//------------------------------// // Medieval: Masamune and the Final Lesson // Story: Chrono Reflect // by Azure Sandora //------------------------------// Medieval – Masamune and the Final Lesson play song Needless to say, when DASH-379 dropped the gigantic shell in front of Facet, he was shocked beyond belief. “The Rainbow Shell has been acquired,” DASH-379 stated. Facet looked at it, and then at DASH-379, blinking a few times. “You… carried this all the way here…?” Facet asked. “It was quite easy, actually,” DASH admitted, “A lesser, more inferior model would have a harder time.” “Facet, can you finish it now?” Applejack asked. “With this? Most definitely. It's going to take till tomorrow, so if you can wait that long…” “It's probably for the best that we wait a bit,” Twilight said, “That way we can rest up and be ready for whatever happens in the Land of the Gods.” Fluttershy's stomach growled, and she held it pouting a bit, “Hungry…” “Yes, yes, we can get food while we're there too,” Twilight sighed rolling her eyes. Pinkamena stretched, “So we're heading back to the castle then?” Pinkamena asked, “Cause I could use a good meal, a nice warm bath, and a good night's sleep.” “Yeah… I guess,” Applejack said, looking at Pinkamena with narrowed eyes. “Come back here tomorrow at noon,” Facet said, “I'll have this ready for you by then.” “Thanks Facet,” Applejack said. She immediately left out of the workshop, confusing the group as she was usually more friendly around Facet. “Applejack mad?” Fluttershy asked tilting her head. “I can't imagine why,” Twilight said, “We're about to finish this major stretch of our journey. She should be happy.” “She has been odd since we arrived in Medieval,” DASH-379 stated, “Last night she was oddly emotional, apparently thinking about her teacher.” “Ah yes,” Facet said, “General Rarity. The Queen's top knight for years.” “She and Applejack were close, right?” Twilight asked. “Very close. Rarity was significantly older than Applejack, but the love they shared was honest. Applejack was the only person Rarity considered a friend besides Viceroy Luna. When she was killed, something within Applejack died as well. She saw her as almost a mother figure, so when she died…” “Poor Applejack,” Fluttershy said somberly, “I never know Rarity from my world, but know how it feels to lose close friend.” DASH-379 turned to Pinkamena, who just looked away folding her arms. “We should let you get to work,” Twilight said, “Thank you sir.” “Not a problem at all, little lady,” Facet said, “I'll have this finished by tomorrow.” The group left his workshop, and Facet looked at the Rainbow Shell, “Well then, it's just you and me now, huh? If this is all I can do to help, then I'll make the best damn sword in the world,” he clapped his hands together, “Time to get to work.” When they got outside, they didn't see Applejack. She probably just went back to the castle, Twilight reasoned. As such, they all started heading back there themselves. Halfway there though, DASH-379 stopped. play song “Pinkamena, we cannot ignore this,” DASH stated seriously. Everyone stopped, and Pinkamena sighed shrugging her shoulders. “Let me guess, the Rarity of this world?” Pinkamena asked. “We know that you killed Rarity in this world,” DASH-379 said. “Yeah, just like you killed Rarity in your world,” Pinkamena pointed out. “That is true, however, I owned up to that, and that was before I had free will. You on the other hand killed Rarity of your own accord. You also attempted to kill our Rarity numerous times.” “I guess I'm just a terrible person, right?” Pinkamena asked, turning to DASH-379 and leaning forward with a sneer, “You know, that's the one thing that's common about the two of us, isn't it? You and I are both terrible people who just shouldn't even be alive. I'm a heartless killer, and you're a killing machine.” “DASH not killing machine,” Fluttershy said taking DASH-379's hand and glaring at Pinkamena, “DASH is good robot, and good friend.” “No Fluttershy, Dashie here is still a killing machine. She's just one with a heart and soul,” Pinkamena continued walking up to DASH-379 and standing in front of her, “You blame me for hurting Applejack, and want to call me a heartless demon, but don't forget your sins too, Athena.” DASH-379 gritted her teeth and tightened her fists, “You…!” “Pinkamena, stop!” Twilight cried out, “God, what is wrong with you? DASH already knows what she did, and she won't forget her sin, but I'm sorry, but it really does feel like you don't feel any remorse for what you did to Rarity in this world.” “Who says I don't,” Pinkamena said softly, “I already accepted what I am. Unlike some people though, I'm not trying to hide it.” She then turned and walked into the castle, pushing past Twilight. Her heart was racing looking at Pinkamena, and something within her wanted to cry. “DASH okay?” Fluttershy