Shayden's eyes creaked open; his body was weak from the mind control spell that was used on him. All he could do was lay there and watch as two alicorns fought each other. One had a hole in their chest that had almost pierced through! Was that Soren?
Soren, with his crazy grin of determination, limped towards Diamond as fast as he could. The bigger alicorn gave one 'heh' and levitated Sunny over to him. Holding her with one foreleg, he created an ice blade and, with his magic, held it to her throat.
"Don't think I won't do it, alicorn."
"Kill her; see if I care," Soren commented immediately and without interest of Sunny's well-being.
"WHAT?!" Sunny exclaimed with horror.
"However if you do kill her, your death will just be that much more painful. I doubt this entire forest will be standing five minutes after Sunny's death."
"Very well then," Diamond said as he tossed Sunny over by Shayden. The drained unicorn looked at Sunny and mouthed the words 'Help him' as his horn lit up. Meanwhile, Diamond readied himself as Soren continued to walk to him.
Diamond stomped on the ground, tilting a chunk of the floor up and flinging Soren into the air. He caught him and threw him straight down into the ground. Soren created an indent in the ground that fit his figure. Groaning, Soren quickly stood up and growled. He heard a crack of air behind him and noticed that Sunny was now there. She smiled at him as she turned into Blazing Sun once again. A lightbulb went off in Soren head; he focused on the green electricity around him and brought it to his horn. As his horn shined brighter, his body started to coat itself in ice. Pretty soon, he turned himself into an ice pony. Soren grinned at Diamond then faced Sunny.
"I'm sorry," he said as he hugged her. A supernova of light filled the room, blinding Diamond and Shayden. When the light finally dissipated, Diamond and Shayden saw that Soren and Sunny were fused together. In their place stood a pony made of blue and red fire with brilliant yellow eyes and a yellow mouth.
Diamond was unsure how to feel about this, but it didn't matter to him. He created another tidal wave and sent it at the pony. The wave crashed through his target, but the pure blue fire pony continued to walk towards him. The pony then changed to purely red and slammed its hooves to the ground, creating many pillars of fire that rose from the ground in the direction of Diamond. He was bombarded with a few pillars but held his ground.
Suddenly, Diamond felt sections of the floor give out from under him; his hooves were now stuck in holes. He looked back and made eye contact with a grinning Shayden. 'No pony controls me,' his eyes seem to say. Looking back at the purple fire pony, Diamond's eyes widened as he saw it begin rolling forward. It picked up speed and cackled with blue electricity as its body was surrounded in a wheel of fire. The spinning wheel moved swiftly across the ground, rolled up Diamond's leg, and slammed into his chin. The alicorn's head was knocked back and his hooves broke free from the stone. Diamond landed on his back.
The fire pony turned blue once again and summoned dozens of icicles. When Diamond lifted his head, the fire pony threw all of them at him. Diamond teleported away, but when he reappeared elsewhere, the icicles that didn't hit the wall curved around and aimed at him again. This time they impacted. At least eight were lodged into his body, making him stumble. Every movement created pain, but Diamond wasn't down yet.
He summoned thunderclouds inside the room and aimed every lightning bolt at the fire pony. The pony turned red, and the bolts went through it. Not a single one made contact. The pony did something new; it turned purple then turned transparent. It floated over to Diamond, who created a strong gust from the clouds to blow the pony away. It was working, until Shayden took chunks from the clouds, turned them into smoke, and used them to strike Diamond in the legs, faltering his focus.
The purple cloud pony reached Diamond and flew into his nostrils, mouth, and ears. Once inside, the nebulous pony turned red and began to cook the insides of Diamond. The alicorn clutched his chest, stomach, and everything as he instinctively tried to rid his body of the pain. Diamond eventually fell onto his back, dying.
The fire pony left his body and rematerialized by Diamond's head. Another supernova of light later and Soren and Sunny were separated. Both fell over, but only Sunny was unconscious; Soren was just very weak.
"I told you...your power...means nothing," Soren strained, still clutching his chest which was merely a deep burn now.
"If you kill me, the rift will always be open," Diamond muttered with weak breaths. "What's it going to be? The rift or me?"
"At first...I didn't know what I wanted. But now...the answer is easy." With his last bit of magic, Soren pulled out an icicle from Diamond's leg and turned it into an ice sword. His horn popped with sparks constantly, but he didn't care. He walked up to Diamond's head, looked him square in the eyes, and brought the sword down without hesitation. He turned from the body as the head rolled away.
