The group has everything packed, they stand outside as they wait for Twilight and Starswirl to lead the way. What's left of the group all look at each other: Discord, Spike, Gizmo, Neighsay, and the six students.
"It's hard to believe that it's just us left. Before the siege we were 20...now..." Ocellus started.
"...It's just 12." Yona finished.
"Hey, counting the Pony of Shadows himself, There are only 6 of them left. We outnumber them 2 to 1." Gizmo looks to his remaining friends.
"Gizmo is right. We can't focus on the then, we must focus on the now. We need to stay determined to beat this punk." Sandbar chirped.
"Only then may we get everyone's souls back." Gallus narrows his eyes.
"I played a part in starting this, I will see it through to help you guys end it." Said Spike.
"We will bring the Shadows to their knees," Neighsay said stoically.
"This is for the fallen." Said Silverstream.
"This is for Fluttershy." Said Discord.
"This is for Harmony!" Shouted Smolder.
As the others were hyping themselves up, Starswirl and Twilight soon exited the school together, looking at a map. They soon stand in front of the others to tell them their travel route.
"Listen up every creature. We are about to take the final journey to end the Shadow's clutches on the world. Obviously, the bearers cannot back out now, but for those of you who chose to stand for us, this is your last chance to back out." Starswirl spoke to the whole group.
"We are not forcing you to take this journey with us. If you feel things are too intense, or you fear for your soul, no judgment will befall you for backing out now." Said Twilight. Thankfully, no one backed out, which brought a smile to Twilight's face.
"Very well, then from now on there is no turning back. We are off to the Hollow Shades to confront the Pony of Shadows, and banishing him to the Shadow Realm forever. Now if we have everything for this journey, we must be off immediately." Said Starswirl. The 12 soon went on their travel to the Hollow Shades, where the Pony of Shadows had been in hiding. It had taken them 2 whole days, camping at night, to travel across Equestria on hoof to get to their destination. On the third day, they could see the Hollow Shades from a distance. Even while being a few hundred feet away, they could see the shadows covering the entirety of the shades. They stand on top of a hill surrounded by a forest and look at their destination.
"There, I can finally see the Hollow Shades!" Said Twilight happily.
"Finally! My claws are killing me!" complained Smolder.
"Look at it though... it's all, twisted and wrong." Said Gizmo.
"It is the Shadows young one, they corrupt all who come in contact with it," Neighsay spoke with sadness in his voice.
"The Shadows have their grasps on the shades firmly. Constricting it like a python to its prey." Said Starswirl. "We cannot stop now, if we Hurry we may be able to rid the world of this corruption, TODAY!" They quicken their pace to finally get to the shades, however, while still a good distance away, they are shocked to see a giant wall, made of Shadows that splits the forest in half.
"Whoa! Look at that thing!" Gallus said in awe.
"It's...it's made of Shadows." Yona tilts her head back to look at the whole thing.
"I can feel the dark aura... I don't like this." Ocellus shivers a bit as she speaks.
"PSHHHH! It's just a wall of Shadows. How hard can it be to get past it? Allow me!" Boasted Discord. Discord snaps his fingers so that he may use his magic to teleport around the wall. However, nothing happens. Discord looks puzzled as he gets closer to the wall and once again snaps his fingers. Once again, nothing happens. Frustrated, Discord then tries to experiment by using his magic. He points at a flower and zaps it. Instantly, the flower grows arms and pulls itself out of the ground to reveal its legs. It then sprints towards the wall, but as soon as the flower touches the wall, it instantly reverts back to a normal flower and falls lifelessly.
"Strange, it's resisting my Chaos Magic." Discord looked at his hand and frowned
"Then how in Equestria are we to get through?" Asked Neighsay, stroking his beard with his hoof. As they pondered together, They all heard a noise coming from the wall of shadows. They turn towards the wall and see some pony slowly step through. It was one of the Shadow Riders, End.
"I think I have a solution." End spoke in a chilling voice.
"You! I know you! You were the one who stole Rockhoof's soul!" Smolder pointed her claw at the rider, snarling at him in anger.
"Heheh, Good to see you too dragon." Said End.
