//------------------------------// // Non-Canon Act: Wraith // Story: Fade Away // by JoeBobWhitney //------------------------------// Alright, this chapter is a alternate ending to Act IV when Cole was fighting the hypnosis Discord placed on him. So, now, for this ending, he gives in and helps Discord in his conquest. Hope you guys enjoy the second to last chapter I'll be posting. This world didn't accept me just like Earth. They should join the fray as well. After all, no-one would accept a Conduit. We're abominations, creations of mankind. Hate, greed and sin. But, that is not without reason, of course. Emotions are just... things our mind create to make us "human". I'm NOT human. Cole began grinding his teeth in utter anger as he flew right above the old, battered remains of Ponyville. Cole charged downwards with a Thunder Drop, unleashing waves of vermillion electricity that scattered. "Zeke. Elements of Harmony. You both are up? Surprising. I'll put you all back down." He spoke, cracking his neck. Cole's voice was cold. Utter venom oozed from his words. He - was no longer the Cole they knew, he - was a puppet like many before him. "Is this really how you're gonna do this, Cole? You're given a second chance and this is your choice? I gotta say, brother, I'm a little disappointed." Zeke reloaded his magnum and aimed at Cole while the Elements assembled formally, putting on their necklaces. Twilight finished by lowering the golden tiara upon her head, eyes closed. "Cole, give up now or we'll kick your butt." Rainbow cautioned. Cole began snickering, then chuckling, finally full blown laughing like a maniac. Moments later, his cackling stopped as he looked skywards, staring at the orange-blue sky as smoke bellowed. "You really think you can defeat me? Oh, how WRONG you are." Cole cracked his knuckles, allowing the bones to adjust. Cole turned away from the Elements dramatically, letting soft wind blow against them. "I hope you're ready for hell." Cole faced them, once more. Red electricity surged through his arms, bathing them in a vermillion glow as the lightning around them sparked and crackled. "Last chance, Cole." He just stared at Twilight. "Five... four... three... two... one. Go." The Elements began to glow intensely as they floated upwards, allowing the multi-colored magic to flow freely. Twilight closed her eyes, allowing the magic to flow through her, then she opened them. Her eyes were blinding, shielded by a white light. A bellowing rainbow came from behind them, going upwards then racing downwards. "Fatal Mistake." Cole moved instantly, letting the magic hit the ground. Sliding away, he paralyzed Zeke while shocking the Elements, knocking them out of their state of power. They each fell to the ground. Rainbow was the first to recover and raced at Cole but was stopped as Applejack bit her tail, stopping her. "What do y'all think yer doing?" She whispered to her friend as she puller her back. "I'm going to get 'em!" Rainbow exclaimed. "Ya can't jus' go in like that, he'll destroy ya." She exclaimed quietly. "Fine." Rainbow turned her head and walked over to her friends. "I ttold you." Cole crossed his arms, mocking the Elements. "The fools behind me, who were stupid enough to stand still, took the blast while I moved. And by my research, using the Elements of Harmony drain your energy. Now, let's see if that's true." Cole blasted them with a Nightmare Blast, blinding them with ash and dust. Charging a current of lightning, he blasted them with a Hellfire Rocket, blowing them away, including Zeke. "Weaklings! Bring me a real-... F-" Rainbow thrust her hoof as strong as she could at him, punching in the gut, knocking the wind out of the Conduit and blowing him away as well. "-uck." He clutched his chest in pain, trying to regain his air. She wasn't having any of that shit. She charged at him but this time he was expected it and hit her with a Detonation Blast, blowing her up. Cole took this time to run up to her and smack her in the side with his Amp, cracking a few bones before knocking her away faster. She rammed into a tree, splitting in almost two. "Ow." The pegasus muttered. "That's it!" Everyone heard the voice of Fluttershy as she hovered over to Cole, visibly angry. "First, you side with Discord then you hurt my friends? This ends now!" The dreaded "Stare". A force only the butter yellow pegasus could use. She could make animals and poniees bend at her will with this ability. Effectively, Cole stared back. As the two forces met gazes, Fluttershy stared into the hell that was Cole. Within seconds, she whimpered and fell to the ground, cowering. Cole just chuckled and ignored her, wasn't worth his time. "Who will be your shepherd now, Twilight? Who? " Cole laughed. "If ya got one, I hope he or she can take me!" "I don't think they HAVE a shepherd, my dear friend, Cole." They heard the malicious but silvery voice of Discord appear in everyone's ears as he teleported her dramatically. "You have no savior, no guardian, no shepherd, nothing. Give. Up." Discord persisted as the Elements began to walk away, forming a group. "Oh yes, run, my little ponies. That'll save you." He cackled. "Let's end this-" Cole tapped into his Ionic Core and grasped the power, letting it flow to his arms. The Ionic Core had cast a sickly purple and burnt-orange glow around his arms, bathing it in Ionic energy. "-now." He thrust his arms forward, unleashing a familiar gorgeous red and jet black mist-like