“So, let me get this straight, Mister....”

“Ezekiel! Yolando Ezekiel Stone!” the pink pony chimed in. Twilight’s lips pursed into a terse line. “Though I always thought Izzy had a better ring to it! Don’t ya think so too, Izzy?”

The pink maned unicorn hid behind his silence, a scarlet hue making it’s way onto his cheeks. “Yes, Pinkame-.... Pinkie,” ‘Izzy’ caught his sentence just in time, hoping to prevent himself from getting the mare upset again, “and you know how I detest my full name in the same fashion you do yours. Though that nickname sure hasn’t aged well either....”

“Riiiight....” the studious mare let her word hang, still locking her unsure glare on the shady stallion before her. “And since you refuse to give out your reasons as to why you’re after Plasm, can you at least enlighten us as to just how you and Pinkie know each other?”

“Ah! Now that’s a story.” The lavender mare arched a brow at the colt’s coy smile. “Looks can be deceiving you know. Most of my childhood was spent with my family of rock farmers, much like Pinkaaaaa-I mean Pinkie here. It wasn’t exactly the happiest set of memories, as the two of us grew up with a ridiculous little thing the locals made up called the “Pink Curse”. What made matters worse was that I was born a unicorn, something that the other farmers very much looked down upon. My own mother and father treated me as though I was a rotten apple core rather than their son. When I met Pinkie, it turned out her story wasn’t all much better.”

Izzy paused for a moment before continuing, his calculating pink gem-like eyes growing softer as the story went on. “None of the local farmers would come within ten feet of us, even teaching their young ones to do the same. So when I met Her, we had a common ground and the two of us stuck together before....”

“....Before?” Twilight tilted her head quizzingly.

The pink maned ponies shared an uneasy, almost sad glance with one another before the mare spoke up. “It’s.... not important, Twilight. Really....”

The librarian’s curiosity only further grew, but decided against it for now. The unicorn colt’s cocky smirk returned to his face, as did Twilight’s judging stare.

“You’d be surprised as to how much your friend here has changed since I last spoke with her. It even threw me off seeing her so hyper like this. And her mane....” A small spark ignited with admiration in the stallion’s eyes, as he directed them to his foalhood friend. “It’s..... gorgeous! You simply must tell me who permed it for you, dear!”

“Alright then....” Twilight gave an irritated sigh, her eyes wandering over the surface of the giant pink rock not two feet behind her that, despite the Sun’s disappearance from the sky hours ago, still managed to shine brightly through the haze of the night sky. “I have to admit, your magic is rather impressive. I once read in a book about the history of spellcasting that magic like yours was forgotten long ago....”

“Call it my special talent, dear!” Ezekiel waved a hoof, the cockyness in his expression making Twilight unable to hold in her annoyed huff. “I discovered this power after I found this strange rock. I was a young colt at the time, and I was rather inexperienced with magic, so I hid it. My family was abusive enough as it was....”

“Well, I find it preposterous that such a beautiful gift had to be kept locked away from the rest of the world.” The stallion peered to his side to find Rarity observing him in a half mast gaze, her cheeks slightly flushed, giving a smile as sincere as she was gorgeous. “M-My apologizes. It’s just that nopony deserves to have to go through such a dreadful experience, especially a foal-”

Her words were cut short by a small pink flash from Ezekiel's hoof, fading away to reveal a glistening rose created entirely from the white-cloaked stallion’s magic. “Apologizes won’t be necessary, my fair maiden.” the gentlecolt bowed, holding out the artificial flower for the mare caught under his charms. “That dreadful life is far behind me now. My only ambition now is to show all of Equestria the elegance and beauty my talent can spread. Though it appears I may have a rival~.”

Rarity took the glistening rose in her magic, failing to suppress a girlish giggle as her cheeks burned even hotter. “Ehehehee~ Oh goodness....”

“Just what we need. Two Raritys....” Rainbow Dash made an exaggerated gagging motion with her hoof. The pale yellow pegasus stood only inches apart from her, never taking her timid cyan eyes away from the unfamiliar stallion.

“Somepony jus’ sounds sore cuz she got outraced bah a shiny rock.” Applejack’s mouth curled into an amused smirk, stare full of mirth towards the competitive mare’s gumbles and growls.

“W-Well why is that stupid rock even still up, anyway?! Not like it matters if it’s there either way....”

‘I’m afraid that’s out of the question, my dear. It’s far too dangerous for-’

A sudden jolt went through the unicorn stallion’s body, almost as though every ounce of his magic grew excited at once. His eyes wandered over to the lavender mare, noting her sudden interest past the diamond wall the where the brawl previously took place. Something, or somepony was drawing near....

“....Actually, now that I think about it, I don’t see any reason for this wall to be up any longer.”

“Why don’t you quit bragging about it and- waitaminute, huh?”

Dash blinked, unable to form the words of her confusion towards the colt’s sporadic change of heart. The lavender unicorn raised a brow in equal confusion, but before she could question it, the bright pink wall made of gem slowly started to fade into thin air from the top. “I’m going to have to ask you six to stand back. Maybe move off to the side as well.”

The multi colored mares complied (with hesitance, of course), all six moving the the far edge of the forest path as they watched the wall of diamond finally disappear from top to bottom. Twilight, once again, raised an eyebrow. “So, what exactly do you plan to-”

“Please don’t hold this against me,” Ezekiel muttered, shifting onto on his hind legs as he pointed a forehoof at the confused unicorn mare. “I assure you this is nothing personal.”

As Twilight opened her mouth to fire a stream of questions, it instead remained gapping as she noticed a bright pink light illuminate over the area around the mare and her friends just as a magic aura more resembling that of pink glitter encoated the horn on top of the stallion’s head. Twilight’s eyes stretched into saucers; in only mere seconds, the bright light dimmed to reveal a large, transparent cut diamond, behind it’s thin pink-tinted walls showing enough occupancy to hold six mares with still enough walking space inside so not to crush them.

“I apologize greatly, dears.” The stallion could barely keep eye contact with the mares as he spoke softly, the magic around his horn finally dying down. “I do not wish to cause you any harm, just to keep you in there for the meantime.”

Twilight’s magic ablazed around her horn in panic, but to her horror, it shrunk into nothing almost just as fast as it came. A muffled shriek escaped her lips. “W-What?! M-My magic feels like it’s being suppressed!”

“That would be because my diamond neutralizes any and all magic from inside it’s walls.”

A loud PANG came from behind the large diamond prison as the cyan pegasus panged her hooves angrily against it’s walls. “Prettyboy bastard! Let us out of this thing, or you’ll regret the day you crossed paths with the fastest mare in Equestria!”

