My Little Pony Friendship is Magic
The Legacy of Madoro Sindragon
A Fan Fiction by Michael Schiffgens
Season 1: A Man's Purpose Restored
Chapter 1: So this is Equestria Part 2
"So why couldn't I beat Nightmare Moon into the dirt right then and their?" asked Madoro Sindragon.
Once Nightmare Moon had declared the land to be in eternal night, she summoned an armada of bat like ponies to harass all of the ponies that were in the town square. Madoro was staring right at Nightmare Moon ready to take her down a couple of notches when Twilight pleaded with him to stand down. The look in her eyes told him that she had some reasoning for him to contain his battle rage so he relented. Once he did; he, Twilight, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Flutter Shy, and Rarity high tailed it over to Golden Oaks Library and locked the door behind them. So there they all were in the library with Madoro leaning against the staircase with his arms crossed watching the other ponies pulling out and quickly reading all the books in the library.
"Nightmare Moon isn't a pony you can just beat down. The only way to defeat her is to use the elements of harmony on her and send her back into the moon" said Twilight
"There has to be a book somewhere in here that will tell us something about the elements and where they are located" said Twilight
"But look at all these dusty books, I reckon it will take us some time to actually find the right one we're looking for!" moaned Applejack
There wasn't any method in how they were searching the books, all they were doing was randomly pulling them down, reading a couple of pages, and then chucking the book aside when they weren't satisfied. Until finally Madoro couldn't take it anymore. He stood up and hollered.
" For the love of Kyzor! You guys are taking forever! Let me find it, I'll do it a million times faster than you!" he declared.
Then Madoro walked into the center of the room, surrounded by all the books and he closed his eyes in concentration. In a second his eyes flashed open and once again they were shining a cerulean blue color. He began scanning all the books with lightning speed. As he scanned each book, title, and description of each one ,they appeared before his eyes telling him all their secrets before fading back into the blue mist of his Dharma sight. Until finally he stopped on one book in particular and before he began to read it a sense of certainty washed over him. He knew in that moment he had found exactly the one they needed!
With a smirk on his face he closed his eyes again and when he opened them, the blue light was gone and he was staring at a very old book with ancient metal bindings on it. With a simple waving of his hand a swirl of azure blue light surrounded the book. Then the book flew into his hand and he handed it over to Twilight.
" Ahhhhhhhh. Ere it is! Now let's see what it can tell us." said Madoro.
Then he walked back over to the staircase, and once again crossed his arms and leaned against the railing.
For a moment Twilight and the rest of them were staring at Madoro with awe written all over their faces. Twilight couldn't believe that she had just witnessed that feat of power. That was an ability that she could only dream of accomplishing. But before she could ask him how he did that, she snapped herself back to reality, picked up the book and began to read it.
" So, what does it say?" asked Madoro.
" It says that the elements are the form of Harmony in physical form, it also says that there are six elements, kindness, laughter, loyalty, honesty, and generosity," read Twilight.
"And the sixth?" asked Madoro.
" The book doesn't say. It says once the five elements are brought together than the sixth one will be revealed," replied Twilight
" Wow, that's kinda vague, whispered Rainbow Dash. What could that possibly mean and where are these elements located?" she asked
" I don't know, the book doesn't go into specifics, but it does say that the elements are kept in the royal sisters old castle in the…." said Twilight.
" In where darling?." asked Rarity.
" In the Everfree Forest….." said Twilight.
All at once the ponies gasped and a combined look of worry and fear fell over all their faces! Madoro was puzzled so he asked.
" Why do you all look like we are about to walk into a pit full of demons and dark magic?"
" That's EXACTLY what the Everfree Forest is" exclaimed Twilight.
" It's a haunted land where nothing of any good ever grows or lives" said Applejack.
" It's full of spooky shadows" said Pinkie Pie.
" And there are mean creatures who hunt anything that moves!" trembled Flutter shy.
" There are giant plants that attack and strangle anything that comes near them!" declared Rainbow Dash.
Madoro took in all they were telling him, and when they were finished a big smile came across his face and he smashed his fist into his hand and cracked his knuckles.
" Sounds like a good time is to be had then!" chortled Madoro.
And there it was again, Twilight could sense the same feeling coming from Madoro that she felt when he was staring at Nightmare Moon. It was desire, a desire to fight and to tear apart anything that would come between him and accomplishing his goal. She felt afraid for a moment, but then behind his desire to fight, she could sense a glimmer of restraint in him, a need not to just fight randomly, but to protect the six of them. Twilight believed that if she could steer Madoro in the direction of that restraint then he would be able to be focused enough to get them to the old castle, and if they couldn't find the elements, she knew that together they could fight and defeat Nightmare Moon.
Turning back to the rest of the ponies Twilight said " All right every pony, let's get over to the castle while we still have an Equestria to save".
They all cheered in agreement, but when Twilights back was turned Madoro was staring at her with a look of anger, betrayal, and a bit of sadness all mixed together. She didn't know it but Madoro had heard everything that Twilight had just thought and it hurt him in a way he had not felt since that wretched day millennia ago. But before he could think about this feeling he sensed the Nether-Fell in the room they were in. There wasn't anyone in the room, but he could sense that someone was using dark powers to listen in on them, and from the strength of the feeling he was getting, they were listening for the entire time they were in the library. He looked up at the ceiling to where the source of the power was coming from and in an instant he knew who it was that was spying on them…. Nightmare Moon. He could never forget the foul presence of the Fell that lingered around her when he first laid eyes on her. It was an aura that would cause things of the light to cringe and cower just being in close proximity to it. But before he could accuse the hidden force of Nightmare Moon for spying on them, all the ponies were staring at him with confusion written on their faces. He gave a smirk and said " It's nothing I thought I sensed something but I was mistaken". They all seemed to accept that and as they all trotted out the door, Madoro stayed behind and looked right up at where Nightmare Moon was spying on them and he spoke.
" I know you are listening and I have a few words for you: Bring it on Fell spawn" Madoro challenged!
Nightmare Moon was looking through her far seeing spell when Madoro said this, and when he left she cracked a smile and said " Oh I plan to Outsider. Yes… I'll make sure that those six ponies will never be able to use the elements against me! And as for you… I will have you suffer for your insubordinate talk. I swear it!" And with that she let loose a cackle so evil that it made even her own guards cringe in fear.
The group traveled from Ponyville all of them together side by side when they finally reached the entrance of the Everfree Forest. The forest looked as if a shadow lay over it, the trees were covered with long stalks of dark thorny vines and the very air that they breathed felt heavy and full of malice. Madoro could sense that the Nether-Fell was strong in this forest, it was a place cloaked in darkness, and now he could understand why some would fear to enter this accursed place.
" There is something wrong with this wood. It looks as if a blight has fallen over it, twisting the land and making it into a nest of evil" stated Madoro.
" We can't stop here! Quick, we must get to the castle and retrieve the elements or Equestria is doomed" said Twilight.
So they all cautiously entered the forest. And all around them Madoro could sense the eyes of the inhabitants of the forest. He could sense their desire to tear the party apart and to leave them to rot as another one of its victims. With a quick thought Madoro allowed his will to push out into every direction, and all of the creatures looking on them immediately fled away in fear. Now they were not in danger of being jumped by some rabid animal.
After a while the group found themselves on a mountain side, but when they walked near a cliff, out of the corner of his eye Madoro saw a patch of purple smoke hovering below them. The smoke looked like it was boring its way into the side of the mountain. He sensed immediately what the smoke was doing and he shouted a warning to all the ponies.
" Quick! Watch out!, this entire mountain side is about to fall" shouted Madoro.
But the warning was no sooner out of his mouth, when a rockslide opened up beneath them and they all started to fall into the abyss below. Madoro saw an outcropping of rocks that was not shifting and he immediately jumped onto it. Rainbow Dash and Flutter Shy caught Rarity and Pinkie Pie, but Applejack and Twilight were in sever danger, about to fall off to what surely would be there end! Just as Twilight was about to go over the cliff Applejack reached out and grabbed her by her two front legs, and was hanging onto her for dear life.
" Twilight let go! You will be fine" shouted Applejack.
" Are you serious!? Look how far that drop is! If I let go, I'll never make it" screamed Twilight.
But Applejack looked at her with pure certainty on her face and told her as softly as she could "What I'm saying to you is the honest truth, let go and you will be safe" she promised.
