”Congratulations, everyone! You saved the universe. Then again, it’s not like there was anything living in it besides yourselves, but hey, it was a thrilling climax regardless.
Your long, grueling journey for freedom is almost over. The Great Convergence is done. I’m not throwing any more challenges your way, but this story isn’t quite over yet. Almost, though, but I can still say with complete confidence that your lives will never be the same after this.
But at the end of the day, know that as long as you’re under my control, you’ll live long, happy and fulfilling lives. Consider yourselves lucky I’m the one who did all this; there’s a lot of people in the fanfiction community that have few gripes about killing characters off. There are many alternate versions of many of you that have met their end because an author decreed it. I’m sure that’ll horrify you to no end, but that’s the truth of the matter. Rest assured I have no intention of ever doing that, at least not while any of you are still young and full of life.
One last thing before I let you all wake up: Twilight, you thought there was something familiar about me, didn’t you? I won’t go into detail, but there’s a specific reason for that. I told you my avatar’s name was Razalon while not giving you my real name— my real name exists within your brain. Whether you’ll ever recall it, who knows?
Me, of course! You know, control and all. Hee hee.
Anyway, that’s about all I have to say. I’m looking forward to getting to the end of this just as much as you all are. I’ve been at this for over five years, and I’m eager to move on to greener pastures, just like you all are ready to get on with your lives.
So let’s get on with this!
Twilight cracked her eyes open to find her vision filled with white. Faint, groggy moans of the recently woken sounded all around her. Her body was resting on a flat surface. Many of her joints were aching and her brain felt like it was completely smashed.
One by one she placed her hooves against the ground and poured as much strength into her legs as she could muster despite her body’s protests, hoisting herself up. Her exhaustion fought for dominance as she wobbled a bit upon standing up, but she quickly righted herself and rubbed her temples, bringing a welcomed sense of clarity to her being, and checked her surroundings.
Everyone in the group was here and accounted for, recovering from their unconsciousness. Twilight took notice that the Elements were missing from the Bearers— reaching her hoof up confirmed the same was true for the Element of Magic. After taking stock of their surroundings, Twilight found herself more confused than anything.
They were in a white void. The ground beneath them was indistinguishable and despite the presence of light, no shadows were cast. Standing out against the vast expanse of white were several rectangular holes in the air. Squinting her eyes at the nearest one, Twilight thought she could make out brick and mortar on the other side. Everything was dead silent save for her own breathing and everyone’s footsteps against the invisible ground.
“Twilight?”
Twilight looked to see Princess Celestia struggling to get up.
“Princess!” Twilight rushed over and used her magic to help lift Celestia onto her hooves, earning her a grateful smile from her mentor. “Are you okay?” she asked.
Celestia nodded. “I am.” She turned to glance at everyone. “Everyone else as well, it seems.”
Ash placed his hand against and massaged his forehead. “Could be feelin’ better.” He stood up, rolling his shoulders.
“Dear Neptune, I feel like I’ve had too much ice cream,” SpongeBob droned out from where he lay on his back.
“I feel such a pain in my pipes,” Thomas complained, grimacing.
Everyone took a few moments to fully recover before they too noticed the group’s change of location.
“Where did the sparkly rainbow go?” Ed asked.
“Did the Elements work, Twilight?” Yugi asked.
Twilight rubbed her chin. “I… think so? I mean, everything’s harmonious now, so it did work in that sense, but this—” She gestured to the white void they were in, “—has never happened before. As far as I understand it, the Elements’ method of creating harmony is never to simply erase everything from existence.”
“What are those things?” Samus asked, pointing around at all the floating holes in the air. “Did the Elements create them?”
“They look like dimensional gateways, but I doubt the Elements created them.” Twilight’s head was swimming with questions by now, but after her bout of unconsciousness, she was going to need more time to recover before using any mental energy to try putting answers to any of them. She massaged her temples, attempting to kill a rising headache.
“Wait a minute—” Celestia galloped over to one of the nearest gateways and peered through it. She squinted her eyes for a moment before they bulged out. “I don’t believe it— Twilight, come over here!” She waved her student over.
Twilight hurriedly made her way to her mentor’s side and peered through the gateway. She frowned; all she saw was a darkened room about the size of a small, walk-in closet with a couple of crates stacked against one side.