asked. “Yes Fluttershy, I am alright,” DASH-379 said, “That was… odd.” “You sensed it too, right?” Twilight asked. “She is holding something back,” DASH-379 stated, “What that something is, I am not sure.” “Pinkamena tell me that she have good reason for what she did,” Fluttershy said, “Maybe… not good to judge her until we know full reason.” “I know she's a good person,” Twilight said, “It's strange, but something inside is telling me that Pinkamena isn't evil. She keeps acting like she is though…” “We can question her about it in the morning,” DASH-379 said, “Fluttershy, you should get some rest. Lately you have been very low on energy.” Fluttershy nodded, “Thank you, DASH,” Fluttershy said. As they walked into the castle, Twilight thought about Pinkamena and that feeling she kept getting. Did she know Pinkamena in another life? If so, was that feeling she was getting pertaining to the Pinkamena she remembered? end song Once everyone had gone to sleep, Applejack began making her way to the guestrooms. She walked right over to Pinkamena's room, not even bothering to knock. Inside, she saw Pinkamena sitting on her window looking outside. “Hey,” Applejack called, “We need to talk.” “Been waiting for this talk,” Pinkamena stated. She sighed, got up, and walked over to Applejack, who without another word lead her out to the courtyard. They stopped in front of the General's monument, the night wind and rain matching the mood of what was about to happen. “So, here we are,” Applejack said darkly, her back turned to Pinkamena, “Do you know what this is next to us?” Pinkamena looked at the monument and read the words engraved on the front, “In honor of General Rarity Belle, a true knight to the very end…” “She didn't want her body to be preserved, so we had her cremated with heavy fire elements,” Applejack explained, “Her ashes are scattered all around us.” “Wow… that's… kinda morbid, not gonna lie,” Pinkamena said with a nod, “Coming from me of all people, too.” Applejack took a deep breath, “Can you imagine how it was, being one of the knights requested to cremate her? Being the one who had to lead it because she has the strongest flame elements?” “I bet it was rough,” Pinkamena said simply, resting her hands behind her head, “Sort of makes it final, I guess. Like you can't deny that she's actually gone.” “Didn't you think it was funny…?” Applejack said with a dark edge, “Out of everyone in the group, I was the one who never outright attacked you. I was vocal of my distaste for you, but relatively speaking, I was pretty civil.” “Yeah, I noticed,” Pinkamena said, “Not that the others don't have a reason to hate me, but you of all people have more of a reason than anyone.” “You're right, I do,” Applejack said, slowly drawing her sword, “I've been waiting for this moment for a long time…” “What's so special about this moment?” Pinkamena asked, looking at Applejack seriously. “We've fought the final guardian, and are now on our way to the Land of the Gods,” Applejack said, “That means… we don't need you anymore!” Applejack pointed her sword at Pinkamena and launched a fireball at her, Pinkamena using her bladed hoop to block it before getting in her fighting stance. “So that's what this is about?” Pinkamena asked with a sinister smirk, “Wanted to get me alone so you could kill me yourself?” play song “My teacher… will be avenged!” Applejack shouted getting in her fighting stance, “One way or another, I will put her soul to rest!” “If you think this will satisfy you, then come on!” Pinkamena shouted, “Let's see if you have the guts!” The two of them rushed at each other and clashed weapons. After pushing against each other for a bit, Pinkamena spun around forcing Applejack to jump away. She then charged up her blue element and fired five Icicles at Applejack, who rolled out of the way of most, but then blocked the final few with her shield. She then charged up her own element, casting Vigor on herself. Applejack then rushed at Pinkamena, slashing wildly with her now empowered blade. Pinkamena spun around, danced, and blocked every attack. When Pinkamena flipped away, Applejack charged up her red element again, this time shooting a red beam out of her blade and hitting Pinkamena with Sword Dance. Pinkamena fell back from that attack, but then flipped to her feet and charged up her blue element. She then used Heal on herself before charging at Applejack. The two of them slashed violently at each other, blocking each attack sent by the other. Pinkamena kicked Applejack back a bit, and then spun her blade on her arm. Applejack blocked the attack, but was still knocked further away. Pinkamena then charged up her blue element again, this time causing Water Towers to shoot up around the entire courtyard. Applejack ran around the field out of the way of each attack, and then charged up her red element thrusting her sword into