//------------------------------// // 25 Harmony, a friendshp betrayed // Story: Knowledge Brings Change // by hydra30 //------------------------------// Looking to the source of the sudden wind, both Dagoth Ur and Sarian were shocked to behold a great whirling cyclone of dark mist, sparkling with miniature stars, spiraling in the distance and stretching a good eight stories up, while flashing arcs of lightning. For a second they both stared at this unprecedented phenomenon. "Hahaha... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!" Until the sinister feminine cackling echoed through the chamber. The twinkling vortex split open like a curtain to reveal a jet black alicorn, cackling at the top of her lungs, her mane and tail the source of the cyclone as it continued to rotate above, a sinister cloud of night. Finally ceasing her maniacal laughter, the black alicorn suddenly leaped into the air and lunged at Sarian and Dagoth Ur, landing with a powerful impact before them and regarding them with her teal, slitted eyes beneath the armored helm she wore. Her focus settled on Dagoth Ur, who actually took an involuntary step back now that her new stature put them at even eye levels, and spread her great, raven black wings. "Dagoth Ur!" she said, her voice just as foreboding as her laughter. "You claim to be the master of dreams, that they are your domain. I am here to tell you that not only are you wrong, but your skills are nothing compared to mine!" Whatever had compelled Dagoth Ur to even show a thread of caution vanished immediately after hearing that. "Princess Luna, you test my patience," he said, his voice carrying a tone of intolerance. "You would dare claim that your abilities are greater than mine?" "Luna?!" inquired the black alicorn. "She is merely a part of me. I am Nightmare Moon." She smirked and pawed at the ground in a challenging manner. "And when it comes to comparisons, you are a whelp compared to me." "AAAAAAAGGGGGHHHHH!" That was apparently the last straw. Dagoth Ur fired his next spell at the self named Nightmare Moon, aiming right for her heart. But not only to Dagoth Ur's surprise, but Sarian's as well, Nightmare Moon's mane intercepted the spell and swatted it away like a fly, seemingly without effort. All they could do was stare at the smirking alicorn, dumbstruck. "IMPOSSIBLE!" screamed Dagoth Ur in pure rage. "My turn," said Nightmare Moon. Spreading her wings, Nightmare Moon took to the air and fired a pillar of blue magic straight at Dagoth Ur. He retaliated by firing his own spell, but was once again surprised when Nightmare Moon's attack shattered it like a porcelain cup and continued for him. He was even more surprised when the spell actually passed through his shield and barrelled right into his chest. "Rrrraaaahhhh!" He tried to resist the constant flow of energy by digging in his heels, but his feet merely scraped along the ground, and before long, he left the ground entirely. The force of Nightmare Moon's magic pushed Dagoth Ur across the chamber to the opposite side, were he impacted the wall just above the spiral path hard enough to leave a crater. Nightmare Moon turned to Sarian and smiled sinisterly with a mouth full of sharp teeth, the Dark Elf warrior actually bringing the Daedric Crescent to bear in preparation for defence. "Calm yourself, Sarian," said Nightmare Moon, her voice calm but still sinister. "We are still allies, working towards the same goal." Sarian lowered her weapon, but only slightly, "Princess Luna?" "In a manner of speaking," said Nightmare Moon. "What... happened to you?" asked Sarian "There's no time to explain," said Nightmare Moon, gazing to where she had launched Dagoth Ur and lowering head in preparation for battle. "I will hold off Dagoth Ur, you find a way to reach the Heart of Lorkhan." "We already discussed this, Princess," said Sarian, also looking to where Dagoth Ur lay. "You won't be able to..." "I feel this time will be different," interrupted Nightmare Moon, "My attack appeared to have more of an effect on him than he suspected." "You most likely just took him by surprise with your transformation," said Sarian. "If that is the case, we must take advantage of it for as long as we can," said Nightmare Moon, shooting Sarian with a steely glance. "GO! Find the Heart. I will buy you as much time as I can, but even in my newly empowered state, I won't be able to hold him off indefinitely." Without another word, Nightmare Moon took to the air and sped off across the chamber. --- Up above, the battle between the Ash Creatures and the Mane Six halted as both parties saw Dagoth Ur suddenly go flying and impact the far wall. For a full minute none of them moved, too shocked by what had just taken place. "What... just sent Mister Big Bad Guy flying?" asked Pinkie, frozen in a wrestling match with an Ash Ghoul. "For that matter, who could send Mister Big Bad Guy flying?" They got their answer as a very familiar black alicorn took flight across the chamber, six voices gasping in shock as they saw her take off in hot pursuit of the Mad God she herself had obviously launched. "No... it can't be..." moaned Rarity, trembling. "It's Nightmare Moon," gasped Rainbow, in the middle of dropping a Corprus Stalker from a two story drop. They all remained locked up at the sight of their old foe, unable to comprehend how it had even happened. "Do you... do you think she could be on our side this time?" asked Fluttershy worriedly. They had no time to figure out if Fluttershy was right, for the Ash Creatures broke out of their shock at seeing their master go flying and resumed their assault on the ponies, and the Mane Six having no choice but to defend themselves. --- Sarian knew the Princess was right, their situation hadn't changed. Their only hope was still to get to the Heart of Lorkhan before it was too late. Looking to the smoldering ruins of the bridge Sarian made up her mind and took off sprinting into the cackling fire. Her Dark Elf heritage granted her great immunity to flames, so they did no damage, but the real problem was the several story drop that now separated the two sides of the destroyed bridge. But with nothing else in mind, Sarian built up as much momentum as she could, and