//------------------------------// // Chapter 26 // Story: The Price of Power // by kingrulerword //------------------------------// “We trekked through this Faust-forsaken desert, groveled in front of the queen of the bug ponies, and now we’re back out in the middle of fricking nowhere with nothing to show for it?” Adagio seethed at me. In her defense, it had been a rather unproductive venture. But I wasn’t really in the mood for her attitude. “Did you just say frick?” I provoked her. “You know we’re all adults here. You can curse if you want. Nobody’s got delicate sensibilities.” I fluttered my eyelashes with the last bit.  Her eyes changed to Sharingan and for a second it almost seemed like the pattern was about to change again but she calmed herself down and moved away from me. Sonata took her place. “You know you shouldn’t be mean to her like that. Dealing with Mirage was really hard for her.” I rolled my eyes. “Whatever, back into the wagon everyone.” “I thought you said it wouldn’t move in the sand,” Sunset said. “It won’t but I just remembered that I can both turn the sand into a solid path and make the wagon fly.” “And the reason you made us walk under the blistering sun was?” Gilda glared at me. “I forgot.” Have you ever been cold-cocked before? It’s not that bad an experience believe it or not. You’re standing up one second and the next you’re lying down somewhere else with some minor soreness in your jaw. As I rubbed said soreness out of my jaw and sat up, I saw Smoke Puff staring guiltily off into space. “Puffball….. Did you knock me out?” The bunny girl looked at me for a moment, nodded quickly, and started staring at something in her hands. “It’s ok you know,” I moved closer to her. “I’m not mad or anything. Actually,” I stretched and popped my joints, “I feel a bit better.” At that moment my jaw chose to remind me that it had suffered an injury. “Mentally at least.” I rubbed the tender spot. Smoke Puff remained quiet and solely focused on the object in her tiny hands. “Whatcha got there,” I asked. It looked like she was internally struggling with something but she eventually turned around and showed me. A black headband, adorned with three red star-like crosses and a strange gold symbol hung loosely from her fingers. It seemed familiar, somehow. “Where did you get that,” I asked. “It appeared while you were unconscious,” Smoke Puff replied. “I don’t know what it is but I don’t like it.”  She held it out to me and I took it in my hands. Immediately I heard a voice speak in my head. If you seek truth and aid in helping the weak and in need, call forth the Anti-Magic Knight. “It’s a token,” I whispered to myself. “Hey Smoke Puff, get ready,” I grinned. “We’re about to make a new friend.” I held the token in my hand and called out to its creator. I felt the same surge of otherworldly energy I did every time the void was involved and a portal opened in front of me. The silhouette of a figure appeared from the light and Smoke Puff jumped in front of me, ready to fight. “Puffball, calm down,” I patted her head. “These guys never come through ready to fight us. Worst comes to worst, we blow up the planet and escape.” She looked at me in horror. “Kidding,” I said. “You know I can’t do that.” She grumbled a bit but relaxed. The figure finally stepped through the portal and it closed behind him, giving me my first look at the guy. My first thought was, I know him from somewhere. My second thought was, This guy looks like he hangs out at the Salty Spitoon. He was about my height but his build was much different. While I have a more athletic build, this guy was clearly a fighter. His black trench coat and red shirt couldn’t hide the hard, angry-looking muscle covering his body and scars all over his visible skin. But the thing that stood out the most was the power. The person radiated an intense, almost sinister energy. My third thought was, I may have just doomed the world.  He let out a yawn and then looked at me. I readied myself keeping my hand close to my sword.  “Holy crap a Sasuke is the one who summoned me,” He pointed and rushed over. “You look like hell. Nice to meet you, name’s Asta, Asta Ferris.” I relaxed a bit, relieved that I wasn’t about to fight for my life. “Sasuke Uchiha, kind of,” I extended my hand. He took a hold of my hand and I could tell he was extremely strong, “Nice to meet ya. I’m guessing you’re the resident Displaced.” “That I am,” I grinned switching back into performance mode. “I am Equestria’s Black Sun! The Demon Bane of the Griffons! And the….. Shit. The dragons had something too but hell if I remember. Anyway, I have called you here, Anti-Magic Knight Asta Ferris, to ask for a few favors. How would you like to help me out?” “Depends on what it is,” He shrugged. “As long as no one is seriously hurt then I’m game for anything.” “Now when you say seriously hurt,” I squinted in thought. “Does it count if said ‘hurtee’ can regenerate from otherwise mortal wounds?” “Hm…” He stroked his chin. “As long as they don’t die from said injuries, unless they're evil then they can go to hell.” I clapped my hands. “Excellent! It’s basically impossible to kill them anyway! So forgive me, I’m not exactly familiar with your powers. What makes you anti-magic? Personal grudge?” “My demon,” He said nonchalantly as he pulled an old dirty book from under his coat. “And my swords,” Asta released the book and it was covered in black and red outlined energy. The book opened flipping its pages before stopping as a handle came out of it. Asta took hold of the handle and pulled out a massive bastard sword and then pulled out a smaller sword designed for close combat. “The smaller sword absorbs any type of magic and converts it to anti-magic that I can then use how I see fit. The large one is mainly for attacking and channeling the anti-magic.” “So that all sounds incredible and useful in pretty much any situation