Jack sprayed water from his mouth like a fountain.

“What the heck was that?!” the Hyperion head shouted aloud, hand waving at the screen in front of him. His heterochromatic eyes were wide in clear shock, lips scowling in displeasure. He hated not knowing something.

“It appears two more subjects were awoken out of their absolute zero stasis.” His daughter’s robotic voice droned behind him, stating what she saw without a trace of emotion. Her father, however, had enough of a reaction for the two of them.

“Really?! No freaking kidding!” He shouted at his daughter as he spun his chair. “And here I thought they were just woke up from their snooze like a damn alarm clock went off! Wakey wakey, time for bakey!” He raised his voice as he humorlessly mocked a child’s rhyme. Angel sensed none of her father’s sarcasm.

“That would be an incorrect assumption then, father. It is impossible for any lifeform to generate heat out of an absolute zero state. Their ability to move again is doubtlessly by the force an energy signature I am not equipped to analyze.” Both of Jack’s hands slammed into his mask, running down the hard material.

“Angel, I swear to God, if you weren’t my daughter I’d wire you up to a generator and let you fry for days.” His cold eyes looked at his daughter’s body. “Oh wait! I already did that!” He flung his finger at her then. “And if I’m willing to do that, you’d better stop mocking me and start figuring out how in the hell those two started moving!”

“Running hypothesis algorithms.” Angel’s voice spoke in the same robotic tone. After her words ended, the room began to hum at a higher pitch, energy flowing through the numerous circuits hidden beneath the metal panels of the walls. The lights grew brighter as she did so, and the few orifices on her body began to glow as well. A small trail of smoke began to rise from her lips. Jack watched on, scowling with impatience.

“Well, hurry it up!” He shouted at his daughter. The command caused the energy around him to drop. It did not go unnoticed. “What the hell was that? I said pick it up, not drop it off.”

“Diagnostic scanners complete. Hypothesis generators complete. Now listing possible reasons.” The console next to Jack lit up with life, a small list full of text shining off of the holographic display. His eyes scanned the reasons quickly, but carefully.

“It’s not ‘cause of their spirit.” His hand crossed off the bullet. “Or their willpower.” Another swipe of his hand removed the option. “And it seriously isn’t their dedication to win. I mean, c’mon, people who have that just die faster!” He smacked the holodisplay, causing the text to shatter and fade. “But… it could be this.”

His hand double-tapped on the one option on the list that seemed plausible to his analytical mind. Unfortunately, it wasn’t an option he was fond of looking at.

Discord awoke them to progress the game faster.

“Really wishing it was just dumb luck,” Jack dryly let out, a curt sigh following his words. “At least I can work around luck. I’m gonna have a hell of a time trying to outmaneuver That Cord.” He flicked his hand, shutting off the monitor. Jack’s chair spun back to the large screen at the end of the room, the white dressed man and orange coated pony still walking through the stone ruins. The pink fairy floating above their head was a nice touch.

“But, if he’s trying to get the game moving, guess the least I can do is lend a hand, right?” He smiled wryly to his wired daughter. “I mean, he’s got enough hoofs, claws, and paws, I’m pretty sure he could use something that has more than four digits on it.” His chuckle was dry and humorless, echoing through the empty room.

His hand rubbed over the controller to the T.V.’s, his heterochromatic eyes reading all the buttons carefully. It was always easy to tell where some of the buttons were, but the moment you had to find one you don’t use everyday would be like finding a needle in a hay stack. Then again, it was his creation, so he could definitely find the switch on a device he designed.

“Ha!” he cried triumphantly as he found it. “Now this oughta make things a bit more interesting.”

He aimed the controller at the screen, scrolling through the static images of moving parties and frozen statues until he landed on the trio he was looking for.

Luna watched Karl carefully. She was several hoofsteps back from him, a significant enough space between them. If he attempted to assault them, she and Riku would be ready. Another side of her, however, found that possibility less and less likely. He was simply too cheery for her to constantly assume the worst.

Even now, as he walked ahead of the silver haired boy and herself, he did so while swaying his head, lightly crouching and rising with every step he took. It was as if he was listening to a tune she couldn’t hear, and enjoying it with every passing second. She didn’t need to see his face to know that there was a smile across his stone lips.

