Chapter 10

The Final Battle For Equius, Part 2

*****

(South Wall, Castle Wall, Canterlot, 23:55 PM)

Within the course of twenty minutes, long after leaving the hotel room, Sterling had taken his harem girls to their needed destinations within the armory, the medical wing and the archives. And Fluttershy, Applejack and Rarity had all begun to take their places in their newly appointed jobs. While that was done, a family of barbers had swarmed around the Captain, pleading to him for giving him a haircut on the spot. Much as the man didn't want it to be rushed, he felt that his beard (to which he revealed to his girlfriends after confessing that his appearance was not all that it seemed) needed to be cut off from his face, along with his long black hair.

And after having done so, Sterling was now able to look down at the impending battlefield with a new look. A closely shaved face, a military cut for his head, and his battle gear suited up, and he was able to say that the world would be able to see him off with a better look, in life or death.

The Rex Brutes had advanced their movements towards the city so fast that the ground had repeated a shaking rhythm that gave both the Royal Guard, Honor Guard & the Royal Equestrian Armed Forces a reason to allow fear to control their choice of words. The defending armies had begun to doubt their ability to stop the impending evil force that would storm into the castle, thus slaying all of them. And even Sterling had begun to feel the same doubts that he too felt. Even with his power as the leader of the toughest stealth force, never in his life did he ever have to fight against the full power of his enemy.

"Get over here, you royal fools," he whispered to the sky above him. Within a second of having pleaded to whoever he was calling, a trio of magical streams had risen up from where Ponyville was supposedly razed and pillaged. As soon as the streaks had stopped in front of him, some of the soldiers behind him had stepped back. "Protect the people of this country, you three. I am in need of your powers to help us," he pleaded in a commanding tone that held a drawl of his fears well in his heart.

As you command, Master Caliber, the Platinum King complied with his ghostly wife and son following behind.

We shall do what you command of us, milord, the Titanium Prince spoke up while following his father.

And with all of our power, we will defend the citizens and the fighters of this world, the Palladium Queen nodded.

Within another second, the three ghosts had disenchanted the shield wall that was originally put up by Shining Armor, thus allowing the rain from the unnatural cloud above the armies to fall on their heads. But along with that, a new wall of magical defense had been put up. Along with that, the weapons and armor of the forces behind the Captain had been enchanted to show a different metallic composition that was even better than what was given from the armory. And along with that, the magic that the Magicians had gotten ready to use was tripled in force while the Auran soldiers had begun to feel a wind of change in their wings. The Equians who had begun to fall back had felt their born strength return with a massive boost.

Within the throne room, the Princesses and the Council of Friendship had felt their own talents being given a lift, evident by how much more confident they all felt. Celestia and Luna felt their own bodies being given an extra boost of power to go with their already great resources of power.

"Sister... I'm feeling something that I have not felt for the last thousands of years," Luna said while feeling a tingling sensation that made her almost giddy inside as a confident smile had been plastered on her.

"As am I, Luna," Celestia nodded while looking to one of the windows, as if through it to see what was happening. "I believe that it is the work of the three metallic royalty that Sterling is still in possession of, despite the months of being away from him." The other Princesses, Cadence & Twilight, had also felt the power surge, prompting them to give a braver face against danger. And the Council of Friendship, all in the different wings of the castle or within the defensive barriers of the grounds, also felt the power coursing through them.

"Is this all because of Sterling?" Cadence asked as she walked up besides Celestia.

"Indeed. He feels that the world needs to have someone to stop the forces that would break the harmony that has filled these lands for the last millenniums that have passed by, even before our time as rulers of the land. And as such, the ancient powers that contribute to the defense of our way of life are well-tuned to the desire of peace and harmony that Sterling Caliber has been wishing for his lands to keep, if not for himself," Celestia spoke, knowing the Captain's own soul from having seen him first hand along with her sister besides her.

"Sister, I feel the fear of our subjects on this night. If they are allowed to keep this fear, the Rex Brutes will use it to feed the Nightmare Monsters and Changelings," Luna gasped after feeling the emotion from her spot in the room. "I must speak to our soldiers and subjects. And we hope that we will be able to inspire the courage that is needed this night," she then proclaimed, hoping to get the okay from her older sibling.

"Then we must not waste any time, Luna! We must inspire the courage that Sterling has given to his unit for all the time that he has been fighting our shared enemies!" Celestia commanded, the other royal women falling behind as the sisters left the room in haste. Within a few seconds of record time for a flight from the Alicornians, they had stopped just a few feet away from Sterling, who had greeted the women with a bow.

