//------------------------------// // Chapter 6: The Grand Magus // Story: What does a Hero Truly Need? Vol. 1: A New Age of Heroes // by zelkova48 //------------------------------// What does a Hero Truly Need? By: Zelkova48 Chapter 6: The Grand Magus "Are we there yet?" Rainbow Dash asked a highly irritated Twilight sparkle and Applejack for the forty-eighth time in the last half hour they've been walking. "NO!" the two yelled. Rainbow Dash let out a loud sigh, she wasn't as used to walking to her destination. "Well, why don't you guys pick up the pace then? I could have flown there by now!" Rainbow tried to jump up and fly towards the crash zone only for her tail to be caught in a purple glow and yanked back down to the ground. Applejack and Twilight glared at the grounded pegasus with an irritated look in their eyes, to which Rainbow smiled sheepishly at her friends. Applejack was the first to speak up. "Rainbow Dash, Let's be clear about three things. One, it's not that far to the White Tail Woods from Ponyville. Two, we need to stick together for when we encounter... whatever it was that crashed here. We don't even know what this thing is! And three, It could be dangerous and If you were to fly off without a plan who knows what would happen to you?" Both Applejack and Twilight's irritation were replaced with that of fear and distress. Rainbow sighed once more rubbed at her neck nervously. She hated it whenever some of her bone headed actions lead to her friends being all worried about her. It wasn't a serious issues now but they were right, if she just ran off like that what would happen to her in case of an emergency? "*Sigh* Alright, I'm sorry you guys. I promise not to pull off any more stupid stunts out here as long as we're still helping Princess Celestia." Both her friends smiled. Truly she was the element of loyalty, even if she didn't show it most of the time. The three ventured off for a few more minutes until they came across the opening of the White Tail Woods. A brief moment of nostalgia washed over them. Applejack and Rainbow Dash's out of control rivalry led them to earning last place in the 'running of the leaves' event while Twilight managed to snag the highly esteemed fifth place position. A valuable lesson in friendship was learned that day but now a discovery was about to be made. "Ha, good times," quipped Applejack. The trio shared a good laugh before a certain number one assistant crashed into Twilight. "Yeow! Spike? What are you doing here? I thought you were at home in the library." The little dragon was clearly distraught. His breathing was heavy and his face was red as a tomato, it looked though he had been running the whole way to find Twilight. He was gripping something fierce in between his claws. "*Gasp* Twilight! *gasp* Letter! *gasp* Celestia! *gasp* Trouble! *gasp* Tired... " he said no more as he collapsed from exhaustion onto the ground, his little legs twitching as he struggled to breath properly. Without missing a beat, Twilight quickly scooped up both Spike and the letter, putting Spike on her back where he instinctively grabbed onto her to rest before reading the letter aloud. Dear, Twilight Sparkle My faithful student, I regret to inform you that neither Luna nor I shall be able to make a trip Ponyville and assist you with the investigation. I am afraid that I do not have much time writing this letter as the castle is in high alert, all of the royal guards are clamoring around my chamber door worried about our safety. I will be brief with the answer. Somepony had made an attempt on our lives Do not fear for us however, the assassin has been detained and sent to Gladius prison for questioning. We ask you to continue the search for the crash object at White Tail woods, report to us when you have discovered the object and determine the course of action. Should it be nothing more than debris we shall leave it, if it is hostile in any way call for us immediately and we shall come to your aid. Celestia. Everyponies jaw hit the floor when Twilight finished reading, the sheer amount of shock they received left them all speechless. Somepony had just tried to murder their kind rulers, the thought alone sounded too outrageous to be believable. They all regained their senses after what felt like forever, Rainbow Dash was positively fuming with rage. "Who the hay was the pony that did this! I wanna kick his flank all the way to moon!" she stamped her hooves down in angry, her nostril flaring. She was about ready to beat the alleged assassin into submission if she got her hooves on him. "I'm as outraged about this as you are Rainbow but try to keep a clear head. The princess is okay and she still wants us to investigate the crash site." Twilight's reassurance did little to quell Rainbows wrath. "Ease up sugarcube, the princesses could have probably stopped that idiot themselves. In case you haven't forgotten, they control the sun and the moon, remember?" Applejack interjected. Rainbow's anger began to dissipate when she was reminded how powerful the princesses were. "Yeah, you're right. They can handle themselves." Just as she finished Apple jack batted her in the back of the head with a loud *thump!