//------------------------------// // Ep8: The Final Return // Story: Death by Dragon // by Compendium of Steve //------------------------------// A grand celebration was held in Ponyville the night after the destruction of the Changeling hive. Fireworks, music, dancing, the works. Even a ticker-tape parade for the returning heroes who single-handedly took out the treacherous Queen Chrysalis and her ilk. And of course, it was hosted by the local princess Twilight Sparkle and attended by the Royal Sisters. A big ceremony, some medals, airshow by the Wonderbolts and good times for all. As the citizens celebrated the preservation of Equestrian peace and justice, I eventually found myself sitting alone on the observation deck atop the Librarium. A private party for the princess’ closest friends was being held inside, but I managed to slip away unnoticed. Aside from the fireworks, the sky was clear and full of stars. I remember thinking that it all seemed a bit insulting, considering what had transpired. Like none of it acknowledged the fact that full-scale genocide had been committed. Then again, maybe that was precisely the point: to overlook that grim detail. A tapping of dainty slippered hooves broke my reverie, but hadn’t given me cause to turn. So much for having gone unnoticed. “Spike? What are you doing up here?” The owner of the voice was the reason I looked back. “Just taking in some air, Your Highness.” “Is something the matter?” I looked back out over the town. “No. Today’s been a little tiring, is all.” I heard her trotting toward me. “I know there’s more to it than that, Spike. Tell me: what’s bothering you?” She sat down next to me, although I kept looking straight ahead. I sighed. Never wise to lie to the princess. “It had been rough out there. Bloody, but necessary.” “That it was, Spike.” A straightforward response. No pause, no real emotion. Very official. “Even so, there were a lot of grubs. Many little eyes looking back. Plenty of them confused, scared.” I paused. “And there’s what happened to Pinkie’s eye.” “Troubling, I’d have to agree.” Some hint of emotion with that one. “Odd she wouldn’t want anything done to it. Not even have a false eye put in.” “Yeah, she’s weird like that.” “Indeed.” I could detect a smile from that one. “She’s certainly not one to be easily discouraged, so this is a clear sign she’s still herself.” “Yeah.” A silence fell between us, as we both looked out over the lights of the town and the lights borne from the distant fireworks. I felt her gaze upon me. “It had to be done, Spike. Not just for the sake of Cadance, but for the safety of all Equestria.” Had she even mentioned her brother? I don’t entirely remember. “I know.” I let my head sink a bit, but then I immediately felt the soft touch of gilded horseshoe on my shoulder. “Please don’t be bothered too much by it. What you did ensured that no others would have to suffer as the Crystal Ponies had suffered. Words cannot portray the sheer gratitude this country has for your deeds, and words certainly cannot portray mine.” It was oddly comforting, hearing that schlock from her. Added a touch of warmth to that cool balcony. I lifted my head a bit. “Sorry to have worried you.” “Don’t be. All ponies have their means of coping, and considering what had happened, you’re doing it most admirably.” She tugged gently. “I will tell you this, Spike: if you weren’t here, I wouldn’t know what to do.” “...You sure about that?” A nod from her. “Absolutely. Since my days as Princess Celestia’s student, there has always been someone reliable in my life. Someone who was both helper and companion. And well into my Ascension, that same individual has proven steadfast, ever the model of dependability. I can say, most definitively, that there’s nopony I know quite as well as you. And certainly nopony more deserving of my deepest trust.” I looked over to her, and I see that she’s smiling. A warm, genuine smile. Brighter than the moon and stars combined; gentler than the rays of the sun; compassion pure and simple. Murdering Changelings must’ve made me more moody than I thought for thinking those kinds of things at the time. Regardless, I found myself giving a genuine smile of my own in return. A modest one, though. “Glad not to have disappointed, Your Highness. And thank you.” “You’re welcome.” She pulled away her hoof. “And whenever you feel doubt, know that I not only see you as an excellent Vanguard, but also as my dear friend.” The words linger and float around in my head as I stride up to the Librarium, sword drawn (no barrier here, either). Of all the times for that to come up. Certainly not the time or place to get all mushy. Perhaps the last cry of doubt trying to change what is about to transpire. Whatever the reason, the warmth of memory is gone, replaced only by that of the sunset that’s lighting up the leaves like some fiery halo. Standing before the entrance of the Librarium, I tell myself that my mind is made up. This is getting settled, one way or another. Closure will be had. With these thoughts weighing heavily, I step into what was once my institution. My sanctuary. My home. Ep8 THE FINAL RETURN It’s both darker and brighter inside, a mixture of shadow and ebbing sunlight. It also seems more elongated, but that could just be from the contrast of the aforementioned lighting. Across from me is the Grand Collection, and atop of it is Her Highness. Back turned to me, wings spread, bathed in the piercing light of sunset offered by the observatory window (talk about overkill). The shadow cast by her makes it easier on my eyes, but even then it’s still uncomfortably bright for sundown without my shades. I hear her head shift slightly against the neckline of her regal dress. “You have returned.” Plain and simple. No hint of anger, sorrow, or anything: just utterly neutral, which makes it more harsh. Well if she’s gonna be mellow about it, so can I. “I wanted to clear up some