//------------------------------//
// Warding 
// Story: Friendship is Ganking 
// by Teh_Zodiac 
//------------------------------//

“Come on, this can’t be right! How could you have won three games in a row? I’m supposed to be the shady dealer here!” Meepo said, and threw his cards in the air in a fit of frustration. He thought that of all the things the Invoker was good at, Dark Reef Poker was not one of them. But the magician was incredibly slick and merciless, and could call his bluffs with no difficulty whatsoever. The Invoker had a smug expression all the while, rejoicing in the chance of putting the rodent back in his place.

“Your affinity with mud and shovels won’t save you in a game of wits, rat! Again, my superior knowledge paves the way of victory!” And he ended that boast with a prideful and loud laugh. What he didn’t tell the furry scavenger was that Slark had explain him how to fix a game. But he didn’t need to know that.

While Invoker was busy metaphorically stripping Meepo down to the underwear, Sand King and Chaos Knight were discussing what they considered important matters. Preparations for the battle they were going to face when they’d manage to come back to the material plane, something that it looked like wasn’t going to happen anytime soon. In fact, it was the bored Akasha, dangling upside down from a tree, who realized that night was getting near and there was still no trace of Rainbow Dash.

“Say, it’s been three hours since that rainbow pony went to the town to ask for help. She said it would only take a moment, and we’re still here!” She said, annoyed.

“It is quite strange. Maybe they are preparing the local populace, so we won’t scare them. Still, I’d expected for someone to inform us by now.” Sand King concurred, and scuttled near the border of the forest. The sun was already under the horizon, and the sky was of a purple hue. The town was bright in contrast with the darkness of the forest behind them, and still there were no sound coming out of it.

“It’s too quiet, guys. Usually a town like this is really noisy… but I can’t hear anything, yet all the lights are on!” Meepo said, as he got up from the ground, tossed the cards on Invoker’s face absent-mindedly and went to Crixalis’ side. Karl, fuming with rage, yelled at the scavenger.

“EHI! WE’RE NOT DONE YE-“but stopped abruptly, and looked at the lights of the small rural town. Everyone turned to look at him, since it was fairly uncommon for the Invoker to stop a spectacular display of anger once it had started, but for a moment all they could on his face was an expression of extreme pensiveness. At last, he turned to face them, and said with a serious tone:

“There are four individuals with exceptional mana pools coming our way right now. The smaller one is just a little bit less than my personal reserves. The bigger one exceeds Harbinger’s.” They all knew that expression: Karl may be a boisterous, self centered, anger prone jerk, but there was a moment when he dropped every annoying quirt, every obnoxious insult, and behind the undecipherable gaze you could see the cruel, cold eyes of the real Arsenal Magus of the Ancient Era. It happened only when he was up against someone whom he felt as equal, and his comrades had given them a nickname, the Radiant Three:
Nortrom, the Silencer, Dragonus, the Skywrath Mage, and Rubick, the Grand Magus. They were all exceptional casters in their own right, capable of overwhelming the enemy with incredible skill and precise and deadly spells. If they and Invoker actually clashed in a cycle, it left the battlefield scorched for weeks. And now four exceptional wizards were coming their way.

“Tell us more, Invoker” said Chaos Knight, grasping the mighty battleaxe in his right hand. He was especially good against magicians, since he could stop them from ever casting, bring them in front of him and pummel them down in a matter of seconds. 

“Three of them are females, probably. The flux of their mana is different. One is calm and collected, one is eager and impatient and the other is really nervous and tense.” He answered, his fingers already flickering in the air, ready to cast. “The last one is the also the biggest, and it’s male. I can’t read it though; it’s in a state of constant turmoil… Wait!” 

“What happened?” Sand King asked.

“It disappeared… I think he teleported away. The smaller one now is also angry, and so is the middle one. The one left, the calmer one, is trying to keep up the appearance, but she’s preoccupied now that the male caster is gone.” He answered, his eyes fixed on the small town.

“Invoker, I want you to scout ahead. Go into the town and tell us what’s coming.” Chaos Knight ordered him coldly. Normally the wizard would’ve started a long series of recriminations and complaint, but he just nodded, conjured up a spell, and disappeared in the darkness of the evening. 

