A Rift Between Worlds

by Cinders of War

Chapter 51: Canceling the Apocalypse

Sunset Shimmer kept her eyes locked on the corner of the room, where a mass of smoke was beginning to grow in size, covering the far wall in darkness.

Without warning, a pair of arrows pierced through the cloud, puncturing through two of the Kuva guardians’ thick armor, emerging on the other side. They fell to their knees and then down on their heads.

“Guards, kill that!” the Worm barked, pointing a finger at the smoke.

The other guardians picked up their staffs and got ready and more Grineer soldiers emerged from the door behind Sunset.

The fiery haired girl quickly turned around and ripped all their weapons out of their hands, then slammed them with a blue wall of magic, scattering them back down the hallway they had come from.

“You Queens have remained hidden from me for so long… Deceived me for so long, but now… your past has caught up to you. It is your time to face your reckoning.”

Through the smoke, the Stalker emerged, swinging his scythe so fast that it cut right through one guardian’s staff, then through its head, shredding through its armor like paper. He wasted no time and throwing the guardian’s body aside, cutting up at the next one, who tried to attack him. The guardian’s staff snapped and flew up in the air as the Stalker cut low, severing the guardian’s legs from its body. With a kick, the Stalker sent the guardian rolling back, stopping before the Queens’ pedestal.

Sunset could only watch as the rogue Tenno dismantled the large Kuva guardians, almost as easily as he had done with them when he first revealed himself. The leg that had been cut off the last time was now replaced with a sharp thin blade, but it didn’t look like he had any trouble walking.

“Wait, stop!” Sunset thrust her magic over, stopping the Stalker in his tracks. The Tenno shifted his head to face her. “I know, these queens killed your masters, but there doesn’t need to be more bloodshed here. This can end peacefully.”

“Peace?” The Stalker looked like it was gazing through her helmet and right at her. “Do you really think that there can be peace with these creatures?”

“Yes.” Sunset nodded.

“There can be none. My masters deserve blood.”

To her surprise, the Stalker pulsed out a wave of darkness, breaking out of Sunset’s grip and retrieving his scythe from a guardian’s face.

“Do not stop me. They deserve death. You would protect the enemy?”

“I don’t want to have to kill anymore than I already have,” Sunset said.

And she didn’t. All these months of fighting Grineer, she was afraid she was getting too used to it. Sure, they were just clones of some forgotten race, but in the end, she was still taking lives. No girl in school or pony in Equestria should so easily do things like this. If she could help it, she wanted no more part in taking lives, even if it meant sparing the Grineer Queens.

She knew that if they refused, there would be no choice. To protect their home, the queens would have to go, but if there was the slightest chance she could avoid bloodshed, she wanted to.

“Why not let the Stalker deal with them, Sunset Shimmer?” Ember asked. “He is not here to face you. He is here to find justice and finish our problem for us.”

“Not until I can work something out! I can, I will.” Sunset was adamant.

“I will not sit idle while you waste your time.” The Stalker lifted his scythe in both hands. “Either you stay away, or you die with them.”

“That’s right, fight!” the Worm squealed in joy. “Guards! To our chambers!”

Sunset watched the Queens and the Stalker, weighing her choices. Was it worth it to stop the Stalker from killing the Queens and ending the threat on Earth? Or should she just leave and regroup with her friends. She didn’t want to kill them, but was leaving it to someone else just as bad? Sunset couldn’t decide.

“Sunset, leave him be. He will finish the mission for us,” Ember said, breaking her concentration. “You do not need to try something that is almost impossible.”

“Your time is at an end,” the Stalker said, approaching the queens. “Now tell me, why did you betray your own? Why kill my masters? For power? For control?”

“Fool,” the elder queen spat at him. “The Orokin shunned us. They thought we were a curse. What more to do than to do exactly as they call us? We took control of the beasts and we got rid of them. Your masters were cruel people! I enjoyed every bit as they were torn apart by their own slaves!” She lifted her staff and slammed its tip on their pedestal. “You will join them soon!”

