17 At The End
Act Five: Come Undone
"What's the plan now, Shining?" Mason asked.
"...I think we need to split up. This citadel looks pretty big. I'll take some volunteers and head for Ma...Solomon, you and the rest start wrecking the rest of the place?"
(Interviewer's Notes (Unicorn): Is splitting up while facing the reality bending cosmic horror a good idea?)
Normally, no, but considering from what we'd seen Dima burning his brother's script royally clopped him off and KEPT him clopped off, I was more willing to risk it.
(Interviewer's Notes (Pegasus): So he really took the General-Admiral's script off the rails huh?)
Yep. I'm sure he'd be proud of it.
(Interviewer's Notes (Earth Pony): Yeah, nopony likes it when characters throw the story off the way they want it to go.)
"Yeah, see if we can't take out any more anti-air they've got around here and signal any reinforcements we've got to move in. Who you taking?"
It was fairly easy. I wanted the Immortals and ANBU's abilities of hellraising by brute force and stealth respectively to be employed, and the Neighsian black-ops troopers seemed very enthusiastic at this prospect. Mason's DOG's had all stocked up on explosives (did Ellis? Do you have to ask?) in the armory. Unit Metal and the Rebels, plus Misfit and a hoof-full of regular marines and three interviewers' talking to me in my head made up my little spearhead.
(Interviewer's Notes (Pegasus): Thanks for counting us.)
Thanks for giving me a distraction from the utter insanity around me and Azure Raven's monologs.
"Alright, everyone...Good luck, and hope to see you all soon," I said, as we charged in.
Predictably, it was a firefight almost every step of the way. Conscripts had been thrown towards us with muskets and spring-powered airguns in massed volleys, even a few volley guns set up in the way, but we overcame the first hurdle in a few brutal moments as we burst into the main hall of this strange castle of Azure Raven's. The firing lines of conscripts had poor cover for the conscripts to hide from us on the balconies facing the open hall below - and we had my shield, strong enough right now to resist their volleys. We had the luxury of not needing to aim either, just pointing and shooting, there was a viable wall of them above us, even I could hit something with my stun spells.
We split apart, the various units heading off separate ways. Nikolai pointed us in the direction he felt was most likely the route to the command centre. Of course, knowing the Shadow of Chernobull, it was probably the most cliche route we could find.
It felt like it. Rows and rows of grey corridors with seemingly endless hordes of Airborne troopers popping up, throwing grenades...but I could feel my magic power coming back. Not all the way yet, which was a good sign since hopefully, it meant Nameless was still not to full power.
Where exactly was the limit of his safe zone? Maybe he'd accidentally shrunk it down...or maybe he'd tried to have a limited area allow for full power. Like around the Curtain itself. A perfect place for him to 'triumph' over me...
Well, I wasn't going to let that happen anytime soon. I was able to shield against virtually anything getting thrown at us, and the various other groups were built around the riot shields we'd grabbed in the armory.
Of course, I was a riot shield again. I still carried one in case (hopefully it wouldn't get cut in half again), but nothing was getting by my magic in the first place. Some Conscripts had tried using some rocket launchers on us - but had failed to have their friends behind them clear the backblast.
I was glad I'd had a shield back when I'd accidentally been in the path of Dima's backblast on top of the tower. One of the conscripts had been right behind the tube firing. It had been fairly quick for him. Another had only been glanced by the blast, and he had still been yelling as we had to go past.
Garnet looked back as we moved past him, looking a little sorrowful. "I know he's a deer but I can't help feeling sorry for him..."
Gag put his remaining wing on his back. "That just shows you have a heart."
We're Equestrians, even if they're the enemy, we don't like seeing anything suffer. According to international law, wounded captives were to be treated with the same care as your own wounded. But the problem was we barely had time for our own wounded, let alone stop for an enemy. That didn't stop Garnet from trying.
"Garnet, stop," I ordered in my most commander like voice possible.
"But he's-"
"The more time we waste the more dangerous our real enemy gets. I'm sorry."
Garnet looked at me without emotion. "Understood. Sir."
"...I don't like it anymore than you do, but if Solomon regains his full power, he'll start killing everyone...you weren't on his ship, I saw what he's capable of. He's already killed thousands if not millions of people today...if we don't stop him, he'll do that again...I'm sorry..."
Garnet said nothing. I knew by international law she had every right to want to and I felt guilty for having to leave someone to suffer. I wish we'd had time to talk this out more or help him, but we hadn't even had time to stop. I know Gag went to talk to her, but I don't know what he said.
(Interviewer's Notes (Pegasus): Shining...do you think maybe Nameless set that up just to hurt Garnet? And you through her?)
...I wouldn't doubt it. If he did, it's just another reason I want to send that maniac to oblivion where he belongs. For both her and that conscript's sakes...I'm ashamed to say it, but I hate him for everything he's done.
(Interviewer's Notes (Unicorn): It isn't a sin to hate that which is evil, Shining.)
"They should have been falling back, Conscripts don't have this sort of morale," Frost noted.
"We're going the right way then," Thunderchild assumed.
"Nikolai, what do you think?" I whispered.
The deer looked it over. "Definitely Solomon's doing. They want to retreat, but he's not letting them," he whispered to me.
I looked slowly at the Conscripts. "I'm sorry." I whispered. Sadly I didn't have time to apologize to every hoofed-creature we had to put down to build our stairs of dead bodies to climb our way to our only real enemy. I wished more than anything we could break that tyrant's hold on them, but we didn't have anything to break his spell.
(Interviewer's Notes (Unicorn): I'm not even sure the memory spell would work...all they've got are the memories of the Shadow's story.)
So they're just like Dima, characters in Solomon's demented story...just they can't escape.
We entered into a large hall that had a door to the outside - on the roof. There was also a large hole in the ground for a cargo elevator: It seemed Nameless liked to take the helicopter straight down into his bunker. Hope the sick buck enjoyed taking the scenic route after we blew his up.
(Interviewer's Notes (Earth Pony): Assuming he didn't teleport thanks to an anti-anti-magic shielding device.)
No more giving him ideas!
He'd made sure we felt welcome though. On the gantries and balconies of the room, a hail of fire from Airborne troopers. The largest concentration of them around another elevator that was for passengers, but was already on the way up...Likely full of those pony-borgs, but hopefully not another Faux-Alicorn...Both for ours AND the sake of whatever poor soul would be stuck in that armor.
The Hooviets had been clustered together though, behind overturned barrels and crates. The Marines and Unit Metal threw a few grenades their way, and we'd soon cleared the room.
"Whatever's coming, be ready for it," I warned.
Everyone was checking their weapons, and in a few cases, taking spare ammo off the enemy. Distasteful, but we weren't in much of a position to ignore the chances. Those automatic weapons went through ammo like Prince Blueblood went through mane shampoo.
(Interviewer's Notes (Pegasus): Using far too much and it'd probably be better to use in smaller bursts for the same effective outcome?)
Exactly.
The elevator arrived...and the doors opened to reveal a Commissar holding a white flag, beside a box of gas masks.
