The very instant Aza said the flow of time was imported, Ryuk’s mind went toward all the sweet, juicy, ripe-for-the-picking apples back at Sweet Apple Acres. Going for so long without one of those tasty little morsels had been agonizing him ever since Twilight barred him from eating any. Truth be told, he would’ve put up with another case of indigestion just to relish in the extraordinary taste of her friend’s apples once again. Sure, eating was pointless for shinigami, as anything they ate inevitably turned to ash in their stomachs, but dammit they were so good!
Knowing now that he could consume those apples without Twilight having to know about it, however, Ryuk was more determined than ever to have some more. Luckily, everyone else had been too caught up with the upcoming battle between Palutena and Celestia to notice him slip away on his quest. As much as he would’ve loved to see the ensuing catfight, apples were totally worth missing out on it.
Ryuk followed the train tracks leading back to Ponyville, occasionally stopping to look over his shoulder in case one of the group had actually noticed him leave and were tailing him.
Eventually, he reached Ponyville Station. Taking a moment to remember what direction Sweet Apple Acres was in, he made the trip across the rustic town, licking his lips every now and then in savory anticipation of the juicy treats waiting for him.
Finally, Sweet Apple Acres came into view as he crested a hill. The barn stood as silent and unoccupied as it would always be within Aza’s clutches. The rolling hills filled with apple trees stretched into the distance, and Ryuk wasted no time in stretching his wings and flying off the hillside straight for the nearest row. It wasn’t until he was just over the front gate that he stopped, and though his eyes couldn’t convey it, he was shocked by what he saw.
There were no apples. All along the entire row of trees, not a single apple hung from the branches. Looking further back, he noticed the same held true for the next row. And the third one. And the fourth.
As far as he could see, literally every single apple had been picked clean from every single tree. Moving closer, more rows of trees came into view, each one as barren as the last.
What the hell? Ryuk thought as he floated through the orchard, staring confused at all the appleless apple trees. Any trace of sorrow he might’ve felt over losing his treats was beaten out by his confusion over why they were gone. Perhaps one of Aza’s latest victims was hungry and had stumbled across the orchard before one of Twilight’s clones had found them?
Ryuk continued floating through the orchard, keeping his eyes peeled for any trace of movement through the sea of fruitless trees. Suddenly, his eyes snapped back to a tree just a couple of rows over. Looking over, a speck of red contrasted against the surrounding greenery. Moving closer, he found a single red apple hanging from the tree between a forked branch, possible explaining why it went unnoticed by whatever had devoured the rest of its juicy brethren.
Well, what’s one apple when the entire orchard’s been wiped clean?
Reaching up, Ryuk neatly picked the apple off the branch. He took a moment to inspect it, finding it clean of bruises and wormholes. Holding it up to his mouth, he was about to drop it in when he heard a soft thump from behind him.
Turning around, he saw a sight that only managed to confuse him even more. Standing a few feet away on the ground was a small, gray biped. It’s skull consisted of a beak-like upper jaw and a smaller lower jaw with hook-like protrusions on its mandibles, and lacked any visible eyes. Its tail was short and stumpy, with a little orange coloring. The creature looked like a really strange dinosaur, or a two-legged bird having undergone a really freaky mutation.
Kinda looks like that worm thing from before, Ryuk mused.
The creature then opened its mouth, and a long red tongue, coated with strands of saliva, slid out. It then began sliding across the ground back and forth, like a slippery feline’s tail. Ryuk stared blankly down at the ugly little thing, then at the apple in his hand.
... Nah.
In one fluid lotion, he tossed the apple into the air, where it fell straight into his open maw. He took a moment to relish in the mouthwateringly juicy taste that he’d missed for so long, before swallowing with a contented sigh.
Just then, a speck of motion in his eye’s corner caught his attention. Turning, he saw another of the strange creatures appear from behind a tree, also dragging its tongue across the ground just like the first. Then another appeared behind another tree a little ways away, its tongue in an identical motion.
Ryuk watched it for a second, interested, before shrugging and turning around to head back the way he’d come, only to stop cold in midair.
The gray bipeds numbered in the hundreds, covering the ground around the apple trees every which way he looked. Many of them were mimicking the first three with their tongues, while the majority were using their bodies as makeshift staircases that reached up into the trees. A few stragglers had separated from the horde and were sauntering toward the farm.