Suddenly, three Grineer manics popped up around the Stalker, jumping for him and pulling him down. They began to claw at his back, damaging his shields, but he threw one back before slicing the head off another, then stabbing the third one through the head with one of his throwing knives, sending it flying up to the ceiling, stuck up there by the knife.

“You think your Grineer will save you from your reckoning?” The Stalker turned to the last manic and readied his bow. “They cannot.”

The Stalker readied an arrow just as the manic disappeared in a small cloud of smoke, but almost as swiftly, he turned to the left and fired his arrow just as the manic showed up again. It hit the Grineer straight in the chest and sent its body flying back, lodging against the far wall just like the other one.

Requipping his scythe, the Stalker spun it in his grip multiple times before its blade rested on the floor next to his bladed foot. “If you do not want to see this, girl, then I suggest you leave now. I grant you that one mercy.”

It took Sunset a second to realize he was speaking to her. “What?”

“The Balor Fomorian still approaches your planet. If you wish to save it, you will have to destroy this ship.”

“Silence!” the elder queen barked, slamming her staff again. “Guards! What is taking so long? Destroy the intruders!”

Just then, the main door swooped open, revealing a Grineer assault wave, their guns already pointed at Sunset. She brought up a barrier just as they started shooting, keeping their gunfire back easily.

“Sunset Shimmer, we should heed the Stalker’s words and leave while we can. The Grineer have done enough. Let us just end this once and for all.”

Sunset frowned and threw out her barrier, knocking down all the Grineer in the hallway. She didn’t like it, but judging by how things were looking, there was nothing more she could do.

“Lead on, Ember…” Sunset whispered, slightly disappointed in herself.

Ember took over the Warframe’s movement, using the opening to run and jump above the assault wave while they were all still getting up.

They had progressed far back, returning to the large room with the pipes when Sunset decided to speak up again.

“Ember, it doesn’t feel right. Was what we did right? To just let the Stalker end it for us?”

“It has been his life to avenge the Orokin,” Ember answered as she used one of the pipes to get across faster. “This is his duty. Ours is to safeguard your world and Equestria. For the Lotus.”

Sunset sighed. She knew there was logic in Ember’s words, but she just didn’t like this.

“I’m sorry…” she whispered to herself as Ember kept going, heading back to the exit.

---

The Stalker stood over the dead bodies of Kuva guardians and various other Kuva Grineer, spinning his scythe in an arc to cleanse it of its blood. He looked back over to the Queens, stepping down from the mountain of corpses he had been standing on.

After all these years, after all these years being deluded, he had finally come face to face with the murderers of his masters. Twin daughters of the Orokin themselves. He couldn’t understand why they would wipe out their own kind. The thought sickened him and he wanted to end this as quickly as possible.

“Your reckoning is at hand.” He lifted his scythe in a stance.

“Do you really think this is over?” the elder queen lifted her staff. “Not by a mile, it is not! As long as I have this staff, I control all slaves of the Orokin! Even you will bow to me!”

Before she could do anything, the queen was overtaken by another series of violent coughs, making her bend down in pain. The Stalker wasted no time in closing the distance between himself and the queens, his scythe already lashing out.

In a second, the queen’s staff lay beside her, cut in half in the middle. She would’ve likely yelled at the Stalker for what he had done, but before she could say anything else, a jet of blood sprayed out from her chest, coating the Stalker and part of the ceiling above.

“Gaaaaah!” she screamed and fell to her face, crawling away from her attacker.

“Sister!” the Worm cried out.

“You too will join her,” the Stalker hissed, slicing in an arc at his waist level.

The younger queen stopped talking.

The Stalker spun his scythe to clean it before setting it behind his back. The elder queen was still trying to get away, but she was trailing a line of thick blood behind her, meaning she likely didn’t have much time left.

“Where can you go?” The Stalker walked in front of her to block her path. “There is nothing more for you but darkness. Just release yourself to it. Your actions have consequences. You should have thought about that before destroying my masters, before destroying your kind.”

