The Ranger's Journey

by Silentpegasus

Chapter XVIII: Homecoming

Chapter XVIII

Homecoming

The four mages, six girls, a farmer and one hybrid were on the train growing ever closer to the Academy. Twilight sat next to Spike who was staring out the window. The group of girls all chatted with one another. Big Mac kept relatively silent and gazed out the window.

“Whoa.” Rainbow said as she looked out the window. The girls’ jaws dropped as they saw a massive castle like building made out of pristine white stone.

“You guys should see your faces.” Ivy said with a grin. “Its good to be home.” The flyer said with a smile. The train pulled to a stop and the group soon exited the train. The group took in the sight and let out a happy sigh.

“This is so awesome!” Dash squealed. Ivy then pulled out a few badges that had the letter V on them. “What are these for?”

“They’re visitor passes.” Rouge said. “Just so that the students here know you’re not here to fight.”

“Why would they want to fight?” Applejack asked as she pinned the badge on her orange shirt.

“This is a combat school. Fighting is just another daily activity here. It’s supervised by a professor though.” Cobalt said. The man’s ear twitched just before he was tackled by a bright blue blur. The figure put Cobalt in a headlock.

“Gotcha again little bro.” The stranger said.

“Nope.” Cobalt said as he grabbed the stranger’s arm and flipped him down on his back. He twisted his arm and the stranger started to grunt in pain. “Say uncle!” He said as he applied pressure to the arm.

“Uncle! Uncle!” He yelled as he tapped out. The two got up and Dash’s jaw dropped. The group looked in surprise at a man who was just a little taller than Cobalt. He had spiky navy blue hair and light blue wings. He was in a spandex blue Uniform with yellow bolts of electricity around it.

“S-Soarin!” Dash yelled.

“Oh hey Rainbow Dash. What are you doing here?”

“We’re here to watch.” Twilight said. “What are the Wonderbolts doing here?” The man then ruffled Cobalt’s hair.

“I’m here to see my little bro fight.” He said as he put an arm around the flyer. The group was dumbfounded.

“Guys meet my older brother Soarin. Looks like you have already met.” He said with a sigh. Rainbow immediately flew up and started to shake him.

“Why didn’t you tell us your brother is a Wonderbolt?” She yelled.

“See your reaction right now?” He said in a flat tone. “That’s why. I don’t want any publicity from that.”

“Dash, hands of the boyfriend.” Rouge said as she casted a death glare at her. Rainbow gulped and took a step back. “Thank you.” The two then saw a golden winged flyer land next to the blue suited flyer.

“Hey Spit.” Ivy said with a nod.

“Sup guys?” She said as she gave her a hug. “Haven’t seen you guys in a while.” The flyer said with a smile. Soarin scratched his chin and looked at the group.

“Hey where’s Crimson?” The group instantly clammed up and Twilight dropped her head. “Is he signing in or something.”

“We don’t know.” Ivy said in a low tone.

“What do you mean you don’t know?” Spitfire asked.

“He went missing two days ago.” Rouge said. The two fliers gulped. “He’ll be here though.” She said in a hope filled tone.

“You sure? I mean going MIA is-” Soarin was cut off as Spitfire elbowed him in the ribs. “I mean, yeah he’ll totally show up.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence.” Ivy said in a drawn out tone.

“So why are you guys here?” Applejack said. “Ah thought the Academy wasn’t part of the Equestrian Military.”

“It isn’t. We have to make an appearance, plus its a good chance to look for new recruits.” Spitfire said with a smile. “Plus it’s also good to catch a show. These fights are always interesting.” The group then heard a loud bell ringing.

“That’s our cue!” Ivy said. “We’ll catch up later.” She said as the three warriors ran off towards the castle. The six girls were then approached by three familiar faces. Princess Celestia stood between her sister and Princess Cadence. Twilight immediately rushed up and greeted her mentor and sister in law.

“Twilight Sparkle my prize pupil. It’s so good to see you and your friends again.” Celestia said with a friendly nod. Luna gave her a friendly nod while Twilight and Cadence did their routine greeting.

