Author's Note

Finally finished, let me know what you all think

End of a Disastrous Reunion

~Unknown Location Outside the Everfree Forest~

Purgatory comes flying out of the Everfree Forest, though not before going through a couple more trees, before skidding across the ground and leaving a deep trench in the ground. A flash of crimson appears just outside the forest and reveals the still enraged Drake, with sword in hand and the aura of death surrounding him. Gripping his weapon tightly within his grasp, Drake made his way to a smoking, yet recovering Purgatory with heavy footsteps that left intents in the ground.

"Hahahaha, yes, there's the man that has made himself my rival, the cold warrior that battled me tooth and nail the first time we met on the battle. The same man that has managed to fend off my assault single handedly for year afterwards. The man that didn't care abou-" Purgatory's rant was cut off as Drake blasted him with another powerful bolt of crimson lightning.

"I'm not here to indulge you in a trip down memory lane Purgatory, I'm here to wipe you out of existence as I shmear your innards all over the land and toss those shmears deep into the farthest corners of the universe, preferably into a blackhole!" Snarled Drake as he continued his advance towards Purgatory when he was forced to jump back as a bout of hellish-green flames incinerated the spot he was just standing.

"Quite a threat you're making there Lightning but question is, can you actually follow through with it this time?" Purgatory has asked with an evil smirk, which was answered with an intensely hateful glare from Drake though that did cause a stray thought to form in the back of his head.

As much as I hate the bastard, he's right. I've made similar threats before but I haven't been able to deliver thanks to the fact that we're somehow so evenly matched and no amount of training seems to be enough to push me pass that threshold that I need to finally kill this fucking thing that stands before me! Drake thought inwardly as outwardly he was getting into a battle stance as Purgatory did the same, all signs of playfulness gone as he was finally getting serious.

Any and all creatures for miles could feel the shift in the very air as if became stifling with the power and aura coming of these two powerful warriors stood across from each other, neither one of them taking their eyes of the other, nor making any movements to close the distance between them. The area around them was rife with the energy being released between them with the land in the same vicinity tearing itself apart as earth rose into the air. Up above, dark clouds gathering to engulf the sky and blot out the sun as they begin to spark, normal lightning mixed with Drake's crimson bolts could be seen traveling in between them.

Throughout all of this a single leaf manages to find itself gentle floating down between them, seemingly undisturbed by the chaos around it. As is neared the ground, the world itself seemed to freeze and yet many found themselves unknowingly looking towards the horizon, something unknown compelling them to do so. Only one group found themselves looking the same way and knowing why.

With this unknown audience watching, it was then that this one, single leaf was able to touch the ground for not even a single second before incinerated as both Drake and Purgatory had launched their attacks, Drake's Crimson lightning blast, and Purgatory's Hell fire inferno, meeting in the middle and further destroying the land around them with the shockwave that came from the impact of two powerful attacks colliding with each other. An explosion soon followed the stalemate that threw the both of them back a little, but had not deterred them for very long as they collided once again, this time in the air, their weapons interlocked in yet another stalemate as the two bared their teeth at each other while snarling. This stalemate however didn't last long as Purgatory makes the first move and throws a high kick towards Drakes head and showing off an impressive amount of flexibility. Drake, seeing the kick coming, breaks off their engagement before ducking under the kick and sending a lightning coated punch towards Purgatory's stomach. Purgatory manages to use the momentum from his high kick to move himself out of the way and avoiding the punch itself but still got skimmed by Drake's lightning which makes him grunt with discomfort before jumping away.

"Seems we're still as evenly matched as before eh old friend." Purgatory stated mockingly as stood across from Drake, who was glaring intensely at him. "Oh, cat still seems to have your tongue I see, well let's see if I can't help you with that!" Purgatory shouted as he sped off towards, disappearing from view as he was moving than the eye could see, Drake doing the same without a word.

