“The battle is set.” Sunset said, smirking. “Let us fight like… wait.” She blinked. “We’re all mares. Fudge that joke.” She generated her halberd. “But it matters not! You shall all feel the amazing pain of my flaming weapon eviscerating you!”
Starlight wordlessly clutched her necklace and lit her horn, creating dozens of magical beams that attacked the Warriors from all angles.
The crow cheered as the five mares were engulfed in an explosion.
“Oh come on Starlight I wanted to have some fun-“ Then Sunset’s eyes widened. There was a white shield in there…
Carbuncle smiled. “It feels good to have some say in what happens again.”
“Thank you mister Carbuncle.” Fluttershy said. “Everypony okay?”
“Physically fine.” Twilight said.
Rainbow Dash cracked her neck. “Alright… Let’s see how you like this!” She enveloped her wings in the green energy and shot towards Starlight - only to get chopped down by Sunset.
“Mmm, sorry Crash, can’t have you ignoring me. Burn!”
Rainbow Dash lit her wings on fire, directing Sunset’s fire blast into her wings. “You just gave me a charge.” She shot the improved fire spell back at the unicorn, only to have sunset catch it in her telekinesis and send it back - stronger than before.
The ball of fire went back and forth, getting ever bigger. Applejack took the opportunity to attack Sunset with her sword - only to find the flaming halberd deflecting the blow. “Wha-?”
“It’s called multitasking, hick.” Sunset muttered, slicing at Applejack without even looking at her. Applejack growled, turning berserk and rushing Sunset, grunting through her now way-too-hot sword. Sunset was forced to buck her in the face, having a harder and harder time dealing with Rainbow Dash.
“You call that a buck?” Applejack laughed. “Mare, you need to work out more. This is a buck.” She reared her legs back, only for Starlight to toss her into the air. She landed on the ground with a thud, breaking a leg in the process. Rarity quickly mended the damage, and Twilight shot a few lasers at Starlight in retaliation.
Rainbow Dash lost the fire conflict, her entire body getting engulfed in the far-too-powerful fireball. She was launched back into a wall. Starlight picked her up and blasted her with a magic beam - causing her to scream.
“Oh no you don’t!” Rarity yelled, feeding Rainbow Dash her own white magic - speeding the pegasus up so she could move out of the beam. Starlight kept up - increasing her own speed dramatically.
“Cheater.” Rarity muttered. Starlight made no vocal response.
“Cheater?” Sunset laughed. “You’re one to talk, white mage. All this healing you have, it’s so cheap.”
“Oh. Well then I guess we’re even.” She stuck her tongue out, raising some magical shields on herself in anticipation of the flamethrower that Sunset was charging. The barrage of flames burnt right through them, burning past her. She yelled in pain - she was feeling faint…
“FEEL THE HELLFIRE!” ifrit roared, coming into existence out of Fluttershy and directing the fire away from Rarity and onto Sunset. The unicorn smirked, lighting her horn and directing the fire at ifrit.
“HA! FIRE CANNOT HURT ME MISCREANT!”
“But this can.” Starlight said, throwing Rainbow Dash into Ifrit, dissipating him.
“WOOHOO! GO STARLIGHT!” Sunset cheered, throwing her halberd at Applejack again. “This is awesome!”
“It is most certainly not awesome!”Rainbow Dash yelled, picking herself up and jetting for Starlight, only to find herself levitated by the unicorn’s telekinesis again. “You know, this is a really cheep triiiiiiiick-“
Twilight caught her this time. “I’ll keep her busy for now. You just-“
“Oh is that planning I hear?” Sunset shouted, teleporting in-between then in a burst of flame. “Such wonderful ideas! Unfortunately plotting is what WE do, not you.” She sliced at both of them with two halberds now, Twilight being the one unable to dodge. She yowled as her blood went flying.
Starlight lifted the purple unicorn up into the air and glared. She started to squeeze.
Twilight gagged, looking Starlight straight in the eye. She saw hatred behind the face, but also sadness… It was the face of a unicorn in turmoil…
“Please…” Twilight said.
“No. Please don’t try.” Starlight said. “It has to be this way.”
Twilight glared. “I can’t let that happen.”
