Everyone covered their faces, shielding their eyes from the blinding blast of fiery fury. Despite the eruption of volcanic light, they didn’t feel themselves getting burned. They were warm, but not searing hot. When the blast finally settled, they looked up.
What remained of the marauding ice monsters suddenly stopped moving, coming to a stillness that made them seem like nothing more than lifeless ice sculptures strewn about the snowy plains and ruined town, and the foals, princesses, and Elements all stopped attacking and just stared at them, hoping that this was the end, but ready to fight in case it wasn’t.
Thankfully, it was the end. They watched in both awe and relief as the monsters disintegrated, covering the already snowy ground. But the snow, despite the relatively low heat, melted very quickly and was absorbed into the ground, and the flora on the ground that was crushed by the all the frost over it had suddenly sprung back to life. The clouds dispersed, allowing the land to breathe in the healing rays of the sun once more.
The fiery auras that had surrounded the Battle Foals fizzled out, just as their fighting spirits had calmed in the wake of peace and serenity returning to their cherished domain. They were ready to pass out from exhaustion. However, the sight of their mighty leader, off in the distance and standing over their fallen adversary, gave them the strength to go join him at his side. The princesses and Elements, of course, followed suit, worried for the welfare of both combatants.
“Fire Fight?” Shadow Shroud said.
Standing still as a statue before them was their Fire Fight. His new wings, once blazing with the majesty of a risen phoenix, were now folded across his back. He slowly turned to his friends, his head hung low and his armor smoking like an ashy fire pit.
Suddenly, he started panting heavily, and then fell over on his side.
Shadow Shroud gasped. “Fire Fight!” she ran over and cradled his head in her arms, but his body was blazing hot, and she had recoiled back. “Yowch!”
Tidal Wave summoned some water and doused Fire Fight with it, cooling him while giving him a likely appreciated steam bath.
Shadow Shroud tried again, cradling her love’s head in her arms. “Are you okay?” she whispered, gently stroking his mane
Fire Fight slowly lifted his head to look up at her. “Y-Yeah… I’m just… burnt out.” He mumbled.
Shroud giggled. “Oh, you…” She bent down and planted a long, warm smooch on his cheek.
Greensprout channeled her Gaia Root into him, and his strength returned to him, allowing him to stand back up. “Oh, brother!” she cheered.
“We did the damn thing, y’all!” Turf War cheered.
“We… we totally did, didn’t we!?” Spiral Galaxy said.
Air Slash proudly raised his sword to the sky. “GLORY TO EQUESTRIA! GLORY TO THE BATTLE FOALS!”
Kickback blew out his guns. “And that’s all she wrote.”
“Sweet release!!” Crazylocks blurted.
Quantum shed a tear as she smiled upon her friends, her mech, and the rolling plains cleared of evil. “Never in my life would I have ever thought I’d play a part in such a grand destiny!”
Zebota basked in his surroundings, now feeling the land’s very breath returning to it. “It is done.” He said. Shrapnel let out a soft victory.
Bullseye sheathed her bow and just… gazed, gazed off into the beautiful, wonderful land that she had helped to restore. For a fleeting moment, it was as if the darkness lurking beneath her soul didn’t exist, and after for what felt like an eternity, she felt at utter peace. She softly cried, submitting to her newfound joy.
“I… I feel like such a… a hero!!” Tidal Wave said, holding his lance up high.”
Valkyrie looked down at her worshipped talisman and smiled, remembering the mighty presence of her ancestors fighting with, and how proud she felt gaining their approval as their descendent. “I’ll join you guys one day, but until then…” She cocked a cocky smile and twirled her sword before sheathing it. “This Valkyrie’s gonna soar like a mighty eagle!”
Frostbite, seeing everypony all happy and smiling over their stupendous victory, couldn’t help but crack a smile. He’d helped his new friends destroy a powerful foe, and in doing so, take back their home from her destructive clutches. He felt so powerful; he felt so accomplished; he felt so… loved, not only by his friends, but also by a part of him that he only now discovered. “Huh. Pretty rad.”
As Fire Fight could feel the rays of the sun grace his coat once more, he felt the weight of the world being lifted from his back. All the stress, all the of the anguish, all of the hardships he had endured on this long journey dissolved away, and the smiles on everypony’s faces affirmed to him that all felt the same. “It’s… It’s over. It’s really over!”
“And we have you and the Battle Foals to thank, Fire Fight.” Twilight said, the other Elements joyously congratulating them as well.
