The three of us stood atop the constructed barricade, waiting for the inevitable attack that was to come. Celestia and Luna were donned in armor, Celestia wearing gold, while Luna wore dark obsidian colored armor. I wore nothing but my trademark black coat. The two had offered to have armor made for me years ago, but I had declined. It would just weigh me down. All I needed was my coat, and my Keyblade.
The royal guard was ordered to stay back, and protect the civilians, while we dealt with Tirek and Scorpan. We didn’t need anyone else getting hurt today.
We stood there stoically, until we heard the dull thudding. Tirek was making his way here, his heavy hoof steps alerting us to his presence. As we readied ourselves, we saw them. Tirek stepped out of the forest first, followed by his brother. Tirek was making his way towards us confidently, while his brother looked nervous and apprehensive. The two stopped in front of the barricade, a couple dozen feet away.
“Ha, how cute, you built a little barrier! It’s almost as if you think it can save you!” mocked Tirek. The princesses gave him a stern look, before Celestia spoke.
“Tirek and Scorpan. We are offering you the chance to end this. Leave Equestria, and let us live in peace, and we will not pursue you. But if you continue this mad conquest of yours, we will have no choice…but to beat you down!”
“Tirek, please, let’s listen to them,” pleaded Scorpan quietly. “We have all the power we could want back home! Let’s just… let’s go home. Please!” Tirek turned to face his brother, and grabbed him by the fur on his chest.
“Listen to me, and listen well! You are not backing out on me! Not when we are this close to domination of Equestria!”
“But Tirek-“
“I am your brother, and you WILL do as I say! Unless you want to face my wrath as well?”
“N-no…of course not brother…”
“Good,” said Tirek, releasing his hold on Scorpan. The two turned to face us. I looked to the two sisters, who had looks of what could be pity on their faces. I nodded to them, and summoned my Keyblade.
“Now, if we’re done with all this useless chatter,” said Tirek, before he gathered magical energy in his horns, creating a sphere of energy, and firing it towards us. The sisters took flight, while I teleported a brief distance away. The blast of magic hit the barricade, causing a fiery explosion. Luna rocketed down from the sky, strait at Tirek, unleashing her own blast of magic. Tirek raised a shield, but the force of Luna’s attack pushed him backwards.
I ran over the rooftops, heading strait for Tirek. After he lowered his shield, I leapt right towards him, and struck his face with my Keyblade. Tirek grunted, holding his cheek. Recovering, he looked at me with anger in his eyes.
“Why you little-“ before he could finish, he was hit from the rear by an attack from Celestia. He turned and tried to swat her away. As she moved out of the way, Luna used the opening to go in for a hit of her own. She moved strait towards Tirek, and bucked him, full force. Tirek was pushed towards Celestia, who also bucked him. The two sisters kept striking Tirek, causing him to bounce between the two like a Ping-Pong ball. I took the opportunity to strike Tirek myself, running up next to him, and delivering an uppercut with my Keyblade, striking Tirek right in the jaw. This sent him flying.
Tirek landed with a thud on the ground, leaving an imprint as well. As he recovered, and got himself back up, Scorpan appeared at his side.
“Brother, are you aright?” Tirek angrily grabbed onto Scorpan.
“Why aren’t you fighting?” he questioned through grit teeth.
“I… I-“
“Fight them, or fight me, that is your choice!”
“But brother-“
“NOW!” yelled Tirek as he shoved Scorpan towards us. He stumbled with his footing, before regaining his balance and taking a combat stance.
“You don’t have to do this! The four of us can beat him!” I told him. He looked nervously towards Tirek, and then back to me.
“I’m sorry,” he said as he charged me. The two sisters reengaged Tirek, as I fought Scorpan, though I did my best to hold back, to keep from severely injuring him.
As he ran towards me, I jumped, and delivered a reverse sidekick to his stomach, causing him to fall backwards. I landed on the ground and saw the two sisters trading magical blows with Tirek. I looked to Scorpan.
“Enough is enough! You’re living like a slave to your brother! You know this is wrong! You have the power to end it!” Scorpan slowly got back to his feet.
“I know,” he said solemnly, yet sternly. “But he’s the only family I have. To turn against him…I’d have no one left.”