when she felt her feet at the edge of the last smoldering plank, she pushed off with all her might and sent herself hurtling through the empty space that separated her from the other end of the bridge. The lake of lava passed by beneath her. To her horror, she felt gravity reassert itself and begin to yank her down just shy of the other side, the wooden plank just beyond her reach. Time slowed as Sarian thought fast, bringing about the Daedric Crescent and lifting it up vertically. The other side of the ridge came closer, and Sarian angled the farthest arched blade of her weapon just right. The sound of metal striking wood rang out. --- Dagoth Ur impacted the wall and lay embedded in it. He was in complete shock more than he was actual pain. His spell had been completely overwhelmed not once but twice in less than a minute, and then his shield was breached, and all by some equine that he had overwhelmed with relative ease not a minute before hand. Never before had he expected such a turn of events would be possible, not with his Divine power. "Where did this come from....all of a sudden?" he flabbergastedly asked himself. But that was all the comprehension he could afford, for in the distance an airborne black alicorn was making a beeline straight for him. Growling in frustration and rage, Dagoth Ur dug himself out of the wall and launched another spell at the speeding menace. But as the spell closed in Nightmare Moon's mane and tail engulfed her, then the ball of fire and lightning passed straight through the ominous twinkling cloud as if it were but liquid. Liquid that then split up into multiple segments and flowed right around Dagoth Ur as they passed. Dagoth Ur swiped with his long fingers at the twinkling wisps but could find no purchase, and when he turned around he saw that one by one they were flowing into the splintered wall behind him. When the last cloud seeped into a crevice it was not a second later before a great rumbling echoed over Dagoth Ur, the ground beneath his feet shaking as if it had come to life. The fractures in the wall grew in size, and it didn't take long for Dagoth Ur to figure out what was about to happen. Aaaaaaaggggghhhhh!" he barely had time to throw his arms up in a futile attempt to protect himself. The wall of the chamber crumbled apart like a vertical jigsaw puzzle, great boulders raining down like wrath from heaven. They encompassed Dagoth Ur and his shield, a pile of stone forming around him as he could do nothing but stumble about in a futile attempt to avoid the tumbling debris. At last, a boulder of the perfect size fell into place over Dagoth Ur's gold mask, completely burying the Mad God in a mountain of rubble. From this pile of misshapen stone, the twinkling wisps of smoke reemerged and solidified into Nightmare Moon once again, who stood upon the like a sentinel. Snarling, her horn shone intensely, like a great midnight blue beacon, and the side of the pile of stone exploded out, revealing a floundering masked figure encompassed by a magical aura of the same color. Nightmare Moon brought Dagoth Ur before her, smirking into his three eyed gaze, before releasing her pent up wrath. She thrust him into the ground with enough force to crack the stone, lifting him up several feet afterwards, then throwing him to the ground again. "Hahahahaha... Haahaahaahaahaaa... HAhAHAHAHAHA." Her euphoric laughter echoed through the chamber, growing in volume with each Dagoth Ur shaped crater she made in the ground. After the next impact, she lifted her humanoid play thing and threw it across the spiral path, sending it rolling to a stop across the ground. Smirking, Nightmare Moon leaped from the pile of rubble and casually strolled over to the still form upon the ground on its back. "Is this the extent of this high and mighty God's power?" she taunted. "You aren't living up to your reputation, oh great Dagoth Ur." Dagoth Ur fixed his masked gaze upon her, and without the slightest difficulty, sprang up to his feet. They stared each other down, Nightmare Moon with her slitted eyes and Dagoth Ur with his luminous three red orbs that actually seemed to be pulsing. Then, Dagoth Ur put his hands on his hips and chuckled, Nightmare Moon arching her eyebrow in confusion and irritation. "Most impressive, Princess," he said, lifting his hand and producing a stream of smoke from his palm. "Never before have I seen such power that didn't originate from the Divine." He tightened his hand into a fist and straightened his stance in preparation to continue the battle, the red glow of his eyes intensifying. "But no one disrespects a God in such a manner as you have, and for this transgression you will be punished." Nightmare Moon merely glared. "You are no god!" Without another word Dagoth launched his signature spell, but this one was several times larger than any of the others. But Nightmare Moon dispersed into multiple twinkling clouds again, flowing around the pulsating ball and encircling Dagoth Ur in a great vortex of darkness. Before he could contemplate a counter attack, a bolt of lightning struck through his shield and impacted his arm. More bolts followed, striking different parts of Dagoth Ur's body at multiple angles and before long, he was being bombarded from all sides by lightning, the combined attacks eventually causing him to stagger. "HAHAHAHA... HAHA HAHA!" Nightmare Moon's condescending, mocking laughter echoed along with the deafening thunder that accompanied each lightning bolt. Eventually though, Dagoth Ur regained enough mental capacity to retaliate, and with a frustrated bellow, a wave of power spread out from his body, shattering the cyclone like a wave against a cliff side. Nightmare Moon resolidified in the distance, tumbling end over end before finally coming to a stop on her back. She vanished in a teleport just as a ball of magic impacted the ground where she once was, exploding in a wave of dust. She reappeared opposite Dagoth Ur, her horn strobing with different shades of blue. She fired a pillar of blue magic even bigger than the first one, the ground being torn asunder in its wake. This time Dagoth Ur retaliated with a pillar of his own, a bright orange beam similar in appearance to his force