“You shall all be remembered in Equestria’s history as some of its mightiest heroes ever!” Celestia said. “I’ll arrange a grand celebration in Canterlot to thank and honor you all on behalf of everypony!”
Everypony cheered… except for one mare in particular, and looking over, Fire Fight knew why.
Luna, her face soaked in tears, cradled her old friend in her arms, who laid beaten and limp like a weathered ragdoll. “Oh, Snowdrop…” she said.
Solemnly, everyone went over to her. “Princess Luna… I’m sorry.” Fire Fight said.
Luna sniffled. “You have nothing to feel guilty for, Fire Fight. I just… I can’t fathom how it could come to this.” Her tears trickled down onto the subdued ice filly.
Snowdrop then began to slowly, weakly shift around. “Lu…na…”
Luna gasped. “Snowdrop!?”
Slowly, the filly opened her eyes. Though her near colorless eyes couldn’t see her old friend holding her, or the people around her, they were filled to the brim with deep, dark, draining guilt. “I’m… the one… who’s… who’s sorry.”
“Oh, Snowdrop!” Luna bent down and embraced her friend more warmly. “If I could’ve done something to help you all those years ago, I would have.”
Snowdrop weakly nuzzled under Luna’s chin. “I know…”
Celestia sighed. “Snowdrop…” she muttered. “If you must direct your anger towards somepony, direct it at me. I had the power to help you back then, to do something to ease your pain, your feeling of being outcasted, both you and my sister… but I was foolish in those days, and… and I did the only thing I knew was an effective last resort. It pained me greatly to do so.”
Snowdrop shook her head. “Please… don’t feel like a criminal. I was… angry and… and I did and thought horrible things…”
“We each did.” Luna lamented. “But those days are gone now, and we can move forward.”
Fire Fight walked up to Snowdrop. “Are… Are you okay, Snowdrop? I, uh… gave you one heck of a thrashing.”
Snowdrop giggled. “Think nothing of it… Fire Fight. Besides, I… did try to kill you all.”
“Okay, okay. Enough with the back-and-forth putting ourselves down. The fight’s over now, right?” Fire Fight said.
Luna smiled. “Yes. We can all move forward!”
“I just hope nopony will be too mad at you.” Shadow Shroud said.
“They gon’ be pissed fo’ a little while.” Turf War said. “But ponies nowadays ain’t as uptight as they was back in the day, so I think you’ll be a’ight.”
“I mean… I’d forgive you, if that’s any comfort.” Spiral said.
Air Slash sheathed his sword. “If anything, your fall represents a failure on our society’s part, one we should take care not to repeat.”
“Reckon so.” Kickback said. “It was kinda magical seein’ snow for the first time in my life anyhow.”
“Your ice cream party will not receive noise complaints.” Crazylocks said.
“It truly pained me to have to combat you knowing your past, darling.” Quantum Tech said.
“Nopony is beyond redemption sister.” Greensprout said.
“Yeah. I could’ve been in your hooves if it weren’t for my friends.” Bullseye said.
“You were just hurting and needed help, so… that’s what we did.” Tidal Wave said.
“My ancestors condemned the offense, not the offender, so that’s what I’ll do too, kiddo.” Valkyrie.
Frostbite shrugged. “Eh. We all have our moments.”
“It’s as they all say, Snowdrop.” Twilight said. “Equestria was, and still is, your land to share as friends with all of your fellow ponies. You’ll just, of course, be expected to repent for your transgressions, but we’ll support you all the way, right everypony?”
“Right” They al said… save for Zebota and Celestia.
“A-Actually, Twilight…” Celestia stammered, a look of awkward guilt about her face.
“Princess?” Twilight asked.
“Sister?” Luna asked.
“I am sorry, ponyfolk…” Zebota said. “But that will come to pass.”
“What!? Why not!?” Rainbow Dash asked angrily.
“Urgh!...” Snowdrop suddenly started writhing, and when they all took a better look at her, they were horrified to see that her coat was starting to wrinkle, her hair began to shrivel, and her muscles shrank to the point that she appeared skeletal.
“Snowdrop!?” Luna exclaimed.
“What’s happening to her!?” Fire Fight asked.
“She’s been frozen for nearly a millennia, but not truly by ice, but by her own magic born of hatred. Only now is her actual age realizing itself.” Celestia explained.
“Yes. I can feel the flow of time finding its grip back onto her. She will soon return to the earth…” Zebota said.
Everyone watch in horror as she started to look more and more like a living mummy, seeming as though she might crumble into dust at any moment, all the while writhing in agony. “L… Luuuu…naaaa…” she croaked.
