//------------------------------// // Rival - [Colour Clash] // Story: MLP: Actualization Online // by Slendy //------------------------------// ---~[Previously on MLP: Actualization Online]~--- There were four of them. The first to the far left was a yellow pegasus with a black cloak, and lunar symbols dotted across it, with a silver outline around the hood, and back-ends of the torn robes, he had blue eyes, and a brown, messy mane, whist a staff rested on his back, but his user was just baffling, if not more of a joke, so it was obvious he was an NPC. [Gar'i The Cultist - lvl 40] The one to 'Gar'i' right was a tan unicorn mare, with a smooth, long blonde mane, with her tail in a pony tail. Her armour was a shiny gold, with orange energy emanating from the solar armour, which looked roman in style, since she had a small, red scarf too, and wore a gold spear to her left hip, and a shield to her right. Her eyes were also orange, making more like a flaming elemental than a player, and her neutral expression gave me chills. [Serafin - lvl 45] The one to the far left was a guy, and earth pony who was the same tone of colour as White Hat, but his eyes were completely black, with a long, wavy black mane and tail. He wore pointy, grim reaper looking armour, with a helmet in the formation of a pointy hood, with a silver scythe resting on his left hip, and a mood medalion around his neck. A near unfaltering frown on his muzzle. [Morana - lvl 42] The last in the group was a white unicorn, a blonde mane that was finely combed, and a short tail that rested in a few spikes, his eyes were bright blue, and he wore black rimmed glasses. His clothing was that of an open purple robe, with blue added to the belts, collar, and torn end which covered his cutie mark, with an obsidian chest piece under his robe, with gauntlets on his hooves, but his left hoof wore a gold gauntlet instead, with a few amethyst in the sides. His name however, it shocked most of us, including me. [Black Hat - lvl 45] "Riiiight....so I came here because I want to kill the princesses, so give them to me." [Canternlot Castle Royal Garden] I felt sweat drop in hopelessness of everyone's immediate reaction to his words, which I could understand was completely uncalled for, but this was ridiculous, my brother's nuts, but no murderer....of living people. Even 'HE' was deadpanning over the whole thing, pushing a spoon away from his face, before everyone was shoved back by Morana using an air wave from his hoof, harmless, but it cleared the space again. "Well....this was eventful, can I get on with the bet now?" My ears perked at that, but before I could say a word, Laxus stepped forward, glaring down at my brother, who only looked up with a blink and a smile. "Holy shit, what did you lift?" "This here event is not a place for people like you, now, I can respect you because of your relationship with White Hat, but I 'WILL NOT' tolerate your presence otherwise. Now leave." Laxus was probably about five seconds from tearing my brother a new one, something I can't have happening. That's when a lightbulb lit up, and a small smile crossed my lips "Sorry about this, Laxus, but he can have the princesses." I began, stepping past him, much to everyone's shock, before I glared at my brother. "If he can win." "About time! These second-rate players were beginning to bother me." Black grumbled, before he waved to me. "What are your terms for the first official match of our bet?" "Bet? What bet?" Rain asked us, so Black cleared his throat "The reason we're here, we made a bet that I would take over this world, whist White here would stop me at every turn, since the game's changed, plans have been....wavered, but I still wanna win this bet." Black explained to them, before I sternly frowned under my glasses, their lenses shining in the moonlight "We take bets super seriously, so, to keep this event on fire for the big sendoff, lets make it simple. You have one of your guys fight one of my guys, If my side kicks your sorry pale ass into the dirt, you leave, if we lose...." I then proceeded to push my glasses back up my muzzle "We get my achievement." At that, all of us turned to look at him with a mixture of anger, and distaste. "What? There fucking ones and zeros, sue me for being realistic!" "Hey, I am more than code, YOU HEAR ME!" Pinkie screamed over the crowd, with Klaw holding her back with a hand on her tail, her hooves digging into the soil. Then, I looked to them all sympathetically "Sorry about this guys, I know he wouldn't leave otherwise, so....you mind helping out on this one?" I felt bad for forcing them into our betting war, but if could keep him from going on a rampage, I'll have to play my cards right, my brother is a crazy analyst, and has most likely read all my friends by now, so