If Light and Darkness are eternal, then surely we nothings must be the same. . . .~Xemnas
Discord. The spirit of disharmony and chaos. Whose troublesome antics had plagued Equestria not once but twice. Whose defeat were at the hooves of Celestia and Luna, later to be followed by Twilight and her friends, forever sealed in stone until time ended. Converged into a dangerous Nobody that now wrecked havoc on the group with the hallowed halls of the castle they traversed. The battle was proving both fierce and too tight for comfort. The effects of the Nobody's ability to alter gravity made for an attack difficult.
Mych hid behind one pillar, Zavier across behind another. Celestia, Twilight and Rarity were one column back, taking shelter as the beast hurled dark spheres of energy at their hiding spot, the pillar shuddering with each blow. Rainbow Dash and Applejack huddled up against Mych's leg, while poor Fluttershy, who was too scared to move at the start, forcing Mych to grab her and carry along for this rough ride, huddled against his back as she clung for dear life. Both Keyblade wielders were breathing hard, their strength waning against this tough opponent. Compared to their earlier fights, the cloaked figure had thrown a wild card into play and it was gaining in his favor.
Stone shattered as the column which the alicorn and unicorns hid crumbled in ruin, forcing Twilight to teleport her mentor and friend to hide behind another one farther back. The Nobody then focused on the one Zavier hid behind and the attack was renewed,"So, any ideas on how to beat this thing? Suggestions? Strategies? Thoughts maybe?" The cyan pegasus asked, a little nervous,"Honestly . . never encountered a Nobody this persistent before. And. . can't really think when your friend here. . is practically crushing my ribs." Mych remarked. The pegasus whimpered a sorry then eeked! as the Nobody bellowed another nerve wracking roar,"Ya know. . .ah liked him better when he was playin tricks and causin mischief. That ah could handle. . this? Like someone dun took all that outta him an replaced it with plain anger." Applejack mentioned.
Mych snorted,"That's always a thing with most Nobodies.. anger and rage fuel their motives to attack...and since you graciously mentioned having known this. . Discord. . .his Nobody is itching for a little payback." He grunted and finally plucked the pegasus from his back and sat her down, the winged pony hiding under her hooves,"Can't take much more of this. . only so many pillars and way it keeps tearing them down, we're stuck in the open."
A sense of pressure was felt on everyone, before they started to float. Mych cursed and grabbed the pillar while every other pony on his side grabbed him,"Damn gravity magic its using is not helping either. . . " Zavier, on the other side, merely cursed under her breath, swung around to take aim at the beast's head and hissed,"Firaga!" A bolt of fire launched from her Keyblade, striking the head and earning the group a screech of pain and furious snarls. It "turned" on Zavier, hurling more of those spheres, while she used the lack of gravity as a means to dodge and parry. Knocking them aside, she merely raspberried the Nobody, then clung on as the effects of the spell wore off and gravity returned. After an uncerimonious drop, every one and pony grunted and dusted their bruised rears off. As much as Zavier was providing a means of distraction, it just wasn't enough for one Keyblade to end this thing.
"Rainbow Dash. . .that is your name isn't it?" Mych asked the cyan pegasus. She looked at him eyes narrowed,"Yeah it is! What?" He chuckled,"You a pretty fast flyer?" She smirked and puffed out her chest,"I'm the fastest flyer in all of Equestria and the best there is!" Eyes glanced back in her direction as he grinned,"Think you be fast enough to give that Nobody a good thrashing while distracting it as well?" The pegasus gave her wings a good flap,"Watch me!" and zipped off. Zavier had tumbled and dove for another cover spot, barely missing a dark sphere that shattered one of the murals. Discord's Nobody would have taken her. . were it not for a rainbow blur flying from above then dive bombed and knocked the creature senseless. Despite being able to float, the hit knocked it temporarily senseless and it came crashing to the ground dazed.
This gave Twilight enough time to port over, grab Zavier by her pants cuff and port her back to Mych and the others,"So what now? Its gravity effect is making it hard to fight decently and we don't have much time before it recovers from that pegasus's surprise blow." Zavier panted out as she gathered her breath. Mych was on it, looking over to Celestia,"You.. have an idea?" the alicorn asked. He nodded,"Trinity. . ." His fellow Keyblade wielder looked at him,"Trinity? Mych there is only two of us at the moment. . you need three for that ability to work." He glanced over to Celestia and nodded,"She can help." Rarity who, was quiet up to this point managed to balk before Twilight could get a word in,"Are you daft? Her highness is still recovering from the poison, in case you have forgotten! She is in no condition to be putting her life at risk!"