and all but I’m gonna need you to back up a bit.” I cocked my head to the side. “Because I’m pretty sure you just said you had a demon? And I’m gonna need some follow up on that.” “That’s where things get complicated,” He crossed his arms still holding the swords. “He’s trapped in my Grimoire and is the source of my anti-magic. Other than that I can’t give more as not a whole lot is known about him from the manga or show either.” “You’re not going to like….get possessed in the middle of combat though, right?” “If I look like it then it’s just when I invoke my anti-magic into my body,” He snickered. “The only who’d is a threat of possession is Sombra and he’s under heavy ward thanks to my big brother.” “Huh, neat.” I grabbed his shoulder. “Puffball, keep going towards the Dragon Lands. I’ll be back in a bit.” In a swirl of energy, both Asta and I were gone. *** As space solidified around us I took a quick look around. A surprised Sci Twi stood to my front left and a bored Starswirl briefly looked up from his newspaper. “What kind of teleportation was that?” Sci Twi quickly recovered. “You can’t do it so it doesn’t matter,” I waved her off. “More importantly, this is Asta. He has graciously decided to come from beyond the void and help me….. Do some stuff.” “Oh no,” Sci Twi mumbled under her breath. “The void you say,” Starswirl said, suddenly interested. “Mr. Asta, is it? Come, sit down.” The old unicorn levitated a chair towards him. “I would love to ask you some questions about interdimensional travel. Cookie?” Starswirl finished by telekinetically shoving a cookie into Asta’s lips. Asta inhaled the cookie then looked at Starswirl, “You dead,” he said bluntly. “The ki you’re giving off is very... Uh. what’s the word, sour. As for questions they’ll have to wait till I help Sasuke first. He is the one who summoned me but if you really want to know about interdimensional travel you should watch out for one of these.” He pulled an old pocket watch with the Human Transmutation circle from FMA on it. “It’s my older brother’s token and he regularly traverses the Void.” He turned to me, “Onward with your stuff.” “I prefer ‘Living Challenged’,” Starswirl said as he took the pocket watch. “And we’re here for them,” I pointed to the odd couple in front of us. “Sci Twi is working on a spell that fully analyzes any skill it comes into contact with. And as much as I hate to admit it, the zombie wizard can do some truly insane meta-magic manipulation.” I put my arm around Asta’s shoulder. “Your anti-magic is a power, so I figured they can recreate it, or at least imitate its effect. I kind of need something to combat Celestia’s new ‘no-powers allowed’ weapons. Got to level that playing field. Sound good?” “You know I don’t like being called ‘Sci Twi’,” Sci Twi pouted. “Well as I said before,” Asta said as he brought out his book again and tapped it. “The demon to the source of my anti-magic and it extends that to my sword. The swords however already possess the power to absorb and redistribute magic, something to do with being dwarven made,” he scratched the back of his head. “So feel free to analyze them all you want,” he pulled the smaller sword from his book. “But make only those with extensive magic touch it as anyone with very little magic could possibly die just from touching it.” he held the blade out. “I don’t recommend telekinesis either. Not even my princesses can lift this with it.” “Everyone here should be fine,” I said, avoiding touching them just in case. “Starswirl, why don’t you grab one and get started.” The unicorn rolled his eyes. “Our fearless leader in action.”  “Don’t complain to me; you’re already dead.” Starswirl rolled his eyes and tried to levitate the sword out of Asta’s hand. Nothing happened. He frowned and put more magic into it. “Anti-magic sword, Starswirl,” I reminded him. He blushed. “Grab that sword for me, Twilight.” “Why me,” she asked. “Because I don’t have thumbs,” Starswirl held up his hooves. Sci Twi sighed and slowly walked up to Asta. She reached out her hand and just as she was about to grab the sword, she hesitated. “Wait a second,” she said. “Why do we have to touch it in the first place? If Mr. Asta channels his power through his body, I can analyze it from a distance.” I pouted. “But I want to see what happens if you don’t have enough power.” “I thought no one here was expendable,” Starswirl smirked. I thought for a moment. “You’re right. Don’t want to lose my precious Sci Twi. Alright then. Do you need to transform or have magic shot at you or something? Or is holding them enough?” “Either or really,” He shrugged. “Simply having the sword out it absorbs the magic in the area around it. I’m bored,” He stabbed the sword in the floor and walked to a nearby window and jumped onto a cloud. “Fresh air is nice,” he said sitting on the cloud. “Son Goku did it first,” I yelled after him, trying not to show I was impressed. “Anyways, Starswirl shoot some magic blasts at him, and Twi, do your thing.” They both nodded in agreement and Sci Twi’s eyes turned into a violet Sharingan. Starswirl lit his horn and let a few magic bolts fly. Asta lazily slashed the slow-moving projectiles and Sci Twi mumbled something under her breath while writing on a small notepad. “Hey Asta,” I said. “Since there’s no way in hell I can call a repair pony/griffon here, I assume you’re going to fix this window.” “I can fix it or I can give your people gifts,” He put his sword against his shoulder and hopped back into the lab. “I love sky dragon powers. So, what’ll it be?” I turned to Starswirl. “Researchers can fix windows, right?” He shrugged. “I’m sure they’ll figure it out. Sci Twi, whatcha got for me?” She glared in response. I cleared my throat, “ I mean, Twilight, what were you able to learn?” She smiled. “That’s better. I was able to figure out the structure of Mr. Asta’s ability to erase and reflect