Author's Notes:

Let the bodies hit the floor!!!
Let the bodies hit the floor!!!

That was the order in the moment. They seemed to never end, and some started to carry three or four pistols so they could shoot more without loosing time reloading, and the strategy seemed efficient.

Behind a medium sized marble pilar with a bust of some character, Pinkamena took cover trying to keep up with the battle and figuring out how to properly shoot the pistols and not fail her targets. She didn't knew how to reload them either, so It all depended in she could melee kill a thug and hope that his pistols were loaded. It was that feeling of learning under panic and despair.

Mane in the next room kept avoiding the bullets in the last second. His head was spinning in adrenaline while punching and kicking thugs, snapping necks with his magic and throwing magic shock waves in any attempt a goon would jump at him to grab his arms, making the majority of the floor shake every time It happened.

On Pinka's side, she ran out of loaded pistols, and a melee charge at a musket armed group was bad idea. The confusion stop except on Mane's room, and she rolled to a table filled with holes. She took a peek and there was only one thug remaining taking cover behind a wall. She ran silently and as soon the thug peeked, she lodged her knife in his forehead, right between his eyes killing him instantly.
The pink mare sighed in relieve that her part was done there, and Mane's side was silent too, too silent.
Without warning, a huge fuss formed in his room. She turned around to go in his aid, and she got surprised by a battalion of gangsters pointing their muskets and pistols at her.

She froze in her spot, raising her hands in surrender, and after some noise in the next room, Mane flew through the two doors destroying them in pieces, falling flat on the floor some meters away from Pinkamena. By the passage, Beryl, the Don's bodyguard showed up in a menacing pose. Mane raised his head from the floor recovering from Beryl's throw and saw the scenario of Pinkamena about to get rifled.

"SHOOT!" Shouted Beryl to the firing squad.

"NOOOOO!" Mane in a rush of panic and adrenaline together, threw himself in front of Pinkamena, with his back turned to them.

They both expected certain death, Mane filled with holes and Pinkamena expecting his body to fall on her covered in blood.
The gangsters shot at the same time, creating a wall of bullets without any chance of dodge. Pinkamena closed her eyes and started crying on Mane's sacrifice.

After the firing, a smoke screen born, covering the vision of anypony present in the room.

"Are they dead?" Asked one of them.

"They better be!" Said Beryl, waving the smoke out of his face.

One of the thugs opened a broken window and the smoke started to fade away, and slowly showed something that made them drop their jaws in surprise.

Pinkamena expecting the noise of a body falling on the floor, she opened her blue eyes and she saw Mane, standing on his hooves with arms open forming a meat shield in front of her. But It wasn't what could be called a meat shield...

Mane was staring at her wide eyes open and enraged look on them, and his appearance changed a lot again.
All of his body was translucide, like smooth polished glass. His muscles turned into light grey quartz, his eyes were now like emeralds and hair was now hard black obsidian and red ruby.
He had discovered the second hidden power, but this time It was natural from his origins.

Sombra's words crossed in his head, and he realized what happened. He stared at Pinkamena for some moments and a smile formed in his face. Pinkamena cleaned her tears and tried to understand the phenomenon she just witnessed.

"Mane..?" She whispered with a sob. "Is that you..?"

"I'm here, Pinka..." He whispered back with a raspy voice. "It's alright..."

The group was frozen trying to realize what they were watching. Beryl on the other hand called their attention and ordered them to reload the weapons. They snapped back and did what they were ordered, and pointed the weapons back at Mane.

"KILL HIM!" Beryl ordered loud and clear.

Part of them shot and the bullets bounced back in his body. Mane turned around with a fierce look in his shining green emerald eyes, and another part shot their muskets, again the bullets made ricochet, and this time some hit back the gangsters, some in the body and some the head killing them instantly.

Mane kept walking in their direction, and they kept shooting the remaining loaded weapons with the same effect of bullets going back at them. One of the thugs punched Mane's chest, and he screamed in pain holding his hand, his body was now rock hard, made of pure minerals and gems, a natural defensive power from any citizen of the Crystal Empire.

The crystal stallion grabbed the thug's wrist, and squeezed It, starting to crack his bones with more pressure applied. He managed to close his hand and completely crushing the bandit's wrist. He fell on the floor crying and screaming, and with a stomp, Mane burst his head open in one blink without any difficulties.

The remaining gangsters stepped back and ran away in fear through a perforated door, except Beryl who stared at Mane with his fearless eyes. Their eyes met and a battle atmosphere was forming in the air, as if a war was about to begin.

"Diane..." Mane called with a firm voice without looking.

""Y-yes..?"

"Get your knifes and go. See you on the front gate..."