Space in this universe wasn’t quite what Celestia remembered. As opposed to the dark, cooling embrace she knew, this was a harsh, unyielding vacuum where little could survive. Fortunately, having surpassed the need to breathe centuries before helped orient herself, even if her eyes required the use of some magic to keep them in her skull. Surpassing Earth’s gravity, in turn, was simplicity itself. She had rocketed away to the upper reaches of the atmosphere in no time at all, and soon was able to turn back and view the planet in its entirety.
And what she saw was beautiful.
Wisps of clouds cascaded wildly over the deep, pure blues, so deep they could rival even her sister’s eyes. Dark greens and yellows from the land, interrupted by dots of gray here and there, spanned out to the darkness of night on one side of the planet. A side that was interrupted by small, yellow lights.
Humans making their way in the darkness. Billions of them.
“I will defeat her,” she muttered with a few shreds of the air left in her lungs. “I will save you all, or I will die trying.”
She whipped around, searching the infinite black. Ceres wasn’t hard to find. Every satellite in orbit was pointed at it after all, unable to do anything but watch the doom hurtling towards Earth. Not to mention the...simply titanic amount of magic waiting for her out there.
Despite herself, a fist of dread tightened in her stomach. She suddenly felt like a filly gazing up at the towers of Manehattan for the first time. For a second there was a driving urge to shoot back down to the planet, fly back to Canterlot, and lock herself away in the deepest vaults she could find. But she closed her eyes. She refocused. The moment passed. And then, she shot off into the great void.
For its unbelievable speed, the burned and scarred surface of Ceres presented a surprisingly stable platform. Its bulbous, frozen form hurled through space at somewhere past the speed of sound, so Celestia had to compensate, propelling herself backwards with her magic in an attempt to lessen the blow of landing. As it drew near, a few teleport spells meant she landed perfectly, matching her momentum with the rock.
She shivered. This was it.
Looking around, she didn’t see her opponent immediately. But that was fine. The Other knew she was here. She just needed to bait them out. Her horn glowed, sending telepathic messages out in all directions: “I can hardly blame you for all of this. Monsters are rarely born, they’re made, after all. That’s what makes it harder to be angry with you.”
She gazed behind her at the blue, glowing dot slowly expanding in her vision.
“Something broke you, didn't it? Something years ago that you just couldn't handle, so you spread it around: all that hatred and all that pain, breaking everypony around you until you broke everything. You shattered Equestria and twisted her around into something she was never meant to be, but that wasn't enough, was it? You had to go and do it again to another world."
Her eyes narrowed. Her lip trembled in disgust. She’d warmed up, now time for the gut punch.
"No, I see what this is: a child's tantrum, because you stopped maturing however many years ago and became the selfish, shattered infant before me. You got used to watching everyone around you break and bend under sheer force of power. And when Earth didn't break, your hatred only grew deeper. You resolved to break it for the simple act of defying you. For not turning over and showing its belly like everything else in your miserable life. You even plotted the death of your own people for the simple act of turning away from you once you were no longer looming over them! You never once stopped to consider that maybe, just maybe, you're the monster. And of course you didn’t! Because here's the thing you clearly didn't figure out in all your years spent twisting and breaking and destroying everything around you...”
She took a long moment, steadying herself.
“Just because you're hurt does not mean you get a free pass to hurt everyone else. Your pain is no excuse."
"Are you quite done?"
Celestia worked her withers, her shoulders rising and falling in a mimic of a breath. "I could scream at you for a thousand years for the sheer catharsis of it, you evil, twisted, wretch; but it would be about as productive as sending Discord to a 'Manners and Etiquette' course. So yes, I'm done."
"Good."
The Other appeared before her in an instant teleportation spell. Despite weeks spent in deep space, their coat remained the same, pristine white, their mane still flowing with unbelievable, wild magic. Their fetlocks remained untrimmed from her time in prison, adding to the feral look. And then, most frighteningly of all, they grinned. It was not a good grin. It was the grin of something with bright, glowing eyes hiding in a bush, watching some oblivious prey animal walk right into its claws. The power oozing from their blazing form, the sheer magical prowess...what forsaken pathways had this mare gone down that Celestia had never even considered? What horrors had they allowed into their heart to reach this height? The wicked creature could probably fill a tome of the atrocities they’d needed to commit, and Celestia couldn’t decide if she’d want to read it or not.
"Because for that outburst, I'm going to track down your little student and burn her alive. Even before this asteroid hits, I'll personally see to it that she dies screaming in agony."
Celestia kept her gaze even with her Other’s. Her viridian eyes wavered.
"I want you to know that. Just in case I end up killing you here, I want your last thought to be the knowledge that your student will die with her skin on fire, her coat blackening, and her eyes evaporating out of her head."
Celestia's wings tensed, ruffled. Her legs tensed. Her head lowered, sparking with magic. "In that case, when I win, I'll be saving the Earth by shattering this asteroid with your skull. It appears thick enough to do the trick."
Her Other nodded. “Those aren’t bad as far as final words go.” They shrugged. Then, in a flash, they whipped around, hind hooves lashing out in a magically-infused buck leveled at Celestia’s throat. Only a quick teleportation to the side kept Celestia from having her larynx crushed instantly, earning her a few meters to let loose a pair of magical blasts. Most normal ponies, even particularly-talented unicorns with shields prepared, would have been killed instantly by these blasts. Her Other tanked them, barely even flinching, their gaze still leveled as they dissipated against her.
Another shiver went up Celestia’s spine.
“You’re going to die here,” her Other hissed.
Instead of replying, Celestia unleashed another flurry of magical blasts, aimed at the Other’s head. They barely did anything as her opponent charged, insane rage honing their pupils to pinpricks, their chest heaving in the vacuum with pure adrenaline.
