The halls of Naxxramas shook violently from the epic battle being waged within its center, The Guardians of Harmony stood fast against Nightmare Moon and the runeblade Frostmourne but the fight seemed to be one sided as the dark princess used the very ice around her as a weapon against the heroes, making it seem to come alive and take shape with just a swing of the sword.

"Watch it!!" Rainbow Dash cried out to the others as a row of ice spikes began chasing them, Pendragon and Twilight casted a shield spell to stop the attack but were nearly blown back had it not been for the others bracing them. Nightmare kept pressing the attack in hopes of overwhelming them with her power.

"Rainbow! Applejack! Flank her!!" Pendragon ordered hoping to catch her by surprise. Both Rainbow and Applejack darted to the side for a pincer attack but were stopped by a second wall of ice that seemed to pop up out of nowhere.

"Nice try." Nightmare smirked before blasting them back with her magic before vanishing in a puff of black smoke crying out.

"Feed my pets!"

Gargoyles and other monstrous creatures began dropping from holes in the ceiling, forcing the group to scatter for a few moments before the dark alicorn returned to the fight but only to watch from a safe distance.

"YOU MISERABLE WENCH!! Fight us yourself!!" The paladin shouted furiously after cutting down one of her minions. In her own twisted way, Nightmare Moon accepted his challenge by forming a wall of ice between him and the others meaning she wanted this to be a one on one duel.

"Now to get back at you for calling me a wench."

"Have at you..." Pendragon wasted no time in exchanging blows with Nightmare Moon and held nothing back as he used both sword and shield in offense and defense with great skill but the dark princess seemed more amused than stunned and even began to smile while matching his every move.

"Impressive but you're still too slow!" Nightmare Moon said while quickly parrying his blade to deliver a cut to his chest, the sharp sting quickly reminded the paladin of his discarded breastplate that layed just across the room.

"Oh look, I've cut you. What a shame." She grinned licking off the blood from the tip before proceeding with her counterattack and began slicing the human all over with a devilish smile while keeping herself at a safe distance.

"Squirm mortal!" She yelled as her attacks became more fierce and even began tossing the human around like a rag doll with her magic until he was barely able to stand. Pendragon dropped his shield to lean against the wall behind him but was barely able to hold onto his sword, it seemed Nightmare Moon had him right where she wanted him.

"There is no shame in defeat, I promise you and your friends will be taken care of." She said trying to sound merciful unaware that Pendragon was slowly regaining his magic.

"Come to your death freely noble Pendragon and let this battlefield drink deep of your blood."

"Oh there will be blood alright..." Pendragon growled while staring her down.

"Cause I'm gonna run you through-YOU VAMPIRE BITCH!!"

The paladin roared as the energy was absorbed into his body forming two magnificent wings that sent Nightmare Moon flying into the wall and scattering her monions, needless to say the others were thrilled to have the odds stacked in their favor and wasted no time in using their powers of the light against Nightmare as well. The dark princess was overwhelmed by the combined powers of the seven knights and seemed to be on the verge of losing when her magic suddenly spiked out of control along with her rage.

"NO!!" With a flap of her wings, she broke through the beams of light and sent the heroes crashing to the ground once more before freezing each of them in a pillar of ice save for Pendragon and Spike who had hid behind a pile of rubble. This was no longer Nightmare Moons power but the power of Frostmourne itself, Nightmare Moons eyes had become shrouded in an icy blue mist, her wings gave off a bone chilling freeze as they opened and the aura of fear that surrounded her seemed more powerful than before.

"Amazing! So this is what the blades true power holds!" Nightmare glanced at her new transformation and was loving every inch of it as she trotted around her new trophies before kicking Quel'Delar out of Pendragons reach.

"Now at last I can have my revenge on Celestia! Once I have killed all seven of you, I will raise you as my champions and together we will bring a new age of darkness upon this land!" Her monologuing was cut short when she saw Pendragon staring up at her defiantly with a chuckle despite his wounds.

"You find this amusing mortal?" She asked while holding him up with her magic and placing Frostmourne against the scar on his chest.

"Oh it's very amusing. You see you forgot something." Pendragon told her while a small shadowy figure began crawling up one of the ice pillars.

"What's that?"

"There are eight of us-NOW SPIKE!!!"

Spike leaped down from the pillar holding Twilight, catching Nightmare Moon off guard as he leaped onto her face. Pendragon quickly grabbed his sword off the ground and with a single swing he shattered Frostmourne to pieces. The destruction of the weapon caused Nightmare to lose all control of her magic as the ice pillars that held Twilight and her friends began to crumble.

"AHHH!!" The dark princess screamed in agony as the dark magic that once filled her body began to evaporate until finally she passed out from exhaustion. All eight knights stood over her with mixed emotions, it seemed simple enough to just stick a blade into her chest after all she did in aiding the scourge however it seemed wrong to just take matters in their own hands.

"What should we do?" Asked Twilight looking at Pendragon.