I needed to play carefully, I was on thin ice "White, after all you did for us....course we will! I wanna kick this party-crasher off the cliff-side!" Yin cheered, her sister hopping atop her back "We will destroy his soul." A Yang's remark, a could 'feel' my brother shiver at her scary, innocent threat, she even pointed at him with a hoof "While I find this to be a bit off putting, fine, just make sure he doesn't cause anymore hassle, otherwise I'll throw you both off the cliff." Laxus warned, and so....I looked to Black "Who you choosing?" I asked simply, and soon, I watched the silver scythe swing in the air, before a hoof drove the blade into the earth in front of me, and I felt the wave of cringe wash over me. My eyes now stared back at the onyx ones with a bemused expression. "Someone get me my shades, cause mister edge lord has arrived." "I shall cleave your heart, beating from your chest." Morana sneered like Hunhow, oh what fun, I backed away from the blade's point with little encouragement to be on the receiving end of it, and so, I needed to make my choice, and a hard one at that I could send Klaw, the old power against speed tactic, but that never really works. I would Yin, but she is far more efficient with her sister, so that's out of the question. Rain or Silver have great abilities too, and there stats are certainly stronger, but Rain's up against a person, and the fact he seems to have little tolerance for any human life speaks volumes of this outcome, but Rain has really improved from a girl who knew nothing about RPGs, Silver may also be a good choice, given is reflexes....Maybe. "Ok, my choice will be obvious." I clapped my hooves together happily, before I pointed a wing towards. "Nox, how'd you like to kick the equivalent of Death into the dirt beneath your hooves?" Almost everyone looked surprised by my choice, seeing that some looked in disbelief at choosing the level 32 to battle the level 42, Rain even looked at me with a concerned expression, I know may not have seen wise, but if my plan works, she may very well have a fighting chance against Morana, I wasn't going to just cast her aside because of her level, what she lacked in using skills, she made up for in raw potential, and if my hunch is correct, than Nox might even be stronger than me. "Hey I'm all for kicking these idiots to the curb, but why me, why not Klaw or even Silver?" Nox doubted herself, even with the mask changing her vocal range, I could hear that uncertainty, and the confused expression on her mask's eyes gave me a clear answer too "Because, you're the only one I could rely on to do this for me, you see, Black here knows how I work, he could read me like a book, yet the one thing he never accounts for in my head, is my unorthodox choices, that's his weakness, and you, my badass unicorn, are that uncertainty he will learn to fear." I then patted her on the shoulder, seeing her eyes go from blue to pink again, before she hardened her stare, nodding "Alright then...." She then moved aside, the crowd now cheering from the side lines, then she pulled her halberd from her back, holding the crystal weapon high, pointing it dangerously at Morana. "I'm gonna knock you on your ass!" "Weak words from a weak faker, hiding behind that mask is not going to make you stronger, and I shall prove that to you." Morana knew her identity? Even Nox froze in her step, before she moved to stand before him, it was only a brief glimmer of hesitation, now it was a righteous anger "How about instead of talking, you shut up and start fighting?" Nox snarled, before Morana pulled his scythe from the ground, holding it to his side with his left hoof "Spirit, which I shall soon cleave from your defeat, mongrel." He mocked her, well, it was nice knowing Morana, even Black felt the cord in Nox snap at that remark "Hey Morana, if you lose, your ten levels are going to me!" Black yelled, seeing Morana deflate at that slightly "Aww, what happened to all that smug talk, you afraid that your boss is gonna make you weaker than me?" Nox taunted, seeing the red glow build around Morana's body, as a slight pang of anger flashed in his eyes, before he moved back a bit, with Nox doing the same Meanwhile, me, and Black Hat stood to the side as commentators, with us setting the regulations up for the match. Once we both silently agreed on the terms, we threw them into play, making a ring of light around the plot of grass, with everyone around the sides, making bets, and cheering for their opposing sides, then Black's horn glowed. "Now then, to get this going the rules are simple!" "Rule one. Once a player hits the red, they lose, no time limit!" "Rule two. Stepping out the ring means you lose, if that wasn't obvious!" "Final Rule, mainly for Black's player, this is a fair