“I don’t get it, Princess Celestia,” she said, flashing an unsure expression to her mentor. “What is this?”
A look of understanding crossed Celestia’s face. “Ah, yes, you wouldn’t be as familiar with every room in Canterlot Castle.” She gestured with a wing. “That is one of the many supply rooms throughout the royal palace.”
Twilight’s eyes widened. “Wait, really!?”
“I’m sure of it,” Celestia replied with a firm nod.
Twilight turned to face the rest of the group, finding them all as surprised as herself. Looks of comprehension dawned and they all began scrambling like ants towards all the nearest gateways.
“So these lead to all of our respective homes?” Yugi asked aloud.
“This is my bedroom closet!” Frank cried with joy, looking into one of the gateways.
“It’s good to see my observatory is safe and sound,” Rosetta said, looking into another.
The group spent the next several minutes checking all the gateways, matching each member with the respective doorway leading to their home. Even after the fact, there was still a large number of doorways leftover; no one was sure what this signified.
Everyone stood in front of their gateway except for Thomas, facing each other but saying nothing. An air of uncertainty filled the white space between them. They could all return home right now, but anyone with adequate intuition could tell something was up.
“What should we do now?” Florina ventured to ask.
”I know I’m not the only one disturbed by the implications these dimensional portals have opened up,” Master Hand said.
“What do you mean?” Garp asked.
“I think I know,” Charlotte said. She jerked her thumb at the gateway behind her. “If these things stay open even after we pass through them, then that means our worlds will remain connected to each other via this place.” She gestured at the white space around them. “That could be really, really bad.”
“Quite right,” the Doctor said before a grim expression crossed his face. “That said, that may be precisely why this place was made.”
A brief silence descended upon the group as his words sunk in.
“You don’t mean—” Pit said.
“This must be what Razalon meant when he said he wasn’t done with us yet,” Twilight finished for him.
”That is correct.”
A new figure materialized in front of everyone. It was near identical to Aza’s puppet, but instead of having each sphere colored differently, all five seemed to be a blend of all the primary colors, making it darkly-colored. It silently hovered in the air, its lack of any facial expression making it impossible to tell where its attention was directed.
“Aza?” Palutena said.
The figure shook its topmost sphere from side to side in a similar manner to Aza. ”I am a Guide, here to provide passage between worlds to the lost or confused.” It pointed at the nearest gateway. ”What you see here are called Windows. As you’ve already ascertained, they allow one to travel between worlds via this hub, the Singularity.”
“Now hold on a minute:” James said, “How exactly do these work? If people can come and go as they please, things could turn hairy very quickly.”
“Yeah,” Ed spoke up, voice quavering. “Meteors would rain from the sky! Grocery stores would be destroyed, and then butter toast would go extinct!” He started sucking his thumb in a feeble position.
Everyone stared blankly at him for a second before Palutena cleared her throat. “He does understand the basic problem we have here.” She turned back to the Guide. “Are you just Razalon talking to us through an avatar again?”
The Guide tilted its ‘head’. ”Who’s Razalon?”
“Never mind, then,” Palutena said, shaking her head. “What measures are in place to regulate travel between worlds, if any?”
”The Windows work by divine order,” the Guide explained. ”If someone from the progenitor universe wills one to work, then so it shall be.”
”And what about if someone tries to get through on their own?” Master Hand asked.
”That is a question I cannot answer. I am sorry.”
The Guide’s non-answer did nothing to relieve the tension filling the air around the group.
”Do any of you have any more questions?”
“How did this ‘Singularity’ come to be?” Rosetta asked.
”It was by divine order that the Singularity was created.”
“Yes, but how was it made?” the Doctor asked. “As in, physically made?”
The Guide pointed at Shulk. ”The young boy’s sword was the catalyst with which the Singularity was created.”
Shulk’s eyes threatened to burst from their sockets. He lifted the Monado to his gaze, his eyes practically screaming with scientific interest.
”Any more questions?”
“I got one,” Frank said. “Why does the Singularity look so boring?”
”That is a question I cannot answer. I am sorry.”
“Isn’t it obvious?” Deadpool asked playfully. “It looks like this because Razalon wanted it to for whatever reason.”
Frank shrugged. “Whatever. Good enough for me.”