things.” The grip on the sword hilt tightens, slightly. We stand in silence, not moving an inch. “You have your sword drawn.” I look at it, then back to her. “It slipped my mind. I notice there’s no kind of barrier set up.” “Because I took it down.” “Expecting me, then?” “Indeed I was.” A pause between us, broken by, “How did you know I was even here, or that I was even alive?” “The report from Canterlot stated that an object was seen flying in the direction of Everfree Forest. There was suspicion that it had been you in flight, but that’s all it was: suspicion. But then I sensed a disturbance with the Element of Honesty nearly an hour ago. And when the Element of Laughter was extinguished, the question of your presence became a certainty.” All very level, despite talking about her very friends getting hurt and dying. “So why’d you let me get this close in that case?” “For the same reason you came back: clarity.” She lifts up her hooves and turns around to face me, lowering her wings. The way she’s looking down... impassive, somber. As if looking at a total stranger. “Why did you kill Celestia, Spike?” Gotta come clean. “She wanted me dead. I didn’t have a choice.” Her eyes widen only slightly at that. That facade of hers softens a bit in concern. “But, why?” “For what I did to Luna. She got scared. Saw me as a threat, as well as you by extension. Told me you’d be easier to control if I were out of the picture.” “That can’t be...” That even tone again as she turns back around with a bowed head. “How could she think that?” Better lay it down for the hell of it. “Twi, I know what’s been going on. It was Discord. He’s the one who drove Luna insane, and he’s messed with other ponies’ minds as well. Changed their ways of thinking and behaving. Gave Chrysalis the idea to murder Cadance. Manipulated Celestia into being paranoid, got Pinkie to become a psychopath, and made you... what you are.” She turns back to me, eyebrow raised. “What’s that supposed to mean?” I hold out my arms. “Should I go down the list? Putting strict regulations on book check-outs, issuing the death penalty to those who don’t follow, building a spy network to maintain those regulations, and being holed up here in the library while having someone eliminate ponies all day long. Sorry, Librarium.” “Overdue books used to be acceptable, Spike. Depriving knowledge from others instead of sharing it. Regulations had to be put in place for the welfare of the populace, and making the punishments severe is the only way the citizens will understand the gravity of this abominable crime.” “That’s another thing: everything you just said. You never referred to other ponies as ‘citizens’ or talked about killing them like it’s no big deal. Ever since you got those wings, you’ve steadily become a textbook monarch. A tyrant, even.” “I’m sorry you see it that way, Spike. I had new and important responsibilities to fulfill in becoming a princess. I have only adjusted accordingly to befit the title bestowed upon me, and the duties that come with it. It would be naive to think there wouldn’t be changes.” “Yeah, like with your friends?” My tone’s heating up. Composure’s slipping. “Don’t you think their ‘changes’ are more than a bit off? Rainbow Dash ditching Ponyville, not wanting to be around us when she stops by? Applejack focusing more on business than family? Rarity opening that ‘business’ without any objections from anyone? And Pinkie Pie... we both know she wasn’t really the violent type. Goofy and off-kilter, yeah, but she didn’t take joy in outright tormenting somebody, much less harm them physically.” “And what of Fluttershy? She remains kind as always. She chose to stay as she always has been, as everyone else had a choice in keeping or altering their lifestyles.” “No, not really. Fluttershy’s the same because she’s Discord’s only friend; he did nothing to her.” No prompt reply this time, instead turning back around with a heavy swish of her dress. “Were that the case, it doesn’t detract from what has happened today.” Now it’s that calm, authoritative voice of royalty. “Aside from the death of Princess Celestia, there’s also the more recent death of Pinkie Pie, as well as numerous royal guardponies mentioned in the earlier reports. In short, your actions indicate a violent, volatile element in this kingdom. One that’s proven highly dangerous.” Are you for real? “...So I was supposed to have let myself get killed instead?” She turns back to me again. “You could have fled and reported back to me, instead of engaging in reckless slaughter.” Like she’s one to talk. “She made it rather difficult for me to do that. Besides, she would have come here at some point to get rid of me, even if it meant tearing this whole town apart.” Would she have, though? Getting carried away. “If what you said about her intentions are true, then it would have been a matter that could have been peacefully resolved. If a sinister spell were involved, then we could have used the Elements of Harmony to dispel it—” “It wouldn’t have worked. That’s the thing: Discord messed with your minds, to make you distance yourselves from each other, to not worry about maintaining the Elements. But honestly, if you really cared to have this fixed peacefully, you would have done it years ago.” A visible look of surprise on her that time. “With your oh so ‘keen’ sense of observation, you should’ve picked up that something wasn’t right. But you didn’t, or you chose not to. Too much bother in regards to your own agenda, right? Discord had twisted things so that everypony, especially you, showed indifference toward others. Toward your closest friends, your family, even your mentor. And especially toward your royal servant.” I could feel the trembling weight of the gaze she now held affecting the room. Maybe lower the temperature a few degrees as well (it’s possible). “That’s uncalled for,” she says with a twinge of disappointment. “After all I’ve done for