He was an enigma of a character; a mystery the lunar princess simply couldn’t solve. It was nagging her to no end.

“Looks like another dead end ahead.” The cheerful call of Karl came. And indeed, as Luna looked past the living statue, she saw another familiar red wall at the end of the hall, appearing just as deadly and molten as the rest of the rock surrounding them.

“Yes it does,” Luna agreed to the enigma of a creature. “But I dare to assume it is another false wall, as we have already seen twice before.” She heard Riku snort beside her. The diarch did not see the humor in the situation.

“You never seem to stop impressing me your highness,” Karl spoke again, spinning on his heel until he faced the pair. “Hey, why don’t I test that theory right now?” Without another word, the stone man took a few bounding leaps towards the wall. With a great kick, he launched himself at the illusionary wall.

The crack of the impact was viciously audible. Riku and Luna winced.

Karl hung from the wall, slightly embedded into its rocky texture. The hot surface seemed to lick at his clothes, but no mind was paid by the living statue. He was, however, still as the stone he was made of.

“Karl…” Riku spoke tentatively, taking a few slow steps towards him. “You alright?” The stone man’s head twisted out of the wall, red rock falling in small chunks.

“Me?” He spoke gleefully again, as if being called upon in the midst of a game. “Why, I’m just great. I just wanted to give this wall a big old hug is all. Uh oh.” The statue’s form began to fall backwards, loosened from the small divot he had made. He began to fall to the floor. “Welp, the wall isn’t fake at le-“

Karl fell straight through the floor. Once more, Riku and Luna were left stunned.

Both watched the now empty end of the hall, expecting something else to occur. A flash entrance, a trick of the light, anything else. But nothing did happen, and the two continued to watch the supposed dead end with wide curious eyes.

“I… did not expect such a thing.” Luna admitted slowly. She began to take careful hoof steps towards the end of the hall, small and light, testing the ground before moving forward. Riku followed beside her, mimicking her actions.

“Yeah,” the boy agreed weakly. “Kind of makes me glad Karl is here now. Would have hated to fall like that.” He let out soft chuckle, and, against her better judgment, Luna joined him.

“It is both a fair assumption and a stroke of luck that the statue feels no pain.” She noted, another hoof step being taken forward.

“You can say that agai- Whoa!” Riku cut himself off as his foot drifted through the floor. He fell backwards to avoid falling. Luna stopped just beside him.

The two looked at the floor, carefully analyzing it as they had the two walls prior. It appeared little different than the rocky surface behind them, but between Karl’s fall and Riku’s almost descent, it was more than clear it was not. The boy twisted on the ground until he was on his hands and knees, face doubtlessly hanging over the false floor. Tentatively, he let one of his hands reach forward, ready to paw at the ground.

Just as he and the dark alicorn silently suspected, his hand drifted through the ground. Riku gave Luna a look, nodding towards her as he did so. The message was clear to her, and she nodded in return. Riku then knelt through the hole.

It wasn’t long until he emerged on the other side, one part of his body resting on the hot rock, the other looking through the illusionary floor. It was his midsection, caught in the midst of the magical wall, that felt odd and out of place. But he could worry about that later.

The room he looked into was large, caught between the size of the cavern he and the princess had first appeared and the smaller chasm they had found Karl in. It was square in shape, with the same fiery red rock lining the walls as there were in every hall and room thus far. It appeared no cooler in the room than it did in any other room or hall before it. What caught Riku’s eyes, however, were not the walls of the room or it size, but what was in it.

Much like the mausoleum from before, there were carved rocks all around the room. Square shapes carved from a material that appeared much denser, and much cooler, than the surrounding rock. Marble came to mind. There were engravings and images across them that he could not see from his high angle. However, what he could see where the flames that were billowing from them. Like torches of stone, there were five across the room, one in every corner and then another in the center.

Oh, and there was Karl far beneath Riku, looking upwards at him with the same smile as he always had. At least his eyes had a bit of surprise in them.

“You alright Karl?” Riku called to the stone man, unsure of just what kind of answer he wanted to hear. Neglect, however, was not an option he could indulge in, even within his imagination.

Karl’s unscarred eye twitched almost violently at the question. Riku couldn’t stop the smile that spread across his features.