* sound. The hit was so forceful that the pegasus fell to the ground "Yeow! What was that for?" Rainbow asked as she rubbed her throbbing head. "For breaking the promise ya made five minutes ago ya dummy!" Applejack answered with a smile. Rainbow let out a loud sigh, there she was thinking about pulling off a bone headed action again. She shook her head and got up before Twilight addressed the two. "Can you two pull it together, we have an object to find. If the object does turn out to be dangerous then you can go ahead and kick its flank to the moon, okay, Rainbow?" Rainbow smiled at the thought, maybe she would be able to kick some flank today after all. Applejack just rolled her eyes as Rainbow started to get giddy. "Now come on, lets head on out." The two nodded in agreement and followed Twilight into the woods. As they scoured the woods they keep an out for any obvious signs of impact damage; broken trees, fire, or a crater would aid in their search. After a few minutes of searching they come across nothing out of the ordinary. The White Tail Woods was in pristine condition as though nothing had crashed into it at all. Everypony all traded confused looks as their search came up empty, until a faint pillar of smoke was seen billowing off in the distance. With this new development the group dashed off to find the source. When they finally reached the location of the smoke they were greeted with an unusual sight. It wasn't any sort of mysterious artifacts, a rampaging alien, or even a small chunk of random debris. No, it was something else, something entirely out of the left field..... It was just some weird masked unicorn with a giant candlestick lazing around a campfire roasting walnuts. Before anyone could say anything the mysterious pony turned around and startled everypony, save for one sleepy dragon. The masked pony tilted their head in curiosity before speaking. "Why hello there! I've never seen a creature like you before, care to indulge in some roasted walnuts with me?" the unicorns asked. His voice could be identified as male with a light canterlot accent with his own twist upon it, it also sounded heavy and ethereal thanks to the mask on his face. The trio of pony gawked at him with a dumbfounded look. Did he seriously just say that he had never seen someone like them before? Yet he himself was clearly a unicorn. Rainbow was the first break out of her trance and spoke up. "Wait, what are you talking about?" the masked unicorn just looked at them for a bit, his mask hiding any facial expression he may have had underneath. His reply was anything but normal. "Ah! You can talk! How wonderful, absolutely wonderful!" The unicorn's fascination with them almost felt tangible. The trio just gawked again with the same dumbfounded look that stuck on their face the moment he began speaking. After hearing everything he had said so far Twilight went on ahead and dismissed the unicorn as a raving madmane. He sounded madder than she did when she freaked out about Princess Celestia and the weekly friendship report. His clothes did not exactly help in the matter either. Most ponies don't normally wear a lot of clothing unless it was work related, a special occasion, or because they just simply wanted to wear something. But this unicorn was bundled up like he was preparing for an early winter. His clothes also looked downright comical and clownish, it was to the point where none of them could take him seriously. Well, anymore seriously than they do already. His mask appeared to be made of metal, it had a silver frame all around with one line from the top to the center representing the symmetry of the face, the rest was colored black. It fitted snugly upon his face, it even had a hole for his horn to stick out of. The rest of the neck and head area was cover by a long turtleneck which was also black and lined with green accents. His mane, which stuck out from atop his head, was a bright green and tied in a tight ponytail. The rest of his clothes consisted of an exquisitely designed green shirt (which glowed and 'bubbled' eerily in the light), some robes covering his midsection, and a pair black pants. He had this audaciously large four pronged cape that was black on the back and green on the inside, with each prong of the cape curled to where they formed four small loops. Above the neckline the cape formed a simple yet quirky forked collar that went past his head. The rest of the cape was covered with and even bigger and garish golden colored mantle that was larger on the right than it was on the left and was embedded with four green gems in no particular pattern. Near the front of the giant mantle was a golden inscribed shawl that completed the look of the cape. Then there was this oblong looking candlestick he had; It was long and had a slightly melted green candle near the top. Although, from the looks of it, it was more like a staff than a candlestick. The most unique aspect of the candlestick was how there was this amorphous blob of green energy on top floating about in place, possibly through the work of magic given that the stranger was a unicorn. If wearing clothes like that didn't make somepony look insane or suspicious Twilight wasn't sure what will. But there was something she had to ask this pony, no matter how crazy he was. She had to ask him if he knew anything about the object that fell into the woods. But before she could ask the unicorn, Spike began to stir. The smell of roasted walnuts must have triggered his hunger senses. The little guy yawned and stretched loudly upon Twilight's back. With a quick smack of his lips and a rub in drowsy eyes he was finally awake. "*Yawn* Phew, I needed that nap. Hey, who's your new friend?" the baby dragon asked, to which the unicorn swiftly ran up to Spike with an air of curiosity surrounding him. "What's this? My, you are a magnificent creature, little one. I've seen dragons before but never one quite like you before." Spike hopped off Twilight's back and stood up with his little claws on his sides, he was positively radiating with pride. "Gee, thanks buddy. Say, what's your name? Mine's Spike." The dragon held out his claw. "Ah, Yes, how could I have forgotten to introduce myself? I am Rubick." He proceeded to shake Spike's claw. "Rubik? Are you're that one pony who invented that weird cube puzzle thingy that Pinkie Pie can't ever hope to solve?" Spike asked. "No, I don't believe I ever invented such a thing. Perhaps you have me mistaken for someone else," Rubick replied. The two were having a casual conversation together until they both noticed the glares they were receiving from the three fillies standing next to them. Twilight cleared her throat and decided to speak up. "Well... since we're doing introductions, we might as well introduce ourselves as well. My Name is Twilight Sparkle, The pony wearing the stetson is Applejack and the