Absolution

by BlackRoseRaven

Divided We Fall

Chapter Fifteen: Divided We Fall
~BlackRoseRaven

A week passed, during which Antares hesitantly suggested doing group training exercises to Celestia, who agreed to the idea after some consideration. And Antares found himself more than a little horrified when Allonym's prediction proved right: their first training session was against simple wooden dummies, and the wooden dummies thoroughly trounced the young ponies despite the fact all they were supposed to do was smash them while Celestia timed how long it took.
Antares had shouted orders... and then promptly gotten his attention wrapped up in fighting and forgotten to give further directions. Avalon had disobeyed his directions to go for a closer target, and ended up being shot by Rustproof: thankfully, he was using rubber bullets, but Avalon had immediately dropped what she was doing in favor of tackling him. Meadowlark had simply sat in the background, not knowing what to do, while Prestige kept looking at Antares for approval she wasn't getting, and Aphrodisia tackled Avalon before Antares realized what the others were doing.
Allonym was right: they had trained so hard as individuals, they couldn't function as a group. Furthermore, when Antares had trained side-by-side with Aphrodisia and sometimes Avalon, he always let the other pony lead and used his perceptions to follow them in rhythm... and in spite of the fact they all looked up to him off the field, on the field, Avalon thought combat was like any other sports competition, where she was the most valuable player and essentially did her own thing no matter how often she was yelled at. Antares was their leader everywhere except where it counted, crunching in his self-confidence and making him feel like the fall guy: it affected his ability to give orders and made him meeker than usual, refusing to add anything to conversations unless poked and prodded for his opinion.
There were a lot of arguments during the week, as they failed out of training exercise after training exercise: Celestia often had to stop them during target practice when they turned on each other or started slowing down while Antares mumbled directions and they just stood awkwardly around. Even when Celestia tried to get them to work together by putting them in a simple game of rugby against a few Royal Guards, their dynamics fell quickly apart: Aphrodisia and Avalon were overaggressive, Antares didn't lead so much as react, and Prestige and Meadowlark both stayed far back afield, doing very little while the Royal Guards bruised and battered their way through the others.
Celestia's legendary patience finally came to an end when she arrived at the large, open square in Subterra they used for their exercises and found Meadowlark crying in a corner while Avalon berated her. Prestige was half-clinging to Antares, almost holding him back as he shouted weakly at Avalon, and Aphrodisia was only grumbling and lingering around the side of the area, acting completely disinterested in the others. Rustproof, lastly, was smoking anxiously on the other side of the field, several cigarette stubs around on the ground around his hooves.
“What is going on?” Celestia shouted furiously, and everyone went dead silent: it was loud enough that several demons peered curiously up over the walls that surrounded the wide, open cement field. Antares winced and shrank down as Avalon fell out of the air and turned beet-red, while Meadowlark turned away and rubbed violently at her face. Rustproof's cigarette fell out of his muzzle, and Aphrodisia's eyes slowly widened as she dropped heavily on her butt and shivered.
Celestia strode forwards, her eyes narrowed dangerously, her features tense: her golden armor almost glowed with her anger as her mane sparked with electricity before she closed her eyes and held up a hoof when Antares opened his mouth, saying sharply: “No. I don't want to hear it. I have had enough of this. Line formation in front of me, now.”
She looked up, saw the young ponies all staring at her, then she leaned forwards and ordered coldly: “I said now.”
That got the six ponies to hurry forwards, Rustproof stumbling and dropping his cigarettes all over, but not stopping to try and grab them up as they all sat at sharp attention in front of Celestia. She looked slowly back and forth over them, and then her eyes turned towards the side of the area, where tables had been set up... and her disgust and anger deepened at the sight of their equipment. It was laying willy-nilly all around the table, a few bits of gear here and there, one of Antares' vambraces half-polished... but the polish canister had been knocked over and left out, and the goo inside had dried all over the table and some of the other equipment in a hard, thick crust.
Slowly, she forced herself to breathe, then she looked forwards and shook her head grimly. “Perhaps my original expectations were high. Perhaps I do not know foals as well as I thought and perhaps I treated all of you as special and different for too long, and gave you too much leniency. But no more. Your parents would be disappointed in all of you... we've put in at least ten hours every day this week into team exercises, and you six friends have not learned to get along. Instead, you've all become so convinced of your own superiority or inferiority that you've devolved into a pack of animals. Except packs of animals at least have a hierarchy and order.”
“Meadowlark started it, she-” Avalon was cut off by Celestia stomping a hoof hard enough to shatter the stone beneath her, and the tiny Pegasus quailed, hurriedly dropping her eyes to the ground.
“We are going to train now.” Celestia said slowly, her gaze icy, drawing slowly back and forth over them. “Since every other method has failed, I'll teach you teamwork the same way I taught it in the old days. I will be your opponent, and you six will attack me. The training exercise will not end until I am satisfied. Is this clear?”
The six shared worried looks before Antares slowly began to turn towards the table, and Celestia said quietly as she stomped her hoof again to get his attention: “I did not give you permission to move, Antares Mīrus. Where do you think you're going?”
“I... Aunt Tia... I was just going to get our equipment and...” Antares broke off, shaking like a leaf as he looked up and saw the fury and the disappointment in Celestia's eyes. “Aunt... Aunt Tia...”
“Enough. You will refer to me as Celestia, and you will speak to me with respect.” Celestia said sharply, and Antares wilted before the ivory winged unicorn straightened and said quietly: “And none of you deserve that equipment. You will fight me as you are.”
Celestia's eyes looked coldly back and forth: her heart hurt, but at the same time, her mind had already locked on this course of action, and she would see it through no matter how much it pained her. Since they refused to learn any other way, she would teach them that there were consequences for their actions, for their failures... for the way they, six friends, were attacking each other and making a mockery of everything they had learned. Maybe they had all become strong... but that very same strength had made them all weak, as well.
“I'm... I'm not a fighter...” Meadowlark whispered, looking up pleadingly as tears fell from her eyes. “And I... I can't... help...”
“Be silent. I did not give you permission to speak. If you wish to speak you will raise your hoof like the children you are and wait for me to address you.” Celestia's voice was soft but dangerous, and then she gave a thin smile when Antares looked up and she saw the flash of anger, as Meadowlark's lower lip trembled.
She didn't say anything, only looked at him... and Antares dropped his eyes, trembling himself. The ivory winged unicorn shook her head slowly, electricity sparking through her mane again before she stepped calmly backwards and looked coldly over the group. “All of you are supposed to play a role in the team. Antares is your leader. Prestige provides magic artillery. Aphrodisia is your heavy hitter. Avalon is vanguard. Rustproof is range and technology. Meadowlark is planning and medicine. All of you have a role on the battlefield and none of you understand what your role is. But you will. This exercise does not stop until you understand or you can no longer stand.”
Celestia turned and strode slowly away, then she lowered her head and said coldly: “Let us begin. Attack me, now, and do not disappoint me like you've disappointed me every day his week.”
