ONE WEEK LATER
Zack sat up in his bed in the medical wing of Canterlot Castle. The sun had just come over the horizon, shining through the windows and changing the marble walls to an even brighter white. "Today's the day," he said to himself. He swung his legs over the edge of his bed and stood up, stretching to dismiss the tension in his sore muscles before sitting back down for another minute. He wore only his SOLDIER pants as the rest of his body had to be bandaged.
His mind drifted back to the week before as it often had during his recovery. He thought about the damage that he caused and that had been caused because of Sephiroth and his arrival as well. From Zack's experience, it was clear that war would surface within the next few days, if not sooner. With the destruction of a town full of innocent civilians, what ruler wouldn't recognize that as an act of war?
He then thought of Twilight. She had her own room in one of the castle's many towers with fifteen of the highest trained guards around her. Celestia also slept in her personal chambers, the door guarded only by the five commanders of the Canterlot army. Each one possessed impossibly strong magic, nearly one tenth that of the Princesses, effectively making them the strongest unicorns alive. Of course, Zack had been briefed on who they were and their roles. Beside them stood Luna, also keeping watch over her sister personally.
The conditions of all three had vastly improved since the battle, though Zack certainly got the worst of it. His body was covered in new scars from the deep gashes of Celestia's bladed wings, and most were still bandaged in fear of them bleeding again. Needless to say, he wasn't ready for any kind of combat just yet.
But despite that, he had a scheduled meeting with the five commanders, Celestia, Luna, Twilight, and Twilight's brother, Shining Armor who Zack met on his way out of Ponyville. From what he'd heard, Twilight's brother had performed one of the longest ranged teleports recorded to reach Ponyville with a battalion of armored soldiers. The news came too late, however, and he and his teams were only able to clean out the town of the remaining changelings.
He was drawn from his thoughts at the sound of a knock on the massive doors that led to the medical wing. Seeing no one else in the room, Zack took it upon himself to say, "Come in."
The door opened with a large creek as navy blue magic engulfed it and slowly opened it. In the doorway stood Princess Luna, a look so neutral on her face he expected to see it at a championship poker game more than anywhere else. She made her way to his bed before sitting on the one opposite of him and addressing him.
"So you are Zack Fair?" she asked in what sounded like a medieval tone.
"Yeah," he responded, trying to smile even though Luna's stair was making him uncomfortable. "And I take it you're Princess Luna?"
"Indeed," she responded. "My sister said that there was a fight between you two in Ponyville. She mistook you for the leader of our enemy and you nearly killed her. You would have killed her had it not been for Twilight's intervention."
"Oh, yeah," said Zack, his tone becoming somber. "Sorry about that."
The Princess continued to stare at him hard, and the longer she did without speaking, the more Zack became uneasy. After a full minute of silence, she said, "Not a single one of our subjects holds the power to overcome my sister or I. Not even our royal Honor Guards can defeat us." She stood before continuing. "I wish to see your combat skill myself. If you are combat ready, then I challenge you to a duel." More silence filled the room before she continued in a softer and more 'modern' tone, "Please? In the past, I commanded Equestria's finest against the threats on our country. Nothing would please me more than to see what another species is capable of, especially with your new magic."
'She almost sounds childlike,' thought Zack. 'If she's the Princess, I can't turn her down.' "Sure!" he said enthusiastically, however fake it was, as long as it meant making what could be a potential enemy into a friend.
He tried to quickly jump up before yelping in pain as one of his cuts reopened, quickly staining a bandage dark red. He fell to floor, sweating and breathing hard as he knelt before the Princess. She quickly knelt down to him before saying, "My word! Are you alright?"
Zack grunted before saying, "Yeah, I'm fine." He stood up carefully and got his uniform on as fast as his body would allow. The whole time, Luna frowned, worried to push him beyond his limits.
"Slow down," she commanded in a neutral tone. Zack froze and looked up as he was tying the laces on his boots. "You're not fully suited for combat yet, Zack Fair. Hopefully, there will be time to spar later. For now, please prepare for the meeting with my sister, the commanders of the royal guard, and I. It will begin in two hours."
