s dark red eyes, that weren’t meeting her gaze. Twilight then saw the position she was in. Her face turned bright red as she shot up. “Where are we?” She said as she looked around at the dimly lit cavern. “You don’t remember?” The scholar then remembered everything that had happened before she had blacked out. “How long have we been down here?” “A few hours at least.” He said as he got up. “You passed out from using too much magic and almost died.” “What?” She yelled. “Calm down. I managed to use some of my magic to buy your body some time to produce more.” He said with a sigh. “Then I passed out from using too much magic and here we are hours later.” Twilight blushed at the thought of the man’s magic coursing through her. “Thank you.” She said with a sigh. She then turned her attention to the red crystals in the center. “What are these?” Twilight said as she felt the heat coming from them. “Fire crystals. Cut from a dragon’s throat.” He said in a flat tone. “A souvenir I held onto, just in case.” “Good thing you have them.” Twilight then noticed that there was a blood stain on his shirt. “Crimson, you’re bleeding!” She said as she pointed to the mark on his shirt. “Let me see.” “Twilight I’m fine. It’s-” He was cut off as Twilight’s hands glowed a light purple and removed the man’s shirt off his body. “Now let me see what’s-” She was cut off as she saw what looked like seven chain like tattoo’s on his chest. The seven converged in the middle of his chest around a circle with an odd symbol in the center. Crimson lowered his head and let out a sigh. The scholar also noticed a cut across his body that seemed to be healing on it’s own. The chains seemed to vanish from his skin and he grabbed his shirt back from the scholar. “Crimson,” She said in a shaky tone. “what was that?” “Nothing.” He said in a flat tone. “Mind if I have my coat back?” The scholar then realized that she still had the man’s cloak wrapped around her body. She felt as though the coat was a piece of the warrior wrapping her in a warm embrace. She gulped and hesitantly removed it. “Thank you.” He said as he slipped it back on his body. He then pulled out his watch and looked at the hand positions in the dim red light being produced by the crystals. “Almost three in the afternoon.” He said as he closed the watch. The man then pulled out a small green jewel and focused his magic. The crystal was cracked from the fall as it glowed a bright green. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The group of girls made their way through the old ruins. Something caught the pink haired girl’s eye. “Um Ivy,” She said as the green haired woman turned around. “why is your butt glowing?” “What?” Pinkie than pointed to her back pocket. A bright green object was glowing from her pocket. Ivy quickly withdrew the crystal and focused her magic. A flickering image of the man came into view. “Thank Celestia!” “I don’t have long.....crystal....damaged.” The image said with a flicker. The girls then crowded around the crystal. “Are you okay?” “A bit roughed up.....surviving.” “What about Twilight?” Rarity asked. “She’s okay.” The image then flickered again. “Gotta go.....find.....power signature. Meet you.....outside.” The image then cut out. Ivy grunted and shook the crystal. “Damn it!” The woman yelled as she put the crystal back in her pocket. “Okay they’re alive.” The group let out a joined sigh of relief. “They said that they’ll meet us outside.” “Better not keep them waiting then.” Dash said as she cracked her neck. The group nodded and made their way down the dark hallway. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The crystal’s light faded and the crack grew until it split in two. Crimson grunted and put the broken shards back in his pocket. Twilight looked at him and gulped. “The others are okay and are making their way to an exit.” He said in a flat tone. Twilight let out a sigh and smiled. “That’s a relief.” She said with a smile. “We’d better get going too.” He said as he started looking around the room. Twilight did the same. She stayed close to the red haired warrior, who held a bright red crystal in his left hand that illuminated the cave. The scholar then felt a breeze brush her hand. “Hey there’s a breeze over here.” Crimson extended his hand and felt the sudden rush of air. He followed it and saw that it led to a small walkway, barely visible. “Looks like a tight squeeze.” He said as he looked inside the crack. He maneuvered his body sideways and slowly made his way inside the crack. “I’ll go first.” Twilight nodded and waited outside the crack. As she kept watching, she saw the man vanish into darkness. The scholar then felt a small wave of fear creep up inside of her. She felt eyes on her and spun around to see nothing but darkness. The girl gulped and felt something touch her shoulder. Twilight let out a small scream and turned around to see Crimson looking at her with a cocked eyebrow. “Don’t do that!" She said in an aggravated tone. "Almost gave a me a heart attack.” She said as she took several deep breaths. “The way ahead is clear.” He said in a flat tone. Twilight gulped and slowly squeezed her form into the small crack. Twilight bit her lip as the sharp rocks tugged as her clothes and scraped against her skin. The scholar saw light coming from the other end of the crack. “Thank Celestia we-” She was cut off as Crimson forced her against the rock wall and put a hand over her mouth. Twilight blushed as she felt the man’s upper body press against her own. “Shhh!” He said as he put a finger to his lips. He backed off the girl and pointed towards the cliff edge. The scholar quietly followed him and peered over the edge. The girl’s eyes shrank as she saw a group of ten shrouded figures standing in a circle muttering some odd words. “What’s going on?” She whispered. “Looks like some sort of ritual.” He said as he saw one of the members enter the center of the circle and put on some odd looking armor. The armor was dark blue and menacing looking. The chest plate however looked like it was designed for a woman. Twilight’s eyes shrank as the recognized the armor. It was the same set that she had seen Nightmare Moon use when they fought her. “That’s Nightmare Moon’s armor!” She said as eh looked at the man. “You sure?” “Positive.” She said as she kept watching. The armor wearing person removed their helmet and showed her flowing black hair. The woman kneeled in the center of the circle and stuck the long sword that rested at her side in the ground and looked towards the roof of the cave. “Oh gracious Nightmare. I beseech you, use me as your vessel so that you may rule the night once more!” She yelled. One of the other hooded figures withdrew a large gem that was dark blue. The gem glowed and a cloud of blue smoke erupted from the jewel. The shadow then enveloped the cult member and screams of agony could be heard from the woman. Twilight dare not look away as the shadows moved beneath the girl’s skin like snakes. The shadows seemed to and alter her body. A blinding flash of dark blue light filled the cave. Once the light had vanished the two saw that the woman’s skin was now marked with several black marks that wrapped around her arms. A series of black marks were now on her cheeks and her eyes were spliced with icy blue coloring. A pair of dark blue wings were also sprouting from her back. The other cult members bowed to the armored being. “How can we serve you?” The member asked as the armored woman rammed their sword through him. The other members gasped as the sword glowed dark blue and seemed to drain the life from the man. Soon all that remained was a cloak and pile of dust. “You are all free to die.” Several members tried to run away and escape, only to be caught by whip like shadows that drained them of their lives. Once all the members were finished off the armored man laughed like a madman. “It’s good to be back.” A dark voice said. Twilight covered her mouth in shock and looked over towards Crimson who had the same look of shock on his face. The man gripped the rock he was holding until it cracked apart. “What did they just do?” Twilight asked. “They turned that girl into a Conduit.” He said with a grunt. “Conduit?” “Apparently when you defeated Nightmare Moon she stored a piece of magic in her armor and that jewel.” He said in a hushed tone. “Those psycho’s just sealed whatever power that was in them inside that girl.” He said as he gritted his teeth. “Bucking monsters.” “So it’s possible to seal a spirit inside a human body.” She said with a gasp. “I don’t believe it.” “Oh believe it honey.” The two froze and slowly turned their heads around to see the reincarnated Nightmare Moon looking at them with a wicked smile on her face. Now that she was up close Crimson could see how menacing the armor truly was. The metal clung to the girl’s body that accented her natural physique. “Listen to me, I know how you’re feeling.” Crimson said as he slowly stood up and gulped. “You can fight that voice in your head.” The woman then grabbed him by the throat and picked him up off his feet. “What makes you think I want to?” She said with an insane laugh. “I always wanted power and now I’ve got it!” She said as she tightened her grip on the man’s throat. Twilight was about to launch a spell at the woman, but felt a magical force pin her to the wall. “Oh no you don’t. We’ve got business Sparkle.” “Y-you know me?” “How could I forget the one who murdered me?” She yelled. Crimson focused his magic into his right hand and slammed it into the woman’s face. The woman staggered back for a moment and put a finger to her lip and felt that it was bleeding. “Not bad kid, if you’re a good boy then I’ll let you be my pet.” She said as she licked her black lips with her tongue. “Sorry,” He said as he summoned his scythe in his hands. “not in my job description.” He said as he got in a defensive stance. The woman laughed and shot a large magical bolt at the man, making him slide off the cliff and fall onto the bottom of the cave. Crimson landed on his feet and looked up to see the woman flying down to him. “I suppose I could go for another snack before the main course.” She said with a snide smile. Crimson held his weapon in front of him. The woman raised her sword and charged at the man with murder in her eyes. The two locked blades and bore holes through each other. Crimson twisted the handle of his scythe and withdrew the blade in his left hand and tried to slice the girl. “Oh scary.” She said in a mocking tone. Crimson grunted and switched the weapons in his hands. “Enough foreplay, time for the main event!” She said before teleporting behind the man and slamming the handle of her sword into his stomach. Crimson grunted and managed to make contact with the girl’s armor with his sword. The armor cracked from the force and the woman jumped back. “Ugh! I just got this outfit too.” Her eyes then narrowed and she snarled at the man. She held up the sword and pointed it at the scholar who was still pinned to the wall. The blade started to extend and shoot towards the helpless book worm. Twilight’s eyes shrank as she saw the blade rocket towards her. She struggled in her restraints and felt a wave of fear wash over her. Twilight closed her eyes and waited for the blade to penetrate her. The scholar then felt something warm and wet splash across her face. She opened her eyes and her pupils shrank as she saw the man standing in front of her with his back to her. The end of the sword was sticking through the middle of his back. Crimson couched up blood and grunted in pain as the girl lifted him up by the sword that was still rammed in his chest. The blade started to retract and brought Crimson closer to the armor wearing woman. Twilight focused what magic she had left and broke from the restraints that once bound her. “Oh how cute.” The woman mocked. “He took the hit for you. Admirable, but stupid.” The red haired warrior grunted in pain as he tried to free himself from the blade. Once Crimson was within arms length she grabbed him by the throat and kept pressure on the blade that was still inside of him. “Game over.” The sword started to glow and Crimson felt his strength leaving his body. “It’s really a shame,” She said as she lowered the man so that their eyes were level. “you would have been my favorite plaything.” Crimson grunted and spat blood into the woman’s face. The woman snarled and twisted the blade deeper into the man’s chest. Crimson cried out in pain and narrowed his eyes. “Still, I’m not a complete monster yet.” She said as she leaned closer. “I’ll at least give you a taste of what would have been.” The woman leaned her head in and smirked. As she felt the man’s breath on her lips the man grabbed the hand that was around his throat. The pressure he was applying was enough to crack a normal person’s bones. “What?” She yelled as she backed away. Crimson planted his feet on the ground and glared at the sword in his chest. A dark red aura then started seeping out of his body. The man gripped the blade and pulled it out of his body. Crimson threw the blade aside and staggered forward. The dark woman focused her magic and her eyes glowed. The air around the man stung and seemed to bite at her exposed skin. She matched her gaze with Crimson and saw that his pupils were spliced and the whites of his eyes were pitch black. As she focused she saw inside the man’s mind. She found herself looking at a massive cage. Behind the prison stood a being just a little taller than the red haired man. She felt the creature’s gaze on her and felt a wave of fear wash over her. The creature’s hair was dark red and it’s skin was snow white. Two horns sprouted from the side of it’s head and curled forwards. The stare down between the two seemed to go on for an eternity. The creature’s eyes shrank and let out a massive roar of anger. The power coming from the creature was overwhelming and the foreign presence was forced to leave. On the surface the man was still glaring at her. The woman was now sweating in fear. Twilight gulped and watched in confusion and saw the man’s weapon shoot into his hand. Crimson rushed forwards and slashed at the armored figure. He’s faster than before. She thought as she barely dodged his attack. She snapped her fingers and the sword made it’s way back into her hand. The man then raised his left hand and shot out a volley of spells. Not just that, he’s stronger. The woman was then locked in a power struggle as they clashed blades again. The woman felt herself being pushed back from his strength. The stone beneath her was starting to crack as she tried to regain some ground. She exited the power struggle and panted as he pulled his blade out of the stone. I need to end this and get out of here. The woman put her sword in it’s sheath and extended both hands. A dark blue sphere appeared between her palms. The ball grew to the side of a volley ball and the raw power was causing the ground to crack. The woman launched the ball at an alarming speed towards the man. The ball made contact and a brilliant light filled the cave. Twilight shielded her eyes and ducked as rocks broke apart and shot in all directions. The force from the explosion mad the above ground unstable and the roof was starting to cave in. Moon raised her hands and a bright blue beam shot through the falling ruble, all the way to the sky. The woman spread her dark wings and took flight towards the sky. Twilight managed to blast some of the falling rocks, but it soon started to overwhelm the scholar. Something grabbed her from behind and was taking her up through the hole. Twilight could see the full moon in the sky and the starts that were shining brighter than ever. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ivy and the group of girls were making their way down a passage way when a bright blue beam shot up in front of them. The green flyer immediately stopped moving and looked at the beam in shock. After it had vanished she saw a large hole burned through the stone and a dark winged object rocketing towards the surface. The group looked in shock to see the armored woman flying towards the exit. “What the buck was that?” Ivy said. “It looked like Nightmare Moon.” Rarity said with a gulp. “That’s impossible. We saved Luna and-” Dash said as the group felt a feeling of foreboding. The group looked down the hole again and saw another object flying towards them. The green flyer squinted and saw a red haired object carrying the scholar. Time seemed to slow as he passed the group. The girls noticed that the object’s wings looked more like two hands with webbing between them.The object sped passed them and rocketed towards the night sky. Ivy gulped and felt something burn on her hand. She looked and saw that there was a number one burned into it. “What the hell was that?” Applejack yelled. “We need to get up there now!” Ivy yelled. “Dash take Pinkie, I’ll get AJ and Fluttershy can take Rarity.” She said as she grabbed the farmer by the arm. “Um....I don’t really-” The veterinarian tried “Now!” Ivy barked as she took flight with the farmer clinging on to dear life. Dash and Pinkie sped towards them as Fluttershy struggled to keep in the air with Rarity’s extra weight. The yellow flier could feel her muscles straining and looked down at her friend who stared back at her with tears in her eyes. The girl’s strength gave out and the seamstress screamed as she fell. Rarity looked down to see the floor that would most likely be her grave. She closed her eyes and waited for the pain. What she felt wasn’t crushing agony, instead she felt something soft yet firm absorb her fall. She looked to see that what had caught her was a giant web of some sort. The net stretched to it’s fullest and launched the fashionista back into the air. Rarity screamed again as she fell rocketed towards the sky. As she stopped and was starting to fall again, she felt something grab her and slowly bring her towards the ground. As they landed the woman then started to hug the ground. She lifted her head to see a man with blue hair and light blue wings smiling at her. The group of girls came over to her and hugged their friend. “I’m sorry Rarity! I’m so sorry!” Shy said with tears in her eyes. “It’s alright dear.” She said as she hugged her friend. The group then saw a woman with light purple hair that went down to her shoulders and a man with short dark blue hair. Ivy walked over to them and gave them each a hug. “It’s so good to see you guys again.” “Same.” The man said with a smile. “What’s the situation?” Rouge asked. “We’re in trouble.” The group looked towards the sky and saw the scholar being carried by the object. Twilight was put on the ground as her friends ran over to her. The wings then seemed to recede into Crimson’s back. “Some crazy cultists turned that girl into a conduit for some remains of Nightmare Moon.” He said as he looked at the group. “Great.” Rouge said with a groan. “Nice to see you too by the way.” Crimson rolled his eyes and hugged the girl and bumped fists with the man. “Fools!” The group looked up to see the dark flyer floating in the air. “Now I can crush you all at once!” Her hands and eyes glowed and summoned what looked like two Ursa Minors and at least a dozen Timber wolves to her side. The creature’s coats were dark blue and had jet black eyes. “Looks like the reunion will have to wait.” Cobalt said with a shrug. “She’s mine.” Crimson said in a flat tone. “Crimson-” Ivy started. “I won’t go over board okay?” He said with a sigh. “I’ve got your back.” She said as she cracked her knuckles. “Just say when.” Rouge said as she pulled out her two crossbows. “Time for some major ass kicking!” Cobalt hollered as he pulled out his sword. The group of girls looked in amazement as they saw the four take positions. “Rouge, look after the girls and deal with the wolves.” He said in a flat tone. “Ivy, Cobalt the bears are yours.” “Roger!” The three said. The girls all watched as the hand like wings sprouted from the man’s back and he took flight towards the armored girl. Cobalt and Ivy were right behind him and flew towards the minors. Once they were right in front of them the two focused their aura into their hands and two large clouds of smoke enveloped the two. The group gasped as they saw a massive light green serpent dragon coil around the large bear and roared with light green fire coming from it’s mouth. The blue flyer was then standing on the shoulder of a massive light blue gorilla. The fifty foot ape grabbed the bear and lifted it over it’s head before slamming it down on the ground. The beast the banged on it’s chest as a sign of victory. The girls were soon surrounded by the wolves. Rouge smirked and summoned six large purple spiders. Each were easily as big as a train car. The arachnids soon pounced on the wolves and were ripping them apart. Rouge then fired a few magical arrows from her bows and saw them hit the wolves right between their eyes. “Run!” She yelled to the group. Twilight saw a wolf jump and was about to ponce her when the girl spun around and the lathe of the weapon was revealed to be a sharp blade. The girl cut the animal’s throat and it evaporated. “Now!” The girls all gulped and started to back away from the fight. Crimson locked blows with the possessed girl and followed up with a punch to the gut. The woman grunted and slashed at the man with her sword. The man extended his left palm and caught the blade in mid swing. The woman gulped and looked at the man’s dark eyes. Crimson forced the sword away with it’s holder. The man twisted the handle of his scythe and removed the blade. The nightmare child grunted and rushed forward. Crimson parried the attack and slashed in a horizontal way. The two warriors’s steel were deadlocked in a power struggle. The two blades were starting to crackle with their owner’s aura and sparks were starting to fly. The two massive bears seemed to vanish and the two flyers looked in the distance to see the swords of red and blue clashing. The two then made their beasts vanish and flew over to one another. “Think he’s okay?” Cobalt asked. “I hope so.” Ivy said as she pulled out the box Crow had sent her. She opened it to reveal a long jagged dagger like crystal. Cobalt looked at the item and shot Ivy a dirty look. “Are you insane?” He yelled at her. “That could kill him!” Ivy hung her head in shame. “Crow sent it as a back up. I told him that he was nuts but-” “That’s no excuse!” He said as he rubbed his forehead. “Look, I know how Crimson gets. He can handle himself.” Cobalt said with a sigh. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The group of girls were good distance away from the battle and stopped to catch their breath. “Okay, cane someone tell me what the fuck just happened.” Dash said as she panted. “How should I know?” Twilight said. “Who were those other two?” “Perhaps I can be of assistance.” The girls all perked up hearing the odd voice. The girls all looked around but saw nothing but the trees in front of them. Pinkie then noticed something on the seamstress. “Hey Rarity, where’s you get that hairy backpack?” “Backpack?” Rarity asked. The girls all looked and gasped as they saw a massive eight legged spider on their friend’s back. The creature was easily as big as a large watermelon. Rarity screamed and flung the spider off her. The arachnid jumped off and landed on a nearby tree trunk. The seamstress was shaking in fear and held her arms as she sat on the ground. “I’m sorry if I startled you.” The spider said in an apologetic tone. “It can talk?” Dash said in shock. “Spiders don’t talk!” “Yes, well, until now that is.” The spider said as it climbed down the tree. “So what are you?” “It’s an Araneae Ingentes! The rarest of the arachnid family!” Fluttershy said with a smile. “A what now?” Applejack asked. “Giant Spider.” Twilight said. “My name is Archimedes.” The spider said in a flat tone. “Anyway, I was instructed by my master to ensure your safety.” “Your master?” Twilight said with a gulp. “Rouge, the purple haired girl.” He said as he hopped onto the ground. The girls then saw that the spider had large purple stripes across it’s legs. “So who exactly are those two?” Dash asked. “Rouge Nightshade and Cobalt Striker. The other members of Crimson’s squad.” The spider said in a flat tone. The girls all let out a sigh of relief. “Who’s that other one? She looked like Nightmare Moon.” The farmer said. “According to Crimson she was part of a cult that was loyal to Nightmare Moon.” The girls all gulped. “Apparently they turn that poor girl into a conduit.” “Conduit?” Twilight said in confusion. “Conduits are living things with more than one soul trapped in them.” The girls all gasped. “Apparently the cult used some of Nightmare Moon’s old armor and a gem that held a some of her magic to trap her soul inside the girl’s body.” “I can’t believe I’m listening to a spider.” Dash said with a face palm. “If you want I could knock you out with my venom.” “No thanks.” She said with a gulp. “So why is Crimson fighting her alone?” Rarity asked. “Crimson is a specialist when it comes to conduits.” The spider commented. “Why?” The spider was about to answer when the group heard a faint rustling coming from a bush. The group gulped and got ready to defend themselves. The brush was pushed aside by a familiar purple haired woman. “There you guys are.” She said as she walked up to the group. “I see you’ve met Archie.” “Y-yeah.” Dash said with a gulp. “Sorry if he startled ya there.” She said as she walked up to the group and the spider vanished in a puff of smoke. “No problem.” Twilight said with a gulp. “You must be Rouge?” “Yup, nice to meet you.” She said as she shook her hand. “You must be Twilight Sparkle.” “How’d you know that?” “Almost everyone knows who the Elements of Harmony are.” She said with a shrug. “Mind telling us what the buck is going on?” Dash asked. “Basically, Ivy, Cobalt and I were fighting some of Nightmare Moon’s pets while Crimson was going toe to toe with her.” “I meant why is he fighting her?” Twilight asked. “Worried about your boyfriend?” Dash asked with a smirk. “He is not my boyfriend!” Twilight yelled as her face turned bright red. “I’m just worried because it took all of us to defeat her.” Twilight said in a flat tone. “Relax, Crimson is used to these type of fights.” The girl said with a shrug. “C’mon, let’s get you guys back into town before things get ugly.” “Hold up!” Twilight yelled. “Explain how Crimson can fly! I’ve never seen a flight spell that strong before and why is he a specialist when it comes to conduits?” Rouge’s eyes shrank as the words left her lips. Damn you Archie. How much did you tell them? She thought. Before she could reply the woman felt a burning sensation in her left palm. She looked down and saw a number two burned into her skin. Crap! This is really bad. The group then heard the sound of crashing trees. The girls all looked towards the noise and saw the red warrior still deadlocked with the woman. Twilight’s eyes shrank as she saw the hand like wings and that the man’s skin was now snow white. “Interesting!” The armored woman yelled. “It appears that the Lord of Shadow has been tamed.” Crimson grunted and forced the woman away. “I haven’t been this worked up in a long while.” Crimson said with a chuckle. “Tell me kid, what’s your name?” “It’s Isis Star.” She said in confusion. “I’ll remember the name.” He said with a grin. “Now back to business.” He said as he took a defensive stance. “The difference between us is too great!” She said with an insane laugh. “Compared to you I am a god!” “Really?” Crimson said as he kept his head lowered. “Really.” “Really?” He yelled as he sheathed his blade and placed his palms against each other. “Seal three, release.” As the words left his lips the girls all saw that the man’s body started to change further. A pair of horns sprouted from the side of his head and pointed forwards. Before the woman could react the man rushed forwards and kicked her in the right leg. The group heard a gut wrenching cracking noise come from the woman’s leg. Before she could scream the man had broken her right leg and had clipped her wings with his blade. The woman now started to crawl away in fear of the man only to be stopped by him. “Well what now?” He said with an evil grin. “Heal your broken legs, summon up the legions of the fallen. Transform your body! Stand and fight! Hurry, hurry!” He said as he looked down at the woman. “The night’s only just begun!” The woman saw that the man’s aura was stronger than before and seemed to shift like shadows. As she looked up the aura created a type of screen that turned the moon blood red. “Fucking freak!” She yelled in fear. Crimson cocked his head to the right and the shadows seemed to die down. “Now I see what you really are! A punk brat that thought she could play in the big leagues, but is just a coward!” “Shut up! You’re nothing but a dog on a leash! A bitch to the Academy and-” “Silence!” The man ordered. The woman shut her jaw and gulped. “I’m a dog am I?” He asked as several shadows shifted into large black wolves. “Then you’re dog food.” As he snapped his fingers, the creatures ran towards the woman with blood lust in their eyes. Get out! A voice yelled in his head. The man’s body staggered for a moment before grabbing his head in pain. You can’t have it! Get out! The man the gripped the two horns on the side of his head and pulled. The two horns cracked and broke off from the force. The shadow dogs vanished, his skin returned to it’s normal color and Isis looked at him in shock and with tears on her eyes. Crimson panted and steadied himself with his scythe. He looked at the frightened woman who was scared out of her mind. The man slowly walked towards the woman who tried to crawl away. The man grabbed her by the broken leg and pulled her back closer to him. Isis grunted in pain as she felt the man’s palm on her forehead. “Good, there’s still time.” He said with a sigh. The man focused his magic and his eyes glowed red as the girls glowed blue. He formed his hand into a fist over the woman’s forehead. He jerked his hand back and a ghost form of Nightmare Moon was visible. “Got you.” He said with a small smirk. “Unhand me you hell spawn!” She yelled. “As you wish!” As he let her go he swung his scythe through the apparition and into the ground. The earth opened up and several chains wrapped around the ghost and kept her restrained. “What is this?” She yelled as she tried to fight the force that was dragging her down. The ghost looked down and saw several ghost hand grab and wrap around her. “That’s your grave.” He said in a flat tone. “Exorcism complete.” He said with a sigh. The souls you have robbed of this life will forever be your company.” Crimson said with a sigh. “I hope you burn in hell you monster!” She said as one of the hands grabbed her face and pulled her deeper into the pit. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.” The man said as he bit his lip. The apparition was dragged completely into the hole and the crack closed up. Crimson then walked over to the unconscious girl and placed his hands over her wounded body. He panted and made his hands glow. The girl’s mangled body stared to shift and heal. Her legs were put back in place and any damage she had taken from the man was soon erased. Crimson panted as he stood up. The man staggered back towards the group and fell forwards. He was caught by a familiar green haired girl. The man looked into her tear filled light green eyes and hung his head in shame. The blue flyer and purple mage then crowded around him. “You okay boss?” Cobalt asked. “Check....on the girl.” He said with a pant. “I did....what I could.” The red haired man then passed out. “Rouge.” Ivy said. The mage nodded and made her way over to the girl and inspected her healed body. “She’s okay.” The mage yelled. Twilight and the others then raced over to the red haired man. Ivy put him on the ground and let out a sigh. “Just...someone please tell me what’s going on.” Twilight said with tears in her eyes. The group then saw a bright green flash illuminate the area. “I believe that I may be able to help clear the air.” The three warrior gulped as they saw the green eyed, can wielding man appear in front of them. “H-headmaster Crow.” Ivy said with a gulp. “I felt a familiar aura rising so I came as quick as I could.” He said as he looked down at the red haired man. “Stubborn as his mother.” Crow said as he shook his head. He then turned his attention to Twilight and smiled. “You must be Celestia’s pupil.” “Y-yes.” She said with a gulp. “Come along then,” He said as he snapped his fingers and a portal hole opened up in front of the group. “I’d prefer not to have this conversation out here.” He said in a flat tone. Cobalt and Ivy each put one of Crimson’s arms over their shoulders and carried him through the portal. “Bring her too.” He said as he looked at Rouge. The mage nodded and picked up the unconscious woman. The girls looked at one another in worry before venturing through the portal. They arrived inside the Library where they saw Princess Celestia and Luna waiting for them. “Ivy, Cobalt, Rouge,” He said as he looked at the group. “take Crimson to the tower and make sure he stays there.” “Yes, sir.” They said as they all vanished in a few puffs of smoke. Crow took a seat next to the two monarchs and let out a sigh. “How are you all feeling?” “What the fuck kind of question is that?” Dash yelled. “I don’t even know what I just saw!” Crow sighed and cracked his neck. “Just tell us what is going on!” Crow eyed Celestia who reluctantly nodded her head. “Right, let me start at the beginning.” Crow said with a sigh. Chapter XII: RevelationChapter XII Revelation It had been a few months since the four had formed a team and claimed their weapons. Eventually, talk of their unorthodox entrance was put aside, as all news does. As the four made their way through the halls of the large school like castle. Crimson noticed that several students were staring at him and whispering to one another. The child shrugged it off as they entered the cafeteria. As they opened the doors everyone in the room stopped what they were doing and stared at the group. “Did I not do my hair this morning?” Ivy whispered. “Yeah, that’s it.” Cobalt said in a sarcastic tone. “Look at their faces.” Rouge said as they sat down. “Everyone seems kind of freaked out about something.” She said as each of them grabbed a plate. Crimson then felt something smash against the back of his head. An apple bounced off his head and landed on the floor. The three gasped and looked around trying to see who did it. “Alright who threw that?” Ivy said as she stood up. The other students all remained silent. “Well?” “Ivy it’s fine, I’m sure it was just an accident.” Crimson said as he rubbed his head. Ivy grunted and grabbed a tray. The other three soon followed suit and made their way onto the line. After getting their food something else rocketed towards the red haired boy. Before it made contact with him, it was caught by the blue winged flyer. This time it was a small rock and Cobalt grunted as he felt the hard earth cut his skin. The three looked in shock and almost dropped their food. “Okay fruit is one thing, but rocks?” Crimson yelled. “Mind telling me what’s going on?” He bellowed across the room. A small wad of paper then bounced off his head and landed in his eggs. He flattened out the crumpled piece of paper and quickly scanned it. He cocked an eyebrow and looked at the crowd. “Is this some kind of sick joke?” He yelled. Cobalt took the piece of paper and cocked his head. He handed it over to Ivy and Rouge who read it to themselves. There was a picture of the red haired child that was fused with the demon attack two months ago. Above the picture was the title: Evil Walks Among Us. “Okay, seriously this has got to be some kind of prank.” Rouge said. “It’s not!” A student yelled. “Thunder Kicker heard Professor Crow talking about it with the Headmaster!” Ivy and Crimson both rolled their eyes at the name. “That guy? He’s just pissed that Crimson beat him in a fight.” Ivy said with a groan. “That only proves it!” Another student yelled. “How could a rookie beat him?” “You do know that his dad was an expert in hand to hand combat.” Cobalt said in a flat tone. “It wouldn’t be out of the question if he taught him some moves.” The crowd still had their gaze fixed on the red haired child. The doors suddenly burst open revealing the green eyed man. Crow grunted and held up one of the flyers. “Who is responsible for this slander?” He yelled. The student’s all fell silent as a familiar brown winged mage stood up. “That be me.” “Thunder, should have known.” He said in a flat tone. “You are to report to the Headmaster’s chambers at once.” He said in a rough tone. “Fine, but first!” He said as he threw a large crystal shard at Crimson. The gem stopped in front of the child and glowed red before showing a massive dark red aura. The energy then gave off a wavelength that everyone could feel. A massive felling of fear come from the energy. Crow raised his hand and shot the gem with a green bolt of energy. “See? You all felt that! That only proves-” “Go now!” Crow yelled as he bore holes through the young man. Everyone gulped. They always knew Crow as the kind and somewhat goofy combat teacher. They had never seen him yell at a student before. The man cracked his neck and walked out of the room. As he passed the child he shot him a glare of malicious intent. The group of students all stood still as a statue. “Don’t you all have classes to get to?” He said as he eyed the large group. The students all got to their feet and quietly made their way out the door. Crimson and his group were the last to leave. Crow stopped them with his cane and let out a sigh. “Crimson, wait for me up at the tower.” “Why?” “Just do it” He ordered the child gulped and slowly made his way past his guardian. Crow then turned his gaze towards the three children. “You three follow me. There’s something we need to talk about.” He said in a rough tone. The three children gulped and followed him through the hallways until they got to his office. As they all walked in Crow closed the door and locked it. The children each pulled up a chair and sat nervously. Crow let out a sigh and ran a hand through his messy dark hair. “What I’m about to tell you does not leave this room. Do you understand?” “Yes sir.” The three said at once. Crow let out a sigh and cracked his neck. Them man was looking for where to begin when Ivy piped up. “What was that nonsense about Crimson being some sort of demon?” She asked. “It’s completely ridiculous and-” “True.” Crow said in a flat tone. The three sat stunned at the words. “Crimson carries the demon that attacked Equestria a few months ago inside of him.” Ivy cracked her knuckles as she flexed her fists. “Why didn’t he tell us?” Rouge asked. “Well, for one he doesn’t know.” Crow said as he sat down. “I haven’t told him yet because I wanted him to make a few friends before I did.” “Why?” Ivy yelled. “That monster killed my dad!” Some tears started to form in her eyes. “Yes, I know.” He said in a flat tone. “I knew Silver Streak.” He said with a sigh. “So you should know that-” “Crimson is suffering the same as you.” Crow cut her off. “He lost both his mother and father in the attack. Worse is that he saw it happen.” The children all gulped. “After that, I used a spell to seal the demon inside of his body as it tried to take possession.” “Why?” Rouge asked. “It was the only way to stop it temporarily.” He said as he hung his head. “Why tell us this?” Cobalt asked. “I figured that he should have some friends by his side when I break the news to him.” Ivy then stood up. “Count me out.” She said in an icy tone. “Ivy-” “No!” She yelled as she slammed her hands on the desk. “I don’t give a damn about what happened! All I know is that that thing killed my dad and it deserves to suffer.” “Ivy calm down and-” Rouge tried to say but was stopped as the green flyer raised a hand. “What would know about it Rouge?” She yelled. “It’s not like you had a family to begin with.” Rouge glared at the flyer and her hands glowed a dark purple. “Enough!” Crow yelled. The three children gulped as they felt his aura peak. “I’m not forcing you into this Ivy. If that’s truly how you feel,” He said with a sigh. “Then I’ll see if I can get you transferred to another squad.” “Thank you.” She said in a flat tone. “I do however request that you keep this matter between us.” Crow said as he narrowed his eyes. Ivy scoffed at the words. “Do we have a deal?” “Yes sir.” Crow sighed and looked at the other two. “What about you two?” He asked. The two looked at one another and shrugged. The three then heard a crashing noise come from the closet. “Who’s there?” Crow yelled as he marched over to the door. As he ripped open the door his eyes shrank and his heart stopped. Standing in the closet was a shaking and teary eyed Crimson. The two teammates gulped and looked at him in shock. “Crimson I-” The child then ran past him as the tears flowed. Ivy held the icy glare as he ran past her and made no attempt to stop him. “Damn it!” Crow yelled as he slammed his fist into the wall. He hung his head in shame. “Professor-” Rouge started. “Go after him.” He said in a flat tone. The two got to their feet and chased after him. Ivy stood frozen and hung her head as a few tears filled her eyes. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Crow sat back in his seat and looked at the group of stunned faces. Twilight was shaken to the core by the news. The group of girls all gulped and bit their lips. Celestia and Luna both sighed and looked at the group. “So now you know.” Crow said with a sigh. “Crimson carries the weight of the attack on his shoulders.” The man said with a sigh. “So that’s why he says it’s his fault.” Twilight said as she hung her head. “But it wasn’t his fault!” Dash yelled. “It’s not his fault that that thing is in him!” The flyer yelled. “I know, it was a freak accident and no matter how many times I tell that to him Crimson will always feel guilty.” Crow said in a low tone. “Wait, you said that Ivy started to hate him.” Applejack said. “Those two are thick as thieves.” Crow nodded. “How did she forgive him?” “You’re gonna have to ask her about that.” Crow said with a sigh. “Now that you know I’m asking you to keep this all to yourselves.” The girls looked at one another and nodded. “Thank you and sorry about this next bit.” Crow’s hand glowed and shot a small beam into the girl’s and dragon hybrid’s hands. Twilight felt her left hand sting and looked to see a small crow symbol appear on her hand. “What is this?” Rarity asked as the mark vanished. “Insurance. Should you decide to break your promise then that will activate and will cause you a great deal of pain.” The girls all gulped. “I’m sorry, but I can’t take any chances. Everyone who knows is in the same boat.” “What exactly will happen?” Twilight asked. “I implanted a small amount of my aura within you. If you talk, write or communicate with anyone that doesn’t know about Crimson then that will start to attack your CNS and other major parts of your body.” Twilight gulped in fear. “CNS?” Dash asked. “Central Nervous System.” Twilight clarified. “It’s responsible for all of your senses like taste, touch, sight, hearing and smell.” “Correct. It won’t kill you, you’ll just be in severe pain for a little while.” He said in a flat tone. “I’m sorry for doing that, but I made a promise to his parents that that I’d protect him no matter the cost.” “It’s alright.” Applejack said. “Ah know that ah’d do anything to protect mah family.” “Mind if I ask something?” Twilight said. Crow gave her a nod. “If the demon is sealed then what happened to Crimson when he was fighting Nightmare Moon?” Twilight asked. “Over the years the seal holding the demon has started to weaken and Crimson has been able to go through a few levels while remaining in control.” Crow answered. “Levels?” Dash asked. “There are several levels to the seal, indicated by the seven chains on his chest.” Twilight connected the dots and remembered the symbol. “He’s able to unlock up to three levels and keep himself in control.” “Has he ever gone past that?” Celestia asked. Crow sighed and nodded. “Once while he was training with Grimm.” He said with a groan. “He stated that Crimson started to look more like the demon and went on a rampage.” Crow gulped. “How bad are we talking here?” Dash asked. “He cut a mountain in half with just one swing from his blade.” The girls all gulped. “Luckily, Ivy and the others managed to restrain him.” He said with a sigh. “How?” “It’s pretty complicated and far from easy.” He said as he rubbed his head. The man glanced at his watch and got to his feet. “Sorry ladies and gentleman,” He said as he nodded at Spike and the girls. “but I have a mountain of paperwork waiting for me at home and someone’s gotta do it.” He said with a smile. “So what should we do?” Twilight asked. “Just don’t get him too angry and you should be fine.” “Should we tell him that we know or play dumb?” Rarity asked. “Oh trust me, he’ll know.” He said in a flat tone. “Crimson has had this power for over a decade and has only used it for the benefit of others.” The girls exchanged glances. “He has never attacked unless it was necessary or if he was provoked.” Crow said in a strong voice. “The demon and Crimson are two separate minds stuffed into one body.” The man tapped his cane twice on the hard wood floor and a green portal opened up. “Just keep that in mind.” “Wait,” Twilight said as she stood up. “what about her?” She asked as she looked at the still unconscious girl on her couch. “We will deal with her.” Celestia said in a flat tone. “She may have more information on the cult.” The woman said as she snapped her fingers and the girl vanished in a flash of light. “Well, nice meeting you all and I hope to see you again under...friendlier terms.” Crow said as he stepped through the portal. Twilight and the others gulped as Celestia and Luna sighed and looked at the girls. “I realize that this is a lot to take in.” Celestia said with a sigh. “I apologize for not making you aware of this beforehand, but I trust Crow’s decision.” “It’s okay Princess.” Dash said with a smile. Celestia smiled and vanished in a flash of light along with her sister. The girls all exchanged worried looks and Twilight sat down on the couch as she hung her head. “Wow Twilight, you sure know how to pick em.” “Dash.” Twilight said in a flat tone. “Shut up.” The cyan winged flyer let out a sigh and groaned. “Are you okay dear?” Rarity asked as she looked at her friend. “I don’t know.” The librarian said with a sigh. “I can’t even to begin to imagine what he’s feeling. I mean, he is literally living with the thing that killed his and his best friend’s parents.” “He’s made it this far,” Dash said with a shrug. “and he seems okay. Can’t really form an opinion on the other three yet.” “He sounds dangerous.” Fluttershy said in a low tone. “He could have wasted us at any moment,” Dash said. “but he didn’t.” “You heard whats his name,” The farmer said. “Crimson has always used that power for good. So long as that doesn’t change, ah don’t see a reason to worry.” A silence soon fell over the group and they each sighed. “Look, it’s getting late. Ah suggest we all head home and we’ll go and talk to them tomorrow.” “Kay, goodnight.” Dash said before flying out the door. The friends each said their goodbyes and exited the library. Twilight walked up to her room and quickly got changed into her pajamas that consisted of a lavender tank top and a pair of black shorts. She laid on her bed and stared up at the ceiling. Should I ask Cadence about this? The woman groaned and went to turn out the light on her nightstand. As she turned she spotted a shadowy figure of a man standing in the doorway. When she looked again and blinked, she saw nothing. Twilight shrugged and turned off the light before laying her head down to sleep. Author's Note I'll explain Ivy's and Crimson's little spat in the next chapter. Chapter XIII: CiderChapter XIII Cider Crimson’s eyes slowly opened to see sun pouring through the window. He looked down at his body and saw his upper half covered by bandage like webs. The man slowly got to his feet and looked at himself in the mirror. He focused his magic and saw that the seven chains were still intact. The memories of last night soon came rushing back to him. The man held his head in shame and quietly walked into the bathroom. He entered the shower and let the warm water wash over his body. He hung his head and felt his wet hair stick to the sides of his face. The water ran off his face and his skin screamed at the heat. Crimson shut the water off and dried off. He quickly grabbed a black T shirt and a pair of blue pants. As he picked up his jacket he saw the hole in it from Nightmare Moon’s sword. The man groaned and slung it over his shoulder. He then saw a note drop from the pocket. The man picked it up and levitated it. Crimson, Take the day off. We got your shift. ~Ivy, Cobalt and Rouge. P.S. Crow’s orders. P.S.S. Rouge void trapped Scarlet, so don’t get any ideas. Crimson groaned and tossed the note in the waste basket. He made his way out the door and into the small town. The man kept looking forward for any kind of danger. He slowly made his way into the dress shop and looked around. “Coming~” A familiar voice chimed. Crimson waited in the main lobby and waited. “Hey!” A small high pitched voice said. Crimson looked over towards the kitchen and saw a small girl with green eyes and curly pink and white hair. She was donning a white dress that went down to her ankles. “You’re Crimson right?” “Yes, who are you?” “I’m Sweetie Belle, Rarity’s little sister.” She said with a smile as she walked up to him. “Nice to meet you.” He said with a smile. “Is it true that you beat an Ursa Minor?” She asked in anticipation. “Yeah.” He said in a nervous tone. The man then saw the pretty seamstress coming down from the stairs. “Sweetie who are you talking to?” The woman’s eyes shrank and she gulped as she saw the red haired man standing in her shop. A bead of sweat formed on her brow. Crimson narrowed his eyes and saw that something was different about the designer. “Oh Crimson, what brings you here?” She asked in a shaky tone. “I was hoping that you could fix my coat for me.” He said as he held out the garment. Sweetie’s eyes shrank as she saw the large hole through the back. “Oh...of course. No problem.” She said as she took the jacket from him. “Do you need anything,” She was cut off as the man vanished in a puff of red smoke. “else.” Crimson teleported into the center of town and grunted. Crimson then made his way towards the library and kept his head low. As he opened the door he saw the scholar asleep on her desk with pen still in hand. A small trail of drool was also forming a small puddle on her notes. The man shook his head as he let out a small chuckle. He tapped the bell on the desk which caused the woman to shoot up in surprise. “Star Swirl the Bearded!” She yelled. Crimson looked at her with a cocked eyebrow. The woman gulped as she looked at the man. “Um, Twilight.” He said as he motioned to his face. The scholar then quickly wiped her mouth and threw on a sheepish grin. “H-how can I help you?” She asked in a nervous tone. Crimson narrowed his eyes again and grunted. “You okay?” “Yeah, I’m just tired.” She said with a yawn. “I didn’t get much sleep last night.” “Well, after hearing about what I am that’s to be expected.” He said in a flat tone. Twilight gulped at the words. “Wh-what do you mean?” “I’m not an idiot Twilight.” He said in a rough tone. “I know Crow told you that I’m a conduit.” The librarian froze and slowly looked down towards her hand. “How did you know?” “That look in your eye gave it away.” He said in a flat tone. “I’ve seen it in everyone else who knows.” “What look?” She asked in confusion. “The look of pure fear.” He said in a dark tone. Twilight gulped and adverted her gaze. “Relax, I’m used to it.” He said in a flat tone. “Crimson I-” “You don’t have to say anything.” He said with a sigh. “I know what I am and I’ve accepted it.” “Which is?” “A monster.” He said in a flat tone. Twilight looked at him in surprise. “Crimson you’re not-” “No, I am. End of story.” He said with a sigh. The man turned away as the librarian frowned. “Crimson, look at me.” She said in a flat tone. The man rolled his eyes and kept looking the other way. “Look at me!” Crimson sighed and turned his head only to be met with a hard slap to the face. “What the hell was that for?” He said as he put a hand to the red hand print on his cheek. “For being a complete idiot.” Twilight said in a flat tone. “How can you call yourself a monster?” “How can you call me anything but?” He said as he glared at the scholar. “I’m not human or a demon, I’m....I don’t even know what I am!” “You’re a good person.” Twilight yelled. “I know that I’ll never understand the burden you have, but you don’t have to bear it alone.” “What would you know about it?” He said as he frowned at the woman. “I’ve seen things you wouldn’t believe. I have lost things that you would never understand and I know things. Secrets that must never be told, knowledge that must never, ever be spoken!” Twilight gulped. “Every time I close my eyes, I can see their faces.” He said in a low tone. “I can see every person the demon has ever killed, I hear their screams of agony as he takes their lives and the hatred they felt right before they die.” Twilight was speechless. “Honestly, there are days that I wish Ivy had just killed me when she had the chance.” “What?” Twilight gulped. Crimson’s hand glowed a bright red and rested it on top of the scholar’s head. Twilight felt the foreign aura enter her mind and her vision shifted to a scene. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ She saw Crimson with his back flat against a stone wall and the green haired girl holding a sharp knife in her right hand. As she raised it, Crimson didn’t protest, or beg. Twilight saw the green flyer’s body shiver and her hand was shaking. The flyer felt a river of tears flow down her face. “I-It’s not fair.” She said as she stabbed the rock next to the boy’s head. “When I finally make a friend,” She said with a sniffle. “just to find out that he’s got what killed my father in him.” Crimson looked at her with tears in his eyes, not out of fear, but guilt. “I’m so sorry.” He said with a quivering lip. “If you kill me, then I won’t hold it against you.” Ivy looked at him in surprise. “I know the pain you feel and I hate this thing as much as you do.” The girl backed away and looked down at her shaking hand holding the knife. The memories of the time she had spent with the young boy and her two other friends then came rushing back to her. How they had watched each others backs. The fun games that they played with one another and how they’d joke around with one another. She firmly gripped the knife and aimed right for the boy’s heart. Crimson opened his eyes as he felt the girl’s arms wrap around him and the sound of the knife hitting the floor. Ivy cried into the boy’s shoulder. Crimson fought back the pain as he felt tears form in his eyes. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The scholar’s vision was then filled with the familiar library as the man removed his hand from the librarian’s head. Twilight looked at him with tears in her eyes. Crimson hung his head and let out a sigh. “That’s why Ivy is like that. She feels guilty about that moment, even though I don’t hold it against her.” He said with a sigh. “You honestly think that thats what keeping her around?” She asked. “Guilt?” “What else could it be?” He asked in an angered tone. “A demon like me isn’t meant to have friends.” “Tell me, would a demon risk their life to save a lowly librarian?” Crimson felt his throat go dry. “Or defend a town from an Ursa Minor?” She said as tears formed in her eyes. “Yes, you have something inside you that’s evil, but that doesn’t define who you are.” She yelled. “Headmaster Crow told us that you’ve always used the power you have to help others! You saved my life! Are you telling me that it meant nothing?” “I didn’t need any more blood on my hands. That’s all.” He said in a flat tone. “I’m a weapon, a tool to be used to fight monsters. Nothing more.” Crimson said as he narrowed his eyes. “How can you say that after your parents gave their lives to save you?” The woman fired back. “They gave the ultimate sacrifice so that you could live and now you’re saying that you’re just a puppet?” Crimson froze in place at the words. “It’s the most ungrateful thing I’ve ever heard!” The red haired man was shaken to the core. How could this librarian from a backwater town had looked through him so easily? Crimson turned around and made his way towards the door. Twilight called out to him one last time, but the words fell on deaf ears as he closed the door behind him. Twilight sat back down and slammed her head on the desk. The scholar looked up the stairs to see her assistant staring at her in amazement. “Wow Twilight, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you tear into someone like that before.” He said as he walked down the steps. “I just don’t understand it Spike. You heard what his Headmaster said.” She said as she sat up straight. “I mean, how can someone who’s done so much good think that they’re so bad?” The boy put a clawed hand on her shoulder. “I don’t know Twi.” He said with a sigh. He then saw a few wet spots appear on the desk and saw that she was crying. The boy sighed and left her alone as he walked back up stairs. Twilight collected herself and returned to her work. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Crimson kept his head held low as he slowly made his way through the small town. As he tried to force the woman’s words out of his head the more they stuck. As he walked he stepped on something fairly soft. He looked down to see an old stuffed doll that was raggedy and looked like it had been mended a few times. He picked up the doll and looked it over. “Hey!” Crimson looked up to see the hulking male farmer walking towards him. The man was wearing a plaid red shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and a pair of work jeans that stopped at his boots. “Whatcha got there?” “Just some doll I found out here.” He said as he looked at it. “I figured that it was your sister’s.” “Um....yeah.” He said as he took the doll and put it in his back pocket. “Listen ah know that we don’t know each other all that well, but ah wanted to thank ya for saving mah farm the other day.” “No problem it’s my-” “Ah insist. Besides I just opened up a case of Cider and ah can’t drink it all on my own.” Crimson really didn’t feel like having a drink, but he needed something to get his mind off what the librarian had just said. “Fine.” He said with a groan. “It’s Macintosh right?” “Eeyup,” He said with a smile. “but ya can just call me Big Mac. Everybody does.” He said as he led the warrior into the South orchard. For some reason, Crimson's eyes were locked on the doll the man had in his back pocket. "Hey Mac," Crimson said as the man turned around. "Where'd you get that doll from?" Mac gulped as the memories of the locally titled 'Smarty Pants Incident' came rushing back to him. "Um....Ah picked it up in Trottingham for Bloom while Hearths Warming's eve shopping." He lied as some sweat formed on his brow. "Why?" "Just looks familiar." He said as he glared at the raggedy doll. "Probabaly saw it in a store somewhere." He said with a shrug. "Eeyup." The farmer said as the two walked deeper into the orchard. Mac checked his corners and walked over to a lone stump. He reached down and pulled out a key. Crimson raised an eyebrow as he lifted the lid and saw a ladder going down. “Why do you have a false stump packed with cider?” He said as he watched the man go down the latter and come back up with a cooler filled bottles of of the liquor. “AJ and I make it ourselves and we always keep some left over for us to enjoy.” He said as he opened the cooler and withdrew two bottles. He handed one to the red haired man. “We each have our secret stash, but she always jumps the gun and dives right into hers.” “Is it a problem?” He asked as he opened the bottle. “No, she’s not like that. Course she shares a bunch with her friends so that’s why it goes so fast.” He said as he opened his own. “Cheers.” He said as they bumped the glasses together. Crimson took a small sip and winced at the taste. “That is strong.” He said with a gulp. Mac chuckled and sipped his own. “So is there a reason why you called me out here?” He asked as he took another sip. “AJ told me about yer folks. Sorry, to hear.” “Yeah well, not much ya can do about it.” He said with a shrug. “Yer green haired friend also stopped by today.” “Ivy?” The farmer nodded. “What for?” “She needed to practice her punches and uprooted a tree.” He said as Crimson chuckled. “Typical Ivy.” The two then fell silent for a while before Mac spoke up again. “Look, ah don’t rightly know what happened with yer folks but-” “There it is.” Crimson said with a groan. “What? Did Ivy tell you to come and talk to me?” “No, ah thought of it.” Mac said as he glared at him. “Trust me, ah know how ya feel.” “How?” “Mah folks died protecting AJ and I from a pack of Timber Wolves.” He said in a flat tone. Crimson cocked an eyebrow at the man. “Ah watched helplessly as they took them on and were ripped to shreds. When some neighbors arrived it was already too late.” He said as he hung his head. “I kept AJ’s head covered so she wouldn’t have to see it.” Crimson could see the sadness forming behind his green eyes. “For the longest time ah blamed myself for not being stronger and not being able to protect em.” He said as he took a long swig from his bottle. “Hell, there were times where I’d want to take six feet of rope and turn myself into a decoration in the barn.” Crimson gulped as he imagined the picture. “Want to know why I didn’t?” “Why?” Crimson asked in a flat tone. “The look of my sister’s faces if they ever saw me do something like that.” He said in a flat tone. “Ah couldn’t do that to them.” He said in a flat tone. Crimson looked at the man and gulped. “At least you had a family.” “You don’t?” He asked. Crimson shook his head. “Then what the buck do you call Ivy?” “She’s a-” “Friend?” Mac said as he glared at the man. “I can tell from that look in her eye that she loves you like a brother. Same goes for those other two.” The three faces then filled the red warrior’s mind. “Granted ah don’t know them that well, but ah know that they care about you along with the Crow feller Ivy mentioned.” Crimson hung his head in shame. “Just that look in their eye told me that they’d do anything to help you and that’s what family is.” Crimson stood frozen as the words hit him. “Course that’s just my opinion.” He said as he got up. “If ya don’t live for yourself, then at least do it for the people who care about ya.” Mac said as he started to walk away. “Hey Mac,” Crimson said as he looked at the farmer. “thanks for the drink.” “Anytime, just don’t tell Dash about mah stash or she’ll hound me.” He said with a grin. Crimson nodded and slowly made his way out of the woods. As he did three familiar mages ran up to him. “There you are!” Ivy yelled. “Dude we’ve been looking all over for you.” Cobalt said. The purple haired girl noticed her friend’s expression. “You okay Crimson?” She asked. “Yeah, I just have a lot on my mind is all.” He said with a sigh. “Look, I know I don’t say this enough but,” The group looked at him in confusion. “I’m glad that you guys have my back.” “Where is this coming from?” Rouge asked. “Don’t tell me that you’re going soft on us.” Cobalt said as he put an arm around his friend. “No seriously, I’d have been long gone if it hadn’t been for you guys.” He said with a weak smile. The three chuckled and shook their heads. “Okay, who are you and what have you done with Crimson?” Ivy said. “You’re being too nice.” “Oh shut up.” He said with a grumble. “There it is!” Cobalt said with a smile. Crimson rolled his eyes and smiled. “I’ll catch you guys later, theres something I gotta do.” He said before vanishing in a flash of red light. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Twilight sat at her desk still trying to figure the red haired man’s words out. The room was then filled by a flash of red light. Twilight opened her eyes and saw the red haired man standing before her. Twilight frowned and was about to protest. “Before you bite my head off I just want to say something.” Twilight closed her mouth and crossed her arms. “You’re right.” The scholar looked at the man in confusion. “It’s an insult to their sacrifice thinking of myself as just a tool,” He said with a sigh. “and I’m sorry if I upset you earlier.” Twilight took a moment to gather her thoughts. “I can’t say I approve of what you said, but I accept your apology.” She said with a sigh. “Thanks.” He said with a sigh. “Look, when the rest of the world sees you as nothing but a monster, the idea kinda gets stuck in your head.” Crimson said as he hung his head. “When I found out.....I’ve never felt like such an outcast in my life and when I used that thing's magic last night it just reminded me of it all.” The man said as he hung his head. “Again, sorry about the outburst, but before I go.” The man then gently took the librarian’s hand in between his own, causing her face to turn bright red. Twilight could feel the calluses on his hands from using his weapon. She felt a small tingling sensation arise on her skin. “Wh-what are you doing?” She asked as her face grew redder. “Removing the seal Crow placed on you.” He said as the glowing stopped. Twilight looked at her hand and saw the crow image shatter. “There, now you’re not in any danger.” He said with a grin. “I’ll do the same to the others as I see them.” Twilight kept looking at her hand and tried to hide her blush. The door suddenly opened to reveal the three warriors and the other five mares. “Ah good you’re all here then.” Crimson said. The girls all gulped as they saw him. “Look I know that Crow told you about me being a conduit and that he placed a seal on you all.” “Y-yeah.” Dash said. The man then extended his hand. “I’ll remove it.” The girls all looked at one another in shock. “Why would you do that?” Applejack asked. “I don’t want to see any of you suffer for my sake.” He raised his right hand and five beams shot out and connected with the five girls hands. The group felt a tingling sensation and saw the marks vanish. “There it’s done.” “Thanks.” Dash said as she flexed her hand. Cobalt snickered and felt something glow in his pocket. The flyer pulled out the crystal and ran his magic through it. The image of the cane holding man then appeared through the gem. “Ah good to see that you’re up Crimson.” The image said. “How are you feeling?” “Better.” He said with a small smile. “Good, then you’re well enough to take the penalty for going against orders.” He said with a wicked grin. The four warriors gulped. “As punishment, you’re suspended until it’s time for the trials.” Crimson bit his lip. “You’ll still receive jobs, but you will have to stay where you are and not return to the Academy before them.” “If Crimson stays then so do we.” Rouge said. “Guys you don’t have to-” The blue flyer then clamped a hand over his mouth. Crow chuckled and shook his head. “Very well, you three will remain with Crimson for the time being.” “So is that it?” Cobalt asked. “Oh no, you’re not getting off so easily. Don’t think I don’t know what you two did in Griffonia.” Cobalt and Rouge gulped. “I’ve got something special planned for you four.” The group all shook in fear at the man’s words. “Wait, what about Cliff and the others?” Crow grinned and snapped his fingers. Four clouds of smoke then filled the library. The four looked to see that the red three headed dog was as big as a Husky. The green dragon was only ten feet long, the blue gorilla was only four feet tall and a large purple spider was along side them. “I reduced their size so that they can stay with you.” “Thanks Crow.” Crimson said as he patted the dog on the head. “Oh trust me your punishment will be swift and just!” The man said with a grin. “The rest of your equipment is also available to be summoned.” The image said. “Good luck.” He said before the image fizzled out. The four looked at one another and were shaking. “What did you two do?” Crimson asked as he looked at the purple mage and blue flyer.” “We may have accidentally caused a rock slide that may or may have not hit a major shopping center.” Cobalt said with a weak grin. Crimson face palmed and groaned. “No one got hurt!” “Great, we may have to do ‘it’ again.” Ivy said. “Don’t even joke about that Ivy!” Rouge yelled. “I’m still getting that troll smell out of my clothes.” She said with a shiver. “I doubt that there’s a troll stall anywhere around here.” Crimson said. “Anyway, we’d better get back and brace for the on coming shit storm.” He said as he turned to leave. The six girls watched as the small blue ape climbed on Cobalt’s back and hung on. The green serpent slid around the green flyer’s neck and rested. The spider jumped onto Rouge’s back and wrapped it’s eight legs around her back. The three headed dog barked and followed it’s owner out of the library. “Seriously dude,” Cobalt said as he looked at the red haired man. “what was all that sappy stuff before?” “Nothing, I just remembered something. That’s all.” He said as he continued to walk down the road with the three others following him. The three shrugged as they made their way back towards the clock tower. Twilight looked back at her friends who all had confused looks on their faces. “So what do ya’ll reckon we do?” She asked as she looked at her hand. “I think that we should at least tell the local guards and-” Rarity started. “No!” Dash bellowed. “Crimson is trusting us with one of his most precious secrets.” Twilight began. “It was almost impossible for him to tell me how he thinks of himself.” The girls all looked at one another in shock. “He could have hurt us at any time and he’s only had to use that power when he’s needed to.” “He could have had that dog of his eat us alive.” AJ commented. “Yeah and if we did tell the cops then we’d have three very, very angry mages to deal with.” Dash said. The group of girls all shivered at the thought of the other three mages converging on them. “We don’t even know what they can do yet.” “Yeah and Crimson is our friend and so what if he’s got a sketchy back round?” Pinkie started. “He’s still a nice guy and now he’s got his old friends here.” The pink haired girl gasped and jumped. “I better plan them a party!” The librarian let out a sigh and looked at the group. “So we’re agreed that we don’t tell anyone?” Twilight asked. The group all gave a reluctant nod. “Good.” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Later that night Cobalt and Rouge were given a traditional Pinkie Pie style welcome party. The four warriors were sitting on a table and catching up. Twilight and the others soon joined them. “So Cobalt,” Rarity started. “What kind of magic can you use?” She asked with a coy smile. “Lightning.” He said with a smirk. “Lightning?” Twilight asked. The blue flyer opened his palm to show sparks arcing at his fingertips. He snapped his fingers the group saw a broadsword appear in his hand. The blade crackled with electricity and danced along the blade. In his left appeared a hardened metal shield. “I funnel my aura through the blade and it increases it’s slicing ability.” He said as he sheathed the blade inside the shield. “I also lace the shield with the lightning so that it transfers damage to my attacker.” He said as he made the weapons vanish. “So awesome!” Dash said with a smile. “Interesting, what about you Rouge?” Twilight asked as she looked at the quiet mage. “I specialize in strategic oversight and long range combat.” “Huh?” “I’m an archer and I specialize in strategies.” She said in a flat tone. “How good are you?” Dash asked. Rouge grinned. “Put your hand flat on the table.” She said as she walked behind the flyer. Dash shrugged and spread left her hand out. Rouge placed hers on top as Ivy and Cobalt secured their arms. “What are you doing?” Dash asked as Rouge pulled out a knife and twirled it in her right hand. The other girls gulped. “Hey, you can’t do that.” Ivy protested. Dash felt a small wave of hope wash over her. Ivy pulled out a bandanna and tied it around Rouge’s head so that it covered her eyes. “Okay, now go for it.” The girl breathed heavily and started to sing as she made the knife dance. When she was done Dash’s face had drained of all color and was shaking. Crimson, Ivy and Cobalt clapped for their friend. Dash was still shaken. “Easy there Dash, you did good.” Ivy said with a smile. “How?” “Considering that you didn’t piss yourself is an accomplishment in it’s own.” Cobalt said as ha put an arm around the mage. “I know plenty of guys that were crying for their granny’s after Rouge got done with them.” “You flatter me.” She said with a smile. “So you’re good with a knife.” Applejack said with a gulp. “What about that archery thing?” Rouge rolled her eyes and reached inside her cloak. She pulled out a small purple tipped pin and looked around the room. “See that bottle on that table over there?” She pointed with her finger. The girls saw the bottle from across the room and nodded. “See the cork?” The group nodded again. “See the fly on the cork?” The group squinted and could make out the small insect on the top of the wine bottle. Rouge took a deep breath and focused. The speed of her hand could rival a Cobra strike. The group watched in amazement as the pin pierced the fly and stuck it to the wall. The group all let their jaws drop in awe. “Still got it.” She said as she looked at her nails. “Wow.” Pinkie said. “We’ve all go our little talents.” Cobalt said with a grin. “Ivy for instance is the current arm wrestling champion at the Academy.” The green flyer smiled and struck a pose. “Is that a challenge?” AJ piped up. “Only if you make it one.” Ivy said as she put her arm down on the table. Applejack gladly gripped it and got ready. “Go!” Cobalt yelled. The farmer put her strength into her arm. Ivy rolled her eyes and easily slammed it down on the table. “Ivy is the winner. Score is two hundred fifty wins, zero losses.” Applejack grabbed her wrist and cracked it. “Not bad, lets see how ya do against another Apple.” Applejack waved her hand and the hulking farmer made his way over. “Howdy there Crimson, Ms. Ivy.” He said with a nod. “What can ah do ya for sis?” “Show this one what strength is really about.” “AJ you know ah hate it when you volunteer me for these things.” He said with a sigh. “You still owe me.” She said in a flat tone. Mac grunted and took her seat. “You okay with this?” He asked as he looked at the flyer. “No problem.” She said as she locked hands with him. “Go!” The two locked in a stalemate. Ivy could feel the man pushing her back. Crimson and the other three mages looked in shock as she lost a little bit of ground. Mac almost got her halfway down before she surged back and pinned his arm. The group all gasped. “Wow.” Crimson said. "Two hundred fifty one wins and zero loses." He put a reassuring hand on the farmer's shoulder. “Congratulations Mac, you’re the first one to push Ivy back that far.” Ivy cracked her wrist and smiled. “Wow, you’re pretty good for a farmer.” She teased. “Not so bad yourself, for a girl.” He and the flyer both chuckled. Rouge let out a yawn and rubbed her eyes. “Sorry guys, but it’s late and we need to prepare for what ever Crow sends us.” Cobalt said. The three mages all shivered. “Yeah, see ya.” Crimson said as he got up. Rarity face palmed and stood up. “Oh I almost forgot!” she snapped her fingers and a familiar red coat appeared in her hands. The coat looked like new and had all the stains that the man had collected on it removed. Crimson gladly took the garment and tried it on. “Fits like new. Thanks Rarity.” He said with a smile. “I drop off some bits tomorrow and-” “Not necessary, it’s the least I could do for saving us from the Ursa.” She said with a smile. Crimson nodded and led the group out of the bakery. Mac yawned and walked over to some other stallions that were near the counter. The six girls looked at one another and sighed. Applejack annoyingly blew a lose lock of hair out of her face. “Well, they certainly seem impressive.” Rarity said. “I didn’t know that people with wings could get that strong.” Dash said. Twilight let out a sigh and smiled as she leaned back. “What’s got you in such a good mood Twi?” “Just glad to see that they’re enjoying themselves.” She said with a smile. “Crimson especially I’m sure.” Rarity said with a giggle. Twilight’s face turned red and she groaned. “I told you, I don’t-” “Hey Crimson what’s up?” Dash yelled. “What? Where?” Twilight yelled as she looked around. She saw no trace of the red haired man. Twilight gulped as she looked back towards the flyer who had a massive grin strewn across her face. “Gotcha.” Pinkie said with a giggle. Twilight sat down in defeat and hung her head. “Fine....I like him.” She said with a gulp. “It’s just-” “You’re worried about his,” The seamstress then looked around to see if anyone was listening. “passenger.” The scholar looked at the woman and frowned. “No, I’m not worried about that.” The girls all cocked an eyebrow. “Okay, I’m a little worried, but that’s not my main concern.” She said with a sigh. “He get’s jobs from all over Equestria and he won’t be here forever.” She said as she hung her head. “You heard that guy before, they gotta stay here until they face the trials.” Dash said. “Who knows when that’ll be?” “So?” “So that could be months away.” “Or days.” Twilight said. Dash rubbed her temples and groaned. “All the more reason for you to make a move!” “I don’t know the first thing about dating!” Twilight said as she held her head. Rarity grinned and put a hand on her shoulder. “Oh trust me dear I’ll help you.” Rarity said with a confident grin. “By the time I’m done with you, Crimson won’t be able to take his eyes off you.” Twilight gulped as the fashionista planned the ordeal in her head. Chapter XIV: PenaltyChapter XIV Penalty Cobalt, Ivy and Rouge were walking down the quiet streets of Ponyville getting to know the town a little bit better. The three were then approached by a familiar rainbow haired flyer. “Hey guys.” The three smiled and gave her a nod. “Where’s Crimson?” “He got some note from Crow and told us to go ahead without him.” Cobalt answered as the group saw Rarity and Twilight approach them. “Hello~” Rarity sang in a sing song voice. “Hey Rarity, what brings you out here?” Dash asked. “Oh I’m just going to give Twilight a makeover.” She said with a giggle. Dash smirked and looked at her friend in the eye. “Trying to get Red’s attention eh?” “Red?” Cobalt asked. “It’s Crimson’s nickname around here.” Ivy clarified. The two other warriors looked at the librarian with shocked faces. “You have a crush on Crimson?” Rouge asked. “M-maybe...I don’t know.....he’s hot okay!” Twilight yelled as she blushed a bright red. Cobalt chuckled. Rouge felt something burning in her pocket. She reached inside her coat and pulled out a purple crystal. The girl put it to her ear and listened. “Rouge, are you there?” A somewhat familiar voice said. “Crimson?” “I need you back here now!” He yelled. “Why?” “Just get your ass back here!” “Jeez fine. I’m on my way.” She said as she rolled her eyes. “Thank you.” He said before the image vanished. “What was that about?” Dash asked. “Don’t know.” Rouge said. “Must be bad though, he’s never sounded like that.” She said as the three mages took off back towards the tower. Twilight and the others soon gave chase and ran after them. The group burst into the tower and ran up to the red haired man’s room. “Crimson? You in there?” “Yes.” The voice said. “Who else is out there?” “Ivy, Cobalt, Dash, Twilight and Rarity.” “Tell them to scram. I’m in a bit of a bind.” “Maybe we can help you.” Dash said. “Yeah right.” “What’s got you in such a bad mood?” Ivy asked. “Crow has a very sick sense of humor.” The sentence alone made the three cringe. “You three can come in, the rest stay out there.” The group heard the bolts shift and the door unlock. As Rouge slowly turned the handle Dash kicked in the door before exploding in laughter. The rest of the group looked in shock as they saw a woman with long dark red hair, red eyes, she was sporting a jet black T shirt and a pair of black pants. The three mages were trying to stifle their laughter as the woman glared at them. “Laugh and I’ll kill you....slowly.” The woman said in an icy tone. “Oh relax Scarlet.” Ivy said before barreling over in laughter. The other two soon followed suit and rolled on their backs. Twilight and Rarity’s eyes twitched in astonishment at the woman. “C-Crimson?” Rarity said in shock. “Unfortunately yes.” The woman said as she crossed her arms across her chest. Crimson almost fell forward and cracked his back as he stood upright. “Honestly, how do you girls deal with these things?” Crimson said as he pointed to his own breast. “They are killing my back.” “Oh boo hoo.” Cobalt said. “Oh right, that reminds me.” Crimson said as he pulled out three small vials of blue liquid. “Catch!” The girl yelled as the three vials flew towards the mages. The vials shattered as they made contact with the three warriors. As the smoke cleared they saw that the blue haired man was missing his wings. “No!” Rouge yelled. “I wasn’t done playing with those yet!” She yelled. “Um Rouge.” He said with a gulp as he pointed to the girl. Rouge looked down at her hands and saw that her skin was a very light shade of pink. The girl was soon fuming with rage as she glared at the altered man. “I hate pink!” She yelled. “Um guys,” Twilight interjected. “Where’s Ivy?” “Down here!” The group heard a barely audibly squeak. The group looked down to see a five inch tall version of the green flyer. “Crimson, prepare to face my wrath!” The flyer said as she charged at the man’s leg. Fortunately for the red haired woman, smaller Ivy equals smaller muscles, which means less strength. Her punches were the equivalent of a bee sting. “Oh you are so cute!” Crimson said. His voice went significantly higher and a squeak was added at the end. The others barreled over laughing. Rarity even gave a giggle. Crimson rubbed his head and groaned. “Look, Crow used some weird plant that grows around here to do this to us.” “What was it called?” Rouge asked. “Can’t remember. Poison something and it was blue.” The three girls looked at one another and nodded. “Poison joke.” The three said in unison. “Poison what?” Cobalt said. “It’s like poison oak, but it just plays little jokes on you.” “Little jokes?” Ivy yelled as she flew up in front of the scholar. “Very funny.” “Aloe and Lotus have a cure.” Rarity chimed. “Come along!” As Crimson took a step forward he saw that Ivy was struggling to keep up. Crimson gently scooped her up and put her in one of Rouge’s empty bug cages. “Hey look, my own green parisprite.” He said as the group chuckled. “I’m gonna rip out your endocrine system and beat you with it!” The tiny woman yelled as she banged on the cage. Crimson couldn’t help but laugh. “So who are Aloe and Lotus?” Cobalt asked. “They run the local spa.” Rarity chimed. The four mages kept their heads down and followed the seamstress into a sweet smelling building. Rainbow Dash flew away from the group and decided to nap on a nearby cloud. Two attractive girls then appeared before them. The two were almost identical twins. One had light blue hair with a matching skirt and sleeveless shirt. Her hair was held back by a white headband. The other was the same except her hair and clothes were a light pink. “Welcome to our Spa.” They both said. “I’m Lotus.” “I’m Aloe, how can we help you?” “Hello girls.” Rarity said with a smile. “Two usuals and four poison joke baths.” She said as she pointed at the cloaked mages. The sisters nodded and showed the girls into the room. Crimson was about to follow Cobalt but heard someone clear their throat. He looked back to see the girl with blue hair looking at him with a raised eyebrow. The man blushed profusely as he entered the girl’s changing area. The three girls were about to get undressed when Crimson held up his hand. “Um, I think it would be more appropriate if I didn’t see you guys do that.” He said as he covered his eyes. “Why? It’s just....Oh.” Rouge said with a gulp. “I may look like a girl now, but I still have the mind of a man.” He said as he blushed. The red haired warrior quickly stripped and wrapped a towel around his female form. The mage quickly made his way out of the changing room and saw Cobalt in a pair of swimming trunks. “Hey cutie.” Cobalt said in a teasing tone. The red mage put his slender finger to his chin and thought. “What are you thinking about?” “If I could get away with murder if I agreed to flash the local guards.” Crimson said as he quickly sat down in the bath that was next to blue flyer’s. The man felt his skin tingle and his body beginning to shift. His hair returned to it’s normal length and his chest changed back to it’s muscular build. The two sisters then came out and stared at the two men with bright blushes on their faces. The men sighed and let the water relax their aching muscles. The two spa girls then walked back out. Instead of wearing the shirts they each had on a bikini top matching their hair. “How is everything?” Lotus asked as they walked over to them. “Great.” Cobalt said with a smile. The Two sisters then got on either side of them. The sister’s made their eyes half lidded and pressed their chest’s outward. “Would either of you care for a massage?” They both asked. The two men blushed brightly and gulped. “Sorry girls,” Cobalt started. “but my girlfriend wouldn’t like it.” “Oh come on.” Aloe whined. “She won’t be mad.” “Oh really?” A voice said in an angry tone. The two sister’s looked behind them to see the pink skinned mage in a purple Bikini. The girl growled at the two who immediately backed off. Rouge got in Cobalt’s bath and glared at him. “Honestly, I can’t leave you alone for five minutes!” “Can I help it if girls find me attractive?” Rouge groaned and lightly slapped him on the cheek. “You’re lucky you’re cute.” She said as she leaned her back against his chest. Cobalt chuckled as an idea came to him. “Crimson is single though.” He said as he pointed to the red haired man. Crimson frowned that the man and made a throat slicing gesture with his thumb. The two sisters giggled and made their way over to him. The group heard something drop into the water. A second later the normal sized green haired flyer returned to her normal size and glared at the man. “You. Are. So. Dead!” The flyer yelled. She then looked at the two sisters and cocked an eyebrow. “Am I interrupting something?” “Nope.” Crimson said in a flat tone. “Hello everyone~” Rarity said in a sing song tone. The group looked over to see Rarity and Twilight both in stunning swim suits. The seamstress was wearing a white bikini top and bottom. The scholar was donning a a similar, though smaller article. They were more like two triangles being held together by a piece of string and a circular piece of metal drawing attention to her well sized chest. Crimson gulped and adverted his eyes and blamed the hot bath for the red coloring on his face. Twilight hid her blush as she looked at the man’s exposed body. The two got in a bath and let out a sigh. The two sisters walked away in defeat with their heads held low. “Oh this is simply divine.” Rarity said. The seamstress then noticed the flyer’s blue wings return to him. “That’s a load off my shoulders.” He said as he flexed them. “Good. Your wings are my favorite part of you.” Rouge teased. “Are you sure?” Cobalt said with a smug grin. “Oh get a room.” Ivy grumbled. “Remind me to place a sound proofing charm around their room.” Crimson said with a groan. “So you two are a couple?” Rarity asked. “Yup, three years now.” Cobalt said. “Is that allowed?” Twilight asked. “Yeah, we may be warriors, but we still have a life.” Ivy said as she leaned back. “I’m just on a relationship break for a bit.” “Why?” Rarity asked. “My boyfriend broke up with me cause I was stronger than him.” She said in a flat tone. “Ouch, what did you do?” Rouge asked. “I broke him.” The green flyer said with a grin. The four shared a chuckle as the other two girls gulped. “What about you Crimson?” Rarity asked. “I’m not into the dating scene.” He said in a flat tone. “I have better things to do.” The scholar felt a little crushed by the words. “Like?” Rarity asked. “Preparing for the trials.” He said in a flat tone. “What is so important about these trials?” Rarity asked. “It sound like just a test.” “Just a test?” Crimson said as his right eye twitched. “Just a test!” He yelled as he stood up out of the water. “Um Crimson.” Cobalt said as he motioned with his finger. The man then remembered that he had only come into the bath with nothing but a towel. The man’s face went bright red and quickly hid under the water. Ivy was bursting out in laughter as Twilight’s face went bright red and almost fainted. The man only exposed his head out of the water and grumbled. “I’m getting out.” He said as his body seemed to turn into a shadow and flew off to the changing room. “Yeah, same here. My hands are getting wrinkly.” Rouge said as she and the flyer stood up. Ivy followed suit and the three went into their respective changing areas. Rarity was soon left alone with the still bright red scholar. “Twilight?” She asked as she snapped her fingers in front of her. Twilight blinked twice and gulped. “Are you okay?” “Y-yeah, let’s just get out.” Author's Note Sorry for the short chapter. Chapter XV: What is Love?Chapter XV What is Love? The man and his team had spent close to a month in the small town and got accustomed to the small town. The red haired mage was fast asleep in his bed as the blue haired flyer tip toes next to him with one of his feathers and a can of shaving cream. He gently squirted some of the white foam into Crimson’s right hand and stifled his laughter. He withdrew his feather and tickled the man’s nose. Crimson lifted his foam covered hand up and Cobalt grinned. The foam covered hand then pulled a 180 spin and shot forwards. The hand collided with the flyer’s face and he cursed. “Need something Cobalt?” Crimson said as he opened his eyes. “How do you always know?” “Dude, you know I’m prank proof.” He said as the flyer wiped the cream off his face. “Now, did you need something?” He asked as he sat up. “Yeah, get your shirt on. You gotta see this.” Crimson groaned and pulled out his pocket watch. “It’s eleven thirty at night and I’m tired. Go wake up Rouge.” He groaned. “I can’t, she and Ivy are having a girl’s night with Dash, Twilight and the others.” Crimson rolled back over and groaned. “C’mon man, it’s been ages since the two of us just hung out.” He whined. Crimson groaned and sat up again. “Fine.” Crimson said as he got up. Crimson threw on a red collared shirt. He ran a wet hand though his hair and splashed some cold water in his face. As he looked up he saw the horned version of himself grinning. Crimson scoffed and dried his hair. The blue flyer was donning a dark blue collared shirt with vertical white stripes. “Nice shirt.” Crimson said as the two left. “Thanks. Rarity fixed it up for me. Yours?” “Same.” Crimson said with a yawn. “So where are we going?” “You’ll see.” Cobalt grinned. The blue flyer led the mage through the Apple family's orchard until they got to a rather large shack perfectly concealed by the thicket of apple trees. The shack itself was fairly large and the entire building was made out of hard oak except for a black metal door in the center. The man stopped and tapped on a black metal door. A metal slide opened and a pair of brown eyes looked at the two for a moment before shutting. The two heard a loud meal creak and the door opened. Crimson saw several guys he had seen around town. Caramel was chatting with Thunderlane and Mr. Cake was manning the bar as Mac sipped a mug of cider. “What is this?” Crimson asked as the door closed. “Just a little piece of guy heaven.” The flyer said with a smile. “Where did you find this place?” He asked as he and the flyer walked up to the bar and sat down. “Mac showed it to me a few days ago.” He said with a grin. Mr. Cake walked up to them and gave them each a pint of cider. “Hey Gentlemen.” The pastry chef said with a smile. Thunderlane walked over to them and sat next to Crimson. “What brings you two here?” The black winged flyer asked. “Just having a guy’s night out while the girls are away.” Cobalt said as he patted Crimson on the back. “Amen to that.” Thunderlane said as he fist bumped Cobalt. Crimson nodded and sipped his drink. “So Crimson,” Caramel started. “how are things going with Ivy?” Crimson almost chocked on his drink. “What?” “How’s your girlfriend?” “Ivy and I aren’t in a relationship.” He said in a flat tone. “We’re just friends.” “Really?” Thunderlane said in a long drawn out tone. Crimson narrowed his eyes and glared at the flyer. “So you’re really not interested in her?” “No, why?” “It’s just that she’s around you all the time, whenever she see’s you she smiles and-” “There’s nothing between us.” He said as he sipped his drink. “Sheesh alright.” Caramel said as he backed off. “So...you’re into guys then?” Crimson spun around and bore holes through him. “What?” He yelled. “How did you come up with that assumption?” He said ina pissed off tone. “C’mon man. You’re around a smoking hot chick like Ivy twenty-four seven and you’re telling us that you’re not the least bit attracted to her?” Thunderlane chimed in. “What else are we supposed to think?” Crimson groaned and rubbed his face. “I’m Ivy’s C.O.” “C.O.?” Thunderlane said. “Commanding Officer. It wouldn’t be appropriate.” “Oh come on,” Caramel said. “that can’t be it. You honestly have no feelings for her?” Crimson raised the glass to his lips, but hesitated as the memory of the crying green haired child hugging him and the knife laying on the floor. “No, we’re only friends. That’s it.” He said as he sipped his drink. “Relationships like that cause friction and hurt the team.” “Ahem!” Cobalt said. “You and Rouge are the exception to the rule Cobalt. Her brains make up for your stupidity,” Cobalt grunted and slammed back his drink. “and your laid back personality balances her anxiety out.” “So you and Ivy aren’t opposites?” He said with a chuckle. “Please, she’s all fun and you’re no fun at all.” Cobalt said. “She completes you.” “Can it. We’re not like that. You know that.” “So Ivy’s single then?” Thunderlane asked. “Yes, but be careful. The last guy that broke her heart she put in a body cast for nine months.” The two had a scared look on their faces. “I’m not kidding either.” “He’s right you know.” Cobalt said. “Ivy is easily the strongest girl at the Academy.” “So what about you and Rouge? She’s kinda....odd.” Caramel said with a shrug. “Yup, that’s why I like her.” Cobalt said. “She’s smart and not a pair of boobs with nothing in her head.” The two men nodded. Cobalt then grinned. “Crimson even hasn’t had a girlfriend yet.” “Cobalt. Shut up.” Crimson said in a dark tone. “Seriously dude?” Caramel said. “Maybe a certain librarian can turn you in the right direction.” Cobalt said with a grin. Crimson almost choked on his drink. “Twilight? Now you’re just making ludicrous accusations.” Crimson said in a flat tone. “Well, you seem to be hanging out with the mane six a lot.” “The mane what?” “If ah can butt in.” Mac said. “Mah sister and her friends are usually at the center of whatever trouble that goes on around here.” He said in a calm tone. “Not to mention that they’re the six finest pieces of ass this side of Equestria.” Thunderlane stated. Mac grunted at the flyer. “No offense to Applejack Mac.” He said as he nervously drank his drink. “You see,” Caramel started. “AJ has that home town ‘down to earth’ thing guys like myself go for. Dash has that cocky attitude and athletic build. Pinkie is childish, but she’s cute and hot when she wants to be. Rarity is a stone cold knock out and has that sophisticated side to her. Fluttershy is cute in that innocent way and Twilight is the adorkable librarian.” “Adorkable?” Crimson stated. “That sounds like something out of a cheesy romance book.” “Call it what you want, you have to admit she’s cute when she get’s all flustered.” Crimson thought for a moment as he thought of the look on Twilight’s face when she would get interested in a topic or how her face would light up when he joked with her. “I’ll admit that she’s smart and has a certain....likeness to her.” He said as he sipped his drink. “She’s got a good head on her shoulders and she’ll make someone happy one day.” “And you don’t think that that someone is you?” Cobalt asked. “Personalities have to be compatible and balance each other out for a stable relationship to flourish.” Crimson said in a flat tone. “So?” Thunderlane said. “No one can balance me out.” He said as he slammed his drink back. The other men shrugged and continued to talk amongst one another. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Inside the large library the eight girls sat in a circle joking and laughing with one another. “And that is why, Cobalt and I are forever banned from entering Las Pegasus for the rest of our natural lives.” Rouge finished. The girls were in a fit of laughter as she finished her story. “Wow and people say I drink too much.” Dash said with a laugh. “Yeah, needless to say that Cobalt needs to be supervised when he’s drinking.” Rouge said as she blew on her newly painted purple nails. “Mind if I ask something?” Rarity said. “Shoot.” “How did you two end up as a couple?” The designer asked. “We’ve known each other since we were kids.” She said with a chuckle. “I guess we complete each other.” She said with a shrug. “I see.” Rarity said with a coy smile. “What about Crimson? What romantic escapades has our red haired hero had?” Twilight gulped and hung her head. “None.” The two girls said. “The girls must swarm him and....wait how many?” Rarity asked as she raised an eyebrow. “None. Zero. Zip.” Ivy said. “Why not? I mean he’s got a small chip on his shoulder, but he’s not that bad looking.” Dash said. “Well, he’s not that good with feelings and never really gave it a shot.” “Why not?” Applejack asked. “Ah bet there are loads of girls back at the Academy who’d love to spend time with him.” “Kinda hard to do that when they’re all scared shitless or hate his guts.” Rouge said. The girls looked at the two in confusion. “You mean that they all-” “It’s not a secret around the Academy and everyone has at least heard a rumor or two about it.” Ivy said with a sigh. “Point is, most girls wouldn’t even be caught dead talking to him.” “So he’s never had a girlfriend?” Twilight asked. “Sounds perfect for you Twi.” Dash said with a snicker. Twilight blushed and glared at the flyer. “Oh calm down, we all know that you like him.” Dash said with a smirk. The clock on the far wall then struck and the flyer let out a yawn. “Well, I’ve got weather duties in the morning. See ya.” She said as she walked out of the library. “Ah’d better get going too.” The farmer said as the rest of the girls left. Twilight turned off the lights and climbed the stairs to her room. She put her ear to Spike’s room and heard the sound of snores. After changing into her PJ’s and brushing her teeth she quickly hopped into bed. As she tried to fall asleep the images of the red haired man continued to fill her mind. She wrapped her arms around one of her pillows and let out a sigh. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Crimson checked his watch and let out a sigh. He finished his drink and looked at the several unconscious men that laid before him. He paid for his drinks and snickered as he saw Cobalt asleep between Caramel and Thunderlane all napping on Mac’s chest. He snapped his fingers and a crystal appeared in his hands. The crystal scanned the scene and took a snapshot of the four passed out friends. He grabbed Cobalt by his arm and slung the appendage over his neck. He lugged the passed out flyer down the street until he saw two familiar female forms. The two looked behind them, saw the two men and hurried up to them. “What happened?” Rouge asked. “Cobalt and Cider happened.” “How bad are we talking here?” Ivy asked. “Nothing too bad, he should be fine in a few hours.” He said as he handed him to the purple haired mage. “He may want to avoid Mac and Thunderlane for a while though.” He said with a chuckle. He withdrew the crystal and the image shined in front of them. Ivy immediately barreled over in laughter while Rouge had an evil smirk on her face, “Oh I’m gonna get a lot of milage out of this one.” She said as the flyer stirred. “Wha?” His eyes shrank as he saw the image. “Delete that now!” “No way in hell.” Crimson said as he vanished in a flash of red light. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Inside the clock tower, the blue winged man woke up early and gently removed his arm from his girlfriend’s hold and replaced it with a pillow. He then started to sift through the seemingly endless stacks of potion books she had collected through their travels. Cobalt found a red colored book and grinned. “Paybacks a bitch Crimson.” He said as he opened the book and started to skim it. He tapped his finger on the recipe and grinned. He copied the words on a sheet of paper and flew off towards the forest. Crimson made his way through the small town and yawned. Crimson entered the library and walked u to the front desk where the indigo haired scholar was toiling away at her work. “Hey Crimson.” Twilight said with a smile. “Morning.” He said with a nod. “Need some help?” She asked as she hid her blush. “Yeah, I’m looking for a book about runes.” He said as he started to look around. “I’ll see what I can dig up.” She said as she got up. Crimson noticed that she was wearing a light purple sleeveless blouse with a dark purple skirt that went to her knees. He quickly turned his attention back to the books. “C’mon, even you have to admit that she’s cute when she gets all flustered.” Caramel's voice echoed in his head. God damn it Caramel. I don’t need ideas like that in my head this early in the morning. He thought as he tried to force the thoughts out of his mind. “I’m not seeing any here.” Twilight said as she finished her search. “I may have some down stairs.” She said as she walked over and switched on the light. The bulb flickered and went out. “Ugh, light’s broken.” “I got it.” Crimson said as he pulled out a red crystal and made the hallway glow. The two made their way down into the basement and started to look around. Several cobwebs covered the old books and the air was damp. Crimson dusted several books off and started to look through them. He found an old book and raised an eyebrow at it. This could come in handy. Back up top the door to the library quietly opened and Cobalt quietly hovered in and set two glasses down on the desk. He pulled out a vial of a pink concoction and poured it in each glass before capping the bottle. Cobalt left a note beside them. He heard a set of footsteps coming up from the basement. The flyer quickly zoomed out of the library and closed the door behind him. “Sorry Crimson.” Twilight said with a sigh. “Looks like I don’t have....who put that there?” She asked as she looked at the drink. Crimson picked up the letter and read it. “Dear Twilight, I’d like you to taste test this new punch mix I’m trying. ~Your friend, Pinkie Pie.” Crimson handed the librarian the letter who read it over. “Pinkie will be Pinkie.” Twilight sad with a shrug. She picked up the glass and looked at it. “Wanna test it?” “Might as well.” He said as he picked up the glass. “Cheers.” He said as the two mages clinked their glasses together. As Crimson put the glass to his lips his nose caught a smell from the liquid. “Wait Twilight don’t-” His warning came too late as the woman slammed the drink back. She took a moment to taste it and smiled. “Not bad, a bit fruity.” She then saw the shocked look on the man’s face. “What?” The scholar then grabbed and shook her head. “You okay?” He asked as he walked over to her. Twilight opened her eyes and Crimson saw a fain ring of pink around her iris. “Oh I’m perfectly fine.” She said in a sultry voice. “Um..okay?” He said with a raised eyebrow. He narrowed his gaze and saw the pink rings. “Twilight, let me see your eyes.” “You can look anytime.” She said as she batted her eyelashes. Crimson saw the rings and grimaced. “Uh oh. C’mon let’s get you to Rouge.” He said as he took her hand. Twilight then spun around and pushed him up against the desk. “Oh, why can’t it just be the two of us?” She said with a pouting face. The woman put her arms around his shoulders and nuzzled his chest. Crimson gulped as his face turned bright red. “T-Twilight, get ahold of yourself.” He said and he looked for an escape. “You’re not well.” “Oh I feel fantastic.” She said as she put her weight on the man. “In fact, I’ve never felt better.” The woman then tripped the man and made him fall backwards on the table with her on top of him. “Now let’s have our own private party.” She said as she licked her lips. The door to the library suddenly opened to reveal the seamstress, the farmer and the green haired flyer. “Sorry to bother ya Twi but,” The farmer stopped as she saw the position that she and the red mage were in. The girls’ faces turned red. “um, we’ll come by later.” The farmer said as she started to close the door. “Wait!” Crimson yelled. “Something’s wrong with Twilight she’s-” He was silenced as she put a hand over her mouth. “If you yell like that in a library then I’ll have to punish you.” She said in a seductive tone. The three looked at each other as Spike came down from the upstairs. “What is going on here?” “Spike go back upstairs.” Twilight said. The hybrid saw the concerned look on the man’s face and quickly grabbed a nearby book. “Twilight get off him now or the book gets it.” He said as fire formed in his mouth. “Who cares about some stupid book?” She said as she looked down at her prey. Spike’s right eyelid twitched at the words. “Okay, now I know something’s up.” Applejack said as she walked up to the two. “Simmer down Twi-” Was all the farmer got out before she was pinned by a wall of purple aura. “My word Twilight!” Rarity said as she hurried over and tried to pry her friend off the red haired man. Ivy snapped her fingers and her whip landed in her hand. She wrapped the scholar in a tight bind and managed to pull her off the mage. “Let me go!” Twilight yelled. “Thanks Ivy.” Crimson said as he got up. Crimson walked over to the farmer and de spelled the ties. “What’s gotten into that girl?” Crimson walked over to the still full glass and looked at it. “What ever this stuff is.” He said as he picked it up and smelled it. “Smells like some kind of potion.” “Where did you get it?” Rarity asked. “It was just here, Pinkie left a note.” The farmer and seamstress looked at the paper. “That’s not Pinkie’s handwriting. It’s too neat.” The farmer said. Twilight was still struggling to break free from the whip. “Whatever this stuff is, I was meant to drink it too.” Crimson said with a sigh. “Anyway, I’m going to see Rouge about this. She’s a genius when it comes to potions.” He said as he levitated the glass. “Bring Twilight too.” “C’mon Twilight.” Applejack said. “No!” Crimson rubbed his head and sighed. “I’ll hold your hand if you come with us.” The scholar’s eyes widened. Crimson blushed as he offered her his arm which she gladly took and rested her head on his shoulders. “Luna give me strength.” He said as the group walked out of the library. “Hunky.” She purred. Crimson’s face grew redder. Ivy and the girls giggled. “Oh that’s so cute.” Ivy chimed. “Can it, it’s the potion.” He said as he walked into the tower to see Rouge reading the paper. “Rouge we have a problem.” “What’s up?” She asked as she folded the paper. “This.” He said as he pointed to the scholar as she gave him the biggest bedroom eyes he’d ever seen. “She drank some weird potion and now she’s all loopy.” The mage got up from her seat and looked in the girl’s eyes and saw the pink ring. “Looks like a love potion to me.” “Really? Couldn’t tell.” Ivy said in a sarcastic tone. “Anyway, we need to find out what kind.” Crimson snapped his fingers and the glass filled with the pink liquid appeared on the table. “Whoever set this up, wanted me to drink it too.” The group then spotted the blue flyer with a confused look on his face. “Crimson? You’re still a guy?” “Um, why wouldn’t I be?” “Well, I figured I’d get back at you for that picture.” The group chuckled at the memory. “So I cooked up a little gender bender potion. I must have gotten the recipe wrong.” He said in defeat. “Back to the drawing board I guess.” “Which book did you use?” Rouge asked. “The red one with purple lettering.” The purple mage face palmed. “You idiot. That’s the book with the purple cover and red lettering. Red cover and purple print is the book of love potions!” She yelled. “Oh.” He said with a gulp. Crimson glared at the man with daggers in his eyes. “I’ll destroy you later. Right now we have to cure Twilight.” “Oh you do care about me.” The scholar said in a happy tone. “Quickly.” He said as he face palmed. “Please tell me you have a cure.” Rouge snapped her fingers and the book appeared in her hands. “What page was it on?” “Page 227.” Cobalt answered. “Okay here it is,” She said as she put the book on the table. “True Lover’s Kiss.” She started. “If ye be bold and ye be in love then drink this vial and-” “Um Rouge, hurry it up.” Crimson said as he was struggling to keep the scholar under control. “Basically, if you both drank the potion then there’d be nothing we can do.” She said in a flat tone. “Since it was only Twilight, we still have a chance. If we can give her the antidote, then she’ll be fine.” “Sounds easy enough.” Ivy said. “There’s a catch, if we don’t get it to her by the time the sun sets then it becomes permanent.” The group gulped. “Oh and if she kisses Crimson then you’re both screwed.” “How does that work?” Applejack asked. “The potion attaches itself to every cell in her body, including liquids. If any of that get’s in Crimson’s body then it would be the same as him drinking the potion.” She said as she scratched her neck. “Please, tell me there’s a cure.” Crimson said with a gulp. “Yeah, but I don’t have any of these ingredients on hand.” She said with a sigh. “I mean where do you get a supply of frog legs, toadstools and the petals of a tree frog flower?” “Oh! Ya can go see Zecora!” The group looked towards the window and saw the pink pastry chef. “Pinkie? What are you doing here?” Rarity asked. “Well, I saw you guys going towards the tower with Twilight holding onto Crimson and I wanted to congratulate the new couple.” “We’re not a couple!” Crimson yelled. “I know silly, I heard the whole conversation.” “Who’s Zecora?” Cobalt asked. “She’s this potion maker that lives in the Everfree Forest.” Applejack said. “She’s got all kind of ingredients.” “We’d better hurry then, it’s already noon.” Cobalt said. “That gives us about seven hours.” Rouge said. “Do you two know the way?” “Yup!” Applejack said. “Wait, what about me?” Crimson said as he managed to break free from the scholar’s grip. “Pinkie, go tell the other’s and get back here as quick as you can.” Ivy said as she grabbed the scholar. Twilight struggled to break free and was reaching for the red haired man. “Okie dokie lokie!” She said before zooming off. “C’mon, times a wasting.” Applejack said as she led Rouge, Cobalt and rarity towards the forest. Twilight then teleported out of Ivy’s grip and onto the mage’s back. “Twilight if you don’t get off me then I’ll tie you down!” Crimson yelled. “Kinky.” Twilight said with a grin. “Ivy!” The green flyer was stifling her laughter as she walked over to them. “Okay Twilight, just calm down and-” “Oh no! I know your angle, you want him all for yourself!” She said as she tightened her grip on Crimson who was squirming to get free. Ivy face palmed and groaned. “Ivy, plan eleven.” Crimson said in a flat tone. “Got it boss.” She said as she withdrew her whip and wrapped it around the scholar’s leg. Crimson then turned into a shadow and phased out of her grip. “Run!” “Don’t need to tell me twice!” He yelled as he ran out the door. Twilight’s hands glowed and fired a bolt of purple magic into the flyer’s gut. Ivy hit the stone wall hard and was knocked out. The scholar ran out the door and saw no trace of the man. “Oh you can run, but you can’t hide.” She said as she vanished in a flash of purple light. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The red haired man was ducking from building to building hoping to avoid being sighted by the love crazed girl. The man stuck to the shadows and made sure to keep his head low. Okay, it’s been five hours since she drank that thing. Hopefully those guys have something ready and- He was cut off as he felt a familiar form latch onto his back “Gotcha.” Twilight whispered. The man felt the girls surprising strength. The woman extended her head and lightly nibbled his ear. Crimson’s face turned bright red and he gulped. The woman then rubbed her head against the back of his neck. “Twilight please, you’re not well.” He said as the girl got off his back. “Look The girls can make an antidote and-” He quickly dodged a pair of lips from meeting his own. “Twilight stop.” “Make me.” She said in a school girl voice. “Where’s Ivy?” “Napping.” She said as she the twirled a few strands of her hair. Crimson then noticed the scholar’s attire and his blush intensified. She was wearing a purple skirt that ended at her mid thigh and a white blouse that seemed to be two sizes too small for her. “You like my new outfit?” She asked in an innocent tone. The man gulped and tried to advert his eyes from the woman. A slender finger touched his chin and slowly turned his head back to her. Twilight’s eyes were focused on him like a hawk going in for the kill. The woman snaked her arms around the man’s back and pressed her body against his. Crimson was sweating as the woman’s lips closed in on his own. The man vanish and the scholar saw only a cloud of red smoke. “Ugh! Another clone!” She stamped her foot in frustration before teleporting away. Up on the roof of the bricked building where the clone once was laid the red haired man on his stomach. “Thank Star Swirl for shadow clones.” He said with a sigh. The gem in his pocket glowed and he held it in his hand. The image of the purple mage then filled the gem. “Rouge, please tell me you have the cure. I’m not sure how long I can keep this up for.” “Relax we have it ready,” Crimson let out a sigh of relief. “but we only had enough ingredients for one.” “How am I gonna get her to drink something like that?” “There’s something else,” Rouge said as she opened the book. “the longer Twilight goes without the antidote the more....amorous she becomes.” “I figured that when she jumped on my back in a miniskirt and a blouse that looked like it was meant for a twelve year old girl.” The two images gulped. “Just get back here now.” “On our way. Meet us by Fluttershy’s cottage.” Rouge said as the crystal image cut out. Crimson gulped and made his way towards the forest’s edge. As he did he saw the group come out from the dark forest. “You guys have it?” Rouge held up a small glass with an odd concoction in it.. “That’s it?” “Yup, but-” “Let me guess, there’s a catch.” He said with a sigh. “That and it’s missing one ingredient.” Rouge plucked one of his dark red hairs out of his scalp and put it in the mix. The liquid bubbled and changed to a dark blue color. “Okay, so what’s the catch?” “You have to be the one to give it to her.” “Why?” “The potion works on whoever the drinker see’s first and since it was you, you have to be the one to give it to her.” She said as she handed him the glass. “How am I gonna get Twilight to drink this? She may be love struck but she’s still smarter than your average mage.” “Is that a compliment?” Cobalt asked as he waggled his eyebrows. Crimson glared at the flyer. Rouge took the glass back and changed the liquid into a pill. “There, that should make it easier.” “Now all we have to do is get her here.” Crimson said as he took the pill. “Shouldn’t be that hard.” Cobalt said as his wings flared and took flight. “I’ll giver her a heads up.” He said as he took flight towards the small town. Crimson and Rouge watched as he zoomed off into the sky. “Crimson, I’m sorry about this.” The mage said as she put a hand on his shoulder. “There’s also one last thing you should know.” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Cobalt zoomed through the skies until he spied an indigo haired woman leaning against a wall and was looking for the red haired mage. The flyer smiled and flew down to her. “Hey Twilight.” The woman waved him off. “Hey, I’m here to help. I know where Crimson is.” The woman then had a bright smile on her face. “Where?” she yelled. “I just saw him by Fluttershy’s cottage.” He said as the woman vanished in a flash of purple light. “Good luck Crimson.” He said with a sigh. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Twilight waited in a bush and looked around for the man. Twilight saw the red haired man from one end of the field to the other. Twilight primed her magic and teleported herself on top of the man. Crimson landed on his back and looked up to see the lust librarian with a smile on her face. “Got you this time.” Crimson charged his magic, but Twilight grabbed his hand and the man felt some bindings. “Oh no you don’t mister. Magic seals.” She said with a coy smile. Crimson gulped and felt the pill in his hand. Twilight stroked his clenched fist and purred. “Have something for me?” “J-just a breath mint.” He said with a gulp. Twilight pried the pill from his hand and analyzed it. “You’re such a liar.” She said with a smile. Crimson gulped and felt his throat dry up. “I know exactly what this is.” She said as she placed the pill on her tongue and swallowed it. “Don’t worry you’ll get to see that part of me later.” The woman adjusted herself so that she was sitting just above his crotch. The librarian smirked and unbuttoned the top buttons on her blouse. Crimson’s face turned scarlet red as she leaned over him. The woman’s head was just above his. The man could feel her breath on his lips. “Now to have some f-” The woman the sat back up and grabbed her head. Twilight grunted and shook her head. As she opened her eyes she looked around. “Wha? Where am I?” The scholar rubbed her eyes and looked down at the blushing man. Twilight’s face turned snow white and then to bright red in the blink of an eye. “How, what, when?” The woman started to hyper ventilate before she passed out. Crimson caught her before she hit the ground and wrapped her in his coat. Crimson got to his feet and picked the scholar up in his arms and vanished in a flash of red light. Spike, Cobalt, Rouge and the other girls waited in the library and looked at one another. Ivy had a bandage on her head and groaned. The door to the library opened revealing the red haired man with the unconscious librarian in his arms. The girls all crowded around their friend and looked at her. “Is she okay?” Rouge asked. “Yeah, she just got overwhelmed and got knocked out.” He said as he rested her on the couch. “She should be fine in a few hours.” He said with a sigh. “Well, everything worked out then.” Cobalt said as he put an arm around Crimson. The red mage grabbed the flyer’s hand and applied pressure. “Not just yet. This whole ordeal was your fault.” He said in a flat tone. “Time for payback.” He said as his right hand glowed with magical energy. He fired a bolt of magic at the flyer causing a massive red cloud to envelope him. After the smoke cleared a blue haired and winged woman was coughing. “What was that supposed to-” Cobalt’s hand covered his mouth. “What did you do to me?” He yelled. “What you tried to do to me. The spell should wear off by tomorrow morning.” He said in a calm tone. “I found that spell in one of the books Twilight had here." He turned to Rouge and nodded. "Have fun.” He said before leaving. The girls were all laughing at the blue flyer who grunted. Rouge walked over to him and smiled. She leaned in and whispered. “We are so having sex tonight.” She said with a smile. Cobalt gulped and prayed that the spell would wear off at that moment. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Crimson stormed into his room and sat down on the bed. His mind went back to what Rouge had told him. “There’s also one last thing you should know.” “What?” “Unlike most love potions the, True Lover’s Kiss potion doesn’t implant false emotions. It brings them to the surface.” “What?” “Everything Twilight is showing right now is real. It’s like when you shake up a soda can and open it. The soda is there, just in a different way. “Your point?” “All I’m saying is that Twilight genuinely cares about you. Don’t forget that.” Crimson laid on his bed and stared up at the ceiling. The man closed his eyes and let sleep take him. Chapter XVII: MessengerChapter XVII Messenger. It had been a week since Crimson and the ice mage ventured off towards Trottingham. The six girls were in the bakery shop chatting with the blue flyer and purple mage. Apparently Ivy had been spending a lot of her free time around the apple farm, more specifically Big Mac. “You think there’s something between Ivy and Mac?” Dash asked. “Knowing Ivy, maybe.” Rouge said as she sipped her tea. “Any word from Crimson or Angel?” Rarity asked. “Nope. I’m sure they’re fine, provided Angel behaves herself.” Cobalt said with a grunt. “Yeah about that.” Dash started. “What’s with her and Ivy? Those two looked like they wanted to kill each other.” “I think it’s got something to do with Angel being an ice mage and Ivy being a fire mage.” Cobalt said with a shrug. “No to mention that Crimson is the only one who can handle her.” “How so?” Dash asked. “Well, they’re both Conduits.” “So?” “Crimson understands Angel’s pain and knows the loneliness of being one.” Rouge clarified. “When we first met her she was angry and wanted to turn the Empire into an icicle.” The group all gulped. “They both know how it feels being rejected by their peers.” He said with a shrug. Ivy then walked in and sat down next to the blue flyer. “Sup guys?” “Not much.” Ivy then looked at Spike and raised an eyebrow. “Hey Spike, what’s with your hands?” She asked. “Oh, long story short I’m a dragon that got zapped with a spell and now I’m a human dragon hybrid.” Ivy smirked and looked at the dragon. “Thought I smelled dragon blood.” “What?” Dash said. “Ivy is our residential dragon slayer at the Academy.” Rouge explained. The small hybrid gulped. “Relax dude. You haven’t tried to burn the town down so I have no reason to kill you.” She said with a grin. “Why are you a dragon slayer?” Rarity asked. “Runs in the family. My dad was one, his dad too and so on.” She said with a shrug. “I’m just the first girl and flyer to be apart of it.” She said as she sat back. “You should have seen my uncle’s face when I tamed Sage.” “Who?” “The green dragon I have.” She said with a smile. “It’s also how I got this bad boy.” The woman stood up and pulled her green hair to the side exposing the back of her neck. There was the image of a coiled serpent dragon in front of two crossed swords. “Cool.” Dash said. “What about you guys?” Cobalt shrugged and picked up the end of his shirt and stretched it up to his chest. On his left pectoral was a shield with two crossed swords with the blades wrapped in electric sparks. “I got this when I stopped some punks from beating up my older brother. I grabbed a guard’s sword and managed to fight them off.” “You have a brother?” “Yeah, he’s not in the academy though.” He said as he lowered his shirt. “What about you Rouge?” The woman pulled her shirt down to show her back left shoulder. A spider with a potion vial on its abdomen was proudly imprinted on her skin. “Oh yeah, why do they call you the spider Queen?” Dash asked. Rouge smirked and cracked her neck. Something seemed to fill her mouth and she spat out a spider web that wrapped around the flyer. “That web is lighter than silk but stronger than steel.” She said with a smile. “Just get this stuff off me!” Dash yelled as she struggled in her restraints. Rouge snapped her fingers and the webs started to unravel. “Thank you.” Dash said she stretched. “Right, a reporter showed us your stat cards.” Twilight said. “It said that you can use metal magic.” She said as she looked at the flyer. “Correct.” He said as he took a butter knife in his hand. The group then watched as his arm changed to a metal finish. “It makes my body hard as metal and it amplifies my lightning magic.” “Cool!” Pinkie said. “Yeah, but I can’t fly while using it.” He said as his arm turned back to normal. “Well thats handy.” Applejack said. She then turned to the purple mage. “Oh right Rouge. That card thing said you used something called Gentle Palm. What’s that?” “You see,” Ivy started. “every fighting technique is put in one of two categories.” She said as she held up two fingers. “There’s brutal fist and gentle palm.” “Never heard of them.” Dash said. “Ivy, Crimson and I use brutal fist which is the most basic form of fighting.” Cobalt started. “It relies on bruises, broken bones and heavy blows. While Gentle Palm is a more.....subtle way to fight.” “I don’t get it.” Rarity said. “Gentle Palm relies on attacking vital points and internal organs.” Ivy said. “How?” “I focus my aura into different points of my body and project it into other peoples bodies which inflicts damage on an internal scale. It’s not as entertaining to watch but, it has devastating effects.” Rouge commented. “What about Crimson? What magic can he use?” Twilight asked. The three gulped and sighed. “Shadow.” The three said. Twilight’s eye lid twitched. “Shadow? I’ve never heard of that.” Rarity said. “Mostly because it’s next to impossible to master.” Twilight said. “The only person that I know of that has and mastered it is Princess Luna.” Cobalt said. “How hard can it be?” Dash said. “It’s next tot he top in difficulty. Crimson still has issues controlling it.” Rouge said. “You see, Shadow is considered a mix of almost every element.” “How?” “Everything casts a shadow.” Ivy said. “Fire, earth, metal, lightning. You name it.” The group nodded in agreement. “So what do you guys do when you’re not fighting?” Applejack asked. “I practice my flying.” Cobalt said. “I draw.” Rouge said. “I just chill.” Ivy sighed. “What about Crimson?” Twilight asked. “He reads a lot.” The librarian was speechless at the words. A person who was devoted to his studies. “Like, every time he’s not practicing or on a mission he has a book in his hand.” Ivy shrugged. “Sometimes he can be a real egg head.” “What I’d give to be that book.” The scholar’s face turned scarlet as she realized she said the words out loud. The group all smirked and chuckled. “Wow Twilight. That had to be the worst line I’ve ever heard.” Dash said. The three warriors then felt something vibrate in their pocket. The three pulled out a gem that was flashing. “Uh-oh.” They all said. “What’s up?” “This is our recovery beacon. It’s lets us know that an Academy member is in bad shape.” Rouge said. The three funneled their magic and an image projected from the gem. The group fell silent as they looked at the message. Name: Crimson Storm Health: 8% Immediate extract is required. The three immediately stood up and ran outside with the group following. The three stood in a triangle and planted the three gems in the ground. They focused their magic and a large symbol appeared on the ground. The seal glowed a bright white and smoke filled the air. As the smoke cleared the group saw the heavily beaten body of the ice mage. The three immediately ran to her side and helped her up. “How is she?” Rouge scanned her and gulped. “Not good. She needs medical attention.” “Can you stabilize her?” Ivy asked. “I think so.” Rouge said as she summoned a vial of purple liquid. She rested the mage’s head against her knees and poured the liquid down her throat. After swallowing the liquid Angel’s eyes snapped open and she started to cough. “Easy there.” Rouge said as she helped her sit up straight. “What happened?” “I....I don’t know. One minute Crimson and I were going toe to toe with the necromancer. Then nothing.” She said with a groan. Ivy helped her up and slung her arm over her shoulders. “C’mon snow angel. Let’s get you to bed.” “Ugh! I hate that nick name.” She spat out at the flyer. The group followed the two and entered the spacious clock tower. The green flyer put the ice mage on the couch and sighed. The group then saw a bright green flash of light. One the light faded the cane wielding man appeared. “What happened?” He said in a rough tone. The three instantly gulped. “Angel just came through using Crimson’s warp gem.” Cobalt said. The man knelt down and looked at the conduit. “What happened?” He asked. “I can’t remember, one second I’m fighting and the next I’m here.” She said in defeat. The man put his hand on her head and his eyes glowed. “Find anything?” “No, the last thing I can see is the necromancer summoning two coffins and then nothing.” He said in disappointment. “Where could he be?” Twilight felt a lurching feeling in her stomach and coughed. “You okay Twilight?” Fluttershy asked. “Yeah, I probably ate something I shouldn’t have.” She said with a small burp. Another burst of pain then hit her. “Oh boy. I think I’m gonna-” Her warning came too late as her mouth opened and she puked. “Gross.” The group said. Twilight gulped and vomited again. The group’s eyes shrank as they saw that the bile was jet black and seemed to be growing. “What the hell?” The group said as they each took a step back away from the blob. The four able bodied mages pulled out their weapons. “Oh please there is no need for such barbarism.” A voice said. The bile converged and grew into a shadow like version of the red warrior. “C-Crimson?” Ivy said. “Sorry but no.” The shadow said as it grew horns and sprouted wings. Crow’s eyes shrank and tried to slice the shadow with his sword. “Oh calm down you idiot.” “You! Where is Crimson?” Crow yelled. “You know this thing?” Dash asked. “I’m Crimson’s how you say, ‘baggage.’” The shadow said with a smirk. “So you’re the demon?” Applejack asked. “Nice to see that your teeth isn’t the only thing bright about you.” The farmer scowled at the shadow. “Now if we’re done arguing I’m actually here to help.” “Why should I believe you?” Crow said. “I’m not saying you should. Believe me if you want. If you don’t, I don’t care.” The shadow said. The shadow snapped it’s fingers and a projection showed the red mage with scythe in hand against a dark figure with a mask over his face. “Give up! I’ve defeated all of your puppets.” The red mage yelled. “All? I think not.” The man said as he placed his hands together. Two coffins then sprouted up from the ground. “These two were exceptionally hard to soul trap, but that’s what makes them my favorite.” The two doors on the coffins fell down. The man’s eyes shrank to the size of pin tips. Crow gasped as he looked at the projection and his cane fell to the ground. The two bodies stepped out. A man and a woman. The man had shoulder length black hair and a large hammer was mounted on his back with a pistol was holstered on his side. The woman had fair skin. A long rifle was placed on her back and held a long rapier in her right hand. Her emerald eyes were in a trance like state and her long red hair went to the middle of her back. “No, anyone but those two.” Crow said as he fell to his knees. “Who are those guys?” Dash asked. “They’re my old squad mates.” Crow said with a shiver. “Crimson’s parents.” The group all gulped at the words. The image then faded. “Bring that back! Show me what happened.” Crow barked at the shadow. “I don’t have the strength for that.” The shadow said. “The amount of power I had inside Ms. Sparkle was only enough for one shot.” “You were inside me?” Twilight yelled. “When Crimson used his aura to give yours a jumpstart a bit of my magic came along for the ride. I kept myself hidden in case of an emergency like this.” He said as he cracked his neck. “I don’t know what he’s doing, but he’s alive....for now. I think he might face the mirror.” Crow and Angel’s eyes shrank at the words. “If he lives then he’ll be at the Trials if not, then we’ll be seeing each other again very soon Crow.” The image grinned. “He can’t! Not yet!” Crow yelled. “Oh spare me the lecture.” The shadow said as he started to flicker. “Looks like my time is almost up.” “Wait!” Twilight said. “Why tell us this? What could you possibly gain from helping us?” The shadow looked at her as he started to fade. His dark eyes taking in her form and he let out a sigh. “You remind me of my wife.” “Your wife?” Twilight said. “Is it so hard to believe that demons like me can love?” “Kinda.” The shadow started to chuckle and then barreled over laughing. Twilight frowned. “Something funny?” “You humans are all alike! You just assume that demons are heartless monsters and that we’re deserve nothing less that annihilation!” The shadow yelled. “If anything then we suffer because of humans!” He spat out. His image then began to fade completely. “I guess this is goodbye, for now.” The shadow vanished and Crow gulped. “What’s the mirror?” Twilight asked. “It’s considered the final test for all Academy students.” Crow said. “But what is it?” Dash asked. “You literally look inside yourself and face the darkness.” The group gulped. “It’s different for every person and in Crimson’s case he’s got quite the challenge ahead of him.” The man said as he stood up and cracked his shoulders. Something in his and the three mages pocket then started to glow and vibrate. The groups eyes widened as they saw the message. Trials will begin in forty-eight hours. The group let out a sigh and nodded to one another. “Looks like its time. I’ll see you all at the Academy.” Crow said with a nod. “Aren’t you going to look for Crimson?” The scholar asked. “You heard the demon.” Ivy said. “With any luck he’ll come to us. Besides if I know Crimson then he’ll be just fine.” “How can you say that?” Dash said. “That boy has proved the impossible so many times I’ve lost count.” Crow said. “I have faith that he’ll come back. He’s my godson after all.” The man said with a smile. “Wait!” Twilight called out again. “Would it be alright if we came with you? To watch maybe?” “Wanna be there for your boyfriend eh?” Rainbow teased. Twilight’s face turned bright red and Crow chuckled. “I don’t see why not. Princess Celestia and Luna will be there too.” He said with a smile. “You can probably ask her for a pass. Until then, goodbye and I wish you three the best of luck.” He said as he looked at the three students. The gave him a nod and he vanished in a flash of light. “Okay guys, lets get packing.” Ivy said as the group started to collect their gear. “I’ll send Celestia a letter about getting us in.” Twilight said as she and her friends left. In the back of the librarian’s mind she hoped that Crimson was alright. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The red haired warrior was making his way through a dense dark forest. A thick layer of fog covered the ground and the warrior silently made his way towards a red river. A single boat was there with a shadowy figure with a long stick was standing in the boat. Crimson held out a coin and dropped it in the figure's hand. The hooded figure nodded and slowly started to row across the river. The water was blood red and the man could see the faces of the fallen in the water. He felt pity for the poor souls. In the middle of the river stood an island. The boatman pulled ashore and Crimson exited the floating vessel. He stepped off to see a massive castle in the center of the island. The pathway up to the castle had several skeletons across the steps. The doors to the castle opened showing an old man with long silver hair. He wore a black hood over his frail body. The man looked malnourished and was very bony. “Why have you come here boy?” He spat out. “I think you know why Grimm.” Crimson answered back. “Ah, you seek the power of the demon.” “No, not yet.” Crimson said as he put up his hand. “I’ll get to him later, right now I need a better weapon.” The old man’s eyes shrank. “It’s time for one more lesson old man.” Crimson said as he summoned his scythe. “Lets see if you can match the power of a true Reaper!” The elderly man snapped his fingers and a scythe fell into his hands. The staff portion appeared to be made of bone and a skull was the connection piece between the handle and a long black blade. A mask suddenly appeared in the man’s face and the two each took a stance. Chapter XVIII: HomecomingChapter XVIII Homecoming The four mages, six girls, a farmer and one hybrid were on the train growing ever closer to the Academy. Twilight sat next to Spike who was staring out the window. The group of girls all chatted with one another. Big Mac kept relatively silent and gazed out the window. “Whoa.” Rainbow said as she looked out the window. The girls’ jaws dropped as they saw a massive castle like building made out of pristine white stone. “You guys should see your faces.” Ivy said with a grin. “Its good to be home.” The flyer said with a smile. The train pulled to a stop and the group soon exited the train. The group took in the sight and let out a happy sigh. “This is so awesome!” Dash squealed. Ivy then pulled out a few badges that had the letter V on them. “What are these for?” “They’re visitor passes.” Rouge said. “Just so that the students here know you’re not here to fight.” “Why would they want to fight?” Applejack asked as she pinned the badge on her orange shirt. “This is a combat school. Fighting is just another daily activity here. It’s supervised by a professor though.” Cobalt said. The man’s ear twitched just before he was tackled by a bright blue blur. The figure put Cobalt in a headlock. “Gotcha again little bro.” The stranger said. “Nope.” Cobalt said as he grabbed the stranger’s arm and flipped him down on his back. He twisted his arm and the stranger started to grunt in pain. “Say uncle!” He said as he applied pressure to the arm. “Uncle! Uncle!” He yelled as he tapped out. The two got up and Dash’s jaw dropped. The group looked in surprise at a man who was just a little taller than Cobalt. He had spiky navy blue hair and light blue wings. He was in a spandex blue Uniform with yellow bolts of electricity around it. “S-Soarin!” Dash yelled. “Oh hey Rainbow Dash. What are you doing here?” “We’re here to watch.” Twilight said. “What are the Wonderbolts doing here?” The man then ruffled Cobalt’s hair. “I’m here to see my little bro fight.” He said as he put an arm around the flyer. The group was dumbfounded. “Guys meet my older brother Soarin. Looks like you have already met.” He said with a sigh. Rainbow immediately flew up and started to shake him. “Why didn’t you tell us your brother is a Wonderbolt?” She yelled. “See your reaction right now?” He said in a flat tone. “That’s why. I don’t want any publicity from that.” “Dash, hands of the boyfriend.” Rouge said as she casted a death glare at her. Rainbow gulped and took a step back. “Thank you.” The two then saw a golden winged flyer land next to the blue suited flyer. “Hey Spit.” Ivy said with a nod. “Sup guys?” She said as she gave her a hug. “Haven’t seen you guys in a while.” The flyer said with a smile. Soarin scratched his chin and looked at the group. “Hey where’s Crimson?” The group instantly clammed up and Twilight dropped her head. “Is he signing in or something.” “We don’t know.” Ivy said in a low tone. “What do you mean you don’t know?” Spitfire asked. “He went missing two days ago.” Rouge said. The two fliers gulped. “He’ll be here though.” She said in a hope filled tone. “You sure? I mean going MIA is-” Soarin was cut off as Spitfire elbowed him in the ribs. “I mean, yeah he’ll totally show up.” “Thanks for the vote of confidence.” Ivy said in a drawn out tone. “So why are you guys here?” Applejack said. “Ah thought the Academy wasn’t part of the Equestrian Military.” “It isn’t. We have to make an appearance, plus its a good chance to look for new recruits.” Spitfire said with a smile. “Plus it’s also good to catch a show. These fights are always interesting.” The group then heard a loud bell ringing. “That’s our cue!” Ivy said. “We’ll catch up later.” She said as the three warriors ran off towards the castle. The six girls were then approached by three familiar faces. Princess Celestia stood between her sister and Princess Cadence. Twilight immediately rushed up and greeted her mentor and sister in law. “Twilight Sparkle my prize pupil. It’s so good to see you and your friends again.” Celestia said with a friendly nod. Luna gave her a friendly nod while Twilight and Cadence did their routine greeting. “Hey, where’s Shining? I thought that he’d be here.” Twilight said. “He had to stay behind in the empire. A lot of people are applying for the guard and Shining has to sift through the paperwork.” She said with a laugh. The other girls all gave a chuckle. “Come we must get our seats.” Luna said in a flat tone. The others followed the three Princesses through the large hallways. Cadence looked at Twilight and cocked her head. She leaned close to Applejack and tapped her on her shoulder. “Howdy Cadence whatcha need?” “What’s wrong with Twilight? She seems a little down.” “She’s just bummed cause the guy she likes isn’t here yet.” Dash whispered to the Princess. Cadence was stifling giggles as she walked with the group. She then noticed the large farmer. “Who’s this?” “Oh thats mah brother Big Macintosh.” Applejack said. “Pleased to meet ya your highness.” He said with a small bow. “Oh please, You can just call me Cadence. Any relative of Applejack is a friend of mine.” She said with a smile. “He’s here cause his girlfriend is fighting.” “She ain’t mah girlfriend.” He said with a blush. “She’s just a good friend.” Applejack then pulled his collar down to show some bruises on his muscular neck. “A good friend don’t leave bruises on yer neck.” “Ah told ya a few apples fell down on me.” He lied. “Yer about a worse liar then I am.” She said with a grin. “Well....ya see...” The man tried to say but he couldn’t break his sister’s gaze. Cadence giggled and turned her attention back to Rainbow Dash. “So about this guys Twilight likes. Is he cute?” The love Princess asked. “He’s extremely handsome.” Rarity said joining the conversation. “Oh really?” Cadence said. “Yeah and he’s super duper fun to hang out with.” Pinkie chimed. “He’s also an egghead.” Dash said. “Sounds like the perfect match. What’s his name?” “Its-” The fflyer was cut off as they entered a massive arena. The thousands of rows were packed with people cheering and yelling. “Wow.” Dash said as she looked at the size of the Colosseum. The group followed Celestia to a booth in the middle of the stands. Several seats were inside. Celestia sat in the center with the other Princesses on either side. The group saw a dirt field and several rows of people standing on it. Twilight snapped her fingers and a pair of binoculars appeared in her hand. She scanned the area and found Ivy, Cobalt and Rouge stalking with one another. She even spied the bandaged ice mage among the crowd. “The trials will begin in five minutes. Any students who do not make it within the time will fail.” A voice said over the speakers. Twilight gulped and looked frantically for Crimson. She then felt a hand touch her shoulder and she jumped in surprise to see Applejack. “Calm down, he’ll make it.” Applejack said. Twilight sighed and took her seat next to her friends. The farmer saw the ice mage and looked at the cane wielding man. “Um excuse me.” “Ms. Applejack correct?” He asked. The farmer nodded “How can I help you?” “What’s Angel doing here? She said that she was part of another guild.” “Ah, you see the Academy has small branch guilds stationed all over Equestria.” “Branch guild?” Mac said. “You see The Academy is like a large tree.” He said as he made a small image of a tree appear in his hand. “The place we’re at now is considered the main stem and has smaller branches that grow out of it. A Zealot class mage is put in charge of each branch guild and gets jobs that helps fund the Academy as a whole.” He said with a sigh. “Angel is stationed in the Crystal Empire branch.” The girls then looked at the pink winged Princess who nodded. “Since Angel is a Conduit a few guild members feel uncomfortable around her, so she sometimes stays in the castle.” Cadence said with a smile. “But as of late she’s becoming more aggressive and I’m beginning to worry about her.” Crow mad the tree vanish and replaced it with a green microphone. “Ladies and gentlemen,” He started. “we are only one minute away from the start of the trials. If any student should wish to withdraw now is the-” He was cut off the ground started to shake. In the far edge of the field the crowd looked and saw a giant cut mark appear in the earth. The group felt an immense pressure hit them and stirred up a large amount of hot wind. Twilight looked through the binoculars and saw something fly out of the crack. As the sun shined on it she recognized the red scythe. The crowd then saw another larger object fly out of the crack and catch the scythe in mid air. The figure then started to glow red and launched itself towards the group of students. As it neared the ground it dug the blade into the earth and landed on it’s feet. “Nailed it.” The man said as he dusted himself off. He removed his hood to show his familiar dark red hair. The large crack then started to fill back in. He cracked his neck as his three teammates ran up to him. “Jerk! Where the hell-” The green flyer stopped as she saw that he had several bandages wrapped around his face and body. “What happened?” “I paid Grimm a little visit.” He said with a shrug the other three gulped. “Are you insane?” Cobalt yelled. “You should know the answer to that question.” Crimson said with a smile. “You’re still late ya know!” Rouge said. “I am never late.” He said in a proud tone. “Nor am I early. I arrive precisely when I-.” He was cut off as the three slapped him upside the head. “I swear to the creator, if you quote that book one more time I am going to shove that scythe of yours down your throat.” Ivy said with a grunt. Crimson sighed and closed his mouth. The four then rejoined the rest of the group. A few of the students happily greeted the red warrior while the others nervously gulped. Back up in the stands Twilight breathed a sigh of relief and sat down. “See. Told ya it would be fine.” Dash said. “Wait, she’s got a crush on Crimson?” Cadence asked as she leaned over towards Rarity. “Oh she is very smitten.” The seamstress said. “But he’s....um....how can I put it?” The Princess said as she put a finger to her chin. “You mean what he’s got in him? The monster?” Applejack said. The Princess gulped. “That Crow feller and Celestia told us.” She said in a flat tone. “Look Cadence, ah know you’re worried ah am too, but Crimson has saved our hides with everything he has. He could have attacked us at any moment but he didn’t.” “I’m not concerned about that.” Cadence said. “I’ve met Crimson before when he calmed Angel down and prevented her from freezing over the Crystal Empire.” She said with a sigh. “I’m just a bit surprised and why is she relieved?” “He went missing two days ago.” Dash said. The Princess blinked twice. “Not sure where he ran off to even the other three don’t know.” She said with a shrug. “Eeyup.” The farmer said. The crowd fell silent as the cane wielding man raised his right hand. “Now then,” Crow said as he cleared his throat. “let the trials begin!” He yelled as the crowd roared. “The first test will be a team battle.” He said as a massive magical board appeared above the stadium. Several team names were listed on the board. “The teams will be selected at random.” The screen then shifted to two boxes. Several letters raced across the board. The group gulped as they saw the names. Team Horsemen v.s. Team Beast The red mage grinned and cracked his neck. Several students then made their way off the field and into some seats on the side lines. Crimson and his team remained on the field along with a brown winged flyer holding a large spiked mace and three other mages. Underneath the team names were the individual’s pictures and a green bar next to their photos. “I’ve been waiting for this freak.” The black winged warrior said as he pointed his mace at the scythe user. Another was a black haired mage with a massive spiked ball on a chain. A red winged flyer had two daggers holstered on his belt. The last was a blonde haired mage with a massive shield on his back. Crimson cracked his neck and looked at his teammates. “I’ll handle this.” “All four? Are you crazy?” Ivy yelled. “Just trust me on this okay.” He said in a calm tone. “Think of it as the beginning of my apology.” The three looked at one another and shrugged. “If things start to turn sour then I’m stepping in!” Cobalt yelled the two women nodded in agreement. “Thank you.” He said as he cracked his knuckles. The red mage made his scythe vanish and turned to face the four. He slowly made his way across the field where the four were waiting for him. “What’s this? Only you?” The shield wielder said. Crimson raised his right hand and made the ‘bring it on’ gesture. The four then charged at the man. They blinked once and the man vanished from their sight. The shield user’s eyes shrank as he saw a fist break through his shield like a hammer striking a cookie. As the fist slammed into his chest. The warrior was sent flying back against the wall. “Next?” Crimson said. The shield user slowly stood up and summoned a different shield. The four mages took a position and each made a small seal on the ground. Four massive walls then enclosed the space of the five mages. Ivy immediately started banging on it from the outside. The four opposing warriors each took a stance and focused their magic. A massive cloud of smoke ensnared the three. The massive cloud then encircled the red mage. As the smoke cleared the crowd gasped as they saw easily twenty-five copies of each mage. “If I were you, I’d give up.” The brown winged copies mocked. “We’re One hundred strong.” “One hundred?” Crimson asked. “That’s not very fair.” He said as he summoned his scythe. “You should have made more!” “Charge!” The flyer commanded. The legions then fell upon the mage. Ivy was getting ready to jump in when Crimson raised a hand. The man got in an offensive stance and lunged forwards. A flash of red was all the copies saw as five were hit with the red scythe. Crimson’s scythe then shifted and he pulled out the blade. Crimson then started to twirl on his heel with the scythe in his left hand and the sword in his right. The clones only saw a red twister of blades coming towards them at an alarming speed. One by one the clones vanished in puffs of smoke. The shield user threw a circular shield at the red mage. Crimson stopped his attack and bashed the shield away. He was then met with a firm strike to the stomach by the mace user. The man’s red eyes shrank and felt blood fill his mouth. Shit. Looks like I still need to recover from Grimm. He looked at his weapon and sighed as he saw the nicks and notches etched in the blade. He made the blade vanish and stood up towards the small army. I was hoping to save this, but looks like I’ve got no choice. He placed his right hand on the ground a and a small cloud of red smoke enveloped the man. Several clones charged into the smoke. As swift shadow soon knocked them out and made them evaporate. Crow’s eyes shrank as the smoke cleared and he saw the red mage using a massive hammer along with a long barreled rifle on his back. Crimson raised the hammer and pointed it at the group who looked at him in confusion. “Alright, playtime is now officially over.” He said as he ran towards the group with the hammer raised. The man slammed the large hammer down on the ground. The residual momentum caused him to fly upwards. The ground rippled and several clones were either destroyed or launched into the air. The man then put the butt of the rifle to his shoulder and focused. He let loose a barrage of red magical bullets that pierced through the clones. The magical bullets didn’t stop flying until the air around the man was filed with smoke. As the smoke cleared, Crimson made out the shapes of the dagger using flyer and the spike ball using mage. The over head board showed the two mage’s health bars at zero and the two bodies were teleported off the battle field. Out of the corner of his eye the man saw a yellow fireball race towards him. Crimson braced himself for the impact. He felt the fire burn through his coat and sear his skin. The man quickly removed his jacket and let it fall to the ground. The spectators eyes shrank as they saw his entire torso covered in bandages and with red blotches of blood dotting it. The mace user grinned and cracked his neck. He placed his hands together and focused his magic. “Are you insane?” The blonde mage yelled. “Something like that could kill him.” “So? Who cares?” The brown flyer said with an evil grin. “We’ll be doing the world a favor.” He said as his skin started to glow. “Get in position.” “I’m not using that against him.” The blonde mage aid as he looked at the brown flyer. Before he could raise his shield he was met with a firm punch to the face by the mace mage. The crowd gasped as the blonde mage was sent flying. “I don’t have time for insubordination.” He barked. Crimson teleported and caught the flying mage before he could his the far wall. The blonde mage’s health indicator on the display dropped to zero. The man’s body was soon teleported off the field. The red haired mage gritted his teeth and clenched his fist. “What kind of a leader strikes one of his teammates?” “Ones that don’t follow orders.” The flyer said in a flat tone. Crimson let out a sigh and narrowed his gaze on the man. His hands glowed a bright red. His katana then appeared in his hands. He didn’t need to look up at the red health bar to feel the effects of the fight. “I’m ending this now.” Crimson said as he pointed the blade in his left hand at the flyer. Crimson slashed the air and charged forwards. The mace wielder crouched and used his wings to quicken his speed and momentum. The two were soon eyeball to eyeball. Crimson felt the wind from the mace’s blow graze across his face as he dodged it. Crimson focused what little magic he had in his body into the blade and slashed the man vertically from head to toe. The flyer staggered for a moment before keeling over. The four walls shattered and the siren blazed signaling the end of the match. Crimson raised the blade high above his head as the crowd cheered. “Unbelievable! Team Beast, the number five ranked team in the Academy has been eliminated by just one opponent! Team Horseman’s Crimson Storm dominates! Team Horsemen moves on to the second test.” The announcer boomed over the speaker. Crimson sighed. His blade vanished with a flash of red light and he started to drop to his knees before being caught by a familiar blue haired flyer. “You are one crazy bucker. You know that right?” Cobalt said as he put Crimson’s arm over his neck. “Yeah, sorry about that.” Crimson said as he limped over towards Ivy and Rouge who each slapped him across the face. “Jerk!” Rouge said. “We were worried about you!” “I know. I said that I’d explain things and I-” He stopped as he felt a massive pain rip at his chest. The group’s eyes shrank as they saw a massive red spot forming on his bandages. “How about we talk as the medic patches you up?” Ivy said as she put her head under his other arm. “Sounds like a plan.” Crimson breathed out as he and his team walked towards the medical wing. