Fallen Crown, Rising Sword

When Twilight and Infinity walked through the door of the library, they were met with a sight they didn't expect to see. Their eyes went wide and jaws dropped upon what they saw. The entire main library was a total disaster. Books and papers strewn everywhere, on tables, on chairs, even covering the floor. Someone was here, and Infinity might have an idea of who. First, he had to make sure that Spike was still around, if he was smart, he would've found a place to hide.

He looked over to Twilight, his face contorted to one of determination as hers was still one of shock. She looked towards him and the silent connection was made. Both nodded to the other and quickly began searching for the one presence that may still be here. With that task clear as day: find Spike.

Twilight took to searching the kitchen and loft, looking in every nook and cranny Spike could fit in. her search ranged from inside cabinets and under furniture. Infinity took to searching the basement and library. The door to the basement was ripped clearly off its hinges and claw marks in the surrounding area. Infinity had a plausible theory that there might have been a struggle between a defender and an attacker. He looked under the front desk of the library before he stood in front of the basement.

"Any signs of him?" Twilight asked coming back downstairs, see him standing in front of the basement.

"If we're lucky, he could be down there." Infinity didn't look away from the doorway.

The stairwell was completely dark, shadows stretching from all corners. A shiver ran up Twilight's spine quickly, shaking her entire body. Something definitely was off down there, Infinity could tell that much, but he had hope that her longest companion was down there. Somewhere. In all that darkness.

"Twilie," Infinity finally spoke up, his tone rather unnerving to her, "mind fetching me a candle?"

Twilight didn't say anything as she walked off. Coming back only moments later with a lit candle. Infinity didn't take it when offered though. Instead she watched him hover his hand over the flame and watched it disappear into his hand. She watched as his hand glowed orange then disappear into his sleeve. Not even a moment later, it quickly popped out of his shoulder. It appeared bigger, brighter, and even help the same flaming properties. Only it just levitated over his shoulder.

Infinity quietly and steadily made his decent down the stairs. His way being lit by the floating conjuration of flame that resided above his shoulder. The room seemed extremely and unusually dark, a definite sign that something was here at some point in time. Yet, it could be fixed simply with the shard, but he left that in his other pants.

Infinity's hooves were finally met with the floor of the basement, his light just barely reaching even the closest table. For some unknown reason, Infinity started rolling up his sleeves past his elbows, then moved his hooves slowly across the wood floor towards the first desk. Kneeling down and peering under it resulted with no one under it. Standing back up, Infinity made his way towards another of the desks. Before he could kneel down though, his peripheral picked up a slight purple and light green over in the corner. Slowly, Infinity approached the hunched over figure.

Steadily placing his hand on the figure resulted in a quick string of actions. Spike jumped at Infinity, screeching and scratching. Only causing small scratches on Infinity's arm, the pegasus' reaction was a simple: tapping Spike's forehead with the side of his fist knocked the dragon unconscious. An image was burned into Infinity's mind though, one he may never forget.

Twilight had no idea what to think when she saw Infinity return from the basement with Spike over his shoulder. Just as quickly as the flame was made, it dispersed into the air. Thinking nothing of it, she walked over and started looking the dragon over, then looking Infinity over.

"Is Spike okay?" Twilight asked as she finished looking over both of them.

"He'll be fine, I think he was just spooked was all." Infinity replied as he head up the stairs with Spike.

Something in atmosphere changed as Twilight followed Infinity. She observed as he placed Spike in one of the lounge chairs, then sitting in one himself. His posture was anything but as he leaned over with his elbows on his knees and his muzzle  hidden behind a pair of clenched together hands. Twilight walked over her hand on his shoulder to find it tense. More tense than normal. She jumped a bit as the wood in the fire place burst into flames. She found Infinity's gaze unmoving from the flickering fire. Twilight looked over to Spike and made way over and knelt down in front of the sleeping dragon.

"I think something else happened down there.." Twilight stated as she continued to look at her unconscious friend. "..I heard screeching that didn't sound like him."

Infinity sat for a moment, then changed his posture so that he was sitting back in the chair. "He went feral. Jumped when I touched him and thought I was an attacker. Had to knock him out."

"He didn't hurt you, or you didn't hurt him?" Twilight asked, looking over to him.

"I didn't hurt him, he barely scratched me."

