Spike was aghast at the sights before him. Deep within the heart of the volcano, blistering with heat and the air reeking of brimstone, he saw that it wasn't just Dogs but also some griffons, a few dragons, and even ponies working in forced labor as they mined ore, minerals, and gems in the most miserable of conditions.

And there, Infurya stood with remorseless pride and satisfaction of the operation running smoothly.

"Quite a sizable work-force, I know," Infurya chuckled imperiously, "petty criminals, trespassers, those running from debt, all made to serve a purpose to answer for their misdeeds and eventually work off their debt to dragon society.

"It seemed counterproductive to simply put lawbreakers to death or leave them lazing away in jail cells, so I figured, why not get some use out of them?"

"You can't be serious!" Infurya looked to Spike, who was glaring at her, "I don't care what you might call it, Infurya! This- This is slavery!"

"Oh perish the thought, Young Spike," Infurya waved off his protest, "slaves are the conquered masses dominated by a superior civilization. These are undesirables being made to be productive in order to atone for their wrongdoings."

"Wrongdoings?! Like what, protesting? Complaining? Being in the wrong place in the wrong time?!" Spike's words were beginning to rub Infurya the wrong way. "And trespassers?! How many of these creatures were found in your Territory and brought here without just cause or being given a chance to defend themselves?!

"I'd wager they're all regarded as missing from their hometowns, and you'd rather they stay here forever working for you because it'd look pretty bad for you if any of them ever told what happened to them here! What you're doing is crimes against sapient creatures!"

"I am the Dragon Lord of Dradea..." Infurya responded with a rising edge of warning as she turned to face Spike, raising her winged arms to emphasize herself, "I am the Law around here! These creatures committed offense and so they shall answer for it."

"You mean they answer to you when they don't have to!" Spike pointed in accusation.

"Measure your next words carefully, dragonet..." threatened Infurya, "I invited you here-"

"To take advantage of me!" Spike interrupted, "You're not interested in friendship or building alliances, you just want power!

"Ponies and other creatures have always feared and avoided dragons for simple, obvious reasons, but you're everything other creatures say are wrong with dragons and more! You're a tyrant, a monster!"

"SILENCE!!!" roared Infurya, her voice echoing throughout the mine, causing every enslaved miner to flinch and freeze in fear. "I've tolerated your incessant blather and whining long enough! I offer you a choice, Spike: Join with me... or be made to serve."

For a long and tense moment, Spike and Infurya held each other's burning gaze until Spike answered with an unyielding, "No."

Furrowing her ridged brows, pulling back her lips to snarl, Infurya flexed her claws, her Bloodstone Necklace pulsing with her every heartbeat, as she focused her magic into her claws... before she lunged forward, her claws poised to wrap around this insolent dragonet's throat- * BRZZZZLT *

"RRRAAAUUGGHH!!!" Infurya jumped back and shuddered as she held her claws to her face, feeling a painful sensation like pins and needles so intense her claws were shaking in pain and severe discomfort.

Spike had barely been able to prevent himself from flinching when Infurya had tried to attack him. But then a ripple in the air in front of him glowed before Firestorm appeared, his horn alit with blistering mana as he gave Infurya an insolent smirk.

Seeing the unicorn, Infurya snarled, "How dare you inflict harm upon a Dragon Lord, you insignificant little nothing?!?!"

"I dare quite easily," Firestorm responded, "and it seems I was right to be suspicious."

Channeling her magic to soothe her aching claws, Infurya glared murderously, "I will have you flayed alive and then slowly roasted for this outrage!! You will beg me for death..."

"I'm afraid the only thing I'll be begging is your pardon," Firestorm scoffed, "because, I challenge you, Lady Infurya, to a Dragon's Duel!"

"Ha! A Dragon's Duel? Why would I ever entertain such a ludicrous challenge from a creature who isn't even a dragon?" Infurya scoffed back but lacked in humor.

