Freedom Through Harmony

by Electricut

Chapter Ninety-seven

Chapter Ninety-seven
Castle of Eclipse; Inner Chambers
Rainbow Dash

I swung around and brought yet another soldier to the ground. The path to the throne room had just been littered with troops, which was to be expected. Celestia would want to wear us down before finishing us off. Twilight estimated that we were about three-fourths of the way there.

We turned a corner, and my heart sank when I realized our previous predictions had been right. Dozens of light beasts guarded the long hall, at the end of which was the great door to the throne. I re-gripped my swords in anticipation, and the other five Elements did the same. It was just us now; everyone else was off fighting elsewhere in the castle. Pinkie, Applejack and I moved in front of the others, pushing forward while Twilight, Rarity and Fluttershy fired arrows or magic over our heads.

It was slow progress, but we managed to gradually push through and destroy more and more of the light beasts viciously blocking our path. Their massive claws and teeth occasionally razed across one of us, ensuing in blinding pain in the moment before Fluttershy healed the wound. The horrible summons were tougher than any normal opponent I had ever faced, but after enough slashes they would evaporate back to where they came from.

After at least thirty minutes straight of holding out against them and dispatching them one by one, the last light beast was slain. Twilight took a look around, then released a pent-up breath. "If only for a minute, we are safe. Let's take the time to rest and prepare ourselves for what's ahead."

I nodded gratefully and slumped to the ground. My breath had to be caught before I could fight efficiently again. I looked up at the mighty door to the throne room, and a feeling of pure fear and despair filled my heart. Celestia herself is beyond that door, waiting for us. Can we even hope to beat her? Will any of us walk out of that room alive? Was all this for nothing? I banished the thoughts. Such thinking was sure to get me killed. I had to believe that we could, and would win. Still, I found myself wishing beyond anything else that I knew where Ultraviolet was.

I rose to my feet. I was as rested as I was going to be. Adrenaline would carry us the rest of the way. The others all seemed to agree, and stood with me facing the door. I turned to Fluttershy, and put a hand on her shoulder. "Stay near the back, okay? Your skill was made for long range, and you need to stay safe." She nodded in understanding, and after a nod from each of my allies, we moved forward and pushed open the door.

A great skylight up above allowed the midmorning sun to filter in and illuminate us. Warm tapestries hung on the walls, depicting the royal sun emblem or other relatively meaningless images. A velvet carpet led straight from our feet to the glorious golden thrones at the end of the hall, where stood the white-clad demon Celestia, smiling in anticipation. Beside her, dressed in identical black armor, was Princess Luna.

"I'm... Sorry..." the younger managed to say. I could see a slight unnatural glow from her eyes from where I stood, just for a second.

"You're despicable, Celestia." Rarity said, angrier than I had ever heard her. "It boggles the mind that you find it acceptable to use your own little sister like this." Rarity understood better than anyone, since she was also in command of a number of subjects, and a younger sister.

"Spare me your patronization." Celestia said, her voice carrying throughout the throne room. "I take what measures I must to ensure that I remain alive, and the world remains safe. If those measures prove to be not enough, then so be it. The world does not deserve to remain alive if it cannot remain stable."

"Celestia." Twilight began, and I knew an extremely emotional tirade was about to follow. Twilight was finally able to confront the one who had stolen her potential life. "You talk as though the world you have created is a stable one. This is anything but safe, as the thousands of men and women outside this room will gladly tell you!"

"My faithful student." Celestia taunted. "So this is the path you've chosen. You know that you could be standing on this side of the room, if you wanted. But the fact that you wear the charm of my long forsaken house tells me you would not choose that path now. It’s honestly a shame. You had so much potential... And now, you shall perish with the rest.”

All our weapons were drawn at once. None of us intended to let her follow through on that promise. We all had a reason to fight, a reason to hate her. We were all brimming with power only just beginning to be tapped into. There were any number of combinations we could use as well; the question became, which one should we use first?