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Back in the stands, Twilight who was standing up during the entire match finally sat back down and started panting heavily. Images of the battle raced through the friend’s minds. Crow sat grinning ear to ear as Celestia and the other Princesses each had looks of shock on their faces. “Wow.” Rainbow said. “That was just......there are no words.” “Right there with you Dash.” AJ said with a gulp. “Ah knew he was good, but not that good.” “Why was he so beaten up?” Fluttershy asked. “I’m assuming Grimm had something to do with that.” Crow said as he stood up. “Grimm?” Twilight asked. “His teacher.” He said with a sigh. “You see the scythe is such an unusual weapon to use that it’s uncommon to find someone who is a master at it. There hasn’t been a scythe master at the Academy for almost twenty years.” The group looked at him in shock. “Fortunately Crimson managed to find one and has been studying under him for a little over three years now.” The man then got to his feet and cracked his back. “My guess is that’s where he went after dealing with that business in Trottingham.” Celestia’s eyes shrank as she made the connection. “Wait that means that he-” “Yes, he has,” Crow said with a sigh. “and this time he succeeded.” Celestia gulped. “You saw it didn’t you? That look in his eye.” “What are you talking about?” Twilight asked. “There is still so much strength within him. For a moment, I saw the look of one who would stand alone against the legions of hell itself.” He said with a smile. “Now then I have a favor to ask of you and your friends Ms. Sparkle.” “What’s that?” “Go and check on Crimson for me.” He said with a smile. “I have to stay here and observe the rest of the students.” He said as he looked at the next match. Angel’s team was up against another team. “Can you do that?” “No problem!” Dash said as she zoomed off. Crow shook his head and handed the scholar a purple crystal. “What’s this?” “A mini map to show you where to go.” He said as the flyer flew back to him. “Hey wheres the nurse’s office?” The group chuckled as they ventured off towards the large school. Author's Note Happy Nightmare Night! Chapter XIX: Reunions and DisguisesChapter XIX Reunion’s and Disguises. The scholar followed the crystal’s instructions until they saw a building close to the main building. The six girls entered and saw that it was larger than the hospital in Ponyville. The girls saw a familiar blue winged man talking with one of the nurses. The girls walked up to him and smiled. “Hey guys, enjoy the show?” He asked as the nurse walked away. “It was totally awesome!” Dash yelled. “How’s Crimson doing?” Twilight asked. “He’s hurt, but stable. You guys can see him if you want.” He said as he walked towards a set of double doors. The group entered a room and the six girls gasped at what they saw. The red haired man appeared to be completely submerged in a tank filled with green liquid. A breathing mask was attached over his mouth and nose. A few wires were taped over his heart and a few were on his arms. “What in the hay is that?” Applejack said. “This is one of our rejuvenation pods.” Ivy said. “The liquid inside the pod helps the body heal a lot quicker than it would on its own.” “How does it work?” “Arcane magic mixed with a series of potions.” Rouge said. Twilight approached the pod and her eyes shrank as she saw a massive scar on the man’s chest. “That wasn’t there before!” Twilight said as she pointed to the large scar. “We know.” Ivy said. “My guess is that he got that from Grimm.” “You mean his teacher?” Applejack said. “Yup, Grimm is one crazy fighter.” Rouge said. “Never met him myself, but from the wounds I saw on Crimson when I would heal him,” The woman then shivered. “more than half the time he looked like he’d been put through a meat grinder.” The group gulped. Twilight then looked at the pod and cocked her head. “These look like the pods Changelings use.” The five girls gasped as they made the connection. “That’s because they are.” The group looked towards the doorway to see a man in blue hospital scrubs that matched his hair and eyes. His tan skin had blotches of jet black insect like sections on it. A pair of insect wings were also coming out of his back. “We repurposed them to assist with healing.” His hair was stringy and was almost like a web. “And just what is a thing like you doing here?” Applejack asked as she narrowed her eyes on the man. “My name is Dr. Syringe and I’m here to check on my patient.” He said as he walked over towards the pod. “How are you three holding up?” He asked as he looked at the three warriors. “Good, all things considering.” Cobalt said as he shook his hand. The six girls looked at the action in surprise. “How’s that supplement coming along Rouge?” The doctor asked as he looked at the purple mage. “Its getting there. I still need to fine tune it a bit.” She said with a sigh. “I’m no rush, take your time.” He said as he jotted a quick note down on his chart. “Supplement?” Twilight asked. “I’m trying to create a supplement that Changelings can take so it’ll replace their need to feed off love.” She said with a smile. “Why would you help them?” Dash asked. “Why wouldn’t I?” “Because they’re Changelings!” The flyer yelled. “They attacked and nearly destroyed Canterlot.” “If I may interject.” Syringe said. “My side did not take part in that.” “Side?” The six said in shock. “Oh you guys don’t know do you?” Syringe said. “You see, there isn’t just one main tribe of Changelings. The race is split down the middle. Theres the old Changeling Empire and the New Republic of Changelings. The Empire is what attacked Canterlot.” He said in a flat tone. “They’re the ones who give Changelings like myself a bad name.” “But you still feed on someone else’s love!” The farmer argued. “Hey its not my fault I was born like this.” The doctor said as he frowned. “It’s like me blaming you that you eat meat. If I could change it then I could.” He said with a grunt. “I still don’t like this.” Dash said. “Frankly I don’t give a damn what you think. I’m here to help people and that’s what I’m doing.” “Why you-” “I’d be careful about what you say about my species Ms.Dash.” He said in a flat tone. “Some of the strongest warriors here are Changelings and are very sensitive to racist remarks. Catch my drift?” Dash looked over at the three mages who nodded. “Not to mention that some of our friends, like Syringe here are some of our friends.” Cobalt said. “You got a problem with him, then you’ve got a problem with us.” The six gulped at the thought of the four mages converging on them. Not to mention a castle filled with mages who’s sole occupation is fighting. “Syringe here has saved our lives more times than I can count. He’s always been straight with us and us to him.” “But-” The cyan flyer stopped as the group saw movement inside the pod. Crimson opened his eyed and removed the breathing mask. He leaned forward so that his head, chest and shoulders were sticking out of the pod. “Cobalt’s right Dash. You need to be more open minded.” Crimson said as he glared at the flyer. “I though it was your guys’ job to bring harmony to the world with the Elements. How can you do that if you’re prejudice against another species for being who they are?” The group fell silent. “Looks like you still need to mature a bit.” “They’re monsters!” “Oh yeah?” Crimson narrowed his eyes on the rainbow haired flyer. Dash gulped as she felt the man’s red eyes pierce through her. “Then what the buck would you call me then?” Crimson grunted in pain and leaned back into his pod. The cyan winged flyer held her head in defeat. Twilight walked up to the doctor and sighed. “I’m sorry doctor. Rainbow Dash can be stubborn at times.” “Its alright. I’m use to it.” He shrugged. “Not everyone is comfortable around Changelings yet, but its getting there. Now that the Empire is starting to crumble, the Republic is gaining power and peace talks have started in a more diplomatic manner.” The group then heard the door open to reveal a bandaged blonde mage. “Hey guys.” He said with a nod. “Sup Star?” Ivy said. “Just checking on Crimson.” He said as he looked at the mage. “He’s fine. How about you? You got knocked around pretty hard.” Cobalt said. “I’ll live.” He said with a sigh. “It’ll take Thunder Kicker longer to recover, but I’m not complaining.” He said as he cracked his shoulder. “Asshole deserved what he got.” “Yeah, still can’t believe that he’d hurt his own teammate.” Applejack said. “He’s always been like that.” Ivy said with a grunt. The door suddenly burst open to reveal three more people. A tall man with a long brown coat and a cowboy hat then stepped inside. Next to him was a man with jet black wings and had an elegant saber by his side. His jet black hair contrasted his green eyes. Next was another man with dark green hair and had a deck of cards in a pouch attached to his belt along with a set of arcane blades. “Hey guys.” The Stetson wearing man said with a smirk. “Bandit, good to see you.” Cobalt said as he shook the man’s hand. “Crater, Ace.” He said with a nod. The other two men gave him a nod. “What brings you two here?” “Just checking in our favorite trouble maker.” The card holder said. The man then noticed the group of visitors and smiled. “Ace O’Spades.” He said with a small bow. “My associate here is Crater Cracker.” He said as he gestured to the sword wielding man. “So what brings you guys down here?” Rouge asked. The card user then pulled out his deck. “You obviously haven’t seen the latest leader board." Ace said as he pulled out a card. A small board made of magic then showed. The mages’ eyes shrank as they saw Crimson’s name in the number one spot. “Oh shit.” Ivy said as she raced over to the pod and pulled Crimson’s upper body out. “Wake up idiot!” She said as she slapped him across the face. The man instantly woke up and cracked his neck. “Jeez, what’s so damn important?” Ivy pointed to the board. Crimson looked up and his eyes shrank to the size of pin tip. “Crap. This is not good.” “Why are you saying its bad? You’re number one.” Dash said. “That’s why!” He yelled. “If she comes here then-” He was cut off by a loud booming noise. He quickly looked at the group and gulped. “I’m asleep got that?” He said before submerging himself back in his pod. The door burst open and the mages all cringed in fear. A young woman with long silver hair and an eyepatch over her left eye barged into the room. The woman was donning a white chest plate with matching gauntlets. She was also wearing a pair of white pants that went down to her ankles and were covered by a pair of boots. At her side was a long saber. “Where is Crimson?” She barked. The group pointed towards the pod. The woman walked over to the pod but was stopped by Ivy. “L-look Ivory. Crimson can’t-” Ivy shut her mouth as the warrior glared at her. Ivy gulped and backed away. The woman reached into the pod and pulled Crimson’s upper body out by his hair. Crimson played possum and preyed that she wouldn’t hit too hard. “Is he really asleep?” “He did just take down an entire team. He’ll be awake in a few hours.” Rouge said. The woman raised her hand to slap the red mage awake. “Ivory!” The doctor yelled. “I don’t care who you are. It says in the school rules that fighting is strictly prohibited inside the med center.” Syringe stood his ground and gulped. “I haven’t forgotten the rule and who said I was going to hit him?” The group all had a look of confusion strewn across their faces. The woman smirk and slowly leaned her head in to place her lips on Crimson’s. Twilight’s face was blushing profusely as Crimson’s eyes snapped open and recoiled back. “What the fuck Ivory?” He yelled as he blushed. “Gotcha, you lying little snake!” The woman the grabbed Crimson by the throat and ripped him completely out of the pod. Crimson felt his back hit the far wall as he slowly stood up. When he got to his feet the woman slammed her fist into the concrete wall crating a large dent. The group felt the tension in the room triple. The two each had daggers in their eyes. The woman exhaled and wrapped the man in a tight hug. “Congratulations.” She said with a smile. Crimson gulped looked at the other mages who had the same look of shock and confusion on their faces. “Just don’t get too comfortable at the top. I’ll take you down soon.” She said in a challenging tone “Yeah right.” He said with a grin. “You’re free to try.” The woman shook her head and smiled. “Um guys,” Ivy said. The two looked at her. “I know that this is a really touching moment and all, but I think I need to remind you of something.” The green flyer then pointed towards Crimson’s naked form. The two mages blushed profusely along with the six female guests. Crimson hastily dove back into the pod. “Who are you all?” The warrior asked as she looked at the six guests. “These are the Elements of Harmony.” Ivy said as she cleared her throat. The warrior looked at the six and smiled. “It’s nice to meet you.” “Um, who are you?” Dash asked. “I’m Ivory Knightwalker. Captain of team Saint.” She said as she motioned to the three men. Crimson poked his head out of the pod and sighed. “I see and how do you know Crimson?” Twilight asked. “These two have been butting heads since they joined the Academy.” Ace said. The two mages grunted at him. “You see, up until today Ivory held the number one spot in our class. Now Crimson took that spot.” “He won’t have it for long.” Ivory said under her breath. Crimson stuck out his hand and focused some of his magic as a set of clothes appeared in his hand. He pulled them back inside and quickly got changed before stepping out of the pod. “I plan on taking you down before this test is over.” She said with a wicked grin. “Back at you.” He said with a smirk. A nurse suddenly threw open the door and panted. “Syringe we need you in the O.R. We’ve got a patient going critical!” The Changeling nodded and quickly ran out of the door. Crimson saw a gurney go past with what looked like an ice sculpture on top. The mage’s eyes shrank and he ran after it. The figure was encased in solid Ice. “Damn you Angel.” He said as he started to walk away. The group followed him as he walked outside. “Crimson what is it?” Ivy asked. “Angel used Ice Break on them.” The mages all gasped as Ivory frowned. The group then saw the familiar Ice mage who had a triumphant smile on her face. Crimson rushed up to her and bore holes through her. “What the hell were you thinking Angel? You could have killed them!” “So?” She asked with a shrug. “They were my enemy. I took them down. Simple as that.” “That’s no excuse! We’re not fighting enemies. This is a competition between comrades!” “Comrades?” She asked as she raised an eyebrow. “Big deal they’re only humans.” She said with a shrug. “I mean it Angel! If you so much as even think of using that again on a person then so help me, I will take you down.” Crimson said in a serious tone. The group gulped at the man’s expression. Angel scoffed and continued on her way. Crimson cracked his knuckles and grunted. “What was that about?” Applejack asked. “Nothing.” Crimson said with a sigh. “I’m going for a walk.” “Crimson-” Ivy was cut off as he vanished in a flash of red light. The flyer sighed and looked back at the group. “Is he gonna be okay?” Twilight asked. “Hopefully.” Ivory said. “Angel has never really embraced his teachings.” “Teachings?” Dash said. “He didn’t tell you? Angel was Crimson’s student when he first found her in the Empire.” Ace said. The groups’ jaws dropped. “When Crimson found her she was almost completely a monster. He managed to reach her due to their ties and calm her down,” Ivory started. “but she’s never been able to let go of that hatred towards humans.”Twilight gulped and her hand glowed. “What are you doing?” “When someone teleports they leave behind a magical signature where they teleported from and to.” The scholar explained. “So?” Cobalt said. “I can track and find him.” Twilight said. “Worried about your boyfriend?” Dash teased. Twilight blushed and grunted before vanishing in a flash of light. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Crimson stood before his parents grave and felt the cool wind hit his back. In the wind he caught the familiar scent of lavender. He let out a sigh and turned towards a tree. “Twilight come out I know you’re there.” He said in a flat tone. A familiar looking scholar came out from behind the tree and gulped. “How did you know I was here?” She asked as she walked up to the man. “Your perfume gave it away.” He said as he looked at the librarian. “So any particular reason why you and your friends tagged along wit Ivy and the others?” The woman gulped as she looked into the man’s blood red eyes. “Well, we were worried when we heard that you went missing.” She said as she hid her blush. “Ivy said that you’d be here for the trials and we wanted to see if she was right.” Crimson’s gaze pierced through her and she gulped. “I see.” He said with a sigh. The scholar then looked past him and saw the tombstone. “Is that-” “Their grave.” He said as he looked at the stone. Twilight gulped and hung her head. “Crimson, I know you had to fight your parents on your last mission.” The man’s eyes shrank. “Your...I still don’t exactly know what it was that I saw.” Crimson bit his lip. “I guess you could call him my shadow.” “Okay, he told us that you had to fight your reanimated parents.” Crimson hung his head in shame. “What happened?” Crimson racked his brain trying to figure out why he not only felt obligated to tell this girl but that he wanted to. Crimson extended his index and middle finger towards the scholar. Twilight gulped as she felt his fingers press against her forehead. The last thing she saw was the man’s red eyes glowing. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The scholar opened her eyes to see a large dark cave. She looked down at her hands and saw that her body was like a that of a ghost. She heard the sounds of blades clashing and ran down the trail. Twilight gasped as she saw the ice mage get thrown across the room and get knocked out. Crimson steadied himself with his scythe and looked at a masked man who stood motionless. The red mage pointed his blade at the necromancer and frowned. “Give up! I’ve beaten all of your puppets.” “All? I think not.” The man said as he pressed his palms together and two caskets popped up out of the ground. “These two were extremely hard to soul trap, but that’s what makes them my favorite.” The two bodies stepped out. A man and a woman. The man had shoulder length black hair and a large hammer was mounted on his back with a pistol was holstered on his side. The woman had fair skin. A long rifle was placed on her back and held a long rapier in her right hand. Her emerald eyes were in a trance like state and her long red hair went to the middle of her back. Their bodies looked the same as when they were amongst the living. Crimson’s eyes shrank and he started to shake. He dropped to his knees and his scythe fell beside him. “Since you’re from the Academy I’m sure you know who these two are.” He said with a laugh. “May I introduce Rosario Vermillion and Orion Comet-” The necromancer was cut off as he dodged a salvo coming from the red mage. “You dare desecrate their graves?” Crimson said in a shaky tone. The necromancer gulped as torrents of red magic started oozing out of the mage. “I will never forgive you for this!” He yelled as a pair of horns sprouted from his head. The enemy cocked an eyebrow and gulped. His eyes shrank as he put the pieces together. “Oh this is just fantastic.” He said with a laugh. “Its a family reunion!” The reanimated Orion withdrew his large hammer and charged at the red warrior. Crimson was ready, he took a defensive stance and got ready to swing. Crimson dodged the strike and went in to attack. As the blade closed in on its target his body stopped moving. He gulped as he looked into the man’s stagnant red eyes. The hammer user then brought the weapon around and slammed it into the mage’s side. The force caused Crimson to fly against the back wall and cough up blood. As he opened his eyes the woman with her rapier aimed for his head charged forwards. Crimson quickly dodged it and jumped back from the two. The man grunted as the pair of hand like wings sprouted from his back. The necromancer shook his head. “I heard that the Academy had a few conduit pets running around.” He said with a chuckle. “I never expected parents to seal a demon inside their own son. They must have hated you.” Crimson’s eyes shrank and felt rage boiling inside him. He glared at the man with his spliced eyes. “Oh that’s a scary face.” The necromancer mocked. Crimson raised his blade and grunted in pain. “I am going to kill you!” He barked. The two reanimated warriors then charged. Crimson dodged his father’s hammer but felt the rapier pierce his chest. Crimson recoiled in pain. The woman then pulled out her rifle and fired a bolt of magic from the barrel. The bolt hit the red mage in the shoulder and sent him flying into the ground. Crimson grunted in pain and tried to stand. He looked at the bodies of his two parents and hung his head in shame. The necromancer laughed again. “What’s wrong? Why are you holding back?” He chuckled. “Is it too hard for you to fight your own flesh and blood? Or is it too much a burden to kill them a second time?” Those words were the final straw. The red mage looked towards the ceiling and yelled in agony. More magic seeped from his body and the entire cave started to shake. The two corpses looked at the mage with blank expressions on their faces. The conduit looked at the two with a single tear running down the side of his face. As it fell to the ground the rapier using warrior’s eyes shrank and charged forward. The necromancer grinned. “Finish him.” The red haired woman’s eyes glowed green and raised her rifle. The bullet struck the man’s gauntlet and bounced back. The redirected salvo hit the woman in the head. The reanimation kept moving and withdrew her blade. The red mage closed his eyes and waited for the pain. What he felt next wasn’t piercing agony, but warmth. He opened his eyes and saw the reanimation of his mother crying as she held him. “I’m so sorry Crimson.” The woman said a she cried. Crimson froze and slowly turned to look at the woman. “H-how?” “What kind of mother watches silently as her child cries?” Crimson’s eyes shrank as he saw a green spell seal on the woman’s forehead shatter. She got to her feet and aimed her rifle at the black haired man. The salvo unleashed from the gun hit him in the eye and a similar green seal shattered. The reanimation blinked twice and turned to face the stunned necromancer. The raven haired man frowned and swung his hammer. The necromancer quickly dodged the hammer and jumped back. “What is this magic?” He said as his eyes shrank. The hammer user then jumped back beside Crimson. “Dad?” Crimson said in a weak tone. “Sorry about the hit son.” He said with a smile. “What a disgrace. An illusion master like me under a weak mind control spell.” “Well, we’re both a bit out of practice.” Rose said with a smirk. Crimson tried to stand but only coughed up blood. “Take a seat son.” She said with a smile. “We can handle this.” Crimson grunted and stood up. “No, I’m sick and tired of everyone protecting me while I sit back and do nothing.” He said as he held up his blade. “I see you’ve got your father’s stubbornness.” Rose said with a chuckle. The necromancer gulped and started to sweat as he stared at the three warriors. “Looks like we have some cleaning up to do.” He said as he pulled out his hammer. The necromancer slammed his hands on the ground and summoned thirty zombies to his side. Rose looked at her son and couldn’t help but smile. “You’ve grown so much.” “I’ll catch you guys up after this.” The scythe user said as he charged forwards and slashed the first five with one swipe. The other two warriors did the same and charged forth, slashing and bashing their way through. The necromancer gulped and watched as his two most powerful pieces were using against him. One by one the reanimations fell leaving only the necromancer. “H-how? You’re supposed to be under my control!” “You don’t get it do you?” Orion said. “There are powers in this world that even magic cannot explain. Ties that can or will never be broken.” Crimson walked forward and picked him up by his throat and slammed his against the wall. “What do you think we should do?” Crimson asked. “I have an idea.” Orion said as he locked his eyes to the necromancer. Orion’s red eyes blinked once and the necromancer’s eyes became half lidded. “He’s in a trance, but his magic is running out and he won’t be able to keep us here for much longer.” Crimson sighed and let him go. The necromancer stood frozen as Crimson removed his mask. His face was pale and had short orange hair. “He still had a point.” Crimson then spun around and slugged both of the reanimations in the stomach. The two grunted in pain and looked at him in confusion. “Crimson?” “Why?” The red mage yelled as tears flowed down his face. “Why in the hell would you seal a demon inside your own son? Do you know what kind of hell I went through?” Crimson yelled as tears went down his face. “Everywhere I went everyone looked at me like I was a monster!” He said as he fell to his knees. “Just tell me why.” He said as he hung his head. His mother crouched and looked at him. “Crimson it’s today isn’t it?” She said in a sad tone. “Y-yeah.” He said with a sigh. “I’m glad to see that Crow kept his promise.” Orion said as he sat next to his son. He picked up the scythe and looked at it. “Where did you get this?” “From a Colossus’ tomb when I took the initiation test.” The two adults eyes shrank. “Who taught you how to fight?” Rose asked. “Grimm.” The two gasped. “I know what you’re thinking and you’re correct.” He said as he hung his head. “The rest of my team learned from them too.” “Y-your team?” Orion asked. “Yeah, I’m the captain of a squad who have the other three.” The man patted his son on the back. “Taking after your mother I see.” He said with a smile. Rose sat on the other side of him and wrapped her arms around her son. “I’m so sorry.” She cried. “I never wanted any of this to happen. You had to grow up all on your own.” “Mom its fine. I-” “No, its not! I knew what would happen to you if we sealed him inside of you.” She cried. “You were hit by one of his magical attacks and were dying. I sealed him to save your life.” Crimson felt his throat dry up at the words. Crimson heard a loud cracking sound and saw her leg cracking like a clay pot. “Looks like our time is coming.” Orion said. “How did you guys get trapped by him anyway?” Crimson asked as he looked at the necromancer. “We never left this world son.” Orion said. “We stayed behind to watch over you. We always found it hard to watch as you grew and we could do nothing.” Orion said as tears formed in his eyes. “One day we got lost and the next thing we knew we were fighting you. We tried so hard to fight back but the necromancer’s spell was too strong. Until your mother saw your tears.” “I never could bear to see you crying.” She said with a sigh. “So about this team of yours?” “My Lt. is Ivy Evergreen.” “Silver’s daughter?” Orion asked. “Yeah.” The two looked at one another in surprise. “Then there’s Rouge, she’s....complicated and is the brains of our group. Lastly there’s Cobalt.” “They sound like good friends.” Rose chimed. “Yeah, they’re the best.” He said with a smile. Another crack appeared on the man’s face. “Crimson, can you ever forgive us?” The raven haired man said. Crimson felt his eyes watering again and rubbed his eyes. “We wanted to be there for you so many times but-” “You’ve always been with me.” He said with a smile. “Somehow, I knew you were there. All those times I felt like someone was watching me, it was you wasn’t it?” The two reanimations cried and hugged the man as their bodies continued to crack. “Looks like your time is up.” Crimson said with a sniffle. The three then stood up and smiled. “There maybe one thing we can do.” Rose said as she held out her two weapons. The man did the same. Orion’s glowed a magnificent white, while Rose’s glowed light green. “What are you doing?” Crimson asked. “We’re transmitting the last bit of power into weapons so that you can use them.” Crimson’s eyes shrank at the words. “We were never really there for you growing up. Now we can be.” Orion said as the color from his body faded and more cracks formed on his body. “I think we can finally move on.” Rose said with a smile. Crimson hesitantly took the weapons and smiled through the tears. “Crimson,” she said with tears in her eyes. “we love you very much.” “I know.” The spell was fading and their bodies started to disintegrate. “One last thing. Happy birthday.” Rose said as the two vanished. Crimson let out a sigh before hurrying over towards the ice mage. He pulled out his transportation gem and put it in Angels hand before activating it. The mage then vanished in a flash of red light. Crimson looked at the weapons and smiled. He clenched his fist and let out a sigh. He withdrew his scythe and made a series of slashes in the shape of a pentagram. He stepped in the middle of the shape and made his hands glow before slamming them on the ground. Time for the final lesson. He thought before vanishing in a flash of light. Twilight sung to her knees as the memory collapsed. As the memory shattered she could see the shape of a ghost like figure with a cane watching from a distance. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Crimson removed his fingers from her forehead and looked at the scholar who had tears in her eyes. The red mage sighed. The man was cut off guard as the scholar wrapped him in a warm hug. The man was blushing profusely and gulped as Twilight buried her face in his chest. “I’m so sorry that you had to do that.” She sniffled. The man gulped and gently patted her on the head. “It’s fine. At least I got to see them agin one last time.” He said with a sigh. Twilight wiped the tears away and smiled. “I need a drink. Wanna come?” “Sure.” She said as she followed the man. In the tree the scholar once hid behind, a large black crow with green eyes cawed as a single tear ran down it’s beak. Crimson saw the black bird fly out of the tree and smiled. The two mages walked into the main building and sighed. They stopped outside a large wooden door marked with the letter R. “What’s this place?” “This is the Ranger’s quarters. Every rank has a lounge” he said as he put his hand on the door and it swung open. The inside was pitch black. As they entered the door slammed shut and the lights were flicked on. “Surprise!” The two mage’s hearts jumped into their throats as they saw the five girls and the other warriors with smiles on their faces. Pinkie then zoomed up to the man with a smile on her face. “Well, did we surprise ya?” “For the second time. Yes, Pinkie. You got me.” Crimson said as he rolled his eyes. Pinkie then lightly smacked him across the face. “That was for not telling us it was your Birthday!” “Technically, it was two days ago.” He then saw the room decorated with balloons and streamers. “Where did you get this stuff?” “I never leave home without my party cannon.” She said as she withdrew a bright blue cannon with a button on top. As she pressed it the man’s vision was clouded by confetti. “How did she-” “It’s Pinkie Pie. Don’t question it.” Twilight said. “Fair enough.” Ivy then attempted to tackle hug him. The red warrior easily dodged the attempt and chuckled. “Nice try Ivy but-” The flyer’s body then turned into a cloud of smoke and the red man felt a familiar pair of arms grab him from behind and squeeze. “Gotcha!” She chimed. “Ivy! Spine crushing!” He breathed out. The green flyer let him go and laughed. “Still, Happy Birthday.” She said with a smile. “How many times have I told you I hate parties?” “675, but who’s counting?” Crimson let out a sigh and shook his head before taking a seat with his team. “So how are you feeling?” Ivy asked. “Better, but still injured.” He said with a sigh. “Grimm must have done a number on you.” Cobalt said. “Yeah,” He said with a sigh. “by the way. He, Warren, Hawkeye and Vex are coming to watch us.” The three drinking warriors spat out their drinks in shock. “What?” The three yelled. “Grimm told me that they wanted to see the effects of our training. He gave me the final and he wants to see if I passed or not by having me fight in the trials.” The green flyer’s eye twitched. “Are you nuts. THEY are coming here?” “Yup, oh and Warren is still pissed.” Crimson said as he looked at Cobalt. “Oh shit.” Cobalt gulped. The six girls then made their way over to the group of mages. Dash looked around at the rowdy individuals that were sining songs and joking with one another. “Is it always like this?” “Yup.” Ivy said with a smile. “We like to party. Well, most of us anyway.” She said as she looked at the red hared man. A Changeling then walked up beside the group. “Hey everyone.” The Changeling was female had dark golden hair and orange spliced eyes. “Yo what’s up Sunny?” Cobalt said as he gave her a friendly nod. “Not much.” She said as he sat down. Sunny then felt the glares of the farmer and cyan flyer on her. “Hello.” She said in a happy tone. The two just scoffed at her. Pinkie smiled and walked over to her. “Hi my name is Pinkie Pie!” “Nice to meet you. I’m Sunny.” She said with a smile. “I’m the bartender here.” “Cool. I’m a pastry chef and party thrower.” “I noticed. It’s certainly lively.” “Awwe, thanks.” Pinkie said with a smile. “Do you wanna be my friend?” She asked. Dash and Applejack looked at her in shock. “Sure.” The woman said with a smile. “Are ya’ll insane Pinkie?” The farmer said. “She’s a Changeling!” “Yeah Pinks, seriously.” Dash interjected. “I mean we know a lot of different people but Changelings?” Dash said with a shiver. Crimson and the group frowned at the two. “Awwe, c’mon Dashie. She may be a Changeling, but she seems nice and wants to be our friend.” Pinkie chimed. The Changeling hung her head. “Its okay Pinkie. I don’t want you to get in trouble with your friends.” The Changeling said. “It’s okay Sunny!” Pinkie said. “You can never have too many friends.” Sunny gulped and extended her hand to shake the cyan flyer’s. Dash grunted and smacked it away. “Rainbow!” Twilight yelled. “What? She’s a Changeling! An insect. You saw what they did in Canterlot and I don’t care about what they did or didn’t do!” Dash yelled. The woman shrank back and gulped. The woman then backed away and tripped over herself. The woman fell and quickly picked herself up and hurried back to her post. “Rainbow!” Twilight said. “That was completely uncalled for!” The scholar yelled. A small glint of silver then shot across the room and landed just next to the cyan flyer’s head. Dash gulped as she looked at the knife that was less than a centimeter away from her ear. Rainbow looked out to see everyone in the room giving her a death stare. A silver object then crashed into her and slammed her against the wall. Dash chocked and saw Ivory glaring at her with rage in her eyes. “Disrespect one of my comrades again and I’ll gut you like a fish.” Ivory said in a calm tone. Dash gulped and felt a large wave of fear wash over her. “I’d leave if I were you. Before things get ugly.” “Take the advice Dash.” Crimson said sharing the same icy stare. “It doesn’t matter who or what you are. We look after each other and the only reason why you’re not a stain on the wall right now is because we give our guests one warning.” The red mage then walked over to her and glared at her. “Listen and listen good. If you look down on my comrades again then I’ll punch you so hard you’ll land back in Ponyville without flapping your wings.” Dash gulped and her eyes shrank. “Get it?” “G-got it.” “Good.” He gave Ivory a nod and the knight backed off. Dash gasped and panted heavily. Fluttershy quickly rushed to her friend’s side and helped her up. “We’ll see you out.” Crimson said as the rest of his team and the girls got to their feet. After they walked out of the lounge Crimson and his team looked at the six and sighed. “Honestly Dash what were you thinking?” Twilight yelled. “Ah have to say RD. ya went a little overboard.” The farmer said. “You’re siding with them AJ?” “Ah’m no fan of Changelings, but the poor girl was trying to be nice and ya shot her down. Heck she could have hurt herself when she fell.” “That wasn’t my fault. She tripped.” “Only because you acted so hostile towards her.” Twilight said. “Whatever.” Dash grumbled. Rouge stepped forward and glared at the flyer. “So you honestly think that you can’t get along with Changelings?” “Yes.” “News flash.” Rouge snapped her fingers and a light purple light enveloped her. As the light faded the girls all gasped as they saw patches of black insect like skin on her arms. Rouge also had fangs and a pair of butterfly wings coming from her back. Her spliced purple eyes bore holes through the flyer. “You’ve been hanging out with one for almost a month.” “Rouge.” Cobalt said as he put a hand on his girlfriend’s shoulder. Rouge let her go and scoffed before walking down the hallway towards her room. Cobalt glared at the flyer and ran after her. Ivy followed suit leaving Crimson glaring at the group. “Ya know, I said that Rouge could trust you guys and I almost convinced her into telling you her secret and not pass judgement. Guess I was wrong.” He said before going after his team. “Crimson wait-” Twilight was cut off as he vanished in a flash of red light. Twilight sighed and frowned at the flyer. The farmer then stepped between the two. “Look ya’ll its been a long day and we all could use some rest.” “I agree with Applejack.” Rarity said with a yawn. “Yeah, we still have to watch for Crimson tomorrow.” Pinkie said. Twilight exhaled and let her anger go as she walked down the hallway towards the guest wing with the girls following close behind. Twilight opened her room to reveal two double beds. One was already occupied by a soundly sleeping dragon. Applejack was sharing a room with Mac. Pinkie and Dash were sharing a room while Rarity was with Fluttershy. Twilight snapped her fingers and her clothes morphed into pajamas. The scholar laid down on her bed and silently drifted off to sleep. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Back on the island surrounded by the red river, three cloaked figures stood before the skinny white haired man. The elder was donning a pale colored cloak. The largest one was donning a red cloak and had a large broad sword on his back. One had a feminine physique and a whip attached to her side as a white hood covered her head. The last was a tall man who wore a black shroud and his mask had an elongated nose. A pair of odd pistols were at his side. “Is everything ready?” The elder asked. “Yeah, been a while since we’ve been there.” The woman said. “Its time to see if their training has paid off.” The gunslinger said. “They’d better not disappoint.” The red warrior commented as the elder walked through the group and cracked his neck. “Lets not keep them waiting then.” He said as a long scythe appeared on his back. “We ride!” He yelled as four horses appeared beneath them and the group charged off. Author's Note Sorry, been busy with Mid terms and this has beed sitting in my file for almost two weeks now. Chapter XX: Wrath of the Spider QueenChapter XX The Wrath of the Spider Queen The next morning the spectators resumed their seats as they waited for the test to continue. The six girls, Mac and Spike took their seats beside their friends and waited. Dash was still rolling what happened last night in her head. The three Princesses sat beside Crow. Soon the teams started to make their way onto the field. Crow stood up and summoned a microphone. “Good morning everyone.” He said with a smile. “We will continue with the second test. The rules are simple. Two students will fight one on one until either one gives up or is knocked out. There will also be a proctor to monitor the two fighters and in the event one is unable to continue then they will step in and stop the match.” Crow said as he adjusted his glasses. “If any other student interferes with the match, then it will be considered forfeit.” “I should also mention that the combatants will fight as individuals and will not bring down their team’s chances of failing as a whole.” Several sighs of relief escaped some of the students. “Now lets get the show on the road.” The magical screen from the day before. Several names flew by before they stopped. Rouge Nightshade vs Ace O’Spades Cobalt gulped and looked at his girlfriend who sighed. The students left the two combatants on the field. Crimson and his team made their way up to an observation platform with the other teams. Rouge and the man locked gazes. “I may be a gentleman, but don’t think I’m going to go easy on you just because your a girl.” He said as he pulled out his blades. “Wouldn’t dream of it pretty boy.” The woman said as she withdrew her pistol crossbows. The two took a pose and waited. Silence fell over crowd. Crow cleared his throat. “Begin!” Rouge let loose a barrage of purple magical arrows. Ace withdrew a card with an iron shield imprinted on it. The card glowed and a massive iron slab appeared before him. The arrows stuck in the metal and fizzled away. “What kind of magic was that?” Twilight asked. “Its card magic.” Crow stated. “Card magic?” Dash asked. “Ace sealed certain types of magic into those cards of his. All he has to do is funnel his own strength into them and they will appear. Like that shield.” Twilight’s eyes boggled at the magic. “Ace has also trapped monsters within the cards and can summon them.” “So like how Crimson can summon his dog?” Pinkie asked. “Sort of. It uses less magic and the card holder can use the cards for almost anything.” Crow said turning his attention back to the match. Ace withdrew five cards and threw them at the woman. Rouge dodged them with a backflip and fired off a few more arrows. Ace charged at the woman with his blades drawn. Rouge let loose another barrage of arrows. The man held up a card with three green arrows on it. The man’s speed increased to the point where he was a blur. Rouge attempted to guard herself but felt an iron wrapped fist collide with her stomach. The woman coughed up blood and was sent flying back three feet. She slowly got to her feet and panted. This illusion spell is taking too much energy. She snapped her fingers and her disguise shattered. Several members in the crowd gasped as they saw her appearance. The woman sighed and focused on the man. “Looks like she’s getting serious.” Ivy said. Rogue cracked her neck and looked at the man. She switched her crossbows to their dagger form and tightly gripped them. Ace cocked an eyebrow and pulled out a few more cards. “Finally getting down to business then?” He asked. The woman nodded and charged forward. All the man saw was a purple blur. She’s fast! Rouge started to attack using her finger tips before landing a final kick to the man. Ace jumped back and panted heavily. The man felt his left arm go numb. “Forgot about that gentle palm of yours.” He said as he got up. “However,” He said as he snapped his fingers. A light came from beneath the woman’s feet and exploded. “you activated my trap card.” He said as the card in his hand vanished. Rouge grunted in pain as she got to her feet. Ace pulled out a few more cards. A large manticore came out of one and charged at the woman. Rouge defended herself as the beast tried to swipe her. The woman spat a web from her mouth and trapped the manticore. Rouge placed her palm on the ground and the area was filled with purple light. A purple spider the size of a train car then appeared in a cloud of smoke. Rouge then put the back end of her daggers together. As she pulled them apart a metal bar held them together forming a staff like weapon. The mage stood on the spider’s back and focused on the man. “Enough warm up.” She said as she and the spider charged forwards. The spider shot a web thread as Rouge attacked the man. Ace raised his blades and defended against the woman’s attacks. Crow grinned as he saw the two exchange blows. “I’ve never seen her move that fast.” Pinkie said. “When Changelings use their illusion magic it eats up a lot of their power.” Crow stated. “Now that she’s ditched her disguise, Rouge can focus all of her magic on her opponent.” Dash bit her lip and sighed. Crow raised an eyebrow at the flyer. “I realize that some of you may not be comfortable around Changelings, but Rouge is different than the ones that attacked Canterlot.” “You mean she’s part of the Republic?” Cadence asked. “I didn’t say that.” Crow said with a sigh. The two warriors were panting heavily. “You’re good Rouge.” Ace then withdrew the entire deck. “Time for some fifty-two pickup.” He threw the cards into the air and they started circling the man. He launched several at the mage. Rouge flapped her wings and quickly took flight. Ace held out a card with a pair of white wings on it. The man jumped and a pair quickly sprouted from his back. The man held up another card and his speed increased. Rouge blinked and felt a fist collide with her face. Rouge grunted in pain. The man vanished from sight and re appeared behind her. A swift kick made the woman’s back crack. A barrage of kicks and punches then hit the Changeling with incredible force. On the observation platform, Cobalt was gripping the hand rain hard enough to crush it like clay. Crimson put a hand on his shoulder and gave him a nod. “Rouge is tough. She can handle him easily.” “That’s not what I’m worried about.” Cobalt said. The two mages looked at him in confusion. “You know that Rouge and I covered a shopping center in a rock slide right?” “Yeah, you were hired to take down a mountain troll right?” Ivy said. “Yeah, we took care of that easily, but the troll pushed Rouge over the edge and she changed.” “Changed?” Crimson asked. “Yeah, after I managed to calm her down she was back to her normal self.” He said with a gulp. If she goes into that form again, I’m worried that we’ll lose her to madness.” The two gulped and turned their attention back to the fight. After the last punch, the Changeling fell towards the dirt. As she landed on her feet the warrior appeared to her right and gave a swift roundhouse kick to her stomach. The woman flew back a good ten feet before hitting the dirt. This isn’t good. My body can’t handle this kind of damage. She thought as she sat up. At this rate it’ll be Griffonia all over again. A thought then came to her. Rouge looked up to see Cobalt looking at her with a concerned look on his face. Rouge looked at her opponent who had a cocky grin on his face. “What a disappointment. I thought you were part of the Changeling Principality?” The woman’s eyes shrank. “Guess now I know why there’s so few of you left.” The woman frowned and grunted at the man. “I expected a bigger fight, but I guess you’ve already used up most of you strength looks like you can’t do much without that blue moron around.” Rouge’s eye twitched. “Time for the coup de grace.” A small shiver then ran down the man’s spine. “I’m not done just yet you gnat.” A purple aura then covered the woman’s body and started to change. “I’ll show you what I can really do.” The woman’s body was then wrapped in a dark cocoon of magic. Cobalt gulped and was shaking. “What is she doing?” Twilight asked. Crow bit his lip and sighed. “What’s the Changeling Principality?” Crow looked at Celestia and sighed. “Honestly Tia what are you teaching your student?” He said with a sigh. “I would have thought that you’d cover the history of the Changelings. Especially after the mishap at Cadence’s wedding.” “I didn’t think it was necessary.” “Not necessary?” Crow gasped at the words. He calmed down and let out a sigh before turning towards Twilight. “You see, currently there are two major Changeling powers; The Republic and Empire.” He said in a flat tone. “The Principality was the original ruling force before the Chrysalis took it over and turned it into an empire. After seeing how badly things were with the current power, a resistance was formed in hopes to see things back to the way they were. That resistance became the Republic.” “Why couldn’t the Principality or whatever fight back?” Dash asked. Crow sighed. “The first order given by the Empress was the extermination of the Principality.” The group all gasped. Even Cadence and Luna looked surprised. “Rouge is one of the few surviving members of the genocide.” “S-Seriously?” Twilight asked. Crow nodded. The girls felt a few tears form in their eyes. “Unfortunately yes.” “How can you tell if she’s part of this Principality?” Cadence asked. “Its obvious if you know what to look for.” He said with a sigh. “Tell me, how many Changelings have you seen with butterfly wings?” The girls all thought for a moment and realized all the changelings they had seen had dragonfly like wings. “Those who belonged to the Principality also have a special ability.” “Special ability?” Dash asked. The group felt an odd pressure coming from the mage. The girls gasped as they saw her wings vanish and four arms sprout from her back. Her outfit also changed to purple armor. A helmet with mandibles wrapped around her head and the woman had a pair of large fangs. Ace gulped as he looked at the woman. Rouge dug her foot into the ground and ran forwards. Three fists then slammed into the man’s chest. Rouge felt his ribs crack. One hand grabbed him by the throat and threw him up in the sky. She crouched making a small crater form under her feet. She jumped up above the man still in mid air. Rouge slammed her six fists into the man’s gut sending him flying down towards the ground. The man quickly got to his feet and looked above to see the woman rocketing towards him. He dodged the Changeling and shot out six cards from his circle. Before they reached halfway they were shot down by six bolts of purple magic. The man gulped as he saw the woman holding six pistol crossbows. A seventh card then shot forwards and severed one of the arms. The card user granted himself a small moment of victory. His smirk was wiped away as he saw the hand grow back in it's rightful place. Dash gulped as she saw the heavily armored woman. “The members of the Principality have this trick for changing their bodies and regenerating lost limbs.” Crow stated. “That must be Rouge’s form.” He said as he sat back. “Now the real question is if she can control it.” “Control it?” Twilight asked. “From what Rouge has told me and some researching, while in that form her body uses and absorbs massive amounts of magical energy. That constant process of absorbing and spending can make a person become un-balanced.” He said with a sigh. “She also said that it won’t last for very long.” Back on the field the purple mage was panting heavily as she dropped to one knee. Rouge coughed up a small mouthful of blood. The extra arms on her back faded and her wings grew back. Ace smirked as he looked at the woman’s state. “So that little trick of yours only lasts for five minutes eh?” He said with a sigh. “Time to wrap this up.” The man reached into his pocket and pulled out another deck of cards. The cards then flew up in a circular formation. “Tell you what Rouge, I’ll make you a bet.” He said as he held up two cards between his pointer and middle finger. “I’ll end this match with one hand.” Rouge’s eyes shrank as he threw the card in the center of the circle and a ball of yellow energy formed in the center. “Its been fun Rouge, but this is the end.” He said as he threw the second card in. The ball shrank and turned into a massive beam. Rouge tried to move but her body was wrapped in pain. The woman’s eyes shrank as she saw the beam coming right for her. The mage was then met with a blinding explosion. The crowd gasped as they saw the figure of the woman vanish inside the explosion. As the dust settled Ace walked over and peered down into the three foot deep crater that his spell had created and saw the woman lying there motionless. Crimson and Ivy were struggling to restrain the blue flyer. Ace sighed and shook his head. “Sorry but this is as far as you go and that idiot boyfriend of yours is next.” For the woman, time seemed to slow and she felt herself drifting into darkness. “Giving up so soon?” A voice called out to her. “It...couldn’t be...master?” She said in a weak voice. “Are you going to just lie there and admit defeat? After you’ve come so far you’re just going to give up?” Rouge opened her eyes to see the patch of scorched dirt in front of her. “Since Rouge Nightshade cannot continue-” Crow was cut off as he saw the young mage stand. Ace’s eyes shrank and he frowned at the Changeling. “Hey Ace.” Rouge said in a dark tone. “No one, I repeat, no one calls Cobalt an idiot except for me!” At those words the stadium started to shake and the ground started to crack. The stands were shaking violently and purple aura was seeping out of the woman’s body. Ace took a step back from the woman. “What? Her magic power was all gone! Where is this coming from?” The feeling in the air made him feel sick. The man dropped to one knee and felt his stomach churn. What is this magic? Its foul and sick. In the distance he swore he heard a horse neighing. The entire area was filled with white light. Ace opened his eyes and felt a massive wave of fear wash over him as he looked at the woman who was now wearing a long purple cloak with an odd mask over face. The Changeling was sitting on a white horse. Her left hand held a bow. As the card user looked at the weapon he saw that it was marble white and appeared to be made out of bone. “Strife. The first of the four held a bow and rode across the land on a white horse. Taking down all who opposed.” The woman said in a deep tone. She raised her bow and aimed right for the man. Ace threw another card in the center of the spinning circle of cards. Another massive beam shot at the woman. Rouge raised the bow and shot one purple arrow that cut the beam down the middle. Ace looked at the woman in fear. His legs were trembling and he was barely standing on his feet. Rouge lightly kicked the horse who stood on its back legs before galloping towards the man. Ace started to panic and threw five cards into the circle. Ivory gulped as she saw the maneuver. “Eat this!” He yelled before firing the beam. The ray was easily four times bigger. Rouge stuck out her right hand and halted the beam in place. She’s blocking my card beam with her bare hand? The woman charged forward with the beam still in her palm. No, she’s absorbing it! No one can absorb that much power! As the woman closed in, several bolts of magic hit the circle of cards and burned them to piles of ash. The woman got off her horse and slowly walked towards the man who randomly started throwing cards at her. Faster than anyone’s eyes could track the cars were shot down by magical arrows. The woman’s right hand was glowing as she made it into a fist. The ground around her body started to tremble. Ace tried to get to his feet and flee, but was stopped when he realized that he was right up against the wall. Rouge raised her fist and slammed it into the wall beside his head. A massive crack creeped up the side. Ace turned his head to see that the hole went straight through the wall. “Sorry. All this magic is hard to control.” She said as her fist started to glow again. “I won’t miss this-” “I surrender!” He yelled. The woman looked at him in shock. “I yield.” Rouge backed off the man. Crow gulped and got to his feet. “Since Ace O’Spades has withdrawn the winner is-” He stopped as the purple mage’s mask cracked along with her bow. The horse was then enveloped in white flames. The mask shattered completely and Rouge dropped to the ground. Silence fell over the crowd. Ace leaned against the wall and gulped. “I stand corrected. Since Rouge is unable to keep fighting the result is a draw since Ace had just admitted defeat.” At the verdict Cobalt, Ivy and Crimson jumped down from the observation deck beside their comrade. “Rouge? Rouge speak to me!” Cobalt yelled as he lightly slapped the girl’s cheek. Rouge struggled to keep her eyes open and chuckled. “To think I even tried that.” She said with a cough. “Your stupidity must be rubbing off on me.” She said with a faint laugh. Cobalt cried and held the woman’s body close to his. A group of people wearing white uniforms hurried to their side. They laid a stretcher beside her. “I’m going to have to ask all of you to step back. We’ll take it from here.” “Okay gently now.” One of them said as they picked the girl up from the ground and placed her on the stretcher. Cobalt put his hand on the doctor’s shoulder and looked at him with tears in his eyes. “Please save her.” “I’ll do everything within my power.” He said as he looked at the girl. “Besides she’s tough. She’ll be fine.” Cobalt sighed and started to go after them before Ivy tapped him on the shoulder. “Um Cobalt, you’re up.” Cobalt looked at the board and grunted. Cobalt Striker vs Carter O’Connell The blue flyer grunted and stamped his foot. “I’ll look after Rouge.” Crimson said as he ran after the medics. Ivy gulped as she felt his blue aura radiating from his body. “Tell Crimson I’ll be there in seven minutes.” “Are you-” “Seven minutes.” Ivy gulped as she looked into his deep blue eyes that were filled with rage. Across the field a man with dark brown hair jumped down and cracked his neck. Ivy flew up to the observation platform and waited. Ace was helped off the field by the medics. Cobalt removed his broad sword and pointed it at the mage. “Seven minutes is all the time I have to play with you.” Up in the stands the six girls all gulped and watched as the red mage followed the medics. Twilight looked up and saw something that caught her eye. Four shrouded figures standing on the far wall looking at the medics. The one in the pale shroud looked towards her. Twilight blinked and the four shrouds were gone. Chapter XXI: Attack on TitanChapter XXI Attack on Titan Inside the hospital wing Crimson sat beside the Changeling who was inside one of the healing pods. Crimson sat back and looked at the woman before letting out a sigh. “Damn it Rouge. You should have known better.” He said with a sigh. He heard a knocking at the door. “Come in.” He raised an eyebrow as he saw Twilight, AJ and Dash. “How is she?” Twilight asked. “She’s tough.” Crimson said in a flat tone. “What do they want?” He asked as he looked at the farmer and flier. “Rouge really isn’t in the condition for a debate.” “Look,” The farmer stated. “what Dash did was completely out of line and she’s sorry.” The cyan flyer rolled her eyes. “Really? So you’ve accepted her?” “Ah didn’t say that.” The farmer said with a huff. Crimson frowned at the two. “I’m surprised Celestia lets two people as bigoted as you wield some of the most powerful artifacts in history.” The two frowned. “She’s a Changeling! She’s probably killed people!” Dash said. Crimson raised an eyebrow and deadpanned at the girls. “Duh, what do you think this school is training us for?” He said in a flat tone. “Its practically a requirement to kill to be a student here.” The three stared at him in shock. “Oh don’t give me that look. You guys turned Discord to stone, destroyed Nightmare Moon along with Sombra. So don’t act all high and mighty.” He said as he pointed at the girls who hung their heads. “Granted I always look for an alternative, but sometimes it can’t be helped.” Crimson said with a sigh. The two still held their stare. “Tell me, how much do you guys actually know about Changelings?” “They-” “Besides their attack on the wedding and the tribes.” The three fell silent. “That’s what I thought. You don’t even know Rouge. You think my situation is sad? Ha! Rouge has been through way more than I have.” He said in a flat tone. “How so? Because she’s part of this Principality thing?” “Crow?” “Yeah, he told us a little bit about it.” Twilight said. “What exactly happened?” “I don’t know all the details myself, but from what Rouge has told me it was gruesome.” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ It had been three months since Crimson had found out about what he carried inside of him. The green flyer was still acting distant towards him. Even Cobalt was giving him worried looks. The young boy was awoken by someone jostling his arm. He opened his eyes to see the purple mage looking at him with a worried look on his face. “Rouge?” He asked in a groggy voice. “Can I talk to you?” “Now?” He asked as he looked at his alarm clock. “It’s one in the morning. We have to be up in six hours. We have that levitation test tomorrow and-” He was cut off as he saw a few tears in her eyes. The boy sighed. “Okay, whats up?” He asked as he sat up. “Not here.” She said as she pointed towards the balcony. Crimson got to his feet and followed the girl over to the balcony. “So how are you doing since....ya know....you found out.” “As good as you might think.” He said with a sigh. Rouge bit her lip. “Look, I know how you feel.” Crimson raised an eyebrow. “Being a monster and hiding.” “Yeah right.” He said with a sigh. “How could you possibly know?” The girl snapped her fingers and her body was wrapped in purple light. As the light faded, Crimson’s red eyes shrank as he saw her wings and black patches on her skin. Her purple eyes were spliced and had a pair of fangs. Crimson had heard of creatures able to disguise themselves. Rouge hung her head and sighed. “You’re a Changething?” “Changeling.” She corrected with a sigh. “I disguised myself so that no one would be freaked out.” Crimson looked at her wings and gulped. The girl slumped to the ground and buried her head in her knees. “Does Crow know?” He asked as he sat down next to her. “No, no one does.” She said with a sniffle. “Where are your parents?” “Dead. They’re all gone.” She cried. Crimson hesitantly put an arm around her and sighed. “I’m...I’m the only one left.” “But I heard that the Changelings have their own country and-” “Not that. I was part of the Changeling Principality.” She sniffled. “I managed to escape during the siege, but my parents, my brother, they didn’t make it.” The girl cried into his chest. Crimson felt pity for the young girl. “Wherever I went people hated me just because I’m different. That’s why I’ve been so...difficult with you guys.” “I see.” “When I found out about you, I was...relieved.” She said with a gulp. “That there was someone else like me. Someone who has been hated for something out of their control.” She cried. “I-If you want me off your team then I get it. Just promise me that you won’t tell anyone about me.” She said with a sniffle. “Who said I wanted you off my team?” The girl looked at him with tears in her eyes. “So you’re a Changeling. Big deal.” He said with a shrug. “At least you’re no Hell spawn.” Crimson said as he leaned against a railing. “Plus you’re smart. I’m pretty sure we would have failed today’s test without your help.” The girl smiled at him. “So now what?” The girl asked. “Well, I think we should tell Crow.” The girl gulped. “Hey if he’s okay with me then-” “That only because he’s your guardian.” Crimson shook his head. “No, I remember him saying that he’s worked with Changelings before.” He said in a hope filled tone. “Look, we should at least let someone know and sure that there are other Changelings here.” The girl sniffled and reapplied her disguise. “We can go see Crow at lunch. That okay?” “Y-yeah, thanks.” She said as the two went back inside. Crimson crawled back into his bed and pulled the covers over him. The next day the two children made their way down the hall and towards the teacher’s office. Crimson was getting several dirty looks from other students. He ignored them and pressed on. “Are you sure about this?” She asked with a gulp. “I’m sure Crow will understand. He’s cool like that.” He said as he knocked on the door. “Who is it?” A familiar voice said. Crimson poked his head in and looked around. The raven haired man was sitting behind his desk. “Ah Crimson. Need something?” “Well, sort of.” He said as he opened the door and revealed the purple mage. The two walked into the room and closed the door behind them. “Something wrong?” He asked as he put his pen down. “Not exactly.” Crimson said as he searched for the right words. “You see-” “I’m a Changeling!” Rouge said as she shook in fear. Crow raised an eyebrow and focused on the young girl. Rouge removed her disguise and hung her head. “I know.” The two children looked up at the man in confusion. “What do you mean you know?” “I knew the second I saw you.” Crow said as he got up. “A low level disguise is easy to look past if you know what to look for. Besides you’re not the first Changeling to attend here.” He said with a smile. “R-Really?” She said in a relieved voice. “Yes, but judging by your appearance you’re a part of the Principality aren’t you?” Rouge hung her head and nodded. “I see. Then my suggestion is to at least let Cobalt and Ivy know about you.” “No!” Rouge said. “Cobalt’s dad works for the military and if he tells him then I’m good as dead.” “Ivy is still getting over my...condition.” Crimson said with a sigh. Crow sighed and thought for a moment. “I guess you can wait for a while, just until things calm down.” Crow said. The two children nodded and exited the room. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Crimson finished and looked at the three girls with eyes burning like fire. “None of you know what she’s been through. So if you don’t like her then fine.” He said with a sigh. “Insult her or any of my comrades and I’ll knock you into next week.” He said as he cracked his knuckles. The three gulped. “Now if you don’t mind, I’m going to sit back and watch Cobalt’s match.” “How?” Twilight asked. Crimson pointed to the TV and picked up a remote. He turned the monitor on and the screen showed the blue winged flyer dead locked with a man using an axe. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Cobalt lunged forwards with his sword pointed right at his opponent. Just before he got within two feet of the man the flyer stuck the tip into the ground. The axe user jumped back as the area he once occupied erupted in a pit of sword edges. As the man landed he saw the blue flyer charging with the blade drawn. Carter defended himself once again and fell back from his position. He made the blade glow and slashed the air. A green beam of light then cut through the air and closed in on the man. Cobalt put his hand out and caught the slash in his armored hand. “I do not have time for this!” Cobalt yelled. The flyer griped his sword with both hands and let out a sigh. The axe user charged forwards and swung at the man. The blade hit his skin, but didn’t go any deeper. Carter gulped as he saw that the flyer’s skin was gun metal grey and had a shine to it. Cobalt slammed his metal fist into the man’s gut which caused him to fly back. The axe user looked to see that every inch of Cobalt’s skin was now coated in metal. Carter chucked and soon laughed. “Excellent now I won’t have to hold back!” The man said as he cracked his neck and holstered his weapon. Cobalt charged forwards. The flyer was then met with a large fist slamming him against the far wall. Cobalt opened his eyes to see that the man’s arm had grown five times its size. The skin was very worn and Cobalt saw the muscle tissue moving. Dash and the other girls gasped at the image displayed on the screen. Crimson frowned and sighed. “What was that?” Twilight asked. “Carter’s codename is the Titan.” He sighed. “He can increase the size of any part of his body at will.” The girls gulped at the words. “Its a very unique type of magic.” “How so?” Twilight asked. “Its a type of inherent magic.” “Inherent magic?” Dash asked. Crimson nodded. “You see there is magic in this world that can only be used by people who are members of a family or bloodline. Carter is one of them and only members of his family can use that form of magic. Same with Ivy. She has dragon slayer’s blood in her, only she and her family have that specific type of magic.” “Do you have one?” Applejack asked. Crimson bit his lip and sighed. “Yes, I do.” “What kind is it?” “You see-” He was cut off as he heard a groan coming from the pod. The group looked in and saw Rouge’s eyes open and poke her head out. “Welcome back.” He said with a smile. “What happened?” She asked as she rubbed her head. “You ran out of magic after attempting to shift.” He sighed. “Honestly, why would you attempt something so dangerous?” The group looked towards the doorway to see a man with dark brown hair and a long brown coat that matched his leather hat. Two pistols were at his side and he had an odd aura around him. Rouge gulped as he entered. “You aren’t ready for that level yet.” “Sorry sir.” Rouge said as she hung her head. “Streak.” Crimson said with a nod. “Girls this is Streak Shooter. Rouge’s teacher.” The man silently tipped his hat to the girls. Rouge looked up at the television and her eyes shrank at the match. “Cobalt is fighting Carter?” She said with worry in her eyes. “Yeah why?” Dash said. The Changeling tried to step out of the pod but was stopped by the red warrior and dark gunslinger. “You need to rest.” Crimson ordered. “Cobalt will be fine.” Rouge groaned and looked at the two men as she sighed. “Who is this Carter guy anyway? What makes him so scary?” Applejack asked. “His nickname is ‘The Titan.’” Rouge said. “Why do they-” The cyan flyer was cut off as they heard a loud roar coming from the stadium. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Cobalt looked in shock as the warrior focused a large amount of his magic into his body. The axe user grinned and looked at Cobalt. “Sorry Cobalt, but this is as far as you go.” Carter bit his thumb hard enough to draw blood. He took his bleeding finger and pulled back a seal on his arm. As the blood came into contact with the seal the warrior was encased in steam. The blue flyer gasped as he saw a figure rise high above him. The massive creature loomed over the stands and stood easily fifteen meters high. The massive beast looked down at the flyer and started to chuckle. “This is the end.” The giant raised its foot and slammed it on the ground. Spectators flung out of their seats and others clung to the railing. Crow got to his feet and tapped his cane twice on the hard ground. Two spell circled appeared above the fighters and the two vanished in a flash of green light. “Since the test has become too unstable, the combatants will continue the exam away from the spectators for their personal safety.” He said as several screens appeared over the field. “The match will be viewed through these screens. The flyer hovered in the sky above a large field. Across stood the fifteen meter tall giant. “Excellent, now I won’t have to hold back.” The giant said with a roar. Cobalt sighed and flew forwards with the sword gripped in both hands. Carter shot one of his fists towards the small blue fly that had started flying around his face. Cobalt slashed across the man’s arm making blood spill out on the ground. The flyer’s eyes shrank as he saw the wound beginning to heal. Cobalt sighed and pulled up his sleeve to show an odd symbol. He bit his finger hard enough to bleed and he slid a bit of the blood on the seal. A massive cloud of smoke enveloped the flyer. The giant jumped back as a massive sword slashed through the air. The giant gulped as he stared at a twenty meter tall armored knight. The knight was in dark blue armor and its dark helmet only accented its bright blue eyes. The knight had a sword in its right hand that looked like it could cut a mountain in half. The knight stuck the end of the blade in the ground and cracked it’s fists. The armored giant made the ‘bring it on gesture’ with its armored hands. The titan roared and lunged towards the knight. The armored knight slammed a fist against the Titan’s. The giant’s wrist snapped in half as it roared in pain. The knight clenched its iron fist and slammed it into the titan’s face. The large being was sent back a few feet and landed on its back. The knight jumped on its chest and started slamming its fist into the opponent's face. Large pools of blood that could fill ponds and lakes splashed on the ground. The Titan kicked the knight off his chest and stood up as it roared. Its broken arm didn’t seem to regenerate and ran towards the knight. The dark armored figure extended its arm and grabbed the Titan by the face and started thrashing it around like a rag doll. The knight threw the Titan over his head and into a clump of trees. The Titan got on it’s knees and panted heavily. The knight lifted up it’s face shield and the blue flyer shot our glowing in blue aura. The flyer circled around and landed on the back of the Titan’s neck. He pulled his blade out and made it glow with lightning. Cobalt slammed the blade down into the monster’s neck. As he sliced the skin down he saw the mage wrapped in muscle tissue. The flyer reached in and ripped the man out of the massive body and threw him on the ground. The large Titan’s body started to waste away and evaporate. The flyer sheathed his sword and looked down at the unconscious mage. Cobalt raised his sword in victory and the massive knight followed suit. “Carter O’Connell is no longer able to fight. Cobalt Striker is the victor.” Crow yelled over the microphone. The spectators cheered as the massive knight vanished and the flyer rocketed off towards the hospital wing. Crimson was looking at his pocket watch as the blue flyer threw open the hospital door. Crimson smirked and closed his watch. “Six minutes fory-nine seconds.” He said as Cobalt made his way over to Rouge. “How ya feeling?” “I’m fine. What about you ya big idiot? Calling in him was a tad overboard don’t ya think?” She said with a smile. “Overkill is underrated.” He chuckled. “Why do I put up with you?” She said as she rolled her eyes. “Cause ya love me.” He said with a goofy grin. “What the hell was that thing?” Dash yelled. “That was my Iron Monger. It’s an ancient golem made completely out of metal and is bound to me after I bested it in combat.” The girls looked at him in shock. “You beat that monster?” AJ said in shock. “Yup, everyone in our squad has.” Crimson said. Cobalt then frowned at Rainbow Dash. “Mind telling me what she’s doing here?” “Been trying to explain the whole Changeling thing to them.” Crimson sighed. “Sadly to no avail.” He snapped his fingers and his father’s hammer appeared in his hand. “I was contemplating using this to get it through their thick skulls.” “Yes, it has been quite the ordeal.” Cobalt yelped as he saw the gunslinger. “Nice to see you too Cobalt. Warren is looking for you.” “Oh crap.” He gulped. The door burst open to show Soarin, Spitfire and a grey winged flyer with dark blue eyes and black hair. “Cobalt!” The grey flyer roared. “Dad calm down.” Soarin said as the grey flyer pushed him aside. Cobalt rolled his eyes and sighed. “Step away from that thing now!” He yelled as he pointed at Rouge who hid back inside her pod. Cobalt walked up to the man so they were standing face to face. “Or what?” “Or so help me I’ll cut her down myself.” A small knife then appeared in the flyer’s hands. Crimson was reaching to draw his scythe when Cobalt threw up a hand. Crimson folded his arms and sighed. “Touch her and I’ll end you Storm Shocker.” Cobalt yelled. Soarin gulped as he used their father’s full name. He tried to get between the two. “Look guys lets just calm down and-” “Stay out of this!” The two flyers yelled. “I give you a home and you throw it away for some Changeling bitch?” Cobalt glared at him with burning hatred. “She probably twisted your mind. That’s what they do!” He then looked at the three other girls in the room. “You’re the elements of Harmony! You know what I’m talking about.” “Look, we may not be a fan of Changelings,” Applejack started. “but Rouge saved our lives on more than one occasion.” The flyer glared at them. “I don’t care what she’s done!” He yelled. “She’s turned my son into some mindless puppet who’s no longer fit to be a part of-” He was gut off as a a fist collided with his face. The grey flyer was sent flying back into a nearby table. Cobalt looked in shock as he saw Soarin cracking his knuckles. “Don’t you dare insult my little brother!” He yelled. “I know Rouge and she’s more than proven herself and has helped saved Equestria dozens of times!” Soarin yelled. He looked at Spitfire who gave him a nod. “I’m not supposed to be revealing this, but Spit and I have talked with the Prime Minister of the Changeling Republic and we’re considering allowing Changelings into the Wonderbolts!” Dash’s jaw dropped and the grey flyer stared at his son in disbelief. “Sacrilege!” He yelled. “I’ve seen Changelings fly circles around our best recruits and then some!” Spitfire barked. “Look even I’m still a little miffed about the wedding, but that was two years ago. We need to move forward.” Storm got to his feet and felt a small trickle of blood seep from his lip. He glared at Cobalt and scoffed. “If you do this, then you’re on your own.” “I’ve been on my own since I was ten years old.” He scoffed. Storm went towards the door way and glared at the younger blue flyer. “I knew I should have left you on the side of the road.” He spat out. “If Soarin and Gale hadn’t convinced me then I would have left you to freeze!” “Get out!” Soarin yelled. The flyer scoffed and charged out the door. The group let out a sigh and silence fell over the group. “Sorry you had to see that.” Cobalt said with a sigh. A silence still was in between the group. A soft sob could be heard from the pod. Cobalt walked over and looked inside to see the woman crying. A pair of arms wrapped around the flyer and closed around his neck. “You’re such an idiot.” “But I’m your idiot.” He chuckled. The woman dried her tears as Applejack removed her hat and walked up to her. “Rouge, ah’m mighty sorry how ah was treating ya.” AJ said as she hung her head in shame. “Wasn’t fair to you. Can ya forgive me?” Rouge nodded and smiled at the girl. Crimson sighed and looked at the TV. He grinned as he saw the names. Crimson Storm vs Wind Gash “Well, looks like I’m up.” He said as he got to his feet. “Wish me luck.” He said as he vanished in a flash of red light. Rouge stepped out of the pod and stumbled as Cobalt caught her. “Whoa, where do you think you’re going?” Cobalt asked. “C’mon, I don’t wanna miss this.” Cobalt shook his head and sighed. “No point in arguing with you is there?” “Nope.” She said as she lightly tapped his nose. Cobalt looked towards Applejack. “Think you can take her? Contestants have to stay in the observation booth.” “Ah got her.” AJ said as she put her arm around the Changeling. “Thanks. Now lets hurry I don’t want to miss this.” Cobalt yelled as he flew out the window. The other girls nodded and quickly made their way back towards the stands. Chapter XXII: Devils and Dragons (Re uploaded)Chapter XXII Devils and Dragons The crowd grew restless as Crimson made his way on to the field. A man with jet black hair and wings was waiting for him. A sword holstered at his side. Crimson cracked his neck and took his position. Twilight and the rest of the group made it back to their seats beside the Princesses. “Ah Rouge,” Crow started. “how are you feeling?” He said with a warm smile on his face. “Better than I was.” She said with a sigh. Crow nodded and stood up as he looked down at the two combatants. “Are you two ready?” The two warriors nodded. “Begin!” Crow yelled. Crimson summoned his scythe and sliced a red beam through the air. The flyer took flight and avoided the blast. Crimson crouched and focused his magic into his feet before jumping high in the sky. As he got on the same level with the flyer. Gash increased his speed and flapped his wings towards the red mage. The wind turned into two small twisters. Crimson was caught in mid air as they hit him. The wind was so fierce that it started to cut the man’s flesh. Crimson was being tossed around like a piece of paper in a twister. The invisible blades kept slicing at him The red mage fell back towards the ground and panted heavily. The flyer landed across from him and grinned. “What kind of magic is that?” Rarity asked, “It’s wind magic.” Rouge said. “Like Ivy’s fire and Cobalt’s metal, he uses the natural element to enhance his strength and magic.” “But this entire place is air!” Dash yelled. “How is he supposed to beat something like that?” Crow raised an eyebrow at the flyer and chuckled. “Just watch.” Crow chuckled. “Crimson has a few tricks up his sleeve.” “Yeah we know he’s tough.” The farmer said. “We saw him take down an entire team during the first exam.” “Tough? You haven’t even seen a fraction of what he can do yet.” Twilight then perked up. “Crimson said he had some inherent magic. What is it?” Rouge and Crow gulped. “Its....complicated.” Rouge said. “How so?” Rarity asked. “You see, he’s what you call a fusion of two bloodlines.” Crow stated. The girls looked at him in shock. “Why are you all looking like that for? Its far from uncommon.” He said with a raised eyebrow. “Take Ivy for example. Her father was a dragon slayer and her mother is a Druid.” “A druid?” Twilight asked. “Again, what are your teaching your pupil Tia?” Crow said as he face palmed. “Druids are better known as 'forest wizards.' The leader of the druid family that existed nine hundred years ago was able to tame the Everfree forest and bend it to her will.” The group looked at him in shock. “That combined with Ivy's dragon slaying magic makes her a force to be reckoned with.” “What about Crimson?” Fluttershy asked. “Him? He’s a special case.” Crow grinned. “His shadow magic right?” Rarity asked. “Wrong on that note.” Crow said. “But we heard from Rouge and the others that shadow magic is almost impossible to master.” Fluttershy said. “It is.” Luna said. “In theory anyone given enough time and patience could learn it.” She sighed. “So if shadow magic isn’t his inherent magic then what is?” Twilight asked as Crow grinned. “His father, Orion was from the exorcist dynasty.” Celestia and Luan gasped. “Exorcist?” Twilight asked. “A bloodline that specializes in dealing with demons and dark mages.” The girls then thought back to the nightmare moon conduit Crimson fought against. “There aren’t that many around but you can tell that he’s an exorcist.” “How?” “His eyes.” The group then looked at the mage’s blood red eyes. “His eyes?” Rarity said in disbelief. “People who derive from that bloodline all have red eyes. Same with his hair, but that comes from his mother’s side.” “What magic did she have?” Dash asked. “It’ll just be easier if you see it for yourself.” He said as they turned back to the fight. Crimson was dodging the wind left and right. The red mage was feeling the effects of the cuts he was getting. The winged man started to clap and he smiled. “Very good Crimson, you certainly are quick on your feet.” He said as he gripped his handle. “However, that won’t be enough to beat me.” He pulled out the handle and the crowd looked in confusion to see and empty handle. “So that’s your weapon then?” Crimson said as he panted. The man slammed the handle in a vertical motion. Crimson immediately jumped out of the was to see a large slash mark appear where he once stood. “What was that?” Dash yelled. “Its a wind sword.” Rouge said. The girls looked at her in confusion. “The handle focuses the user’s magic into an element. The blade is literally made out of wind.” The group gulped and watched as Crimson dodged strike after strike. The flyer spun the blade in his hand and pointed it at the red mage. “Sorry Crimson,” He said as the air around him started to move at a fast rate. “prepare to be blown away!” A bright light shot out of the handle and the red mage was instantly pinned against the far wall. As he was shot the wind seemed to act like blades and slash across his body. Twilight put a hand to her mouth in shock. Even Rouge gulped as she saw the damage on her friend’s body. The bombardment kept up and the red mage was slashed from head to toe. As the bombardment ceased the red mage fell to the ground in a pool of his own blood. Crimson groaned on the ground in pain. “Pity, I figured that you’d be stronger than this.” The flyer sighed. “What a disappointment.” He said as he shook his head. “Are you done talking?” The flyer looked ahead to see the red warrior standing, even smiling. A small trickle of blood seeped from his scalp. Crimson wiped the red liquid away. He looked at his bloodied palm and clenched his fist. “I was just feeling you out.” He said as he stared at the flyer. Gash shot another of the blasts at the red mage who grinned. A massive red wall appeared in front of the mage and stopped the bombardment. The flyer looked in shock and saw that the wall was moving with the cuts and seemed to repair itself. As the bombardment ended the flyer’s eyes shrank as he saw that the wall appeared to be made of liquid. The Princess’s eyes shrank at the spectacle. The man slammed his palm down on the ground. The flyer heard a cracking noise and looked down to see a red spike shoot up in front of the flyer who immediately took flight. The flyer felt something wrap around his leg and throw him against the wall. The flyer looked to see that an arm made of the red substance was sticking out of the spike. The red spike then receeded back down tha hole and back towards the red mage's feet. Gash looked in horror as he saw the red liquid seep into the man’s cuts. “Okay, now I’m really fired up!” Crimson said as the crowd felt an immense amount of magical energy seep from the man’s body. The red pool Crimson was standing in started to shrink and go back into the man’s body. The damage he had taken seem to vanish from the mage’s skin. Celestia glare at Crow who sat back and grinned. The six girls gulped and looked back at Crow. “That’s his mother’s magic. Crimson inherent magic from Rosario is blood magic.” “Blood magic?” Rarity asked. “Its on the border of dark magic.” Celestia growled. “Oh come now Tia, you’ve met Rose. You surely would have sensed it.” Crow said with a sigh. “Crimson mostly uses blood magic for healing purposes anyway.” Twilight then thought back when he had healed her when they encountered the bandits. “How in the hay does that work?” Applejack asked. “He accelerates the white blood cells in his body and that allows him to heal his wounds. Although it uses a lot of magic.” He sighed. “Could he use it on someone else?” Twilight asked. “Of course, but he doesn’t have the skill to manipulate it like his own.” Crow sighed. “Healing on the other hand is simple if he makes physical contact with another person.” He said as he scratched his chin. “Why?” “No reason.” Twilight said as she blushed. The group turned their attention back to the fight. Crimson charged forward and was cutting through the wind blades like they were butter. The scythe’s edge glowed a bright red as it absorbed the magic from the blasts. What is going on? They’re not even having an effect! Crimson slammed the butt end of the scythe into the man’s jaw. Crimson followed up with a blast of magic from his left palm and into the man’s gut. The flyer took flight once more and soared high in the sky. Crimson scoffed and replaced his scythe with the rifle. Crimson fired off several rounds at the flyer who dodged it with ease. “Get down here and fight like a man!” Crimson bellowed. He kept firing the rifle in rapid succession. “Ugh! This isn’t duck hunt ya know!” He said as he kept firing. Crow face palmed and groaned. That temper. He’s definitely Rosario’s son. He shivered as he remembered the red haired woman occasionally beating the crap out of him. “Missed me again!” The flyer mocked. “Fine! Then I’ll come up there!” Crimson yelled. The flyer grinned at beating the mage on his turf. Crimson took a deep breath and cracked his neck. The air around him became ripe with magic and a pair of hand like wings sprouted from his back and a pair of horns sprouted from his head. Celestia and Luna gulped as Crow gripped his cane. The crowd looked at one another in confusion at the man’s appearance. Crimson raised his hand like wings and sighed. “Time to test out this new spell.” He said as the knuckles of the wings cracked. Two massive spheres appeared in the palms of the wings and shined like two suns. The flyer gulped as he saw the two spheres. The hands then came together and the spheres became one. The hands opened and a massive red beam shot out and rocketed towards the flyer. Too big to dodge! He said as he put his guard up. He waited for the pain. The man opened his eyes and saw the stadium below him and could make out the looks of shocked faces. The large blast seemed to vanish from existence. “Psst. Up here.” The flyer looked up and saw the red mage above him. Crimson raised his right fist and slammed it into the flyer’s head. Gash rocketed towards the ground with the red mage right behind him. Crimson slammed one of his enlarged fists into him and quickened his descent. The flyer crashed into the ground and Crimson landed beside him. His wings went back inside his body as the flyer groaned. “Crimson Storm is the victor.” The flyer opened his eyes and struggled to get to his feet. Crimson extended his arm and the flyer gladly took it. “Anything broken?” He asked as he helped him to the side of the arena. “Nah, wing’s just fractured. I’ll live.” He said as the medics arrived. “That bit with the giant light show was just showing off.” The medics helped the flyer walk away from the mage. “I’ll beat you next time.” “Promises, promises.” Crimson said as he teleported back to where Ivy and Cobalt were standing. “Awesome!” Cobalt said as she high five’d him. “Ugh! When is it going to be my turn!” Ivy whined. “I mean, you show off and take down an entire team. Then Rouge loses, how is she anyway?” “She’s fine.” Cobalt grinned. “Then you go and have a giant fight.” She said as she glared at Cobalt. “Then you go again! I’m getting robbed here!” Crimson rolled his eyes and chuckled. Ivy sawn the color drain from his face and Cobalt gulped. “Looks like your prayers have been answered Ivy.” Crimson turned her around and the flyer’s eyes shrank at the board. Ivy Evergreen vs Angel Frost Ivy had a wicked smile spread across her face as she glared at the ice conduit who chuckled. Ivy jumped down to the field and waited. “This is not good.” Crimson said as he looked at the equally frightened blue flyer. The ice mage appeared as an icy mist that solidified into her normal body. Crimson turned into his shadow form and zoomed towards Crow. The cyan flyer almost fell over in shock as she saw the dark object she had mistaken as a rogue cloud showed itself to be the red mage. He stood on the railing before hoping off and walking towards Crow. “Ah Crimson, excellent match.” “Thanks.” He said with a nod. The Princesses kept their gaze on him. Crimson leaned over and whispered something to the man. Crow nodded and stood up. “Much like before, this battle will take place outside of the arena and will be viewed through the screens.” He said as he tapped his cane twice and the two fighters were transported outside the arena and into the field the blue flyer had used when he fought the titan. “Thanks. Angel has been....difficult as of late.” Crimson said. “Of course.” Crimson nodded and started to walk away. “Oh and Crimson.” The red mage stopped as he got to guard rail. “Should either of them get out of hand-” “I’ll handle it.” He said before vanishing in a flash of red light. The group then saw a smiling woman make her way up towards them. Their eyes shrank as they saw her brown hair and wings coming from her back. Her green eyes had a shine to them. “Ah Fern.” Crow smiled. “How are you doing?” “Oh I’m just here to look after Rouge.” She said as she looked at the Changeling. Her voice was almost as soft as Fluttershy’s. “You still have a long way to go before you’re fully healed.” “I wanted to see the matches.” Rouge pouted. Dash cleared her throat. “Oh right, where are my manners?” Crow said. “Ladies, this is Fern Willow. Our herb specialist and Ivy’s mother.” The group looked at her in shock. “Nice to meet all of you.” She said with a timid smile. The girls looked at the woman and back at Ivy. The physical similarities were there, but the attitudes couldn’t be farther a part. “I hope you don’t mind if I stay and watch Crow.” “By all means. I don’t think our guests would mind.” He said as he looked at the Princesses. “Its perfectly alright.” Celestia smiled. The flyer bowed and pulled out some ointment. Rouge raised her arm and the flyer put the lotion on her skin. “Ow.” Rouge said as it stung her wounds. “Sorry.” She said as the group turned and looked at the monitors. The two female combatants looked at one another and grinned. “Ready for a beat down ice witch?” Ivy said as light green aura coated her body. “Whenever you are fire spitter.” The air around the conduit grew cold and a white magic encircled her body. “Begin!” The two immediately locked blows and exchanged fists and kicks. The ground around the two seemed to be shifting from scorching hot to freezing cold. Ivy shot out several fire balls from her fist only for them to be countered by the conduit’s ice shield. “Gonna hide behind an ice shield eh?” Ivy said as she took flight and started another round of flaming salvos. The mage’s shield then formed into spears. “Catch!” Angel said as she launched the spears and extinguished the flames. The flyer pulled out her whip and changed it into the staff mode and started to attack Angel. The girl shifted her magic into a long sword and started to fend off the fire mage. Ivy grunted and switched to the baton mode. She fired off shots of green energy that made the ice mage retreat. Angel returned fire with a blast of freezing gold wind laced with hardened snow. Ivy guarded herself against the ice balls and fell to the ground with several bruises on her arms. “Ready to give up?” Angel smirked. “In your dreams.” Ivy set aside her weapons and removed her brown fingerless gloves. As she focused her magic the image of a green flame shined on the back of her hands. He stuck out her right hand and snapped her fingers. Angel jumped to the right as the spot she was once occupying was wrapped in green flames. Ivy snapped her fingers again and the ice mage was trapped by green flames. Ivy kept up the bombardment for two minutes straight until she felt herself tire out. The green flames kept burning as Ivy leaned herself on her knees and panted. “Are you done?” Ivy looked up to see the conduit behind a massive wall of ice. Angel snapped her fingers and the remaining flames were encased in ice. Ivy gulped at the spectacle. The flyer slammed her hands into the dirt and the ground started to shake. A large tree sprouted out from the ground and shot towards the ice mage. Angel focused her magic to her feet and the bottom of her shoes turned into ice skates. As the blades touched the dirt, the ground a round them seemed to turn to ice. The mage seemed to move like a gale force. Angel dodged the trees and a sword made of ice and cut through the trees and close in on the flyer. Angel’s right fist seemed to change into a massive ice claw and she slashed at the flyer. Ivy ducked out of the way as the razor sharp claws went over her head. The fire mage then delivered an uppercut to the conduit’s chin. Angel was sent flying back a good five feet. “Just give up Angel. You couldn’t hit-” The flyer gasped as she saw the ice mage holding a lock of green hair. “Oh crap.” Rouge said as she gulped. “Oh dear.” Fern said with a shiver. “What?” Dash said. “Did Crimson mention that Ivy was really sensitive about her hair?” Rouge said. “Yeah he mentioned it.” Twilight said. “Why?” “You see,” Fern started. “Ivy has always been touchy about her hair. Even when someone would so much as touch it without her permission they’d spent at least a week in the infirmary.” The girls all gulped. “Now that Angel just cut a piece off, Ivy is going to go all out on her.” Ivy’s right eye twitched and the air around her went up ten degrees. The ice mage raised an eyebrow as a bright green aura radiated from her body. “You are gonna pay!” Ivy screamed as she shot forward at a speed that even the cyan flyer couldn’t follow. Angel looked down to see a fist slamming into her face and propelling her into the sky. Ivy was close behind and bombarded the mage with punch after punch. Angel coughed up some blood as ivy stopped the punches and flew around behind her and delivered a bone shattering kick to the conduit’s back. Angel was now shooting towards the ground. Her eyes shrank as she saw the green blur land where she was falling to. Ivy jumped and spun in mid air. As the ice mage came into proximity, Ivy focused what was left of her magic into her right leg and slammed it into the conduit’s side. Angel was sent flying across the field and into a boulder that could level Twilight’s library. The boulder was reduced to rubble as the white haired mage slammed into it. The green flyer panted heavily and let out a massive roar that shook the surrounding area. Spike who was biting his nails in fear heard the roar and gulped. Crow took note of the boy’s eyes and nails. “You might want to pay attention young man.” He said as the group looked back at him. “What was with that roar?” Dash asked. “The roar of a dragon.” Crow said. Ivy panted heavily and cracked her neck. She looked down at her feet and saw the pebbles moving. The ground was shaking and the rubble from the boulder started to shift. A blast of white magic shot out and was on a collision course with the green flyer. Ivy dodged the blast and saw it hit a nearby tree. The large plant was immediately encased in ice. Ivy gulped and looked back at the mound of rubble. Her eyes shrank and her throat seemed to dry up when she saw the white mage standing. Her eyes were white with magic and seemed to be pouring out of her body. Cracks appeared across her skin as more magic poured out. “Seal release level two.” She said as her body seemed to explode with power. Ivy sheltered herself from the icy wind and tried to stay on her feet. When the wind stopped the flyer felt her hopes freeze up as she saw the woman standing before her wearing white armor and a pair of white wings made of ice were sprouting from her back. Atop her head were a pair of white horns that curved upward along with a mask over her face. The girls once blue eyes were now blood red and she held a long sword made of ice in her hand. “Now we’re gonna have some fun!” She yelled. “That is the monster that resides within Angel.” Crow said as he looked at the shocked women’s faces. “The Ice Wraith.” He said as the demon roared. “Legend says that during the days of King Sombra, the Wraith was leader of the resistance movement and planned an all out attack on the stronghold.” The girls looked at him in shock. “By the maker.” Celestia said as she looked at the demon like girl. “Wraith was betrayed by her comrades and was left to fight alone. When she crossed over the spirit swore vengeance on those who betrayed her. She returned a vengeful demon and slaughtered anyone who dared oppose her.” “Talk about payback.” Cadence gulped. Angel vanished from Ivy’s sight only to re appear in front of her. Ivy attempted to slam her fist into the mage’s face but her fist was held bak by the conduit’s finger. Angel chuckled and flicked her finger once on the flyer’s head. Ivy’s face exploded in pain as she was flung backwards by the force. Ivy felt her spine crack as she collided with a large rock. She slumped to the ground in pain and struggled to stay on her feet. The conduit appeared in front of her and grabbed her by the throat. The woman’s touch was as cold as dry ice and Ivy struggled to get free. “Don’t get any ideas.” Angel said as she slammed her fist into Ivy’s stomach. The green flyer coughed up a large amount of blood. “I still have to pay you back for all that pain you caused me earlier.” She said as the ice mage slammed Ivy into the dirt face first. Ivy groaned in pain as Angel picked her up by her hair and chuckled. “I think I’ll take your hair a souvenir.” Ivy’s eyes shrank as the woman summoned an ice sword. “No, better idea.” She said as the hair started to become encased in ice. “I think I’ll freeze this moment of victory for all eternity.” Out of the corner of her eye, Ivy saw the shape of the red haired mage getting ready to stop the match. She stared into his eyes and frowned. The woman felt her arms going numb and tried to think of a way out of this. Her vision started to blur and a few tears escaped her eyes before they turned to ice. Back in the stands the brown haired flyer was almost balling as Crow put a hand on her shoulder. Please no, not my daughter too. She thought as Rouge tried to comfort the flyer. I’m so sorry dad. Ivy thought as the ice covered her face. The woman was now completely encased in ice. The conduit grinned and let the frozen flyer fall. As Crimson summoned his blade the area around the flyer grew warm and the ice started to crack. The flyer’s eyes glowed a bright green as the ice shattered and a blinding green light shot up and pierced the clouds. The red and white mage shielded their eyes and felt the massive heatwave. The light faded and the white mage looked at the green flyer in shock. Ivy’s fore arms were now covered in lime green scales and long nails sprouted from her fingers. A few scales were on the sides of her face and her once feather like wings were now webbed and covered in the green scales. Her canines were significantly larger than before and a spiked tail was growing out of her lower back. Her forelegs were similar to her hands and were covered in the same rigid texture. She opened her lime green eyes and Angel gasped as she saw the spliced green pupils. Ivy looked at the white mage and flared her wings as she let loose a massive roar accompanied by a massive green flame shooting out of her mouth. Crow and the other spectators looked at Ivy in amazement. “Don’t tell me she’s a conduit too!” Twilight yelled. “Of course she isn’t.” Fern said. “She’s just like her father.” She said as tears of joy formed in her eyes. “A true dragon slayer.” “You see, in order to defeat a dragon one must take its strength and use it against them.” Crow stated. Ivy locked glared with the conduit and charged forwards. The ice mage tried to fire a few ice shards at the monster in front of her. All that came out was water. Ivy slammed her clawed fist into her face. Angel was sent flying backwards and crashed into the dirt. Angel flared her icy wings and took flight. As she looked into the sky she saw a green blur rush in front of her and a scaled fist slam into her face. The ice mage felt the mask on her face beginning to crack and she started to panic as she felt a pair of strong fingers wrap around her face and forced her back towards the earth. The crash resulted in the mask shattering and the ice mage’s body reverting back to normal. Ivy landed a pile driver on the woman’s stomach. Angel screamed in pain and coughed up more blood. Ivy clenched her fist and funneled her magic into it. The scaled fist was glowing a bright green. Angel felt that a two ton weight was pressing against her body. Ivy pulled the fist back like a coiled snake ready to strike. Angel gulped and closed her eyes and waited for the pain. The ice mage felt the fist rocket towards her and stop just centimeters from her face. Angel’s eyes shrank to the size of pin tips and saw the flyer’s extend her index finger and shake it from side to side. “Nobody touches my hair.” She said in a serious tone. “Got it?” Angel remained silent and slowly nodded. Ivy got off the mage and cracked her neck. “Ivy Evergreen is the winner.” An announcer yelled over the microphone. The green flyer sighed and green fire danced across her skin. Ivy’s green wings returned to normal along with her skin, eyes and teeth. As the green flyer started to walk away Angel grunted and quickly got to her feet. Her right hand glowed white with magic and an icicle spear formed in her hand. The conduit raised the spear and ran towards the flyer with the end pointed right between her wings. As she came within striking distance something grabbed her spear and flipped it up into the sky. She then felt a crushing force wrap around her body. The flyer spun around and saw the ice mage wrapped in a familiar hand like wing. Her eyes shrank as she saw her red haired comrade standing between them with a look that could kill a manticore on his face. “The match is over!” He bellowed. Angel continued to struggle in the grip. Crimson applied more pressure and grunted. “We don’t stab our comrades in the back!” Angel stopped struggling and held her head in defeat. Ivy sighed and felt the magic she used its toll. The flyer was about to collapse. She felt a pair of arms catch her and pick her up. The flyer looked up and saw the red haired mage with the same look on his face as the other. The one holding the ice mage looked at her and grunted. “We’ll talk about this later.” The mag’s body the started to shift and became like liquid. The conduit fell and landed on her feet as the body turned to red liquid and raced back towards the red mage. “Crimson....you-” Ivy said as she looked at the man. The three were then wrapped in a green aura and were teleported back to the arena. The crowd was cheering for the flyer who was waving as Crimson carried her off the field. The medics arrived and started to examine the flyer. “You okay?” Crimson asked. “Yeah I’ll be fine. Dragon force just take a lot out of me.” She said with a smile. “Good, now if you’ll excuse me I need to talk to a disobedient student.” He said as he looked at the white mage who shook off the medics. “Whats with her?” Ivy asked as the medic scanned her with a spell. “I know Angel and I have never been friends, but I never hated her.” She said with a sigh. “I’m not too sure,” He said as he crossed his arms. “but I know how to find out.” Chapter XXIII: So Many BooksChapter XXIII So Many Books The last few students completed their fights. Ivory managed to easily dispatch her opponent. The spectators started to funnel out of the stands and find a place to eat. The three Princesses were walking with Twilight and the other five girls when they were approached by the red mage. Twilight felt her face flare up. Crimson approached the pink winged Princess and gave her a nod. “Nice to see you again Cadence.” “You as well.” Cadence smiled. “Mind if I talk to you in private?” Cadence looked at him in surprise. She saw the seriousness in his eyes and smiled. “Of course.” She said as she followed the red haired mage. The group of girls looked at Twilight who’s face had returned to its normal color. “Sorry everyone,” Celestia said. “but Luna and I have some important duties to fulfill. We shall see you all tomorrow.” She said before the two Princesses vanished. The six girls made their way out of the stadium and saw a kiosk set up. “Step right up folks and get your one of a kind collectables.” The man had dark brown hair and was wearing an apron that was splattered with dried clay. The group saw several figurines on the racks. The group looked in surprise as they saw the four warriors they knew. Ivory even had one along with the cane wielding mage with a crow perched on his shoulder. The man saw the six and felt his face flare up. They were the six prettiest girls he’d ever seen. “H-hey there. How can I help you girls?” “Whatcha ya selling here partner?” Applejack asked. “These are 100% original crafted sculptures of Academy students.” He said with a smile. “You make them?” The man nodded at the pink haired girl “Cool!” Pinkie said with a smile. Twilight spied one Ivory and the other mages she’s met. “The ones of the Horsemen have been selling out like crazy along with Team Saint.” He said as he pointed to the team leaded by the white haired mage. “Think you can do one of me?” Dash asked. “Honestly darling why would you want a statue of yourself?” Rarity said in surprise. “These are special.” He said as he picked up one of the green flyer. He set it on the table and shot a small bolt of magic into it. The statue hopped off its stand and took flight. The six girls were awestruck as they looked at the small figurine get back on the pedestal and return to its frozen state. “That is so awesome!” Dash yelled as she reached into her pocket and puled out the money. “Excellent.” He said as he pulled out a handful of clay. “How big do you want it?” “I guess the size the others are.” Dash said with a shrug. The man nodded and placed both his hands over the slab of clay in an ‘X’ formation. A brown burst of magic shot down and the block of clay took the form of a person. “Good, now I need one other thing from you Ms. Dash.” “How did you know my name?” She asked. “Oh everyone here knows who the elements of harmony are.” He said with a smile. “So what do you need?” “Either a strand of your hair or one of your feathers.” “Why?” “You see, in order to move them it has to feed off of your own aura.” He said as he looked at the figurine. “It will also take on the rest of your physical characteristics. Like eye and hair color.” Dash shrugged and plucked one of her feathers from her wing. “Thank you.” He said as he took the feather in his hands. The man put his hands together with the feather in between his palms and made another bolt of magic strike the clay doll. The small figurine then grew a rainbow mane and cyan wings sprouted from its back. The dark brown dirt then shifted to the flyer’s tan skin. “There we go.” He said as he picked up the figurine. “So awesome!” Dash said in a fan girl voice. “So awesome!” The figurine said in the same voice. The girls looked at it in amazement. The clay figure then stopped moving and reverted to its motionless state. “How much?” Dash asked as she pulled out her bit bag. The man held up his hand. “My policy is that the first one is free.” He said with a smile. He put the clay figure in a bag and handed it to the flyer. “What about the rest of you?” He asked as he looked at the girls. “Maybe later.” Twilight said with a chuckle. “Sure you don’t want one of Crimson?” Dash said as she nudged the purple mage who blushed bright red. “Not surprising.” He said as he pulled out two that were covered by a cloth. “Crimson’s is pretty popular.” He said with a smile. “In fact I have two new ones of him.” He said as he removed the cover. The girls gasped as they saw the man with the hand like wings and horns sprouting from his head. The other showed the mage holding his scythe over his head and what was supposed to be streams of blood swirling around him. Twilight made a fist and bit her lip. A small bit of rage then made the scholar glare at the man with daggers in her eyes. She reached forwards and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. “How dare you!” She yelled. The man gulped and looked into the burning eyes of the scholar. “Do you have any idea how Crimson feels before you make those things?” “Well, I-” “Exactly! You don’t think!” The orange farmer put a hand on her arm. “Easy there Twi.” She said in a calm tone. “Ah’m sure he didn’t mean any harm.” Twilight looked at her friend and sighed before releasing the man. The crafts man sighed and looked at the girls. “Look, I sell these things to help raise money like everyone else.” He said as he put the cover back over the figurines. “Besides, these two are only the prototypes and they need to be approved before I can sell them.” “Approved?” Dash said. “Yeah, the deal is that I’m allowed to make these figures of the students, but I need to get their and the Headmaster’s permission on which ones I can sell.” He said as he crossed his arms. “I’m sorry if I offended you. I take it you’re a close friend of his?” Twilight blushed. “Um, something like that.” Twilight said as she scratched her head. “Sorry about the freak out.” “Its fine. Besides I don’t want to get on Crimson’s bad side.” He said with a shiver. “Yeah he is pretty strong.” Pinkie said. “No, Crimson really doesn’t care if someone messes with him.” He said with a gulp. “Ivory, Angel and Ivy on the other hand will beat you to a bloody pulp.” The three looked at him in surprise. “Why Ivory and Angel?” Twilight asked. The man checked his corners and motioned for the group to come closer. “You didn’t here this from me okay?” The six nodded. “I’m fairly certain that Angel has a crush on Crimson.” Twilight gulped. “As for Ivory, those two may be rivals, but they look out for each other.” “So does Crimson like Angel back?” Rarity asked as she put a hand on her friend’s shoulder. “Nah, its completely one sided.” He said as he waved his hand. Twilight felt a small wave of relief wash over her. “Besides Crimson is Angel’s mentor. It would be extremely inappropriate for him.” He said with a sigh. “Not to mention that Crimson is too shy to actually ask anyone out.” “Really?” Rarity said in shock. “The man has beaten an Ursa Minor without breaking a sweat.” “He’d rather face twelve at once then do something social like that.” He chuckled. “Kinda sad really, especially when there are quite a few girls that have their eye on him.” Twilight gulped. “Wait, Ivy told us that most of the girls here hate em cause he’s a conduit.” AJ said. “Yeah most of them do.” He said as he rested his head on his left palm. “Doesn’t mean everyone here hates him.” He said with a sigh. “In fact he’s saved a lot of the members here on multiple occasions. Including myself.” The man then noticed three familiar mages approaching. “Hey guys whats up?” “Not much G.” Ivy said with a smile. The group saw that she had bandages around her legs, arm and a wrap around her head. The group looked at her in surprise.”Relax it looks worse than it is.” She said with a nod. “Seriously Ivy,” Rouge said. “you should be back inside your pod. You just woke up from a coma and you need your rest.” The girls looked at the flyer in shock. “Pfft, I’m fine.” “How can you call a coma a big deal?” Fluttershy asked in a worried tone. “Yeah, why were you in one anyway?” Dash asked. “I take it you guys saw my little transformation?” The green flyer said as she crossed her arms under her breasts. The girls nodded. “Well, it works like this, dragon slayers such as myself are able to use Dragon Force. Its considered the ultimate spell a dragon slayer can use. It literally gives you the strength and power of a dragon.” “Cool.” Pinkie said. “Yeah, but there’s a catch. It uses up a massive amount of magical energy and I can’t maintain it for very long. Even if I activated it at my full power I still would be in the same condition I’m in now.” She said as she looked at the bandages. “So that’s why I was in a coma my body needed to recuperate and I can’t shift into that for more than once a day.” “If its so dangerous then why use it at all?” Rarity said. “It was either that or become one of Angel’s ice sculptures.” Ivy deadpanned. The group remembered how Ivy was nearly beaten by the conduit. The green flyer noticed the statues of Crimson and the scholars blushing face. “Ah getting a Crimson figure eh?” Ivy said with a smug grin. Twilight’s face went red even more. “N-no, I was just browsing.” She said as she avoided eye contact. The mages all chuckled. “Whatever.” Cobalt said as he put his arms over his head. “We’re headed to the lounge for some grub.” “Right behind ya.” Pinkie said. “I could go for a bite.” Dash agreed. “I am also quite famished.” Rarity nodded. “Ah could go for something to eat.” AJ said. The group shrugged and made their way towards the Ranger’s lounge. When the arrived at the door the three mages stopped and looked at the farmer and cyan flyer. “What’s up?” “Need I remind you of what went down last night?” Rouge spat out. The farmer sighed and looked at the Changeling. “Yeah, ah know what ah gotta do.” She said with a sigh. “Dash?” The cyan flyer shifted uncomfortably. “Fine.” The farmer then slammed her foot into the flyer’s shin. Dash yelled in pain as she hopped on her good foot. “Okay, okay. I know.” She said as she rubbed her foot. “Jeez how are you able to kick so hard?” “Years of apple bucking, good food and steel toed boots.” She said as they went inside. When the rowdy group of warriors saw the farmer and flyer they all fell silent. Most were giving them dirty looks. A few were even reaching for their weapons. Applejack led the way up to the bar where the golden haired Changeling was cleaning some glasses. The woman gulped and was visibly shaking as she saw the two. The farmer sighed and took her hat off. “Look Sunny, ah want to apologize for the way ah acted yesterday.” The crowd all raised an eyebrow. “It wasn’t right of me to pass judgement on ya just cause yer different.” The Changeling felt a small smile creep across her face. “Ah ain’t too comfortable around Changelings yet, but Crimson and his friends seem to trust ya so that’s good enough for me.” The orange farmer extended her hand. “Think we could start over?” The Changeling smiled and gladly gave it a hard shake. The farmer was taken by surprise at the frail looking woman’s strength. Applejack tipped her hat and coughed as she made room for Rainbow. The cyan flyer rolled her eyes and sighed. “Yeah what AJ-” The farmer then slugged her in the arm. “Ow! Okay, okay.” She said as she rubbed the sore spot. “I’m sorry I said those things to you. It was far from cool and you didn’t deserve it.” She said with a sigh. AJ coughed again and Dash extended her hand. Sunny smiled and gladly shook it. “Peace at last.” Crimson said as he sighed. “I’ll forgive you both on one condition.” Sunny chimed. The two looked at her in surprise as she pulled out a black bottle of liquor and three shot glasses. Crimson and the rest of the bar were biting their lips trying to stifle their laughter. The barmaid poured a small amount of the liquid into the glasses. The three took up the glasses and clinked the glasses together before slamming them back. The farmer and flyer were taken off guard by the strength on the alcohol. The two of them looked towards the ceiling and flames shot out of their mouths. The bar erupted in laughter as Sunny chuckled and gave them each a glass of water. The two hastily drank the liquid in an effort to cool their burning throats. “What was that?” Twilight asked. “Pure, uncut dragon liquor.” Cobalt said. “That stuff is potent enough to wake the dead.” He chuckled. “Everyone goes through that and-” He was cut off as Pinkie grabbed the bottle and chugged it.” The entire bar fell silent and looked at the pastry chef in shock. Pinkie’s whole body started to shake and a massive pink flame shot out of her mouth. A belch heralded the flame’s end. Followed by a hiccup. “Spicy!” She said as she licked her lips. The lounge then shifted back to its rowdy state as everyone raised a class to the crazy pink haired girl. Crimson rubbed his chin and started to walk away. “Hey where are you going?” Ivy asked. “I gotta look up something in the library.” Twilight’s ears perked up. “See ya later.” The young scholar immediately bolted up. “Wait up.” She said as she caught up to the man. “I want to see this library you told me about.” She chimed. “Very well.” He said as he led the way out of the lounge. The red mage walked ahead as Twilight followed close behind. “So what did you and Cadence talk about?” “She says that she’s been having difficulty dealing with Angel as of late.” Twilight nodded as she remembered how the ice mage almost stabbed the flyer in the back. “I’ve been trying to help her, but she can’t seem to let go.” He sighed. Twilight put a hand on his shoulder and smiled. “I’m sure she’ll come around.” “The fact that makes this whole ordeal harder is that she’s infatuated with me.” He said as he rolled his eyes. “I’ve explained it to her at least a dozen times that I don’t look at her like that.” Twilight smiled at the words. The two stopped as they came to a large door. Crimson pulled out a badge and put it in the door slot. The scholar heard the large doors clink and the doors swung open. Twilight’s jaw dropped when she saw the seemingly endless rows of books. As she walked inside she saw that the library extended at least four stories up and five stories down. A large hole was in the center of the room that went all the way down to the bottom. “Um Twilight, you’re drooling.” The scholar felt light headed and propped herself on the counter. “You okay?” “Yeah its just,” The scholar looked around with a massive grin on her face. “there are so many books.” “Can I help you two?” The two looked over to see an elderly man with long teal robes on his frail form and a pair of silver glasses matched his short hair. He looked at the red haired mage and smirked. “Well, looks like the king of Castle Knowledge has returned.” The red mage’s face turned bright scarlet. “Quill! Not that! We’re just here to look up some info.” The man said as he tried to hide his blush. “Okay okay.” He said with a chuckle. He then noticed Twilight. “Who’s this then?” “Twilight Sparkle, this is Quill Vellum. He’s the librarian here.” “Correct me if I’m wrong, but are you not Celestia’s pupil?” He said as he looked at the woman. “Yes I am.” She then looked towards the ceiling and saw that there were several railings like the ones you see on suspended roller coasters going up in a circular formation. Crimson walked over to a rack that had some odd glove like device. “What are these?” “I call them hooks.” He said as he handed her one. “These are what we use to get around the library.” “How do I use it?” “Just jump and stick your arm out.” He said in a flat tone. Twilight looked at him in confusion. Crimson rolled his eyes and jumped up. A red aura then seemed to attach his arm to the railing and the man rocketed up the rail system and landed on one of the upper floors. “Just like that.” Twilight gulped. “Um...okay.” She said as she copied the man. She then felt a force grab her arms and ripped her off the ground and up towards the ceiling. “Help me!” She yelled as the man took a couple steps back. Crimson got a running start and jumped off the railing just as Twilight zoomed by. The scholar felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her and rip her from the magical grasp. She felt herself flying through the air before hitting the hard marble floor. She opened her eyes to see that she was laying on top of the man. Their faces were only inches apart. Crimson’s face turned bright red when he realized his hand was on the scholar’s right breast. The two quickly got off one another and gulped. Twilight’s face was bright red and couldn’t help but feel a little aroused by the contact with the man. “Sorry, should have known you wouldn’t have known how to do that.” He said trying to calm himself down. “I-its alright. I kinda liked it.” The scholars face grew redder. “The hook thing.” “Yeah, its a lot of fun.” He said with a gulp. He looked at the directory that had the list of floors. “Okay we’re on floor three in the alchemy section.” “But we’re only one floor up from the main lobby.” She said as she looked over the edge. “There’s nine floors in total. Four that are on the bottom and five on top.” He said as he pointed down. “The place I’m trying to get to is on the bottom and in order to get there I need to get to the top.” “Why?” “Follow me and you’ll find out.” He said as he stepped near the edge. “No way am I going back on that thing again. Are there stairs?” “Nope.” He said as he cracked his shoulders. “If you’re not coming then I could drop you off on the ground floor.” He grinned. “Quite a few students have gotten lost for days in here.” He teased. “That would be awesome.” Twilight said. “Oh yeah for starters. Until the guards come alive.” He said in a nonchalant tone. “Guards?” The scholar said with a gulp. “C’mon Twilight. We have some of the most dangerous and powerful spell books known to mankind and you think that we don’t have a security force?” The scholar gulped. “Oh and the guards don’t play nice.” “What will they do?” “If they find you...then they’ll crush you. If they find you with me then....your rate of survival goes from none to slim.” He said as he offered his hand. “Still wanna go it alone?” Twilight sighed and took hold of his arm. “Hang on!” He said as he jumped off the edge with the scholar clinging on to him for dear life. The two soon reached the top and Twilight was feeling dizzy. “I think I’m gonna hurl.” “Trash can’s over there.” He said as he pointed to the waste pail. Twilight groaned and levitated it over to her side. The two looked to see a swirling vortex of pages appear in front of them. When the small twister subsided they saw the librarian standing before them. “Ah yes, I never forgot my first time on the hook line.” He said as he looked at the sickly scholar. “What’s up Quill?” “Oh just came to let you know that the your reserved copy of the Red Jewel of-” Crimson quickly coughed and made a slicing motion across his neck. His red eyes were wide with fear as he motioned towards the scholar. Quill grinned as he saw the man’s blushing cheeks. “Anyway, I have it downstairs. So pick it up whenever.” He said with a chuckled. “Stay safe your majesty.” Crimson face palmed as the man turned back into paper and flew away. “What was he talking about?” Twilight asked as she got to her feet. “Nothing. You okay?” “Yeah, so long as I don’t do anything like that for a while.” Crimson bit his lip. “So what exactly are you looking for?” “A book on demonology. Problem is, its at the bottom.” He said as he pointed down. “So how are we going to get down there?” The scholar looked down and saw that they were directly above the hole in the floor. The scholar was filled with fear as a thought came to her. “W-we’re not gonna jump are we?” “Of course not. Don’t be ridiculous.” Twilight let out a sight of relief as the man put an arm on her shoulder. “We fall.” Twilight felt the man’s arms wrap around her and a sense of falling over came her. Twilight looked down and saw that she was rocketing towards the floor. The main doors to the massive library swung open to reveal the cane carrying man. His green eyes scanned the room and saw the old book keeper. “Ah Headmaster. How can I help you?” “I’m looking for Crimson. Do you know where-” He was cut off as he saw a red/purple blur fall through the center hole and a woman’s voice could be heard screaming. “Never mind.” He said as he shook his head. “Ah young love.” Quill chuckled. The two mages rocketed down the floors and the light started to fade. Twilight looked down to see the stone floor. “Are you crazy?” “Yes, yes I am.” The scholar then felt them slowing down. The two then stopped just above the floor where a levitation rune was scribbled on the hard stone. Crimson leaned forward and stepped onto the hard stone. Twilight followed suit and stumbled as the red mage caught her. Twilight stood up and glared daggers into the man. “Don’t ever do that again!” She yelled. “Shhh! We’re in a library.” He said with a chuckle. Twilight stuck out her bottom lip and pouted. Daww. He thought as he looked at the scholar who’s face bright red. “Anyway, welcome to the Academy’s Highly Evolved Literature Level.” Twilight raised an eyebrow at the man. “You do realize that spells hell right?” “Yeah, I realized that too.” He said as he grabbed a nearby torch. Twilight then saw a marble statue of a man holding a sword over his shoulder and his right foot was above a demon skull. Next to him was a man with a long beard and donning a long cloak and wizard hat with a large staff in his hand. Twilight bent down and read the plaque. “He who fights monsters should beware lest he become one himself.” ~Spoken by Damien Carmine (Left) and Starswirl the bearded (Right) Crimson noticed that the woman stopped and was looking at the statue. He walked back to her and looked at the two marble cut figures. “Starswirl the Bearded and Damien Carmine. The two founders of the Academy.” Twilight looked at him in surprise. “Those two stood their ground as the world crumbled around them and fought back the legions of hell itself.” He said as he stood with his arms folded. “Damien, at least according to legend was the only conduit who was able to fully master his demon.” “Can’t you?” “No, I’m not even in his league. I doubt even Crow is.” “He was that strong?” Twilight said in shock. “Legend says that he bested the demon King himself in combat.” He said as he looked at the two statues and sighed. “C’mon we gotta be careful down here.” “Why?” Twilight asked as she followed the man. “This is the black magic section.” Twilight gulped. “Everything you want to know about demons, blood mages, anything that’s labeled as ‘deviant or evil.’” He said as he made quote marks. Twilight then remembered what Crow had told her. “Yeah, Crow told me about your blood magic.” “Did he now?” Crimson said as he started to look through books. “Well, cats out of the bag as they say.” “Why didn’t you tell us?” “I’m already a conduit. I didn’t want to give people another reason to fear me.” “Why is blood magic considered forbidden?” “Its-” “Its usually the precursor to dark magic.” The two looked back to see the can wielding man coming out from the shadows. “Most blood mages, save a few turn to dark magic and hunger for more power.” “What are you doing down here?” Crimson asked. “I could ask you the same thing. This area is off limits to students of your rank.” Crow stated. Twilight glared at the red mage who scratched the back of his head. “Anyway I wanted to let you know that the fight lineup for tomorrow is about to be posted in the lounges.” Crimson’s ears perked up. “Alright we’ll head back there now.” Crimson said as he started to make his way back to the lift. “Ms. Sparkle, a moment of your time?” “Of course sir. What do you need?” Crow chuckled. “Please, I hate formalities. Crow will do.” He said as he raised a hand. “I want to know how Crimson has acted during his time stationed in Ponyville.” “Acted?” The man nodded. “Yes, an overall report if you will.” Twilight gulped. The scholar gave a detailed report about the red mage’s exploits. The bandits, nightmare moon conduit and other exploits he and the other warriors contributed to the small town. Crow face palmed and sighed. “Something wrong?” “Looks like it was a waste of time.” He groaned. Twilight looked at the man in confusion. “How is that a waste of time?” She asked as she put her hands on her hips. “I sent him there to avoid trouble. Not find it.” “I’m not following.” “Since Crimson joined the Academy and started taking on missions he hasn’t stopped.” Crow said with a sigh. “Every other student has taken off at least five times more than he has. Even when I try to send him somewhere that is supposed to be peaceful the boy finds something to fight.” “Isn’t that good? He wants to do his job.” Twilight said. “I know that, but there is a limit as to how much one person can take before they break.” He said with a sigh. “I’ve seen men tough as dragon iron crack like an egg if they were sent on some of the missions Crimson has done. I’m worried that he’s going to burn out if he keeps up this habit.” “I see your point.” The scholar said as she bit her lip. “He seems capable of handling pressure and working under harsh conditions.” “Thats what I’m trained to do.” The scholar yelped as she heard the voice coming from behind her. She spun around and saw the red mage standing with his arms folded. “I don’t plan on breaking. You know what they say, ‘the harshest fires forges the best iron.’” “It can also melt it.” Crow said. Crimson rolled his eyes and was about to retort when he felt his communication gem vibrate. “C’mon Crimson,” The blue flyer said. “they’re about to announce tomorrow’s line up.” Cobalt said. “I’ll be right there.” He said as he and the other two made their way back to the seal. Crimson stepped on the seal which glowed a bright red.“Lobby.” He said before he was shot up to the surface. Twilight followed and staggered forward. Crow arrived after her and gave them each a nod before leaving the library. Twilight and the red mage quickly made their way back to the lounge. As they opened the door they saw that everyone was standing in anticipation. The screens flickered on and the image of the green eyed man filled the screen. “For those of you that have passed the past few trials, congratulations.” He said with a smile. “I will now announce the matches for tomorrow’s semi-finals. These matches have been determined by what you have done so far in your time here at this school and your power level.” The students all watched in anticipation as a board with several slots on it appeared beside the man. “First round is.” He said as he snapped his fingers. Cobalt Striker vs Ivory Knightwalker The blue flyer gulped and several students laughed at the flyer’s match. He looked over toward the white haired woman who sighed in disappointment. As the next two names were shown, everyone fell silent. No sounds of cheering, no playful laughter, just the look of pure shock was on every one of the student’s faces. A few even dropped their glasses. Crimson Storm vs Ivy Evergreen The two friends immediately looked at one another and gulped. The cane wielding man even looked shocked. He called the last of the names and the screen went dark. Silence still hung in the air around the lounge. As quickly as it came the silence ended and the rowdiness resumed. Crimson sat down and face palmed. Ivy sat across from him and held her head low. Her green hair covered her eyes. Twilight and the others sat down next to them and saw them both shaking. Twilight put a hand on the man’s shoulder. “Hey it’ll be okay guys.” Dash said. “I mean you guys will go easy on each other.” The shaking increase and the group heard the two chuckling that soon turned into loud laughter. “What’s so funny?” “This is gonna be interesting.” Ivy said with fire burning in her eyes. “You guys want to fight one another?” Twilight said in surprise. “I think its fine time to decide who the strongest horseman is.” Crimson said with a smirk. The whit haired woman then approached the two. Cobalt gulped as he saw the woman. “Best of luck to you two tomorrow.” She said with a nod. “You as well Cobalt, you’ll need it.” She chuckled. “Y-yeah, you too.” He said as he nervously sipped his drink. The woman smirked as she saw his violently shaking hand. Ivy bit her lip and looked at Rouge. “Hey Rouge, mind if I stay with you tonight?” The Changeling looked at her friend in confusion. “I don’t want Crimson jumping me while I’m sleeping.” She said in a teasing tone. “Y-yeah sure. I don’t mind.” “Looks like I’m bunking with you Crimson.” Cobalt said. “Terrific.” Crimson said with a sigh. “Cool, I’ll get some stuff.” Ivy said as she ran out the door. The hour grew late and the warriors made their way back to their dorms. Crimson arrived before the flyer and sat down at his desk. The man hung his head low and pulled out a picture of himself and the green flyer standing side by side when they both became Rangers. The man clenched his empty fist and slammed it into the desk leaving a large dent. “Its not easy is it?” Crimson looked up to see Cobalt standing in the doorway with a glum look on his face. “Being captain I mean.” “It never is.” He said with a sigh. “I mean...I’m going to fight my best friend tomorrow. No offense to you or Rouge.” “None taken.” Cobalt said as he sat on the empty bed. “I know the four of us are tight, but you and Ivy have been through a lot together.” He said with a sigh. “Truth be told, I’d rather fight Ivory and Angel at the same time then fight you or Ivy.” “Yeah.” Crimson said as he quickly got changed and climbed into his bed. “Better get our rest. Tomorrow we both have a difficult fight.” Cobalt nodded and climbed into the other bed. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “You’re sure you’re okay?” Rouge asked as she took of Ivy’s bandages. “I’m fine Rouge.” The flyer said with a sigh. “Ivy I know when you’re lying to me.” The Changeling said as she raised an eyebrow. “I mean, sure I care about Crimson too but you guys are more like family than friends.” Ivy cracked her knuckles as she formed a fist. “I mean, you even let him touch your hair. As long as I’ve known you, you’ve never let anyone else-” “I get it! So just get off my back damn it!” Ivy yelled. “How would you react if you were in my position?” Rouge bit her lip and sighed. “I’m sorry Rouge. I just...I just need to think.” Ivy said as she grabbed her pajamas and walked into her bathroom. The flyer quickly stripped down and entered the shower. The cascading streams of hot water relaxed her aching muscles. The flyer sat down against the bathroom wall and hugged her legs. The flyer rested her forehead on her knees and thanked that her tears would be washed away with the warm bath water. Author's Note Monster quote originally by Friedrich Nietzsche. Chapter XXIV: Queen Jumps KnightChapter XXIV Queen Jumps Knight The grey skies loomed over the Academy like an omen. The spectators returned to their seats and waited. The six girls climbed the steps to their seats next to the Princesses. The six looked in surprise to see a giant of a man with a long white coat and golden trim. His black hair had streaks of white in them and seemed to be in a pattern. The man’s dark hazel eyes seemed to pierce everything they caught in their view. The girls then heard a familiar step accompanied by a clanging of a metal cane. “Ah Deus, I was wondering if you’d show up.” Crow said as he walked up to the man. Crow was a full foot shorter than the hulking man. “I came to observe. Nothing more.” He said in a tone that could freeze the fires of hell. The girls gulped as the man’s icy glare focused on them. “Girls this is Deus Knightstriker.” Crow said. “Ivory’s father and currently holds the ninth seat on the council.” Twilight and Rarity gulped. “In short, he’s my boss.” The man said. “I noticed that your pet is fighting his own subordinate.” The large man said as he pulled out a cigar and lit it. Crow grunted at the words. “You’re a cruel man Crow.” “It was decided at random.” He said as he sat down. “Hang on a second.” The farmer said. “Ah thought Crimson said that each member of the council has their own school?” “So?” Deus retorted. “Why doesn’t Ivory go there?” “Ivory is a transfered from Deus’ school.” Crow said. “She transferred here during Crimson’s fifth year because she completely incapacitated the student body and was looking for a better challenge.” The girls’ jaws dropped in shock. “She met Crimson on a job and the two have been butting heads ever since. In order to keep up with him she transferred here.” Crow chuckled. “Just be sure that thing stays away from her.” Deus spat out. Twilight clenched her fist. “Need I remind you that Ivory is in the same boat?” Deus scoffed and leaned against the back wall. Soon the stands were filled and the crowd was buzzing in anticipation. The observation platform that held the combatants was just as chatty. Crimson walked up beside Cobalt who was sharpening his sword. “You okay?” Crimson asked. “Yeah, you?” Crimson sighed. “Average.” He said as he leaned against the wall. He looked at the silver haired woman who was putting on her signature white armor. “Cobalt, don’t do anything stupid. If she draws her blade then surrender.” “I know what it she can do.” Cobalt said. “Besides, you should be more worried about you.” Crimson sighed and gave a nod. The group of fighters then heard the man’s voice boom over the speaker. “The first match will begin in two minutes. Combatants are asked to move onto the field.” The man’s voice rang over the speaker and the two names appeared on the board. Cobalt Striker vs Ivory Knightwalker “Show time.” Cobalt said as he sheathed his broadsword. “Wish me luck.” He said as he walked onto the field. Crimson climbed the steps up to the observation platform. The red mage walked over to the edge and rested on the rail. The blue flyer looked across the field to see that the woman in armor and a long white cape was coming from the back. The woman’s sword was in its sheath resting on her left side. Ivory’s right eye seemed the pierce through the blue flyer. The crowd fell silent as the raven haired man stood up. “Begin!” Crow yelled. The blue flyer quickly drew his sword and pointed it at the silver haired mage. “Cobalt, I’m giving you this one chance to back out of this.” She said in a calm tone. “You’re not the one I want to fight.” “Likewise.” He said as he took a stance. “But I can’t back down from a fight.” The woman sighed and cracked her neck before making the bring it on gesture with her hand. Cobalt crouched with the sword raised over his head and started to flap his wings. The wind power was enough to make the woman’s hair blow back. “Your blade will never reach me.” Cobalt raised his feet and flew forward towards the woman. Cobalt closed in on his target with the tip of his blade aimed directly at her chest. The crowd gasped as they flyer was halted. The woman was sticking out two of her gloved fingers and halted the flyer’s blade. The fingers were wrapped in a white aura and acted as a barrier between her body and the blade. The excess force blew past the woman and carved into the ground behind her. With a hard push the woman sent the flyer careening back. Cobalt’s eyes shrank as he saw a white magical sword aimed right for his back. The flyer flapped his wings and avoided the sword. The flyer looked back at the woman and saw several sword made of white mage appear in front of her. The swords started to circle the woman’s body as she crossed her arms. “So that’s why they call you the Queen of Blades huh?” The woman gave a nod. She snapped her fingers and five swords launched themselves at the flyer. Cobalt slammed his hand on the ground and a large shield appeared on his left arm. The shield covered his entire arm and he easily deflected the swords. Ivory raised an eyebrow as the man charged forward again. “I’ll say it again. Your blade will never reach me.” She said as she summoned more blades. She launched them at the flyer who tok to the skies and was dodging them left and right. Deus stood still as a statue. His face was void of any emotion. The white warrior summoned more swords and shot them at the man who parried them. The mage unclipped her sword that was still in its sheath and blocked the man’s blade. The woman’s hand glowed white and slugged the flyer in the gut. The blue flyer groaned and jumped back. The woman sighed and made ten blades appear behind her. The ten bladed rose in front of her with the blades all pointing at the man. The blades glowed and started to spin rapidly. “My congratulations for making it this far.” She said as a white ball of magic formed in the center of the blades. “This is the end.” She said as a white beam shot at the flyer. Cobalt raised his shield and dug his feet into the ground. The man felt the blast hit the shield. The force was like ten trains focused on him. The flyer felt the shield starting to crack and he was loosing ground. Cobalt gave one final push as the shield shattered and the beam enveloped him. The crowd gasped as they saw a massive crater where the flyer once stood. The white mage sighed and turned to leave. She froze on the spot as she felt a massive pressure bearing down on her. The crowd looked in shock as they saw a massive wall of red magic erupt from the crater. Ivy spun around and saw the blue flyer standing with a massive amount of red magic pouring out of him. “If I didn’t have this....I’d probably be dead.” He said in a trance like state. The air around him grew hot and started to bite at the mage’s skin. Ivory looked in shock as she saw the massive amount of magic that encircled his body take shape into a torso of a red cloaked warrior donning a massive sword and shield. “So he’s learned to control it then?” Celestia asked. “No, it looks like he still can’t hold it all in yet.” Crow said. Dash looked at the two adults in confusion. “What is going on?” “That boy has a soul edge.” Deus said in a flat tone. “Soul edge?” Twilight asked. “Its a weapon that has a soul sealed in it.” Deus said. “These weapons are particularly powerful and have special attributes to them.” He said as he folded his arms. “So they’re like Conduits?” Cadence asked. “In a way, yes.” Crow said. “During their initiation, Cobalt and the rest of Crimson’s squad all found a soul edge. However, it takes extreme concentration and will in order to wield one to its fullest extent.” He said as he adjusted his glasses. “During Rouge’s match you saw it didn’t you?” “You mean when that horse showed up?” Fluttershy asked. “Yes, that was her soul edge’s true form and the spirit that resided within it.” He said in a flat tone. “The grand archer, Strife, Streak Shooter. He's gone by many names” He said with a sigh. Twilight gulped as she remembered the man. "Wait, I've seen him when we were visiting Rouge." She said in confusion. "That doesn't make any sense!" "It does if you look at it." Deus spat out. Crow rolled his eyes at the man and looked at the confused scholar. "Do you believe in ghosts Ms. Sparkle?" "No, why would.." The woman's eyes shrank as she connected the dots. "I know what you're thinking and you're correct." Crow stated with a nod. "Crimson and his team's teachers are no longer among this world." He said in a flat tone. Twilight sat down and tried to process the information. The massive being made of red magic raised its sword. The woman held out her sheathed sword to defend herself from the massive blade. As the blade connected with Ivory’s sheath. The silver mage felt herself sinking into the ground from the sheer magical pressure. The woman forced the massive sword back and rolled to the side. The being raised it’s blade once again. “Not bad Cobalt.” The woman said as she grabbed the handle of her sword. “But you are not the only one here who wields a mighty weapon.” The woman slowly slid the blade from its sheath. The blade was beautiful slow white while the edge was jet black. A massive amount of white magic then erupted from the woman’s body. Crimson gulped as he saw the blade. The flyer raised his arm and the magical cloak followed suit. As the blade came down the woman charged forwards. Ivory dodged the blade and swung at the man’s body. The massive shield made the blade bounce off and the woman jumped back. The large being then banged the handle of the sword against the shield as a taunt. Ivory frowned at the gesture. “So you’ve mastered your soul edge huh?” “Somewhat.” He said with a smirk. The woman smirked and soon burst into laughter. “Something funny?” “This fight was starting to get boring.” She said as she pointed her blade at the man. “Now I don’t have to hold back.” Crimson’s eyes shrank as he saw the woman reaching for her eyepatch. “If you want to back out, nows the time.” The man made the ring it on gesture. Ivory frowned and ripped off her eye patch. The ground around her cracked and a massive amount of white magic was pouring out of her body. Cobalt gasped as he saw that the woman’s right eye had a glowing seal over the pupil. A pair of white wings sprouted from her back. A golden halo also had appeared over her head. Her pupils were now snow white and seeping magic from the corners of her eyes. “Time to end this.” She said as she raised her sword. Cobalt raised the massive blade and slashed at the woman. Ivory extended her hand and caught the blade before parrying it and firing a series of white swords. Ivory launched the flyer. Cobalt raised the shield. His eyes shrank as he saw the large magical shield cracking as the swords sunk into the shield. Cobalt dropped to one knee and felt the massive amount of magic take its toll. “Getting tired?” The woman mocked. The man grunted and the red magic wrapped itself around the man’s own sword. The blade glowed dark red and the massive figure was absorbed into the sword. The man got in a crouching position and took an offensive stance. Angel did the same and got ready. The sky above them was growing darker and thunder could be heard. Both warriors looked up and spied the first raindrop. The two watched as the first fell from the clouds and plummet towards the earth. Time stopped as the drop of liquid splashed against the ground. The two warriors charged forwards with their swords gripped in their hands. The two swung with all their strength and time stopped as they passed one another. The crowd held their breath as they watched the two fighters that were frozen in place. Ivory dropped to one knee and the crowd gasped. The woman raised her blade and slowly started to slide it back in its sheath. She stopped when she got to the handle and sighed. “Sorry Cobalt.” She slid the sword shut and the man’s chest exploded as blood came pouring out. The man’s sword cracked in half as he dropped to his knees. Blood came spilling out of his mouth like a river after a dam broke. Ivory put her eyepatch back on as she walked over to the blue flyer. Her halo and wings vanished. Cobalt gripped the handle of his blade and cursed himself. “I told you that your blade would never reach me.” She said as she stood in front of him. Cobalt groaned and summoned the last of his strength. He gripped his broken sword and bolted upwards. Ivory’s eyes shrank at the spectacle and moved back. As Ivory reached for her blade the man smirked and fell face forward on the ground before passing out. The silver haired woman felt a small stinging sensation on her cheek. She rubbed her face and saw a small bit of blood on her spotless white glove. She looked across the field and saw several medics approaching. The woman reached behind her and removed her cape. She held it over the man’s body and smiled. “Congratulations. Your blade reached me after all.” She said as she draped it over his body. The medics quickly rushed the man onto a stretcher and he groaned as they brought him inside. Crimson teleported next to his friend and looked at him with worry. “You okay Cobalt?” “I feel like crap.” He said as he coughed. “If Ivory really wanted to kill ya then there’d be nothing left of you.” Crimson said as the medics attached an IV to the flyer. “I know.” He said as the medics picked him up. He motioned for them to stop for a second. “Hey look, no matter what happens. We’re still a team.” He said as he shook the man’s hand before they took him away. Crimson sighed and looked out onto the field to see the green flyer waiting for him. Author's Note Crimson and Ivy will have their own fight chapter. Chapter XXV: Friend or Foe?Chapter XXV Friend or Foe? The crowd was as talkative as a graveyard as the red mage made his way out onto the field where the green flyer was waiting for him. Twilight felt sweat forming on her brow as the tension over the arena doubled. Crow shook his head and couldn’t help but grin. AJ looked at the man in confusion. “Why are you so happy?” The farmer asked. “Seeing those two like that takes me back.” He chuckled. “How?” Twilight asked. “Crimson’s father Orion Comet and Ivy’s father Silver Streak were always butting heads. Even when we formed our team.” He smiled. “It was Rosario’s and my job to keep them under control.” He said as he looked at the two. “Looking at them makes me think of those times.” With that thought, he rose from his seat and summoned the microphone. “Begin!” He yelled. Crimson and the flyer both sighed and stood still. The two seemed to freeze and the audience looked at them in confusion. “What are they doing?” Pinkie asked. “They’re feeling each other out with their magic.” Luna stated. “This will be a battle of epic proportions.” Twilight squinted and saw that a massive amount of green energy was coming from the flyer. The two fighters suddenly vanished from the public’s sight. The next thing the spectators heard was a sound that was like a mountain had shattered. The two fighters slammed their fists into the other and the crowd felt the shockwave emanating from the collision. The two fighters vanished again and this time they locked their kicks. Twilight’s eyes tried to find them as the two warriors vanished and locked blow after blow. Ivy poured a large amount of energy into her right fist and saw that Crimson had stopped moving. The flyer closed in on the red mage and shot her fist forward like a tightly coiled spring. The crowd and warriors gasped as they saw the red mage catch the woman’s fist with his bare hand. The ground behind the red warrior cracked and the invisible force hit the wall behind him and a dent appeared. “Let’s take this elsewhere.” He said as he clenched his left fist that was glowing bright red. He lugged the flyer with an uppercut to the stomach. Ivy grunted and was sent flying into the air. Ivy felt herself fly out of the arena and saw that Crimson had sprouted his wings and was right behind her. “So that’s how its gonna go down huh?” She said as she bit her thumb and slid the blood across the seal on her arm. A massive cloud of green smoke appeared and the massive serpent dragon revealed its head. Crimson narrowed his eyes and summoned the massive three headed dog. His wing vanished and stood on the center head with his arms crossed over his chest. “Don’t think that I’m some idiot that doesn’t know your strength.” Ivy said in a flat tone. “We’ve been together a long time Crimson.” “I know.” He said with a sigh. “I already know how I’m gonna beat you.” She said as she withdrew her whip. Crimson sighed and summoned his scythe. The skies grew darker and a small amount of rain was starting to come down from the dark sky. The two warriors blamed the rain for the liquid running out of their eyes. The two beasts crouched and launched at one another. The serpent immediately coiled around the red dog’s body and started to squeeze. Cliff braked and split itself into the three individual bodies. The two free dogs bit into the large dragon’s body and the dragon breathed a breath of green fire. The singed dog whimpered in pain as the other two dogs latched onto the serpent and viciously bit into the dragon. The serpent roared in pain and whipped its tail at one of the dogs. The canine dodged and grabbed the tail in its teeth while another bit into its neck and started to pull. The dragon yelled in pain as its blood dripped on the ground and felt its spine being pulled apart. Ivy gulped and sent the dragon away in a puff of green smoke. Crimson looked at the badly burned dog and did the same. The two warriors locked eyes with one another and shot forward. Ivy’s whip changed into its staff form and the two were locked in a power struggle. Ivy stared into the man’s red eyes and bit her lip. “Stop holding back Evergreen!” He yelled as he applied more power to his blade and forced the flyer back. Crimson pointed the end of his scythe at the flyer and let loose a barrage of red magical bullets at the flyer. Ivy easily dodged them and shot a few fire balls at the man who spun his scythe that acted like a shield from the burning spheres. Ivy took in a deep breath and leaned back. Crimson copied her and gathered a massive amount of magic in his mouth. As Ivy leaned forwards a massive wall of green flames shot towards the man. Crimson let loose a massive black flamed fireball. The two fire balls collided and the two were deadlocked in a massive power struggle. Little by little the black flames were gaining ground. Ivy poured a massive amount of energy into her flames and the green flames enveloped the dark. The green fire ball over came the dark which resulted in a massive explosion. Ivy panted and looked around for any sign of the red mage. “Not bad, but not good enough!” The green mage felt a familiar presence behind her and leaped forwards as she felt eh scythe pass over her head. The flyer dodged out of the way and panted. She heard the man whistle and looked behind her. Time froze and her eyes shrank as she saw the man holding a large clump of green hair that looked like it had just been cut. Crow gulped loud enough for the girls to hear. “Oh dear.” He said as he it his lip. “Why in the hay did he do that?” AJ said. “All he did was cut her hair.” “Have you no sympathy?” Rarity said. “Even if its green it still looked fabulous.” The fashionista retorted. “I’m afraid that it’s a little more.....complicated than that.” Crow said. “Why?” The group then saw the purple haired Changeling run up to them. “Hey Rouge, how’s Cobalt doing?” Twilight asked. “His life is no longer in danger and the wound is closed.” She smiled. Rouge then looked at he screen and all the color drained from her face. “I get it.” “Why did he go and cut her hair?” Dash said. “Ivy’s hair is her most prized possession.” Rouge answered. “Why?” Fluttershy asked. Rouge sighed and looked at the flyer. “Ivy used to get picked on a lot because of her hair.” Crow answered. “Her father always said that he would always be able to spot her in the crowd because of her hair.” He sighed. “When Streak died Ivy would never allow anyone to cut or touch her hair. Well, anyone except for Crimson.” “She trusts him that much?” Pinkie asked. Crow gave a nod. “Wait, so if Crimson knows this then why in the name of Equestria did he just cut it if they’re best friends?” Twilight asked. “Its because they’re best friends that he did that.” Rouge answered. “That makes no sense.” “He’s making sure that Ivy is so riled up that she doesn’t go easy on him.” She said as she sat back. The six girls were still confused. “Didn’t you two compete in some kind of competition?” She asked as she looked at the farmer and cyan flyer. “Yeah. We wanted to see who was the toughest.” Dash said. “How would you feel if you won knowing that AJ went easy on you?” The two made the connection and let out an ‘oh’ sound. “That’s why Crimson did that, to make sure that Ivy takes him seriously.” The green flyer clenched her fists and was shaking with rage as she removed her gloves. “Okay Crimson.” Ivy spat out. Her eyes were spliced and her hands were wrapped in green flames. “Here I come!” She yelled as she flew towards the man at an alarming speed. Crimson had no time to react before he was hit by the green flyer. Ivy unleashed a massive barrage of flaming punches. The man felt his body take the barrage and was sent flying into the ground. Ivy was still fuming in rage and saw a red magical bolt shoot out. The flyer slapped the bolt away like it was a fly. Crimson stood up out of the crater and cracked his neck. “That’s the Ivy I know.” He chuckled. He placed his hands together and focused his magic. “Seal release level three.” The wings sprouted from his back and the horns did the same. The man’s skin was now snow white. Ivy focused her magic and went into her dragon form. Her whip also seemed to shift. The long rope was then covered in angular blade pieces. The whip seemed to shrink and formed a sword. Crimson grinned and shot forwards with his katana blade drawn. The two were countering one another blow after blow. The slash marks cut through the air and into the surrounding stone. The two deadlocked and forced each other back. Crimson sheathed his blade and went in with his fists. “Is he crazy?” Rouge yelled. “What?” “Using fists against Ivy is about as useful as using a feather in a sword duel.” She said as she bit her lip and looked at the number three on her palm. The green flyer was matching the man’s strikes with her own and shot back twice as fast. One punch landed in the man’s face and was sent flying back. Ivy pulled out her sword and the blade spread apart into a whip like form. She launched it forwards and the blades wrapped themselves around the man’s right arm. The flyer tugged and the man felt his arm being ripped to shreds before being plummeted into the ground. Ivy panted and was ready for another assault. The flyer charged forwards with her sword gripped in her hands. Crimson slowly stood up and Ivy stopped as she saw that the man’s right arm was completely severed and mangled. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Inside the man’s sub conscience the horned figure grinned as he saw three locks on his cage open. The fourth was holding strong. The demon walked over to it and grinned. “Perfect.” He said before slamming his fist against it. The lock shattered into a million pieces as he chuckled. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ On the outside Ivy gulped as she looked down at her scaled palm and saw the number four. A massive amount of black aura then encircled the man and a devilish roar could be heard for miles. In the swirling mass of dark energy Ivy saw the blood from the man’s arm was starting to take shape back on the injury and rebuild it. Regeneration? When did he learn that trick? She thought as she felt the massive amount of energy pouring out of him. His horns grew longer and his wings started to change black and more demonic. The man’s right arm had shifted into a razor sharp claw. The air became filled with the stench of blood. The dark aura vanished and the flyer gulped as she saw the figure before her. Ivy felt a familiar chill creep up her spine and she gulped. “Crimson? That you?” She asked in a hesitant tone. The figure raised its head and tilted it to the right. The figure vanished at the blink of and eye and slammed its left fist into the flyer’s gut. Ivy coughed up a mouthful of blood as she was sent rocketing back. The flyer crashed on the ground and felt her bones crack. “Definitely not Crimson." She said as she got to her feet. The flyer snapped her fingers and summoned a jagged crystal. The figure roared at the gem and charged forwards. The conduit vanished from sight and delivered an uppercut to Ivy’s chin. The flyer was launched into the air until she felt something grab he ankle and rip her back down. She felt a strong arm wrap around her neck and ankles. The flier cried in pain as the man slammed her spine over his knee. Ivy gripped the crystal shard in her right hand and tried to stab the man in the chest. Crimson caught the armed hand by the wrist and gave it a hard twist. Ivy cried as she felt her right wrist shatter from the action and the man pried the shard out of her hand. The conduit twirled it in his right palm and gripped it. Ivy was barely on her feet when he raised it over her chest. Ivy looked into the man’s pitch black eyes and grunted. A small tear welled up and rolled off her face. The man’s body twitched for a moment and looked down at the flyer. Ivy felt the effects of her transformation wearing off and her body reverted back to normal. The demon hybrid raised the gem holding arm and swung down. Something warm splashed across the flyer’s face. An earsplitting scream filled the air. Ivy looked in surprise to see that the man had stabbed himself in the chest. The being’s hands grabbed the horns on his head and pulled down hard. The two horns snapped off like dry twigs and soon evaporated. The shadows started to fade and the wings started to crumble away. The man was grunting in pain as the demon aura seemed to fade. Ivy looked at her hand and saw that the numbers were dropping until no numbers remained. The man staggered for a moment and then steadied himself on his blade. His right arm was healed and back to normal. “Sorry about that.” He panted. “That was an unwelcome interruption.” The flyer tried to get to her feet, but only felt a massive wave of pain rip through her body. The flyer groaned in pain before blacking out. “Ivy Evergreen is no longer able to continue fighting. Crimson Storm is the victor.” Crow said as the crowd cheered. Crimson picked the flyer up in his arms and teleported back inside the arena. He was quickly approached by medics who started examining the woman. One of the doctors gasped. “Shit she’s going into cardiac arrest.” Another said as they got her on a stretcher. Crimson gritted his teeth as they rushed the flyer to the medical wing. Crimson held his head low as he made his way off the field. As Rouge and the others ran up to him he vanished in a flash of red light. For an instant, she saw the red haired man crying only this time his tears were dark red. Author's Note Sorry for the shortness of this chapter. Chapter XXVI: ReturnChapter XXVI Return Ivy’s eyes opened to see herself surrounded by the green liquid. She saw the Changeling sitting across from her. Rouge perked up as she saw the flyer. Ivy poked her head out of her pod and started to pant. “Hey, how are you feeling?” Rouge asked. “Like I got stepped on by a mountain.” The door opened to show the bandaged blue flyer and six girls. “How long have I been out?” “You were in and out of a coma for the past four hours.” Rouge said. The green flyer groaned and looked at the blue flyer. He had a massive bandage wrapped around his chest where the mage had cut him. The flyer was also using crutches to get around. “Has anyone seen Crimson?” Ivy asked. “He bugged out when the medics took you away.” Dash said as she sat down. “Jerk.” Ivy grumbled. “That ain’t very nice.” AJ stated. “He cut my hair. How’d you feel if someone tore your hat in half?” She spat out. Applejack was about to argue but let out a sigh. “That’s what I thought.” The door opened to reveal a nurse in purple scrubs. “Hope I’m not interrupting anything.” She said with a smile. “Not a thing.” Cobalt said. “What’s up?” The nurse then pulled out an envelope. “Someone dropped this on my desk and its addresses to this room.” Rouge picked it up and opened it up. The contents only had the lock of green hair the red mage had cut during the battle. Ivy’s eyes shrank and she grunted. “Asshole.” She spat out before going back into her pod. The nurse quickly exited the room as the group looked at one another with worried looks on their faces. Rarity squinted and picked up the lock of hair and examined it. The fashionista walked over to the flyer’s pod and tapped on the side. Ivy leaned her head out and looked at the woman. “What do you want Rarity?” “Just a quick question. Is all that hair natural?” She asked as she pointed to Ivy’s hair. “Yeah. Why?” Rarity held the hair in front of the flyer. “This is a hair extension.” The group looked at one another in surprise. “I’ve never used them!” “I figured.” She said as she set the hair down on the table. “With your permission I’d like to conduct a little investigation in your hair.” Ivy bit her lip and gave a reluctant nod. “Try anything and I’ll send you through the wall.” Rarity nodded and gently ran her slender fingers through the green hair. She felt something odd and gently withdrew it. “Ah-ha!” She said as she held up a small clip with a bit of green hair attached to it. “The cut pattern matches up perfectly no?” She said as she levitated the two pieces. The group looked in amazement as they saw the cut edges line up with one another. “So Crimson never cut my hair?” Ivy said in a stunned tone. “Looks that way.” Cobalt said. Ivy hung her head low and sighed before going back into her pod. “Yeah, what was that whole crazy transforming show towards the end?” Dash asked. “That was the demon taking control of his body.” Rouge answered. “Been a while since that’s happened.” “You’ve seen that thing before?” Pinkie asked. “Yeah.” The blue flyer said. “A year ago we were on this job in the dragon kingdom with Crimson’s teacher Grimm. He was teaching him how to control the demon’s power better when Crimson lost control and went on a rampage.” The six girls gulped. “We managed to calm him down, but not without injury.” “How bad did ya get hurt?” AJ asked. The flyer stood up and grunted in pain as he removed his bandages. He picked up his right arm and showed a large scar on his side that stretched from his armpit to his leg. Rouge rolled up her shirt and the illusion vanished to show a large scar across her stomach. “After we stopped him, Crimson started doing missions on his own for a while.” Rouge said as she rolled her shirt back down. “Before we got assigned to Ponyville we hadn’t seen him in almost six months.” The girls looked at her in shock. “Crow kept tabs on him for us and let us know how he was doing.” “So where is he now?” Twilight asked. “I checked his room. Not there.” Rouge answered. “Probably in the library.” Twilight nodded and stood up. “I’m just gonna go check on him.” Twilight answered as she exited the room. The five girls shrugged and left to go get some food. The two warriors looked at the pod and saw some tears forming in the green flyer’s eyes. “Ivy?” Rouge said as she looked at her teammate. Ivy leaned her head out of the pod and sniffled. The flyer had an extremely guilty look on her face. “What did you do?” The flyer gulped and looked at the two. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Three hours earlier. Ivy’s eyes fluttered open to see the red mage standing across from her pod with a worried look on his face. “Oh thank the creator you’re alright.” He said with a sigh. “No thanks to you.” She spat out. “Ivy I am so sorry. I didn’t mean to lose control like that.” He said in a genuine tone. “Really?” She asked in a spite filled tone. The girls eyes cut through him like a knife hot butter. “You cut my hair.” “Look let me just-” He was about to step forwards when the flyer’s glare stopped him. “I don’t want to hear it!” She yelled. “I trusted you more than anyone. Then you go and stab me in the back? Thanks a lot Captain.” Her words could give manticore poison a run for its money. “Listen Ivy I just-” “You just what? Wanted to win so badly that you were willing to kill me?” “No, I never wanted-” “That stunt out there begs to differ.” Her eyes were like daggers. The flyer then felt a pain in her chest and grunted. The heart monitor was beeping rapidly. Crimson ran to the doorway. “Hey we need a doctor in here!” A nurse instantly got up from her seat and ran inside. She looked at the monitors and gulped. “Is she okay?” “Not good. She’s going critical.” “Is there anything I can-” “You’ve....done....enough.” Ivy wheezed out through the pain. Several more doctors ran inside and examined the flyer. The nurse walked over to Crimson and sighed. “For the safety of the patient, I’m going to have to ask you to leave.” She said in a low tone. “Sorry Crimson.” “Its fine.” He said as he walked towards the doorway. “Let me know if anything changes.” The nurse nodded and closed the door behind him. Crimson hung his head low and vanished in a flash of light. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Rouge and Cobalt face palmed at the flyer who hung her head in shame. “Damn it Ivy!” Rouge yelled. “You of all people should know how Crimson felt after the last time something like that happened.” Ivy bit her lip and held back a few tears. “You know that Crimson couldn’t control it and he barely managed to revert back this time.” “I know. I screwed up.” She sniffled. “I’ll go apologize and-” She was stopped as the changeling set up a barrier locking her in the pod. “Oh no you don’t. You’re in no condition to be walking around.” “What about him?” She asked as she looked at the blue flyer. “I just came to switch rooms. Figured you could use the company” He said as he walked over to the adjacent pod. “The only thing keeping me up now is the pain killers I’m on.” He said as he stepped into the pod. “You two focus on getting better. I’ll go find Crimson.” Rouge said as she left the two to soak in the pods. Cobalt leaned back and let the liquids heal his wounds as he went off to sleep. Ivy curled up inside her pod and let the river of tears flow from her eyes. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Twilight hastily made her way into the large library of the school. Once again she was almost blown away by the vast amount of information. She quickly shook off the vibe and approached the librarian. “Ah. Ms. Sparkle.” He smiled. “Have you seen Crimson?” She asked as she looked at the man. “Yes, I believe he went into the lounge a few hours ago.” He said as he looked at his watch. “Hasn’t come out since.” He said as he snapped his fingers and a ball of orange light appeared before the scholar. “This should show you the way.” “I’m only a visitor.” She said as she looked at the ball. “The only reason I was able to walk around here was because Crimson was with me.” The man smirked and pulled out a small bronze badge. “That should help you out.” He said as he handed it to the girl. Twilight looked at the bronze book shaped pin and cocked an eyebrow. “It’ll allow you to enter most of the levels here, safe the demonology section.” Quill stated. Twilight pinned the pin on her lavender colored blouse and followed the orange ball. Twilight caught her breath as she got use to the hook and traveling between floors. The scholar followed the ball of orange light through the seemingly endless rows of books. Normally the scholar would be neck deep in the information, but the urge to find the red mage was at the front of her mind. The scholar stopped as she saw the red mage staring down at a book. Had he been looking any harder, Twilight would have though that he was shooting daggers into the book. The scholar was awe struck at how seriously he was reading. The scholar came up behind him and lightly tapped him on the shoulder. “Fuck a duck!” The mage jumped five feet in the air and dropped the book in fright. Twilight jumped back and fell on the stone floor. As the man landed he spun around to see the scholar looking up at him in shock. “Twilight? What are you doing here?” He said as he helped her up. “Looking for you.” The man sighed and crossed his arms. “I don’t feel like talking.” He said as he turned to leave. The woman frowned and teleported in front of him. “Look, what do you want?” “To make sure you’re alright.” She said in astern tone. “I just fought and almost killed my best friend. How do you think I feel?” He said as he frowned. “Which is why I came to find you.” She said in a concerned tone. “Ivy knows that you cut a hair extension.” The man gritted his teeth. “Look what happened wasn’t your fault. “You don’t get it do you?” He said as he glared at the woman. “It is my fault. I almost killed my best friend for a second time!” He yelled. “It was an accident. You lost control and-” “I shouldn’t have even tried to use that power in the first place.” Crimson yelled. “I shouldn’t have taken things that far.” He said as he sat down. The scholar put a hand on his shoulder and sighed. “I swore to myself that I wouldn’t lose control and look what happened.” He said with a sigh. “It wasn’t your fault.” Twilight said in a serious tone. “From what I’ve seen, I know that you’d never purposely hurt Ivy or any of your friends.” “That doesn’t change-” The man was cut off as he grabbed his right arm in pain. The skin was moving rapidly and the scholar could hear cracking noises coming from it. Twilight’s eyes shrank as she saw that his right arm was covered in bandages like a mummy’s would be. “Are you okay?” She asked as she helped him up. The man grunted and clutched his arm. The librarian moved to his right side and started to remove the bandages. “Here, let me see whats-” The scholar stopped dead in her tracks. The bandages started to turn red as she unraveled them more. When she got to the last one she saw that there was no skin beneath them. She could easily see the muscular system in his arm along with blood vessels and veins. The man hung his head and quickly re wrapped the damage. “What happened?” “You saw when my arm was cut off during the fight right?” Twilight gave him a nod. “One of the demon’s attributes is the ability to replace lost limbs. This uses up a massive amount of my own energy and has some...uncomfortable side effects.” “So you can replace anything?” “No, my brain and heart are not able to regenerate.” He said in a flat tone. “I can’t even replace a severed finger on my own. Small cuts and bruises are easy to handle.” Crimson frowned. He rolled up one of the bandages and showed a small patch of skin growing. “It’ll take a couple of hours, but it should be fine.” He said as he rewrapped it. “Anyway I don’t have time to worry. The final is tomorrow and I’m not ready to-” The man was cut off as his gem blinked and vibrated. The man pulled it out to show a middle aged woman with dark brown hair. “Hello? Is this Crimson Storm?” “Yes, how can I help you?” Crimson stated. “Oh thank the creator. Please, you have to help me.” She said with a sniffle. “Calm down ma’am. What’s the issue?” “Its my little girl....I think she’s possessed.” The woman double checked her corners. “Please, I was told by a friend that you’re good at this sort of thing.” Crimson frowned and sighed. “Where’s your daughter?” “We’re in Willow City.” The man’s eyes shrank. “Please!” She said with tears in her eyes. The man sighed and cracked his neck. “I’ll be there in ten minutes.” He said as he cut the transmission. The scholar looked at him in confusion. “C’mon Sparkle I might need a hand.” He said as he walked past the girl and towards the main lobby. “With what?” She asked as she caught up with him. “I’m going to perform an exorcism and I’ll need our help.” He said as he jumped down to the main floor. Twilight swung down and was right behind him. “An exorcism?” She said in surprise. “I usually have Ivy come with me, but she’s currently resting so you’ll have to do.” He said as he walked past the man. Quill perked up and whistled. “Yes?” “Here’s your book Crimson.” The man said with a grin. Crimson’s face turned bright red and he quickly grabbed the book and hid it inside his coat. The man kept his hood up and walked out of the library. Twilight raised an eyebrow and looked at the man in confusion. “C’mon I need to grab something from my room.” He said as he walked down the stone hallway. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Crow sat behind his desk with the three Princesses glaring at him and gripping their tea cups tightly. The man sighed and looked at the three Princesses with a blank look on his face. Celestia bit her lip and set her cup down and folded her hands. “I know what you’re going to say Tia.” Crow sighed. “I know and-” “No, you don’t know!” She stammered. “He is loosing control and I will not have it turn loose a second time.” The sun goddess glared at the man. “I know and I will deal with it if it should come to that.” He said in a stern tone. “He is still my student and he is under my supervision.” He said as he gripped his cane. Celestia sighed and looked at her sister and niece. “Luna, Cadence. I wish to have a word with the Headmaster alone.” “But sister-” Luna stopped when she saw the seriousness in her sister’s eyes. The usually calm pink eyes that were now focused on the man like a hunter is on their prey. “Alone.” The two younger Princesses gulped and got up. The two winged women walked out of the room and silently closed the door. The solar Princess let out a sigh and cleared her throat. “I am simply expressing concern for my subjects’ well being.” “I understand that.” He said as he folded his hands. “Keep in mind Tia,” He said in a flat tone. “putting our....history aside. I will protect my students from anything that may threaten them, even the royal guard.” The Princess then felt the air in the room grow heavy and a light green aura enveloped the man. “Be sure to remember that.” He said as he turned around in his chair. Outside the room Cadence leaned against the stone wall and sighed. The woman saw several students looking at her in surprise. Her eyes narrowed as she spied a familiar red haired man walking with her sister in law. She quietly followed them down the hallway and towards the center of the school. “So where are we going?” Twilight asked. “To take out some demon that’s taken up hold in Willow City.” Cadence gulped at the name. “It’s probably a low ranking spirit, but you can never be too careful with these kind of situations.” “What was that book Quill gave you?” The man’s face turned scarlet red. “N-nothing. Just a book.” “Are we going to use it for the exorcism?” “Nope. Just some light reading.” The two stopped in front of a large globe. The man walked up to a keyboard and pressed a few keys. The globe spun back towards them and a message board appeared above a dot. “There we go.” He said with a sigh. “What is this?” “Warp station.” He said with a sigh. “Allows us to fast travel to anyplace with a travel hub.” Crimson said as he cracked his neck. “Most major cities have one. Think of it as a long range teleportation spell.” He said as a seal in front of the man started to glow. Crimson stepped on the seal and motioned for the scholar to follow. Twilight hid her blush as he put an arm around her. “Word of advice, hold on.” He said and he wrapped his arms around her and the two vanished in a flash of light. Cadence silently giggled to herself and happily made her way back down the hall. The two found themselves in the middle of a large room with a seal on the floor. Twilight’s eyes widened as she saw the fine marble pillars cut to near perfection. The floor was the same and had intricate designs carved into it. Twilight staggered forwards and dropped to her knees. The woman felt ill and quickly made her way over to the nearest trash can. The man shook his head and gave a small chuckle. “Yeah, I remember my first time using it.” The woman groaned as the man helped her up. “C’mon, we gotta get going.” The two were then approached by the woman who had contacted the man. She looked completely exhausted. Her hair was a mess and she had tear stains coming down her eyes. “Are you Crimson?” The man put one of his fingers to his lips and looked around. “Sorry.” She said in a hushed tone. “Where is she?” “My home. I’ll take you there. Please lets hurry.” She said as she hurried down towards the road. The woman looked at Twilight in confusion. “My temporary assistant.” He said in a flat tone. The woman nodded and hastily lead the two out the door. “What symptoms does your daughter have?” “Talking in weird tongues, odd marks appearing on her body, vocal changes and all sorts of odd things.” “These marks, what do they look like?” He asked as they quickly walked down the street. “Animal bites, scratches and an odd symbol.” She said in a panic filled tone. The man gritted his teeth and nodded. Twilight noticed that a lot of people were giving them odd looks. “I’ve consulted a priest, but I’ve heard that you’re a specialist.” “In a way.” He said as they approached a plain house with a brown wooden door. The woman made her way through the small home with the two mages following close behind. The sounds of animal like screams could be heard coming from upstairs along with a man’s voice yelling. Twilight gulped. The three came to a pink painted door with a few stickers on the outside. The door suddenly opened to show a man in a white suit and a sun imprinted on the front. The man was visibly sweating and his face was white as a sheet of paper. “By Celestia.” He said in a panic filled tone. Crimson rolled his eyes and patted him on the shoulder. “Sit this one out Padre.” He said as he looked at Twilight. “Wait outside till I find out what we’re dealing with.” “O-okay.” She said with a gulp. Crimson went inside and locked the door behind him. He looked at the girl who’s wrists were tied to the bed posts. Here eyes were dried out and the veins were clearly visible. Her skin was like paper and her hair was almost completely grey. The girl didn’t look older than seven. The man cracked his fingers and pulled up a chair. His eyes narrowed and his pupils focused on the possessed girl. “My names Crimson Storm. What’s yours?” The girl remained silent. “Ah, silent treatment huh?” He chuckled. “Look, we can either do this the easy way or the hard way.” The girl let out a monstrous roar and spat some black sludge in his face. The man sighed and wiped the sludge off his sleeve. “Okay, hard way it is.” The man stood up and set the chair aside. Crimson started to walk around the room and look at some family pictures. “Twinkle Shooter. That’s a nice name.” The possessed girl’s eyes were focused on the man. “Look, leave the girl’s body now and I’ll put in a good word for ya.” The next words that came out of the girl’s mouth was more like a series of screeches. *Translation “You can’t understand a thing I’m saying and I wouldn’t tell you anything if you could!” The girl screeched. Crimson cracked his neck and sighed. “I can, and you will.” The girl’s expression went flat. The man snapped his fingers and a gem appeared in his hands. The girl cringed back as the man got closer. Crimson cracked his neck and the girl let out a loud screech. The man then heard a series of hard knocks on the door. “Crimson? Is everything alright in there?” Twilight asked. “I’m fine. Keep that door closed.” He ordered. The man turned his attention back to the possessed girl and a small pentagram formed on his left palm. The screeching continued as Crimson’s eyes narrowed as he saw the wrist restraints on the girl were starting to rip. “If I go then this girl goes with me.” The man sent a red blast of energy at the girl. “I’ll drive you out like poison is drawn from a wound.” He said as he fired another bolt over her head. The ties around the girl’s wrists snapped and the girl lunged herself at the man. Crimson then heard the door behind his burst open to reveal a hulking man with short brown hair. The man had a large club in his hand. The young girl jumped five feet in the air with her fingers aiming for the man’s red eyes. Crimson raised his left palm and slammed it into the girl’s forehead. The group’s eyes shrank as they saw the man’s hand pass though the girl’s head and rip out what looked like a black cat out of the small girl’s body. The small girl fell to the ground in a heap as Crimson stabbed the shade with the gem. A gut wrenching scream escaped the object as it seemed to get sucked up into the jewel. Crimson cracked his neck and sighed as he looked down at the now black gem. The man stormed over to Crimson and slammed his fist into his jaw. Twilight gasped as the man raised his bat. “Before you decide to beat my face in, might I suggest that you check on your daughter?” He said as he pointed to the girl. The group looked down and the man quickly picked up the small girl in his arms. The man’s eyes were sick with worry. “Twinkle?” The man said in a worried tone. The girl’s hair returned to normal along with her tan skin. The girl opened her dark hazel eyes and blinked. “Daddy?” She said with a smile. The man felt tears fill his eyes and hugged his daughter. Twilight helped Crimson up and the man rubbed his cheek. “Few days rest and she’ll be fine.” He said as he looked at the family. Crimson then turned his attention to the scared priest. “Afternoon.” He said as he threw his hood up and walked towards the front door of the house. The woman chased after him and smiled. “Thank you.” She cried. “How much do I-” “I have my payment.” He said as he held up the black gem. Crimson turned and went out towards the street. He stopped to let Twilight catch up. “Twilight.” “Yes?” “Keep a distance of at least thirty feet behind me till we get back to the travel hub.” He said in a flat tone. “Why?” “Just do it.” The man’s eyes were like two red daggers that seemed the pierce the scholar’s soul. “Please.” “Fine.” She said as she rolled her eyes. “No matter what happens. Don’t interfere.” Before she could ask, Crimson started walking down the street. Once he was a reasonable distance away Twilight started following the man. Twilight faded in the crowd and saw that heads were turning towards the man and the people started to whisper to one another. Crimson kept his eyes forwards and focused on getting to the travel station. A large man then barged into him. Crimson looked at the man and nodded. “Sorry.” The man looked down and spat on his shoe. Twilight’s eyes shrank and was about to jump on but held back. Crimson kept walking and the stares and looks continued. The people were looking at the man like he had just kicked their dog. As he reached the steps of town hall a brick was thrown from the crowd and slammed into the back of the man’s head. Crimson fell down on the hard steps and grunted in pain. “You got some nerve coming back here freak!” A man yelled. The crowd soon followed suit. The crowd grabbed rocks and started hurtling them at the man. The rocks were wrapped in a light purple aura and stopped in mid air. “Damn it Twilight.” He said in a hushed tone as the girl made her way through the crowd and stood in front of the red haired man. “What is wrong with you people?” She yelled. The scholar helped the man up and put his left arm over her shoulders. “Why are you doing this?” “He ain’t human!” A man yelled. “He destroyed this town sixteen years ago and killed my son!” A woman yelled with tears running down her face. Twilight’s eyes shrank at the words and looked at the man who was bleeding from his scalp. “This is where the demon attacked.” Crimson answered with a cough. “He doesn’t deserve anything less then death.” Another crowd member yelled. “Specially since that green girl ain’t here to save him like last time.” The crowd started to walk towards the man with malicious intent. Twilight frowned and felt a tear form in her left eye. The crowd stopped when they saw a large amount of lavender aura escape the woman’s body. Her eyes were glowing with magical energy and the ground around her started to crack under the pressure. “Anyone that wants him has to go through me first!” She yelled as she stood in front of the crowd. “We don’t want to hurt ya ma’am. Ya got no reason to protect him.” A man stated. “You just said that you want to hurt the man who’s saved my life on more than one occasion. That’s reason enough for me protecting him.” The rocks that still hung in the air were then rotated back towards the crowd. The mob gulped and backed away. “I know that I wasn’t here when it happened and I’ll never know the pain you all felt. The ones you’ve lost and the hatred you feel towards the demon.” She sniffled. “But there’s one thing you should consider.” The mob looked at one another in confusion. “Think about how Crimson feels! He is forced to relive that nightmare everyday! Forced to live with the thing that took the two most important people in the world away from him!” The red mage was awe struck at the words. “Look at yourselves!” Twilight yelled. “Would those who’ve died want you to become this? People looking to kill a man for something that was completely out of his control?” The scholar wept. “If that’s what you think then you’re even worse than the demon that attacked here!” The crowd fell silent and the rocks fell to the ground in a heap as the magic started to fade away. Twilight still held her ground and here eyes were like two sharpened blades ready to cut into anyone that dared oppose her. “C’mon Crimson. Lets leave this place before I do something I’ll regret.” She said as she took the man’s arm and lead him up the stairs. The mob dispersed and went back to what they were doing before the purple tyrant tore them a new one. Twilight sat down on a bench close to the hub and held her head low as she wiped the tears from her eyes. “You didn’t have to do that.” Crimson said with a sigh. “They were going to kill you.” She said as she sat up. “I knew they would.” Twilight looked at the man in confusion. “Remember when I told you about the goblins that almost killed me?” Twilight recalled the conversation at his welcome party. “These people set that trap. They never thought that I’d survive.” “That’s horrible!” “They wanted my head on a platter. Didn’t care how.” He said as he sat back. “Ever since that first attempt, they’ve tried to assassinate me dozens of times. I lost count after forty.” Twilight put a hand to her mouth in shock. “The last time, Ivy came with me and threatened to snap their spines in half if they tried it again.” “Why did you do it? Keep coming back I mean.” Twilight asked. The man stood up and took the mage’s hand in his own and teleported out of the building. Twilight opened her eyes and saw a massive crater in the center of a green park. The crater was easily twenty meters in diameter with a small flat scrap of earth protruding from the center of the crater. “Is this where they-” The man gave a single stiff nod. “This is where the demon was defeated and sealed inside of me.” The man then pointed out towards the protrusion. “I remember waking up on that thing. Lying on my back with Crow looking down at me with tears in his eyes. I can still smell the flames of destruction and the sight of my parent’s bodies lying down next to me.” He hung his head in shame. The man then walked over to a large black rock that was ten feet high and had a fine polished finish. The rock was riddled with hundreds of names etched into it. “I’ve memorized every name on this stone and can repeat them alphabetically, by age, gender you name it.” He said with a sigh. “I keep coming here to remind myself what was lost and to make sure that something like this never happens again.” Twilight looked at the man and gulped as she saw the seriousness in his eyes. Twilight sniffle and wrapped her arms around the man in a tight hug. “Come tomorrow, it won’t matter anymore.” “Why’s that?” She asked as she let go. “The final test of the trials is known as the mirror. One literally faces off against himself and because of my...nature. I’ll be lucky if I even survive.” “Hey don’t talk like that.” Twilight said. “If three hundred of the strongest mages of the last era couldn’t fight the demon then what chance do I have?” He said with a sigh. Twilight narrowed her eyes and slapped the man upside the head. “Ow! What was that for?” “For being an idiot!” She scowled. “You honestly think that you don’t stand a chance? You’ve beaten an Ursa minor, faced off against a new Nightmare Moon and fought possibly the scariest woman I’ve ever seen with a pair of wings.” “Ivy is a kitten compared to what I have to fight.” He said as he gestured to himself. “So you’re just going to give up?” “I didn’t say that.” He said as he pulled out a large crystal like the one he had used on himself during the fight with the dragon slayer. “I the chips are down and I have no choice then I’ll use this.” The crystal was clear and was easily two feet long. “What is that thing anyway?” “When the Crystal Empire came back I discovered that some of the crystals there can act as types of conduits and trap souls within them.” He said as he held the gem on his hands. “I use them to seal away demonic entities that slip out and cause trouble like that girl I just helped.” He said as he pulled out the smaller gem. “Why is that one smaller?” “Smaller the demon the smaller the gem I can use. Since mine is stronger I need to use stronger gems.” “So you can get rid of that thing in you?” She asked in a happy tone. “Not exactly. There’s a price I pay for using this on myself.” He said as he made the gem vanish. “What’s that?” “I die.” “..........” “..........” “You what?” She yelled. “Basically, I’ll get sucked into the gem along with the demon.” Twilight slapped him again. “Geez, why are you hitting me?” He said as he rubbed his cheek that now had a bright red hand print. “Why in the name of Equestria would you do something so stupid?” Crimson narrowed his eyes and pointed out to the crater. “That’s why. When a conduit dies the spirit trapped inside of them is released. If that thing comes out again, it’ll mean death and destruction for everyone I care about.” He stated. Twilight gulped. “I’m a soldier Twilight. It’s my duty as a soldier to protect humanity. No matter the cost.” “You make it sound like soldiers and humanity are two different things. Pardon my language, but that’s bullshit.” The mage was taken back by the usually proper woman’s language. “We’re only human. Its in our nature to make mistakes.” Once again, the man was thoroughly stunned at how the scholar had looked through him. Her dark purple eyes saw through any facade and analyzed him better and faster than any psychologist ever could. “No point in arguing with you is there?” “Nope.” “Still my decision stands. If things get too bad then I’m pulling the plug.” He said as he put the large crystal back in his jacket. The red haired man then noticed that several people were staring at them. “Lets get out of here.” He said as he grabbed the girl’s hand and teleported them back to the transport hub. A thought came to the indigo haired scholar and grinned. “Hey, is it possible to teleport to Canterlot from here?” “Yeah, why?” He asked as he cocked an eyebrow. “I just need to grab something real quick.” “Thought you lived in Ponyville.” “Not originally. I was born and raised in Canterlot.” The man looked at his pocket watch and shrugged. It was only four o’clock. The man selected the capital city and the two vanished in a flash of light. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Crow sat at his desk behind a mountain of paperwork. The man yawned and sipped his cup of coffee as he heard a knock at the door. The man set down his coffee and folded his hands. “Come in.” The door opened to reveal the crystal Princess. “Hope I’m not interrupting anything.” She asked with a smile. “Not at all Princess.” He said with a warm smile. “Just going through the never ending river of paperwork.” He grumbled. “You’re preaching the choir here.” She said as she sat down. “So how can I help you?” “I was just curious about Crimson.” She said in a sweet tone. The man’s face immediately hardened and a scowl appeared across his face. “As I’ve told Celestia, he has some issues with the demon but-” “Oh no. Its nothing like that I assure you.” The man relaxed and sat back. “I was looking for things on a more...personal level.” Crow blinked in surprise at the words. “Well, he’s usually quiet, let’s his actions speak for himself, he loves to read. Must get that from his mother’s side.” He noticed that the young Alicorn’s eyes were focused on him. “Might I ask why you’re interested in him?” Cadence then made sure that the door was locked and that no one else was in the room. She waved the man closed and spoke in a hushed tone. “I have it on good authority that Twilight has a crush on him and Crimson seems to have taken a shine to her as well.” Crow’s jaw hit the floor and looked at the Princess of love in surprise. “Celestia’s student? No.” “Yes!” Cadence giggled. Crow then barreled over in laughter. Cadence looked at him in bewilderment and cocked an eyebrow. “What’s so funny?” Crow calmed down and told the Princess about the incident that occurred between the two children sixteen years ago. Cadence grabbed her face and squealed in delight. “I remember Twilight telling me about a crazy red headed boy rescuing her doll. That is so cute! Do either of them know?” “I don’t think so. Which makes this even better!” He yelled with a laugh. “Oh Cadence, we have to get these kids together.” “My thoughts exactly. I haven’t seen Twilight like this since she was just a little girl.” She sighed as she remembered the small girl. “However there is one snag.” Crow raised an eyebrow at the words. “My husband.” “Why would the Captain of the Royal guard object to-” “Twilight is my sister in law.” Crow’s calm expression shattered. “So your husband is Ms. Sparkle’s-” “Yup.” “Pony feathers.” He grumbled. “Crimson always had a knack for wanting things that are almost impossible to get.” Crow face palmed. “Yeah, those two mix about as well as oil and water.” She sighed. “Course he doesn’t have to know just yet.” Crow raised an eyebrow at the Alicorn. “Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, are you suggesting that you withhold information from your husband in order to get his younger sister together with the person he possibly hates more than Chrysalis?” “Possibly.” She said with a weak grin. “Despite your innocent demeanor, you are very crafty.” Crow chuckled. “I learned from the best.” Cadence said ina happy tone. “Quite. Where are they anyway? I haven’t seen Crimson since the match ended. No doubt he’s off sulking somewhere.” “I followed them to that transport hub.” Crow looked at her in surprise. “It sounded like Crimson had a job to do and Twilight tagged along.” “What was the town?” He asked as he sipped his coffee. “I think it was Willow City.” Crow spat out his coffee and looked at the Princess with fear spread across his face. “What’s wrong?” “That’s where the demon attacked sixteen years ago.” Cadence then realized the danger. Crow rifled through his pockets and pulled out a small red gem. “What’s that?” “It allows me to keep an eye on him. It gives me Crimson’s location by locking onto his mother’s gauntlet.” He ran his magic through it and it glowed brightly. “Looks like he’s in Canterlot now.” He sighed. “Your husband is still in the empire right?” Cadence gave a nod. “Good.” Crow sighed as he put the gem away. The man then saw the young Princess had a concerned look on her face. “Something wrong?” “I just remembered something that might be a problem.” She gulped. “Celestia.” “Don’t worry about her.” Crow grinned. “I have an idea. It’s difficult, but it might just work.” He said as he scratched his chin and a mischievous smile spread across his face. “Despite being an immortal goddess, Celestia has one weakness.” “Really? What?” “Sorry Princess. Its a secret.” He chuckled. “Just leave her to me.” The pink winged woman got to her feet and showed herself out. Crow put his feet up on the desk and chuckled as he thought of a way to utilize the sun goddess’s flaw. Author's Note Sorry this took a while. Happy New Year! Chapter XXVII: Mother's IntuitionChapter XXVII Mother’s Intuition The two mages arrived in the hub of Canterlot. Twilight went to the nearest trash can again and leaned over it as she emptied her stomach. Crimson chuckled. “Ugh, I don’t think I’ll ever get used to that.” She said as she stood up. Crimson reached into his jacket and pulled out a small vial filled with pink liquid. “Here, this should help.” Twilight took the liquid and chugged it down. She felt a tingling in her stomach and the nausea left her. She stuck her tongue out and scrunched her nose at the taste. “Well, what do you expect? Pumpkin juice?” “I’m not use to these things.” She frowned. Crimson rolled his eyes and folded his arms. His face turned red as a low growl escaped his stomach. Twilight giggled and stood upright. “Hungry?” She said with a smug grin. A similar sound then escaped the scholar’s stomach. “Heh-heh. Sorry, must have skipped lunch.” “Likewise.” He said as he looked around the streets. “Know any places to eat around here?” “Yeah, there’s a coffee shop not too far from here.” The two mages headed off and started to walk down the cobble stone road. The sign out front read ‘Pony Jo’s Coffee and Donut Shop.’ A man with shoulder length brown hair and a wearing a smock with a pink frosted sprinkled donut was behind the counter. “Well, if it isn’t Twilight Sparkle.” He said with a smile. “Haven’t seen you here since the Grand Galloping Gala.” Twilight’s face immediately went red at the mention of that dreaded night. The two grabbed a table near the back of the establishment and ordered a cup of coffee and a cup of tea. “What did he say about the Gala?” Twilight gulped and gave a nervous laugh as her cheeks flushed red. “My friends and I got tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala a few years ago.” She began as the memories of that infamous night came back with a vengeance. “However, things didn’t go the way we thought they would and...long story short, I’m fairly certain that we will never go back.” She quickly said. “Yeah I know what you mean.” He groaned. “Ivory and I had to go as representatives one year and it was a total bust.” “You and Ivory went together?” She said in a surprised tone. “All the different academies have to send two representatives. Ivory and I were in the top spots out of everyone else in the Ranger class so we had to make an appearance.” Crimson rolled his eyes. “Spent half the night avoiding stuck up snobs. The only good part of that night was when hell broke loose.” “Huh?” “Are you familiar with Prince Blueblood?” Twilight then mad a foul expression. “I’ll take that as a yes.” He grumbled. “I saw the jackass use some poor woman as a shield in order to save himself from a flying cake that got launched from an apple cart.” Twilight gulped and lightly blushed. “The woman then proceeded to give the stuck up idiot a tongue lashing the likes I’ve never seen.” He chuckled. “He was long over do for one in my book. Then a flyer who was trying to chat with Soarin and Spitfire tried to catch a falling statue.” Twilight hung her head lower in embarrassment. “If that wasn’t enough, then the West wall collapsed and a girl in a torn dress along with an army of animals invaded and hell broke loose.” Crimson was biting his lip in laughter. “I haven’t seen Ivory laugh so hard in my life.” He chuckled. The man then noticed the scholar’s red face and that she was biting her lip. “Something wrong?” “That was us.” The tone she was using was similar to Fluttershy’s. “Pardon?” “That was the girls and I. We did all that stuff.” Crimson’s jaw dropped. “You gotta be kidding me.” “Nope. We were invited by the Princess and things got out of hand as you put it.” She nervously chuckled. “Well, from what I’ve seen of Ponyville folk that makes sense.” He said as he sipped his coffee. “What is that supposed to mean?” She asked as she pouted. “Nothing. Just that you guys know how to shake things up a bit. I’d take that craziness over all that prim and proper stuff any day.” Twilight’s face flushed red. “Really?” “Yeah, I’m no good at all that formal stuff. Give me an Ursa any day.” He said as he sipped his drink. “So what did you need from Canterlot?” “Oh right! I need to grab something from my house.” The woman piped up. Crimson got up and paid the man behind the counter. The two walked through the busy streets of the capital city. Crimson bit his lip and let out a sigh. “Thank you.” He said as the indigo haired girl looked at him in confusion. “For what?” “For what you did in Willow City.” He said with a sigh. “No one has ever stood up for me like that. I mean, yeah Ivy and the others have done it. Only they mostly used physical threats. Never would have expected you to tear into those guys like that.” Twilight felt her face flare up at the words. The man gave her a genuine smile as he walked beside her. The man bent down to adjust his shoe. At that moment Twilight saw the book Quill had given him. Before he could reach it, Twilight snapped her fingers and the book appeared in her hands. Crimson felt a wave of panic over take him as she scanned it. “Twilight please don’t-” His words fell on deaf ears as he saw the woman’s eyes grew wide in astonishment. “Crimson,” The man felt a lump form in his throat. The woman looked down at the title of the book and back to the man. His face was bright scarlet. “why do you have a copy of the Red Jewel of Arcadia?” It was over. He could already feel his manhood shriveling up like a raisin. Crimson tried to search his mind for another topic, but the scholar’s intense stare would easily cut through any attempt. “Um..I’m.....holding it for someone else?” He threw on a fake grin that Twilight instantly raised an eyebrow at. The gaze was as useful as using paper in a sword fight. “Are you a fan of the Forbidden Jewel series?” The deed had been done. All the warrior wanted to do now was find a nice cold hard rock to crawl under until the world ended. “Well?” She asked. Crimson felt the lump in his throat grow to the size of a melon and gave a reluctant nod. “J-just don’t tell anyone.” He said his face flushed red with embarrassment. “Why not? There’s nothing wrong with reading.” “I know that! But if Ivy or Cobalt caught wind of this then they’ll hold it over my head for so long that I’ll forget what the sun looks like.” He gulped. “I like the sun Twilight. It gives me hope.” “That still doesn’t answer my question.” She said in a blank tone. “How can I put this?” The man said as he scratched his head. “It’s like if you saw AJ and Rainbow Dash in frilly dresses, with lace, at a tea party, eating crumpets and gossiping.” Twilight took a moment to construct the picture and couldn’t help but chuckle. “That’s why.” “Are you telling me that Crimson Storm, the fearless Ranger from the Academy is afraid of what others will think of him because of his reading material?” “Hey I’m not afraid. I’m just,” The man paused as he looked for the right words. “scared.” He said in defeat. “How did you even get into them?” “Rouge.” He grumbled. “I was bedridden for a month when I was sixteen and she suggested it. Since I didn’t want to die of boredom, I picked it up, started reading it and well...I got hooked.” He said as his face blushed harder. “Why were you bedridden?” “Broke my spine in two places, both my legs and my left collar bone was fractured.” Twilight’s jaw dropped. “That’s what happens when you mess with a full grown Chimera.” “A what?” “Big fire breathing monster with a lion’s head, goat body and serpent’s tail. One was around Hoofington and I had to deal with it.” “Wait, you took on a full grown Chimera by yourself when you were only a teenager?” She almost yelled. “My original mission was for my team and I to guard a merchant while he was moving from Trottingham to Hoofington.” Crimson said. “Most of the fighting was against timber wolves, manticores and bandits. Ivy and the others were dealing with some robbers while I took the merchant and we found refuge in a nearby cave. Unfortunately that happened to be the Chimera’s den. It tried to attack me and you know how that song and dance goes.” Twilight gulped. “I didn’t get out without injury and the merchant ran back to Ivy and brought the others back to my mangled behind. Luckily I was already droning and Rouge used her warp gate to get me back to the Academy.” “What’s droning?” “Just a term I use. In the event of an emergency, an Academy student, that is Hunter rank or higher can enter a...hibernation state.” Twilight still had a confused look on her face. “It’s basically an induced coma in an effort to heal the body quicker.” “Why didn’t your ‘partner’ help you out?” Twilight asked. Crimson scowled at her. “This happened back when the seal was still strong and was holding back the demon’s energy. I still healed quicker than an average mage would, but now a days all I need is a week to heal after something like that.” He said with a shrug. “Wait how did....never mind.” She said wit a sigh. “I still don’t see why you’re so concerned with this.” “Have you ever read them?” “Yeah. They are amazing!” Twilight chimed. “The characters and the plot is so enthralling that I had Spike hide my personal copies because I was getting behind on my studies.” “Personal copies?” Crimson asked. “I have a few of them just for myself that are signed by the author.” Crimson’s ears perked up. “You know Midnight Fountain?” He almost yelled. Now it was Twilight’s turn to look embarrassed. “Yeah, but I shouldn’t have told you that!” She said in a worry filled tone. “She made me swear not to tell anyone.” “I’ll keep your secret if you keep mine.” He said with a smug grin. Twilight grunted with a bright blush on her face. “Fine.” She said as she handed him the book back. Crimson hastily put it inside his coat and the two continued to move down the street. The two swayed the conversation away from books and just settled for idle chit chat. “So why did Quill address you as a king earlier?” Crimson groaned. “Oh. That.” He shivered. “Back when I was a kid, I had this.....habit.” “What habit?” She asked. “I used to build myself a castle made out of book and read my way out.” He said in an embarrassed tone. Twilight’s jaw dropped at the words. “Crow and Quill kept calling me the King of Castle Knowledge and the name stuck.” He grimaced. “Go ahead. Laugh it up.” “I used to build book forts.” She said in an embarrassed tone. Crimson cocked an eyebrow and saw no deceit in the woman’s eyes. “Seriously?” “Yup and it looks like we’re here.” Crimson soon found himself in front of a large two story house with a dark purple door. The woman snapped her fingers and a purple key made of mage appeared in her hand. The scholar turned the key and the door swung open. The two entered the home. Crimson looked to his left and saw a living room with a television and fire place. A hard wood end table was in the center and divided two couches on either side of the room. There was a large bookshelf stacked with dozens of books. “I just gotta grab something from my room.” The woman said as she walked upstairs. Crimson let out a sigh and started to look around the room. The man walked over to the book shelf and started to scan the books. The man’s ears perked and heard a whooshing noise and felt a blunt object hit his head. The man fell to the ground and hit his head on the coffee table. The last thing he saw was a woman with white hair and a purple stripe running through it holding a type writer over her head. Twilight heard the crash and quickly made her way downstairs. The scholar let out a gasp when she saw the red haired man on the ground and bleeding from the head with the woman standing over him with the typewriter in hand. The woman was about 5’9” and was wearing a white collared shirt and grey slacks. The woman lightly tapped the man’s shoulder with her foot and he moaned in pain. “Mom!” The woman spun around and saw the indigo haired scholar with a shocked look on her face. “Twilight? What are you doing here?” “Never mind that what did you do to my friend?” She yelled as she walked over to Crimson’s body. She tried to move his muscular form, but her frame couldn’t make the man’s body move an inch. The scholar snapped her fingers and levitated the man onto the couch. During the move, the book had fallen out of the man’s coat and was picked up by the older woman. “You know him?” She asked as she set the book down on the table. “Yes! Now can you go and get some bandages?” Twilight said as she looked at the cut on the man’s scalp. Twilight sighed as her mother handed her a first aid kit. “Honestly dear, this is why you should call first.” She said as she pulled out a few bandages. The woman turned the man’s head and a sly grin appeared on her face. “Oh he’s cute Twiley.” “Mom!” Twilight said as she blushed. The older woman giggled and took a few bandages in her hand and reached for the man’s head. Crimson’s eyes flashed open and grabbed the woman’s wrist and applied pressure. “Crimson, this is my mother Velvet.” Twilight said in a calming tone. “Sorry.” He said as he let go. “No, I should apologize for hitting you.” Velvet stated as he sat up. “Are you all right? I did hit you with a typewriter after all.” “I’ve survived worst.” He said as he shook his head. “Why a typewriter?” “It was what I had on me at the time.” She said with a weak smile. Twilight face palmed. “I’m so sorry about this Crimson. My mother can over react sometimes.” “Its fine.” He said as he cracked his neck. “Well, its nice to meet you. I’m Velvet Sparkle.” She said as she shook his hand. “Crimson Storm.” He said with a smile. The group then heard a high pitched whistling sound coming from the other room. “Oh that’s the tea. Would either of you care for a cup?” Twilight looked at Crimson who gave her a shrug. “Um, sure. We’ll take some.” Twilight said. The scholar sat down next to the man and tried to hide her embarrassment. Soon Velvet returned with three cups of tea and the pot. “So Crimson. How do you know my daughter?” Velvet asked as she sipped her tea. “I was stationed in Ponyville about a month ago.” “Oh you’re in the guard then?” “No, Crimson is a Ranger class agent from the Academy.” Twilight answered. Velvet’s eyes widened. “Really?” Crimson gave a nod “Well, that must be very interesting.” “I do my job as well as the next person.” “Oh, stop being modest.” Twilight said. “You took down those bandits like it was nothing.” “Because it was.” “Bandits?” Velvet asked with a blink. “Nothing. Some guys just-” “A group of bandits showed up in town claiming to be Academy agents.” The next few hours were spent by Twilight re telling all of the exploits Crimson and his team had made since their time in Ponyville. The scholar wisely avoided the fact that the man was a conduit and the Poison Joke mishap. Crimson looked at the scholar in surprise as she masterfully retold the tales and made them seem almost like something from a Daring Do book. Several times Velvet felt her jaw drop in amazement. While Crimson was trying to hide his blushing cheeks. Twilight sat back and let out a breathed in a hearty amount of air as she finished the tale. “Well, now. You certainly know how to handle yourself in a sticky situation.” Velvet said as she looked at her still blushing daughter. “Thank you ma’am. I’m just here to help people.” He said with a nervous laugh. “So what exactly were you two doing in Canterlot? It’s rare that Twilight visits.” The purple mage’s face grew redder. “She said that she needed to pick something up from here.” Crimson said. He looked at the far wall and saw that the clock read six o’clock. “Sorry, to bug out like this Mrs. Sparkle, but I have to head back to the academy.” He said as he stood up. “Oh its no trouble.” She smiled. “I need to work on that stain on the floor over there before the stain sets.” She said as she looked at where the man had been bleeding. “Oh that?” Crimson snapped his fingers and the dried blood liquified and flew into the air. The ruby red blood flew towards the man and flew into his sleeve. “Good as new.” “Wow, nice cleaning spell.” Velvet said. “Get what you need Twilight?” He asked. “Yeah, I’m good.” She said as she stood up and the two walked towards the door with the older woman in pursuit. Twilight hugged her mom and smiled. “Bye mom. Say high to Shiny and Dad for me.” “Will do dear and take care.” Velvet beamed. “You too Crimson.” “Nice meeting you Mrs. Sparkle.” He said as he shook her hand. “Likewise and please dear, call me Velvet.” Twilight groaned and started to walk away. Crimson sighed and went after her only to be called back by the woman. The man froze when he saw that the scholar’s mother was holding his book. “Nice to see that you have good taste in literature.” “Yeah.” He said as his blush reddened. Velvet giggled and gave the man the book. As it entered its grasp she tapped on the cover and grinned. Crimson raised an eyebrow and opened it to the first page. The man’s eyes shrank when he saw the familiar handwriting. May the jewels grant you fortune on your journeys. ~Midnight Fountain. Crimson’s eyes went wide and he looked at the woman who put a finger to her lips and made a ‘shhh’ sound. “I hope I can trust you with this.” She said with a sigh. “If the paparazzi ever caught wind then I’d never get to write anything.” She groaned. “Trust me. I know the feeling.” He sighed. Crimson made his way back to Twilight who was waiting patiently for him. “What took you?” “Sorry, your mom just gave me an autograph.” Twilight’s eyes widened. “Relax. I won’t say anything to anyone.” “Oh good.” Twilight sighed as the two walked back to the transport hub in silence. The two soon found themselves back within the familiar walls of the Academy and saw that it was getting late. During the entire time Twilight looked like she was having an internal argument with herself. Crimson walked her to her door and felt a bright blush appear on his face. “Um thanks.” The indigo haired girl said. “It was fun, for the most part.” “Likewise.” Crimson said as he awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, I’ll see you tomorrow.” He said as he turned to leave. Twilight took a deep breath in and gathered her courage. “Crimson wait.” The man stopped and turned back around to see Twilight holding a small purple box. “Here. I know its a few days late, but happy birthday.” Her face was redder than a fresh tomato. “Twilight you didn’t have to get me anything.” “I know. I just wanted to and to show you my gratitude for helping Ponyville so much.” “Twilight I really can’t accept-” The man stopped when the scholar threw on a pouting face. Damn you Sparkle. Damn you and that cute- I mean adorable- Gah! What ever that look is. The man sighed and opened the box. It was a black roped necklace with a bright purple crystal in the center. “My brother gave me this the day of my test to become Celestia’s pupil. Its luck worked then, so maybe it’ll help you tomorrow.” The man gulped and held out his opened palm that held the necklace. “Twilight. I can’t accept something so valuable.” The scholar sighed and put her hands on his and closed his fingers around the necklace. “That’s the only kind of gift worth giving.” She said with a smile. Twilight looked into the man’s deep red eyes and felt her face becoming bright red. The two mage’s bodies seemed to move on their own as their faces got closer to one another. Crimson could feel the girl’s breath on her lips and the lavender perfume that he’d come to enjoy. Just when they were an inch away from carnal bliss the door opened in ward to show a tired dragon hybrid. The boy was wearing a loose fitting white T-shirt and baggy gym shorts. “Hey Twilight.” He yawned “When did you get back?” He asked. The two mages immediately jumped apart and hid their blushes from one another. “J-just now.” Twilight said in a shaky tone. Spike seemed to be too tired to notice what the two mages were doing. “What’s Crimson doing here?” “J-Just saying goodnight.” The man snapped his fingers and vanished in a flash of red light. Twilight sighed and made her way into the room. “Something up Twilight?” “No, just go to sleep.” The scholar said in an agitated tone as she grabbed her PJ’s and went into the bathroom for a hot shower. Twilight stood up with her forehead pressing against the hard tile wall and the hot water running down her back. “Worst timing ever. Of all time.” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Crimson teleported into his room and calmed himself down. The man noticed that Rouge was asleep in Ivy’s bed. Must have waited for me. Crimson thought as he pulled the covers up over the Changeling’s body. He walked over to the mirror and tried the necklace that the scholar had given him. He held it between his pointer finger and thumb. The man looked back at his reflection that had the horns coming out of his head and the snow white skin. He sighed and quickly threw on a pair of loose fitting gym shorts and laid down on his bed. He stared up at the ceiling and sighed. “Tomorrow huh?” The man turned over on his side and tried to get some sleep. Chapter XXVIII: Facing the MirrorChapter XXVIII Facing the Mirror Crimson woke up with a hard slap to his face. The man stirred up and looked to see a cross purple haired Changeling glaring at him. “Morning to you too Rouge.” He yawned. “Where were you yesterday?” She yelled. “I searched this place from top to bottom trying to find you ya know.” The man sat up and cracked his neck. “We weren’t even in the Academy yesterday.” “We?” Rouge raised an eyebrow. “I had to perform an exorcism and Twilight came along for the ride.” He said as he stood up. “Where was the exorcism?” “Willow City.” The changeling gasped. “Calm down. Nothing happened.” Rouge narrowed her eyes on the man. “Okay fine so I got some stuff thrown at me. Twilight took care of it.” “How? No offense Crimson, but your girlfriend doesn’t look like a fighter.” The man’s face turned bright red. “She’s not my girlfriend! She was just a friend helping me out.” Rouge grinned as his face betrayed him. “All she just gave them all a tongue lashing. Then we went to Canterlot to go to her house.” “Moving a bit fast aren’t we?” Rouge grinned. “Not like that!” Rouge stuck her tongue out at him. “She just needed to grab this.” He said as he pointed to the gem that hung around his neck. “She said it was a late birthday gift.” “Oh that’s so cute~” Rouge teased. “Anything else happen?” Crimson then thought back to the incident between him and the scholar last night before being interrupted by the hybrid. “Nope. Brought her back and went straight to bed.” He said as he walked over to his drawer and headed into his bathroom and turned the shower on. “How are the other two doing?” He said through the door. “Cobalt has a few broken ribs, nothing too serious after we closed the wound. He should be good after today.” “And Ivy?” Rouge let out a sigh at the name. “Don’t lie to me either.” Crimson said in a flat tone. “Her spine had a hairline fracture. Her right ribcage was completely shattered and she had a bit of internal bleeding.” No response came from the other side. “That was yesterday. I checked on her last night and hers pine is healed along with the bleeding. The only thing that we’re waiting on is for her ribcage to readjust.” “Yeah.” “She also knows that you didn’t cut her hair.” The man walked out wearing his usual red jacket. The Changeling sighed and spied the book on his bed. She picked it up and looked at the cover. “You got the new one?” “Yup.” Crimson then remembered the autograph as Rouge turned the page. “Wait don’t-” His warning came too late as the Changeling’s eyes fell upon the message and her jaw hit the floor. “When did you meet Midnight Fountain?” She yelled. Crimson gulped as he searched his mind for an excuse. “Just bumped into her while Twilight and I were in Canterlot.” He wasn’t technically lying to her. He did meet her on accident. Rouge walked up to the man and put her finger in the middle of his chest. “If you know who it is and you don’t tell me, then you’ll regret it.” She snarled. “Whatever.” The man then felt something vibrate in his pocket. He pulled out the jewel and a letters made of light. All Rangers that are participating in the final test must report for debriefing. Crimson sighed and put the gem inside his pocket. “Well, show time.” He said as he walked passed the girl. Rouge bit her lip and sighed. “Wait.” Crimson halted and turned around and the Changeling brought him into a tight hug. Crimson sighed and returned the embrace. “Just make sure you come back. I hate interviewing new recruits.” “Really? Here I thought you were a social butterfly.” He chuckled. Rouge slugged him in the gut and frowned. “Not funny.” She said as she let go. Crimson nodded and vanished in a flash of red light. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Down in the cafeteria, Twilight sat with the other girls and quietly ate their food. Rarity raised an eyebrow at the librarian who had stayed quiet since the group had sat down. A coy smile spread across her face as she had a thought. “So Twilight, where did you run off to yesterday?” Twilight gulped as she recalled what happened between herself and the red haired mage. “Yeah, after we visited Ivy you just took off.” Dash said. “What gives?” “Don’t ya remember Dashie?” Pinkie piped up. “She went to go find Crimson, cause she has a crush-” The woman’s mouth instantly turned into a closed zipper. Courtesy of the blushing scholar. “Pinkie. Shut it.” Twilight grumbled. “Well, your face was really red last night.” Spike said as he took a bite from his pancakes. Twilight glared at her adoptive brother and her face flushed red. The other girls grinned. “Nothing happened.” She said with a sigh. “Besides today is the final.” She said as she sipped her tea. “Yeah, you’ll have plenty of time to get to know him when he comes back to Ponyville.” “I doubt that.” The group looked behind them to see the bandaged blue flyer. “How are you feeling partner?” The farmer asked as the man sat down. “Good. Doctors are letting me out tomorrow.” The group chuckled. “What about Ivy?” Dash asked. “She’s stable, but sleeping at the moment.” He said as he cracked his shoulder. “What did you mean by what you said?” Rarity asked. “If Crimson passes....when he passes he’ll be reassigned.” The scholar felt her heart drop into her stomach. “Zealots usually go to where trouble is most affluent in Equestria and join a guild there.” “Why?” “Say a war breaks out and the council is involved. The Zealots are usually on the front lines fighting.” He said as he sat back. “What if he fails?” Fluttershy asked. “Then he’ll have to wait for the trials to come back up again. Although that could be next year or the next ten.” The group’s jaws dropped. “No one knows when the trials are held until its the year that they’re given.” He said with a sigh. “So if he wins then he’ll get shipped off somewhere?” Dash asked. “Pretty much.” He said with a shrug. “Wow way to kill the mood.” Dash said. “Hey I don’t like this either. There’s a chance that he might be put in charge of another squad.” He grumbled. “Seriously? So what’ll happen to you, Ivy and Rouge?” “Be shipped off somewhere or we could go with him. It depends how things turn out.” The flyer pulled out a blue crystal and a few letters popped up. The final for the Zealot Selection Exam will begin in thirty minutes. “C’mon, best get to our seats.” He said as the group got to their feet and followed the flyer towards the stands. Rarity hung back to comfort Twilight who had a the look of worry on her face. The six girls saw that Crow and the Princesses were waiting for them. The girls also saw seven other people standing next to Crow. Among them was Deus. “Oh crap.” Cobalt said with a gulp. “Who’re they?” Dash asked. “The other members of the council.” He whispered. He pointed to the one who was elderly and had a staff with an orange gem at the end. The man was the shortest among them and had white hair and beard. His cloak was brown that matched his eyes. “That is Marcus Clay. He’s the first seat. Legend says that he could make a crack in the ground with just one slam of his staff.” The next was a woman who was slim and donned a teal cloak with embroidered gold trim. Her hair was grey and went down to the middle of her back. She was carrying a large rifle with a scope on her back. “That’s Sparrow Winchester. Second seat. They call her the Shrieking Specter.” “Why?” Pinkie asked. “Because the second you hear her rifle fire you’re dead.” Rouge answered as she came up behind the group. “Records show that she’s a master with any long range weapon and has never missed a shot.” The group gulped and turned to the next person in line. He was tall, standing at around seven feet and was very lean His cloak was a dark purple. “That’s Toxic Slender. Third seat. He uses poison based magic.” Rouge answered. “I heard that it only took one drop of his custom poison to kill an Ursa Minor.” Next in the line up was a man that looked around the same age as Crow with light blonde hair and golden yellow eyes. On his belt were two golden brass knuckles within reaching distance for his hands. “He’s Platinum Flash. Fourth seat. Strongest man in the world.” “Yeah right.” Dash said as she rolled her eyes. “The guy shattered a mountain with the flick of his finger.” Cobalt added. “He’s got more strength in his eyebrow than Ivy does in her whole body.” Dash’s eye twitched at the words. The woman standing next to him was in her fifties and had fading pink hair that was held up in a bun by two long black needle like chop sticks. Her cloak matched her hair almost perfectly. By her side was a long sheathed katana. The sheath was decorated with several flowers that were carved into the wood. “That is Lilly Nettle. Fifth seat. She knows the human body like the back of her hand and is deadly accurate with needles along with her sword. She also has an extensive knowledge of medical herbs and remedies.” Next to her was a slim man with dark brown hair and green eyes that seem to be taking in all of his surroundings. His cloak was grey and had a large two handed sword attached to its back. “He’s Silver Cutlass. Sixth seat.” “I heard that he managed to cut through an ocean with his sword.” Rouge said. Next to him was a woman that looked a bit younger than Crow. Early forties most likely. She had fair skin, orange hair and dark brown eyes. Her cloak was an auburn color and had a small trench knife attached to her belt. “She’s Titian Swift. Eighth seat. Fastest thing on two feet.” Dash rolled her eyes at the words. “She ran across the ocean and back in under five minutes.” “What about Crow? What can he do?” Pinkie asked. “Him?” Cobalt asked as he looked at the headmaster. “Not sure. He and Deus are both kinda mysterious.” The group looked at the nine and gulped. “I do know that Crow can shape shift, that’s about it.” The group piped down as they walked closer and took their seats. Cobalt and Rouge went down the stands for a better view. Twilight sat next to her mentor and felt the new comers’ eyes on her. “Everyone, this is my student Twilight Sparkle and her friends.” The group gave a nod. “She and her friends are the Element bearers.” The group’s eyes suddenly lit up. “So Crow,” Sparrow said in a flat tone. “how good a shot is he?” “He takes after his mother.” The silver haired woman smirked. “As expected of the son of my student.” She grinned. “The boy has shown a lot of promise.” The staff user said with a cough. “He’s rowdy and reckless.” Deus spat out. “What else would he be? He’s still young.” The old man said with a smile. “Reminds me of my youth it does.” “Oh boy here we go.” The blonde man face palmed. “Back in my day I-” Before the man could continue further the bell for the test to start echoed through the stadium. “Saved by the bell.” Crow said as he stood up. The crowd fell silent and waited for the man to speak. The group heard thunder rolling in and looked up at the dark sky. The group saw a few students out on the field. Ivory and Crimson were among them. “I’ll keep this brief. You’ve all trained and honed your crafts of combat to make it here. Good luck to you all.” He said as he adjusted his glasses. The board appeared above the stadium and the names started flashing before everyones eyes. Ivory Knightwalker The students departed the field until the white mage was the only one left. Crimson gave her a reassuring nod as he made his way off the field. The other students went up to the observation platform and waited. Crow snapped his fingers and a large mirror covered by a dark cloth appeared in front of the mage. The mirrors surface turned pitch black and had a liquid like ripple to it. A dark hand immediately came out and latched itself onto the side of the mirror and pulled itself out. The figure definitely had a female physique. Soon the sludge faded and a perfect copy of the woman stood before her. Her clothes were tinted black along with her hair. Ivory immediately drew her blade and got in an attacking stance. The copy followed suit and smirked. The two lunged forwards and the two locked blows. The air around the two grew stale as they continued to lock blow after blow. Ivory ripped off her eyepatch with the copy following suit. Both of their magical energies spiked and the crowd could feel the pressure emanating from the two. Ivory slashed her sword in the air and magical blades launched themselves at the copy who spun her sword in a circular formation and parried the blades away. “That all you got?” The copy sneered. Ivory frowned and focused her magic. The wings sprouted from her back and the halo appeared above her head. “Finally taking things serious huh? Too bad your mother couldn’t be here to see this.” Ivory’s eyes sharpened and lunged forwards. The two continued to clash as they flew up into the air. “All you are is just a pawn. A weapon made for one purpose and you even failed that.” “That mouth is getting annoying.” Ivory said as she saw an opening and threw her sword in a spinning form. The copy easily dodged the blow and shot forwards with her own blade. Ivory smirked and saw that the sword was coming back to her. The copy’s sword was aimed right for the white mage’s heart. At the last second Ivory dodged the blow just in time to catch the handle of her sword and slice off one of the dark angel’s wings. The copy cried in pain and fell towards the ground. “Time to end this!” Ivory Raised her sword and threw it like a lance towards the copy’s falling body. The blade impaled the dark angel as she hit the ground. The darkling cried out in pain and its red eyes shrank as it looked up to see Ivory’s halo rise over her head and positioned itself above her body. “End of the line.” She said as she slammed her palms together and the halo split into millions of swords. “Holy Rain of Destruction.” The blades all shot down towards the pinned darkling. The next thing the copy saw was a wall of swords that blocked out the sky and made it look like an ocean of silver water. That’s when the silver wall of death hit her. The swords fell non stop for three minutes before the mage landed on the ground and panted. The darkling’s body shifted into a shadow and retreated back into the mirror. The crowd cheered as Ivory sheathed her original sword and the rest vanished in flashes of white light. Ivory was panting heavily and was about to fall. She felt her arm being grabbed and was being helped up. She looked up to see Crimson with a smile on his face. “Nice job.” “I can walk just fine.” She took a step and felt her leg give out. Crimson grabbed her again and put her arm over his shoulder. “Sure you can.” He chuckled. The medics soon arrived and sat the white mage down. Crimson shook his head and chuckled. Ivory looked out onto the field and gulped. Crimson Storm “Looks like I’m up.” He said with a sigh. The mage looked at the covered mirror and gulped. A small wave of fear was welling inside of him. He clenched his fist and bit his lip. Thoughts of death and destruction in his possessed state ran through his mind. The thought of withdrawing came to him and he felt a hand on his shoulder. Crimson looked back to see Ivory looking at him with a hard stare. “Give up now and I’ll kill you.” She said in a serious tone. The man gulped and gave her a nod. Crimson started to make his way back on to the field. “Don’t lose either or I’ll have to find a new rival.” She smirked. The crowd grew restless as he made his way on to the field. Twilight noticed that some of the council members put their hand on their weapons and were getting ready to draw. “You have him in your sights?” Deus asked Sparrow. “Aye. Though I doubt it’ll come to that.” She said as she raised an eyebrow. “We can’t take any chances here. If that thing gets loose then-” “I’ll handle it.” Crow interjected. “He’s my responsibility.” Deus snarled and turned his head back towards the conduit. Twilight and the others gulped and turned their heads forwards. Crimson approached the mirror and let out a deep sigh as the shiny surface turned black. The man summoned his scythe and took a defensive stance. The mirror rippled and an object flew out in front of the man. Crimson’s gaze was unwavering as he saw that the object was a black scythe with red runes on the middle of the blade. “Are you ready to meet your fate boy?” A dark voice said from beyond the mirror. The black scythe moved on its own and shot back towards the mirror. An arm came out to catch the blade. A copy of the man exited the mirror. It’s hair was jet black and its skin was snow white. The cloak matched it’s hair. It’s red eyes were focused on the man and cracked its neck. Twilight could feel the magical pressure coming from the copy and gulped. Crimson raised his scythe and pointed his blade at the copy. “Let’s get to it.” Crimson said in a flat tone. The two stood still for what felt like an eternity. Suddenly, they both vanished and the crowd heard blades being clanged against one another. The two warriors kept locking in stand offs. Crimson aimed his gauntlet at the copy and let loose a barrage of magical bolts. The raven haired scythe user spun it’s scythe in a circular formation and made the blasts deflect and hit the ground around him. Crimson lunged forwards and raised his weapon. The two were deadlocked again and the copy grinned. “Why do you fight for them?” Crimson grunted at the question. “More than half of them wanted you dead. Even your so called ‘best friend’ tried to kill you.” The red mage gritted his teeth and forced the copy back with a quick leg sweep and a punch to the face. The copy flew back a good ten feet before landing on its feet. It looked up to see Crimson aiming for him with his mother’s rifle. Crimson let loose a large barrage of bolts that would have demolished a house. The copy relied on its speed to get itself out of the situation. Crimson went after his duplicate and switched to his father’s flintlock pistol for faster shots. The crowd watched in anticipation as they saw the red and black blurs race around the arena with explosions going off around them. The red mage then pulled out his katana and increased his speed. He came up behind the copy and managed to slash it’s back. The duplicate grunted in pain and slid to a halt. Crimson slammed his fists on the ground and his shadow stretched towards the dark warrior. Five fists made of shadow then collided with the darkling’s face and chin. The copy was sent flying back and slashed the still pursuing shadows with his blade. The shadows fell to the ground and vanished. The copy immediately started its counter attack and let loose a barrage of jet black energy slashes. Crimson dodged the attacks, but didn’t see the copy rush up next to him and swing it’s black blade horizontally. Crimson felt his blade being ripped from his own hands from the slash. His scythe went flying into the air and landed in the dirt behind the copy. The man jumped back and felt blood running down his arms. He panted and kept his gaze focused on the copy. Crimson steadied his breathing and dashed forwards. “Is he insane?” AJ yelled. “He ain’t got a weapon to fight with.” Crow chuckled at the words. “What’s so dang funny?” “Everything and anything is a weapon to the skilled fighter.” Crow said with a smile. Twilight felt something land behind her and saw the green flyer with several bandages over her body. “Hey guys. Did I miss anything?” She asked with a smile. “Ivy!” The group looked to see the purple haired Changeling running up to them along with the blue flyer. “What are you doing out of your pod?” “What? You thought that I’d miss Crimson’s crowning achievement?” She said with a laugh. The flyer then grabbed her side in pain. Rouge caught her and sat her down. “Jeez you’re a handful.” She complained. Crimson closed in on the copy and clenched his right hand into a fist. The copy raised it’s scythe to parry the man’s punch. As his arm went through the gap in the darkling’s defense the copy felt a pain in its side. The copy looked down to see a long red curved blade coming from the man’s arm and sticking into it’s side. Crimson shot his left fist forward like a coiled spring and slammed it into the copy’s gut. The clone was sent flying back and grabbed its stomach in pain. It looked up and it’s eyes shrank as it saw that the man’s left fist was encased in a dark red armored glove that had spikes on the knuckles. “What is that?” Pinkie asked. “His blood magic.” Crow said. “Blood mages have the power to control their own blood and morph it into different forms.” Twilight’s eyes boggled at the spectacle of magical power. “It can either be as flexible as liquid or strengthened to mimic the density of hardened steel.” “It’s one of the few magics that gives the user absolute creativity.” The older man said with a smile. “Rare one he is. I haven’t seen a blood mage of that caliber in a long time.” “That may be, but using it puts an incredible strain on his body.” Celestia said. “I’m sure he can handle it.” Toxic said with a grin. Crimson smirked and blood on his right arm changed into a whip. He launched the weapon forwards and grabbed the copy’s left leg. He sent the copy flying off the ground and into the air before jumping in the air and slamming his fist into the shade’s stomach and sent him flying back towards the ground. The copy hit the earth hard and left a crater. Crimson ran over and picked up his scythe and got ready for another attack. The copy groaned and got to its feet. The darkling was bleeding from his mouth. “Okay, now I’m pissed.” The clone got to its feet and snapped it’s fingers. Crimson looked down to see a black spike shooting up from the ground. The red mage jumped back to see more spikes shooting up from the ground. Crimson kept dodging left and right from the impaling spikes. As he reached the edge of the arena he jumped up onto the wall and focused his magic into his feet. The crowd saw a red blur fly through the air and launch itself at the dark copy. The red blur slashed at the black blood mage. Crimson felt something hard slam into his body and was sent flying back into the wall. The crowd all groaned as he slumped to the ground in pain. Crimson got on his feet and looked ahead. What he saw made his blood boil. The clone had a large jet black hammer over it’s right shoulder and a long rifle in its right. “You didn’t think that you were the only one who could use these right?” He chuckled. “Haven’t you figured it out yet? You are me and I am you.” Crimson clenched his fist and his eyes were like daggers. “Remember all those times you went nuts and attacked out of anger? That was me.” He grinned.Crimson cracked his neck and took a deep breath. “Time to end this.” He said as he closed his eyes and stuck his scythe in the ground. The man then ripped off his jacket and shirt to show his bare upper body, much to Twilight’s delight. Crimson raised his right palm and placed it over his face. The crowd fell silent as they felt the air become heavy with magic. The council and the visitors felt chills running down their spines. Ivy’s eyes shrank as she felt the magic. “What is this?” Cobalt asked. “Not sure. Never felt something like this before.” Rouge said. The air around the red mage became filled with magic and had an ominous feel to it. Rouge felt a chill and shivered. “What is this? Why did it get cold all of a sudden?” The wind picked up around the man and a white object started to appear on his face. The earth around the man started to break under the pressure and the man’s body was consumed by magic. Twilight felt as though the world was coming to an end. The magic swirling around the man took the shape of a dark clothed torso with a hood over it’s head. The apparition then receded into the man’s body. The crowd was blinded by a flash of purple and green light. The copy opened it’s eyes and immediately felt fear. The figure that stood before him was easily seven feet tall. It’s skin was pale and had a white mask over its face. Crimson’s re eyes opened and he looked through the mask to see the shade shaking in fear. He cracked his knuckles and grunted. “You have no idea how much trouble you are in.” His voice was deep and had a menacing sound to it. Crimson gripped his scythe and sliced it in the air. The clone ducked as it saw a massive slice mark appear in the wall behind him. As he looked forwards, the shade saw a massive fist made of purple magic, laced with what looked like bone slam into his face and send him flying into the wall. “So....awesome.” Dash said with a smile. “Whoa.” Cadence gulped at the display of magical prowess. Crow sat with a smile on his face. The copy was then met with a hard punch to it’s stomach and was sent flying skyward. Crimson crouched and shot straight up towards the copy. The mage grabbed the shade’s head and threw him into the ground. The shade got to it’s feet and shook it’s head. As it looked to the right it saw a pale horse with the scythe user riding it. The beast neighed and charged forwards. The clone was frozen on the spot as it saw what looked like death itself coming for him. “Impossible.” The copy said as it tried to move. Crimson closed in on the shade and raised his scythe to cut down the impostor. The clone let loose a barrage of black magic bolts from it’s gauntlet. Crimson spun his scythe and deflected the bolts. Crimson then saw that several black spikes were shooting up from the ground and were on a course for his steed. The masked mage stood up on the horse’s back and jumped over the dark spikes. The masked mage raised his blade and came down hard on the shade. The copy cried out in pain as he felt the blade cut through his skin and sever his right arm. The copy was rolling on the ground as his arm turned to shadow and evaporated. “You're a monster! No, the devil!” He yelled. Crimson pointed the scythe at the shadow and chuckled. “So I’ve been told.” He said as he raised the blade. The shadow could feel his heart beating faster than a jockey’s on race day. The red blade was glowing and not a shred of mercy was in the masked man’s eyes. Crimson brought the blade down on the shade. The scythe was suddenly halted. Crimson’s eyes shrank as he saw a large amount of magical energy pouring out of the copy. The feel from the magic was more ominous than his own. “Did you really think that it would be that easy?” The shadow’s voice was dark and had malicious intent behind it. Several shadows then formed a large fist and sent the masked mage flying backwards. Crimson’s feet slid against the ground and he regained his balance. His eyes shrank as he saw the dark magic wrapping itself around the clone like a silk cloak. “There’s no doubt that you’re strong.” The shade said in an almost amused tone. “Now is the best time to crush you.” The copy said in a flat tone. “I was wondering if you were going to show up.” Crimson said as he got in a defensive stance. The magic stopped moving around the shade’s body and Crimson could see the menacing red eyes behind the shadows. Little by little, the magic peeled off it’s body. The shadows vanished and several crowd members gasped at the shade’s appearance. The darkling stood up and cracked its neck. “Been a while since I’ve had a body.” It looked down at it’s red hand and saw that it was slightly fading. “Looks like this body can’t handle my full power. Makes sense since it’s only a fake.” It said as it looked at Crimson. “Regardless, it should suffice to deal with the original.” “Getting over confident are we?” Crimson said as he raised his blade. He looked to his right and saw that the pale horse was vanishing. Not good. I don’t have much time before I’m at my limit. Crimson lunged at the shade and the two locked blows. The collision resulted in a shockwave that forced some of the closer onlookers to the back of their seats. The two blocked each other’s blows one after another. “What’s up with that clone?” Dash asked. “The demon has taken possession of the shade’s body.” Crow said as he adjusted his glasses. “I was afraid that this might happen.” “You knew?” Celestia asked as she frowned at the man. “I merely suspected, which is why I told them to be here.” He said as he looked at the other council members. The group looked at the cloaked figures and saw that they all had looks of dread in their eyes. “We cannot allow that thing to be free at any cost.” Deus said as he looked at the sharp shooter who had her rifle focused on the red haired man. “Why is she pointing it at Crimson?” Twilight asked. “The shadow is just a representation. The child is the source.” Deus said. “You’d kill him?” She said in shock. Deus remained silent and gave a nod to Sparrow who switched the safety off her gun. The two warriors were going into deadlock after deadlock. “Impressive!” The copy said with a wicked grin. Crimson focused his magic and his scythe glowed as he lunged forwards. C’mon! I’m so close! He thought as he lunged forwards. The blade was glowing a pale color and was seeping a large amount of magic from the blade. With all his strength, the mage swung the blade at the man. Crack. The scythe came to a sudden halt. The man’s eyes shrank as his mask grew a large crack and broke apart and his body return to normal. The man looked up to see that the shade had caught the blade with it’s left hand. It grinned and delivered a powerful punch to the man’s stomach. Crimson spat up blood as he was sent flying back against the far wall. “Whatever that was, looks like you can only maintain it for five minutes.” It smirked. A red ball of energy then formed in the shade’s hand and launched a barrage at the mage. Crimson took a defensive stance and took the hits one after another. “Why can’t he absorb those blasts?” Rarity asked. “The two may be different, but they have the same magical energy and Crimson can’t absorb his own magic.” “How in the hay does that work?” AJ asked. “Would you eat your own foot?” Crow asked. “Of course not!” “Its like that.” Crow said with a gulp. The man bit his lip as he looked at the red haired man who was taking a beating. Twilight looked at Crow with a few tears in her eyes. “Make him quit! Before he get’s himself killed.” “Impossible.” Crow stated. “We aren’t allowed to interfere with the final test. This is something that Crimson must face alone. No matter the outcome.” Twilight was about to protest but felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked back to see Cadence with a sad look on her face. “Twilight, I know you’re worried, but don’t think that Crow doesn’t want to stop the match.” Twilight looked back at the man and saw sadness in his eyes and saw that he was gripping his cane tightly. “I have faith in him.” He said with a sigh. “Besides we haven’t seen his real power yet.” The group looked at the man in shock. “Well, he’d better have another trick up his sleeve.” Platinum said. “Otherwise we might actually have to kill him.” He said with a hint of sadness. Crimson dashed forward with his katana firmly gripped in his hand left hand and his scythe in his right. The man slashed at the clone in a horizontal fashion. The shade easily dodged the attack and hit Crimson with another blast of magic. The man flew back and dropped to one knee. “Well, its been fun Crimson,” The shade gripped it’s scythe and snapped it in half before throwing it to the side. “but this is where it ends.” “Throwing away your weapon?” He asked in confusion. “I won’t need that thing anymore.” He grinned. “I’d be more worried about your surroundings if I were you.” Crimson looked around the arena and his eyes shrank as he saw several crowd members looking tired. Twilight felt hazy and shook her head. “What’s going on?” Dash asked as she blinked, trying to get rid of her blurry vision. “I feel like I just did the Running of the Leaves five times in a row.” “Right there with you Dash.” AJ said as she panted. “Crow this is-” Celestia said as she felt her own strength being drained. “Yeah. It’s stealing our magical energy.” He said with a pant. “That’s all the reason I need.” Deus said as he cracked its neck. “Sparrow.” “Right.” She said as she charged her rifle. As she pulled the trigger her rifle was hit by a light purple blast of magic. He rifle went to the left and the blast hit a few feet away from the mage. Sparrow’s eyes shrank and looked to her left to see Twilight’s hand faintly glowing. The group fell silent and looked at Twilight who’s face was now filled with worry. “Idiot girl.” She said in a spite filled tone. “It took me all this time to charge up that shot.” “You still can’t-” Deus snapped his fingers and trapped the group in a cage made of light. “Hey!” “Shut up the lot of you.” He said in a flat tone. “You all have no sway in this matter.” Crow stood up and glared at the hulking man. “Enough! Deus this is my school and I’ll handle any problems.” He said as he snapped his fingers and eight pillars rose from the ground on the outskirts of the field. Eight walls made of magical light then connected the pillars and formed a roof. “That should hold it for now.” He said with a pant. “We’ll see.” Deus said as Crow pulled out his cane and lightly tapped the cage holding the girls. The cage then evaporated and the girls growled. “Why you-” Dash’s remark was cut down as Deus’s eyes were like to focused daggers that would cut through anything. “Since you’re still a child I’ll over look that incident.” He said with a huff. “Next time you won’t be so lucky.” The group gulped and turned their attention back towards the fight at hand. Their eyes were wide with horror as they saw that the shade was collecting the magic in the form of a sphere. The sphere was massive in scale. It looked as though it was half the size of the moon. The crowd gulped as it suddenly shrank by half, then another half followed that. The pattern kept going until the sphere was no bigger than a wrecking ball. “I’d normally make it smaller that this,” It grinned with malicious intent. “but this should be enough to finish this.” “There’s no way you’re going to be able to hit me with that.” Crimson said with a pant. “You so sure?” The copy grinned. What’s his game? He knows that I could easily... Oh Buck. Crimson looked behind him and saw the green wall flicker. The man gritted his teeth and realized that the barrier wouldn’t be able to hold the massive blast and everyone behind him would get a direct hit. If I stay then I could slow it down enough and make it blow up before it reached the barrier. The man bit his lip and looked back at the shade who had a devilish smirk on its face. The shade launched the sphere. Crimson got himself in a defensive stance and charged forwards. The crowd gasped and Crow stood up from his seat. “Don’t you dare!” Crow yelled as the group dared not look away from the fight. Time seemed to slow as Crimson met the destructive ball of magic halfway. Crimson felt the sphere biting at his flesh as he entered it. The sphere exploded in a brilliant flash of light. Crowd members were scrambling out of their seats in an effort to out run the explosion. Crow held up both hands and was trying to keep the barrier from breaking. The same could not be said for his heart. Euphoria. That was the accurate word that could describe the feeling the red mage had in his body. The man opened his eyes to see different kinds shining light all around him. “So sorry everyone.” He said before he closed his eyes and kept drifting in the light. “Don’t tell me you’re giving up already?” A familiar voice jolted his senses and his eyes snapped open. He saw a bright green ball of fire hovering above him with a dark blue and purple one next to it. Ivy? “If you lose here then I’ll kill you!” A small white ball said. Ivory? “Don’t you dare give up!” This orb was dark green. Crimson tilted his head and saw thousands of the different colored orbs yelling at him. One purple on in particular caught his attention. The orbs then took their owners’ shapes and looked at him with determination in their eyes. I get it. He thought as he commanded his body to move, but found no strength. He clenched his fists and slammed his head forwards. I forgot one crucial thing! His body roared to life as he saw the lights fading and let out a roar as he launched his body forwards. The crowd gasped as they saw the other side of the sphere explode and a familiar shape was launched from it covered in different colored magic. Crow’s barrier shattered, but the magic seemed to be following behind the red mage. Crimson roared as he continued to race across the field. The power that I took, which should be under my control, It thought as it sent a volley of black spikes at the mage. The spikes broke on impact as it was met with the light irradiating off the man’s body. it’s sheltering him? Why? The shade then recoiled its head and spat out a wall of black flames. Crimson focused his magic and the flames were immediately trapped in red colored ice. The shade then sprouted wings and took towards the sky. The red mage could feel power at the bottom of his feet and jumped. Green flames erupted from his feet a coiled around his arms. The copy’s eyes widened in fear as the flames around his arms looked like dragon claws. Crimson delivered blow after blow to the copy. The shade made its wings vanish and drop towards the ground. The fake was on its ropes and looked up to see at least a dozen red swords made of magic hovering in the sky. The swords shot down one by one. Each getting closer to its target. Each one more terrifyingly powerful then the last. This is impossible! He didn’t have this strength before! The darkling was dodging for its life and saw that crimson had descended across the field. “There can only be one of us here and you’ve over stayed your welcome!” Crimson summoned his scythe in his right hand and charged forth. He stuck out his left hand and the shade’s broken black scythe flew into his palm. The light around the man’s body altered the scythe’s color to be white with red trim. Now I remember. Crimson thought as he closed in on his target. You’ve all protected me since I can remember. His eyes could make out the shape of the shade. So now. Just this once. Just for the hell of it! Let me protect you! The man reached his target and slashed both scythes in a diagonal fashion. Black blood splattered on the ground What is this feeling? The shade thought in confusion. I know this feeling....but what is it? He thought as he saw the man coming in for the kill. This feeling...Fear? Crimson was coming around for another attack. This is just like the last time I was beaten....What was his name? The red mage’s blades cut the body in opposite directions. Right. Carmine that was it. He thought with a smirk. Two brilliant lines sliced through the copy’s body and created an X cut on the far wall. The clone’s body remained still for a seemingly endless amount of time. Suddenly the cuts became visible and the body started to melt away before exploding. The crowd saw a shadow shoot back into the mirror, before the surface shattered into dozens of pieces. The crowd erupted with cheering. Crow put a hand over his own mouth as he let his tears flow. The girls were all hugging one another while cheering. The other seven members of the council were literally awestruck at the man. Deus crossed his arms and frowned. The final day for the Zealot selection exam. Twilight thought with tears in her eyes. I don’t think I’ll ever forget the events of this day. She let her tears flow. A man that had been pulled through the worst things in life and came out looking stronger than ever. She sighed and wiped away the tears. Out on the field, Crimson raised his red scythe and the crowd exploded with more cheering. Like a shining red light of hope that inspires everyone around him. Crimson panted and looked down at his right hand to see the shade’s red arm in place of his own. You will never escape me. The dark voice echoed in his head. Crimson frowned and clenched his fist. The shade’s arm vanished showing his normal skin tone. “Don’t plan to. You're next pal.” He said as he looked up and saw the clear skies. The sounds of the crowd were slowly drowned out and he felt his knees buckle. His vision became blurry and he felt himself falling back. He put on one last smile before he felt darkness take hold of him and collapse. Author's Note Hope you liked the fight. There's still more to go so stay tuned! Chapter XXIX: GraduationChapter XXIX Graduation Four hours, forty-seven minutes and twelve-seconds. That’s how long Twilight, her friends, the other fighters, the Princesses and Crow waited outside the OR. It was a good thing that Crow’s cane handle was made out of dragon iron, else it would have been shattered. Ivory had a few bandages on her body and was impatiently tapping her foot. Ivy and the other three horsemen kept silent. The groups’ heads turned to see the doctor walking out. The man looked exhausted and he leaned his back up against the wall before sliding down to the ground. “How is he?” Crow asked as he ran up to the man. “That boy is either very stubborn, very stupid or both.” He groaned as he got up. “Or really kick ass!” Dash yelled. “Never mind that! Is he okay?” Ivy said. The doctor took off his glasses and used his collar to wipe them off. He put them back on his nose and let out a deep sigh. The anticipation was getting to the worried group. “He should make a full recovery.” The group all let out a sigh of relief. “However, he’ll be out for a while.” The doctor said as he sat down. “Can we see him?” Twilight asked. The man shrugged and motioned for them to go through the door. The group entered and gasped at what they saw. The red haired man was in a normal pod, but easily had a dozen machines hooked up to him. Monitoring different things. “What in the hay happened?” AJ asked. The group looked towards the pod and saw a few sparks of magic coming out of his mouth. “I can answer that.” Crow said as he stood next to the pod. “His clone stole a bit of magic from everyone at the stadium. Including you all.” “But I can’t use magic.” Fluttershy said. AJ, Pinkie and Dash all nodded in agreement. “Everyone has magic. You just can’t use it the way mages can.” He stated. “The demon then converged all that power into a ball and shot it at Crimson. He took the hit knowing full well that he would probably be torn to pieces by the power.” “Then why did he take it?” Dash asked. “He must have known that my barrier was weakened and that it wouldn’t have been able to hold the blast.” He said as he hung his head in shame. “Crimson took that power and turned it into his weapon. He absorbed a good portion of it and redirected it back at the shade, only in his own way.” “So what’s the issue?” Pinkie asked. “He took in too much power.” The girls looked at him in surprise. “The human body isn’t meant to take in that much magical energy at once. He was overloaded with all that magic and thankfully expelled it quickly.” “What would happen if he didn’t?” Rarity asked. “Then we’d be using a spatula to clean him off the arena floor.” Ivory said in a flat tone. “Even for someone who can take in the magic from their surroundings, there’s a limit.” She stated. “Why did we see him use ice magic and all those other types?” Luna asked. “Crimson was surrounded by everyone’s magic and was somehow able to use it.” Crow stated. “So is he like a super mage now or something?” Dash asked. “No, if he does that again then he will undoubtedly die.” The doctor stated. The group gulped. “The use of so much and many different kinds of magic put a colossal strain on his body.” He said with a sigh. “So what happens now?” Twilight asked. “Luckily we have a few days before the graduation ceremony and party.” Crow said with a smile. “Party?” Pinkie asked with wide eyes. “Yes, it makes sense that there should be a celebration after such a test. Not to mention its tradition. You all are welcome to attend of course.” The group smiled and looked at one another. “Just be sure to wear formal attire.” He said as the group started to leave. The man took one last look at the healing mage and shook his head. “Something wrong?” Cadence asked. “No, nothing.” He said as he turned to leave. The man walked back down the hallway and towards his office. Crow sat down in his chair and let out a long sigh. The man’s ears perked up as he heard a knock on his door. “Come in.” The door slowly opened to reveal the sun goddess. “Hello Celestia. Is there something I can help you with?” “Yes, there is.” She said with a sigh. The Princess had a guilty look on her face. “Can you can find it in your heart to forgive me?” Crow blinked in surprise at the woman. In all the years that he’d known he had never once seen her beg for forgiveness. “For what?” The woman let out a sigh. “I misjudged Crimson too much. I only saw the demon wearing him like a suit.” Celestia grimaced. “I was worried that he was too inexperienced to handle all that power. That it would take control and-” Crow held up a hand. “Apology accepted.” He smiled. “You’re not the first to be worried about that.” The man sat back in his chair and grinned. “Even now, that boy never ceases to amaze me.” He chuckled. “That is true. I’m still getting over it myself.” The man grinned as he decided to expose the Princess’s weakness. “I saw that your student was also fairly impressed and not just by his magic.” Celestia raised an eyebrow. “What are you getting at Crow?” “I believe that your pupil is infatuated with my godson.” He grinned. Celestia gave a chuckle. “Twilight? Now you’re just making crazy accusations.” Crow smirked as the Princess got to her feet and started to walk back towards the door. Contrary to popular belief, the sun goddess had a major weakness. Well, really two, but where was he going to get a piece of Marzipan Mascarpone Meringue Madness? The other one. The one that only he and a select few knew about. “Care to put your money where your mouth is?” Celestia froze on the spot. Her body became rigid as though someone had just put ice down her dress. The woman slowly turned and Crow saw the small sparkle behind the woman’s eyes. The same sparkle she got whenever she made a bet. “I’m listening.” Hook. Line. Sinker. The man thought with a devilish smirk. “I wager that Crimson and Ms. Sparkle will become an item.” He grinned. “I’m not saying that they’ll get married or anything like that. Let’s just see if they end up at the dance together.” “Sounds fair.” She smiled. “What are the terms?” “Neither you or I can interfere in anyway. Should Twilight or Crimson go to you or me for advice, then we have to remain neutral.” Celestia nodded. “What about the winner and the loser?” She asked. Crow thought for a moment and an idea came to him. He snapped his fingers and a small chest appeared before him. Crow opened the lid and pulled out a scroll. Celestia’s eyes widened at the scroll. “Is that what I think it is?” The man only nodded. “The secret recipe for Starswirl the Bearded’s legendary Nirvana Cake.” Celestia felt her mouth water at the name of it. In all the years that she had lived, she had only tasted the legendary cake once on Starswirl’s 150th birthday party. In comparison, the cake made MMMM taste like one of those cheap funnel cakes you’d get a carnival. She lost track of how many times she had searched for it. “A secret that every Headmaster of this school had spent countless years searching for.” He grinned. Crow put the scroll back in the box and made it vanish. Celestia came back to her senses. “Course you only get that if you win.” He smirked. “What if I lose?” Crow had a sly smirk on his face. “The usual.” Celestia’s face blushed brightly. “Is there anything else you want?” She asked in a hope filled tone. “The usual will do. Unless you don’t want to take the bet and-” “No!” She yelled out of desperation. “Very well.” She said as she shook the man’s hand and smirked. “I’ll be sure to send a piece of cake to you after my chefs make it.” “We’ll see.” He said with a huge grin on his face. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “Come along everyone!” Rarity chimed as she led the group into her room. “I must get your measurements to prepare your outfits.” Dash and AJ grumbled at the mention of their dresses. “Oh stop it you two. We’re going to be attending a party with some of the strongest mages in Equestria. So we have to look our best.” “Why can’t we just wear out old gala outfits?” Rarity looked at the farmer and her eye twitched. “Unacceptable! Hundreds of people have already seen them.” “Rarity, ya gotta calm down.” Pinkie said. “I loved my Gala outfit and I haven’t worn it since.” The fashionista pouted and sat back. “Very well.” She snapped her fingers and the six dresses appeared on hangers before them. The group of girls all raised an eyebrow and looked at the fashionista who levitated Fluttershy’s over to her work bench and summoned a sewing machine. “What? I have all of my best outfits on standby in case of an emergency.” The group shrugged. “What if I just, modify them a bit?” “Knock yourself out, just don’t make it too...frilly.” AJ said with a nod from Dash. The next few days, Twilight visited the red mage who still remained in the coma. Ivy and the other two members would also pay regular visits. Soon the day of Graduation arrived and the girls helped out with the decorations. It was the day of the graduation ceremony and every student was in a fuss. At noon, the six girls and three teammates arrived at the med center. “You all here to see Crimson?” He asked, already knowing the answer. “Yup.” Ivy said with a smile. “Right, but before I let you see him you need to do something for me first.” “What’s that?” The Changeling asked as they arrived in front of his hospital door. “Find him.” The doctor opened the door and the groups’ jaws hit the floor when they saw the empty pod that previously held the red haired conduit. “We think he took off about 3am this morning. No one’s seen him since.” “Is he okay to be walking around?” AJ asked. “Yes, but he’s far from perfect health. He couldn’t have gone far.” The group looked at one another and shrugged. “What should we do?” Cobalt asked. “We go look for him. The ceremony starts in two hours.” Rouge said. “Ivy, Twilight and I will check the library. Rest of you see what you can find around the castle.” The group nodded and ventured out to look for the red haired mage. Twilight tagged along with the changeling and green dragon slayer towards the library and the three started to search. They asked Quill who shook his head and the three left in disappointment. “Hopefully we find him.” Twilight said. “I’m sure he’s fine.” Rouge said with a smile. The changeling shot Ivy a glance who winked. “So Twilight, plan on going to the dance? Rarity showed me your dresses and they look awesome.” “Um...I don’t know. Maybe I’ll go.” “If we find Crimson right?” Twilight’s face turned red at the Changeling’s comment. “Crimson may not look it, but he cleans up pretty damn well.” Twilight took a moment to imagine the man in a suit, tie and his hair properly combed. The scholar’s face lit up like a red siren and the two could have sworn that they saw steam coming out of her ears. “L-lets just find him.” The scholar said as she quickened her step. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Two hours later Crow was leaning against a pillar. The can wielding man looked to his right to see the red haired mage donning his signature red coat walking towards him. “You’re late.” Crow said as he stood up straight. “Ugh.” Crimson said as he walked up to him. “Oh and before I forget.” The man then took his cane and hit Crimson over the head. The red mage grabbed his head in pain and grunted. “What the hell was that for?” Crimson asked as he rubbed the sore spot. “For trying to play hero you idiot!” Crow frowned. “You just decide to almost die by absorbing all that power?” Crow yelled. “Real smart genius!” “Jeez, if I knew I was gonna get scolded for doing my job I would have stayed in a coma.” Crow frowned at the man as the red haired man looked out the window. “Scolded? You are not a little boy anymore. So long as you are under my care you will head my wisdom.” Crimson cracked his knuckles and turned around to face the man. “You’re right. I’m not a little boy anymore and as far as your wisdom goes, you’re no Orion Comet!” Crow’s eyes shrank and looked at him in shock. Crimson hung his head and sighed. “I’m sorry Crow. It’s just-” The man then wrapped him in a hug. “I know. I miss them too. Not a day goes by that I don’t look to their wisdom for guidance.” Crow broke the hug and put a hand on the young man’s shoulder. “I’ve done my best to pass their teachings to you and in the time together I’ve seen that you are capable of all they believed you could become. Now it is the time that we leave our roles of student and teacher. It’s time that we became...comrades.” “Right.” Crimson looked ahead to see the doors open and nothing but darkness coming from the other side. Crimson looked at Crow who gave him a ginning nod. The red mage went forward into the dark room and waited. Nine hooded figures then appeared before him. Each holding a sword that glowed with their aura. Crimson looked to his right to see Crow smiling and holding a light green one. Behind him was Deus with a white one and was biting his lip. “Step forward.” Crimson saw the short old man with a tan sword in his hands. Crimson walked up to him and dropped to one knee. The other eight lowered their swords and stuck their blades in the ground. “It is the decision of the council that you be granted all the power and privileges of a Zealot.” Clay said in a firm tone. “Many train for this. Few survive.” Lilly added. “Individuals forged in battle who’s actions elevate them above the rest.” Toxic stated. “Zealots are an ideal. A symbol of courage and determination.” Silver said with a smile. “They are the right hand of this council. The embodiment of our will.” Deus said in a rough tone. “Zealots carry a heavy burden. Our first and last line of defense.” Platinum added. “The safety of this world is theirs to uphold.” Titian stated. The nine the drove their blades into the ground and turned them. A small pedestal came up from the ground. Crimson approached it and saw that it held a glowing crystal ball. “Place your hand upon the sphere and you’re name will forever be engraved into history.” Crow said as Crimson approached the sphere. He placed his right hand on it and felt a burning sensation on his palm. The sphere glowed a deep red before shooting a bright red beam up into the air and exploding. Crimson looked down at his right palm and saw a nine pointed star embedded into his skin. “That is the mark of the Zealot. Wear it with pride.” Crow stated. He snapped his fingers and lights flickered on to reveal the thousands of crowd members cheering. Crimson took a bow and made his way out. As he entered the hallway Cobalt and Rouge grabbed him and wrapped him in a bone crushing hug. “Oi! I just got out of the hospital ya know!” “Oh quit whining.” Rouge said as they let go. “Congrats dude!” Cobalt said as he gave him a hard slap on the back. “Ow.” Crimson said as he cracked his back. Crimson looked and saw that Ivy was missing from the group. “Wait where’s-” “Gotcha!” The man then felt two strong and feminine arms wrap around him. “I’m so proud of you!” Ivy said in a hearty tone. “Spine.....becoming....dust.” Ivy let go and the man cracked his back before facing the green flyer. She was healed for the most part and only had a bandage around her head. “How are you feeling?” “Good.” She said with a sigh. “I’m sorry about what I said the other day.” Ivy hung her head in shame. “Relax. I kinda had it coming.” He said as he remembered the incident. The flyer grinned as an idea came to her. “Yup and now you owe me!” “For what?” “For tricking me jerk! You always do that!” She said as her fist found its way into his arm. Crimson rubbed the sore spot and sighed. “Mostly because you always fall for it.” He chuckled. Ivy pouted and crossed her arms under her chest. “Fine. What do you want?” Ivy smirked. “You have to go to the dance tonight.” Crimson frowned and grumbled. “Forget it. I hate those things.” “Too bad. If want my forgiveness then show up tonight and look good.” The woman said as she started to walk away. “And for creator’s sake, trim that rat’s nest you call a head of hair. Looks like you’re hiding behind tattered red curtains.” Crimson gave her the finger as she turned and went down another hallway. “She’s got a point man. Its been like what? A year since you’ve trimmed that thing?” Cobalt asked. “Having it short makes me look like an idiot.” Rouge was about to make a funny, but was silenced when crimson pressed his finger against her lips. “No comment necessary.” “Seriously though, this party is about you, Ivory and the others that passed, but mostly about you.” Cobalt said as he pointed at the red mage. “I mean you probably saved everyone’s lives the other day.” Crimson crosse his arms and sighed. “I don’t even have anything to wear.” “Didn’t you get something from when you went to Transylmania?” Rouge asked. Crimson thought for a moment as he remembered the ensemble. “That thing? No way. It looks ridiculous.” “You mean that fancy get up with the red jacket and gold trim?” Rouge gave her boyfriend a nod. “Dude, if you wear that then you are so gonna get laid.” Crimson glared at the flyer. “What? It looks cool.” “But-” The man then felt the Changeling’s spliced eyes cutting through him. Crimson sighed and hung his head in defeat. “Fine. I’ll go.” “And?” “I’ll...get my hair cut. Just nothing too...extreme.” He said as he followed the two back towards his room. Author's Note If you caught the Starwars: Clone Wars reference (The old one that was in the early 2000's and hand drawn. Not the new crappy CG one) Then you are awesome! Chapter XXX: The BallChapter XXX The Ball “Ow! Careful!” The red mage said as he looked back at the Changeling. “Well, hold still.” The man rolled his eyes. “I mean it, or else I might take your ear off.” The man grumbled as the man allowed the mage to cut his hair. “Oh your just as bad as Ivy.” “If I were Ivy then you’d already be a pile of ash.” “True.” Crimson looked in the mirror and saw that the Changeling had her hair in a bun and was being held by a pair of needles. Two locks on hung on the sides of her face. Her dress was a light purple to match her hair with a single strap over her right shoulder. It went down to her ankles and complimented her black high heels. At the hip part of her dress was an imprint of a black spider wed. “What do you think? Like the outfit?” “Yeah you look great.” Their bathroom door opened to reveal the blue winged flyer in a navy blue jacket, pants, white collared shirt and a light blue tie. His blue hair was spiked up by whatever gel he put in it. “You two done yet?” He asked impatiently. “Almost.” Rouge said as she continued cutting. “So where’s your suit?” Crimson pointed to a hangar that had a black bag over it. The three then heard a knock on the door. “Who’s there?” “Who do you think?” The three recognized the dragon slayer’s voice. Cobalt walked over and opened the door. The green flyer was donning a long, strapless, light green dress that clung to her form and accentuated her natural physique. The bottom edge of the dress had darker green flames imprinted into the fabric and seemed to move each time she stepped forwards. Her hair was wavy and she had matching lime green mascara and eyeliner. “Nice.” Cobalt said with a nod. “How’s the patient?” She asked as she closed the door and looked at the unhappy red mage. “Don’t ask.” “Too late.” She chimed. “And done!” Rouge said as she put down the scissors. Crimson looked in the mirror and saw that she had taken a bit off his head. His hair was now just little bit past the middle of his neck in the back and was combed back in the front which allowed his usually covered face to be revealed. “Thanks Rouge.” He said as he looked over the job. “Good, now I have to do my make up.” She said as she went into the bathroom. Crimson groaned and reached towards his hair. The man then saw a purple needle fly in front of his face and stick into the wall. “Don’t even think about it.” Crimson looked to his left to see Rouge sticking her head out of the doorway with another needle in her hand. “It took me forever to get your hair like that, so don’t screw it up. Got it?” She frowned at the man. “Yes, ma’am.” He gulped. Rouge went back towards the bathroom and started to apply her makeup. Crimson looked at Cobalt who had a smirk on his face. “What?” “Nice to see you get smacked around every once in a while.” “Yeah, yeah. Get your laughs while you can.” Crimson then turned towards Ivy. “Why are you so dolled up?” “I’m going to the dance too you dunce.” “I mean with who? You don’t get all gussied up unless you’re going with a date.” “I’m going with Mac.” “AJ’s brother?” The green mage nodded. “When did you two become a couple?” The man folded his arms and raised an eyebrow. “Just before the trials.” Cobalt said as he put on some cologne. “Haven’t seen him around much. Why’s that?” The two flyers gave a shrug. “Anyway the others will be there too.” Ivy said with a sly grin. “Twilight too.” Crimson’s face turned a deep red as he remembered the incident that was interrupted by Spike. “S-so?” He said hoping that Ivy wouldn’t notice his blush. She did. “Means you have the opportunity for some sweet, sweet lovin.” Cobalt said as he put an arm around the mage. Crimson gave him a hard slug in the gut for the comment. “Worth it.” “Just shut it.” He said as he crossed his arms. Ivy chuckled and threw him his clothes on the hangar. “Oh quit griping and get dressed. You and Ivory have to be down there soon.” Ivy said as she left the room. “Fine.” He said as he grabbed his clothes and headed back to his own room to get dressed. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The castle halls were decorated with banners and a red carpet was laid out in the main hallway. A set of massive double doors opened to reveal the massive ballroom. The stone floors made the ladies’ heels echo from one end of the room to the other. Several of the students were already down in the main hall talking and joking with one another. Every man was in a suit and all the women wore elegant gowns or dresses. Several of the mens’ eyes nearly shot out of their heads when they saw the six beauties enter. The first one most of the men saw was a rainbow. A magnificent and athletic rainbow, donning a robin egg blue dress that seemed to shift into a rainbow that wrapped around her form, and had a single sash over her left shoulder. On the far left was a woman donning a decorated brown leather Stetson hat with a red apple imprinted on the underside of the brim, that sat proudly on top of her golden blonde hair that was fashioned in a long braid that hung to just above her behind. The top half of her dress was a brown, modest looking corset with a red apple in the center. The bottom of her dress was light green that matched the straps that helped hold up her dress by tying around her neck. She was also wearing a pair of green gloves that went up her forearm. Next to her was a pink haired girl donning a light pink dress coated with different kinds of candy. A bright pink bow was presented proudly on her pink blouse. Her midsection was covered in a spiral of light blue and white. A tiny white hat with a bow sat on the part of her curly locks. To the right of the blue winged beauty was a violet haired woman wearing a long wine colored dress. The waves in the dress were accented by yellow waves that matched her tiara that held up her violet locks of hair. She wore a beautiful necklace that matched the rest of her ensemble. To her right was a girl that looked to be the pure definition of grace and beauty. She was donning a flowing green dress that was only accented by the yellow stripe running through it. Her light pink hair was held back by a teal butterfly hair clip that matched her eyes to a key. A similar butterfly pattern was at the center of her dress. Lastly, tying the entire ensemble together, a dress that was like that of a calm night sky. At the edge of her dress were patterns of stars. Her indigo hair was in a bun that was held there by a bright blue star. Two curled strands hung at the sides of her face and accented her amethyst colored eyes. Her dress had a large collar that went behind her back and wrapped around her arms and showed off her exposed shoulders. In the center was a magnificent white star that drew attention to the scholar’s chest. “Wowie, zowie! This place looks amazing!” Pinkie said with a wide grin. “I must say that the sight is rather breath taking.” Rarity said as she looked at the decor. The girls then spied the blue winged flyer with his arm wrapped around his date’s arm. “Wow, you guys look awesome!” Cobalt said as he looked at the girls. “That dress is marvelous!” Rarity said as she looked at Rouge. “Where did you get it?” “Made it myself.” She smiled as she spun around so the seamstress could see her work. Rarity felt the fabric and raised an eyebrow. “What kind of fabric is this?” “It’s not fabric. 100% spider silk.” The seamstress gave a nervous laugh and cleared her throat. “Interesting use of material.” Rouge shrugged and the scholar looked at the two in confusion. “Where’s Crimson?” Dash asked. “Yeah, where is the guest of honor anyways?” The farmer said as she looked around the place. “He and Ivory are getting ready.” “For what?” As the words left the scholar’s lips, the lights dimmed down and everyone fell silent. A spotlight shined at the far end of the hall. The can wielding man appeared before the students and was wearing a jet black suit with an electric green tie. “I’ll keep this brief. Those that are here today have proven that they are powerful beyond measure.” The crowd gave a small clap. “Now it is with great pride that I announce the elite among the elite.” Everyone held their breath as they saw a massive board appear over their heads. “In second place, with a score of 12,950, Ivory Knightwalker.” The crowd cheered. The audience gasped when they saw light fill the room and Ivory, wearing a flowing white dress that gave her body the credit it deserves. Crow gave the girl a hearty smile and pulled out a long decorative saber. As the woman’s white gloved hand touched the handle it glowed with magnificent white light and it shifted. When the light vanished the crowd saw that the handle had two magnificent angle wings sprouting outwards from the base of the blade. The blade itself was a magnificent white and was straight as an arrow. The woman gave him a bow and stepped to the side. “In first place, with a score of 13,150, Crimson Storm.” The cheers were even louder than before. The bright light that Ivory created was then swallowed up by a dark red shadow that split into three parts and swirled in a circle. The three parts then shot downwards and solidified to show the man. The group’s jaws dropped at the man’s appearance. His red hair was combed back and was well groomed. He was donning a long red leather coat with gold trim around the cuffs and shoulders. Underneath the coat was a deep wine colored vest with golden buttons. His dress pants were jet black. He wore a pair of dark, shined boots with a slight heel to them. Crimson’s dark eyes looked at Ivory who gave him a respectful nod. Crimson approached the cane wielding man who had a smile on his face. Crimson gripped the saber and unsheathed the blade. The blade glowed a bright red and started to shift. A moment later the handle was black curled around the man’s hand. The blade was curved and was dark red. “May these blades protect you wherever you go.” The crowd all clapped as the to gave a bow. Crimson and Ivory sheathed their blades and attached them to their sides. The crowd cleared a path for them as they made their way off the elevated part of the hall. “Now let’s party!” As Crow said the words, music filled the room and the students all cheered. Crimson was approached by several other students and teachers who congratulated both him and Ivory. The two then departed and Crimson caught up with his teammates. “Nice!” Cobalt said as he high five’d him. The blue flyer then looked at his ensemble and nodded. “Told you you’d look awesome.” “Ugh.” Crimson said as he cracked his back. “This outfit doesn’t breath.” He groaned. “Well, I think it looks fabulous!” Crimson looked to his right to see Rarity and the other four girls. His eyes shrank as he saw their elegant ensembles. “Nice to see you guys too.” He looked at Dash and AJ and shrugged. “You two clean up well.” “Yeah, but its still a pain.” Dash said as she crossed her arms. Rainbow let out a chuckle at the coat. “Seriously dude?” “I know. I’m not a big fan of it either.” Crimson felt someone tap his shoulder. The man turned around and froze on the spot. Next to Ivy and Mac, who was donning a brown suit with a green tie to match his eyes, was Twilight wearing her stunning blue dress. He instantly felt hot under the collar and gulped. “Looks good on you.” Ivy said with a smile. Crimson gave her a slight nod and was busy trying to hide his blush from the indigo haired scholar. Twilight was trying to do the same. Ivy gave the group a wink. They all nodded. “Well, ah’m gonna see what kind of grub they have here. Com’n RD?” “Right behind ya!” The two said as they vanished into the crowd. “We’re gonna go get something to drink.” Rouge said as she lead Cobalt away. “Wait up.” Ivy said as she dragged Mac with her. The pink party animal then bounced, literally bounced away towards the dance floor. Rarity gave them both a smile and joined her friends near the refreshments. The two mages then realized that their friends had left their sides and they only remained. The realization hit both of them like a runaway freight train and they both felt an awkward silence fall between them. Twilight nervously rubbed her right arm and gulped. “Some party.” She said with a nervous grin. “Yeah, always interesting.” Crimson commented. Dear maker what is wrong with me? The man thought with a gulp. Don’t stand there looking like an idiot. Say something! Like? I don’t know compliment her dress or something. “You look nice.” He said trying to avoid eye contact. Twilight felt her face flush deeper and smiled. “Thanks, so do you. Where did you get it?” “Got it from Transylmania from a customer.” He said as he looked at the coat. “I think he said that it belonged to some noble member of his family.” Twilight looked at him with wide eyes. “He insisted that I take it. Didn’t want to look at it anymore. Said it brought up bad memories or something like that.” Twilight gave a nod and a nervous smile. “What about yours? I’m assuming Rarity made it for you?” “Yeah, this was actually my dress I wore to the Gala a year ago.” She said as she shivered at the memories. “Hopefully this time things will turn out better.” “I’m not too sure about that.” “Why?” “Every time we have a party someone starts something and it spreads to the entire crowd and a formal dance then turns into a full on brawl.” “How bad?” “It makes the Gala incident look like one of Rarity’s weekly spa visits.” Twilight gave a gulp. “Yeah, its almost like tradition here.” The scholar then had a disappointed look on her face. “Granted that probably won’t happen until later. So we still have a bit of fun before that.” “Oh good.” She smiled. Across the room, the group of girls and fighters were silently watching the two mages from afar. “This isn’t good.” Ivy said. “Crimson sucks at small talk.” “Same with Twi.” Dash stated. The changeling then remembered something. “Um guys, I think we may be forgetting something important.” “What?” Cobalt asked. Rouge pointed towards the crowd and the group spied Angel wearing a white dress. “Oh. That’s not good.” “Looks like we gotta play defense.” Ivy said as the group huddled up. “Okay guys our objective is to get Crimson alone with Twilight. Got it?” The group nodded. “To do that we need to ward off Angel and any other people that would try to get between them.” “How?” Fluttershy asked. “We each take a position and we send feedback to one another.” Rouge stated. “How? We ain’t psychic.” AJ stated. Rouge’s eyes glowed and the group all felt something shock their heads. I’ve opened up a telepathic link between all of us. Just think something and we’ll all hear it. The group heard the Changeling’s voice inside their heads. “Ivy, keep an eye on Angel from above and tell us if she tries anything.” “Got it boss.” The green flyer saluted and flew up to one of the support beams. “We’ll keep an eye on Crimson and Twilight.” Cobalt said. “Rest of you try to run interference to keep the vultures away from them.” The girls all nodded. “Okay, lets get to work. Break!” The small team took up positions and quietly watched the two mages like hawks waiting for their prey to make a mistake and go in for the kill. Crow smirked as he viewed the warriors and the other five elements watching the two. He grabbed a drink and made his way over to Princess Celestia. The sun Goddess sat down at a nearby table as Crow handed her a drink. “Thank you.” She smiled. “My pleasure. Nice to see that some of us are having fun.” “What do you mean?” Crow pointed at the red mage and her student. Celestia’s eyes shrank. “They’re only talking Crow. Anything can happen.” “Right you are Princess. Right you are.” He grinned. Celestia gulped at the words. A smile then spread across her face as she saw a girl with white hair start to approach them with Crimson in her sights. Her smile then shattered when Pinkie soon blocked her path and the two were gone the next time Angel looked over. “Crow!” Celestia frowned. “Don’t look at me Tia. I didn’t tell anyone to do anything. Scouts honor.” He said as he raised his right hand. “Looks like I’m not the only one who’s noticed their behavior and they’re taking some initiative.” “True, but things always change.” She smirked. Across the room. Dash was discretely looking at the two mages and had a very bored look on her face. The girl groaned and rested her head on her hand. “Hey theres the flyer we wanted to see.” Dash’s head turned to see Spitfire and Soarin. Both in military blue uniforms. Dash’s first instinct was to squeal like a fan girl, but quickly and wisely smothered it like the last embers in a knocked apart campfire. “Oh hey Soarin, Spitfire.” She said with a smile. “Yeah nice to see you too. Never really got to talk when we saw you all at the Gala.” Dash shuddered at the memories. “Yeah, sorry about all that.” “Sorry?” Soarin said in surprise. “You guys saved that night!” “Really?” Dash asked. “Oh yeah, I was bored out of my skull.” Spitfire said as she made a sour face. “You Ponyville folk know how to party.” Dash was trying her best to stop herself from fainting at the kind words from her idols. “Hey you wanna hang out wit us? This weak stuff ain’t doing it for me.” “We managed to sneak in some hard cider.” Soarin chuckled. Dash was a bit conflicted. The flyer gulped and looked over at Pinkie who was still keeping Angel at bay. Ivy was still in the rafters and had the ice mage in her sight. I’m sure that these guys can handle it. “Sure. Lead the way.” The two Wonderbolts smiled and led the rainbow haired girl out on the fringes of the party. Applejack and Rarity were over by the punch bowl and kept their eyes on the crowd. “Hello ladies.” The two looked over to see the card user and gunslinger with smiles on their faces. The gunslinger had a brown leather Stetson with a black band around it. The hat was perfectly made for the brown suit. The card user’s dark green hair was combed back and was wearing a nice green suit with a black tie and vest. “Howdy Ace, Bandit.” AJ said as she tipped her hat to the two men. “Told you that other people would be wearing hats.” Bandit said as he glared at the man. “Whatever. I still say that you shouldn’t wear that thing to a ball.” Ace said as he reached for the hat. “Touch the hat and I’ll break your hand.” Bandit said with a stern look on his face. Rarity then noticed that the cowboy had a pistol on him. “Why do you have that thing?” “Don’t feel right without it.” He said as he took it out of its holster and twirled it in his fingers. “Nice piece. Mac’s got an old shotgun back at the farm.” AJ commented as he put the pistol back in its holster. “You’re a farmer?” “Eeyup. Mac and I run Sweet Apple Acres.” The girl said in a proud tone. “Sweet Apple Acres.” The man repeated as he thought. “Do you know a guy named Braeburn?” “Sure do! He’s mah cousin down in Appleloosa. Why?” “Ran into him on a job. Gave me a case of your family’s cider after I cleared out a pack of timber wolves that had made a den in their south Orchard. He mentioned that your family had a farm in some town just outside of Canterlot.” “You’re a fan of our cider?” “Sure am. I can down two bottles of your Applejack Daniels without breaking a sweat.” “Applejack Daniels?” Rarity looked at the apple farmer who pulled her hat down over her face. “Is that-” “Yes, the drink is named after me.” She then turned her attention back to the cowboy. “So you fancy yourself a drinker eh?” “When the situation calls for it.” He grinned. “Haven’t met a person who can drink me under the table yet.” AJ frowned and walked up to the man so that the brims of their hats were touching. “Is that a challenge?” She said as she narrowed her eyes. “Only if you make it one.” “Bandit, don’t.” Ace said trying to talk the gunslinger out of it. “AJ dear, might I remind you that-” “The others can handle the job.” She said as she took off her gloves and cracked her knuckles. “Got anything heavier than this wine soda stuff?” “Its champagne.” Ace said with a sigh. “Whatever, this weak stuff ain’t the tools for what we gotta do.” “Ahem.” The farmer looked at the bandit who pulled out a bottle of Zap Apple Whiskey and two shot glasses. “I believe that this should be just what we need for our little competition.” “Perfect.” AJ sat down at a table and the man followed her. “I think your friend just signed her death warrant.” Ace said as he looked at the violet haired girl. “Why? If anything, Applejack can hold her drink.” “I’m not saying that she can’t. Just that Bandit is the best drinker out of the graduates.” Rarity looked at him in shock. “I saw him drink an entire bar filled with Firefighters under the table.” Rarity’s jaw hit the floor. “Is he an alcoholic?” “No, that was only once and he doesn’t drink all the time.” He said as he sipped his champagne. “On another note, where did you and your friends get their dresses from? They look amazing.” Rarity gave a smile. “I designed and made them myself.” “Really? You’re quite the designer then.” “Oh thank you darling.” Rarity chimed. As the two continued talking Angel managed to ditch Pinkie via ice clone and started her hunt for the red mage. Um Rouge, I lost Angel. Pinkie thought as her thoughts were broadcasted to the Changeling. What? She used one of those ice clones. I’m not sure where she went. Ivy, you got her? Hang on. The green flyer looked down at the crowd and her eyes scanned the crowd. Looks like Dash flew the coop, Rarity and AJ are talking with Ace and Bandit. Fluttershy is still hiding behind the plant in the far right corner. Should have seen that one coming. The Changeling face palmed. Got her! Uh-oh. What? She’s closing in on Crimson. Well, someone do something! We’re so close here! I’m too far away. Cobalt interjected as he tried fighting through the crowd. What should we do? Rouge bit her lip and her mind raced for an answer. Broken Arrow! A silence fell over the psychic link and all hell broke loose. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “You’re kidding.” Crimson said as he sipped his drink and looked at the scholar who shook her head. “So you’re telling me that Celestia holds meetings late cause she likes sleeping in?” “Yup. Once when I was still in Canterlot, I saw her passed out on her desk with a blindfold over her eyes.” She giggled. Crimson gave a chuckle. “Crow is the same way. He’s always been lazy.” The two had been talking for over two hours. Crimson still couldn’t believe the wisdom and insight the young woman had. Crimson gulped and his mind was drawing a blank. Before he could think of anything to say the two heard what sounded like a bomb going off. “Evergreen!” The red mage heard a very pissed of Angel yell. Crimson looked over and saw that she had a red punch stain on her white dress. Crimson owes me big time! The flyer thought as she dodged a few magical blasts. The blasts were deflected and hit a few people. One of the blasts hit a black winged man who lost his balance and accidentally knocked his white captain’s arm. Ivory had previously been holding a slice of strawberry cheesecake. Time slowed as she saw the dessert drop to the floor. Ivory looked back at her teammate with a look that could make an Ursa Major piss itself. “That was the last piece.” She said as she bore holes through the man. “I-Ivory c-calm down-” was all he got out before a white gloved fist sent him rocketing into the crowd. Within five seconds, every person was in a brawl with one another. Applejack and Bandit were on their tenth shot and refused to give up. Crimson grabbed Twilight’s hand and the two ducked underneath a nearby table. Twilight was completely dumbfounded as she saw several students firing bolts at one another. “Like bucking clockwork.” Crimson said with a sigh. The two saw the card user create a dome shield around himself and Rarity to shield from a cake that had been launched. They then saw several students get blasted by a cyan cannon that Pinkie was operating. Where she got it from we may never know. Amidst the chaos, the two Stetson wearing competitors continued to drink. A yellow winged mage attempted to bullrush the gun slinger, but was stopped as Bandit raised his revolver and pulled the trigger. The magic bullet hit the man dead on and forced him back into the fray, all without taking his eyes off the apple farmer. Another man was about to tackle Applejack but stopped when the farmer shot her fist up and the fighter dropped like a ton of bricks as the hard knuckles met his face. “Pretty strong, for a girl.” The intoxicated gunslinger teased. “Not a bad shot, for a lightweight.” She drunkenly giggled. Fluttershy had soon made herself scarce and was hiding underneath one of the tables. Crow was in hysterics as all three Princesses looked a the display with jaws hanging low. “Are thou not going to stop this?” Luna asked. “Why would I want to do that?” Crow said as he wiped a tear from his eyes. The man then felt a magic blast hit him square in the jaw and the man landed flat on his back. “Crow!” Celestia said as she knelt down next to the man. “Oh this takes me back.” He chuckled as he sat up. “If you won’t put a stop to this insanity then I-” “Oh come now Tia. Let them have their fun.” He said as he stood up. “At least a little while longer.” Crow flashed Cadence a glance with his eyes. Cadence followed the man’s line of sight and a coy smile appeared on her face when she saw Twilight and Crimson hiding under the same table. Back across the battle ground, sat the two mages under the table. Crimson was biting his lip as he tried to make a decision. Normally he’d already be neck deep in the brawl and kicking all kinds of ass, but on the other hand he had Twilight who despite her magical prowess, had zero exposure to this kind of the senseless violence that Crimson and every other fighter savored. The man snapped out of his thought process when the table took a direct magical blast and turned to dust. “C’mon!” Crimson grabbed Twilight’s hand and the two raced across the battle field. “There he is!” Crimson looked up and saw several other students aiming to tackle him. The red haired mage grabbed Twilight and wrapped his arms around her. The two mages’ bodies turned into shadow and quickly zipped out of the room. Crow caught notice of this and looked at Celestia with a wicked grin on his face. “Come Tia.” He said with a smirk. “Time to see about our...agreement.” Celestia looked at Crow and back at the brawl. “What about this mess?” She asked as she dodged a rogue magic bolt. The man sighed and stepped forwards. He adjusted his wire rim glasses and tapped his cane twice. The Princesses then felt a massive amount of magic erupt from the man. The three looked in amazement as the students al started to pass out one by one. Flyers dropped from their flight and hit the ground. Soon everyone in the room, besides Crow and the Princesses were unconscious on the ball room floor. “There. Happy?” He said as he let out a sigh. As he walked past the Princesses they looked at the man in shock and back at the piles of students that were affected by the man’s magic. “Don’t worry about them. They’ll be fine.” He said as he waved a hand. Celestia let out a sigh and followed the man. “Luna, Cadence. I shall see you two in the morning.” She said with a smile. The Two Princesses gave her and the man a nod and teleported off to their rooms. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The red and indigo haired mage rematerialized in a hallway far away from the main hall. Crimson sat down and started panting heavily. He had sweat on his brow and was running low on magic. Twilight shook her head and got her wits together. “You okay?” Crimson asked as he stood up. “Yeah.” Twilight then noticed his condition. “What about you?” “Been worse. I’m still not back to 100%.” He sighed. “So where are we now?” Twilight asked as she looked around. “Looks like the tower.” “Tower?” “Where I live.” He said as he pointed to a door at the top. The two climbed the steps and Crimson opened the door to his room. Twilight looked at the living space and looked around his room. “Why live all the way up here?” Crimson smiled and led her out towards the pair of double glass doors that lead out towards the balcony. The two walked out and Twilight’s jaw dropped as she saw the school being illuminated by Luna’s night sky. Twilight’s eyes were the size of dinner plates as she took in the beauty. The night air bit at the scholar’s exposed skin and she shivered. “Cold?” The man asked as he stood next to her. “A little. I’m fine though.” She said as she rubbed her arms. The scholar then felt something come over her shoulders and her face flushed a deep red. She felt the object and realized that it was the man’s red leather coat. “Its beautiful here.” “Yup, but I have to leave it.” He sighed. Twilight’s heart sank as she remembered what the blue flyer had told her and her friends a few days ago. “Right, you and the other graduates are getting reassigned.” Twilight said in a disappointed tone. “Where will you go?” “Not sure. It’s a grab bag.” He sighed. The man looked up at the sky and gazed at the moon. Twilight felt her heart being crushed. She couldn’t take it any more and threw her arms around the man. “T-Twilight, what are you-” He stopped talking when he felt a wetness seeping through his vest. The girl tilted her head up to show her tear filled amethyst colored eyes. Crimson could feel her cold arms around his torso. Her sighed and returned the embrace. “I don’t want you to go.” She cried. “Twilight. I have to. It’s my job and-” “Why can’t someone else go? Why do you have to do it?” She asked with tears running down her face. “That’s like asking why you read books, study magic and use the Elements of Harmony.” “Because its....” Crimson gave her a nod as he saw a spark of realization light up in her eyes. “Its the same with me. It’s who I am.” He put his hands on her shoulders and looked deep into her bright purple eyes. “This is something I’ve been training for my whole life. To go out, see the world, fight monsters, be the hero.” “Life is no fairy tale.” “I know, but that’s why people like Ivy, Cobalt, Rouge and I are here. To help make things better for people like you and your friends.” He said with a sigh. “What about you huh? What about your happiness?” A silence fell over the man. “That was never part of the plan.” Twilight wiped the tears from her eyes and sighed. “Besides, I owe everyone here a huge debt.” “What debt?” “Something that can never be repaid.” Twilight’s expression then frowned and lightly slapped the man’s face. “Ow! What was that for?” “I thought that you were past all this! You are not the demon! You don’t have to take that responsibility for-” “That’s not what I’m talking about. The debt I’m talking about is much bigger then what that thing did.” Twilight looked at him in confusion. “Everyone here, Ivy, Crow, Angel, even Ivory. I owe them all a debt.” “What did they do?” “They saved me from myself.” Twilight looked at him in shock. The man let out a sigh and looked towards the night sky. “When I found out about what was in me, everything changed. I saw the world in a darker shade, food had no taste and everything just seemed....pointless. I thought that I was just a burden to them. Crow and Ivy especially.” “What happened?” “During a mission when we were still kids, someone gave them an offer to turn me over to some blood thirsty psychos that most likely wanted to skin me alive and prop me up as a warning. They refused to sell me out and the crazies were gonna kill them for protecting me.” Twilight gasped. “I intervened and we managed to hold them off until back up arrived and we escaped. The least that I can do is try to protect them.” “I’m sure that they don’t think that you owe them that.” The scholar said as she gulped. “I know they don’t and they’d tell me that it’s idiotic, but its how I keep going.” His eyes were like calm pools of red wine. “Don’t you think that you’ve paid enough? I mean I heard stories about how you’ve saved them time after time.” The man let out a sigh. “Last year, when I lost control while training, I thought that I had paid enough. Started taking missions on my own and I thought that I had enough and it was sort of....peaceful. The thought that I had helped them enough so that they could stand on their own. So that they wouldn’t need me.” He said as his eyes softened. “I started to slip back into that pit of darkness that I started out in and I didn’t care that I was.” Twilight gulped. “Then I get sent to some backwater town and everything gets screwed up. I got saved again. What got to me was that it was by someone I never expected.” He said in a calm tone. “Huh?” “I wouldn’t be surprised if Ivy, Crow or even Ivory pulled me out of the pit I was digging.” He said as he looked at the scholar. “But getting saved by a librarian? I gotta tell ya, that’s a new one on me.” Twilight’s jaw dropped in confusion. “Me?” She asked as she pointed at herself. “You did it twice.” He said as he ran a hand through his hair. “Imagine, me, a Ranger class Conduit being saved by a librarian that lives in a small town in the middle of nowhere. Its beyond outrageous and goes strait into ludicrousness.” Twilight frowned at the man. “Makes me bonkers just thinking about it.” Twilight gritted her teeth and was about to turn him into a newt. “What’s even crazier, is that I don’t care.” ........ ........ “Huh?” Twilight’s jaw dropped as she tried to processed the information. “I don’t care.” Twilight still had a baffled look on her face. “What do you mean by you don’t care?” “To be honest, no one has ever given me a tongue lashing like you’ve have. Sure Ivy and the others have slapped some sense into me, literally. You’ve done that too, but at the same time you’ve given me a mental one and now you’re on my list of people I have to repay a debt to.” “You don’t owe me anything.” She said with a gulp. “No, I do. While I was in my week long coma I had a lot of time to think about things. Not much else to do when you can’t move.” The man gave a shrug. “You were among those things.” Twilight felt her face flare up. “I realized that you are without a doubt the craziest girl I’ve ever met.” “Really? Out of Ivory and Ivy? I’m the craziest girl you’ve ever met?” She asked as she folded her arms under her chest. “They’re crazy in a different way. You are crazy in a way that I can’t get you out of my blasted head.” He said as he lightly hit the back of his own head. “I realized that its the crazy stuff you do that...” The man felt a lump the size of a watermelon form in his throat, “That?” Twilight asked in a worried tone. She saw that the man was physically struggling with something he was trying to get out. “Makes...me crazy...about...you.” The silence was deafening. A breeze blew past the two and in the distance a wolf howled at the moon. You know that feeling when you get butterflies in your stomach? Twilight felt as though these butterflies were a foot across and made of pure fire. Her face was as red as the man’s hair and she finally managed to form words. “Y-you’re crazy about me?” She asked with a gulp. “To say the least.” He said in a shaky tone. A long silence fell between the two mages. Crimson gulped and felt a mournful feeling creep up inside of him. “I-” He was cut off as a warm pair of lips met his own and a pair of familiar gloved arms wrapped themselves around his body and pulled him into a warm embrace. Crimson returned the kiss and held the scholar close to him. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Crow sat back in his office chair with a smug grin spread across his face. Across him sat a disappointed Princess Celestia. On the desk that separated the two sat a crystal ball that showed the two mages embracing each other. Crow snapped his fingers and the image vanished from the crystal. “Check and mate.” He said with a smile. “I believe that makes seven wins, zero losses.” Celestia still held her head in defeat. “Oh come now Tia, surely you want your pupil to be happy right?” “Of course I do.” She said as her head shot up. “Its just that-” “Next time I make the cake, I’ll be sure to send you a piece.” Celestia’s smile shined like the morning sun. “But you still lost and you know what that means.” Celestia gulped and a blush appeared on her face. “My office, tomorrow night, at around seven for a nice dinner.” Crow held the door open for the Princess and she exited the room. “Clothing optional.” The sun Goddess was about to yell but the door closed on her face. A pink face Celestia teleported back to her room where Cadence was waiting patiently. “Well?” She asked as she crossed her arms. Celestia summoned a small bit bag, containing fifty or so bits and tossed it at the Princess of love. Cadence giggled as she caught the bag and thought of the two young mages together. “Seriously Auntie, you stink at making bets.” Author's Note Hope you liked it. There wil be one more chapter after this one. Chapter XXXI: Don't Say GoodbyeChapter XXXI Don’t Say Goodbye The next day, most of the student body were hungover, tired or both. The five girls all managed to find their way back to their rooms and get out of their gowns and back into their normal clothes before heading off towards breakfast. Applejack and Rainbow Dash were both hungover more than a bar filled with drunkards. Cobalt, Ivy and Rouge had woken up and already helped clean up the mess of the ballroom. The girls had packed their things and made their way towards the dragon hybrid’s room. Pinkie knocked on the door. “Hey Spike, Twilight, get up. We gotta get ready to get back to Ponyville.” Pinkie chimed. “Pinkie, not so loud.” AJ said as she clutched her head. “Serves you right for getting into that drinking contest.” Rarity said with a snort. The door opened to reveal the dragon hybrid. “I’m all packed. I haven’t seen Twilight since last night.” The girls looked at one another in confusion. The two hungover girls groaned in pain. “C’mon, I have just the thing for a hangover.” Ivy said as she started to lead the two back down the steps. “Spike why don’t you get Twilight’s stuff-” Pinkie stopped talking as the hybrid pointed to the already packed lavender colored suitcase. “Oh, never mind.” She said as they all followed the green flyer up towards her room. As they climbed the stairs Rouge sniffed the air. “Smell something girl?” Cobalt asked in a tone he’d use for a dog. Rouge frowned and lightly slapped him. “Yeah, love is definitely in the air.” “How do you-” Rouge raised an eyebrow at the cyan winged flyer. “Oh right.” Ivy arrived outside her door and pulled out her key. “Oh I hope we find Twilight soon.” Fluttershy said in a worried tone. “Relax silly, I’m sure she’s fine.” The pink haired girl said with a smile. As the green flyer opened the door, everyone’s jaws hit the floor. There in Crimson’s bed were the two mages asleep in each other’s arms. “Oh..my.” Fluttershy said a she froze on the spot. Rarity’s face turned bright red and fainted in a very dramatic fashion. Crimson yawned and sat up to see the group staring at them. The red mage looked down at the stirring Twilight and back up at the crowd. “Let’s face it this is not the worst thing you’ve caught me doing.” A long silence fell over the group as Twilight looked up. Her face went from bright red to pale white in a matter of seconds before passing out on the bed. Ivy and Cobalt were on the floor holding their sides in laughter as Dash and AJ were caught between laughing and grabbing their heads in pain over their hangovers. “I told you that you were gonna get laid if you wore-” The flyer stopped talking as Rouge shot a spider web over his mouth. “Thank you Rouge.” He said as he lightly shook Twilight’s shoulder. The scholar opened her eyes and yawned. Twilight looked over and her face went pale. “Oh no, it wasn’t a dream!” She said as she hid under the covers. The Changeling face palmed as Cobalt ripped the webbing off his mouth. Twilight’s form glowed a bright purple under the blanket and her form vanished from under the covers. Crimson heard the scholar teleport inside the bathroom and lock the door. Fluttershy was helping Rarity to her feet and the girls quickly went over towards the bathroom, while the Rangers stood across from Crimson. The group heard a magical discharge and the door opened to show that Twilight was out of her dress and in a pair of dark purple pants and a light purple short sleeve blouse. “Lets just say that that never happened.” Rouge said. “What never happened?” Crimson said in a flat tone. “Exactly.” Twilight said with a gulp. “So...what exactly did we almost walk in on?” Ivy asked stifling a laugh. “Nothing! We were sleeping!” Crimson said as his face went bright red. “Sure I totally believe you.” Cobalt said in a sarcastic tone. Rouge let out a low pitched growl as she dead legged her boyfriend. “So are you two a couple now?” Pinkie asked with excitement. Crimson looked at Twilight who was blushing profusely. “Yeah. Guess we are.” Pinkie jumped up and down with a wide smile on her face. The group of girls rushed over to Twilight and started congratulating her. Crimson walked over to the bathroom and quickly changed back into his normal clothes. He exited the bathroom and Cobalt gave him a fist bump. “Oh my gosh! I gotta throw you two the biggest couple party when we go back to Ponyville.” Pinkie chimed. Crimson and Twilight both bit their bottom lip. “There’ll be drinks, cake, balloons-” “I’m not going back.” The group of friends all turned to look at the man. His red eyes were like two deep pools of wine. “What do you mean you’re not going back?” Dash asked. “I have a job to do Dash. I can’t abandon that.” He said as he folded his arms. “Look Twilight and I spent hours talking about this and she understands.” The girls all looked at Twilight who gave a slow nod. “I don’t like it either, but I can’t not go.” “Why not? Your uncle is the boss of this joint right?” Dash asked as Ivy threw her a small vial filled with green liquid. The flyer took a gulp and stuck her tongue out at the flavor. “Yes, Crow is the headmaster, but even he has to play by the rules. If he can’t do that then how can we expect people to obey the laws of magic. It’d be like a cop robbing a store.” He said with a sigh. “Still ain’t fair.” AJ said as she drank the liquid. “It usually never is.” He commented. Crimson looked at Twilight who had a small smile on her face. “I promised that I’d write letters and I’d visit during my off time.” The man then saw his red gem glowing and he took it in his hand. “All Zealots report to the Headmaster for debriefing.” Crimson gave a sigh and cracked his back. “Could you at least walk us to the train station?” Twilight asked. Crimson gave a nod and helped her up off his bed. The group of girls left the man’s room and went to retrieve their things. Crimson sat down on his bed and buried his head in his hands. Ivy sat down next to him and put a hand on his shoulder. “You okay?” “No, but thanks for asking though.” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Twilight was walking with her friends who each had their own bags. Rarity gave the four girls a nervous look. The group slowly made their way towards the edge of the castle’s hallways. The six girls saw the four warriors waiting for them. Crimson and Twilight walked hand in hand towards the train depot behind everyone else. The whistle on the train snapped the two mages out of their discussion. Ivy parted ways with Mac and the other two mages waved goodbye. Crimson looked over Twilight’s shoulder and saw the pretty seamstress dragging the cyan flyer inside the train as AJ pushed Pinkie inside. The scholar shook her head. “Sorry. They’re just curious.” She chuckled. “Relax they’re not the only ones.” Crimson looked behind him to see that the Changeling had strung up the two flyers in web cocoons. An awkward silence fell between the two. “I guess this is-” Twilight stopped talking as she felt a finger press on her lips. “Just do me one thing okay?” Twilight gave a nod. “Don’t say goodbye. I hate goodbyes.” Crimson said as the girl put a hand on his cheek and drew him closer. “Since I’ll see you again, it won’t be.” Twilight pressed her lips against his and wrapped her arms around him. Crimson did the same and didn’t want to let go. Another whistle from the train broke the embrace. Twilight snapped her fingers and a small green gem appeared in her hands. “What’s this?” “It’ll allow you to send me messages through Spike.” Crimson pulled out a small bit of paper and scribbled something on it. He rolled it up and set it over the gem. The letter was sucked inside and the two heard a familiar burp from inside the train car. “Guess it works.” He grinned as he put the gem inside his coat. “Last call! All aboard.” The conductor yelled. Crimson sighed at the words. He gave Twilight one last peck on the cheek before she got on the train. Twilight slid the train door closed and sat down next to her friends. Crimson watched as the train pulled away with the scholar and her friends. The changeling walked up next to him and put a hand on his shoulder. “C’mon Crimson, its time.” She said as she led him back towards the school. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The train ride was silent for the most part. The group took the caboose and had the car to themselves. Rarity sat next to Twilight who refused to say anything. Dash rubbed her eyes and let out a groan. “So did you two bang or what?” Several heads looked at the flyer and gasped. “What?” “Show some decency Rainbow Dash!” Rarity growled. “Oh come on! We saw them in bed.” “Should we remember how we found you this fine morning?” Dash’s face went bright red as she remembered her waking up in bed with both Spitfire and Soarin. She still had no memory of the night before. “That’s what I thought.” “Fine, fine. I still wanna know what happened though?” Dash said as she looked at Twilight. The scholar took a deep breath and gathered her thoughts. She then gave them the rundown of what she and the red haired mage talked about. “So even though he admits that he’s got feeling for you he still wouldn’t come back with us.” Twilight gave a nod to the cyan flier. “Jack ass!” “Rainbow Dash!” Pinkie said. “What? Twilight spilt her guts out for him and then he goes and says that he’s not going to stay? What is that all about?” “He has an important job Rainbow. What kind of person would I be if I told him to forget about all that?” Dash crossed her arms and grunted. “Imagine if someone you love asked you to give up being a Wonderbolt.” AJ stated. Dash felt her throat go dry and gulped at the question. “If they really cared about me then they wouldn’t.” Then it clicked. The flyer finally understood why Twilight had to let him go. Asking someone to forget about their dream is like asking them to tear out their heart and keep on living. “Oh,” Dash hung her head low and looked at the scholar who was shaking. “sorry Twi. I wasn’t thinking.” Twilight was easily on the verge of tears and Dash sighed. “Do you want me to stop talking?” Twilight gave a nod. “Do you want us to leave you alone for a bit dear?” Rarity asked. Twilight shook her head as the seamstress wrapped her in a warm hug. Spike did the same and Twilight felt her tears run down her face. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Crimson sat in Crow’s office with the raven haired man sitting across from him along with Celestia. Crimson was bitting his lip hard enough to draw blood. Crow looked down at the pages and back at his godson. “Before you get your assignment,” The younger man said as he folded his hands. “is there anywhere special you’d like us to send you? I can pull a few strings and-” Crimson raised a hand. “No, I know what I signed up for. Send me where I’d be most useful.” Crow raised an eyebrow and gave a heavy sigh as he held up a red folder. “I’ve done some research and I’ve got a good area.” He said as he adjusted his glasses. “Difficulty?” “S class.” Crimson blinked as the words left the man’s lips. S class areas are about as comforting as a cave filled with goblins. Only places where the worst of the worst happens ever get placed in that category and very few people ever return from them. Crimson gulped as he thought of the indigo haired scholar and the friends he’d made in the small town. He clenched his fist and let out a sigh. “I’ll take it.” He said as he looked at the man. Crow looked at Clay who gave him a nod. “Your funeral.” He said with a sigh. He handed Crimson the folder and the red mage knew that there was no going back now. He opened the folder and his eyes shrank. An audible gulp could be heard from the man. Crimson felt goosebumps on his skin and the hair on his neck rise. “You depart immediately.” Crimson nodded and got to his feet. As he reached for the door he froze. Crimson looked back at the man who had a blank look on his face. “Have something to say?” “Yeah, I do.” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Eventually the train ride went into the night and into the next day. It was around noon and they had just passed Trottingham coming up on Ponyville. Spike felt a familiar knot form in his gut and let loose a green fire filled belch. A scroll appeared in front of the scholar who quickly swiped it up and read it. "What?" Twilight raised an eyebrow in confusion as the other girls walked over to her and read the letter themselves. It only contained three words. Hold onto something. "What in the hay is that supposed to-" Was all the farmer got out before the train suddenly stopped and the girls all felt themselves fly from their seats and onto the floor. The girls all grunted in pain as they got off one another. One of the servers opened the door and looked at the group. “What happened?” Rarity asked in an annoyed tone. “Emergency stop! There’s a...a...” The woman’s face lacked any color and she was visibly shaking. “Simmer down there Sally.” AJ said. “Deep breath.” The woman took in several long hard breaths. “Now tell us what’s stopping us.” “A monster!” The girls stuck their head out the window and looked towards the front of the train. They all felt their throats go dry and felt their blood run cold. Standing just ahead of the front of the train was a Colossus. It stood on two feet, was made of what looked like stone, magic and metal and stood easily sixty meters tall. A loud grunt could be heard from the creature. “What is that thing?” Rainbow screamed. “It’s a Colossus!” Twilight yelled. I’ve read about them, they’re supposed to be extinct.” Twilight gulped. “Can’t you do something Twi?” “Are you kidding me? That thing is massive!” The girls then heard footsteps on the roof. The girls all huddled together and heard something break the roof’s emergency exit. The girls all looked in surprise as they saw a familiar purple Changeling hop down into the car. “Oh there you guys are.” She smiled as she dusted herself off. “Rouge? What are you doing here?” Twilight yelled. “Hang on a second.” The Changeling pulled out what looked like a small pistol and stuck it out the window. As she pulled the trigger a purple flare erupted from the barrel and soared into the sky before exploding. The girls then felt the entire train shake and the surrounding area. Twilight looked out to see that the Colossus had moved out of the way of the train and the engine started to pick up speed. The cabin door opened to show the other two fliers. “Told you they’d be in the back.” Ivy said. Cobalt shrugged with a grin on his face. The server got to her feet and quickly made her way back towards the other cars. The girls watched as they passed the Colossus who's eyes seemed to be fixated on them. The hulking monster looked even larger as they drew closer. The group saw something dark get launched from the monster’s hand. It sailed over the train car and over to the roof. Suddenly the massive creature vanished in a flash of light. The group heard something cutting into the roof and saw a curved blade sticking through. The sound of boots against metal filled the cabin. A dark hooded object fell from the entrance the Changeling used. Twilight’s eyes shrank and saw the red haired man standing before them with a smirk on his face. “Afternoon ladies.” He said as he cracked his back. “Crimson? What are you doing here?” Twilight asked as she ran up to the man. “Well, it went like this, Crow was gonna ship me off to some crazy ass location in the middle of nowhere. I was about to leave when I decided to buck the system. I refused the order, fought my way through a lot of Academy agents, met up with these three, hitched a ride on Tombstone, blocked the track and he threw me like a javelin. Thus here I am.” He said with a smile. “Oh that is so romantic!” Rarity sniffled as she clasped her hands together. “Did you really do all that?” AJ asked. “I’m just kidding.” He chuckled. “Well, about refusing the orders part and fighting the agents.” “So why’d you come here then?” Twilight asked. “Just following orders.” He grinned. The girls all looked at him in confusion. “What? Next train that leaves for Ponyville is in five days. I can’t wait that long.” Twilight smiled at the man. “You see, Crow and the Princess dug through the records and rated Ponyville as an S class danger zone.” “A what now?” AJ asked. “Different areas that have trouble get categorized based on their danger level.” Rouge said. “Higher the danger, higher the rank, higher the rank the more experienced Zealot they send.” “Hold up.” Dash said as she looked at the man. “Ponyville is peaceful as can be and almost never has problems.” Crimson reached inside his coat and pulled out a packet of pages. “A year ago, Princess Luna returned to the old Everfree castle as Nightmare Moon and caused significant damage to Ponyville.” The man turned the page. “Few months after, there was an Ursa Minor incident. A parisprite infestation hit the town like a freight train, devouring bits of the buildings. Lets not all forget the Discord incident.” “The list goes on.” He then rolled the piece of paper back up and put it inside his jacket. “If that ain’t trouble then I don’t know what is.” The girls gave a nod. “Since that place seems to be overrun with trouble, Crow and Celestia decided to send someone who can at least put up a fight and is familiar with the area. So here I am.” Twilight couldn’t hide the smile on her face. “So that means-” “I’ll still get missions and go out on jobs, but I’ll have to come back to Ponyville each time I complete a job. That is if you guys want me as the guild lead-” He was instantly wrapped in a warm hug by the scholar. Twilight then started shooting of the word ‘yes’ like a machine gun. Crimson’s face was bright red and saw the others grinning ear to ear. “Wait you said that you got a ride on Tombstone.” The farmer said. “Who’s that?” “That Colossus that was blocking the tracks.” The group looked at him in shock. “You own a Colossus?” “No, I’m friends with a Colossus.” “And why did you make him stop the train?” Rarity asked as she glared at the man. “Seemed like a good idea at the time.” The man said with a shrug. “Besides Rouge said it would be romantic.” “I approve!” Twilight chimed as she tightened her hug. “Wait a sec, you said guild. Ponyville doesn’t have a guild.” Dash interjected. “Yet. We’ll have to work something out with the mayor, but I’m sure that won’t be a problem.” Cobalt said with a smile. The group of friends then sat back down in their seats. Twilight nuzzled the red mage and looked out the window to see the small town in the distance. “I guess that this whole ordeal is finished then.” Twilight said with a sigh. Crimson put a hand on her head and ran his fingers through her hair. “Nope. I think we’re just getting started.” He said as he gave her forehead a small kiss. To be Continued... Author's Note I want to thank all those who gave this story their support! PrologueThe Ranger’s Journey Prologue A tall, fair skinned man with shoulder length jet black hair and light green eyes sat with a long black cane in his hands. The man looked like he was in his mid twenties. The top of the cane was a silver metal and was in the shape of a raven’s head. The man sat patiently as the door opened and a tall woman with fair skin and a flowing celestial hair and a pair of white wings were sprouting out of her back. A golden crown was set on top of her head and her wings matched her flowing white dress. The woman stood at seven feet tall and walked up to the man with a warm smile on her face. The man stood up with the cane steadying his body. The two walked down the marble stone corridor until they got to a set of white doors with golden handles. The two entered and the woman sat behind a massive wooden desk. “Thank you for seeing me on such short notice Princess Celestia.” The man said as he sat down across from the desk. “Oh please, enough with the formalities Crow. You’re among friends.” She said with a chuckle. “How did the mission go?” The man let out a sigh and looked at the Princess with a blank expression on his face. “That’s why I’m here. There’s been a....complication.” He said as he scratched the back of his neck. “What complication?” The Princess asked in a serious tone. The man put his hand inside his coat pocket and pulled out a photo of a young fair skinned boy with messy shoulder length crimson red hair and matching red eyes. “Who is this?” “That is Orion Comet’s son, Crimson Storm” He said in a low tone. Celestia’s eyes shrank as she made the connection. “Oh....I see.” She said as she handed the picture back to the man. “What does he have to do with ‘it?’” She asked. “It....jumped him.” He said in a low tone. The Princess’s eyes shrank at the news and her mind raced as countless thoughts of pain, death and destruction raced through her mind. “What?” Celestia’s eyes shrank and the color drained from her face. “Did you-” “I managed to seal it before it took possession.” He said with a sigh. The Princess let out a sigh of relief at the news. “I....I want to take him under my wing at the Academy.” Celestia’s jaw fell open at the news. “I know the risks Celestia, but-” “But nothing! You’d be putting everyone in danger!” “It would be more dangerous to let him wander the world alone and unsupervised.” He said in a stern tone. “He will be sheltered, clothed, fed and he’ll learn to control his magic.” “It’s a big risk Crow.” She said as she rolled the idea around in her head. “He’s only eight years old and he’s all alone in the world.” The man said in a low tone. “I owe it to Orion as a comrade and a friend to look after him.” Celestia let out a sigh and scratched her chin. “He will be under my watchful eye and he’ll be protected by the Academy.” “I think that he should decide.” Celestia said in a flat tone. “I think that’s fair.” He said with a nod as he stood up. “I will go fetch him for you.” The man got to his feet and steadied himself on his cane. “If I may ask, why are you walking with a cane?” The man let out a sigh and lifted up his right ant leg to reveal a heavily scarred leg. The skin looked as though it was severely burned and the skin was almost like paper. The Princess let out a gasp at the sight. “No good deed goes unpunished your majesty.” Crow said in a low tone. “Surely you know that better than anyone.” He said as he walked towards the door. He walked over to a golden armored man who was holding a spear and had long blue hair. “Excuse me, sir guard.” He said as he waved his hand, cathcing the man's attention. “How can I help you Professor Crow?” He asked with a smile. Crow gazed at the man and scratched his chin. “You look familiar, have we met?” He asked as he examined the guard. “I was one of the soldiers the Princess sent along with you.” He said in a flat tone. “Ah yes! Private Shining Armor correct?” The man nodded. “How are you feeling son?” “Better, all things considering.” He said with a gulp. “That’s to be expected after what you’ve seen.” He said in a flat tone. “Tell me, have you seen a young boy with dark red hair wearing a dark hood around?” The guard then narrowed his eyes. “You mean that thing you brought back?” Crow scowled at the man. “He’s not a thing. Just a boy who needs guidance.” He said in a rough tone. The guard looked at him and scoffed. “If you don’t know where he is then just say you don’t. I’m busy and I hate having my time wasted.” Crow said in a serious tone. The guard grunted and stared at the man. “Last time I saw him, he was in the gardens.” He said in a flat tone. “Thank you.” He said in a cold tone. “As you were Private.” Crow said as he started to walk away from the guard with a less than amused look on his face. Shining stood at attention as the Sergeant approached him. “Sir!” “At ease private.” He said with a smile. “I just ran into your sister, very charming girl.” He said as he scratched the back of his head. “That’s Twily.” He said as he shook his head with a smile. “Where did you see her?” “I believe she was just going into the garden maze. Why?” Shining’s eyes shrank as he heard the words. “Sir, please excuse me. I have to go!” The man said as he broke into a run towards the gardens. The officer shrugged and continued to walk down the marble hallway. A young boy sat alone on a green wooden bench with a black hood covering his dark red hair. The boy was no more than eight years old and was donning a black sweatshirt and dark blue pants. He got to his feet and made his way through the hedge maze. Crimson kept his dark red eyes focused on the path ahead of him. He looked in surprise to see a young girl with indigo hair with a pink stripe running down the side kneeling near a tree in the center of the pathway. Her bright purple eyes matched her dress and small shiny shoes. As he walked closer he saw that the little girl was crying. Crimson cocked an eyebrow and walked closer. The girl looked a year younger than him. “Um....are you okay?” He asked as he approached the girl. “Smarty Pants is stuck!” She said as she pointed up to the tree. Crimson looked up to see a small doll stuck in the branches. Crimson rolled his eyes and looked down at the still sobbing girl. “Wait here.” He said as he walked past the small girl. Crimson pulled himself up on the trunk of the tree and hoisted himself onto the branch. The boy crawled on the outstretched branch and reached forward with his hand. He tried to reach but his small arms were just out of reach. As he strained, a magical red aura appeared around his hands and the doll started to lean towards him. The boy extended his arm further. He could feel his muscles straining and a the small amount of energy taxing him. The doll flew into his hands as he lost his grip and fell towards the ground. He landed with a loud thud on his back and groaned in pain. As he stood up the small girl raced towards him and wrapped him in a hug. “Thankyouthankyouthankyou!” She said with tears of joy running down her face. The boy smiled as he gave her back the doll and rubbed his right shoulder. “You’re hurt!” “I’ll be okay.” He said with a shrug. “What are you doing in the gardens?” “I’m just waiting. I have to take a test to see if I get into this fancy school.” She said with a smile. “Good luck.” He said with a nod. “Thanks, my name is Twilight Sparkle. What’s yours?” “I’m-” “TWILIGHT! GET AWAY FROM HIM!” The two children looked over to see a tall man in golden armor running towards them. “Hey Shiny, what are you-” she was cut off as the young man stepped in between them and drew his sword. Shining pointed the sharp end at the boy who fell onto his back and started to shake in fear. The small girl then started to lightly hit the man’s leg. “BBBFF! Don’t scare him!” She said as she frowned. “He saved Smarty Pants from that tree.” The guard looked at his sister who was holding the doll. The guard looked at his little sister and back at the boy was close to pissing his pants as his eyes focused on the unsheathed sword. The guard then noticed a green eyed black crow perched in the branches staring at him with daggers in it’s eyes. Shining grunted sheathed the blade before turning around and kneeling down so his and the girl’s eyes met. “Listen to me Twiley, I want you to stay away from him.” He said in a serious tone. “Why?” “He’s dangerous. Not just to you, but to everyone and everything around him.” He said as he glared back at the boy who had gotten to his feet and brushed himself off. Shining then turned back to his little sister and put his hands on her shoulders. “Please Twilight, for me?” He said in a begging tone. The girl looked down at the ground and moved the dirt around with her shoe. Twilight looked at her brother and then shifted her gaze to the boy. “Well....okay, if it’ll make you happy BBBFF.” The guard let out a sigh of relief and smiled. “Can I just say goodbye? It would be kind of rude.” “Make it quick.” He said as he narrowed his eyes on Crimson, who gulped as he felt the man’s gaze on him. “I have to get back to my patrol. I hope you do well on your test.” He said as he hugged the girl. Twilight smiled and returned the gesture before the man walked away. Crimson held his head in shame and started to walk away from the girl. “Hey wait!” She said in a high pitched voice. Crimson turned around to see the girl walking up to him. “Walking away from someone who’s trying to talk to you is very rude you know.” “Sorry, but you heard what’s his name.” He said as he pointed to the guard who was rounding the corner. “I really don’t feel like getting slashed by a sword.” “Yeah, but I still want to thank you for rescuing Smarty Pants.” She said with a smile. The boy rolled his eyes and stood still. Before Crimson could react, the girl leaned forward and planted a small kiss on his cheek. The boy’s face went as red as his hair and gulped. The girl’s face was also turning a shade of red as she smiled. “So.....thanks.” She said with a small smile. “N-no problem.” He said with a gulp. “C’mon Twilight. It’s time to go.” The guard yelled. “I’ll be right there BBBFF.” She said before running off towards her brother. Crimson stood frozen as his right eye twitched at what just happened. “Aren’t you the little charmer?” Crimson spun around and saw the black crow fly up to him and change into the tall cane carrying man. “Already taking after your father I see.” “Uncle! It wasn’t like that!” He said in an annoyed tone. The man stood there with a smug smile plastered across his face. “ I just......she was the one who......UGH!” He said in annoyance. “I’m just kidding.” He said as he rubbed the boy’s messy head of hair. “I was actually looking for you, there’s someone I want you to meet.” He said as he put a hand on Crimson’s shoulder. The red hair’d child felt a small tingling sensation and saw a flash of green light. Crimson opened his eyes to see a large circular room with hundreds of books and documents. “Hello there.” An angelic voice said from behind the two men. Crimson spun around to see a tall and beautiful woman sitting behind a desk with a warm smile spread across her face. Crimson had seen pictures of her in magazines and posters. The boy’s heart started to beat rapidly as he made the connection and realized he was standing before THE Princess Celestia of Equestria. “You must be Crimson Storm. Crow has told me quite a bit about you.” She said with a warm smile. Crimson immediately bowed his head in respect to the goddess and tried to calm himself. “Are you alright?” She asked. “He’s just nervous Tia. What do you expect?” Crow said with a smile. The red hair’d child looked up at the man in shock at how he addressed the Princess so casually. “I suppose you’re right.” She said with a small chuckle. “Come sit down we have something to discuss.” She said as she looked at the two seats in front of the desk. Crimson gulped and made his way towards the seats and sat down next to his uncle. “First off I want to give you my condolences Crimson.” The child adverted his deep red eyes from the goddess. “I know that losing a family member is never easy especially at your age.” The Princess said in a low tone. “I knew your father and mother. They were brave warriors and will be remembered. You have my word.” “Ahem!” The green eyed man gave a small cough signaling for the Princess to move on. “Now, there is something I wish to ask you if you’ll let me.” Celestia said as she poured them each a cup of tea. “What is it your highness?” “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Crimson gulped as he took the fine ceramic cup in his hands. He had been asked that question several times by teachers in school and by some other kids. He always gave them the same answer, ‘I want to be just like my parents.’ The words tore at his heart as he remembered their smiling faces. “I....I don’t know.” He said in a low tone. “I..I always said I wanted to be like my dad, but after.....” He said as he fought back the tears. “I just don’t know. I’m just a kid after all.” Celestia let out a sigh and gave an understanding nod. “That’s very smart of you to say Crimson. It takes true courage for one to speak their mind.” She said as she gave him a warm smile. “There’s a choice that you need to make.” She said, her tone changing to a more serious one. “You can either stay here in Canterlot where you will find a new family and friends.” Crimson’s eyes shrank at the words. “Or, your Uncle Crow has agreed to look after you at his school.” The boy looked at the man in amazement. “I wanted you to make the choice.” Crow said with a smile. Crimson sank back into his chair and weighed his options. “There’s no rush, take your time.” Crow said as he put a hand on his nephew’s shoulder. The red hair’d boy thought hard on the subject. The entire room was dead quiet for five whole minutes, it may has well been five hours. At the end of the fifth minute Crimson let out a sigh and got to his feet. “Can I bring some stuff with me to the Academy?” He asked. Crow grinned ear to ear in delight at the decision. “Of course. We can go pick them up after I fill out some paperwork for the Princess.” Crow said with a warm smile on his face. Celestia smiled and handed him a few pieces of paper. Crow quickly scribbled his name on a few lines and clicked the pen shut. “Splendid. Now if you two would excuse me, I have some official business to attend to.” She said as she stood up. “Best of luck to you both in the future.” She said before teleporting in a flash of white light. The two boys looked at one another and shrugged. The two walked out of the meeting room and into the marble hallways of the Castle. “I know you’re going to love it at the academy Crimson. All the books your eyes can read.” Crow said with a smile. Crimson gave him a weak grin and nodded. “Tell me son. Do you really want to be a warrior?” The red hair’d boy took a moment to gather his thoughts and let out a sigh. “Yes.” As he answered the two felt a massive vibration coming from outside the city. Crimson looked up and saw what appeared to be an explosion of rainbows. The two then heard a loud roar coming from the far side of the castle. The two boys looked in astonishment as a giant purple dragon’s head shot through the ceiling and breathed a small amount of green flames. Crimson looked up at the older man and frowned. “Uncle, did you pull a prank on the Princess?” He asked as he pointed at the dragon. “No ma boy. This time, it wasn’t me.” Crimson then felt a small burning sensation on his back and started to itch it. “Something wrong?” “My back, it feels weird.” He said as he grunted. “Let me see what the problem is.” Crow said as he looked down the back of the boy’s shirt. His eyes widened and smiled. “Is something there?” Crimson asked. “Yes.” “Well, get it off!” Crimson ordered. “I doubt my magic can remove a Cutie Mark.” The boy’s eyes shrank and a large smile spread across his face. “REALLY? WHAT IS IT?” He asked in excitement. “You can see for yourself once we get to the house.” Crow said with a smile. Crimson started running ahead of the older man with a smile on his face. As the small boy ran forward Crow had a small tear in his eye as he smiled. Comet, Rose. Your boy reminds me of the two of you so much. Crow said as he wiped the tear from his eye. I have no doubt in my mind that he will become strong. He thought as he continued walking down the cobble stone road with a smile on his face. Author's Note BAM! In celebration of passing my math final. (A constant pain in the summer started) I give you my seocond Human fic. Chapter I: DepartureChapter I Departure Fifteen years later A tall twenty-three year old man donning a black cloak with red trim around the cuffs of his sleeves, the rim of the head opening and the coat tail. Crimson sat in front of a white tombstone in the shape of a large hammer with a rose ensnaring the handle. The man got to his feet, which were covered by a pair of black leather boots that looked worn and well traveled. Around his left arm was a silver gauntlet with an engraving of a rose was etched into the shiny metal. The man looked around to see a silver haired man with piercing green eyes behind a pair of rectangular wire rim glasses, donning a black suit with a bright green tie. Crimson made his way up to the man with a smile on his face. “I knew I’d find you here.” Crow said with a grin. “What is it Headmaster?” He asked as he ran his hand through his messy dark red hair. “A new mission is ready if you’re interested.” He said with a smile. “It better not be something stupid like last time.” He said with a groan. “No Crimson, this one is coming straight from Celestia herself.” He said as he held up the scroll. Crimson cocked an eyebrow and looked at the man in confusion. “I was thinking of sending Ivy with you but-” Crimson quickly snatched the parchment from his hand. “I’ll take it.” Crimson said in a flat tone. “I still don’t see why you don’t like her.” Crow said with a shrug. “She’s smart, strong not to mention cute.” He said with a smirk. “She’s a good friend. Nothing more.” He said with a sigh. “Not to mention she’s too.....perky for my liking.” “Ha! You sound like your mother.” The man said with a smile. “How much is the pay?” “One hundred fifty per day.” “Per day? How long is this mission?” “It’s a long term one. You’ll be gone at least three months.” Crimson thought for a moment. Sure he’d gone out on missions before. Longest he’d spent away from the Academy was ten days. “You’ll still be getting missions that are stationed around the area.” Crow said with a sigh. “Usually these missions are reserved for Zealot class, but I think you can handle it.” He said with a smile. “Zealot class? I’m still a Ranger for Celestia’s sake!” He said in shock. “Are you trying to get me expelled. I know you’re the Headmaster now, but rules-” “Since when has that stopped you before?” He said with a smug grin. Crimson tried to find an argument, but found none. “So where is this place?” He asked as he started walking with the man. “It’s a town not far away from Canterlot. Ponyville as I remember it correctly.” He said with a shrug. Crimson’s eyes shrank at the Equestrian Capital. “It’s outside the capital.” “I know.” He said with a sigh. “How do I get there? I doubt riding in on Cliff would be a good idea.” “Right. It’s by train.” The red hair’d man’s eyes shrank at the mention of the mode of transportation. “They don’t have a transport hub set up yet.” He said with a sigh. “I hate trains.” He said in a low grumble. “I know, but it’s the only way to get there.” He said with a sigh. “If you don’t want the mission then-” “I just said it would be a pain. That doesn’t mean I won’t do it.” He said in a flat tone. “I just want to get some stuff before I leave.” He said with a nod. “Very well. The train leaves in an hour.” Crow said before vanishing in a flash of green light. Crimson let out a sigh and made his way out of the garden. He looked ahead to see a shining silver castle with a large tower in the far right corner. The red clothed man entered the grand hall. The hallway was bustling with other people. Some of them were normal while others had wings. Crimson made his way down the hallway, keeping to himself. He pulled his red hood over his head and kept his red eyes staring straight ahead. Several other people would glance at the man and whisper to one another out of respect or fear. “Hey Red Riding hood, kill anyone with your forbidden magic yet?” A man with tan colored wings sprouting from his back yelled down the hallway. “No, but I’m giving it serious consideration if you don’t shut that big trap of yours.” Crimson said as he continued walking down the hall, not even bothering to look back. Crimson made his way down the corridor paying no mind to the watchful eyes that filled the hallway. The man got to a set of spiral stone steps and started to climb them. He made his way past the floors and into a room at the top of the tower.He opened the door to reveal a forty by fifty room with two beds each at the far sides of the room, neatly tucked. Two desks were also in attendance next to a window. As he stepped inside he was suddenly tackled to the ground by a light green object. He opened his eyes and groaned as he heard a familiar laugh. The object was a woman with lime green wings that matched her long hair that went down to the middle of her back. “Got you again Crimy.” The woman teased. Crimson groaned as she got off him and helped him up. The woman was donning a dark brown vest that matched her fingerless gloves and brown boots. The vest also did a good job of covering her dark green T-shirt. Her short shorts were of the same sage like color. Her eyes were a deep sapphire. A pair of light green batons were secured around her belt loop with their dark brown handles sticking out. “Honestly Ivy, do you have to do that every time I walk in?” He asked as he got to his feet. “Let me think.” She said as she put on an innocent face and tapped her lip with her index finger. “Yup.” She said with a smile. “Well, if you don’t mind I need to get packing.” “Ooh, where are we going this time?” She asked in excitement. “We are not going anywhere. I am going to some small town for three months.” He said as he pulled out a duffle bag. Ivy’s face turned from happy to sad. “Three months?” She said in a shocked tone. “Yes, apparently a small town has been having some monster trouble as of late. So they’re stationing me there in case things turn nasty.” He said with a shrug. “UGH! Why do you get all the good missions?” She said as she laid down on her bed. “I have to go clear out a cave of Hobbes.” She said as she stuck her tongue out. “That is a good mission. You get combat experience and a good amount of cash.” He said as he started packing. “Not to mention that you’ll be helping the towns folk. While I’m stuck in some back water town twiddling my thumbs until I go mad from boredom.” He said in a less than enthusiastic tone. “Ugh, you just need to find the charm to small towns.” She said as she raised her hands. “Wait, did you say three months?” “Yup.” He said as he levitated a few books into the bag. “Ugh! Who am I gonna hang out with?” She said in frustration. “Weren’t you seeing that Backlash guy?” Crimson asked in confusion. “Yeah, but things fell through.” She said with a shrug. “What was it this time?” Crimson asked as he cocked an eyebrow. “He didn’t like dating a girl that could kick his ass.” She said with a yawn. “How many bones did you break?” “None.” She said as she adverted her gaze and whistled to herself. “Ivy.” He said as he narrowed his gaze. “Fine.” She said as she rolled her eyes. “Four ribs, two fingers and he has a hair line fracture in his right tibia.” “So it was mutual then?” “You know me so well.” She said with a smile. “Wait, what about the trials?” “I’m sure I’ll be back before then.” He said with a shrug. Crimson finished packing and walked over to his desk and pulled out an old photo of a tall man with black hair and a young woman with dark red hair holding a baby boy with similar hair on his head. He folded up the photo and slipped it into his pocket. “You still carry that around with you?” Ivy asked as she saw the photo. “Why wouldn’t I?” “All I’m saying is to take a chill pill. You know what happens when you get angry.” She said with a sigh. “This coming from the girl that snapped her ex in half after they both agreed to end it.” He said as he cocked an eyebrow. The green haired girl was about to say something, but found no argument. “Touche.” She said with a sigh. “Will you at least send me a post card?” She asked in a hope filled tone. “I promise I’ll write to you. I’ll probably have a whole lot of time on my hands.” He said as he put a hand on her shoulder. The girl then wrapped him in a bone crushing hug. “I’m gonna miss you so much!” She said as a few tears started to well in her eyes. “Ivy...spine...crushing.” He said as he heard a series of cracks. “Sorry!” She said as she let him go. “Well, I’ll see ya later Ivy.” He said as he slung his bag over his shoulder “Good luck and don’t worry, I’ll feed Cliff for ya.” She said with a wave. “Thanks, have fun with the Hobbes.” He said as he waved goodbye to his best friend. The hooded man walked down the spiral staircase and out the massive iron double doors. He walked down towards the edge of the school and towards the train station. As he walked forward he saw a familiar cane wielding man standing at the platform. “Ah there you are.” Crow said with a smile. “I was wondering when you’d show up.” “Sorry, you know how Ivy gets.” “Yeah, I saw Backlash in the infirmary. I’m guessing it was mutual?” “Bingo.” Crimson said with a shrug. The two heard the train whistle blow. “Well, I’d better get going then.” He said with a nod. The older man stuck out his hand for him to shake. Crimson shook the man’s hand only for him to be pulled into a hug. “You’ve grown up ma boy.” He said with a grin. “It fills me with as much sadness as it does pride to see you leave.” “Relax you old buzzard. I still gotta come back for the trials and I’ll keep in touch with letters.” He said with a smile. Crow patted him on the back and let him go. Crimson walked towards the train car and let out a sigh. “Crimson, one last thing.” Crow said as the man turned around. The old man tossed him a bright green amulet on a silver chain. “Just in case you need help.” “Thanks. Always good to have back up I guess.” He said as he slipped the amulet inside his pocket. “Good luck.” Crow said with a wave. Crimson nodded and boarded the train. The red hair’d man took a seat near the caboose and close to a window. He watched as his home grew smaller and smaller until it was lost from his sight. He rested his head against the seat and wondered what awaited him in the small town. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Twilight Sparkle. Studious, knowledgeable and friendly, these words could easily describe the young woman from Canterlot. She had fair skin and stood at five foot eight and had indigo hair with pink stripe running down the right side of her hair. Her light purple blouse matched her eyes. She held a book in one hand against her chest as she made her way back to the library. A teenage boy with spliced green eyes and dark green spikey hair was walking by her side. The child was also carrying a large stack of books that seemed a bit to heavy for his arms. He only looked a few years younger than the studious woman. “Jeez Twilight, how many books do you need?” He asked as he looked up at the girl. “I need as many as I can read Spike. Since the creatures in the Everfree forest have been acting more aggressively, I need to be ready for anything.” She said in a proud tone. “I mean, you saw what that Manticore did to town hall.” The two shuddered at the memory. “Yeah, good thing Fluttershy was around to calm it down.” Spike said with a shiver. “Have any idea why the animals are going nuts?” “No, but I wrote to the Princess about it.” She said with a smile. Spike put the books down and let out a sigh. The young boy felt a knot formed in the pit of his stomach and belched a green flame. The flame turned into a small scroll and fell into his hands. “Looks like it’s from Celestia.” Spike said as he handed her the letter. Twilight unrolled it and read the parchment. “Spike get the girls and have them meet me at the library.” “For what?” “You’ll see.” She said as her hands glowed a light purple color, she moved one finger over the books and the large stack soon vanished in a purple flash. “Why didn’t we just do that in the first place?” Spike asked as he looked at the woman. Twilight felt a blush of embarrassment creep across her face. “I’m going to go and find Rainbow Dash.” She said as she vanished in a flash of purple light. Spike groaned and started making his way towards a nearby dress shop. Twilight walked through town at a fast rate with her eyes scanning the skies on hopes of finding her winged friend. Where could she be? She thought to herself as she continued to look for her. As she neared the center of town the young scholar saw a familiar girl donning a brown Stetson hat with matching boots and brown vest that covered her orange plaid shirt that was tied off just above her belly button. The farmer was also donning a pair of blue jeans that cut off just above her ankles. She walked up to the farmer with a smile on her face. “Howdy Twi.” The farmer said in a southern accent. “Need anything?” “Hey Applejack.” She said with a smile. “The Princess just sent me a return letter about the little animal problem we’ve been having.” She said with a sigh. “I need you all to get to the library ASAP.” “Can do. Let me just bring this cart back to the farm before I leave.” The farmer said with a smile. “Thanks and if you see Dash or Fluttershy then tell them the same thing.” Applejack nodded and made her way back to her farm with her apple cart in tow. Twilight continued her search for her friends. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The red hair’d child sat across from the cane wielding man with a smile on his face. Crimson looked out the window and saw several trees and towns pass by. His red eyes focused on the coming storm that was brewing. The man’s eyes were focused on the book in his hand. Once in a while his eyes would glance up towards the boy for a few seconds returning to his literature. “So what do you teach at the Academy again?” Crimson asked as he tried to make conversation. “I mostly focus on offensive and defensive tactics.” He said as he looked up from his book. “Most of them are Ranger and Zealot class.” “Ranger and Zealot?” The boy asked. “Oh right, you don’t know.” He said as he put his book away. “In the Academy the students are broken up into different classes. Pending on their skill level.” He said with a sigh. “Ranger and Zealot are two higher classes of the four.” “The four?” “Yes, the classes go from Scavenger, Hunter, Ranger and finally Zealot.” He said in a flat tone. “To move up in the rankings you must not only complete all of your training in the Academy, but you must also complete a set of trials before advancing to the next rank.” “Trials?” Crimson asked as he cocked an eyebrow. “Yes, the trials test you in everything you’ve learned.” “What happens in the trials?” “I can’t really say.” He said as he adjusted his glasses. “They are different for each individual and-” He was cut off as he heard a series of magical blasts. “What was that?” Crimson asked as Crow made a ‘shhh’ gesture with his hands. The two gulped as the lights in the entire car went out. Crow got to his feet and pulled the metal raven head of his cane to reveal a slim piece of metal protruding from the handle. “Crimson, crawl under the seat and stay there until I get back.” He said in a serious tone. “Why? What’s going on?” “DON’T ARGUE WITH ME!” Crow yelled as he stared back at the boy. Crimson gulped and quickly scrambled under the seat. “Now stay there and wait until I return okay?” “G-got it.” Crimson said with a gulp. The green eyed man hastily made his way out of the train carriage. Crimson kept still as he heard the sounds of magical discharges and steel clashing. The boy gulped and slowly got to his feet. He poked his head out the doorway and saw that the hall was deserted. Crimson heard a crash and spun around to see a tall man dressed in black. A mask was placed upon his face. “There you are.” He said in a malice filled tone. Crimson’s neck hairs stood on end as he ran out of the carriage and down the hallway. Crimson ran through the hallway. The assassin waved his hand and a light blue bolt of magic came from his hand. The salvo hit the seat next to the child as he ran. As Crimson exited the car the storm was in full swing. Rain beat down on his body like frozen knives. The wind was whipping as his exposed face. He quickly made his way into the next car and hid behind a seat. Crimson gulped as he heard the door open and footsteps echoing on the hard wood floor. He covered his mouth with his hands and tried to calm his fast beating heart. “Come out kid.” The man said as he un sheathed a knife and scraped it against a metal seat. “This’ll only hurt for a second. I promise.” The man said with a wicked laugh. Crimson gulped and held his knees against his chest. “You’ve got something that is of great value to a lot of people. So just come out and make it easy for-” He was cut off as a blast of green magical energy struck the attacker’s back and sent him crashing to the ground. “Crimson run!” The boy looked over to see Crow with his sword drawn. The child nodded and ran towards the caboose. The green eye’d man raised his hand and a flock of crows flew out from his sleeve. The black birds started pecking at the assassin. After his right eye, left ear and several patches of skin Crow called off the birds and lifted his blade to the dark man’s throat. “Alright shit for brains, tell me what I want to know or I’ll tell my pet to to peel your dick like a banana. Got it?” He said as he knelt down and a black crow landed on his shoulder. The assassin couched up some blood and groaned. He felt the steel blade touching his neck. The assassin chuckled and burst out in laughter. “Something funny?” He asked as he bore holed through him with his emerald colored eyes. “The fact that you think that you intimidate me.” He said with a laugh. “You know what he is and there will be others.” The assassin then grabbed the end of Crow’s cane sword and shoved it into his neck. Crow quickly pulled his blade out from the man’s neck. He let out a sigh and saw a large shadow racing towards the end of the train. “Crimson!” He yelled as he ran after the shadow. Crimson ran into the caboose and took a moment to catch his breath. Crimson sat down in the corner of the car and tried to regulate his breathing. “Need a glass of water?” Crimson gulped and felt his heart beat jump to new heights. He slowly raised his head to see a tall man with dirty blonde hair and bright blue eyes staring down at him. The man had a long scar reaching down from his scalp to his chin. He wore an outfit similar to the man that had attacked him earlier. Crimson tried to get up but was met with a swift kick to his stomach by the man. The boy groaned in pain and coughed up a mouthful of blood. Crimson tried to stand but he felt a strong palm grab his throat. The man lifted him up with one hand and started to squeeze on Crimson’s small neck. “Wh-Why?” The boy managed to call out. “Simple, you’ve got something valuable and my employers want it.” He said as he slammed the boy against the wall causing the wood to crack and splinter. “I-I don’t have anything!” Crimson said as tears started to form in his eyes. The assassin cocked an eyebrow and saw no deceit in his eyes. “They didn’t tell you did they?” He said with a smirk. Crimson looked at him in confusion and fear. “Oh well.” He said as he tossed Crimson into the opposite wall. The boy’s body was crying out in pain as he coughed up more blood. The man snapped his fingers and a long dagger materialized in the palm of his hand. “End of the line freak.” He said as he twirled the weapon between his fingers. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The red hair’s man woke up in a cold sweat and felt sick. He looked out the window and saw that it was the late afternoon. “Next stop; Trottingham.” The conductor said over the loud speaker. Crimson got to his feet and walked over to the restroom. He quickly closed the door and splashed water in his face. He looked in the reflection and started to pant. Crimson dried his face off on the towel that was hanging and scoffed at the reflection. The dark hooded man sat back down in his seat and gazed out the window once more. A young woman pushing a concession cart. She was donning a light brown vest and matching skirt. The cart stopped next to the man as the woman smiled. “Need anything sir?” “Um yeah, just some tea if that’s possible.” He said with a smile. “Sure, I’ll have that for you in a sec okay?” Crimson nodded and the woman walked back with the cart in tow. Crimson leaned back and closed his eyes. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Twilight walked into the library with a girl wearing a yellow sundress and flowing pink hair following close behind. The girl’s yellow sundress matched her yellow wings. As they entered the room the two saw Applejack. Along with an athletic girl, donning a cyan tank top with flowing rainbow hair and cyan wings sprouting from her back. Another had very fair skin and purple hair that matched her skirt. The woman was also wearing a sleeveless white blouse with frills on the edges. Sitting next to the farmer was a girl with pink puffy hair that complemented her dark pink pants and light pink T shirt. The friends talked amongst them selves until Twilight cleared her throat and stopped in front of the group. “So what did you want to tell us Twi?” The farmer asked. “Okay, I’m sure you all know about the recent animal disturbances that have been occurring.” She said as she sat down. “Yeah, that Manticore seemed pretty angry.” The sports girl said. “Exactly, so I wrote to the Princess about it and she’s sending someone to help us out.” “Who? A guards man?” The purple hair’d girl asked. “No, someone from the Academy.” “You’re joking!” Rarity said in shock. “Nope, Celestia sent me the letter this morning.” She said as she levitated the parchment over to the group. The five girls loomed over the parchment and read it to themselves. Dear Twilight, I’m terribly sorry to hear about your most recent encounter with the manticore. Unfortunately, my guards are stretched thin as it is. I will contact the Headmaster from the Academy and I will have him send one of his best to aid you and the town. Send me a reply when they arrive. I know not who or how many he will send. Princess Celestia. The group of friends all looked at one another in confusion. “Oh I hear that the students at the Academy are some of the strongest warriors there are.” Rarity said with a giggle. “Okay who and what is the Academy?” Dash said as she raised her hands. “You don’t know what the Academy is?” Twilight said in shock. “Ah don’t know who these people are either.” AJ said with a shrug. “Me either.” Pinkie said as she looked at her friends. “Um...I don’t know either.” Fluttershy said as she hid behind her long pink hair. Twilight and Rarity looked at one another in shock. “Hey don’t blame us that we don’t know some fancy mage stuff. You two are the magic experts out of all of us.” Dash said in a defensive tone. “It’s not just mages Dash, some of the best flyers have come out of the Academy as well.” Twilight said in a flat tone. “The first Captain of the Wonderbolts was a graduate from there.” Dash’s jaw dropped at the words. “No way!” “Yes way. My brother told me that to become an officer in the guard you have to go there for special training.” “So these guys are some type of special guard?” Pinkie asked. “No, they aren’t connected with the guard. From what I’ve read they act as an independent force and get jobs from all over Equestria.” “Oh so it’s like a school and a guild combined?” Pinkie asked. “Exactly.” Twilight said with a smile. “Well, we’d better give them one hell of a welcome party then.” Applejack said. “When are they coming?” “I’ll write to the Princess and see if she can tell me anything about them.” “C’mon everybody! We’ve got a party to plan!” Pinkie said as she raced out the door. The other four girls. Twilight stayed behind and started scribbling words on a piece of paper. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The door to the caboose burst open revealing the green eyed man. He quickly scanned the room and his eyes shrank at the sight. The floor was covered in blood and the body of the blonde man was on the ground. There was a large slash mark across his chest. The wound seemed to reach all the way to the spinal column and the edges of the wound looked like they were burned. Crow heard sobbing coming from the end of the car. He hurried over and saw Crimson sitting in the corner shaking in fear. Blood was splattered across his face, so much that the only part of his fair skin were the tear trails running from his eyes. Crow knelt down beside him and put his dark coat around him. “Wh-what am I?” Crimson said through the tears. “Your tea.” “What?” “Your tea sir.” The dream collapsed and the red hair’d man woke up to see the woman from before holding a hot cup of tea. “Are you okay sir?” She asked as she tilted her head. “I’m fine.” He said as he took the tea from her. “Thank you.” He said as he took a sip. “How long until we reach Ponyville?” “Ponyville? That won’t be coming up for another two hours.” She said with a smile. Crimson groaned and sipped his tea. “Well, what’s the next stop?” “Trottingham. We’ll be there within five minutes.” She said as she cocked an eyebrow. “How far away is that from Ponyville?” “Ten miles.” She Said with a smile. “Thank you.” He said with a smile. The woman walked back down the hall. Crimson groaned and weighed his options as the train pulled to a stop. Crimson quickly got to his feet and exited the train station. He cracked his neck and walked over to the information booth. A man wearing a similar uniform as the conductor and the Stewardess. “Um excuse me.” “Yes, how can I help you?” He asked with a smile. “What’s the fastest route to Ponyville?” He asked in a flat tone. “That would be the-” “Beside’s the train.” “Oh, well you could take the main road, but that would take you about six hours.” Crimson groaned and thanked the man with a wave. He looked ahead to see the sun setting. He let out a breath and let the cold air bite at his neck. “Better get started then.” He said as he started to make his way down the long winding road. Chapter XVI: Reporters and AssassinsChapter XVI Reporters and Assassins The next day started out slow with Crimson waking up, doing a series of basic exercises. After he donned his familiar red coat and walked downstairs he saw Cobalt sitting with a cup of coffee and the was back to his normal body. “Morning Cobalt.” “Ugh.” He said as he looked at the red haired warrior. Rouge then came down wearing a purple robe. “Morning honey.” She teased. “I will never look at a banana the same way again.” Cobalt said with a shiver. “Ew.” Ivy said with a disgusted look on her face. The four sat down and continued their breakfast before heading out into the small town. The four then saw Rainbow Dash grumbling next to Rarity. The two girls were wearing stunning dresses much to the flyer’s discomfort. “Seriously Rarity, why do I have to get dressed up? I look awesome no matter what I wear.” “It’s common courtesy Rainbow Dash. Reporters are coming all the way out here for us. The least we can do is look nice for them.” The two then saw the four warriors walking towards them. “Oh hello.” “Morning Rarity.” Ivy said. “What’s with the dress?” “Reporters are coming from Canterlot to do a piece on the Elements of Harmony so one must be presentable.” She said with a smile. “Unfortunately.” Dash said as she groaned. The four then saw the other members of the group. Crimson blushed as he saw the librarian wearing a slim fitting lavender dress. Her hair was done up and her eyelashes were curled. The group then noticed several guys in the street gawking at them, a few even whistled. “You guys certainly draw a crowd.” Rouge said. Twilight let out a massive yawn and rubbed her eyes. “You okay Twilight?” “Yeah, I’m just really tired for some reason. Probably because of that crazy dream I had.” She said with a shrug. “What dream?” Crimson asked with a gulp. “That I was running around after someone in a skimpy outfit.” She said as the man gulped. “Crazy, right?” The group grinned as Crimson mouthed ‘keep your mouth shut.’ “Yup, totally crazy.” Crimson said as he whistled. “Well, we’d better not keep you. I’ve got to go practice.” He said before vanishing in a flash of red light. “What’s with Crimson? He seemed....off.” Twilight said. “No idea.” Dash said as she adverted her eyes. “C’mon we’d better get going.” She said as she took flight and rocketed down the street with the other girls right behind her. The four warriors nodded and continued down the path. The group of girls entered Sugar Cube Corner and took a seat. Within ten minutes the pastry shop was swarmed by reporters and photographers. While Rarity, Dash and Pinkie were soaking up the attention Twilight and Applejack were trying to keep Fluttershy calm and collected. “Ms. Sparkle!” One of the reporters called out. Twilight turned and smiled at the reporter. “You’re Princess Celestia’s personal protegee are you not?” “That’s correct.” “What is your favorite thing to study?” “I love learning new spells and studying the magic of friendship.” She said with a smile. In the middle of the chaos of questions the door burst open to reveal a photographer. “Horsemen sighting!” He yelled. The room suddenly became dead quiet. “How many?” One of the reporters yelled. “All four! Near the park!” Every one with a camera and a note pad packed up their things and ran out the door. The six girls looked at one another in confusion. “What just happened?” Dash asked. “Looks like they found something better.” Fluttershy said with a sigh of relief. Rarity frowned and stood up. “Where are you going?” “To find out what’s so special about these so called 'Horsemen.'" Rarity said making quotation marks with her fingers. "They were eating out of the palm of our hands and suddenly they go and leave?” She yelled. “Not on my watch!” “Yeah! I mean what could be more awesome than talking to us?” Dash said as she flew out the door with the girls following close behind. A white cloaked figure stood up and quietly followed the group. The group saw the crowd of reporters on the edge of the park with four irritated warriors in the center of the huddled mass. “Ugh, I hate this.” Crimson said with a groan. “I guess we should humor them.” Ivy said with a shrug. “Fine.” The red haired man said with a groan. “Crimson Storm!” One of the reporters called out. “How do you keep your team in shape?” “We each have our own ways of staying fit.” He said with a sigh. “I personally devote at least three hours a day for training.” The group of reporters nodded and scribbled the information down on their note pads. “Ms. Evergreen. Why do people call you the ‘Jade Dragon’?” One person asked. Ivy smirked and cracked her neck. “Step back boys. Things are gonna get hot.” The group all took a step back and watched. Ivy focused and the group saw a light green aura come from her body. The woman took a deep breath and focused on a tree that was fifty feet in front of her. The woman’s cheeks filled with air and she exhaled. A massive green fireball reduced the tree to ash. The reporters were going gaga over the display of fire. The six girls’ eyes twitched at the sight. Rarity tapped one of the reporters on the shoulder and smiled. “Excuse me sir, but what is so special about those four?” “Jeez lady, you live under a rock or something?” Rarity frowned at the man. “Those four are in the top five teams on the leader board.” “Leader board?” Dash said. The man face palmed. “Jeez, you guys really don’t know do you?” He said as he pulled out a card. The girls then saw a list with several team names on it. “Every team in the Academy is ranked on the jobs they’ve done and score they get.” The girls read the list and saw the word Horsemen in the number three spot. “Score?” Dash asked. “They get scored on how well they do their job and how quickly they do it. I’ve got all their stats.” “Mind if we see it?” Rarity said with a smile. The man reached into his pocket and pulled out another card that showed the pictures of the four warriors. Crimson was first in the line up, next was Ivy, after her was Rouge and finally Cobalt. Twilight pressed on the blue flyer’s picture and a few status bars next to her picture. Name: Cobalt Striker. Rank: Sargent. Codename: Iron Knight. Age: 24 Height: 5’8” Fighting Styles: Jujutsu, air combat and swordsmanship. Magic typer: Lightning and Metal. Weapon: Broad sword and shield. Battle points: 5,889 The girls then selected Rouge’s picture. Name: Rouge Nightshade. Rank: 2nd Lieutenant Codename: Spider Queen Age: 22 Height: 5’6” Fighting Styles: Gentle plam, Archery and Strategy. Magic type: Insect Weapon: Bow and arrow/crossbow/daggers. Battle Points: 6,994 The group looked at one another and selected Ivy’s profile. Name: Ivy Evergreen. Rank: 1st Lieutenant Codename: Jade Dragon. Age: 23 Height: 5’7” Fighting Styles: Kick boxing and air combat. Magic type: Fire and wind. Weapon: Whip/staff/batons. Battle points: 8,756 The girls gulped and selected Crimson’s picture. Name: Crimson Storm. Rank: Captain. Codename: Shadow of Death Age: 23 Height: 5’7” Fighting Styles: Jeet Kun Do. Magic type: Unknown Weapon: Scythe/katana blade/projectiles. Battle points: 10,137 The girls were baffled at the difference between the warriors. “Why is Crimson’s score higher than the others’?” Fluttershy asked. “Yeah it’s over 9,000!” Dash yelled. “No idea. That guy is a workaholic and single handedly took down an ice giant in the Crystal Empire a few months ago.” The girls’ jaws dropped. “Now if you ladies will excuse me, I have some pictures to take.” He said before walking towards the front of the crowd. The six girls watched closely as a white hooded figure silently moved through the crowd. Twilight then felt as though someone had encased her in ice. The white figure discretely moved through the crowd and towards the group of warriors. Twilight’s eyes shrank as she saw a massive icicle sword stick out from the bottom of her cloak. The hooded figure raced forwards with the ice shard firmly gripped in it’s hand and eyes set on the red mage. The figure jumped off one of the reporter’s shoulders and gripped the icicle with both hands above it’s head. As the figure came down Crimson caught the icicle and threw the assassin to the ground. THe red haired mage then summoned his blade and pointed it at the assassin. “You’re too hasty.” He said as the crowd gasped at the spectacle. “Remember, wait for the opportune moment.” “Awwe! I thought I had you this time.” The figure said in a female voice. Crimson grinned and helped her up. The woman’s hood fell back revealing her flowing white hair and bright blue eyes. “What are you doing here Angel?” He asked as he crossed his arms. “Hey! I come all they way out here to visit my bro and that’s the hello I get?” She asked as she pouted. “Oh alright.” He said as he hugged the girl. Several photographers took several pictures of the two. “Oh bugger off.” Crimson said in a flat tone. “So Angel, why are you here?” “Can we talk in private?” Crimson nodded and put a hand on her shoulder. The two then vanished in a flash of red light. “Okay folks, that’s enough for now. We have work to do.” Ivy said as she took flight and rocketed towards the clock tower with the two mages in hot pursuit. The crowd dispersed and let out a disappointed sigh. The six girls looked at one another and followed the two mages back towards the clock tower. Crimson and the white haired girl were sitting across from one another. “Ivy.” The white haired woman spat out. “Angel.” The green flyer retorted. “Let’s not start this again.” Crimson said as he face palmed. “So Angel, why are you here?” “I need your help.” “With?” The woman reached inside her cloak and pulled out a stack of photo’s. “My guild assigned me to look into some odd sightings.” “What odd sightings?” “Dead people walking around.” The four gulped and looked at one another. “Trottingham is have trouble with a necromancer.” Crimson clenched his hands into fists and grunted. Angel’s eyes shrank and she shot a bolt of magic out the window. The four mages then heard six familiar voices scream. Crimson and his team looked out to see the six girls trapped in ice. Angel walked up to them and frowned. “Who are you?” “Angel relax, they’re friends.” Crimson said as Ivy placed her hand on the ice and it started to melt. Soon the six girls were free from the ice prison and shivered. “W-what was th-that for?” Dash said as she shivered. “Why were you listening in on our conversation?” The ice mage spat out. Crimson groaned and stepped between the two. “Ladies, this is Angel Frost, an ice mage I met a few years back who was taking refuge just outside of the Crystal Empire.” The girls all looked at her in shock. “But that place is surrounded by ice. No one can survive out there for an extended period of time.” Twilight said. “You can if you have help.” She said with a sigh. Her breath cooled the air around them. “That still makes no sense!” Twilight yelled. “Calm down Twilight.” Angel perked up at the name. “Is your name Twilight Sparkle?” “Yeah, why?” The girl suddenly clapped her hands together and smiled. “Cadence talks about you all the time! Nice to finally meet you.” He said as she shook her hand. “You know Princess Cadence?” “Yup, I stay at the castle with her when I’m not working.” “She never mentioned that to me!” Twilight said with a groan. “Yeah, I’m sort of a secret.” She said as the group walked inside. “So how do ya know Crimson?” The farmer asked. The ice mage looked at Crimson who sighed. “Angel is a Conduit like me.” The group of girls gulped and looked at the mage. “Now about this necromancer.” “Necromancer?” Dash said. “Someone who can bring the dead back to life.” “That is so cool!” Dash said. “No, no it’s not!” Crimson yelled. “Forcing a corps to fight? It’s sick and wrong.” Dash shut her mouth. “So what do you know?” “Someone has been sealing souls of the departed inside golems and going on robbing sprees.” Angel clarified. “Due to my...talents, I was asked to look into it. My skills in this field are mediocre compared to Crimson’s so here I am.” “Where was the last place to get hit?” Ivy asked. “Manehattan and who ever it is, they’re good.” “What’s their M.O?” Crimson asked. “They rob the grave, only takes a small skin sample, soul traps them inside a golem and backfills the grave, leaving no trace they was ever there. The soil even has grass on it by the time I got there.” Angel said with a sigh. Crimson bit his lip and let out a sigh. “Look like I'm going hunting.” “But Crow said-” “I’m letting him know and if he doesn’t like it then too bad.” He said as he pulled out the green crystal and ran his magic through it. An image of the cane wielding man showed. “Crow, we’ve got a problem.” “You must be a mind reader. I just got this job and-” “A necromancer?” “How did you know?” “Angel is here and she needs my help.” “Ah, that explains it.” The man then looked towards the white haired woman. “Hello Angel.” “Hello sir.” She said with a nod. Crow then turned his attention back to the red haired man. “Find out what’s going on and end this monster.” He said in a firm tone. “Consider it done.” Crimson said as the image flickered and faded. “Okay you heard the man, let’s get going.” Crimson turned to the ice mage and nodded. “Have any idea’s where this guy may have run off to?” “I found a compound of dirt at the last scene.” She said as she summoned a file. “I managed to trace it to Trottingham. That’s where we should look first.” “Sounds good to me.” Crimson said as he grabbed a duffel bag and started packing. The scholar felt a small wave of sadness wash over her. “So, you’re leaving?” She asked. “Yup.” He said as he continued to pack. “Will you come back?” “Don’t know. If I don’t get a message that tells me that it’s time for the trials then I will.” Twilight felt a small glimmer of hope. “The very least I’ll come back here and collect my stuff.” He said in a flat tone. “When will you come back?” Dash asked. “Don’t know, depends how things go. Could be a week could be a month.” He said with a shrug. “You guys will be okay here without me?” He asked as he looked at his team. “Yup.” Ivy said with a smile. “Okay, so how are we getting there then?” Crimson asked. “Train.” “Buck.” Crimson groaned. “Oh suck it up.” “I think I’ll walk. It only took me a day to get from Trottingham to Ponyville.” “We don’t have any time to waste.” Angel stated. “This is the closest thing I have to a lead and I’m not letting it slip through my fingers.” “Well, if you’re that desperate than we could always warp.” The group all cringed. “Are you crazy?” “Hey you want to get there ASAP right?” Crimson said. The ice mage bit her lip and let out a sigh. “Fine, I’ll draw the circle, but if my hair gets messed up then I’m taking it out on you.” Angel said as she pulled out some white chalk. “Might be an improvement.” Ivy said under her breath. “Wait what about your mission defending Ponyville?” Rarity asked. “I’m certain Ivy, Rouge and Cobalt can handle it.” Crimson said as Angel finished drawing the spell circle. “What is that?” Fluttershy asked. “Think of it as a teleportation spell used for long distances.” Ivy said. The two conduits stepped in the center and the circle started to glow. “See you guys when I get back.” Crimson said before he and the white mage vanished in a flash of light. Twilight hung her head and let out a sigh of disappointment. “Relax Twilight.” Ivy said. “Crimson is a professional when it comes to these sort of things.” “I just hope he comes back.” “You really do like him don’t you?” Rouge said. The scholar nodded her head. “Well, then this will give you plenty of time to work out your strategy when he comes back.” She said with a smile. “Strategy?” “You’re plan to woo him. I mean I can tell he likes you.” Rouge said with a smile. “How can you tell?” “I’m a sensor type and I’m excellent when it comes to reading people’s emotions.” Rouge chimed. “To the untrained eye, Crimson has as much personality as a rock, but for someone who’s known him for most of his life I can pick out when it shows.” The woman grinned. “When he saw you today he may as well have had his tongue hanging out.” Twilight blushed brightly at the words. “S-so he likes me?” Twilight said. “Yup, never thought I’d see the day.” Cobalt said. Rouge and Ivy both slapped him upside the head. “Ow!” “Just shut up.” Rouge said. Twilight sat down and her face was scarlet red. “W-what do I do?” She asked in a panic filled tone. “I’ve never been in a relationship before. I have no idea what to do! I’ll probably screw something up and-” She was cut off as Rainbow slapped her across the face. The girls all gasped. “Thanks Rainbow. I needed that.” “Anytime. You need to chill Twi.” The flyer said. “But-” “We’ll help you out.” Rarity said with a smile. “Thanks girls.” The scholar let out a hope filled breath and calmed her nerves. SequelThe sequel is finally out! I give you 'The Fable of the Zealot'
Chapter II: New Man in TownChapter II New Man in Town Crimson saw the sun rising over the far hills. He could make out the shadowy silhouette of a town in the distance. He marched ahead keeping his head under the black shroud. The man kept moving ahead as he heard his stomach growl in hunger. He ignored his body’s protests and kept walking down the pathway. As he made it to the edge of town he saw several people working hard, setting up tables, hanging up banners and a woman with electric blue hair was setting up a turn table. He made his way towards the center of town and seemed to go unnoticed. Just how he liked it. The red hair’d man hated unwanted attention. He was suddenly approached by a girl with curly pink hair. “HI!” She said with a wide grin on her face. Crimson cocked an eyebrow at the girl and gave her a nervous grin. “My name is Pinkie Pie!” She said as she stuck out her hand. Crimson shook it and gave her a weak smile. “You must be new since I’ve never seen you before and I know everyone in Ponyville.” The woman stopped as she let out a massive gasp. “Sorry I gotta go! See ya later.” She said as she zoomed away leaving behind a cloud of dust. What.....the...buck was that? He thought before continuing his search for food. His deep red eyes then fell upon a building decorated like a gingerbread house. Crimson made his way inside and sat on a stood next to a counter. A woman wearing a light blue apron and dark pink hair. “Hello, welcome to Sugar Cube Corner how can I help you today?” “Morning, what’s on the menu?” “Unfortunately we’re a bit preoccupied today. So some of our dishes will take longer than others.” She said with a weak smile. “Why’s that?” Crimson asked. “Well, you see there’s supposed to be a few people from the Academy coming to this town!” She said in excitement. Crimson gulped and thought for a moment. “Is that why everyone is running around like a pack of crazy monkeys?” “Yup, it’s a very big event.” She said with a smile. “So what can I get you?” “I’ll just take a cup of coffee and a muffin, if you have any already made.” “Sure thing, I’ll be right back with your order.” She said as she walked away with a smile on her face. Crimson let out a sigh and cracked his knuckles. The woman then returned with his order. “So what brings you into town? I don’t think I’ve seen you before.” “Just passing through.” He said with a shrug. “I’m actually looking for someone named.....hang on a second.” He said as he reached into his pocket and withdrew a piece of paper. “Twilight Sparkle.” “Oh Twilight!” She said with a smile. “You know her?” He asked. “Oh yes, very charming girl.” She said with a smile. “She’s going around town making sure the preparations are going smoothly.” “Know where she might be?” “Hmm....” She said as she put a finger to her chin. “Last I checked she was heading down to Sweet Apple Acres.” “Where’s that?” The woman extended her hand and pointed down the road. “Up to the end of the road and you’ll see a wooden sign. You can’t miss it.” “Thanks.” He said with a nod. He gave them a few bits and gave her a friendly nod. Crimson made his way out the door and down the street. He kept his hood up as he quietly made his way through town. He came to the wooden sign the baker spoke of and walked down the road that seemed to leave to a farm house. Crimson’s eyes widened as he saw hundreds of rows of trees harboring sweet delicious apples. He walked towards the farm house and saw a young woman with striking blonde hair tied on a ponytail carrying a basket of apples. “Howdy there.” She said with a smile. “Hi.” Crimson said with a nod as he pulled his hood off. “I’m looking for someone named Twilight Sparkle. I was told that she might be here.” “Shoot." The girl said as she adjusted her hat. "Ya just missed her.” The woman said as she put down the barrel of apples and pointed back down the road. “She headed off towards the center of town to check on the banners. Ah was heading there myself to drop off some of these apples.” “Need a hand?” He asked with a shrug. Applejack blinked in surprise. “Ah can’t ask ya to do-” She was cut off as he wrapped his hands around the handles and picked up the barrel with ease. “You didn’t ask I volunteered.” He said with a small grin. “Besides, letting a lady like yourself work whileI walk and do nothing just doesn’t seem right to me.” The farmer narrowed her eyes on the man. “Are you saying that ah can’t do any heavy lifting?” “Not at all. You seem very capable, I was just helping someone out.” He said with a shrug. The farmer was about to protest but let it go. “Fine, suit yourself.” She said as they started to walk down the path towards the road. “So are you new in town or something?” “Yup just got in this morning.” He said in a flat tone. “Where are ya from?” “All over. I’m a bit of a traveler.” The man’s ear twitched as he heard a whooshing noise. “Hey what’s your name?” “Applejack.” “Right. Ms. Applejack, you’re gonna want to duck in five seconds.” He said as he put the apples down. “Now why would I-” “Duck!” He said as he pushed her out of the way. He looked to his right to see a rainbow stream fly into him at full force. Crimson felt his back hit the dirt and slide on the ground. The man looked up to see an athletic girl wearing a cyan T shirt and matching shorts. “Ugh, my head.” She said as she rubbed the sore spot. She then noticed the red hair’s man shaking his head. “Oops sorry about that.” She said with a guilty grin on her face. Applejack hurried over to her friends side and groaned. “Dang it Rainbow, how many times have ah told ya to watch where you’re going?” She asked in a condescending tone. “Yeah, yeah I know.” She said as she got up. Crimson did the same and started dusting himself off. The two girls gasped as they saw blood coming from the right side of his head. “I am SO sorry.” She said as she gulped. “What?” “You’re bleeding hun.” Applejack said as she looked at his head. Crimson put his right hand to his head and saw that he was bleeding. “Eh, no big deal.” He said with a shrug. “No big deal?” Dash yelled in a panic filled tone. “You’re bleeding like a popped ballon!” “We need to get ya to the hospital and-” The farmer was cut off as the man raised his hand. “Unnecessary.” He said as he held up a hand. He extended his index finger and it glowed a faint red with magical aura. He ran it across the cut mark. The girls looked in amazement as the cut seemed to heal at a rapid rate. “See? Good as new.” “How in the hay did you do that?” Applejack asked. “Magic. I use it for small things like cuts and bruises.” He said with a sigh. The mares’s eyes then locked onto a piece of the torn man’s cloak. “Um dude, your cloak is torn.” Dash said as she pointed to the tear. Crimson looked at his right sleeve and saw the hole. “Eh, I’ll fix it later.” He said with a shrug. “No need for that hun, ah’m sure Rarity would be happy to fix it right up for ya.” Applejack said with a smile. “Rarity?” Crimson asked as he cocked an eyebrow. “She’s the local tailor.” Dash explained. “There’s no need I can-” He was cut off as the athletic girl grabbed him by the wrist and practically pulled the man along. “Look, I feel bad about crashing into you so let at least help you fix up your coat.” She said in a low tone. Crimson let out a groan as the girl pulled him along with the farmer walking along side. “Plus, you seem cool.” “How so?” He asked as he and the farmer cocked their heads at the flyer. “I don’t know, you just have that ‘experienced cool’ look about ya.” She said with a shrug. “How can I put this?” She said to herself as she flew next to them. “It looks like you’ve seen a lot of action and that’s cool. Does that make sense?” “I guess.” He said with a shrug. A silence fell in between the three before Applejack finally spoke up. “Where’d you learn a spell like that?” The blonde hair’d girl asked as she looked at the man. “Just picked it up somewhere in a book.” He said with a shrug. “Well, that’s mighty useful. Ah’m sure Twi will be impressed with that.” Applejack said with a smile. Crimson kept silent as he made his way through town. The group was then approached by a familiar girl with bouncy pink hair. “Hey guys!” She said with a smile. “Sup Pinks?” Dash said with a smile. Pinkie then noticed the red hair’d man standing beside them with an unwavering gaze. “Hey it’s you!” She said with a smile. “The Cake’s told me that you came in this morning looking for Twilight and they sent you to Sweet Apple Acres.” “Yes, do you know where she is?” He asked. “I think she’s still in the middle of town checking on the decorations.” Pinkie said as she tapped her chin with her index finger. The girls were then approached by a beautiful girl with wavy purple hair and very fair skin. “Hello everybody~” She said in a sing song tone. Her sapphire blue eyes then fell on the tall man. “Howdy Rarity.” Applejack said as she tipped her hat to her friend. “Afternoon Applejack, who’s your new friend?” She asked as she looked at Crimson. “I’m-” The man was cut off as the girls eyes shrank as the noticed the large gash in his coat. “What happened to your jacket?” “Um that’s kinda my fault.” Dash said with a guilty grin on her face. “Ah! I should have known!” She said in an accusing tone. “You weren’t watching where you were going were you and you barreled into this poor man didn’t you.” She said as she narrowed her eyes. “Maybe.” She said with a small smile. Rarity rubbed her fore head with two finger and let out an annoyed sigh. “We were actually on our way to see ya about that Rarity.” Applejack interjected. The purple hair’d girl dropped her jaw and let out an audible gasp. “Say no more darling. I shall fix that up for you right away.” She said with gusto. “It’s not necessary. I can just patch it up.” The woman cocked her head and looked at him with a shocked expression on her face. “Patch it up?....Patch it up?” She said as her tone reached new heights. “I simply cannot allow such a unique piece of clothing be subjected to a....patch job.” She said with a shiver of disgust. “It’s no big deal, I can-” He suddenly felt the four girls’s gaze upon him. Oh great, as if one Ivy wasn’t bad enough, now there are four. He thought with a groan. “Lead the way.” He said in a reluctant tone. The fashionista smiled and led the dark cloaked man towards her boutique. “Shoot! Ah still gotta bring these apples to the banquet.” Applejack said as she picked up the basket. “See y’all later.” The farmer said as she walked away from the group of girls. “Ugh! I gotta go clear the skies.” Dash said before taking flight. Pinkie gave her friends a wave before walking back towards back towards the bakery. Crimson was led by the pretty woman into a shop that had several dresses and different types of clothing on mannequins. The girl’s hands glowed and she summoned a needle and thread. “I must say that this cloak is quite fashionable.” Rarity said as she looked over the garment. “Where did you get it?” She asked. “Found it one day in some shop.” He said as he handed her the garment. Rarity looked at the rest of his attire and cocked an eyebrow. Crimson was donning a long sleeve red shirt that reached down to his waist. His pants had a thick layer of dirt. The kind of dirt you get when you’ve been on the road a long time. His boots had several scuff marks on them and the sole was worn down to near nothingness. “Um dear....how long have you had that outfit?” She asked with a gulp. “What day is today?” “Today is Tuesday.” “Oh, then about fourteen months.” The young lady almost fell over in shock. Crimson coked his head and nervously glanced at the seamstress. “You okay Miss?” Crimson asked as he looked at her in surprise. “Are you telling me that you’ve been parading around in this attire for over a year?” She said in shock. “Yeah, why?” A long silence fell over the two. Crimson saw the woman’s right eye twitch. “Unacceptable!” She yelled with the same gusto she used earlier. “I cannot allow this...this...crime of fashion to continue!” “It’s not that bad.” Crimson said in a low tone. “No offense darling, but have you seen the state of these garments?” She asked as she looked over the battle scared cloak. “I will make you a new ensemble post haste!” “Theres no need for that Ms. Rarity.” He said as he held up a hand. “You must let me fix this!” “It’s not-” “You must.” “I don’t need-” “You must.” “I really don’t-” “You must!” The woman said putting extra emphasis on the last ‘st’. Crimson looked back at the seamstress who’s crystal blue eyes seemed to bore holes through him. With a heavy sigh he held his head in defeat. “Alight fine.” Rarity squealed in excitement. “Just don’t make it too....frilly.” He said as he looked at the other creations put on display around the shop. “No worries darling.” She said as she led him over to a changing room. “Just leave everything to me. I promise you that you won’t even recognize it when I’m done.” “That’s what I’m afraid of.” He said in a low mumble. Once he was behind the changing curtain he quickly removed the rest of his clothing and handed it to the seamstress. The sound of a sewing machine filled the room as Rarity started to work. “I’m sorry for rushing you like this, I’m not usually like this.” She said in an apologetic tone. “It’s alright.” He said in a flat tone. “I hear that you guys are having a big celebration soon.” “Oh yes!” Rarity said in a cheery tone. “We have some members from the Academy coming to town!” She said with another giggle. “That’s a big deal?” “Why of course!” She said as she focused her attention to his shirt. “The Academy members are supposed to be some of the strongest fighters in all of Equestria.” She said in a dreamy voice. “I’ve even heard of some of them strong enough to lift a house with strength alone.” “Really?” He said in a low drawn out tone as he rolled his eyes. “Oh yes, I just can’t wait to start my new fashion line after them.” “Fashion line?” He said in a panic filled tone. “I was hoping to get some inspiration from them to start a new line of clothes.” Rarity said with a grin. “I may even get some of them to model for me!” “Good luck with that.” He said as he heard the door to the shop open. Crimson pulled the curtain aside just enough to see out of one eye. To call the girl anything but innocent looking was a crime. She had long pink hair that acted as a type of curtain to hide her fair skinned face and deep teal eyes. A pair of light yellow wings were folded neatly at her back. The wings also matched her butter yellow sundress that went all the way down to her ankles. The girl was holding what appeared to be a white carrying case that was made for small animals. “Good afternoon Fluttershy.” Rarity said with warm smile. “Hello Rarity.” She said in a soft, timid tone. The girl set the carry case on the ground as Rarity handed Crimson his newly mended shirt and pants. The carrier door opened up to reveal a less then amused white fluffy cat. “So I looked at Opal for you and she has a teeny, weenie cold.” “Oh Opal! You poor thing!” Rarity said as she looked at her pet. “She will be alright won’t she?” “She’ll be just fine.” She said as she reached into her pocket and withdrew a small vial of pills. “Just give her these when she eats for three days and she’ll be as good as new.” Fluttershy said as the clock struck six o’clock. “Impeccable timing as alway Fluttershy.” Rarity said as she took the vial and walked over to her cat. “Opal, din din.” The cat’s eyes shrank as she saw the vial and ran into the changing area. “Opal get back here!” Rarity said as she walked over to the curtain. As she approached the curtain opened revealing the clothed red hair’d man holding the white cat in his arm. Fluttershy let out a small ‘eep’ sound and stood behind her friend. “I’m Terribly sorry about this.” She said with a small smile. “It’s alright.” He said as he looked down at the cat who was purring in his arms. “Might be a good time to slip her the pill while she’s in a good mood.” He said as he looked at the bottle of pills. “Good idea.” She said as she uncorked the bottle. Opal’s ears twitched at the sound. The feline then gave a hiss and small swipe at the seamstress’s attempt. Crimson glared into the cat’s eyes for a second. Opal’s eyes shrank and gave a small gulp. The man motioned for the pill bottle. Rarity shrugged and handed him one pill. Crimson used two fingers to gently open the cat’s mouth and drop it down her throat without any trouble from the feline. After the deed was done the man gently put Opal down on the floor. The cat shook her head and looked at the three humans in confusion as if she had no idea what had happened. Crimson then turned his attention to the fashionista and her friend. The two had the same look of shock and surprise strewn across their faces. “How did you do that?” Rarity asked. “I’ve only seen Fluttershy get that close to Opal and come out without a scratch.” “Animals and I have a mutual understanding.” He said with a shrug. The once timid girl then smiled widely and rushed forward. “You like animals?” She asked with wide eyes. “They don’t bother me, so I don’t bother them.” He said in a flat tone. “Oh that’s wonderful!” She said with a smile. “I hope the Academy students are nice to them.” “I don’t know dear.” Rarity said with a sigh. “I’ve heard stories about them taking down Ursa Majors without breaking a sweat.” “I know, but I’ve heard stories that they manages to calm a pack of Manticores down without even casting a spell right before they invaded a town.” She said with a hopeful smile. Crimson shrugged and looked over at his freshly fixed coat. “I managed to patch up what I could and get a few stains out. Oh I really wish I had more time to work on this.” She said with a sigh. “You may get that chance Ms. Rarity.” He said as he slung it over his body and smiled. “Fit’s like new.” “Oh you flatter me dear. Although the coat goes great with your hair.” She said as she examined his dark red bangs. “What dye did you use?” She asked as she started to examine it and pick up a few ends. “This is actually my natural color.” He said in a flat tone. “Really? Well that’s just-” She stopped talking as she gazed into his deep red eyes. They looked as though they were endless pools of red wine and that he wasn’t just looking at her, he was looking through her. The woman gave a small gulp and nodded. “Interesting.” “Something wrong?” “I didn’t know you had red eyes. I’m guessing scarlet.” “Crimson actually.” He said with a shrug. He walked back over to his bag and threw it over his shoulder. He was about to leave when he realized that his silver gantlet was missing. Crimson quickly turned on his heel and walked back over to the seamstress. “Um I hate to be bother Ms. Rarity but-” “Oh please do call me Rarity dear. Miss sounds so.....old.” She said with a shiver. “Sorry, did you happen to see a silver gauntlet with my coat?” Rarity put a finger to her lip and looked around her work table. “Ah ha! Here it is!” She said as she held up the gauntlet. “Might I ask why you have this?” She asked as she slipped her arm through it. “No don’t-” His warning came too late. As Rarity’s slender arm went inside the gauntlet a series of rose vines wrapped around the woman’s body. “What in the name of Equestria?” She said as she fell to the ground. Fluttershy and Crimson immediately ran to her side. As she struggled in her restraints they seemed to grow tighter. “Sorry about this.” He said with a groan. “I should have mentioned that it was enchanted to my touch only.” The man said in a guilty tone. “Yes well, mind getting me out of this thing?” She asked in an aggravated tone. Crimson nodded and held up her slender arm. His hands glowed a faint red color and the vines retracted back into the metal. He quickly slipped the gauntlet off her arm and back onto his own. “Again, sorry about that.” He said with a sigh. “It’s alright dear.” She said as Fluttershy helped her to her feet. “Mind telling me why you need something like that?” She asked as she glared at the gauntlet. Crimson let out a sigh and held up his hand. He flexed his fingers into a fist and a light red blade shot out of the gauntlet. The two girls looked at one another in surprise and glared at the weapon. Rarity put on her glasses and saw that the blade was made of concentrated magic. Crimson let out a sigh and the blade vanished. “Personal defense. Can’t be too careful nowadays with bandits and highway men around.” He said with a small grin. “Very true.” Fluttershy said with a nod. “By the way, what’s your name. If you don’t mind me asking that is. “It’s-” The door suddenly burst open revealing a very excited Rainbow Dash. “Guys!” Goddamn it. Crimson thought as he face palmed. “What is it Rainbow?” Fluttershy asked. “The Academy members are here!” The three girls faces then grew into smiles as they ran out the door. “Yo Red, you coming?” Dash asked as she looked at Crimson. “Sure, why not.” He said as he followed the group of girls towards the train station. Crimson looked up as he saw three men. Two with wings coming from their backs. One had blonde hair and deep blue eyes. He was donning a long handled axe strapped to the back of his jacket. The other had dark brown hair that matched his wings, he had a spiked mace attached to his belt. The third was the biggest of the trio, he had jet black hair that match his black wings and was sporting a jet black wooden staff. Crimson bit his lip and quietly slipped away from the group after he set the barrel of apples down. Pinkie rushed up to the three men and smiled. “Welcome to Ponyville.” She said with a smile. The three men gave a small smirk and grinned at one another. “Happy to help the fine people of.” He took a moment to read the banner over their heads. “Ponyville.” The middle one said with a sly grin. The group of people cheered as the DJ started the music and the three men descended the train station and made their way through the crowd. Crimson ducked behind a building and pulled out a silver pocket watch on a long chain. He ran his magic through it and a small image of the cane wielding man appeared as he opened the watch face. “Crimson, nice to see you.” The image said with a smile. “Is everything alright?” “Yeah, I made it to the town alright.” He said as he checked his corners. “Did you send anyone else after you gave me the job as back up?” “No, why?” “There are three guys here that are passing off as Academy students.” He said in a flat tone. “I need you to send me a few wanted posters, they look familiar.” “I’ll send them within the hour.” He sad with a nod. “Do you want back up?” “Nah, I can handle these chumps if they cause a problem.” He said in a flat tone. “I figured. I’ll send you those forms pronto.” Crimson gave him a sharp nod and closed the watch. Crimson came out from behind the building and started to survey the three strangers from afar. The festivities started out with gusto and the three men started drinking heavily. Crimson kept to the shadows and waited for the reply from Crow.
Chapter III: The ImpostorsChapter III The Impostors Across the room Rarity was sitting inside Sugar Cube Corner at a table directly across from the three travelers. Twilight and Rainbow Dash were sitting with Rarity across from the trio of travelers. The pretty seamstress had a look of annoyance strewn across her face. “Something wrong Rarity?” Twilight asked. “Yes, something about these Academy members just rubs me the wrong way.” She said as she bit her lip. “Yeah, I got that feeling too.” Dash said as she looked at the men. “How so?” Twilight asked in confusion. “Well, I just expected....more.” Rarity said with a sigh. “More of what?” “Everything! I mean just look at them!” The two girls cast their gaze on the three men who were sweet talking a few of the other girls from around town. “Just look at how they dress and their behavior!” She said with a scoff. “Well, they’re on the road a lot, so they probably don’t have time to keep themselves looking nice.” Dash said with a shrug. “But I get what you’re saying.” “You do?” The other two girls said in surprise. “Yeah, not in the same way though.” Rainbow then put a finger to her chin and let out a puff of air that blew her messy rainbow bangs up. “Yeah, I mean they should be...I don't know, cooler.” “Cooler?” Twilight asked as she cocked her head. “Like, they don’t seem like anything special. From what you’ve told me Twi, these guys should be as awesome as the Wonderbolts.” She said with a shrug. “These guys just don’t seem like that.” “True.” Rarity said with a groan. “That young man you introduced me to was so much more tolerable.” The seamstress said with a sigh. “Now he is something I could work with.” “What guy?” Twilight asked. “I accidentally crashed into some red haired guy today.” Dash said with a small grin. “He was cool. I mean, I was going pretty fast before I crashed into him and he walked away like it was nothing.” The girl said in amazement. “Really?” “Yeah it’s like, no matter what he see’s nothing is ever gonna move him.” “So he’s like a rock?” Rarity asked. “Yeah like Tom.” Rainbow said as her and Twilight shared a laugh. The seamstress scrunched her nose and blushed. “I though that we agreed to never speak of that again.” “Oh lighten up.” Dash said with a laugh. Something in the back of her mind suddenly clicked. “Ugh! I totally forgot, that guy was actually looking for you Twi.” “Me? Why would he be looking for me?” She asked as the other girls walked up to them. “Who’s looking for who?” Pinkie asked. “Some guy with red hair.” Twilight said with a shrug. The other girls immediately let out an ‘oh’ sound. “You guys know him?” “Darn toot’n.” The farmer said with a smile. “That feller helped me bring a whole barrel of apples down to town. Well, before Rainbow came and crashed into the guy.” Applejack said as she glared at the flyer. “It was an accident!” Dash yelled. “It was a miracle that you didn’t turn him into a pancake.” The farmer said with a sigh. “Yer lucky that he had that healing spell.” “Healing spell?” Twilight asked. “He used some fancy magic to heal a cut he got when Dash crashed into him.” Twilight blinked in surprise. “He used a healing spell?” “Eeyup, fixed himself right up.” “Sounds like an interesting guy. What’s his name?” The group of girls looked at one another. It had just dawned on them that none of them knew the man’s name. “Um, I didn’t get his name.” Applejack said. “Same here.” Dash said. “Neither did I.” Rarity said in a low tone. “Likewise.” Fluttershy said in a timid tone. The group was then cut off as the green haired teenager walked over soaking wet. “Um Spike, why are you dripping wet?” Fluttershy asked as Twilight handed him a few towels and started drying himself off. “Those three guys decided it would be funny if they poured their drinks on me.” He said with a grunt. The six girls looked at one another in shock. Rarity then got to her feet and straightened her blouse. “That is it!” She said in a ‘matter oh fact tone.’ “I can understand their fashion and a little of their raunchy behavior, but pouring drinks on somebody is crossing the line.” She said as she removed her glasses. “What are you going to do?” Fluttershy asked. “I am going to have a word with those three about proper etiquette.” She said before storming off towards the three men. The pretty seamstress walked up to the three men who were laughing as one of them spilled a drink on themselves. Rarity gathered her courage and tapped one of them on the shoulder. “Excuse me, sir?” The mace wielding man looked to his right and let out a whistle. “Well, how can I help you hot stuff?” Rarity stayed her anger and threw on a fake smile. “I was just wondering if you could maybe tone down the antics and be more courteous to your hosts.” The other two then perked up. The burly man looked at the young woman who gulped at his size. “Look missy, we traveled a long way to come and help this little backwater town out.” He said in a rough tone. “So I suggest that you start giving us the appreciation we deserve.” He said as he lightly slapped the seamstress’s behind. Whatever self control Rarity had was lost right then, right there. “Why you beast!” She yelled as she slapped the man clean across the face. The entire room fell silent as the sound of the slap traveled through the room. Rarity was red faced with rage and was panting heavily. A red hand mark could be seen on the man’s face. “That was a bad move missy.” He said as he quickly withdrew his mace and ran a current of blue magic through it. Rarity gulped and backed away. Twilight immediately rushed to her friend’s aid and tried to calm the man down. “Okay everyone, let’s just calm down and-” She was cut off as the stranger used the handle of his mace to slug the librarian in the stomach. Twilight crumpled to the ground and couched heavily before being shoved aside. The crowd let out a gasp of surprise as Rarity stumbled back against a table falling to her knees. She heard the sound of the metal weapon cutting the air and the man standing right behind her. The woman turned around to see the man holding the mace up over her and with a wicked grin strewn across his face. The woman gulped and time seemed to slow as the man brought the mace down. The purple hair’s girl closed her eyes and waited for the pain. The crowd gasped as the woman opened her eyes to see a familiar red hair’s man holding the attackers arm in a vice like grip. “What do you want whelp?” The staff wielder yelled. “Striking an unarmed woman isn’t becoming of a man.” He said as he let go of the mace and followed up with an uppercut that sent the man flying through the window he was standing in front of. The other two men immediately got to their feet. Crimson quickly jumped through the hole and stood up as the mace user got to his feet. “You got some nerve buddy.” The three men then surrounded the man with their weapons drawn. “We’re members from the Academy.” “Really? Here I thought you were the bandits of the stone fox mountains.” The three men instantly gulped as Crimson reached inside his coat and withdrew three wanted posters. Each had the impostors face on. Each with a bit amount under their pictures. “You each have a hefty price on your heads.” The staff user chuckled and stepped forward. “Since you know the truth. We can’t let you walk away just like that.” A crowd had gathered outside the bakery and watched in anticipation. The mace wielder swung at the man who quickly dodged the blow and slammed his right palm into his jaw causing making a loud cracking noise. The large Pegasus dropped to the ground and groaned in pain. The axe holder’s blade glowed and he swung a large magical slice that cut through the air at an alarming speed. Crimson slammed his hand on the ground and a cloud of red smoke covered the man’s body. As the attacker drew closer he saw two bright red horizontal lines shoot out from the smoke. The Pegasus quickly dodged them and return his attention to the hooded stranger. When he turned back around all he saw was a pair of deep red eyes only a few inches away from his face. Crimson gripped the handle of his weapon and slashed it across the attackers chest. The axe wielder felt numbness over take him and fell to the ground. The now terrified lone mage looked at the hooded man. In his right hand was a long black, Scythe with a red edge that was radiating with magical aura. The staff user quickly snapped his fingers and let lose a barrage of bright blue fire balls.The hooded stranger dodged them with ease and closed in on his target. The mage charged what magic he had left into a small ball that was swirling at the base of his palm. “Eat this!” He yelled as he thrust his palm forward and a bright blue beam shot towards the running hooded figure. Crimson took a defensive stance with his blade drawn as the blast came into contact with him. There was bright explosion that seemed to outshine the stars and lights inside the nearby buildings. “Ha! Blew that weakling to bits.” He said as he let out a massive sigh. The crowd let out a gasp at the size of the scorch mark in front of them. “What weakling is that?” The staff user froze. He felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. He slowly turned around to see the red stranger staring at him with his blood red eyes. Before he could react, the scythe’s blade glowed and Crimson slashed the man across the stomach with the weapon. The man felt nothing, he collapsed on the ground in front of him. “Alright nobody move or the broad gets it!”The crowd turned to see the mace wielding Pegasus holding the librarian by the throat. “Let me go!” Twilight yelled as she felt the injury from earlier cripple her stomach. “Can it wench. You and I are going for a little stroll.” He said with a wicked grin n his face. The rainbow hair’d flyer was about to jump into action when the man put the mace to the woman’s throat. “Any of you move and the bitch get’s it.” “You, stranger.” He said as he looked at the red warrior. “Drop that weapon.” Crimson held out his scythe and dropped it on the ground. Fast as lightning, Crimson raised his left hand and the silver gauntlet glowed a magnificent red. “I said-” Was all the thug got out before a solid beam of red magic erupted from the gauntlet and made contact with the man’s face, missing the librarian by mere centimeters. As the man fell back, Twilight felt her legs give out. Before she hit the ground, Twilight felt a pair of strong arms catch her before she hit the cold dirt. Twhe girl opened her eyes to see the red hair’d man holding her in his arms. The librarian felt a small blush creep over her as he sat her on the ground. “Are you okay?” He asked. “Yeah, just a little roughed up.” She said as she clutched her stomach. The man nodded and his hand glowed a faint red as he reached for her abdomen. “Hey! What are you doing?” She asked in a flustered tone. “Relax, it’s a healing spell.” Twilight reluctantly let the man’s hand come into contact with her clothed stomach. The librarian felt a small tingling sensation as the magic seemed to make the large bruise vanish. The five other girls then raced over to the par with looks of astonishment on their faces. “That was so awesome!” Dash yelled like a fan girl. “That was totally cool!” Pinkie yelled in excitement. “I mean those guys were super duper scary and then you come along like, out of nowhere and then you were all like, bam! Zap! Swoosh and-” The waterfall of words was cut off as the farmer put a hand over her mouth. “Are you alright darling?” Rarity asked as she looked at her friend. “I’m fine.” Twilight said with a groan. Applejack walked over to one of the thugs and poked him with the tip of her boot. “Do that again, and I’ll tear that foot right off!” The Pegasus said in a pain filled tone. Applejack immediately jumped back and got into a fighting stance. “These fellers are still kicking and how come ah don’t see any blood?” The group then realized that despite the battle they had just witnessed there wasn’t a single drop of blood spilt on the ground. “What? But I saw that guy slash them!” Dash said as she looked at the man. Crimson chuckled and summoned his blade. “A good swords man only cuts what he wants to cut.” He said as he held up the blade. “You see, my blade cut through magic itself and absorbs it.” The warrior said with a smile. “I didn’t kill them, I only absorbed enough magic through the blade so that they won’t move for a while.” He said as he sheathed the blade. He then faced the crowd and let out a sigh. “Now that that’s done can someone please tell me where Twilight Sparkle is?” The five girls then pointed to the bookworm who was sitting on the ground. “Yeah that’s me.” Twilight said as she slowly stood up. “How can I help you?” Crimson reached int his pocket and withdrew an envelope. Twilight took it from the man and hastily opened it up. A small image of Princess Celestia appeared on the parchment. “Hello Twilight Sparkle.” The image said with a warm smile. “If you are receiving this, then the agent from the Academy has made contact with you.” The six girls’s jaws dropped at the message. “I know not who or how many Headmaster Crow has sent, but I trust his judgement completely. I have also been hearing reports from Trottingham that a group of bandits may be passing through your area. As soon as the agent arrives contact me via mirror portal. Good luck and be careful my faithful student.” With that final word the message vanished in a flash of yellow light. The group of girls looked at the stranger in shock as he gave them a shrug. Applejack walked over and gave him a hardy slap on the back. “Well, shoot. Why didn’t you tell us that you were the agent they sent?” The farmer asked as the group of girls held a skeptical look. “You never asked.” ........... “We didn’t?” Dash said in realization. “Nope, plus I had no idea what these three were up to. For all I knew they could have been some idiots looking for attention or assassins.” He said in a flat tone. “Well, now that that’s out of the way can I ask something?” Twilight said as she looked at the man who gave a nod. “What’s your name?” “Crimson Storm, at your service.” He said a with a nod. “So, who exactly are these ruffians?” Rarity asked as some police men dragged the thugs away. “They’re a group of bandits that have been passing themselves off as guards, bodyguards and just recently Academy members.” He said in a rough tone. “There’s been a bounty on their heads for a while now.” The librarian nodded and looked at the man. “I have to go report to Princess Celestia that you’re here. Thanks again for your help!” She said before going off towards her home. “Well, now that that’s out of the way, let’s party!” Pinkie said with a smile. Crimson held up a hand and let out a sigh. “Sorry, but I’m beat and I have a lot of work to do tomorrow. If you guys need anything then give a shout.” He said before vanishing in a puff of dark red smoke. The girls looked at one another and shrugged as they went back inside. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Twilight raced into the library and walked over to a large mirror. Her right index finger glowed as she tapped the reflective surface of the mirror. The smooth surface rippled and an image of Princess Celestia appeared. “Ah Twilight, I’ve been expecting-” The Princess then notice Twilights disheveled appearance. “My goodness! What happened to you?” “I had a little run in with those bandits you mentioned.” She said with a weak smile. “Don’t worry though, the real Academy agent is here and dealt with the bandits post haste.” “That’s a relief.” Celestia said with a sigh. “How many did they send?” “One.” The Princess looked at her student in surprise. “One?” The librarian gave her a sharp nod. “What is their name?” “Crimson Storm. He’s got shoulder length dark red hair and red eyes.” Celestia’s eyes shrank and a small look of worry was strewn across her face. She quickly replaced it with a small smile and nodded. “Thank you for the update Twilight. Be sure to keep me informed.” The Princess said before the mirror flickered out only leaving the young scholar’s reflection.
Chapter IV: AuraChapter IV Aura Crow sat at his desk behind mountains of seemingly endless paperwork. He let out a groan as he dropped the quill and cracked his fingers. “What I’d give to have a paperwork spell.” He said to no one in particular. The door to his office opened to reveal a woman with brown hair that was tied into a bun and had a secretary look about her. The woman was donning a formal white blouse with a light brown skirt that matched her hair and high heels. “Sorry to disturb you sir.” “No problem Hazel. What is it?” “There’s someone here to see you.” She said with a gulp. “Who?” Crow had never seen Hazel so worried before and she had taken down a fifty foot troll single handedly before she became his secretary. “Princess Celestia and Princess Luna.” Ah there it is. He thought as he relaxed his posture. “Send them in and ring for a pot of tea if you would be so kind.” “Right away sir.” She said with a nod and turned on her heel and exited the large office. Crow sat back in his chair and waited for the two royal sisters to enter his office. He turned around in his swivel chair so he faced the window. The door creaked open and the man heard the foot steps of the two royal sisters. He turned around in his chair and smiled. Celestia was wearing a flowing white dress that went down to her ankles. A golden crown sat atop her flowing hair and her wings were neatly tucked at her back. Luna was wearing a dark blue dress that was similar to her sisters and stood a good foot shorter than her. “Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. So good to see you both again.” He said with a warm smile. “You as well Crow.” Celestia said as she and her sister took a seat in front of the man’s mahogany desk. The door opened to reveal a cart carrying a piping hot pot of tea with three cups. “Ah yes, thank you Hazel.” He said with a smile. The brown hair’d woman nodded and left the room. Each of them took a cup of tea and sipped it. “To what do I owe this visit from royalty?” He asked in a calm tone. “I just received word from my student Twilight Sparkle.” She said before taking a sip from her tea. “She has made contact with the one you sent.” “And?” He asked as he cocked an eyebrow. “I’m surprised and a bit concerned that you sent him.” She said in a flat tone. Crow narrowed his eyes on the Princess. “What’s there to be concerned about?” He asked. “You asked for the best and I sent the best.” Celestia stood up and glared at the man. “Don’t play games Crow!” She yelled. “If he loses control then-” “He won’t.” He said in a rough tone. “Sister, I must agree with Headmaster Crow.” Luna said finally piping up. The other two looked at the dark haired girl in surprise. “I read his file and the child is quite strong. He took down that rock troll that was giving Missourneigh issues.” She said as she sipped her tea. “I see no reason for you to be-” She was cut off as Celestia snapped her fingers and a red folder appeared in the palm of her hand. Celestia levitated the file over to her sister. Luna looked at the file in surprise and opened it up. She gave the contents a quick scan. As she looked at the last page her eyes shrank and gave an audible gulp. “I see. That’s why you’re so concerned.” “Precisely.” Celestia said in a flat tone. “I can only imagine if ‘it’ were to get loose again.” Luna said as she made the file vanish. “Still, he is quite powerful and your seal is still working is it not?” She asked as she looked at the green eyed man. Crow let out a sigh and gulped. “For the moment.” He said in a flat tone. The two Princess’s looked at him in confusion. “The seal is starting to deteriorate and ‘it’ can feel it.” “So he should-” “Be out living his life.” The man said as he narrowed his eyes. “You’re letting your personal feelings for Crimson cloud your judgement.” Celestia said. “There’s one thing that you, and almost everyone else who knows about his secret tend to forget.” “What’s that?” Luna asked. “That he’s not some rouge animal that should be locked up in a cage somewhere, hidden away from society.” He said in an agitated tone. “I wasn’t-” “No, that’s exactly what you were saying!” He said as he squeezed his tea cup so hard that it shattered in his hand. “I’ve seen that boy help this country more than the royal guard has in the past decade.” Celestia gritted her teeth at the comment. “Tell me who was it that cleared up that issue in the Crystal Empire six months ago?” The two sisters grunted as they remembered the incident. “Not only did he handle that place’s constant snow storming problem, but he made contact with-” “Enough!” Celestia bellowed. “I see your point and I admit that my feelings about the child are....mixed.” She said in a flat tone. “I will admit, what he did in the empire was extraordinary. Even by my standards.” After those words were exchanged a long silence fell between the three. “So what do we do now?” Crow asked. “I’ll allow his presence in Ponyville.” She said as the man let out a sigh. “However, should something go wrong regarding ‘it’ I’ll hold you personally accountable.” She said in a flat tone. “I will also ask Twilight to keep an eye on him.” “You wouldn’t-” “I won’t tell her about ‘it.’ That I promise you.” She said as she got to her feet. “Good day Headmaster. We must return to the castle.” The goddess said in a flat tone. As she made her way towards the door Crow stood up and glared at the two royal sisters as they left his office. Crow sat back down and grunted as he looked at the shattered tea cup. He waved his fingers and a light green aura started to repair the shattered china. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Crimson woke up to the sight of Celestia’s sun rising over the mountains. He sat up in his bed and gave a long yawn before hopping off the tree branch he was occupying and landing on the dirt path. As he made his way around the edge of town he was approached by the cyan flyer from the day before. “Yo Big Red, what’s up?” She asked with a smile. “Who’s big red?” He asked. “You dummy.” She said as she landed next to him. “What are you doing out here anyway?” “I just got up.” “Dude, we’re in the middle of the park.” She said in a flat tone. “Where’d you sleep?” Crimson then pointed to the tree that he was previously occupying. “You have got to be kidding me!” “What’s wrong with sleeping in a tree?” He asked as he scratched the back of his head. “Nothing, but living in one is a bit crazy for my taste.” The man just shrugged at the comment as he walked towards the park exit. “So do you have a place to stay?” “Not at the moment, but I’ll fix that soon enough.” He said with a yawn. “Wait, what are you doing up so early?” “I always get up early on workdays.” Dash said with a smile. “Gives me time to get some practice in before work.” “Practice?” He said in confusion. “You training for something?” “Yup, I’m gonna be the worlds best Wonderbolt!” She said in a proud tone. “Quite a goal. Some of the best Wonderbolts came from the Academy.” He said as the two reached the small town. “Yeah, Twi mentioned that.” “Both Soarin and Spitfire excelled in areal combat. Nice people too.” The girl then let out a squeak and jumped in front of the man. “You met Soarin and Spitfire?” She asked in anticipation. “Yeah, a few times when they were still in training and a few others when I was on a job and bumped into them.” He said with a shrug. Rainbow was giddy with excitement. “Why are you up so early?” She asked as she calmed down. “I like it early. Gives me a chance to plan out my day and schedule time for practice.” He said as the two entered the bakery shop. “Practice what?” Dash asked. Crimson rolled his eyes and snapped his fingers. A bright light appeared in his hand and took the form of the scythe he used yesterday. “Oh, right.” She said as she face palmed. The man chuckled and made the weapon vanish as they sat down at a table. The two were soon approached by a familiar pink haired girl. “Hey Dashie! Hey Big Red!” “Seriously how does everybody know about that nickname already?” He asked with a groan. “Ponyville is a small town dude. News travels fast.” Dash said with a snicker. Pinkie handed them each a menu and the two started looking at the food. The two were soon joined by the farmer, seamstress, veterinarian, the scholar, along with her young dragon assistant. “Howdy folks.” Applejack said with a smile. “Morning everyone~” Rarity said in a sing song voice. The four girls then noticed the rainbow aviator and the dark haired warrior. “Hello Crimson, how are you this morning?” “Fine. Yourself?” He asked as the girls sat down next to them. Pinkie came back with a note pad in her hand. “So what can I get ya?” “I’ll have a bagel with a cup of coffee.” Crimson said with a smile. “Really? Sure you don’t want an egg?” Pinkie asked. “Egg? I thought this was pastry shop.” He said in confusion. “It is, but we’re also a deli when sweet’s aren’t enough.” She said with a smile. “Alright, in that case then I’ll take two eggs, scrambled.” He said with a nod. “I’ll have the usual Pinks.” Rainbow said as she handed her the menu. “Okie dokie lokie!” She said as she happily skipped away. Crimson cocked an eyebrow and looked at the other girls. “I don’t mean to sound rude, but is she always like that?” He asked as the girls all chuckled. “Yup, that’s just Pinkie being Pinkie.” Twilight said with a smile. “You’ll get used to her.” The librarian said with a smile. The other girls ordered their food and talked amongst one another while Crimson kept silent. “Um....Mr.Storm.” Fluttershy said in a timid tone. “You can just call me Crimson.” “Okay, I was just wondering about kind of animals have you encountered.” The girls then turned their attention to the stranger. “All kinds.” He said as he sat back. “Trolls, goblins, ursa minors, dragons. You name it.” Crimson said as his food arrived. The man took the cup of coffee and poured a little bit of cinnamon in place of the sugar. The group of girls cocked an eyebrow and looked at him in surprise. “What?” “Why are you using cinnamon?” Twilight asked. “Why aren’t I?” He said as he sipped his beverage. The indigo haired girl rolled her eyes and let out a sigh. “One rule I’ve learned while on the road is ‘don’t knock it till you try it.’” The farmer shrugged and did the same to her cup of coffee. The farmer’s eyes shrank and a smile crept across her face. “That there is a good mix! Ah’ll have to try it more often.” She said with a smile. Crimson nodded and then got to his feet. “Where are ya going?” “I gotta set up some wards around town and find a place to stay.” He said as he got out of the booth. “Wait, where did you stay last night?” Rarity asked. “In a tree.” All the girls looked at one another in surprise. Rarity then got up and glared at the man. “Unacceptable!” She said with gusto. “I cannot allow a guest such as yourself sleep in...a treehouse!” “Hey!”Twilight said in aggravation. “Not like your house Twilight. I mean a normal tree.” Rarity clarified. Crimson sighed and turned his attention to the seamstress. “The only reason why I slept in a tree last night was because I was too worn out to go and find a house to stay in.” He said in a flat tone. “Besides, I’ve slept in worse places other than a tree.” He said as he made his way towards the door. As the man left the girls all huddled up and whispered to one another. “He seems nice.” Fluttershy started. “He obviously has seen a lot of the world and is bound to have interesting stories.” Rarity said with a smile. “I don’t know, I’m getting this weird vibe from him.” Twilight said with a shrug. “He’s probably just getting use to things around here.” Applejack said with a smile. “I guess you’re right.” Twilight said as she sipped her coffee. As Crimson made his way to the edges of the small town, his mind drifted back to days gone by. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The red haired child sat out in the stone hallway with his hood up over his head. Hiding his hair and dark red eyes. As he sat alone with his thoughts his mind drifted back to the train incident. The memory sent a sharp shiver down his spine. “Hey!” A shrill voice shook him from the memory. The boy looked to his left and saw a girl about the same age with a pair of light green wings sprouting from her back that matched her long green hair. “Um, hi?” He said with a gulp. “What are you doing here?” “Nothing, just sitting.” He said in a low tone. The girl then sat down next to him and smiled. “I’m Ivy by the way. Ivy Evergreen.” She said as she stuck out her hand. “Crimson Storm.” He said as he shook it. “So are you going to enroll here?” “Yeah, I just took the entrance exam and I’m waiting for the results.” He said in a nervous tone. “You?” “Same. That test was wicked hard!” She said with a groan. “Tell me about it.” Crimson said with a groan. The door that was to the right of the boy opened and the green eyed man motioned for him to enter. “Good luck.” Ivy said with a wave. Crimson nodded and returned the wave as he entered the room. “Already talking to the ladies eh?” Crow said with a snicker. Crimson grunted and followed the man. They stopped in front of a desk with an elderly man with long white hair and dark blue eyes sitting behind it. His robe was the same shade of blue and only made his eyes look deeper. “You are Crimson Storm are you not?” He asked in a gravely tone. “Yes sir.” The boy said with a gulp. The elderly man put on a pair of rectangular shaped glasses and read over the paper that laid in front of him. “How old are you boy?” “I’m eight. Nine next month.” He said with a small grin. The man’s ever piercing gaze didn’t waver. He looked at the child like a snake watching it’s prey. His gaze then drifted from the paper and back to the child. “I just want you to understand that I can’t be held accountable should you sustain injury’s or die while you attend the Academy.” Crimson felt a smile creep across his face. Crow let out a sigh of relief. “Is that clear?” “Crystal sir!” Crimson said with a smile. For once the man sitting behind the desk smiled. “Good.” He said as he spun his chair around to face the window. “Crow will get you settled and you’ll start next week.” He said in a flat tone. “Dismissed.” Crow motioned for the boy to leave. “Crow, a moment.” The dark haired man stopped as Crimson left the room and closed the door behind him. “I know what you’re trying to do.” The elderly man said with a sigh. “Admirable and completely stupid.” “What would you have do then?” Crow shot back. “Let him be alone in the world? That’s not fair to him or his parents. No child should ever have to walk this world alone.” “You and I both sense what lies beneath. Should that thing ever come out, then it will be complete and utter chaos!” The old timer said as he stood up. Crow grunted and made his way out the door. “Should something happen it’s on your head!” “Thanks for the advice dad.” He said with his words dripping in sarcasm as he slammed the door shut behind him. Crow grunted and ran his fingers through his messy black hair. He looked to his right to see Crimson staring out the window looking at the large tower at the West wing of the school. “Something caught your eye?” “That tower.” He said as he pointed up to the large building. “What’s up there?” “Storage. Why?” “Just wondering, I know that the Academy has dorms for student to stay in.” Crow cocked an eyebrow and put the pieces together. “You want to live up there?” Crimson gave a small nod. “Perhaps that can be arranged.” He said with a smile. “Mind if I ask something?” “Sure.” Crimson said as the two walked down the hallway. “Why do you want to live all the way up there? I have a spare bed in my quarters.” He said as he looked at the child. Crimson lowered his head slightly and let out a sigh. “Look, you’re still young and mom told me how people your age need your space.” He said in a flat tone. Crow felt a small wave of panic and embarrasemnt creep over him. “I don’t want to draw attention to myself by staying with a professor.” Crow let out a sigh and nodded. “You don’t want anyone thinking you rode in on your parents coat tails right?” Crimson gave a nod. “I understand.” He said as he put a hand on the boy’s head. “Just remember that if you need anything then I’m here for you.” He said with a smile. “Thanks.” Crimson said as the two walked down the long hallway. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The memories left Crimson as he finished putting up the last ward spell on the outskirts of town. He wiped the sweat from his brow and made his way back towards the small town. He stretched his arms and made his way back down the dirt path. As he passed Sugar Cube Corner he was approached by the Seamstress and Librarian. “Good afternoon Crimson.” Rarity said with a smile. “What do you mean? Do you wish me a good afternoon, or are you saying that it is a good afternoon whether I want it to be or not?” He asked as he looked at the sky. “Pardon?” “Or perhaps you’re saying that you feel good this particular afternoon.” The two girls looked at one another in confusion at the man’s words. “Or are you stating that this is an afternoon to be good on?” Rarity’s right eye twitched slightly trying to come up with a response. “All of them at once I suppose.” She said in a nervous tone. Crimson let out a small chuckle. “Relax Rarity. I’m only kidding.” The two girls let out sigh and looked back at the man. His red eyes taking in everything around the area. “What are you two up to?” “Not much. We were just going out for some lunch.” Twilight said with a smile. Rarity’s eyes narrowed as she spied a small patch of blush on her friend’s cheeks. “Would you care to join us?” Rarity asked. Twilight looked at her friend in surprise and gulped. “I don’t want to intrude.” He said as he scratched the back of his head. “It’s no intrusion at all dear.” She said with a smile. Crimson weighed his options and shrugged. “If it’s not too much trouble then I’ll take you up on your offer.” Rarity clapped her hands together and led the group through the town. The trio found themselves in front of Sugar Cube Corner. The two girls entered the bakery. Crimson’s eyes shrank as his eyes blinked a bright red magical aura as he stepped inside. The lights flickered on and he snapped his fingers summoning his scythe. “SURPRISE!” Crimson looked in shock to see almost twenty people crammed into the tiny shop with smiles on their faces. Crimson relaxed his stance and let out a sigh. Some of the faces turned from happy to shocked as they looked at his weapon. Crimson sheathed the blade and holstered it onto his back. “Sorry if I startled some of you.” He said in a flat tone. “Reflexes.” The man was then approached by the pink party animal. “Well, did we surprise ya?” She asked with a smile. “To say the least, yes.” Pinkie’s smile grew bigger. “There’s just one thing.” The group looked at him in surprise. “What’s all this for?” The entire room was silent. Crimson heard a few snickers coming from some of the ponies. The entire room erupted in laughter as Dash barreled over in a fit of laughter. Crimson narrowed his eyes. “It’s your ‘Welcome to Ponyville Party’ silly.” Pinkie chimed. “I throw everyone one of these whenever they come to Ponyville.” “Yeah dude, what was there to figure out?” Dash said as she wiped the tears from her eyes. “The last time I was given a surprise like this, the entire thing was a trap set up by a group of goblins.” He said as his eyes glowed a bright red. “Since none of you are giving off like one, I doubt that’s the case here.” He said with a shrug. The rainbow flyer gulped and sat back down. He then turned his attention back to the pink girl. “Thank you for the party.” Crimson said with a nod. “Let’s party!” Pinkie yelled. The other people all cheered and started to talk amongst themselves. Crimson walked over to the corner of the room and sat down. The man set his weapon down on the seat and leaned back as he pulled the hood over his head. Twilight motioned to her friends over towards the man. The group nodded and made their way over to the red mage. Crimson picked his head up and moved his weapon aside so the girls could sit. “Why aren’t you enjoying the party?” Twilight asked. “Party’s aren’t really my scene.” He said in a flat tone. “Why not?” Pinkie asked. “I usually don’t have the time.” “What about back at the Academy?” Rarity asked. “I’m not much of a socialite.” He said with a shrug. The girls all looked at one another and let out a sigh. “Hey, mind if I ask you something?” Crimson gave the flyer a nod. “What did you mean when you said, ‘none of you are giving off like a goblin?’” “I scanned your auras and they didn’t look like a goblin’s.” “Aura?” Dash said in confusion. “You do know what aura is right?” Crimson asked. The rainbow haired flyer had a sheepish grin on her face and shrugged. “Ho boy.” He said as he rubbed his head. “How can I put this?” “Aura is the physical manifestation of ones magical energy.” Twilight interjected. “Magical energy is a combination of physical strength and mental awareness. A balance of both is required to perform magic.” She finished with a smile. Crimson looked at the librarian in surprise. “Correct. Aura surround and protects your body from harm.” “Oh like a force field?” Dash said. Crimson rolled his eyes and took one of the knives that was lying in front of him. He held it in his left hand and held the sharp end over his right palm. “What are you-” The flyer was cut off as he slammed the implement down onto his right palm, The girls shrieked in surprise. The hooded figure then held up the blade. The six girls saw that the sharp end was bent in half and his right palm was untouched and glowing a faint red. “That is awesome!” Dash yelled. “So everyone has this 'aura' in them?” Applejack asked. “Yes, mages just have an easier time of manifesting it and changing it into magic. Those thugs that I took care of last night had some aura protecting them.” He said in a relaxed tone. “So how did you beat them then?” Fluttershy asked. “Simple, my aura was just stronger than their’s.” He said as he glanced at his silver gauntlet. “I’ve been meaning to ask you about that thing darling.” Rarity said as she focused on the vambrace. “What exactly is that thing?” “This has saved my skin more times then I can count.” He said as he raised his left arm. He flexed his fingers and a bright red magical blade sprung out from the end. The girls looked in amazement at the gauntlet. “I can manipulate my magic into physical form. Light as a feather, but stronger than dragon scales.” He said in a flat tone. “And it also fires magic bolts?” Twilight asked. “Correct.” He said as the blade vanished. “I can manipulate my aura into several different forms with this gauntlet.” “Where did you get it?” Dash asked. Crimson lowered his head at the question. “It was my mother’s.” The rainbow haired flyer gulped and lowered her head. “Sorry.” “It’s fine. You didn’t know.” He said as he got to his feet. “Where are ya going?” Applejack asked. “I still need to find a house to stay in. Can’t really do that by sitting here.” He said as he made his way towards the door. He was then stopped by an older woman with wavy gray hair. She was wearing a light brown formal jacket with matching high heels and a skirt that went down to her knees. A green tie was wrapped around her neck and a pair of golden rimmed glasses sat atop her nose. “Can I help you?” “Hello, I’m the Mayor of Ponyville and I couldn’t help over hear your need of a house while you’re with us.” She said as she shook his hand. “I’d be more than happy to show you our available residences.” “That’d be splendid. Mayor....what’s your full name?” “My full name is Mayor Mare.” Crimson cocked an eyebrow. “My parents had high expectations of me when I was born and luckily I met those.” “Trust me, I know the feeling of having high expectaions being put on you.” He said as he followed the woman out of the bakery and into the town of Ponyville. The six girls huddled up once again and talked amongst one another. “Wow, he sure knows a lot about magic.” Pinkie said. “Sounds like it. I wonder what else he knows.” Twilight said with a smile. “Looking to spend some one on one time with him Twi?” Dash said as she waggled her eyebrows. Twilight blushed at the comment as she narrowed her eyes. “Not like that!” “Oh don’t be coy dear.” Rarity said with a smirk. “I saw how you were looking at him.” “I don’t know anything about him!” Twilight protested in an angry tone. “Alright simmer down sally.” The farmer said. “We ain’t trying to get a rile out of ya hun.” Applejack said as she put a reassuring hand on her friends shoulder. “He seems like an interesting guy.” “Thank you Applejack.” She said as she stood up. “Now if you’ll excuse me I have a report to write.” With that final word the mage teleported away with a flash of purple light. Applejack looked back at her friends and grinned. “She likes him.” Pinkie chimed. “Oh yeah.” Dash said with a chuckle.
Chapter V: The ClubChapter V The Club. Crimson paid the mayor for his new home and filled out the proper paperwork. The man had selected to live in the clock tower at the center of town. It was up and running. Luckily the living quarters had a sound proof enchantment around it so the sounds of the bells were drown out. The living arrangements were simple. One bathroom, a kitchen connected to the living room and a bedroom was at the top and had an incredible view of the town. If it was one thing Crimson loved about the place it was the view. He ascended the staircase and made his way to the balcony. He could see all of Ponyville from his room. The sun was just beginning to rise and he heard a voice coming from below. He looked down towards the door to see Twilight, Rarity and Applejack. “What’s up?” He yelled down to the three girls. The trio looked up in surprise to see the man leaning over the balcony. “We heard that ya just moved in.” AJ hollered. “I’ll be right down.” The three waited patiently for the man to unlock the door. Rarity put her hands on her hips and looked up. Her sapphire eyes shrank to the size of pin tips as she saw the man vault off the balcony and fall towards them. The other girls all shrieked in horror as they saw the man rocketing towards them. Crimson smirked and his gauntlet started to glow a bright red. He raised his left arm and a red beam attached itself to the balcony’s edge. Crimson used his weight to swing around the tower. He landed with a quick summersault and stood up. “What?” He said as the three girls glared at him. “You could have died!” Twilight yelled. “I’ve jumped off higher buildings.” He said as he cracked his neck. He side stepped the seamstress and inserted a key into the door. Crimson held the door open for the three as they made their way inside. Rarity looked around the small living area and gave a weak smile. “Very....interesting.” She said with a gulp. “I’m a man with simple tastes.” He said with a shrug. “There’s simple and then there’s no taste.” Rarity said in a hushed tone. “I heard that.” The fashionista threw on a weak smile and gulped. The red haired man then started to make his way towards the door. “Where are ya going?” Applejack asked. “I need to check on the wards.” He said with a shrug. The girls looked at one another and followed the man out of his barely furnished home. “So Crimson, how long will you be staying in Ponyville?” Twilight asked. “The mission statement said three months. Although that may change.” He said as the librarian matched his pace. “Why would it change?” Applejack asked. “I might get reassigned on some other mission or if time runs out and I need to face the trials.” The girls all looked at one another in confusion. “Trials?” “You see. There are four ranks within the Academy. The beginners are called Scavengers, then Hunters. The next is Rangers, which is what I am. Finally there are Zealots.” He said in an explanatory tone. “Within each rank there are levels of jobs you can take. The jobs are rated E through A. E being the lowest and A being the highest.” “So how do these jobs get ranked?” Rarity asked. “They’re ranked on pay, difficulty and location.” “Location?” Twilight asked. “Yes, we don’t get jobs just from Equestria. We are sometimes we’re put on loan to other kingdoms.” The girls all looked at him in surprise. “A colleague of mine is away in Gryphonia right now.” “What about difficulty?” Applejack asked as they passed Sugar Cube Corner. “Well, it depends on what the job is.” He said as he withdrew his pocket watch. He pressed the button and a small rectangular board with a short description appeared under it. At the top it had the title ‘Ranger’ and the letter ‘B’ next to it. Crimson groaned and face palmed. “That ass hole. He set me up.” “Pardon?” Rarity said. “Sorry for the language.” He said as he gave them an apologetic nod. “Looks like my boss altered the job description.” Crimson as he pointed to the top. “He told me that this was Zealot class. Looks like he just pulled another one over on me.” He said with a groan. “Why would he do that?” “He likes to pull pranks on everyone once in a while. This is the butt end of the joke.” He said as he closed the watch. “Why does it matter?” Rarity asked. “The higher level the job the bigger the pay and the faster you rank up.” He said with a shrug. “After you complete a number of missions at a select difficulty then you’re able to take the trials.” “So these trials are like tests?” Twilight asked. “Exactly. They’re a series of tests that goes over what you’ve accomplished over your years of training at the Academy.” The group of was then approached by a familiar rainbow haired flyer. “Sup guys. What are you guys doing?” She asked with a smile. “Crimson was just telling us about the Academy Ranking system.” Twilight said with a smile. “Sounds boring.” She said with a sigh. The man then felt something vibrate in his pocket. He pulled out his pocket watch and flipped it open. A small map of the town showed up with a blinking dot in the far corner. “What’s that?” “Something tripped one of the wards that I set up.” He said as he focused on the area. “Looks like something came from the Everfree forest.” Crimson said as he took off towards the forest. The group of girls gave chase and followed the red haired man. The man focused his magic into his feet and took off with speed that made the winged flyer’s jaw drop in surprise. The girls looked in shock as they saw a dark red blur take off ahead of them towards the dark forest. The girls caught up to him as they approached the small cottage. The man summoned his scythe and quietly made his way around the house. He looked behind him to see the the five girls looking at him. “What are you guys doing?” “Helping.” Dash said. “This is my mission. Stay back.” He said in a stern tone. As the girls stepped forward he snapped his fingers and a bright red wall appeared in front of the girls. Sealing them off from the man. “Sorry, but I can’t afford you all to mess this up.” Dash banged on the wall and yelled. “That wall is sound proof too.” He said as he stealthily made his way around the cottage. As he peered around the corner he saw a large manticore laying in the middle of the yard. The door to the cottage opened and the man saw the animal caretaker from before. The pink haired girl had a platter with a syringe and a vial of liquid on it. “Okay mister Manticore. Now I need you to hold still.” She said with a smile. The beast groaned and lifted a paw to the smiling woman. Fluttershy smiled and put the needle into the solution and filled the syringe. The woman smiled and gently put the needle into the beast’s paw. The beast growled and the woman patted it’s mane and hummed softly. “Hush now, quiet now.” She said as the beast purred. Crimson watched in amazement as the woman finished the injection and wrapped the paw in a cast. Seeing no danger, the man made his weapon vanish and approached the woman. The girl perked up and smiled at the man. “Oh, hello Crimson. What brings you here?” “I got a notification from the ward I set up that a large animal had breached it.” He said as he looked at the manticore. “What is that thing doing here anyway?” “Oh, well you see.” She started as she got to her feet. “Some of the forest animals come to me whenever they get hurt.” She said with a warm smile. “This manticore got into a fight with some other animal and it’s paw was broken.” She said in a timid tone. “I just gave it a pain killer and set it in a cast for it to heal.” “And this thing won’t try to kill you?” He asked with a skeptic look on his face. The two were then interrupted by a loud banging noise. The two looked over to the side of the house to see the other four girls with cross looks on their faces. “Hey!” Dash yelled. “How did you guys get out?” Crimson asked as they ran up to him. “I managed to crack your ward.” Twilight said in an icy tone. “Really? No one’s ever been able to do that before.” He said in an impressed tone. Twilight fought off a small smile as she focused on the man. “That’s beside the point.” Rarity said with a sigh. “Why did you put us in that thing in the first place?” Crimson crossed his arms and let out a sigh. “Look, I had no idea what was going on here. For all I knew there could have been a hydra attack and you guys would have just gotten in my way.” He said in a stern tone. “It was for your own protection.” “We can handle ourselves just fine!” The farmer yelled. “Then why did you guys need the Academy’s help then?” A long silence fell between the group of girls. They looked at one another and gulped. “Look, I came here to protect this town from the animals that have been acting more aggressive.” He said with a groan. “I can only do that if you all listen to me and let me do my job.” He then reached into his pocket and withdrew a yellow crystal as he turned towards the yellow winged girl. “Just so a false alarm like this doesn’t happen again.” He said as he handed it to the vet. “What is it?” Fluttershy asked as she looked at the crystal. “If the ward gets tripped by some animal that is coming to see you, then just hit it twice and I’ll know that you’re taking care of it.” Fluttershy looked at the crystal and tapped it twice with her finger. The rock blinked at her touch. The girls then saw Crimson’s gauntlet blink yellow twice. The group of girls then crowded around the small crystal. “Thank y-” As she looked up, Fluttershy noticed that the spot the man was once standing in was vacant. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The small red haired child sat in the cafeteria and watched as several other people were talking amongst one another. Crimson ventured out of the room and walked along the corridors in silence. He looked out the window and saw storm clouds staring to move in. The child then felt his body crash into something hard. Crimson fell down on his back and looked up to see a man with dark brown hair and matching brown wings staring down at him. “Watch where you’re going!” “S-sorry.” Crimson said as he stood up. “I don’t want any trouble and-” he was cut off as the man grabbed him by his shirt collar and lifted him off the ground. “You must think you’re something special just cause one of the professors got you in eh?” He said in a rough tone. Crimson felt a small wave of fear creep over him. “Hey put him down!” The two looked to the right to see see a girl with light green hair marching towards the two. “Oh how cute. Your girlfriend has come to your rescue.” The man said with a snicker. Ivy frowned as the man threw the boy to the ground. “Hey back off!” She yelled. “Or what? You’re not even a scavenger.” The man then slapped her across the face. Ivy felt the force from the man’s palm. Crimson immediately got to his feet and slammed his fist into the man’s back. The group heard a loud crack come from the man’s back. The large winged man staggered forward and turned around slowly. Crimson gulped and tried to stand his ground. “That was a bad move.” The winged man said before his fist glowed a faint yellow and collided with the small boy’s chest. Sending him back against the stone wall. A group of other students gasped as they saw the wall crack as the boy’s back collided with the stone. Crimson slowly stood up and groaned as a small bit of blood trickled out of his mouth. Crimson’s vision started to blur as the large man focused his magic into his hands and continued to pound the boy into the wall. Several other students winced as the upperclassman continued to beat the child like a drum, forming new cracks in the wall. The large man then felt the green haired girl latch onto his back and try to choke him. The man gaged for a moment as he felt the girls arm wrap around his neck. The large person then grabbed the girl’s arm and threw her into the side of the wall. The girl slumped to the ground and groaned in pain. The man cracked his knuckles as Crimson stepped between him and the girl. “Back off.” Crimson winced in pain as the words left his lips. The man chuckled and pulled out a large club from his belt. “Too late freak.” He said as he raised the club. Several people gasped as he did. For some reason Crimson felt a growing rage at the words. He stood completely still as the large weapon came racing towards him. The crowd’s jaws dropped as Crimson outstretched his hand and stopped the club from moving all together. “What the-” Was all the man got out before Crimson crushed the weapon in his palm. The crowd then saw what looked like dark red shadows encircled his arms. Crimson then let loose a barrage of punches that made audible cracks come from the man. The winged man instantly backed away and lunged forward. The red energy circled around Crimson’s legs and he vaulted over the man and kicked him in between his wings. The force from the leg sent the man through the stone wall. Crimson panted and walked over to Ivy who was staring at him is disbelief. He helped her to her feet as a large cloud of white smoke moved through the crowd and appeared before the two children. The white vapor then took the form of a silver haired woman donning a white blouse and a purple knee length skirt. Her green eyes pierced through everyone as they gulped. “What in the name of Celestia is going on here?” She said as she looked at the destroyed wall and the injured man. “Who is responsible for this?” She yelled as she looked at the stunned crowd. The group then pointed towards the red haired child who had the green winged girl’s arm over his neck. The woman adjusted her black rimmed rectangular glasses as her eyes flashed white for a moment. Her eyes shrank and then frowned. “I see.” A white phoenix then landed on her shoulder. “Get the nurse and tell her that we have an injured student. The green haired girl then coughed up a small amount of blood. “Make that two.” She said as she started to walk away. “Are you two coming?” Crimson gulped and helped the hobbled girl down the hallway. The crowd broke apart and created a pathway as two women in white coats arrived with a stretcher. As the pair arrived at the medical center Crimson sat still as the medics scanned him with several spells. Ivy had several bandages going across her abdomen. The door burst open to reveal Crow with a worried look on his face. “Are you alright Crimson?” He asked as he walked over to him. “I’m fine.” He said in a flat tone. Ivy looked over and saw the blank look on the boy’s face. She then slowly go to her feet and walked over. “Hey thanks.” She said with a smile. “Forget it.” Crimson said as he got up. “Honestly inside your first month and you start a fight?” Crow said as he shook his head. “It wasn’t him!” Ivy piped up. Crow cocked an eyebrow at the girl. “It was that other guy. He just attacked him when he accidentally bumped into him.” She said as she pointed at the red haired child. “The he used some big club on him.” “Really now?” He said as the stretcher arrived. “Using weapons in an unofficial fight is strictly against Academy rules.” “Buck rules!” The man yelled. “Ah yes, Thunder Kicker.” Crow said as he adjusted his glasses. “Problem child if I ever saw one.” He said with a sigh. “Who are you miss?” He asked. “Ivy Evergreen.” She said with a nod. “Ah yes, you’re Fern’s daughter.” He said with a smile. “Well, thank you for helping Crimson out of a jam.” He said with a smile. “Hey where’d he go?” The man then noticed that the seat that the child occupied was now empty. Crow looked at the empty spot and grinned as an idea came to him. Crimson laid on his bed in the high tower that overlooked the vast forest. He groaned as he turned over on his side and yawned. The door to his room opened to reveal the cane wielding man. “What’s up?” Crimson asked as he sat up in his bed. “Oh nothing. I’m just showing your new roommate to her room.” “Her?” Crimson said as he cocked an eyebrow. Crow stepped aside to reveal the giddy green haired girl from earlier. “This is one of your jokes isn’t it?” He asked. “No joke ma boy.” Crow said as the girl dropped two duffle bags on the opposite bed. “Why do you torture me?” Crimson groaned as he laid back. “Oh come now, you didn’t think that you’d get a view like this all to yourself did you?” Ivy said as she looked outside. “Awesome!” Crow took this opportunity to slowly sneak out of the room. “Play nice kiddies.” He quickly said before closing the door. Crimson face palmed and looked over at Ivy who was smiling at him.