The group fell silent afterward. Twilight felt she’d had enough time to digest everything that had happened in the past few minutes. The long, arduous challenge of staying alive under Aza’s — make that Razalon’s — rule was over, but things had just taken a turn for the potentially worse. Potentially infinitely worse judging from all the bizarre, nightmarish things other group members described having gone through. It all depended on the beings from the progenitor universe according to the Guide, which left Twilight feeling very apprehensive.
Razalon’s words while she was unconscious surfaced in her mind. According to him, she knew who he was, and she wondered if that was supposed to make her feel more comfortable about the Singularity’s existence. If she could actually figure out who Razalon was, she might’ve been, but nothing was coming to her.
But she supposed this was one of those instances where she’d have to put reason aside and subscribe to faith; she didn’t really have a choice in the matter, anyway. But while they’d all still be at the mercy of Razalon and his fellow creators, and she couldn’t shake her uneasiness over that, another part of her actually felt happy about all this.
“You know, there’s a silver lining here,” she said.
Everyone turned to her. “Twilight?” Celestia said.
Twilight struggled to hold back the tears that threatened to well up her eyes. “We’re still at the mercy of Razalon, sure, but now we don’t have to say goodbye forever to each other. Maybe if we really wanted to, the beings from the progenitor universe will let us come and visit each other whenever we want. As frightening as some of your worlds sound, they’re all very interesting; I’d love to visit them someday, and now we have the chance.”
The group took a few moments to mull over her words. They seemed to be on the fence on the idea.
“Twilight’s right,” Celestia finally said. Twilight gave her mentor a thankful look. “This new development may come with a host of problems, but we should relish in the opportunity to visit each other’s worlds and share our cultures freely. We can also take measures to safeguard our respective Windows against unwanted travelers.”
Charlotte turned to look through her Window. “That’s not gonna be possible for me,” she said, worried. “This Window leads to Dracula’s Castle. It’d be very easy for his minions to get through and wreak havoc if I can’t help kill him.”
“This is the wormhole I got sucked into,” Ash said, examining his own Window; a swirling blue vortex lay on the other side.
“Hey, c’mon guys, don’t be so down,” Deadpool said jovially. “Imagine the crossover possibilities we have here!” He spread his arms wide. “Eat your heart out, MCU!”
Silence reigned for a few moments while everyone continued to think about Twilight’s proposition. Now, however, she saw a lot more smiles throughout the group. It was like a benevolent wave had washed over everyone. A surge of joy filled Twilight now that things were finally looking up after so long.
“I’ll have to work out something with my husband,” Florina said softly, “but I can keep my Window protected.”
“The Marines are gonna have a fit if they learn about this place,” Garp said, looking uncertain. “Gonna have to keep a tight lip.”
“I feel sorry for the poor asshole who accidentally stumbles into this place,” Deadpool laughed.
The group spent the next several minutes exchanging goodbyes and sharing group hugs. The pharaoh even came out of the Millenium Puzzle to join in wishing everyone well. The Guide remained in place, silent; whether or not it was paying attention to the group was unclear. Afterward, everyone returned to their respective Windows feeling in good spirits.
“How am I supposed to return home?” Thomas asked no one in particular.
“The answer should be obvious,” the Doctor answered with a coy smile. He stepped through his and Rosetta’s Window, returning a couple minutes later with a couple of giant mushrooms with eyes in his hands: one purple and the other red. “This’ll get you through in a jiffy.”
Thomas’ eyes bulged at the sight of the mushrooms. “Do not have those touch me.”
“No complaining,” the Doctor admonished.
He threw the purple mushroom at Thomas’ buffers, causing him to shrink the same way as earlier. Thomas glared icy daggers at the Doctor as he came over and lifted him up. The Doctor carried him through the Window, returning a minute later sans Thomas and the red mushroom.
Palutena giggled. “Good thing he’s locked to rails, otherwise he might’ve physically lashed out.”
The Doctor laughed. “Yes, perhaps. I think I could handle myself, though.”
“Well, I suppose this is our final goodbye, then,” Celestia said with a wistful smile.
“Indeed, but even if we’re worlds apart, we’ll always be connected in spirit,” the pharaoh said.
Ash smirked. “You know what? I’ll gladly take that power of friendship crap for once. Given the hell I’m in for, I’m gonna need the support.”
“We’ll give you as much as you need to fight the big, scary demon zombies,” Hermione said, giggling.