The look in Applejacks eyes and the certainty in her voice made Twilight actually believe what she was saying. So with a gasp she let go and began to fall. But before she could fall very far she stopped. She looked down and saw that she was floating on a disc of pulsating blue energy, and then suddenly she was rising up as if some invisible hand was lifting her and the disc. She looked around to see what was causing this when she spotted Madoro. He was holding out his hand toward her with a look of concentration of his face, and then suddenly he motioned his hand towards himself and Twilight flew right towards him and into his arms. When Madoro had safely caught Twilight the disc disappeared. Madoro then jumped from rock to rock collecting up the rest of the ponies in his arms, until he had all six of them. Finally he made a couple more of leaps and bounds and he set them all down on the other side of the cliff. Twilight looked up at Madoro, once again amazed by the amount of power that he had within him and said " Thank you for saving me".
" It was nothing…. we just have to be more careful from now on, don't we?" smiled Madoro.
As they continued on Twilight asked Applejack " how did you know that I would be alright?".
" I don't know, I just had a feeling of complete certainty that you would be, and it looks like I was right, who'd have thought it?" said Applejack.
As they continued through the forest they heard a great rustling in the bushes, and suddenly a giant Manticore burst forth and was charging right at them. All of the ponies dove for cover, but Madoro stood his ground firmly. And when the beast was a mere ten feet away Madoro stepped to the side and stuck his foot out. The Manticore tripped and cart wheeled head over heels into a tree, hung there for a second and then slowly oozed to the ground. Rainbow dash gathered up some vines and threw them to Applejack, and as quick as a flash, the two of them began tying up the beast. When it was done, the beast was bound tightly, and they began congratulating themselves. But suddenly the manticore broke free, and with limbs flailing, solidly bashed each one of the ponies to the ground. The ponies quickly regrouped and were about to make another charge when Flutter Shy shouted " STOP!" as loud as she could. All of the ponies stopped dead in the tracks and as calm as a butterfly Flutter Shy walked up to the manticore and looked him directly in the eyes. The beast held out his paw and in the center of it a massive wooden thorn was sticking out of his paw. Fluttershy grasped the thorn in her teeth and with one big tug she wrenched it out of the creatures paw and tossed the thorn aside. "RELIEF" broke over the Manticore's face and he grabbed her and licks her mane with his massively long tongue. After that he bounded away leaving all of the ponies looking at Flutter Shy with a look of total confusion.
Then Flutter Shy answers " Sometimes we all need to be shown a little kindness."
As Flutter Shy walked away Madoro and the ponies looked at each other, smiled and began following after her. But as they walked away, unbeknownst to them, the thorn magically rises and slowly turns into the patch of purple smoke… and follows after them.
As the party enters deeper into the forest, the purple smoke starts oozing out of the underbrush, surrounds the lot of them, and then, all at once faces of monsters start appearing on the trees. All of the ponies crowd together and cringe with fright. " This has got to be the scariest place EVER!" whimpered Twilight, but the words were no more uttered when Madoro thrust his hand to the ground and with the strength of the cosmic power Dharma, blew away the smoke with a blast wave of azure colored light. Just as it looked like they were all safe and could breathe easy again, suddenly the smoke returns and the faces with it.
" Grrr, cursed illusions get out of our way!" demanded a furious Madoro.
And once more he thrust his hand down to the ground and blew the smoke away… and once again the smoke came right back. The ponies all seemed about to break down in tears until they suddenly heard Pinkie Pie starting to laugh.
" What about this do you find so funny?" demanded a clearly consed Madoro.
" It's the power of Laughter, said Pinkie Pie. It's the only way to make the shadows go away. We just have to laugh them away. I'll teach you!" said Pinkie Pie, giggling.
"When I was a philly and the sun was going down" said Pinkie
"Tell me she's not….." groaned Twilight
"The darkness and the shadows would make me frown" Pinkie rhymed
" She is…." said Rarity
"Oh yeah, she is" said Madoro
" I'd hide under my pillow, from what I thought I saw, but Granny Pie would say that wasn't the way, to deal with fears at all" continued Pinkie.
" Then what is?" asked Rainbow Dash.
" Yeah tell us cause honestly? I'd just as soon send these shadows back to the plane of Dis" said Madoro, perhaps a little too eager to knock a few monster's teeth loose.
" She said "Pinkie you have to stand up tall, learn to face your fears, you'll see that they can't hurt you. Just laugh to make them disappear, HA HA HA!". Said Pinkie
But suddenly another monster face appeared in front of the ponies and they all collectively gasped and shivered with fright.
" So giggle at the ghostly,
guffaw at the grossly,
crack up at the creepy,
whoop it up at the weepy,
chortle at the kooky,
snortle and the spooky!". Declared Pinkie
"And tell that big dumb scary face to take a hike and to leave you alone and if he thinks he can scare you then he's got another thing coming and the very idea of such a thing makes you wanna…hahahahaha….heh…laaaaaaaauuuuuugggghhhhhhhhh". said Pinkie
When she was finished all of the ponies stared at the shadows then one by one, they started to laugh at them. Madoro stared at them and couldn't believe what he was seeing. And what he initially thought was stupid; what they were doing was working! One by one the faces were vanishing, until the very last one was staring him directly nose-to-nose in the face. This monster looked like a wolf man crossed with Frankenstein, and in that moment, Madoro though it looked just like a big hairy Nether ghoul dressed like a clown. Why, it even had a big bulbous red nose! A smile came over his face and he started to chuckle. That chuckle turned into a huge guffaw, and sure enough, the face vanished along with all the other monsters! Soon all the purple smoke floated away and they were left standing in the forest glade with all the trees looking just as they were before the smoke had surrounded them.
" So you see? All you have to do is laugh and fear goes away". Said Pinkie Pie
" Well' harrumphed Madoro, it would seem so, but I can think of a couple of ghosts that might not work on. But hey! It sure did here. Good Job!" But Madoro's mood changed quickly as he said, "Let's keep going shall we? We have a mission to accomplish!"
Once again Twilight looked up at Madoro and she wondered how he could change so fast and become so mean and stubborn. What had happened to him that could turn him so cold? She left the question in her head as they all kept walking towards a river that was in front of them.
When they reached the river's edge, a giant sea serpent rose up out of the dark water, its entire body covered in a dark purple scale, and it had an orangish- yellow mustache, (well, more like half of a mustache. The other half looked as if it had been cleaved right off his face).
"Hold there… who would try and cross over my river?" asked the serpent
"Oh please sir, we must reach the castle before day break the fate of Equestria is at stake" pled Twilight
"Hmm, I don't think I will let you do that. Just look at my beautiful mustache, ruined by the puff of purple smoke that just wafted through here" said the serpent. "I'll bet you chased it this way…so you must be guilty of ruining my serpentine beauty"…. And with that, giant silvery tears started rolling down his enormous snake-like snout.
"So do you just want me to get him out of the way, or do any of you have a better idea?" muttered Madoro to Twilight.
"No Madoro there has to be another way there has to be" she said .
All of the sudden Rarity walked up to the front of the serpent with curiosity and glamour in her eyes.
"Such lovely luminescent scales" said Rarity
"I know" said the serpent
"Your expertly coiffed mane" said Rarity
"Oh I know, I know" said the serpent
"Your fabulous manicure" said Rarity
"It's so true" gushed the serpent
"All ruined without your beautiful mustache" said Rarity
"It's true, now I'm hideous" said the serpent, and a virtual waterfall of tears spilled from his eyes.
"I absolutely cannot have this crime against fabulosity go uncorrected" said Rarity
With that she turned to Madoro and asked him "Madoro dear, can you help me with something real quick?"
Madoro walked over to her and bent down; she whispered something into his ear and then when she was finished Madoro nodded his head and as quickly as the eye could see grabbed her tail and swiped it off with one stroke of his hand.
All of the ponies gasped as Madoro gave Rarity the end of her tail. Then she trotted over to the sea serpent and presented it to him saying "there, my dear, she smiled…. This will do until the other half grows back". The serpent hastily grabbed it up and stuck it on the other side of his mustache.
"Oh thank you little one, I'm beautiful once again!" he declared. And in repayment allow me to fairy you all across the river" he said with a smile through his tears.
As they all climbed onto the serpents back, Twilight was staring right at the end of Rarities tale and said "Oh Rarity, your beautiful tail".
"Oh its fine my dear, short tales are in this season, besides it will grow back" said Rarity
"So would have the mustache" said Rainbow Dash.
"You look like a cat that had to cut off its tail to save itself from the fan, he he" said Madoro.
Once they all reached the other side, they all said good bye to the sea serpent and began walking towards the castle which was within visual range now. But the problem was that the bridge to the castle was gone. On the other side was the entire bridge with the fastenings already to be strapped to the side of the bridge they were on.
