It was over..
The battle was finally over..
The ruins of the old castle almost ripped apart, leaving the roof open and the walls crumpled, letting in the rain. There was silence, only the rain and the distant thunder broke that silence. The rain, and the sobs..
The whole thing had just taken a few minutes, they were beaten, laying on the stone floor waiting to be banished into the void by that monster. Then he came, Pax. He who had unleashed this beast for his own gain, however noble they might have been, he who had lied to them, betrayed them, he came to save them.
None of them had the strength to stop or save him, he was not strong enough to even be a match for this creature. He knew that, because he didn't even attempt to fight it. He rammed into the creature, using the deal they had made to seal him away within his own body. It was not a permanent solution, he would be forever affected, slowly dying off as the creature would take over his body.
He knew that too..
They had all stared at him in disbelief, watching him as he started to explain how he wanted to be like them. How he wanted to save Equestria, be a hero ponies could look up to, just, like, them. His steps had been full of determination as he walked towards the portal and it was then they all realized what he was going to do.
They had called to him, yelling at him to stop and not to do anything foolish. His steps never slowed or hesitated. Only when he was right at the border of it did he stop and looked back at them. His eyes were full of tears, but he had a gentle and warm smile on his face as he told them how sorry he was. Then with a simple step back he fell into the void, closing the portal and sealing himself away.
None of them could do anything, they could only stare at the spot where he had stood and apologized to them. Tears running down their cheeks, but Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie were the only ones crying out loud.
Twilight forced herself up, her legs shaking beneath her. Her body felt like it was weighed a ton, like every step required an insane amount of willpower. With each of those steps it was like she could hear Pax, like an echo from a not so distant past. She was reminded of hid eyes, those eyes that looked upon her and her friends with such awe and respect.
Step.
"It's so nice to meet you! I'm Pax!"
Step.
"I mean, you guys are heroes right? So that's what I wanna be, a hero."
Step.
"A hero never backs down! Never surrender! When down, they always stand back up."
Step.
"You guys, you make me want to be better.. I can't give up on my dreams, because you guys wouldn't."
Step.
"Please! Let me help fix this! I didn't know, I swear, I just wanted to help!"
Finally she could take no more, Twilight collapsed, looking right at the spot where Pax had been standing. A burn mark in the floor, the only trace left of Pax and the portal. He had saved them, saved Equestria, he had made his dream come true, but paid the ultimate price for it.
Twilight felt guilt rushing through her, while Pax had done something foolish, his intentions were good, but horribly misguided. He looked up to her, to her friends, and the look on his face when they yelled at him, it was full of pain and regret. Despite him causing all of this, were she and her friends completely guilt free?
Had they not encouraged him when he approached them? Yes they had, but they had not only encouraged him, they had given him the tools for it. Rainbow showed him how to become faster, Applejack how to become stronger. Fluttershy had shown him how to read animals, Rarity had made him an adventure outfit. Twilight had even gone so far as to let him read all sorts of topics in her library, showing him about dark magic, ancient traps and so on. Pinkie had even made him a hero themed party before he left.
Pax was to blame, but they had given him the push that sent him on that path. They shared responsibility, and for Twilight, she felt like she had failed Pax the most. She should have seen what he truly needed, she should have figured out something, or not letting him study such books in her library!
It wasn't fair, Pax had paid such a high price for his mistake, and yet they were out here, free. She could still see his smile when he told her he had found what he was looking for, he was so proud, so happy and excited to show what he could do and get a chance to be like them.
It was a warm, caring, and kind smile. Pax wasn't a villain, and instead of pushing him away she should have let him help them, maybe then things could be different, maybe he would still be with them.
Tears ran down her cheeks, and Twilight finally allowed herself to cry.
"I'm so sorry, Pax..."