Hand in hand, the seven girls ran back the way they came, their legs pumping as hard as they could muster. Despite how frequently the tunnel turned and twisted, Rainbow Dash kept on leading them ever upward.
“Look. The bridge is still there!” Pinkie Pie shouted.
The cosmos heard the party girl and decided to rain on her parade by dropping a large rock from somewhere up above. Large enough to easily collapse the bridge, it seemed as though their only exit was about to be cut off.
“Oh no you don't!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed.
The girl whipped a spherical object at the incoming boulder which exploded on contact, turning the massive stone into a thousand much more manageable rocks.
“Come on!” Rainbow Dash urged. “Before another one falls!”
No one needed any additional prompting, and together they ran on, sprinting across the bridge and back into the tunnels. Though they made good time, the roof was starting to come apart in some sections, raining various-sized rocks down from above. Rarity’s shields, Twilight's telekinesis, and the occasional flame barrier were enough to keep themselves safe, however.
Still, they couldn't block them all, and as they ran the seven girls were pelted with smaller stones. Already they could feel bruises springing up all over their body, though none complained and none stopped to check. Instead, they ran on, focusing solely on the exit and absolutely nothing else.
“There it is!” Fluttershy exclaimed.
“The generator is damaged. What are we going to do?” Rainbow Dash asked. “I can only fly one maybe two of you at a time!”
Sunset turned to Rarity and opened her mouth to speak only to have the fashionista beat her to the punch.
“I can do it. Just get everyone ready,” Rarity proclaimed.
“Are you sure? This is going to be the biggest test of your shields yet,” Fluttershy whispered.
“Actually that honor would go to that horrid soul golem we fought earlier. Compared to that thing, this is going to be a walk in the park,” Rarity stated with all the confidence she could muster.
“What are you… oh,” Applejack muttered.
A shield shimmered into existence in the center of the mine shaft going up, replacing the rickety and increasingly damaged elevator. Sunset cleared the path with a few blasts of fire, melting the supports and leaving nothing above them but open air and a few hanging wires. Wires that Twilight had used her magic to pull to the sides, giving them all the room they needed.
“Alright, everyone on,” Sunset Shimmer ordered.
Dutifully, the small squad did just that, stepping onto the shield, and bracing themselves near its center.
“Are you sure you can handle this?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“If I can't, we all die so maybe less questions and more using those wings of yours to reduce the weight,” Rarity spat back.
“R-right,” Rainbow Dash muttered.
Fluttershy stepped a little closer to the fashionista. “That was very assertive of you Rarity. I kind of liked it.”
“Thank you darling now hold onto me,” Rarity ordered.
The moment Fluttershy grabbed onto the other girl, the shield lurched into motion, lifting into the air. Rainbow Dash did the same a moment later, the speedster flying a few feet directly above her friends. The others all held onto one another while looking either up or at Rarity, silently hoping that they would escape this most recent mess.
“Speeding up,” Rarity muttered through grit teeth.
The shield increased its upward moment significantly, nearly knocking the group atop it to its knees. Thankfully they had all braced themselves when Rarity warned them and they were able to stay together. That grew more difficult when a large stone came loose and slammed down on the edge of the shield.
“Rrr,” Rarity grunted, blood dripping from her nose.
“She won't be able to take another hit like that,” Fluttershy cried.
“Rarity, shrink the shield until it's just barely large enough for us to stand on,” Sunset ordered. “Fluttershy, you look up and move Rarity out of the way of the falling rocks. Twilight, Rainbow Dash, do what you can to divert the falling debris.”
“Right,”
“Will do!”
The pair cried.
Like a well-oiled machine, all of Sunset’s orders were carried out, the shield being the first thing to change. Applejack grew uneasy, but the stoic girl refused to utter a sound and merely held onto Twilight a little tighter. The rocks small enough to be diverted were brushed aside, and those too large to move with ease were avoided by Rarity. With Fluttershy gripping her partner’s shoulders, the pair soon came to an understanding, with Fluttershy leading the way.
Seconds turned into minutes, during which the shield sped up as much as possible. Their teamwork was effective, and soon they were nearing the secret exit they had passed through not long ago. Only one thing stood in their way, the metal barrier that had closed behind them, its surface illuminated by flashing yellow emergency lights.
“I’m going to blast our way out. Twilight, follow it with an ice spell!” Sunset Shimmer shouted. “Rarity, don't slow down!”
