I vaulted over a rocky ledge that jutted out of the long, flat plain that stretched before us, leading right up to the coliseum where we assumed Allen was waiting for us. It was hard to believe that after all I had been through in the past week, this crazy adventure was almost coming to an end.

Coincidentally, I wasn’t the only one thinking this.

“We’re almost done,” Cadence sighed as she trotted beside me, “soon we can all go back to how our lives were before.” I couldn’t help but pick up the slight pang of sadness in that statement, and I knew exactly what it was directed towards.
“Cadence,” I said, suddenly stopping and looking at her sadly, “you do realize I’m not going back to Earth after this, right?”

The pink princess actually looked surprised by this. “You’re not?” she asked slowly, “But the entire time you were searching for Allen, you’ve been insisting that you would return home as soon as he was back with my aunts.”
I smiled and shook my head. “That was before, when I still hated you guys and couldn’t wait to get back to my life,” I explained, “but now… well, just look at what I’ve done! I’ve traveled across a foreign land in search of a lost friend, risked my life for ponies I would have normally stranded, and even... fell in love,” I said, my voice suddenly softening as I blushed.

Cadence stared for a moment before smiling. “I suppose I should have realized that,” she replied quietly, and continued to trek towards the coliseum. “We can worry about all that more once we’ve saved the world, though,” she added.
I nodded. “Good point. Hey, what do you think I could squeeze out of Celestia now that I’m not going to be asking for another trip home?” I asked suddenly.
The alicorn shook her head and smiled. “Some things never change,” she sighed.

Just then, I saw a flash of movement ahead of us, and I dove into Cadence mere moments before a web of black chains struck the spot she had occupied an instant before. I looked up to see Allen hovering toward us, slowing to a halt several yards away.
“Damn, missed,” he said sadly. “It’s quite foolish of you, Drayke, to bring an alicorn directly to me; are you trying to help me, by any chance?” he asked hopefully, “Have you come to your senses and decided to join me and rule Equestria?”

I brandished the Sword of Harmony and glared at my possessed friend. “Not on your life,” I growled.

Allen smirked as a pair of crystal swords materialized in his hands. “Pity,” he replied darkly, and charged at me full speed. I ducked under one of the blades as it swept past, and quickly blocked the other with a parry. Allen slammed his fists together, causing the two swords to merge into a single, massive crystal claymore, and slammed it into the ground as I spun to the side and out of harm’s way. Rather than drawing his sword, however, Allen delivered a powerful kick that sent me rolling to the side.

I stood up, groaning, as Allen waved a hand over Cadence, and she became wrapped in a web of black chains that caused her to drop to her knees as her strength was ripped from her body.
“Drayke...” she pleaded weakly as Allen hovered her into the air and began to march back to the stone coliseum.

I felt my eyes burn as I pulled out my back crystal and screamed as my original suit of Obsidian King armor exploded around me, and its massive wings burst from my shoulders. I pulled my arm back as my signature scythe formed in my hand, and I threw the weapon spear-end first straight at Allen just in time for him to whirl around and catch it with his free hand.

“Do not oppose me,” he growled menacingly, “I have the magic of four alicorns, the god of chaos, and the ponies chosen by the Elements of Harmony, all on top of this boy’s and my own power. Facing me is practically suicide!” he boasted.

I stared for a moment, taking in his statement, until my gaze softened as my armor faded away from my body, making Allen smirk smugly.
“That’s better,” he said soothingly. “Perhaps I will consider letting these wretched creature simply live as slaves rather than killing them off. I won’t promise that, however,” he added as he continued to stalk back to his lair.

“I wasn’t giving up,” I called after him, which he turned and eyed me with confusion.
“What?” he asked slowly.
I held the crystal in my hand, picturing the outfit Rarity had made me for this adventure, as well as the improvements she had mentioned on the way to the Fissure. Just then, a black longcoat formed around my body, with a pair of black pauldrons with inlaid rubies in the center. A pair of armored fingerless gloves materialized on my hands, and a pair of slick boots appeared on my feet.

“I’m just getting started,” I said, holding the Sword of Harmony directly in front of me, “and I’m not letting you win!”

Allen stared at the sword for a moment. “I thought I recognized that blade,” he said quietly as he let Cadence fall to the ground with a heavy thud. “It never occurred to me that I would be faced with the sword my old friend tried to kill me with.”
I nodded slightly. “Well, behold,” I said sarcastically, “same sword, same ass that it’s gonna kick!” I cried, and charged at Allen full speed, bringing the blade down on his head as it glowed a bright white.

There was a loud, almost electric sound, and I looked ahead to see Allen holding a flat hand against the blade, preventing me from striking.
“I am far beyond the level I was at when Argentum face me with this blade,” he whispered, “and in case it isn’t obvious, he failed to kill me with it.”

