"Oh that face...," Star Swirl smiled, reacting to Glare's slack jawed, panicked expression. "I have been waiting for centuries to see that face! And it didn't disappoint."
He looked younger than he did in the Realm Beyond. His hair hadn't grayed, so his mane and beard were a deep black. As he walked up to the rest of the group he made all the suits of armor on each side salute him.
"I figure I've earned that much," he laughed.
Twilight looked at Star Swirl's younger form. "Vanity much?" she hissed in his ear.
"If you could pick the age that you travelled the land of the living in...," Star Swirl began.
"How?" Glare growled. "How did you get here?!
"Oh wow," Star Swirl rolled his eyes. "It's amazing. You managed to go and piss everyone off! Not just me, them, and anypony with a sense of good decency. No. BIG guys. Guys that matter. All I had to do was ask politely and they sent me down here to oversee your personal, customized flank kicking. This will be fun. I think... I think we're going to have fun."
"You?" Glare laughed. "You were the best they could send? Oh Star, if you think that your petty strength added to whatever resistance they could offer is enough to end me, you are quite simply mistaken."
"Oh I don't doubt it," Star smiled. "Which is why I didn't come alone."
CRASH!!
Glare whipped around him to look, with the others, in amazement, to the sight of a mare. This mare had with one quick slam of her hoof, shattered the Golden Mirror of Seraphim Glare.
"I should have done that," said Clover the Clever. "The minute I built it."
Glare's icy laughter filled the throne room once more. "Oh...," he said dryly. "Oh this is rich."
"From the realm beyond, "I have watched you destroy the lives of everypony I have loved or cared about . I've watched you use that mirror to spread the false promise of happiness, and in my own way, I enabled you to do it. I intend to right that. I won't leave this place until you're on the ground!!"
"A shame," Glare sighed. "It truly was your best work... The only work you ever did that was worth a damn. You were his ace in the hole? Your magic can barely withstand his magic, let alone mine... You're my final task. Star Swirl's apprentice. Star Swirl's bitch."
At that Twilight stepped forward ready to forcibly pull Glare's trachea out of his eye socket, but Star Swirl held her back. "Stay clam," Star said, holding back his own rage. "Clover never needed protection from anyone. Every tried I got in trouble..."
"Well," Glare sighed. "Now that we've completed this truly pathetic cast of characters, can we begin?"
"No," came a deep voice from behind him.
Glare whipped around to have a forehoof connect sharply with his jaw, forcing him to collapse to the ground.
"Now we can begin," Sombra smiled.
Everyone laughed at that. Rainbow Dash actually clapped.
"Now!" Glare laughed as he righted himself. "That's more like it! It's good to see you, boy! You might actually make this interesting! It was smart for Them to send you, wasn't it! After all, you we're the only one to defeat me for any real length of time! Tell me, how do you intend to do it this time? What evil little thought's brewed in your mind as you rotted away in whatever pit Tartarus threw you in?!"
"Oh plenty," Sombra smiled. "Tartarus for me was more sad than painful. I had to except that this was my hell now. So I steered into the skid. I gave into the anger. The fantasies I had about killing you were nothing short of visceral. Then I found out I was getting my chance, and more importantly why I was getting it. I realized I wouldn't enjoy hurting you. I've never enjoyed hurting anyone. But with everything I did, I always wanted to do it with a smile on my face. So, I'm going to take a more... lighthearted approach....
"PINKIE!!" Sombra called as he ducked. "FIRE IN THE HOLE!!!"
"You got it, boss!" Pinkie readied the Party Cannon and fired full force into Glare's face.
Sombra lept back to join his successor, and smiled. "You know," said the first Element of Laughter. "I prefer dry wit to the more 'high energy' type of humor, but I must say, Ms. Pie, I like your style!"
"Thank you, kindly!" responded the second.
The rest of the group scattered as Glare let out a low growl. "I'll make sure I take my time with you two...," he said.
"Keep your head," Star Swirl said to Twilight as he dug the tip of his hoof into the ground. "Follow my lead..."
Twilight dug her hoof in too, understanding immediately. "Understood." They both walked in opposite directions dragging their hooves across the floor.
"Discord!" Dash leaped into the arms of the former Element of Loyalty. "Forward pass!"
With a snap of his fingers, Discord was in a helmet and pads. "Yes Coach!" Discord lobbed Rainbow Dash forward like a rocket straight at Glare.
She hit him squarely in the chest, then flew around him a few dozen times taking any shot she could. With a well timed wing, Glare sent Dash flying backwards. This sent her directly into the arms of Discord, still clad in pads and helmet, who was rushing forward for a tackle.
