A/N - Part 2 of Of Light and Darkness is here! Sorry for the delay. Last weekend I had a Christmas mashup to proof-read and post to Thousand Roads and I wanted to focus on that. As for yesterday, well I was pretty tired after Christmas XD I don't think I'd have done a good job at proofing and editing if I'd tried to do so tired.

I hope you all had a good Christmas! I know this year has been a strange one, and plans were flipped throughout the UK. My thoughts and prayers go out for everyone effected by this odd year. Let's pray 2021 is a good one!

Please enjoy Part 2 as we conclude Of Light and Darkness with an epic battle between good and evil!

Thanks for all reads, reviews, faves and follows!

Part Two

The following months were arduous and fierce as Xerneas' army trained, and the world outside the safe zone warred. The area Xerneas had sectioned off was impenetrable. Pokemon who knew it was there, and tried to sneak in to attack, found themselves lost and confused, wondering where Xerneas and his forces were hidden. It became known as the Fairy Garden, and was found only by those who truly wanted to seek it.

The world beyond became rapidly war-torn. Innocent pokemon found themselves under attack from the Darkness as Yveltal strove to grow his numbers. His lies spread across Estellis like weeds, choking out those he deemed unworthy, and turning hearts away from Xerneas' light to be corrupted by Yveltal's darkness. Those who refused fell victim to his wicked claws, or fled across Estellis in search of the Fairy Garden. Many found it, and over time Xerneas' army grew in strength.

It had taken Harmony a long time to perfect the art of mega evolution. She wasn't alone, either. It was a skill that gave her immense powers, but it also drained it away. She, among the many others who trained to perfect it, found that they couldn't transform frequently. It was a skill that needed to be used with perfect timing, otherwise they might find themselves in a sticky situation.

She wandered from the training room for a well-earned break, idly toying with the bangle around her wrist. It wasn't the keystone for her own mega evolution, but rather the one to activate Windstriker's. The pidgeot had been assigned as her partner, making the process of mega evolution much easier for the both of them. The art of actually activating it was exhausting, yet somehow it used less energy to activate the evolution of a partner. It increased the ability to use it from once a day to twice a day, provided they had enough rest between battles. Her own mega stone, the gardevoirite, was fastened in a blue lace headband that vanished beyond the fur by her ears.

As she strolled up the sun-soaked hill to clear her mind from the training battles, she found Xerneas stood there looking out over Estellis. The three altaria that often accompanied him were perched in a tree following his gaze, their expressions sombre. Harmony joined his side, and her heart ached. The formerly green landscape had been reduced to a barren wasteland. Trees were fogged by the black forms of murkrow, the air raw with their raucous cries. Miles away, a village blazed, filling the sky with thick black smoke that merged with heavy storm clouds. Harmony desperately hoped they would burst soon to purge the hungry flames before they devoured anything else.

"It will not be long now." Xerneas' eyes went to the clouds. "Soon we will be driving Yveltal across Estellis. At sunrise tomorrow, I shall rally everyone into battle."

Harmony twirled the bangle around her wrist as she watched the chaos before her. "You really think we're ready?"

Xerneas was silent for a moment, and she looked up into his warm eyes.

He gave a smile and nodded. "I know you are ready."

He turned to make his way down the hillside, and the altaria left their perches. They twirled into the air, humming a sombre song that tugged at Harmony's heartstrings. It didn't speak of fear or distress at the battle ahead, but more at the sadness that Yveltal was bringing on their world.

Harmony looked back at the blazing village, and her mouth turned dry. "Xerneas?"

He paused part way down the hill to look back at her. The expression in his eyes told her he already knew what she wanted to say, but was waiting for her to voice it anyway for her own sake.

She swallowed around a lump in her throat. "I can't deny I'm terrified. I've never been to war before. None of us have. All the battles we've had here have been for our own enjoyment, and exercise. It's like he's… he's warped it."

Xerneas nodded slowly. "That is exactly what he has done. He has taken a good thing, and turned it into evil. A means to bring death and destruction."

"I don't want a war." She balled her paws into fists and closed her eyes. "But I know it's necessary. It just… frightens me so much."

"That is understandable. Everyone here shares the same feelings as you do."

Tears pricked her eyes and she screwed them shut. "Can we really win this?"

"Harmony?"

When she opened her eyes, Xerneas was smiling at her.

"You have nothing to fear," he said slowly, "The moment Yveltal left this garden, he was defeated."

Those words stirred hope in Harmony's chest, and she returned Xerneas' smile. He gave her a single nod then continued his way down the hillside.

...

The war raged on for months. Day after day, Xerneas lead his forces across Estellis to combat Yveltal's soldiers of Darkness. Xerneas' rallying words were at the forefront of his armies' minds, stirring hope within them. 'Just like the morning light chases away the shadows of night, I want you to remember that the Darkness will be defeated!'

