//------------------------------//
// Atar's Decision 
// Story: Sweetie Belle and the School of Shadows 
// by Blackdrag-rose 
//------------------------------//

	Sweetie watched the evil demon mare lift the ancient weapon and point up at Celestia. The meaning behind the gesture was clear to Sweetie and it should have been clear to anypony who had seen it. Thrack was still out to kill Celestia and with the ancient weapon in her hands she could do much more damage to the Goddess and her army. And just as Sweetie Belle was about to run off the edge of the ship so she could fight Thrack a voice that she wasn't expecting spoke up.

"THRACK."

The demon mare moved the blade to defend herself as a red coated unicorn brought a lance down on her as he landed beside her. Sparks flew as the two weapons meet, but neither pony took their eyes off the other.

"I wasn't expecting you to return Atar," Thrack said, smiling as she realized they could finish their fight at long last, "Did you come to finish our fight? Or did you come to get killed by me?"

"I came to finish our fight," Atar replied, his magic already building, "but more importantly I came to end the threat that you pose to every living pony in Equestria."

"I'm getting sick of hearing every single pony mention Equestria," Thrack spat, forcing Atar into the air, "First Celestia was concerned for the safety of those who are no more innocent than her or her fallen sister. Luna cared not for the citizens and cared only for destroying her sister, but when I came around she was bent on protecting the fallen land. I could care less about Cadence and her filthy love issues.

I stood with the Shadows so I could tear down the fallen land that was quickly descending into madness with war after war destroying its army. I watched a thousand years pass before I could open the gateway to the shadows using the Elements of Harmony. I was stopped, twice by the same meddling six mares as before, but now my army has awakened and we will destroy all of you."

Atar rushed Thrack and beat the ancient weapon out of her clawed limb, but it quickly returned with a quick burst of her magic. He frowned and spun his trusted weapon around, slamming the top on the edge of the dreaded sword. Still Thrack refused to budge, but that was to be expected of the most evil mare that walked the face of Equestria.

"And what about you Atar?" Thrack asked, staring into the stallion's eyes, "You served Darkstar after Celestia banished you to the Shadow Realm. You, the second most loyal pony in her entire army, laid broken and defeated on the stones of Shadowlot and would have stayed that way if not for her. I expected you to rejoin your master when she was resurrected, but now I see that you will switch masters only when it is necessary. I bet you'll switch to my side once I destroy Celestia and the rest of the living."

"You're wrong Thrack," Atar stated, forcing Thrack back before rushing to meet her again, "Darkstar gave me the chance to serve again and she was defeated by Reginald. Now I serve Celestia, who has seen fit to allow me some time in the Light every now and then. I now defend two worlds from threats from other worlds and threats like you and your undead army."

Thrack broke the connection and swung her weapon, missing as Atar turned to dust. She spun around, her eyes looking in every which way to find the stallion before he managed to hit her. The dust swerved to her right and she followed it, slamming the edge of her weapon into the mass of dust to dispel it. To her surprise the dust swarmed around her and she swung Frostmourne around wildly, breaking whatever mass of dust she could find.

While her back was turned Thrack failed to notice a mass of dust gathering and reforming the form of Atar, whose face wore no expression. With the lance ready he swung and carved a nasty diagonal cut onto Thrack's back, causing her to stumble forwards. She let go of the handle and Frostmourne left her clawed limb, hitting the ground with a light thud, before she fell forward and hit the ground hard.

In that one instant everypony, living and undead, stopped fighting as Thrack hit the ground. The undead were surprised that their master was done in, but since they were still there that meant she wasn't dead yet. After two or three minutes of silence the fighting resumed, magic hitting magic yet again.

"Sorry Thrack," Atar said, approaching the fallen mare with his lance ready to finish the deed, "I know this isn't how you imagined going out if you lost the war, but I cannot allow you to destroy more than what you already have. At last you went out with a bang."

"I couldn't agree more."