Chaos and Light collided, and Light hit the floor. Soon after, Chais would stop just short of hitting the wall.
"Touchdown!" Dash shouted.
"Does this mean I get to slam you to the end zone?" Discord asked.
"Don't push it!" Dash said quickly.
Glare was about to turn his attention to Discord and Rainbow Dash when a buck to the neck distracted him somewhat.
"Come on, Clover!" said Applejack to her predecessor. "I know you got far more of a reason to buck him than me!"
"Mistress Applejack!" Clover said, seemingly appalled. "I'm shocked that you would think that! I was a handmaiden to Queen Platinum for over nine years! One does not 'buck' in the prescience of monarchy!"
A green aura flew from Clover's horn and caught Glare. It lifted him bodily into the air and slammed him to the ground several times.
"Levitation, on the other hand is another matter entirely," Clover said smugly.
"Have I mentioned that it's a right honor to meet you, miss?" asked AJ as he shook Clovers hand.
Glare righted himself just in time to see Star Swirl and Twilight cross paths in front of him.
"Don't mind us!" said Twilight.
"Just passing through!" said Star Swirl.
"You lit-" Glare was cut off by two white hooves connecting with his jaw one after the other.
"Rarity?" asked Celestia as she rubbed her hoof. "I'm wondering if you know a spell... Have you ever heard of Magical Text?"
A wide grin spread across Rarity's face. "Oh yes, Princess!" Rarity said happily. "I know exactly what spell you need!"
"Perfect!" With that, Celestia leaped on her father's back and covered his eyes with her wings. Glare attempted to thrash her off to no avail. Rarity in the meantime, etched something in the ground with her horn. When the text was written, Celestia forced Glare's head right in front of it and then uncovered his eyes.
I PREPARED EXPLOSIVE RUNES THIS MORNING.
The spell went off with a massive BANG! and Glare was thrown back from the explosion.
"Fabulous!" said Celestia.
"I'm so glad you agree!" said Rarity.
Glare stood up quickly and grabbed the two Elements of Generosity by the throat.
"So much violence," came a soft voice from above them. "It's just not my style."
"I know...," said a softer voice. "I've had to accept the fact that I'm more snuggly then I am tough..."
Fluttershy and Luna rocketed down from the ceiling and connected their elbows harshly with Seraphim Glare's spine.
"Absolutely barbaric," Luna scoffed.
"I agree, Your Majesty," Fluttershy smiled.
And at that moment, Seraphim Glare snapped.
With a stomp of his hoof and a roar of primal rage, there was an explosion of energy that sent the majority of the throne rooms occupants into the walls. He then lifted them up and moved them in a ring around him, as he walked to the center of the throne room.
"I have had enough of this...," Glare seethed. "Enough of all of you. Enough of your evil. Enough of your Darkness. I. Am. Done! So let me tell you how the rest of this is going to commence. I am going to take almost criminal pleasure in killing each and every one of you. When that is done, I am going to use this place as it was intended. I am going to spread my light across Equestria. No darkness will be left. No shadow will fall.
"Who did you all think you're dealing with? I am not a spoiled queen or some power hungry centaur! I am Seraphim Glare! I am the Alicorn King! I am the first and final light! I AM-"
"Finished," came a voice from behind them.
Glare turned around to see Twilight and Star Swirl slam their forehooves together. When they did the briefest flash of a symbol appeared on the floor. Glare was forced to drop the others, and try as he might he couldn't pick them up again.
"What's going on?!" Glare asked frantically. "WHAT HAPPENED?!?!"
"I could explain," Star Swirl said. "But you wouldn't understand. You never did."
"What are you talking about?!" Glare growled.
"You never understood that no matter how bad of a place he gets in sometimes," Pinkie spoke up. "You can't keep a good laugher down!"
"You never understood that loyalty is something you can't destroy," Dash added. "Only redirect!"
"You never understood that kindness isn't weakness," Fluttershy added. "But strength."
"You never understood that a lie can only be temporary," Applejack said. "Even the ones you make to yourself."
"You never understood that Generosity means giving trust," Rarity said. "More than anything else."
"And finally," said Twilight. "You never understood that Magic... Real Magic... Can't be achieved alone. You can't shut yourself off. You can't be blinded by the light! You need others to fully bring it out, otherwise you're never going to receive anything other than failure!"
For one final time, Glare's cold laughter filled the Crystal Palace. "Really?" he said. "I fail to see the evidence of that..."
"That's what we're here to show you," said Star Swirl. "NOW!!!"
And then it happened. All at once.