As Princess Luna began to leave, Zack asked, "If the meeting is so soon, why did you challenge me like that?"
The Princess stopped at the door. Without turning, she said, "I wanted to test your resolve. You're fighting for a country you know nothing of and for a race that is completely foreign to you. You have no reason to be fighting for us, and yet you have come to our aid in our most dire hour. No ordinary pony, or human I suppose, would do that." Princess Luna pushed open the doors with her magic and took her leave before shutting them behind her.
As she left, Zack thought to himself, 'But I do have a reason. Sephiroth.' The name hung in his head as he remembered the intense flames of the burning Nibelheim and the destruction of Ponyville and Applejack's farm. 'That monster escaped me before. But this time, he won't get away.'
The time passed quickly and before he knew it, Zack was met in the medical wing with a royal guard to escort him to the castle's main conference room, reserved for diplomatic relations meetings and, ironically, for times of war. Hearing the last reason made Zack flinch even though he expected nothing less. He didn't like the war of Wutai, but his immaturity at the time caused him to ignore the reasons behind it entirely. He was obsessed with becoming the best.
Now, however, he knew full well the implications of war. Many would lose loved ones on both sides, and no matter how evil the changelings appeared to be, they had their own reasons for fighting just like any other.
Lost in his thoughts, Zack didn't notice how quickly they'd reached the doors to the conference room. He was roused from his thoughts by his escort as the guard said, "They await your presence inside."
"Thanks," he replied before pushing open the doors. The conference room was a large, round room nearly 30 yards in diameter with a large, circular table taking up most of the room. At the end opposite the door, Princess Celestia and Luna sat side by side. Twilight and her brother, Shining Armor, sat to the left along with a pink alicorn that Zack couldn't recognize while the five unicorn commanders sat to the right.
"Please, sit down," said Celestia in a light tone as she used her magic to pull out the chair nearest to the door for him. Zack accepted and took the seat before scooting closer to the table, leaning his buster sword against it.
"We will now begin the meeting of Equestria's top military strategists and our new ally, Zack Fair. The rulers of the Crystal Empire, Shining Armor and Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, are also here to discuss their role in what will likely evolve into war." Zack noticed everypony in the room visually tense at the mention of war.
"One thing, Princess," asked Zack, wondering if he was speaking out of turn. Instead, all eyes turned to him in curiosity. "Well, two things. First, Twilight, how are your friends? Applejack was in the hospital and I never received word from Rainbow Dash."
Celestia answered first. "Applejack is still in intensive care, but she is surviving. As for Rainbow Dash, we haven't heard any news regarding her. She disappeared during the battle, though we have reason to believe she may have been captured by the enemy."
"Princess Celestia is right," said Twilight sadly. "My other friends are okay though. Rarity and Pinkie Pie made it out okay, and Fluttershy fled into the forest to get to Zecora's house."
"Who are they?" asked Zack.
"They're the best friends a pony could ask for, and I'm glad they're all okay." She smiled as she thought of her friends' safety. "They also represent the Elements of Harmony, one of Equestria's greatest weapons against evil. But right now, they can't help us."
"That's good to hear," said Zack. "Now the second thing. I know our enemy well, so it's best if I give you as much information as possible right from the get-go so we can plan how to deal with him."
"Is he one of your race?" the first of the commanders asked. His name was Firemane, given due to his spiky red and orange mane and his deep red coat, over which he wore a green uniform adorned with many metals. His job was force deployment and overall management of the Equestrian army, and despite being a unicorn, he specialized in hoof-to-hoof combat along with fire elemental magic.
"Sort of," replied Zack.
"Sort of?" questioned the second, named Earth Shatter. His coat was a light brown while his mane consisted of alternating strands of dark and light brown, also spiked. He wore a similar uniform to Firemane. He led the army during the changeling invasion of Canterlot while Firemane dealt with a terrorist faction offshore. His current job consisted of managing the production and testing of weapons. He was a master of earth elemental magic.
"We're not completely human," said Zack. "When we joined SOLDIER, a military faction owned by the Shinra Corporation, our bodies were exposed to high amounts of Mako energy, making us incredibly fast and strong compared to any other soldier."