Celestia didn’t wait for us to decide. She unfurled her large white wings and launched herself at us, Blade of Light trailing behind her. I jumped forward, broadswords spinning, and blocked her upon approach. We remained motionless for several seconds, neither budging, and she leapt back and floated to her feet. Applejack and Twilight shared a quick look and nod, and quickly moved beside each other.

“Northern Lights!” the two shouted in unison. Mostly just for grins, and partly for theatrics and intimidation, we had come up with a name for each combination attack we were able to try. By being refracted by Applejack’s ice, Twilight’s element-less magic became a potent, colorful laser that Celestia had to leap into the air to avoid. The two kept the attack on-target, and the tips of the queen’s wings and boots were nearly singed. To finish the attack, Applejack leapt into the air and rode the shock-wave right up to Celestia, then brought her axe around and cleaved her across the back.

Celestia hit the ground roughly, but stayed on her feet. Even with a direct hit, it would take a lot to bring her into critical condition, so we couldn't let up. I spun my broadswords over my shoulders and rushed forward, hoping to distract her. A form from the side rammed into me and knocked me off course, and I only just had enough time to block a strike from her great ebon sword.

"Luna!" I said in surprise. "Snap out of it! We aren't your enemy!"

She just managed a slight turn of her head. Celestia's hold on her was too strong. I would have to disable the younger princess myself, then turn my attention to the queen. I hefted my swords and charged at her, my speed easily matching hers. I pounded away at her defenses, the same as I had during the Lunar Festival six months ago, and she was powerless to do anything but block.

I realized that Luna wasn't posing nearly as much of a challenge as before. Maybe it was that Celestia's hold on her was not as strong, since she was also caught up with fighting, or perhaps I had become that much stronger. Either way, Luna could not hold me back. I jumped to the side when she swung at me, and spun around to slash at her back.

She brought up the Blade of Dark to block just in time, but left herself open for my next attack. My swords slashed across her legs, and she dropped to the ground. I continued to attack, breaking apart the 'Nightmare Moon' armor and making sure she was immobilized for both her and our sake. She looked up at me with her large, dark eyes, and I could see innocence in them once again. She wouldn't be going anywhere.

I turned my back to the young princess. The others were still struggling to hold Celestia at bay. I nodded in determination, and flew at her full-force.
______________

Dining Hall
Kyle

Several members of the Silver Arrows crouched behind a makeshift barricade, no more than a thick overturned table. They were being fired upon from further across the room, though luckily there were few mages. Octavia and Kyle both crouched behind the same cover, bows drawn, waiting for a lull in fire from the other side to open fire themselves. Kyle already had an arrow notched in anticipation.

"Kyle..." Octavia started, "I just want to tell you something. I know this probably wasn't what you were expecting when you joined my unit, but you've remained loyal through everything... You're even risking your life staying here with me. I just want to tell you how proud I am to have a boy like you in my group of followers."

"Yeah, that's nice." Kyle responded. "You're a pretty great leader, too, but this isn't exactly the time and place to get sappy. You can tell me how awesome I am once we're not getting shot at."

Octavia nodded, slightly apologetically, and pressed her ear up to the table. "I think they're beginning to let up. Get ready!"

Kyle could tell just as well that the enemy was slowing down in their barrage. They were waiting for the Silver Arrows to pop back up and attack, thereby exposing themselves, and that was exactly what they were going to do. "On the count of three!" Octavia said, loud enough for the enemy across the hall to hear. "One!"

The entire attacking force of the Silver Arrows sprung up at once and began firing upon the Eclipse archers. The enemy was caught off guard, expecting exactly two more seconds before being shot at, and were hit hard by the sudden volley. It took them several seconds to get their wits back about them, and by then almost half their number had been lost. However, as was now in their nature, they would not give in. As soon as they realized the Silver arrows were revealed, they started firing back at them.

Soldiers from both sides fell to the ground, clutching at their wounds if they were lucky. Many were already dead by that point. An archer nearby to Kyle, behind the barricade next to his, fell suddenly, and he knew it was already too late to save him. He brought back another arrow and fired, and the shot hit the very top of another upturned table, an inch from the head of an Eclipse soldier.

