Cleaning Darkness
Chapter 19: Breaking Barriers

By: Major Frostwing

I continued to sit there staring at Dash's unmoving body. The world around me seeming to feel ice cold as I finally moved making my way over to Dash. I turned her over looking her over only to see a dark splotch crawling across the side of her face. "I can absorb the magic. If I take the ma-" My head turned as I saw my right arm laying on the ground nearly skeletalized from the magical burnout. I turned back to Dash tightening my grip on her.

"This was unforeseen but not unwanted. I was going to take the elements out after dealing with the Princesses but I guess I can check this off of my list now." I heard Shackle say as he began to circle us. "That spell I hit her with was meant for you Jon. It is quite an intricate spell designed to corrode the body using your own dark magic." I pressed my forehead against Dash's as I took a few deep breaths. "A shame that she saved you from that fate only to suffer it herself."

"Come on Dash you are stronger than this." I whispered as I shook her slightly. "Come on... Please." I held her tight against me. "No god please not another one. Don't take another one from me." My breath hitched in my throat as I felt tears sting my eyes.

"Come now Jon." I felt a kick to the side of my head knocking me away from Dash. "No time for tears on this day. I am about to make history after all. I WILL SUCCEED WHERE ALL ELSE HAVE FAILED! I WILL KILL THE ELEMENTS OF HARMONY!" Shackle kicked Dash in the side knocking her away as he cackled. I slowly got to my feet staggering over to Dash as I collapsed over top of her. "Trying to protect her with your body will not save her Jon. I WILL JUST GO THROUGH YOU!" Shackle Raised Umbra about to bring it down when I flipped over raising my left arm as Umbra slammed on my bare flesh only for a magical explosion to launch Shackle away. I looked at my arm seeing it glow a gentle blue before it faded. An idea shot through my head as I looked down at Dash's element smiling.

"Thank you Dash you just saved all of us." I said as I unclasped Dash's element looking it over before resting it over my own wrist as pain rocketed through my body. I couldn't help but yell out in pain as the element clasped and locked on my arm. "You can hurt me as much as you like but I need to do this. I just need one shot." I said as I unsheathed Solaris getting to my feet.

"YOU GOT LUCKY JON! THAT WILL NOT HAPPEN TWICE!" Shackle roared out as he stomped his way towards me. I rested Solaris on my shoulder getting ready.

"YOU WILL NOT WIN SHACKLE SO HELP ME GOD! IN THE NAME OF LOYALTY AND ALL OF EQUESTRIA I WILL BRING YOU DOWN!" All the pain coursing through me ceased as Moon was forcefully ejected from my body. Solaris began to glow brighter and brighter. The blade began to shift through all the colors of a rainbow coursing with power as I felt my wounds close and heal. "Just one shot. Better make it count." Shackle charged forward swinging with all of his might as I stopped his attack with Solaris. Our blades locked together as I got face to face with Shackle.

"This little farce will not stop me Jon." Shackle growled out as I cocked a smile.

"You are feeding off a power that is not yours Shackle it is you who is a farce." I flicked my finger as Shackle was launched backwards. "MOON!" I boomed as I looked over my shoulder at her. She looked up at me fear in her eyes. "Get Dash out of here and keep them safe. I got some shit to settle with this fake." I turned back as my skeletal arm returned to me sans the crystals. The arm reattached before healing over completely. I flexed my right hand looking it over before turning my attention to Shackle as he made a mad dash for me. I cracked a smile as I flicked my wrist seizing him in my magic grasp. Shackle roared in pain as I began to crush him in the harmony magic.

"You are near death. Without your stupid dark magic. YOU SHOULD BE WEAK AND PATHETIC! WHERE ARE YOU GETTING THIS POWER!?" Shackle roared as I sighed raising Solaris up.

"Let's just say you did the one thing you should not have done. You took something precious from this world." I took off like a rocket winding up my swing as I hit Shackle in the shoulder cutting right through him. He took a few steps back no harm done to him.

