As darkness swirls around the edge of the tower, I kept my hands gripped firmly onto the handle of the Song of Order, my eyes kept forward at the necromancer ram himself. I know that my aunt and mother, Twilight and her best friend Spike are there with me to give me the support I need when I need it most.
Rebecca was still lying there on the ground, inactive and not waking up at any given moment. Though I have taken Grogar out from her own soul, and hearing her pleas to stop the fighting, I knew that she was coming to her senses once again, even in that unconscioous setting. I wanted to go and wake her, to get her to see the light.
The ram himself, chuckles as his eyes glow even more red from such power he possessed from the already incomplete Aria of Darkness in his own possession. A grin is seen on his face as he faces me, the bell of Tambelon around his neck powering the blade itself to make the darkness within him stronger.
I lower the Song of Order, getting myself ready to charge at him. I close my eyes as he continued to grin in intimidation, raising the Aria of Shadow. I can hear my breathing as everything around me goes silent.
"Concentrate... breathe in and out..." My own conscious is telling me from within, as I can feel the power of the sparks within me beginning to trigger the magic inside me. "Focus on the objective... unleash the power of Equestria within you..."
I open my eyes, charging forward towards the ram himself, swiping the Song of Order towards him, clashing against his own old horns which is quite strong for such a millennium old ram who has been around since the beginning of Equus itself. I can feel a force push me to the side as it is the Aria of Shadow that uses its power, still on my feet but skidding backwards by a few feet.
His magic surrounds the Aria, covering it all around as he swipes at me, the Song of Order clashing at the dark blade itself. The force of it pushing against the claymore is rather strong, so I am doing all I can to keep a grip and not let myself falter.
I spread open my wings, jumping upwards as the clash of his begins to win over me, letting them guide me as I jump over him, placing my right hand forward and casting out a burst of magic towards Grogar, seeing him grunt as the magic slams into him, feeling like it was nothing but a scratch that I made on him, very little harm brought to such an enemy.
Landing on the both of my armored feet, another spell is what I cast towards him, by which he casts a dark shield around him which surrounds him as the beam of magic slams into it. The Song of Order begins to sing, warning me in time that he uses his shield to convert into a beam of darkness which fires directly towards me.
I roll to the side as the beam of darkness slams into the pillar of the tower, doing no damage at all for such a figure in the darklands. My eyes are still focused on the ram as he makes the first move from the spot he has been standing in, galloping towards me, and ramming into me, sending me flying backwards to the edge of the tower.
Slipping out from the tower, I was lucky enough to grip onto the edge, using my wings to propel me upwards from slipping into the darkness he had summoned below. With the Song of Order, I use it and my hand to send out a burst of magic towards him that drives back the ram from attempting to send me flying again.
I jump at him, slashing at him multiple times, with every attempted hit getting blocked by his Aria, or horns themselves. He casts a burst of magic at me, blowing me back and sliding towards my aunt on my back.
Luna comes forward, offering to help me back up onto my feet with her left front hoof. I accept, taking her hoof as she helps me up onto my feet. Still gripping onto the Song of Order, I kept my eyes on the ram as more darkness begins to swirl from around the tower into him, his red glowing eyes still directed at me and his grin present still on that mouth of his.
"Still weak as ever, even emotionally for your friends?" Grogar taunts me. "Come on, I thought the paladin was stronger than that."
I grit my teeth together in anger from the taunting, as it reflected to past memories of being bullied back as a kid. I sprint forward towards the ram, thrusting the blade forward on approach in hopes that I will be able to stab him in the gut. The Song of Order sings of the danger of facing the darkness, as well as shining brightly than ever before. I manage to thrust as he attempts to dodge the attack, creating a bloody cut onto his left front leg.
He growls in pain from the attack I had made on him, using the Aria to clash once again with the Song of Order in this duel. The cut I made on his leg was exposed as his dark blue fur is present, getting covered up by the darkness that swirls round him, giving him much power to him.
"Submit!" I can hear him shout at me in the midst of the clash.
He knocks his head forward in the clash, headbutting me in the face which I can feel as it is quite a worse headache than how Queen Chrysalis had done so in my battle with her. Me, exposed and without any reaction in time, he fires a bolt of dark magic at me, blasting me backwards.
Pain was felt from the dark powers itself, something that would benefit the necromancer himself. I did not expect him to attack me so quickly once more, seeing the Aria of Darkness come swinging at me, slicing at a part of my face which worsens the pain. It feels like my face is stinging.
Placing a hand on my face and removing it, I can see that it is bleeding, as crimson red liquid is on it. My own blood... it starts to drip off from my hand, dropping onto the floor of the black tower. I was cut across the face, but I wasn't willing to give up. I would fight even if I knew my injuries were this bad. I already knew that I heard Twilight audibly gasp as I was cut across the face. I grip onto the blade, releasing a hand forward and casting a burst of magic towards the ram himself.
He deflects the beam of magic towards me, in which I slide underneath its oncoming blast towards him, getting up onto my feet and running towards him, swinging at Grogar as his bell begins to give him more darkness to strengthen him.
He uses his magic to grab me, slamming me forward towards the ground and using his hooves to smash into me, as I can feel that it felt amost like hard rocks stabbing me in both the back and the back of my shoulders.
"Brayden!" I can hear Spike shout my name out, grabbing my attention in time to see the Aria coming towards me in a stabbing position. I raise my claymore, clashing with the dark blade itself that Grogar has in his possession.
"Give it up, human," He says to me, chuckling. "You cannot stop the inevitable from happening."
"Do not..." I said under my breath, winning over the clash and slicing him across the chest as the volume of my voice raised to a yell. "CALL ME HUMAN!"
He stands back, watching as the bell of his brings out more darkness which covers his wounds, almost as if he is using it to heal himself from the pain I give to him. "Now that's the kind of fight I knew I'd expect to see from such a human." He says, laughing in a taunt.
