A new day.

(The next day)

"People of Mystacor, I know this meeting is sudden, but there are things that must be addressed. Many things have happened in these past few days. Allow me to clarify. The attacks were alien in nature." Celestia announces to the crowd, many spells broadcasting her words to different nations.

"Princess, this surely is a great cause for concern. What action do you believe would be the best to take in response to these incursions?” A reporter asks, their voice being magnified with a magic microphone.

"We have already made preparations to help defend our world. Not only that, but we also have gained allies to help us. One of these allies is already known. Diego, the White Lion Knight, who defeated the monster invasion of Arcadia." Celestia replies.

"I am aware of him but what of our other allies. Are they as strange as he is? Can they be trusted?” The reporter asks.

"Yes. Those allies are known as the Blades of Marmora. A resistance against the Galra, those who tried to invade us. And though the Blades are the same species as the Galra empire, their allegiance to freedom is unquestionable." Celestia responds.

"How do you think this will affect the lives of the public and our relations with other nations? They might see us as a threat.” Another reporter asks. Luna steps forward.

"Any help the Blades have to offer us, the offer to any nation on Mystacor. They are here to protect the planet, not just Fantasia."

"I am concerned about how we are going to house and supply them. They are so different from us and may require material we can’t get, our world might be vastly different from theirs.” A different reporter inquires.

"That will not be an issue. The Blades have stated that Mystacor is a rich planet in comparison to others, the materials they require are easily accessible, not to mention, Mystacor is not the only planet that houses them.

If we do not have what they need, it does not mean no one does. Not only that, but Mystacor has something that many other planets do not. Magic." Celestia announces.

"May I inquire as to how they are going to aid us in greater detail? The populace deserve to know how this will change their lives.” A reporter asks.

"Of course. Though Mystacor is a bountiful world, it is also… unadvanced. The technology of the Galra and the Blades are leagues above our own. The Blades have agreed to share the schematics of these technologies, in exchange for a small area of land to call their own." Celestia answers, pointing at the far off plains.

"That is all the questions we have. Thank you for your time.” The lead reporter says with a bow.

"Thank you, Paperback. Do any others have any more questions?" Celestia asks the crowd.

"No Princess but thanks for explaining everything to us.”

"You are welcome. Now, before we end, there is one more thing my sister and I wish to show you. Some of you have already met him, but we wish to remove any doubt. Please welcome, our protector. Diego Logis!" Celestia calls as I fly over the castle, landing beside Luna. Many people in the crowd start clamouring.

"Please! We ask for silence!" Luna yells, stopping the crowd. "Thank you. Now, since Diego's method of communication is limited, I shall speak for him. Do any of you have questions about or for him?" Luna asks the crowd.

“Where did you come from?” The first reporter asks.

~~I'm sorry. I'd rather not say, considering how complicated it is. I can tell you that I am here to stay though.~~

"He says he would rather not disclose that. It is complicated. He does say that he is here to stay though, so you do not have to worry about that. Next?"

“What do you know about the Blades of Marmora and the Galra? You must know something?” Another reporter asks.

~~A good question. I'll start with the Blades. The Blades of Marmora are a resistance group, dedicated to stopping the Galra empire and freeing the planets they have subjugated. They use stealth and espionage to slip into the ranks of the Galra, sabotaging them from the inside.~~ I explain, Luna quoting my words as I speak.

~~The Galra empire, on the other hand, is very different. If my information is correct, they are lead by Zarkon. A near immortal Galra with a hunger for a form of energy called quintessence. Think of quintessence as life energy. If you are a living being, or you have living beings inside you, you have quintessence. It also seems to be the source of Magician magic.~~

~~The Galra go to any length to obtain quintessence. Enslaving planets, draining it from living beings, mining it from planets and more.~~ Many of the crowd cringe and shiver at Luna's words.

~~They use this quintessence to power their spaceships and vasten their reach across space. They also are ruthless in that they destroy anything or~~ anyone ~~who gets in their way. Unless they are stopped, they could take over the entire galaxy. It is because of this that the Blades of Marmora exists.~~ I finish.

"Thank you, Diego and you too, sister. Does anyone else have more questions?"

“That is a lot to take in, we may leave it at that. Most of us seem to be pretty shaken up by that. I must thank you for your time.” Paperback says.

~~You are welcome.~~ I say, Luna echoing my words.

"Thank you all for attending. This conference is now over. Have a good day." Celestia says as she, her sister and I leave the balcony.

(Later, in the throne room)

"I think that went well." Celestia says.

"As do I." Kolivan says as he enters the room.

"Kolivan, you attended the conference?" Celestia asks.

"No, but Zur did. He used a disguise generator to blend in with the crowd. He relayed everything that was said." Kolivan says, his tone… odd.

"Is something wrong, commander?" Luna asks.

"How do you know so much about the Galra? Or the Blades, for that matter? Our operations are closely guarded, our missions not told to anyone unless necessary and yet you seem to know more about them then you let on." Kolivan asks.

~~I'm afraid I can't tell you that, commander.~~

"He cannot say." Luna responds.