“Hey, where’s Shining? I thought that he’d be here.” Twilight said.

“He had to stay behind in the empire. A lot of people are applying for the guard and Shining has to sift through the paperwork.” She said with a laugh. The other girls all gave a chuckle.

“Come we must get our seats.” Luna said in a flat tone. The others followed the three Princesses through the large hallways. Cadence looked at Twilight and cocked her head. She leaned close to Applejack and tapped her on her shoulder.

“Howdy Cadence whatcha need?”

“What’s wrong with Twilight? She seems a little down.”

“She’s just bummed cause the guy she likes isn’t here yet.” Dash whispered to the Princess. Cadence was stifling giggles as she walked with the group. She then noticed the large farmer.

“Who’s this?”

“Oh thats mah brother Big Macintosh.” Applejack said.

“Pleased to meet ya your highness.” He said with a small bow.

“Oh please, You can just call me Cadence. Any relative of Applejack is a friend of mine.” She said with a smile.

“He’s here cause his girlfriend is fighting.”

“She ain’t mah girlfriend.” He said with a blush. “She’s just a good friend.” Applejack then pulled his collar down to show some bruises on his muscular neck.

“A good friend don’t leave bruises on yer neck.”

“Ah told ya a few apples fell down on me.” He lied.

“Yer about a worse liar then I am.” She said with a grin.

“Well....ya see...” The man tried to say but he couldn’t break his sister’s gaze. Cadence giggled and turned her attention back to Rainbow Dash.

“So about this guys Twilight likes. Is he cute?” The love Princess asked.

“He’s extremely handsome.” Rarity said joining the conversation.

“Oh really?” Cadence said.

“Yeah and he’s super duper fun to hang out with.” Pinkie chimed.

“He’s also an egghead.” Dash said.

“Sounds like the perfect match. What’s his name?”

“Its-” The fflyer was cut off as they entered a massive arena. The thousands of rows were packed with people cheering and yelling. “Wow.” Dash said as she looked at the size of the Colosseum. The group followed Celestia to a booth in the middle of the stands. Several seats were inside. Celestia sat in the center with the other Princesses on either side. The group saw a dirt field and several rows of people standing on it.

Twilight snapped her fingers and a pair of binoculars appeared in her hand. She scanned the area and found Ivy, Cobalt and Rouge stalking with one another. She even spied the bandaged ice mage among the crowd.

“The trials will begin in five minutes. Any students who do not make it within the time will fail.” A voice said over the speakers. Twilight gulped and looked frantically for Crimson. She then felt a hand touch her shoulder and she jumped in surprise to see Applejack.

“Calm down, he’ll make it.” Applejack said. Twilight sighed and took her seat next to her friends. The farmer saw the ice mage and looked at the cane wielding man. “Um excuse me.”

“Ms. Applejack correct?” He asked. The farmer nodded “How can I help you?”

“What’s Angel doing here? She said that she was part of another guild.”

“Ah, you see the Academy has small branch guilds stationed all over Equestria.”

“Branch guild?” Mac said.

“You see The Academy is like a large tree.” He said as he made a small image of a tree appear in his hand. “The place we’re at now is considered the main stem and has smaller branches that grow out of it. A Zealot class mage is put in charge of each branch guild and gets jobs that helps fund the Academy as a whole.” He said with a sigh. “Angel is stationed in the Crystal Empire branch.” The girls then looked at the pink winged Princess who nodded.

“Since Angel is a Conduit a few guild members feel uncomfortable around her, so she sometimes stays in the castle.” Cadence said with a smile. “But as of late she’s becoming more aggressive and I’m beginning to worry about her.” Crow mad the tree vanish and replaced it with a green microphone.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” He started. “we are only one minute away from the start of the trials. If any student should wish to withdraw now is the-” He was cut off the ground started to shake. In the far edge of the field the crowd looked and saw a giant cut mark appear in the earth. The group felt an immense pressure hit them and stirred up a large amount of hot wind.