I growl at him, hopping forward and using the handle of the Song of Order to blunt at his head, stunning him a bit as I thrust at him, slicing at the darkness that surrounds him, creating as many cuts or bleeding that I could - with the hopes that he will bleed out from them. He glows for a moment, summoning a burst of magic that surrounds him, sending me flying upwards into the air above the Heart of the Planet.
I feel weightless from being tossed into the air, trying to let myself get caught up and get back into the action. Grogar jumps upwards, and I can feel myself getting tossed all around and beaten... bruised, sliced at, with such a scream coming my mouth as the Aria of Darkness stabs me right directly in the right wing.
Twilight looks rather horrified to see that I was getting myself killed and showing weakness, even with such a powerful object in my hand. Grogar continues to throw me about, slamming me towards the tower's tiles below, stomping onto me and placing the Aria's blade onto my neck.
"Brayden, no!" My mother screams out my name as I am pinned to the ground. Grogar himself felt quite heavy as I am unable to get up with his front hooves gripped onto my arms quite tightly.
I can feel the Aria move away from my neck, and then I can feel a sharp pain in my back as I can feel steel driving itself into my skin from behind. I had let out a scream of absolute pain as Twilight worries in panic about me, seeing her sprout open her wings.
She made the first move, galloping towards Grogar, her magic aura surrounding her horn as she charged at him. "Hooves off of Brayden!" I can hear her scream at the ram himself, firing a beam of her magic towards him, my eyes catching a glimpse of it slamming into him.
With the Aria stabbing me in the back, I can feel myself beginning show weakness as I struggle to fight back and resist against the pain and bruises that he has given to me. "Open your heart and let the darkness thrive in your heart!" Grogar demands to me, knowing that I was still fighting back.
"I'm not- going to- to fucking- give in!" I shouted at him weakly, seeing him surround me and him with a dark shield as Twilight move in closer on approach, and then convert that into a beam which she dodges, firing another bolt of magic at him, narrowly missing the bell of Tambelon around his neck.
I pull back my legs, kicking him off of me as I struggle to get back up onto my feet. I can still feel the Aria of Darkness in my back as I shake, getting up and turning slowly towards the ram himself.
A yank from behind me brought out more pain in me, with another grunt, and me holding my breath to prevent another tortured scream as I fall onto my knees, almost collapsed to the ground, yet still with the Song of Order in my hands. Grogar's darkness swirls around him, a chuckle coming from the ram himself, as he waits for me to make the first move.
Twilight casts another beam of her alicorn magic towards him, slamming into the bell around his neck, weakening the darkness that swirls around him. An angered look on his face, and he casts bolts of magic towards my wife, knocking her from the air and onto the ground, as I try to struggle even more from the pain which has worsened since my wife was hurt.
I can see Twilight getting up, only catching as the darkness grabs onto her, slamming her to the ground below. Like an octopus' tentacles, the shadows look to be squeezing her tightly with no escape. At least two other beams of magic slam forward towards the ram himself, which I recognized as my mother and aunt's.
"You'll pay for all those lives you plan to take!" I can hear Celestia yell at him as she charges past me, slamming into him. The Aria comes swinging towards her, sending her flying to the side with a deep cut across from her golden armor that has penetrated the princess' armor. She looks hurt as well.
Seeing all of my friends getting hurt, I can feel the rage build up inside of me... that old corruption building up for that moment within as I dropped the Song of Order for that moment, placing the both of my hands onto the sides of my face, letting out an absolute cry of pain, seeing all of them suffering at his hooves.
I grab the Song of Order once again, getting quickly up onto my feet despite the great pain that I was feeling. I absolutely am screaming out at him as I charge forward, about to swipe at him.
"Brayden, don't!" I can hear my aunt calling out from behind me following a beam of her magic being fired at the ram himself.
He could hear me screaming as I ran at him, firing bursts of magic at him and swiping at him with my blade, doing all I can to stab at him. This was the feeling inside... that he needed to die. I wanted to see him pay for all he has done so far, and what he planned on doing with all my friends in Equestria.
Darkness begins to swirl around the ram himself, creating a gust of wind around him that blocks my attacks, like a sledgehammer - using that same darkness to ram right at my stomach which gets me to grab at my chest with a hand, grunting and struggling to breathe for that moment as the Aria comes forward, stabbing me in the chest and narrowly missing my own heart.
I am finding it hard to breathe, as I can hear Luna's voice crying out my name which sounds quite distant. With the Aria in my chest, I can hear Twilight screaming between both pain and panic, seeing that I was in danger from the seconds away of getting myself killed. I feel like I am choking, even if there is nothing coiled around my neck. The Aria of Darkness has plunged itself at one of my lungs.
The blade itself drives back from behind in my chest and with a slice across my chest, I can feel my chest armor beginning to crumble away with each slice the Aria took towards me, exposing myself from within, with another cut on my chest above the stab close to my heart, followed by a powerful burst of dark magic slamming into me and sending me flying towards one of the pillars.
I slam into the pillars, struggling weakly with the Song of Order in my hand that continues to sing that I was in danger. All over... I can feel pain. Hearing everything around me, it almost seems distant as the others are screaming, worried greatly about me, their voices almost sounding muffled and far. I am on my knees, my hands shaking as my own blood drips down from my injuries to the ground.
Coughing... there is blood coming out from my mouth with each one I did, almost feeling like I am going to collapse.
"Get up... don't give in..." I hear my conscious speak to me again.
My eyes turn at the moment towards Rebecca who is close to me, still unconscious. She can't do anything with her knocked out, even if I tried... she doesn't have the Song of Flames with her as it is part of the Aria of Darkness. Grogar has it now. The whole situation felt hopeless...
"Get up... to your knees..."
I find myself beginning to crawl upwards, getting one foot up and then another, placing both of my hands onto the grip of the Song of Order. It is kept lowered, everything around me still sounding faint, but I could hear my own breathing.