“I don't care that you're the Baroness, you can't talk to us like that!” Avalon shouted furiously, her eyes filled with tears, and then she launched into the air and shot forwards... only for one of Celestia's rear hooves to smash into her chest and knock her shooting across the field.
She hit the ground hard, rolling several times as the others looked in shock before the young Pegasus fell in a slump, shivering and coughing weakly. She clutched at herself, trembling violently as tears ran from her eyes, before slowly forcing herself to her hooves as Celestia turned around and said quietly: “This is not a game, Avalon, and you are not the strongest warrior on the field. I hope I have made that clear. You all desire to be treated as adults, to participate in a real war, on a real battlefield? None of you have any idea what that means. Especially not you, Antares.”
Antares trembled and shrank back, and Prestige gritted her teeth before she looked at him almost desperately. Then, on his other side, Aphrodisia roared before running forwards, and Prestige stumbled after the demon, not even knowing why even as her horn began to glow...
Aphrodisia lunged at Celestia... and was crushed out of the air by a simple swipe of a front hoof, her head smashing painfully into the stone ground before Celestia's horn glowed gold. Her eyes remained calm and emotionless as golden arcs of lightning blasted over the demon's body, Aphrodisia shrieking in pain as she wriggled helplessly beneath the pin and agony rapidly stole her will to fight.
Prestige flicked her horn, launching a blazing red fireball at Celestia... and the ivory equine's eyes flicked to the side before she rose her other hoof and simply slapped it away. Prestige could only keep running forwards, pumping all her strength into a second spell as she snapped her horn forwards, and a blast of force fired like a cannonball towards the winged unicorn.
And without missing a beat, Celestia simply scooped Aphrodisia into the air in front of her, and the blast of force smashed into the demon, knocking her limply backwards... only for Celestia to slam a  vicious punch into her back and send the demon shooting through the air like a rocket, crashing into Prestige's head and knocking them both rolling backwards with screams of pain. Celestia's expression was neutral, unchanging, even as Avalon shot forwards and Rustproof desperately ran for the equipment table.
“I said you didn't earn that privilege.” Celestia said quietly, flicking her horn to the side... and spikes of stone erupted from the ground all around Rustproof, one jagged blade of rock ripping a gash in his side and knocking him sprawling before the young male curled up, rasping hard for breath in terror as he was caged in by the jutting blades of earth.
At almost the same time, without bothering to look, Celestia simply slapped Avalon to the side, knocking the Pegasus out of the air. The tiny female crashed face-first into the ground with a cry of agony, bouncing and rolling several times before she came to a halt, and Celestia shook her head slowly before turning her eyes coldly towards Antares and Meadowlark.
Meadowlark backed slowly up, breathing hard in fear as Celestia calmly approached, the red Pegasus staring weakly up at her as Antares simply shivered violently, his jaw hanging open, tears in his eyes... and then he cried out weakly when Celestia shoved a hoof into Meadowlark's chest and stepped forwards to slam her cruelly down onto her back. The Pegasus bounced once with a cry of agony, spittle flying from her jaws before she whimpered, rasping for breath as Celestia leaned slowly down and said quietly: “Do you think your enemies will have any mercy for you, just because you're crying? No. They won't. They'll have less mercy than me.”
Meadowlark only trembled, shivering beneath her hoof before Celestia rose up and calmly strode over to Antares, who was laying on the ground on his stomach, shivering as tears leaked down his cheeks. He stared up at her, and Celestia looked down at him, then she ordered quietly: “Stand up.”
Antares shivered, then he slowly hauled himself up to his hooves... and a hoof smashed across his face, knocking him crashing onto his side. He clenched his eyes shut, face throbbing, body trembling before he slowly looked up as a weak sob escaped his jaws to see Celestia looming over him again, before she repeated coldly: “Stand up.”
Antares trembled... and Celestia reached down, seizing him by the mane and hauling him to his hooves before she slammed a hoof once, twice into his chest. He gagged, leaning forwards, limbs going weak beneath him as his vision blurred, and he tried to mouth something before Celestia simply dropped him and shook her head slowly. “Your parents would be disappointed in you. In everyone here. Get up, Antares. Get up, and fight. Show me that you know this is not a game.”
Antares only trembled... and then he slowly curled up and began to cry like a child, trying to hide his face in his hooves as his entire body shuddered with his sobs. His friends all lay beaten and bloody, petrified and wounded, and Celestia shook her head slowly and closed her eyes, feeling pity... but also disgust, anger, and even contempt.
She didn't speak as she turned away, slowly making her way to the exit and leaving the six sprawled out and shivering in their various states of denial and suffering. She left them behind, and Antares sobbed all the harder, the pain, the self-loathing biting deeper and more savagely when he realized that she was gone... that Celestia hadn't just lost faith in him, she had decided they weren't worthwhile enough to even waste her time punishing them... that he had failed in her eyes, because he couldn't lead, he and his friends had turned against each other, and they weren't proud warriors... they were stupid, selfish children who still hadn't processed how the real world worked...
A pair of limbs wrapped around him, and Antares yelled and tried to shove at the pony that had embraced him, but it only clung tighter before a wet face buried into the side of his neck. And in response, he grabbed wildly at the shape, and before he knew it, he was hugging her back, and they cried together before he felt more ponies coming over, turning into one fierce embrace shared by six ponies.
When Antares' tears finally slowed and he managed to get a bit of control, he saw all his friends sitting around him. He breathed hard in and out, seeing the pain, the tears in their eyes, and then Avalon trembled before she said weakly: “I'm sorry. All of you guys, I'm sorry, I... I'm stupid. I got so much pride but I know I need to stop. I need to listen and... Antares, I'm gonna listen...”
“I won't be scared... I... we need to work together, I don't... I don't want to be like my parents, I don't want to run away anymore...” Meadowlark whispered... and Antares realized that she had been the one to first embrace him. That she was still clinging to him, even as Prestige rested her head on Antares' other shoulder, trembling.
“Aunt Tia's never been so mad at us, so disappointed...” Aphrodisia looked up, trembling, before she half-lunged forwards and hugged Antares fiercely, burying her face against his chest as she whispered: “I wish she had hit us more if it would have made her less disappointed in us, Nova. And I'm sorry. You're my best friend. You're my best friend, I should've listened all those times...”
Rustproof only snuffled a little as he dropped his head forwards, and then he closed his eyes and dropped his head against Meadowlark's shoulder when she reached up and wrapped her other foreleg around him silently. He breathed hard in and out, and Prestige whispered: “Antares, you're our leader. I don't call you hero just because it's cute and... and... I've never felt more proud than when I was working with you and your friends. And I've never been more disgusted with myself than now... we didn't work together, and...”
She laughed brokenly, and then Avalon looked over at her and said quietly: “You're our friend too, Prestige. And Meadowlark, you are too and... I'm sorry.”
Both Prestige and Meadowlark nodded silently, and then Antares closed his eyes before he whispered: “Then we need to work together. Forget... everything else, we need to work together... I'm sorry I couldn't bring us together before but... I... I... I'll find... I swear I'll find a way to make this work...”
