//------------------------------//
// Chapter 39 
// Story: When Friends are Said and Dun 
// by xenos29 
//------------------------------//

	A sharp pang of fear seized Twilight as the horde of creatures closed in on the ponies, forcing their backs to the box.  Everypony was rapidly approaching the point of collapsing, and their fatigue showed as the next wave of creatures approached, virtually unopposed.
"It's startin' to get a might' crowded in here!"  hollered Applejack as she bucked a creature onto its side.
"Just a little longer, everypony!" shouted Twilight.  "We just need to hold on until Alpenglow-"
Over Twilight's voice, a staccato of wooden cracks thundered from the roof.  All at once, the ponies looked up, and out of the darkness, a pile of beams- mixed with the tangle of Alpenglow and Blight- rained from above, flattening many of the creatures as they smashed into the floor.  The impact drew a screen of dust over the hall, forcing Twilight to shield her eyes.  When it cleared, Blight lay under the splintered debris, and Alpenglow just off to the side.  Rainbow and Spike rushed to help him up as Twilight and the princesses cautiously eyed Blight, horns at the ready.  Amid the crumbling pile of wood and plaster, the creatures were already reassembling themselves.
"Alp’, you alright?" asked Rainbow, patting him on the back.
"Yeah.  Thanks, guys," he groaned as he stood.  "Getting too old for this.  Come on, we gotta- "
Blight burst from the pile, freeing himself as he lunged for Alpenglow.  Flinging Spike onto his back, he and Rainbow dodged out of the way.  A quick swipe of Spike’s lance sent Blight stumbling into Rainbow, who gladly delivered a swift kick to his face.  The old pony roared, and every vine in the hall sprung to life.
"Everypony, to me!" shouted the Princess, the shield materializing above her and Luna’s head.  Twilight leaped inside just as the vines flew through the air in their telltale arc, but soon realized not everypony had made it in.  Alpenglow, Rainbow, and Spike were too far away, doing their best to dodge their way through the crowd of vines and towards the safety of the shield, but to no avail.  Slowly but surely, the vines found their way around a leg, a tail, and finally, a claw.  As the shield faded, Blight, still snarling, held up his prizes, daring the ponies to approach as the severed vines receded.
"Sorry, Alp’," said Rainbow.  "I should’ve been faster."
The knight let fall a tired, proud smile.  "No, you guys did great.  You do this sort of thing long enough, you learn just how much luck is involved."
"Let them go, Blight," the Princess ordered.
"I’ve waited a long time for this, Celestia," Blight hissed.  "Your time has passed, for both of you.  You’re weak.  You always were."
"Let them go, Blight.  I won’t ask again."
"No.  I’ve lost too much time to let you of all ponies stand in my way.  And you’re not going to do a thing about it, because that’s just who you are.  You’ve never been the one to make a difference, to make the hard choices.  That’s not what you do."
The plant creatures had finished rebuilding themselves and were starting to rise again.  Princess Celestia’s horn glowed tiredly, and with a sharp wave of her head, every creature in the room popped like a balloon.  The princess’ eyes narrowed as she spoke.
"Hurt any of them, Blight…and I promise you will be surprised by what I do."
For the first time Twilight had seen, Blight looked uncertain.  His eyes locked with the princess’.  Whatever he saw in them, it forced him to look away, and in that instant, a star flared at the tip of Princess Celestia’s horn.  A blinding beam shot through the hall and slammed into Blight as three protective auras materialized over Rainbow, Alpenglow, and Spike.  Luna quickly lowered the three to the ground, and they ran to join everypony as Blight crashed into the opposite side of the room.
"Bit of a close trim, don’t you think, Princess?" asked Alpenglow with a grin.
"Thank you for the vote of confidence, Alpenglow," she said warmly.
Luna pushed the box forward.  "Let us finish this.  The spell."
Alpenglow took a scroll from his bag.  Unfurling it, his eyes darted from left to right, up and down the parchment, and finally he turned to Twilight, nodding his head.
With elements at the ready, everypony formed a wide line, with Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Rarity on Twilight’s left; Applejack, Rainbow, and Spike to her right.  The princesses moved to join Alpenglow, who was now hovering in the air.  Seeing them all take their positions, Blight frantically threw aside the debris burying him, and reached out with his vines.
It was too late.  For the second time in recent memory, Twilight felt the warmth of her friends, each of them a different colored flame that together created a power that ponies like Blight couldn't begin to understand.  The six of them opened their eyes, and a brilliant rainbow filled their view as the shining arc washed over Blight.  He reeled back, falling on his rear vine legs and nearly wrecking one of the walls as he did.  The hall shuddered feebly, and over the pained sounds of the building, Alpenglow’s voice bellowed:


Forever more as in days behind,
Lie past and present that we must mend.
And in our friends hate and doubt will find,
Heroes all, and magic without end!


