"No..." Diana whispered once more as she and Sunset gazed at each other, neither knowing what to do. "No, no you bastard! I won't do it!" Wonder Woman bellowed before she turned upon the Maestro and swung her blade at his head. The being simply phased out of existence, appearing across the field from Wonder Woman with a shake of his head.
"Fool. Can you not understand?" the Maestro asked as Wonder Woman prepared to attack him once more. "These people will die if you slay me. Or even if I decide to leave. The only way for you to save them is to fight your student to the death. If you refuse, I will kill all of them. If you attack me again, I will kill all of them and then Sunset. Am I clear?"
"If you think for a moment that I would dare to raise my blade against Sunset, then you are far more delusional than I believed!" Wonder Woman bellowed as she clashed her swords together and created bolts of lightning that arced across the metal. "I'll find another way, no matter how hard it seems. Because I don't-"
CRACK!
Sickening horror creeped up Wonder Woman's spine as she gazed up at one of the spheres, which had shrunken considerably in a matter of seconds and had crushed the person within. The person inside was laying within the sphere motionless, and Wonder Woman didn't need her super vision to know what had happened. Wonder Woman turned her focus back towards the Maestro, the wrath of Zeus and Ares blazing in her eyes.
"If you do not start fighting, then I shall start crushing all of the spheres. Now fight!" Maestro demanded.
"Never. I swear I'll-"
"GGGRRRRAAAAHHHH!!"
Wonder Woman spun around at the cry, expecting to see that Maestro had carried out his threat. But what she saw was far more terrifying than the Maestro could ever be. For what Wonder Woman saw was Sunset Shimmer descending towards her, blade held high and violence flashing in her eyes. Wonder Woman raised her blade just in time to intercept the blow, holding back the struggling Sunset as she tried to force Wonder Woman's blade down.
"Sunset! What in the name of the gods are you doing?!" Diana asked her student. But Sunset gave no reply. Instead she took a step back before thrusting the sword towards Diana's midsection. Wonder Woman spun her second blade down and parried the attack, but Sunset swung the blade back around and aimed at Wonder Woman's head. "Sunset, what has come over you?!" Diana asked as she used her bracelet to deflect the blow.
"We...we have to fight..." Sunset said weakly, closing her eyes as she glanced away from Wonder Woman. "Don't you see that? We have...to fight to the death. Or else he'll kill all of them."
"No he won't! I promise that I'll find a way to stop him!" Wonder Woman said, but when Sunset glanced up at Wonder Woman there was a light in Sunset's eyes--a light that she had never seen in her prized pupil before.
"I know you will. But how many people will he kill before you can?" Sunset asked in a whisper. Wonder Woman opened her mouth to reply, but then she glanced over at the Maestro with uncertainty. "Diana, we have to fight. At the very least, it will buy time until you can think of something. But if you can't..." Sunset began before giving Diana a tear-filled smile. "I truly enjoyed being your student. The last thing I can do before I die...is show you how much I have learned from you. So come on Diana. Let's go all out. Have an actual fight between the two of us."
Sunset took up the fighting stance that Diana had taught her so long ago, letting out a sigh as she made peace with her decision. She then screamed as loud as she could before racing towards Diana, blade held high as she prepared to strike.
"No." Wonder Woman flipped her blades around in her hands and drove their tips into the ground. She then knelt down and placed her hands upon her knees, closing her eyes as she heard Sunset approach. Sunset skidded to a halt in front of her teacher, gazing down at her with confusion.
"Diana, what are you doing?! We have to fight or-"
"No we do not. Maestro said that he would let the people go when one of us is dead. I will not let anyone else die...but I cannot kill you," Diana said in calm voice. "So strike me down. Free the students and staff. It will be my penance for not killing this evil when I had the chance."
Sunset stared down at Diana, who hadn't moved since she had knelt down. Sunset gazed from her teacher to her sword, not knowing what to do. Tears then ran down her face as she lifted the blade over her head, taking aim at the back of Diana's neck. For a long, silent moment, nothing dared to move. Then Sunset let out a scream as she hurled her blade on the ground.
"I can't...I'm so sorry..." she sobbed as she backed away. Her words snapped Wonder Woman's eyes open and in a moment she was on her feet, gazing down at Sunset.
"Sunset, you have to. It's for the sake of-"
"And you called me cruel and evil, Princess. Yet it seems that you are the most heartless of us all." Wonder Woman snapped her head over towards the Maestro, who had walked closer to the pair. "Trying to make Sunset Shimmer kill you in cold blood? Even I can tell that's evil."
"You said that you would only free the students when one of us was dead. And I will not kill her," Wonder Woman informed the Maestro.
"But if she kills you, then you will have damned her to a worse fate than death," the Maestro replied. "Do not believe me? Just take a look at your 'oh-so-precious' student." Wonder Woman did as the Maestro asked, finding Sunset kneeling on the ground with tears streaming down her face as she looked away from Wonder Woman.
