Your eyes closed as you lay on the ground, bracing for the inevitable pain that would come as soon as Null's magical attack hit your body. You couldn't believe what was happening.

Every single one of your friends had been defeated, and now nothing stood between Null and Equestria.

After everything you and your friends had been through, all of the hard times you had faced, it had all came down to this. Even then, you had still failed to save Equestria.

To put it simply, you had lost. Seeing how things were, you couldn't find the determination to keep on fighting.

The only thing that you could see was the growing yellow glow that shone through the darkness of your closed eyes. He was savouring every moment of this.

"Storm..." a voice whispered to you, seemingly from nowhere.

At first, you thought you were hallucinating it, but eventually you realised that you recognised the voice. Although you recall her power running out, somehow Princess Luna was once again communicating with you.

"You can't give up just yet, Storm..." Luna said, encouragingly. It felt as if time had frozen, as if you were stuck in a place between realities.
A place that existed between Equestria and the dream world.

"Open your eyes..." she said.

You saw no reason to open your eyes, unless you wanted to see your own death unfold right in front of you. But even though you knew that all you would see would be the final moments of your life, you did it anyway.

And that wasn't what you saw.

Instead, Twilight Sparkle stood in front of you, casting some form of magical shield around the two of you. Immediately, you felt a small piece of hope return to you.
You could feel a percentage of your will to succeed return, and it made you realise that you hadn't lost until you gave up.

"Storm, are you alright?" Twilight asked, focusing on keeping her shield bubble up as Null blasted a large laser directly at it.

"Yeah, but... our friends..." you said, taking a sorrowful glance at the crater left behind by the Sonic Rainboom. It made you think of the many ways that this could have gone differently.

Twilight nodded, "Yeah... I know. That was how I was able to find you."

Suddenly, the purple Alicorn let out a pained grunt as the force field began to crack. A few shards of magical energy flew up into the air, before disappearing completely.

"Listen, we don't have much time," Twilight began, attempting to explain while also holding the shield around you, "I did some studying, and I found out that the best counter to determination... Is determination."

You had to admit, that was confusing.

"We need our friend's help. I found out that your magic but might be able to heal them if it's strong enough, but you have to activate it first, if that makes sense."

You nodded your head, but in reality you were still a little confused. Truth be told, you had no idea where to even start, "So what do I do?"

"We'll have to fight him with the expectation to win," she explained, "After all, you can't win anything if you've given up."

Instantly, you could feel your magic return to you ever so slightly. It was only a minor sensation, but you could tell that your magic was there.
Without warning, the magical bubble that shielded you shattered completely, and the two of you dove to the side instinctively.

"Hey, Null!" you called, mockingly. Immediately, his attention turned to you, a furious glare on his face, "It's gonna take more than that to take me out!"

"So you've still got some fight in you?" Null asked, firing a ray of energy at you at the same time. You dodge it pretty easily, buying Twilight time to attack from behind. In retaliation, she cast a large magical ball of energy, which Null had to use a large amount of magic to block.
A large yellow shield appeared above him, acting as a protective barrier that shielded him from the Alicorn's attack.

"You bet I do. And pretty soon, it won't just be me and Twilight that you have to contend with." you replied. The more you persevered, and the stronger your will became, the more powerful your magic felt.

It felt like your element was returning to you.

Using the magic you had just regained, you teleported under Null and repeated one of your previous moves, delivering a forceful buck to the Unicorn's stomach. Null let out a pained grunt as his magical shield dropped, sending Twilight's energy ball crusading directly towards him.

Boom!

Null went rolling across the dark grass of the Everfree Forest, bruises covering his pitch black coat. Despite the force of the explosion, he still managed to climb back up onto his hoofs almost instantly, "You think something like that is all it takes to defeat me?"

"No..." Twilight replied, "We know it!"

Suddenly, you felt a great surge of magical energy flow through you, straight towards your wings. The longer this continued, the more of your element that was returned to your control.

Null let out a pitiful laugh as his entire body began to glow. You knew what he was doing. He was healing himself, but this time you weren't going to let him do that.
Countering his magic just like he had done during your fight in the dream world, your wings glowed the exact same yellow as his own horn.

"W-what? How?" Null exclaimed upon realising that his magic was no longer effective.

"It's quite simple!" Twilight exclaimed, seeming to want to answer for you. You weren't really surprised, she had spent quite a lot of her time researching your magic while the rest of you were away in Manehatten, "He's more determined than you!"

A look of panic washed over the evil Unicorn's face as he diverted his attention towards the crater left behind by the Sonic Rainboom. At its center, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy had begun to glow.

"Storm, it's working!" Twilight exclaimed, happily. You could feel more and more of your element returning to your control, slowly but surely refuelling your magical abilities. A smile slowly grew on your face as you saw the towards the castle, both Rarity and Applejack were also glowing.