Chapter VI: Scarlet and CliffChapter VI Scarlet and Cliff Ivy let out a yawn as she walked out of the cave with barely a scuff mark on her outfit. She looked out to see several towns people looking at her in shock. She put her arms over her head and smiled. “All clear folks.” She said with a grin.The town folk cheered and soon surrounded her. Ivy smiled weakly and felt a small shiver run down her spine. She immediately jumped back into the cave and kicked something with her right foot. The beast roared in anger as it felt the impact. The mob of people immediately stepped back as they saw a Hobbe the size of a small troll come out of the cave and step into the light. “Everyone stand back!” She yelled as she pulled out her two batons and twirled them in her hands. “Alright big guy. Let’s see what you got.” She said with a smirk. The large beast roared and threw a massive fist at the girl. Ivy smirked and easily dodged the massive fist. She then took the two batons in her hands and pointed both ends at the massive creature. The ends then glowed a bright green and a barrage of small green balls shot out the end. The tiny spheres exploded as they made contact with the beast. The large hobbe then staggered backwards and yelled in pain. Before the beast could recover, Ivy slammed the ends together and the newly formed staff started to split apart and turn into a whip. The girl roped the monster’s legs and gave a hard pull. The large Hobbe landed on it’s back and it’a head hit a rock. Stunning it. “Now for the coupe d grace.” Ivy then took the whip and changed it back into a staff form. She heard a satisfying locking noise and smiled. She then took flight and slammed the end on to the monster’s head. The girl heard a loud crack come from the monster’s skull. The beast staggered for a moment and fell forwards. The woman walked up to it and poked it’s nose with the tip of her staff before turning back to the frightened crowd. “Okay, now it’s all clear.” She said with a smile the group cheered and thanked the warrior with a smile on their faces. The large group made their way back towards the small town. Ivy leaned her head back and looked up at the sky. Wonder what Crimson is up to. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Crimson made his way through the quiet streets of Ponyville with a blank expression on his face. He was then approached by the boy that hung out with Twilight. Crimson had noticed several oddities about the child. Including his, long nails, sharp teeth and spliced green eyes. “Hey dude.” “Spike right?” Crimson said with a cocked eyebrow. “Yeah that’s me. So what are you doing?” “Just looking for something to do. I’m so bored.” He said with a groan. “I bet you’re not used to the quiet life yet eh?” “Correct.”He said with a sigh. “I’m a Ranger it’s my job to fight things.” “What have you fought anyway?” Spike asked. “Name it I’ve fought it.” He said in a humdrum tone. “Even....zombies?” “Yup, two years ago while I was guarding a research team in some ruins.” He said with a shrug. Spike’s jaw dropped as he looked at the man. “Everyone got out alright.” Spike twiddled his thumbs and looked up at the man. “Can you keep a secret?” Crimson looked at the small dragon in confusion. “Sure, I guess.” Spike motioned him to lean over so he could whisper. “I have a crush on Rarity.” He said ina hushed tone. “The seamstress?” “Shhh!” “Sorry, but why tell me?” “I figured that since you’ve been around a lot, that you might have some advice for me.” He said with a guilty grin. Crimson thought for a moment and scratched the back of his neck. “Sorry Spike, but you’re asking the wrong guy about that kind of stuff.” The dragon cocked his head in surprise. “I’m about as clueless as you when it comes to girls.” “Seriously?” Crimson rolled his eyes and nodded. “I’m usually too busy working to focus on things like that.” He said in a flat tone. “Sorry.” “It’s fine.” He said with a shrug. “Mind if I ask something?” Crimson said as he looked at the child. “Sure.” “What’s up with your nails and eyes.” Spike then looked at his claw like nails. “I’m half dragon.” He said ina flat tone. “What?” “Long story short Twilight went nuts with one of her spells and it turned me into a human.” He said with a shrug. “Anyway to change you back?” “Nope, it's permanent."Spike shrugged. "It’s fine though. I’m pretty sure I’d freak everyone out if I was a full dragon.” He said with a small chuckle. “So can you breathe fire?” “Yeah, but only a little bit.” “How’d you get stuck with Twilight anyway?” “She had to pass some test and hatching my egg was the test.” “Hatched?” He said as he cocked an eyebrow. “Her magic went nuts and my egg absorbed the magic thereby causing me to hatch.” He said in an explanatory tone. “Twilight took me in and the rest is history.” “Interesting.” Crimson said with a nod. “I’d better get back to the library. See ya around.” He said as he ran off towards the center of town. Once the man was alone with his thoughts he ventured towards the park. He sat down at a lone picnic table and summoned his scythe. Crimson sat down and started to look over the blade and hand grips. The warrior then saw Twilight making her way towards him. She was donning a neat purple blouse and a pair of tan pants that went down to her ankles. “Morning.” He said with a nod. “Same to you.” She said as she sat down across from him. The librarian then noticed the scythe laying on the table. “Um, what are you doing?” “I need to clean Scarlet.” “Who?” He then nodded towards his weapon. “You named your weapon?” The man gave her a stiff nod. “Why?” “It’s bad luck not to name your own creation.” He said as he withdrew a cloth and cleaned the blade. “Wait, you made this?” She said in confusion. “Well, sort of.” He said as he rubbed his head. “I’ve modified her over the years so she’s more versatile, but at the core she’s still the same the first day she found me.” “She found you?” Twilight said as she cocked an eyebrow. “My dad always told me that, ‘the warrior doesn’t pick the weapon, the weapon picks the warrior.’” “So you’ve had that thing for a long time?” He then twisted the staff part of the scythe. “Yeah, our first test is to go out and claim a weapon that we’ll use for the rest of our time at the Academy. Each member has to have a weapon that can be powerful and versatile.” He pulled the end out to reveal a long sharp sword. The blade was jet black and had a menacing sharp edge. “I usually keep her in reaper form though.” “Reaper form?” “The scythe.” He said as he held up the weapon. “The sword I use when I get serious.” He said in a flat tone. “What do you mean?” “The scythe itself is powerful, but it’s a bit slow. If I need speed then I switch to sword form.” He said as he looked at the blade. “What about long range?” Twilight asked now clearly interested. “I either use my gauntlet or I switch her to gun form.” He said as he put the sword back in the scythe part. He then turned the handle counter clockwise twice and a scope popped up on the handle. Twilight looked at the end near the blade to see an opening. Crimson picked the weapon up and pointed it at a nearby tree. His hands glowed for a second before the end glowed and unleashed a salvo of magic. The tree took the hit and a bright red flash filled the scholar’s vision. When she opened her eyes she saw that there was a large holed going straight through the large tree. Her jaw dropped and walked over to inspect it. The hole was precise and felt that it had been burned over. “That tree is toast!” She said in astonishment. “I could have made it gone through the rock too if I wanted too.” He said with a shrug. “I usually stick to close range combat if I can help it.” Twilight then eyed the odd weapon. “How heavy is that thing?” “All together? I’d say about eighty pounds.” He said as he held it with one hand and offered it to the girl. Twilight put both hands on it. As she got a grip Crimson let go and the librarian felt the weight and fell forward as she let go of the ranger’s weapon. The scythe’s blade stuck in the ground and stayed in place. Crimson lunged forward and caught the scholar as she fell. Twilight looked up to see his dark red eyes glaring down at her. Twilight felt a bright blush creep across her face as he stood her up. “You okay?” “Y-yeah, I just wasn’t expecting it to be that heavy.” She said with a gulp. “I could make her lighter, but I like her this way.” “I still don’t see why you call it ‘her.’” Twilight said with a shrug. “A weapon isn’t just a tool it’s an extension of yourself. It reflects your personality and the very essence of who you are.” He said as he holstered the weapon onto his back. “Without her then I’d be dead more times that I can count.” Twilight processed the info and let out a sigh. “I see. Sorry if I caused offense.” “It’s fine. I can see why you don’t understand, since you don’t have one of your own.” The two were then interrupted by a familiar cyan winged flyer. She landed next to the two and smiled. “Hey guys.” “Morning Rainbow.” Twilight said as Crimson nodded. “What are you guys doing out here?” “Crimson was just telling me about his weapon.” Twilight clarified. Dash then threw on a devilish grin. “Sure, that’s totally what you were talking about.” She said in a lewd tone. The two mages looked at one another in confusion before putting the pieces together. Twilight’s face turned bright red and frowned at the flyer. “Real mature Dash!” She yelled. “Oh calm down Twi.” She said with a shrug. “My god, you and Ivy would get along like a house on fire.” Crimson said as he face palmed. “Who’s Ivy?” “She’s one of my partners.” He said with a shrug. “Partners?” Twilight said in a nervous tone. “Every Academy member gets assigned missions remember?” He said as he started to walk with the two girls. “You see, starting out as Scavengers everyone is required to be in a four person squad.” The girls nodded. “When they reach the rank of Ranger, they then have the option of taking jobs on their own. Like I’m doing now.” “So, this Ivy person is on your team?” Dash asked. “Yup, she’s also my roommate.” “So she’s the one who’s taking care of Cliff?” Twilight asked. “Well, right now she’s clearing out a hobbe cave somewhere.” He said with a shrug. “So where are the other two?” Dash asked. “Long story.” He said with a shrug. The trio then started to walk out of the park and back onto the street. “So Crimson, where did you get that thing?” Dash asked as she looked at the scythe. “I made it.” “No way!” “Yup, you see when you start out in the Academy your first assignment is to get a weapon.” He said in an explanatory tone. “So how did you get yours then?” Dash asked. “You see-” Crimson then felt his watch vibrate. He pulled it out and flipped open the lid to see another animal had tripped the ward. “Dash, fly up and see if you can see what’s-” He was cut off as he heard several screams. The trio then took off towards the edge of town. The three stopped as they reached the apple farm. Applejack, Applebloom, a tall man with shoulder length rust colored hair who was carrying an elderly woman in his arms. Crimson ran up to them and nodded. The man then heard a gut churning roar. The group looked up to see an Ursa Minor towering over them. “Applejack is this everyone?” “Y-yeah.” “Good, tell the towns folk to take cover.” He said as he pulled his scythe out from it’s holster. “You’re not gonna fight that thing are you?” Twilight asked. “That’s the plan.” He said as he cracked his neck. “Get going now!” He ordered. Applejack nodded and led her family to safety. Dash and Twilight went off to go warn the town. Crimson let out a sigh and focused on the massive beast in front of him. Crimson lunged forward and swung his scythe. The blade glowed a deep red and several energy slash marks hit the beast. The Ursa roared in anger and set it’s sights on the small red warrior that stood before it. Crimson then saw that the beast swung one of it’s massive paws at the him. The man quickly dodged the attack and fired a few salvo’s from his gauntlet. The blasts hit the beast in the face and the warrior saw that it barely left a scratch. Crimson relaxed and cracked his neck. No choice then. He thought as he let out a sigh and placed his left hand over his face. He didn’t see that the six girls had come back with whatever they could use as a weapon. Twilight’s eyes blinked a light purple color and saw that his dark red aura immediately sky rocketed. Crimson’s eyes had also changed. The whites surrounding the red pupils was now pitch black and the pupils themselves were spliced. Crimson pulled out his scythe and stuck it in the ground. He looked back to see the group standing there with nervous looks on their faces. His hands started to glow and he picked up his weapon. He slammed the blade into the ground and funneled his magic to the blade. Crimson immediately made large slash mark in the ground and sheathed his blade. He put two fingers to his mouth and let out a high pitched whistle. The girls saw the massive slash mark glow bright red and a massive spell circle appear on the ground above the crack. The girls felt the ground shake and saw a bright flash of light. Smoke filled the air. The group opened their eyes and let out a gasp. Standing in front of them was a massive dark red, three headed dog. The beast easily matched the size of the Ursa Minor. On the middle head stood the red haired warrior. His dark red eyes focused on the large bear. The large bear gulped in surprise as it stared into three sets of eyes that had rage in them. “Sick em.” Crimson ordered. The large dog roared and charged at the beast. The Ursa swung it’s massive paw at the dog. It’s target evaded the attack and found an opening. The three dog heads then bit into the bear’s hide. The large dog growled and jumped off the heavily bleeding beast. Crimson jumped off the center dog’s head and landed on the large bear’s chest. The heavily bleeding monster looked at the small red dot in confusion. Crimson frowned and bore holes through the monster. “Leave. Now!” Crimson yelled as the Ursa gulped. “If you think about coming back, then remember that my pet is always hungry.” The man said with a wicked grin as he motioned to the large three headed dog. The bear gave a slow and fear filled nod at the man. “Good boy.” He said as he hoped back onto the large dog’s head. “C’mon boy.” Crimson said as he pointed towards the town. He watched as the Ursa got to it’s paws and slowly limped back towards the Everfree forest. The large dog stopped on the edge of town and looked down at the group of frightened girls. Crimson hoped off his pet’s head and landed with a smile on his face.”What?” “That’s all you can say?” Twilight yelled. “You summoned a Cerberus!” She said as she looked at the massive dog. “Yeah, remember that pet I told you about?” He said as he scratched his head. The group’s jaws dropped. “That thing is Cliff?” Dash yelled. “Yup.” “He’s not gonna try to eat us is he?” Applejack asked. “You honestly think that you’re enough to fill that huge stomach of his?” He asked with a snicker. “Not helping.” The farmer said with a scowl. “Sorry and no. He’s well trained and won’t attack unless I order him to or is provoked.” He said with a smile. Fluttershy slowly flew up to the large dog’s head and started to scratch between the middle head’s ears. The beast let out a sound of approval and it’s tail started to wag. “Oh he’s just the sweetest thing.” She cooed. “He’s a monster!” Twilight yelled. The three heads then lowered to her height and growled. Twilight’s hairs stood on end and gulped. “Yeah, he’s really sensitive.” Crimson said as he looked at the frightened scholar. “Best not to get him pissed.” He said in a flat tone. Crimson snapped his fingers and the large beast vanished in a puff of smoke. “Where did he go?” Fluttershy asked. “I sent him back to the Academy.” He said as he sat on the ground panting. “It takes a lot of magic to summon and keep him here.” He said with a groan. “Takes a lot out of you.” “You okay?” Dash asked. “Yeah, I just need to rest.” He said with a pant. The man got to his feet and staggered forward only to be caught by the strong man. “Least ah can do for saving mah family and farm.” The man said with a grin. “Thanks, who are you?” “This here’s my brother Macintosh.” Applejack said with a smile. “Ah, should’ve guessed.” He said as Mac helped him stand up straight. “I’ll see you guys later.” He said as he started to walk away from the group. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ivy Evergreen laid on her hotel bed and relaxed after a long day of Hobbe killing and yawned. The girl then felt something in her pocket glow and vibrate. She pulled out a small green gem and focused her magic into it. A small image of Crow appeared. “Hello Ivy, how goes the mission?” “Done, just relaxing.” She said with a smile. “Need something?” “I’m redirecting you to Crimson’s location.” “Why?” “I just got a report that he summoned Cliff to deal with an Ursa Minor.” He said in a flat tone. Ivy looked at him in confusion. “He’s losing it Ivy. I need you there to keep him calm especially with ‘it’ around the corner.” “I understand. I’ll leave first thing tomorrow. Should I call Cobalt and Rouge?” “I’ve sent them a message, but it’ll take a while before they are back.” “No problem.” She said with a smile. “I’ll keep him under control.” “Thank you and good luck.” He said before the image vanished.
Chapter VII: ColossusChapter VII Colossus Crimson stood in a single file line outside and in front of a vast forest with several other students. He stood up straight as a familiar cane wielding man stepped in front of them. Even though Crimson was family Crow treated him like any other student, which the boy agreed to so he wouldn’t draw attention to himself. “Students!” He barked getting the students’s attention. “Today is the day we see if you’re Academy material.” Everyone buzzed in excitement. The green eyed man then pointed towards the forest. “Within the forest lies a series of ruins. Within them are weapons you will need to complete your stay here.” Crimson nodded in approval. “The forest is teeming with different types of creatures and the ruins themselves have guardians that are ever watchful and will try to stop you.” He said as the crowd grew silent. “I will not lie to you, I cannot promise that all of you will come back alive,” He heard an audible gulp come from the crowd. “and those that do come back, you will not be the same.” He said with a sigh. “We will also assign you all into four man cells upon your return.” Crimson groaned at the thought of being forced to be social. “You have until midnight to claim your weapon and reach the grand hall where we will all be waiting for you. Those who fail will be expelled from the Academy post haste.” Everyone looked at one another and gulped. “Now then. Begin!” He said as his body turned into a flock of crows and flew away. The students looked at one another and immediately took off running towards the structures in the distance. Crimson hastily made his way through the thicket and through a series of bushes. As he came to a clearing he caught his breath and saw a familiar green haired girl land a good hundred feet away from him. Ivy saw the boy and quickly made her way over to him. “Sup roomie?” She asked as she caught her breath. Crimson let out a sigh and gave her a nod. “Could you see the ruins from up there?” He asked as he looked towards the sky. “That is such a good idea!” She said as she flew up and looked around. Back on the ground Crimson face palmed and let out a sigh. “Um, I think I see something over there!” She yelled as she saw an old tower in the distance. “Thanks. Good luck.” He said as he took off running. As he entered the forest he felt the green haired flyer fly up beside him. “Why don’t you play lookout so you can see if there are any monsters up ahead?” “Good idea! See ya!” She said as she zoomed forward. Crimson silently thanked Celestia that the chatty girl was gone and he could focus on reaching the ruins. As he made his way into another clearing he heard a loud rustling sound. As he looked to his right, he saw a blue haired boy with similar colored wings running from what looked like a manticore. The boy then noticed Crimson and flew towards him. “What? Don’t bring that thing here!” He yelled. Across the clearing he then noticed a girl with jet black hair firing a few spells at something behind her. The two boys then saw what looked like an entire pack of Timber wolves follow her. The Manticore the spied the wolves and deviated from it’s path thinking it could get a bigger meal from one human. The winged man then took flight towards the other child. As he was banking left a wind gust knocked Ivy off course and she flew right into the blue haired flyer. The two were sent crashing towards the ground and rammed into the dark haired mage. The three combined trainees then rammed right into Crimson. “Great, gang’s all hear. Now we can all die together.” He said as he pushed the blue flyer off him. “Sorry about that.” Ivy said as she offered her hand to the dark haired girl. The young mage grunted and got up on her own. As the blue flyer got up he noticed that the Manticore had finished with the wolves and set his sights on the four children. “Manticore! Run now talk later!” He said as he took off with the others following close behind. “I saw a cave up ahead. We can hide in there.” Ivy said as she took the lead. The others nodded and followed the green flyer into a cave. The manticore stopped in it’s tracks as it saw the humans run into the cave. The beast roared and ran away post haste. The four looked at one another and let out a sigh of relief. “Well, that worked out pleasantly.” The blue flyer said as he sat down. His hand felt something wet and slimy. “Gross.” He said as he wiped his hands on his pant leg. “Ugh, what is that stench.” The dark haired girl said as she held her nose shut. “No idea. For a cave this place is pretty soaked.” Ivy said as she sat down on a white rock. Crimson and the blue flyer looked around the cave and felt shivers go down their spine. “I’ve got a bad feeling about this.” The dark haired girl said aloud. Crimson slammed his foot down on the cave floor in frustration. The four then felt the entire area shake. “What was that?” Ivy asked. Crimson did it a second time getting the same result. He thought for a moment as a big gust of putrid air came from the back of the cave. “Oh buck! We need to get out of here now!” He yelled. “Why? It’s just a cave.” Ivy said as she cocked her head in confusion. “This is no cave!” He yelled as the group ran out of the cave just in time to see two sets of massive teeth close behind them. The group looked at one another in shock and groaned. “What. The hell. Was that?” The blue flyer said as he panted. “Must have been a mountain dweller.” The dark mage said. “I read that they like to burrow into the bottom of mountains and pose as caves so it can eat animals that venture inside.” She said with a pant. “Didn’t think to mention that sooner?” The blue flyer said. The dark haired girl grunted and charged her hands with a dark purple aura. Crimson then stepped between the two. “Look, guys. We’re all here for the same reason.” He said in a calm tone. “Let’s just agree to work together at least until we get our weapons and pass this thing okay?” The flyer bit his lip and relaxed his stance. The girl’s hands stopped glowing and let out a sigh. “Fine.” The flyer said with a groan. “Deal.” “Since we’re going to be working together we should at least know each other’s names.” Ivy said as she got up. “Ivy Evergreen.” She said with her hand outstretched. “Rouge Nightshade.” The dark haired girl said. “Cobalt Striker.” “Crimson Storm.” He said as he shook their hands. The red haired child then pulled out his pocket watch and looked at the time. “We’ve got seven hours left.” “Then we’d better get a move on.” The mage said as she got to her feet. The four students hastily made their way towards one of the ruins. Five hours past and the full moon was just beginning to rise as the four found one of the ruins. The architecture looked old and decrepit. The four took a moment to rest before venturing into the old ruin. Their stomachs growled in protest. As they reached the top of the temple they saw that the place had been ransacked. “This place is cleaned out!” Cobalt yelled in frustration. “Maybe not.” Crimson said as he felt an odd pulse coming from inside. “There’s something in there.” He said as he walked forward. “How would you know?” Rouge asked in a rough tone. “Look, we only have two hours left and we don’t have time to go to another ruin. This is our last chance.” Ivy said as she walked behind the red mage. The other two groaned and followed them inside. They searched each room and found nothing but dust. As Rouge looked at a wall she found a large crack. She placed her hand over it and focused her magic. “There’s something behind this wall.” She called out as the other three raced over to her. “How do you know?” Crimson asked. “There’s a breeze coming from the other side and I can feel something.” Crimson and the others shrugged and started cracking away at the wall. The group then saw the years of decay and neglect take it’s toll against their strength and crumble away revealing a hallway. “I can’t see anything.” Cobalt said as he looked into utter darkness. Rouge reached into her pocket and withdrew a crystal. She held it in her hands and poured her magic into it. The dark hallway was instantly illuminated by a bright purple light. “Nice.” The blue flyer said as the group ventured down the hallway. The four then came to a large room that was decorated with four statues. One had a sword and shield in front of it and a warrior statue behind it. Another showed a female hooded figure with a bow and arrow laying in front of it. The third showed a woman with a whip in her left hand. The final was without a doubt the most ominous of the set. A hooded figure with a demonic wing sprouting from the left side of it’s back and a normal feathered wing from it’s right. “Dibs on the sword!” Cobalt said as he ran forward. Ivy went over to the whip holding statue and examined it before picking it up out of the statue’s hand. Rouge immediately went over to the bow and felt it’s light weight. Crimson stepped forward before the fallen angel and reached for the scythe. As Crimson picked it up out of it’s hands, the entire room started to shake and crumble away. “What’s happening?” “Booby trap!” Ivy yelled. “No shit Starswirl!” Rouge yelled. The place was falling apart and shifting. The four ran out of the room with their weapons grasped in their hands. As they made their way out of the temple they saw the stone shifting and take a form of a massive warrior. “What is that thing?” Cobalt yelled. “It’s a Colossus!” Rouge yelled. “A what?” Crimson said as he looked at the mage. “An ancient creature that is said to lay waste to entire nations!” “What’s it doing here then?” “Who cares? Run!” Cobalt said as he took flight and flew as fast as he could away from the massive giant. The other three then took off away from the beast. They didn’t dare look back as they heard the giant’s footsteps grow closer. Ivy looked in the distance and could see the silhouette of the school. “Hey I can see the grand hall! We’re-,” She was cut off as she heard a massive crashing noise. Crimson looked up to see the massive stone giant leap over them and in front of their path. “screwed.” She said as the giant landed. Cobalt and Ivy flew up to the two mages and gulped. “What now?” Rouge asked. “We fight it.” Crimson said with a sigh. “Are you nuts? Look at the size of that thing!” Cobalt yelled. “I have an idea. It’s crazy, but it just might work.” Crimson said as he slowly whispered to the group. The three looked at one another in confusion and back at the red haired boy. “That is the worst idea ever, of all time.” Rouge spat out. “Got any other ideas? We’ve only got ten minutes left before midnight!” The three looked at one another and let out a sigh. “This had better work.” Cobalt said as he took flight. Rouge readied her bow and started firing dark magical bolts at the giant. Ivy flew around it’s head like an annoying fly. The giant swatted at the flyer who barely dodged the blow. The giant then set it’s sights on the mage firing the bolts. It raised it’s foot and was bout to step on the mage. Cobalt then raced to her aid and raised his shield. He closed his eyes and waited for the pain. He felt the crushing force meet him. He opened one eye to see that a massive magical barrier protrude from the shield. The blue flyer then summoned whatever strength he had left and forced the beast back. “Ivy now!” Crimson yelled. The green flyer the wrapped her whip around the beast’s foot and pulled. Rouge focused her magic into one last magical arrow and sent it flying into the giant’s chest. The colossus fell backwards on the hill’s incline with it’s neck at the start of the hill. The green flyer then wrapped crimson in her whip’s grip and pulled him up towards the sky. “Are you sure about this?” She asked. “You’re seriously asking that now?” The flyer nodded and threw him towards Cobalt who had his shield ready. As Crimson passed over head he slammed his shield against the boy’s feet. Crimson felt himself launch at an alarming rate. The other watched and he looked like a dark red blur. As he passed the full moon the beast saw the silhouette of the scythe wielder close in on him. The red haired child felt a large amount of strength pour into his hands. He looked in his hand and saw that the blade was glowing a bright red. He gripped the weapon and let loose one slash that cut clean through the stone giant’s neck. As Crimson landed on the hill he saw the head disconnect with the body and fly sky ward. The others flew up to him with Rouge hanging onto Cobalt’s arm as they landed. “That was awesome!” Cobalt said with a smile. “How did you do that?” “No idea.” He said as he looked at his watch. “Gah! We’ve only got two minutes before it’s midnight.” As the words left his lips he felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise and the color drain from his face. He slowly turned around and saw the Colossus’s body stand up and reattach it’s severed head. After a series of cracks it looked down at the four tired out children. “It has been over a millennium since someone has bested me in combat.” It said in a deafening tone. “It can talk?” Ivy said. “You.” He said as he pointed at Crimson. “Red warrior, as a follower of the Colossus’s Code I am now your servant.” Crimson gulped and looked at the three other children in surprise. “O-okay.” He said in an uneasy tone. The Colossus then spread it’s hand out and hovered over the red haired child. A beam of light then enveloped the child and the boy felt a shocking sensation go through him. He looked down at his right arm and saw an odd symbol etched into his skin. “Should you require my assistance then only call and I shall come.” Crimson looked at his watch and gasped at the time. “Hey, what’s your name?” “I have none.” “We’ll figure something out later. How good are you at throwing?” The Colossus picked the four students up and held them in his stone palm. “Cobalt, get that shield ready.” The other three instantly caught on and looked at him in surprise. “This is the second worst idea, ever of all-” Was all rouge got out before the giant threw them towards the school. “Cobalt?” “I know. Hang on!” He said as the students grabbed each other and the flyer activated his shield. The group gulped and held on fro dear life as they heard the sound of breaking glass. Crow sat in the auditorium along side his fellow teachers. The grand hall was filled with several other children who had already gotten their weapons along with upperclassmen who seemed to bored to care. The large clock hanging in the center of the room signaled the final thirty-seconds of the assignment. The green eyed man hung his head low hoping that Crimson was alright. He shot his head up as he heard the sound of crashing glass. He looked behind him to see four students holding onto a rounded shield. As they started to descend Crimson pulled out his weapon and slowed them down by cutting into the concrete floor. The shield skidded and the passengers braced for impact. The four finally stopped moving and slowly got off the shield and staggered forward. The four then shook off the crash and looked to see that everyone in the room was staring at them. Most of them were dumbstruck as to what they just saw. “Um....did we make it?” The blue flyer asked. As they made their way through the walkway several members, both new and old started to laugh and clap for them. Crimson gave a weak smile as the Headmaster stood up and motioned fro them to come closer. As they stood on the stage he looked at their battle tested attire. “What happened to you four out there?” “Sir, I doubt that you’d even believe us.” Ivy said with a sigh. “Judging from what I just saw, I’ll take your word for it.” He said as he looked at the broken stain glass window. “You four just made it with five-seconds to spare.” The four all let out a sigh of relief. “May I see the weapons you have claimed?” Te four nodded and held out their prizes. The elderly man adjusted his glasses and scanned the weapons. His eyes shrank and looked at the four in shock. “These were taken from the Colossus’s tomb.” Several teachers looked at one another in shock and started whispering to one another. “How did you escape him?” “Well, he kinda gave us a lift.” Crimson said as he looked at the large shattered window. “His idea!” Rouge said. “Snitch.” He hissed. The Headmaster was too dumbfounded to even respond to that. “Anyway, you four pass.” He said with a sigh. “You four shall be known as team Horsemen.” The four smiled. “Squad leader is Crimson Storm.” He grumbled in a barely audible tone. The red haired child looked at him in surprise and then back at the other three students who shrugged. “You four must be famished.” He said with a small grin. “Food definitely sounds good right now.” Ivy said with a smile. The headmaster returned their weapons and motioned for them to take a seat. As they did several students started to whisper to one another. After dinner Crimson and Ivy climbed the tower to their room. As they opened the door they saw that there was a pair of bunk beds instead of the two single ones that occupied the room earlier. “What is this?” Ivy said with a groan. The two then heard a familiar voice coming from the balcony. They walked out and saw that Cobalt was looking out. He then spun around and saw the two staring at him. “What are you guys doing in my room?” “Your room? We were here first.” Crimson said in confusion. The door opened again revealing Rogue. “You’ve got to be kidding me.” She said with a groan. “Look guys, I’m way to tired to argue right now.” Crimson said with a yawn. “We’ll talk about this tomorrow.” He said before laying down on the lower bunk on the right. The other three soon followed his example and collapsed on their own beds. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Downstairs Crow sat in the Headmaster’s office with a scowl on his face. The elderly man was pacing, looking for where to begin. “Of all the places he could have ended up it had to be there!” “It was a twist of fate.” He said with a groan. “To think that the demon child-” “He has a name.” Crimson said as he narrowed his eyes. “Like it matters. Point is he has that thing is dangerous! He beat a Colossus that has stayed dormant for over one thousand years and if their rules still apply then the child is now in control of him.” He said as he sat down. “Did you tell him that that was there?” “Do you honestly think that I’d endanger my godson like that?” Crow said as he grunted. “You tell me. He did kill your squad mates.” Crow bolted up and bore holed through the man’s eyes. “That wasn’t him!” Crow yelled. “It may has well have been.” Crow was now becoming infuriated at the man. “I made a promise to Orion and Rose that I’d look after him and that’s what I intend to do, with or without your help.” He said in a stern tone. “Should ‘it’ get loose. Celestia save us.” The elderly man said as he sat down. “Tea?” He asked as he gave him a cup. Outside the door a bandaged, brown winged warrior smirked as he finished listening to the conversation. Author's Note Before you guys get all bent out of shape let me just clarrify a few things. 1. Yes, the weapons are based on the four horsemen of the apocalypse. 2. I know that the red rider, War is supposed to have a sword but I switched them around a bit. Sue me for trying to be creative.
Chapter VIII: Not so Light ReadingChapter VIII Not So Light Reading Crying. The sound of crying filled the man’s ears as he walked through a snow storm. The sound wasn’t coming from the red haired man who was freezing with every step in the snowbank. As he stumbled forward he could hear the cries getting louder. He could make out the shape of a girl with white hair sitting in the middle of the storm sobbing as she buried her head in her knees. “Hello?” He called out. No response came from the girl. A sudden gust of ice filled wind struck the man. The shards of ice felt like he was being impaled by thousands of spears. He pressed forward and fought through the pain. As he forced his way against the wind. He could see the girl’s figure. She looked only a year younger than him and her eyes were icy blue. “It...hurts.” She said as she held her head. “The voice.” She said with tears streaming down her face. Crimson felt the wind increase and the shards form giant icicles. “Take it easy.” He said as he gulped. “I’m not gonna hurt you.” “Lies!” She yelled as she sent an icicle hurtling towards the man. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Crimson’s eyes snapped open and woke up covered in a cold sweat. He walked over to his bathroom and splashed cold water in his face. He ran a wet hand through his hair and panted heavily. As he looked up in the mirror he grunted at the reflection. The reflection showed the same face only with snow white skin and the whites of it’s eyes were pitch black. Crimson grunted and slammed his hand into the mirror causing it to shatter. He grunted as he looked at his bleeding hand which started to heal rapidly. He sat back down on his bed and stared at the ceiling. What’s happening to me? His thoughts were put aside as he heard a knock on the door. Crimson quickly made his way downstairs. He opened the door to see Twilight with a smile on her face. “Morning.” He said with a nod. Twilight was about to respond, but found that her brain functions had stopped as she looked at the man’s well toned upper body. A few scars, as expected by the young scholar were scattered across his chest. Twilight felt her face flare up and gulped. The man also blushed at his predicament. “Um, hang on a sec.” Crimson quickly closed the door, grabbed a nearby shirt and threw it on his body. The man put a hand to his mouth and checked his breath. Crimson stopped what he was doing and had a confused look on his face. Why am I checking my breath? He shrugged off the thought and returned to the student who smiled. “Sorry about that. I just woke up.” “I didn’t wake you did I?” She said in a panic filled tone. Dear Celestia, why am I so nervous? “No, I was just dozing.” He said with a yawn. “So what’s up?” “I was just wondering if I could ask you about the Academy.” She said with a smile. “Sure, I need some breakfast anyway.” He said as he grabbed his coat and closed the door behind him. The two walked through the town’s dirt road and walked into Sugar Cube Corner. The two sat down in a booth across from one another and looked at their menu’s. “So what do you want to know?” “How big is the library there?” “You know the Canterlot Royal Library?” The girl nodded. “About twice as big as that.” Twilight’s eyes widened and a large smile spread across her face. The two were then approached by a woman with light pink hair and wearing a cyan apron. “Morning Mrs. Cake.” Twilight said. “Oh good morning to you too dear. What can I get you today?” She asked as she removed the pencil from behind her ear and a pad from her pocket. “I’ll have two sunny side up eggs with a cup of hot tea.” The woman finished writing the order down and faced Crimson. “I’ll have two scrambled eggs with a cup of coffee.” He said as he handed the woman the menu. “Alright I’ll have those out in just a few minutes.” She said as she walked away with a smile on her face. Twilight then turned her attention back to the red haired man. “Do you have any books on Star Swirl the Bearded?” “Hundreds.” He said with a shrug. “He was the first Headmaster of the Academy.” Twilight’s jaw dropped. “I never heard of that.” She said in a surprised tone. “Not surprising.” He said as their drinks arrived. “I think that he was Headmaster for only five years before he died.” He said as he sipped his drink. “Why did he start the Academy anyway?” She asked as their food arrived. “After the whole Nightmare moon fiasco a thousand years ago,” He said after swallowing a fork full of eggs. “Starswirl and Celestia knew that they would need something to handle problems so the royal guard can focus on securing Equestria’s borders and the capital city. An ace in the hole if you will.” Crimson said before taking another mouthful. “Have you had to deal with anything like that since Nightmare Moon?” Crimson thought for a moment. The man gritted his teeth as he thought back to the ‘incident.’ “No, Nightmare moon was a once in millennium ordeal.” He said in a flat tone. “Hopefully something like that won’t happen again.” He said as the other girls walked into the shop and sat down next to them. “Hey girls.” Twilight said with a smile. “What are you two up to?” Rarity asked. “Crimson was just telling me about the formation of the Academy.” Twilight said with smile. “That sounds interesting.” The designer said with a smile. Dash then perked up. “Hey I was chatting with my folks about you Academy guys and they said something about an attack fifteen years ago.” The flyer said as she snapped her fingers. Crimson gulped and sipped his coffee. “Now that you mention it, I do recall hearing about some sort of incident that occurred there.” Rarity said in a refined tone. “I think it had something to do with a monster.” She said as she put her finger to her lips. “Eh doesn’t sound so bad.” Dash said with a shrug. Crimson gripped his coffee mug in frustration. “It was only one monster and-” “Just shut up Dash!” Crimson yelled as the cup shattered under the pressure from the man’s palm. The group of girls looked at him in shock. The man grabbed a few napkins and cleaned up the spilt coffee. Afterwards he threw some bits on the table and made his way out the door. As they went after him Pinkie’s hair started to twitch. “Twitchy hair!” She yelled. Crimson looked back at the girls who all dove for cover. “Why are you-” He was cut off as bright green blur slammed into the red haired man. Crimson felt the impact and made a crater where he landed. The group of girls looked in shock. Crimson groaned and looked up to see a familiar green haired flyer shaking her head. “Ugh, sorry about...Crimson!” She yelled as she picked him up by the collar and gave him a bone crushing hug. Crimson felt his bones creaking. “If I were anyone else, my spine would be dust Ivy.” He said as she let him go. Crimson brushed himself off and looked at the green girl with a cocked eyebrow. “Crow?” He asked as he cocked an eyebrow. “Yup. Figured you could use some backup.” She said with a smile. “What is going on here?” Twilight said as she and the other girls hurried up to him. The girls looked in surprise as their eyes fell upon a stunningly beautiful girl with light green hair, eyes and wings. Her lean physique could match Rainbow Dash’s, combined with the upper body strength of Applejack, Rarity’s looks and Pinkie’s happy attitude. “Ladies,” He said as he gestured to the flyer. “This is Ivy Evergreen, one of my squad mates.” He said as she smiled and gave them a wave. “Hi, nice to meet ya.” She said in a happy tone. The girls gave her a smile. “Ivy, this is Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash.” She looked at the group of friend with a raised eyebrow. “Aren’t they-” “Yup.” Rarity then stepped forward. “Um, pardon me.” She said with a weak grin. “I know you just got here, but why is your hair green?” Ivy then narrowed her eyes and Crimson gulped. “Why?” She asked in a challenging tone. “Well, it’s just that green is the wor-” She was cut off as Crimson stepped beside her and covered her mouth with his hand. “She was just wondering if it was natural or not.” He said in a nervous tone. “Rarity here is quite the designer and she probably wants to make you a dress so that it matches your natural appearance.” Ivy’s expression then shifted back to her usual happy self. “Oh, well that’s very kind of you and yes it is natural.” She said with a smile. Crimson let out a sigh of relief. “So where are you held up anyways?” Crimson pointed to the clock tower. “Figured. See ya later.” She said before taking off. “Mph!” The dress maker said through the man’s fingers. “Sorry Rarity.” He said as he let her go. “Why in the name of Celestia did you just do that?” She asked with a frown. “Look, Ivy is one of the nicest girls you’ll ever meet. She’d give you the shirt off her back even if she didn’t know you.” He said with a sigh. “However, if there’s one thing you never make a comment about, it’s her hair.” “How bad could it be?” Dash asked. “Dash, she will literally snap you over her knee like a dry twig.” Crimson said in a flat tone. “The last person that dissed her hair ended up in a full body cast for nine months.” The girls all gulped at the man’s words. “So long as you don’t get her angry then everything will be fine.” He said with a nod. “I gotta go get Ivy settled. I’ll see you all later.” He said before running off after the green flyer. Dash walked up next to the young scholar and put a hand on her shoulder. “Tough break Twi.” “What are you talking about?” She asked in a nervous tone. “Did you not see his roommate? Even I have to say that she looked good.” Dash said with a shrug. Twilight gulped and felt a blush creep over her. “Wh-why should I-” “Oh don’t be coy dear, we know that you like him.” Rarity said with a smirk. Twilight tried to hide her blush, but found it futile. “I do not!” She yelled as she blushed brightly. The girls had a smug grin on their faces. As the group dispersed Twilight spied a piece of folded paper on the ground. She flattened it out and saw that it was a picture of a woman with dark red hair, a man with jet black hair and red eyes. She then saw that the woman was holding a small child with short red hair. She folded the picture back up and headed back towards town. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Crimson opened the door to his temporary home and showed the green flyer in. The girl immediately started to look around the home and smiled. “Awesome! It’s gonna be just like old times!” She said with a wide grin. Crimson closed the door and glared at the flyer. “Okay Ivy, out with it.” He said in a serious tone. “Why did Crow send you?” “I told you as-” “Backup? Yeah right.” Crimson groaned. “He just happens to send you when ‘it’ is only a few days away?” Ivy lowered her head and let out a sigh. “Fine.” She said in a defeated tone. “Crow knows that you used Cliff to deal with an Ursa Minor.” “So he sends you to babysit me?” He yelled. “He’s worried about you! I’m worried, hell everyone is worried!” She yelled. “I know what happened last year and-” “Enough!” He yelled. “It’s my burden and I’ll deal with it however I damn well want to!” “Do you even hear yourself?” She argued back. “We both know that the seal is weakening and that your anger is only making it easier to come lose!” Crimson groaned and sat down on the couch. Ivy held her head and sat down next to him. The flyer put a wing around him and rested her head against his shoulder. “I’m sorry Crimson, I-” “No, you’re right.” He said with a sigh. “I can feel him, cawing to get out and it’s getting harder and harder to block him out.” He said as he held his head in his palms. “Crow also sent Cobalt and Rouge a message.” “Looks like the gang’s getting back together.” He said with a chuckle. The man then reached into his cloak and started feeling around. Crimson’e eye shrank as he checked his pockets. “Oh no.” “What?” “No no, no!” He yelled. “What’s wrong?” “The photo, it’s gone!” The flyer gulped and got to her feet. “Did you leave it here?” Crimson looked at her with an, ‘are you kidding me’ expression on his face. “Sorry, had to ask.” “Maybe when you crashed into me it knocked it out.” “That is,” She started out in an accusing tone. “possible.” She said in a low tone. The two immediately bolted towards the door. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Twilight walked into her library with the photo in hand. “Spike? Spike?” She called out. “What?” He asked as he came down stairs. “I need you to get the identification spell book.” She asked as she pulled out the photo she had found. The child quickly ran over to book shelf and removed a book with a brown leather cover. “Here it is.” He said as he put it on the book on the table. “What do you need it for?” “I need to identify some people from a photo.” She said as she opened the book and found the spell. Spike shrugged and went back upstairs to his room. Twilight’s hands glowed and waved them over the photo. The photo glowed and a small box over the dark haired man showed up with some lettering beside the picture. Orion Comet Status: Deceased. Age of Death: Twenty-nine Former Occupation: Professor of Magical History at The Academy. Awarded Celestial Cross posthumously. Twilight gulped at the information. She then scanned the woman. Rosario Vermillion Status: Deceased Age of Death: Twenty-eight. Former Occupation: Professor of Demonology at The Academy. Awarded Celestial Cross posthumously. The scholar then ran her hand over the small child. Crimson Storm. Status: Alive. Age: Twenty-Three. All intelligence: Classified. Twilight looked at the information and cocked her head in confusion. “Doing some light reading?” The young woman snapped her head up to see the red haired man standing in the doorway with a blank look on his face. Twilight was frozen as she looked down at the photo and back to the man. Crimson gently took it off the table and put it back in his coat pocket without saying a word. As the man turned to leave he felt a pair of arms wrap around him and pull him into a tight hug. Crimson felt the woman’s head lean against the back of his neck. He felt the tears come from the scholar. “I’m so sorry.” She said with a sniffle. “You were only eight when you lost them.” “Yeah.” He said in a flat tone. “What happened?” “They went out on a mission. Didn’t come back.” He said in a flat tone. Twilight let him go and looked into his dark red eyes. “How-..No, I shouldn’t ask.” She said with a gulp. “The demon attack fifteen years ago.” He said with a sigh. “We lost a lot of good people that day.” He said with shrug. “I remember hearing reports from my brother. It was one of his first assignments.” She said with a gulp. “Did he-” “No, he’s fine.” She tried to say in a cheery tone. “You don’t have to feel bad for me Twilight. It happened a long time ago. I’m over it.” Crimson said in a flat tone. As he turned to leave Twilight rushed forward again. This time she tripped over her own foot and fell into the man. As she yelped Crimson turned and was pushed down to the ground. Crimson opened his eyes to see a pair of purple pupils looking at him. Twilight’s face turned bright red. Crimson could feel the scholar’s breath on his face. Crimson gulped and felt his face turn as red as his hair. The two looked up to see the door open to see the cyan flyer. “Hey Twi, I-” Dash was cut off as she saw her friend on top of the red warrior. Rainbow snickered before bursting out in pure laughter. “Wow, Twilight and people say that I move fast.” She said as she rolled on the ground in a fit of laughter. Twilight grunted and bore holed through the rainbow haired comedian. “This isn’t what it looks like!” Twilight yelled. “Sorry Twilight, but I can’t take your word for it with you like that.” She said as she looked at their position. Twilight’s blush grew redder and quickly got off the man, who pulled his hood up to hide his blush. “It was an accident. I just tripped and fell on him.” Twilight protested. “Sure, I totally believe you.” She said in a sarcastic tone. The young scholar had had enough and her hands glowed. A bright purple beam made a dark storm cloud appeared behind the girl. A large lightning bolt then discharged from the cloud and shocked the flyer. “Ow! Jeez Twi, lighten up.” She said as she rubbed the sore spot. “Did you need something Dash?” Crimson asked as he looked at he flyer. “Pinkie’s planning a party for Ivy. You two coming?” “Yeah, we’ll be right there.” Crimson said as he walked passed Dash and ventured out into the town. Dash threw a smug grin as she looked at the scholar who put the book away. “So, what were you two doing before I walked in?” “I was using an identification spell on a photo I found.” She said with a sigh. “Turns out that the photo belongs to Crimson.” “Really? What was it of?” She asked. “It was a photo of himself and his late parents.” She said in a low tone. Dash gulped. “Apparently they both died in that demon attack you labeled as ‘not such a big deal.’” Twilight said as the flyer hung her head in shame. “Awe man.” She said before taking flight and charged out of the door. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A few hours later Crimson and Ivy were walking through the evening street streets of the small town in silence. Ivy let out a sigh and looked at the red haired man. “Hey, did you find the photo?” “Yeah, Twilight found it and ran an identification spell on it.” He said in a flat tone. “How much does she know?” “Only that they’re dead and were apart of the Academy.” He sighed. “Apparently, I’m ‘classified.’” “Can you blame them?” “Of course not.” Crimson said as he looked at his friend. “They don’t want just anyone knowing about my....condition.” “Where are we going anyway?” She asked as she looked at the passing buildings. “Just going to duck into the bakery for some coffee.” He said with a shrug. The green haired flyer followed him inside. The interior was pitch black. The lights suddenly turned on revealing several people with smiles on their faces. “Surprise!” The group yelled. “What is this?” Ivy asked as she looked at Crimson. “Pinkie has this thing where she throws a party for every new person that comes to town.” He said with a shrug. “Oh, that’s cool.” She said with a smile. The two were then approached by a familiar pink haired girl. “Were ya surprised?” “Yeah, looks awesome!” The flyer said with a smile. The party was in full swing when the green flyer sat down next to her friend. The other six girls then made their way over to the pair of warriors. “Sup?” “Not much. How are you liking the party?” Dash asked. “It’s great. Feels nice to unwind after clearing out a Hobbe cave.” The girls looked at her in shock. “How’d that go by the way?” Crimson asked. “Alright, only took me about twelve hours. The I had to deal with some monster hobbe.” She said with a shrug. “Monster hobbe?” Dash asked. “Yeah. It was as big a s a small troll.” “So like twelve feet tall?” “Yeah, never knew they got that tall.” “They don’t.” Fluttershy said. “The biggest Hobbe I’ve ever seen was almost three feet tall.” The group looked at one another in surprise. “So what could make a hobbe grow that big?” Dash asked. “I don’t know could have something to do with-” Ivy was cut off as Crimson shot her a stern look. “Possibly the strange animal activity.” She said with a whistle. Applejack glared at the flyer and cocked an eyebrow. “Well, it’s been a long day and I’m bushed.” “Right, we have a long day ahead of us tomorrow.” Crimson said as he got up and followed the green haired girl out of the bakery. Applejack watched them leave and turned back to the group of girls. “Those two are up to something.” The farmer said. “What are you talking about?” Dash asked. “They know something and they’re not telling us what it is.” She said in a hushed tone. “Yeah, those two are a bit mysterious.” Rarity said. “Look guys, I know they seem a little odd.” Twilight interjected. “But they’re here to help.” “Easy for you to say Twilight, since you have the hot’s for Red.” Dash said. The scholar’s face turned bright red. “I told you that I’m not into him!” She said in a flustered tone. “That scene at the library that I walked in on begs to differ.” Dash said with a smug grin. The rest of the girls looked at the scholar in confusion. “That was total accident!” She yelled as her hair started to smolder. Rarity gulped and put a hand on her shoulder trying to calm her down. The girl let out a sigh and vanished in a flash of purple light. The librarian appeared back in her home and made her way over to her kitchen. As she opened one of the cabinets she groaned. Ugh, out of herbal tea. Looks like I need to pay a visit to Zecora tomorrow. She thought to herself. Her mind drifted back to the exchange she had with the red haired warrior. She blushed at the memory and shook her head. He’s a warrior and won’t be here forever. All the more reason to make a move. Shut up. She argued. I don’t know anything about him. Only one way to find out. He’s probably in a relationship with Ivy. What do I do then? Fight her for him? Be serious. I’ll think of something. You are me. Exactly my point. The librarian groaned and decided to go up to her room and lie down. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Across town, Crimson laid in his bed and stared up at the ceiling. His gaze then drifted towards the window. He looked at the sky and sighed. “It’s gonna rain tomorrow.” He said to himself. “Seems appropriate.” The man got back into his bed and laid down to sleep. Ivy woke up on the couch she was lying on and made her way upstairs into the living quarters. She saw the red haired man grunting in his sleep and saw a single tear form in his closed eye. The flyer felt pity for the man. Despite his rough exterior, Ivy still saw the same frightened child she had seen curled up in the corner of their room, shaking in fear. Ivy laid down beside the man and wrapped him in a comforting hug.
Chapter IX: Tears in the RainChapter IX Tears in the Rain Crimson made his rounds through the small town with his head held low. Rainbow Dash who was resting on a tree branch. She spied the red haired man, she gathered her courage and flew down to him. “Hey Red.” She said as she landed next to him. Crimson didn’t even bother to look at the flyer as he walked by her. Dash blinked twice and flew next to him again. “Look, I know that you’re probably mad at me for what I said yesterday.” She said as she scratched her head. “I’m sorry, I was out of line when I said that.” Crimson picked his head up and looked at the flyer. “Oh hey Dash, when did you get here?” Dash’s right eye twitched and was about to unload on him when she looked closer at his eyes. The calm and collected glare she had come to know was replaced of one that was hollow and almost sad. “N-nothing. I’ll catch you later Red.” She said before taking off. Crimson shrugged it off and continued to make his rounds around the small town. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Twilight sat at her desk in her library with a book in hand. The door then opened to reveal the pretty seamstress with a smile on her face. “Good morning Twilight.” She said with a smile. “Hey Rarity, what’s up?” “Nothing much. I just came by to have a friendly chat.” She said with a coy smile. “About?” Twilight asked as she put the book down and looked at her friend. “Rainbow mentioned what she walked in on yesterday.” She said with a small giggle. Twilight blushed and grunted. “It was a fluke! I accidentally tripped and fell on him.” Twilight grunted. “I know that.” She said as she rolled her eyes. “I know full well that Rainbow jumps to conclusions,” She with a smile. “but that doesn’t change the fact that you’re infatuated with our red guest.” “I don’t know.” Twilight said as she hung her head. “I’ll say that he’s caught my attention, but for all I know he’s dating Ivy.” She said with a sigh. “I mean come on you saw her, she’s gorgeous. Why would he go for someone like me when-” “Now that is quite enough of that!” Rarity said as she got up from her seat. “I will admit that Ivy is rather attractive from the male perspective, but I refuse to let one of my best friends talk about herself in such a manner.” The designer then grabbed her friend by the arm and started to pull the scholar by the arm. “Rarity?” Twilight said as she was pulled towards the door. “What are you doing?” “We’re going to go clear this up right now.” She said as she pulled her friend towards the clock tower. As the two reached the front door Rainbow Dash landed beside them. “Hey guys, what are you two doing here?” “We’re just here to clear up a few things concerning Ivy and Crimson.” Rarity answered. Rainbow smirked and looked at Twilight. “Seeing if Red’s available eh?” Twilight grunted and was about to protest when she saw the apple farmer, pastry chef and the yellow winged veterinarian making their way towards them. Twilight then noticed that Pinkie’s hair was straight and tinted darker than usual. “You okay Pinkie?” “Yeah, I think so.” “You sure? You seem kinda down.” “Yeah, for some reason I feel really sad.” She said as she hung her head. “I was fine until I saw Crimson.” The group picked their heads up at this. “Did he pick on you?” Fluttershy asked. “No, I said hi, but he didn’t even gesture back. Now I feel weird.” She said in confusion. “Ah saw him earlier today and he didn’t seem like himself.” The farmer said with a shrug. “Yeah, even when I tried to apologize to him, it was like he didn’t even see me or something.” The group looked at one another in shock. “Regardless, Ivy may have a sense of what’s going on.” Rarity said as she knocked on the door. The group waited a few minutes until the door opened to reveal the green haired flyer. Ivy rubbed her eyes and let out a yawn. “Hey guys, what’s up?” She asked. “Mind if we come inside?” They green mage nodded and held the door open for the group. The girls all sat down at the table and looked at the flyer. “So what’s up?” Rarity then took the floor. “We were just wondering if you and Crimson were together?” “Yeah.” Twilight felt her heart being crushed. “I mean, we’ve been together since our team was formed.” “No, I mean together as a couple.” Ivy’s right eyelid twitched. The flyer chuckled before falling out of her seat in a fit of laughter. “Oh my ribs!” She yelled as she continued to roll on the floor in a fit of laughter. After taking a few deep breaths and wiping the tears of laughter that had formed in her eyes, Ivy got back in her seat. “No, we’re not like that.” She said with a smile. “Crimson is more like my brother than anything else.” Twilight let out a small sigh of relief. “Why?” She asked as she smirked. “One of you have the hots for him?” “Well,-” “It’s Twilight.” Dash said as she pointed to the scholar. Twilight snapped her fingers and changed the cyan flyer’s hair snow white. “Gah!” “Dash, keep your mouth shut or it’ll be the wings next.” Twilight said as she glared at the flyer. She snapped her fingers and Dash’s hair returned to it’s normal seven colored spectrum. “I figured as much.” Ivy said with a grin. “It was written all over your face last night at the party.” The scholar blushed and held her head low. “Is that all you wanted to talk about?” The flyer asked. “No, there’s something else.” Dash said. “Crimson is acting weird and we were wondering if you knew why.” Ivy cocked an eyebrow at the words. “Define weird.” “Well, I tried to apologize to him today and-” “Apologize?” “Yeah, he told us about the demon attack yesterday and I said that it wasn’t a big deal and-” Was all the flyer got out before Ivy rammed the cyan winged girl up against the wall with her forearm to her throat. “You said what?” Dash gulped as she stared into the once cool green eyes that were now filled with rage. Ivy clenched her right hand into a fist and started to glow with bright green magic. “Start talking. Now!” She yelled as she clenched her fist harder, making her knuckles crack. “Okay, I said that it wasn’t a big deal.” Ivy pulled her arm back and was getting ready to punch the girl’s face in. “Then I heard that his folks died in the attack and I felt really, really bad about it so I went to apologize to him today.” Ivy slammed her fist just beside the flyer’s head. The woman gulped and saw a large hole in the stonework that was the size of a large watermelon. “You have the worst timing ever, of all time for apologies Dash.” She said as she let the girl go and walked back over to the table where the other girls looked at her in shock. “Don’t you people know what today is?” “Tuesday?” Pinkie said with a gulp. “It’s the sixteenth anniversary of the demon attack.” She said in a flat tone. The group all gulped at the words. “So today is-” “Yeah, it’s the day his parents died.” She said in a low tone. “Along with several others, including my dad.” The group fell silent. “Ivy, we didn’t-” “It’s fine.” She said as she put up a hand. “It’s not an uncommon back round amongst Academy members.” “Huh?” Dash asked as she rejoined the group. “Most of the Academy members are orphans.” She said in a calm tone. The group of girls fell silent at her words. “R-really?” Fluttershy said with a gulp. Ivy gave her a nod. “Even though the incident was so long ago we all feel it. Crimson feels it more than anyone.” She said as she hung her head. “He blames himself for his parent’s death.” “Why?” Twilight asked. “They died protecting him.” She said with a sigh. “He’s always blamed himself and feels responsible.” "So why is Pinkie sad?" AJ asked as she looked at her friend. Ivy glared at the pastry chef and perked up. "Pinkie has sensor type aura." She said in surprise. "Sensor type?" Pinkie asked as she cocked her head. "Have you ever known when someone was watching you without looking at them or sense that something was about to-" "Oh, you mean my Pinkie sense!" "Call it whatever you want, but your aura let's you know when certain things are about to happen." Ivy said as she sat back. "People with sensor aura are extremely affected by emotions. Not just your own, but other people's as well." The girls nodded. "Since you spoke to Crimson today, some of his sadness must have rubbed off on you." The girls all let out a collective 'oh' sound. "So Crimson is giving off sad emotions like a light house and Pinkie can sense them?" Dash asked. "In a practacle sense, yes." Ivy said with a shrug. "He always get's like this around this time." “What exactly happened?” Twilight asked as she held back tears. Ivy let out a sigh and walked over to the stove. “Might as well put some tea on. This is gonna take a while.” She said with a sigh. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Crimson made his way to the edge of town and into the dark forest. After following the pathway, he stumbled upon a clearing with a crystal blue pond in the center. He sat down on a nearby rock and hung his head. He heard a low growl coming from his right. He looked to see a manticore glaring at him with murder in it’s eyes. “Piss off, I’m not in the mood.” He said as he looked at the pool. The manticore roared and charged at the man. As it leapt to land a blow at the man. It then felt something large and sharp in it’s mouth. It looked to see the man holding a large scythe with the blade end pointing towards the beast’s mouth. Crimson focused his magic and let loose a large blast from the end of the weapon. The beast was sent flying back against a nearby tree and groaned in pain. The manticore looked at the man again and saw that he had an ominous energy around him. “I said, scram.” The beast grunted and limped away from the man as he laid his weapon beside him. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ivy poured them each a cup and let out a sigh. The group was silent and a layer of tension filled the room. “Okay, I might as well start at the beginning.” Ivy said as she put her cup down. “Crimson’s parents were members of the Academy. Strong as hell. They were on the same team as the current Headmaster, Crow Blackbird.” “I’ve heard of him.” Twilight said. “He’s one of the council of nine right?” “Council of nine?” Rarity asked. “Okay, there's a group of mages that keep all of the magic users in check and make sure that they’re following the rules of magic.” Ivy explained. “Our Headmaster Crow, has the seventh seat out of the nine. The higher the rank, the stronger the mage.” “So he’s pretty strong?” Dash said. “I heard that he managed to go toe to toe with Celestia once.” Twilight gulped. “That was a long time ago though.” “So what happens if someone isn’t following the rules?” Applejack asked. “Every one of the nine is in charge of a school. They would send students out to deal with the threat.” The girls looked at her in surprise. “It’s what we train for, to protect Equestria.” “So like the royal guard?” Pinkie asked. “No, we operate on our own and the nine aren’t under Celestia’s orders either. We’re an independent force, which is why we take on missions. To get funding for the school.” “Why don’t you work for Celestia?” Twilight asked. “Mostly due to the fact that she’s our biggest threat.” She said in a calm tone as she sipped her tea. The girls all looked at one another in shock. “You can’t deny that Celestia is powerful.” “Well yeah, but she’d never-” “That’s what they said about Princess Luna and look what happened a thousand years ago.” She said as she glared at the girls. “Celestia was afraid of what would happen if she ever lost control like that, so she allows the Council to do as they wish. We’re the 'ace in the hole' in case she goes nuts.” She said with a sigh. “We’re getting off topic, back to Crimson. Where was I?” She asked a she scratched her chin “You were about to tell us about his mom.” Twilight said with a sigh. “Right, his mom was a Professor of Demonology.” “Demonology?” Dash asked. “She’s skilled when it comes to fighting and sealing away demons.” “Sealing them?” Applejack asked. “Demons are immortal. You can’t kill something that’s already dead.” She said with a sigh. “You can only imprison them.” She said as she sipped her tea. “That’s what she did, with Crow’s help.” “So where did they seal it?” Dash asked. Ivy gulped at the question. “Sorry girls, it’s classified. We can’t have everyone knowing where one of the most dangerous monsters are.” “Why?” “Because then we’d be constantly getting attacked from people trying to steal it and possibly destroy Equestria.” She said with a sigh. “You said ‘one of the most.’” Twilight said. “Are there more?” “Yeah, there’s a few.” She said with a shrug. “What would you use to seal them?” “Coffins, tea pots, crystals, anything with an enchantment.” “What about people?” Dash asked. Ivy glared at the flyer. “We’re done talking.” She said in a flat tone. Ivy got up and walked towards the door. “Why?” Dash protested. “Drop it before I rip your wings off and ram them where the sun doesn’t shine.” She said as she glared at the flyer. Dash gulped and shut her mouth. The group all got up and made their way back towards their homes. It was pouring rain outside and lightning cracked in the sky. Twilight snapped her fingers and a forcefield of purple magic covered her body. As she made her way towards the library she saw a red hooded figure walking towards her. Crimson was soaked from head to toe and kept his head held low. “Crimson?” Twilight asked with a gulp. The man paid her no mind. Twilight then stepped in front of the man’s path. A flash of lightning struck in the distance illuminating the two. Twilight could see through his dark hood and saw the tears almost fully concealed by the rain. The man grunted and side stepped her only to be caught by her arms. The woman held him tightly and cried into his already soaking wet cloak. “Ivy, she told us about your parents.” The man narrowed his eyes. “I’m so sorry.” “Not your fault.” “Not yours either.” She answered back. “That’s debatable.” He said in a low tone. “It’s not! It was a freak accident and-” Crimson glared at her as he broke the hug. His gaze was like two spikes sticking into her. “What makes you think you know anything about it huh?” He bellowed. “You don’t know what it’s like to lose something that special to you!” Twilight gulped. “If they hadn’t brought me along...If I hadn’t begged them to take me with them...Things would have turned out differently.” He said as he held his head in shame. “Crimson I-” “Just don’t.” He said as he held up a hand. “I don’t want your pity.” The man said as he walked past her. Twilight stood frozen, facing away from the man. When she turned around to try to stop him, all she saw was the pouring rain. She held her arms as her own tears mixed with the rain. The scholar slowly made her way back to the library with her head held low. Crimson stormed into his temporary home to see Ivy lighting a fire in the fireplace with her magic. Crimson glared at her as she made eye contact. Ivy gulped at the dirty look. “Look Crimson, they just wanted to know and-” “Did you tell them about ‘it?’” He asked in an emotionless tone. “No, I didn’t.” She said as she hung her head. “Good.” He said as he walked past her. Ivy stood up and glared at him. “Crimson!” She bellowed. “That attitude may work on everyone else,” She said with tears forming in her eyes. “but don’t think for a second that it’ll work on me.” She said as she glared at the man. “The only reason I told them was because they were worried about you.” “Why? It’s none of their concern.” He said in a flat tone. “They’re your friends, or at least want to be.” She argued. “Something like me doesn’t-” Was all he got out before the woman slammed him across the face. “Finish that sentence and I’ll put you through the wall.” She said in an uneasy tone. “You’ve been through a lot. That goes without saying, but that doesn’t give you the right to talk about yourself like you’re some sort of monster!” “The thing in me begs to differ.” His eyes were devoid of all emotion and his tone was like ice. What I did-” “It wasn’t you.” She argued. “That thing just got loose and-” “Who’s fault is that?” Ivy tried to answer, but found no argument. “That’s what I thought.” He said before side stepping the girl and making his way up to his room. Ivy pulled at her hair in frustration. She looked at the fire and threw a bright green fire ball into it put of frustration. Crimson walked over to his bed and pulled out the gem from before. He ran his magic through it. A small image of Crow appeared on the gem. “Ah Crimson, how are you doing?” “I’ve found an odd power flux coming from the nearby forest.” He said in a flat tone. “Power flux?” “Yes, I think that it’s what’s causing the animal disturbances for the town.” “Interesting.” The image said as it folded it’s hands. “I’ll send Cobalt and Rouge to your-” “Unnecessary. I’ll take care of this.” He said in a flat tone. Crow frowned and glared at the man. “Crimson, you are not, I repeat, are not to move in until-” “Sorry sir, you’re breaking up.” “Crimson! If you-” The connection ended as Crimson cut off the magical flow and put the gem back in his coat pocket. Ivy sat down stairs tending the fire when she felt her own gem glow and whistle. She pulled it out and looked to see the small image of the man. “Ivy, we have a problem.” “What’s up?” “I just talked with Crimson and he says that he found an odd power reading coming from the forest. He mention it to you?” “No.” She said in a low tone. “How bad is it?” “Worse than ever.” She said with a sigh. “He’s still blaming himself, no matter what I say it’s not reaching him.” Crow held his head low. “Ever since he found out about what happened, he hasn’t been the same.” He said as he waved his hands. Ivy looked to her left to see an old box appear beside her. “If worse comes to worse, then use this on him.” Ivy opened the box and her eyes shrank. “You can’t be serious!” “Wish I weren’t.” He said in a low tone. “Good luck and I hope that you don’t have to use it.” He said with a sigh. “Keep a close eye on him.” “Will do sir.” She said as the connection was terminated. Ivy sighed and looked at the box. She gulped and hid the item away before lying down on the couch to sleep.
Chapter X: Into DarknessChapter X Into Darkness It was early morning when Crimson left his home. The man managed to sneak out without waking the green flyer. As he made his way past the library, the door opened revealing the librarian donning a light purple blouse and long dark pants. Crimson let out a sigh and walked up to her. Twilight felt a wave of sadness and guilt creep over her. “Crimson I-” “No need to apologize. I was out of line yesterday. Sorry.” He said in a flat tone. “N-no it wasn’t your fault and-” “Yes, it was. End of story.” He said as he continued to make his way towards the forest. “Where are you going?” She asked as she walked next to him. “There are some old ruins that are giving off a strange energy.” He said as he pointed to the forest. “I think that it might be connected to your animal problem.” “Is that possible?” “It’s only a hunch, but worth looking into. Sooner I get this mission done, sooner I can get to the next.” Twilight felt her heart sink a little. “Hold up, I’m coming with you.” “No, you’ll only get in my-” The woman then stuck her index finger in the center of his chest and bore holes through him with her dark purple eyes. “I’m going. End of story.” She said in a stern tone. “I’ve been to the ruins you’re talking about. I know the quickest way to get there.” She said in a matter-of-fact tone. Crimson narrowed his eyes and let out a sigh. “Fine, but if I say run then you run and don’t look back.” He said in a serious tone. “Got it?” “Crimson, I’ve gone toe to toe with Nightmare Moon, sealed Discord in stone and helped save an empire.” She said in a flat tone. “I can handle this.” “Fine, just try to keep up.” He said as he hastily made his way towards the forest with The scholar following close behind him. The two entered the forest and made their way towards the ruins. Something in the bushes rustled and Twilight immediately squealed and hid behind the red haired man. Crimson looked over at the bush and saw a small rabbit hop out and look at them before scampering away. The man looked at the scholar who was blushing in embarrassment. “You sure you beat Nightmare Moon?” Twilight then gave him dirty look as she blushed. “It just surprised me.” She said as she scrunched her nose. Crimson chuckled at the spectacle and continued to march forward. The two then came upon a deep ravine with a rickety wooden bridge spanning the gap. “Is this a good idea?” “Seriously asking that now?” He said as he looked at her. “If you want to turn back, then nows your chance.” Twilight deadpanned at him. “Fine, suit yourself.” He said as he slowly made his way across the bridge. The wooden planks creaked as they stepped on them. “Is this safe?” “We’re going into a seemingly abandoned castle that once housed Nightmare Moon. One of the most dangerous people to ever walk the face of Equestria. You’re gonna start analyzing now?” He said in a dead panned expression. The two heard the rope snap and held on. Crimson grabbed Twilight around the waist and aimed his gauntlet at a nearby rock. “What are you doing?” “Trust me?” “No!” “Too bad.” He said as he let go of the feeble rope bridge and swung. The scholar was clinging to him for dear life. She felt the wind whip at her hair. She then felt them rising. The two swung up on the ledge and landed with a hard thump. “See? Nothing to worry about.” He said with a smile. Twilight was panting heavily and was trying to regain her composure. “Yeah, but how are we going to get back?” “I’ll think of something.” He said in a calm tone. The man then turned his attention to the dark castle in front of him. “Now comes the real problem.” Twilight gulped and walked up next to him. “There’s something in there. Something that’s trying to get out.” “Like a monster or something?” “Could be. Regardless, I’ll deal with it.” He said as the two walked up the stone steps. “You’ve faced monsters before?” The librarian asked in a nervous tone. “Yeah.” Crimson said as he frowned. “Are you scared of them?” “No," Crimson said in a bone chilling tone "they’re scared of me.” He said as the two walked through the broken archway. They had just passed the point of no return. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “Crimson! You are so dead!” Ivy yelled as she flew through the sky at an alarming speed. She then saw a bright Rainbow blur fly up next to her. “Hey Ivy, what’s up?” She asked. “Not now Dash, I need to find Crimson and then I’m gonna beat him to a red stain.” She said as she cracked her knuckles. “Why?” “He went ahead without me!” “Ahead where?” She asked as she stopped in front of the flyer. “Crimson found some weird power source in the forest and went to investigate.” She said as the two landed. “We were supposed to wait for back up, but he’s so stubborn!” “Where is this power source?” “I don’t know. He said something about old ruins and-” “Oh! I know where that is!” Ivy looked at Dash in surprise. “You do?” “Well, sort of. Twilight would know. We can go ask her.” The two took flight and rocketed towards the library. The two then saw Applejack and Rarity enter. The two flyers shrugged and made their way inside to see the small dragon hybrid sitting at a desk. “Hey Spike do you know where Twilight is?” Dash asked. “As I just finished telling AJ and Rarity, I saw her head out with Crimson this morning.” He said as Rarity and Applejack giggled. “Looks like Twilight finally got the nerve and-” “Oh shit. That’s not good.” Ivy said. “Why not? Maybe they went fora picnic or-” “They didn’t go on a date Rarity.” Ivy said in a dry tone. “Crimson went to go investigate some old ruins in the forest and it sounds like Twilight tagged along.” “Ruins? The only ruin that’s in there is the old castle where we beat Nightmare moon.” Applejack answered. “Well, you all know where I’ll be.” Ivy said as she tarted to walk out of the building only to be stopped by Dash. “Hold up there girl. We’re coming with you.” “Why?” “Twi’s a friend of ours, so is Crimson. We ain’t gonna let em get trapped in that place.” The farmer said. “We also happen to know the way there.” Rarity said. Ivy grunted and weighed her options. “Fine, just don’t fall behind.” She said with a sigh. The group then spent the next ten minutes getting Pinkie an Fluttershy together. The group then neared the entrance to the forest. Ivy took a moment and looked back at the group. “Okay, if you want to back out now then this is the time. I have no idea what we’ll find in there.” “We know.” Dash said as she rolled her eyes. Applejack took the lead and started leading the group down the pathway. “Hey Ivy something’s been bugging me.” “What’s up?” “How are you able to use magic?” She asked. “I mean, I know that people with wings can fly and control the weather, but I’ve never seen one use magic like mages can.” “That all?” The girl then pulled out her whip. “This help me focus my aura into spells. I can use a few complex spells, but I usually use it to increase my strength and speed.” She said as she showed them her fingerless brown gloves. The gloves stretched past her wrist and went up to her mid fore arm. “These also help.” “So what kind of spells can you use?” Rarity asked. “Mostly fire spells.” She said as her hands were enveloped in bright green flames. “See that rock?” She said as she pointed to a boulder the size of Fluttershy’s cottage. The group nodded. Ivy extinguished her flames and cracked her knuckles as she walked up to it. When she was a foot in front of the boulder, she brought her right hand back and punched the large rock. The group looked in shock as they saw the large rock crack and break apart from the girl’s strength. “Works like a charm.” She said with a smile. The group of girls all gulped in disbelief. “That’s just the tip of the iceberg.” She said with a grin. “How so?” Rarity asked. “You guys have seen Cliff right?” “How could we not see something that big?” Dash said. “Why?” “Let’s just say that Crimson isn’t the only one with a pet.” She said with a grin. The girls all gulped and continued to make their way towards the old castle. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Twilight followed the red haired man who had a torch in his hand. The two made their way down a dark hallway. Twilight stayed right behind the man and kept close to him. Once in a while she would ‘accidentally’ walk a little too fast and collide with the man’s back. As they stepped out of the hallway, the scholar felt the stone slab under her left foot sink a little. Crimson’s eyes shrank and grabbed the girl as he hit the floor. The woman heard a loud slashing sound and looked up to see a large axe stuck in the spot where she would have been standing. “Booby traps. Must be getting close.” He said as he got to his feet. Crimson offered his hand to the scholar who gladly took it. Twilight blushed as he helped her up. The scholar cleared her throat and continued to follow the man down the hallway, being extra careful where they stepped. After dodging a few more traps that consisted of flaming arrows, spiked pit traps and the occasional giant boulder the two made their way into a large round room. Crimson looked around the room and saw that it was filled with different chests and a few jewels scattered around the room. The two then heard a series of crashes. Twilight jumped in surprise into Crimson’s arms. The two looked in surprise to see Pinkie, Dash, AJ and the rest of the group come from the other entrance completely out of breath and looked like they had just been trampled by a herd of horses. “Okay, we do NOT go back that way.” Ivy said as she sat down. The flyer then saw the other two mages looking at them in surprise. “Are we interrupting something?” She asked with a smug grin on her face. Twilight then noticed that she was still in the man’s arms. She blushed violently and quickly got to her own feet. “How the hell did you guys get here?” Crimson asked. “Well, after we saw that the bridge was out we went around back and found another entrance.” Dash said. “Turns out that it was booby trapped so we ran like hell and here we are.” She said as she got up. “You took them with you?” He asked as he looked at Ivy. “They’re stubborn and wouldn’t let me go if I didn’t take them.” Crimson frowned. “What? You took her.” She said as she pointed at Twilight. “Touche.” He said with a sigh. “Okay everyone listen up.” He said catching the group’s attention. “There’s an odd power signature coming from the bottom of the palace. We work our way down and hopefully find a way out.” The group nodded. “If there’s fighting to be done then leave it to Ivy and me.” “We can help out.” Dash said. “No, just find some cover and wait till it’s safe to come out.” Crimson said. “You’ll only get in our way and we can’t protect you all the time.” He said as he walked off down the path way. The group sighed and followed the man with Ivy brining up the rear. The group continued to make their way through the old ruins. Crimson kept his eyes forward, staring into the barely lit hallway. He stopped moving as they came to a large hallway. Hundreds of rows of stone pillars stood before them. “Wow.” Dash said as she echoed. “What is this place? Store room?” Applejack asked. “Maybe a mine?” Pinkie said with a shrug. “This is no mine.” Crimson said as he looked at the inscriptions on the stones. “It’s a tomb.” He said with a gulp. The group all looked at one another and gulped. “Stay together and keep quiet.” He said as he withdrew his weapon. The group kept quiet and slowly made their way through the old structure. “Ivy, you feel that?” “Yeah.” She said as she pulled out her whip. The group stopped moving and looked around to only see darkness. Crimson then spun around and slashed at the darkness. The group heard a high pitched squeal come from the shadows. Ivy changed the whip into her baton form and shot a bright green flame towards the ceiling. The green light illuminated the hallway. Crimson’s eyes shrank as he saw hundreds of small shadowy figures clinging to the ceiling. Their bright green eyes staring down at them. “Shadow Goblins.” Ivy said with a gulp. The group stood back to back. The creatures started to move and surround the group. “Got any ideas boss?” Ivy asked as she looked at the red haired man. “One, I saw the exit on the far side of the room.” He said as he pointed straight ahead of him to show a large archway. “I’ll make a path, when that happens run to it.” “What about-” “I’ll be right behind you.” He said as he held up his weapon. He removed the slim sword from the scythe and gripped it in his right hand as he took the scythe in his left. “Get ready!” The man then vanished in a flash of dark red light. Twilight squinted and saw a few flashes of red light. The room was then illuminated by a massive line being cut through the goblins that were in front of the scholar. “Now!” Crimson yelled. The group immediately ran as fast as they could towards the exit. As one of the goblins launched itself at the farmer it was met with a blast of red energy and was sent rocketing back into the crowd. Ivy used her batons to provide some cover fire fro the group as they made it to the archway. As the last of them made it through Crimson grabbed one of the creatures and a bright red orb appeared in his hand. Crimson rammed the ball into the goblin’s stomach and threw him back into the horde. As he passed through the arch way he motioned for everyone to take cover. The group held their heads and ducked as they heard and felt a massive explosion come from the large hallway. The floor shook and the group saw a massive bright red light incinerating the goblins. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Out in Ponyville, a tall man with dark blue hair and light blue wings, donning a white long sleeve shirt with a dark blue vest and pair of dark blue pants that stretched down to his ankles. His right arm was covered in armor while his left had a small gauntlet attached to it. A large sword was at his side and seemed to move with him as made his way through town. Next to him was a young woman with light purple hair wearing a dark purple hood and cape. A tight fitting outfit that started just below her collar bone and covered the rest of her upper body until her navel. Her pants were long, dark and stretched down to her black leather boots that had a slight heel to them. At her sides were two crossbow like pistols. The two walked up to a young man who had spliced green eyes and claw like hands. “Excuse me.” The man said as he walked up to him. “Yeah how can I help you?” He asked as he looked at the two. “We’re looking for two people that may have come here.” The girls said. “What do they look like?” “One of them has dark red hair and usually sports a dark red cloak. The other is a woman with bright green hair and-” The woman was cut off as the hybrid perked up. “Oh you mean Ivy and Crimson.” “You seen them?” The woman asked. “Earlier today. Last I checked they were heading towards-” He was cut off as the group saw a bright red light hit the clouds over the dark forest. “Thanks, but I think we know where to go.” The man said with a grin. The man took flight as the woman turned into a cloud of shadows and the two raced towards the forest. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The group all got to their feet and checked themselves over. The farmer brushed herself off and glared at the red warrior. “What in the hay was that?” Applejack yelled. “I injected a bit of my aura into one of the goblins and expanded it, thus creating an explosion.” “Awesome!” Dash said. “Yeah, but now everything in this place knows we’re here!” Twilight protested. “They knew we were here the second we stepped inside this place.” Crimson said as he panted heavily and sat down. “You okay?” Fluttershy asked. “Yeah, using a trick like that just uses a lot of magic.” He said with a sigh. The man then got to his feet and let out a sigh. The group heard a gurgling sound. The group looked over to see one of the creatures stumble through the archway. The creature groaned in pain and growled at the group. “I will clean the flesh from your bones!” The goblin said as it stumbled. Crimson walked over to it and frowned. The creature focused it’s gaze on Crimson and gasped. “Of course, who else could wield such mighty magic.” The beast said with a cackle. “To think that the Prince of Darkness has finally been tamed by-” Was all he got out before crimson slashed it across the chest, silencing it forever. The goblin’s body turned to ash. “What did that thing mean by-” The cyan flyer was interrupted by the ground violently shaking. A massive crack in the ground appeared separating the scholar and warrior from the group. Before they could react the ground gave out from underneath the two. Crimson grabbed the scholar and shot a beam from his gauntlet. Ivy reached out to grab the beam and held onto it. “Hang on!” Ivy yelled as she started to pull the two up. Sweat was forming on the man’s brow. He could feel his strength fading. Crimson looked down at Twilight who had tears in her eyes. He tightened his grip on her and tried to stay focused. The man looked down and saw nothing but darkness. As he looked up at Ivy, he saw something come from the shadows. A massive claw opened and cut the magical beam. Time slowed as he and the scholar fell into darkness. Ivy tried to go after them but the hole was soon sealed by the broken pieces of the flooring tat seemed to grow back. Crimson held the girl close to him and tried to see ahead. He used his right hand to pull out his scythe and slammed it into the rock wall beside him. Twilight gulped and outstretched one of her hands and shout out multiple purple beams that connected to the rock wall and started to slow them down. One by one the magical beams started to snap. We need to slow down more! She thought as her eyes glowed and a massive purple dot appeared in the darkness. Crimson gulped and aimed for the small dot on the darkness. As the two got closer the dot got larger and the two started to slow down. Their speed slowed as they reached the bottom of the pit. As they hit the magical layer the two hit the ground. Crimson grunted in pain as he skidded on the floor. The man sat up and took in his surroundings. Darkness. That’s all the man’s eyes could see. Crimson fumbled in his pocket and pulled out two small crystals and struck them against one another. The room was then illuminated in a light red light. The man then walked over to the librarian and his eyes glowed. Shit, her magic level is too low. Do it. A dark voice said in the back of his mind. And let you run amuck? How stupid do you think I am? She’ll die if you don’t. Do yo really want more blood on your hands? Crimson’s eyes shrank and focused what magic he had left into his right hand. He placed his glowing hand on the woman’s head and let his magic flow. The man’s vision was starting to fade as he let the girl go. The man took off his red coat and placed it over the woman’s body. Crimson staggered back and collapsed on the ground. As he looked up he felt darkness take him. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Rainbow Dash was punching the ground trying to get a crack. “Open damn you!” The flyer yelled. Applejack put a hand on her friend’s shoulder and gulped. “C’mon, we still have to find what ever is down there.” Ivy said in a flat tone. “What? Twilight and Crimson are trapped down there!” “I’m aware Dash, but I have a job to do.” Dash got to her feet and glared at her. “You’re just gonna abandon him? I thought you were his best friend?” Rainbow yelled. Ivy remained silent. Dash marched over to the green flyer and shook her. Dash gulped as she saw a few tears run down her face. “You think I don’t know that?” She yelled. “You think I don’t want to bust open this floor and jump down head first to get them back?” The flyer said as she grabbed Dash by the collar of her shirt. “I know that Crimson will make it out of there in one piece with Twilight. He’s been through worst things than this! Right now we have to focus on finding the power source and getting out of this crazy death trap.” Applejack then stepped between the two. Ivy took a fe deep breaths and wiped the tears from her eyes. “Look, the power source is at the bottom of this joint, hopefully Crimson and Twilight are already there. So the sooner we get to the bottom the sooner we can help them. Sound good?” “Got it.” Dash said as the group of girls continued to make their way through the ruins
Chapter XI: Of Monsters and MenChapter XI Of Monsters and Men Crimson’s eyes slowly opened and he gazed up into the seemingly never ending darkness. He felt his coat around him. As he tried to sit up he looked to his right where a feeling of extra weight was coming from. Crimson was now thoroughly confused and embarrassed. Along with his coat, a familiar clothed arm was draped over his chest and a head with indigo hair was resting on his right pectoral muscle. The scholar let out a soft snore as she rubbed her head on his chest. Crimson gulped and searched his mind to figure out how to deal with this situation. The man gulped and gently prodded the girl’s head with his finger tip. The girl shook her head slightly. “Twilight. Wake up.” “Five more minutes Spike.” She said with a grunt. “It’s Crimson.” The man said in a flat tone. The girl’s eyes snapped open and looked at the man’s dark red eyes, that weren’t meeting her gaze. Twilight then saw the position she was in. Her face turned bright red as she shot up. “Where are we?” She said as she looked around at the dimly lit cavern. “You don’t remember?” The scholar then remembered everything that had happened before she had blacked out. “How long have we been down here?” “A few hours at least.” He said as he got up. “You passed out from using too much magic and almost died.” “What?” She yelled. “Calm down. I managed to use some of my magic to buy your body some time to produce more.” He said with a sigh. “Then I passed out from using too much magic and here we are hours later.” Twilight blushed at the thought of the man’s magic coursing through her. “Thank you.” She said with a sigh. She then turned her attention to the red crystals in the center. “What are these?” Twilight said as she felt the heat coming from them. “Fire crystals. Cut from a dragon’s throat.” He said in a flat tone. “A souvenir I held onto, just in case.” “Good thing you have them.” Twilight then noticed that there was a blood stain on his shirt. “Crimson, you’re bleeding!” She said as she pointed to the mark on his shirt. “Let me see.” “Twilight I’m fine. It’s-” He was cut off as Twilight’s hands glowed a light purple and removed the man’s shirt off his body. “Now let me see what’s-” She was cut off as she saw what looked like seven chain like tattoo’s on his chest. The seven converged in the middle of his chest around a circle with an odd symbol in the center. Crimson lowered his head and let out a sigh. The scholar also noticed a cut across his body that seemed to be healing on it’s own. The chains seemed to vanish from his skin and he grabbed his shirt back from the scholar. “Crimson,” She said in a shaky tone. “what was that?” “Nothing.” He said in a flat tone. “Mind if I have my coat back?” The scholar then realized that she still had the man’s cloak wrapped around her body. She felt as though the coat was a piece of the warrior wrapping her in a warm embrace. She gulped and hesitantly removed it. “Thank you.” He said as he slipped it back on his body. He then pulled out his watch and looked at the hand positions in the dim red light being produced by the crystals. “Almost three in the afternoon.” He said as he closed the watch. The man then pulled out a small green jewel and focused his magic. The crystal was cracked from the fall as it glowed a bright green. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The group of girls made their way through the old ruins. Something caught the pink haired girl’s eye. “Um Ivy,” She said as the green haired woman turned around. “why is your butt glowing?” “What?” Pinkie than pointed to her back pocket. A bright green object was glowing from her pocket. Ivy quickly withdrew the crystal and focused her magic. A flickering image of the man came into view. “Thank Celestia!” “I don’t have long.....crystal....damaged.” The image said with a flicker. The girls then crowded around the crystal. “Are you okay?” “A bit roughed up.....surviving.” “What about Twilight?” Rarity asked. “She’s okay.” The image then flickered again. “Gotta go.....find.....power signature. Meet you.....outside.” The image then cut out. Ivy grunted and shook the crystal. “Damn it!” The woman yelled as she put the crystal back in her pocket. “Okay they’re alive.” The group let out a joined sigh of relief. “They said that they’ll meet us outside.” “Better not keep them waiting then.” Dash said as she cracked her neck. The group nodded and made their way down the dark hallway. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The crystal’s light faded and the crack grew until it split in two. Crimson grunted and put the broken shards back in his pocket. Twilight looked at him and gulped. “The others are okay and are making their way to an exit.” He said in a flat tone. Twilight let out a sigh and smiled. “That’s a relief.” She said with a smile. “We’d better get going too.” He said as he started looking around the room. Twilight did the same. She stayed close to the red haired warrior, who held a bright red crystal in his left hand that illuminated the cave. The scholar then felt a breeze brush her hand. “Hey there’s a breeze over here.” Crimson extended his hand and felt the sudden rush of air. He followed it and saw that it led to a small walkway, barely visible. “Looks like a tight squeeze.” He said as he looked inside the crack. He maneuvered his body sideways and slowly made his way inside the crack. “I’ll go first.” Twilight nodded and waited outside the crack. As she kept watching, she saw the man vanish into darkness. The scholar then felt a small wave of fear creep up inside of her. She felt eyes on her and spun around to see nothing but darkness. The girl gulped and felt something touch her shoulder. Twilight let out a small scream and turned around to see Crimson looking at her with a cocked eyebrow. “Don’t do that!" She said in an aggravated tone. "Almost gave a me a heart attack.” She said as she took several deep breaths. “The way ahead is clear.” He said in a flat tone. Twilight gulped and slowly squeezed her form into the small crack. Twilight bit her lip as the sharp rocks tugged as her clothes and scraped against her skin. The scholar saw light coming from the other end of the crack. “Thank Celestia we-” She was cut off as Crimson forced her against the rock wall and put a hand over her mouth. Twilight blushed as she felt the man’s upper body press against her own. “Shhh!” He said as he put a finger to his lips. He backed off the girl and pointed towards the cliff edge. The scholar quietly followed him and peered over the edge. The girl’s eyes shrank as she saw a group of ten shrouded figures standing in a circle muttering some odd words. “What’s going on?” She whispered. “Looks like some sort of ritual.” He said as he saw one of the members enter the center of the circle and put on some odd looking armor. The armor was dark blue and menacing looking. The chest plate however looked like it was designed for a woman. Twilight’s eyes shrank as the recognized the armor. It was the same set that she had seen Nightmare Moon use when they fought her. “That’s Nightmare Moon’s armor!” She said as eh looked at the man. “You sure?” “Positive.” She said as she kept watching. The armor wearing person removed their helmet and showed her flowing black hair. The woman kneeled in the center of the circle and stuck the long sword that rested at her side in the ground and looked towards the roof of the cave. “Oh gracious Nightmare. I beseech you, use me as your vessel so that you may rule the night once more!” She yelled. One of the other hooded figures withdrew a large gem that was dark blue. The gem glowed and a cloud of blue smoke erupted from the jewel. The shadow then enveloped the cult member and screams of agony could be heard from the woman. Twilight dare not look away as the shadows moved beneath the girl’s skin like snakes. The shadows seemed to and alter her body. A blinding flash of dark blue light filled the cave. Once the light had vanished the two saw that the woman’s skin was now marked with several black marks that wrapped around her arms. A series of black marks were now on her cheeks and her eyes were spliced with icy blue coloring. A pair of dark blue wings were also sprouting from her back. The other cult members bowed to the armored being. “How can we serve you?” The member asked as the armored woman rammed their sword through him. The other members gasped as the sword glowed dark blue and seemed to drain the life from the man. Soon all that remained was a cloak and pile of dust. “You are all free to die.” Several members tried to run away and escape, only to be caught by whip like shadows that drained them of their lives. Once all the members were finished off the armored man laughed like a madman. “It’s good to be back.” A dark voice said. Twilight covered her mouth in shock and looked over towards Crimson who had the same look of shock on his face. The man gripped the rock he was holding until it cracked apart. “What did they just do?” Twilight asked. “They turned that girl into a Conduit.” He said with a grunt. “Conduit?” “Apparently when you defeated Nightmare Moon she stored a piece of magic in her armor and that jewel.” He said in a hushed tone. “Those psycho’s just sealed whatever power that was in them inside that girl.” He said as he gritted his teeth. “Bucking monsters.” “So it’s possible to seal a spirit inside a human body.” She said with a gasp. “I don’t believe it.” “Oh believe it honey.” The two froze and slowly turned their heads around to see the reincarnated Nightmare Moon looking at them with a wicked smile on her face. Now that she was up close Crimson could see how menacing the armor truly was. The metal clung to the girl’s body that accented her natural physique. “Listen to me, I know how you’re feeling.” Crimson said as he slowly stood up and gulped. “You can fight that voice in your head.” The woman then grabbed him by the throat and picked him up off his feet. “What makes you think I want to?” She said with an insane laugh. “I always wanted power and now I’ve got it!” She said as she tightened her grip on the man’s throat. Twilight was about to launch a spell at the woman, but felt a magical force pin her to the wall. “Oh no you don’t. We’ve got business Sparkle.” “Y-you know me?” “How could I forget the one who murdered me?” She yelled. Crimson focused his magic into his right hand and slammed it into the woman’s face. The woman staggered back for a moment and put a finger to her lip and felt that it was bleeding. “Not bad kid, if you’re a good boy then I’ll let you be my pet.” She said as she licked her black lips with her tongue. “Sorry,” He said as he summoned his scythe in his hands. “not in my job description.” He said as he got in a defensive stance. The woman laughed and shot a large magical bolt at the man, making him slide off the cliff and fall onto the bottom of the cave. Crimson landed on his feet and looked up to see the woman flying down to him. “I suppose I could go for another snack before the main course.” She said with a snide smile. Crimson held his weapon in front of him. The woman raised her sword and charged at the man with murder in her eyes. The two locked blades and bore holes through each other. Crimson twisted the handle of his scythe and withdrew the blade in his left hand and tried to slice the girl. “Oh scary.” She said in a mocking tone. Crimson grunted and switched the weapons in his hands. “Enough foreplay, time for the main event!” She said before teleporting behind the man and slamming the handle of her sword into his stomach. Crimson grunted and managed to make contact with the girl’s armor with his sword. The armor cracked from the force and the woman jumped back. “Ugh! I just got this outfit too.” Her eyes then narrowed and she snarled at the man. She held up the sword and pointed it at the scholar who was still pinned to the wall. The blade started to extend and shoot towards the helpless book worm. Twilight’s eyes shrank as she saw the blade rocket towards her. She struggled in her restraints and felt a wave of fear wash over her. Twilight closed her eyes and waited for the blade to penetrate her. The scholar then felt something warm and wet splash across her face. She opened her eyes and her pupils shrank as she saw the man standing in front of her with his back to her. The end of the sword was sticking through the middle of his back. Crimson couched up blood and grunted in pain as the girl lifted him up by the sword that was still rammed in his chest. The blade started to retract and brought Crimson closer to the armor wearing woman. Twilight focused what magic she had left and broke from the restraints that once bound her. “Oh how cute.” The woman mocked. “He took the hit for you. Admirable, but stupid.” The red haired warrior grunted in pain as he tried to free himself from the blade. Once Crimson was within arms length she grabbed him by the throat and kept pressure on the blade that was still inside of him. “Game over.” The sword started to glow and Crimson felt his strength leaving his body. “It’s really a shame,” She said as she lowered the man so that their eyes were level. “you would have been my favorite plaything.” Crimson grunted and spat blood into the woman’s face. The woman snarled and twisted the blade deeper into the man’s chest. Crimson cried out in pain and narrowed his eyes. “Still, I’m not a complete monster yet.” She said as she leaned closer. “I’ll at least give you a taste of what would have been.” The woman leaned her head in and smirked. As she felt the man’s breath on her lips the man grabbed the hand that was around his throat. The pressure he was applying was enough to crack a normal person’s bones. “What?” She yelled as she backed away. Crimson planted his feet on the ground and glared at the sword in his chest. A dark red aura then started seeping out of his body. The man gripped the blade and pulled it out of his body. Crimson threw the blade aside and staggered forward. The dark woman focused her magic and her eyes glowed. The air around the man stung and seemed to bite at her exposed skin. She matched her gaze with Crimson and saw that his pupils were spliced and the whites of his eyes were pitch black. As she focused she saw inside the man’s mind. She found herself looking at a massive cage. Behind the prison stood a being just a little taller than the red haired man. She felt the creature’s gaze on her and felt a wave of fear wash over her. The creature’s hair was dark red and it’s skin was snow white. Two horns sprouted from the side of it’s head and curled forwards. The stare down between the two seemed to go on for an eternity. The creature’s eyes shrank and let out a massive roar of anger. The power coming from the creature was overwhelming and the foreign presence was forced to leave. On the surface the man was still glaring at her. The woman was now sweating in fear. Twilight gulped and watched in confusion and saw the man’s weapon shoot into his hand. Crimson rushed forwards and slashed at the armored figure. He’s faster than before. She thought as she barely dodged his attack. She snapped her fingers and the sword made it’s way back into her hand. The man then raised his left hand and shot out a volley of spells. Not just that, he’s stronger. The woman was then locked in a power struggle as they clashed blades again. The woman felt herself being pushed back from his strength. The stone beneath her was starting to crack as she tried to regain some ground. She exited the power struggle and panted as he pulled his blade out of the stone. I need to end this and get out of here. The woman put her sword in it’s sheath and extended both hands. A dark blue sphere appeared between her palms. The ball grew to the side of a volley ball and the raw power was causing the ground to crack. The woman launched the ball at an alarming speed towards the man. The ball made contact and a brilliant light filled the cave. Twilight shielded her eyes and ducked as rocks broke apart and shot in all directions. The force from the explosion mad the above ground unstable and the roof was starting to cave in. Moon raised her hands and a bright blue beam shot through the falling ruble, all the way to the sky. The woman spread her dark wings and took flight towards the sky. Twilight managed to blast some of the falling rocks, but it soon started to overwhelm the scholar. Something grabbed her from behind and was taking her up through the hole. Twilight could see the full moon in the sky and the starts that were shining brighter than ever. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ivy and the group of girls were making their way down a passage way when a bright blue beam shot up in front of them. The green flyer immediately stopped moving and looked at the beam in shock. After it had vanished she saw a large hole burned through the stone and a dark winged object rocketing towards the surface. The group looked in shock to see the armored woman flying towards the exit. “What the buck was that?” Ivy said. “It looked like Nightmare Moon.” Rarity said with a gulp. “That’s impossible. We saved Luna and-” Dash said as the group felt a feeling of foreboding. The group looked down the hole again and saw another object flying towards them. The green flyer squinted and saw a red haired object carrying the scholar. Time seemed to slow as he passed the group. The girls noticed that the object’s wings looked more like two hands with webbing between them.The object sped passed them and rocketed towards the night sky. Ivy gulped and felt something burn on her hand. She looked and saw that there was a number one burned into it. “What the hell was that?” Applejack yelled. “We need to get up there now!” Ivy yelled. “Dash take Pinkie, I’ll get AJ and Fluttershy can take Rarity.” She said as she grabbed the farmer by the arm. “Um....I don’t really-” The veterinarian tried “Now!” Ivy barked as she took flight with the farmer clinging on to dear life. Dash and Pinkie sped towards them as Fluttershy struggled to keep in the air with Rarity’s extra weight. The yellow flier could feel her muscles straining and looked down at her friend who stared back at her with tears in her eyes. The girl’s strength gave out and the seamstress screamed as she fell. Rarity looked down to see the floor that would most likely be her grave. She closed her eyes and waited for the pain. What she felt wasn’t crushing agony, instead she felt something soft yet firm absorb her fall. She looked to see that what had caught her was a giant web of some sort. The net stretched to it’s fullest and launched the fashionista back into the air. Rarity screamed again as she fell rocketed towards the sky. As she stopped and was starting to fall again, she felt something grab her and slowly bring her towards the ground. As they landed the woman then started to hug the ground. She lifted her head to see a man with blue hair and light blue wings smiling at her. The group of girls came over to her and hugged their friend. “I’m sorry Rarity! I’m so sorry!” Shy said with tears in her eyes. “It’s alright dear.” She said as she hugged her friend. The group then saw a woman with light purple hair that went down to her shoulders and a man with short dark blue hair. Ivy walked over to them and gave them each a hug. “It’s so good to see you guys again.” “Same.” The man said with a smile. “What’s the situation?” Rouge asked. “We’re in trouble.” The group looked towards the sky and saw the scholar being carried by the object. Twilight was put on the ground as her friends ran over to her. The wings then seemed to recede into Crimson’s back. “Some crazy cultists turned that girl into a conduit for some remains of Nightmare Moon.” He said as he looked at the group. “Great.” Rouge said with a groan. “Nice to see you too by the way.” Crimson rolled his eyes and hugged the girl and bumped fists with the man. “Fools!” The group looked up to see the dark flyer floating in the air. “Now I can crush you all at once!” Her hands and eyes glowed and summoned what looked like two Ursa Minors and at least a dozen Timber wolves to her side. The creature’s coats were dark blue and had jet black eyes. “Looks like the reunion will have to wait.” Cobalt said with a shrug. “She’s mine.” Crimson said in a flat tone. “Crimson-” Ivy started. “I won’t go over board okay?” He said with a sigh. “I’ve got your back.” She said as she cracked her knuckles. “Just say when.” Rouge said as she pulled out her two crossbows. “Time for some major ass kicking!” Cobalt hollered as he pulled out his sword. The group of girls looked in amazement as they saw the four take positions. “Rouge, look after the girls and deal with the wolves.” He said in a flat tone. “Ivy, Cobalt the bears are yours.” “Roger!” The three said. The girls all watched as the hand like wings sprouted from the man’s back and he took flight towards the armored girl. Cobalt and Ivy were right behind him and flew towards the minors. Once they were right in front of them the two focused their aura into their hands and two large clouds of smoke enveloped the two. The group gasped as they saw a massive light green serpent dragon coil around the large bear and roared with light green fire coming from it’s mouth. The blue flyer was then standing on the shoulder of a massive light blue gorilla. The fifty foot ape grabbed the bear and lifted it over it’s head before slamming it down on the ground. The beast the banged on it’s chest as a sign of victory. The girls were soon surrounded by the wolves. Rouge smirked and summoned six large purple spiders. Each were easily as big as a train car. The arachnids soon pounced on the wolves and were ripping them apart. Rouge then fired a few magical arrows from her bows and saw them hit the wolves right between their eyes. “Run!” She yelled to the group. Twilight saw a wolf jump and was about to ponce her when the girl spun around and the lathe of the weapon was revealed to be a sharp blade. The girl cut the animal’s throat and it evaporated. “Now!” The girls all gulped and started to back away from the fight. Crimson locked blows with the possessed girl and followed up with a punch to the gut. The woman grunted and slashed at the man with her sword. The man extended his left palm and caught the blade in mid swing. The woman gulped and looked at the man’s dark eyes. Crimson forced the sword away with it’s holder. The man twisted the handle of his scythe and removed the blade. The nightmare child grunted and rushed forward. Crimson parried the attack and slashed in a horizontal way. The two warriors’s steel were deadlocked in a power struggle. The two blades were starting to crackle with their owner’s aura and sparks were starting to fly. The two massive bears seemed to vanish and the two flyers looked in the distance to see the swords of red and blue clashing. The two then made their beasts vanish and flew over to one another. “Think he’s okay?” Cobalt asked. “I hope so.” Ivy said as she pulled out the box Crow had sent her. She opened it to reveal a long jagged dagger like crystal. Cobalt looked at the item and shot Ivy a dirty look. “Are you insane?” He yelled at her. “That could kill him!” Ivy hung her head in shame. “Crow sent it as a back up. I told him that he was nuts but-” “That’s no excuse!” He said as he rubbed his forehead. “Look, I know how Crimson gets. He can handle himself.” Cobalt said with a sigh. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The group of girls were good distance away from the battle and stopped to catch their breath. “Okay, cane someone tell me what the fuck just happened.” Dash said as she panted. “How should I know?” Twilight said. “Who were those other two?” “Perhaps I can be of assistance.” The girls all perked up hearing the odd voice. The girls all looked around but saw nothing but the trees in front of them. Pinkie then noticed something on the seamstress. “Hey Rarity, where’s you get that hairy backpack?” “Backpack?” Rarity asked. The girls all looked and gasped as they saw a massive eight legged spider on their friend’s back. The creature was easily as big as a large watermelon. Rarity screamed and flung the spider off her. The arachnid jumped off and landed on a nearby tree trunk. The seamstress was shaking in fear and held her arms as she sat on the ground. “I’m sorry if I startled you.” The spider said in an apologetic tone. “It can talk?” Dash said in shock. “Spiders don’t talk!” “Yes, well, until now that is.” The spider said as it climbed down the tree. “So what are you?” “It’s an Araneae Ingentes! The rarest of the arachnid family!” Fluttershy said with a smile. “A what now?” Applejack asked. “Giant Spider.” Twilight said. “My name is Archimedes.” The spider said in a flat tone. “Anyway, I was instructed by my master to ensure your safety.” “Your master?” Twilight said with a gulp. “Rouge, the purple haired girl.” He said as he hopped onto the ground. The girls then saw that the spider had large purple stripes across it’s legs. “So who exactly are those two?” Dash asked. “Rouge Nightshade and Cobalt Striker. The other members of Crimson’s squad.” The spider said in a flat tone. The girls all let out a sigh of relief. “Who’s that other one? She looked like Nightmare Moon.” The farmer said. “According to Crimson she was part of a cult that was loyal to Nightmare Moon.” The girls all gulped. “Apparently they turn that poor girl into a conduit.” “Conduit?” Twilight said in confusion. “Conduits are living things with more than one soul trapped in them.” The girls all gasped. “Apparently the cult used some of Nightmare Moon’s old armor and a gem that held a some of her magic to trap her soul inside the girl’s body.” “I can’t believe I’m listening to a spider.” Dash said with a face palm. “If you want I could knock you out with my venom.” “No thanks.” She said with a gulp. “So why is Crimson fighting her alone?” Rarity asked. “Crimson is a specialist when it comes to conduits.” The spider commented. “Why?” The spider was about to answer when the group heard a faint rustling coming from a bush. The group gulped and got ready to defend themselves. The brush was pushed aside by a familiar purple haired woman. “There you guys are.” She said as she walked up to the group. “I see you’ve met Archie.” “Y-yeah.” Dash said with a gulp. “Sorry if he startled ya there.” She said as she walked up to the group and the spider vanished in a puff of smoke. “No problem.” Twilight said with a gulp. “You must be Rouge?” “Yup, nice to meet you.” She said as she shook her hand. “You must be Twilight Sparkle.” “How’d you know that?” “Almost everyone knows who the Elements of Harmony are.” She said with a shrug. “Mind telling us what the buck is going on?” Dash asked. “Basically, Ivy, Cobalt and I were fighting some of Nightmare Moon’s pets while Crimson was going toe to toe with her.” “I meant why is he fighting her?” Twilight asked. “Worried about your boyfriend?” Dash asked with a smirk. “He is not my boyfriend!” Twilight yelled as her face turned bright red. “I’m just worried because it took all of us to defeat her.” Twilight said in a flat tone. “Relax, Crimson is used to these type of fights.” The girl said with a shrug. “C’mon, let’s get you guys back into town before things get ugly.” “Hold up!” Twilight yelled. “Explain how Crimson can fly! I’ve never seen a flight spell that strong before and why is he a specialist when it comes to conduits?” Rouge’s eyes shrank as the words left her lips. Damn you Archie. How much did you tell them? She thought. Before she could reply the woman felt a burning sensation in her left palm. She looked down and saw a number two burned into her skin. Crap! This is really bad. The group then heard the sound of crashing trees. The girls all looked towards the noise and saw the red warrior still deadlocked with the woman. Twilight’s eyes shrank as she saw the hand like wings and that the man’s skin was now snow white. “Interesting!” The armored woman yelled. “It appears that the Lord of Shadow has been tamed.” Crimson grunted and forced the woman away. “I haven’t been this worked up in a long while.” Crimson said with a chuckle. “Tell me kid, what’s your name?” “It’s Isis Star.” She said in confusion. “I’ll remember the name.” He said with a grin. “Now back to business.” He said as he took a defensive stance. “The difference between us is too great!” She said with an insane laugh. “Compared to you I am a god!” “Really?” Crimson said as he kept his head lowered. “Really.” “Really?” He yelled as he sheathed his blade and placed his palms against each other. “Seal three, release.” As the words left his lips the girls all saw that the man’s body started to change further. A pair of horns sprouted from the side of his head and pointed forwards. Before the woman could react the man rushed forwards and kicked her in the right leg. The group heard a gut wrenching cracking noise come from the woman’s leg. Before she could scream the man had broken her right leg and had clipped her wings with his blade. The woman now started to crawl away in fear of the man only to be stopped by him. “Well what now?” He said with an evil grin. “Heal your broken legs, summon up the legions of the fallen. Transform your body! Stand and fight! Hurry, hurry!” He said as he looked down at the woman. “The night’s only just begun!” The woman saw that the man’s aura was stronger than before and seemed to shift like shadows. As she looked up the aura created a type of screen that turned the moon blood red. “Fucking freak!” She yelled in fear. Crimson cocked his head to the right and the shadows seemed to die down. “Now I see what you really are! A punk brat that thought she could play in the big leagues, but is just a coward!” “Shut up! You’re nothing but a dog on a leash! A bitch to the Academy and-” “Silence!” The man ordered. The woman shut her jaw and gulped. “I’m a dog am I?” He asked as several shadows shifted into large black wolves. “Then you’re dog food.” As he snapped his fingers, the creatures ran towards the woman with blood lust in their eyes. Get out! A voice yelled in his head. The man’s body staggered for a moment before grabbing his head in pain. You can’t have it! Get out! The man the gripped the two horns on the side of his head and pulled. The two horns cracked and broke off from the force. The shadow dogs vanished, his skin returned to it’s normal color and Isis looked at him in shock and with tears on her eyes. Crimson panted and steadied himself with his scythe. He looked at the frightened woman who was scared out of her mind. The man slowly walked towards the woman who tried to crawl away. The man grabbed her by the broken leg and pulled her back closer to him. Isis grunted in pain as she felt the man’s palm on her forehead. “Good, there’s still time.” He said with a sigh. The man focused his magic and his eyes glowed red as the girls glowed blue. He formed his hand into a fist over the woman’s forehead. He jerked his hand back and a ghost form of Nightmare Moon was visible. “Got you.” He said with a small smirk. “Unhand me you hell spawn!” She yelled. “As you wish!” As he let her go he swung his scythe through the apparition and into the ground. The earth opened up and several chains wrapped around the ghost and kept her restrained. “What is this?” She yelled as she tried to fight the force that was dragging her down. The ghost looked down and saw several ghost hand grab and wrap around her. “That’s your grave.” He said in a flat tone. “Exorcism complete.” He said with a sigh. The souls you have robbed of this life will forever be your company.” Crimson said with a sigh. “I hope you burn in hell you monster!” She said as one of the hands grabbed her face and pulled her deeper into the pit. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.” The man said as he bit his lip. The apparition was dragged completely into the hole and the crack closed up. Crimson then walked over to the unconscious girl and placed his hands over her wounded body. He panted and made his hands glow. The girl’s mangled body stared to shift and heal. Her legs were put back in place and any damage she had taken from the man was soon erased. Crimson panted as he stood up. The man staggered back towards the group and fell forwards. He was caught by a familiar green haired girl. The man looked into her tear filled light green eyes and hung his head in shame. The blue flyer and purple mage then crowded around him. “You okay boss?” Cobalt asked. “Check....on the girl.” He said with a pant. “I did....what I could.” The red haired man then passed out. “Rouge.” Ivy said. The mage nodded and made her way over to the girl and inspected her healed body. “She’s okay.” The mage yelled. Twilight and the others then raced over to the red haired man. Ivy put him on the ground and let out a sigh. “Just...someone please tell me what’s going on.” Twilight said with tears in her eyes. The group then saw a bright green flash illuminate the area. “I believe that I may be able to help clear the air.” The three warrior gulped as they saw the green eyed, can wielding man appear in front of them. “H-headmaster Crow.” Ivy said with a gulp. “I felt a familiar aura rising so I came as quick as I could.” He said as he looked down at the red haired man. “Stubborn as his mother.” Crow said as he shook his head. He then turned his attention to Twilight and smiled. “You must be Celestia’s pupil.” “Y-yes.” She said with a gulp. “Come along then,” He said as he snapped his fingers and a portal hole opened up in front of the group. “I’d prefer not to have this conversation out here.” He said in a flat tone. Cobalt and Ivy each put one of Crimson’s arms over their shoulders and carried him through the portal. “Bring her too.” He said as he looked at Rouge. The mage nodded and picked up the unconscious woman. The girls looked at one another in worry before venturing through the portal. They arrived inside the Library where they saw Princess Celestia and Luna waiting for them. “Ivy, Cobalt, Rouge,” He said as he looked at the group. “take Crimson to the tower and make sure he stays there.” “Yes, sir.” They said as they all vanished in a few puffs of smoke. Crow took a seat next to the two monarchs and let out a sigh. “How are you all feeling?” “What the fuck kind of question is that?” Dash yelled. “I don’t even know what I just saw!” Crow sighed and cracked his neck. “Just tell us what is going on!” Crow eyed Celestia who reluctantly nodded her head. “Right, let me start at the beginning.” Crow said with a sigh.
Chapter XII: RevelationChapter XII Revelation It had been a few months since the four had formed a team and claimed their weapons. Eventually, talk of their unorthodox entrance was put aside, as all news does. As the four made their way through the halls of the large school like castle. Crimson noticed that several students were staring at him and whispering to one another. The child shrugged it off as they entered the cafeteria. As they opened the doors everyone in the room stopped what they were doing and stared at the group. “Did I not do my hair this morning?” Ivy whispered. “Yeah, that’s it.” Cobalt said in a sarcastic tone. “Look at their faces.” Rouge said as they sat down. “Everyone seems kind of freaked out about something.” She said as each of them grabbed a plate. Crimson then felt something smash against the back of his head. An apple bounced off his head and landed on the floor. The three gasped and looked around trying to see who did it. “Alright who threw that?” Ivy said as she stood up. The other students all remained silent. “Well?” “Ivy it’s fine, I’m sure it was just an accident.” Crimson said as he rubbed his head. Ivy grunted and grabbed a tray. The other three soon followed suit and made their way onto the line. After getting their food something else rocketed towards the red haired boy. Before it made contact with him, it was caught by the blue winged flyer. This time it was a small rock and Cobalt grunted as he felt the hard earth cut his skin. The three looked in shock and almost dropped their food. “Okay fruit is one thing, but rocks?” Crimson yelled. “Mind telling me what’s going on?” He bellowed across the room. A small wad of paper then bounced off his head and landed in his eggs. He flattened out the crumpled piece of paper and quickly scanned it. He cocked an eyebrow and looked at the crowd. “Is this some kind of sick joke?” He yelled. Cobalt took the piece of paper and cocked his head. He handed it over to Ivy and Rouge who read it to themselves. There was a picture of the red haired child that was fused with the demon attack two months ago. Above the picture was the title: Evil Walks Among Us. “Okay, seriously this has got to be some kind of prank.” Rouge said. “It’s not!” A student yelled. “Thunder Kicker heard Professor Crow talking about it with the Headmaster!” Ivy and Crimson both rolled their eyes at the name. “That guy? He’s just pissed that Crimson beat him in a fight.” Ivy said with a groan. “That only proves it!” Another student yelled. “How could a rookie beat him?” “You do know that his dad was an expert in hand to hand combat.” Cobalt said in a flat tone. “It wouldn’t be out of the question if he taught him some moves.” The crowd still had their gaze fixed on the red haired child. The doors suddenly burst open revealing the green eyed man. Crow grunted and held up one of the flyers. “Who is responsible for this slander?” He yelled. The student’s all fell silent as a familiar brown winged mage stood up. “That be me.” “Thunder, should have known.” He said in a flat tone. “You are to report to the Headmaster’s chambers at once.” He said in a rough tone. “Fine, but first!” He said as he threw a large crystal shard at Crimson. The gem stopped in front of the child and glowed red before showing a massive dark red aura. The energy then gave off a wavelength that everyone could feel. A massive felling of fear come from the energy. Crow raised his hand and shot the gem with a green bolt of energy. “See? You all felt that! That only proves-” “Go now!” Crow yelled as he bore holes through the young man. Everyone gulped. They always knew Crow as the kind and somewhat goofy combat teacher. They had never seen him yell at a student before. The man cracked his neck and walked out of the room. As he passed the child he shot him a glare of malicious intent. The group of students all stood still as a statue. “Don’t you all have classes to get to?” He said as he eyed the large group. The students all got to their feet and quietly made their way out the door. Crimson and his group were the last to leave. Crow stopped them with his cane and let out a sigh. “Crimson, wait for me up at the tower.” “Why?” “Just do it” He ordered the child gulped and slowly made his way past his guardian. Crow then turned his gaze towards the three children. “You three follow me. There’s something we need to talk about.” He said in a rough tone. The three children gulped and followed him through the hallways until they got to his office. As they all walked in Crow closed the door and locked it. The children each pulled up a chair and sat nervously. Crow let out a sigh and ran a hand through his messy dark hair. “What I’m about to tell you does not leave this room. Do you understand?” “Yes sir.” The three said at once. Crow let out a sigh and cracked his neck. Them man was looking for where to begin when Ivy piped up. “What was that nonsense about Crimson being some sort of demon?” She asked. “It’s completely ridiculous and-” “True.” Crow said in a flat tone. The three sat stunned at the words. “Crimson carries the demon that attacked Equestria a few months ago inside of him.” Ivy cracked her knuckles as she flexed her fists. “Why didn’t he tell us?” Rouge asked. “Well, for one he doesn’t know.” Crow said as he sat down. “I haven’t told him yet because I wanted him to make a few friends before I did.” “Why?” Ivy yelled. “That monster killed my dad!” Some tears started to form in her eyes. “Yes, I know.” He said in a flat tone. “I knew Silver Streak.” He said with a sigh. “So you should know that-” “Crimson is suffering the same as you.” Crow cut her off. “He lost both his mother and father in the attack. Worse is that he saw it happen.” The children all gulped. “After that, I used a spell to seal the demon inside of his body as it tried to take possession.” “Why?” Rouge asked. “It was the only way to stop it temporarily.” He said as he hung his head. “Why tell us this?” Cobalt asked. “I figured that he should have some friends by his side when I break the news to him.” Ivy then stood up. “Count me out.” She said in an icy tone. “Ivy-” “No!” She yelled as she slammed her hands on the desk. “I don’t give a damn about what happened! All I know is that that thing killed my dad and it deserves to suffer.” “Ivy calm down and-” Rouge tried to say but was stopped as the green flyer raised a hand. “What would know about it Rouge?” She yelled. “It’s not like you had a family to begin with.” Rouge glared at the flyer and her hands glowed a dark purple. “Enough!” Crow yelled. The three children gulped as they felt his aura peak. “I’m not forcing you into this Ivy. If that’s truly how you feel,” He said with a sigh. “Then I’ll see if I can get you transferred to another squad.” “Thank you.” She said in a flat tone. “I do however request that you keep this matter between us.” Crow said as he narrowed his eyes. Ivy scoffed at the words. “Do we have a deal?” “Yes sir.” Crow sighed and looked at the other two. “What about you two?” He asked. The two looked at one another and shrugged. The three then heard a crashing noise come from the closet. “Who’s there?” Crow yelled as he marched over to the door. As he ripped open the door his eyes shrank and his heart stopped. Standing in the closet was a shaking and teary eyed Crimson. The two teammates gulped and looked at him in shock. “Crimson I-” The child then ran past him as the tears flowed. Ivy held the icy glare as he ran past her and made no attempt to stop him. “Damn it!” Crow yelled as he slammed his fist into the wall. He hung his head in shame. “Professor-” Rouge started. “Go after him.” He said in a flat tone. The two got to their feet and chased after him. Ivy stood frozen and hung her head as a few tears filled her eyes. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Crow sat back in his seat and looked at the group of stunned faces. Twilight was shaken to the core by the news. The group of girls all gulped and bit their lips. Celestia and Luna both sighed and looked at the group. “So now you know.” Crow said with a sigh. “Crimson carries the weight of the attack on his shoulders.” The man said with a sigh. “So that’s why he says it’s his fault.” Twilight said as she hung her head. “But it wasn’t his fault!” Dash yelled. “It’s not his fault that that thing is in him!” The flyer yelled. “I know, it was a freak accident and no matter how many times I tell that to him Crimson will always feel guilty.” Crow said in a low tone. “Wait, you said that Ivy started to hate him.” Applejack said. “Those two are thick as thieves.” Crow nodded. “How did she forgive him?” “You’re gonna have to ask her about that.” Crow said with a sigh. “Now that you know I’m asking you to keep this all to yourselves.” The girls looked at one another and nodded. “Thank you and sorry about this next bit.” Crow’s hand glowed and shot a small beam into the girl’s and dragon hybrid’s hands. Twilight felt her left hand sting and looked to see a small crow symbol appear on her hand. “What is this?” Rarity asked as the mark vanished. “Insurance. Should you decide to break your promise then that will activate and will cause you a great deal of pain.” The girls all gulped. “I’m sorry, but I can’t take any chances. Everyone who knows is in the same boat.” “What exactly will happen?” Twilight asked. “I implanted a small amount of my aura within you. If you talk, write or communicate with anyone that doesn’t know about Crimson then that will start to attack your CNS and other major parts of your body.” Twilight gulped in fear. “CNS?” Dash asked. “Central Nervous System.” Twilight clarified. “It’s responsible for all of your senses like taste, touch, sight, hearing and smell.” “Correct. It won’t kill you, you’ll just be in severe pain for a little while.” He said in a flat tone. “I’m sorry for doing that, but I made a promise to his parents that that I’d protect him no matter the cost.” “It’s alright.” Applejack said. “Ah know that ah’d do anything to protect mah family.” “Mind if I ask something?” Twilight said. Crow gave her a nod. “If the demon is sealed then what happened to Crimson when he was fighting Nightmare Moon?” Twilight asked. “Over the years the seal holding the demon has started to weaken and Crimson has been able to go through a few levels while remaining in control.” Crow answered. “Levels?” Dash asked. “There are several levels to the seal, indicated by the seven chains on his chest.” Twilight connected the dots and remembered the symbol. “He’s able to unlock up to three levels and keep himself in control.” “Has he ever gone past that?” Celestia asked. Crow sighed and nodded. “Once while he was training with Grimm.” He said with a groan. “He stated that Crimson started to look more like the demon and went on a rampage.” Crow gulped. “How bad are we talking here?” Dash asked. “He cut a mountain in half with just one swing from his blade.” The girls all gulped. “Luckily, Ivy and the others managed to restrain him.” He said with a sigh. “How?” “It’s pretty complicated and far from easy.” He said as he rubbed his head. The man glanced at his watch and got to his feet. “Sorry ladies and gentleman,” He said as he nodded at Spike and the girls. “but I have a mountain of paperwork waiting for me at home and someone’s gotta do it.” He said with a smile. “So what should we do?” Twilight asked. “Just don’t get him too angry and you should be fine.” “Should we tell him that we know or play dumb?” Rarity asked. “Oh trust me, he’ll know.” He said in a flat tone. “Crimson has had this power for over a decade and has only used it for the benefit of others.” The girls exchanged glances. “He has never attacked unless it was necessary or if he was provoked.” Crow said in a strong voice. “The demon and Crimson are two separate minds stuffed into one body.” The man tapped his cane twice on the hard wood floor and a green portal opened up. “Just keep that in mind.” “Wait,” Twilight said as she stood up. “what about her?” She asked as she looked at the still unconscious girl on her couch. “We will deal with her.” Celestia said in a flat tone. “She may have more information on the cult.” The woman said as she snapped her fingers and the girl vanished in a flash of light. “Well, nice meeting you all and I hope to see you again under...friendlier terms.” Crow said as he stepped through the portal. Twilight and the others gulped as Celestia and Luna sighed and looked at the girls. “I realize that this is a lot to take in.” Celestia said with a sigh. “I apologize for not making you aware of this beforehand, but I trust Crow’s decision.” “It’s okay Princess.” Dash said with a smile. Celestia smiled and vanished in a flash of light along with her sister. The girls all exchanged worried looks and Twilight sat down on the couch as she hung her head. “Wow Twilight, you sure know how to pick em.” “Dash.” Twilight said in a flat tone. “Shut up.” The cyan winged flyer let out a sigh and groaned. “Are you okay dear?” Rarity asked as she looked at her friend. “I don’t know.” The librarian said with a sigh. “I can’t even to begin to imagine what he’s feeling. I mean, he is literally living with the thing that killed his and his best friend’s parents.” “He’s made it this far,” Dash said with a shrug. “and he seems okay. Can’t really form an opinion on the other three yet.” “He sounds dangerous.” Fluttershy said in a low tone. “He could have wasted us at any moment,” Dash said. “but he didn’t.” “You heard whats his name,” The farmer said. “Crimson has always used that power for good. So long as that doesn’t change, ah don’t see a reason to worry.” A silence soon fell over the group and they each sighed. “Look, it’s getting late. Ah suggest we all head home and we’ll go and talk to them tomorrow.” “Kay, goodnight.” Dash said before flying out the door. The friends each said their goodbyes and exited the library. Twilight walked up to her room and quickly got changed into her pajamas that consisted of a lavender tank top and a pair of black shorts. She laid on her bed and stared up at the ceiling. Should I ask Cadence about this? The woman groaned and went to turn out the light on her nightstand. As she turned she spotted a shadowy figure of a man standing in the doorway. When she looked again and blinked, she saw nothing. Twilight shrugged and turned off the light before laying her head down to sleep. Author's Note I'll explain Ivy's and Crimson's little spat in the next chapter.
Chapter XIII: CiderChapter XIII Cider Crimson’s eyes slowly opened to see sun pouring through the window. He looked down at his body and saw his upper half covered by bandage like webs. The man slowly got to his feet and looked at himself in the mirror. He focused his magic and saw that the seven chains were still intact. The memories of last night soon came rushing back to him. The man held his head in shame and quietly walked into the bathroom. He entered the shower and let the warm water wash over his body. He hung his head and felt his wet hair stick to the sides of his face. The water ran off his face and his skin screamed at the heat. Crimson shut the water off and dried off. He quickly grabbed a black T shirt and a pair of blue pants. As he picked up his jacket he saw the hole in it from Nightmare Moon’s sword. The man groaned and slung it over his shoulder. He then saw a note drop from the pocket. The man picked it up and levitated it. Crimson, Take the day off. We got your shift. ~Ivy, Cobalt and Rouge. P.S. Crow’s orders. P.S.S. Rouge void trapped Scarlet, so don’t get any ideas. Crimson groaned and tossed the note in the waste basket. He made his way out the door and into the small town. The man kept looking forward for any kind of danger. He slowly made his way into the dress shop and looked around. “Coming~” A familiar voice chimed. Crimson waited in the main lobby and waited. “Hey!” A small high pitched voice said. Crimson looked over towards the kitchen and saw a small girl with green eyes and curly pink and white hair. She was donning a white dress that went down to her ankles. “You’re Crimson right?” “Yes, who are you?” “I’m Sweetie Belle, Rarity’s little sister.” She said with a smile as she walked up to him. “Nice to meet you.” He said with a smile. “Is it true that you beat an Ursa Minor?” She asked in anticipation. “Yeah.” He said in a nervous tone. The man then saw the pretty seamstress coming down from the stairs. “Sweetie who are you talking to?” The woman’s eyes shrank and she gulped as she saw the red haired man standing in her shop. A bead of sweat formed on her brow. Crimson narrowed his eyes and saw that something was different about the designer. “Oh Crimson, what brings you here?” She asked in a shaky tone. “I was hoping that you could fix my coat for me.” He said as he held out the garment. Sweetie’s eyes shrank as she saw the large hole through the back. “Oh...of course. No problem.” She said as she took the jacket from him. “Do you need anything,” She was cut off as the man vanished in a puff of red smoke. “else.” Crimson teleported into the center of town and grunted. Crimson then made his way towards the library and kept his head low. As he opened the door he saw the scholar asleep on her desk with pen still in hand. A small trail of drool was also forming a small puddle on her notes. The man shook his head as he let out a small chuckle. He tapped the bell on the desk which caused the woman to shoot up in surprise. “Star Swirl the Bearded!” She yelled. Crimson looked at her with a cocked eyebrow. The woman gulped as she looked at the man. “Um, Twilight.” He said as he motioned to his face. The scholar then quickly wiped her mouth and threw on a sheepish grin. “H-how can I help you?” She asked in a nervous tone. Crimson narrowed his eyes again and grunted. “You okay?” “Yeah, I’m just tired.” She said with a yawn. “I didn’t get much sleep last night.” “Well, after hearing about what I am that’s to be expected.” He said in a flat tone. Twilight gulped at the words. “Wh-what do you mean?” “I’m not an idiot Twilight.” He said in a rough tone. “I know Crow told you that I’m a conduit.” The librarian froze and slowly looked down towards her hand. “How did you know?” “That look in your eye gave it away.” He said in a flat tone. “I’ve seen it in everyone else who knows.” “What look?” She asked in confusion. “The look of pure fear.” He said in a dark tone. Twilight gulped and adverted her gaze. “Relax, I’m used to it.” He said in a flat tone. “Crimson I-” “You don’t have to say anything.” He said with a sigh. “I know what I am and I’ve accepted it.” “Which is?” “A monster.” He said in a flat tone. Twilight looked at him in surprise. “Crimson you’re not-” “No, I am. End of story.” He said with a sigh. The man turned away as the librarian frowned. “Crimson, look at me.” She said in a flat tone. The man rolled his eyes and kept looking the other way. “Look at me!” Crimson sighed and turned his head only to be met with a hard slap to the face. “What the hell was that for?” He said as he put a hand to the red hand print on his cheek. “For being a complete idiot.” Twilight said in a flat tone. “How can you call yourself a monster?” “How can you call me anything but?” He said as he glared at the scholar. “I’m not human or a demon, I’m....I don’t even know what I am!” “You’re a good person.” Twilight yelled. “I know that I’ll never understand the burden you have, but you don’t have to bear it alone.” “What would you know about it?” He said as he frowned at the woman. “I’ve seen things you wouldn’t believe. I have lost things that you would never understand and I know things. Secrets that must never be told, knowledge that must never, ever be spoken!” Twilight gulped. “Every time I close my eyes, I can see their faces.” He said in a low tone. “I can see every person the demon has ever killed, I hear their screams of agony as he takes their lives and the hatred they felt right before they die.” Twilight was speechless. “Honestly, there are days that I wish Ivy had just killed me when she had the chance.” “What?” Twilight gulped. Crimson’s hand glowed a bright red and rested it on top of the scholar’s head. Twilight felt the foreign aura enter her mind and her vision shifted to a scene. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ She saw Crimson with his back flat against a stone wall and the green haired girl holding a sharp knife in her right hand. As she raised it, Crimson didn’t protest, or beg. Twilight saw the green flyer’s body shiver and her hand was shaking. The flyer felt a river of tears flow down her face. “I-It’s not fair.” She said as she stabbed the rock next to the boy’s head. “When I finally make a friend,” She said with a sniffle. “just to find out that he’s got what killed my father in him.” Crimson looked at her with tears in his eyes, not out of fear, but guilt. “I’m so sorry.” He said with a quivering lip. “If you kill me, then I won’t hold it against you.” Ivy looked at him in surprise. “I know the pain you feel and I hate this thing as much as you do.” The girl backed away and looked down at her shaking hand holding the knife. The memories of the time she had spent with the young boy and her two other friends then came rushing back to her. How they had watched each others backs. The fun games that they played with one another and how they’d joke around with one another. She firmly gripped the knife and aimed right for the boy’s heart. Crimson opened his eyes as he felt the girl’s arms wrap around him and the sound of the knife hitting the floor. Ivy cried into the boy’s shoulder. Crimson fought back the pain as he felt tears form in his eyes. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The scholar’s vision was then filled with the familiar library as the man removed his hand from the librarian’s head. Twilight looked at him with tears in her eyes. Crimson hung his head and let out a sigh. “That’s why Ivy is like that. She feels guilty about that moment, even though I don’t hold it against her.” He said with a sigh. “You honestly think that thats what keeping her around?” She asked. “Guilt?” “What else could it be?” He asked in an angered tone. “A demon like me isn’t meant to have friends.” “Tell me, would a demon risk their life to save a lowly librarian?” Crimson felt his throat go dry. “Or defend a town from an Ursa Minor?” She said as tears formed in her eyes. “Yes, you have something inside you that’s evil, but that doesn’t define who you are.” She yelled. “Headmaster Crow told us that you’ve always used the power you have to help others! You saved my life! Are you telling me that it meant nothing?” “I didn’t need any more blood on my hands. That’s all.” He said in a flat tone. “I’m a weapon, a tool to be used to fight monsters. Nothing more.” Crimson said as he narrowed his eyes. “How can you say that after your parents gave their lives to save you?” The woman fired back. “They gave the ultimate sacrifice so that you could live and now you’re saying that you’re just a puppet?” Crimson froze in place at the words. “It’s the most ungrateful thing I’ve ever heard!” The red haired man was shaken to the core. How could this librarian from a backwater town had looked through him so easily? Crimson turned around and made his way towards the door. Twilight called out to him one last time, but the words fell on deaf ears as he closed the door behind him. Twilight sat back down and slammed her head on the desk. The scholar looked up the stairs to see her assistant staring at her in amazement. “Wow Twilight, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you tear into someone like that before.” He said as he walked down the steps. “I just don’t understand it Spike. You heard what his Headmaster said.” She said as she sat up straight. “I mean, how can someone who’s done so much good think that they’re so bad?” The boy put a clawed hand on her shoulder. “I don’t know Twi.” He said with a sigh. He then saw a few wet spots appear on the desk and saw that she was crying. The boy sighed and left her alone as he walked back up stairs. Twilight collected herself and returned to her work. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Crimson kept his head held low as he slowly made his way through the small town. As he tried to force the woman’s words out of his head the more they stuck. As he walked he stepped on something fairly soft. He looked down to see an old stuffed doll that was raggedy and looked like it had been mended a few times. He picked up the doll and looked it over. “Hey!” Crimson looked up to see the hulking male farmer walking towards him. The man was wearing a plaid red shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and a pair of work jeans that stopped at his boots. “Whatcha got there?” “Just some doll I found out here.” He said as he looked at it. “I figured that it was your sister’s.” “Um....yeah.” He said as he took the doll and put it in his back pocket. “Listen ah know that we don’t know each other all that well, but ah wanted to thank ya for saving mah farm the other day.” “No problem it’s my-” “Ah insist. Besides I just opened up a case of Cider and ah can’t drink it all on my own.” Crimson really didn’t feel like having a drink, but he needed something to get his mind off what the librarian had just said. “Fine.” He said with a groan. “It’s Macintosh right?” “Eeyup,” He said with a smile. “but ya can just call me Big Mac. Everybody does.” He said as he led the warrior into the South orchard. For some reason, Crimson's eyes were locked on the doll the man had in his back pocket. "Hey Mac," Crimson said as the man turned around. "Where'd you get that doll from?" Mac gulped as the memories of the locally titled 'Smarty Pants Incident' came rushing back to him. "Um....Ah picked it up in Trottingham for Bloom while Hearths Warming's eve shopping." He lied as some sweat formed on his brow. "Why?" "Just looks familiar." He said as he glared at the raggedy doll. "Probabaly saw it in a store somewhere." He said with a shrug. "Eeyup." The farmer said as the two walked deeper into the orchard. Mac checked his corners and walked over to a lone stump. He reached down and pulled out a key. Crimson raised an eyebrow as he lifted the lid and saw a ladder going down. “Why do you have a false stump packed with cider?” He said as he watched the man go down the latter and come back up with a cooler filled bottles of of the liquor. “AJ and I make it ourselves and we always keep some left over for us to enjoy.” He said as he opened the cooler and withdrew two bottles. He handed one to the red haired man. “We each have our secret stash, but she always jumps the gun and dives right into hers.” “Is it a problem?” He asked as he opened the bottle. “No, she’s not like that. Course she shares a bunch with her friends so that’s why it goes so fast.” He said as he opened his own. “Cheers.” He said as they bumped the glasses together. Crimson took a small sip and winced at the taste. “That is strong.” He said with a gulp. Mac chuckled and sipped his own. “So is there a reason why you called me out here?” He asked as he took another sip. “AJ told me about yer folks. Sorry, to hear.” “Yeah well, not much ya can do about it.” He said with a shrug. “Yer green haired friend also stopped by today.” “Ivy?” The farmer nodded. “What for?” “She needed to practice her punches and uprooted a tree.” He said as Crimson chuckled. “Typical Ivy.” The two then fell silent for a while before Mac spoke up again. “Look, ah don’t rightly know what happened with yer folks but-” “There it is.” Crimson said with a groan. “What? Did Ivy tell you to come and talk to me?” “No, ah thought of it.” Mac said as he glared at him. “Trust me, ah know how ya feel.” “How?” “Mah folks died protecting AJ and I from a pack of Timber Wolves.” He said in a flat tone. Crimson cocked an eyebrow at the man. “Ah watched helplessly as they took them on and were ripped to shreds. When some neighbors arrived it was already too late.” He said as he hung his head. “I kept AJ’s head covered so she wouldn’t have to see it.” Crimson could see the sadness forming behind his green eyes. “For the longest time ah blamed myself for not being stronger and not being able to protect em.” He said as he took a long swig from his bottle. “Hell, there were times where I’d want to take six feet of rope and turn myself into a decoration in the barn.” Crimson gulped as he imagined the picture. “Want to know why I didn’t?” “Why?” Crimson asked in a flat tone. “The look of my sister’s faces if they ever saw me do something like that.” He said in a flat tone. “Ah couldn’t do that to them.” He said in a flat tone. Crimson looked at the man and gulped. “At least you had a family.” “You don’t?” He asked. Crimson shook his head. “Then what the buck do you call Ivy?” “She’s a-” “Friend?” Mac said as he glared at the man. “I can tell from that look in her eye that she loves you like a brother. Same goes for those other two.” The three faces then filled the red warrior’s mind. “Granted ah don’t know them that well, but ah know that they care about you along with the Crow feller Ivy mentioned.” Crimson hung his head in shame. “Just that look in their eye told me that they’d do anything to help you and that’s what family is.” Crimson stood frozen as the words hit him. “Course that’s just my opinion.” He said as he got up. “If ya don’t live for yourself, then at least do it for the people who care about ya.” Mac said as he started to walk away. “Hey Mac,” Crimson said as he looked at the farmer. “thanks for the drink.” “Anytime, just don’t tell Dash about mah stash or she’ll hound me.” He said with a grin. Crimson nodded and slowly made his way out of the woods. As he did three familiar mages ran up to him. “There you are!” Ivy yelled. “Dude we’ve been looking all over for you.” Cobalt said. The purple haired girl noticed her friend’s expression. “You okay Crimson?” She asked. “Yeah, I just have a lot on my mind is all.” He said with a sigh. “Look, I know I don’t say this enough but,” The group looked at him in confusion. “I’m glad that you guys have my back.” “Where is this coming from?” Rouge asked. “Don’t tell me that you’re going soft on us.” Cobalt said as he put an arm around his friend. “No seriously, I’d have been long gone if it hadn’t been for you guys.” He said with a weak smile. The three chuckled and shook their heads. “Okay, who are you and what have you done with Crimson?” Ivy said. “You’re being too nice.” “Oh shut up.” He said with a grumble. “There it is!” Cobalt said with a smile. Crimson rolled his eyes and smiled. “I’ll catch you guys later, theres something I gotta do.” He said before vanishing in a flash of red light. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Twilight sat at her desk still trying to figure the red haired man’s words out. The room was then filled by a flash of red light. Twilight opened her eyes and saw the red haired man standing before her. Twilight frowned and was about to protest. “Before you bite my head off I just want to say something.” Twilight closed her mouth and crossed her arms. “You’re right.” The scholar looked at the man in confusion. “It’s an insult to their sacrifice thinking of myself as just a tool,” He said with a sigh. “and I’m sorry if I upset you earlier.” Twilight took a moment to gather her thoughts. “I can’t say I approve of what you said, but I accept your apology.” She said with a sigh. “Thanks.” He said with a sigh. “Look, when the rest of the world sees you as nothing but a monster, the idea kinda gets stuck in your head.” Crimson said as he hung his head. “When I found out.....I’ve never felt like such an outcast in my life and when I used that thing's magic last night it just reminded me of it all.” The man said as he hung his head. “Again, sorry about the outburst, but before I go.” The man then gently took the librarian’s hand in between his own, causing her face to turn bright red. Twilight could feel the calluses on his hands from using his weapon. She felt a small tingling sensation arise on her skin. “Wh-what are you doing?” She asked as her face grew redder. “Removing the seal Crow placed on you.” He said as the glowing stopped. Twilight looked at her hand and saw the crow image shatter. “There, now you’re not in any danger.” He said with a grin. “I’ll do the same to the others as I see them.” Twilight kept looking at her hand and tried to hide her blush. The door suddenly opened to reveal the three warriors and the other five mares. “Ah good you’re all here then.” Crimson said. The girls all gulped as they saw him. “Look I know that Crow told you about me being a conduit and that he placed a seal on you all.” “Y-yeah.” Dash said. The man then extended his hand. “I’ll remove it.” The girls all looked at one another in shock. “Why would you do that?” Applejack asked. “I don’t want to see any of you suffer for my sake.” He raised his right hand and five beams shot out and connected with the five girls hands. The group felt a tingling sensation and saw the marks vanish. “There it’s done.” “Thanks.” Dash said as she flexed her hand. Cobalt snickered and felt something glow in his pocket. The flyer pulled out the crystal and ran his magic through it. The image of the cane holding man then appeared through the gem. “Ah good to see that you’re up Crimson.” The image said. “How are you feeling?” “Better.” He said with a small smile. “Good, then you’re well enough to take the penalty for going against orders.” He said with a wicked grin. The four warriors gulped. “As punishment, you’re suspended until it’s time for the trials.” Crimson bit his lip. “You’ll still receive jobs, but you will have to stay where you are and not return to the Academy before them.” “If Crimson stays then so do we.” Rouge said. “Guys you don’t have to-” The blue flyer then clamped a hand over his mouth. Crow chuckled and shook his head. “Very well, you three will remain with Crimson for the time being.” “So is that it?” Cobalt asked. “Oh no, you’re not getting off so easily. Don’t think I don’t know what you two did in Griffonia.” Cobalt and Rouge gulped. “I’ve got something special planned for you four.” The group all shook in fear at the man’s words. “Wait, what about Cliff and the others?” Crow grinned and snapped his fingers. Four clouds of smoke then filled the library. The four looked to see that the red three headed dog was as big as a Husky. The green dragon was only ten feet long, the blue gorilla was only four feet tall and a large purple spider was along side them. “I reduced their size so that they can stay with you.” “Thanks Crow.” Crimson said as he patted the dog on the head. “Oh trust me your punishment will be swift and just!” The man said with a grin. “The rest of your equipment is also available to be summoned.” The image said. “Good luck.” He said before the image fizzled out. The four looked at one another and were shaking. “What did you two do?” Crimson asked as he looked at the purple mage and blue flyer.” “We may have accidentally caused a rock slide that may or may have not hit a major shopping center.” Cobalt said with a weak grin. Crimson face palmed and groaned. “No one got hurt!” “Great, we may have to do ‘it’ again.” Ivy said. “Don’t even joke about that Ivy!” Rouge yelled. “I’m still getting that troll smell out of my clothes.” She said with a shiver. “I doubt that there’s a troll stall anywhere around here.” Crimson said. “Anyway, we’d better get back and brace for the on coming shit storm.” He said as he turned to leave. The six girls watched as the small blue ape climbed on Cobalt’s back and hung on. The green serpent slid around the green flyer’s neck and rested. The spider jumped onto Rouge’s back and wrapped it’s eight legs around her back. The three headed dog barked and followed it’s owner out of the library. “Seriously dude,” Cobalt said as he looked at the red haired man. “what was all that sappy stuff before?” “Nothing, I just remembered something. That’s all.” He said as he continued to walk down the road with the three others following him. The three shrugged as they made their way back towards the clock tower. Twilight looked back at her friends who all had confused looks on their faces. “So what do ya’ll reckon we do?” She asked as she looked at her hand. “I think that we should at least tell the local guards and-” Rarity started. “No!” Dash bellowed. “Crimson is trusting us with one of his most precious secrets.” Twilight began. “It was almost impossible for him to tell me how he thinks of himself.” The girls all looked at one another in shock. “He could have hurt us at any time and he’s only had to use that power when he’s needed to.” “He could have had that dog of his eat us alive.” AJ commented. “Yeah and if we did tell the cops then we’d have three very, very angry mages to deal with.” Dash said. The group of girls all shivered at the thought of the other three mages converging on them. “We don’t even know what they can do yet.” “Yeah and Crimson is our friend and so what if he’s got a sketchy back round?” Pinkie started. “He’s still a nice guy and now he’s got his old friends here.” The pink haired girl gasped and jumped. “I better plan them a party!” The librarian let out a sigh and looked at the group. “So we’re agreed that we don’t tell anyone?” Twilight asked. The group all gave a reluctant nod. “Good.” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Later that night Cobalt and Rouge were given a traditional Pinkie Pie style welcome party. The four warriors were sitting on a table and catching up. Twilight and the others soon joined them. “So Cobalt,” Rarity started. “What kind of magic can you use?” She asked with a coy smile. “Lightning.” He said with a smirk. “Lightning?” Twilight asked. The blue flyer opened his palm to show sparks arcing at his fingertips. He snapped his fingers the group saw a broadsword appear in his hand. The blade crackled with electricity and danced along the blade. In his left appeared a hardened metal shield. “I funnel my aura through the blade and it increases it’s slicing ability.” He said as he sheathed the blade inside the shield. “I also lace the shield with the lightning so that it transfers damage to my attacker.” He said as he made the weapons vanish. “So awesome!” Dash said with a smile. “Interesting, what about you Rouge?” Twilight asked as she looked at the quiet mage. “I specialize in strategic oversight and long range combat.” “Huh?” “I’m an archer and I specialize in strategies.” She said in a flat tone. “How good are you?” Dash asked. Rouge grinned. “Put your hand flat on the table.” She said as she walked behind the flyer. Dash shrugged and spread left her hand out. Rouge placed hers on top as Ivy and Cobalt secured their arms. “What are you doing?” Dash asked as Rouge pulled out a knife and twirled it in her right hand. The other girls gulped. “Hey, you can’t do that.” Ivy protested. Dash felt a small wave of hope wash over her. Ivy pulled out a bandanna and tied it around Rouge’s head so that it covered her eyes. “Okay, now go for it.” The girl breathed heavily and started to sing as she made the knife dance. When she was done Dash’s face had drained of all color and was shaking. Crimson, Ivy and Cobalt clapped for their friend. Dash was still shaken. “Easy there Dash, you did good.” Ivy said with a smile. “How?” “Considering that you didn’t piss yourself is an accomplishment in it’s own.” Cobalt said as ha put an arm around the mage. “I know plenty of guys that were crying for their granny’s after Rouge got done with them.” “You flatter me.” She said with a smile. “So you’re good with a knife.” Applejack said with a gulp. “What about that archery thing?” Rouge rolled her eyes and reached inside her cloak. She pulled out a small purple tipped pin and looked around the room. “See that bottle on that table over there?” She pointed with her finger. The girls saw the bottle from across the room and nodded. “See the cork?” The group nodded again. “See the fly on the cork?” The group squinted and could make out the small insect on the top of the wine bottle. Rouge took a deep breath and focused. The speed of her hand could rival a Cobra strike. The group watched in amazement as the pin pierced the fly and stuck it to the wall. The group all let their jaws drop in awe. “Still got it.” She said as she looked at her nails. “Wow.” Pinkie said. “We’ve all go our little talents.” Cobalt said with a grin. “Ivy for instance is the current arm wrestling champion at the Academy.” The green flyer smiled and struck a pose. “Is that a challenge?” AJ piped up. “Only if you make it one.” Ivy said as she put her arm down on the table. Applejack gladly gripped it and got ready. “Go!” Cobalt yelled. The farmer put her strength into her arm. Ivy rolled her eyes and easily slammed it down on the table. “Ivy is the winner. Score is two hundred fifty wins, zero losses.” Applejack grabbed her wrist and cracked it. “Not bad, lets see how ya do against another Apple.” Applejack waved her hand and the hulking farmer made his way over. “Howdy there Crimson, Ms. Ivy.” He said with a nod. “What can ah do ya for sis?” “Show this one what strength is really about.” “AJ you know ah hate it when you volunteer me for these things.” He said with a sigh. “You still owe me.” She said in a flat tone. Mac grunted and took her seat. “You okay with this?” He asked as he looked at the flyer. “No problem.” She said as she locked hands with him. “Go!” The two locked in a stalemate. Ivy could feel the man pushing her back. Crimson and the other three mages looked in shock as she lost a little bit of ground. Mac almost got her halfway down before she surged back and pinned his arm. The group all gasped. “Wow.” Crimson said. "Two hundred fifty one wins and zero loses." He put a reassuring hand on the farmer's shoulder. “Congratulations Mac, you’re the first one to push Ivy back that far.” Ivy cracked her wrist and smiled. “Wow, you’re pretty good for a farmer.” She teased. “Not so bad yourself, for a girl.” He and the flyer both chuckled. Rouge let out a yawn and rubbed her eyes. “Sorry guys, but it’s late and we need to prepare for what ever Crow sends us.” Cobalt said. The three mages all shivered. “Yeah, see ya.” Crimson said as he got up. Rarity face palmed and stood up. “Oh I almost forgot!” she snapped her fingers and a familiar red coat appeared in her hands. The coat looked like new and had all the stains that the man had collected on it removed. Crimson gladly took the garment and tried it on. “Fits like new. Thanks Rarity.” He said with a smile. “I drop off some bits tomorrow and-” “Not necessary, it’s the least I could do for saving us from the Ursa.” She said with a smile. Crimson nodded and led the group out of the bakery. Mac yawned and walked over to some other stallions that were near the counter. The six girls looked at one another and sighed. Applejack annoyingly blew a lose lock of hair out of her face. “Well, they certainly seem impressive.” Rarity said. “I didn’t know that people with wings could get that strong.” Dash said. Twilight let out a sigh and smiled as she leaned back. “What’s got you in such a good mood Twi?” “Just glad to see that they’re enjoying themselves.” She said with a smile. “Crimson especially I’m sure.” Rarity said with a giggle. Twilight’s face turned red and she groaned. “I told you, I don’t-” “Hey Crimson what’s up?” Dash yelled. “What? Where?” Twilight yelled as she looked around. She saw no trace of the red haired man. Twilight gulped as she looked back towards the flyer who had a massive grin strewn across her face. “Gotcha.” Pinkie said with a giggle. Twilight sat down in defeat and hung her head. “Fine....I like him.” She said with a gulp. “It’s just-” “You’re worried about his,” The seamstress then looked around to see if anyone was listening. “passenger.” The scholar looked at the woman and frowned. “No, I’m not worried about that.” The girls all cocked an eyebrow. “Okay, I’m a little worried, but that’s not my main concern.” She said with a sigh. “He get’s jobs from all over Equestria and he won’t be here forever.” She said as she hung her head. “You heard that guy before, they gotta stay here until they face the trials.” Dash said. “Who knows when that’ll be?” “So?” “So that could be months away.” “Or days.” Twilight said. Dash rubbed her temples and groaned. “All the more reason for you to make a move!” “I don’t know the first thing about dating!” Twilight said as she held her head. Rarity grinned and put a hand on her shoulder. “Oh trust me dear I’ll help you.” Rarity said with a confident grin. “By the time I’m done with you, Crimson won’t be able to take his eyes off you.” Twilight gulped as the fashionista planned the ordeal in her head.