Remarkably, no one shot him.
"Greetings, Commander Sparkle. The Supreme Commander has sent me to discuss surrender..."
"Oh, let me guess, I'm meant to assume it's yours, it's actually mine, we have a bit of banter then you pull that sword and try to cut my head off or something because Solomon's caused my shield magic to dispel at just that second or something daft like that?"
"...No, he did it three seconds ago," The Commissar said, drawing and swinging. Nikolai was there first, throwing his blade in the way.
"That's fine, still got a sword master who's better than you," I replied...before about half a dozen rifles emptied into the red-coated Deer.
"Let's find another way down, someone made an awful mess in this lift," Natasha noted.
"...But I could have stunned him," I said staring in disgust.
"Then what?"
"...Well, we could've locked him in a closet..."
"There isn't one present."
"Tie him up with his own coat, glue his antlers to the floor, something! I'd like to spare at least ONE of these stags." No way in Tartarus was going to be happy seeing them popped off if there was even a chance they weren't just mindless automatons. This one didn't didn't dissolve into nothing.
"I wish I could be so compassionate as you, Captain, but I can't."
"I know..." I replied, trying not to show pity in my voice. Dima, Natasha, Zangief, all of them...They're good deer. They've had to fight all their lives because of that monster the Hooviets let out of Pandora's Box.
"...But it would clop off Solomon, since I get the feeling he sends these guys to die."
"I agree," I replied, glad I wasn't the ONLY one who felt that way.
"Well, those of us with wings can always go down the cargo elevator, we'll regroup as soon as we hit bottom." Sandgriff pointed out. Gag said nothing.
"And the rest of us, Staff Sergeant?" Nikolai wondered.
"...The Griffins can go and maybe surprise the bad guys. The rest of us will go down the way Makarov expects," Thunderchild suggested.
"We'll need a few volunteers though," Audience noted. Us six plus about eleven Rebels...Unit Metal had seven troopers and about eighteen Marines were with us.
"I'm going with the Captain," Frost said.
"Same, " Gilda offered. After all, Nameless wanted her dead where I couldn't save her, and he'd likely do all he could if she was in the other group.
A couple more Marines joined our group, about evening the numbers.
"Looks like it'll take about forty seconds to get to the bottom. You guys go cause a diversion in thirty," I shouted as the doors slammed shut, and we began the descent.
"Or he'll make the lift drop down," Gag noted.
"Yes, thanks for reminding me, Running..."
Our elevator stopped in a hall that in terms of width, was pretty much identical to the one above, but the ceiling was quite lower. The cargo elevator was also in place here rather than a hole in the floor - the hole was instead in the roof.
We were puzzled to only see the Griffins taking up position around the cargo elevator. The whole room was empty. Just bare plaster walls, and two large double doors at the end.
"Sir, look, the walls are a different color at spots, like there's fake..." Audience began, but thunderclaps of explosions proved him right.
They had been built into giant directional landmines. The air filled with shrapnel and black smoke...making me thankful I had reinforced the shields around everyone the second the doors opened.
"Gas masks on!" I shouted, realizing what that black smoke could be. If Nameless dropped my shields with direct interference or changed it so they weren't air tight...
...I hadn't picked up a gas mask, thinking 'Azure Raven' wouldn't risk a gas attack if his surviving arch-enemy could die in the process. Still, better safe than sorry for the others.
(Interviewer's Notes (Earth Pony): Or he brings you back to life in a cool new cyborg body making you fight even more epic.)
What did I say about giving him idea?!
"Can't see a thing in this stuff," someone complained.
Then a shadow jumped from the smoke, holding a shotgun. Audience stunned it, only for bursts of shooting to erupt all around. I noted one shot get alarmingly close to Gag when it slammed into the wall beside him...where it should have stopped on the shield a moment before.
"Our side cease fire! If we fire wildly, we'll hit each other! You guys stay there, we'll come to you." I was pretty sure we had just attacked each other.
"We got shields!" A Marine tried to remind me from the distance.
"Yeah, and you can shoot through them because you're on my side!"
(Interviewers Notes (Pegasus): Shining, you idiot!)
Look, I had them set up the right way, Nameless had changed the rules! Us firing at each other should have stopped the rounds, it only allowed friendly outgoing. He'd switched friendly fire back on...How was he getting so much smarter?
"...Scratch that, Sir. We'll run to you!" Sandgriff yelled, and there was more shooting...but the opposite way from us.
"Okay, that works..."
Now regrouped, the smoke didn't plan on dissipating.
"I think we might need to prepare to get up close and personal in here," I warned, as we formed into small groups.
"Advance slow, check your fire. If you're gonna shoot someone make sure they're deer!" Frost warned.
His fellow elevator passengers gave him a look - I could tell without checking.
"...Rephrase that?" Zangief asked.
"...If they're cloaca deer."
We picked through the cloud of gas, mostly going behind me and Zangief as we carried riot shields to block frontal attack attempts, with some of us going to the wings to fire down those edges when there were them and force the enemy back where they had no risk of friendly fire. I wasn't sure where the enemy came from...my guess is Makarov's flanks.
The double doors opened, and we encountered a wall of riot shields coming towards us from the smoke in the next room. It cleared the air: it seemed there were fans whirring. But the wall was also firing at us.
"Clop this," I sighed, and began firing gravity balls. As expected it knocked enemy riot shields back.
(Interviewer's Notes (Pegasus): Hey you actually hit something!)
My companions threw grenades in the gaps I made. Maybe I had it wrong thinking Nameless was getting smarter...
"Go now!" I ordered as the last of the Spetsnaz shield-team fell.
As one group, we charged through the double doors. Which led to another set of doors behind that one. Nameless loved his doors almost as much as he loved himself it seemed. Another set. And another behind that. None of them were locked, and none of them were really fancy. I was reminded of video games that used this trick to hiding loading screens.
Finally, we'd found the bastard after way too many doors. The room was like an arena, stairs leading down to a lower level, with huge screens on the far end, perched amongst glass panels. On the upper floor, machines and tables, with Spetsnaz troopers taking cover behind them. But behind the screens and glass in the chamber beyond this one: the red glow of the Iron Curtain: it was a giant red orb giving off arcs of energy into a number of focusing towers...
He was in the middle of the room down below, facing the screens from the middle of a platform that had small stairs up: and what I hoped was a door leading to the Iron Curtain room. He'd abandoned that crazy spiked armor suit for a more sensible (by comparison) green uniform coated in medals, with a white leather holster for a huge new horncannon and a sword. And yes, his uniform had epaulettes with big stars made from fire rubies, almost as many as his new toy.
(Interviewer's Notes (Pegasus): Does this guy have one personal weapon that wouldn't feed a dragon for a year?!)
Around him, a large number of oddly empty machine control panels and screens...and judging by the technician walking toward him as if in a trance, he'd been getting ideas from his workforce.
"Hold fire! Let them get comfortable...and let me have a little...idea or two," Nameless chuckled darkly as his own troops simply aimed.
