//------------------------------// // Chapter 9: For life // Story: Pushing The Line // by Prince Aeon //------------------------------// Emma The dead body of my friend was lying in my hooves, the bleeding hole in her chest was showing how big the monster was. Then I suddently remembered her last whispers... Aeon. I looked up and saw the crack, it was growing bigger, the crackling sound was loud. The snake was angry. "No... NO... Why is he already here!!! WHY IS HE ALREADY HERE!!!!!" I don't know what posessed me to shout. "AEON!!" As I yelled, the crackling sound stop, and then there was silence... All of a sudden, there was a big Boom. The roof exploded to dust, at the same moment, I couldn't believe what I saw. A giant Hawk entered the Throne room, dashing in the snake's direction. The giant bird rammed the reptile and crushed it in the wall. It was surprising that the wall didn't broke under the impact. Dust was still everywhere. The Hawk slowly walked back, wings, on his sides. The Snake was furious. "How did you got here so fast" The Bird talked, I immediately recognized it's voice. "My animal form is far more fast than my alicorn one. I wouldn't be surprised if you'll get reports that ponies saw a giant bird." Aeon had a small laugh and turned his head towards me. "I... actually... wished to be here sooner so two lives may have been saved." "Oh you think that!" Paradoxus used his tail and grabbed me. He jumped out of the castle by breaking the wall already cracked. He landed in the plains at the roots of the mountain. I tried to move but his grip was just too strong. The hawk landed in front of us. "Release her... It's between you and me." "And what are you going to do, Hahaha." Paradoxus tail started to crush, me. I yelled in agony. Suddently I was on the giant bird's wing. "What just happened?" "I stopped time to save you." "But don't you faint each time you do it?" "I am more powerful in this form, I can use more magic without losing consciousness. Now go to safety with Wit and Aera, they will protect you. I must deal woth him alone." Aeon Emma flew away into the castle. I turned in Paradoxus direction. "Now It's between you and me." He opened his mouth showing his venomous fangs, a bite of them and I was gone. "Give me your best shot" I dashed in his direction, he did the same. As he was going to ram me, biting me at the occasion, I did a barrel roll and grabbed his body with my claw. Then I smashed him on the ground, the impact caused an earthquake. He turned around and tried to bite me again. I used my other claw and placed in his mouth, under his fangs, stopping his movement. "Surprise." I crushed his head in the ground. His tail wrapped around my claw that now was piercing his body. "Oh somehow I completely forgot about that..." He made me do a bow movement before smashing me on the ground. I deployed my wings and went straight in the airs, bringing him with the movement. I stopped my ascension about a mile in the airs. "Ha! You try to scare me. At this height, you won't kill me." "That's my goal." "Wait what?" I used my claw to let him fall. "And now, for the grand final!" I dived in his direction, I was catching him fast so I used my wings to control my speed. "YOU KNOW WHAT! SCREW YOU AND THIS WORLD!!" I realised. "Don't you think about it..." "Look how fun it's going to be, I am going to blow all Equestria up so all my problems will be gone." He was going to uses the Final Boom. The most dangerous spell ever casted. He opened his mouth and aimed for the ground. I had to be quick. If he would hit his target with the blow, it would be over, everypony would die. I kicked the back of his head, forcing it to aim somewhere else. His aim ended up in my direction. I prepared myself for the attack. I looked in the castle and saw Emma, looking at us. Oh god I don't want her to see me receive this. *BOOM!!!* The Blaze came out of his mouth and hit me like a comet. Everything went black. Emma The explosion all threw us on the ground. Draft helped his sister to stood back up. "Thanks." I looked at Wit. "Don't worry Emma, he's not dead" The dust scattered away and I saw Aeon's body, back to an Alicorn, unconscious on the ground. "Aeon!" I flew in his direction. I heard Wit yelling. "Emma! Wait!" My head told me to listen to her, but my heart's will to help Aeon was stronger. I landed close of him. I shook him a little bit. He slowly opened his eyes. "It's strange... I never dreamed before... because now I see the most beautiful of the ponies I've ever saw." "Oh Aeon!" I gave him the kiss that I wanted to give him for what seems to be like an eternity. Then I heard laughing. "Oh my! So adorable, a last kiss before dying." The snake was coming closer. I grabbed Aeon and pulled him backwards. "It's not necessary Emma... I got this..." "HA!! You got this? It's not even if you could stand! Or even stand a chance against me on this form. As I will now..." He suddently stopped talking. "...And I just got reminded of my errors." "You mean your errors while trying to kill me or in general?" "That kick was not a normal kick..." "You really thought that I took back my alicorn form after eating your attack in the face. No, I simply put all my power in my kick." A big crack appeared and formed a dome around the giant Snake. "I know I cannot kill you, so I have to avoid to let you being