It was only by power of sheer will alone that Matthias didn’t back away any further; instead he gazed at his enemy on the spot.
“Calm yourself.” he thought, unnerved by the sight of his own body: a body that is made out of ice, snow and black crystals. The being that stood right in front of him now with the dreaded blade in his grasp. “He might have assumed your old form, but there’s no way he is as powerful as you were. This cannot be the real Frostmourne.”
“While I’ll commend you that you stopped using illusions or puppets, and appear to be ready to fight yourself, but I must ask: do you actually think that assuming my old look will give you any advantage?” Matthias asked his twisted reflection, as he reached to his heart for Light’s calmness. “Because that’s all you have; the blade you hold is fake, for the original one was shattered by the sword which essence is shared by this.”
As he said those words, the paladin summoned Holy Avenger, and readied himself for battle.
However, it seemed that all of this made King Sombra... laugh.
“Is this really what I've become?” he said in Athas’ voice, as he drove Frostmourne into the ground, and leaning on it nonchalantly. “A small, talking horse, who so pitiably clings to the ways of the Light? What a... disgrace.”
Matthias had his eyes squinted. Sombra not only mimicked his look, but also his attitude and personality. He knew what the unicorn king’s game was: he tried to unnerve him to gain psychological advantage. However, in Sombra’s mistake, he made this ‘Arthas’ share some other things as well.
“Is that jealousy I smell?” the paladin asked innocently in response.
Anger flashed in the sea-green eyes, same as his, even though it disappeared quickly just as how tit appeared.
“I’m surprised that you’d maintain such attitude.” he hissed with cold hatred, despite still smirking at him. “One would think that all the failures in your life would have made you a hollow shell of your former self.”
That remark... hurt, as the words reached deeply into his heart, ones that would have made Matthias lost in thoughts. He shook his head, trying to get his bearings together, and deciding that it would be dangerous for him to continue this discussion.
Not wanting to give his double the chance to speak again, the paladin concentrated the power of Light to emit a dazzling light in all directions, blinding the death knight as he charged at him. Sombra shielded his eyes, but somehow managed to lift Frostmourne, just in time to block the attack. Undaunted, Matthias attempted to slash him then from left, right, and then stab him, all from below, as he was much dwarfed in high by the tall human that he once looked like.
Arthas had quickly recovered from the flash of light and perfectly deflected all the blows before he went on offensive himself. Matthias was pressed back, but was unharmed, as the strikes that were aimed at him were all too known to him. He easily dodged the first two, and then prepared to block the next swing, as he wondered how they would compete in strength.
As the two blades clashed by the next strike, Holy Avenger has hold, along with his foreleg as well. The earth pony smiled, as he realized that he and his reflection shared the same strength, despite size difference. That, and as well as the Light and knowledge of his old fighting moves, gave him a huge advantage.
“You think that because you were me that you’ll win?” Arthas asked as they parted, and after a second, charged again.
Matthias jumped out of the blade’s way, turned around and bucked him right in the chestplate, his hooves glowing with Light.
“No, I know I’ll win because you're not me!” the paladin replied to the thrown away shape.
To Sombra’s credit, he rose quickly, and proceeded to lift Frostmourne to the air. The blizzard once more concentrated onto Matthias, but instead of shielding himself like the last time, he counters it with a wave of Light. As both forces collided, it created chaos between the two fighting foes, from which they had both to turn their eyes away.
Once it was safe to look again, the paladin saw to his horror that the death knight shoved his blade into the ground, as the runes on it glared in a familiar glow.
“It can’ be...” he thought in shock before the reality of the situation brushed off his assumption.
First he heard some cracking noise. Then, a second later, from the frozen ground a hoof has emerged. A hoof that is covered in armor similar to the one he saw back at the fair. Then came another hoof has arisen, and followed by another one after that; followed closely by muzzles, torsos, shapes that bore axes and spears...
In a matter of seconds, an army of undead ponies was in front of him.
“You didn’t think that this so called ‘empire’ was without its guards, right?” Sombra said in mocking voice of Arthas, as Matthias continued to stare at them all. “Granted, they put up even worse fight than that of those pathetic elves...”
