“No,” Duality uttered, dropping her sword from her mouth, staring up to the two Warframes before her. Something was wrong. She wasn’t supposed to be losing power like this. Unless… “No!”
Stardust shook her head, regaining control of her body again. She quickly stepped back, avoiding the blade of the Excalibur in front of her, almost losing her balance as she landed on the other side; the wings she had weren’t natural to her.
“I… I’m free?” she gasped, lifting both hooves to look at.
“Stardust?” the Excalibur asked, lowering his blade.
“Yes…” she mumbled, unable to contain her smile. “I’m back! W-What happened?”
“The others must have succeeded,” he turned to the Nekros. “Eclair?”
“Bien note,” the one called Eclair nodded and headed to the console, likely trying to establish connection with someone else.
“Stardust, a few of our group entered the Void and likely disabled the Neural Sentry. You’re safe now,” the Excalibur said again. “But I need you to stay put, right here. We still have one problem to deal with.”
The white unicorn turned to face the Stalker, watching the other Warframes battle with it. The battle was going well, at least from what she could see. They were trying their best to protect Princess Celestia.
The Princess…
“I have to help,” Stardust turned back to the Warframe in front of her. “The princess needs me.”
“It’s fine,” he held up a hand. “Don’t strain yourself. You just got your body back.”
“Loregiver,” the one called Eclair returned. “The others are on their way back. The Neural Sentry is defeated.”
“Excellent. You’re free, Stardust. Forever. No more Duality, no more Neural Sentry. You’re your own master again.”
“Then I wish to aid you,” she stomped a hoof. “I owe it to the princess. I tried to kill her. I need to right that.”
Loregiver looked at the mechanized pony, then to the others battling the Stalker. “Very well, but be careful.”
“Count on it,” Stardust smiled. Something she hadn’t been able to do in a long time. “Thank you. Thank you all for what you’ve done for me. I’ll be sure to pay it all back.”
Home Run knew they were in trouble once the Stalker charged up an absorb. The last time he was hit by that thing, he had sustained a gruesome injury, along with Vauban’s Warframe getting a temporary handicap. Even now, he had no idea what had happened to his leg. Everyone refused to tell him.
They scurried as far back as they could, stopping all their attacks, but they didn’t know what it could still do, uncharged.
“Just keep your distance,” Vauban told the others. “Just like *brrzt* that.”
The Stalker exploded his absorb, showering the immediate area around him in sparks and energy; no one was harmed.
“Awesome,” Home Run said, right before the Stalker dashed right for him, scythe already swinging.
Home Run met his weapon with his jat kittag, using the hammer’s jets to push the scythe and its wielder back. An arrow flew over and jabbed into the Stalker’s arm. The dark Tenno teleported away, his shadows absorbing the arrow. Rarity and Trixie stepped up next to Home Run, their weapons raised. Home Run never noticed, but Trixie carried a disc like weapon, spouting blades around its ring.
“Just stop all this,” Rarity called out to their enemy. “There is no reason to fight.”
The Stalker seemed to bend lower. “I have every reason to fight.”
He pulled out a fistful of knives, tossing them while he ran forward, scythe drawn behind his back. The three dodged to the side, while Applejack ran over and barreled into the Stalker. Her plan didn’t work, however, as the Stalker regained his footing and launched the cowgirl and her Tenno back, a cut across her chest.
“AJ!” Twilight flew over and held her up. Home Run watched from the corner of his eye. The cut looked bad. Blood was already running down the front of her armor.
“Agh… It hurts... Hurts bad...” Applejack gasped, fighting for air. “Ah thought… that would’a worked. I’m sorry…”
“Hang in there!” Twilight yelled. “The others should be on the way back. Fluttershy can help.”
“Don’t know… How long Ah have…”
“There is no need,” came a voice to their side. Home Run watched Duality land beside them. He raised his hammer and approached, but Twilight raised a hand to stop him. “Please, allow me.”
Duality bent down and placed her horn atop Applejack’s chest where the wound was. With a ray of light, the cuts on her chest and arm almost instantly vanished; Rhino’s armor had been repaired too.
“What?” Home Run couldn’t help but ask. The Stalker stood his ground, but was soon intercepted by Mr. Loregiver and Eclair.
“I sense Duality is no *brrt* longer within her,” Vauban explained. “She is her old self again. Free of control from the Neural Sentry.”
“Awesome,” Home Run smiled and walked over to check on his friend. “AJ, you all good?”
“Yeah…” she sat up. “Ah’m good now. Thanks, uh… Stardust?”
The unicorn nodded. “Yes. It’s good to be back.”
“And she repaired my Warframe too!” Rhino spoke in their heads excitedly. “She has my thanks.”