“You already bring us together. We just... need to listen. Antares, believe in yourself... you're...” Aphrodisia broke off, bowing her head and trembling a little as she held onto him. “You're the big brother.”
Antares laughed weakly, but he nodded slowly as he reached down and stroked his cousin's mane back before closing his eyes. “Okay. I'll... I'll try. Then...” He looked up, silently turning his eyes towards the table of littered equipment, and shame flushed his features as he saw the carelessness, the contempt... the fact he had treated the prized vambraces given to him by Twilight sitting in waste like they were garbage. “Then first... we need to earn our equipment back. We need to start at the basics.”
The others nodded, hesitantly pulling apart... but the group was humbled, working in silence with each other. It was small thing, but important and necessary, as they cleaned up, then gathered their equipment, polished it, touched it up as best they could. Ponies passed their equipment over to Antares, who cleaned out the dings as best he could, while Meadowlark and Rustproof polished gear and ensured everything was clean and in working order. Avalon and Aphrodisia worked alongside Prestige to go over the rest of their equipment while this was being done, organizing everything and also working on figuring out how they could all work effectively in combat.
What it came down to, was that they would have to listen... but Antares would also have to give orders. He didn't like the idea, but he saw the necessity for it in their eyes, and felt their faith in him... and that gave him strength. Not confidence, but he was willing to try, if only to avoid disappointing his friends and save them from receiving another beating... or much worse.
Celestia was right, after all: in a real battle, they would have been destroyed. Celestia had hurt them, but she could have done worse, and Antares knew that... and what hurt a lot more than her hooves was the feeling of failure. Was her words... the pain of her hooves faded quickly, but the pain of what she had said, the thought of his parents being disappointed in him...
Twilight Sparkle came looking for them when Meadowlark didn't show up for work at the archives... and while at first she smiled at the sight of them working together, she then saw the signs of battle, the bruises, the splatters of blood. She ran in, but Antares only shook his head sharply to the others... and to his surprise, they all immediately dropped their heads forwards and let him slowly tell her what had happened, and not even Avalon had spoken out.
He had simply said that they had been taught a lesson. It wasn't a lie, even if it wasn't entirely the truth, and he thought Twilight had some idea of what had likely gone on, but she had only left in silence afterwards. Antares put his mind back to the task at hoof, helping finish organization and equipment preparation before saying quietly: “Every day, we meet here. No other training, we're going to come here, we're going to learn to work with each other, no matter what. Allonym is right: it doesn't matter how strong we are apart if we can't work as a team. And we're going to start today.”
The others had agreed: and the more they listened, the more confident Antares became in giving orders. Now that they were working together instead of trying to outdo each other, focus only on themselves and their training, or simply butt heads of the sake of butting heads, they were beginning to understand how they could all play separate roles but still work together as a team.
It was an important start, and they were dedicated to it: dedication that showed when they returned to Thorn Palace late at night simply to go to bed, and the next morning headed as a group back to the training area, all anxious to work as much as possible. It made them all the more surprised when they found another table set up in the center of the arena, with food set silently out, inviting them to breakfast. Someone had also left them a book of exercises and battle strategies, and Antares silently touched this, not eating as the others did; instead, he was looking quietly out towards the entrance to the training grounds, wondering if the glimmer of a glowing mane he'd seen was real or just his hopes and imagination playing tricks on him.

Discord grumbled under his breath as he adjusted his satchel bag at his side, rolling his sore shoulders as he muttered: “Stupid ponies... would it kill them to give me a backpack? No, the messenger needs a messenger bag... I look like a retarded post office employee.”
Discord stuck out his tongue and crossed his eyes, saying in a falsely-bright voice: “Hyuck, hyuck, hyuck! Why hello everypony, look at me, I'm the post-Draconequus! I give happy letters to happy ponies and every day is happy happy happy...”
He blew a loud, angry raspberry as he slumped forwards, features souring as he stomped slowly along the road leading back to Canterlot through the mountains, mumbling: “Celestia could at least not send me on foot to the stupid Strange Ones. Lazy... glowy... prissy princess thingy. Ooh, look at me, I'm so pretty with my fancy swirling mane and my... shoes... and stuff. She can teleport! I have to hoof it through all the... sludge and forest and the singing ponies and the drunken Nibelung and the... stupid... everything.”
He grumbled under his breath, huffing a bit to himself before he frowned and halted in the middle of the road. Slowly, he looked back and forth apprehensively as he sniffed a bit at the air, reaching nervously up and grasping the strap of his mailbag as he realized there were no sounds coming from anywhere around him. No birds singing, no insects buzzing, just silence except for the whisper of the wind. It was sunny, it was bright, the blue sky overhead was pleasant and yet... he felt cold. He felt scared, as old instincts tickled along his spine, triggered a sensation he hadn't felt since Ginnungagap...
“I... I'm a messenger of the Royal Court, you know!” Discord tried to shout, but instead his voice came out hushed, weak, as he looked apprehensively back and forth and licked his lips nervously. “It's... a federal offense to annoy me! And... that's bad!”
Nothing, no response, and Discord hesitantly took a step forwards before a quiet chuckle spilled through the air. The Draconequus shivered, looking fearfully back and forth before he said hoarsely: “I warn you, don't make me get all crazy in here now! I can totally still do that if I want to, I just happen to... to like the color red!”
Discord rose his arms threateningly, waggling his fingers as he looked back and forth, but he felt pale, and scared, and... something reeked. Something smelled like burning and death and carnage and destruction, and his breath raced in and out as his eyes flicked back and forth before a voice sang softly:

“So you can rhyme, you should be really proud of yourself for that and... I'm going on my way now!” Discord shouted, wincing, and he spun to hurry down the path, looking back and forth in terror before he stumbled into a full-out run as several rocks spilled down a slope at his side, shaking his head and shouting as his hat flew off his head but he didn't dare turn back for it, sprinting down the road towards Canterlot.
And yet the castle was barely visible in the distance, he was hours away by the road, and whatever was here with him, whatever it was that filled him with such revulsion and terror and horror was easily keeping pace, moving so fast and sleekly along the mountains that he only caught glimpses of its shadow and profile, even as it continued mockingly:

“I don't blind date!” Discord managed to shout over one shoulder, continuing to sprint forwards... and then he staggered to a halt when he heard something hit the ground in front of him before he tripped over a rock and fell to all fours, looking up in horror as Cancer leaned down with a wide, vicious grin, his red eyes glowing.
“You'll make an exception for me, honey bunch.” Cancer said kindly, leaning his goblinoid, mottled white features in, and Discord shouted in revulsion and shoved himself backwards before Cancer pounced on top of him, slamming the Draconequus down onto his back as his forelegs transformed, hooves splitting into slimy tendrils that eagerly tore down through cloth and skin into flesh, spilling and spreading through Discord's body as he howled and shook his head wildly in denial, shoving uselessly at the slick, hideous monster pinning him down as Cancer gave a snarling grin. “Yeah! Oh, what's this? You got something restraining those chaos powers of yours... perfect! Ooh, I wish I could eat you up but honey, sweetie, baby, lovey-dovey, I'm gonna make you into something even better than dinner or dessert... now you hold real still, 'cause this is gonna hurt...”
