123. I'll Face Myself
It's going to take several days for Zythe and his other airships to get here to Everwinter, so we can't yet begin our assault on Hawke's geothermal plant. Now that the plan's been determined, there's nothing left for me to do except get ready for the upcoming confrontation. In the meantime, Chrysalis and her entire changeling horde has already left. According to her, she's going to use this time to position her troops outside of the blizzard in preparation for our assault.
Before she left, I managed to convince Chrysalis to heal Rainbow's wing. Yeah...and it wasn't exactly easy. Chrysalis despises Rainbow, and it's obvious that helping her is the last thing she wants to do. However, she did it in the end, because I'm sure she knows that this war is too important for grudges. Or at least I hope she does.
The waiting has started to really get to me. There's absolutely nothing I can do to make it go by faster. I've tried helping with the defenses, staying on lookout duty, or even just plain sleeping, but I can never focus on anything. My thoughts always turn to what lays on the horizon, and it always makes me restless.
Eventually, I find solace in training. Dedicated to making myself stronger and bolstering my magical core as much as I can, I push myself harder than ever before. I spend countless hours doing that, hardly paying attention to anything else going on around me. Sometimes my team comes to join me, but they always end up leaving before I do. More often than not, I only stop training when I'm too tired to continue.
Finally, on the second day of this routine, Rainbow comes to find me. In spite of the setting sun and the sounds of the soldiers moving to rest, I'm still in the clearing we've chosen to train in. The snow in this area is entirely melted, leaving the hard ground covered in a fine layer of moisture instead.
“Hey, the rest of us are making food. C'mon in!” Rainbow offers, walking up behind me. She winces as my fist collides with a training dummy, obliterating it with a cacophonous crash. I curse and look at the wreckage ruefully. I hadn't meant to hit it that hard. “Hey, Equestria to Seth?”
“Nah, don't worry about me. Go ahead and eat. I'll be back in later,” I tell her impatiently, anxious to get back to my training. I hear a frustrated huff behind me. I'm forced to lower my magical aura to accommodate her as she trots up next to me. “That's the opposite of leaving, Rainbow.”
“That's because I didn't come out here just to leave, dummy,” Rainbow retorts, stubbornly planting her ass on the ground next to me. “You need to take a break. You've been out here hitting things for hours.”
“I can't take a break. The battle is coming soon, and I need to be ready,” I snap back, not in the mood to have an argument like this. Even the slightest bit of magical power could influence the outcome of the upcoming battle with Hawke. “I can't just wait around.”
“Look, you are ready. A few hours of training isn't going to make a difference when you're this strong already,” Rainbow points out obstinately. “Besides, if you push yourself too hard, you're gonna be sore when it's time to move out, and then that Hawke guy will easily mop the floor with you.”
“But...”
“Trust me, I'm an athlete, and there's nothing worse than the soreness you get after a workout,” Rainbow cuts across my protest before it's even left my mouth.
“I'll be fine,” I grunt stubbornly, turning back away from her in the attempt to get back to training.
Rainbow is quiet behind me, and for a moment I start to think that she left. Eventually, she sighs. “Well, there goes my chance at convincing you with logic,” Rainbow says with a shrug. I don't really pay attention to her until I feel her hooves on my shoulders. With one quick jerk, she spins me around and clasps around my neck before I can react. As I'm opening my mouth to express my annoyance, Rainbow kisses me.
It's been a long time since the last time she kissed me, so it takes me completely by surprise and causes any and all rational thought to promptly cease. Despite the frigid air, my cheeks start to feel warm, and soon I start kissing her back, my magical aura dissipating and my arms wrapping around her back.
It's over too quick, and Rainbow pulls her head back to look at me smugly, a little blush of her own on her face. “So how about now? Want to go inside now?” Rainbow asks.
“You know...kissing me isn't exactly a feasible argument,” I feel the need to point out to her. Still, just feeling a little affection has me thinking more clearly...which helps me realize that I really do hurt from training so hard. How I ignored it up until now is beyond me.
“Yeah, but is it working?” Rainbow retorts hopefully, her hind legs gently dangling in the air. I give her a scrutinizing stare.
“Of course not...okay, I'm lying. It's working a little,” I admit, much to her happiness. But I don't want to give in so easily, so feel like being a little difficult. “But I might need a little more persuasion.”
“Sure...if you come back inside with the rest of us,” Rainbow replies, nuzzling my face with her own. I chuckle and roll my eyes. I might as well. I can't say no when she's being so fucking cute.
“Alright, fine. Let's go then, I guess,” I relent. Rainbow grins and lets go of my neck, choosing to celebrate by flying in a circle around me. “Alright, don't gloat.”
“What can I say? I am a master at the art of kiss-uasion!” Rainbow jokes as we start walking back towards the house. I slowly turn my head towards her with a deadpan stare.
“That was awful.”
“Eh, bite me.”
Shaking my head and chuckling, I walk with her back to the others. It was a good thing that she stopped me, because I was indeed sore the next morning, and the airships arrived not long after that.
The group of armored airships glide purposefully through the cold wintry air. At the head of the formation is Zythe's personal airship, which is distinguishable by the royal golden accents decorating the dark armored plates along the hull. It is this airship that my team and I are aboard. The mission has begun, and it won't be long before we reach the blizzard.
I stand on the forecastle of the ship with Rainbow and Applejack, the three of us standing together in silence. My eyes are set straight ahead into the distance, where I can see the whirling white blur of the blizzard. I may be on the deck now, but by the time we reach that unnatural storm, standing up here will be tantamount to suicide.
“Hey, Seth?” Applejack addresses me, her voice breaking the long silence that's been stretched across the deck. When she sees that she has my attention, she continues. “You thought about how you gonna handle this any?”
“All the time. But I'm not any closer to having an answer for you,” I tell her honestly. She's referring to our discussion on Hawke the other day. Even though I fought to have the chance to confront Hawke myself, I still don't know what I'm going to do. “I don't know anything about him, except that he's human, like me.”
“And that he's a bad guy,” Rainbow chimes in helpfully. “I mean, to build a weapon like the one we're going to smash? That has 'bad guy' written all over it.”
“I know. Either way, when everything's all said and done, I know what I have to do. I have to stop him,” I reply softly. I take a deep breath. “Heh. You all probably think I'm crazy. I mean, going on this mission myself instead of Celestia? How dumb is that?”
“It ain't dumb. Even a blind mule could see that this ain't no ordinary villain we're dealin' with,” Applejack assures me, placing a hoof on my leg. “He's yer kind, and that makes this yer fight. We're all gonna support you on this.”
“That's right, commander.” To my surprise, Swift steps up to join us as well, having overheard the conversation herself. “I'll do whatever it takes to see you to that human. I know you won't steer us wrong.”
“Well...Trixie doesn't exactly know you as well as the others...but she knows what it's like to have someone that she has to measure up to.” Trixie makes her presence known as well, walking up beside Swift and Applejack.
“We know how important this is to you,” Rainbow adds, nudging me slightly. “After coming this far with you, we're gonna do all we can to see you succeed.”
“Jesus...you know how weird this is?” I say after a pause, giving out another little chuckle. “Knowing that individuals like you exist makes me really realize what a dumb fuck I was before meeting you.”
“Oh don't worry, you're still a dummy. Just now, you're our dummy,” Rainbow jokes affectionately, rubbing up against my side. My right eye twitches and I give her a mock glare. I'm just about to give her snappy retort when Zythe's voice rings loud and clear from the stern.
“Everyone below deck, on the double! That blizzard's coming up fast, and unless you want to be an icicle, get moving!” Zythe lands on the main deck himself, opening the door that leads down into the ship and ushering every griffon that's nearby. Besides us, the other members of the assault force are griffons. “Pterax! Get your tail up to the wheel and keep this baby on course! Don't mess it up, you hear?”
“Sure, whatever,” Pterax remarks, emerging from below decks himself. He flies up to the ship's wheel and transforms into a polar bear, with his paws resting on the handles. Due to their ability to keep warm in the blizzard, changelings are being used at the helms of each of the other airships. “I'll be up here...in the snow.”
The wind howls nearby, growing louder with the increasing proximity of the raging blizzard. Taking that as the cue to get moving, the five of us join the throng of griffons heading below deck.
As we're moving through the cramped inner corridors of the airship, I notice a certain pony staring at me shyly from one of the outlying rooms. “The rest of you go on ahead. I'll meet you down by the engines,” I say to the rest of my team, and then I break off to confront the pony I just mentioned. “So you look like you want to say something to me.”
“Oh...I...yes,” Mist responds, a little startled by my sudden approach. For this battle, Iron chose to send her with the airships to make use of her considerable magic power. Due to that, the ring on her horn is gone now, as are the shackles. The others didn't trust her as much, but I know she won't betray us. “It's just...are you going to kill Hawke?”
“I don't know. If I have to, I guess,” I answer, raising a brow at that question. “Why? What does it matter to you?”