Celestia backpedaled, and the battle for three worlds carried on, with Celestia only hoping that things were going well enough on the surface…
When she finished her recording, the Princess told them the rest of the plan. They didn’t like it, it depended on way too many people who’d already demonstrated shit track records in doing the smart thing and not reacting with fear, but in the end it was all they had. When she took off, Francis sighed. “Did everybody get that?”
“Elements of Harmony, super secret magic death ray, depends on a buncha young people like every situation in the Power Rangers,” Lisa said, nodding.
“The Elements of Harmony are not like...” Felipe hissed, trailing off in disgust.
“Oh, sorry,” Lisa said with a cheeky grin. “Don’t wanna upset the brony.”
“Look, the point is she just gave us a shot at making the idiots finally listen.” Francis held up his satellite phone. “Let us just wait and see.”
A few minutes of solemn quiet later, Lisa sighed. “Okay, think we have a chance now, you guys?”
The group nodded as Shining reached for the phone, dialing in a number he knew. “Do you remember what you are going to say?”
“Mostly…” Lisa smiled sheepishly. “I’m sorry, it’s a wee bit intimidating. I’ve never talked to someone this high up the ladder before.”
“I mean,” he gave a small smile. “You are right now.”
She chuckled as the phone rang. The group waited, squeezed in tight, hoping, praying, until someone finally picked up:
“You’ve reached the office of the General Secretary, state your name and business and...
“This is King Shining Armor, I must speak with the General Secretary immediately.” Shining said, closing his eyes. “Authorization XQC-82 invoked.”
After just a moment, the person on the other end of the line popped his lips, far too nonplussed for the groups’ liking. “Alright, give us a second,” they said, and finally, the line clicked over.
After a few more minutes, a voice clicked in with a slight Asian accent. “This had better be important, Armor, you know how busy we are...”
“General-Secretary Watanabe?” Lisa cut in, rushing to sit beside the phone.
There was a click. “Yes, who am I speaking to?”
“My friend, General-Secretary.” Shining replied. “Listen, we know about the transmission. I was just with the princess.”
“You...were with her?” The Secretary’s scowl could have melted the phone’s speaker. “Armor, if you had anything to do with this--”
“We have an idea, General. The princess is already free, but there’s a good chance she won’t be able to win up there.” Lisa cut-in. “That’s why we need you guys to--”
She didn’t get to finish her sentence as a rock whipped out, slamming into the back of Shining’s head. He didn’t cry out, instead slumping over silently. The sat-phone went flying. All eyes turned to the source of the rock.
David – or really, the newfoal formerly known as David – sneered. “Her majesty will not accept you monkeys interfering.” He rumbled, his voice low, his horn sparking with magic that danced around his head and cast his face in shadow.
“Oh shit,” Francis gasped, drawing his pistol. But he paused. That was David, one of them! One of the few other people who had been there since the beginning! They couldn’t...no, they couldn’t!
“Dearest!” Andre shrieked.
Francis holstered the pistol and grimaced. Either they all made it through alive, or none of them did.
Ahead of them, Akshat had already scooped up a hunk of driftwood from the beach. Chen raised his fists. Lisa drew her own pistol, then ejected the mag and turned it around to hold the barrel, the grip now a blunt object. The newfoal glowered with dumb hatred as the group fanned out, surrounding it. “We know you’re in there, David,” Lisa hissed. “We ain’t givin’ up on you. Not for the whole world.”
His horn flared. “Bring it, you stupid monkeys!”
And a new front in the battle for three worlds opened up.
Magical blast incoming. Shield. Reply with jab to ribcage.
The battle between the doppelgangers had only been going for a few minutes, and already Celestia felt the beginnings of magical exhaustion in her body. Every flap of her wings for distance, every blow she had to tank, every hoof strike she attempted, was beginning to wear as a dull ache in her joints. And still, she felt as if she were fighting a brick wall.
Jab ineffective. Hoof trapped. Headbutt incoming. Dodge. No...dodge blocked...her magic...PAIN!
Celestia reeled, her brain feeling like it had unmoored itself in her skull. Her blood hovered in the black vacuum around her. She blinked in surprise. It had been awhile since an opponent had drawn blood, though she would be lying if she said she hadn’t expected to bleed a little. In fact, she expected to bleed a lot more before this all came to an end.
Here she comes, oh gods--
Her Other lunged at her like a white tsunami. Celestia could only dig in her hooves, shoulder check, pray it did some damage. Based on the magically-endowed buck to her chest, it did not. Her magic flickered, tanking the hit, her ribs creaking. A few more hits like that...
Coming back around...
The Other powered through a wild loop, bearing down on her at just over Mach 3. This hit came even harder, slamming into Celestia’s ribcage. Out of desperation, she reached out with her magic, only to feel the Other slip through at the height of yet another loop. Celestia’s horn sparked uselessly. No...she needed more magic, she just needed to hold on...
A third and final loop sent her sprawling back across the blasted rock, slamming into the far side of the crater.
Have to adjust...have to change...
Scrambling, Celestia hurled herself over the lip of the crater. A burst of magic at the back of her skull told her the double was already propelling themselves at her, trying to catch up. The moment she was out of sight, a small illusion spell camouflaged Celestia, her coat taking on the dark, mottled appearance of the rock. She galloped into the heart of the crater and pressed herself down, wings splaying, hiding herself just as the Other peered over the lip.
The Other tutted, shaking their head, a small smile on their face. “Giving up so soon?” They mocked.
Celestia remained utterly still, years of mental conditioning kicking in as she went away, to someplace inside herself, willing her body to be as the rock around her.
“I suppose that’s fair. You didn’t have the wherewithal to reach the heights your little ponies deserved, why would you be able to see this through?” The Other chortled as they descended the slope into the crater.
