Chapter 71: True balance
*Raiden POV*
After walking through the doorway, we found ourselves on this big circular platform surrounded by nothing but space. Like actual outer space and everything!
"Whoa..." I said, my jaw dropping in awe as I felt my heartbeat quicken in excitement. "This is amazing!"
Tak turned to me while everyone spread out a bit, looking around. "It really is, though this place seems so empty...minus that cabinet and the globe over there."
Turning my gaze to the two objects on the room, I noticed Celestia was staring at what looked like a couple of picture frames on the cabinet while Ronin and Callobrim were talking by the globe that stood at the middle of the room. As I walked by the two I overheard some of their conversation.
"You left the sword back in the tunnel?!" Callobrim stated in a hushed whisper as Ronin huffed.
"I was busy fighting my brother to actually notice, if you remember." He stated, making me flinch slightly as I felt a surge of regret overcome me.
I cant believe I actually tried to draw my own brother's blood over some girl. I thought as I sighed. The points Ronin made hit the nail on the head too. I pushed Twilight away, and her going to Ronin instead is something I can't be mad about.
A flash of light brought me out of my thoughts as I saw Callobrim teleport Ronins sword into his hands, much to the shock of Ronin.
"Whoa...Howd you do that?" He exclaimed as Callobrim chuckled softly.
"My boy, there's more to me than meets the eye." He said as he twirled the katana in his hands. "Besides, this blade USED to belong to me after all."
Leaving them to their conversation, I walked over to Celestia, casually ignoring the fact that Tak was now spinning the globe like it was a toy.
As I approached her, I noticed a somber look on her features.
"Are you ok?" I asked, making her jump a little as she turned and smiled sheepishly.
"Yes...I'm fine." She said unconvincingly as I noticed she had a picture in her left wing.
Pointing to it, I frown. "Then what's that?" I asked, making her sigh and show me the picture.
It had four ponies standing together in one of those fancy shots where everyone would stand as if they were at a wedding. There was a male alicorn that seemed to be at least seven feet tall with a blue mane with pink trails. Beside him was a smaller alicorn female that shined of almost pure golden color everywhere while one of her hooves rested on the shoulder of one of two fillies in front of them.
Looking closer at the two fillies, I realized that one had pure white fur with pink hair with a horn and the other had dark blue fur with a light blue hair color that went with her wings perfectly.
"This...was my family before my parents died." Celestia said as her wingtips pointed to the two girls. "Those two foals are my sister and I before we became alicorns."
Gasping slightly, I look back up at Celestia. "Wait...you two were normal ponies once?"
She nodded, putting the picture back on the cabinet. "No one is born a alicorn, Raiden. Those who become one usually have performed a great feat or have reached a level of enlightenment beyond normal ponies understandings." She informed me as she frowned at the picture. "But my mother died when I was young...so why this picture here?"
Before I could ask her anything else, Taks voice could be heard speaking up.
"Guys! Look at this!"
We all turned to him just in time to see the globe start to rise into the air and open up two ways, revealing none other than...
"Nicholas!!!" I yelled in shock as Nicholas, balled up and floating, remained suspended in the air above us.
"What in Equestria?" Celestia exclaimed as Callobrim took a couple steps back.
"No...we were too late!" He stated as Ronin turned to him.
"Too late?! For what?!" Ronin yelled as he turned to back to Nicholas. "Screw this, I'm getting him down from there."
He jumped up and reached out for Nicholas with his tentacle arm, just for Nicholas to quickly unfurl himself and put out a hand himself, freezing Ronin in a red aura.
"N-Nicholas?" Tak stuttered, looking on in worried fear as Nicholas opened his eyes, revealing golden irises instead of his normal blue.
"You shouldn't have come." A feminine voice rang out from his lips as he talked, making everyone except me and Tak gasp.
"Faust?! But how?" Callobrim exclaimed, making me look at Nicholas in shock.
'Nicholas' just laughed. "We activated the Era, Callobrim." He dropped Ronin, sending him crashing to the ground as 'Nicholas' landed safely in front of everyone with a slow descent. "Such a chaotic spell, don't you think? Instead of creating a new life like before, it merged my mind and power with the magic you gave Nicholas so long ago."
Celestia gritted her teeth and stepped forward. "So you possessed a child just for the sake of power? Why do you have my mother's name?"
'Nicholas' looked to Celestia and sighed. "That's because I am your mother, Sunshine. And I'm FAR older than what both Chronos and you two were led to believe."
Celestia growled and stomped forward. "What does that mean?"
Callobrim raised a hand, stopping Celestia as he sighed. "It means your family was built on lies, Celestia. Faust here married Chronos for, as you guessed it, the power that comes with being royalty."
I looked up at 'Nicholas', who now wore a unapologetic expression. "How could you do that? What about the sisters, did they mean anything to you?"
Nicholas...or Faust chuckled menacingly. "You were accidents of a good time, nothing more. Why do you think I had Tarus kill your father?"
Celestia froze as those words took their toll. She looked down at the ground as her breath became slower and more coarse.
"No...my own mother..." She whispered as Ronin got up and pointed at Faust.
"Enough! Let my brother and his friends go!" He demanded as she shrugged and snapped her fingers, making Applebloom and Diamond Tiara appear next to Tak in a flash of golden light.
"Go ahead and take the two girls. Nicholas's mind and body belongs to me, so I no longer need them as a bargaining tool." With her other finger she magically opened the door behind us. "I'll let them leave...if one of you leave with them and don't return."
