No rest for the wicked.

(Diego)

Diego raises a hand, destroying the small ship with a laser from his hand.

Energy level at 50% Recommended course of action, de-transform and attempt to recharge.

Diego's body glows with familiar white light, Shrinking back down to normal size. Diego then pulls the Bayard out of his chest, merging it with his wings.

Lowering progression drive level to 15%. Begin quintessence magnification.

With his wings glowing, Diego begins gathering quintessence.

(Fantasia)

Celestia looks out over a balcony to see Diego glowing.

"What is he doing?" She asks. Cracked looks out over the landscape as well, holding her hand over her eyes.

"I… I'm not sure. If I didn't know any better, I'd say he was draining quintessence from his surroundings but… that can't be it."

"Quintessence?" Luna asks.

"Life energy. You call it mana." Cracked answers.

"He's draining mana?!" Celestia shouts in shock.

"Not exactly." Cracked denies. "If he was, the plants and grass around him would be dying. They're not." Cracked explains before narrowing her eyes at the large field Diego is in. "If anything, the nature around him seems to be flourishing." She says, before her eyes widen in realisation.

"What? What is it?" Luna asks Cracked.

"There's no way…" She mumbles. "…It's supposed to be nigh impossible!" She exclaims.

"What is it? What's impossible?" Celestia asks, worried.

"He's not draining the quintessence around him, it looks like he's AMPLIFYING it! The druids said it couldn't be done!" Cracked exclaims.

"Amplifying it? What does that mean?" Luna asks.

"Many deca-phoebs ago- a century ago, back when I was still a child, the emperor's druids proposed a new way of getting quintessence. Instead of harvesting it and leaving planets barren, they suggested collecting it in small quantities and trying to amplify it.

They theorised that with the right kind of reactant, the power of quintessence could be increased hundreds of times over. They tried for dozens of deca-phoebs but never succeeded. Eventually it was deemed impossible but… Diego seems to be able to perform it! This is incredible!" Cracked yells.

"So Diego can make himself more powerful without killing the environment around him?" Celestia asks, awed.

"Yes! Look!" Cracked shouts, pointing forward. Celestia and Luna look back at where Diego is and gasp. Where Diego is standing, what was once a simple lush field is now growing into a massive forest.

"Where did that come from?!" Shining shouts as he enters the balcony. The others turn to face him.

"Diego! He did it!" Cracked exclaims in awe.

(Quintessence forest)

Energy level at 80% Sufficient energy level achieved in five doboshes. Time remaining until arrival of Vox armada: 71 ticks. Further charge time unacceptable. Depart.

Diego blasts upward in a column of white quintessence, quickly appearing in space. Looking up, he sees the Vox armada closing in on Mystacor.

Receiving message.

«Ooh. Here comes the… wait. Did you shrink?» The woman from before says. «Huh. Now why would you do that?» She asks. «No matter. OPEN FIRE!» She orders, multiple ships and fighters raining lasers at Diego.

Thanks to his small size, Diego easily dodges the lasers and begins destroying the fighters with his knuckle sword. «Hey! Stay still you pest!» The woman orders, irritated. Diego keeps dodging and destroying fighters. «Hrah! Vril! Open fire!»

«As you command, general.» Veil says. The largest ship begins fire lasers in every direct, reflection plates bouncing them straight atDiego from multiple angles. Diego deploys his energy shield but the beams continue to pelt him.

Battle specs:
Multiple carrier type ships armed with an ion cannon and several fighter squads each.
Threat level: Six.
Multiple Interplanetary-cruisers armed with ion cannons, sirenic turrets and vast numbers of point defense cannons.
Threat level: Five
One zaiforge cannon, refitted for interstellar travel.
Threat level: Eight.
One high class Battle-cruiser armed with two ion cannons and a reflection attack array.
Threat level: Seven.
Battle difficulty: Advanced-high. Focus: Zaiforge cannon. Diego scans before immediately merging his Bayard with his wings. Deftly dodging another barrage of lasers, Diego forms a long three pronged weapon on his back.

