Far away from the raging battle between the Knights and Envoy, on a moon upon which any trace of civilization was wiped clean, three figures appeared in a sphere of crimson light. Twilight, no longer in Centaurus form, landed hard on her hooves, tumbling about until she was able to regain her hoofing. Polemos was there, standing on his large hooves. On his back, clutched in his mechanical arms, was an unconscious Bright Blade. Twilight’s horn flared with mana, eyes narrowed with anger at the Spirit of War.

“Let him go right now or else I’ll scatter your molecules to the furthest reaches of the galaxy!” Twilight threatened.

Polemos didn’t blink, nor did he even seem to care about Twilight’s threat. The large black and red bull trotted towards her, the Knight of Magic was on edge, ready to attack and save her beloved from this monster. Polemos stopped trotting; his right arms then lowered Bright Blade onto the ground before the lavender mare. Twilight looked from the body of her coltfriend, and then back to Polemos in confusion.

As suspicious as she was of Polemos she didn’t have time to be. Twilight gently turned the alicorn stallion onto his back and examined the wound in his chest. The armor barely did its job in protecting him, but it did prevent the Black Thorn from going any deeper. Twilight immediately performed a healing spell, once cast, the spell operated autonomously of its caster. A stabilizing aura encapsulated Bright Blade, the spell then began a regeneration process, the wound in his chest slowly closing as the Element Armor’s Hope symbol started to pulsate with healing energy to speed the process.

Twilight’s head snapped up in surprise from Polemos’ question. Her angered gaze fell upon him once again.

“If you’re looking for a fight then I’ll duel you Spirit of War, but leave him alone!”

“I cannot, whether you and I do battle will depend on him. If he slays me, then that will be the end of it, but if I slay him, you’ll have your shot, and probably win as well,” said Polemos in a nonchalant tone.

“I don’t understand you! You say you want to kill Bright Blade, but during the battle you go and save us both!? Your own brother nearly killed him, and yet you transport us here and ask me to heal him, just so you can fight him!? It makes no sense!” Twilight shouted.

“To a warrior, it makes perfect sense. Call me what you will, a monster, a destroyer, a heartless wretch, but I’m nothing if not honorable.” Polemos trotted past the angry mare and stared down at the now healing Bright Blade. “On every world I have given them the chance to repel me, to overcome my Taint and do battle with me for the fate of their world!”

Twilight scoffed at the notion, an Envoy having honor, how utterly ridiculous. “Please, you’ve killed millions, maybe billions, and you talk about honor! You’re ridiculously strong, what creature in this universe can fight you, any of you!?”

“You and your friends are fighting us right now, and are putting up more than a descent fight than any other world we have ended.”

Polemos spared Twilight a glance, turning his head to face her. “The truth is, once I realized that I’m quite possibly the strongest being in the universe – well next to the Master – there was no creature alive that could satisfy my hunger for a grand and glorious battle, one that would have me push my very limits, and bring me to the brink of death. I’d given up all hope until…”

“Yes. He was the first, and then the rest of you. It was during that day that I realized that my dream was not abandoned just yet.”

Twilight trotted around Polemos, it was hard to tell if this being was going to attack, his very presence exhumed hostility, but the Spirit of War seemed passive enough. Although the lavender mare did not let her guard down, it seemed, for the moment, he was not going to attack Bright Blade or herself. She laid down next to her coltfriend, cradling his head in her forelegs. Twilight looked up at the Envoy who had now taken to looking at the giant planetoid that peeked up on the horizon.

“No, to die in an honorable battle, there is no shame in that. However, what Thanatos did, interfering with my fight by attacking you. That was unacceptable!”

“Bright Blade cannot fight if he is distracted by your safety. With you here, he can focus on our fight, and nothing else,” said Polemos.

Twilight was, if nothing else, a little relieved by the way this Envoy acted. He wasn’t psychotic, like Peina, nor was he cruel, like Loimos, or cold, like Thanatos. He was different. Twilight suddenly felt a stirring. She looked down and saw that the wound was completely closed, and the armor had repaired itself. Bright Blade slowly opened his eyes and was greeted with the lovely smile of his marefriend.

“We were transported to…to…I don’t know where,” said Twilight now thinking about their current surroundings.