magic, but there’s no way for me to even begin to duplicate it.” “That’s where I come in,” Starswirl puffed out his chest. “Just bring me that bat you got a while back and I’ll have this figured out in two shakes of a sexy lamb’s tail.” “What?” “What?” Starswirl mimicked. “Go get the bat.” I summoned the bat to my hands. “It’s right here but that’s not what I-” Starswirl swiped the bat from my hands and pushed me and Asta out of the lab. I faced Asta. “You heard that too right? It wasn’t just me?” “I have a demon and demon king pony in a book,” Asta deadpanned. “I hear things all the time and I can talk to animals for some reason, yes I heard that. Did it make sense to me not at all, no. What was with the bat?” “It’s made with some sort of physics-defying metal, nth I think,” I explained. “I got it from Iron Man. Which doesn’t quite make sense now that I think about it…. But I got a magic reflecting baseball bat so it's all good.” We stood in silence for a minute. “So what’s your Equestria like? Which pony did you wife? Or husband…. no judgment.” “None taken,” He waved it off. “My Equis is mainly humans with tails and wings. The unicorns use crystals to focus their magic, same with alicorns, though the sisters don’t have the best rep with me. I’m dating Fluttershy, maybe Applejack at some point. So yea that’s it other than being the leader of the Black  Bulls Magic Knight Squad. I have a dragon that she gives me natural magic of a pegasus and access to what’s called Ancient Magic I can ride when she gets big enough, got her from another Displaced.” he looked around and then back to the door. “Can we walk? I don’t like standing still.” I nodded and we moved through the castle. The ponies I ‘hired’ scrambled around us to avoid our path. “Huh, anthropomorphic ponies,” I hummed to myself. I looked him up and down, then grinned. “Yeah, you seem like a Fluttershy kind of guy. Did the princesses also turn you to a statue? I swear that seems to be their go-to for us.”  “Well, as far as stoning goes that was my older brother. No, they tried to kidnap me,” He walked and looked around. “I hate it when people don’t just ask me shit. Being sneaky and all that crap, no offense.” I led us on a short walk up some stairs, down some stairs, around a few corners, and back to the lab. “It’s been a few months, so they should be done.” I kicked open the door. “TWILIGHT, STARSWIRL, I’M BACK!” “Wait, oh crap,” I heard Sci Twi say as a bright light engulfed me.  ** As I dusted the soot off of my body, Starswirl stood over me, fuming. “How many times have I told you not to open the door while the time dilation is active!?!” I sheepishly looked to Asta who simply shrugged. “Six or so,” I offered.  He offered a hand. “Do you want a grimoire?” “By grimoire, you mean an ancient book of powerful magic spells, right?” Asta nodded as he pulled me to my feet. “Will it work if I can’t use Equestrian magic?” “My Grimoire is a prison for a demon and evil pony, not to mention and endless storage of random items I won in a game of Blackjack form a merchant guy calling himself the Gambler,” Asta crossed his arms. “The Grimoire I’m talking about comes from Black Clover and is entirely unique to oneself. The books act like a catalyst and record your spells as you make them up. It’s not unheard of for families to have similar or pass down magics or Grimoires after members die. But if you die before you can do that your book burns to ash. I can unlock your personal magic with a blank book, some of your blood mixed with ink, a fresh quill, and my Publishing spell. So not Equestrian in the slightest. The best part is there is no time limit to the number of times I can use the spell or quantity.” “Sci Twi, you heard all that, right?” She sighed and started collecting the required items. “And while we’re waiting, Starswirl, tell what you guys came up with.” Starswirl moved through the lab and started pushing a large box. With great grunts of effort he pushed over to where we stood. “Now then. First, I would like to say the metal in that bat was immensely difficult to process into another form and had I known just how much trouble it was going to be I would have made you do it. But,” he took the top off the box and showed me the sword within, “I can work with pretty much anything.” I picked up the new sword and inspected it. “This looks like the one I already have,” I said. “I’m a genius mage, not a sword smith,” he retorted. “And besides, this one is so much better. It cuts through spells like warm butter. It can still channel your chakra and you can pull it to your hand now.” “What do you mean?” “One of the things Twilight learned from her analysis was that Asta’s swords and grimoire are basically bound to his soul, making it impossible for him to misplace them. While we weren’t able to replicate the soul binding, we were able to create a sort of spiritual tether between you and the sword.” I tossed it and came flying back to my hand like Thor’s hammer. “Huh, neat.” Twilight placed her collected items on a desk and coughed. “Everything’s here,” she said. “What now,” I asked Asta. “Depends on who wants to have a Grimoire,” He shrugged. “Just hast have them mix some of their blood in with the ink write their name in the book and I’ll do the rest.” I summoned a kunai and cut my finger. I dripped some of my blood into the ink and opened the book. Before I started writing, I hesitated. “What are the rules for the name written in the book?” “Not really sure about that myself,” Asta scratched his head. “Everyone till now has used the names they go by. I guess use whatever you feel is your name is for you.” he shrugged. I started writing. “I am Sasuke Uchiha,” I whispered. Of course, the name was written in English so I felt weird about that but I powered through my language awkwardness. I finished writing and looked up at Asta. “What happens now?” “I happen and then you get