"What are you doing Shadow!? Why so far from the Shades?" Starswirl stood in front of everyone as he confronted End.
"Chill out beardy, I'll tell ya." Said End. Starswirl grunts and shows his teeth still hating that nickname. "This is a wall of pure shadows, only other shadows can pass. So you are stuck, unless..." said End.
"Unless what?" Twilight narrows her eyes with suspicion.
"You give the Shadows what they want most, a soul." Chuckled End.
"WHAT!?" Shouted Twilight and Starswirl at the same time.
"You can either sacrifice one of your friends to get past, or duel me, and there is a chance you can use my soul to get past." Said End.
"Why take that risk shadow?" Questioned Starswirl.
"Either way the Master gets another soul. Whether it is yours or mine it doesn't matter. I myself wish to help the master in any way I can. If my soul is to be forfeit then so be it!" Said End. The group all look at each other, it seems there is no other way but through. They certainly weren't about to sacrifice each other so they discussed among themselves who would go through.
"Allow me, I can deal with him." Gizmo pleaded.
"This dude is no laughing stock Giz, he'll chew you up!" Smolder warned while placing her claw on his shoulder.
"It's not that we don't think you're strong Gizmo, its just this guy beat a Pillar, he is clearly an experienced duelist." Said Sandbar.
"heh, not just one." Mocked End.
"Quiet you!" Shouted Starswirl, scowling at the shadow rider.
"I will duel." Spike.
"NO! Of course not!" Twilight stepped in, giving the dragon a narrowed-eyed stare.
"Why not?" complained Spike.
"I lost you once Spike, I will not lose you again...besides...You're all I have left." Twilight said in a motherly tone.
"Twilight...I know you care about me... But you can't hold me back. I knew what I was doing when I said I would help. Besides, I need to redeem myself." Said Spike stepping towards the shadow wall.
"You don't need to redeem yourself, Spike, I already forgave you!" Said Twilight beginning to tear up. Spike stops in his tracks and responds without turning around.
"I'm not redeeming myself for you... I need to redeem myself for me..." Said Spike as he then continued until he was directly across from End. Some of the Shadows from the wall disburse outwards and then surround both Spike and End in a circle. End only chuckles as he is faced with his opponent.
"So, you have come back Tiamat. It is good to see you again Shadow brother." End smiles a devilish smirk.
"I am no Shadow Brother of yours! I will not let you, or your 'master' mess with my head again!" Retorted Spike raising his fist.
"Quit lying to yourself Tiamat. Your scales are still stained black, and your heart is still heavy with Shadows." End let out a low chuckle.
"I am no Shadow, so stop calling me by that name! I will not allow them to corrupt me again!" Spike Yelled.
"We shall see. The Shadows in your heart will be your undoing." Said End as his duel disk formed on his wrist. Spike holds up his and then activates his as well.
"DUEL"
[Spike Vs. End]
"I will go first! I draw!" Said Spike. "First I summon Divine Dragon Apocralyph!{1000atk. 1500def. Lv4} Then I will set a card. That's my turn."
"Draw." Said End. "I summon Cyber Valley! {0atk. 0def. Lv1}. Now I activate the spell Cyber Revsystem! This allows me to special summon a Cyber Dragon from my hoof, and he is unaffected by card effects! {2100atk. 1600def. Lv5}. Now my Cyber Dragon will lay waste to your pathetic fleshy dragon!" Cyber Dragon fires an electric beam at Divine Dragon and destroys it. Spike shields his face with his arm as his dragon explodes.
"Thank you, that card was a distraction, now I can activate my face down, the quick-play spell Armed Dragon Flash!" Said Spike. "Now I can Special summon my Armed Dragon LV3 from my deck in a defensive position! {1200atk. 900def. Lv3}"
"Armed Dragon is a powerful deck, you should have been one of the remaining Shadow Riders Tiamat." said End.
"I'm not, and I will never hurt my friends again." Spike said firmly, looking behind him for only a moment.
"We shall see. I end my turn." Said End.