match, any call-outs to cheating will be dealt with the wrath of Pinkie Pie!" "Wait, why did you mention that specifically?" I then turned my head to look at Serafin, her brow raised in confusion over the statement "Tell me, how have you seen Black work?" I was very curious for her answer, since she took a moment to reply "He's using NPCs against each other, he's conned players into his hands, and-I....think I see your point." Serafin finally nodded at my knowledge with a look of amusement at my brother's major control issues, then I saw Silver walk up to her with Rain "Morana seems to be an Honorable fighter, from the way he speaks to Nox, I doubt he is prone to cheating, neither is Nox himself." Even for only knowing the guy for a few minutes, Rain could already see he wasn't a bad person, I could see it too, I just like annoying the crap out of people, Serafin smiled a little at that, before we turned our attention to the battle, both players looking ready with the intent to kill, maim, or erase the other. "I'll still be cheering for Nox." "And I for my friend too." Serafin agreed, with all parties happy, I cleared my throat "Alright, lets get this party started!" "Because I want to finish my crusade!" "THREE!" "TWO!" "ONE!" [FIGHT] It didn't take long for Morana to rush Nox, his scythe risen to his left side in his hoof, whist Nox used her magic to levitate her halberd to block the direct strike, her eyes narrowing, then, the spearhead stuck....nothing!? It happened so fast, but I could still see Nox's eyes widen at the scythe's blade phasing through her halberd, before it struck her chest, knocking her flying into the ground, causing a gush of wind to erupt from the scythe's strike. As Nox fell into the dirt, Morana spun his scythe in his hoof once, waiting her return, the masked mare grunting at the red line across her chest "What was that!?" Rain gaped, as we turned to look at Serafin for an answer, I just heard my brother laughing his ass off "That scythe is a Legendary scythe, 'Harrow's End' and has the unique ability to phase through any weapon that tries to block its attack." Serafin explain calmly, a pang of sympathy directed to Nox, who shot out from the cloud with her halberd smashing into the scythe, eyes ablaze with crimson, whist her weapon's strike was fueled with anger. "I am sorry, but no one has beaten Morana's scythe before, not even me." "No way....!" Silver spoke clearly, his eyes wide at the sight of his friend being struck down so easily, even I was worried for my plan, but I couldn't let my poker face chip, otherwise we've already lost to Black's game "What the hell kind-of attack was that!?" Nox barked, thrusting Morana off her blade, before she swung downwards, his hooves lightly hopping away to the right, effortlessly ducking under her horizontal strike, which was followed with her spinning the halberd in her magic, slamming the axe-head down on the ground beside Morana, who looked completely unfazed by each attempt, those eyes had nothing but emptiness behind them, despite the force of the blows "You think you have power over me? Amusing." How can anyone say that so creepily!? He then leapt over her second horizontal strike, placing a hoof on her halberd's spearhead to leap above her, before he brought his scythe down with both hooves, missing Nox's left side my millimeters, yet another twist had brought 'Harrow's End' around, making Nox freeze in her stepping, as she rose her halberd to her side, the scythe gliding across the staff Using the momentum, Nox spun her body around, swinging her halberd in a massive arc of blue light, only for Morana to tilt his scythe flat, blocking the halberd with ease at the sparks flying from the parry, knocking Nox backwards, her hooves digging into the dirt. Then Morana thrusted forwards, swinging his scythe upwards to the left from the bottom right, and in instinct, Nox blocked, the scythe phasing through and striking her neck and mask, throwing her back into the dirt, so she leapt up, backing up to give herself some distance, whist her hoof reached to her neck in pain, the inhibitors making this a rather deadly fight for her mind's concentration Not many players realize this, but the certain weapon can drastically effect the pain inflicted on your body, and to your nerves. If its a simple, sharp blade, its cold and electrifying. A blunt weapon feels disorientating and like your bones were turned the opposite way. For serrated weaponry and curved blades like 'Harrow's End', it was as if your body was to be sawed slowly or quickly, both of which were undeniably painful to feel course through your body. Internal Refraction's glass-like attacks were just like his scythe. "Damn he's good...." Nox muttered under her breath, whist the crowd cheered, making it almost impossible