"I say we put her out of her misery!" Rainbow Dash declared angrily when Pendragon raised his arm stopping her.

"No. She is beaten and besides we still have one more fight ahead of us." He looked towards the entrance leading to Kel'Thuzads chambers and saw they were all completely drained from the previous fight but to simply retreat at this point would only allow the lich to replenish his numbers and recruit new allies thus dragging out the war and that is something the paladin could not allow.

"Twenty years..." Pendragon spoke in a bitter tone.

"For twenty years I lived waiting to avenge my people and my comrades, today Kel'Thuzad shall face the justice he has eluded for so long!"

"Yeah!" The others shouted with their friend as he lead the charge down the hall. They arrived a strange chamber that was dimly lit by a large floating crystal that seemed to be feeding energy into the citadel.

"Is that what I think it is?" Asked Twilight who was still in awe of the large object.

"The heart of the citadel. If we destroy that then the whole place comes crashing down."

"A pity that won't happen." Came a voice from the shadows as the knights circled up ready to attack the first thing that moved.

"Kel'Thuzad! Show yourself!" Pendragon shouted to the shadows only to hear the liches laughter. Fluttershy and Pinkie clinged together as they quivered in fear while Rainbow and Applejack grew anxious trying to find out where the noise was coming from when a sudden blast of icy wind struck them.

"Minions, soldiers, servants of the cold dark, obey the call of Kel'Thuzad!" In an eerie fashion the lich appeared before the heroes and began summoning undead minions from the ground in great numbers.

"It's go time girls!" Rainbow shouted getting ready to charge in as the first wave of undead attacked. Once more the group was forced to scatter to avoid being overwhelmed and divided into teams of two in order to deal with the various monsters surrounding them, Pinkie stayed close to Fluttershy while Rainbow and Applejack took down the strongest of the beasts leaving Rarity and Twilight to deal with the gargoyles hovering in the air while Pendragon stayed close to Spike as they began cutting down a large number of ghouls and skeletons with a combined might of steel and dragon fire.

"How amusing." Kel'Thuzad watched their struggle like a form of sports entertainment before blocking a shot from Twilight who seemed infuriated by his arrogance.

"Your petty magics are no challenge to the might of the scourge. Accept your fate mortals, the end is upon you." The lich seemed confident that his minions would overpower the heroes until all seven became shrouded in a glow of holy light that began illuminating the darkness of the room and burning away the monsters one by one.

"You were saying?" Said Twilight referring to his previous remark before firing off another blast from her horn. Kel'Thuzad was able to block the attack at the last second but was sent staggering back a ways, before he could recover he was then struck by a set of hooves in the back courtesy of Applejack.

"Take that ya bonehead!" She said proudly before Rainbow delivered a flying kick that sent him smashing into the crystal. For a moment their was silence as Pendragon turned his blade to a stabbing position while standing over the lich, slowly he raised Quel'Delar to make sure his aim was precise.

"This ends now!!" With both arms he pushed the blade towards the phylactery; The vessel holding Kel'Thuzad when the chains around him suddenly sprang to life and began coiling themselves around the heroes like snakes.

"ENOUGH!!" The lich bellowed furiously as he tightened the grip on the chains. The ice cold touch and suffocation was slowly sapping the heroes of what strength they had left and the more they struggled the more tight the chains became.

"We...can't give up!" Twilight wheezed trying to focus her magic but could not stay awake long enough to give even a single spark, Rainbow and Fluttershy struggled to fly but their wings were bound and on the verge of being pulled off while Pinkie and Applejack had already passed out from suffocation.

"R-Rarity!!" Spike pulled against the chains around his neck as he reached out for Rarity who was struggling to breathe and was only inches away but eventually he too had succumbed to exhaustion as the chains tightened their grip once more.

"The dark void awaits you, there will be no escape!!" The lich began to cackle madly as he prepared one final spell to finish off the heroes and with this victory all of Equestria would surely fall before him yet even in this grim situation only one knight stood defiant even in the face of death. Pendragon struggled to stay awake as he reached for his sword and like any true paladin he prayed for the one thing he and his friends needed; A miracle.

"Light...grant me one final blessing...give me the strength...to shatter these bonds!" At the moment Pendragons vision began to fade, the holy light began to shine from his body with heat strong enough to melt the chains holding him and his friends captive. Twilight and the others found themselves gasping for air when they noticed their friends transformation as he stomped towards the lich.

"Kel'Thuzad! For the crimes you have commited against the people of Lordaeron and Equestria, for commiting high treason against the mages of the Kirin Tor I hereby sentence you to death!" Pendragon declared as he raised Quel'Delar for one final strike while the lich stood there frozen in fear.

"No...THIS CAN'T BE!" Before he could react, Kel'Thuzad was struck by a blast of holy light that sent him crashing into the crystal moments before Pendragon pierced his chest creating a huge crack, within moments the entire citadel began to rumble as debris fell from the ceiling piece by piece.