prismatic pegasus is Rainbow Dash. A... pleasure to make your acquaintance" They all smiled nervously. "It is a pleasure meeting you all." Rubick bowed. The trio rubbed their necks, being the ones bowed at was kind of awkward. Normally they would be the ones doing the bowing, especially whenever the princesses came around. Now that introductions were out of the way it was probably best to try to ask him about the fallen object. "I hope we're not intruding or anything Rubick, but can you answer some questions for us?" Twilight asked. "Hmm, well I suppose it couldn't hurt. Come, sit by the fire. I can tell you have a lot on your mind. At least make yourselves comfortable." Everyone walked on over to Rubick's campfire and sat in a circle. "Would anyone like a roasted walnut?" he offered, "I have plenty." Spike raised his claw and Rubick levitated on over a perfectly cooked walnut where he gobbled it down quickly. The other three shook their heads, there was something more important than roasted walnuts at the moment. "Thanks, but... I already ate. By the way, have you seen anything fall down here recently, as in like half an hour ago?" Rainbow asked. Rubick tapped on his mask while combing through his memories, after a bit of thinking it hit him. "Aha! I believe object you are looking for is me, " Rubick replied. The three ponies expression returned to the dumbfounded look they thought they had gotten rid of earlier. Spike on the other hoof was genuinely impressed. "Wow! That was you? How did that happen? How did you survive the fall? Come on, tell me!" Spike was so excited he couldn't wait to hear about Rubick's story, he crisscrossed his legs like a young student preparing for story time. Rubick let out a hearty chuckle before clearing his throat. "Very well then little Spike, I will tell you and your friends. It all started with a small mishap including my colleagues and two black holes..." "How curious, so this is what happens when you put two black holes together," Rubick talked to himself nonchalantly as he was falling in the sky. "On another note, aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" he screamed as he plunged towards the earth and his own demise at breakneck speed. As the ground rapidly ascended upon him, he managed to pull himself together and focus on his own survival. Rubick ran through a list of options in his mind, time was short but he was fast when it came to quick thinking. He held onto his staff and came up with what he believed was the most appropriate action. "Okay Rubick, you can do this. You've held off plenty of assassination attempts, just think of this as another one." He closed his eyes and focused his power. With his jaws clenched and his magic in control he unleashed a skill he learned from Dazzle, the Shadow Priest. "Shallow Grave!" he shouted as he casted it upon himself. His body began to shine with a bright pink aura and a neon ring of the same color appeared above him. He had casted it just in time to as he was mere yards from the ground, and then a grim revelation dawned upon him. "Wait, shallow grave only prevents death! Not actual-" *WABAM!* "Pain..." He finished his sentence as his body collided with the hard ground. Contrary to popular belief, soil is not as soft as you think it is, especially when you crash directly into it at a hundred miles an hour. Rubick had just learned this the hard way as his limbs were twisted around and his lungs began to fill up with blood. Right now his bones looked like a five year old messed up a jig saw puzzle, just random bits and piece here and there with no rhyme nor reason. "Maybe I should rethink this..." he coughed as he spoke, another spell popped into head that would prove useful in his situations, a certain technique he acquired from Skitskurr, The Weaver. With a pained breath he casted another spell. "Time... lapse..." Just like that the small area around him returned to the way it was several seconds prior. Rubick was also back to the way he was before landing, all healthy and well. This also meant that Rubick was falling from the sky, again. "Aaaaaaaaaaaah! This wasn't such a good idea!" Rubick racked through his brain trying to find a suitable spell that would help in his dire situation, hopefully one that won't bite him in the butt when all was said and done. Finally it came to him, the solution was so simple but he didn't have time to think about. With his mind focused on his magic again he casted the one spell that would utterly save his life. "Blink!" Within a flash of bright light Rubick concentrated on the area he wanted to blink to, he visualized the ground before him and just like that he popped back into existence in one piece. The blink spell removed almost all momentum he had while falling and landed him upon his feet without any fear of being flung towards the ground. Though he was glad to be alive he groaned at the fact that such a simple skill had saved him in his hour of need. "Blink? Honestly Rubick why couldn't you have thought of that sooner!" He mumbled beneath his breath as he chastised himself. Still, he's alive and that was really all that matter at the moment aside from finding out if his friends survived the fall. He took a deep breath as he calmed himself, thinking about his next course of action. As powerful a magus as Rubick is he couldn't help but feel entirely helpless. He knew enough spells and enchantments that would make even the most seasoned magi feel like an ant being compared to the sun. Yet, he couldn't think of anything to help his colleagues. Even with the large array of spells he had acquired from other heroes at his disposal he drew nothing but a blank. Perhaps all the adrenaline and panic was still lingering around his head, or perhaps it was the fact he couldn't do anything to help find his friends that filled his mind with doubt of his own strength. Should any of them were to perish in the wilderness, he would be held responsible. His usual inquisitive and amusing personality faded away to be replace with a feeling of dread. He