“I highly doubt that. As thin as those walls may be, they’re still made from one hundred percent solid diamond.” the mare’s rose orbs bored deep into Ezekiel’s calculating eyes, not a single emotion readable from them.

The same could not be said for the once bouncing pink mare, as her cerulean eyes held a mixture between amazement, fear, and pain. ‘He....He really did get better....’

The lavender mare growled. “Something deep in my gut told me you were no good....”

“Say what you will,” the cloaked stallion’s eyes drifted ahead of him, obviously intent on what lied elsewhere. “I’m only doing my duty as a proper stallion to protect you mares from what’s about to come.”

“Protect us from wha-”

CLANK!

The noise rung audibly through the forest, causing the mares to jump as it pierced their ears. An opposing figure stood in front of the whitish-blue unicorn; a stallion, the fur that was visible under his heavy cloak dark as charcoal. A katana was gripped in the stallion’s hooves, its long ebony blade struggling to cut through the pink-maned unicorn’s arm, which was coated in a sleek diamond surface....

Needless to say, the unicorn stallion’s cocky smile returned. “Trying to sneak up on me before I have a chance use my magic? That’s quite dirty of you, Crimson Shadow.”

The black colt clenched his teeth, blood-red eyes glaring daggers into his opponent’s.

“Notch....”

Crimson’s ear twitched, soon leaping back as far as he could to avoid the long pink spike that shot from under the ground below.

“Those pesky ears of yours are really a godsend, aren’t they?” Notch chuckled, the spike and diamond coating his arm fading into light before disappearing entirely, folding his forearms behind his back. “Though I suppose it provides fair challenge. It’d be a shame if you couldn’t even leave a scratch like last time....”

Crimson stood there in silence, hanging bangs from his mane covering his eyes as if to hide the emotion seeping through them. What he couldn’t hide, however, was the animalistic growl as his teeth clenched with even more force.

“Red!” Pinkie Pie let out a muffled squeal in delight behind the diamond prison, the horror in her eyes disappearing if only for a moment. “Thank Celestia you’re okay! You were gone for so long, I thought Storm might have....”

“....Okay? Okay?!” the dark stallion shot back at really no mare in specific. Applejack looked close to find that his eyes were filled with not only rage, but fear. “This is exactly what I was talking about before we left; being caught in the middle of a battle that I might not be able to save you from!”

The orange farm mare looked over to the perfectly calm and composed Notch, a tint of worry beginning to form in her own eyes. “But- Y’all can beat this guy, can’cha?”

Crimson sighed, trying to block out the fear with little success as he turned his eyes back towards his uncaring opponent. “....You girls have seen how strong Storm is. Take his power and multiply it by two.”

Applejack couldn’t help but cringe. “Golly... that strong?”

“No. Take all that and you still don’t have even half of this guy’s power....”

The intensity in the air was thick enough to snap a butter knife in two. Notch chuckled nervously, as all eyes were on him.

“Now you’re just exaggerating....” However, once the unicorn’s eyes scanned over Pinkie’s horrified features, a wave of seriousness crashed into him like a tsunami, returning his glare onto Crimson. “Pinkamena was a very close friend of mine, and I will not run the risk of letting her fall into this danger we have gotten ourselves into. Same goes for the rest of these mares here. So, I’m afraid I’m going to have to kill you.”

Pinkie Pie was too caught up in hyperventilating breaths to form a response for herself behind the thin diamond wall. Rarity caught this, putting a delicate hoof over her friend’s shoulder. “Now now, boys! Can’t we please just settle this like civilized gentlecolts...?”

Unfortunately, the fashionista’s pleas didn’t reach the black colt. Meanwhile, his fear slowly drained from his body and was replaced with a burning hot rage as his crimson orbs narrowed at his new opponent. “I don’t care if I die.... I’d rather die than hand them over to a pervert like you!”

“Red! STOP!”

But without a second thought, Crimson launched himself forward with enough time to ready his blade and stab the tip with all of his strength into unicorn stallion’s gut. Only a few of the mares managed to hold in their shrieks; Pinkie Pie shielding her eyes from the horror with her hooves as tears seeped down her cheeks. “No.... no no no no no no....”

“Is this really all you could muster? How disgustingly disappointing....”

The pink pony’s eyes snapped back to reality to meet the familiar voice. The white cloaked stallion stood, completely unmoved from his spot. Finally unfolding one of his arms from behind his back, Notch used a hoof to effortlessly pluck the ebony blade that had “stabbed” his clothed stomach, revealing a glimpse of a lining of diamond coating his gut.

“You tore a hole through my cloak. Now I’m really going to kill you....” Crimson couldn’t push the words past his lips, only watching in horror as a trail of glossy pink rock slowly engulfed his blade entirely. “I’ll simply repay the favor by shattering this pretty little weapon of yours into tiny little pieces. Nothing personal....”

And with a swift twist of Notch’s hoof, the diamond used to take over the sword’s steel shattered as he said, bits and pieces of the gem crumbling to the ground with a satisfying CRACK....

The sword, however, remained in one piece with not even a small scratch left over the ebony blade. ‘W-What in the hay?!’ Notch’s eyes widened with shock, ‘There’s no way! What is that thing made of....’

Without the slightest answer to Notch’s thoughts, Crimson slid his blade from the pink headed assassin's clutches and brought it back with a horizontal slash. Leaning his entire body to the side to perfectly avoid the blade, Notch’s next movements came as a blur to Crimson as his previously folded forearm smashed into the black colt’s jaw, sending him dragging heavily through the dirt.

Using a hoof to slow down and eventually come to a halt, Crimson rummaged through his belt, finding two shuriken that remained unused from his previous battle. They didn’t get far, however, when two pink spikes conjured from the ground sliced through the middle of the pony-sized throwing stars, but as the pieces landed into the dirt, what Notch didn’t see coming were the two smoke bombs going off with it....

Soon, a white mist of smoke surrounded a large chunk of the “battlefield”, not a pony in sight, or even sound, as Notch carefully scanned for any sign of an opening for when his opponent was going to stri-

FW-ISH!

TWACK!

The blade just barely missed the unicorn by the hairs of his coat, as did Notch’s counter punch, instead being blocked by the pegasus’ arm; the black colt leapt back into the smoke, he and the ebony blade disappearing in unison.

‘This ends now.’ Not a moment later, two small but thick cubes of pure diamond conjured on both sides of the light blue unicorn as they smashed onto the ground, enough force to create a small gust of wind to blow back the surrounding smoke. Once cleared, Notch’s vision was met with the tip of Crimson’s katana, only a few inches from splitting his skull open before he arched backwards to limbo under the blade. Backflipping to regain his balance, Notch looked back to find the now airborne black colt coming back for another go. “Psh. You should know the same trick won’t work twice on me.”