"I knew it. That blade can't hurt me. I AM INVINCIBLE!" Shackle began to cackle manically as I rolled my eyes as he took aim to launch a spell only for nothing to happen. "WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS!?" He continued to try and force a spell only for nothing to happen.

"Solaris doesn't cut physically. It cuts Ethereally. I just temporarily cut off your magic flow. Normally I don't use Solaris because even with someone using magic I can tear them apart but with that damned armor nearly getting me killed I thought I should even the playing field." I grabbed Shackle by his armor as I flipped him over my shoulder slamming him down to the ground with such force he bounced. On Shackle's way up I raised my leg putting him back to the ground with a stomp. "Not as much fun when you are on the receiving end is it?" I asked As I swung Solaris straight down only for Shackle to roll away. "NOW THAT WE GOT A REAL FIGHT LET'S FUCKING GO!" I roared charging forward.

"Sweet Faust." I said as I watched Dash take the hit for Jon. Luna was watching with me as Jon made his way over to her. Luna went to step forward when I seized her shoulder. "No Luna Jon told us to control the army while he dealt with Shackle. He can still do this." I said as I watched Jon get kicked aside.

"Sister this is a lost fight Jon has no weapon and no magic. If we do not interfere both he and Dash will die." Luna said ripping her shoulder free Only to cut down another soldier. "Are we just to let them die?" Luna asked as a blinding flash caught our attention. We both turned to look at Jon as he seized Dash's element before attaching it to his arm.

"DEAR GOD JON NO! DON'T DO IT!" I yelled as Light began to radiate from Jon as he stood drawing Solaris off his back.

"YOU WILL NOT WIN SHACKLE SO HELP ME GOD! IN THE NAME OF LOYALTY AND ALL OF EQUESTRIA I WILL BRING YOU DOWN!" Jon roared as we saw Moon being forced out of Jon as the light only got brighter.

"No Jon the element will reject you and without your magic..." Luna said as she went to move forward again only for me to grab her again.

"He knows the risks Luna. All we can do is hope his one shot hits." I said as Luna looked away only to charge back into the thick of combat. She did not want to witness what was about to occur and if I was being honest with myself. Neither did I.

"Dash you fool. What were you thinking?" I muttered as I watched Jon fighting with his new found power. It was painful to watch Jon fighting with a limited amount of magic. A flash of dark purple caught our attention. We looked down to see Moon out of breath holding Dash in her arms.

"She has a dark magic infection I don't know what spell was used and I can't stop it." Moon said fear in her eyes. "Help her please. If she dies then we all lose!" I knelt looking over Dash's wound noticing the dark magic slowly crawling across her body. I went to touch it only for pain to arc up my arm making me recoil.

"Twilight I need your help breaking down this spell." I said as Twilight joined me looking over the corruption closely.

"It's almost like what Jon was going through when he first arrived. When he first connected with Moon. The only problem is that the corruption was in his right hand and we were able to easily isolate it. She was hit in the chest and it is quickly advancing through her body." Twilight said as she rummaged through a bag before producing a purple bracer looking it over closely. "As long as the corruption doesn't fully corrupt her then we can save her. But this will not hold it back forever." Twilight clasped the bracer on Rainbow's arm as she let out a scream of pain. "I know it hurts Dash but deal with this pain it will help you." Twilight said as I looked back at the fight happening below.

"Is there really nothing else we can do?" I asked as I heard the girls step forward setting their hands on the bracer.

"Come on Dash you can pull through this." Party said as I saw her element begin to glow.

"Jon is down there fighting with your element you can't give up on him." Tender said as her own element began to glow.

"Come now Darling show us that toughness you brag about so much." Ruby smiled as her element began the same glow.

"You can't Die yet. Not until we settle that fight." Lasso said her element glowing.

"Come back to us Dash. We all need you." Aura's element began that same glow before they began to pulse with power. I looked down at Jon seeing him begin to radiate light.

"Sweet Faust the elements... They are granting him a shot." I said as I continued to stare at the fight below in amazement.

I found myself standing in a white void. I knew I was fighting Shackle just a second ago what the hell is going on? I turned around to see Dash and the rest of the girls surrounding her. Behind them stood the other bearers of harmony. I couldn't help but smile as tears streamed down my cheeks.

