//------------------------------// // Chapter XXIX: Graduation // Story: The Ranger's Journey // by Silentpegasus //------------------------------// Chapter XXIX Graduation Four hours, forty-seven minutes and twelve-seconds. That’s how long Twilight, her friends, the other fighters, the Princesses and Crow waited outside the OR. It was a good thing that Crow’s cane handle was made out of dragon iron, else it would have been shattered. Ivory had a few bandages on her body and was impatiently tapping her foot. Ivy and the other three horsemen kept silent. The groups’ heads turned to see the doctor walking out. The man looked exhausted and he leaned his back up against the wall before sliding down to the ground. “How is he?” Crow asked as he ran up to the man. “That boy is either very stubborn, very stupid or both.” He groaned as he got up. “Or really kick ass!” Dash yelled. “Never mind that! Is he okay?” Ivy said. The doctor took off his glasses and used his collar to wipe them off. He put them back on his nose and let out a deep sigh. The anticipation was getting to the worried group. “He should make a full recovery.” The group all let out a sigh of relief. “However, he’ll be out for a while.” The doctor said as he sat down. “Can we see him?” Twilight asked. The man shrugged and motioned for them to go through the door. The group entered and gasped at what they saw. The red haired man was in a normal pod, but easily had a dozen machines hooked up to him. Monitoring different things. “What in the hay happened?” AJ asked. The group looked towards the pod and saw a few sparks of magic coming out of his mouth. “I can answer that.” Crow said as he stood next to the pod. “His clone stole a bit of magic from everyone at the stadium. Including you all.” “But I can’t use magic.” Fluttershy said. AJ, Pinkie and Dash all nodded in agreement. “Everyone has magic. You just can’t use it the way mages can.” He stated. “The demon then converged all that power into a ball and shot it at Crimson. He took the hit knowing full well that he would probably be torn to pieces by the power.” “Then why did he take it?” Dash asked. “He must have known that my barrier was weakened and that it wouldn’t have been able to hold the blast.” He said as he hung his head in shame. “Crimson took that power and turned it into his weapon. He absorbed a good portion of it and redirected it back at the shade, only in his own way.” “So what’s the issue?” Pinkie asked. “He took in too much power.” The girls looked at him in surprise. “The human body isn’t meant to take in that much magical energy at once. He was overloaded with all that magic and thankfully expelled it quickly.” “What would happen if he didn’t?” Rarity asked. “Then we’d be using a spatula to clean him off the arena floor.” Ivory said in a flat tone. “Even for someone who can take in the magic from their surroundings, there’s a limit.” She stated. “Why did we see him use ice magic and all those other types?” Luna asked. “Crimson was surrounded by everyone’s magic and was somehow able to use it.” Crow stated. “So is he like a super mage now or something?” Dash asked. “No, if he does that again then he will undoubtedly die.” The doctor stated. The group gulped. “The use of so much and many different kinds of magic put a colossal strain on his body.” He said with a sigh. “So what happens now?” Twilight asked. “Luckily we have a few days before the graduation ceremony and party.” Crow said with a smile. “Party?” Pinkie asked with wide eyes. “Yes, it makes sense that there should be a celebration after such a test. Not to mention its tradition. You all are welcome to attend of course.” The group smiled and looked at one another. “Just be sure to wear formal attire.” He said as the group started to leave. The man took one last look at the healing mage and shook his head. “Something wrong?” Cadence asked. “No, nothing.” He said as he turned to leave. The man walked back down the hallway and towards his office. Crow sat down in his chair and let out a long sigh. The man’s ears perked up as he heard a knock on his door. “Come in.” The door slowly opened to reveal the sun goddess. “Hello Celestia. Is there something I can help you with?” “Yes, there is.” She said with a sigh. The Princess had a guilty look on her face. “Can you can find it in your heart to forgive me?” Crow blinked in