"I assumed so." Kolivan says, his eyes narrowed at me. "How am I, or my men supposed to trust someone if they do not trust us with important information?" Kolivan accuses, stepping closer to me.

~~Commander, you don't want to do this.~~ I try to warn him.

"Kolivan, this is outrageous. Diego is our ally, not our enemy." Luna says, standing in front of Kolivan.

"That may be, but he is hiding something from me. I can sense it." Kolivan says, glaring at me.

~~Kolivan, lis-~~

Engage.
What? N…

"Command: Information that has been classified by user will not be revealed." Voltron orders.

"Why? This alliance will not stand if information is withheld." Kolivan retorts.

"Answer: User believes sharing of classified information will cause tension between Mystacor and the Blades of Marmora."

"It is already causing tension. What is the nature of this information that it cannot be revealed at all between allies?"

"Response: Information classified."

"I see. So you don't trust us after all." Kolivan says, chin raised.

"Response: Negative."

"Then why?"

"Response: User has classified the information. Only user may un-classify information."

"Then let me speak to Diego."

"Response: Communication not possible."

"Why not? He can communicate with the princess and Jex. Why not everyone?" Kolivan demands.

"Response: Right to open communication must be earned." Voltron replies, surprising everyone.

"What?" Kolivan, Celestia and Luna all ask at the same time.

"Repeat: Right to open communication must be earned." Voltron replies.

"Earned? Are you saying he has to do something to be able to speak freely?" Celestia asks.

"Answer: Correct."

"Why?" Luna asks.

"Explanation: Many functions of Super Voltron armour are currently unaccessible by user through defence protocols. Primary unavailable function; Full range communicator. All functions can be unlocked through virtuous actions/ proving worth."

"How has what he has done not been virtuous?!" Luna exclaims.

"Correction: More actions required." Voltron corrects her.

"What else can he do?" Celestia now asks.

"Response: Fulfill primary goal, fulfill secondary goal. Further goals classified."

"What are the… oh wait." Luna stops.

"Notice: Goals classified to all parties."

"I expected- wait, all parties? Does Diego know?" Luna asks.

"Response: Negative."

"What? How is he supposed to fulfill the goals if he doesn't know what they are?" Celestia asks.

"Response: User is already working towards all goals. Only continuation is required."

"So… you're saying that if Diego continues doing what he is doing now, eventually he'll be able to speak?" Luna asks.

"Response: And more." Voltron replies.

"But then why can he even speak to anyone at all?" Kolivan reasserts.

"Response: K-k-k-… Information classified." Voltron says, his voice glitching for a second.

"What was that?" Celestia asks.

"…Response: …Momentary lapse in protocol." Voltron replies, his voice sounding hesitant.

"Moment… did you try to say but then stop?" Kolivan asks.

"…Correct." Voltron says, surprisingly without a word to begin his sentence. Kolivan looks thoughtful for a second, before stepping up to Voltron, looking him right in the eyes.

"Is there any way to allow me to speak to Diego like Jex and the princess do that you can tell me? Any at all?" Kolivan asks, his tone now calmer than before. Voltron stays silent, to Kolivan's chagrin.

…Before speaking.

"Bypass:… Direct combat." Voltron replies slowly.

"Direct combat? Wait, you mean like with Shining Armour? If someone fights against you they become able to hear you?" Celestia asks, looking hopeful.

"Response: Negative." Voltron says, suddenly. "Continuation: Combat must be synchronising. User and combatant/ combatants must come to an understanding of each other." Voltron finishes.

"Mortal Combat…" Kolivan mutters.

"Commander?" Luna asks.

"An old legend. It is said that combat is incomplete if the ones who fight learn nothing about each other while they fight. The legend says that fighting is not just a form of battle but a form of expression.

If the one you fight against does not walk away changed in some way, the fight was pointless. That is the legend of Mortal Combat." Kolivan explains.

"So if someone participates in Mortal Combat with Diego, they'll be able to hear him?" Luna asks.

"Response: Indeterminate. Mortal Combat method is not guaranteed. Other methods are also available. Example:…" Voltron looks to Luna. "…Quintessence mixture." Voltron explains.

"Quintessence mixture? When could that have happened?" Kolivan asks.

"When Diego healed me." Luna says, her eyes wide with realisation.

"So it was the healing." Celestia follows.

"Healing?" Kolivan asks.

"The night we met Diego, an invasion came to Arcadia. In the battle, I was struck in the chest with a permanent wound spell. It would have killed me… if Diego didn't save my life. Ever since then, I've been able to speak to him." Luna says.

"Well then. There is only one thing to do. Diego, can you hear me?" Kolivan asks.

"Response: Affirmative."

"Good. I challenge you to Mortal Combat." Kolivan says, his voice focused and clear.

We have returned to the familiar destination of the arena. No one is in the stands. The princesses look upon the battlefield from their thrones. Not even Cracked is in attendance, none the wiser of this battle. Kolivan stands before me, luxite blade in hand. I stand across from him, Bayard ready in my hand.

"Are you ready?" Luna calls out.

~~As I'll ever be.~~ I nod.