Mist shuffles her hooves, lowering her gaze. “Hawke never leaves this plant...and only takes orders from King Sombra himself. But whenever I visited on business...he was always kind to me,” she reveals. Now that confuses me. Hawke didn't seem like the kind type at all on the battlefield. There, he fought without care for the crystal ponies that may have been in his way. “I was a slave...so weak compared to him...but he never treated me like the others did. So I guess what I'm trying to say is...I don't want him to die.”
I look back at Mist for a long time, uncertain how to even respond to that. Eventually, I nod my head. “I'll do what I can then...but don't expect anything. I don't think he's going to back down,” I promise her. Mist nods, sniffling a bit. “Anyway, come down to the engines where it's warmer. It's about to drop to forty below out there.”
With that, the rest of the crew and me take shelter by the engines, just as the airship moves into the blizzard. We can tell, because the sound of the wind and snow beating against the hull can be heard even through the hull. The temperature drops noticeably, but we manage to avoid freezing thanks to everyone huddling together and getting warm from the heat of the engines.
“It won't be long now. Everyone get suited up for battle,” Zythe orders, walking among the huddled griffons and ponies. He comes to a stop in front of me, his eyes hardened in preparation for the battle to come. He produces a communications crystal from his armor and presents it to me. “Power this baby up for me, monkey.”
“What for?” I ask, a little annoyed by his repetition of that offensive nickname. We shouldn't need communications crystals now anyway. We've already discussed the plan, right?
“The bug queen has to know when to move sometime, dullbrain. Now hurry and fire it up,” Zythe reminds me, clicking his beak impatiently. He holds out the orb to me once more. “It's time to start the attack.”
At long last, the flagship of the griffon fleet emerges from the veil of snow, parting the falling white curtain like water. Immediately, my team and I head out from below deck and head to the forecastle of the ship. Following us are the scores of griffons that have been hiding below with us, as well as Mist. Zythe flies up to the wheel and callously shoves Pterax out of the way, taking his rightful position at the helm.
“Griffons! Prepare to take flight!” Zythe roars from the stern, spreading his wings wide. A cheer rises from the ranks of the griffons. The sound of metal grinding against metal fills the air as the gunports on the hull of the ship open up, and the black barrels of lethal cannons emerge. “Roll out the cannons! We're taking the fight to the enemy!”
Standing on the prow of the ship, I look forward at the horizon. A wide open valley presents itself before us, an untouched carpet of snow stretching out all the way towards the still smoking dormant volcano, where Hawke's facility is nestled up against its side.
Chrysalis and the changelings are already embroiled in a massive conflict with the undead hordes. Even from here, the battle is clearly visible. Explosions of emerald magic dot the air like deadly fireworks as the changelings give it everything they've got. With Chrysalis at their head, they press the attack in an attempt hold the enemy's attention for as long as possible.
The Oppressed charge against their lines, tanking everything magical sent at them, which forces the changelings on the ground to transform into other forms to contend with them on a physical basis. Chrysalis herself is dominating the field, her magic spiraling up around her like a tornado as she tears apart any undead that even look at her funny. Not even the Oppressed can stand up to her exceptional physical strength.
It isn't long before our encroaching fleet is noticed by the enemy. Undead fliers reveal themselves from the nooks and crevices of the geothermal plant, taking off in a swarm of black dots and heading directly for us.
“Fire the forward cannons!” Zythe orders as he takes to the air. At the front of each airship are two smaller guns in the style of swivel cannons, the type that you'd see on old 18th century ships. They are quickly manned by separate griffons and oriented upon the approaching undead. The air soon fills with the booming sound of firing cannons as the swivel guns unload into the undead, shredding anything unlucky enough to be hit. Zythe grins at the carnage and looks back at the other griffons.“First division, flock to me and prepare to intercept! I'm ready to shed some blood!”
I continue to stand on the front of the ship with my team, waiting for the moment when it's safe enough to disembark with my team. Judging from the undead on the edges of the complex, there's some Oppressed there waiting for us. I don't want to go down there without backup.
I wince and watch as Zythe's forces intercept the flying undead in a cacophony of screeching and roaring. The griffons rend through the enemy's flesh with metal claws attached to the end of their talons and their beaks, proving their prowess in battle. Everything seems to be going well, but I'm starting to worry. Hawke is here, right? If his home is under attack, why the hell isn't he out there defending it?
My eyes shoot open with shock as the giant barrel of the electrical cannon on the top of the plant slowly starts to turn. In panic, I turn over to Mist, who is standing with us. “Wait, fuck! I thought you said that thing was incomplete!” I demand frantically.
“It is! It doesn't have anywhere near the amount of power Hawke said it should...but that doesn't mean it's inactive!” Mist yells back over the sound of the roaring cannons. Shit shit...that weapon is orienting on us...whoever's controlling it knows we're coming.
“Commander, we've got to move! If we're targeted, we'll be completely destroyed!” Swift screams, standing there and panicking.
“Trixie can't believe she's saying this, but can you carry her again? And the rest of us?” Trixie suggests hastily.
“Yes...but...!” I start to say, but then the sound of something clicking into place echoes through the valley. The cannon is pointed directly at our fleet...and I doubt that humming I'm hearing is coming from our engines. “Oh shit, it's firing!”
The weapon hums louder and starts to glow from the base. Lines of lights along the rims of the barrel start to light up red, green and yellow, eventually reaching up to the mouth. The mouth starts to glow a bright white light...seconds before it fires.
All of a sudden, our vision turns completely white as the cannon fires, but it only lasts for a split second. The next thing we all hear is a menacing fizzing zap, and then what looks like a massive lightning bolt streaks from the mouth of the weapon and strikes the bow of the airship that's flying right beside ours.
My mouth drops as the lightning cuts right through the armor of the ship and blasts it to pieces, causing the engine to explode violently and hurl debris in every direction. Even that's not enough; the lightning streaks right through the wreckage and destroys the airship behind that as well, before finally dissipating.
“What in tarnation!?” Applejack cries out.
“Aaah, what's going on!?” Rainbow screams.
“Trixie didn't sign on for this!”
“Jesus fuck!” I shout with my hands clapped to my ears. All of us throw ourselves to the deck as debris rains down on our ship, consisting of shards of metal and burning wood. When I feel like it's safe enough to move, I turn to Mist. “How fast can that thing reload?”
“I'm not sure...Hawke said it depended on how much energy he had stored up!” Mist answers.
“Come on, give me an estimate!”
“Anywhere from one to ten minutes if there's a decent stockpile of electricity!” Mist throws out, causing me to panic further. “If we're going to fly away, we'll have to do it now!”
“One minute!? That's total bullshit. Alright, Swift, we're going with your plan. Trixie, Swift, come here, right now!” I order them. I can carry two at the most, Rainbow can carry one, and I'm not sure about Pterax. As Trixie and Swift nod and approach me, I turn to Pterax. “How many can you carry?”
Pterax shifts into his dragon form, with a decent amount of space on his back. “Two, at the most. Mist, if you're coming, get on my back!” Pterax roars. Mist nods and clambers up on Pterax's back.
“Wait, where are you going!” Before I can give another order, a griffon comes out of the airship. “Wait, you're leaving? But if that cannon fires again, we'll be defenseless!”
“The sooner we get to it, to sooner we take it down!” I shout back at him. I hook my arms under Swift and Trixie, getting ready to move.
“But there's at least fifty griffons below deck, keeping the ship running!” the griffon insists. The stress starts to build up at me, and I hesitate, even though I know I have to make a decision now. “Please!”
“Seth, that cannon is getting ready to fire again!” Rainbow cries out, jabbing her hoof down towards the colossal weapon, which is already starting to hum. I stand there agonizing over what to do, until finally the cannon lights up the sky with a piercing white again, and this time the bolt of destructive lightning is heading directly towards us. “Seth! We need to...!”
“Fuck!” I yell out. There's nothing else I can do. I toss Trixie and Swift aside and dash towards the front of the airship, leaping over the gunwale and sprinting up the prow. I hear the sounds of the ponies and griffons yelling at me with panic and worry, but I ignore them. At this point, there's only one thing I can do if I want to save both ourselves and the helpless griffons below deck.
I power myself up as high as I can and shoot my left hand forward in front of my face, catching the bolt of lightning directly on my palm. My eyes widen and water with pain as my hand goes numb and I'm nearly knocked right off of my feet. I focus every drop of magic that I can put out at once into that one hand and dig my feet into the deck, splintering the wood beneath me. My hand is still there, holding back the massive beam with everything that I have.
“Aaaaah...hyah!” With a final yell, I jerk my hand over to the left, completely redirecting the lightning bolt up and overhead, leaving the ship safe, as well as the rest of our fleet. The beam surges through the air and impacts a mountain top far away from the battle. A massive explosion ensues, forming a mushroom debris cloud that rises high in the air. The mountain is so destabilized by the blast that an avalanche of snow and rock cascades down the mountainside, making me so glad that it's nowhere near the fight.
