//------------------------------//
// Grogar's Resolution 
// Story: Star Knight and the Nine-Tailed Fox 
// by Rakoon1 
//------------------------------//

Star was observing Ten-Tails being burned by the black flames, when Kurama told him:

“Let the flames weaken him and then put them out. We need to save the tailed beasts.”

“Yes, I know that” Star replied.

It was then that, for his surprise, Ten-Tails just remove the part of his body that was burning, that fell on the ground. But he couldn’t think about that, as he was surrounded by the other copies.

At the Nothingness Realm, after some exchange of blows, Shining and Grogar gave some distance to each other and then the former said:

“It looks like I won’t be able to find something capable of changing you, grampa. Now, all I can give is just death.”

“Then I should do the same” Grogar replied.

And then they advanced and started another exchange of physical blows. It was a very balanced fight, looking like each one could predict each other’s moves. The truth was their style was very alike, as White Light was the one who thought most of those moves to Shining, having learning them from Star Shield.

But then an opening from Shining allowed Grogar to headbut him and threw him against the floor. When he tried to attack him, the white unicorn was quick to dodge and stand up, continuing then their balanced fight. After Shining was able to hit a blow on Grogar’s face, the latter gave him a kick that made Shining retreat. Grogar advanced against him and they resumed their close fight. 

When they went to give more blows to each other’s face, they ended up grabbing each other’s hooves, measuring strength, while staring at one another. The evil ram then smiled and then said:

“Let’s see if you can handle this.”

And he hit him with the head on the stomach and hit Shining, making him retreat and, ringing his bell, launched sonic waves. Shining responded, creating his shield that was able to defend that attack. But it created a lot of cracks that Grogar took advantage of to headbut the shield, what caused it to fall apart and allowed him to hit on his grandson. But when he was about to hit shining again with the sharp tips of his horns, Shining used his light nature to blind Grogar momently and punch him, what caused the ram to be thrown back and fall on the ground.

Creating a light sword, Shining advanced to finish Grogar, who then started to get up, while charging his horns with light nature. The two started to go toward each other and, during that moment, Shining couldn’t let think about his family. He apologized to his grandmother, father, uncle and sister what he was about to do and acknowledged his nephew for being stronger than he was, saying that the one thing he could at that moment to save everyone and the Star Shield everyone loved and admired was… to kill Grogar. 

The two attacks collided, with each one piercing the other. However, Grogar had hit Shining’s shoulder, while Shining hit Grogar’s torso. The ram spat blood to the ground and the two separated from each other, with the former falling on the ground, while the white unicorn kneeled and took a hoof to the wound on the shoulder, parting. Grogar rose up a bit and Shining told him:

“It’s over… grandpa.”

But Grogar just laughed through the pain he was feeling and the blood he was spitting out and said:

“Very well… I’ll let you… win this battle… However… I’m not… giving up… the war!”

And he disappeared from the Nothingness Realm, what caused some relief to Shining, as now he had some time to recover.

At the real world, Hepheus, having enough of waiting, impaled with a dark light sword Celestia’s clone.

“I thought I told you I hadn’t any intension in fighting a clone” he said. “They give no resistance. I respect the effort, but it’s pointless. You’re concentrating too much power in your own body.”

And the clone started to fade in light and Celestia’s clone said:

“Hepheus, I know you’re too holding back…”

But she didn’t finish, as she dissipated completely. But then he felt something and asked:

“What is that?”

And Grogar reappeared over Ten-Tails, completely in pain due to his battle with Shining. Observing that, Hepheus realized that he was of no use to him now. However, he would need more power to ensure more control over Ten-Tails when the time to become his jinchuriki arrived. So, using his magic, started to attempt to steal the wild energy that was inside him.

Grogar then felt a bigger pain, while spikes of wood started to erupt from his body. He could feel the wild energy covering his body, wanting to get out. He knew that Hepheus was taking by force the wild energy he had absorbed. 

But Grogar wouldn’t let him take it that easily. Even though he was the General of Chaos, he dedicated decades of his life to the Lord of Chaos and had a lot of work to make sure his plan would carry on. He wouldn’t let Hepheus to discard him as if he was a dirty rag. So, using all the power he still had, Grogar rang the bell, casting a spell he had learned long ago while studying everything he knew about Ten-Tails, while making a roar that caught everyone’s attention.

“But that’s…” Star started, recognizing that scream.

However, Grogar, in order to finish the spell, had to fight Hepheus’.

“Grogar, do you finally understand you’re just a back-up to ensure our master’s plan? It is time for you to do your final act for our master.”

Noticing what was happening to Grogar, Celestia realized he was being controlled by Hepheus. She knew Hepheus was trying to get more power in order to become jinchuriki.

“Star, your close!” she exclaimed. “Ensure Grogar or else Hepheus will have what he needs to carry on the Lord of Chaos’ curse!”

“I got you!” Star replied. “Let’s go, Tough Skin!”

“Yes!” he replied, giving then a leap.

Meanwhile, Celestia tried to create more clones, but she was only able to make five. That was her limit at the moment.

“Ingrid!” she exclaimed.

“Right!” the queen replied.

And she created ice clones, but was only able to create two.

“I can only create these ones” she said. “This is just embarrassing coming from the Snow Queen.”

“Don’t worry” Celestia replied. “We just have to do what we can with what we have.”

And the clones advanced.

“I see, as they can’t reach Grogar in time, they’ll come against me instead. But they must know that their clones are not enough to stop me.”

As he struggled against Hepheus and carried own his own spell, his fur started to get white. Star and Tough Skin advanced as fast as they could to reach Grogar. While doing that, he ram found himself thinking about his family, the one he had as Star Shield. At that moment, Heartbeat, as a clone, appeared before him and attacked, while feeling what he was feeling at that moment.

“So, even as villain… you were still the same deep down…” Heartbat said.

And Grogar fell on the ground. Star noticed that, but he continued to advance.

Celestia’s clones arrived, waiting to know what had happened. Then, Hepheus looked at them with a smile and said:

“What a failure… But… Oh well…”

Heartbeat continued to look to Grogar, fallen on the ground. She couldn’t help but feel pity for him.

“I’m sorry, but now we must end this war” Heartbeat said. “With you down, we now just have to stop Hepheus and the war will be over.”

But then a smile appeared on Grogar’s face and he asked:

“What makes you think… that this war… is over… dear General?”

And then a tremor beneath them happened and then his body started to absorb Ten-Tails. Before that happened, Heartbeat jumped off Ten-Tails, but, when the force of the absorption started to pull her in, Star was quick to take her with energy arms and bring her to Tough Skin.

“Go, Tough Skin!” Star exclaimed.

“All right” he replied, while landing on the solidified dark binds that were holding Ten-Tails. 

They then looked Ten-Tails being pulled and absorbed to one single point.

“What’s going on?” Star asked.

And Ten-Tails was fully absorbed, leaving nothing but a whited sphere.

“Grogar repelled Hepheus’ manipulation” Heartbeat replied. “And now he just did what he wanted to do from the beginning.”

And the sphere started to crack and then broke.

“You mean… that he has become…” Star started.

And Grogar reappeared. His body, with some parts still covered by scales, had a fur completely white. When he broke the scales covering him, he now revealed all of his body. He had ten protrusions emerge from his back, five near his shoulders and five near his hips, and the entire right half of his body gains a scale-like pattern across it.

“…the Ten-Tails’ jinchuriki…” Star said.