shook his head. No, his friends were stronger than this. He was stronger than this. Being a hero of the Radiant was proof that he was strong. They would all survive, and so will he. He lifted his head up, his mind was clear once more and he was back to his old self. He smiled beneath his mask, no one was going to die today. He could feel it in the air. With his mind in working order again, he formulated a plan to gather his friends. He would have to set up a camp so that when he found one of his friends they would have a meeting area to join up to. He started on the fire first, he levitated some sticks and branches over into a bundle before gathering any loose stones lying around and formed a ring around the bundle to prevent the fire getting loose. With the bundle prepared he held out his staff to ignite it. Just when he was about to send out a spark, he noticed something... off about himself. "Well, this is peculiar." His hand wasn't a hand anymore, it was more like a stump. His gloves also appeared to have somehow change and conform with it. Using his magic he casted a spell he learned from Morphling. "Replicate" A small surge of water gathered in front of him, quickly taking shape to mimic the appearance of the caster. Within mere seconds a perfect replica of Rubick appeared before him. Rubick stared at his makeshift mirror, his form had changed entirely. No more was he the human that was claimed the Grand Magus, instead he was a parody of himself. His clothing were all the same, nothing was out of place. But like his gloves they have all changed and contorted to conform to his new body, which was that of a small horse with a horn. "Hello there handsome," he laughed. "This is very interesting indeed, somehow I've become a miniature horned horse. What were they called again? Hmm... let's see. Aha! Unicorns! That's what they were called, although I don't remember them being this short." He tested out his new form, attempting to pick up some random rocks with his new hooves. Amazingly he felt no change in difference from his old hands. His hooves seemed to act as some sort of magical conduit, in which he could direct the energy around however he pleases. One could say that they were almost a basic limb, designed to grab and hold onto objects. He hypothesized that his mastery over the arcane helped him adjust just fine, but adjusting to walk on all fours would take a bit of practice. His curiousity sated, he then turned to the bundle with staff in hoof and ignited it. "This form isn't half bad, I still don't get what the horn is for though. I'll have to research that later if all is well." His train of thought was interrupted when his stomach began to growl. "Huh, I suppose it couldn't hurt to eat first. Can't find my friends on an empty stomach." He glanced around the clearing looking for any source of food, and wouldn't you know it there were a walnut tree right beside him. "And that's my story up until I met you delightful fillies and your little dragon companion." Spike gave Rubick a standing ovation, he was applauding him like there was no tomorrow as Rubick bowed to his audience of one. The other three simply gave up trying to comprehend this mad unicorn. They thought that trying to understand Pinkie Pie's innate abilities was a headache, now there was Rubick's inherent insanity to worry about. Spike just continued to cheer on for the wonderful story. "That. Was. Awesome! How you and your friends got sucked into a black hole! How you managed to survive a deadly drop and turn back time to do it all again! And the part where you had a moment to yourself to reflect your thoughts and questioned who you were! My favorite part was the part when you discovered the walnut tree." Rubick chuckled in response to the young dragon. "Rrah! Ha ha ha! That was my favorite part too!" The two shared a great big laugh together while the trio of fillies grew more and more irritated of his presence. Applejack went on and butted in on their jovial moment. "Are you seriously trying to tell us that you're the object from the sky? What a load of hooey." Twilight and Rainbow were thinking the same thing. "Yeah! And do you really expect us to believe you performed nigh impossible magic like time travel and replication without using your horn?" Twilight questioned, to which Rubick simply nodded in return, serving to further aggravate the poor girl. Rainbow Dash had had enough, this unicorn was just some whack job hermit who wanted some attention. "Ugh! You know what, this is pointless! Clearly this guy's nuts. Let's just send him to the psychiatric ward at Ponyville hospital and move on with our search!" Before anyone could say anything Rubick stood up and held onto his staff as he glared at Rainbow Dash. "You doubt my abilities? Perhaps you would like a demonstration? Or... how about, a friendly duel?" His muffled voice sounded serious, yet it did nothing to faze his skeptics. "Ha! A duel with you someone like you? Pfft, too easy" Rainbow retorted. "How about a three versus one? You three against me, I'll make sure to tone my spells down to nonlethal levels so I won't accidentally harm you. You three on the other hand, feel free to go at me full force. Spike can be the Judge. If you can to take me down then you've proven your point about my insanity and you can continue to aimlessly search for your mystery object. But if I were to win, you'll have to accept the fact that I was the one who fell here and apologize for calling me crazy. Sound fair?" Rainbow's patience was wearing thin with Rubick, he just declared a duel where he was at a disadvantage. Not only that he sounded extremely cocky and confident with the conditions and handicaps he set for himself. He was so sure that he would be the one victorious in the end. If there was anypony in Equestria that was cocky, confident, and capable of winning challenges, It was her. "Fine! You're on! Prepare to lose you madmane!" As she was yelling, Applejack and Twilight pulled her back and whispered to her. "Are you seriously thinking