Twilight looked through the binoculars and saw something fly out of the crack. As the sun shined on it she recognized the red scythe. The crowd then saw another larger object fly out of the crack and catch the scythe in mid air. The figure then started to glow red and launched itself towards the group of students. As it neared the ground it dug the blade into the earth and landed on it’s feet.

“Nailed it.” The man said as he dusted himself off. He removed his hood to show his familiar dark red hair. The large crack then started to fill back in. He cracked his neck as his three teammates ran up to him.

“Jerk! Where the hell-” The green flyer stopped as she saw that he had several bandages wrapped around his face and body. “What happened?”

“I paid Grimm a little visit.” He said with a shrug the other three gulped.

“Are you insane?” Cobalt yelled.

“You should know the answer to that question.” Crimson said with a smile.

“You’re still late ya know!” Rouge said.

“I am never late.” He said in a proud tone. “Nor am I early. I arrive precisely when I-.” He was cut off as the three slapped him upside the head.

“I swear to the creator, if you quote that book one more time I am going to shove that scythe of yours down your throat.” Ivy said with a grunt. Crimson sighed and closed his mouth. The four then rejoined the rest of the group. A few of the students happily greeted the red warrior while the others nervously gulped. Back up in the stands Twilight breathed a sigh of relief and sat down.

“See. Told ya it would be fine.” Dash said.

“Wait, she’s got a crush on Crimson?” Cadence asked as she leaned over towards Rarity.

“Oh she is very smitten.” The seamstress said.

“But he’s....um....how can I put it?” The Princess said as she put a finger to her chin.

“You mean what he’s got in him? The monster?” Applejack said. The Princess gulped. “That Crow feller and Celestia told us.” She said in a flat tone. “Look Cadence, ah know you’re worried ah am too, but Crimson has saved our hides with everything he has. He could have attacked us at any moment but he didn’t.”

“I’m not concerned about that.” Cadence said. “I’ve met Crimson before when he calmed Angel down and prevented her from freezing over the Crystal Empire.” She said with a sigh. “I’m just a bit surprised and why is she relieved?”

“He went missing two days ago.” Dash said. The Princess blinked twice. “Not sure where he ran off to even the other three don’t know.” She said with a shrug.

“Eeyup.” The farmer said. The crowd fell silent as the cane wielding man raised his right hand.

“Now then,” Crow said as he cleared his throat. “let the trials begin!” He yelled as the crowd roared. “The first test will be a team battle.” He said as a massive magical board appeared above the stadium. Several team names were listed on the board. “The teams will be selected at random.” The screen then shifted to two boxes. Several letters raced across the board. The group gulped as they saw the names.

Team Horsemen
v.s.
Team Beast

The red mage grinned and cracked his neck. Several students then made their way off the field and into some seats on the side lines. Crimson and his team remained on the field along with a brown winged flyer holding a large spiked mace and three other mages. Underneath the team names were the individual’s pictures and a green bar next to their photos.

“I’ve been waiting for this freak.” The black winged warrior said as he pointed his mace at the scythe user. Another was a black haired mage with a massive spiked ball on a chain. A red winged flyer had two daggers holstered on his belt. The last was a blonde haired mage with a massive shield on his back. Crimson cracked his neck and looked at his teammates.

“I’ll handle this.”

“All four? Are you crazy?” Ivy yelled.

“Just trust me on this okay.” He said in a calm tone. “Think of it as the beginning of my apology.” The three looked at one another and shrugged.

“If things start to turn sour then I’m stepping in!” Cobalt yelled the two women nodded in agreement.

“Thank you.” He said as he cracked his knuckles. The red mage made his scythe vanish and turned to face the four. He slowly made his way across the field where the four were waiting for him.

“What’s this? Only you?” The shield wielder said. Crimson raised his right hand and made the ‘bring it on’ gesture. The four then charged at the man. They blinked once and the man vanished from their sight. The shield user’s eyes shrank as he saw a fist break through his shield like a hammer striking a cookie. As the fist slammed into his chest. The warrior was sent flying back against the wall.

