//------------------------------//
// Endgame 
// Story: Dusk's Dangerous Game 
// by Airstream 
//------------------------------//

Sweetie Belle flinched, feeling something warm and wet hit her face as she cringed. Her wounds throbbed in agony, but the stabbing, searing pain that she had expected had not come. But she did not know why. Hesitantly, she opened one of her eyes. She wished she hadn’t. The world in front of her had been transformed into orange and red and shimmering steel. Another drop of something warm landed on her upturned face, and she knew where it had come from. 

Scootaloo stood over her protectively, her face contorted in pain as she faced Applebloom, her wings spread over Sweetie Belle like an umbrella, hooves planted squarely in the dirt. The spear was inside of her body, at least eight inches of steel and wood transfixing the Pegasus, who seemed to be feeling a strange mixture of surprise, pain, and defiance. Her eyes traveled down the wooden length, into the strangely neat and puckered flesh around her wound, weeping bright blood, before her eyes moved back to her killer. Scootaloo’s face changed, a resigned calm spreading over her that looked totally out of place. Her hoof found the shaft, and tugged on it weakly, thrusting more of it inside before she collapsed, taking the weapon with her.

Applebloom’s face was unusual. Blood wept from the jagged stump of her ear, her teeth were chipped and missing, and one of her eyes was slowly swelling. The Sunborn looked at Scootaloo as if she was trying to process the information in front of her, like a difficult math problem, before lines of horror began to appear on her face. Her golden eyes widened as she backed away from Scootaloo’s fallen body, up the hill, and her eyes met Sweetie Belle’s.

Sweetie Belle felt a cold breeze wash over her, and was not at all surprised to see snow falling from the sky. The wind seemed to sink into her very core, and she found the hot throbbing of her injuries seemed to fade away, along with the rage that had seemed to be consuming her after seeing Scootaloo’s corpse. It was all so very clear to her what she needed to do. She rose on shaky hooves, pulling a knife from the ground and flipping it from one hoof to the other. Some distant part of her was surprised to see that it was her jambiyah. 

Mahtaram’s voice sounded in her head. “The jambiyah is a tool of retribution. Use it wisely.”

Well, there was no time like the present for retribution. She picked up some of the broken spear haft in her other hoof. Applebloom’s face struggled between her training and the remorse she felt as Sweetie Belle closed in, her steady walk speeding into a quick bit of footwork that carried her in close. The wood struck Applebloom in the jaw with a crack, spinning her around. The shaft then swung backwards, catching Applebloom in the temple and causing her to crumple.

Applebloom snarled, her training reasserting itself, and picked up a sword, swinging it at Sweetie Belle. She dodged it with ease. She felt like Chrysalis, utterly devoid of passion, or mercy. The shaft was dropped, Sweetie Belle struck Applebloom in the cheek with the back of her broken hoof. The sound of breaking bones could be heard, from which pony it was impossible to tell. Applebloom thrust with the short blade, but Sweetie Belle caught her hoof, bringing all of her weight onto it as she rested the appendage over her shoulder. Applebloom’s foreleg gave way with a crack.

“You don’t deserve to live.” Sweetie Belle said calmly, punctuating the last word with a flick of the dagger, leaving a line across Applebloom’s face. “You have taken everything from me.” Flick. Blood streamed from Applebloom’s ruined leg in a long gash, right along the artery. A kick caught Applebloom under the chin as she tried to rush forward down the hill.

Sweetie Belle flipped the jambiyah, the pommel catching Applebloom between the eyes and causing her to sink down. The Earth pony’s eyes crossed, and Sweetie Belle sat on Applebloom’s chest, hearing ribs creak and groan. She could hear screaming from somewhere behind her, and the coldness in her chest grew. She straddled her friend, who could only moan in pain.

“You’ve taken Scootaloo.” Another neat series of cuts unbound the armor from Applebloom’s body, causing the breastplate to fall away. Sweetie Belle’s horn lit up, and in a display of uncharacteristic magical strength, she hurled it down the hill. Applebloom’s chest heaved in panic and agony as Sweetie Belle gazed into her eyes.

“You’ve taken Night Light.” The knife cut ever so gently across Applebloom’s throat, just enough to break the skin. 

Applebloom’s expression was panicked as she realized how helpless she was, and Sweetie Belle was struck by how similar she looked to the Pegasus that had first taken a knife to her, Autumn Sunset. Her weight shifted, and Applebloom’s panting became gasping as she began to lose her ability to take in air, pinned by Sweetie’s weight.

