Fallout Equestria : Black And White

by Philweasel


Chapter 4.15 - Fellowship of Magic

Canterlot Palace lay ahead. Silver Swirl could not remember the last time she had stood in its halls, keeping a tight grip on her emotions as the memories flooded back.

It had been the only place she had ever felt truly safe. There, with Celestia. Both had been taken from her.

She swore, this time they wouldn’t lose, this time they would take it back. The weight of her armor made her feel like a warrior again, enchanted steel and leather strips. Her mantle bore the sigils of Equestria, and she was its Princess. The eldest Princess.

“Would you like a spell to calm your nerves?” Diamond Glow asked softly, moving up to stand at Silver Swirl’s side. She was dressed in the robes of a healer, the white cloth looking impressively regal on her alicornian form, “Celestia herself found it invaluable at the Battle of Manehatten Island.”

“I am fine.” Silver Swirl lied, looking back at the massed armies of Equestria behind her. She couldn’t help but notice how almost all of them were clutching spears and other medieval armaments, uncertain how they would fair against Twilight’s modern forces. Sure they were ghosts, in many ways empowered by the respect and belief invested in them by those still living. Still guns were guns… and how many still remembered the heroes of old Equestria?

She sighed, “I guess I should make a speech.”

“It is your right Silver Swirl, but first we must talk about some changes I have made to the battle plan.”

Silver Swirl knew that voice… she turned, unable to help a grimace as her eyes fell upon the one face she wanted least to see. Even more disgustingly she was clad in the Pegasus issue power armor of Twilight’s forces, though it’s normally black plates were painted midnight blue and inscribed with her cutie mark. At her side hung an unreasonably large gun, her face radiating its normal smug arrogance, “Princess Luna.”

Luna grinned mockingly, “Try not to freeze the city with that stare sister.”

“Enough.” Diamond Glow stated, her calm tones cutting the air as clean as any shout, “Princess Luna, it is good to see you.”

Luna nodded, looking a little placated at least, though Silver Swirl wasn’t fooled for a moment. Luna took a moment to compose herself before speaking, “Silver Swirl, my apologies but I have made some changes to your battle plan.”

“Why?” She replied, with a little more venom than she intended.

“Because I have fought a modern war against modern weapons, and you have not.” Luna replied, standing a little bit taller and firming her expression, “It is a good plan, but it left our troops vulnerable at key moments. I simply…”

“I have commanded armies.” Silver Swirl pointed out sharply, “You commanded a few sorties and a throne.”

“I’ve fought in battles. You stood on the back lines and waved flags.” Luna declared sharply, “And in case you have forgot I was commander in chief of the largest war ever fought on this planet, where as you commanded a few regional skirmishes.”

“Enough!” Diamond Glow shouted again, her voice echoing across the dawn with enough force that both her and Luna cowered. Silver Swirl found herself full of horrible flashbacks to her old magic teacher, ears flattened against her scalp. Diamond Glow rounded on them both, fury in her normally calm eyes, “We face the end of everything we know, the greatest battle we will ever fight! This is not the time to bicker like fillies!”

“I apologize Diamond Glow.” Silver Swirl managed, bowing her head in shame, “You are right.”

“And I am sorry too Silver Swirl.” Luna stated softly, looking up at her, “You have led the Princesses well, and it is not my place to tell you what to do.”

Silver Swirl paused for a moment, not sure what to say. That in itself made her realize that she had truly fallen into habit, that this bickering between them was now like a childhood ritual, “The... sensible thing to do would be to lead together.”

Luna smiled broadly at the suggestion, “That sounds wonderful.”

Silver Swirl returned the smile, though it felt fake. She hated that, how she couldn't even drop their feuding for the end of all things. She couldn't help feel that boded well for the battle ahead...

¬

Trixie slipped on her cloak and hat, feeling her essence solidify as the familiar artifacts bonded themselves to her. She felt her mind focus, the dark shadows behind her recede.

“You don’t have to do this.” Galaxy stated from behind, as kind and concerned as ever.

She had no need to be worried. She was actually feeling quite chipper about all this, “The great and powerful Trixie is used to misfortune.”

Galaxy frowned, “You sound like you enjoy that.”

“It is my lot in life.” She stated with overdone theatrically, feeling that a day wasn’t complete without a bit of ‘woe is me’ lamentations. She placed a fainting hoof to her head, “The slings and arrows of fate have ever fallen harder upon the beautiful!”

“That they have.” Galaxy acknowledged with a laugh, moving to her side and giving a reassuring smile, “After today it will all be better, I promise you.”

“Either that or we’ll be dead.” Trixie replied cheerfully, though she was aware that even that would not give her much rest. In fact there was only one thing that would, “Perhaps this time Trixie might even take the Goddess with her.”

“We have tried.” Galaxy admitted with regret, “She… it, is hard to dislodge. She’s bound to you.”

“Well Trixie wishes she would let go already.” Trixie protested, rather more legitimately distressed at the current topic, “Stop trapping Trixie in this… half-life.”

“Trixie…”

“You Princesses may feel content in this place, but to Trixie it’s just a broken mirror image of something Trixie once loved.” She kicked the ground, striking up dust as she looked up at the towers of Canterlot in the distance, “The Great and Powerful Trixie just wants to be another ghost, uncaring, unknowing. At rest.”

Distress passed across Galaxy’s face and Trixie felt guilty, still she couldn’t ignore the truth. She wasn’t meant to be here like this, aware of her own death, ever dreaming about things she knew were burnt and gone. She looked upon the ghosts with envy, knowing that ultimately they were free of their burdens, “Please Galaxy… you will always be Trixie’s friend, but she cannot exist like this any longer.”

Galaxy’s expression firmed, delivering a firm nod, “I promise, I’ll find a way to help you.”

Trixie's heart warmed at that, she was a good mare. Far superior to any other princess she knew, though that wasn't really saying much, "But first, a certain smug unicorn needs a spanking!"

Galaxy giggled, "That she does."

¬

Luna walked back towards the Hall of Harmony, unable to shake off the sinking feeling in her heart. It was ridiculous really, she was out of her cell, free, about to strike back at the one who had hurt them… but instead of their final victory, it felt like they were marching to the end of the world.

Was it time? Equestria was gone, Canterlot was gone. They had burned the world, and it was over. Surely it was time for old ghosts to rest?

“Princess Luna.”

Luna looked up, a smile spreading across her face as the mare approached. She was as beautiful as ever, in her later years, her lilac dress hanging elegantly off her ever dignified form. All the same the twinkle in her eyes attested to her will and strength, Luna finding her heart warm just to behold them, “Princess Platinum.”

“The others speak of your strength Luna.” Platinum stated firmly, bowing her head slightly in supplication, “You will inspire them to victory today.”

Luna smiled softly. The words were like echoes, Platinum always encouraging her like that before a major event. But that was a different time, “Thank you, but... that doesn’t work as well as it used to.”

“Oh Luna… you were always so stubborn in your moods.” Platinum stated with a wry grin, “If you wish to be gloomy, I will let you be gloomy.”

“My moods seem to have normalized considerably in fact.” Luna admitted, only wishing she was as mercurial as she used to be, “It feels like I’m torn in time, speaking to you. You left me long before Nightmare Moon, long before I came back, long before my sister gave me her crown. When I last saw you…” Luna took a deep breath, “…I was a lot happier. And didn’t have nearly as much blood on my hooves.”

Platinum smiled, “You bear yourself like a Queen Luna. You were born to lead, and you are not nearly as dark as you fear.”
Luna felt her heart finally swell. Platinum always had that effect on her in the end, “To be honest I dream of the day I can put down my sword and crown.”

“So do I.” Platinum replied, gently pressing her cheek against Luna’s. Her soft breath tickled Luna’s ear, her body warm and soft.

If she hadn’t a battle to win, she could have stayed there forever.

¬

Commander Hurricane looked across the ranks and felt his heart swell with pride, faced with more than a thousand years of the Equestria’s finest. Royal guards in their golden armor, Wonderbolts in their extravagant finery. The Grand Cavalry, the Thunderhawks. The Ebon Tipped Spears.

He would rate them against any foe. He would certainly rate them against Twilight’s bucket soldiers, “Turn, march!”

"Sir yes sir!"

"What is our cry!?"

"Honesty, loyalty and kindness!"

He grinned wide, swinging forth his standard, "For Equestria!"

¬

Lotus beheld the armies from atop the ridge, looking down as lines of heroic age warriors marched in full formation towards the walls of Canterlot. Twilight’s forces were already mobilizing to defend, Steel Rangers, Enclave Soldiers and swarms of alicorns, backed up by the ominous steel and stormcloud shapes of Enclave Raptors, “They stand absolutely no chance…”

“I told you.” Scootaloo agreed, now recovered much of her vigor with her friends beside her, “This is the only way. The old must die for a new, better world to be born.”

“Well I'm still torn on the definition of 'better'.” She firmly stated, heading down the hillside towards the darkened city.

¬

Twilight Sparkle looked up at the towering structure that filled what was left of the throne room, a jagged, pulsing skeleton of metal and magic that warped space around it. It felt wrong in so many ways, made of all the broken dreams and fallen tears she could manage, lancing up through the spine of the castle to stab at the sky that had betrayed her so badly.

Today she would do it. She would reach through those clouds and take back what she had lost.

She looked back, her connection to her citizens making her aware that the Princesses were attacking the castle. She gave them some brief consideration before turning back to her work, not about to be distracted by the buzzing of insects.

¬

“This is the day, this is the day we take Equestria back from those filthy traitors!” General Iron Forest shouted to his assembled rangers and alicorns, all watching the podium he was standing on in expectation. He pounded the stage with a hoof, working them up into a frenzy, “This is the day…!”