Mych nodded with a soft sigh,"Listen Ms. Rarity is it? No offense to any of you or your friends, but despite Applejack and Rainbow Dash being helpers in all along with your magical assistance, you just don't have the juice to knock this Nobody down. Your. . ruler on the other hand, weak as she may be, is like a goddess? And as far as I remember, goddesses still pack quite a punch." Twilight was shaking her head,"No there has to be another way, we don't know what your Keyblades will do to Celestia!" The cyan pegasus landed,"Umm fellas, I don't want to be blunt, but he is starting to wake!" A slow hiss could be heard at the far end as the Nobody was starting to recover. Mych and Zavier looked to Princess Celestia, while Twilight and the others looked to her. The alicorn closed her eyes, drew in a deep breath, then nodded,"What must I do?"
The Nobody was shaking its head, gathering its senses, when it felt three presences close by. Rising to its feet, it casted down to find Zavier, Mych and Celestia standing before it. As it growled in anger, both raise their keyblades up just as Celestia lowered her horn, the three touching together at point as the trio uttered one word:
Trinity
The mane six watched as their Princess and the two Keyblader's unleash their attack upon Discord's Nobody. The surge of their powers course through all three, as they struck head on. Mych hammered down upon the head of the beast, his duel Keyblades struck repeatedly before knocking the beast into the air. Zavier appeared after Mych vanished and unleashed an elemental flurry upon the Nobody, consisting of Fire, Ice, Lightning, and Earth. As it recoiled from the magical assault, Zavier vanished and Celestia appeared, wings spread out before it. Orbs of light circled around the alicorn before beams were cast down, piercing the creature's armor, shattering it completely as the screams of pain could be heard bellowing from the Nobody before it came crashing down. The three appeared all together, raising both weapons and horn high as a light burst from the center and enveloped all three, along with the beast. It was so bright Twilight and her friends had to cover their eyes, lest they be blinded.
When it faded, they opened their eyes to find the three standing there, the Nobody defeated and fading into fractured light and wisps of smoke. It was done. They had destroyed Discord's Nobody. Now all that would be left would be the heart. .and then he would return completely.
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
"So, a Trinity draws on the individual's abilities and combines it with the other two, joining it together into one super offense?" Twilight asked as the group made their way past the doors. Zavier nodded,"Yes. It draws upon what we are most gifted in. Mych focuses on strength, so his attacks are more physical. Mine has been more magic based, thus the increased usage of the elements. And your Princess Celestia being a sun goddess, her powers draws from Light. I do say that combination is amazing." The unicorn jotted this down as her mentor glanced over her shoulder. Even when Equestria was facing peril, Twilight never let a chance to slip by to take notes, gather information and make future preparations in case any similar incidents like this ever occurred again. "Is there any other combinations?" she asked. Zavier smiled and nodded,"When it comes to three. . its. .almost endless.. if you were to join in, the magical output would be much higher and harder. Some pony like say Applejack joins in, your looking at harder physical hits." The unicorn hmmmed tapping her chin,"Its like the Elements of Harmony, only not as powerful."
"Elements of Harmony?" Zavier asked. Twilight paused then oohed softly, rubbing her forehead,"We never filled you in. All this time, you've been able to give us answers to what has been plaguing Equestria, we've never really explained the possibility of how you wound up here." The group paused with Mych spinning around,"Come again?" Zavier looked at every pony,"Do we have the time though?" The alicorn glanced around and found the area looked empty enough,"I guess we can spare a little time and explain what the Elements are." Every pony and human took a breather, most were still tired after that battle. Twilight laid it out as best she could to Mych and Zavier of how they wound up in Equestria.
"So.. your saying when the six of you join together with these Elements.. Harmony is obtained and a great power is released, thus defeating any dangerous foe that might be a threat?" Mych asked. Twilight gave a nod,"All my friends here. .each one is a Bearer of the Elements. There is Applejack whose element is Honesty. Rarity's is Generousity. Fluttershy's is that of Kindness. Rainbow Dash's is Loyalty. And Pinkie Pie rounds the last with Laughter. The sixth Element that ties them all together is Magic.. which is what I represent." Mych whistled softly while Zavier absorbed all of this,"Strong Elements. . .and.. how many times have they been used." The unicorn glanced over to Celestia, then back to the two humans,"About. . .four times. . total."