"How are we supposed to get across now?" asked Twilight.
" Leave it to me, I'll get that other half of the bridge back here in no time at all" said Rainbow Dash.
Rainbow Dash took off for the other half of the bridge. She was about to take the fastenings to the other side when behind her she heard a voice. "Hey there Rainbow Dash" said the voice
She turned around and standing right there were the Wonderbolts! No, on second thought, not the Wonderbolts, there outfits were dark and a yellow glow was coming through their eyes, whatever they were Rainbow could tell that they were no good.
"We are the Shadowbolts, and we were very impressed at how you were able to fly over the bridge like that" said the Shadowbolt.
"Really?" asked Rainbow.
"Yes and in fact we would like you to join us and lead us as our captain" said the Shadowbolt.
"Wow; are you serious?" asked Rainbow.
"Yes all you have to do is leave your friends behind and come with us so we can start our careers together" said the Shadowbolt.
The smile fell from Rainbow Dash's face, she wanted to go with them it was everything that she had ever wanted to do was fly with a professional troupe, and to be a captain no less. But however tempting that was she felt as though she couldn't just abandon the others after they had come so far together. She turned back to the Shadowbolts determination all over her face and said "I'd never leave my friends hanging like that". And with that she grabbed the ends of the bridge and began to fly the other half of the bridge over the gorge and she connected it to the other side. As she flew away the Shadowbolts dissolved into a purple mist and slithered away towards the castle.
Rainbow Dash connected the bridge to the other side and with a flurry of wings she stated
"And that is how it's done"
All of the ponies gathered around her and congratulated her when Madoro said " You definitely made the right choice Rainbow Dash, If you had accepted you would probably been filled with the power of the Nether-Fell and be nothing more than a puppet for Nightmare Moon to use and abuse".
Rainbow Dash looked at him confusion written all over her face and she asked "How did you…?"
"I have very good eye sight and hearing Rainbow, better than any in this land I can tell yeah, well shall we go?" said Madoro.
They all began walking towards the castle when they stopped right outside the castle entrance and all of them in tandem started to stare up at the massive structure before them. The castle was massive; easily 15 to 20 stories high and with towers and a main keep in the middle. But almost the entire castle was in ruins, almost all of the towers looked like they were demolished with a siege engine, and the main keep had gaping holes all throughout its structure. On top of that Madoro sensed that the focal point to the dark presence he sensed was in the main keep, its aura bashing against his senses like a battering ram. He sensed that the other ponies were feeling the same way, each one of them was shaking and it looked like it would be an act of Kyzor to even get them to move one step forward.
He couldn't believe they were acting the way they were, they were looking at a structure, not an actual enemy who could fight you back, it was a building for Kyzor's sake.
"Why are you guys quivering like that, it's a freakin building. The real danger is on the inside not the outside. Stop acting like a bunch of mulling babies and put one hoof in front of the other and let's get this piece of bat guano" commanded Madoro.
Twilight couldn't take it anymore; she rounded on Madoro her face full of anger and frustration and looked him right in the eye.
"Why do you act the way that you do? You have been mean, insulting, and cold the entire time we have been on this journey" said Twilight.
"I'm a warrior, a soldier whose job is to complete a mission and then move onto the next one. I speak my mind and I do not care what others think about me, I say things the way I see them; and it's up to the person to feel bad or not" said Madoro.
"You have been a soldier for far too long; you have become something that is as cold as a rock. You treat others like they are less than you and you say things behind other ponies back when they think they are not listening to you; you have become a heartless wanderer Madoro Sindragon" shouted Twilight.
"That's funny coming from the pony who only wanted me to come along with her so that I could be a contingency plan against Nightmare Moon" said Madoro.
Twilight looked at him with pure shock written all over her face, she looked like she had been caught with her hoof in the cookie jar.
"How did you…." said Twilight.
"I read your mind, young one. I have been reading it the whole time I was with you, just as I know that you have been reading mine" said Madoro.
The look that was on Madoro's face was one Twilight had never seen before, it was a mixture of disappointment, anger …and sadness. At that moment Twilight knew she had made one of the biggest mistakes in her life by calling Madoro out.
"From the minute I touched down on this planet and we met, you have been thinking of ways to use me as a tool in order to solve your Nightmare Moon problem. Even back in the library you were trying to make sure that my temper was kept in check so that I would safely get all of you here to this castle, and if need be, to fight Nightmare Moon if you couldn't find the Elements of Harmony. Well, as much as I like you, you need to understand that I am not just some weapon that you can point and make all of your problems disappear. I was one such a person once before, and it cost me more dearly than you could ever imagine" said Madoro.
As he was talking Twilight could see that Madoro's face was less showing anger and was showing more and more sadness in it. Looking at him now was starting to make tears come to her eyes.
"I have very few strings that can be pulled Twilight Sparkle, but being used as a tool to do something without being told the entire truth, is to be lied to. And to look me in the eye and lie to my face is the biggest insult of all" grunted Madoro. "I came here as a good friend" he stammered. "And you have deliberately used that offer of friendship. I feel betrayed".
All the other ponies were just staring at the two of them, uncertain whether to jump in or stay silent. Pinkie was about to say something but Applejack put her hoof over her mouth and shook her head.
"Well it seems that you have all the answers Twilight, continued Madoro, and it seems I am not needed here so I'm going to smoke my pipe and then head on my way, I have a ship to fix anyway".
And with that Madoro went over to the nearest pillar leaned against it, and from out of nowhere a pipe was in his hand. He began to quietly smoke it. Twilight wanted to say something, but Applejack motioned to her to keep silent and follow them. As the other ponies began to walk into the ruins Twilight gave another look at Madoro. The look on his face still was one of anger, but there was more sadness in it now. It seemed to reflect that what Twilight had done and said to him, had hit him as hard as if she had actually hit him. At that moment Twilight knew what it was like to lose a friend, and a friend like Madoro was someone that you were supposed to treasure for a lifetime. The realization of what she had done made tears flow from her eyes. As she started walking towards the ruins she looked over her shoulder one more time at Madoro, and with her voice full of emotion she said quietly "I'm sorry, Madoro…I am really and truly sorry." And with that, she followed the others into the ruins.
As they entered the castle they could see that the courtyard had been torn to pieces. Blocks of fallen stone littered the whole interior of what was once probably a beautiful place. They eventually found a door that lead to the interior room and once they passed through, they came upon what looked like a great throne room. Inside was a massive walk ways that lead up to two thrones, each one of them looking like as though were rotting away from years of neglect. In the center of the walk way was a stone planetarium; inside the planetarium were five stone orbs. Twilight could sense that the orbs radiated with a power that was unlike anything she had ever felt before. And in that moment she knew that they had found the first five of the elements. As Twilight drew close to the orbs a voice range out from the darkness.
"Ah you have finally come! Eeeeeexcellent!" thundered the voice.
All at once a purple whirlwind enveloped Twilight and the orbs and in an instant she was transported to a different part of the castle. Standing directly in front of her was Nightmare Moon radiating all of her evil glory. She was standing on a pedestal wearing her dark helmet and with her bat like wings flayed out, she looked like a demon brought from Tartarus to cause pain and suffering. Just looking at her made Twilight tremble with fear.
"I see you have the 5 elements, my dear…. said Nightmare Moon. Well fat lot that will do you! Without the sixth, you cannot possibly hope to defeat me" cackled Nightmare Moon.
"No, I will beat you, I know I can, just as Princess Celestia did" declared Twilight.
"Hah! My sister!? That thankless wench is to blame for my being imprisoned for so long! All she had to do was step aside and let me rule Equestria. But she would not, now that she is nowhere around, there is no one who can stop me" and with that, Nightmare Moon let out a shrieking cackle that made the hair stand up on Twilight's neck.
Suddenly evil ribbons of dark energy swirled around Nightmare Moon enveloping the entire tower and slowly turning it black as night.
"No I will stop you, Nightmare Moon… no matter what! For Equestria!" shouted Twilight, and with that she charged full speed at Nightmare Moon with her horn glowing. Nightmare Moon did not even flinch. She merely raised her horn and blocked Twilights charge and with another blast of energy sent Twilight sprawling across the floor.
"And to make sure that you don't get any more good ideas" said Nightmare Moon, "take this!"
And he sent a blast of energy at the five orbs. In a blinding flash of black light, shattered them to pieces. Twilight could not believe her eyes. Her one hope had just been destroyed right before their eyes. Now there was nothing stopping Nightmare Moon from ruling an eternal night Equestria forever.