An explosion of light echoed outwards from the side, Iron Forest spinning round to immediately be faced by the glorious form of his greatest enemy. One of the false Princesses stood before him, so wonderful and beautiful that he couldn’t help but fall in a desperate bow towards her. She smiled at him, so sweet that he wanted to cry, “Sorry to interrupt General, but I have someone to introduce to you.”

General Iron Forest nodded desperately, just wishing to be of service to his beautiful, wonderful princess, “Of course! Anything you wish!”

“Thank you Galaxy.” Stated a little unicorn as she trotted round, clad in a rather cheap wizards costume and looking like someponies’ drunken aunt. Her eyes however were full of confidence and character as she faced the crowd, calling out to them in a proud voice, “I am the Great and Powerful Trixie!"

The assembled crowds looked at each other in confusion.

Trixie smirked at them, placing a theatrical hoof to her brow, "Oh, Trixie is hurt. You have forgotten your mother already?"

Galaxy chuckled, giving her a disapproving look, "Trixie..."

"Fine." She sighed, straightening out at the microphone before her horn burst with balefire and her voice echoed with divine power, "Hear me and obey! I, the Great and Powerful Trixie, am your GODDESS!"

¬

“Guardians of Equestria!” Commander Fleethoof called as he barged the barracks door open, the deployment siren sounding behind, “The time has come to defend… your… what are you doing?”

The Enclave troops in front smiled happily as they sat in a little circle, making friendship bracelets and braiding each other’s hair. The one closest turned to him with a big smile as he entered, “Commander! Come in and try this, I’ve still got some fabric here you can use.”

“I…” He stammered for a moment before putting on his best drill sergeant voice, “Canterlot is under attack!”

“Oh, haven’t you heard commander?” Came a sweet voice, a pair of the false Princesses stepping round the corner and flashing him sweet smiles, “Its make love, not war!”

Commander Fleethoof tried to flee as they approached but there was no escape. Minty and Wisteria surrounded him, hair brushes and ribbons clutched tightly in their jaws.

¬

"Reports from Canterlot sir!" One of Commander Hurricane’s officers stated as she pulled open the magic scroll in her hooves, "All missions proceeding as planned.!"

Commander Hurricane nodded, hoping their luck would hold. He looked down at the map before him, the little pieces shifting as his units moved up to the walls of Canterlot. He looked to the horizon as they finally met Twilight's pieces, seeing light bloom on the horizon.

It seemed they had finally met the enemy. A cheer went up as Princess Cadance flew above, her magic reinforcing their own troops and sapping the will of the enemy. Commander Hurricane felt her power settle on his own heart, grinning in triumph, “Let’s show these traitors the real power of Equestria.”

¬

Magic Star threw up light dragons and rains of starlight, flinging Inkwell’s Magnificent Transmogrification outwards to turn a whole unit of Steel Rangers into frogs before invoking the Twinkle Star Destiny Enchantment to guide their forces forward into the gap it created. Star Swirl stood on the other side of the battlefield doing the same and their armies broke through Twilight’s lines in a triumphant charge. They might have been outmatched technologically, still they outnumbered their enemy ten to one, they had the greatest heroes of Equestria on their side and most importantly… they were fighting for something.

The enemy broke, retreating back their defensive positions. Ahead she saw Twilight’s alicorns take off, meeting up with Luna and Silver Swirl and forming up into units behind them. That meant Trixie and Galaxy had done it, and with them on their side Twilight's forces were near cut in half.

Now they had a straight line to the castle. She opened her wings and took to the skies, heading to support her sisters. It was going well so far, but their most difficult foe was still to come…

¬

“Twilight Sparkle!” Luna called, anger surging through her as she looked to her corrupted castle. Betrayal of her sister was one thing, trying to replace the Princesses with half-baked knock offs another, screwing up her castle was just another sin to add to the pile. Mentioning that she had killed them all multiple times and taken over Equestria seemed redundant at this point.

Not that she had so... unprincessy thoughts as revenge on her mind, but Luna certainly wouldn’t mind if this was a little bit painful, “Come out! Your armies are broken!”

And there she stood, trotting out onto the balcony without a care in the world. She had no royal robes, no accessories at all except for the element of magic partially fused to her horn. She didn’t even seem to have combed her hair particularly carefully, and she regarded the army on her doorstep with a look that suggested this was a vague inconvenience, “I have far better things to do.”

Luna flapped downwards to hover before Twilight, looking the unicorn in the eye, “You better take this seriously.”

Twilight’s face firmed, something sharp in her eyes, “Very well.”

Light exploded behind Luna, sending her spinning round with her shields at full.

Energy exploded at the horns of the surrounding alicorns, streaking past Luna in a rush. It left them grey, limp, lifeless things, plummeting down to land about the gardens with sickening crunches. Luna felt sickness rise in her gullet, turning to regard Twilight as the power gathered at her horn, “What did you…?”

“I am the element of friendship!” Twilight declared fiercely, her body beginning to warp and grow as the energy flowed through her, “The power of my subjects is mine to command, to control!”

Luna felt the bile rise at Twilight's words, directing her horn towards the mare and flinging out every last mote of magic she possessed, “THEY ARE NOT YOUR…!”

¬

Silver Swirl was sent wheeling backwards as an echoing blast radiated outwards from the castle, scattering the Princesses as they made their approach. She did better than most, powerful wings keeping her from spinning at least, still she could only shield her eyes as the winds whipped at her face.

She opened them again to horror. A titanic form of scales and claws clung to the side of Canterlot castle, a purple snake like creature glowing with chaotic energies. At its head a huge jagged spike of a horn extended outwards, the element of magic set at its base crackling with energy. The creature directed the horn outwards, ponies reduced to lifeless husks as the energy was torn from them, drawn to the monster and only making her grow further.

“Celestia preserve us…”

“How… do we fight that thing?” Wisteria asked, winging alongside and staring up in horror.

Silver Swirl pursed her lips. It had all been going so well, and for a moment she had been foolish enough to think this would be easy. Once again they had underestimated Twilight, and her control over her element.

Still, she remembered what Celestia told her about victory, “We don’t, we attack the antenna. Bring that down and Twilight’s plan fails!”

And Twilight laughed. It rumbled across the heavens, shaking the clouds even as they twisted and inverted against the spike of the antenna to which she clung. A claw extended outwards, power exploding from every digit, “I understand now, I understand everything. And now, all the power of the dreaming is at my command. Every thought… every nightmare.”

And from the claw exploded a fierce tide of buzzing insects, filling the sky with their forms. They swarmed towards the Princesses, and after a moment they were close enough to reveal the horrific truth… “Changelings!”

A beam shot out and struck Wisteria from the sky, Silver Swirl looking in horror as the princess plummeted.

...before looking back up at the grinning face of Queen Chrysalis, “You…!”

“Me.” Chrysalis stated smugly as she directed her minions in for the kill.

¬

Commander Hurricane was aware of the danger enemy magic users could pose, still he had never had a battle reversed on him quite this quickly before. Huge crystal formations erupted from the ground, impaling brave soldiers upon their spikes and dividing his forces from each other. Isolated they were easy prey, Commander Hurricane cursing as the reports filtered in from his army, “Get the unicorns here, start breaking through those walls!”

And then a beam of light split the heavens above, shattering one of the crystals hemming them in. Commander Hurricane’s heart soared as he saw Princess Cadance above, her voice crying out, “Have heart, do not panic! You must…”

And then a shadow shot across his vision, and the Princess was gone.

¬

“How could you do this to us Trixie?”

Galaxy felt the killing intent, already moving as the bolt ignited. She sped across the platform and positioned herself in front of Trixie, firming her shields as the green energy slammed into her. To her surprise it hit hard, staggering her backwards and driving her to her knees. She attempted to rise, only for more energy to strike home and force her back down again.

That... she might not have been the strongest of the Princess, but she was a Princess. She could only see a single unicorn through the glow of magic, and what unicorn could...?

"Get away from Trixie's friend!" Trixie shouted loudly, clearly trying to look braver than she was.

"Oh... what was your name? I forget." Mosaic snarked as she advanced forward, clad in magitech and oozing distain, "Twilight's pity project, and some forgotten little Princess. Seems once again I'm relegated to taking out the trash."

¬

Magic Star scanned the crystals that surrounded her, identifying them as a magic resistant variety common to the crystal empire. A curious and rare substance, but she had no time for study now. She quickly determined that it was not worth the energy required to break through and so felt out for the nearest available Princess, figuring it was best to face this together.

Yet something else quickly caught her attention, something familiar… and evil. Something that she knew she couldn’t well leave alone.

Something to be honest she welcomed a chance to punish once again.

She muted her signature and strolled out from behind the crystals, focusing eyes on the massive cloaked figure leant over an innocent unicorn below. She instantly expanded her magic, driving the two apart then redirecting the force to slam a fierce blow that knocked the cloaked figure to the ground. Said cloak fell away as he collapsed, revealing the familiar red face and white hair. She kept her voice level as she addressed him, “Hello Tirek.”

He smirked up at her from his prone position, “The apprentice.”

“Come here child. That is no friend worth having.” She stated firmly to the unicorn mare, waving her over. She watched Tirek carefully for any sudden moves but he remained upon the ground, the unicorn mare giving her a look of profound gratitude as she reached Magic Star. She was sweet faced and yellow furred, her voice gentle, “Thank you, thank you.”

“Please, get behind me.” She asked, then moved forward to confront Tirek, “Still a parasite. I welcome a chance to show you your folly once again.”

“And I you.” He stated, grin growing wider.

Something was wrong. Why was he smil…

Something sharp drove deep into her back, Magic Star feeling her energy and life force drain from her body at a terrifying rate. She tried to struggle but powerful telekinesis held her firm, Tirek rising with a smirk and stalking forward.