Discord stared in horror, shaking his head violently before he arched his back and screamed as those awful, hideous tendrils crawled through him, and pain was the last thing he knew; the pain of something spreading inside him, the pain of his body beginning to warp and change, the pain of losing his mind not to madness, but something far more sinister and foul as the last thing he saw was Cancer's glowing red eyes... and then Discord was only aware that he was gone, and something else had taken his place.

Antares smiled a little as he glanced slowly around at his friends: their polished, well-maintained equipment gleamed over their bodies as they all stood at the ready, smiling warmly around at one another in the small arena. Wooden targets lay demolished, and there wasn't a single mark on any of them as Avalon and Aphrodisia both grinned and punched their hooves together before Avalon turned to Prestige, holding out a hoof. The unicorn mare looked surprised... but then she blushed and awkwardly reached up to tap her hoof against Avalon's, mumbling: “You... you did well.”
“You too, Prestige.” Avalon smiled and nodded, then she hesitated before glancing towards Antares, saying quietly: “And hey, Antares, I... I think... we're ready for something a little more intense. I know you've been having us do these basic exercises over and over again, but... I'd like to suggest – and just a suggestion, of course – that we move on to something a little harder. Maybe we can't do... you know, big stuff yet, but... how about a relay?”
Antares looked around at the others, his eyes picking up the details, their reactions... and then he smiled a little, weighing what he saw in them against his observations of their improving teamwork over the days that had passed since their trouncing by Celestia. He began to open his mouth... and then he looked up in surprise at the sound of a sharp bell tolling in the distance.
The others looked up too... and more warning bells joined the chorus, filling Subterra with noise. Yells rose up, and Antares opened his mouth before he cursed and reminded himself of his duty, shouting clearly: “Everyone, line up!”
Immediately, his friends formed a line in front of him, and that one simple order and action took away the sense of panic, made it easier for both them and Antares to think as Meadowlark said quickly: “I think that's the alarm bell! It sounded like it came from-”
“It's not an attack on Subterra, it's above.” snapped a voice, and Antares looked to the side to see Pinkamena running towards them, before the demon gave a wry grin as she looked over the group. “Well, you guys are doing better than expected. Okay, Antares, since you're head rooster, listen to me and listen good. You and your friends are supposed to go back to Thorn Palace. That's Celestia's orders, not mine, so don't even think about disobeying. Princess Sunshine's been in the pissiest mood ever these last few days and not even I would consider going against her right about now. Me, her, and a bunch of others are going upstairs to deal with whatever's attacking us.”
“Okay, Pinkamena.” Antares nodded quickly, and the Gluttony demon frowned at him before she narrowed her eyes and leaned forwards, looking suspicious. But Antares only looked at her calmly, saying quietly: “I'll keep my friends safe.”
Pinkamena grunted, then she nodded hesitantly before turning and bursting apart into black smoke that shot quickly through the air. Antares grimaced a bit, then he shook his head and glanced at the others, saying quietly: “Alright, back to Thorn Palace. We can find out from Selene what's going on and figure out what to do from there.”
The others nodded, and Antares turned, leading them quickly out of the training grounds. As they hurried through the streets of Subterra, Antares couldn't help but look back and forth, seeing how the demons and creatures of this dark city were rallying, many hurrying for the surface and others guiding younglings and others to safety. The glossy-black unicorn felt his leather wings tensing, wanting to join them, wanting to help... but knowing he had to consider the situation they were in, and keeping in mind that for all he knew, it was nothing more serious than an attack by a raiding party of Nibelung thugs that was about to suffer a quick and painful defeat.
They hurried through one of the long tunnels that connected to the cavern the Thorn Palace was in, before Antares frowned and looked sharply up as the frequency of the bells changed, as the jangling became more dissonant... and Meadowlark shouted from the back of the group: “That's another alarm! It's nearby, too!”
Antares gritted his teeth, then he shouted over his shoulder: “Let's check it out, just in case! But we don't fight unless we have to... Avalon, take point, fly up ahead and scout it out, then hurry back.”
Avalon nodded quickly, shooting up into the air in the direction of the alarm as Antares led the others through the dark stone streets... then winced a little as he saw Twilight Sparkle run out of an alley ahead, the Lich glancing back and forth before she did a double-take, then glared at him “Antares, what are you doing here? You need to-”
“We got trouble!” shouted Avalon's voice, and Twilight glanced in surprise towards the yellow blur as the Pegasus came shooting back at full speed, crash-landing between Twilight and Antares and wincing as she skidded painfully to a halt before scrambling hurriedly to her hooves. “Guys, guys, there's something horrible over there!”
“Cancer is attacking above with more of his infected monsters, you need to get back to Thorn Palace and-” Twilight was cut off by a horrific roar that made the very air around them vibrate, and the Lich staggered to the side, staring over her shoulder in horror as she asked incredulously: “What was that? Oh no, he didn't infect a dragon somehow, did he?”
“Worse, way worse... but Antares, we need to help!” Avalon almost pleaded, looking up even despite the fear in her eyes, teeth grit as she nodded firmly. Antares grimaced, but then he looked up at Twilight, who breathed hard... then the Lich cursed under her breath, and Antares nodded sharply.
The violet mare turned, running towards the disturbance as the others followed behind her, beginning to open her mouth to ask what Avalon had seen... and then, as they turned onto another street, the Lich could only gape in horror at the hideous thing that had somehow torn its way into the caverns.
It was some bestial, awful mishmash of countless creatures, hobbling along on legs that were different lengths, one shrunken and ending in a hoof that dragged over cracked cement, the other fleshy and massive and with a hooked claw. Its chest was broad and covered in hideous cysts and what looked like staring but blind eyes all along one side of its breast, and one shoulder was far larger than the other. The arm on this side was monstrous, raw flesh and muscle and sinew flexing as huge, vicious claws raked against the ground to help drag itself forwards.
Its other limb was almost as long, but gangly, twisted and gnarled, and countless smaller arms ending in hands that seemed to reach weakly to the sky in supplication struck up all along its back. Its tail dragged along the ground, ending in an enormous blade that sent up sparks as it scraped over the black stone.
Drool dripped from oversized jaws, gnarled teeth sticking out in every direction as a crown of twisted and magnificent horns gleamed above eyes that glowed out of a face twisted into a permanent grin. It roared as it looked back and forth, swinging its oversized claw forwards to smash through a stone building like putty, and then Twilight snarled in fury as she looked up at the awful, familiar shape standing on its pustule-riddled, oversized shoulder. “You!”
“Hey, toots, I got a name you know, won't kill you none to use it.” Cancer said in a hurt voice, and then he grinned and  slapped the side of the behemoth's face several times, winking over at it brightly. “Not that it would matter if it did, right, right, right?”
Cancer threw back his head and laughed as the behemoth simply loomed forwards at the end of the street, at least thirty feet of hunched, rasping death, steam pouring out of its jaws as poisonous sweat trickled along its disease-riddled body. “So where the hell is the white weasel, little ponies? Don't tell me she went up into Canterlot already, lookin' for little old me? Ain't nothing up there but them chickens! Well, and a few unfortunates who happened to be right where I needed 'em... you ponies. Sitting out, looking up at the night sky, oh how sweet and romantic... do I ever love me some take out and delivery.”