surprise at the woman. In all the years that he’d known he had never once seen her beg for forgiveness. “For what?” The woman let out a sigh. “I misjudged Crimson too much. I only saw the demon wearing him like a suit.” Celestia grimaced. “I was worried that he was too inexperienced to handle all that power. That it would take control and-” Crow held up a hand. “Apology accepted.” He smiled. “You’re not the first to be worried about that.” The man sat back in his chair and grinned. “Even now, that boy never ceases to amaze me.” He chuckled. “That is true. I’m still getting over it myself.” The man grinned as he decided to expose the Princess’s weakness. “I saw that your student was also fairly impressed and not just by his magic.” Celestia raised an eyebrow. “What are you getting at Crow?” “I believe that your pupil is infatuated with my godson.” He grinned. Celestia gave a chuckle. “Twilight? Now you’re just making crazy accusations.” Crow smirked as the Princess got to her feet and started to walk back towards the door. Contrary to popular belief, the sun goddess had a major weakness. Well, really two, but where was he going to get a piece of Marzipan Mascarpone Meringue Madness? The other one. The one that only he and a select few knew about. “Care to put your money where your mouth is?” Celestia froze on the spot. Her body became rigid as though someone had just put ice down her dress. The woman slowly turned and Crow saw the small sparkle behind the woman’s eyes. The same sparkle she got whenever she made a bet. “I’m listening.” Hook. Line. Sinker. The man thought with a devilish smirk. “I wager that Crimson and Ms. Sparkle will become an item.” He grinned. “I’m not saying that they’ll get married or anything like that. Let’s just see if they end up at the dance together.” “Sounds fair.” She smiled. “What are the terms?” “Neither you or I can interfere in anyway. Should Twilight or Crimson go to you or me for advice, then we have to remain neutral.” Celestia nodded. “What about the winner and the loser?” She asked. Crow thought for a moment and an idea came to him. He snapped his fingers and a small chest appeared before him. Crow opened the lid and pulled out a scroll. Celestia’s eyes widened at the scroll. “Is that what I think it is?” The man only nodded. “The secret recipe for Starswirl the Bearded’s legendary Nirvana Cake.” Celestia felt her mouth water at the name of it. In all the years that she had lived, she had only tasted the legendary cake once on Starswirl’s 150th birthday party. In comparison, the cake made MMMM taste like one of those cheap funnel cakes you’d get a carnival. She lost track of how many times she had searched for it. “A secret that every Headmaster of this school had spent countless years searching for.” He grinned. Crow put the scroll back in the box and made it vanish. Celestia came back to her senses. “Course you only get that if you win.” He smirked. “What if I lose?” Crow had a sly smirk on his face. “The usual.” Celestia’s face blushed brightly. “Is there anything else you want?” She asked in a hope filled tone. “The usual will do. Unless you don’t want to take the bet and-” “No!” She yelled out of desperation. “Very well.” She said as she shook the man’s hand and smirked. “I’ll be sure to send a piece of cake to you after my chefs make it.” “We’ll see.” He said with a huge grin on his face. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “Come along everyone!” Rarity chimed as she led the group into her room. “I must get your measurements to prepare your outfits.” Dash and AJ grumbled at the mention of their dresses. “Oh stop it you two. We’re going to be attending a party with some of the strongest mages in Equestria. So we have to look our best.” “Why can’t we just wear out old gala outfits?” Rarity looked at the farmer and her eye twitched. “Unacceptable! Hundreds of people have already seen them.” “Rarity, ya gotta calm down.” Pinkie said. “I loved my Gala outfit and I haven’t worn it since.” The fashionista pouted and sat back. “Very well.” She snapped her fingers and the six dresses appeared on hangers before them. The group of girls all raised an eyebrow and looked at the fashionista who levitated Fluttershy’s over to her work bench and summoned a sewing machine. “What? I have all of my best outfits on standby in case of an emergency.” The group