//------------------------------//
// Seeing the Light 
// Story: My Little Ponys' The Count of Monte Cristo 
// by kahnac 
//------------------------------//

Shining smashed so hard against one of the liquid containers it shattered, and he was drenched in water. But he had little time to worry about that as he blocked Tirek's Shadow Blade when it came at him with a vicious swing. He dodged out of the way, and the duo's clash continued. True, Shining was able to hold his own against Tirek, he was on the defensive against the now demonic creature. His strength, speed, and ferocity had grown, and it showed in their fight. Even still, Shining made a lunge for Tirek's heart, but was evaded. Tirek then grabbed his arm, hoisted him to his face, then shouted, "Why won't you just give up!?", before he punched him away.

"Because I have something worth fighting for, and I know what's at stake." Shining said as he stood up. "I didn't give up when you prosecuted me, not in the Chateau D'if, and not now! By my oath, I swear I will save my family, and make sure monsters like you can never harm them again!"

Tirek smirked as he dragged his blade along the floor. "I harmed your family once before."

"What are you going on about?" Shining demanded.

"How do you think your father actually died when he was still in such good health?"

This shook Shining to his very core. But shock turned to rage, and with a roar he slash at Tirek once again. And once again, the blade was deflected by the demon's blade. He was deliberately keeping him off-balanced, and unfocused so that he would hold the advantage. Now, it was paying off in full as he hoisted Shining into the air before punching him  across the room. "Look around you, fool: you have no family. Not for real. Your time in the Chateau D'if has changed into something that caused you to dismiss any notions of family, or friends. And in a world such as this, what use are such trivialities? I imprisoned my brother because he was weak. And that Scorpan should entrust everything to you was his greatest mistake."

"You have no right...to even speak his name." Shining said, calming his mind with a strong sense of determination. "Abbe Scorpan was twice the honorable creature you'll ever be. And he was always better than you where it counted." Growling in anger, Tirek slashed Shining's shoulder with the twin-blades on the back of his hand. "Yet I still stand, you insolent wretch. Which soon shall be more than I can say for you." He raised his blade, charged it with dark power, and readied to strike him dead. "After all, what hope did you have of defeating me alone?"

A fireball to the back changed that. "Because he's not alone, creep!" It was Garble Jaccapo, Bertuccio, and Pharynx returned to help their friend. As best as a skull-face could, Tirek grinned, and said, "How sweet...fresh meat." The three then engaged the demon the best way possible. Garble kept throwing knives and fireballs, Pharynx maneuvered around him and rammed into Tirek with his antlers, and Bertuccio drew his blade and engaged the demon in sword-play. Yet even so, their attacks did little to harm him. This did afford Shining the time he needed to get Shining back to his feet. His eyes widened as he saw his three companions risking their lives for him. He then looked to where Cadence, and the others were. His mind blank as he saw them look to him with confidence, and faith. All these creatures...all of them believed in him. They had faith in him where once he did not. He used to believe that there was no God, and that he was alone. But then, at that moment, he saw the visage of Scorpan smiling at him, reminding him of one thing.

"Even if you do not believe in God...he still believes in you."

That ignited a spark in his heart. A spark that was soon turning into a flame of hope, love, and...light. His entire body began to shimmer with a golden light as he finally let go of all his anger, and his hate. He was Shining Dantes, and he had just seen the Light. His eyes shining white, he fired a beam of gold that burned Tirek's back just before he could strike down a pinned Garble. Tirek turned around, and saw to his horror,  Shining standing before him with an aura of golden light surrounding him. Growling, he charged a ball of dark power, then fired it at Shining. The unicorn blocked it with a shield of light that rendered Tirek's attack useless. "How is this possible?!" Tirek roared. "You have no powers!"

"You're wrong, Tirek." Shining said calmly as he stepped forward. "I may not have unicorn magic inside me, but I don't need it." he smiled. "Because I now carry in me the most powerful types of magic there is."

He blasted Tirek again, and burned the demon from his attack. Tirek roared with pain, and tried to cut Shining in half. But Shining then caused something to materialize that blocked Tirek's sword: A Blade of Light.


