//------------------------------// // In Which the Returners Reach the Endgame Part 5 // Story: Filly Fantasy VI - The Return of Magic // by The Wyld Stallynz //------------------------------// Seven dragons touched down, forming an incomplete ring. The Gold Dragon chuckled and joined his brethren, finishing the ring around the Returners. The Kaiser Dragon hovered above, closing off any escape routes. The Kaiser Dragon pointed a claw down on the Returners. “Go, my children. Kill them in whatever way you wish. Once they are gone, the War of the Magi will finally be over.” Dragons on all sides sneered and snapped their jaws, some already eyeing intended targets. The Returners held their weapons and magic ready, forming a tight circle. Some looked ready to fight while others sagged with weariness. One such tired pony moaned and held her head. “Trixie swears that if she somehow manages to live through this, she’ll never use magic again.” A lance of pain stabbed its way through her brain, forcing an undignified wail. “Someone get me a potion or kill me! I don’t care which!” “Now, that’s not a very nice way to start things out,” said the Dirt Dragon. He lumbered forward, his gaze briefly stopping on Sweetie Belle, before addressing the entire gathering. “I say we get things on the right note. In fact, I have a new song for just the occasion!” Taking a deep breath, he began to sing. The deepest bass that anyone had ever heard flowed out of the Dirt Dragon, his voice easily reaching everyone. The Ice and Storm dragons swiftly covered their ears. “Dirt!” the Ice Dragon bellowed in his squeaky voice. “You’re ruining the mood!” “I’ve waited years for his moment!” the Storm Dragon joined in. “If you make me regret it, I’ll find a way to kill you!” Sweetie Belle sidled up to Rarity, stage whispering, “Actually, he’s improved since the opera.” “I think we have bigger issues than his performance, Sweetie. And why does it suddenly smell like a meadow?” “Psst! Little ponies.” The quarter circle of Returners Sweetie Belle and Rarity occupied looked up to see the Skull Dragon only a few hooves from where they stood. A wild neighing sprung up as Returners scrambled to fend him off. “No! Keep it down, or the rest will notice.” The Skull Dragon glanced over, letting out a small, relieved breath upon seeing all attention was still on the Dirt Dragon’s solo. Using a disembodied bone, he motioned towards his mouth. “Quick. I need as many potions and herbs as you’ve got. Put them in my mouth.” “What?!” Trixie shrieked, wincing at making her headache worse. “Why would we do that when I need them more?” “Please, there’s no time to explain.” The Skull Dragon leveled his red eyes down at Rarity. “You have to trust me.” He tilted his polished ivory head, the little blue beret still laying on top of it coming into view. Rarity looked to Sweetie Belle then to Fluttershy sanding on her other side. The pegasus shrugged, giving a hopeful smile. Huffing, Rarity lit her horn and lifted up as many bags, potion bottles, and saddlebags off of the nearby Stardust, earning a squawk. “I haven’t regretted helping you so far. Don’t make me start now.” With a shove, she threw the levitating supplies at the Skull Dragon, much to Stardust’s kweh of distress. The Skull Dragon opened his skeletal mouth and sucked in the offered goods. With a snap, he closed down on them and began to chew. The Dirt Dragon’s singing reached a crescendo, prompting the Skull Dragon to munch faster. As the final note belted out, the Skull Dragon spit up a large, clear flask of shimmering liquid that emitted rays of rainbow light. This did not go unnoticed. Some of the dragons and a fuming Stardust’s jaw dropped upon seeing the flask. “A megalixir,” Stardust said in awe. “Skull, what the heck are you—” the Gold Dragon began to say then flinched as the Skull Dragon shot a red beam from his eyes, shattering the flask. Stardust held a wing to his head and fainted. The bottle burst with the light of a small sun, forcing dragons and Returners alike to shield their eyes. Instead of being incinerated, the liquid of the megalixir scattered across all creatures present, soaking into their bodies. A brief, pale glow emitted off of everyone, then everything became still. The Kaiser Dragon let out a relieved sigh and stretched out his limbs. “Ah. I do not know what that was all about but I will not complain. I can already feel my power returning.” Below, the comatose forms of Blueblood, Gilda, and Tritoch also began to stir. Twilight and Trixie blinked away their grogginess. The weariness weighing down the Returners faded away, a new surge of life welling within them. “Skull, you idiot!” the Ice Dragon bellowed. “They were easy pickings! What were you thinking?!” The Skull Dragon gave his best impression of a shrug. “I figured the master was feeling a little under the weather and thought to help out. He certainly doesn’t seem to mind.” “That’s not the point! Now we have—” The Red Dragon pushed the Ice Dragon aside, interrupting his rant. “No, I prefer it this way. If this is to be our final battle, I want it to be worthwhile.” “Says the drake who’s missing almost half his tail,” the Gold Dragon stated. “Battle damage.” The Kaiser Dragon chuckled, a deep rumble that carried over the battlefield. “My, how my children have changed.” He looked down at the Returners who were watching the back and forth while discussing amongst themselves. “It seems we now have an even playing field. Not that it will do any of you any good.” A large form near the Returners rose, spreading its grand wings wide. “That is where you are wrong!” Tritoch declared. “I saw your mind while we were a part of Discord, Kaiser. You are not as invincible as you think. Why do you think I led things to this point? It was to finally have a chance at ending this pointless war.” The Kaiser Dragon snorted. “Do not think you were the only one working to escape, esper.” He beckoned with a claw. “But, if you are so set on finishing our thousand year conflict, then by all means, come.” “Twilight Sparkle!” Tritoch called out. “You are with me. The rest of you, use what you have learned to win. I have faith in you.” With a high pitched screech, Tritoch launched himself up at the Kaiser Dragon. Twilight grimaced and turned to Trixie. “He needs my help. We’ll keep the big one busy so you can focus on the others.” Trixie flipped her mane while simultaneously flaring out her cape. “Normally, I’d be annoyed you’re taking on the leader instead of the Great and Powerful Trixie, but I’ll allow it since I can’t fly. I’ll content myself with a higher body count than you. “Give him Tartarus.” With a half-smirk, Twilight concentrated and her body became engulfed in flames. She fanned out her fire wings and took off after Tritoch. Trixie raised her sword. “This is it! Give it your all! Trixie will put on a show the likes you’ve never seen when we win!” A rally cry erupted from the Returners. The Chaos Dragons answered with a deafening roar. The two sides closed ranks and the battle was joined. The Red Dragon bounded forward, outpacing his brethren. His sights locked onto a single target and he completely ignored the spells and auto-crossbow bolts slung at him. He bulldozed his way through the Returners, earning himself multiple cuts and cracks to his scales for his trouble. The Red Dragon pushed through and thrust out a claw at the opposing drake on the Returners’ side. Spike raised his spear to intercept the attack. The force of the Red Dragon’s lunge pushed Spike back, but the smaller dragon dug in his claws, skidding back, creating a sound not unlike nails on a chalkboard. The two opposing forces pushed against each other with neither losing ground. “This is the third time we’ve done battle,” the Red Dragon said. He swiped with his other claw, forcing Spike to fly over it. “You are at your strongest. I will no longer be holding back. Don’t disappoint me.” Spike came in with a counter attack, coating his spear with both ice and water. “Sounds good to me.” He thrust forward, a wave of bitter cold water flowing off the spear and towards his opponent. The Red Dragon unleashed