Kyle heard a surprised and painful cry from just beside him, and he turned to see a terrible sight. The shaft of an arrow was protruding from Octavia's left shoulder, and she dropped to her knees to avoid getting shot again. Kyle dove for cover as well, electing to help his commander in any way he could. Octavia clutched at her arm, her eyes squeezed shut.

"Rgh... I think... I should be alright." she said, breath coming quickly. "Well... I'll live anyway. Get me some bandages or something, I'll need to remove the arrow and dress this wound before I lose too much blood." Kyle tried to calm his stomach, and nodded. He dug around in his pockets and retrieved a first aid kit, and then a roll of bandages from that. Octavia was already working away at pulling the projectile out of her arm, and Kyle had to look away slightly, as it looked extremely painful.

"Woah, what happened!?" Kyle heard Lyra yell, and soon the green-haired colonel was beside them as well. She looked in alarm to Octavia's wound, then her panic turned to anger, directed at the enemy. She dropped her crossbow to the ground, picked up a discarded arrow in each hand, and began focusing a light spell upon each. Soon the two were longer than spears, and Lyra stood slowly and threw the projectiles straight for the enemy line.

The light forms spun forward like boomerangs, and cut straight through the barricades at the other side of the hall. The screams of the enemy soldiers echoed around the room, as many of them had just been sliced in half. They were not finished yet, however, and the Eclipse archers remaining continued to fire back at the archers of Moonlight. Lyra ducked back down, and surprised Kyle slightly by embracing Octavia around her uninjured side. "Just hang on. I'm going to get you out of here, and get your arm fixed."

"We can't leave... until we secure this place." Octavia stated. "I'll survive, but Lyra, you have to stay to finish them."

Lyra was about to argue, but was interrupted by an energetic war cry from behind the barricade line. Kyle turned in time to see what looked like a wooden cart speeding towards them, then skidding to a halt. Three small figures jumped out from within, and one immediately began casting a wide-area wind spell. Every arrow in the air clattered to the ground, and any the enemy tried to fire were flung back at them haphazardly. Soon, the Child of Air lifted his hands dramatically, and the entire barricade was blown away, and each and every Eclipse archer knocked out or fatally wounded by the impact.

"Seemed like ya' needed some help." Applebloom said simply, moving over to assist however she could with Octavia. The arrow had finally been pulled free, and Lyra was wrapping the bandage around the wound to stop the bleeding.

"You feel okay, Tavi?" Lyra asked, helping her to her feet.

"Not... Not particularly. I'll live, but... I-I don't seem to have much movement in that arm anymore..."

Lyra sighed in sad sympathy. "We should just get you out of here, then. If we hurry, we could get you to a medic and get that healed properly. Kyle, you think you can get her back to the CP outside the castle?"

Kyle hesitated, then shook his head. "With all due respect, colonel, I can't do that. I have to stay and fight, and get to Pinkie if things go horribly wrong. I hope you understand."

Lyra nodded solemnly. "I do. Well... Looks like I'm sitting the rest of this battle out. If it comes to it, Kyle, shoot Celestia once for me, and Tavi." With a nod, the two began to walk back through the captured areas to the safety outside of the castle. Kyle looked over the remaining Moonlight archers, who seemed confused and directionless.

"Don't just stand there!" he yelled, taking charge in lack of a proper acting commander. "There's another contingent of the Silver Arrows around here somewhere! Go give them support!"

The soldiers nodded after a slight pause, and the dining hall was promptly emptied. Kyle turned to the three young children, all armed and ready to continue. Scootaloo approached him and asked simply: "Shall we? This siege isn't over yet. We figured we'd fight our way through, and go to give the heroes some support."

"Sounds like a plan." Kyle said, and followed the three over to their cart. It was mostly empty, and had only a rudimentary steering device in the front. He climbed in with them, and was about to ask how it was supposed to move, when Scootaloo began focusing another wind spell. The currents of the magic launched the cart forward like a sailboat, and the group shot off for elsewhere in the castle.
_____________

Throne Room
Rainbow Dash

The Blade of Light blocked my attack with only an inch to spare. An overhead attack from Pinkie shortly followed, which Celestia could only dodge. She brought up a magic barrier to deflect the combined magic attack from Twilight and Rarity. All of us leapt back, as did the queen.