The tone unnerved Twilight, something shifted in him seeing Spike like this. It made her wonder how he'd be if something happened to her; Like spike, or maybe worse. Infinity then swiftly rose from his seat and walked out of the room in a march. She was quick to follow as she watched him change out of his uniform, back into those knee-high tights, but he also slipped on something that was different. It fir on his torso, but nothing covered his arms. There were two shoulder-mounted pieces of metal attached to each of the arm slips.

"Twilight, get your friends together and hold down the library. It's time for me to end this.."

Twilight nodded as she gulped. Quickly leaving the room.

Infinity lingered about upstairs while the six friends just entered the library below. The mares were all looking at each other in a rather confused manner. As to why Twilight all needed them to stay at the library. Infinity was nearly silent coming down the stairs. They watched as he made way to the center of the room, a weapon attached to the back of his belt and just above his tail. His eyes locked on to Twilight and she just looked at him. Worried about what he was about to do.

"Under no circumstances does anyone leave this library unless a signal is given." Infinity commanded as he looked about the room at the other five confused mares.

"What signal should we look for?" Fluttershy quietly asked.

"You'll know when you see it." Were his finals words before he disappeared beyond the front door of the library.

The room fell to silence as they all just looked at the door.

"What was he wearing? That color with those tights?" Rarity commented as she looked back around with a ghastly expression.

"It's traditional guard armor where he's from." Twilight interjected the quick save.

"Looks like they need a bit of fashion sense." Rarity huffed a bit.

Infinity landed in front of the Everfree Forest. Looking beyond the treeline he could see a giant spire of smoke leading up to the dark clouds that remained on the edge of the forest.  With a deep breath and a look of determination, he quietly stepped into the dark woodland, and just kept walking past dozens of trees, flowers, and critters of the land. Infinity made his mission clear, stop this second Lord before he could cause any more damage. He soon vanished into the forest, now out of sight. His hooves gradually changing back into paws, his tail resembling more that of his original wolf body. Becoming as white as the rest of his body as it changed back. His muzzle lengthened a bit and  nose became a textured dark piece on his face. His eyes reduced in size with his ears and hair.

Spike abruptly awoke with a large gasp and looked around the room. Swiftly jumping out of the chair and dashing downstairs with a quick burst of speed and stopped in front of the group of girls. The six just looked at the dragon, whose face showed a great amount of worry. With a short silence, Spike produced one question.

"Where's Infinity?"

Infinity stepped out of the forest to a clearing. He observed the source of the dark clouds: a swirling pillar of dark smoke leading from the grass up to the sky. His eyes sharpened a bit as he inhaled deeply. Locking his eyes onto the pillar of twirling dark smoke and pulled Edge out, away from the katana's sheathe.

"FEAR!" Infinity roared across the plain, disturbing some of the wildlife.

The shadowy sky overhead seemed to grow a bit darker as the swirling pillar came to a halt. As if on queue; deep ominous laughter erupted into the air. The heaven-reaching object detaching itself from the sky and shrinking to just below the tree line.  The low chuckling stopped as a brightly lit, yellow eyes and jagged mouth appeared.

"Ah, Infinity" The pillar bellowed in a calm, deep voice. "You've hidden yourself wee this time. Going on trips around the realms. Leaving this one wide open for us Lords to just take with pleasure."

Infinity just glared as he took a step forward. Slowly approaching and readying his body into a sort of stance. His legs were well placed from each other, his knees bent at a small angle, and both hands on his weapon that was kept eye-level. Anticipation thick with his statuesque posture of that being a warrior.

"Not even a simple 'hello?' My... have you grown since last we met." The face smiled before opening up again. "Tell me, where all did you go my old foe?"

"I've been all over the realms, even went back to my home." Infinity kept his pose.

"Come then, Infinity, let's settle this in a manner that your more familiar with..." Fear smiled at him and made an electric guitar appear in front of the bipedal wolf. "..with a rock-off."

As Infinity knelt down and wrapped his fingers around the end of the guitar. A stage started rising up out of the ground, right under him and lifting him up. A group of seven came to a halt, six mares, one dragon gazed upon the sight before them as they watched a stage stop some meters off the ground. Twilight and Spike knew the creature up on the stage, the other five didn't really connect the dots.

With a smirk, Infinity opened with six strings starting at four, two ,two. He continued before more music inexplicitly picked up along with vocals. Gradually Infinity starting to bob and move with the music as he continued, breaking into solos as drums beat and vocals shifted in and out of existence. Attacks of all kinds shot out from the guitar, ranging from air to liquid to flames, at the giant pillar of smoke. These attacks caused minimal damage.