field meeting Nightmare Moon's halfway, impacting each other with a rippling wave of the two colors. Nightmare Moon gritted her teeth as sweat dripped from beneath her helmet, but she could gain no further ground. Dagoth Ur wasn't able to push any further either. It had come to a complete stalemate, with both combatants throwing their all into this latest assault. Now it would seem that all that was left was to see who could hold out the longest. --- The Daedric Crescent's curved blade lay embedded in the wooden plank of a shattered bridge, Sarian clinging to its handle for dear life as a pit of lava bubbled below. For the umpteenth time she swung her body in an attempt to thrust her arm up and grasp the plank her weapon was embedded in, and at last her fingers finally got a strong enough grip for her to heave herself up upon steady footing, rolling on her back and struggling to catch her breath. She didn't know how long she had been at it, but it was an immense relief to finally be on solid ground again. But she knew that time was short. With great effort, Sarian climbed to her feet and attempted to dislodge the Daedric Crescent, but the blade was lodged too deep into the wood to even budge. Realizing it would take too long to retrieve her weapon at this rate, Sarian left her arched weapon where it was and began to trek down the remains of the bridge, the open torso of Akulakhan looming above. Finally, Sarian stepped off the wooden bridge to the fleshy ground within the artificial God's belly. The Heart of Lorkhan stood before her, interwoven with pipes and other machinery that Sarian could not even begin to understand. 'THUMP THUMP' The gigantic organ pulsed, beating like the heart that it was, and Sarian could not help but shudder in revulsion but pressed forward, coming right up to a mere breath's length away. 'Strike once with Sunder, then more than once with Keening,' she recalled, plucking the runed hammer from her belt with the hand guarded by Wraithguard. Without another word or though, she lifted the miniscule hammer up and brought it down with all her might. 'THUD' --- Dagoth Ur felt a pulse ripple through him and for a brief moment his stream of magic that was dueling with Nightmare Moon's wavered. Looking down, he saw Sarian withdraw the hammer Sunder from the Heart of Lorkhan then draw what could only be Keening and lift it in preparation to strike. "What are you doing?" he said with worry. But his distraction allowed Nightmare Moon to gain some ground and he had to reassert his focus on his attack. --- Sarian drew Keening and slashed it across the Heart. 'SHLICK' --- Dagoth Ur's shield and barrage of magic suddenly changed colors from orange to white, their power fading. Dagoth Ur threw a genuine look of panic down to the Heart and the individual assaulting it. It was obvious to him now what the Nerevarine intended to do. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" --- 'THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP' The heartbeat was becoming more rapid as Sarian struck the heart a second time. 'SHLICK' --- "FOOL... STOP!" It never occurred to Dagoth Ur that the Nerevarine, that anyone, would dare undo the ancient Dwemer enchantments that bound the Heart and made its Divine power accessible to mortals. But Sarian was ruthlessly assaulting the Heart with the Tools of Kagrenac, and slowly, he could feel his divinity drain from him like lifeblood from a fatal wound. At this rate the power of the Heart of Lorkhan would be gone forever, and no one would ever be able to achieve godhood ever again. How could anyone deny themselves the chance to be a god? --- 'SHLICK' Sarian struck a third time. --- "AAAAARRRGH!" Dagoth Ur wasn't going to let this happen. He had come too far, accomplished too much only to lose like this. Suddenly, his beam overwhelmed Nightmare Moon's in less than a second, leaving the dark alicorn with no chance to retaliate or change tactics. She was struck in the chest with floundering, but still Divine, energy, screaming in pain as it coursed through her body. She tried to ignite her horn once more, but found it unresponsive, and when she looked she saw that Dagoth Ur had run up to her the moment his beam cancelled out hers and grabbed her horn. But before she could comprehend more, she found herself dragged to the edge of the path and with incredible strength, was hurled right into the mouth of the crater towards the lava below. Her scream only lasted a second before going silent. With that out of the way, Dagoth Ur brought his attention to the Heart of Lorkhan below, determined to put a stop to this foolishness once and for all. --- Nightmare Moon impacted one of the pillars of hardened lava that jutted up from the molten rock below. She tried to stand, but the movement sent unbearable agony throughout her entire body and she collapsed to the stone, her eyes rolling up in her head before she went limp. Arcs of electricity pulsed around her body until they solidified into a full aura of light that encompassed her entire form, which slowly began to shrink. When the aura faded Princess Luna lay on the stone, back to normal, unmoving except for shallow breathing. The remainder of the aura solidified above Luna into the Tantabus, which let out a pitiful squeak before vanishing in a puff of smoke. --- 'SHLICK' Sarian struck a fourth time and raised Keening for a fifth. 