So, there I was, imprisoned, for lack of a better term, in a giant dome, with only the mirror version of the Traveler in there with me, both of us ready to fight. My Vanity had a full clip, my supers were charged, and my sword, the one with Sacrifice as its crystal, ready. "Do you really think you can defeat me?" the Traveler, still looking like the Speaker, said in the same voice.
"Honestly," I said, "yeah, I do. I mean, yeah, you control basically all the Light in this universe, but I don't just use Light, nor do I entirely use Darkness. I use both in equal measure. After all, if you want harmony, you need good and bad, Light and Darkness. I wouldn't be a good Element bearer if I didn't understand that concept, now would I?"
"You are an Element of Harmony?" Traveler asked.
"More accurately, four," I said. "Kindness, Generosity, Loyalty, and the aforementioned Sacrifice. Though, only the last when I am as I am now, which is fused. The other three, I can use when ever, though. In short, I'm kinda OP."
Traveler shook his head. "It doesn't matter," he said before generating an orb of light. "You will fall all the same." The orb then turned purple. Void purple. He then threw it at me as if he was throwing a Nova bomb, which he was. As I jumped out of the way, a Void explosion came from where we were standing a few seconds before. Looks like he may have each super. This is going to be fun.
"Nolandroid, music."
Right.
I got up and fired off the entire clip of the Vanity, but the Traveler simply used his hands to block them by placing his hand in front of him, which essentially meant I did nothing. Looks like this is going to be like Raiden vs Armstrong. Fun.
I spun my sword in my hand, then charged the Traveler, sword edge just above the ground. Just before I reached him, I dropped and slid, slicing as I did so, before using my left hand to flip to a standing position, where i spun around and attempted to slice the white robed being, but he spun around quickly, and knocked my sword out of my hand with his left arm, and grabbing my throat with his right. "You think a simple sword will be able to defeat me?"
"No," I said as a weapon transmatted into my hand, which I pointed to his gut. "Just needed to get close." Bang. I pulled the trigger on my Invective, causing a faint shimmer to appear around the Traveler and make him stagger back, which had me drop to the ground, and summon another sword, this one being Raze Lighter. I got up, and did the sword spin again.
"Impossible," he said as he got up, a burn mark on his robes. "No body can break my shield."
"Then come here and meet nobody, asshole!" I yelled, spreading my arms.
"Very well, then." With that, there was a small flash, and, where the Speaker once stood, there was now a warrior clad in white armor reminiscent of the Trials of Osiris armor, which is to say Egyptian mythology. "Prepare to meet your doom as your other self did." With that, he himself charged, solar light around his fists, and proceeded to try and knock my lights out, but I deflected them with my sword, angling them away towards the ground, the sky, or to the side. After three seconds of that, it was extremely fast, and i did nearly get hit due to his speed, I was able to retaliate, and begin slicing at his armor and creating gashes in the armor that healed themselves. After I delivered a particularly bad gash across his chest and went into slice off his right arm, he grabbed the blade with that hand, and broke the blade before he grabbed my arm, and punched me in the face with enough force to send me to the side of the dome, and keep in mind that we were in the middle of the arena.
I hit the edge of the dome with enough force to snap my had back. I fell to the ground, where I landed in a kneeling position. I opened my eyes, and saw that my visor was cracked. "Tara, remove my helmet," I said as I stood up.
"But Josh-"
"Do it!"
There was no reply, but my helmet vanished, and I put the hood of the cloak back as Dinkle transmatted Bolt Caster into my hands.
"This is what bested my disgrace of a daughter?!" he asked, shocked. "A deformed Earth pony?"
"No, dipshit," I said. "I'm what's called a human. And this human is going to kick your ass."
"Unlikely," the Traveler said before he brought his fist up into the air, and brought it down, sending Solar light into the ground, resulting in pseudo-magma exploding from the ground. Fortunately, I was in a safe spot between the spouts. Unfortunately, he charged at me, his right fist enveloped in Solar light.