about participating in this challenge? We going to hurt him! Let's just get Spike and move on," Twilight pleaded. "Come on Twi, this will be over quick. He's just an arrogant pony who needs to be put in his place, kinda like Trixie." Rainbow remembered Trixie. She was just a blowhard unicorn whose magical prowess couldn't hold a candle to Twilight's own, It would be the same for Rubick in her mind. How sorely mistaken she will be soon... "Except Trixie never had to deal with three ponies at once, just let it go Rainbow," Applejack pleaded as well, but it seems that Rainbow was determined to beat this pony's challenge and there was nothing they could do or say to make her change her mind. Both Applejack and Twilight conceded "*Sigh* What is it with you and boneheaded stunts today, Rainbow?" "Don't worry girls, this'll be over in a flash. He won't even know what hit him." Rainbow turned to Rubick. "Alright, bring it on Mr. madmane. You're taking on the Elements of Harmony here!" She puffed out her chest to show her toughness. Twilight and Applejack rolled their eyes. "We apologize in advance if we hurt you in any way, partner." Applejack and Twilight begrudgingly stood beside Rainbow Dash as they prepared for their duel. As Rubick was preparing himself, Spike ran up to him with a worried look in his eyes. "You're not really going to take them on are you? I'm not sure if you know this or not but Twilight and the others are the very Elements of Harmony! You're going to get squashed! I think you should just call the whole thing off" Rubick merely waved his hoof and replied. "There is only one harmony that I know of, little Spike, and that is the harmony within beautiful music and combat. Do not worry for me, instead, cheer on your friends. They'll need all the help they can get if they're going to duel with me." Spike's expression fell, Rubick was going to get his flank handed to him on a silver platter. Yet there was still the very, very, veeeery unlikely possibility of him winning. Though to Spike the odds might as well be one to a billion, and that was if he was just dueling Twilight. Taking on the elements of Loyalty, Honesty, and Magic alone only made him more of a madmane in the other's eyes. But then Spike thought back to his story. "If you really are as powerful as you say you are, can you promise me that you won't hurt them?" Spike looked at Rubick, even though he was wearing a mask he could tell that underneath was a warm and gentle smile. "Do not worry, little Spike, I would never bring harm to your friends. Never in a million years." Spike smiled at his new friend's compassion and ran out of the contender's way. His feeling of fear was gone and in it's place was excitement. He was going to judge a duel! Not only that, he might be able to experience Rubick's magic first hand. He knew Twilight's magic was strong, she is the element of magic after all. But most of her magic was used for mundane matters. Except for the moustache spell, that one was awesome. Maybe he'll be able to see those self defense magic spells that Celestia taught her to use in case of an emergency. He cleared his thoughts when he noticed that both sides were prepared to duel. He stood tall and did his best impression of a judge yet. "Ahem! The duel is about to begun! The rules are simple, whichever side that cannot continue to compete shall be declared the loser. The winner will be the last pony standing in the end. Would the competitors like to exchange some words before the duel begins?" Rainbow flapped her wings as she took to the skies and hovered in the air with a cocky grin plastered on her face. "Only four, Try to keep up!" Her cyan wings were beating strong gusts of wings in Rubick's direction. When she landed down she expected Rubick to be intimidated by her strength and speed, but all he did was brush the dirt off of his cape. "I only have four words as well." He raised his staff high and looked up at the sky. "Prepare to be tested!" he struck the ground with his staff and an incredible shockwave resonated from it, knocking his opposition down where they fell flat on their haunches, eyes wide in disbelief. But perhaps the most disturbing aspect of his demonstration of power was the fact his horn didn't glow at all, not even a small spark. "Ready!" Twilight's pupils dilated before shrinking into pinpricks, her heart and brain went directly into overdrive. Not only because of the sheer power she just experienced but it was also because he used a taboo word that was directed specifically at them. The very word 'test' made her tremble with fear and anxiety. Whenever she heard it she would lose control of her breathing and begin to hyperventilate at a rate comparable to the beating of a hummingbird's wings. "Set!" "What have we gotten ourselves into!?" She wanted to forfeit the duel, just apologize and admit the fact that they were wrong and that he was the one that fell from the sky. But her plan went south as Spike brought his claw down and yelled: "Duel!" Rainbow Dash and Applejack quickly charge at Rubick with lightning speed. At the speeds that they were going there was no way that Rubick could dodge without being hit by at least one of them. They both decided to get him from two sides, they were quickly closing the distance in the small clearing and were seconds away from colliding with the unfortunate unicorn. They had him, there was nothing he could do now. "Phase Shift" Both Applejack and Rainbow Dash didn't have a chance to react before slamming into each other. They both fell back with stars dancing around their heads, trying to figure out what happened. Rubick had disappeared suddenly without warning and tricked the two unlucky ponies into colliding with one another. In a flash of light and pixie dust, Rubick reappeared completely unharmed and safe. Twilight observe from the back and was still shocked at how Rubick was able to cast magic without use of his horn. It was unbelievable to her. "Are you finished already? Come now, you can do better than that," he said. This warranted a quick buck from Applejack and a swift hook from Rainbow Dash aimed directly at his face. They had him now. There was no way he could pull off another trick again to help himself at point blank range, right? "Decrepify" "Ha! Try dodging us now!" Rainbow Dash and Applejack smiled, he couldn't do anything about his situation. Time seemed to slow down as both their hoof were only centimeters away from his masked covered face. This dual attack was going to knock him out like a light. *POW!