As Crimson neared to attack his opponent’s blind side, the cubes used to blow away the smoke began to gradually morph. The black colt’s strike was deflected by thin pink roots now protruded over Notch’s “blind side”. Flying back once again to avoid a death guaranteed stab from the diamond branches, the farther he flew, the farther the branches followed, as they fused into one incredibly long pink spear. Kicking off a nearby oak tree, Crimson leapt over the spear, just barely avoiding the same fate as the tree that saved his life, the spear cleanly pierced the bark behind him.

His brush with death wasn’t over, as numerous roots once again protruded from every bit of length from the twenty-pony long spear. He begun to rocket towards Notch once again, but the faster Crimson flew, the same went for the roots following him from his front and back. Though managing to slip through countless roots with his katana, several would succeed, even piercing through his cloak at a chance to break the skin.

Notch hadn’t moved an inch, not even bothering to turn around to face the action as he stood in place; one of his cocky smirks sprawled across his muzzle clear as day, or in this case, night. Crimson was only a few mere seconds from striking, his sword once again drawn at the ready. As he swung in effort to take off the prettycolt's head, one last root came from the very end of the spear and, despite being about as wide as a pencil, completely halted Crimson’s and his blade once they met.

“Dammit!”

The black stallion could only see one of Notch’s eyes illuminated through darkness, as the cocky colt still didn’t feel the urgency to move a muscle against his opponent, pissing off Crimson even further. But as their visions met, he noticed a split second movement in his opponent’s pink eye, as if it was trying to tell him....Look behind you.

Crimson’s eyes lit up with realization, looking back to find numerous roots still coming right at him. Flipping his sword around with desperate haste, most of the diamond roots clashed into the flat of Crimson’s blade with enough force to propel the stallion off of his wings and back first onto the ground, skidding with a grunt.

With a flash of pink light, the spear and it’s stems crumbled away at the will of Notch’s hoof. “And here I thought you’d be more of a challenge this time.” the unicorn shrugged, a thin smile still present over his muzzle. “You’re putting me to sleep here, Red-”

His hind hoof lightly tapping the ground, Notch turned around to witness a thin diamond pillar break through the dirt below for the end of the katana’s hilt to smack into, completely ending Crimson’s horizontal slash partway. With a swift high kick, Notch’s leg smacked into the hilt, sending it soaring what Crimson guessed was at least fifty yards into the air with no hope for it coming down anytime soon.

Once he broke his eyes away from his now airborne sword, Crimson received a mouthful of the unicorn’s punch, sending him sliding through the dirt once again. Only this time, he didn’t have time to counterattack as Notch delivered a light, but excruciating uppercut into his chin. He managed to stay on his hooves, but only because Notch wished it, landing another punch across the black colt’s cheek.

And another. And another. And another....

Proving too much of a challenge to even block, Crimson attempted to leap away to create some distance, not counting on a hard diamond surface shooting from the ground and smashing painfully against his side, sending him flying into a much heavier punch courtesy of Notch. His body barely got a chance to crash to the ground before another pillar rammed into his muzzle from underground, lifting his body off the ground as Notch pinned his chest up against a thin pink wall with only a single hind hoof.

“Simply flawless, wouldn’t you agree?” Notch’s smile contorted into something much more twisted as he pressed his hoof even harder against Crimson’s heart, triggering a small cough of blood from Crimson’s lips. “You and your sword have no chance against the beauty of my art. You can’t even produce a single dent; only I can will for it to break.”

As if on cue (knowing the cocky unicorn, it probably was), Crimson felt the wall against his back shatter, the force of Notch’s leg enough to launch the pegasus’ body bouncing until it rolled to a stop like a lifeless ragdoll.

Crimson gripped his chest tightly through his robes, breath becoming shallow as he felt he his consciousness slowly fading to black.

“Red, LOOK OUT!!!”

Without a second thought, Crimson quickly rolled in order to avoid what had crashed into where he had previously been laying. His eyes snapped open, the first color to greet their line of sight being pink; looking up, the stallion’s eyes grew twice their size once he caught two stalactites -not counting the one that already failed to kill him- twice his size floating above him, made entirely out of, you guessed it, diamond.

Crimson looked over to find the culprit hadn’t found it a necessity to act mobile, as he was still standing contently on his hind legs in the same spot as before. With a downward flick of the unicorn’s wrist, Crimson sprung to his hooves and leapt through the air with a small yelp escaping his windpipe, the spikes digging deep into the ground as he landed flat on his flank.

Pinkie Pie put her hoof over her chest, releasing her held in breath with a small smile. Applejack, on the other hoof, now looked as if she was finished holding her tongue. “Red, get off yer lil’ wrapped up butt an’ look up!”

Suppressing a groan, he followed the mare’s hoof with astonishment to find that his sword had gone quite a ways away, but was finally under gravity’s power once more as it fell with a whistle through the sky. One thing was for sure: he wasn’t going to last very long unarmed.

Climbing back to his hooves yet a second time, Crimson, with a single motion, flung his cloak into the forest wind, spread his wings, and made haste towards the spinning airborne katana. Notch gave an arrogant snicker, pink orbs following his victim as he soared futilely closer. Oh well, may as well have some fun with it~!

Crimson’s wings started to ache from how hard he was pushing them, knowing full well that he was paying the price for neglecting them so often. Just as his hoof stretched for the handle-

“Whoa-SHIT!”

If he had halted a second later, Crimson was sure he’d be riding the tip of the giant pink spike that created distance between him and his sword as it flew past....

Searching the skies, his crimson eyes locked with the now rapidly dropping sword. Not for long, however, as Crimson jerked his body away from yet another spike just barely skidding against the hairs of his coat; looking towards the ground he found a unicorn stallion giving a slow wave of his hoof....

With a growl, Crimson furled his wings shut and dropped like a rock, diving after the falling weapon as fast as gravity could take him. The stallion could feel the heavy torrent colliding with his mane as he began to trail his still falling sword, small tears forming in the corners of his eyes from the pressure of the winds. His hoof just barely grazed the surface of the handle and, once firmly in his grasp, Crimson let his wings jolt from his sides, just missing collision with a lengthy diamond spike now stuck in the dirt.

“I’m out of strategy's at this point.... if this doesn’t work....!”

And without a moment of hesitation, the sword was once again chucked through the skies, this time, with aim....