The Grineer Queen struggled to lift a hand up, grabbing the dark Tenno around his one foot. She squeezed, but to the Stalker, it was nothing more but a gentle wrap. In no time, her strength had left her and she stopped moving, now lying before the Stalker, dead.

“And so it has come to an end…” he almost sighed, stepping away from her body.

The Stalker looked up at the ceiling, and if he had eyes, he would’ve closed them. He had spent so long on this quest, waiting and watching for the Orokins’ killers and the right time to strike. For so long, the Queens had planted a false dream in his mind, fooling him to target the Lotus, while they were right there in front of him all this time, but now, they were finished and at long last, he could finally rest.

Sitting himself down, the Stalker positioned himself in a meditative pose, one all Tenno had learnt aeons ago. Placing his knees down and his hands atop them, the Stalker straightened his back and sat unmoving. He activated his comms channel and waited.

“It is done,” he said out loud, his dark voice echoing across the empty chambers. “Tenno, you have helped me achieve what I have sought out to do. The Queens are dead and for that, you have my thanks. Now end it, finish the Grineer once and for all and you may finally know peace like I do now…”

---

Home Run watched as the Stalker’s face disappeared from his visor, just in time to avoid a second dargyn as it attempted to charge into him. Seeing as it was so close to him now, he turned around and slammed his rathbone hammer into its side, launching it into the side of the Balor Fomorian, watching as it exploded against its hull.

“Y’all saw that?” Applejack was beside him, firing on more Grineer units with her gun. “Ah didn’t think he’d be back now. So he’s gone and done it? It’s over?”

“Nothing’s over while this thing’s still here.” Rainbow Dash pointed up to the towering spacecraft. “When can we get rid of it?”

“We still need to wait for Sunset,” Velvet Breeze answered her, stopping beside them, flanked by Twilight Sparkle. “She’s still in there.”

“Wait, I sense Ember. She is closer now,” Ash suddenly appeared in Home Run’s visor. “I will attempt communication. Ember, do you read? What is your status?”

Ember’s face wasted no time in popping up beside Ash’s. “We are on our way back out. We could use a pickup. Did you hear what the Stalker said?”

“Yes, I sense he tells us the truth,” Vauban said.

“I’ll go get her,” Home Run volunteered. “The rest of you can get ready.”

“We’ll wait inside the Fomorian.” Velvet nodded and beckoned the others to follow. “Come on, when Sunset’s out, we can start.”

“Good luck, girls.” Home Run smiled and jetted off, flying back around towards the hangar he had dropped Sunset at. “Vauban, do you think they’re really dead? The Queens, I mean.”

“Who can really say? But I will not underestimate the Stalker. He is a formidable opponent. If anyone had killed the Queens, it would be him.”

“Hmm…” Home Run picked up speed as he curved around the side, his eyes searching for the hangar bay. “Whether he did or not, this thing has to go, along with the rest of the fleet.”

“Couldn’t agree more. Ember, we are near the hangar. What is your position?”

“We are close. One room to clear before we are to you.”

“Got it, we’ll wait inside.” Home Run located the hangar’s barrier, spiralling through it and coming to a stop in the middle of the room, hovering in place.

There were just three Grineer lancers standing in the area, their guns already aimed for the boy’s chest before he even saw them.

“Woah!” Vauban took over and quickly brought up an energy shell, absorbing all the bullets they were shooting at him. “Thanks, buddy.”

Then he took over and strafed to the right, firing his imperator at the Grineer, cutting them down. With nothing more to do, Home Run waited, hovering over the first floor, keeping an eye on all four of the room’s doors, waiting to see which one Sunset would emerge from or which ones more Grineer would enter from.

And then Ember and Sunset were through the door on the second level, leaping clear over the railing and spiralling up into the air above Home Run.

Thinking quickly, the baseball player dashed over and placed his wing under them, allowing Sunset to land on it with a thump.

“Good to see you all good, Sunset,” Home Run said. “You too, Ember. Everything okay?”