energy upon them. "Farewell, 'friends'." The energy burst as the life-force was drained from the Mane Six, unto Cole, mercilessly. " Aha! This is true power!" Cole began feeling the stinging sensation of the friendship, flowing along his arms like chains. " Wait. No! " The lines of magic clamped down on his arms, sticking into the ground. He dropped to his knees in utter pain. "You... bitches. Discord, go!" The god took the advice and left, fast. A blinding wave of rainbow hit Cole, burning away at him as he howled in pain. "FUUUUUUCK!" He roared as the friendship tore at him, trying to purge him of the evil inside his soul. As he stared forward, the Mane Six stood there, with faces varying with emotions. Contempt and sadness was the strongest. "YOU CAN'T GET RID OF ME!" He yelled over the energy, currently blasting away at his body. They simply watched with sadness in their stares. "This is your own oblivion!" He began to surge millions of volts to counter-act the friendship which then began to eat away at it like sulfuric acid. Cole slowly but wearily stood up, face contorted and twisted in pure anger. He finally ripped free from the chains of friendship, allowing himself freedom. "D-don't do this, C-cole." Twilight stammered, backing away like the rest from the pissed off Cole. "I'll do whatever the fuck I want. Only rarely do I get to do this. You were hanging yourself, I was just providing the ROPE!" He had thrust at them with the built up current of electricity, blasting and injuring them as they smacked into things. Trees, rocks, left-over houses, ect. "Die." Cole jumped at them, whacking them with the Amp and blasted the life out of them with more lightning. Bolt after bolt sent their heart into overdrive, pumping faster than it should. "Die. DIE. DIE. DIE!" One final smack upon Twilight after her friends sent her into a wall of a building. She groaned and tried to move, but her body refused. Cole walked towards her, cracking his neck. "Now, here we are, Twilight. The end." Cole smirked as he charge his Amp. He raised his above his head and Twilight closed her eyes and waited for the inevitable. She opened her eyes as she heard a loud noise and a quick pained grunt from Cole. Zeke stood there, holding his Magnum. Sparks of lightning were surrounding an area of Cole's back, aiming to heal it. Twilight looked over and saw the Amp was lodged into the ground, waiting. "This time, we're gonna finish this." Zeke put on a pair of kitchen-grade rubber gloves and held a Royal Guard shield in his other arm. "Fair and square." Zeke fired again, with Cole firing a quick bolt of lightning at the bullet, causing it to explode. As the smoke blocked Cole's vision, Zeke ran up to him and bashed him with the Shield, staggering Cole. Zeke then picked up a nearby block of wood and whacked Cole with it. He jumped back and fired a Hellfire Rocket at him. Zeke bent down and covered himself with the Shield. It took the attack well, minus the electricity being conducted to it. "Give up, Jedediah! You won't win this!" "We'll see about that." Zeke ran at him, holding the Shield out. Cole charged a Blast, holding the attack in his palms. Zeke got close and strafed out of the way as Cole used the Blast, allowing Zeke a free hit. Zeke punched the Conduit straight in the chest, knocking the wind out of Cole's lungs again. Cole staggered backwards and Zeke punched him in the head, knocking him to the ground. Zeke then stomped on his chest, cracking a few of Cole's ribs and hopped away from the Conduit. "You... fat fuck!" Cole threw another Hellfire Rocket at Zeke but again, dodged the attack. Cole stood back up and charged at Zeke, unlike previous. Zeke blocked with the shield, it took the force of the kick that Cole delivered and Zeke sent it back and rammed Cole with the Shield, knocking him away. "THAT'S IT! I END THIS NOW!" Cole tapped into his Ion Core and unleashed a Ionic Storm, releasing a pure strike of lightning from above. "DIE!" Zeke was not fast enough to dodge the attack and was hit the the strength of a pure lightning strike, leaving him on the ground, near his inevitable demise. "Now, what was I doing before. Oh yeah! Where are you, Twi-" Cole choked on his words as he felt two prongs enter his chest from behind. "S-shit." He coughed. "I-I'm sorry, Cole." He dropped to his knees as Twilight shoved Cole's Amp deeper inside his own chest. Her eyes were beginning to tear up as he gritted his teeth in pain. "O-once you kill m-me, you'll still have to deal w-with Dis-" Cole dropped to the ground, breathing stopped "-cord." "Twilight?" Rarity gasped as she finally awoke. She rushed over to comfort her as Twilight stared at her "friend's" body. "It's okay, dear. It's over." She cooed. As the rest of her friends awoke, they mourned over their loss. Zeke was the last and the worst injured, but still got up and stood by his friend's body. Dear Princess Celestia... It has been exactly four years since the tragic event of Cole turning against Equestria. To this day, I have nightmares about him and that fateful day. Zeke has since found a way back home and has returned every so often after they found a way to travel between our worlds. Cole was buried back on his planet, far from ours. But, even after what Cole did, we still forgive Cole. After all, Discord was the one who made him do what he did, not himself. Wherever Cole is now... I hope that he is in a better place. Your Faithful Student, Twilight Sparkle.