His armor shone like he has never seen it shine before. The light from the mysterious orb above showed the fine detail of the intricate and elaborate runic engravings as the diamond flake glimmered in the light. His mane and coat were cleaner than it has ever been, and his hand crafted jewelry was spotless. Crimson walked proudly around the unknown place as clean and pristine as ever.
Then, Crimson took cover as he looked upon a strange settlement. He sat and observed the structures and the inhabitants. “No walls?” He asked himself as he studied the general layout of the settlement. He lightly shook his head. “This is a terrible design. It holds no military establishments. There are no walls or guard towers to defend against an enemy attack.”
For the next few hours, Crimson laid low and observed. “What are they thinking?” He whispered to himself. Not long after, he decided to check out the settlement. He stood up and started to walk towards the unusual town.
He looked around as he cautiously entered the strange settlement. His armor, cleaned from the river, gave off a reflection of his surroundings. Ponies started to turn their head as they noticed the unusual traveler in their town. It wasn't long before Crimson noticed the eyes of the town’s citizens staring at him. He started to slow down and cautiously move as he started to feel isolated and imprisoned. The pony citizens started to mumble amongst themselves as Crimson realized he was the only one wearing armor. The overwhelming feeling of paranoia and isolation got to him as these cowards only looked from afar. His heart pumped faster as he got more and more anxious. Finally, he couldn't take their psychological attack anymore.
“Enough of this!” He yelled as he stood on his hind legs. He leaned forward to bear his weight on his forelegs and stomped the ground, causing a nova of energy that shook the area. The pony citizens scattered and ran away in fear. Not long after, armored pegasi flew to Ponyville’s defense from the strange attacker. Crimson spotted the armored pegasus, then took a defensive stance while they surrounded him fro above. “How dare you attack me?” His eyes gave a death glare at the frightened ponies. “You are all fools. Flee now while you still can.”
Before a single pegasus landed around him, Crimson was already thinking of every aspect available in the surrounding area to use to his advantage. His years of war and conflict gave ideas and options in a heartbeat. His eyes focused on his kill as he glanced at the buildings, getting an idea of taking the high ground while the pegasus took an attacking posture.
“Lay down on the ground!” The pegasus demanded.
Crimson lightly turned his head toward an alley between two buildings, while a second pegasus landed behind him. Then he blinked a couple of times, snapping out of his monstrous zone. He looked at the pegasus in the thought that he had just left the life of bloodshed, and he wanted to leave that life behind.
With no answer from the intruder, the pegasus charged to subdue the unknown attacker.
* * *
The six friends reached Ponyville and looked at the smoke rising from the middle of town.
Applejack’s eyes widened. “What in tarnation is that?”
“I don’t know. Let’s go!” Twilight said and the six went to a full trot into town.
They reached the site of the disturbance. Incapacitated royal guards scattered the streets, each of them encased in a stone prison molded to the earth. They struggled to break free while Twilight looked at the strange method of entrapment. “What happened here?”
Rainbow Dash pointed to a red armored pony. “Who is that?”
“I don’t know.” Applejack replied as two royal guards dove in to attack. The strange pony stomped on the ground, then swiped the air with his hoof. A bounder flew from out of nowhere, hitting the two guards and knocking them to the ground. The rock molded itself around the guards as if it were turned to liquid then merged with the ground. “But we gatta stop’em!”
The six charged the stranger to defend Ponyville as the armored pony turned around to see the newcomers. “Why are you attacking me?!” He shouted in anger as his horn started to glow. He stepped down and twisted his hoof in the ground. As he twisted, a ring of earth collapsed around him and he was suddenly engulfed in flame. “Leave, heathens!”
The six stop in their tracks around the attacker. Twilight looked shocked at the display of magic. “What the..? I’ve never seen this magic before.”
Applejack tilted her head toward Twilight while closely watching the stranger. “Any ideas?”
“Yeah.” Twilight replied as she brought her head down. She pointed her horn at the fire, then a beam of light shot towards the fire. The light got absorbed by the fire as the flame lightly pulsates. A heartbeat later, the light Twilight attacked with shot back towards the friends with tendrils of fire wrapped around it.
Twilight looked in surprise as the others scream. “AAHHHH!!!” Twilight desperately erected a barrier around herself and her friends just before impact. The fire engulfed the barrier, reflecting off the magic shield and catching some surrounding houses on fire. The six started to sweat from the intense heat as Twilight struggled to keep the barrier up from this powerful magic. Twilight lightly collapsed as the barrier faded. At the same time, the flames stopped, and the stranger watched his opponents through the flames.
“My hair!” Rarity pouted as she covered her hair with her hooves.
Applejack looked over at the exhausted Twilight. “Twilight, you okay?”
“His magic is strong.” Twilight replied, panting and trying to catch her breath. “Rainbow Dash, we need rain clouds!”
“Got it!” Rainbow Dash bolted in the air at Twilight’s command.
Twilight looked over at Fluttershy as she looked over at the damage around her. “Fluttershy, help the injured.” Fluttershy looked over at Twilight, nodded, them moved away from the conflict.
