Martin, Alan, and Jinx were currently locked in an all-out duel with Jinx who was gaining the upper hand in the fight. Jinx howled in anger as she smashed Martin’s blade into smithereens the sheer force of impact hurled Martin through a column which came down on his head. Alan slashed Jinx across the chest which only slightly tarnished the armour. Jinx blaster Alan into the same pile of rubble that Martin was currently occupying. Martin stuck his head out as his friend joined him. Both of them stood up as Jinx appeared in front of them. From his back he sprouted six sharpened crystal spider-like legs.
Alan gestured, “OH COME ON!”
Jinx then spoke in a metallic booming voice, “Mortal fools.”
The legs then raised themselves to strike…only for Jinx to be sent hurling into a wall by a large mallet. Discord stood there in a polo shirt with a sun visor on his head.
Discord grinned, “Hole in one.”
Martin looked at Discord in confusion, “Why did you help us?”
Discord snapped his talon, “Make no mistake, I STILL despise all of you goody goodies. But Jinx is nuttier then a fruit cake and this dog needs to be put down for good.”
Jinx walked out of the dust cloud, “Traitor.”
Jinx pointed his sword at Discord as the spider legs aligned and directed energy into the blade which the aspect directed with pin point accuracy. Discord and the two humans ducked under the beam as it cut through the wall behind them and caused it to explode outwards as the room shook violently. Alan thinking on impulse raised his hands to the sky, his body surged with electricity as he yelled out as loud as he could, “SHAZAM!” Everyone saw white and everyone except Alan was hurled off their feet or hooves since the six JUST entered the throne room at that instant.
*
Outside, the two armies witnessed a lightning bolt the size of which had never been seen before smash into Canterlot castle and destroyed the entire top level in an explosion of sparks and rubble.
Princess Luna sighed, “I sense a great emptiness in the royal savings approaching.”
*
The smoke cleared to reveal all that remained of the throne room was a few very low walls, the occasional columns and the floor. The rest of the area and beyond was covered in rubble of all kinds. Alan looked around as everypony stood up and stared at him with looks of shock and annoyance.
Martin gestured around him, “Well you blew the roof off at least.”
Alan smiled in embarrassment, “I over did it, didn’t I?”
Rainbow Dash flew up to him, “THAT WAS AWESOME!!”
Alan looked around as Discord pointed with his lion paw, “Not awesome enough it seems.”
Jinx stood up from the rubble with his armour smoking, “You’ll pay for that.”
Jinx the fired six beams in different direction which he continued to direct at each of his adversary’s. Discord dodged several of them along with the ponies and humans. Jinx then cleared the distance…and rammed headlong into the combined blasts of the elements of harmony. Martin and Alan leapt into the blasted and smashed Jinx trough the floor and below into the ballroom. Both Alan and Martin were fighting the aspect with enhanced strength and agility. Both were forcing the aspect on the defensive.
Alan formed a more solid looking electro-claymore which he used to chop off four of the six spider legs. Martin smashed Jinx’s helmeted head several times with his fists. Jinx was flabbergasted at how the humans were managing to subdue him in his divine form. He continued to push until he saw an opening and smiled in victory underneath his helmet. He brought one of his legs back and drove it into Alan’s gut. Martin yelled in rage as Alan was hurled away, Martin grabbed one of the severed spider legs and rammed it straight into Jinx’s chest. Jinx froze as he howled in agony and anger; he raised his hands and there was a flash of white as Martin went blind.
*
Martin opened his eyes and found himself in a space devoid of light. He looked around at his blackened surroundings. A laugh was heard as Jinx materialized before him in his divine form; the helmet vanished to reveal Jinx’s regular head beneath.
Martin looked around, “What happened?”
Jinx gestured, “You like it? This is the nexus, they are between worlds.”
Martin clenched his fists but felt weaker than usual, “What’s wrong with me.”
Jinx laughed as he advanced and regrew his severed spider legs, “We are on neither Earth nor Equestria which is causing your natural powers to be in flux.”
Martin narrowed his eyes as Jinx advanced on him, “For EONS I stared at this empty space and nothing else.