Firestorm responded first by levitating a scroll with the Sigil of the Dragon King's Court to Infurya, who took it in her claws, looked it over... and found herself beginning to grow nervous when Firestorm stated, "Because I'm not giving you a choice."

"Uh..." Firestorm looked to Spike, who dumbly asked, "What's going on here?"

"Well, Spike, I have just issued Her Grace here a challenge and shown she cannot refuse it," Firestorm explained, "because even as we speak, my mentor, a representative of the Dragon King's Court, is on her way here to act as... well, something like a referee to oversee our duel."

"Y-Your Mentor?!" Infurya snarled incredulously, "What self-respecting dragon would mentor a pony?! Much less a representative of the king's court!!"

"I'm reasonably sure you at least know of her, Your Grace," Firestorm gave Infurya a horseapple-eating grin. "The most famed dragon sorceress of her generation, Lady Singescale."

Infurya felt her fire lose some of its heat as her eyes widened in abject horror.

"She should be here very soon," Firestorm nodded, "and she'll be expecting to oversee a... friendly duel between you and her old student."

Infurya shook with a most tense fury, barely able to keep hold of herself as she took a deep breath, stood to the full of her height, and seemed to temper her temper before giving Firestorm a look of cold and calculated focus, like a cutting torch.
"Very well, General. I accept your challenge..."

By Infurya's order, Amber led Firestorm and Spike to the Burning Rock Arena, located in the heart of the right volcano. It was an impressive feat of architecture, with seating, steps, and private boxes carved out of volcanic rock while the arena itself was a vast and circular expanse in the middle with random rocks and boulders here and there to mimic the appearance of a rocky environment, looking to be about two times the expanse of the field within the Crystal Empire's coliseum. Surrounding the arena was a moat of molten and bubbling hot lava!

"This is the arena?!" Spike was instantly afraid for Firestorm, who seemed pretty casual about this whole thing.

"Eh, I've seen worse," commented the old warhorse with an unconcerned shrug.

"You've see- ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!" Spike flabbergasted at his escort, "Firestorm! Infurya is going to kill you!! How are you not scared?!"

"Relax, kid, I've faced many dragons and while I admit to there being a few close-calls," Firestorm consented before boasting, "none have ever gotten the best of me!"

"ARGH!! What is Infurya even doing anyway, she said she had to prepare?!" Spike threw his claws up into the air.

"The Lady has fought duels before, sirs," Amber spoke up, "and she always strides into battle with her armor freshly scrubbed of any rust, dust, and polished to shining perfection.

"Many dragons have witnessed her Magnificence in the arena and those who faced her had the... pleasure of such a sight being the last thing they saw in this world."

Amber's implication made Spike gulp that he placed his claws on Firestorm's front, giving him a pleading look, "Firestorm, please, let's just go! I'm sure with your mentor's help we can get away without anything bad happening."

"I threw down the gauntlet, Spike," Firestorm shook his head, "To flee from a challenge I issued would be cowardly and disgraceful. I will not live with such a stain on my honor."

"There has to be another way, Firestorm! I mean..." Spike backed away and looked downtrodden before taking a deep breath. "Firestorm, with all due respect... you're not exactly a young stallion anymore."

"Ouch, just ouch. You wound me sir," Firestorm said, feigning like he'd been shot with an arrow at Spike's words.

"That's not what I meant!" Spike waved his arms in the air in frantic panic. "I'm just saying that, it's been a while since you've seen real combat."

"So that battle with the changelings was what, a little sparring match?"

"You had other soldiers there to help you!"

"Spike, I get what you're trying to say. But I have to do this. My moral compass points me this way and I choose to follow it as I have throughout my life. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a potion to brew," Firestorm said before leaving Spike with Amber as they watch the old stallion walk down the set of stairs towards the entry to the arena.

Spike stifled a worried whine while Amber gave him a look and said, "Pardon me for saying so, young sir. But it seems ponies can be rather stubborn."

"Ugh, you have no idea...!" Spike prayed to Faust that this would end well.