From there, all that could be seen was sparks with the occasional burst of hellfire and crimson lightning from wherever their attacks made contact before they moved away from each other before doing so again and again with a booming noise accompany each and every single exchange happening on the ground and in the air though some with longer intervals between them than others. As these two titans' battle was becoming airborne, rising well above the tallest trees in the Everfree Forest and continuing to climb still, the noise and flashes attracting the attention of many, Including the groups of mares and reptiles running through the very same forest, managing to hear and see it all despite the various animals of the forest stirring up a racket and the sun blotting canopy of leave blocking most of their view, and or course the residents of Ponyville along with what's left of Purgatory's army.

With Tonoe and the Others

"Those two are really going at it aren't they? I can't even keep up with them." Rainbow Dash said as she and her friends, the princesses, Spike, and Tonoe along with Gleaming Shield, who was being carried on Celestia's back, were rushing through the forest to get back to Ponyville and get Gleaming Shield some help for her wounds.

"Seems Drake really has been holding back his strength this whole time hasn't he?" Cadance asked before looking towards Gleaming and Luna, "Aren't you glad neither one of you made an enemy out of him from your first encounters doesn't it?" She added in with a sly smile.

"What's there for me to worry about? Drake barely took our fight seriously, even if he told that he did I knew the whole time he wasn't and I know it was because he didn't me as an actual enemy standing in the way. He saw me as a soldier following the orders of my higher ups, the one giving said order already forming a vendetta against him. Now Princess Luna on the other hand I'm not so sure of." Gleaming remarked from her spot upon Celestia's back.

"I would have tried to argue that point beforehand but after seeing how powerless me and my sister were against that monstrosity I'm inclined to agree with you." Luna said as she reflected upon her behavior she has displayed towards Drake so far.

"So how long do ya reckon those two will be goin' at it sugarcube?" Applejack asked Tonoe who was running beside her.

"Not for much longer but not before it gets really intense."

"What do ya mean?"

"Whenever they fight this seriously, it always seems to end in a draw, much like their first bout. Rather strange, I know, but it's exactly what's happens and I have the feeling this time won't be any different." Tonoe explained in an exasperated tone.

"What do you mean like in their first fight? He told us he won and even showed us the recording of the fight and saw that he won, so how is it that it can be considered a draw?" Rarity asked as the others looked towards him.

"From a general point of view, yes he won, but if you look at it from another angle it ended in a draw."

"Another angle, what do you mean by that?" The ever curious Twilight asked.

"What I mean is that in all reality, the war was won because the Rippers became demoralized and choose to take Purge and retreat with their tail between their legs and the people of The Forge got their spirits back. Had it all depended solely on the battle between Drake and Purge then it could be seen as a draw," Tonoe sighs as he turns his head just enough to look as Twilight from the corner of his eye. "At least that's how Drake sees it and it frustrates him to no end and no matter how many times I try to tell him that he did in fact turn out victorious in that fight he insist otherwise." A look of frustration and sadness comes across his face as he recalls such conversations.

"And I take it with every fight that ends the same way has only added onto his frustrations?" Rarity chimed in.

"Yes and I'm afraid of how he'll be once this is over if there's no definitive winner this time either. Leaves him feeling his training is inadequate and he'll try pushing himself more and more and wind up hurting himself in the process." This time everyone became worried from this statement.

"You're joking right, he couldn't truly be that reckless could he?" Spike asked, finally finding his own voice.

"He could and would be that reckless and takes a lot of convincing to stop him, or at least make him tone it down. Then again that was back when I was the only who knew of his identity as the Lighting Master but this time all of you are here and he's managed to find himself a couple lovely mares to fall in love with, stubborn ones at that, so hopefully he won't fall too deep this time." Cadance and Gleaming blushed at the compliment while the rest smiled as Tonoe's tone became more hopeful.

"Well we will have to wait and see how this fight turns out and hope for the best and prepare for the worst. For now though lets worry more about right now, and right now we have to get somewhere safe and get Gleaming Shield some medical attention. Her injuries may not be as bad as we thought they would be but as the saying goes, 'better safe than sorry'. Celestia spoke up with the others nodding their head before running faster through the forest, the exit quickly coming into view.