[Spike 4 cards/ End 3 cards]
[Spike 2900/End 4000]
"My move, I draw!" Said Spike. "Now that it is my standby phase, I can tribute my Armed Dragon Lv3 for the Armed Dragon LV5 from my deck! {2400atk. 1700def. Lv5} Your Cyber Valley has no attack points, so it will be my target for an attack! Armed Dragon LV5, Destroy his Cyber Valley!"
"I activate Cyber Valley's effect! When it is targeted for an attack, I can banish him and then draw a card! Now the battle phase immediately ends!" Said End.
"Very well, then I enter Main phase 2 and set two cards then end." Said Spike.
"My turn, I draw!" Said End. "Now Watch closely as I mop the floor with you, I activate the spell Polymerization! I fuse the Cyber Dragon on my field with one in my hoof to fusion summon Cyber Twin Dragon! {2800atk. 2100def. Lv8 Fusion}. Now, during my Standby phase, I can attack twice per turn! Cyber Twin Dragon, Attack his Armed Dragon!"
"I activate one of my face downs, Dragon's Rebirth! I banish the Armed Dragon LV5 on my field to resummon Armed Dragon LV3 in defensive position!" Spike countered. The Dragon switches out in time for LV3 to protect Spike from the first blast.
"Fool, You banished your stronger monster, and now you are wide open for a direct attack! Cyber Dragon, your second attack! Attack him directly!" Shouted End.
"You never learn, I activate my second trap, Storm Dragon's Return! Now I resummon to the Field my Banished Armed Dragon LV5 to the field in defense! Your second attack is blocked!" Said Spike as his LV5 returned this time and blocked the blast. End was legit impressed by Spike's defensive play.
"Fantastic move Tiamat. You have learned quite a bit from being around the elements." End Noted.
"They are my friends, I will do anything for them." Said Spike.
"Even if it means you take a backseat to all their glory?" End began to smirk again.
"What? What do you mean by that?" Spike growled, showing his teeth.
"Don't play dumb Tiamat. You know exactly what I'm talking about. It's what made you vulnerable to the shadows in the first place." End chuckled.
[Spike 3 cards/ End 5 cards]
Spike grits his teeth and clenches his claws into fists. Despite how much he tried to resist End's words, they were still getting to him and making him angry.
"Stop it End! You don't know anything about me!" Spike points a claw at End.
"Oh, but I do. How does it feel when Twilight and her friends continuously save the world? You make contributions, don't you? Or you try, but who does everyone thank? Them! And who is left out? YOU!" Said End pointing his hoof at Spike. Spike grits his teeth harder, and his eyes begin to glow red.
"Oh no! End is getting to him! He's trying to bring out the Shadows inside of Spike!" Said Ocellus.
"If he relapses and re-joins the Shadow Riders, then we must cut him off and sacrifice him." Starswirl said sternly.
"NO! We can't!" Said Twilight.
"Why not? Look at him!" Said Starswirl pointing at Spike. He places his claws on his head and closes his eyes tight. On his back, streaks of shadows began to manifest and swish around angrily. "He needs to be stopped."
"When Spike was corrupted he was alone, He isn't alone now! He has us, he has me!" Said Twilight as she darted towards Spike.
"Twilight! No!" Starswirl yells for her, but she doesn't listen. The Shadows that have Encircled the two players prevent Twilight from passing through, but she can see Spike just fine. He is now on one knee and he begins to groan as if he is in pain. "SPIKE! Listen to me! Your contributions don't go unnoticed! You are just as important to us, as anyone else! You are Spike, The Brave and Glorious! You can beat the Shadows!" Spike slowly opens his eyes, tears running down his cheeks as he painfully held off the Shadows still in his heart. The Shadows still had ahold of his heart in a death grip, but he wasn't about to let himself be corrupted again. He slowly forces himself to stand back up and glare at End.
"I...Will... Not... BREAK!" Yelled Spike standing up straight in defiance. The other began to cheer for Spike as Twilight smiled and tears ran down her cheeks as well. End, however, looks on unamused by Spike.
"You are as stubborn as they come aren't you Tiamat? Fine, let's see how you can come back with nothing on your field. I end." Said End.