Notch’s smile never once wavered, his calculating pink eyes watching the rapidly spinning katana slice through the air as a result of all of the pegasus’ strength. With swift movement of his hoof, a patch of the ground in front of him shattered to reveal a wall of diamond making it’s way up until it was at least twice the pink maned stallion’s height.

The blade’s speed increased to the point where it was almost impossible to tell whether it was really a spinning sword, or a circular object. It drew closer, finally making contact with the massive wall with an ear piercing-

CLANK.

Much to the surprise of nearly everypony, the sword didn’t reflect back off the diamond surface. Quite the opposite; the gust emitting off the black painwheel shaved through the pink rock, finally reaching through and cutting the wall down to half it’s size. For the first time since trying to snap the sword with his own hooves, Notch’s eyes grew twice their size. The opposite being said for his pupils, now only noticeable as two small, pink pinpricks...

Without the time to express his disbelief, Notch leapt as far as he could from the spinning blade. Unfortunately for the prettycolt unicorn, it wasn’t enough, as the velocity of the gust around blade was enough to shred half of the unicorn’s face with it as it finally crashed to a stop....

“I.... can’t believe that worked....” Crimson stared intently at the ebony blade impaled into the earth. That was, until something else caught his attention from the corner of his eye. “Pink.... Glitter?” His blood red orbs traced the small trail leading back to the pink maned stallion, the black colt’s eyes expanding twice their size at what he was witnessing.

“It’s a good thing the small amount of diamond dust in my fur took most of the impact, isn’t it...?” Nearly half of the unicorn’s face was sparkling in the very same glitter; the petite, yet disturbing smile visible along the other half of his muzzle sending chills down the pegasus’ spine. Slowly floating away into the night sky, the pink dust finally faded much to Crimson’s horror. Even when reduced to a speck of dust, diamond was still the toughest mineral in all of Equestria....

“N-Not even a scratch....”

“Cheer up, Red. If anything, you should be thanking your lucky stars up till this point.... You could have left a nasty mark on my perfect face.”

In a neon pink light, the two halves of the split diamond wall began to crumble at Notch’s very will, this time resulting in the very same pink dust flowing through the wind and grouping together. His horn glowing like a magnet, more and more flecks of the diamond dust revealed themselves from the very blades of grass to join up with the enormous, ten-stallion tall floating sandstorm of dust towering only a few feet behind Notch’s withers.

“This entire battle has only been accumulating the amount of diamond dust from each of your failed efforts. Be honored that I’m only letting you see it now out of generosity,” Notch scoffed, the aura surrounding his horn flaring wildly as the storm of pink dust reacted in accordance. “However, you’ve just barely managed to perk my interests. So, as a token of my gratitude, I shall end this as quick as generously possible....”

And in a flash, a stream of diamond dust shot forward at speeds even the Crimson Shadow could just hardly leap away from. While still airborne, the black stallion noticed a few of the specks had begun to stick together and, a single hind hoof just barely touching the ground, Crimson jumped as far as he could from the pink spike of solid diamond protruding from the dust, back cracking against a nearby tree with a large thunk.

With not even enough time to regain the breath knocked from his lungs, Crimson somersaulted as far from the tree as he could before a large cloud of diamond dust separated itself from the the storm, engulfing the bark of the tree until it was nothing more than wood shaving in mere seconds.

Gawking would have to wait, as another nearing “dust” cloud seemed to catch Crimson’s eye; this time, however, it split apart, surrounding him like a mini twister. The eye of the pink twister becoming more cramped by the second, there wasn’t time to think as the pegasus darted for the sky before the center could shred him apart as easy as it did the unsuspecting tree.

The red liquid had begun to stain the grassy ground in drops, as it trickled down the black stallion’s haunches, shoulders, and cheek. Crimson gave a sigh in relief; it still beat being turned into wood shavings.

‘Not that it didn’t sting or anything....’ As Crimson scanned the area for a safe place to drop, instead he spotted his apparently invincible katana dug blade first into the dirt a few yards away.

‘That sword’s surprised me more than once this fight, and I’m running a tad low on my other tools....’

Charging as fast as his wings could carry him, and once again towards his trusty/lucky weapon, the cloakless colt could already feel another diamond dust strike not far behind. Tilting his vision behind his withers, a drop of sweat was beginning to form above his brow; the entirety of the diamond dust stream was tailing him at speeds that Crimson full well wouldn’t be able outfly for long. His heart receded into his stomach once he noticed the dust closest to catching up were beginning to meld back together into a pointed, solid diamond tip....

Plucking the sword embedded into the ground, Crimson made a complete 180 as the diamond made contact with the flat of the ebony blade, the two clashing with enough force to lift the colt off his hooves and into the sky once more. The amount of energy his wings exerted in attempt to force back the diamond dust proved to be futile as it pushed Crimson through the air, the solid tip of the stream looking to be more focused on snapping the blade, and less on the pony grasping it....

‘Hm... it looks as though you’re going to crack before that weapon of yours does. Am I right, Red?’

Notch’s voice echoed through Crimson’s head, no doubt the work of telepathy. Gritting his teeth, Crimson attempted to block the unicorn’s words out with the strength not being used to clasp onto his blade for dear life. He was tiring, and even with all of his muscle, the diamond had little to no difficulty forcing the pegasus through the sky.

If Crimson loosened his grip for even a second, he was finished.

‘Come now, I know you can hear me.’ The voice gave light chuckle. ‘Are you having trouble? Do you wish this would all just go away? Just like the rest of your remorseful past?’

A muted growl escaped the black colt’s lips. His crimson orbs dilated behind his animalistic eyes. It felt as though a fire raged between his ribcage, something he was all too familiar with....

Anger.

‘How pathetic. When it comes to facing up to your mistakes, you either run, hide, or kill. Each action proving you to be a weak, frightened, pathetic little coward.’

….Coward.

“Shut....UP!!!”

Everything began to slow down, finally coming to a screeching halt. More specifically, Crimson....

“......What-”

FOOSH!!!!

And in the blink of eye, the torrent of diamond dust burst in every which direction, littering the sky with the pink, glitter-like specks. And as the dust finally faded, only one pony stood in the middle of it all....

Fiery, blazed aura of crimson flames surrounded every fiber of the black pegasus’ body. As he brought a hoof into his sight, Crimson could only observe as the flames danced inches off of charcoal fur, watching as the the cuts still leaking of blood slowly vanished from his skin as though the colt was watching his own body fast forward through time itself. Or maybe time rewinding itself...?

His eyes grew as wide as everypony’s taking witness to... whatever the hell was even going on.

He felt like a machine; the cogs in his muscles being oiled to improve their function. It was so warm, as though he was wrapped under a blanket of fire without having to worry about actually getting burned....