“Why I’m right as rain!” he called back up to the silver haired boy. “I just thought it was time to gain a new perspective on things, right Arma?” Riku saw the black bird fly onto the man’s chest, neck twisting left and right as it looked at the living statue. Karl laughed without reason. “Why yes, you do raise a good point.”

The living statue then pushed himself upright, standing next to the stone flame in the center of the room. His hands brushed down his body, beating off the dirt and rocks that littered it. Then, aiming his head high, he spoke to Riku again.

“I assure you it’s quite safe here.” He spoke gleefully as ever. “Just make sure you watch your step on the way down. I’d hate to see the quick drop and sudden stop.” The laughter that followed his words was anything but comforting.

Riku pulled back from the hole, blinking as his vision was returned to the hallway, his orientation askew. A quick clench of his eyes, however, and he was better.

“How is Karl?” As Luna’s question reached his ears, he flashed her a smile.

“He’s fine. His own words, too.” The grin dropped as he spoke on. “It’s a far fall downwards though. I’ll be good for a short fall, but will you?” The princess scoffed at Riku, earning a raised brow from the boy. Instead of answering him with words she did so with action.

Her wings flared, encompassing the hallway entire.

“I may not be fit to fly in this heat,” she began to speak, cool gaze unchanging. “But my wings are not damaged and my feathers unharmed. A glide is but a jest of a move for me to perform.” Riku chuckled at her words.

“Right, got it. I’ll remember that for next time.” He turned back towards the hole, positioning himself for the quick fall that was coming. But before he did, he snuck a few words to the alicorn beside him. “Oh, and stay away from the fire.”

He got a great view of her perplexed features before letting his body fall through the illusionary floor.

The descent was quick, as Riku knew it would be. Thankfully, he had fallen from higher heights at faster rates and with less time to prepare. This was a fall, but it was hardly dangerous.

His body flipped through the air, descending at a speed he desired. The blade in his hands made his will so. His feet tapped lightly on the hard rock beneath him, as if being set down by the wind. He looked up Karl with smile on his face. The stone man wore an expression of pleasant surprise, though with the smile permanently etched across his long lips, it was unlikely he would show any emotion that wasn’t cheery.

“I didn’t know you could fly.” He noted with a hint of curiosity. “And without wings, too. Call me silly, but I would have thought I’d see that princess flutter down here before you.” As if speaking the magic word, the sound of rustling feathers came from above.

The two looked up, seeing Princess Luna descending down to them, wings outstretched to their fullest. Far beneath her, looking up at her majestic form, Riku truly saw her as a beautiful creature for the first time. The swaying of her spectral mane, the dark mystique of her coat and feathers, not to mention the circular descent to the ground, complete with a the slow clopping of hooves as she landed. Her head flicked towards the two as she was done, a subtle smile across her muzzle.

“Check that, you both can fly.” Karl spoke up, breaking Riku from his thoughts. “Guess that means you two can float like butterflies while I’m stuck sinking like a rock.” A soft chuckle came from his closed lips. “That makes it three to one, huh Arma?” His gray colored hand scratched underneath the black beak of the bird. It turned its head with appreciation. While the stone man entertained his bird, Luna took the time to observe the new room.

“Such detail in this pillars of stone and fire,” she noted aloud, eyes scanning over the square structures. “Riku, do these not remind you of the structure from before?” It was as if the alicorn had read the boy’s mind.

“Yeah, I was thinking the same thing,” he spoke in agreement as he walked to the princess’s side. Next to one another, they both approached one of the pillars in the corner of the room, its flames crackling above them. Silent for a moment, they both marveled at the structure.

“What do you suppose makes it burn?” The alicorn began to think aloud from beside the boy. “I neither see nor saw kindling upon them.”

“Neither did I, which makes me think it’s something… magical I guess.” Karl twisted his head to Riku as the boy spoke.

“Magical?” He spoke the word in question, earning a gaze from the two.

“Yeah,” the silver-haired teen spoke. “If there’s nothing there to burn, but there’s a fire burning, then it has to be working off of some spell. You know, like lightning without a cloud, wind without pressure, gravity without mass. Making the impossible a reality.”

“You speak in such simple terms regarding the power of magic.” Luna was quick to pick up where Riku had left off. The boy crossed his arms as the alicorn continued. “It can do much more than that, and I dare say your very existence, Karl, is in part of the magic of some creator.” The living statue put his gray hand to his chest, mouth open with a surprised smile.