"M-My move, I draw." Said Spike, His eyes widened upon seeing the card he drew. End Smirks as by Spike's facial expression, he knew exactly what card he drew.
"Heheheh. Look at what you have done Tiamat. Your favorite card, twisted and corrupted like you. You must play it in order to defeat me, you know you have to." Said End.
"He had to of drawn the Dark Armed Dragon, he must not play it." Said Starswirl.
"But he must, it has a devastating effect that can beat even the Cyber End Dragon. Spike will stand no chance if a beast like that is summoned." Neighsay spoke up.
"You forget, it was corrupted by Shadows. It could potentially push Spike over the edge. He must not play it!" Starswirl reiterated with much more emphasis. Spike takes a deep breath and adds the card to his claw. He glares down End and prepares for his move.
"First I set a monster, now I activate the spell Foolish Burial, to send one card from my deck to the grave. I send Infernal Dragon to the grave." Said Spike
"He is! He is setting up his grave so that he may Special summon the Dark Armed Dragon! Twilight! You must tell him not to play that card!" Yelled Starswirl. Twilight looks at him and then back to Spike. As she did, Spike looked back at her.
"...Spike..." Twilight calls out with worry.
"Don't worry about me...I know what I am doing." Said Spike. Twilight looks back at Starswirl and then back to Spike. She then nods her head.
"Now I end my turn, go ahead and attack me End!" Spike taunted.
"With pleasure." Said End.
[Spike 2 cards]
"I draw." Said End. "Twin Cyber Dragon, Attack his face down!" The first head sends out a massive electrical blast that destroys the card, it is revealed to be pitch black dragon before being destroyed. "Now the second attack will be direct!" The second head opens his mouth and fires a powerful blast that strikes Spike. He screams and is flown backward with immense force. He lies on the ground as his life points drop to just 100.
"SPIKE!" Twilight yells. Spike lies down on the ground for a second before opening his eyes. He groans as he tries to stand up, but falls back down. The others were in suspense, Smolder had her claws covering her mouth, Silverstream and Ocellus were hugging each other, fearful of the outcome of the duel. Yona watched on in horror, and Sandbar and Gallus had upset expressions on their faces. Twilight still wasn't giving up on Spike. "Spike you have to get up, please! You must!"
"Down for the count? If you do not get up in 10 seconds, you forfeit this match." Said End Sternly.
"Spike please get up! You have to finish this. please don't make me say goodbye again." Said Twilight. Once again Spike attempts to stand up. He gets to one knee, and with one powerful motion, he finally gets to his feet. This was met with cheers by the students.
"Do you ever know when to quit? Look at the life point difference, look at our fields! You are outmatched Tiamat! Stop wasting my time and stay down!" End demanded with a snarl.
"...No... I won't quit!" Said Spike.
[Spike 100/End 4000]
[Spike 2 cards/ End 6 cards
"Now, it is my turn! Draw!" Said Spike. "Now, that I have 3 Dark monsters in my graveyard, I can Special Summon my Dark Armed Dragon Directly from my claw!"
"No! He can't! Somepony stop him!" Shouts Starswirl.
"We can't, he is in a Shadow Game. Not even my magic can break through." Said Discord. Spike slams his card down onto his duel disk, and immediately a large outburst of Shadows spews from his duel disk. The Dark Armed Dragon appears on the field and unleashes a mighty roar. Instead of facing down End, he turn to face Spike. His massive Red Eyes shoot daggers at Spike. Spike takes a few steps back before Dark Armed Dragon Roars again. Massive tendrils of Shadows spew out of Armed Dragon's body and ensnare Spike.
"GAH! L-LET...GO!" Yells Spike.
"SPIKE!!!" Yells Twilight. The Shadows flood into Spike's body and circle around him. End Watches with a pleased smile on his face as the Shadows cloud his mind.
"I...I can't fight it! It's too...Strong!" Said Spike as His eyes started to glow red again. He could feel the very emotions coming from his own monster. Anger, sadness...and betrayal.
"NO! NO SPIKE NO! You need to keep fighting Spike!" More tears flood down Twilight's cheeks.
"I...I can't!" Said Spike wincing in pain as the shadows fill him.
