Last pony standing

Once again, I was saved from certain doom, just in time. Thanks to the moon, Princess Luna showed up to prevent us from Celestia's wrath. An intense conversation followed and it was clear to the eye, that Luna tried to reason with her sister. It was also clear to me that I could understand Celestia's pain. Nopony likes to get criticized all day long for everything you are doing, not even an Alicorn like the Princess herself it seemed. I somewhat felt sorry for her, but that changed when I heard that she was responsible for Eagle Eye's death. The sympathy I had felt for her a second ago, turned into anger. This feeling increased even further, when she mocked General Star Stripe, the most honorable pony I have ever met.

The reasoning continued, until Celestia was tired of talking and challenged her sister for battle. This comment, however, seemed to hit the Moon-Princess off-guard and I could clearly see the reluctance and sadness in her eyes. She, however, agreed and both of them flew towards a more desolated area, but before she vanished, Luna gave me a wave with a hoof, telling me, that I should proceed. Maybe she didn't know, how long she could distract her sister, so we needed to hurry.

With Celestia out-of-the-way, we had no problems finally reaching the innermost part of the castle. I have been here before, so it was not hard to follow the way to the throne-room. While swiftly galloping through the hallways, a quick glimpse through one of the large mosaic-windows told me that both the sun and the moon had risen over the horizon once more at the same time, now facing each other like two gunslingers in a cliched duel. So it has begun, I thought to myself.

“Fluttershy, whatever Sombra is going to say to you, don’t listen to him! He will try to confuse, enrage or intimidate you to weaken your resistance against his powers.”
She just nodded and I pushed open the golden portal of the throne-room.

Just as expected, Sombra was sitting on Celestia's golden throne casually, with the five element-bearers next to him, including Princess Twilight. Seeing her vacant glance, my worst presumptions got proven right. She indeed got somehow overpowered by Sombra and now she was one of his puppets as well.

He was obviously astonished to see us here, since his mouth dropped open, but he regained his composure fairly quickly again and smiled.

"Oh hello Fluttershy. If I had known, that visitors will arrive, I had baked a cake for you."

I cursed his damn mocking voice, sounding so arrogant and playful. I cursed the whole pony! Defiantly I lifted my head, staring directly at his delighted visage, forgetting all the fear I felt before, every time I have seen him. Now I just felt anger, I just wanted to punch him in the face for everything he has done. I just wished to beat the living daylights out of him, to wipe that haughtiness off his head. Fluttershy on the other hoof, was shaking in terror, but she managed to keep her composure somehow. Of course the other Elements quickly jumped next to the dark warlord, to protect him in case we were going to attack him directly.

"I must congratulate you. You see me rather surprised, that you actually made it past my army and my Sun-Princess. You astonish me, Fluttershy, I would have never thought that you'd have the courage to come here and face me. You even managed to unite an army of feral beasts under your command. Very impressive, indeed."

Obviously Sombra thought that Fluttershy did all this on her own and it seemed like he had completely forgotten about me. Secretly I laughed about his delusion and while he was distracted with the shivering Pegasus-pony, I stealthily sneak towards a decorative knight's armor to get the sword that was attached to it. While moving towards the wall the armor was standing in front of, I peeked at the black gem that was still hanging around his neck, while he continued to praise Fluttershy's 'achievements'.

"You are much braver than I had imagined you'd be. Everypony told me, that you would rather be hiding somewhere in the darkness like a rat, than coming here. However I honestly have no idea what you are up to. Are you actually thinking that you can beat me with your little pets? Ah well, who cares what you are thinking-"

Fluttershy however just stood there uneasily slightly backing off, but it appeared like she was fighting with her anxiety and very slowly her determination was winning the upper hoof over her fear.

"It saves me the time to hunt you down, although I was looking forward to it. What a pity, since now I will not enjoy the fun it would have been to torture your little friends, until you show yourself. Or maybe, I'll do it anyway later, just for the sake of it? Ah well, whatever- Get her!"

The last words were addressed at the Element-bearers, as he commanded them to attack. Fluttershy back-paddled trembling and I feared that she just would turn around and run away, looking at her ashen face. Of course she didn’t like to fight her friends… if she was going to fight at all. However she managed to stand her ground. I couldn't avoid being proud of the yellow pony, since within a few hours, her courage had drastically increased, compared to what she was like when I first met her, making her stronger every minute.

"-Oh and kill that other guy, too, would you?" he quickly added chuckling, after he remembered my presence.

The before motionless ponies, that had waited in the back, now set themselves in motion. I saw the orange one getting her rope ready for a swing, while the pink one summoned her blue cannon from behind her back. I would have wondered, where she had kept her weapon, with no visible bags or pockets, but with the newly obtained sword in my hoof, I tightened my body instead, getting myself ready for the imminent battle.