A pinch of anger rose at that, but Celestia didn’t rise to the bait. If she could get the timing right...maybe there was still a way to turn this around...
“If you’re still around, I would like to bring up one point: that all the chatting we’ve had? About...well, everything? It doesn’t matter. It’s utterly pointless.” They shrugged as they neared Celestia’s position, eyes still scanning around. “The simple fact of the matter is you have nothing to back your side up but empty, vapid words, and running like this only proves it. You’re nothing but a cowardly little worm, too scared of power to seize it, and because of that every one of your simpering, sycophantic little ponies is going to die.”
The Other paused, their back to her.
“They’re going to burn alive, Celestia. And it’s all your fault.”
Without a word, Celestia leapt from the dust, moving like a scythe through the vacuum, hooves outstretched, aimed at the back of her double’s neck...
The Other whipped around in a blur, faster than Celestia could see. Vermilion eyes locked with vermilion. They grinned insanely.
“Wha--”
“Case in point.”
A hoof slammed against Celestia’s throat, magic gripping tight. The Other slammed her into the dust, head-first, the grip never loosening for even a second, the back of Celestia’s head digging a small hole into the rock. Another spurt of blood came up as something popped in her neck.
“Did you really think you could hide from me!?” The Other bellowed, slamming a hoof into Celestia’s snout.
Then another.
“I was tracking you every second!”
Another blow landed. Celestia’s magic flickered.
“You really thought you could just hide!? From me!?”
Another blow. A tooth came loose. Blood drifted into space.
“From! Me!?”
Celestia coughed. The world around her faded. She started to get up. Another magic-infused hoof slammed her back down. Dust and blood drifted all around her. The Other scoffed.
“I must say, weakling, this display has been even more disappointing than I imagined it would be.” They chortled, finally taking a step back. “This? This is what you brought to bear before me?”
A hoof slammed into one of Celestia’s wings. She howled in agony as a sound like a bundle of dry twigs snapping reverberated through her skeleton. Her Other gazed down at her with a look bordering on outright disgust.
“Pitiful. I don’t know why I tried to reason with you, you’re even worse than the humans. You’re a mockery of me. A pathetic image not even approaching my glory.”
The Other mounted her again, propping up Celestia’s chin on her hooftip.
“I’m not going to use my magic on you, Celestia.” The double hissed, holding Celestia’s bloodied face on the tip of one hoof. And despite the burning rage still in her eyes, their voice was cold and utterly detached when they spoke. “You’re not worthy of a quick and painless death. I’m just going to keep hitting you and hitting you until something breaks. I’m going to beat you to death, Celestia. I’m going to kill you by inches. I’m going to break you bit by bit for daring to mock me with your existence. And when it’s over and you’re choking on your own blood, desperately clinging to life for just those few, extra, precious moments, I want you to remember the billions you failed. I want you to realize that everyone down on that little blue marble is going to die: every disgusting human, every pitiful little worm you called your subjects, and all the little traitors cowering around them, will all die because of your failure here.”
“A-ah-ah...eeeh...” Celestia started. Blood pouring down her snout, it took a moment for the Other to realize she was trying to talk.
The Other let up on the pressure. “What was that?” They asked, nothing more than simple curiosity in their tone. What could this mockery of an alicorn possibly have to say?
“A-at least...” Celestia sputtered up blood, a smile appearing on her face beneath the blood and gore. “At least I...kept your attention...long enough for...”
The Other didn’t hear the rest of what she had to say, as a brilliant, blue light slammed into their from the side. They whirled, paused. A smile crossed their face as they met the gaze of Princess Mi Amore Cadenza.
“For...my family...to arrive...” Celestia sputtered with a grin.
“You!?” The Other scoffed, shaking their head. “You became an alicorn!? Of all mares, you!?”
“Not just any alicorn.” Cadence dropped her head, her horn glowed dangerously. “The alicorn who’s husband you killed.”
The Other met her gaze, their stare dead-eyed, passionless. Then, something clicked. Their face lit up. “Armor!?” She gasped, a hoof cracking the molten rock where they slammed it down. “You became a princess, and Armor became...”
If there had been any atmosphere at all on Ceres, it would have echoed with waves of rolling laughter. As it was, the Other had to make do with slapping their hoof up and down, eyes bulging as they brayed without any grace.
“Tell me, did you two happen to crank out any maggots that I now have to crush? I mean, just to ensure the whole fetid bloodline is good and dead.”
Cadence’s only response was a machine gun cavalcade of blasts, bouncing off the Other’s shields. The pink princess’s head lowered as she advanced, horn charging and firing time and again, over and over. The Other couldn’t even get another word out, so focused on reconfiguring their shield, making sure no blasts found their mark.
“Sister!”
The shout went up over the rock, and the Other turned. Their eyes went wide. Their jaw slack. “It...no, it can’t...be...” they muttered as Princess Luna descended, plowing into the crater at Celestia’s side and hurrying to her. That was all Cadence needed. A particularly powerful blast slammed into a weakpoint the Other missed. The shield shattered, and a powerful burst of magic slammed into their jaw. They turned, their eyes blazing against Cadence, who grinned with some satisfaction at the spurt of blood running down their muzzle, bloodying gritted teeth.
“Lu-na...” Celestia groaned as Luna poured healing magics into her battered form. “So good...to see you...just wish it...”
“Hush, sister,” Luna pulled Celestia’s head from the small tomb the Other had buried it in. “Let us take care of yon monster, you just rest.”
Celestia nodded, easing herself back down. Luna tried to make her comfortable, but with nothing but blasted, molten rock around her, she had to make do with just laying her out along a relatively-level bit of rock, where she might not slide further into the crater. With a final hush, Luna turned to the battle still raging.