“Next?” Crimson said. The shield user slowly stood up and summoned a different shield. The four mages took a position and each made a small seal on the ground. Four massive walls then enclosed the space of the five mages. Ivy immediately started banging on it from the outside. The four opposing warriors each took a stance and focused their magic.

A massive cloud of smoke ensnared the three. The massive cloud then encircled the red mage. As the smoke cleared the crowd gasped as they saw easily twenty-five copies of each mage.

“If I were you, I’d give up.” The brown winged copies mocked. “We’re One hundred strong.”

“One hundred?” Crimson asked. “That’s not very fair.” He said as he summoned his scythe. “You should have made more!”

“Charge!” The flyer commanded. The legions then fell upon the mage. Ivy was getting ready to jump in when Crimson raised a hand. The man got in an offensive stance and lunged forwards. A flash of red was all the copies saw as five were hit with the red scythe. Crimson’s scythe then shifted and he pulled out the blade.

Crimson then started to twirl on his heel with the scythe in his left hand and the sword in his right. The clones only saw a red twister of blades coming towards them at an alarming speed. One by one the clones vanished in puffs of smoke. The shield user threw a circular shield at the red mage. Crimson stopped his attack and bashed the shield away. He was then met with a firm strike to the stomach by the mace user. The man’s red eyes shrank and felt blood fill his mouth.

Shit. Looks like I still need to recover from Grimm. He looked at his weapon and sighed as he saw the nicks and notches etched in the blade. He made the blade vanish and stood up towards the small army. I was hoping to save this, but looks like I’ve got no choice. He placed his right hand on the ground a and a small cloud of red smoke enveloped the man.

Several clones charged into the smoke. As swift shadow soon knocked them out and made them evaporate. Crow’s eyes shrank as the smoke cleared and he saw the red mage using a massive hammer along with a long barreled rifle on his back. Crimson raised the hammer and pointed it at the group who looked at him in confusion.

“Alright, playtime is now officially over.” He said as he ran towards the group with the hammer raised. The man slammed the large hammer down on the ground. The residual momentum caused him to fly upwards. The ground rippled and several clones were either destroyed or launched into the air. The man then put the butt of the rifle to his shoulder and focused. He let loose a barrage of red magical bullets that pierced through the clones.

The magical bullets didn’t stop flying until the air around the man was filed with smoke. As the smoke cleared, Crimson made out the shapes of the dagger using flyer and the spike ball using mage. The over head board showed the two mage’s health bars at zero and the two bodies were teleported off the battle field.

Out of the corner of his eye the man saw a yellow fireball race towards him. Crimson braced himself for the impact. He felt the fire burn through his coat and sear his skin. The man quickly removed his jacket and let it fall to the ground. The spectators eyes shrank as they saw his entire torso covered in bandages and with red blotches of blood dotting it.

The mace user grinned and cracked his neck. He placed his hands together and focused his magic.

“Are you insane?” The blonde mage yelled. “Something like that could kill him.”

“So? Who cares?” The brown flyer said with an evil grin. “We’ll be doing the world a favor.” He said as his skin started to glow. “Get in position.”

“I’m not using that against him.” The blonde mage aid as he looked at the brown flyer. Before he could raise his shield he was met with a firm punch to the face by the mace mage. The crowd gasped as the blonde mage was sent flying.

“I don’t have time for insubordination.” He barked. Crimson teleported and caught the flying mage before he could his the far wall. The blonde mage’s health indicator on the display dropped to zero. The man’s body was soon teleported off the field. The red haired mage gritted his teeth and clenched his fist.

“What kind of a leader strikes one of his teammates?”

“Ones that don’t follow orders.” The flyer said in a flat tone. Crimson let out a sigh and narrowed his gaze on the man. His hands glowed a bright red. His katana then appeared in his hands. He didn’t need to look up at the red health bar to feel the effects of the fight.

“I’m ending this now.” Crimson said as he pointed the blade in his left hand at the flyer. Crimson slashed the air and charged forwards. The mace wielder crouched and used his wings to quicken his speed and momentum. The two were soon eyeball to eyeball. Crimson felt the wind from the mace’s blow graze across his face as he dodged it. Crimson focused what little magic he had in his body into the blade and slashed the man vertically from head to toe.

