I jumped back mere moments before the black blade of Drayke’s crystal scythe tore through the spot I was just standing in, sending sparks and pieces of marble flying everywhere. The whole time we fought, neither of us said a word; I was surprised, since all the fights I had ever seen in movies had some witty back-and-forth banter, but this wasn’t a movie. I quickly slashed at the handle of the scythe, smashing it in half, but he simply twirled it like a baton and it reformed in a wave of smoke. At this point, I was down to my ordinary sword, as I found early on that our crystals are a hell of a lot stronger than enchanted titanium when he smashed my katana without flinching.

I grimaced as he kept swiping at me, pushing me closer and closer to the wall, until I got an idea. I quickly ran and slid like a baseball player underneath the massive blade, slashing at his leg as I passed, shattering the armor around it and breaking the bone underneath, and quickly jumped to my feet a few feet behind him as he fell to his knees. I turned around to see he was… laughing.

“You have no idea what these crystals can do, do you?” he asked as he stood slowly, and I saw his leg had already knitted itself and once again became covered in the black armor, “then again, you didn’t opt for unlimited power, did you?” As he said this, he went back on the offensive.

I quickly blocked and slashed at my enemy, barely dodging his hits and watching all of mine get shrugged off by his incredible healing factor. I knew it was a pointless fight, but I knew I couldn’t give up; I had to keep fighting, for everyone, human and pony alike. I kept this in mind as I ducked and dodged the massive blade of death.

Our fight was interrupted by a loud crashing sound. I turned around to see the throne room door burst open as Twilight, Pinkie, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Rarity broke the door down completely and burst into the room. I smiled at them for a moment, and quickly turned back to Drayke just as I felt a sharp pain in my side.

I looked down and saw he had stabbed me with the bottom end of his scythe, the spear-tip buried deep inside my abdomen. I groaned as he pulled it out, and I fell to my knees, my sword falling out of my hand as I hit the floor. Drayke laughed cruelly as he picked it up and shattered it over his knee.

“I’ll give you credit kid, you were good, but evidently not good enough. Now,” he said as he threw his scythe aside and began to charge some kind of spell in his hands, “you just wait here while I kill your pony friends, and then I’ll finish you off. Sound good?” He advanced on the ponies, who backed away in terror.

“N..No…” I mumbled weakly, holding the tear in my side as I tried in vain to stop him. Drayke was wrong about one thing: he wouldn’t get a chance to finish me off.
I was done for.

Celestia watched from her crystal prison as Allen fell to the ground and Drayke broke the sword. She saw the shards slowly reform into their original gemstone form, and she urged for Allen to move, to get up, to do ANYTHING to fight back.

He can’t die, she cried out silently, HE CAN’T!

In her anger, she gathered all her strength and power over the sun, and focused all the force she could muster on one spot: that crystal.

I lay there, thinking death was about to take me, when I saw something sparkling off to the side. I looked and saw my crystal, now whole again, sparkling brightly as a single beam of sunlight penetrated the raging storm outside and shot straight down to that exact spot. I reached out slowly as my vision blurred, and felt my hand rest on the crystal as everything went black.

I woke up suddenly to find myself still in the Castle Canterlot throne room, but everything was made of pure-white crystal. I looked at my side to see that it was unharmed, and stood up slowly as I heard several hooves approaching from behind. I turned and saw Celestia, Luna, and Discord all slowly walking up to me. I frowned sadly.

“Am I…” I began, but Celestia cut me off.
“You are still alive, Allen. We just needed you to come here for a moment,” she said soothingly.
I clenched my fists. “Are you serious? My friends are about to die, and I might be too, and you’re taking me away from there for a little chat?” I said with disbelief.
Luna smiled comfortingly. “Everything is slowed down in here, Allen; you don’t have to worry about running out of time,” she said quietly.

Celestia noded and continued: “Allen, I am sorry for what I have done. I lied to you because when we first met, I was still afraid of what humans were capable of. But now, seeing you willing to die for the sake of those you have only known for a short time, I know that you are not our destroyer. In fact, you are our savior.”

Discord let out an empty laugh. “That’s all fine and dandy,” he said angrily, “but how does that help us? He’s bleeding out on the floor, and we’re all decorations.”
Celestia glared at him. “I was just about to get to that, you impatient buffoon,” she growled at the draconequus, who took a hesitant step back, and then she looked back to me. “Allen, you have learned, by watching us from your world, that friendship is the most powerful force there is?”

I nodded as she continued, “During this battle, you must remember that friendship is magic. Tell me, what powers the crystal?”
I shrugged. “Magic?” I guessed.
The white alicorn nodded. “And what will the truest of friends do for each other?”

I really had no idea on that one.

“They will do whatever it takes to make sure their friends are safe, which is exactly what you are doing right now. Tell me Allen, how powerful do you think your crystal will be after the display of friendship you've shown today?” she asked, smiling gently.
I widened my eyes as I processed this. “So… I could still win this? I could still save everyone?”
Celestia nodded as Luna stepped forward. “So long as you keep fighting for what is truly important, nothing will ever defeat you,” she said, and leaned forward and kissed me.

