The End of the Last Guardian

The sensation was unbelievable. She did not know the limit of her strength anymore. Her destiny, the reason she was born, was to wear this crown. But he… Aras, he had taken it all away from her, and because of that, so many lost their lives needlessly. And now, he had to pay. She would not kill him, she could not kill him, but she would remove him from the surface of the earth, just as her ancestor had once done.

His fear was overwhelming. With the crown, she could sense his every emotion. And he had every right to be afraid, for justice would be done now. And even though it scared her, it was up to her to do it. The crown told her so, no, the crown told the world so.

“Aras.”
 Her voice sounded so strong and deep it actually frightened her a little. Was this who she was? Her memory still had so many holes in it. Yet it felt right, and she just had to trust her feeling for now.
“You, son of the Heavens, you, the one who was banished, you, the one who tried to break the gate to the eternal. You who have shown no mercy on even a little child and who by stealing the heir sentenced so many ponies to their death. Justice shall be done on you now. The end is near. If you have any regret, any way to make things right, speak now, or you will be forever silent.”

“I will never give up in my fight!” He yelled back, and she knew he would not.
He was so bitter because of the things that had happened to him in the past. Maybe, once, he had not been evil at all. He was born to be a guardian, born to help the ponies and to guide the royal family in their task. But too much time has passed, and he had lived in the darkness for too long. The glory Vitalia had once created for him… it would never be restored.

“Then so be it.”
Taira gathered her powers and focused them all on the crown, who did the rest. Before long she could actually see her powers materialize in front of her. They were bright red like the crown, and soon they shaped themselves as a pony with both wings and a horn. The wings were large and magnificent like the ones she saw on Twinkle Star, and the horn was as long as the one she had once seen on a painting of a unicorn that had lived so long ago. A magnificent creature, a child of the past, born to restore justice and balance. Such was the fate of the Guardians and it was now granted to her to remove him.

When it had fully taken shape, Taira released it. She did not have to guide it, nor direct it. Its wings were slowly moving up and down and its legs were running. It was moving on itself, so quickly that it reached Aras before she could even blink. His yell was devastating when the pony of powers reached him. It took over his body and began to consume it. Starting with his wings, his body began to break down into tiny little pieces that each shone brightly. He cried, he screamed, he kicked, but he could not defeat it.

First his wings, then his body and his legs, and finally, his head. She did not know whether his screams were still there or that she was imagining them because his face was filled with horror. But in the end, even his eyes, and at last the final tip of his ear dissolved into tiny pieces. They floated freely through the air until the wind came and took them away, forever out of their lives. The red pony of powers had already disappeared. And then, finally, the eternal feeling of his presence left her.

“He is gone.” Câlin had not had to tell her that.
 Twinkle Star had seen it with her own eyes. The red pony that Taira had created with her powers, the breaking of his body in all those little points of light. She had done it, she had actually done it. Taira… She stood there, in a ray of sunlight that had broken through the clouds. So regal, so beautiful… The true heir, her mother’s oldest daughter.

Her mother and sisters… Twinkle Star glanced to the other side and she saw Regina still standing where she had stood all that time. Stelline and Ivy… Twinkle Star did not know whether they were still unconscious, but they were not standing up yet. They had to be helped first, or they would get too cold and get really sick. There would be time to talk and think later.
“Hikary!” She yelled.
“Come, Câlin.”

The blue pony had heard her call and soon rushed to her aid.
“We have to get my sisters to the castle. They’re hurt and cold and wet. They need help.”
“Right.” Hikary agreed and she trotted off towards Stelline.
Twinkle Star and Câlin tried to help Ivy up. She was not unconscious, but she was barely able to stand. Her royal powers… Even while holding her, Twinkle Star could not sense them. She did not want to, but in the end she had to ask Câlin for help.

Twinkle Star refused to reflect on anything that had just happened. Not now. She could not spend any energy on that, her mother and sisters had to be helped first. Was Taira following them? She did not even know, and she did not dare to waste any energy in watching behind. The castle doors seemed incredible far away still, and Ivy’s body only got heavier.

It was over now, really over… even though she had spend maybe only an hour here, outside on the battle field, it seemed to last for ages. And she had her little Câlin back, plus she had finally found out… who the heir to the throne was, something that had been bothering her ever since that stone had spoken to her in Damina’s oasis.

