Blithy quickly raised her hand, aiming the micro gun embedded in her palm at the machine. But before she could fire, Val slapped her across the face and sent her tumbling off the stairs to the throne.
"Nah-ah-ah." Val wagged a finger at her. "I'm not gonna let you destroy that thing any time soon." She said, stepping up towards the machine. "Eclipse, if you would be so kind."
"Val-!" Blithy screamed out, leaping towards her counterpart. An orange ring wrapped around her ankle and she fell over, Eclipse folding her arms indifferently from her corner.
"I take it Valkyrie recognized this at first glance?" Val leant a shoulder on the machine, running a finger along its fine edges teasingly.
"It was but a CONCEPT." Blithy growled. "It was never intended to actually exist!"
"Perhaps in your world, in your own circumstances." Val rubbed a forefinger against her thumb.
"It's not worth it."
"Is it not?" She raised an eyebrow. "Do tell."
"You'll be nothing but a killing machine if you step into that thing. I doubt you'd even be pony afterwards!" Blithy screamed, struggling against Eclipse's restraints. "Val- you want to rule this world, don't you? You bucking want to enjoy it, don't you? Then don't turn yourself into less. I know we've both had that sentiment before, about being pony. About being a living being." She cast her eyes down at her metallic fingers, her cybernetic eye casting blue haze over them. "And I know you enjoy being powerful. I did too. We could stand up on our own hooves, and we could lift the world with our hands. But there is a stage where it all becomes too much. These augmentations? We didn't get to choose. But what you're about to do... That's your choice. And there won't be anypony else to blame if you become something you don't want to be- Val, there's no going back after you step into that thing."
Val nodded. She took a few controlled breaths, watching the desperation build up on Blithy's face.
"Blithy." She said, walking away from the machine. "After all this... Senseless killing... Plotting... All this pain and grief and anger..." She crouched down, sitting on the steps by her alternate self. "Do you know what my motivation is?"
Blithy opened her mouth to speak. No words emerged.
"You accuse me of destroying my own world so that I may rule it later? Who the hell wants to rule an apocalyptic wasteland?" Val gave her a glare. "I don't want power. Sure, it's fun. But that's not what I'm after anymore, and it hasn't been for a long long time. Tell ya what, Blithy; I'm not doing this for myself. Well, not entirely anyway- so it won't matter. It won't matter what I become beyond this point, Blithy. That line, that stage you spoke of?" She gave her a rare smile. A genuine one. A sad one. "I'm already too far past it."
Blithy stayed in shocked silence as Val stood up and walked back towards the machine. She did manage to find some words as Val stood on the edge of the entrance though.
"Val... It's NEVER too far past..." She said desperately.
"You're too kind in your conception of me, Blithy." Val gave her a sad glance.
At that moment something occurred to Blithy as she watched Val slowly turn away. She wrenched her hand free from Eclipse's bindings, her fingers pressing the play button on the small box embedded in her throat.
Val's ears twitched as an electric guitar intro started playing from Blithy. She laughed as she recognized the tune.
"Don't you dare bucking start THAT with me-" she turned around.
The intro to the song ended, and Blithy started singing softly. "Save some face, you know you've only got one..."
Val rolled her eyes, but joined in anyway as she sat back down again. "...Change your waaeeeaaays, while you're young."
"Boooy, one day you'll be a maaan..."
"Ooooh girl~ he'll help you under~stand!"
Then they started singing together: "Smile like you mean it~ smile like you mean it~"
Val dropped off. "Looking back, at sunsets on the east side..."
"We lost track~ of the time..."
"Dreams... Aren't what they used to be..."
"Some~thiiiings.... Slide by so careless-ly!"
"Smile like you mean it~"
"Smile like you mean it~!"
An instrumental started, ready to segway into the next set of lyrics.
"Alright Blithy... Turn it off..." She rested her forehead against her hand, trying to restrain her laughter.
"Come on, you know you want to-"
"Blithy-"
"Smile like you mean it-"
Val stared blankly at her for a second. Then her brows bent into a flat frown, and she pointed to the door. "Get out."
"Hey-"
"Eclipse!"
Eclipse nodded, wrapped her sciencey orange things around Blithy's left ear and headed for the door, dragging the protestant grey mare with her.
"Val! You're going to cause more harm than you want to with this!" She screamed as she was tugged outside. "I know there's still some form of good in you! I bucking know there is!"
Then the doors to the throne room were thrown shut with an echoey bang, Blithy's voice silenced almost instantly.
Val listened to the echo for a second for so, peering up at the ceiling.
"Goddamnit..." She picked her Rainbow Dash soft toy up off the floor and sat down, holding it at arm's length and staring into its purple button eyes.
She sniffed, wiping a tear with a wrist.
"Goddamnit- why can't I just be like you, all clear about who the enemy is?" She whispered. She slowly and dejectedly crawled back to the machine to lean against it, feeling its soft hum run through her back.
