Six figures stood in a small, grassy alcove on the side of a large mountain, all of them gazing far off into the distance towards a city that no longer had a shield around it to keep the six out. Each of them were thinking about the next day and what was to happen, but that was where the similarities of their thoughts ended.
One of them was thinking about how to fight Black Adam. Another was concerned with the End of Days. Trixie and Batmare were both thinking about their life back home and wondering if they would live to return. Ryan was debating if he was ready for this. And all the silver mare thought about was if what they were doing was a mistake; if they should have found a replacement for the sixth champion. Yet, all eyes faced the city that was bathed in the golden light of the sunset, each of them knowing that was where their journey ended.
"So...it all ends tomorrow, huh?" Ryan was the first to break the silence, yet he spoke the one thought that all of them were thinking. "Everything the mare's been leading up to, all the war and destruction that was caused by both the End of Days and Black Adam...wow, can't believe that it's finally here."
'Indeed. For me it seems like just the other day I was waking up to discover that I had been called back from death to serve a higher purpose, to save all reality from this demon,' the silver mare agreed as she walked over to where Ryan was sitting with his face towards the city, gently kneeling down next to him as she followed his gaze. 'First, I tested Bubbles; then Billy; then two others; then Hulk, Batmare and Trixie; Hyperion sadly; and then Freeze. It's been only five years in this world, yet countless other years across the multiverse. And tomorrow...we see what all those years of effort shall achieve.'
"You said you sent the letter to Black Adam, right Banner?" Ryan asked the doctor, who nodded in response as Batmare slowly stood up and dusted off her suit before turning to look at the other five, a small frown crossing her face.
"I wish to speak before all of us. Where is...?" A low moan answered Batmare's question as the metal daddy emerged from the doorway that was carved into the side of the mountain. Bubbles gave Batmare a quick moan in greeting before looking at the other six with green eyes.
"I'm glad to see that you're feeling better," Batmare sighed in relief as Bubbles walked over and sat down beside her. "Mare, thank you for healing him, but now I have another question that I've been meaning to ask. Both Banner and Billy said that they were not the ones who fought Adam off, yet that would mean that Mr. Bubbles somehow managed to. Yet he's clearly not strong enough to do so, but I can't think of another answer. Am I right?"
'That is correct, Batmare. Bubbles was the one who fought off Adam.' The mare looked around at the faces of the other six to see how they would react to her words. Billy and Banner both looked skeptical, while Trixie looked amazed. Batmare wore a look of confusion still, yet Ryan was the only one who remained emotionless, already knowing the answer as to how Bubbles did it.
'Bubbles was able to fend off Adam because, when Adam threatened to kill you, Bubbles once again unleashed the power that he had used to save his reality from Ryan. Not you, the other one,' the silver mare quickly added, cutting Ryan off before he could snark. 'And that power was the Element of Devotion.'
"The Element of Devotion? I take it that this is one of those super elements that Ryan mentioned a while back?" Billy deduced, getting a nod from the silver mare in response. Billy then turned his gaze towards Bubbles, who didn't seem to care what they were talking about. "So, if Mr. Bubbles had this ultimate magic with him all along, then why didn't he bust it out when we needed him, like when Hulk went crazy or when Adam was kicking our butts?"
'That is because, unlike the rest of you, Bubbles is the only one who can currently tap into the power of their Element. Yet the reason he can do it so easily is because he has been horribly damaged by the humans of his world, both in mind and in body. They left him with one function; to protect beings known as "little sisters." Banner, you know this much, but there is more to tell,' the mare explained.
'In a sense, Bubbles is the purest of any of you. He is devoted to the "little sisters," which in his reality are the foals and fillies of Equestria. He was taken in by one of them and has become an adoptive father to her, while also becoming more well-known as a protector of children,' the silver mare continued, with some of the others looking over at Mr. Bubbles in a new light. 'Bubbles cares little for adults, though thanks to the efforts of his adopted family he has become more of an all-around protector. Yet when he fights for the-'
"Get on with it!"
'What I am trying to say is that he is devoted to the foals and fillies of the land, both the ones that are currently foals and the ones that he helped to raise or knew when they were young,' the silver mare finished before looking over at Batmare. 'That is why he unleashed the Element to protect you. In his reality, he occasionally played with the CMC and knew them well. And that same affection carried over to you, Scootaloo. That is why he only chose to unleash the Element then and not before. Because you were in danger. And that is also why he can access his Element so easily. Because he is sheer devotion.'