“Tirek’s just one person. There are billions of other people you can develop relationships with. You can make friends, your own family! You don’t have to rely on just Tirek.”
Scorpan just stood there, taking in what I’d said. He was about to speak, when a loud shout came from Tirek.
“ENOUGH!” cried Tirek, emitting a magical pulse, pushing back the royal sisters. He then turned his attention to Scorpan.
“Scorpan! I told you to destroy him, not strike up a conversation with him! Crush him, NOW!” Scorpan just stood there, looking at his hand. He looked at Tirek, then back to me, looking me strait in the eyes. He took a moment to think, before lowering his hand, and turning to face Tirek.
“No…” he said.
“WHAT did you say?” questioned Tirek.
“I said no brother! I’m tired, tired of all of this! I don’t want to fight anymore, I don’t want to conquer this land!”
“I am your Brother!” shouted Tirek, stepping towards Scorpan. “You will stand with me! You will do as I SAY!”
“NO!” shouted Scorpan, shocking everyone present. Tirek just stared at Scorpan, mouth slightly open.
“I’m done Tirek! I’m done hurting people, and causing trouble! These people have done nothing to us! This one even offered me friendship after all I’ve done!” he said, gesturing to me. “Tirek, it’s not too late! We can go home! We’re Princes for the maker’s sake! We have a kingdom we can rule! Why can’t we just be satisfied with that?”
“I will NOT be satisfied, until the whole world bows beneath me!” screamed Tirek.
“Well, I will not be part of this anymore!” cried Scorpan. Tirek looked ready to pounce on Scorpan, before he seemingly calmed down, and straitened back up.
“Well…it is clear that you’ve made your choice.” Tirek then began charging his magic into the largest most volatile looking blast I had ever seen!
“If you want to die with these ponies, then so be it! Join them in extinction!” cried Tirek as he fired the blast, directly towards Scorpan. Scorpan stepped back, holding his arms in front of him in defense, but I knew he wouldn’t have the ability to defend himself against the attack.
I teleported to in front of Scorpan, and hovered in the air, in front of the attack, preparing to counter it with my Keyblade, though I honestly doubted I could.
“Roxas!” I turned my head to see that Celestia and Luna were heading towards me. They hovered in front of me, pushing me to the side. With me out of the way, Celestia created a magical shield to block the attack, while Luna used her own magic to strengthen it.
The blast hit the shield, and detonated instantly. It was then I realized that the shield wouldn’t work. The shield they were using was designed to DEFLECT magical attacks, but Tirek’s attack detonated the moment it hit the shield. This caused a major explosion, creating a blinding light. The force sent me flying strait backwards. I slammed right into the wall of a building, knocking the wind out of my lungs. I collapsed to the ground, lying still.
As I tried to get up, I also attempted to breath in air, to no avail. My lungs screamed, begging for oxygen, but they could get none. It felt like I was going to pass out right then and there, but just as my vision began to blacken, I was finally able to breath again. Gasping for air, I stood back up. And there I saw them.
Celestia, Luna and Scorpan were lying on the ground, a few dozen feet from a large crater. There fur was singed, with bruises and burns on their bodies. They all lay still, unconscious (I hoped).
“No!” I said as I ran to them. I quickly knelt next to Celestia, and put two of my fingers to her neck to feel for a pulse.
Thump thump.
Her heart was still beating. She was breathing.
‘Thank god,’ I thought. I then quickly ran over to Luna and did the same. She was also alive. I repeated the process one last time on Scorpan. He too was alive. Satisfied, I stood back up, facing away from Tirek.
“You…you attacked…you tried to KILL…your own BROTHER!”
“He was weak, and he betrayed me! He deserves what he’s gotten!” replied Tirek.
“Deserves?” I questioned, turning my head, my voice dripping with rage. I turned my whole body to face him, and began walking towards him.
“You think he deserved this,” I said pointing towards Scorpan. “That he deserves to die, simply because he wouldn’t help you harm others!”
“Yes, I do.”
“You…YOU…you monster. You know, I used to think that mercy was an essential, that no matter how bad a villain is, there’s a certain level of mercy we must grant! I thought that there were some punishments that no one deserved. But now I see…that you…ARE HOPELESS!”