“Yeah… we’re okay for now, I guess…” Sunset sighed and looked back to the doorway. “But we have a mission to finish. We better get it done first.”

“Gotcha!” And Home Run was out the hangar, heading back to the Fomorian core entrance to join the others. “Girls, you read me? Sunset’s with me. It’s time to end this.”

“Roger, Home Run,” Rainbow Dash was the first to answer. “We’ll go ahead and start.”

Then came the sound of explosions as Home Run curved back around the vessel, searching for the way in.

“Any problems while I was gone?” Sunset asked, tapping him on the shoulder.

“Not really.” Home Run shook his head. “Pretty standard. You?”

Sunset sighed audibly. “I couldn’t save them, Home Run. I couldn’t save any of them. They refused to back down and the Stalker was there. I didn’t know what else I could do. In the end… I just left. I left it to him to finish the job.”

“Hey, you don’t need to blame yourself for anything, alright? What matters is that you tried and they refused to listen. You can’t do anything about that.”

“I know, Home Run, but it keeps nagging at me. Something tells me I could’ve tried harder. Twilight would’ve, I’m sure of it.”

“You know, what I think Twilight would’ve done is give it her all and I’m sure you did that. Right, Vauban?”

“Hmm, I assume you did, Sunset Shimmer,” the boy’s Tenno partner said. “But enough of brooding. We have one last mission to accomplish. Then we can all return home.”

“Yes, let’s light this one up!” Ember joined in.

On the way back to the front of the Fomorian, Home Run noticed the Grineer forces had started thinning out. Earlier, there had been thousands of them, but now, he had only defeated three dargyns and a dreg on the way.

“Hmm, do you think they’re actually running out of soldiers to throw at us?” Home Run asked for anyone to answer.

“Either that, or they are lost without their leadership,” Vauban speculated. “Either way, our job has become easier.”

Just then, Home Run and Sunset could hear a series of explosions echo out, likely from inside the Balor Fomorian. The other girls must’ve gotten to work already. And then they were around the corner, spotting the hole where the shield had been earlier. Approaching, Home Run could already see explosions coming from within, where a metallic heart of sorts was positioned.

The other Rainbooms were flying around the core, firing upon it with everything they had, with almost little to no resistance from the Grineer. There was but a single ogma and two shield dargyns inside, flying around after Applejack and Rainbow Dash, trying to take them out.

“Ready to work some magic, Sunset?” Home Run engaged full throttle, blasting in towards the core.

“You know it, Homey.” The first thing Sunset did was bring up a magical barrier, separating the Grineer from her friends, pushing them back against the side of the Fomorian’s inside. “Go for it, I’ll keep them distracted.”

“Right.”

Home Run joined the others in firing on the Fomorian’s core, watching as tiny explosions began forming across the metallic heart. Two tanks burst, releasing gas into the air as steam began pouring out of cracks. They were doing it.

“Hooooweee! We got this!” Applejack whooped.

“Just keep it up and we can all go home!” Twilight Sparkle said over the comms and gunfire.

More Grineer entered in from the outside, but Velvet Breeze and Ash were ready. With a mighty dash through space, Velvet cleaved through a row of darygns, watching them fall in half and explode as she turned around.

“You truly are a skilled human, Velvet Breeze,” Ash said. “I am glad I have gotten to know you.”

“You haven’t seen anything then!” Rainbow guffawed and spread out her one good wing. “Just watch what Zephyr and I can do!”

Flipping in a somersault, Rainbow fired a cluster of missiles from her wing, sending them flying and impacting themselves into more of the Grineer forces, taking them out.

“Not bad, but now ain’t the time to show off, Rainbow!” Applejack lectured as she waited for her weapon to recharge. “Turn around and help destroy this thing.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Rainbow did as she was told and pointed both guns at the heart and fired.

Home Run could see it. He could see the end of it all. Everything they have done since putting the Warframes on have all led up to this point.

Sunset’s words stuck in his head. Were they really so used to killing now? He refused to believe it, but a part of him knew it to be true.

