//------------------------------//
// Chapter 16: The Decision 
// Story: Chimes In the Dark 
// by Faindragon 
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Chimes In the Dark - Chapter 16: The Decision

NOTE: Grammar not corrected


The chime echoed in the throne room. The night was almost over, the sun’s first rays  had reached the horizon, it would not be long before it was to late.
“It is time to make your decision Notharam, will you follow the stars or not?” Four Star said.

Notharam laughed.
"You have me cornered Four Star. I don't have any other choice than doing what you want. I can not let the others deaths have been in vain. I will lead this ritual."He smiled towards Four Star."I promised to avenge them you know, both Zinky and Mistrunner. I guess I failed in that as well."

She smiled back at him.
"You never had a choice you know. The stars had chosen you; or fate if you want to call it that, chosen you to lead the ritual."

Notharam looked away.
"Exactly what is this ritual? What do I have to do?"

Four Stars smile instantly disappeared.
"It is nothing difficult, it is fairly easy. You will need to have this in front of yourself." She picked up the crystal from the bag. The crystal glowed faintly in a whirl of color.
"Both your hooves must be placed onto it." Her horn started to glow; the crystal was embraced by the same light as it slowly floated towards Notharam. It landed softly in front of him and he placed his front hooves over it.
"Good. Now to the bad part..."

"You kill me." Notharam said. Four Stat stared at him.
"Oh don't look at me like that Four Star, I have known since I entered here that it would end with either of us dead. And after all, you told me before that it would be fifty sacrifice; you already have most of them in this crystal I believe."

"Yes, I kill you. I can however make it so you do not feel any pain at all." Four Star said, her voice sounded Warner than normal.

"No, I will take the pain."
Four Star eyes widened in surprise.
"I'm the reason that these ponies died without a choice. I will welcome the pain."

"You are a foal Notharam, you have always been and will always be. But if that is your wish then it will be that way." a bloodied knife started to float by her magic, the tip in a straight line towards Notharam’s heart. "Are you ready?"

"I only have one last question." Notharam said, a smile playing on his lips. “Exactly how will this work? How have you harvested the souls here? Why did it have to be here?” 
“What you ask is hard to explain, but I will do my best. It had to be here of a simple reason, this is the only place in Equestria where you can see a soul. This place was created by the goddesses in the beginning of time. It was created to be a place where a pony who had found peace with itself could come to die. Back then a pony didn’t die by sickness or age, no battle was heard of.”

“The sisters looked over the inhabitants of Equestria. Celestia, the goddess of life and of the sun, took care of her children when they played and grew. Luna, the goddess of death and the moon, guarded her sisters children during the night, made sure they could sleep peacefully. In this temple, the temple of the guardian as it was known during those times, could a pony who wanted to serve Luna go to die; his or her soul would forever sit at the goddess side and protect the sun goddess children. It was those souls that loomed the land, protected the children of the sun. No pony had to fear about anything, the invisible protectors would defend them against it all.”

Four Star took a deep breath before she continued.
“Emerald was the first in a long time to complete the ancient ritual of protection, a ritual that hadn’t been practiced since Celestia closed this place, made sure that nopony would die in here. Celestia made us all mortal with the power of the elements of harmony, all to create balance in Equestria, a balance that must be contained. I had to interact quickly, I could not let his soul pass on as it would have; it would have ended in him looming Equestria alone, without a clue what had happened. I had to force his soul out of him, that’s why it took so long time before I could do anything else. A soul is easier to harvest if a single feeling is stronger than the rest of the feelings, if one feeling breaks the harmony. In Zinky that feeling was joy, in Mistrunner it was fear. That or surprise, I had a hard time to tell in that second it took to harvest her soul.”

She looked at Notharam.
“As for you, Notharam. You play the greatest part in this; you are the only one who have to go freely. The only one who have to go with harmony in heart and soul. You have to guide the rest of the souls into the afterlife; you have to guide them to the Great Plains of Harmony. The soul portal that opens for all of you will be big enough for me to see, big enough for me to drain power from. It is that power, a power from neither life nor death, which will make my task possible. That power is the power that will cause disharmony in the Elements of Harmony; cutting the bonds they used to banish the goddess of the moon so long ago. It will only be disharmony for mere seconds, but the banish spell will be broken and will not be able to get back without the interference of the bearer of the Elements.Celestia’s bond with the elements will be broken as well, leaving Equestria in harmony since the power of the Elements of Harmony will not be tied to one of two immortal beings, instead it will be bonded to somepony else; who I do not know.”

Notharam smiled weakly against Four Star.
"Thank you, Four Star, for telling me about this. Now I know what awaits me. Kill me now, Four Star, the clock is ticking and we do not have long time left before it is too late."

“Are you sure, Notharam?” Four Star asked. “Are you ready to do your final part in this?”

“I am ready, Four Star. Let it be done.” Notharam said, closing his eyes.

"Goodbye Notharam." Four Star said, hurling the knife with her magic.

Notharam could feel the pain rushing through his body as the cold steel of the knife pierced his hide. It went straight in, torn muscles on its way toward his heart. But he welcomed it, and the only thing he regretted was that he wouldn't be able to see Equestria in perfect harmony. The knife pierced his heart and Notharam as a being was no more.

Four Star looked as Notharam collapsed, the smile on his lips frozen as a death mask over his muzzle. And slowly did the translucent orb that was his soul emerge from the body, whirling upwards. As if that had been the signal did forty-nine other souls emerge, but this time for the crystal in Notharam’s dead hooves. They whirled around his soul, as if they were embracing him.

She jumped back in surprise as all of the souls floated towards her. She stood perfectly still as the souls started to dance around her. The faint glowing of fifty souls, nearly everyone in a unique color was a sight she knew she would never forget. She could hear Notharam’s voice whisper in her ear.
"Are you ready Four Star? It's soon over, only your last part left!"

She smiled; it was the first time a warm smile had caught her muzzle.
"I am ready Notharam. I will see you when it's my time to move on."

A soft chuckle was heard in the air, followed by Notharam’s voice.
"Take your time; you have done more for Equestria than any non alicorn pony that is alive today. And Four Star, take care of yourself."

The smile had spreader to her eyes.
"I will Notharam."

The souls floated upwards, joined together in a whirling mess.

"Thank you, Notharam." Four Star said, tears streaming down her face.

For every soul that floated upwards where a small passage to the The Great Plains of Harmony. Each of them was too small to see with the eye, but fifty at the same place was enough for her to see. And it was there she aimed her focus, started to tap its source on energy. 
She had to work quickly; the passages had already begun to shut close. The power rushed through her, threatened to kill her. At the brink of her power did she start to cast the necessary spell.

It was a simple spell, made to cut of wires or threads of magic. But the threads she should cut now were thicker than a tree in comparison to the normal thread. This was the threads of the Elements of Harmony. But the force she had inside her, pure power from The Great Plains of Harmony should be enough to cut the magic weaved by the Elements of Harmony that imprisoned Luna, or Nightmare Moon, on the moon.

She aimed her spell towards the only place she would be sure to hit; she aimed it straight at the moon. A beam of light blue, nearly white, color emerged from her horn, flashed away towards the moon. It clashed against something; she could feel how the power drained away from her. And then, suddenly, did the other power give after.

Gasping for air did she fall to the floor. Had she succeeded? The answer came from behind her; she could feel the presence of the other pony before she heard the hoof steppes that announced her. She quickly stood up, kneeling.

Then she felt the gaze against her neck. She said the only words that came to her mind.
"Welcome back, Princess Nightmare Moon."

The alicorn mare started to laugh.