The former pony didn't wait for a response, already focusing on weaving a powerful enough spell to clear the obstacle. Around her, the others grew tense as Sunset continued to build magic until the air around them began to grow hot. Then with a heave, Sunset threw her hands directly up, launching a jet of fire straight through the metal floor and out the other side. Twilight diligently followed it with a blast of ice, freezing the molten bits of metal before they had a chance to rain down around them.
“Hold on!” Rarity shouted.
The group held on tight to one another as they flew up through the metal structure and out into the open night air. There they hung for a moment, before listing to one side and plummeting back towards the ground. Rarity struggled, trying to regain control, but it had been too great a strain and she couldn't correct their course.
Thankfully there were others there who could help.
Twilight grabbed the shield in her magic and righted it while Sunset used blasted downward with a jet of fire, creating just enough lift. It wasn't enough to completely save things, but it did arrest their fall enough that when they hit Earth they were merely jolted slightly. The shield itself crumbled away to nothing, leaving the small group to collapse to the ground.
“Rarity!” Fluttershy cried.
“I’m… alright,” Rarity muttered. “Just got a bit of a nosebleed is all.”
“That's more then just a little nosebleed,” Fluttershy commented.
Sunset Shimmer looked down to find that the front of Rarity’s armor was stained red. Worse yet, the flow of blood was steady but was quickly lessening now that Fluttershy had moved to help her. Despite looking a little woozy, and clearly out of it, Rarity didn't seem that injured, nor did the rest of the group seem any worse off for wear.
“Fan out, secure the area,” Sunset declared. “Fluttershy, get ahold of Perfect once you’ve gone over Rarity. We need to figure out if we are needed.”
Fluttershy gave Sunset a nod before turning back to Rarity.
“Hey, Sunny. You should probably check this out,” Applejack called.
Sunset glanced around the area and was happy to find that it was relatively deserted. Without having to worry about getting shot by some trigger-happy soldier, she walked over to where Applejack stood. Hopping up onto the bed of a truck, she followed her friend’s gaze to the middle of the quarry where the fighting was the fiercest.
“Woah,” Sunset muttered.
The scene before them was like something out of a war movie. Hundreds of soldiers fought on both sides, with Foxtrot clearly losing yet wasn't going down without a fight. His opponents weren't quite as numerous, though where they lacked raw numbers they made up for it with incredible abilities.
Ghost had an army of ice constructs serving as their front line while the woman herself remained near the back. Perfect Tempo hadn't used any wild magical skills yet, the man moving from soldier to soldier with blinding speed, killing or incapacitating each with a single strike. Fast, and agile, Perfect was a blur, striking out where the enemy line was weakest and opening up a hole.
Harvest Moon was near the front, his massive size and sweeping attacks serving as an anchor point for the attacker's line. Each attack from his massive sword cleaved limbs, heads, or other body parts, while the man himself moved with remarkable grace. Though peppered in bullets, none were able to find a weak spot in his ancient armor, merely bouncing off and littering the ground.
Thevetat was like a raging berserker, throwing himself at the enemy lines only to get repulsed a moment later. Foxtrot’s men were prepared for him and used powerful electricity-based weapons to keep the enormous dragon at bay. A toll was extracted all the same though, as each push Thevetat made, dozens perished under his claws, or in his bite.
Platinum assisted with blasts of necromantic magic that rent flesh from bone and reanimated the corpses left behind. A few of her more powerful staff members moved amongst the icey horde, assisting however they were needed. All while the more traditional soldiers waited away from the fighting, having formed a loose encircling of Foxtrot’s men.
“It seems like they got things pretty well in hand,” Applejack remarked.
Sunset Shimmer nodded. For a moment the girl thought about joining the fight. She was currently overlooking Foxtrot’s beleaguered army while also not being far from Perfect Tempo. Then she dismissed that notion, her squad was injured, and things were well in hand.
“I think it's best if we just wait here,” Twilight muttered.
Sunset Shimmer nodded. “My thoughts exactly. They know how to fight together, we don't.”
“Hey, we fight together,” Rainbow Dash exclaimed.
“I think she means fighting together with them, ya dolt,” Applejack interrupted, gesturing to Perfect Tempo.
“Yeah, good point. I’d hate to get in their way,” Rainbow Dash admitted.
“So do we start heading back to the choppa and prepare the victory party?” Pinkie Pie inquired.
“I think we should remain here for the moment,” Rarity offered, the girl holding a washcloth against the underside of her nose. “You never know if they may need our assistance.”
“It is safe here, for now,” Fluttershy agreed.
Sunset opened her mouth to speak but was cut off when the ground began to shake. The tremor quickly became so violent that both sides stopped fighting, either because they tripped or were busy bracing themselves. Where usually it would end after a few seconds, now it only grew until even Thevetat was forced to abandon his attacks.