... Well, this could be bad.
The mixed reactions to Aza’s condition of the showdown between Celestia and Palutena delighted it greatly. Especially that of Twilight and Pit, who both began shouting a wide and colorful selection of insults at it, their voices melding together in a splendid cacophony. The pharaoh, James, Thomas and Pikachu all wore expressions of mixed anger and disbelief, while Samus’ surprised stare was hidden behind her helmet. Kirby and the creature, however, appeared not to have any particularly strong emotions, instead looking blankly at Twilight and Pit as they alternated between damning Aza and pleading with their respective comrades not to accept the battle.
But it was Palutena and Celestia’s reactions that drew the most interest from Aza. The two godly ladies only held neutral gazes at it, their expressions completely unreadable, and their previous fighting stances relaxed. After a few moments without doing or saying anything, they turned their gazes back to each other, remaining neutral.
“Don’t do it, Lady Palutena! We don’t need to go along with this at all!” Pit shouted.
“How could you even entertain that kind of condition!?” Twilight snarled, glaring icy daggers at Aza’s puppet. “Are you really that heartless!?”
“Twilight, Pit,” the pharaoh said, looking between them. He stood up and rested a hand each on their shoulders, with no reaction from either of them. “Stay calm.”
“He’s right, you two,” Samus agreed, also standing up and moving to get between them and Aza’s puppet. “Getting all riled up won’t help anyone in any way.”
Twilight and Pit remained silent, though their expressions became noticeably more irritated.
”I don’t know why this is coming as a surprise, anyway,” Aza spoke up, drawing everyone’s attention to it once again. ”This experiment, for the most part, is all about bringing together beings from universes far spread and seeing how well they get along and work together. The only reason I brought both Celestia and Palutena along with you two was to make your group dynamics a little more interesting.” The puppet brought its black and white spheres together, slightly covering the top red sphere, in a mock equation of folding one’s hands in front of their mouth. ”I’ve already sent three of you home before, anyway. The method of elimination is different, but the idea is the same regardless.”
“It’s not the same thing!” Twilight practically screeched. “Before you were letting us come to an agreement amongst ourselves to who to vote out. Now you’re forcing us to fight each other!”
“Twilight, that’s enough,” Celestia spoke gently, before turning to Aza’s puppet. “I accept your condition.”
Twilight turned to her teacher, wide-eyed. “Princess!?”
“I do too,” Palutena said.
“L-Lady Palutena!?” Pit stammered. “Why would you–?”
“Whichever one of us ends up losing will explain,” Celestia said, cutting him off, as she and Palutena shared a knowing smile. They then got back into their fighting stances, and Celestia’s face broke out into a confident grin as she levitated her cushion up in front of her face. “I’m ready whenever you are, Palutena.”
Palutena mimicked her action, while her face broke into a similar confident grin. “Then let’s do this.”
”3… 2...1, GO!”
Neither Celestia nor Palutena rushed the other on Aza’s mark. They stood their ground, but with every passing second would jerk their bodies as if they were going to rush their opponent. They kept their cushions held up in front of their chests, but because of their height difference, Palutena’s cushion came up to about Celestia’s head.
Everyone on the rocks sat still, fully attentive to the ensuing battle. But while everyone else merely looked on with rapt interest, Twilight and Pit wore expressions of anxiety. Confusion, concern, and many other emotions swirled through their heads, but all they could do was watch and hope that their respective ruler came out on top so they wouldn’t have to leave.
Finally, Palutena took a few small steps toward Celestia before rushing her. Instinctively, Celestia raised her cushion to her head to match Palutena’s own, but was surprised when Palutena lowered her cushion and instead slammed it against her chest, sending Celestia falling backwards onto the wooden platform and making her drop her cushion. She landed with a hard thud, bouncing once against the wood before coming to a rest mere inches from the edge.
“Princess!” she heard Twilight cry from the rocks.
Celestia made to stand up, but her eyes widened upon hearing Palutena’s rushing footsteps against the wood toward her. Her cushion had landed just a few feet away, she saw. Thinking fast, she enveloped it in her telekinesis and brought it up to block Palutena’s slam against her backside.
The two cushions shook against each other, edging back and forth as each lady tried to make ground against the other.