The black bird's armies were mixed, but favoured dark-, dragon- and flying-types. The fairy-type attacks Xerneas had gifted his army with seemed to purge the Darkness from their hearts, and many pokemon turned to join his forces, adding to the numbers warring against Yveltal. Sadly, the dark- and dragon-types were harder to call back. Yveltal had got into them, warping them, fogging their minds with lies.

Yveltal flew into a rage as word spread across Estellis that he was losing. His own armies were turning against him. It drove him into a panic and he lashed out at his own pokemon, before turning to head north towards the islands. Xerneas' army soon learned of the Forest of Statues. A plane littered with thousands of pokemon turned to stone. Those Yveltal had claimed, and left there. Not a single dragon- or dark-type among them. Many wanted to avoid it. It unsettled them. But Xerneas' army had to split into squadrons to continue their pursuit of Yveltal's forces, and help any survivors find their way to the Fairy Garden.

Harmony lead a team who provided aide to the towns ransacked by Yveltal. As she lead the way through a forest that had been ravaged by flames, she finally reached the settlement on the other side. Her heart froze as she took in the rubble from the crumbling buildings, and the smoke still swirling up towards the sky. The fire had been put out by the water-types that she'd sent on before her. An azumarill and her allies doused what remained of the embers fizzing away beneath a torched thatched roof of a cottage. There were no survivors. Each and every pokemon there had been turned to stone, their faces frozen in eternal terror. As Harmony made her way through them, taking each one in, she noticed something was amiss. Some of the pokemon were frozen in battle. Confusion caused by Yveltal's forces? No… it wasn't that. Yveltal hadn't paused to spare his own soldiers. None of them were dark- or dragon-type. A burly machamp warred with an ampharos. A talonflame had its talons wrapped around the head of an ursaring. A boltund was frozen with its jaws fastened around a girafarig's throat.

What had caused Yveltal to do this? Desperation? Or was he purging his own forces of those he no longer trusted?

"I don't like this at all." Windstriker tried to avoid looking at any of the statues too closely. "What's he doing?"

"I'm wondering if even he knows at this point." Furnace scratched the back of his neck. "There doesn't appear to be any survivors here."

A rapidash exited one of the buildings and shook her head sadly. "No one in there. Just more statues."

"Then we move on," said Harmony. "We need to get to Yveltal before he claims any more lives."

Furnace sighed and placed a paw on the small, grey form of a crying pichu. "It's a shame our fairy-type moves can't undo all this."

"No, but Xerneas can," said Harmony. "Once Yveltal is dealt with, everything will be undone."

Furnace grimaced. "But how many will die? If we can't get through to them, then…"

Those words echoed around Harmony's head. All the lies Yveltal had sown, those seeds of doubt. The deceit that poisoned and spread like a disease. Reluctant to turn away from the Darkness. Cursed with the very fate Yveltal faced himself.

She hugged her arms around herself. "I don't like to think about it."

Furnace and Windstriker, and the pokemon around them, turned to look at her.

"All we can do is…" She licked her lips and tried to gather herself. "All we can do is hope we can reach them, and that the Darkness is purged from their hearts before it's too late."

...

As the days ticked on, Xerneas' soldiers were pulled back gradually from the towns and villages. Harmony soon found her squadron recruited into the main heart of the army - those going after Yveltal. High numbers were needed, and many pokemon that had been purged of the Darkness joined their forces rather than heading to the Fairy Garden.

The northern lands of Estellis were where the most devastating battles were held, against a backdrop of the Shadow Mountains. Yveltal's forces were thick there, teeming over the grounds and lurking in the trees. A huge stone wall cut across it, topped with crenellations that were crowded with pokemon who fired their ranged attacks into the thick of Xerneas' fleet.

Harmony stuck by Furnace and Windstriker, combining their attacks to cut through Yveltal's soldiers. A stream of fire flashed before her eyes, engulfing a weavile pack that had been set on reaching her. Harmony unleashed a dazzling gleam to take down those that hadn't fallen to the dragon's flamethrower.

Furnace swiped embers from his mouth and raised his head to look out over the chaos. "Wow, it's gonna take us a while to cleave through this lot."

"There's so many of them!" Harmony hugged her arms around herself as the icy northern wind whipped through her fine fur. "I knew he'd reached a lot of pokemon, but I had no idea it would be this bad."

Furnace edged closer to her so the heat radiating from his body soothed away the chill. Just beyond the Shadow Mountains was the Ice Continent. Just a little further, and Yveltal would be driven there. The final leg of the battle.

"If we want to get to Yveltal, we need to get over that wall." Windstriker beat his wings together, and an air cutter sliced into a pangoro, flooring the giant fighting-type. "The problem is, we'll need to clear the skies first, otherwise we'll be shot down before we're even off the ground."

Just several feet away, a frosty ninetales was leading an army of ice- and electric-types in doing just that. The air glittered with frost as it reflected the flashes of electricity given off by electric-types hidden amid the larger pokemon. Murkrow and other small flying-types dropped like hailstones around them to be lost in the fray. But the murkrow flocks and soaring dragons were relentless, flying over the wall to join the battle faster than they were taken down. A barrier of scales and feathers desperate to stop Xerneas' troops from reaching Yveltal.