“Brace yourselves!” Sunset shouted.
The girls gathered together and held onto one another. In the distance just behind Foxtrot’s forces, the ground splintered, and cracks ran across the entire battlefield. Perfect Tempo and his allies retreated, the group stumbling back beyond the reach of the strange cracks.
A moment later fissures opened up all over the quarry area swallowing dozens of Foxtrot’s men. None under the command of Perfect Tempo suffered such a fate, though it was close as deep crevices stretched all the way to the edge of the quarry. The ground only shook harder, and for a moment Sunset lost sight of Foxtrot and the few who were not swallowed by the earth.
Then the ground heaved, and dust filled the air, a titanic form rising out from the quarry. At first, the shape was indeterminate, but then a head emerged, followed closely by an enormous arm longer than the quarry was wide. Rocks and debris rained down around them while great clouds of grey temporarily blotted out the moon.
“Holy shit,” Rainbow Dash muttered.
“For once, I concur,” Rarity added.
“I told you it was a giant mech!” Pinkie Pie shouted.
“Should we uh… back up a bit?” Applejack asked.
“Probably,” Twilight remarked.
“Wait, I think that's it,” Sunset interrupted.
All eyes turned back to the emerging colossus only to find that it had indeed stopped pulling itself from the earth. Only its head and left arm had been able to escape the stone prison that had housed it. Though it struggled, the rest of its form was still trapped in the ground, the collapsed tunnels pinning it in place.
“Wait, is that Foxtrot?” Fluttershy whispered.
Sunset followed her friend’s finger to where a dozen or so humans were fleeing the fight, using the titanic golem as cover. The chaos of the dust plumes and flying boulders had left Perfect Tempo’s encircling force confused. Unable to regroup in time, Foxtrot’s cadre was able to punch through and make a beeline toward a few armored personal carriers at the edge of the quarry.
“Twilight, can you teleport us that far?” Sunset asked.
“I’ve been practicing, but it's going to burn me out for a minute,” Twilight answered.
“Do it. Rainbow, go harass them until we arrive. Make sure they don't escape,” Sunset Shimmer ordered.
“You got it, boss!” Rainbow declared before speeding off.
“Are you sure you can go that far Twilight?” Fluttershy whispered.
“I can. I won't lie though it's gonna give me a killer headache but if it means stopping Foxtrot, it's worth it,” Twilight stated confidently, her hands already glowing with magical power.
“Finally. I’ve been dying to stick my boot up that prick’s ass,” Applejack muttered angrily.
“Applejack,” Fluttershy hissed.
“What? We’re all thinking it,” Applejack retorted.
“True, though we at least did not speak such desires aloud,” Rarity agreed.
“Alright, I’m ready, hold on!” Twilight shouted.
In a flash, the six popped out of existence, only to reappear a split second later across the quarry. The moment they arrived Twilight fell to a crouch, a hand going to her head and a groan spilling from her mouth. Though Sunset wanted nothing more than to help her, she instead strode forward, flames leaping to her fingertips.
Her target was only a few feet away, and due to Rainbow Dash’s distraction, and their sudden arrival, were caught completely unaware. Rainbow Dash herself had managed to knock out one of the men, but that left six regular soldiers and four of the heavily armored and electrified type they had fought before. Sunset halved the number of more dangerous foes in an instant, hitting a pair of armored troopers with a spiraling jet of fire. Left burnt, and screaming but still very much alive, they were clearly out of the fight.
“What in the hell?” Foxtrot muttered, his eyes widening behind his dark glasses.
“Remember us, jerkface?” Pinkie Pie exclaimed.
The party girl didn't wait for a response and whipped a handful of gum grenades into the mass of soldiers. Two were immediately incapacitated as their upper halves were completely encapsulated in the cement-like goo. Another two couldn't move as the majority of their limbs were rendered immobile due to Pinkie Pie’s attack.
The remaining soldiers fired back, or charged, inadvertently taking their eyes off Rainbow Dash. While Rarity blocked the bullets with a pair of shields, the speedster flew in and plucked the guns from the hands of the soldiers.
“You won't be needing these anymore,” Rainbow Dash remarked, dumping the mass of metal into a puddle.
“Knives, and grenades. Stun soldiers in front,” Foxtrot ordered.
The man drew his own weapon, and was about to fire, only for a hawk to swoop in out of nowhere. He only got a split second to wonder what the hell that noise was before a pair of sharp talons buried themselves in his hands.
“Gah!” he cried, revolver falling to the ground.