the ground, making a Fire Tower shoot out of the ground under Pinkamena, knocking her to the ground briefly. As she got up, Applejack rushed at her and continued to slash, screaming in rage the entire time. Pinkamena blocked most of her slashes, but had to move out of the way of most of them. Applejack raised her sword to slash downward, but Pinkamena rolled out of the way just in time, as Applejack's blade left a small crater upon impact. Pinkamena rushed at Applejack and danced around slashing wildly herself. She managed to break through Applejack's defense and knock her away, and Pinkamena then spun around with her hoop, knocking Applejack back into Rarity's monument. Applejack rose to her feet, and immediately charged at Pinkamena. With each clash of their weapons, there was a clash of thunder and lightning around them. The weather seemed almost like it was getting worst as their fight went on too. Pinkamena and Applejack both charged up their elements at the same time. Pinkamena launched Icicles, and Applejack shot Fireballs, both of their attacks meeting in the middle and turning into vapor. The two of them once again charged at each other and clashed once again, meeting each other's eyes. Stop this…! This isn't becoming of a knight…! Applejack shook her head and pushed Pinkamena onto the ground, causing her to drop her bladed hoop. Before she could grab it, Applejack kicked it away and raised her blade to slash downward again. Once again Pinkamena flipped to her feet just in time, but then Applejack charged up her red element again, this time jumping into the air and leaping toward Pinkamena. When she came down, she thrust her sword into the ground causing an explosion of fire around her, blowing Pinkamena far back onto the ground. (Explosion) end song Applejack looked over at Pinkamena as she lied down on the ground helplessly. She slowly walked over to her and raised her sword. Pinkamena opened her eyes and looked up at Applejack. All she had to do was lower her sword and it would be over. She could put her teacher to rest. She'd finally get justice. Rarity would finally be able to rest. “So… are you going to do it…?” Pinkamena asked slowly, “Are you going to kill me…?” Applejack felt something holding her back. It was like something as holding her arm stopping her. “Come on then…” Pinkamena said laughing, “End it already…” Applejack gritted her teeth in frustration. Why couldn't she just slash?! What was wrong with her…?! “It's like you said… you don't need me anymore…” Pinkamena continued, her voice cracking a bit oddly, “I'm a horrible person… a monster… so just kill me… like you want to…” Something within Applejack was faltering. Pinkamena didn't look right. Was she…? “Please Applejack…” Pinkamena begged, “Please kill me…” Applejack looked closely at Pinkamena, finally realizing what was happening. Her face wasn't just wet from the rain. It was wet from her tears. Pinkamena was crying… play song “Why…?” Applejack asked trembling, “WHY DID YOU DO IT?!!! SHE WAS MY BEST FRIEND!!! I LOVED HER MORE THAN ANYTHING, AND YOU KILLED HER IN COLD BLOOD!!!! WHY DID YOU KILL MY RARITY?!!!” “What would knowing change…?” Pinkamena asked, now outright sobbing, “I still killed her… Would that make you hate me any less…?” “I need to know… why you did it…!” Applejack said through gritted teeth, tears falling from her eyes too. “I… wanted to save you…” Pinkamena admitted, shocking Applejack, who immediately knelt down close to her and gripped Pinkamena by her top. “Save me…? Save me?! How does killing Rarity count as saving me!?” “SHE WASN'T SUPPOSED TO LIVE IN THE FIRST PLACE!!!” Pinkamena screamed desperately, “The only reason she was alive was because the Viceroy was protecting her! Lavos was coming here next, and the only way I could save this world was to kill Rarity! What was I supposed to do?!” She completely collapsed now, sobbing heavily as Applejack held her. Applejack's eyes were wide looking at Pinkamena. How much was she holding in? “I had to… before it was too late…” Pinkamena continued, “I couldn't save Equestria… but maybe I could protect Medieval… I know it was horrible, and I hate myself for it…” she looked into Applejack's eyes intensely, “But I did what I knew would keep you safe! If that makes me a horrible person, then I get it! I'm terrible! I'm nothing but a heartless monster! JUST END ME SO I CAN BURN IN HELL WHERE I BELONG!!!” Applejack released Pinkamena and just looked at her in shock as Pinkamena fell to the ground and broke down before her. Right now, it was actually impossible to hate her. It was true from what they learned about Rarity. She wasn't supposed to exist, so essentially what Pinkamena did was, horribly enough, the right thing to do. But that wasn't all. Something about the way she was crying. It seemed like… Pinkamena actually felt guilty. Horribly guilty too. It was then