As I yelled this, the wind began to pick up. My fists clenched tight, and I could feel heat rising in my location. Magical energy began to collect around me, enough that it could be seen. An aura of magic appeared around me, surrounding me, and empowering me through my rage. I grit my teeth, as I felt heat in the palms of my hands, the same heat that I felt when I was sent to this world.
“You are pure evil,” I said somewhat calmly. “No mercy,” I yelled, as I held my arms in front of me in an X. “BURN IN HELL YOU BASTARD!” I shouted as the energy coalesced once again.
“What?” cried Tirek as he shielded his face with his arms as the force of the energy pushed him back. I threw my arms out and felt the familiar sensation of a Keyblade appearing in them, one in each hand. As the winds and power subsided, I felt my body calm down, and yet I still felt more powerful than I had ever felt in my life.
I looked to my hands, and saw that there was a Keyblade in each of them. Only they weren’t the traditional Kingdom Keys. No these were Keyblades I hadn’t seen since my last day in the human world. In my left hand…was Oathkeeper. And in my right was oblivion. I looked at the two weapons in awe. These Keyblades felt far more powerful than my old one.
“Oblivion and Oathkeeper…” I looked at them for a second more, before tightening my grip, and assuming a battle stance, remembering I still had to deal with Tirek. He looked at me with a surprised expression. I just looked at him sternly.
‘With these, I can’t lose.’
“This is the end of you Tirek! Your reign of terror ends today!”
“You think those two new trinkets will save you! It makes no difference! I will destroy you regardless of the weapons you wield!”
Tirek charged a magical attack, and shot it strait at me. I ran towards it, and smacked it with Oathkeeper, sending it flying away.
“What!” questioned Tirek. I teleported directly in front of him and uppercut him with my right, followed by a side hook with my left. I then spun like a tornado, hitting Tirek with both blades repeatedly. He tried to strike me with his fists, but I spun, and shot him with a fireball. He took the attack, and tried to return one of his own, but I deflected it once again.
The fight continued with Tirek trying to hit me, but failing. I constantly hit him with powerful attacks, which were taking their toll on him. He couldn’t hit me with my new abilities, and it was starting to show that he was getting tired. We battled this way for several more minutes, before we finally disengaged. Tirek stood there, breathing heavily. I was starting to get tired myself, but I could tell I had far more energy than him.
“I…I WILL kill you,” said Tirek through breaths. “I will DESROY YOU! THIS IS YOUR END!” With new energy, he puffed up his chest, and began charging energy into his horn…very, very quickly.
“I didn’t think it would come to this, but it has! This attack will tear the world asunder! It will DESTORY YOU, YOUR PATHETIC FRIENDS, AND THIS ENTIRE CITY!”
I could tell he wasn’t bluffing. This attack looked MAJOR. Like, strong enough to vaporize the castle. I needed to do something! But what!
I gripped my Keyblades tight, trying to think. I was running out of time. If only I had the power of the elements on my side, I could just zap him away to Tartarus!
‘Who says you can’t?’
That Voice! I recognized it! Though I’d only heard it once, I still remembered it clearly. It was the voice I had heard when I first came to Equestria. But what did it mean?
‘Use the Key, open the cage. Seal him in with all his rage.’
Use the key? My Keyblade? What could it do, it was just a weapon.
I started to think. In the game, Sora can use his Keyblade to lock world’s keyholes. Could I somehow use that power too? Maybe…
Tirek was still charging, but I could tell he was going to fire soon.
“This better work,” I said to myself. I then channeled my will into the Keyblade. I shut my eyes, and concentrated. I felt a heat rise in my body, channeling into my hand. I opened my eyes again, as energy coalesced around my weapon. Tirek didn’t seem to notice what I was doing. The Keyblade shot a stream of white energy strait at Tirek. The beam went right through his body. When it exited his chest, it stopped in mid air, causing a keyhole shaped portal to open behind him.
Tirek pressed his hands against his body, feeling for a wound, but found none. He smirked in response, and then attempted to fire his attack.
“Ha! That did nothing! Now you die!” He stood there looking confident, until he noticed that his blast had not fired.