Just before his punch landed, I raised my sword to block it, putting my left hand on the back of the blade a few inches above the hilt. I fought his push, but he was able to send the blade flying. I looked, and saw it embed itself in the dome. Fuck. I looked back at him, and saw him throwing another punch, which I caught by his elbow with my elbow and, using my enhanced Titan strength, proceeded to smash his ribs with punches of my own before pushing his arm aside with the one that caught it, and then delivering an arm strike to his face, sending him reeling. He staggered back a little, shook his head, and gathered Solar light around his right fist before trying one last punch, with me doing the same, though with Arc light. I was just barely able to move my head out of the way as our arms slid past one another, avoiding his punch, as he took mine face first, and was sent flying a few feet.
He stopped as he landed on his back. He got up a she said, "You think just because you can land a punch means you have a chance? I can easily heal whatever you do to me." With that, a green orb appeared over his head, a cylinder appearing around him, and he knelt just as I heard screams from outside, causing me to spin. What I saw was each Raider, collapsed on the ground and yelling in agony.
The fucker's draining their life force, Rhino said. What do we do, because I'm willing to bet the field will prevent us form hitting him?
Maybe not, Cybis said. What if we focus the Element power into a single Golden gun shot?
"Would that even work?"
No idea, Cybis replied before the Traveler spoke again.
"Try what you will, but you Elements of Harmony won't be able to break my shield. The traitors will die, and I will purge Equestria of Darkness and Chaos."
It was then an idea came to my mind. "Chaos," I whispered. "For every light, there is a dark. For every harmony, there is a chaos, and for every positive, there is a negative." I then stood up, and held out my right hand towards the Raiders.
Josh, what are you thinking? Cybis said. This is crazy!
"So is everything else we've done," I said. "Besides, there is no other option besides this."
Unfortunately, he's right Cybis. It's crazy, and who knows what might happen, but it's the only chance we have.
"Quiet, both of you," I said as I felt a pull.
"What do you plan on doing?" Traveler asked from where he was healing himself. "Nothing can breach my shield but chaos, and Harmony and Chaos can not be intertwined!"
I looked at the Traveler as I still held my right hand out. "A black and white view, as most," I said in a deadpan voice, if it wasn't a little dark and deep. "Then again, what was to be expected from a god of light? Someone who is noble, and understands that what they represent, and what they try to destroy, must co-exist. One can not survive with out the other, much like life and death, night and day-" I paused as I felt the pull become stronger, and heard four objects flying towards, and a near quiet zip as they penetrated the field. "Harmony and Chaos." With that, I closed my eyes and my hand, feeling the hilt of a sword in my grasp as i closed my hand. I brought that hand in front of me, and set my left hand lower on that hilt.
When I opened my eyes, an elegant blade greeted my eyes. It was a single edged sword, with inscriptions in some old, lost language on the side of the flat, and a red crystal at the sword base, lightning and flames swirling around inside the crystal. "You said Harmony couldn't harm you," I said. "What about Chaos"
"You shouldn't be able to wield those," the Traveler said. "It makes no sense for bearers of the Elements of Harmony to wield their counterparts!"
"Please," I said. "Where's the fun in making sense?" With that, I launched myself at him, blade raised, and sliced at the orb over him, cutting through the protective field as if it wasn't there as the blade glowed with an energy that I could not place. As I hit the ground, I slid on the snow as I spun around, using my left hand to slow down. "And besides, you want this world, as well as our," I said. "You'll need to go through us." With that, I decided to split, as it would allow us to strike form three directions at once, and Rhino and Cybis agreed, resulting in three guardians, a Hunter, Titan, and Warlock, each with a sword with a blood red crystal. "After all, the brightest lights can be just as deadly as the blackest darkness."
"Ghosts," Rhino said. "Music."