Infurya tapped her feet impatiently, her foot claws emphasizing her loathing to wait with loud and unsettling clicks on the stone floor, as she waited for her clawmaidens to clean and polish her battle gear.

"FASTER!! I have an insolent challenger I am verily eager to put in his place," snarled the ornery dragoness.

"Sheesh, even the king knows that patience is a virtue, Infy."

Infurya startled and whipped around to see a dragoness in her chambers. She was of Drake descent and noticeably younger and shorter than Infurya, with burning yellow scales, a fiery orange frill on her head that extended down her spine to the tip of her tail, she wore a heavy brown traveling cloak, and her eyes were narrowed mischievously at the Lady of Dradea.

"Singescale..." Infurya seethed, steam wisping out of the corners of her mouth. "You have truly a brazen nerve to intrude upon my private chambers..."

"Eh, I prefer to think of it as an adventurous spirit," Singescale shrugged as she began to amble around the chambers, her eyes wandering over the opulent furnishings with little interest.
"Besides, you're one to talk..."

The look Singescale gave Infurya caused the Dragon Lord to feel a burning in her guts that stifled with just an inkling of fear.

"I... I'm not sure I follow whatever it is you're implying," Infurya played dumb, only for Singescale to tsk-tsk in response.

"Come now, Infurya, I would prefer an honest chat," Singescale waved a foreclaw in an ah-ah-ah manner, "not to mention, I would appreciate you not think me stupid to fall for a sad attempt to feign ignorance. You're in quite the pickle, you very well know."

"I- I simply invited a fellow dragon to my home for a friendly visit," Infurya insisted, only for Singescale to raise a skeptical brow before she held up her claws and a parchment appeared in her grasp via a burst of magical flames.

"Inviting a dragonet who has no right to act as a representative of a foreign nation to a diplomatic meeting, without the approval of His Majesty's Royal Court," Singescale read with a fake pair of reading glasses that she didn't need but it served to play up the drama, "admitting to holding dozens of creatures as well as dragons against their will and forcing them into labor, than attempting to harm the dragonet you invited on the pretense of diplomacy...

"Mm-mm-mmm, you have been a very naughty dragoness," Singescale smirked at the seething look of barely-contained fury on Infurya's face. "But, seeing as you're about to engage my old pupil in a Dragon's Duel, I suppose we can come to an agreement..."

The long and awkward silence that followed rubbed Infurya's scales the wrong way that she snapped, "FINE! What kind of agreement?!"

"As you are aware, I will be acting as the referee between you and Firestorm," Singescale noted, "If my old pupil wins, you will not take revenge upon him or Spike, or anyone else they care about, whether directly or indirectly, which includes acting through someone else.

"Furthermore, you will release all of the creatures you've enslaved, and neither you nor anyone you command or employ may do harm or otherwise against the citizens of Equestria. Should you be so foolish as to ignore my warning and break these conditions, I will personally give damning evidence of your misdeeds to the king, and you know how unfavorably he looks upon such transgressions. Especially from one of your position..."

Snarling, Infurya scoffed, "So be it, you insipid sorceress! But when I am triumphant over that pack animal you had the lack of self-respect to mentor, I will-"

"Receive all the information you're looking for... from me!" Singescale raised her claw while interrupting Infurya.

"You?!" Infurya gave Singescale a skeptical glare.

"Me. As it so happens, I recently co-published a book on dragon culture with Princess Twilight Sparkle," Singescale shrugged as though it were no big deal, "and the dear was happy to share Equestrian culture and information with me in return. Including knowledge of their armed forces..."

"Hmm," Infurya gave Singescale a shrewd look but for some reason she believed the younger dragoness.

"However..." Singescale pointed a claw at Infurya, "I expect you to engage Firestorm in a fair duel. No foul play, no dirty tricks, otherwise..."

Singescale moved her pointing claw to an oil painting portrait of Infurya and launched a gout of golden Dragonfyre that slowly but absolutely burned the painting to ashes so thin it was as if it was incinerated into nothingness!