No. After today, we can change. We don’t need to kill anymore and we won’t have to. Things will be different, he told himself. I can make it right again. We all can.

“Everyone, it is almost done!” Vauban said on all their visors. “Missiles, all together.”

Leaping back in the air a few feet, everyone spread their wings out and released everything they had, watching as their missiles all hit the Balor Fomorian’s core at the same time with an almighty explosion.

The entire structure around them shook like there was a huge earthquake and debris began falling off from the sides. The core was still rocking with explosions, which soon spread around to the tubes and walls all around them.

“I think it is time to leave,” Nyx told them.

“Well said,” Ash agreed. “Let us flee before we are caught in the blast.”

“Full steam ahead!” Rhino said as he and Applejack were the first to blast off.

“Wait, you forgot about us!” Rainbow was left floating with one broken wing.

But then she was picked up in a magical aura, slowly pulling her towards Home Run and Sunset Shimmer.

“Welcome back, captain,” the baseball player said, the activated his thrusters. “Now hold on!”

Blasting off into open space, Home Run was the last to leave, following behind Velvet Breeze as the Balor Fomorian began to rock and tip to the side as explosions started appearing on its hull. The remaining Grineer ships around it tried to get away, but they weren’t fast enough.

“As far as we can go!” Vauban ordered. “We don’t want to be anywhere near it when it explodes.”

“Who’d want to be near that?” Rainbow looked back, both hands holding on to Home Run’s wing.

With one final explosion, the entire ship became silent for a second, then ripped apart as a massive blast tore through the entire vessel, pushing out from within.

Even from so far away, the explosion was massive, expanding and swallowing the Grineer galleons like a hungry shark. From where they wear, it now looked like reality had been torn in two with the huge ball of fire, but soon, it began to die down, leaving only the wreckage of what used to be the Grineer armada.

Home Run and the others stopped, hearing nothing but their beating hearts.

“We did it… we finally did it,” he breathed.

“It’s over?” Velvet looked on at the debris.

“Hoo boy, this calls for a little celebration.” Applejack rubbed at her arm.

“Let us return home,” Nyx said. “We also need to check on the Lotus.”

“That’s right!” Twilight exclaimed suddenly. “Princess Celestia! I need to make sure she’s doing okay.”

“Then let’s go home.” Sunset nodded. “Come on, Home Run. Run on home.”

“Bad joke, Sunset,” the boy said, but smiled anyway. Things were finally going back to the way they were again.

So together, each of them activated their thrusters and began heading back to earth.

---

Fluttershy looked up at the sky as she supported Rarity under one arm, gazing up at the fiery ball as it began growing in size, replacing the Balor Fomorian in almost an instant. The almost as quickly, the ball faded from the sky.

“It’s over… they did it!” Rarity cheered, dissolving her helmet and sighing with much relief.

“I thought it would never end…” Fluttershy looked at all the fallen Grineer around them. “You okay?”

“Manageable…” Rarity wiped at her dirty face. “Solved once I have a bath.”

Trinity and I can heal any of us if there are any injuries.”

“We are functional, Fluttershy,” Mag responded. “We should check on the others.”

“Got it.” The pink haired girl nodded.

Flash was helping Trixie up near the roadside, while Derpy was busy spinning her new guns in her fingers. Fluttershy was also surprised to see Lyra and Sweetie Drops emerging from Warframes of their own, looking a little shaken, but otherwise unhurt. Mr. Loregiver and Eclair were busy dragging Grineer bodies into a pile in the middle of the school’s front lawn, likely getting ready to use his magical formula on them to make them disappear. Pinkie Pie was helping them, forming clones to spread out and retrieve the bodies.

Sonata, Aria and Adagio were seated atop a pile of rubble by the school’s main entrance, looking up at the sky with their helmets off as well.

“Man, I’m beat…” Sonata Dusk scratched at her messy blue hair and dug a finger up her nose. “Glad that’s all over. I could use a cold bath now.”

“I’m too tired to argue…” Aria leaned her arms on her knees.