Then, Twilight felt a different sensation.  She still felt her friends around her, but they all had changed.  Their flames had become narrow, but more intense beams, and paired off: loyalty and honesty, kindness and generosity, magic and laughter.  The three facets took on an identity of their own, and Twilight couldn't help but name them.
The first pair she called integrity, which mended the cracks in her resolve.
The second she called altruism, which shielded her from the torrents of despair and self-pity.
The third she called courage, which pushed back the dark in her heart.
The rainbow had transformed into a three-sided prism, with each facet a different side.  The shape split in half, melted onto the box and Blight, and soon his body was covered in a coat of shifting color.  The color faded, and immediately after, the tips of Blight’s vines stiffened.  His face turned pale, though Twilight couldn’t tell whether the change was from fear, or from the rough, stony texture that had overtaken his body.  Either way, Blight’s face kept that petrified expression, and nopony dared to say a word until they wearily shed their leaden armor, let the image settle in their minds, and fully accept the sight before them of the statue that had replaced the old pony.
Blight was, once again, trapped.
Everypony let out collective sigh of fatigue-ridden relief, and Fluttershy asked the question they were all thinking.  "…Is it...over?"
Applejack thoroughly wiped her forehead.  "Looks like.  Kinda hard to believe, after all this time."
"I am most ready to believe it," sighed Rarity.
Rainbow slumped onto the floor.  "Whew!  Nice job, everypony."
Beside the box, Alpenglow was talking quietly with the princesses, their hooves on his shoulders.  The three of them turned to face everypony when the building groaned angrily, its tolerance for the damage wearing thin.
Alpenglow pointed back at Blight.  "We'll deal with him later.  It’d be pretty dumb if we defeated him only to get buried in here.  You guys go.  Me and Twilight can make sure Blight and the box are secure."
"No argument here," said Rainbow.
"Y’all better be right behind us," Applejack added firmly, scooping up Spike before the six of them made their way out of the hall.  Princess Celestia and Luna lingered, their wings wrapped tightly around Alpenglow.
"It'll be different this time," whispered Alpenglow.
The princesses tore themselves from him, their eyes glossy at the edges as they looked at him, then Twilight.  Slowly they left the hall, and refused to look back as Twilight and Alpenglow approached Blight.  The old pony’s face held in a passionless grimace, his body pitifully arched over.  If Twilight hadn’t known better, she’d have thought his outstretched vine had once held a walking cane.
"I’m sorry, Alpenglow, but I can’t help but feel sorry for him."
"I know, Twilight.  It's ok.  I guess I kind of do, too.  In the end, he fought because that was the only thing he knew.  He couldn’t let go of his anger for Starswirl and the princesses.  He must've been so sure what he was doing was right."
"Can’t we just leave him like this?"
"It won’t last, not to mention he got out of Tartarus the last time Starswirl tried."  He ran a hoof over the box.  "Between the Princess, Luna, and Discord, we did the best we could.  Maybe someday you'll all find a better way, but right now, this is the only way we can be sure."  A beam fell from the ceiling and exploded on the floor.
Alpenglow turned to Twilight.  "You've done a lot already, Twilight, but it's time to make another choice."
"I know.  I have."
Alpenglow gave an awful smile.  "Don’t leave me guessing."
Twilight felt a grip on her throat.  "You said I’d have to choose between everypony," she whispered.  "You didn't tell me it would feel like this."
"It’s one of the hardest lessons you’ll ever learn.  And if Blight ever said anything true, it's that having the resolve to choose is just as important as what you choose in the end."
"What kind of choice is it if I'm making you do it?"
"No, Twilight.  When I do it, it'll be because I want to, because you're my friend.  That's the difference.  That's what a leader makes happen."
Twilight took a deep breath, then another.  She felt a spark in her chest, she had what it took.  And finally she squeezed out the words, "Alpenglow, I...we need you to stay with Blight, for as long as it takes to keep Equestria safe."
Alpenglow casually snapped off a salute.  "It might take a while, but I’ll get it done…Princess."
"Alpenglow…that’s the last time you get to call me 'Princess.'"
He grinned.  "What can I say, it felt right.  You’ve proven you have what it takes to be a leader, Twilight, again.  You have every reason to be proud."
"I don’t feel proud."
"The right decision is never the easy one, Twilight.  But you did it, without giving up your friends or yourself.  Make no mistake, you have what it takes to become what he could never dream of."
The hall shook more and more.  A cluster of rubble crashed into the door, blocking it, though a broken window on the second floor still provided Twilight an exit.  With a numb fatigue, Twilight lowered the still petrified Blight into the open box, closed the lid, and walked around it to rejoin Alpenglow.  He was looking at the shackle somberly, preparing to return to his battle of forever.
A large section of the ceiling fell, landing no more than ten feet from them.  Alpenglow took a deep breath.  He looked at her, the shackle dangling from his right hoof.
"I'm...gonna miss you, Twilight."
Her eyes watered.  "…Me too."
Alpenglow put his hoof on her shoulder.  "You’ll know where to find me.  And I’ll always have your back…even if you can’t talk to me.  Now go.  You've still got work to do.  And I don’t want you getting turned to stone, too."
Though it was harder than anything she had done before, Twilight left, appearing right next to her friends and the princesses as town hall crumbled in front of them.  Confused and concerned, everypony frantically asked where Alpenglow was, until Twilight silently pointed at the wreck that was once the building.  The dust settled, and the ponies began digging.  There, at the center of the rubble pile stood Alpenglow, chained to the box, as he was before.  His body was cold and gray, like before, only now he stood tall, with a warm smile on his stony face.