the strongest fire breath he could muster and the two opposing forces collided. A small explosion sent droplets of water and licks of fire in all directions. A small cloud of water vapor was all that remained. The Red Dragon failed to anticipate Spike flying out of the obscuring mist, his spear primed to strike. The Red Dragon only had enough time to tilt his head to avoid being skewered, but received a piercing blow to his shoulder. Roaring in pain, the Red Dragon used the opportunity to twist his head and chomp down on the end of the spear. The rush of battle superseded the agony in his side, allowing him to rip the spear out of his shoulder and fling it away. Keeping his momentum going, the Red Dragon swung his shortened tail, catching a stunned Spike and sending him crashing to the ground. Spike bounced once, tumbling end over end before coming to a stop. His vision spun as he tried and failed to regain his feet. He let out a gasp as a weight pressed down on him, pinning Spike to the floor. Grimacing, he looked up in time to see the Red Dragon’s good claw holding him down while smoke and flames licked out of the dragon’s mouth. “Farewell, worthy foe.” Taking in a breath, the back of the Red Dragon’s throat glowed as fire built up from his core. At the same time he pushed against Spike’s stomach, forcing air out and preventing him from countering with his own breath. With no fresh oxygen coming in, Spike’s vision swam and his lungs burned. He flailed wildly with his claws but they weren’t enough to puncture through the Red Dragon’s scales. The sounds of fighting all around him drifted away, replaced with a dull roar that grew fainter by the second. Spike sensed more than felt that the Red Dragon was ready to fire and incinerate him to ashes. “So long, Twilight,” Spike thought to himself. “We had a good run of it.” You give up that easily? I expected more. “Huh? Wha…?” I did not give my life and bond with you to then be beaten by a lowly worm. Where is your pride, boy? “Pride? But I’m stuck!” Excuses. You faced down Nightmare Moon with naught but a stick and yet you fall to a lizard. “I can’t breathe!” More excuses. “What do you want me to do?! My magic won’t work!” You don’t need to breathe to use esper magic, boy. “Esper—?” Cutting himself off, Spike would have smacked himself in the head if he were able. He had practiced a little on the airship but his breath powers came so much more naturally that he hadn’t bothered. Now, it may be the only way out of this. Above and oblivious to the exchange, the Red Dragon let loose his attack. Spike’s green spines glowed briefly. A black wing snapped out from behind Spike’s back and curled around him, blocking the incoming stream of fire and letting it splash harmlessly against the ground. The wing extended upwards, smashing into the Red Dragon’s face. The Red Dragon reared back, more surprised than hurt, releasing Spike and allowing the smaller dragon to take in several haggard breaths. “What?” The Red Dragon reached down to grab at Spike again, but the wing pulled away and a large, black claw thrust up to grasp the Red Dragon instead. Holding the struggling dragon by the neck, the claw rose up higher, a body materializing out of Spike’s prone form after it. “Bahamut…” the Red Dragon gasped out as the King of Dragons held him up, his full height towering over the Red Dragon’s. “How… appropriate.” Despite the constricting flow of oxygen, the Red Dragon managed a smile. “And pathetic.” “Say that to my snout again when you see me in Tartarus.” Without another word, Bahamut launched the Red Dragon into the air in one swing of his arm. Power gathered within Bahamut, unleashing a piercing Mega Flare from his mouth. The final attack of the esper fully engulfed the Red Dragon, his form fading away into tiny specks of flickering embers. With his task accomplished, Bahamut’s body dispersed into small white motes of magic. These winked out, leaving a tired but content Spike behind. “Okay…I’m definitely going to have to practice more often.” .o.O.o. Gilda stretched out her body like a cat, the sensation a welcome experience after a year of quasi-existence. She flapped her wings, a sensation that she hadn't felt since joining the Empire. Unfortunately, her brief bout of pleasure got cut short as the Kaiser Dragon’s whelps began their assault. With no sign of Blueblood anywhere, Gilda made a mad dash towards the edge of the platform they were on, spreading her wings in preparation to take flight for the first time in years. Her poor luck continued as the Storm Dragon landed right in front of her, shaking the ground. “You are not going anywhere. At last, I have you right where I want you.” “Stick it up your thousand year-old ass!” Gilda snapped back. She summoned a gust of wind below herself, launching herself up and over the Storm Dragon. A counter wind blew her back down, landing in a heap of dislodged feathers. “I wish I could say this pains me to do this,” the Storm Dragon said, his tone conversational. “Taking care and watching over my little griffons is one of the few pleasures granted to me.” His eyes flashed and he stomped a claw. “But your audacity to leave and take others with you has eroded any sympathy! You will know suffering!” Gilda scoffed, wiping a fleck of blood off her beak and stood up before the Storm Dragon. “I’ve already suffered under you. I’d rather go back to being trapped in Discord than be ruled over by you. My time in the Empire were the best years of my life.” She crouched down into a pouncing position. “So stop your posturing and let’s get this over with.” The Storm Dragon let out a hiss. “For once, we agree on something.” He lunged forward, his jaws wide to snap up Gilda in one gulp. A prismatic bolt slammed into his cheek, sending him stumbling a few steps away. A thin line of red spread across his snout as a trickle of blood leaked out. The multi-colored streak came in again, but the Storm Dragon was ready this time, forming a small wind barrier that sent the colorful contrail off course. Rainbow Dash landed next to Gilda, her knife held firmly in her mouth. “Get lost,” Gilda said, giving a sideways sneer at the pegasus. “This isn’t your business.” Rainbow Dash shook her head. “You’re crazy if you think you can take him on alone.” “Since when did you care what happens to me?” “Look, can we deal with that later? Kinda got bigger things to deal with here.” The Storm Dragon watched the exchange, his eyes boring holes at the newcomer. “You. I send you and your pitiful friends to do one job and you fail.” His nostrils flared as winds began to churn around him. “Our deal is over. You all die.” “Yeah, I figured that,” Rainbow Dash said with a shrug. Not wasting time with any more words, the Storm Dragon built up his winds and launched them at the pair. The two separated in a burst of speed, flanking the Storm Dragon on either side. They rushed in, claws and blades slashing. The Storm Dragon ignored their assault, instead spreading its wings and taking to the skies. Gilda and Rainbow Dash quickly followed. “Don’t let him get too far!” Gilda called out. “His powers aren’t as great up close!” “Got it!” Rainbow Dash yelled back. She pumped her wings as hard as she could, closing the gap on the Storm Dragon in seconds. Seconds were all the Storm Dragon needed. A powerful downdraft buffeted Rainbow Dash, flinging her off course like a leaf. She flapped and strained, but the winds were too much. Banking sharply, she managed to pull away from the gale even though it put her at a greater distance from the Storm Dragon. With the Storm Dragon’s attention elsewhere, Gilda used the opportunity to rise up and rake through the dragon’s leathery wings. Screeching in pain, the Storm Dragon whirled and slapped Gilda away with his good wing, sending the griffon back down. Rainbow Dash came up from below to stop Gilda’s freefall and the two hovered in place. “That… took a lot… out of me…” Rainbow Dash said between panting breaths. Gilda nodded grimly. “He’ll outlast us at this rate.” “Don’t worry! I got him!” The pair of unconventional allies looked to see Derpy Hooves flying past them, her