Rainbow Dash was on him in an instant, kicking his legs out from under him and leveling a pistol at his head.
“I’d suggest you stay down. Or don't, I really wouldn't mind shooting you in the face,” Rainbow Dash exclaimed.
“Fine. You win,” Foxtrot muttered.
“The rest of you, put down your weapons,” Sunset Shimmer declared, her hands alighting with twin fireballs. “Or else.”
There was a moment of panic before the remaining soldiers tossed aside the knives they had drawn. Fluttershy was quick to aid the two burnt soldiers, stabilizing them while Pinkie Pie poked holes in order to let the gummed men breathe.
“Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie. Secure the prisoners in that APC. Rarity and I will watch Foxtrot,” Sunset ordered.
“Okay, dokay!” Pinkie Pie replied.
While the party girl and the two others moved to do just that, Sunset Shimmer watched as Foxtrot picked himself up.
“How does it feel being on the other end of things for once?” Sunset asked.
“Bet it stings, doesn't it?” Rarity asked.
“Hmm,” Foxtrot grunted. “I don't fear you. You won't kill me.”
“Oh, I won't. Perfect Tempo will though,” Sunset retorted. “He is really pissed about the whole betrayal thing. Mentioned something about giving you to Platinum to quote, play with.”
“I almost pity you,” Rarity remarked. "Almost."
For once, Foxtrot found himself unable to speak, the color had drained from his features. They remained silent until a minute later when the others rejoined them.
“They’ll live,” Fluttershy exclaimed. “One might lose his hand, but that's the worst of it.”
“We are ready to deliver this deadbeat to the gallows,” Rainbow Dash exclaimed.
“It's not too late. You could let me go,” Foxtrot offered. “Perfect Tempo doesn't even have to know.”
“Why the hell would we do that?” Applejack asked.
“My mission was never to destroy you seven, I-”
“Really now? Cus the repeated attempts to kill us sure made me think otherwise,” Applejack retorted.
“That was… regrettable,” Foxtrot muttered. “I see now that my efforts would have been better spent focusing on the nexus points.”
“Nexus points?” Rarity asked.
“The places where ponyland and Earth are closest,” Foxtrot answered. “The quarry is one of them, and the golem was meant to act as a last line of defense if something big fell through.”
“Really? Cus everyone seems to think you were planning on using that thing to attack Perfect,” Pinkie Pie pointed out.
“I…” Foxtrot groaned and clutched his head. “What the hell’s come over me?”
“This isn't fun,” Rainbow Dash remarked. “I had hoped he’d at least be all ‘argh I’ll get you next time gadget, next time!”
“Or, ‘and I would have gotten away with it too if it weren't for you kids and your meddling interdimensional pony,’” Pinkie Pie added.
A sudden flash drew all eyes back to the quarry, and the thirty-foot-tall iceberg that had appeared within it. Completely encapsulating the golem, it rendered the colossus immobile.
“Woah,” Rainbow Dash muttered.
“I knew she was holding back in training,” Rarity murmured.
“Come on. Let's get you moving,” Sunset Shimmer exclaimed.
Foxtrot remained silent, the man plodding dutifully out in front while the girls fell in behind him.
“I thought this was going to be tougher,” Applejack admitted.
“I’m glad it wasn't,” Fluttershy added.
“Me too, though I agree with Fluttershy that it was for the best,” Rarity stated.
“I’m just glad we can get to the victory party sooner. I don't want my punch to go flat!” Pinkie Pie declared.
The rest of the trip was made in relative silence, with Foxtrot appearing equal parts confused and conflicted during it. A few of Perfect Tempo’s soldiers spotted them but didn't move to stop the group, instead merely giving the girls nods of respect as they passed. By then the rest of the battle was done, and Perfect Tempo along with his allies was standing in the center of the quarry.
“Ahh, I had hoped that was you teleporting off to stop the snake from escaping,” Perfect Tempo declared. “Excellent work.”
“Indeed. Your spellwork has come a long way,” Platinum added, her gaze fixed on Twilight.
“Thanks, ow,” murmured the purple-haired girl, clutching her head.
“Thank fuck you got him,” Thevetat exclaimed. “I wouldn't mind another scrap but I don't do the whole chase thing.”
“In the coming days, you will tell me of your fights, and together we shall improve. Until then you have my permission to bask in your accomplishment,” Harvest Moon added.
Applejack breathed a sigh of relief. “Oh good, cus I think I’m gonna need a while to heal all these broken bones.”
“We shall discuss things more later,” Ghost muttered, the woman somehow even more pale than usual.