"Stop that!" Null cried, firing another beam at you. Once again, you dodge it effortlessly. For a pony that was supposed to be one of the most powerful ponies in Equestria by this point, he sure had a bad aim.

Twilight's smile widened as the five ponies that once lay on the ground unconscious began to awaken, slowly getting up onto their hoofs with a tired groan.

"Just five more minutes..?" Rainbow Dash groaned, a hoof placed on her head.

Immediately, you felt your wings take control of your body, sending you quite literally flying over towards the cyan Pegasus. Your front hoofs wrapped around her, pulling her into a mid-air hug.

"Woah, Storm!" she exclaimed, seeming a little startled. Nevertheless, she eventually returned the hug, "How long were we all out?"

"Not that lo-" you attempted to say, only to be interrupted by Pinkie.

"Twilight!" she exclaimed, enthusiastically bounding towards her. For someone who had just woken up, she sure was full of energy.

"Pinkie... Everypony..." Twilight began, seeming like she was about to get emotional, "I'm so glad that you're all okay."

Applejack glanced at her surroundings, looking from the large hole in the side of the castle to the even larger crater that Rainbow Dash had left, whether she remembered it or not, "Actually, how long were we out?"

"Not very long." you managed to finally say, glad that you weren't interrupted by any pony this time. It had been a while since you had felt like this. So full of hope and relief, surrounded by all of your friends. You had spent a while with most of them sure, but it had been quite a long time since all of them had been together.

Twilight looked towards Rainbow Dash, a hint of concern in her eyes, "You... Kinda crashed into the ground back there. Are you ok?"

You felt like you should have asked that a little sooner, but it didn't really matter.

Rainbow Dash opened her mouth to reply, but before she was able to speak, a bright yellow sphere surrounded Twilight, trapping her. The sentence that Rainbow once planned to say now simply came out as: "Uhhhh..."

"Ok, that might be a problem..." Twilight said, followed by a nervous laugh.

"Enough of this!" Null shouted, the magical bubble that contained Twilight floating over to his side. You had been so relieved to see that all your friends were alive, that you had completely forgotten about the cause of all this mess.

You and the Mane 5 glared at Null intensely, but he seemed unfazed. All you saw in the Unicorn's eyes was anger, "You are all going to watch each other die one by one!"

The magical sphere that held Twilight in mid-air began to shrink, forcing the already claustrophobic space into an even tighter environment. If you didn't do something soon, then she would surely be crushed, "Now if you want your friend here to even have a shot at living, you lay down on the floor and admit defeat!"

There were only two ways out of this. Either you give up, or you risk Twilight's life for the rest of Equestria. You knew which one Twilight would want, and you were never really a fan of giving up.

Defying Null's demand, you took a step forward.

"No matter what you do, I refuse to just let you win," you said, seeming to take him aback a little, "Whether you like it or not, I am determined."

Too your surprise, Rainbow also took a step forward. You thought that you would be the only one willing to risk Twilight's life, but it seemed that she saw things the same way as you. This is probably what she would want, after all.

"If you think i'm gonna go out without a fight, then you're wrong!" she exclaimed, giving him an angry stare.

Following the two of you, Fluttershy was the next to step forward. This surprised you, as usually Fluttershy wasn't a big fan of confrontations, but in this situation there wasn't much of a choice, "Release her or you'll have to see a side of me that most ponies never get to see."

"Now you'd better listen to her," Applejack advised, also taking a step forward, "Ya'll wouldn't like Fluttershy when she's angry."

You could feel your element continue to fall back under your control, and as each of your friend stood by your side, it only accelerated. Last but not least, Rarity and Pinkie Pie moved forward to stand with you.
Placing a hoof on your heart, you looked above your head to see a sight that you had never seen in person before. A sight that, before now, had only been that of a dream.

Above you was the completed element of determination. There was no corruption, just pure magic.

"Do you see Null?" Twilight said, feeling his magical grip on her loosen, "When true friends work together, nothing can stop their combined determination!"

The pitch black Unicorn's horn began to glow faintly, despite his magic being weaker than it was previously. His eyes, too, began to glow the same colour as his horn, and a pair of bright yellow wings formed at his sides.

"We'll see about that, won't we?" he said in an ominous tone.

Rainbow's wings instinctively fanned out, preparing to take off much like yours.

This was it.

This was the final battle.

Before Null could make the first move, the six of you charged at the pony, seeming to take him by surprise. He attempted to use his magic, but before he could, Rainbow Dash slammed into him, knocking him to the ground.

Fluttershy, fuelled by her own anger, hovered over him, ready to deliver a painful slam from above. As she prepared to fall onto the unicorn, a bright yellow flash radiated from his body, and just like that he was gone.