"...Make sure it makes sense where you go," I warned as my side began to spread out.
Gilda considered that, it seemed, because she stuck right beside me. The rest of my squad did as well.
We all watched as the technician got nearer...
Azure Raven gave a grin more akin to a manticore about to devour its prey than a deer, revealing he now had pointed fangs as his eyes glowed...no, became bright white, like he was hollow...I don't know what to call it! He grabbed the poor technician by the shoulders, his hooves became shadows that wrapped around his target like snakes or tentacles, the deer looked to be let out of the trance enough to start screaming.
Solomon got larger, bulging, like there were things moving under his skin.
Solomon's opened his mouth with an inequine roar and white lines like spider legs of the same bright light that composed his eyes erupted out, piercing the...the technician's head. There was no gore...this seemed...worse...
The poor deer turned into a literal shadow of himself, a star floating in the head, now in the grasp of Solomon's light. Solomon's muzzle opened up too wide, sucking the light into his gaping jaws. But he didn't stop THERE...He pulled in the shadow that was left of the deer and started...started tearing him apart like a rabid animal! He didn't...he didn't EAT it, he...he just tore it to shreds!
The worst part was...I felt like just the THOUGHT of this technician being there...that he even existed...it seemed like someone was tearing it from my mind with each rip! What what? Claws? Fangs? Spikes?
I felt bits of my brain shut down as I tried to process what was doing this to the poor deer, like a foal's leg jerking away from a hot coal. Sweet Celestia what did I just see?!
(Interviewer's Notes (Pegasus): Calm down, Shining! You need to keep your head!)
S-Sorry...Thanks...I needed that...Just when I thought seeing someone die was the worst thing I could see...
...Azure Raven reverted back to his hybrid form and...he just took out a napkin and dabbed his muzzle.
"They always taste so much better when they're terrified. Fear is kind of like salt, adds a lot of flavor," he remarked, staring right at me. I wasn't sure if it was a change in him or what I'd just seen, but suddenly his eyes seemed a lot more frightening.
Most of the Griffins and my troops didn't react. Gilda and the rebels however seemed to be disturbed, the rookie Marine visibly trembling.
"Gilda, take the mask off and breathe," I warned her.
"...What's wrong?" Garnet wondered.
"It...None of you saw that?!"
"They don't remember it. Solomon doesn't bother to let them, Mother Deer doesn't protect them from his changes," Kamarov said.
"Remember what?" Gag asked.
Natasha gave him a dead serious look. "You do not want to know."
I looked at the screens behind Nameless and blocking a full view of the Iron Curtain's chamber.
"...Getting other ideas from the screens, Solomon?" I asked. If he started talking, I could taunt him...
"Attempting to! But other fates have been...less satisfying than my snacks," He sneered.
On one screen, there was a row of strange-looking tan colored tanks trundling along, each with a swooping eagle logo on the side. Beside it, the odd image of very big ponies ridden by bipedal creatures brandishing sabers. And beside that, strange gray flying machines with wings in an x-formation in space, firing bolts of...I assumed some kind of magic or some energy weapon.
There was a video of Twilight wearing a skin tight yellow costume. For some reason I couldn't help being AFRAID just looking at her. Not as in she looked evil, it was just like she had an aura of fear around her. She was using a glowing magic ring to fight an army of zombie ponies with her friends who were each wearing a different color.
Gilda blinked. "Is that me?"
The other Gilda had the same color of ring as Rainbow Dash. And very angry at the zombies.
Another screen showed who four of Twilight's friend (minus Rainbow Dash), facing against a line of completely identical ponies without cutie marks, no expression, blank lifeless colors, empty eyes, and marching like robots. Then one's eyes glowed and spoke in an echoing voice.
"Assuming direct control."
The pony's body almost burned as it quick grew larger along with getting wings and a horn, looking at the four mares now with intent and purpose. The heroes suddenly looking much more worried.
Looking to another screen, I saw an image of Princess Luna (I assumed, I'd never seen her in person, but it fit the description) talking with Celestia, who looked about Cadence's size with a pink mane! The two were at some kind of welcome back party in Celestia's honor...
"Wait a minute..." Ellis said, looking at one of the screens. I followed his gaze and found a screen showing what I assumed was Nightmare Moon's defeat. But instead of my sister, an orange Earth Pony was leading the Bearers, a big red stallion among them. "T-That's AJ and Big Mac!"
"Yes...I've taken looks at lots of places. Other worlds were decent fighting places, but versions of this world...Boring for good ideas for fighting, but they seem like places that could be...livened up..."
"Planning to try run away somehow?"
"Well, why stop at one world? For I will take this one shortly. This is just a setback. I will kill you, then I will win this battle, and I will win my war! A true hero overcomes the darkest hour!" he said smugly.
"You couldn't take over an empty island without making a farce of it, Nameless! You've lost."
"IT IS YOU WHO HAVE LOST!" He snapped, the screens flickering. I could tell despite the facade of composure, he was still angry.
"...You just will not admit it, follow your fate as you should! That bird beside you, she should have died in agony! ALONE! You know why, Gilda?! Because the watching-shadows themselves hate you, despise you! You are their villain and I would be a hero for giving you the agony you deserve for what you did!"
"...She stole an apple and was a jerk. That deserves death?"
"To watching-shadows? Of course! You ponies won't take care of jerks and douchebags properly, so why not me? Why, I bet you'd probably even listen to me if I were to beg for mercy!"
"...You really don't know ponies at all," I retorted.
"Liar. Why not try kill me now? Crush me...like you did that Diamond Dog? What had it done, Shining? It had merely defended itself."
"It had killed a guard. I defended myself!"
(Interviewer's Notes (Unicorn): Shining, he's getting the better of you, keep control!)
"And you wretches can shut up and take notes. Don't think I didn't see you speaking to him to add his lies to my story! I allowed you to think I didn't know!"
He knows you're there?!
(Interviewer's Notes (Makarov): I knew they were there the whole time! Maybe when I win, we can have another chat...and thank you, for your attempts to encourage him have all been part of my plans!)
(Interviewer's Notes (Makarov): For the record, they all panicked...Come now, Shining, why not talk a little...)
(Interviewer's Notes (Unicorn): LOOK OUT!)
...When had he dropped my shields?! I got them back up in time though...right?
(Interviewer's Notes (Unicorn): Just in time. Keep talking to us while we try keep him out and get full control back here!)
Okay! Nameless' guys opened fire...My guys are...were returning fire back but Nameless was shielding them, and he was not pleased at his little attack there failing.
"HOW DARE YOU!" He jumped up and down. "AND CEASE TALKING IN PAST TENSE!"
"Everything happens in the past really, Nameless. Eight minutes for light to reach the planet from the sun - if Celestia made it into a smiley face we'd need to wait eight minutes to see it!" I noted.
"...I always found that theory kinda cool, sorta means we see the past but we all live in the future I think," Gilda noted.
"Technically those are ancient theories, most modern measurements put Celestia's sun closer," Audience said.
"I ain't got no darn clue what yer on about but can we please shoot the bad guy or somethin'?!"