Callobrim shook his head. "You expect us to lower our numbers when your at full power?" He asked, but Tak had already walked over two the girls.
"Are you two ok?" He asked as Applebloom pointed up at Faust.
"Yall need to save Nick!" She said as Diamond Tiara nodded.
"Please, she did something horrible to him earlier before you two arrived, and then they fused together somehow!" Diamond exclaimed as Tak sighed.
"We figured. But don't worry, I'm going to take you guys home while Ronin and the others save Nicholas." He turned to us. "I'll go. I have the least amount of experience fighting and would be in the way."
Realizing it would be better if the kids weren't here, Callobrim nodded. "Very well. Godspeed, young Tak."
As Tak guided the girls out the door, though not before Applebloom turned and gave us one last pleading stare, Faust locked the door behind them and smiled at us.
"What now? Are you going to try and play the hero and save your brother?" She stated as Callobrim frowned and faced her.
"Indeed, you old witch. We're gonna save the lad and bring him home...it's time you payed for yer sins." He said as he gripped the blade he held hard. "Get ready everyone!"
Ronin smiled and cracked his neck. "Make sure not to rough up Nicholas too much. We do need him alive after all."
Celestia, who had finally snapped out of her funk from before summoned her spear and pointed it at Faust with a signature Royal Canterlot Glare. "You have caused so much pain and suffering, Faust. As princess and ruler of Equestria, I will stop your bloody trail here."
I smiled at Celestia and summoned my axes, turning to face Faust with a glare of my own.
"You lost the moment you decided to mess with our family, Faust. This ends here and now!"
Faust rolled her eyes and summoned a floating scale and a sword to swirl around her as she smirked at us.
"Then all of you will join your fallen family in Tartarus!" She exclaimed as the scales weighing parts began spinning quickly, shooting out several beams of golden light at us.
"Watch out!" I yelled out as I dove out of the way of one while Callobrim and Celestia deflected the ones that came at them, the former with his blade the the latter with a golden bubble of her own.
Ronin, however, just powered through the beam that hit him, jumping over the sword and scale sent his way and straight towards Faust and throwing a left hook.
Faust ducked underneath it and snapped her fingers again, making a loudspeaker appear next to Ronin and blast him back with the soundwaves it produced. He ended up sliding backwards all the way next to me, gripping his head hard as he groaned in pain.
"Damn, she's using Nicks tricks." He stated as I nodded and ran forward, throwing my axe at the speaker and making it to explode.
Said explosion caused Faust to reel back in shock before she could realize I was still approaching, allowing me to get close enough to grab her by Nicholas's neck and slam her on the ground.
"Leave him, NOW!" I roared as she laughed.
"Or what? You can't kill me, and half of your little group are too busy fighting my toys to help you." She said as I looked over to see Callobrim in a duel with the magic sword and Celestia bring forced to deflect multiple beams from the scale, pinned in one spot and unable to move.
Faust took my moment of weakness and placed her hand on my chest, blasting me with a pulse and sending me into Callobrim and across the floor.
"You absolute bitch!" Ronin yelled as he charged at her while Callobrim and I got up.
"Are you alright?" I asked him as he nodded.
"Yes, Lad. Just-Duck!" I did as commanded and ducked as he blocked a swing from the sword with his own. "We need to remove her mind from Nicholas...If I could just get to her I'd be able to do it with a spell."
As he continued to block swings from the sword I raised an eyebrow at him. "Wait, you can do that?"
He nodded. "Remember, SHE gave me my power. It only makes sense I'd be able to take her out of Nicholas if she is now a type of magical energy in him." He said as I nodded.
"Alright, go! I'll handle the blade." I said as I swung my axe at the sword while Callobrim ducked and ran over to Celestia.
As I moved the the side to avoid a thrust, he cut the scale in half, relieving her of her blocking duties as he looked her in the eyes.
"Celestia, I need to get to Faust." He said, pointing to where Ronin was in a beam war against said person, the former using his eyes to blast a red beam and the latter using another scale to fire off hers. "Could you teleport me above them when I say so?"
Celestia nodded, albeit slightly confused. "I could, but what are you planning, Brim?"
As I was parrying a jab from the sword and pushing it backwards, Callobrim answered her while pulling out what looked like the same necklace he had given Nicholas.
"This was what I used to store the power Faust gave me. If I can get it on her I could direct all of her power into the necklace, trapping her and her magic in it forever." He stated.
"Sounds like a plan!" I exclaimed, having to use both axes now to block the sword as it was relentlessly swinging at me. "But could yall hurry it up? I'm starting to get tired here and I doubt Ronin's doing much better."
Sure enough, Ronin was losing the beam exchange as Fausts beam was closing in on him. Any minute now he would be hit by the powerful blast, and thats the last thing we needed right now.
Celestia nodded at me. "Then we have no time to waste." She turned to Callobrim, her horn lighting up as he began to shine. "Tell me when to activate it."
He looked forward, eyeing Faust carefully as she directed the scale beam at Ronin. She wasn't looking at us right now, but we only had one chance to make this work.
As he watched, the sword stopped cleaving at me and thrusted quickly, catching me off guard and knocking the axes out of my hand as it prepared to swing one last time at my head.
"NOW!" He yelled as he was teleported right behind Faust, necklace in hand.
Faust turned around quickly, her golden eyes widening at the sight of Callobrim behind her.
