Scarlet

by Skijarama

Commitment

Scarlet had eventually managed to blunder her way out of Sanctuary and found her way to a nice, empty hill a few minutes’ walk away from the cavernous entrance. Once she was sure she was alone, she crumpled into the grass and began taking deep breaths to reign in her mind and get herself under control.

The peaceful atmosphere did wonders to ease her frayed nerves; the gentle rustling of the breeze washing through the valley, the distant chirps of birds singing their final songs before turning in for the night—the soothing sound of the waves crashing upon the shore of the lake was especially calming to her. If she closed her eyes for a moment, she could imagine she was back in Swanrun, listening to the ocean from one of the city’s many overlooks.

Slowly but surely, the light of the sun began to dip below the horizon. The dusky colors of sunset fled the world, replaced with the pale glow of the full moon as it began its ascent. Scarlet opened her eyes to look up at the distant celestial object, taking comfort in the peaceful serenity provided by its blank, white surface. The only thing marring the peace of the night sky was the thick front of black clouds far off in the distance, slowly drawing closer. There would be a storm later.

It must have been at least an hour before her solitude was disturbed. Her ear twitched at the sound of hooves approaching through the grass. Curious, she glanced behind her to see Sharp Lens walking forward to join her on the hill.

“Hey,” he called out quietly.

Scarlet hummed, dipping her head in a small nod of acknowledgment before looking ahead again.

Lens settled down next to her, close enough that she could feel his body heat mingling with her own. “How are you feeling, Scarlet?” he asked after a few seconds. “You left so suddenly. We all got kind of worried about you when you didn’t come back.”

Scarlet didn’t answer right away. In truth, she didn’t know how to answer that question. Her emotions had been so wild and chaotic over the day, running from exhausted grief to various states of shock, and then to feelings of hope and loneliness in equal measure. In the end, she settled for a simple shrug of her shoulders. “I’m fine. A little overwhelmed, but… fine,” she said, lowering her head to rest her chin on her hooves. “It’s just been a very long day.”

Lens managed a weak chuckle at that. He draped a foreleg over her shoulders in a comforting side hug. “Ha. Yeah, it really has,” he agreed quietly. “But I think it went pretty well, all things considered.”

Scarlet nodded. “Perhaps…”

A few seconds passed. Lens stared at her as if expecting her to continue. When she did not, he let off a quiet sigh and gave her another squeeze. “I… don’t suppose that paranoid feeling you were having earlier is any better, is it?” he asked anxiously.

Scarlet huffed. “It was doing better until you reminded me,” she said, a small smirk of morbid amusement playing across her muzzle.

Lens shuffled sheepishly at the remark. “Er, sorry… I’m just worried about you, that’s all.”

Scarlet gave him a tiny smile. She turned to face him directly, finding their muzzles mere inches apart. “I know, Lens, and I appreciate it,” she whispered while returning the side hug. His warmth did wonders to chase away the chill settling into her coat, though it did little for the chill that had set up shop in her heart.

The two remained like this for a short time before Lens looked up at the sky, his smile slowly fading away. “...Prim and Sclera talked about it a little bit before I came out here. They plan to stay here, settle down, start a new life,” he said slowly.

“I figured they might,” Scarlet acknowledged, closing her eyes. “They were looking for this place for years. It was their ray of hope for a long, long time, and with Spike and Flurry Heart watching over them, they will be safe from any threat to come their way… And they can live among their own kind here, free from the hate of the ponies. This is where they belong.”

Lens didn’t say anything at first. He seemed to struggle with his words for a moment before looking to Scarlet again. “...I’m staying with them.”

Scarlet’s eyes widened, and she turned to look at Lens in shock. “W-what?”

Lens adjusted his glasses. “As long as Spike and Flurry let me, I plan to stay here. There’s so much I can learn… so many things I could use to improve the world in the future. Maybe, as a pony living here, I could someday help put down all of the fear and hatred around changelings so that the free ones can live peacefully among them without fear of summary execution.”