"Within you, there is that magic, that your lost love had given to you... concentrate..."
I begin to breathe more, still raspy from the stabbing it took, trying to keep focus on ahead towards the ram which looks to be winning over everything in his conquest. His eyes are turned towards me, his darkness from that bell of his swirling around him with quite a victorious grin on his face to see me standing up one more time to challenge him.
Twilight is there, she's wounded, lying there on the ground after having been slammed by the darkness. It plagues my thoughts as my conscious continues to talk to me from inside.
"Bring out the power of the second night within you, given by the redeemed..."
I close my eyes at that moment as everything begins to grow silent around me, trying to think of how to make the first move against the necormancer with such magic within. A magic that I haven't even summoned...
The Realm In-Between
I can feel my eyes open up as my mind had drifted off to another past of my thoughts from within. This place... it feels like I am in a blank plain of blue sky from within my own mind, no reflection of myself seen below me like endlessly falling, except I am not.
It almost looks empty inside, as if it is just me and the empty thoughts from within me. Stuck at the fork in the road of decisions to make that would cost me my life or the lives of all Equestria.
Ahead of me from where I stood, I can see at least two figures entering into the picture from afar. Small water-like ripples begin where I stood, while I feel nothing as it passes to and by my own armored feet. The figures were in the colors of white and black. The one in white was surrounded by light and I therefore could not get a grasp on who this was.
I recognized who the one in black was... Nightmare!
There she was, her beautiful flowing mane sparkling in the daylight as she trots forward towards me with this being of light. I figure that it must be the First Alicorn herself who is joined alongside her. Her cyan cat eyes look forward ahead at me, a smile is crossed onto her lips. She looks happy to see me as I can feel such relief in my heart and a warmth from her loving presence.
"You're... you're here!" I said to her, walking forward, my feet not making a sound, though it makes more ripples in the water-like floor. I was smiling, feeling my eyes begin to tear up a bit before her.
Nightmare approaches me, placing her left black wing around me, pulling me into a wing-hug that I am quite comfortable with. I wrap the both of my arms around her neck gently, holding her close to me as her cheek nuzzles with mine.
"I thought I lost you!" I said, the tears finally crawling down from my eyes and down my cheeks. "You died in front of me! I thought I wasn't going to be able to go on without you!"
I can hear Nightmare's voice gently shushing me, still nuzzling me in her embrace. "It's okay Brayden, I'm here..." She spoke to me in a calm tone that sounds almost like a whisper. "I told you that the power that I gave to you... it is all me inside, waiting to be unleashed in your time of need."
"I... have to summon it?"
"All the magic I had sacrificed to give to you, it can help you in your time of need. That of which you are in right now..."
"I don't know how! I'm trying with all my heart!" I said to her, closing my eyes at that moment. "My wife... my mother and aunt... everypony I know will soon be in danger from Grogar's own hooves! He's too powerful."
"You don't need to rely on your own heart, because you have had it from the moment it was given to you."
I can feel her wings retract from around my back as she and I release from the hug we shared. "We could sense you were in trouble, and you need the motivation... to unleash that magic as strength for you and your Song."
"Like that being surrounded by light? The First Alicorn herself?"
She giggles for a moment. "She may be the First Alicorn, but wait until you see her real appearance past the light surrounding her." Nightmare says to me.
[Play Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba OST - Kamado Tanjirou no Uta]
I turn towards the First Alicorn, its light shining as the brightest in the place of my own thoughts. The light surrounding her begins to unveil and I was quite surprised to see what I thought I'd never see before my own eyes as her real appearance was revealed.
Her eyes were blue as I had originally thought, with a white colored tone in her fur, looking exactly like an alicorn and with a reddish hair of sorts. I knew exactly who this First Alicorn was, even if back on Earth it was depicted as fan art - but it was all true in the end.
The First Alicorn... is the Fausticorn.
"Fausticorn?" I asked her, surprised. "You are?"
She nods with a smile on her face. "Yes," She responds to me. "Most of my little ponies believe that my name is really the First Alicorn back in Equus - the world I had created from my own infinite light. In the heavens, they call me just the Fausticorn."
"I... feel hopeless," I confess to her, my head hanging. "Grogar is too powerful, even for the Song of Order. I don't know what to do! He's going to enslave everypony I know and love. Every time I try to overwhelm him, he gets stronger with the darkness he channels. This hopelessness... I'm weak under it."
"I know how you feel, even when it was revealed that Grogar was the puppet pulling the strings the whole time on the entire Vuurtongo war he himself had made in disguise," She says to me, staying right where she was. "But light always prevails over the darkness. All you have to do is look for the source of his darkness which protects the necromancer's own heart."
"The bell..."
"One of the artifacts I first made, which had fallen to the darkness - used only for the need of controlling others and giving power to those corrupt hearts that are most evil. It serves as his shield from those attacking him in that weak point."
"So all I would have to do is just weaken the darkness that surrounds him until the bell is exposed. Then I just need to drive the blade into the Bell of Tambelon, right? Sounds quite like a cakewalk to me. He'll be done with for good, and Equestria is saved."
"You misunderstand a bit of it, Brayden." The Fausticorn tells me, her voice sounding concerned about the situation, eager to correct me on what I was saying. "Simply driving the Song into the bell which will then go to his heart... it won't work that way. In order for such an enemy like him, and that bell to be destroyed with his own heart, it requires a heart of light be stabbed before the bell in order to destroy the heart."
"So wait..." I began to realize what exactly she was talking about. "No... no no no, I can't just do that. I still have everypony around me that love me... that's just making a sacrifice."
"I'm sorry Brayden," She says to me sadly. "It is the only way to defeat him for good."
I felt a little sad inside, knowing that this was the only path on defeating him, and sacrificing my life to save all of Equestria. But I knew what I had to do inside.
"Call to Nightmare's magic within you... it can help you..."
"I am calling it, with all the strength I have left... the power of Equestria... it's inside me."
