//------------------------------// // Chapter Twelve: Climax // Story: The End of All Things // by Boltstrike58 //------------------------------// Grogar could feel his rage reaching what might be called a boiling point as he stomped towards Tambelon Castle. Occasionally, a pony or some other such creature would attempt to attack him, but a quick pulse of magic threw them to the side, where they'd become distracted by the crowd of knights that still remained. His battle with Twilight Sparkle and her friends had wounded him, not severely, but enough to build his fury. He would stand for it no longer. Looking behind him, he saw his five lieutenants answering his previous summons, looking worse for the wear. Chrysalis had numerous wounds in her exoskeleton, leaking green blood onto the grass. Sombra's royal garb had been burned almost to ashes, and he casually discarded the remains as he approached. Tirek's white beard was torn and shredded, and he was bleeding from his nose and mouth. The Storm King's armor looked like it might fall apart at any second, and he was missing several teeth. Cozy Glow had lost both of the ribbons in her mane, and one of her eyes was beginning to blacken. "Pathetic," Grogar snarled. "And all of you believed you could conquer Equestria alone?!" "Well, to be fair," responded the Storm King, who apparently didn't know what a rhetorical question was, "none of us ever expected to be taking on all these stupid ponies, along with all these other creatures, at the same time!" "SILENCE!" Grogar screamed, the force of his voice nearly knocking all his minions onto their rears. "We are going to destroy all of them with one shot! Either assist me, or die!" The others all flinched back in fear. Grogar didn't care. He lit up his horns once more, conjuring the five necklaces containing the Elements of Disharmony, and forcefully shoving them towards their respective owners. "Put them on," he growled. "We're taking this pathetic resistance down. Now." Twilight and the others rushed back towards the front line of the battle. Grogar had given a signal, prompting the Tambelon Knights to retreat, along with his five lieutenants. It didn't take a genius to figure out what he was planning. The multi-species, Equestria saving army had fallen back as well, and were now waiting for something to happen. "Was Discord right?" asked Applejack. "Can we really utilize the same power we used without the actual elements?" "It's not a question of whether we can or we can't," said Twilight. "What matters is we have to try. If we don't, this battle—and Equestria—is lost for certain." She turned back to face Grogar's side, where he and his five allies were walking forwards, equipped with their own elements. "Now, try to remember the state of mind you were in every time we used the Elements of Harmony. It might help bring out the power." "Twilight?" asked Celestia, trotting over to her former student. Her feathers were ruffled, and she had a small cut across her barrel, but she was otherwise unharmed. "What are you doing?" "We're going for a pretty big gamble, princess," admitted Rainbow. "You might wanna stand back." "Anything I can do to help?" asked Spike. "I don't think so, darling," Rarity replied. "But we appreciate the offer." No one else interrupted, as the six mares settled down, and closed their eyes. They each cast their minds back to their particular Element of Harmony, trying to recall what they needed to summon the magic. Applejack recalled all the times her honesty had been needed, even when it hadn't been the most comforting option available. Fluttershy thought of kindness, and the many forms it could take, even when it seemed to be cruel. Pinkie Pie reminisced over the laughter she'd brought to so many creatures, and how it could lift their spirits like nothing else. Rarity's thoughts evoked the very nature of generosity, what it truly meant to be a generous pony, giving to others and asking for nothing in return. Rainbow Dash called up her memories of loyalty, and how she would do anything for her friends, even if someone offered her everything she ever wanted to abandon them. And Twilight was left to ponder magic, particularly the most powerful magic of all: the magic of friendship, the force that had united her and her friends in the first place. As the mares focused, light began to gather around them, shimmering in the color of their particular element. From Applejack's orange to Fluttershy's pink. From Pinkie Pie's blue to Rarity's purple. From Rainbow Dash's red to Twilight's magenta. Princess