“And had that spear taken me, you would have killed my child.” Venom crept into Sweetie Belle’s voice at that, and the blood in her veins pumped faster as she neared the final moment. An explosion sounded in the distance, followed by the cries of many ponies, but Sweetie Belle paid them no mind. Applebloom’s eyes met her own, and though the golden orbs were unable to express much, Sweetie Belle caught an expression she was familiar with. Applebloom was begging, either for her own sorry life or…maybe for forgiveness, for redemption.

Sweetie Belle raised the dagger above her head in both hooves. “So. For my friend, and for my lover, and for my child, I hope this hurts. And one more thing. This is for me, too.” The dagger swept down, sinking into Applebloom’s heart with a wet thud. Applebloom’s eyes welled up with tears, blood spraying from her mouth, as Sweetie Belle twisted the knife. The tears spread, and before long, Applebloom’s jerking, shuddering body had relaxed.

Sweetie Belle felt tired, so very tired, as she dropped the knife with shaking, numb hooves. She felt wet spray hit the back of her neck as her shoulders slumped, and the last thought before the water took her, before she was driven down into icy blackness, was that although she had won, her enemies were the only ones who no longer felt any pain. She relaxed as she was swept into oblivion, and though the water was the cold of a river in midwinter, it could not compare to the coldness in her heart.





Cadance stood her ground, feeling the panic of the citizens below her as they noticed what was circling above their heads. Waves of terror washed over her, and the Windigos screamed in rage as the blizzard spiraled above Canterlot. The circle tightened, becoming more violent, and Cadance realized that the fear and uncertainty of the ponies below was actually feeding the weather. Already she could see snow piling up in drifts, ice dangling from balconies. Were she not a goddess in her own right, Cadance would likely have begun to suffer from hypothermia. As it was, she could actually see new Windigos being born, as ponies with anger in their hearts shed their mortal bodies and chose to rise with the herd above. Ponies were dying, Celestia was not here to protect them, and if she didn’t do something, there would be no Canterlot left to defend.

So she spread her wings, horn shimmering with teal light, and soared into the sky. 

Immediately, the Windigos took notice of her. With a shriek, a small group of them separated from the pack, trailing snow and sleet behind them as they charged her. Cadance fired off a bolt of magic, driving them back as she hovered over the city. Drawing on the power she wielded, she summoned flame, and lots of it. It filled the sky, red and orange that turned the sky into an inferno, driving back the storm as the lost souls within in screamed in impotent fury. But the effort was too extreme for the newly christened goddess, and after a scant minute, she could no longer maintain the curtain of fire.

But her display had given the ponies below her a brief respite, and she had found more than that in their souls. She had found something that gave her strength, and it was with renewed determination that Princess Mi Amore di Cadenza Allegretta, daughter of the great Windigo fighters of the north, faced her enemy. And with the hope of all of Canterlot lending her strength, the Alicorn faced the spinning storm.

Fire spat from her horn, and it spread into a curtain of crackling flame that leapt and twisted and spat, striking down Windigo after Windigo as it roared with a voice of its own, countering the Windigos’ shrieking, which seemed to steal the very breath from the lungs of all who heard it, with a deep rumbling that thrilled the veins and invigorated the spirit. The inferno was easily the size of Canterlot itself, a massive cone of fire that punched a hole through the crashing storm. 

The cloud spiraled around the conflagration, Windigos screaming in pain, fear, and rage as the fire ate at their hides. But no matter how hot the fire burned, the ghostly forms remained, driven back, but only just. Ponies in the streets below began to notice this, and as the hope in them faded, so too did Cadance’s flame. The wind came back, stronger than ever in that absence of hope, and Cadance began to feel weariness and apathy overcome her as she spread her wings in a last gesture of defiance, protecting her city.

Her heart swelled with sadness as she felt frost take her coat as well, but her head remained unbowed as she continued to try her utmost to fight, to drive back these vile creatures and prevent them from taking Canterlot as they had the north of Equestria. Her horn spat, her heart filled with rage, and she screamed defiantly into the storm as she felt her body rime over with ice entirely.

But just as the storm took her, she realized what it was she was doing wrong. 