With a feral roar the five Manticores jumped at the approaching ponies, engaging them in combat, while 'our' Manticore stayed at Fluttershy's side. The three of us stayed back, watching how the five ponies and their Manticore opponents fought each other. It was a great idea to bring them along, since it seemed like they could stand their ground, distracting the Element-bearers, quite well. However the Manticore who had chosen Princess Twilight as his opponent had some trouble keeping her down, since she constantly teleported across the room, but fortunately for us, she hadn't reached her full Alicorn strength, yet. Knowing that the five ponies would be occupied in battle, I turned my attention towards the dark King again, who had witnessed the skirmish passively. However I could tell by his frown, that he was quite displeased noticing that his private squad got distracted that easily.

He sighed.
"Oh well, never let a peasant do the job of a King."

He then turned towards Fluttershy smiling, still considering her the greater threat.
Although attacking him during nighttime was a quite good idea, since the darkness reduced the amount of shadows present, I failed to take the illuminating of the throne-room into account. The big room was lit very well by several golden lamps, being attached to the walls and ostentatious chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. Damn it, how could I forget them, since I had liked them since my very first day. Now they were in Sombra's favor. The strange light, that was shining through the mosaic-windows, cause by both sun and moon, made it even worse.

Realizing the biggest mistake I have made, I saw how Fluttershy's shadow began to move. However, she failed to notice what her shadow was doing, since she just stood there watching her Manticore-friends fighting her pony friends, while nervously chewing on her nails, the whole time. She even winced every time a Manticore got hit by a projectile of the blue steel cannon, or when a Manticore tackled the rainbow-maned pony. Of course she couldn't decide, which faction she should be behind, since both were her friends, so she just continued to watch the skirmish of her friends with concern.

Fluttershy's shadow wiggled and wobbled, but didn't do anything else. So it seemed like Sombra still hadn't the power to harm Fluttershy, since the kindness in her heart was stronger that any bad feeling and without a bad feeling, Sombra would be rather powerless against Fluttershy, unable to corrupt her like he had planned.

The King's annoyed facial expression and the intensely green glowing horn indicated, that he tried his best to overcome her kindness, but he obviously failed to do so. Noticing that something was going on, our Manticore jumped in front of Fluttershy trying to protect her and then charged at the unholy pony.

While jumping towards Sombra, he lunged out, trying to hit Sombra with his massive claws and it seemed like he would successfully land a hit at first, but right before the brutal swing would hit him, Sombra transformed himself into that dark gassy cloud and the pawn went right through the surface. Then the cloud moved a couple of steps to the right and condensed into the unharmed form of the dark King. Kind of surprised the Manticore clumsily slithered a couple of steps further on the polished marble floor next to the ancient red carpet, before it managed to come to a hold. Then he just stood there looking at his empty pawn, wondering why he had missed the pony.

Sombra on the other hoof instantly continued to scan Fluttershy's heart for any sign of dark emotions, he could use against her, without paying any attention to the Manticore. After the thinking process of the Manticore was finished, it looked around, spotting the King at his new location and tried to charge him again. Once more Sombra dodged his attack by turning his body into fog, then instantly reappeared at a different location and turned his focus back at the yellow-coated Pegasus. With the sharp blade in my hoofs I charged Sombra myself, aiming for his neck to knife though the necklace holding the Crystal-Heart, but my swing only managed to penetrate Sombra's ghost-like body as he dematerialized again. Stupid King, why can't he hold still so I can cut his head off, I thought while charging him again unsuccessfully.

This procedure repeated itself several more times, until Sombra grew tired of dodging our assaults over and over again. He refrained his attention from Fluttershy, now turning towards the annoying Manticore.

"Enough of this foolishness, I am sick of you! Be gone!" he shouted, right before black tendrils erupted from the manticore's shadow, entwining him during his onslaught. Obviously animals weren't immune to his magic, he was just too arrogant to view them as a threat. Seeing my ally in danger, I jumped towards Sombra, swinging my sword with a fierce strike, trying to break his concentration, but once again I tumbled right through his disappearing silhouette.

"Wait for your turn, kid!" he addressed me without looking.

After regaining his normal form, he lifted his head with a resolute jolt and his horn's glow shimmered menacing, finally ripping our Manticore apart.

Being splattered by a massive splash of blood, the surprised-looking Fluttershy finally averted her gaze from the fighting ponies and manticores and turned her attention towards us. Fluttershy's body and mane have now been blood stained and if that wasn't macabre enough, the Manticore's head rolled on the now greasy marble floor and came to a hold right in front of that astonished Pegasus-pony.

Worried I watched her staring at the lifeless eyes of her former friend, like being in trance. Her eyes widened more and more and her mouth dropped open without making a sound, but it seemed like her mind refused to accept the death of her feral friend, even though the proof was literally presented to her. Still staring at the skull of the once proud creature, tears dripped down onto the floor, mingling with the blood that covered it. A whole cataract broke loose as the thought slowly advanced towards the center of her brain.