“Really?” He questioned rhetorically. “I’m living because of magic. Did a boy wish upon a star for me to be real?” The princess scoffed at his question, turning from him as she did so. Riku shook his head, looking away from the statue man as well. “What? Too sarcastic? You both need to lighten up a little, and that’s saying something when it’s coming from a man made of stone.” He chuckled behind the two, but otherwise did nothing more.

“Ignore him for a bit,” the teen suggested, doing his best to avert his gaze. “There are other matters to worry about.”

“Is that wise?” She whispered quickly and quietly, far too softly for any creature to hear.

“If he is still planning on attacking us, he won’t do it here.” He looked around, as if to confirm his theory before speaking it. “He needs us to get out. We’re not there yet.” The alicorn beside him gave a nod of affirmation.

“So,” Luna spoke. “What do you believe is sustaining these flames?”

“Like I just said, magic.” The boy waved his hand in the air as he spoke. “There isn’t really a whole lot more to say other than that.” The alicorn returned Riku’s comments with a look of surprise.

“Are thou’ not familiar with the Ley Lines or properties of magic?” Obviously not, because to the silver haired teen she spoke to, half the words went straight over his head. Her accent was not a reason for the miscommunication either. “Riku?” she questioned.

“No, I don’t know what any of that stuff means.” Riku responded to the princess, scratching the back of his head with his free hand. “It’s not like there’s a class for this kind of stuff. A practical one at least.”

“Over here!”

“You truly do not?” Luna turned to the boy as she questioned him, flames momentarily disregarded. “Yet we.... I have witnessed you conjure portals with ease, and if I can assume, manipulate the path of your blade. W-I have seen you perform both acts, one more than once.”

“See, that’s the trick.” As if to demonstrate, Riku held his sword up between the two. The Path to Dawn glowed beneath the light of the flames. The silver teen’s free hand ran across the sleek metal as he spoke.

“I thought it would have been best to save for later, but this blade is the only reason why I can do magic at all. Its strength, size, and even shape depend upon the strength of my heart, and whether I exist in the light or dark. This blade, however, is called the Path to Dawn. I’m sure you can figure out what that means about my heart.” Luna, for not the first time, marveled at the blade. She was seeing it under a new light, and the flames above them had little to do with it.

Such power in a single blade, and given to the hands of a single life to wield. Such a tool existed to bother Luna and Celestia not long ago. But if there was anything the past had reminded her, no one soul should have all that power.

“Yoohoo! I have a question for you two!” Both the alicorn princess and silver haired teen sighed in annoyance.

“What is it Karl?” Riku spoke carefully, the Path to Dawn being gripped just a bit harder in his hand.

“I know I’m new here, but is that normal?”

Luna turned her eyes to the stone man, fully expecting him to be pointing at some odd carving or inanimate statue. Instead, she saw him pointing one of the flames still burning atop its square altar; the pillar in the center of the room. As Luna looked at it, she too started to see it acting oddly. Riku was quick to join the pair.

Atop the stone altar, slightly above their collective heights, the flames were growing higher, beginning to lick the ceiling above them. Luna squinted her eyes more the brighter it became. For not the first time, she was glad her magic was keeping her cool. The thought occurred to her that Riku was probably thinking the same.

“It’s growing, right?” The boy spoke passively, unimpressed by the flame. “What’s the big deal? Fire kinda does that.” Luna gave the silver-haired boy a flat look before turning her eyes back to the growing pillar of flames. She was wrong about his thoughts.

“Fire grows larger when it has more to burn.” The diarch took steps backwards as her mind began to work. “Yet this burns brighter in a cavern of rock with barely even air to burn.” Riku’s eyes began to narrow as the implications became clearer. “That only leaves one possibility for us to assume.”

The flames now surrounded the rock, roaring with heat. Karl stood by it with a chipper smile on his face. Riku and Luna backed away from it warily. The boy finished the thoughts of the alicorn.

“Something is making it burn brighter.”