"Your Highness'?" Sterling greeted with confusion, thinking that they must have had a exponential reason to disrupt his train of thought on how his strategy would be able to work.

“Captain....” Celestia spoke to him. “We must not allow our fear to be harvested by the Brutes. They will use our weaknesses to destroy us until there is nothing left of our existence. So it is imperative that our resolve does not falter. Because even the smallest hope is more than enough to stop the Brutes and their allies from taking Equius,” she said to him in a soothingly commanding voice that spoke of her many years of wisdom.

“Indeed, Sterling,” Luna interjected, “We must not overlook our greatest ally, if not the rest of the world. The power of the light will always smite our darkest enemies in our time of need.” Luna had then taken flight from the stone on the ground as she had prepared to give her speech to the masses that prepared for war. Indeed, she was also able to see the volunteers that wanted to fight for their futures, alongside the regular and irregular soldiers within familiar.

“Good evening! Dear citizens of Canterlot! Tonight is the beginning of the longest night before the Summer Sun Celebration can begin, on this month of the Solaris Triumph. And on this night, just as the Elements of Harmony had fought against Nightmare Moon many years ago to save me, we, the people of this land now fight against her. But there are more than just the evil deity that took over me those thousands of years ago. For it is also Tirek, Sombra, Chrysalis and Leviathan, the King of the Brutes who wish to destroy our right to live. To exist. But we must, for all of the lands that we were born in, to be ready to give our lives for all of Equestria! And indeed for all of Equus! But not as commoners and nobles, or Royal Elites and militia! But as the people of a free nation! AND when my sister's sun rises from the horizon... The 7th Day of the Solaris Triumph will not be known as an Equestrian holiday! But it will be the day that we announce to the evil of this world that we will not go quietly to an eternal night! We will not vanish without a fight! We're going to live on! We're going to survive! TODAY, WE CELEBRATE THE SUMMER SUN CELEBRATION!!!”

The smaller legion within the city walls had then cheered and cried multiple war cries that even shook the ground where the Brute armies were hastily advancing. So much so that even Princess Celestia herself had shed a tear from how proud she was of her sister for making such a perfect motivational speech.

“Sister,” Celestia whispered to Luna before hugging her deeply, to which the Night Princess returned. “I am ready to fight with you.”

"As am I with you, my sister."

And as the Royal Sisters had begun to take flight, they summoned their armor and weapons, a gold, ornate staff for Celestia and a glowing greatsword for Luna. Along with those weapons, Cadence and Shining Armor (who had joined his wife within the time of the speech) had summoned a sword and shield as a warhammer was summoned while Twilight had prepared and readied a saber that was also glowing while being quite ornate.

.....

The hour of midnight had struck the clock tower, and the same militia from the various lands of Equestria had united with the proper legions to make their stand. The Royal Elites had turned to their Captain, who could only sound off the orders. On the same ground near the mountain, Sterling then gave the order.

“FORWARD! MARCH!!!”

Onyx and Brandon echoed the same marching order to the other attachments who followed in synchronized steps. The drums then began to beat off their sounds as some blowing horns had played the required inspirational fanfare. And when the Captain ordered the militia to halt, Leviathan, on the other side of the battle, had taken his binoculars to look at the formation that was displayed before him.

“Unless I'm going blind, the Royal Elites are performing some irregular formation with the militia and the Royal Guards,” he muttered loudly. His second in command also looked at the formation against his leader's overpowering legion. “They must be clinging to some false hope! One that will not destroy us at all! Send the Changelings in! We are to attack from the skies first before we take the ground!”

“Order: Flight!”

The same Changeling swarms then took to the skies and flew their way to the grounds.

“Attack!”

The insect-humanoids then took their flight down to where they had targeted the foot soldiers. But even they made the mistake of underestimating the power of the Royals.

“Steady.... steady,” Sterling commanded. “Wait for it....”

Just a few more feet....

3.....

"Just a little more...."

2.....

"Come on, you boot scrapes...."

1.....

“FIRE!!!”

The ethereal bolts that became enchanted from the Magicians, accompanied with crossbow bolts, spears and swords from the Aviators and Land-People, had then been projected from the ground up. While the same Magicians focused their power on the Brutes and Shadow-Men on the ground, the Land-People and Aviators had swung and shot away at the Changelings with a force that had never been experienced by the swarms or the warriors.