Chapter XIV: PenaltyChapter XIV Penalty Cobalt, Ivy and Rouge were walking down the quiet streets of Ponyville getting to know the town a little bit better. The three were then approached by a familiar rainbow haired flyer. “Hey guys.” The three smiled and gave her a nod. “Where’s Crimson?” “He got some note from Crow and told us to go ahead without him.” Cobalt answered as the group saw Rarity and Twilight approach them. “Hello~” Rarity sang in a sing song voice. “Hey Rarity, what brings you out here?” Dash asked. “Oh I’m just going to give Twilight a makeover.” She said with a giggle. Dash smirked and looked at her friend in the eye. “Trying to get Red’s attention eh?” “Red?” Cobalt asked. “It’s Crimson’s nickname around here.” Ivy clarified. The two other warriors looked at the librarian with shocked faces. “You have a crush on Crimson?” Rouge asked. “M-maybe...I don’t know.....he’s hot okay!” Twilight yelled as she blushed a bright red. Cobalt chuckled. Rouge felt something burning in her pocket. She reached inside her coat and pulled out a purple crystal. The girl put it to her ear and listened. “Rouge, are you there?” A somewhat familiar voice said. “Crimson?” “I need you back here now!” He yelled. “Why?” “Just get your ass back here!” “Jeez fine. I’m on my way.” She said as she rolled her eyes. “Thank you.” He said before the image vanished. “What was that about?” Dash asked. “Don’t know.” Rouge said. “Must be bad though, he’s never sounded like that.” She said as the three mages took off back towards the tower. Twilight and the others soon gave chase and ran after them. The group burst into the tower and ran up to the red haired man’s room. “Crimson? You in there?” “Yes.” The voice said. “Who else is out there?” “Ivy, Cobalt, Dash, Twilight and Rarity.” “Tell them to scram. I’m in a bit of a bind.” “Maybe we can help you.” Dash said. “Yeah right.” “What’s got you in such a bad mood?” Ivy asked. “Crow has a very sick sense of humor.” The sentence alone made the three cringe. “You three can come in, the rest stay out there.” The group heard the bolts shift and the door unlock. As Rouge slowly turned the handle Dash kicked in the door before exploding in laughter. The rest of the group looked in shock as they saw a woman with long dark red hair, red eyes, she was sporting a jet black T shirt and a pair of black pants. The three mages were trying to stifle their laughter as the woman glared at them. “Laugh and I’ll kill you....slowly.” The woman said in an icy tone. “Oh relax Scarlet.” Ivy said before barreling over in laughter. The other two soon followed suit and rolled on their backs. Twilight and Rarity’s eyes twitched in astonishment at the woman. “C-Crimson?” Rarity said in shock. “Unfortunately yes.” The woman said as she crossed her arms across her chest. Crimson almost fell forward and cracked his back as he stood upright. “Honestly, how do you girls deal with these things?” Crimson said as he pointed to his own breast. “They are killing my back.” “Oh boo hoo.” Cobalt said. “Oh right, that reminds me.” Crimson said as he pulled out three small vials of blue liquid. “Catch!” The girl yelled as the three vials flew towards the mages. The vials shattered as they made contact with the three warriors. As the smoke cleared they saw that the blue haired man was missing his wings. “No!” Rouge yelled. “I wasn’t done playing with those yet!” She yelled. “Um Rouge.” He said with a gulp as he pointed to the girl. Rouge looked down at her hands and saw that her skin was a very light shade of pink. The girl was soon fuming with rage as she glared at the altered man. “I hate pink!” She yelled. “Um guys,” Twilight interjected. “Where’s Ivy?” “Down here!” The group heard a barely audibly squeak. The group looked down to see a five inch tall version of the green flyer. “Crimson, prepare to face my wrath!” The flyer said as she charged at the man’s leg. Fortunately for the red haired woman, smaller Ivy equals smaller muscles, which means less strength. Her punches were the equivalent of a bee sting. “Oh you are so cute!” Crimson said. His voice went significantly higher and a squeak was added at the end. The others barreled over laughing. Rarity even gave a giggle. Crimson rubbed his head and groaned. “Look, Crow used some weird plant that grows around here to do this to us.” “What was it called?” Rouge asked. “Can’t remember. Poison something and it was blue.” The three girls looked at one another and nodded. “Poison joke.” The three said in unison. “Poison what?” Cobalt said. “It’s like poison oak, but it just plays little jokes on you.” “Little jokes?” Ivy yelled as she flew up in front of the scholar. “Very funny.” “Aloe and Lotus have a cure.” Rarity chimed. “Come along!” As Crimson took a step forward he saw that Ivy was struggling to keep up. Crimson gently scooped her up and put her in one of Rouge’s empty bug cages. “Hey look, my own green parisprite.” He said as the group chuckled. “I’m gonna rip out your endocrine system and beat you with it!” The tiny woman yelled as she banged on the cage. Crimson couldn’t help but laugh. “So who are Aloe and Lotus?” Cobalt asked. “They run the local spa.” Rarity chimed. The four mages kept their heads down and followed the seamstress into a sweet smelling building. Rainbow Dash flew away from the group and decided to nap on a nearby cloud. Two attractive girls then appeared before them. The two were almost identical twins. One had light blue hair with a matching skirt and sleeveless shirt. Her hair was held back by a white headband. The other was the same except her hair and clothes were a light pink. “Welcome to our Spa.” They both said. “I’m Lotus.” “I’m Aloe, how can we help you?” “Hello girls.” Rarity said with a smile. “Two usuals and four poison joke baths.” She said as she pointed at the cloaked mages. The sisters nodded and showed the girls into the room. Crimson was about to follow Cobalt but heard someone clear their throat. He looked back to see the girl with blue hair looking at him with a raised eyebrow. The man blushed profusely as he entered the girl’s changing area. The three girls were about to get undressed when Crimson held up his hand. “Um, I think it would be more appropriate if I didn’t see you guys do that.” He said as he covered his eyes. “Why? It’s just....Oh.” Rouge said with a gulp. “I may look like a girl now, but I still have the mind of a man.” He said as he blushed. The red haired warrior quickly stripped and wrapped a towel around his female form. The mage quickly made his way out of the changing room and saw Cobalt in a pair of swimming trunks. “Hey cutie.” Cobalt said in a teasing tone. The red mage put his slender finger to his chin and thought. “What are you thinking about?” “If I could get away with murder if I agreed to flash the local guards.” Crimson said as he quickly sat down in the bath that was next to blue flyer’s. The man felt his skin tingle and his body beginning to shift. His hair returned to it’s normal length and his chest changed back to it’s muscular build. The two sisters then came out and stared at the two men with bright blushes on their faces. The men sighed and let the water relax their aching muscles. The two spa girls then walked back out. Instead of wearing the shirts they each had on a bikini top matching their hair. “How is everything?” Lotus asked as they walked over to them. “Great.” Cobalt said with a smile. The Two sisters then got on either side of them. The sister’s made their eyes half lidded and pressed their chest’s outward. “Would either of you care for a massage?” They both asked. The two men blushed brightly and gulped. “Sorry girls,” Cobalt started. “but my girlfriend wouldn’t like it.” “Oh come on.” Aloe whined. “She won’t be mad.” “Oh really?” A voice said in an angry tone. The two sister’s looked behind them to see the pink skinned mage in a purple Bikini. The girl growled at the two who immediately backed off. Rouge got in Cobalt’s bath and glared at him. “Honestly, I can’t leave you alone for five minutes!” “Can I help it if girls find me attractive?” Rouge groaned and lightly slapped him on the cheek. “You’re lucky you’re cute.” She said as she leaned her back against his chest. Cobalt chuckled as an idea came to him. “Crimson is single though.” He said as he pointed to the red haired man. Crimson frowned that the man and made a throat slicing gesture with his thumb. The two sisters giggled and made their way over to him. The group heard something drop into the water. A second later the normal sized green haired flyer returned to her normal size and glared at the man. “You. Are. So. Dead!” The flyer yelled. She then looked at the two sisters and cocked an eyebrow. “Am I interrupting something?” “Nope.” Crimson said in a flat tone. “Hello everyone~” Rarity said in a sing song tone. The group looked over to see Rarity and Twilight both in stunning swim suits. The seamstress was wearing a white bikini top and bottom. The scholar was donning a a similar, though smaller article. They were more like two triangles being held together by a piece of string and a circular piece of metal drawing attention to her well sized chest. Crimson gulped and adverted his eyes and blamed the hot bath for the red coloring on his face. Twilight hid her blush as she looked at the man’s exposed body. The two got in a bath and let out a sigh. The two sisters walked away in defeat with their heads held low. “Oh this is simply divine.” Rarity said. The seamstress then noticed the flyer’s blue wings return to him. “That’s a load off my shoulders.” He said as he flexed them. “Good. Your wings are my favorite part of you.” Rouge teased. “Are you sure?” Cobalt said with a smug grin. “Oh get a room.” Ivy grumbled. “Remind me to place a sound proofing charm around their room.” Crimson said with a groan. “So you two are a couple?” Rarity asked. “Yup, three years now.” Cobalt said. “Is that allowed?” Twilight asked. “Yeah, we may be warriors, but we still have a life.” Ivy said as she leaned back. “I’m just on a relationship break for a bit.” “Why?” Rarity asked. “My boyfriend broke up with me cause I was stronger than him.” She said in a flat tone. “Ouch, what did you do?” Rouge asked. “I broke him.” The green flyer said with a grin. The four shared a chuckle as the other two girls gulped. “What about you Crimson?” Rarity asked. “I’m not into the dating scene.” He said in a flat tone. “I have better things to do.” The scholar felt a little crushed by the words. “Like?” Rarity asked. “Preparing for the trials.” He said in a flat tone. “What is so important about these trials?” Rarity asked. “It sound like just a test.” “Just a test?” Crimson said as his right eye twitched. “Just a test!” He yelled as he stood up out of the water. “Um Crimson.” Cobalt said as he motioned with his finger. The man then remembered that he had only come into the bath with nothing but a towel. The man’s face went bright red and quickly hid under the water. Ivy was bursting out in laughter as Twilight’s face went bright red and almost fainted. The man only exposed his head out of the water and grumbled. “I’m getting out.” He said as his body seemed to turn into a shadow and flew off to the changing room. “Yeah, same here. My hands are getting wrinkly.” Rouge said as she and the flyer stood up. Ivy followed suit and the three went into their respective changing areas. Rarity was soon left alone with the still bright red scholar. “Twilight?” She asked as she snapped her fingers in front of her. Twilight blinked twice and gulped. “Are you okay?” “Y-yeah, let’s just get out.” Author's Note Sorry for the short chapter.
Chapter XV: What is Love?Chapter XV What is Love? The man and his team had spent close to a month in the small town and got accustomed to the small town. The red haired mage was fast asleep in his bed as the blue haired flyer tip toes next to him with one of his feathers and a can of shaving cream. He gently squirted some of the white foam into Crimson’s right hand and stifled his laughter. He withdrew his feather and tickled the man’s nose. Crimson lifted his foam covered hand up and Cobalt grinned. The foam covered hand then pulled a 180 spin and shot forwards. The hand collided with the flyer’s face and he cursed. “Need something Cobalt?” Crimson said as he opened his eyes. “How do you always know?” “Dude, you know I’m prank proof.” He said as the flyer wiped the cream off his face. “Now, did you need something?” He asked as he sat up. “Yeah, get your shirt on. You gotta see this.” Crimson groaned and pulled out his pocket watch. “It’s eleven thirty at night and I’m tired. Go wake up Rouge.” He groaned. “I can’t, she and Ivy are having a girl’s night with Dash, Twilight and the others.” Crimson rolled back over and groaned. “C’mon man, it’s been ages since the two of us just hung out.” He whined. Crimson groaned and sat up again. “Fine.” Crimson said as he got up. Crimson threw on a red collared shirt. He ran a wet hand though his hair and splashed some cold water in his face. As he looked up he saw the horned version of himself grinning. Crimson scoffed and dried his hair. The blue flyer was donning a dark blue collared shirt with vertical white stripes. “Nice shirt.” Crimson said as the two left. “Thanks. Rarity fixed it up for me. Yours?” “Same.” Crimson said with a yawn. “So where are we going?” “You’ll see.” Cobalt grinned. The blue flyer led the mage through the Apple family's orchard until they got to a rather large shack perfectly concealed by the thicket of apple trees. The shack itself was fairly large and the entire building was made out of hard oak except for a black metal door in the center. The man stopped and tapped on a black metal door. A metal slide opened and a pair of brown eyes looked at the two for a moment before shutting. The two heard a loud meal creak and the door opened. Crimson saw several guys he had seen around town. Caramel was chatting with Thunderlane and Mr. Cake was manning the bar as Mac sipped a mug of cider. “What is this?” Crimson asked as the door closed. “Just a little piece of guy heaven.” The flyer said with a smile. “Where did you find this place?” He asked as he and the flyer walked up to the bar and sat down. “Mac showed it to me a few days ago.” He said with a grin. Mr. Cake walked up to them and gave them each a pint of cider. “Hey Gentlemen.” The pastry chef said with a smile. Thunderlane walked over to them and sat next to Crimson. “What brings you two here?” The black winged flyer asked. “Just having a guy’s night out while the girls are away.” Cobalt said as he patted Crimson on the back. “Amen to that.” Thunderlane said as he fist bumped Cobalt. Crimson nodded and sipped his drink. “So Crimson,” Caramel started. “how are things going with Ivy?” Crimson almost chocked on his drink. “What?” “How’s your girlfriend?” “Ivy and I aren’t in a relationship.” He said in a flat tone. “We’re just friends.” “Really?” Thunderlane said in a long drawn out tone. Crimson narrowed his eyes and glared at the flyer. “So you’re really not interested in her?” “No, why?” “It’s just that she’s around you all the time, whenever she see’s you she smiles and-” “There’s nothing between us.” He said as he sipped his drink. “Sheesh alright.” Caramel said as he backed off. “So...you’re into guys then?” Crimson spun around and bore holes through him. “What?” He yelled. “How did you come up with that assumption?” He said ina pissed off tone. “C’mon man. You’re around a smoking hot chick like Ivy twenty-four seven and you’re telling us that you’re not the least bit attracted to her?” Thunderlane chimed in. “What else are we supposed to think?” Crimson groaned and rubbed his face. “I’m Ivy’s C.O.” “C.O.?” Thunderlane said. “Commanding Officer. It wouldn’t be appropriate.” “Oh come on,” Caramel said. “that can’t be it. You honestly have no feelings for her?” Crimson raised the glass to his lips, but hesitated as the memory of the crying green haired child hugging him and the knife laying on the floor. “No, we’re only friends. That’s it.” He said as he sipped his drink. “Relationships like that cause friction and hurt the team.” “Ahem!” Cobalt said. “You and Rouge are the exception to the rule Cobalt. Her brains make up for your stupidity,” Cobalt grunted and slammed back his drink. “and your laid back personality balances her anxiety out.” “So you and Ivy aren’t opposites?” He said with a chuckle. “Please, she’s all fun and you’re no fun at all.” Cobalt said. “She completes you.” “Can it. We’re not like that. You know that.” “So Ivy’s single then?” Thunderlane asked. “Yes, but be careful. The last guy that broke her heart she put in a body cast for nine months.” The two had a scared look on their faces. “I’m not kidding either.” “He’s right you know.” Cobalt said. “Ivy is easily the strongest girl at the Academy.” “So what about you and Rouge? She’s kinda....odd.” Caramel said with a shrug. “Yup, that’s why I like her.” Cobalt said. “She’s smart and not a pair of boobs with nothing in her head.” The two men nodded. Cobalt then grinned. “Crimson even hasn’t had a girlfriend yet.” “Cobalt. Shut up.” Crimson said in a dark tone. “Seriously dude?” Caramel said. “Maybe a certain librarian can turn you in the right direction.” Cobalt said with a grin. Crimson almost choked on his drink. “Twilight? Now you’re just making ludicrous accusations.” Crimson said in a flat tone. “Well, you seem to be hanging out with the mane six a lot.” “The mane what?” “If ah can butt in.” Mac said. “Mah sister and her friends are usually at the center of whatever trouble that goes on around here.” He said in a calm tone. “Not to mention that they’re the six finest pieces of ass this side of Equestria.” Thunderlane stated. Mac grunted at the flyer. “No offense to Applejack Mac.” He said as he nervously drank his drink. “You see,” Caramel started. “AJ has that home town ‘down to earth’ thing guys like myself go for. Dash has that cocky attitude and athletic build. Pinkie is childish, but she’s cute and hot when she wants to be. Rarity is a stone cold knock out and has that sophisticated side to her. Fluttershy is cute in that innocent way and Twilight is the adorkable librarian.” “Adorkable?” Crimson stated. “That sounds like something out of a cheesy romance book.” “Call it what you want, you have to admit she’s cute when she get’s all flustered.” Crimson thought for a moment as he thought of the look on Twilight’s face when she would get interested in a topic or how her face would light up when he joked with her. “I’ll admit that she’s smart and has a certain....likeness to her.” He said as he sipped his drink. “She’s got a good head on her shoulders and she’ll make someone happy one day.” “And you don’t think that that someone is you?” Cobalt asked. “Personalities have to be compatible and balance each other out for a stable relationship to flourish.” Crimson said in a flat tone. “So?” Thunderlane said. “No one can balance me out.” He said as he slammed his drink back. The other men shrugged and continued to talk amongst one another. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Inside the large library the eight girls sat in a circle joking and laughing with one another. “And that is why, Cobalt and I are forever banned from entering Las Pegasus for the rest of our natural lives.” Rouge finished. The girls were in a fit of laughter as she finished her story. “Wow and people say I drink too much.” Dash said with a laugh. “Yeah, needless to say that Cobalt needs to be supervised when he’s drinking.” Rouge said as she blew on her newly painted purple nails. “Mind if I ask something?” Rarity said. “Shoot.” “How did you two end up as a couple?” The designer asked. “We’ve known each other since we were kids.” She said with a chuckle. “I guess we complete each other.” She said with a shrug. “I see.” Rarity said with a coy smile. “What about Crimson? What romantic escapades has our red haired hero had?” Twilight gulped and hung her head. “None.” The two girls said. “The girls must swarm him and....wait how many?” Rarity asked as she raised an eyebrow. “None. Zero. Zip.” Ivy said. “Why not? I mean he’s got a small chip on his shoulder, but he’s not that bad looking.” Dash said. “Well, he’s not that good with feelings and never really gave it a shot.” “Why not?” Applejack asked. “Ah bet there are loads of girls back at the Academy who’d love to spend time with him.” “Kinda hard to do that when they’re all scared shitless or hate his guts.” Rouge said. The girls looked at the two in confusion. “You mean that they all-” “It’s not a secret around the Academy and everyone has at least heard a rumor or two about it.” Ivy said with a sigh. “Point is, most girls wouldn’t even be caught dead talking to him.” “So he’s never had a girlfriend?” Twilight asked. “Sounds perfect for you Twi.” Dash said with a snicker. Twilight blushed and glared at the flyer. “Oh calm down, we all know that you like him.” Dash said with a smirk. The clock on the far wall then struck and the flyer let out a yawn. “Well, I’ve got weather duties in the morning. See ya.” She said as she walked out of the library. “Ah’d better get going too.” The farmer said as the rest of the girls left. Twilight turned off the lights and climbed the stairs to her room. She put her ear to Spike’s room and heard the sound of snores. After changing into her PJ’s and brushing her teeth she quickly hopped into bed. As she tried to fall asleep the images of the red haired man continued to fill her mind. She wrapped her arms around one of her pillows and let out a sigh. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Crimson checked his watch and let out a sigh. He finished his drink and looked at the several unconscious men that laid before him. He paid for his drinks and snickered as he saw Cobalt asleep between Caramel and Thunderlane all napping on Mac’s chest. He snapped his fingers and a crystal appeared in his hands. The crystal scanned the scene and took a snapshot of the four passed out friends. He grabbed Cobalt by his arm and slung the appendage over his neck. He lugged the passed out flyer down the street until he saw two familiar female forms. The two looked behind them, saw the two men and hurried up to them. “What happened?” Rouge asked. “Cobalt and Cider happened.” “How bad are we talking here?” Ivy asked. “Nothing too bad, he should be fine in a few hours.” He said as he handed him to the purple haired mage. “He may want to avoid Mac and Thunderlane for a while though.” He said with a chuckle. He withdrew the crystal and the image shined in front of them. Ivy immediately barreled over in laughter while Rouge had an evil smirk on her face, “Oh I’m gonna get a lot of milage out of this one.” She said as the flyer stirred. “Wha?” His eyes shrank as he saw the image. “Delete that now!” “No way in hell.” Crimson said as he vanished in a flash of red light. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Inside the clock tower, the blue winged man woke up early and gently removed his arm from his girlfriend’s hold and replaced it with a pillow. He then started to sift through the seemingly endless stacks of potion books she had collected through their travels. Cobalt found a red colored book and grinned. “Paybacks a bitch Crimson.” He said as he opened the book and started to skim it. He tapped his finger on the recipe and grinned. He copied the words on a sheet of paper and flew off towards the forest. Crimson made his way through the small town and yawned. Crimson entered the library and walked u to the front desk where the indigo haired scholar was toiling away at her work. “Hey Crimson.” Twilight said with a smile. “Morning.” He said with a nod. “Need some help?” She asked as she hid her blush. “Yeah, I’m looking for a book about runes.” He said as he started to look around. “I’ll see what I can dig up.” She said as she got up. Crimson noticed that she was wearing a light purple sleeveless blouse with a dark purple skirt that went to her knees. He quickly turned his attention back to the books. “C’mon, even you have to admit that she’s cute when she gets all flustered.” Caramel's voice echoed in his head. God damn it Caramel. I don’t need ideas like that in my head this early in the morning. He thought as he tried to force the thoughts out of his mind. “I’m not seeing any here.” Twilight said as she finished her search. “I may have some down stairs.” She said as she walked over and switched on the light. The bulb flickered and went out. “Ugh, light’s broken.” “I got it.” Crimson said as he pulled out a red crystal and made the hallway glow. The two made their way down into the basement and started to look around. Several cobwebs covered the old books and the air was damp. Crimson dusted several books off and started to look through them. He found an old book and raised an eyebrow at it. This could come in handy. Back up top the door to the library quietly opened and Cobalt quietly hovered in and set two glasses down on the desk. He pulled out a vial of a pink concoction and poured it in each glass before capping the bottle. Cobalt left a note beside them. He heard a set of footsteps coming up from the basement. The flyer quickly zoomed out of the library and closed the door behind him. “Sorry Crimson.” Twilight said with a sigh. “Looks like I don’t have....who put that there?” She asked as she looked at the drink. Crimson picked up the letter and read it. “Dear Twilight, I’d like you to taste test this new punch mix I’m trying. ~Your friend, Pinkie Pie.” Crimson handed the librarian the letter who read it over. “Pinkie will be Pinkie.” Twilight sad with a shrug. She picked up the glass and looked at it. “Wanna test it?” “Might as well.” He said as he picked up the glass. “Cheers.” He said as the two mages clinked their glasses together. As Crimson put the glass to his lips his nose caught a smell from the liquid. “Wait Twilight don’t-” His warning came too late as the woman slammed the drink back. She took a moment to taste it and smiled. “Not bad, a bit fruity.” She then saw the shocked look on the man’s face. “What?” The scholar then grabbed and shook her head. “You okay?” He asked as he walked over to her. Twilight opened her eyes and Crimson saw a fain ring of pink around her iris. “Oh I’m perfectly fine.” She said in a sultry voice. “Um..okay?” He said with a raised eyebrow. He narrowed his gaze and saw the pink rings. “Twilight, let me see your eyes.” “You can look anytime.” She said as she batted her eyelashes. Crimson saw the rings and grimaced. “Uh oh. C’mon let’s get you to Rouge.” He said as he took her hand. Twilight then spun around and pushed him up against the desk. “Oh, why can’t it just be the two of us?” She said with a pouting face. The woman put her arms around his shoulders and nuzzled his chest. Crimson gulped as his face turned bright red. “T-Twilight, get ahold of yourself.” He said and he looked for an escape. “You’re not well.” “Oh I feel fantastic.” She said as she put her weight on the man. “In fact, I’ve never felt better.” The woman then tripped the man and made him fall backwards on the table with her on top of him. “Now let’s have our own private party.” She said as she licked her lips. The door to the library suddenly opened to reveal the seamstress, the farmer and the green haired flyer. “Sorry to bother ya Twi but,” The farmer stopped as she saw the position that she and the red mage were in. The girls’ faces turned red. “um, we’ll come by later.” The farmer said as she started to close the door. “Wait!” Crimson yelled. “Something’s wrong with Twilight she’s-” He was silenced as she put a hand over her mouth. “If you yell like that in a library then I’ll have to punish you.” She said in a seductive tone. The three looked at each other as Spike came down from the upstairs. “What is going on here?” “Spike go back upstairs.” Twilight said. The hybrid saw the concerned look on the man’s face and quickly grabbed a nearby book. “Twilight get off him now or the book gets it.” He said as fire formed in his mouth. “Who cares about some stupid book?” She said as she looked down at her prey. Spike’s right eyelid twitched at the words. “Okay, now I know something’s up.” Applejack said as she walked up to the two. “Simmer down Twi-” Was all the farmer got out before she was pinned by a wall of purple aura. “My word Twilight!” Rarity said as she hurried over and tried to pry her friend off the red haired man. Ivy snapped her fingers and her whip landed in her hand. She wrapped the scholar in a tight bind and managed to pull her off the mage. “Let me go!” Twilight yelled. “Thanks Ivy.” Crimson said as he got up. Crimson walked over to the farmer and de spelled the ties. “What’s gotten into that girl?” Crimson walked over to the still full glass and looked at it. “What ever this stuff is.” He said as he picked it up and smelled it. “Smells like some kind of potion.” “Where did you get it?” Rarity asked. “It was just here, Pinkie left a note.” The farmer and seamstress looked at the paper. “That’s not Pinkie’s handwriting. It’s too neat.” The farmer said. Twilight was still struggling to break free from the whip. “Whatever this stuff is, I was meant to drink it too.” Crimson said with a sigh. “Anyway, I’m going to see Rouge about this. She’s a genius when it comes to potions.” He said as he levitated the glass. “Bring Twilight too.” “C’mon Twilight.” Applejack said. “No!” Crimson rubbed his head and sighed. “I’ll hold your hand if you come with us.” The scholar’s eyes widened. Crimson blushed as he offered her his arm which she gladly took and rested her head on his shoulders. “Luna give me strength.” He said as the group walked out of the library. “Hunky.” She purred. Crimson’s face grew redder. Ivy and the girls giggled. “Oh that’s so cute.” Ivy chimed. “Can it, it’s the potion.” He said as he walked into the tower to see Rouge reading the paper. “Rouge we have a problem.” “What’s up?” She asked as she folded the paper. “This.” He said as he pointed to the scholar as she gave him the biggest bedroom eyes he’d ever seen. “She drank some weird potion and now she’s all loopy.” The mage got up from her seat and looked in the girl’s eyes and saw the pink ring. “Looks like a love potion to me.” “Really? Couldn’t tell.” Ivy said in a sarcastic tone. “Anyway, we need to find out what kind.” Crimson snapped his fingers and the glass filled with the pink liquid appeared on the table. “Whoever set this up, wanted me to drink it too.” The group then spotted the blue flyer with a confused look on his face. “Crimson? You’re still a guy?” “Um, why wouldn’t I be?” “Well, I figured I’d get back at you for that picture.” The group chuckled at the memory. “So I cooked up a little gender bender potion. I must have gotten the recipe wrong.” He said in defeat. “Back to the drawing board I guess.” “Which book did you use?” Rouge asked. “The red one with purple lettering.” The purple mage face palmed. “You idiot. That’s the book with the purple cover and red lettering. Red cover and purple print is the book of love potions!” She yelled. “Oh.” He said with a gulp. Crimson glared at the man with daggers in his eyes. “I’ll destroy you later. Right now we have to cure Twilight.” “Oh you do care about me.” The scholar said in a happy tone. “Quickly.” He said as he face palmed. “Please tell me you have a cure.” Rouge snapped her fingers and the book appeared in her hands. “What page was it on?” “Page 227.” Cobalt answered. “Okay here it is,” She said as she put the book on the table. “True Lover’s Kiss.” She started. “If ye be bold and ye be in love then drink this vial and-” “Um Rouge, hurry it up.” Crimson said as he was struggling to keep the scholar under control. “Basically, if you both drank the potion then there’d be nothing we can do.” She said in a flat tone. “Since it was only Twilight, we still have a chance. If we can give her the antidote, then she’ll be fine.” “Sounds easy enough.” Ivy said. “There’s a catch, if we don’t get it to her by the time the sun sets then it becomes permanent.” The group gulped. “Oh and if she kisses Crimson then you’re both screwed.” “How does that work?” Applejack asked. “The potion attaches itself to every cell in her body, including liquids. If any of that get’s in Crimson’s body then it would be the same as him drinking the potion.” She said as she scratched her neck. “Please, tell me there’s a cure.” Crimson said with a gulp. “Yeah, but I don’t have any of these ingredients on hand.” She said with a sigh. “I mean where do you get a supply of frog legs, toadstools and the petals of a tree frog flower?” “Oh! Ya can go see Zecora!” The group looked towards the window and saw the pink pastry chef. “Pinkie? What are you doing here?” Rarity asked. “Well, I saw you guys going towards the tower with Twilight holding onto Crimson and I wanted to congratulate the new couple.” “We’re not a couple!” Crimson yelled. “I know silly, I heard the whole conversation.” “Who’s Zecora?” Cobalt asked. “She’s this potion maker that lives in the Everfree Forest.” Applejack said. “She’s got all kind of ingredients.” “We’d better hurry then, it’s already noon.” Cobalt said. “That gives us about seven hours.” Rouge said. “Do you two know the way?” “Yup!” Applejack said. “Wait, what about me?” Crimson said as he managed to break free from the scholar’s grip. “Pinkie, go tell the other’s and get back here as quick as you can.” Ivy said as she grabbed the scholar. Twilight struggled to break free and was reaching for the red haired man. “Okie dokie lokie!” She said before zooming off. “C’mon, times a wasting.” Applejack said as she led Rouge, Cobalt and rarity towards the forest. Twilight then teleported out of Ivy’s grip and onto the mage’s back. “Twilight if you don’t get off me then I’ll tie you down!” Crimson yelled. “Kinky.” Twilight said with a grin. “Ivy!” The green flyer was stifling her laughter as she walked over to them. “Okay Twilight, just calm down and-” “Oh no! I know your angle, you want him all for yourself!” She said as she tightened her grip on Crimson who was squirming to get free. Ivy face palmed and groaned. “Ivy, plan eleven.” Crimson said in a flat tone. “Got it boss.” She said as she withdrew her whip and wrapped it around the scholar’s leg. Crimson then turned into a shadow and phased out of her grip. “Run!” “Don’t need to tell me twice!” He yelled as he ran out the door. Twilight’s hands glowed and fired a bolt of purple magic into the flyer’s gut. Ivy hit the stone wall hard and was knocked out. The scholar ran out the door and saw no trace of the man. “Oh you can run, but you can’t hide.” She said as she vanished in a flash of purple light. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The red haired man was ducking from building to building hoping to avoid being sighted by the love crazed girl. The man stuck to the shadows and made sure to keep his head low. Okay, it’s been five hours since she drank that thing. Hopefully those guys have something ready and- He was cut off as he felt a familiar form latch onto his back “Gotcha.” Twilight whispered. The man felt the girls surprising strength. The woman extended her head and lightly nibbled his ear. Crimson’s face turned bright red and he gulped. The woman then rubbed her head against the back of his neck. “Twilight please, you’re not well.” He said as the girl got off his back. “Look The girls can make an antidote and-” He quickly dodged a pair of lips from meeting his own. “Twilight stop.” “Make me.” She said in a school girl voice. “Where’s Ivy?” “Napping.” She said as she the twirled a few strands of her hair. Crimson then noticed the scholar’s attire and his blush intensified. She was wearing a purple skirt that ended at her mid thigh and a white blouse that seemed to be two sizes too small for her. “You like my new outfit?” She asked in an innocent tone. The man gulped and tried to advert his eyes from the woman. A slender finger touched his chin and slowly turned his head back to her. Twilight’s eyes were focused on him like a hawk going in for the kill. The woman snaked her arms around the man’s back and pressed her body against his. Crimson was sweating as the woman’s lips closed in on his own. The man vanish and the scholar saw only a cloud of red smoke. “Ugh! Another clone!” She stamped her foot in frustration before teleporting away. Up on the roof of the bricked building where the clone once was laid the red haired man on his stomach. “Thank Star Swirl for shadow clones.” He said with a sigh. The gem in his pocket glowed and he held it in his hand. The image of the purple mage then filled the gem. “Rouge, please tell me you have the cure. I’m not sure how long I can keep this up for.” “Relax we have it ready,” Crimson let out a sigh of relief. “but we only had enough ingredients for one.” “How am I gonna get her to drink something like that?” “There’s something else,” Rouge said as she opened the book. “the longer Twilight goes without the antidote the more....amorous she becomes.” “I figured that when she jumped on my back in a miniskirt and a blouse that looked like it was meant for a twelve year old girl.” The two images gulped. “Just get back here now.” “On our way. Meet us by Fluttershy’s cottage.” Rouge said as the crystal image cut out. Crimson gulped and made his way towards the forest’s edge. As he did he saw the group come out from the dark forest. “You guys have it?” Rouge held up a small glass with an odd concoction in it.. “That’s it?” “Yup, but-” “Let me guess, there’s a catch.” He said with a sigh. “That and it’s missing one ingredient.” Rouge plucked one of his dark red hairs out of his scalp and put it in the mix. The liquid bubbled and changed to a dark blue color. “Okay, so what’s the catch?” “You have to be the one to give it to her.” “Why?” “The potion works on whoever the drinker see’s first and since it was you, you have to be the one to give it to her.” She said as she handed him the glass. “How am I gonna get Twilight to drink this? She may be love struck but she’s still smarter than your average mage.” “Is that a compliment?” Cobalt asked as he waggled his eyebrows. Crimson glared at the flyer. Rouge took the glass back and changed the liquid into a pill. “There, that should make it easier.” “Now all we have to do is get her here.” Crimson said as he took the pill. “Shouldn’t be that hard.” Cobalt said as his wings flared and took flight. “I’ll giver her a heads up.” He said as he took flight towards the small town. Crimson and Rouge watched as he zoomed off into the sky. “Crimson, I’m sorry about this.” The mage said as she put a hand on his shoulder. “There’s also one last thing you should know.” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Cobalt zoomed through the skies until he spied an indigo haired woman leaning against a wall and was looking for the red haired mage. The flyer smiled and flew down to her. “Hey Twilight.” The woman waved him off. “Hey, I’m here to help. I know where Crimson is.” The woman then had a bright smile on her face. “Where?” she yelled. “I just saw him by Fluttershy’s cottage.” He said as the woman vanished in a flash of purple light. “Good luck Crimson.” He said with a sigh. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Twilight waited in a bush and looked around for the man. Twilight saw the red haired man from one end of the field to the other. Twilight primed her magic and teleported herself on top of the man. Crimson landed on his back and looked up to see the lust librarian with a smile on her face. “Got you this time.” Crimson charged his magic, but Twilight grabbed his hand and the man felt some bindings. “Oh no you don’t mister. Magic seals.” She said with a coy smile. Crimson gulped and felt the pill in his hand. Twilight stroked his clenched fist and purred. “Have something for me?” “J-just a breath mint.” He said with a gulp. Twilight pried the pill from his hand and analyzed it. “You’re such a liar.” She said with a smile. Crimson gulped and felt his throat dry up. “I know exactly what this is.” She said as she placed the pill on her tongue and swallowed it. “Don’t worry you’ll get to see that part of me later.” The woman adjusted herself so that she was sitting just above his crotch. The librarian smirked and unbuttoned the top buttons on her blouse. Crimson’s face turned scarlet red as she leaned over him. The woman’s head was just above his. The man could feel her breath on his lips. “Now to have some f-” The woman the sat back up and grabbed her head. Twilight grunted and shook her head. As she opened her eyes she looked around. “Wha? Where am I?” The scholar rubbed her eyes and looked down at the blushing man. Twilight’s face turned snow white and then to bright red in the blink of an eye. “How, what, when?” The woman started to hyper ventilate before she passed out. Crimson caught her before she hit the ground and wrapped her in his coat. Crimson got to his feet and picked the scholar up in his arms and vanished in a flash of red light. Spike, Cobalt, Rouge and the other girls waited in the library and looked at one another. Ivy had a bandage on her head and groaned. The door to the library opened revealing the red haired man with the unconscious librarian in his arms. The girls all crowded around their friend and looked at her. “Is she okay?” Rouge asked. “Yeah, she just got overwhelmed and got knocked out.” He said as he rested her on the couch. “She should be fine in a few hours.” He said with a sigh. “Well, everything worked out then.” Cobalt said as he put an arm around Crimson. The red mage grabbed the flyer’s hand and applied pressure. “Not just yet. This whole ordeal was your fault.” He said in a flat tone. “Time for payback.” He said as his right hand glowed with magical energy. He fired a bolt of magic at the flyer causing a massive red cloud to envelope him. After the smoke cleared a blue haired and winged woman was coughing. “What was that supposed to-” Cobalt’s hand covered his mouth. “What did you do to me?” He yelled. “What you tried to do to me. The spell should wear off by tomorrow morning.” He said in a calm tone. “I found that spell in one of the books Twilight had here." He turned to Rouge and nodded. "Have fun.” He said before leaving. The girls were all laughing at the blue flyer who grunted. Rouge walked over to him and smiled. She leaned in and whispered. “We are so having sex tonight.” She said with a smile. Cobalt gulped and prayed that the spell would wear off at that moment. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Crimson stormed into his room and sat down on the bed. His mind went back to what Rouge had told him. “There’s also one last thing you should know.” “What?” “Unlike most love potions the, True Lover’s Kiss potion doesn’t implant false emotions. It brings them to the surface.” “What?” “Everything Twilight is showing right now is real. It’s like when you shake up a soda can and open it. The soda is there, just in a different way. “Your point?” “All I’m saying is that Twilight genuinely cares about you. Don’t forget that.” Crimson laid on his bed and stared up at the ceiling. The man closed his eyes and let sleep take him.
Chapter XVII: MessengerChapter XVII Messenger. It had been a week since Crimson and the ice mage ventured off towards Trottingham. The six girls were in the bakery shop chatting with the blue flyer and purple mage. Apparently Ivy had been spending a lot of her free time around the apple farm, more specifically Big Mac. “You think there’s something between Ivy and Mac?” Dash asked. “Knowing Ivy, maybe.” Rouge said as she sipped her tea. “Any word from Crimson or Angel?” Rarity asked. “Nope. I’m sure they’re fine, provided Angel behaves herself.” Cobalt said with a grunt. “Yeah about that.” Dash started. “What’s with her and Ivy? Those two looked like they wanted to kill each other.” “I think it’s got something to do with Angel being an ice mage and Ivy being a fire mage.” Cobalt said with a shrug. “No to mention that Crimson is the only one who can handle her.” “How so?” Dash asked. “Well, they’re both Conduits.” “So?” “Crimson understands Angel’s pain and knows the loneliness of being one.” Rouge clarified. “When we first met her she was angry and wanted to turn the Empire into an icicle.” The group all gulped. “They both know how it feels being rejected by their peers.” He said with a shrug. Ivy then walked in and sat down next to the blue flyer. “Sup guys?” “Not much.” Ivy then looked at Spike and raised an eyebrow. “Hey Spike, what’s with your hands?” She asked. “Oh, long story short I’m a dragon that got zapped with a spell and now I’m a human dragon hybrid.” Ivy smirked and looked at the dragon. “Thought I smelled dragon blood.” “What?” Dash said. “Ivy is our residential dragon slayer at the Academy.” Rouge explained. The small hybrid gulped. “Relax dude. You haven’t tried to burn the town down so I have no reason to kill you.” She said with a grin. “Why are you a dragon slayer?” Rarity asked. “Runs in the family. My dad was one, his dad too and so on.” She said with a shrug. “I’m just the first girl and flyer to be apart of it.” She said as she sat back. “You should have seen my uncle’s face when I tamed Sage.” “Who?” “The green dragon I have.” She said with a smile. “It’s also how I got this bad boy.” The woman stood up and pulled her green hair to the side exposing the back of her neck. There was the image of a coiled serpent dragon in front of two crossed swords. “Cool.” Dash said. “What about you guys?” Cobalt shrugged and picked up the end of his shirt and stretched it up to his chest. On his left pectoral was a shield with two crossed swords with the blades wrapped in electric sparks. “I got this when I stopped some punks from beating up my older brother. I grabbed a guard’s sword and managed to fight them off.” “You have a brother?” “Yeah, he’s not in the academy though.” He said as he lowered his shirt. “What about you Rouge?” The woman pulled her shirt down to show her back left shoulder. A spider with a potion vial on its abdomen was proudly imprinted on her skin. “Oh yeah, why do they call you the spider Queen?” Dash asked. Rouge smirked and cracked her neck. Something seemed to fill her mouth and she spat out a spider web that wrapped around the flyer. “That web is lighter than silk but stronger than steel.” She said with a smile. “Just get this stuff off me!” Dash yelled as she struggled in her restraints. Rouge snapped her fingers and the webs started to unravel. “Thank you.” Dash said she stretched. “Right, a reporter showed us your stat cards.” Twilight said. “It said that you can use metal magic.” She said as she looked at the flyer. “Correct.” He said as he took a butter knife in his hand. The group then watched as his arm changed to a metal finish. “It makes my body hard as metal and it amplifies my lightning magic.” “Cool!” Pinkie said. “Yeah, but I can’t fly while using it.” He said as his arm turned back to normal. “Well thats handy.” Applejack said. She then turned to the purple mage. “Oh right Rouge. That card thing said you used something called Gentle Palm. What’s that?” “You see,” Ivy started. “every fighting technique is put in one of two categories.” She said as she held up two fingers. “There’s brutal fist and gentle palm.” “Never heard of them.” Dash said. “Ivy, Crimson and I use brutal fist which is the most basic form of fighting.” Cobalt started. “It relies on bruises, broken bones and heavy blows. While Gentle Palm is a more.....subtle way to fight.” “I don’t get it.” Rarity said. “Gentle Palm relies on attacking vital points and internal organs.” Ivy said. “How?” “I focus my aura into different points of my body and project it into other peoples bodies which inflicts damage on an internal scale. It’s not as entertaining to watch but, it has devastating effects.” Rouge commented. “What about Crimson? What magic can he use?” Twilight asked. The three gulped and sighed. “Shadow.” The three said. Twilight’s eye lid twitched. “Shadow? I’ve never heard of that.” Rarity said. “Mostly because it’s next to impossible to master.” Twilight said. “The only person that I know of that has and mastered it is Princess Luna.” Cobalt said. “How hard can it be?” Dash said. “It’s next tot he top in difficulty. Crimson still has issues controlling it.” Rouge said. “You see, Shadow is considered a mix of almost every element.” “How?” “Everything casts a shadow.” Ivy said. “Fire, earth, metal, lightning. You name it.” The group nodded in agreement. “So what do you guys do when you’re not fighting?” Applejack asked. “I practice my flying.” Cobalt said. “I draw.” Rouge said. “I just chill.” Ivy sighed. “What about Crimson?” Twilight asked. “He reads a lot.” The librarian was speechless at the words. A person who was devoted to his studies. “Like, every time he’s not practicing or on a mission he has a book in his hand.” Ivy shrugged. “Sometimes he can be a real egg head.” “What I’d give to be that book.” The scholar’s face turned scarlet as she realized she said the words out loud. The group all smirked and chuckled. “Wow Twilight. That had to be the worst line I’ve ever heard.” Dash said. The three warriors then felt something vibrate in their pocket. The three pulled out a gem that was flashing. “Uh-oh.” They all said. “What’s up?” “This is our recovery beacon. It’s lets us know that an Academy member is in bad shape.” Rouge said. The three funneled their magic and an image projected from the gem. The group fell silent as they looked at the message. Name: Crimson Storm Health: 8% Immediate extract is required. The three immediately stood up and ran outside with the group following. The three stood in a triangle and planted the three gems in the ground. They focused their magic and a large symbol appeared on the ground. The seal glowed a bright white and smoke filled the air. As the smoke cleared the group saw the heavily beaten body of the ice mage. The three immediately ran to her side and helped her up. “How is she?” Rouge scanned her and gulped. “Not good. She needs medical attention.” “Can you stabilize her?” Ivy asked. “I think so.” Rouge said as she summoned a vial of purple liquid. She rested the mage’s head against her knees and poured the liquid down her throat. After swallowing the liquid Angel’s eyes snapped open and she started to cough. “Easy there.” Rouge said as she helped her sit up straight. “What happened?” “I....I don’t know. One minute Crimson and I were going toe to toe with the necromancer. Then nothing.” She said with a groan. Ivy helped her up and slung her arm over her shoulders. “C’mon snow angel. Let’s get you to bed.” “Ugh! I hate that nick name.” She spat out at the flyer. The group followed the two and entered the spacious clock tower. The green flyer put the ice mage on the couch and sighed. The group then saw a bright green flash of light. One the light faded the cane wielding man appeared. “What happened?” He said in a rough tone. The three instantly gulped. “Angel just came through using Crimson’s warp gem.” Cobalt said. The man knelt down and looked at the conduit. “What happened?” He asked. “I can’t remember, one second I’m fighting and the next I’m here.” She said in defeat. The man put his hand on her head and his eyes glowed. “Find anything?” “No, the last thing I can see is the necromancer summoning two coffins and then nothing.” He said in disappointment. “Where could he be?” Twilight felt a lurching feeling in her stomach and coughed. “You okay Twilight?” Fluttershy asked. “Yeah, I probably ate something I shouldn’t have.” She said with a small burp. Another burst of pain then hit her. “Oh boy. I think I’m gonna-” Her warning came too late as her mouth opened and she puked. “Gross.” The group said. Twilight gulped and vomited again. The group’s eyes shrank as they saw that the bile was jet black and seemed to be growing. “What the hell?” The group said as they each took a step back away from the blob. The four able bodied mages pulled out their weapons. “Oh please there is no need for such barbarism.” A voice said. The bile converged and grew into a shadow like version of the red warrior. “C-Crimson?” Ivy said. “Sorry but no.” The shadow said as it grew horns and sprouted wings. Crow’s eyes shrank and tried to slice the shadow with his sword. “Oh calm down you idiot.” “You! Where is Crimson?” Crow yelled. “You know this thing?” Dash asked. “I’m Crimson’s how you say, ‘baggage.’” The shadow said with a smirk. “So you’re the demon?” Applejack asked. “Nice to see that your teeth isn’t the only thing bright about you.” The farmer scowled at the shadow. “Now if we’re done arguing I’m actually here to help.” “Why should I believe you?” Crow said. “I’m not saying you should. Believe me if you want. If you don’t, I don’t care.” The shadow said. The shadow snapped it’s fingers and a projection showed the red mage with scythe in hand against a dark figure with a mask over his face. “Give up! I’ve defeated all of your puppets.” The red mage yelled. “All? I think not.” The man said as he placed his hands together. Two coffins then sprouted up from the ground. “These two were exceptionally hard to soul trap, but that’s what makes them my favorite.” The two doors on the coffins fell down. The man’s eyes shrank to the size of pin tips. Crow gasped as he looked at the projection and his cane fell to the ground. The two bodies stepped out. A man and a woman. The man had shoulder length black hair and a large hammer was mounted on his back with a pistol was holstered on his side. The woman had fair skin. A long rifle was placed on her back and held a long rapier in her right hand. Her emerald eyes were in a trance like state and her long red hair went to the middle of her back. “No, anyone but those two.” Crow said as he fell to his knees. “Who are those guys?” Dash asked. “They’re my old squad mates.” Crow said with a shiver. “Crimson’s parents.” The group all gulped at the words. The image then faded. “Bring that back! Show me what happened.” Crow barked at the shadow. “I don’t have the strength for that.” The shadow said. “The amount of power I had inside Ms. Sparkle was only enough for one shot.” “You were inside me?” Twilight yelled. “When Crimson used his aura to give yours a jumpstart a bit of my magic came along for the ride. I kept myself hidden in case of an emergency like this.” He said as he cracked his neck. “I don’t know what he’s doing, but he’s alive....for now. I think he might face the mirror.” Crow and Angel’s eyes shrank at the words. “If he lives then he’ll be at the Trials if not, then we’ll be seeing each other again very soon Crow.” The image grinned. “He can’t! Not yet!” Crow yelled. “Oh spare me the lecture.” The shadow said as he started to flicker. “Looks like my time is almost up.” “Wait!” Twilight said. “Why tell us this? What could you possibly gain from helping us?” The shadow looked at her as he started to fade. His dark eyes taking in her form and he let out a sigh. “You remind me of my wife.” “Your wife?” Twilight said. “Is it so hard to believe that demons like me can love?” “Kinda.” The shadow started to chuckle and then barreled over laughing. Twilight frowned. “Something funny?” “You humans are all alike! You just assume that demons are heartless monsters and that we’re deserve nothing less that annihilation!” The shadow yelled. “If anything then we suffer because of humans!” He spat out. His image then began to fade completely. “I guess this is goodbye, for now.” The shadow vanished and Crow gulped. “What’s the mirror?” Twilight asked. “It’s considered the final test for all Academy students.” Crow said. “But what is it?” Dash asked. “You literally look inside yourself and face the darkness.” The group gulped. “It’s different for every person and in Crimson’s case he’s got quite the challenge ahead of him.” The man said as he stood up and cracked his shoulders. Something in his and the three mages pocket then started to glow and vibrate. The groups eyes widened as they saw the message. Trials will begin in forty-eight hours. The group let out a sigh and nodded to one another. “Looks like its time. I’ll see you all at the Academy.” Crow said with a nod. “Aren’t you going to look for Crimson?” The scholar asked. “You heard the demon.” Ivy said. “With any luck he’ll come to us. Besides if I know Crimson then he’ll be just fine.” “How can you say that?” Dash said. “That boy has proved the impossible so many times I’ve lost count.” Crow said. “I have faith that he’ll come back. He’s my godson after all.” The man said with a smile. “Wait!” Twilight called out again. “Would it be alright if we came with you? To watch maybe?” “Wanna be there for your boyfriend eh?” Rainbow teased. Twilight’s face turned bright red and Crow chuckled. “I don’t see why not. Princess Celestia and Luna will be there too.” He said with a smile. “You can probably ask her for a pass. Until then, goodbye and I wish you three the best of luck.” He said as he looked at the three students. The gave him a nod and he vanished in a flash of light. “Okay guys, lets get packing.” Ivy said as the group started to collect their gear. “I’ll send Celestia a letter about getting us in.” Twilight said as she and her friends left. In the back of the librarian’s mind she hoped that Crimson was alright. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The red haired warrior was making his way through a dense dark forest. A thick layer of fog covered the ground and the warrior silently made his way towards a red river. A single boat was there with a shadowy figure with a long stick was standing in the boat. Crimson held out a coin and dropped it in the figure's hand. The hooded figure nodded and slowly started to row across the river. The water was blood red and the man could see the faces of the fallen in the water. He felt pity for the poor souls. In the middle of the river stood an island. The boatman pulled ashore and Crimson exited the floating vessel. He stepped off to see a massive castle in the center of the island. The pathway up to the castle had several skeletons across the steps. The doors to the castle opened showing an old man with long silver hair. He wore a black hood over his frail body. The man looked malnourished and was very bony. “Why have you come here boy?” He spat out. “I think you know why Grimm.” Crimson answered back. “Ah, you seek the power of the demon.” “No, not yet.” Crimson said as he put up his hand. “I’ll get to him later, right now I need a better weapon.” The old man’s eyes shrank. “It’s time for one more lesson old man.” Crimson said as he summoned his scythe. “Lets see if you can match the power of a true Reaper!” The elderly man snapped his fingers and a scythe fell into his hands. The staff portion appeared to be made of bone and a skull was the connection piece between the handle and a long black blade. A mask suddenly appeared in the man’s face and the two each took a stance.
Chapter XVIII: HomecomingChapter XVIII Homecoming The four mages, six girls, a farmer and one hybrid were on the train growing ever closer to the Academy. Twilight sat next to Spike who was staring out the window. The group of girls all chatted with one another. Big Mac kept relatively silent and gazed out the window. “Whoa.” Rainbow said as she looked out the window. The girls’ jaws dropped as they saw a massive castle like building made out of pristine white stone. “You guys should see your faces.” Ivy said with a grin. “Its good to be home.” The flyer said with a smile. The train pulled to a stop and the group soon exited the train. The group took in the sight and let out a happy sigh. “This is so awesome!” Dash squealed. Ivy then pulled out a few badges that had the letter V on them. “What are these for?” “They’re visitor passes.” Rouge said. “Just so that the students here know you’re not here to fight.” “Why would they want to fight?” Applejack asked as she pinned the badge on her orange shirt. “This is a combat school. Fighting is just another daily activity here. It’s supervised by a professor though.” Cobalt said. The man’s ear twitched just before he was tackled by a bright blue blur. The figure put Cobalt in a headlock. “Gotcha again little bro.” The stranger said. “Nope.” Cobalt said as he grabbed the stranger’s arm and flipped him down on his back. He twisted his arm and the stranger started to grunt in pain. “Say uncle!” He said as he applied pressure to the arm. “Uncle! Uncle!” He yelled as he tapped out. The two got up and Dash’s jaw dropped. The group looked in surprise at a man who was just a little taller than Cobalt. He had spiky navy blue hair and light blue wings. He was in a spandex blue Uniform with yellow bolts of electricity around it. “S-Soarin!” Dash yelled. “Oh hey Rainbow Dash. What are you doing here?” “We’re here to watch.” Twilight said. “What are the Wonderbolts doing here?” The man then ruffled Cobalt’s hair. “I’m here to see my little bro fight.” He said as he put an arm around the flyer. The group was dumbfounded. “Guys meet my older brother Soarin. Looks like you have already met.” He said with a sigh. Rainbow immediately flew up and started to shake him. “Why didn’t you tell us your brother is a Wonderbolt?” She yelled. “See your reaction right now?” He said in a flat tone. “That’s why. I don’t want any publicity from that.” “Dash, hands of the boyfriend.” Rouge said as she casted a death glare at her. Rainbow gulped and took a step back. “Thank you.” The two then saw a golden winged flyer land next to the blue suited flyer. “Hey Spit.” Ivy said with a nod. “Sup guys?” She said as she gave her a hug. “Haven’t seen you guys in a while.” The flyer said with a smile. Soarin scratched his chin and looked at the group. “Hey where’s Crimson?” The group instantly clammed up and Twilight dropped her head. “Is he signing in or something.” “We don’t know.” Ivy said in a low tone. “What do you mean you don’t know?” Spitfire asked. “He went missing two days ago.” Rouge said. The two fliers gulped. “He’ll be here though.” She said in a hope filled tone. “You sure? I mean going MIA is-” Soarin was cut off as Spitfire elbowed him in the ribs. “I mean, yeah he’ll totally show up.” “Thanks for the vote of confidence.” Ivy said in a drawn out tone. “So why are you guys here?” Applejack said. “Ah thought the Academy wasn’t part of the Equestrian Military.” “It isn’t. We have to make an appearance, plus its a good chance to look for new recruits.” Spitfire said with a smile. “Plus it’s also good to catch a show. These fights are always interesting.” The group then heard a loud bell ringing. “That’s our cue!” Ivy said. “We’ll catch up later.” She said as the three warriors ran off towards the castle. The six girls were then approached by three familiar faces. Princess Celestia stood between her sister and Princess Cadence. Twilight immediately rushed up and greeted her mentor and sister in law. “Twilight Sparkle my prize pupil. It’s so good to see you and your friends again.” Celestia said with a friendly nod. Luna gave her a friendly nod while Twilight and Cadence did their routine greeting. “Hey, where’s Shining? I thought that he’d be here.” Twilight said. “He had to stay behind in the empire. A lot of people are applying for the guard and Shining has to sift through the paperwork.” She said with a laugh. The other girls all gave a chuckle. “Come we must get our seats.” Luna said in a flat tone. The others followed the three Princesses through the large hallways. Cadence looked at Twilight and cocked her head. She leaned close to Applejack and tapped her on her shoulder. “Howdy Cadence whatcha need?” “What’s wrong with Twilight? She seems a little down.” “She’s just bummed cause the guy she likes isn’t here yet.” Dash whispered to the Princess. Cadence was stifling giggles as she walked with the group. She then noticed the large farmer. “Who’s this?” “Oh thats mah brother Big Macintosh.” Applejack said. “Pleased to meet ya your highness.” He said with a small bow. “Oh please, You can just call me Cadence. Any relative of Applejack is a friend of mine.” She said with a smile. “He’s here cause his girlfriend is fighting.” “She ain’t mah girlfriend.” He said with a blush. “She’s just a good friend.” Applejack then pulled his collar down to show some bruises on his muscular neck. “A good friend don’t leave bruises on yer neck.” “Ah told ya a few apples fell down on me.” He lied. “Yer about a worse liar then I am.” She said with a grin. “Well....ya see...” The man tried to say but he couldn’t break his sister’s gaze. Cadence giggled and turned her attention back to Rainbow Dash. “So about this guys Twilight likes. Is he cute?” The love Princess asked. “He’s extremely handsome.” Rarity said joining the conversation. “Oh really?” Cadence said. “Yeah and he’s super duper fun to hang out with.” Pinkie chimed. “He’s also an egghead.” Dash said. “Sounds like the perfect match. What’s his name?” “Its-” The fflyer was cut off as they entered a massive arena. The thousands of rows were packed with people cheering and yelling. “Wow.” Dash said as she looked at the size of the Colosseum. The group followed Celestia to a booth in the middle of the stands. Several seats were inside. Celestia sat in the center with the other Princesses on either side. The group saw a dirt field and several rows of people standing on it. Twilight snapped her fingers and a pair of binoculars appeared in her hand. She scanned the area and found Ivy, Cobalt and Rouge stalking with one another. She even spied the bandaged ice mage among the crowd. “The trials will begin in five minutes. Any students who do not make it within the time will fail.” A voice said over the speakers. Twilight gulped and looked frantically for Crimson. She then felt a hand touch her shoulder and she jumped in surprise to see Applejack. “Calm down, he’ll make it.” Applejack said. Twilight sighed and took her seat next to her friends. The farmer saw the ice mage and looked at the cane wielding man. “Um excuse me.” “Ms. Applejack correct?” He asked. The farmer nodded “How can I help you?” “What’s Angel doing here? She said that she was part of another guild.” “Ah, you see the Academy has small branch guilds stationed all over Equestria.” “Branch guild?” Mac said. “You see The Academy is like a large tree.” He said as he made a small image of a tree appear in his hand. “The place we’re at now is considered the main stem and has smaller branches that grow out of it. A Zealot class mage is put in charge of each branch guild and gets jobs that helps fund the Academy as a whole.” He said with a sigh. “Angel is stationed in the Crystal Empire branch.” The girls then looked at the pink winged Princess who nodded. “Since Angel is a Conduit a few guild members feel uncomfortable around her, so she sometimes stays in the castle.” Cadence said with a smile. “But as of late she’s becoming more aggressive and I’m beginning to worry about her.” Crow mad the tree vanish and replaced it with a green microphone. “Ladies and gentlemen,” He started. “we are only one minute away from the start of the trials. If any student should wish to withdraw now is the-” He was cut off the ground started to shake. In the far edge of the field the crowd looked and saw a giant cut mark appear in the earth. The group felt an immense pressure hit them and stirred up a large amount of hot wind. Twilight looked through the binoculars and saw something fly out of the crack. As the sun shined on it she recognized the red scythe. The crowd then saw another larger object fly out of the crack and catch the scythe in mid air. The figure then started to glow red and launched itself towards the group of students. As it neared the ground it dug the blade into the earth and landed on it’s feet. “Nailed it.” The man said as he dusted himself off. He removed his hood to show his familiar dark red hair. The large crack then started to fill back in. He cracked his neck as his three teammates ran up to him. “Jerk! Where the hell-” The green flyer stopped as she saw that he had several bandages wrapped around his face and body. “What happened?” “I paid Grimm a little visit.” He said with a shrug the other three gulped. “Are you insane?” Cobalt yelled. “You should know the answer to that question.” Crimson said with a smile. “You’re still late ya know!” Rouge said. “I am never late.” He said in a proud tone. “Nor am I early. I arrive precisely when I-.” He was cut off as the three slapped him upside the head. “I swear to the creator, if you quote that book one more time I am going to shove that scythe of yours down your throat.” Ivy said with a grunt. Crimson sighed and closed his mouth. The four then rejoined the rest of the group. A few of the students happily greeted the red warrior while the others nervously gulped. Back up in the stands Twilight breathed a sigh of relief and sat down. “See. Told ya it would be fine.” Dash said. “Wait, she’s got a crush on Crimson?” Cadence asked as she leaned over towards Rarity. “Oh she is very smitten.” The seamstress said. “But he’s....um....how can I put it?” The Princess said as she put a finger to her chin. “You mean what he’s got in him? The monster?” Applejack said. The Princess gulped. “That Crow feller and Celestia told us.” She said in a flat tone. “Look Cadence, ah know you’re worried ah am too, but Crimson has saved our hides with everything he has. He could have attacked us at any moment but he didn’t.” “I’m not concerned about that.” Cadence said. “I’ve met Crimson before when he calmed Angel down and prevented her from freezing over the Crystal Empire.” She said with a sigh. “I’m just a bit surprised and why is she relieved?” “He went missing two days ago.” Dash said. The Princess blinked twice. “Not sure where he ran off to even the other three don’t know.” She said with a shrug. “Eeyup.” The farmer said. The crowd fell silent as the cane wielding man raised his right hand. “Now then,” Crow said as he cleared his throat. “let the trials begin!” He yelled as the crowd roared. “The first test will be a team battle.” He said as a massive magical board appeared above the stadium. Several team names were listed on the board. “The teams will be selected at random.” The screen then shifted to two boxes. Several letters raced across the board. The group gulped as they saw the names. Team Horsemen v.s. Team Beast The red mage grinned and cracked his neck. Several students then made their way off the field and into some seats on the side lines. Crimson and his team remained on the field along with a brown winged flyer holding a large spiked mace and three other mages. Underneath the team names were the individual’s pictures and a green bar next to their photos. “I’ve been waiting for this freak.” The black winged warrior said as he pointed his mace at the scythe user. Another was a black haired mage with a massive spiked ball on a chain. A red winged flyer had two daggers holstered on his belt. The last was a blonde haired mage with a massive shield on his back. Crimson cracked his neck and looked at his teammates. “I’ll handle this.” “All four? Are you crazy?” Ivy yelled. “Just trust me on this okay.” He said in a calm tone. “Think of it as the beginning of my apology.” The three looked at one another and shrugged. “If things start to turn sour then I’m stepping in!” Cobalt yelled the two women nodded in agreement. “Thank you.” He said as he cracked his knuckles. The red mage made his scythe vanish and turned to face the four. He slowly made his way across the field where the four were waiting for him. “What’s this? Only you?” The shield wielder said. Crimson raised his right hand and made the ‘bring it on’ gesture. The four then charged at the man. They blinked once and the man vanished from their sight. The shield user’s eyes shrank as he saw a fist break through his shield like a hammer striking a cookie. As the fist slammed into his chest. The warrior was sent flying back against the wall. “Next?” Crimson said. The shield user slowly stood up and summoned a different shield. The four mages took a position and each made a small seal on the ground. Four massive walls then enclosed the space of the five mages. Ivy immediately started banging on it from the outside. The four opposing warriors each took a stance and focused their magic. A massive cloud of smoke ensnared the three. The massive cloud then encircled the red mage. As the smoke cleared the crowd gasped as they saw easily twenty-five copies of each mage. “If I were you, I’d give up.” The brown winged copies mocked. “We’re One hundred strong.” “One hundred?” Crimson asked. “That’s not very fair.” He said as he summoned his scythe. “You should have made more!” “Charge!” The flyer commanded. The legions then fell upon the mage. Ivy was getting ready to jump in when Crimson raised a hand. The man got in an offensive stance and lunged forwards. A flash of red was all the copies saw as five were hit with the red scythe. Crimson’s scythe then shifted and he pulled out the blade. Crimson then started to twirl on his heel with the scythe in his left hand and the sword in his right. The clones only saw a red twister of blades coming towards them at an alarming speed. One by one the clones vanished in puffs of smoke. The shield user threw a circular shield at the red mage. Crimson stopped his attack and bashed the shield away. He was then met with a firm strike to the stomach by the mace user. The man’s red eyes shrank and felt blood fill his mouth. Shit. Looks like I still need to recover from Grimm. He looked at his weapon and sighed as he saw the nicks and notches etched in the blade. He made the blade vanish and stood up towards the small army. I was hoping to save this, but looks like I’ve got no choice. He placed his right hand on the ground a and a small cloud of red smoke enveloped the man. Several clones charged into the smoke. As swift shadow soon knocked them out and made them evaporate. Crow’s eyes shrank as the smoke cleared and he saw the red mage using a massive hammer along with a long barreled rifle on his back. Crimson raised the hammer and pointed it at the group who looked at him in confusion. “Alright, playtime is now officially over.” He said as he ran towards the group with the hammer raised. The man slammed the large hammer down on the ground. The residual momentum caused him to fly upwards. The ground rippled and several clones were either destroyed or launched into the air. The man then put the butt of the rifle to his shoulder and focused. He let loose a barrage of red magical bullets that pierced through the clones. The magical bullets didn’t stop flying until the air around the man was filed with smoke. As the smoke cleared, Crimson made out the shapes of the dagger using flyer and the spike ball using mage. The over head board showed the two mage’s health bars at zero and the two bodies were teleported off the battle field. Out of the corner of his eye the man saw a yellow fireball race towards him. Crimson braced himself for the impact. He felt the fire burn through his coat and sear his skin. The man quickly removed his jacket and let it fall to the ground. The spectators eyes shrank as they saw his entire torso covered in bandages and with red blotches of blood dotting it. The mace user grinned and cracked his neck. He placed his hands together and focused his magic. “Are you insane?” The blonde mage yelled. “Something like that could kill him.” “So? Who cares?” The brown flyer said with an evil grin. “We’ll be doing the world a favor.” He said as his skin started to glow. “Get in position.” “I’m not using that against him.” The blonde mage aid as he looked at the brown flyer. Before he could raise his shield he was met with a firm punch to the face by the mace mage. The crowd gasped as the blonde mage was sent flying. “I don’t have time for insubordination.” He barked. Crimson teleported and caught the flying mage before he could his the far wall. The blonde mage’s health indicator on the display dropped to zero. The man’s body was soon teleported off the field. The red haired mage gritted his teeth and clenched his fist. “What kind of a leader strikes one of his teammates?” “Ones that don’t follow orders.” The flyer said in a flat tone. Crimson let out a sigh and narrowed his gaze on the man. His hands glowed a bright red. His katana then appeared in his hands. He didn’t need to look up at the red health bar to feel the effects of the fight. “I’m ending this now.” Crimson said as he pointed the blade in his left hand at the flyer. Crimson slashed the air and charged forwards. The mace wielder crouched and used his wings to quicken his speed and momentum. The two were soon eyeball to eyeball. Crimson felt the wind from the mace’s blow graze across his face as he dodged it. Crimson focused what little magic he had in his body into the blade and slashed the man vertically from head to toe. The flyer staggered for a moment before keeling over. The four walls shattered and the siren blazed signaling the end of the match. Crimson raised the blade high above his head as the crowd cheered. “Unbelievable! Team Beast, the number five ranked team in the Academy has been eliminated by just one opponent! Team Horseman’s Crimson Storm dominates! Team Horsemen moves on to the second test.” The announcer boomed over the speaker. Crimson sighed. His blade vanished with a flash of red light and he started to drop to his knees before being caught by a familiar blue haired flyer. “You are one crazy bucker. You know that right?” Cobalt said as he put Crimson’s arm over his neck. “Yeah, sorry about that.” Crimson said as he limped over towards Ivy and Rouge who each slapped him across the face. “Jerk!” Rouge said. “We were worried about you!” “I know. I said that I’d explain things and I-” He stopped as he felt a massive pain rip at his chest. The group’s eyes shrank as they saw a massive red spot forming on his bandages. “How about we talk as the medic patches you up?” Ivy said as she put her head under his other arm. “Sounds like a plan.” Crimson breathed out as he and his team walked towards the medical wing. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Back in the stands, Twilight who was standing up during the entire match finally sat back down and started panting heavily. Images of the battle raced through the friend’s minds. Crow sat grinning ear to ear as Celestia and the other Princesses each had looks of shock on their faces. “Wow.” Rainbow said. “That was just......there are no words.” “Right there with you Dash.” AJ said with a gulp. “Ah knew he was good, but not that good.” “Why was he so beaten up?” Fluttershy asked. “I’m assuming Grimm had something to do with that.” Crow said as he stood up. “Grimm?” Twilight asked. “His teacher.” He said with a sigh. “You see the scythe is such an unusual weapon to use that it’s uncommon to find someone who is a master at it. There hasn’t been a scythe master at the Academy for almost twenty years.” The group looked at him in shock. “Fortunately Crimson managed to find one and has been studying under him for a little over three years now.” The man then got to his feet and cracked his back. “My guess is that’s where he went after dealing with that business in Trottingham.” Celestia’s eyes shrank as she made the connection. “Wait that means that he-” “Yes, he has,” Crow said with a sigh. “and this time he succeeded.” Celestia gulped. “You saw it didn’t you? That look in his eye.” “What are you talking about?” Twilight asked. “There is still so much strength within him. For a moment, I saw the look of one who would stand alone against the legions of hell itself.” He said with a smile. “Now then I have a favor to ask of you and your friends Ms. Sparkle.” “What’s that?” “Go and check on Crimson for me.” He said with a smile. “I have to stay here and observe the rest of the students.” He said as he looked at the next match. Angel’s team was up against another team. “Can you do that?” “No problem!” Dash said as she zoomed off. Crow shook his head and handed the scholar a purple crystal. “What’s this?” “A mini map to show you where to go.” He said as the flyer flew back to him. “Hey wheres the nurse’s office?” The group chuckled as they ventured off towards the large school. Author's Note Happy Nightmare Night!
Chapter XIX: Reunions and DisguisesChapter XIX Reunion’s and Disguises. The scholar followed the crystal’s instructions until they saw a building close to the main building. The six girls entered and saw that it was larger than the hospital in Ponyville. The girls saw a familiar blue winged man talking with one of the nurses. The girls walked up to him and smiled. “Hey guys, enjoy the show?” He asked as the nurse walked away. “It was totally awesome!” Dash yelled. “How’s Crimson doing?” Twilight asked. “He’s hurt, but stable. You guys can see him if you want.” He said as he walked towards a set of double doors. The group entered a room and the six girls gasped at what they saw. The red haired man appeared to be completely submerged in a tank filled with green liquid. A breathing mask was attached over his mouth and nose. A few wires were taped over his heart and a few were on his arms. “What in the hay is that?” Applejack said. “This is one of our rejuvenation pods.” Ivy said. “The liquid inside the pod helps the body heal a lot quicker than it would on its own.” “How does it work?” “Arcane magic mixed with a series of potions.” Rouge said. Twilight approached the pod and her eyes shrank as she saw a massive scar on the man’s chest. “That wasn’t there before!” Twilight said as she pointed to the large scar. “We know.” Ivy said. “My guess is that he got that from Grimm.” “You mean his teacher?” Applejack said. “Yup, Grimm is one crazy fighter.” Rouge said. “Never met him myself, but from the wounds I saw on Crimson when I would heal him,” The woman then shivered. “more than half the time he looked like he’d been put through a meat grinder.” The group gulped. Twilight then looked at the pod and cocked her head. “These look like the pods Changelings use.” The five girls gasped as they made the connection. “That’s because they are.” The group looked towards the doorway to see a man in blue hospital scrubs that matched his hair and eyes. His tan skin had blotches of jet black insect like sections on it. A pair of insect wings were also coming out of his back. “We repurposed them to assist with healing.” His hair was stringy and was almost like a web. “And just what is a thing like you doing here?” Applejack asked as she narrowed her eyes on the man. “My name is Dr. Syringe and I’m here to check on my patient.” He said as he walked over towards the pod. “How are you three holding up?” He asked as he looked at the three warriors. “Good, all things considering.” Cobalt said as he shook his hand. The six girls looked at the action in surprise. “How’s that supplement coming along Rouge?” The doctor asked as he looked at the purple mage. “Its getting there. I still need to fine tune it a bit.” She said with a sigh. “I’m no rush, take your time.” He said as he jotted a quick note down on his chart. “Supplement?” Twilight asked. “I’m trying to create a supplement that Changelings can take so it’ll replace their need to feed off love.” She said with a smile. “Why would you help them?” Dash asked. “Why wouldn’t I?” “Because they’re Changelings!” The flyer yelled. “They attacked and nearly destroyed Canterlot.” “If I may interject.” Syringe said. “My side did not take part in that.” “Side?” The six said in shock. “Oh you guys don’t know do you?” Syringe said. “You see, there isn’t just one main tribe of Changelings. The race is split down the middle. Theres the old Changeling Empire and the New Republic of Changelings. The Empire is what attacked Canterlot.” He said in a flat tone. “They’re the ones who give Changelings like myself a bad name.” “But you still feed on someone else’s love!” The farmer argued. “Hey its not my fault I was born like this.” The doctor said as he frowned. “It’s like me blaming you that you eat meat. If I could change it then I could.” He said with a grunt. “I still don’t like this.” Dash said. “Frankly I don’t give a damn what you think. I’m here to help people and that’s what I’m doing.” “Why you-” “I’d be careful about what you say about my species Ms.Dash.” He said in a flat tone. “Some of the strongest warriors here are Changelings and are very sensitive to racist remarks. Catch my drift?” Dash looked over at the three mages who nodded. “Not to mention that some of our friends, like Syringe here are some of our friends.” Cobalt said. “You got a problem with him, then you’ve got a problem with us.” The six gulped at the thought of the four mages converging on them. Not to mention a castle filled with mages who’s sole occupation is fighting. “Syringe here has saved our lives more times than I can count. He’s always been straight with us and us to him.” “But-” The cyan flyer stopped as the group saw movement inside the pod. Crimson opened his eyed and removed the breathing mask. He leaned forward so that his head, chest and shoulders were sticking out of the pod. “Cobalt’s right Dash. You need to be more open minded.” Crimson said as he glared at the flyer. “I though it was your guys’ job to bring harmony to the world with the Elements. How can you do that if you’re prejudice against another species for being who they are?” The group fell silent. “Looks like you still need to mature a bit.” “They’re monsters!” “Oh yeah?” Crimson narrowed his eyes on the rainbow haired flyer. Dash gulped as she felt the man’s red eyes pierce through her. “Then what the buck would you call me then?” Crimson grunted in pain and leaned back into his pod. The cyan winged flyer held her head in defeat. Twilight walked up to the doctor and sighed. “I’m sorry doctor. Rainbow Dash can be stubborn at times.” “Its alright. I’m use to it.” He shrugged. “Not everyone is comfortable around Changelings yet, but its getting there. Now that the Empire is starting to crumble, the Republic is gaining power and peace talks have started in a more diplomatic manner.” The group then heard the door open to reveal a bandaged blonde mage. “Hey guys.” He said with a nod. “Sup Star?” Ivy said. “Just checking on Crimson.” He said as he looked at the mage. “He’s fine. How about you? You got knocked around pretty hard.” Cobalt said. “I’ll live.” He said with a sigh. “It’ll take Thunder Kicker longer to recover, but I’m not complaining.” He said as he cracked his shoulder. “Asshole deserved what he got.” “Yeah, still can’t believe that he’d hurt his own teammate.” Applejack said. “He’s always been like that.” Ivy said with a grunt. The door suddenly burst open to reveal three more people. A tall man with a long brown coat and a cowboy hat then stepped inside. Next to him was a man with jet black wings and had an elegant saber by his side. His jet black hair contrasted his green eyes. Next was another man with dark green hair and had a deck of cards in a pouch attached to his belt along with a set of arcane blades. “Hey guys.” The Stetson wearing man said with a smirk. “Bandit, good to see you.” Cobalt said as he shook the man’s hand. “Crater, Ace.” He said with a nod. The other two men gave him a nod. “What brings you two here?” “Just checking in our favorite trouble maker.” The card holder said. The man then noticed the group of visitors and smiled. “Ace O’Spades.” He said with a small bow. “My associate here is Crater Cracker.” He said as he gestured to the sword wielding man. “So what brings you guys down here?” Rouge asked. The card user then pulled out his deck. “You obviously haven’t seen the latest leader board." Ace said as he pulled out a card. A small board made of magic then showed. The mages’ eyes shrank as they saw Crimson’s name in the number one spot. “Oh shit.” Ivy said as she raced over to the pod and pulled Crimson’s upper body out. “Wake up idiot!” She said as she slapped him across the face. The man instantly woke up and cracked his neck. “Jeez, what’s so damn important?” Ivy pointed to the board. Crimson looked up and his eyes shrank to the size of pin tip. “Crap. This is not good.” “Why are you saying its bad? You’re number one.” Dash said. “That’s why!” He yelled. “If she comes here then-” He was cut off by a loud booming noise. He quickly looked at the group and gulped. “I’m asleep got that?” He said before submerging himself back in his pod. The door burst open and the mages all cringed in fear. A young woman with long silver hair and an eyepatch over her left eye barged into the room. The woman was donning a white chest plate with matching gauntlets. She was also wearing a pair of white pants that went down to her ankles and were covered by a pair of boots. At her side was a long saber. “Where is Crimson?” She barked. The group pointed towards the pod. The woman walked over to the pod but was stopped by Ivy. “L-look Ivory. Crimson can’t-” Ivy shut her mouth as the warrior glared at her. Ivy gulped and backed away. The woman reached into the pod and pulled Crimson’s upper body out by his hair. Crimson played possum and preyed that she wouldn’t hit too hard. “Is he really asleep?” “He did just take down an entire team. He’ll be awake in a few hours.” Rouge said. The woman raised her hand to slap the red mage awake. “Ivory!” The doctor yelled. “I don’t care who you are. It says in the school rules that fighting is strictly prohibited inside the med center.” Syringe stood his ground and gulped. “I haven’t forgotten the rule and who said I was going to hit him?” The group all had a look of confusion strewn across their faces. The woman smirk and slowly leaned her head in to place her lips on Crimson’s. Twilight’s face was blushing profusely as Crimson’s eyes snapped open and recoiled back. “What the fuck Ivory?” He yelled as he blushed. “Gotcha, you lying little snake!” The woman the grabbed Crimson by the throat and ripped him completely out of the pod. Crimson felt his back hit the far wall as he slowly stood up. When he got to his feet the woman slammed her fist into the concrete wall crating a large dent. The group felt the tension in the room triple. The two each had daggers in their eyes. The woman exhaled and wrapped the man in a tight hug. “Congratulations.” She said with a smile. Crimson gulped looked at the other mages who had the same look of shock and confusion on their faces. “Just don’t get too comfortable at the top. I’ll take you down soon.” She said in a challenging tone “Yeah right.” He said with a grin. “You’re free to try.” The woman shook her head and smiled. “Um guys,” Ivy said. The two looked at her. “I know that this is a really touching moment and all, but I think I need to remind you of something.” The green flyer then pointed towards Crimson’s naked form. The two mages blushed profusely along with the six female guests. Crimson hastily dove back into the pod. “Who are you all?” The warrior asked as she looked at the six guests. “These are the Elements of Harmony.” Ivy said as she cleared her throat. The warrior looked at the six and smiled. “It’s nice to meet you.” “Um, who are you?” Dash asked. “I’m Ivory Knightwalker. Captain of team Saint.” She said as she motioned to the three men. Crimson poked his head out of the pod and sighed. “I see and how do you know Crimson?” Twilight asked. “These two have been butting heads since they joined the Academy.” Ace said. The two mages grunted at him. “You see, up until today Ivory held the number one spot in our class. Now Crimson took that spot.” “He won’t have it for long.” Ivory said under her breath. Crimson stuck out his hand and focused some of his magic as a set of clothes appeared in his hand. He pulled them back inside and quickly got changed before stepping out of the pod. “I plan on taking you down before this test is over.” She said with a wicked grin. “Back at you.” He said with a smirk. A nurse suddenly threw open the door and panted. “Syringe we need you in the O.R. We’ve got a patient going critical!” The Changeling nodded and quickly ran out of the door. Crimson saw a gurney go past with what looked like an ice sculpture on top. The mage’s eyes shrank and he ran after it. The figure was encased in solid Ice. “Damn you Angel.” He said as he started to walk away. The group followed him as he walked outside. “Crimson what is it?” Ivy asked. “Angel used Ice Break on them.” The mages all gasped as Ivory frowned. The group then saw the familiar Ice mage who had a triumphant smile on her face. Crimson rushed up to her and bore holes through her. “What the hell were you thinking Angel? You could have killed them!” “So?” She asked with a shrug. “They were my enemy. I took them down. Simple as that.” “That’s no excuse! We’re not fighting enemies. This is a competition between comrades!” “Comrades?” She asked as she raised an eyebrow. “Big deal they’re only humans.” She said with a shrug. “I mean it Angel! If you so much as even think of using that again on a person then so help me, I will take you down.” Crimson said in a serious tone. The group gulped at the man’s expression. Angel scoffed and continued on her way. Crimson cracked his knuckles and grunted. “What was that about?” Applejack asked. “Nothing.” Crimson said with a sigh. “I’m going for a walk.” “Crimson-” Ivy was cut off as he vanished in a flash of red light. The flyer sighed and looked back at the group. “Is he gonna be okay?” Twilight asked. “Hopefully.” Ivory said. “Angel has never really embraced his teachings.” “Teachings?” Dash said. “He didn’t tell you? Angel was Crimson’s student when he first found her in the Empire.” Ace said. The groups’ jaws dropped. “When Crimson found her she was almost completely a monster. He managed to reach her due to their ties and calm her down,” Ivory started. “but she’s never been able to let go of that hatred towards humans.”Twilight gulped and her hand glowed. “What are you doing?” “When someone teleports they leave behind a magical signature where they teleported from and to.” The scholar explained. “So?” Cobalt said. “I can track and find him.” Twilight said. “Worried about your boyfriend?” Dash teased. Twilight blushed and grunted before vanishing in a flash of light. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Crimson stood before his parents grave and felt the cool wind hit his back. In the wind he caught the familiar scent of lavender. He let out a sigh and turned towards a tree. “Twilight come out I know you’re there.” He said in a flat tone. A familiar looking scholar came out from behind the tree and gulped. “How did you know I was here?” She asked as she walked up to the man. “Your perfume gave it away.” He said as he looked at the librarian. “So any particular reason why you and your friends tagged along wit Ivy and the others?” The woman gulped as she looked into the man’s blood red eyes. “Well, we were worried when we heard that you went missing.” She said as she hid her blush. “Ivy said that you’d be here for the trials and we wanted to see if she was right.” Crimson’s gaze pierced through her and she gulped. “I see.” He said with a sigh. The scholar then looked past him and saw the tombstone. “Is that-” “Their grave.” He said as he looked at the stone. Twilight gulped and hung her head. “Crimson, I know you had to fight your parents on your last mission.” The man’s eyes shrank. “Your...I still don’t exactly know what it was that I saw.” Crimson bit his lip. “I guess you could call him my shadow.” “Okay, he told us that you had to fight your reanimated parents.” Crimson hung his head in shame. “What happened?” Crimson racked his brain trying to figure out why he not only felt obligated to tell this girl but that he wanted to. Crimson extended his index and middle finger towards the scholar. Twilight gulped as she felt his fingers press against her forehead. The last thing she saw was the man’s red eyes glowing. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The scholar opened her eyes to see a large dark cave. She looked down at her hands and saw that her body was like a that of a ghost. She heard the sounds of blades clashing and ran down the trail. Twilight gasped as she saw the ice mage get thrown across the room and get knocked out. Crimson steadied himself with his scythe and looked at a masked man who stood motionless. The red mage pointed his blade at the necromancer and frowned. “Give up! I’ve beaten all of your puppets.” “All? I think not.” The man said as he pressed his palms together and two caskets popped up out of the ground. “These two were extremely hard to soul trap, but that’s what makes them my favorite.” The two bodies stepped out. A man and a woman. The man had shoulder length black hair and a large hammer was mounted on his back with a pistol was holstered on his side. The woman had fair skin. A long rifle was placed on her back and held a long rapier in her right hand. Her emerald eyes were in a trance like state and her long red hair went to the middle of her back. Their bodies looked the same as when they were amongst the living. Crimson’s eyes shrank and he started to shake. He dropped to his knees and his scythe fell beside him. “Since you’re from the Academy I’m sure you know who these two are.” He said with a laugh. “May I introduce Rosario Vermillion and Orion Comet-” The necromancer was cut off as he dodged a salvo coming from the red mage. “You dare desecrate their graves?” Crimson said in a shaky tone. The necromancer gulped as torrents of red magic started oozing out of the mage. “I will never forgive you for this!” He yelled as a pair of horns sprouted from his head. The enemy cocked an eyebrow and gulped. His eyes shrank as he put the pieces together. “Oh this is just fantastic.” He said with a laugh. “Its a family reunion!” The reanimated Orion withdrew his large hammer and charged at the red warrior. Crimson was ready, he took a defensive stance and got ready to swing. Crimson dodged the strike and went in to attack. As the blade closed in on its target his body stopped moving. He gulped as he looked into the man’s stagnant red eyes. The hammer user then brought the weapon around and slammed it into the mage’s side. The force caused Crimson to fly against the back wall and cough up blood. As he opened his eyes the woman with her rapier aimed for his head charged forwards. Crimson quickly dodged it and jumped back from the two. The man grunted as the pair of hand like wings sprouted from his back. The necromancer shook his head. “I heard that the Academy had a few conduit pets running around.” He said with a chuckle. “I never expected parents to seal a demon inside their own son. They must have hated you.” Crimson’s eyes shrank and felt rage boiling inside him. He glared at the man with his spliced eyes. “Oh that’s a scary face.” The necromancer mocked. Crimson raised his blade and grunted in pain. “I am going to kill you!” He barked. The two reanimated warriors then charged. Crimson dodged his father’s hammer but felt the rapier pierce his chest. Crimson recoiled in pain. The woman then pulled out her rifle and fired a bolt of magic from the barrel. The bolt hit the red mage in the shoulder and sent him flying into the ground. Crimson grunted in pain and tried to stand. He looked at the bodies of his two parents and hung his head in shame. The necromancer laughed again. “What’s wrong? Why are you holding back?” He chuckled. “Is it too hard for you to fight your own flesh and blood? Or is it too much a burden to kill them a second time?” Those words were the final straw. The red mage looked towards the ceiling and yelled in agony. More magic seeped from his body and the entire cave started to shake. The two corpses looked at the mage with blank expressions on their faces. The conduit looked at the two with a single tear running down the side of his face. As it fell to the ground the rapier using warrior’s eyes shrank and charged forward. The necromancer grinned. “Finish him.” The red haired woman’s eyes glowed green and raised her rifle. The bullet struck the man’s gauntlet and bounced back. The redirected salvo hit the woman in the head. The reanimation kept moving and withdrew her blade. The red mage closed his eyes and waited for the pain. What he felt next wasn’t piercing agony, but warmth. He opened his eyes and saw the reanimation of his mother crying as she held him. “I’m so sorry Crimson.” The woman said a she cried. Crimson froze and slowly turned to look at the woman. “H-how?” “What kind of mother watches silently as her child cries?” Crimson’s eyes shrank as he saw a green spell seal on the woman’s forehead shatter. She got to her feet and aimed her rifle at the black haired man. The salvo unleashed from the gun hit him in the eye and a similar green seal shattered. The reanimation blinked twice and turned to face the stunned necromancer. The raven haired man frowned and swung his hammer. The necromancer quickly dodged the hammer and jumped back. “What is this magic?” He said as his eyes shrank. The hammer user then jumped back beside Crimson. “Dad?” Crimson said in a weak tone. “Sorry about the hit son.” He said with a smile. “What a disgrace. An illusion master like me under a weak mind control spell.” “Well, we’re both a bit out of practice.” Rose said with a smirk. Crimson tried to stand but only coughed up blood. “Take a seat son.” She said with a smile. “We can handle this.” Crimson grunted and stood up. “No, I’m sick and tired of everyone protecting me while I sit back and do nothing.” He said as he held up his blade. “I see you’ve got your father’s stubbornness.” Rose said with a chuckle. The necromancer gulped and started to sweat as he stared at the three warriors. “Looks like we have some cleaning up to do.” He said as he pulled out his hammer. The necromancer slammed his hands on the ground and summoned thirty zombies to his side. Rose looked at her son and couldn’t help but smile. “You’ve grown so much.” “I’ll catch you guys up after this.” The scythe user said as he charged forwards and slashed the first five with one swipe. The other two warriors did the same and charged forth, slashing and bashing their way through. The necromancer gulped and watched as his two most powerful pieces were using against him. One by one the reanimations fell leaving only the necromancer. “H-how? You’re supposed to be under my control!” “You don’t get it do you?” Orion said. “There are powers in this world that even magic cannot explain. Ties that can or will never be broken.” Crimson walked forward and picked him up by his throat and slammed his against the wall. “What do you think we should do?” Crimson asked. “I have an idea.” Orion said as he locked his eyes to the necromancer. Orion’s red eyes blinked once and the necromancer’s eyes became half lidded. “He’s in a trance, but his magic is running out and he won’t be able to keep us here for much longer.” Crimson sighed and let him go. The necromancer stood frozen as Crimson removed his mask. His face was pale and had short orange hair. “He still had a point.” Crimson then spun around and slugged both of the reanimations in the stomach. The two grunted in pain and looked at him in confusion. “Crimson?” “Why?” The red mage yelled as tears flowed down his face. “Why in the hell would you seal a demon inside your own son? Do you know what kind of hell I went through?” Crimson yelled as tears went down his face. “Everywhere I went everyone looked at me like I was a monster!” He said as he fell to his knees. “Just tell me why.” He said as he hung his head. His mother crouched and looked at him. “Crimson it’s today isn’t it?” She said in a sad tone. “Y-yeah.” He said with a sigh. “I’m glad to see that Crow kept his promise.” Orion said as he sat next to his son. He picked up the scythe and looked at it. “Where did you get this?” “From a Colossus’ tomb when I took the initiation test.” The two adults eyes shrank. “Who taught you how to fight?” Rose asked. “Grimm.” The two gasped. “I know what you’re thinking and you’re correct.” He said as he hung his head. “The rest of my team learned from them too.” “Y-your team?” Orion asked. “Yeah, I’m the captain of a squad who have the other three.” The man patted his son on the back. “Taking after your mother I see.” He said with a smile. Rose sat on the other side of him and wrapped her arms around her son. “I’m so sorry.” She cried. “I never wanted any of this to happen. You had to grow up all on your own.” “Mom its fine. I-” “No, its not! I knew what would happen to you if we sealed him inside of you.” She cried. “You were hit by one of his magical attacks and were dying. I sealed him to save your life.” Crimson felt his throat dry up at the words. Crimson heard a loud cracking sound and saw her leg cracking like a clay pot. “Looks like our time is coming.” Orion said. “How did you guys get trapped by him anyway?” Crimson asked as he looked at the necromancer. “We never left this world son.” Orion said. “We stayed behind to watch over you. We always found it hard to watch as you grew and we could do nothing.” Orion said as tears formed in his eyes. “One day we got lost and the next thing we knew we were fighting you. We tried so hard to fight back but the necromancer’s spell was too strong. Until your mother saw your tears.” “I never could bear to see you crying.” She said with a sigh. “So about this team of yours?” “My Lt. is Ivy Evergreen.” “Silver’s daughter?” Orion asked. “Yeah.” The two looked at one another in surprise. “Then there’s Rouge, she’s....complicated and is the brains of our group. Lastly there’s Cobalt.” “They sound like good friends.” Rose chimed. “Yeah, they’re the best.” He said with a smile. Another crack appeared on the man’s face. “Crimson, can you ever forgive us?” The raven haired man said. Crimson felt his eyes watering again and rubbed his eyes. “We wanted to be there for you so many times but-” “You’ve always been with me.” He said with a smile. “Somehow, I knew you were there. All those times I felt like someone was watching me, it was you wasn’t it?” The two reanimations cried and hugged the man as their bodies continued to crack. “Looks like your time is up.” Crimson said with a sniffle. The three then stood up and smiled. “There maybe one thing we can do.” Rose said as she held out her two weapons. The man did the same. Orion’s glowed a magnificent white, while Rose’s glowed light green. “What are you doing?” Crimson asked. “We’re transmitting the last bit of power into weapons so that you can use them.” Crimson’s eyes shrank at the words. “We were never really there for you growing up. Now we can be.” Orion said as the color from his body faded and more cracks formed on his body. “I think we can finally move on.” Rose said with a smile. Crimson hesitantly took the weapons and smiled through the tears. “Crimson,” she said with tears in her eyes. “we love you very much.” “I know.” The spell was fading and their bodies started to disintegrate. “One last thing. Happy birthday.” Rose said as the two vanished. Crimson let out a sigh before hurrying over towards the ice mage. He pulled out his transportation gem and put it in Angels hand before activating it. The mage then vanished in a flash of red light. Crimson looked at the weapons and smiled. He clenched his fist and let out a sigh. He withdrew his scythe and made a series of slashes in the shape of a pentagram. He stepped in the middle of the shape and made his hands glow before slamming them on the ground. Time for the final lesson. He thought before vanishing in a flash of light. Twilight sung to her knees as the memory collapsed. As the memory shattered she could see the shape of a ghost like figure with a cane watching from a distance. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Crimson removed his fingers from her forehead and looked at the scholar who had tears in her eyes. The red mage sighed. The man was cut off guard as the scholar wrapped him in a warm hug. The man was blushing profusely and gulped as Twilight buried her face in his chest. “I’m so sorry that you had to do that.” She sniffled. The man gulped and gently patted her on the head. “It’s fine. At least I got to see them agin one last time.” He said with a sigh. Twilight wiped the tears away and smiled. “I need a drink. Wanna come?” “Sure.” She said as she followed the man. In the tree the scholar once hid behind, a large black crow with green eyes cawed as a single tear ran down it’s beak. Crimson saw the black bird fly out of the tree and smiled. The two mages walked into the main building and sighed. They stopped outside a large wooden door marked with the letter R. “What’s this place?” “This is the Ranger’s quarters. Every rank has a lounge” he said as he put his hand on the door and it swung open. The inside was pitch black. As they entered the door slammed shut and the lights were flicked on. “Surprise!” The two mage’s hearts jumped into their throats as they saw the five girls and the other warriors with smiles on their faces. Pinkie then zoomed up to the man with a smile on her face. “Well, did we surprise ya?” “For the second time. Yes, Pinkie. You got me.” Crimson said as he rolled his eyes. Pinkie then lightly smacked him across the face. “That was for not telling us it was your Birthday!” “Technically, it was two days ago.” He then saw the room decorated with balloons and streamers. “Where did you get this stuff?” “I never leave home without my party cannon.” She said as she withdrew a bright blue cannon with a button on top. As she pressed it the man’s vision was clouded by confetti. “How did she-” “It’s Pinkie Pie. Don’t question it.” Twilight said. “Fair enough.” Ivy then attempted to tackle hug him. The red warrior easily dodged the attempt and chuckled. “Nice try Ivy but-” The flyer’s body then turned into a cloud of smoke and the red man felt a familiar pair of arms grab him from behind and squeeze. “Gotcha!” She chimed. “Ivy! Spine crushing!” He breathed out. The green flyer let him go and laughed. “Still, Happy Birthday.” She said with a smile. “How many times have I told you I hate parties?” “675, but who’s counting?” Crimson let out a sigh and shook his head before taking a seat with his team. “So how are you feeling?” Ivy asked. “Better, but still injured.” He said with a sigh. “Grimm must have done a number on you.” Cobalt said. “Yeah,” He said with a sigh. “by the way. He, Warren, Hawkeye and Vex are coming to watch us.” The three drinking warriors spat out their drinks in shock. “What?” The three yelled. “Grimm told me that they wanted to see the effects of our training. He gave me the final and he wants to see if I passed or not by having me fight in the trials.” The green flyer’s eye twitched. “Are you nuts. THEY are coming here?” “Yup, oh and Warren is still pissed.” Crimson said as he looked at Cobalt. “Oh shit.” Cobalt gulped. The six girls then made their way over to the group of mages. Dash looked around at the rowdy individuals that were sining songs and joking with one another. “Is it always like this?” “Yup.” Ivy said with a smile. “We like to party. Well, most of us anyway.” She said as she looked at the red hared man. A Changeling then walked up beside the group. “Hey everyone.” The Changeling was female had dark golden hair and orange spliced eyes. “Yo what’s up Sunny?” Cobalt said as he gave her a friendly nod. “Not much.” She said as he sat down. Sunny then felt the glares of the farmer and cyan flyer on her. “Hello.” She said in a happy tone. The two just scoffed at her. Pinkie smiled and walked over to her. “Hi my name is Pinkie Pie!” “Nice to meet you. I’m Sunny.” She said with a smile. “I’m the bartender here.” “Cool. I’m a pastry chef and party thrower.” “I noticed. It’s certainly lively.” “Awwe, thanks.” Pinkie said with a smile. “Do you wanna be my friend?” She asked. Dash and Applejack looked at her in shock. “Sure.” The woman said with a smile. “Are ya’ll insane Pinkie?” The farmer said. “She’s a Changeling!” “Yeah Pinks, seriously.” Dash interjected. “I mean we know a lot of different people but Changelings?” Dash said with a shiver. Crimson and the group frowned at the two. “Awwe, c’mon Dashie. She may be a Changeling, but she seems nice and wants to be our friend.” Pinkie chimed. The Changeling hung her head. “Its okay Pinkie. I don’t want you to get in trouble with your friends.” The Changeling said. “It’s okay Sunny!” Pinkie said. “You can never have too many friends.” Sunny gulped and extended her hand to shake the cyan flyer’s. Dash grunted and smacked it away. “Rainbow!” Twilight yelled. “What? She’s a Changeling! An insect. You saw what they did in Canterlot and I don’t care about what they did or didn’t do!” Dash yelled. The woman shrank back and gulped. The woman then backed away and tripped over herself. The woman fell and quickly picked herself up and hurried back to her post. “Rainbow!” Twilight said. “That was completely uncalled for!” The scholar yelled. A small glint of silver then shot across the room and landed just next to the cyan flyer’s head. Dash gulped as she looked at the knife that was less than a centimeter away from her ear. Rainbow looked out to see everyone in the room giving her a death stare. A silver object then crashed into her and slammed her against the wall. Dash chocked and saw Ivory glaring at her with rage in her eyes. “Disrespect one of my comrades again and I’ll gut you like a fish.” Ivory said in a calm tone. Dash gulped and felt a large wave of fear wash over her. “I’d leave if I were you. Before things get ugly.” “Take the advice Dash.” Crimson said sharing the same icy stare. “It doesn’t matter who or what you are. We look after each other and the only reason why you’re not a stain on the wall right now is because we give our guests one warning.” The red mage then walked over to her and glared at her. “Listen and listen good. If you look down on my comrades again then I’ll punch you so hard you’ll land back in Ponyville without flapping your wings.” Dash gulped and her eyes shrank. “Get it?” “G-got it.” “Good.” He gave Ivory a nod and the knight backed off. Dash gasped and panted heavily. Fluttershy quickly rushed to her friend’s side and helped her up. “We’ll see you out.” Crimson said as the rest of his team and the girls got to their feet. After they walked out of the lounge Crimson and his team looked at the six and sighed. “Honestly Dash what were you thinking?” Twilight yelled. “Ah have to say RD. ya went a little overboard.” The farmer said. “You’re siding with them AJ?” “Ah’m no fan of Changelings, but the poor girl was trying to be nice and ya shot her down. Heck she could have hurt herself when she fell.” “That wasn’t my fault. She tripped.” “Only because you acted so hostile towards her.” Twilight said. “Whatever.” Dash grumbled. Rouge stepped forward and glared at the flyer. “So you honestly think that you can’t get along with Changelings?” “Yes.” “News flash.” Rouge snapped her fingers and a light purple light enveloped her. As the light faded the girls all gasped as they saw patches of black insect like skin on her arms. Rouge also had fangs and a pair of butterfly wings coming from her back. Her spliced purple eyes bore holes through the flyer. “You’ve been hanging out with one for almost a month.” “Rouge.” Cobalt said as he put a hand on his girlfriend’s shoulder. Rouge let her go and scoffed before walking down the hallway towards her room. Cobalt glared at the flyer and ran after her. Ivy followed suit leaving Crimson glaring at the group. “Ya know, I said that Rouge could trust you guys and I almost convinced her into telling you her secret and not pass judgement. Guess I was wrong.” He said before going after his team. “Crimson wait-” Twilight was cut off as he vanished in a flash of red light. Twilight sighed and frowned at the flyer. The farmer then stepped between the two. “Look ya’ll its been a long day and we all could use some rest.” “I agree with Applejack.” Rarity said with a yawn. “Yeah, we still have to watch for Crimson tomorrow.” Pinkie said. Twilight exhaled and let her anger go as she walked down the hallway towards the guest wing with the girls following close behind. Twilight opened her room to reveal two double beds. One was already occupied by a soundly sleeping dragon. Applejack was sharing a room with Mac. Pinkie and Dash were sharing a room while Rarity was with Fluttershy. Twilight snapped her fingers and her clothes morphed into pajamas. The scholar laid down on her bed and silently drifted off to sleep. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Back on the island surrounded by the red river, three cloaked figures stood before the skinny white haired man. The elder was donning a pale colored cloak. The largest one was donning a red cloak and had a large broad sword on his back. One had a feminine physique and a whip attached to her side as a white hood covered her head. The last was a tall man who wore a black shroud and his mask had an elongated nose. A pair of odd pistols were at his side. “Is everything ready?” The elder asked. “Yeah, been a while since we’ve been there.” The woman said. “Its time to see if their training has paid off.” The gunslinger said. “They’d better not disappoint.” The red warrior commented as the elder walked through the group and cracked his neck. “Lets not keep them waiting then.” He said as a long scythe appeared on his back. “We ride!” He yelled as four horses appeared beneath them and the group charged off. Author's Note Sorry, been busy with Mid terms and this has beed sitting in my file for almost two weeks now.
Chapter XX: Wrath of the Spider QueenChapter XX The Wrath of the Spider Queen The next morning the spectators resumed their seats as they waited for the test to continue. The six girls, Mac and Spike took their seats beside their friends and waited. Dash was still rolling what happened last night in her head. The three Princesses sat beside Crow. Soon the teams started to make their way onto the field. Crow stood up and summoned a microphone. “Good morning everyone.” He said with a smile. “We will continue with the second test. The rules are simple. Two students will fight one on one until either one gives up or is knocked out. There will also be a proctor to monitor the two fighters and in the event one is unable to continue then they will step in and stop the match.” Crow said as he adjusted his glasses. “If any other student interferes with the match, then it will be considered forfeit.” “I should also mention that the combatants will fight as individuals and will not bring down their team’s chances of failing as a whole.” Several sighs of relief escaped some of the students. “Now lets get the show on the road.” The magical screen from the day before. Several names flew by before they stopped. Rouge Nightshade vs Ace O’Spades Cobalt gulped and looked at his girlfriend who sighed. The students left the two combatants on the field. Crimson and his team made their way up to an observation platform with the other teams. Rouge and the man locked gazes. “I may be a gentleman, but don’t think I’m going to go easy on you just because your a girl.” He said as he pulled out his blades. “Wouldn’t dream of it pretty boy.” The woman said as she withdrew her pistol crossbows. The two took a pose and waited. Silence fell over crowd. Crow cleared his throat. “Begin!” Rouge let loose a barrage of purple magical arrows. Ace withdrew a card with an iron shield imprinted on it. The card glowed and a massive iron slab appeared before him. The arrows stuck in the metal and fizzled away. “What kind of magic was that?” Twilight asked. “Its card magic.” Crow stated. “Card magic?” Dash asked. “Ace sealed certain types of magic into those cards of his. All he has to do is funnel his own strength into them and they will appear. Like that shield.” Twilight’s eyes boggled at the magic. “Ace has also trapped monsters within the cards and can summon them.” “So like how Crimson can summon his dog?” Pinkie asked. “Sort of. It uses less magic and the card holder can use the cards for almost anything.” Crow said turning his attention back to the match. Ace withdrew five cards and threw them at the woman. Rouge dodged them with a backflip and fired off a few more arrows. Ace charged at the woman with his blades drawn. Rouge let loose another barrage of arrows. The man held up a card with three green arrows on it. The man’s speed increased to the point where he was a blur. Rouge attempted to guard herself but felt an iron wrapped fist collide with her stomach. The woman coughed up blood and was sent flying back three feet. She slowly got to her feet and panted. This illusion spell is taking too much energy. She snapped her fingers and her disguise shattered. Several members in the crowd gasped as they saw her appearance. The woman sighed and focused on the man. “Looks like she’s getting serious.” Ivy said. Rogue cracked her neck and looked at the man. She switched her crossbows to their dagger form and tightly gripped them. Ace cocked an eyebrow and pulled out a few more cards. “Finally getting down to business then?” He asked. The woman nodded and charged forward. All the man saw was a purple blur. She’s fast! Rouge started to attack using her finger tips before landing a final kick to the man. Ace jumped back and panted heavily. The man felt his left arm go numb. “Forgot about that gentle palm of yours.” He said as he got up. “However,” He said as he snapped his fingers. A light came from beneath the woman’s feet and exploded. “you activated my trap card.” He said as the card in his hand vanished. Rouge grunted in pain as she got to her feet. Ace pulled out a few more cards. A large manticore came out of one and charged at the woman. Rouge defended herself as the beast tried to swipe her. The woman spat a web from her mouth and trapped the manticore. Rouge placed her palm on the ground and the area was filled with purple light. A purple spider the size of a train car then appeared in a cloud of smoke. Rouge then put the back end of her daggers together. As she pulled them apart a metal bar held them together forming a staff like weapon. The mage stood on the spider’s back and focused on the man. “Enough warm up.” She said as she and the spider charged forwards. The spider shot a web thread as Rouge attacked the man. Ace raised his blades and defended against the woman’s attacks. Crow grinned as he saw the two exchange blows. “I’ve never seen her move that fast.” Pinkie said. “When Changelings use their illusion magic it eats up a lot of their power.” Crow stated. “Now that she’s ditched her disguise, Rouge can focus all of her magic on her opponent.” Dash bit her lip and sighed. Crow raised an eyebrow at the flyer. “I realize that some of you may not be comfortable around Changelings, but Rouge is different than the ones that attacked Canterlot.” “You mean she’s part of the Republic?” Cadence asked. “I didn’t say that.” Crow said with a sigh. The two warriors were panting heavily. “You’re good Rouge.” Ace then withdrew the entire deck. “Time for some fifty-two pickup.” He threw the cards into the air and they started circling the man. He launched several at the mage. Rouge flapped her wings and quickly took flight. Ace held out a card with a pair of white wings on it. The man jumped and a pair quickly sprouted from his back. The man held up another card and his speed increased. Rouge blinked and felt a fist collide with her face. Rouge grunted in pain. The man vanished from sight and re appeared behind her. A swift kick made the woman’s back crack. A barrage of kicks and punches then hit the Changeling with incredible force. On the observation platform, Cobalt was gripping the hand rain hard enough to crush it like clay. Crimson put a hand on his shoulder and gave him a nod. “Rouge is tough. She can handle him easily.” “That’s not what I’m worried about.” Cobalt said. The two mages looked at him in confusion. “You know that Rouge and I covered a shopping center in a rock slide right?” “Yeah, you were hired to take down a mountain troll right?” Ivy said. “Yeah, we took care of that easily, but the troll pushed Rouge over the edge and she changed.” “Changed?” Crimson asked. “Yeah, after I managed to calm her down she was back to her normal self.” He said with a gulp. If she goes into that form again, I’m worried that we’ll lose her to madness.” The two gulped and turned their attention back to the fight. After the last punch, the Changeling fell towards the dirt. As she landed on her feet the warrior appeared to her right and gave a swift roundhouse kick to her stomach. The woman flew back a good ten feet before hitting the dirt. This isn’t good. My body can’t handle this kind of damage. She thought as she sat up. At this rate it’ll be Griffonia all over again. A thought then came to her. Rouge looked up to see Cobalt looking at her with a concerned look on his face. Rouge looked at her opponent who had a cocky grin on his face. “What a disappointment. I thought you were part of the Changeling Principality?” The woman’s eyes shrank. “Guess now I know why there’s so few of you left.” The woman frowned and grunted at the man. “I expected a bigger fight, but I guess you’ve already used up most of you strength looks like you can’t do much without that blue moron around.” Rouge’s eye twitched. “Time for the coup de grace.” A small shiver then ran down the man’s spine. “I’m not done just yet you gnat.” A purple aura then covered the woman’s body and started to change. “I’ll show you what I can really do.” The woman’s body was then wrapped in a dark cocoon of magic. Cobalt gulped and was shaking. “What is she doing?” Twilight asked. Crow bit his lip and sighed. “What’s the Changeling Principality?” Crow looked at Celestia and sighed. “Honestly Tia what are you teaching your student?” He said with a sigh. “I would have thought that you’d cover the history of the Changelings. Especially after the mishap at Cadence’s wedding.” “I didn’t think it was necessary.” “Not necessary?” Crow gasped at the words. He calmed down and let out a sigh before turning towards Twilight. “You see, currently there are two major Changeling powers; The Republic and Empire.” He said in a flat tone. “The Principality was the original ruling force before the Chrysalis took it over and turned it into an empire. After seeing how badly things were with the current power, a resistance was formed in hopes to see things back to the way they were. That resistance became the Republic.” “Why couldn’t the Principality or whatever fight back?” Dash asked. Crow sighed. “The first order given by the Empress was the extermination of the Principality.” The group all gasped. Even Cadence and Luna looked surprised. “Rouge is one of the few surviving members of the genocide.” “S-Seriously?” Twilight asked. Crow nodded. The girls felt a few tears form in their eyes. “Unfortunately yes.” “How can you tell if she’s part of this Principality?” Cadence asked. “Its obvious if you know what to look for.” He said with a sigh. “Tell me, how many Changelings have you seen with butterfly wings?” The girls all thought for a moment and realized all the changelings they had seen had dragonfly like wings. “Those who belonged to the Principality also have a special ability.” “Special ability?” Dash asked. The group felt an odd pressure coming from the mage. The girls gasped as they saw her wings vanish and four arms sprout from her back. Her outfit also changed to purple armor. A helmet with mandibles wrapped around her head and the woman had a pair of large fangs. Ace gulped as he looked at the woman. Rouge dug her foot into the ground and ran forwards. Three fists then slammed into the man’s chest. Rouge felt his ribs crack. One hand grabbed him by the throat and threw him up in the sky. She crouched making a small crater form under her feet. She jumped up above the man still in mid air. Rouge slammed her six fists into the man’s gut sending him flying down towards the ground. The man quickly got to his feet and looked above to see the woman rocketing towards him. He dodged the Changeling and shot out six cards from his circle. Before they reached halfway they were shot down by six bolts of purple magic. The man gulped as he saw the woman holding six pistol crossbows. A seventh card then shot forwards and severed one of the arms. The card user granted himself a small moment of victory. His smirk was wiped away as he saw the hand grow back in it's rightful place. Dash gulped as she saw the heavily armored woman. “The members of the Principality have this trick for changing their bodies and regenerating lost limbs.” Crow stated. “That must be Rouge’s form.” He said as he sat back. “Now the real question is if she can control it.” “Control it?” Twilight asked. “From what Rouge has told me and some researching, while in that form her body uses and absorbs massive amounts of magical energy. That constant process of absorbing and spending can make a person become un-balanced.” He said with a sigh. “She also said that it won’t last for very long.” Back on the field the purple mage was panting heavily as she dropped to one knee. Rouge coughed up a small mouthful of blood. The extra arms on her back faded and her wings grew back. Ace smirked as he looked at the woman’s state. “So that little trick of yours only lasts for five minutes eh?” He said with a sigh. “Time to wrap this up.” The man reached into his pocket and pulled out another deck of cards. The cards then flew up in a circular formation. “Tell you what Rouge, I’ll make you a bet.” He said as he held up two cards between his pointer and middle finger. “I’ll end this match with one hand.” Rouge’s eyes shrank as he threw the card in the center of the circle and a ball of yellow energy formed in the center. “Its been fun Rouge, but this is the end.” He said as he threw the second card in. The ball shrank and turned into a massive beam. Rouge tried to move but her body was wrapped in pain. The woman’s eyes shrank as she saw the beam coming right for her. The mage was then met with a blinding explosion. The crowd gasped as they saw the figure of the woman vanish inside the explosion. As the dust settled Ace walked over and peered down into the three foot deep crater that his spell had created and saw the woman lying there motionless. Crimson and Ivy were struggling to restrain the blue flyer. Ace sighed and shook his head. “Sorry but this is as far as you go and that idiot boyfriend of yours is next.” For the woman, time seemed to slow and she felt herself drifting into darkness. “Giving up so soon?” A voice called out to her. “It...couldn’t be...master?” She said in a weak voice. “Are you going to just lie there and admit defeat? After you’ve come so far you’re just going to give up?” Rouge opened her eyes to see the patch of scorched dirt in front of her. “Since Rouge Nightshade cannot continue-” Crow was cut off as he saw the young mage stand. Ace’s eyes shrank and he frowned at the Changeling. “Hey Ace.” Rouge said in a dark tone. “No one, I repeat, no one calls Cobalt an idiot except for me!” At those words the stadium started to shake and the ground started to crack. The stands were shaking violently and purple aura was seeping out of the woman’s body. Ace took a step back from the woman. “What? Her magic power was all gone! Where is this coming from?” The feeling in the air made him feel sick. The man dropped to one knee and felt his stomach churn. What is this magic? Its foul and sick. In the distance he swore he heard a horse neighing. The entire area was filled with white light. Ace opened his eyes and felt a massive wave of fear wash over him as he looked at the woman who was now wearing a long purple cloak with an odd mask over face. The Changeling was sitting on a white horse. Her left hand held a bow. As the card user looked at the weapon he saw that it was marble white and appeared to be made out of bone. “Strife. The first of the four held a bow and rode across the land on a white horse. Taking down all who opposed.” The woman said in a deep tone. She raised her bow and aimed right for the man. Ace threw another card in the center of the spinning circle of cards. Another massive beam shot at the woman. Rouge raised the bow and shot one purple arrow that cut the beam down the middle. Ace looked at the woman in fear. His legs were trembling and he was barely standing on his feet. Rouge lightly kicked the horse who stood on its back legs before galloping towards the man. Ace started to panic and threw five cards into the circle. Ivory gulped as she saw the maneuver. “Eat this!” He yelled before firing the beam. The ray was easily four times bigger. Rouge stuck out her right hand and halted the beam in place. She’s blocking my card beam with her bare hand? The woman charged forward with the beam still in her palm. No, she’s absorbing it! No one can absorb that much power! As the woman closed in, several bolts of magic hit the circle of cards and burned them to piles of ash. The woman got off her horse and slowly walked towards the man who randomly started throwing cards at her. Faster than anyone’s eyes could track the cars were shot down by magical arrows. The woman’s right hand was glowing as she made it into a fist. The ground around her body started to tremble. Ace tried to get to his feet and flee, but was stopped when he realized that he was right up against the wall. Rouge raised her fist and slammed it into the wall beside his head. A massive crack creeped up the side. Ace turned his head to see that the hole went straight through the wall. “Sorry. All this magic is hard to control.” She said as her fist started to glow again. “I won’t miss this-” “I surrender!” He yelled. The woman looked at him in shock. “I yield.” Rouge backed off the man. Crow gulped and got to his feet. “Since Ace O’Spades has withdrawn the winner is-” He stopped as the purple mage’s mask cracked along with her bow. The horse was then enveloped in white flames. The mask shattered completely and Rouge dropped to the ground. Silence fell over the crowd. Ace leaned against the wall and gulped. “I stand corrected. Since Rouge is unable to keep fighting the result is a draw since Ace had just admitted defeat.” At the verdict Cobalt, Ivy and Crimson jumped down from the observation deck beside their comrade. “Rouge? Rouge speak to me!” Cobalt yelled as he lightly slapped the girl’s cheek. Rouge struggled to keep her eyes open and chuckled. “To think I even tried that.” She said with a cough. “Your stupidity must be rubbing off on me.” She said with a faint laugh. Cobalt cried and held the woman’s body close to his. A group of people wearing white uniforms hurried to their side. They laid a stretcher beside her. “I’m going to have to ask all of you to step back. We’ll take it from here.” “Okay gently now.” One of them said as they picked the girl up from the ground and placed her on the stretcher. Cobalt put his hand on the doctor’s shoulder and looked at him with tears in his eyes. “Please save her.” “I’ll do everything within my power.” He said as he looked at the girl. “Besides she’s tough. She’ll be fine.” Cobalt sighed and started to go after them before Ivy tapped him on the shoulder. “Um Cobalt, you’re up.” Cobalt looked at the board and grunted. Cobalt Striker vs Carter O’Connell The blue flyer grunted and stamped his foot. “I’ll look after Rouge.” Crimson said as he ran after the medics. Ivy gulped as she felt his blue aura radiating from his body. “Tell Crimson I’ll be there in seven minutes.” “Are you-” “Seven minutes.” Ivy gulped as she looked into his deep blue eyes that were filled with rage. Across the field a man with dark brown hair jumped down and cracked his neck. Ivy flew up to the observation platform and waited. Ace was helped off the field by the medics. Cobalt removed his broad sword and pointed it at the mage. “Seven minutes is all the time I have to play with you.” Up in the stands the six girls all gulped and watched as the red mage followed the medics. Twilight looked up and saw something that caught her eye. Four shrouded figures standing on the far wall looking at the medics. The one in the pale shroud looked towards her. Twilight blinked and the four shrouds were gone.
Chapter XXI: Attack on TitanChapter XXI Attack on Titan Inside the hospital wing Crimson sat beside the Changeling who was inside one of the healing pods. Crimson sat back and looked at the woman before letting out a sigh. “Damn it Rouge. You should have known better.” He said with a sigh. He heard a knocking at the door. “Come in.” He raised an eyebrow as he saw Twilight, AJ and Dash. “How is she?” Twilight asked. “She’s tough.” Crimson said in a flat tone. “What do they want?” He asked as he looked at the farmer and flier. “Rouge really isn’t in the condition for a debate.” “Look,” The farmer stated. “what Dash did was completely out of line and she’s sorry.” The cyan flyer rolled her eyes. “Really? So you’ve accepted her?” “Ah didn’t say that.” The farmer said with a huff. Crimson frowned at the two. “I’m surprised Celestia lets two people as bigoted as you wield some of the most powerful artifacts in history.” The two frowned. “She’s a Changeling! She’s probably killed people!” Dash said. Crimson raised an eyebrow and deadpanned at the girls. “Duh, what do you think this school is training us for?” He said in a flat tone. “Its practically a requirement to kill to be a student here.” The three stared at him in shock. “Oh don’t give me that look. You guys turned Discord to stone, destroyed Nightmare Moon along with Sombra. So don’t act all high and mighty.” He said as he pointed at the girls who hung their heads. “Granted I always look for an alternative, but sometimes it can’t be helped.” Crimson said with a sigh. The two still held their stare. “Tell me, how much do you guys actually know about Changelings?” “They-” “Besides their attack on the wedding and the tribes.” The three fell silent. “That’s what I thought. You don’t even know Rouge. You think my situation is sad? Ha! Rouge has been through way more than I have.” He said in a flat tone. “How so? Because she’s part of this Principality thing?” “Crow?” “Yeah, he told us a little bit about it.” Twilight said. “What exactly happened?” “I don’t know all the details myself, but from what Rouge has told me it was gruesome.” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ It had been three months since Crimson had found out about what he carried inside of him. The green flyer was still acting distant towards him. Even Cobalt was giving him worried looks. The young boy was awoken by someone jostling his arm. He opened his eyes to see the purple mage looking at him with a worried look on his face. “Rouge?” He asked in a groggy voice. “Can I talk to you?” “Now?” He asked as he looked at his alarm clock. “It’s one in the morning. We have to be up in six hours. We have that levitation test tomorrow and-” He was cut off as he saw a few tears in her eyes. The boy sighed. “Okay, whats up?” He asked as he sat up. “Not here.” She said as she pointed towards the balcony. Crimson got to his feet and followed the girl over to the balcony. “So how are you doing since....ya know....you found out.” “As good as you might think.” He said with a sigh. Rouge bit her lip. “Look, I know how you feel.” Crimson raised an eyebrow. “Being a monster and hiding.” “Yeah right.” He said with a sigh. “How could you possibly know?” The girl snapped her fingers and her body was wrapped in purple light. As the light faded, Crimson’s red eyes shrank as he saw her wings and black patches on her skin. Her purple eyes were spliced and had a pair of fangs. Crimson had heard of creatures able to disguise themselves. Rouge hung her head and sighed. “You’re a Changething?” “Changeling.” She corrected with a sigh. “I disguised myself so that no one would be freaked out.” Crimson looked at her wings and gulped. The girl slumped to the ground and buried her head in her knees. “Does Crow know?” He asked as he sat down next to her. “No, no one does.” She said with a sniffle. “Where are your parents?” “Dead. They’re all gone.” She cried. Crimson hesitantly put an arm around her and sighed. “I’m...I’m the only one left.” “But I heard that the Changelings have their own country and-” “Not that. I was part of the Changeling Principality.” She sniffled. “I managed to escape during the siege, but my parents, my brother, they didn’t make it.” The girl cried into his chest. Crimson felt pity for the young girl. “Wherever I went people hated me just because I’m different. That’s why I’ve been so...difficult with you guys.” “I see.” “When I found out about you, I was...relieved.” She said with a gulp. “That there was someone else like me. Someone who has been hated for something out of their control.” She cried. “I-If you want me off your team then I get it. Just promise me that you won’t tell anyone about me.” She said with a sniffle. “Who said I wanted you off my team?” The girl looked at him with tears in her eyes. “So you’re a Changeling. Big deal.” He said with a shrug. “At least you’re no Hell spawn.” Crimson said as he leaned against a railing. “Plus you’re smart. I’m pretty sure we would have failed today’s test without your help.” The girl smiled at him. “So now what?” The girl asked. “Well, I think we should tell Crow.” The girl gulped. “Hey if he’s okay with me then-” “That only because he’s your guardian.” Crimson shook his head. “No, I remember him saying that he’s worked with Changelings before.” He said in a hope filled tone. “Look, we should at least let someone know and sure that there are other Changelings here.” The girl sniffled and reapplied her disguise. “We can go see Crow at lunch. That okay?” “Y-yeah, thanks.” She said as the two went back inside. Crimson crawled back into his bed and pulled the covers over him. The next day the two children made their way down the hall and towards the teacher’s office. Crimson was getting several dirty looks from other students. He ignored them and pressed on. “Are you sure about this?” She asked with a gulp. “I’m sure Crow will understand. He’s cool like that.” He said as he knocked on the door. “Who is it?” A familiar voice said. Crimson poked his head in and looked around. The raven haired man was sitting behind his desk. “Ah Crimson. Need something?” “Well, sort of.” He said as he opened the door and revealed the purple mage. The two walked into the room and closed the door behind them. “Something wrong?” He asked as he put his pen down. “Not exactly.” Crimson said as he searched for the right words. “You see-” “I’m a Changeling!” Rouge said as she shook in fear. Crow raised an eyebrow and focused on the young girl. Rouge removed her disguise and hung her head. “I know.” The two children looked up at the man in confusion. “What do you mean you know?” “I knew the second I saw you.” Crow said as he got up. “A low level disguise is easy to look past if you know what to look for. Besides you’re not the first Changeling to attend here.” He said with a smile. “R-Really?” She said in a relieved voice. “Yes, but judging by your appearance you’re a part of the Principality aren’t you?” Rouge hung her head and nodded. “I see. Then my suggestion is to at least let Cobalt and Ivy know about you.” “No!” Rouge said. “Cobalt’s dad works for the military and if he tells him then I’m good as dead.” “Ivy is still getting over my...condition.” Crimson said with a sigh. Crow sighed and thought for a moment. “I guess you can wait for a while, just until things calm down.” Crow said. The two children nodded and exited the room. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Crimson finished and looked at the three girls with eyes burning like fire. “None of you know what she’s been through. So if you don’t like her then fine.” He said with a sigh. “Insult her or any of my comrades and I’ll knock you into next week.” He said as he cracked his knuckles. The three gulped. “Now if you don’t mind, I’m going to sit back and watch Cobalt’s match.” “How?” Twilight asked. Crimson pointed to the TV and picked up a remote. He turned the monitor on and the screen showed the blue winged flyer dead locked with a man using an axe. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Cobalt lunged forwards with his sword pointed right at his opponent. Just before he got within two feet of the man the flyer stuck the tip into the ground. The axe user jumped back as the area he once occupied erupted in a pit of sword edges. As the man landed he saw the blue flyer charging with the blade drawn. Carter defended himself once again and fell back from his position. He made the blade glow and slashed the air. A green beam of light then cut through the air and closed in on the man. Cobalt put his hand out and caught the slash in his armored hand. “I do not have time for this!” Cobalt yelled. The flyer griped his sword with both hands and let out a sigh. The axe user charged forwards and swung at the man. The blade hit his skin, but didn’t go any deeper. Carter gulped as he saw that the flyer’s skin was gun metal grey and had a shine to it. Cobalt slammed his metal fist into the man’s gut which caused him to fly back. The axe user looked to see that every inch of Cobalt’s skin was now coated in metal. Carter chucked and soon laughed. “Excellent now I won’t have to hold back!” The man said as he cracked his neck and holstered his weapon. Cobalt charged forwards. The flyer was then met with a large fist slamming him against the far wall. Cobalt opened his eyes to see that the man’s arm had grown five times its size. The skin was very worn and Cobalt saw the muscle tissue moving. Dash and the other girls gasped at the image displayed on the screen. Crimson frowned and sighed. “What was that?” Twilight asked. “Carter’s codename is the Titan.” He sighed. “He can increase the size of any part of his body at will.” The girls gulped at the words. “Its a very unique type of magic.” “How so?” Twilight asked. “Its a type of inherent magic.” “Inherent magic?” Dash asked. Crimson nodded. “You see there is magic in this world that can only be used by people who are members of a family or bloodline. Carter is one of them and only members of his family can use that form of magic. Same with Ivy. She has dragon slayer’s blood in her, only she and her family have that specific type of magic.” “Do you have one?” Applejack asked. Crimson bit his lip and sighed. “Yes, I do.” “What kind is it?” “You see-” He was cut off as he heard a groan coming from the pod. The group looked in and saw Rouge’s eyes open and poke her head out. “Welcome back.” He said with a smile. “What happened?” She asked as she rubbed her head. “You ran out of magic after attempting to shift.” He sighed. “Honestly, why would you attempt something so dangerous?” The group looked towards the doorway to see a man with dark brown hair and a long brown coat that matched his leather hat. Two pistols were at his side and he had an odd aura around him. Rouge gulped as he entered. “You aren’t ready for that level yet.” “Sorry sir.” Rouge said as she hung her head. “Streak.” Crimson said with a nod. “Girls this is Streak Shooter. Rouge’s teacher.” The man silently tipped his hat to the girls. Rouge looked up at the television and her eyes shrank at the match. “Cobalt is fighting Carter?” She said with worry in her eyes. “Yeah why?” Dash said. The Changeling tried to step out of the pod but was stopped by the red warrior and dark gunslinger. “You need to rest.” Crimson ordered. “Cobalt will be fine.” Rouge groaned and looked at the two men as she sighed. “Who is this Carter guy anyway? What makes him so scary?” Applejack asked. “His nickname is ‘The Titan.’” Rouge said. “Why do they-” The cyan flyer was cut off as they heard a loud roar coming from the stadium. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Cobalt looked in shock as the warrior focused a large amount of his magic into his body. The axe user grinned and looked at Cobalt. “Sorry Cobalt, but this is as far as you go.” Carter bit his thumb hard enough to draw blood. He took his bleeding finger and pulled back a seal on his arm. As the blood came into contact with the seal the warrior was encased in steam. The blue flyer gasped as he saw a figure rise high above him. The massive creature loomed over the stands and stood easily fifteen meters high. The massive beast looked down at the flyer and started to chuckle. “This is the end.” The giant raised its foot and slammed it on the ground. Spectators flung out of their seats and others clung to the railing. Crow got to his feet and tapped his cane twice on the hard ground. Two spell circled appeared above the fighters and the two vanished in a flash of green light. “Since the test has become too unstable, the combatants will continue the exam away from the spectators for their personal safety.” He said as several screens appeared over the field. “The match will be viewed through these screens. The flyer hovered in the sky above a large field. Across stood the fifteen meter tall giant. “Excellent, now I won’t have to hold back.” The giant said with a roar. Cobalt sighed and flew forwards with the sword gripped in both hands. Carter shot one of his fists towards the small blue fly that had started flying around his face. Cobalt slashed across the man’s arm making blood spill out on the ground. The flyer’s eyes shrank as he saw the wound beginning to heal. Cobalt sighed and pulled up his sleeve to show an odd symbol. He bit his finger hard enough to bleed and he slid a bit of the blood on the seal. A massive cloud of smoke enveloped the flyer. The giant jumped back as a massive sword slashed through the air. The giant gulped as he stared at a twenty meter tall armored knight. The knight was in dark blue armor and its dark helmet only accented its bright blue eyes. The knight had a sword in its right hand that looked like it could cut a mountain in half. The knight stuck the end of the blade in the ground and cracked it’s fists. The armored giant made the ‘bring it on gesture’ with its armored hands. The titan roared and lunged towards the knight. The armored knight slammed a fist against the Titan’s. The giant’s wrist snapped in half as it roared in pain. The knight clenched its iron fist and slammed it into the titan’s face. The large being was sent back a few feet and landed on its back. The knight jumped on its chest and started slamming its fist into the opponent's face. Large pools of blood that could fill ponds and lakes splashed on the ground. The Titan kicked the knight off his chest and stood up as it roared. Its broken arm didn’t seem to regenerate and ran towards the knight. The dark armored figure extended its arm and grabbed the Titan by the face and started thrashing it around like a rag doll. The knight threw the Titan over his head and into a clump of trees. The Titan got on it’s knees and panted heavily. The knight lifted up it’s face shield and the blue flyer shot our glowing in blue aura. The flyer circled around and landed on the back of the Titan’s neck. He pulled his blade out and made it glow with lightning. Cobalt slammed the blade down into the monster’s neck. As he sliced the skin down he saw the mage wrapped in muscle tissue. The flyer reached in and ripped the man out of the massive body and threw him on the ground. The large Titan’s body started to waste away and evaporate. The flyer sheathed his sword and looked down at the unconscious mage. Cobalt raised his sword in victory and the massive knight followed suit. “Carter O’Connell is no longer able to fight. Cobalt Striker is the victor.” Crow yelled over the microphone. The spectators cheered as the massive knight vanished and the flyer rocketed off towards the hospital wing. Crimson was looking at his pocket watch as the blue flyer threw open the hospital door. Crimson smirked and closed his watch. “Six minutes fory-nine seconds.” He said as Cobalt made his way over to Rouge. “How ya feeling?” “I’m fine. What about you ya big idiot? Calling in him was a tad overboard don’t ya think?” She said with a smile. “Overkill is underrated.” He chuckled. “Why do I put up with you?” She said as she rolled her eyes. “Cause ya love me.” He said with a goofy grin. “What the hell was that thing?” Dash yelled. “That was my Iron Monger. It’s an ancient golem made completely out of metal and is bound to me after I bested it in combat.” The girls looked at him in shock. “You beat that monster?” AJ said in shock. “Yup, everyone in our squad has.” Crimson said. Cobalt then frowned at Rainbow Dash. “Mind telling me what she’s doing here?” “Been trying to explain the whole Changeling thing to them.” Crimson sighed. “Sadly to no avail.” He snapped his fingers and his father’s hammer appeared in his hand. “I was contemplating using this to get it through their thick skulls.” “Yes, it has been quite the ordeal.” Cobalt yelped as he saw the gunslinger. “Nice to see you too Cobalt. Warren is looking for you.” “Oh crap.” He gulped. The door burst open to show Soarin, Spitfire and a grey winged flyer with dark blue eyes and black hair. “Cobalt!” The grey flyer roared. “Dad calm down.” Soarin said as the grey flyer pushed him aside. Cobalt rolled his eyes and sighed. “Step away from that thing now!” He yelled as he pointed at Rouge who hid back inside her pod. Cobalt walked up to the man so they were standing face to face. “Or what?” “Or so help me I’ll cut her down myself.” A small knife then appeared in the flyer’s hands. Crimson was reaching to draw his scythe when Cobalt threw up a hand. Crimson folded his arms and sighed. “Touch her and I’ll end you Storm Shocker.” Cobalt yelled. Soarin gulped as he used their father’s full name. He tried to get between the two. “Look guys lets just calm down and-” “Stay out of this!” The two flyers yelled. “I give you a home and you throw it away for some Changeling bitch?” Cobalt glared at him with burning hatred. “She probably twisted your mind. That’s what they do!” He then looked at the three other girls in the room. “You’re the elements of Harmony! You know what I’m talking about.” “Look, we may not be a fan of Changelings,” Applejack started. “but Rouge saved our lives on more than one occasion.” The flyer glared at them. “I don’t care what she’s done!” He yelled. “She’s turned my son into some mindless puppet who’s no longer fit to be a part of-” He was gut off as a a fist collided with his face. The grey flyer was sent flying back into a nearby table. Cobalt looked in shock as he saw Soarin cracking his knuckles. “Don’t you dare insult my little brother!” He yelled. “I know Rouge and she’s more than proven herself and has helped saved Equestria dozens of times!” Soarin yelled. He looked at Spitfire who gave him a nod. “I’m not supposed to be revealing this, but Spit and I have talked with the Prime Minister of the Changeling Republic and we’re considering allowing Changelings into the Wonderbolts!” Dash’s jaw dropped and the grey flyer stared at his son in disbelief. “Sacrilege!” He yelled. “I’ve seen Changelings fly circles around our best recruits and then some!” Spitfire barked. “Look even I’m still a little miffed about the wedding, but that was two years ago. We need to move forward.” Storm got to his feet and felt a small trickle of blood seep from his lip. He glared at Cobalt and scoffed. “If you do this, then you’re on your own.” “I’ve been on my own since I was ten years old.” He scoffed. Storm went towards the door way and glared at the younger blue flyer. “I knew I should have left you on the side of the road.” He spat out. “If Soarin and Gale hadn’t convinced me then I would have left you to freeze!” “Get out!” Soarin yelled. The flyer scoffed and charged out the door. The group let out a sigh and silence fell over the group. “Sorry you had to see that.” Cobalt said with a sigh. A silence still was in between the group. A soft sob could be heard from the pod. Cobalt walked over and looked inside to see the woman crying. A pair of arms wrapped around the flyer and closed around his neck. “You’re such an idiot.” “But I’m your idiot.” He chuckled. The woman dried her tears as Applejack removed her hat and walked up to her. “Rouge, ah’m mighty sorry how ah was treating ya.” AJ said as she hung her head in shame. “Wasn’t fair to you. Can ya forgive me?” Rouge nodded and smiled at the girl. Crimson sighed and looked at the TV. He grinned as he saw the names. Crimson Storm vs Wind Gash “Well, looks like I’m up.” He said as he got to his feet. “Wish me luck.” He said as he vanished in a flash of red light. Rouge stepped out of the pod and stumbled as Cobalt caught her. “Whoa, where do you think you’re going?” Cobalt asked. “C’mon, I don’t wanna miss this.” Cobalt shook his head and sighed. “No point in arguing with you is there?” “Nope.” She said as she lightly tapped his nose. Cobalt looked towards Applejack. “Think you can take her? Contestants have to stay in the observation booth.” “Ah got her.” AJ said as she put her arm around the Changeling. “Thanks. Now lets hurry I don’t want to miss this.” Cobalt yelled as he flew out the window. The other girls nodded and quickly made their way back towards the stands.
