This was it, this was their last gamble. Three armies clashing under the mountains shadow, the vale of Canterlot. The Crystal Empire, an army glittering in the morning sun; the last of the Canterlot Guard, each bearing witness to the slaughter of half their forces before the gates; and last of all was the barbarian hordes from a nation of no name. Never had they stood united for such a cause, never looking beyond small tribal feuds, but times have changed.

All knew in their hearts there was only one solution; the defeat of their enemy. There was no reasoning with them, no diplomacy, for Azzal’s goal was nothing short of total conquest. He had spent years clawing his way up the ranks of a divided nation, deceived his allies and dealt to his foes. What they faced here was not a pony, for what pony would sell his soul for such a prize?

The battle was taking a swift turn; Azzal’s forces were wearing thin as their foe closed in around them. Their light travel gear and weapons were severely outmatched by the guards armour and training. Pegasi were shot out of the skies by well-placed blasts of magical energy, pinning them down. Moral was at its lowest, and no speech or twisted word from Azzal could sway it.

Azzal himself was another matter. There was no more hiding behind his troops, no more hiding, it was time to lead by example. With the Talon of Pain reforged Azzal began to cut a swath in their lines, casting fire and ruin at the enemy, creating disarray and chaos. The guard attempted to bring him down using magic but all attempts were failed, the metal construct deflect the projectiles with ease. The dark magic invested in the talon was fuel by the spilling of blood around it, its power slowly accumulating like a caged demon. Where Azzal went his troop’s courage was restored. Maybe they could hold out for a while longer.

From his own ranks however the cracks were beginning to show. Their minds snapped under the pressure, tossing down their arms in surrender in hopes they’d be sparred. Azzal however sparred no one, least of all a coward. However his numbers were beginning to thin, with Shining Armour and Princess Cadence at their head, the forces of Equestria seemed unstoppable. If they had any hope of survival they had to eliminate the heads, bring their moral crashing down. So when the Captain of Guard was in sight Azzal Khan did not hesitate to challenge him.

Taken off guard, Shining was suddenly stuck by a solid blow to the side that sent him sprawling. Lifting the Talon once more, Azzal issued challenge to the grounded captain. Behind his mask he bore a smug grin as he taunted his foe.

“Come now soldier, let’s put on a good show for your wife! It would be a shame for her to see you die without a fight!”

Anger boiled deep inside Shining as he pulled himself to his hooves.  Without another second’s hesitation, Shining Armour drew his double edged sword and aimed it towards the tyrant.

“I’ll do more than just fight; I’ll end this once and for all!”

Shining moved into a quick gallop, tightening the magical grip on his blade as he raised it for a death bringing swing. Azzal kept his stance, one hoof held up with the Talon in grasp. The blades were stained a deep crimson, smoke still escaping from the inner workings. The enchantment upon it required the souls of his victims, and now it was more than satisfied.

He was now within ten feet of his. The Talon was held aloft and the fires of death spewed forth, lancing out towards his unsuspecting victim. Shining’s eyes widened as he pushed himself of to the side, narrowly avoiding the worst of the flames but still suffering burns to his flank.

Azzal chuckled as the captain groaned in pain, the sound of his merriment infuriating yet terrifying those around him. Shining Armour took the sword up in his grip again, this time however firing a bolt of energy towards the tyrant before making his assault.

Azzal used the Talon to shield himself quickly, deflecting the magical attack into the ground. Before he knew it Shining was already on top of him, taking advantage of the heavy and cumbersome nature of the Talon. Azzal struggled to make a decent strike, the bladed appendages simply not enough to make the fatal blow. Shining’s sword however was beating down faster than he could avoid, striking his armor and weapon before he could hope to counter.

Azzal tried to pull out his Basilisk Dagger to even the odds, just a scratch was all it took for the poison to take hold. But even as he revealed it from under his cloak it was knocked aside, a lucky swing sending it to the dirt. That would be the last of his dirty tactics.

One blow found its mark, piercing deep into his shoulder as it broke through flesh and bone alike. Azzal resisted the urge to yell in pain, instead using this as a chance to lash out. The Talon managed to strike the captain across the face, but only left a slight scar as it failed to make the kill. Shining drew his sword from Azzal’s wound and levelled his hoof for to strike.