She… couldn’t move… Tirek opened his mouth wide, his magic building…

Then a spark flew down, hit the ground and ignited in a fierce blast of starfire. It washed over Magic Star like a warm touch, the other two it drove away with fierce intensity. Magic Star felt her spirits rise as the blue fire formed into a flowing cloak and wide brimmed hat, Star Swirl the Bearded gazing across at them with eyes full of power, “I grew tired of fighting you a good eight centuries ago Tirek.”

“But this time I have more… reliable assistance.” He reasoned, waving a hand across at the yellow furred unicorn. Said unicorn quickly adopted an innocent look as all eyes turned to her, a surprisingly effective and therefore extremely creepy one.

“She shares your affection for backstabbing.” Star Swirl retorted, glaring across at the smiling mare with one eye, “He’ll betray you in the end child. He always does.”

“Oh no, I don’t believe that.” She breathlessly answered, shining a sincere grin across at Tirek, “I trust Mr Tirek implicitly. He seems like such a gentleman.”

“Well, aren’t you a dame and a half.” Star Swirl answered with a sigh, backing away a little to face both of them, “So what brings you to this lovely battlefield my dear?”

“Spreading peace and harmony of course.” She stated with conviction, her smile growing wide, “My name is Elder Sunny Smiles of the Followers of the Apocalypse. It is very good to meet you both.”

¬

Minty rushed through the palace gardens, knowing Wisteria had fallen somewhere around here. She called out her name, looked desperately about the dying plantlife. She was almost too distracted to notice as a large chunk of the palace above was shattered away by Twilight's tail, dodging between the shards as they crashed upon the gardens.

She looked up at the shattered remains of a statue symbolizing Celestia, whimpering a little. It was all going wrong, "Wisteria!"

"Well what do we have here?"

She looked about, paling as she saw the pair standing a short way to the side, their lanky bodies angled dismissively. She stepped backwards, teeth chattering, "I'm... I’m an alicorn... like you..."

Singer looked to Nightseer beside before flashing Minty a smile full of jagged teeth and malice, "I think not."

¬

“To me!” Silver Swirl shouted, firing her emblem into the sky in an attempt to rally the Princesses. She felt the press of dark magic all around, her heart speeding in fear as she flew down below the towering crystals in an effort to escape the swarming changlings above. She needed to find the others, they couldn’t do this alone, “Sisters, rally to my beacon!”

“Younger sister…”

Silver Swirl turned with a start, relief flooding her. She knew that voice, and even if that was the Princess she least wanted to see it was still a welcome sight…

And there she stood, her sister. The silver armored figure of Nightmare Moon slunk towards her, tongue playing across jagged teeth, “Now, shall we resume our previous discussion?”

¬

Diamond Glow landed with a bump, changelings fast on her trail. She let out a somewhat clumsy blast from her horn, it scattered them but did little real damage. Sad to say that she was no warrior, feeling deeply out of her element as she desperately backed away, “Please, there is no need for us to fight. You feed on love right? Well I can…”

Chrysalis launched a blast of magic that sent Diamond Glow skidding back with ringing shields. The changlings charged and beat against her defenses further, Diamond Glow only just managing to throw them back with a hard thrust of her magic. More simply lined up in their place, Diamond Glow not even given the chance to counter attack before they were on her.

And then a black and white streak came down, landing amid the changlings like a cannon shot. Her braided hair swung wildly as she fought the crowd, just a single zebra yet not one changling able to get near her as her hooves struck out without mercy. A moment later and streaks of magical energy shot down, followed by the forceful, sharp retort of a heavy pistol. Chrysalis gave a brief look of panic before snarling and winging away, her swarm retreating with her.

Diamond Glow looked back in the direction of the shots, eyes widening as three mares came down the hillside behind her, one of them clad in a business suit of all thing, “How…?”

“What is going on?” Lotus exclaimed as she rose from a pile of unconscious changlings. Her eyes travelled to Canterlot palace, “Twilight’s attempting to open the portal already?!”

“It really works…” One of the mares stated in wonder, looking up at the riven sky, “...Twilight is going to free us all.”

Diamond Glow looked to the three, “Who are these ponies?”

“Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom. They built that thing.” Lotus turned to look pointedly at them, “And now they’re going to tell me how to break it.”

“It shouldn’t even be functioning” Apple Bloom offered, “It ‘aint even got a power source installed.”

Diamond Glow looked up at the construction, shaking her head at the arrogance of these modern ponies. So proud of their generators and batteries, so quick to dismiss older powers, “Twilight herself is powering the edifice. Magic flows through her, more than enough to break the barrier.”

“So I break her.” Lotus concluded, turning towards the palace, “I can do that.”

“You cannot be serious Lotus.” Diamond Glow warned, wondering if she was taking a unusual opportunity for a joke, “Twilight is even more powerful than ever before, and before she had enough power to destroy you effortlessly.”

“Well I’m making this up as I go along, and punch it till it breaks has always served me well in the past.” Lotus declared with grim resolution, “I’ve never claimed to be imaginative, and I don’t see any better ideas.”

“That seems like a rather poor plan.” Sweetie Belle softly critiqued, “Twilight’s about a hundred times your size… and a dragon.”

Lotus paused a moment, looked down at her hooves… and took a breath, before nodding firmly, “Keep them safe for me your highness.”

Diamond Glow shook her head, “So what do you plan to do against that monster Lotus?”

Lotus strode forward, grim and purposeful, “My best.”

¬

Though not nearly the most powerful of the Princesses Galaxy was still possessed of the magic of harmony, capable of comfortably outmatching any normal unicorn. She was therefore rather surprised when she felt Mosaic's green energy penetrate through the tiny imperfections in her magic, looking around to see dozens of tiny insects all deploying scanning spells across her body. She tried to understand, tried to comprehend this strange new magic... and the fact that with it at her command this Mosaic might be more than her equal in battle.

Galaxy panicked then, increased her magic output and drove a bolt of energy right at the mare. Mosaic just pressed a button on her hoof mounted computer and a shield appeared at right angle to her body, deflecting the bolt away with ease. A moment later and gravity violently shifted to the side, flinging Galaxy across the stage into a line of scaffolding. She gasped, curled up and took the blow, rolling helpless as Mosaic tracked her with her horn…

Trixie materialized out of thin air, slamming into Mosaic and attempting to wrestle her to the floor. The insects around Galaxy swarmed in a confused mass at the loss of control and Galaxy reached out with her empathic powers to strike at Mosaic’s mind, ‘Please, you don’t want to fight…’

The response came back like a brick, driving fiercely against her mental defenses. Trixie was thrown away as Mosaic thrust out her shields before turning and forcing Galaxy to her knees with the sheer weight of her will, “Your arrogance knows no bounds. This pathetic magician is no Goddess! I am the Goddess, and you will bow before my will!”

Galaxy struggled through a mountain of darkness, through the atrocities of the wasteland, through the hatred of the war. She felt herself gasping for breath as she drew above the tide, desperately blasting forward with her horn as her thoughts became her own again.

Mosaic dodged casually, sending out a tech assisted lance of energy that struck Galaxy flying through some sound equipment. Galaxy fought to rise on the other side, only to shrink back against a furious barrage of energy as Mosaic kept up her assault, “Nnngh… please… stop…”

“So this is all a princess is worth?” Mosaic spat cruelly, eyes furrowed in distain, “We are the new rulers of this world! With our science we have pierced the heavens, gained the power of goddesses! Burn, upon the bonfire of all your sins!”

¬

Star Swirl was willing to give them a B-… or maybe a soft B+ if he felt really generous. It was excellent spell work, if a little over aggressive. The control over the hard kyr phemes was a little rigid, but that was to be expected.

All in all a most excellent effort, Star Swirl only just dodging as a storm of chaos magic slammed down around him and a beam of magical energy turned the crystals above into exploding clouds of razor shards. He teleported a step, throwing up a gravity spell that sent Tirek tumbling before flinging down a rain of stars upon Sunny Smiles.

It only threatened them briefly however, both falling back and combining their magic to dispel Star Swirl’s assault with rather worrying ease. Star Swirl upgraded them to A-, looking back to Magic Star, “My dear, if I could have some mild assistance?”

Magic Star looked up from her meditations, a soft glow at her horn and the wound on her back still rather wicked looking, “I’m trying. She leached so much of my magic…”

Even as she said it, Sunny Smiles moved. Her form blurred, illusions blossoming across the battlefield. Star Swirl wasn’t a mere apprentice though, easily seeing through the ploy. He located the true Sunny Smiles, prepared his magic…

Tirek came out of an illusion to his side, swinging out a mighty fist. Star Swirl’s magical defenses had been specialized to defend against spells, his hastily erected physical barrier was shattered easily as Tirek hurled him through the air to slam against one the crystals.

Archmage or not, he was reminded how old and frail his body was as he slumped down upon the shard littered ground. He groaned, coughing up blood and made very aware that he had just lost a rib.

Tirek stepped forward, magic building, “And so I finally take my revenge old man.”

Star Swirl tried to move, tried to defend himself. But he was broken, his magic was broken. He was defenseless as Tirek opened his mouth, sucking Star Swirl’s magic into himself...

...Tirek grunted, his eyes widening in pain. His body seemed to shrink, his magic failing. He swept round, desperately clawing at the knife in his back, eyes focused on the smiling mare in front, "You!"

"Oh Tirek, so second rate." Sunny Smiles declared, a cheeky smile on her face, "You might be big, but that just means there's more space for the knife."

Tirek screamed out, reached for her... Sunny Smiles blasted him back with an explosive roar of energy, mana lines glowing across her form. She retrieved her knife and span it lazily with her telekinesis, looking across those remaining, "Now, who wants to be next?"