"Four times.. total? Does it require much magic to. . .unleash it?" Mych asked. Twilight shook her head,"No, its not like that. You two remember the mural depicting the white alicorn battling the black alicorn?" Both nodded,"Well.. .Celestia's sister Luna. . . she. ..well, umm." she cast a glance over to Celestia who nodded somberly,"It's alright. . " she looked back at the two humans,"A thousand years ago, Luna was corrupted by anger and jealously. It transformed her into Nightmare Moon. Eventually one fateful night she refused to lower the moon, wanting to cast all of Equestria into darkness. Celestia used the Elements to defeat her and banish her to the moon. That was the first time they were used. Later.. .a thousand years later exactly, I read in a book at Canterlot, that on the one thousandths Summer sun festival, the bindings that held Nightmare Moon in place would weaken and she would use the stars to escape. Back then I didn't know every pony here. Celestia sent me on a task to over see the preparations.. instead of well.. taking what was happening seriously."
The alicorn spoke,"I had faith in you Twilight..with your potential and gifts. I had no doubt that some how you making friends would be the key to using the Elements." Zavier glanced,"So. . .she didn't know it at first, but. . you were having her gather those worthy of the elements correct? Why couldn't you use them again?" Celestia smiled sadly,"A thousand years had past. I had lost the attunement to the Elements, thus rendering them useless to me.. I had to find another way." She nodded,"So. .what happened?" Twilight inhaled softly,"True to the prophecy, Nightmare Moon came back.. and once more Equestria was facing the threat of eternal night. With my new friend's help, we discovered to location of where the Elements rested.. within Ever Free forest in some castle ruins."
Mych rubbed his brow,"Castle ruins. .the same ruins that the Door of Equestria is in and is being heavily protected?" The unicorn nodded,"The very same. The path was difficult.. but thanks to each pony, we overcame the obstacles before us. Nightmare Moon confronted us.. .and sought to win by destroying the orbs the Elements were housed in.. . she was successful, but it was brief. Thanks to Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash, they all became the new Bearers and I unlocked their power. Thanks to all six of us, Nightmare Moon was defeated and Luna was freed from that dark power." Celestia spoke,"Thanks to Twilight and her friends, my sister was saved along with Equestria. Since that time, I have done all I can to make amends for the mistakes we both made. Luna has recovered well. She is. . still a little behind on the times, but as being the goddess of the moon, her duty remains unchanged." Zavier counted,"Ok. .so that is twice. .you said three times."
Twilight drew in another breath,"The fourth time was when Discord escaped from his prison. Before Luna's transformation, she and Celestia had used the Elements to defeat him. He represents chaos and disharmony. Ponies back then were miserable under his rule and our Princessess helped to free them. So that would technically be the first time they were used." Both humans nodded,"With Discord..it was not as easily. His power. . .is to draw out the negatives in a pony. . .jaded and fragmented. He stole the Elements and we were forced to play a game in hopes to find them.. .one by one, he corrupted my friends, made them give in to their dark secrets. . .even I was subjected to that control." Zavier nodded with a slight role of her shoulders,"What kind of chaos and disharmony were we looking at?" Rainbow Dash called out,"Screwy weather. Applejack's crops were acting strange. . .all the animals grew long legs. . all sorts of. .troublesome chaos..pony, animal, plant, weather. . all of Ponyville was under its effects and even beyond." This had both humans eyebrows raise,"Everything?" Twilight nodded,"Everything."
Mych rose and dusted off his pants,"Well.. .think we can guess now, what caused the Door to open. If Discord's power disrupted Harmony itself, the hidden effects would have been felt as well.. soo. . . once his influence reached the ruins, the Door to your world was unlocked and opened.. .enter Heartless and our mystery guest and pretty much all the events that lead up to now." Applejack shook her head,"But we stopped Discord. . after Twilight used a memory spell ta free us of his effects, we came back and whooped him, thus restorin Harmony to all of Equestria. Shouldn't that have sealed the Door once more as well?" Zavier shook her head,"Depending on the time frame we are looking at, it was probably enough time for Nightmare Moon to recover her strength and the effects of the unwanted guest to dispel the Elements of Harmony's intended purpose."
Zavier rose as well,"Its all the more reason to find that Nobody and Nightmare Moon and defeat them. The barriers will fall and we can seal the Door to your world." The alicorn spoke,"Why is it that important to close the door with much haste my friends?" Zavier glanced over,"Because the Door to your world is the door to its heart. . the very life force of any world. If not closed soon enough, the Heartless will devour it and ever pony in all of Equestria will be gone. . .along with Equestria itself. . .it will cease to exist.. and you with it." The look of shock was seen on every pony's face, even Celestia's. Mych kept silent but nodded,"I think its best if we continued on. I think enough time has been. . spent on filling us in on all the details we have to offer." The group of ponies along with the alicorn and the humans once more started to move, after Zavier casted a healing spell to renew everyone's strength.