When I turn around, everyone on deck is staring at me in dumbfounded awe. Even Mist, the one who told us all about the weapon, is taken completely by surprise by my completely last second maneuver that should by all rights have killed me. I look down at my hand, which is singed and burnt, but I can move it just fine. I rest my hands on my knees, panting.“Oh my god...I can't fucking believe that worked.”
“You utter imbecile!” Swift screeches at me, looking as if she wants to smack me silly right now. Rainbow looks similar, except I can see a lot of relief in her expression. The griffon that had been yelling at me has promptly passed out on the deck, no doubt thinking he was going to die. “What if you had died there!? What is Equestria going to do without you!?”
“Okay, fine, whatever. Yell at me later. But if that thing has enough juice for another shot, I'm not waiting around to let it charge up,” I cut across her grimly, looking down at the cannon. “Pterax, Rainbow, behind me. We're going in ahead.”
“What about the rest of us?” Applejack demands, nodding her head in acceptance of this plan.
“Tell the griffon at the wheel to bring the ship down as soon as possible. Then, join us the second your hooves touch the ground, got it?” I order. At this point, sheer adrenaline is keeping my mind running. Applejack nods in assent. Trixie does as well, followed by Swift, despite the latter's anger at my stupidity. Honestly, I should be dead right now. I am so goddamn lucky. “Now, let's go!”
Without another word, I run back up the splintered prow of the ship and leap off of the top in a swan dive, using magic to orient myself directly on the cannon. The weapon is starting to hum again, letting me know that I have only seconds left before that fucker fires again. But at this speed...I'm not gonna make it. I'm even feeling the sound barrier tugging on my body, but there's no way I'm going to be able to break it.
“I gotcha! Let's do this!” Rainbow declares, grabbing onto my back and accelerating as fast as she can. Together, we combine our power and push as hard as we can against the sound barrier...until finally, I feel it give way before us. A sound like thunder erupts from around us, and my vision is filled with all colors of the rainbow tearing through the air around us. “Yeah, Sonic Rainboom! Here we come, you overgrown tin can!”
There's no way I can destroy a metal construct that large. But I can stop it from firing again. With the help of Rainbow's speed, I power up and reach the cannon just before it fires. I turn my body in midair and slam both feet on the barrel of the weapon. The sheer force behind a mass as large as me moving at the speed of sound causes the thick metal to crumple and dent inwards, blocking off the mouth of the cannon. It's a good thing I have magic, or my body would be jelly right now.
“Move!” I cry out to Rainbow, wrapping my arms around her and bearing her to the ground, just as the cannon tears itself apart violently from the feedback of its own electrical surge. I wince as the flame from the explosion passes over my back, singing my jacket and my hair. I refuse to move though. There's no way I'm going to let any of that heat touch my Rainbow. Not for the first time, I praise my magic for keeping the skin off of my back from being roasted.
The moment the dust clears, I hear the growling of the undead as they start to close in to investigate the destruction of their weapon. When they catch sight of us, they roar and charge towards us. I leap off of Rainbow and draw my sword, noticing that some of them are Oppressed. Rainbow gets up as well, panting and wiping the sweat from her brow. She notices the undead approaching and hunches down, scuffing at the ground threateningly.
Together, we charge into the enemy, hacking and punching them to pieces, fighting our way through them. Near the wreckage of the weapon we just destroyed is what looks an entrance into the complex. That's where I need to go, but I can't go anywhere with all of these undead everywhere.
Suddenly, Applejack and Swift are there, landing in the midst of the enemy and carving a circle of destruction around them with a combination of vicious punches and lance thrusts. Flying just above us is the flagship of the griffon fleet. The griffon behind the helm has taken the flagship extremely low, below safe levels, the engines blowing away the snow behind it. Trixie joins the two of them as well, followed by Pterax and Mist, who had been left behind by our sonic boom.
“We're all here! What's next, Seth?” Applejack demands, flooring an Oppressed that got too close. She ducks another undead's bite and proceeds to fend off three others that target her. She ends up back to back with Swift, helping to defend Trixie from the magically immune Oppressed.
“I've got to get inside...but there's too many undead out here. I can't get past them...” I grunt, embroiled in combat. I slice apart a minotaur easily and then bash the hilt on top of an Oppressed's head, smashing it in.
Before anypony can answer, a volley of cannon fire smashes into the undead lines, coming from the low flying flagship above us. It's so loud it hurts my ears, but it demolishes any undead between the door and me. I look up in surprise, and then the griffon who had been at the helm pokes his head over the gunwale.
“This is your show from here on out, human!” the griffon shouts down to me. “Leave the undead out here to us and the viceroy. Get inside and take out their commander!”
“What? Just leave you all here? Are you sure?” I ask, not liking the idea of leaving my team behind to fight the undead without me. Swift and Applejack close in front of me, easily holding back the Oppressed and leaving my path clear. Their training is clearly paying off, because neither of them have taken any injuries yet.
“Remember what we talked about up on the ship?” Applejack reminds me, her teeth gritted as she tangles with a vicious minotaur. “This is what we've come to do. From here, it's up to you.”
“The sooner you take him down, the sooner these undead will stop functioning!” Swift reminds me. Her lance is doing a marvelous job at ripping into the undead. “Go, we'll hold them all off!”
“Please, a bunch of weak undead, taking us down? Go, Seth. Get inside, and show that guy what for!” Rainbow urges me, wearing a reassuring grin. “Just make sure you come back. I won't forgive you if you don't.”
“I was lying before. This is what I signed up for. If holding here will bring us a step closer to bringing this war to an end...” Trixie expresses to me as well, dropping the third person mannerisms. She slams the ground and sends out a cyan blue shockwave of magic, demolishing any undead nearby that aren't Oppressed. “Then I'll hold here as long as I need to.”
“This is nothing to me,” Mist growls, her eyes narrowing. Her snowy white aura erupts around her for the first time since her defeat. She lifts up shards of debris with her magic and hurls them into the nearest group of Oppressed, impaling them and pinning them to the ground. “This is my chance to show King Sombra that I will not give in again!”
“I'm here. Quit standing around and kick their leader's tail,” Pterax adds as well, sweeping his spiked dragon's tail around the field, knocking nearby undead off of their feet.
“You guys...” I say, unable to think of anything else. They're right. I can't stand around and waste time out here. The longer I wait, the more of our forces that could get hurt. I nod. “Alright. I'm going in. Be here when I get back, or I swear to god I'll kick your asses.”
Without another word, I turn my back and enter the facility, blasting the locked doors off of their hinges with minimal effort. My magic is near full, despite my exertion earlier. To keep from wasting any more, I power myself down and walk normally through the empty halls.
There's no sign of any undead inside. It's just eerily quiet, the silence only broken by the increasingly faint sounds of battle outside. Instead, as I descend deeper into the depths of the plant, another sound starts to become prevalent. It's the sound of magma running beneath my feet, complete with the sound of the liquid bubbling up and popping. Yes, I can't see it, but I know I'm getting deeper into the volcano with every step.
The path is mostly straightforward. It looks like it was built to be as simple to understand as possible, complete with several maps pinned to the metallic walls and signs labeling each branching corridor. However, it's clear that whoever made this knew exactly what he was doing. It doesn't look like it was rushed at all, as if the designer had all the time he needed to make everything perfect.
Using the maps and signs to my advantage, I head directly towards the center of the complex, where there's apparently a larger room further up the mountain. Where I am right now, there are several rooms that are housing massive electrical machines and structures. No doubt there’s superheated water running through those pipes that are being fed into one large construct, no doubt meant for refining the steam into electricity.
Once I'm at the very lowest portion of the complex, I walk into a wide open room holding hundreds of pipes, each one color coded and coiling around one another. Other large mechanical structures are in the room, from which the pipes feed in and out of. Looking down, I notice that the floor is made of thick glass...and there's nothing below us except for a long drop into a pool of magma at the bottom.
I shudder involuntarily. I've never seen magma before in my life. I mean, there were no volcanoes near where I lived back in my time, so why would I? The sight of the magma flowing slowly and bubbling far below me is an entrancing and deadly one.
Once I've moved through this room, the path starts to lead me back upwards again, through several sets of stairs. With the map as my guide, it isn't long before I find myself at the center of the complex.
There's a set of double doors, but they seem to have a lot of security. I see not only a fingerprint sensor, but also what looks like a retina scanner and a code lock. No doubt this is where Hawke is hiding. I'm just about to power up and knock the door down, but then I notice that the doors are open slightly.
That can only mean one thing. Hawke knows we're coming. If anything, this is an invitation to come and find him.
I push open the doors and step inside. I find myself in what looks to be a large observation area. There are rows of computer terminals on either side of the room, each one looking to be fully operational and well maintained. On the far side of the room is Hawke.