He winked, then Twilight snarled, leaning forwards as her horn glowed. “This was a stupid move, Cancer! You may have brought some kind of monster here but once Celestia figures out you're not up in Canterlot-”
“Oh, but I am, babe!” Cancer grinned widely, then he slowly tilted his head to the side... and his flesh and slime bubbled, a second head forming and pulling itself slowly to the opposite side, leaving the monster with two grinning faces as he said mockingly from one: “You could say... I have a split personality!”
Cancer chortled at his own joke, slapping the shoulder of the behemoth wildly before he gargled, eyes glowing red as his heads merged back into one before he rasped: “Infect, destroy, annihilate, murder them... murder them all...”
Then he twitched and screamed, which shortly transformed into another fit of wild, jagged laughter. It cut out as suddenly as it began, Cancer leaning forwards and hissing: “Besides, little ponies, I picked myself up the most magic-resistant thing I could find to shape up into this hell of a Jabberwock I got here. Oh sure, he can't call down the thunder like I wish he could, but now I got me his antibodies, I got me his genes, I made myself even better while I turned him into something a whole lot worse than any of you pissant little ponies can handle...”
“I.. wait...” Twilight paled, her eyes widening as she stared at the monster as it rasped for breath, mindless, soulless, monstrous... before a tremble ran through her as she whispered: “Discord... you... this... was Discord?”
“Sounds like the babe has a girl crush on you, honey. Ain't that cute, the zombie's got a wittle heart.” Cancer made smooching sounds, leaning down as Twilight's eyes glowed with rage, and then he winked before leaping cleanly backwards and off the beast, calling cheerfully: “Go give her a kiss... or kill the hell out of her, whatever feels more natural!”
The Jabberwock gave an earth-shaking roar, and Twilight Sparkle leaned forwards, screaming back as the air vibrated with magic and power around her, before she snarled and snapped her head forwards even as tears spilled down her face. A blue fireball burst from her horn, crashing into the monster's chest and erupting in a massive blast of sapphire flame and sound, but the Jabberwock barely flinched, only thrown off balance by the attack but not actually hurt.
Twilight's eyes widened in horror, and then Antares leapt forwards as Cancer's cackles rose up through the air, the young stallion seizing Twilight and shouting desperately: “Come on! We need to regroup, we need help!”
“No, no, no, we have to stop them here!” Twilight shouted back, turning with a snarl and charging forwards, looking up with pain and desperation and something approaching madness in her eyes. “Discord! Discord, listen to me, don't make me-”
The monster snarled at her as it regained its senses, swinging its massive claw down... but Twilight was tackled out of the way by a red streak, the Lich wincing as she and the firebird rolled violently into the side of a building. The Jabberwock hissed, dragging itself forwards as its jaws opened  wide, acidic drool spilling out of its mouth... and then it squealed in shock when a blast of white light smashed into the side of its face, grabbing at its head with a gangly limb as Antares shouted: “Over here! Come get me, right here!”
Antares snarled, terrified and yet determined, as the Jabberwock's attention slowly focused on him... and then he looked up with a wince as Cancer yanked himself onto a nearby rooftop, snarling and shouting: “Oh, you again? Trying to interfere with my plans? Fine, you so eager for some fun, then you go right on ahead and have all the fun you and your kiddy friends can handle! Jabberwock, forget the zombie trash, kill that kid!”
The monster roared, swinging its claw forwards, tearing up the ground as it half-fell into a staggering gait... and Antares winced as he spun around, yelling to the others: “Lead it to the square, go, go, go! Come on, come and get me, we aren't afraid of you!”
“Then why are you running, you dumb punk?” Cancer all but screamed, before he snarled as he looked down into the street, rasping: “I'll cremate that zombie myself.”
Twilight cursed under her breath as the firebird transformed into Burning Desire, the fiery stallion saying hurriedly: “Twilight, forget it, if you want to help your students then you need to get them to safety and get Celestia! We already tried to push that thing back when it ripped into here, it's almost invulnerable to magic and-”
“It's Discord! I have to... I have to stop him or save him... you don't understand.” Twilight snapped, breathing hard as her stitches pulsed and she shoved her way to her hooves, grimacing in the direction of the monster... before both she and Burning Desire looked forwards as Cancer landed on the road across from them, grinning darkly.
Twilight's eyes flashed, and Burning Desire stepped forwards with a snarl, the stallion's eyes glowing as Cancer shook himself out and licked his teeth hungrily. “Hello there, honey-buns. Sorry to interrupt your cuddle-time, but you see, I got this garden back home and I need me some fertilizer. You don't mind if I cut you up into pieces and use you for that, right?”
“You stay away from her.” Burning Desire growled, the fiery demon's eyes glowing as his mane and tail flared bright red, exuding waves of heat and malice.
“Oh, what are you gonna do, pretty-boy, turn back into a songbird and give me some scratches? Peck at my pretty little eyes?” Cancer batted his red eyes at him mockingly, grinning widely as he posed  in mock surrender. “Oh look at me, I'm so terrified! Don't hurt me mister big scary demon who has a little crushy-wushy on the smelly zombie bit-”
Burning Desire leapt forwards, transforming in a blast of flames into a monstrous, serpent-bodied beast, with an upper body that was wreathed in red fire. Huge claws smashed down on either side of Cancer as the demon leaned down and roared with a fang-filled jaw in Cancer's face, his eyes glowing bits of hellfire as he now towered high over the staring, mottled creature.
Then, almost disdainfully, Burning Desire leaned back and simply sent Cancer flying far down the street with a hard backhand slap, the mottled-white creature squealing as he flew through the air before colliding with a building with an audible splat. Burning Desire glanced over his shoulder at Twilight, the half-unicorn, half-snake giant giving her a rumble and a wink. “Go help the others, violet, I'll deal with this!”
Twilight gazed after Burning Desire, smiling faintly before she turned to sprint down the road, wincing at distant roars of the Jabberwock; the behemoth had already reached the square, where Antares and his friends, and the few demons that had the courage to stand with them, were trying to hold the monstrosity at bay.
Cancer had spoken true, and Prestige cursed as another spell simply bounced off the Jabberwock's frame, stumbling backwards before she shook her head quickly to Antares when he glanced at her. The glossy-black stallion cursed, then he looked up and watched sharply as Avalon shot in at the behemoth's skull, slamming both her rear hooves into its forehead... and getting little more than an annoyed snarl as it twisted its body to swing its oversized arm at her.
Avalon shot backwards, barely dodging the attack: the arm swung with all the grace of a falling tree, and dropped just as quickly and heavily, ripping through the front of a building and sending up a cloud of dust as the beast almost overbalanced. But awkward and slow as it was, even Aphrodisia couldn't damage it as she ran up its spine, stomping and punching along its vertebrae before kicking herself backwards when the thin, smaller arms that stood out of its back snatched wildly at her.