Yveltal was nowhere to be seen, sheltered beyond the jagged monolith of stone that served as his fortress. Murkrow circled over it, keeping a watchful eye and shouting out commands in their own cawing language.

Harmony squinted as something in the distance caught her eye. She pointed a claw. "There! On the wall!"

A honchkrow perched proud between the crenellations, occasionally cawing a command to his murkrow fleet.

"We need to take him out!" Harmony explained. "He's giving orders to the sentries, calling in reinforcements!"

Sharp teeth flashed before her eyes and she let out a scream. Her feet flew out from beneath her as she was shoved to the floor, and an explosion of flames erupted above her. The fraxure was blown back into the chaos, and a small yelp came from the dragon as the battle closed over it.

Furnace stood over Harmony, his shell smoldering where the fraxure had struck it. He fixed Harmony with a worried expression and offered a paw.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Thanks to you, yes." She smoothed out her skirt. "Our only way up to that wall is to clear the skies. I can try and get a message out to the pokemon clearing the skies to increase their attacks." She turned to Windstriker who was finishing beating back a group of kommo-o. "Windstriker! Can you blow those blizzards towards the fortress?"

He looked up with a start, then turned his attention back to a wriggling goomy pinned beneath his talons. Harmony had completely missed the small, slug-like dragon.

"You wanna take out the birds, eh?" he asked.

"They can't fly in snowstorms," Harmony explained. "They'll be forced to land, or fall into the fray."

"Tell me about it." Winstriker ruffled his feathers against the biting wind. "All right. But it'll take more than just me. I can rally together some more flying-types for the job."

"Great! I'll contact the ninetales-" Her words cut off as a fist struck her in the back of the head.

She twirled on the spot until she was face to face with the sneering muzzle of an obstagoon. He raised his arms in a cross-formation then spread them, aiming to catch her in a throat-chop. A dazzling gleam leapt from her paws, blowing the obstagoon back from her. He landed flat on his back, tripping a bewear, and Harmony had to look away as he was crushed between the combined weight of the giant pink bear and the garchomp she was grappling with.

Harmony rubbed a paw over the back of her head, radiating a heal-pulse to soothe the pain. As it ebbed away, she focused her attention on the frost ninetales.

'It's Harmony! Can you create a joint blizzard? We'll blow it against the fortress to take out the sentries. The honchkrow seems to be leading the command. Without him, it might free up the skies and we can go over to the other side!'

The ninetales ear twitched back towards Harmony, but lacking psychic abilities she couldn't reply with words. The blizzard around her grew in size and intensity, filling the air with a heavy frost that spread out over them, glistening with the pink, purple and yellow lights given off by the armies' attacks.

Windstriker had taken to the skies, rallying as many flying-types as he could. Many were caught in battle, unable to break away. Harmony's eyes fell on one such pair - an altaria and a xatu. They struggled to keep back a rampaging drampa, flames spewing from his mouth. The wind whipped up around him, tearing through the air and making it impossible for the flying duo to get close enough to attack. Their ranged attacks dissipated against the hurricane barrier while the drampa charged a fire blast in his jaws.

Harmony raised her arms above her head, and her paws pulsed with energy. She tossed a moonblast above the drampa's head, and when he spotted it he let out a startled squeak, the flames fizzling out in his mouth. The moonblast crashed down upon him, and the pokemon below scattered to avoid being crushed beneath his weight. Soil whipped up from the ground as the xatu and altaria followed up with a pair of air cutters, finishing the dragon off.

Harmony reached out to them with her telepathy. 'Please assist Windstriker. We're going to blow the ninetales' blizzard into the wall to take out the sentries!'

The pair nodded and turned to join Windstriker. The pidgeot had managed to gather seven large flying-types which grouped together awaiting their command. The pidgeot let out a loud shout, and the group flapped their wings to whip up a gale. It struck the blizzard, creating a violent snowstorm that tore through the air. The murkrow and dragons rose into a panic, desperate to avoid the storm. They beat it back with their frozen wings, but the attack swooped in against them, relentless, until they were forced to give up. They rose further into the air to get away from it before it engulfed them, but only a few were fortunate enough to escape. Those that didn't rained down into the chaos, scattering the pokemon fighting below.

Harmony could just make out the honchkrow, spiralling into a panic of fitful caws and oily black feathers. He was one of the less fortunate, his wings frozen by the ice. He crashed down beyond the wall, leaving his flock of murkrow to circle back and forth in the air in confusion.

The sky was free of any more aerial assaults. For now.

Furnace raised a paw. "Go!"

The flying-types free of their battles swooped down to offer themselves to carry their allies over the wall. Windstriker landed beside Harmony and lowered himself. She climbed onto his back and, with a beat of his wings, the pidgeot was back in the air. They joined the hundreds of flying-types, each carrying one or two of their allies over the wall into the fortress. The Darkness' forces were no longer a problem, picked off as Xerneas' army soared into the Shadow Lands.