"Sweet, looks like we're almost out of the fore-EEEESSSSTT!!!" Rainbow Dash's excitement was cut off as she was pulled back just before a bout of hellfire came across their path, followed by a blast of crimson lightning. "T-thanks Tonoe," came Rainbow's shaky response from her spot on the ground.

"No problem Dash, next time though you may want to look before you leap." Tonoe pointed towards the tree line that marked their exit only to now see that it's been widened as the trees that were one there had been destroyed.

Pinkie helped Rainbow stand up as they slowly made their way out of the Everfree forest and were once again hit with the sight of a ravaged Ponyville. Their attention was soon directed elsewhere by a flash of green from up above where they could see Drake moving out of the way of a giant green fireball before flashing towards Purge and landing a solid uppercut to his chin and launching him higher into the sky.

Back to Drake and Purge

"Nice shot Lightning, but it's nowhere near enough to take me down!" Purge shouted at Drake after righting himself from Drake's last attack before he starts laughing maniacally. "Oh this is so much fun even if this will end up like every other time we've battled!" Drake growled at this, missing Purge's hidden smirk, before appearing in front of him with another flash, sword already coming down towards his head. Purge only moves his head enough to allow the blade to become embedded in his shoulder, then grabbing it with one hand to prevent Drake from removing it even with the lightning coursing through it, and pointing the other towards Drake's stomach, his hell flames already building up in his palm. "Or perhaps, this will end very differently," And with that he blasted Drake point blank in the gut, the flames being seen shooting out of his back by those watching from below, some in horror and others in a sick glee though those faces soon changed as Purge's back was crackling with the Crimson lighting shot from Drake's palm which had shot up to deliver the same strike that he knew was coming while Purge was distracted.

All was silent afterwards, both combatants and spectators remained silent and still, something that broken when Drake grabbed Purge by his shredded and charred shirt and pulled him closer so that he was able to speak into his ear. "You will never win bastard, that's a fucking promise!" Drake growled out before using his remaining strength to yank his sword from Purge's grip and shoulder, cutting up both in the process before the two starting falling towards the ground from over 400 feet.

"Damn him, that meddlesome Lighting just keeps getting in my way. I had sincerely hoped that the I had been dumped in another universe that I could take over and reshape in my image without his interference, but no instead I get dumped in this incredibly sickenly sweet world of fucking sunshine, rainbows, and cotton candy clouds!" Purge ranted on his own mind as he plummeted towards the ground in a giant green fireball, his last statement causing a twinkle to shine in the eyes of a statue of a strange, mismatched creature all the way in Canterlot.

"He almost had me with that last shot.... I can't believe I've allowed myself to lose my cool so easily, first with Gleaming and then his comment about our previous duels. Maybe Tonoe is right, I need to let it go and just make sure I'm prepared for next time. An opportunity will eventually present itself, I just need to be patient and make sure I'm alive long enough to see it and take advantage of it." Were Drake's surprisingly calm thoughts as he too plummeted to the ground much that same way he had when he first arrived.

"DRAKE/LORD PURGATORY!!!" Tonoe was the first to rush towards where the two would land, being followed be the Princesses, and The Elements, The Rippers making their way in the same direction as well, Spike staying behind to help Gleaming into Townhall to get seen by a doctor and help keep an eye on the place while the others went to help Drake. Didn't take long for both groups to make it to the area where the two of them would crash, being sure to stay, what they hoped at least, a safe distance from the blasts of the two impacts.

When the two finally did make impact, they were partially right when green flames and crimson lighting engulfed the area and made decent sized craters that had come up a few inches short of hitting either group though many of them were just about blown away from the shockwave their entrance had caused but were able to stand their ground before looking into the crater where a both battered and beaten powerhouses laid about fifteen feet apart from each other, unconscious.

Without a word Tonoe had already jumped down into the crater and rushed to Drake's aid, sliding onto his knees when he reaches him before the others even made it down into the crater. The Rippers made their way to Purgatory, the few medics among them already checking him over and seeing the extent of his injuries. The Princesses and the Elements making it to Drake's side around the same time, Tonoe already having already taken off Drake's armor and shirt to check over causing the others to gasp as they saw the intense burn on Drake's stomach, some places looked charred while others looked to be still smoldering with lingering embers.