Meanwhile the other Manticores had interrupted their battle with the ponies as they noticed that their comrade has fallen. Driven by their savage bloodlust and blinded by pure rage, they abandoned their former pony opponents, now going for the murderer of their friend. Seeing their mad eyes being fixed at the pony, I realized that revenge would be the only thought left in their mind. They wanted to shred the pony being responsible, to pieces and deep down I couldn't blame them. Although I was upset, too, I was also shocked by the feral expression of the creatures, who had seemed so calm before. Like a flash, I remembered who they really were - wild deadly creatures from the Everfree Forest.

Unfortunately for them, their blind hatred fueled Sombra's power even more, making it easy for him to quickly trap and kill them all at once. Now the whole throne-room was a mess. Floor, walls and ceiling were covered by sticky red liquid and chunks of meat covered the formerly antique-looking red carpet.

Fluttershy, still seeming in her paralyzing trance, averted her gaze from the lifeless Manticore skull and lifted her head. She slowly cast she gazed around, looking at the remains of her Manticore friends spread across the whole room. She then turned towards us. While I had lowered my weapon, being unable to lift it, confronted with such horror, Sombra inspected his cape and commented:

"Awww, now I have to wash my gown again-"
With a disgusted expression, he picked up his crimson cape and tried to wipe the Manticore guts off the fabric.

Still within her trance, Fluttershy watched him rub his cape, as the thought of her dead friends finally reached the core of her mind. Her facial expression changed to a terrifying mug as the fuse of her sanity got blown, letting her feel nothing else than hatred.

Yes, even I was scared of her that moment and I bet almost everypony else would be, too. And I thought I was shocked by the behavior of the Manticores, Fluttershy's tantrum concussed me much much more.

She faced Sombra directly straddle-legged, aggressively stomping her hooves onto the stone floor, with no indication of the fear or anxiety she had felt before.

At first I only heard a whispering, barely audible, but then the whisper got louder, repeating the same sentence over and over again:

"..... You killed my friends- You killed my friends! YOU KILLED MY FRIENDS!"

Knowing deep down inside, that I couldn't reach her anymore I tried it nevertheless.

"Fluttershy, no! Calm down or else he will win!"
I screamed at her, but she didn't seem to hear me. She also didn't look at me. She just continued to stare at Sombra, screaming her sentence repeatedly, with a fire in her eyes, burning brighter than the sun itself.

"You have killed my friends, NOW I'LL KILL YOU!"

With steaming nostrils, she wildly rushed over to Sombra, ready to avenge her friends and to be honest, I had no doubt that she actually would, looking at her scary face.

With a snap of his hoof Sombra just said:

"Gotcha!"

The grin on his face grew even wider, watching how the black shroud that once was Fluttershy's shadow covered the enraged pony in movement, turning her into yet another slave. The formerly burning anger she displayed a second before instantly got replaced by that well known vacant face expression.

Sombra began to laugh. He laughed and laughed so maniacally, like he would never stop laughing again. He had won. Now nothing could ever stop him anymore. Sombra has beaten the most powerful ponies of this land: Celestia, Twilight Sparkle, the rest of the Element-bearer, General Star Stripe and the whole Canterlotian Force. The number of his followers grew with the amount of desperation he had caused. How could I have ever stopped a monster like him, when even the mightiest ponies couldn't?
Who was I kidding, I never had a chance in the first place. Coming here, rushing right into battle now seemed like the wishful thinking of a foolish foal.

Foal-- The word echoed in my head as a surge of desperation rushed over me. I failed to save everypony who trusted me. I failed to save the General, I disappointed Princess Cadence, I failed the citizens of both Canterlot and Ponyville and I failed to save Fortitude and her unnamed foal. Those brave manticores died because I have sent them into their certain doom. Why did they trust me in the first place? What did they see in me? I am a regular earth-pony with no special talent, so why did they even confide in me?

Having a major mental breakdown, I collapsed right onto the bloodstained stone-floor and dropped my sword. The clattering sound, reverberated from the walls, echoed through the entire throne-room. It was also the sound of my weapon that reminded Sombra of my presence. After he had laughed for several minutes, he stopped and turned towards me.

"Well, it seems like you are the only pony left. How does it feel? Are you feeling lonely now?"

He tilted his head and showed the widest grin I have ever seen until then.

"I must admit, that you surprised me. I mean, you managed to come here, getting past all the obstacles I have thrown in your way. You even fought quite skillfully back there, but in the end it didn't even matter, did it? However I must say you achieved quite a lot for some random low rank guard pony, like you. Maybe I should put you in charge of my army, as a reward for your determination and willpower? You can lead my troops, when I attack the Griffon Empire. Can you picture it? Soon the whole world will bend their knees in front of me-"

He smiled at me, meaning every word he just said. While imagining a world being ruled by this monster my hopelessness grew even more.

"Ah yes, I can feel your desperation. I can smell the frustration inside of you, the doubt, the shame, the helplessness-"

He was right. There was nothing left inside of me, than desperation and frustration. I tried my very best to save everypony, but like he said, in the end it didn't even matter. All the strength and willpower I may have possessed before, was now vanished and gone.