The flyer staggered for a moment before keeling over. The four walls shattered and the siren blazed signaling the end of the match. Crimson raised the blade high above his head as the crowd cheered.

“Unbelievable! Team Beast, the number five ranked team in the Academy has been eliminated by just one opponent! Team Horseman’s Crimson Storm dominates! Team Horsemen moves on to the second test.” The announcer boomed over the speaker. Crimson sighed. His blade vanished with a flash of red light and he started to drop to his knees before being caught by a familiar blue haired flyer.

“You are one crazy bucker. You know that right?” Cobalt said as he put Crimson’s arm over his neck.

“Yeah, sorry about that.” Crimson said as he limped over towards Ivy and Rouge who each slapped him across the face.

“Jerk!” Rouge said. “We were worried about you!”

“I know. I said that I’d explain things and I-” He stopped as he felt a massive pain rip at his chest. The group’s eyes shrank as they saw a massive red spot forming on his bandages.

“How about we talk as the medic patches you up?” Ivy said as she put her head under his other arm.

“Sounds like a plan.” Crimson breathed out as he and his team walked towards the medical wing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Back in the stands, Twilight who was standing up during the entire match finally sat back down and started panting heavily. Images of the battle raced through the friend’s minds. Crow sat grinning ear to ear as Celestia and the other Princesses each had looks of shock on their faces.

“Wow.” Rainbow said. “That was just......there are no words.”

“Right there with you Dash.” AJ said with a gulp. “Ah knew he was good, but not that good.”

“Why was he so beaten up?” Fluttershy asked.

“I’m assuming Grimm had something to do with that.” Crow said as he stood up.

“Grimm?” Twilight asked.

“His teacher.” He said with a sigh. “You see the scythe is such an unusual weapon to use that it’s uncommon to find someone who is a master at it. There hasn’t been a scythe master at the Academy for almost twenty years.” The group looked at him in shock.

“Fortunately Crimson managed to find one and has been studying under him for a little over three years now.” The man then got to his feet and cracked his back. “My guess is that’s where he went after dealing with that business in Trottingham.” Celestia’s eyes shrank as she made the connection.

“Wait that means that he-”

“Yes, he has,” Crow said with a sigh. “and this time he succeeded.” Celestia gulped. “You saw it didn’t you? That look in his eye.”

“What are you talking about?” Twilight asked.

“There is still so much strength within him. For a moment, I saw the look of one who would stand alone against the legions of hell itself.” He said with a smile. “Now then I have a favor to ask of you and your friends Ms. Sparkle.”

“What’s that?”

“Go and check on Crimson for me.” He said with a smile. “I have to stay here and observe the rest of the students.” He said as he looked at the next match. Angel’s team was up against another team. “Can you do that?”

“No problem!” Dash said as she zoomed off. Crow shook his head and handed the scholar a purple crystal.

“What’s this?”

“A mini map to show you where to go.” He said as the flyer flew back to him.

“Hey wheres the nurse’s office?” The group chuckled as they ventured off towards the large school.

Author's Note:

Happy Nightmare Night!

Comments

[BronySquidiness]

Yes. This is good. Loved the bit with the guy unwilling and gets knocked out for it. "Applause"

[Trent Roogna]

Reference to the Chunin Exam?

I like it.

[Blackshadow of Abys]

you to

[Phys]

3427920 naruto references everywhere...

Like chapter 12

Remember?

Spoiler alert: he trains with jirraya and loses control

[Rainbow Song]

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[Shadow Bolt]

While reading this fight, I was reminded of the Red trailer to RWBY.(Inspiration for your next fight?)

[Syndicate Luna]

i like this fic.....alot.
please dont make us wait forever on the updates

[AlienWarhead]

“I am never late.” He said in a proud tone. “Nor am I early. I arrive precisely when I-.” He was cut off as the three slapped him upside the head.
“I swear to the creator, if you quote that book one more time I am going to shove that scythe of yours down your throat.” Ivy said with a grunt.

Is this a response to people complaining about the references you put into the story?