you, how I raised you, tutored you, for all your life, and you accuse me of indifference toward yourself?” She shakes her head glumly. “I cannot be mad, however. You were trained under my guidance, and thus I share part of the blame for today’s transgressions. Therefore, it is only fitting that I, who served as your caretaker, should be the one to put a stop to you.” Her wings spread out, the sound reverberating intensely off everything. “I suggest you put down your sword and accept justice.” Back to soft-spoken neutral. “Or, are you willing to raise your sword against me, as you did with Celestia, for the sake of self-preservation?” A brief pause. “Isn’t there a more peaceful route?” “Justice must be done, Spike. Someone has to answer for those who have been slain today, or unrest will fill the hearts of everypony. Order must be maintained at all costs. You know this more than anyone.” The grip on the sword tightens to the point of shaking. That talk of peace and justice again. She never saw their eyes, heard their cries, felt their blood on her precious fur. No, that was all me, having the time of my life but having to bear all those memories. This is it. Years of having me do her dirty work, running her twisted errands and the hell she put me through in training me under Pinkie Pie. She screwed me out of a dull, normal life. Warped my heritage to fit her own needs. Subjecting me to enough trauma to drive any sane pony to suicide. This is where it stops, where I tell her how it really is. Not gonna pull any punches with my next words. No ounce of sympathy. I’m just gonna lay it to her straight, once and for all. “...Don’t make me do this, Twi.” ...Wait, what? “I’m sorry?” “Why does it have to be like this?” What the hell am I saying? Why am I mumbling? “Am I hearing doubt from you?” No no no no no, I can’t be crumbling over this. Get it together! “This is so fucked up. Why can’t you see that?” I can’t believe this is happening. “You did raise and teach me, Twilight. From the very day I was born you’ve been there. Looking after me, teaching me right from wrong. Just like a—no, you were a big sister to me! The fun we shared, the things you taught me, the times we held each other for comfort, cried together, made one another feel safe and secured. And here you are talking, acting like none of that love fucking matters! I know you better than anyone else, and I know that this isn’t you. I thought I accepted what you had become, but it all just bothers the hell outta me! It has for years! You were nice, sympathetic,  hated any and all kinds of violence, and you’d never consider training a kid for the life of an executioner. You were just a bookworm who found friends she wanted to help, to protect, but then you go and become some uncaring, frigid monarch? It’s bullshit and you know it!” Shudder; take breath to calm myself. Tears going down my cheeks. Damn it all. “Under that dress and those wings and that crown I know the real Twilight Sparkle is still there, buried deep within. I see it whenever you dote, or... or those rare pouts. But it gets fewer and fewer… Almost gone. Like you’re slipping away…” Neck gives way. Force it back up. “Enough is enough, Twi. Be reasonable, like you used to be. Just... be yourself again...” Eight years of stoicism and professional conduct, and it all breaks down. My big moment to tell her off and I go spilling my guts all over the place. Nice to know I have actual pent-up feelings, but this isn’t the best time to let them out. Especially not in the most pathetic display imaginable. And just as I feared, my moment proves to be an utterly embarrassing waste of time. “Most unfortunate,” Twilight says in that flat tone. “The guilt of your actions has broken your mind. You have lost yourself; to allow you to live would leave both you and the kingdom in dire straits.” That miserable part of me gives a hushed cry of disbelief before flicking off. Twi bows her head. “As your friend, I’ll see to it that you won’t suffer for much longer.” Her head rises and her eyes flare up pure white, the entire Librarium shaking as a wave of magic overtakes it. “And as Equestria’s sole protector, I will ensure that it never experiences tragedy again.” The building shakes more violently until there’s a very hefty rumble followed by a shift and tilt in the ground. I’m getting a sense of rising as the sunlight from outside moves around the surfaces of the library interior. Meantime, Twilight has reared back onto her hindlegs and is floating upwards with forelimbs outspread. She rises to the space between the top of the book stack and the ceiling, and with a strong flap of her wings the entire Librarium breaks apart. The floor beneath the Grand Collection spreads apart, but the books float in place and start drifting around their caretaker. Walls and ceiling and floor separate into large chunks that spread out, allowing me a good look of the outside. Specifically, the airspace hundreds of feet over Ponyville. The sections of the Librarium stop moving and float around in place like platforms of some bizarre aerial arena (the tree canopy serving a leafy semi-cover high overhead). Some furniture and books are also floating about, but just everything remains in place. With everything in position, Twilight’s eyes let off a flash as a translucent barrier bubble materializes around her. The nearly-set sun shines more intensely from up here, making the dark of night across from it thicker. I can feel the pulse of her will; the radiance of her magic and mind sweep over everything. This really is it. Just as Pinkie said: Submit or Defy. I suck it up, flick my sword and focus solely on one thing: Survival. There’s a blink off Twilight’s horn and suddenly my limbs are stretched out at angles by golden rings on my wrists and ankles. The bindings burn and overtake my thoughts, leaving me to struggle and groan as I’m pulled into the air. I’m brought before the barrier, utterly