"What are you-" She went to ask, but was cut off as the necklace was placed on her with Callobrim holding onto the crystal part.
"Time for a new Era, Faust." He said as he activated the spell, engulfing Faust in light as she started to thrash about.
"NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! YOU CANT DO THIS, CALLOBRIM! YOU CANT-SCREEEEEEEEEE-!!!!!!!!" She yelled out as the light died, letting Nicholas's body crumple to the ground as Callobrim took the necklace off him and backed off.
"Nicholas!" Ronin yelled as he and I ran towards Nicholas while Ronin being engulfed in a black mist. By the time he made it to him, Ronin had returned to his human form.
I knelt down and held him by his head as he slowly stirred with a cough or two.
"R-Raiden*Cough*Ronin...is that you guys?" He asked as Ronin began to tear up.
"Yeah, bro...Raiden and I came for you." He said as he breathed deeply, trying not to cry as I laughed.
"Yeah, you know Ronin would be a mess without you, Nikky." I told him, feeling a tear go down my cheek as we wrapped around each other in a strong hug.
The sounds of clopping hooves alerted me to Celestia coming over, and I released myself from the hug and stood up to face her.
"Thanks Celestia...We couldn't had done this without you." I told her as she smiled at me while Ronin and Nicholas stood up, the latter with a little bit of help from Ronin.
"There is no need for thanks, Raiden. We not only saved your brother and two of my little ponies, but we also saved Equestria from one of its biggest threats to date." She said as she shook her head. "Honestly, I think I prefer royal duties to this."
Nicholas beamed. "Well, thank goodness you guys saved me...but how did you defeat Faust and stop the Era?" He asked as I smiled at him and turned to Callobrim.
"Well, we had help from...Callobrim." I said, but trailed slightly as I noticed he was putting on the necklace.
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Axel POV
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"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" I roared with laughter as the two changelings in front of me gave me odd looks.
"What's so funny, Sir?" Shifter asked as his partner Anal-oh for the kings sake that name!- Tilted his head to the side in confusion.
"N-Nothing! I'm just laughing in*Snrk* merriment in the naming ceremony, as you called it." I chuckled out as Scootaloo gave me a glare while Luna had to "Excuse" herself from the room after hearing the changeling tell us his name.
Didn't matter much, we still heard her howl like a wolf from wherever she teleported.
A flash of blue light signaled that Luna had appeared right next to us just as Scootaloo spoke up.
"Now that we have Axels...fit out of the way, why do you have those?" She asked, pointing at the objects Shifter was carrying. One was a big sword that had a silver griffon on the handle, and the other was a purple orb.
Luna frowned and grabbed the purple orb from him. "This is an antimagic orb...where did thou find this?"
Anal looked up at her and smiled. "We found the orb in the castle in Griffonia, and the sword was left behind by the king, so we were ordered by Queen Pie to bring them here."
Luna's left eye twitched. "Queen...Pie? Your telling me that party pony holds a higher title than..." She took a deep breath, calming herself before speaking up again. "Very well, what did 'Queen' Pie say to do with them?"
Shifter shrugged. "She gave direct orders to give the orb to Raiden and the sword to Ronin. Said something about it helping them in the big fight" He said as he began to do just that. Earlier the sword that Ronin had held teleported over to Callobrim, so Shifter had an open hand to put the sword in, allowing it to rest in Ronins lap easily.
He then turned and placed the orb in Raidens left hand before turning to us.
"Earlier, we felt their presence in the hivemind. Is the king and his compatriots going to be alright?" He asked us as Scootaloo placed a hoof on his shoulder.
"Ronin and the others will be fine. They've handled far scarier threats before!" She reassured the big yet suprisingly sensitive changeling as Luna nodded, a smile on her face.
"Indeed. With the help of my sister and Sir Callobrim they will claim victory within the hour!" She exclaimed as Anal cheered happily, making me roll my eyes as I smiled.
Yeah, its not like anything could blindside them. Theyve got Faust outnumbered 5 to...huh? I thought before seeing Tak surge awake as a bright flash shined around him, leaving Applebloom and Diamond Tiara behind him and next to Scootaloo and Shifter.
"Whoa...that was weird." Diamond Tiara stated as she got to her hooves slowly, looking kinda dizzy while Applebloom got up with little issue before being glomped by Scootaloo.
"Applebloom! Your OK!" Scootaloo cheered as Applebloom hugged her friend back before pulling back and frowning.
"Ah am, but Nick isn't. Faust has him under her control and is using him to fight the others!" She exclaimed as Tak got up and turned to me.
"Axel, take Diamond Tiara and Applebloom to their homes. I'll watch over things from here." He said as I gave him a salute.
"Aye aye boss." I turned to the two girls. "Alright, time to bring you girls home."
Diamond Tiara shook her head at me. "No! I'm not going back home until Nicholas is safe."
Applebloom nodded. "Neither am Ah!"
I groaned as Luna spoke up. "Perhaps it is better if they are here with us...until Faust is defeated for sure, they may be used again as leverage."
Tak went to respond, but stopped short and nodded instead. "You make a fair point, princess." He turned to the group who was in a circle just as another flash of light appeared, this time leaving Nicholas's body where Tak had once sat.
"Nick!" Applebloom yelled out and her and Diamond Tiara tackle hugged the boy (who stayed in a sitting position somehow the whole time) as I smiled.