The first blow hit Azzal in the neck, winding him and causing a great amount of pain. The next landed straight on his mask, causing the contraption to break under the force. It all began to cave in, his lungs filling with blood as his lifeline was severed. Breathing became shallow and panicked, forcing Azzal to the ground as he desperately tried to reassemble the broken mask.

“No more poisonous words from you, not anymore.” Shining kicked him to the side, leaving the fallen lord as re-join his comrades. The guard cheered his name, cries of victory went up across the battlefield. Everywhere the desert warriors cast down their arms and surrendered, none daring to resist after such a crushing blow had been dealt.

Azzal was finished, he knew it was so. He could feel the life slowly drain from his body as his throat collapsed in. What a pitiful way to die he thought to himself. All these years of careful planning and execution for nothing? No, he had dealt his blow. He had struck the heart and now it was sorely wounded. He had caused more chaos and destruction than any before him. That was his purpose after all.

The sounds of battle died down, even the triumphant cheers were silenced as the realization sunk in. The dead numbered nearly in the thousands, littering the valley from the gates of Canterlot to the shores of lake saddle. There would be no songs of victory, no parades and no celebration. They had won this day, but at what cost.

Shining Armour fell into his wife’s hooves, taking the weight of his hooves for a brief second as they savoured each other’s embrace. It had been a hard fought victory and the captain was just thankful he had lived through it. Twilight and her friends were once again reunited, holding each other as tight as they could without suffocating them.

“You should have seen us,” Rainbow Dash boasted. “I was all like ‘Wham!’ and then the other came up behind me and I was like ‘Zam!’” She gave them a demonstration of her heroism as she recounted her deeds. “Now me and Fluttershy are even, she saved my life and now I saved her from those guys! I think we all deserve break after this.”

“Fluttershy and I, dear.” Rarity interjected. “And yes, I think we all deserve break after all of this. Once we get back to Ponyville I shall probably go to sleep and never wake up. I never want to see another bow again in my life.”

Applejack gave a stern nod. “Ah here ya Rare’s. All Ah want now is ta get on back to the farm and see mah family again. Sure Ah’m doggone tired, but I've been worried sick ‘bout ‘em since we got here.”

“Well then that settles it,” Twilight spoke in a far more relaxed mood. “Once we’re done here we’re all getting our flanks back to Ponyville. I’m sure the Princesses will need our help with the clean-up, but after that I’d like nothing more than to see Spike again.”

“And mah family.”

“And my dear sister.”

“And my bed.”

“And my poor animals.”

“And the cupcakes, don’t forget the cupcakes!”

Twilight rolled her eyes at the party pony, but gave her a quick hug anyway. “Sure Pinkie, who could forget that.” She turned her attention back to Rarity for a second, her eyes looking at the laden saddlebags. “It’s just too bad we weren't in time to use the elements. I know we had to split up in order to warn Cadence, but I can’t help but think how many more we could have saved if we had have all been here.”

“Think no more of it darning, we did all we could have possibly done. The elements are strong, but not strong enough I fear to stop an army. We did what was right and saved Equestria in the process. You should be proud.” Rarity placed a reassuring hoof on her shoulder. “Let’s not talk about it anymore. The battle’s over, now all that’s left it to clean up the mess.”

“Over!? Who said anything about it being over!?”

Suddenly all eyes were turned on the dying corpse of Azzal, surrounded by guards, but now flowing with some unnatural energy. Before their eyes the body began to break apart, dissipating into magical energy. What followed next however was far worse than they could have imagined.

The energy began to gather into a ball of light, nothing left of the tyrant save a blood stained patch of earth. The tyrant was gone, but something new was about to arrive. The ball of light began to shift and mould, taking on a new form. Limbs began to appear from it, a head and a tail extending from either end.

“Well that was most uncomfortable!” The creature exclaimed. “Not one of my better ideas, but you can’t say I didn't give it a good try.”

Twilight felt her heart sink to the bit of her stomach, the realization coming upon her. “…how?”

Discord playfully looked at Twilight in a state of surprise. “Oh hello Twilight, it’s so good to see you again! You were always my favourite, just don’t tell the yellow one.” He couldn’t help but laugh at his own joke.

“How are you here? Where have you been!? Explain yourself!”