uncontrolled." The dome closed. The cracking sound stopped. I looked at Aeon. "Boom!" "I hate you" The explosion created an earthquake powerful enough to be felt in all Equestria. Aeon and I were blew away. We both stood back up. We looked and there was no more Snake. We approached and discovered the unconscious bodies of Paradoxus and Celestia. Aeon turn around. "Bring Celestia into the hall, I'll take care of him. We entered into the hall. Everypony was there, Draft, Nucleus, Wit, Aera and Sarah. He dropped Paradoxus violently on the ground as I slowly lay down Celestia. Her sister Luna woke up and was under the supervision of Wit. Celestia opened her eyes. She saw in front of her 8 Alicorns, fear was in her eyes. Aeon stood in front of the others. "You are afraid that I tell them the secret of yours?" She nodged. "I actually have no choice Celestia, I need answers. So I will ask you this... Why did you released Paradoxus, the day of my wedding with Emma?" Everypony were astonished. "What?" Aeon looked at me. "When I released your alicorn form. I needed to use some power that maintained Paradoxus prisoner. Celestia used this moment to break the seal and let him go away. She knew he would aim for us. So when I was exausted, she used the opportunity to trap me in the void..." Celestia stayed silent "... so I would like to know why..." We could see that Celestia was holding herself from telling the truth. I felt a movement behind me. Sarah came close to me. "Let me show you, sister, a side of my powers." She approached Celestia. "Look at me Celestia..." Celestia looked at my sister. "...Why holding yourself Celestia... When you have no more exit or plans... When all what you've tried failed." Suddently, Sarah stopped talking and they just started to look at each other eyes. Celestia started to shake. I ask Aeon. "Wha... What is she doing?" "She is feeding from Celestia's hope... well the remaining of it." Suddently, Celestia gave up. "Okay, fine, I'll tell you." Sarah, stopped and looked at me, smiling, I didn't knew if I should be happy or afraid of her. "I couldn't stand to see you give away power to most anypony you liked, you gave power to Flare and Emma, Everypony here know who made them an Alicorn. I don't know who transformed me. So when I heard that Emma had this power in her, I got mad and I released Paradoxus because he told me that he would help me to get answers, but when I did, he flew away. I did not want you to think I was a part of this so I tried to avoid you to tell anypony so I trapped you. I... I am sorry." Everypony was looking at her. Aeon slowly approached Celestia. "I forgive you... but Celestia..." She looked at him, tears of joy in her eyes, happy that Aeon forgave her. "...You could've just asked... You are one of the few borned-Alicorn. One of the three... There is you, Cadence and..." We all waited for the third name, Aeon looked like he was hesitating to say it. "...Oh, it doesn't matter, the point is that no one of us had to gave you power because you were born like this. I knew your mother, she was an alicorn too, a nice mare, but died during the great war, by trying to reason her peoples, she got assassinated by a rebel. She gave life to you and your sister before the sad day. I've let you both in the capable hands of Wit. You see Celestia, an Alicorn is borned like this only when his or her parents are alicorns too, both of them." We heard a growl, we turned around, Paradoxus was awoken. Still paralyzed by Aeon. "Aaargh, I think you broke many of my ribs." "Hum... I was sure I broke only two of them. Be happy Paradoxus, you will return in your familiar cage where you belong, and it's okay, I don't think that anypony will try to free you again." Aeon turned around and joined his brother and his sister. "Since we are the three of us together for one of the rare times. Maybe we can do something special." Wit looked at her brothers. "Okay... Emma, for reunite us, we accept to grant you one wish..." My heart exploded, anything I could desire could be mine to this instant... but... no... Nothing in this world can be compared to what I lost. "So Emma what is your wish?" "I can wish for anything?" "Anything." "I wish that everypony that were killed by Paradoxus, comes back to life." Wit smiled. "Then it may be done." Their three horns united together and a bright light came out. When it fade out. I looked at Flare's body. Tide was unconscious close of her. "Flare!" I ran in her direction. She gasped, and looked at her chest. "I am fine! I am okay!" Tide also woke up. Draft grabbed her.. "I thought I'd lost you." Then they kissed each other. I walked close of Aeon. "Aeon, I felt useless sometimes. I never used my magic to help. I am hope and I've done nothing." "Au contraire Emma, you power doesn't always come from your horn, but from your heart too. You united two lost sisters together, you forced Tide to admit her love for Draft and you reconcile a sister and her brother that hated each other. You even met your own sister. You put hope in all of these ponies lifes." "But my sister, why did you never talked to me about her." "Sarah is the power of Despair, I didn't wanted you to have any ideas about her before you meet." "Thank you Aeon." "I am not to thank Emma... Thank you." I gave him a kiss that last for what seems like a thousand years. "Let's go home"