"Rainbow Dash, AppleJack, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rarity, Rose Thorn, Engraved Silver, Calm Wind, Gentle Grace, Apple Blossom." I said as each one looked up at me smiling softly to me as I walked forward When I finally reached them I embraced them tightly. "You have no idea how much I missed you." I said as they all returned the hug.

"We can not talk for long Jon so listen carefully." Rarity began as the others nodded.

"The elements are granting you one shot at their power." Rainbow Dash said with a cocky smile.

"You have to use it to stop Shackle and remove your relic of power." AppleJack said tipping her hat to me.

"You can not miss this one shot." Pinkie Pie said with a giggle.

"You have to succeed." Fluttershy said smiling sweetly to me.

"But I don't even know how to activate the elements. How am I supposed to use this one shot without the spell?" I asked as Thorn chuckled.

"You already have the spell." Silver said smiling to me.

"That awesome sword of yours." Thorn said crossing her arms.

"Your blade was hit by the Harmony Spell." Calm Said adjusting her glasses.

"The spell is imbued with the sword." Grace said with a small giggle.

"Solaris is the key." Apple Blossom said as I looked to each of them.

"Solaris... But what is I miss?" I asked as they each smiled nodding to me.

"You can't miss Jon. Not if you hit him." They all said as the void disappeared as I returned with my blade locked with Shackle's.

I couldn't help but crack a smile as I backed off using my magic to swat Shackle away from me. "I think it is about time we finished this Shackle." I said as I held Solaris at the ready.

Shackle let out a roar for blood as he charged me swinging with all his might with Umbra. I swung upward as Umbra shattered under the force of our attacks. Shackles eyes widened in surprise and fear as I swept his feet out from under him as I brought Solaris down. Solaris impaled Shackle to the ground as he yelled in pain trying to push Solaris out of himself.

"THIS ENDS NOW SHACKLE!" I raised my left hand as my chest began to glow brightly before it traveled down to my left hand which I clenched into a fist. I slammed my fist down on the pommel of Solaris as a bright shock wave of chromatic light shot out engulfing everything around me in it's warm embrace. When the light faded I was standing there over a stone corpse of Shackle my relic of power laying down on the ground next to him. I looked at Solaris only to realize I was holding a decrepit blade that seemed to be wasting away in my grasp. I smiled sadly as the blade turned to ash in my hand. I knelt down picking up my relic walking towards the castle only to stagger slightly. I nearly fell over when someone caught me. I looked up to see Celestia holding me up.

"Jon." She said as I smiled up to her weakly.

"I don't think I got much left in the tank Tia... Mind helping an old fool? Just for a little longer?" I asked as Celestia smiled lifting me up before taking flight to where the girls were. "I really fucked up didn't I?" I asked as Celestia smiled sadly.

"You can make it up to us later Jon. Just hold on a little longer and you will be fine." I nodded my head slowly as we finally touched down where Celestia layed me down on the stone next to Dash.

I looked at Dash seeing that old bracer resting on her left wrist as her skin was nearly black as pitch except that hand. I reached out grabbing it gently. "Thanks for that one shot." I whispered as I pulled myself up seizing the element that rested on my left wrist unlatching it as I secured it to her own wrist. Slowly the darkness slowed as I felt a sudden chill run through my body as Moon returned to me. I still felt old and weak as I set my hand on her forehead. I let out a grunt of pain as the corruption was pulled into me reverting Dash to her normal self. Once the magic was completely pulled out I removed my hand collapsing to the ground once again.

"Jon!" I heard the girls yell as they gathered around me. I still held my relic tightly as I slid my arm into the glove.

"Under the car... The pod. Take me there... I fixed it." I said as darkness crept along my vision. "I'm gonna take a... A nap... Wake me up... later." I closed my eyes as darkness claimed me in an instant.

Author's Note

Double chapter posting because I am bad at making really long chapters. So enjoy. The epilogue is next.

Also! The music for this chapter. It fits the best in my opinion. Enjoy.
Disturbed The Light