Palutena angled her legs as best she could, anchoring herself against the wooden platform. Her arms quivered under the strain of fighting against Celestia’s telekinetic hold on her own cushion. “You’ve got some pretty strong magic there, Celestia,” she commented.
“Thank you,” Celestia replied with a smile, before her eyebrow furrowed a bit, and her face adopted a slightly smug expression. “You’re not the only one with both brawn and brains, however.”
“Is that s–” Palutena was cut off when, suddenly, Celestia pulled her cushion away, cutting the force between their cushions. As a result, Palutena found herself falling forward, the green grass rushing to meet her face. If even a part of her fell outside the platform, she would lose.
In an eye’s blink, she had the side of her cushion pressed against her chest. The opposite end impacted the wooden platform, making her wince a little at the resulting pressure against her breasts. In her eye’s corner, she saw Celestia’s cushion swinging through the air right toward her back. A simple flip over allowed Palutena to dodge the blow, and, rolling over a few times, put some distance between herself and Celestia.
With a few deep gasps, Palutena stood up, her lips lifting into an exhausted smile. “I’m gonna hang in there as long as you are,” she stated, her resolve clear in her tone.
Likewise, Celestia stood up, panting slightly herself. “Indeed, we’re evenly matched, it seems,” she replied.
The both of them stared each other down, unmoving, for all of two seconds before rushing forward with their cushions held up. Once again, they found themselves deadlocked as they strained with all their might to push back their opponent.
No one could tell for how long they stayed like this, locked in place, unmoving except for their shaking limbs. Everyone watching from the rocks remained focused on the battle for a long time, but after what they assumed was probably a half hour of neither side gaining ground, their interest began to fade and their attentions shifted to other things. The only ones whose interests didn’t waver were Pit and Twilight, their gazes never once leaving the fight as they silently prayed for their respective superior.
From where he sat, the pharaoh stared down at the ground next to the rocks, lost in his thoughts.
Is something on your mind? Yugi asked him.
Yes. It’s about what Aza said earlier.
Which part?
Aza said this experiment was mostly to see how well we all could get along. The wording makes me think there’s more to it that Aza’s not telling us.
That’s right, Aza did seem awfully conscience about wording it like that.
If we could find out what that other reasoning is, it might prove invaluable information for us at some point in the future.
We should ask it after this fight’s over.
Right.
At that moment, Thomas seemed to come out of a light snooze he’d been in. Letting out a big yawn, he turned to everyone. “This is all rather boring, quite frankly,” he said, his sleepiness coming through in his voice. “I’d appreciate a good run to stretch my wheels, but I need a driver and fireman.” His mouth turned up into a light, wistful smile. “By any chance can anyone help me with that?”
“Sure, I can be your driver,” Samus said, standing up and stretching her arms. “Someone really needs to look for Ryuk, anyway.”
“Thanks,” Thomas said.
Samus turned to James. “You wanna be his fireman, James? We might need some extra strength in case Ryuk got himself into trouble.”
James snorted. “Apologies, but I’d rather not get my suit covered in soot,” he replied. He took a moment to straighten his suit’s collar and adjust the cuffs before pulling out his PPK, giving it a disappointed shake of his head. “Besides, I’m out of ammo.”
“Okay then…” Samus turned to look at everyone aside from Pit and Twilight. “Anyone else feeling up to the task?”
“Pika-pika-chu!” Pikachu said with a smile. He hopped off the rock, landing next to Samus with a flourish. His red cheeks crackled with electricity as he struck a determined pose. “Pika-pi!”
Samus nodded. “Alright, let’s go.” She turned to Aza’s puppet. “Mind giving us a hand?”
”Whatever.”
With that, Thomas, Samus, and Pikachu disappeared, surely reappearing at the tracks where they’d head off to begin their search for Ryuk.
After that, things were mostly quiet for a while, the only sounds being Palutena and Celestia’s shared grunts as they continued to trade blows with their cushions. But aside from Twilight and Pit, everyone else had completely lost interest in the fight. The pharaoh contented himself pondering over Aza’s hidden motives for conducting its experiment; James busied himself tossing the can of Monster Blood in the air; Kirby and the creature just fell asleep.
Eventually, Celestia and Palutena found themselves in another deadlocked embrace, their strength once again equal as they tried to push each other back off the platform. Neither of them could tell how long they’d been battling; definitely longer than either thought they were capable of lasting in a fight of strength and aggression.