“Oh right to the point are we? Fine then, I’ll humour you for a while. Everypony take a seat, it’s quite the tale I assure you.” Discord snapped his claws and under each of the six ponies appeared a rather comfy sofa. With another snap the spirit of chaos was now sitting happily on a cloud wearing a red velvet robe and smoking a pipe. Twilight and her friends could only sit and stare in confusion. “Listen closely my little ponies, I’ll only tell you once. I’m not really in the mood to repeat myself.”

“After my “reformation”,” He gestured for effect. “I was in quite a funny situation. You see I never really considered the implications of falling under Celestia’s subservience, the fact that I would never rise to power, never have the fun I always dreamed of. I was doomed to remain in the background, a simple caretaker. So I decided down with Celestia, I’ll take this land myself.

“But then you showed up, Miss Twilight Sparkle with your fancy wings, and shake everything up. Two princesses is enough to deal with, but three… no, wait… four is asking a bit much, even for me! So I hatched a scheme, and it was a brilliant one. I had to create something to get rid of you, so I made a weapon tailor maid to defeat you. You have such wonderful nightmares princess, so much to work with. Looking into your mind I found all the components I needed to create the perfect tool to defeat you and all of stinking Equestria.

“A funny thing, wasn't he? Just a bunch of random jigsaw pieces forced together, even if they don’t fit all too well. I created him out of your fears; the name of a fictional warlord, the mask of a Batmane villain, the weapons out of science fiction. It was all too much to resist. I put it all together and I made him, sending him into the desert to fulfill my plans. He tried his best, aside from the part where he failed me.

“I had to pour much of my own energy just into creating him, it’s not as easy to create life as some may think. I wasn't able to lift a claw. But now all this chaos has given me more than enough power. Let’s take this opportunity to pick up where we left off.”

Discord waved his hand, holding the six ponies in his magical grasp. “First things first, we can’t have you lot running around and fetching your precious elements. Don’t worry, I've already booked you some accommodation.” Out of thin air a large cage formed around the group, imprisoning them all before they could react.

“You won’t get away with this Discord!” Pinkie yelled at the draconequus, waving her hoof in an angry manor.

Discord merely laughed off her little tantrum, rather enjoying moments like these. “Must you go on? I’ve already gotten away with it, all that’s left to deal with is old Celestia and Luna. How much easier can it be?”

“That’s enough Discord.” Discord turned to see that Princess Celestia had finally arrived, looking in a far worse state than her sister who stood beside her. Cadence and Shining quickly galloped to the Princesses defence, ready to face down the beast once and for all. “Your plans have cost hundreds of ponies their lives this day. Stop this now before it gets out of hoof.”

“I always miss you Celestia, you've always been the thickest of the bunch. How do any of you plan on stopping me at this level of power? You simply can’t, not even with your sister and your little entourage.”

“We won’t,” Celestia’s horn lit up as a beam of energy shattered the cage imprisoning Twilight and her friends. “but they will.”

Rarity had already given out the Elements of Harmony, each of them wearing their jewel proudly. “Alright girls,” Twilight instructed. “let’s finish this.”

Discord was, more or less, caught off guard. “You can’t do that! I’m Discord, the spirit of chaos! I will not be defeated again!”

The elements began to glow and pulsate with energy, their magic focussed into one powerful multi-coloured beam. Discord threw all the power he had left into his attack, meeting the elements in a magical clash. He pressed into it as much as he could, but his fate was already sealed. The rainbow beam started to advance on Discord, pushing him back till he could no longer resist. With one last cry he was struck, the elements overwhelming his body with his stone prison. His arms shielding his face is fear, the lord of chaos was but a statue once again. Twilight and the others let out a sigh of relief, it was over for good this time.

“Good... job girls… I think we’re... done for the day.” The lavender mare gasped. “Let’s just take tomorrow off, not come in. Sound like a good idea?” A collective agreement was shared among them.

“Indeed, you've earned that and much more.” Celestia smiled warmly at her student. “It seems we are all once more in your debt.”

Twilight turned away from her mentor and back towards the battlefield, the smells of blood and smoke attacking her nose, the bodies of countless soldiers, innocent and guilty alike. Twilight’s gut wrenched as she took it all in. “I can’t help but think… we were that close to failing.”

Next Chapter: Epilogue Estimated time remaining: 7 Minutes