Cadence pressed forward, her initial blow giving her some confidence in the battle. But the Other’s power was simply too much, too overwhelming. Not only were they blocking hits, they were returning them, hit for hit. Soon, Cadence was backing up, their positions in battle reversed as she found herself only capable of squeezing off a few hits between dodging and shielding.
Fortunately, their attention completely on Cadence, the Other was almost totally blind to a hit from the other side. Luna noticed, and capitalized.
A flying, magically-infused hoof crashed into the Other’s muzzle from the side, Luna a blue dart against the black. Blood misted into the vacuum, as the almighty buck added to their already wounded nose. “You--bitch!” The Other shrieked into the psychic link. “When I’m done with her, I’ll...”
They paused as Luna swooped overhead, landing with perfect grace at Cadence’s side.
“L-Luna?” The Other gasped.
Luna’s eyes narrowed. She lowered her head. Her magic ignited. Her wings fanned: one to shield Cadence, the other Celestia. “Thou hast stolen enough of our family. Continue thy assault at the cost of thine life!”
The Other’s eyes darted from Celestia, to Luna, then back again. Finally, their shoulders rose, then fell. “I see...you’re just another weakling.” When their eyes opened again, the surprised shock was gone, replaced with cold steel. “So you’ll die with the rest.”
The way the group all attacked simultaneously, from all directions, you would think they had coordinated it. The six charged with everything they had, with debris picked up, with furious cries for what was lost and what they still had to fight for. All futile. A simple shield held them at bay, and pulsed back at them, sending them sprawling. David laughed. “Sticks and stones, that’s it! That’s all you monkeys have left! My Sun will burn you away!”
“David, please!” Lisa screamed desperately. “We don’t want to hurt you!”
The newfoal’s lips quivered, as if it had just bitten a lemon. Then he whipped around, his magic like a concussive wave. A huge clap sounded. A tsunami of sand sent Chen sprawling, flailing helplessly into the surf. Even as he got up, David laughed, turning to Francis and Andre with a wave of pebbles. Francis shoved Andre away, and the Frenchman screamed as the German howled in pain, his body wracked with little holes like he’d been shot with buckshot.
“Pathetic!” David announced. “I was awakened today, barely an hour ago! And you worthless lot can do nothing before me! Equestrian Magic makes us superior in every way, shape and form!”
Francis grimaced as Andre helped him up. “Wish there was more of old David in there…he didn’t talk this much.” Andre grumbled.
“Maybe there really is nothing left…” Francis wheezed, the hand not supporting his lover going to the pistol still in its holster.
“Don’t you dare! Lisa would never…”
A rattle of gunfire interrupted him. The pair looked up as David backed off, four hooves stumbling, fear in his gaze as Lisa had scooped up one of the carbines and unloaded it in his direction. She screamed as burst after burst of automatic gunfire crashed into and fizzled against the shield. A few shots made it through. All went wide. All peppered David’s hooves, making him dance wildly, almost comically.
“She’s missing…even if the shield fell she’d miss,” Francis gasped admirably as she coolly slammed a fresh mag in and unleashed another bombardment. Her lips were twisted into a determined rictus, her eyes aflame.
“...if David does not survive this, we should see if she’s open to a throuple.” Francis muttered, drowning out Andre’s protestations by drawing his pistol and adding to the cacophony.
Gunfire and creosote filled the air. The group cursed in their native tongues. David howled with pain and effort. Nobody noticed Akshat coming up behind him, least of all the newfoal. The Gurkha uttered a silent prayer in his mind for his blow to fall true as he raised a rock over his head. There was a final apology. Finally, the rock came down with all the impressive strength Akshat could muster.
He hadn’t noticed the slight shimmer just behind David’s head. Not until his blow glanced off it.
Maintaining his shield, David turned on Akshat. The rock slipped from Akshat’s grip and he offered a sheepish smile, like in some cartoon. “I really thought that would work,” he said, as if defending himself.
Snarling, another torrent of sand shot up. Akshat went flying now as the others were blinded. “This is everything!?” David shouted. “This is who the impostor must rely on for rescue!? You’re all pathetic! Stupid, incomprehensible apes, all meant to end before her might! We are the inheritors of this planet! The descendants of an empire millenia long! You stand no chance before us!”
When the dust settled, the group all rose to their feet, and paused. Lisa, at first, looked around, then ahead, and swallowed. Her rifle hovered before her, barrel leveled.
David grinned. An eye twitched. “Case in point: you had millenia to advance, and all you came up with was a better way to throw rocks at eachother. A way that I now master, albeit a bit more crudely than one of our glorious unicorns might.”
Lisa raised her hands. “I really, really hope this is just her screwing with your head, yank,” she scoffed as the others backed away a step. “Dating you will be a lot harder if you’re really this long-winded.”
David scoffed. “What makes you think I would want any relations of the sort, ape?”
“Ohh…I’m thinkin’ you’ll be changing your tune before the day is through.”
David frowned. His eyes darted all around. He counted: one, two, three, four, five, six little monkeys, all behaving. He cursed himself that he couldn’t hold them all at gunpoint, but his glorious form was rather new, after all. The bottom line, though, was that there was no way they had an ace up their sleeve…
Wait…
His eyes widened as they darted to the spot where Shining and the sat-phone had fallen. Both were missing.
“Oh, no…” he whimpered.
“You think he figured it out?” Andre chuckled.
“I think he just did,” Akshat said.
“Wh-when?” David stammered.
“Oh, Armor regained consciousness right around ‘bring it, you stupid monkeys,’” Lisa said with a little smile on her face. “Everything after that was just a distraction to buy him time to relay the message we needed to the UN. Hopefully, by now, Miss Sparkle is on her way to where she’s needed.”
“No…” David looked up at her, ears folded back, lip quivering. “I…failed?”
“Quite spectacularly too,” Akshat said.