"Twilight!" cried Applejack.
Twilight spun around and saw that all of her friends had caught up to her, but the look on her face made them all worry.
"You are all too late." Twilight stammered, "Nightmare Moon destroyed all the elements. There is no hope of saving Equestria now" Twilight whispered.
"What are you talking about? You are with us and were sticking with you till the very end" declared Rainbow Dash.
"Were stuck to you like caramel to apples" smiled Applejack.
"Oh.. I love caramel apples, but yeah were sticking with you" said Pinkie Pie.
"Yes darling through thick and thin" said Rarity.
"We are here by your side" said Fluttershy.
Twilight felt a warm glow fill her chest when they said that. It was something that she had not ever felt before. It almost felt like she was filled with hope, but it was somehow incomplete, there was some pony… no, SOMEONE that was missing. She wished with all her heart they were here with her now.
Nightmare Moons voice broke the magic of the moment. "Oh you fools!" She cackled. "It does not matter if you are all together or not…the outsider is not here to protect you anymore, and the elements have been shattered, so now vanish from my sight".
And with that, she fired a giant laser bolt of dark energy at them. An energy bolt that Twilight knew would be fatal to all of them if it hit its intended mark. The ponies stood their ground, standing hoof to hoof. And with one last thought Twilight sent out a mental call.
"Madoro, I know that you can hear me, I know I have no right to call you but I beg you… please…help me". Twilight prayed, tears forming in her eyes.
With that plea, and right as the beam was about to destroy them, it exploded sending tendrils of energy showering out in every direction. When Twilight opened her eyes she could hardly believe her eyes. Madoro was standing in front of her with his arm stretched out and his right hand smoking. He had a look of steel on his face and his eyes were bearing right into Nightmare Moon. Madoro lowered his hand which Twilight could see was still smoldering from blocking the magical blast, but before she could say anything he spoke.
"You were right you know" he said.
"I have been a wandering soldier for so long, that I have fallen off the path of the Astral-Light. I allowed my feelings to rule my judgment and I allowed those who truly needed my help to walk into darkness without me. I abandoned you because I believed it was beneath me and I allowed my anger to control me. In some ways I am no better than a Darkonaught" said Madoro.
Twilight was listening to all he had to say, and she felt as if she was listening to Madoro for the first time. His words were genuine. They sounded as if he was truly speaking directly from his heart.
"But no more, I promise to you, Twilight; to all of you. By Kyzor, whenever you need me I will be there. Never again will abandon you! I will defend you with my sword, my fist, and if need to my life for as long as I remain here, Keen Gro Acrer!" declared Madoro.
As he said those last three words Twilight could see that light was flowing out from Madoro's eyes. Streams of blue light were radiating out from the inner regions of his eyes to flood the outer portions with dazzling rays of azure and turquoise light. At once Twilight came to a realization; this was the true Madoro Sindragon. There was no anger that she sensed from him only a sense of duty, of honor, and a need to protect all of them. Here was one who did not care what happened to him as long as he could keep the ones he was protecting safe. This was the feeling that she sensed back in the library and here it was again in full, showing her his true colors. A steadfast warrior; a protector with power enough to change entire lands.
As Madoro said those words, Twilight smiled as widely as she could, and with the rest of the group gave a cheer of pure joy! Words could not explain how happy she was to see him here, not just because he had come to save her life, but because a part of her truly wanted him to be by her side. When Madoro was with her she felt safer than even in the walls of Canterlot, and just being around him made her smile, and filled her heart with joy. But then, she remembered what she said to him and some sadness returned to her. She looked to Madoro and said " Madoro… I'm".
"I know my dear, I know, but let's save the apologies for later, right now" said Madoro turning his head to glare at Nightmare Moon. "I have business to take care of".
He started walking towards Nightmare Moon, taking short strides as if he was walking into an arena. He stopped thirty feet from where she was standing, and the two of them entered into an intense staring contest, until Madoro finally spoke.
"So you're Nightmare Moon. I've wanted to come to fists with you ever since I saw you in the town square." said Madoro and with that he cracked all of his knuckles.
"You dare speak to me Outsider? What makes you think that you can defeat what Celestia could not?" demanded Nightmare Moon
"Because I am very strong, possessed with power, and a will to beat your head into the ground" said Madoro.
"Hah, I will have you pay for using such insubordinate speech before me, you peasant" thundered Nightmare Moon.
"Well, alright then you big pile of bat guano" said Madoro.
"How dare you call me such a name, I am Royalty" said Nightmare Moon.
"Ok your highness big pile of bat guano!" bellowed Madoro. And with that, he shifted his feet apart and laid his fists at his side. "Let's dance!"
And with that he started to growl "Grrrrrgrrrrr…..Grrrrrrrgrrrrr…Grrrrrgraaaahh"
It looked to Twilight as if tiny streams of energy; no thicker than a needle were entering Madoro's body. Each stream was entering a different part of him, causing his body to glow with an inner light. When he was finished it looked like Madoro had grown twice his size. All of his muscles had suddenly bulked out, it even looked like Madoro's armor had gotten bigger to accompany his greater muscle mass. Faint blue line work traced all over his body, and his skin looked tougher like animal hide rather than skin. However some of the more noticeable changes were Madoro's eyes, teeth, and fingers. His eyes which before were circular in shape, now were diamond shaped; like those of a beast. His teeth had also become slightly tapered, giving him a mouth full of canines. Finally his nails which were rounded before were now slightly pointed giving him short claws. With all of these changes to his form, Twilight though Madoro looked like a veritable beast Titan of strength.
With one giant stride Madoro was standing face to face with Nightmare Moon, and before she could move, Madoro planted his right fist into the left side of Nightmare Moons face. Nightmare Moon was lifted off her feet and slammed right into the stone wall twenty feet behind her. As she hit the wall a cloud of purple dust obscured her and Twilight could not tell whether Madoro had beaten her or not.
But then suddenly Nightmare Moon rose from the dust screaming "You dare to strike me outsider, I am a royal princess of Equestria".
And with that, Nightmare Moon charged Madoro. She reared back… and began battering him with a savage barrage of kicks. But for every kick she made, Madoro's gauntleted hand was there to meet it blow for blow!
Twilight could not believe what she was seeing. The two of them were matching every move the other would make. Whenever Nightmare Moon tried to kick Madoro, he would block it karate style with an arm or one of his legs. Whenever Madoro threw a punch or kick, Nightmare Moon threw up a magical barrier to protect herself. After going on like this for what seemed like minutes, Madoro faked with his right fist and smashed Nightmare Moon in the center of her forehead with his left. Nightmare Moon staggered back and shot a beam of black light at Madoro's side and he flew into the wall that was behind him. Before he could recover she was right on him pinning his hands and legs down with her own.
"HaHa, now you can't block me, I will blast you into a thousand pieces" threatened Nightmare Moon.
And with that her horn turned black as night. Twilight could tell there was enough power in the coming blast to destroy them and the entire castle. But as she looked at Madoro she could see that a smile was on his face. Then he uttered two very strange words.
" Dharma Kore" shouted Madoro.
And with that, a giant, rune-covered, swirling azure fist slammed into her face. Nightmare Moon flew off her feet and smashed into the opposite wall on the other side of the chamber they were in. A moment later Nightmare Moon rose from the dust again, rips and scratches all over her face from the force of Madoros blast.
"My speech is even a weapon Nether scum; I speak the very language of Dharma itself. This causes the very fabric of reality to bend to my will, making devastating effects to happen" roared Madoro.
"I will defeat you, I will not lose to some outsider peasant, who has no business to even share the same room as me" declared Nightmare Moon.
And with that she started firing off beams of black light at Madoro. But for every one that she sent at him he would deflect them, sending them hurtling into the ceiling or into the ground in front of him. Or he would absorb them into his hand, which was making his hand glow white hot. Until finally when Nightmare Moon was not getting a single shot on Madoro, she wickedly smiled and sent a beam of black light right at the ponies. Madoro could not believe that she would be so cowardly and cold, he knew he only had a couple of seconds to save them.
"Dharma Lorgra" shouted Madoro.
It seemed to Twilight that Madoro had just flown over the ground in order to get in front of them, one moment he was a hundred feet away and the next he was standing right in front of them. He blocked the beam but right in front of him Nightmare Moon had her head down and her horn pointing directly at him, he knew he did not have enough time to block what she was about to do. Nightmare Moon thrust her horn forward and she pierced Madoro's body right through his left shoulder where his pauldron wasn't covering. Madoro grunted in pain and Twilight had a look of pure shock on her face, Madoro was hurt she could not believe it. She had always believed that Madoro was invincible and that nothing could stop him, and now he had a horn coming out of his body.