"But how does exposing yourselves to this 'Mako' make you any stronger?" asked the third commander, a mare by the name of Wavepool. Her body was a deep blue while her mane was a clean white with the same blue mixed in stripes. It lightly draped around her head, and she too wore a green uniform. She led the magic research and science department while specializing in water magic.
"From what we were told, it was a chemical reaction with our human cells that caused the enhanced strength. However, I later found out that it was a mutation. Mako also makes up the round magic crystals that you've been finding in your world recently. They're called Materia."
"Materia," said Wavepool to herself, putting a hoof to her chin in thought. "After the meeting I would very much like to hear more on this new magic. Our top unicorn scientists, myself included, have been studying it for some time, but we have yet to unlock its deepest secrets."
"Sure," replied Zack. "I'll give you as much information as I can later. Let's get back on topic. Our enemy, other than the changelings and likely the one leading them now, is Sephiroth. Like I said, he was part of SOLDIER like I was. But he was different. Before he was born, he was injected with the cells of an alien lifeform known as Jenova. He was an experiment, and he grew up none the wiser. He then joined SOLDIER and quickly escalated to SOLDIER First Class. He became a hero, and I even wanted to be like him. He was the strongest, most noble of us all. But after the war, we were sent to a Mako reactor, used for generating energy, to investigate it and make sure the local wildlife weren't messing with it. But while we were there, Sephiroth learned about the experiments and destroyed the whole city. It drove him mad. I fought him in the Mako reactor, but he almost killed me and a friend of mine. We were discovered after the fact and taken for more of the Jenova cell experimentation by a Scientist named Hojo. But for some reason, we were stable. Later, I found out that we'd been experimented on for four years and that Sephiroth was never found. So maybe this is where he ended up(1)."
"Zack?" asked Twilight.
"What is it?"
"You and Sephiroth appeared at the same time. It was midday and there were these strange magical fields in the area. All of a sudden, Sephiroth materialized outside the Quill and Sofa. He just started attacking things after that. A few minutes later, you showed up as well. When I saw you, I got scared and attacked you before you could recover. It looked like some kind of teleport to me."
"So how does that explain the time gap?" asked the fourth commander. His name was Red Cross. His coat was bright green while his mane was spiked and darker green. He wore a green military uniform like the others, and his magic capabilities consisted of healing and defense. He was the head of medical research and defense in the Canterlot army, though he was only recently raised to his rank as a High General. He still spoke with a slight, hesitant shake in his face.
"I'm not sure," replied Zack. "He should have been here a while. I died only a couple of weeks ago before coming here."
"You died?" asked Red Cross as he stared at Zack with wide, confused eyes.
"Yes," answered Zack. "My friend killed Sephiroth in the reactor. But after the years of experimentation, Shinra wanted to hold on to us. They pursued us after we escaped and eventually caught up to us. I took down most of their army, but they still won and killed me." His mind flashed back to the day he died. "I don't know where my friend is now, but after all of that, I just hope he's still alive."
"You were killed in action?! That's disgraceful!" shouted Red Surge with a strong southern accent, the fifth of the commanders with a dark red coat and even darker red mane, said to possess the strongest telekinesis magic and the head of the weapons research division alongside Earth Shatter. A strange, red helmet covered his head as well as strange looking, plated, red armor on his body. "Letting yourself fall to the enemy is the number one disgrace of any military asset!"
"Hey, I'm only one special operative against thousands of well trained infantry, all carrying high caliber machine guns and coming at me in an endless stream. I wiped out all of them except for three remaining soldiers that could only take me on because I had been shot thousands of times already! You try doing better!" challenged Zack.
Red Surge was silent for a minute before saying in a quieter, though still audible voice, "Well ya still got yer ass handed to ya." Zack inwardly groaned in annoyance.