"Why, Ellis, you were so squeamish before, yet now you're so bloodthirsty," Solomon tutted.
"Ah just want this dang things over already!!" He snapped back.
"We can't breach ugly's shields," Frost cursed.
"I can!"
I made Nameless' shields drop, like I did his flag ship's. He gawped, letting his troops take the brunt of our fire for a moment before he had a tantrum and dropped my shields for a second.
We had a back and forth, but the Hooviets were the ones less confident. I was able to put shields up almost right as he took them down. Our allies were able to exploit the Cervicorn not reacting as fast he wanted to be to force the Hooviets into cover or take them out, and on a couple occasions getting grenades next to them, just before Makarov put a shield around them - both ones they threw and ones we'd thrown.
(Interviewers' Notes(All): He CARES about them?)
I think he realized he's running low. And if he wanted a final duel with ME he needed SOMEONE to hold everycreature else off.
"I don't follow your rules, Nameless, and if you made it so magic works at full here, then mines does too! It's like the Doctor said, isn't it? About the Shadow only able to take the shape it can cast? You can't cast mine, can you? You have to guess, and I threw all your guessing out the window! Now, about that mercy you wanted..."
"I WON'T NEED YOUR MERCY, YOU WILL BEG FOR MINE - AND I HAVE NONE!" He screeched, making screens explode, and his shields drop without my input.
"Misfit and Gilda on me, everyone else clear house!" I shouted and charged straight at Solomon, weilding Dima's sword. He flinched even as the gunfire seemed to intensify.
(Interviewers Notes (Earth Pony): Great job, Shiny, we got full control back!)
...but threw up a shield around himself again. I slammed into his field in the one I had surrounding our charge, hurling him back towards the door to the Iron Curtain chamber. He scrambled to his hooves, and Audience raised his bow while Gilda readied her shotgun...
"Hold fire!"
This was enough for him to open the door and run through.
(Interviewers Notes (Pegasus): After him!)
I was working on it!
"Good luck, Captain!" called Natasha, giving me a salute as she and the other Rebels helped fight the Hooviets.
I saluted back as we headed through the doors. I hoped next time we saw each other would be in the world without Azure Raven.
Sadly, I'd got something wrong, the Iron Curtain wasn't right behind Nameless - it was a huge machine, held inside a huge domed structure a good hundred meters away across a metal walkway. It was . . . a long way down.
He also tried to ram us off it by charging with his own shield around himself. I charged back harder, making him roll all the way ranting along the walkway. He dropped a few medals. Audience picked one up and discovered it was the Order of Makarov Seventh Class...
"Great, the machine is inside a separate chamber. He'll lock the door behind us..." I sighed as we chased his (amusingly) rolling form.
Thunderchild blinked. "Why would he do that? His guys are in the other room too."
"Because he's obsessed with making this some kind of 'duel to the death' between us. We're going to walk in there, the doors will lock, then some kind of dramatic music is going to start up, just like the boss of a video game!"
"Really? Yah think he'd do that?" Ellis frowned.
"He got me and Dima stuck on a rooftop and provided us with rocket launchers JUST so we could end up having a fight with him out of Half-Life."
"...Point taken..."
(Interviewer's Notes (Pegasus): Thought that was Call of Cutie?)
(Interviewer's Notes (Earth Pony): Wasn't it from Metal Pony Solid?)
(Interviewer's Notes (Pegasus): Maybe it was Hyphen Filter...Or Equestria in Conflict...Or Unmapped 2 - Amongst Thieves...Or...)
I get it, I get it, there's a million fights with helicopters in a million games, you know what I'm saying! Also a few of those were grenade launchers.
(Interviewer's Notes (Unicorn): Far too many war games...)
Nameless had come to a stop, standing in front of the doors, smirking.
"Come catch me!" He jumped backwards, doors opening as he did so, then teleporting himself to stand a few dozen meters back, on a gantry.
"I'm really starting to hate this bucker," Gilda sighed.
"Welcome to the club," Gag replied.
"...Guys..." I said, looking to the others. "If we all don't make it out of this for one reason or another? I'm proud to know you guys and it's been an honor."
They all gave me a smile and nodded.
"Alright, let's end this! For Equestria!"
"For Equestria!"
The Iron Curtain's chamber was as vast inside as it looked out. A maze of metal gantries overhead, and concrete on the lower level. The curtain itself was a giant metal ball...and I presumed the pit below was leading right to a leyline to feed the energies. If Nameless was even TRYING to make a rational explanation for this thing anymore.
He drew his huge horncannon and his sword. His new one was a gargantuan revolver, just as gaudy as before, with golden plating and diamond grips. At the same time, of course, the doors slammed shut behind us and locked with a loud clunk.
"Told you," I sighed.
"Now, Captain...our final battle! And as you brought distractions, I need to get rid of the-"
Audience had fired and shot the horncannon out of the air. It span away down the absurdly deep pit.
(Interviewer's Notes (Pegasus): Fifty bits says he's planning for you to die falling down it.)
...Then I'm staying away from it.
Nameless was not happy.
"Every time...Every time you wretches ruin my script! You vermin, you scum, you insignificant bit-parts! How dare you all interfere, get in my way! There were to be no Marines left alive, you should have all been broken wrecks tortured to insanity but you cheated, Shining, you and that wretched half-brother of mine!"
"We aim to misbehave," Audience shrugged as he reloaded.
Solomon snarled, giving another scream of fury...this one even devolving into that roar of his. "Him I understand! He's my perfect nemesis BECAUSE he can defy me! The Rebels have Mother Deer's blessings to protect them! But what do you have?! WHAT IS IT THAT ALLOWS YOU TO DEFY ME?!" he bellowed, his voice for a moment sounding like a legion.
I noticed my troopers' eyes glaze over for a moment...then the look shattered and they shook their heads to clear them.
"Us? Let each other down? That's an even bigger joke than you are, Makarov!" Gag spat, sharing a nuzzle with Garnet.
"We're a team, and we're family, that's why, nothing more, nothing less," Audience said, simply. The others nodded and got close to me.
Hehe, Nameless shot himself in the hoof again; who said romance is the only kind of love?
"I see." Solomon's eye twitched. There was something freaky about how rational he sounded. "I understand. They are under your protection Sparkle. Yes, you six are like one pony. Not much point in a victory over Sparkle without crushing you five little mooks. But there was meant to be one more here. Dima. He defied my script and died early, and for what? A lame griffin rookie marine! Not even a decent rank, all that she was good for was wasted by her living this long!"
"Oh, what, you got a moment of glory stolen from you? You think I wanted him to die instead of me?!" Gilda shot back.
"Probably, you are a complete jerk. Still, if the Misfits are needed as a full set with Sparkle and you didn't really want to be here...Maybe you should leave?"
With that, before I realized it, he'd drawn two of the earlier horncannons, the supposedly unique Desert Deer pistol. One was gold, the other silver. Audience fired again, but Nameless had wised up.
And both the guns had been aimed right at Gilda when he fired. She flew back into the doors with a grunt, she didn't get back up...