Harmony kept her sights on the point ahead of them. The thorned castle was like an abomination, shadowed against the mountains that crawled behind it. Just a little further, and they'd be drawing in on the Ice Continent and the final part of their battle.

A black shadow exploded from the castle, streaking towards the sky in a flash of crimson. It cleaved through the air, turning its aim down towards the flying pokemon. One by one, they dropped like concrete to the courtyard below. It took a moment for Harmony to process what was going on, but the thing attacking them radiated darkness and pulsed with red energy.

Yveltal!

Her eyes widened and she turned her sights back to where the attack was coming from. Yveltal soared above them, jaws wide, sending his devastating attack towards the courtyard. Harmony's allies dropped around her, caught in his beam of death. Yveltal's wings were streaked with red, like veins stretching over his ebony feathered wings. A thick white ruff of feathers spread around his neck, and his blue eyes flashed from within a red mask framed with black.

Harmony's heart clenched in her chest. He wasn't too far away. If they could strike him, it would disrupt his assault. Some of her allies had already reached that conclusion, and a meowstic just ahead of her retaliated with a disarming voice, her yowling cries rallying those around her to do the same. They buffeted Yveltal, cutting his attack off as he screamed with blind fury.

Harmony reached out with her telepathy to pass the message further back across the fleet, readying those who hadn't yet made it over the wall. Then she brought her paws together and launched a dazzling gleam. It was faster than a moonblast, and had greater range. It struck Yveltal across the wing, causing him to twist in the air. His beak flashed crimson and his devastating beam shot towards her. Windstriker tucked in his wings and dived towards the courtyard, Yveltal's attack just missing his tail. The beam arced down after her and the pidgeot swerved to the side. It struck the pokemon in combat on the ground, freezing two dragons grappling with three of Harmony's allies.

Above her, Yveltal screamed as he was assaulted by ice beams and dazzling gleams. His feathers glistened with frost, and he launched his attack into the thick of the battle. The ice melted away as the dark beam turned several more pokemon to stone.

"It's giving him energy," Harmony said.

Windstriker nodded, his beak agape. "It looks like it." The pidgeot paused as he hovered uncertainly just below their allies. "How do we fight that?"

"We can't," said Harmony. "We need to drive him north like Xerneas said, and he'll meet his end in the Ice Continent."

"Okay." Windstriker beat his wings to draw them higher. "Then let's hit him with everything we've got. We'll mega-evolve."

"Wait." Harmony surveyed the battle above them. Yveltal was fixed on a yanmega dodging left and right while the raichu on his back fired thunderbolts at the large bird. "He can't aim his attack in more than one direction at a time. While he's distracted, get me behind him. I'm going to try something."

"So we're not mega-evolving?"

"Not just yet. We should wait, just in case this continues in the Ice Continent."

The pidgeot complied, swerving up behind Yveltal while his attack was focused to his left. Harmony hadn't been alone with the idea. A few more fairy- and ice-types had taken the opportunity to get out of the way of his deadly beam. Harmony met the determined eyes of a clefable, and the pair gave a single nod. The clefable readied a moonblast over her head, and Harmony did the same. The other fairy-types around them charged their own special attacks, while a glaceon prepared an aurora beam in her jaws.

Yveltal's beam carved through the flying army, and Harmony almost dropped her attack when she noticed how much smaller it had become. The courtyard below was littered with statues, many of them shattered, and she couldn't bring herself to look at them. She caught the clefable's nod again, silent, and the fairy tossed her moonblast towards Yveltal. Harmony followed with her own, along with the rest of her allies. Yveltal jerked his head back as the pink light from the moonblast glared down upon him. His eyes widened and his attack cut off with a squeak. Ice and dazzling light nipped his tail, causing the large bird to twirl as he tried to ready his attack on Harmony and her group. As he opened his beak, several moonblasts crashed down upon him. With a scream of fury, he was smashed onto the littered courtyard.

His gangly body lay at an odd angle over the broken stone statues. He spasmed as he tried to push himself up, and blood gushed from his beak. His eyes screwed shut with pain and frustration, and he managed to flip himself onto his belly. Harmony's heart leapt. Had they won? This early?

A cry came from their right, and a garchomp scrambled over the statues towards the fallen Yveltal. The dragon's eyes were wide with concern, his mouth flapping open as he tried to find the words to say. Yveltal shuddered as he pushed himself up on his wings, his feathers splayed around the statues like claws. He jerked his head around towards the dragon and opened his beak. His red and black beam struck the garchomp head on, freezing him mid-scramble. Yveltal's tattered, broken body healed and twisted into its natural position, and the blood ceased trickling from his beak. Yveltal fired his attack blindly around the courtyard before cleaving up into the air, catching more of Xerneas' troops. They rained down around Yveltal, and he flipped himself off the statues into the air. With one final assault, he turned and bolted over the thorny castle.