The Black Tower of Mortem
I open my eyes once again, seeing that ram himself, his glowing red eyes facing my own brown eyes. I raise the Song of Order, feeling a surge of magic flowing throughout my body with a glow of a deep blue aura of magic surrounding me at all times. Everypony was still there, trying to fight back against the shadows that was Grogar's own.
He brings out more power to his darkness, probably the most I have ever seen. I push my legs to go forward taking steps at a time despite the huge pain from the stabbings in the chest and back I have had in this battle. I start off slow, now beginning to move fast until I can feel myself sprinting towards the ram with the Song of Order shining brighter than it ever did in this battle.
Using his magic, he begins to fire bursts of magic towards my direction, in the hopes that he will hit me and hopefully kill me while I still stand. I kept running forward, feeling a powerful bit of that burst slamming into my shoulders, making a cut across my shoulder.
"Don't stop running or fighting!" My conscious is telling me from inside my head as I get closer to Grogar. "If you do, you risk losing everything to the necromancer! Whether you stop him or not, you'll still end up dead. Save all of Equestria, even if it costs you everything! Do it, for Nightmare! For Twilight! For your friends! For Equus!"
I opened my mouth, letting out a war cry towards the ram himself as he fires another beam of magic in my direction which I jump to the side, dodging it and continuing to press forward. With the magic of Nightmare flowing through me, I place my left hand forward, casting a large burst of magic towards the ram himself, gripping it onto the Song of Order again to slice at Grogar.
The blade cuts at the both the ram and the darkness that surrounds him, unveiling a bit of his head that has been exposed, with the darkness that swirls around him attempting to seal it up again. I jump high to the side, firing bursts of magic from above down towards the shadowed Grogar who is slowly getting himself exposed from the darkness he used.
He fires a beam of magic at me, striking me in the knee. I limp for a moment, pressuring it to go forward, clashing the Song of Order with his Aria of Darkness. Merely dodging it from swiping at my stomach, I dive underneath the ram, striking and cutting at Grogar, exposing more of him underneath as his cut begin to bleed and his darkness around him weakens.
I can see Twilight firing beams of magic towards the ram to aid me in the battle. He roars for that moment, it almost sounding like a lion on the loose, jumping towards her, almost striking at her with his horns. Twilight, I can see is using her magic to deflect his own attacks with a shield that she has summoned with her magic. She hops forward, deactivating the shield and using a burst of her magic, she drives him back and away from her.
"Impossible!" Grogar shouts at all of us. "How are you doing this?! My darkness is more powerful than anything!"
"That's because..." I said to him, charging at him. "That's the power of friendship, motherfucker!"
"As if a human like you could ever understand it!" He taunts.
"If I am human, that's alright! Call me that all you want... it's a blessing to me! Just like my own friends are a part of my life!"
He chuckles, laughing at me as he points the Aria of Darkness towards me. "Always about you and your friends of yours... pathetic."
I place a fist towards my chest. "Doesn't matter how they view me differently among them and the others in Equestrian society! Everypony I have met... they are all my friends! My friends are my power, and I am theirs!" I shouted at him. "You know nothing about friendship as you think!"
He grits his teeth together, charging at me with a shout, trying to swipe at me, but being pushed back by another burst of the magic inside from both the six sparks inside me and Nightmare's magic.
With that burst of magic, I can see the bell around his neck come into view. It is almost completely exposed before my own eyes, as all the darkness around him is shrinking away. I jump towards him, rolling on the ground as I stab him directly underneath in the gut. He roars at me, shaking me and the Song of Order off from him.
I fly backwards, catching myself in the air as he jumps forward towards me, ready to carve at me with the Aria of Darkness. I bring the Song of Order forward, successfully blocking the oncoming attack from his blade with the silver claymore. His eyes shoot open, absolutely unable to believe I had blocked an attack of his.
A headbutt from my own head sends him flying backwards to the top of the tower. I fly to the pillar of the tower, running down as he begins to fire beams of darkness at me, a few hitting me - but I am not able to stop against them.
My eyes were still set on the bell around his neck, as I can now see that it is fully exposed for the sacrifice needed to stop him. I fire a beam of magic at him, throwing him onto his side from that explosion the power of Nightmare had within me. I jump, doing a flip as I fly forward towards him, casting beams of magic at him.
Another slice at his left side disposes of any darkness that surrounded him there, leaving him practically open for further attack as my mother and aunt fires their magic directly at him, striking him whether possible - just to keep the darkness from regenerating around him as I move around, clashing at both of his horns and the Aria of Darkness he possesses.
An idea so crazy is flowing into my head regarding both the Song of Order and the Aria he had. I face him as I clash with his horns.
"You are eager to have the sparks and my Song?" I taunted to him.
I jump backwards, taking the lucky chance and grabbing onto the Aria of Darkness by its handle, land with it held onto by own hand with the Song of Order in another. His eyes shoot open once again.
"No!" He shouts at me, bringing a hoof forward to point at me. "Do not combine them under your possession! Only I can!"
I shook my head with a glare and a smile on my face. "You want the complete Aria? You can fucking have it then!"
I drove the Song of Order straight on top of the Aria of Darkness that I am holding in my other hand, watching as sparks of light begin to fly off from it in its combination - unveiling its true form before all of our own eyes. I could see that with all the six sparks within me, and the golden soul of light inside me... it had forged a different kind of Aria...
The Aria of Light...
"Impossible! No!" I can hear Grogar growling at me, firing beams of darkness towards me in hopes of stopping me. It is no use for him as the blade I possess is now way too powerful for even him to master. The power that I could feel in the connection with me and all of the other Songs in the Aria, it was way too much power for me to handle. "Stop!"
The power in the blade... looks like enough to kill both me and him.
I charge towards him, clashing with his horns, knocking his head upwards in time for me to get into position. I turn my back on him, positioned right in front of the bell around his neck, grabbing onto the Aria of Light's golden blade, positioning it right where it will stab through my heart into his.