“Really?” Twilight turned to Stardust. “Do you think you could repair his as well?” She pointed at Home Run and Vauban.
“As you wish,” Stardust trotted over and placed her horn against Home Run’s chest. “Hold still.”
Home Run felt a soothing surge of energy pass through him as her horn lit up in a golden glow. As it subsided, he looked at himself, trying to see if anything had changed.
“Vauban?” he called to his partner.
“Never have I felt better, Home Run,” the Tenno replied quickly. “We’re back to full power. Time to teach the Stalker a lesson.”
“I’m with you, buddy. Let’s show him how it’s done.”
Without warning, Home Run was encased in a bluish aura, levitating him a few centimeters off the ground before finally releasing him. The boy dropped to a standing position and looked at a hand.
“What was that?”
“That, Home Run, was Maximum Drift,” Vauban explained, taking control to flex his arms. “Now, this is going to be interesting. I have calculated our victory chance. Let’s say we have a very good chance at winning this.”
“I like that,” Home Run smiled. “But why don’t I have wings and stuff?”
“I think that only happens because we’re infused with magic, darling,” Rarity said as she nocked in another arrow.
Home Run returned his attention to the unicorn, gleaming with gold and white. “Thank you, Stardust.”
“It is my pleasure,” she bowed. “I caused you all so much trouble. Let me repay you by helping in this battle.”
“The more the merrier,” Home Run hefted his jat kittag in both hands and spun it in his grip once. “Let’s go.”
The others joined him, charging towards the Stalker as he tried to face off against Mr. Loregiver. The history teacher was doing much better, seeing as he had his new Warframe from the Void. The Stalker didn’t even look like it stood a proper chance.
Eclair swooped in and delivered another soul punch, launching the Stalker towards Home Run and the others.
The baseball player couldn’t ask for a better chance.
He attached three tesla grenades to the head of his hammer and assumed his batter stance. When the right moment arrived, he activated the boosters on the back of his jat kittag and let it fly, smashing the Stalker in the back with as much force as he could muster.
The electric from his grenades arced across the rogue Tenno’s form before the impact flung him well across the room, hitting the wall so hard that he sunk in a few feet.
“Hoooooome run!” Pinkie Pie cheered as she and her clones finally freed Princess Luna from the debris.
The rest of the group converged around the center, weapons ready for the Stalker to recover. The dark Tenno pushed himself off the wall, landing back down in a crouched stance, one hand still on his scythe.
“You are only delaying the inevitable, Tenno,” he called out to them, creating a ball of shadows in one hand; its center glowed red. “Relinquish the Lotus and yourselves to me. Your actions will not go unpunished.”
“There he goes with all that again…” Home Run sighed. “Hey! Listen! We don’t know what you keep talking about! We didn’t do anything wrong!”
“Your Lotus and Tenno are responsible for the deaths of my masters,” the Stalker boomed, his shadowy aura increasing in size. “They will pay with their lives!”
He blasted towards the group in a cloud of smoke, slashing straight for Eclair. The Eclipse guard rolled to the side, but the weapon still managed to catch her in the leg, hooking her along with the Stalker as he sped through the group. Twilight brought out an absorb, while Home Run tossed down a bastille grenade, hoping to slow the dark Tenno down.
It worked for a second, as the Stalker skidded to a stop, but he turned his body and tossed Eclair at them, knocking both down.
“Oof!” Home Run caught her and fell back beside Twilight. “You alright, Eclair?”
“Fine,” she replied, pushing off the baseball player. “Merci, Home Run.”
“Any plans on how we can win this?” Home Run asked as Mr. Loregiver and Stardust tackled the Stalker down.
“Non. Just hit him and keep hitting him.” Eclair picked up her ether reaper and ran back to the fight.
“Just hold him off!” Pinkie yelled from her corner as she, her clones, and Rarity picked Princess Celestia up. “We’ll move her to safety. Give him a good bashing, Homey!”
The Stalker heard her words and pushed out of the history teacher’s blade lock, dashing straight for Pinkie Pie.
“Look out!” Home Run yelled to them, at the same time, doing what he could to close the distance between the Stalker and himself.
“Again with that lookow business?” Pinkie looked up to him, but failed to register the rogue Tenno slashing his scythe at her.
The Pinkie clone disappeared in a multicolored flash of light, the Stalker thrown off balance just long enough for Pinkie to blast the Stalker in the back with her shotgun. “Gotcha!”
He swirled around and cut down another clone, while the real one and her two remaining clones dragged Princess Celestia to a safer distance. Rarity stood before the Tenno, letting loose an arrow right in his face. The Stalker caught it mid flight and nocked the arrow to his own bow before sending it back, tearing a hole through Rarity’s hair.