a new magic that’s your along with a hangover headache the size of the Texas panhandle,” Asta smirked as his Grimoire floated in front of him flipping to a specific page. “Publishing Magic; Grimoire Publishing,” Black lightning shot from Asta book to me then so the book I had written my name in. I passed out for a bit cause the next thing I knew I was sitting in a chair with Asta repeatedly tapping my face. “Hey, Sasuke, you in there dude?” “I understand everything.” My grimoire appeared in front of me and opened itself. I felt the basic knowledge of how to use its power fill my mind. I willed the magic to activate and felt it create something around my neck. I tilted my head to get a better look and saw a necklace with six glowing, jade magatama adorning it. I held one in my hand and instinctively understood their purpose. “Starswirl, do you know any instant death spells?” Starswirl’s eyes lit up with enthusiastic curiosity. “Yes, why? Does your new magic allow you to capture and reproduce spells?” “Not exactly,” I said, still enraptured by my necklace. “Cast one on me.” Starswirl blinked owlishly, then shrugged. His horn lit up with power and he cried out, “FOR SCIENCE!” He released the spell and then…. nothing. “That’s odd,” he murmured. He looked at me for an explanation. “It works,” I grinned. The magatama in my hand crumbled into nothingness. I turned my attention to the others in the room. “What you’ve just witnessed is the ultimate protection magic. Each one of these little guys can protect me from an unstoppable attack. I’ll call it….. Plot Armor magic.” “Wait a second,” Sci Twi held up a hand. “You weren’t sure it was going to work but you made Starswirl cast the spell anyway?” “I was pretty sure,” I defended myself. Sci Twi didn’t say anything. She rolled her eyes and sighed heavily. “Anyway, I apparently only get six of these at a time and I have no idea how long it’ll take to recharge. Know anything about that Asta?” “However long it takes for you to get your mana back,” Asta crossed his arms. “In theory, you could use the spell infinitely with enough mana. This spell though does have a limit to the number of times you can use it. At this time I’d say you can use it at least nine times ten if you really push it.” he turned to Sci Twi. “And how can you call yourself a researcher if you’re not willing to die to test your own spells?” Sci Twi frowned. “But I’m not even an adult yet. I would never use dangerous or untested methods to advance my research.” Thinking back to a certain inter-school event, I couldn’t help but laugh. “Sure you wouldn’t.” “What’s that supposed to mean?” “Now is not the time for Midnight Sparkle,” I brushed her aside. “Now is the time for a field test!” I grabbed a piece of paper from the table and furiously scribbled out some instructions. I tied it to a kunai and handed it to Starswirl. “What do you want me to do with this,” he asked. “You know the dragonfire mail spell, right?” “I created it,” he snorted. “Then send this message to Celestia,” I instructed. “She’s going to help me figure out how to really use this new spell.” “Mind if I join in the fun,” Asta smirked as he cracked his knuckles. “I have some pent up emotions that I would really like to share with the sun horse.” I grinned. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.” *** Asta and I stood deep in the Badlands, waiting for the princesses to arrive. In my message, I had told her that I would meet her to give her the chance to finish our fight once and for all. Obviously, I had no intention of doing so but it was too good a chance for her to pass up. “You wouldn’t happen to have a watch, would you,” I asked Asta. He pulled out another alchemist pocket watch, “Sure,” he tossed it over to me. I popped open the cover and checked the time. Tossing it back I said, “I’m now just realizing that I didn’t give them an exact time.” I scratched my head. “Or location. I just said, ‘middle of the Badlands’.” I looked around. “Aren’t even any landmarks around here.” I sat down in the dirt. “You mind powering up as a sort of beacon?” “Sure, but I’m saving Black mode for a mind fuck,” Asta said as he walked away from me. “How about a massive tower made with Ancient Magic?!” he called out. “As long as you can feel and or see it for miles, go for it.” I saw Asta’s left arm glow and he slammed it on the ground, “Svell Fell (Ice Mountain),” A huge ice spire sprang from the Knight’s fist and roast thousands of feet into the air. “I do believe it’s hard to miss a big ass ice mountain in the middle of a wasteland.” he dusted his hands off and joined me. After all of three seconds, I heard the unmistakable sound of Equestrian teleportation. Turning to face the sound, Celestia and Luna had appeared. They both stood in their human forms and covered in a light looking armor. Celestia’s Sharingan was focused on me, while Luna studied Asta. The second I moved to stand up, Celestia went into action. “Solar lance,” she whispered and a beam of white-hot fire rained down on me from the sky.  “Mind tricks don’t work on those who have multiple minds to call on, little blue pony,” Asta smirked as he crossed his arms causing Luna to step back a bit. “Are you a demon,” she asked, clearly trying to gauge his strength. “Or a mix between human and demon?” “Aah…” Asta mock though as he placed a finger in his cheek gently scratching it. He finally shrugged. “No clue anymore. I was human at some point but due to an evil king trying to take over my body I had to undergo a few physical alterations to keep him from doing so. Thanks to my older brother’s help I guess you could call me something in the line of a human with demons sealed in his very bones.” He looked at Celestia. “Hello Celestia!” he said twiddling his fingers. “Kinda hard to move around under this pressure. Can you drop the fireworks while we talk, please?” Celestia turned her attention to Asta and the rain of fire stopped. I stood unscathed and one of my magatamas disintegrated. “You know, if I greeted you with a rain of fire, I’m pretty sure you would be offended,” I said. “Where is Sunset Shimmer?” Celestia demanded. I waved Asta over to me. Once he was close enough I leaned in close and whispered in his ear. “Looks like Celestia’s not fucking around today. Since she’s got way more than enough power to insta-kill me sixty times, how about you take her and I take Luna?” “Good with me bro. I got beef with the multi-colored bringer of the sun anyway.” Asta held up a fist and I bumped it. “How far can I take this fight?” “Don’t destroy her brain,” I instructed. “It’s the only thing we never tested so I’m not sure if it’ll kill her or not. Try not to decapitate her either. Takes her way too long to recover. Other than that, go wild. Oh, and just a heads up, when she figures out her magic isn’t going to work she’ll try close-quarters combat. She’s not the best at it but she is crazy freaking strong so getting hit might hurt.” “Sure it will,” Asta smirked as he dropped his coat and it hit the ground with a thud. “Right,” he cracked his knuckles. “So, let’s get introductions out of the way little princesses. My name is Asta Ferris, The Anti-magic Knight.” He said taking a mock bow. Celestia raised an eyebrow at ‘anti-magic’ but kept her face kept its calm visage. She raised a hand at Asta and let loose a magic fireball. Asta’s Grimoire flew to his side and he immediately slashed the fireball with his bastard sword with ease. He propped the sword on his shoulder and smirked at the shocked Celestia as the fireball turned into black energy and flowed into the blade. Asta let out a yawn, “This is going to be boring if that’s all you have.” Celestia looked at Asta carefully before fully turning her body to face him. Her golden swords vanished and all the magic she was leaking was pulled back into her body. She took a deep breath and assumed a fighting posture. I could see she was focusing all of her power into just her legs, hands, and eyes. I could only think, ‘Pure offense doesn’t really suit anybody. Hope Asta’s not too rough with her. At least the Sharingan’s inherent op bullshit should keep this interesting for him.”  “Let’s see if your eyes can help me go past my limits,” Asta put his sword back in the Grimoire. He took up a stance that I wasn’t familiar with placing his palms open. Celestia kept her hands raised and took a few steps forward before launching a kick at Asta. He caught her by the heel with very little effort and thrust his arm forward throwing her about thirty feet away. “Nice try there but a ballerina has more grace and power than that,” he smirked. Celestia adapted her posture and tried the exact same move, again. I raised an eyebrow because I could have sworn I taught her better than that. Asta again expended minimal effort in stopping and flinging her. Celestia dropped her stance and calmly walked at Asta. With each step, she pulled all of her magic and chakra into her body and let not a single sliver escape. When she stood a few feet away, she started attacking in earnest. Using her full speed, she tried attacking Asta from every angle. Asta was doing his best to try and keep his eyes on Celestia and for the most part, his kinetic vision was able to keep up, mostly. But that didn't mean he was able to block her assault. She was going for his back out of his peripheral vision and he wasn’t liking that. “Now I’m annoyed, Iron Palm: Aian doragon'notsume (Iron Dragon’s Claw),” he roared slamming his right hand into the ground sending shockwaves through the ground while causing a spider web of crack to form. Celestia was thrown off allowing Asta to catch her by a throat. For the first time, her facade of calm broke and her anger boiled over. Unable to scream due to the hand around her neck,  her mouth just moved silently. Sparing a quick glance to show me the hate in her eyes. Focusing back on Asta, she grits her teeth and tensed. A golden skeletal hand formed at her side and punched the mage, catching him by surprise and loosening his grip enough for her to make some distance between them. “Oh shit,” I mumbled. “Just what I need: Celestia with Susanoo.” A giant blue skeletal hand grabbed me. “She’s not the only one.” The blue skeletal thumb moved to my face and tried to do something. Luna’s slight frown and one of my magatama crumbling told me she had tried to pop my head off. I formed my own Susanoo briefly to break out of her grip. “Y’all are really going for the kill this time, huh?” Celestia scanned her environment and ran to the giant ice tower Asta made. Using both of Susanoo’s arms, she shattered it and threw the broken pieces into the air. Her Susanoo vanished and she fired several light beams from her hands. The light beams hit the shards and were refracted at Asta as they melted. “Oh, so that’s how you like to play,” Asta said from above Celestia. “I admit that could’ve killed me had I not dodged,” He sneered at her as he drove a fist into her left sending her flying. “I’ve got a lot of pent up rage directed at you specifically Sunny, want to see what happened when I let my emotions roam free? Ruijin'en (Ape’s Palm), ” he said thrusting his palm into Celestia’s gut sending her rocketing her upwards.  Asta was soon above her, “Īgurusutoraiku (Eagle’s Strikes),” he called out and unleashed in a torrent of strikes quick rapid strikes while Celestia used her Sharingan to avoid a number of them while putting in a few of her own. Though her attacks did let more than slow him down Asta didn’t let up and he whirled around landing a kick to the side of her head sending her spiraling back into the ground.  “Man that felt good,” Asta remarked landing not too far from the dust cloud. Celestia spit up some blood before shakily getting back on her feet. A slight glow throughout her body meant that every injury she just suffered was gone. Her rage twisted her face in a way I had never seen before and her left eye started bleeding. “Just die!” she screamed as Asta’s body was suddenly wreathed in black flames. The fire grew to engulf the entire area Asta was standing until Celestia couldn’t create any more. She fell to her knees, exhausted. “NOT GOOD ENOUGH!” Asta roared, shaking the air as a torrent of black energy surrounded him consuming the flames as they were drawn into his smaller sword and the dragon-shaped scar that wrapped around his left arm. She was shaking in trying to get her body to move but it would. I could clearly see Asta look down as his eyes clearly focused looking at my former student but he was straining slightly, as if he was trying to hold something in check.  “How?” Celestia asked as she shakily got to her feet. “Chakra is ki and my anti-magic is very similarly manipulated using ki techniques,” Asta smirked as he returned his sword to his Grimoire. “I used my technique to manipulate the chakra in your Amaterasu in the same manner and then using my Ancient magic to seal it away. Why are you holding back?” ** While Asta was fighting Celestia, I had my hands full with Luna. She was at a disadvantage, fighting in an open field during the middle of the day, but fighting her was getting more difficult. “Did you already activate Daydream,” I asked, having stabbed yet another phantom. “Of course,” the army of Lunas all said at once. As if to emphasize her point none of the Luna’s retained a consistent state of being. At seemingly random intervals, some of them would vanish from existence and new ones would come into being. As I cut through another imaginary Luna, one appeared behind me and punched me with Susanoo’s full force. The impact pushed me into a group of three, ready to ensnare me with their chains. I managed to stop my momentum and change direction, avoiding their trap. I exhaled to calm myself and focus my mind. ‘Calm heart, calm mind.’ My little mantra and slowed breathing calmed my heart rate and stopped my mind from racing. The next Luna that moved towards me faded from existence. I smirked. “I seem to recall Daydream being my idea.” I gazed at each of the Lunas and willed them into nothingness. “I know all of its secrets.” Luna wasn’t shaken. “I’m well aware,” her voice echoed all around me. “But I’ve become more proficient in its use.” As I attempted to slice another copy, my sword fell to the ground. A quick glance at my hand revealed that it was no longer there. I quickly willed my hand back into being as a Susanoo gripped me from behind. It held me for a moment without moving and I could feel Luna’s frustration. Another magatama crumbled and I willed the Susanoo to shatter. “You’ve gained a new ability, haven’t you,” Luna’s voice surrounded me. “I’m not the only one,” I responded. “You have Mangekyou and you can overpower others’ sense of self?” I slowly clapped. “Very impressive.” As if to test out a theory, several beams of light struck me in the arm, leg, and forehead. I closed the holes in my arm and leg but the one aiming for my forehead dissipated on its own taking another of my magatama with it.  “I see,” a Luna formed in front of me. “You cannot receive a fatal blow as long as your necklace remains. But it only protects you from fatal blows.” She smiled. “And it would appear you have but one saving throw left.” Her shadow chains filled the area, creating a spiderweb of darkness.  “There is a strong possibility that you’re right,” I replied, filling my sword with electricity. “But I could also be misleading you.” She leapt at me riding her chains. I activated my own Mangekyou and tried to catch her with Amaterasu. Every time I wrapped her in the black flames, that body would vanish and a new one would take its place. All the while, black chains chased me around the area, forcing me closer to Luna. Once we got close to each other, we each formed a skeletal Susanoo and fought like boxers. Pieces of our giant skeletons vanished and reformed while environmental hazards did the same. Spikes of earth formed at our feet ripping off our limbs and forcing us to will ourselves whole. Luna’s chains finally managed to get a firm hold on my Susanoo’s right arm long enough for her to puncture through its rib cage and grab my body. Instead of trying to crush me like the previous times she threw me into the sky. As I fell back to the ground, I readied myself to counter her next attack but I couldn’t see her on the ground. “I’ve won,” I heard her whisper into my ear. As I turned to face her, I saw her emerge from Kamui’s spacial swirl. Her eyes glowed as she unleashed a magic blast from her horn. My body was rocketed to the ground as the last magatama vanished. As Luna’s next spell rained down, I summoned my grimoire and recast Plot Armor. A rain of white light engulfed me as the necklace reformed. The light faded and the first of my new magatama crumbled. “That was a close one,” I murmured as I surveyed the landscape. Molten rock glowed bright orange as far as I could see. Luna hovered in the air a few feet from where I stood. “It’s not over yet,” I grinned. “No,” she stated. “It is.”  