That is until everything fell silent. Except for him playing three strings in a quick succession. All lighting mysteriously fell dim as he played. Then lit up again as other instruments kicked in and flashes forming around the pillar of dark smoke. The wide range of barrages continued as the members of the group sat there with mouths agape, except for Pinkie who was head banging to the whole ordeal.

The assaults continued on in a more rapid pace as the song really picked up, and stopped at the drop. Infinity was panting as his tail wagged at the result, one of his favorite songs that got him pumped even for its subtlety. The pillar faultered a bit to his pleasing, a smile adorned on his face. His attention was drawn to the group when Pinkie started cheering him on.

"WOOOOOOO! ENCORE!" She cheered as she jumped up and down with excitement.

"He's better than when I last heard him.." The group looked over to a pony taller than even Celestia herself only the slightest, the figure being near skeletal in appearance with a sunken face to boot.

Soon, another song kicked in. This one wasn't being played by the mystery guitar creature, but rather somewhere else that cause Pinkie to freeze as it started out elegant until breaking into guitars and drums. This piece was heavier than what the creature played, and he knew it.

Infinity started to feel a pain in his chest as the music continued on from Fear. It soon grew too great to where he fell to his knees. Painfully slow, his body started changing against his will back to a Pegasus. The five girls gasped and cringed at the painful, but watched as the identity of the player was revealed to them. Infinity kept screaming in pain as his body kept forcefully changing.

"Let's switch it up shall we!" Fear sadistically bellowed as he forced the Crosser's body to change more and more.

The vest started to grow, or rather, its wearer became smaller. He stepped out still cringing in pain as his body was being morphed. Infinity was now a typical four hoofed Pegasus pony. Twilight brought a hand to her mouth as she watched the spectacle.

"This.." Infinity groaned out as he reared up onto his hind legs. "...enDS..." Aloud clash and lightning struck him as his forehooves hit the stage and caused to collapse. "..NOW!" He roared, his body back to normal and charged with lightning and cutting off the song.

His fists clenched out in front of him as the electricity surged to them. His fang bared as a death glare was aimed at his foe. He started to take steps, even his feet drawing the static bolts from the ground. Fear just looked with a smug, jagged grin. Infinity was mere centimeters away, not even looking into the face and more towards the pillar.

"Uh oh.... Infinity forgot the most important and essential rule to crosser magic..." The figure spoke silently.

Twilight just looked at the figure. "What...?"

"STAADNAU..."

"Never let your anger consume you." The figure spoke

"...STRUN..."

"Oh dear.." Twilight looked back.

"..NAH!" Infinity yelled and threw his arms up and opened his hands.

Not even a second after he did, bolts of way faded purple shot from his palms and to the skies above. The lightning then came crashing down in one huge attack on the pillar. Fear moaned out in immense pain. The attack itself caused Infinity to skid all the to the edge of the arena, just in front of Twilight. She could still feel the static emanating from him before he rushed at the pillar of smoke again. Fear shot a tendril out and struck the ground before Infinity, causing him to lose his footing.

That's when Fear really took his chance and launched a large fireball at the downed Crosser shortly after falling. The flames consumed and exploded on Infinity. Twilight yelled out along with the other five. Fluttershy now cowering behind a tree for good measure. Spike was wide-eyed and jaw hanging as he looked on to the large smoldering area.

Something went amiss as there was a low roar that seemed to come in from all directions. The solid black was dispersed as something flew up out of it at blinding speeds. Slowing down near the apex of it's flight, a dragon spread its wings before swooping down towards the pillar with another loud roar and cutting through the pillar with a large figure in its grasp. The large reptile flew up again before falling back and heading into a divebomb with its target. Gaining speed the more the dragon formed into a smaller figure on the larger's back.

Infinity and Fear crashed to the ground into a flume of smoke. Infinity flipping and landing on his feet in front of the group, looking to the skinny figure then smiling some at him.

"Grimmy, I didn't expect you to be here." Infinity said, then he looked over to Twilight.

"Is it.. is it over?" Fluttershy asked as she peeked out from the tree.

"NOT EVEN CLOSE!" Fear's voice shattered.

Infinity looked behind him to see the pillar of smoke gone and sctattered portals leading elsewhere. He turned to Twilight and was about to run for her until a portal opened up in front of him leading into the space close to a sun. It closed leaving Twilight reaching out for her love. She started to whimper as tears formed in her eyes and she fell to her knees crying.

Her friends surrounded her to console her, but made very little progress.... he was taken from her...