When I kill you here it will seem like an eternity has passed before you finally succumb.”
Martin raised the still severed leg in his grasp, “That’s not going to happen.”
Jinx raised an eyebrow, “How is that?”
Martin ran at him, “I HAVE FRIENDS AND FAMILY WAITING FOR ME!!”
Jinx slashed Martin across the chest and hurled him away, “You can’t win. All great rulers are feared for their power…”
Martin bleeding out on the ground as Jinx threw him further away, “You are nothing but an insect that is beneath me!”
Jinx then raised his hands, “When you pass, none shall remember Martin the Hero. They shall instead remember Jinx THE GOD! FOR MEMORY OF ONE ENSURES IMMORTALITY!”
Martin shakily rose to his feet, “Sortitus…if you are with me now, give me a freaking sign here.”
Jinx tilted his head, “Where is Sortitus now Martin? Where did he guide you?”
Martin froze and silently spoke, “He guided me to this point.”
Sortitus shook his head, “I merely paved the road, and it was your choice to follow it.”
Martin thought hard on his last words, “Chose to follow it…”
Jinx stopped, “What are you mumbling about?”
Martin shut his eyes, “All I did was for a reason. He foresaw all of these events but never directly interfered. He set events in motion and all we did was choose to follow. Them.”
Martin’s eyes opened as a spark went off in his head, “I understand now.”
Jinx looked at him, “What?”
Martin looked at Jinx, “It was about choice, it was always about choice or the actions of one that would affect many. But every path in destiny has different paths to take that don’t always ultimately lead to the same conclusion.”
Jinx was getting angered, “Silence!”
Martin yelled back, “NO! Because I just realized where you get your power from, all of your actions up to this point have always been on a massive scale and were extravagant.”
Jinx blasted a beam at Martin who dodged it with ease, “You never did something under the radar, never took your time and waited. You always accelerated things too fast.”
Jinx yelled in rage, “BE SILENT WORM!!”
Martin ducked under the swing and stabbed Jinx in the chest once more, “Your power is from memories. As long as people remember and acknowledge your existence you have power.”
Martin then kicked Jinx down as he turned his back to him, “With you and I the only ones here, you sealed your own fate.”
Martin then started walking away, “I am choosing to not fight and follow the path that it leads to.”
Jinx stood up and rushed Martin, his spider legs went for Martin’s head bit turned to dust. Jinx vomited black blood as he fell to his knees. Jinx’s divine armour vanished to reveal his cloak beneath.
Jinx went to remove the spider leg but stopped, “I…am…cold.”
Martin continued walking as more black blood fell from the chest wound, “FAIRBRIDGES DON’T YOU DARE TURN YOUR BACK ON ME!!”
Martin ignored the dying villain as Jinx began to disintegrate, “NO! YOU BASTARD! GET BACK HERE!!!”
Martin stopped…and scratched his head and continued along his way. Jinx yelled in anger as Martin grew
smaller in the distance. Jinx then felt anger, fear and then regret as he then felt…nothing.
Martin heard the screaming stop as the black space fell away to reveal several familiar face occupying the grand hall.
Granny Smith looked around, “Wowie, ah knew this ceremony would be wild.”
Big Mac nodded in confusion, “Eeyup.”
Everypony took in their surroundings as Martin was tackled to the ground by a happy Applejack whom he embraced. He looked at Aequivalere who nodded, Martin stood up slowly as he approached the aspect of balance.
Martin looked around, “Did you?”
Aequivalere nodded, “Yes, after destroying Jinx I felt a surge.”
Martin raised an eyebrow, “Meaning?”
Aequivalere looked at Martin as he removed his hood to reveal his usual look was gone. The person staring back at him looked like Sortitus except he had black chrome irises. He also had straight parted shoulder length hair that was black with the streaks of celestial white.
Martin jumped, “What the?!”
Aequivalere took off his gloves, “When Jinx was destroyed, I inherited his power. Sortitus was next in line but since he is…”
Martin raised his hand, “I get the idea.”