¬

Cadance was flung into the dirt, gasping as she came up spitting dust. She instantly swept about and put up a shield as the shadows solidified before her, cruel features grinning at her with a mouth full of sharp teeth, “Get away!”

“Do I make you afraid Princess Cadance?” Sombra rumbled, casual and almost kind in his tone, “Isn’t it ironic? The last time we stood face to face like this, Twilight Sparkle saved you.”

Cadance stepped back, trying to put on a brave face. This wasn’t like last time, “I’ve grown a lot since then.”

“Really?”

“You died, I saw you die!” Cadance drew the memory of Shining Armor to her mind, drawing on that love to power her magic, “I know you’re not invinc…”

Sombra sent her flying with a single blast of his horn, shattering her magic and tearing through her body. Cadance screamed as she felt her left wing fall useless, Sombra giving an evil chuckle as he advanced.

“Get away from her!”

Both of them looked up to the ridge, Sombra’s grin failing as he growled, “Who dares?!”

“I… I do!” Wisteria declared with little real force, unable to conceal the shaking in her knees, “So you…”

“Go home child.” Sombra interrupted, eyes narrowing in fury as Cadance desperately willed Wisteria to run, “This is no place for you.”
¬

Minty ran in panic through the streets, kicking over everything in her path in an attempt to delay the two mares behind. Singer was fast and aggressive, flinging out horn bursts every time she had a shot. Nightseer on the other hoof seemed to predict her every action, several times threatening to cut off her escape.

As happened that moment, as she turned a corner as was instantly faced with Nightseer's stoic features. The alicorn's horn was already glowing, her body already braced for the shot...

Minty tried to duck, struck her jaw on the ground, rolled over and took the alicorn's hooves out from under her. Nightseer's blast flew wild as she fell, striking Singer in the face as she came about in pursuit.

Minty beheld the two fallen alicorns as she came to a stop in a gutter, murky water dripping down on her hindquarters, "Did I win?"

"S..sister?!" Nightseer called out as she rose, clearly panicked, "Are you...?"

"I..." Singer muttered angrily, rubbing the burn across her eye and giving Minty a look of utter hatred, "...am going to make your end EXCRUCIATING!"

Minty guessed that was a no.

¬

Lotus kicked forward, willing strength back into her legs as she sprinted up the crumbling staircases of Canterlot Castle, up towards the antenna at the very tip... and the great dragon curled around it. With every moment the surging magic grew stronger, with every moment the crack in the sky grew more intense. Clouds swirled around the exit point, reality itself seeming to bend around the unnatural hole.

Lotus wasn't sure what she could do to stop it, but winging it had always served her well in the past. And the bigger Twilight made herself, the more there was to punch.

"I won't let you escape!"

Why did they always announce their presence before shooting? Lotus pondered this as she rolled to the side and let the machine gun bullets shatter the stairs beside, staring up at the griffon who had just appeared on a landing platform just above. She was wearing modern body armor and wielding a large caliber machine gun, her eyes contorted with hatred. Lotus grimaced, "I really don't have time for this."

"You will make time! Don't you know who I am?!" The griffon screamed as she aimed up once more, "I'm your arch-nemesis, I destroyed your pathetic village! My name is Ster..."

Lotus dove forward, struck the griffon with a hard right and shattered her into glowing shards. She landed on the other side and kept running, not in the mood to waste any more thought on whatever B villain she was supposed to be.

She encountered no more resistance, finally reaching the tallest point of the castle, the final floor having had its walls and roof carved away to provide a large flat surface to position the antenna upon. The place was a wreck all told, machinery and consoles blasted apart, scientists lying dead all around.

And that was very much a bad thing. She had figured she would smash things until the tower stopped working, but everything already was pretty firmly smashed. She looked up at the coiled form of Twilight Sparkle gripping the tower, pulsing with magic. Maybe if she got her attention it would disrupt the antenna somehow...

She took one step forward, instantly finding herself face to face with Twilight herself. The mare was impossibly young looking, beautiful in a rather unpretentious way, looking the very image of kindness, "Twilight..."

"Are you going to stop me?" Twilight asked, full of sweet kindness, "Please, don't fight me. This is good for all of us, don't you see? I'm going to set us free."

She sounded so sincere. But Lotus had heard a lot of these speeches, striking out with a hoof in a hope of finishing this quickly. It landed perfectly and shattered the mare's face... into bloody broken chunks. It didn't evaporate into stars like the others, it just lay there, oozing blood and... other things.

Lotus hesitated in shock and revulsion, defenseless as a bolt of lightning hit her from behind and fried her every nerve. She screamed and went down, twitching and yelping as her whole nervous system shorted out. Twilight's voice grew closer, mocking and smug, "Typical zebra, only able to communicate through violence."

Lotus grunted and focused her magic, rewiring her nervous system and kicking upwards to impact on Twilight's shields. The mare grunted in frustration and fired out a burst of telekinesis that sent Lotus somersaulting backwards to land with a thump upon the tower's surface.

"I take no pleasure in hurting you. I hope you understand that."

Lotus ignored her monologue and burst forward with a hard thrust, delivering a blow that hit Twilight's shields hard enough to knock the mare screaming backwards to topple straight off the tower's surface. She didn't re-emerge.

Lotus winced in pain and turned back to the antenna, only to be faced with the somewhat angry features of Twilight Sparkle. The mare cocked her head slightly, coolly assessing, "Do you even speak?"

Lotus tried to think of a better plan, this obviously not working, "Twilight, you're dead. This is the afterlife."

"Don't try lying to me, I'm Twilight Sparkle." She smugly declared, her grin wide and arrogant, "I'm the greatest scientist in Equestria, I worked out the secret to this place long ago."

Lotus hesitated, "And what's that?"

"This is a prison. A zebra prison." She declared, her mouth suddenly falling into a frown, "And I intend to break free."

Lotus leapt to the side as Twilight sent forth a devastating horn blast, springing forward and delivering a powerful blow that splattered Twilight's head across the tiles. She landed on the other side, near instantly struck by another horn blast that sent her tearing through the antenna’s smoking consoles to land bloody and beaten on the other side.

It was all she could do to force her head up, seeing Twilight Sparkle nonchalantly striding past her own corpse with barely a second look, "Your tactics are fairly rudimentary aren't they?"

¬

“You weren’t even a replacement!”

Silver Swirl fell back with horn smoking, fur scarred by a dozen sparks of dark energy.

“You were a mockery, given your status by my sister simply so she would have somepony to boss around!”

Silver Swirl thrust forward, dodging Nightmare Moon’s attack and firing a beam of silver energy from her horn. It simply clipped off Nightmare Moon’s side as she casually dodged, a cruel grin never moving from her face.

“An amalgamation of all my worse points. Stubborn, argumentative, morose, a contemptible, dislikeable mare doomed to forever be alone.”

Silver Swirl felt the shame burn through her, fuelling her charge as she leapt straight for the mare. They locked horns for a brief moment, the energy straining between them… before it exploded outwards and flung Silver Swirl into the crystal behind with enough force to crack it’s surface.

Nightmare Moon cackled as she stalked forward, looking entirely unruffled despite having taken the best Silver Swirl had dealt out, “And entirely, totally… mediocre.”

Magic crackled at the end of Nightmare Moon’s horn, a fierce cage of dark energy building up around Silver Swirl. It carried her upwards in a destructive maelstrom, crushing and slashing at her body, tearing away her flesh and squeezing her so tight that she coughed blood. She couldn’t even scream, only feel the tears run down her face as she felt her life depart…

There was movement and the sound of steel hitting flesh.

Nightmare Moon gasped, her magic failing to send Silver Swirl crashing back down to the floor. The darkness of her fur was broken as a small line of blood spread across her cheek, “Who dares…!”

“This isn’t you Luna.” Captain Pipsqueak stated, his blade held boldly between his teeth, “I promised you that should you ever return to this state, I’d stop you myself.”

Luna just delivered a dark chuckle as she beheld him before her, wiping the blood from her cheek, “Take your best shot, captain.”

~

Galaxy spat blood as she tried to force herself up, feeling shamed and broken. Mosaic strode forward with barely a scratch upon her, a normal unicorn who had bested a Princess. Was this what they had come to? When legends, when harmony itself fell before cold, unfeeling technology and the march of progress? She gave Mosaic a last, desperate look, "And where... where is there room for your soul under all that metal?"

Mosaic laughed, "You really are a pointless anachronism. You think you are still relevant, still special? You think Twilight cared that Celestia never made her a princess?"

"Celestia... cannot make..."

"I don't care." Mosaic spat, "And neither did she. Twilight has found something better, the true ultimate power in this world."

Galaxy shook her head, tears in her eyes, "That power destroyed the world."

"And will remake it in turn." Mosaic answered, angling her horn forward, "Goodbye, Princess."

"HEY! Over here you patent stealing hack!"

Mosaic's head swept round, focusing on Trixie standing just a few feet away. Despite the burns, despite the injuries, Trixie's grin remained infuriatingly smug. It certainly seemed to irk Mosaic if her voice was any indication, "What did you say?!"

"You totally stole that horn magnifier of Stripped Wires, and your contribution to the Gardens of Equestria project was drinking coffee!" Trixie smugly raised a hoof to her chin, "The Great and Powerful Trixie expanded the study of magic more than your five bit flank ever did!"

Galaxy watched in horror as Mosaic gave a deep, evil growl, her horn exploding with magic. The energy blast flew straight at Trixie, enough force to easily tear her in half. Trixie didn’t even have shields up, looked half dead already…

The blast struck the mirror, bounced, struck another, and slammed straight into Mosaic with a deafening crack. It had lost most of its energy from the deflections, still it left Mosaic staggering backwards with a dazed expression and a deep burn across her side.