Chapter XXII: Devils and Dragons (Re uploaded)Chapter XXII Devils and Dragons The crowd grew restless as Crimson made his way on to the field. A man with jet black hair and wings was waiting for him. A sword holstered at his side. Crimson cracked his neck and took his position. Twilight and the rest of the group made it back to their seats beside the Princesses. “Ah Rouge,” Crow started. “how are you feeling?” He said with a warm smile on his face. “Better than I was.” She said with a sigh. Crow nodded and stood up as he looked down at the two combatants. “Are you two ready?” The two warriors nodded. “Begin!” Crow yelled. Crimson summoned his scythe and sliced a red beam through the air. The flyer took flight and avoided the blast. Crimson crouched and focused his magic into his feet before jumping high in the sky. As he got on the same level with the flyer. Gash increased his speed and flapped his wings towards the red mage. The wind turned into two small twisters. Crimson was caught in mid air as they hit him. The wind was so fierce that it started to cut the man’s flesh. Crimson was being tossed around like a piece of paper in a twister. The invisible blades kept slicing at him The red mage fell back towards the ground and panted heavily. The flyer landed across from him and grinned. “What kind of magic is that?” Rarity asked, “It’s wind magic.” Rouge said. “Like Ivy’s fire and Cobalt’s metal, he uses the natural element to enhance his strength and magic.” “But this entire place is air!” Dash yelled. “How is he supposed to beat something like that?” Crow raised an eyebrow at the flyer and chuckled. “Just watch.” Crow chuckled. “Crimson has a few tricks up his sleeve.” “Yeah we know he’s tough.” The farmer said. “We saw him take down an entire team during the first exam.” “Tough? You haven’t even seen a fraction of what he can do yet.” Twilight then perked up. “Crimson said he had some inherent magic. What is it?” Rouge and Crow gulped. “Its....complicated.” Rouge said. “How so?” Rarity asked. “You see, he’s what you call a fusion of two bloodlines.” Crow stated. The girls looked at him in shock. “Why are you all looking like that for? Its far from uncommon.” He said with a raised eyebrow. “Take Ivy for example. Her father was a dragon slayer and her mother is a Druid.” “A druid?” Twilight asked. “Again, what are your teaching your pupil Tia?” Crow said as he face palmed. “Druids are better known as 'forest wizards.' The leader of the druid family that existed nine hundred years ago was able to tame the Everfree forest and bend it to her will.” The group looked at him in shock. “That combined with Ivy's dragon slaying magic makes her a force to be reckoned with.” “What about Crimson?” Fluttershy asked. “Him? He’s a special case.” Crow grinned. “His shadow magic right?” Rarity asked. “Wrong on that note.” Crow said. “But we heard from Rouge and the others that shadow magic is almost impossible to master.” Fluttershy said. “It is.” Luna said. “In theory anyone given enough time and patience could learn it.” She sighed. “So if shadow magic isn’t his inherent magic then what is?” Twilight asked as Crow grinned. “His father, Orion was from the exorcist dynasty.” Celestia and Luan gasped. “Exorcist?” Twilight asked. “A bloodline that specializes in dealing with demons and dark mages.” The girls then thought back to the nightmare moon conduit Crimson fought against. “There aren’t that many around but you can tell that he’s an exorcist.” “How?” “His eyes.” The group then looked at the mage’s blood red eyes. “His eyes?” Rarity said in disbelief. “People who derive from that bloodline all have red eyes. Same with his hair, but that comes from his mother’s side.” “What magic did she have?” Dash asked. “It’ll just be easier if you see it for yourself.” He said as they turned back to the fight. Crimson was dodging the wind left and right. The red mage was feeling the effects of the cuts he was getting. The winged man started to clap and he smiled. “Very good Crimson, you certainly are quick on your feet.” He said as he gripped his handle. “However, that won’t be enough to beat me.” He pulled out the handle and the crowd looked in confusion to see and empty handle. “So that’s your weapon then?” Crimson said as he panted. The man slammed the handle in a vertical motion. Crimson immediately jumped out of the was to see a large slash mark appear where he once stood. “What was that?” Dash yelled. “Its a wind sword.” Rouge said. The girls looked at her in confusion. “The handle focuses the user’s magic into an element. The blade is literally made out of wind.” The group gulped and watched as Crimson dodged strike after strike. The flyer spun the blade in his hand and pointed it at the red mage. “Sorry Crimson,” He said as the air around him started to move at a fast rate. “prepare to be blown away!” A bright light shot out of the handle and the red mage was instantly pinned against the far wall. As he was shot the wind seemed to act like blades and slash across his body. Twilight put a hand to her mouth in shock. Even Rouge gulped as she saw the damage on her friend’s body. The bombardment kept up and the red mage was slashed from head to toe. As the bombardment ceased the red mage fell to the ground in a pool of his own blood. Crimson groaned on the ground in pain. “Pity, I figured that you’d be stronger than this.” The flyer sighed. “What a disappointment.” He said as he shook his head. “Are you done talking?” The flyer looked ahead to see the red warrior standing, even smiling. A small trickle of blood seeped from his scalp. Crimson wiped the red liquid away. He looked at his bloodied palm and clenched his fist. “I was just feeling you out.” He said as he stared at the flyer. Gash shot another of the blasts at the red mage who grinned. A massive red wall appeared in front of the mage and stopped the bombardment. The flyer looked in shock and saw that the wall was moving with the cuts and seemed to repair itself. As the bombardment ended the flyer’s eyes shrank as he saw that the wall appeared to be made of liquid. The Princess’s eyes shrank at the spectacle. The man slammed his palm down on the ground. The flyer heard a cracking noise and looked down to see a red spike shoot up in front of the flyer who immediately took flight. The flyer felt something wrap around his leg and throw him against the wall. The flyer looked to see that an arm made of the red substance was sticking out of the spike. The red spike then receeded back down tha hole and back towards the red mage's feet. Gash looked in horror as he saw the red liquid seep into the man’s cuts. “Okay, now I’m really fired up!” Crimson said as the crowd felt an immense amount of magical energy seep from the man’s body. The red pool Crimson was standing in started to shrink and go back into the man’s body. The damage he had taken seem to vanish from the mage’s skin. Celestia glare at Crow who sat back and grinned. The six girls gulped and looked back at Crow. “That’s his mother’s magic. Crimson inherent magic from Rosario is blood magic.” “Blood magic?” Rarity asked. “Its on the border of dark magic.” Celestia growled. “Oh come now Tia, you’ve met Rose. You surely would have sensed it.” Crow said with a sigh. “Crimson mostly uses blood magic for healing purposes anyway.” Twilight then thought back when he had healed her when they encountered the bandits. “How in the hay does that work?” Applejack asked. “He accelerates the white blood cells in his body and that allows him to heal his wounds. Although it uses a lot of magic.” He sighed. “Could he use it on someone else?” Twilight asked. “Of course, but he doesn’t have the skill to manipulate it like his own.” Crow sighed. “Healing on the other hand is simple if he makes physical contact with another person.” He said as he scratched his chin. “Why?” “No reason.” Twilight said as she blushed. The group turned their attention back to the fight. Crimson charged forward and was cutting through the wind blades like they were butter. The scythe’s edge glowed a bright red as it absorbed the magic from the blasts. What is going on? They’re not even having an effect! Crimson slammed the butt end of the scythe into the man’s jaw. Crimson followed up with a blast of magic from his left palm and into the man’s gut. The flyer took flight once more and soared high in the sky. Crimson scoffed and replaced his scythe with the rifle. Crimson fired off several rounds at the flyer who dodged it with ease. “Get down here and fight like a man!” Crimson bellowed. He kept firing the rifle in rapid succession. “Ugh! This isn’t duck hunt ya know!” He said as he kept firing. Crow face palmed and groaned. That temper. He’s definitely Rosario’s son. He shivered as he remembered the red haired woman occasionally beating the crap out of him. “Missed me again!” The flyer mocked. “Fine! Then I’ll come up there!” Crimson yelled. The flyer grinned at beating the mage on his turf. Crimson took a deep breath and cracked his neck. The air around him became ripe with magic and a pair of hand like wings sprouted from his back and a pair of horns sprouted from his head. Celestia and Luna gulped as Crow gripped his cane. The crowd looked at one another in confusion at the man’s appearance. Crimson raised his hand like wings and sighed. “Time to test out this new spell.” He said as the knuckles of the wings cracked. Two massive spheres appeared in the palms of the wings and shined like two suns. The flyer gulped as he saw the two spheres. The hands then came together and the spheres became one. The hands opened and a massive red beam shot out and rocketed towards the flyer. Too big to dodge! He said as he put his guard up. He waited for the pain. The man opened his eyes and saw the stadium below him and could make out the looks of shocked faces. The large blast seemed to vanish from existence. “Psst. Up here.” The flyer looked up and saw the red mage above him. Crimson raised his right fist and slammed it into the flyer’s head. Gash rocketed towards the ground with the red mage right behind him. Crimson slammed one of his enlarged fists into him and quickened his descent. The flyer crashed into the ground and Crimson landed beside him. His wings went back inside his body as the flyer groaned. “Crimson Storm is the victor.” The flyer opened his eyes and struggled to get to his feet. Crimson extended his arm and the flyer gladly took it. “Anything broken?” He asked as he helped him to the side of the arena. “Nah, wing’s just fractured. I’ll live.” He said as the medics arrived. “That bit with the giant light show was just showing off.” The medics helped the flyer walk away from the mage. “I’ll beat you next time.” “Promises, promises.” Crimson said as he teleported back to where Ivy and Cobalt were standing. “Awesome!” Cobalt said as she high five’d him. “Ugh! When is it going to be my turn!” Ivy whined. “I mean, you show off and take down an entire team. Then Rouge loses, how is she anyway?” “She’s fine.” Cobalt grinned. “Then you go and have a giant fight.” She said as she glared at Cobalt. “Then you go again! I’m getting robbed here!” Crimson rolled his eyes and chuckled. Ivy sawn the color drain from his face and Cobalt gulped. “Looks like your prayers have been answered Ivy.” Crimson turned her around and the flyer’s eyes shrank at the board. Ivy Evergreen vs Angel Frost Ivy had a wicked smile spread across her face as she glared at the ice conduit who chuckled. Ivy jumped down to the field and waited. “This is not good.” Crimson said as he looked at the equally frightened blue flyer. The ice mage appeared as an icy mist that solidified into her normal body. Crimson turned into his shadow form and zoomed towards Crow. The cyan flyer almost fell over in shock as she saw the dark object she had mistaken as a rogue cloud showed itself to be the red mage. He stood on the railing before hoping off and walking towards Crow. “Ah Crimson, excellent match.” “Thanks.” He said with a nod. The Princesses kept their gaze on him. Crimson leaned over and whispered something to the man. Crow nodded and stood up. “Much like before, this battle will take place outside of the arena and will be viewed through the screens.” He said as he tapped his cane twice and the two fighters were transported outside the arena and into the field the blue flyer had used when he fought the titan. “Thanks. Angel has been....difficult as of late.” Crimson said. “Of course.” Crimson nodded and started to walk away. “Oh and Crimson.” The red mage stopped as he got to guard rail. “Should either of them get out of hand-” “I’ll handle it.” He said before vanishing in a flash of red light. The group then saw a smiling woman make her way up towards them. Their eyes shrank as they saw her brown hair and wings coming from her back. Her green eyes had a shine to them. “Ah Fern.” Crow smiled. “How are you doing?” “Oh I’m just here to look after Rouge.” She said as she looked at the Changeling. Her voice was almost as soft as Fluttershy’s. “You still have a long way to go before you’re fully healed.” “I wanted to see the matches.” Rouge pouted. Dash cleared her throat. “Oh right, where are my manners?” Crow said. “Ladies, this is Fern Willow. Our herb specialist and Ivy’s mother.” The group looked at her in shock. “Nice to meet all of you.” She said with a timid smile. The girls looked at the woman and back at Ivy. The physical similarities were there, but the attitudes couldn’t be farther a part. “I hope you don’t mind if I stay and watch Crow.” “By all means. I don’t think our guests would mind.” He said as he looked at the Princesses. “Its perfectly alright.” Celestia smiled. The flyer bowed and pulled out some ointment. Rouge raised her arm and the flyer put the lotion on her skin. “Ow.” Rouge said as it stung her wounds. “Sorry.” She said as the group turned and looked at the monitors. The two female combatants looked at one another and grinned. “Ready for a beat down ice witch?” Ivy said as light green aura coated her body. “Whenever you are fire spitter.” The air around the conduit grew cold and a white magic encircled her body. “Begin!” The two immediately locked blows and exchanged fists and kicks. The ground around the two seemed to be shifting from scorching hot to freezing cold. Ivy shot out several fire balls from her fist only for them to be countered by the conduit’s ice shield. “Gonna hide behind an ice shield eh?” Ivy said as she took flight and started another round of flaming salvos. The mage’s shield then formed into spears. “Catch!” Angel said as she launched the spears and extinguished the flames. The flyer pulled out her whip and changed it into the staff mode and started to attack Angel. The girl shifted her magic into a long sword and started to fend off the fire mage. Ivy grunted and switched to the baton mode. She fired off shots of green energy that made the ice mage retreat. Angel returned fire with a blast of freezing gold wind laced with hardened snow. Ivy guarded herself against the ice balls and fell to the ground with several bruises on her arms. “Ready to give up?” Angel smirked. “In your dreams.” Ivy set aside her weapons and removed her brown fingerless gloves. As she focused her magic the image of a green flame shined on the back of her hands. He stuck out her right hand and snapped her fingers. Angel jumped to the right as the spot she was once occupying was wrapped in green flames. Ivy snapped her fingers again and the ice mage was trapped by green flames. Ivy kept up the bombardment for two minutes straight until she felt herself tire out. The green flames kept burning as Ivy leaned herself on her knees and panted. “Are you done?” Ivy looked up to see the conduit behind a massive wall of ice. Angel snapped her fingers and the remaining flames were encased in ice. Ivy gulped at the spectacle. The flyer slammed her hands into the dirt and the ground started to shake. A large tree sprouted out from the ground and shot towards the ice mage. Angel focused her magic to her feet and the bottom of her shoes turned into ice skates. As the blades touched the dirt, the ground a round them seemed to turn to ice. The mage seemed to move like a gale force. Angel dodged the trees and a sword made of ice and cut through the trees and close in on the flyer. Angel’s right fist seemed to change into a massive ice claw and she slashed at the flyer. Ivy ducked out of the way as the razor sharp claws went over her head. The fire mage then delivered an uppercut to the conduit’s chin. Angel was sent flying back a good five feet. “Just give up Angel. You couldn’t hit-” The flyer gasped as she saw the ice mage holding a lock of green hair. “Oh crap.” Rouge said as she gulped. “Oh dear.” Fern said with a shiver. “What?” Dash said. “Did Crimson mention that Ivy was really sensitive about her hair?” Rouge said. “Yeah he mentioned it.” Twilight said. “Why?” “You see,” Fern started. “Ivy has always been touchy about her hair. Even when someone would so much as touch it without her permission they’d spent at least a week in the infirmary.” The girls all gulped. “Now that Angel just cut a piece off, Ivy is going to go all out on her.” Ivy’s right eye twitched and the air around her went up ten degrees. The ice mage raised an eyebrow as a bright green aura radiated from her body. “You are gonna pay!” Ivy screamed as she shot forward at a speed that even the cyan flyer couldn’t follow. Angel looked down to see a fist slamming into her face and propelling her into the sky. Ivy was close behind and bombarded the mage with punch after punch. Angel coughed up some blood as ivy stopped the punches and flew around behind her and delivered a bone shattering kick to the conduit’s back. Angel was now shooting towards the ground. Her eyes shrank as she saw the green blur land where she was falling to. Ivy jumped and spun in mid air. As the ice mage came into proximity, Ivy focused what was left of her magic into her right leg and slammed it into the conduit’s side. Angel was sent flying across the field and into a boulder that could level Twilight’s library. The boulder was reduced to rubble as the white haired mage slammed into it. The green flyer panted heavily and let out a massive roar that shook the surrounding area. Spike who was biting his nails in fear heard the roar and gulped. Crow took note of the boy’s eyes and nails. “You might want to pay attention young man.” He said as the group looked back at him. “What was with that roar?” Dash asked. “The roar of a dragon.” Crow said. Ivy panted heavily and cracked her neck. She looked down at her feet and saw the pebbles moving. The ground was shaking and the rubble from the boulder started to shift. A blast of white magic shot out and was on a collision course with the green flyer. Ivy dodged the blast and saw it hit a nearby tree. The large plant was immediately encased in ice. Ivy gulped and looked back at the mound of rubble. Her eyes shrank and her throat seemed to dry up when she saw the white mage standing. Her eyes were white with magic and seemed to be pouring out of her body. Cracks appeared across her skin as more magic poured out. “Seal release level two.” She said as her body seemed to explode with power. Ivy sheltered herself from the icy wind and tried to stay on her feet. When the wind stopped the flyer felt her hopes freeze up as she saw the woman standing before her wearing white armor and a pair of white wings made of ice were sprouting from her back. Atop her head were a pair of white horns that curved upward along with a mask over her face. The girls once blue eyes were now blood red and she held a long sword made of ice in her hand. “Now we’re gonna have some fun!” She yelled. “That is the monster that resides within Angel.” Crow said as he looked at the shocked women’s faces. “The Ice Wraith.” He said as the demon roared. “Legend says that during the days of King Sombra, the Wraith was leader of the resistance movement and planned an all out attack on the stronghold.” The girls looked at him in shock. “By the maker.” Celestia said as she looked at the demon like girl. “Wraith was betrayed by her comrades and was left to fight alone. When she crossed over the spirit swore vengeance on those who betrayed her. She returned a vengeful demon and slaughtered anyone who dared oppose her.” “Talk about payback.” Cadence gulped. Angel vanished from Ivy’s sight only to re appear in front of her. Ivy attempted to slam her fist into the mage’s face but her fist was held bak by the conduit’s finger. Angel chuckled and flicked her finger once on the flyer’s head. Ivy’s face exploded in pain as she was flung backwards by the force. Ivy felt her spine crack as she collided with a large rock. She slumped to the ground in pain and struggled to stay on her feet. The conduit appeared in front of her and grabbed her by the throat. The woman’s touch was as cold as dry ice and Ivy struggled to get free. “Don’t get any ideas.” Angel said as she slammed her fist into Ivy’s stomach. The green flyer coughed up a large amount of blood. “I still have to pay you back for all that pain you caused me earlier.” She said as the ice mage slammed Ivy into the dirt face first. Ivy groaned in pain as Angel picked her up by her hair and chuckled. “I think I’ll take your hair a souvenir.” Ivy’s eyes shrank as the woman summoned an ice sword. “No, better idea.” She said as the hair started to become encased in ice. “I think I’ll freeze this moment of victory for all eternity.” Out of the corner of her eye, Ivy saw the shape of the red haired mage getting ready to stop the match. She stared into his eyes and frowned. The woman felt her arms going numb and tried to think of a way out of this. Her vision started to blur and a few tears escaped her eyes before they turned to ice. Back in the stands the brown haired flyer was almost balling as Crow put a hand on her shoulder. Please no, not my daughter too. She thought as Rouge tried to comfort the flyer. I’m so sorry dad. Ivy thought as the ice covered her face. The woman was now completely encased in ice. The conduit grinned and let the frozen flyer fall. As Crimson summoned his blade the area around the flyer grew warm and the ice started to crack. The flyer’s eyes glowed a bright green as the ice shattered and a blinding green light shot up and pierced the clouds. The red and white mage shielded their eyes and felt the massive heatwave. The light faded and the white mage looked at the green flyer in shock. Ivy’s fore arms were now covered in lime green scales and long nails sprouted from her fingers. A few scales were on the sides of her face and her once feather like wings were now webbed and covered in the green scales. Her canines were significantly larger than before and a spiked tail was growing out of her lower back. Her forelegs were similar to her hands and were covered in the same rigid texture. She opened her lime green eyes and Angel gasped as she saw the spliced green pupils. Ivy looked at the white mage and flared her wings as she let loose a massive roar accompanied by a massive green flame shooting out of her mouth. Crow and the other spectators looked at Ivy in amazement. “Don’t tell me she’s a conduit too!” Twilight yelled. “Of course she isn’t.” Fern said. “She’s just like her father.” She said as tears of joy formed in her eyes. “A true dragon slayer.” “You see, in order to defeat a dragon one must take its strength and use it against them.” Crow stated. Ivy locked glared with the conduit and charged forwards. The ice mage tried to fire a few ice shards at the monster in front of her. All that came out was water. Ivy slammed her clawed fist into her face. Angel was sent flying backwards and crashed into the dirt. Angel flared her icy wings and took flight. As she looked into the sky she saw a green blur rush in front of her and a scaled fist slam into her face. The ice mage felt the mask on her face beginning to crack and she started to panic as she felt a pair of strong fingers wrap around her face and forced her back towards the earth. The crash resulted in the mask shattering and the ice mage’s body reverting back to normal. Ivy landed a pile driver on the woman’s stomach. Angel screamed in pain and coughed up more blood. Ivy clenched her fist and funneled her magic into it. The scaled fist was glowing a bright green. Angel felt that a two ton weight was pressing against her body. Ivy pulled the fist back like a coiled snake ready to strike. Angel gulped and closed her eyes and waited for the pain. The ice mage felt the fist rocket towards her and stop just centimeters from her face. Angel’s eyes shrank to the size of pin tips and saw the flyer’s extend her index finger and shake it from side to side. “Nobody touches my hair.” She said in a serious tone. “Got it?” Angel remained silent and slowly nodded. Ivy got off the mage and cracked her neck. “Ivy Evergreen is the winner.” An announcer yelled over the microphone. The green flyer sighed and green fire danced across her skin. Ivy’s green wings returned to normal along with her skin, eyes and teeth. As the green flyer started to walk away Angel grunted and quickly got to her feet. Her right hand glowed white with magic and an icicle spear formed in her hand. The conduit raised the spear and ran towards the flyer with the end pointed right between her wings. As she came within striking distance something grabbed her spear and flipped it up into the sky. She then felt a crushing force wrap around her body. The flyer spun around and saw the ice mage wrapped in a familiar hand like wing. Her eyes shrank as she saw her red haired comrade standing between them with a look that could kill a manticore on his face. “The match is over!” He bellowed. Angel continued to struggle in the grip. Crimson applied more pressure and grunted. “We don’t stab our comrades in the back!” Angel stopped struggling and held her head in defeat. Ivy sighed and felt the magic she used its toll. The flyer was about to collapse. She felt a pair of arms catch her and pick her up. The flyer looked up and saw the red haired mage with the same look on his face as the other. The one holding the ice mage looked at her and grunted. “We’ll talk about this later.” The mag’s body the started to shift and became like liquid. The conduit fell and landed on her feet as the body turned to red liquid and raced back towards the red mage. “Crimson....you-” Ivy said as she looked at the man. The three were then wrapped in a green aura and were teleported back to the arena. The crowd was cheering for the flyer who was waving as Crimson carried her off the field. The medics arrived and started to examine the flyer. “You okay?” Crimson asked. “Yeah I’ll be fine. Dragon force just take a lot out of me.” She said with a smile. “Good, now if you’ll excuse me I need to talk to a disobedient student.” He said as he looked at the white mage who shook off the medics. “Whats with her?” Ivy asked as the medic scanned her with a spell. “I know Angel and I have never been friends, but I never hated her.” She said with a sigh. “I’m not too sure,” He said as he crossed his arms. “but I know how to find out.”
Chapter XXIII: So Many BooksChapter XXIII So Many Books The last few students completed their fights. Ivory managed to easily dispatch her opponent. The spectators started to funnel out of the stands and find a place to eat. The three Princesses were walking with Twilight and the other five girls when they were approached by the red mage. Twilight felt her face flare up. Crimson approached the pink winged Princess and gave her a nod. “Nice to see you again Cadence.” “You as well.” Cadence smiled. “Mind if I talk to you in private?” Cadence looked at him in surprise. She saw the seriousness in his eyes and smiled. “Of course.” She said as she followed the red haired mage. The group of girls looked at Twilight who’s face had returned to its normal color. “Sorry everyone,” Celestia said. “but Luna and I have some important duties to fulfill. We shall see you all tomorrow.” She said before the two Princesses vanished. The six girls made their way out of the stadium and saw a kiosk set up. “Step right up folks and get your one of a kind collectables.” The man had dark brown hair and was wearing an apron that was splattered with dried clay. The group saw several figurines on the racks. The group looked in surprise as they saw the four warriors they knew. Ivory even had one along with the cane wielding mage with a crow perched on his shoulder. The man saw the six and felt his face flare up. They were the six prettiest girls he’d ever seen. “H-hey there. How can I help you girls?” “Whatcha ya selling here partner?” Applejack asked. “These are 100% original crafted sculptures of Academy students.” He said with a smile. “You make them?” The man nodded at the pink haired girl “Cool!” Pinkie said with a smile. Twilight spied one Ivory and the other mages she’s met. “The ones of the Horsemen have been selling out like crazy along with Team Saint.” He said as he pointed to the team leaded by the white haired mage. “Think you can do one of me?” Dash asked. “Honestly darling why would you want a statue of yourself?” Rarity said in surprise. “These are special.” He said as he picked up one of the green flyer. He set it on the table and shot a small bolt of magic into it. The statue hopped off its stand and took flight. The six girls were awestruck as they looked at the small figurine get back on the pedestal and return to its frozen state. “That is so awesome!” Dash yelled as she reached into her pocket and puled out the money. “Excellent.” He said as he pulled out a handful of clay. “How big do you want it?” “I guess the size the others are.” Dash said with a shrug. The man nodded and placed both his hands over the slab of clay in an ‘X’ formation. A brown burst of magic shot down and the block of clay took the form of a person. “Good, now I need one other thing from you Ms. Dash.” “How did you know my name?” She asked. “Oh everyone here knows who the elements of harmony are.” He said with a smile. “So what do you need?” “Either a strand of your hair or one of your feathers.” “Why?” “You see, in order to move them it has to feed off of your own aura.” He said as he looked at the figurine. “It will also take on the rest of your physical characteristics. Like eye and hair color.” Dash shrugged and plucked one of her feathers from her wing. “Thank you.” He said as he took the feather in his hands. The man put his hands together with the feather in between his palms and made another bolt of magic strike the clay doll. The small figurine then grew a rainbow mane and cyan wings sprouted from its back. The dark brown dirt then shifted to the flyer’s tan skin. “There we go.” He said as he picked up the figurine. “So awesome!” Dash said in a fan girl voice. “So awesome!” The figurine said in the same voice. The girls looked at it in amazement. The clay figure then stopped moving and reverted to its motionless state. “How much?” Dash asked as she pulled out her bit bag. The man held up his hand. “My policy is that the first one is free.” He said with a smile. He put the clay figure in a bag and handed it to the flyer. “What about the rest of you?” He asked as he looked at the girls. “Maybe later.” Twilight said with a chuckle. “Sure you don’t want one of Crimson?” Dash said as she nudged the purple mage who blushed bright red. “Not surprising.” He said as he pulled out two that were covered by a cloth. “Crimson’s is pretty popular.” He said with a smile. “In fact I have two new ones of him.” He said as he removed the cover. The girls gasped as they saw the man with the hand like wings and horns sprouting from his head. The other showed the mage holding his scythe over his head and what was supposed to be streams of blood swirling around him. Twilight made a fist and bit her lip. A small bit of rage then made the scholar glare at the man with daggers in her eyes. She reached forwards and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. “How dare you!” She yelled. The man gulped and looked into the burning eyes of the scholar. “Do you have any idea how Crimson feels before you make those things?” “Well, I-” “Exactly! You don’t think!” The orange farmer put a hand on her arm. “Easy there Twi.” She said in a calm tone. “Ah’m sure he didn’t mean any harm.” Twilight looked at her friend and sighed before releasing the man. The crafts man sighed and looked at the girls. “Look, I sell these things to help raise money like everyone else.” He said as he put the cover back over the figurines. “Besides, these two are only the prototypes and they need to be approved before I can sell them.” “Approved?” Dash said. “Yeah, the deal is that I’m allowed to make these figures of the students, but I need to get their and the Headmaster’s permission on which ones I can sell.” He said as he crossed his arms. “I’m sorry if I offended you. I take it you’re a close friend of his?” Twilight blushed. “Um, something like that.” Twilight said as she scratched her head. “Sorry about the freak out.” “Its fine. Besides I don’t want to get on Crimson’s bad side.” He said with a shiver. “Yeah he is pretty strong.” Pinkie said. “No, Crimson really doesn’t care if someone messes with him.” He said with a gulp. “Ivory, Angel and Ivy on the other hand will beat you to a bloody pulp.” The three looked at him in surprise. “Why Ivory and Angel?” Twilight asked. The man checked his corners and motioned for the group to come closer. “You didn’t here this from me okay?” The six nodded. “I’m fairly certain that Angel has a crush on Crimson.” Twilight gulped. “As for Ivory, those two may be rivals, but they look out for each other.” “So does Crimson like Angel back?” Rarity asked as she put a hand on her friend’s shoulder. “Nah, its completely one sided.” He said as he waved his hand. Twilight felt a small wave of relief wash over her. “Besides Crimson is Angel’s mentor. It would be extremely inappropriate for him.” He said with a sigh. “Not to mention that Crimson is too shy to actually ask anyone out.” “Really?” Rarity said in shock. “The man has beaten an Ursa Minor without breaking a sweat.” “He’d rather face twelve at once then do something social like that.” He chuckled. “Kinda sad really, especially when there are quite a few girls that have their eye on him.” Twilight gulped. “Wait, Ivy told us that most of the girls here hate em cause he’s a conduit.” AJ said. “Yeah most of them do.” He said as he rested his head on his left palm. “Doesn’t mean everyone here hates him.” He said with a sigh. “In fact he’s saved a lot of the members here on multiple occasions. Including myself.” The man then noticed three familiar mages approaching. “Hey guys whats up?” “Not much G.” Ivy said with a smile. The group saw that she had bandages around her legs, arm and a wrap around her head. The group looked at her in surprise.”Relax it looks worse than it is.” She said with a nod. “Seriously Ivy,” Rouge said. “you should be back inside your pod. You just woke up from a coma and you need your rest.” The girls looked at the flyer in shock. “Pfft, I’m fine.” “How can you call a coma a big deal?” Fluttershy asked in a worried tone. “Yeah, why were you in one anyway?” Dash asked. “I take it you guys saw my little transformation?” The green flyer said as she crossed her arms under her breasts. The girls nodded. “Well, it works like this, dragon slayers such as myself are able to use Dragon Force. Its considered the ultimate spell a dragon slayer can use. It literally gives you the strength and power of a dragon.” “Cool.” Pinkie said. “Yeah, but there’s a catch. It uses up a massive amount of magical energy and I can’t maintain it for very long. Even if I activated it at my full power I still would be in the same condition I’m in now.” She said as she looked at the bandages. “So that’s why I was in a coma my body needed to recuperate and I can’t shift into that for more than once a day.” “If its so dangerous then why use it at all?” Rarity said. “It was either that or become one of Angel’s ice sculptures.” Ivy deadpanned. The group remembered how Ivy was nearly beaten by the conduit. The green flyer noticed the statues of Crimson and the scholars blushing face. “Ah getting a Crimson figure eh?” Ivy said with a smug grin. Twilight’s face went red even more. “N-no, I was just browsing.” She said as she avoided eye contact. The mages all chuckled. “Whatever.” Cobalt said as he put his arms over his head. “We’re headed to the lounge for some grub.” “Right behind ya.” Pinkie said. “I could go for a bite.” Dash agreed. “I am also quite famished.” Rarity nodded. “Ah could go for something to eat.” AJ said. The group shrugged and made their way towards the Ranger’s lounge. When the arrived at the door the three mages stopped and looked at the farmer and cyan flyer. “What’s up?” “Need I remind you of what went down last night?” Rouge spat out. The farmer sighed and looked at the Changeling. “Yeah, ah know what ah gotta do.” She said with a sigh. “Dash?” The cyan flyer shifted uncomfortably. “Fine.” The farmer then slammed her foot into the flyer’s shin. Dash yelled in pain as she hopped on her good foot. “Okay, okay. I know.” She said as she rubbed her foot. “Jeez how are you able to kick so hard?” “Years of apple bucking, good food and steel toed boots.” She said as they went inside. When the rowdy group of warriors saw the farmer and flyer they all fell silent. Most were giving them dirty looks. A few were even reaching for their weapons. Applejack led the way up to the bar where the golden haired Changeling was cleaning some glasses. The woman gulped and was visibly shaking as she saw the two. The farmer sighed and took her hat off. “Look Sunny, ah want to apologize for the way ah acted yesterday.” The crowd all raised an eyebrow. “It wasn’t right of me to pass judgement on ya just cause yer different.” The Changeling felt a small smile creep across her face. “Ah ain’t too comfortable around Changelings yet, but Crimson and his friends seem to trust ya so that’s good enough for me.” The orange farmer extended her hand. “Think we could start over?” The Changeling smiled and gladly gave it a hard shake. The farmer was taken by surprise at the frail looking woman’s strength. Applejack tipped her hat and coughed as she made room for Rainbow. The cyan flyer rolled her eyes and sighed. “Yeah what AJ-” The farmer then slugged her in the arm. “Ow! Okay, okay.” She said as she rubbed the sore spot. “I’m sorry I said those things to you. It was far from cool and you didn’t deserve it.” She said with a sigh. AJ coughed again and Dash extended her hand. Sunny smiled and gladly shook it. “Peace at last.” Crimson said as he sighed. “I’ll forgive you both on one condition.” Sunny chimed. The two looked at her in surprise as she pulled out a black bottle of liquor and three shot glasses. Crimson and the rest of the bar were biting their lips trying to stifle their laughter. The barmaid poured a small amount of the liquid into the glasses. The three took up the glasses and clinked the glasses together before slamming them back. The farmer and flyer were taken off guard by the strength on the alcohol. The two of them looked towards the ceiling and flames shot out of their mouths. The bar erupted in laughter as Sunny chuckled and gave them each a glass of water. The two hastily drank the liquid in an effort to cool their burning throats. “What was that?” Twilight asked. “Pure, uncut dragon liquor.” Cobalt said. “That stuff is potent enough to wake the dead.” He chuckled. “Everyone goes through that and-” He was cut off as Pinkie grabbed the bottle and chugged it.” The entire bar fell silent and looked at the pastry chef in shock. Pinkie’s whole body started to shake and a massive pink flame shot out of her mouth. A belch heralded the flame’s end. Followed by a hiccup. “Spicy!” She said as she licked her lips. The lounge then shifted back to its rowdy state as everyone raised a class to the crazy pink haired girl. Crimson rubbed his chin and started to walk away. “Hey where are you going?” Ivy asked. “I gotta look up something in the library.” Twilight’s ears perked up. “See ya later.” The young scholar immediately bolted up. “Wait up.” She said as she caught up to the man. “I want to see this library you told me about.” She chimed. “Very well.” He said as he led the way out of the lounge. The red mage walked ahead as Twilight followed close behind. “So what did you and Cadence talk about?” “She says that she’s been having difficulty dealing with Angel as of late.” Twilight nodded as she remembered how the ice mage almost stabbed the flyer in the back. “I’ve been trying to help her, but she can’t seem to let go.” He sighed. Twilight put a hand on his shoulder and smiled. “I’m sure she’ll come around.” “The fact that makes this whole ordeal harder is that she’s infatuated with me.” He said as he rolled his eyes. “I’ve explained it to her at least a dozen times that I don’t look at her like that.” Twilight smiled at the words. The two stopped as they came to a large door. Crimson pulled out a badge and put it in the door slot. The scholar heard the large doors clink and the doors swung open. Twilight’s jaw dropped when she saw the seemingly endless rows of books. As she walked inside she saw that the library extended at least four stories up and five stories down. A large hole was in the center of the room that went all the way down to the bottom. “Um Twilight, you’re drooling.” The scholar felt light headed and propped herself on the counter. “You okay?” “Yeah its just,” The scholar looked around with a massive grin on her face. “there are so many books.” “Can I help you two?” The two looked over to see an elderly man with long teal robes on his frail form and a pair of silver glasses matched his short hair. He looked at the red haired mage and smirked. “Well, looks like the king of Castle Knowledge has returned.” The red mage’s face turned bright scarlet. “Quill! Not that! We’re just here to look up some info.” The man said as he tried to hide his blush. “Okay okay.” He said with a chuckle. He then noticed Twilight. “Who’s this then?” “Twilight Sparkle, this is Quill Vellum. He’s the librarian here.” “Correct me if I’m wrong, but are you not Celestia’s pupil?” He said as he looked at the woman. “Yes I am.” She then looked towards the ceiling and saw that there were several railings like the ones you see on suspended roller coasters going up in a circular formation. Crimson walked over to a rack that had some odd glove like device. “What are these?” “I call them hooks.” He said as he handed her one. “These are what we use to get around the library.” “How do I use it?” “Just jump and stick your arm out.” He said in a flat tone. Twilight looked at him in confusion. Crimson rolled his eyes and jumped up. A red aura then seemed to attach his arm to the railing and the man rocketed up the rail system and landed on one of the upper floors. “Just like that.” Twilight gulped. “Um...okay.” She said as she copied the man. She then felt a force grab her arms and ripped her off the ground and up towards the ceiling. “Help me!” She yelled as the man took a couple steps back. Crimson got a running start and jumped off the railing just as Twilight zoomed by. The scholar felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her and rip her from the magical grasp. She felt herself flying through the air before hitting the hard marble floor. She opened her eyes to see that she was laying on top of the man. Their faces were only inches apart. Crimson’s face turned bright red when he realized his hand was on the scholar’s right breast. The two quickly got off one another and gulped. Twilight’s face was bright red and couldn’t help but feel a little aroused by the contact with the man. “Sorry, should have known you wouldn’t have known how to do that.” He said trying to calm himself down. “I-its alright. I kinda liked it.” The scholars face grew redder. “The hook thing.” “Yeah, its a lot of fun.” He said with a gulp. He looked at the directory that had the list of floors. “Okay we’re on floor three in the alchemy section.” “But we’re only one floor up from the main lobby.” She said as she looked over the edge. “There’s nine floors in total. Four that are on the bottom and five on top.” He said as he pointed down. “The place I’m trying to get to is on the bottom and in order to get there I need to get to the top.” “Why?” “Follow me and you’ll find out.” He said as he stepped near the edge. “No way am I going back on that thing again. Are there stairs?” “Nope.” He said as he cracked his shoulders. “If you’re not coming then I could drop you off on the ground floor.” He grinned. “Quite a few students have gotten lost for days in here.” He teased. “That would be awesome.” Twilight said. “Oh yeah for starters. Until the guards come alive.” He said in a nonchalant tone. “Guards?” The scholar said with a gulp. “C’mon Twilight. We have some of the most dangerous and powerful spell books known to mankind and you think that we don’t have a security force?” The scholar gulped. “Oh and the guards don’t play nice.” “What will they do?” “If they find you...then they’ll crush you. If they find you with me then....your rate of survival goes from none to slim.” He said as he offered his hand. “Still wanna go it alone?” Twilight sighed and took hold of his arm. “Hang on!” He said as he jumped off the edge with the scholar clinging on to him for dear life. The two soon reached the top and Twilight was feeling dizzy. “I think I’m gonna hurl.” “Trash can’s over there.” He said as he pointed to the waste pail. Twilight groaned and levitated it over to her side. The two looked to see a swirling vortex of pages appear in front of them. When the small twister subsided they saw the librarian standing before them. “Ah yes, I never forgot my first time on the hook line.” He said as he looked at the sickly scholar. “What’s up Quill?” “Oh just came to let you know that the your reserved copy of the Red Jewel of-” Crimson quickly coughed and made a slicing motion across his neck. His red eyes were wide with fear as he motioned towards the scholar. Quill grinned as he saw the man’s blushing cheeks. “Anyway, I have it downstairs. So pick it up whenever.” He said with a chuckled. “Stay safe your majesty.” Crimson face palmed as the man turned back into paper and flew away. “What was he talking about?” Twilight asked as she got to her feet. “Nothing. You okay?” “Yeah, so long as I don’t do anything like that for a while.” Crimson bit his lip. “So what exactly are you looking for?” “A book on demonology. Problem is, its at the bottom.” He said as he pointed down. “So how are we going to get down there?” The scholar looked down and saw that they were directly above the hole in the floor. The scholar was filled with fear as a thought came to her. “W-we’re not gonna jump are we?” “Of course not. Don’t be ridiculous.” Twilight let out a sight of relief as the man put an arm on her shoulder. “We fall.” Twilight felt the man’s arms wrap around her and a sense of falling over came her. Twilight looked down and saw that she was rocketing towards the floor. The main doors to the massive library swung open to reveal the cane carrying man. His green eyes scanned the room and saw the old book keeper. “Ah Headmaster. How can I help you?” “I’m looking for Crimson. Do you know where-” He was cut off as he saw a red/purple blur fall through the center hole and a woman’s voice could be heard screaming. “Never mind.” He said as he shook his head. “Ah young love.” Quill chuckled. The two mages rocketed down the floors and the light started to fade. Twilight looked down to see the stone floor. “Are you crazy?” “Yes, yes I am.” The scholar then felt them slowing down. The two then stopped just above the floor where a levitation rune was scribbled on the hard stone. Crimson leaned forward and stepped onto the hard stone. Twilight followed suit and stumbled as the red mage caught her. Twilight stood up and glared daggers into the man. “Don’t ever do that again!” She yelled. “Shhh! We’re in a library.” He said with a chuckle. Twilight stuck out her bottom lip and pouted. Daww. He thought as he looked at the scholar who’s face bright red. “Anyway, welcome to the Academy’s Highly Evolved Literature Level.” Twilight raised an eyebrow at the man. “You do realize that spells hell right?” “Yeah, I realized that too.” He said as he grabbed a nearby torch. Twilight then saw a marble statue of a man holding a sword over his shoulder and his right foot was above a demon skull. Next to him was a man with a long beard and donning a long cloak and wizard hat with a large staff in his hand. Twilight bent down and read the plaque. “He who fights monsters should beware lest he become one himself.” ~Spoken by Damien Carmine (Left) and Starswirl the bearded (Right) Crimson noticed that the woman stopped and was looking at the statue. He walked back to her and looked at the two marble cut figures. “Starswirl the Bearded and Damien Carmine. The two founders of the Academy.” Twilight looked at him in surprise. “Those two stood their ground as the world crumbled around them and fought back the legions of hell itself.” He said as he stood with his arms folded. “Damien, at least according to legend was the only conduit who was able to fully master his demon.” “Can’t you?” “No, I’m not even in his league. I doubt even Crow is.” “He was that strong?” Twilight said in shock. “Legend says that he bested the demon King himself in combat.” He said as he looked at the two statues and sighed. “C’mon we gotta be careful down here.” “Why?” Twilight asked as she followed the man. “This is the black magic section.” Twilight gulped. “Everything you want to know about demons, blood mages, anything that’s labeled as ‘deviant or evil.’” He said as he made quote marks. Twilight then remembered what Crow had told her. “Yeah, Crow told me about your blood magic.” “Did he now?” Crimson said as he started to look through books. “Well, cats out of the bag as they say.” “Why didn’t you tell us?” “I’m already a conduit. I didn’t want to give people another reason to fear me.” “Why is blood magic considered forbidden?” “Its-” “Its usually the precursor to dark magic.” The two looked back to see the can wielding man coming out from the shadows. “Most blood mages, save a few turn to dark magic and hunger for more power.” “What are you doing down here?” Crimson asked. “I could ask you the same thing. This area is off limits to students of your rank.” Crow stated. Twilight glared at the red mage who scratched the back of his head. “Anyway I wanted to let you know that the fight lineup for tomorrow is about to be posted in the lounges.” Crimson’s ears perked up. “Alright we’ll head back there now.” Crimson said as he started to make his way back to the lift. “Ms. Sparkle, a moment of your time?” “Of course sir. What do you need?” Crow chuckled. “Please, I hate formalities. Crow will do.” He said as he raised a hand. “I want to know how Crimson has acted during his time stationed in Ponyville.” “Acted?” The man nodded. “Yes, an overall report if you will.” Twilight gulped. The scholar gave a detailed report about the red mage’s exploits. The bandits, nightmare moon conduit and other exploits he and the other warriors contributed to the small town. Crow face palmed and sighed. “Something wrong?” “Looks like it was a waste of time.” He groaned. Twilight looked at the man in confusion. “How is that a waste of time?” She asked as she put her hands on her hips. “I sent him there to avoid trouble. Not find it.” “I’m not following.” “Since Crimson joined the Academy and started taking on missions he hasn’t stopped.” Crow said with a sigh. “Every other student has taken off at least five times more than he has. Even when I try to send him somewhere that is supposed to be peaceful the boy finds something to fight.” “Isn’t that good? He wants to do his job.” Twilight said. “I know that, but there is a limit as to how much one person can take before they break.” He said with a sigh. “I’ve seen men tough as dragon iron crack like an egg if they were sent on some of the missions Crimson has done. I’m worried that he’s going to burn out if he keeps up this habit.” “I see your point.” The scholar said as she bit her lip. “He seems capable of handling pressure and working under harsh conditions.” “Thats what I’m trained to do.” The scholar yelped as she heard the voice coming from behind her. She spun around and saw the red mage standing with his arms folded. “I don’t plan on breaking. You know what they say, ‘the harshest fires forges the best iron.’” “It can also melt it.” Crow said. Crimson rolled his eyes and was about to retort when he felt his communication gem vibrate. “C’mon Crimson,” The blue flyer said. “they’re about to announce tomorrow’s line up.” Cobalt said. “I’ll be right there.” He said as he and the other two made their way back to the seal. Crimson stepped on the seal which glowed a bright red.“Lobby.” He said before he was shot up to the surface. Twilight followed and staggered forward. Crow arrived after her and gave them each a nod before leaving the library. Twilight and the red mage quickly made their way back to the lounge. As they opened the door they saw that everyone was standing in anticipation. The screens flickered on and the image of the green eyed man filled the screen. “For those of you that have passed the past few trials, congratulations.” He said with a smile. “I will now announce the matches for tomorrow’s semi-finals. These matches have been determined by what you have done so far in your time here at this school and your power level.” The students all watched in anticipation as a board with several slots on it appeared beside the man. “First round is.” He said as he snapped his fingers. Cobalt Striker vs Ivory Knightwalker The blue flyer gulped and several students laughed at the flyer’s match. He looked over toward the white haired woman who sighed in disappointment. As the next two names were shown, everyone fell silent. No sounds of cheering, no playful laughter, just the look of pure shock was on every one of the student’s faces. A few even dropped their glasses. Crimson Storm vs Ivy Evergreen The two friends immediately looked at one another and gulped. The cane wielding man even looked shocked. He called the last of the names and the screen went dark. Silence still hung in the air around the lounge. As quickly as it came the silence ended and the rowdiness resumed. Crimson sat down and face palmed. Ivy sat across from him and held her head low. Her green hair covered her eyes. Twilight and the others sat down next to them and saw them both shaking. Twilight put a hand on the man’s shoulder. “Hey it’ll be okay guys.” Dash said. “I mean you guys will go easy on each other.” The shaking increase and the group heard the two chuckling that soon turned into loud laughter. “What’s so funny?” “This is gonna be interesting.” Ivy said with fire burning in her eyes. “You guys want to fight one another?” Twilight said in surprise. “I think its fine time to decide who the strongest horseman is.” Crimson said with a smirk. The whit haired woman then approached the two. Cobalt gulped as he saw the woman. “Best of luck to you two tomorrow.” She said with a nod. “You as well Cobalt, you’ll need it.” She chuckled. “Y-yeah, you too.” He said as he nervously sipped his drink. The woman smirked as she saw his violently shaking hand. Ivy bit her lip and looked at Rouge. “Hey Rouge, mind if I stay with you tonight?” The Changeling looked at her friend in confusion. “I don’t want Crimson jumping me while I’m sleeping.” She said in a teasing tone. “Y-yeah sure. I don’t mind.” “Looks like I’m bunking with you Crimson.” Cobalt said. “Terrific.” Crimson said with a sigh. “Cool, I’ll get some stuff.” Ivy said as she ran out the door. The hour grew late and the warriors made their way back to their dorms. Crimson arrived before the flyer and sat down at his desk. The man hung his head low and pulled out a picture of himself and the green flyer standing side by side when they both became Rangers. The man clenched his empty fist and slammed it into the desk leaving a large dent. “Its not easy is it?” Crimson looked up to see Cobalt standing in the doorway with a glum look on his face. “Being captain I mean.” “It never is.” He said with a sigh. “I mean...I’m going to fight my best friend tomorrow. No offense to you or Rouge.” “None taken.” Cobalt said as he sat on the empty bed. “I know the four of us are tight, but you and Ivy have been through a lot together.” He said with a sigh. “Truth be told, I’d rather fight Ivory and Angel at the same time then fight you or Ivy.” “Yeah.” Crimson said as he quickly got changed and climbed into his bed. “Better get our rest. Tomorrow we both have a difficult fight.” Cobalt nodded and climbed into the other bed. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “You’re sure you’re okay?” Rouge asked as she took of Ivy’s bandages. “I’m fine Rouge.” The flyer said with a sigh. “Ivy I know when you’re lying to me.” The Changeling said as she raised an eyebrow. “I mean, sure I care about Crimson too but you guys are more like family than friends.” Ivy cracked her knuckles as she formed a fist. “I mean, you even let him touch your hair. As long as I’ve known you, you’ve never let anyone else-” “I get it! So just get off my back damn it!” Ivy yelled. “How would you react if you were in my position?” Rouge bit her lip and sighed. “I’m sorry Rouge. I just...I just need to think.” Ivy said as she grabbed her pajamas and walked into her bathroom. The flyer quickly stripped down and entered the shower. The cascading streams of hot water relaxed her aching muscles. The flyer sat down against the bathroom wall and hugged her legs. The flyer rested her forehead on her knees and thanked that her tears would be washed away with the warm bath water. Author's Note Monster quote originally by Friedrich Nietzsche.
Chapter XXIV: Queen Jumps KnightChapter XXIV Queen Jumps Knight The grey skies loomed over the Academy like an omen. The spectators returned to their seats and waited. The six girls climbed the steps to their seats next to the Princesses. The six looked in surprise to see a giant of a man with a long white coat and golden trim. His black hair had streaks of white in them and seemed to be in a pattern. The man’s dark hazel eyes seemed to pierce everything they caught in their view. The girls then heard a familiar step accompanied by a clanging of a metal cane. “Ah Deus, I was wondering if you’d show up.” Crow said as he walked up to the man. Crow was a full foot shorter than the hulking man. “I came to observe. Nothing more.” He said in a tone that could freeze the fires of hell. The girls gulped as the man’s icy glare focused on them. “Girls this is Deus Knightstriker.” Crow said. “Ivory’s father and currently holds the ninth seat on the council.” Twilight and Rarity gulped. “In short, he’s my boss.” The man said. “I noticed that your pet is fighting his own subordinate.” The large man said as he pulled out a cigar and lit it. Crow grunted at the words. “You’re a cruel man Crow.” “It was decided at random.” He said as he sat down. “Hang on a second.” The farmer said. “Ah thought Crimson said that each member of the council has their own school?” “So?” Deus retorted. “Why doesn’t Ivory go there?” “Ivory is a transfered from Deus’ school.” Crow said. “She transferred here during Crimson’s fifth year because she completely incapacitated the student body and was looking for a better challenge.” The girls’ jaws dropped in shock. “She met Crimson on a job and the two have been butting heads ever since. In order to keep up with him she transferred here.” Crow chuckled. “Just be sure that thing stays away from her.” Deus spat out. Twilight clenched her fist. “Need I remind you that Ivory is in the same boat?” Deus scoffed and leaned against the back wall. Soon the stands were filled and the crowd was buzzing in anticipation. The observation platform that held the combatants was just as chatty. Crimson walked up beside Cobalt who was sharpening his sword. “You okay?” Crimson asked. “Yeah, you?” Crimson sighed. “Average.” He said as he leaned against the wall. He looked at the silver haired woman who was putting on her signature white armor. “Cobalt, don’t do anything stupid. If she draws her blade then surrender.” “I know what it she can do.” Cobalt said. “Besides, you should be more worried about you.” Crimson sighed and gave a nod. The group of fighters then heard the man’s voice boom over the speaker. “The first match will begin in two minutes. Combatants are asked to move onto the field.” The man’s voice rang over the speaker and the two names appeared on the board. Cobalt Striker vs Ivory Knightwalker “Show time.” Cobalt said as he sheathed his broadsword. “Wish me luck.” He said as he walked onto the field. Crimson climbed the steps up to the observation platform. The red mage walked over to the edge and rested on the rail. The blue flyer looked across the field to see that the woman in armor and a long white cape was coming from the back. The woman’s sword was in its sheath resting on her left side. Ivory’s right eye seemed the pierce through the blue flyer. The crowd fell silent as the raven haired man stood up. “Begin!” Crow yelled. The blue flyer quickly drew his sword and pointed it at the silver haired mage. “Cobalt, I’m giving you this one chance to back out of this.” She said in a calm tone. “You’re not the one I want to fight.” “Likewise.” He said as he took a stance. “But I can’t back down from a fight.” The woman sighed and cracked her neck before making the bring it on gesture with her hand. Cobalt crouched with the sword raised over his head and started to flap his wings. The wind power was enough to make the woman’s hair blow back. “Your blade will never reach me.” Cobalt raised his feet and flew forward towards the woman. Cobalt closed in on his target with the tip of his blade aimed directly at her chest. The crowd gasped as they flyer was halted. The woman was sticking out two of her gloved fingers and halted the flyer’s blade. The fingers were wrapped in a white aura and acted as a barrier between her body and the blade. The excess force blew past the woman and carved into the ground behind her. With a hard push the woman sent the flyer careening back. Cobalt’s eyes shrank as he saw a white magical sword aimed right for his back. The flyer flapped his wings and avoided the sword. The flyer looked back at the woman and saw several sword made of white mage appear in front of her. The swords started to circle the woman’s body as she crossed her arms. “So that’s why they call you the Queen of Blades huh?” The woman gave a nod. She snapped her fingers and five swords launched themselves at the flyer. Cobalt slammed his hand on the ground and a large shield appeared on his left arm. The shield covered his entire arm and he easily deflected the swords. Ivory raised an eyebrow as the man charged forward again. “I’ll say it again. Your blade will never reach me.” She said as she summoned more blades. She launched them at the flyer who tok to the skies and was dodging them left and right. Deus stood still as a statue. His face was void of any emotion. The white warrior summoned more swords and shot them at the man who parried them. The mage unclipped her sword that was still in its sheath and blocked the man’s blade. The woman’s hand glowed white and slugged the flyer in the gut. The blue flyer groaned and jumped back. The woman sighed and made ten blades appear behind her. The ten bladed rose in front of her with the blades all pointing at the man. The blades glowed and started to spin rapidly. “My congratulations for making it this far.” She said as a white ball of magic formed in the center of the blades. “This is the end.” She said as a white beam shot at the flyer. Cobalt raised his shield and dug his feet into the ground. The man felt the blast hit the shield. The force was like ten trains focused on him. The flyer felt the shield starting to crack and he was loosing ground. Cobalt gave one final push as the shield shattered and the beam enveloped him. The crowd gasped as they saw a massive crater where the flyer once stood. The white mage sighed and turned to leave. She froze on the spot as she felt a massive pressure bearing down on her. The crowd looked in shock as they saw a massive wall of red magic erupt from the crater. Ivy spun around and saw the blue flyer standing with a massive amount of red magic pouring out of him. “If I didn’t have this....I’d probably be dead.” He said in a trance like state. The air around him grew hot and started to bite at the mage’s skin. Ivory looked in shock as she saw the massive amount of magic that encircled his body take shape into a torso of a red cloaked warrior donning a massive sword and shield. “So he’s learned to control it then?” Celestia asked. “No, it looks like he still can’t hold it all in yet.” Crow said. Dash looked at the two adults in confusion. “What is going on?” “That boy has a soul edge.” Deus said in a flat tone. “Soul edge?” Twilight asked. “Its a weapon that has a soul sealed in it.” Deus said. “These weapons are particularly powerful and have special attributes to them.” He said as he folded his arms. “So they’re like Conduits?” Cadence asked. “In a way, yes.” Crow said. “During their initiation, Cobalt and the rest of Crimson’s squad all found a soul edge. However, it takes extreme concentration and will in order to wield one to its fullest extent.” He said as he adjusted his glasses. “During Rouge’s match you saw it didn’t you?” “You mean when that horse showed up?” Fluttershy asked. “Yes, that was her soul edge’s true form and the spirit that resided within it.” He said in a flat tone. “The grand archer, Strife, Streak Shooter. He's gone by many names” He said with a sigh. Twilight gulped as she remembered the man. "Wait, I've seen him when we were visiting Rouge." She said in confusion. "That doesn't make any sense!" "It does if you look at it." Deus spat out. Crow rolled his eyes at the man and looked at the confused scholar. "Do you believe in ghosts Ms. Sparkle?" "No, why would.." The woman's eyes shrank as she connected the dots. "I know what you're thinking and you're correct." Crow stated with a nod. "Crimson and his team's teachers are no longer among this world." He said in a flat tone. Twilight sat down and tried to process the information. The massive being made of red magic raised its sword. The woman held out her sheathed sword to defend herself from the massive blade. As the blade connected with Ivory’s sheath. The silver mage felt herself sinking into the ground from the sheer magical pressure. The woman forced the massive sword back and rolled to the side. The being raised it’s blade once again. “Not bad Cobalt.” The woman said as she grabbed the handle of her sword. “But you are not the only one here who wields a mighty weapon.” The woman slowly slid the blade from its sheath. The blade was beautiful slow white while the edge was jet black. A massive amount of white magic then erupted from the woman’s body. Crimson gulped as he saw the blade. The flyer raised his arm and the magical cloak followed suit. As the blade came down the woman charged forwards. Ivory dodged the blade and swung at the man’s body. The massive shield made the blade bounce off and the woman jumped back. The large being then banged the handle of the sword against the shield as a taunt. Ivory frowned at the gesture. “So you’ve mastered your soul edge huh?” “Somewhat.” He said with a smirk. The woman smirked and soon burst into laughter. “Something funny?” “This fight was starting to get boring.” She said as she pointed her blade at the man. “Now I don’t have to hold back.” Crimson’s eyes shrank as he saw the woman reaching for her eyepatch. “If you want to back out, nows the time.” The man made the ring it on gesture. Ivory frowned and ripped off her eye patch. The ground around her cracked and a massive amount of white magic was pouring out of her body. Cobalt gasped as he saw that the woman’s right eye had a glowing seal over the pupil. A pair of white wings sprouted from her back. A golden halo also had appeared over her head. Her pupils were now snow white and seeping magic from the corners of her eyes. “Time to end this.” She said as she raised her sword. Cobalt raised the massive blade and slashed at the woman. Ivory extended her hand and caught the blade before parrying it and firing a series of white swords. Ivory launched the flyer. Cobalt raised the shield. His eyes shrank as he saw the large magical shield cracking as the swords sunk into the shield. Cobalt dropped to one knee and felt the massive amount of magic take its toll. “Getting tired?” The woman mocked. The man grunted and the red magic wrapped itself around the man’s own sword. The blade glowed dark red and the massive figure was absorbed into the sword. The man got in a crouching position and took an offensive stance. Angel did the same and got ready. The sky above them was growing darker and thunder could be heard. Both warriors looked up and spied the first raindrop. The two watched as the first fell from the clouds and plummet towards the earth. Time stopped as the drop of liquid splashed against the ground. The two warriors charged forwards with their swords gripped in their hands. The two swung with all their strength and time stopped as they passed one another. The crowd held their breath as they watched the two fighters that were frozen in place. Ivory dropped to one knee and the crowd gasped. The woman raised her blade and slowly started to slide it back in its sheath. She stopped when she got to the handle and sighed. “Sorry Cobalt.” She slid the sword shut and the man’s chest exploded as blood came pouring out. The man’s sword cracked in half as he dropped to his knees. Blood came spilling out of his mouth like a river after a dam broke. Ivory put her eyepatch back on as she walked over to the blue flyer. Her halo and wings vanished. Cobalt gripped the handle of his blade and cursed himself. “I told you that your blade would never reach me.” She said as she stood in front of him. Cobalt groaned and summoned the last of his strength. He gripped his broken sword and bolted upwards. Ivory’s eyes shrank at the spectacle and moved back. As Ivory reached for her blade the man smirked and fell face forward on the ground before passing out. The silver haired woman felt a small stinging sensation on her cheek. She rubbed her face and saw a small bit of blood on her spotless white glove. She looked across the field and saw several medics approaching. The woman reached behind her and removed her cape. She held it over the man’s body and smiled. “Congratulations. Your blade reached me after all.” She said as she draped it over his body. The medics quickly rushed the man onto a stretcher and he groaned as they brought him inside. Crimson teleported next to his friend and looked at him with worry. “You okay Cobalt?” “I feel like crap.” He said as he coughed. “If Ivory really wanted to kill ya then there’d be nothing left of you.” Crimson said as the medics attached an IV to the flyer. “I know.” He said as the medics picked him up. He motioned for them to stop for a second. “Hey look, no matter what happens. We’re still a team.” He said as he shook the man’s hand before they took him away. Crimson sighed and looked out onto the field to see the green flyer waiting for him. Author's Note Crimson and Ivy will have their own fight chapter.
Chapter XXV: Friend or Foe?Chapter XXV Friend or Foe? The crowd was as talkative as a graveyard as the red mage made his way out onto the field where the green flyer was waiting for him. Twilight felt sweat forming on her brow as the tension over the arena doubled. Crow shook his head and couldn’t help but grin. AJ looked at the man in confusion. “Why are you so happy?” The farmer asked. “Seeing those two like that takes me back.” He chuckled. “How?” Twilight asked. “Crimson’s father Orion Comet and Ivy’s father Silver Streak were always butting heads. Even when we formed our team.” He smiled. “It was Rosario’s and my job to keep them under control.” He said as he looked at the two. “Looking at them makes me think of those times.” With that thought, he rose from his seat and summoned the microphone. “Begin!” He yelled. Crimson and the flyer both sighed and stood still. The two seemed to freeze and the audience looked at them in confusion. “What are they doing?” Pinkie asked. “They’re feeling each other out with their magic.” Luna stated. “This will be a battle of epic proportions.” Twilight squinted and saw that a massive amount of green energy was coming from the flyer. The two fighters suddenly vanished from the public’s sight. The next thing the spectators heard was a sound that was like a mountain had shattered. The two fighters slammed their fists into the other and the crowd felt the shockwave emanating from the collision. The two fighters vanished again and this time they locked their kicks. Twilight’s eyes tried to find them as the two warriors vanished and locked blow after blow. Ivy poured a large amount of energy into her right fist and saw that Crimson had stopped moving. The flyer closed in on the red mage and shot her fist forward like a tightly coiled spring. The crowd and warriors gasped as they saw the red mage catch the woman’s fist with his bare hand. The ground behind the red warrior cracked and the invisible force hit the wall behind him and a dent appeared. “Let’s take this elsewhere.” He said as he clenched his left fist that was glowing bright red. He lugged the flyer with an uppercut to the stomach. Ivy grunted and was sent flying into the air. Ivy felt herself fly out of the arena and saw that Crimson had sprouted his wings and was right behind her. “So that’s how its gonna go down huh?” She said as she bit her thumb and slid the blood across the seal on her arm. A massive cloud of green smoke appeared and the massive serpent dragon revealed its head. Crimson narrowed his eyes and summoned the massive three headed dog. His wing vanished and stood on the center head with his arms crossed over his chest. “Don’t think that I’m some idiot that doesn’t know your strength.” Ivy said in a flat tone. “We’ve been together a long time Crimson.” “I know.” He said with a sigh. “I already know how I’m gonna beat you.” She said as she withdrew her whip. Crimson sighed and summoned his scythe. The skies grew darker and a small amount of rain was starting to come down from the dark sky. The two warriors blamed the rain for the liquid running out of their eyes. The two beasts crouched and launched at one another. The serpent immediately coiled around the red dog’s body and started to squeeze. Cliff braked and split itself into the three individual bodies. The two free dogs bit into the large dragon’s body and the dragon breathed a breath of green fire. The singed dog whimpered in pain as the other two dogs latched onto the serpent and viciously bit into the dragon. The serpent roared in pain and whipped its tail at one of the dogs. The canine dodged and grabbed the tail in its teeth while another bit into its neck and started to pull. The dragon yelled in pain as its blood dripped on the ground and felt its spine being pulled apart. Ivy gulped and sent the dragon away in a puff of green smoke. Crimson looked at the badly burned dog and did the same. The two warriors locked eyes with one another and shot forward. Ivy’s whip changed into its staff form and the two were locked in a power struggle. Ivy stared into the man’s red eyes and bit her lip. “Stop holding back Evergreen!” He yelled as he applied more power to his blade and forced the flyer back. Crimson pointed the end of his scythe at the flyer and let loose a barrage of red magical bullets at the flyer. Ivy easily dodged them and shot a few fire balls at the man who spun his scythe that acted like a shield from the burning spheres. Ivy took in a deep breath and leaned back. Crimson copied her and gathered a massive amount of magic in his mouth. As Ivy leaned forwards a massive wall of green flames shot towards the man. Crimson let loose a massive black flamed fireball. The two fire balls collided and the two were deadlocked in a massive power struggle. Little by little the black flames were gaining ground. Ivy poured a massive amount of energy into her flames and the green flames enveloped the dark. The green fire ball over came the dark which resulted in a massive explosion. Ivy panted and looked around for any sign of the red mage. “Not bad, but not good enough!” The green mage felt a familiar presence behind her and leaped forwards as she felt eh scythe pass over her head. The flyer dodged out of the way and panted. She heard the man whistle and looked behind her. Time froze and her eyes shrank as she saw the man holding a large clump of green hair that looked like it had just been cut. Crow gulped loud enough for the girls to hear. “Oh dear.” He said as he it his lip. “Why in the hay did he do that?” AJ said. “All he did was cut her hair.” “Have you no sympathy?” Rarity said. “Even if its green it still looked fabulous.” The fashionista retorted. “I’m afraid that it’s a little more.....complicated than that.” Crow said. “Why?” The group then saw the purple haired Changeling run up to them. “Hey Rouge, how’s Cobalt doing?” Twilight asked. “His life is no longer in danger and the wound is closed.” She smiled. Rouge then looked at he screen and all the color drained from her face. “I get it.” “Why did he go and cut her hair?” Dash said. “Ivy’s hair is her most prized possession.” Rouge answered. “Why?” Fluttershy asked. Rouge sighed and looked at the flyer. “Ivy used to get picked on a lot because of her hair.” Crow answered. “Her father always said that he would always be able to spot her in the crowd because of her hair.” He sighed. “When Streak died Ivy would never allow anyone to cut or touch her hair. Well, anyone except for Crimson.” “She trusts him that much?” Pinkie asked. Crow gave a nod. “Wait, so if Crimson knows this then why in the name of Equestria did he just cut it if they’re best friends?” Twilight asked. “Its because they’re best friends that he did that.” Rouge answered. “That makes no sense.” “He’s making sure that Ivy is so riled up that she doesn’t go easy on him.” She said as she sat back. The six girls were still confused. “Didn’t you two compete in some kind of competition?” She asked as she looked at the farmer and cyan flyer. “Yeah. We wanted to see who was the toughest.” Dash said. “How would you feel if you won knowing that AJ went easy on you?” The two made the connection and let out an ‘oh’ sound. “That’s why Crimson did that, to make sure that Ivy takes him seriously.” The green flyer clenched her fists and was shaking with rage as she removed her gloves. “Okay Crimson.” Ivy spat out. Her eyes were spliced and her hands were wrapped in green flames. “Here I come!” She yelled as she flew towards the man at an alarming speed. Crimson had no time to react before he was hit by the green flyer. Ivy unleashed a massive barrage of flaming punches. The man felt his body take the barrage and was sent flying into the ground. Ivy was still fuming in rage and saw a red magical bolt shoot out. The flyer slapped the bolt away like it was a fly. Crimson stood up out of the crater and cracked his neck. “That’s the Ivy I know.” He chuckled. He placed his hands together and focused his magic. “Seal release level three.” The wings sprouted from his back and the horns did the same. The man’s skin was now snow white. Ivy focused her magic and went into her dragon form. Her whip also seemed to shift. The long rope was then covered in angular blade pieces. The whip seemed to shrink and formed a sword. Crimson grinned and shot forwards with his katana blade drawn. The two were countering one another blow after blow. The slash marks cut through the air and into the surrounding stone. The two deadlocked and forced each other back. Crimson sheathed his blade and went in with his fists. “Is he crazy?” Rouge yelled. “What?” “Using fists against Ivy is about as useful as using a feather in a sword duel.” She said as she bit her lip and looked at the number three on her palm. The green flyer was matching the man’s strikes with her own and shot back twice as fast. One punch landed in the man’s face and was sent flying back. Ivy pulled out her sword and the blade spread apart into a whip like form. She launched it forwards and the blades wrapped themselves around the man’s right arm. The flyer tugged and the man felt his arm being ripped to shreds before being plummeted into the ground. Ivy panted and was ready for another assault. The flyer charged forwards with her sword gripped in her hands. Crimson slowly stood up and Ivy stopped as she saw that the man’s right arm was completely severed and mangled. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Inside the man’s sub conscience the horned figure grinned as he saw three locks on his cage open. The fourth was holding strong. The demon walked over to it and grinned. “Perfect.” He said before slamming his fist against it. The lock shattered into a million pieces as he chuckled. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ On the outside Ivy gulped as she looked down at her scaled palm and saw the number four. A massive amount of black aura then encircled the man and a devilish roar could be heard for miles. In the swirling mass of dark energy Ivy saw the blood from the man’s arm was starting to take shape back on the injury and rebuild it. Regeneration? When did he learn that trick? She thought as she felt the massive amount of energy pouring out of him. His horns grew longer and his wings started to change black and more demonic. The man’s right arm had shifted into a razor sharp claw. The air became filled with the stench of blood. The dark aura vanished and the flyer gulped as she saw the figure before her. Ivy felt a familiar chill creep up her spine and she gulped. “Crimson? That you?” She asked in a hesitant tone. The figure raised its head and tilted it to the right. The figure vanished at the blink of and eye and slammed its left fist into the flyer’s gut. Ivy coughed up a mouthful of blood as she was sent rocketing back. The flyer crashed on the ground and felt her bones crack. “Definitely not Crimson." She said as she got to her feet. The flyer snapped her fingers and summoned a jagged crystal. The figure roared at the gem and charged forwards. The conduit vanished from sight and delivered an uppercut to Ivy’s chin. The flyer was launched into the air until she felt something grab he ankle and rip her back down. She felt a strong arm wrap around her neck and ankles. The flier cried in pain as the man slammed her spine over his knee. Ivy gripped the crystal shard in her right hand and tried to stab the man in the chest. Crimson caught the armed hand by the wrist and gave it a hard twist. Ivy cried as she felt her right wrist shatter from the action and the man pried the shard out of her hand. The conduit twirled it in his right palm and gripped it. Ivy was barely on her feet when he raised it over her chest. Ivy looked into the man’s pitch black eyes and grunted. A small tear welled up and rolled off her face. The man’s body twitched for a moment and looked down at the flyer. Ivy felt the effects of her transformation wearing off and her body reverted back to normal. The demon hybrid raised the gem holding arm and swung down. Something warm splashed across the flyer’s face. An earsplitting scream filled the air. Ivy looked in surprise to see that the man had stabbed himself in the chest. The being’s hands grabbed the horns on his head and pulled down hard. The two horns snapped off like dry twigs and soon evaporated. The shadows started to fade and the wings started to crumble away. The man was grunting in pain as the demon aura seemed to fade. Ivy looked at her hand and saw that the numbers were dropping until no numbers remained. The man staggered for a moment and then steadied himself on his blade. His right arm was healed and back to normal. “Sorry about that.” He panted. “That was an unwelcome interruption.” The flyer tried to get to her feet, but only felt a massive wave of pain rip through her body. The flyer groaned in pain before blacking out. “Ivy Evergreen is no longer able to continue fighting. Crimson Storm is the victor.” Crow said as the crowd cheered. Crimson picked the flyer up in his arms and teleported back inside the arena. He was quickly approached by medics who started examining the woman. One of the doctors gasped. “Shit she’s going into cardiac arrest.” Another said as they got her on a stretcher. Crimson gritted his teeth as they rushed the flyer to the medical wing. Crimson held his head low as he made his way off the field. As Rouge and the others ran up to him he vanished in a flash of red light. For an instant, she saw the red haired man crying only this time his tears were dark red. Author's Note Sorry for the shortness of this chapter.
Chapter XXVI: ReturnChapter XXVI Return Ivy’s eyes opened to see herself surrounded by the green liquid. She saw the Changeling sitting across from her. Rouge perked up as she saw the flyer. Ivy poked her head out of her pod and started to pant. “Hey, how are you feeling?” Rouge asked. “Like I got stepped on by a mountain.” The door opened to show the bandaged blue flyer and six girls. “How long have I been out?” “You were in and out of a coma for the past four hours.” Rouge said. The green flyer groaned and looked at the blue flyer. He had a massive bandage wrapped around his chest where the mage had cut him. The flyer was also using crutches to get around. “Has anyone seen Crimson?” Ivy asked. “He bugged out when the medics took you away.” Dash said as she sat down. “Jerk.” Ivy grumbled. “That ain’t very nice.” AJ stated. “He cut my hair. How’d you feel if someone tore your hat in half?” She spat out. Applejack was about to argue but let out a sigh. “That’s what I thought.” The door opened to reveal a nurse in purple scrubs. “Hope I’m not interrupting anything.” She said with a smile. “Not a thing.” Cobalt said. “What’s up?” The nurse then pulled out an envelope. “Someone dropped this on my desk and its addresses to this room.” Rouge picked it up and opened it up. The contents only had the lock of green hair the red mage had cut during the battle. Ivy’s eyes shrank and she grunted. “Asshole.” She spat out before going back into her pod. The nurse quickly exited the room as the group looked at one another with worried looks on their faces. Rarity squinted and picked up the lock of hair and examined it. The fashionista walked over to the flyer’s pod and tapped on the side. Ivy leaned her head out and looked at the woman. “What do you want Rarity?” “Just a quick question. Is all that hair natural?” She asked as she pointed to Ivy’s hair. “Yeah. Why?” Rarity held the hair in front of the flyer. “This is a hair extension.” The group looked at one another in surprise. “I’ve never used them!” “I figured.” She said as she set the hair down on the table. “With your permission I’d like to conduct a little investigation in your hair.” Ivy bit her lip and gave a reluctant nod. “Try anything and I’ll send you through the wall.” Rarity nodded and gently ran her slender fingers through the green hair. She felt something odd and gently withdrew it. “Ah-ha!” She said as she held up a small clip with a bit of green hair attached to it. “The cut pattern matches up perfectly no?” She said as she levitated the two pieces. The group looked in amazement as they saw the cut edges line up with one another. “So Crimson never cut my hair?” Ivy said in a stunned tone. “Looks that way.” Cobalt said. Ivy hung her head low and sighed before going back into her pod. “Yeah, what was that whole crazy transforming show towards the end?” Dash asked. “That was the demon taking control of his body.” Rouge answered. “Been a while since that’s happened.” “You’ve seen that thing before?” Pinkie asked. “Yeah.” The blue flyer said. “A year ago we were on this job in the dragon kingdom with Crimson’s teacher Grimm. He was teaching him how to control the demon’s power better when Crimson lost control and went on a rampage.” The six girls gulped. “We managed to calm him down, but not without injury.” “How bad did ya get hurt?” AJ asked. The flyer stood up and grunted in pain as he removed his bandages. He picked up his right arm and showed a large scar on his side that stretched from his armpit to his leg. Rouge rolled up her shirt and the illusion vanished to show a large scar across her stomach. “After we stopped him, Crimson started doing missions on his own for a while.” Rouge said as she rolled her shirt back down. “Before we got assigned to Ponyville we hadn’t seen him in almost six months.” The girls looked at her in shock. “Crow kept tabs on him for us and let us know how he was doing.” “So where is he now?” Twilight asked. “I checked his room. Not there.” Rouge answered. “Probably in the library.” Twilight nodded and stood up. “I’m just gonna go check on him.” Twilight answered as she exited the room. The five girls shrugged and left to go get some food. The two warriors looked at the pod and saw some tears forming in the green flyer’s eyes. “Ivy?” Rouge said as she looked at her teammate. Ivy leaned her head out of the pod and sniffled. The flyer had an extremely guilty look on her face. “What did you do?” The flyer gulped and looked at the two. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Three hours earlier. Ivy’s eyes fluttered open to see the red mage standing across from her pod with a worried look on his face. “Oh thank the creator you’re alright.” He said with a sigh. “No thanks to you.” She spat out. “Ivy I am so sorry. I didn’t mean to lose control like that.” He said in a genuine tone. “Really?” She asked in a spite filled tone. The girls eyes cut through him like a knife hot butter. “You cut my hair.” “Look let me just-” He was about to step forwards when the flyer’s glare stopped him. “I don’t want to hear it!” She yelled. “I trusted you more than anyone. Then you go and stab me in the back? Thanks a lot Captain.” Her words could give manticore poison a run for its money. “Listen Ivy I just-” “You just what? Wanted to win so badly that you were willing to kill me?” “No, I never wanted-” “That stunt out there begs to differ.” Her eyes were like daggers. The flyer then felt a pain in her chest and grunted. The heart monitor was beeping rapidly. Crimson ran to the doorway. “Hey we need a doctor in here!” A nurse instantly got up from her seat and ran inside. She looked at the monitors and gulped. “Is she okay?” “Not good. She’s going critical.” “Is there anything I can-” “You’ve....done....enough.” Ivy wheezed out through the pain. Several more doctors ran inside and examined the flyer. The nurse walked over to Crimson and sighed. “For the safety of the patient, I’m going to have to ask you to leave.” She said in a low tone. “Sorry Crimson.” “Its fine.” He said as he walked towards the doorway. “Let me know if anything changes.” The nurse nodded and closed the door behind him. Crimson hung his head low and vanished in a flash of light. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Rouge and Cobalt face palmed at the flyer who hung her head in shame. “Damn it Ivy!” Rouge yelled. “You of all people should know how Crimson felt after the last time something like that happened.” Ivy bit her lip and held back a few tears. “You know that Crimson couldn’t control it and he barely managed to revert back this time.” “I know. I screwed up.” She sniffled. “I’ll go apologize and-” She was stopped as the changeling set up a barrier locking her in the pod. “Oh no you don’t. You’re in no condition to be walking around.” “What about him?” She asked as she looked at the blue flyer. “I just came to switch rooms. Figured you could use the company” He said as he walked over to the adjacent pod. “The only thing keeping me up now is the pain killers I’m on.” He said as he stepped into the pod. “You two focus on getting better. I’ll go find Crimson.” Rouge said as she left the two to soak in the pods. Cobalt leaned back and let the liquids heal his wounds as he went off to sleep. Ivy curled up inside her pod and let the river of tears flow from her eyes. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Twilight hastily made her way into the large library of the school. Once again she was almost blown away by the vast amount of information. She quickly shook off the vibe and approached the librarian. “Ah. Ms. Sparkle.” He smiled. “Have you seen Crimson?” She asked as she looked at the man. “Yes, I believe he went into the lounge a few hours ago.” He said as he looked at his watch. “Hasn’t come out since.” He said as he snapped his fingers and a ball of orange light appeared before the scholar. “This should show you the way.” “I’m only a visitor.” She said as she looked at the ball. “The only reason I was able to walk around here was because Crimson was with me.” The man smirked and pulled out a small bronze badge. “That should help you out.” He said as he handed it to the girl. Twilight looked at the bronze book shaped pin and cocked an eyebrow. “It’ll allow you to enter most of the levels here, safe the demonology section.” Quill stated. Twilight pinned the pin on her lavender colored blouse and followed the orange ball. Twilight caught her breath as she got use to the hook and traveling between floors. The scholar followed the ball of orange light through the seemingly endless rows of books. Normally the scholar would be neck deep in the information, but the urge to find the red mage was at the front of her mind. The scholar stopped as she saw the red mage staring down at a book. Had he been looking any harder, Twilight would have though that he was shooting daggers into the book. The scholar was awe struck at how seriously he was reading. The scholar came up behind him and lightly tapped him on the shoulder. “Fuck a duck!” The mage jumped five feet in the air and dropped the book in fright. Twilight jumped back and fell on the stone floor. As the man landed he spun around to see the scholar looking up at him in shock. “Twilight? What are you doing here?” He said as he helped her up. “Looking for you.” The man sighed and crossed his arms. “I don’t feel like talking.” He said as he turned to leave. The woman frowned and teleported in front of him. “Look, what do you want?” “To make sure you’re alright.” She said in astern tone. “I just fought and almost killed my best friend. How do you think I feel?” He said as he frowned. “Which is why I came to find you.” She said in a concerned tone. “Ivy knows that you cut a hair extension.” The man gritted his teeth. “Look what happened wasn’t your fault. “You don’t get it do you?” He said as he glared at the woman. “It is my fault. I almost killed my best friend for a second time!” He yelled. “It was an accident. You lost control and-” “I shouldn’t have even tried to use that power in the first place.” Crimson yelled. “I shouldn’t have taken things that far.” He said as he sat down. The scholar put a hand on his shoulder and sighed. “I swore to myself that I wouldn’t lose control and look what happened.” He said with a sigh. “It wasn’t your fault.” Twilight said in a serious tone. “From what I’ve seen, I know that you’d never purposely hurt Ivy or any of your friends.” “That doesn’t change-” The man was cut off as he grabbed his right arm in pain. The skin was moving rapidly and the scholar could hear cracking noises coming from it. Twilight’s eyes shrank as she saw that his right arm was covered in bandages like a mummy’s would be. “Are you okay?” She asked as she helped him up. The man grunted and clutched his arm. The librarian moved to his right side and started to remove the bandages. “Here, let me see whats-” The scholar stopped dead in her tracks. The bandages started to turn red as she unraveled them more. When she got to the last one she saw that there was no skin beneath them. She could easily see the muscular system in his arm along with blood vessels and veins. The man hung his head and quickly re wrapped the damage. “What happened?” “You saw when my arm was cut off during the fight right?” Twilight gave him a nod. “One of the demon’s attributes is the ability to replace lost limbs. This uses up a massive amount of my own energy and has some...uncomfortable side effects.” “So you can replace anything?” “No, my brain and heart are not able to regenerate.” He said in a flat tone. “I can’t even replace a severed finger on my own. Small cuts and bruises are easy to handle.” Crimson frowned. He rolled up one of the bandages and showed a small patch of skin growing. “It’ll take a couple of hours, but it should be fine.” He said as he rewrapped it. “Anyway I don’t have time to worry. The final is tomorrow and I’m not ready to-” The man was cut off as his gem blinked and vibrated. The man pulled it out to show a middle aged woman with dark brown hair. “Hello? Is this Crimson Storm?” “Yes, how can I help you?” Crimson stated. “Oh thank the creator. Please, you have to help me.” She said with a sniffle. “Calm down ma’am. What’s the issue?” “Its my little girl....I think she’s possessed.” The woman double checked her corners. “Please, I was told by a friend that you’re good at this sort of thing.” Crimson frowned and sighed. “Where’s your daughter?” “We’re in Willow City.” The man’s eyes shrank. “Please!” She said with tears in her eyes. The man sighed and cracked his neck. “I’ll be there in ten minutes.” He said as he cut the transmission. The scholar looked at him in confusion. “C’mon Sparkle I might need a hand.” He said as he walked past the girl and towards the main lobby. “With what?” She asked as she caught up with him. “I’m going to perform an exorcism and I’ll need our help.” He said as he jumped down to the main floor. Twilight swung down and was right behind him. “An exorcism?” She said in surprise. “I usually have Ivy come with me, but she’s currently resting so you’ll have to do.” He said as he walked past the man. Quill perked up and whistled. “Yes?” “Here’s your book Crimson.” The man said with a grin. Crimson’s face turned bright red and he quickly grabbed the book and hid it inside his coat. The man kept his hood up and walked out of the library. Twilight raised an eyebrow and looked at the man in confusion. “C’mon I need to grab something from my room.” He said as he walked down the stone hallway. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Crow sat behind his desk with the three Princesses glaring at him and gripping their tea cups tightly. The man sighed and looked at the three Princesses with a blank look on his face. Celestia bit her lip and set her cup down and folded her hands. “I know what you’re going to say Tia.” Crow sighed. “I know and-” “No, you don’t know!” She stammered. “He is loosing control and I will not have it turn loose a second time.” The sun goddess glared at the man. “I know and I will deal with it if it should come to that.” He said in a stern tone. “He is still my student and he is under my supervision.” He said as he gripped his cane. Celestia sighed and looked at her sister and niece. “Luna, Cadence. I wish to have a word with the Headmaster alone.” “But sister-” Luna stopped when she saw the seriousness in her sister’s eyes. The usually calm pink eyes that were now focused on the man like a hunter is on their prey. “Alone.” The two younger Princesses gulped and got up. The two winged women walked out of the room and silently closed the door. The solar Princess let out a sigh and cleared her throat. “I am simply expressing concern for my subjects’ well being.” “I understand that.” He said as he folded his hands. “Keep in mind Tia,” He said in a flat tone. “putting our....history aside. I will protect my students from anything that may threaten them, even the royal guard.” The Princess then felt the air in the room grow heavy and a light green aura enveloped the man. “Be sure to remember that.” He said as he turned around in his chair. Outside the room Cadence leaned against the stone wall and sighed. The woman saw several students looking at her in surprise. Her eyes narrowed as she spied a familiar red haired man walking with her sister in law. She quietly followed them down the hallway and towards the center of the school. “So where are we going?” Twilight asked. “To take out some demon that’s taken up hold in Willow City.” Cadence gulped at the name. “It’s probably a low ranking spirit, but you can never be too careful with these kind of situations.” “What was that book Quill gave you?” The man’s face turned scarlet red. “N-nothing. Just a book.” “Are we going to use it for the exorcism?” “Nope. Just some light reading.” The two stopped in front of a large globe. The man walked up to a keyboard and pressed a few keys. The globe spun back towards them and a message board appeared above a dot. “There we go.” He said with a sigh. “What is this?” “Warp station.” He said with a sigh. “Allows us to fast travel to anyplace with a travel hub.” Crimson said as he cracked his neck. “Most major cities have one. Think of it as a long range teleportation spell.” He said as a seal in front of the man started to glow. Crimson stepped on the seal and motioned for the scholar to follow. Twilight hid her blush as he put an arm around her. “Word of advice, hold on.” He said and he wrapped his arms around her and the two vanished in a flash of light. Cadence silently giggled to herself and happily made her way back down the hall. The two found themselves in the middle of a large room with a seal on the floor. Twilight’s eyes widened as she saw the fine marble pillars cut to near perfection. The floor was the same and had intricate designs carved into it. Twilight staggered forwards and dropped to her knees. The woman felt ill and quickly made her way over to the nearest trash can. The man shook his head and gave a small chuckle. “Yeah, I remember my first time using it.” The woman groaned as the man helped her up. “C’mon, we gotta get going.” The two were then approached by the woman who had contacted the man. She looked completely exhausted. Her hair was a mess and she had tear stains coming down her eyes. “Are you Crimson?” The man put one of his fingers to his lips and looked around. “Sorry.” She said in a hushed tone. “Where is she?” “My home. I’ll take you there. Please lets hurry.” She said as she hurried down towards the road. The woman looked at Twilight in confusion. “My temporary assistant.” He said in a flat tone. The woman nodded and hastily lead the two out the door. “What symptoms does your daughter have?” “Talking in weird tongues, odd marks appearing on her body, vocal changes and all sorts of odd things.” “These marks, what do they look like?” He asked as they quickly walked down the street. “Animal bites, scratches and an odd symbol.” She said in a panic filled tone. The man gritted his teeth and nodded. Twilight noticed that a lot of people were giving them odd looks. “I’ve consulted a priest, but I’ve heard that you’re a specialist.” “In a way.” He said as they approached a plain house with a brown wooden door. The woman made her way through the small home with the two mages following close behind. The sounds of animal like screams could be heard coming from upstairs along with a man’s voice yelling. Twilight gulped. The three came to a pink painted door with a few stickers on the outside. The door suddenly opened to show a man in a white suit and a sun imprinted on the front. The man was visibly sweating and his face was white as a sheet of paper. “By Celestia.” He said in a panic filled tone. Crimson rolled his eyes and patted him on the shoulder. “Sit this one out Padre.” He said as he looked at Twilight. “Wait outside till I find out what we’re dealing with.” “O-okay.” She said with a gulp. Crimson went inside and locked the door behind him. He looked at the girl who’s wrists were tied to the bed posts. Here eyes were dried out and the veins were clearly visible. Her skin was like paper and her hair was almost completely grey. The girl didn’t look older than seven. The man cracked his fingers and pulled up a chair. His eyes narrowed and his pupils focused on the possessed girl. “My names Crimson Storm. What’s yours?” The girl remained silent. “Ah, silent treatment huh?” He chuckled. “Look, we can either do this the easy way or the hard way.” The girl let out a monstrous roar and spat some black sludge in his face. The man sighed and wiped the sludge off his sleeve. “Okay, hard way it is.” The man stood up and set the chair aside. Crimson started to walk around the room and look at some family pictures. “Twinkle Shooter. That’s a nice name.” The possessed girl’s eyes were focused on the man. “Look, leave the girl’s body now and I’ll put in a good word for ya.” The next words that came out of the girl’s mouth was more like a series of screeches. *Translation “You can’t understand a thing I’m saying and I wouldn’t tell you anything if you could!” The girl screeched. Crimson cracked his neck and sighed. “I can, and you will.” The girl’s expression went flat. The man snapped his fingers and a gem appeared in his hands. The girl cringed back as the man got closer. Crimson cracked his neck and the girl let out a loud screech. The man then heard a series of hard knocks on the door. “Crimson? Is everything alright in there?” Twilight asked. “I’m fine. Keep that door closed.” He ordered. The man turned his attention back to the possessed girl and a small pentagram formed on his left palm. The screeching continued as Crimson’s eyes narrowed as he saw the wrist restraints on the girl were starting to rip. “If I go then this girl goes with me.” The man sent a red blast of energy at the girl. “I’ll drive you out like poison is drawn from a wound.” He said as he fired another bolt over her head. The ties around the girl’s wrists snapped and the girl lunged herself at the man. Crimson then heard the door behind his burst open to reveal a hulking man with short brown hair. The man had a large club in his hand. The young girl jumped five feet in the air with her fingers aiming for the man’s red eyes. Crimson raised his left palm and slammed it into the girl’s forehead. The group’s eyes shrank as they saw the man’s hand pass though the girl’s head and rip out what looked like a black cat out of the small girl’s body. The small girl fell to the ground in a heap as Crimson stabbed the shade with the gem. A gut wrenching scream escaped the object as it seemed to get sucked up into the jewel. Crimson cracked his neck and sighed as he looked down at the now black gem. The man stormed over to Crimson and slammed his fist into his jaw. Twilight gasped as the man raised his bat. “Before you decide to beat my face in, might I suggest that you check on your daughter?” He said as he pointed to the girl. The group looked down and the man quickly picked up the small girl in his arms. The man’s eyes were sick with worry. “Twinkle?” The man said in a worried tone. The girl’s hair returned to normal along with her tan skin. The girl opened her dark hazel eyes and blinked. “Daddy?” She said with a smile. The man felt tears fill his eyes and hugged his daughter. Twilight helped Crimson up and the man rubbed his cheek. “Few days rest and she’ll be fine.” He said as he looked at the family. Crimson then turned his attention to the scared priest. “Afternoon.” He said as he threw his hood up and walked towards the front door of the house. The woman chased after him and smiled. “Thank you.” She cried. “How much do I-” “I have my payment.” He said as he held up the black gem. Crimson turned and went out towards the street. He stopped to let Twilight catch up. “Twilight.” “Yes?” “Keep a distance of at least thirty feet behind me till we get back to the travel hub.” He said in a flat tone. “Why?” “Just do it.” The man’s eyes were like two red daggers that seemed the pierce the scholar’s soul. “Please.” “Fine.” She said as she rolled her eyes. “No matter what happens. Don’t interfere.” Before she could ask, Crimson started walking down the street. Once he was a reasonable distance away Twilight started following the man. Twilight faded in the crowd and saw that heads were turning towards the man and the people started to whisper to one another. Crimson kept his eyes forwards and focused on getting to the travel station. A large man then barged into him. Crimson looked at the man and nodded. “Sorry.” The man looked down and spat on his shoe. Twilight’s eyes shrank and was about to jump on but held back. Crimson kept walking and the stares and looks continued. The people were looking at the man like he had just kicked their dog. As he reached the steps of town hall a brick was thrown from the crowd and slammed into the back of the man’s head. Crimson fell down on the hard steps and grunted in pain. “You got some nerve coming back here freak!” A man yelled. The crowd soon followed suit. The crowd grabbed rocks and started hurtling them at the man. The rocks were wrapped in a light purple aura and stopped in mid air. “Damn it Twilight.” He said in a hushed tone as the girl made her way through the crowd and stood in front of the red haired man. “What is wrong with you people?” She yelled. The scholar helped the man up and put his left arm over her shoulders. “Why are you doing this?” “He ain’t human!” A man yelled. “He destroyed this town sixteen years ago and killed my son!” A woman yelled with tears running down her face. Twilight’s eyes shrank at the words and looked at the man who was bleeding from his scalp. “This is where the demon attacked.” Crimson answered with a cough. “He doesn’t deserve anything less then death.” Another crowd member yelled. “Specially since that green girl ain’t here to save him like last time.” The crowd started to walk towards the man with malicious intent. Twilight frowned and felt a tear form in her left eye. The crowd stopped when they saw a large amount of lavender aura escape the woman’s body. Her eyes were glowing with magical energy and the ground around her started to crack under the pressure. “Anyone that wants him has to go through me first!” She yelled as she stood in front of the crowd. “We don’t want to hurt ya ma’am. Ya got no reason to protect him.” A man stated. “You just said that you want to hurt the man who’s saved my life on more than one occasion. That’s reason enough for me protecting him.” The rocks that still hung in the air were then rotated back towards the crowd. The mob gulped and backed away. “I know that I wasn’t here when it happened and I’ll never know the pain you all felt. The ones you’ve lost and the hatred you feel towards the demon.” She sniffled. “But there’s one thing you should consider.” The mob looked at one another in confusion. “Think about how Crimson feels! He is forced to relive that nightmare everyday! Forced to live with the thing that took the two most important people in the world away from him!” The red mage was awe struck at the words. “Look at yourselves!” Twilight yelled. “Would those who’ve died want you to become this? People looking to kill a man for something that was completely out of his control?” The scholar wept. “If that’s what you think then you’re even worse than the demon that attacked here!” The crowd fell silent and the rocks fell to the ground in a heap as the magic started to fade away. Twilight still held her ground and here eyes were like two sharpened blades ready to cut into anyone that dared oppose her. “C’mon Crimson. Lets leave this place before I do something I’ll regret.” She said as she took the man’s arm and lead him up the stairs. The mob dispersed and went back to what they were doing before the purple tyrant tore them a new one. Twilight sat down on a bench close to the hub and held her head low as she wiped the tears from her eyes. “You didn’t have to do that.” Crimson said with a sigh. “They were going to kill you.” She said as she sat up. “I knew they would.” Twilight looked at the man in confusion. “Remember when I told you about the goblins that almost killed me?” Twilight recalled the conversation at his welcome party. “These people set that trap. They never thought that I’d survive.” “That’s horrible!” “They wanted my head on a platter. Didn’t care how.” He said as he sat back. “Ever since that first attempt, they’ve tried to assassinate me dozens of times. I lost count after forty.” Twilight put a hand to her mouth in shock. “The last time, Ivy came with me and threatened to snap their spines in half if they tried it again.” “Why did you do it? Keep coming back I mean.” Twilight asked. The man stood up and took the mage’s hand in his own and teleported out of the building. Twilight opened her eyes and saw a massive crater in the center of a green park. The crater was easily twenty meters in diameter with a small flat scrap of earth protruding from the center of the crater. “Is this where they-” The man gave a single stiff nod. “This is where the demon was defeated and sealed inside of me.” The man then pointed out towards the protrusion. “I remember waking up on that thing. Lying on my back with Crow looking down at me with tears in his eyes. I can still smell the flames of destruction and the sight of my parent’s bodies lying down next to me.” He hung his head in shame. The man then walked over to a large black rock that was ten feet high and had a fine polished finish. The rock was riddled with hundreds of names etched into it. “I’ve memorized every name on this stone and can repeat them alphabetically, by age, gender you name it.” He said with a sigh. “I keep coming here to remind myself what was lost and to make sure that something like this never happens again.” Twilight looked at the man and gulped as she saw the seriousness in his eyes. Twilight sniffle and wrapped her arms around the man in a tight hug. “Come tomorrow, it won’t matter anymore.” “Why’s that?” She asked as she let go. “The final test of the trials is known as the mirror. One literally faces off against himself and because of my...nature. I’ll be lucky if I even survive.” “Hey don’t talk like that.” Twilight said. “If three hundred of the strongest mages of the last era couldn’t fight the demon then what chance do I have?” He said with a sigh. Twilight narrowed her eyes and slapped the man upside the head. “Ow! What was that for?” “For being an idiot!” She scowled. “You honestly think that you don’t stand a chance? You’ve beaten an Ursa minor, faced off against a new Nightmare Moon and fought possibly the scariest woman I’ve ever seen with a pair of wings.” “Ivy is a kitten compared to what I have to fight.” He said as he gestured to himself. “So you’re just going to give up?” “I didn’t say that.” He said as he pulled out a large crystal like the one he had used on himself during the fight with the dragon slayer. “I the chips are down and I have no choice then I’ll use this.” The crystal was clear and was easily two feet long. “What is that thing anyway?” “When the Crystal Empire came back I discovered that some of the crystals there can act as types of conduits and trap souls within them.” He said as he held the gem on his hands. “I use them to seal away demonic entities that slip out and cause trouble like that girl I just helped.” He said as he pulled out the smaller gem. “Why is that one smaller?” “Smaller the demon the smaller the gem I can use. Since mine is stronger I need to use stronger gems.” “So you can get rid of that thing in you?” She asked in a happy tone. “Not exactly. There’s a price I pay for using this on myself.” He said as he made the gem vanish. “What’s that?” “I die.” “..........” “..........” “You what?” She yelled. “Basically, I’ll get sucked into the gem along with the demon.” Twilight slapped him again. “Geez, why are you hitting me?” He said as he rubbed his cheek that now had a bright red hand print. “Why in the name of Equestria would you do something so stupid?” Crimson narrowed his eyes and pointed out to the crater. “That’s why. When a conduit dies the spirit trapped inside of them is released. If that thing comes out again, it’ll mean death and destruction for everyone I care about.” He stated. Twilight gulped. “I’m a soldier Twilight. It’s my duty as a soldier to protect humanity. No matter the cost.” “You make it sound like soldiers and humanity are two different things. Pardon my language, but that’s bullshit.” The mage was taken back by the usually proper woman’s language. “We’re only human. Its in our nature to make mistakes.” Once again, the man was thoroughly stunned at how the scholar had looked through him. Her dark purple eyes saw through any facade and analyzed him better and faster than any psychologist ever could. “No point in arguing with you is there?” “Nope.” “Still my decision stands. If things get too bad then I’m pulling the plug.” He said as he put the large crystal back in his jacket. The red haired man then noticed that several people were staring at them. “Lets get out of here.” He said as he grabbed the girl’s hand and teleported them back to the transport hub. A thought came to the indigo haired scholar and grinned. “Hey, is it possible to teleport to Canterlot from here?” “Yeah, why?” He asked as he cocked an eyebrow. “I just need to grab something real quick.” “Thought you lived in Ponyville.” “Not originally. I was born and raised in Canterlot.” The man looked at his pocket watch and shrugged. It was only four o’clock. The man selected the capital city and the two vanished in a flash of light. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Crow sat at his desk behind a mountain of paperwork. The man yawned and sipped his cup of coffee as he heard a knock at the door. The man set down his coffee and folded his hands. “Come in.” The door opened to reveal the crystal Princess. “Hope I’m not interrupting anything.” She asked with a smile. “Not at all Princess.” He said with a warm smile. “Just going through the never ending river of paperwork.” He grumbled. “You’re preaching the choir here.” She said as she sat down. “So how can I help you?” “I was just curious about Crimson.” She said in a sweet tone. The man’s face immediately hardened and a scowl appeared across his face. “As I’ve told Celestia, he has some issues with the demon but-” “Oh no. Its nothing like that I assure you.” The man relaxed and sat back. “I was looking for things on a more...personal level.” Crow blinked in surprise at the words. “Well, he’s usually quiet, let’s his actions speak for himself, he loves to read. Must get that from his mother’s side.” He noticed that the young Alicorn’s eyes were focused on him. “Might I ask why you’re interested in him?” Cadence then made sure that the door was locked and that no one else was in the room. She waved the man closed and spoke in a hushed tone. “I have it on good authority that Twilight has a crush on him and Crimson seems to have taken a shine to her as well.” Crow’s jaw hit the floor and looked at the Princess of love in surprise. “Celestia’s student? No.” “Yes!” Cadence giggled. Crow then barreled over in laughter. Cadence looked at him in bewilderment and cocked an eyebrow. “What’s so funny?” Crow calmed down and told the Princess about the incident that occurred between the two children sixteen years ago. Cadence grabbed her face and squealed in delight. “I remember Twilight telling me about a crazy red headed boy rescuing her doll. That is so cute! Do either of them know?” “I don’t think so. Which makes this even better!” He yelled with a laugh. “Oh Cadence, we have to get these kids together.” “My thoughts exactly. I haven’t seen Twilight like this since she was just a little girl.” She sighed as she remembered the small girl. “However there is one snag.” Crow raised an eyebrow at the words. “My husband.” “Why would the Captain of the Royal guard object to-” “Twilight is my sister in law.” Crow’s calm expression shattered. “So your husband is Ms. Sparkle’s-” “Yup.” “Pony feathers.” He grumbled. “Crimson always had a knack for wanting things that are almost impossible to get.” Crow face palmed. “Yeah, those two mix about as well as oil and water.” She sighed. “Course he doesn’t have to know just yet.” Crow raised an eyebrow at the Alicorn. “Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, are you suggesting that you withhold information from your husband in order to get his younger sister together with the person he possibly hates more than Chrysalis?” “Possibly.” She said with a weak grin. “Despite your innocent demeanor, you are very crafty.” Crow chuckled. “I learned from the best.” Cadence said ina happy tone. “Quite. Where are they anyway? I haven’t seen Crimson since the match ended. No doubt he’s off sulking somewhere.” “I followed them to that transport hub.” Crow looked at her in surprise. “It sounded like Crimson had a job to do and Twilight tagged along.” “What was the town?” He asked as he sipped his coffee. “I think it was Willow City.” Crow spat out his coffee and looked at the Princess with fear spread across his face. “What’s wrong?” “That’s where the demon attacked sixteen years ago.” Cadence then realized the danger. Crow rifled through his pockets and pulled out a small red gem. “What’s that?” “It allows me to keep an eye on him. It gives me Crimson’s location by locking onto his mother’s gauntlet.” He ran his magic through it and it glowed brightly. “Looks like he’s in Canterlot now.” He sighed. “Your husband is still in the empire right?” Cadence gave a nod. “Good.” Crow sighed as he put the gem away. The man then saw the young Princess had a concerned look on her face. “Something wrong?” “I just remembered something that might be a problem.” She gulped. “Celestia.” “Don’t worry about her.” Crow grinned. “I have an idea. It’s difficult, but it might just work.” He said as he scratched his chin and a mischievous smile spread across his face. “Despite being an immortal goddess, Celestia has one weakness.” “Really? What?” “Sorry Princess. Its a secret.” He chuckled. “Just leave her to me.” The pink winged woman got to her feet and showed herself out. Crow put his feet up on the desk and chuckled as he thought of a way to utilize the sun goddess’s flaw. Author's Note Sorry this took a while. Happy New Year!
Chapter XXVII: Mother's IntuitionChapter XXVII Mother’s Intuition The two mages arrived in the hub of Canterlot. Twilight went to the nearest trash can again and leaned over it as she emptied her stomach. Crimson chuckled. “Ugh, I don’t think I’ll ever get used to that.” She said as she stood up. Crimson reached into his jacket and pulled out a small vial filled with pink liquid. “Here, this should help.” Twilight took the liquid and chugged it down. She felt a tingling in her stomach and the nausea left her. She stuck her tongue out and scrunched her nose at the taste. “Well, what do you expect? Pumpkin juice?” “I’m not use to these things.” She frowned. Crimson rolled his eyes and folded his arms. His face turned red as a low growl escaped his stomach. Twilight giggled and stood upright. “Hungry?” She said with a smug grin. A similar sound then escaped the scholar’s stomach. “Heh-heh. Sorry, must have skipped lunch.” “Likewise.” He said as he looked around the streets. “Know any places to eat around here?” “Yeah, there’s a coffee shop not too far from here.” The two mages headed off and started to walk down the cobble stone road. The sign out front read ‘Pony Jo’s Coffee and Donut Shop.’ A man with shoulder length brown hair and a wearing a smock with a pink frosted sprinkled donut was behind the counter. “Well, if it isn’t Twilight Sparkle.” He said with a smile. “Haven’t seen you here since the Grand Galloping Gala.” Twilight’s face immediately went red at the mention of that dreaded night. The two grabbed a table near the back of the establishment and ordered a cup of coffee and a cup of tea. “What did he say about the Gala?” Twilight gulped and gave a nervous laugh as her cheeks flushed red. “My friends and I got tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala a few years ago.” She began as the memories of that infamous night came back with a vengeance. “However, things didn’t go the way we thought they would and...long story short, I’m fairly certain that we will never go back.” She quickly said. “Yeah I know what you mean.” He groaned. “Ivory and I had to go as representatives one year and it was a total bust.” “You and Ivory went together?” She said in a surprised tone. “All the different academies have to send two representatives. Ivory and I were in the top spots out of everyone else in the Ranger class so we had to make an appearance.” Crimson rolled his eyes. “Spent half the night avoiding stuck up snobs. The only good part of that night was when hell broke loose.” “Huh?” “Are you familiar with Prince Blueblood?” Twilight then mad a foul expression. “I’ll take that as a yes.” He grumbled. “I saw the jackass use some poor woman as a shield in order to save himself from a flying cake that got launched from an apple cart.” Twilight gulped and lightly blushed. “The woman then proceeded to give the stuck up idiot a tongue lashing the likes I’ve never seen.” He chuckled. “He was long over do for one in my book. Then a flyer who was trying to chat with Soarin and Spitfire tried to catch a falling statue.” Twilight hung her head lower in embarrassment. “If that wasn’t enough, then the West wall collapsed and a girl in a torn dress along with an army of animals invaded and hell broke loose.” Crimson was biting his lip in laughter. “I haven’t seen Ivory laugh so hard in my life.” He chuckled. The man then noticed the scholar’s red face and that she was biting her lip. “Something wrong?” “That was us.” The tone she was using was similar to Fluttershy’s. “Pardon?” “That was the girls and I. We did all that stuff.” Crimson’s jaw dropped. “You gotta be kidding me.” “Nope. We were invited by the Princess and things got out of hand as you put it.” She nervously chuckled. “Well, from what I’ve seen of Ponyville folk that makes sense.” He said as he sipped his coffee. “What is that supposed to mean?” She asked as she pouted. “Nothing. Just that you guys know how to shake things up a bit. I’d take that craziness over all that prim and proper stuff any day.” Twilight’s face flushed red. “Really?” “Yeah, I’m no good at all that formal stuff. Give me an Ursa any day.” He said as he sipped his drink. “So what did you need from Canterlot?” “Oh right! I need to grab something from my house.” The woman piped up. Crimson got up and paid the man behind the counter. The two walked through the busy streets of the capital city. Crimson bit his lip and let out a sigh. “Thank you.” He said as the indigo haired girl looked at him in confusion. “For what?” “For what you did in Willow City.” He said with a sigh. “No one has ever stood up for me like that. I mean, yeah Ivy and the others have done it. Only they mostly used physical threats. Never would have expected you to tear into those guys like that.” Twilight felt her face flare up at the words. The man gave her a genuine smile as he walked beside her. The man bent down to adjust his shoe. At that moment Twilight saw the book Quill had given him. Before he could reach it, Twilight snapped her fingers and the book appeared in her hands. Crimson felt a wave of panic over take him as she scanned it. “Twilight please don’t-” His words fell on deaf ears as he saw the woman’s eyes grew wide in astonishment. “Crimson,” The man felt a lump form in his throat. The woman looked down at the title of the book and back to the man. His face was bright scarlet. “why do you have a copy of the Red Jewel of Arcadia?” It was over. He could already feel his manhood shriveling up like a raisin. Crimson tried to search his mind for another topic, but the scholar’s intense stare would easily cut through any attempt. “Um..I’m.....holding it for someone else?” He threw on a fake grin that Twilight instantly raised an eyebrow at. The gaze was as useful as using paper in a sword fight. “Are you a fan of the Forbidden Jewel series?” The deed had been done. All the warrior wanted to do now was find a nice cold hard rock to crawl under until the world ended. “Well?” She asked. Crimson felt the lump in his throat grow to the size of a melon and gave a reluctant nod. “J-just don’t tell anyone.” He said his face flushed red with embarrassment. “Why not? There’s nothing wrong with reading.” “I know that! But if Ivy or Cobalt caught wind of this then they’ll hold it over my head for so long that I’ll forget what the sun looks like.” He gulped. “I like the sun Twilight. It gives me hope.” “That still doesn’t answer my question.” She said in a blank tone. “How can I put this?” The man said as he scratched his head. “It’s like if you saw AJ and Rainbow Dash in frilly dresses, with lace, at a tea party, eating crumpets and gossiping.” Twilight took a moment to construct the picture and couldn’t help but chuckle. “That’s why.” “Are you telling me that Crimson Storm, the fearless Ranger from the Academy is afraid of what others will think of him because of his reading material?” “Hey I’m not afraid. I’m just,” The man paused as he looked for the right words. “scared.” He said in defeat. “How did you even get into them?” “Rouge.” He grumbled. “I was bedridden for a month when I was sixteen and she suggested it. Since I didn’t want to die of boredom, I picked it up, started reading it and well...I got hooked.” He said as his face blushed harder. “Why were you bedridden?” “Broke my spine in two places, both my legs and my left collar bone was fractured.” Twilight’s jaw dropped. “That’s what happens when you mess with a full grown Chimera.” “A what?” “Big fire breathing monster with a lion’s head, goat body and serpent’s tail. One was around Hoofington and I had to deal with it.” “Wait, you took on a full grown Chimera by yourself when you were only a teenager?” She almost yelled. “My original mission was for my team and I to guard a merchant while he was moving from Trottingham to Hoofington.” Crimson said. “Most of the fighting was against timber wolves, manticores and bandits. Ivy and the others were dealing with some robbers while I took the merchant and we found refuge in a nearby cave. Unfortunately that happened to be the Chimera’s den. It tried to attack me and you know how that song and dance goes.” Twilight gulped. “I didn’t get out without injury and the merchant ran back to Ivy and brought the others back to my mangled behind. Luckily I was already droning and Rouge used her warp gate to get me back to the Academy.” “What’s droning?” “Just a term I use. In the event of an emergency, an Academy student, that is Hunter rank or higher can enter a...hibernation state.” Twilight still had a confused look on her face. “It’s basically an induced coma in an effort to heal the body quicker.” “Why didn’t your ‘partner’ help you out?” Twilight asked. Crimson scowled at her. “This happened back when the seal was still strong and was holding back the demon’s energy. I still healed quicker than an average mage would, but now a days all I need is a week to heal after something like that.” He said with a shrug. “Wait how did....never mind.” She said wit a sigh. “I still don’t see why you’re so concerned with this.” “Have you ever read them?” “Yeah. They are amazing!” Twilight chimed. “The characters and the plot is so enthralling that I had Spike hide my personal copies because I was getting behind on my studies.” “Personal copies?” Crimson asked. “I have a few of them just for myself that are signed by the author.” Crimson’s ears perked up. “You know Midnight Fountain?” He almost yelled. Now it was Twilight’s turn to look embarrassed. “Yeah, but I shouldn’t have told you that!” She said in a worry filled tone. “She made me swear not to tell anyone.” “I’ll keep your secret if you keep mine.” He said with a smug grin. Twilight grunted with a bright blush on her face. “Fine.” She said as she handed him the book back. Crimson hastily put it inside his coat and the two continued to move down the street. The two swayed the conversation away from books and just settled for idle chit chat. “So why did Quill address you as a king earlier?” Crimson groaned. “Oh. That.” He shivered. “Back when I was a kid, I had this.....habit.” “What habit?” She asked. “I used to build myself a castle made out of book and read my way out.” He said in an embarrassed tone. Twilight’s jaw dropped at the words. “Crow and Quill kept calling me the King of Castle Knowledge and the name stuck.” He grimaced. “Go ahead. Laugh it up.” “I used to build book forts.” She said in an embarrassed tone. Crimson cocked an eyebrow and saw no deceit in the woman’s eyes. “Seriously?” “Yup and it looks like we’re here.” Crimson soon found himself in front of a large two story house with a dark purple door. The woman snapped her fingers and a purple key made of mage appeared in her hand. The scholar turned the key and the door swung open. The two entered the home. Crimson looked to his left and saw a living room with a television and fire place. A hard wood end table was in the center and divided two couches on either side of the room. There was a large bookshelf stacked with dozens of books. “I just gotta grab something from my room.” The woman said as she walked upstairs. Crimson let out a sigh and started to look around the room. The man walked over to the book shelf and started to scan the books. The man’s ears perked and heard a whooshing noise and felt a blunt object hit his head. The man fell to the ground and hit his head on the coffee table. The last thing he saw was a woman with white hair and a purple stripe running through it holding a type writer over her head. Twilight heard the crash and quickly made her way downstairs. The scholar let out a gasp when she saw the red haired man on the ground and bleeding from the head with the woman standing over him with the typewriter in hand. The woman was about 5’9” and was wearing a white collared shirt and grey slacks. The woman lightly tapped the man’s shoulder with her foot and he moaned in pain. “Mom!” The woman spun around and saw the indigo haired scholar with a shocked look on her face. “Twilight? What are you doing here?” “Never mind that what did you do to my friend?” She yelled as she walked over to Crimson’s body. She tried to move his muscular form, but her frame couldn’t make the man’s body move an inch. The scholar snapped her fingers and levitated the man onto the couch. During the move, the book had fallen out of the man’s coat and was picked up by the older woman. “You know him?” She asked as she set the book down on the table. “Yes! Now can you go and get some bandages?” Twilight said as she looked at the cut on the man’s scalp. Twilight sighed as her mother handed her a first aid kit. “Honestly dear, this is why you should call first.” She said as she pulled out a few bandages. The woman turned the man’s head and a sly grin appeared on her face. “Oh he’s cute Twiley.” “Mom!” Twilight said as she blushed. The older woman giggled and took a few bandages in her hand and reached for the man’s head. Crimson’s eyes flashed open and grabbed the woman’s wrist and applied pressure. “Crimson, this is my mother Velvet.” Twilight said in a calming tone. “Sorry.” He said as he let go. “No, I should apologize for hitting you.” Velvet stated as he sat up. “Are you all right? I did hit you with a typewriter after all.” “I’ve survived worst.” He said as he shook his head. “Why a typewriter?” “It was what I had on me at the time.” She said with a weak smile. Twilight face palmed. “I’m so sorry about this Crimson. My mother can over react sometimes.” “Its fine.” He said as he cracked his neck. “Well, its nice to meet you. I’m Velvet Sparkle.” She said as she shook his hand. “Crimson Storm.” He said with a smile. The group then heard a high pitched whistling sound coming from the other room. “Oh that’s the tea. Would either of you care for a cup?” Twilight looked at Crimson who gave her a shrug. “Um, sure. We’ll take some.” Twilight said. The scholar sat down next to the man and tried to hide her embarrassment. Soon Velvet returned with three cups of tea and the pot. “So Crimson. How do you know my daughter?” Velvet asked as she sipped her tea. “I was stationed in Ponyville about a month ago.” “Oh you’re in the guard then?” “No, Crimson is a Ranger class agent from the Academy.” Twilight answered. Velvet’s eyes widened. “Really?” Crimson gave a nod “Well, that must be very interesting.” “I do my job as well as the next person.” “Oh, stop being modest.” Twilight said. “You took down those bandits like it was nothing.” “Because it was.” “Bandits?” Velvet asked with a blink. “Nothing. Some guys just-” “A group of bandits showed up in town claiming to be Academy agents.” The next few hours were spent by Twilight re telling all of the exploits Crimson and his team had made since their time in Ponyville. The scholar wisely avoided the fact that the man was a conduit and the Poison Joke mishap. Crimson looked at the scholar in surprise as she masterfully retold the tales and made them seem almost like something from a Daring Do book. Several times Velvet felt her jaw drop in amazement. While Crimson was trying to hide his blushing cheeks. Twilight sat back and let out a breathed in a hearty amount of air as she finished the tale. “Well, now. You certainly know how to handle yourself in a sticky situation.” Velvet said as she looked at her still blushing daughter. “Thank you ma’am. I’m just here to help people.” He said with a nervous laugh. “So what exactly were you two doing in Canterlot? It’s rare that Twilight visits.” The purple mage’s face grew redder. “She said that she needed to pick something up from here.” Crimson said. He looked at the far wall and saw that the clock read six o’clock. “Sorry, to bug out like this Mrs. Sparkle, but I have to head back to the academy.” He said as he stood up. “Oh its no trouble.” She smiled. “I need to work on that stain on the floor over there before the stain sets.” She said as she looked at where the man had been bleeding. “Oh that?” Crimson snapped his fingers and the dried blood liquified and flew into the air. The ruby red blood flew towards the man and flew into his sleeve. “Good as new.” “Wow, nice cleaning spell.” Velvet said. “Get what you need Twilight?” He asked. “Yeah, I’m good.” She said as she stood up and the two walked towards the door with the older woman in pursuit. Twilight hugged her mom and smiled. “Bye mom. Say high to Shiny and Dad for me.” “Will do dear and take care.” Velvet beamed. “You too Crimson.” “Nice meeting you Mrs. Sparkle.” He said as he shook her hand. “Likewise and please dear, call me Velvet.” Twilight groaned and started to walk away. Crimson sighed and went after her only to be called back by the woman. The man froze when he saw that the scholar’s mother was holding his book. “Nice to see that you have good taste in literature.” “Yeah.” He said as his blush reddened. Velvet giggled and gave the man the book. As it entered its grasp she tapped on the cover and grinned. Crimson raised an eyebrow and opened it to the first page. The man’s eyes shrank when he saw the familiar handwriting. May the jewels grant you fortune on your journeys. ~Midnight Fountain. Crimson’s eyes went wide and he looked at the woman who put a finger to her lips and made a ‘shhh’ sound. “I hope I can trust you with this.” She said with a sigh. “If the paparazzi ever caught wind then I’d never get to write anything.” She groaned. “Trust me. I know the feeling.” He sighed. Crimson made his way back to Twilight who was waiting patiently for him. “What took you?” “Sorry, your mom just gave me an autograph.” Twilight’s eyes widened. “Relax. I won’t say anything to anyone.” “Oh good.” Twilight sighed as the two walked back to the transport hub in silence. The two soon found themselves back within the familiar walls of the Academy and saw that it was getting late. During the entire time Twilight looked like she was having an internal argument with herself. Crimson walked her to her door and felt a bright blush appear on his face. “Um thanks.” The indigo haired girl said. “It was fun, for the most part.” “Likewise.” Crimson said as he awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, I’ll see you tomorrow.” He said as he turned to leave. Twilight took a deep breath in and gathered her courage. “Crimson wait.” The man stopped and turned back around to see Twilight holding a small purple box. “Here. I know its a few days late, but happy birthday.” Her face was redder than a fresh tomato. “Twilight you didn’t have to get me anything.” “I know. I just wanted to and to show you my gratitude for helping Ponyville so much.” “Twilight I really can’t accept-” The man stopped when the scholar threw on a pouting face. Damn you Sparkle. Damn you and that cute- I mean adorable- Gah! What ever that look is. The man sighed and opened the box. It was a black roped necklace with a bright purple crystal in the center. “My brother gave me this the day of my test to become Celestia’s pupil. Its luck worked then, so maybe it’ll help you tomorrow.” The man gulped and held out his opened palm that held the necklace. “Twilight. I can’t accept something so valuable.” The scholar sighed and put her hands on his and closed his fingers around the necklace. “That’s the only kind of gift worth giving.” She said with a smile. Twilight looked into the man’s deep red eyes and felt her face becoming bright red. The two mage’s bodies seemed to move on their own as their faces got closer to one another. Crimson could feel the girl’s breath on her lips and the lavender perfume that he’d come to enjoy. Just when they were an inch away from carnal bliss the door opened in ward to show a tired dragon hybrid. The boy was wearing a loose fitting white T-shirt and baggy gym shorts. “Hey Twilight.” He yawned “When did you get back?” He asked. The two mages immediately jumped apart and hid their blushes from one another. “J-just now.” Twilight said in a shaky tone. Spike seemed to be too tired to notice what the two mages were doing. “What’s Crimson doing here?” “J-Just saying goodnight.” The man snapped his fingers and vanished in a flash of red light. Twilight sighed and made her way into the room. “Something up Twilight?” “No, just go to sleep.” The scholar said in an agitated tone as she grabbed her PJ’s and went into the bathroom for a hot shower. Twilight stood up with her forehead pressing against the hard tile wall and the hot water running down her back. “Worst timing ever. Of all time.” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Crimson teleported into his room and calmed himself down. The man noticed that Rouge was asleep in Ivy’s bed. Must have waited for me. Crimson thought as he pulled the covers up over the Changeling’s body. He walked over to the mirror and tried the necklace that the scholar had given him. He held it between his pointer finger and thumb. The man looked back at his reflection that had the horns coming out of his head and the snow white skin. He sighed and quickly threw on a pair of loose fitting gym shorts and laid down on his bed. He stared up at the ceiling and sighed. “Tomorrow huh?” The man turned over on his side and tried to get some sleep.