helpless, as Twilight stares at me with divine intensity. The bindings tighten and pull at my arms harder; no doubt she’s gonna end this here and now. So much for surviving, though it’d be more tolerable if not for the drilling pain at the top of my skull. As I grit my teeth for the end, the pressure in my head releases right when there’s a flash of darkness. Suddenly I feel my restraints give way and find myself falling back down to the section of floor I had been on. I kneel into a landing and look up, catching a glint of surprise in Twilight’s gaze. What the heck was that? Then I hear something like a distant loud whisper: One more final gift. Don’t squander it now, haha. Of all the… Don’t just stand there. Move! I sprint from my position and leap off the floor platform while she’s distracted. I land on the one over to my right and look over to Twilight. She’s moved her body in following my movement, and her horn blinks again. The golden rings appear and tug at my limbs, but as I start resisting they immediately disperse in a fizzle. “Graced by Darkness. A danger to Harmony itself!” From the sides of her bubble two purple spheres sprout out. They start drifting in my direction as I run to the other side of the platform. I leap from the flooring just as there’s a double blast behind me, and I keep running on the next section as I spot more purple orbs coming my way. I leap over to the top of a bookshelf, then from that onto the second floor landing, and then spring upward onto the edge of Twilight’s bedroom, blasts going off behind me. I go for the bed, but my footing gets shaken as the platform plummets downward. I regain my balance and watch as the various platforms radically shift position on the vertical axis, bringing me well beneath Twilight. The platforms begin circling around her as well, bobbing and rising alternately. Not much time to take in this new shifting layout as another purple orb approaches. I get to the bed, jump on it and spring up to a rising coffee table. Claw catches the table edge and I yank myself up, then immediately hop over to a bare section of floor. I’m right at Twilight’s level, and she looks to me and radiates more intensely before a yellow beam shoots off from her barrier. Floor beneath me explodes and I freefall several yards before landing hard in something white and solid. Just my luck to end up in the bathtub, but it beats hitting the ground far below. Or so I thought before the tub rattles and shoots into the air. I notice the layer of sparkling purple covering the surface of the tub as it gives me a winding ride around the protected alicorn. Things start to get dizzying, but I manage to spot an exit and leap from the tub with arm extended. I catch the lowest step of the main stairs and sway there, watching the bathtub tumble through the air downward. Heft myself onto the lower steps and begin climbing. At the top of the steps I stop to properly assess the situation at hand. All the Librarium continues to revolve around Twilight and her bubble and is gonna keep going until either I’m dead or I can k(ill)nock her out. Don’t know the exact fortitude of her barrier, and I certainly can’t do something idiotic like throw myself at it swinging. First gotta see what sort of tough it is. I take a deep breath, and fighting the burning in my throat I spit out a fireball at her. The flames hit and disperse in a wide cloud, but from the green heat shroud something large and long fires out. I bob to the right, narrowly avoiding the length of wood and kitchenware(!?), and looking back to Twi I see the flames completely gone, as well as an oven and a cupboard hovering behind her. Silently the objects tilt forward, spin, and then launch. The oven I crouch under, but the cupboard’s gonna hit. Quickly I hold up my sword, and bracing the back edge with my other claw I let the cupboard cleave itself and separate past me, broken dishes spraying all around. Good thinking, but no chance to gloat when a hot beam scrapes past my side. I rise up to move but only stumble forward, and while I sway to avoid falling down the stairs, another of Twilight’s beams blows the staircase in half. The shuddering does it for my balance and I tumble over a few steps before rolling off the blasted section. Collide with a wardrobe on the way down which rights me into facing a passing bookcase. I stab out my free claw and bust the lowest shelf, anchoring myself to the unfortunate bit of furniture. I don’t waste a second in getting my other claw up to the next shelf, then pulling the other one free to climb it like a ladder. Once I run out of shelves to climb I lift and press my feet into the case to tip it forward and get horizontal. Takes a moment to steady myself on the makeshift platform, and takes another moment to assess that I’m riding the current right by Twilight’s side. With a stomp of my foot I direct the bookcase down and hang ten right in Twilight’s direction. Moments before impact I jump off, and as exploding wood fills the air I bring up my arms and smash through the glass door of the (Just taking in some air) observation deck. I roll and stop just before the banister, and getting up I look to the shattered door. Barrier is still glimmering, so furniture is out of the question. Flick my sword and step forward toward the breach for another go. Unfortunately the fridge slams down in front of me, splitting the balcony in two and catapulting me up up and smack into the leafy confines of the Librarium canopy. Plenty of branches to rest on, but the sudden entry has messed up my sense of orientation. Some yanking and twisting and I manage to poke my head out of the greenery, and it just so happens to be right over Twilight. Excellent position for a drop attack, though I should strategize, decide how to go about this. But of course I don’t get the privilege because immediately my cozy hideaway starts shaking violently before pulling apart. No point trying