Suddenly, he reappeared directly behind Applejack, a huge blade of magical energy in his hoof. Seemingly in slow motion, he raised it into the air, preparing to slice downwards. Fortunately, the orange Earth pony seemed to know what was coming, as she quickly turned around and bucked the blade out of his hoof and onto the ground.

In retaliation, Null attempted to punch her with a hoof, but she managed to block it. With all of their might, they began a form of tug of war, pushing against each other's hoof whilst constantly building up energy.

"Is this really what you would call victory?" Applejack asked, angrily.

Null seemed to think for a moment, but in reality he already had his answer.

"Yes." he said, as a sudden burst of magical energy surged into his hoof, sending Applejack flying back towards the forest. Seeing what had just happened, you used your regained magic to teleport ahead of her, holding out your hoofs to catch her.

"I've got you." you said, catching her and returning her to the ground.

Applejack gave you a nod, silently thanking you for saving her life, before charging back into the fight like nothing had happened.

"I have had enough of you!" Pinkie Pie cried, walking up to Null as if unfazed by the power that he possessed, "Everything that you've done... You'll pay for all of it!"

Through some unknown power, Pinkie began circling the evil unicorn at a speed that was faster than the eye could see. Even he looked like he was having a hard time keeping up, until eventually he started seeing double. Countless Pinkie Pies were sprinting around him at an impossible speed, and it was throwing his sense of direction of completely.

Taking advantage of his weakened state, Rarity's horn began to glow. Giving him a taste of his own medicine, a ray of blue energy shot towards him. One that he was unable to dodge, thanks to Pinkie's 'abilities'.
The magical beam hit Null in the side, leaving a slight burn mark in its wake. He let out a roar of pain as he stumbled a few steps backwards, causing Pinkie to back off.

The yellow bubble around Twilight flickered, slowly losing its brightness before it quickly returned. It seemed like his magic was fading.

Not much longer now.

"Is that all you've got? A little bit of magic?" Null asked, laughing at the small wound that Rarity's attack had made. Despite the arrogance that he showed, his voice seemed... different. Perhaps it was worry, or perhaps it was fear.

"No, not a little bit of magic..." Rainbow said, answering his question. She hovered directly in front of him, high above the ground with her hoofs crossed as if about to challenger him.
Just as planned, all of his attention was drawn to her, buying you the time you needed to potentially end this once and for all.

"We have a lot of magic!" you exclaimed, as you appeared above him in a brilliant flash of yellow light, a magical sword in one hoof.

You swung down fiercely, aiming straight for the pony's head in an attempt to kill him for good, but even whilst distracted his reaction was too quick. Turning around quickly, he manifested another glowing blade in his hoof, raising it to block your strike.
The two blades struck each other, sending a metallic clang echoing across the forest.

The two of you exchanged blows, yet every time you swung your sword it was met with his. All the while, the two of you continued moving backwards as you were unable to land a successful hit on him.

Although at this point your magic was superior, Null was still a much larger pony than you, and could hence go longer without tired. Every time his magical sword hit yours, you could feel yourself growing more and more fatigued as time went on.
Sensing that you were growing weary, he began putting more effort into his attacks, delivering multiple heavy blows with his own blade.

You were nearing one of the many ravines that surrounded the Castle of the Two Sisters, and if something didn't happen soon he would surely overpower you, sending you falling to your inevitable death.
At this point, you wouldn't have had the energy to fly back up.

"Ready to die, Storm?" Null asked, as he raised his magical blade one final time, preparing to end your life once and for all.

Despite your death being right in front of you, your attention wasn't fixed on that. Instead, you couldn't help but notice that each of your friends were glowing a bright yellow, smiles on each of their faces. Even Twilight, who was still trapped in a claustrophobic bubble, was smiling hopefully.

"Hey, Null!" Rainbow called, seeming to catch his attention. He turned around, but kept the sword hovering above your head, ready to kill you at a moments notice.

"There's just one thing you're forgetting..." Pinkie Pie added.

Null gave them all a stern stare, confused as too what they were talking about, "What do you mean? I have won!"

"The one thing that is stronger than determination, and even the elements..." Twilight said, as her own element appeared above her in a similar manner as yours. The rest of your friends also had their elements appear, each of them glowing yellow.

"Is the strength of one's will."

Suddenly, you felt an enormous surge of magical power as your own element appeared above you. Null turned towards you in a panic, and began to lower his sword, but it was already too late for him.
Using an enormous, but also minuscule amount of your magic, a powerful laser manifested in front of you, consuming Null almost entirely.

The evil unicorn let out a scream of pain as the magical energy tore him apart, burning him from the inside out. Every fibre of your being wanted him gone. Your will was to get rid of him.