"This sword represents the end of who I was, and who I have become, Tirek." Shining said. "No longer guided by vengeance: only by the love, and hope in my heart for the ones I love." He looked back to his family, seeing that Garble, Pharynx and Bertuccio were already working on freeing them. He then turned back to Tirek with a fierce determination in his eyes. "Even so, you and I still have a small reckoning to settle."

"I thought you were beyond that, now." Tirek said, trying not to sound afraid.

"I'm a count, not a saint."

Tirek growled, and said, "Bah, I say! BAAAH!" he roared, letting a sonic shriek push into Shining's shield. He then jumped to the right to evade a sword swing, and then slashed at the demon's leg. In rage, Tirek swung his sword, and tried to hit Shining with a dark wave that blew open the cavern, and caused the Balrog outside to fall to the ground below. Shining shot him again, this time right in the face. This angered the demon further, and their sword clash continued. 

Only this time, the odds were now in Shining's favor.





"So how do we do this? It can't be as easy as breaking an ordinary magic circle.", Starlight said as she looked at the orb with the other five ponies, Changeling and dragon present. Sunburst shook his head, and said, "The key isn't in the circle. When Tirek forced me to craft this spell, I designed it to act as a magical chain that links all of the artifacts together. In addition, it acts as a vortex intent on drawing in magic to that orb."

"So we just gotta yank one of these things out, eh? No sooner said than done." Garble said as he reached for one of the artifacts, until Sunburst said, "That could work...but there's a chance that a magical rebound might ignite the sphere as it releases the magic, and destroy this whole place."

"Is there nothing else we can do?" Bertuccio asked.

"Not that I can think of." Sunburst admitted. "So despite what I said, it looks like we have no choice." He then stepped forward, and said, "And I have to be the ones to do this."

"So do I." Starlight said.

"Wha-...Starlight-?"

"I waited too many years of my life to find, and save you, Sunburst." She said with upmost confidence. "If this is the means to help make that happen, then i'll take any chances." Sunburst took the hint, and smiled as he nodded. Garble, Pharynx, and Bertuccio also stepped forward to break the spell. At last, it came down to the two alicorns present. But Cadence made it absolutely clear there would be no debate as to who would join this circle as she stepped forth. She did, however, have some words for her son. "Albert', if I don't survive this, then tell Shining...I love him. I love him as greatly as I love you, my son. You both are more precious to me than all the magic, and all the treasures in all the world. It's time I finally repay him." She then looked to the others, and said, "Let's do this!"

Nodding to each other, the six creatures reached into the forcefields holding the artifacts, and took hold. They then raised the artifacts into the air until the orb rose into the air. When it was high enough, it collapsed in on itself in a white light, and then exploded into a wave of power. At the last second, Shining noticed what was happening, and cast a forcefield around all but Tirek. The wave of magic erupted out of the Earth, carrying the thousands of sparks of magic stolen by Tirek. The royal guard, led by The Princesses, as well as the Yak, Dragon, Hippogriff, Changeling and Griffon leaders, Trixie, Thunderlane and the mane six to Tirek's castle at a rather slow pace. But when the magic hit them, and restored their magic, they felt their full strength return, and took different means of reaching the castle.

In the cavern, the ponies felt their own magic return as the light died down, and the portal room was damaged beyond repair. The Sigil was the only thing still functioning, but the tubes holding the stones were shattered, as were the stones.  Tirek, however, was weakened by the blast, and left perplexed by his plans failure. How could this have happened? How could he have been thwarted by such inferior creatures? By Shining Dantes...again? He didn't know, and he didn't care. Now, all he wanted to do was rip Shining to shreds. With a roar, he began slamming his sword against Shining's shield, which was now strengthened by his own magic.  A certain young stallion watched, and readied to take advantage of it.

The Light continued to shine around his body as Shining continued clashing with Tirek. He broke off his shield, and slashed Tirek across the shield in an X form. This shattered the four stones that made his other "eyes", even as he healed from the burns the Light left. Growling, the demon took his sword, and swung sideways to cut off the unicorn's head, but Shining ducked. He then jabbed Tirek in his side, making him cry out in pain from the Light's burn. He then received another slash, and another, and another, and another, until Shining jumped to the air, and knocked Tirek to the edge. Tirek groaned in pain, but then gasped as he saw his sword wedged in the rock. Shining had a determined look as he raised his Light Blade, and readied to run Tirek through it. But then, with a shout, he knocked back Shining with a wave of dark energy, and sent him hanging off of the ledge. In the process, he dropped his sword. Getting to his feet, Tirek growled as he panted in a slow march towards Shining, who struggled to hold on in his pained state. Once he was standing over his hated enemy, he raised his blade high and shouted, "Prepare to join your priest in the other world!"