A moment later and a stagelight detached from above, slamming on top of the mare with enough force to flatten her against the stage. Galaxy could only stare in frozen disbelief, Mosaic’s visor slowly rolling across the stage with a deep crack radiating through it. Trixie looked down at it in distain as she stepped from backstage, raising a hoof and shattering it with a single stomp, “Science that, bitch.”

“Trixie, you…” Galaxy looked towards the quite unconscious Mosaic, currently sprawled across the stage, “…you’ve the greatest magician who ever lived.”

~

Diamond Glow hurried forward into the night, searching for her sisters as the CMC trotted along behind. So far they had managed to avoid the swarm, keeping to the shadows and trying to avoid the open areas. Still it felt like just a matter of time...

"There they are!"

Sweetie Belle struck the changling scout from the air with a blast of magic but it was already too late. More soon filled the air and Diamond Glow threw up a shield as they swarmed, moving back to stand beside the cutie mark crusaders. Sweetie Belle added her own strength to the shield, still Diamond Glow found herself struggling as the changelings threw down globs of corrosive mucus and Chrysalis herself added her energies to the attack. Diamond Glow was yet again forced to curse her limited skills in this situation, she was a doctor, not a warrior.

Her shield crackled slightly, Apple Bloom giving a little squeak. Chrysalis cackled and charged, horn angled for the kill…

A gunshot sounded out, a high caliber round taking off Chrysalis’s wing. She shrieked and hit the ground with an undignified tumble, her swarm hesitating for a moment in shock. Diamond Glow looked behind from where the shot originated, seeing the flapping black cloak, the shining crimson eye. The stallion that bore them cradled the sniper rifle in his hooves, his manner confident, “She thinks me a villain? Summons me to do her bidding?”

The swarm burst forward towards him, only to be quickly intercepted by a vast cybernetic dog that tore them apart with quick savagery. The pony took the opportunity to snipe a few more of the changelings before leaping down, eyes settling on the Cutie Mark Crusaders beside, “You… are Scootaloo?”

The mare brought her head up, trying to look confident in the face of the intimidating looking stallion, “I am.”

The stallion simply smiled, “I’m a big fan.”

¬

Minty adjusted her wings and span herself in midair, the blast of energy from behind shooting past with a roar. She looked behind at Nightseer and Singer before diving, the scenery shooting past as she accelerated downwards.

She leveled out and sped across Equestria, it's green fields and gentle meadows. She looked ahead as it faded into dirt and darkness, a lost land beyond. She searched with all her senses, looking for the connections, for the memories.

She spotted the ramshackle settlement ahead and dropped down, landing with a thump upon her hooves and hurrying into the crowd of shadows beyond.

Nightseer landed behind, her keen eyes looking about the settlement. She called out, sounding a little angry now, "Come out! There's no escape!"

She started forward a little, only to pause and look behind as Singer wandered off in another direction, "Sister!"

"I... remember this..." Singer stated as she looked down at the mural at her hooves. It swirled in beautiful color, rainbow light exploding from rumbling clouds. She looked to the side where a box of paints sat, levitating a brush and staring at it with a confused, pained expression, "I think I used to paint."

"It is forbidden to talk about before... put that down!"

Singer dipped a brush in the blue paint, sweeping across the mural with a lazy swipe. Her voice was soft, happy, "I missed a spot."

Nightseer shook her head clear, then turned back to the crowd, "Come out Princess. We don't want to hurt you, so long as you come quietly."

"Please Miss Midnight..." A soft voice sounded from beside her, "It's getting dark, and I can't find my way home."

Nightseer looked down, a small infant filly standing there with her big eyes shining with tears. Nightseer struggled to tear herself away, a valiant but flawed effort. Eventually her hoof came down to touch the filly's shoulder, her horn igniting to drive the darkness away, "Come child, I will lead you home."

Minty watched from the shadows as the two alicorns went about their old lives, their forms slowly fading back into simple unicorns once again. She smiled at the sight and trotted away, only hoping she could one day do the same for the rest of the unfortunate race.

"Excuse me, miss."

Minty turned, a dark blue unicorn of middle years looking across at her. Her horn glowed with soft light and her cutie mark was of a lighthouse, her expression concerned, "It is late child, you should stay inside. There are monsters about."

Minty looked back, hesitant for a moment before giving an encouraging smile, "I know. I have to go back out there to fight them." She nodded, "You keep everypony here safe while I'm gone, ok?"

Nightseer nodded back and turned away, the light of her horn fading back into the shadows.

¬

Star Swirl the Bearded tried to rise, fighting through his injuries and sheer weariness as Sunny Smiles advanced on him, knife gently spinning in her telekinesis. Magic Star dived in to tackle the mare physically but she was simply hurled away, Star Swirl admitting Sunny Smiles had some genuine skill with high level telekinesis.

He focused what magic he had left, thinking through his list of spells. It was depressingly barren of viable choices in this situation. He wearily dropped into a hoof to hoof stance, deciding that he would go out fighting at least.

And then something suddenly appeared in front of him with an explosion of displaced air, a mare. A ghoul, clad in the partially fused remains of a straight jacket. There was no magical signature and Star Swirl realized she hadn't teleported. She was just that fast.

Sunny Smiles had a moment to widen her expression in shock before the ghoul's hoof slapped out, slamming hard against a magical barrier and shattering it into fragments. Sunny leapt backwards and unleashed a barrage of magical energy, Star Swirl ducking away as the ghoul dodged each and every one with unnatural agility. Her form disappeared, only to appear again above Sunny and fling her back leg down at the mare's head. It connected hard, shattering the mare's image into glowing shards...

...only for Sunny Smiles to appear again nearby, her body blurring and shimmering for a moment before becoming solid. A grin spread wide across Sunny Smile's face as she faced off with the ghoul, "Screwloose, how good to see you. It's been too long." She cocked a benevolent grin, "How are you these days?"

"Dead, here, with you... so I could be better." Screwloose replied, her voice thick with contempt, "You're just as horrible as I remember."

"Oh, and what memories they are!" Sunny Smiles declared with glowing cheer, "Like when you got all your friends killed to further my plans. Or when you gave me the elements of harmony and almost got Equestria destroyed. Oh, and don't forget when you helped me kill Xephyr's fiancée, that one's a classic!"

Screwloose lowered her head, jaw clenched, "I'm going to enjoy killing you."

Sunny Smiles chuckled in response, "I'm sure you would."

Magic Star moved over to Star Swirl, lips pursed, "We have to do something."

He nodded, though noted the Princess looked pretty drained, "How much power do you have left?"

"Almost none." She admitted, "Maybe one good spell..."

Screwloose disappeared again, appearing in a pop of air just at Sunny's side... but the mare was already gone, appearing again a few feet away. A cackle escaped her lips as a host of ghostly figures burst forward, one slugging Screwloose across the jaw. She ducked and rolled in response, shaking her head free and trying to reclaim her momentum, "I'm... not going down that easy..."

"Well, I have a whole lot more." Sunny offered, magic swirling about her, "And really, you're so predicable. I've watched you fight for years, there's nothing left for you to show me."

"Then maybe I have something to offer." Star Swirl declared as he moved beside Magic Star, both of them unleashing their magic at once.

Sunny didn’t seem concerned and met it with a terrific blast of her own magic, her leached strength more than enough to shatter their attack into glowing blobs of energy... each of which took position around Sunny Smiles.

She noticed her poor position quicker than most. Her ears perked up in alarm, Star Swirl activating the spell and sealing the mare inside an electrified energy cage. Bolt lanced into her, Sunny Smiles screaming as her back arched sharply backwards.

And then Screwloose called out in desperation, "Watch out!"

Star Swirl turned, watching Sunny Smile's knife fly straight at his chest. He brought up a shield to defend himself, a moment before he realized the knife was magic resistant. It left him little time to dodge, letting the energy cage fall and trying to apply telekinesis to himself...

Magic Star dived in front, taking the knife right in the chest. She gasped, falling back into his hooves.

Star Swirl looked down in desperation at his apprentice as the blood spread across her chest. This was the second time he had seen her like this, "Magic Star, why...?"

"I’m... already out of magic..." She breathed, her eyes slowly closing, "Learn to... watch your own back old man..."

And then she disappeared into glowing shards, evaporating into the night sky.

"Why do you delight so much in pain and suffering?!" Screwloose called out, her form disappearing and reappearing in deafening booms as she fought her way through Sunny Smiles' illusions and constructs, "What's the point of it all?!"

"There is no point, to anything." Sunny replied, voice gentle and sweet, "It simply provides some brief amusement to watch you bleat and cry so."

Screwloose launched herself forward with all her fury, even as Sunny Smiles redirected her magic to burn most of the ghoul's face off. Screwloose ripped a jagged crystal from the ground and thrust it forward, catching the mare in the shoulder with the tip and driving her backwards. Sunny Smiles screamed in pain and lashed out with her magic, even as Screwloose drove the spear right through her body and into the crystal wall behind.

"Your... sister never existed... you killed all those ponies for nothing..." Sunny Smiles chuckled, spitting blood with every bitter word, "I... am the only god you will ever have...!"

Screwloose twisted the spear, then clutched the mares throat with both hooves. She drove her head back, twisting and snapping her neck with unnatural strength, "Burn in hades you insufferable witch!"

And then Sunny Smiles collapsed into fading embers, leaving only the last few echoes of her laughter on the breeze.

"I am betrayed... again..." Tirek gasped as he lay dying, body sprawled out across the rubble. He clenched his teeth, hand reaching out for the dying embers, "This is why I trust no one."

"As ever, not a drop of self awareness Tirek." Star Swirl intoned, picking up his hat and placing it back upon his head. His eyes traveled to the villain, "More than anyone, you broke my faith that all evil could be redeemed, that a perfect world could be possible."