“Somepony do something! The poor dear’s suffering!” Rarity said.
Greensprout tried to channel her root, but to no avail. “It’s no good! Zebota? Princess? Is there anything we can do!?”
Zebota solemnly shook his head. “I am sorry. There is nothing. Nature is taking its course.” He said. Celestia could only silently agree.
“No… NO! SNOWDROP!!” Luna exclaimed, trying in vain to cast magic onto her.
Snowdrop then looked over at Shadow Shroud. “Shade…walker…”
“Hmm?” Shroud said.
“Please… end my… suffering…” Snowdrop pled.
“H-Huh!?” Shroud said, wincing at the request.
“It… It hurts!... It hurts so much!...” Snowdrop pled.
Shroud could feel all eyes on her. Regardless of how they felt about the situation, they all felt a great deal of anxiety. And then she looked down at a kunai holstered in her cloak. It shimmered in the sunlight, as if calling to her, reassuring her that she had the strength to. With a deep, regretful breath, she walked over to the suffering filly and drew her blade.
“Princess Luna, I…” Shroud said.
Luna sniffled. “I know, Shadow Shroud. Just… make it quick.” She said. She then looked down at her dying friend. “I’m so sorry, Snowdrop.” She sobbed.
Snowdrop weakly creased a smile at her, and then looked over at Shadow Shroud. “Go on…”
Shadow Shroud sighed. “Everypony… look away if you have to.” And a few did, namely Kickback, who already seemed ready to vomit.
Gently, Shadow Shroud lifted Snowdrop up in such a way that she had a clear shot of her heart, to which the shriveling filly offered no resistance, but a smile. She nodded.
With a tear in her eye, Shroud poised her kunai, ready to strike. “May your weary soul find peaceful rest.” Swiftly, she thrust her blade into Snowdrop’s heart.
Snowdrop didn’t even cry out in pain; she just laid there as Shroud held her dagger in her heart. “The sunlight… feels so… warm…” she muttered. “I wonder… what a… a sunflake would… would look like?”
Shadow Shroud pulled out her kunai, and let the rest take care of itself.
“Thank you…” Snowdrop said. “Luna…” she said looking up at her royal friend, whose face was distorted with grief and tears. “Please… don’t be sad… Let me… see your smile… The smile… of a… of a beautiful… moonlit night.”
Luna, taking a deep breath, mustered one last smile for her friend, remembering how she had brought beauty to winter through her snowflakes, and all the smiles ponies had from then on when they coated the ground when the season came. “Goodbye, Snowdrop, my dearest little friend, my beautiful snowflake.”
With a peaceful smile on her face, Snowdrop, on her last breath said, “Goodbye…” Her eyes sank in, and her body went limp, sprawling across Luna’s arms.
Luna reached down and shut her eyelids, and then burst back into tears, burying her face in her old friend’s body. Everyone else expressed their grief in their own way. Kickback managed to hold it in long enough for him to get far enough away to vomit so as not to disturb the moment.
Shadow Shroud wiped off her kunai and sheathed it back into her cloak, and she felt Fire Fight put her arm around her. “You okay?” he asked.
“Yeah… I just… wish she could’ve gotten a happier ending.” Shadow Shroud said.
“It’s not always that simple, sugarcube. Like it or not, you did the right thing.” Applejack said.
“I’ll have to arrange a funeral for her as well.” Celestia said. “Still, you all must be exhausted after everything you’ve been through. Twilight, I trust you have some space for them in your castle?”
“Of course!” Twilight said. She looked at the Battle Foals. “Once we can get everypony evacuated safely home, we can start rebuilding. Until then, consider yourselves my honored guests.”
“Thank you, Princess Twilight!” Fire Fight said, as did all the Battle Foals.
“Wait. Are umm… Are our parents going to come get us?” Spiral asked?
Twilight took a deep breath, ready to answer the difficult question. “Obviously not all of yours.” She said, looking at Bullseye. “But I think it’s important that at least some of you at least have a heart-to-heart with them. As for the others… I may have a few ideas.” She said with a wink.
“Umm… okay?” Bullseye said.
Twilight giggled. “Just trust me.”
“Uhh… Fo’ sho’. We’ll just see what happens, I guess.” Turf War said.
Though left with a small hint of anxiety, the Battle Foals knew that today was a day of celebration, in spite of what was lost. They decided to take the time to bask in the warm sun and beautiful scenery that they’d restored to their home. For the first time since they all left on their journey, they felt the love their cherished land had always extended towards them, and they were eager to receive it, knowing that it would from now on be without end.