“But eh, maybe not?” Liu shrugged, his hands still up. “We’re just a bunch of stupid monkeys, remember? What do we know?”
David’s panicked eyes shot around, as if he might find Shining and obliterate him with the sheer firepower at his disposal, as if there was a way to still turn this around. “No, no I didn’t fail!” His eye twitched, his muzzle twisted into a rictus of a grin. “I can still kill you! The impostor’s personal friends!” He shouted. The lever action on the rifle worked itself. Lisa swallowed: the cha-chink of a round being chambered never sounded so loud in her ears. A bit of her life flashed before her eyes.
David grinned. He sucked in a breath.
And all at once, the rifle dropped worthlessly to the ground.
“Wh-what?” He stammered again. He tapped into his magic. His horn flickered worthlessly.
“Oh right, almost forgot to mention,” Lisa chuckled as she stooped to pick up her rifle. “Looks like our ride’s here.”
David whipped around. On the horizon, the flotilla that represented the Illustrious’s carrier group streamed towards them, dozens of ships dotting the horizon. Overhead, jets screamed, streaking past, sending intel back: eight passengers waiting. Six humans, one king, and one very, very distraught newfoal.
“Noooo!” David shouted. “This isn’t over! It can’t be! Her light guides my hoof! Her love embraces the world! She will be felt by…”
He fell silent as without a word, Shining strutted up from behind a dune and, with practiced ease, knocked him out with a blow to the back of the head. “Apologies, but this one apparently did not know when to shut up.” He said with a good-natured smile he worked hard to keep from becoming a grimace.
Smiling back at him, Lisa raised her hands again as the first landing craft streamed from the flotilla towards them. “Not really, but he knows when a lady needs a light.”
Celestia pressed herself up, the weak gravity allowing her to stand with little difficulty. Actually moving took effort, though. She managed to pull her head around to the battle without too much dizziness. The Other had absolutely thrashed her, she wouldn’t be surprised if she had a concussion. But even with their numbers, Luna and Cadence were barely holding the bitch back.
Luna darted in, magic flying, another hoof aimed at the Other’s chest. The Other vanished in a second, teleporting a few inches to the side, replying with a backhoof of her own. Luna rolled with the blow, barely avoiding a decapitating hit, grunting with the force that still made it to her neck.
For her part, Celestia cursed, seeing the Other use a move she herself had used before. And through it all, the Other had maintained a shield to the side, blocking every magical blast from Cadence without any effort. Cadence’s teeth grit, she leaned in, her face ignited with more and more raw power. Celestia wanted to chide her, her spinning head keeping her from telling her to calm down, that her anger was warranted, that their enemy would only take advantage--
Her eyes widened. Too late...
Despite Luna constantly darting in, looping away, taking the occasional blow, despite maintaining a shield against Cadence, the Other was still multi-tasking with her magic. A lone shard of stone slowly wrenched itself free of the ground, just behind Cadence. She didn’t see it. She was pouring too much magic into her horn, not seeing the obsidian blade literally being carved behind her.
“C-Caden--” Celestia stumbled, reaching for her. Cadence didn’t hear, pouring more and more raw power into her blows without any tact or skill, clearly wanting to just magically grasp the Other and slam her into the rock again and again until her head was just pulp. “Cade...Cadence!” Celestia tried through the link again as she galloped ahead. Her head swam. Her eyes spun. None of it mattered. She had to make it to her beloved niece, before that rock darted forward into Cadence’s unprotected back, she had to--
The rock flew.
In the blackness of space, the black, bubbled rock of the knife looked like the faintest pinprick rushing through the vacuum. Even as she galloped, Celestia knew she could never beat it. Her horn ignited, but the surge of pain in her head made directing the magic into a teleportation spell or a shield impossible. The streak was nearing her niece, whipping at her. She was going to die. She was going to die in mere milliseconds, she was...
A blue streak met black.
Celestia paused, barely able to comprehend what had just happened. And in the mental link between them, Luna let out a single, pain-filled grunt.
Cadence whipped around, her eyes wide. Blood and blue feathers hovered in space. Behind her, Princess Luna hit the rock, blood blossoming from the fresh wound gored into her torso.
“Luna!” Celestia screeched frantically, galloping past Cadence’s shocked form, nearly bowling her over as she frantically ran to reach her sister. She cradled Luna, pressing her close to her body, more blood staining her ivory coat. “Don’t worry, Lulu, I’m here, I’m right here…”
“Auntie…” Cadence squeaked, realizing where her anger had gotten her as she watched Luna’s blood mix with space dust. She stood in shock for only a moment, then slowly turned, her face slowly morphing into a mask of rage as she turned on the Other, who also stared in shock.
“You,” Cadence said, and then she darted across the space between them, closing the distance in milliseconds, all four hooves slamming into their muzzle. “You monster! One of my family wasn’t enough!?”
The Other reeled, coughed, stumbled. “I didn’t…”
Another blow slammed into their chin. “Shut! UP!”
As the fight raged on behind her, Celestia poured the trickle of healing magic left in her body into Luna’s form. If she had any breath left, she’d be holding it here, and sighing it out as Luna’s wounds healed just enough to staunch the bleeding. “Thank Heavens…” she moaned, laying her sister out in the dust. “It’s okay Luna, we have this.”
The Lunar princess just moaned, her eyes barely stirring. “Celestia…” she rasped into the mind link, clearly the limit of what she had left.
“Husshhhhhh…” Celestia quieted her, then turned back towards the battle raging on. “Rest, Luna. Your sister will protect you.”
Cadence, meanwhile, kept raining blow after blow, hit after hit, the Other seemingly cowering before her. Her magic flared, fueled by righteous fury, everything she had left pouring into her next hit. The Other had gotten their defenses up, but there was no reply, no sudden reversal this time. Cadence’s shoulders heaved, a sweaty tendril of pink mane floating up before her. “Fight...back, damn you!”