It also felt as if he scarfed down around twenty bags of pure sugar in a row.

Crimson looked down at the katana in his other hoof, only to find even his katana wasn’t safe from the red flames that was his aura swaying around the black steel of the blade. And that’s when he remembered.

“So, the idiot finally manages to tap into his power.” Any sign of doubt on Notch’s face was quickly washed away with his usual coy smile. “A minor setback, since you barely look as though you have control over it. I’ll end this quickly....”

A small puff of smoke escaped the newly powered-up Crimson’s nostrils, the intensity of the flames flare powerfully enough to resemble that of a jet.

“I’ll... tear you.... apart!”

With only a single flap of his wings, Crimson rocketed towards the earth with an astonishing burst of speed, sword drawn at the ready, and flames coating the pegasus like a falling meteor. Once collided with the second stream, Crimson dodged the diamond dust as though it were second nature, tearing his blade alongst the side he continued his charge towards the pink maned unicorn.

Once he reached the end, Crimson scattered the rest of the pink dust with a flick of his sword, aiming his free hoof for the unicorn’s snout. Much to Crimson’s surprise, Notch managed to block the punch with a diamond coated forearm. Notch could already feel the surface begin to crack, however, as his hind hooves scraped through dirt Now it was his turn to feel utterly powerless. Or so Crimson thought, anyway.

It only took a simple maneuver of his hoof to redirect the black colt’s punch, as Notch smashed his hind leg into Crimson’s cheek with more than enough power to knock him straight through a nearby tree, snapping it in two and falling moments later.

“Imbecile. A small power-up will not change the inevitable.”

After a few seconds, Crimson lifted himself from off the ground and onto his hooves, a hint of pain hidden within his expression. Much to his disbelief, however, the last blow hadn’t hurt nearly as much as it very well should have. In Fact, he was hardly even worn down from the impact, or even the events prior from this battle considering. Quite the opposite.

“Ohmygosh! Are you okay, Red?! I mean, you just smashed through a tree! That must have felt owie! And can’t you feel that you’re on fire-”

“Y-Yes, Pinkie. Just fine....” Though Crimson couldn’t help but also ponder to himself about the coincidence of landing relatively close to the six mares once again. (Author’s note: The work of Comic Book/Anime logic!)

“I take it this is your first time consciously awakening your power?”

With that, Crimson removed his eyes from the flames and directed his attention towards the apparently mind-reading unicorn. That or he really wasn’t doing a good job keeping his thoughts hidden. “Um-What are you.... wha?”

“Like trying to strike conversations with a newborn foal,” Notch mumbled to himself, resisting the urge to sigh into his hoof. “Basically, the magic dwelling deep inside your body is leaking out and acting as a sort of steroid; magically enhancing your muscles two-fold, granting high speed regeneration, improving your natural reaction time, etc. And as you may already have already figured out for yourself, it also acts as a sort of armor to cushion certain blows, physical and magical included.”

“Excuse me for cutting in all, but what you’re saying is simply.... impossible!” Everypony’s attention shifted over to the lavender unicorn encased behind the pink diamond walls, while her’s was firmly locked on the double crossing unicorn stallion. “I know my magic, so I could tell you myself that pegasai and earth ponies can’t physically exert their magic in such a fashion. Especially without a unicorn horn to guide the magic stored in their bodies.”

“Well well, you’re quite a bright one! And you’d be right.... in most cases.” Twilight cocked a single brow, curious, yet at the same time irritated by the pink maned unicorn’s conceited grin. “However, Crimson happens to be an exception. Namely, the thing that would make him different would be that pretty little cutiemark of his. Thought I may not be an expert of the matter unlike a friend of mine, I do have enough particular knowledge on these marks to know what they can do.”

At that moment, the black stallion found himself staring down at his own cutiemark, finding that the usually yellow Taurus on his flank giving off a faint red glow. ‘Shit just keeps getting better and better....’

Twilight’s face screamed bewilderment, her violet eyes constantly flickering back and forth from the arrogant unicorn stallion, to Crimson’s cutiemark. “I.... I don’t understand. I’ve never read of there being a pony’s cutiemark granting them something like this....”

“I, for one, couldn’t give an Ursa Major’s ass at the moment....” The literally glowing Crimson chimed in, much rather in favor of saving the topic about his flank for another day. “If I want to know anything about this freakish cutiemark, I’ll kindly ask the all-the-more-qualified Glitch. Right now, I’d like to focus more on cutting out your throat!”

While putting the mares off edge, it seemed to trigger a short, yet surprisingly spine chilling laugh from Notch’s end, as more diamond dust had begun to float tightly around his white-blue coat. “And fall by the hooves of a weak little runt? I’ll pass....”

Through the midst of the bloodlust, Pinkie Pie couldn’t help but find herself tearing up once more. Who were these death hungry monsters intent on ripping each other’s hearts out? And where were the two stallions who she considered both to be her friends...?

It was hard to say which one made the first move, as both Crimson and the diamond dust disappeared from the naked eye in a flash. Grains of pink dust was blown in every which direction, revealing the literally fired-up Crimson standing post-swing in the middle of it all....

“I must say, I’m rather impressed,” Notch chuckled lightly, the calm in his eyes never wavering for even a second. “You seem to be getting the hang of this. Maybe I’ll have to step things up....”

Crimson said nothing, fixing his bloodthirsty stare on the unicorn as if he was attempting to burn through his skull. It wouldn’t have surprised anypony, as each swore on their life that they caught small, flickering red flames filled with fury matching Celestia’s Sun hidden behind the black colt’s crimson orbs as well. The last image anypony could catch was the pegasus pulling back his midnight black katana, the tipped end faced directly pointed at Notch as if it had been planning to puncher his heart from a (figurative) mile away.

And with a powerful torrent of wind replacing him, Crimson had rocketed at his prey with no intentions of holding back. Only to kill....

....And then he was back, muzzle planted first into the grassy dirt, only a few feet from where he started. One thing that was apparent, however, being the lengthy rut scared in the ground about a hoof wide tracing up to one of the black colt’s hind legs....

“....Ouch.”

A deep noiselessness flooded the air. Even the appreciator of silence could identify an awkward one had taken place without even plucking his snout from the dirt.

An he wasn’t sure he wanted to, either....

But as Crimson finally mustered the courage, the first thing caught in his line of sight were the pink eyes of the flamboyant unicorn, eyes half lidded and swelling with disappointment. “....Please tell me you’re joking.”

“G-Give me a break!” Crimson spat, a slight blush tinting his muzzle. “I’m not used to being able to move this fast! Of course I’m going to trip at least once!”