"Dispense with the lectures old man." Tirek spat, "You're just like me. Obsessed with power, that you use to bend the world to your liking."

Star Swirl sighed, "Indeed, lectures are pointless. I can only hope that this time you will remain gone long enough for me to miss your charming banter."

And with a single blast of his horn, Tirek shattered into glowing shards.

¬

"You don't have to do this Sombra." Wisteria implored, stepping gingerly towards the tyrant, "You can..."

"I told you to leave." He growled, then seized the mare in his telekinesis and swept her forcefully across the ground to stop straight in front of him, "Do you Princesses all possess some kind of death wish?"

Cadance shouted out, "Please, Sombra! She's no threat to you!"

Sombra grimaced, then forced the struggling Wisteria’s head down so her horn pointed straight at him, "What are you waiting for girl?"

Her hooves struck pointlessly at the ground, her expression terrified, "I don't..."

"Use your magic. Kill me. Save your sister, and do your duty." Sombra placed his eye right before the horn's tip, "Do it."

Wysteria forced herself away with a sharp thrust, showing surprising strength. She even looked angry now, "I... don't want to hurt you!"

Sombra struck her with a harsh blow, smacking her to the floor and leaving her with a blackening eye. He then stomped a hoof down upon her chest, driving her into the dirt, "How about now?"

"Stop it Sombra!" Cadance called, feeling her healing magics work... far, far too slowly, "Why are you doing this?!"

Sombra dropped his eyes, then looked out across the battlefield. His tone was heavy, every word seeming to drain hope from the air around him, "What other choice do I have?"

"Let her go! Turn back from this path!" Cadance implored, failing to understand his reasoning, "If you don't want to hurt others..."

"But I do." Sombra declared, with a cold, vindictive fury, "The only joy I get from life is to see you suffer. And though I have no stake in this fight, no particular grudge against you, the only alternative is non-existence."

"You don't get happiness from anything else?" Wisteria asked from her position on the floor, her voice cracking with emotion, "Not... flowers, or bunnies?"

Cadance paused, waiting for his answer with a mounting sense of horror.

"The destruction of beauty gives me some satisfaction." He finally stated with a cold, uncaring tone, "But I doubt that's what you meant. I am literally made of evil child, I have no better nature to be appealed to."

Wisteria didn't look nearly as scared as she should be, eventually causing Cadance's stomach to flip yet further with her next question, "Well... you haven't killed me yet."

"I have no reason to hurry, nor am I inclined to aid Twilight Sparkle. She appears to be winning anyway." Sombra shrugged, jaw clenching in a harsh grimace, "It is clear neither of you are a threat."

"You were a pony once." Wisteria continued, a little firmer now, "Even if you can't feel it anymore, I think you still miss those days."

Cadance was sure she was just digging herself deeper, especially as Sombra grinned cruel and cold. His voice however remained polite, only the slightest hint of malice, "Those days are gone. I ensured that personally... didn't I Cadance?"

"You destroyed your past because it caused you doubt Sombra." Cadance replied, rising gingerly to her hooves and wincing as her shattered wing dripped blood all down her side, "So you must still feel something..."

"Not anymore." He firmly cut her off, "Everything is gone. There is nothing left to tie me to my mortal life."

Wisteria spoke in a quiet voice, "Nothing to hold you to this life of despair either."

"I am despair child."

"Sombra... you're dead. Your life is dead. All you are is... spirit." Wisteria spoke with gentle hope, her voice sweet, "It's when we've lost everything that we're most open to change. You don't have to be evil."

Sombra chuckled with evil satisfaction, looking up at Cadance and licking his lips, "Such a sweet child. So trusting."

Cadance took a swaying, limping step forward, even that sending lancing pain through her body, "Sombra, don't..."

"She came closer than most." Sombra admitted, taking his hoof away and letting Wisteria escape. She stepped out, turning to face him with a hopeful smile. Sombra actually smiled back, regret in his voice, "I'm afraid I'm beyond redemption, though a valiant attempt."

"No one is beyond redemption." Wisteria countered, standing firm.

"I killed the one I loved most in the world for that assumption." He responded, backing away and looking up towards Canterlot Castle and Twilight Sparkle, "Still this fight no longer concerns me."

"Sombra..." Cadance started, reaching out to him.

"The world has proven more than adequate at providing despair, even without my help." He replied, cutting her off. His eyes fixed Cadance with a flash of anger and contempt, then a gentler glance at Wisteria...

...then he turned and strode away, his crystal structures falling apart all around as his form dimmed. His voiced echoed as he left his parting words, "I wish you happiness little Princesses. It is a rare and fleeting thing."

¬

"The crystals are down!" Came the cry from the war camp, Commander Hurricane's maps updating as the various army divisions reported in. He didn't join the celebrations, and was soon proven right. Red dots spread across the map, surrounding their scattered and out of position forces. Even as they appeared the various divisions reported increasingly dire news of their causalities and morale, and the enemy started to surge forward with speed.

"Back to your positions!" He called to his officers, looking for some way to salvage this, "All forces regroup, form a defensive line!"

Even as they rushed to carry out his orders Commander Hurricane saw the royal guard winging over with all the speed he could manage, his face a painting of despair. He doubted that meant his message was anything good, and Hurricane didn't bother showing much enthusiasm as he stood to attention before the pegasus, "Report solider."

"Sir..." The guardsman breathlessly intoned, "There is another army heading across the wastes, moving on our flank."

"Composition?"

"Steel... Steel Rangers sir. Steel Rangers, Griffons, and Diamond Dogs have been seen, along with a whole new army of alicorns."

Commander Hurricane nodded, actually feeling better for all this. If this was his final stand, then it was right that it should be in the presence of all his enemies, "Fortify for a full defense everypony. We make our stand here."

The soldiers hesitated briefly before saluting, "Yes sir."

"Commander..." He heard Ambassador Pansy state, her hoof pointed to the sky, "Upon that rock."

Commander Hurricane followed her hoof, nodding as the first of Twilight's reinforcements landed. A griffon, proud and strong in a uniform draped in the history of the Griffons, a fearsome scar across one eyes. She stood upon the cliftops, soon joined by a whole army of other griffons bristling with weapons

And forward the next army marched, their hoofsteps shaking the earth. A legion of ponies in power armor, following a warrior of particularly impressive size in armor pitted by what looked like decades of battle scarring. And beside them... a hoard of mutated dog like creatures, sharp claws and teeth flashing as they bounded forward. Commander Hurricane chuckled grimly, "So this is what death looks like..."

"Hurricane." Pansy stated softly, "Something is wrong. They're... standing beside each other."

Commander Hurricane frowned, especially as more ponies in unfamiliar combat armor marched up to take position on the flanks, several squadrons of pegasi escorting the mighty form of a glorious airship bristling with cannons. They all stood alongside one another, not only three races of pony but Diamond Dogs, Griffons, Zebra, Buffalo... even alicorns stood within their ranks.

The scarred griffon on the cliff directed her claw forward and they charged as one, crashing into the flanks of Twilight's army without hesitation. A cry went up and the sun shone through the clouds behind, feelings welling up in Hurricane that he hadn't felt since the unification, "Order the charge."

"Sir?"

"Our allies have joined the field!" He called, waving them forward as he strode for the frontlines, "Equestria prevails!"

¬

Silver Swirl could only watch uselessly as the children matched their skill against Nightmare Moon, an inspiring but ultimately futile battle. Pipsqueak was fast and his blade was sharp, it was however matched at every step by the sheer physical might of an alicorn, and the vast magics at her disposal. Snowdrop sent down blizzards but they melted away before they even got close, the magic of unicorns dispelled and the assaults by earth and pegasi ponies knocked aside with an imperious sweep of her wings.

Pipsqueak somersaulted back after a hard hit, gritting his teeth as Midnight Dreamer came in for the attack. Her horn echoed as lightning burst forth, crackling uselessly off Nightmare Moon’s shield.

Nightmare Moon retaliated with a wide blast of dark energy and Silver Swirl was sure they would be vaporized, only for that energy to break upon the magical shield now shining at the point of Midnight Dreamer’s horn. She stood there, firm and determined, wielding more power than any unicorn mare her age should possess.

Nightmare Moon actually fell back for a moment, doubt clouding her eyes, “You are… harmony touched?”

Midnight Dreamer dimmed her shield a little, still she kept it firm before her, “I won’t let you hurt them.”

“Let’s not go too far on this.” Nightmare Moon snarked, her grin sharp and cruel, “I could break you without a moment’s effort. I was merely surprised for a moment.”

“You don’t have to do this Luna.” Midnight Dreamer noted, her brow furrowing, “Nightmare Moon is dead. Puppysmiles killed her, once and for all.”

Nightmare Moon frowned darkly, “We are all dead here.”

“These are old battles Luna.” Midnight Dreamer implored, “They no longer need to be fought.”

Nightmare Moon drew back, looking hesitant for a moment, "I... rulership is my right..."

"You already rule!" Midnight Dreamer shouted desperately, "Celestia stepped down!"

"Celestia is dead." Nightmare Moon looked properly torn now, looking away, "I killed her."

Pipsqueak shook his head, joining in, “Nightmare Moon is dead, she's been gone a long time. And you need to stop punishing yourself. Luna, the past is past!”

Silver Swirl rose on shaking hooves, her body broken but still bearing enough strength to speak. She stumbled forward, desperately trying to reach the mare, “Luna… please. I need my older sister.” She felt the sting of tears on her eyes, feeling like a child before her mother, “I always hated you because… I was jealous. Ponies always used to compare me to you because I was awkward, and shy. But I looked at pictures of you, I listened to Celestia, and I knew that you were more special than I would ever be. I worked so hard to be the best, because I never felt like I measured up to you… but that was foolish.” She dropped her head, “I realize how foolish it was. I hated you because I admired you. I hated you because you were the only one who could ever understand me, and you were forever beyond my reach.”