“A-ah,” Scarlet choked out, a bead of dread forming in her throat and refusing to go down. She stared at him for a short while, her mind suddenly awash with anxiety and doubt. She hadn’t really thought about what she was going to do now. All of the chaos of the day had left her no room to really think about it. Now, though…

Lens gave her a warm, encouraging smile. “Or, well, I guess I should say there’s so much we can learn. Secrets of the past, long lost history. A chance to meet with your idol among the Five, Twilight Sparkle. Getting to just settle down and relax. Think about it. You, me, Sclera and Primrose, not running for our lives twenty-four-seven...”

He reached out and touched a hoof to Scarlet’s cheek. She closed her eyes and leaned into it, hoping his warmth would chase away her anxiety. When he spoke next, his words were lower and quieter, a whisper to the deepest desire of her soul. “The four of us, living together… A simple life…”

Scarlet reached her own hoof to touch his, soaking in the warmth and affection she knew the stallion next to her was feeling. After a moment, she opened her eyes to meet his. It really did sound like a dream come true. The simple life she had been craving for so long. The simple life she had missed ever since she had lost Crystal. Maybe they could start up an apple farm of their own out here in these fields.

She could already picture it in her mind, in an exaggerated way. She could see herself and Lens out tending to the trees while Primrose ran around with some other changeling nymphs, maybe that Larynx kid. She could see Sclera watching over them from the front porch of a simple wooden house with a relaxed smile on her face.

It all sounded so perfect to Scarlet. But the more she thought about it, the more the unavoidable downside of the arrangement began to gnaw at her. Glowing eyes peered at her from the depths of her mind, sending a chill down her spine and sending her thoughts into doubt.

She struggled with herself for what felt like forever. But, in the end, she came to her decision. She heaved a reluctant sigh, lowered her hoof, and looked away. “...It sounds wonderful, Lens, but… I’m afraid I can’t stay with you.”

“What?” Lens asked, surprised. “What do you mean? Why not?”

Scarlet looked to the north, her ears lowering. “I intend to continue on my way to Lover’s Shade and find my grandmother. As safe as this place is, we are still wanted fugitives here, Lens, and…” she let off a quiet sigh and turned to face him. “...My place is with my family.”

Lens stared at her incredulously. He closed his mouth, working his jaw from side to side with a thoughtful frown. “I mean… I get what you’re saying, but…” he gestured behind them towards the cave. “Aren’t we your family too? Prim, Sclera, and I?”

Scarlet looked down. “...Maybe, once. But whatever I had with Primrose is gone… and she doesn’t need me anymore, anyway. She has her mother back, she has you to be a father figure… she doesn’t need me, the broken war veteran who almost killed her in a fit of grief-induced lunacy.”

“Even if we didn’t need you, Scarlet—which I can assure you, we do—we would still want you,” Lens countered without missing a beat. “Come on… you… y-you know that Primrose loves you like a mother, and you know that I love you, too. I have for a long time… I’d love nothing more than to spend the rest of my life with you.”

Scarlet managed to put on a tiny smile at the open declaration of affection. Her cheeks tinted red just slightly before she looked up to meet his gaze. “...I would love that, too, but… I just… I can’t do that here.”

“Why not? What’s stopping you?”

Scarlet grimaced. She turned her head to look away from him to hide the shame burning in her eyes. “You know my story, Lens. You know the answer already…”

A heavy silence fell between them. She felt Lens slowly tensing up next to her, and her very soul froze over. Lens shuffled a little closer, his leg draped over her giving her another squeeze. “...It’s the changelings,” he deduced after a moment.

Scarlet nodded. “I know they aren’t the beasts that murdered our child, but… I can’t help it. I lay eyes on one, and my stomach churns with disgust, and my skull burns with hatred… I can’t live among them no matter how much I love you and Primrose. I would only make life harder on all of you, and I am sure that Spike wouldn’t tolerate my bullshit for very long.”