The earth pony wasn’t listening anymore. This atrocity brought too many memories: the memory of how he first encountered the Scourge, how he fought against them, followed by what happened in Stratholme, how later on he himself later raised such armies...
With eyes literally burning with Light’s vengeance, Matthias uttered an angry shout, as he charged at them all.
“For the Light!” he cried as he slashed the first one, who became ash as did the Shadows, and was followed closely by two more of the undead.
The paladin cursed in his mind that they would be deprived of such proper burials, but it was better than becoming unwilling slaves to Sombra, as the weapons that they was used against him to harm were those they all swore in life to protect.
He blocked the axe that was aimed at him; and then swirled around to strike the two that tried to flank him. Deflecting the three next attacks proved harder, so he summoned the Guardian of Ancient Kings to give him some space, as it charged at the undead. At Matthias’ plea, the Light took the shape of a giant hammer as it laid waste to the raised ponies... but there was still many left of them. Gnashing his teeth, the paladin lifted Holy Avenger, as he prepared to deliver another barrages of swings.
Matthias could never tell later how many of them were there. He knew that if he were to asked Shining Armor or Cadance; that they would find somewhere in the records of total number of guards that died in the arctic. But the paladin could never bring himself to ask, afraid of having the burden to know how many he had cut, slashed, stabbed, exorcised, consecrated, and burned when he faced their desecrated bodies by the whim of the malevolent and insane unicorn king, all while hearing his own laughter uttered by Sombra. What he could tell is that by the time his double finally decided to join the fray; the snow on the ground around them soon became covered in ashes.
The Light refreshed him as he thought when he concentrated to heal himself, so he was still as strong as at the beginning of the fight, despite what he’s been through. As such, the blows they exchanged were evenly matched. However, Matthias was still outnumbered by the remaining undead guards, and earned himself few more wounds. As the paladin focused on the undead forces; the Light’s spirit disappeared in one swift slash of the devastating Frostmourne by his double.
Feeling that enough was enough, he opened himself to the Light, becoming a living beacon of it to the eyes of anypony that could see him now, and the sun of retribution to those around him. Those of the remaining undead ponies that stood closest to him became ashes, while the death knight and the others stumbled back, becoming dazed.
“This end here!” Matthias cried as he jumped at Sombra. “For the Light’s justice!”
His powerful attack has forced Arthas to his knees; as he barely managed to block Holy Avenger. Yet somehow, as Matthias put even more strength into it and pushed the death knight’s blade closer to his face, he realized that his old face was looking at him not with fear as he expected, but with amusement.
“To think you would utter the same words Uther said before you killed him...”
As he heard those words, Matthias felt his breath leave him as he realized they were true.
“Uther...”
His blade began to quiver in his hooves as the paladin recalled how he killed the same man that mentored him, the greatest champion of Light, his father’s friend and almost part of family. Matthias recalled the very last words he spoke to him while alive, before he delivered the final blow:
I dearly hope that there’s a special place in hell waiting for you, Arthas.
His thoughts were interrupted, as two spears that were shoved threw his back by the remaining undead ponies brought him back to his senses, but it was too late. Arthas' double seized the opportunity, with him pushing Holy Avenger away, and then slamming his fist into the earth pony’s stomach. Matthias went sprawling as his blade flied from his grip, agony shooting through him as he struggled to breathe, struggled to rise.
I didn’t want to believe it.
“You are weak.” Arthas told him, as he approached Matthias that was lying on the snow and ash.
When you were younger and selfish, I called it a child’s failing.
The paladin tried to shake the distracting and painful memory away, but he couldn’t. Nor could he stand up perfectly. The resolve he had few moments ago had been shattered, and the strength Light gave him disappeared. He was weak.
When you pushed on stubbornly, I dismissed it as a youth’s need to move out from under his father’s shadow.
He spat blood as Arthas stomped on his chest heavily with the armored boot.
And Stratholme—aye, Light forgive me, even that—I prayed you would find your own path to see the error of your judgment. I could not stand against my liege’s son.
He felt like scum, and the thoughts of killing himself has resurfaced into his mind once more, which is causing him his will to fight.