A dark chuckle filled the space between them, which finally gave Cadence pause. “Why bother?” The Other chuckled. “You’ve just defeated yourself.”
Cadence took a step back, and then a wave of dizziness crashed over her. No...no! She had to have more magic than that! She couldn’t have exhausted her magic reserves so soon!
Except she absolutely could have, with weeks having gone by without her exercising her magic, and then squandering what she had left metaphorically slamming her head against a brick wall. Beside her, Celestia lunged, darting for them. Too late. A crack sounded. A supersonic force slammed into the shelf of Cadence’s chin. Her head wrenched back. Blood sailed upwards in a geyser. Were it not for her Alicorn biology, Cadence’s neck certainly would have shattered. As it was, Celesita could only hurry to catch her niece and hope there was something left. Cadence swooned against her, her jaw very obviously broken, a few teeth missing. Cadence’s eyes opened weakly as what remained of her magic flickered pathetically, barely keeping her alive in the vacuum of space. Her eyes flickered open.
“Auntie…” she rasped into the mental link. “I’m so...I’m so…”
“Rest, my dearest niece.” Celestia said with a quick hush, laying her in the dust. “You gave me time to recover, that’s all I needed.”
Celestia planted a small kiss to Cadence’s forehead, then laid her out on the rock. She finally lifted her head into a glare locked on the Other. She slowly stepped around Cadence, spreading her wings, putting a barrier between the downed princess and the Other.
The Other smirked. “Verily? You still stand there?” They shook their head. “I must say, I’m at least impressed by your willpower. Futile as it may be.”
“Love and friendship are never futile, creature,” Celestia lowered her horn.
“Seriously!?” Her doppelganger, again, broke out into a laugh. “The world hates and fears you! Your most powerful allies lay bent and broken before you! I am mere moments away from burning down the world to rebuild it in my image! I just finished beating you into a pulp, and now with less magic and more wounds, just how do you think this is going to end!?”
“Two of.” Celestia replied.
The doppelganger frowned. “What?”
“I’m merely correcting your speech.” Celestia said with a little smile. “Two of my most powerful allies lay bent and broken. Or did you already forget about the other one?”
The doppelganger glared at her. Then, their eyes widened in realization as they turned back to the Earth. Somewhere on the horizon, a dim light began to form.
Shortly after being called over to confirm that her teacher was, in fact, not trying to destroy the world, Twilight found herself bundled up into one of the massive, fat-bellied winged machines the humans used to move lots of heavy things very, very quickly. She was given a helmet and a water bottle and told to keep quiet, which she did.
If she’d known where they were going, she could have saved them a bit of trouble and teleported herself. But stepping onto the dirt, makeshift runway and out into an only-too-familiar field, her heart fluttered into her throat.
“Equestria...” she breathed. It felt like decades since she’d last seen it. She couldn’t help herself, pulling off her helmet and breathing in the air, which smelt...quite a bit like the base she’d left, actually. Engine exhaust hung heavily in the air, along with the smell of a thousand grills working overtime to feed the steady stream of refugees pouring in.
Her ears folded. Despite her best efforts, Equestria as she knew it had apparently changed. But there was still time. The change didn’t have to be for the worse. Things could be better, for everypony...no, for everyone.
“Why did you...” she started, but the soldiers hurriedly bundled her off the plane, half-carrying, half-dragging her down the landing ramp towards the castle in the distance. As they stormed ahead, they started shooting past a fence, clearly hastily erected in still-marshy soil. Through the chain link, she could see eyes turning up, and quickly looking away. Until she caught sight of a little filly somewhere in the crowd.
“H-hey...it’s Twilight!” She gasped. “Everypony! I-it's Twilight Sparkle!”
All at once, the crowd started parting, allowing through the shorter figures of the ponies gathering at the fence.
“It is! It’s Princess Twilight!”
“Princess Twilight will fix this!”
“Princess! Princess!” They all started cheering, to the confusion of the men and women around them. Twilight wanted to offer some sort of support, something to assure everyone that things would be okay, now, but she was bundled through the doors of Canterlot Castle before she could say anything.
Even here, humanity’s touch was clear. The Great Hall, once the initial introduction to Canterlot for numerous dignitaries, was now little more than a storage area, packed with wooden crates that read “5.56x45” and “MEALS READY TO EAT,” all as she was bundled into the throne room.
And there they were.
Her friends.
“Dunno what was so important, I practically had t’be mare-handled here,” AJ scoffed.
“Tell me about it, I have legs and wings, y’know,” Rainbow added. “I didn’t...Fluttershy, what’re you lookin’ at?”
Fluttershy had been facing the doors, and so was the first to see Twilight burst through the doors. Her jaw dropped, eyes widening and watering.
“Girls...” Twilight whispered.
The room fell silent instantly. Five sets of wide, amazed eyes turned to her, jaws agape, most eyes watering. Pinkie was the first to break the silence: “Twilight...”
“Girls!” Twilight burst from the soldiers surrounding her, dashing into the group fast enough to make Rainbow’s head spin. They fell in on her, all embracing, all pulling eachother in, all trying to talk at once.
“Where’ve you...oh gosh...”
“Darling, I hope they let you treat your mane...so glad you are okay...”
“You wouldn’t believe what’s been going on here!”
“H-how was Earth? I hope it was nice...”
Only one voice was conspicuously absent. Twilight had noticed Pinkie’s deflated mane when she walked in, and had hoped it would reinflate soon, but Pinkie only looked at her with the same deflated look, and even now she looked ready to pull her into a hug and sob into her shoulder.
Noticing the look, Pinkie held up a hoof. “Later, Twilight, later...”