“That’s not true,” Lens countered, his voice firm. “Even if you did make things harder on us, we don’t care. I don’t care. We’re more than happy to shoulder that burden if it means we get to keep you with us. We can work through it together, Scarlet. We can help you... but only if you stay with us.”

Scarlet’s heart warmed, and she turned to face him again. He was mere inches away from her, now, his eyes boring into hers and pleading desperately. “Please, Scarlet… I lost you once already… I don’t want to lose you again. I want a chance to experience everything I missed with you…”

“Lens…” Scarlet breathed, her heart beating harder against her ribs. She simply stared at him, slack-jawed for several seconds, at a loss for words. “...I… I don’t…”

A scream sliced through the air like a sharpened dagger through an exposed throat.

Scarlet’s blood ran cold, and she was up on her hooves in a moment, spinning to face the source of the noise. Her eyes were drawn to the south and the orchards that resided there. Changeling drones were fleeing from the trees, heading for the cave entrance in a blind panic. Scarlet’s eyes widened. “What’s happening?!”

Lens was standing up a second later. “I don’t know!”

Scarlet took a few steps forward, searching for the source of the changeling’s fear. And then she saw the smoke.

Scarlet’s eyes widened as a column of dark smoke rose up from the other side of the orchard, snaking high into the air like a beacon of death. The illumination from beneath made it clear that a fire had started, and it was spreading fast.

“A fire? But how did it start?!” Scarlet asked in alarm. Already, she was formulating ideas and plans on how to try and halt the spread of the flames. She could use her magic to try and create gusts of wind, or Lens could form a barrier over the fire to hold it back while others went to fetch water from the lake.

Lens shakily adjusted his glasses before pointing. “L-look…”

Scarlet followed his hoof, dreading what she would find. Her pupils shrank when she caught sight of shadowy figures flying through the air over the orchard, the moonlight reflecting off of them to reveal the weapons they were wielding.

“Griffons…” she choked out, her legs going numb beneath her. This wasn’t an accident. That fire was deliberate.

Griffons were invading Sanctuary.

Images of blood-soaked battlefields flashed through her mind. Her ears rang with the screams of ponies falling to their deaths after being hauled into the heavens by griffon soldiers, and she could taste the dirt in her mouth and feel the warm blood against her face. She saw the face of a griffon, barely older than she was, staring back up at her. Blood bubbled free from an open wound in his throat, his beak open in a silent scream.

She pulled herself out of the flashback and focused. “Now is not the time to lose myself!” she thought before surveying the scene again. Her eyes were drawn up above the rest of the invading force, catching sight of a griffon far larger than the others. Flying next to him was a pegasus in a billowing cloak. She could just make out the silhouette of the pony’s head from here, and the ice in her veins was replaced with fire as the realization clicked into place.

“It’s Silent Edge!” she spat, her lips peeling back into an angered grimace. “That son of a bitch…”

“What?!” Lens echoed, soon catching sight of the rogue Nightblade himself. “But how?! Wouldn’t the councils execute him after learning about his crimes?! And where did he get an army of griffons?!”

Scarlet snarled, scuffing the grass with a hoof. “I don’t know. Maybe he made a damn good case in his defense,” she said. “As for the griffons, who cares?! They’re attacking Sanctuary!”

“What do we do?!”

Scarlet watched one of the griffons dive from the sky, swinging his sword through the neck of a fleeing changeling stallion. A spray of gore and viscera splattered across the ground as his head was severed, and his decapitated corpse crumpled with no fanfare. Her stomach churned in horror as she took in the scene.

The changelings… they were all so scared. They were all fleeing for their lives, crying out in panic, or turning back to aid loved ones who had fallen or been attacked. But the blade work of the griffons was precise, and most were cut down without hesitation. Screams filled the air, and over all of them, she could just make out words.

“Please! No! No, no, no, NO!”

“Run! For Flurry’s sake, RUN!”

“Where’s my nymph! Where is he?!”

“Help me! Someone, anyone, please help me!”

“Stop, STOP!”

They were terrified… nothing at all like the monsters she knew.