"So...he is just the first to access his Element," Banner said as he quickly caught on. "The other five...four of us have the ability to access our Elements, yet we either aren't in the right state of mind or the right situation hasn't presented itself. And if Bubbles is Devotion, then the other four of us must have different Elements as well. Can you tell us what we each are?"
"Come on Banner, don't you know anything? If she knew, that would make things way too easy," Ryan said with a chuckle.
'No Banner, I cannot tell you what the other ones are. I only know of Bubbles' Element because the original wielder of that Element appeared before him and told him that he was the embodiment of Devotion, which I discovered in his memories when I was healing his wounds. With his personality being as simple as it is, it was not hard to determine why he was chosen,' the silver mare explained with a small shake of her head. 'No, I know what the Elements look like, but I do not know what they are. That is for you to discover.'
"Well, it's not the most information, but I've made do with less," Batmare muttered with a sigh, before she looked over at the four champions plus Ryan. "Banner has sent the letter to Adam and we have gotten a letter in response. Adam will do as Banner asked and evacuate the city so that there are no innocents caught up in the fight. Hopefully we do not need to fight Adam and the judges, but if they leave us no other option then I have no qualms with you fighting them. However, remember that our goal is to bring down the End of Days before they can release the being of destruction."
"Question. What if one of you messes up and the being of destruction gets released?" Ryan asked with his hand half raised.
"Simple. That won't happen." Ryan rolled his eyes at the response but couldn't help but smirk at the confidence she held within her voice. "But after yesterday's incident in Atlantis, we know that Adam will do whatever it takes to protect Celestia, so I assume that we'll have to fight the judges. The six of us will take on the six of them and then we can worry about Celestia."
"No. I shall deal with my sister." All eyes turned towards the doorway to see Luna leaning up against the door frame, where she had apparently been standing for a majority of the conversation. "The battle between you and Adam's judges will be the perfect time for me to finally face my sister and dethrone her. Her reign ends tomorrow."
"Maybe it will, but you will not be the one to do so," Banner said with fire in his voice as Luna rounded on him, the two of them staring each other down, allowing the others to see that Luna had changed greatly from when they had first arrived. Her coat was blacker, her mane looked more ominous and her eyes were more slit-like than before. "You are as much at fault for this as your sister, and I know for a fact that none of us trust you, not in your current state of mind.
"You have no right to keep me out of this fight! This is the fight for my world and as the ruler of the ponies I will be damned if-" A flash of green from Banner's eyes silenced the mare, but the look of war that still raged on in Luna's eyes told him that she was done listening to his words. The five champions believed at that moment that they might have to fight Luna then and there, but then, to the surprise of everypony, the silver mare intervened.
'No Banner, she can come with us.' Banner's face went expressionless for a moment before he walked over to the mare and knelt down so he was at her level, while motioning for her to continue speaking. 'I have a plan for helping Luna and Celestia to become the good sisters that they were once, but I need you to trust me on this.' Banner's eyes narrowed as he looked from the mare to Luna, before sighing slightly and nodding.
"Alright, mare." Banner stood up and looked over at Luna, giving her a slight nod that was met with a sinister grin from the Princess of the Night before she turned and walked back inside. Banner then looked over at the other five champions, each of them looking to him for what to do next. A small smile crept across his face as he shook his head and pointed to Batmare, motioning for her to speak before he walked over next to the others.
"Alright then....tomorrow is the big day and I want you all to be at your best. Finish any business you have today and then get some rest. First thing tomorrow we're going to Canterlot," Batmare ordered, getting a number of smiles from the group as some of them saluted her before walking off. Even Ryan saluted her, but his salute only consisted of one finger.
"Do you think we're ready?" Batmare asked as she joined Trixie by the door, since her friend had waited for her.
"For the sake of this world...we have to be. Billy will have to face Adam. Luna will face Celestia. And I..." Trixie began as her face set with determination. "Will face myself."
"But do you think we can do it without the final champion? I've read enough reports from Batman to know, whether it's Trigon or Azarock, the demon always gets summoned in the end," Batmare said quietly, voicing her fears to Trixie. "Is that a risk we can take without the final champion?"