"The citadel is going down!!" Twilight shouted after noticing the crack in the crystal was leaking power at a fast rate.

"We gotta get out of here!"

The group ran back the way they came past the falling debris when Applejack noticed Pendragon struggling with the lich who was desperately trying to keep him away from his phylactery.

"You fool! If you don't let me go right now we'll both perish!!" Said Kel'Thuzad trying to reason with him.

"So be it! I'm going to make sure you'll never hurt anyone again!" Pendragon yelled as he yanked out Quel'Delar to deliver the killing blow.

"I'm sending you back to the abyss where you belong!!" With one final thrust, Pendragon shattered the jewel thus destroying Kel'Thuzad once and for all but as he let his guard down the sorcerer lunged at him one last time and pierced his chest with his bony claws. Applejack who had been close by rushed over and pulled him to safety while leaving his blade buried in the lich.

"Come on hurry!!" Pinkie urged her friends on before helping Applejack carry Pendragon. Twilight began casting a teleportation spell to get them out just as the roof began to cave in over their heads.

Below the citadel

All watched as the floating fortress began to fall out of the sky the bricks that once made its massive structure began to crumble onto the city creating a huge dust cloud with a loud rumble that shook the ground, at first their was silence then slowly the soldiers began cheering and raising their arms in triumph.

"They did it...they really did it!"

"VICTORY!!"

A thunderous cheer echoed throughout the entire army, the allied forces of The Alliance and Equestria had claimed victory over the scourge thanks to the efforts of their heroes. A bright flash of purple illuminated appeared in the center of the army revealing Twilight and her friends who seemed worried about something.

"Help!! Somepony help!!" Fluttershy cried out when one of the soldiers saw Pendragons chest soaked with blood.

"Fetch a priest! Quickly!" An officer shouted while helping him lay down. The moment the priest arrived he began to examine the wound carefully for any signs of poisons or dark magics.

"Can ya help him?" Asked Applejack sounding worried.

"He's lost too much blood, we'll have to patch the wound manually. Hurry!!"

Two soldiers rushed over with a stretcher and carried Pendragon back to camp while his friends could only look on with worried expressions on their faces. Hours had passed with not a sound from the medical tent and the only ones to come out were the priest and a few field nurses who had been carrying bloodied bandages and rags from their patients wound until finally one of them called the group over to deliver the news.

"So? How is he doctor?" Twilight asked the question on everyones mind when the medic sat down taking off his cap.

"It's a waiting game now but in all honesty princess I'm not sure he'll last the night."

The friends froze in fear even though they had this experience once before and asked why they couldn't use magic to heal him, the doctor explained that using magic on a wound this severe could cause Pendragon to go into shock which was something they could not risk. Twilight and her friends understood and allowed the doctor to attend his other patients.

"You can see him if you want but he already has a visitor."

Pinkie was the first to peek in and gasped at what she saw; King Varian was sitting next to the wounded paladin having a casual conversation. The friends quietly let themselves in while listening to their conversation as Varian held the hand of Pendragon with a proud smile.

"You have honored your kingdom Pendragon and have fought bravely. Tell me, how can I reward The Alliances greatest champion?"

At first Pendragon could only take a few short breaths before finally speaking to his king.

"If at all possible sire, I wish to remain here." Even at a whisper his friends heard everything and were excited that he chose to stay in Equestria as he continued.

"This place reminds me of home...its rolling hills, grassy fields and trees...it reminds me so much of Lordaeron and...I..."

"You do not wish to leave your friends." Varian guessed correctly as Pendragon nodded in response.

"If that is your wish then I will gladly grant it. Now rest soldier you've earned it."

Varian gently placed his hand on Pendragons chest and left allowing Twilight and the others to keep have their visit. Pinkie had come with some balloons to brighten up the room which seemed to work as the light illuminating the tent reflected their colors, Rarity had come with a newly refurbished cape knowing their would be a big celebration for them once they got home.

"Soon as you get back on your feet it's back to training!" Said Rainbow Dash flexing her front left foreleg making the others giggle.

"And once you get yer strength back you can come live on the farm with me and the family." Applejack said gently placing a hoof on his hand. Pendragon smiled knowing he was able to protect his friends and did not feel the need to speak, when the doctor returned it was time for the friends to leave.

"Get well soon." Fluttershy whispered with a smile before following the others.

As he laid there in his bed, Pendragons thoughts drifted back to when he first met his friends from Pinkies welcome to Equestria party and meeting the citizens of Ponyville to the adventures he shared with his friends but the memory he was most fond of was that of Sweet Apple Acres, he began picturing the sun rising over the green hills and onto the orchards decorating the landscape and the sweet taste of the apple family cider.

"What I would give to have just one more taste..." He whispered to himself with a smile.

In the hours just before dawn, Pendragon had finally succumbed to his wounds and quietly passed away.

End.

Author's Note

Proofread by Wild Balance

There will be a special epilouge hopefully before new years day. Until then.