Sombra just stood there, looking down on me, enjoying his victory. It appeared like he was in no rush to convert me. Maybe he just wanted someone to talk to, before he turns me into one of his followers. Even now he continued to mock me, saying:

"You know, the Elements are very powerful, but its greatest strength is also the greatest weakness. Friendship is the catalyst... You need all of your friends to wield the raw power, but friendship can be easily destroyed. If one friend is absent or dead, the Elements are useless. One lie, one thought of mistrust and the Elements are useless. Luna and Celestia did a mistake by splitting them, because the more ponies you need to use them, the more vulnerable it gets, don't you agree? But I have purged that flaw. Now that the Elements are under my command, friendship is no issue anymore."

Each time he said the word 'friendship', he emphasized it like a virulent disease.

"So any ideas how I should call my very own Elements of Harmony now? Elements of Disunion, for example? Or maybe Elements of Hopelessness? How about Elements of Antagonism? Ah come, on you are not helping much-" he chuckled.

Kneeling on that cold floor I weakly lifted my head to look at him. Still he was cattily smiling at me, making the most of his triumph.

"Since it seems like you will not be very conversational, I might end this once and for all, now, what do you think? Father will be so proud of me."

I didn't reply. I lowered my head again resigning to my fate. Without haste Sombra slowly stepped near me, with his horn alight. I could see his reflection in the puddle of blood I was kneeling in front of. Then that reflection got churned by a plated hoof that stepped in the puddle I was gazing and his mirror image blurred.

"Now it will be finally over-" Sombra whispered with a soft voice, like he was talking to a child that he was sending to sleep.

The puddle's surface calmed down, so I could see his reflection again. He was now standing only a couple of inches in front of me, slowly lowering his horn to do his unholy conversion-spell.

Soon I will join my comrades, either in death or in eternal slavery, I thought. They fought so bravely, even when facing certain doom. Nopony nor Griffon or Buffalo will be save again, not even powerful creatures like the ones of the Everfree Forest, who also had put their trust in me. Every living creature will face his wrath and I couldn't do anything to prevent that. Soon he will find Fortitude and her unnamed foal and turn them into his vacant zombies. Such a pity, the foal had lost its father and now it will lose its future, too. Thinking about him, the void within me expanded even more. Why him? He was an innocent foal, he didn't do anything to deserve this fate, nor did his mother. All because of one sick bastard, who finds pleasure in destroying other ponies lives.

No!
I won't let this happen! I won't give in just like that. Everypony and every creature supported me, they trusted me, I can't just give up! My comrades fought till their last breath, so why should I just surrender now? When I meet Sergeant Feint and General Star Stripe again, I want to look them in the eyes, without remorse. I will stand tall and fight till my last breath. I have made my decision, it was all Sombra's fault and he will go down, I thought back then.

Having another quick look at the reflection of the King, I noticed that I only had a split second left to react - and I did.

I quickly summoned every strength and willpower that was left in me, jumped to my hooves and with all my might, I punched him right into his face. This happened in a flash and caught Sombra completely by surprise, so he had no time to change himself into this smoke-like cloud, to prevent me hitting him.

My punch forced him to tumble backwards as a current of blood spurted out of his shattered nose. Groaning he stared at the blood on his hooves - his own blood. Regaining his composure and holding a hoof in front of his face to cover his nasty bleeding nose, he stared at me with bloodlust in his eyes.

"Argh- you filthy scum! You devious rat! You- you will pay for that! Nopony sheds royal blood and emerge unscathed. Your agony will reach unimagined dimensions and no pleading for death will save you from my wrath, boy! Your guts will decorate this room, when I am-"

His voice trailed off as he interrupted his tirade of hate when he noticed the triumphant grin on my face, while I was holding a black gem in my hoof, which was shaped like a heart.

While jumping forwards punching him with my right hoof, the left one had grasped the Crystal-Heart that was still hanging around his neck. With him stumbling backwards and me pulling it towards me, the necklace tore apart leaving the black gem in my hoof. My body and especially my hoof, were still trembling, because of the adrenaline rush that pumped through my veins. It felt so good to finally be able to remold the face of this arrogant sack of shit. With my victory so close, I allowed myself to unleash all the hatred I felt for him. For all the lives he has taken, for all the pain he has caused, this will be his end.

Sombra was obviously surprised to see the Crystal-Heart in my possession, because he looked down to check if it was still hanging down his neck - which it wasn't, of course.

Although I would have liked to savor the moment a little longer, I knew that I had no time to do so. Soon he would launch his counterattack to retrieve the gem and I didn't want to experience his wrath.

"Ha! Now it is over, Sombra! Come on Crystal-Heart, finish him!" I yelled to the black gem in my hoof, but nothing happened.

"Come one, come one, come on!"
I shook it, but the Crystal-Heart didn't respond.

"Crystal-Heart please, imprison him, banish him, kill him, I don't care, just DO SOMETHING!"
I continued to shake the jewel in my hoof, turned it around, lifted it high above my head but still nothing happened. I stared at the gem's polished black surface, that reflected my baffled face, but at that moment it just seemed like a black heart, shaped from an onyx stone to me.

