One Last Chance

"What do you want with Myst?" Twilight asked, suspecting the worst.

"Like I said, he took something of mine, I was just hoping to get it back, then I'll be on my way, promise." The two were locked in a staring contest, neither trusting the other not to attack at any moment. "If I need to add further incentive, I'll even leave your friends alone, deal?" Twilight couldn't care less if this pony was lying, or if he wanted to hurt Myst. She just wanted him away from her friends, but she was still apprehensive, she had a feeling bringing the two in close proximity was a horrible idea, and besides, there was a much simpler solution than that.

"Sorry, but you attacked me and my friends, and I don't negotiate with ponies like you."

"So, we're to fight, then?"

"It would seem that way." The grey pony, who was now in full view thanks to the smoke from the explosion clearing, smiled. This news made him very happy. Pinkie Pie, who was still on the ground, finally regained her full sight, but upon turning to view Twilight, she could not have asked for worse a sight. The two intended to battle each other. Twilight was possibly the greatest wielder of magic in all of Equestria, but she had no experience. This pony... he stood as if this moment was an everyday occurrence. No fear, no hesitation. He was trained. He didn't look military, with his navy blue, wavy mane and tail. It was obvious he let them grow out, but that didn't change the expression on his face. He was enjoying this, losing had not even crossed his mind. If Twilight wasn't careful, Pinkie was sure she would lose, and considering the state everypony else was in, if she lost, they were completely at that pony's mercy. Pinkie felt a ring course through her head again, 'I'm coming, just stay safe.'

What was that? It hurt, it was so intrusive. Was somepony coming to help them? Pinkie hoped so, for all their sakes. An explosion rocked Pinkie's thoughts straight back to Twilight, who was now engaged in battle with the unicorn, but she wasn't approaching it as she usually would, with fierce but calculated aggression, rather, she was doing her best to stay far away, and bombard the unicorn from a safe distance, firing one spell after another. Pinkie's hopes for the fight were dwindling quickly, after observing the face of Twilight's opponent. He was barely moving to avoid the series of projectiles, and his shields didn't even flicker when he raised them to block oncoming attacks. He was dedicated, Twilight was apprehensive. Pinkie couldn't help but notice the horrible shaking in her hooves.

Six meteoric bolts of purple energy shot towards Twilight's opponent, who, so far, had been playing evasively, propelling himself off various obstructions, his movements surpassing that of a normal pony, obviously through intense training. He was skilled, composed, and knew exactly what to do in every situation. He bounded off a rooftop, closing a considerable distance between him and his opponent, before unleashing a much more wild and vicious torrent of magical energy compared to Twilight, unpredictable and horrid. A sickly black and red colour, threatening to rip apart the very air. It was like a horrible tornado. Twilight, for a split second, was completely enthralled by the torrent of energy, incapable of moving out of pure fear. It was like a a thundering cloud of destructive energy. Twilight eventually snapped out of her haze and sprinted for cover, diving away from the blast as the residual energy from the magic's momentum flung her away from the ground, mostly unscathed. Pinkie could see Twilight shaking. This battle was going to test her skill, and to be honest, she'd lose without help. Pinkie tried to pull herself up, but the sheer force of the explosion had rendered her helpless, immobile, but not injured. Twilight and the grey pony continued their duel, blasting spells back and forth with abandon. Twilight's distaste in her opponent's tactics and her rage at being injured by such a pony was helping to bury her low confidence as she leaned more towards the offensive, shooting magical lasers and massive bolts of energy, trying her best not to hit any buildings. How had nopony heard this battle? It didn't make sense, all this noise and confusion should have driven everypony in the nearby area running from their homes in a state of terror. Twilight could feel herself losing the edge in this battle as the grey pony effortlessly glided past her attacks, partially deflecting them towards buildings, which then forced Twilight to dissipate the spells prematurely, further draining her power. Twilight, in comparison, was completely receiving every one of her opponent's attacks, blocking them with shields that were rapidly failing to do their job. She could feel the spells slipping through. One more minute, at best.

'Well, if my magic wont last much longer, I might as well throw everything at him!' Twilight prepared for the immense exhaustion that would come with her following spells, as she summoned a number of large, long, unstable magical projections, resembling deep violet lightning if it was captured and forced to take shape. She didn't fire any, but instead surrounded herself with them. She felt her body strain as the count went from five, to ten, Twilight could feel victory just around the corner, all she needed was one sure hit-

Twilight felt a surge of incredibly powerful energy envelop her, and her friends were forced to look away from the blindingly bright light that suddenly encased the battlefield. Rainbow Dash was the first to make out what had happened. Magic, in the form of a huge beam. The grey pony had completely disintegrated her, the beam tearing through where her friend used to be.