'SHLICK' 'One more should do it, thought Sarian, raising Keening for supposedly the final time. "NOOO!" Startled, Sarian turned around just in time to see Dagoth Ur land on the destroyed bridge, wrench the Daedric Crescent from the wood, and hurl it straight at her, the glistening weapon twirling so fast that it resembled a disc. Sarian dove to avoid her own weapon but had not reacted fast enough, a sharp pain rippling through her whole body as the curved blade clipped her in the side deeply, Keening flying from her hand as her whole body went limp. Landing on her stomach at the ledge of Akulakhan, Sarian cringed in intense pain, watching as the Daedric Crescent plunged into the lava below. Even though she was racked with unbearable agony she still felt a sense of loss over the destruction of her weapon. Footsteps echoed behind her, and Sarian turned over and watch as Dagoth Ur stepped up and reached down with his left hand, plucking Keening up from where it had become embedded blade first in the ground, his divine power protecting him from its lethal effect. "Keening," he said, examining every inch of the glistening blade. "I had almost forgotten what you looked like, it's been so long." He looked to Sarian, who tried to stand, but was overwhelmed with too much pain. Looking down to address her injury Sarian was horrified to find that her armor was rapidly disintegrating, revealing the profoundly bleeding gash in her side as her Bonemold cuirass melted away. The armor disintegrating effects of the Daedric Crescent were taking effect, and soon even Sarian's helmet melted away, leaving her with no coverage other then her undergarments and Wraithguard, which apparently was immune to the effect. Dagoth Ur brought his attention to the practically nude Dark Elf woman and actually hummed with fascination. "Interesting, how very interesting," he said, "I almost regret not allowing you to join me. Such beauty is a rarity, even amongst the Dunmer." Sarian didn't care for the flattery, just reached down and plucked Sunder from the ground next to her, seeing as it was her only remaining weapon. She held it before her as Dagoth Ur closed in, brandishing Keening. --- "SARIAN!" screamed the Mane Six as they watched from above. Rainbow tried to fly down to her aid, but fireball spells impeded her before she could take off. They had thinned down the hoard of Ash Creatures immensely, in fact, only the seven Ash Vampires remained. But they were proving why they were second only to Dagoth Ur himself, fighting Twilight and her friends to a standstill. Even with Dragon Aspect enhancing their ability, the force field Dagoth Ur had granted the Ash Vampires made them too formidable for the Mane Six to overcome. In fact, they had boxed them in against the ledge that fell into the depths of Red Mountain crater, only held at bay by Twilight's shield. But at the moment, they were more concerned with their comrade below. "We were so close," said Rainbow, scowling at the Ash Vampires that had them pinned. "A few more strikes and this would have been over." "We gotta do something," said Applejack, looking down as Dagoth Ur moved closer to Sarian. "Sarian is in a bad spot, she needs help." "But what can we do?" asked Rarity frantically. "These brutes are shrugging off everything we can throw at them." Twilight looked between everything, trying to discern what to do. "This won't end without a final blow from Keening, and Dagoth Ur has managed to get his filthy hands on it," said Twilight, scowling at the foreboding monstrosity below. "We have to get it back." "But it's impossible," said Fluttershy, trembling as she pointed to the multiple bipeds bombarding Twilight's shield. But Twilight wasn't the only one contemplating a plan. Rainbow was looking to between the Ash Vampires and the side situation below, her mind going a mile a minute. It was too risky to try and make a break for Sarian while dealing with the Ash Vampires. Every attempt they had made to sidestep them had been thwarted, so they had no choice but to deal with them first. If they could take them out at once like at first, it would be a snap to go to Sarian's aid, but the force fields rendered the ability they had used to accomplish that useless. But if they could find an alternative, maybe even one even more powerful, they could pull it off. Rainbow gasped and brought her attention above to the gigantic volcanic crater above. She had a plan, and if it worked, they would not only be free of the Ash Vampires, but they would be by Sarian's side in a second. "Twilight?" She inquired to her purple friend, "do you think you can lower a section of the shield long enough for me to slip out?" Twilight gasped in shock, looking to the relentless assault going on just outside of her protection. "Rainbow, are crazy?!" "Yeah sugarcube, those varmints will fry you like a flapjack," said Applejack, the rest sharing her concerns. But Rainbow wasn't going to back down. "Listen girls, I have a plan." Rainbow regaled to them what she had cooked up quickly, for time was of the essence. It was gutsy and dangerous, but seeing how few other options were readily available, they decided to go with it. The crazy plans were on a roll that day it would seem. Taking a deep breath, Twilight willed a hole just large enough for a pony to squeeze through into existence at the very top of her dome. "NOW, RAINBOW!" Rainbow shot out of the hole like a bullet, which immediately closed behind her to protect the ponies left behind. She weaved and swerved, dodging the magic blasts from the Ash Vampires attempting to shoot her down, but she was too agile for them to get a hit. She held her breath as she plunged into the cloud of smoke above, flapping her wings harder to pick up speed now that the smoke provided her with cover from the Ash Vampires' attacks, and reemerging above all of Red Mountain and into the Blight Storm outside. Higher she flew, gritting her teeth as she battled the intense wind. When she felt she had reached a sufficient height she changed course and plunged back the way she came, the aid of gravity increasing her speed to even greater than before. Tears streaked from Rainbow's eyes, her lips flapping relentlessly in the wind, but she didn't slow. She felt a familiar sensation rise within her. A cone of air was forming around her. 'Come on, come on, more speed," thought Rainbow frantically as she plunged back down into the crater of Red Mountain and through the clouds of smoke, her friends still trapped under a lavender dome below. 'I need more speed!' Multicolored electricity began to pulse around her body. Ash Vampire and pony alike stopped and looked up at the high pitched whine that echoed above, seeing a speeding rainbow blur headed right for them. "Everypony get in position," said Twilight, her four friends scrambling to stand were she directed them to. "Get ready, Twilight," said Applejack as Rainbow closed in. Twilight didn't need to be told. She watched with rapt attention as her speeding friend grew closer and closer, the cyclone of color surrounding her almost blinding. 