By the time that all of the ground and air soldiers had fired first, the cannons and howitzers from the walls of the fortified city had then fired their shots against the same enemy. By then, one third of the Brute legions and Changeling air-strikers had been wiped out from the explosive power that they all felt in that moment. But the same enemies had still outnumbered the ground garrisons by a larger number.

“Retreat to the Bravo point!” Sterling commanded as he waved them to the marked area. “I repeat: Retreat to the Bravo point at mark six-point-seven!” They all did so after firing a second shot of their weapons and magic against the enemies' numbers.

“Attack the weak ones, my fellow Brutes! And you too, Shadow-Walkers!” Leviathan's second shouted out for his troops. The Rex Brutes then charged forward against the lines, hoping to kill them off in a quick move. But as they did so, they had once again underestimated their enemies' intelligence. For it was just after they had made their way to the base of the ruins of some unknown temple, that they had seen a larger number of Royal Guards, the Equestrian Armed Forces placed together.

"FIRE AGAIN!!!"

The same attacks had multiplied immensely, sending the numbers of the opposing campaign to a near grinding halt as the body parts flew off from many distances. But it seemed that the Brutes wanted to destroy the Equestrian forces at all costs. The Brutes had surrounded the militia on all sides before they could begin to attack. This was still a bad move on Sterling's part, but he would not allow the line to fall. Even when he would look over to his friends tiring from the fighting they had all done so far. And even the magic was being badly depleted from the Magicians' resources.

But just as it all seemed that there was nothing to save them, or even Sterling for that matter after fighting for a long two hours, a familiar horn sound had been heard.

"The... the Norse Warriors, Griffons and Dragons are coming! To save the kingdom of Equestria!", Sterling announced cheerfully as the flying ships of the Norse Kingdoms, along with their Dragon and Griffon allies overpowering the armies. But they weren't going to be having all the fun, in accordance to the Leo-Gar, Zebrican and Stirrupean citizens that made their march against the massive army. For their numbers matched the Brutes by the same numbers.

“You see, Captain? Even you have allies in this time of need!”, Onyx laughed as both he, Thoruun and Sterling began to lay on the ground for the third shot against the evil armies.

“Attack them all, my friends!” Sterling ordered to them all. And when the order was given, a gusto of valor had passed through to his allies' spirits. Though the Changeling swarms had circled around their target, while the Brutes led the assault with a renewed anger, the increasingly stronger side that fought for the Royal Sisters was then given hope as the numbers of the oppressors had taken a severe decrease in their numbers. But while that was true, Leviathan had a last surprise in his sleeve.

“Summon all of the monsters.”

Dire Wolves, Timberwolves, Chaos Masters, criminals for hire from all continents, and even the traitors against Celestia and Luna's ruling had begun to ascend to the castle walls with a great force.

But even though the monsters came around, a few Zebrican shamans and witch-doctors had used their herbal potions to help their common allies fight against the hoards. And even the cat people of Leo-Gar gave their all with their weapons and claws. But to Sterling, it was still not enough to take down the hundreds of thousands of Brutes that wanted to rule with a tight iron fist. There was only one thing to do. And that was to kill Leviathan. For in the King Brutes death, there would be no more of the Brutes. And peace and harmony could finally return to the lands.

But it would not come without a very heavy price, as he already knew from his past experiences.

He had then taken his steps to the town center, where the Leo-Gar Highlanders were coaxing the enemy into the streets to fight them. The citizens who volunteered to fight had been reinforced with the big cat people that could teach them how to hold their own. And Sterling was able to see how the even the snooty nobles of the city were also using their magic to push back the Brutes, Shadow-Walkers and Changelings. He was also hearing a few witty snaps about how such vulgar creatures should not even be allowed to be in the sewers of their city. This convinced Sterling to believe that even with the nobles being such stuck-up assholes, to which he never mixed in with to begin with, he still knew that they all wanted to play a part in the final fight. Even if it meant having to hear the boasts of those ignorant people.

Before he could even go up to a few of them and smack their faces with his hands, Shining Armor had approached from two yards away, calling him down as he stepped towards him.

"Captain! Glad I got to you," Shining Armor chuckled after tossing one of the opposing warriors towards the smallest window, causing the aggressor to suddenly give out a spurt of blood from the glass that pierced its body.

"What says the lady, your Highness?" Sterling smirked as he fired a shot of his magic behind him, causing a Nightmare Monster to fall behind him with a loud thump.