Nightmare Moon sneered, "Celestia replaced me with you!"

"And yet she stood on the tower every night to stare up at the moon, and nothing I said would ever comfort her." Silver Swirl confessed, "Please... stop this battle. I can't beat you. I could never beat you."

"Yes... you could." Nightmare Moon admitted, the darkness melting away to reveal a small blue alicorn, barely taller than the normal ponies around her. She looked up at Silver Swirl, smiling softly, "We have something else in common. We are both too hard on ourselves."

"And we both hate injustice." Silver Swirl finished, nodding firmly with a proud grin on her face, "Are you with me?"

Luna grinned back, "Till the end sister."

¬

"You're... losing Twilight..."

Lotus stared across the rooftop, at the calm confident form of the ninth Twilight Sparkle she had fought so far. The last few times she had tried to reach Twilight's true body, but that had been a mistake. The Twilight clones might have been clumsy and lazy fighters, but they packed a punch if you took your eye of them. She had evidence of that in the many burns that covered her body, along with a good couple of broken bones.

Twilight on the other had did not seem the slightest bit bothered by Lotus killing her over and over again, "And how do you figure that?"

Lotus looked back, seeing Silver Swirl and Luna already winging towards them. The crystals falling meant Sombra had been defeated, and it also meant the Princesses could combine forces to finish the remaining threats, "Your league of villains has already fallen."

"You hardly thought I expected them to win do you?" Twilight responded with amusement, "I beat every single one of those losers, single hoofed!"

Lotus grimaced, offended on Twilight's behalf, "Single hoofed? You fought every one with the help of your friends!"

Twilight growled in anger, this seeming to touch a nerve, "I have no friends."

"What about Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie Pie..."

"They betrayed me!" Twilight shouted, before a smile swept across her face once more, "But they don't matter anymore. I don't need them."

"How can you say that?!"

Twilight looked up towards the approaching Luna and Silver Swirl. The dragon Twilight above shifted from the antenna to point a single claw in their direction, the air around them seeming to shake and shift as Twilight's voice cut the air, "Because I can do this."

A blast of eldritch lightning crackled outwards, atomizing the two alicorns without the barest pretence of effort.

"No!"

Twilight Sparkle laughed, manic and cruel as her dragon self above shifted, her mighty claw raised for the kill, "You think I've been trying? You think you had a chance? I could have wiped you out in a instant!"

Lotus screamed in rage, leaping forward, pumping energy through her body...

"But I've had my fun."

Lotus looked up, shadows covering her as that mighty claw came down in a devastating strike. There was no time to dodge.

She felt the impact, and then the grim eternity of death.

¬

Lotus blinked, pulled back from the brink as a light shone in the darkness. One after another, so small as to be imperceptible. She felt the void calling behind but the lights could not be ignored, Lotus trotting forward with determined steps. The comfort of the void fell away, replaced with cold, hard reality. She didn't slow her pace, feeling that if she did... she would surely fall.

"A life that is not lived in the service of others is one quickly forgotten." She heard a voice state at her side, violet light shining out, "Whether a book of history that illuminates the path ahead, a building that serves through the ages or a mere cautionary tale, the true mark of greatness is not what we do, but what we give to others."

The light dimmed and a unicorn stepped out, his kind gentle face smiling out at her, "Your suffering will pass my dear. Your service to those you have sworn to protect... that will last forever."

"The world burned because they forgot the value of truth." Another voice stated, amber light shining in the darkness, "Good ponies made bad decisions, because they lied to themselves and those around them. Forgot who they were, and abandoned what they had once believed in favor of prejudice and cynicism."

The light dimmed and a unicorn mare stepped forward, passion fierce in her eyes, "Even when everything was taken, even when you were told by your own memories that you were a killer, you refused to compromise your own identity."

'Sometimes the hardest challenge is to fight on, even when it seems easier to give up'. The words formed upon Lotus's heart, gentle and playful strokes of the pen written in glowing pink crystal. 'The ability to smile in the face of unbearable pain, to face the darkness without fear? That is true courage'.

The light dimmed and a Pegasus ghoul stepped forward, her face bearing not a hint of horror despite her condition. Her eyes shone through, full of hope and optimism. A sign hung from her neck, the words written on it, 'You inspire hope'.

"However much it is needed in the fight against evil, strength becomes cruelty and wisdom arrogance unless properly tempered." Stated a warm female voice from within the darkness, pink light shining out, "The more power you have to help others, the harder it becomes to understand why you must."

The light dimmed and a motherly looking pony in flowing robes stepped forward, her eyes full of affection, "To have power beyond any other, yet retain the ability to treat even the most humble with respect? That is the mark of true nobility."

"The bonds of family make us what we are." A voice in the darkness stated in affectionate, fatherly tones. A cyan light shone out as he continued, "An' not just of blood, but of all the connections that bind us together. As kin, as comrades, as friends, nations, races, our connection to all things livin'. Tied together, we can face any challenge."

The light dimmed and a rugged old pegasi trotted out, shining her a smile that made her feel like a child once more, "We never forgot ya big girl, and I know Twilight could never truly make you forget us."

"No." Lotus answered, gathering the lights in her hoof and holding them close, "I didn't."

She threw the light down at her hooves and it exploded outwards, driving the darkness back. Twilight Sparkle cried out in pain as the light burned away her flesh, darting backwards to coil around the tower once more. Lotus firmed her hooves and held her ground as Twilight directed a fierce torrent of fire down upon her head, the fire breaking against the shining corona of light that surrounded her.

Lotus looked up at Twilight as the fire melted away, seeing now the fear and uncertainty that shone in those demonic eyes, "Do you remember your friends Twilight?"

"I have no friends!" She screamed back, driving forth another blast of magic that Lotus deflected away, "You... you took it all away from me!"

"I'm sorry Twilight." Lotus replied with regret, "It is all my fault."

"Yes! Yes..." Twilight hesitated for a moment, lowering into her true voice for just a moment, "It's all your fault. That my friends... are gone... that my country died..."

Lotus clutched the light tight to her chest, "Generosity, Honesty, Laughter, Kindness, Loyalty." She looked up at Twilight, taking a deep breath before extending her hoof, "Magic."

Twilight screamed, her horn shattering as the star at its centre was torn away. She desperately grasped for it but it burned through her claws, shooting forward in a blur of light to slam into Lotus's extended hoof. Its energy was almost too much to bear but Lotus clung to the memory of her friends, gritting her teeth as the energy flowed through her body and collected at her hoof. It solidified there, from the purple light a shining pipbuck emerging.

Twilight Sparkle screamed in rage and launched herself downwards, claws extending for the kill.

Lotus looked up as a thousand tons of scales, dark magic and rage bore down at her, firming her heart and drawing on the harmony at her hoof. It burst through her, transforming, strengthening. Wings burst forward from her back, adorned in feathers of black and white. She focused that power outwards, feeling her friends move forward to stand behind her.

It burst forward in a rush of rainbow energy, tearing through Twilight Sparkle with a roar. The mare's body was torn apart by the unstoppable force, her scream echoing outwards as her magic collapsed around her...

...and it was over, the final tower of Canterlot Castle falling as the last glowing fragments of Twilight's Sparkle's form drifted into the night.

Except... for one.

Lotus galloped forward, leapt into the night and opened her wings. She cursed her lack of practice with them as she drove herself faster, chasing after the small, broken form that plummeted through the collapsing ruins. She saw the ground rush up to meet them...

And with as gentle a touch as she could manage, she wrapped both hooves around Twilight's small, vulnerable form. Lotus knew she was too close and too fast now, flinging herself over and curling up around Twilight as she struck the ground at high speed, hardening her body as her back shuddered against the impact...

...she considered how much that had hurt as she lay there, eyes closed.

"Please... please be alive..."

Lotus opened her eyes, looking into Twilight's. The mare's expression was full of grief and worry, her grey hair hanging in tangles about her face. Lotus smiled weakly and Twilight's eyes filled with relief as she drew back, "Oh my, you had me worried. I mean I know Princesses are tough but you hit the ground very hard..."

Lotus found this... unusual. Still, it was nice, seeing Twilight like this, "Are... you ok Twilight...?"

"I..." She looked torn at the question, her face falling, "...you shouldn't be worrying about me."

Lotus shifted, feeling at least that she hadn't broken anything. She shifted her back and rolled over, extending her wings gingerly, "Ow..."

"Are you... a zebra princess?"

Lotus turned, unsure how to answer that one, "Um..."

"That's..." Twilight's expression looked conflicted for a moment before finally lighting up in enthusiasm, "...really wonderful!"

Lotus paused, "It is?"

"Of course!" Twilight exclaimed, "One of my best friends is a zebra, you just have to meet her, and I was once invited to the Imperial Palace itself, in Kyrshin? It's on top of a mountain, and they have the most wonderful mural in the ballroom! Have you ever seen it?"

"No, I've... never left Equestria." Lotus admitted, still feeling a little concussed, "I... don't even know if there are any zebra left there."

"Oh, it's lovely. I've been there many times." Twilight enthusiastically declared, "What's your name?"

"It's... Xephyr." Lotus answered, guiding her tongue around that name. It was a name she hadn't spoken in a long time, "I thought you hated zebra."

Twilight's face fell, sadness in her eyes, "Is that what they say about me? Because of the war?"

Xephyr hesitated, feeling guilty now, "I guess... I never really knew the real you."

"Caesar Remicon was my friend." Twilight stated firmly, before lowering her eyes in regret, "I hated the war. I hated the war with all my heart. But I will never hate the zebra."