"Oh let me guess, you thought by obtaining the Heart from me you would instantly win?"

Holding his bleeding nose, Sombra started to laugh venomously. Hatefully I stared at him, wishing he would just choke because of his laughing fit or die of a heart attack or whatever, then I turned my attention back at the useless black gem in my hoof. After his laughter subsided, Sombra's mocking grin returned, while he spoke up:

"It seems like the corruption has finally reached the core. That Princess nag has finally lost all hope and now her precious Crystal-Heart is useless. With this treasure under my command, I'll be invincible. Nothing can ever stop me!" He lifted his hoof straight up in the air and laughed once again, basking in his victory.

"No! Why? Why now?"
I wearily whispered to nopony in particular, falling to my haunches, being unable to stay on my hooves. All strength and willpower I had left vanished in a flash, while my sight blurred because of the tears that filled my eyes. I felt so weak, so alone. My body felt like it was entirely made of plumb.

"I thought I could beat him. I got the damn Crystal-Heart, so why it didn't work? I thought without him Equestria can be a safe place, again." I cried out loud frustrated.

Why didn't it work? Cadence said, when I get it, everything's gonna be alright. She said, that I wouldn’t need magic or anything else. Wait, no... she said I need a pure heart for the Crystal-Heart to function. By the stars, I was so stupid! All this time, I thought of it like a weapon to harm Sombra. I hated him for all the things he has done and I wanted the Heart to punish him for his sins. It was my own fault! Those were no pure-hearted emotions at all and so the gem refused to help me. In the end it wasn't Sombra who doomed ponykind, it was me being so foolish. Silent tears streamed down my face and mingled with blood on the floor. My assertiveness and courage came at the price of anger and hatred, I realized.

"Now if you would do me the favor and just die-" Sombra called, while charging up his horn with deadly green magic.

I continued crying, with my limbs feeling so numb, while Sombra used the pause to rear up, preparing himself to give me the final blow. However, I didn't care anymore. I went all out and failed because of my stupid mistake. I wasn't frustrated that I couldn't beat him, I now was frustrated that I couldn't save anypony, not even Fortitude's family at least, even though I managed to obtain what was my goal. I had won the game, but lost the war. I thought about Fortitude's unnamed foal. It will never live a happy life, never experience the joy and pain of growing into a stallion. It's future lost because of me. It wasn't self-pity what I felt, it was pity for everyone else. All those ponies who will never be able to be free from his will again.

"I am sorry..." I whispered.

Suddenly a soft shiver slowly went right through my body, covering it entirely with goose bumps, when it reached my tail. Through the shroud of salty drops I saw Sombra summoning several crystalline shards that hovered in mid-air, with his horn ablaze with unholy green magic, however now he seemed to move in slow motion. Maybe that was the final moment, when you see your life rushing by, before you make your last breath? It was kinda funny though, seeing him move so slowly, it even made me smile a little.

Once again another vibration shook my body, but stronger this time. Meanwhile Sombra lowered his head, his horn aiming at me.

At least I'd be dead and so he wouldn't be able to use me as a tool to hurt other ponies. A cold comfort, yet it was a relief somehow.

Another even stronger concussion erupted my body, like a recurring pulse and the intervals seemed to precipitate. There also was that sound, that was ringing in my ears with every new pulse that traveled through my body. What was that sound? And why did it get louder and faster every second? It sounded almost like a heartbeat. It must have been my own heartbeat, increasing itself at death's door, I thought.

No, that wasn't it. My legs were trembling-- No only one leg was trembling-- I looked at my shaking leg. My gaze wandered from shoulder along my leg, before it reached that gem in my hoof again.

With wide opened eyes I noticed that there was a soft glow of blue, below the black surface, like a spark that got frozen beneath a cover of murky ice. The crystal was vibrating and the heartbeat that I felt wasn't my own, since it seemed to come from inside of that strangely pulsating jewel. Suddenly I felt a comfortable warmth, which spread through my body, starting with my leg that was holding the gem. The blue glow, that was trapped in its crystalline prison, intensified with every new pulse, like the spark was coming closer to the surface.

"I will shred you to pieces!"
Sombra screamed, now done with his preparations. Obviously he was tired of using his shadow-magic against me and reverted back to his trademark spells. A wall of hundreds of deadly sharp crystalline blades hovered in front of him, impossible for me to dodge. I knew that there was no way to block or escape, however I was still awed by the strange behavior of the jewel in my left hoof. He wasn't going to just kill me, no, those crystals appeared to be much more deadly that the tendrils he used to summon. The sharp blades were going to penetrate me, mangle me and rip my whole body apart. He was going to mutilate me as a punishment, just like he had promised.

"... I won't ask you again to beat him for my sake. I don't want glory, respect or vengeance anymore, I just want peace for everyone. I don't care what is going to happen to me. Take my soul if you must," I whispered to the glimmering gem in my hoof.