'NOW!' Just as Rainbow was about to crash among the Ash Vampires Twilight reached out with her magic and teleported her out of her trajectory and back beside them, a great explosion of color rippling through the Chamber of Akulakhan not a second after. --- "Surrender the remaining Tools to me, Nerevar, and your death will be swift," said Dagoth Ur to the prone Sarian on the floor. "Never," she said, holding up Sunder in an effort to defend herself, as futile as that seemed. Dagoth Ur chuckled, "I admire your stubbornness and courage, but we have been carrying on long enough." He began to walk forward, raising Keening high. KABOOM! A great explosion suddenly rocked the chamber and Dagoth Ur looked up just in time to see his Ash Vampires get blown off the plateau above and into the lava below once again, only this time an explosion of multiple colors was the cause, which then flooded the entire chamber. "PONY PILE!" came a high pitched, feminine voice that Dagoth Ur didn't recognize, but Sarian identified as belonging to Pinkie Pie. Suddenly, six armored equines plummeted out of the multicolored Sonic Rainboom, one by one landing on different sections of Dagoth Ur and clinging to his body with their hooves, their Dragon Aspects still active and therefore allowing them to bypass his shield. "WHAT IS THIS MADNESS?!" he bellowed in rage, thrashing and flailing to try and dislodge his unwanted passengers. "YEEHAW! Get along little dogie!" said Applejack as she clung to Dagoth Ur's neck from his left shoulder. "RELEASE ME AT ONCE!" bellowed Dagoth Ur as he continued to thrash. "In your dreams, you brute," said Rarity, clinging to Dagoth Ur's neck from his right shoulder, opposite of Applejack. "We aren't going to let you hurt our friend," said Pinkie as she clung to Dagoth Ur's left leg with all her might, Fluttershy on the right, surprisingly keeping just as strong a grip. Sarian could only watch in shock while she held a hand to her wound to try and staunch the bleeding. These ponies were once again throwing themselves in harm's way to aid her, and from what Pinkie just said it was because they consider her a friend. They had only just met and were already taking such to risk on her behalf The fact sent a warm feeling through her heart. "You're going down, buddy," said Rainbow as she clung to Dagoth Ur's left arm, reaching for Keening with her hoof. "Rainbow no!" said Twilight frantically as she clung to Dagoth Ur's right arm. "Don't touch Keening! It will kill you!" Rainbow retracted her hoof immediately. That was right, without Wraithguard Keening and Sunder have a lethal effect on those who touch them. But she had to get Keening away from Dagoth ur, it was their only chance. And it was obvious that with his constant thrashing, Dagoth Ur was going to dislodge them eventually. Rainbow stared at the glistening dagger that was just beyond her reach. She had no choice but to try to get Dagoth Ur to drop it, but his grip was so tight that Rainbow could see the tension in Dagoth Ur's wrist. Then her gaze settled on his wrist, her muzzle screwing up with disgust. She knew how she could get him to let go, but it wasn't going to be pleasant. Swirling her tongue around her teeth, Rainbow steeled her resolve for what she was about to do. Opening her jaws as wide as she could, Rainbow thrust her mouth forward and sank her teeth into Dagoth Ur's wrist with all her might, fighting the urge to vomit as the feeling of soft flesh being clenched between her teeth invaded her mouth, along with an intensely salty flavor. "Aaaaghhh!" Dagoth Ur's scream of pain and his redoubled thrashing brought the other ponies attention to their friend who was clinging to Dagoth Ur's arm and they were horrified to see her sink her teeth into his flesh. "Rainbow, what in Tartarus are you doing?" gasped Applejack. "That's the way to do it, Rainbow," said Pinkie excitedly, "bite that meanie, show him what happens when you mess with us." Rainbow paid her friends no mind, for her teeth had punctured the skin and now a metallic tasting fluid assaulted her mouth. She knew what it was, and tried to remain focused on the dagger still clenched in the fist below the wrist she was biting into. When Dagoth Ur thrashed, his blood sloshed from the open wounds in his wrist, and regrettably all over Rainbow Dash's face. She was briefly aware of the fact that rather then being crimson, Dagoth Ur's blood was a glistening gold color. But despite the horrible taste in her mouth, despite the gold blood splashing in her face, even in her eyes, Rainbow noticed that Dagoth Ur showed no sign of relinquishing his hold on Keening, so calling upon all her strength, she increased the pressure of her jaws. This time she actually felt the ulna and radius under her teeth, and going off a hunch, Rainbow twisted her mouth almost to the point of breaking her jaw. Her plan worked and Dagoth Ur's hand went slack. Keening dropped to the ground. "Rainbow, you did it," said Twilight proudly as Rainbow finally let go of Dagoth Ur's wrist, shaking her head to try and flick off the glistening gold blood from her chin. "Animals," Dagoth Ur ceased his thrashing to regard the damage Rainbow had done to his wrist. "YOU FILTHY ANIMALS!" Without warning a great wave of light exploded out from Dagoth Ur. Sarian covered her eyes to shield herself from the bright light, and when here vision returned she was horrified to see Dagoth Ur standing unimpeded by any of the ponies that had been restricting him. Sarian looked around, but there was no sign of Twilight and the others, only Dagoth Ur, who fell to his knees, cradling his bitten wrist that still gushed gold blood. It would appear that they had not survived. Clenching her fist in rage, Sarian crawled on her stomach to the edge of the platform, bracing herself on the massive ribs of Akulakhan and using them to assist her in climbing to her feet. So much had been lost now, this ends now. "They are unworthy," said Dagoth Ur as his wrist finally stopped bleeding and he stood back up. "These pitiful creatures... these ponies...are unworthy of my Divine gifts." He began to stomp in Sarian's direction. "Hand over Sunder and Wraithguard. Once I have them this Equestria