"I..." Xephyr looked at Twilight for a moment, element of magic to element of magic. She had long dreamed of this moment, had a million questions.

And now Twilight stood in front of her. She could only think of one thing to say, "Thank you."

Twilight looked embarrassed, blushing, "For what?"

"Everything." Zephyr confirmed, "Everything I am, everything that made my a Princess... I learned from you and Littlepip."

Twilight shook her head, "That's not true. I failed. I never became a Princess.”

"Neither did Littlepip." Xephyr mused, "That alone demonstrates that a pair of wings doesn't count for anything."

"Twilight!"

They both turned, a pink form winging her way towards them at high speed. Twilight ran forward to meet the pony halfway, Cadance landing at a gallop and throwing herself forward to embrace Twilight in a fierce hug. Twilight struggled to free her windpipe, giving an embarrassed grin, "Wow Cadance, I know I haven't seen you in a while but..."

Cadance just hugged tighter, her eyes full of tears, "Too long."

"Princess Xephyr."

Xephyr turned at the sound of the booming , imperious voice, seeing Princess Luna and Princess Silver Swirl leading the others across the ruins of the great hall. Xephyr admitted her voice got a little emotional as she moved to meet them, "I thought you were dead!"

"Not the first time, believe me." Silver Swirl commented with annoyance, "But with the darkness gone, we are beginning to reclaim some of our true power over this place once more."

She moved to meet them, feeling self conscious for a moment before dropping her head in her best attempt at a bow... only to feel a teasing hint of telekinesis bring it back up. She looked at Luna in surprise, the mare now giving her a kind, rather amused grin. Luna spoke after a moment, her voice much softer and far less formal than normal, "Given your lack of education into Etiquette, I will forgive your faux pas."

"My..." Xephyr blushed, now feeling very self conscious indeed, "...um. How... does one greet a Princess?"

"You do not bow." Luna answered with a grin, both her and all the other Princess falling into a deep, respectful bow before her. She looked back at Cadance and Twilight but they were no help, Cadance offering her a cheeky smile before her and Twilight joined in. She eventually looked back at Luna and waited for it to be over, Luna finally rising once more and nodding to Silver Swirl beside her, "Please."

Silver Swirl nodded and trotted forward, shining Xephyr a look of deep respect, "Princess Xephyr of Equestria, we are all honored to be the first to welcome you as such."

She blushed deeply, "I don't deserve..."

"We studied at the hooves of Princess Celestia." Silver Swirl interrupted.

"And I was born into this." Luna continued.

"You on the other hand were trapped in a world devoid of hope, torn from your friends and memories, surrounded by those who hated you. Yet you successfully walked a path sought by billions, and attained by but ten." Diamond Glow pointed out with a smile.

"Born into a cruel wasteland far from even the touch of the sun, you retained your virtue." Galaxy confirmed.

"A mere child among heroes, you were the one to lead them to victory." Magic Star stated, giving a encouraging nod.

"You continue a tradition that we feared was forever lost." Candance stated, her smile beaming out.

"You were willing to give up your life for us." Wisteria stated with the deepest respect, "You stood at my side, because you couldn't stand idle in the face of evil."

"You're our friend." Minty finished, flashing her a huge smile, "And we're yours."

Xephyr chuckled, wondering how she was going to follow that. Still, she wasn't about to take so much credit, there were far more deserving out there, "You do all know I'm far from the true hero of the wasteland don't you?" She looked up, fluttering her wings and feeling the touch of guilt, "I might have the wings, but Littlepip is the only reason I'm here. She's the one who saved me, put me on this path. I would have failed a hundred times without her advice." She looked ahead, angry that they suggested this was her achievement to take credit for, "You might have had Celestia, but I had Littlepip. I couldn't hope for a better teacher, and it should be her standing... oh my gosh!"

She took wing, quickly soaring past surprised looking Princesses to alight upon one of the few remaining pillars still standing. She looked out past the borders of Equestria, towards the shining towers beyond the mists. Out there, just beyond the wasteland... she could see the Presidential Palace, the Towers of Manehatten...

...the SPP. And it was as she feared, seeing the darkness surrounding it, consuming it... the light that shone from its tip was almost gone.

Luna landed beside her, eyes grim once more, "I can feel her too. My sister's light is almost extinguished."

Xephyr shook with desperation, with guilt. She knew, instinctively. Her friends were hurting, and she had abandoned them in their time of need, "I have to help them!"

"Please Xephyr, you have just escaped this place." Luna observed with a deadpan tone, "Remember what I told you about having a 'hero thing'?"

Xephyr frowned, wondering if they were going to fight again, "I can't let them die."

"And neither do we wish for you to immediately return with a hole through your sternum."

"I..." Xephyr almost said something stupid and arrogant, but maybe being here had done her some good. She quickly reigned herself back in, acknowledging that ideas of rushing forward, clobbering the bad guys and saving the world might be overly simplistic, "...what do I do?"

"I wonder if you should really be taking advice from us Xephyr." Luna observed, looking across at her with an ambiguous expression, "It is a difficult thing to be a Princess, to be a light in the darkness."

Zephyr didn't understand what she was getting at, "What do you mean?"

"Both my sister and I failed, you know that?" Luna stated, not really answering the question, "For totally different reasons. My sister quit her role because she could not cope with the changes her world was going through, preferred to ignore them in favor of pretending all was as it was. And I... I changed to embody all that was noble and corrupt about that world, refusing to let tradition hold me back. And as a result my sister became ineffectual, and I just made things worse."

"And the answer?"

"You serve the world Zephyr, you must understand it, embrace it. It changes, grows, and you cannot stop it." Luna bowed her head, "But you should never forget what sets you apart. You should never forget that others look to you for moral guidance, and the moment you compromise your compassion and fairness you allow fault lines to grow within society itself. My sister's example only proved that you could excuse any evil done in your name if you kept yourself firmly ignorant, and I wanted so much to believe evil means could be used to promote virtue that I bred a nation of monsters in pearly masks."

"I'll... try." Xephyr finally stated, then gave her a sympathetic glance, "Luna... you were not to blame. You ruled with fairness, and wisdom. But you were just one mare."

Luna looked to the wasteland, where a red light shone among jagged rocks, "You are still atoning for my mistakes."

Xephyr sighed, knowing that it was base arrogance to think that she could absolve Luna of her guilt. She decided to return to more practical matters, "What do I do?"

"Maybe the same thing you did here?" Luna observed, giving her a subtle smile, "Find friends, inspire them to fight, and lead them to victory. You are a Princess, you should never fight any battle alone."

"I..." Zephyr shook her head, embarrassed at how she was handling all this. She was such a dork sometimes, "Thank you. For everything. I... never deserved any of this, but I'm going to do my best to be the best Princess I can be."

"No one gave you anything Zephyr." Luna observed with a smile, "A princess is made by what she earns, not what she is given."

Zephyr nodded, turning away and focusing on the SPP as she silently accepted Luna's words. Maybe she would never quite believe that, maybe she would always feel Littlepip should be standing here... but she knew that both those feelings might well be excuses to dodge her responsibility. Littlepip deserved a rest after all she had been through, and if Zephyr could keep the house clean in her absence... "Any final advice? I might need it."

"Save my sister, save the world, don't die?" Luna smirked, turning away to look at the horison, "I think that about covers it."

¬

Xephyr flew across the ruins of Equestria, feeling her heart ache at its condition. Even the wasteland beyond was full of war and strife, flying across a whole battlefield of struggling ponies and zebra. She felt the desire to turn back, to fly down there and stop them... but she knew she would be forever lost in that hatred.

She spotted Trixie down below, hitching up her cart. The unicorn doffed her hat, gave a bow, and faded into the mists.

She travelled over the victorious armies of the NCR, Steel Hooves observing her enigmatically as Blackwing and Kage threw her sharp griffon salutes. Ahead Gawd stood calmly assessing upon the cliff edge, eyes watchful. Behind the grand towers of Manehatten rose, Velvet Promises hunched happily over the plans for a glorious future.

She felt an ache in her heart, looking about for Xenos. She saw nothing, knowing in her heart why. This world was a place of the remembered, and few knew him as anything other than her fiancé, the pointless death that made her a hero. He would not be here. Perhaps that was for the best.

And then, just before the light that she knew led to her destination... a final figure she knew all too well.

It was... ghost girl. No... that wasn't her name, "Screwloose!"

The ghoul smiled, looking demur as she bowed her head, "I'm glad I got a chance to meet you one last time."

Xephyr landed before the girl, advancing forward with a shake of her head, "What are you talking about? You came here with me, and you're coming back..."

"I'm dead Xephyr." The ghoul explained, eyes wet, "I died shortly after I got here, protecting you from Gestalt."

Xephyr paused, knowing it couldn't be true, "But... you're here with me. You're not like the other ghosts..."

"No. I'm not." She shook her head, "These others, they're just memories."

"And you?"

"I stayed." She answered simply, "For just a little while longer."

Xephyr gulped, "Screwloose..."

"I stayed to repay you. To help you... like you helped me." Screwloose smiled, broad and sweet, "Your friends were right, you shouldn't have protected me."

Xephyr took a deep breath, feeling anger surge, "If I had abandoned my friend, I wouldn't have deserved to be a hero."

"You're so sweet." Screwloose answered, shaking her head, "But I won't be there to protect you in future. So... take care of yourself ok?"

The ghoul turned away, her form slowly starting to fade. Xephyr called out in desperation, "Screwloose!"

But she was gone. Another friend torn from her. Xephyr felt her tears flow, looking behind at all those she had met in this place. All those friends she had made, all she had learned...

She turned away from them all and strode into the light. One day she would take her place with them... but not today.