* "OW!" Someone got hit alright, that someone being both Applejack and Rainbow Dash. Their hooves phased right through Rubick's form and they both ended up painfully striking each other and knocking them backwards onto the ground. Rainbow was close to a black eye and a broken nose while Applejack was going to be walking with a limp for the next few days. They rubbed at their injuries to try and alleviate the pain from hitting each other. "Oh, that looked like it hurt" He said as his form rematerialized from the Nether Realm and back into the physical plane. Both of the injured ponies gave Rubick a death stare as they tried to stand back up. Rubick turned around to see that Twilight was just staring at him with her mouth open. "Twilight, close you mouth dear. Flies and all manners of insects might fly in." She complied and close her mouth but that didn't stop her mind from overflowing with enough questions to fill up an entire set of encyclopedias, kind of like the one she had back at home. This unicorn had taken out two of her friends without lifting a hoof. How powerful was his magic? He didn't even have to use his horn, which ran Twilight's brain ragged trying to come up with a logical explanation. "Are you going to duel with me or not, Miss Sparkle? Or have you already accepted defeat?" Rubick asked. Twilight was afraid, she was afraid of his strength. His powers were something else, not even the princesses could perform a feat as casting spells with using their horn. Just who the heck was this pony? She wanted to call it quits, her magic was nothing compared to his. She knew of this. "Heck no!" Rainbow and Applejack ran over to Twilight's side. "We're not finished yet!" Applejack turned to Twilight. "Come on, get in on the fight. We need your help if we're gonna beat this guy." Twilight really didn't want to face Rubick, she just wanted to call a truce and ask him how he performed his magic. But Rainbow Dash's persistence and Applejack's stubbornness were starting to show, which meant that they were going to see this through till the end. Twilight sighed, this wasn't going to end unless they either lost or won. She decided she was going to have to make the wrong decision to achieve the right choice. "Alright, fine." Twilight stood tall with her head held high and most of her fears expertly concealed behind her courageous facade. Her horn stared to glow with her signature lavender glow. "Try and stop all three of us!" The three backed off and planned their next move, they were prepared to break out a new combo they've been practicing in case any more monsters run rampant around Equestria. They were going to try it out on Rubick in an attempt to defeat him in one strike. First, Twilight encased Rainbow Dash within a magical bubble shield to protect her from harm. Second, Applejack bucked the bubble with all her might sending the cyan pegasus flying forward at high velocity like a prismatic cannonball. Finally, Rainbow used her wings to gain even more speed, she was going so fast she was about to perform her signature Sonic Rainboom within such a short distance. She gritted her teeth and held out both of her hooves, she was prepared to make contact with Rubick and crash into him with a Sonic Rainboom. As Rainbow sped towards Rubick, both Applejack and Twilight followed suit for a follow up attack if the charge failed. Rubick was feeling positively ecstatic, he was incredibly impressed at their teamwork and skills. He would very much like to research their kind when all was said and done. But for now he had to stop the high speed prismatic bolt of color that was charging towards him at the speed of sound. "Betcha can't stop me now!" Sparks began to discharge in front of Rainbow Dash as she was rapidly breaking the sound barrier. At the halfway point she felt the familiar surge of power she was so used to when performing the Sonic Rainboom. In a split second a small multicolored ring blasted out from Rainbow Dash and she flew forward at remarkable speeds. "TAKE THIS!" "Chronosphere" The whole clearing was covered in a large purple dome that trapped everything within the vicinity and froze them in time. Any birds or stray animals that touched bubble froze along with the prisoners inside, the only ones that weren't frozen was Rubick and Spike. Spike looked around with amazement, he thought that Rubick's ability to control time was just a part of his story. But after witnessing his spells in the flesh he was ready to explode with glee. "Wow! Everything's all wavy and stuff, how'd you do that?" Spike asked. "Impressive, isn't it? What we are standing in now is what we like to call a blister in spacetime. Right now we are in rift opened to Claszureme, but let's not get into that. Everything that is trapped here are stuck in a type of stasis, aside from you and me of course. It is a unique time spell that I learned. Courtesy of Darkterror, The Faceless Void," He replied. Spike went and walked on over to Rainbow who was frozen in an awesome looking pose. He went up and waved his claw in front of her seeing if it would elicit a reaction. Rainbow didn't do anything, she was like a statue held in position by invisible strings. Spike then ran on over to the other two and started making faces in front of them. Again, there was no reaction, not even a twitch of the eye. He was curious. "Are they still conscious?" He was afraid that if they could still see the faces he was making in front of Twilight and Applejack he might get scolded. "Well, yes and no. They're still alive but are