"You took her in at her weakest. Helped not only heal her physically, but emotionally as well. Always believing in her and helping her to better herself. Being the loving teacher that she has sought to make proud for so long," the Maestro said, with Wonder Woman beginning to get the picture. "Your teachings, the time you have spent together and your relationship are everything to her, everything that she has sought. And now you are asking her to kill you. And I thought I was...heartless."
"Sunset..." Wonder Woman whispered weakly, but her student looked away from her with a sob.
"If she killed you, it would destroy her. Sunset would still die, but her body would physically live on," the Maestro finished with a small chuckle. "Leaves you in quite the interesting predicament. You do not wish to kill her, but if she kills you she will be forever destroyed. But if neither of you kill the other..." Another cracking sound could be heard and Wonder Woman glanced behind her to see that another sphere had contracted, killing the person within.
Wonder Woman gazed from the motionless body to her student, her heart being torn to pieces as she made the hardest decision of her life. She then closed her eyes in acceptance before pulling both her blades from the ground.
"Sunset." Sunset looked up in time to see one of Diana's godly blades embed itself into the dirt before her. Sunset then looked up at Wonder Woman, whose eyes could not be seen under her bangs. "Take the blade Sunset. Because this will be your final test." Sunset slowly rose to her feet and pulled the blade out from the dirt, sorrow spreading across her face as she took up a fighting stance.
"Because in this test, you will fight me. To the death," Wonder Woman said softly as she took up her own fighting stance. "If you are to even hope to win this battle...then you will have to use everything I have taught you along with what tricks you have. Fight your hardest and do not hesitate to strike. For I will be using all of my skill to fight you as well."
"Diana..." Sunset tried to argue, but Wonder Woman shook her head to cut her off.
"Fight as hard as you can, Sunset. For them. I know you'll make me proud."
Tears stained Sunset's eyes once more before she looked past Wonder Woman at all of her fellow students and the teachers, all of whom were gazing down upon the scene with terror in all of their eyes. Terror for their lives...and also terror for what was about to happen. Sunset closed her eyes and gritted her teeth, before charging forward with a bellow. Wonder Woman brought up her blade to defend herself, sparks flying as the twin blades of lightning clashed.
Wonder Woman then pushed Sunset back with a small effort before hurling a kick at the girl's head. Sunset rolled under the kick and slashed at Wonder Woman's ankles, but by the time the blade reached where Wonder Woman had been standing, she was already flying over Sunset.
Sunset hurled herself out of the way as Wonder Woman slammed her fist into the ground, creating an earthquake that could be felt for miles. The shockwave generated by the punch hurled Sunset across the field, but her training kicked in and she managed to roll to avoid any serious damage. But the moment she was back upon her feet, Wonder Woman was upon her, unleashing a flurry of sword strikes that Sunset could barely deflect.
With Sunset so focused upon the sword strikes, she never saw Diana's knee coming until it had slammed into her gut and lifted her feet off of the ground. Sunset let out a gagging sound as she collapsed to her knees, but even in the incredible pain she was in she managed to catch movement out of the corner of her eyes. She rolled just in time to avoid the tip of Wonder Woman's blade, which plunged itself into the ground where she had been just a moment before.
'This really is the final test,' Sunset realized as she fought through the pain and pushed herself back to her feet. Wonder Woman attacked in a flurry of strikes once more, forcing Sunset back as the student did everything in her power to deflect or dodge the blows. 'She's fighting to kill. Please Diana, tell me that you have another plan and you're just stalling until you can enact it. I don't think...that I can kill you. Please...don't ask that of me.'
'Dammit it all, what can I do?!' Wonder Woman bellowed within the confines of her mind as she tried to think of some strategy, some solution, that would allow her to avoid fighting Sunset while being able to save everyone else. 'Maestro's spheres are created by him, but they naturally shrink unless he uses his power to stop them. Is that the truth or just a bluff?'
Diana kicked Sunset hard in the ribs and sent her crashing into the ground, where Sunset spat out a bit of blood before shakily picking herself back up. In the moment Sunset was getting up, Wonder Woman glanced over at the spheres and the two that were already dead. 'That's a risk that I can't take. Even if he's lying, I don't know how many he will kill before I can stop him...if I can stop him. Think Diana! It's only a matter of time before he realizes that I'm holding back!'
"You know Diana, I should thank you, I suppose," Maestro said from the sidelines, turning Diana's focus to him. "Because this is a far more interesting outcome than I expected would ever have come from simply killing Sunset. I must prepare myself for disappointment, when the world where I kill Sunset does not provide such results." The Maestro's words caused Wonder Woman to see red and for a moment she pointed her blade at him.
"You listen well, bastard. I promise you that-ARGH!" Wonder Woman cried out as pain lanced along her side. She leapt back while holding a hand to her side, shocked to see blood when she removed it. She then glanced up at Sunset, who had a look of horror on her face as well as Wonder Woman's blood upon her sword. For a moment Diana gazed at her student in disbelief before a small smile crossed her face.