"Yes, you can Spike! You can fight back! Do it for yourself, do it for Me, for Rarity...For all your friends Spike! We love you!" Said Twilight. The words echo in Spike's head. 'We Love You' Slowly one by one, all of Spike's friends appear in his mind. Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Twilight. Their faces were so clear it was as if they were really there. He can see them getting closer and hugging him tightly. 'We Love You.' Spike by now has tears streaming down his face. Slowly he looks up at his Armed Dragon. it stares back at him with rage and darkness.
"...I'm sorry... I'm so sorry for what I did to you buddy. I can fix this. I. Will. Fix. THIS!" Spike Yells. Out of nowhere, a large glow, emitting from Spike's chest begins to grow brighter, and brighter.
"What is this?" Asked End as he watches on. The glow gets brighter the more Spike can see his friends holding him. The brightness was so strong it began to push away the Shadows coming from Armed Dragon. Eventually, the Light soon reaches out and also begins to wrap around Armed Dragon, who slowly becomes more relaxed.
"What...What is happening?" Asked Nieghsay.
"I don't believe it... It's pure... Harmony." Said an awe-struck Starswirl. The light soon grows so large that both Spike and Armed Dragon are completely enveloped in it. Soon a massive burst is expelled from the orb of light, shooting rainbows in all directions. Everyone, including End, had to shield their eyes from the brightness. However, it all begins to dim down enough for everyone to un-shield their eyes. As the orb shrunk, everyone was shocked that Dark Armed Dragon was no more, and in his place, was the Armed Dragon Lv7, back to his original form. He roars triumphantly and stares down the Twin-Cyber Dragon.
"WHAT!?!?!?!?" Shouts the group in unison, except for End.
".....Impossible." Said End in shock. The Orb sinks more till finally Spike is revealed, but now, his black scales have vanished, and his purple ones are back. He opens his eyes to reveal his natural green eyes have also returned. The light orb soon goes back into his chest, where his heart is.
"You...How? How can this be!?" Yelled End in confusion and awe.
"The Shadows can not exist in the light. As long as I have my friends, The light lives in me!" Yelled Spike. Spike could hear an Uproar of Cheers behind him coming from his friends behind him. He turns to face them, but first catches Twilight. She was looking on at him, smiling at him while crying. He smiles back before facing End again where the Shadows Behind him have become increasingly agitated. End Grits his teeth in anger while staring at Spike.
"Now, I believe it is still my turn. I now activate the spell, Level Up! Now That my Armed Dragon is Back to normal, I can now make him stronger than ever before! Upgrading him from Lv7, to the Armed Dragon LV10! {3000atk. 2000def. Lv10}" Armed Dragon grew larger with more barbs on him, to signify that he is now LV10. He once again roars loudly. "Armed Dragon, Attack his Twin Dragon!" Said Spike.
"No! I activate the quick-play spell De-fusion to separate my Twin Dragon back into the original two Cyber Dragons!" Shouted End.
"Fine then, Armed Dragon, destroy the Cyber Dragon on the Left!" Said Spike. Armed Dragon grabs the Cyber Dragon with his massive claw. Cyber Dragon struggles as it tries to get away, but can't. Armed Dragon then crushes Cyber Dragon with ease. End Growls at spike as he loses Life points. "Now I end, give me your best shot End!" Said Spike.
[Spike 100/ End 3100]
[Spike 1 cards]
"GRRRRAHHHHH!!! I draw!" Yelled End. "I activate Cyber Repair Plant! I use one of its effects to bring back the destroyed Cyber Dragon into my hoof. Now I activate Power Bond!"
"NO!" Yelled Twilight.
"With the Cyber Dragon on my field and the two in my hoof, I Fusion Summon Cyber End Dragon! {4000atk. 2800def. Lv10 Fusion}" Cyber End Dragon is summoned and faces off against Armed Dragon Lv10. "HAHAHAHA! With the power of Powerbond My Cyber End Dragon's attack is doubled, making him 8000!" Said End.
"It's over. No one has beaten that card." Said Discord.
"I'm not so sure it's over just yet, Spike hasn't backed down. look at him." Said Neighsay. Spike was still smiling, in fact, he was waiting for this exact moment.