The pale-skinned girl gasped and reached for her hair with one hand. “My hair! Ruined! Oh, this is going to take weeks to fix! How could you?!”
Mag quickly took over and spun a kick at the Stalker’s incoming strike before somersaulting away, just in front of Princess Celestia and Pinkie. “Rarity, now isn’t the time for that. He’s trying to kill you. Your hair is the least of your worries.”
The violet haired girl halted a sniffle. “I know, but… he didn’t have to do that…”
“Not the time, Rarity!” Applejack said, activating her iron skin, gaining a silvery sheen over her entire body. She hopped up as Home Run placed his hammer below her feet, using its jets to send Applejack flying straight for the Stalker, both fists raised. He bent down to retrieve his throwing daggers, but Applejack and Rhino hit him first, like a solid silver bullet, sending him flying back into the wall once again. “Hoooooeee! What a hit! Thanks, Home Run.”
With a bellow of rage, the Stalker kicked himself off the wall and approached the group, spinning his long weapon from hand to hand. Mr. Loregiver met him in the middle, spinning his body once before meeting the Stalker’s weapon in the middle. The sound of clashing steel echoed out in the room as they leapt from spot to spot, trying to break each other’s guard.
“You go, Mr. Loregiver!” Pinkie cheered, her remaining clones mimicking her abrupt cheerleader dance.
Stardust swooped in, clubbing the dark Tenno on the head with her hooves before landing beside their teacher. Her wing panels shifted, revealing lasers built within them. She scrunched up her face and fired the orange beams towards the Stalker, who brought his scythe blade up to defend himself. Stardust grunted and amplified her laser blast, brightening up the room in an orange hue as the Stalker continued to withstand her attack.
It was then did Home Run notice the Stalker’s shadows begin to fade, blasted away by the intensity of Stardust’s light.
“Looks like our chance!” Twilight Sparkle suddenly said beside him, already raising her sybaris.
The group poured in their combined effort, attacking the Stalker directly at its armor. This time, without his shadows to protect him, Home Run could tell the Stalker was losing his shields, and soon, his armor health. He curved another grenade at the dark Tenno, watching as it and all the other projectiles struck the Stalker, blowing apart a portion of the enemy’s side.
“No. I will not be beaten. Not like this.”
The Stalker dropped himself flat to the ground, allowing the lasers to pass through, blasting another hole in the wall. Stardust quickly stopped herself as the pilots rushed in, refusing to let the Stalker recover.
Pinkie released a prism, which sparked and danced toward the Stalker. Mr. Loregiver plunged his skana into the ground and formed a few javelins, spearing towards the Stalker like magnets. Rarity fired a few arrows, while Twilight fired a batch of psychic bolts. Applejack boosted the attack of everyone in the room with a roar, as Home Run and Trixie tossed grenades and the sharp disc weapon at the Tenno. Eclair used another soul punch, joining with all the other flying objects, striking the Stalker head on, blowing a hole in his shoulder.
“No…” he clutched at the smoking hole. “Impossible.”
“Friendship isn’t impossible,” Twilight spoke to him. “With friends by your side, you can accomplish anything.”
“You and the Lotus destroyed all my friends,” the Stalker challenged. “I am but the last.”
“It’s not too late to start again,” the princess tried to reason with him. “Princess Celestia never did anything to your people. They were before her time. Let us help you. Together, we can figure out who destroyed your people. We can help.”
Home Run didn’t think it was such a good idea trying to talk sense to the guy, but after all, he wasn’t the Princess of Friendship. Twilight was. He just had to hope that the Stalker would see sense in her words.
“She is right…” came another voice from behind them all. Princess Celestia stepped forward, flanked by her sister. Mr. Loregiver and Eclair were immediately by their sides. “I wasn’t the one who destroyed your people. It was a lie. A lie fed to you by our enemies to take you off track. A lie to destroy the only thing that can stop them. The Tenno and their Warframes.”
“It cannot be. I witnessed it myself. The day the Tenno turned on my masters. I was there. I know what happened.”
“Do you?” Princess Celestia raised an eyebrow. “You are Tenno, are you not? Just like the others. You can be reprogrammed. I reprogrammed these Tenno to serve me when I found them in the Void. I fear our enemy might’ve been craftier than we first realized.”
“What do you mean?”
Celestia looked at the others, who also wore confused looks, including her sister. “It was all a dream, programmed into your mind when the enemy found you. I believe the Queens were there that day, waiting for the right moment to turn on your masters.”
Twilight tapped at her chin. “The Queens…? Princess, you don’t mean the-”
The white alicorn nodded. “The Grineer. I had a feeling there were Orokin among the Grineer and Corpus. I just never put it to thought till now.”
The Stalker moved his hand from his shoulder to the side of his head. “Impossible. A dream…? It cannot be. I can still see it. It was all real.”