to keep things together without winding up clinging to some little branch, so I let myself fall. Only this is my fall, and I’ll use it to clip the barrier, maybe one of Twilight’s (my dear friend) wings. Sword raised, primed, and I bring it down. No real surprise that what the sword hits is completely solid, and that it deflects it and myself away in a flash of light. I spin helpless through the air until I collide with something and roll along it into a slide. Pushing myself back up, I find it’s the section of flooring I started on, and my sword luckily is lying just a few feet in front of me. I rush over to pick it up, and right then Her Majesty speaks. “These ponies are mine alone to protect. The unjust terror you wrought on them cannot be allowed to proliferate by your continued existence. For Celestia and the kingdom she loved, my mistake shall be corrected.” Frickin’ ouch, Twi. While I recover from the mild sting, several light orange balls rise out of the barrier, hang in air in a circle, then fly out to various platforms. They hit all at once, and from their points of contact a wide flame pillar rises. Cutting off my escape with searing walls of fire I see. Only other route is straight down, so I just hold my ground. The wait is short as an array of furniture and appliances rise up around Twilight. It’s like with that one crazy bat from however long ago, only these aren’t little knickknacks, and their wielder is no crotchety hag. The whole godhood thing doesn’t help things for me, either. With a wave of her mane the barrage commences. Small but fast things first: toaster, some chairs, that horsehead bust from way back (thought she tossed it out), other things like that. I strafe side to side to avoid, cutting through a chair and the bust (somewhat tragic). A flying door signals the attack of medium-sized wares as it’s quickly followed by a trunk. The trunk lands short of me, bounces off the floor and goes right at me. It happens so fast it catches me off-guard and knocks me on my back. I spot silver slivers hanging over me and quickly roll out of the way of falling kitchen utensils. As I’m getting up, I see something metallic and bulky careening my way and instantly I push off to the side as the kitchen sink passes and busts a hole through the platform. Back on my feet, I watch a bookcase rife with books rise up alongside Twi’s barrier. Its contents fly out before getting flung at me. The backside’s gonna hit me, so I ball up a fist and punch through it. Creates a  tiny pile of wood on me that I need to shrug off (not too smart), but I get it off as I see the arrival of the fridge and the bathtub from before. Both of them float over to my platform, and in unison they rise and then start pounding away. The double-team of metal and porcelain tear up the platform in their pursuit of me. I hop from underneath one to the other, but the tub plays it smart and changes direction, flying in from the side to knock me over. I tumble over the edge but quickly grab on with my free claw, only to catch sight of the fridge taking position over me. Right when it drops I pull both my body and sword arm up, and grasping the hilt with both claws I bend forward into a downward slice that catches the fridge before impact. Cheap steel, wire shelves and food shower around me as I push through the remnants of the fridge and roll back onto (sorta) firm ground. I look back to Twilight, still surrounded by a number of household items. Don’t know why she doesn’t just fire magic at my cornered ass. Then again, she probably thinks I’ll just avoid it. This may all be her way of wearing me down for the coup de grace. She knows what I’m capable of; she won’t take any chances until she’s sure I’m less than fully enabled. Pinkie’s special brew still has me going, but still it’s just a matter of time before she does something else. Perhaps banish my ass if I get too tenacious. Really don’t want to spend a thousand years off-planet (or as a smoke monster). Need to assess; break down her defenses first. Problem is I got nothing to break that barrier. Doubt my dragon magic’s gonna do anything. Focus on something else and work from there. Let’s see: apart from magic attacks she’s throwing everything at me, especially the kitchen sink. But not everything. She’s not pulling up anything from the ground below: no trees, buildings, earth or anything. Even in her princess-y wrath she still cares for her country, only making use of everything that’s in her own personal space. Everything except… My eyes widen and lock onto the target. I break into a run for the edge and leap off over the twilit abyss, aiming for the nearest burning platform. Though most of it is occupied by fire, the edges are relatively clear. This flaw let’s me plant a foot down and allows me to spring off backward in the direction of Twilight. Sword drawn, hold back, distance closing. Within a yard of the barrier I strike, splitting two novels in half. Twilight makes something like a gasp sound, and suddenly the flame pillars flicker out. I aim for one of the lower ones (breakfast nook) and flip into a landing by some charred throw pillows. Looking up, Twilight is slow to face me, seemingly distracted. Lucky that lapse in concentration got rid of the fires, or I’d either have gone for another edge grab or gone extra crispy. I spot a tome of textbook size, and using the wall of the nook I leap off to the floating coffee table and slash through the passing book upon landing. Waste no time in leaping and cutting through two more books, grab onto Twilight’s bed, spring off, and cut through another book before landing on the remains of the stairway landing. “N-no! What are you doing?” Shock and confusion in her tone for once. Finally found the chink (just like old Twilight), but there’s an immediate retaliation in the form of a flash that encases all the books floating around in purple. The possessed literature swarm close to Twilight’s