Just then, he wrapped his fingers around the Sword of Harmony and threw me backwards, sending me sprawling into the coliseum. I staggered to my feet as Allen quickly charged me with his sword and slammed the flat end against me, slamming me into the wall. I turned and held the Sword of Harmony sideways as Allen brought his blade down, struggling to keep the edge from getting too close. I grimaced as the crystal sword pressed against my face, leaving a nasty cut over my left eye. I shoved forward, pushing Allen back a few feet, and we circled each other carefully in the center of the room.

“Come on, Drayke,” he hissed eagerly, “give up. You cannot defeat me, even with the Elements of Harmony.”
I glared at him for a moment, before my hard gaze broke for a moment when I noticed something odd: while his left eye glowed a bright blue, his right had returned to its usual shade of brown. On top of this, I could also see a few small patches of brown in his perfectly white hair.

I grinned when I realized what all of this could mean. “Getting a little tired there, pal?” I asked teasingly, “maybe you’re the one that needs to give up.”
Allen narrowed his eyes. “Enough of this,” he said clearly, suddenly dropping his sword and waving a hand over the ground as a circular rune appeared beneath his feet. “I’ve delayed long enough. Now, the Convergence begins.”

Just then, a bright beam shot from the circle as Allen stepped away, shooting straight up until it could no longer be seen. “Soon enough,” he boasted, “our worlds will become one again, and I shall be the sole ruler of them both. But first, now that that’s out of the way,” he added as his sword floated up into his hand, “I’m going to kill you once and for all.”

I looked up at the beam worriedly, and then back to Allen. “If the real Allen is in there, I could really use a distraction!” I called desperately.

Allen took a step forward, and his foot suddenly became encased in a shell of crystal that anchored him to the ground. He looked down angrily and tried smashing the shell with his free hand, but his arm became frozen as soon as it touched his frozen leg.
“You stupid boy!” he screamed angrily, and his entire body took on a smoky aura as his eye returned to normal and the patches of brown in his hair faded, “I warned you not to interfere; now your friends die!”

He tore his arm from the shell and smashed his leg free with his fist, and then waved a hand as the ponies around the room cried out in agony. I widened my eyes and charged forward, screaming, with my sword pointed directly at Allen’s chest. Just a few inches away, however, Allen reached out and stopped my movements with a telekinetic grasp.

“Equestria is mine,” he hissed, and a series of black cracks appeared across the Sword of Harmony’s blade. Allen tightened his fist, and the blade shattered into fragments that fell to the floor. Then, he swung his arm to the side, flinging me against the far wall with a heavy thud.

I lay there for a few moments, my mind clouded with grief. I failed them, I thought sadly, they were my only friends, and I failed them.

I remembered something Argentum had told me. “Drayke, power is neither good nor evil. Power is pure; it is only the one who uses it that determines what the power can be used for. Tell me, Drayke, will you use this power to destroy, or to save?”

I turned my head slightly to see my crystal and the broken Sword of Harmony laying side-by-side, and I noticed the white gem in the sword’s handle was no longer white, but cycling through the colors of the six Elements of Harmony. I reached out and pried the gem from its spot on the hilt, and it flashed brightly for a moment before separating into its six components.

Right then, I had an idea; it was dangerous, but I could save all of Equestria if it worked. I remembered what I had learned about magic’s effects on humans during my stay: that under normal circumstances, a human would need some sort of conduit to channel their power, like my crystal did for me. If a human were directly exposed to magic, it would kill them.

To save, I thought certainly, still laying on the ground, and grabbed my crystal and pointed it at the Elements as a beam of energy shot from each one, giving their power to my crystal. Then, when it had absorbed enough, I held my crystal to my chest and allowed all of its stored power to flow into me unimpeded.

Please, I prayed silently to the Elements, give me the strength I need to save my friends.

Nothing happened for a few seconds, until I suddenly felt a strange warmth spreading from my chest to my arms and legs. I felt my strength restored, and I rose to my feet as a rainbow-colored flame enveloped me.

“Sanguis!” I shouted, and Allen turned to face me once again. “This is your last warning; stop this now, or die.”
Allen laughed. “I already told you, you cannot kill me!” he shouted smugly. “But if you insist on having only one of us walk away from this fight,” he said, and a black fire that mirrored my own surrounded him, “so be it.”

I thrust my arms outward as a multi-colored blast shot from my hands, and Allen did the same as a black beam of energy fired at me. We sat there, the streams of energy endlessly colliding in the center of the coliseum as we struggled to overpower one another.

“I’ll never understand it,” Allen growled over the sound of magic exploding in the middle of the room, “why do you and this boy fight so valiantly for those you could easily destroy?”
I gritted my teeth as I readjusted my footing. “You know, I would have asked the same question myself a year ago,” I called back, “but now I know the answer.”