“It is a moon of the world that rests on the horizon; it had a civilization, one long since dead. The same for the world before us, these were two of the first worlds that I destroyed when I came into existence.”

Bright Blade recognized this voice, his head snapping to the direction it came from. He tried to spring to his hooves, but his muscles ached, and his chest still had a phantom pain feeling from when he was punctured. Twilight had to force him back down before he did something to hurt himself.

Bright Blade looked towards Polemos yet again; the war bull glanced behind him yet, and then returned his gaze to the horizon before him.

Bright Blade snorted, slowly, he rose to his hooves, with a little help from Twilight. The alicorn stallion scanned his marefriend, checking to see if she was really alright. Not seeing any wounds, or signs of any other kind of harm, the Knight of Hope turned to Polemos.

“Your thanks will be facing me in single combat.” Polemos turned to look at Bright Blade, his face contorted disapprovingly. “Your power levels are low, even with your armor and sword you may not be at full power.”

“Options are limited, we could wait for you to regain your power naturally, but in that amount of time my siblings or your friends could be done fighting and would interfere yet again in our duel. The second option…is that I give you some of my power.”

“Pass, I don’t want your tainted energy,” he protested. “I’ll fight you with everything I’ve got, down to my life force if necessary!”

“If that is your decision, then that is where we’ll do battle.” One of Polemos’ mechanical arms pointed a finger towards the planet in the sky. “There is no life upon that world, sentient or otherwise, the entire planet shall be our arena. Your mate my stay on this moon, away from danger. Is that acceptable to you?”

“No it isn’t!” Bright Blade looked down to his marefriend, a worried expression upon her face, almost on the verge of tears. “You don’t have to do this, let me fight him instead Bright I don’t want to lose you again!”

“And do you think me losing you would be better, this is what I was born to do, to destroy evil,” argued Bright Blade.

“Listen to yourself! ‘Born to destroy evil,’ is that all you think you’re good for!? Is that all that gives your life meaning!!?” Twilight’s hoof moved of its own accord towards her belly, where their unborn child still developed. “You don’t have to fight and seek out evil the rest of your life; this is your own life Bright…please…”

Bright Blade raised his hoof and gently stroked his marefriend’s mane; she looked into his eyes, gentle and strong as ever.

“I’m sorry Twi…Besides,” Bright Blade looked towards Polemos, his expression unchanged, apparently not minding this emotional display, “I don’t think I have much of a choice in this matter.” Bright Blade then kissed Twilight below her horn and then touched their foreheads, their horns crossing. “I don’t plan on losing, I’m coming back. I always do.”

Bright Blade separated from Twilight and began walking towards Polemos. The alicorn stallion then nodded at Polemos, who then returned the nod. The Envoy then turned around and trotted into the distance, Bright Blade followed him, staying side-by-side with him.

“Do you wish to have a moment longer with your mate,” asked Polemos staring straight ahead.

Polemos smirked, just for a brief second, the same with Bright Blade. The two warriors were then incased in spheres of gold and red light, the spheres then blasted off into the horizon, flying towards the planet in the sky. Twilight was now alone on the barren moon, tears in her eyes, her hoof still resting on her belly.

“Idiot…” Twilight sniffled; she then wiped her eyes and gazed in the direction where the two warriors left for. Her horn glowed with mana, preparing to cast a spell. “Superexáltet conspectu meo ...”

A magic circle appeared in front of Twilight. The center of the circle faded and became like a window, almost immediately the image of Polemos and Bright Blade came into a view, their energy streaks indicating that they were still flying towards the planet. Their destination seemed to be covered in storm clouds, beyond that, using the zooming ability of the circle; she saw where their battle would commence.

The city was ruined, tall skyscrapers with shattered windows, some on the verge of crumbling all together. The streets were cracked and littered with debris, whatever civilization once lived on this world was definitely gone, lost to the elements, their remains no longer upon this world’s surface, if there were any left at all.

The skies roared with thunder as lightning arced through the clouds. A deluge of rain fell upon everything, obscuring many different objects and structures. But two things were visible in the storm, down one end of the street a golden light shined and was gradually moving. On the opposite end, a red light glowed and it too was moving down the street, seemingly on an intercept course.