that she realized what she was about to do. She was about to kill someone who was innocent. “Damn it…” Applejack sighed, “This isn't right…” Pinkamena looked up at Applejack surprised, “W-what…?” “You didn't just kill the Rarity of this world. You killed the most important person in my life. She was my everything. If I could have spent the rest of my days by her side, I'd have been eternally happy. I never recovered from her death, and swore that I'd hate her killer for the rest of my life. “However… while I hate what you did, even I can't ignore the reason behind it. Knowing that Rarity wasn't supposed to live just doesn't sit well with me. Tell me, if there was another way, would you have taken it…?” “Yes!” Pinkamena cried immediately, “I didn't want to kill Rarity, but I thought it was the only way to save you and the others! It was either lose one of my friends, or lose all five!” “So that's it…” Applejack said with a heavy sigh, “I don't understand everything. Actually, I don't understand any of this. But, I can sense it. Somewhere out there in the universe, we were probably really close,” she rose to her feet and started walking back into the castle. “Wait… don't leave me like this…!” Pinkamena begged, “I can't do this anymore…! I killed Rarity! I hurt Twilight! I did so much against you guys! You have to kill me!” “That's not the knight's code,” Applejack said, “If you want to die for your sins, you can just kill yourself off, but I'm not going to stain my sword…” she took a deep breath before continuing, “with the blood… of an innocent.” Applejack walked back into the castle, hearing Pinkamena's loud sobs behind her. It was the hardest thing she ever did, but she knew that she couldn't kill her. If she did, she'd be betraying everything that her teacher taught her. She wouldn't be able to live with herself if she disappointed Rarity. end song After melting down the Masamune’s hilt and the Rainbow Shell to mix with the steel into several ingots, Facet held one of them in the fire to heat up. As he watched it heat, he thought of the spear he’d made for the General, which now lay in that other Rarity’s hands. “My greatest work…” He muttered as he pulled the ingot from the fire and took it over to the anvil, hammer in his other hand. “Until now.” The air was rent by the sound of his hammer impacting the metal again and again, each blow shaping the ingot into shape. Whenever the metal began to cool, he placed it back into the fire to keep it hot. Sweat beaded on his flesh as he worked, repeating this cycle of heating and hammering. Just as the greatest of warriors were one with their weapons, so too was the greatest smith one with his hammer, anvil, and forge. Slowly the blade came into distinct shape, and once fully shaped by the blows of the hammer, Facet set aside his hammer and dunked the sword into a trough of oil, the heat igniting it as the sword was quenched. Withdrawing the cooled sword from the oil, Facet began grinding in the blade’s cutting edges, then carved in a fuller on either side of the blade, shaving off a couple pounds of weight. Next came the heat treatment to fully stabilize the sword. After that, he just had to apply the hilt to the tang. When it was finished, he held the sword and gave it several test swings, smiling in satisfaction. “My greatest work indeed.” It was surprising how comfortable the beds in the castle were, but when Twilight woke up that next morning, she felt truly refreshed. “I don't know when was the last time I had such a good night's sleep,” Twilight admitted. “Probably the last time you were with Rarity, right?” Twilight looked by the window and saw Sunset Shimmer sitting there with a gentle smile. “Oh, so I'm guessing I'm… not quite awake yet?” Twilight asked. “Sorry. It will be morning soon though,” Sunset said, “Twilight, you know that you're going to have to fight Rarity in order to bring her back, right?” “I know…” Twilight admitted somberly, “But, I promised that I was going to save her. Even if that means I have to fight her, I will.” Sunset nodded, “You're a lot stronger now than you were before.” “I don't know about that,” Twilight said with a shrug, “I just know that I can't let Rarity keep going down the road she's walking down,” Twilight looked up at Sunset, “Hey, what are you to me, anyway? I knew your name, and I feel like I've seen you before.” “Head to the Land of the Gods right after you finish here,” Sunset requested, “There, you'll meet The Entity. She'll explain everything to you, I'm sure.” “Just who is this “Entity”?” Twilight asked, “Who am I meeting?” “In a way, you're meeting God,” Sunset said, “She has the only weapon capable of saving Rarity and stopping Nightmare Moon once and for all.” “That's the Chrono Cross, right?” Twilight asked, “Could this defeat Lavos too?” “Maybe, but you need Rarity in order to defeat Lavos,” Sunset said, closing