barrier, forming another barrier of bounded paper and ink. Or rather, keeping them nice and close to her where it’s safe. Also makes for shoddy visibility. I spot the newly neglected bathtub lazily floating by, and with a running leap I get myself back into it once more. I take hold of the basin sides and sway us closer to the book sphere, and once in position I spring from my ride and bring about my sword for a stabbing plunge. Sword tip pierces a paperback upon landing, and instantaneously the books around it pull away to allow a glorious light pillar to shoot out. Manages to sear my frills as the Grand Collection falls away and disperses (not too smart an idea to begin with, eh Twi?). I flail about before clumsily landing on what might have been part of the main room. Up above the swarm of books have formed a winding belt like some celestial ring, leaving enough room for Twilight to fire off another beam at me unobstructed. No use in household wares anymore? I run and leap up before the platform explodes, and with some creative angling I manage to land a foot onto one of the books and get running. The flat sides of the books make for an even narrow track; it’s just a matter of maintaining speed to stay on. As I sprint circles around Twilight along the book trail, I slam my sword behind me and tear through volumes I pass over. “Stop this at once! I demand it!” Doesn’t feel good does it? Never a good idea to become so maddeningly attached to something, otherwise it’s all the more painful to see them get torn apart. Eight years of saving your darlings, bringing them home unharmed at great risk to myself. Little else but verbal praise and time off in way of recognition. While other ponies are left shattered, you sit comfortably with the one thing that matters most to you. I may have fudged expressing my honest opinion verbally, but now I can just show you what I think! She doesn’t take it lying (floating?) down and once more the books disperse, leaving me falling again. I manage to get a foot on a slow-moving dictionary and leap off before another of Twilight’s beams fire. Soar through the air in the direction of a free-floating window, and going through it I whip my tail around its upper pane and swing myself back in the opposite direction. Angled myself to fly over Twilight, and on the way I skewer three books unfortunate enough to be mostly lined up. A beam fires closely in my wake, but that doesn’t take my attention away from finding a landing spot. Only thing I find is a squat two-layer bookshelf, and once on it I get to hopping. One fixture after another and another, a whole string of stepping stones in midair, each one getting blasted by a beam right when I get off. Along the way I reach out and grab a few stray books without dropping the pace. With about four collected, I spring off toward the central area of the “arena” just as Twilight readies another beam. As it fires I throw down the books directly into its path. Instant satisfying disintegration. “NOOO!!!” Come to a sliding stop on a bare patch of flooring as a low shrill fills the air. I look up in time to see several pillars of brilliant magic shoot out from Twilight’s barrier. Several platforms are instantly vaporized, and as quickly as they appeared the beams withdraw back into the barrier. The section in front of Twilight glows bright: my cue to get the hell away. Off from the platform before it bursts into holy flame. Get up onto whatever’s left of the bathroom only to leap away from another vicious magic burst. Air’s quivering with increasing rage. “PAY FOR YOUR CRIME! YOUR EVIL HEINOUS WRETCHED CRIIIIIME!!!!” During my flight I see a dozen or so dark purple orbs pop out from the barrier. They float out into different positions, but one second after they stop they go off into massive explosions of hot violet. One of them catches me on the side and sends me through the air into a messy crash with a corner closet space. I quickly push away the contents (was that… my old sleeping basket?) off me in time to witness Twilight utterly lose her shit. A scream surpassing any mortal’s rings through the air, and upon reaching its apex the beams start coming. Firing completely at random, mostly hitting empty air, but anything solid they hit disappears with hardly any time to burn. Guess I got carried away. Now it’s a random countdown to there being nothing left to stand on. Gonna get vaporized, or suffer a really nasty fall, after which she’ll likely come down and pound me into the lower strata with a magical fist (it can happen). Jumping around and pissing her off won’t do it anymore. She made it clear she wanted me dealt with at the start, and this is where she stops being civil about it. Make or break time, Spike, but with what? Against such raw overwhelming power? Regardless I have to retaliate. Maybe her concentration on the barrier has switched more to putting on this laser show of death. Perhaps there’s enough time for one attack, and it might as well be the biggest I can think of. I hold up my bandaged left claw and look at it. Too late to hesitate as I shove the pointed digits into the right side of my body. Clench teeth as they dig through scales and into the tender flesh beneath. Clench them harder when I retract with a sickening plok. Whole claw is crimson and covered in bits of me. Not really a pound of flesh per se, but it should do. I slap the gore onto my blade and manage to cover every inch of either side when the flash goes up. I look up, and Twilight’s looking down at me, both eyes lit up like nova stars. Ignoring the agony in my side I scurry from the remnants of the closet and get to the edge. A desperate leap and I avoid the massive magic beam that obliterates the closet. Manage to land on a chunk of wood two feet square, but to my dismay the massive beam is following me. I keep on the move, hopping from scraps and along tilted walls, my side throbbing with each exertion. When