“Well I think it’s doing a marvelous job!” Karl cheered as he outstretched his arms, as if embracing the now roaring flame. “It’s been quite a while since I’ve seen a fire as big as this, and I wasn’t allowed to move back then.” The statue man spun on his heel, taking calm steps away from the dangerous inferno. “But it makes you wonder, doesn’t it?”

“Wonder about what?” Riku asked, voice constrained by his focus being diverted elsewhere. Karl smiled darkly before he responded.

“Is this little bonfire a show,” he stuck up one of his grey fingers as he spoke. “A trap,” another finger rose from his palm. “Or… an entrance?” He clenched his fingers into a fist, his attention turning back towards the fire. Before the alicorn or boy could answer him, their attention was returned to the fire as well.

More specifically, the dancing flames.

The fire was no longer growing, but it was far from still. The red flames had begun to spin, snaking as if caught in some twister the three could not see. Like a churning cauldron they spun, moving at a pace that became blinding to watch.

Riku raised his hand to his eyes, shielding them from the heat. Luna mimicked the action with her hoof. Karl bent low to the ground as he stared up at the fire, Arma slowly hopping down his shoulder as he did so. Then, laughter came.

It belonged to none of the three. It grew from the fire.

“Ha ha ha ha ha ha…”

A figure rose from the fire.

BEGIN

Try as she might, Luna could not describe the thing aside from what was obvious. A body of flames held together by nothing she could see. Arms and legs without flesh and blood. Dark vicious spikes at the end of its appendages.

And a sickly sweet smile painted over its black rock face.

“A friend of yours, Karl?” Riku asked tensely, blade already raised to the side of his head. Luna flicked her eyes to the boy momentarily to see his posture. Strong, balanced, and with his outstretched arm, the very visage of a warrior.

“I’m impressed, but not flattered.” The stone man responded to Riku. Luna’s eyes looked to him now and, for not the first time, she suspected his innocent nature.

A blade as black as a starless night was held in his hand, crossed over his chest. His body was low the ground, legs crouched deep enough to allow his undamaged hand to lightly rub across it. The look in the stone man’s eyes was nothing short of voracious. Luna needed no imagination to know what he hungered for.

“Here he comes!” Riku’s call ripped Luna’s attention back to the monster before her.

The creature of flames dropped from the center pillar and landed beside Karl, rising until it stood easily double the stone man’s height. He only smiled at the creature, lowering Arma until the blade was scraping the floor. It made a vicious grinding sound as it did so. Riku and Luna took steps back from the creature, both preparing in their own way for an attack. The diarch’s horn flared to life, preparing the first spell that would come to her mind.

The monster began to spin. It did so with a speed that resembled a tornado.

“Get ready for anything!” Riku yelled aloud. He gripped the hilt of his keyblade with both hands, twisting it until the flat was aligned with his face. Without a shield, it was the only guard he had. However, it was unneeded.

Luna, preparing for an attack, flashed her horn with a twist of her head. Instantly, a shield of aura surrounded the two. It was dark like the shadows, but dotted with lights like stars the alicorn so sorely missed. Riku momentarily gaped at it. His attention, however, was rightfully focused on a different matter.

“Oh look! He’s dancing!” Karl jeered at the taller creature. His stone form seemed to slither across the ground, keeping his body to the floor and blade tight in his hands. “I wonder if he can do that without his legs.”

In a jump befitting a beast, Karl lunged at the flaming man, his dark blade swinging through the air. It ran through the fiery legs of the dancing creature, passing through it without resistance. The statue man slid across the ground opposite the creature, stopping only when he faced the living flames again, smiling up at the beast.

“Ha ha ha ha ha ha…” The laughter came again from the creature. Karl chuckled with it.

“Karl!” Riku called from behind Luna’s dome. The stone man offered the protected boy a quick gaze of his eyes. It was all the teen needed to see to know he was listening. “He’s made of fire, cutting him isn’t going to do much!”

“Thank you for the advice!” He called back, lifting his cutlass into the air. “I never would have thought of that without you!” Despite himself, Karl scowled at the animated statue.

There wasn’t time for him to do much else.

“Gah!” The strangled cry of Luna came from behind him, earning the immediate concern of Riku. The question was on the edge of his lips, asking what was wrong. But the answer was only too obvious.

The dancing creature had leaped through the air, doing so with an almost majestic form. It landed atop the diarch’s dark shield, sharp legs scraping against the tangible aura. It would have meant little if it was holding still. But this flame monster did not simply stand atop the shield.