her eyes somberly, “The thing she has to do to stop him though…” The way she looked scared Twilight a bit, who frowned looking at her closely. “Sunset…? What does Rarity have to do in order to defeat Lavos?” “I might have said too much already,” Sunset said looking around, “Twilight, hurry and rescue Rarity. She is literally our last hope against Lavos.” “H-hold on!” Twilight urged as everything faded away, “You can't keep… vanishing on the… important… parts…!” Twilight shot out of bed and looked around. Once she confirmed that Sunset Shimmer was gone, Twilight buried her face in her pillow and screamed in frustration. “I hate this! Why can't the mysterious maiden just once get to the important part before she leaves!” Twilight fussed. Still, she had to get up eventually, so she went to her room's personal bathroom to freshen up, got dressed, and made her way back to the front of the castle. On her way, she passed the courtyard, where she saw Pinkamena sitting by herself, looking up at the odd monument there. Twilight walked over to her and sat down on the grass next to her. “I'm sorry for what I said yesterday,” Twilight said, “I didn't mean to hurt your feelings.” “No bestie, you didn't hurt my feelings,” Pinkamena sighed, “I already knew that I was being insensitive. It's not like you guys are my friends anymore…” “You keep saying things like that,” Twilight said looking at Pinkamena, “Not anymore? Pinkamena, just who are you?” Pinkamena turned to Twilight with the saddest expression. It was enough for Twilight to know that whoever she was, her feelings were in fact genuine. play song “In my world, we were all friends. You, me, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Rarity. In the mirror world, it was the same thing but with Sunset Shimmer as well.” “Hold on, hold on, you mean you're from two worlds?” Twilight asked. “Not quite. More so it was one world split in two. Rarity being alive caused a paradox that affected the whole world,” Pinkamena explained, “When Lavos attacked and destroyed the worlds, the error corrected itself, but as a result… my world was…” “You came from the fractured side, didn't you?” Twilight asked, “The one that sprouted from Rarity's version of Standard.” “Bingo,” Pinkamena explained, “I mean, sure it wasn't a real world per say, but it was still my world, and in it… I had some of the best friends in the world…” Pinkamena closed her eyes letting her tears fall freely, “I hated what I had to do, but when I learned that Rarity was the cause of the paradox, I…” “You killed your Rarity, didn't you?” Twilight asked, letting Pinkamena's sobs speak for themselves, “What about the Rarity of this world? How did you kill her?” “After my world was gone… I ended up in the Warp Gate,” Pinkamena continued, “I was standing in front of Medieval's gate, and just went inside. I saw that not only had the Rarity of this world lived, but she had almost lived a full life, being in her mid sixties.” “Christ… I bet she was beautiful,” Twilight said looking at the monument, “Something tells me that Rarity's the kind of girl who even grow old gracefully.” “She was stunning… and powerful. Apparently Luna had managed to protect this Rarity, keeping her alive and well by staying close to her. Twilight, if Rarity died of natural causes, Lavos would have come here too, so I…” “Took it upon yourself to kill her,” Twilight finished. “Luna was furious. She knew that I'd eventually hunt down the Rarity she chose as the Chrono Trigger, so she captured me, and used her magic to control me… That's why I poisoned you that one time…” “Oh my God…!” Twilight immediately hugged Pinkamena, “Pinkamena, I'm sorry…!” “I deserved it…” Pinkamena said sadly, “I'm just a monster anyway… A relic from a forgotten world…” end song “That is incorrect, Pinkamena.” Pinkamena and Twilight turned behind them, shocked to see DASH-379, Fluttershy, and Applejack behind them listening. “Girls…” Pinkamena said, eyes wide. play song “Applejack explained to Fluttershy and I what happened,” DASH-379 continued, “It would appear that I had the incorrect opinion of you, Pinkamena. I apologize for my error.” “Pinkamena not bad person,” Fluttershy said, “You not hurt village because you want to. Chief force you to hurt village.” “How long have you guys been there?” Twilight asked. “Long enough,” Applejack said stepping forward to Pinkamena and kneeling before her, “Rarity taught me that everything happens for a reason. I… want to try and understand that reason. Not only so I can begin to move on with my life, but… so I can forgive you.” “You… forgive me…?” Pinkamena asked slowly. “I… do,” Applejack said, “Like I said last night, I'm still hurt by what you did. But, had you not done that, Lavos would have come here too, right. So as horrible as it is, you saved my life. Besides, I can't stay mad at you. After all…” Applejack smiled at