The army above took off after him, and Windstriker hopped back into the air. But a small movement caught Harmony's eye, and she tugged on Windstriker's neck feathers to stop him.

"Someone's hurt." She slid from the bird's back.

Windstriker watched as she scrambled over the statues towards one of a dragonite lying at an odd angle. A kommo-o struggled beneath it, trying to drag himself free.

"Harmony!" Windstriker hissed. "Be careful. He's working for Yveltal!"

Harmony gave Windstriker a quick nod then dropped down beside the kommo-o. Fear flashed in the dragon's eyes, and flames licked around his jaws. But Harmony ignored him, turning her attention to the stone dragonite. She lifted it off him with her psychic and set it carefully back down beside him. The kommo-o dragged himself along the floor, keeping a wary eye on Harmony.

"What are you doing?" he growled.

His back legs were twisted and limp, and he grimaced as he tried to push himself up.

"Stop." Harmony raised a paw. "Something's broken. Let me help, okay?"

He bared his canines, but let himself flop back to the floor with a grimace.

Harmony's paws pulsed with pink light, and she aimed them onto the dragon's back and legs. They regained their normal shape, and his scales puffed out as they repaired from the impact of the statue. Once she was done, the kommo-o pushed himself back to his feet, keeping a wary eye on the gardevoir.

Windstriker shuffled up beside her and offered his back. Harmony climbed upon him and the large bird leapt away from the dragon and followed after their allies. Harmony looked back at the kommo-o. He stood in the courtyard watching them for a moment, before abandoning them to investigate the statues. Looking for survivors?

Harmony turned her attention onto the journey ahead. It seemed to grow darker the further north they went. Harmony didn't recall the sun setting. The wind whipped up, pelting them with tiny bullets of ice. Frost filmed over Windstriker's wings, and he beat them stiffly as he forced himself through it.

"Will you be okay?" Harmony asked.

"I'll be fine," he said. "I can see dark shadows ahead. We might need to ready ourselves to mega-evolve."

Harmony gave a curt nod.

The pidgeot's words were not premature. Cast in the shadows of the mountains was a large outcrop swarming with pokemon. They lit up as electricity discharged from their bodies, engulfing the flying army and stunning wings. Bird pokemon dropped, their charges screaming as they plummeted into the valley below.

An ampharos lead the charge, one of the few remaining pokemon in Yveltal's army that wasn't dragon- or dark-type. He was surrounded by morpeko, and with a bark of his command their electricity exploded out towards Harmony and her surrounding allies. Windstriker turned at a sharp angle, and Harmony clutched onto him, hot electricity skimming her fur. He turned again as another attack came at his left, almost losing Harmony. Electricity singed his primaries, but the staraptor beside them was engulfed. She let out a screech, losing her two passengers as she dropped into the valley. A talonflame and staravia dropped down after her, talons spread, to catch her falling passengers. But the talonflame met the same fate.

The flying pokemon took this as a cue to spread out, making themselves less of an easy target. Harmony narrowed her eyes to get a better view of the electric army stretched out before them. They formed an impenetrable barrier, swarming over the outcrop and spreading down into the valley below.

Another attack came their way, and a skarmory cut before them. The electricity channelled into the horn of a rhydon hanging from its talons, rendering the attack useless.

Harmony let out a sigh of relief and relaxed her grip on Windstriker's feathers. "We might not get through the squadron like this. I'm going to teleport us behind them and let the ground-types handle them. Skarmory!" She drew the metal bird's eye. "I'm going to get you and your charge behind the electric squad. Hold on."

The rhydon hanging from the skarmory's talons raised a thumb-claw in response.

The air wobbled around Harmony and her allies, and they manifested behind the ampharos' squad, taking the sheep by surprise. Other psychic-types had followed suit, teleporting a majority of the flying fleet to safety. The sound of heavy ground-types dropping onto the outcrop gave Harmony a sense of reassurance, and they pressed on with confidence.

The Ice Continent was just ahead of them now. The ocean stretched out beneath them, peppered with chunks of ice that bobbed over the unsettled surf and shimmered with moonlight. Harmony raised her keystone, and Windstriker did the same. The pair were engulfed with light, and energy flowed through her. Their bodies shifted, Harmony's skirt billowing out around her and her chest spike parting in two. Windstriker's head feathers flowed out behind him like a comet tail, and he picked up speed, darting down towards the ice caps.

The Ice Continent was swarming with sneasel and weavile. They tossed up jagged ice towards them, clipping Windstriker's feathers. He swerved to dodge it, and hundreds of flying pokemon flowed in behind him as the rest of the army caught up. They whipped up a hurricane across the ice, blowing the weasel pokemon back like chaff in the wind. Harmony opened her mouth wide and a shockwave of noise radiated out across the ice. Together, her and Windstriker cleaved through the Darkness as they made their way to the heart of the Ice Continent.