wings sparking with pent up electricity. “Not this time.” The Storm Dragon pulled in his wings, dropping down quickly and lashing out with his tail. The unexpected move took Derpy by surprise, the tail slamming into her and sending her back down. “Oops! Looks like I don’t!” Derpy yelped as she tumbled end over end past Gilda and Rainbow Dash. Despite the failed attempt, it had bought them precious seconds to recover. Gilda took a calming breath. “Hey, doofus, I got an idea.” Rainbow Dash gave her a sideways glare. “What is it?” “We’re going to go at him again, but I’ll counter his winds with mine. You get in there and cut his throat.” “Sounds good to me. Let’s do it.” With a grunt, Rainbow Dash took off, Gilda right beside her. The Storm Dragon saw them coming. “I tire of this.” Gathering his power, he sent hurricane force winds down on the duo. Gilda clenched her beak, violent winds tightly circling around her. A small but powerful jet of air sent her rocketing past Rainbow Dash and right into the onslaught of wind bearing down on them. Raising her claws, Gilda roared and let go of her control. Two monstrous magical weather systems collided together, the energy thrashing violently. Neither side could overcome the other, instead combining and swirling together into a furious tornado. Gilda stared at the phenomenon, her jaw slack with awe. So caught up in her fascination that she didn’t notice the pull until it was too late. Nearby, Rainbow Dash only spared a quick glance at the sky tornado, her attention focused on the larger form of the Storm Dragon above. The combined system threatened to drag her in, but she managed to catch an updraft and use it to slingshot her way around the twister. Flying faster than she’d ever managed on her own, she felt something behind her give and suddenly she blasted upwards at even higher speeds. The point of breaking past the sound barrier created a boom that rattled the sky and a kaleidoscope of colors that spread out in a ring that circled the globe. The sheer magnitude of the event blew away the magical twister as though it were an errant breeze. Rainbow Dash felt more alive than she’d ever felt before. Riding the high and her knife ready, she zipped past her target, the Storm Dragon barely able to track the speeding rainbow contrail. A wet gurgle burst from his throat, blood and saliva leaking from his mouth. A thin line of red appeared across his long neck moments before his head separated from the rest of his body. The Storm Dragon fell, two separate pieces eroding away into grey ash, dissipating completely before they reached the ground. Carried forward by her new speed, Rainbow Dash banked around and shot down where she left Gilda. Her heightened senses found the griffon freefalling, her body battered and broken. Rainbow Dash reached her in less than a second, carefully cradling Gilda in her forearms. The next second they landed, the rainbow speed fading away. Rainbow Dash grimace at seeing multiple body parts on Gilda twisted in ways they shouldn’t be. She looked around but no one was nearby to help, too busy with their own battles to lend assistance. “Hey,” Rainbow Dash called out, resisting the urge to shake Gilda. “You still alive?” One eye weakly blinked open, the other too puffy to see through. “D… de…ad…?” “Yeah, he’s gone. Your plan worked.” Gilda chuckled, immediately regretting the action. “Sweet…” “Hey, hold on. I’ll find Fluttershy and get you healed.” One of Gilda’s claws gripped Rainbow Dash’s legs, holding it with more force than the pegasus expected. “Don’t. I… did what… I wanted… The griffons… are… free.” Sighing, Gilda released her grip, her arms going slack. She took a few more shuddering breaths, letting her body relax. Seconds later, Gilda lay still in Rainbow Dash’s arms. Rainbow Dash stared at Gilda’s body, her eyes tightening and ears flattened. No tears fell, though she did set Gilda down with care and crossed her arms together. She took one last look over the dead Imperial, saluted, then turned and headed back towards the fighting Returners. .o.O.o. The Gold Dragon admired beauty when he saw it, just as everyone else admired his pristine and flawless body. The light show that had just occurred in the sky had been quite a sight, even if it had ended with the Storm Dragon’s death. Oh well. Some sacrifices had to be made. What didn’t need sacrificing was his time and patience, as the Blue Dragon lunged for a group of Returners just as he took aim at them with an electrical attack. “For crying out loud, Blue! Go find your own, there’s plenty of them!” He screeched as an ice attack collided with his side, temporarily numbing him. “They are more dangerous than you realize,” the Blue Dragon shot back, whipping her tail across the ground. The attack came out slow and clumsy and any Returners nearby were able to hop or dodge out of the way. “We need to come up with a plan to deal with them.” “The plan is to exterminate them like the pests they are!” The Gold Dragon stomped on the ground, creating a tremor that staggered a few ponies coming in for an attack. The seconds it took for the Returners to regain their footing was enough for the Gold Dragon to take aim with another blast. “Hey! Don’t be stealing my forte!” The Dirt Dragon came barreling through, each step he took shaking the ground so much even the Gold Dragon lost his footing and fell over. “There, that’s how you do it!” “You idiots!” The Gold Dragon scrambled back to his feet, lashing out with his long neck and tail to fend off any Returners that tried to take advantage of his prone position. By the time he clambered back up, several cuts and bruises marred his golden hide. “Are you trying to get us killed?!” “Never fear, brother!” the Dirt Dragon proclaimed, raising a tiny arm to the sky as high as it could go. “I will sing for our victory. Behold!” The Dirt Dragon took in a deep breath. A wave of super chilled magic enveloped his jaws, slamming them shut in a prison of ice. The Ice Dragon waddled forward, a surge of cold air keeping Returners a bay. “No! No more singing! For Kaiser’s sake, you’re Chaos Dragons. Act like it!” By now the Returners had backed off, watching the exchange with more than a few raised eyebrows. The Ice Dragon’s eyes narrowed, alternating between the Blue Dragon, the Dirt Dragon, and the Skull Dragon who had slunk off into a corner and wasn’t doing much of anything. “Or is there more going on here? The three of you have barely used any magic or even attempted to kill these creatures. “And where the heck is White?! I haven’t seen her since—” Three pure white orbs of holiness descended from above and surrounded the Ice Dragon, exploding around him. The resulting flash forced those watching to shield their eyes. A sense of peace and contentment washed over them as the spell reached its climax. Once free to see again, the Returners found the Ice Dragon exactly where he was, unharmed. No burn marks or rents in his blue scales could be seen, though the vicious snarl he wore, showing rows of sharp fangs, was new. “White!” The Ice Dragon raised his head, searching for the offending dragoness. “Are you seriously siding with them?! Show yourself!” “Gladly.” The White Dragon’s voice came directly from above, but when the Ice Dragon searched for her, nothing could be seen. However, he did hear the unmistakable sound of large wings flapping along with displaced air falling around him. The Ice Dragon stared, spilling his thoughts out. “You don’t know illusion magic. What? How can… wait, you can’t…” A patch of sky shimmered and faded, revealing the White Dragon hovering above. On her back, sticking out due to his bright red coat, stood Big Macintosh. The stallion waved, a pleased smile on his muzzle. Behind him, a much larger form knelt down, partially covered up by the White Dragon’s wings. The Ice Dragon’s snout scrunched up in fury. “Traitor!” He gathered his magic, intent on encasing the entire area in subzero temperatures. A white bone smacked him on the forehead, canceling his concentration. The bone returned to its point of origin like a boomerang, reattaching itself to its owner’s rib