She hugged the plushie close to her chest and rested her cheek on its rainbow striped mane, crying.
She cuddled it for a few minutes, waiting for her mood to stabilize. She tried to imagine that the plushie was somepony that loved her, but nopony came to mind. So she just cuddled it and pretended.
The soft texture of minky fabric tickled her skin, and she hugged it even tighter- to the point of almost completely crushing it.
For the longest time she simply stared at the ground, past her metal knees; contemplating.
Damnit... It had to be that stupid song. It got to her head. Made her objective all fuzzy and stuff again.
But was it the song, or was it the fact that she had sung it so happily with somepony who was supposed to be her enemy?
She looked up towards the door. Maybe Eclipse already knocked Blithy out, or Blithy was still trying to free herself. But what did it matter to her?
She wanted to save the world, Val thought; she wanted to save it from me. But I want to save it too... I just can't tell her that.
She rested the plushie against the machine.
None of it mattered. Nothing ever did. Because she was going to save the world she destroyed so carelessly- and Genesis will be her tool.
Wiping the last of her tears away and giving a firm reassuring punch at the air, she activated the machine and stepped in.
*
"Guards. AL, go." Rainbow whispered, nothing but a shimmering haze lingering in the shadows as she hid under her cloaked coat.
"On it." Suddenly the area outside Valhalla tower's front gates exploded with gunfire, AL engaging the enemy assault units with her cars.
"Let's go." Octavia whispered, swinging out of the alley way and making her way down the boulevard. The boulevard was a wide road that led straight to the tower, lined with buildings that were much smaller in comparison to the skyscrapers around them. Half of them were gone now however, consumed by the flames of a war that had shrouded the magical land of Equestria secretly for decades now.
"EDI, are they still on you?" Rainbow asked as they slipped by the chaos between AL and the assault units.
"Yep. Right here on my rear exhaust." EDI replied, and Rainbow heard an explosion in the background.
"Keep up the good work." She said, jogging towards the tower with Octavia. "What of our other players?"
"Blaze and I are ready to go." Halcyon joined in.
"Terra and Nightshade."
"Neon and Silver."
"Vinyl and Noteworthy."
"Magnum and Dusty here."
"Scoots and Katty."
"Space fleet is in place."
"We're all waiting on you."
Rainbow looked behind her. Valhalla seemed to stretch on for an eternity, a fallen city. AL's battle had moved somewhere else, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. More reinforcements were heading to it, heavy metallic footsteps thumping on the once luxurious marble streets.
She turned back to the tower. It shimmered an ambient blue, its overshield giving it an unnatural glint under the pollution filtered sunlight.
She wondered what Val was doing. Was she standing at her window, watching her world fall? Watching all she had accomplished crumble in her hands?
Genesis. Genesis was going to be her ticket out. And if she were to take it, the world won't be given a second chance.
Rainbow gulped. From the very first battle in Manehatten, to the short war against the science faction's Barricade- then to the events with Dainty and Val, to the timeline reset, to their escape from Manehatten, to their chase through Equestria- to her encounter with Silver, to their fight; to finally reaching Haven- only to have it taken away by the winds of war once more, to having lost old friends and gained new ones- this is what all of it has finally led to.
Not just the world's key to salvation. But answers, more than anything else- Rainbow was hoping to find answers.
Why is Val the way she is? What is her reason to have caused all of this?
"Alright... Let's go." She said, more to herself than the ponies she was speaking to.
*
Earlier, Haven; Tunnels.
"Derpy." The Doctor beckoned from his chair.
"Doctor?" Derpy turned from where she was making some hot water for the doctor to drink. Rainbow had only just left, and she looked pretty angry.
"Come here... I need to talk to you." Derpy obeyed, gingerly trotting over to him and sitting down. She was surprised when he rested a hoof against her cheek and offered a sad smile.
"Doctor...?"
"They removed the virus and patched you up, didn't they..." He said softly. Derpy looked a little confused. He let out a long sigh, the type which meant 'I don't know how to say this'. He still had that sad look on his face. "Derpy... You... You have to go with Rainbow and the others."
Derpy frowned. "Wha? Where to?"
"They're going to Valhalla. You have to go with them." The Doctor swallowed.
"But why?" Derpy slumped. "I... Come with me. I'm sure they have cybernetics and they can-"
"I'm not regenerating, Derpy. Even if they can return to me a metal limb I still won't be able to do what I have to. But you can." The Doctor looked up, trying to look as reassuring as he could.
"But... I..." Derpy teared up, but quickly blinked them back. "We've been a pair for so long... I... I don't want to go..."
"You'll be fine, Derpy." The Doctor lifted her chin with a hoof. "You'll know why soon enough."
*
Present, Valhalla tower.