"Let's hope it doesn't come to that," Trixie said with narrowed eyes before steeling herself. "And if it does, we'll fight."
S=H=A=Z=A=M
Adam watched from high above the crowds of ponies as they were placed either onto trains or teleported out of Canterlot by the Royal Order of Unicorns, his eyes scanning every one of the pony's faces in case there was anypony suspicious. Yet even as he tried his best to focus on the insanely difficult task of evacuating an entire city in a single day, his mind continued to wander back to the battle he had with Batmare and the Big Daddy.
'I...almost killed her,' Adam finally admitted to himself as he looked down at his hands that, if not for the unforeseen interference of Mr. Bubbles, would have been covered in another's blood once again. He clenched those same hands tightly as rage surged through his body, rage at himself. 'I swore not only to Celestia, but also to the memory of the wizard, that I would mend my ways of old and become the hero these ponies see me as! So why did I nearly revert to the Adam that I cast aside?! Why can I not shake my past?'
'Perhaps, it is because you are trying to be someone that you are not,' the very faint, but still audible, voice of Isis whispered in the back of his mind. 'Perhaps you are not the hero that you thought you were.'
'No, I cannot accept that!' Adam roared internally to drown out the ghost's voice. 'I am the hero of the ponies and I will save them from this threat--both of them! I was simply not in my right state of mind since the death of Willow! I will be better! I will stop both the rebellion and the End of Days!'
'Yet, why stop the rebellion?' the more treacherous part of Adam's mind asked, getting a sneer from Adam. 'Are they truly your enemies? And if so, why did Banner warn you in advance that they would be coming to meet you tomorrow and allow you to move the innocents that you are so certain they would harm to safety? Why give up the element of surprise? Their actions seem more along the lines of true heroism, unlike yours the other day.'
'Heroes they may be, but they are still trying to bring the destruction of the queen I have sworn my loyalty to, and to tear down the peace that we have spent so long building,' Adam decided as he cast the two voices from his mind with an effort, before turning at the sound of wingbeats behind him to see Spike and Celestia flying up to him. "Queen. Spike. What draws you away from the evacuation to seek me out?"
"We need to speak about the battle tomorrow," Celestia said in her regal voice, telling Adam that she was going to make a decision whether he liked it or not. "I have trusted the six champions of the rebellion to you and the judges, but you have not considered what happens if my sister joins them in the battle."
"Do you truly believe Luna would dare show her face around me?" Adam asked Celestia in a deadly serious tone. "I have shown that I can defeat all six of the champions. She knows that she would not be safe around-"
"And now, one of those champions showed that they could fight even your most powerful form," Celestia cut him off with a sharp reminder, silencing Adam's tongue. "And according to what you told me, it seemed that the Big Daddy accessed the power of an Element of Harmony. And the Elements came in a package of six. Which means the other five can also access the power that can fight even your mightiest form. Do you believe that you and the judges can defeat six beings with that kind of power?" Adam could see that Celestia had little faith in him and the judges, but Adam remained emotionless.
"If they are here for you, then I will do what I have always done, no matter what power they can access." But the look she gave him, told Adam that the words that had once put Celestia at ease were now brushed off without a second thought. It was clear that she no longer believed in his power.
"Very well, Adam, do what you must, but if my sister is with them..." Celestia turned to look at Adam, and Adam noticed that her eyes were as orange as her mane now was, with no traces of the colors before, "...then I shall face her alone. And then we shall settle who is the true ruler of Equestria." Celestia flew off after speaking her piece, getting Adam to sigh slightly as he turned to look at the nervous dragon who had heard every word of their conversation.
"I...I just came by to tell you that the other four judges are just arrived in the city and are awaiting your orders," Spike nervously stammered as he pointed to the castle, getting a nod from Adam before the dark protector began to float towards where Spike had pointed. "Adam...do the six champions truly have the power that Celestia described. Do they really have the power that match your supreme form?"
"I know that one of them has it, but for the other five I do not know," Adam replied with a small shake of his head, before he looked at Spike with the same thundering confidence that Spike had seen in those eyes for years. "But whether they do or not does not matter. They are here for one reason...two reasons...and if one of them is to defeat Celestia, then we must face them. No matter the cost."