The symbol that had flashed briefly on the ground became clear as day. During the fight, Twilight and Star had etched a twelve pointed star into the floor of the throne room. It shined brightly with each pony standing on a point with glare right in the center. And then the pulse took hold. The same pulse that had allowed Twilight and her friends to defeat Lord Tirek. The same pulse that would allow them to defeat countless more foes in the future.
The magic of the Elements changed them physically. Their manes grew longer and more colorful. Their eyes brighter, their coats shinier. Looking around, Twilight noticed that it was happening not only to her friends, but to the other six Elements as well.
The magic hit Glare full force.
Crackling like lightning it surged through him. He cried out in rage and pain. He tried to fight through it. Inching closer and closer until his hoof was only a breath away from Twilight's throat, but he was pushed back. The magic kept building, higher and higher until the pressure could no longer contain itself.
Ironically, during the explosion, all Twilight could see was Glare's Silhouette.
And then... Silence.
The light died down, as did the magic. Each pony rose to take a glance at the surroundings. They saw that everypony was alright. They were not as happy to see Glare in the middle of the room. On the floor. Twitching violently.
"Everyone get behind me," Star said quietly. "Trust me, right now you don't want to stand behind him."
They all moved behind Star Swirl, and Star Swirl moved up to Glare. He sat down directly in front of the Alicorn King.
"N-no...," Glare wheezed. "I... I can't let it end like this... I can't let you win.."
"It's too late," Star Swirl said frankly.
"Is it?" Glare let out a hacking laugh. "Banish me where you wish, Mage, but rest assured, this victory of yours is only temporary..."
"No. What I said is 'It's too late,'" Star Swirl clarified. "You're dead, Seraphim..."
"Uhh... No he's not!" Dash said, confused. "He's kinda... still talking."
"No," Twilight said. "He's right." Twilight couldn't explain it, but she could see it. She could tell that Seraphim Glare had died when the Elements had hit him full force. He wasn't simply dying. He was dead. So that left one bothering question that Dash was quite right to bring up.
Seraphim Glare was dead, so how was he still talking?
"Lies...," Glare spat.
"You'll see how much of a lie it is in a minute," Star said softly. "You're Eternal, Glare. Eternals don't die like Mortals do. Your soul doesn't leave your body. Your body doesn't rot away. You're assumed, body and soul. That's how you leave this world. Depending on your actions in life, you can either simply walk out, or be dragged...."
A curious black shadow began to grow behind the corpse of Seraphim Glare. A closer look revealed that it wasn't a mere shadow. It was a pit. And some things began to rise from it.
At first they looked like arms, but a more accurate description would be claws. Claws mad of pure shadow that were rising from the pit, ready to pounce.
"You know, it's funny," Star said slowly, giving a faraway stare at the pit. "When I first heard what Tartarus had in store for you, I thought it was too cruel. Even for you. Looking at it now I realize that, as much as the thought of it makes my skin crawl, this is the way it has to end."
"What are you talking about?!" Glare growled.
"Creatures of Darkness," Star explained. "You killed so many ponies on that pretense. That they were evil. They were villains. They were scum. They were bound for the darkest pits of Tartarus. With so many ponies dead, so many thousands of lives lost.... The law of averages dictates that every once in a while... Every once in a while...
"You'd get it right."
Two of the shadow claws shot out and grabbed Glare by his back legs.
"Every street thug who never got a chance to shed blood," Star continued.
Two more shot out and grabbed his forelegs.
"Every Dark Lord who never got his chance to terrorize a populous," Star went on.
Two more shot out and grabbed Glare's wings.
"Every wife beater who never got the chance to teach her that final lesson..."
One more claw shot out and took a firm grip on Glare's mane.
"They never got their chance at evil," Star said coldly. "Because you were greedy with yours. They have spent there afterlives punished for the darkness of their heart, not the darkness of their deed. But they took it. They took it under one condition.
"That when your time came, they'd get their chance at you."
The claws began to drag Glare slowly towards the pit. Terrified, Glare scrabbled at the ground, hoping to avoid the inevitable. "W-what is this?!" he asked desperately. "WHAT IS THIS?!"
"Your hell, Glare." Star said coldly. "A world of dying light and endless darkness. Your utterly sickening eternal torment."
Several more claws jumped from the pit and began to wrench Glare towards it. Grabbing at his face, neck hooves. Burrowing into his skin. Eager for their chance at vengeance. Not caring what they tore at, or what they tore off.
"You called it 'The Night.'"
And then Seraphim Glare began to scream.
And even as the sound faded as the pit closed, Twilight got the impression that he wouldn't stop screaming for quite some time.