Infurya tensed up while Singescale poked, "Get the picture?"

Infurya narrowed her eyes and nodded, "Verily..."

“Hey Firestorm, can I ask you something?” asked Spike as he watched the old stallion slowly turn a small cooking pot before him.

“You already did.” Firestorm replied with a smirk. “But go ahead, what's on your mind?'

“What did you mean, your moral compass points this way?”

“Well, to put it simply my moral compass is a set of rules I go by. Something that guides my actions to this day,” Firestorm explained as he pulled out orange-gold petals that he tore up and let them sink into the purple concoction. Spike watched as the goo began to bubble more and more as sparks of magic popped from it.

“You mean like my dragon laws?”

“In a way, but you've got to make sure that your laws change and adapt with the times. Where they grow with you.” Firestorm clarified while adding in some kind of powders to the mixture.

“Is this all why you decided to face Infurya?” asked Spike, finally voicing the big question on his mind.

“Yes. The real test of it all is, can you stand by your moral compass to protect those you care about or do you put it aside?” asked Firestorm solemnly, lifting the pot and slowly dumping the contents into a mug.

“Put it aside?” echoed Spike, not understanding.

“Do you put your morals aside or do you follow them?” asked Firestorm more clearly before drinking the mix. After swallowing it down, he shivered, “I really need to work on the taste...”

“What is that?”

“Let's call it the 'oil' for my moral compass. It helps me follow it with fluidity,” answered Firestorm, looking it over the empty mug before setting it down. “Spike, go ahead and head up to the stands. At the first sign of trouble, I want you to stick with Singescale. Do you think you can do that for me?”

“Yes, but...” Spike said, watching Firestorm pack up all the pots and mugs before handing the bag over to Spike and pulling out a locket from a pouch, sliding it on.

“Good.” Getting up and turning towards the door, Firestorm looked back at Spike with a solemn smirk on his face as he said, “Once more into the fray, my friend.”

Spike followed Firestorm out of the room until parting towards the stands while Firestorm made his way into the arena. Walking towards the center, he saw a bunch of dragons in the seats around the arena. The arena itself was designed much like Infurya's castle. Turning towards the main box was a large imposing throne and upon it sat Infurya.

“I will admit, I'm a tad surprised you didn't turn tail and run when you had the chance,” she sneered down at the lone pony as she got out of the throne and walked towards the edge pf the box.

“What can I say, my mother told me to follow-through on my word,” Firestorm shot back with a grin. “So the question is, is the wannabe queen able to hold up to her word or is this just a dog and pony show?”

That got Infurya's eye left eye to twitch, giving Firestorm cause to smirk, “Did I touch a nerve?”

“Not at all. What kind of dragoness would I be if I let a little petty poke at my pride get to me...” Infurya shrugged it off while doing some stretches. Firestorm gave a look of not being impressed by her little display.

“Regardless, how is the victor decided in our match?” he asked.

“The match is decided when one or the other can no longer continue or if one gives up,” Infurya responded as she lifted herself into the air and slowly descended towards the arena.

“I can agree with that.” Firestorm rolled his shoulders, glad they weren't feeling stiff.

“Then the match starts at the bell,” Infurya declared, Firestorm nodding to it.

Almost immediately, Infurya used her tail to smack a small rock that she tossed over her shoulder, right at the bell causing it to ring out, signaling the match to start. Not missing the chance, she started blasting a large gout of fire down at the stallion.

Already catching onto her cheap shot, Firestorm's horn lit up as he raised a slab of stone out of the arena floor to block the oncoming flames. Reaching out with his magic, he began pulling all of the loose rocks from the arena nearby. Noticing it wasn't enough, he began to focus on the ground around him. The once volcanic hard rock began to soften into thick mud that rose into the air. It slammed towards him before forming a thick dome. Infurya, getting angry, reached down and grabbed the slab of stone. With a quick lift and toss, she saw the dome where the stallion was standing before.