"Well, mission accomplished then. Everyone should be waking up soon!" I exclaimed happily...but the circle of cooked out beings didn't move or stir.
Luna frowned. "Something is wrong. They should've returned by now."
Scootaloo turned to Tak, who looked quite worried. "Tak, can you sense something?"
He took a deep breath and closed his eyes before he gasped and fell back on his flank.
"Oh...Oh no!" He turned to the old man. "Callobrim wouldn't!"
Luna eyes widened, recognizing Taks fear. "What's wrong, foal?"
Tak turned to the princess, shuddering slightly as he responded.
"I felt Callobrims thoughts from when he was in the hivemind...he never wanted to stop the Era." He turned to me and the girls. "He just wanted to stop Faust from activating it instead of him."
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Nicholas POV
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I felt...like a mango smoothie while it's being made.
I wasn't in pain or unable to move or anything...just exhausted mentally. It honestly would've been worse if everyone hadn't came to save me and the girls, and that's a revalation that scares me.
However, things didn't look like they were going to be calming down as I watched what was supposed to be my dead grandfather putting on the necklace that they had used to trap Fausts power in.
"Grandpa?" I asked hoarsely as Celestia walked over to us as Grandpa turned to face us. "What are you doing?"
He looked me in the eyes, and I didn't have to be a changeling to see the pain in them.
"Nicholas...I have hurt so many with my actions, and left you and your brothers without proper parents due to it." He gripped the necklace hard as he began to shine with a golden glow. "Which is why I have decided I'm going to use all of Fausts power to reset time."
Raidens jaw dropped. "You can't be serious, time travel?!"
Ronin looked veeeery angry. "Have you lost it, you old coot?!"
Callobrim sighed as he began to float. "Boys, I don't expect you to understand. But know that when I am done with the Era Equestrias clock will be sent back a thousand years. Your parents will be alive, the threats of today can be stopped ahead of time." He turned to Celestia and smiled. "And Luna could never be sent to the moon."
I couldn't believe what I was hearing. If he sends us back...then all of our friends weve made here...the relationships...
Celestia shook her head, her thought process being similar.
"I don't think so, Callobrim." She said heatidly. "Going back in time and changing fate would hurt these three more than help them."
Ronin nodded and let me stand on my own as he pointed at Grandpa. "Yeah! Last I checked, almost none of my herdmates lived back then. I ain't leaving them behind!"
Raiden nodded. "And wasn't Luna in a relationship with that Dadiolus guy back then too? If we go back and he stays alive then I'm losing a marefriend, and you know I'm not ruining this chance I have."
Callobrim looked between them before turning his head back to me. "And what do you think, Lad?"
It wasn't even a question at this point. Deep down, I knew my answer.
"I have a family, here and now. I have friends, brothers, and a mother that is waiting for me in Ponyville. Sorry, but all this isn't for us, is it?" I clenched my fists and glared at him. "It's to erase your guilt for your mistakes."
Callobrim looked shocked as he stared me down from above. "Nicholas...I'm sorry that you three are unable to realize what I am giving you, nor what I am attempring to do...I said I'd repent for my sins, and this is how I'm going to do it." He raised the necklace off his head and into the air. "Now! We shall see if the Era will listen!"
The bright golden glow on Callobrim started to shine brighter and brighter as it encompassed us whole, though just before it swallowed us I saw three flashes of light. Two of them on both Raiden and Ronin while the other was Celestia giving me something as she looked me in the eyes and spoke.
"For all of our sakes...you must stop Callobrim from resetting Equestria!" She told me as all went white.
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Moments later
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When the light died down, we found ourselves on what seemed to be a mountain peak surrounded by clouds. The peak itself was decently sized at a circle that was about half a football field wide and long. A small shimmer of sun shined down on my skin as it pierced the clouds that covered it up while the wind blew at a uneven pace.
Looking in my hands I noticed there was some sort of amulet in them. It was orange and had the sun and the moon on the sides of it with a ruby in the middle.
Looking to my brothers I saw Ronin had a much bigger sword in his hands while Raiden had some sort of orb in his.
"Whoa! It's my sword from Griffonia!" Ronin exclaimed as Raiden looked at it in shock.
"Why is it so big? And what's this thing?" He said as he shook the orb, causing it to glow a bit before he turned to me. "And what's that you got there Nick?"
I put the amulet on and shrugged. "Something Celestia gave me, don't know what it does though."
"It grants you some of her and Lunas power if they put it in the amulet...and it seems she wanted to make sure you could hold your own without Fausts magic, boy." A familiar voice called out from somewhere.
Ronin did a three-sixty, looking much more on edge. "That voice...I killed you back in the hills near ponyville, how are you here Dadiolus?!"
A golden flash in front of us went off, revealing a pale mane in a robe with a staff in its wake. The bald sorcerer laughed as he pointed his staff at Ronin.
"I'll admit, you bested me there boy, but I've been given a second chance." He said as another flash went off next to the man, revealing a woman clad in icy blue armour and a staff of her own.
"Well well, if it isn't the little dragon who thought he could. Tell me, how'd you like being impaled on my claws?" The lady said as Raiden took a step back, summoning an axe in his free hand.
"Christine! How are you here?!" He yelled as Christine rolled her eyes at us.
"Do you have ears? Dadiolus just told you we've been given a new lease on life." She pointed her icy nail claws at Raiden and laughed. "All we gotta do is kill you, and we exist again without these horrid side effects."