Nightmares and other demons peppered the monster with spells, and it was all ineffective, doing nothing more than aggravating it further before the beast suddenly half-turned with a howling roar, ripping its massive arm around in a semicircle that tore its claw through the ground and smashed several unfortunate Nightmares backwards. Antares winced, then he cursed as the others regrouped quickly around him, Meadowlark asking hurriedly: “What do we do? We can't hurt it!”
Antares opened his mouth to answer... and then the Jabberwock's tail lashed out as it hissed over its shoulder at them, and he winced backwards: but a moment later, a demon appeared in front of the group and took the worst of the blow for them, knocked sprawling into the ponies.
The young stallion cursed in shock, looking down in horror as the demon coughed blood, grasping at the tear in its stomach... and then he said sharply: “Meadowlark, Rusty, drag him to safety! Avalon, Aphrodisia, Prestige, we can't sit here and talk! If we're going to all be a team we need-”
The Jabberwock interrupted them with a roar as it turned around, lashing its long, thin limb forwards in a wild grab at them, but Prestige stepped forwards with a snarl as she swung her horn outwards, a sharp wall of ice ripping up from the ground in front of them. The monster's claw collided with this and was knocked backwards, and Antares and Prestige shared a quick look before they both leaned forwards, snarling and horns glowing, before snapping their heads upwards in perfect time.
The wall of ice tore free from the ground and shot into the Jabberwock's face, crashing into it with enough force to knock the brutish monster staggering with a howl of rage. It shook its head wildly,  fragments of frost falling all around it as it clung stubbornly to the ground with its oversized claw for balance... and then Twilight Sparkle shot beneath the malformed thing's legs and flicked her horn as she passed, the earth behind her rupturing and knocking the monster crashing backwards.
It howled in frustration as it began to claw wildly at the earth and rock itself back and forth, trying to force its hunchbacked, distorted body back up to its feet; it gave Twilight more than enough time to join up with the others, Antares and Prestige stepping up to one side of the Lich, Avalon and Aphrodisia on the other. “We need to subdue him somehow... Antares, anything, anything at all?”
“None of our magic works... it just bounces off him or makes him madder, and we can't seem to tear through his hide... it's like he's made of rubber or something!” Antares said quickly, as the beast began to crawl slowly upwards, rasping in and out. “We need help! We need Celestia, or-”
“We're not killing him!” Twilight shouted almost desperately, and Antares looked up in surprise before the Lich shook her head violently, trembling as she whispered: “I won't kill Discord again. There has to be a way to stop him, to save him, we have to figure out how to undo what Cancer did to him!”
“Maybe there is.” muttered a voice, and the others looked up in surprise, Twilight looking over her shoulder with wild hope in her eyes at the sight of Discombobulation walking towards them, his features tense and serious before he gestured sharply at the Jabberwock as it dragged itself around in a circle to face them, snarling. “But first we need it distracted while Twilight and I-”
“You heard him!” Antares shouted, and then he gritted his teeth before leaping into the air, ordering quickly: “Avalon, let's keep his eyes on us! Prestige, Aphrodisia keep him off balance!”
And Twilight stared in surprise as the young ponies shot forwards, rushing headlong into danger without hesitation as they followed Antares' directions without question, pushing beyond fear. Avalon and Antares shot towards the Jabberwock's face, getting its attention as the leather-winged unicorn winced and launched himself out of the way of a grab from one leg, as Avalon flew in and slammed all four hooves into its cheek, roaring into the monster's eye before she kicked off as it snapped its jaws wildly after her... while meanwhile, Prestige flicked her horn, the ground shattering beneath one of the monster's warped legs as Aphrodisia sprinted forwards and launched herself into its kneecap, the behemoth swaying unevenly as it was distracted with a hiss.
Then Twilight winced as Discombobulation grabbed her shoulder, saying quietly: “This is going to hurt a lot, Twilight Sparkle. But it has to be you, I'm afraid... both because of what you are, and because I know you'd rather not see another pony die.”
“It's okay. I have a few spares.” Twilight replied quietly, allowing Discombobulation to pull her backwards and away from the main conflict. She couldn't help but look up again, feeling fear and worry and pain... but also pride, as Antares flicked his horn down in midair and set off a bright flash directly into the Jabberwock's eyes, making it howl in frustration as it swung its massive arm blindly back and forth.
Discombobulation nodded calmly, then he winced a little before raising his natural arm in front of himself, and swinging one of his sharp metal fingers down in a swift cutting motion: with a spark, a long, thin line was sliced in his arm, and the Draconequus gritted his teeth as he slowly flexed his metal fingers and made a cupping gesture with his metal hand: blood spilled out from the wound in a long, concentrated stream, swirling and growing into a sphere of glowing crimson in the Draconequus' metal palm before it hardened into a crystalline orb.
The Draconequus wheezed as he clutched this tightly, a little pale from the exertion as slumped a bit, and Twilight looked up at him with worry before he slipped the sphere into his other hand and muttered: “Sorry about this.”
With that, he simply lashed his metal claw down across her chest, flaying her stitches open and making the Lich curse in surprise more than anything else: it revealed the open, never-healed socket that gazed in on her empty chest, before the Draconequus grimaced in distaste as he shoved the red crystal into her, and Twilight flinched, then gave a short shriek, eyes beginning to glow as it felt like her veins caught fire, her mind went wild with images and words and visions-
“Focus, Twilight, focus it!” Discombobulation rasped, panting hard as he pointed at the Jabberwock, and Twilight shook her head back and forth, gargling, staring wildly up as she saw colors and beautiful visions and madness before Discombobulation seized her by the back of the head and forcefully twisted her around to look at the Jabberwock, shouting: “Do you want the good ending or the bad ending? Mash X, dammit!”
Twilight clenched her teeth so tightly she felt them cracking, dredged up every bit of discipline and focus out of her mind as she could even as her body rippled and steamed, as stitches popped like firecrackers and her eyes glowed ivory, electricity sparking around her body... and then she arched her back before screaming: “Get out of the way!”
Antares looked sharply over his shoulder at this, and then his eyes widened before he yelled to the others: he wasn't even sure what it was, but it got the message across, the four scattering in all directions as the Jabberwock swung its massive limb at them with a hiss... then looked down a little too late as Twilight snapped her horn forwards, a blast of radiant light erupting from her and smashing into the massive monster. The Jabberwock screamed as it was driven backwards by the stream of energy, falling forwards and clawing into the ground as fractals of light and sound-made-visible sparked and danced around it, a glow steadily building around the monster's malformed body as the barrage of energy continued to barrel into it before Twilight released another shriek.
The monster was obscured by a blast of light, and an eruption of power ripped through the Lich's body, the crystallized chaos essence inside her exploding with enough force to almost tear her in half. She fell backwards in a broken pile of body parts, feeling boneless and agonized as smoke burst up from her desiccated form, rasping weakly in and out as a shiver ran through her... but the pain, the wild thoughts still running through her head, everything and nothing mattered as she stared at the glowing cloud of chaotic light and energy.