"Think it's time for another combo?" I asked, and Pinkie nodded. "Right. May as well save what we know works for last. Let's see what those candy things of yours can do!"

Pinkie and I jumped side-by-side, weapons raised. She tossed one of her candies into the air and caught it with her teeth, while I quickly spun my other sword at my side in preparation for another Sonic Rainboom. Allowing instinct to take over, Pinkie and I crossed over each other, then rocketed toward the queen.

The shockwave from my initial attack knocked Celestia off balance, leaving her wide open for the rest of the combo. Pinkie flew as though she had wings of her own, and moved nearly as fast as I was as well. Her spear and my swords seemed to rend through the queen's armor, and though the white gleam did not recede, I could sense that we were doing some degree of damage beneath the surface. It was hard to tell what Pinkie's attack was doing, but her spear seemed to have gained a few extra blades.

Celestia swatted us back with a mighty slash of the Blade of Light. Pinkie and I made a rough landing near the back of the throne room, our armor a little scratched and my stomach a little jostled. We had made some damage against her, though, so I was happy enough to ignore the sensation. Fluttershy and Rarity wasted no time in initiating a third combo, and a rapier and a playing card were raised into the air. Twilight and Applejack were keeping Celestia busy while they quickly readied the attack.

"Straight Flush!" the two yelled. Rarity activated her normal skill, Soul Release, and a powerful radiance surrounded her. Fluttershy drew her bow and began firing at Rarity, beam arrows generated by the diamond card, and Rarity amplified and redirected them to rocket towards the queen. Celestia didn't even see the attack coming until the first one hit, and then she took to dodging around the room to avoid the lightning-fast bullets.

A few struck her in the wings, and several more scorched her armor. By the time the attack was finished, she had been hit at least ten times, and the damage was obvious by her missing feathers. I allowed a flutter of hope to fill my chest. We're doing it... We're really making it happen. We're really going to beat her! I tried to keep my thoughts steady as I launched myself back at her, swords wildly swinging and colliding with hers again and again.

If anything, Celestia just seemed extremely annoyed by us, but not worried. She continued to parry every hit we dealt, all while an unnerving white radiance began to collect around her. I had a feeling she was about to try a special attack on us in turn. When I felt that it would be stupid to stay so close to her, I leapt back to try and defend.

"Cosmic Rays!" she shouted, and the Blade of Dark flew to her side from where it lay, next to Luna's unmoving but alive body. I noticed that she avoided touching the weapon, but brought it and hers together. The energy from around her was channeled through both blades, and lasers of both light and dark magic blasted around our entire side of the room.

It wasn't easy dodging her attack. For me, Pinkie, and Rarity- for whom Soul Release was still in effect- it was easy enough, but we had to make sure the others stayed out of their direct path. As a result, we all got hit sooner or later. While shoving Fluttershy out of the way, I was hit in the leg by a dark beam, and I had to will myself to keep going. When the attack finally abated, we were all a lot worse for wear.

"Fluttershy, give us a heal!" I yelled, "We'll keep her busy! Applejack, let's go!" My partner and I jumped next to each other, and I put my sword up to her icy axe. "Refraction!" I smiled devilishly, as I knew that this was a very similar attack to what Celestia had just used on us. The rays of light from my Rainboom shot through her ice, separating each color and causing it to blast around the room. Each color was a different corresponding element; yellow was lighting, red fire, blue ice, green wind, orange earth and violet a neutral laser.

It was satisfying to see Celestia have to dodge our attack in the same way we had dodged hers, especially when my leg still ached, and there was a painful-looking burn mark on Applejack's armor. The rays had no discernable path, and while the queen was able to dodge many, she took several direct hits. She spun forward before the attack had even finished, and knocked us both across the room. Applejack's ice shattered when it hit the ground, but she herself was able to soften her landing.

"Don't let her get the chance to attack again!" Twilight shouted.