"We're getting off topic," Zack said. "Our main threat is Sephiroth. Let's start with his fighting style. He hides his attacks until the last second and only shows his attacks when he's desperate and gets sloppy. He's almost immune to elemental magic, but physical attacks are strong enough to handle him if you know what you're doing. His main asset is his speed. He can move faster than any monster I've ever fought or any SOLDIER I've ever seen. Combine that with a seven-foot long sword and a lust for destruction on his way to godhood, and you've got yourself the most powerful SOLDIER who ever lived. Unfortunately, the Jenova cells intensify the effects of the Mako energy, and that makes him even more deadly. If you come across a tall man with a black cloak, long silver hair, and a long sword, run. Until I know more about each of your skills in combat, I can't be sure whether you can handle it, even with what I already know about you."
Zack noticed the five commanders shift uneasily at the last sentence. 'Good,' thought Zack to himself. 'They should be scared.'
"Is there anything else that you can tell us about this 'Sephiroth'?" asked Wavepool.
"That's as much as I know," said Zack. 'Actually, there's a bit more,' he thought to himself. 'He's a lot more ruthless than I told them, and he brushes off magic like a feather. None of these ponies can fight him, not even the Princess's. Maybe Firemane or that Red Surge character, but other than that, we could be facing an unbeatable enemy. There's no telling how much stronger Sephiroth has gotten over the past week, which means this whole country is at risk, especially if he's formed a strong alliance with the changelings. And that's not even considering the possibility of him obtaining new kinds of magic or materia here.'
"Well, one thing is certain," said Princess Celestia, suddenly becoming more serious. "The changelings and Queen Chrysalis have declared war on Equestria by attacking and destroying the town of Ponyville. They will pay with blood."
Zack was taken aback by Princess Celestia's sudden harshness, but when he saw Twilight's reaction, that shocked him more. She let out a loud gasp, her eyes wide and her jaw dropped. "Princess!" said Twilight in confusion. "How could you say something like that?!"
"Twilight, the changelings have stepped far over the line by attacking Ponyville. That is an act of war, and I will not waste this opportunity to eradicate one of the most dangerous monsters on this planet."
"But is genocide really the answer?!" yelled Twilight. "How could you even suggest something like that?"
"How much do you know about the history of the changelings in Equestria?" asked Celestia, keeping her cold tone.
Twilight paused for a minute before answering. "I learned that there have been a few short wars, lasting only a couple of years. They were brutal, but we always came out on top. Why?"
"There's more to those wars than meets the eye," said Celestia. "What the history books don't mention was the horror of those wars. So many ponies lost their lives. It's impossible to truly understand the terror and violence that took place during those battles. Each time, the changelings met us with new kinds of magic, varying in strength and structure. Our military couldn't react in time. At the end of each war, Princess Luna or I had to personally step in and end the war ourselves with a concentrated magic strike. Of course, both Luna and I kept learning and developing new spells to counter theirs, but these came too late. We had to end the wars before any more of our citizens or military could be lost. And now, Zack tells us of this 'Sephiroth', a monster of a human with god-like strength and skill." She turned to Zack. "You should know, another ability of ours is to perceive psychic wavelengths from those around us. You have very weak barriers, Zack. With the information about your battle gleaned from your memories, this is not an enemy we can take lightly."
"You read my mind?!" asked Zack in fear. He wrapped his hands around his head as if that would protect him. "Stop it!"
"I have no need to delve into your psyche further. I've got what I need," she said plainly. "If only you could have seen what happened to Nibelheim, Twilight," she said to her pupil, her tone dissolving into sadness. She quickly straightened and regained her composure. "I cannot allow that destruction to spread to the rest of Equestria. It is time we ended the changelings once and for all."
Twilight suddenly stood up from the table and ran out of the room at a sprint. "Twili!" called Shining Armor after her.
Before he could stand, Red Cross said, "Don't. I think she needs some time alone." Zack glanced over to the pony before standing up himself and pursuing Twilight through the door. He barely caught a sigh from Princess Celestia as he stepped through the arch of the doors and pursued the fleeing tail of Twilight as she turned the corner down the hall.
He followed her for a few minutes before she led him back to her room, slamming the doors behind her. Just as they shut, Zack's fists hit the doors, though they refused to budge. "Twilight, open up!" he called to her. He could hear muffled crying coming from inside, but he tried again. "Twilight?"