for me to hear her, she stared at the red laceration fading away on her neck, and shoulder. "Of course, a bastard like you has a blade that gives him an edge over others to an unfair point!" "Stop whining like a brat, you accepted this challenge." Morana retorted, running straight for her, but I saw Nox's eyes turn back to pink again, the aura of her halberd turning pink too, she wasn't angry? Seems she realized it too. I felt a small smile tug at my poker face just a bit "I'm not whining!" She snapped, dodging to her right, as the scythe drove downwards, but as she thrusted her halberd towards Morana's side, he merely threw his scythe into his right hoof, blocking the strike with another lock of their blades "But you are weak!" He persisted in pushing Nox's buttons, the two bouncing back, and rushing back at each other again, both continuing their relentless back and forth match of strength, just as I turned to look at Serafin for any pointers, ignoring Black's NPC praising the fight with glee "This won't end well, White, your friend is nearly equal in might to Morana, despite the level difference, but his weapon, not to mention his higher stats will be her end, I am sorry we had to meet under these terms though." Serafin sighed, looking dejected at the state of events, only to hear me chuckle lightly, seeing my friends look at me too "Why are you apologizing? I couldn't have asked for a better way to give our friends a sendoff, but a fair warning, Serafin. If you think its the stats that are the be-all end-all, then you might very well lose when you rely on them most, count on it." My warning made her stare for a short time, that look analyzed my very soul, but I didn't pry too much into her way of viewing me and I focused on the fight. Morana's health had been damaged, whist Nox was in the yellow, just as I winced at one of Morana's skills activating, the blade turning red [Reaper Skill - Dark Road] Nox had thrown herself back, but was quickly struck by 'Harrow's End'. The first thrust struck her left calf, followed by a thrust to slice her left shoulder, and an opposite thrust to her right side, and then last a large swing downwards to slice her mask, cracking the exterior, whist Nox hissed in pain, running backwards to escape Morana's reach. "To defeat an enemy, you must know them. Not simply their battle tactics, but their history, philosophy, art." Morana spoke coldly, watching Nox struggle to her hooves "You don't know I thing about me!" She snarled, only to gasp at the butt of the scythe striking her mask, knocking her body flying into the grass again "I don't need to analyse you to know you. A child, too afraid of their own reflection, all you see is a person who everyone judges, based on who you are, that failure to yourself, that is what makes you weak." His scythe glowed again, each word seeming to strike Nox down with efficient strikes, then, Death rose his scythe above her head like a cold crescent before her, and Nox ceased to shake. "This is why.....you lose." [Earth Seal - Rock Wall] It was a sudden cast from her hoof, as Morana covered his eyes to avoid the massive cloud of brown dust striking his body, blinding him from the sudden affliction, whist I smiled softly, Black looked at me with a bemused expression, obviously confused at what I was grinning about. Looks like its time to shed some cloaks in the spotlight, Nox, The rest is all up to you. "White, when you spend your life with those richer, stereotypes get....suffocating. You're a girl, so you do this a certain way, you act a certain way to meet expectations, that crap got to me quick, about the 'only' family I have is my other siblings, and this maid of ours who was more like a mother than the bitch I have to call one, my dad tries, but he's always away so the times he does show himself he could only sit a listen to me complain, no use trying to fix what would take hours." Nox spat bitterly at memories before me, turning to look at the mountains of mystical items. "I liked this show with them too, gave me a few laughs, despite what I may say about Pinkie, she's fun, y'know?" "A few seconds to run will not save you!" Morana called out, swinging his scythe once to clear the cloud, and revealing an empty arena, with many mumbling to themselves, even Morana was confused to where Nox vanished to "Did...did she run away?" A person spoke behind us "Just Watch!" All eyes were now on Silver for a moment, the first sentence he spoke that was clear as day, not a single stutter, before he glared at Morana, grinning, whist I turned to Black with a hilarious smile, pointing my hoof up, Pinkie doing the same beside me with a cheeky grin "Checkmate, bro." Before he could say anything, Morana's head shot up to the sky, seeing the crimson aura descending down on