“Do you really think you can hide in a dome like that?” she scoffed while cracking her claws and took the brute force method.

With massive force, she brought her clawed fist down on the dome shattering it into pieces. But instead of the pulpy mess she expected that would have been the remains of Firestorm, she found it empty.

“What the?” she uttered before hearing something large hurtling through the air. Flapping her wings, Infurya took to the air to just in time to notice the large rock that was flying towards her. She barely had enough time to react and evade it, though she felt the wind rush past her from how close it had been.

“You little-” Infurya turned towards where the rock had came from, and saw twenty stone figures standing there. All of them clad in matching full body armor that looked like it obscured every part of the pony in them.

“I thought this was supposed to be one-on-one,” Infurya furrowed her brows.

“Oh, it is one-on-one...” all of them in the same voice as Firestorm. Next to each of them floated a thick stone war-hammer. “But the question is, which one is that one?”

“You think you're being cute yo-” was all she got out before the figures all interrupted her in unison.

“Bitch, I'm adorable!” they all said as Infurya could just hear the smirk on his smug face. “So what happened to showing this pony his place?”

“You smug little-” was what she got out before a second rock flew up from under her and slammed into her belly sending her on to her back.

“You miserable rodent!” Infurya seethed with fire in her eyes as she flipped around and charged at the group of stone figures.

Some of them were thrown hard against the wall, shattering them into pieces with lava dripping from them. In seconds they reformed with the lava returning back into the core of each of figure. They then turned and swung at Infurya with their war-hammers, some of them hitting sensitive spots and others just beating against the hardened scales of her body. Infurya in turn grabbed two of them and slam them together shattering them into pieces before throwing what remained into a nearby lava pool. Once she did that, she spun `round and did the same to the next two.

What she failed to notice was, the much larger one forming behind her till she was down to the last two. So she never saw the massive Warhammer make an underhanded swing that sent her flying heavily into the wall. Enough so that the impact itself snapped a bone in her right-wing. With a heavy thud, she hit the ground before looking up at the figure.

“Something wrong?” the larger stone figure asked as it holds the war-hammer against his neck almost mockingly.

“Oh, I'm going to relish searing that smugness from you...!” she growled, getting up before she unleashed another torrent of flames at the figure.

But this time she focused her flames instead of a wider blast. She closed her mouth focusing it more to a point, which forced it to burn hotter. Slowly as the figure moved closer the once-solid stone began to glow brighter till it began to liquefy before her. What Firestorm didn't expect was Infurya to reach deep into the lava pool and grab onto the obsidian sphere that was deep within it.

“And look at what I found!” She began to squeeze on it.

Firestorm looked up as he focused his magic on the figure and the two shields he was keeping around him. One inside the obsidian sphere and the second on the outside of it.

“I'm not that easy.” he responded defiantly as he willed the figure to throw his war-hammer at Infurya. She reached up with her free claw and grabbed it, causing Firestorm to grin. “Checkmate.”

The war-hammer began to glow with runes etched on the head. In seconds the war-hammer exploded sending shrapnel that ended up tearing into her other wing and marred some of her scales.

“Okay... that is it! No more missus nice dragon!” she snarled as she grabbed onto her Bloodstone Necklace.

Magic began to glow and surround her as she began to increase in size. Her grip around the sphere increased as she was able to grab it like a baseball.

“This time I'm ending it.” she rumbled while tightening her grip.

This caused cracks within the outer shield. Firestorm felt the cracks form and instead of reinforcing the outer shield. He focused on the inner one drawing the ambient magic from the lava to help feed it. This forced the obsidian sphere to grow around Infurya's claws.
“You think making it harder for my claws to move is going to stop me from crushing you? Then you have another thing coming...!”