“Still going strong?” Palutena asked, the strain clear in her voice.
“Of course,” Celestia replied, equally strained.
But the truth was quite different. Celestia was magically potent, as anypony meant to raise the sun needed to be, but her strength was nearing its end. Maintaining a simple levitation spell for an extended period of time was no problem for her, but the addition of applying force to the cushion for an extended period of time was costing her too much mental energy. More than she had ever believed she was capable of. Looking into Palutena’s eyes, she could tell the Goddess of Wisdom was feeling similarly exhausted, but far be it from her to claim to know the physical limitations of a genuine goddess.
She spared a glance over to the rocks, where Twilight and Pit were the only ones still watching the battle. Celestia saw the nervous anticipation clear as her day in Twilight’s eyes. No doubt, her student was silently supporting her, fully behind Celestia coming out victorious in the battle. No doubt… she didn’t want Celestia to leave her behind.
Celestia continued staring at Twilight for a few seconds, before turning back to Palutena. “I have one favor to ask of you.”
Palutena’s eyebrows rose a little from their furrowed state. “What would that be?”
Celestia’s face adopted an expression of wistful nostalgia. When she’d first met Twilight, the whisperings of fate told her the little filly was a special pony in many ways, that she would be the one to save Luna from her jealousy and hatred. She was right, and Twilight had even gone on to protect Equestria several more times, both with the strength of her friends as well as her own. And each subsequent encounter with an enemy of Equestria only further instilled the belief that Twilight didn’t need Celestia’s guidance. Even now, an infinity away from home, it was clear Twilight had the strength to fight her own battles.
“Promise you’ll keep Twilight from going crazy without me.”
“Wait, what do–whoa!”
Celestia cancelled her telekinetic hold on the cushion. As a result, Palutena lurched forward with the loss of the opposing force, slamming her cushion square against Celestia’s chest. Celestia toppled backwards as a result, falling against the wooden platform before sliding off onto the ground.
“No, Celestia!” Twilight shouted.
“Yes! You did it, Lady Palutena!” Pit cheered.
The collective attention of everyone — except for Kirby and the creature — turned back to the platform. Pit and Twilight jumped off the rocks, running over to their respective partners; Pit threw his arms over a still-confused Palutena, while Twilight knelt down to Celestia’s eye level from her laying position on the ground.
“Celestia, are you alright?” she asked.
A small smile crossed Celestia’s muzzle as she stood up, using her wing to brush some dirt off her body. “Yes, Twilight. I am alright.”
“How could you lose!?” Twilight cried. Tears began to well up in her eyes.
“I knew you could do it, Lady Palutena!”
Celestia and Twilight turned to see Pit embracing Palutena in a hug. The Goddess of Wisdom herself, however, only stared blankly at Celestia, her expression unreadable. She stayed like that for a few moments, completely ignoring Pit wrapped around her body, before her expression furrowed a little.
“You let me win, didn’t you, Celestia?”
Twilight’s eyes widened and she let out a soft gasp. Everyone else’s attention was now firmly on Celestia as they awaited her reply.
Celestia let out a soft chuckle. “I did, yes.”
“You let her win!?” Twilight practically shrieked, forcing Celestia to fold her ears back. “Bu-But why? You could’ve beaten her, I know you could’ve.” She pressed her face into Celestia’s chest, her tears streaming down her face and wettening Celestia’s fur. “I-I don’t want you to leave.”
She continued crying into Celestia’s fur, her body wracking with sobs as mountains of sorrow swelled to the surface of her heart. She had been so sure that Celestia would win, that she’d stay and help her through Aza’s sick games. How could Celestia just give up like this!?
She felt Celestia’s muzzle press against her head, nuzzling her. Twilight relished in her teacher’s soft touch, wanting desperately for them to stay like that. When Celestia eventually broke away, Twilight felt like shrieking again, but couldn’t find the strength to raise her voice above her sobs.
“Consider this my greatest test to you, Twilight,” Celestia said.
Twilight looked up into her mentor’s eyes. Normally, she’d expect to see that motherly calmness Celestia was known for reflected back, but not this time. Outwardly, Celestia had taken on a neutral demeanor, but her eyes betrayed something Twilight couldn’t identify. It made her feel calm and collected, just like Celestia was the master of doing whenever Twilight started to fall victim to her own paranoia and doubt, but there was something deeper there. Something Twilight couldn’t identify right away, but nonetheless found comfort in.