him, Nox was high in the sky now, her cyan striped mane blowing in the wind at her descent towards us all, yet high in the sky above was the moon, the light of its surface burning bright with her unyielding fury, seeing her, Morana, waited for her, his scythe bent to his right, the blade beginning to glow blue with malice intent He only struck once. [Reaper Skill - Silence] His single upwards slash produced a massive blade of blue energy like a crescent, with it drawing closer to Nox with each breath, it even came close to slicing her head off her shoulders, but after minutes of watching their fight, I saw Morana's eyes widen, her mask taking the direct blow, shattering as she forced her skull through the attack, her halberd glowing a bright gold, before she threw it directly at Morana, spearing him completely through his back, and out his chest with a pained grunt. Now, everyone could see her face, and the pissed off glare she wore with her grinding teeth. "NOX IS A GIRL!!?!" Yeah....me and Silver have some explaining to do later "You know, despite the fact that Ive lost, you keep this up and you'll be building a harem." I nearly choked at that, a small laugh escaping us both even with the death battle before us [Sword Skill - Golden Rupture] The halberd then erupted, consuming Morana in a beam of golden light, as his heath burned away with each tick of time, just as Nox released her levitation, dropping to the ground softly, then she smiled wickedly, seeing Morana fly out of the beam of light, his scythe swinging downwards from above his own head, both hooves on the staff, completely exposing his body to Nox's glowing, emerald hoof. [Earth Seal - Seismic Fissure] Her hoof quickly connected to Morana's chest, the fist flying through the other-side of his back comically, before he was shot flying into the dirt, digging a shallow grave in his wake, his 'Harrow's End' landing beside him, the blade sinking into the soil at the display of defeat. The crowd growing silent for a few seconds. On Nox's end, her health was a tick away from the red. For Morana, his was halfway through the red. [WINNER] The icon soon appeared above Nox, making her smile in relief, as the crowd went completely nuts of the epic finish from my end, with Black rubbing a hoof over his face, just as his level bumped up ten, so he wasn't exactly phased, whist Morana's dropped by ten, his body dropping down into the pit once more in defeat over the match, his chest rising heavily at the red marks that began to fade over time "That was one hell of a match!" I chuckle, hoof-bumping Nox, as she rubbed the back of her neck shyly, knowing that her small secret was dashed to the wind now. "Look on the bright side, your mask can't be broken." "Ehh, no use hiding it now, since I know you and Silver busted your asses to keep it under lock and key, so thanks, you...your a great guy, White." Nox thanked me, much to my surprise, followed by the embrace of Pinkie, who happily latched onto the girl, who was quickly turning pale. "C-Can't breathe, please, need air!" "Hehehe, sorry~!" Pinkie smiled, letting the girl breathe, whist Rain, followed by Klaw looking naturally surprised "Now this I was not aware of, it was you who White saved during the battle at the Vault of Forestation, who knew?" Klaw shook his head, clearly surprised "Still, now we have an even number of guys, and girls, awesome!" Rain cheered, but Nox looked a little unsure, so I nudged her with a smirk "You're still 'Nox', don't let it stop you now." I calmly replied, before I turned to hear the coughing, and soon we all saw Morana, his face still an unfazed expression "So, it seems people aren't so easy to read, huh?" Nox snorted, seeing Morana sigh, closing his eyes for a moment. But Nox persisted. "Maybe now you should see that we aren't all so easy to understand, I know that better than anyone, and look what happened to me, even with my fears of how my friends would react clouding my head, they still treat me the same, that, I could never have predicted." "Yes....I am sorry, you are worthy of being called a rival, your ideals are sharper than my own, and your way of thinking is what turned this battle against me, for that, I am happy for our dual." He bowed once, seeing Nox rub the back of her neck sheepishly, her face turning red over all the attention she was receiving "Oh my Irene, this is on you, White, all these, mushy, soft feelings I got from you, Rain, Pinkie, hell, even Silver and Klaw at this rate!" Nox barked, making us laugh at her expense, whilst the event continued into the reminder of the night The fireworks were brilliant, in only a short time of planning, we had made a spectacle that the whole Green Zone could see, with the multicolored bombardment of colours stretching across the night sky, coating