I was about to reply, use one of my many sharp witticisms when I lost my balance and fell to my knees. “What the fuck,” I coughed. “It doesn’t matter how many times you avoid a fatal blow,” Luna said. “It appears a slow death still gets through.” My vision started blurring and I felt short of breath. “You did something to the air,” I realized. “I merely removed all of the oxygen from the vicinity,” she explained. “And to prevent you from recovering, I have ended Daydream.” “That’s fucking brilliant,” I wheezed. “When did you even start that?” “I pulled it out little by little after I pierced you with the moonbeams,” she smiled. “I would have wanted to end you quickly but you have a habit of making things difficult for yourself. Do not worry, I will stay with you as you suffocate.” “That would be so much more touching if you weren’t the one suffocating me,” I laughed. “But I am absolutely not dying here.” I pulled myself into Kamui’s dimension and took in several deep breaths. Luna appeared seconds after I was steady enough to stand. “You cannot escape through here any longer,” she declared. ** “You don’t know who you’re helping,” Celestia said. Her legs threatened to buckle underneath her but her will kept her up. “The things he’s done, the ponies he’s hurt, it’s sickening. I’ll bet he smiled and waved off any questions you might have had too. You want to know why I’m holding back? I hold back because I know what it’s like to think he’s the good guy. To think that the ends justify his means. But they don’t. Never have, never will. You could stop him if you wanted, couldn’t you? Your power eclipses his.” “Hmm.”Asta placed his sword back in the Grimoire. “You’re right I could stop him, physically I’m almost unequaled, but he has the edge in techniques and experience. But the crucial detail is that this isn’t my home, I have no right to stop him at least that’s the way I see it. He called me here for a bit of help is all. I’m just venting my anger but if you truly wish for someone to help you, then call upon my older brother. I’m sure he’d more than sympathize with you.” He tossed his pocket watch at her. Celestia caught it and looked it over before putting it in her pocket. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. In an instant, her power skyrocketed as she drew on the sun’s power. Her waving hair turned into a raging inferno almost too bright to look at. Her unsteady movements became firm and focused. Her body radiated a heat so intense the ground beneath her feet began to melt. She opened her eyes and focused solely on Asta. “If that is how you truly feel, then it seems there is nothing left to discuss.” Faster than I could blink, she was in Asta’s face, putting her entire body into an uppercut. Asta was in midair as he drew in a deep breath, I noticed his muscles slightly tense up as he proceeded to kick the air rocketing in a zig-zag pattern back to the ground before landing form a small crater. “I’m not evil Celestia, had you been the one to call I would’ve helped you,” Asta commented raising his hand up and pulling his sword from the Grimoire again. He then raised his left arm and I could see the Dragon’s mark begin to move with black flames. “I don’t like you but I would’ve help you, nonetheless.” Asta reeled back his left hand as it became engulfed in black flames. “Let’s see if you can handle your own Amaterasu infused with Antimagic, BLACK FLAME DRAGON!” Asta yelled as his arm came forward sending a massive dragon of black fire and anti-magic at Celestia. My former student quickly summoned her Susanoo to protect herself from the jaws of the black flames. The dragon soon dissipated but the damage had been done and the Susanoo was severely damaged. Celestia let Susanoo fade away once the dragon was gone and fell to one knee. She quickly rallied and stood up again. She surveyed her surroundings before facing  Asta again. Her face was stained with blood from using her Mangekyou so much and her eyes returned to the normal Sharingan pattern. The flames of her hair had died down a little but still burned strong. She called more power from the sun and forced it into her body. Her body pulsed with solar energy but using so much power was beginning to take its toll. The tips of her fingers started to blacken from the intense heat. Realizing she didn’t have much time left, Celestia again sprinted at Asta, using her Sharingan to its fullest extent and attacking from every and any angle she could. “You pushing me fairly hard Celestia,” Asta remarked as he dodged her assault. “But your own body is already reaching its limits,” he said as her fist connected with his face. “It’s a shame you unlocked the Susanoo and still have no idea how to properly wield the powers that Susake has given you.” Asta grabbed her wrist and threw her off to the side. “Let me ask you this, what is that you truly want that you’d go so far as to destroy yourself for?” Celestia landed on her feet and even more of her body turned black. “I want Sunset Shimmer to come home. I want Sasuke to pay for his crimes. I want to never have to think about this form again. But down here in the real world, we’re often faced with ugly realities. And the reality is: you stand between me and what I want. So, even if I have to burn away my entire body, I will get past you.” “I may not care for you but I will not allow you to perish either,” Asta said placing his sword in front of him. He concentrated and I saw the black Anti-magic start to flow from his sword into his own body. The anti-magic slowly covered Asta’s body forming a horn on the right side of his head reaching down his right-eye changed to a deep red as his teeth grew sharper and a singular black wing sprang from his back. He then held his sword above his head and held his left hand outward as a ball of antimagic formed in it, “Anti-Mana Zone,” The sphere burst and the air and ground around Asta became soaked in his Antimagic. All of the magic that was there was now converted to Antimagic and started to be drawn into his sword Celestia herself had returned to her base form no longer burning away. “I believe it's time to bring the others back, BLACK CLOAKED DIMENSION SLASH!” Asta roared as he brought down his blade sending a wave of Anti-magic tearing through the dimension reaching all the way to Luna and me. “I would love to stay and chat but my ride’s here,” I leapt into the rip in dimensions and landed near Asta and a powered down Celestia. “Hey Celestia, you’re not looking too great. You should totally get some r and r.” Luna came through the dimensional rip not long after I did and her