This was a moment you should have been enjoying. At last, you had finally defeated Null, but it felt... wrong. Even your friends, who once had smiles on their faces, now wore conflicted expressions as smoke began to appear where Null once stood.

With another horrific scream of pain... you stopped, and the unicorn fell to the floor covered in painful burn marks and bruises.

Twilight dropped from her magical container as his magic wore off completely. He wasn't determined anymore. He no longer had any hope.
The six of your friends ran over to the defeated unicorn, as did you, and stood by his side.

"I-I..." you said, looking at the damage you had done. Despite the many wounds that he had suffered, he was still alive and breathing.

Null let out a laboured cough, "Well... you've won."

Nopony dared to answer him. They couldn't bare to look at what they had reduced him too, but they knew that it was either this, or leave Equestria to burn.

"Not that it matters though," he added, between coughs, "Pretty soon, my portal will absorb this world, and the astral conscripts will never come to pass..."

"The what?" Twilight asked, concern suddenly filling her voice.

"Don't worry about that. It was up to me to stop it, and pretty soon that portal will finish my work." Null said, taking a glance towards the castle. The same yellow glow still plagued the sky, and the portal remained active, just as it was prior.

"Not if we have anything to say about it!" Rainbow exclaimed, angrily.

"You won't..." Null replied, letting out another painful cough. His breathing seemed to be getting slower every second, "Pretty soon, this will all be just a bad dream, one way or another..."

As he finished his sentence, any sympathy that you may have had for him dissapeared. He looked up into the sky at the glow of the dream world, satisfied with the ending that he had achieved, even if he hadn't won, so to speak, before letting out one final breath.
The evil unicorn's eyes closed, and he began to crumble. In less than a few seconds, Null's entire body had turned into dust, scattered in the air just like the Observers before him.

It was finally over...

Null was dead...

"Is... Is that it..." Rarity asked, staring at the spot on the ground where Null once lay. Everypony was shocked by his final words, and even more so by the way that he had died.

"I think so..." Twilight replied, seeming to be deep in her own thought process. Null had been the villain of your story this entire time, and it felt strange now that he was gone.

Nevertheless, Equestria was safe.

"Equestria isn't safe yet!" Pinkie exclaimed as the ground began to tremble beneath you. The portal didn't close when Null died, and was still actively attempting to consume all of Equestria as you spoke.

"Quick, Everypony!" Twilight called, already galloping towards the interior of the castle.

The ground continued to shake, making the earthquakes you experienced in Manehatten seem like nothing more than mild tremors. Reality was tearing at the seams as this huge portal continued to absorb the world.

"How do we stop it..." Fluttershy asked, staring hopelessly at the portal as she entered the throne room alongside you. Unlike the previous portal, this one contained no slots for crystals.

Essentially, there was no way to close this portal.

"I..." Twilight said, examining the portal worriedly, "I have no idea..."

Even as you spoke, the entirety of Equestria was beginning to fade into a fabrication. The whole world was becoming seperate from reality, becoming a mere dream.
And there was no way you could stop it.

"I guess this is it!" Rainbow cried, panicked, as the shaking began to grow more and more intense. It was really seeming hopeless.

But then you remembered...

"I mean that one of you will have to sacrifice yourself to bring back your 'princess'", Null mocked, seeing an opportunity to taunt you, "Not that it matters. Pretty soon, there won't be anypony left to sacrifice anyway."

In order to bring back Princess Luna and save this world, you would have to sacrifice yourself. You would have to take Luna's place.

"I know how to stop this!" you exclaimed, barely audible over the sound of the trembling earth.

"You do?" Pinkie Pie asked, somehow still sounding enthusiastic despite the hopelessness of the current situation that you found yourself in.

You nodded your head, flapping your wings and hovering above the ground.

"I'm going to get Princess Luna." you said, bluntly.

Before anyone could even consider objecting, you immediately flew straight towards the huge portal. Twilight's jaw dropped as you dissapeared completely through the portal, seemingly never to be seen again.

"Storm, don't you even-" Rainbow cried, but you didn't get to hear her finish her objection.

That was the last thing you heard before you were no longer in that world.

Author's Note

I'll let you in on a secret. Practically this entire chapter was improvised. The only thing I really had planned was that I wanted Null and Storm to have a sword fight in some form, but other than that, this whole thing was unplanned.
Obviously, the ending to this chapter was planned, but we're including that as part of the final fight.

I'm gonna take a few days break before the next chapter, because aside from me being ill and the occasional one day break, I haven't really had an actual break from writing that's lasted several days. Plus, this chapter took a lot of effort to write since it was essentially the finale.
There is still a little more to come though.

Just because the villain is dead doesn't mean the story is over

Music used:

Battle! Chairman Rose (Dramatic Remix) by Fanmade Studios