Hawke is standing with his back to me, his hands clasped behind his back. He looks much the same as I remember him, even down to the dark military coat that he's wearing. Beside him, leaning against the wall, is my rifle and Vanta's scythe. Even though I'm certain he knows I'm here now, he doesn't turn, continuing to stare out the line of windows towards where the battle is raging fiercely between the changelings and the undead.
“So...you have come,” Hawke finally emits, his accented voice evoking unpleasant memories of the Crystal Empire. Even now, my body feels like it's aching in the places where he'd injured me. Hawke turns his head to look over his shoulder at me, nothing but firm resolve in his dark eyes. “I knew you would not be able to resist coming for me yourself, Seth Rogers.”
“Hawke,” I respond in a calm voice. Now that I'm here, my trepidation and dread seems like it's slipping away. I know what I have to do. My choice is set, and there's no running away now that I've come this far. “I bet you're getting a kick out of being called 'governor general,' huh?”
“If the king wishes to refer to me as such, I will not refute him,” Hawke replies. He swiftly turns around and faces me fully, the hate evident in his expression. “In the end, it does not matter what I am called. I am here for one singular purpose: exterminating you, the last of the human race.”
“So you've said. But I still don't understand why you find that necessary. You were too busy beating in my face to explain,” I return wryly. Hawke shakes his head, his expression cold and constantly unchanging.
“You do not need to understand,” he asserts, frustrating me. He lifts his hands into a combat stance, his arms held out before him with his wrists crossed over one another. His fingers spread out into claw-like shapes. “A question, before we begin. For what reason do you fight? Is it a vain attempt to redeem yourself for your last defeat? Or perhaps vengeance, for the race you cared nothing for?”
“You know, for being so damn smart, you're just so fucking stupid,” I snap back at him, causing him to blink. I get into a defensive stance myself, knowing full well that this is likely to be the most difficult fight I've ever been in. “Why would I risk my life for something so petty?”
“Petty? You believe that getting revenge for the human race is petty?” Hawke repeats, raising a brow at my words.
“What would revenge accomplish? They're long gone, and nothing is going to bring them back. No, I chose to live for them...to remember them as best as I can,” I tell him fervently, even though I know he likely won't understand. “No, I'm here to fight for my friends, the ones who have saved my life, in more ways than one. If I can pay them back by risking my life, I'll gladly do it.”
Hawke scoffs, looking disgusted at that explanation. “Friends? You mean these ponies?” he repeats incredulously. I don’t respond, but I don’t really need to. Hawke scoffs. “Ridiculous. They are but animals. They have not the propensity to exhibit deeper emotion. If that is your reason, I am disappointed.”
“Now that is what’s ridiculous. They are ponies. They are as much animals as we are.” I correct him, narrowing my eyes. Hawke doesn’t appear convinced in the slightest.
“I see...so rather than waiting for the end like the tool that you were, you chose to play around with these creatures,” Hawke surmised. “Did you enjoy your little farce?”
“Yes, I've enjoyed myself, but it was no farce. I've lived more in Equestria than I ever have in our time, and it's all thanks to them,” I assert. Hawke appears to finally lose his patience at my response.
“I tire of this meaningless conversation. You disgust me,” Hawke spits, his jaw tightening. I see his body moving ever so slightly, and I realize that it's about to begin. “It's time I finished what I started, three thousand years ago!”
“And it's time I brought this vendetta of yours to an end!” I grunt, clenching my fists. At the same time, Hawke and I both power up, causing the whole building to start shaking. Hawke's black shadowy aura erupts from around his feet, sparking with green electricity. His eyes turn green and trail purple, reminding me all too well of what I used to look like. My emerald aura flares up from around me as well, standing in stark contrast to Hawke's.
Hawke and I both plant our feet onto the metallic floor and dash forward at the same time, our magic propelling us forward at an incredible speed. I swing my right fist forward, my hand wreathed in emerald magic. My fist collides with his left fist, the impact halting us entirely. The collision of our magics causes air to flow outwards at high speeds, blowing our hair backwards.
A star of white light forms at the point where our magical auras meet, slowly growing until finally, the entire ceiling of the room is completely blown away in a massive black and emerald explosion. Through the dust and debris, I see a cloud of black smoke zooming through the air, barely visible. Locking eyes on it, I take to the air and surge upwards, turning my body just in time to meet Hawke as he materializes just in front of me.
I swing my fist forward towards him, only to be blocked by his arm and counterattacked with his free hand. Blocking that is easy; I catch it on my free arm and attempt to retaliate with a swift thrust of my knee, but he's too clever to fall for that. He backs away and turns to smoke again, flying upwards in the air.
He's not going to get away. I fly up after him, spiraling around until I can fly at him head on. Hawke does the same thing, reforming just as I reach him. The two of us lash out at one another, though neither of our attacks get past the other's guard. Again and again, Hawke and I spiral upwards, flying high above the battlefield and clashing with one another viciously.
Finally, Hawke slams his elbow into my jaw, knocking my head back. However, his momentary victory gives me time to kick him in the side. Hawke grunts, but recovers quickly, grabbing my leg and hurling me all the way back down to the observation room.
I grunt and flip in midair, landing on my feet and raising my guard just as Hawke appears in front of me, using that dash ability that I used to use back when I had that magic. Hawke clenches his hands together and brings them both down on me, aiming for my head.
“You're not going to break me so easily this time,” I growl, pushing aside his attack with my left arm and then slamming my fist into his chest, causing Hawke to gasp and cough. Seizing my advantage, I hook an arm around his chest and hurl him into one of the remaining walls, shattering it.
“It does not matter. You will fall,” Hawke asserts, climbing out of the rubble and facing me once more. He lifts his right hand, the tips of his fingers starting to glow. Remembering that attack, I immediately start moving, just as beams of shadowy darkness shoot forth from his fingertips. “Humanity ends today.”
“Like hell it does!” I snap back, dancing in and out of his beams with ease thanks to my enhanced speed. I maneuver across the ground towards him until I'm within his effective range. However, my fist shoots through smoky darkness as Hawke fades away. Immediately, I fend off his follow up attack by whipping my hands behind me just in time to receive a blast of magic. Wincing, I kick him away to give me a little breathing room. “I've had it with your shit about humanity! You're going to tell me what the hell we did to you, right now!”
“I told you once. It appears you didn't understand,” Hawke shoots back, meeting me head on in another charge. We exchange vicious punches and kicks, but neither of us are able to get past the other's guard. The ground shatters and crumples beneath the sheer amount of magical power emanating from each collision of our fists. “Your sin is...”
“...turning my eyes away from the injustices of our world,” I complete for him, remembering what he said back in the Crystal Empire. I sweep Hawke's legs out from under him and then swing my fists downwards while he's on the ground, but he quickly rolls away, such that my fists slam into the ground and form a crater. “But that's bullshit. No one man can be held accountable for the entirety of mankind. What about you? Did you do a damn thing to help humanity? No, you chose to kill them. How dare you talk to me about injustice!?”
Hawke weaves around me arms as I rush forward at him, my fists swinging for his gut and stomach. He grabs one of my arms and yanks me forward, planting his fist into my stomach instead, causing me to choke as the air whooshes out of my lungs. “I brought their suffering to an end. Killing them was a mercy and a necessity,” Hawke argues. He knocks me backwards with a swift uppercut to my jaw, causing my teeth to slice into my lips painfully.
“What suffering? Were you blind? There were good people out there...people that you helped kill!” I spit out blood from my mouth, wincing at the metallic taste. Hawke isn't letting up. It looks as though he's starting to use his magic more now. I suddenly notice a rune of glowing green magic appear beneath my feet. Immediately, I toss myself out of the way, just as Hawke closes his fist and causes the rune to detonate violently with green electricity. Despite my quick maneuver, I feel my side burn painfully.
“You were deluding yourself,” Hawke counters, appearing nearby the moment I dodge and kicking me into the wall. I quickly hop out of the rubble and retaliate by sending several orbs of explosive emerald magic towards him. I soon stop when I see that he is easily able to dodge them by turning to smoke and weaving through them. I cross my arms together and raise my guard as Hawke reforms in front of me and lashes out with a magically empowered fist. “There are no good people. They steal, murder, and lie, pretending to stand for the cause of righteousness, when in the end, all that mattered to them was furthering themselves.”
As Hawke and I exchange a lightning fast flurry of punches and kicks, I can't help but draw similarities to his words and the way I used to think. I too, believed that the majority of mankind was worthless, doing good deeds only when it was convenient for them, and profiting off of the suffering of others.
“King Sombra gave me the power to fight back...and I will always be grateful to him for that,” Hawke continues...and then my fist rams right into his face, knocking him clear across the room towards the only untouched wall left...the one that's built into the mountainside itself.
“Now who's deluding himself? You are nothing but a backup plan for him, just as I was. Don't you see? He turned you against your own race is using you as his own personal weapon!” I remind him, hardly able to believe that he doesn't see that for himself. “He turned you into the very thing you hated!”