"That'll have to do. Wretch. No sad backstory, no abusive father, just a bully with a little chickhood teasing...what a lame antagonist!"
"You didn't drop my shield around her!" I protested in shock.
"Oh, come on, she was a rulebreaker, can't let hackers play on the server! Now how about you actually try and..."
I drew Dima's sword-gun, and tried my hoof at the gun setting.
I missed, but I think Solomon got my point.
"...Good, that's made you want to play," Nameless smirked and dramatic music with choir chanting began playing in the background. Strangely the music was coming from OUR direction. What was the song? One Winged Alicorn?
"What do you think? Fitting music for my greatest nemesis?"
"Wait...The music is for us?!" Thunderchild asked.
"The final battle always has the boss' theme playing, does it not?"
"Oh, go buck yerself ya murderin' sack o' horseapples!" Ellis snarled.
Captive, being pragmatic and rightfully clopped off, opted to shoot straight for Azure Raven's horn right off the bat.
The arrow BOUNCED OFF.
"Ha! I have spent years building up my horns and skull to resist crossbow bolts!"
(Interviewer's Notes (Pegasus): ARGH!)
Stop somehow beating your head against a wall in my head!
"Now, let's do this!" He cackled and jumped down, firing his pistols at Garnet when she had been moving towards Gilda.
"Try to dodge!" I yelled, not trusting him to ignore my shields again.
Audience managed to shoot one out of his grasp, and Thunderchild raced over to kick it off the edge. I parried as Solomon swung his sword, a huge katana, trying to decapitate my Sergeant. I was glad he still seemed weakened from Dima's sacrifice or they'd probably not stood a chance.
Garnet and Ellis both had a go at kicking him, but he swung his own rear hooves to parry them and kick them back. Gag tried to charge in, but I had to swing the blade to cut the horncannon that had been swinging towards his other wing, and Gag rolled to the side to dodge the follow-up katana swing. Thunderchild then came in from the other side with a wingblade ready, only for Nameless to draw a shorter blade.
I feared for a second Nameless would just slice through, but it seemed he wasn't using that cliche yet.
"Thunderchild, for buck's sake don't hit swords with your wing!" I reminded him.
"Sorry, I sent a lightning shock through the blade, should have fried the jerk!"
"Ha! My hilt is made of rubber!"
"Actually at the speed some samurai-pegasus can open their wings it enables them to bisect their opponent's sword WITH a wingblade," said Audience.
(Interviewer's Notes (Pegasus): Shining! Remember his weakness!)
"And how do you carry all these weapons anyway?!"
Audience helpfully shot the shorter sword, letting Thunderchild snatch it in his mouth.
"Ugh, what's this hilt made of..." He complained.
"Leather, REAL leather, from a pony!"
Thunderchild spat it out at the sick bucker.
"Thanks for my sword back!"
"You're half pony! Why would a HERO have a sword made from his own kind, you sick buck?!" I yelled. "And you said it was rubber!"
He snarled as swung both his swords together like scissors, but Thunderchild flew up and kicked him in the face, just as I swung the blade in below.
Only to glance off some kind of body armor below the medals. A few more self-awarded bits of gold fell down.
"No matter, I'll just give myself more medals later," Nameless cackled. He began to charge energy into his antlers for his destructive spell, but I forced him to switch to teleporting as I fired a hail of Rapid Gravity Ball spells. I might suck at aiming, but when I'm shooting a rain of small shield spheres at him, I don't need to be Captive-level accurate. I could practically hear the Brigadier reminding me 'five rounds rapid' from a few meters away.
Audience fired his bow again, sending the katana spinning off into the pit as Nameless reappeared, looking quite angry at having his spell interrupted.. Nameless threw the shorter one at him. Audience dodged, but did get a cut on the shoulder. Thankfully, it wasn't crippling.
"Enough of this little skirmish, let's get real," Nameless giggled, and produced two more guns.
We all rolled out of his way as his twin weapons spat lead at us. Oddly, these were just regular, not even precious-metal-plated guns. Just boxy black things with long straight magazines in the grip, throwing out more bullets a second than an entire army armed with the kind of guns that were supposed to exist right now!
We took evasive action, and I managed to protect us a good bit, but I heard Thunderchild give a grunt.
"You ok?!" I called.
"Yeah, my armor stopped most of it! Might be bleeding a little, but I'm fine!"
Just to be safe, I covered them and let Garnet get to him. Nameless threw his empty guns away and teleported back a bit with the distraction, to another gantry.
"Round two, and things get hotter!"
From nowhere, he pulled two big box-things, looking like four rocket launcher tubes stuck together...because that's what they were! He began firing incendiary rockets at us, causing patches of fire to spread around the room, limiting our room to move.
"Are you bucking insane?!" yelled Garnet as we dodged another explosion. She gave a scream.
"Garnet, what happened?"
"Hip got caught in the fire, sir," she reported, cringing as she checked herself over, then said something to Gag I didn't hear.
(Interviewer's Notes (Unicorn): Probably telling him she's okay.)
Gag's relief suggested that. I was just relieved she hadn't been set on fire.
(Interviewer's Notes (Pegasus): Shining, you're not the ONLY one with Classic Equestrian Wit here!)
Good idea!
"Everypony, troll him!" I called to the others as we were busy trying not to die, trying not to let the psychotic deer hear.
"Uh sir, I don't think nows a good time!" Thunderchild called, trying not to get lit on fire.
"Trust me! It's his kryptonite! Insulting and undermining him weakens his powers!"
"Alright, you're the boss!"
"What's wrong Suckomon?! Can't hit anything that's not point blank?!" Gag called. I heard some venom in his tone.
As groanworthy as the pun was, Thunderchild flew up and kicked one launcher away as Azure Raven was busy snarling in rage, dodging a rocket aimed right at him, only for Nameless to just smack him with the other launcher like a club. Audience used the moment to hit the last rocket in that launcher with an arrow...and in a sheet of flame, it exploded.
"Thanks for those exploding arrowheads, Ellis," He shouted loudly.
"Got a little somethin' else actually...Here's the pitch, ya son of a bitch!"
Ellis had pulled a grenade, and kicked it right at Nameless as he emerged from the flames as dramatically as he was capable of. He batted it off away with his remaining sword.
"Home run?"
And then I noticed something.
"Buck! Hit the deck!" I yelled as Nameless had charged up that destructive spell of his WHILE in the fire.
We jumped out of the way as it barely missed and blew a gigantic hole in the wall behind us.
"Still missed!" Thunderchild called.
As the smoke cleared, I noticed a rather furious Solomon had charged Garnet with his sword...
Another exploding arrow then smashed the blade. Nameless sighed and glared at us as Garnet fell back.
"I don't break your toys, Lance-Corporal...Maybe I should?"
He then pulled out a sleek black rifle with a curved waffle-patterned magazine behind the trigger, and maybe a scope on the top. He fired a short burst, and took Audience's crossbow apart with the volley.