With that, we attacked. Cybis used his own Solar light to burn the area around the Traveler and create a large cloud of steam, obscuring his vision, and I used my Void to do the same, Rhino using his Arc, which allowed the three of us to deliver a mega combo. It started with me getting close to leg sweep him with my sword blade, which allowed Rhino to send him flying with a Solar infused punch, creating an explosion and melting some of the armor as Cybis jumped over his back and fired a Lance Bomb, which is a Nova with the range increase. As he fired that, I spun, putting the sword on my back as I stopped in a kneeling position, my Void bow drawn, three Void arrows nocked and the bow sideways. I let the three fly loose and hit the dome above the Traveler, resulting in three tethers on him, which prevented him from moving as Rhino unleashed his hammer on him with sunspots kicking up where they landed, resulting in more steam, and even more armor melting.
Just as the last sunspot faded, he stood up, parts of skin exposed and burnt, with parts of the armor melted to his skin, only to be hit with lightning at his feet as Cybis went Sith lord and pumped as much Arc light into the snow.(1) The reason why we were safe is because of our boots being leather.
When he was done being cooked, the Traveler fell to the ground on his hands and knees, smoke curling off of him. "I suppose I should thank you three," he said, much to our surprise. "I had forgotten the joy of combat." Aw, shit. I hate it when a villain says that line. You know, other than it being a cliche.
He looked at us before he charged us, more specifically at Cybis, grabbed his sword out from his hands, and then proceeded to do the same with Rhino and I, quick enough to where we couldn't do anything, before going back to where he was after being cooked. "Now, to remove these," he said before throwing the swords to the snowy ground, which is when he raised his foot, and brought it down with enough force to, somehow, smash the crystals. "And, as you said, for every one, there is an opposite, so let us see what Elements are lost, shall we?" As soon as he said that, there was a small crack sound. Three, to be precise, and one came from the each of us. We stepped back, and saw the shattered parts of Loyalty, Generosity, and Kindness on the snowy ground.
"Now, to remove you three, and purge this world of those that are tainted with Darkness, followed by yours," the Traveler said. "And I have the perfect way to do so." Here, I felt a hand grasp me around the chest, and lift me up, and I saw the same happen to Rhino and Cybis. "After all, I ma a god. And gods can erase from existence. I simply didn't earlier so my forces could prove themselves. Now, though," he said before chuckling. "Now, I think you three shall be the first."
A few seconds of nothing passed before he spoke up again. "What? You three should be gone by now! Only another god can stop me from erasing you."
"What about two?" The four of us turned to his left to see Harmony standing there. "You see, Traveler, they are here at Auryx's request, and she knew you has that ability, as all gods do, and protected them from that. But they are also among my champions for a coming fight, and I will not see them erased before that can happen. And if you think taking away their weapons will do anything," she said as Cybis, Rhino, and I fell to the ground, "then perhaps you shouldn't have tried to take over this world. After all, Guardians are quite good at using everything they have available. So, Guardians, how about you show him why I made you three Elements?"
"Hell yes," I said as the three of us stood up, no weapons but our minds, grenades, and abilities.
"Then I suppose one final gift is in order," Harmony said before the three of us were enveloped in a rainbow glow, which faded a second later. "Now, finish this fight." And with that she just vanished. There one second, gone the next.
"Well, I'd hate to disappoint a lady," I said, cracking my knuckles.
"So, what do you guys think our new power is?" Cybis asked.
"I say we find out," Rhino said before he began to run towards the Traveler.
"Fool," he said before unleashing a bolt of Arc from his right hand that arched towards Rhino, who ducked forward to dodge it, when, as a surprise to I'm certain all of us, he vanished in a cloud of purple smoke.
"Uh, did that just happen?" Cybis said as Rhino reappeared, not having noticed he had shadestepped as he continued to run.
"I think so," I said. "So, wanna try to hammer the Traveler's head into the ground?"
"May as well try," Cybis replied before we followed Rhino towards the Traveler, who kept trying to stop us, but we were able to avoid each of his attacks.