Firestorm watched in horror as his outer shield shattered and the obsidian crack as lava began to touch the inner shield. He continued to pump magic into his shield and drew it from the lava, trying to seal up his protective case. It was all he could focus on. He watched as the shell would crack and reform. Over and over and over, so many times he lost count as he began to tap heavily into his own mana as the shield around him was almost four hooves thick. Just enough for him to press his hooves against it. In seconds the obsidian cracked one more time and before he could reseal it Infurya reached in further and had a hold of the last standing shield between him and death.

On top of that, the heat from the lava was now affecting him directly causing his vision to blur.

“Say goodbye... little... pony!” she snarled with a bloodthirsty grin as she tightened her grip.

The last shield cracked before Firestorm's eyes all the way through as lava began to trip lightly into the bubble. With a push of magic Firestorm horn who was already rocking a massive over glow of burning orange magic suddenly began to radiate blue as the center of it began to turn a shade of white.

Crunch.

Spike watched in horror hearing the sound echo throughout the arena. Everyone there fell silent watching the match. Not one of the dragons watching ever saw someone go toe-to-toe with their Lady, Infurya. Even Singescale watched on with a sense of unease as she stood beside Spike throughout the whole match so far.

Infurya's power retreated as she felt the last shield give way. She decided to let the remains of the stallion's body burn to oblivion in the lava. She grinned as she turned to see the stone figures collapse into rubble or crumble into dust on the ground.

“And so we come to the natural conclusion of this farce,” she said with an arrogant smile as she raised her claw in victory.

What she didn't expect was for the lava pool behind her to erupt as something burst out of the liquid earth.

Infurya turned in time to watch all of the lava around the arena turn into solid obsidian. Then it began to compress and smooth out as if it was polished stone. It took the shape of a massive dragon that even dwarfed any wyrm in Infurya's territory. Its right eye began to glow blue as it glared down and took a swipe at the Dragon Lord, who quickly dove out of the way.

“What in the name of Drakon?!?” Gazing up at this monstrosity before her, fear began to set into Infurya's bones. The only one who rivaled this creature's size was the king of dragons himself.

“Not Drakon...” The massive monolithic monster growled as he took another swing.

This she dodged as well but what she didn't expect was it opening its palm and sending out a pulsing wave of electricity throughout the battlefield, which she was unable to dodge in time. Currents of energy tore through her body, disrupting and agitating her nerves, leaving Infurya in pain so excruciating she couldn't even hear herself scream.

The figure then slammed its massive paw onto Infurya, pinning her to the floor of the arena. The spectators watched as the Lady of Dradea struggled in vain to free herself. The pressure was so heavy on her chest she could barely breathe.

“Something to say? Spit it out then.” mocked the monster before picking Infurya up and then throwing her across the arena, where she slid against the ground.

“You're no dragon!” she angrily spat as she struggled to stand but could only get up onto one knee as she'd expended much of her strength and mana. But she still had a few tricks up her sleeve. She reached up and grabbed her Bloodstone Necklace and concentrated, the Bloodstone beginning to glow an intense red.

She then pointed her gaze at the golem dragon as she took a deep breath... and then opened her mouth. Right then and there, a large blast of blistering magic blasted out like a cannon and shot at the obsidian dragon. It soared through the air and before it could connect, the dragon swung down at it, knocking it back to her. Still holding on to her necklace Infurya focused her magic and swiped her claw out as if to bat it back and that's exactly what it did as Infurya's magic did the work while she guided it.

This went on as they played a very dangerous game of tennis with a magical ball of death.

Wham, wham, wham, each smack back and forth was punctuated with another wham. Trying to outplay it Infurya fired a second ball of magical death. Right when the draconic figure punched the ball back, it connected with the second. The impact caused both of them to explode, almost engulfing it. Infurya grinned before it turned to horror as within the obsidian wasn't just another fake figure, but rather a mutated one.

“Did you miss me?” asked an irritatingly familiar smug voice as Firestorm appeared out of the obsidian armor shell.