shrugged. “What if I just, modify them a bit?” “Knock yourself out, just don’t make it too...frilly.” AJ said with a nod from Dash. The next few days, Twilight visited the red mage who still remained in the coma. Ivy and the other two members would also pay regular visits. Soon the day of Graduation arrived and the girls helped out with the decorations. It was the day of the graduation ceremony and every student was in a fuss. At noon, the six girls and three teammates arrived at the med center. “You all here to see Crimson?” He asked, already knowing the answer. “Yup.” Ivy said with a smile. “Right, but before I let you see him you need to do something for me first.” “What’s that?” The Changeling asked as they arrived in front of his hospital door. “Find him.” The doctor opened the door and the groups’ jaws hit the floor when they saw the empty pod that previously held the red haired conduit. “We think he took off about 3am this morning. No one’s seen him since.” “Is he okay to be walking around?” AJ asked. “Yes, but he’s far from perfect health. He couldn’t have gone far.” The group looked at one another and shrugged. “What should we do?” Cobalt asked. “We go look for him. The ceremony starts in two hours.” Rouge said. “Ivy, Twilight and I will check the library. Rest of you see what you can find around the castle.” The group nodded and ventured out to look for the red haired mage. Twilight tagged along with the changeling and green dragon slayer towards the library and the three started to search. They asked Quill who shook his head and the three left in disappointment. “Hopefully we find him.” Twilight said. “I’m sure he’s fine.” Rouge said with a smile. The changeling shot Ivy a glance who winked. “So Twilight, plan on going to the dance? Rarity showed me your dresses and they look awesome.” “Um...I don’t know. Maybe I’ll go.” “If we find Crimson right?” Twilight’s face turned red at the Changeling’s comment. “Crimson may not look it, but he cleans up pretty damn well.” Twilight took a moment to imagine the man in a suit, tie and his hair properly combed. The scholar’s face lit up like a red siren and the two could have sworn that they saw steam coming out of her ears. “L-lets just find him.” The scholar said as she quickened her step. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Two hours later Crow was leaning against a pillar. The can wielding man looked to his right to see the red haired mage donning his signature red coat walking towards him. “You’re late.” Crow said as he stood up straight. “Ugh.” Crimson said as he walked up to him. “Oh and before I forget.” The man then took his cane and hit Crimson over the head. The red mage grabbed his head in pain and grunted. “What the hell was that for?” Crimson asked as he rubbed the sore spot. “For trying to play hero you idiot!” Crow frowned. “You just decide to almost die by absorbing all that power?” Crow yelled. “Real smart genius!” “Jeez, if I knew I was gonna get scolded for doing my job I would have stayed in a coma.” Crow frowned at the man as the red haired man looked out the window. “Scolded? You are not a little boy anymore. So long as you are under my care you will head my wisdom.” Crimson cracked his knuckles and turned around to face the man. “You’re right. I’m not a little boy anymore and as far as your wisdom goes, you’re no Orion Comet!” Crow’s eyes shrank and looked at him in shock. Crimson hung his head and sighed. “I’m sorry Crow. It’s just-” The man then wrapped him in a hug. “I know. I miss them too. Not a day goes by that I don’t look to their wisdom for guidance.” Crow broke the hug and put a hand on the young man’s shoulder. “I’ve done my best to pass their teachings to you and in the time together I’ve seen that you are capable of all they believed you could become. Now it is the time that we leave our roles of student and teacher. It’s time that we became...comrades.” “Right.” Crimson looked ahead to see the doors open and nothing but darkness coming from the other side. Crimson looked at Crow who gave him a ginning nod. The red mage went forward into the dark room and waited. Nine hooded figures then appeared before him. Each holding a sword that glowed with their aura. Crimson looked to his right to see Crow smiling and holding a light green one. Behind him was Deus with a white one and was biting his lip. “Step