A/N: Surprise! I wanted to make two chapters that followed Icarus with both of his choices. Keep in mind that this is not the true ending. It is simply an alternative option to what really happens. ~Kalameet
Alternative Ending 1: A Change of Power
Icarus glared at Celestia through his narrowed eyes. He remembered why he had first started his journey. It wasn't only to recover his memory, but it was also to have revenge on the one who put him in Eden: Celestia.
He turned back to Eve who had stopped struggling on the floor.
"Eve, we have been partners since before I can remember. We were also friends. Unfortunately, I abandoned you when you needed me most, and I'm very, very sorry for what I did. I don't expect you to forgive me for it, but I hope I can regain your loyalty."
Icarus froze the slime that surrounded Eve, making it brittle. He thrust his front hoof into it, shattering the crystallized goo and freeing Eve.
"Thank you," came Eve.
Celestia was backing away slowly. A tremor was visible in one of her legs. She never took her eyes off Icarus and Eve.
"Luna!" she exclaimed. Celestia turned back towards the throne. "Luna, I need you! Please hur-"
She was abruptly cut off when a bright green orb struck her and dropped her to the floor.
Eve smirked and lowered her hoof just as Luna staggered into the room near the throne.
"Sister? What appears to be-? Celestia!" She shrieked. Luna raced down the room towards her sister's unmoving body.
Icarus stepped in between Celestia and Luna as she approached him and Eve.
"You will not get away with this!" cried Luna, tears beginning to stream down her cheeks. She fired a navy blue magic pulse at Icarus, who easily deflected it with a simple wave of his hoof. Again and again she launched attacks on Icarus, and again and again he protected himself with ease.
"Enough!" shouted Icarus. He clicked his front hooves together, then thrust them forcefully towards Luna. A string of fire lashed at and surrounded her in a sphere of heat. She swiped at the fire, but its severe heat scorched her in doing so. It then began to close in on Luna, who was becoming frantic.
"Please stop!" she sobbed. "Why? Why are you doing this to us?"
"Why?" mocked Icarus. "Because fuck you, that's why."
Luna's sobs turned to shrieks of agony as the flames began to sear her hide. Icarus increased the inferno's heat, turning the sphere of fire blue. The hall echoed with an awful blood-curdling scream.
Icarus waited until the only sound he heard came from the crackling of the flames, then ended his spell. He gazed down at Luna's corpse with disgust. Her outer skin had been completely burnt off. Patches of inner flesh had also been cooked through, revealing her exposed lifeless muscle. She wasn't even remotely recognizable.
Icarus looked back at Eve who was approaching Celestia with a spear she had acquired. Celestia managed to open her eyes, but she lacked the strength to do anything else. Eve hoisted the spear high above her head.
"Goodbye, Celestia," she grinned.
"Eve, stop," declared Icarus.
Eve paused. "What is it? Don't tell me you actually want her to live, do you?"
"No. I want to do it myself." Icarus pointed at the spear Eve was wielding.
"Fine."
Eve handed Icarus the spear and took a couple steps back to give him space. Icarus took a deep breath and proceeded to walk towards Celestia. Her shining eyes were wide as he reached her. A lone tear rolled down her cheek.
Icarus stared at Celestia with hard eyes. Finally, the time had come for revenge. He clenched the spear in his jaws firmly and drove the sharp metal tip into Celestia's chest. He jerked the weapon free and thrust it into her body again. He did it again and again. At last, Icarus completed the job by shoving the spear into the center of her forehead, causing the spear to penetrate Celestia's skull and protrude out from under her jaw.
Icarus released the spear shaft and looked down at the bloody mess before him similarly like what he had done to Luna. Celestia had several holes punched in her chest that gushed out the blood that once gave her life. It slid along the ground soundlessly, forming a pool around the butchered princess.
He was finished. As the stench of blood, burnt flesh, and decaying roses filled his nostrils, Icarus closed his eyes and reflected on everything that had happened which led to this moment. Eden, power, deception, he pondered them all. The journey had been long and difficult, but it was finally over. Icarus and Eve were victorious. Speaking of which, where had the aphotic mare run off to?
Icarus was about to look behind him to see where she had gone when he felt the icy metal of a sword's blade slice into his right shoulder. He let out a scream at the sudden pain. The sword lodged itself deep in his muscle, stuck between two of his shoulder bones.
Eve walked in front of Icarus, watching him with unblinking eyes and a straight face.
The agonizing wound got the better of Icarus. He fell to the floor, taking short breaths.
"Eve... Why?"
"Oh, that's right. I forgot to show you something," said Eve plainly. Her skin began to shift peculiarly, altering its color from a midnight black to a deep green. Insect wings sprouted from her back as she grew a couple inches taller. She wasn't Eve, rather, she was the Changling Queen Amber.
Icarus wasn't strong enough to gasp at the surprise, but his eyes widened. Between his shock and bloody shoulder, he was having trouble formulating a response.
"But if you're Amber, then where is Eve?" Icarus managed to ask.
"Ah, Eve..." Amber pondered. "I haven't the slightest clue where she is, but she's my next target. Let me tell you something, Icarus. During your rampage before Eden, you not only attacked towns in Equestria, but you also attacked Changling hives as well. You killed my subjects by the hundreds. We all lived in fear of you, but when you were finally stopped we all took a sigh of relief. I began thinking about how I could have vengeance for what had happened. Somehow you conveniently stumbled into my domain, which I found most beneficial. After you told me your plan I decided that giving you a morph gem would be a small price to pay to have Celestia and Luna eliminated while I took the throne. And you, Icarus, would finally be slain by who you thought was your ally: Eve. Since you had no memory of your past, I knew you didn't plan to turn on us Changlings. You were too determined to take down Celestia, so I decided to play along."
Icarus couldn't feel his front legs anymore. He had lost too much blood and was weak, barely being able to keep his eyes open. He watched Amber yank the crimson spear out of Celestia's skull and approach him with it.
"And now here you are, defeated and hanging on the brink of death. I have been awaiting this moment, and now that it's finally here I can barely contain my excitement! But before you die, let me ask you something. Were your actions justified? Did you really do the right thing even if I was actually Eve? Think about them for a moment."
Had it been worth it? Was he at least content with the choices he had made? He had murdered his targets, so why didn't he feel accomplished before his life ended? Perhaps violence only leads to more strife for everyone, ultimately causing no satisfaction for anyone. Icarus had made the wrong choice, and because of it he would not only die, but he would die knowing the severity of his mistake and how much of a rotten life he had lived.
Amber lifted the bloodstained spear high. Icarus had accepted his fate. He tried to look away as the weapon plunged into his weak body. He could barely feel the pain, but a huge wave of exhaustion came over him instead. Icarus closed his eyes, beginning his eternal slumber.
Amber let out a maniacal laugh. "I have won! I simply need to dispose of Celestia's body and change myself to look like her. Equestria is mine!"
And from that moment on, the residents of Equestria entered a new age. One in which Luna had been killed by the mad pony Icarus, how Celestia had barely managed to survive. However, the Equestrians weren't aware that the acting Celestia was actually Amber, which gave her absolute power. It was an age of deception, and nopony even knew.
~The End~
Outro Song: Icarus - Bastille
A/N: I have really been anticipating this ending for quite a while. I hope the twist caught you off guard! I would have probably just ended the story here if I didn't feel like the true ending was any good, but I enjoy a happy ending rather than a morbid one, so this chapter is one to appeal to the latter of those two kinds of people. Anyways, let me know what you thought and stay tuned for next week's chapter! ~Kalameet