“What?” he questioned. He couldn’t see it, but I could. The portal was absorbing his magic. He looked behind him, and finally could see it clearly. “What in the world?” He turned back towards me, and tried to use his magic once more, but once again it failed. It was then that he started to get frustrated.
“Impossible! Arg, fine! If I can’t incinerate you, I’ll just crush you with my bare hands!” I just stared at him, as he tried to advance. But, after his first step, a chain shot out of the portal, and clamped a manacle around his right arm. He looked in surprise at his wrist. He tried tugging away, but he couldn’t break free.
Then, a second chain shot out, and clasped around his left hand. The chains started pulling Tirek back, towards the portal, which was growing in size.
“What? What is this?” he cried, trying to fight the chains. But unfortunately for him, it was a losing battle.
“This is Tartarus,” I said, dematerializing my Keyblades and making my way towards him. “It’s a place where horrible villains like you go.”
“No prison could ever hold me!” he yelled in response.
“This one will,” I said as I stopped walking, directly in front of Tirek. “But, if you do escape, just know this.” I looked him strait in the eye. “I’ll be right there, to put you back.”
“NO! ARG!” grunted Tirek, as he was pulled further by the chains. All his struggling was useless, as he was pulled further into his prison. Just as he was about to be pulled in, he made a final statement.
“This isn’t over! I’ll be back! And I’ll kill you!”
“I’ll be waiting,” I said solemnly. Tirek’s body was finally dragged into Tartarus. The portal closed shut, and disappeared.
I stood there, silently, just staring at where Tirek once was. I had just sent him to Tartarus for 1000 years. When I did that to Tirek, it felt wrong. But I didn’t feel like I’d done the wrong thing this time. Discord was crazy, but he had the potential to be good. But Tirek…he was practically a demon, pure evil. If he were ever to run free, he’d just hurt more ponies. Which he does. In a thousand years or so, and break free, and try’s to steal the Alicorns magic. But this time, I’ll be ready.
I was about to turn and leave, when I heard a sound above me. I looked up to see a glowing object slowly falling down towards me. It glistened like a diamond in the sky. As it floated down, I caught it in my hand. I looked at it, and was a little confused by what I saw. It was…a map.
“What’s this map for?” I questioned, turning it over. It looked like one of those old pirate maps, only in this one, instead of an X to mark the spot; there was what looked like a demon head, with two horns coming out of it.
“Is this…a map to Tartarus?” I questioned. The more I looked at it, the more it looked like one. “A map to Tartarus huh?” I rolled up the paper, and put it in my pocket.
“I’m going to have to check that place out soon,” I said to myself. I’d need to see what was there, what kind of security measures it had. But first….
I turned around, and made my way back to the Princesses and Scorpan. When I neared them, I saw a group of guards gathered around them. Somewhere trying to help the princesses, while a few others were pointing their spears right at Scorpan.
“Sir Roxas, you did it!” cried on of the guards, who ran over to me. I nodded to him.
“Sir, we are ready to take the Princesses to the infirmary. We will also prepare a cell for that monster!”
“No, take all three to the infirmary. Give him the same care as the princesses.”
“But, sir-“
“No buts. He’s not a threat to us anymore. Now go, I will be there shortly.” The guard was about to protest, but thought better of it, and instead turned, and gave the orders to the rest of the squad. Soon, the three fallen were hoisted up, and brought towards the castle. I stood there, by myself, thinking.
I finally had Oathkeeper and Oblivion. I summoned the blades in my hands, and looked them over. I decided to test something. I dematerialized them, and then tried to summon the Kingdom Key. Sure enough, it appeared.
‘Looks like I have three Keyblades to chose from,’ I thought to myself. I smirked, and returned the weapon to where it came from. Then my thoughts drifted elsewhere. Tirek…Tartarus. Did I CREATE Tartarus? It would seem that way. But how would that be possible, Keyblade wielders can’t create worlds can they? Maybe I didn’t create it; maybe I just created a DOORWAY to it. Or maybe, I just unlocked it.
“Today is just full of surprises,” I said to myself. I chuckled for a brief moment, before making my way towards the castle. I had two old friends to check up on. And one new one.