"Let's see you throw arrows at me now, you wre-"
Gag had pinched an arrow with his wing, and hurled it right at Nameless. Amazingly, he had managed to throw it right into the scope. It got stuck, true, but still...
"How the Tartarus did you do that?!" I asked, staring in blank shock.
"Um, kind of an accident..." Gag blinked.
"Like you, then! Your parents should have sued the contraceptive manufacturers!"
"Even if that was true at least he was actually born!" I taunted, firing the sword-gun (and missing).
Audience's concussive horn bolts fired at the gun Nameless had, however, did not miss.
"Unicorn, you stupid featherbrain, the bow is just easier to use for accuracy!"
He tried to pull out a huge revolver that seemed to fire off one grenade, but Audience shot the launcher out of Solomon's grasp, the shell detonating harmlessly as everypony dodged.
"Ha! Gag's got better aim on accident than you do on purpose!" Thunderchild quipped.
"By accident Thunderchild, it's by accident," Audience corrected.
"Mine's got a better beat!"
"It's grammatically incorrect!"
Two massive automatic shotguns suffered the same fate, spiraling away from the insane Cervicorn.
"Oh, screw this!" Azure Raven yelled, eyes becoming slitted like a dragon as he pulled out a new weapon from nowhere...
...An actual cannon. Like a bigger version of that multiple barreled thing back in Columbia, but held only by his horns.
"I am sick of you five being here!"
It began firing even faster than the twin guns from before. To make things worse, he proceeded to start shooting lightning from his horn and antlers in all directions, making taking cover even harder, apparently deciding that that if his aim was being affected by his anger, to not NEED to aim.
"And I'm sick of your shields, Sparkle!"
With a pop, he did dispel them. I threw them back up just in time.
I could barely see Azure Raven, the huge tongue of flame his gun spat out blinding me if I looked up there, and I was busy keeping the shields up...Only to then be kicked in the face as the gun fell silent.
"SURPRISE, WRETCH!" Azure Raven cackled as even in the red glow of the Iron Curtain, a new red aura formed around me and the enemy.
The Death Dome. A deep, somber, but menacing music began playing.
"And now the hero's music plays as he claims victory."
"Captain!" Someone yelled.
"He is trapped, and you get to watch him die. I will let you know how he will die... like the technician from before..."
My friends were all around me and ugly, and I saw looks of horror pass over their faces as he made them remember.
"He's helpless...And I'm done playing around. First him, then you five...Oh, but this is going to taste so good...Captain, rejoice, you will be the first in twenty-five years to witness me in ALL MY GLORY!"
He grinned, sharp teeth now visible and his eyes becoming that unearthly whitelight. His skin started to tear like a cheap costume. With an unholy roar, a mass of shadows began to erupt from the holes in his guise as I got to my hooves. I looked up into its 'eyes' staring at me like I was a gazelle in the claws of a dragon, its form seeming to be a vaguely equine shaped mass of wailing shadows that towered above me.
I couldn't make out details because they kept CHANGING! One moment one leg was a pony's, the next it was a griffin's, then it was a dragon's! It had wings or horns, then it didn't! I swear for a second it looked like it had a dragonfly's wings! I swear the shadows composing it were LOOKING at me! My brain feels like it's about to snap in two just looking at it!
"For the glory of the Hooviet Empire and Father Deer!"
"No...stop! I don't want to be part of a monster!"
"We must recover! The Empire must not fall!"
"Kill me please! I beg you!"
"I hope she likes the gift I got her."
They weren't Solomon's voice. It was like a chorus coming from inside him!
"NOW. BECOME A PART OF ME!"
Opening its maw, bathing the area in white light as it descended on me...
Only for a shout to distract us all.
"Hey, butthead...what happens...if I do...this?"
We all looked at the door. Gilda had managed to grab the fallen revolver grenade launcher. There wasn't a record scratch, but maybe there should have been.
She was aiming right at the Iron Curtain's orb, blood dripping from her beak.
Solomon's shadows recoiled in on themselves, as he screamed.
"YOU...YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN DEAD! NO! NO!"
"...I thought your hits didn't look fatal with this special armor," Garnet taunted.
Gilda, as usual, refused to follow his script. She fired every grenade, slamming into the orb, throwing cracks all over it.
Nameless screeched in rage, extending the reach of his dome but now encasing Gilda. The dome slammed into the others and threw them into the walls. I WISH I'd had time to make sure they were okay. He teleported over, back in his Cervicorn form, drawing a knife from his hyperspace arsenal.
I charged after him, but Azure Raven was two fast and Gilda staggered onto her paws, bleeding profusely from her wounds. With her last ounce of strength, it seemed, she was defying him, as she dodged his swing, grabbing his knife and jabbing it into his back. Seemed Nameless' rage was effecting his fighting ability.
He cursed, lashing out with antlers, only for Gilda to rake her talons down his leg. He cried out, kicking her away into the Death Dome's wall, then chasing down. She dodged to his left and tried to draw her own knife to stab him in the chest, but a hoof knocked it away and then smashed across her beak.
She promptly punched him on the snout.
"...WRETCH! Now you die," he screamed, lowering his horn and stabbing her in the chest, antlers going into her front legs, impaling them.
"NO!" I yelled, but it's like I was running it slow-motion.
Gripping her in his telekinesis to keep her stuck, he shook her a little, and threw her away. She let out a short gasp, but she was too far gone now to even scream.
"Nothing smart to say now, huh?! Let's hear you scream in agony like you should have!" He screeched even as her blood dripped from his horn and antlers.
"Buck...you," She hissed instead. She was gone.
I kicked him in the head for that, while he was too busy staring at her corpse in rage.
"Nameless! You've lost, you insane piece of horseapples! Look at what she did to your curtain!"
The orb was cracking even more, red energy spilling from it.
He stared, wide-eyed from beneath the crimson mask of blood. Gilda's blood.
"No...No, it has to fix..."
The cracks refused to heal. He tried to drop his death dome...
"What?!"
"Nice try, Nameless, but...this one is mine now. Blocking all your magic too."
He screamed and tried to kick at me. I dodged, and with my return blow, smashed one of his antlers with a buck. He screeched in pain and stumbled on his hooves, wailing in pain.
"Not so tough when you're so clopped off you can't say 'I'm a black belt,' are you?" I asked. "Your cheating just failed!"
He looked at me wide 'with what passed for his eyes'. The wound on his head seems to glow. "F-f-failed? I...we...i aM NoT A fAiLuRe!"
An image faded like a movie reel flashed through my head.
An Alicorn Princess, with sparkling eyes, sparkling mane, sparkling coat, sparkling crown, sparkling regalia that was covered in rainbow jewels, a cutie mark showing a castle, a crown, daisies, diamonds, rubies, a happy cat face, a sun and moon, and had a completely different mark on on her other flank, a heart tattoo on her face.
She was pulled down in chains, one being held by a muscular human in a toga, another chain held by a giant human dressed like a logger, a sword was struck through her tail, held by a knight wearing a crown, and a whip around her neck held by Daring Do? There were others but I didn't pay attention.