“I am well aware. But the difference between you and I is that I chose to become his tool. You see, I was already an enemy to my own race long before he arrived!” Hawke roars, propelling himself off of the wall and towards me. I meet him halfway and roll under his guard, ramming him with my shoulder and reversing his momentum. Hawke grunts and wraps his arms around my middle, flipping in midair and hurling me into the remaining wall, going right through it. The first thing I notice is the sudden increase in temperature, and then the red glowing light coming from far below me. Panicking, I right myself and land on the only stable ground in this new chamber.
Looking around, I find that I'm now in the very crater of the volcano, standing on a singular large platform made of rock. There's a narrow walkway leading back out onto the mountainside on the far end of the platform, and directly below, a score of meters below, is nothing but a roiling pit of bubbling hot magma. Pipes thread in and out of the rock walls, some of them even dipping into the magma.
Hawke flips through the air, landing on the walkway across from me. He turns to face me with that same cold expression, not even slightly out of breath. I'm in good shape too, only a little bit bruised and not in the least tired. No, I'm just getting warmed up. But then again, neither of us are going all out, and we both know that.
“I fought back because I was tired of the constant exploitation and corruption that ran rampant in my home country!” Hawke continues fervently, stepping towards me across the rocky platform. He stops a few meters away, clenching his fists together. “If I couldn't fix it, I would bring it to an end entirely, with their deaths! I will no longer be controlled through lies disguised as happiness!”
Suddenly, I freeze, his words striking a chord within me. That sounds...very familiar. It's almost as if...I have to know. “Hawke...what about the times people would help you? Did you not appreciate it, when you received their kindness?” I ask. His answer will determine whether or not my hypothesis is right.
Hawke’s face contorts with hate at my words. “They would never help me. They never helped her. The only time they saw fit to help me is when they could use it to control me! And I wouldn't have it!”
“I'm so damn sick of you ponies always trying to sucker me in with these favors of yours. I won't have it, you hear me? I WON'T HAVE IT!”
I close my eyes and sigh, nodding my head. I never thought that this would be the case. He doesn't just sound like me. He's me...the me that I would have become without the friends that I've made here. I can’t help but ask myself...if I had lost Amaryllis...would I have gone to Sombra willingly, as he had?
“I see...so you're like me then,” I tell him calmly. Hawke pauses and looks at me in confusion. “No, you are me. Or rather, me as I used to be.”
“What are you talking about?” Hawke demands. I smile, finally seeing a different expression on his face other than hate. However, this leaves only one conclusion in my mind. The talking part of this is over.
“But if you are like me, no amount of words will convince you of the truth,” I say sadly. I reach up towards the edge of my burned jacket and slide it off, tossing it aside. Beneath, all I'm wearing is a sleeveless green shirt to match my eyes. I clench my fists and start to power up, my aura towering even higher than before. “Come on, Hawke. Enough feeling each other out. I'm going to show you what I've learned myself.”
Hawke's eyes narrow, and then he nods. He slides off his white gloves, one by one, and drops them to the rocky ground. Then, he reaches up to the collar of his coat and starts to unbutton it. Once it's fully unbuttoned, he takes off the garment and lets it fall atop his gloves. Beneath, he's wearing similar clothing to me: a sleeveless tight fitting black shirt. His corded muscles clearly stand out, now revealed from the long sleeves of his coat.
“As you wish. I'll bring humanity to an end, here and now,” Hawke growls. He clenches his fists and thrusts his arms by his side, power erupting further from his body. The two of us power up as much as we can, and then we both transform at the same time, the sound of our magic rising in volume until it reaches a low roar.
Hawke's fingers elongate and taper to points, forming vicious claws. A line of a black substance shoots through his right eye, causing flakes of skin to crumble and peel away. As for me, emerald cuneiform runes form in structured lines around my body and flow through my aura. Lastly our hair rises upwards, flowing through the air as if suspended in water. Now, I can feel his magic pressing down on me in the air, and I determine to my surprise that he and I are even in terms of overall magical power.
Hawke thrusts out his hand, and then Vanta's scythe soars through the hole in the wall and lands securely in his palm. Dark magic runs through it, converting the weapon to black crystal, such that it looks exactly like it used to when I used it before. He clasps it with both hands and holds it out before him, green electricity crackling from the blade.
I reach out my hand as well and summon my emerald blade, the weapon coalescing in my palm with a flash of green light. If he's going to fight with a weapon I'm going to do the same. I can't afford to give him any kind of advantage in this fight. I can't look away. I can't get distracted. I can't let my guard down, even for a second, or he'll kill me. And I'm not about to let that happen.
Without another word, Hawke and I charge towards one another a speed that puts our previous fight to shame. Blade meets scythe with a clash of metal on metal. We push against each other's weapons while staring into one another's eyes, sparks showering the ground beneath us from the point where the blades meet.
We both step back at the same time, and then Hawke goes on the offensive, spinning his scythe around expertly and lashing out at me repeatedly with the blade. He's so fast, but I'm equally fast. Remembering my training, I step lightly around, using a small amount of effort to redirect each swipe with the flat of my blade. With a straight blade like this, it's easy to hook it into the blade of a scythe and knock it away.
Hawke grunts and brings the scythe hurtling down from overhead, slamming the blade into the rock. I flip backwards repeatedly, narrowly avoiding the resulting shockwave of dark magic by letting it pass underneath me. The moment I'm on my feet, Hawke hurls the scythe towards me, relentless in his attempts to kill me. He soon retrieves it through magic once I block it, and in the short moment before he attacks again, I'm dashing forward. It's my turn to attack.
Using my increased speed from my newly discovered technique, I run up to him and swing my sword upwards, aiming for his chest. Hawke is just as good, so he blocks my blade and attempts to punch me with a free hand, but I'm not there anymore. With my speed, I'm running circles around him, unleashing a series of furious swipes in an attempt to hit him at least once.
Hawke, to my surprise, reforms the scythe into a katana much like my own technique, and it uses it to fend off my assaults at close range, using his dash technique to keep up with my speed. With a yelp, I move my head out of the way to avoid his counterattack, the blade of the katana swishing right in the spot between my head and shoulder.
My blade clashes with his several times, and once I find an opening, I swing down from overhead. However, I'm suddenly tasting blood again when Hawke forms the scythe again and repels me by slamming the haft into my face.
I distance myself with several flips back, just in time to avoid a curtain of dark magic released by Hawke's fist. The wave passes over my head, and I swear I could feel the tip of my nose burning. The moment I land on my feet again, I grasp the coils of runes in my aura and lash all four of them out at once, snapping them like whips at Hawke.
He's fast, dodging around the whips expertly. Each time one of the whips collides with the ground, it gouges out a cleft in the rocky ground. Hawke snarls and swings his scythe multiple times, sending arcs of slicing magic through the air. One of the arcs cuts through a whip, causing it to dissipate, so I call them back and slice my sword through the arcs, keeping myself safe.
This is crazy. We're so even, neither of us can land a hit on the other. Keeping my distance, I form my sword into the chain dagger and lash it out at him, preventing Hawke from moving towards me any faster. He weaves in and out of the attacks, and eventually lets the chain wrap around the heft of his scythe. He tries to pull me in with it, but I clench my fist and cause the chain to break apart into individual links.
Hawke looks around at the links, but doesn't have any time to find a way out before I make a slashing motion with my arm, and cause all of the links to converge upon him at once and explode. I sigh in relief, thinking that I finally dealt some real damage to the guy. It doesn't last long.
Hawke dashes out of the explosion, burns and cuts on his body. He throws his scythe forward, but it's easy for me to dodge. However, I get suspicious when the scythe circles completely around me, leaving a sparking ring of green electricity behind. With a grunt, Hawke thrusts out a claw, which flashes ominously.
I scream in pain as the ring of electricity constricts around me and burns my skin ruthlessly. With a yell, I repulse the ring with a shockwave of magic and move to counterattack, but Hawke is already here. With his scythe in hand, he whirls it around and jabs repeatedly at me with the blunt end of the weapon. Now, it's my turn to step backwards, dodging each of the jabs with some difficulty. As I do so, I can feel the ground rumbling beneath me. The pipes in the walls are groaning and creaking ominously.
My sword flicks up and blocks one of his jabs, allowing me to slide the blade down the haft of his scythe and get close to him. The tip of my blade flicks up and cuts at Hawke's skin, earning a grunt of pain from him. However, I soon regret it, because his scythe soon reforms into a combat knife and slices into my shoulder, leaving a bloody gash behind.
The two of us distance ourselves from one another, taking a moment to check the damage of our wounds and catch our breath. Now that we're going all out, it's starting to take a toll on us. The both of us are breathing a little harder now. Once again, the ground rumbles ominously beneath us, and I swear I see the orange glow from the magma below get a little brighter.