Rhino was the first to reach him and, just as he avoided another Solar infused fist, he built up an Arc charge in his fist, and delivered a left hook to the deity, stunning him long enough for me to strike. As for what I did? Well, I raised my hands and brought them together, as if I was going to use both in the same strike, but didn't. Instead, I focused every ounce of Solar energy in my body into the Hammer of Sol, which, amazingly for the first time, worked, and I brought it down full force on his face just before Cybis jumped over me and did a one eighty back flip as I jumped back, and he unleashed a shatter bomb on the Traveler.
"I'm guessing Harmony gave us the ability to share powers," Rhino said.
"Same," I said. "Or at least ones that can be used by the others, so it's probably still just me who can go dancer."
"Right," Rhino said as he built up Arc energy. "You go close, I zap 'em?"
"You know it," I said before going bladedancer, and moving in close. Once I reached him, I ducked down as he tried to punch me, and sliced his side before getting up, grabbing his shoulder, and using it as the center point of my next spin, which allowed me to drive my blade into the center of his chest, next to where his heart would be, if he had one, and unleashed as much Arc energy through it, electrocuting him.
"GAHHH!" he yelled as the electricity coursed through him before I jumped back, the knife still in his chest as Rhino and Cybis began to pour lightning into it through the hilt, making him spasm from all the electricity. Once we had poured all the Arc into him we could, he collapsed onto his hands and knees. "How?" he asked. "How can you three defeat a god?"
"No idea," I replied before drawing a Vestian Dynasty and, in a first time move, infused darkness into a single shot. "Then again, there's one difference between us mortals and you gods?"
"And what might that be?"
"We mortals know we have limits," Cybis said. "We know we can't take everything thrown at us."
"But you gods," Rhino said. "You have longevity, and think you are immortal. As such, you become reckless, and thought you'd be able to take everything we threw at you. But here's the thing-"
"Nothing can last forever but the Void," I said before firing the Darkness infused bullet into the Traveler, essentially infusing him with Darkness, and causing his body to tear itself apart. I can say I did not expect that. I thought it would just kill him, not tear him apart. Then again, like with the Elements of Chaos thing from earlier, stuff can just happen. Really, nothing we had done today against him was planned. After we Guardians are masters at improvising.
As his body finally dissolved and the last of his screams of pain faded away, the dome lifted and we saw that, while we had been fighting the Traveler, Auryx and her allies, including M Sombra, had arrived, and Auryx, Sombra, and Crota were walking towards us. "We knew you three were capable if Harmony told us of you," Auryx said. "But we did not anticipate you being able to stop a god by yourselves."
"We had some help," I said. "But even then, it wasn't without loss. Three of the Elements of Chaos were destroyed, as well as our Elements. And-"
"We know of Luna's fate," Crota said. "One of her team mates informed us upon our arrival. My sister has not taken it well."
"Not that she can be blamed," Sombra said. "And, also, your comrades are back on their hooves. Nightmare wants to meet you three."
"Where?" Cybis asked.
"She's with Sekana, as well as the others," Sombra said. "I'll lead you to them." With that, he turned around, and we followed as one of Auryx's Lieutenants came up to her.
"My queen, Harmony has a message," he said, but we didn't hear anymore as we neared where the Raiders, the Equestrian Army, and the Crystal Army were at, with doctors looking over the Raiders. As we passed them, they each looked at us, and gave small nods. Eventually, though, we reached a small circle, from which we heard sobs, and saw our team, as well as M AJ, M Twilight, M Sight, M Forge, and Sekana, the one sobbing, downfallen at the sight of M Luna's dead body.
"I'm not sure whether I should thank you three," Sekana said, her hand over the body's left, tears falling onto the chest, "or kill you three. If you hadn't come, then Luna would still be alive, and I'd rather have her as an enemy and see her alive than see her body."
"We know," Rhino said. "And whatever you wish to do, we will take without issue."
"But Uncle Rhino-" Applejack began before being cut off.
"No, Applejack," I said. "We will take the blame. But I do think there is something we should give Sekana to begin that process."
"And what would that be?" she growled, looking at the three of us with red eyes.
"Nightmare? How long would it take to make a Ghost?"