will know the wrath of a true God." Sarian only gave him a scowl and thrust her arm out, launching some kind of weapon at her enemy. Dagoth Ur just dodged the projectile by leaning out of the way. "Fool," he grunted in immense pitty. "That trick won't work this time..." Everything stopped, his blood ran cold. Dagoth Ur felt his Divine power slip away like sand between his fingers, his precious shield dispersing into a shower of twinkling sparks. "WHAT?" Turning around, Dagoth Ur discovered that it wasn't a mere throwing star or dart that Sarian had thrown, but Keening itself, and it was now embedded inside the Heart of Lorkhan, which had been directly behind him. "NOOO!" A miniature explosion separated the Heart from the bizarre pipework that connected it to Akulakhan, rotating as if on an axle and decreasing in size. With a brief flash, the Heart of Lorkhan vanished, disappearing from the world forever, Keening dropping to the ground where it once stood. Dagoth Ur stood there, trembling, his three luminous eyes going out like blown out candles. His godhood was gone, the only thing that could power Akulakhan was lost forever. Slowly, he brought his attention back to Sarian, who was struggling to breathe, a puddle of blood forming underneath her. Steadily he approached her. "Do you have any idea what you have done?" he said, gripping her chin. Sarian just flashed him a smirk before her eyes closed with a soft breath, falling limply to the ground. Her wound was taking its toll, and with how much blood she had lost it was impossible for her to remain awake. But Dagoth Ur was unaffected by how helpless she was now. Slowly, he lifted a hand, a spell of destruction aimed at Sarian's chest. --- Down below in the lava pit, six figures struggled to their hooves within a sizable hole that had just recently been blown in the wall, battered and bruised, but otherwise unharmed. "Everypony alright?" asked Applejack. "I think my bottom is on backwards," moaned Rarity, her eyes twirling. Twilight flashed her an annoyed look."Other than miss drama queen and her misplaced tail, I think we're okay. Rainbow would disagree. She was in the corner getting violently sick and desperately trying to rid her face of the sparkling blood. Fluttershy was stroking her back comfortingly, a look of worry on her face. Despite her oldest friend's tough demeanor, what she had just did couldn't have been easy. "Get it all out, Rainbow," she said gently. "I'm fine Flutters," said Rainbow as she stood up, though she still had flecks of gold on her face. "Not that I'm complaining, but why are we alive?" "It must have been our armor," explained Twilight, "Nirn material is known for being resistant to magical attacks as well as physical." If that was the case then they owe the Mudcrab Merchant even more now. "Guys, come quick!" Twilight and the others scrambled to join Pinkie at the mouth of the hole, looking up just in time to see the Heart of Lorkhan vanish. They all gasped, that meant it was over. Without the Heart, Dagoth Ur could not manifest the Blight storm. "YES! WE DID IT!" shouted Rainbow victoriously, the rest cheering as well. But it was short lived, for Dagoth Ur was still there and now he was closing in on Sarian where she lay leaning on Akulakhan's ribs. "Hey, you stay away from her!" said Rainbow threateningly, flapping her wings, but to her horror, she remained stationary on the ground. "What the...?" They all tried something, but no matter what, none of their powers would work, be they pony abilities or stuff they learned in Apocrypha. "We've been silenced," said Twilight frantically. They all knew what that means, it means that their magic was inaccessible until the silence wore off. Dagoth Ur must have done it when he blasted them off him. The fact that it was affecting all of their magic was a shock, but it had been the power of a God at the time. "Oh no, Sarian's in trouble," said Fluttershy as they saw Sarian tumble motionless to the ground, Dagoth Ur readying some kind of spell. "HANG ON SARIAN, AUNTY PINKIE PIE IS COMING!" screamed Pinkie, diving out of the hole and towards the lava below. "PINKIE!" screamed the others, rushing to the ledge, but as they looked over something sped up past them with such force the wind rustled their tails. Looking up, they could only stare as Pinkie soared up, piloting that bizarre pedal powered helicopter of hers. "When... did she bring that?" asked Rainbow Dash. The others could not answer. --- Dagoth Ur was just about to cast his spell when a powerful gust of wind bombarded him, followed by a flash of light. "Dagoth Ur, put your hands up and surrender!" Looking up, Dagoth Ur saw that that pink pony with full glass armor was circling him while riding some kind of flying vehicle, talking into a cone shaped object, while the light was projected from a large flower that was attached to the vehicle's front. Fed up with how things had gone so wrong, Dagoth Ur wasn't even curious about the bizarre machine, he just bellowed in rage. He aimed his spell at Pinkie instead and fired. "Whoa!" Pinkie angled her crazy contraption to the left, dodging the spell. "Missed me, missed me, now you gotta kiss me." Lifting her helmet, Pinkie rummaged around in her mane for her secret weapon. Who needs Equestrian or Nirn magic when you have access to the most evil thing ever created. Finding what she was looking for, Pinkie pulled her hoof from her mane. She bounced a cupcake in her hoof. Circling and dodging more of Dagoth Ur's spells, Pinkie took aim and launched the pastry. "I Hope you like cinnamon strawberry swirl." The cupcake miraculously bounced off the ground without splatting, ricocheting up and slamming into Dagoth Ur's chin, sending frosting and batter directly under his mask. "AAAAH!" Dagoth Ur screamed in absolute agony as a vile taste invaded his mouth, cinnamon frosting squeezing out the eyeholes in his mask while also effectively blinding him with an intense burning sensation. "What's wrong," taunted Pinkie Pie as she continued to circle. "Not enjoying your just dessert..." Suddenly, Dagoth Ur fired a spell in a random direction, and it happened to clip the propeller of Pinkie's crazy contraption. She lost control and began to