"You do not wish to fight. You don't want to kill me. But the moment that your foe is distracted, you go for blood," Diana whispered to herself as she took up her fighting stance once more. "You never fail to make me proud, Sunset. So I pray...that you can forgive me."
With a roar of her own Wonder Woman then hurled herself forward, unleashing all of her power upon Sunset. Sunset managed to deflect the first sword strike, but the sheer force of the blow knocked her off of her feet and sent her flying. She crashed into the ground, pain coursing through her body as she slowly sat up to see Wonder Woman slowly marching upon her.
Sunset let out a shriek as she rose and lunged at Wonder Woman, who ducked under her strike before slamming her fist into Sunset's leg. The leg gave out immediately and Sunset crumpled to the ground. She managed to hold onto enough of her senses to raise her sword to deflect the next strike from Diana, creating more sparks as the two blades forged by the gods collided.
'Can't...hold out...' Sunset realized as she deflected another strike from Diana, her arms screaming in agony as they tried to stand up to the force of a goddess. 'Diana...if you have a plan...do it now. Because if you don't...I can't...much longer...'
'I can't think of anything. Athena help me, I can't think of anything,' Wonder Woman realized as she slammed her blade into Sunset's, the force dropping Sunset to her back. 'I can't stop Maestro...I can't break through his spheres, not before he's had the chance to kill all of them. What can I do?' Diana let out a roar as she swung her blade once more and Sunset brought her blade up to intercept once again. But as the blades collided, something happened that neither could predict. And that was Sunset's sword shattered under the force of the impact.
A blast of lightning erupted from the destroyed sword and forced Wonder Woman back for a moment, but after the lightning faded she glanced down to see Sunset lying beaten and exhausted upon the ground.
"It seems that the battle is over," the Maestro said. "Now kill her or I will kill all of them." Wonder Woman glanced over her shoulder at the Maestro, able to see that the spheres were already beginning to shrink. With sorrow and regret tearing apart her very being, Wonder Woman gazed down at her student. But there was no fear or pain in Sunset's eyes. There was only a smile on her face.
"I guess...you win...no surprise there," Sunset said weakly with a small laugh. "Guess...the test is over...so before...I move on...how'd I...do?" she asked with kindness and understanding in her eyes, no hatred towards Wonder Woman for what she was about to do.
"You...did amazingly," Wonder Woman managed to choke out as she lifted her blade over Sunset, pointing it down towards her. "Even when I used nearly all of my power...you still kept fighting. You never gave in. I couldn't be any prouder of you."
"That's all...I ever...wanted," Sunset whispered before closing her eyes, a smile of contentment upon her face. Diana then glanced over her shoulder at the shrinking spheres, to the hooded face of the Maestro, before then gazing back down at the smile on her student's face. A single tear fell from Diana's eyes as she softly whispered a prayer. And then she struck.
Even with her eyes closed, Sunset knew what the warm liquid was that sprayed all over her body. But what she didn't understand was why she didn't feel any pain from the killing blow. After a few moments, she opened her eyes to see what had happened...and the very first image she saw brought horror to her soul.
"Diana...DIANA!" Sunset screamed as she shot to her feet, racing over to Diana who was on her knees and soaked with blood. Sunset covered her mouth in horror as she gazed at Diana's blade, which had been driven through her chest up to the hilt. "Oh God, what did you do?! Why did you-?!"
"Because...the battle can only end...when one of us dies," Wonder Woman said in a whisper. Sunset knelt down next to Wonder Woman and leaned her teacher against her body, supporting her as best she could as she pulled the sword from Diana's body and hurled it to the side.
"But why? You had won! You should have..." Sunset said, tears pouring from her eyes. "We still need you! Who's going to stop Hades?! Who's going to get back at the Maestro...why? Why didn't you kill me?" Wonder Woman turned her head to gaze at Sunset, a warm smile on her face as she reached up and placed her hand upon Sunset's cheek.
"How...could I? You are...my beloved student...even with...Hades...and Maestro...I could never...hurt you," Wonder Woman weakly said, her face growing paler and paler. "Your life...is worth...so much more...than mine ever could be. You are...the future...of this world. You will go...so far...beyond me. You are...a light...for...others."
Wonder Woman then fell over weakly, collapsing into the blood soaked ground all around her feet. "Diana? DIANA?!" Sunset screamed as she shook Wonder Woman, who was barely moving. But even as she felt the last of her strength leave her, as she felt the cold grip of Hades slowly clasp around her soul, she still found the will to smile at Sunset one last time.
"I am...so proud...of you...and I...always will be. In life...or in death," Wonder Woman said with all of her strength. "And if I die...so you can live...then it is a death...worth dying. Be strong, Sunset. Be kind...be brave...be...yourself. You are...my special...and beloved...student...thank...you..."
Sunset's heart went cold as Diana closed her eyes and her hand slid off of Sunset's cheek, weakly hitting the grass. For the longest moment, neither time moved nor did sound dare to interrupt the silence. Then Sunset let out a wail to the sky, hurling herself over the motionless body of her teacher and sobbing with all of her sorrow.
For Wonder Woman...Diana...was dead.