He ran across the fields, towards the hill that was partly blocking the view of the city from the forest. If someone wanted to spy or jump on them, they would certainly be there. Invoker smirked as he felt the enormous amount of mana encompassing him: there was so much he could keep the Ghost Walk indefinitely. He reached the top of the hill, and looked down. Under him, a good hundred meters down, there was a not so small crowd of ponies. He could see a couple of dozens of ponies clad in golden armor, probably soldiers or guard. He spotted a veritably uncomfortable Rainbow Dash, looking at the ground and hovering beside five other mares. Of course, the Pegasus mare had told them that there were three species of ponies in Equestria, and now the Invoker could spot all of them. Rainbow dash and four others had some kind of necklace on them, while the last one, a purple unicorn whom Karl recognized as the least powerful caster of the four he had sensed earlier, wore a tiara of sort. Beside them there were two big ponies, almost as tall as him, who sported both wings and horns. This was confusing, but he felt that these two were the other spell casters. 

“Maybe they are a cross species, bred to have the best traits from all the three races? They do wear a crown, so maybe they are the rulers of this land?” He thought, unsure on what to think. He still couldn’t understand most of it, but from the flow of their mana and the general tense and serious expressions, he could see they weren’t here for tea and scones. He dashed back to the forest and appeared right in front of his comrades, eliciting a series of gasps of surprise.

“Why do you always have to do that?” Akasha said.

“There’s no time. Beyond the hills there are thirty guards and two ponies sporting both wings and horns. They looked like they were high on the chain of command, possibly even the rulers of this land. The pegasus pony is with them. She probably told them we were here.” Invoker told them.

“I told you we couldn’t trust her! We should have just forced our way into town!” Akasha said, throwing her arms into the air.

“And you think they wouldn’t have sent someone to stop us? Maybe they are here to negotiate, or to help us!” Interjected Sand King. He tried to resolve this peacefully, but the thousands of years  of experience told him this wasn’t actually the case. Still, things could still be resolved without fighting.

“What do we do now, Ness?” Meepo, asked preoccupied. 

“We wait. I wish to avoid direct confrontation if possible. We are outnumbered and we don’t know what the enemy is capable of. The outcome is-“

“Look!” Meepo said, interrupting the Chaos Knight. They all turned to see the crowd Invoker told them about descending the hill. In the front, there were the two big ponies plus six mares. One of them was indeed Rainbow Dash. Meepo’s heart sunk as he saw her with a plethora of guards, clad in golden armor and armed with big silver spear marching for them. Chaos Knight started walking forward, gesturing them to follow, but to stay behind him. His hand was firmly grasping the humongous axe, and the fresh grass sizzled under his boots. Eventually, the convoy stopped twenty meters in front of them, as the two big ponies walked forward. Chaos Knight saw the guards accompanying them tremble slightly at his sight. His axe was the same size as their bodies and he was almost a meter taller than their rulers. Being imposing wasn’t something he was unused to, but the teammates behind him were impressive in their own right. The six mares adorned with jewels seemed just as tensed as the guards, if not more. A cream colored one wasn’t even hiding her fear, and was trembling behind a soldier.

The biggest one, sporting a white coat and a strange, multicolored mane of ethereal nature, spoke first in a calm but firm voice.

“I am Princess Celestia, ruler of Equestria together with my sister, Princess Luna.” She gestured the pony at her side, which had a deep blue coat and a darker mane lit by tiny points of light that looked like stars.
“We wish to know what five dimensional travelers are doing in our Kingdom.”

“We are stranded, and we need to go back to our plane. We need a magical lab to perform the necessary rituals.” Chaos Knight answered coldly. He saw four eyes locked on him, eyes that resonated with wisdom and power. Much like his. If he had some.

“That much we heard. We will gladly give you a fully furnished lab, at one condition.” Celestia said.

If Chaos Knight had brows, they would’ve been in the upper atmosphere. It looked like the guards were only for show, and this was actually a negotiation. Not that he cared much. In way or the other, he would get that magical lab. Nonetheless, he heard the sigh of relief of Meepo and Sand King behind him.

“What is it?” He asked.

“We believe you harbor a demon of Tartarus. Give it to us, so that we may send it straight where it belongs with the Elements of Harmony.”Celestia answered, and looked at the Queen of Pain with barely contained disgust. Akasha looked surprised at first, but it quickly subsided into an amused smirk. Succubus loved attention. She thought about intervening, but decided to let Chaos Knight do the talking.