“You and all those ‘ponies’ are pitiful.” the death knight snarled, as he lifted Frostmourne into the air with both hands, preparing to shove it into Matthias’ throat. “They will be hardly worthy of being raised in death, but I will need and army...”
Matthias eyes snapped as he heard those words. The images of crystal ponies, of his friends, of Twilight, stood before him as he imagined them being killed by the imposter...
“Goodbye.” Arthas said almost gently as Frostmourne descended.
By safeguarding those around him, a paladin aids in his own defense.
The paladin lifted his foreleg.
Arthas looked down in astonishment as the runeblade he held was stopped few inches above his victim; by a glow with light from the Holy Avenger that blocked it. But it wasn’t the only thing that glowed. Matthias whole body once again shone like the sun. His wounds healed, and the last of the undead shared the fate of others he already brought down, giving the bodies of the fallen ponies peace.
“I have committed many sins, for which I will have to atone,” the earth pony said in voice that was neither weak or scared, nor resigned and broken or angry and harsh. “But I will not allow myself to die and leave my friends at your mercy!”
With the strength given him by the Light, Matthias pushed Frostmourne away, and then swiftly cut the leg on his chest. The screams of pain that Sombra uttered would probably scare any living being that would have been unfortunate enough to find its way anywhere close to the site of their battle.
As Arthas fell, the paladin that he once was has whirled around and brought the blade down. The death knight tried to block it, but the Frostmourne’s replica shattered, and Holy Avenger bit into his chest.
Immediately cracks appeared around the wound, and as the sculpture began to crumble, soon Sombra started pouring from them. For the moment, however, Matthias paid no attention to his real enemy as he stared into his own mirrored eyes.
“Stay where you belong;” he told his old self, while the cracks reached his face. “in my memories.”
The death knight smirked; as if he knew something the other did not.
“I will... never be… a memory.” Arthas whispered.
And with that, he was no more. The sculpture completely shattered and the remains were added to the ashes and snow surrounding them.
“He was right.” Matthias thought darkly as he glanced back at the one who cast this spell that gave ‘life’ to his past, a voice to his memory. “I will never be free of what I did.”
But that was altogether a different battle, for another day. Right now; the paladin would finish the one he partook today.
“I grow weary of these distractions.” he told Sombra, glaring at the smoke-unicorn that hovered above the ground. “Are you finally ready to fight me head on?”
In reply, King Sombra growled furiously as his horn glowed. Matthias quickly broke his concentration by using Light to silence him; knowing how dangerous his magic could be. The paladin then moved away from the field of ashes and led the angry cloud of smoke away with him.
The guards that once defended the empire might not have a proper burial now; but Matthias wanted at least what remained of them to be treated with some reverence. He was sure that once he mentioned about this to Princess Cadance and Shining Armor, they would see to that, forgetting the fear of how many he slain for the sake of paying final respects.
Matthias stopped galloping as soon as he was satisfied with the distance and saw that the fallen king that was chasing him. Sombra growled angrily: as he summoned the blizzards again to strike at the paladin. In reply, Matthias moved out of the way and hurled a hammer made out of Light at him, causing Sombra to yowl in pain.
“Is this all?” the paladin asked teasingly, knowing that control was the key to using magic.
“You... impudent... insect!” the fallen unicorn shouted, his rage alone caused the grounds to shake violently. “You bug! Lower life-form! Die!”
Huge pillar of black crystals emerges from the ground, one by one, each one attempting to hit the constantly moving earth pony. Matthias jumped from place to place and finally, used one those pillars as hoofhold to launch himself at Sombra, with Holy Avenger in his grasp.
While Sombra’s ‘face’ moved out of the way as Matthias cut into his cloud which, as painful as the scream that followed indicated, didn’t seem to have any effect on the former unicorn. A bit agitated by that, the paladin prayed to the Light as he landed back on the ground, as he tried performing exorcism on Sombra.
The screech he heard as he did that was unbelievable. It was only by the sheer willpower that Matthias didn’t attempt to cover his ears, and continued, believing that-
He stopped and moved out of harm’s way as five crystal shards raised to the sky; which then changed course and flew to his location. Cursing, the earth pony deflected them with few swift slashes of his blade and then once again jumped away as Sombra lunged at him, similar to what he did when facing Shining Armor.