cage. Stunned but unhurt, the Ice Dragon whirled on his assailant. “Skull! Not you too?!” The Skull Dragon didn’t answer, his red eyes drifting upwards. Above, the figure riding behind Big Macintosh gathered itself then leapt off. Umaro’s bulky form dropped feet first. His aim was true, impacting his target: the Ice Dragon’s back. The smallest of the Chaos Dragons felt his body collapse in on itself, the suddenness of the attack preventing him from making a sound. The ground shook as Umaro flattened the Ice Dragon, popping him like a blue balloon. Many Returners looked away, missing the sight of thousands of pieces of snow and icicles scattering everywhere. When they dared to look back, nothing remained of the Ice Dragon other than a few errant snowflakes. The White Dragon landed nearby, Big Macintosh hopping off from her back. The two shared a nod then came up to where Umaro was standing, the yeti dusting himself off of tiny flecks of snow. Big Macintosh raised a hoof. “Nice work.” Umaro grunted and fistbumped his fellow Returner. Nearby, the Gold Dragon watched this all unfold, his jaw dropping with each passing moment. So stupefied by the events that transpired, he failed to notice the zebra and pony creeping up to him. Zecora got as close as she dared, then unleashed a complex series of movements with her sword. A pillar of red energy surrounded the Gold Dragon, shocking him and sending him to the ground. With the dragon momentarily stunned, Sunset Shimmer took the opportunity to rush in and swipe hard at his long neck with the Ultima Weapon, lopping it in half. Both head and body dissolved into liquid gold moments later, forcing Sunset to jump away or be covered in metallic gunk. Soon, even that evaporated, leaving no trace left of the Gold Dragon. With half of their numbers gone, the Blue Dragon sighed. “White. Dirt. Skull. It’s time.” The White Dragon, the Dirt Dragon, and the Skull Dragon all marched over to the Blue Dragon and began conversing in hushed tones. The Returners gathered together themselves, many murmuring on what was happening. Trixie glanced at where Big Macintosh and Umaro stood, then trotted over to the group of dragons, her magic ready to draw her sword. “Trixie will assume you four are up to something. She hopes you plan on sharing.” The dragons stepped back from their discussion to put Trixie and the rest of the Returners in their line of sight. “We do,” the Blue Dragon said. “Right before we got here, we got together and… came to a decision,” the Dirt Dragon said. The White Dragon sighed and looked down. “We think we know a way to defeat our master.” “That’s great!” Spike exclaimed. Sore but still healthy from his fight, he plodded up to the White Dragon and wrapped his arms as far around one of her legs as he could. “It’s great to see you again, Pearl.” The Blue Dragon raised an eyebrow. “Pearl?” A red hue formed over the White Dragon’s snout. “Don’t you look at me that way, Ember!” “Point taken.” Trixie coughed loudly into her hoof. “Can we please get back on topic here?” “Right, sorry. We think there’s more to the master creating us than just to have a bigger army. Individually, he told us bits and pieces of a power so great that even he couldn’t stand against it.” The Skull Dragon took over. “Since we’ve been separated for so long in our own areas of the world, we only knew part of the story. But now, after comparing what we’ve been told, we’re certain.” “This power exists, and there’s a way to release it,” the Dirt Dragon continued. The four remaining Chaos Dragons fell silent, the Blue and White Dragons not meeting anyone’s gaze. Trixie huffed and stomped a hoof. “Well?! If you know you need to tell us!” “Yeah,” Spike seconded. “Twilight and Tritoch are still up there fighting. We can save them!” The Dirt Dragon sighed and cleared his throat. “The only way is for all of the Chaos Dragons to die. Four are now gone, but four remain.” “And not only that,” the Skull Dragon said, his eyes falling on Rarity, Sweetie Belle, and Fluttershy. “Once this power is released, it will destroy all who remain.” .o.O.o. Twilight Sparkle flew past the Kaiser Dragon’s backside, Ragnarok leading her attack. She struck hard and true, slicing through black scales and hide. She darted away before the Kaiser Dragon could retaliate. Each time, the Kaiser Dragon halfheartedly swiped at her. It marked the fifth time this exchange had occurred since the battle started. She began to wonder if she was even contributing. Opposite her, Tritoch unleashed wave after wave of magic, launching ice, thunder, and fire in intricate ways. Twilight marveled at how the esper could chain attacks together, setting up spells that activated after others. Lighting arced around the Kaiser Dragon like a net, encasing him while ice spells froze his wings. Fire exploded on either side of the Kaiser Dragon’s head, creating a temporary sun. Ice and fire combined into water that seeped into the dragon’s scales, making it harder for him to move. Through it all, the Kaiser Dragon retaliated with the occasional spell of his own. Each spell cast was different from the last, Twilight having already seen wind, fire, miasma, and even holy. The breadth of his repertoire seemed endless. Worse, she was certain he was holding back. In fact, Twilight swore that the Kaiser Dragon appeared bored. Tritoch broke away from his latest series of attacks and flew next to her. The two circled their foe, not taking their eyes off of him. “We… are not getting… far,” Tritoch said, his voice strained and his breathing uneven. “I’m getting through, but he doesn’t seem to care.” “Then… don’t hold back. Make him… regret underestimating you.” Twilight frowned, but nodded. “Fine. I want this to end.” Banking sharply, Tritoch angled himself for a direct course at the Kaiser Dragon. Twilight followed, her sword at the ready. Tritoch focused his magic in front of him, gathering fire, ice, and lighting into a tight, compact space. The Kaiser Dragon sneered at the display, coiling in on himself as dark mist swirled around him. In the span of an eye blink, Tritoch closed the distance and unleashed his attack from only a wing beat away, detonating all the magic at once. The violent explosion tore at the Kaiser Dragon’s mist and flung Tritoch away. Twilight came in like a meteor, piercing her way through the hole left by Tritoch’s efforts and slashed at the Kaiser Dragon’s head. Ragnarok punctured through dark scales and bone alike. Keeping her momentum going, Twilight flew for the bulbous body, sword point first. A muscled claw snagged her out of the air. The iron grip was too much for her to squirm away. Even her flaming body wasn’t enough to release her. Struggling against her capture, Twilight was raised upwards, coming muzzle to snout with the Kaiser Dragon. A large gash ran down his forehead to his jaw, dark red blood dripping out of it. “That hurt.” The Kaiser Dragon opened his bleeding maw, drawing Twilight in to be swallowed whole. “Kaiser!” The large body of Tritoch rammed into the Kaiser Dragon, the esper gnashing and raking with beak and talon. Twilight’s world tumbled as the Kaiser Dragon flung her away, only catching glimpses of the savage conflict going on above. She strained her wings to right herself, losing her hold on Ragnarok in the process. Precious seconds were lost as she managed to slow her descent and finally bank herself back upwards. She narrowly avoided colliding with Tritoch’s limp body. Crying out, Twilight banked again, and dove down after him. She reached out with her magic and caught the esper before he impacted the ground. Gently placing him down, Twilight quickly searched for any injuries. Her heart skipped a beat at finding the gaping hole in Tritoch’s chest. A second later, his body flashed. The light faded away to reveal a single magicite crystal. “No…” Twilight’s esper form faded away. Her normal hooves reached down and picked up the magicite, cradling it to her chest. “No… no… no…” Twilight Sparkle. With a start, Twilight jerked her head around to find the voice, but no one was in her immediate vicinity. I’m sorry, Twilight Sparkle. Twilight slowly looked down, the magicite in her hooves giving off a faint glow. I did what I could to bring things to this moment. I wish I could do more, but the rest is left up to you and your friends. May the princesses be with you. The glow around the magicite receded, the voice fading away as well. Twilight choked back a sob and stomped the ground. With a heavy sigh, she stored the magicite in her pouch, stood up, and headed for her friends. .o.O.o. “So, lemme get this straight,” Rainbow Dash said. “Either we kill you all or we all die. If we kill you all, we all die. Do I have that right?” The Dirt Dragon nodded. “That’s the gist of it, yeah.” “Great…” Trixie rubbed at her forehead. “Then what are we supposed to do? Sacrifice all our lives for the sake of the world?” She glared up at the four dragons. “And what reason do we have to believe you? Why are you even doing this?” “I believe them,” Rarity said. “They’ve done nothing but help us.” Spike, standing next to the White Dragon, nodded. “I believe them, too. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to stand here and watch you all die. Especially you, Pearl.” The White Dragon looked away. “If it means an end to this war, I want to do it. I’m tired of fighting.” Flaring out his cape, the Skull Dragon said, “I’ve experienced more joy this day than I ever have in my entire life. It’s all thanks to you ponies. I’m content.” Fluttershy gasped and flew up next to the Skull Dragon. “But what about our picnic?” The Skull Dragon sank into himself. “I’m sorry, but I’ll have to cancel. Thank you for the offer, though.” The Dirt Dragon grinned, flashing rows of large teeth. “And I’ve gotten the chance to perform like I’ve always wanted to. It’s everything I hoped it would be. Even got the chance to sing a duet.” He winked at Sweetie Belle. “By the way, Skull, you look good in white.” “Thanks.” The Skull Dragon tipped his hat. “And even though I’m a Chaos Dragon, ruling isn’t much fun,” the Blue Dragon said. “You saw how bored I was. “Anyway, listen, we don’t have time to debate this.” The Blue Dragon pointed a claw up to where the Kaiser Dragon hovered, casting magic over his ruined snout. “You don’t have the power to beat him. He’s going to realize what’s going on and then he’ll force us to fight. We need to act now.” Trixie’s eyes narrowed. “If you’re so set on doing this, then just do it. Why even ask us?” The four remaining dragons shuffled uneasily in place, the Blue and Dirt Dragons fiddling with their claws while the White Dragon covered her snout with her wings. Seeing the others wouldn’t answer, the Skull Dragon sighed and said, “We can’t harm ourselves or each other. The master’s control over us won’t allow it. You will need to do it.” “No way!” Spike exclaimed. “No how!” He summoned his spear and pointed it up at the Kaiser Dragon. “It’s all of us against him. We can do it if we work together!” “It’s not that simple, Spike,” the White Dragon said. She uncovered her face, her eyes wet with tears. “He can make us do whatever he wants. He’ll force us to attack you. We aren’t just his children, we are parts of him broken off.” The Blue Dragon huffed. “She’s right. He’s—” Her eyes glazed over mid speech, the air around her becoming saturated with humidity. With a screech, the Blue Dragon slithered away, opened her mouth, and fired a pressurized gout of water at the Returners. .o.O.o. The Kaiser Dragon lifted his claws off of his head and felt the area where the little flaming pony pest had struck him. His cheek still felt tender, but was no longer bleeding. It would have to do for now. Letting out a yawn, he peered down and searched for his minions. His eyes narrowed and brow creased upon seeing half of his forces gone. Surprising. Even more concerning to see were the rest of the dragons conversing with the puny creatures that called themselves the Returners. This wouldn’t do. Reaching out with his mind, he touched his children’s consciousness, awakening the parts of himself embedded within. Perhaps granting them free will and personality had been presumptuous on his part. It was just so entertaining to see them bicker amongst each other, provided they followed his orders. Time enough to dwell on that later. There were chores to be done before the fun could begin. .o.O.o. The Returners scattered as the Blue Dragon’s attack cut through their ranks. Around them, the other dragons let out matching roars, their eyes losing recognition and sentience. As one they unleashed their own breath attacks on the disoriented Returners. Shining Armor managed to act faster. A pink dome surrounded the group in time to deflect sacred, poison, and mud from obliterating them. This didn’t deter the dragons as they came up to the barrier and wailed on it with bone, claw, and jaws. Wincing, Shining Armor called out, “I can’t keep this up forever!” “Pearl!” Spike called out to the White Dragon. “Please, you have to stop! Fight him off!” His cries went unheeded as the White Dragon continued her assault. Trixie scowled and yanked a panicking Stardust over to her. “Start casting your fast magic on as many of us as you can. Got it?!” Stardust gulped but nodded. Releasing him, Trixie yelled, “Everyone, split them up! Take the one nearest to you. Shining Armor, get ready to drop your shield… NOW!” The dome faded and the Returners rushed to their dragons. Pinkie Pie hopped on the Dirt Dragon’s head and performed a tap dance. The enraged dragon couldn’t reach high enough with his claws to stop her, instead shaking his broad head to and fro to dislodge the pink menace. His constant head flailing left the rest of his body wide open. Shining Armor took the opportunity to dart in, his sword swirling with wind magic, and stabbed up. He punctured through, Sky Render sliding in to the hilt. The Dirt Dragon gave a thunderous roar to the sky, then toppled over. Pinkie Pie landed next to Shining Armor and the two watched as the dragon disintegrated into sand and rocks. “Must I do everything myself?” The pair of Returners looked up to see the Kaiser Dragon above them, a dark sphere of magic held in a claw. He tossed it down, its obsidian surface devoid of reflected light. A sword raised up and the magic diverted to it. The sword absorbed the ball of darkness, its energy being transferred to the sword’s owner. The Kaiser Dragon twisted his head, spotting Trixie and Save the Queen standing below him. “You. I have half a mind to keep you alive so I can find out how your powers work.” He bent down, his snout inches from Trixie. “Perhaps I’ll start with tearing your horn off. I could try attaching it to a new Chaos Dragon.” Trixie’s hooves shook, but she didn’t back away. She pointed her sword at the Kaiser Dragon, the blade smaller than one of his fangs. “A-assuming you even live to try.” The Kaiser Dragon chuckled. “I see why Discord kept you around. Too bad for you that I’m no longer him.” He lunged forward, his jaws opened wide to snap the pony up. Esper Twilight Sparkle slammed into his head, slashing with Ragnarok. A gouge to match his opposite side appeared, causing him to rear back. “Blast you!” the Kaiser Dragon roared. He covered his snout with a claw but it was unable to stop the blood from leaking through. “I am done!” He fired a beam of unfocused power at the pair, but Trixie’s runic sucked it in. Twilight flew in, the Kaiser Dragon open for retaliation. Her sword sung and she hacked away at his twisting hide, more deep cuts added to his injuries. The Kaiser Dragon backed off, reevaluating the two. Landing next to Trixie, Twilight asked, “So what’s the plan?” “We keep him busy so the others can finish,” Trixie said. Twilight raised an eyebrow. “What’s that supposed to mean?” “Don’t worry about it. I’ll check his magic while you keep attacking.” Twilight huffed but nodded, readying her weapon. No further words were exchanged as the Kaiser Dragon swooped down to resume the battle. .o.O.o. The battlefield once again rang with the sounds of conflict. The Returners managed to corral the remaining dragons away from each other, a feat made easier due to their mindless need to kill. They no longer responded to pleasure or even