My Life on a Cassette Tape

I stumbled back a step, breathing heavily. The Dark Stone in my hands felt almost too heavy, but I wasn't about to yield it, I would use it to inflict as much pain on the doctor as possible, even if just by ensuring he wouldn't be able to remove it from his presence. Staring him down, I thought to my recorder, wishing I could use it, though not wanting to risk it. Clicking it on might mean it would lose all power it ever had, seeing as a chunk of antimagic was so close to it. I would have to fight on like this, despite the ever decreasing amount of energy left to me - though the same went for the doctor. We were fighting to a stalemate, and honestly, that was more than I could hope for.

He stumbled after me, his many arms extended out to latch on to me, but a falling step backwards and a swing of my weapon staved off that end as the weapon struck across one of his hands. His many mouths hissed in pain as he shrinked away, giving me something to smile about. I stumbled, planting a shoulder against the large nesting crate, nodding at him with a smirk.

"I'm willing to offer you terms of surrender if you're willing to hear 'em." I said with as much strength as I could muster, which honestly wasn't much.

"I... never... surrender." He said in a chorus of voices that I knew well enough. The fact he sounded far more haggard than I felt was a decent sign, but it could also be a bluff. No chances, no mistakes.

Pushing off the crate, I rolled my shoulders, trying to relieve the tension and fatigue that stung them. "Fine, but don't go saying I didn't give you a chance to taste some mercy. Now all I can guarantee is the taste of Dark Stone and whatever counts for blood with you homunculi." His eyes grew wide as I strode forward, brandishing my weapon menacingly. He shot out one of his arms at me, but I batted it away with the Dark Stone, narrowly spinning out of the way of another attack - looking like some sort of drunken idiot.

"I shan't be defeated!" He proclaimed in a number of voices, all of which were feminine. I chuckled at that... well it was more of a tired chuff as I stared him down, the weight of my fatigue bearing down on me heavily. I lifted the Dark Stone rod, pointing the sharpened end towards him.

"We'll see how long that lasts." I said before diving forward. Reacting with what speed he could muster, I watched as the doctor caught the attack, holding it back shakily with all his arms, straining in the effort. Planting one foot forward, I drove him further back, pushing with all the might that I had left me, straining against my own screaming body as I took another step. Step by step, I closed the distance between him and the life ending stake, a distance he could only increase by matching my steps.

With a roar of fury, I heaved with all my might, taking another step. His eyes widened as it dawned on him what I had truly done, the cool touch of the wall on his back as the sharpened rod of Dark Stone dug its tip into his chest, releasing a rivulet of black, oily substance that trailed down his chest as he gritted all his teeth. Seeing that, my expression widened into a maddened smile as I drove myself further and further, defying my body's protests against it. Every pulse of that dark substance gave me hope as I drove forward, the Dark Stone - now digging into his flesh - sapping the doctor's strength faster than it did mine with only surface contact.

Suddenly, he used some reserve of strength that even he probably didn't know he had as he released his grip with one hand, slamming it into my gut, causing me to stumble back. Crashing to the floor, my vision swayed, too much taken out of me to properly set myself in order in anything resembling decent time. The doctor slowly slid the offending piece of Dark Stone out of his chest, letting it fall to one side.

Slowly he stalked towards me, readying his attack, doubtlessly ready to grant me all his wounds - something I was surprised he hadn't done earlier, or at least hadn't succeeded in. With so little strength left in me, I fell to the floor and rolled as he lashed out, striking the crate instead. Shakily rising to my feet, my arms drooping in fatigue as I stared him down, I felt my phone go off in a text message. I smirked at him.

"The difference between you and me," I said weakly as I watched his movements carefully, judging each fidget for any inbound attacks, "beyond you being a monstrous abomination of alchemy and me being a pony... is that I've already won." Soon the others would be able to help the Elements escape, everypony converging on their position at the first text message. We'd won. I might lose, but in the end, my fight wasn't the most important. That didn't mean I'd give up.

Darting forward, I zipped past his lethargic arms, tripping over my own feet in the process. I tumbled over and over, coming to a stop, fortunately, right where I had needed. I reached out, and with a shaky hand, hefted the Dark Stone weapon once more, slowly pulling myself to my feet, the weapon's tip still touching the ground as I struggled with its weight.

"You are... most persistent." The doctor said with a hiss in fewer voices than before.

"Yeah... well being a slouch was never my type of thing." I said, hefting the weapon up as I advanced, landing a blow against his arms as he raised them for a last defense. "Once I beat you," I struggled out, hefting my weapon for another blow, "I'm gonna get so much head." I brought it down like a crack of lightning, the sickening thunk of the weapon crushing bone giving a satisfactory thunder clap as he howled in pain. Struggling to breathe, so much taken out of me, I tried to lift the stake, and after a moment of struggle, I raised it for another offensive.

With a roar of defiance, I brought it down on him once more, the impact causing the monster doctor to stumble back before finally falling to the floor. Limping over to his side, I heaved up the Dark Stone rod.

"It's been an absolute pain knowing you, Doc." I struggled out. "Now go to hell." With that, I let gravity go to work as I drove it down. The sickening crunch as it broke through his body, digging into the ground under him... it was one of the most splendid sounds I had ever heard. He let out a roar in agony that slowly trailed into a thin whisper of a cry. To the last moment, his eyes were filled with a blazing fury, a hellish anger that stuck with me - bringing me unexpected pleasure - only made to fade ever so slightly as his eyes glazed over with his last breath. I stumbled backwards, hitting the wall as I struggled to breath. I had won... I had... I had beyond all odds done it.

Looking at my fallen foe, I gave a weak, wheezing chuckle, pain coursing through me as my body was sapped dry by the Dark Stone. I had beaten him, and I could say, the sight of his black ooze made me giddy. I had won. That was that. It didn't feel real. Somehow, my world felt like a dream. I half expected the doctor to rise, the stake staying where it was as he slid up it, not even using his hands as he rose back to his feet, taunting me. In the end, his chest was still and the black ooze slowly pooled out around him. He was... dead. I felt happier about that than I had about a lot of things.

Stumbling out of the room, I made my way away from the Dark Stone, taking gasping breaths as I tried to recover. Fishing out my phone, I saw Double's text. I might not be much help at this point, but I wouldn't give up my fight. Not while I could still draw breath - and though it was a trial and filled with more effort than usual, my chest still rose and fell. Victory filled me with purpose. I would not let this be a wasteful victory. I would push on, and I'd help secure the day. After it was all said and done, I'd get back to fucking the mares I loved - and nothing sounded quite so appealing as that.