A dangerous ball of energy forms in between the three prongs, growing stronger in seconds. Diego fires at the zaiforge cannon, his railgun tearing through fighters like dust. Seven reflection plates suddenly combine together in front of the cannon to form a super hexagon shape, deflecting the beam. The plates all explode afterwards.

Quintessence requirement for railgun too taxing. Shorten distance between Voltron and target before reattempting. Diego analyses, deforming his railgun. Forming his gatling gun, he begins tearing into the fighters, carving a path straight to the zaiforge cannon.

«Aww. Coming straight to me? Well aren't you kind. Vril.» The general signals. The battle-cruisers ion cannons fire, striking a handful of fighters before the two beams converge on Diego.

Dual ion cannon blasts exceeding armour tolerance. Change focus; Battle-cruiser.

Diego immediately swings around, now heading straight for the battle-cruiser. He begins firing at the two ion cannons, his shots being blocked by a particle barrier.

«Nice try. Now die YOU BLADES SCUM!» Vril shouts, firing both ion cannons again. Diego narrowly dodges the two beams of purple death, causing them to converge and pierce through four different ships.

«VRIL! Calm that stupid temper of yours unless you want to lose more important ships!» The general orders.

«Hrrr. Reflection attack array to FULL!» Vril orders. The battle-cruiser lights up with purple lasers, beams bouncing and ricocheting everywhere. The beams assault Diego. Suddenly the barrage stops. «W-what?! How?!» Vril cries out.

«Uh… Vril? What was that?» The general asks in bewilderment. Diego begins to storm the battle-cruiser.

«I-I don't know! The array just overloa-» Vril is cut off as the back of his ship begins to explode. «Why are my engines exploding?!» Vril shouts in outrage. «Wait, intruder alert?!» He suddenly says.

Incoming message.

«Attention mechanoid! Please cease your attack on the Wicked calamity! The Blades of Marmora will deal with it.» A male voice says loudly.

«Message received. Response: Disengaging Battle-cruiser. Switching targets.»

«Thank you. And good luck!» The agent says.

«Response: Likewise.»
Diego turns back, bayard now in hand as he advances in the zaiforge cannon.

Transform.
Diego faces the zaiforge cannon, shield on one hand and sword held in the other.

«No you don't! Fire the Star Destroyer!» The general orders. The zaiforge cannon begins glowing like the sun. Orange light baths the battle field.

Solar radiation detected.

A ribbon of fire crashes into the zaiforge cannon, knocking it to the side.

«WHAT?!» The general shouts as the beam misses.

Magic detected. Signature recognised: Princess Celestia.

Seizing this moment, Diego forms his scimitar, charging forward to cleave the cannon's head off. He is stopped by a particle barrier.

«NO YOU DON'T! IF YOU THINK I, GENERAL ATCHOR THE FIRST, WILL FALL SO EASILY, YOU ARE SORELY MISTAKEN!! FIRE!!!» Atchor shouts in hatred. The zaiforge cannon fires, having righted itself, straight at Diego. With too little time to prepare, he blocks with the flat of his large blade, getting severely pushed away.
«HA!» Atchor exclaims.

Beam… strength… too much. Cannot… redirect. Must… must…

PROGRESSION DRIVE TO 75% ENGAGE QUINTESSENCE ENGINE.

A circle of energy as large as Diego appears in front of him, stopping the zaiforge beam.

«What?»

The zaiforge cannon starts moving closer to Diego.

«WAIT, WHAT?! GRAVITATIONAL PULL?! FROM WHERE?! …OH YOU ARE QUIZNAKING ME!» Diego stops absorbing energy, the circle in front of him disappearing.

DISCHARGE.

Diego holds both his arms, his freshly formed shoulder cannon, his arm cannon and his open right hand forward. From the cannons ends and Diego's palm, as well as his eyes, a celestial tsunami of pure white energy erupts.

The particle barrier of the zaiforge cannon appears and halts the beam…

…For all of 0.2 seconds before failing, the ship getting blasted to absolute smithereens.

Suc-successsss. Zaiforge cannon defeated. Swiittccchiinngg…

Author's Note

Cliffhanger!