Celestia then turned around and walked over to Pit and Palutena, the latter having pried the former off of her person, eliciting a sheepish blush from Pit. The two of them turned their attention to Celestia as she approached, and watched in interest as she used her magic to unclasp the Element of Loyalty from around her neck and float it over to Pit. The young angel took the Element, looking down at it with confusion before returning Celestia’s gaze, silently asking for an explanation.
“I want you to wield that Element in my stead,” she explained. “Twilight will fill you in on the specifics of how to properly use it should the need arise, but suffice to say it will accept you as its new Bearer.”
Pit adopted a sheepish smile. “Er, well… I appreciate it, Celestia, but jewelry isn’t really my thing…”
Palutena placed her hand on Pit’s shoulder, drawing his gaze. “Put it on, or I’ll tell everyone about what happened last week between you and Viridi,” she said with a cheeky smile.
Pit’s eyes shot open in fear. “No, please don’t! Okay, okay! I’ll put it on!”
Both Celestia and Palutena giggled as Pit fumbled with the Element, trying to secure it around his neck and squeaking every time it almost fell out of his shaky grasp. Finally, it came together in a brilliant glow, secured firmly around his neck. “There,” he wheezed.
“It looks good on you,” Palutena cooed, to which Pit’s blush deepened.
”Well, Celestia, as I said, the loser of that battle would be sent home,” Aza announced. ”You have one minute to say whatever final few words you want to say to everyone before then, starting now.”
“Very well,” Celestia said. “I don’t have too much to say, at any rate.”
She turned to look at everyone with a friendly smile. “To everyone gathered here from across the realms of existence, I am honored to have met such a diverse lot of people and learned many things as a result. I wish you all the best of luck in your coming trials.”
She then turned to Palutena. “Palutena, I entrust Twilight to your care. Please treat her as if she were your own child, as I have.”
Palutena nodded. “I promise, Princess.”
Celestia nodded in return, then turned toward a clearly emotionally conflicted Twilight. She placed a comforting wing over her student’s withers, to which Twilight adopted a small smile herself. “The reason why I let Palutena win is because of what Star Fall told us,” she started, to which Twilight’s ears perked up in interest. “The details are unknown, true, but if my little ponies can fall to violence and bloodshed without Luna and myself, then it’s imperative that I be there alongside my sister to prevent such a future from ever coming to pass.”
She stroked Twilight’s withers, her smile turning wistful as she continued. “I know it might seem scary being here without me, but look around you.” Twilight followed Celestia’s hoof as she gestured around them at everyone. “We’ve made new friends in our time here. These people will look out for you the same way I’ve always looked out for you, so there’s no need to be afraid.”
Twilight looked around at everyone, at all their sincere, genuinely comforting expressions. Celestia was right, she realized. Everyone they’d met since being roped into Aza’s twisted experiment was a good person, and had proven their strength and willingness to help each other when in need. They’d already overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles; even without Celestia, surely they could continue their quest to survive Aza’s games.
… Yes, that was the feeling from before: assurance. Assurance that everything would be alright with or without Celestia’s presence. Twilight held that feeling deep in her heart, absolutely refusing to part with it.
“You’re right,” she said finally, before turning back to Celestia with a wistful smile. “I’ll miss you so much, still.”
Celestia smiled and nodded. “As will I,” she replied, before turning to Aza’s puppet. “I’m ready now.”
Hmm, oh, right, sure. Abra-kadabra, hullabaloo.”
With that, Celestia slowly disappeared from Aza’s clutches, never once averting her warm gaze from Twilight until she was entirely gone from view.
For a few moments afterward, everything was silent, while everyone stared at the spot where Celestia had been. Eventually, their collective gaze shifted to Twilight, who slumped to the ground and was visibly crying, yet still smiling.
Palutena walked over and knelt down, putting a comforting hand on her withers. “Will you be okay, Twilight?” she asked.
Twilight nodded, using a hoof to wipe away some tears. “Yeah, yeah, I’ll be fine,” she said, before turning and walking away from the rocks. “Just… give me some time alone, okay?”
Palutena nodded. “Of course.”
Everyone watched Twilight until she disappeared from view within the surrounding treeline, but they weren’t worried. After everything they’d been through together, in their hearts, they knew she’d be alright.