“Wasn’t too long, but I had some fun…” Adagio tossed a pebble from her hair. “One way to vent out my anger…”

“A-Are you girls alright?” Fluttershy walked up to them and asked meekly. “Any in-injuries?”

“Nothing you need to concern yourself with,” Adagio answered for her sisters.

“Oh, okay…” Fluttershy slinked back.

“That wasn’t nice.” Rarity stepped up for her friend. “She was just being thoughtful.”

“Well, while I appreciate the concern, we don’t need it,” Adagio said bluntly. “So no thank you, Rainbooms.”

“Well, what happens now?” Sonata asked. “Do we get to keep these suits? Loki and I are great friends now.”

“I am afraid that might not be a possibility.” Loki appeared on their visors. “With the defeat of the Grineer, there are no more threats out there. We are safe again, but that means we must return to sleep.”

“What? Why?” Fluttershy asked. “Trinity, you don’t have to go, do you?”

“Truthfully, Fluttershy, we will have to. We know nothing but combat. Without it, there is nothing more for us to do.”

“But that’s not true,” the pink haired girl protested. “We’ve spent so much time together. I know you are capable of more than combat. You know.”

“I…” Then Trinity stopped. “I don’t know, Fluttershy.”

“Surely we can work something out?” Rarity shrugged.

“Maybe in time,” Mag added. “But for now…”

Just then, there were the sounds of thrusters in the air before Home Run, Sunset Shimmer, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Twilight Sparkle and Velvet Breeze landed down before them, their archwings stowing immediately.

“How’s everything down here?” Sunset was the first to speak.

“All taken care of,” Rarity briefed them. “Good work up there, by the way. We could see it from here.”

“Yeah…” Sunset looked back up to the sky. “I was really hoping we could end it peacefully, but I guess that just wasn’t meant to be. But wait, we need to go. We need to see if Princess Celestia is okay.”

“We’ll come with you.” Fluttershy nodded.

“Yippeee!” Pinkie popped up behind them all. “We’re going back to Equestria!”

Together, the Rainbooms, along with Velvet and Home Run, went through the portal, leaving the three sirens sitting there, watching.

“Hey, you know, we could actually go home whenever we want,” Aria stated.

“We could…” Adagio looked at her hands. “But I think our home is here now. They wouldn’t want us to just leave.”

“Yeah, I don’t want to leave her again,” Sonata added, looking at the statue base. “It felt like we had only just found her again.”

“Maybe it’s because we did?” Aria narrowed her eyes at her sister.

“But whatever the case,” Adagio continued, ignoring her sisters. “We aren’t going to abandon them again.”

Just then, their suits detached from them, taking steps away to form back.

“Arr, alas, we need to go check on the Lotus,” Hydroid said. “If we never meet again, know that it was a good time to be had.”

“And we are grateful for your assistance in dealing with the Grineer.” Saryn bowed her head.

From the side, Volt and Limbo had separated from their pilots too, along with all the others, except Mr. Loregiver and Eclair, who walked over alongside the other Tenno.

“Time for us to go,” the history teacher said as he and Eclair stepped out from their Warframes. “All of you, thank you for helping out here today, and for those of you who were here longer, we are all in your debt, but we must go now. The princess will want to see us.”

“Take care, Volt, you hear?” Flash shook hands with his Warframe.

“As should you, Flash Sentry.” the electrical Tenno nodded. “Use your gifts well. You have a knack for the electrical.”

When each of them were done with their goodbyes, Mr. Loregiver led them all back through the mirror, shimmering out of this world and back to Equestria.

Standing up, Adagio gave her outfit a pat down, then pointed away from school. “We should go on home. They’ll be waiting.”

Comments

[JMP]

And so the Grineer are defeated. The Balor Formorian exploding gave a real nice mental image. Kinda wish we could see it in game rather than the alert simply expiring.

[MoonlightRift]

“But whatever the case,” Adagio continued, ignoring her sisters. “We aren’t going to abandon them again.”

I'll be opening this can of worms soon.

[MoonlightRift]

10723013
She forgor 💀