A third flash of light revealed Grandpa, except now he looked decently younger and healthier than before. He turned to me and used his open hand to gesture to his sister and childhood friend while his other hand held his sword tightly.
"Nicholas, Raiden, Ronin." He called out to us, his voice booming. "As you can see, I have used Fausts power to bring back the two people in front of you." He shook his head. "I would be hard pressed to defeat you three on my own, but since you demand to try and stop me from fixing my mistakes I have to take drastic measures."
Ronin growled and pointed his large sword at Dadiolus. "So what? I killed you once, I'll do it again. THEN I'm coming for you old man!"
Raiden chuckled. "Christine, you may have gotten me in Canterlot, but my transformation is permanent now, and last I checked fire beats ice!" He stated as Christine gave him the finger.
I looked Grandpa in the eyes as I clenched the amulet I wore tightly, feeling a surge of power flow through me once more. "This isn't how you fix your past, Grandfather. You can't just wish your pain away...you have to be strong enough to handle it head on and grow from it." I shook my head. "But you'll never learn that, will you?"
Grandpa sighed, giving me a dejected glare. "I really had high hopes for you boy. I set up everything, from the 'prophecy' I left in my journal for Celestia to the events leading to you fighting these two standing before me. You were supposed to help me bring the family back together." He gave me a sad smile. "Alas, it was never to be. It's better to erase the past and make it new rather than face the pain that comes with mistakes. If we defeat you here, you three will become infants again, and have no recollection of this world, allowing the reset to come true." He started to float slightly as Dadiolus cloaked himself in darkness and Christine changed into her wolf form from Canterlot.
Ronin, holding his sword with two hands, lifted it into a battle stance and turned his head to me and Raiden.
"This is it, guys. Everything and everyone is counting on us winning this fight. We cant let those we love down!"
Raiden nodded and and took a deep breath, possibly storing up fire breath for later...or simply calming his nerves.
"We've come a long way from that little apartment in Florida, huh." He stated as he gave me and Raiden a genuine smile. "No matter what happens, know that I love you guys more than anything, and I'm glad to have went on this journey with you two."
I smiled and wiped away the tears I didn't know were there. "I'll never regret bringing us here, and even with the pain we've been through we grew from it and became closer as a family." I shifted into music form as I directed my gaze to the three humans in front of us and let out a deep breath.
"Let's finish this. Once and for all."
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As if hearing me, Callobrim shot forward in the blink of an eye with his sword raised high.
*Clang!*
Ronin had jumped in front of me and blocked the blow with his sword, pushing grandfather back and following up with sever counter attacks.
I turned to my right side just in time to put up a barrier around myself as Dadiolus fired off a black beam at me.
"What's the matter boy? Can't fight back?" He exclaimed as I glared at him and dropped my barrier as I started levitating off the ground.
"Bold words coming from someone who who's facing down a sun-charged hero." I stated as, with a snap of my fingers, summoned several large loudspeakers in front of me aimed right at him, much to his apparent shock.
"Shiiii-"
BOOM!
****Raiden POV****(POVs may switch a bunch here, so be ready)
"Come back, dragon! Let me help you chill out!" Christine yelled as she continually fired ice shards after me. I had taken to the sky to avoid them but now couldn't get close enough to do any damage without putting myself in danger.
"I will the second you start playing fair!" I yelled back as I blocked a shard with my axe and noticed she was starting to glow brightly.
"Fair? I'll show you fair!" She exclaimed as she began to be surrounded by a cold mist.
"Oh hell no!" I yelled as I flew in close to intercept, only to get hit by a stray beam from across the field and get knocked backwards into the air.
Looking to the direction of the beam, I noticed Nicholas and Dadiolus in a magic fight, though Nicholas was easily being outpaced by the mage's experience in this area even with his speakers.
Looking between him and the form changing Christine, I flew over to Nicholas while he was blocking another beam.
"Nicholas, Christine is changing forms, you go take her out while I handle Dadiolus." I told him as he nodded and ran off to deal with her, leaving me with the mage.
"Changing enemies only changes who kills you, you know." He said as he prepared to fire off a beam while I glided close to the ground to get close enough to gut punch him.
"Looks like your not used to fighting people up close, you know." I mocked at him, whispering in his ear as I sent him into the air with a second blow to the chest from the blunt side of my axe and flew up after him.
He looked down at me as I approached, and deflected my axe swing with his staff before slamming a shadow coated elbow into my shoulder and delivering a roundhouse kick to my side.
"Looks like you aren't either, Smartass." He said as he went to stab me through the stomach with his staff...
...before having to glide out of the way of Callobrim as Ronin had somehow flung him into the air.
"Switch targets!" Callobrim yelled out as Dadiolus gave me a salute and dropped to the ground below to fight Ronin while I raised my axe just in time to block grandafthers sword.
"Stand down, Raiden. This is for the greater good." He said as he charged up some sort of spell in his free hand.
I growled and looked at the purple orb in my free hand, which seemed to be glowing now.
"Your 'greater good' is going to ruin lives, damn it!" I exclaimed as I activated the orb, watching as it sent out a wave that hit everyone at once before it shattered into a million pieces.
Callobrim looked at me in shock. "You...you fool! How can you be so blind?!" He stated before he began to plummet to the ground, looking old again and no longer glowing.
"Ooooh! So it was an antimagic orb. Cool!" I stated as I flew down after him, now capable of standing a chance against the seasoned warrior.