“I know.” Starlight said, squeezing harder. Twilight fought back, exploding in a burst of purple magic.
The crowd roared as Twilight and Starlight entered a heated magic laser duel.
Meanwhile, Sunset was realizing she was fighting four on one right now. Applejack was making her focus on the halberd, she had to keep dodging Rainbow’s flesh-melting spell, and Fluttershy was currently sitting on the shoulders of Titan, directing him to SMASH. Not to mention that Rarity kept messing with Sunset’s personal flow of time…
“We need some bacon!” Sunset roared, lighting herself on fire, the light extending from her in tendrils of holy magic, attempting to entrap the Warriors of Light. It didn’t work - Rarity pushed through it with her own white magic, resulting in a healing of the enemy party.
Sunset gritted her teeth. “This… This is amazing!” She started laughing. “This is the best fight I’ve had in ages! I applaud you! I…” She blinked. “…Where is Pinkie?”
Starlight’s eyes widened in alarm upon hearing this. Sunset whirled around rapidly. “Alright, Ponk, where you hiding? I applaud your clever little ruse, but I know you’re here somewhere…”
“You really are an idiot.” Rainbow Dash growled.
“Oh no, see, I noticed the discrepancy and am now expecting a pink blur to appear form nowhere and impale me with a confectionary of some sort.” Sunset responded.
“SHE’S FREAKING DEAD.”
Starlight’s entire world crashed at that moment. She stopped firing, taking several steps back form Twilight, looking at Rainbow Dash in alarm. “W-W-What?”
Sunset blinked. “Wait. She’s… Gone?” Her face contorted in rage. “She was a great warrior! Who dare dishonor her in such a way?”
“Your boss.” Applejack said. “She gave Exdeath everything and she couldn’t keep herself alive.”
Sunset’s demeanor vanished. The crowd went silent. She clapped her hooves, and the disco ball retreated into the ceiling. The crowd shuffled out of the room, and the hall returned to it’s dark self.
Starlight was shaking. “I don’t understand… I don’t understand… I don’t understand…”
Sunset glowered. “This is… unfortunate.” She turned to look at the Warriors of Light. “…My condolences.”
“YOU? OFFERING CONDOLENCES?” Rainbow Dash yelled.
“…Those who are strong are worthy of respect. It is a tragedy when great warriors die, on either side of the conflict. Even if I killed you, it would be a tragedy.” She frowned. “But unfortunately necessary. This is war.”
“Sunset…?” Starlight managed to say through her turmoil.
“I haven’t been taking it seriously.” Sunset said. “I looked up to Pinkie, honestly. I saw something in her I wanted to see in myself. And look where it got her.”
“It got her far.” Fluttershy said. “She saved us from him.”
“I… Suppose so. But here you are.” She paused. “If you do get past us, you will have to face him anyway - without her. How will you survive?”
“We’ll find a way.” Applejack said. “We always do.”
Sunset frowned. “Pinkie didn’t.”
Twilight took a step forward. “You could be the reason we survive. Look at you two - honorable, strong, respectable mares who know what’s happening here is wrong. You both feel that Exdeath has gone too far. That he has no regard for any life - not even your own.”
“But we prove ourselves to him!” Sunset yelled. “We… We can’t just turn our back on him!”
“Yes you can.” Applejack said. “There’s nothing stopping you. You know what the right choice is.”
“He’ll kill us.” Starlight said matter of factly. “Then he won’t have anyone in his inner circle that could ever speak up to him.”
“Yeah!” Sunset said. “Wait what?”
“He’s a bad man. But I don’t see how to defeat him. Betraying him won’t work. So we have to work on the inside.” Starlight said, clutching the necklace in her hoof. “Pinkie told me to do what I had to do before I sold you to Exdeath. I’m going to keep doing that. Right now I have to serve Exdeath. I am sorry. I’ll keep you alive if I can.” Tears started streaking down her face. “I never wanted this!”
The Warriors of Light were taken aback. As was Sunset. “I…” Sunset frowned. “I didn’t know Starlight…”
“Yeah…” Starlight smiled sadly. “You didn’t. But you do now.”