"You think you have won End? Do you know Powerbond has a devastating downside?" Asked Spike.
"Of course I do. That's why I only play it when I'm about to deal the final blow." Said End.
"Then you have seriously miscalculated. Because now I will activate my Armed Dragon's effect." Said Spike.
"Which is?" Asked End.
"By discarding one card, the last card in my claw, Then all Face-up monsters on your side of the field are destroyed!" Said Spike. End's eyes widen, and his body grows cold. Armed Dragon lifts his claw and then shoves it directly into Cyber End Dragon's chest. Cyber End Dragon lets out a pained roar before finally being destroyed. End looks on and doesn't react to his dragon's destruction. "Now End, you have a choice. End your turn, and allow the downside of Power Bond to take away 4000 life points and lose, or Surrender." Said Spike Triumphantly. Once again there was more cheering coming from behind Spike. End Lowers his head as if to admit defeat.
"Master... I have failed you. You shall have my soul in return." Said End. He Lifts his head and glares at Spike. "I! END! MY! TURN!" Just then, a huge bolt of lighting comes from the sky and strikes End, and zaps away all his life points.
[Spike vs. End: Winner Spike]
The Wall of Shadows soon grows long black tentacles. They quickly wrap around End's legs and even his neck and begin to pull him closer to the wall. End doesn't struggle and he doesn't fight back as he pulls backwards. He begins to be absorbed into the wall of Shadows, his body disappearing into the black abyss. His eyes were deadlocked onto Spike, and he never broke eye contact till he was fully absorbed by the wall. Then, before their eyes, the wall begins to evaporate, till there was nothing left. Finally Twilight can get to Spike. He turns around and he and Twilight hug each other tight. they both begin to cry into each other's shoulders, as Spike was finally back to normal.
"If I had not seen it for myself, I would have never believed this." Said Starswirl in a soft tone.
"What do you mean?" Asked Neighsay, looking at Starswirl.
"He was able to use harmony within himself to expel the Shadows. Never have I seen that before." Said Starswirl. The students soon approach Spike as well to talk to him.
"Hey Spike, welcome back pal." Said Sandbar. Spike pulls away from Twilight to look at the students.
"Thanks Sandbar...I'm so sorry for what I did. I'm sorry for our duel a while back when I..." Said Spike
"Dude, don't worry about it." Said Sandbar with a smile.
"It's good to have you back to your normal self Spike." Gallus pats Spike on his back.
Everyone was so happy for Spike and congratulated him profusely. That was until Starswirl approached him. Spike turns towards Starswirl, unsure of what he is about to say to him.
"Young dragon, you have my deepest apologies." Starswirl bows his head.
"For what you said? It-it's alright." Said Spike with a smile.
"No, you misunderstand. Back in my time, when The Pony of Shadows was a threat in the past. We studied individuals who were corrupted by the Shadows. My research led me to the conclusion that once the Shadows latched onto your heart, there is no way to get them out. Evil would live in your heart, forever." Said Starswirl. Everyone listens closely. "This conclusion was accepted by almost everyone around me, except for one individual who had a completely opposite hypothesis."
"Who were they?" Asked Twilight.
"It was Clover the Clever. She believed that everyone housed both Harmony and Shadows in themselves from the start, and could expel, or accept both kinds of magic." Said Starswirl.
"Clover the Clever truly thought we all have Harmony and Shadows in our hearts?" Asked Twilight.
"That is what she thought yes. I thought it preposterous, how can one be born with both? How can Harmony exist alongside the Shadows? To me it was Nonsense. She never got to prove it, Clover was very old, and she passed before she could prove herself. But from what she found, only can this possibly happen, when you are at war with yourself. In other words, When you are extremely emotional. If you draw too much into your anger and rage, you will allow the Shadows to take over. If you go towards forgiveness and love, then you are filled with Harmony. Never did I ever believe that it would be true." Said Starswirl.
"That...Is amazing." Said Twilight.
"Indeed, it is." Said Starswirl. "I must look into this. Of course, after we defeat the Pony of Shadows. Come on Everyone."
End of Chapter 25