"The other Princesses are fortifying the air docks and the towers, so we have all night to stop this madness with our hands," Shining reported to him as he looked around him with his back on his friends back.

"75 is my personal record, so try to keep up, amateur!" Sterling laughed while he summoned his longsword in his right hand. "I won't forgive you if you beat it, of course!" he then coaxed his Highness, hoping to hit more of his enemy than his new competitor.

"For our Princesses?" Shining said as he shook his free hand.

"For our country!" Sterling shouted out as he sprinted towards a larger group of the Rex Brutes being reinforced by a few Shadow-Walkers and Dire Wolves. Shining Armor had also sprinted to another group of the enemy, Changelings and escaped convicts in his sights, and began to fight off the monsters on the streets with the cat people near him.

Needless to say, the heads and limbs of the opposing side had flown off from where they belonged, streaming the streets with the black colored blood and slime that had begun to clog up the scent of the already horrid emanations that the sewers were draining out. Shining and Sterling had begun a competitive campaign on the ground of the streets of the capital city while his allies were either flying in the air or in a Nordic air-ship that shot off many steel spears to take down the creatures that wanted to eliminate the Equestrian forces.

The many air-ships of the Nordic forces had docked themselves onto the air-docks, allowing the Viking and Valkyrie warriors to do their part with aiding against the carnage of the Ragnarok-forsaken abominations. And along with that, the Dragons had also done the same for their grounded rivals while being followed by the Griffons who also wanted a piece of the action. Gilda, Fiery Carbuncle and Confident Sword had each taken point in the sky and ground within the city, taking a few monsters down to see who could fight faster or better.

And on the ground near the tunnel where Canterlot could be easily accessed, the Rex Brutes had begun to suffer a greater loss of their numbers. And Leviathan Di'Nihilous had become very angry. With one swipe of his hand, the fire from his magic had killed off and melted the Guards that held themselves at the opening. And with that done, Leviathan had begun to use his wings to fly into the tunnel along with the warriors who were able to go into the same tunnel before a few more of the defending soldiers had fortified the entrance once again. And even the leader was able to note that he was still learning to never underestimate how the leaders of his opposition would not go down without a fight. This made him laugh lowly with his nefarious intentions known to the world.... and Sterling Caliber.

(Mysterious room, Canterlot Castle, 1:30 AM)

The whirring of the machine known as the Alicornian Magic Extractor, an ancient design from eons passed, had hummed ominously with the sound of the gears grinding while the crystals from the extracting points had begun to glow. The humming had then escalated to a louder screech that allowed the citizens above the streets to know that something was going horribly wrong.

Prince Blueblood had just smiled, feeling the elation of having created such a notorious weapon for his own twisted purposes. Within the same room, the four Princesses had been somehow kidnapped. It was only when they all woke up to the sound of the machine fully waking up that they all realized that they were all being held by the corrupted Magician.

"BLUEBLOOD!!!" Celestia screamed in the rage that was built up within her.

"Ah! Yes! Now that you are awake, auntie dearest, we can proceed with the plans that I have for all of Equestria!" Blueblood laughed evilly as he saw the anger rising in his hostages.

"You won't get away with this, traitor!" Twilight screamed at her kidnapper. "And when Sterling gets here, you'll be lucky if he doesn't kill you on the spot!" she screamed again, deeply pissed off that she was also in the same situation that her real friends were in.

"Oh, but he won't. And I already have gotten away with it, filthy heretic," Blueblood spat out in her face.

"And just what do you intend to do with us, you monster?" Cadence hissed at him.

"Simple: I take the magic from your bodies, transfer it all into my own body, kill both Leviathan and Sterling, and then rule all of the Equius!" Blueblood laughed at them, feeling more in power with his desire to proceed with his plan.

"You will never be able to get away with this, nephew! Even if you do kill us, thus taking the helm of the world, you will find that the world will never bow to your will! As long as there are evil tyrants like you, the Royal Elites will come to save the world," Luna proudly stated to her now raging captor. "And if Leviathan were to hear what you just said, he would just kill you, right here in this uncomfortable room."

(SLAP!!!)

The echo of the tyrant Prince's hand on Luna's cheek had given the Night Princess a reason to wince in pain.

"Sterling Caliber and Leviathan Di'Nihilous are nothing more than mere pawns that I have used to my advantage! And when I have killed them, I will hang your body, along with the others, on a display to show my resolve to rule the world!" the tyrant prince had growled with his rage vented out with his spit on his aunt's face. "And all for the good of the real rule that belongs to the King, Rex Muta!"