Nessaj’s gaze moved slowly on a flustered Rainbow Dash, who did everything in her power not to look at that incandescent slit in the helm. He was accustomed to betrayal and treachery, as he saw many things while riding through the worlds, and loyalty was not one of them.

“If you’re talking about Akasha, she’s not from this plane you call Tartarus and thus has no business with you. She’s my comrade. I won’t let you take her.” Chaos Knight said, and tensed his right arm. He felt his comrades moving slowly away from him.

“Enough! Give us the fiend and we will ignore your gross disrespectfulness, creature!” Luna interjected, his voice already growing in volume.

“Luna, stay calm! Please… If it’s a demon escaped from Tartarus you’re travelling with, it will have poisoned your mind and your heart right from the start! Give it to us, and you’ll be free to go!” Celestia said, a pleading look in her eyes.

“No.” Chaos Knight answered, unwavering in his resolve. He had been given by the Dire the role of leadership and he swore on his honor as the First Fundamental that he would never abandon them. No matter the cost.

Celestia sighed and shook her head sadly, before asking:

“Are you the one Rainbow Dash called Chaos Knight?”

“I am.” He answered plainly.

“What do you think about harmony?” She asked with a glimpse of hope in her voice.

“A foolish concept. It may works for mortals, at least for the minuscule span of their lives, but in the end chaos always wins. Disorder is the natural state of the universe and anything going against it is an abomination that needs to be crushed.” He answered, emotionless.

“Princess, I told you that we should have just used the Elements of Harmony! They are dangerous, you heard him!” The purple unicorn with the tiara yelled, and pointed her hoof at Nessaj. Her voice seemed firm to most, but everyone in the Dire could feel that slight tremble, the almost unheard shiver that was always the symptom of enormous fear. They were all accustomed to fear, more or less. Some cared to be hated, some didn’t. But it wasn’t the first time that any of them had faced the threat of annihilation, or whatever those Elements of Harmony did.

However the most perplexed one was Akasha. Not because they demanded her head, at least that’s what she understood, but the eyes of Luna were fixated upon her and they carried a hate and contempt that could only be fueled by personal experiences. Yet she had never seen her before. Oh well, it wasn’t the first time someone dumped on her past wrongdoings of the demon race, and she didn’t care much for it. But usually it didn’t look this personal. Maybe the pony had mistaken her for someone else?
“I know Twilight. I just wished to find another way. I’m going to ask you to surrender and face equestrian judgment.” Celestia said, while placing her right hoof in front of her. The guards immediately readied their spears against the five heroes.

“No mortal can judge me!” Nessaj boomed.

“I’m not really sure about what’s going on, but I think we’re in for some fun!” Meepo interjected, and pulled out a glowing shovel from his backpack.

“Lady, I’m not sure what exactly your problem with me is, but I’ll be happy to discuss it in the battlefield. Or over a cup of coffee.” Said Akasha seductively, and winked to Luna.

“Ugh. I’ll ignore your cross-species bedding attempt and point out just how disappointing is that individuals with such a huge magic potential have so little understanding of legal proceedings.” Invoker said.

“It is regrettable that diplomacy was not an option. Nonetheless, we have a contract to fulfill.”  Sand King said as his tail started to flicker slightly into the air.

It did look the brief negotiations failed spectacularly. But deep down every one of them, even the apparently pacifist Sand King, was tingling with excitement. Battle! It had been over a day since they had fought someone, and the thrill was stronger than ever. The thought that some of them may die for real in this realm didn’t even cross their minds, as they prepared themselves for battle. The same could not be side for the ponies. They seemed beyond surprised that Meepo and Sand King could actually talk, and the fact that the five creatures didn’t even seemed fazed a bit by the prospect of a full out fight scared them.
Still, they had a princess to obey.

“Guards, apprehend them!” Celestia yelled and pointed her hoof at the intruders. The thirty guards rushed beyond the princess and the five mares, and closed the twenty meters gap in an instant, or so they thought.
Chaos Knight, immobile as a boulder, said blankly:

“Invoker, deal with them.”

