//------------------------------//
// 19~To the victor... 
// Story: Hellfire Dash 
// by Centurion Pike-Wall 
//------------------------------//

Umbra breathed heavily, reaching down slowly to grab her knife. She nodded over at Pillar, and said, "Do what you want with him. Hell, I'll help string him up by his muscles. But, don't you touch Twilight."

"Sorry, Umbra", she said, walking closer to the corpse. Umbra more or less slide over, blocking Dust from getting to Twilight. "Step aside, Umbra. I don't want to hurt you, but I have my orders."

"Since when did you follow orders?", Umbra asked. "Even at the academy."

Dust snorted, crossing her arms. "Things change, 'Dash'. I thought you would of all people would know that."

Umbra knew that, and, deep down, knew she should. But, she still had no intention of doing so. She had lost Twilight once, and she wasn't going to lose her again. "True. But, no. I'm not going to do that. You want her? Come and get her."

Lightning Dust sighed, but threw up her arms before they fell at her sides. "Fine. Have it your way, you stubborn motherfluffer."

Lightning spread her wings, a golden glow emanating from them. She kicked off the stairs, flaring her wings and drawing her batons. Umbra thrust up her knife, attempting to intercept her, but she was tired and more than a little beat up. Lightning parried the blade, smacking Umbra in the face with the other one. Umbra fell back, but recovered and lunged at Lightning. She sidestepped, before slamming both of them into Umbras gut. 

She fell to the ground, another blow from a baton striking her in the back of the head. Lightning knelt down next to her, and said in her ear, "I suggest you stay down, lest I break your nose." Lightning stepped away from Umbra, trotting over to Pillar. She knelt down next to him and pulled out a small stone carved with glowing white glyphs, placing it on the stallions chest. "Good to see ya, buddy. Miss me?"

"B-b-buck yo-you", Pillar said. "B-buck-uking, D-daemon bu-bu-"

"Oh, piss off", Lightning said, before punching him in the face. She tapped the stone, and Pillar faded away into white sparkles before disappearing completely. "Now, onto the Princess. Again, I'm sorry about this, but I have my job, and you have yours." She walked over towards the corpse, before she stopped and sighed, looking down and saying, "Oh, come on Umbra. Just leave it." 

Umbra ignored her, gripping her leg tighter as she attempted to climb it like a tree. Lightning just sighed, and attempted to walk forward, growling in annoyance at her persistence. Umbra said, "No. I won't let you take her from me!"

"How many wives have you taken from their husbands, and vice versa, Umbra? What makes her any different?", Lightning asked. 

"I LOVE HER!"

That seemed to catch her off guard a bit. Lightning looked at her, then over to the corpse, then back down at the sniveling daemon. "Again, I'm sorry", she said, grabbing the torn collar of Umbras leather jacket. "But, I have my job to do. So, you get out of my way, and let me handle it. I assure you, I wouldn't be here if she wasn't coming with me."

"NO! PLEASE!"

"I said PISS OFF, Dash!", Lightning said, grabbing her by the collar and throwing her back. She fell on her back, groaning and shifting. "And for Faust's sake, stay down."

Umbra didn't. She tried to get back up and, failing that, she began trying to crawl over towards Twilight. By now, she heard noises behind him and over to her left. Looking first to her left, she saw her friends, along with Spike Fizzlepop, and Parabellum. All of them were looking around in shock, before falling on Lightning and Twilight. 

"No", Spike said, his voice hoarse. 

The others hung their heads, while Fluttershy pushed past them over to her. Her wings were still batlike, and her teeth were still fangs, but she once again resumed her old posture and way of walking. She knelt down next to her, and asked, "Rainbow? Is, is it really you?"

"Y-yeah", she replied. "It, it's me."

"A-are you ok?"

"No", she said. "By the Void, Flutters, no." 

"And why is that, Venandi?", Lucifer asked. He and the Princesses walked up behind the two of them, the sisters bearing looks of sorrow. 

"Boss!", she said, almost yelling. "Please! Stop her. Don't let her take Twi-"

"I can't", he said. "Me and my sister have come to a deal. I get the souls of the evil, and she gets the souls of the virtuous. She is dead, and in life was a fine mare and paragon of friendship. By right and by law, she belongs to my sister."

That was the straw the broke the camels back. Tears once again welled up in her eyes, falling to her knees and bawling like a baby. She didn't care. About Dust, about her Boss or the Princesses; heck, even her friends. She just wanted to make the pain stop. 

Every single turn, things buck up for her. She crashed a bunch. She admired and pined for Twilight from afar. She finally got up the guts to plan to talk to her about it, then *boom*! Tirek attacks and Twilight ended up in a coma she had to make a deal with a Daemon to wake her up. Then, when she finally got with Twilight and planned to go on a date, *Boom*! She died, and became a Daemon herself. After six years, she met her again, and the two more or less made up, planning to sit down and work it out. And then? *BOOM*! Twilight was gone; forever. 

Her friends gathered around her, either hugging her or just standing around her, heads held low. Celestia said, "Go. Find a place were Rainb- Where Umbra can get some rest. She's been through a lot."

"Right. Of course, Princess", Rarity said, lighting up her horn. The familiar flare of teleportation surrounded her, and she found herself in Fluttershy's cottage. 

Applejack said, "Why'd ya take us here, Rares? Why not da castle?"

"Darling", Rarity said. "Twilight told us that the two of them were close. VERY, close. So, do you honestly think that it would be best for her to stay in the castle?"

"Yah, ah suppose so. Ya gonna be ok, Rainbow?"

"I, I don't know", she said. 

"I'll get her on the couch", Fluttershy said. "You all go home. Come over for brunch tomorrow, and we'll all talk then." The others nodded and left, while Fluttershy pulled out a pillow and a blanket. Umbra threw off her jacket, and laid under it. She shuddered slightly, but finally faded off to sleep.