"Ha Ha HA, now I truly have you! So tell me Brave One… how does it feel to have the touch of royalty pierce your armor?" cooed Nightmare Moon in a sickeningly sweet voice.
But surprisingly, Madoro started to laugh! He looked right at Nightmare Moon and said " Do you really think that you are the first creature to have found that weak spot in my armor and to exploit it? You are a fool" said Madoro.
"It does not matter; I have now right where I want you!" She retorted. "How will you possibly escape my grasp now?" challenged Nightmare Moon.
Madoro smiled and said "Like this!" and with that he grabbed Nightmare Moon's head and shrunk back and down, pulling out her horn in a burst of shining white mist. Then he thrust his right knee upwards and hit Nightmare Moon right square on the left side of her face where Madoro had punched her earlier. For a second Nightmare Moons eyes faded from blue to white and when they turned back to blue she was having problems keeping her balance. But Madoro wasted no time, he rushed forward and with his left fist punched her right underneath her jaw and sent her skyward. Madoro followed her by jumping right next to her and when she stopped flying upwards, he spun in mid-air once sending a spinning roundhouse kick right into her face.
Nightmare Moon went flying at incredible speeds right into the wall behind the two thrones. She crashed right through the wall and didn't immediately immerge afterwards either. Madoro came down right in front of the ponies and grunted in pain as he put a hand on his injured shoulder. The amount of white mist coming from the wound was causing a small cloud to appear around him but Madoro looked as though he didn't care too much. Suddenly Nightmare Moon emerged from the rubble and she looked terrible. One of her wings had been snapped, she was limping on three hoofs instead of four, and she was missing a tooth. But she would not give up, in a flash of light from her horn she was perfectly fixed, her broken wing re-set, her hoof was no longer broken, even her tooth was whole again. And once again she spoke.
"You cannot defeat me… I am invincible, without the elements I will reign forever and all of Equestria will be under my control forever" thundered Nightmare Moon. And with that she gave one of her evil cackles which made all of the ponies cringe with fear. But when Twilight looked to Madoro there was no fear in his eyes.
"Then you leave me no choice" said Madoro.
"What does that possibly mean?" asked Nightmare Moon.
Madoro closed his eyes and rolled his shoulders; all of the sudden the strands of light came out of his body and he was back to his original self. He opened his eyes and spoke. "I was giving you a chance, a chance to fight me and once I had beaten you, you should have given up. You can tell that I am far stronger than you and if you had given up and left Equestria under your own accord I would have let you go. But no, you wish to rule this land with the iron fist of tyranny. To increase your power at the expense of others, you are just like a Darkonaught" said Madoro.
As Twilight listened to him she could see that the look of determination and judgment was becoming fiercer on Madoro's face. It was as if he had just passed judgment on Nightmare Moon and was about to carry out the sentence.
"The Nether Fell surrounds you like a cloak of evil. Given time I would not be surprised to find out that you had become a Darkonaught. So for the sake of this land, and for the freedom of all its inhabitants I as a Astral-Light am tasked with finding and destroying all things connected to the Nether Fell and the Darkonaughts. And that means you" said Madoro.
And with that Twilight saw the pocket on the left side of Madoro's leggings flipped open and a small half-cylinder came out of it. The cylinder was flat on one side; and rounded on the other with a spike protruding out the top. The rounded side was embossed with motifs of battles, and they seemed to be glowing from the inside. The half- cylinder floated into Madoros right hand and with a motion of his hand; what looked like thousands of beams of light coalesced around the spiked end of the cylinder and a massive swirling beam of midnight blue energy appeared. The beam was four feet and a quarter inches long, and the end of the beam was slightly curved upward. It seemed to Twilight that the edges of the beam were constantly moving back and forth, as if they were constantly sharpening it. She also noticed that swirls of azure blue energy were going in and out of the beam, as if the beam was constantly feeding itself. Twilight could tell that whatever this thing was it erupted with power and it seemed to be attached to Madoro at a soul-deep level, as if whatever this thing was Madoro had used it so many times that it had bonded with him over time.
"Come forward Nightmare Moon" said Madoro as he raised the half-cylinder in both hands in front of his body. "Let me show you the Nether Fell" said Madoro.
"Do you think a beam of blue light is going to scare me? I will show you the true meaning of terror" thundered Nightmare Moon. And with that she charged forward at Madoro.
Madoro did not even move; he was just standing there waiting for Nightmare Moon to get close to him. As she drew near, Madoro angled his weapon to the left of his body, and as Nightmare Moon ran up on him he thrust it upward. The weapon sliced through Nightmare Moon like a hot knife going through butter. From her front left leg to her flank the blade cut through her, leaving a long glowing blue slash mark where the blade had touched her.
Nightmare Moon screamed; it was a scream of pure pain and agony. She stopped running and tumbled forward in a heap ten feet from them. On shaking legs she got to her hoofs to inspect her damage, she was breathing heavily and her eyes were shaking from the pain. From what Twilight could see, it looked as though there was a fear in Nightmare Moons eyes… something she had not seen in her eyes before.
Nightmare Moon smiled again and a flash of light surrounded her and then she looked down and a look of pure shock was on her face. The slash had not been healed by her magic; whatever damage Madoro's weapon had done to her was so great that she couldn't heal from it. Nightmare Moon looked at Madoro with pure rage all over her face and she gathered up energy into her horn until it was shining pure black again and she charged at him. She thrust her horn at his injured shoulder, but his blade was there to meet it. Madoro swung his blade over his head and aimed a blow for Nightmare Moons left shoulder but she raised her horn and blocked the strike just in time. Back and forth the two of them went each one matching the others strike with a parry to the point that neither of them looked like they would win. But then Nightmare Moon aimed a pierce right at Madoro's head, he caught her horn with the edge of his weapon, span her horn around and flicked her head aside. With the recovery stroke he aimed low and sliced Nightmare Moon right above her left hoof.
Nightmare Moon screamed again but before she could retaliate, Madoro thrust his left hand right in front of her face. A blast of swirling blue energy sent Nightmare Moon flying into the throne on the other side of the room. Madoro walked up to Nightmare Moon, she was curled up on the floor looking at Madoro with pure hatred. But when Madoro raised his blade right above his head for the finishing blow a voice entered his mind.
"Stop please I beg you" pleaded the voice.
Madoro stopped mid-strike and looked down at Nightmare Moon, it was not her voice that was calling him; it was a voice inside her. All at once he closed his eyes and when they opened, they shone with blue light and he looked inside Nightmare Moons mind. What he saw was a pony, she looked like Nightmare Moon, but she had a greyish purple coat, a mane that was a pale teal color, two feathery greyish purple wings, a big blackish purple horn on her head, and a black tiara on her head. The mark that was on her flank was in the shape of the crescent moon, and she wore a black neck bracelet around her neck. She looked right up at him and said "Please don't hurt me, I do not want to leave this land yet".
"Are you a princess as well?" asked Madoro.
"Yes, I am Princess Luna, younger sister of Princess Celestia" said Luna.
"How did you become that foul form Nightmare Moon?" asked Madoro.
"It was my entire fault, I was tired of sharing the sky with my sister and I wanted to rule Equestria all on my own, but Celestia wouldn't let me. So my anger and frustration boiled over allowing my dark side of Nightmare Moon to surface". Said Luna
"You have a lot to answer for Luna, but why should I spare you?" asked Madoro.
" I want to have the chance to make things right, I spent a thousand years imprisoned in the moon, and all my other half could think about was escaping. But for me that entire time all I did was regret and now all I want to do is make amends for what I have done, and make peace with my sister and with Equestria. So I beg you Madoro_ Sindragon, please allow me to have that chance" pleaded Luna.
Then all at once Madoro was staring at Nightmare Moon again with his blade still poised to take her head from her shoulders. He looked down at her and although he did want to end her life and protect Equestria; he did believe that Luna deserved the right to prove herself and to show that what she said was genuine. So he lowered his stellar sword and stared slightly above Nightmare Moon and said "Very well princess, I will give you that chance". Then he looked directly at Nightmare Moon and said "I spare you now not because I want to, but because the one within you begged me to. I am willing to allow her the opportunity to prove herself" said Madoro.
"As for you….get out of my sight" said Madoro. And with that he turned his back on Nightmare Moon and started walking over to his friends to check up on them. When Nightmare Moon said "You fool, don't you understand without the six elements of harmony I cannot be beaten; I have shattered the elements and they are no longer here" thundered Nightmare Moon.