"I am ready as well.” Kolivan turns to me, watching closely. Luna nods, raising her arm.

"…Then begin!"

"You first.” Kolivan states calmly.
He's letting me have the first move? Fine.

~~Get some of this!~~ I shout as I raise my left hand, firing shots at Kolivan. Kolivan dodges between the shots, not taking his eyes off me for even a second.
He's quick. How quick?

I form my rifle, shooting at him, trying to hit him in non-lethal spots and progressively shooting faster and faster. Kolivan, tossing his blade between both hands, delivers multiple cuts, stopping all the shots before they can even scratch him.
Very quick. Let's see how he takes this?

Forming my katar, I charge forward with my thrusters, aiming to shock him in the chest. Kolivan notices and runs towards me, ducking under my thrust and I metaphorically grit my teeth as I feel an impact on my back.
What was that?

Forming my energy whip, I rapidly lash everything close to me, forcing Kolivan to back away as the ground around me gets diced. Kolivan nods.

“Impressive.” He holds up his dagger and beckons me to approach. I feel like I'm smirking. Forming my energy sword, I rush at Kolivan, delivering dozens of slashes in seconds. Kolivan narrowly dodges each slash, barely leaping over the final one and kicking me in the chest. Kolivan nods as his blade glows, turning into a sabre.

“You are quite fast but you are not good at fighting a smaller and more agile opponent.”
He's right. He may look bulky but he knows his own body well. Not to mention, I doubt my attacks are very refined. But I won't let that stop me.

This time, I form my broadsword, going into a sword-fighting stance. I charge forward, delivering a powerful slash that carves into the ground as Kolivan sidesteps. Kolivan looks around for less than a second, then disappears suddenly before reappearing in front of me, slashing at me.
Holy kaltenecker, he's moving fast now! I think as I dodge and counter, missing him by a few centimetres. He vanishes again.
Last time he was a little ahead of me and appeared in front of me, this time… he'll appear behind me!

Moving preemptively, I block a slash with the upper area of my blade.

"Better but can you handle this?” Kolivan smirks.
Oh no.

Kolivan vanishes suddenly before five of him appear, all preparing to swing at me.
What the quiznak?!

I cut into one, it bleeds for a second then vanishes.
This is all kinds of whack.

~~After-images, huh? You really are a commander, in more ways than one. You have my respect, now have some pain!~~

Forming my energy for a second, I bash one of the images, disrupting Kolivan's rhythm and making the other images fade away. Now holding my taser katar, I thrust at Kolivan. Kolivan smirks.

“I haven’t been pushed this far by anyone but I still have one last trick.” His saber glows becoming slightly longer and slimmer. He then vanishes. He reappears far away and beckons me to attack.
What's he doing? But if he's at the range,I can do this.

I form my gatling gun, pointing the barrel straight at Kolivan.

~~Block this.~~

I fire, blasting a hundred lasers at him seconds. Kolivan dodges multiple shots only for one to nick him, he then bleeds before vanishing into thin air.

~~What? That can't have been an aft-~~

I feel a heavy cut bounce off my back. Then suddenly I feel multiple impacts from every direction.
Ah! That stings. Let's see how you like this!

Charging quintessence into my armour, I begin glowing. Kolivan continues slashing me, now cutting harder as I glow brighter.

I have one question for you. Explosion!?

The light on my body bursts out as a shockwave, catching Kolivan and launching him into the arena wall. Hearing him crash, I lock on to him and form my glaive, coming down on him like a guillotine. Kolivan looks up, holding his shoulder. His saber is glowing brightly, he smirks as he swings with his sabre cutting into my glaive slightly before collapsing. His attack stops mine. Yanking my Bayard back, I go down to my knees next to him.

~~Kolivan?~~ Yo~~u~~ o~~k? I~~ didn'~~t hurt yo~~u, right?

Kolivan groans slightly before replying.

“No but I won’t be able to continue fighting. That was the first time my sabre couldn’t absorb enough quintessence to completely protect me. I used the absorbed energy to stop your glaive.”

~~Your sabre can absorb quintessence? How does that work?~~

Kolivan looks at him with a smirk.

“The third form of the Blades can do that but I’m the only one who has gotten that far.”

~~Wow. That is really cool. I was right to give you my respect. Now come on, let's get you to the magic doctors.~~ I say as I hoist his good arm onto my shoulder. Standing, I start to walk out of the arena. As soon as I go through the entrance gate, Luna and Celestia land in front of us.

"Did it work?" Luna asks.

~~Did what work?~~

"The fight! Can you two communicate?!" Luna yells in exasperation.

~~Oh. Oh! Hey! It did work! Right?~~ I look to Kolivan. Kolivan nods.

“It did. I can hear you now.”

~~Awesome! So, let's try this. Hi, I'm Diego and I'm stuck as this awesome suit of armour.~~ I hold my hand out to Kolivan. Kolivan smirks as he takes my hand.

“I am Kolivan, Commander of the Blades of Marmora. It’s a pleasure to face you in combat.”

~~Thanks. Now let's get you patched up. Again.~~

Author's Note

Sorry this took a while. Can you spot my co-authors reference?