//------------------------------// // The Knights of Duality(Edited) // Story: The Burning Traveler // by Dramize the Salamander //------------------------------// It had been a week since Dramize's party, and the Elements had finally found time to come together at Fluttershy's cottage to talk about him. In that time, Fluttershy had to deal with a virus outbreak that was spreading between all of her animals. Rainbow Dash had been all over Ponyville helping Derpy, who called in a favor when she sprained her wing and couldn't deliver the mail. Rarity had a big client that came in and needed five different dresses that left her working the entire time. Applejack had gotten hurt when a branch fell on shoulder, dislocating it so she was on a bed resting for the week. Pinkie was watching the cake twins and running the café while the Cakes were at a week-long bakers convention in Manehattan, and Twilight was busy looking up information on kirins with very little success. So now they were deciding what to do. “Okay, how are we going to spy on Dramize?" asked Applejack. “Hey, don't call it spying. Call it researching." said Twilight. “Ha ha. Yeah, no, I'm not going to lie about it. We're spying." “Well, we could sneak up to the trees and watch from there." said Rainbow. "It’s not the best idea, but right now its the only one I can think of, so let's go. Fluttershy would you show us the way?” "Okay." squeaked Fluttershy. The team left for Dramize's home through the forest. The six traveled, coming to the home from the back where they saw Dramize. He was standing on a black circle that was surrounded by a ring of lava with what looked like a suit of animated black pony body armor with two swords at it's sides. Crystals rose up from the ground and music started to play as swords were drawn. Both rushed at each other at a high speed. The animated armor swung down first with both swords, only for Dramize to side-step the blades and go in with a swing of his katana, which the armor ducked. Then, it kicked up its legs and spun on its front hoof, aiming a kick to Dramize's face, while trying to slice his leg at the same time. Dramize shifted his hand and blocked the sword to the leg with his katana, and bent backward to avoid the kick using his tail to knock the armor away, that flipped upright mid-air. Then, lunging forward with sword extended, Dramize charged as well with his katana extended. The armor knocked the katana away with a well timed parry, only for Dramize to use the momentum to swing his claymore around to cleave its neck. But the armor brought up his other sword, cutting off Dramize's arm, and then taking his head. Before the mane six could react, the body crumbled away and another Dramize appeared behind the armor in the air, swinging his claymore at its neck. The armor ducked and leaped forward, flipped, and turned to Dramize, who also landed, took a deep breath, and shot out a huge blast of fire out of his mouth. The armor rushed forward, spinning his sword to defend against the flames. Then, two Dramize appeared on both sides of it, spinning as both claymores cleaved the armor’s helmet off while the flame blast got more intense, swallowing the armor and leaving it glowing red from the heat. the mane six were speechless as they tried to comprehend what they just watched. As the two other Dramize's faded away like dust, the real Dramize sheathed his swords. "You girls can come out now." Dramize said, grabbing the shirt that he had to shed when the first clone was destroyed. “Great, now I need a new shirt. What brings you here?" "Nothing much, we were just passing by." Twilight said with a nervous laugh. "Through the forest? That's random." “Okay, that’s not true. We were spying. But how did you know we were there?" "Oni gave you away. She walked to Fluttershy in the middle of the fight." "Wait a minute. Why does it seem like you don't care?" Rainbow asked, trying to sound cool and calm after the fight she saw. "Because I don't." "I you don't mind me asking, why don't you care? I mean, spying is not something ponies usually take lightly." Rarity asked, slightly confused. "Because you haven't given me a reason to care if you spy or not." "Because you don’t see us as a threat. Right?" Fluttershy said with an unnaturally calm tone while picking up Oni and stroking her. "Exactly right. Now is there anything else you-“ Dramize shifted to the right dodging an unexpected lighting bolt that turned into an knife. “Well, well. It’s been a while, Harlequin." "That it has, Salamander, and you’re still as sharp as ever." said a tall kirin with gray fur and yellow scales on his neck and back in the shape of lightning bolts. He had yellow-and-light-blue curled horns, and his tail was extremely long with a spear-like spike on the end of it. He was laying on a cloud spinning a knife on his finger. “So, Cap, aren't you going to introduce me to your friends?“ “Yeah, right. Ummm, girls this is Tempest Tempo. Tempest this is Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Applejack, Twilight Sparkle, and Rainbow Dash" “Wait, if his name is Tempest why call him Harlequin? And why did he call you Salamander?" asked Rainbow Dash. "That's a long story, but the short version is that those are our nicknames. We are part of a order of knights called Duality, and in the order my group was called Chaos. I am the leader, and Harlequin was on my team. By the way, what happened to the other four and why are you here?" "We left Haven after they kicked us out. I went looking for you and they came with me, but I lost them in the town. They’re around somewhere." Tempest said twisting on his cloud to look down at everyone. "Oh yeah, your little sister came here too." "Oh Discord, please tell me you didn't lose Acid." “Well…" Tempest said in a higher pitch. "Son of a Celestia dang pig! We’re going have to get them now." “Fine, but I'm not going try very hard. Zerker, come. It’s tracking time." Tempest said turning back to his cloud as a ferret with a lighting bolt tail jumped down from a higher cloud and wrapped itself around Tempest’s neck before changing its mind and jumping off on to Pinkie's head and curling around her neck. “Awwww, he's so cute. And what lovely white fur." Rarity said trying to pet Zerker, only to get shocked by a small bolt of lighting while Zerker laughed at her. "Let's go. I'm worried." Dramize said kneeling down. "About your friends?" Asked Pinkie Pie while she played with Zerker. “No, the town." Dramize said taking off for Ponyville with everyone close behind him.