S=H=A=Z=A=M
Thousands of ponies clad in black cloaks all stood around a large, circular platform that was raised up in the center of a great chamber, all eyes waiting hungrily for the unicorn to appear with whom they had all thrown in their lot and give them news of what was to come. The wait was not long, for within moments the shadows beneath the platform surged onto the stage and bathed it in darkness, which, when it retreated back into the shadows, revealed Star-Swirl the Bearded.
"Thank all of you for coming here on such short notice," the empty, powerful voice of Star-Swirl echoed out across the chamber, chilling the souls of all who heard him speak. "But this is a glorious meeting, a gathering the precedes that which we have awaited for nearly a century to achieve. Tomorrow, we finally realize our goals. Tomorrow, we destroy the ways of the new and return the world to the ways of old! A world where the unicorns are the dominate race, just as we were before the formation of Equestria!"
The crowd roared in approval at his words, but it was only for a moment before Star-Swirl held his hoof up and silenced the entire crowd once again. "The machine is in place, and the sphere has told me that all we need is a bit more destruction before we can unleash the true bringer of the end, the one who will return this world to the way it used to be. And to do so, I have two more 'aces' that I have yet to play. And here...is one of them." As he spoke he turned his head to the ceiling, where all eyes followed to be greeted by an incredible sight.
A man was floating far above the ponies and, upon being seen, slowly began to descend towards them with arms crossed. His suit was a bright red and he had a golden belt around his waist along with golden gauntlets wrapped around his arms, yet just like the Captain Marvel of old, his cape dangled off of one of his shoulders instead of being attached to his back. But all of the unicorns could feel the power flowing through him as he floated down next to Star-Swirl, his eyes wielding far more power than any of the unicorns believed any being could hold.
"I am Hyperion," Hyperion announced to the crowd with a stone cold face. "And in return for aiding you in the defeat of your enemies, Star-Swirl has promised that I shall be the...protector of the new world." Star-Swirl could see the crowd exchanging quick glances as if they weren't sure of this decision.
"Do not worry, my army. Hyperion is just as strong, if not stronger, than Captain Marvel or even Black Adam. He has not only destroyed the fools of his own world that tried to be rid of him, but he also wiped out a number of other Equestrias where the new ways refused to bow to the ways of old. In this battle, he will be half of our strongest warriors." A small smile crossed Star-Swirl's face as the crowd began to chant Hyperion's name, and from the nod that Hyperion gave, Star-Swirl could tell that this pleased the god-like being from off-world.
"As for the rest of the champions and the judges, I trust that all of you will be enough to handle them," Star-Swirl announced with nothing but confidence in his voice, yet when he saw doubt, once again he could not help but smile before he reached into his cloak. "And do not worry, you shall not be facing them alone. For in here...is the solution to all of our problems." As he said this, he pulled out a strange device with two handles on its side and some kind of viewing port upon the top of it.
"This is the key to gaining us our greatest ally. Adam sealed him away in here a number of years ago, but tomorrow, when the battle is at its greatest, we shall release the herald of destruction," Star-Swirl said with what almost sounded like longing in his voice as he gazed at the generator with a wicked smile. "For the being that we shall unleash will destroy all who stand in his path--be it the princesses of night and day or the so-called 'strongest there is'."
"Now then, my children! Prepare yourselves for the battle that is to come tomorrow! We shall take Canterlot! We shall crush all who stand in our way! And for all of those so-called champions who seek to oppose us, we shall see how well friendship and harmony can stand up to absolute destruction! For unicorns! For a new world! For the greatest race!"
The crowd roared with delight as they all began to chant both 'Star-Swirl' and the 'new world order'. Hyperion walked down into the crowd to get a closer look at the new beings that he would be ruling. Or so he thought.
'Yes, tomorrow we shall unleash the greatest force of destruction upon not only this world, but also upon all of the multiverse,' Star-Swirl thought as he placed a hoof upon the Sphere of Destruction that housed itself within his soul. He gazed at all the unicorns and Hyperion, all of whom believed that they would be getting a perfect world in which to rule. In reality, there would be no worlds left to rule. 'And upon all of us as well. For destruction does not take sides, nor does it discriminate between unicorn or earth pony, nor alien or god. Destruction is the most equal being in all of reality. For destruction consumes everypony, no matter which side they are on. And that is why it is perfect.'