"You are wrong the elements are here, we represent them. Applejack represents honesty because she knew without a shadow of a doubt that I would be safe. Fluttershy represents kindness because she was willing to help the manticore even though it could hurt her. Pinkie Pie represents laughter because she was able to laugh away the shadows and make the path clear for us. Rarity represents generosity by graciously giving her own tail to the sea serpent so we could cross the lake. And Rainbow Dash represents loyalty because she decided to help us rather than abandon us and be captain of a flight squad. The elements are here and with us together the spark we share will help us defeat you" said Twilight.
And with that the pieces of the stone orbs started to levitate off the ground until finally one orb was in front of each of the five ponies.
"You don't have the sixth element, the spark did not work" said Nightmare Moon.
"But it did; A different kind of spark! I felt it the very moment I realized how happy I was to hear you, to see you, how much I cared about you. The spark ignited something inside of me when I realized you all were my….friends. Don't you see Nightmare Moon, when those elements are ignited by the…the spark, that resides in the heart of us all they create the sixth element…magic!" exclaimed Twilight.
And when she said that a sixth orb appeared right above Twilight and there was a flash of white light and the orbs turned into necklaces for Applejack, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie with each one having a gem in the center in the shape of their marks on their flanks. Twilights orb turned into a crown with a jewel in the top in the shape of her mark of a purple star. All at once the six of them were bathed in light and lifted off the ground.
Then suddenly a beam of rainbow light erupted from the six of them and it shot Madoro in the chest. He could not believe what he was feeling, it was as if his entire body was reawakening and he could feel some of the pain in his soul going away, and to match it he could feel that some of his powers were returning to him as well. His eyes flashed open and they were filled with pure white light, he dashed over to where Twilight was and he stood right behind her. She looked up at his face and he gave an affirming nod to comfort her. She smiled at him and she gave a nod back and then all at once he got that same feeling again when he first landed on this planet. It felt as if his essence was being ripped out of his body and he looked down and he could see Twilight was feeling the same way. After what felt like an eternity of pain he opened his eyes and he once again was staring through Twilight's eyes, but he also felt as if he was staring through his own eyes as well. He looked down and up and could see that Twilight was experiencing the same thing he was. They were looking through each other eyes as well as their own; it was if their minds were in perfect sync with one another- as if they both knew exactly what the other was thinking. And in that moment Madoro knew what had happened, the two of them had merged with one another. A binding that caused two individuals to become one and to share everything that was within them with each other. It was the deepest showing of trust and intimacy that two individuals could achieve in the entire universe.
Madoro looked down at Twilight and she looked up at him and they both smiled at each other. It was a smile that only two individuals who truly trusted each other could give and they would not have it any other way. Suddenly a prism of rainbow light erupted from each of the five elements and then gathered on the central jewel on Twilights crown. Her eyes flashed with pure white light just like Madoro's. Madoro raised his hand and pointed it at Nightmare Moon as Twilight did with her crown, from Madoro's hand a beam of pure white light erupted out from it and from Twilight a double rainbow helix shot out from her crown. Both beam and helix combined with each other forming a single beam of rainbow light and it struck Nightmare Moon right in the face.
There was a flash of white light and the room began to shake, Madoro scooped all the ponies up in his arms and shielded them from the light. Once it had faded, Madoro stood up to inspect the situation and sitting where Nightmare Moon had been; was Luna. She looked exactly like Madoro had seen her but she had a shocked look on her face like she couldn't believe that she was actually free. All the other ponies gathered around Madoro still looking at Luna with fear until Rainbow Dash asked "Who in all of Equestria is that?"
"That is my sister princess Luna" said a voice.
Madoro looked up and coming down from the hole in the ceiling was a beautiful mare. She had a pure white coat, a flowing mist like mane of pink, purple, and green, two massive white wings, a giant white horn atop her forehead, a golden crown, hoof shoes, and necklace to match. The look in her eyes spoke of age beyond reckoning, as if she had lived thousands of years and had the knowledge of years to back it. The mark on her flank was that of a Sun with shining rays erupting from it. Without even asking Madoro could tell that this must be Princess Celestia whom Luna had talked about, the ruler of Equestria.
Celestia walked over to Luna and kneeled down next to her. Luna bowed her head as if she was too ashamed to look at her sister in the eye. But all Celestia did was smile and nudge the side of Luna's face. This caused her to look up and say "Sister I am so sorry for what I have done, I allowed my anger and my desire to rule corrupt my very being and I plunged Equestria into darkness". Once again all Celestia did was smile and say "We all make mistakes Luna, I'm just glad that you are back to your old self and I get to have my sister back. But after the festival you are returning to the castle with me and we are going to have a very long talk you and I." said Celestia.
And with that Luna got up and looked over to where the rest of the ponies and Madoro was standing. She walked up to Madoro and bowed before him before she looked him right in the eye and said.
"Madoro_ Sindragon, I thank you with all my heart for sparing my life. I promise that it will not be in vain and I will make amends for what I have done, just as I promised you" said Luna.
Madoro took his right hand made a fist, and hit his left breastplate with it and left it there, a warriors salute to a ruler and said " I truly hope so your highness, for if you ever turn into Nightmare Moon again I may have no choice next time"
She nodded with understanding and walked back over to where Celestia was standing. She ushered all of them out of the castle and they started the long walk back through the Everfree Forest. When the group had gotten to the entrance of Ponyville, every single inhabitant of the town had come out to congratulate the group for their acts of heroism thru cheering and stomping there hooves in praise. As the group entered the town square Celestia silenced the crowd with a clearing of her throat and they all bowed down low to her. She looked down at Twilight and said "I am very proud of you my student, you were able to defeat Nightmare Moon, save Equestria, and you made some new friends along the way".
"But how did the magic work?" asked Twilight.
"My student you had the power to defeat Nightmare Moon all along, all you had to do was allow true friendship into your heart" said Celestia.
Twilight blushed with the praise her teacher was giving her and she said "Princess, I would like to stay here in Ponyville with my new friends, I don't want to leave them" said Twilight.
"I understand my Twilight Sparkle, but I wish for you to write me whenever you learn a new lesson in friendship from being here in Ponyville, at least once a day" said Celestia.
"I will princess, I will" said Twilight.
Then Celestia looked on Madoro and said "So you're Madoro_ Sindragon, the one from another world?"
Madoro made a fist, smashed it against the left side of his chest and bowed as low as he could while still standing and said "You're royal highness".
Celestia raised an eyebrow and said "I don't know what to think about you, you have a temper, you don't care whose feelings you hurt, and you're very strong and a danger to the land. I think it would be in this world's best interest if you left right after the festival".
" No your highness he's not a danger, he's an honorable person, he fights to protect others, if it wasn't for him, the six of us would not be here right now, and Nightmare Moon would still be ruling the land with an eternal night!" said Twilight.
"Twilight stop; She's right I'm dangerous, and if I stick around I'm liable to hurt something, and I do have a rotten attitude, it would be best for all of you if I left" said Madoro.
"No Madoro, don't leave!" shouted the six of them in unison.
"However, Madoro, you spared my sisters life, and you risked your own life defending these six ponies; so at least allow me to heal your wounds" said Celestia.
So Madoro walked up to Celestia and she bent her horn down to his shoulder, but when her horn touched his shoulder a flash of white light erupted from where her horn touched him. Celestia's eyes flashed open and they were filled with white light, same thing happened to Madoro. The light looked like it was flickering in both of their eyes, as if they were both watching scenes of something that only the two of them could see. After about two minutes Madoro and Celestia separated from each other the white light was gone from their eyes. Madoro looked completely healed, the wound in his shoulder was no longer there, but he was crying. He was crying hard as if he had lost his family. Another thing Twilight noticed that she had never seen before was that Celestia was crying as well and as hard as Madoro was.
Celestia looked at Madoro, a look of pure regret and sorrow on her face and she bowed before him and said "Madoro_ Sindragon I beg your pardon, I had no idea what you have been through, now I understand why you are the way you are".
Madoro looked at her, and wiped the tears from his eyes and asked "You saw everything didn't you?".
Celestia nodded her head, tears still pouring from her eyes. Madoro put both of his hands to his face and said "Oh Kyzor, Princess I beg you do not tell anyone what you just saw unless I tell it first, no one should ever know the crimes I have committed".
"But you have committed no crimes. If anything you are the greatest hero to ever grace your kind Madoro" said Celestia.