The disappointment on Notch’s face shifted into irritation, his eyelids clenching shut as the unicorn brought his forehoof back. “Don’t play with me, moron...!”

The unicorn throwing his hoof up, Crimson launched himself airborne from all fours to avoid the series of large diamond spikes that shot up under the where he last stood. A small, yet devious smile had began to form over the now flying pegasus’ snout.

“Let’s test how well your diamonds can keep up now, shall we?”

Tilting his head to avoid the pink spear that came from below, the remaining red flames disappeared along with the rest of the Crimson, Notch’s eyes just barely managing to keep up with the black colt speedily soaring closer.

The sparkling grains of diamond dust around the unicorn had begun to shift together, as multiple small solid spikes fired at break-neck speeds towards the nearing Crimson. Double ear-splitting CLANKs echoed through the forest once the first two spikes were knocked off course by the ebony blade of Crimson’s katana, the remaining losing their chance once the inflamed stallion seemingly vanished once again.

A single ear was bombarded with the sound of heavily sliding dirt; Notch turned his head to the side, instinctively leaping back to avoid the tip Crimson’s katana only barely whizzing past his face, the heat radiating off the black blade coated with flames feeling as though they would singe the hairs off his nose at any moment. With a motion of his hoof, a diamond spike, this time at least the size of a full grown stallion erupted from the ground, stabbed through what would have been Crimson had he still been in front of Notch....

THWACK!

The force of Crimson’s punch lifted Notch off his hooves as he launched face first through the air before dragging through the dirt with great speed. With the black colt’s newfound strength, it was rather astonishing to everypony when the still sliding Notch dug a forehoof into the dirt and flipped himself back onto his hind legs, halting only a few short seconds after. For a stallion so obsessed with appearances, he could really take a punch....

“You... have no idea... how long I’ve wanted to do that!” Crimson shouted short of breath, a victorious smirk plastered over his muzzle.

Notch was completely stoically still, eyes hidden behind his flowing, well groomed pink mane. It took a few seconds for Crimson to notice a light smoke coming from the unicorn, from where being revealed once Notch started brushing one of his forearms with a hoof, noticing the whitish blue fur on his arm had a hoof shaped splotch of burnt fur....

‘How could he have blocked that.... what is he?’

And he did not look happy. Revealing his vibrant, yet murderous pink eyes, even Crimson couldn’t ignore the chill slowly crawling up his spine. And where the small stain of red lay on the corner of his mouth.... was a smile.

“Ahaha! How does ‘death by missing heart and torn open ribcage’ sound? I am feeling a little adventurous myself.”

“No thanks. More in the mood for ‘charred fruit on a stick’.”

“Oho! But really, I suggest dropping the tough act. I wasn’t asking....”

“Enough is a enough, you two!” Rarity’s demand gave off power, yet still held an undeniable waver in her voice. “This fight is absolutely pointless! Two good stallions should never feel the need to try and kill each other....”

A small snicker escaped Notch’s lips. “I very much doubt you have enough knowledge on this barbarian to make such an assumption. You six- No. All of Equestria would be much better off without the company of such a beast running around.”

Crimson only retorted with a equine-like snort, although actual smoke puffing out was definitely not.

“I guess I can’t argue with you on that one,” the black colt spoke up nonchalantly. All eyes were on him, but, for once, payed no mind; his literally fiery red orbs focused solely with rage towards what would be his first kill for over a week. “But, it’s not like you could tell me with a straight face that you’re deprived of any sins against Royalty yourself. Eh, Blood-dyed Diamond?”

“Please.... please, just stop....” The pink mare’s cerulean eyes, even while tinted pink behind the diamond walls keeping her captive, held a noticeable murkiness, holding them almost stubbornly into red ones that didn’t look back. “There’s good in him, Red.... it’s clear, the same way I’m able to see it in you....”

There was a long pause in the stallion’s stance, only to finally to be broken once his sword was once again drawn at the ready. “If there ever was any good in him, it’s long gone now,” Crimson muttered metallicity. “Which means my overall karma couldn’t get any more sickening by dirtying my hooves in his blood, right?”

Before Pinkie Pie could get out another teary plea, the pink maned stallion’s laugh bellowed through the otherwise tame woods. “No matter how beautiful, we must all carry the price of sin, my sins being that I’ve held back on you up till now! Fortunately, I think you’ve more than earned it for being able to last this long.”

And in one swift motion of his hoof, the dirtied white cloak previously hiding the unicorn had been flung off into the air; Notch possessed a trim, muscled body the neck down, leaving a perfect blend of definition along his white blue coat, as well as being just the right slim to support it all. It was as though he was sculpted by the crystal ponies themselves.... Or at least that’s what Rarity’s mind had been preoccupied with. A stallion with a chiseled body was the least of Crimson’s concerns.

What really caught the blade-wielding pegasus’ attention was the strange pink symbol where the unicorn’s cutiemark should have been, and the fact that it had started to give off a faint pink glow....

“I’d feel honored if I were you, but at the same time, I really wouldn’t want to be you right about now....”

Placing one hind hoof in front of the other, Notch planted a single forearm across his chest in a gesture of respect, while the other folded behind his back as he dipped his torso into a bow. Starting from the brightening of his cutiemark, a vivid pink light began to emit closely over Notch’s fur, a matching aura sparkling over his horn. Crimson couldn’t help but feel a tinge of deja vu from his last fight....

FWOOOOOOSH!!!!!

That is, until the light left the unicorn’s body in an explosion of magic power. With the six mares trapped inside the sturdy prison walls of diamond, this left only Crimson to be pushed onto his flanks by the hurricane of wind that blew through the forest. The black colt didn’t waste haste to desperately dig his ebony blade deep into the ground, lest he join one of the many large oak trees being de-rooted from the very soil and flying off into every possible direction. Tears bleeding through the corners of his eyes from the powerful torrents, glimpses were all the winds would allow of the pink tower of flame-like magic igniting a good story or two over the very forest itself. The magic storm raged on for several minutes, but more like hours for the Crimson Shadow while his struggle not be swallowed by the tornado of the unicorn’s aura continued....

“Hang in there, Red!!!” the pink earth mare screamed, not even sure if her voice could reach the stallion of the violent winds. “Whatever you do, don’t let go!!!!”

“......EASIER SAID THAN DONE!!!!” Crimson kept his grip over the katana’s handle, but he wasn’t sure how much longer he could last when his hind legs left the ground. Even his flames weren’t safe from the storm, impressively, yet hardly staying lit over his fur as they danced in the sporadic motions under the storm’s whim.