lose altitude, spiraling towards the lava below. She tried pedaling faster but it would seem that the damage was too great. "MAYDAY MAYDAY!" Unaware, or uncaring to the fact he had succeeded in shooting down the flying pink menace Dagoth Ur began to remove the vile substance that had invaded his mask. --- "AAAAAAAGGGGGHHHHH!" screamed Pinkie Pie, flailing her hooves around in panic. "Pinkie Pie!" shouted the voice of Applejack. "It's alright darling, we've got you," came Rarity's majestic voice. Pinkie finally stopped screaming and opened her eyes. Looking down, she saw the candy cane patterned nose of her crazy contraption sink into the bubbling surface of the lava at least thirty feet below. Looking around, she noticed that all her friends were hoisting her up towards the hole they were taking refuge in by Applejack's lasso around her waist, all of them pulling at once to account for the lack of magic to bolster their strength. They must have grabbed her at the last minute, and it brought tears of joy to her eyes that she had such trustworthy, capable friends. When she was once again safely among them she wasted no time in pulling them all into one massive group hug. "Thank you," she mumbled in relief. "Thank you so much, girls." "We should be the ones thinking you, darling," said Rarity as the group hug broke up. "What you did was so brave." "I second that," said Rainbow, punching Pinkie's shoulder. Pinkie appeared appreciative of all the praise but had none for herself. "For all the good it did. The big meanie is still up there." "You at least managed to buy more time," said Twilight, looking up to Dagoth Ur who was trying frantically to clear his mask of cupcake. "Why is that varmint still so powerful?" asked Applejack with a scowl, "he ain't connected to the Heart no more ain't he?" "Dagoth Ur was a powerful individual before he ever encountered the Heart of Lorkhan," said Twilight, still glaring up at him. "He has lost his Divine power, but he is still a potential threat." They all looked between each other worriedly. "Then what do we do?" asked Fluttershy, her pupils dilating as she too gazed up at Dagoth Ur. "We still can't use our powers, we're helpless." Twilight saw something out of the corner of her eye, and when she turned to look she gasped. "Girls, look!" she said, pointing out into the lake of lava with a hoof. They followed her hoof and gasped when they saw Princess Luna situated out on a rock among the bubbling molten rock. "Princess!" shouted Applejack. "Oh my gosh, is she alright?" asked Fluttershy worriedly. "I believe so, she's breathing at least," said Rainbow, her hawklike pegasus vision allowing her to see the rising and falling of the alicorn's chest. "What do we do?" asked Pinkie. "We can't leave her out there." "EVERYPONY QUIET!" shouted Twilight, focusing solely on Applejack once they all quieted down. "Applejack, do you think you can reach that distance with your lasso?" "No problem, Twi," replied Applejack. "But you can't be suggesting that I lasso the Princess. Getting the lasso out that far would be easy, but getting the Princess over to us without dropping her into the lava..." "I know, I know," said Twilight, "that is too dangerous, we will have to find another way to get to her. But look closely near Luna." Twilight pointed, and they all saw the Infinite Dimension pouch laying by the stationary Princess, obviously having rolled out when she fell down there. "Think you can reach that?" --- Dagoth Ur finally managed to clear his mask of the foul pastry, standing up straight with as much dignity as he could muster. His plans were in ruins, his godhood gone, and Akulakhan had no power source. And it was all because of the unconscious woman that lay at his feet. Destroying her while she was like this was too good for her, he wanted to see her suffer. A star of gold light emanated from Dagoth Ur's hand, closing Sarian's wound, but only enough so she regained consciousness. Sarian opened her eyes, and Dagoth Ur reached down, grabbing her by the throat and lifting her up. She didn't have the strength to fight back so she didn't even try. She had fulfilled her task, so if this is how it ended for her she could accept that, and she would stare defiantly into Dagoth Ur's face the whole time. But both had something else to stare at a moment later. A bright, pulsating light shot up from below, and when Dagoth Ur and Sarian turned to look, what could only be described as a small, multicolored sun rose up from below. Twilight and her friends floated suspended at its heart, Twilight wearing an elegant gold crown, the others each sporting a necklace with a gem of differing shapes and colors. For a second that seemed to last forever neither of them did anything. Then Dagoth Ur dropped Sarian to the ground, firing one of his spells at the floating ponies, only for it to bounce off and fly back, Dagoth Ur barely having time to dodge his own attack. "IMPOSSIBLE!" he shouted up at them in defiance. "I silenced you with Divine power, you should have no magic." "You're wrong, Dagoth Ur," said Twilight, fixing him with a glare as her Element of Magic glowed. "You may have stripped us of our own individual magic, but in Equestria that isn't the only magic we believe in." "And it is a magic you will never understand," said Applejack, her Element of Honesty glowing. "For you turned your back on it ages ago, Voryn Dagoth." Dagoth Ur full blown twitched at hearing what Applejack said. "Got a problem with hearing your old name, huh?" snapped Applejack. "Does it remind you of how unkind you were?" asked Fluttershy, her Element of Kindness glowing. "Does it remind you how so long ago that you betrayed Nerevar?" asked Rainbow, her Element of Loyalty glowing. "Someone who trusted you, who believed your loyalty was genuine, that you would always pull through for him." "And not only did you betray that trust, you killed your own friend when he tried to stop you when you made a grab for a power he knew was dangerous, " said Pinkie, her Element of Laughter glowing. "And when he returns as Sarian here, you pull the same nasty stunt as before." Dagoth Ur bellowed in rage in response to their belittling and let loose more spells that did practically