"Hero?" questioned Madoro "I'm no hero; I broke every single law of the Cosmo-Knight's that day. On that day I was even worse than the darkest of Black Reaver's"
"You carried out your orders to the letter; you were commanded by both your seifu and your god, to perform a task that no one else ever could. You are the greatest example of a true Astral-Light to have ever existed" said Celestia.
"I caused havoc and destruction that day among my people, I suffer every single day with regret and guilt over what I did, what could possibly make me feel better about that?" asked Madoro.
"I can think of a way boyo" said a voice.
They all turned around and behind them was standing a man, but a very regal man. He was garbed in green and gold armor from head to toe, he wore a cape on his shoulders that cut off right before his boots, and there was a five prong crown above his bearded face. Twilight could see through his eyes that this was an ancient individual filled with knowledge and power over millennia of living. All at once Madoro went up to this individual went down on both of his knees and bowed saying "Your Majesty".
"Madoro you know not to call me that, what do you call me?" asked the person.
"Seifu" said Madoro.
Twilight looked shocked, this was Madoro's master? This was the person that gave Madoro his gauntlets. He looked powerful enough to destroy the entire land with a single punch.
Madoro got up off the ground and said to Twilight "This is Lord Irugan_ Gorganish, King of the Cosmo-Knight people, and my seifu".
"So the king of your people; is also your teacher?" asked Twilight.
Madoro smiled and said "Seems we have another thing in common my dear".
Irugan walked right up to Celestia and bowed before her and said "Princess Celestia, you look as radiant as ever". The entire time Irugan was smiling at Celestia. It was a smile that showed happiness and affection all meshed together in that single facial gesture. Celestia returned the smile with equal amounts of happiness and affection and bowed low before him and said "King Irugan_ Gorganish, the years have not touched you at all. You look as strong and handsome as ever". Madoro looked at the two of them confusion written all over his face. The two of them had obviously been acquainted with each other before. But by the way they talked to one another; it seemed they had an even deeper bond than just being acquaintances.
Luna saw Irugan and she shifted behind Celestia. Irugan walked right up to her and asked "Why are you hiding Princess Luna?"
Luna turned her head away from Irugan and said "Don't look at me Irugan, I'm too ashamed to face you".
Irugan smiled and bent down to her saying "Luna I'm just glad you are back to your old self; we all make mistakes and all I hope is that you learned a lesson from this thousand year experience"
Luna turned back to Irugan and she gave a wide smile and said "I have". And with that she nuzzled the side of his head and he ran a hand thru her hair. Madoro was confused and interested in the whole exchange so he spoke up.
"Seifu how did you get here; I had to go through a wormhole to get here and two have you been here before? The three of you seem to already know each other" asked Madoro.
"I have been here before boyo; this land is a sacred holy place to Kyzor. This is a place where Kyzor tests those Cosmo-Knights who have shown that they are truly something else than just your run of the mill defender." said Irugan
"I was flying through our home sector of space when a portal opened up in front of me, and I had the strongest compulsion I have ever felt to go through it. When I went thru that portal I came upon this planet and landed here. The Dharma forces were telling me that something needed help so I went as fast as I could to find them" said Irugan.
As he was telling his story Madoro could tell by the way his seifu's eyes were moving he was recalling memories that he had not pulled to the front of his head for a while.
"When I arrived, I saw Celestia and Luna fighting what looked like a bunch of creature parts stuck together. I helped them defeat this creature and we have known each other ever since" said Irugan.
As Irugan finished he once more looked at Celestia and Luna with a smile before looking back at Madoro and said, "I have always been able to will myself here ever since that day boyo, all I have to do is picture the place in this land I wish to go to, and poof I'm there" said Irugan.
"You are here Madoro because Kyzor wants you to be here. He has you here to be tested, to prove whether you are a true Astral-Light or not. For a long while boyo, I've been worried about you. The shame and the guilt that you have felt over the last couple of millennia had started to turn you into a heartless warrior with nothing on his mind but his next mission. And for that reason as a mission from your seifu; I want you to stay here for a while, I believe this place will calm your spirit and help you to relearn a thing or two about yourself" said Irugan.
"Yes, Madoro, I also believe that you should stay here. I believe that being here will save your heart, and heal your soul" said Celestia.
Madoro looked at the two of them. The looks on their faces were those of two beings who were thinking about his wellbeing. He then looked down and saw Twilight, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Fluttershy looking right up at him. Their eyes were staring right into his, and in their eyes he saw concern, hesitation, and what looked like sadness. It was almost if they were pleading with their eyes for him to stay. He stared deeply into their eyes and he realized with a pang that he did want to stay on this planet for a while. He wanted to spend time with Twilight and all of the other ponies and get to know them better. He also wanted to know why he felt he had met them all before and why he felt like he had been to this planet before. He smiled at them and then turned back to the two rulers saying.
"Alright, I'll stay for a while, I can't go anywhere anyway, my ships busted. But I need to talk to my seifu real quick" said Madoro.
The two Cosmo-Knights walked over to a clearing and began talking to one another and Twilight asked Celestia "Your highness, what did you see that was so saddening?".
Celestia gave a very sad look and looked over at where Madoro was standing and said " Pure heart- break, a betrayal the likes of which no pony or person should ever experience, and a loss of honor that would cause one's very soul to shatter" said Celestia.
Both of the Cosmo-Knights walked back over and Madoro said "I will stay around and help around the town, and if something evil comes this way I will defend the town from it, but I will not use my stellar sword because for this planet it would just be over kill. There is however something I would like to do first" said Madoro.
Madoro walked over to the six of them and kneeled right in front of Twilight, sadness and regret written all over his face and he said "I want to tell you all I am sorry for before. I allowed my emotions and my pride to get the better of me and that almost caused the six of you to be killed. As an Astral-Light, I am tasked with defending those who cannot defend themselves and I allowed my shame and my own hurt feelings to override my sense of duty and honor. I ask for forgiveness from the six of you, and maybe one day you can see me as your friend…." spoke Madoro softly.
Before he could finish he found himself in the middle of a giant group hug. All six of the ponies had gathered around him and wrapped their front legs around him, holding him affectionately in an embrace of hair, hoofs, and emotion. When they all let go, they all gathered in front of him and Twilight was the first to speak.
"I want to say I'm sorry too. I was planning on using you without any thoughts to your personal feelings, or how you would be affected at the end of the encounter. I allowed my intelligence to override my sense of morals and I almost lost you and every pony else" said Twilight.
She looked right into Madoro's eyes and smiled saying "But despite all that you came back. You put your life on the line to protect us, and with your powers we were able to defeat Nightmare Moon and save Equestria. You are a hero Madoro Sindragon, and you will be forever more one of my best friends!" declared Twilight.
"At the beginning, you were as rotten as a worm ridden apple, but you have shown us your true stripes and know you're even more precious than a prize apple at the fair" said Applejack.
"You're as awesome as me, maybe even more awesome Madoro. One of these days you and I have to spar so that I can pick up some of your moves" said Rainbow Dash.
"Oh, I have never had the opportunity to make an outfit for a hero. I should make a cape or a cloak, it would match perfectly with your armor and to think the powerful Madoro_ Sindragon, apprentice to the king of his people and one of the saviors of Equestria wearing one of my garments. My business will sky rocket" said Rarity.
"You jump around and have enough energy to even keep up with me. I don't think any pony has done that before. As a matter of fact, no pony has done that before. You will always be invited to my parties and I can't wait to see how you are on the dance floor" said Pinkie Pie.
"You may have a rough exterior, but inside you have a caring heart, the will of a guardian, and a steadfast code of honor that every pony can appreciate. You will always be welcome at my house and the animals and I will always be happy to see you" said Fluttershy.
When they were all done Twilight looked Madoro right in the eyes and said "You and I have a lot to learn about friendship Madoro. I hope that you and I can walk this road together and allow this town to teach us everything it can about the magic of friendship" said Twilight.
When she finished Madoro stood up and looked at all of them. They barely knew him and they were calling him there friend. They knew nothing about his past, the things he had done, and they still called him there friend. It was the greatest gift that Kyzor could ever bestow on him. These ponies were able to accept his short comings, and still consider him there friend. The thought brought the first bit of joy to his heart that he had felt in a very long time. With tears forming around his eyes he knelt down and grabbed all six of the ponies in his arms and hugged them close to himself. His arms were long enough that he could encompass all of them and he held all six of them as close to his heart as he possibly could. He let them all down and they all just smiled at each other. Each of them looking into his eyes, and he looking directly into there's. Then Irugan cleared his throat and all of them looked at him and he said.