Chapter XXVIII: Facing the MirrorChapter XXVIII Facing the Mirror Crimson woke up with a hard slap to his face. The man stirred up and looked to see a cross purple haired Changeling glaring at him. “Morning to you too Rouge.” He yawned. “Where were you yesterday?” She yelled. “I searched this place from top to bottom trying to find you ya know.” The man sat up and cracked his neck. “We weren’t even in the Academy yesterday.” “We?” Rouge raised an eyebrow. “I had to perform an exorcism and Twilight came along for the ride.” He said as he stood up. “Where was the exorcism?” “Willow City.” The changeling gasped. “Calm down. Nothing happened.” Rouge narrowed her eyes on the man. “Okay fine so I got some stuff thrown at me. Twilight took care of it.” “How? No offense Crimson, but your girlfriend doesn’t look like a fighter.” The man’s face turned bright red. “She’s not my girlfriend! She was just a friend helping me out.” Rouge grinned as his face betrayed him. “All she just gave them all a tongue lashing. Then we went to Canterlot to go to her house.” “Moving a bit fast aren’t we?” Rouge grinned. “Not like that!” Rouge stuck her tongue out at him. “She just needed to grab this.” He said as he pointed to the gem that hung around his neck. “She said it was a late birthday gift.” “Oh that’s so cute~” Rouge teased. “Anything else happen?” Crimson then thought back to the incident between him and the scholar last night before being interrupted by the hybrid. “Nope. Brought her back and went straight to bed.” He said as he walked over to his drawer and headed into his bathroom and turned the shower on. “How are the other two doing?” He said through the door. “Cobalt has a few broken ribs, nothing too serious after we closed the wound. He should be good after today.” “And Ivy?” Rouge let out a sigh at the name. “Don’t lie to me either.” Crimson said in a flat tone. “Her spine had a hairline fracture. Her right ribcage was completely shattered and she had a bit of internal bleeding.” No response came from the other side. “That was yesterday. I checked on her last night and hers pine is healed along with the bleeding. The only thing that we’re waiting on is for her ribcage to readjust.” “Yeah.” “She also knows that you didn’t cut her hair.” The man walked out wearing his usual red jacket. The Changeling sighed and spied the book on his bed. She picked it up and looked at the cover. “You got the new one?” “Yup.” Crimson then remembered the autograph as Rouge turned the page. “Wait don’t-” His warning came too late as the Changeling’s eyes fell upon the message and her jaw hit the floor. “When did you meet Midnight Fountain?” She yelled. Crimson gulped as he searched his mind for an excuse. “Just bumped into her while Twilight and I were in Canterlot.” He wasn’t technically lying to her. He did meet her on accident. Rouge walked up to the man and put her finger in the middle of his chest. “If you know who it is and you don’t tell me, then you’ll regret it.” She snarled. “Whatever.” The man then felt something vibrate in his pocket. He pulled out the jewel and a letters made of light. All Rangers that are participating in the final test must report for debriefing. Crimson sighed and put the gem inside his pocket. “Well, show time.” He said as he walked passed the girl. Rouge bit her lip and sighed. “Wait.” Crimson halted and turned around and the Changeling brought him into a tight hug. Crimson sighed and returned the embrace. “Just make sure you come back. I hate interviewing new recruits.” “Really? Here I thought you were a social butterfly.” He chuckled. Rouge slugged him in the gut and frowned. “Not funny.” She said as she let go. Crimson nodded and vanished in a flash of red light. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Down in the cafeteria, Twilight sat with the other girls and quietly ate their food. Rarity raised an eyebrow at the librarian who had stayed quiet since the group had sat down. A coy smile spread across her face as she had a thought. “So Twilight, where did you run off to yesterday?” Twilight gulped as she recalled what happened between herself and the red haired mage. “Yeah, after we visited Ivy you just took off.” Dash said. “What gives?” “Don’t ya remember Dashie?” Pinkie piped up. “She went to go find Crimson, cause she has a crush-” The woman’s mouth instantly turned into a closed zipper. Courtesy of the blushing scholar. “Pinkie. Shut it.” Twilight grumbled. “Well, your face was really red last night.” Spike said as he took a bite from his pancakes. Twilight glared at her adoptive brother and her face flushed red. The other girls grinned. “Nothing happened.” She said with a sigh. “Besides today is the final.” She said as she sipped her tea. “Yeah, you’ll have plenty of time to get to know him when he comes back to Ponyville.” “I doubt that.” The group looked behind them to see the bandaged blue flyer. “How are you feeling partner?” The farmer asked as the man sat down. “Good. Doctors are letting me out tomorrow.” The group chuckled. “What about Ivy?” Dash asked. “She’s stable, but sleeping at the moment.” He said as he cracked his shoulder. “What did you mean by what you said?” Rarity asked. “If Crimson passes....when he passes he’ll be reassigned.” The scholar felt her heart drop into her stomach. “Zealots usually go to where trouble is most affluent in Equestria and join a guild there.” “Why?” “Say a war breaks out and the council is involved. The Zealots are usually on the front lines fighting.” He said as he sat back. “What if he fails?” Fluttershy asked. “Then he’ll have to wait for the trials to come back up again. Although that could be next year or the next ten.” The group’s jaws dropped. “No one knows when the trials are held until its the year that they’re given.” He said with a sigh. “So if he wins then he’ll get shipped off somewhere?” Dash asked. “Pretty much.” He said with a shrug. “Wow way to kill the mood.” Dash said. “Hey I don’t like this either. There’s a chance that he might be put in charge of another squad.” He grumbled. “Seriously? So what’ll happen to you, Ivy and Rouge?” “Be shipped off somewhere or we could go with him. It depends how things turn out.” The flyer pulled out a blue crystal and a few letters popped up. The final for the Zealot Selection Exam will begin in thirty minutes. “C’mon, best get to our seats.” He said as the group got to their feet and followed the flyer towards the stands. Rarity hung back to comfort Twilight who had a the look of worry on her face. The six girls saw that Crow and the Princesses were waiting for them. The girls also saw seven other people standing next to Crow. Among them was Deus. “Oh crap.” Cobalt said with a gulp. “Who’re they?” Dash asked. “The other members of the council.” He whispered. He pointed to the one who was elderly and had a staff with an orange gem at the end. The man was the shortest among them and had white hair and beard. His cloak was brown that matched his eyes. “That is Marcus Clay. He’s the first seat. Legend says that he could make a crack in the ground with just one slam of his staff.” The next was a woman who was slim and donned a teal cloak with embroidered gold trim. Her hair was grey and went down to the middle of her back. She was carrying a large rifle with a scope on her back. “That’s Sparrow Winchester. Second seat. They call her the Shrieking Specter.” “Why?” Pinkie asked. “Because the second you hear her rifle fire you’re dead.” Rouge answered as she came up behind the group. “Records show that she’s a master with any long range weapon and has never missed a shot.” The group gulped and turned to the next person in line. He was tall, standing at around seven feet and was very lean His cloak was a dark purple. “That’s Toxic Slender. Third seat. He uses poison based magic.” Rouge answered. “I heard that it only took one drop of his custom poison to kill an Ursa Minor.” Next in the line up was a man that looked around the same age as Crow with light blonde hair and golden yellow eyes. On his belt were two golden brass knuckles within reaching distance for his hands. “He’s Platinum Flash. Fourth seat. Strongest man in the world.” “Yeah right.” Dash said as she rolled her eyes. “The guy shattered a mountain with the flick of his finger.” Cobalt added. “He’s got more strength in his eyebrow than Ivy does in her whole body.” Dash’s eye twitched at the words. The woman standing next to him was in her fifties and had fading pink hair that was held up in a bun by two long black needle like chop sticks. Her cloak matched her hair almost perfectly. By her side was a long sheathed katana. The sheath was decorated with several flowers that were carved into the wood. “That is Lilly Nettle. Fifth seat. She knows the human body like the back of her hand and is deadly accurate with needles along with her sword. She also has an extensive knowledge of medical herbs and remedies.” Next to her was a slim man with dark brown hair and green eyes that seem to be taking in all of his surroundings. His cloak was grey and had a large two handed sword attached to its back. “He’s Silver Cutlass. Sixth seat.” “I heard that he managed to cut through an ocean with his sword.” Rouge said. Next to him was a woman that looked a bit younger than Crow. Early forties most likely. She had fair skin, orange hair and dark brown eyes. Her cloak was an auburn color and had a small trench knife attached to her belt. “She’s Titian Swift. Eighth seat. Fastest thing on two feet.” Dash rolled her eyes at the words. “She ran across the ocean and back in under five minutes.” “What about Crow? What can he do?” Pinkie asked. “Him?” Cobalt asked as he looked at the headmaster. “Not sure. He and Deus are both kinda mysterious.” The group looked at the nine and gulped. “I do know that Crow can shape shift, that’s about it.” The group piped down as they walked closer and took their seats. Cobalt and Rouge went down the stands for a better view. Twilight sat next to her mentor and felt the new comers’ eyes on her. “Everyone, this is my student Twilight Sparkle and her friends.” The group gave a nod. “She and her friends are the Element bearers.” The group’s eyes suddenly lit up. “So Crow,” Sparrow said in a flat tone. “how good a shot is he?” “He takes after his mother.” The silver haired woman smirked. “As expected of the son of my student.” She grinned. “The boy has shown a lot of promise.” The staff user said with a cough. “He’s rowdy and reckless.” Deus spat out. “What else would he be? He’s still young.” The old man said with a smile. “Reminds me of my youth it does.” “Oh boy here we go.” The blonde man face palmed. “Back in my day I-” Before the man could continue further the bell for the test to start echoed through the stadium. “Saved by the bell.” Crow said as he stood up. The crowd fell silent and waited for the man to speak. The group heard thunder rolling in and looked up at the dark sky. The group saw a few students out on the field. Ivory and Crimson were among them. “I’ll keep this brief. You’ve all trained and honed your crafts of combat to make it here. Good luck to you all.” He said as he adjusted his glasses. The board appeared above the stadium and the names started flashing before everyones eyes. Ivory Knightwalker The students departed the field until the white mage was the only one left. Crimson gave her a reassuring nod as he made his way off the field. The other students went up to the observation platform and waited. Crow snapped his fingers and a large mirror covered by a dark cloth appeared in front of the mage. The mirrors surface turned pitch black and had a liquid like ripple to it. A dark hand immediately came out and latched itself onto the side of the mirror and pulled itself out. The figure definitely had a female physique. Soon the sludge faded and a perfect copy of the woman stood before her. Her clothes were tinted black along with her hair. Ivory immediately drew her blade and got in an attacking stance. The copy followed suit and smirked. The two lunged forwards and the two locked blows. The air around the two grew stale as they continued to lock blow after blow. Ivory ripped off her eyepatch with the copy following suit. Both of their magical energies spiked and the crowd could feel the pressure emanating from the two. Ivory slashed her sword in the air and magical blades launched themselves at the copy who spun her sword in a circular formation and parried the blades away. “That all you got?” The copy sneered. Ivory frowned and focused her magic. The wings sprouted from her back and the halo appeared above her head. “Finally taking things serious huh? Too bad your mother couldn’t be here to see this.” Ivory’s eyes sharpened and lunged forwards. The two continued to clash as they flew up into the air. “All you are is just a pawn. A weapon made for one purpose and you even failed that.” “That mouth is getting annoying.” Ivory said as she saw an opening and threw her sword in a spinning form. The copy easily dodged the blow and shot forwards with her own blade. Ivory smirked and saw that the sword was coming back to her. The copy’s sword was aimed right for the white mage’s heart. At the last second Ivory dodged the blow just in time to catch the handle of her sword and slice off one of the dark angel’s wings. The copy cried in pain and fell towards the ground. “Time to end this!” Ivory Raised her sword and threw it like a lance towards the copy’s falling body. The blade impaled the dark angel as she hit the ground. The darkling cried out in pain and its red eyes shrank as it looked up to see Ivory’s halo rise over her head and positioned itself above her body. “End of the line.” She said as she slammed her palms together and the halo split into millions of swords. “Holy Rain of Destruction.” The blades all shot down towards the pinned darkling. The next thing the copy saw was a wall of swords that blocked out the sky and made it look like an ocean of silver water. That’s when the silver wall of death hit her. The swords fell non stop for three minutes before the mage landed on the ground and panted. The darkling’s body shifted into a shadow and retreated back into the mirror. The crowd cheered as Ivory sheathed her original sword and the rest vanished in flashes of white light. Ivory was panting heavily and was about to fall. She felt her arm being grabbed and was being helped up. She looked up to see Crimson with a smile on his face. “Nice job.” “I can walk just fine.” She took a step and felt her leg give out. Crimson grabbed her again and put her arm over his shoulder. “Sure you can.” He chuckled. The medics soon arrived and sat the white mage down. Crimson shook his head and chuckled. Ivory looked out onto the field and gulped. Crimson Storm “Looks like I’m up.” He said with a sigh. The mage looked at the covered mirror and gulped. A small wave of fear was welling inside of him. He clenched his fist and bit his lip. Thoughts of death and destruction in his possessed state ran through his mind. The thought of withdrawing came to him and he felt a hand on his shoulder. Crimson looked back to see Ivory looking at him with a hard stare. “Give up now and I’ll kill you.” She said in a serious tone. The man gulped and gave her a nod. Crimson started to make his way back on to the field. “Don’t lose either or I’ll have to find a new rival.” She smirked. The crowd grew restless as he made his way on to the field. Twilight noticed that some of the council members put their hand on their weapons and were getting ready to draw. “You have him in your sights?” Deus asked Sparrow. “Aye. Though I doubt it’ll come to that.” She said as she raised an eyebrow. “We can’t take any chances here. If that thing gets loose then-” “I’ll handle it.” Crow interjected. “He’s my responsibility.” Deus snarled and turned his head back towards the conduit. Twilight and the others gulped and turned their heads forwards. Crimson approached the mirror and let out a deep sigh as the shiny surface turned black. The man summoned his scythe and took a defensive stance. The mirror rippled and an object flew out in front of the man. Crimson’s gaze was unwavering as he saw that the object was a black scythe with red runes on the middle of the blade. “Are you ready to meet your fate boy?” A dark voice said from beyond the mirror. The black scythe moved on its own and shot back towards the mirror. An arm came out to catch the blade. A copy of the man exited the mirror. It’s hair was jet black and its skin was snow white. The cloak matched it’s hair. It’s red eyes were focused on the man and cracked its neck. Twilight could feel the magical pressure coming from the copy and gulped. Crimson raised his scythe and pointed his blade at the copy. “Let’s get to it.” Crimson said in a flat tone. The two stood still for what felt like an eternity. Suddenly, they both vanished and the crowd heard blades being clanged against one another. The two warriors kept locking in stand offs. Crimson aimed his gauntlet at the copy and let loose a barrage of magical bolts. The raven haired scythe user spun it’s scythe in a circular formation and made the blasts deflect and hit the ground around him. Crimson lunged forwards and raised his weapon. The two were deadlocked again and the copy grinned. “Why do you fight for them?” Crimson grunted at the question. “More than half of them wanted you dead. Even your so called ‘best friend’ tried to kill you.” The red mage gritted his teeth and forced the copy back with a quick leg sweep and a punch to the face. The copy flew back a good ten feet before landing on its feet. It looked up to see Crimson aiming for him with his mother’s rifle. Crimson let loose a large barrage of bolts that would have demolished a house. The copy relied on its speed to get itself out of the situation. Crimson went after his duplicate and switched to his father’s flintlock pistol for faster shots. The crowd watched in anticipation as they saw the red and black blurs race around the arena with explosions going off around them. The red mage then pulled out his katana and increased his speed. He came up behind the copy and managed to slash it’s back. The duplicate grunted in pain and slid to a halt. Crimson slammed his fists on the ground and his shadow stretched towards the dark warrior. Five fists made of shadow then collided with the darkling’s face and chin. The copy was sent flying back and slashed the still pursuing shadows with his blade. The shadows fell to the ground and vanished. The copy immediately started its counter attack and let loose a barrage of jet black energy slashes. Crimson dodged the attacks, but didn’t see the copy rush up next to him and swing it’s black blade horizontally. Crimson felt his blade being ripped from his own hands from the slash. His scythe went flying into the air and landed in the dirt behind the copy. The man jumped back and felt blood running down his arms. He panted and kept his gaze focused on the copy. Crimson steadied his breathing and dashed forwards. “Is he insane?” AJ yelled. “He ain’t got a weapon to fight with.” Crow chuckled at the words. “What’s so dang funny?” “Everything and anything is a weapon to the skilled fighter.” Crow said with a smile. Twilight felt something land behind her and saw the green flyer with several bandages over her body. “Hey guys. Did I miss anything?” She asked with a smile. “Ivy!” The group looked to see the purple haired Changeling running up to them along with the blue flyer. “What are you doing out of your pod?” “What? You thought that I’d miss Crimson’s crowning achievement?” She said with a laugh. The flyer then grabbed her side in pain. Rouge caught her and sat her down. “Jeez you’re a handful.” She complained. Crimson closed in on the copy and clenched his right hand into a fist. The copy raised it’s scythe to parry the man’s punch. As his arm went through the gap in the darkling’s defense the copy felt a pain in its side. The copy looked down to see a long red curved blade coming from the man’s arm and sticking into it’s side. Crimson shot his left fist forward like a coiled spring and slammed it into the copy’s gut. The clone was sent flying back and grabbed its stomach in pain. It looked up and it’s eyes shrank as it saw that the man’s left fist was encased in a dark red armored glove that had spikes on the knuckles. “What is that?” Pinkie asked. “His blood magic.” Crow said. “Blood mages have the power to control their own blood and morph it into different forms.” Twilight’s eyes boggled at the spectacle of magical power. “It can either be as flexible as liquid or strengthened to mimic the density of hardened steel.” “It’s one of the few magics that gives the user absolute creativity.” The older man said with a smile. “Rare one he is. I haven’t seen a blood mage of that caliber in a long time.” “That may be, but using it puts an incredible strain on his body.” Celestia said. “I’m sure he can handle it.” Toxic said with a grin. Crimson smirked and blood on his right arm changed into a whip. He launched the weapon forwards and grabbed the copy’s left leg. He sent the copy flying off the ground and into the air before jumping in the air and slamming his fist into the shade’s stomach and sent him flying back towards the ground. The copy hit the earth hard and left a crater. Crimson ran over and picked up his scythe and got ready for another attack. The copy groaned and got to its feet. The darkling was bleeding from his mouth. “Okay, now I’m pissed.” The clone got to its feet and snapped it’s fingers. Crimson looked down to see a black spike shooting up from the ground. The red mage jumped back to see more spikes shooting up from the ground. Crimson kept dodging left and right from the impaling spikes. As he reached the edge of the arena he jumped up onto the wall and focused his magic into his feet. The crowd saw a red blur fly through the air and launch itself at the dark copy. The red blur slashed at the black blood mage. Crimson felt something hard slam into his body and was sent flying back into the wall. The crowd all groaned as he slumped to the ground in pain. Crimson got on his feet and looked ahead. What he saw made his blood boil. The clone had a large jet black hammer over it’s right shoulder and a long rifle in its right. “You didn’t think that you were the only one who could use these right?” He chuckled. “Haven’t you figured it out yet? You are me and I am you.” Crimson clenched his fist and his eyes were like daggers. “Remember all those times you went nuts and attacked out of anger? That was me.” He grinned.Crimson cracked his neck and took a deep breath. “Time to end this.” He said as he closed his eyes and stuck his scythe in the ground. The man then ripped off his jacket and shirt to show his bare upper body, much to Twilight’s delight. Crimson raised his right palm and placed it over his face. The crowd fell silent as they felt the air become heavy with magic. The council and the visitors felt chills running down their spines. Ivy’s eyes shrank as she felt the magic. “What is this?” Cobalt asked. “Not sure. Never felt something like this before.” Rouge said. The air around the red mage became filled with magic and had an ominous feel to it. Rouge felt a chill and shivered. “What is this? Why did it get cold all of a sudden?” The wind picked up around the man and a white object started to appear on his face. The earth around the man started to break under the pressure and the man’s body was consumed by magic. Twilight felt as though the world was coming to an end. The magic swirling around the man took the shape of a dark clothed torso with a hood over it’s head. The apparition then receded into the man’s body. The crowd was blinded by a flash of purple and green light. The copy opened it’s eyes and immediately felt fear. The figure that stood before him was easily seven feet tall. It’s skin was pale and had a white mask over its face. Crimson’s re eyes opened and he looked through the mask to see the shade shaking in fear. He cracked his knuckles and grunted. “You have no idea how much trouble you are in.” His voice was deep and had a menacing sound to it. Crimson gripped his scythe and sliced it in the air. The clone ducked as it saw a massive slice mark appear in the wall behind him. As he looked forwards, the shade saw a massive fist made of purple magic, laced with what looked like bone slam into his face and send him flying into the wall. “So....awesome.” Dash said with a smile. “Whoa.” Cadence gulped at the display of magical prowess. Crow sat with a smile on his face. The copy was then met with a hard punch to it’s stomach and was sent flying skyward. Crimson crouched and shot straight up towards the copy. The mage grabbed the shade’s head and threw him into the ground. The shade got to it’s feet and shook it’s head. As it looked to the right it saw a pale horse with the scythe user riding it. The beast neighed and charged forwards. The clone was frozen on the spot as it saw what looked like death itself coming for him. “Impossible.” The copy said as it tried to move. Crimson closed in on the shade and raised his scythe to cut down the impostor. The clone let loose a barrage of black magic bolts from it’s gauntlet. Crimson spun his scythe and deflected the bolts. Crimson then saw that several black spikes were shooting up from the ground and were on a course for his steed. The masked mage stood up on the horse’s back and jumped over the dark spikes. The masked mage raised his blade and came down hard on the shade. The copy cried out in pain as he felt the blade cut through his skin and sever his right arm. The copy was rolling on the ground as his arm turned to shadow and evaporated. “You're a monster! No, the devil!” He yelled. Crimson pointed the scythe at the shadow and chuckled. “So I’ve been told.” He said as he raised the blade. The shadow could feel his heart beating faster than a jockey’s on race day. The red blade was glowing and not a shred of mercy was in the masked man’s eyes. Crimson brought the blade down on the shade. The scythe was suddenly halted. Crimson’s eyes shrank as he saw a large amount of magical energy pouring out of the copy. The feel from the magic was more ominous than his own. “Did you really think that it would be that easy?” The shadow’s voice was dark and had malicious intent behind it. Several shadows then formed a large fist and sent the masked mage flying backwards. Crimson’s feet slid against the ground and he regained his balance. His eyes shrank as he saw the dark magic wrapping itself around the clone like a silk cloak. “There’s no doubt that you’re strong.” The shade said in an almost amused tone. “Now is the best time to crush you.” The copy said in a flat tone. “I was wondering if you were going to show up.” Crimson said as he got in a defensive stance. The magic stopped moving around the shade’s body and Crimson could see the menacing red eyes behind the shadows. Little by little, the magic peeled off it’s body. The shadows vanished and several crowd members gasped at the shade’s appearance. The darkling stood up and cracked its neck. “Been a while since I’ve had a body.” It looked down at it’s red hand and saw that it was slightly fading. “Looks like this body can’t handle my full power. Makes sense since it’s only a fake.” It said as it looked at Crimson. “Regardless, it should suffice to deal with the original.” “Getting over confident are we?” Crimson said as he raised his blade. He looked to his right and saw that the pale horse was vanishing. Not good. I don’t have much time before I’m at my limit. Crimson lunged at the shade and the two locked blows. The collision resulted in a shockwave that forced some of the closer onlookers to the back of their seats. The two blocked each other’s blows one after another. “What’s up with that clone?” Dash asked. “The demon has taken possession of the shade’s body.” Crow said as he adjusted his glasses. “I was afraid that this might happen.” “You knew?” Celestia asked as she frowned at the man. “I merely suspected, which is why I told them to be here.” He said as he looked at the other council members. The group looked at the cloaked figures and saw that they all had looks of dread in their eyes. “We cannot allow that thing to be free at any cost.” Deus said as he looked at the sharp shooter who had her rifle focused on the red haired man. “Why is she pointing it at Crimson?” Twilight asked. “The shadow is just a representation. The child is the source.” Deus said. “You’d kill him?” She said in shock. Deus remained silent and gave a nod to Sparrow who switched the safety off her gun. The two warriors were going into deadlock after deadlock. “Impressive!” The copy said with a wicked grin. Crimson focused his magic and his scythe glowed as he lunged forwards. C’mon! I’m so close! He thought as he lunged forwards. The blade was glowing a pale color and was seeping a large amount of magic from the blade. With all his strength, the mage swung the blade at the man. Crack. The scythe came to a sudden halt. The man’s eyes shrank as his mask grew a large crack and broke apart and his body return to normal. The man looked up to see that the shade had caught the blade with it’s left hand. It grinned and delivered a powerful punch to the man’s stomach. Crimson spat up blood as he was sent flying back against the far wall. “Whatever that was, looks like you can only maintain it for five minutes.” It smirked. A red ball of energy then formed in the shade’s hand and launched a barrage at the mage. Crimson took a defensive stance and took the hits one after another. “Why can’t he absorb those blasts?” Rarity asked. “The two may be different, but they have the same magical energy and Crimson can’t absorb his own magic.” “How in the hay does that work?” AJ asked. “Would you eat your own foot?” Crow asked. “Of course not!” “Its like that.” Crow said with a gulp. The man bit his lip as he looked at the red haired man who was taking a beating. Twilight looked at Crow with a few tears in her eyes. “Make him quit! Before he get’s himself killed.” “Impossible.” Crow stated. “We aren’t allowed to interfere with the final test. This is something that Crimson must face alone. No matter the outcome.” Twilight was about to protest but felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked back to see Cadence with a sad look on her face. “Twilight, I know you’re worried, but don’t think that Crow doesn’t want to stop the match.” Twilight looked back at the man and saw sadness in his eyes and saw that he was gripping his cane tightly. “I have faith in him.” He said with a sigh. “Besides we haven’t seen his real power yet.” The group looked at the man in shock. “Well, he’d better have another trick up his sleeve.” Platinum said. “Otherwise we might actually have to kill him.” He said with a hint of sadness. Crimson dashed forward with his katana firmly gripped in his hand left hand and his scythe in his right. The man slashed at the clone in a horizontal fashion. The shade easily dodged the attack and hit Crimson with another blast of magic. The man flew back and dropped to one knee. “Well, its been fun Crimson,” The shade gripped it’s scythe and snapped it in half before throwing it to the side. “but this is where it ends.” “Throwing away your weapon?” He asked in confusion. “I won’t need that thing anymore.” He grinned. “I’d be more worried about your surroundings if I were you.” Crimson looked around the arena and his eyes shrank as he saw several crowd members looking tired. Twilight felt hazy and shook her head. “What’s going on?” Dash asked as she blinked, trying to get rid of her blurry vision. “I feel like I just did the Running of the Leaves five times in a row.” “Right there with you Dash.” AJ said as she panted. “Crow this is-” Celestia said as she felt her own strength being drained. “Yeah. It’s stealing our magical energy.” He said with a pant. “That’s all the reason I need.” Deus said as he cracked its neck. “Sparrow.” “Right.” She said as she charged her rifle. As she pulled the trigger her rifle was hit by a light purple blast of magic. He rifle went to the left and the blast hit a few feet away from the mage. Sparrow’s eyes shrank and looked to her left to see Twilight’s hand faintly glowing. The group fell silent and looked at Twilight who’s face was now filled with worry. “Idiot girl.” She said in a spite filled tone. “It took me all this time to charge up that shot.” “You still can’t-” Deus snapped his fingers and trapped the group in a cage made of light. “Hey!” “Shut up the lot of you.” He said in a flat tone. “You all have no sway in this matter.” Crow stood up and glared at the hulking man. “Enough! Deus this is my school and I’ll handle any problems.” He said as he snapped his fingers and eight pillars rose from the ground on the outskirts of the field. Eight walls made of magical light then connected the pillars and formed a roof. “That should hold it for now.” He said with a pant. “We’ll see.” Deus said as Crow pulled out his cane and lightly tapped the cage holding the girls. The cage then evaporated and the girls growled. “Why you-” Dash’s remark was cut down as Deus’s eyes were like to focused daggers that would cut through anything. “Since you’re still a child I’ll over look that incident.” He said with a huff. “Next time you won’t be so lucky.” The group gulped and turned their attention back towards the fight at hand. Their eyes were wide with horror as they saw that the shade was collecting the magic in the form of a sphere. The sphere was massive in scale. It looked as though it was half the size of the moon. The crowd gulped as it suddenly shrank by half, then another half followed that. The pattern kept going until the sphere was no bigger than a wrecking ball. “I’d normally make it smaller that this,” It grinned with malicious intent. “but this should be enough to finish this.” “There’s no way you’re going to be able to hit me with that.” Crimson said with a pant. “You so sure?” The copy grinned. What’s his game? He knows that I could easily... Oh Buck. Crimson looked behind him and saw the green wall flicker. The man gritted his teeth and realized that the barrier wouldn’t be able to hold the massive blast and everyone behind him would get a direct hit. If I stay then I could slow it down enough and make it blow up before it reached the barrier. The man bit his lip and looked back at the shade who had a devilish smirk on its face. The shade launched the sphere. Crimson got himself in a defensive stance and charged forwards. The crowd gasped and Crow stood up from his seat. “Don’t you dare!” Crow yelled as the group dared not look away from the fight. Time seemed to slow as Crimson met the destructive ball of magic halfway. Crimson felt the sphere biting at his flesh as he entered it. The sphere exploded in a brilliant flash of light. Crowd members were scrambling out of their seats in an effort to out run the explosion. Crow held up both hands and was trying to keep the barrier from breaking. The same could not be said for his heart. Euphoria. That was the accurate word that could describe the feeling the red mage had in his body. The man opened his eyes to see different kinds shining light all around him. “So sorry everyone.” He said before he closed his eyes and kept drifting in the light. “Don’t tell me you’re giving up already?” A familiar voice jolted his senses and his eyes snapped open. He saw a bright green ball of fire hovering above him with a dark blue and purple one next to it. Ivy? “If you lose here then I’ll kill you!” A small white ball said. Ivory? “Don’t you dare give up!” This orb was dark green. Crimson tilted his head and saw thousands of the different colored orbs yelling at him. One purple on in particular caught his attention. The orbs then took their owners’ shapes and looked at him with determination in their eyes. I get it. He thought as he commanded his body to move, but found no strength. He clenched his fists and slammed his head forwards. I forgot one crucial thing! His body roared to life as he saw the lights fading and let out a roar as he launched his body forwards. The crowd gasped as they saw the other side of the sphere explode and a familiar shape was launched from it covered in different colored magic. Crow’s barrier shattered, but the magic seemed to be following behind the red mage. Crimson roared as he continued to race across the field. The power that I took, which should be under my control, It thought as it sent a volley of black spikes at the mage. The spikes broke on impact as it was met with the light irradiating off the man’s body. it’s sheltering him? Why? The shade then recoiled its head and spat out a wall of black flames. Crimson focused his magic and the flames were immediately trapped in red colored ice. The shade then sprouted wings and took towards the sky. The red mage could feel power at the bottom of his feet and jumped. Green flames erupted from his feet a coiled around his arms. The copy’s eyes widened in fear as the flames around his arms looked like dragon claws. Crimson delivered blow after blow to the copy. The shade made its wings vanish and drop towards the ground. The fake was on its ropes and looked up to see at least a dozen red swords made of magic hovering in the sky. The swords shot down one by one. Each getting closer to its target. Each one more terrifyingly powerful then the last. This is impossible! He didn’t have this strength before! The darkling was dodging for its life and saw that crimson had descended across the field. “There can only be one of us here and you’ve over stayed your welcome!” Crimson summoned his scythe in his right hand and charged forth. He stuck out his left hand and the shade’s broken black scythe flew into his palm. The light around the man’s body altered the scythe’s color to be white with red trim. Now I remember. Crimson thought as he closed in on his target. You’ve all protected me since I can remember. His eyes could make out the shape of the shade. So now. Just this once. Just for the hell of it! Let me protect you! The man reached his target and slashed both scythes in a diagonal fashion. Black blood splattered on the ground What is this feeling? The shade thought in confusion. I know this feeling....but what is it? He thought as he saw the man coming in for the kill. This feeling...Fear? Crimson was coming around for another attack. This is just like the last time I was beaten....What was his name? The red mage’s blades cut the body in opposite directions. Right. Carmine that was it. He thought with a smirk. Two brilliant lines sliced through the copy’s body and created an X cut on the far wall. The clone’s body remained still for a seemingly endless amount of time. Suddenly the cuts became visible and the body started to melt away before exploding. The crowd saw a shadow shoot back into the mirror, before the surface shattered into dozens of pieces. The crowd erupted with cheering. Crow put a hand over his own mouth as he let his tears flow. The girls were all hugging one another while cheering. The other seven members of the council were literally awestruck at the man. Deus crossed his arms and frowned. The final day for the Zealot selection exam. Twilight thought with tears in her eyes. I don’t think I’ll ever forget the events of this day. She let her tears flow. A man that had been pulled through the worst things in life and came out looking stronger than ever. She sighed and wiped away the tears. Out on the field, Crimson raised his red scythe and the crowd exploded with more cheering. Like a shining red light of hope that inspires everyone around him. Crimson panted and looked down at his right hand to see the shade’s red arm in place of his own. You will never escape me. The dark voice echoed in his head. Crimson frowned and clenched his fist. The shade’s arm vanished showing his normal skin tone. “Don’t plan to. You're next pal.” He said as he looked up and saw the clear skies. The sounds of the crowd were slowly drowned out and he felt his knees buckle. His vision became blurry and he felt himself falling back. He put on one last smile before he felt darkness take hold of him and collapse. Author's Note Hope you liked the fight. There's still more to go so stay tuned!
Chapter XXIX: GraduationChapter XXIX Graduation Four hours, forty-seven minutes and twelve-seconds. That’s how long Twilight, her friends, the other fighters, the Princesses and Crow waited outside the OR. It was a good thing that Crow’s cane handle was made out of dragon iron, else it would have been shattered. Ivory had a few bandages on her body and was impatiently tapping her foot. Ivy and the other three horsemen kept silent. The groups’ heads turned to see the doctor walking out. The man looked exhausted and he leaned his back up against the wall before sliding down to the ground. “How is he?” Crow asked as he ran up to the man. “That boy is either very stubborn, very stupid or both.” He groaned as he got up. “Or really kick ass!” Dash yelled. “Never mind that! Is he okay?” Ivy said. The doctor took off his glasses and used his collar to wipe them off. He put them back on his nose and let out a deep sigh. The anticipation was getting to the worried group. “He should make a full recovery.” The group all let out a sigh of relief. “However, he’ll be out for a while.” The doctor said as he sat down. “Can we see him?” Twilight asked. The man shrugged and motioned for them to go through the door. The group entered and gasped at what they saw. The red haired man was in a normal pod, but easily had a dozen machines hooked up to him. Monitoring different things. “What in the hay happened?” AJ asked. The group looked towards the pod and saw a few sparks of magic coming out of his mouth. “I can answer that.” Crow said as he stood next to the pod. “His clone stole a bit of magic from everyone at the stadium. Including you all.” “But I can’t use magic.” Fluttershy said. AJ, Pinkie and Dash all nodded in agreement. “Everyone has magic. You just can’t use it the way mages can.” He stated. “The demon then converged all that power into a ball and shot it at Crimson. He took the hit knowing full well that he would probably be torn to pieces by the power.” “Then why did he take it?” Dash asked. “He must have known that my barrier was weakened and that it wouldn’t have been able to hold the blast.” He said as he hung his head in shame. “Crimson took that power and turned it into his weapon. He absorbed a good portion of it and redirected it back at the shade, only in his own way.” “So what’s the issue?” Pinkie asked. “He took in too much power.” The girls looked at him in surprise. “The human body isn’t meant to take in that much magical energy at once. He was overloaded with all that magic and thankfully expelled it quickly.” “What would happen if he didn’t?” Rarity asked. “Then we’d be using a spatula to clean him off the arena floor.” Ivory said in a flat tone. “Even for someone who can take in the magic from their surroundings, there’s a limit.” She stated. “Why did we see him use ice magic and all those other types?” Luna asked. “Crimson was surrounded by everyone’s magic and was somehow able to use it.” Crow stated. “So is he like a super mage now or something?” Dash asked. “No, if he does that again then he will undoubtedly die.” The doctor stated. The group gulped. “The use of so much and many different kinds of magic put a colossal strain on his body.” He said with a sigh. “So what happens now?” Twilight asked. “Luckily we have a few days before the graduation ceremony and party.” Crow said with a smile. “Party?” Pinkie asked with wide eyes. “Yes, it makes sense that there should be a celebration after such a test. Not to mention its tradition. You all are welcome to attend of course.” The group smiled and looked at one another. “Just be sure to wear formal attire.” He said as the group started to leave. The man took one last look at the healing mage and shook his head. “Something wrong?” Cadence asked. “No, nothing.” He said as he turned to leave. The man walked back down the hallway and towards his office. Crow sat down in his chair and let out a long sigh. The man’s ears perked up as he heard a knock on his door. “Come in.” The door slowly opened to reveal the sun goddess. “Hello Celestia. Is there something I can help you with?” “Yes, there is.” She said with a sigh. The Princess had a guilty look on her face. “Can you can find it in your heart to forgive me?” Crow blinked in surprise at the woman. In all the years that he’d known he had never once seen her beg for forgiveness. “For what?” The woman let out a sigh. “I misjudged Crimson too much. I only saw the demon wearing him like a suit.” Celestia grimaced. “I was worried that he was too inexperienced to handle all that power. That it would take control and-” Crow held up a hand. “Apology accepted.” He smiled. “You’re not the first to be worried about that.” The man sat back in his chair and grinned. “Even now, that boy never ceases to amaze me.” He chuckled. “That is true. I’m still getting over it myself.” The man grinned as he decided to expose the Princess’s weakness. “I saw that your student was also fairly impressed and not just by his magic.” Celestia raised an eyebrow. “What are you getting at Crow?” “I believe that your pupil is infatuated with my godson.” He grinned. Celestia gave a chuckle. “Twilight? Now you’re just making crazy accusations.” Crow smirked as the Princess got to her feet and started to walk back towards the door. Contrary to popular belief, the sun goddess had a major weakness. Well, really two, but where was he going to get a piece of Marzipan Mascarpone Meringue Madness? The other one. The one that only he and a select few knew about. “Care to put your money where your mouth is?” Celestia froze on the spot. Her body became rigid as though someone had just put ice down her dress. The woman slowly turned and Crow saw the small sparkle behind the woman’s eyes. The same sparkle she got whenever she made a bet. “I’m listening.” Hook. Line. Sinker. The man thought with a devilish smirk. “I wager that Crimson and Ms. Sparkle will become an item.” He grinned. “I’m not saying that they’ll get married or anything like that. Let’s just see if they end up at the dance together.” “Sounds fair.” She smiled. “What are the terms?” “Neither you or I can interfere in anyway. Should Twilight or Crimson go to you or me for advice, then we have to remain neutral.” Celestia nodded. “What about the winner and the loser?” She asked. Crow thought for a moment and an idea came to him. He snapped his fingers and a small chest appeared before him. Crow opened the lid and pulled out a scroll. Celestia’s eyes widened at the scroll. “Is that what I think it is?” The man only nodded. “The secret recipe for Starswirl the Bearded’s legendary Nirvana Cake.” Celestia felt her mouth water at the name of it. In all the years that she had lived, she had only tasted the legendary cake once on Starswirl’s 150th birthday party. In comparison, the cake made MMMM taste like one of those cheap funnel cakes you’d get a carnival. She lost track of how many times she had searched for it. “A secret that every Headmaster of this school had spent countless years searching for.” He grinned. Crow put the scroll back in the box and made it vanish. Celestia came back to her senses. “Course you only get that if you win.” He smirked. “What if I lose?” Crow had a sly smirk on his face. “The usual.” Celestia’s face blushed brightly. “Is there anything else you want?” She asked in a hope filled tone. “The usual will do. Unless you don’t want to take the bet and-” “No!” She yelled out of desperation. “Very well.” She said as she shook the man’s hand and smirked. “I’ll be sure to send a piece of cake to you after my chefs make it.” “We’ll see.” He said with a huge grin on his face. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “Come along everyone!” Rarity chimed as she led the group into her room. “I must get your measurements to prepare your outfits.” Dash and AJ grumbled at the mention of their dresses. “Oh stop it you two. We’re going to be attending a party with some of the strongest mages in Equestria. So we have to look our best.” “Why can’t we just wear out old gala outfits?” Rarity looked at the farmer and her eye twitched. “Unacceptable! Hundreds of people have already seen them.” “Rarity, ya gotta calm down.” Pinkie said. “I loved my Gala outfit and I haven’t worn it since.” The fashionista pouted and sat back. “Very well.” She snapped her fingers and the six dresses appeared on hangers before them. The group of girls all raised an eyebrow and looked at the fashionista who levitated Fluttershy’s over to her work bench and summoned a sewing machine. “What? I have all of my best outfits on standby in case of an emergency.” The group shrugged. “What if I just, modify them a bit?” “Knock yourself out, just don’t make it too...frilly.” AJ said with a nod from Dash. The next few days, Twilight visited the red mage who still remained in the coma. Ivy and the other two members would also pay regular visits. Soon the day of Graduation arrived and the girls helped out with the decorations. It was the day of the graduation ceremony and every student was in a fuss. At noon, the six girls and three teammates arrived at the med center. “You all here to see Crimson?” He asked, already knowing the answer. “Yup.” Ivy said with a smile. “Right, but before I let you see him you need to do something for me first.” “What’s that?” The Changeling asked as they arrived in front of his hospital door. “Find him.” The doctor opened the door and the groups’ jaws hit the floor when they saw the empty pod that previously held the red haired conduit. “We think he took off about 3am this morning. No one’s seen him since.” “Is he okay to be walking around?” AJ asked. “Yes, but he’s far from perfect health. He couldn’t have gone far.” The group looked at one another and shrugged. “What should we do?” Cobalt asked. “We go look for him. The ceremony starts in two hours.” Rouge said. “Ivy, Twilight and I will check the library. Rest of you see what you can find around the castle.” The group nodded and ventured out to look for the red haired mage. Twilight tagged along with the changeling and green dragon slayer towards the library and the three started to search. They asked Quill who shook his head and the three left in disappointment. “Hopefully we find him.” Twilight said. “I’m sure he’s fine.” Rouge said with a smile. The changeling shot Ivy a glance who winked. “So Twilight, plan on going to the dance? Rarity showed me your dresses and they look awesome.” “Um...I don’t know. Maybe I’ll go.” “If we find Crimson right?” Twilight’s face turned red at the Changeling’s comment. “Crimson may not look it, but he cleans up pretty damn well.” Twilight took a moment to imagine the man in a suit, tie and his hair properly combed. The scholar’s face lit up like a red siren and the two could have sworn that they saw steam coming out of her ears. “L-lets just find him.” The scholar said as she quickened her step. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Two hours later Crow was leaning against a pillar. The can wielding man looked to his right to see the red haired mage donning his signature red coat walking towards him. “You’re late.” Crow said as he stood up straight. “Ugh.” Crimson said as he walked up to him. “Oh and before I forget.” The man then took his cane and hit Crimson over the head. The red mage grabbed his head in pain and grunted. “What the hell was that for?” Crimson asked as he rubbed the sore spot. “For trying to play hero you idiot!” Crow frowned. “You just decide to almost die by absorbing all that power?” Crow yelled. “Real smart genius!” “Jeez, if I knew I was gonna get scolded for doing my job I would have stayed in a coma.” Crow frowned at the man as the red haired man looked out the window. “Scolded? You are not a little boy anymore. So long as you are under my care you will head my wisdom.” Crimson cracked his knuckles and turned around to face the man. “You’re right. I’m not a little boy anymore and as far as your wisdom goes, you’re no Orion Comet!” Crow’s eyes shrank and looked at him in shock. Crimson hung his head and sighed. “I’m sorry Crow. It’s just-” The man then wrapped him in a hug. “I know. I miss them too. Not a day goes by that I don’t look to their wisdom for guidance.” Crow broke the hug and put a hand on the young man’s shoulder. “I’ve done my best to pass their teachings to you and in the time together I’ve seen that you are capable of all they believed you could become. Now it is the time that we leave our roles of student and teacher. It’s time that we became...comrades.” “Right.” Crimson looked ahead to see the doors open and nothing but darkness coming from the other side. Crimson looked at Crow who gave him a ginning nod. The red mage went forward into the dark room and waited. Nine hooded figures then appeared before him. Each holding a sword that glowed with their aura. Crimson looked to his right to see Crow smiling and holding a light green one. Behind him was Deus with a white one and was biting his lip. “Step forward.” Crimson saw the short old man with a tan sword in his hands. Crimson walked up to him and dropped to one knee. The other eight lowered their swords and stuck their blades in the ground. “It is the decision of the council that you be granted all the power and privileges of a Zealot.” Clay said in a firm tone. “Many train for this. Few survive.” Lilly added. “Individuals forged in battle who’s actions elevate them above the rest.” Toxic stated. “Zealots are an ideal. A symbol of courage and determination.” Silver said with a smile. “They are the right hand of this council. The embodiment of our will.” Deus said in a rough tone. “Zealots carry a heavy burden. Our first and last line of defense.” Platinum added. “The safety of this world is theirs to uphold.” Titian stated. The nine the drove their blades into the ground and turned them. A small pedestal came up from the ground. Crimson approached it and saw that it held a glowing crystal ball. “Place your hand upon the sphere and you’re name will forever be engraved into history.” Crow said as Crimson approached the sphere. He placed his right hand on it and felt a burning sensation on his palm. The sphere glowed a deep red before shooting a bright red beam up into the air and exploding. Crimson looked down at his right palm and saw a nine pointed star embedded into his skin. “That is the mark of the Zealot. Wear it with pride.” Crow stated. He snapped his fingers and lights flickered on to reveal the thousands of crowd members cheering. Crimson took a bow and made his way out. As he entered the hallway Cobalt and Rouge grabbed him and wrapped him in a bone crushing hug. “Oi! I just got out of the hospital ya know!” “Oh quit whining.” Rouge said as they let go. “Congrats dude!” Cobalt said as he gave him a hard slap on the back. “Ow.” Crimson said as he cracked his back. Crimson looked and saw that Ivy was missing from the group. “Wait where’s-” “Gotcha!” The man then felt two strong and feminine arms wrap around him. “I’m so proud of you!” Ivy said in a hearty tone. “Spine.....becoming....dust.” Ivy let go and the man cracked his back before facing the green flyer. She was healed for the most part and only had a bandage around her head. “How are you feeling?” “Good.” She said with a sigh. “I’m sorry about what I said the other day.” Ivy hung her head in shame. “Relax. I kinda had it coming.” He said as he remembered the incident. The flyer grinned as an idea came to her. “Yup and now you owe me!” “For what?” “For tricking me jerk! You always do that!” She said as her fist found its way into his arm. Crimson rubbed the sore spot and sighed. “Mostly because you always fall for it.” He chuckled. Ivy pouted and crossed her arms under her chest. “Fine. What do you want?” Ivy smirked. “You have to go to the dance tonight.” Crimson frowned and grumbled. “Forget it. I hate those things.” “Too bad. If want my forgiveness then show up tonight and look good.” The woman said as she started to walk away. “And for creator’s sake, trim that rat’s nest you call a head of hair. Looks like you’re hiding behind tattered red curtains.” Crimson gave her the finger as she turned and went down another hallway. “She’s got a point man. Its been like what? A year since you’ve trimmed that thing?” Cobalt asked. “Having it short makes me look like an idiot.” Rouge was about to make a funny, but was silenced when crimson pressed his finger against her lips. “No comment necessary.” “Seriously though, this party is about you, Ivory and the others that passed, but mostly about you.” Cobalt said as he pointed at the red mage. “I mean you probably saved everyone’s lives the other day.” Crimson crosse his arms and sighed. “I don’t even have anything to wear.” “Didn’t you get something from when you went to Transylmania?” Rouge asked. Crimson thought for a moment as he remembered the ensemble. “That thing? No way. It looks ridiculous.” “You mean that fancy get up with the red jacket and gold trim?” Rouge gave her boyfriend a nod. “Dude, if you wear that then you are so gonna get laid.” Crimson glared at the flyer. “What? It looks cool.” “But-” The man then felt the Changeling’s spliced eyes cutting through him. Crimson sighed and hung his head in defeat. “Fine. I’ll go.” “And?” “I’ll...get my hair cut. Just nothing too...extreme.” He said as he followed the two back towards his room. Author's Note If you caught the Starwars: Clone Wars reference (The old one that was in the early 2000's and hand drawn. Not the new crappy CG one) Then you are awesome!
Chapter XXX: The BallChapter XXX The Ball “Ow! Careful!” The red mage said as he looked back at the Changeling. “Well, hold still.” The man rolled his eyes. “I mean it, or else I might take your ear off.” The man grumbled as the man allowed the mage to cut his hair. “Oh your just as bad as Ivy.” “If I were Ivy then you’d already be a pile of ash.” “True.” Crimson looked in the mirror and saw that the Changeling had her hair in a bun and was being held by a pair of needles. Two locks on hung on the sides of her face. Her dress was a light purple to match her hair with a single strap over her right shoulder. It went down to her ankles and complimented her black high heels. At the hip part of her dress was an imprint of a black spider wed. “What do you think? Like the outfit?” “Yeah you look great.” Their bathroom door opened to reveal the blue winged flyer in a navy blue jacket, pants, white collared shirt and a light blue tie. His blue hair was spiked up by whatever gel he put in it. “You two done yet?” He asked impatiently. “Almost.” Rouge said as she continued cutting. “So where’s your suit?” Crimson pointed to a hangar that had a black bag over it. The three then heard a knock on the door. “Who’s there?” “Who do you think?” The three recognized the dragon slayer’s voice. Cobalt walked over and opened the door. The green flyer was donning a long, strapless, light green dress that clung to her form and accentuated her natural physique. The bottom edge of the dress had darker green flames imprinted into the fabric and seemed to move each time she stepped forwards. Her hair was wavy and she had matching lime green mascara and eyeliner. “Nice.” Cobalt said with a nod. “How’s the patient?” She asked as she closed the door and looked at the unhappy red mage. “Don’t ask.” “Too late.” She chimed. “And done!” Rouge said as she put down the scissors. Crimson looked in the mirror and saw that she had taken a bit off his head. His hair was now just little bit past the middle of his neck in the back and was combed back in the front which allowed his usually covered face to be revealed. “Thanks Rouge.” He said as he looked over the job. “Good, now I have to do my make up.” She said as she went into the bathroom. Crimson groaned and reached towards his hair. The man then saw a purple needle fly in front of his face and stick into the wall. “Don’t even think about it.” Crimson looked to his left to see Rouge sticking her head out of the doorway with another needle in her hand. “It took me forever to get your hair like that, so don’t screw it up. Got it?” She frowned at the man. “Yes, ma’am.” He gulped. Rouge went back towards the bathroom and started to apply her makeup. Crimson looked at Cobalt who had a smirk on his face. “What?” “Nice to see you get smacked around every once in a while.” “Yeah, yeah. Get your laughs while you can.” Crimson then turned towards Ivy. “Why are you so dolled up?” “I’m going to the dance too you dunce.” “I mean with who? You don’t get all gussied up unless you’re going with a date.” “I’m going with Mac.” “AJ’s brother?” The green mage nodded. “When did you two become a couple?” The man folded his arms and raised an eyebrow. “Just before the trials.” Cobalt said as he put on some cologne. “Haven’t seen him around much. Why’s that?” The two flyers gave a shrug. “Anyway the others will be there too.” Ivy said with a sly grin. “Twilight too.” Crimson’s face turned a deep red as he remembered the incident that was interrupted by Spike. “S-so?” He said hoping that Ivy wouldn’t notice his blush. She did. “Means you have the opportunity for some sweet, sweet lovin.” Cobalt said as he put an arm around the mage. Crimson gave him a hard slug in the gut for the comment. “Worth it.” “Just shut it.” He said as he crossed his arms. Ivy chuckled and threw him his clothes on the hangar. “Oh quit griping and get dressed. You and Ivory have to be down there soon.” Ivy said as she left the room. “Fine.” He said as he grabbed his clothes and headed back to his own room to get dressed. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The castle halls were decorated with banners and a red carpet was laid out in the main hallway. A set of massive double doors opened to reveal the massive ballroom. The stone floors made the ladies’ heels echo from one end of the room to the other. Several of the students were already down in the main hall talking and joking with one another. Every man was in a suit and all the women wore elegant gowns or dresses. Several of the mens’ eyes nearly shot out of their heads when they saw the six beauties enter. The first one most of the men saw was a rainbow. A magnificent and athletic rainbow, donning a robin egg blue dress that seemed to shift into a rainbow that wrapped around her form, and had a single sash over her left shoulder. On the far left was a woman donning a decorated brown leather Stetson hat with a red apple imprinted on the underside of the brim, that sat proudly on top of her golden blonde hair that was fashioned in a long braid that hung to just above her behind. The top half of her dress was a brown, modest looking corset with a red apple in the center. The bottom of her dress was light green that matched the straps that helped hold up her dress by tying around her neck. She was also wearing a pair of green gloves that went up her forearm. Next to her was a pink haired girl donning a light pink dress coated with different kinds of candy. A bright pink bow was presented proudly on her pink blouse. Her midsection was covered in a spiral of light blue and white. A tiny white hat with a bow sat on the part of her curly locks. To the right of the blue winged beauty was a violet haired woman wearing a long wine colored dress. The waves in the dress were accented by yellow waves that matched her tiara that held up her violet locks of hair. She wore a beautiful necklace that matched the rest of her ensemble. To her right was a girl that looked to be the pure definition of grace and beauty. She was donning a flowing green dress that was only accented by the yellow stripe running through it. Her light pink hair was held back by a teal butterfly hair clip that matched her eyes to a key. A similar butterfly pattern was at the center of her dress. Lastly, tying the entire ensemble together, a dress that was like that of a calm night sky. At the edge of her dress were patterns of stars. Her indigo hair was in a bun that was held there by a bright blue star. Two curled strands hung at the sides of her face and accented her amethyst colored eyes. Her dress had a large collar that went behind her back and wrapped around her arms and showed off her exposed shoulders. In the center was a magnificent white star that drew attention to the scholar’s chest. “Wowie, zowie! This place looks amazing!” Pinkie said with a wide grin. “I must say that the sight is rather breath taking.” Rarity said as she looked at the decor. The girls then spied the blue winged flyer with his arm wrapped around his date’s arm. “Wow, you guys look awesome!” Cobalt said as he looked at the girls. “That dress is marvelous!” Rarity said as she looked at Rouge. “Where did you get it?” “Made it myself.” She smiled as she spun around so the seamstress could see her work. Rarity felt the fabric and raised an eyebrow. “What kind of fabric is this?” “It’s not fabric. 100% spider silk.” The seamstress gave a nervous laugh and cleared her throat. “Interesting use of material.” Rouge shrugged and the scholar looked at the two in confusion. “Where’s Crimson?” Dash asked. “Yeah, where is the guest of honor anyways?” The farmer said as she looked around the place. “He and Ivory are getting ready.” “For what?” As the words left the scholar’s lips, the lights dimmed down and everyone fell silent. A spotlight shined at the far end of the hall. The can wielding man appeared before the students and was wearing a jet black suit with an electric green tie. “I’ll keep this brief. Those that are here today have proven that they are powerful beyond measure.” The crowd gave a small clap. “Now it is with great pride that I announce the elite among the elite.” Everyone held their breath as they saw a massive board appear over their heads. “In second place, with a score of 12,950, Ivory Knightwalker.” The crowd cheered. The audience gasped when they saw light fill the room and Ivory, wearing a flowing white dress that gave her body the credit it deserves. Crow gave the girl a hearty smile and pulled out a long decorative saber. As the woman’s white gloved hand touched the handle it glowed with magnificent white light and it shifted. When the light vanished the crowd saw that the handle had two magnificent angle wings sprouting outwards from the base of the blade. The blade itself was a magnificent white and was straight as an arrow. The woman gave him a bow and stepped to the side. “In first place, with a score of 13,150, Crimson Storm.” The cheers were even louder than before. The bright light that Ivory created was then swallowed up by a dark red shadow that split into three parts and swirled in a circle. The three parts then shot downwards and solidified to show the man. The group’s jaws dropped at the man’s appearance. His red hair was combed back and was well groomed. He was donning a long red leather coat with gold trim around the cuffs and shoulders. Underneath the coat was a deep wine colored vest with golden buttons. His dress pants were jet black. He wore a pair of dark, shined boots with a slight heel to them. Crimson’s dark eyes looked at Ivory who gave him a respectful nod. Crimson approached the cane wielding man who had a smile on his face. Crimson gripped the saber and unsheathed the blade. The blade glowed a bright red and started to shift. A moment later the handle was black curled around the man’s hand. The blade was curved and was dark red. “May these blades protect you wherever you go.” The crowd all clapped as the to gave a bow. Crimson and Ivory sheathed their blades and attached them to their sides. The crowd cleared a path for them as they made their way off the elevated part of the hall. “Now let’s party!” As Crow said the words, music filled the room and the students all cheered. Crimson was approached by several other students and teachers who congratulated both him and Ivory. The two then departed and Crimson caught up with his teammates. “Nice!” Cobalt said as he high five’d him. The blue flyer then looked at his ensemble and nodded. “Told you you’d look awesome.” “Ugh.” Crimson said as he cracked his back. “This outfit doesn’t breath.” He groaned. “Well, I think it looks fabulous!” Crimson looked to his right to see Rarity and the other four girls. His eyes shrank as he saw their elegant ensembles. “Nice to see you guys too.” He looked at Dash and AJ and shrugged. “You two clean up well.” “Yeah, but its still a pain.” Dash said as she crossed her arms. Rainbow let out a chuckle at the coat. “Seriously dude?” “I know. I’m not a big fan of it either.” Crimson felt someone tap his shoulder. The man turned around and froze on the spot. Next to Ivy and Mac, who was donning a brown suit with a green tie to match his eyes, was Twilight wearing her stunning blue dress. He instantly felt hot under the collar and gulped. “Looks good on you.” Ivy said with a smile. Crimson gave her a slight nod and was busy trying to hide his blush from the indigo haired scholar. Twilight was trying to do the same. Ivy gave the group a wink. They all nodded. “Well, ah’m gonna see what kind of grub they have here. Com’n RD?” “Right behind ya!” The two said as they vanished into the crowd. “We’re gonna go get something to drink.” Rouge said as she lead Cobalt away. “Wait up.” Ivy said as she dragged Mac with her. The pink party animal then bounced, literally bounced away towards the dance floor. Rarity gave them both a smile and joined her friends near the refreshments. The two mages then realized that their friends had left their sides and they only remained. The realization hit both of them like a runaway freight train and they both felt an awkward silence fall between them. Twilight nervously rubbed her right arm and gulped. “Some party.” She said with a nervous grin. “Yeah, always interesting.” Crimson commented. Dear maker what is wrong with me? The man thought with a gulp. Don’t stand there looking like an idiot. Say something! Like? I don’t know compliment her dress or something. “You look nice.” He said trying to avoid eye contact. Twilight felt her face flush deeper and smiled. “Thanks, so do you. Where did you get it?” “Got it from Transylmania from a customer.” He said as he looked at the coat. “I think he said that it belonged to some noble member of his family.” Twilight looked at him with wide eyes. “He insisted that I take it. Didn’t want to look at it anymore. Said it brought up bad memories or something like that.” Twilight gave a nod and a nervous smile. “What about yours? I’m assuming Rarity made it for you?” “Yeah, this was actually my dress I wore to the Gala a year ago.” She said as she shivered at the memories. “Hopefully this time things will turn out better.” “I’m not too sure about that.” “Why?” “Every time we have a party someone starts something and it spreads to the entire crowd and a formal dance then turns into a full on brawl.” “How bad?” “It makes the Gala incident look like one of Rarity’s weekly spa visits.” Twilight gave a gulp. “Yeah, its almost like tradition here.” The scholar then had a disappointed look on her face. “Granted that probably won’t happen until later. So we still have a bit of fun before that.” “Oh good.” She smiled. Across the room, the group of girls and fighters were silently watching the two mages from afar. “This isn’t good.” Ivy said. “Crimson sucks at small talk.” “Same with Twi.” Dash stated. The changeling then remembered something. “Um guys, I think we may be forgetting something important.” “What?” Cobalt asked. Rouge pointed towards the crowd and the group spied Angel wearing a white dress. “Oh. That’s not good.” “Looks like we gotta play defense.” Ivy said as the group huddled up. “Okay guys our objective is to get Crimson alone with Twilight. Got it?” The group nodded. “To do that we need to ward off Angel and any other people that would try to get between them.” “How?” Fluttershy asked. “We each take a position and we send feedback to one another.” Rouge stated. “How? We ain’t psychic.” AJ stated. Rouge’s eyes glowed and the group all felt something shock their heads. I’ve opened up a telepathic link between all of us. Just think something and we’ll all hear it. The group heard the Changeling’s voice inside their heads. “Ivy, keep an eye on Angel from above and tell us if she tries anything.” “Got it boss.” The green flyer saluted and flew up to one of the support beams. “We’ll keep an eye on Crimson and Twilight.” Cobalt said. “Rest of you try to run interference to keep the vultures away from them.” The girls all nodded. “Okay, lets get to work. Break!” The small team took up positions and quietly watched the two mages like hawks waiting for their prey to make a mistake and go in for the kill. Crow smirked as he viewed the warriors and the other five elements watching the two. He grabbed a drink and made his way over to Princess Celestia. The sun Goddess sat down at a nearby table as Crow handed her a drink. “Thank you.” She smiled. “My pleasure. Nice to see that some of us are having fun.” “What do you mean?” Crow pointed at the red mage and her student. Celestia’s eyes shrank. “They’re only talking Crow. Anything can happen.” “Right you are Princess. Right you are.” He grinned. Celestia gulped at the words. A smile then spread across her face as she saw a girl with white hair start to approach them with Crimson in her sights. Her smile then shattered when Pinkie soon blocked her path and the two were gone the next time Angel looked over. “Crow!” Celestia frowned. “Don’t look at me Tia. I didn’t tell anyone to do anything. Scouts honor.” He said as he raised his right hand. “Looks like I’m not the only one who’s noticed their behavior and they’re taking some initiative.” “True, but things always change.” She smirked. Across the room. Dash was discretely looking at the two mages and had a very bored look on her face. The girl groaned and rested her head on her hand. “Hey theres the flyer we wanted to see.” Dash’s head turned to see Spitfire and Soarin. Both in military blue uniforms. Dash’s first instinct was to squeal like a fan girl, but quickly and wisely smothered it like the last embers in a knocked apart campfire. “Oh hey Soarin, Spitfire.” She said with a smile. “Yeah nice to see you too. Never really got to talk when we saw you all at the Gala.” Dash shuddered at the memories. “Yeah, sorry about all that.” “Sorry?” Soarin said in surprise. “You guys saved that night!” “Really?” Dash asked. “Oh yeah, I was bored out of my skull.” Spitfire said as she made a sour face. “You Ponyville folk know how to party.” Dash was trying her best to stop herself from fainting at the kind words from her idols. “Hey you wanna hang out wit us? This weak stuff ain’t doing it for me.” “We managed to sneak in some hard cider.” Soarin chuckled. Dash was a bit conflicted. The flyer gulped and looked over at Pinkie who was still keeping Angel at bay. Ivy was still in the rafters and had the ice mage in her sight. I’m sure that these guys can handle it. “Sure. Lead the way.” The two Wonderbolts smiled and led the rainbow haired girl out on the fringes of the party. Applejack and Rarity were over by the punch bowl and kept their eyes on the crowd. “Hello ladies.” The two looked over to see the card user and gunslinger with smiles on their faces. The gunslinger had a brown leather Stetson with a black band around it. The hat was perfectly made for the brown suit. The card user’s dark green hair was combed back and was wearing a nice green suit with a black tie and vest. “Howdy Ace, Bandit.” AJ said as she tipped her hat to the two men. “Told you that other people would be wearing hats.” Bandit said as he glared at the man. “Whatever. I still say that you shouldn’t wear that thing to a ball.” Ace said as he reached for the hat. “Touch the hat and I’ll break your hand.” Bandit said with a stern look on his face. Rarity then noticed that the cowboy had a pistol on him. “Why do you have that thing?” “Don’t feel right without it.” He said as he took it out of its holster and twirled it in his fingers. “Nice piece. Mac’s got an old shotgun back at the farm.” AJ commented as he put the pistol back in its holster. “You’re a farmer?” “Eeyup. Mac and I run Sweet Apple Acres.” The girl said in a proud tone. “Sweet Apple Acres.” The man repeated as he thought. “Do you know a guy named Braeburn?” “Sure do! He’s mah cousin down in Appleloosa. Why?” “Ran into him on a job. Gave me a case of your family’s cider after I cleared out a pack of timber wolves that had made a den in their south Orchard. He mentioned that your family had a farm in some town just outside of Canterlot.” “You’re a fan of our cider?” “Sure am. I can down two bottles of your Applejack Daniels without breaking a sweat.” “Applejack Daniels?” Rarity looked at the apple farmer who pulled her hat down over her face. “Is that-” “Yes, the drink is named after me.” She then turned her attention back to the cowboy. “So you fancy yourself a drinker eh?” “When the situation calls for it.” He grinned. “Haven’t met a person who can drink me under the table yet.” AJ frowned and walked up to the man so that the brims of their hats were touching. “Is that a challenge?” She said as she narrowed her eyes. “Only if you make it one.” “Bandit, don’t.” Ace said trying to talk the gunslinger out of it. “AJ dear, might I remind you that-” “The others can handle the job.” She said as she took off her gloves and cracked her knuckles. “Got anything heavier than this wine soda stuff?” “Its champagne.” Ace said with a sigh. “Whatever, this weak stuff ain’t the tools for what we gotta do.” “Ahem.” The farmer looked at the bandit who pulled out a bottle of Zap Apple Whiskey and two shot glasses. “I believe that this should be just what we need for our little competition.” “Perfect.” AJ sat down at a table and the man followed her. “I think your friend just signed her death warrant.” Ace said as he looked at the violet haired girl. “Why? If anything, Applejack can hold her drink.” “I’m not saying that she can’t. Just that Bandit is the best drinker out of the graduates.” Rarity looked at him in shock. “I saw him drink an entire bar filled with Firefighters under the table.” Rarity’s jaw hit the floor. “Is he an alcoholic?” “No, that was only once and he doesn’t drink all the time.” He said as he sipped his champagne. “On another note, where did you and your friends get their dresses from? They look amazing.” Rarity gave a smile. “I designed and made them myself.” “Really? You’re quite the designer then.” “Oh thank you darling.” Rarity chimed. As the two continued talking Angel managed to ditch Pinkie via ice clone and started her hunt for the red mage. Um Rouge, I lost Angel. Pinkie thought as her thoughts were broadcasted to the Changeling. What? She used one of those ice clones. I’m not sure where she went. Ivy, you got her? Hang on. The green flyer looked down at the crowd and her eyes scanned the crowd. Looks like Dash flew the coop, Rarity and AJ are talking with Ace and Bandit. Fluttershy is still hiding behind the plant in the far right corner. Should have seen that one coming. The Changeling face palmed. Got her! Uh-oh. What? She’s closing in on Crimson. Well, someone do something! We’re so close here! I’m too far away. Cobalt interjected as he tried fighting through the crowd. What should we do? Rouge bit her lip and her mind raced for an answer. Broken Arrow! A silence fell over the psychic link and all hell broke loose. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “You’re kidding.” Crimson said as he sipped his drink and looked at the scholar who shook her head. “So you’re telling me that Celestia holds meetings late cause she likes sleeping in?” “Yup. Once when I was still in Canterlot, I saw her passed out on her desk with a blindfold over her eyes.” She giggled. Crimson gave a chuckle. “Crow is the same way. He’s always been lazy.” The two had been talking for over two hours. Crimson still couldn’t believe the wisdom and insight the young woman had. Crimson gulped and his mind was drawing a blank. Before he could think of anything to say the two heard what sounded like a bomb going off. “Evergreen!” The red mage heard a very pissed of Angel yell. Crimson looked over and saw that she had a red punch stain on her white dress. Crimson owes me big time! The flyer thought as she dodged a few magical blasts. The blasts were deflected and hit a few people. One of the blasts hit a black winged man who lost his balance and accidentally knocked his white captain’s arm. Ivory had previously been holding a slice of strawberry cheesecake. Time slowed as she saw the dessert drop to the floor. Ivory looked back at her teammate with a look that could make an Ursa Major piss itself. “That was the last piece.” She said as she bore holes through the man. “I-Ivory c-calm down-” was all he got out before a white gloved fist sent him rocketing into the crowd. Within five seconds, every person was in a brawl with one another. Applejack and Bandit were on their tenth shot and refused to give up. Crimson grabbed Twilight’s hand and the two ducked underneath a nearby table. Twilight was completely dumbfounded as she saw several students firing bolts at one another. “Like bucking clockwork.” Crimson said with a sigh. The two saw the card user create a dome shield around himself and Rarity to shield from a cake that had been launched. They then saw several students get blasted by a cyan cannon that Pinkie was operating. Where she got it from we may never know. Amidst the chaos, the two Stetson wearing competitors continued to drink. A yellow winged mage attempted to bullrush the gun slinger, but was stopped as Bandit raised his revolver and pulled the trigger. The magic bullet hit the man dead on and forced him back into the fray, all without taking his eyes off the apple farmer. Another man was about to tackle Applejack but stopped when the farmer shot her fist up and the fighter dropped like a ton of bricks as the hard knuckles met his face. “Pretty strong, for a girl.” The intoxicated gunslinger teased. “Not a bad shot, for a lightweight.” She drunkenly giggled. Fluttershy had soon made herself scarce and was hiding underneath one of the tables. Crow was in hysterics as all three Princesses looked a the display with jaws hanging low. “Are thou not going to stop this?” Luna asked. “Why would I want to do that?” Crow said as he wiped a tear from his eyes. The man then felt a magic blast hit him square in the jaw and the man landed flat on his back. “Crow!” Celestia said as she knelt down next to the man. “Oh this takes me back.” He chuckled as he sat up. “If you won’t put a stop to this insanity then I-” “Oh come now Tia. Let them have their fun.” He said as he stood up. “At least a little while longer.” Crow flashed Cadence a glance with his eyes. Cadence followed the man’s line of sight and a coy smile appeared on her face when she saw Twilight and Crimson hiding under the same table. Back across the battle ground, sat the two mages under the table. Crimson was biting his lip as he tried to make a decision. Normally he’d already be neck deep in the brawl and kicking all kinds of ass, but on the other hand he had Twilight who despite her magical prowess, had zero exposure to this kind of the senseless violence that Crimson and every other fighter savored. The man snapped out of his thought process when the table took a direct magical blast and turned to dust. “C’mon!” Crimson grabbed Twilight’s hand and the two raced across the battle field. “There he is!” Crimson looked up and saw several other students aiming to tackle him. The red haired mage grabbed Twilight and wrapped his arms around her. The two mages’ bodies turned into shadow and quickly zipped out of the room. Crow caught notice of this and looked at Celestia with a wicked grin on his face. “Come Tia.” He said with a smirk. “Time to see about our...agreement.” Celestia looked at Crow and back at the brawl. “What about this mess?” She asked as she dodged a rogue magic bolt. The man sighed and stepped forwards. He adjusted his wire rim glasses and tapped his cane twice. The Princesses then felt a massive amount of magic erupt from the man. The three looked in amazement as the students al started to pass out one by one. Flyers dropped from their flight and hit the ground. Soon everyone in the room, besides Crow and the Princesses were unconscious on the ball room floor. “There. Happy?” He said as he let out a sigh. As he walked past the Princesses they looked at the man in shock and back at the piles of students that were affected by the man’s magic. “Don’t worry about them. They’ll be fine.” He said as he waved a hand. Celestia let out a sigh and followed the man. “Luna, Cadence. I shall see you two in the morning.” She said with a smile. The Two Princesses gave her and the man a nod and teleported off to their rooms. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The red and indigo haired mage rematerialized in a hallway far away from the main hall. Crimson sat down and started panting heavily. He had sweat on his brow and was running low on magic. Twilight shook her head and got her wits together. “You okay?” Crimson asked as he stood up. “Yeah.” Twilight then noticed his condition. “What about you?” “Been worse. I’m still not back to 100%.” He sighed. “So where are we now?” Twilight asked as she looked around. “Looks like the tower.” “Tower?” “Where I live.” He said as he pointed to a door at the top. The two climbed the steps and Crimson opened the door to his room. Twilight looked at the living space and looked around his room. “Why live all the way up here?” Crimson smiled and led her out towards the pair of double glass doors that lead out towards the balcony. The two walked out and Twilight’s jaw dropped as she saw the school being illuminated by Luna’s night sky. Twilight’s eyes were the size of dinner plates as she took in the beauty. The night air bit at the scholar’s exposed skin and she shivered. “Cold?” The man asked as he stood next to her. “A little. I’m fine though.” She said as she rubbed her arms. The scholar then felt something come over her shoulders and her face flushed a deep red. She felt the object and realized that it was the man’s red leather coat. “Its beautiful here.” “Yup, but I have to leave it.” He sighed. Twilight’s heart sank as she remembered what the blue flyer had told her and her friends a few days ago. “Right, you and the other graduates are getting reassigned.” Twilight said in a disappointed tone. “Where will you go?” “Not sure. It’s a grab bag.” He sighed. The man looked up at the sky and gazed at the moon. Twilight felt her heart being crushed. She couldn’t take it any more and threw her arms around the man. “T-Twilight, what are you-” He stopped talking when he felt a wetness seeping through his vest. The girl tilted her head up to show her tear filled amethyst colored eyes. Crimson could feel her cold arms around his torso. Her sighed and returned the embrace. “I don’t want you to go.” She cried. “Twilight. I have to. It’s my job and-” “Why can’t someone else go? Why do you have to do it?” She asked with tears running down her face. “That’s like asking why you read books, study magic and use the Elements of Harmony.” “Because its....” Crimson gave her a nod as he saw a spark of realization light up in her eyes. “Its the same with me. It’s who I am.” He put his hands on her shoulders and looked deep into her bright purple eyes. “This is something I’ve been training for my whole life. To go out, see the world, fight monsters, be the hero.” “Life is no fairy tale.” “I know, but that’s why people like Ivy, Cobalt, Rouge and I are here. To help make things better for people like you and your friends.” He said with a sigh. “What about you huh? What about your happiness?” A silence fell over the man. “That was never part of the plan.” Twilight wiped the tears from her eyes and sighed. “Besides, I owe everyone here a huge debt.” “What debt?” “Something that can never be repaid.” Twilight’s expression then frowned and lightly slapped the man’s face. “Ow! What was that for?” “I thought that you were past all this! You are not the demon! You don’t have to take that responsibility for-” “That’s not what I’m talking about. The debt I’m talking about is much bigger then what that thing did.” Twilight looked at him in confusion. “Everyone here, Ivy, Crow, Angel, even Ivory. I owe them all a debt.” “What did they do?” “They saved me from myself.” Twilight looked at him in shock. The man let out a sigh and looked towards the night sky. “When I found out about what was in me, everything changed. I saw the world in a darker shade, food had no taste and everything just seemed....pointless. I thought that I was just a burden to them. Crow and Ivy especially.” “What happened?” “During a mission when we were still kids, someone gave them an offer to turn me over to some blood thirsty psychos that most likely wanted to skin me alive and prop me up as a warning. They refused to sell me out and the crazies were gonna kill them for protecting me.” Twilight gasped. “I intervened and we managed to hold them off until back up arrived and we escaped. The least that I can do is try to protect them.” “I’m sure that they don’t think that you owe them that.” The scholar said as she gulped. “I know they don’t and they’d tell me that it’s idiotic, but its how I keep going.” His eyes were like calm pools of red wine. “Don’t you think that you’ve paid enough? I mean I heard stories about how you’ve saved them time after time.” The man let out a sigh. “Last year, when I lost control while training, I thought that I had paid enough. Started taking missions on my own and I thought that I had enough and it was sort of....peaceful. The thought that I had helped them enough so that they could stand on their own. So that they wouldn’t need me.” He said as his eyes softened. “I started to slip back into that pit of darkness that I started out in and I didn’t care that I was.” Twilight gulped. “Then I get sent to some backwater town and everything gets screwed up. I got saved again. What got to me was that it was by someone I never expected.” He said in a calm tone. “Huh?” “I wouldn’t be surprised if Ivy, Crow or even Ivory pulled me out of the pit I was digging.” He said as he looked at the scholar. “But getting saved by a librarian? I gotta tell ya, that’s a new one on me.” Twilight’s jaw dropped in confusion. “Me?” She asked as she pointed at herself. “You did it twice.” He said as he ran a hand through his hair. “Imagine, me, a Ranger class Conduit being saved by a librarian that lives in a small town in the middle of nowhere. Its beyond outrageous and goes strait into ludicrousness.” Twilight frowned at the man. “Makes me bonkers just thinking about it.” Twilight gritted her teeth and was about to turn him into a newt. “What’s even crazier, is that I don’t care.” ........ ........ “Huh?” Twilight’s jaw dropped as she tried to processed the information. “I don’t care.” Twilight still had a baffled look on her face. “What do you mean by you don’t care?” “To be honest, no one has ever given me a tongue lashing like you’ve have. Sure Ivy and the others have slapped some sense into me, literally. You’ve done that too, but at the same time you’ve given me a mental one and now you’re on my list of people I have to repay a debt to.” “You don’t owe me anything.” She said with a gulp. “No, I do. While I was in my week long coma I had a lot of time to think about things. Not much else to do when you can’t move.” The man gave a shrug. “You were among those things.” Twilight felt her face flare up. “I realized that you are without a doubt the craziest girl I’ve ever met.” “Really? Out of Ivory and Ivy? I’m the craziest girl you’ve ever met?” She asked as she folded her arms under her chest. “They’re crazy in a different way. You are crazy in a way that I can’t get you out of my blasted head.” He said as he lightly hit the back of his own head. “I realized that its the crazy stuff you do that...” The man felt a lump the size of a watermelon form in his throat, “That?” Twilight asked in a worried tone. She saw that the man was physically struggling with something he was trying to get out. “Makes...me crazy...about...you.” The silence was deafening. A breeze blew past the two and in the distance a wolf howled at the moon. You know that feeling when you get butterflies in your stomach? Twilight felt as though these butterflies were a foot across and made of pure fire. Her face was as red as the man’s hair and she finally managed to form words. “Y-you’re crazy about me?” She asked with a gulp. “To say the least.” He said in a shaky tone. A long silence fell between the two mages. Crimson gulped and felt a mournful feeling creep up inside of him. “I-” He was cut off as a warm pair of lips met his own and a pair of familiar gloved arms wrapped themselves around his body and pulled him into a warm embrace. Crimson returned the kiss and held the scholar close to him. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Crow sat back in his office chair with a smug grin spread across his face. Across him sat a disappointed Princess Celestia. On the desk that separated the two sat a crystal ball that showed the two mages embracing each other. Crow snapped his fingers and the image vanished from the crystal. “Check and mate.” He said with a smile. “I believe that makes seven wins, zero losses.” Celestia still held her head in defeat. “Oh come now Tia, surely you want your pupil to be happy right?” “Of course I do.” She said as her head shot up. “Its just that-” “Next time I make the cake, I’ll be sure to send you a piece.” Celestia’s smile shined like the morning sun. “But you still lost and you know what that means.” Celestia gulped and a blush appeared on her face. “My office, tomorrow night, at around seven for a nice dinner.” Crow held the door open for the Princess and she exited the room. “Clothing optional.” The sun Goddess was about to yell but the door closed on her face. A pink face Celestia teleported back to her room where Cadence was waiting patiently. “Well?” She asked as she crossed her arms. Celestia summoned a small bit bag, containing fifty or so bits and tossed it at the Princess of love. Cadence giggled as she caught the bag and thought of the two young mages together. “Seriously Auntie, you stink at making bets.” Author's Note Hope you liked it. There wil be one more chapter after this one.
Chapter XXXI: Don't Say GoodbyeChapter XXXI Don’t Say Goodbye The next day, most of the student body were hungover, tired or both. The five girls all managed to find their way back to their rooms and get out of their gowns and back into their normal clothes before heading off towards breakfast. Applejack and Rainbow Dash were both hungover more than a bar filled with drunkards. Cobalt, Ivy and Rouge had woken up and already helped clean up the mess of the ballroom. The girls had packed their things and made their way towards the dragon hybrid’s room. Pinkie knocked on the door. “Hey Spike, Twilight, get up. We gotta get ready to get back to Ponyville.” Pinkie chimed. “Pinkie, not so loud.” AJ said as she clutched her head. “Serves you right for getting into that drinking contest.” Rarity said with a snort. The door opened to reveal the dragon hybrid. “I’m all packed. I haven’t seen Twilight since last night.” The girls looked at one another in confusion. The two hungover girls groaned in pain. “C’mon, I have just the thing for a hangover.” Ivy said as she started to lead the two back down the steps. “Spike why don’t you get Twilight’s stuff-” Pinkie stopped talking as the hybrid pointed to the already packed lavender colored suitcase. “Oh, never mind.” She said as they all followed the green flyer up towards her room. As they climbed the stairs Rouge sniffed the air. “Smell something girl?” Cobalt asked in a tone he’d use for a dog. Rouge frowned and lightly slapped him. “Yeah, love is definitely in the air.” “How do you-” Rouge raised an eyebrow at the cyan winged flyer. “Oh right.” Ivy arrived outside her door and pulled out her key. “Oh I hope we find Twilight soon.” Fluttershy said in a worried tone. “Relax silly, I’m sure she’s fine.” The pink haired girl said with a smile. As the green flyer opened the door, everyone’s jaws hit the floor. There in Crimson’s bed were the two mages asleep in each other’s arms. “Oh..my.” Fluttershy said a she froze on the spot. Rarity’s face turned bright red and fainted in a very dramatic fashion. Crimson yawned and sat up to see the group staring at them. The red mage looked down at the stirring Twilight and back up at the crowd. “Let’s face it this is not the worst thing you’ve caught me doing.” A long silence fell over the group as Twilight looked up. Her face went from bright red to pale white in a matter of seconds before passing out on the bed. Ivy and Cobalt were on the floor holding their sides in laughter as Dash and AJ were caught between laughing and grabbing their heads in pain over their hangovers. “I told you that you were gonna get laid if you wore-” The flyer stopped talking as Rouge shot a spider web over his mouth. “Thank you Rouge.” He said as he lightly shook Twilight’s shoulder. The scholar opened her eyes and yawned. Twilight looked over and her face went pale. “Oh no, it wasn’t a dream!” She said as she hid under the covers. The Changeling face palmed as Cobalt ripped the webbing off his mouth. Twilight’s form glowed a bright purple under the blanket and her form vanished from under the covers. Crimson heard the scholar teleport inside the bathroom and lock the door. Fluttershy was helping Rarity to her feet and the girls quickly went over towards the bathroom, while the Rangers stood across from Crimson. The group heard a magical discharge and the door opened to show that Twilight was out of her dress and in a pair of dark purple pants and a light purple short sleeve blouse. “Lets just say that that never happened.” Rouge said. “What never happened?” Crimson said in a flat tone. “Exactly.” Twilight said with a gulp. “So...what exactly did we almost walk in on?” Ivy asked stifling a laugh. “Nothing! We were sleeping!” Crimson said as his face went bright red. “Sure I totally believe you.” Cobalt said in a sarcastic tone. Rouge let out a low pitched growl as she dead legged her boyfriend. “So are you two a couple now?” Pinkie asked with excitement. Crimson looked at Twilight who was blushing profusely. “Yeah. Guess we are.” Pinkie jumped up and down with a wide smile on her face. The group of girls rushed over to Twilight and started congratulating her. Crimson walked over to the bathroom and quickly changed back into his normal clothes. He exited the bathroom and Cobalt gave him a fist bump. “Oh my gosh! I gotta throw you two the biggest couple party when we go back to Ponyville.” Pinkie chimed. Crimson and Twilight both bit their bottom lip. “There’ll be drinks, cake, balloons-” “I’m not going back.” The group of friends all turned to look at the man. His red eyes were like two deep pools of wine. “What do you mean you’re not going back?” Dash asked. “I have a job to do Dash. I can’t abandon that.” He said as he folded his arms. “Look Twilight and I spent hours talking about this and she understands.” The girls all looked at Twilight who gave a slow nod. “I don’t like it either, but I can’t not go.” “Why not? Your uncle is the boss of this joint right?” Dash asked as Ivy threw her a small vial filled with green liquid. The flyer took a gulp and stuck her tongue out at the flavor. “Yes, Crow is the headmaster, but even he has to play by the rules. If he can’t do that then how can we expect people to obey the laws of magic. It’d be like a cop robbing a store.” He said with a sigh. “Still ain’t fair.” AJ said as she drank the liquid. “It usually never is.” He commented. Crimson looked at Twilight who had a small smile on her face. “I promised that I’d write letters and I’d visit during my off time.” The man then saw his red gem glowing and he took it in his hand. “All Zealots report to the Headmaster for debriefing.” Crimson gave a sigh and cracked his back. “Could you at least walk us to the train station?” Twilight asked. Crimson gave a nod and helped her up off his bed. The group of girls left the man’s room and went to retrieve their things. Crimson sat down on his bed and buried his head in his hands. Ivy sat down next to him and put a hand on his shoulder. “You okay?” “No, but thanks for asking though.” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Twilight was walking with her friends who each had their own bags. Rarity gave the four girls a nervous look. The group slowly made their way towards the edge of the castle’s hallways. The six girls saw the four warriors waiting for them. Crimson and Twilight walked hand in hand towards the train depot behind everyone else. The whistle on the train snapped the two mages out of their discussion. Ivy parted ways with Mac and the other two mages waved goodbye. Crimson looked over Twilight’s shoulder and saw the pretty seamstress dragging the cyan flyer inside the train as AJ pushed Pinkie inside. The scholar shook her head. “Sorry. They’re just curious.” She chuckled. “Relax they’re not the only ones.” Crimson looked behind him to see that the Changeling had strung up the two flyers in web cocoons. An awkward silence fell between the two. “I guess this is-” Twilight stopped talking as she felt a finger press on her lips. “Just do me one thing okay?” Twilight gave a nod. “Don’t say goodbye. I hate goodbyes.” Crimson said as the girl put a hand on his cheek and drew him closer. “Since I’ll see you again, it won’t be.” Twilight pressed her lips against his and wrapped her arms around him. Crimson did the same and didn’t want to let go. Another whistle from the train broke the embrace. Twilight snapped her fingers and a small green gem appeared in her hands. “What’s this?” “It’ll allow you to send me messages through Spike.” Crimson pulled out a small bit of paper and scribbled something on it. He rolled it up and set it over the gem. The letter was sucked inside and the two heard a familiar burp from inside the train car. “Guess it works.” He grinned as he put the gem inside his coat. “Last call! All aboard.” The conductor yelled. Crimson sighed at the words. He gave Twilight one last peck on the cheek before she got on the train. Twilight slid the train door closed and sat down next to her friends. Crimson watched as the train pulled away with the scholar and her friends. The changeling walked up next to him and put a hand on his shoulder. “C’mon Crimson, its time.” She said as she led him back towards the school. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The train ride was silent for the most part. The group took the caboose and had the car to themselves. Rarity sat next to Twilight who refused to say anything. Dash rubbed her eyes and let out a groan. “So did you two bang or what?” Several heads looked at the flyer and gasped. “What?” “Show some decency Rainbow Dash!” Rarity growled. “Oh come on! We saw them in bed.” “Should we remember how we found you this fine morning?” Dash’s face went bright red as she remembered her waking up in bed with both Spitfire and Soarin. She still had no memory of the night before. “That’s what I thought.” “Fine, fine. I still wanna know what happened though?” Dash said as she looked at Twilight. The scholar took a deep breath and gathered her thoughts. She then gave them the rundown of what she and the red haired mage talked about. “So even though he admits that he’s got feeling for you he still wouldn’t come back with us.” Twilight gave a nod to the cyan flier. “Jack ass!” “Rainbow Dash!” Pinkie said. “What? Twilight spilt her guts out for him and then he goes and says that he’s not going to stay? What is that all about?” “He has an important job Rainbow. What kind of person would I be if I told him to forget about all that?” Dash crossed her arms and grunted. “Imagine if someone you love asked you to give up being a Wonderbolt.” AJ stated. Dash felt her throat go dry and gulped at the question. “If they really cared about me then they wouldn’t.” Then it clicked. The flyer finally understood why Twilight had to let him go. Asking someone to forget about their dream is like asking them to tear out their heart and keep on living. “Oh,” Dash hung her head low and looked at the scholar who was shaking. “sorry Twi. I wasn’t thinking.” Twilight was easily on the verge of tears and Dash sighed. “Do you want me to stop talking?” Twilight gave a nod. “Do you want us to leave you alone for a bit dear?” Rarity asked. Twilight shook her head as the seamstress wrapped her in a warm hug. Spike did the same and Twilight felt her tears run down her face. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Crimson sat in Crow’s office with the raven haired man sitting across from him along with Celestia. Crimson was bitting his lip hard enough to draw blood. Crow looked down at the pages and back at his godson. “Before you get your assignment,” The younger man said as he folded his hands. “is there anywhere special you’d like us to send you? I can pull a few strings and-” Crimson raised a hand. “No, I know what I signed up for. Send me where I’d be most useful.” Crow raised an eyebrow and gave a heavy sigh as he held up a red folder. “I’ve done some research and I’ve got a good area.” He said as he adjusted his glasses. “Difficulty?” “S class.” Crimson blinked as the words left the man’s lips. S class areas are about as comforting as a cave filled with goblins. Only places where the worst of the worst happens ever get placed in that category and very few people ever return from them. Crimson gulped as he thought of the indigo haired scholar and the friends he’d made in the small town. He clenched his fist and let out a sigh. “I’ll take it.” He said as he looked at the man. Crow looked at Clay who gave him a nod. “Your funeral.” He said with a sigh. He handed Crimson the folder and the red mage knew that there was no going back now. He opened the folder and his eyes shrank. An audible gulp could be heard from the man. Crimson felt goosebumps on his skin and the hair on his neck rise. “You depart immediately.” Crimson nodded and got to his feet. As he reached for the door he froze. Crimson looked back at the man who had a blank look on his face. “Have something to say?” “Yeah, I do.” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Eventually the train ride went into the night and into the next day. It was around noon and they had just passed Trottingham coming up on Ponyville. Spike felt a familiar knot form in his gut and let loose a green fire filled belch. A scroll appeared in front of the scholar who quickly swiped it up and read it. "What?" Twilight raised an eyebrow in confusion as the other girls walked over to her and read the letter themselves. It only contained three words. Hold onto something. "What in the hay is that supposed to-" Was all the farmer got out before the train suddenly stopped and the girls all felt themselves fly from their seats and onto the floor. The girls all grunted in pain as they got off one another. One of the servers opened the door and looked at the group. “What happened?” Rarity asked in an annoyed tone. “Emergency stop! There’s a...a...” The woman’s face lacked any color and she was visibly shaking. “Simmer down there Sally.” AJ said. “Deep breath.” The woman took in several long hard breaths. “Now tell us what’s stopping us.” “A monster!” The girls stuck their head out the window and looked towards the front of the train. They all felt their throats go dry and felt their blood run cold. Standing just ahead of the front of the train was a Colossus. It stood on two feet, was made of what looked like stone, magic and metal and stood easily sixty meters tall. A loud grunt could be heard from the creature. “What is that thing?” Rainbow screamed. “It’s a Colossus!” Twilight yelled. I’ve read about them, they’re supposed to be extinct.” Twilight gulped. “Can’t you do something Twi?” “Are you kidding me? That thing is massive!” The girls then heard footsteps on the roof. The girls all huddled together and heard something break the roof’s emergency exit. The girls all looked in surprise as they saw a familiar purple Changeling hop down into the car. “Oh there you guys are.” She smiled as she dusted herself off. “Rouge? What are you doing here?” Twilight yelled. “Hang on a second.” The Changeling pulled out what looked like a small pistol and stuck it out the window. As she pulled the trigger a purple flare erupted from the barrel and soared into the sky before exploding. The girls then felt the entire train shake and the surrounding area. Twilight looked out to see that the Colossus had moved out of the way of the train and the engine started to pick up speed. The cabin door opened to show the other two fliers. “Told you they’d be in the back.” Ivy said. Cobalt shrugged with a grin on his face. The server got to her feet and quickly made her way back towards the other cars. The girls watched as they passed the Colossus who's eyes seemed to be fixated on them. The hulking monster looked even larger as they drew closer. The group saw something dark get launched from the monster’s hand. It sailed over the train car and over to the roof. Suddenly the massive creature vanished in a flash of light. The group heard something cutting into the roof and saw a curved blade sticking through. The sound of boots against metal filled the cabin. A dark hooded object fell from the entrance the Changeling used. Twilight’s eyes shrank and saw the red haired man standing before them with a smirk on his face. “Afternoon ladies.” He said as he cracked his back. “Crimson? What are you doing here?” Twilight asked as she ran up to the man. “Well, it went like this, Crow was gonna ship me off to some crazy ass location in the middle of nowhere. I was about to leave when I decided to buck the system. I refused the order, fought my way through a lot of Academy agents, met up with these three, hitched a ride on Tombstone, blocked the track and he threw me like a javelin. Thus here I am.” He said with a smile. “Oh that is so romantic!” Rarity sniffled as she clasped her hands together. “Did you really do all that?” AJ asked. “I’m just kidding.” He chuckled. “Well, about refusing the orders part and fighting the agents.” “So why’d you come here then?” Twilight asked. “Just following orders.” He grinned. The girls all looked at him in confusion. “What? Next train that leaves for Ponyville is in five days. I can’t wait that long.” Twilight smiled at the man. “You see, Crow and the Princess dug through the records and rated Ponyville as an S class danger zone.” “A what now?” AJ asked. “Different areas that have trouble get categorized based on their danger level.” Rouge said. “Higher the danger, higher the rank, higher the rank the more experienced Zealot they send.” “Hold up.” Dash said as she looked at the man. “Ponyville is peaceful as can be and almost never has problems.” Crimson reached inside his coat and pulled out a packet of pages. “A year ago, Princess Luna returned to the old Everfree castle as Nightmare Moon and caused significant damage to Ponyville.” The man turned the page. “Few months after, there was an Ursa Minor incident. A parisprite infestation hit the town like a freight train, devouring bits of the buildings. Lets not all forget the Discord incident.” “The list goes on.” He then rolled the piece of paper back up and put it inside his jacket. “If that ain’t trouble then I don’t know what is.” The girls gave a nod. “Since that place seems to be overrun with trouble, Crow and Celestia decided to send someone who can at least put up a fight and is familiar with the area. So here I am.” Twilight couldn’t hide the smile on her face. “So that means-” “I’ll still get missions and go out on jobs, but I’ll have to come back to Ponyville each time I complete a job. That is if you guys want me as the guild lead-” He was instantly wrapped in a warm hug by the scholar. Twilight then started shooting of the word ‘yes’ like a machine gun. Crimson’s face was bright red and saw the others grinning ear to ear. “Wait you said that you got a ride on Tombstone.” The farmer said. “Who’s that?” “That Colossus that was blocking the tracks.” The group looked at him in shock. “You own a Colossus?” “No, I’m friends with a Colossus.” “And why did you make him stop the train?” Rarity asked as she glared at the man. “Seemed like a good idea at the time.” The man said with a shrug. “Besides Rouge said it would be romantic.” “I approve!” Twilight chimed as she tightened her hug. “Wait a sec, you said guild. Ponyville doesn’t have a guild.” Dash interjected. “Yet. We’ll have to work something out with the mayor, but I’m sure that won’t be a problem.” Cobalt said with a smile. The group of friends then sat back down in their seats. Twilight nuzzled the red mage and looked out the window to see the small town in the distance. “I guess that this whole ordeal is finished then.” Twilight said with a sigh. Crimson put a hand on her head and ran his fingers through her hair. “Nope. I think we’re just getting started.” He said as he gave her forehead a small kiss. To be Continued... Author's Note I want to thank all those who gave this story their support!
PrologueThe Ranger’s Journey Prologue A tall, fair skinned man with shoulder length jet black hair and light green eyes sat with a long black cane in his hands. The man looked like he was in his mid twenties. The top of the cane was a silver metal and was in the shape of a raven’s head. The man sat patiently as the door opened and a tall woman with fair skin and a flowing celestial hair and a pair of white wings were sprouting out of her back. A golden crown was set on top of her head and her wings matched her flowing white dress. The woman stood at seven feet tall and walked up to the man with a warm smile on her face. The man stood up with the cane steadying his body. The two walked down the marble stone corridor until they got to a set of white doors with golden handles. The two entered and the woman sat behind a massive wooden desk. “Thank you for seeing me on such short notice Princess Celestia.” The man said as he sat down across from the desk. “Oh please, enough with the formalities Crow. You’re among friends.” She said with a chuckle. “How did the mission go?” The man let out a sigh and looked at the Princess with a blank expression on his face. “That’s why I’m here. There’s been a....complication.” He said as he scratched the back of his neck. “What complication?” The Princess asked in a serious tone. The man put his hand inside his coat pocket and pulled out a photo of a young fair skinned boy with messy shoulder length crimson red hair and matching red eyes. “Who is this?” “That is Orion Comet’s son, Crimson Storm” He said in a low tone. Celestia’s eyes shrank as she made the connection. “Oh....I see.” She said as she handed the picture back to the man. “What does he have to do with ‘it?’” She asked. “It....jumped him.” He said in a low tone. The Princess’s eyes shrank at the news and her mind raced as countless thoughts of pain, death and destruction raced through her mind. “What?” Celestia’s eyes shrank and the color drained from her face. “Did you-” “I managed to seal it before it took possession.” He said with a sigh. The Princess let out a sigh of relief at the news. “I....I want to take him under my wing at the Academy.” Celestia’s jaw fell open at the news. “I know the risks Celestia, but-” “But nothing! You’d be putting everyone in danger!” “It would be more dangerous to let him wander the world alone and unsupervised.” He said in a stern tone. “He will be sheltered, clothed, fed and he’ll learn to control his magic.” “It’s a big risk Crow.” She said as she rolled the idea around in her head. “He’s only eight years old and he’s all alone in the world.” The man said in a low tone. “I owe it to Orion as a comrade and a friend to look after him.” Celestia let out a sigh and scratched her chin. “He will be under my watchful eye and he’ll be protected by the Academy.” “I think that he should decide.” Celestia said in a flat tone. “I think that’s fair.” He said with a nod as he stood up. “I will go fetch him for you.” The man got to his feet and steadied himself on his cane. “If I may ask, why are you walking with a cane?” The man let out a sigh and lifted up his right ant leg to reveal a heavily scarred leg. The skin looked as though it was severely burned and the skin was almost like paper. The Princess let out a gasp at the sight. “No good deed goes unpunished your majesty.” Crow said in a low tone. “Surely you know that better than anyone.” He said as he walked towards the door. He walked over to a golden armored man who was holding a spear and had long blue hair. “Excuse me, sir guard.” He said as he waved his hand, cathcing the man's attention. “How can I help you Professor Crow?” He asked with a smile. Crow gazed at the man and scratched his chin. “You look familiar, have we met?” He asked as he examined the guard. “I was one of the soldiers the Princess sent along with you.” He said in a flat tone. “Ah yes! Private Shining Armor correct?” The man nodded. “How are you feeling son?” “Better, all things considering.” He said with a gulp. “That’s to be expected after what you’ve seen.” He said in a flat tone. “Tell me, have you seen a young boy with dark red hair wearing a dark hood around?” The guard then narrowed his eyes. “You mean that thing you brought back?” Crow scowled at the man. “He’s not a thing. Just a boy who needs guidance.” He said in a rough tone. The guard looked at him and scoffed. “If you don’t know where he is then just say you don’t. I’m busy and I hate having my time wasted.” Crow said in a serious tone. The guard grunted and stared at the man. “Last time I saw him, he was in the gardens.” He said in a flat tone. “Thank you.” He said in a cold tone. “As you were Private.” Crow said as he started to walk away from the guard with a less than amused look on his face. Shining stood at attention as the Sergeant approached him. “Sir!” “At ease private.” He said with a smile. “I just ran into your sister, very charming girl.” He said as he scratched the back of his head. “That’s Twily.” He said as he shook his head with a smile. “Where did you see her?” “I believe she was just going into the garden maze. Why?” Shining’s eyes shrank as he heard the words. “Sir, please excuse me. I have to go!” The man said as he broke into a run towards the gardens. The officer shrugged and continued to walk down the marble hallway. A young boy sat alone on a green wooden bench with a black hood covering his dark red hair. The boy was no more than eight years old and was donning a black sweatshirt and dark blue pants. He got to his feet and made his way through the hedge maze. Crimson kept his dark red eyes focused on the path ahead of him. He looked in surprise to see a young girl with indigo hair with a pink stripe running down the side kneeling near a tree in the center of the pathway. Her bright purple eyes matched her dress and small shiny shoes. As he walked closer he saw that the little girl was crying. Crimson cocked an eyebrow and walked closer. The girl looked a year younger than him. “Um....are you okay?” He asked as he approached the girl. “Smarty Pants is stuck!” She said as she pointed up to the tree. Crimson looked up to see a small doll stuck in the branches. Crimson rolled his eyes and looked down at the still sobbing girl. “Wait here.” He said as he walked past the small girl. Crimson pulled himself up on the trunk of the tree and hoisted himself onto the branch. The boy crawled on the outstretched branch and reached forward with his hand. He tried to reach but his small arms were just out of reach. As he strained, a magical red aura appeared around his hands and the doll started to lean towards him. The boy extended his arm further. He could feel his muscles straining and a the small amount of energy taxing him. The doll flew into his hands as he lost his grip and fell towards the ground. He landed with a loud thud on his back and groaned in pain. As he stood up the small girl raced towards him and wrapped him in a hug. “Thankyouthankyouthankyou!” She said with tears of joy running down her face. The boy smiled as he gave her back the doll and rubbed his right shoulder. “You’re hurt!” “I’ll be okay.” He said with a shrug. “What are you doing in the gardens?” “I’m just waiting. I have to take a test to see if I get into this fancy school.” She said with a smile. “Good luck.” He said with a nod. “Thanks, my name is Twilight Sparkle. What’s yours?” “I’m-” “TWILIGHT! GET AWAY FROM HIM!” The two children looked over to see a tall man in golden armor running towards them. “Hey Shiny, what are you-” she was cut off as the young man stepped in between them and drew his sword. Shining pointed the sharp end at the boy who fell onto his back and started to shake in fear. The small girl then started to lightly hit the man’s leg. “BBBFF! Don’t scare him!” She said as she frowned. “He saved Smarty Pants from that tree.” The guard looked at his sister who was holding the doll. The guard looked at his little sister and back at the boy was close to pissing his pants as his eyes focused on the unsheathed sword. The guard then noticed a green eyed black crow perched in the branches staring at him with daggers in it’s eyes. Shining grunted sheathed the blade before turning around and kneeling down so his and the girl’s eyes met. “Listen to me Twiley, I want you to stay away from him.” He said in a serious tone. “Why?” “He’s dangerous. Not just to you, but to everyone and everything around him.” He said as he glared back at the boy who had gotten to his feet and brushed himself off. Shining then turned back to his little sister and put his hands on her shoulders. “Please Twilight, for me?” He said in a begging tone. The girl looked down at the ground and moved the dirt around with her shoe. Twilight looked at her brother and then shifted her gaze to the boy. “Well....okay, if it’ll make you happy BBBFF.” The guard let out a sigh of relief and smiled. “Can I just say goodbye? It would be kind of rude.” “Make it quick.” He said as he narrowed his eyes on Crimson, who gulped as he felt the man’s gaze on him. “I have to get back to my patrol. I hope you do well on your test.” He said as he hugged the girl. Twilight smiled and returned the gesture before the man walked away. Crimson held his head in shame and started to walk away from the girl. “Hey wait!” She said in a high pitched voice. Crimson turned around to see the girl walking up to him. “Walking away from someone who’s trying to talk to you is very rude you know.” “Sorry, but you heard what’s his name.” He said as he pointed to the guard who was rounding the corner. “I really don’t feel like getting slashed by a sword.” “Yeah, but I still want to thank you for rescuing Smarty Pants.” She said with a smile. The boy rolled his eyes and stood still. Before Crimson could react, the girl leaned forward and planted a small kiss on his cheek. The boy’s face went as red as his hair and gulped. The girl’s face was also turning a shade of red as she smiled. “So.....thanks.” She said with a small smile. “N-no problem.” He said with a gulp. “C’mon Twilight. It’s time to go.” The guard yelled. “I’ll be right there BBBFF.” She said before running off towards her brother. Crimson stood frozen as his right eye twitched at what just happened. “Aren’t you the little charmer?” Crimson spun around and saw the black crow fly up to him and change into the tall cane carrying man. “Already taking after your father I see.” “Uncle! It wasn’t like that!” He said in an annoyed tone. The man stood there with a smug smile plastered across his face. “ I just......she was the one who......UGH!” He said in annoyance. “I’m just kidding.” He said as he rubbed the boy’s messy head of hair. “I was actually looking for you, there’s someone I want you to meet.” He said as he put a hand on Crimson’s shoulder. The red hair’d child felt a small tingling sensation and saw a flash of green light. Crimson opened his eyes to see a large circular room with hundreds of books and documents. “Hello there.” An angelic voice said from behind the two men. Crimson spun around to see a tall and beautiful woman sitting behind a desk with a warm smile spread across her face. Crimson had seen pictures of her in magazines and posters. The boy’s heart started to beat rapidly as he made the connection and realized he was standing before THE Princess Celestia of Equestria. “You must be Crimson Storm. Crow has told me quite a bit about you.” She said with a warm smile. Crimson immediately bowed his head in respect to the goddess and tried to calm himself. “Are you alright?” She asked. “He’s just nervous Tia. What do you expect?” Crow said with a smile. The red hair’d child looked up at the man in shock at how he addressed the Princess so casually. “I suppose you’re right.” She said with a small chuckle. “Come sit down we have something to discuss.” She said as she looked at the two seats in front of the desk. Crimson gulped and made his way towards the seats and sat down next to his uncle. “First off I want to give you my condolences Crimson.” The child adverted his deep red eyes from the goddess. “I know that losing a family member is never easy especially at your age.” The Princess said in a low tone. “I knew your father and mother. They were brave warriors and will be remembered. You have my word.” “Ahem!” The green eyed man gave a small cough signaling for the Princess to move on. “Now, there is something I wish to ask you if you’ll let me.” Celestia said as she poured them each a cup of tea. “What is it your highness?” “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Crimson gulped as he took the fine ceramic cup in his hands. He had been asked that question several times by teachers in school and by some other kids. He always gave them the same answer, ‘I want to be just like my parents.’ The words tore at his heart as he remembered their smiling faces. “I....I don’t know.” He said in a low tone. “I..I always said I wanted to be like my dad, but after.....” He said as he fought back the tears. “I just don’t know. I’m just a kid after all.” Celestia let out a sigh and gave an understanding nod. “That’s very smart of you to say Crimson. It takes true courage for one to speak their mind.” She said as she gave him a warm smile. “There’s a choice that you need to make.” She said, her tone changing to a more serious one. “You can either stay here in Canterlot where you will find a new family and friends.” Crimson’s eyes shrank at the words. “Or, your Uncle Crow has agreed to look after you at his school.” The boy looked at the man in amazement. “I wanted you to make the choice.” Crow said with a smile. Crimson sank back into his chair and weighed his options. “There’s no rush, take your time.” Crow said as he put a hand on his nephew’s shoulder. The red hair’d boy thought hard on the subject. The entire room was dead quiet for five whole minutes, it may has well been five hours. At the end of the fifth minute Crimson let out a sigh and got to his feet. “Can I bring some stuff with me to the Academy?” He asked. Crow grinned ear to ear in delight at the decision. “Of course. We can go pick them up after I fill out some paperwork for the Princess.” Crow said with a warm smile on his face. Celestia smiled and handed him a few pieces of paper. Crow quickly scribbled his name on a few lines and clicked the pen shut. “Splendid. Now if you two would excuse me, I have some official business to attend to.” She said as she stood up. “Best of luck to you both in the future.” She said before teleporting in a flash of white light. The two boys looked at one another and shrugged. The two walked out of the meeting room and into the marble hallways of the Castle. “I know you’re going to love it at the academy Crimson. All the books your eyes can read.” Crow said with a smile. Crimson gave him a weak grin and nodded. “Tell me son. Do you really want to be a warrior?” The red hair’d boy took a moment to gather his thoughts and let out a sigh. “Yes.” As he answered the two felt a massive vibration coming from outside the city. Crimson looked up and saw what appeared to be an explosion of rainbows. The two then heard a loud roar coming from the far side of the castle. The two boys looked in astonishment as a giant purple dragon’s head shot through the ceiling and breathed a small amount of green flames. Crimson looked up at the older man and frowned. “Uncle, did you pull a prank on the Princess?” He asked as he pointed at the dragon. “No ma boy. This time, it wasn’t me.” Crimson then felt a small burning sensation on his back and started to itch it. “Something wrong?” “My back, it feels weird.” He said as he grunted. “Let me see what the problem is.” Crow said as he looked down the back of the boy’s shirt. His eyes widened and smiled. “Is something there?” Crimson asked. “Yes.” “Well, get it off!” Crimson ordered. “I doubt my magic can remove a Cutie Mark.” The boy’s eyes shrank and a large smile spread across his face. “REALLY? WHAT IS IT?” He asked in excitement. “You can see for yourself once we get to the house.” Crow said with a smile. Crimson started running ahead of the older man with a smile on his face. As the small boy ran forward Crow had a small tear in his eye as he smiled. Comet, Rose. Your boy reminds me of the two of you so much. Crow said as he wiped the tear from his eye. I have no doubt in my mind that he will become strong. He thought as he continued walking down the cobble stone road with a smile on his face. Author's Note BAM! In celebration of passing my math final. (A constant pain in the summer started) I give you my seocond Human fic.
Chapter I: DepartureChapter I Departure Fifteen years later A tall twenty-three year old man donning a black cloak with red trim around the cuffs of his sleeves, the rim of the head opening and the coat tail. Crimson sat in front of a white tombstone in the shape of a large hammer with a rose ensnaring the handle. The man got to his feet, which were covered by a pair of black leather boots that looked worn and well traveled. Around his left arm was a silver gauntlet with an engraving of a rose was etched into the shiny metal. The man looked around to see a silver haired man with piercing green eyes behind a pair of rectangular wire rim glasses, donning a black suit with a bright green tie. Crimson made his way up to the man with a smile on his face. “I knew I’d find you here.” Crow said with a grin. “What is it Headmaster?” He asked as he ran his hand through his messy dark red hair. “A new mission is ready if you’re interested.” He said with a smile. “It better not be something stupid like last time.” He said with a groan. “No Crimson, this one is coming straight from Celestia herself.” He said as he held up the scroll. Crimson cocked an eyebrow and looked at the man in confusion. “I was thinking of sending Ivy with you but-” Crimson quickly snatched the parchment from his hand. “I’ll take it.” Crimson said in a flat tone. “I still don’t see why you don’t like her.” Crow said with a shrug. “She’s smart, strong not to mention cute.” He said with a smirk. “She’s a good friend. Nothing more.” He said with a sigh. “Not to mention she’s too.....perky for my liking.” “Ha! You sound like your mother.” The man said with a smile. “How much is the pay?” “One hundred fifty per day.” “Per day? How long is this mission?” “It’s a long term one. You’ll be gone at least three months.” Crimson thought for a moment. Sure he’d gone out on missions before. Longest he’d spent away from the Academy was ten days. “You’ll still be getting missions that are stationed around the area.” Crow said with a sigh. “Usually these missions are reserved for Zealot class, but I think you can handle it.” He said with a smile. “Zealot class? I’m still a Ranger for Celestia’s sake!” He said in shock. “Are you trying to get me expelled. I know you’re the Headmaster now, but rules-” “Since when has that stopped you before?” He said with a smug grin. Crimson tried to find an argument, but found none. “So where is this place?” He asked as he started walking with the man. “It’s a town not far away from Canterlot. Ponyville as I remember it correctly.” He said with a shrug. Crimson’s eyes shrank at the Equestrian Capital. “It’s outside the capital.” “I know.” He said with a sigh. “How do I get there? I doubt riding in on Cliff would be a good idea.” “Right. It’s by train.” The red hair’d man’s eyes shrank at the mention of the mode of transportation. “They don’t have a transport hub set up yet.” He said with a sigh. “I hate trains.” He said in a low grumble. “I know, but it’s the only way to get there.” He said with a sigh. “If you don’t want the mission then-” “I just said it would be a pain. That doesn’t mean I won’t do it.” He said in a flat tone. “I just want to get some stuff before I leave.” He said with a nod. “Very well. The train leaves in an hour.” Crow said before vanishing in a flash of green light. Crimson let out a sigh and made his way out of the garden. He looked ahead to see a shining silver castle with a large tower in the far right corner. The red clothed man entered the grand hall. The hallway was bustling with other people. Some of them were normal while others had wings. Crimson made his way down the hallway, keeping to himself. He pulled his red hood over his head and kept his red eyes staring straight ahead. Several other people would glance at the man and whisper to one another out of respect or fear. “Hey Red Riding hood, kill anyone with your forbidden magic yet?” A man with tan colored wings sprouting from his back yelled down the hallway. “No, but I’m giving it serious consideration if you don’t shut that big trap of yours.” Crimson said as he continued walking down the hall, not even bothering to look back. Crimson made his way down the corridor paying no mind to the watchful eyes that filled the hallway. The man got to a set of spiral stone steps and started to climb them. He made his way past the floors and into a room at the top of the tower.He opened the door to reveal a forty by fifty room with two beds each at the far sides of the room, neatly tucked. Two desks were also in attendance next to a window. As he stepped inside he was suddenly tackled to the ground by a light green object. He opened his eyes and groaned as he heard a familiar laugh. The object was a woman with lime green wings that matched her long hair that went down to the middle of her back. “Got you again Crimy.” The woman teased. Crimson groaned as she got off him and helped him up. The woman was donning a dark brown vest that matched her fingerless gloves and brown boots. The vest also did a good job of covering her dark green T-shirt. Her short shorts were of the same sage like color. Her eyes were a deep sapphire. A pair of light green batons were secured around her belt loop with their dark brown handles sticking out. “Honestly Ivy, do you have to do that every time I walk in?” He asked as he got to his feet. “Let me think.” She said as she put on an innocent face and tapped her lip with her index finger. “Yup.” She said with a smile. “Well, if you don’t mind I need to get packing.” “Ooh, where are we going this time?” She asked in excitement. “We are not going anywhere. I am going to some small town for three months.” He said as he pulled out a duffle bag. Ivy’s face turned from happy to sad. “Three months?” She said in a shocked tone. “Yes, apparently a small town has been having some monster trouble as of late. So they’re stationing me there in case things turn nasty.” He said with a shrug. “UGH! Why do you get all the good missions?” She said as she laid down on her bed. “I have to go clear out a cave of Hobbes.” She said as she stuck her tongue out. “That is a good mission. You get combat experience and a good amount of cash.” He said as he started packing. “Not to mention that you’ll be helping the towns folk. While I’m stuck in some back water town twiddling my thumbs until I go mad from boredom.” He said in a less than enthusiastic tone. “Ugh, you just need to find the charm to small towns.” She said as she raised her hands. “Wait, did you say three months?” “Yup.” He said as he levitated a few books into the bag. “Ugh! Who am I gonna hang out with?” She said in frustration. “Weren’t you seeing that Backlash guy?” Crimson asked in confusion. “Yeah, but things fell through.” She said with a shrug. “What was it this time?” Crimson asked as he cocked an eyebrow. “He didn’t like dating a girl that could kick his ass.” She said with a yawn. “How many bones did you break?” “None.” She said as she adverted her gaze and whistled to herself. “Ivy.” He said as he narrowed his gaze. “Fine.” She said as she rolled her eyes. “Four ribs, two fingers and he has a hair line fracture in his right tibia.” “So it was mutual then?” “You know me so well.” She said with a smile. “Wait, what about the trials?” “I’m sure I’ll be back before then.” He said with a shrug. Crimson finished packing and walked over to his desk and pulled out an old photo of a tall man with black hair and a young woman with dark red hair holding a baby boy with similar hair on his head. He folded up the photo and slipped it into his pocket. “You still carry that around with you?” Ivy asked as she saw the photo. “Why wouldn’t I?” “All I’m saying is to take a chill pill. You know what happens when you get angry.” She said with a sigh. “This coming from the girl that snapped her ex in half after they both agreed to end it.” He said as he cocked an eyebrow. The green haired girl was about to say something, but found no argument. “Touche.” She said with a sigh. “Will you at least send me a post card?” She asked in a hope filled tone. “I promise I’ll write to you. I’ll probably have a whole lot of time on my hands.” He said as he put a hand on her shoulder. The girl then wrapped him in a bone crushing hug. “I’m gonna miss you so much!” She said as a few tears started to well in her eyes. “Ivy...spine...crushing.” He said as he heard a series of cracks. “Sorry!” She said as she let him go. “Well, I’ll see ya later Ivy.” He said as he slung his bag over his shoulder “Good luck and don’t worry, I’ll feed Cliff for ya.” She said with a wave. “Thanks, have fun with the Hobbes.” He said as he waved goodbye to his best friend. The hooded man walked down the spiral staircase and out the massive iron double doors. He walked down towards the edge of the school and towards the train station. As he walked forward he saw a familiar cane wielding man standing at the platform. “Ah there you are.” Crow said with a smile. “I was wondering when you’d show up.” “Sorry, you know how Ivy gets.” “Yeah, I saw Backlash in the infirmary. I’m guessing it was mutual?” “Bingo.” Crimson said with a shrug. The two heard the train whistle blow. “Well, I’d better get going then.” He said with a nod. The older man stuck out his hand for him to shake. Crimson shook the man’s hand only for him to be pulled into a hug. “You’ve grown up ma boy.” He said with a grin. “It fills me with as much sadness as it does pride to see you leave.” “Relax you old buzzard. I still gotta come back for the trials and I’ll keep in touch with letters.” He said with a smile. Crow patted him on the back and let him go. Crimson walked towards the train car and let out a sigh. “Crimson, one last thing.” Crow said as the man turned around. The old man tossed him a bright green amulet on a silver chain. “Just in case you need help.” “Thanks. Always good to have back up I guess.” He said as he slipped the amulet inside his pocket. “Good luck.” Crow said with a wave. Crimson nodded and boarded the train. The red hair’d man took a seat near the caboose and close to a window. He watched as his home grew smaller and smaller until it was lost from his sight. He rested his head against the seat and wondered what awaited him in the small town. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Twilight Sparkle. Studious, knowledgeable and friendly, these words could easily describe the young woman from Canterlot. She had fair skin and stood at five foot eight and had indigo hair with pink stripe running down the right side of her hair. Her light purple blouse matched her eyes. She held a book in one hand against her chest as she made her way back to the library. A teenage boy with spliced green eyes and dark green spikey hair was walking by her side. The child was also carrying a large stack of books that seemed a bit to heavy for his arms. He only looked a few years younger than the studious woman. “Jeez Twilight, how many books do you need?” He asked as he looked up at the girl. “I need as many as I can read Spike. Since the creatures in the Everfree forest have been acting more aggressively, I need to be ready for anything.” She said in a proud tone. “I mean, you saw what that Manticore did to town hall.” The two shuddered at the memory. “Yeah, good thing Fluttershy was around to calm it down.” Spike said with a shiver. “Have any idea why the animals are going nuts?” “No, but I wrote to the Princess about it.” She said with a smile. Spike put the books down and let out a sigh. The young boy felt a knot formed in the pit of his stomach and belched a green flame. The flame turned into a small scroll and fell into his hands. “Looks like it’s from Celestia.” Spike said as he handed her the letter. Twilight unrolled it and read the parchment. “Spike get the girls and have them meet me at the library.” “For what?” “You’ll see.” She said as her hands glowed a light purple color, she moved one finger over the books and the large stack soon vanished in a purple flash. “Why didn’t we just do that in the first place?” Spike asked as he looked at the woman. Twilight felt a blush of embarrassment creep across her face. “I’m going to go and find Rainbow Dash.” She said as she vanished in a flash of purple light. Spike groaned and started making his way towards a nearby dress shop. Twilight walked through town at a fast rate with her eyes scanning the skies on hopes of finding her winged friend. Where could she be? She thought to herself as she continued to look for her. As she neared the center of town the young scholar saw a familiar girl donning a brown Stetson hat with matching boots and brown vest that covered her orange plaid shirt that was tied off just above her belly button. The farmer was also donning a pair of blue jeans that cut off just above her ankles. She walked up to the farmer with a smile on her face. “Howdy Twi.” The farmer said in a southern accent. “Need anything?” “Hey Applejack.” She said with a smile. “The Princess just sent me a return letter about the little animal problem we’ve been having.” She said with a sigh. “I need you all to get to the library ASAP.” “Can do. Let me just bring this cart back to the farm before I leave.” The farmer said with a smile. “Thanks and if you see Dash or Fluttershy then tell them the same thing.” Applejack nodded and made her way back to her farm with her apple cart in tow. Twilight continued her search for her friends. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The red hair’d child sat across from the cane wielding man with a smile on his face. Crimson looked out the window and saw several trees and towns pass by. His red eyes focused on the coming storm that was brewing. The man’s eyes were focused on the book in his hand. Once in a while his eyes would glance up towards the boy for a few seconds returning to his literature. “So what do you teach at the Academy again?” Crimson asked as he tried to make conversation. “I mostly focus on offensive and defensive tactics.” He said as he looked up from his book. “Most of them are Ranger and Zealot class.” “Ranger and Zealot?” The boy asked. “Oh right, you don’t know.” He said as he put his book away. “In the Academy the students are broken up into different classes. Pending on their skill level.” He said with a sigh. “Ranger and Zealot are two higher classes of the four.” “The four?” “Yes, the classes go from Scavenger, Hunter, Ranger and finally Zealot.” He said in a flat tone. “To move up in the rankings you must not only complete all of your training in the Academy, but you must also complete a set of trials before advancing to the next rank.” “Trials?” Crimson asked as he cocked an eyebrow. “Yes, the trials test you in everything you’ve learned.” “What happens in the trials?” “I can’t really say.” He said as he adjusted his glasses. “They are different for each individual and-” He was cut off as he heard a series of magical blasts. “What was that?” Crimson asked as Crow made a ‘shhh’ gesture with his hands. The two gulped as the lights in the entire car went out. Crow got to his feet and pulled the metal raven head of his cane to reveal a slim piece of metal protruding from the handle. “Crimson, crawl under the seat and stay there until I get back.” He said in a serious tone. “Why? What’s going on?” “DON’T ARGUE WITH ME!” Crow yelled as he stared back at the boy. Crimson gulped and quickly scrambled under the seat. “Now stay there and wait until I return okay?” “G-got it.” Crimson said with a gulp. The green eyed man hastily made his way out of the train carriage. Crimson kept still as he heard the sounds of magical discharges and steel clashing. The boy gulped and slowly got to his feet. He poked his head out the doorway and saw that the hall was deserted. Crimson heard a crash and spun around to see a tall man dressed in black. A mask was placed upon his face. “There you are.” He said in a malice filled tone. Crimson’s neck hairs stood on end as he ran out of the carriage and down the hallway. Crimson ran through the hallway. The assassin waved his hand and a light blue bolt of magic came from his hand. The salvo hit the seat next to the child as he ran. As Crimson exited the car the storm was in full swing. Rain beat down on his body like frozen knives. The wind was whipping as his exposed face. He quickly made his way into the next car and hid behind a seat. Crimson gulped as he heard the door open and footsteps echoing on the hard wood floor. He covered his mouth with his hands and tried to calm his fast beating heart. “Come out kid.” The man said as he un sheathed a knife and scraped it against a metal seat. “This’ll only hurt for a second. I promise.” The man said with a wicked laugh. Crimson gulped and held his knees against his chest. “You’ve got something that is of great value to a lot of people. So just come out and make it easy for-” He was cut off as a blast of green magical energy struck the attacker’s back and sent him crashing to the ground. “Crimson run!” The boy looked over to see Crow with his sword drawn. The child nodded and ran towards the caboose. The green eye’d man raised his hand and a flock of crows flew out from his sleeve. The black birds started pecking at the assassin. After his right eye, left ear and several patches of skin Crow called off the birds and lifted his blade to the dark man’s throat. “Alright shit for brains, tell me what I want to know or I’ll tell my pet to to peel your dick like a banana. Got it?” He said as he knelt down and a black crow landed on his shoulder. The assassin couched up some blood and groaned. He felt the steel blade touching his neck. The assassin chuckled and burst out in laughter. “Something funny?” He asked as he bore holed through him with his emerald colored eyes. “The fact that you think that you intimidate me.” He said with a laugh. “You know what he is and there will be others.” The assassin then grabbed the end of Crow’s cane sword and shoved it into his neck. Crow quickly pulled his blade out from the man’s neck. He let out a sigh and saw a large shadow racing towards the end of the train. “Crimson!” He yelled as he ran after the shadow. Crimson ran into the caboose and took a moment to catch his breath. Crimson sat down in the corner of the car and tried to regulate his breathing. “Need a glass of water?” Crimson gulped and felt his heart beat jump to new heights. He slowly raised his head to see a tall man with dirty blonde hair and bright blue eyes staring down at him. The man had a long scar reaching down from his scalp to his chin. He wore an outfit similar to the man that had attacked him earlier. Crimson tried to get up but was met with a swift kick to his stomach by the man. The boy groaned in pain and coughed up a mouthful of blood. Crimson tried to stand but he felt a strong palm grab his throat. The man lifted him up with one hand and started to squeeze on Crimson’s small neck. “Wh-Why?” The boy managed to call out. “Simple, you’ve got something valuable and my employers want it.” He said as he slammed the boy against the wall causing the wood to crack and splinter. “I-I don’t have anything!” Crimson said as tears started to form in his eyes. The assassin cocked an eyebrow and saw no deceit in his eyes. “They didn’t tell you did they?” He said with a smirk. Crimson looked at him in confusion and fear. “Oh well.” He said as he tossed Crimson into the opposite wall. The boy’s body was crying out in pain as he coughed up more blood. The man snapped his fingers and a long dagger materialized in the palm of his hand. “End of the line freak.” He said as he twirled the weapon between his fingers. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The red hair’s man woke up in a cold sweat and felt sick. He looked out the window and saw that it was the late afternoon. “Next stop; Trottingham.” The conductor said over the loud speaker. Crimson got to his feet and walked over to the restroom. He quickly closed the door and splashed water in his face. He looked in the reflection and started to pant. Crimson dried his face off on the towel that was hanging and scoffed at the reflection. The dark hooded man sat back down in his seat and gazed out the window once more. A young woman pushing a concession cart. She was donning a light brown vest and matching skirt. The cart stopped next to the man as the woman smiled. “Need anything sir?” “Um yeah, just some tea if that’s possible.” He said with a smile. “Sure, I’ll have that for you in a sec okay?” Crimson nodded and the woman walked back with the cart in tow. Crimson leaned back and closed his eyes. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Twilight walked into the library with a girl wearing a yellow sundress and flowing pink hair following close behind. The girl’s yellow sundress matched her yellow wings. As they entered the room the two saw Applejack. Along with an athletic girl, donning a cyan tank top with flowing rainbow hair and cyan wings sprouting from her back. Another had very fair skin and purple hair that matched her skirt. The woman was also wearing a sleeveless white blouse with frills on the edges. Sitting next to the farmer was a girl with pink puffy hair that complemented her dark pink pants and light pink T shirt. The friends talked amongst them selves until Twilight cleared her throat and stopped in front of the group. “So what did you want to tell us Twi?” The farmer asked. “Okay, I’m sure you all know about the recent animal disturbances that have been occurring.” She said as she sat down. “Yeah, that Manticore seemed pretty angry.” The sports girl said. “Exactly, so I wrote to the Princess about it and she’s sending someone to help us out.” “Who? A guards man?” The purple hair’d girl asked. “No, someone from the Academy.” “You’re joking!” Rarity said in shock. “Nope, Celestia sent me the letter this morning.” She said as she levitated the parchment over to the group. The five girls loomed over the parchment and read it to themselves. Dear Twilight, I’m terribly sorry to hear about your most recent encounter with the manticore. Unfortunately, my guards are stretched thin as it is. I will contact the Headmaster from the Academy and I will have him send one of his best to aid you and the town. Send me a reply when they arrive. I know not who or how many he will send. Princess Celestia. The group of friends all looked at one another in confusion. “Oh I hear that the students at the Academy are some of the strongest warriors there are.” Rarity said with a giggle. “Okay who and what is the Academy?” Dash said as she raised her hands. “You don’t know what the Academy is?” Twilight said in shock. “Ah don’t know who these people are either.” AJ said with a shrug. “Me either.” Pinkie said as she looked at her friends. “Um...I don’t know either.” Fluttershy said as she hid behind her long pink hair. Twilight and Rarity looked at one another in shock. “Hey don’t blame us that we don’t know some fancy mage stuff. You two are the magic experts out of all of us.” Dash said in a defensive tone. “It’s not just mages Dash, some of the best flyers have come out of the Academy as well.” Twilight said in a flat tone. “The first Captain of the Wonderbolts was a graduate from there.” Dash’s jaw dropped at the words. “No way!” “Yes way. My brother told me that to become an officer in the guard you have to go there for special training.” “So these guys are some type of special guard?” Pinkie asked. “No, they aren’t connected with the guard. From what I’ve read they act as an independent force and get jobs from all over Equestria.” “Oh so it’s like a school and a guild combined?” Pinkie asked. “Exactly.” Twilight said with a smile. “Well, we’d better give them one hell of a welcome party then.” Applejack said. “When are they coming?” “I’ll write to the Princess and see if she can tell me anything about them.” “C’mon everybody! We’ve got a party to plan!” Pinkie said as she raced out the door. The other four girls. Twilight stayed behind and started scribbling words on a piece of paper. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The door to the caboose burst open revealing the green eyed man. He quickly scanned the room and his eyes shrank at the sight. The floor was covered in blood and the body of the blonde man was on the ground. There was a large slash mark across his chest. The wound seemed to reach all the way to the spinal column and the edges of the wound looked like they were burned. Crow heard sobbing coming from the end of the car. He hurried over and saw Crimson sitting in the corner shaking in fear. Blood was splattered across his face, so much that the only part of his fair skin were the tear trails running from his eyes. Crow knelt down beside him and put his dark coat around him. “Wh-what am I?” Crimson said through the tears. “Your tea.” “What?” “Your tea sir.” The dream collapsed and the red hair’d man woke up to see the woman from before holding a hot cup of tea. “Are you okay sir?” She asked as she tilted her head. “I’m fine.” He said as he took the tea from her. “Thank you.” He said as he took a sip. “How long until we reach Ponyville?” “Ponyville? That won’t be coming up for another two hours.” She said with a smile. Crimson groaned and sipped his tea. “Well, what’s the next stop?” “Trottingham. We’ll be there within five minutes.” She said as she cocked an eyebrow. “How far away is that from Ponyville?” “Ten miles.” She Said with a smile. “Thank you.” He said with a smile. The woman walked back down the hall. Crimson groaned and weighed his options as the train pulled to a stop. Crimson quickly got to his feet and exited the train station. He cracked his neck and walked over to the information booth. A man wearing a similar uniform as the conductor and the Stewardess. “Um excuse me.” “Yes, how can I help you?” He asked with a smile. “What’s the fastest route to Ponyville?” He asked in a flat tone. “That would be the-” “Beside’s the train.” “Oh, well you could take the main road, but that would take you about six hours.” Crimson groaned and thanked the man with a wave. He looked ahead to see the sun setting. He let out a breath and let the cold air bite at his neck. “Better get started then.” He said as he started to make his way down the long winding road.
Chapter XVI: Reporters and AssassinsChapter XVI Reporters and Assassins The next day started out slow with Crimson waking up, doing a series of basic exercises. After he donned his familiar red coat and walked downstairs he saw Cobalt sitting with a cup of coffee and the was back to his normal body. “Morning Cobalt.” “Ugh.” He said as he looked at the red haired warrior. Rouge then came down wearing a purple robe. “Morning honey.” She teased. “I will never look at a banana the same way again.” Cobalt said with a shiver. “Ew.” Ivy said with a disgusted look on her face. The four sat down and continued their breakfast before heading out into the small town. The four then saw Rainbow Dash grumbling next to Rarity. The two girls were wearing stunning dresses much to the flyer’s discomfort. “Seriously Rarity, why do I have to get dressed up? I look awesome no matter what I wear.” “It’s common courtesy Rainbow Dash. Reporters are coming all the way out here for us. The least we can do is look nice for them.” The two then saw the four warriors walking towards them. “Oh hello.” “Morning Rarity.” Ivy said. “What’s with the dress?” “Reporters are coming from Canterlot to do a piece on the Elements of Harmony so one must be presentable.” She said with a smile. “Unfortunately.” Dash said as she groaned. The four then saw the other members of the group. Crimson blushed as he saw the librarian wearing a slim fitting lavender dress. Her hair was done up and her eyelashes were curled. The group then noticed several guys in the street gawking at them, a few even whistled. “You guys certainly draw a crowd.” Rouge said. Twilight let out a massive yawn and rubbed her eyes. “You okay Twilight?” “Yeah, I’m just really tired for some reason. Probably because of that crazy dream I had.” She said with a shrug. “What dream?” Crimson asked with a gulp. “That I was running around after someone in a skimpy outfit.” She said as the man gulped. “Crazy, right?” The group grinned as Crimson mouthed ‘keep your mouth shut.’ “Yup, totally crazy.” Crimson said as he whistled. “Well, we’d better not keep you. I’ve got to go practice.” He said before vanishing in a flash of red light. “What’s with Crimson? He seemed....off.” Twilight said. “No idea.” Dash said as she adverted her eyes. “C’mon we’d better get going.” She said as she took flight and rocketed down the street with the other girls right behind her. The four warriors nodded and continued down the path. The group of girls entered Sugar Cube Corner and took a seat. Within ten minutes the pastry shop was swarmed by reporters and photographers. While Rarity, Dash and Pinkie were soaking up the attention Twilight and Applejack were trying to keep Fluttershy calm and collected. “Ms. Sparkle!” One of the reporters called out. Twilight turned and smiled at the reporter. “You’re Princess Celestia’s personal protegee are you not?” “That’s correct.” “What is your favorite thing to study?” “I love learning new spells and studying the magic of friendship.” She said with a smile. In the middle of the chaos of questions the door burst open to reveal a photographer. “Horsemen sighting!” He yelled. The room suddenly became dead quiet. “How many?” One of the reporters yelled. “All four! Near the park!” Every one with a camera and a note pad packed up their things and ran out the door. The six girls looked at one another in confusion. “What just happened?” Dash asked. “Looks like they found something better.” Fluttershy said with a sigh of relief. Rarity frowned and stood up. “Where are you going?” “To find out what’s so special about these so called 'Horsemen.'" Rarity said making quotation marks with her fingers. "They were eating out of the palm of our hands and suddenly they go and leave?” She yelled. “Not on my watch!” “Yeah! I mean what could be more awesome than talking to us?” Dash said as she flew out the door with the girls following close behind. A white cloaked figure stood up and quietly followed the group. The group saw the crowd of reporters on the edge of the park with four irritated warriors in the center of the huddled mass. “Ugh, I hate this.” Crimson said with a groan. “I guess we should humor them.” Ivy said with a shrug. “Fine.” The red haired man said with a groan. “Crimson Storm!” One of the reporters called out. “How do you keep your team in shape?” “We each have our own ways of staying fit.” He said with a sigh. “I personally devote at least three hours a day for training.” The group of reporters nodded and scribbled the information down on their note pads. “Ms. Evergreen. Why do people call you the ‘Jade Dragon’?” One person asked. Ivy smirked and cracked her neck. “Step back boys. Things are gonna get hot.” The group all took a step back and watched. Ivy focused and the group saw a light green aura come from her body. The woman took a deep breath and focused on a tree that was fifty feet in front of her. The woman’s cheeks filled with air and she exhaled. A massive green fireball reduced the tree to ash. The reporters were going gaga over the display of fire. The six girls’ eyes twitched at the sight. Rarity tapped one of the reporters on the shoulder and smiled. “Excuse me sir, but what is so special about those four?” “Jeez lady, you live under a rock or something?” Rarity frowned at the man. “Those four are in the top five teams on the leader board.” “Leader board?” Dash said. The man face palmed. “Jeez, you guys really don’t know do you?” He said as he pulled out a card. The girls then saw a list with several team names on it. “Every team in the Academy is ranked on the jobs they’ve done and score they get.” The girls read the list and saw the word Horsemen in the number three spot. “Score?” Dash asked. “They get scored on how well they do their job and how quickly they do it. I’ve got all their stats.” “Mind if we see it?” Rarity said with a smile. The man reached into his pocket and pulled out another card that showed the pictures of the four warriors. Crimson was first in the line up, next was Ivy, after her was Rouge and finally Cobalt. Twilight pressed on the blue flyer’s picture and a few status bars next to her picture. Name: Cobalt Striker. Rank: Sargent. Codename: Iron Knight. Age: 24 Height: 5’8” Fighting Styles: Jujutsu, air combat and swordsmanship. Magic typer: Lightning and Metal. Weapon: Broad sword and shield. Battle points: 5,889 The girls then selected Rouge’s picture. Name: Rouge Nightshade. Rank: 2nd Lieutenant Codename: Spider Queen Age: 22 Height: 5’6” Fighting Styles: Gentle plam, Archery and Strategy. Magic type: Insect Weapon: Bow and arrow/crossbow/daggers. Battle Points: 6,994 The group looked at one another and selected Ivy’s profile. Name: Ivy Evergreen. Rank: 1st Lieutenant Codename: Jade Dragon. Age: 23 Height: 5’7” Fighting Styles: Kick boxing and air combat. Magic type: Fire and wind. Weapon: Whip/staff/batons. Battle points: 8,756 The girls gulped and selected Crimson’s picture. Name: Crimson Storm. Rank: Captain. Codename: Shadow of Death Age: 23 Height: 5’7” Fighting Styles: Jeet Kun Do. Magic type: Unknown Weapon: Scythe/katana blade/projectiles. Battle points: 10,137 The girls were baffled at the difference between the warriors. “Why is Crimson’s score higher than the others’?” Fluttershy asked. “Yeah it’s over 9,000!” Dash yelled. “No idea. That guy is a workaholic and single handedly took down an ice giant in the Crystal Empire a few months ago.” The girls’ jaws dropped. “Now if you ladies will excuse me, I have some pictures to take.” He said before walking towards the front of the crowd. The six girls watched closely as a white hooded figure silently moved through the crowd. Twilight then felt as though someone had encased her in ice. The white figure discretely moved through the crowd and towards the group of warriors. Twilight’s eyes shrank as she saw a massive icicle sword stick out from the bottom of her cloak. The hooded figure raced forwards with the ice shard firmly gripped in it’s hand and eyes set on the red mage. The figure jumped off one of the reporter’s shoulders and gripped the icicle with both hands above it’s head. As the figure came down Crimson caught the icicle and threw the assassin to the ground. THe red haired mage then summoned his blade and pointed it at the assassin. “You’re too hasty.” He said as the crowd gasped at the spectacle. “Remember, wait for the opportune moment.” “Awwe! I thought I had you this time.” The figure said in a female voice. Crimson grinned and helped her up. The woman’s hood fell back revealing her flowing white hair and bright blue eyes. “What are you doing here Angel?” He asked as he crossed his arms. “Hey! I come all they way out here to visit my bro and that’s the hello I get?” She asked as she pouted. “Oh alright.” He said as he hugged the girl. Several photographers took several pictures of the two. “Oh bugger off.” Crimson said in a flat tone. “So Angel, why are you here?” “Can we talk in private?” Crimson nodded and put a hand on her shoulder. The two then vanished in a flash of red light. “Okay folks, that’s enough for now. We have work to do.” Ivy said as she took flight and rocketed towards the clock tower with the two mages in hot pursuit. The crowd dispersed and let out a disappointed sigh. The six girls looked at one another and followed the two mages back towards the clock tower. Crimson and the white haired girl were sitting across from one another. “Ivy.” The white haired woman spat out. “Angel.” The green flyer retorted. “Let’s not start this again.” Crimson said as he face palmed. “So Angel, why are you here?” “I need your help.” “With?” The woman reached inside her cloak and pulled out a stack of photo’s. “My guild assigned me to look into some odd sightings.” “What odd sightings?” “Dead people walking around.” The four gulped and looked at one another. “Trottingham is have trouble with a necromancer.” Crimson clenched his hands into fists and grunted. Angel’s eyes shrank and she shot a bolt of magic out the window. The four mages then heard six familiar voices scream. Crimson and his team looked out to see the six girls trapped in ice. Angel walked up to them and frowned. “Who are you?” “Angel relax, they’re friends.” Crimson said as Ivy placed her hand on the ice and it started to melt. Soon the six girls were free from the ice prison and shivered. “W-what was th-that for?” Dash said as she shivered. “Why were you listening in on our conversation?” The ice mage spat out. Crimson groaned and stepped between the two. “Ladies, this is Angel Frost, an ice mage I met a few years back who was taking refuge just outside of the Crystal Empire.” The girls all looked at her in shock. “But that place is surrounded by ice. No one can survive out there for an extended period of time.” Twilight said. “You can if you have help.” She said with a sigh. Her breath cooled the air around them. “That still makes no sense!” Twilight yelled. “Calm down Twilight.” Angel perked up at the name. “Is your name Twilight Sparkle?” “Yeah, why?” The girl suddenly clapped her hands together and smiled. “Cadence talks about you all the time! Nice to finally meet you.” He said as she shook her hand. “You know Princess Cadence?” “Yup, I stay at the castle with her when I’m not working.” “She never mentioned that to me!” Twilight said with a groan. “Yeah, I’m sort of a secret.” She said as the group walked inside. “So how do ya know Crimson?” The farmer asked. The ice mage looked at Crimson who sighed. “Angel is a Conduit like me.” The group of girls gulped and looked at the mage. “Now about this necromancer.” “Necromancer?” Dash said. “Someone who can bring the dead back to life.” “That is so cool!” Dash said. “No, no it’s not!” Crimson yelled. “Forcing a corps to fight? It’s sick and wrong.” Dash shut her mouth. “So what do you know?” “Someone has been sealing souls of the departed inside golems and going on robbing sprees.” Angel clarified. “Due to my...talents, I was asked to look into it. My skills in this field are mediocre compared to Crimson’s so here I am.” “Where was the last place to get hit?” Ivy asked. “Manehattan and who ever it is, they’re good.” “What’s their M.O?” Crimson asked. “They rob the grave, only takes a small skin sample, soul traps them inside a golem and backfills the grave, leaving no trace they was ever there. The soil even has grass on it by the time I got there.” Angel said with a sigh. Crimson bit his lip and let out a sigh. “Look like I'm going hunting.” “But Crow said-” “I’m letting him know and if he doesn’t like it then too bad.” He said as he pulled out the green crystal and ran his magic through it. An image of the cane wielding man showed. “Crow, we’ve got a problem.” “You must be a mind reader. I just got this job and-” “A necromancer?” “How did you know?” “Angel is here and she needs my help.” “Ah, that explains it.” The man then looked towards the white haired woman. “Hello Angel.” “Hello sir.” She said with a nod. Crow then turned his attention back to the red haired man. “Find out what’s going on and end this monster.” He said in a firm tone. “Consider it done.” Crimson said as the image flickered and faded. “Okay you heard the man, let’s get going.” Crimson turned to the ice mage and nodded. “Have any idea’s where this guy may have run off to?” “I found a compound of dirt at the last scene.” She said as she summoned a file. “I managed to trace it to Trottingham. That’s where we should look first.” “Sounds good to me.” Crimson said as he grabbed a duffel bag and started packing. The scholar felt a small wave of sadness wash over her. “So, you’re leaving?” She asked. “Yup.” He said as he continued to pack. “Will you come back?” “Don’t know. If I don’t get a message that tells me that it’s time for the trials then I will.” Twilight felt a small glimmer of hope. “The very least I’ll come back here and collect my stuff.” He said in a flat tone. “When will you come back?” Dash asked. “Don’t know, depends how things go. Could be a week could be a month.” He said with a shrug. “You guys will be okay here without me?” He asked as he looked at his team. “Yup.” Ivy said with a smile. “Okay, so how are we getting there then?” Crimson asked. “Train.” “Buck.” Crimson groaned. “Oh suck it up.” “I think I’ll walk. It only took me a day to get from Trottingham to Ponyville.” “We don’t have any time to waste.” Angel stated. “This is the closest thing I have to a lead and I’m not letting it slip through my fingers.” “Well, if you’re that desperate than we could always warp.” The group all cringed. “Are you crazy?” “Hey you want to get there ASAP right?” Crimson said. The ice mage bit her lip and let out a sigh. “Fine, I’ll draw the circle, but if my hair gets messed up then I’m taking it out on you.” Angel said as she pulled out some white chalk. “Might be an improvement.” Ivy said under her breath. “Wait what about your mission defending Ponyville?” Rarity asked. “I’m certain Ivy, Rouge and Cobalt can handle it.” Crimson said as Angel finished drawing the spell circle. “What is that?” Fluttershy asked. “Think of it as a teleportation spell used for long distances.” Ivy said. The two conduits stepped in the center and the circle started to glow. “See you guys when I get back.” Crimson said before he and the white mage vanished in a flash of light. Twilight hung her head and let out a sigh of disappointment. “Relax Twilight.” Ivy said. “Crimson is a professional when it comes to these sort of things.” “I just hope he comes back.” “You really do like him don’t you?” Rouge said. The scholar nodded her head. “Well, then this will give you plenty of time to work out your strategy when he comes back.” She said with a smile. “Strategy?” “You’re plan to woo him. I mean I can tell he likes you.” Rouge said with a smile. “How can you tell?” “I’m a sensor type and I’m excellent when it comes to reading people’s emotions.” Rouge chimed. “To the untrained eye, Crimson has as much personality as a rock, but for someone who’s known him for most of his life I can pick out when it shows.” The woman grinned. “When he saw you today he may as well have had his tongue hanging out.” Twilight blushed brightly at the words. “S-so he likes me?” Twilight said. “Yup, never thought I’d see the day.” Cobalt said. Rouge and Ivy both slapped him upside the head. “Ow!” “Just shut up.” Rouge said. Twilight sat down and her face was scarlet red. “W-what do I do?” She asked in a panic filled tone. “I’ve never been in a relationship before. I have no idea what to do! I’ll probably screw something up and-” She was cut off as Rainbow slapped her across the face. The girls all gasped. “Thanks Rainbow. I needed that.” “Anytime. You need to chill Twi.” The flyer said. “But-” “We’ll help you out.” Rarity said with a smile. “Thanks girls.” The scholar let out a hope filled breath and calmed her nerves.