He staggered back a step. Home Run noticed he didn’t seem so sure of himself anymore. Something the princess said must’ve clicked with him.
“Princess,” the baseball player began. “When did you find out?”
She shook her head. “I’ve thought about it. Until the Stalker’s words, I had never understood its importance. Now I see that the dream had been planted in his head to stop us.”
The Stalker looked at one of his hands. “No. No dream has been planted in my head. I saw you, Lotus. You and your Tenno, massacring my masters like drahks.”
“I was never there,” Celestia tried to get her point across. “I have never met these masters or yours, these Orokin. They predate me.”
“All lies,” the Stalker’s voice echoed around the room. He lifted his scythe once more, full of hate, and ran for the sun princess. He wasn’t having any of it.
Home Run readied his jat kittag, but Mr. Loregiver was already there, slicing the Stalker’s feet out from under him, sending the dark Tenno tumbling to the ground before Eclair, who had her own scythe pointed at him.
The Stalker looked back and found his foot on the ground, unmoving.
“You will regret your actions one day, Lotus. Reckoning will come.”
A column of smoke and shadow swirled around the wounded Stalker, and as it cleared, he was no longer in sight.
“He’s gone…” Twilight collapsed to her knees. “Finally…” The wings and hair extension on her back vanished in a sparkle of pink energy.
The others, including Home Run, started cheering, but Princess Celestia didn’t seem too pleased. “Yes, he is. I was hoping he would see reason. This pointless fighting… I had hoped to forge forgiveness for him.”
“Was it all true, sister?” Luna spoke. “He had a dream implanted within himself? By the enemy?”
Celestia nodded. “I believe so. While Tenno sleep, their minds can be tampered with. If the Queens are Orokin like I suspect, they were the ones most likely responsible. Either that, or it was Alad V, but I think he’s been long gone.”
“Won’t the Stalker still come back again?” Home Run checked with the others. “I mean, he’s still out there, bent on revenge.”
“One day,” Eclair confirmed. “But we have dealt him a lethal blow. I trust he won’t be back. Not for a few months.”
“Not before he repairs himself,” Stardust added, trotting over to the princesses. “Princess Celestia, forgive me. I apologize if I hurt you. I wasn’t myself.”
“It’s fine, Stardust,” Celestia trotted forward and threw a hoof around the unicorn. “I’m glad you’re back. I should be the one to apologize for leaving you in the Void.”
“It wasn’t your fault. You had no choice. If you had stayed, perhaps the Grineer might’ve already won. Look on the bright side: I now have built in weapons and sensors.”
“Stardust,” Twilight stepped forward and lowered her helmet. “I’m Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship. If you don’t mind, I have plenty of questions for you.”
“Already?” Nyx asked, folding away from the lavender girl, standing on her own. “Your thirst for learning knows no bounds. She just regained control of herself. Give her time to rest.”
“Oh, alright. When you’ve recovered and rested, Stardust,” Twilight smiled. “Welcome back to Equestria!”
“So it’s over?” Pinkie jumped over the group, splitting with Mirage and landing beside Home Run. “Then it’s paaaaarty time!” She released a cloud of confetti, getting it all over the baseball player and his Warframe.
Celestia turned to the Rainbooms and Home Run, and nodded. “Thank you all once again. You’ve protected the worlds and me more than once. I am grateful.”
“And so am I,” Princess Luna placed a hoof on her chest. “Tis been a long journey, and I’m glad it is one my sister is willing to share from now on. And… You returned to her one of her oldest friends.”
“That’s true,” the white alicorn chuckled. “Thank you.”
Home Run stretched back and breathed out. “Finally… I didn’t think we were going to get any rest any time soon.”
“But remember. It isn’t over. The Stalker is still out there,” Vauban said. “When he recovers, he will return. He is a persistent one.”
“We’ll just have to be ready to convince him that we aren’t the enemy,” Home Run looked to his friends and the princesses. “We need to show him that that dream of his was planted and that you were never involved, princess.”
“But he’s gone,” Rarity pulled at her hair, pouting at the hole shredded into it. “There’s no way we can find him, right? We’ve never been able to do it.”
“It’s fine,” Loregiver walked forward and placed his sword tip against the ground without puncturing a hole through the smooth metal. “We shall keep our eyes open. When he returns… we’ll be ready for him.
“Count on it!” a shrill voice sounded to the group’s right as Rainbow Dash and the others stepped out from the docked liset, rushing over to join them. “Where did he go, by the way? You didn’t beat him? What’s Duality doing among you?”
“Did you girls just get back?” Trixie asked, stepping out of Limbo, dusting at her shoulders. “Trixie thinks you missed a lot of things.”