The Arsenal Magus stepped forward, whispered “At once” and moved one hand to face the soldiers. The tips of the spears were practically in their face when a loud boom resonated in the ether, and all the guards were abruptly pushed in the air. Some of them had wings, but the push had been so sudden and violent, much stronger than the stronger winds they had ever faced, that they couldn’t hope to resist it. All thirty guards were flung backwards and reached the ground face first. They were almost a hundred meters behind the princesses, and from the moans and cries of pains, many of them had broken bones. 

The princesses and the mares looked completely fine, and Invoker saw the unmistakable glimmer of a magic shield, a shield strong enough to resist the push of his Deafening Blast, a feat not easily accomplishable. He smirked, and conjured up three orbs, ready for another spell, but an armor clad appeared in front of him.

“Stop. It’s useless to just throw spells at them. Wait for my signal, and I’ll use a Chaos Bolt. When their guard is lowered, we will strike.” Chaos Knight whispered in the minds of his comrades. The Mind Link truly was one of the most useful things that the Dire had put them on them, and what really helped the right team shine in battle. When push came to shove, they could share their respective point of views and opinions in a blink, devising a strategy and setting it in motion within instants.

The princesses didn’t seem surprised much by the show of magical prowess, but the lavender unicorn whispered under her breath, still loud enough to be heard over the cries of the injured soldiers:

“Such a powerful spell… Princess, we have to hurry!” Celestia, who hadn’t took her eyes off the Chaos Knight, said in a calm and collected voice.

“I know, Twilight. I’m just sorry it came to this. Use the Elements, we’ll shield you.”

Twilight nodded, and turn back to face the other five ponies. They all nodded, and looked at the Chaos Knight for a moment. Then slowly but surely the six mares started to float into the air, surrounded by a globe of light. Feeling a looming threat, he yelled to his teammates:

“Dire, disperse!”

And they all hid either burrowing straight into the earth, teleporting out of sight or just disappearing into thin air.

“Sacrificing yourself for the sake of your comrades, fiend! Admirable, but foolish. Nothing escapes my sight at night, and we will find them!” Luna yelled at the unflinching Nessaj.

The six ponies were already radiating so much light at this point that it was difficult to look at them directly. Even though Chaos Knight was definitely not a wizard, he could feel that what they were going to use on him was a powerful, powerful spell. No one saw it for the blinding luminosity of the surroundings, but just before the whole world seemed to stop, and a gigantic rainbow of pure, hot magic fell on him, a small bar materialized in his left hand. And everything went white. For a moment, the night shined as brightly as the day. But in a matter of seconds, the light disappeared, and in the place of the Chaos Knight was only a gigantic cloud of dust. The mares, except for Rainbow Dash, cheered wildly, hugging each other. Both princesses sighed in relief and brought the enthusiastic ponies back to reality.

“Now, now. Let’s scatter the dust and retrieve the statue.” Celestia said, and started walking forward, but was blocked by a sudden bout of wind. It blew off all the dirt, and instead of a lifeless statue of a former Chaos Knight, there was a very much breathing Chaos Knight, surrounded by a golden aura. They all noticed that he was firmly grasping a strange yellow bar in his left hand.

“Impossible! You should have been encased in stone! How can you-“Twilight said, her jaw almost touching the ground.

“It’s called Black King’s Bar, doofus!” A snarky voice said from behind Nessaj. 

“Really, you bet everything you had on a single spell?” Akasha said as she appeared on the shoulder of the Chaos Knight, ending it with a small chuckle.

“This is getting really disappointing. It seems like I greatly overestimated you.” A voice from the darkness could be heard. A couple of seconds later, light seemed to bend at the side of Nessaj, and revealed the humanoid shape of the Invoker.

The earth trembled for a moment as the Sand King jumped out of the ground and landed right in front of them. 

“That was somewhat lackluster. All that great buildup for naught.” He said as he shook his head in disbelief.

“This isn’t happening… The Elements didn’t work! What are we going to do now, sister?” Luna said as she grasped Celestia, panic stricken. 

“Luna, I don’t-“

Chaos Knight took a step forward, silencing her. Both his axe and Black King’s Bar disappeared, to make place for two sharp looking swords, one nimble with a green hilt, and another with a broad edge and a red handle.

“Now it’s our turn.”