pain. Their only goal seemed to be the deaths of those the Kaiser Dragon deemed a threat. Derpy Hooves corkscrewed away from the jaws of the Blue Dragon, narrowly avoiding being bitten in half. She retaliated with a barrage of lightning, striking the dragon in several places. The Blue Dragon paid her injuries no mind, catching Derpy with the back end of a claw, sending her toppling down. Derpy’s tumble ended abruptly with the appearance of a puffy white cloud that turned a painful drop into a delightful cushion. The cloud’s mission over, it flashed with green fire, replacing it with Thorax who brought Derpy down to the ground in his arms. “Okay?” he asked her, setting her on her hooves. “Yeah. Watch out!” Derpy shoved him away seconds before the Blue Dragon’s tail smashed down where they last stood. No reprieve came as the Blue Dragon twisted herself around, aiming her mouth again at Derpy. Water magic built up, but a charging Scootaloo beat her to it, unleashing her own lightning magic and catching the side of the Blue Dragon’s head. The attack was enough to tilt the Blue Dragon so that the highly pressurized water blasted the ground instead of Derpy, tearing up rock like it was paper. “This is nuts!” Scootaloo stopped to help Derpy up, but quickly directed her attention to their enemy. “We’re blasting it but it just won’t stop.” Derpy gave a weary nod. “I can try summoning, but I’m not sure if I’m up for it.” “Summoning? Oh yeah, our esper! Duh!” “You know how to do it?” Scootaloo rolled her head, several pops and cracks sounding out of her neck. “Yep. Learned how when traveling with Sweets and Bloom. Just give me a sec.” By now, the Blue Dragon had recovered and was setting her sights on them. Derpy rushed past Scootatloo, shouting back, “I’ll give you that sec!” Gathering up as much magic as she could, Derpy let loose tendrils of crackly lighting from her wings, each lancing out and punching holes in the Blue Dragon’s scales. Multiple attacks of this magnitude seemed to catch up with the Blue Dragon, her movements sluggish and pained. Still, she battled on, thrashing and blasting water at any Returner she saw. Even in her mindless rage, she caught sight of Scootaloo glowing and the more rational part of her mind knew something big was coming. The Blue Dragon stopped her attacks and surrounded herself in water, forming a barrier that even Derpy’s magic couldn't penetrate. “Here it comes!” Scootaloo announced. “Go get it, Quetzalcoatl!” A lightning bolt larger than anything before it struck the ground. A figure of swirling green and yellow rose up, its body sleek and birdlike. It hovered over the Blue Dragon’s water sphere, spreading out its wide wings. Lightning gathered at its beak then spread around the sphere in a dome of electricity. Sparks from the dome struck the sphere on all sides, ripping out some of the barrier. However, the water replaced itself faster than the lighting could destroy it. “Crap, it’s not enough!” Scootaloo ran up to the dome to throw more magic into the attack, but was stopped short when a second Quetzalcoatl rose up opposite the first. The two beings combined their efforts, the thunder dome lashing out more energy than before. The Blue Dragon’s barrier couldn’t withstand the onslaught. Within seconds, the water chipped away, leaving the Blue Dragon exposed. She roared as lightning tore at her form, the pain too much to push away. Soon, her form exploded into softly drifting water bubbles, each one popping into nothingness. The first Quetzalcoatl vanished in a burst of sparks while the second collapsed down to the ground. Derpy and Scootaloo rushed over in time to see changeling fire engulf the clone, revealing a panting Thorax. “That… that was… a lot…” “That was awesome!” Scootaloo said, patting the gasping changeling on the back. “How’d you do that?” “Didn’t know… I could… Thought… I’d give it… a try.” “Well, you did it, so good on ya.” Derpy offered a potion to Thorax, who drank it greedily. “Too bad this isn’t over yet.” Snorting, Scootaloo said, “Yeah. This is worse than doing homework.” .o.O.o. Elsewhere, Applejack bounded away from a glob of green goo that sizzled the instant it touched the ground. She galloped across the battlefield, minding many other puddles of green acid strewn across the growing wasteland. Gathering speed with each step, she launched herself, back hooves first, into the large cranium of the Skull Dragon. A large crack formed, adding to the numerous fractures Applejack and the others had already inflicted. Each time, noxious fumes spewed out and into the air. Applejack didn’t know if that was a good or bad thing. What Applejack did know was that the dragon kept fighting no matter how many times she struck it. She wondered if he was even alive. Bounding away, she readied herself to charge again. “Applejack, let me get that off of you.” The farmer turned to see Fluttershy hovering nearby. The pegasus fluttered her wings, sending healing magic over Applejack and wiping away the specks of acid that had landed on her armor. Some droplets had nearly eaten away the Genji material, now that Applejack took a moment to inspect her gear. “Wow, thanks,” Applejack said. She inclined her head towards the Skull Dragon’s attempts to chomp down on any nearby Returners. “No luck with him, huh?” Fluttershy sniffed, landing next to Applejack. “No. He… he doesn’t even…” She sobbed and curled up on herself, hiding her muzzle in her hooves. Applejack was at her side in an instant. She sat down next to her and rubbed her back. “Hey, I’m sorry this had to happen. He seemed like a swell guy for the brief moments I knew him. I’d be pretty down too if something like this ever happened to my dog. “But… he ain’t the same. We gotta get up and do the job, no matter how much it hurts.” Fluttershy cried for a few moments longer. She peeked her eyes out, each one puffy and red. “All I wanted was a picnic.” She wiped at her nose with a hoof before a small red handkerchief was levitated over to her. Fluttershy looked up to see Spotter offering it. She took it with a quick “Thanks” and blew hard. “Um, Applejack,” Spotter spoke up, keeping his vision away from Fluttershy and her mess. “I… I’m not sure if this is a good time or not—” Applejack stomped a hoof. “Spot, spit it out, we ain’t got time.” “Sorry! Sorry. Um, I see that the dragon over there is weak to holy. And, since you can use holy magic—” “Yes, yes, I’ve already blasted him with several aurabolts. Hasn’t slowed him down, none.” “Have… you tried hitting him harder?” Applejack eyed him suspiciously. “That sounds like something Dash would say.” “Well, it’s worth a try, right? You can also try summoning your esper.” As if called, Autumn Blaze flew out of Spotter’s horn and gave a mighty grin. “Yeah, Alexander will send that creep packing! Give it a shot.” Applejack looked from Spotter, to Autumn Blaze, then down to Fluttershy. “I’m not sure how to do it.” “It’s easy!” Autumn said. “Just think of how you cast magic, then call to the one that granted you that magic. The esper will come to you, no sweat.” Shaking her head, Applejack took a breath and turned to head towards her target. A hoof to her side stopped her. Fluttershy was next to her, despondent but resolute. “Please… make it quick.” Applejack smiled and nodded. She turned once again and galloped. It didn’t take long for her to reach the Skull Dragon, who was spitting out a never ending tide of toxic phlegm at Returners. “Hey! Mister Skull! I’ve got someone I want ya to meet!” The Skull Dragon continued his assault, completely ignoring Applejack. “Well, don’t say I didn’t try being neighborly.” She closed her eyes, concentrating on the growing familiarity of calling up her magic. A silent plea for aid was made, a cry for help in ending this battle. Applejack received a response, otherworldly organ music playing within her head. Her form flashed pure white, the light rising up from her body to form a large castle-like structure. The light receded, revealing heavy plated armor covering a massive body with two colossal arms propped against the ground. A close helmet topped the beast, the head