trapped in an alternate state of time. Every part of their being is put in pause. They will regain their sense of time the moment I release the bubble. However, you can move them around if you like" Rubick offered. Spike had a sly grin on his face, he knew what he was going to do. Spike ran up to Rainbow dash and began to slowly twist her around where she face the other two fillies. He took his time to adjust her trajectory just right so it would be a clean hit towards the others. When he was finished he ran back towards his judging position. Both Spike and Rubick examined his handiwork with mischievous looks on their faces. But they was still concerned about their safety and decided to soften the blow. Rubick searched his mind for a spell that could let them take less physical damage from the hit. "Hmm. Aha! I know just the spell!" Rubick swung his staff towards the ground as a ring of pink colored magic enveloped the three frozen ponies and their two peers. "Weave" Spike whistled in awe as he felt himself grow more resilient. Right now he felt like he could take a tackle from a bull. Rubick double checked to make sure that they were all affected with the enchantment. When he was finished, both of them back off a safe distance to watch their prank in action. Spike covered his mouth with his claws to stifle his laughter while Rubick was giggling softly beneath his mask. "Aaaaaand, now." With a flick of his hoof the bubble popped and a loud crashing sound could be heard the exact moment he released the spell. As the dust began to settle they could both see a small crater in the ground occupied by three very dizzy fillies. Rubick and Spike both slipped into an uncontrollable fit of laughter and fell on their backs, chuckling and chortling like little boys. Twilight, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash immediately knew that whatever the hay just happened probably involved Rubick and some more of his freaky magic. As they stood up they noticed they weren't as injured as they expected to be. They just took a direct hit from a Sonic Rainboom at point blank range, but it only felt like they got pelted by a rock. Their thoughts were overshadowed by the laughter that filled the air. They saw that Rubick and Spike were rolling on the grass laughing away at their misfortune. Both of them stopped laughing when they realized that Twilight and her friends were all up again, and they were not happy at all. Not one bit. Spike nervously went back to his corner, and Rubick got back on his hooves. From the looks in their eyes he could see that they wanted to pummel him into the dirt. The three went their own ways now. No more plans. They just rushed recklessly toward the black and green unicorn. Twilight unleashed a volley of magical blast that Spike didn't even knew she could do. But Rubick didn't move an inch, his Null Field mitigated the blasts to the point where they weren't even capable of harming a fly. Rubick then seamlessly dodged all of the melee strike coming from both Applejack and Rainbow Dash. He didn't need his magic to do so, their patterns have become so predictable he didn't even bother to use his skills anymore. He sighed, this was just like before in his life. Everything had become so predictable, he was at least glad that there were still some surprises today that kept him interested. After dodging all of their attack he grew tired of the duel, it had been drawn out far too long and had gotten dreadfully boring. He might as well end it. "Stormhammer!" He hurled forth a powerful bolt of thunderous energy that crackled through the air at the trio. It collided with the them, exploding in a wide radius and stunning them all into oblivion. A deafening boom echoed throughout the forest, startling all the little creatures nearby into hiding. The three before him weren't hurt in any way but were seeing enough stars to surpass the milky way in quantity. He stared at his opponents one last time and shook his head. "Stormhammer!" The air crackled loudly with the same sound as before and the three fillies fell to the ground exhausted. They had no more energy left and couldn't budge an inch without their muscles aching and stinging with soreness. Rubick walked on over to them and offer a hoof up. They all accepted his kindly gesture and were up on their hooves in no time, well, most of them. Rainbow Dash grumbled beneath her breath as she was helped up. Her muscles and wings weren't the only thing that was sore, her pride had deflated at how badly they lost. "While I must admit that your display near the end was a tad underwhelming, you are all brilliant fighters. I am honored to have faced such powerful and graceful opponents," he praised them all before bowing politely. The others' mood lighten at his humility. They all thought he would be the kind who would gloat after a victory, instead he turned out to be a pretty cool stallion, even for a crazy pony. Spike jumped up and down from excitement at the epic conclusion of their duel and declared the winner. "Twilight, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash are unable to battle! Rubick is the winner!" "Now, about the terms?" he asked. Twilight and Applejack were quick to apologize but for Rainbow she had to gather up the ability to swallow her pride. "Fine, I apologize for calling you crazy." She didn't like it but it was finally off her chest. They didn't know it but Rubick raised his eyebrow beneath his mask. "And?" he said. "And, we believe that you were the one that fell from the sky." They believed him alright, after the display he pulled off today it was hard not to believe it. "We still think you're crazy though." "Fair enough. Well, now that that's out of the way, how about I heal you? You all look tuckered out." Rubick raised his staff up high and began concentrating. "Inner Vitality" The trio wince at the green glow that covered them but were soon relaxed by the invigorating healing sensation they were feeling. Their scratches and achy muscles vanished into thin air and the three