Someone loudly cleared their throat, and when the mares looked up, a very official-looking human in a green suit looked them over from the doors. “I hate to break up the reunion, but you were gathered here for a reason.”
Twilight’s eyes widened. She figured it out immediately. “The Elements of Harmony...” she whispered, whipping back around to her friends. “Girls, we need to get the Elements!”
“What?” Applejack gasped. “Sugarcube, y’just got back! Can’t we take a moment to...”
“There’s no time!” She gasped. “Didn’t you see the broadcast?”
The other mares all looked at her, eyes blinking in wide incomprehension. “Broadcast?” Dash asked. “What’s that? And how’re we supposed to watch it?”
“Of course,” Twilight rolled her eyes, already missing a world where a single message could reach thousands with the click of a button. “There’s no time to explain! Celestia is in danger, she’s fighting to fix this and we need to help her!”
That got their attention. Rainbow was the first to swoop up, of course, plopping herself right down directly in front of Twilight. “What’s the Princess need!?” She gasped.
Somewhere on the horizon, a collection of light gathered.
Somewhere on the horizon, a rainbow formed.
Somewhere on the horizon, the Other saw their doom forming.
“No…” they gasped. They whipped around in a panic. “The Elements…you still have them!?”
There was no response. The Other whipped around again, but only saw the infinite black and the scarred surface of Ceres. Celestia, and the prostrate forms of the pink and blue princesses, were all gone. “Celestia!?” They gasped. “Celestia!? What is this!? What have you done!?”
The emptiness pounded in their ears.
The Other slammed their hooves into the rock. “Answer me, god damn you!”
The silence still echoed, their ears ringing. They whipped around to face the Earth again, the rainbow of energy still gathering, still building. A ray of light shot off randomly into space, and their stomach sank. “Celestia!” They cried out in fear.
“That’s Princess Celestia to you.”
The Other’s gut clenched as they turned, wings flapping, suddenly all too aware of what was happening. Celestia had kept her distracted, not even noticing the barrel of the massive gun being wheeled in their direction, too distracted with what they’d thought would be their final triumph. And only now, now that it was too late, did she see the gun being cocked.
The rainbow shot out like a solid beam of pure, harmonious energies. Laughter, Loyalty, Honesty, Kindness, Generosity, and of course, Magic, all there, all blowing away any remaining doubts for what they were. The Other’s attempts to flap away from the massive blast of pure energy appeared pathetic before the raw energy: an ant trying to flee a tsunami, a bunny’s paws batting at the jaws of a wolf. They flapped their wings a few times, they looked over their shoulder, and they screamed as they were engulfed.
It felt like a colony of fire ants had taken next under every square inch of skin. Like their soul was being torn in half. Like they were being undone at a core level. A few minutes passed that felt like an eternity, and the Other wailed into the uncaring void. When it all passed, they were left gasping for air, having to rely on their alicorn constitution to keep from suffocating.
But that was all.
Their breathing spells were gone.
After a few panicked minutes, they remembered the spells for sustaining themselves, and tried to cast them. And nothing happened. Their horn fizzled pitifully, and nothing else. They drifted gently back to the flickering surface of Ceres, still trying to reach into themselves, but the overwhelming might they’d always felt at their core was suddenly gone.
They were alone and cut off in the deepest parts of space.
“What—is this?” They stuttered.
“Your magical core has been amputated.”
The Other whipped around and snarled at Celestia. The little wretch had obviously teleported in! Well, it didn’t matter, they’d end this right here! The Other’s hoof arced around in what had to be a decapitating strike…
The hoof hit Celestia like a wet noodle slapping concrete.
“Wh-what?” They gasped.
Celestia, bruised and battered, turned and spat another globule of blood out. She let out a cough that rumbled through the ground between them. To the Other, the beaten Alicorn, unable to even correct the tufts of her coat that were out of place, appeared like a pillar of solid concrete. “I already told you.” She coughed. “The Elements have amputated your core. Everything you’ve done to increase your power, every atrocity and every unspeakable sacrifice, is now undone.”
The Other reeled. No…it couldn’t be true! They’d done too much, come too far! “Impossible!” They shrieked, a hoof slamming into Celestia’s cheek.
Her hoof sank into flesh, and that was it. Celestia didn’t even flinch.
The Other fell back, looking down at the useless appendage, then back up at Celestia. “Why? Why even come up here? If this was just the plan all along…”
"Couldn't take the chance that you would see them gathering and do something to stop it." Celestia coughed, an implacable grin rising across her muzzle.
"But...you could have thought of a dozen other things to distract me! You could have teleported a few nuclear warheads up here courtesy of the monkeys! Why come personally!?"
Another cough racked Celestia's frame. But that smile never left her lips as she rose. She took a step towards the Other. With a tiny gasp, the Other took a step back. Celestia shambled closer. "Because after all this pain, after all this agony, after everything you've done, I couldn't live with myself not ensuring your end personally. I needed to do this with my own hooves, my own power, and personally see to it that you could never harm another soul again."
The Other took a step back, and their flank collided with a rocky outcropping, trapping them. Their head swiveled around to it, then whipped back around to Celestia.
Celestia closed the distance. "Besides, I wanted to see the look on your face when you realized you were beaten. And you know what?” Her smile turned into a positively wicked grin. “It was worth it."
"C-Celestia..."
"Remember what I told you when this fight began? How I was going to save Earth?"
There was a moment of confusion on the Other’s face, then their eyes bolted wide open. “Y-you were joking!”
“I assure you, I was every bit as serious as you were threatening my student.” Celestia’s eyes narrowed. Her horn glowed, warming with power.
The Other shrank against the rock. “Y-you don’t have nearly enough power to pull that off!”
“Even if I don’t,” Celestia snarled, hooves seizing the Other, her cursed doppelganger, by the shoulders. “I’m going to enjoy trying.”