"Brayden..." I can hear Celestia's voice calling to me. "What are you doing?!"
"I'm so sorry mom!" I shouted at her, keeping my eyes straight ahead at the red clouded sky ahead that covered all of Mortem. "I didn't want to do this, but it's the only way to stop him!"
"Brayden! NO!" I can hear Twilight screaming as she tries to gallop over towards me, with me using whatever was left of Nightmare's magic to form a barrier around me which is keeping Grogar in place.
"Fool! You have no clue what you are doing!" He shouts at me, now that I can feel his fur and his urge to fight back, his darkness slowly beginning to regenerate inside the bell.
"I have a clue and know what I am doing! You think that all of Equestria is meant for the darkness and shadow terrors as you say? You're wrong. Every word that you said... was wrong. Because I now know deep inside, that you will never snuff out that light, no matter how many times it takes! Friendship... Equestria... they are light!"
With that, I can feel the immense pain and stinging as I drive the Aria of Light's golden blade through my heart, breaking through my back, feeling the bell as brought the handle to my chest. I can hear Grogar letting out this shriek-shout of sorts while I inaudibly can only catch glimpses of Twilight absolutely banging on the shield I had around me and Grogar. She looks to be screaming my name supposedly, with tears coming down her eyes and cheeks.
"The Heart of the Planet... it is opening up..." Grogar weakly is saying as the Aria penetrates past the bell and into his heart, making him gag out a bit of blood from his mouth.
My eyes caught what was happening with the first artifact above. I can see the artifact beginning to open up what looks like doors... it is completely black in there, but I knew I can see past to know what is in there.
"Heart of Equestria... lend me your... dark... shadow-" Grogar sounds much more weaker and I am just struggling to bear through the pain I am enduring, even with my life support now severed with such limited life to come to me.
The Heart of the Planet's doors shines out light at the both of us as I can see an essence of magic beginning to rise up from the surface of the black tower, the bell itself shattering in many pieces around me and Grogar. No matter how much it hurt, I held the Aria in both my heart and his.
"Destiny..." He begins to choke out, now aware that he is about to die under the veil of light that surrounds him. He is coughing out more blood. "You... you boy... you cannot... destroy... my... destiny!"
There was too much power in the blade for me and him to handle, but it was worth a final sacrifice to be made. Through my raspy, shortening breath, I release my hands off of the handle using my hands to bring out the power of Nightmare Moon within me. I still remember my final thoughts that my conscious had given me when I finally at the same time slammed my magic on the handle of the Aria, surrounding me in a white light.
"For Equestria... For my loves... my friends... for me."
The Other Realm
As the white light had faded, I slowly open up my eyes, seeing that I have not been killed from driving the Aria of Light through both of my heart and Grogar's. As everything began to clear up, I realized that I was not in Mortem. Not even my wife, or mother was present here with me. I turn and look around to see if the necromancer ram was behind me, still dying... Not even him.
I was standing on a rock, floating above a swirling, yet never-ending black hole of fear. The stab wound from my sacrifice is still there, but I look to be carrying the Aria of Light which is shining brighter than ever before. My eyes manage to adjust to its shine, and not even a voice that blade like the Song of Order would have is heard. Above the swirling black hole of endlessness, the sky above looks like the aftermath of a warzone, with brown dirt colored smoke being tossed around in various directions.
Almost did I not hear it, but in the distant, I hear the sounds of moaning and cries of pain from various others around. The only difference... I cannot see them, but my ears can pick them up. To my right, I could see a shining beacon, with a figure floating there with giant bat-like wings. The light surrounds the figure, making it hard for me to see who it is, but it looks like golden rings, powered by magic alone. I put a hand over the top of my eyes to keep myself from going blind as I look to see who it is.
"What is this place?" I asked loudly, curiosity sounding in my voice. "Who's there?"
"You stand in the final realm of life, Equestrian Human... the transition between life... to limbo... to death... the Heart of the Planet..."
That voice itself sounded quite heavenly, but with such a grim tone to its voice. My eyes, looking through the blinding light that shadows the winged being, slowly begins to unveils its shape and form, seeing a horn upon its own head. Is... is it an alicorn? Why is an alicorn here of all places, and why does it linger here in this realm that I have never been in before?
"Who are you?" I asked, wanting to know, with the wound in my heart beaming with light.
"...I am Nekron. The fallen brother of my own sister, the First Alicorn. The one who created your world. I am the endlessness, of all eternity that carries the souls of the dead, for those that fought for the Heart of the Planet and died trying. None were successful in even trying to master the power that even this artifact of heavenly wisdom... for it is only the chosen ones and the First Alicorn who can do so."
I was confused, I still had no idea why I was here in this place... I was very unsure, even when the alicorn himself drew himself closer to the platform I stood on. As the light surrounding him died down, I was able to see all of him completely on what he looked like.
The alicorn was black coated, with his wings resembling that of bat wings themselves. The kind that Aunt Luna's royal guards would have when I saw them in Canterlot. Those eyes of his staring down at me, are blood red and like cat eyes, staring at me like he was hungry for my soul. Other than the horn, he had horns on the side of his head and fangs in his mouth that were accompanied with the other white teeth of his. His mane resembled that of a normal stallion or mare, but his long blackened mane hung down and was rather scruffled like a mess. His hooves gripped around the platform, not letting go.
"Then why am I here? Where is everypony?"
"You are merely frozen in time from the moment you were surrounded in that white light, the light the Aria of Light you possess in your hand made to purify the darkness within the heart of the necromancer ram, Grogar... that who had chosen fear, death and destruction in his life. It was his chosen path... Just like how you went with him here to this very realm, where the soul goes to the nothing below. He feared his own failure and death..."
"What are you talking about?" I felt like I was trying to catch onto what he was talking about.