****Ronin POV****
I brought my sword down on Dadiolus's staff. "We're doing this again, humpty-dumpty?"
He pushed me off and fired a beam at me, making me duck under it. "Save it, boy. I
We both know you won by luck last time."
Just as he was about to fire another beam, a purple wave hit both of us, making Dadiolus gasp in shock as he went to one knee and began to gasp while I felt my powers leave me.
"What...my...magic?" He sputtered out as my eyes widened.
"Wait...an antimagic field? Why does that feel so-" I was cut off as I was assaulted with visions of a buzzsaw coming at me. "Larxene...that's how Grimbeak killed her in Canterlot." I raised my sword and plunged it through Dadiolus, the contact making a sick slushing sound as he turned to dust soon after.
Thank goodness I didnt need magic to do that.
"Good riddance, you ass. No one else will die by you and your centuries old friends" I said as I looked over to see Nicholas on the ground and backing away from a giant wolf. "Crap, NICHOLAS!"
****Nicholas POV****
I had floated out of the way of several slices from Christine, all the while summoning subwoofers to blast her back if she got too close.
"Damn it! Quit running, Nicholas!" She yelled as she went to stab me with her claws, only for me to teleport behind her.
"Nah, this is better." I said as I placed hand on her back and channeled some sun magic into her body, melting her back a bit as she howled in pain and leapt away several feet and faced me.
"You...You..." She went to say as purple wave shot off, hitting us both. She shuddered a bit and started moving around woozily while I fell to the ground, suddenly feeling sorta sickly again.
I looked at her dizzy state and smiled, snapping my fingers to summon another speaker.
Only...it didn't come.
Panicking, I tried again several times...only for each time to fail. I even tried floating, but that failed too.
I looked at Christine in fear as she was now recovering from her dizzy spell.
"Whoa...that antimagic beam sucked. Good thing this form is based on living wendigos and not magic." She said as she noticed my gaze and Gve me a hungry smile. "But you, on the other hand, DO require magic to fight."
Crap.
I began to crawl backwards away as she walked towards me, licking her claws as she approached me.
"Between you and me, I only want to kill you Nicholas. I'll let one of your bros kill me afterwards." She opened her gaping maw and roared. "But first, I feast!"
She swung her claws out at me, only for them to be blocked by Ronin as he grabbed them with his bare hands.
"So your that Queen that put Raiden in the hospital? Glad to finally meet ya." He exclaimed as Christine growled.
"Really? And why is that? Do you wish to be hospitalized too?" She mocked and pushed down on him as Ronin rolled his eyes and looked above her while barely keeping his footing.
"It would be kinda hard to hospitalize me without a head, don't ya think?" He strained out as Christine frowned.
"What do you mean by-"
SLHICK!
Unbeknownst to Christine, Raiden had flown above her and swung his axes straight at her neck, cleaving it well off her shoulders. Her body shuddered violently before it slowly turned to dust, allowing g Ronin to recover from almost being parallel to the ground.
He turned to me, worry in his eyes as he looked me over. "You ok?"
I smiled and gave him a thumbs up as I slowly felt some power coming back to me. "Yeah, but what was that just now? I couldn't use any magic at all!"
We turned to Raiden, who was now smiling sheepishly.
"I may have activated a antimagic orb by accident." He said slowly as Ronin face-palmed.
"You are so lucky I don't need magic to fight, and was able to get to Nicholas in time." He said before he shrugged. "Though, now both Christine and Dadiolus are gone for good. All we have left to deal with is-"
"Me."
We all turned to to face Callobrim as he stood across from us, glaring at us as he clenched his free hand tightly into a fist.
"Rule one of fighting, Raiden. NEVER leave yer target unsupervised when in disadvantage, for they will always find a way to turn the tables." He lifted his hands towards us as they glowed fiercely. "Don't worry though, I will personally teach all of you how to fight when ya grow of age to use weapons and magic again."
As he finished that line, a large beam of golden light came straight at us. I went to make a barrier around us, only to find I didn't have enough magic recovered yet from losing it earlier.
Ronin and Raiden both noticed this, and shared a sad smileRonin winked at me as he made his metal wings appear.
"Little bro, use whatever magic you've got and stop Callobrim, alright? I doubt he'll have much of a fight after this beam." He stated as Raiden nodded.
"Stay strong, Nicholas. We'll see you in just a bit." He said as Ronin quickly placed his wings in front of them while Raiden released a large blast of fire, blocking the huge beam temporarily.
Realizing what they were doing, I began to panic slightly.
"What?! I can't neat him on my own!" I exclaimed as Ronins wings began to crack slightly.
"You took out Christine on your own, right? Then you can take this old fart." Ronin struggled out as he sounded more and more winded with each word. Raiden said nothing due to his current position with breathing fire, but I could see the look of faith in his eyes.
As the beam slowly pushed through Raidens flames, I felt my magic surge again. I looked between my two brothers and smiled, a single tear going down my face as I put up a small barrier around me.
"Thank you! I'll see you and everyone else soon!" I exclaimed with pride as the beam destroyed Ronins wings and pierced through Raidens fire, absorbing everything around me in pure light.
****Moments later****
After a minute, the light died down, leaving only me and Gran-Callobrim. He looked at me in suprise from a kneeling position on the ground as I lowered the barrier around me and walked towards him.
"You...but how?" He said as I gave him a fierce glare, remembering everything that he had done to my family over the years.