Celestia cleared her throat, catching my attention. “Now go, Allen; it is time to see for yourself just how powerful friendship can be,” she said, and I suddenly was lost in a sea of blackness.

Drayke approached the six ponies that cowered in the corner, his fingertips crackling with black energy.
“You know,” he said as he drew closer, “it’s kind of touching, really; how Allen is so willing to die for your sake. But, hey, look where it got him.”
He was just about to launch his attack when he saw a white flash out of the corner of his eye. He turned around and smiled viciously at what he saw.
“Now this is going to be interesting,” he said, dispelling his magic and conjuring his black scythe.

I woke up once again on the cold marble floor, and noticed I wasn’t bleeding anymore. I looked at my side and saw it was encased in a cast-like shell of crystal. I looked up and saw my fingers were curled around my crystal, which glowed a brilliant white.

I really hope Celestia was right; please, help me, I begged silently as I rose to my feet shakily. As I did, I was surrounded by an almost blinding white glow that shielded me from everything else. I looked down and saw that a suit of white crystal armor was slowly forming on my body from my shoulders down. When the light finally faded, I saw Drayke staring at me with anticipation, our suits polar opposites of each other. I raised the crystal out in front of me as it lengthened and changed, taking on the form of a beautiful broadsword with a golden handle.

“If you’re the Obsidian King,” I said as I rolled my shoulders and found massive, angelic crystal wings extended from my back, “then I guess that makes me the Crystal Paladin.”

Drayke laughed. “Is that all? A bigger sword and some armor? Jeez, I thought you’d actually be a challenge,” he said, and snapped his fingers, causing his wings to shatter into hundreds of pieces and fall to the floor, levitating at knee level. He waved his hand as the dagger-like shards all turned to point straight at me.

“Now, see if you can stand up to this,” he said, and the pieces of black glass flew at me like a swarm of hornets.
To my surprise, my wings shot forward and wrapped around me, locking together as they formed a shield around my body. I saw my reflection in the mirror-like crystal as the armor slowly encased my head, forming a smooth crystal helm as the shards bounced off of my wings harmlessly.

When my shield separated, I saw Drayke’s swarm return to him and fuse together to form his wings once again.
Let’s see if these things actually work, I thought as I ran and jumped out one of the windows, my wings suddenly extending as I fell, and I soared into the air.

I stared at the castle for a moment, waiting for something to happen, when I saw a pillar smash through the wall, heading straight towards me. I did a barrel roll to the left, and stared through the newly-formed hole as Drayke rushed to another pillar, tore it out of the floor, and hurled it at me like a spear. I quickly dropped low, out of the way of the massive column, and suddenly Drayke joined me in the sky. We rushed at each other, slashing as we passed, only for our weapons to bounce off one another harmlessly as we soared to opposing ends of the sky.

Suddenly, Drayke dropped his scythe, snapped his fingers, and vanished from view.

What the hell? I thought as I glided through the air, searching for him, when something grabbed me and I started to descend towards the castle. I glanced back and saw Drayke’s black gauntlets gripping my arm and side, and looked forward to see the castle approaching fast. I grimaced as Drayke dragged me across the outer wall as we shot past, my armor sending a shower of sparks as it ground against the castle. Then, he threw me up into the air, letting me fly once again.

“You wanna fly?!” I shouted as I flew higher and higher, “then let’s fly!”

Drayke followed, right on my tail as we passed through the clouds, and grabbed me. We stopped our ascent, grappling with each other as we fell to the ground below.

“I will not lose to you, Allen!” he shouted as he suddenly pulled me down, planting a foot on my back and gripping my wings tightly. I struggled to break free as we crashed through the roof of the castle, and then hit the floor, my impact further worsened by Drayke’s foot. The exact moment we hit, I felt him press harder, and with an ear-shattering crack, he tore the wings off of my armor and threw them aside. I tried to push myself up, but he knocked me against the wall with a swift kick.

I looked up at him, my visor half-destroyed from the impact, as he held his hands at his side, forming a straight black shard of crystal. His helmet folded off of his head, revealing his now deranged-looking face below.
“Forget killing your friends in front of you; you die first!” he screamed.

I glanced over at Twilight and her friends, an apologetic look on my face.

So, I thought sadly, this is how it all ends.

“We have to do something!” Twilight cried, about to charge in and help, but the others held her back. Rainbow Dash gave her a mournful look.
“What exactly are we supposed to do? That guy is almost invincible, and Allen couldn’t even beat him!”
Twilight saw the Obsidian King begin to form a massive spike in his hands, and a determined look crossed her face. “We have to try! Girls, focus; Allen needs us!”
The six ponies stood in a circle and closed their eyes tightly, focusing all their power on helping their friend.