"All life fears death in the beginning of their pathetic lives, even yourself from the moment you first came out from your mother's womb... you feared death itself. Life fears death, but lives only to die in the end when they hit the oldest age. It all starts with anxiety when they learn of death for the first time... Anxiety soon becomes fear... fear leads to anger... anger leads to hate... hate leads... to suffering. The only cure that could drive away the fear was destruction and death to others, which is what Grogar wished himself."
"Then... why the fuck am I here?!" I shouted, knowing that I was close to the realm of death itself, even if frozen in time away from my wife... my mother... my friends. "Why do you even want me here?!"
"Now the theory is undeniable now that my very eyes have seen it. Grogar's actions through time prove it... all things and beings live from beginning to end, to perish at the ending of their chapters. A never-ending cycle that will go on forever and ever."
"He wanted to bring about darkness throughout all of Equus, and you speak of death itself?! I lost friends... and those who were close to me. But I knew that they weren't afraid of dying. Even if it was present in their hearts, they never gave up!"
"That is where the Realm of Undying Equestria comes into play. With your soul and Grogar's soul in the realm, it will soon be time to share it with all of Equestria itself... later, Equus. In that realm, fear does not exist. That is the realm that Equus has always desired. That all life in this universe has desired alone... With your sacrifice... it will be time to bring about the zero world with the influence that Grogar had alone. Not even light can stop this power that darkness alone has..."
"Who the fuck do you think you fucking are?" I asked him, my voice sounding low at first, but raising in volume to a shout as I continued. "I'm never going to let you do anything to my friends and family as long as I am here! Just like with Grogar, I won't let you get past me to kill them nor enslave them! They're gonna live, and it'll be my sacrifice to them!"
I could hear a laugh coming from the tall alicorn himself, as if my own anger and words were all but a joke to him. When he opened his eyes, he glares down at me with keeping quite a smirk on his mouth.
"Foolish Equestrian Human... hear yourself... your moments of doubt before death are already beginning to delusion you. Even if you were by chance resurrected in the end, you too, will one day choose death, fear and destruction just like Grogar. Your fate is permanently sealed, and it is better to embrace death now, than to suffer for the last few minutes of your sad, pathetic life... now come, embrace the nothing that you desire..."
My right hand gripped tight onto the pommel for the Aria of Light. "I'm never gonna stop and let myself not be able to say goodbye to the ones I love! Even... even if it's for a few minutes left..." With enough rage having entered my mind, it triggered the emotion of anger as I pull back and throw the Aria of Light directly towards Nekron's chest as I screamed at him. "Then the ending will be worth the pain! I'm going to live!"
The Aria of Light struck the alicorn alone in the chest, with the sound of a grunt coming from him, as he looks down to see where the Aria was sticking from in the chest. Staring for a few moments, he then looks back up at me, the sound of his breathing heard with my own ears. All I could do there was glare right at him for trying to take me away so fast.
"...Why defy your fate, Equestrian Human?"
I finally had the courage to speak to him, with all the anger I had from that throw gone, but still present from the glare on my face. "Because even if I was to leave now and enter the realm of everlasting death, like Grogar did, I wouldn't be able to say goodbye to those I love. There's more to life than what you think, Nekron. Life is learning to experience and face your fears head-on, even if it means taking those risks."
"...Is the will to live that powerful...? Even for just a few minutes...?"
"It absolutely is," I said to him. "The power of love and the magic of friendship are the ones that keep life going, to never stop. Even if life fears death, there are many new generations born from those that fear, it is only those who bring death that are cowardly... they are the ones afraid of dying. Those who know peace and pure divine goodness, will live longer, like my friends will."
I can feel a power around me, lifting me up off of the platform as light begins to shine out from the wound that I had made with the Aria of Light. I look up while the light within that blade consumes the dark brother of the Fausticorn. I can feel myself beginning to return to the realm of reality where my mother... my friends... my wife... they are waiting for me.
The realm began to change to the blinding white light that I came in, where I can hear the last words that Nekron were giving to me upon my departure.
"Even if you flee from your fate for a few more minutes... do remember this..."
"...No matter if the darkness is pushed away, remember that as long as the life cycle continues... Darkness will always be there with Light..."
"...As long as there is both life and death..."
Twilight's POV
From my tear-stained eyes, I can only watch as the ball of energy that Brayden had summoned around him begins to light up from inside, seeing him close his eyes as he slammed the blade into his heart for the final blow... I knew inside... I almost did not want to know what certainly would happen to my husband. I can see Grogar absolutely choking as his heart gives out, which was good as I could tell that the face of darkness has been affected by this move.
The light inside of the energy turns white inside, and with that came an explosion that practically feels more like a light breeze to me and everypony else on the tower with me. I have my eyes closed while all this is going on, my ears ringing a bit from the aftermath of the explosion as the thunder from the clouds above seem to have died down by the sound of it.
I open up my eyes, looking at all that was going on around me and the princesses. The red clouds of Mortem? They have started to change color. No longer did they have a threatening red color, but were starting to look more like regular rain clouds that you would normally see in all of Equestria. The land of Mortem itself? Spike is observing all of the surroundings at the top of the black tower, and join alongside him to see it.
The creatures of Mortem have disappeared, with the undead ponies that lay about the darklands reverting back to normal... the curse on them undone. They seemed rather happy about it. All the lakes and rivers that were lava were nothing more than now water. Fresh, clean water for those in the land to drink from. The red stench of death is cleared up, those who enter Mortem now... will not be limited on how long they can live. They can now come to and from freely.
Above me, I can feel the soft rain beginning to drop down onto me and everypony else on the tower with me. There is no gushs of wind that blow, just rain.
I recognize that object heading upward and making itself visible with everypony up here with me. It's a hot air balloon itself, and it alone carries the five of my best friends, who have arrived at the aftermath of the battle. All of them stabilze the balloon, landing it on the black tower, Rainbow Dash tying the balloon to one of the tower's pillars.