"Go away!" he heard her yell from inside.
"What's wrong?" asked Zack. No answer. He waited before turning to the many guards who had cleared the way for Twilight and Zack. "Can you get this door open?" he asked to no one guard in particular.
One stepped forward before answering. "I am sorry, sir, but we are not to disturb Princess Twilight under any circumstances. Unless we believe her to be in immediate danger, we are not to enter uninvited." Zack drooped and sighed.
"If she opens up, call me," he said before handing one of the guards a Bluetooth earpiece. "Just push and talk." The guard used his magic to touch the button, triggering Zack's cell phone to ring. He answered it and the guard spoke to test it, the sound coming through the cell. Zack shut it and nodded before walking back to the conference room, hands in his pockets.
It took him a minute, but he got there to find all eyes on the door. It took him by surprise, but he took his seat anyway and awaited Celestia's words. When none came, he said "Well?"
"What more is there to discuss?" asked Wavepool. "War is here, so we must all prepare ourselves and the Canterlot army."
"Hell yeah!" cheered Red Surge. "When do we get to kill things?"
"Enough, Red Surge," said Celestia sternly. He immediately calmed down and sat, turning away slightly in embarrassment. "Wavepool is right. Earth Shatter, Red Surge, partner with Firemane and coordinate the discovery and countering of possible new changeling magic. Firemane, you are still responsible for deploying the rest of the military, but I've assigned a group of highly trained tacticians to assist you. Wavepool, you are to go with Zack on a mission I have for him. Zack, I need you both to gather materia in the Everfree forest. We've discovered new and unstable materia there, so I need you both to explore the area and gather as much information as you can as well as test these new discoveries in the field. Princess Luna will give you more information before sending you out later today." Zack snapped a quick solute, though he inwardly questioned why as she had no control or authority over him. "Shining Armor, I want you to amass your troops and provide support to Firemane's soldiers. You will be briefed more after the meeting."
"Yes, Princess," he responded with a light bow.
"You all have your orders. Dismissed," said the Princess. Zack was about to ask about Red Cross when Celestia addressed that too.
"And Red Cross, you are to go the town of Ponyville. There, you will find a group of unicorns at the hospital tending to Applejack, the pony I mentioned earlier. You are to assist in her recovery immediately. We'll need the elements of harmony at their strongest.
"Right away, Princess," he said.
While Princess Celestia and Red Cross took their leave, Wavepool approached Zack. "Zack, we are to meet Princess Luna in her quarters on the other side of the Castle. Meet me there when you are ready to proceed with our mission. Also, I await that information on materia."
"I'll talk to you about it while we're in the Everfree," said Zack. "It's best if I explain it where I can demonstrate." With that, Wavepool took her leave as well, followed by the rest of the conference until Zack was the only one remaining in the room. "I should probably go check on Twilight again," he thought to himself. "And Wavepool said that Princess Luna's room was on the other side of the Castle. Shouldn't be too hard to find. Just follow the guards."
So Zack left the conference room and did his best to make his way back to Twilight's room, struggling slightly with the navigation before he finally found the right hallway. However, when he looked towards Twilight's door, he froze in fear.
The guards lay dead in flowing blood around her door, stab marks and massive cuts stretched across their still forms. Twilight's door was broken down, the wood splintered and thrown inward as if impacted by a massive battering ram. From the doorway, Zack could feel air from outside blowing in like a draft.
He stood frozen in fear for a moment before jumping over the bodies of the soldiers and landing in the room. To his left he found a window shattered, the shards laying on the floor in front of the window. Straight ahead of him was the bed. The sheets were on the floor to the right of the bed, telling Zack that there might've been a struggle. That, and the mattress had a massive slice out of it. To his right was the room's bathroom, the door slightly ajar, though no other disturbance was present.
"Twilight?" he called. "Are you in here?" He cautiously made his way over to the bathroom door, his hand ready at the sword on his back. When he got over to it, he quickly pushed the door open and crouched, ready to draw his sword in case of an attacker.