“Celestia!”
Celestia tuned them out. Everything had been said. Everything had been done. Now…
Now it was time to set things right.
Since the destruction of the prison in Siberia, every telescope on Earth, in orbit and not, had been pointed up at the impending doom driving on towards the planet. And so, humanity was perfectly placed to witness what happened next.
It started as a blinding flash, right in the center of the rock, followed by a massive light that drove deep into its core. For a moment, it seemed like that’s all that would happen. But then, the light appeared all over its surface. Shooting out, cascading into the void. Four channels appeared in an X-pattern radiating from the initial point of light as fissures opened all over the stony face..
And then, Ceres shattered.
It was so strange to the engineers, scientists, and various military officials watching. They had never seen so much destroyed in so brief a time. It took many of them a moment to adjust and realize that what their eyes were seeing was even real. In the space of a few moments, a giant hunk of rock and celestial gas was rendered into a few showers of debris streaking through space.
And then, the cheers went up.
Humanity, as a whole, cheered that death had been averted. Praises went up to various gods, fists were pumped into the air, and a cloud that had settled on every city dissipated. Jubilant cries rang out in every tongue, from every nation, in every corner of the globe, even before scientists announced that each one of those streaks would burn up and dissipate far up in the Earth’s atmosphere.
Except for one corner.
In the throne room in Canterlot, dozens of generals, soldiers, dignitaries, and ponies gathered around one lone mare as she spoke into a microphone, waiting as she asked the one question that still burned brightly, even after everything that happened:
“Celestia?” Twilight asked, working hard to keep the quiver from her voice and only partially succeeding. “Princess Celestia? Are you still there?”
Celestia sighed. For real, this time. That final blast had propelled them all forward into the upper atmosphere, and while air pressure was maybe at a hundredth of an atmosphere, it was still there. But it was over. She’d done it. There was still plenty to do, but the worst was behind her.
“A princess’s work is never done…” she grumbled, then a smile crossed her muzzle. It was time to put a cap on everything.
With a flap of her wings, she righted her trajectory, swooping over to one of the larger rock fragments as it ignited in the thickening atmosphere. There, as if they had been cradled for a little nap, Cadence and Luna slept soundly, deep in a magically-induced coma. Their recovery would be made all the easier for it.
Celestia embraced them, wincing as the motion sent a jolt of pain through her barrel. She wished she could join them, but rest still had to wait. For a little while.
She closed her eyes. There was still some to be done, but she could take this moment to rest with her family. Surely, she had earned that much. Finally, she pulled away. “Thank you,” she whispered, and with a small pulse, she used a tiny bit of her pitiful remaining reserves of magic to send them home. That done, only one task needed to be seen to.
As the rocks around her started to glow red with heat, Celestia approached one in particular. One she could still feel some amount of connection to.
The Other…Xenolestia…her double…her evil twin…whatever she wished to call them, laid there. They glared back at Celestia, though with the blackness singed into their coat and the strange angles their limbs remained splayed out at, it was obvious that was all they could do: just stare accusingly.
“It could have been beautiful. What we built together…” the Other rasped into the psychic link.
Celestia shook her head sadly. “If you say so, but I have my doubts.”
The Other scoffed. “Someone like you could never understand.”
“Then help me to understand.” Celestia held out a hoof. “Help me understand who you are, why you are the way you are. We can still build something together, and so what if it’s not what you had planned? It will be something. It will be ours.”
The Other looked from the hoof being proffered and back up into Celestia’s eyes. For a moment, something broke. The hatred and anger and stupid wall of arrogance slid into the back seat, and someone else came forward that hadn’t been able to in a very long time. “Oh my God, you’re the real deal, aren’t you?” She gasped. “That’s why you still have the Elements, isn’t it? You’re the genuine article. The one and only. You’re actually what the myths said we were meant to be.”
Celestia kept her hoof level, her eyes wide and pleading.
Instead of even reaching out, however, the mask slid back on. The arrogance and anger came back, but this time, the Other just chuckled darkly. “I never stood a chance,” she laughed, despite the obvious pain it put her in. “Oh my God, it was all a final joke being played on me from start to finish! This was never going to end any other way! I didn’t stand a single, solitary chance in hell!”
“Princess…” Celestia whispered, her hoof still extended.
The Other paused, locked eyes with her. “Protect Luna, she’s your heart.”
Celestia cocked her head curiously. “Luna?”
The Other only held her gaze for a few extra moments. And then, her hoof lashed out, a pile of meteor dust clenched in its grip. Celestia gasped, coughed, having to pause as grit entered her eyes, hack up the dust that went down her throat. When she was able to open her gaze again, the Other was already gone.
“P-Princess!?” Celestia gasped, her eyes whirling around. “Princess, wait! You’ll burn up! At this speed, without your magic…”
She clamped her jaw shut, looking around wildly. She blinked some last bits of grit from her eyes. And then, a scream filled the void.
Celestia’s eyes locked downward, to a particular rock. Another scream echoed up to her. “Princess!” She shrieked, the air now thick enough for her to scream for real as she swooped down to the chunk of rock.
There, the Other had spread herself out over the front of the asteroid. Her coat flickered. Her lips were already blackened and peeling back from her teeth, her eyes bugged wide from her eyelids burning away. And still, her gaze locked with Celestia. In between screams, she managed to shout: “Don’t stop this! Don’t you dare!”
Celestia, already reaching for her, paused in her grip, and let out a small breath. Finally, she reached out again, but only to give the hoof a final, gentle squeeze. Then, she pushed away. She watched, flapping there in space, as the rock careened towards the Earth. The screams echoed off into the void, unending, the voice behind them fraying, going sore.
And finally, cutting off abruptly.
Celestia hovered there awhile, the remnants of Ceres cascading through the air around her, and finally, she turned towards home.