Pinkie and Fluttershy both nodded, and leapt together to begin another combination attack. I didn't even need to wait and see to guess a name for this one: The word 'Joker' sprung to mind perfectly. Pinkie strode forward, two glowing, unshapely objects appearing in her hands, eyes dark and locked on the queen. Softly at first, a tiny noise echoed from her mouth around the whole room: "Honk, honk, honk."

She leapt into the air, glowing clubs trailing behind her, and began rapidly attacking the queen. Pinkie was moving faster than I ever could have naturally, and Celestia was all but helpless as Pinkie smacked her with the semi-transparent clubs. While this was happening, Rarity and Twilight moved together, initiating yet another combination to take advantage of Celestia's low defenses.

"Resonance!" they shouted, and activated their individual skills upon each other. Rarity began glowing and pulsing with a sky-blue energy, and Twilight with her familiar magenta. The two Children of Fire nodded to each other, then leapt at the queen to join Pinkie. Celestia let out what might have been a scream of anger as the two collided with her, and she continued to be taken apart by the three.

When everyone leapt back, it was clear by the state her armor was in that Celestia was on her last legs. Chunks had fallen to the ground, what was left was scratched and scorched, and her once majestic hair had been thrown into disarray. She was still someone off-balance from the attack, and Twilight stepped forward once again. "This is it, everyone!" she shouted. "We have to finish her! Give me everything you've got!"

I smiled devilishly, knowing what was next, and Applejack and I both tossed our golden weapons towards the former apprentice. She caught them both and spun the weapons tauntingly. A black and white energy from Pinkie, a resonance from Rarity and a concentration of sound from Fluttershy. I cast a look over at Luna, who was still immobilized across the room. Are you watching, kid?

Twilight let out a victorious war cry and leapt at the queen. The same attack that had finished Luna six months ago was now finishing Celestia. The weapons tore through the queen's remaining defenses, and she was tossed around like a doll as Twilight unleashed her fury upon the one who had stolen the life she could have had. A bright light began to form around the two, soon so bright it obscured the action, but I could hear Twilight's continued assault all the same.

An explosion of energy seemed to rock the entire castle, and Twilight dropped to the ground, landing gracefully on her feet. Celestia, on the other hand, slammed into the ground on her back. Our weapons were tossed back to us, as the queen remained motionless. Twilight ran a hand through her hair. "It's over..." she breathed, "We won..."

"Rgh, fools!" I heard, and my heart sank. Celestia rose slowly to her feet, bloodied but still as mobile as ever. That attack should have killed her! How is she still moving?!

"How could you possibly have hoped to slay a god? I care not what powers your ancestors give you! I killed them all the same, and I'll kill you with no further effort!" With that, the queen launched forward, Blade of Light blazing, and knocked us all back before we could even put up a defense. A bloody gash was cut straight through my armor, and I slammed into the wall behind me. When my eyes fluttered open, I saw that my teammates were getting taken apart. I struggled forward, hoping Fluttershy could heal me, but not stopping to waste time.

Pinkie glared at the queen from where she stood, and popped both remaining candies into her mouth. Almost as soon as she did, she began to flicker, as though she couldn't control her own speed, and blasted forward. The golden spear tore apart Celestia's remaining armor, parried only a few times by the Blade of Light. The queen became more and more annoyed by her inability to block, and began swatting randomly around with her blade. Still Pinkie lashed out at her, nearly invisible to the naked eye, slashing at her before she even registered the last one.

With a grunt of anger, Celestia thrust her blade forward, and the assault stopped. A bloody grin spread on her face, and a look of pure terror filled each of us on the ground. At the tip of the Blade of Light, Pinkie had been impaled straight through the chest. She looked more surprised than anything, and the only change in her face was that her eyes closed as the blade withdrew and dropped her to the ground.

Comments

[flamehaze7461]

I had figured that just hitting her with the elements would be too easy, but that ending hit me like a freight train! That basically just ended almost any chance they had at beating Celestia by themselves. I wish I could like this story more than once!

[LonelyChild]

Yeeesssss!!!!!!!!! This may be my favorite chapter ever. Dont they have to like, either kill Luna or have Luna kill Celestia?

[Electricut]

770590

Something like that.