The light of dawn began to appear in the sky. The sun's rays tinged Redwall's red walls. Despite the blessing of a glorious summer day, the whole of Mossflower was doom laden with an awful tension that threatened to burst upon the captives seated on the grass.

His eyes blazing with madness, Cluny flung his claws wide. "All of you, defenders of Redwall, listen to me! When I first came to the Abbey, I gave you a choice: surrender or die. You chose to fight me. Me, Cluny the Scourge! I lost battles, I lost skirmishes, I lost soldiers, but I have won the war. You are the losers. Now you must pay with your lives! There is none to stop me, not badgers or hares or ponies or mice. I will kill you all. Kill, kill, kill!"

Twilight landed in front of Cluny, with Matthias on her back. "Cluny the Scourge, I have come to settle with you!" Matthias proclaimed, brandishing Martin's sword.

Cluny's voice shook. "How did you get that sword without the snake eating you?"

"Oh, it was easy," Twilight said. "Luckily Asmodeus was already wounded when we found him."

Cluny remembered how he had blinded Asmodeus's eye. He hadn't meant to help Matthias out by doing that, but inadvertently he had.

"Well, it doesn't matter anyway! Seize them!" he screamed.

A rat sprang forward with a spear, but Matthias was quicker. He hopped off Twilight's back and killed the rat with his sword.

Suddenly the gate swung wide open. Joshy Stag Hare came through, brandishing his wand, followed by Pinkie Pie, Squire Julian Gingivere, and an army of shrews. While Julian and the shrews started attacking the rats, Joshy ran around freeing the other ponies from their bonds with magical spells. The ponies and other Redwallers plunged into the fray. The sparrows started flying down from the roof and killing the rats too, and then Captain Snow flew over the wall and just started straight up eating the rats.

Cluny swung his tail at Matthias, but Matthias blocked it with his sword. Then Cluny picked up a sword of his own and they started to battle all over the lawn. Oblivious to the fighting around them they sought to destroy each other, hacking, stabbing, lunging, and swinging in mortal combat.

Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy jointly lifted a rat and dropped him into the Abbey pond with a splash. "Sorry," Fluttershy whispered as he disappeared beneath the water.

"This is the kind of action I've been waiting for!" Rainbow said. "Now I can deal with those rotten rats face to face."

Twilight and Rarity were fighting back to back, both of them rearing up on their hind legs. The rats had to deal with their horns and their hooves and their teeth all at once. Pinkie Pie was blasting vermin with her party cannon. The confetti blinded them, enabling other defenders to finish them off. Applejack was lassoing rats with the very rope they had used to bind her.

Meanwhile, Cluny had pressed Matthias all the way to the entrance of the main building. Matthias pushed the door open and dodged inside. Cluny followed him. They started fighting inside the Abbey. They slashed and struck at each other, through the entrance chamber, across Great Hall, and into the bell tower.

Cluny pinned Matthias against the wall with his tail. Matthias dropped to the floor and kicked Cluny's legs out from under him, sending Cluny crashing into the opposite wall. Matthias leaped over him and bounded up the spiral stairs.

Cluny lay against the wall, panting heavily. He managed an evil, wheezing laugh.

"There's no way out up there, mouse," he called. "I'm coming up after you. You're as good as dead now."

Matthias didn't reply. He sat exhausted up in the dark belfry with his legs dangling over the stout timber bell axle. Down below, Cluny squatted against the wall, glad for the chance to take a breather.

And then Pinkie Pie poked her head through the doorway. "Matthias? I saw you run inside. Are you all right?"

Swiftly Cluny jumped up and wound his tail around her neck, cutting off her circulation. Pinkie started choking and turned purple.

"Look, Matthias!" Cluny called. "See, I've got your little dirt pony friend. Come down now or I'll spike her like a lollipop!"

From his vantage point Matthias looked down. Far below he could see Cluny holding his sword under Pinkie's chin. Pinkie shouted something, but Matthias couldn't understand what she was saying.

"All right, rat, you win," Matthias said. "But how do I know you'll keep your word? First let Pinkie Pie go, then I promise on my honor as a warrior that I'll come down."

Cluny grinned wickedly. "Get out of my sight, you clip-clop," he grated, thrusting Pinkie away from him. "Come on down, mouse, Cluny the Scourge is waiting for you."

With one mighty blow from the sword of Martin, Matthias severed the rope holding the Joseph Bell in place. It appeared to hang in space for a second, then it dropped like a massive stone.

Cluny remained riveted to the spot, his eye staring upwards. Before he had time to think it was too late…

CLANG!

The bell smashed right on top of him and broke in half.

Wearily Matthias the Warrior descended the spiral stairs, sword in hand. He stepped over Cluny's corpse lying amid the ruins of the Joseph Bell, to where Pinkie Pie was sitting, gasping for breath.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said. "Looks like you kept your promise to Cluny."

Matthias nodded. "I came down, but I didn't tell him when I was coming down."

Pinkie managed to stand up. "Shame that bell had to be destroyed. It reminded me of Joseph the Bellmaker who created it. But at least you stopped Cluny."

They went back outside. Constance ambled up to them, her big flanks heaving, covered in wounds.

"What happened to Cluny?" she asked.

"That mean old rat is dead!" Pinkie Pie cried. "Matthias cut the rope that held the Joseph Bell and it crashed right down on him!"

Constance shook Matthias's paw. "Well done."

Matthias looked around. Bodies lay everywhere. Many were woodlanders, but there were far more dead rats, weasels, ferrets and stoats. And all the ponies were still alive. They were standing in a big group. Matthias walked up to them.

"Well, I killed Cluny," he said.

"Yee-haw!" Applejack whooped. "Ah guess rats are gonna have to learn that when Matthias the Warrior gits after 'em, they better git!"

Basil came running up. "Matthias! Come quick! It's the Abbot. He's dying!"

He led them all over to the edge of the pond, where Abbot Mortimer was lying wounded. Cornflower was standing over him. "I think he has something to say to you," she told Matthias.

The Abbot tried to lift up his head. "Matthias, my son. I see you have restored the sword of Martin to our Abbey. Is your mission completed then?"

Tears stood in Matthias's eyes. "Yes, Father. Cluny the Scourge is dead. I have done my task."

"You're a worthy successor to Martin. I know why you're his successor now."

"Father Abbot, you must live," said Constance in a gruff, choking voice.

The Abbot's face broke into a weak smile. "My old friend, I am not like the seasons. I cannot go on forever. It has to finish sometime."

Twilight tried to give him some magical healing spells but they did not work and he died. Everybeast cried.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Next day the ponies set off back to Equestria. Matthias wished them goodbye. "Thanks for all your help," he said. "Maybe you could come back and visit again sometime. Mattimeo still has to be adapted, after all."

"That's mah favorite book in the series!" Applejack cried excitedly.

Cornflower was standing beside Matthias. She took his paw. "At the very least, you're gonna have to come back for our wedding eventually!"

"Oh, I simply adore weddings!" Rarity said.

Twilight said, "And maybe you could come and see us in Ponyville one day, too."

Matthias smiled. "I'd like that."

THE END