“We will… get you home safely, Ivy.” Twinkle Star whispered.
Next to her, Hikary was supporting Stelline. It felt so weird to think that this pony was actually her older sister… Would her mother simply accept them after all the terror they had caused, even though they had been under the command of the black pony? Still, it had been Taira who had defeated him in the end, with the help of Hikary. Yet only thinking of these things made her head hurt. She needed her rest now, too, before she could spend time thinking everything over.

Taira watched her sisters leave. Hikary had rushed to Twinkle Star’s aid at once, knowing she was needed, knowing she could not help Taira right now.
“Rain…” She whispered. It had been because of her sister’s courage that she had been able to defeat Aras in the end. And she had not even had time to thank her. Did Hikary already care for her family so much?

The freedom Taira felt was making her feel lost and deserted. What was she to do with all these feelings now? They had given her strength to defeat him, they had given her a purpose for her actions. But now that she had succeeded, they felt so useless. Her entire life someone had erased her memories, leaving her with no feelings at all. But now that would never happen again.

“Taira…” A voice whispered. She looked up and saw Regina standing in front of her. She was still wearing the other crown, but her face was extremely pale. She was hurt and tired, and utterly overwhelmed by everything that had happened.
 “Queen… I mean, I guess… mother.” She remembered. Her mothers face, her mothers smile, the joy of going for a little walk into the beautiful castle gardens. They were vague and far away, but very real all the same. Her mother… she did not even feel weird to call her mother by that name.

“Thank you. For everything.” Regina slightly bowed for her.
“No… don’t bow for me. I just did what I had to do.”
She could hardly feel comfortable with being thanked for this. How could she? Everything she had caused by aiding him in the first place, how could she not have defeated him when she had the chance?
“I know you did. That is why I wish to thank you now. I cannot believe he was able to steal everything away from me, and that I refused to believe my sister, who was the only one able to defend herself against his seal. You are my firstborn daughter, and I lived on for so long without even thinking of you… I do not know how I can ever forgive myself for doing that.”

“He sealed you. Just like he did to me. It is a foul trick, and he used it too often. Maybe that is what did him in in the end. Instead of focusing on his true powers he relied too much on his ability to destroy the memories of others. But, it is over now. We all remember.” Taira said.
“How about those who were sealed by him but who were not here now? Will they remember?” Regina asked unsure.
“I think so… and if not, Twinkle Star should be able to remove those seals now that she has discovered her ability.”

Regina did not know what else to say, and neither did Taira. They both remembered what it was when they were mother and daughter, but so much had happened and so much time had passed. So many surrounded them that did not remember because they were born after Taira was removed. Would they ever accept her? This uncertainty… It was not a nice thing, but Taira enjoyed her ability to feel it. She had not felt anything for so long, even pain was something she treasured. For pain was a bad thing, but there was nothing in the world than living through horrible events while they did not even touch you.

“Will you come with us to the castle? You will always be welcome there. And it is getting dark soon.” Regina pointed at the sky above them which was turning dark blue quickly. The clouds were slowly fading, and the sky was clearly visible. Such a dark blue… it was something Taira enjoyed more than anything, the natural color of the gate of the heavens.

“I… would like to come. If the others will accept me.” She smiled.
“Taira… You defeated Aras, the cause of all this trouble. You are my daughter, their sister. They will accept you, I promise you that.” Regina said.
Taira was still not sure of this. She did not want to force herself into a family that she had almost broken. But she did have an unstoppable desire for warmth and light, and the castle would bring her both of those things. She nodded, and followed Regina.

They walked on in silence, each lost in their own memories. The dark sky… it had almost been broken because of her. She could not take her eyes off it. It was so beautiful… And strange. She stopped walking as soon as she realized something was not right. Regina soon noticed this and stopped walking, too. “What is it, Taira? I am sure they will welcome you. Please, do not be unsure on this.”

“That is not it. Mother, please, look at the sky once more. Something is not right, but I can not touch what it is.” Indeed, she could not. The clouds were still there, but they were growing smaller by the minute. The sky was its natural color for this time of the day, and the crescent moon was already shining down upon them brightly. So bright, in fact, that…

Taira gasped. How could she not have noticed this at once? Her mother seemed to notice it now, too. “It cannot be…” Taira did not know how she saw it. Any ordinary pony would not have seen it, but she did, and what was more, she felt it. Maybe it was because of the crown that was placed upon her head, but sadness overwhelmed her. Had it all been in vain?

“Mother… do you see it too?” She whispered. Regina did not reply, but continued to stare at the heavens. “The stars…” Taira continued, “The stars… they are dying.”