It spun. And as it spun, it drilled.

Riku looked up to the top of the dome, seeing the sparks flying from the point of the creature’s impact. The sharp talons that appeared at the ends of its flaming limbs were spinning through the dome, slowly opening a hole in the aura. Riku gripped the Path to Dawn tightly in his hands.

“Riku!” The princess cried his voice. “Prepare yourself!”

“For what?!” Just like before, the answer quickly became obvious to him.

Luna shut her eyes and grit her teeth, head lowering to the ground in concentration. The dark alicorn’s horn began to grow brighter with its dark aura. The ethereal glow began to expand, and, per the princess’s orders, Riku prepared himself.

Then, with a flash of magic, the dome reversed itself.

Riku felt a jolt ride through his body. His eyes were only barely able to keep up with what they saw. Karl watched on behind them both, still as the rock he was made of.

The dome that had surrounded the Keyblade Master and alicorn princess had flipped in the complete opposite direction, trapping the flaming monster inside. Instead of a dome holding strong against the rocks they stood on, it was now a sphere, colored and shaped like the night’s sky. The fiery creature within glowed like a rising sun. Luna, beneath the floating orb, groaned in discomfort.

Her head moved left and right, waving her horn with it. The sphere above her began to move with her, floating through the air. Sparks continued to fly within it. The creature had yet to stop drilling, but by now the sphere was swaying rather violently.

“She’s gonna throw it.” Riku whispered to himself. The realization hit him quickly. “Karl!” He yelled, earning the statue’s immediate attention. “The princess is gonna throw the sphere! When she does, we attack.” A wider smile and deep chuckle was his answer.

“Sounds like fun.” Riku wasn’t sure he enjoyed the compliment.

“Get… ready…” Luna’s strained voice came. Her legs began to rock from the floor, body raising to increase her head’s thrashing. Riku felt drops of water fly from her coat and land on him.

“Now!”

The sphere flew through the air. Riku was already running after it. Karl was not far behind.

It sailed for a second, and not a moment more. Drifting through the air like a falling star without direction, it hit the wall, all the white dots that decorated the dark surface exploding through the air. It was beautiful, bright, and deadly. It blinded the silver haired teen, but he did not stop running. The heat of the flames told him where to go.

Vision returned to him not a moment too soon.

The Path to Dawn was already raised in front of him, as he had commanded, and the creature of flames was falling gracefully through the air. For all of its flips and spins, the boy could track and understand one important fact. The spikes on its body were not aiming for the ground.

“Ah!” He yelled fiercely, swinging his keyblade as he did so. It deflected one of the monster’s sharp talons with a twang of metal. He could sense the creature already preparing to swing at him with the opposite claw. In a practiced move, Riku bent his head close to his shoulder. The flaming arm passed over him, singeing the ends of his hair.

By now they were passing each other in the air, Riku rising and the flame monster still falling. It wasn’t ideal for an attack, but against an enemy you didn’t know, second chances came scarcely.

Riku pivoted his blade in his hand, bringing down the edge along the black face of the monster that smiled up at him devilishly. It slid across the surface like stone.

The monster landed majestically on the ground, not soon after jumping through the air again. Riku reached the apex of his jump as the monster did so. The teen gripped a free edge of the hard wall. He was only too grateful that the spell Luna had cast on him guarded him from the heat of contact as well.

The Riku watched, mouth agape, as the monster began to shoot fire across the room.

For every pirouette the monster did through the air, a ball of fire emerged from it. They flew as if they were solid, arching with a clear path and destination. However, with their number, accuracy was unimportant. It wouldn’t be difficult to cover the entire room.

“Guard yourself!”

Riku yelled aloud, thrusting up his free hand as he did so. Instantly, a shield materialized in front of him, sparking like a machine powered it. However, the dark aura that appeared like mist around the hexagonal barrier was evidence enough of its true origin.

The silver haired teen grunted as the flames ran across his shield. It sparked as the shield killed the flames, the fire burning briefly before disappearing into nothingness. His cerulean eyes looked to his comrades, hoping they were still alright.