Celestia, Spike, and the others could only watch in amazement. They could even feel the magic coalescing around the six mares, building in power and burning like a wildfire. "Wow," Spike breathed. Grogar had noticed the phenomenon, but it didn't seem to concern him. "Pull any trick you like, Princess Twilight," he snarled. "It won't make a difference in the end. Without the Elements of Harmony, you are nothing!" His crown began to emit waves of darkness, while a grey thread began to connect the Elements of Disharmony. Twilight's eyes snapped open. Instead of their usual purple, they were pure white, lacking any pupil or iris. "You may have destroyed the Elements, Grogar," she replied, "but Discord was right. You can't destroy our friendship! And like we've said so many times before..." "FRIENDSHIP IS MAGIC!" called out all six mares at once. The six began to float in the air as the light around them intensified. They drifted closer together, and joined hooves. The multicolored light blended together into a rainbow of pure energy. At the same time, the threads connecting the Elements of Disharmony reached Grogar's crown. The ram levitated himself into the air, focused all of his magic into the crown, and launched a massive beam of black magic from the Element of Doom, just as a similar, rainbow beam fired from Twilight's horn. When the two beams collided in midair, it was like somepony had set off every firework in Equestria in the same place, all at once. A gigantic burst of white light blinded nearly every creature present, and when they could open their eyes and look again, they saw the two beams pushing against each other, the magical feedback so strong it shook the very earth itself. Only Grogar, his minions, and Twilight's group seemed unaffected by the flash and the shaking. "You can't win, Princess Twilight!" Grogar screamed above the chaotic clatter. "Your power is no match for mine!" Twilight didn't respond. Her and the others kept pouring all of their power into the rainbow. Celestia conjured up a golden shield to protect herself and the others from the magic shockwaves that pulsed out of the beam clash. As the six mares piled on the magic, the rainbow began to push back against Grogar's black beam. The ram gritted his teeth. "Give me more power!" he shrieked to his minions. "If I fail because of you five, you will suffer my wrath!" Chrysalis, Sombra, Tirek, the Storm King, and Cozy Glow all grunted in annoyance, unable to form a full response. Grogar wasn't as dedicated to the idea of teamwork as he'd claimed. Still, they had no other choice. They focused on their Elements of Disharmony, as beads of dark magic went down the black chords connecting them. Grogar's crown surged with more power, and the beam expanded, beginning to push back against the rainbow. "Good!" grunted thee ram. "You see, Princess Twilight?! You cannot defeat the greatest power in all of Equestria!" Twilight and her friends all ground their teeth from the effort. The power they'd managed to drag out was strong indeed, but they didn't know if it would be enough to overpower the Elements of Disharmony. Twilight was uncomfortably reminded of how even the Tree of Harmony itself, with all six elements inside it, had been unable to stand up to Grogar's power. Could the magic of her and her friends really surpass that of the Tree of Harmony? Fortunately, their struggle didn't go unnoticed. "Sister!" Luna called out above the chaotic clash. "We must aid Twilight and the others! They can't win this fight by themselves!" "I agree!" Celestia shouted back. "We were connected to the Elements of Harmony ourselves! Maybe we can lend them our power!" "Wait! Don't forget us!" yelled out Sandbar, as his group scurried up. "We had a bond with the Tree of Harmony! We gotta help too!" "We want to assist as well!" shouted Star Swirl. The rest of the Pillars of Old Equestria nodded in agreement. "The tree and the elements came from our magic. We must do all we can!" Celestia gave a nod to all those assembled, before she felt a tiny claw poke her in the leg. She looked down, discovering Spike hanging onto her. "I don't know think I have a connection to the tree or the elements," he admitted, "aside from Twilight trying to make me the new Element of Loyalty that one time. But I wanna help too! I'll lend Twilight all the magic I have!" Celestia hesitated, but ultimately, reason won out. They needed every advantage they could get, and Spike's power might tip the scales. "Every creature!" she yelled again. "Focus on the magic the elements