the dark city in a new glow of colour, as reds mingled with oranges and purples, a whole nebula fanning across the clear night sky. Meanwhile, I sat on a bench, overlooking it all with Black Hat beside me, both of us still looking to the sky. "So, you'll be leaving tomorrow?" I asked dejectedly, wanting to atleast spend a little more time with him, but he had his own problems to deal with. "You're not gonna kill every NPC on your way out, right?" "Oh shit I wasn't-Oh, yeah, 'course, just be sure to expect my arrival for a new challenge down the line, that's if I don't find the Raid Lair for this gauntlet." He answered, waving the gauntlet on his leg, before he wacked me on the back of the head "Ahh! Son of a-why!?" I snapped, he stared at me, his eye glancing once to his left behind us "If you think I'll die than we'll be having a clear misunderstanding of how persistent I am at grinding in this game, I have more levels than you after-all?" He smugly replied, before pointing a hoof back in the direction of the party. "You got others who are looking out for you, so stop thinking you're alone again." "Old habits die hard, that many years with only you, mum, dad, even the guys we knew on other games, I'm still alone for the most part, hell, I might as well stay in this world where I can be with people!" I retorted, before he looked at me evenly for a moment, then looked to be pondering on something. "What?" "That Therstral, is she that girl you were mentioning before we were trapped in the game?" Oh, that's better. I nodded, then he mused to himself, before he bluntly stated. "She's really annoying." At that I nearly broke into a fit of laughter, as he did the same for a few seconds, me shaking my head. "R-Rain's just protective of her friends, seems you just happen to be the one to annoy her by insulting them all at once, congrats!" I patted his shoulder, before I thought to myself. "Who's the girl who was with you, the normal one, Serafin?" "Yeah, tell that to her ability to lose her mind when plans go top-side, she looks about as normal as Discord." Black replied, rubbing his temples with a haunted face. "She's. Didn't. Stop. Complaining!" "Oh that's it!" At the voice behind us, Black fell off his side of the bench, seeing the glare of a thousand suns directed his way from Serafin, her body ignited, whist she raised her spear high in her magic, meanwhile, the colour seemed to drain from my brother's face, scaring me at how this girl managed to freak him out to the point of defensive words "What I meant is that you may or may not have a slight, tiny problem with handling unexpected situations, that's all." He slowly stated, the tiles beneath her hooves beginning to burn with each step "I think you're making it worse." I stated bluntly, standing aside to let the flaming mare through. "Seeing how she's able to turn her rage into a literal flame is scary, so have fun!" "No, wait, don't leave me!" I just ignored my brother, seeing Yin, Yang, Rain, and Summer standing by, along with Silver, Morana, and Nox standing with cameras, watching as Gar'i tried to stop Serafin, only to have his cloak burst into flames, recording the entire thing manually without the system, Klaw watched from above, talking with Pinkie Pie, who hopped happily on the roof beside him with Laxus sitting there too, trying to stop the mare from bouncing "Its crazy, to think we are still in a Death Game?" I looked over to see Rain walking over to me, and I think Yin was doing some weird faces, but Yang had already hit her on the back of the head, climbing atop her older sister to stop her, whist Summer giggled at their antics. My attention was drawn back to Rain, who only looked to see Serafin pointing her spear at Black Hat, who was now holding Gar'i as a shield "Yeah, not to mention how batshit insane everyone is, can't be good for my health, too bad I lost my sanity years ago." I shrugged nonchalantly, before I saw that Serafin was now being handed items by my brother, causing me to chuckle. "Seems Serafin has one of my concerns under 'Erza-Level' of fear." *Thump* Now I was blinking in surprise, as my head resting against Rain's shoulder, much to my surprise, since she wrapped her hooves around my head, holding me lightly as I listened to the conversation around us, and the last of the fireworks going off behind me. "Why are you hugging me?" I asked, not really understanding what she was doing, not that I minded her doing so "Its my way of saying thank you, for everything. Being my friend when this all began, my partner through this Death Game, all of it, thank you." Rain softly worded it carefully to me, as I smiled a little "We look out for each other, that's what friends do, or, so I've heard." I answered bashfully. "We both hold the keys to freeing this