"Am Ah glad we made it," I can hear Applejack saying to me. "Ah was certain that there would have been a strong blast of wind from that blindin' light that flashed before our own eyes."
"My friends... all of you came." I said to her.
Applejack nods, smiling. "Of course Twilight," She responds to me. "We weren't gonna leave ya and Brayden to fight up there all alone."
"I think you totally missed a couple of parts while you were on your way here," I can hear Spike as he approaches me and the rest. "You missed when Brayden received all six of his sparks inside of him, him battling Rebecca who was under the control of a dark, evil necromancer who wasn't that Vuurtongo guy in the end. He was actually Grogar himself, and I have this feeling that Brayden has gained the victory hoof over him."
Applejack looks confused at first, but does respond. "Well, that's the craziest thing Ah've heard today."
"Ohmigosh! You should have seen the battle Twilight!" Pinkie Pie zips in front of me, absolutely talking loudly with excitement in her voice. "We were diving about, attacking the enemies and waging victory against the blood dragons as soon as the Hippogriffs and Dragon allies arrived. At first, there was a blood dragon that I thought was going to eat me, I was all like 'ahhhh!' but the pirates and their cannonballs from the ship they made saved my life. We won Twilight! We won!"
"That battle and victory is now something I can think back in my days, and think that was something I see now as 20% cooler." Rainbow Dash says, landing on her hooves and closing her wings.
"Yay." I can hear Fluttershy cheering quietly with a joyful smile on her face.
"Now where is that Brayden fella?" Applejack asks me. "Thought he'd be here by now to celebrate with all of us."
"Umm... Applejack?" Rarity says to grab her best friend's attention. The tone in the elegant mare's voice, it sounded rathered saddened and let down.
My eyes turn toward the white unicorn, seeing that she has her eyes set out at the middle of the tower. My eyes turn as well along with my friends, with the pupils in my eyes widening and a soft, audible gasp exhaling out from my mouth.
[Play Final Fantasy IV - Theme of Love (Distant Worlds Version)]
I can see Brayden, lying down on the tiles of the tower, his diamond blue wings are bruised and beaten from the battle we had been in, cuts all around him as well as the stab wounds he had from the battle, including where he had sacrificed himself in his own heart. The Aria of Light is no longer present, as it is only the four other Songs lying about, still with their power within them. The Song of Order? His sacrifice, had cost him his claymore... the blade itself was now dull, powerless without any magic and broken, as it was severed into two piece which cannot be repaired.
Princesses Celestia and Luna surround him, tears in their own eyes as his own brown eyes are still open and his body still breathing... he's still alive and will die in a minute or two... possibly more time to give him comfort from me and his friends.
"My son..." I can hear Celestia say gently to him, almost on the verge of breaking down.
He struggles to breathe for a moment, coughing. "Mom..." He responds back as me and my friends approach him.
"Why... did you do that?" She asks him, using a wing to wrap around him, using it as a pillow for his head.
"I... I couldn't let Grogar win..." He says, weakly. "I had to use my heart of light against his own heart of darkness... it was the only chance to take to take him out for good... it was a wish made for all darkness to vanquish from this world..."
"Brayden, we-" Luna tried to step in, getting interrupted by a few coughs from her dying nephew.
"I know, Aunt Luna... you tried and did your part to help me..." He says to her. "...I... I thank you for... bringing me here to Equestria... I wouldn't have found true happiness if you never brought me here..."
Tears well up from Luna's own eyes, unable to bear the view of seeing Brayden dying in front of her. I trot up closer, placing my right front hoof onto his right hand, holding onto it. He, through weak breath, turns his head and looks at me.
"Twi..."
"Brayden, I..." I said to him, my voice sounding gentle, just so scared knowing what was going to happen to him in the minutes, possibly seconds. "...I'm afraid... I never wanted to lose you. I always thought you and I would live happily together..."
"I wanted that too Twi... more than anything... but I couldn't go back when I made that sacrifice... it had to be done, for all of you... I couldn't bear to see Grogar take control of Equus..."
"We know you didn't want to," Rarity says to him, a sad tone in her voice. "It's honorable to see you do this... for all of us."
"Rari... before I go... please do me a favor..."
"Anything, Brayden." She says, understanding and listening to what he needs.
"Please..." He coughs for a moment. "Keep an eye on Coco... make sure she is okay..."
"I will, Brayden... I will..."
His eyes turn to all of his close friends, including me. "Flutters... Rainbow... AJ... Pinkie..." He says their names weakly.
"I'm so sorry we couldn't make it to help you when we could!" Pinkie says to him, tears crawling down her cheeks at that moment. "I really have that victory party all planned out in Ponyville when we returned! It's not going to be the same! Who's going to help me make the cakes? Who will be there to share smiles with me?"
"Pinkie..." He coughs, speaking to her. "No matter what happens... to me... you've been the one who would always make me smile, even in my darkest hours that I've lived."
"Rainbow... the bravest pegasus that I have known and met... I'm happy to see you get so far, and to see your dream come true..." He says, turning to each and every one of his friends.
"Rarity... the most inspirational and artistic unicorn I've met... I'll never forget when you help design and make clothes for me in my time here in Equestria. Thank you..."
Rarity sniffs for a moment. "I know, and that's what I'll miss about you." She says to him.
"Applejack..." He says to her, a sad expression on her face. "You'll always be the one who became my first close friend... I'll always remember honesty thanks to you..."
"Fluttershy..." His name calls out his closest friend as her soft yellow hooves take and hold onto his left hand, gently rubbing it to give him comfort. "You were the one who found me, and took me in... I'll never forget that. You've changed a lot from the first time I met you, all the way until this moment... you used to be afraid... you know now how to face your fears... I'm proud of you, deep in my heart... and soul..."
Fluttershy is on the verge of crying, using the both of her wings to pull him gently to her, sharing a wing-hug with him as the tears and the crying from the pegasus began. She did not want him to go away, even after all this time. He doesn't hug back, his arms and body too weak to do anything else.