"My brothers took the beam for me while allowing me enough time to put up a barrier around me." I said harshly as I now stood merely three feet from him as that look of suprise was now a blank look into the void.
"Nicholas...I never wanted to hurt anyone, I just wanted to-GAH!" He tried to explain, but I sent a kick straight into his throat mid sentence to stop him.
"NO! You don't get to explain yourself anymore!" I yelled, feeling a surge of rage in me as I stared down at my 'grandfather'. "All you've ever done in this world is hurt your family, and I am tired of it! I'm tired of all this pain and suffering that YOU have caused!"
Callobrim glared up at me, though his eyes showed the pain in his soul. "Why do you think I'm trying to reset time?! That way, all that pain disappears!"
I yelled out in frustration while charging magic into my right hand. "Bullcrap! Do you not realize how happy we were until you started causing trouble?! WE WERE HAPPY WITHOUT YOU!" I yelled as I swung the charged fist straight at his throat as he flinched in fear...
...only to find I didn't connect the blow.
"What? Why didn't you..." He started as he noticed I had grabbed the necklace with my magic powered hand. "No! Nicholas don't you dare!"
I smiled at him. "What? If your truly capable of controlling the Era with the power you have, then why can't I? Besides, If I use it then I can waste it on something small and silly rather than you use it for your warped reasons." I explained as I charged up the necklace using what I remembered from what Faust had done to me before back in the space room.
"NOOOOOOOOOOO!" Callobrim yelled out as all went white.
*********************
No POV/ location unknown
*********************
The Aether. A land that doesn't exist, yet it does. A land of pure light, and pure darkness. A land in which no time is spent, and also a land where all time travels through to exist.
In short, this land is a land of contradictions. Or at least, this is what HE thinks of it anyway.
He sat in a silver chair overlooking six large mirror pools. Each one showed him the major events happening in multiple identical worlds.
One world in particular had caught his attention for a minute now. It seemed that it had reached its climax between light and dark, and light had just won the day.
The man chuckled, stroking his smale white beard as he stood up from his chair, which was in all sense of the word a simple folding chair named time chair.
"So, Nicholas and Callobrim have finished their fight?" He mused. "Well, they should be arriving shortly then."
Sure enough, in the flash of a brilliant yellow, both child and old man appeared in the room. They landed on the crystal floor and the young boy looked around quickly, taking in the spacey background he had seen before.
"Whoa...what is this-huh?" He stated before noticing The man in front of him. He got to his feet and clenched his fists, putting them up like boxing gloves.
"W-Who are you?" He asked as The man smiled warmly and waved his hand.
"Relax, I am no foe." He stated as the boy relaxed while the old man turned to face the man. You may call me @$#%#^@&@, and I have watched over your actions all this time."
Nicholas blinked a minute before frowning. "Another 'God' then?" He asked as Callobrim slowly got to his feet.
"Boy...he's not joking." He stated as The man raised an eyebrow at Callobrim. "This is the guy that granted Faust her power and created all of this in the first place."
The boy looked shocked, to say the least. "Whoa! Your that guy from Fausts story?"
The man chuckled. "Yes, though don't go worshipping me please." He stated before smiling at the boy. I would like to congratulate you, Nicholas. You overcame your hardest obstacle and earned the reward of choosing the fate of your world."
The boy blinked in suprise. "The fate of the world? You mean I can..." He trailed off as The man nodded.
"Indeed, you earned the Era, not through vile intent or lust for power, but through selflessness and caring for others." The man walked over and knelt down, putting a hand on Nicholas's shoulder, a crazy idea considering the eight feet that was Him. "What do you want for your Equestria?"
Nicholas thought for a second before looking up at the man. "I want everyone to return to ponyville that were there before...and I want Dadiolus and Christine to rest in peace at last where no one can force them awake anymore." He said as Callobrim gulped nervously under the gaze of his grandson/nephew. "As for Callobrim-"
"Finish me off." Callobrim stated simply. Earning looks of suprise from both boy and man.
"What? Why?" Nicholas exclaimed as Callobrim smiled at him.
"I've done too much to deserve retribution. At least this way I can repent while not hurting anyone else." He turned to the man. "You...we're the one who gave me the necklace, right? that guy in the green tuxedo."
The man nodded. "I wished to see what you would do if you were sent to one of my worlds, and you definitely acted in a way I didn't expect." Callobrim flinched as He continued. Though you did handle an issue for me." He explained, making Callobrim frown.
"And what was that?" He asked calmly as the man chuckled.
"You helped me deal with my rebellious disciple. She had blocked me off from that world using the same power I had given her. If it wasn't for you and your nephews, all of that world would've been at her mercy."
Callobrim smiled as Nicholas looked at the necklace on his chest. "Then I managed to do one right then." He turned to Nicholas. "All right, boy. Time to fix this."
Nicholas looked up at his grandfather, suddenly less sure about making him disappear for good. "But...what if I don't want you to go?"
Callobrim sighed and hugged Nicholas, who returned the hug quickly. "Boy, you've grown so much. I could never be more proud of the person you've started to grow into." He pulled away and gave the boy a genuine smile as he began to cry slightly. "But you have a real family waiting for you back in that town. Go, and return to them."
Nicholas smiled, tears going down his face as he faced the man.
"Alright...I'm ready." He said, making the man give him a serious nod.