"Twilight!" She screamed. The entire experience felt surreal. How did this happen? It wasn't supposed to go like that. Twilight was supposed to win... he thought never managed to complete itself as Rainbow looked towards the pony responsible for this senseless destruction. He...

The next few frames of time seemed to move in slow motion, more like a series of pictures than anything else. First, there was the pony, and the energy beam, then, with a quick flash of purple, he was forced away. A wall met him, as it cracked beneath the sudden force of his arrival. Twilight? Rainbow quickly noticed another projectile making its way towards the limp form of the pony, not caring if he was injured as it too exploded violently. Once the massive beam of energy had finally dissipated, everypony was met with a welcome sight, Twilight was alive and standing. She had used most of the projectiles, that she planned to fire, to shield herself. She had many cuts and burns to show for it, but otherwise she was still alright. Her mane was out of order and she looked like she had just crawled out of a bonfire, but she could still fight. The grey pony, nopony was sure if he was actually alright, after taking the full force of Twilight's attack. Luckily, or perhaps unluckily, he stood up within seconds of Twilight, his posture slightly less austere. He obviously felt the attacks, and suddenly, there was a distinct possibility that Twilight could win against her well trained opponent. But... that feeling soon disappeared, along with any chance of Twilight emerging victorious. The grey pony began to walk towards her, their duel resuming after their most recent exchange, but this time, he made no attack of any kind, or perhaps he did, just too quickly and quietly for Twilight to notice, she just started to feel an immense pain in her head. It took only seconds for her to collapse, clutching her head in pain. The unicorn looked almost surprised, as if his opponent had fallen to a simple trick.

"Oh, come on. Where's that fighting spirit from a moment ago? Surely he must've warned you- oh." The unicorn's expression turned grim. "Well, I'm very sorry, then." He took a moment to raise up Twilight with his magic, before he flung her aside, towards a nearby building, taking a moment to shake his head, possibly in in disappointment. He dragged his feet towards the group, disheartened by Twilight's sudden defeat. Did he expect something more? It's almost as if he had reached a goal he expected to be insurmountable, only to surpass it easily. He breathed a hearty sigh as he approached Fluttershy.

"Tell me where he is." He mumbled, looming above her like a specter ready to pluck her life away at a moment's notice. His eyes were dead, lacking any colour, any distinction. It was mortifying, and Fluttershy could feel herself bending to his will, not voluntarily, it was simple sensation, one of unparalleled might, seeping into her mind. This undeniable thought that she was worth nothing to him, she wasn't valuable. Disposable, she was disposable, along with all of her friends. Fluttershy found herself trying to justify condemning Myst to this horrible pony. Everypony else porbably thought the grey pony and him were friends or something, but she saw right through him. He was there to settle a score, no matter the price, whether it be coin or lives. Her oldest friends had to come first, six was larger than one. Fluttershy could feel his patience slipping. With a quiver, she let out the words, Myst's domain, the place he had been living after leaving her house.

"See?" The pony said, turning away, inspecting the other five ponies he could see, all lying on the ground, struggling to stand, "Now I only have to get rid of one of you. Fluttershy felt her heart drop as the pony turned his attention towards Twilight. "She'd be quite the problem if she regained her strength." and with those words, he began his horridly slow walk towards Twilight. Fluttershy counted every step, every hoof-fall as their assailant made his way towards one of her oldest friends, one, two, two, three, ten. He was standing in front of her, raising his hoof, aiming for her neck, ready to deliver the final blow to Twilight, it was only at this moment Fluttershy found her voice again, along with everypony else, all of them screaming for him to stop. There were threats, pleas, bargains, but they all fell on deaf ears, that was until, for no reason at all, he stopped, just as they had asked.

"This... is fake." He said, turning around just quickly enough to be met with a horrible barrage of turquoise energy, blasting him clean through a nearby house and into the next street, rolling and skidding, until he flipped himself back into a standing position, sliding for another three metres before friction finally brought him to a halt. His eyes were lidded shut from all of the gravel near them as he wiped it away and raised his head to meet his attacker, a fury not yet uncovered burning in his eyes, his mane falling to the sides of his head. He was met with what he could only describe as the worst potential outcome. Starlight Glimmer, one of the most powerful unicorns in Equestria, alongside her teacher, both of them clearly ready for a fight, and both of them more than ready to wipe him off the face of the earth if necessary.

"Was the building clear?"

"Yeah, it's fine."

"Good."

Pinkie understood. It was Starlight. She sent those messages. This was their chance to beat him, their one chance. Two champions of Equestria, facing off against a mysterious foe with a despicable agenda.

The unicorn really wasn't sure what to say or think. But there was one thought lingering in the back of his mind.

'This... this is going to be a real fight!'