It doesn't matter. I'm not going anywhere until Hawke's defeated. Hefting my sword, I dash back into the attack, my blade arcing through the air and aiming towards Hawke's vital areas. Hawke reforms his weapon into the katana and meets me head on, our blades clashing repeatedly and showering the area with sparks. Holding my sword with both hands, my blade flickers in once, twice. Each time, Hawke expertly diverts the attacks, and then he counterattacks, his blade flashing past my side, missing only because of a last minute dodge from me.
We swing our swords and clash at the same time, our arms shaking from the vibration of the impact. Again and again we slash at one another. Every few strikes, one of us will find an opening and slice into the other, spattering the shaking ground with our blood. We’re tearing each other to pieces, and it’s not giving either of us an advantage. Pushing against one another, we retreat to the edges of the arena to gain some distance. Using my enhanced speed, I run forward as fast as I can with my sword at the ready, gaining as much momentum as possible. Hawke does the same, forming into smoke and zooming forward at me.
Yelling wordless battle cries, the two of us meet in the center, our swords swinging forward with all of that momentum behind them. As the blades meet, they halt for only a second...and then they shatter completely. Hawke and I look at our now useless weapons, the shards littering the ground around us.
Hawke doesn't even hesitate. He tosses his weapon aside and swings his fist forward, punching me in the chest and shoving me back. He presses the attack, but I block his assault, having tossed away my weapon myself. If blades are rendered useless by our strength, then we'll have to do this the old fashioned way.
I redirect his punch and sidestep within his effective range. Seizing the opportunity, I ram my elbow into his ribs and push him back. I follow up with a vicious hammer punch from my left hand, but Hawke blocks it by whipping up his right arm and catching it just above his elbow. The impact sends out a shockwave that ruptures the ground beneath us...and then the whole platform starts to rumble again.
“You're tough...” Hawke grunts, wiping away the sweat pouring from his brow. I do the same, because it's hotter than hell in here. Now that I look, I can tell that the magma is definitely rising. We're putting out so much power, this place is taking a real beating. Around us, some of the pipes break off from the walls and splash into the magma below.
“Amazing what someone can do when they have something to fight for,” I return, not bothering to thank him for his acknowledgment of my strength. “Unlike you, I don't use this power for myself.”
Hawke growls and leaps upwards, intending to hit me from above. However, I leap up to meet him, and we exchange a flurry of punches...only this time we find openings in one another's guard. My fist slams into Hawke's cheek, and then his rams into mine, snapping my head back. His fist arcs up from underneath and punches me in the ribs, but then my hand locks around his arm and holds him there while I lever my knee into his stomach once, and then twice. Hawke chokes and coughs, but then he headbutts me back to the ground.
I chuckle dryly and wipe a streak of blood away from my nose, panting. He and I are completely and totally even. Every time we manage to get a hit in, the other hits back with equal force. My arms are aching and bruising, but so are his. My face is a mess with blood and sweat, but his is as well.
Hawke dashes down in front of me, but I see him coming, and I thrust my fist upwards into his jaw, knocking him back to the other side of the platform. It isn't long before he and I are charging at one another once again. His left fist streaks forward, but I catch it in my left. I attempt to retaliate with my free hand, but he catches it as well.
The two of us headbutt one another, my eyes glaring into his, and we push against one another's grip in a battle of strength. Behind us, the rising magma flares upwards, spewing in the air around the platform and bathing the whole platform in a sweltering orange light. Magma rains down on the platform around us, but neither of us pay any attention, far too focused on defeating the other.
Hawke kicks me repeatedly before I let go, and then he kicks me one last time to knock me backwards, and I swear I feel my ribs crack. I suck in air painfully, but I'm not willing to give up just yet.
Hawke stands still, rotating his arms in a circular fashion. His hands seem to tear through the air, forming a trail of darkness. That looks bad. Even while he prepares his technique, I start to do something similar, a transparent wall of runes appearing in front of me. Hawke forms a circle with the darkness, and then he places his hands in the center, positioning them such that it looks like he's holding an invisible crystal ball.
The circle suddenly fills in, forming what looks like a portal to endless darkness. With a yell, Hawke jams his hands into the circle. A veritable storm of shadowy projectiles shoot forward in such number that even despite my attempts to weave through them, I'm eventually overwhelmed by them. I cry out in agony as the blasts of magic pound into my body and scorch my skin and clothes.
“It's over, Seth Rogers,” Hawke growls at me, panting. He lets the attack dissipate when I fall to my knees in pain, blood seeping from the burns in my skin.
“Not just yet,” I tell him, snapping my head back up. My hand shoots out and flashes before he can react. Hawke yelps in surprise as several transparent walls of runes form around him in the pattern of an octagon. Countless whips of runes emanate from the walls and coil around his every limb and torso, holding him in place despite his frantic attempts to get free. In the time that he had been setting up his own attack, I set up my own. This never would have hit without that opportunity. “Not until I show you what I've learned.”
I clasp my hands together, a pulsing emerald ball of magic forming in the gap between my palms. A massive sword made of green flame forms in the air high above Hawke, suspended only by my magic. With a grunt, I clap my hands together, snuffing out the ball that was there. Hawke screams in agony himself as the massive blade slams down upon him and explodes violently, taking a whole portion of the platform with it.
When the explosion and debris clears, Hawke is revealed standing on a safe part of the platform, his shirt burned away and his skin just as damaged and burnt as mine. We're both panting hard at this point, knowing that it won't be much longer before neither of us are able to fight anymore.
“Why...why won't you just fall...and let my burden end?!” Hawke growls, stepping towards me inexorably. The platform around us is starting to fall apart, slowly cracking and crumbling away at the edges. The debris falls into the steadily rising magma. One quick glance lets me know that we're almost out of time.
“There is no burden, Hawke. The only burden you feel is the one you have created for yourself,” I tell him fervently. Hawke grows furious, and his aura explodes around him and whirls up into the air in a furious tornado. He seems to be tapping into the last vestiges of his strength.
“What would you know about it? What knowledge do you believe you have that allows you to understand my feelings!?” Hawke demands angrily, dashing towards me. I sidestep his assault and latch onto his arm. Using his own momentum against him, I spin around on one heel and hurl Hawke up into the air far above me.
“I lived it!” I yell with every last bit of feeling, placing my hand on my chest. “I lived the pain you feel! I believed everyone was just as worthless as you did...but in the end, it was just my own pain that I allowed to cloud my vision of the world. I could not escape it, and I allowed myself to live in further pain, just as you have!”
“No...you're....you're wrong. Mankind is worthless, and I was justified in my actions! You cannot convince me otherwise!” Hawke snarls viciously. He powers up all the way to his limit, his aura appearing as a black cloud of shadow around him. I reciprocate his motions, pulling out every last drop of power that I have left and exerting it into my body. My aura becomes as large as Hawke's, lime green magic casting a glow around my feet, even as the platform further falls apart.
“I'm going to kill you, and bring humanity to an end...”
“I'm going to show you the error of your ways...”
I propel myself off of the ground with as much force as I can muster, aiming directly for Hawke. Hawke does the same, aiming directly down towards me. He and I thrust our fists our forward, each of us intending to end the fight in one last, desperate attack.
“SEEEETH!”
“HAAWKE!”
The two of us fly past one another. Agony shoots through my chest as I feel the brunt of his power spread across me...but Hawke has taken even more damage. My fist had hit him directly on his face, and he looked close to unconsciousness.
“Ah...” I cry to myself, holding my aching ribcage. It takes me everything I have not to collapse and fall unconscious...but then I see Hawke falling down towards the roiling magma. If he falls there...he'll die horribly, and the battle will be over. But yet...knowing that he was just another me that didn't get the intervention that I did...I won't let that happen.
Immediately, I'm moving, running as fast I can to reach Hawke before he can fall past the platform. Despite my broken ribs, I throw myself to the ground chest first and manage to grab onto Hawke's wrist just before he falls out of my reach. I almost want to cry in the agony I feel from my impact with the ground combined with the utter strain of holding someone as big as Hawke from falling down to his death.
“You're safe now...I've got you,” I tell him fervently, not even knowing whether or not he's conscious. Hawke slowly turns his head up. His eyes widen in shock when he sees that I've saved him, and for the first time, I see a look of pure and utter shock and confusion on his face.
“What...? What are you doing!? I'm your enemy!” Hawke demands furiously. I gaze back at him wordlessly, knowing that this is my one chance...my one chance to prove to him that humans are not all like the ones that hurt him. “You've defeated me...let me go!”
“No. I won't. You're the last human, other than me. It doesn't matter what you've done or what you say...I'm not going to let you die,” I tell him, my brow wrinkling in determination. The pain in my chest is getting harder and harder to bear, but I'm not going to give in. I won't let him go. “You're my responsibility.”
“What...but that's absurd. You have no reason to save me You should have every reason to kill me!” Hawke yells at me. Despite his words, he looks frightened, his eyes wide and darting this way and that. He starts to tear up slightly, much to my surprise. “Let me go, Seth! You've won! Just...just let it be over!”