Allen laughed mockingly. “And what is that answer?” he inquired.

I looked around the room at the ponies who had helped me through this journey. Applejack and he honesty, Rarity and her generosity, Fluttershy and her kindness, Pinkie and her laughter, Rainbow Dash and her loyalty, and Twilight and her fierce friendship. I could see it perfectly clearly now, why Allen loved these horses so much and protected them at all costs, and I realized now that I was willing to do the same.

“Because friendship is magic,” I whispered, and swung both of my arms to the side, unleashing a wave of energy that canceled Allen’s beam and threw him backward, and disintegrated the chains that bound my friends. They all watched as I marched toward Allen, who was scrambling to his feet and harmlessly firing bolts of black energy at me.

“This is impossible!” he screamed angrily, “this cannot be!”

I grabbed the collar of the chainmail sticking out from under his armor and lifted him into the air. “Fuck you,” I growled, my voice vibrating, and the entire room became bathed in a sea of blinding light.

I opened my eyes to find myself lying on a balcony at Castle Canterlot, my six friends all eyeing me curiously and tackling me in a hug when they realized I was okay. It was nighttime, and the only light came from a couple of torches lit around the balcony.

“Woah, woah, calm down!” I laughed as I sat up, “what happened?”

I heard light footsteps behind me. “I think I can explain that one,” I heard a laughing voice say, and I turned to see Allen standing behind me in his alicorn form, free from Sanguis’s influence. “The blast you used to kill me tore a rip in the Void, sending us all back to Equestria. Celestia and Luna brought us back here while Twilight and the others returned the Elements of Harmony to their resting places,” he explained.

Allen stared in confusion as I slowly walked over to him, and after a few moments of awkward staring, I gave him a friendly hug, which made him let out a surprised noise.

“Well, Drayke, I knew you had changed during your adventure, but I didn’t think it was that severe!” he said with a laugh as he returned the gesture, and we parted with warm smiles. “It’s good to see you again,” he said with a relieved sigh, and I nodded in agreement.

Just then, Allen’s words hit me. “Wait, I killed you?” I asked, confused.
Allen laughed. “I’m surprised to see you so concerned about me; after all, what happened to you is more shocking,” he said, giving me a strange look.

I gasped. “I died?” I asked quietly.

Allen shrugged. “Well, you got better; if it hadn’t been for that book you and Cadence found in the library, we’d still be dead,” he said nonchalantly. “Speaking of which…”

I saw movement in the darkened hallway behind Allen, and Cadence stepped out onto the balcony, smiling cutely. I stared at the pink alicorn for several moments before running over and wrapping my arms around her and kissing her gently.

“Well, I’m glad to see your mission was a success, Drayke,” Celestia chuckled, and I quickly stood up at attention as she and her sister joined us. “You have saved Equestria, defeated an ancient evil once and for all, and reunited us with our lost friend. For that, I extend my most humble gratitude,” she said, bowing her head respectfully, which all of the others, even Allen, did as well.

“There is just one problem,” she said suddenly, and I raised an eyebrow as she went on: “Although you defeated Sanguis and banished his soul from Allen’s body, you were unable to stop his spell, and he was successful in tearing a hole in Equestria and Earth.”

I was about to speak, when a massive thundering interrupted me. We all rushed to the balcony and stared off into the distance as numerous beams of pink light shot up into the air. I glanced over at Allen. “Looks like we still have some work to do, huh?” he asked, his eyes wide.
I nodded. “Things are probably going to be a little weird around here from here on out, huh?” I inquired.
Allen laughed and shook his head. “Drayke, when aren’t things weird around here?” he asked.
I nodded. “You’ve got a point,” I admitted.

“So,” Twilight asked slowly, “now what?”
Pinkie jumped up excitedly. “Ooh! Ooh! We could throw them a party!” she cried excitedly.
Rarity rolled her eyes. “Honestly, Pinkie, we should give the humans a bit of time to adjust to our world before throwing them one of your parties,” she said.
Applejack sighed. “I wonder if this will mean good business for Sweet Apple Acres,” she wondered aloud.
“I just hope they’re nice to the animals,” Fluttershy said quietly.
Rainbow Dash smiled. “This is gonna be so awesome!” she said happily.

Allen shrugged. “Or, you know, there could be another war,” he pointed out.
Celestia laughed lightly. “Allen, after seeing what you and Drayke have done, I’m sure that will not happen.”
Luna nodded. “You need to look on the brighter side of things more often, Allen,” she said as she pressed her side against him affectionately, and he smiled and kissed her on the cheek.

Cadence looked at me with a warm smile. “What do you think, Drayke?” she asked gently.

I sighed and looked straight ahead at the horizon. “After everything we’ve been through,” I said slowly, “I think this is a pretty satisfying ending.”