Bright Blade’s breath could be seen wafting from his nostrils and mouth, his aura sizzling from the evaporated raindrops, and Xiaon, humming with power. Polemos was the same; his hooves crunched and cracked the ground he walked on, dragging the Crimson Scourge along the pavement, the blade cutting a straight line through the asphalt. Both warriors halted about twenty feet from each other. The rain continued to pour down on the empty city, splashing about as the sound of rolling thunder echoed in the sky.

“Here we are Bright Blade, two warriors, two blades, and a perfect back drop to our fight.”

“This will end here Polemos, even if I have to take you down with me,” proclaimed Bright Blade.

“Heh, heh, yes, that’s the fervor I’ve come to expect from you, let us begin then!”

Lightning flashed and thunder roared, signaling the beginning of the fated duel. Bright Blade galloped forth, with Polemos taking off at the same time. Xiaon’s aura flared at the same time as Crimson Scourge. Their hooves crushed the ground with each step they took. Polemos brought up his giant sword, gripping it with all four hands. The Knight of Hope energized his horn-sword, readying himself for the impact that was to come. Both met in the center swinging their respective blades, clashing with a resounding ring.

Polemos slashed right, Bright Blade parried and charged for a thrust. The Envoy brought his weapon back and blocked the attack with the flat of the giant sword. He pushed back Bright Blade and swung again horizontally, Bright flapped his wings, giving him enough push to jump up just in time to dodge the attack. Bright bowed his head, bringing Xiaon down in a vertical slash. The energy blade grazed the red armor of Polemos as he stepped back just in the nick of time.

When Bright landed he swung Xiaon once again, Polemos did the same. The two swords cut through the water droplets. When the blades connected, the force generated knocked both of them back. Bright somersaulted in the air once before landing, his hooves digging into pavement as he came to a grinding halt. Polemos had quickly struck Crimson Scourge into the street, the large blade cutting a long gash as it gradually slowed his movement till he came to a full stop.

Bright and Polemos looked to one another. The alicorn stallion flared his wings and took to the skies; Polemos dislodged his sword and leaped into the sky as well. They charged for one another yet again, slamming their blades at the moment of contact, sending yet another powerful shockwave that shattered all the glass windows within the vicinity. Their duel continued in the air, both warriors clashing their swords, making it impossible to tell when the swords struck and the thunder ended.

Bright Blade landed on the side of the building, offering only a millisecond of respite before Polemos attacked. The war bull brought down his mighty sword, but Bright dodged yet again, spiraling in the air. The Crimson Scourge made contact with the skyscraper; a vertical gash of red light went up and down, slicing the building all the way in half. Both halves crumbled to the ground, the usual dust cloud being brought down from the heavy rainfall.

Polemos looked up and watched as Bright Blade’s sword glowed with power. “Aureus Storm!!!”

A tornado of golden energy blasted from Xiaon. The attack slammed into Polemos from above, sending him hurdling to the unforgiving street below. The tornado of light was cancelled, Polemos rose from the crater he had created, the assault having done little more than disorient him. But he didn’t have long to process the next attack. Bright Blade dove down at a rapid pace; the rain didn’t even have time to collect in his wake as he descended. When Bright was close he unfurled his wings, bringing him to an immediate halt.

Bright Blade swung Xiaon with all his might, the golden blade sparked as the energy weapon grinded against Polemos’ armored side. The impact sent the bull of war flying into a nearby building. Bright Blade flapped his wings, propelling him high above the skyscraper. He then slashed Xiaon through the building, bringing the entire structure down upon the Spirit of War.

Fifty dozen orbs of light appeared over the fallen structure, the orbs transformed into energy swords, each one pointed at the pile of debris that Polemos was under. All at once the blades flew down on the debris, each one twinkling upon impact before exploding magnificently. The surrounding structures were engulfed in a giant burning bubble of golden light, destroying them completely. But Bright wasn’t done yet, he was going to end this, here and now!

“Come forth slayer of tyrants; descend upon the wicked and the evil! Let all those who bring forth misery and strife feel the sting of your metal, the heat of your fury!”