With a flick of magic, he began to pull off all of the obsidian as it formed around his once forelegs and claws. His right foreleg was no longer a prosthetic. It had changed into an organic limb that was scaled mostly red with golden trim and bore actual claws, but those of a dragon. His hoof had also become draconic claw. His normally dulled orange coat was now covered up to his shoulder in thick vibrant red scales. White markings ran from his elbows to the tips of his claws. His face, which had been hardened by age, was now once again full of life, regaining a youthful handsomeness of a stallion in his prime. His cheekbones, brows and the bridge of his muzzle were now covered in scales as well, and his normal pony teeth had changed into dragon fangs.
His bright blue eyes had turned into matching draconic eyes. Upon his head, his unicorn horn was now joined by two darker orange horns that grew towards the back of his head before they curved up. All barely hidden by his now rather wild and unkempt mane that had grown.
His body was now covered in spots of scales that had white markings in them. Even to the point, his cutie-mark was also scale covered on both sides, but they were remained untouched by any of the new markings. The other key point of his change was his tail, which ad changed from a regular pony tail to one that was long and reptilian, covered with matching scales, and was prehensile, strong enough to constrict and crack bone. At the tip, he had a black spade that looked like a flame shooting out like a decorative fan.

“How is this possible? I crushed you in lava, you should have burned to nothing!” Infurya snarled in abject disbelief.

“You still don't realize who you're facing... I am Firestorm, the Flaming Sword of Equestria! Do you think you're the first dragon I've faced?” Firestorm challenged while slowly getting closer, and Infurya noticed how massive Firestorm now was compared to his old pony size. Firestorm noticed too; he was even bigger than he had been back in his prime, and he reveled in it!
“Honestly, I faced foes, rivals, and monsters much bigger than you! So regardless of how big you think you are, there is always someone bigger and better”

Firestorm slammed his hoof into the ground as another eruption of lava shot up but this one ended up covering Firestorm and dripped off him like water. “Now I'm fireproof. Which is a big problem... for you.”

Opening his mouth, Firestorm began to shoot out flames that engulfed him and raised up into the air forming an orb of fire.

“Why is that...?” Infurya asked in an attempt to sound unimpressed but she was slowly backing away.

“Because... do you know what happens to air when you super-heat it?” asked Firestorm while grinning, showing off his new fangs as the fire above him turned from bright orange to white.

“No...” responded Infurya as she watch the ball of fire grow along with her own fear. That's when she noticed it, sparks of electricity coming off the ball of fire.

“Well, then let me introduce you... to the fourth state of matter!” Firestorm's horns began to light up with magic as the sparks began to shoot down towards his horns gathering into a ball between the horns.

“You know what? I think I'm going to show my giving nature and forfeit, if it's all the same to you,” Infurya said, smiling with a nervous laugh.

“Oh, we are far past the point of surrender...” Firestorm smirked fiendishly, the look of that expression striking such fear into Infurya she felt her inner warmth go alarmingly cold. A feeling so foreign it added to her growing terror.

“Firestorm!” roared a voice from the crowd.

Firestorm looked towards the stands to see his teacher, standing on the edge in her full form. He stared at her for a moment as she returned his gaze with her arms crossed. Turning back to Infurya, and leaned in close so only she would hear him.

“You ever try anything like this again and I find out... Let's just say: No matter where you go, no matter where you hide? I will hunt and I will find you, and more importantly, I. Will. End. You... Do I make myself clear?” He growled at her and after a few moments staring into his eyes seeing the murderous intent there, she nodded.

“Good.”

He turned around as he dispelled his magic, the ball of fire and the electricity snuffing out as though it had all been nothing more than candlelight. Afterwards, Firestorm seemed to shrink down to what must be his normal size, which was still noticeably taller than he was before this miraculous transformation. Stepping towards the exit, his foot brushed against something. Looking down, he saw the golden locket that he'd worn around his neck. Lifting it into the air, looking inside it to find only ash, and then a theory crossed his mind but he decided it was long past time for him and Spike to depart. Shutting the locket,, he carried it with him as he exited the arena.

DFatman did the duel between Firestorm and Infurya