tilting downwards and locking onto its target. The bottom half of the helmet dropped down, exposing a single pale orb. The orb glowed red then shot a concentrated beam of white light at the Skull Dragon, piercing through his center. The Skull Dragon gave off a roar that got cut off as his body melted into sludge. The dark goop then evaporated into wisps of rancid mist. Its task done, Alexander released steam from vents in its arms before fading away into tiny motes of white energy. Applejack sighed and opened her eyes. Fluttershy, Spotter, and Autumn Blaze came up to her a few moments later. Fluttershy crossed her heart while Spotter and Autumn Blaze shared a hoof bump. Taking stock of the battlefield, Applejack hung her head. “We’re almost done. One more to go.” .o.O.o. “Gahhh!” Spike fell back, clutching his shoulder. A deep gash ran down his side, spilling his blood at an alarming rate. He had no time to dwell on it as the White Dragon lunged, intent on finishing the drake off. A small pouch struck her snout and exploded into a black cloud of ground pepper. The White Dragon snorted and pawed at her nose, trying to dislodge the irritating substance. This gave Sweetie Belle the opportunity to run up to Spike and heal his wound. The moment the gash closed, Spike got back to his feet and ran back up to the White Dragon. “Pearl! I’m not going to fight you! Please, snap out of it!” “Get away, Spike!” Apple Bloom cried, another pouch balanced on her hoof ready to be thrown. “She can’t hear you!” Spike either didn’t listen or didn’t care. “Remember our time in the caves! How we'd explore and play hide ‘n seek. Remember that time we found a hole that led to a bunch of gems. We ate there all day!” The White Dragon sneezed, dispelling the last of the pepper. She peered down at Spike, hissed, and unleashed a beam of purity at him. Spike made no effort to get away. A pair of hooves wrapped around him and bounded away, the attack meant for him impacting the ground. Rarity settled down a few hooves away from the action, placing herself between Spike and the White Dragon. “It’s no use, Spike. Sit this one out. We’ll take care of it.” “No—” “Spike! Twilight will be very cross with me if something were to happen to you and I could have prevented it.” The White Dragon swiveled around, finding them standing nearby, and readied more magic. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle intercepted her, drawing her attention. The two darted in opposite directions, circling around the White Dragon and firing their own magic. Spike watched, his claws clenching together even as his vision swam with tears. “But… she’s my sister…” Sighing, Rarity readied the Striker. “I know, Spike. I know all too well. I’m sorry.” She charged into battle, summoning three needles from thin air and flinging them at the White Dragon. They impacted her bulky side but bounced off as though hitting stone. The attack did gain the dragon’s attention, the White Dragon turning and firing holy breath at her. Rarity slipped to the side, the beam sailing past her, and came in close to stab at the underbelly. The blade sank in, a spurt of blood her reward. The White Dragon howled and slammed the ground, knocking Rarity off her hooves. The dragon whirled and caught Rarity with her tail, sending her flying back. Sweetie Belle caught her with levitation, quickly healing Rarity from her dazed state. Apple Bloom took up interference duties while the two recovered. “Her scales are really hard to get through, even with magic,” Sweetie Belle said, gently placing Rarity down. “Your knife seems to work, but it’s going to take a lot more to beat her.” Rarity shook her head to clear the last of her dizziness. She looked at Sweetie Belle, then back at Apple Bloom, her brow furrowing. “Sweetie, when I give the signal, get her to face me then get out of the way.” “You got a plan?” “Yes, but it’s going to take timing and careful aim. Be a dear and get her ready for me.” Sweetie Belle beamed and snapped a salute. “Yes, ma’am!” She bolted to join Apple Bloom, grinning the whole way. Rarity took a breath and closed her eyes, letting her heartbeat slow and her mind to calm. Just like when creating a new outfit, she entered a state where outside distractions came to a halt. All she needed to be was in this moment, letting her instincts guide her to the perfect design. Her instincts were rarely wrong and so she let herself be led to whatever came next. Her eyes snapped open and she shouted, “Now!” Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle zipped together, standing side-by-side. They stuck out their tongues and blew a raspberry at the White Dragon. Whether the gestures were lost on the dragon or not would be left up to the makers to sort out. Regardless, the White Dragon whirled around to face them and rose up to squash the pair under her hefty weight. The bleeding stab wound came in sharp contrast to her pristine scales. Rarity focused her magic into a single spell. A small green figure in the shape of a cactus popped out of the ground, its arms and legs like branches twitching to an unknown dance. The esper Cactrot made an unintelligible sound from its oval mouth and pointed its stem at the rearing White Dragon. In a flurry of flailing limbs, Cactrot launched hundreds of tiny needles at the small opening Rarity had inflicted. The pinprick projectiles poked through the weak spot at an astonishing rate, each needle digging in a little deeper. The White Dragon spasmed, too overwhelmed to react or roar. At last the hailstorm came to an end, the last of the thousand needles piercing through the White Dragon’s heart. With a final wail, the White Dragon collapsed to the ground. Her body lay still for several seconds, then dissolved into tiny white particles in the shape of doves. These drifted and faded away. The last of the Chaos Dragons was dead. Cactrot turned and gave a wave to Rarity before digging himself back into the ground. Sighing, Rarity pivoted to face Spike, who had his eyes closed and claws covering his ears. She walked up to him and laid a hoof on his shoulder. “It’s over, Spike.” Spike lowered his claws, his body sagging forward. “I… I still heard. She…” He sniffed and rubbed furiously at his nose. Rarity made to reach forward and comfort him. She only made it halfway when the world went haywire. .o.O.o. The Kaiser Dragon had never felt more frustrated in his life. Even those irritating princesses had never infuriated him to this extent. And it was all due to that blasted blue unicorn. He had severely underestimated Trixie’s runic powers. All his life, if there was an obstacle for him to overcome, he threw magic at it until it went away. The Kaiser Dragon rarely got physical as magic was just so much faster and convenient. Now, those skipped days meant to sharpen his claws were coming back to bite him as his major advantage was being denied. Worse, the pesky half-esper’s sword had left numerous deep cuts on his body, to the point where he couldn’t just ignore them. Whatever the blade was made out of, it penetrated through his blacks scales like no other weapon had before. It was… concerning. Unfortunately, pinning the two ponies down and crushing them to bits proved to be more difficult than it should have been. Each nimbly danced away from his claws, jaws, and tail, and anytime he did manage a glancing blow, they would heal it up. The two matched each other well, covering for each other’s weaknesses. It had become a battle of attrition, their stamina against his. The Kaiser Dragon would have admired the duos’ tactics had it been used against anyone else but himself. He snaked his body around, trying to trap Trixie in a coil. The unicorn saw it coming and fired ice spells into one of the many bloody patches that littered his body. His joints locked up for a second, giving Trixie time to hop over him. The Kaiser Dragon shot off a parting ice spell of his own at her fleeing form, but the magic diverted into her sword like so many before. He forced his body to move after her, but Twilight dove down and slashed another gash into his hide. “When I get you, I’m going to filet your