Bright Blade’s wings fanned out as mana shined off his shimmering wings, his aura erupting into an inferno of power. Xiaon no longer was in sword form, but instead, rested at the tip of Bright’s horn in the form of orb of gold colored light. His fierce green glowing eyes fixed at a point in the sky and with a mere thought, fired the orb. It sailed like an arrow till it reached its appointed destination. The orb broke out and transformed into a giant version of itself, hovering just above the destruction below. Bright Blade had returned to his original armored form, but that wasn’t important, this last attack would end it all.

“Judgment of Xiaon!!!” The mighty sword, with a bow of the alicorn’s head, fell like a meteor. The moment the blade made contact with the smoldering crater a bright flash of light whited out the area. “Ye are guilty…”

When it faded, most of the massive city was destroyed and ruined, a large, four pointed star shaped gash scarred the land below, making many of the buildings and adjoining skyscrapers crumble and fall. A tiny orb of golden light floated up from the destruction and flew towards its wielder. Bright Blade was awaiting the return of his creation; the moment the orb made contact with is horn his body changed back to his powered form.

“You wanted my all, and I gave you my all Polemos. Hope it was what you wanted, now I need to go see if Twi can –”

Bright Blade watched as the gash filled with red light, the energy then collected at the center and fired in the form of a powerful beam. Bright Blade let himself fall from the sky, letting gravity do the work after having used most of his power in his last attack. The beam sailed forth and pierced the clouds, punching a hole in the storm and revealing the moon that Twilight was on. Bright Blade corrected himself and stared in horror as the giant ray headed towards its destination.

Suddenly the scarlet beam angled itself to the right, further and further it moved till the Battle Cry completely missed the moon. The attack fizzled out after about a minute which allowed Bright Blade to breathe a slight sigh of relief, but only slight. He quickly whipped his head around and spotted the caster of the blast.

Polemos was rising from the crater, his mane was disheveled and a few trickles of blood could be seen contrasting against his black coat. Crimson Scourge was still held between two of the four mechanical arms, no less as pristine as his armor. Bright Blade, among all the emotions he was feeling, couldn’t help but udder the two words that he knew he owed the Envoy.

“That was aimed at you, had I’d known the moon was there I would’ve changed the angle of my attack. It was my mistake, no thanks are necessary,” replied Polemos.

Meanwhile you look like you barely took any damage and I’ve used up almost all of my power! Okay, let’s assess the situation. I’m holding onto Xiaon, but only by a thread, my armor’s power is the only thing keeping me from collapsing and that’s fading, fast, and no doubt Twilight’s probably fretting and cursing my name to Epona on high, but she’s alive so that’s a plus. Damn…is this really all I can do…?

“Bright Blade that was a spectacular attack! Let us continue this glorious battle!!!” Polemos shouted.

Polemos launched himself at Bright Blade and brought down Crimson Scourge down upon his foe. The two swords made contact with each other, causing a shockwave that sent the alicorn reeling backwards a few feet. The attack sent Bright’s head into a tailspin; he barely felt his body, the only thing he could concentrate his mind on was the sword. Polemos swopped in again and slashed with his sword, making contact with Xiaon. This time Bright Blade countered and tried to push back against the large cleaver of a blade. The two of them continued in that fashion, one countering, and the other attacking.

The glee filled look on Polemos’ face was gradually and quickly fading away with each stroke of Crimson Scourge. Something was off, this whole fight was wrong to him. Getting fed up with this, Polemos drew back his sword and prepared to strike Bright Blade with a horizontal slash. Bright Blade readied himself to dodge his attack, but his movements were sluggish, his energy levels almost at zero. When Polemos swung Crimson Scourge he quickly shifted the blade so that the flat of the sword was aimed at his opponent. The sword slammed against Bright Blade, catching the alicorn stallion off guard and sending him flying into the distance.

Bright Blade crashed through three different buildings before ending up in a fourth, rolling on the floor and coming to a stop. The golden alicorn groaned from the pain, his body was weak, and his power was fading. This was it, he was about to break his promise to Twilight.
Polemos floated through the hole and into the building where Bright Blade crashed landed. He slowly approached the Knight of Hope, his eyes narrowed upon seeing Bright Blade on the floor.

“What are you doing…? This is not how I want our glorious battle to end! Rise up and fight Bright Blade! If you can’t fight for your own sake then do it for the ones you care about, for the one that loves you! You, who bear the hopes and dreams of countless lives, take all of that and make it your strength! NOW RISE AND FIGHT!” Polemos bellowed.