Windigos relied on fear and anger to survive, that was all they had known in life. Here, where she had been fighting them , she had made her stand. But what if that wasn’t the key to beating them after all? The city was full of so much anger and fear and despair that this storm was raging harder than ever before. But perhaps, instead of seeking to annihilate her foe, she should be trying something else. Anger and violence had created these beings, it was food for them. Perhaps…perhaps the opposite would be enough to dispel them.

Her heart fluttered nervously as she turned inward, wings pumping steadily as she began to direct magic in a way she had never thought of before. Growing up, she had always thought of her emotional magic as something to be used as regular magic, pushed out to help ponies. But here, in the middle of the whirling tornado of hate and bitterness, she did something she had never done. 

Seizing hold of that emotion, and opening her heart wide, she began to direct it inside of her. Her eyes fixed on a Windigo, galloping full force towards her, rushing fearfully at her and leaping into the air with a scream before disappearing into her chest, right where her heart beat faithfully.

Cadance screamed in agony as the full force of this pony’s bitter life overwhelmed her. Her mind was suddenly filled with images that were not her own. Images of a hard life in the north, of toiling beneath an ancient castle for rulers that did not appreciate the bounteous harvest being given to them. Her hooves scrabbled at dirt as her Earth pony magic thrummed monotonously. A winter came, passed, came again, and stayed. Her family, two foals and a faithful wife, shriveled and died, though she gave as much as she could to them, going hungry so they would not, and always sending food to the castle. Perhaps the Pegasi would move the clouds soon, it had to be soon…And then it had never happened. That pony had died with bitterness in their heart, full of grief and misplaced rage, not of starvation but of a broken neck. The stallion had tried to kill his neighbors for food. He had lost that struggle, just as he had lost the struggle to keep his family alive.

Cadance felt millennia of bitterness and rage, more than fifty lifetimes of hatred, welling up and threatening to overwhelm her. Reaching deep within herself, she relieved the spirit of its burden. Her heart, laden with cold though it was, managed to find forgiveness for the spirit of that poor stallion, and as she opened her eyes, she saw the Windigo vanish, turning white as it did so. She smiled and readied herself again. It might take everything she had, in fact she was sure of it. Were she to survive the night, she would never be the same. 

Another hit, one of a hundred thousand, and Cadance groaned in pain as another lifetime of sorrow washed over her. Her horn flickered, but she stayed strong. The love she possessed would have to be enough. She shared as much of herself as she could, and felt the hateful spirit disappear, released from its chains to the earth. As she took in more and more, the tide of rage and sorrow and hate threatening to overwhelm her, she felt the cold creep into her limbs. First in ones, then in threes and five and dozens, each Windigo turned into her, and Cadance took their anger and replaced it with the same gentle love she felt for all those beneath her.

And as the ponies of Canterlot watched her, and understood what she was doing, they responded in kind. Cadance felt their love pour out of them, filling the streets and rising to her like a hot desert wind, driving the chill from her bones. And she smiled, and called more to her. She could sense each and every Windigo, all across Equestria, turn towards Canterlot. They were without number, as many as snowflakes in a storm. But with the love of those beneath her, and enough confidence and magical skill, she might yet save Equestria. She smiled, not noticing her coat turn a frosty white.

And the storm raged on, as Hatred met Love. From the bitter cold of night, the sun began to rise. Dawn was claiming her land.





The water of the lake gleamed in the sunrise, its surface oddly peaceful. It had not been, scant minutes ago, but those unfortunates caught in its middle had long since drowned, weighed down by their armor and weapons. In a day or so, they would come to the top again, swollen and bloated. They could be collected then. But that didn’t stop what remained of Twilight Sparkle’s army from wading into the murky, frigid water, and dragging out those bodies they could. 

Among them were the Wielders, and though they had found over a hundred dead, Equestrian and Ever Free alike, they still had not found the bodies of those ponies they were looking for. But the sun was rising, and they had duties to perform . It would not be long  now before they were forced to abandon the search, and return to the Regia. Celestia’s army in the North was on the march, and the First Line couldn’t hold them, even with flash powder. 

Applejack was beside herself with grief, searching with no pretense for her sister, her every action desperate. The water beside her erupted, a large sphere rising into the air in which  a few limp shapes floated. The water parted, dumping them onto the ground, and the rest of the water was released back into the lake. They were not her sister, they were the bodies of two Regulars and a one winged Pegasus with no armor. She repeated the process over and over again, but was unable to find more bodies. Snorting in frustration, she moved down the line.