Rainbow ran her cleaver through a science faction officer as he made the corner. Octavia put a bullet through the other's head. Rainbow waved the oversized sword, deflecting the bullets sent her way by several assault units further down the hall. Switching it into firing mode she took them down with Octavia.
"Server rooms are that way." Octavia pointed left.
"Elevators are that way." Rainbow pointed down the other side of the intersection.
Octavia was quiet for a few moments. Then she looked up- best not make this too emotional, if at all.
"Fine, just... Don't die."
Rainbow gave a grim chuckle. "I'll be fine. I don't blindly stride into ambushes."
"Yeah, buck you too." Octavia laughed softly, swallowing a tear.
"Besides, Val's probably waiting for me." Rainbow said, peering up at the ceiling. Up there, probably in the throne room...
"I... Suppose this is where we part?" Octavia made a futile gesture.
Rainbow shrugged, smiling sadly. "...yeah. I guess."
They stood for a minute or so- and it was at that moment which Octavia truly realized how much Rainbow had lost, and how much it had affected her. Not just the friends they've lost along the way, but the bits of herself that had been slowly chipped away. The bits that not even their friendship had healed.
Plus, she had that sad look on her face. That disappointed yet expectant smile, that said nothing and everything at the same time. The smile of a mare ready to die and end it all.
Octavia's own turned down into a concerned frown. She sighed, and nodded to herself.
"Give em hell." She said, and Rainbow chuckled softly.
"I will." She replied, turning away. "And, Tavi..."
Octavia stopped.
"Please... don't die again."
She shook her head. "I'm staying here for as long as you are."
Rainbow gave an acknowledging nod, and the two parted ways to their differing objectives in the tower.
*
Earlier, Haven; City Central emergency camp.
Rainbow made her way up the steps to a makeshift landing pad somepony assembled in the middle of the camp. A drop ship sat atop it, its engines flaring lightly and keeping themselves toasty warm.
"Is everything prepped?" She asked as Octavia followed her to the aircraft.
"The cars are being transported now..." Octavia murmured, looking up. The NEMESIS hulked over the city, a gigantic presence that could not only be seen and heard but felt as well. It loomed over the city, hovering.
Smaller ships of all sorts transported personnel and supplies back and forth between it and Haven, and Octavia spotted a large cargo craft gliding towards the NEMESIS.
"There's one of em." She pointed at it. "We'll still have some time when we get to the NEMESIS. Mind debriefing me on why we have cars?"
"You'll see." Rainbow said, continuing on for the ship.
"Rainbow!" She heard somepony cry out. Turning around, she spotted Dainty running towards her.
"You... You left this behind..." She said, bringing up a silver necklace.
"I..." Rainbow looked down at it. The cutie mark necklace that Dainty made... "I'm sorry... It must've been when I was..." She made a grim chuckle, then pulled Dainty into a hug. She was going to miss this little ball of fluff.
"Please don't go." Dainty murmured. "You're all that I have left."
Rainbow froze. Of course... She should've known that. She did, she just didn't quite recognize it fully.
What was she doing... Why can't she just stay here and look after her?
Because there were more important things at stake.
"Hey... I'll be back, alright?" She smiled, ruffling Dainty's ears. "No matter what happens I'll always come back."
"Miss Dash." She heard another voice, and spotted the Doctor slowly limping towards them. Derpy was helping him.
"Doctor." Rainbow grunted, letting Dainty go and giving her one last pat on the head.
"Do you have two more spaces left over on that ship?" He gestured to the drop ship.
"I have plenty." Rainbow replied. "But you're not coming in your current condition. You need Derpy to look after you."
"I can look after myself Rainbow..." Doctor Whooves murmured. "But, I wasn't planning on going. Might I suggest you take Dainty and Derpy with you as well?"
Dainty looked up in surprise at the mention of her name, and Derpy's ears folded back a little.
"They'll be safer here." Rainbow said after eyeing the both of them.
"Valhalla has some rather... Troublesome... Security systems, I'd imagine? Surely Dainty's hacking skills will serve you well in the coming storm." He gestured to the filly's terminal cutie mark.
"I... I..." Dainty looked between the two. Rainbow was extremely uncertain, and the Doctor had that patient grin on his face.
"And Derpy?" Rainbow gestured to the grey mare, who shrunk a bit.
"I've taught my assistant a few things. She will be in charge of Dainty in your absence, and will help her hack into Valhalla's systems... I've given her enough information so that she could do it from the NEMESIS."
Rainbow frowned. "So they're not going into Valhalla?"
"No. They will be able to access the systems remotely." The Doctor reassured.
Rainbow weighed her options. As long as they don't get into the battle...
"Hop on." She nodded towards the drop ship, taking Dainty's hoof.
"What do you mean about giving me information? I have nothing!" Derpy hissed at the Doctor.