Her mind returned once more to the first griffon she had killed, and the realization she had felt then flashed through her mind now. “They are no different from me,” Scarlet told herself, her eyes narrowing as fire and rage began to flood her veins, all of it directed at the stallion she knew was behind this senseless slaughter. “And they don’t deserve this…”

“Lens,” she barked, her voice turning firm with resolve. Her eyes never once left the silhouette of Silent Edge. “Get back inside and warn everyone. Find Primrose and keep her safe, do you understand me?”

Lens blinked. “What about you?!” he asked.

Scarlet turned to him. “I’m going to stall them. I can buy you some time to prepare a defense, but you have to run, and you have to run now.”

Lens’ eyes flew wide as saucers. “What?! I can’t just leave you out here, he’ll kill you!”

“We don’t have time to argue, Lens!” Scarlet shot back, placing her hoof on his chest to shove him back. “Get inside and keep Primrose safe! That is an order!”

“No, I’m not abandoning you to die!”

Scarlet snarled, keenly aware of just how close the slaughter was becoming. Without wasting a second, she did the one thing she knew for sure would shut Lens up. She reached out and hooked a foreleg around the back of his neck before dragging him into an abrupt kiss.

Whatever he was going to say next, the words died in his throat. A second later, Scarlet pulled away, staring deep into his eyes. “Please, Lens… just do as I say,” she whispered to him.

“B-but… Scarlet…”

“Before we came here, you asked me when I would be ready to forgive myself…” she went on, placing the tip of her hoof against his lips to silence him. “And the answer is right now. Let this be my atonement…”

Lens mouthed uselessly like a fish for several seconds before offering a stiff nod. “A-alright… but we’re coming to help you as soon as we can.”

Scarlet gave him a tender smile. “I wouldn’t have it any other way…” her smile faded, replaced with the stern frown of a mare ready to go to war. “Now move it, soldier!”

Lens stepped back. He visibly hesitated for a moment before his face hardened. He set his jaw and gave her a salute. “Yes, ma’am!” he stated before turning and sprinting off for the cave as fast as he could.

Scarlet watched him go, inwardly regretting that she didn’t take the chance to memorize his face. “I’m not likely to survive this, anyway…” With a deep breath, she latched onto what little remained of her cloak with her magic and tore it away, leaving just the yoke to hang around her neck. Another flicker of magic pulled out the scraps of blue fabric that had been used to bind her wounds, and with a swift flourish and a stray branch resting in the grass, a tattered, bloody blue banner had been assembled.

Scarlet turned to face the oncoming army of griffons. They were just about done clearing out the orchard already, and what few changelings had managed to slip away had already vanished into the caves. The force was amassing on the ground with the large griffon and Silent at their head.

With a deep, shuddering breath, Scarlet held her banner up high in her magic and slowly began to approach the advancing army.

For a moment, the troops appeared ready to charge her and rip her apart, but the lead griffon lifted a claw, silently commanding them to hold back. Scarlet came to a stop as Silent and the griffon came forward to meet her.

Silent’s voice cut through the darkness of the night. “You came alone,” he said. A simple statement of fact.

Scarlet nodded behind him. “You brought a small army.”

Silent briefly glanced back at the griffons who Scarlet now recognized as the very mercenaries she had spotted back in Newcanter. “So I did…” he mused before glaring up at her rough approximation of a blue banner. “...If you have aught to say, say it now. I am not here to negotiate with a known terrorist.”

Scarlet grimaced, her eyes falling to the lead griffon. “Aren’t you going to introduce me to your new friend, first?”

“Garius, former soldier under the mad king of Talonreach, now the captain of the sorry lot you see behind me,” the griffon answered without hesitation. “And you are?”

Scarlet held her head high. “Scarlet Frost, former Sergeant of the New Equestrian military. And now, as Silent so eloquently put it, a wanted fugitive accused of terrorism and treason.”

“You’re a veteran, too, are ya?” Garius asked with a raised eyebrow. “Huh. Wonder if we ever fought on the same battlefield.”