The machine had then begun to make a ticking noise that warned him of the incoming activation. Blueblood then laughed against the misfortune of the chained hostages on the wall.

"And when I am through with taking your magic, I will make good use of it by destroying the world!"

The magic within the Princesses was on the line, and they all knew that either Sterling, or Leviathan if they were just as begrudgingly hoping, would have to move as fast as angels if any of them were to be rescued from the machine that was too close to them all.

"Sterling! HELP US!!!"

(Solar Wing, Castle, 1:50 AM....)

Two-thirds of the Equestrian Forces had suffered major losses, along with the wounded who had been placed in the medical wing. And Sterling was running frantically to find a way to find the Princesses. When word got around that the Princesses had mysteriously disappeared, according to Baltic, the Captain made it a priority to find his rulers and make sure that they were safe from any harm. Knowing that Blueblood was as much of a part for the near falling of the defenses of the walls outside of the castle, both he and Shining Armor had doubled their efforts to find their beloved rulers.

"Any luck on your end, Captain?" Shining shouted out from his end of the hallway.

"Nothing!!! RRRAAAAAAAAGGGGHHHH!!!!" Sterling shouted out in the halls that had somehow been invaded by the warriors and monsters before he and Shining had taken them down. "We've both searched the Lunar Wing! And still nothing!" His hands had punched a suit of armor, making it clink and clank down to the ground.

"We will find them, Sterling! We just need to keep up our efforts, and we'll find something to help us find them!" Shining patted his shoulder despite feeling a slight injury in his hand.

"I hope that you're right, for Faustia's sake," Sterling nodded while keeping his mind focused on the task at hand.

"And yet you have no hope to find your allies!" an ominous voice spoke from behind them. Sterling had turned around to see.... Leviathan Di'Nihilous. The dragon-gorilla hybrid was walking very slowly towards the two defenders.

"Leviathan," Sterling scowled in anger, knowing that his new opponent was coming to not only taunt him, but to kill him if he was not as careful as the last time he confronted him. Before he could make the first move, Shining had started to sprint towards his opponent and held him back.

"What are you doing, Sterling?! He knows where the Princesses, and my wife, are!" Shining protested, despite being held by the collar of his shirt. After being pulled back, Sterling looked at his sovereign and slapped him a new slap to put him into focus.

"Shining! Try the room where Blueblood sleeps! It might have where the location is written on," Sterling commanded him with his stone-cold face not changing its appearance. "And from there, I'll join you for the discoveries, alright?"

"RIGHT!!" Shining shouted before running from the two who were about to make the fight happen. "And kick him a new one for insulting my hot wife for me, will ya?"

"With pleasure!" Sterling smirked as he cracked his knuckles. With Shining Armor running to another part of the Solar Wing, the Captain of the Royal Elites had slowly walked towards the General of the Rex Brutes.

"It seems that I really did make him angry. More than enough for him to try to best me in a fight," Leviathan chuckled to his opponent. "And all because of that sickening, disgusting, and downright hypocritical notion called 'love'! HA! And does he even notice that Blueblood has already taken the steps needed to destroy the both of us? Because even you are not caught unaware of the situation!"

"I have already heard your message, Leviathan!" Sterling responded with his attitude growing more in a deep desire to stop his opponent from advancing any further. "Either help us with Blueblood's Extractor, thus earning you only a sentence of solitary confinement, or start getting in the way! Either way, one of us will be the ones to stop the tyrant who wants to rule all of Equestria with an overpowered device of destruction!" he then pleaded under the pressure of hoping to never have to fight him ever again. Just maybe that hope could help with the fall of the enemies all around them.

"And let you get all of the fun? I think not, Sterling! See: I care not for the rule of the world, nor for the wealth and power of the tyrants who are about to be extracted of their powers! All that I see... is the world, united under a common banner! One common purpose! ONE! TRUE! GOAL!"

"And that goal is to allow the King of the Brutes to destroy the world? I!!! THINK!!! NOT!!! AAAAAAAAAGGGGGGHHHHH!!!!"

"RRRRRRRAAAAAA---AAAHH!"

The fight had started out with the weapons clashing as they each dealt a blow to one another. And it went on for more than the time that was needed for any of them. Before the hybrid could even get his weapons out, he felt his left leg being deeply bitten by some creature on his ankles, gnashing a deep bite wound that trailed a small stream of blood. And when he felt it going deeper, he lifted up the creature that tried to bite him and threw down what was a rather large dog that had blood on its mouth.