The snow billowed around them, making it difficult to see far ahead. Windstriker parted it with his wings, but it swiftly filled back in. But Harmony could pick out something unsettling in that small window he'd provided. Statues. More statues littered across the Ice Continent. Warring Darkness frozen in battle with Xerneas' army.

Yveltal had spared no one in his desperation to regain his strength.

She squinted against the snow, and as they drew closer to the centre of the island she was certain she could make out Yveltal, standing hunched against the blizzard. His wings were clasped tight at his sides, making her wonder if she was imagining it - it was just a pillar of ice rising out of the centre of the island. But it became much more clear that she was right. The red of his feathers was soon visible through the snow, his blue eyes glistening in the moonlight.

She glanced left and right, searching through the blinding snow. Where was Xerneas? She was certain he'd gone on ahead, and she'd expected him to be here.

Yveltal's blue eyes pierced through the snowstorm. "I knew you'd follow me all the way out here."

There was humour in his voice. It chilled Harmony more than the ice was already doing.

Yveltal raised his head to observe the onslaught heading his way. His soldiers leapt into combat, desperate to keep Xerneas' forces at bay. Yveltal laughed. A deep, chilling noise that made Harmony want to curl up into herself.

"You really think you can defeat me?!" he roared. "Nothing can defeat death! Estellis is now my domain! And I'll make this frozen wasteland your graveyard!"

His crimson beam flashed into the air, cleaving through the flying army as it swooped towards him. Bodies rained from the sky as the attack blindly claimed them. Windstriker swerved sharply towards the sky to avoid it. His entire body grew stiff and his wing beats more laboured, and Harmony realised with horror that his feathers were turning a dusty grey. Trapped in Yveltal's attack, he turned his head towards Harmony.

"Get down!" The words died out as his beak froze open.

Harmony's eyes pricked with tears, and she gave herself a mental shake, dropping from the pidgeot before he fell towards the ice caps. She landed in the snow, catching her elbow on the rough surface of one of the statues. She pushed herself up to stagger back from it, clutching her grazed arm in her paw. She leapt to the side as a dark shadow fell over her, and the snow erupted where she'd been standing. The grey tail feathers of a bird pokemon poked from the ice, followed by hundreds more as Yveltal cleaved his devastating attack through the air. Bodies rained down onto the frozen continent, both stone and flesh alike. Harmony rushed to avoid another falling soldier and looked on with horror as she struggled with what to do.

Yveltal didn't seem to care who was caught in his attack. Both the warring forces of Xerneas' army and the Darkness were caught in his deadly beam as the red and black bird desperately tried to blast back his opposition.

Battles were brought to an abrupt end as the combatants scattered to avoid Yveltal's relentless attack. His own forces turned tail to flee across the Ice Continent. Some weren't so fortunate and only a small number escaped with their lives.

Harmony shook her head in bewilderment. How were they meant to fight this? Their army wasn't getting close enough to launch an attack, and she couldn't do it alone.

Could she?

Even if she couldn't, she had to do something.

She screwed her eyes shut and cried out at the top of her lungs. "Stop it!"

The shock-wave rippled out before her and struck Yveltal in a flash of pink light. His attack spluttered out and he turned his wicked eyes onto her.

"You are really starting to get on my nerves," he hissed.

He opened his beak wide and sent out a blast of crimson. It struck the snow harmlessly as Harmony leapt back from him, flicking her paws out in a dazzling gleam.

Yveltal roared and spread his wings in a bid to intimidate her. Harmony stood her ground and met his eyes.

"I thought you died when I struck that pidgeot!" he sneered. "Well… you will now."

He fired his deadly beam once more and Harmony threw herself to the side, rolling to join the rapidly growing army as they fought their way through the battlefield and statues. It swept over her, and he let out a deafening roar. He readied another attack, but his head snapped to his left, sending his attack blindly into the night sky.

Harmony pushed herself up and followed the bird's stunned gaze as he raised his head to where the assault had come from. Her heart hammered. She desperately hoped it was Xerneas.

A lone murkrow fluttered above her, cawing. But it wasn't alone. More beat their way through the snowstorm. Harmony's stomach sank when she saw them, but then she spotted something else. Accompanying the murkrow were more flying-type pokemon of varying species. Altaria drifted between them, and on the air was a war song growing louder as they approached. A song that lifted Harmony back up, and she rose to her feet effortlessly.

Yveltal's sharp canines poked out of his beak. "Traitors!"

As the flock advanced towards him, he fired out a crimson beam. The flock parted to avoid it, but many were caught in its fire, their stone bodies plummeting into the snow. The birds formed a scissor formation, coming in at him from either side, beaks open as they screeched their battle cries. Yveltal cleaved his attack through their flock, disorienting them and throwing off their aim.

Harmony grit her teeth and turned her attention back to Yveltal. She raised her paws to ready her own attack, catching his eye. A sneer spread over his beak and he lifted his head to turn his attention on her. No… no time for a moonblast. She released a dazzling gleam, striking him before he could ready his own counter-attack. He staggered back, the crimson beam sputtering out. It was enough of a window for the fliers. They swooped in, screeching, lashing with their wings and raking with sharp talons.