Atar barely had time to register that somepony had spoken before he was blasted into a tree at point blank range. He hit the ground and his lance rolled away from him. Some of his ribs were broken and it reminded him of when he and Reginald fought the last time. Reginald had broken him and now it was happening all over again, but this time it was Thrack that was breaking him.

Thrack stood up as her magic healed the cut on her back, leaving a rather nasty scar that she could carry for the rest of her life. She picked up Frostmourne and approached the chest that she had brought up with her, the magical lock now laying broken before her. She barely turned around as Celestia and her fellow alicorns landed next to Atar.

"Your too late Celestia," Thrack said, turning around as six orbs appeared around her, "With the power I currently wield and the powers of Frostmourne, the Lich King's armor, and these six orbs I will erase you and the rest of the alicorn's from the face of the world. Then I will raze the rest of Equestria until only the dead are left."

"To bad for you then," Celestia replied, a smirk appearing on her face, "With the Element of Harmony me and my sister will put an end to you and the army you have risen."

"Sorry Celestia, but the Elements are no longer yours." Thrack laughed at the surprised alicorn mare, who now seemed to realize exactly what the six orbs were. "While your precious ponies were fighting their Shadows I managed to swipe the forgotten Elements and store them with the rest of my items. You shall be the first to feel the unbound power of the Elements, Celestia."

The Elements vanished and their energy entered Thrack, who pointed directly at the white mare as red energy began to gather around her. An orb began to form as the group tried to get into the air, but they soon realized that Celestia was somehow frozen where she was standing. Atar groaned and jumped towards Celestia, pushing her out of the way as the orb released a beam of energy that headed straight towards them. Just before the beam hit him a circular gateway appeared out of nowhere, absorbing the attack in seconds.

"Impossible," Thrack said, "Nothing could have absorbed that attack without being destroyed in the process."

"It is quite possible," said a voice as Reginald appeared from behind the gateway, "It put it in the most simple of terms this is a gateway to Tartarus. Or the Underworld if you prefer. Today we put an end to you, Thrack, and the crimes against the natural order that you committed with not go unpunished.

Atar, do you think you have the power to summon the chains while I stabilize the gateway?"

"Remember who your talking to Reginald," Atar replied, his lance appearing next to him, "Of course I can summon the chains. Let us finish her off."

That never happened. Before Atar could do anything the gateway was gone, with Reginald taking a deep breath. Atar sighed and backed up, approaching the Princesses and their Shadows. He kept his eyes on Thrack, who seemed to be floating there, her eyes closed as a barrier seemed to surround her. Atar took that chance to approach Celestia, who still held his full power somewhere.

"Celestia," he said, "I need my full power. It could potentially destroy Thrack and her army in an instant."

"Just do what must be done Atar," Celestia said, "Slay her and end this terrible war."

The power hit him like a ton of bricks, forcing him back just a bit as he accepted what he had once been. Where she had been keeping it he didn't know, but now he could do something better. With magic swirling around him he touched the stands of magic in the air with his horn and drew out the one strand he needed most. Midnight seemed to know exactly what he was planning, but he didn't raise a hoof to stop him.

The sky darkened and the air rippled as a form appeared behind Thrack, quickly building into the form of an ancient alicorn of terrible power. Lightning flashed as the barrier that was protecting Thrack seemed to break apart piece by piece. The evil mare opened her eyes long enough to witnessed the flash of dark flames as her body was slowly consumed. Her limbs belted and her skin burst into flames as she witnessed Princess Darkstar, the terrible Dark Princess of the Shadow Equestria, emerge from the flames in all her dark glory. That was the last thing Thrack saw as she was consumed body and soul, her army dying along with her.

"Yeah," Atar triumphantly shouted, "Exactly like I planned."

Darkstar rolled her eyes and sighed. As much as she was glad to be alive again she was going to have to get used to some changes. And none of them looked like they were going to last long regardless.