"Dear me, how is he still alive?" Celestia asked as she slowly reached her hand out towards his stomach, the golden aura of her magic shrouding her hand. When her hand made contact with the charred skinned, the golden aura spread itself around the effected area and after a second Celestia opened her eyes in shock and looked at Tonoe, "his body is made of lightning as well?"

"Not entirely but yes, it's how he's able to turn into his lightning form but it uses up a lot of energy so he's never been able to stay that way for very long but I have known him to use it to avoid some serious hits, which I'm guessing is what he did to avoid having his insides charred and blown out his back but came at the cost of a lot of the energy he had left, that he then used to land his final strike." Tonoe explained as some of his worry was alleviated.

"So that means the burns on his stomach are the worst of his injuries?" Cadance asked.

"It would appear so, everything else seems to be bruising and lacerations but those are things Drake can recover from quite easily on his own and even faster with a little help." This statement caused the others to sigh in relief, though it was short lived with Luna's next statement.

"It would appear the Rippers and that monster Purgatory have already retreated." The rest of the group, besides Tonoe and Princess Celestia, snapped their head towards the direction where Purge and the Ripper were, only to find the crater empty and the Rippers and Purge gone, nowhere to be seen, though there was tracks leading back into the Everfree Forest. "Shall we pursue them sister?"

"No, we have our subjects to worry about and must assess the damage that was done to Ponyville so that we can request the proper aid and supplies need to help rebuild the town and help her citizens recover from what I'm sure was a rather terrifying ordeal. Those monsters can be dealt with later, especially once Drake recovers as he and Tonoe can us better prepare for when they will next appear and be alerted sooner to their presence." Luna was about to argue but seeing the look on her face as she healed Drake made her think secondly and instead nod.

"Very well sister, then shall we transport young Drake to Townhall as well?" Luna asked as she knelt by her sister, who nodded as she continued her task. She was so focused on what she was doing that she was startled when another hand grabbed ahold of hers.

"T-try not to.... b-be so down Celestia." Came Drake's weak voice, which held a bit of mirth in it.

"DRAKE!!" Came the shocked responses from them all before Cadance and Tonoe rushed in to hug the downed man, who let out a hiss as they happened to press themselves into a couple of still healing bruises and made them back up a bit.

"Oh shit, sorry about that Drake." Tonoe apologized as he got back up.

"You just had us all worried there for a bit." Cadance piped in next as she got a bit teary eye as she stayed knelt down by Drake's head. Those unshed tears were wiped away by shaky hands as Drake gave her a just as shaky smile.

"It's fine you two, I don't mind too much, just try not to do it too often, I'm already gonna be put out of commission for a bit thanks to the nasty burn Purge decided to part me with." Drake grimaced at that moment as the burn decided to act up though it stopped soon after as Princess Celestia put some more magic into her healing spell. "Thanks."

"Should be me thanking you Drake, you saved not only Ponyville and her citizens but also me and my sister as well." Celestia told him with a motherly smile.

"Don't mention it Princess, you two are my friends after all, and hopefully we become family one day as well once I tie the knot with Gleaming, Cadance, and Tonoe, though I guess that means I'll end up being part of your family too, huh Twilight." Came Drake's pained response.

Twilight could only giggle at the absurdness of the turn to conversation took, "Yeah, I guess you would be. How about we have that conversation later though, you look like you could use a rest right now."

"Yeah, you're right there, I think I'll do just that." With that, he let Cadance, who had slid in behind him, put his head into her lap before closing his eyes and going to sleep. All around him, the others now feeling a little lighter as one of their burdens was lifted off their shoulders.

"Alright everypony, lets get back to Townhall to let everypony know the good news and get started on repairing Ponyville." Celestia announced to the rest of the group.

"Right!" Came to collective reply by almost all present as Princess Celestia picked up Drake with her magic.