Bright Blade heard the words of the Spirit of War, and it rang true. Those words, he was right. He was the Element of Hope, this whole time he had been fighting to defeat Polemos, to utterly and completely put an end to him. But that’s not what used to motivate him, it was the need to protect, to save the ones he cared about, the one mare he loved, to bring hope to those who were hopeless.
Something new burned in Bright Blade, gritting his teeth; the Knight of Hope rose up onto his hooves.

“For their hopes and their dreams…!” The Element of Hope crystal shined brighter than it ever had, Bright Blade’s body was now filled with renewed strength. “CENTAURUS ELEMENTUS!!!”

Bright Blade’s body erupted with golden light, blinding Polemos and nearly forcing him out of the building from the power. When the light faded, Polemos saw a new being standing before him. Bright Blade was now in Centaurus form. His navy blue armor held his golden energy body together. The top edges of his wings were plated with the same armor, as well as his face and lower part of his horn. In his right hand he held Xiaon; the sword of light was more refined, it was as if he plucked a star from the night sky and forged it into a weapon.

Bright’s white mane bellowed like fire, his emerald eyes blazing with power. Polemos looked upon his adversary, and smiled with glee.

Polemos launched himself at Bright Blade, slashing at him with Crimson Scourge. Bright intercepted the blade with Xiaon’s, the attack rumbled through air upon impact. But Bright Blade didn’t seem fazed. In fact, the force wave generated blew back Polemos, his armored hooves scrapping against the floor as he came to a halt.

Bright Blade didn’t give him a chance to recover. Within a single step the golden centaur bridged the gap between them. Polemos began swinging Crimson Scourge, but Bright Blade countered each strike with Xiaon’s energy blade. On the next strike, Bright Blade parried the blow, twirled his sword around, and brought the flat of his palm against the flat of the sword. Pushing forward, he created a force blast of golden energy that threw Polemos out the hole he flew in.

The Spirit of War spiraled out of control through the torrential rain. He continued like this for a full minute, finding himself halfway through the city. The black bull gathered his power and strength and sent out a buffering energy burst around his body, bringing him to a halt in midair. Polemos stared out in Bright’s direction, his form visible even from this distance, like a shining gold star.

“YES, YES!!! THIS IS THE BATTLE I’VE BEEN SEEKING! LET OUR FIGHT MAKE THE VERY HEAVENS TREMBLE FROM OUR MIGHT!!!”

Bright Blade did not respond, though his emerald eyes blazed with a greater intensity as he tightened his grip around Xiaon. With one flap of his wings, Bright Blade was sent soaring out into the open space. Polemos took off at nearly the same time. Streaks of gold and red light soared straight for one another, on a direct collision course. Barriers of sound and air pressure burst before them as they continued to build up speed, the glass of the buildings shattering in their wake. At last the two rays of light met at the center, causing a massive shockwave that nearly toppled every building within a five block radius, the ground down below caved in from the pressure being directed in all different directions. A sphere of gold and red light was at the center, but the sphere did not last as the beams of gold and red shot towards the sky.

The sound of thunder and clashing blades echoed through the stormy sky. The streams of light would separate, and then intercept yet again, causing the rain water around them to be forcefully pushed back before resuming its cascade. Several times this occurred, one titanic clash after the other. The power these two were emitting was so strong that lightning itself took on the colors of their power, as if resonating with them on primal, ethereal level.

The two warriors hovered in the air above the city. Rain continued to fall upon them and evaporate on contact. Bright Blade grasped Xiaon with both hands, flaring his wings as his aura raged. Polemos snorted, his yellow eyes gleaming with unbridled joy as he relished this fight. He was tired, being pushed to the limits of his power, oh how he enjoyed every minute of it!

The two then flew at each other once again, Bright Blade bringing Xiaon in for a horizontal strike. Polemos couldn’t see from their distance, but prepared to counterattack nonetheless. With a great burst of speed Bright Blade closed the distance and slashed down, Polemos veered to the left as quickly as possible. The light sword carved through his armor, slicing his left side. The warriors flew away and doubled back for second run.

Polemos felt the warm sensation of blood pouring from his wound, something that he had never felt in his immortal life, and he was eager to return the favor. The Spirit of War corrected himself, and flew at Bright Blade for another attack.