"Derpy, listen-"
"Why are you sending ME? I'm not you!" She said, out of earshot of Rainbow and the others. "I can't hack into Valhalla's systems or anything! It's got like a level eight encryption and has a level seven AI guarding it! The mainframe will have to be tampered with physically if I'm to do anything to the tower's systems which is where I presume everything will be- guaranteed your theory on the purpose of Valhalla is true! I can't do any of that! I'm not even smart!"
The Doctor still had that patient look on his face. That grin. What is up with it?
"What are you... What?" Derpy's eyes seemed to travel even further away from each other. "Did I just...?"
"Derpy, darling; listen to me..." The Doctor held her by her shoulders. "That's exactly it. Do you remember?"
"I... What is all this..." Derpy clutched her temple. "Ugh~~, make it stop. Memories... This is really really weird..."
The Doctor's grin grew wider. "Derpy... Remember when we first started? When you joined me on my first adventure... OUR first adventure... You told me you weren't special. You were a delivery mare in Ponyville that liked muffins. And yet I took you with me anyway." He gave a soft but proud sigh. "Thousands of years of time and space and I haven't met ANYONE that didn't matter. The most ordinary people have done so much and yet they never truly find out just how much their actions affect the outcomes of other things. I do. I see the dominoes fall, knocking each one over and going on and on and on. Legacy, Derpy. Everyone has one. Everyone is special. You just don't know yet." He grinned, patting the confused grey mare on the back. "Remember when we first met? Somehow at that time and that location my TARDIS guided me to you. Through a completely different reality, it sent me to YOU. On a land of magical ponies and things I never thought I'd see.
Recently I've been thinking. Why you? How so? Across- BEYOND- an entire universe I stepped across to find this curious grey mare..."
"Thanks." Derpy muttered, and the Doctor laughed.
"Remember when I fell, Derpy? In this time line? I didn't regenerate... But you did. The virus didn't affect you. You kicked it within a week." The Doctor's grin faded to a more serious expression. "I beckoned for the TARDIS but it never came to me. I presumed my beauty had been destroyed. I used the sonic screwdriver but something about it was off... It looked a little different. It didn't suit me. After arriving at Haven, seeing its brilliance... I began getting memories. Beautiful memories of adventures we shared... All the planets and systems and life forms we had tea parties with..." He chuckled. "But I never wandered. I only followed. You led."
"Doctor-"
"Nah ah!" Doctor Whooves shushed her, placing a hoof on her mouth. "You see... I'm not the Doctor... Not here, not now... But you..." He took the hoof away, Derpy trying not to scream out profanities at him for his completely ridiculous notion. "You're special. Here..." He took out his sonic screwdriver, gently placing it in Derpy's hoof. Suddenly it pulsed a brilliant blue, the aura of light then slowly fading again. The Doctor grinned. "See that? It recognizes you." He laughed.
"Doctor, please take it back-" Derpy tried handing it back to him, but the Doctor denied.
"It's not mine. It's yours." He said simply. "I'm not the Doctor. Not in this world. Derpy... You know how the Doctor is always there to help ponies? He'll do everything he can, right?"
Derpy nodded.
Doctor Whooves smiled, pulling the grey mare into a big hug.
"Allons-y, Doctor Hooves." He let out a slightly pained, but relieved; sigh. "Only... I won't be coming with you on your next adventure."
"I..." Derpy looked down, then put her arms around him. "Please... Just come with me... One last time... I don't want to be alone."
"You won't be." The Doctor whispered, letting go. He nodded behind Derpy, and she turned around.
"Hey! If you guys are done, you mind?" Rainbow yelled from the drop ship. They were waiting.
"That still doesn't bypass the issue with hacking into Valhalla. I need physical access to the mainframe." Derpy muttered.
"You'll figure it out, good Doctor." Doctor Whooves said, patting Derpy on the back and backing off the landing pad. "Better not keep your pals waiting!"
"But I don't know what to do!" Derpy cried out.
"Improvise!" The Doctor shrugged. "I'm just the assistant!"
"You're useless, you know!" Derpy said as she hopped up onto the craft.
"Hey! I was never that mean to you!" The Doctor yelled back. The two shared one last chuckle together before the drop ship lifted itself from the ground, the blast of air almost taking him off his hooves.
He watched it fly high up into the sky then boost away towards the NEMESIS, vanishing amongst the other dots darting back and forth above Haven.
He let the morning breeze ruffle his equine mane, enjoying what little warmth the sun provided in this winter.
"Oh, I'm still a pony." He said to himself, looking at his hooves. "How odd. Time and space... How much longer will it take for me to understand your every teeny tiny little aspect?" He wondered to himself.
There was a loud boom and a groan as the NEMESIS slowly rose into the air and towards space. It was taking off.
He watched it slowly ascend, ready to glide into enemy territory. "Good bye, Doctor... And good luck."