“W-W-W-What’s going on, Twilight!?” Fluttershy turned to the master of magic herself, cowering and giving off a small “Eep!” with every loose tree that was thrown in her line of sight.

Twilight remained silent, her violet orbs never once trailing away from the catastrophic magical storm behind the impenetrable diamond walls. She worked her jaw for the right words, only for her mouth to close as quickly as it opened, feeling a bead of sweat roll down her temple.

“Twai’light?!” the farm mare looked at her friend with concern, making sure her voice was raised enough for the six mares to catch over the storm.” Y’all feelin’ alright?! Ya lookin’ like ya’ve seen a ghost!”

“I....” the lavender mare started. Her gaze traveling over the five mares waiting expectantly, she found enough courage to continue. “I-It looks- well, feels as though he’s creating the same aura burst Crimson. Just.... a lot, lot more powerful.... I’ve never heard of a unicorn with such powerful magic.”

“Pssh! What’s there to worry about?!” Rainbow Dash snickered as she waved a hoof. However, for the five mares, it wasn’t a challenge to see through the pegasus’ false bravado. “Crimson still has a chance to send this prettycolt running his sore flank right back to his rock farm!.... Or at least I hope so....”

A silence washed over the lavender mare once more.

Crimson let out a pained grunt; his hooves felt as though they were on fire.... well, more than they already were, anyway. Just as the charcoal pony felt his grip slipping further and further away from the base of his katana’s handle, everything at once just seemed to... stop.

Each second passing, Crimson could feel the winds soften, as well as gently let gravity lower his hind legs and many de-rooted trees back the soft, lush grass. His stomach, on the other hoof, took the full force of the re-adjusting gravity.

“HRK! I think I’m going to be sick....”

“Really, now? And here I thought you pegasai were used to this kind of pressure all the time.”

All eyes shot towards the small dust cloud only a few yards away, not that anypony had a hard time taking a guess at the voice. Once completely clear, it was revealed that the pink tower of pure magic had shrunken considerably, coming from his fur to only a foot or two tall than Notch himself. Shock pink in color, the aura held a similar resemblance to Crimson's flames; small, almost countless groups of glitter-like dust grains made purely of the aura sparkled from the tips of the “flames”, floating upwards only to fade into the air, seemingly endless amounts in their place remaining to repeat the cycle.

The sickening sensation in Crimson’s stomach had begun to migrate, every section of his body feeling heavy at the presence of the the cocky unicorn. Even just looking at him resulted in Crimson placing a hoof over his scalp where a brain pounding headache took place. ‘There’s no way; this definitely can’t be motion sickness...’

A short, but easily aggravating chuckle pulled the black colt from his thoughts, as his eyes quickly met with Notch’s now glowing pink orbs. “So, do you finally realize the gaps between the two of us?”

“How....” was all Crimson could get out before a grunt escaped from his throat, his vision now beginning to feel the after effects of the unicorn’s ‘transformation’ as his newfound lack of balanced forced him to his haunches.

“What, you thought you were the only exception to this spectral cloak?” Notch mocked, the smirk on his muzzle only widening further. “Any zodiac, hell, any pony with enough magic and enough control over their power could figure this out. I’ll bet that even Storm is on the brink of gaining control over it. Then you’ll really be left in the dust once he surpasses you.”

A growl was the only response Crimson could muster, though it was as intimidating as a whimper when compared to the opponent standing before him. This was easily going to be the toughest fight of his career yet...

“....Um, Twilight?”

The studious unicorn was broken of her glare towards the impending fight about to recommence. Her eyes now laid focus on the meek yellow pegasus, offering her attention as a signal to continue.

“It’s Crimson...” Fluttershy started back up with a hint of worry in her whisper-like tone. “You notice it, too... don’t you? He looks weak, almost as if he’s on the verge of.... fainting.”

Pinkie Pie’s ears drooped on response, drawing her gaze back towards the stallion only a few yards of their prison. “...Fainting?”

“There’s no mistake about it,” Twilight confirmed with a sigh. “It looks like Crimson is able to feel the effects of sensing magic, even when he- a pegasus- is defying the laws of magic doing so. However, it looks as though can’t handle a magic signature this great and powerful.”

“I don’t even specialize such a field, and yet his magic is starting to give me the worst headache.“ Rarity moaned as soft whinny escaped the white unicorn’s lips. “If I may ask, how is it that you have yet to succum to any of these symtoms, Twilight?”

“I’m more than used to taking in the magic around me. Crimson, however....” The lavender mare hummed into her hoof. If there was one theory that she could easily label fact by this point, it was the two combatants held a magic signature that were most definitely connected to each other in one form or another.

Almost similar to how the two royal princess’ shared a sisterly bond with their own magic....

It felt as though thousands of high-pitched violins were screeching through the confounds of the black colt’s brain. He... He had to get them out of here. There was no time to waste! He was more than strong enough to break through their diamond cage with his new-found power boost! If he didn’t act soon, the nausea he was sure was of Notch’s doing would soon overcome him.

Without so much as a warning, Crimson poured every ounce of his enhanced speed into one powerful dash with the help of his wings. Drawing only half a second near, he prepared the blade of his sword for a mighty swing-

CRACK!!!

Before he knew what had literally hit him, the pegasus was lifted off the ground by the impact of Notch’s kick, sending Crimson soaring at speeds he couldn't even achieve on his own. If it weren’t for the purely flame-like magic cloak shielding his entire body, Crimson estimated by sheer pain alone that at least three of his ribs would have been shattered into pieces.

What left the largest feeling of aftershock, however, was that he never even sensed the unicorn move from his spot-

THHH-WACK!!!

An excruciating jolt of pressure shot through the black colt’s now numbing foreleg, as a twin kick from the untrackable Notch completely knocked Crimson’s entire body off course an entire ninety degree angle. One after another, Crimson could feel the sting of entire trees completely snap in two against his back; the sheer pain alone caused the pegasus to lose count of how many trees had fallen at the might of a single kick, and all without losing a hint of momentum.

Once the trees had finally stopped coming, the sting against his back was then replaced as his body shredded through the grassy dirt of the forest floor; after flailing against the earth as though he were a pebble skipping in a lake, the sliding had begun to slow until Crimson’s body had officially come to a stop.

Sore was a word nowhere close to describing what traveled through the inflamed stallion’s body. Coming close to dropping back onto his withers, Crimson had succeeded in sluggishly balancing himself on his hooves. Though he could at least bend it, the foreleg opposite to the one holding his katana had almost felt asleep with the pain riddling through it with each movement...

“And you even managed to keep a grip onto your sword after your little “ride”....”