The altaria's bodies morphed, their fluffy white feathers fanning out into a star shape. Their song channelled into an assault, blasting Yveltal with the full combined force of a fairy-type hyper voice. Yveltal lifted his wings to shield himself from it, but the altaria were relentless. Snow erupted around him as the other fliers joined in with hurricanes and air slashes. But eventually the altaria had to fall back to catch their breath.

Others filled in after them, but it was enough of a break for Yveltal to counter. He bashed his wings together, creating a hurricane that whipped up the surrounding snow. The altaria were blinded, falling back from him, and the smaller birds became heavy with snow. They dropped to be lost beneath the mounting snow drifts.

Harmony raised a paw to shield her eyes from the sudden blizzard. She didn't see the murkrow dropping down onto her. It struck her in the back of the head, and she staggered forwards with a grunt, losing control of her mega form. Spots danced before her eyes, mixing with the shimmering snowflakes as pokemon launched their attacks through the snowstorm. She heard Yveltal's attack as it sliced through the air with a shrill whine. Something struck her side on and she rolled through the snow in a tangle of limbs.

When she looked up, the blurred form of a kommo-o stood over her. He wasn't alone. With him were several dragons and two weavile. She braced herself, but he gave her a nod.

"Returning the favour," he said. "Stay behind me, all right?" He turned to his allies. "All right, you lot! Spread out and find survivors, and take out any left of Yveltal's army!"

The two weavile saluted, and the small number of Yveltal's former soldiers spread out across the snow.

The kommo-o leapt forwards, his massive scales clanging together. The deafening sound tore through the air, yet it washed over Harmony like water. Yveltal reeled back from it, screeching, raising his wings to cover his ears. He fired his attack blindly in retaliation, taking out two of the altaria before it found its mark, silencing the enraged kommo-o. The attack turned away from Harmony, sweeping over the icy landscape to claim any who got in its way.

Then there was the sound of glass shattering. Yveltal keeled backwards, his beak spewing crimson smoke. Before him stood Xerneas, light radiating from his antlers.

Yveltal turned his wicked eyes onto Xerneas and tucked his wings in at his sides. "You chased me all the way out here?"

"I knew you would come here," said Xerneas. "Leaving your army behind to fight your own war. Even going so far as to claim their lives to replenish your own. I pity them."

Yveltal reared up, his beak twisting into a smirk. "It was their own choice to follow me."

"Yes. But you sowed the first seed."

Yveltal spread his wings, his chest swelling with pride. "And oh did it spread! Look how many have died!"

"Not as many as you might think."

Yveltal's smirk fell into a sneer and he ruffled his feathers.

Xerneas raised his head, keeping his eyes on Yveltals. "This is over now."

A loud shriek left Yveltal's beak and he launched his attack at Xerneas. With a flick of his antlers, a pink barrier flew up before the stag. The crimson ray struck it and fizzled out. Yveltal's beak fell open and he sank back on his tail feathers.

"I told you," said Xerneas slowly. "This is over."

Tiny flowers spread out from his hooves, turning the snowy landscape into a mosaic of colours. Those touched by it turned back from stone, flopping into the snow or staring aghast at Xerneas and Yveltal.

"Your darkness has no power here, Yveltal," Xerneas told him. "You have been twisting the minds of pokemon to believe that death is the end, but it is not."

Yveltal shuddered with rage, his beak opening and closing. A loud shriek left his beak and his eyes flashed with fire, flitting left and right.

"But I'd won!" he roared. "I'd won!"

"No," said Xerneas. "You lost this battle the very moment you turned your back on me."

Yveltal roared and rushed towards Xerneas, spreading his wings. Xerneas lowered his head and caught Yveltal mid-leap. His antlers struck the red and black bird in an explosion of light.

Harmony and the others had to shield their eyes from the blinding flash. It spread out across the snowy landscape in a dazzling array of colours, chasing back even the darkest of shadows.

When it faded out, Xerneas stood over Yveltal. The bird was a lot smaller, curled up in a black ball. His entire body seemed to be crystallised, or turned to ice. Harmony wasn't sure. Whatever it was, it didn't reflect any light.

The whole continent had fallen into silence. Nothing but the soft whisper of the wind.

It was over.

The two armies gathered as one, standing amid the remaining statues of Yveltal's frozen followers, unsure of what to do. They looked between Xerneas and the fallen Yveltal. Snow whipped up around the bird and dusted over his crystallised feathers.

Xerneas turned to address the two armies. "Remember what has happened here today. Light will always shine in the darkness." He paused to glance down at Yveltal. "This area is now off limits. All that come here will find only despair."

...

It took a few weeks for things to return to normal in the Fairy Garden. It was still closed off from the outside world, found only by those who were seeking it. It was oddly devoid of dark- and dragon-types, but the number of fighting-types were gradually increasing.