And then, with a crackle and an almost comical pop, the cloud sparked out of existence and a single figure fell to the ground with a thud. It landed on its hands and knees, retching several times before vomiting loudly... and blearily, Discord's eyes slowly opened before he sat back on his haunches and grabbed at his face, staring stupidly around and mumbling: “What... what did I eat? I... puppy?”
Discombobulation smiled faintly as he held onto his side, and Twilight tried to raise her head... then cursed weakly as she found she didn't have the strength. She felt like she was dying... but then she smiled weakly at this thought, closing her eyes for a moment as she corrected mentally: Physically dying, but not... I can't die that easy...
She laughed weakly to herself, and Discombobulation carefully dropped to a kneel beside her. And as the ponies nervously looked at Discord as he staggered up to his feet, Antares turned, then trembled and ran towards Twilight, whispering: “M-Mom... oh... oh Horses of Heaven, look at...”
“It's okay, Antares. I just... I'll be okay.” Twilight whispered from where she was laying brokenly. The Lich smiled faintly, breathing slowly before she murmured: “I'm just... drained... and... Discombobulation... thank you...”
“No, Twilight... thank you. Even if you make me feel ashamed of myself, for the fact I would never sacrifice so much for big dog over there.” Discombobulation said quietly, smiling faintly as he reached down and stroked slowly through Twilight's disheveled, smoldering mane. Twilight laughed weakly, opening her mouth... but then her eyes opened, and all present turned at the sound of a long, drawn out hiss.
Discord stumbled to his feet, staggering around and then almost falling over again as Cancer approached from the street. The monster was snarling and smoldering, his red eyes glowing with rage as he rasped: “Can't trust... anyone to do your job for you these days... oh, well, looks like I'll get to have myself a meal of you after all...”
“N-No... Burning Desire...” Twilight rasped... and then Discombobulation and Antares both stared in disbelief as the Lich gritted her teeth... then slowly, despite her wrecked and tattered frame, the obvious breaks in her spine, the missing leg and torn-apart chest... she pushed herself up to her hooves, breathing heavily in and out despite her lungs being flayed and needing no air. “What did... you... do to h-him...”
“Wouldn't you like to know, zombie? Why the hell don't you have the sense to lay down and stay dead?” Cancer snarled, and then he flicked a foreleg out, launching a glob of poisonous, volatile slime at Twilight... but then there was a sharp crack, and the ball of slime burst into green flames that disintegrated in midair long before reaching Twilight.
Cancer grunted, and Discord winced as he grabbed at his stomach with his lion's paw... then slowly frowned and looked at his eagle talon as energy sparked over it. His eyes widened in realization before he looked over his shoulder, grinning widely even as he said disgustedly: “Oh, puppy, don't you  dare think this makes us even or even scores you a promotion. But you know what they say... one good turn deserves another, and much as I would absolutely love to pick on you ponies for making my life a living hell...”
“What? You... you think... filthy foul freakish flopping frakking fool!” Cancer raged, frothing at the jaws as his eyes glowed bright red, leaning forwards with a snarl. “I spared your life, I gave you a part in the band, I made you strong and we laughed and cried and had such fun together while you were all... brainless brute, and you're turning on me over one little itty-bitty monsterization? Oh hell no! Now you listen to me, boy, you get your ass over here and you start killing the crap out of everything, or so help me I'm gonna-”
“I really don't like it when people give me orders.” Discord's eye twitched, then he rose his talon and snapped his digits, and a large, steel girder popped into existence above Cancer's head before crashing down on the monster, sending up a burst of white slime and knocking the creature flat. It howled in fury, and Discord grinned before he laced his fingers together and cracked his knuckles. “Now let's see if I still remember how this goes.”
Cancer threw the metal beam off, standing up with a howl... and Discord began to make violent gestures with his hands as if conducting a symphony: with every sharp movement, a heavy object fell from the sky and crashed down on top of Cancer: anvils, girders, pyramids of steel, refrigerators, and all assortment of other things hammered down into the destruction entity, burying him beneath a jumble of every kind of object imaginable before Discord rose both arms high above his head with a flourish, then bowed low and swept his arms down deep.
An enormous bank vault appeared above the pile and crashed down with an incredible bang that shook the ground, sending the ponies staggering in amazement as a cloud of dust slowly wafted by, and Discombobulation calmly strolled up to this before spinning the handle on the vault door and yanking it open to reveal Cancer inside buried up to his neck in coins, jaw gaping and body broken and shivering, staring wildly back and forth. Discombobulation smiled and twiddled his metal fingers at the destruction entity, and then he held his hand out, and an enormous, cartoon-like black bomb appeared in this before he tossed it into the vault, kicked the door shut, and then spun the valve closed.
He walked calmly over to Discord, and they easily traded a high five before both Draconequus turned to face the vault and put their hands behind their back at the same time... and a moment later, there was a tremendous bang that rattled the walls of the immense safe before it simply collapsed into pieces, revealing an ashen-black Cancer that was now smoldering visibly, sitting in a broken pile of wreckage. The monster stared at them, and the ponies gaped in amazement... before Cancer's eyes glowed brightly as it lunged suddenly forwards, body rippling as its forelegs turned into claws, its jaw expanded, the hideous thing taking on new monstrosity as it shrieked: “You think I'm playing a game here, punks?”
Discombobulation and Discord both screamed girlishly and hugged each other immediately, and Antares snarled as he began to step forwards and Twilight winced, trying to concentrate... but before anyone could react, a cane lashed out and smashed into Cancer's face, knocking him flying backwards. The monster hit the ground and rolled violently back into the wreckage in the road as Allonym stepped elegantly in front of the two other Draconequus, spinning his cane easily before leaning easily sideways against it.
“Who the hell are you?” Cancer snarled, looking furious at being robbed of its prize, eyes glowing with bestial hunger.
“I'm Mister Deus Ex Machina, bitch.” Allonym retorted, and then he rose his hand and calmly snapped his fingers, and an immense steel crane appeared above Cancer's head, the creature looking stupidly up before this dropped on top of the monster with a sickening splat.
Allonym grinned over his shoulder at the two other Draconequus... then winced and shouted when they both seized him, yanking him back and forth as they grabbed at his jacket. He flailed violently at the two, then stared in horror as Discord tore his leather-bound journal free from his inner pocket and Discombobulation snatched a fountain pen away from him. Allonym grabbed wildly at them, but Discombobulation danced backwards and tossed the pen over Allonym's head as he leapt and grabbed at it, shouting: “You can't do this! This goes against every rule in the book!”
Discord caught the pen, then he spun around and popped the black book open, hurriedly writing something as he kicked a leg backwards into Allonym to try and keep him at a distance, asking grouchily: “So how does this work now that I've written it in, does it just-”
The crane exploded a moment later in a magnificent blast of fire and light, and Cancer was sent rocketing skywards with a miserable scream towards the cavern roof high above. All eyes stared to follow this, Allonym's jaw dropping before Discombobulation hurriedly ran over to Discord, snatched the book and pen away, and then jotted something down himself in the time it took Cancer to begin falling back towards the ground.