The golden centaur turned quickly and flew at Polemos. The two crossed paths once again, only this time the results were different. Polemos swung Crimson Scourge upwards, catching Bright Blade off guard and allowing the large blade to slash up his chest. Bright Blade quickly parried the blow before it could do anymore damage and flew past the Envoy. Liquid light began to flow from the wound on Bright’s chest. The two rounded once again for a third attack. Bright Blade opened his left palm, a magic circle forming around it as he did. Polemos could sense the build of energy, and focused his own power to his horns. When both were in range the two warriors unleashed their attacks.

Two gigantic energy beams fired at each at point blank range. An explosion of white, red and gold light swirled about as one tried to vie for supremacy over the other. In the end the two blasts canceled each other out, forcing the two warriors to put some distance between each other. Both were at their limits, having expanded most of their power during their heated battle.

“What do you say, Bright Blade? One last attack, everything we’ve got! Let us end this glorious battle with a bang,” Polemos offered.
Although you couldn’t see it, Bright Blade was smirking. “Sounds great to me, give it all you’ve got!”

Bright Blade held his sword over his head as particles of golden light started to gather to him. Polemos’ mechanical arms brought Crimson Scourge into position, his body also gathering particles of scarlet energy. They hovered there, red and gold lightning flashing through the sky. Bright Blade’s eyes began to ignite with power, the time was now!

“Shine down upon me and let loose your roar of might! I call forth your anger and sorrow, with hope we now take flight! Let all who stand before me be reduced to ash for the slight! Hear me now as I call unto you…”

Polemos thrust the Crimson Scourge forward. A roaring red plasma flame blast zoomed towards Bright Blade. The sky was blanketed with red as the beam it its mark. The ground below was being torn apart, the clouds dispersing from the sky. Indeed half of the horizon was engulfed in an angry and violent crimson; nothing could be seen or heard over the roar. This was Polemos’ ultimate attack, bringing the strength of all conflict, all hate into one powerful blast. This was the power of war unleashed.

Suddenly a slender ray of gold and white light cut through the scarlet wave. In the next moment that small ray grew into an overwhelming pillar of light that cut through Paradise Lost and extended into the sky and further beyond. Polemos’ attack seemed to fizzle out in the presence of this light. The dark gloomy skies were washed away as bright blue sky now adorned it. When Polemos looked upon the pillars source, his mouth gaped open.

Bright Blade was still alive; hovering in the same spot had been before. Only his body was wrapped in a golden sphere of mana. What Polemos mistook for a pillar was in fact Xiaon as it poked through the sphere. The blade had become an immaculate white, extending far into the sky with no sign of the weapons tip. Polemos marveled at the mighty weapon, this one sword, this one attack, had enough power to split a star in half, this he knew for a fact was certain.

With a mighty battle cry, Bright Blade swung the colossal sword downwards. The pillar blade fell with his motion, the blue sky split open, showing the vastness of space. Polemos could feel the overwhelming gravitational energy being brought down as it descended, the friction of the atmosphere blazing around it, literally cutting through the layers. Polemos knew there was only one answer to an attack like this.

Polemos ignited his aura and charged straight for the descending blade. He thrust Crimson Scourge forward using it to pierce through the intense heat and force being brought down upon him. Polemos was like a red comet heading straight for a burning, white hot star as he flew. At last Crimson Scourge made contact with the Sword of Eternal Light, and when it did the weapon shattered…

From the safety of the moon, Twilight watched the battle rage on. She cheered when she saw her coltfriend bury Polemos in a barrage of light swords, cried when he was being beaten back, and once again cheered when he unlocked his Centaurus Elementus powers. Though what she couldn’t figure out was why a wave of golden light radiated outwards and continued on into space. When the wave did hit Twilight she felt a rush of power, as if being supercharged.

Now Twilight stood in awe as a giant white blade pierced through the atmosphere and shoot past the moon she was standing on. Twilight didn’t need to guess whose attack that was, she could feel it. In in the next moment Twilight watched as the giant sword blade began to fall downward. Further and further the giant pillar-blade of light fell, the clouds dispersing from the sheer force and size of it. Then there was a red flash, followed by a powerful detonation on the planet’s surface. Twilight had to close the magical viewing glass and shield her eyes from the blinding flash of light.