His dark projectiles rushed forwards, ready to impale me, but then another of those heartbeat-like pulses shook my body and the blue spark burst through the dark ice-like surface of the Crystal-Heart with a shattering glass-breaking sound. An aura of blue light surrounded me, illuminating the whole throne-room. The deadly crystals that were going to rip me apart, just vanished when they touched the bluish light, like ice melting in the bright sunlight would. The warmth that surrounded my body intensified with every additional heartbeat, just like the brightness of the blue light. It felt great!

"What? No! Impossible! I won! My darkness corrupted it!"
I heard Sombra's astonished scream, seeing me being surrounded by a pulsating blue aura of warm energy. For the first time, I could see some kind of fear on his face, and this time it was not acted, but the true horror he was feeling, as he stared at the blue light, the gem and now my own body emitted.

"No, it was my corruption, my darkness, not yours..." I slowly explained to him.

Still the beating of the Crystal-Heart increased both in speed and intensity and a strange energy was building up deep within me, which reached even the smallest cells of my body. A pleasant warmth spread through my body, which felt like the love a mother felt for her child. With the next pulse, that got emitted by the jewel, the feeling changed and I sensed the love a colt felt for his wife instead and the next pulse showed me the love between siblings. With each additional pulse I empathized the love or friendship of different ponies, the gem had absorbed over the centuries.

"Let us save them together..."

The energy within me had almost reached a critical mass, like a pressure pot, ready to burst. Then, finally, the feeling inside of me literally exploded and a gigantic blast wave of blue warm light erupted from me, not only enlightening the throne-room, but it seemed like even the farthest corner of Equestria. .

"That's IMPOSSIBLE!!!"

A massive shock-wave rolled over the dark King's body, which dismantled it, looking like light sand that got sputtered and blown away by a soft breeze of wind.

"Darkness can’t be defeated! Say my name! I am darkness! Fear my return--"

The echo of Sombra's voice now sounded like a mere whisper in my ears, before it faded entirely.
However, I gave in to that warm feeling that had wrapped me within its tender grasp. I have never felt so safe, so secure, ever before. The love of generations, that was stored up inside of the gem now filled my body and I just closed my eyes, enjoying the feeling of such pure love, hardly noticing that the presence of Sombra was long gone.

"Thank you so much..." I said, crying like a little foal.

*****

The ground was scorched in a mile wide radius. This once flourishing meadow, now got turned into an ashy wasteland. Even if it appeared to be a desolated green plain, there still were many life forms living hidden beneath the canopy of grasses, like bugs and lizards, but now all of them who couldn't escape the area in time got torched. I have heard their silent screams before the flames consumed their bodies. So many innocent lives obliterated in only a second and so many more that might follow if nopony stops the tantrum of my sister. Not only bugs and lizards will die, ponies too, or even griffins or other creatures. She has taken enough lives already!

Several craters, of different sizes covered the ashy steaming area just as the swath of my star beam. Both, my sister and me, were badly injured. Bleeding cuts, burns and bruises covered both of our staggering dirt stained bodies. The battle has been quite intense and I haven't felt so tired in ages, but still I managed to keep up with my sister. Both of us breathed heavily, now staring at each other after our last clash, with glowing horns, not giving up our combat stances. The fatigue was printed right onto Celestia's face, but I was very tired myself, too. If the battle doesn't finish soon, I didn't know how long I could have gone on. Sooner or later, one of us would make a major mistake that will settle this conflict for good. I just had to push myself a bit more, only a tiny bit more, since this will be over soon, by one way or another.

With my hooves firmly planted on the ashy ground, I thought about my next move. I knew that because of the ash, which will manure the ground, the meadow will recover soon, growing an even more impressive green carpet. Life will always find a way to recover, given enough time. It was up to me, now, to make sure nature was granted the time necessary.

Both of us used the break to take a breather, while I was trying to come up with a plan. I knew that I couldn't beat her with raw power, so I needed a smarter approach, a way to catch her off guard. She on the other hoof seemed to think about a way to slow me down, because until this moment, I was able to dodge or parry even her most powerful spells.

Some ponies seemed to think, that Celestia's powers were vastly superior to mine, which is only partly true. She indeed has very powerful magic, much more powerful than mine, I admit. However, while she had always focused on only a few spells to master, I on the other hoof liked the diversity. Being the Princess of the Moon increased my already wide toolbox even more, since the moon controls the tides, humidity in general and sometimes even the mood of some ponies. While my spells weren't as impressive as those of my sister, I had a wider range to choose from. Controlling humidity also enabled me to draw the dampness from the ground or the air, forming it into all sorts of water or wind related shapes. Long story short, my ability to perform weather related spells outperformed Celestia's significantly.

I gazed at her, examining every detail of her body, looking for something I might use as an advantage - and I found what I was looking for. It appeared like she had hurt her left leg, because there was a slight bleeding scratch near her knee. I maybe have been able to wound her during our last clash, or the fall had. It was nothing lethal of course, but something to build a strategy upon.

A slight breeze browsed over the now lifeless ground, letting the ash float around - and I got my plan worked out.