once imbued you with! Draw upon that strength and send it all to Twilight and her friends!" Gathered into three groups—Starswirl's Pillars, Sandbar's group, and Celestia, Spike, and Luna—everyone obeyed. Faint wisps of rainbow light gathered around them as they pulled all the energy from within to the surface. It was a surprisingly easy task, as if Twilight and her friends' act of pulling summoning the power of the elements had unlocked something inside all of them. Suddenly, three long streaks of rainbow-colored light, one from each group, lanced outwards, coming together in one specific spot in midair. From that location, a sphere of white magic formed, and six tendrils of pure light emerged, each reaching one of Twilight's group and connecting, feeding them with even more magic. Even as they struggled against Grogar's attack, their bodies processed this infusion of strength, pouring it into the harmony blast. "Whoa..." breathed Rainbow Dash, feeling her muscles surge with power. "I didn't even know there was this much magic in all of Equestria!" "Less talking, more rainbow powering, Dash!" yelled Applejack. The prismatic pegasus obeyed, as did the other four mares. They funneled their new magic towards the rainbow beam, and within a couple of seconds, it began to overpower Grogar's beam of darkness, shoving the collected energy back towards the ram. Grogar wasn't too happy about this particular development. "MORE! GIVE ME MORE POWER!" he screamed. "I WILL NOT BE DEFEATED BY MERE PONIES! NOT AGAIN!" Chrysalis, Sombra, Tirek, Storm King, and Cozy Glow all pushed as hard as they possibly could, draining every last drop of magic in their bodies, but they only succeeded in pushing the rainbow back for one second. It resumed its assault on them again, even harder than before, if that was even possible. "We can't!" Tirek shouted over the noise. "We...we have nothing...left!" "DON'T YOU DARE FAIL ME!" Grogar screamed again. "OR ELSE I'LL...I'LL—" He never finished that threat. In that couple of seconds, the rainbow pulsed, before the beam of darkness completely collapsed. With nothing left to obstruct it, the rainbow laser shot forward, bathing Grogar and his five lieutenants in harmony magic. Out of the six, only Grogar screamed in agony from the pure magic assaulting his body. Not that the others were untouched, of course. Cozy Glow's magic horn disintegrated into shards, Tirek's muscles degraded as he returned to his original size, and the Storm King coughed up the magic sphere Grogar had given him, which disintegrated. Wisps of magic came out of all six, and flew towards their rightful owner, Discord. As his magic was restored, the draconequus rose into the air once more, and snapped his fingers, his vast power turning the anti-magic cage into pudding. "Oh, it is good to be back!" he cheered, before teleporting over to Twilight's group. Not content to end there, the magical wave washed over the Knights of Tambelon, disintegrating them into nothing. Pulses of multicolored light flew into the portal above Tambelon Castle, cutting off the flow and preventing new knights from taking their place. Twilight and the others opened their eyes once more. They were still floating in the air, still surrounded by the rainbow aura. Twilight looked down at Grogar's team, where the magic was beginning to fade away. Grogar and his five lieutenants had all fallen to their knees, though the ram himself was beginning to struggle back onto his hooves once more. His coat was torn in several places, he was bleeding from his mouth, and one of his horns had broken off at the middle. His bell was little more than several pieces of twisted metal. The others didn't seem to have the strength to stand up. Even Sombra's flowing black mane had become stationary. The necklaces containing the Elements of Disharmony had fallen from their owners, the metal had dulled to a faint grey, and the elements themselves had broken like glass. Even Grogar's crown was battered and cracked. Queen Chrysalis tried to push herself up, but her legs wouldn't support her, and she hit the earth with a thump. "You think you've won?!" she wheezed, trying to sound as intimidating as possible. "You think your precious friendship will save you?! You—" She was cut off when Tirek reached over and put a hand over her mouth. "Chrysalis, it's over," he said. "Save the speeches for when we don't all have migraines." "I agree," grunted the Storm King, as he rubbed his forehead. "Even I know when I'm licked." The changeling opened and closed her mouth a couple of