Rainbow Dash circled overhead, sweeping the edges of the lake for the injured and dead before suspending them with her magic and returning them to the Fort. No matter which side the ponies had fought on, they were treated there. But she still had not luck finding them. The three that mattered most. The Crusaders.

There wasn’t much point to looking for Twilight. All of them knew that. Twilight had died creating this lake, her body in the deepest part. The explosion would have obliterated her completely, anyway. Rainbow still remembered the feeling of that shockwave, pressing her to the ground like a giant hand descending from the heavens. The cloud of rubble had expanded into the air, looking for all the world like a giant mushroom, before the water had rushed in to claim the crater. And it had taken both armies with it. In a way, Twilight had buried herself, and taken two armies as an honor guard into the afterlife.

Fluttershy was back at the Fort, treating the wounded as best she could, her magic seeming to find each spot that needed attention and heal it, faster and more completely than even the best unicorn medics. She was working herself hard, knowing her limits and pushing them without exceeding them. But there were already so many to help, and more that she could do nothing to other than gently sooth them into sleep to wait for the inevitable.

And Pinkie Pie and Rarity were walking along the water’s edge, peering into the depths as their magic swept over the surface of the lake, fishing out bodies where they could find them. Pinkie was remarkably intuitive, and she plucked fallen soldiers from the water with impressive dexterity and speed, laying them gently on the shoreline. But it was not a task she enjoyed, and she found herself thinking that it was like a macabre, never-ending game of bobbing for apples, but the prizes only made her sad and she knew she couldn’t stop yet, because they had loved ones to find. 

But it was Rarity, worried Rarity, who made the horrible discovery. Scootaloo bobbed gently in the shallows of the lake, the spear gone but the hole still very much apparent. Focusing gently, she lifted the young Pegasus out of the lake, sending up a flare as she did so. Pinkie arrived first, followed by Rainbow Dash and Applejack nearly simultaneously. Though it was unusual, the Pegasus’s eyes were closed. It looked almost like she had fallen asleep.

“Oh, Scoots…” Rainbow Dash moaned. “Not now, kid. I never got to…”

Rarity bowed her head silently. “The others will be nearby.”

Pinkie nodded. “I can feel it. They were together when she died.”

Applejack’s magic spread wide, and with a grunt of effort, she dragged forth a limp pile of armor and fur. Rolling it over, she gave a little yelp, as if she had cut herself. The assembled ponies looked on solemnly as Applejack draped herself over the wet form of her sister, who lay terribly still, and began to sob. There was nothing more to say, all that was left was for Sweetie Belle to be found. 

And find her they did. Rarity averted her eyes, stinging with tears of her own, as Sweetie Belle was dragged out of the shallows by Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash and laid out next to Applebloom, her jambiyah still clutched in her right hoof. Sweetie’s face was calm and impassive, her features still and cold. Together, the four friends bowed their heads over the bodies, and wept. 

“She doesn’t need the dagger anymore.” Rarity said, her voice quavering. “Take that horrid thing away. Toss it in the lake.”

Rainbow Dash nodded, approaching Sweetie Belle’s still form. Wrapping her hoof around the dagger, she tried to pull it from the unicorn’s grasp, but was unable to do so. Frowning, she tugged harder. It still wouldn’t budge. Finally, with a yank, she managed to rip the jambiyah  from Sweetie Belle’s hoof.

Her efforts were rewarded, however, when Sweetie Belle coughed up water. 

“She’s alive!” Rarity cried.

Rainbow Dash sprang into action, dropping the dagger and seizing Sweetie Belle in her magic as she soared towards the fort. Sweetie Belle could still be saved, but her wounds were serious. There wasn’t much time, but there was hope there. Sweetie Belle was alive. And right now, that was what was important. Time enough to grieve later, but now was the time for action. The dead were best left dead.





The first thing was pain. Such pain that she screamed, the sound echoing off of high mountains and through quiet fields. Tightness, compression, a core of steel around which there was nothing but pain. Needles of glass dug into her, burning on the inside in a hundred different places. She screamed and screamed as her back dug into the soft earth, filling the air with soft clay as she let lose all of the agony within her. 

But even that, after a time, subsided, and she could no longer take refuge in pain. Gradually, over an eternity, she began to remember herself. Drawing in her life, her experiences, slowly but surely Twilight Sparkle was brought back to herself. It took a lot of effort, but she was finally able to manage the strength to open her eyes.