"Chancellor!!" Sterling recognized the dog at once as he saw his pet being thrown back with a major force of magic. Before the hybrid could even get a laugh out, a feeling of metal had pounded on his abdomens and sent him flying against the columns that had broken down from the impact, toppling the creature with many stones pounding on him. "Chancellor! Chancellor!! Are you alright?!" Sterling nearly screamed out, looking over his pet's now laying body.

"I'm alright, master," Chancellor panted. "I've been through worst things than some ugly denizen throwing me away. Such is the life that I had from before I met you," the dog smiled at him. "Don't worry about me, master. I'll just have myself a bit of sleep. My body will be able to heal up from the contact that I've taken," he told him before seeing Sterling get up.

"Are you sure, buddy?" the man nearly cried, fearful of what the words doubly meant.

"I ate some of the healing herbs that Fluttershy gave me as you got your haircut, just go!!" Chancellor barked at him.

"Get some sleep, Chance! You'll need it."

And as Sterling rose up from his dog, he took his steps and saw that the stones were moved.

"No! It can't be! Where is he?!" he yelled out, knowing that Leviathan had gotten out of the makeshift prison.

"What is it, Sterling?" Shining then called out from behind him. He had just come from the room with what looked like a journal or diary that had an alabaster white painted hard cover, depicting the owner's name with gold stitches.

"Leviathan escaped!" the Captain stated.

"We'll both find him later, Sterling! Look what I got from that dumb ass' room!" Shining proudly stated to him, holding up the same small book that would more than likely tell the both of them where he more than likely hid them.

"Great work, your Highness!" Sterling commended his friend as they skimmed through the pages quickly, hoping to find the place. "Now we just need to find the page that can show us how to take us to the Princesses!"

But right as Shining Armor had nodded--

CCCRRRRRAAAAACCCKK! PPPFFFFFFTTTTTT! GAASSSPP!!

The metal armor that the Prince was wearing had been pierced by a blade, leaving out a large spurt of blood that dropped down from the bottom of the blade while it twisted around where the heart was at.

"And I told you both: You have no hope of finding the Princesses! Not even your wife!"

Leviathan had taken the blade from his hand and stabbed the back of the Prince near him, hitting his heart along with the many arteries that were majorly severed, making Shining bleed out from the chest and back.

At that moment.... right there.... all of the world had gone black. Sterling Caliber.... had just noticed.... with his waking eyes.... the fall of the Prince of the Crystal Empire. And all because of Leviathan taking advantage of the time that was lost while looking for the room where their Princesses needed to be rescued from.

"No....."

The time around him had slowed down as he saw Shining fall to the ground on his knees as the blood of the noble Magician had flown freely from the through-and-through wound.

"No....! ....... NOOOOOOOO!!!!!"

And when Sterling had caught Shining Armor in his arms, the stains of the blood had taken the sleeves of his armor. The breaths of his fallen friend were erratic, nearing no life within his last few seconds.

"Do you know what it is that I want.... more than anything in the whole world?" Shining whispered to him out loud.

"Shining? Shining! No! Don't! Don't speak! Just breath, man!" Sterling pleaded to the dying man.

"I wish.... for Flurry Heart, my child.... to know that I.... will always love her, even in the heavens."

*uurrrrrrgggghhh......*

.....

(Extractor Room, 2:15 AM....)

"No!" Celestia, Luna, Cadence and Twilight cried out as they all felt the death that had occurred from their senses.

"Shining Armor...." Twilight sobbed as she felt the loss of life from her magic.

"My husband!" Cadence screamed out, trying to release herself from the chains that kept her on the walls.

"--Is finally dead! Oh, how I wish I was able to see it happen!" Blueblood laughed out loud, cheering in the small victory that had come for his goals. "And now it is only five crystals to go until I have taken your power for my liking!"

The sorrow that Blueblood was drinking from his hostages had filled him with a joy that only a psychopathic killer would get from when they had taken their time with their victims. All four of the Princesses had taken a moment of silence as their tears stained their hanging bodies while feeling them also hit their feet before it stained a small pooling underneath them.

At 2:15 AM, on the 17th Day of Aurora's Entrance, during the final battle of the Second Equius War.....

Prince Shining Armor, co-ruler of the Crystal Empire, died at the age of 29 by the sword of Leviathan Di'Nihilous, the leader of the Rex Brutes. And this death was witnessed by both Leviathan....

And Captain Sterling Caliber of the Royal Elites.

(To Be Continued....)