The princess had summoned another shield around herself, no less impressive than her first. The flames moved over it like a boulder in a river. There was a clear difficulty seeing Luna through the dark aura that surrounded her, but the teen could see no signs of worry across her. Only the common notion of rage.

“Did it just get a hotter in here?” Almost with a scowl across his features, the teen heard their mad companion speak. His eyes caught him, standing as if not a thing was wrong in the world. The flames danced around him, but he walked through them easily. “I hope it isn’t just me. That would make this awkward.”

The teen wished he could feel relief for seeing his comrade alright, but he couldn’t. The stone man was a comrade for now, but he could not be seen as a friend. However, Riku saw something that did cause a spark of worry.

“Karl!” He yelled the stone man’s name. The statue looked up at him, a lopsided smile over his face. “Your coat!” Blinking in confusion, Karl looked behind himself.

The yellow coat that hung from his body was ablaze.

“Oh, deary me!” He yelled with an undeniable tinge of excitement. He jumped into the air, with the same strength that impressed Riku from before. He hit a far wall with a thunderous force, freeing rock and marble as they fell to the ground. When the thin layer of dust settled, the silver haired teen saw the living statue hanging from the wall, his black blade dug into the stone.

“I rather enjoyed this cloak too. It made cleaning Arma easier.” His free hand pulled the material to meet his eye line, looking at the now charred cloth. His smile was, as Riku could only describe, empty.

His eyes, however, were not.

“I really enjoyed this cloak.” Riku saw only a lust for blood in Karl’s carved eyes. It was a look he would never forget, no matter how much desired to.

“HA HA HA HA HA!” The creature bellowed thunderously. It was among the sea of flames, still spinning in a circle.

The fire around began to dwindle, their source of fuel dissipating or disappearing. Riku didn’t mind whichever it was. If it was going away, that meant they could reach the ground again.

As a clear path opened beneath him, he released the stone he was holding, letting gravity take its course. It didn’t take long to reach the ground, but he did so carefully regardless, with the flat of his blade positioned towards the closest of the flames.

He landed gently, but Karl’s return to the floor shook the room.

“Through the fire and flames, swords have little gain.” Riku heard him speak. “But there is always one sure way to put out a fire.” The teen watched from the corner of his eye as a charred yellow cloak dashed across the ground, almost flying across it.  It deftly dodged the flames that now littered the ground, jumping off the walls and sidestepping the fiery traps as if it belonged to a long practiced routine.

Then it stopped beneath the monster of fire, crouching to a height that barely passed the monster’s supposed knees. Riku didn’t have to see to know the statue that wore the cloak was also wearing a sharp smile. His blade, however, was not nearly as sharp.

Where his hand once gripped a black-as-knight cutlass, it now held a heavy hammer.

“You have to beat them out.”

In a fluid motion, Karl leapt from the floor, jumping towards the fiery monster. His hammer was raised above his head, moving in perfect tandem with his body’s momentum. He began to flip, spinning forward with the hammer held outwards. One of the monster’s arms swung low, then it contacted him. Instead of being brushed aside, Karl did what Riku thought impossible.

He stood on the edge of the creature’s arm. His hammer continued to swing.

It connected with the black center of the flame monster with a vicious crack, overpowering the snapping of the flames around them. Riku felt himself wince.

However, his eyes snapped open as he saw the black center of the creature fly across the room. All the flames in the room died completely. The black carved rock hit one of the far walls, falling with a heavy thud to the ground. Its Cheshire smile was aimed at the silver haired teen.

For a moment, the teen believed the fight to be over. The rock was clearly the source of its energy, and with it removed, there was nothing left to fear. A grateful sigh left his lips.

It was sucked back in as the rock grew legs and began to run.

Riku’s surprise was diminished quickly, however, as he noticed it running towards the center flaming pillar. Instincts reacted.

“Sto-” He never got any further.

A blast of magic hit the creature, sending it flying through the air once more. This time, however, as it hit the far wall, another magical attack assaulted it. This time it kept it pinned against the red rock surface.

Riku and Karl both turned to see Luna aiming her horn at the monster, scowling deeply as she projected her power at it.

“You have crossed your weapons with royalty, monster!” She screamed loudly, digging her hooves into the ground as she did so. “For such a crime, the punishment is severe!”