The earth below her was covered in grass as far as the eye could see, stretching out onto an infinite plain. Behind her was a forest, dark and dim. Her eyes were just able to discern the far-off shadow of mountains, from which there gleamed a most curious and enticing light, one that was both welcoming and elusive. Twilight felt herself rise on shaky hooves, like a foal might, but before she could set off towards the distance, she felt a gentle hoof on her shoulder. She turned to see who it was, and her eyes flew wide in shock.

“Hello, Twilight.” Morning Star said, his tone jovial. “I know you may not think so, but it really is good to see you.”

Twilight began to breathe heavily, taking him in. Morning Star was just how she remembered him, tall and handsome, red hair falling messily down his back as his eyes laughed at some hidden joke. His expression was one of cheerful recognition, and his stance and tone were completely non-threatening. Twilight felt herself tense up involuntarily, and she got ready to bolt for the mountains. 

“Relax, Twilight. You’re still very new to this, so I’ve been kept here as a guide. It’s not time for you to take that journey.” he said, voice jovial. “At least, not yet.”

“Goodness, you really did hurt her, didn’t you?” another familiar voice said. “She looks like she’s either about to run as fast as she can, or try and kill you again!”

A young unicorn mare stepped out of the forest, tossing her blonde mane. Her step was lively, and the Talent Mark on her flank was familiar as well. Twilight knew it like she knew her own. After all, she had branded Cadance with the same Mark, a five-pointed star wreathed in flame. Golden Radiance smiled at her benignly. 

“Hello, Twilight. You’ve met part of me before. I’m Golden Radiance. The real one.”

Twilight calmed down, drawing air in through her nose and pushing it through her mouth. “It’s a pleasure to meet you finally.”

Golden Radiance stepped forward, standing beside Morning Star. “We’re here to guide you, Twilight. Somepony very important needs to speak with you urgently.”

Twilight’s brow furrowed. “But I’m…I mean, aren’t I…”

“Dead?” Golden Radiance asked. “Yes, I’m afraid you are.”

Morning Star nodded solemnly. “Which is a shame. We’ve all been watching, and I have to admit by the end I was rooting for you.”

“But if I’m dead, then shouldn’t I be moving on?”

Morning Star shook his head. “You aren’t ready for that journey yet. Besides, it’s not like death is an irreversible thing.”

Twilight gave a short, barking laugh. “I don’t know, it seemed pretty permanent when you were involved.”

Golden Radiance cut in smoothly. “What he means is that death is like…well, it’s like dusk. It’s a state of being, not a destination. A journey. And while dusk is supposed to lead to night, it’s not impossible to step back into daylight.”

“Just difficult.” Morning Star said. “For important things only. But between your raw magical power, Luna’s spell, the charge in the crystal, and being bathed in dragon’s blood, you’ve got a lot of energy stockpiled. And believe me when I say that you are well worth the effort, Twilight.”

Golden Radiance nodded in agreement. “Which is why we were held to meet you. You are pivotal in the struggle between Chaos and Order, more so than you could have ever known alive. This was the only way to speak to you.”

A jolt of realization hit Twilight. “That’s why Luna put a flaw in the crystal.”

“That’s right.” Morning Star said. “Subtle and effective. A work of art the way she did that. She and Celestia came to the same conclusion together after she was released from Canterlot. But they went about it different ways. Celestia wanted your child. Luna wanted you.”

“For what?” Twilight asked. “I’m the pawn again, and I don’t have a clue what game we’re playing anymore.”

Golden Radiance began walking towards the forest, Twilight and Morning Star in tow. “It’s the greatest game, Twilight. The rules change, the board is never the same, and the stakes are higher than ever.” Her eyes, deep brown, met Twilight’s own. “You’re playing to not only balance Creation…”

“You’re playing to preserve it.” Morning Star said. “You’re the last piece in Creation, and we need you. So no, you can’t die yet. You’re needed Twilight Sparkle. Right now, you’re more important than your war, or Equestria, or Cadance. You’re more important than Luna and Celestia. Which is why we’re taking you to meet a special somepony.”

“Who?” Twilight asked. “Who can just bring me back like that?”

Golden Radiance smiled. “She’s called Aether, Twilight. But she likes to be called Mother.”