I changed my stance, now standing straight with spread wings and my head lifted up high. Surprised Celestia blinked, tensing up her body, expecting me to do something - and I did.

I summoned my weather abilities to generate a gusting wind, that quickly vacuumed up the entire ash that had covered the warm ground, before I send it right towards my sister. Upon impact, my little twister literally exploded, covering Celestia into a gray opaque cloud of ash. Of course it was an easy task for her to create another wind gust that blew away the gray curtain that blinded her, so she could breathe easily again. However I used the short period of her blindness, and created several long spear-like ice-shards, that now levitated in the air on either of her sides. I wasted no time and send my pointy projectiles flying towards her, since she had already cleared her sight again and noticed what I was able to pull off. She lifted her head, and with a glowing horn, she emitted a heat wave to melt each ice-shard, before they could reach and harm her in any way.

But I already expected her to do just that. With her being distracted by my projectiles, I quickly teleported next to her. After she got rid of the threatening shards, she turned towards me again, surprised to see me standing right next to her. I wasted no time and forcefully rammed my shoulder right into her side. She was forced to stumble sidewards, so she wouldn't lose her balance, therefore putting most of her weight onto her left hoof. I send a short silent prayer to my moon, that I was right with my previous assumption and luckily it actually worked.

Celestia strained her wounded leg too much and a jolt of pain rushed through her body, easily visible from her pinched mouth. My horn got charged with magic, ready to pile the pressure some more. I then shot a bolt of energy towards her, hitting her right in the side. It wasn't strong enough to take her out, besides she used a small force-field to protect herself, but that wasn't what I wanted in the first place. Instead she now lost her balance completely, and the subsequent explosion of my blast knocked her to the ground.

I then quickly jumped on top of her, bearing down her legs with my hooves and focused my magic to keep her that way. I also lowered my glowing horn, putting the tip at her carotid, like a warrior would put his sword at the neck of a beaten foe. Pinned down to the ground like this, Celestia turned her head away to avoid my horn pricking into her soft white-coated skin. Who’d known that after all this powerful magic thrown at her, such a simple maneuver could finally bring her to her knees?

"Such a filthy trick, sister. So you can only beat me by cheating?!",
I ignored her and replied instead:

"I thought I was smart enough, but I just made the same mistake, you did so many centuries ago. I should have seen it coming, I should have been there for you, but I didn't. Forgive me for being so blind."

"Get off of me, you blasted minx!", she shouted, struggling.

My view blurred because of the tears, that gathered in my eyes. My voice got piercing and sobby, pleading for forgiveness as I tried to explain to her, what I was going to do.

"Celestia, please forgive me. I can't think of a prison cell, that could contain your raw power, nor do I have the Elements of Harmony at hoof to banish you, like you did with me. I can't let you go, either."

Without looking up, I summoned down several more stars from the sky, that collided with the fireballs Celestia had silently called down from her sun, to escape my iron grip. As the cosmic bullets collided, the fireballs exploded being neutralizing by my friends. In the meantime Celestia struggled to break free, but I just intensified my grip on her limbs, to keep her down, which obviously caused her pain. I knew, that I wouldn't have been able to keep her down like this, if she wasn't that tired. Maybe the dozens of cream cakes my sister loved that much, came in my favor, too, by limiting her endurance.

"I am so sorry Tia, I wish there was another way! I really wish, I had another option, but as it is now, I can't think of another solution... I love you Celestia! I always have, even now after everything you did. Please understand, that you left me no other option. I can't think of another way out of this mess. I am so sorry, but for the sake of our subjects, I have to kill you..."

My tears dripped down onto her body moistening her dirty coat, as my voice trailed off. She remained silent, obviously stunned by my words. She then struggled even more in panic, with her head turned to the side. My horn at her throat charged up, now streaking with electricity. I was about to unload all my remaining might right into the trapped body of my sister, but before I could deliver the final blow, a shockwave of bluish warm light rushed over us.

I blinked in surprised, since I didn't expect something like that to happen. I wasn't quite sure if that was another failed attempt of my sister to break free, yet the magic felt very different from what I was used to.

"I understand and I forgive you, Luna," my sister then softly whispered barely audible, with her head still turned away from me, however I could clearly see the silent tears, that dripped down her cheeks. She had quit her struggle as well, as like she was accepting her fate.

"Do it, sister. I deserve it for all the horrible things I have done. I love you, too, Luna. Please make it quick."

My horn was now fully charged up and I knew pulling the trigger, would end my sister's life, but I hesitated. I just didn't understand what happened. One moment, my sister insulted me and struggled to break free from my grip, sending deadly meteors to aid her in her escape, but now she quit all the fighting and spoke to me with a soft voice so full of sorrow.

"C- Celestia?!"

"Yes, Luna. I am so proud of you. You were right, I was too blind to see how much you have matured. You've become such a strong and wise mare and your loyalty to our subjects goes so far, that you would even kill your only sister to prevent any harm to them. I am so proud of you, Luna. You will be a much better ruler for them, than I ever could."