Crimson’s attention was immediately caught by the series of snickers coming from the whitish-blue unicorn standing only six feet behind him, all the while forcing Crimson to only guess how not a single sound of his movements were heard. Infact, Notch was not even facing his direction...

“It looks as though you still have some fight left into you. How stubborn.”

With a raised forearm, the black blade came to a complete halt against the diamond coating Notch’s arm, not even showing a sign of cracking against the power of Crimson’s powered up strength. All the while, Notch still showed no sign of even looking in the same direction as his “opponent”....

“You ended up stopping in such a nice location. Go on. Look. I would stoop so low as to attack in mid speech, unlike yourself....”

Hesitant at first, Crimson let his eyes wander around him, finding the two to be standing in the middle of a large prairie surrounded by only rows of trees as far as his equine eyes could see that led back into the forest. Somewhere just among the trees was a rocky cliff; towering over the many trees of Everfree, though small compared to many found in Equestria. Rays of white light shone up above from Princess Luna’s satellite in the sky, the Moon, reflecting beautifully over the motionless waters of a pond just in the distance. If not for the current scenario at hoof, the black colt would have definitely see this as a nice, soothing, and -most importantly- quiet location to get some long-needed training done. He made a mental note to seek this place out once more if he... well.... survived long enough to.

“It’s... quite a view, I’ll give you that,” Crimson finally spoke, turning his attention back towards the smug unicorn. “But it matters not to me where we finish this senseless fight. I just want to see your guts spill in the dirt quickly as possible!”

“Oh, but it does matter you see...” With one casual swing of his hoof, Notch swatted the ebony blade with almost enough force to make the pegasus lose his grip. And with another swift motion, a series of large pony-sized spikes elevated off the ground and shot at Crimson just as he leapt a yard back.

Despite the thick coat of red flames dancing just over Crimson’s fur, it had still failed to prevent the small droplets of blood seeping from the thin cut on his chest and staining the blades of grass before his hind hooves.

Notch calmly continued with a sneer. “This grassy plane shall become the perfect location for your grave. The legacy of the infamous Crimson Shadow will cease to continue from beyond this point on, and the blood from your wounds shall feed the soil’s thirst, which is more than what you have ever accomplished anyway. But don’t worry.... as a commandment to getting this far, I shall see your death be as... artistic as possible....”

********************************************************************************************************

Twilight groaned in frustration as she rubbed a hoof at the base of her horn. “Ooohhh, this barrier is too powerful! I can’t force my way through, not even with a portal. Logic would dictate that this barrier, while above and around us, shouldn’t be able to fully trap us, but we are definitely trapped in something more closely resembling a three-dimensional squircle—”

“A what?”

“—a round-edged square, the name is a cross between ‘square’ and ‘circle,’ but that’s not the point,” Twilight groused. “The point is that if we were to dig downwards, then we’d find a floor made up of this diamond. This is a more perfect magic-made prison than the Quick-Snap Entrap and Clean Wing Zap spells that Golden Iris the Paranoid created.” She began rubbing at her horn again, wincing in pain. “And not only that, but the more magic I use, the more this shield drains away. I’ll be unconscious within about a half hour if I continue like this...”

“Hey, who’s that?” Twilight looked up, irritated at Pinkie’s sudden shout.

“Pinkie, we don’t have time to play guessing games, I need help thinking of a way to get out of this thing so we can help Crimson and find Storm!”

“Working on the first bit, Twilight, but I think the second part’s been done already! Look!” Twilight groaned again as she shoved her way over to the opposite side of the group’s enclosure.

Just as she was about to berate Pinkie, however, she saw something that made her jaw drop open. Slinking along the outer edge of the forest trail’s perimeter was a pony wearing a strange outfit. On that pony’s back was...

“STORM!” Twilight jumped a bit, her elation only to be replaced by worry when she noticed his condition. “Excuse me! Excuse me,” she called out to the garbed pony, “over here! Please listen!”

The colt stopped in his tracks and looked surprised when he noticed the group of girls. He crept closer, until he was right up on the opposite sides of the diamond prison. “Maidens fair, what have you to do in a dangerous area like this? The nefarious Crimson Shadow is in the area, as well as the Blood Diamond, though you seem to have met at the least one of them already.”

“Yes,” Twilight replied with a small frown. “How is Storm? Is he alright? Where are you taking him?”

The masked pony tilted his head as if to show confusion, and then seemed to remember the pony on his back. “You mean the Celestial Guard? I hold no ill will for keepers of the peace, and though I would like to face against the Crimson Shadow in battle, current events have put me in a position where that does not seem possible. So, I was going to do what I could for a not-quite-ally.”

The mares all looked at each other, realizing that this colt, whoever he was, was apparently yet another of the fighting types. Twilight’s brow furrowed. “But wait, if you are a fighter, then how was I unable to sense your aura? When Wild Card came to town, I hadn’t been able to sense his aura until he started attacking, but I’ve been honing my senses; I should have noticed you from a few miles away!” A distant explosion and a loud roar echoed from a ways away, where Crimson and Notch were fighting, and it looked like Crimson was losing.

The masked colt nodded, seemingly happy to have (almost) snuck under Twilight’s nose. “It is because of my clan’s gi. It is woven from spider’s silk and Faefell root cloth. Even an aura as strong as the Crimson Shadow’s would be undetectable if he were to wear one. Luckily, the Akuma only use those simple cloaks. While similar in design, they do not allow you to stay hidden for as long as a full gi can.”

The colt’s chest puffed out with pride. “And not only that, while the aura cloak that the Crimson Shadow has activated is an impressive spectacle, the gi I wear absorbs aura energy from the outside and gives me a slight power boost, while also containing my own aura, helping me to heal faster and fight longer.”

Twilight put a hoof to her lips, the gears in her head spinning faster and faster as she absorbed the information. “Aura-dampening and draining...” Biting her lower lip for a second, she suddenly smiled. “Girls!” She jumped around to face her friends, a wide smile on her face. “I know how we can get out of here!”

Author's Notes:

I feel that I should apologize for my long gap between updates. You haven't a clue how bad I feel for neglecting you guys for so long, it's increadibly pathetic of me....

A few things (not excuses, mind you); fight chapters are harder to write for in all honestly, and Mac has been rather busy to the point where we can barely even talk anymore, so this chapter is about 98% me only.

Also want to say that I'm not that happy with this chapter, mostly because I think it came out much cheesier than I would have wanted it to be (which can be said about this fic in generally, honestly). Don't fear to tell me if this was a bad chapter (if you even READ all 10,000 words...), I'll understand.

I guess all I have left to say is that I hope you enjoy this chapter at least half as much as the pain it was to write it.