"Very well, just know that there are some things that cannot be fixed." He raised his hands at the mirror containing the world Nicholas and his brothers had been for over two months. "Let us create a new Era, an Era...of Harmony."
And, for the last time, light overtook the vision of the boy and his grandfather.
******************
Nicholas POV
******************
I felt myself being shaken slightly as my eyes opened.
"What...happened?" I said as I felt my throat get throttled by two overeager fillies.
"NICHOLAS!!!" Appleboom exclaimed in my right ear as she pulled back and gave me a tear soaked smile.
"YOUR ALRIGHT!!!" Diamond Tiara yelled as she buried her face into my neck. "Don't do that ever again!"
I stood up, holding both of them tightly. "Don't worry, that's never going to happen again."
Looking around, I noticed a couple of things. Princess Celestia was currently trying to pull her sister off of Raiden, who was now trapped under the crying mess that was Luna.
"Thou could've died! We should've went with you!" She exclaimed as Raiden nuzzled her cheek.
"Relax, babe. I'm fine now, aren't I? Whatever Nicholas did when me and Ronin kicked the bucket worked, considering we are still here." He said as Luna simply gripped him tighter while Celestia rolled her eyes.
"Perhaps it is a good thing I'm single." She muttered as I turned my gaze to Ronin.
He was currently holding Tak and Axel in his arms, the latter simply enjoying the hug while the former was crying more than Luna.
"I-I was so worried when I felt Callobrims intention on the hive!" He bawled as Ronin rocked him slightly.
"Damn, boy. Don't you got faith in me? Like I'd leave you and the girls by yourselves." He retorted, but Ronin had tears in his eyes too as he hugged the two tightly before looking up at Scootaloo, who was standing at the side watching Tak with worry.
Ronin nudged the little changeling. "Go to your girl, she's worried about ya right now."
Tak wiped his eyes and got off Ronin, walking up to Scootaloo with a smile.
"H-Hey." Scootaloo stated, trying to sound cool at the moment but it came off as a tired greeting instead.
Tak stood there for a second unmoving before his left eye twitched slightly.
"That's it! I'm done waiting!" He exclaimed, making both Ronin and Scootaloo frown in confusion.
"What are you-Mmph!" Scootaloo went to ask before being pulled into a deep kiss with Tak as he went to dip her over only for Scootaloo to take charge and do so to him.
Applebloom laughed at the scene while Diamond Tiara snickered something about Scootaloo being the breadwinner of the relationship. All the while Ronin looked on before shaking his head.
"The boys a freaking beta male?" Ronin groaned. "Figures, considering his moms fetishes." This caused Axel to howl with laughter as I rolled my eyes, noticing Callobrims old sword, which was where his body probably was, turn to dust.
Things were finally going to go back to normal. I thought with a big smile as I held my girls tightly.
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11087860
I am sincerely glad that you are taking some experience from my style in the plot! And I'll tell you more! I have noticed this more than once and I have always felt the elevation of your experience in such scenes. Take for example: wrap the tail around the leg.
After all, it looks like a very emphasizing action, in which a lot is said, instead of a thousand words!
11087872
I've realized actions do speak louder than words, friend, and find myself slowly building on that sort of writing.
And I finished the comment on your recent chapter!
Love your new profile pic, and whats going to happen to Faust?
11094105
Thanks! And Fausts fate will be showed next chapter, so you'll just have to wait until then.
Good job noticing her fate wasn't clearly stated in this chapter.
Raiden POV.
"You left the sword back in the tunnel?!" Callobrim stated in a hushed whisper as Ronin huffed.
It reminded me of the computer game Call of Duty 2. In one of the missions, a group of American rangers is going to storm a village captured by the Germans.
But at some point, one of the rangers realizes that he forgot to take machine gun cartridges!
And one of the corporals, to this irresponsible behavior, said: "You'd forget your ass if it wasn't glued to you!" 😆
******
Yes! Ronin smiled and cracked his neck! Heh... it reminds me of something. But it is, nevertheless, an interesting gesture, in which there is so much confidence.
******
Ahahah! 🤣
"You absolute bitch!" Ronin yelled as he charged at her while Callobrim and I got up.
******
Heh... And what happened just now?
Of course, I understand that it's your style to describe such scenes, but I'll tell you that you were a little simple in describing the actions of Faust. And again, in your scene, one bad character is fighting against several good characters. After all, Faust could have done something more than primitive actions. She could summon, for example, some guards in the form of magical clumps of energy, which are not affected by magic or physical weapons. That's when such a scene would be epic. Look for example at this scene from the movie The Matrix.
Yes! Yes! One Good Guy, against several Bad Guys. In your case, in the story, it's always the other way around, which makes you lose a sense of empathy for the main character, as well as a sense of anxiety and excitement. The scenes should be spectacular.
Okay, I'll see what you came up with next in the story.
Axel POV.
"What's so funny, Sir?" Shifter asked as his partner Anal-oh for the kings sake that name!- Tilted his head to the side in confusion.
Yes, I also still laugh like a stallion over this name! 😆 In general, you manage to write the comedic part of the plot the best. At the moment, this is your strong point.
*******
Please, friend, replace some pronouns with the names of the characters. Sometimes, I start to get frankly lost when reading.
Well, I liked the final scene in this chapter. Although, there is still a lot of mystery. It seems that the Epilogue should already clarify to the reader how the fates of all the characters in this story turned out!
11095687
Thanks for the comment, friend! And don't worry, I do plan on going through and fixing some of the pronouns