"Sorry to break up this tender moment, but we still have a festival to complete and there is a party to be had. And Madoro, I am going to have you sing and dance you know".
Madoro chuckled and said "Not likely seifu".
That day after the festival, the party was in full swing. There were ponies dancing to music in the center. Ponies eating food from the Apple family on one side, and the sky was clear without a single cloud anywhere. Twilight, Madoro, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Fluttershy were all seated at the head table with Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, and Lord Irugan. Twilight had never been so happy in all her life. She was here not a couple days out of Canterlot where she had lived her entire life, in a new town with seven new best friends one of which was from another world. They all accepted her for who she was and they would stick with her no matter what happened, even being blasted my Nightmare Moon. It was the greatest thing in all of Equestria, and it made her heart glow with joy. Suddenly the music changed to a faster song and Twilight felt like dancing when she heard Lord Irugan say something to Madoro.
"Eh, boyo, get out there and show us your amazing dance moves! You're the greatest dancer of our people; mesmerize them with your movements, seifu's orders" said Irugan, and a huge smile spread across his face.
Madoro rolled his eyes and smiled. He got up out of his chair and walked to the middle of the dance floor. As the music continued to play Madoro closed his eyes and slowly began moving his arms and hands to the music. Then he started moving his legs to the music and as she watched him, she found herself enthralled by his movements. He was moving in a way that she had never seen before and she could not understand his movements at all. However he moved so fluidly, each one flowing right into the next one as if they were the steps of a multi-stage spell. Twirls, spins, leg strides, and arm movements. All his movements them coming together; into a dance that was captivating every pony at the festival. Then Madoro stared right at her and he smiled. There was a flash in his eyes and Twilight saw in her mind the dance moves Madoro was performing for them in ways that she could do them. And she felt as if she had performed these moves her entire life, as far as she could tell she knew them.
She smiled at Madoro and got up out of her chair and walked over to him. She chose a spot in his dance and she started dancing right beside him, matching him move for move in perfect synch. As the two of them danced with one another, Twilight could feel the strength of the bond that was between the two of them. He was the first friend that she had made starting her new life in Ponyville, and he was someone that she wanted to have as a friend for all time. The two of them could read the others minds this she knew, and no matter how black his mood would be on a particular day, she would be there to bring him back to the protector she knew he was. She wanted to be the greatest friend that she could be not just to Madoro, but to all of the friends she had made in Ponyville. And all the future friends she knew she would make in the future.
As the music ended the two of them ended there dance and there was a roaring cheer from every pony in the crowd. They were all stomping there hoofs in praise and many were whistling through there hoofs. The two of them faced each other and Madoro bowed before her in gratitude, Twilight smiled at him and bowed before him as well. Then all of the sudden Madoro's eyes flashed white and they began to flicker. Twilight became concerned for a moment and was about to cast a spell when the white light faded and Madoro shook his head. He looked down at her and said
"Well there's something I have not been able to do in a while".
"What just happened?" asked Twilight.
"When I spend time with someone and I get to know them a bit, I have the power to look inside them and see there song that defines them. That's an ability that I thought I had lost a long time ago, but after being blasted by that beam of rainbow I felt as though some of my powers came back, and it looks like some did" said Madoro.
"Whose song did you see?" asked Twilight.
Madoro smiled and said "Yours my dear".
"Well, boyo that's your cue, sing for us. Let them hear your amazing voice" said Irugan.
All of the sudden Twilight could hear a piano playing somewhere. The melody was slow and soft and when she looked up at Madoro his eyes were closed and he was bobbing his head back and forth with this finger held up, until he started to sing.
"Sometimes in our lives, we all have pain, we all have sorrow. But if we are wise; we know that there's…always tomorrow" said Madoro.
He was singing so softly. Listening to him made her feel warm inside, as if his soothing voice was wrapping her in a blanket of emotion. Then suddenly his voice raised an octave .
"Lean on me…when you're not strong. And I'll be your friend…I'll help you carry on. For it won't be long. Till I'm going to need….somebody to lean on" sang Madoro.
There was so much emotion pouring out of Madoro that all Twilight could do was smile. She looked around and saw that every other pony in the crowd was feeling the same way. All of them were captivated by his song and she could see tears in many of their eyes. As she just noticed there were tears in her own eyes, Madoro switched back to his soothing voice.
"Please, swallow your pride. If I have things…you need to borrow. For no one can fill…those of your needs. That you won't let show" sang Madoro.
"Lean on me…when you're not strong. And I'll be your friend…I'll help you carry on. For it won't be long. Till I'm going to need…somebody to lean on" sang Madoro.
Then all of the sudden the piano music stopped and Twilight could hear drums and what sound that Madoro makes whenever he clapped his hands, and he continued to sing.
"You just call on me, brother, when you need a hand. We all need somebody to lean on. I just might have a problem that you'll understand. We all need somebody to lean on" sang Madoro.
All the while the verse was going on; Madoro was clapping his hands and moving his feet and shoulders to the beat. Those gestures just made the song more complete in a way.
"Lean on me…when you're not strong. And I'll be your friend. I'll help you carry on. For it won't be long. Till I'm going to need…somebody to lean on" sang Madoro.
"You just call on me, sister, if you need a hand. We all need somebody to lean on. I just might have a problem that you'll understand. We all need somebody to lean on" sand Madoro.
As Madoro was singing Twilight found herself dancing alongside him. She matched his hand claps with her hoof stomps, and she was moving her body in the same way he was moving his shoulders.
"If… there is a load; you have to bear…that you can't carry. I'm right up the road, and I'll share your load. If you just call me" sang Madoro.
"Call me… if you need a friend. Call me….call me uh-huh. Call me…when you need a friend. Call me…if you ever need a friend. Call me. Call me. Call me. Call me. Call me… if you need a friend. Call me. Call me. Call me. Caaaaaaalllllllllll meeeeeeeeeee" sang Madoro.
He finished his song with his arms held out and his hands pointing outward. All of the ponies were staring at him, almost all of them still enthralled by the song they just heard. Then Irugan stood up and gave a very loud cheer which jarred all of the ponies out of there captivation. They all cheered; every single pony there. They all stamped there hoofs, they all whistled. As he looked over to where his friends were sitting, they were all cheering the loudest. Each one of them were stomping so fast there table was shaking. Each one of them was throwing roses at him, except Pinkie Pie who threw a cupcake at him. He caught a rose and the cupcake and bent down right next to Twilight. He put the rose over her left ear, and he stood up and took a big bite out of the cupcake, pleased with his music ability and glad he had delighted the spirits of all that were here.
Twilight was staring at Madoro, she could not possible take her eyes off him. He had just sung the most beautiful song that she had ever heard in her life, and what was more he said it was the song that represented her. He looked down to her and smiled mouth full of cupcake and she smiled back at him, her heart full of emotion and tears of happiness in her eyes she jumped up to him and threw her forelegs around his neck. He returned the gesture and the two of them were locked in an embrace so loving it seemed all the cheering had faded away and all that was in the world was just the two of them holding each other. In that moment there minds became one again and she had that same feeling she felt back in the castle. His heart beat was her heartbeat, her eyes were his eyes. They were of one body and one mind and they could sense whatever the one was thinking and feeling, as if the two of their souls had merged together to create one entity. As they were merged Twilight could see a light shining from Madoro's chest. It was pulsating with his heart beat and she could tell that it was drawing power from somewhere.
But before she could ask him about the light, they let go of each other and the feeling was gone. And they were just staring at each other like they were before with the crowd cheering around them. Celestia once again cleared her voice and all at once the crowd fell silent. She rose from her chair and spoke to Madoro.
"Madoro_ Sindragon; that was the most beautiful singing I think any pony has ever heard in their entire life time, even my life time. Thank you ever so much for that amazing performance, and I hope we get to hear more in the future" said Celestia.
"You will your highness, I promise. But right now I have to meditate, I haven't in almost a day and I need to recover some of my strength. Only problem is that I don't have a place to live due to my ship being busted" said Madoro.
Twilight tapped Madoro's mind mentally and he looked down.
"It would be my honor and my greatest pleasure if you could stay with Spike and I Madoro" said Twilight smiling the whole time.
Madoro smiled in return and said "It would be my greatest pleasure, my dearest Twilight" said Madoro.
As the day rolled on and the festival had come to an end, Twilight and Madoro said goodbye to their new friends and headed back to Golden Oaks Library. As they walked together they both looked at each other and smiled delighted to have each other's company, and also in the knowledge they would be walking this new adventure side by side, hand in hoof.