"TIREK!"

Hearing his name, Tirek turned swiftly behind...only to be met with a stabbing pain to his chest. A pain he felt deep in his heart. But what could cause him such pain? The answer became all too clear when he saw Albert, standing there with his father's Light Blade rammed into Tirek's chest. He was glaring daggers into the demon as he said, "You took my father, but you will never rob anyone of anything ever again."

Tirek weakly raised his arm to strike the alicorn where he stood. Instead, he was too weak to even hold the sword, and dropped it to the ground below...where the revitalized Balrog was waiting after being fed enough anger, and hate to replenish its strength. Now, Tirek was left kneeling on the ground. Clutching the sword embedded in his chest...and the stone he had replaced his heart with. This left his wound glowing bright red as his armored chest burned, and he was gasping for air. All this left Shining shocked as he watched his son run his enemy through with his Sword of Light. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the light went out in his chest....and his eyes. His body went limp as he slowly slid off the sword, and he fell over the side of the cliff. Shining had the "privilege" of watching Tirek's form fall into the open mouth of The Balrog, who let out a satisfied roar as it slunk into the shadows.

Thus perished Lord Tirek Danglars

Albert helped Shining back up, and the two looked to each other with pride. And in a quick motion, the lost father and his son embraced for the first time. It felt so right that neither wanted to let each other go. But they had to, and Albert raised the blade to Shining. "I think this is yours.....father."

Shining brushed his son's hair, and said, "Thank you...my son." He then eyed the Sigil, and the bell that still rested there. "But this blade still had one purpose left. The Darkness will NOT have our world. Not if I have anything to say about it." He then ran straight for the sigil, blade pointed forward. With a mighty yell, he thrust the sword through the bell, and shattered it as the sword remained impaled in the machine. This caused a chain reaction as the bell began glowing yellow, and black, and then blended with the cloud of darkness. Said Darkness then briefly erupted out of the dark gateway, and then sucked it back in. That was when a true vacuum began to suck everything in. The entire cavern began to close in on itself, and pull into the portal. Shining took this time to charge his Inner Light, combine it with his magic, and then teleport everyone to the surface....leaving the Balrog to its fate.

On the surface, all watched as Tirek's castle began to shake, and collapse. The ground shaking as though an earthquake were crossing through the city. But as eight creatures teleported to the surface, directly in front of the Nation Leaders, and the Mane Six to stop them, it happened. The entire structure collapsed into the earth, coming apart at the seams as it did. Every branch, every brick and mortar. All of it was sucked into the Earth, including the cavern ceiling that made up the cave.  Soon, those who could see watched as the machine began imploding in on itself until the darkness consumed the whole thing.

And like that, it was gone.

Nothing was left, save for a massive hole in the ground. With his eyes still looking down into the abyss, he pulled out his chess piece. The symbol of this entire drama of love, and betrayal. Of the ones who ruined his life...and how he reclaimed it. He briefly chuckled, and said, "King's to me.", and then let the piece fall into the abyss. At last, after eighteen years, it was finally over. Yet there were still those standing behind him, who he turned to look at, who were shocked by these developments. But none were more shocked than Twilight to see her brother, standing before her alive, and smiling, even with all the scars marring his features. "Hey...Twily." he said gently. "Guess I have alot to tell you about."

She didn't actually care, however. As everyone watched with warm smiles, she simply hugged him tightly, and started crying tears of joy. She was soon joined by Cadence, and Albert, who formed a group hug meant for the present family. And all who watched did so with happy feelings, and tears in their eyes. King Thorax was reunited with his brother, Pharynx, who was more than happy to see him. And Dragon Lord Ember was surprised, but glad to see Garble was doing well. This was a momentous occasion for all who were here.

For the first time in eighteen years, all was right with the world.