I reach the half-stairs I stir up a flame in my mouth as the steps pass underneath. First flickers of green fire come out when I get to the upper landing. Jump forward, but something smacks me on the back and messes up my angle. I overshoot the targeted platform and land my foot through a floating window instead. Leg falls through the opening and gets stuck, forcing me to bend back upside down by a knee. In a split second my leg comes free and I’m tumbling in freefall. Something catches my eye as I’m flipping over, and a second later my free claw reaches out and digs into the corner of the kitchen table. The table cracks from the sudden weight and tilts while my side screams at me. Still got hold of my sword, but the blood on my left claw is causing me to slip. Making matters worse, the death beam’s nearly on me. Focus returns to getting the fire going. Snuffed out in the fall but I get to lighting a new one. Start the incantation; need to hurry. Losing grip. Air’s getting warmer from the approaching beam. Keep chanting and breathing as the flickers turn to streams that enwrap the sword and spread out to my shoulders. With blazing heat surrounding me I snap my gaze to the barrier. Hold out the flaming sword, take aim. Beam almost on top of me. One (murder) shot. “Chartreuse Phoenix.” Final strong heft with my arm brings me up over the table, and at the same moment the spell kicks off. I rocket forward and upward right underneath the beam, sword held straight out with both claws on the hilt. Feel it burn away my upper spines. In two seconds the fifteen yard distance is cleared in a roar of acceleration. Through the wind in my eyes I see Twilight. Her face widening in surprise right before I hit. Tip of my sword connects with the barrier, and immediately everything stops. Sound ceases completely. Everything flares green and white. Then the sound of explosion destroys the silence, combined with a glorious shatter. Everything’s dark for some time, then my sight begins to clear. I see myself falling through open air with arms spread. Another absence of sound, yet the feeling of cool air blowing up around me makes it tranquil. Slowly the sound of rushing air returns to my ears, but before I can appreciate the sounds of my suit flapping in the wind there’s an impact. I instantly blackout to the tremendous noise of various sized objects crashing down all around me. Stillness. Regaining of senses, realize that I’m lying flat. I lift my face from the ground. Shakily I push my body up, seeing cracked wood beneath me. Looking over to my right I see my sword lying amid some wood chunks and leaves. I grab it and use it to help me get the rest of the way up, and once standing I let my bleary eyes take in the surroundings. I’m back in the Librarium… a hellish nightmare version of it. The place is obscenely wrecked: walls uneven and punctured as though half-collapsed; floor mostly a mesh of splinters; the canopy bursting through the ceiling, with much of it covering the ruined floor. As though a tornado had sucked up the place and put it back together with the same amount of raw force used to destroy it. It’s nearly pitch black, with only the near-nonexistent light of outside showing through the different holes. Entire right side of body is numb, head is jumbled. Even so, I can still make out, lying just a few feet away from me... her. My body starts to move, my gaze not leaving that small form ahead of me. Every step makes my body stagger and I can barely keep my head straight, but every step gets me closer to her. Ever forward, each step slow but determined. Four feet. Three feet. Two… None. She’s lying on her side, her frilly dress in burnt tatters. Some of her shoes are off, and her little crown is lying bent close by. Mane disheveled and covering her face. Once supreme, brought down to (beneath) my level. I steady myself and just stand there, looking down at her. There’s a groan; her eyes flutter open. Her head rises. So does my sword. Both claws on the hilt, my weapon rises slowly, ever slowly over my head. At last she looks up at me, and her eyes widen. Surprise, fear. Paralysis. (Open) Shadows covering every surface. Standing over my retainer, my warden, my master. It’s an all-too familiar sight. The call to (end it) finish this. Draw the (demise) curtain. Cut (sever) all (life) ties at last. Yet… Towering over her delicate form, arms raised, sword primed, in a position of unmitigated (vengeance) power, I see she’s shaking. I pause. But why? I’ve come this far. But seeing her lying there defenseless. Not for long, you realize. She will (deepest trust) hunt you down and (finish) you. There is nothing more. It is either you or (friend) Her. (Kill) or be killed. True (Freedom). Don’t hesitate: end it here. Those eyes. Will cracking, twisting. Mouth quivering. So frail (vile!). Air’s becoming heavy; everything’s turning red. Losing (do it do it!) focus. Must do this. Have to end this (NOW!!!). I bring my sword down full force. I bring it down again for good measure. The red withdraws, the air lightens. Head finally clears. Silently I pull back my arms and let my gaze drop. Twilight’s mouth is agape, frozen in shock and terror as the rest of her face. She’s looking to me with eyes of disbelief, that then look over to her backside. What they find are two spurting stumps and two detached wings. The feathers twitch briefly before going completely still, their regal sheen steadily being stained crimson by the spurts and growing pool of blood. My mouth goes sour and my stomach churns at the sight, especially at seeing Twilight’s purple coat grow noticeably pale. Her breath remains steady, but slightly ragged. Her gaze turns from the gruesome sight and focuses back on me, no change in her expression. “Why… why did you…?” “I just… wanted to go back. Before you got those stupid wings and became a princess. Back when we were… happy…” is all I can manage. Couldn’t even look at her