Another explosion of light occurred and four crystal ponies took the place of Diamond. Soren looked at all of them; none were moving. He limped as fast as he could to Ruby then held her.
"Ruby? Ruby, c'mon, speak to me. Please!" She coughed loudly and opened her eyes slightly.
"Hello again...Uncle."
"Are you alright?" She shook her head.
"We aren't meant to die in unity. I guess...this is the consequence." She motioned her hoof at Jade, Lapiz, and Topaz crawling or struggling to stand but instantly falling down.
"Are you all going to...?"
"Yes...sadly. But at least...*cough* I got to see you again. That's the real reason I joined." Her smile combined with her barely open eyes brought Soren to tears. Not again! Not like Nyra!
"W-What about Robin? Why did you leave her?" Shayden joined Soren's side. Ruby coughed with more force.
"Why did you leave the rift open?" she asked in a voice so sweet that it caused Soren to feel like his heart was being ripped out. It reminded him of when she was a filly.
"Because...I had to. If he closed it...I wouldn't be able to return home." He sniffed. "I've been on a downhill spiral ever since I left. I-I need to go back to the friends that kept me sane."
"That's good," she whispered. "Say bye...to Sunny...for me..." Ruby closed her eyes then went limp; she was still smiling. Soren cried until Shayden finally put a hoof on his shoulder.
"I am sorry. I did not know you had a strong connection with that mare." Soren wiped his eyes.
"It's...it's not your fault. It was Diamond's." He looked at Sunny, who was still unconscious. "We need to bring her back to the TARDIS. There's nothing for us here anymore." After walking over to Sunny, Soren pulled her over his back and began walking out of the castle lobby. Shayden looked at Soren then at all of the destruction inside. The lobby was now rubble, smoke, and fire.
"How much power do you have?"
"...Too much."
"Can you change that?"
"Considering the events of today, that would be stupid. I...I need to use it when ponies are in danger."
"What if it isn't a serious situation like today?"
"Well then...that will be up to me, now wouldn't it?" Shayden was a little unnerved by that statement. He looked at Soren's half-burned horn then back at the room once again. He stared at the alicorn walking away with an unconscious mare on his back. All that for one mare and some answers...
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Ponyville
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"Luna-dammit!" Rainbow slammed her hoof on the center table in the library, causing the history book to bounce in the air a few centimeters. Twilight looked at her growling friend, who was fighting back tears, with understanding eyes. "Soren, why?! Why does the universe have to do this to you?!" She buried her head in her crossed hooves. "why...?" she whispered. Twilight rubbed Rainbow's back to comfort her.
"It's almost over," she said in a motherly tone. "Let's just finish the rest."
---------------
In the TARDIS, Soren worked the console with a solemn expression; Sunny was laying next to him and Shayden sat against the railings, looking at him.
"Are you leaving for your universe now?" he asked.
"Not yet. I want to talk to Sunny before I go. Plus, there's still one more place you need see."
"And where would that be?"
"Your parents' graves." Shayden nearly fell off the railing, but regained balance and looked at him with wide, sad eyes.
"Must you crush me with more reminders of my past...?"
"Remember what I said about loose ends and moving on? You need to do this. I'm here for you." The TARDIS landed; Soren saw the desperate look on Shayden's face. "Alright, look...I won't make you do this if it will be that hard."
After a moment, Shayden let out a long sigh. "If I do not go, it might bother me for the remainder of my life... I must see it."
Both ponies walked outside into a lightly rainy day. Clouds covered the sky and the medium-sized graveyard was positioned close to the TARDIS. Shayden reluctantly walked out; he had never dared to visit here. Fear, depression, and an intense desire to run back into the TARDIS flooded him all at once. He ignored each and began to search the names of the graves for his parent's.
As Shayden scanned one side of the graveyard, Soren saw a stallion standing on the complete other side. Innocent curiosity got the better of him as he pretended to look for graves himself. He walked past the buck and glanced at the two graves he was staring at. Both had the last name Shine. Soren snapped his head to Shayden, who was still looking and was about to walk towards his parents' graves. Soren made eye contact with the buck. "Watch him," Soren said before sprinting away. The buck looked at Soren, then cast a glance towards Shayden.