hair fell to her sides. “Sister!” cried as she ran to the smoldering sun princess. “Now I’m sure no one really got what they wanted,” I started. “Except me. I definitely understand my new power now. But I think we can call this one a draw. What do you think, Asta?” “A draw for you maybe but I call mine a definite victory,” He looked at me then to the sister. “As I said I’m not here but to help him out and I have, I also burnt off my anger so I’ll do one more thing.” He walked towards the sisters. Luna got in front of Celestia. “I don’t wish to fight anymore but I do wish to give advice and ask one final question.” Asta bent down and held up a hand in front of Celestia, as it glowed with white energy her burns began to heal. She pulled away from him and the healing stopped. It looked like she wanted to spit on him but decided against it. “Say your piece and leave.” “I wish you well, and I highly recommend you call my older brother before Sasuke does. I doubt he’ll help Sasuke but it would be better that he meet you two first,” Asta stood up and placed his hands in his pockets. “I’m sorry for having done this. As for my question, have you ever asked, why is he doing all of this? I know he’s an asshole, but even someone like him has to have a good reason in the long run.” “I will not allow more humans to run wild in my country,” Celestia said. But I noticed she kept the pocket watch. “And I have never once gotten a straight answer from Sasuke. The closest to the truth I get from him is half, and even that’s a lot.” “My older brother isn’t human anymore,” I commented. “He’s a fifteen thousand-year-old mage and on top of that, he’s a father.” “Wow,” I muttered. “Standing right here.” I grabbed Asta’s shoulder. “We’re going. Later wifeys.” I teleported us back to Laputa before I could make out the stream of profanity that followed. *** “You couldn’t have told me ‘Hey I’m married to those two so don’t get on their bad side’,” Asta said looking over his shoulder at me. “How’d the Grimoire work out?” “It’s got a few flaws I’m going to have to work out,” I shuddered when I thought about all the slow, painful deaths Luna was no doubt planning for me. “But I’ll make it work. And also I’m technically only married to Luna. The situation with Celestia is more,” I scratched my chin, “confusing. Anyway, that’s all I needed from you soooo… Do I send the bill for the window through the totem or call you back to pick it up?” “The window was paid for via Grimoire,” He poked me in the chest. “I also got the Amaterasu in my Rider’s maker so… Yea I can fix it.” he brought up his book and pulled out a hammer and a saw. “ Give me five.” Asta went to work in less than five he had the window fixed. “As for the whole married thing that’s the same thing my brother deals with, plus our extended family.” “Your brother is also being hunted down by his one and a half wives?” I asked. “Now I’m not a hundred percent sure about this but… we might be the problem.” I shook my head. “Nah, can’t be. Thanks for the magic powers. Are you sure I can’t get anything else for you? Need a corpse?” “Sorry, I can’t use Wraith magic, so no on the corpse,” Asts shrugged. “If ya could give Sharingan without the alicorn part that would be cool.” I shrugged. “If you know someone who’s good with genetics, I’m pretty sure you can separate them out but I don’t have any pre-made.” “C'est la vie,” Asta shrugged. “Now what’s the deal with you and Sunset Shimmer?” I frowned. “Do you really need to know?” “Need to no,” Asta shook his head. “ Want to, yes. Kind of curious as to why Sunny would kill herself over trying to get her back.” “Fine,” I sighed. “Sunset Shimmer was on the princess track that Twilight Sparkle is now on. Celestia was grooming Sunset to one day replace her as Princess of Equestria. But, Sunset Shimmer ran off through the mirror where Celestia couldn’t follow and didn’t come back. So Celestia had to get a new student and abandon a prime princess candidate. If I had left things as they were Sunset Shimmer would have never left the mirror world and wasted all that potential. I brought her back and now I’m training her to be a true alicorn, aspect and everything. Celestia wasn’t supposed to know Sunset was back yet. I wanted her to ascend before they were reunited.” I sighed, “This world is going to need all the help it can get. I won’t say too much because of all the PRYING EARS.” Several sets of hooves quickly ran away. “But things are about to get bad, like really, really bad. My presence in this world has made things so much worse.” “Demons are a part of this world, that much I could sense,” He looked out the new window. “That’s what I was able to glean from Luna when she’d asked me if I was a demon anyway. I do have to ask, have your recruits faced one yet?” “Not yet,” I said. “They’re not even close to ready for that yet. Demons here are sort of... unkillable. They have to be contained or they will keep coming. The girls are sort of power-tripping right now. But it’s ok, they’ll be fighting elder dragons next week. Sort of a sink or swim progress test.” “Elder dragons,” Asta rubbed his chin. “Now that seems like it would be fun. If you don’t mind me tagging along if not then say the word and I’m gone.” “I think we’re good for now,” I extended my hand. “But don’t go too far. I might need you again.” “It was fun but do try and be nice to the sisters,” Asta took my hand. “Maybe try and be a little more open, just some advice from my actor days.” he released my grip. “If you need me just call, I’m always up for a decent fight.”  he hit his palm with his fist. “Shall we?” I grinned. “We shall. Not today because I got my ass handed to me but one day for sure. Until then, see ya.” “Later, then,” Asta said as a portal opened behind him. He walked into it and gave me some advice, “Whatever you do don’t piss him off.” The portal shut and the Antimagic Knight was gone.