They were in a castle with a roof higher than any I'd seen in Canterlot that looked like it had been the scene of huge battle, her muzzle was stained with...light, like the kind I had seen taken out of that poor deer, she was surrounded by lifeless shadows all with holes in their chests, traces of light staining the edges. Looking closer, the land outside the throne room seemed...drained or twisted. Corrupted. I can't describe it honestly. It just felt...like stolen dreams. I know that sounds corny, but it's how it FELT. The group struggled to keep her down and all looked wounded and worn, like they'd been through the fight of their lives.
I saw her, Pandora, slowly walking towards the princess, a sad, pained look on her face. She looked younger. She was holding a little open black keepsake box with gold trim in her limbs, covered in locks. The princess looked in terror.
"WHY?!" The princess screeched, her beautiful voice fracturing and echoing. "I LOVE THESE STORIES! I JUST WANTED TO BE A PART OF THEM! I JUST WANTED EVERYONE TO LOVE ME TOO! I JUST WANTED TO FIX EVERYTHING! I WAS MAKING EVERYTHING BETTER! MOTHER!"
"No, you couldn't settle for just a part. You wanted them to be ABOUT you," Pandora replied, like a mother talking to their child who was on the other side of prison bars. "You wanted to be the main character of EVERYONE'S story instead of just yours. You weren't helping stories that were 'broken', you changed stories the way you wanted them to go. You didn't see other creature's stories, you just saw stories without you in them."
"So what? I'm the archetype of the perfect pony, the perfect princess, I should be in every story! They should all be about me! They should all go the way I want! Everyone should love me!!!!" She snarled, revealing now pointed fangs.
Pandora looked shocked for a moment. "...No...You've made yourself into a mockery of a dream. You have no substance, no depth, no shading, no identity. All you are is your power. Any characters who contradicts you has to be in the wrong. You have to be always in the right, always have the moral high ground, always the one with the sharpest insight, always the one with the most power. You don't care about the story at all. All you care about is being the center of attention. You're not a hero. You're empty. I'm sorry, for failing you."
Pandora approached the Princess. "Return to your proper places," the Imagination Goddess said, pressing a warted hand to the Princess' chest, causing both to glow with magic. Countless stars spewed out of the princess' mouth. She was getting smaller, less detailed.
"I HATE YOU! NO ONE RESPECTS ME! I DESERVE EVERYTHING!!! You cheat! Everyone love me! Love me! I am the hero! I should decide how the story should be! You villains! I hero! Love...me ..." The lights floated into the shadows, solidifying into super heroes, knights, wizards, and foals. The chains hit the floor. A child's scribble was sucked into the tiny box which sealed itself and everything went black.
I gasped and I dropped the hijacked dome as...voices began to come from nowhere...
"Kill him now!"
"Just end him!"
"What the hay..." I wondered.
The others stood beside me.
"Do you all hear that?" I asked. I didn't ask if any of them had just seen what I had just seen.
"Yeah, like dozens of voices..." Thunderchild whispered.
"What do we do now?" Ellis said.
I drew the sword-gun, back into a sword.
"Audience, shoot the orb."
He complied. Nameless let out another scream of denial, but seemed too enraged to do anything about it.
And then, the orb shattered like glass, a wave of red energy throwing all of us into the walls. Somehow, I stayed conscious, but I saw Solomon hadn't flown with us. He was trying to hover off the ground in the wash of energy...Like he was growing his antler back.
He dropped down. I glanced at the squad, all of them having trouble getting back up, but alive...
"You...You little worms...You little ponies!"
I climbed to my hooves as fast as I could, drawing Dima's sword.
"Get up, guys..."
His teeth were stuck as fangs, and his antlers were sharpened. Suddenly, one black feathered wing erupted out of his back.
"...Great, forgot about that cliche," I complained to nopony since my friends were out of it. The benefits and curses of a thick skull...
"It is no cliche, you wretched spawn of a foul goddess...It is godhood. For I am a god! I am the true Father Deer! I always WAS a god and shall forever BE a god! I will take up arms against the pantheon of failures and I shall enforce my will...across all their timelines...across all their wretched worlds!" he announced as his skin turned blood red and black armor formed.
"Uh yeah, you might want to look behind you," I warned as his transformation continued.
"Behind me? Pha! That is the past, and I control the past! He who controls the past commands the future, He who commands the future, conquers the past!" He said in a voice like a dozen roars together.
"...No, physically behind you. In the wreck of your destroyed superweapon...Well, your latest destroyed superweapon."
He actually turned rather than assuming it was a trick.
"Oh. You."
There, welcome for the first time ever, was the black nothingness of that wolf. It looked at me for a moment...then sniffed and slowly turned towards Nameless with a snarl.
"...yoU havE defileD mucH oF creatioN ,failurE oF pandorA"
"Failure?! You are the failure, little cleaner! You let this little horseapple here live!" He pointed at me.
".yoU interfereD witH mY tasK .protecteD thE infectioN .yoU madE mE faiL"
"Oh, and his singing whore goddess didn't help?! You cannot defy a god, little Psoglov! AND I AM A GOD!" Five more black wings erupted from his back and he began to grow larger, now a head larger than Celestia.
"...nO goD. yoU arE noT A goD .yoU arE aN invadeR .nO merE infectioN .yoU havE defieD youR concepT tO bE herE"
"Oh, shut up you bastard son of a nag and just erase this pain in the- AAARGH!"
I took my chance, diving at the lunatic and pinning him.
"NOW! JUST TAKE US BOTH!" I yelled at the black nothingness.
(Interviewer's Notes (Unicorn): NO!)
It's the only way! Solomon might have swung the wolf to his side!
"GET OFF ME WRETCH!" Solomon kicked me off, and away from the wolf.
He then span and kicked it. The wolf recoiled from the blow!
(Interviewer's Notes (Earth Pony): ...Aw rocks.)
Another sword came from nowhere, a blue-glowing curved blade.
"Little son of a cripple, if the dog will not obey a master, it is put down! This is the Water Blade, designed specifically to destroy you, as you know!"
Solomon swung it at the wolf...who simply ate the sword.
".yoU seeM tO bE confuseD witH someonE elsE"
And it leapt right at him. Nameless tried to kick again, but nothing happened. The wolf simply swiped, slicing three glowing red lines across his gaudy cutie mark...causing it to start melting.
"N-NO! YOU CANNOT!"
A Death Dome appeared around the wolf. That did seem to trap it, it 'tested' the spell and seemed annoyed when it didn't cease to exist at its touch, ".cheateR" for now, but each swipe caused cracks in the dome as Nameless tried to back away, bleeding lights from his wound...
The lights slowly floated up and seemed to look right at me...Then I remembered the technician being eaten...
"End it!" the voices called as more began to bleed out of him.
I looked at Nameless, who seemed to be getting weaker and weaker. I noticed parts of his melting Cutie Mark beginning to fade away.
He was trying desperately to grab the lights or otherwise stop them from escaping his body.