game, so we have to watch out for each other, and because I don't want anything bad to happen to you either." "Then....lets make sure nothing will hold us back, ok?" Rain softly replied, just as I hugged her back, finding it to be a nice feeling, and I didn't really care who was watching, I just closed my eyes, holding my best friend close "Right, nothing will hold us back, two down, only four to go." I chuckled, as the last fireworks rained from the sky, as I felt the end of the event dawn upon us, I had people to watch out for, and people I wanted to keep safe, I don't care how long it takes, but when I leave this world behind, I want to meet them, face-to-face all over again. "You know, I never thanked you." "Huh?" Rain pulled away to face me directly both of us ignoring some looks we were given, hers was perplexed. Now....how do I word this correctly "For being my friend. I know my personality is....odd, I'm sarcastic, blunt, even devoid of a personality at times, and....I get that I can be very annoying. But, thank you, out of everyone I've ever met, you never once found me to be a lost cause, despite my reasons to be so." Why was I feeling so nervous around her? I mean, I guess I never really gave her a reason to be my friend, I haven't done much to earn her trust, I know more about her and she knows absolutely nothing of me, kind-of unfair "Really? You of all people 'don't' have a personality?" Now it was my turn to be perplexed, her coy expression mingled with her kind smile. "White, I know very little about who you are, but what I know already is that you're kind, selfless when it comes to everyone else's needs, I mean, you organized all of this-" "With all of your help." I added "-And you only continue to try and do better. Heck, I was....really bad at this game when I first joined, I honestly don't think I'd survive if you didn't give me pointers along the way." "Most of it was down to your own skill." She looked annoyed by my interruptions, but I found it amusing "Let me finish. But above everything else, I trust you, I really do, so if you're worried about me not liking you or finding you annoying, don't. I think...well, its those faults that make you more like me, imperfect." Her final words really hit me. She thought as much as I did about her, we were far from perfect, and that's what I think she likes about me as her friend, we're imperfect, but happy about that "Well then, Purplrain. I'm happy to be your annoying, nerdy, imperfect friend." I chuckled honestly, and she gave me a cute giggle in return, one that made my chest flutter slightly, and Rain winked a me with a blush of embarrassment "And same to you, White Hat. I'm happy to be your silly, air-headed, imperfect friend." Despite our agreement, I will say that she was far from imperfect, in-fact, apart of me feels like she completes me, even if just a little. So, I hope you're watching, Harbinger, because The Eternal Flame, my friends, we're coming for you! [????] He sat by on his own, overlooking the land below with envious eyes, yet he felt empty, utterly devoid of any true meaning of sympathy towards all those that were in his way of achieving what he was promised. Lights below gleamed with hope, whist his own torches crackled with furious, dark intent. And yet, despite what he had set out to accomplish, a tiny morsel that nipped in the back of his mind kept him up this night. Was this worth it? It was an obvious answer, and he played it up to his own crumbling sanity, each day passed and the memories hurt, each was filled with life and happiness, yet it was those emotions that fed him fear, hatred, sadness. It all tormented his waking world, all because he knew the ones that stood before him, who dared to take away his chance to see his light again. Bowing his head, resting it on the cold stone of the balcony, he sighed. If he kept his end of the deal, then all of this was worth it, no-one else mattered, and he would gladly suffer for it in his second life, this was meant nothing without the one to keep him right. He couldn't wait for the day, that righteous day he watches everything White loved and cherished slips from his fingers. He never deserved them, he was a waste of space for years of his life, every time he saw him comforted by others, only to bluntly shrug their concerns off made him not worthy to live instead of his light. By his promise to 'Valkyrie', he'll kill Harbinger, and that didn't require White to be brought to reality. So when that day arrives, and its just him and White, he couldn't wait to watch him burn. That last thought made him smile.... To Be Continued in the next Arc. Update Party: Purplrain - lvl 33 [Stealth class] (You) White Hat - lvl 34 [Offensive class] Seraph - lvl 33 [Support class] Pinkie Pie - lvl 33 [Defensive class]