Deep in the forest, the Tree of Harmony began to glow brightly as the six gemstones on its branches shook, and suddenly burst from their slots on the tree, flying to Castle Canterlot at immeasurable speeds.

I closed my eyes as Drayke hurled the massive crystal spike at me, certain that it was all over, when my fear was interrupted by a shattering sound. I looked up to see the spike had smashed into some kind of force field that surrounded me.

What? How… I thought, and saw bright colors out of the corner of my eye. I looked down and saw my sword, which now had six familiar gemstones on the length of its blade.

The Elements of Harmony, I thought, slowly standing as my strength returned and my armor reformed around me. Drayke backed away slowly, his eyes slowly growing fearful.

I held my sword at my side and, using my newly-reformed wings for boost, rushed at my enemy at speeds that would make Rainbow Dash jealous, driving it straight into his chest. He let out a choking gasp as he looked down at the crystal blade that protruded from him, then slowly up at me. I glared at him, not saying a word as several cracks formed across his armor, and multi-colored light filtered from them.

“NOOOOOOOOOOOOO-” Drayke threw his head back and started to scream, just as his armor shattered and an explosion of blinding light filled the room.

When the light faded, I stood there in the center of the room, alone; there was no sign of Drayke. The room had returned to its normal state, perhaps restored by the explosion. I straightened myself out as the Elements of Harmony faded from my sword, and I assumed they had returned to the Everfree Forest. I turned to my friends, who were smiling broadly, relieved I was okay, and began to walk over to them as my armor and sword faded away.

It’s over, I thought happily, it’s finally over.

Just then, I felt a familiar pain in my side and collapsed on the floor, feeling something in my pocket click from the impact. I looked down and saw that along with the armor and sword, the crystal cast that had kept me from bleeding out during the fight had also disappeared. The girls rushed to my side.

“Allen!” they all called at once, horrified at my injury. I looked up, smiling through my pain, and looked at Twilight.
“I don’t suppose you can patch this up for me, can you?” I asked jokingly, but I already knew the answer.
“I can’t heal this, Allen; healing spells won’t work on serious injuries if the user doesn’t have knowledge of the patient’s anatomy,” she said sadly.

I looked up, noticing a strange sound emanating from my pocket.

Piano chords? I thought, slowly realizing what had happened that I must have turned my MP3 player on when I hit the ground, and it played the first song on my playlist: Phiilypu’s “Dreaming With Ponies". I laughed a little at my sad fate.

“Girls,” I said slowly, “thank you for the wonderful time you have given me here. Before coming to Equestria, I thought I would never be truly happy again, but you’ve proven me wrong. You’ve shown me more kindness, honesty, generosity, loyalty, and laughter than anyone on Earth has ever given me. And honestly, it’s been magical,” I said, tears streaming down the sides of my face, and I saw the others suffering the same fate.

I sighed heavily. “I don’t want to die, but I don’t really have any say in that now. I guess I should be thankful that, in my last moments, I’m surrounded by the most caring friends I could ask for,” I said, looking at them one by one.

“Goodbye, Allen,” Twilight said sadly.
“Bye, Sugarcube,” Applejack said, taking off her hat.
“See you later, pal,” Rainbow Dash said, trying to stay tough.
“Farewell, darling,” Rarity said, trying to keep herself together.
“Bye, Allen,” Pinkie said, and suddenly broke down sobbing.
“...Bye,” Fluttershy said, looking away.

I smiled, the world growing dark as the music reached the last measure.
I closed my eyes and whispered, “do you know… you’re all… my very best friends?”
The last thing I heard before the world stopped around me was my friends’ gentle weeping.

Luna ran to Allen’s side after finally being freed from her crystal prison, shaking him and urging him to move.
“Please, Allen, don’t die!” she sobbed, and Discord rested a gentle talon on her shoulder.
“I’m sorry, Princess,” he said, his usual humored tone now absent from his voice, “but it’s too late for him.”
Luna bowed her head and cried softly, looking up at Allen’s lifeless form, and noticed something: his arm, which she could have sworn had some sort of burn mark and sealed cut back on Earth, was completely absent of any wounds.

The portal must have healed him, she thought, a spark of hope slowly growing within her. If that’s the case, then maybe…

Without a moment’s hesitation, she quickly turned to her sister. “Celestia! We have to get Allen to the portal!” she said, levitating the limp human onto the solar princess’s back, and then rushed for the door, and Twilight and her friends followed close behind.
Celestia gave her sister a strange look. “What do you mean?” she asked, following her sister.
“His arm was injured when we left his world,” she explained, “but now that we’ve gone through the portal, it’s completely fine! If we can get him through the portal, it just might save him!”
Celestia nodded, unsure if Luna’s plan would work.
We have to try, the white alicorn thought with determination. It’s the least we can do for him.

Discord sat alone in the throne room and looked around, upset that none of the others had acknowledged his self-sacrifice earlier.
“You’re welcome!” he shouted sarcastically, crossing his arms and pouting.