forward.” Crimson saw the short old man with a tan sword in his hands. Crimson walked up to him and dropped to one knee. The other eight lowered their swords and stuck their blades in the ground. “It is the decision of the council that you be granted all the power and privileges of a Zealot.” Clay said in a firm tone. “Many train for this. Few survive.” Lilly added. “Individuals forged in battle who’s actions elevate them above the rest.” Toxic stated. “Zealots are an ideal. A symbol of courage and determination.” Silver said with a smile. “They are the right hand of this council. The embodiment of our will.” Deus said in a rough tone. “Zealots carry a heavy burden. Our first and last line of defense.” Platinum added. “The safety of this world is theirs to uphold.” Titian stated. The nine the drove their blades into the ground and turned them. A small pedestal came up from the ground. Crimson approached it and saw that it held a glowing crystal ball. “Place your hand upon the sphere and you’re name will forever be engraved into history.” Crow said as Crimson approached the sphere. He placed his right hand on it and felt a burning sensation on his palm. The sphere glowed a deep red before shooting a bright red beam up into the air and exploding. Crimson looked down at his right palm and saw a nine pointed star embedded into his skin. “That is the mark of the Zealot. Wear it with pride.” Crow stated. He snapped his fingers and lights flickered on to reveal the thousands of crowd members cheering. Crimson took a bow and made his way out. As he entered the hallway Cobalt and Rouge grabbed him and wrapped him in a bone crushing hug. “Oi! I just got out of the hospital ya know!” “Oh quit whining.” Rouge said as they let go. “Congrats dude!” Cobalt said as he gave him a hard slap on the back. “Ow.” Crimson said as he cracked his back. Crimson looked and saw that Ivy was missing from the group. “Wait where’s-” “Gotcha!” The man then felt two strong and feminine arms wrap around him. “I’m so proud of you!” Ivy said in a hearty tone. “Spine.....becoming....dust.” Ivy let go and the man cracked his back before facing the green flyer. She was healed for the most part and only had a bandage around her head. “How are you feeling?” “Good.” She said with a sigh. “I’m sorry about what I said the other day.” Ivy hung her head in shame. “Relax. I kinda had it coming.” He said as he remembered the incident. The flyer grinned as an idea came to her. “Yup and now you owe me!” “For what?” “For tricking me jerk! You always do that!” She said as her fist found its way into his arm. Crimson rubbed the sore spot and sighed. “Mostly because you always fall for it.” He chuckled. Ivy pouted and crossed her arms under her chest. “Fine. What do you want?” Ivy smirked. “You have to go to the dance tonight.” Crimson frowned and grumbled. “Forget it. I hate those things.” “Too bad. If want my forgiveness then show up tonight and look good.” The woman said as she started to walk away. “And for creator’s sake, trim that rat’s nest you call a head of hair. Looks like you’re hiding behind tattered red curtains.” Crimson gave her the finger as she turned and went down another hallway. “She’s got a point man. Its been like what? A year since you’ve trimmed that thing?” Cobalt asked. “Having it short makes me look like an idiot.” Rouge was about to make a funny, but was silenced when crimson pressed his finger against her lips. “No comment necessary.” “Seriously though, this party is about you, Ivory and the others that passed, but mostly about you.” Cobalt said as he pointed at the red mage. “I mean you probably saved everyone’s lives the other day.” Crimson crosse his arms and sighed. “I don’t even have anything to wear.” “Didn’t you get something from when you went to Transylmania?” Rouge asked. Crimson thought for a moment as he remembered the ensemble. “That thing? No way. It looks ridiculous.” “You mean that fancy get up with the red jacket and gold trim?” Rouge gave her boyfriend a nod. “Dude, if you wear that then you are so gonna get laid.” Crimson glared at the flyer. “What? It looks cool.” “But-” The man then felt the Changeling’s spliced eyes cutting through him. Crimson sighed and hung his head in defeat. “Fine. I’ll go.” “And?” “I’ll...get my hair cut. Just nothing too...extreme.” He said as he followed the two back towards his room.