flesh one layer at a time!” His voice came out strained, his breathing quicker and more shallow each time one of these exchanges ended. “I’ll bring you back to life and do it all over again until your sanity is as shattered as Discord’s!” “At least Discord had style going for him!” Trixie shot back. “The worms in the ground would call you boring!” The Kaiser Dragon made to chase after her, unwilling to let the unicorn have the last word. That’s when the area around him flashed a bright red. He growled, looking around for the source of whatever irritant he would need to deal with next. The brief pause in his fight brought certain things into focus, things that had been deemed unimportant while wasting time with the ponies. He could no longer feel the minds of any of his Chaos Dragons. Another, more intense flash of red lit the world, followed by a shaking that rattled the very air. A sinking feeling began to form within the Kaiser Dragon’s breast. Completely abandoning the battle, the Kaiser Dragon rose up into the sky. He didn’t make it far as now the red flashes and shaking became more frequent, assailing his senses in all directions. Blocking out the painful backlash of the world by sheer force of will, the Kaiser Dragon took stock of what was left of the large platform the Returners and his dragons had used for their battleground. His jaw dropped. The Returners still stood. There was no sign of his children. “No…” The Kaiser Dragon reached out with his mind, commanding his dragons to respond. Not one answered back. “No. No! How? You are nothing to my might! How could they all have been killed by the likes of you?!” By now a constant kaleidoscope of flashes and rumbling consumed everything. It was hard to think, let alone stay afloat. Roaring at the heavens for all the injustices piled upon him, the Kaiser Dragon let out one last bellow. “You have doomed us all!” .o.O.o. Rainbow Dash would readily admit that she wasn’t the most knowledgeable when it came to magic. She had her strengths elsewhere and let eggheads like Twilight and Trixie deal with it. Given that, even she knew something bad was happening. “Oh crap. They were telling the truth.” Rocking from the constant blasts and thrums of reality seemingly tearing itself apart, Rainbow Dash set her sights on one individual in particular. Flying eased her forward progression, though a few times she almost tumbled out of the air. Fighting against the pressure, she reached Stardust and hauled the stupefied chocobo to his talons. Placing her mouth directly over his ear, she shouted, “I need every last one of those magic restoring potions you have!” Even with Rainbow Dash right next to him, her words came in muted. “Magic potions?! You mean ethers?!” “Yes! Those!” “Why?!” “I don’t have time to explain! Just do it!” Stardust saved time from grumbling a response to doing as he was told. Privately, he hoped whatever Rainbow Dash had planned stopped this awful phenomenon. His packs were gone, no thanks to Rarity, but he reached under his wings where a tightly strapped pouch still hung. He fumbled in opening it, nearly dropping the vials contained within. The moment they came into sight, Rainbow Dash snatched them up. Spreading her wings, Rainbow Dash cast a spell Stardust didn’t recognize. He heard the soft sound of chimes and felt something entering his body. A warm sensation welled within his breast, leaving a reassuring feeling in his spirit. Rainbow Dash sped off without explanation. She reached the next Returner and repeated the same spell. Chugging down the contents of one of the vials, she pushed through the increasing deterioration of space and time to find another Returner. .o.O.o. The relentless cacophony and violent tremors of the world around them left the Returners unable to do anything but cover their ears and brace themselves. Many thought the world was ending and that this would be their last moments. Sun and moon willing, they would all be together for the train ride to the afterlife. All at once, it stopped. A deathly calm followed. Returners cautiously peeked their eyes open and uncovered their ears. A silence unlike anything they had ever experienced engulfed them. It was like the world was holding its breath. A tearing sound shocked them out of their stupor. They looked up to behold the point of a sword stabbing out of reality itself, white cracks forming around where the sword penetrated. The blade cut through more space then retracted, only to be replaced by two giant golden hands. The ends of each finger contained sharp red claws that dug into the split in the sky and forced apart a bigger opening. Out stepped a gargantuan humanoid completely covered in skin tight golden armor, its size twice that of the Kaiser Dragon. A pulsating purple orb was embedded in its chest and twin red eyes peered out of its helmet slits. The giant summoned the sword from before and bellowed its might to the world. On the opposite side of the Returners, another round of tearing was heard. This time a silver lance pierced through and dissolved the space around it. A white portal formed, allowing a creature to walk out. This one was also humanoid, though its legs ended in talons rather than feet, and a tail extended from its back. Thick corded muscles under tan skin made up its physique, its body covered in grey Genji-like armor. What appeared like a lance at first was really a larger mechanical claw that protruded from the back of the creature like a wing. Half the size of the first humanoid, it still exuded malice and respect. The Kaiser Dragon had seen enough. He twisted around and flew as fast as he could away from the otherworldly monsters. His escape became blocked when a third rip in reality appeared above him. This time, a humanoid woman smashed her way into the world with a golden staff. She wore golden armor over purple skin and yellow hair, a long flowing amber cape billowing behind her. Flying out using a platform-like device made of gold and a red cushion, she beheld the Kaiser Dragon with utter contempt. Despite being even smaller than the last creature, her ferocious visage made the Kaiser Dragon flinch. “Kaiser!” the woman screeched. “You who imprisoned us will now face our judgement.” The Kaiser Dragon answered with a powerful beam of magic from his mouth. The woman flew forward and twirled her staff at inhuman speeds. The breath attack shredded under her assault, dispersing like waves against a cliff. She followed up by slamming into the Kaiser Dragon with her flying platform, sending him crashing amongst the gobsmacked Returners. The giant stepped forward and thrust out his sword. “I, Devil, condemn you.” “I, Demon, purge you,” the tan creature decreed. The woman rapped her staff against her platform. “And I, Goddess, cleanse your soul.” As one, the three beings raised up their sword, lance, and staff. “Purifier!” The command of the three beings drowned out the pleas of the Returners caught in the middle. A red orb launched from Devil’s chest, impacted the ground, and exploded in an all consuming inferno. Demon’s eyes flashed, thin threads of light piercing through everything, no matter how well armored. With a battle cry, Goddess flew forward at lightning speed, her staff passing through flesh and bone. The Kaiser Dragon, the center of the carnage, roared in impotent fury. No amount of magic he called forth could hold back the tide. His body became ravaged on all sides, disintegrating and torn apart in equal measure. His final cries echoed across the world. The Returners fared no better. Many were killed immediately from Devil’s initial blast while others died from their hearts being struck by Demon’s light. Any that managed to survive met their end as Goddess swept through, her weapon reaping the life force from all living things. So catastrophic was the Purifier attack that the three beings themselves became consumed, meeting their end with stoic acceptance. In the aftermath, all had perished. None witnessed a magicite crystal blink into existence and fall to the ground. It landed with a soft tink and rolled away, forgotten. All remained still. The war was over.