He walked a good distance away before stopping at another grave, pretending to mourn at it but still keeping an eye on Shayden. The grey unicorn kept looking at names until he finally saw what he was hoping but dreading to find. The tears he had been holding back escaped him as he approached and read the graves.
Here lies Morning Shine
Suddenly stolen from us.
May she find rest in Faust's hooves.
His father's read the same way but with his own name. Shayden laid down in front of the grave and buried his head in his hooves. "All my fault..." he said all too loudly since the onlooking buck heard.
Stopping in the TARDIS doorway, Soren witnessed this and looked down with sadness. Right before he closed the doors, a sudden idea came to him. He left the door open as he rushed inside and came back as quick as he could with an object and paper in his mouth. He rushed to the buck and asked him to give this to 'that stallion.'
He looked to Soren then to the gray stallion crying at the graves. Why is he blaming himself for my parent's deaths? Is he at the wrong grave? He walked closer to Shayden; he cleared his throat, causing Shayden to lift his head, but not face him. "Did you know them?" he asked.
Shayden was not expecting anyone else to be here. "Y-yes. They were...close to me." The strange buck moved closer, stopping at five feet away.
"How did you know them?" Who is he? Why is he here? I have never seen him in town before. Shayden still did not look at him.
"It matters not, I don't deserve to be here." Shayden looked the opposite direction of the buck and saw, for the first time, a third grave next to his parent's graves. He should not have been surprised, until he read the stone. He gasped as he beheld a headstone bearing his old name. Shayden stood up and moved closer to his grave. Noticing this, the buck had had enough.
"Okay sir, I don't know who in Faust's name you are, but why are you crying at my parents' graves?" At this, Shayden froze. His parents? He slowly turned to look at the stallion. This earth pony had a messy purple mane and tail, with matching eyes and his coat was a brilliant white. He snapped his attention to the line of three graves. Only three? But where's... "Well?" the white earth pony demanded, "I want an answer!"
Shaysen almost didn't believe it. He was dead! But here in front of him stood... "D-dusk?!" he finally managed to say. Dusk's eyes narrowed as he looked at Shayden.
"How do you know my name?" Is this why the white alicorn wanted me to watch him? Shayden rushed forward and embraced him, which caused Dusk to go rigid in surprise, "Whoa, okay there! Looks like we have ourselves a hugger. Umm... do I know you?"
"Apolagies, you wouldn't recognize me." Shayden backed up to his own grave. Dusk's eyes darted between the grave and this strange stalion in front of him. His eyes widened.
"...What? B-but you can't be!" Dusk backed up. "You can't be him! You don't look anything like my brother! He's dead! Gone in that blast all those years ago! Stop playing these cruel tricks!"
"I can say the same of you. I thought I had killed you as well. I am glad I did not... But I am not lying. This headstone beside me does not belong here. Hello, brother." Shayden had never smiled wider in his life.
"But... you can't possibly be Dawn. He's white and pink! Why did that white alicorn want me to watch you?" At that, Shayden raised an eyebrow.
"I can prove that I am in fact Dawn!" He stood up and walked towards him, looking in his eyes. "We had a farm further north of here that was ravaged by a tornado when I was seven. I remember I was happy to help work on the gardens for the first time. We moved here, desperate to find work. I also went to school here. Our parents went to a conference with my teacher to talk about the bullies, of which there were five if you remember me telling you that all those years ago." His smile went away. "Then the explosion..." He looked towards the grave and began to cry once more. "My fault..."
There was now no doubt, Dusk realized. Nopony else could have known about any of that, since he had told nopony. "Dawn..." He embraced Shayden. "But how?"
Looking away in shame, Shayden replied "That explosion was me. I-I got out of control."
"If you want to talk about it we can, but first," he held out the letter. "The alicorn told me to give this to you."
Shayden levitated a necklace and took hold of the note. He unfolded it and began reading to himself.
Dear Shayden,
Sorry it had to be this way, but do not fret. I saw who I assumed to be a relative and left you with him. Now is the part where you realized that I left and are probably ticked off that I did so without telling you. That is where the necklace comes in. If you ever want to come to my universe and start a new life, activate the necklace by thinking of me. I will come as soon as I can. I hope you find comfort in whatever relative is there.
Your new friend,
Soren Melody
Shayden smiled. Friend. He looked to his older brother. "If you want to know what happened to me in those fourteen years, I suggest we get out of this rain first. My mane is getting quite damp and I do not like it."
"We can go to my house."