“I’m surprised that it took both Celestia and Luna to defeat you previous time.” Matthias shouted, still taunting at him. “Did the fact that I won against my own nightmare had crushed your resolve to fight me?”
Sombra angrily fired a magical beam at him, much weaker and much faster, but still slow enough for Matthias to easily dodge. He jumped at the crystal pillar, waiting for the opportunity to exorcise him, when...
An incredible pain, not a physical one, but an emotional shoot through his heart. It is so piercing in fact, that he actually had to stumble back.
“What the-” he thought, trying to understand why he felt as if something terrible has happened.
I... you didn't say anything about no longer being your student if I failed!
“Twilight?!” Matthias thought, recognizing her voice he heard somehow, but couldn’t pinpoint the source of the whisper.
Didn't I?
“Now it’s Celestia...” the paladin thought, as he barely dodged another of Sombra’s attacks, noticing with some part of his mind that Celestia’s voice sounded strangely cold. “What is going on here? Is it another nightmare?”
But... what do I do now!?
“No.” he finally realized, as he heard Twilight’s pain-filled cry. “This isn’t a nightmare... or rather, this is not my nightmare, its Twilight’s.”
If he had time, he would wonder how was it possible for him to hear her, or how in the hay did she managed to get herself into Sombra’s illusion. However, he did not, and instead focused on quickly solving the issue. Matthias pushed the dark unicorn with a wave of Light, as he prayed to the Light for protection, and sat down concentrating.
He searches with his mind for Twilight, hoping that he would be able to somehow help her. Hearing her to be in such a distress, no matter if it was just an illusion, was tearing him apart. He would do anything to save her; even if it cost him precious seconds that could end his life while fighting such powerful opponent.
To his slight concern, it proved quite easy to reach out to her. Determined to not dwell on it why they were connected by such strong bond, Matthias entered her mind, and what he saw disturbed him. Twilight was lying on the floor within the Canterlot’s royal castle, crying. In front of her was a stained glass like the one he saw some time earlier, where it depicts important moments in history of Equestria, like his friends cleansing Princess Luna of Nightmare Moon. This one, however, seemed to show King Sombra, who was about to devour Twilight and what Matthias assumed was Crystal Heart.
Anger burned within paladin’s own heart, but he pushed it away as he willed his own consciousness closer to Twilight’s.
“Twilight?” he asked, but it didn’t seem to have effect as she continued to cry to her hooves. “Twilight, this is a nightmare, you have to wake up.” there was still no sign that she hear him, so Matthias leaned closer to her and brushed her cheek with his muzzle. “Wake up… please.”
She finally snapped, which caused Sombra’s spell to fail, as Matthias quickly pulled his mind back to his body before Twilight would notice what happened. It wouldn’t do any good if she knew about this connection.
Back in his body, Matthias opened his eyes... to see that his barrier fading, and an angry unicorn lunging at him in his smoke form from all sides.
“Twilight? Twilight! Twiliiiight!” she heard Spike shout her name as he came closer, but didn’t react, trying to figure what just happened and why was she in Canterlot a moment ago...
... all while brushing her cheek for some reason.
“That was close.” Matthias commented, looking down on King Sombra.
He had no time to try praying for protection again, nor did he have a way to escape his opponent last attack, as he surrounded him from all sides...
... besides the above, that is.
The paladin regarded at the angry unicorn showed no signs of fear when he assumed his alicorn form, with Light emanated from every part of his body and armor. He slowly spread his wings, not feeling any effort from it, but feeling something else... from Sombra.
His transformation must have enhanced his senses as well; to be able to notice that under the cover of darkness where the dark unicorn is. And the knowledge of what it meant made Matthias’ next action that much heavier. But nonetheless, he did it, knowing that there was nothing he could do about it.
He proceeded to finish this once and for all.
Remembering too well that he couldn’t stay in this form forever, paladin pointed at the shadowy form of Sombra both of his forehooves. Three hammers, made out of Light as he was at the present, and appeared around them, before they were hurled down, all three around the fallen unicorn, forming a triangle. At once, arching lines of Light came out of them and connected to each other, trapping Sombra inside of them.