A smile covered her face, as she closed her eyes, apparently waiting for her execution. Still tears were dripping down her cheek, forming a small puddle on the ground beneath her head.

My confusion reached undreamed levels, but still I held her down tightly, just in case that this was an unfair trick. However she didn't even try to break free anymore and the more she said, the more I doubted, that this was the same Celestia that was fighting me with her solar fire, before. The same that was even willing to throw the moon at me. The blue light must have cleansed her mind somehow, I figured.

My trail of thoughts suddenly got interrupted, as a minor explosion of bright light happened next to me, causing a banging sound. Astonished, I averted my gaze from my sister, seeing how a Draconequss, equipped with a straw hat, wearing sunshades and a colorful Haywaiian shirt emerged from the smokescreen the bright white spark had caused, a second later. He put his large suitcase, which was covered by stickers of different cities of Equestria, on the ground, saying:

"Helloooooo Ladies! Oh you were so right, Luna, a round trip through Equestria was a very good idea. So much has changed, during my petrification and it was nice to revisit the different corners of this country. And as promised, Celestia, I didn't harm anypony.... um well maybe I did harm that one pony in Manehattan a teeny tiny bit.."

He made a gesture with his lion pawn, to show us how tiny his one-off actually was, by putting thumb and foreclaw closely together.

"- But that colt deserved it, since he just bullied a little foal, when I was walking by. Such a pity for him, that a garbage cart happened to stand, right where he was landing with his face upside down... Oh you should have seen his face after he landed in the junk - Priceless!"

Now he started to laugh, slapped his knee and then wiped away a tear of joy, as he remembered his little prank in Manehattan.

"You won't be mad at me, will you Celestia? Because I brought you a souvenir and-"

During his monologue, he didn't even look at us, since he was too occupied in his report, but now he turned towards us. His voice trailed off as he noticed, how I was sitting on top of my sister, still forcing her to the ground.

"Errrr.. what are you two doing?"

Now he seemed to become more aware of his surroundings, as he cast his gaze around, while lifting his sunglasses, with his head spinning in circles until it looked like a corkscrew. His head and neck remained in that unnatural position for a moment, before it began to spin rapidly, unsticking itself until it reached its original position. His before cheerful mood got replaced with an angry one, indicated by his darkening face expression.

"Ah that is just too great... I am not allowed to spread chaos, but you do it when you think I am not looking? That is so unfair, you know that?" he remarked aggrieved. Obviously he had noticed the damaged ley lines around us.

Not knowing what to reply, I looked at my sister instead. By turning my attention to the newly appeared Discord, I also removed my horn from Celestia's throat, to be able to look at him. With her newly gained freedom, she as well had turned to the Spirit of Chaos. Our eyes met and she seemed to be just as confuses of the situation as I was. I finally snapped out of my confusion, addressing him instead.

"Discord, Sombra has returned and cursed Celestia to be his slave."

"Sombra? That always grumpy shadow-pony? I know him all too well, actually. He is no fun to hang around with, don't you know, my dear? I, on the other hand, am a much more pleasant company, compared to him. You should have asked me instead."

"No you don't understand, he returned to seek vengeance. He killed a whole bunch of ponies, while doing so."

“Yeah he has always been that overzealous, but come on…”

He didn't seem entirely convinced as he addressed us, since he just stared at us with a leery face. Instead he snapped with two claws and reappeared, within that white flash, right next to us, now bending down over Celestia. He stared her deep into the eyes for a brief moment, then he pushed his ear nearer to her head and knocked onto it several times, with his knuckles. He then scratched his chin with a claw, before he said:

"Nah, she isn't cursed, that would sound different," he replied-

"You mean, she isn't controlled by Sombra anymore?"

"If she ever was, now she isn't anymore..." he just explained with a shrug.

I looked at my sister again and stared her deeply into her eyes. It was true, I couldn't find any sign of hatred or rage, nor any dark emotion. All I could sense, was sorrow and guilt. I had the feeling, that this would be the case, before, but I haven't dared to let her go that easily, always expecting a trick to fool me. However Discord's 'analysis' utterly convinced me, so I let go of her legs and stepped away from her.

She slowly got back onto her hooves, but she dodged my glare entirely.

"Discord, can you revive the fallen ponies, Sombra's vendetta has caused?" I asked him, averting my gaze from my sister.

"No, I am afraid I can't. I am a spirit of disorder, not restoration. Bringing somepony back from the dead lies beyond my abilities. The one who might have been able to do so died ages ago, but I might be able to treat and heal the ponies who are still alive."

Celestia stepped towards Discord, prostrating in front of him and plead with a meek voice:

"Please Discord, I beg you, do your best to heal every wounded pony and revert the destruction of Canterlot, as good as you can. Please, undo the terrible things I have done."

"Will you finally cheer up, if I do so, my dear? I feel strange, seeing my favorite pestering victim with a frown, that I didn't cause, " he replied with an encouraging smile before a new set of nurse uniform appeared on his body.

Celestia silently lowered her head, slightly tilting it to the side, before she shook it weakly.