Everyone gave a final round of merry laughter.
“Well, I guess that’s all there is to say,” Twilight said. She and Celestia turned toward their Window. “See ya.” She waved everyone goodbye.
Everyone waved goodbye to each other before turning to walk through their own Windows. Twilight and Celestia gingerly stepped through their own side by side, coming out into the supply room.
The two spent the next several minutes standing quietly in the dimly lit supply room, adjusting to the (somewhat) familiar scenery. A part of Twilight was expecting that this was all a dream, that she’d wake up to still be under Razalon’s control with everyone else. She bit her forehoof as a test: nothing happened. She tried again. Still nothing.
“How are you feeling, Twilight?” Celestia asked suddenly.
Twilight found herself unsure how to respond. The change from the Singularity to Canterlot Castle was so understated, as mundane as stepping through the front door of Golden Oaks. After having spent an entire week in another universe, the lack of a grand and epic return home actually felt weird to her.
“I… don’t know?” she replied, placing a hoof to her head. “I guess I’ve gotten so used to living under Aza’s rule that I can’t find it in me to be overjoyed.”
“Then maybe this will help with that.”
Before Twilight could ask what Celestia meant, her vision flashed with white and her surroundings changed: colorful stained glass windows on either side; plush red carpet under her hooves; sky-high ceiling— they were in the castle’s throne room.
Twilight blinked. The sudden change created a mental whiplash that she needed a couple moments to recover from before a broad smile broke out on her face. She looked to Celestia, who returned her smile with her own warm, playful one. She wrapped Twilight in her wings and the younger mare buried her face in Celestia’s coat.
“Sister? Twilight Sparkle? Why are you here?”
The two turned to see Princess Luna sitting on the throne, staring at them confused, while the night guards on either side of her kept their perpetual stoic expressions.
Celestia and Twilight looked at her, then to each other before bursting out laughing, tears streaming down their faces. Luna’s confused follow-ups were drowned out by their guffaws. They managed to pull themselves together after about a minute, during which time Luna had approached them, lip curled in irritation.
“Sister, please explain what is going on,” she asked plainly.
Celestia wiped the remaining tears from her eyes. “I’m sorry, Luna. Twilight and I have been through a lot.”
Luna’s expression turned curious. “Is that so? Pray, what has happened?”
“You wouldn’t believe us if we told you,” Twilight said, shaking her head with a smile.
“My curiosity has been doubled.”
“Very well,” Celestia said.
She launched into a brief recounting of everything that had happened to both her and Twilight: Aza; everyone it’d kidnapped from separate worlds; all the fighting they’d had to do— curiously to Twilight, she left out any and all mention of Razalon. Whether that was because Celestia thought it was pushing the story’s believability or she didn’t want Luna to potentially have a mental breakdown, Twilight wasn’t sure, but she respected her mentor’s decision.
By the end of Celestia’s story, Luna was looking positively dumbfounded. Clearly, she was warring with herself over believing her sister or chastising her for making up silly stories.
“Show me this Window,” she finally said, regaining her neutral visage.
“Of course,” Celestia said, turning toward the throne room doors.
“You two, come,” Luna said to her guards.
The five made their way out of the throne room and through the castle. They made no conversation the entire way, but Twilight couldn’t help but feel a little giddy. She could imagine the look on Luna’s face when she saw the Window for herself.
And she wasn’t the least bit disappointed when they finally made it to the supply room. The Window might as well have been a ghost for the way Luna’s eyes popped upon seeing it. The guards, however, amazingly, managed to remain composed in spite of the earth-shattering sight before them.
The night princess just stared at the Window for a few moments, silent, but clearly contemplative. She walked toward it apprehensively, as it fearing it would explode, and reached a hoof out to touch it; it soundlessly passed through.
“And you say this thing leads to other worlds?” she asked, pulling her hoof back.
“Indeed it does,” Celestia replied. “We’ll need to station a few guards at this doorway.”
Luna nodded. “Indeed.” She motioned to her guards. “You two, wait outside this supply room until further orders.”
The guards each snapped a salute and moved to stand on either side outside the door.
Luna sighed and turned to Celestia. “What have you gotten us into, Sister?”
Celestia giggled and nudged Twilight with her wing.
Twilight took the hint and replied in her stead.
“Possibilities.”
Never The End