As they walked down the last hallway and started to climb the many inclined paths, the timid pegasus Fluttershy tugged on Zavier's cuff,"Hmmm?" she asked looking down as the pony nervously pawed at the floor,"S..so. . if. . Equestria disappears. ..does that mean..we'll vanish too? All my animal friends? My close friends? All the places I know?" Zavier rubbed the back of her head, feeling bad by how saddened this pegasus felt of the thought of her world disappearing all together,"Well. ..maybe. You and your friends have strong hearts and minds. . .worse comes to worse. . .you may find yourself on a different world. . a neutral safe world."
The pegasus shook her head,"Ooh, I don't think I could live like that.. .I'd miss my friends. ..and.. it be lonely. . .and.. if we're the only ponies and. . there are a lot of humans.. .I... I don't think I could take that." Zavier reached out and brushed the pink mane, earning a soft squeak! from the timid pegasus,"That won't happen, Fluttershy. Me and Mych.. we've been doing this for a couple of years now. . we've saved plenty of worlds from being devoured by the Heartless. Equestria will as well.. I promise." The pony looked up with those gentle eyes and murmured,"Pinkie Pie promise?"
Zavier looked at her puzzled,"Pinkie Pie promise?" As if on que, the pink pony popped out of the sky and held Zavier by her cheeks with her hooves,"Pinkie Pie promise! You don't ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, EVER break a Pinkie Pie promise!" The human felt a tad uncomfortable when Pinkie Pie pressed her face against her own staring with those eyes,"Cause breaking a Pinkie Pie promise causes your friends to lose their trust in you .Foreeeeeveeeeeeeeeeeeer." Zavier ulped softly,"Umm. . I Pinkie Pie promise." The pink pony continued,"Cross your heart, hope to cry, stick a cupcake in your eye?"
The human glanced down at Fluttershy who nodded,"Y. .yeah.. cross my heart, hope to cry, stick a cupcake in my eye, Pinkie Pie promise." Pinkie Pie released Zavier and clapped (clopped?) her hooves together,"Goody!! Its settled!!" And then zipped up again, only to emerge next to her friends once more. Fluttershy followed and left Zavier standing there. She was starting to wonder what was more creepier. The fact the pink pie dropped from the ceiling even though nothing was holding her up, or the distinct sense of. . .disturbance behind those eyes of hers, that made her not want to even consider. .breaking a Pinkie Pie promise.
- - - - - - - - - - - -
The deeper they pushed into the castle, the thicker the resistance was becoming. There was no more sightings of the cloaked figure. But that did not stop Nightmare Moon from appearing on different levels and sending small mobs of Heartless and Nobodies to stall their climb up the tower. Time and time again, they vanquished ever thing the dark alicorn threw in their way. Yet each time was draining their strength and reserves forcing them to take more and more breaks. It was clear she was tiring the group down on purpose, that purpose was unclear.
A grunt, a slash and another Nobody toppled. Mych stumbled back into Zavier's arms, both breathing heavily,"Why .. is it. ." he gasped for some air,"That villians. . have to. . .bloody make. . their homes. . .so. . .fricken high.. ?" Zavier just sighed and sat him down,"Same reason humans had a bad habit of building castles back in the Middle Ages? Defense and intimidation?" He groaned as she dug in her pack and pulled out a green jar. Looking over her shoulder, she saw the other ponies exhausted. She was running low on being able to heal everyone.. and only had three Ethers left to restore that power. Handing Mych the potion, she shambled on over, and passed a larger version,"Drink up girls." she said tired but cheerfully." Eyes looked up with wonder,"Whats the green stuff?" Rainbow Dash asked,"Mega Potion.. will put the pep back in your step.. .there is plenty to share." The ponies and Celestia gathered around, each taking a sniff,"Smells funny." Rarity said. Zavier gave a light shrug,"Not supposed to smell great. .you just drink it and enjoy the flow it gives you. . taste isn't too bad. .could use some improvements though."
The container was passed and the typical reactions were not surprising. From yecks! to some blehs! and some ewws! they drank the concoction regardless. Once emptied Celestia joined them with a peculiar expression on her face, smacking her lips together,"Are they all like this?" she asked the human. Zavier popped the cap off the Ether and drained it, shivering as its effects coursed through her body,"Some taste just awful, others require some getting used to. . .none are ever any good." The alicorn shivered slightly, her wings rustling,"All for the sake of progress I guess." Zavier nodded,"Indeed your majesty, indeed."