Riku shielded his eyes as the intensity of the beam grew. His eye lids weren’t strong enough to keep the light from blinding him. Neither were both of the arms wrapped around his head. It was impossible to describe the magic by sight, but by feeling, it felt like the Princess of the Night was commanding the power of the sun.

Then, with a small blip, it was over.

The heat and blinding power of the beam vanished. Riku moved his arms as quickly as he could, looking towards what remained of the monster.

He saw nothing. Nothing at all.

Not even ashes remained.

END

“Wow,” Karl spoke cheerfully as ever. “That was some lightshow. I’m still seeing spots.” As if to emphasize his point, his hand waved in front of his unblinking eyes. “A pity too, I only had one good eye to begin with.” Riku dismissed the stone man for the more important of his two companions.

“Princess,” he spoke to Luna, earning the diarch’s attention. “What did you do?” Before she answered, the alicorn took a calming breath. She moved her legs together, returning herself to the proud and tall stature she had had before. She released the breath with a slow dissipation, gradually opening her eyes as she did so.

“A banishment spell,” she spoke easily enough, looking at the far end of the room. “It is not simple to learn, nor to perform, but the centuries have given me the knowledge to perform it… and the knowledge of the consequences for being under it.”

“Banished…” Riku whispered to himself, looking at the red wall at the far end of the room before looking back to the dark alicorn. “Banished to where?”

“Tartarus,” the diarch answered just as simply as before. “A realm of monsters and dark creatures unbefitting the land of Equestria. For a demon of such flames, it will be the closest it will ever come to calling a place home.”

“Looks like he took his belongings with him, too.” The alicorn and silver haired teen turned to look at the statue man. His charred yellow jacket was facing away from them as he looked up at the pillar in the center of the room. “There’s one less flame burning in the room.”

And he was right. The large torch that had previously sat upon the square pillar was gone. Now it appeared to be just a block. A well-carved and decorated column of stone sitting in the front of the room. Luna sighed in relief.

“Karl,” Luna spoke to the stone man. “I... I thank you for your aid in battle. It was unjust of me to not have more faith in you.” She expected him to smile, as he always did. She did not expect him to wave his hand towards her, like he was calling her.

“Oh don’t worry too much. Worry some, sure, but not too much.” He chuckled at his own words. Just as before, he did so alone. Without another word, he spun on his heel, looking around the room once more. Riku shook his head before he turned to Princess Luna.

“So,” he began, scratching the back of his head with his hand. “Those things aren’t common around here, right?” The look the alicorn gave him was nothing short of shocked.

“Of course not!” She nearly spat back. “I would not tolerate the presence of any destructive creature such as that. Its first instinct is to attack us, and to do so with merry laughter.” A scoff left her lips. “It reminds me too much of the beast that sent us here.” Riku found himself nodding in agreement. There were few worlds where  monsters that sought destruction were tolerated, let alone enjoyed.

“So, what now?” Riku asked with a shrug of his shoulders. The princess opened her mouth to answer, but another voice spoke up before she could speak.

“I have a question,” Karl spoke to them. “It would be magnificent if you could answer it for me.” Both the silver haired boy and alicorn let out a sigh before turning to the stone man.

“Yes Karl, what is it?” In Luna’s mind, she owed the living statue a greater amount of respect than she had given him before. He did fight with them, opening up a weakness in the flaming beast’s armor, and losing a good portion of his cloak for it. Even if he never stopped smiling.

“My eye are still a little spotty,” he spoke with a small chuckle. “But I’m curious, what are those flames doing?”

Without hesitation, Riku raised his blade to his side. He heard the monarch ready her magic, humming with the power she had wielded just before. Their quick preparation was not unwarranted.

The remaining four flames were spinning like the first, climbing higher into the air. They crackled and churned like the burning infernos they were.

“Prepare yourselves.” Luna spoke with a tone of authority. Her wings expanded to their fullest as she did so. “And leave no mercy for the monster that may come.”

A soft chuckle came from across the room.

“But of course,” Karl spoke as he held out his arm. Arma landed on his hand, pecking at the stone for just a moment. Then, with a clench of his fist, the bird became his midnight black cutlass. His smile was as sharp as the blade.

“Ha ha ha ha ha ha…” Next Chapter: Monsters and Riddles Estimated time remaining: 5 Hours, 38 Minutes