Nothing. He relaxed when he saw nothing in the bathroom, which was surprisingly large and open. He stood back up and rubbed the back of his head in thought. "Where the heck is she?" he thought. He froze again when he heard hoofsteps behind him. He spun as soon as his body would obey, only to be met with a fireball to the face, launching him into the bathroom wall before breaking through it and throwing his body out onto the roof.
He hit the tiled roof of a hallway, breaking them where he bounced before finally resting at the opposite end near another one of the castle's outer walls. Ten seconds later, he tried to stand up, his body burning as several more of his wounds reopened under their bandages. When he stood again, he could see a large changeling walking on the roof toward him with a twisted smile on its face. Its wings began buzzing madly as it was engulfed in a green flame, transforming it into a human form. It took Zack a second to recognize it, but when he did, he let out a gasp in shock.
"A Genesis clone?!" exclaimed Zack. The changeling had become one of the copies that Zack had fought so long ago. How it even knew the clone's form baffled him, but he didn't have time to think as the clone's weapons materialized in its hands, using the same combat stance as Zack's old enemies. In a moment, Zack tugged the buster sword off of his back, wincing as more of his cuts split.
"You want me?" he challenged. "Come and get me!" A moment after he finished speaking, ten more changelings on either side of the first landed next to it, transforming into clones as well before wielding the same blades as the first. "Or," added Zack, "don't come and get me. Instead, why don't we talk this through? I'm sure we can work out something, right?" he chuckled nervously as his bravado left him.
The changelings in clone form suddenly stopped, turned to each other, shook their heads, and then continued their advance. Zack kept backing up until he felt his back press up against the wall. He cursed under his breath before bracing himself for an attack. However, none came.
As soon as one of the clones jumped forward, a beam of magic as dark as night pierced its head, vaporizing it before it could hit Zack. A second later, Princess Luna landed next to him. "Let us dispatch these monstrosities!" she shouted before armor appeared over her body, giving her an almost nightmarish look.
"What are you doing up here?" asked Zack.
"There's no time to explain, Zack Fair," she said in annoyance. She immediately rushed forward with what looked like a giant broadsword made of her magic, slicing through five of the changelings in one swing. Zack joined in and did his best to handle a small group of three, but in his condition, he could barely scratch them. However, that didn't mean he couldn't dodge. Which he did. A lot.
The changelings were a lot faster and stronger than the clones Zack had fought before. It was almost as if they had been upgraded by the changelings' transformations.
After a couple minutes of fighting, Princess Luna dispatched the last changeling before dismissing her magic armor and going to Zack who was down on one knee and panting in exhaustion. "Are you okay, Zack?" she asked, her voice taking a warmer tone.
"Yeah... yeah, I'm fine," he said as he tried to stand. His body betrayed him, however, and he dropped back down, his sword suddenly gaining the weight of a semi-truck as he tried to grip it. When he finally gained control enough, he pulled out a single elixir and drank it down quickly before finally standing and hooking his sword to his back. As the healing energy of the potion coursed through him, he felt a few of his cuts reseal under the bandages. It gave him enough energy to fight again, at least for the time being.
"Something's wrong," said Zack. "The guards that were protecting Twilight are dead, and I have no idea where she is."
"Then it is as I feared," said Princess Luna. "Come with me. We must go and see my sister."
"Why? What's going on?"
"I shall explain once we arrive in her quarters," said the Princess. She knelt down before saying, "Get on."
"Um, okay," Zack said as he cautiously got onto Luna's back. He had only a moment before she rocketed into the sky and flew towards the tower with Princess Celestia in it. They landed on the balcony, where Zack hopped off and ran to the shut glass doors before opening them. Inside, he saw Celestia backed into a corner, breathing heavily, though no apparent wounds were present on her. The assailant was none other than Sephiroth.
"Sephiroth?!" gasped Zack. Sephiroth turned towards Zack before cracking a smile.
"So you are here," he said.
"Zack, Luna! Run away! None of us can fight him, he's too strong!" cried Celestia.
That got Sephiroth's attention. "Right. Where were we?" he asked sarcastically as he turned back to the Princess.