I remember those words. Those are the words of a person who's given up on all hope a long time ago...given up on life. Those are the words of a person who chooses to die, rather than face the hardship of living onward. Those are the same words that passed through my mind, a very long time ago, on top of that cliff.
Using every last bit of my strength that I have left, I raise Hawke just high enough so that his face is gazing into mine. Lifting my free hand, I slap him hard across the face, earning a pained yelp of surprise from him.
“You are a fucking idiot,” I snap at him, feeling just as angry as Rainbow did, when she had to save me. “How dare you? How dare you suggest that I let you kill yourself?”
“I've killed...and stolen...and I nearly did the same to you. You have defeated me...this is an ending that I can accept...the end to my darkness...my struggle,” Hawke tells me. From then on, I stop seeing Hawke as the governor general, but instead as just another broken man that couldn't handle the pain. “I am nothing but a mass of hate and revenge...let me go.”
“You're wrong,” I tell him flatly. “I know there's more than that inside of you. I heard about you from Mist, you know. I know you have the ability to be a decent guy, if given the choice.”
“What does it matter!? I've wrought so much pain and suffering...this is what I deserve!” Hawke snaps, trying to wring free from my grip. I don't let him, grasping onto his wrist with my other hand.
“No, you're just too afraid to face the consequences of your own actions. Killing you would solve nothing. It wouldn't bring back the human race, nor would it make them happy,” I correct him, remembering everything I've ever learned over the course of my time in Equestria. “If any part of you feels regret for the things you've done...then live. Live, and find happiness.”
“Wha...” Hawke is rendered completely speechless by my words. His eyes slowly widen as he soon comes to a realization. “That is the most unique and selfless thing any human has ever said to me...if...if there were people like you...three thousand years ago...then...oh gods...what have I done?”
“Come on...let's get out of here before this whole place falls apart,” I tell him with a smile, knowing exactly the feelings he's experiencing right now. They are the same feelings I felt during the events in the ruins, when I discovered that humanity was so much more than what I believed them to be. I regretted that I never had the chance to be kinder to them. I'd bet my life that Hawke is now feeling the same thing as well.
Hawke looks down at the magma that's steadily getting closer and closer to his dangling feet, and then back to my encouraging smile. He does this several more times, and then with a grunt of determination, he swings his dangling hand up to me, which I catch with my other hand. Now that we're both trying, it's easy to get him back up on the platform.
He almost collapses once his feet are on solid ground, but I keep him upright, wrapping his arm around my shoulder and helping him stay upright. Part of me is still reeling in disbelief that things have turned out as they have, but the other is oddly happy.
Together, we limp as fast as we can across the crumbling walkway. The platform where we had our fight is now completely falling apart, large chunks breaking away and splashing into the magma below. Just after we reach the exit out onto the snowy mountainside, magma sweeps over the remains of the platform and the walkway, devouring it all with an angry hiss.
Outside, the battle is coming to an end, because the undead are all standing and milling around listlessly. Taking down Hawke has removed his connection to them, so now they are nothing but sheep before the slaughter. Chrysalis looks like she's having way too much fun, blowing apart the now defenseless undead.
It's over. We've defeated Hawke, and brought down his weapon. Not only that, but he's with me right now, and he's finally open to the same lessons I have. I have to get him to the airships...agh...it feels like my body is on fire...
“Seth!? Is that you?” Applejack's concerned voice cries out when she catches sight of us limping down from the mountainside entrance. Hawke has already fallen unconscious, so all of his weight is bearing down on me, and the pain is getting to be too much.
I hear the other ponies from my team rushing over to me, calling out my name and expressing their relief at my return. I also hear concern at Hawke's presence, but I can't really make it all out. Instead it takes all of my remaining energy to respond to Applejack's call.
“No...shit...it’s me...” I grunt, and then I fall forward, hitting the ground painfully. Knowing that the battle is over, I allow myself to lose consciousness. After everything that’s happened today...I think I deserve a rest.
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Must....resist...,Persona 4....reference...
wow great chapter Terran
That battle was intense! I like the way you portrayed Hawke as being the same as Seth was. It really distinguishes the differences between early Seth and current Seth, and how far he's come.
Oh baby! That chapter was as hot as fucking magma.
But seriously, Great chapter, having hawk end up being almost the same person Seth would've been was genius
Sweet Jesus that got me sweating. I know you wouldn't dare kill off Seth but still! It's like the Atlantic ocean in my arm pits, while my face and neck is like the Pacific.
Holly shit! This was like one of the epic final missions of a game. I was literally (metaphorically) at the edge of my seat that whole fight. I could picture the whole thing with such clarity that I really thought I was watching a movie or an epic video game cutscene. Bravo good sir, bravo!
THIS CAN'T BE! THE WEAPON!?! IT'S OPERATIONAL!!!!
silliness and movie quotes aside, this was an impressive chapter. again a fighting scene that i did not dislike like i normally do. and the ending felt fitting ((insert preist wolololo here)) as half way through reading i felt like the two possible conclusions would be either an ending like with kenpachi and ichigo in bleach or hawke going mad, partly falling in the lava and still fighting as half a skeleton with no humanity or even coherent thought left to him.
Added Note: oh god seth is going to be killed by rarity
why seth we just made a major victory why ever would i...seth...
SeTh....
*rage mode* YOU LEFT YOUR JACKET IN THAT VOLCANO DIDN'T YOU!!!!
Seth: now rarity...i have something to tell you but promise you wont be mad
Seth: Rarity, please, i need to be healed first
Seth: Rarity no
Seth:.....maybe
Rarity rage mode: IM GOING TO STICH THE NEXT ONE ON TO YOU SKIN WHEN WE GET HOME!!!
I was totally hoping that Hawke gets dropped into the pit of magma, but instead you take the route where Seth tries to be the good guy and try to make almost all of his enemies do a side change. Not saying that I disapprove but come on! If you are responsible for pretty much wiping out humanity then you deserve that lovely dip in the magma as justice for the countless lives that were lost.
6234998 i believe the phrase "an eye for an eye makes the world blind" would go here. as Seth said in the fight revenge would do nothing but make him truly the last human on earth. and also it makes tactical sense to convert him as now instead of one being at Seth's strength, Equestria now has two.
6235015 Actually it wouldn't go here, it would be justifiable revenge/justice. Hawke+Sombra+Whoever else that sided with him= The deaths of over 6 Billion people. I would understand if it was a few people that he had helped kill, hell a small army at most but he pretty much helped wipe out the entire planet. If you believe that 'Oh he only joined the evil side cause of blah blah blah, oh look he now realized the error of his ways so lets forgive him of his past crimes!' Then that is a load of shit, if I was the one leading the battle and finally had him dead to rights I would prevent him from using his magic and had him crucified and leave him up there to rot and die. Hell if I was feeling especially evil I would keep him alive and let the buzzards and birds tear him apart and let him feel everything as it happens.
Hell I would do the same to Mist, 'Oh I was once a slave but now I am one of Sombra's generals and had pretty much probably wiped out a few towns and turned them into undead! Oh whats this I have been defeated by Seth by being beaten and broken down by mere words and now they want me to join them with pretty much all charges of my crimes dropped? Yeah!'
6235067 You're thinking like a human. Ponies, however, believe that everyone deserves a chance at redemption. Even if they did literally murder the entire human race.
6235088 I know that but still though, even ponies should have standards of who gets the redemption ticket or who gets to meet the headsman block and lose their head. I can understand Chrysalis getting a redemption because her people were starving and that she was pretty much at the end of her rope, but Hawke? Mist? Nope, send em to the noose or block.
I read this chapter while playing Qui-Gon's Tragic End in my mind.
Like a face off between two mary-sues
Kinda boring to always be in Seth's perspective. I understand the whole story is based on his perspective, but I can't help imagining all the juicy story arcs that happen with Chrysalis, Celestia, etc...even the royal guards.
Holy crap... That was fucking epic
So starting off we have Seth preparing himself for the battle ahead, getting in as much training as possible to be able to fight Hawke. However he becomes super focused and Rainbow has to snap him out of it. This was a nice quiet scene before everything gets intense. Seth is determined and ready, but Rainbow helps him relax before he over exerts himself and becomes sore of injured before facing Hawke. It's just a nice scene with them having a moment together as a couple. with everything that has been going on, even just that brief moment is a good one.
After that we have the group prepared and ready for the assault. Here we see just how strong the bond is in this team. Applejack and Rainbow being there for him and supporting his decision to take on Hawke alone was pretty much a given, yet Swift and Trixie back him up all the way. Swift has seen him fight and seen his determination and has trust that he will lead them to victory. Trixie, while having less experience with Seth and having barely any knowledge of Hawke, still supports him, knowing the need to prove yourself to another through her own rivalry with Twilight (even if Twilight doesn't really consider it a rivalry). Pterax doesn't get involved here so it's difficult to say what his opinion is. He clearly has some respect for Seth and the rest of the team after all the fighting they have done together, but whether he considers them some sort of friend or not is unclear. I suppose we'll know more depending on what happens with the changlings once the war is over, whether they will still have clear dislike of the Equestrians and vice versa, or whether they can reach a level of communication and trust.
