Chapter 28: Guilt
Morning had come, and the time to unleash Discord was upon them. Everypony walked out to where his statue was, barely intact. They could probably break the seal just by hitting it hard enough, all the damage it took in the explosion.
"Everypony ready?" said Applejack.
"Ready as I'll ever be," said Twilight.
Celestia blasted the statue with a beam of light, and it cracked open, revealing the draconequus within. He let out a loud, cackling laugh, but stopped abruptly. Something seemed wrong to him.
"Celestia, you just couldn't wait to see me again, eh?" said Discord. "I'll be more than happy to take the throne from you, if thats what you came here for."
"Discord, Sin is back." said Celestia.
This caught his attention. He was sealed away centuries ago, how could he have escaped!?
"Looks like my fun is going to have to wait." Discord said dissapointedly.
An angry look shot across his face, and he flew off in the direction of Sin's chasm, able to sense him. Celestia's magic was still weakened from her battle with Sin, and she was able to do no such thing. The mane 6, Celestia and Luna, Zecora, Star, and Topaz got inside the balloon, prepared for the final battle. They followed Discord, figuring he must know where Sin is at. He lead them to the southwest, where a horrifing sight awaited them. A large chunk of the Griffin Empire was gone. It hd simply dissapeared. In it's place was a gigantic void, with no end in sight. In the very center of the nothingness was a gigantic tower, made from destroyed pieces of the world. This had to be where Sin was at. The tower eminated power, and they felt an evil prescence even being near it They approached towards the tower, but found no entrances, except one, deep within the void. Seeing no other options, Discord and the group headed inside the nothingness, not sure what to excpect. They passed through the nothing, and reached a barren, cold, rocky landscape. They exited the balloon, and anchored it down.
"Sis'" said Topaz.
"What?" Star replied.
"I want you to wait out here." said Topaz.
"I'm not letting you go in there without me." said Star.
"And I won't let Sin hurt you." said Topaz.
"I can't let this world die, I need to be there to end this!" said Star.
"I'm not losing you! Not again!" Exclaimed Topaz, tears welling up in his eyes.
"Again?" said Star, Confusedly.
"I...I haven't been truthful with you." said Topaz.
"What are you talking about?" said Star.
"I lied to you about your curse. There was never one." said Topaz guiltily.
"But I don't understand, how else do you explain my stopped aging?" asked Star.
"Because I failed you. I took you exploring those ruins, without knowing what was inside. Your memory is probably foggy here, but I remember much too well. A trap was sprung, the ground collapsed, and you fell. I couldn't do anything to stop it. I've failed you once, I will not fail again!" Exclaimed Topaz
"Dead? But I'm right here, just fine." said Star. "The only injury from that trip was the scar you got."
"That scar is a spirit mark." said Topaz, revealing a deep red scar, on his hoof. "A constant reminder of the spell I performed. I owe a debt to death, one he will collect on soon enough."
"Brother...no...you didn't..." Star said in awe.
"My magic power has been getting weaker and weaker every day, once it runs out, then I'll die. But it was worth it, to get you back." said Topaz.
Star began to softly weep, but tried to stay strong.
"Brother, I love you so much, why would you do this? I don't want my life if it means you have to die!" Star said.
"Because I knew you would do the same. I know you won't wait out here while I'm in there, no matter how much I try. I suppose guilt over your death made me over-protective." said Topaz.
"I'm not leaving your side." Star said, following him into the tower.
Everypony but Discord followed them into the tower, leaving the barren stone behind them. Discord flew directly to the top, where sin awaited, behind a barrier, which Discord was just barely able to get through. The walls of the tower were cold stone, taken from the ground around them. There were also parts of ruined houses, villages, and some parts made of nothing at all. This nothingness was pure black, not as a natural color, but because no other color would show. These spots appeared to be portals to other areas, such as the chasm in Zebrica. They had no need of one, however, as Sin was here. They found a staircase nearby, and began the long journey to the top. On this first floor, there was a single doorway. It had a picture of Pinkie's cutie mark on it, and was colored the same shade as Pinkie.
"Pinkamena Diane Pie..." said Sin's voice, echoing through the tower. "Enter here alone if you wish to move on."
The next staircase was across the room, but it was quickly engulfed in a purple aura.
"It looks like we don't have much of a choice Pinkie..." said Twilight. "But please be careful."
Pinkie giggled, and snorted during her laugh.
"You think you're scary?" asked Pinkie rhetorically.
She bounced across the room, and entered the doorway, which disappeared behind her.