“Right. What to do with you,” Perfect tempo murmured.
“You should kill me,” Foxtrot replied. “It's the only logical solution.”
“Finally. He's making sense,” Thevetat added.
“Before we do. Platinum, would you confirm that he is indeed infected by the elements?” Perfect Tempo asked.
“I don't even need to use a spell to do so. I can feel it from here,” Platinum replied.
“Hopefully with you gone the last remnants of the element's magic will be wiped away for good,” Perfect Tempo offered.
“I hope so,” Foxtrot muttered.
“Augh this is just sad. Can't we wipe away the elements and put him in a cell or something?” Applejack asked.
“No. His mind is too broken, and his personality too warped. This can only end one way,” Platinum retorted.
“Allow me,” Harvest Moon declared, stepping forward.
“Wait. Give me a gun,” Foxtrot interrupted. “Let me go out my own way.”
“What?” Twilight muttered.
Perfect Tempo grinned as if he had been expecting such a response, and produced a Beretta M nine from a hidden pocket.
“Here, Finish this,” Perfect Tempo offered, tossing the pistol at Foxtrot.
The man caught in the air, and after checking the safety, put the barrel against his right temple.
“Any last words?” Fluttershy asked.
“Just two. Fuck magic,” Foxtrot spat before pulling the trigger.
Sunset winced and looked away, though she couldn't avoid hearing the blood splatter or the thump of his body hitting the ground.
“I thought I’d enjoy that more. Guess it's true what they say about revenge,” Rainbow Dash whispered.
“An invaluable lesson. Think about it before you rest tonight,” Harvest Moon stated.
“Err yeah. Totally do that too, or whatever,” Thevetat added.
“Any other complications with the plan?” Sunset asked, turning her attention to Perfect Tempo.
“None yet,” Perfect replied. “Though I have a feeling we’ll have to keep this place taped off from the public for a while.”
“What about the nexus point that Foxtrot mentioned? Is that going to be a problem?” Twilight inquired.
“We can't know for certain when or even if Celestia will use it again, or what she’ll use it for, either. So its unlikely to be an issue, but we'll never know,” Perfect Tempo answered.
“I don't know. Feels like your tempting fate with talk like that,” Applejack added.
“Fate shamate. We make our own luck!” Rainbow Dash proclaimed.
“Either way we got a party to get tooooo!” Pinkie Pie all but shouted, the party girl vibrating across the ground.
“What the hell?” Thevetat muttered.
“It's her Pinkie sense, right?” Twilight asked.
“Y-yessss!” Pinkie Pie replied, the girl twitching and contorting like she was being electrocuted. “It feels like we are about to get something dropped on our heads, but also there is a super huge fight coming!”
“Look alive. Celestia might be dropping something on us, or Foxtrot’s had some kind of dead man’s switch on him,” Perfect Tempo replied.
While Sunset’s group and Perfect Tempo’s army readied themselves for an attack, Sunset looked up. A nagging sensation drew her eye to a point nearly a mile off the ground from their current position. There, high above the earth burned a flickering mass of bright green sparks.
“What the heck is that,” Sunset Shimmer muttered.
More sets of eyes looked up just in time to see the sparks grow more numerous, becoming a raging emerald inferno. Though at first, it was little more than a floating conflagration without shape or definition, that soon changed. The edges stretched, the mass expanded and what looked like a door appeared above them.
“Incoming! Everyone group up!” Perfect Tempo shouted.
Sunset Shimmer was about to issue a similar order, only to find that her squad had already moved to surround her. With weapons drawn, they looked up at the door, waiting for whatever was about to happen.
The emerald door flickered for a moment before expanding further, growing until it was a massive square over a mile wide. No longer a door, it was a gaping wound in reality, one so large and so bright that there was little doubt that anyone nearby could have seen it. Then, just when Sunset began to wonder if it was even going to do anything, a shape fell through the opening.
“Something’s coming through,” someone yelled.
Vaguely equine in shape, Sunset could tell from the silhouette that despite it resembling a pony it was not one of her former kin. For one, it had both a crooked horn and see-through insect wings on its back. Devoid of a mane, tail, or any fur, the creature had large fangs as well as numerous holes all over its chitinous body.
“What the hay?” Sunset muttered.
Then, just as her confusion piqued, Sunset noticed that the creature was not alone. Dozens more fell through a moment later, then hundreds, the sky filling with so many of the black things that the emerald door was no longer even visible. Bodies so numerous that they were beyond counting carpeted the sky, and plummeted towards them.
Sunset gasped. “Celestia, what have you done?”