times, but her brain found no retort, and she finally decided to simply lie there, while giving the evil eye to Twilight. The others followed her example. Except for one. "No..." Grogar coughed, struggling to keep his legs from slipping out under him. "Not like this...I will not be defeated like this..." His struggle didn't escape Twilight's notice. She frowned as she watched him fight through his injuries. His horns lit up with weak yellow light, trying to levitate the remains of his crown. "Grogar," she called out, using a bit of magic to amplify her voice, "you have lost this fight. Don't try to keep going, you'll only injure yourself." "But we're not giving up on you," said Rarity. "You can become our friend, like others before you." "Yeah!" added Pinkie Pie. "Besides, having friends is so much more fun than being a big meanie like you were!" Grogar's eyes snapped up to stare at the six mares. His brow furrowed, and hate filled his butter-yellow orbs. "You think I'll submit?" he spat. He managed to draw himself back onto all four hooves once more, though he slouched a little. "You think I'll accept your idiotic 'friendship' and be reformed?!" "Friendship isn't idiotic," Twilight insisted. "You don't have to be alone. You can be accepted just as much as any creature, even after everything you've done." Grogar's only response was to grit his teeth even harder. Cozy Glow sat up from her position on the ground. "Master Grogar, sir? Not to be rude, but we kinda just lost our most powerful weapons, and our army. I don't think we really have a chance to win this fight." "Besides, the quicker you give up, the sooner we'll get to be free of these stupid friendship speeches," added Sombra. "Come on, we'll defeat them next time." Grogar didn't listen. He fired up his horns, his rage compensating for his current weakness. The broken remains of the Elements of Disharmony levitated upwards and began circling his head, as he magically reached into the stones, attempting to grasp every last drop of power within them. "I will not be defeated," he snarled. "I will not accept your pathetic friendship. I am Grogar! I am the Element of Doom! And I will destroy all of you if it's the last thing I accomplish in this life!" He began drawing the remains of the elements' power, as grey bolts of electricity flew from the stones into his body. His eyes began glowing pure crimson as he levitated into the air once more, and he took a deep breath. His five lieutenants hurriedly ducked, covering themselves with their front appendages. Twilight swallowed. She knew what they were going to have to do, what Grogar was going to force them to do. "Girls," she said to the others, "fire away." The others followed without hesitation, charging up their harmony magic once again. Their magic flowed into Twilight, who again launched the rainbow beam from her horn, just in time to meet the black blast fired from Grogar's mouth. Unlike the last time, however, this was no clash of equals. Grogar's attack was far smaller, and the harmony beam was pushing it back easily. Within a couple of seconds, the rainbow had reached the ram, and attempted to envelope him. He conjured a black, spherical shield around his body, which began to crack within seconds. "I WON'T SUBMIT!" he screamed over the noise. "I'LL NEVER SUBMIT!" His magic continued reinforcing the barrier, even as the rainbow pounded on it. What he didn't notice was that the rainbow was slowly beginning to push him back, towards Tambelon Castle. "GROGAR, STOP!" Twilight called out, having realized what was about to happen. "IF YOU DON'T, YOU'LL—" "ROT IN TARTARUS, TWILIGHT SPARKLE!" screamed the ram. It was at that moment that his shield shattered. Grogar was caught by the rainbow, feeling it assault his body from every direction, causing him to roar in agony once again. Twilight tried to stop the rainbow then, but harmony had a will of its own, and it was out of her hooves. With Grogar trapped inside it, the rainbow beam flew towards Tambelon Castle, and began circling the building, growing faster and faster by the second. Soon, the entire structure was surrounded by a multicolored tornado of light, completely obliterating the darkness. Then the castle actually began lifting into the air, off the shattered remains of Canterlot Castle. The harmony magic pushed the structure into the portal to Tambelon itself, until it disappeared from view. With one final pulse of magic, the vortex to Tambelon collapsed on itself, and vanished from existence. Grogar and Tambelon were gone from this world.