They stood before the hallway, the imposing doors stood at the end. No pillars or columns, no hidden corridors for which enemies would leap out as a final means to defend. The last few levels where harrowing pushing everyone to the brink. And yet, they managed to make it to the end. Now as pony and human crossed the dull red carpet that was the only color in this area, eyes fixated on Nightmare Moon who stood by idly at the far end, not moving a hoof, wing or even a tail. Mych and Zavier stood in front, while the ponies and Celestia stood behind the two.
"Welcome dear sister, welcome. I am truly amazed you made it all the way up here. I would have suspected you to be too worn and tired to continue. And yet, here you are standing before me. You certainly haven't lost your touch. I guess that's why your still ruler of all Equestria." The dark alicorn murred with a dark smirk. Princess Celestia took a few steps, eyes narrowing as her horn started to glow,"No more tricks, Nightmare. No more games, no more stalling. This ends now."
Nightmare sighed as though bored with her speeches and idly waved a hoof,"Certainly. . .course I'm not the pony you should be talking to. . ." Those violet draconian eyes narrowed at the two humans in front,"My master awaits you. . . " A dark void opened behind her, the dark alicorn turning around and started to proceed,"Course you can go back. No pony would think wrong of their ruler if she fled in shame.. .as a coward." Celestia would have lunged for her, were it not for two arms blocking her path,"Don't let her taunt you. They all play games, goading us into doing something foolish. . . " Mych whispered.
It took her perhaps a few minutes to calm herself and compose her stature. It was.. an odd. . unpleasant feeling. Celestia had never felt like this before not in all her time as ruler. . .the sensation still flickered in her heart. . that emotion. . anger? they called it? It had been centuries since she had last felt it. So why now all of a sudden? "Princess?" came a voice to her left. Eyes looked down to find Twilight gazing up, concern in those lavender eyes of hers,"I'm. . I'm alright." she murmured. The unicorn was not so sure, but she trusted her mentor. Together with Mych and Zavier, they followed Nightmare Moon through the void and into what ever room or place her master waited.
The traveling process was cold. Chilling to the bone, like ice prickling along their very nerves. It was what Darkness felt when it slowly devoured the weak. Cold and hungry with no warmth to stave off the bitter chill. The group stood on a platform. A small bridge connected the balcony, the cloaked figure standing at the opposite end. In the sky above them, casting its pale glow, was the giant heart shaped moon. It was grand, beautiful in its own right. And made with the hearts of many, many ponies and creature alike. What happened next surprised everyone.
Zavier, who had been calm and collected, the most level headed person in the group, brought her Keyblade forward, rushed to the start of the bridge, even as Nightmare Moon prepared to defend the figure and shouted:
Symxachi!
Nightmare Moon paused as the figure straightened up from his hunched over posture and spoke,"I have not been called that in so many years." Turning he looked upon Zavier as his hands rested at his side,"Zavier. . . my how time does fly. It's been so long has it not? When was the last our paths crossed? When did we last look upon each others eyes and saw the swirling emotions that carried our actions?"
She snarled and said through gritted teeth,"Last we met was at the End of the World. Last I saw of your wretched self was when you were hurled into that dark vortex of your own creation, laughing at me as it tore you apart after I rescued Mych!!" She looked down at her hand balled into a fist and watch it shook with uncontrolled anger,"I hoped with your demise, he would be whole once again. . .I guess I should have double checked to see if the job was done right!"
A hallow chuckle left the cowl of the figure,"I am. . sorry to disappoint you. That all your efforts, all your hard work to save him and restore what was lost. . in vain and for naught. As I said before. . I will not allow it to end. . .not like this." The glove hand reached up and pulled back the hood and together Celestia, Twilight and her friends caught a glimpse of the being responsible for everything:
His stature was as tall as Mych, his build almost the same. The eyes were a cold steel grey, his hair shoulder length and pale orange. The face bore the resemblance to Mych's yet it lacked the scar over the eye. And the pressure of his aura. . .was as intense as ever when they met at the bottom of the castle,"I must applause you.. .all of you. You have made my expectations and surpassed them with ease. . .Were it not for Nightmare Moon tempting you to follow deeper, I would have had to hunt you down myself."
A cold smile spread across his face,"Now. . the Bearer of the Elements. . and the sun goddess herself. . are mine at last."