"Don't cry Fluttershy..." He says weakly, yet so gentle a tone in his voice to her. "Remember... even in your darkest, most saddest days... I'll be there in your heart, just like everypony else... who knows me..."
Rain is pouring down onto his own fatally wounded body, his feathers starting to become wet, like my own along with his hair, like my own mane. He is unable to form tears anymore, and I knew all along why he couldn't cry anymore. He was giving in to the after-light.
"Twi..." He weakly calls out my name. I feel lost in my own thoughts, scared of losing him... a fear that I was seeing become a reality in my own eyes. More tears are crawling down my cheeks. I can hear him call my name again.
His hand moves away from my hoof and reaches upward whilst it shakes. I can feel his gentle hand gently touch onto my cheek, holding it there as in him trying to wipe away my tears. He moves it again in a gesture that he wants me to come closer to him. I trot forward a few steps getting closer to him as he released from the hug Fluttershy was giving to him.
Something in me just snapped, and I was almost crying as I was speaking to him. "I didn't want this to happen! I thought we'd all be together forever, and have just us and your friends! I should have been the one to sacrifice myself and not you! How... how will I go on without you?!"
"Twi..." He says to me, more teardrops in the rain falling onto the both of us as I squeeze myself closer to him, his breath becoming more raspier and harder for him to exhale out more air. "I wanted... that too... more than anything... you'll always be that... that brave princess... I know... you're strong and compassionate... and I have never met a princess... that has been willing to show her dedication... to me... you are my light Twilight... my guiding light... that's a promise..."
I was absolutely wrecked seeing him like this, closing my eyes while more tears drip down from my cheeks, falling onto his stab wounded chest. More sobs come out from my mouth as I am taking in a breath of air, with more to follow.
"Please... no..." I say to him. "I love you... I can't go on... without-"
I can sense him pulling me forward, and my wings wrapping around him in a wing-hug, that which I knew will be my last time that I will ever be able to touch him. My cheek is nuzzling gently with his, my soft mane being gently stroked by his hand.
"Brayden?" I can hear a voice behind me, which has caught my attention. I turn my head for a moment, my tear-stained violet colored eyes turning to see the human figure who was standing there behind me and my friends.
It was Rebecca herself, but for the first time, I did not at all feel threatened from her, nor did my friends. She was without her magic, so there was no harm she could bring to us since the dark influence of Grogar is now gone. She comes running over towards him by his side, getting on her knees and looking at him.
"Rebecca..." I heard Brayden say to her weakly. A small friendly chuckle comes from his mouth, followed by a cough.
"Brayden... I'm so sorry..." Rebecca speaks with him, tears forming in her eyes as she sounded rather upset for what she had done, and from seeing her friend like this, dying away. "I... I didn't know what the real intentions were!"
"You were lost..." He says to her. "But even so... I knew inside that it wasn't you... talking... I still saw the good inside you... that you didn't want to... do those things..."
"What am I supposed to do now?! I'm probably going to get thrown into exile or put on trial for an execution!" She says, tears crawling down her hazel green eyes.
"My mother... I won't let her do that to you..." He says, coughing again. "I see the light in you now, along with... your katanas... the darkness cannot taunt you anymore or control... you..."
"I will make sure that she gets all the help she needs, Brayden," Celestia says to him, still saddened that her only child was going to go away. "She can be with your other human friends, they can help her train to be a better one in Equestria's society..."
"Please... do take care of her... and take care of Ann... Alex and Andrea too..."
"I will." Celestia nods, responding to him with a small smile coming from the tear-stained Rebecca who is watching him in his final moments.
He coughs again, looking at all of us and then me. "Twi..."
My eyes are back on him as more tears come down from my eyes, listening to what he had to say. "Back at the castle... I've left... left a note for... for you... read it... and... and think... think of me..."
I nod to him, still trying to keep it under control. "Goodbye... Twi... I had... had... the time of... my life with you and every... everypony... you're all my... best... friends... I... I..."
I knew he wanted to tell me that he loved me, but I cannot give him other words than to place my head closer to his, pressing my lips onto his to share that final kiss, as I knew I would probably never see him again. I didn't ever want to let go, just like he didn't want to... following the kiss, I felt this strange, yet feared feeling when he released from the kiss.
He had exhaled his final breath... Brayden... he's dead.
"No!" I called out, wrecked than ever to see it come to this conclusion before me and my friends' own eyes. His head was falling backwards back to Celestia's feathered wings, but I caught onto his upper neck, keeping it in my hooves as his eyes were closed and his soul departed from the world.
"Brayden! Please... no!" Seeing him dead, I began to panic to the point where I was close to screaming, absolutely letting out every sob I had at a loud volume.
Fluttershy looks deeply upset by this as well, especially with the kind words he had given to her, Aunt Luna getting her to let go was hard as well, with the sound of hooves coming from beside me, my eyes turning to see that it is my student Starlight Glimmer, looking a little sad as she looks at me.
"I'm sorry this has happened..." She says to me, knowing deep inside how I was feeling, trotting over beside where his head is, looking at him with his closed eyes, his lifeless body there, supported by his own mother's wing. She exhales a bit of an inaudible breath, placing a hoof onto his shoulder.
"Brayden..." She says with a bit of assurance in her voice, a few tears running down her cheeks as rain is falling onto her mane and fur. "It's okay Brayden... wherever you are now... we're going to be fine... you've saved all of us... we're going to be fine... you can finally rest now..."
Celestia lowers her head for a moment in silence for the death of her own son, and then raises her head, looking at all of us.
"I want to bury him, a memorial for him... surrounded by family... his surviving loves... his friends... even as he, the Paladin of Equestria has now passed on... he'll remain with us always... in our hearts..." Celestia stops for a moment, shedding tears and sobbing quietly for a moment. "We love him... always..."