as I said it. She sounds so minuscule now. So out of place. “Spike… even without my wings, I’m still an alicorn. I can never go back to being a normal pony. There’s just no way.” No way, no way… You’re still alive, though. Yet there’s pain, your blood spilled. Watch it spread, seep into the broken wood. Covering everything, staining it with your red. The stench is overpowering. Rich and heavy. It’s only blood, same as all the rest. But to do this to her… To all of them... That open-mouth look is still leveled at me, in search of understanding, possibly comfort. It gets a hard glare instead. I step (practically stomp) around and past her, avoiding the blood pool. “Where are you going?” “I’m done.” Firm and unquestionable. No looking back. Need to get out before I vomit. Step on small debris, don’t care. Don’t care about anything in this freakin’ building. Halfway to the door I throw down my sword to the side, sticking it into the floor with barely a sound. Goddamn worthless scrap of metal. Goddamn everything. The door collapses from one light push. Stepping through the jagged portal, I see all of Ponyville assembled on the Librarium’s front lawn. All their faces, darkened by the waning daylight, filled with worry and fear. Their collective eyes on me. I just keep walking. They remain still, watching me go by for a few meters. They speak out. “What happened?” “What happened to the Princess?” “Is she okay?” “What did you do to her?” They’re only seeking answers: guidance in a storm of uncertainty. They all go unanswered as I trudge my way through the crowd. They make a vain attempt at crowding around me, but none stand in my way. All the better for them. “Spike?” I halt immediately at that elegant tone, and over to my left I see Rarity among the crowd. The ponies around her back away; she’s dressed for the evening in her robe and purple slippers. I glare at her bitterly; she raises a hoof and gives a soundless gasp. Terror (maybe hurt) filling those deep, seductive eyes. Tarnished beauty, nothing more. I look away and resume my walk, and soon I clear the crowd completely. No one’s following me, and there’s no one before me. No guards, no soldiers, no more ponies. Only empty town streets steadily growing colder as night finally takes over. Need to go further, far from this town, from anything like it. Let them bemoan, rant and writhe. It no longer matters. It can all end for all I care, however it wants. Though, it’d probably just fade to darkness… CAST Vanguard.........................................................Spike Princess..........................................Twilight Sparkle Assistant..............................................Owlowiscious Master.......................................................Pinkie Pie Lover....................................................Sweetie Belle Madame............................................................Rarity Healer..........................................................Fluttershy Informant........................................................Braeburn Acquaintance......................................Little Strongheart Crier....................................................Trixie Lulamoon Fan....................................................Georgie Griffon Ruler.............................................................Celestia Madmare.............................................................Luna Orchestrator....................................................Discord Mystic..............................................................Zecora Farm Manager...............................................Applejack Engineer.................................................Apple Bloom Head Worker.........................................Big Macintosh Past Foe.......................................................Chrysalis AGGRESSORS Wild Widow.....................................................Mrs. Belljar Railroad Muscle……………………….Stampede Inc Staff Immovable Shaman........................................Boulderstorm Vengeful Survivor...................False Cross Track/Changeling Imperialist Deterrent…………...…...Canterlot Royal Guard Doing Their Job…………………...Sweet Apple Acres Staff INFLUENCES Killer7   /     No More Heroes  /    Killer Is Dead Flower, Sun and Rain    /    Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance Sin City   /     Discworld   /   Touhou Project  /   Ulysses Asura’s Wrath   /     Bayonetta   /    Kill Bill Homestuck  /   Nier  /  Spec Ops: The Line Sengoku Basara  /   Cowboy Bebop  /   Demon’s Souls My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Special Thanks Suda51                                                   Lauren Faust Terry Pratchett                                Quentin Tarantino Shigeru Miyamoto                           Nintendo overall Hideo Kojima                                 Masafumi Takada Nobuo Uematsu                                                ZUN Andrew Hussie                               Barq’s Root Beer Nicolas Cage                                70’s George Lucas 90’s Capcom                                             Hiimdaisy Solgryn                                                 Kayin Nasaki Kamilia Influka Hatsune Miku Megurine Luka GMod                                                Terrible Fanfics squirrelking Peter Chimaera Pascoite                                                          Dublio Figments                                             overmind2000 Amicita ABBA The Moon                                         Frederic Chopin Antonin Dvorak                                 Japan in general Elvis Costello                                           James Joyce The Smiths                                                 Manchester SquareSoft                             Everyone who read this Developed in google docs Presented by FIM Fiction DEATH by DRAGON End of FUGITIVE Arc THE FINAL REPORT end *Fetcher No More...