Anyway Zycthe gets everyone ready and they all head below deck, only having Seth briefly stop to talk with Mist. Now she reveals here that Hawke, unlike the other generals, has always treated her nicely and as such she doesn't want him to die. Now we have seen very little of Hawke directly, and from what we have seen and heard, he is brutal and ruthless and actively helped to destroy humanity. Yet Mist indicates there is some decency in him. This is very interesting, as it seems to almost mirror Seth's initial friendliness towards Derpy despite his clear dislike of everypony else at the time. Very interesting.
Soon after the battle begins and the super weapon is brought online. Having not known that it was operational at a smaller level of capacity the weapon manages to damage the airship, but it's reload is too quick to evacuate the whole ship in time. Seth then takes a level in badass and manages to catch and deflect the second shot and save the crew. Now while this is a cool action sequences, this also helps show how far Seth's character has developed. Had this been earlier on, even when he initially had his dark powers, I suspect Seth would have grabbed his team and abandoned ship, to hell with the gryphons. Instead here he leaps into action to save everyone from the death beam. Now that is pretty damn cool. It also shows his awesome power level again, Nopony else aboard had the strength to deflect that shot (Mist and Trixie were both floored so It's clear despite their large power levels they would have been fried) and yet Seth walks away with nothing but a burned hand that he barely even notices. Awesome.
After that, Seth and Rainbow sonic rainboom to the canon and destroy it, letting it blow itself up after crushing the barrel. So the first objective is complete, thus eliminating Sombra being able to use the canon to destroy Celestia's armies. With that task done, it falls to Seth to complete the second objective: Find Hawke and eliminate him as a threat. The team all give him one last sign of encouragement, staying behind to fight off the Oppressed so Seth has a clear run to Hawke. That is some pretty awesome teamwork here, with all of them fighting at full capacity to give their commander the chance he needs. This team is awesome.
So Seth enters the volcano base (a little cliché for a boss villain fight, but then again, nothing can beat the classics) where he confronts Hawke. Hawke is still tight lipped about whatever tragedy in his past has caused him to turn on humanity, but it becomes clear that he is basically what Seth could have become had he continued to let his own past control him. Having Hawke act as a mirror, showing the Seth of the past versing who he is now, that is completely badass.
So they get into it, starting off at normal level until, they finally reach their highest forms, even bringing in their weapons. They go all out, using weapon strikes, magical attacks, brute strength, cunning speed. This battle is incredibly intense. Not just due to how awesome the fight itself is, and the setting, but because we see them matched in power, fighting for their beliefs and both being the last of their kind. This battle is fucking amazing.
Some of the attack moves are just brilliant and the fight getting so intense it actually destroys both their weapons is epic. This is one of the best fights yet. Sill eventually it comes to an end as they go into one final strike and Seth manages to score a direct hit and knock Hawke over the edge of the cliff towards the rising lava. Yet Seth saves him. Despite all that Hawke has done, Seth doesn't want him to just die, for the only other human to give in and accept death. He wants Hawke to see the truth, just he did. Saving him manages to shock the crap out of Hawke and get him depressed and wishing for death. Then Seth does something amazing. He uses the same words Rainbow used for him, to show Hawke that for all of humanity's sins, there is good in them and that if Hawke lets go of his hatred and anger he will be able to see the truth of humanity.
Seth managing to convince Hawke to repent and join him in living on to make humanity proud and continue on their legacy is probably one of the greatest moments of this entire story. it shows the struggle Seth has gone through to become who he is, to show all the lessons he has learned and can now show Hawke. this is unfucking believable.
So Seth helps Hawke escape and the too make it to the surface were all the undead have become deactivated and are now being moped up by the changlings. I loved at the very end, that after Applejack calls out to him, his final response before falling unconscious is 'No shit it's me'. That is just such an awesome way to end the chapter.
So this leaves us with several questions for how things are going to play out when dealing with Sombra. Hawke joining the team is a massive advantage, as he knows a lot about Sombra's plans and can help fight off the undead. However despite his power, if he tries to join them in fighting Sombra directly, the results could be catastrophic. His powers obviously come from Sombra, like Seth's did, which means they won't harm Sombra at all (like when Seth hit him dead on at full strength and he didn't even flinch), and even worse, could be drained away to further power Sombra up. They will have to be very careful about how they utilize Hawke in the fight to come.
Awesome work dude, I am so pumped for the final confrontation with Sombra. This is going to be epic!
6234729 My thoughts.
why is it that this book makes me tear up and just cheer! i have to stop reading when others are sleeping because i wake them up lol.
6236582
6234729
This is a stupid thought, but:
Now that Seth had saved Hawk EXACTLY HOW RAINBOW SAVED HIM, does that mean Hawk will fall in love with Seth?
(I ship it....)
That was totally epic and satifying! Well done.
I love happy endings so this was great for me. I thought for sure you'd kill off Hawke (and maybe you will anyway, I dunno).
After reading this and thinking about it, I couldnt help but think about how Rainbow saved Seth, then they got together, so my first thought was seeing Hawke watching the two while secretly saying "Notice me Sempai!" but then a new though occured to me. Hawke has only lived in this world filled with hate and preparing for war. He never had a chance to make friends or find love or anything...so bearing that thought the following conversation kinda played out in my mind.
Hawke: I think it will take some time for me to get used to this world.
Seth: How so?
Hawke: well...tell me.. how does it feel?
Seth: what the hell are you talking about?
Hawke: to...you know...do the nasty with a pon...
Seth: The fuck? Wha?! No i....you... (Seth begins to turn nine shades of red)
Hawke: I seen how you look at the rainbow haired one.
Seth: Your....You are just...No!
Hawke: I won't judge your choices. Not like there is much choice anymore for a mate...
Seth: Ok just shut the hell up right now.
Hawke: Does it tickle when...you know...
Seth: one more god damned word and I will end you!
Hawke:.....
Seth:...............
Hawke: I would think it does.
Seth: we are not having this discussion!
(Both settle into an uncomfortable Silence)
Hawke: I am thinking the phrase, Dat Flank yo, applies..
Seth: THATS IT!
(And on that day, the rematch of the millennia took place over ponyville.)
6240371 so much YES for that little skit. it is just too funny cus i could so see this happening...........damn now i need to see this become fanart
Must...... resist..... cliche....... words......
Failed. Nice, i love tragic villains.
I cracked up when they screamed eachothers names lol
Y'know, I want to like this scene, I really do, but it was just...
so cheesy. Especially since the same thing was already done better with Seth.
I just... I really can't get behind the idea that you can break through the kind of cynicism and bitterness that leads someone to mass genocide with a single act of kindness. People don't like to change their minds, about anything, even when you can show them that they're wrong. Hawke's first thought should not be, "I am a monster," but rather, "He must be trying to capture me for his own benefit."
That's the kind of thing Seth used to think, right? Assume that people who are doing you favors are doing so for their own benefit? Seth went through months of pony therapy before he had his breakthrough, while Hawke has been hanging around necromancers, slaves, and shambling corpses for who knows how long. There's only the one small hint of any kind of positive interaction in his past.
Edit: Also, while I'm thinking about it, open magma is kind of a funky power plant design. The usual plan is to drill a well and extract heated water.
Further edit, one chapter later: Okay, that is a bit better. I am still sad that the big climactic confrontation ended in cheese, though.
This story is cheesy but fun!
7214118 I feel that Hawke would come to that epiphany differently, solely because of the fact that Seth himself is human. Along with the knowledge that he has had such a long time to mellow out and become "calmer" about the subject.
that entire fight.. just... ugh. I'm sorry, I know you likely gave it your all to make it epic. but to me it reads like one giant anime cliché. Redeeming the villain that by all rights deserves several bullets between the eyes.
I'm so disappointed that this video is broken. Like, I was looking forward to it too. Guess I'll have to do without.
Oh my god, that was so intense. I wonder what will become of Hawke, considering his past. Personally, I'm hoping the two become bros for some good times. Imagine the infinity teasing from Seth if Hawke ever fell in love with a brightly colored pony lmao.
There's a high possibility of Hawke dying or facing heavy punishment though, so I guess i won't get my hopes up too much.
All Seth ever did was be an ass and nearly betray the ponies to be sent back to his time. Hawke has probably done far worse... Sending Hawke back might be a possibility, but it seems highly unlikely, since he would better learn the lessons Seth has learned by staying in equestria.
What will happen?!
I'm noticing that seth has a heavy trend of deciding he needs rest and passing out after the majority of his battles :b