“Know that I am sorry for the necessity of this.” Matthias told Sombra, while he looked around for an escape route, he pulled his right foreleg back and have Holy Avenger within the grasp of his hoof. “Goodbye.”
With great strength, he threw his blade down, right in the middle of the triangle.
“Now don't y'all worry your pretty little crystal heads!” Applejack said as she and the rest stood on the royal balcony above the sea of crystal ponies that, in the contrary to what she said, were quite worried. While behind Shining Armor was hugging Princess Cadance who somehow still supporting her spell, despite her clear exhaustion. “The real Crystal Heart will be here any second!”
“I don't know if they believe you...” Rarity, who stood next to her near the balcony edge, told her in hushed tone.
“No buck!” crossed Applejack’s mind.
“Don't know if Ah believe me...” she whispered politely instead, mindful of manners.
They both heard ponies gasp behind them suddenly and once they turned their head, they witnessed to their terror as Cadance’s horn stopped glowing, and she herself passed out.
“Oh no...” somepony whispered as they looked around the barrier that protected them from an evil unicorn king disappeared, revealing yellow skies instead of blue.
However, what got their attention immediately was a huge pillar of Light, looking as if somepony dropped the sun in that spot.
“Matt?!” everypony asked, surprised.
Matthias staggered a bit as he returned to his real form and landed on the ground, feeling tired but satisfied. He ended the threat to the empire just before Cadance spell broke again, and even if he regretted that-
Sombra’s hatred was approaching rapidly from below.
“That cunning bastard!” Matthias commented as he moved away, realizing what happened. “He must have slipped deep underground before Holy Avenger struck him!”
Indeed it had for within seconds, the smoke-shadow that was once a unicorn reappeared with pure hatred in his gaze as he locked his eyes with Matthias’, only to immediately switch them to now unprotected empire. The paladin watched in fear as his horn began to glow again, gathering swirling magical energy for one powerful strike.
“He’s aiming for the castle!” he realized in shock, but then understood at once why he tried to destroy his old seat of power as Sombra glanced at him.
He was waiting for him, knowing what paladin would do next.
Cursing, Matthias clad himself in Light’s protection as he jumped at the same moment that King Sombra fired, intercepting the attack.
Twilight sighed as she and Spike began climbing the absurdly long staircase, all while being surrounded by white walls that separated the inner spire from the rest of the crystal castle.
“You know, Matt might have had a good idea about elevators-” she started jokingly right before the whole castle shook violently, and they both heard a loud blast in the distance.
“What the hay was that!?” Twilight and Spike asked at the same time.
“What the hay was that!?”
Applejack, like everypony else, was gazing at the place where not so long ago there was a pillar of Light. Only to be replaced by the wall of shadow a few second later and now where a huge explosion was taking place.
Everypony grabbed something as the very castle shook, despite the distance, even if it was just for few moments. Sighing with relief, Applejack let go of the railing, and looked around the empire to see if everypony was okay...
And saw, to her shock, a small figure was approaching in the sky at rapid speed towards the castle. Eventually it hit the ground and rolled around at a the same pace until it started to slow down, and as such it stopped few meters ahead from the crowd of crystal ponies, who also looked at the figure in fear.
Just then it finally registered in Applejack’s mind who that figure is.
“Matt!” she shouted, scared for her friend, and was soon joined by others by the railing.
“Well, the Light was able to minimize the damage... somewhat.” Matthias thought as he stood up with great effort.
His body was sore all over, he was certain about half of his bones were broken or at least fractured and there were a few places where his skin was grazed, due to hitting the crystal road few times. That the explosion threw him all the way to the center of the empire spoke something about the strength of Sombra’s magic.
Matthias shook his head delicately, trying to get his bearings, when suddenly he felt Sombra approaching again.
And this time, he moved much faster than he should.
Matthias looked up, searching for the giant smoke in the sky, but instead saw a shadow on the ground, moving with an outstanding speed, that covered the distance between them and the next thing paladin knew, the shadow was under him.
“Oh no...” he thought as he glanced down, before he tried to jump away.
Four crystal spikes pierced his body, and lifted him up towards the sky.