Just before the mottled monster could hit the ground, a figure in a red helmet and a blue uniform appeared and slammed a yellow-gloved fist directly into the monster's face, the image of a crimson bird of clearly flaring into life behind him with the distinct roar of: “Falcon punch!”
Cancer was knocked flying head-over-heels through the air, screaming the entire time... before he simply sparked out of existence in a burst of fireworks. Then the figure of the being that had just struck him struck a pose, giving a thumbs-up to Discombobulation and Discord as the two Draconequus saluted him sharply, before the uniformed creature puffed out of existence in the same burst of sparks.
Allonym stared at this, then he glared at Discombobulation before snatching his book and pen away when they were carefully offered to him. “Where the hell did you send him?”
“Through the fourth wall.” Discombobulation informed, then he slowly looked back and forth before cupping the side of his mouth and whispering loudly to Discord: “That's a meta reference.”
Discord nodded seriously, and Allonym glared at them furiously, the strange Draconequus shoving the book away inside his torn jacket as he snapped: “Do you two idiots have any idea what you're doing? You can't just-”
Discombobulation swung his metal fist up and punched Allonym in the nose, the purple-suited entity grabbing at his face with a squawk before Discord childishly kicked him in the shin, and Allonym hopped backwards before falling heavily on his rear, staring stupidly up at them. Both Draconequus glowered down at their fellow, and then they looked at each other and nodded firmly.
Antares slowly walked forwards, still looking disbelieving before he asked slowly: “So... so is Cancer gone, then? Like... gone, gone?”
“If only it were so easy.” Allonym mumbled in a muffled voice through his hands, then he hissed a little in pain, adding in an infuriated voice: “I think you broke my nose!”
“You deserved it. All this time, and you could have just undone that monster like pressing 'ctrl-z' on the keyboard.” Discombobulation said distastefully, before he frowned at the sour look Allonym gave him through his watery eyes. “What?”
“If it were really so simple, do you think he'd be here at all?” Allonym muttered, and then he rubbed slowly at his face before grimacing and grabbing his cane, carefully pushing himself to his feet before the Draconequus shivered a little. “Perhaps it's a worthy sacrifice to get him out of Subterra, though... if he'd stayed here...”
“Burning Desire... please...” whispered a voice, and all eyes turned to Twilight, the Lich hauling herself forwards a little even as she trembled: her body was visibly trying to give away, and yet all the same she was hauling herself painfully forwards on three legs. “Please...”
Carefully, Discombobulation reached out and gently grasped Twilight's head, saying softly: “Stop and lay down, Twilight Sparkle... you've already done more than enough, don't you all agree?”
He glanced back and forth, and the ponies nodded as they gathered in, Antares smiling faintly as he looked from Twilight to Discord before saying quietly: “I... that was amazing what you did, and you guys are too... you're... we're lucky that-”
Discord, however, only huffed and hurriedly shrugged off the others, stepping backwards and raising his hands moodily: “Whoa, whoa, let's slow down here. I am grateful that you saved me, but... I also don't like any of you very much. Especially not you, puppy.” Discord sniffed disdainfully, and then he added moodily: “But thank you, I suppose. Still, I'm not all touchy-feely so... goodbye. I have a lot of catching up to do.”
With that, Discord bowed deeply, blew a loud raspberry, and then simply vanished. Antares looked stunned, but Discombobulation only smiled and shook his head, saying quietly: “Don't worry. He's like a certain movie about dinosaurs in the land before time. He'll be back. And Twilight Sparkle, why are you being so silly? You'll never find your friend, alive.”
Twilight frowned, gritting her teeth as Antares looked up, then his eyes widened in understanding: when the Lich saw Antares' reaction, her own frazzled mind processed what the Draconequus had said, and then she smiled faintly before murmuring: “You're right.”
With that, Twilight closed her eyes... and Prestige gasped as the Lich's body collapsed and began to dissolve away into nothingness. The unicorn mare staggered forwards as the others gave cries of shock and stared in horror, but Antares only smiled a little, hurriedly shaking his head as he said quietly: “It's okay guys, don't worry. Mom... Mom just... needed to go somewhere for a little while. She'll be back, though, you'll see...”
He turned... then frowned as he realized that Allonym had vanished, too. But Discombobulation only shrugged, rubbing slowly at his chest with a bit of a smile as he said quietly: “Chaos entities like me come and go as they please, Antares... I'd say there's no logic or reason to it, but I'm sure you can figure out when and why and maybe even where we like to slip away to.”
Antares nodded slowly, and then he silently looked down the street before asking hesitantly: “But Cancer... and Discord...”
“Discord is smarter than he looks, which... is saying about as much as that he's smarter than he acts... which isn't saying much at all.” Discombobulation shrugged though, rubbing thoughtfully at his chest. “Big dog will show up sooner or later. But come, Antares Mīrus and friends. I might as well try and make a good impression on Celestia and escort all of you back to that nasty, scary place in the center of Subterra with that nasty, scary Nephilim. I'm sure Twilight Sparkle wants that, too... and I'm sure she's very proud of you all, but... emotions can make things run fast and get in the way at times.”
Antares smiled faintly... and in the distance, an invisible shade sprinted along the street, gazing back and forth worriedly before it trembled in both relief and fear as it finally found what it was looking for: a burning bonfire surrounding the body of a demon that was laying prone and wounded. She ran towards it, trembling, feeling the warmth of the flames lighting up her spirit as she leaned down over Burning Desire's curled up body.
Slowly, one of the fiery stallion's eyes opened, and he smiled faintly up at her, whispering: “Oh, my shrinking violet... do you always have to come to me as a dream...”
Twilight's specter laughed silently, relief filling her up: his mane and tail had mostly died out, but the demon had managed to summon up enough strength to create this protective shell of flames around him... something Cancer hadn't been able to reach in through. But his chest and body were flayed open, and Twilight guessed the polymorph hadn't helped... she knew that Burning Desire could only maintain his Salamander transformation for a short period of time, fearsome as it was. For a few moments, they looked at each other: her, invisible to everyone but the few gifted enough to see her, and him, nothing but a red shape in a protective cocoon of flames.
The only sounds were his breathing, and the crackle of fire... and then Twilight leaned down, pushing her lips to his ear, focusing all the little strength she had left as she whispered into his mind: We can't have forever, Burning Desire. But if you like... we can have a little while. And we'll always be friends.
Burning Desire trembled a bit, and then he closed his eyes and murmured softly in return: “Nothing would bring me more honor, Twilight Sparkle... a little while with you will make the eternity I've gone without... worthwhile.”
Twilight smiled faintly, and then she nodded slowly before demon and spirit studied one another, and he leaned up as she leaned down: for a moment, they felt each other's lips as they kissed... and then Twilight flickered out of existence even from his eyes, but her taste lingered... and Burning Desire smiled tiredly in his bed of flames as he coughed once before closing his eyes, murmuring: “What a tease.”
With that, the demon let himself settle to the broken street... but he was confident now that even if he fell into darkness, he'd survive these wounds, one way or another. After all... now he had something to live for, at least for a little while. And that gave him all the strength in the world.