"Hey Jack the time of return is approaching. Any standing commands for me or the troops?"

I shook my head.

"No. Everyone had their orders and we've begun moving troops to the crater around the pit. When the time comes, we will be ready."

"Alright sir. May I go and hang out with Twilight?"

I nodded and watched Sunset leave. Sunset would be leaving soon as well, and given the situation I understood her wanting to spend time with the mare who was like a little sister to her.

I sighed. We had a week left. One week and then our only chance is spent. Forces are gathered, of every standing member of the military sans the city guard. They were all adorned with armor as I saw in my visions, a hybrid of Isaac' engineer armor and that of the Equestrian Guard's original gear. All of them, pony, dragon, griffin, and gem hunter alike. This would be our only chance, the forces of an actual hell versus those of the mortal world. Tartarus would open, and in doing so release the full force of the Marker and then every single one of its denizens. All of the worst beings to exist in this world, and each of them twisted further by an eternity of the Marker flooding power into them. My troops would be led by my apprentice, the mare I raised from childhood and proudly promoted to being my second in command after years of service. As Twilight led the elements against Celestia (Twilight had been kept in the dark about the troop, and Luna has made plans for her to be one of those who bear the elements) so would Sunset lead the military. She would lead the charge, and under her the forces of Tartarus and the Marker would be held back. As they did this, I would be the one to enter hell itself, finally destroy the Marker, and end this. I looked over the suit of armor in a display case in my room. After all these years it still held together fairly well, a suit of silver dragon scales and mythril. Patches of it had been replaced, the plating remade with lunar steel and celestial gold, the chain mail with wind-silver, and the bindings had been remade with materials from one of the strongest creature of Equestria. An ursa major. Part of this was the cape-like addition onto the back of the suit, made of the beast's pelt but then heavily condensed with magic into a magically powered armor. It still held the same qualities that made it look like the night sky. My helmet was long shattered, and so it was replaced with a helm like those of the modern guard. It looked like the fifth version of Isaac's helmet from the first game, but crafted of shining white mythril and glowing with a bright green color. Along with this was a RIG crafted by the University, made in the same way of those in the games. They were filled with bright purple liquid, a potion made to restore mana and enchance the healing of the body. It was built to connect to my body underneath the ursa cape. Around my armor lay four swords.

Ultima Ventus, the King's Talon.

Tharn's Fang, a gift of friends made from the teeth of a dragon elder.

Crescent, a blade reforged of my original pair of Night Guard swords bound into one and bearing all of the magical power.

And finally, Finis. The unknown end.

On each of my hands I wear a gauntlet of orichalcum. The bindings of my oath to never cease until Equestria is safe.

I look over my room and take out a relic of my own creation. A necklace made of topaz and mythril, in the shape of a diamond. I send a gentle pulse of magic into it, and a rift of magic opens in front of me about the size of a small treasure chest. I levitate all of my belongings from the room and place them into the rift. I made this amulet for this purpose, to be a way of holding all that I need to retrieve from my own magical field later. I put the amulet under my shirt with my Wraith's Eye. I looked down as something rubbed against my leg. Fefnir.

"Hey boy...."

He whimpered and I petted him.

"Yeah. I'm worried. I... I may not come back from this."

He gave me a sad look and I knelt down to hug him.

"It's alright boy. It's alright."

Fefnir.

Even now staying with me. Some part of me wondered if Livy intended for him to help me so much.

I thought back over my life. So many faces... So many family members lost, people I cared for as children buried... But one thing was sure. They would want me to keep going. I rolled my shoulders and took Fef with me as I went to Luna. We had a short goodbye. Neither of us could handle anything longer, and I could feel my resolve shuddering. I left Fef in her care. It would be better for him to stay here. Nothing but death lay where I was headed. As I walked away from Luna for the final time I felt my resolve steel as I recalled the one thing which set me on this path. I walked out from the throne room for a final time, fully suited in my armor.

My name is Jack, champion of Luna.

This battle will be the death of the Marker.

This battle will be the death of Mercer, and all of unitology.

And this battle will be the last this world sees of me.