Twilight looked over at Rarity, who is using her hooves to try to straighten her hair. “Rarity, I need a fire agate. I need something that will help defend against his fire magic.”
“I am NOT getting dirty.” Rarity remarked.
“Rarity!” Twilight replied angrily.
“Hurmph.” Rarity gruffed then ran off.
Twilight looked at the strange pony as some more guards tried to ambush him. His movements manipulated the flame and he took the guards down with seemingly no effort. The earth then molds itself around the overpowered guards, placing them in a stone prison. She tilted her head toward Pinkie Pie. “Pinkie Pie, we need you to somehow distract him.”
“A distraction?” Pinkie Pie questioned.
“Yeah. The bigger, the better.”
“Okie dokie loki!” Pinkie Pie replied with a smile and she zipped off.
“Applejack, when he’s distracted, try to take him down.”
“Uh, Twilight, what about the fire?” Applejack asked with a hint of worry.
“Let me handle that.” Twilight looked at the stranger, on guard for any attack.
The two sat and waited for Pinkie Pie’s distraction. Rarity ran up with a red gem. “Found one.”
“Good.” Twilight took the fire agate and put it in front of her using her horn’s telekinesis.
Suddenly, Pinkie Pie ran by Applejack, Rarity, and Twilight Sparkle. “Run!” She shouted to her friends.
The three looked at each other in question. “Run?” They turned around to see a tidal wave of string rush to their location.
“WHOOO’A~!” The three ponies yelled as they got swept up by the tsunami of string. The strange pony glareed at the string, put his right hoof in front of his left, then drew a line in the ground. The earth cracked open, swallowing the tidal wave of string. The crack swerved through the streets to guide the wave away from the scene. Twilight Sparkle and Applejack poked their heads through the string as Rarity’s upper body was buried, with her flank sticking out. Her screaming is muffled as Pinkie Pie looked down the hole.
“Pinkie Pie,” Twilight asked in confusion. “Err, never mind.” Applejack helped free Rarity of her embarrassing situation as Twilight used her magic to toss a rope of string up to Pinkie Pie.
“The nerve of him!” Rarity vented.
Twilight started to crawl out of the hole with the string. “Come on!”
The others follow suit. When they got out of the hole, they looked at the stranger who was just standing there.
Twilight looked around on the ground. “Where’s the fire agate?”
“You lost it?” Rarity asked.
“Hard to focus with an ocean of string sweeping you away.”
Rarity’s eye for glamour and beauty spotted the gem tucked away in a corner of a burning building. “There it is!” She pointed her hoof at the gem.
Twilight made a mad dash toward the gem as the building's integrity started to give out. She jumped and slid on her stomach, and snatched the gem with her hooves off of the ground. She rolled on her back just in time to see the building starting to crumble on top of her. Quickly, she throw the gem at the falling wall, then focuses her magic into the gem. The gem transmuted the magic and turned it into fire magic, obliterating the falling wall into harmless ash. Crimson stood and watched the pony struggle against the building, and observed her use of the minerals.
Twilight got back up and ran back to Rarity.
“You alright?”
“Yeah. That was a close one.” Twilight looked at the stranger, who continued to just stand still and watch. Twilight started to think to herself about this strange attacker. “Wait a minute.” She said in thought as it started to suddenly gently rain. Rainbow Dash kicked more clouds she put above Ponyville as the gentle drizzled turned into a downpour, with the water falling all over the land extinguishing the fires in town.
The strange pony looked up in confusion as he lifted his hoof, feeling the water fall on his skin. His fire barrier weakened from his lack of focus. He lifted his hoof and collected a puddle of water. He looked in amazement as he leaned in to sniff the collection. Twilight’s horn glowed as the fire shifted from the stranger and got absorbed into the fire agate. Suddenly, Applejack tackled the stranger and held him down. The stranger looked at Applejack.
“What magic is this?” The stranger asked in total confusion. The guard’s earthly prison melted and they went to Applejack’s aid.
Applejack looks into the pinned attacker’s eyes. “This is a good’ol smack down!”
“No, this…” He said as he reached his hoof up to feel the water.
“What?” Applejack asked confused as the guards relieved the prisoner from Applejack. Pinkie Pie splashed in the rain as the guards took the prisoner away.
Rainbow Dash landed next to Twilight Sparkle as she walked up to Applejack. “Is it me, or did he not seem hostile?”
“Hostile? Shoot, that pony was wreaking havoc all over Ponyville!”
“Yeah, look at this place.” Rainbow Dash remarked as she looked upon the burnt houses.
“Yeah, I guess you’re r-“ Twilight said, but was interrupted as Fluttershy ran up to the group.
“No pony is really hurt.”
“That doesn’t make any sense.” Twilight said as she started to think to herself.
“I-eeee!!!” Rarity yelled. The ponies ran to her aid.
“Rarity, are you okay?” Rainbow Dash yelled.
Rarity, nearly in tears, tried to seek shelter from the rain. “No! My hair is wet!”
All but Twilight looked at Rarity with incredulity, but Twilight was lost in thought. “Something doesn’t add up.”