Sunset sighed, turning back to the Warriors of Light. “We have to fight you. There’s no way around it. And we have to win. But know this, we will do whatever we can to minimize the damage Exdeath will cause in his future dominion.” Starlight nodded in agreement.
Rarity frowned. “That… is a small comfort I suppose. But we can’t just sit and let this happen.”
Sunset nodded. “Then let us cross blades - for real this time. No games. This is a honorable fight between those of clashing ideals.”
Twilight put a hoof down. “Agreed.”
“It… was nice to meet you all. For real.” Sunset said.
Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “You’re a real dork you know that?”
“Dork? HA! I am the greatest warrior to ever grace the surface of this planet! I am the polar opposite of dork!”
Rainbow Dash chuckled. Then put on her serious face. “It’s go time.”
“I’m so sorry…” Starlight said, lighting her horn.
“So are we.” Twilight said in response.
Then Sunset and Starlight began to dance. They stood on their hind legs, putting their front hooves around each other and stepping to an unheard tune. Then they began to glow with an intense white fire, forming into one creature - four legs, two arms…
A centaur with fur the color of fire and mane the color of stars.
“We are Sunlight.” It spoke. “And-“
The necklace around the centaur’s neck lit up in a pink aura. Pinkie Pie’s voice came through it. “And thus, a million shippers screamed ‘blasphemy!’ Teehee!”
The centaur looked down at the necklace. Then she began to shake and laugh a lunatics laugh. “AHAHAHAHAHAAHAHH-“ She fell apart into the two unicorns once more - Sunset laughing like a maniac on the ground, Starlight bawling like a foal.
Twilight blinked. “…What?”
Fluttershy smiled. “She…” She sniffed. “She still has it, even now that she’s gone…”
“Cracking some bizarre joke!” Sunset yelled. “I mean… I mean…. WHO DOES THAT? Ahahahahah… hahahahahah…” She curled up into a fetal position and began rocking herself. “Pinkie Pie that’s who…”
Starlight looked at the necklace around her neck, tears flowing freely. “I can’t… I can’t… I can’t do this… I shouldn’t do this? Is that what you’re trying to tell me?”
The necklace said nothing. It just sat there like the inanimate object it was.
Fluttershy walked up to the two broken mares. Then she grabbed them in a hug. “We don’t need to fight. We can figure this out. That’s what she would have wanted.” She looked at the pink necklace. “…She knew she had to die to save us. But that’s done. We are here now. And we need to stop Exdeath.”
Starlight and Sunset looked up at her. Sunset chuckled. “Well, that certainly sounds like her…” She stood up. “You know what? Buck it! Let’s do something crazy!”
Starlight stood up as well. “Yeah!”
“And the plot has come full circle.”
Everypony turned to see the bit doors at the end of the hall wide open, and Exdeath standing in the doorway, looking impatient. “This… The culmination of previous encounters. Why were they given emotions? Why were they given drives? For this. For the heel-face turn. For a meaningful confrontation. For drama.” He growled. “This sickens me.”
Sunset took a step back. Then she glared. “You know what? BUCK you. You’re going down blue armored nimrod from the depths of Everfree!”
“My heritage is none of your concern. Nothing is if your concern. Not anymore.” The mares noticed that he was talking differently than before - no rage, no bombastic voice, just a strange hollowness behind his words that they couldn’t explain. “You will be punished for your insolence, even though it was inevitable.”
Applejack frowned. “You’re not making any sense…”
“It matters not.” Exdeath said. He snapped his fingers, and a strange black sphere appeared, shifting into a similar creature to the one they fought on the tower. It lunged Starlight and Sunset, gobbling them up quickly.
“No!” Sunset yelled, lighting herself on fire. “NO!” As she and Starlight passed the event horizon, she put everything she could into a final fire blast. The portal creature was engulfed, exploding in a flash of distorted spacetime.
But Sunset and Starlight were still gone.
“Meaningless.” Exdeath said. “Why do you stare at me appalled? It was the way things must be. They were not to be forgiven for their failure.” Then he began to laugh - his older self returning to the surface. “But then again… You won’t need to worry about that much longer, heroes. I know your secret. And it will not be enough to save you. I am Exdeath! And I will not be defeated again!”
The Warriors of Light readied themselves for what seemed to be the final confrontation…