Aequivalere looked around, “This is no proper place for a ceremony.”
The Aspect of Balance waved his hand and all of the castle and damage outside was repaired.
Aequivalere turned to leave, “I will repair Ponyville and return for the ceremony.”
Martin stopped him, “Where is Lupe?”
Aequivalere shook his head and spoke quietly, “She is beyond my reach…I am sorry.”
Martin nodded, “I understand.”
Aequivalere thought for a moment, “However there is one thing I could do for you.”
Martin looked at the aspect, “What’s that?”
Aequivalere smiled, “Since this is a momentous day in terms of you being knighted I shall grant you one request.”
Martin thought for a second then looked over at his friend, “I want to speak to…someone who knows of fate like Sortitus.”
Aequivalere nodded, “The Author then.”
Martin raised an eyebrow, “Huh?”
Both the Aspect and Martin vanished.
*
Martin stood beside The Aspect of Balance as he stared at the house before both of them. It seemed to be beige in colour and had a black door with a large living room window on the street side of the house along with the side which overlooked an alleyway. It also seemed to have a large lower floor which made up a basement suite. Martin looked at Aequivalere who nodded in assurance as Martin walked across the rain swept street toward the black painted homemade gate. Two stone lions that had been painted black with red eyes stared at the stranger as if saying that he didn’t belong here and was not permitted to enter. Martin thanked god that the cars of the occupants were gone because it would make it difficult to explain why he had arrived.
He was soon at the door and proceeded to knock and then waited for a response. Soon the door opened revealing a guy the same age as Martin; he had shaved dark brown hair and had a slightly youthful looking face. He also had dark brown eyes and wore black rimmed glasses with rectangular lenses and he was wearing black jogging pants with white vertical stripes going down each of the legs along with a light brown T-shirt with a skull on it.
The guy looked at Martin for a second with skepticism, “Yes?”
Martin inhaled, “Are you The Author?”
The guy backed up slightly as Martin noticed his hand tighten on the door frame, “I might be who’s asking?”
Martin managed to smile, “I’m Martin Fairgates and it’s nice to meet you.”
The Author just stared at Martin and laughed, “Yeah right! Listen I don’t know how you found me but I’m warning you now if you don’t leave I’ll call the police.”
Martin sighed, “I had a feeling you wouldn’t believe me, so I brought this…”
Martin handed the key to The Author who shook his head, “Nice replica.”
Martin then rolled up his sleeve to his shoulder to reveal a black scar which caused The Author to jump, “Holy shit”, he poked the scar and felt that it was real and it looked exactly the way he had imagined it, “Come in…I guess”.
Martin and Author then talked for hours about how everything The Author had written down had transpired in actuality.
Soon it was time for Martin to depart but he turned to looked at The Author, “I need to ask a question”
The Author nodded, “Sure what is it?”
Martin sighed, “Will me and AJ turn out-“
The Author stopped him, “Trust me when I say that if you continue the way you’re going now, you’ll both be just fine”
Martin looked at him, “You sure?”
The Author nodded, “Hell I should know, I just finished writing the last chapter of your Endgame”
Martin smiled at him, “Keep up the good work dude”
The Author saluted him as Martin left out the door.
Martin stopped in front of The Aspect of Balance, “Let’s go, I have a ceremony to get to.”
*
Martin kneeled before the princess along with Alan who was beside him along with the six.
Celestia finished her speech, “Therefore, before this royal congregation. I hereby dub thee, Knights of Equestria. May you all live a long and happy life.”
Martin walked to Applejack as he smiled, “I plan on it.”
Applejack smiled as Alan and Rainbow whooped with joy.
Martin looked to the back of the crowd and saw a stone Discord who looked like he was frozen by someone punching him. Beside the statue stood Phobos and Aequivalere, Martin’s eyes widened as he saw something odd. Beside both Aspect’s he saw the ghostly apparitions of Averius, Lupe, a more kind looking Jinx, and Sortitus who all smiled at him. Martin half smiled as The Aspects vanished but left the statue in its place. Martin and Alan looked at each other as the both raised their fists to the air as applause erupted in the room.