nothing to the ponies who were now empowered by the most powerful magic of all. "You can never succeed, Dagoth Ur, because you have only ever believed in yourself," said Twilight, her eyes shining with pity. "And those who stand alone will never be a match for those who are united by trust, respect, and love." She closed her eyes and when she reopened them they shown with an intense white light. "They will never be a match for the Magic of Friendship." Two rainbow ribbons shot up from the six ponies, spiraling around each other before uniting into one and arching straight for Dagoth Ur. Sarian lay at his feet, uncaring that she was in its path. If they destroyed her along with Dagoth Ur she could accept that. Dagoth Ur could do nothing but scream and throw up his arms as the rainbow washed over him like a luminous tidal wave. He put his arm before his head to try and resist whatever this was, but it was futile. He was being bombarded on all sides, and he could feel it in his body and soul. Sarian flinched when the power of the Elements washed over her, but was pleasantly surprised when absolutely nothing happened. She looked up and discovered that the same was not the case for Dagoth Ur. Fissures were spreading all up and down his body, white pillars of light shining through as he screamed in agony. Time seemed to slow for Sarian, like a single breath took an eternity. "This is the end. The bitter, bitter end." Those words echoed through Sarian's mind, the last words of Dagoth Ur to ever be heard by anyone again. Dagoth Ur's mask shattered, and for a brief moment Sarian caught a glimpse of his Dark Elf features before an intense white light consumed him, and when it faded, there was not a trace of him left. Sarian let out a relieved breath, it was really over. "Sarian!" said Twilight as her and the others drifted down, their multicolored aura vanishing. "Darling, are you alright?" asked Rarity, as they all rushed to their Dunmer companion and helped her to her feet. "I am fine," she said with a grateful smile, "thanks to all of you." They returned her smile, but unfortunately they didn't have much time for anything else. An explosion ripped through the chest of Akulakhan above, sending fleshy chunks everywhere. The ponies and Sarian looked up in worry as another explosion ripped off Akulakhan's right arm. "WHAT'S HAPPENING?" screamed Rarity, her eyes just as wide as the others. "Without Dagoth Ur and the Heart, Akulakhan has nothing to sustain it," explained Sarian. "Ohh, he was a load-bearing boss, got it," commented Pinkie. "And that is our cue to leave," said Rainbow, flying towards the destroyed bridge. "Rainbow... you can fly again!" said Fluttershy. "Then this is up to me," said Twilight. They all vanished in a flash of purple, reappearing on the opposite side of the bridge, Princess Luna among them, still unconscious. They watched as Akulakhan crumbled apart like a cheaply made toy, falling into the lava below, its lifeless eyes staring at them as its head fell from its neck and tumbled out of sight. Then absolutely nothing was left but the chamber and the lava, it was as if Akulakhan had never existed. They all took a moment to catch their breath in the now eerie silence, addressing their wounds, and seeing to Sarian and Princess Luna. "How long until she wakes?" asked Applejack nervously. "I don't know, she looks like she took quite a beating," said Rainbow. "How about we use this?" asked Pinkie, placing a ring of sorts over the Princess's horn. The bizarre accessory glowed and Princess Luna began to stir. "Uh, Pinkie, where'd you get that?" asked Applejack, the others sharing her curiosity and slight unease. "Oh, just from Mister Gilvoth," replied Pinkie, flexing her eyebrows. "After what we did to him I don't think he needs it anymore." That... was technically true, if a little morbid. After Luna awoke, they reassured her that Dagoth Ur was vanquished. "Good," she said as she stood proud. "Then he can no longer threaten Equestria, or anything else, ever again." It seemed that all was fine until Twilight realized something, that one member of their party was unaccounted for. "SPIKE!" She called down into the pit where she had seen him fall. "SPIKE, WHERE ARE YOU!" Tears of worry began to flow down her cheeks. "Come Rainbow," Princess Luna almost demanded of Rainbow. "You and I will lay out a grid search." "Right," she replied, taking to the air. "I will help too," said a determined Fluttershy. "Me three..." But before Pinkie could finish, the ground she was sitting on rose up slightly. "Now what?" said Applejack, her and the others getting ready for another threat. The slight bulge in the dirt kept rising higher and higher until something popped out... "Finally, fresh air," said an Ebony clad baby dragon. "SPIKE!" Spike felt himself being hoisted out of the ground and into a group hug by the seven equines that were so relieved to see him unharmed. It would seem his armor had saved his scales just like the girls had been. The armor of Nirn was truly something. "And check this out," said Spike, pulling a scroll out from his armor. "I received this from Princess Celestia while I was trying to dig myself out." The ponies examined the scroll and almost broke down in tears of relief when it told them that Dagoth Ur's influence had withdrawn from Equestria, and that Fleur no longer seemed to be under his control. Now, they needed to find her that cure. But seeing as their work here was done, they decided it was time to move out. Until Spike noticed something about Twilight. "Uh, Twilight?" He said in slight worry, pointing up to the Element of Magic. They all looked to the elegant crown and froze. The Tools of Kagrenac, Wraithguard, Keening, and Sunder, were somehow entangled in the massive amethyst star, wavy currents of energy flowing between them. How had they not noticed that until now? "Easy Twi, don't let them touch you," said Applejack. Twilight cringed, and with great care, shook her head, leaping back as the Tools of Kagrenac fell to the ground before her. They just lay on the floor, gleaming almost innocently.Twilight and her friends shared an uneasy look. Whatever had just happened, something told them it was only the beginning.