were back and better then ever. They all stretched and ran around to check if their injuries were still there, but as it turns out there was nothing at all. In fact, they feel like could tackle a weeks worth of chores without collapsing from fatigue. "Hoowee! That's quite a spell ya got there partner, where'd you learn to do that?" Applejack asked. "Why my friend Huskar was so nice to share his technique with me," Rubick replied. Spike finally rejoined the group and took his overflowing joy with him. "Woohoo! That was amazing! You guys should totally do that again sometimes! Sorry Twilight, I like your magic and all but his magic was so unbelievably cool! I mean he could turn into a ghost, shoot thunder from his hooves, and even stop time!" Twilight's expression fell at what Spike had said, but she wouldn't hold him against it. She was the element of magic, but after today it showed that she was unfit for the title. Rubick noticed her pained look and the tears that were forming at her eyes. As the others were conversing about the duel, he went on over to comfort the girl. "Twilight, what's wrong dear?" He asked. Twilight wiped away the tear from her eyes and turned to Rubick. "It's just... well, I'm suppose to be the element of magic. But after fighting you, I feel unworthy of the title that was given to me. If anything, it should belong to you," she replied. Rubick removed his mask and revealed his face, his coat was black just like his clothing and his eyes were as green as his mane. He looked at the unicorn and gave her a comforting smile. "No, Twilight, that title belongs to you. Now you must be called the element of magic for a reason, when we were fighting I could sense your magic. It is powerful indeed, you just haven't fully awakened yet. If you were to nurture and raise this innate ability of yours, then there are no doubts that you will become a powerful magus in the near future. One day, you may even become a Grand Magus." Twilight's feeling of sadness slowly dissipated, she perked up upon hearing Rubick's uplifting words of wisdom. She was no longer moping, instead she was looking forward for the future. "Hmm... Twilight Sparkle, The Grand Magus. Its got a ring to it. It rolls off the tongue better than Twlight Sparkle, The element of magic" She chuckled "Thank you Rubick, I hope I'll get to be as adept at magic as you are" "Think nothing of it dear, I'm sure you'll master all sorts of interesting magic spells and enchantments in no time. Especially since you're the studious type," he replied. "How did you know that? Did you use your magic to scan my brain and understand my personality?" she inquired. "Not really, you just reacted rather violently to the word test." He chuckled. Twilight lost control of her breathing and heart rate again but she recovered quickly enough, she was embarrassed at herself for freaking out over a little word. But in all honesty she was pretty sure everypony would freak out too if they were being constantly tested by the rulers of the land. She inwardly laughed at the thought before thinking of another important question. "Rubick, are you a Grand Magus?" Rubick put his mask back on and stood up, holding his staff close to him. "The one and the only, Miss sparkle. I am Rubick, The Grand Magus." He gave a polite curtsy. Twilight's eyes lit up in awe, everything made so much sense now. Except for the part where he was using magic without his horn, but still that explained why he was so powerful at magic. She had to ask him if she could teach him some tips and trick to control her magic, maybe he'll even be her mentor outside of her current mentor! Her inner scholar was slowly overpowering her other senses. Before she could ask Rubick another question, a familiar yellow pegasus flew into the clearing. All of her friends ran over to her and saw that she was worried about something. Her eyes were puffy and red, her cheeks showed signs of dried tears. She wasted no time in explaining her situation, "Girls! You have to help me, a new friend of mine ran into the Everfree Forest! I told her not to go but she didn't listen to me, we have to go find her!" Everyone exchanged looks of worry and fear. "Don't worry about a thing, Fluttershy. We'll find your friend!" Rainbow assured her meek friend. Fluttershy let out a relieved sigh knowing that her friends were going to help her. "By the way, what's their name?" "It's Aiu... Aiusha? I can't remember!" Fluttershy's words caught Rubick's attention. "Aiushtha" he said. "Yes, that's it! Aiushtha! Wait, how do you know about her? Wait, who are you? If you don't mind me asking that is..." She slowly hid behind her mane as the masked stranger approached her. "She is my friend, I was going to look for her soon. I am Rubick by the way, a pleasure to make your acquaintance." He bowed. Fluttershy went out from behind her mane knowing the fact that he is one of Aiushtha's friends. "You shouldn't have to worry about her safety, she can take care of herself." Before anyone else could say something, Rarity and a scraggly yellow pony rushed into the clearing from one side, followed by Zecora, a deer, and some weird orange unicorn that looked like a mummy. But oddly enough, no blue armored stallion. Everyone stopped and exchanged looks with each other, there was no time to properly explain the situation. Fluttershy was overjoyed to see that Aiushtha was okay but all of her other friends gawked at her like she was some sort of alien. Rubick decided to go and break the awkward silence that filled the air. "See, I told you she could take care of herself." Rubick waved on over to his dryad friend. "Hello, Aiushtha! I see your form changed as well!" Aiushtha waved back at him along with Rhasta. Rhasta, Aiushtha, Gondar, and Rubick met up with each other in their own little group and decided to let the others do the same. They had a lot of catching up to do. While everyone had questions of their own, Gondar decided to just go and bluntly say: 'Does anyone know what the hell is going on here?" Chapter 6 end