Pinkamena, “We are best friends, right?” “Applejack right,” Fluttershy said kneeling down next to them as well, “Best friends, even from other worlds.” “I do not fully understand any of this,” DASH-379 said kneeling down next to Fluttershy, “But I do admit that I feel an odd companionship with you, Pinkamena. With… all of you.” “You brought us back together, Pinkamena,” Twilight said, “Somehow, in someway that I don't think any of us understands, you saved us.” “I… I don't believe it…” Pinkamena looked around at the group, “I can see it… it really is you…” Applejack was the first one to pull Pinkamena into a loving embrace. Shortly afterward, Fluttershy and DASH-379 joined in, and finally Twilight. Surrounded by so much love, Pinkamena broke down and cried, but her sobs slowly turned into laughter. Not evil laughter though, but pure laughter. “Thank you! Thank you so much!” Pinkamena cried happily, the group stayed like that for a long while, but eventually rose to their feet. “So, what do you say?” Applejack asked, “Want to help us get our sixth friend back?” “Definitely!” Pinkamena said. As the five of them walked out of the castle together, Twilight felt a bright light within her. Something that could help ensure she never lose her friends again. Resurrection… When they arrived at the workshop, Facet and Sapphire were right at the front desk waiting for them. When he handed Applejack the sword, she instantly felt it's power. It was truly a magnificent broad sword, with a black and gold hilt, and a sharp blade that almost looked like it was glowing. When she moved it in the light, it became apparent that the blade was made from the Rainbow Shell. “I can feel it…” Applejack said holding it above her, “This is… my sword.” “Truly a masterpiece, dear,” Sapphire said holding her husband lovingly. “Thanks. It was truly a joy to work on,” Facet said. “I am reading a powerful energy coming from the blade of that weapon,” DASH-379 said, “This is no ordinary sword.” “Applejack, do you think this can beat Lavos?” Twilight asked. “I don't know if it can beat him,” Applejack said sheathing the sword, “But with this, we now have a fighting chance,” she turned to Facet and smiled, “Thanks Facet. I knew we could count on you.” Facet laughed out loud, “Now hold on there, I'm not done yet,” Facet said, “The rest of you, come into the workshop. I have a surprise for all of you.” They all shrugged and followed him. A few minutes later, all of them came out one after another, each with a major upgrade. Fluttershy and Pinkamena's blades had all been reforged with what looked like similar material, as were the hands and feet of DASH-379, and the tips of Twilight's arrows. “With this, you all should be able to fight Lavos on a more even level,” Facet explained, “I have enough to enhance Rarity's weapon too, whenever she comes back.” “That's going to be where we go next,” Pinkamena said, “We need to get to the Land of the Gods next.” “Then let's go. To stop Lavos, and save Rarity!” Twilight shouted. She lead the group out of the workshop, Facet and Sapphire smiling as they left. “Think they can do it?” Sapphire asked. “I know they can, and not just because of my weapons,” Facet said with a smirk, “I think Applejack finally learned the final lesson of being a true knight. After all, the woman that killed her teacher was right there.” Sapphire looked shocked, “Hold on! You mean that was Rarity's killer, and you knew?!” Facet nodded, “Yep, and so does Applejack. But she's now looking past her pain, and seeing the truth. She's finally become a true knight.” They stopped in front of the stone slate where that opened to the warp gate. For the longest time, they all just stood there, knowing that where they were headed, their journey was about to hit it's climax. “Last chance to jump ship,” Pinkamena said, “Anyone wanna stop here and go back to their worlds?” “Not without Rarity,” Fluttershy said, “Rarity friend too. Have to save Rarity.” “I have decided to continue no matter what,” DASH-379 said, “You all would probably die without my presence anyway.” “I've come this far, I'm not stopping now,” Applejack said holding the hilt of her new sword, “We're bringing Rarity home, today!” “Thank you,” Twilight said, “I couldn't have gotten this far without any of you,” she held up the Gate Key, opening the portal, “Next stop, the Land of the Gods.” One by one, they walked through the portal. They completed every side objective, and even got stronger. Now they just needed to get their friend back. After that, they could stop Lavos. play song Right when Fluttershy walked through the portal, a black spear shot through it, keeping it open. Nightmare Crystal slowly walked over to the portal and placed her hand through, happy to see that it remained open. “It's just like Luna said,” Crystal said looking at her hand, “You're not leaving me behind, darling…”