"No! If you leave I won't be me anymore! I'll lose all I am! Get back inside!" he yelled, trying to swallow the lights, but they just kept bleeding out.
"Solomon, not wise, and no king, your 'name' is an insult," I said simply as he kept backing away. He turned, looking fearful. I noticed some of his features were beginning to become more plain as well.
"Sparkle...You can make a second new Death Dome, trap that wolf! You have to stop it or it will claim you too! I beg you!" Each slash from the Wolf made Nameless cringe, like the feedback alone was hurting him.
"Oh, now you need my mercy? Bad news. I can't make your Death Dome at all. I just figured out how to take control of them. Your spell is impossible and now the wolf knows it."
"W-well, you can add more power to the dome, take control of it, hold it back! I can...I can give you anything, Sparkle! Money, mares, I could burn down White Hoof Lane!"
"How, exactly? You've lost. You power is literally bleeding out of you."
"I...I tried to make you powerful already! I altered Maasailand's prophecy for you and you wasted it! You could have had an army as their Messiah!" Aspects of his voice began to disappear as well.
"Of pacifists?"
He sneered.
"Well, you're a complete little wimp anyway who always goes pretending to be non-lethal, might as well give you an army in your image!"
I turned around and kicked him in a flash.
"You mistake avoiding conflict for pacifism, 'Azure Raven'. We ponies love peace...but when push comes to shove..."
I gave him another kick as he scrambled back to his hooves.
"...We can fight. And if you didn't notice...I killed your Alicorn Cyborgs because I was freeing them. I didn't object to my allies killing when they had to. I just choose not to kill directly because I know I can avoid it."
He had tried to flee the weakening dome where the Wolf was almost free. It wasn't even attacking anymore, it was just waiting like a hungry manticore, watching the dome weaken as Nameless did. He was starting to flicker, like a glitching video game.
He then looked at me. "...you c-could have let your squad kill me when...when I fled my control room...they wouldn't be hurt, and I wouldn't have this blood on my hooves...You failed to save your Uncle, he died because of you. Hehe...you don't know how much strength I have left...maybe I could use every ounce of it to destroy your little friends over there, destroy myself and take everything with me...you don't know, do you? Maybe...maybe I could even use it to make a Diamond Dog...with a spear appear in a certain lavender unicorn's living room...one of the lights I still have inside it to give it an independent existence...you don't know, and you don't care do you? Hehe...you are weak..."
I narrowed my eyes, seeing red other than the blood on his face. "I don't kill the helpless...But now, I'll to make an exception."
I loved the fear in his eyes as I put a dome of my own around him and began to collapse it inwards...
(Interviewer's Notes (Unicorn): SHINING, STOP! You don't want to do this!)
Yes I bucking do. It's more mercy than the sick bucker deserves. Nothingness is too good for him! The sound of his bones crushing is gonna be music. Now either get out of my head or shut your cave! The guilty must be punished! My only regret is that I can only do it once!!!
(Interviewer's Notes (Pegasus): Would it be what everypony he's killed and hurt deserves? To be locked in the fates HE wrote for them?)
Distracted, I released the dome. I looked at his fearful eyes as he stumbled back, tripping over-
...Gilda.
I looked at him. "Was that you?"
"W-what?" Nameless stammered. He looked like he didn't know WHAT he was thinking anymore, let alone able to mind manipulate me.
Buck...That psycho-me was all me, wasn't it?
"I wanted to make an exception...but I guess the wolf saw you first,"I said, picking him up in the shield and merging it into the dome, which I then dispelled.
"Besides, you're not worth it. You never were...and you never will be."
He tried to run, but the wolf pounced upon him. Solomon's kicks didn't even make it flinch now, and every swipe drew constellations of lights. I noticed it went straight for his wings first, slashing them and causing them to fall apart.
"H-help me you fool, it wants you next!" Solomon wailed, sounding more pitiful than ever.
His voice had began to crack, like a radio or speaker that was malfunctioning.
I just watched without comment, blank-faced.
"You...You lunatic! You fool...He's coming when I am...When I am gone! I could have stopped him, if I had the power. And you?...You won't last a minute the second it finishes me! Then HE rises...Your cousin from...from...where we aren't...dies...without...without meaning." He kept having to stop as he spoke, like he was looking for words that should be obvious.
I shut him out, turned away, and walked back to my squad. Gag's wing had started bleeding again, it seemed. The others were still groggy, but Garnet was trying to help him.
"...Sir? Is it over?" She asked.
I glanced back. Nameless had kicked the wolf off, trying to crawl away...but his hind legs had vanished, trailing light behind him. His eyes had stopped being eyes -they were now just the bright lights they'd become when he transformed before. As for his appearance; if I hadn't known he was 'Makarov', I wouldn't even of recognized him without the traits he'd stolen from others. He wasn't a child's scribble, he was still some...THING. A Shadow.
The lights floated over to me as they left him.
"Thank you..." each whispered. I gave them a simple nod back as I replied to my medic.
Nameless had stopped running, it looked at the Wolf like a cornered animal and emitted an echoing roar. It lunged at the Wolf, biting and clawing at it as the Wolf returned in kind. Even though its blows weren't even fazing the Wolf, they hurt the Shadow instead, like a sand castle against a tidal wave, the Shadow kept trying to fight back and defy its fate.
"Nearly. Everything'll be okay in a minute or two. You'll all be fine soon..."
"Don't feel fine, Sir...Mah dang head feels like it's been smashed open..." Ellis groaned. He'd got himself a nasty head wound somewhere, but it seemed Garnet had got to him already.
"Trust me, buddy, you'll be fine," I said, watching the Wolf overpower its foe, grab Nameless' neck, and bite down.
And with that, the thing that called itself Solomon Azure Raven Makarov burst into the last few lights, vanishing. The Wolf turned to look right at me as the Death Dome just disappeared.
"Well, come on, then. I did my job. Start fixing things!"
Everything began to glow white around me, and the wolf just looked at me.
".timE .iT iS buT A matteR of timE .thE timelinE shalL bE restoreD fullY"
"...And my friends? They're not going to just be erased from existence or something?"
".nO .theY belonG .I onlY erasE thaT whicH shoulD havE neveR beeN, noT whaT shoulD bE .theiR shadowS wilL bE healeD .theiR lightS wilL forgeT whaT neveR happeneD tO begiN witH"
I looked down and noticed they'd become shadows with lights floating inside them, one each. Their wounds healed. Gag...Gag's wing was growing back. When it was done, the shadows were sucked into the lights and they all flew off in the same direction.
".theY returN tO wherE theY arE supposeD tO bE"
I looked at myself and saw I was a shadow too, or turning to one...What color is my light?
(Interviewer's Notes (Unicorn): Purple.)
Hehe. Shoulda known.
"And Dima? The Rebels?"
".thE samE .theiR fateS' arE beinG repaireD .deatH wilL returN dimA"
"And Twilight?"
".shE iS finE"
A shadow of nothingness that had nothing more to do right now about the Shadow of Chernobull...But there was still me.
And then there was nothing at all...
Then there was everything, and everypony.
Cadence........