When Twilight looked again, there was a large, scorching gash upon the planet. It was as if the blade had scarred the very land. Twilight was starting to get worried, the amount of energy that was being put out earlier had fell drastically low. Twilight began to gallop at a fast and furious pace, her armor shining with the power of magic.

Twilight’s body was then enveloped with sparkling purple mana. Transforming her into her Centaurus form, the energy continued to build up, changing her into a streaking comet that flew directly to the battle scarred area. Twilight arrived on the planet, her violet eyes searching over every inch of the surface, expanding her senses to try and find any trace of Bright Blade. At that moment she picked up on a faint pulsation. The Knight of Magic veered off to the right, following the beacon like energy in the distance.

Twilight finally came upon the area where the two warriors had battled. There was nothing left; any trace of the city had been reduced to ash. Bright Blade was in Centaurus form, but his energy form was flickering, like a candle about to be blown out by the wind. Twilight hurriedly landed a couple of feet behind him and cantered up to him. When she was near, Twilight looked down and saw Polemos. His armor was gone, his bare form lay upon the ground. His black coat stained with blood, the light of his yellow eyes slowly dimming. Even though Twilight could tell the Envoy was fading away, he did not seem scared or angered in his loss, but rather, he had a content smile.

The Knight of Hope’s Centaurus form finally gave out and returned Bright Blade to his original pony form. Although he had won, the alicorn stallion did not smile. True he did fell a powerful enemy, one born of war and violence, the essence of conflict itself, and yet, it seemed like a hollow victory.

“Heh, heh…that was truly…a glorious battle, Bright Blade,” spoke Polemos weakly.

“Was it really worth it? You defied Erebus by bringing us here; you couldn’t just side with us and fight to end his evil!? Was this all you really wanted, just a way to die!?” shouted Bright Blade.

“No…For me, a true and legendary battle, is the only reason for my existence. If you and your comrades win, then my brothers and sister will fade, without the Master’s power, it would only be a matter of time before we were returned to the ether from which we were spawned…If I was to one day become nothing again, at least I would do so on my own terms, and in a way that I wouldn’t regret…”

“The Master would easily unmake me if I were to confront him with the rest of you…or turn me against you by taking away my intelligence and leaving me a mindless beast! I did not want that…You made me realize something that I never believed I was capable of…”

Polemos’ smile broadened, “You gave me hope, and you made me able to hope that I could bring about that which I sought. And that hope was fulfilled. I know that you loathe me…I know that when all this is over you just as soon forget –”

“You’re wrong,” Bright Blade interrupted, “I won’t forget this fight. And I’ll make sure that it will be told to all those who ask me, and one that I’ll tell those who come after me. About the great battle between War and Hope, and of Polemos, the redeemed Spirit of War…”

Polemos went silent, his eyes closing as the yellow light in his eyes finally faded away. Even in death his smile held, true peace had befallen the Spirit of War, his journey had finally come to an end. At that moment Twilight and Bright Blade stepped back, watching as the Envoy’s body began to glow bright red. The glow then started to disperse into tiny particles of light that disappeared into nothingness as they floated into the blue sky.

Bright Blade and Twilight watched as the Spirit of War’s essence drifted away. The Knight of Magic dispelled her Centaurus form and stood next to her coltfriend, nuzzling his neck comfortingly.

Twilight raised her left hoof and placed it against his cheek. “No, it’s not. Despite what I believed, he was different. He had honor, a warrior’s honor, right to the very end.”

“Yeah…” Bright looked up into the sky once more. “He did, didn’t he?” Bright Blade lowered himself to the ground, the battle fatigue finally hitting him. “You mind if we rest here, I’m really tired…”

Twilight lowered herself as well and allowed her coltfriend to brace up against her. “Sure…”

Bright Blade and Polemos’ battle has reached its climatic end, with the Knight of Hope proving victorious. But it is far from over. Across the sea of stars, the other Knights of Harmony still continue to wage battle against the remaining three Envoy. And still, they have yet to face the God of Darkness himself.

Find out the fate of the Knights and Envoy in the 6th part of Fourth Sign Arc.

Equestrian Epoch: Final Hope

by Michael_Ravencroft

Fourth Sign: Part 5