Harmony's heart sank as she set the dinner table in the Heart Abbey. So many familiar faces were absent from the table. The salamence, garchomp, dragalge… all were either still out there in Estellis or lost to the void of death.

It was true. Those who had stuck by Yveltal hadn't come back. Only those who'd had a change of heart during the battle had returned. She looked over at the kommo-o swallowing down a plate of pancakes. He paused only when he spotted a small ralts struggling to reach the plates. He nudged one towards him, which was met with incredibly polite gratitude.

Harmony wiped her paws on her apron and shuffled from the abbey for some fresh air. She was so lost in her own thoughts she almost walked straight into Furnace.

"Whoa!" He steadied her with his large, warm paws and laughed. "You've got your head lost in the clouds there, Harmony!"

She blinked at him as she pulled herself back to reality, and the turtonator's smile fell.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

"Not really," she said. "But I'll be fine. Like everyone else, I just need time to recover from the shock of it all."

He nodded his understanding.

"I'm just getting some fresh air," she said.

"I can come with you if you want?" His stomach growled and an embarrassed smile crossed his face.

Harmony chuckled. "I appreciate the offer, Furnace, but I just need some time to think. You go and get yourself some breakfast while it's hot and I'll join you later."

He grinned and placed a paw on her shoulder. "Okay. But if you're late, I'll come looking for you, all right?"

She chuckled. "Of course."

She watched her friend enter the abbey, then turned to follow the winding path around it. So many spots seemed empty now. Her mind wandered back to the pokemon she expected to see, and tears pricked her eyes. She found herself walking up the gentle slope of the sun-soaked hill. Light radiated from the top of it, and she spotted Xerneas gazing out across Estellis. She picked up her pace into a jog to join him.

As she reached his side, he gave her a warm smile and turned back to the world before him.

"See that, Harmony?"

She followed his gaze and covered her mouth as she let out a gasp. Estellis was not as she remembered it. The land was green and vibrant, but in the north was a patch of land engulfed in shadow. Shadows that swallowed up mountains and caves, and a green forest spread across it formed of twisted trees. All the rivers flowed away from it on their journey towards the sea, but none flowed towards the Ice Continent. It was as if they didn't want to be there, desperate to leave that patch of shadowy darkness.

"That is the Shadow Lands," Xerneas explained. "What remains of Yveltal's corruption is not only in the hearts of pokemon, but has marred the very land itself."

"But I thought we'd won," said Harmony. "He's defeated, isn't he? How can his former kingdom still be engulfed by darkness?"

Xerneas looked down at her. "He was defeated from the start. But the war he started… it is not over yet."

Her fur pricked along her spine and she hugged her arms around herself. "But that battle… all the lives we lost…"

"He unleashed death on the world, causing many to become its victims. I can reverse it for those who come to me, but sadly many will feel its sting."

Harmony blinked back tears. "So we're still fighting this war?"

He nodded and looked back out across Estellis. "It will rage for some time while we call back those who have scattered. Which is why I am tasking you, along with many others, with the job of spreading word about me and the Fairy Garden to those who need to hear it."

"But why?" Harmony gasped. "They already know about you and the Fairy Garden. They used to live here."

"Sadly they are already forgetting. Before long, you may find huge numbers who claim they have never even heard my name, or of the fairy-type." He turned so he was facing her. "This is your job now, and it will be passed down for generations."

She toyed with the mega stone around her wrist as those words washed through her. Tears pricked her eyes, but she blinked them back.

After a moment, she gave a sad nod then looked up with a determined smile. "Okay. I accept."

Xerneas nodded at that and turned to make his way back down the hill.

Harmony turned to look back at the Shadow Lands. The area surrounding where Yveltal lay. Warped, twisted, shrouded in darkness. A thought wormed its way into her mind, and she turned back to Xerneas with a start.

"So Yveltal still lives?" she asked.

Xerneas paused mid step and raised his head to look back at her. "He is imprisoned. But the damage he caused is vast."

Harmony closed her eyes briefly. "So we're fighting a war against the lies he's sown?"

"In a way, yes."

"When will this war end?"

"One day, he will awaken." Xerneas caught her eye, noting her look of surprise. "When he does, the war will reach its end, and Yveltal shall be no more. No more lies. No more death."

"So he'll awaken…" Harmony's voice came out strangled.

"Do not fear that, Harmony," Xerneas told her. "Death has no power over you, or any who belong here. Instead, counter his lies with words of hope."

He turned to head back down the hillside, the altaria that accompanied him descending from the sky with a jovial song. Harmony's heart swelled with hope, and with one last look back at Estellis, she trotted back down towards the abbey.

...

Review Replies:

AdamFics - Thanks for reading! =D I can see the confusion with the murkrow giving chase. With the events that followed, I think it's safe to say that someone was looking after our heroes at the ruined abbey ;) I'm glad you liked the story of Yveltal's fall in the tapestries. I hope, once you reach Of Light and Darkness, you'll enjoy this version of it too!

Thanks for reading, everyone! Please R&R! =D