"Don't you dare touch my sister!" shouted Luna, her voice becoming a roar as she fired a large beam of magic at Sephiroth. He didn't even attempt to guard it as the forced impacted him. When the spell finished, Luna gaped when she saw Sephiroth still standing, not even a scratch on him. A small ember from the heat of the magic rested on his shoulder, and he brushed it off like a crumb.
Just like that, Luna lost her courage and started shaking. Sephiroth pulled back his arm, rotated his wrist so the tip of the blade was pointing at Celestia, and jabbed as fast and hard as he could.
kerCHINK!
Sephiroth's blade was met with resistance as he saw Zack in front of Celestia, his sword raised with the tip of Masamune resting on its broad side. "So you can fight?" asked Sephiroth with a mocking tone.
Zack pushed against Sephiroth's sword as hard as he could, twisting his sword and deflecting Sephiroth's. "Of course," he responded defiantly.
"No, Zack," said Celestia pleadingly. "He is so much stronger than what I saw in your memories. I couldn't block any of his attacks and my magic did nothing. Please, just run away!"
Sephiroth didn't move an inch as Zack asked Celestia, "You couldn't block his attacks? How did you dodge them all?" He turned his head to look at the Princess and saw her form start to waver slightly as if she wasn't there. When it stopped, the Princess looked completely different.
Her body was covered in cuts. Her crown was no longer on her head and her mane wasn't flowing as it normally did. Her right wing was broken and hanging limply at her side, and blood suddenly became visible in different spots on the room. "Sister?" asked Luna, the innocence present in her voice again.
"I'm sorry, Luna," said Celestia. "I was no match for him." She suddenly fell to the floor, her eyes shutting as her blood slowly drained from her wounds.
Zack turned back around to find Sephiroth smiling. "You twisted son of a bitch," cursed Zack. "How could you do this?"
"How hypocritical," said Sephiroth smugly. "You nearly killed her during the battle in Ponyville. Now, you're worried about her?" His expression suddenly became serious as he said, "Make up your mind."
Sephiroth dashed forward and swung in an arc at Zack. He blocked it easily, but wasn't ready to guard Sephiroth's magic. "Thundaga!" called Sephiroth, electricity arcing from his fingers in massive bolts and striking Zack in the chest. The force knocked him off his feet and he fell to the ground, gasping for breath. His shirt was burned from the heat and he gritted his teeth as his wounds reopened for what he thought had to be the millionth time.
He coiled back on the ground and popped like a spring back into a standing position before guarding several more swings from Sephiroth. "Get Celestia out of here!" he called to Luna who was petrified from seeing her sister dying. "Now!" he shouted again. Snapping out of her shock, Luna teleported next to her sister before teleporting them both out, leaving Zack to fight Sephiroth alone.
Sephiroth backed up before calling out, "Firaga!" Three large balls of magic fired at Zack from Sephiroth's hand. He dove to the side to dodge them, but they followed him and struck him in rapid succession.
After the last one hit him, knocking him to the ground and almost finishing him, he felt a sudden burst of energy from within. Grunting in pain and jumping back up once more, he shouted as loud as he could (as if that would give him more strength), "Angel's Revenge!"
White wings of pure energy sprouted from his back as he launched up towards the high ceiling of the large bedroom. Sephiroth raised an eyebrow in curiosity as Zack's buster sword became cloaked in white energy. A moment later, he propelled downward like a rocket, pulling his sword back for a jab before landing. As soon as he was close enough, Zack thrust his sword forward just as he impacted Sephiroth, driving the massive blade through his chest and creating a large cloud of green smoke that quickly filled the room.
As it dissipated, Zack found he was staring right into Sephiroth's face, a sly smile on it. "How many times can you use that technique in a row, I wonder," he said plainly. Zack still hung above Sephiroth, noting what looked like green blood seeping from his chest. "What?" asked Zack out loud in confusion. His question was soon answered as green fire engulfed Sephiroth, forcing Zack to release the last of his energy to force himself away from his burning enemy. Lying where Sephiroth once stood in a haze of green fire was a changeling, a massive hole in its chest in the shape of the buster sword.
Zack suddenly heard the voice of Sephiroth echoing around him, filling up the room with his grim voice. "You haven't changed at all, Zack," he said mockingly.
"Sephiroth! Where are you?"
"I've got what I came for. Enjoy your final days of your short, human life."
"That's not an answer!" Zack received no response, for Sephiroth was no longer there. He let out a sigh of defeat before sitting down on Celestia's bed to rest for a moment. Suddenly, his phone began ringing. He quickly pulled out his phone and flipped it open, hoping that someone from his world was calling him. He was disappointed to hear Luna's voice instead. "Hello?"
"Zack, is that you?" she asked in confusion.
"Yeah. You called?"
"Well, no. But this little piece of technology doesn't look like anything Equestrian, so I pushed the button. It must have contacted you."
"Well, that's what it's for," said Zack. "I'm actually glad you called. Sephiroth got away."
Zack heard a sigh from the other end before he heard Luna say, "Well, the important thing is that you're still alive. My sister is in much worse condition than from when you fought her. I'm doing my best to heal her, and I've reassigned Red Cross to stay here and help me. We'll need you to help us fight Sephiroth."
"That was my plan all along," said Zack confidently, even though he felt like crap.
"Good. Are you fit enough to proceed with your mission with Wavepool?"
"I'm ready as I'll ever be. But Princess, I think Sephiroth took Twilight," Zack said.
"Those were my thoughts exactly," she responded. "Meet me in the conference room. We'll talk there."
"Right," responded Zack before hanging up and leaving Celestia's room, on his way to the conference room to meet with Luna. He grunted in pain as he tried to navigate his way there, downing another elixir in the hopes that it would heal him. It worked, but only slightly. It helped, though, and it made it a lot easier to find his way back to the conference room.
He pushed the doors open and found Princess Celestia sitting in her chair with Princess Luna and Red Cross projecting healing spells at her, slowly sealing her wounds. She was unconscious, but Princess Luna noticed Zack enter and she stopped her spell to speak to him. "I have called Wavepool here as well. You must proceed with your mission as soon as you are able."
"Right," said Zack. Princess Luna suddenly charged her horn with more of her healing spell and she shot Zack straight in the chest. From Zack's perspective, he felt an immensely strong cure spell coursing through his body, instantaneously healing his wounds and rejuvenating him.
When Princess Luna had finished, Zack asked, "Why didn't you use that on me a week ago?"
"I apologize, but my sister was my top priority," she said plainly. Just then, Wavepool opened the doors with her magic and entered the room.
"Princess," she bowed before addressing Zack. "Are you ready to proceed?"
"Yeah," he responded. "How about you?"
Before Wavepool could answer, Princess Luna cut her off. "I must add a new objective to your mission. As you know, Twilight Sparkle was abducted just 10 minutes ago. The changelings came from the Everfree forest during the raid on Ponyville. That has given my sister and I reason to believe that they may have taken her there. Rainbow Dash may also be captured there. You are to search the forest for them during your mission. If you see or hear anything out of the ordinary, you are to report to me via the device that Zack gave to the guards." Princess Luna used her magic to pull the Bluetooth device from her ear. "Wavepool, if you are separated from Zack, you know the spell to communicate with me directly."
"Of course, Princess," responded Wavepool.
"Now, go," said Princess Luna. "I will teleport you to our Forward Operating Base in the wreckage of Ponyville. From there, proceed to the forest and investigate the new materia. Test it in the field and investigate the whereabouts of Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash. That materia may be our only hope against Sephiroth and the changelings," she finished. "Are you both ready?"
"Of course, your highness," said Wavepool.
"Then ready yourselves." Princess Luna shut her eyes as her horn began glowing navy blue. A strange circle with odd runes in it appeared under Zack and Wavepool, lighting up the room with a brilliant blue glow.
"Does this hurt?" asked Zack worriedly.
"Only if you struggle," said Wavepool playfully, breaking her military cold for a moment.
"Hey, that's not funny," protested Zack. As soon as he finished, his vision was consumed by a bright blue light, blocking out everything else as his body went numb.