“That is far from the point,” Scarlet dismissed with a shake of her head. “And not at all why I am speaking to you now.”

“Then get to the point, Frost,” Silent shot back, a visible twitch in his eye. “You have caused me enough trouble, and I am only allowing you to speak now out of respect for whatever is left of our friendship.”

Scarlet met Silent’s gaze for a second before turning back to Garius. “Garius, what did Silent Edge tell you about this valley?”

“Frankly, that’s none of yer damn business,” Garius rebuked gruffly. “We were hired to help him, we’re helping him, and then we’re getting paid back in Newcanter. The details of our contract have nothing to do with you.”

“I can assure you,” Scarlet went on, undeterred. “Whatever he has told you, it is far from the whole truth. The changelings of this valley are of no threat to you or anypony else. I implore you, Garius, please, order your men to withdraw and abandon this bloody course. I would rather avoid recreating a battle from that damned war if I can help it.”

“That so? And why’s that?”

“Because I don’t want to see innocent creatures die,” Scarlet explained. “Ponies, griffons, changelings, it doesn’t matter. I know not what course of events led you to pick up the life of sellswords, and it isn’t my business. But as one war veteran to another, I beseech you… just walk away. Whatever Silent is paying you is not worth the terrible genocide you and yours are about to commit.”

Garius raised an eyebrow at her before letting out a low, low chuckle. “Ha. Miss, I hate to break it to ya, but even if I had reason to believe you, I wouldn’t turn my back on my word once it’s been given. My lads and I are here for the coin we were promised, not for some just, righteous cause. It’s nice that you seemingly have those ideals, and I applaud that, but I can tell you now your words are falling on deaf ears, lass.”

Scarlet withered as her hopes of preventing an all-out battle were scattered to the winds. “...And nothing can dissuade you from this course?”

“Not unless you can pay us better then he is,” Garius replied, jerking his head towards Silent. “And his pay is on top of what the council is givin’ us.”

Scarlet sighed and shook her head. “I see… a shame.”

Silent took a step forward. “A noble effort, Scarlet, but ultimately pointless,” he mocked. “You can’t stop me. This is happening, and no matter how hard you try, there is not a chance in hell you can hope to defeat us.”

Scarlet lifted her gaze to meet his. “...Whoever said I was trying to stop all of you?”

Silent raised an eyebrow. “What?”

Scarlet cast aside the blue banner and pointed a hoof at Silent Edge. “I am here to stop you, Silent, and only you. I, Scarlet Frost, challenge you, Silent Edge!”

Silent snorted in amused disbelief. “You are challenging me, Scarlet? Did you forget the small army I brought with me? Why would I bother humoring such a ridiculous request?”

Scarlet lowered her hoof. “Because you are a proud hunter, Silent Edge,” she said slowly. “And I am your prey. I have slipped away from you time and time again, and you cannot let that insult to your pride go unpunished, and you would never allow someone else to steal that from you. My death shall be brought about by your blade or none at all.”

Silent’s eyes widened in surprise for a moment. He didn’t say anything for several seconds, making Scarlet fear he was about to deny her reasoning.

He then got a soft, almost friendly smile on his face. “...You know me too well, Frost,” he acknowledged before turning back to Garius. “Take your men and head inside. Kill anything that gets in your way and bring down that dragon. If you find any children or another pony, capture them for interrogation. I shall be along shortly.”

Garius eyed Silent from the side for a few seconds before shrugging and giving off an annoyed grunt. “Bah. Should have asked for more money,” he grumbled before gesturing for his comrades to follow him. The griffons took to the air, flying past Silent and Scarlet. An intense wind kicked up as dozens of pairs of wings flowed through the air, making Scarlet’s mane billow back in the wind. From where she stood, it almost looked like the griffons were coming out of Silent, as if he were some sort of eldritch portal to the darkest days of her life.

Then the griffons passed, and silence fell over the two of them. A gentle breeze washed by, making the grass sway lazily. The distant rumbling of the fire was the only other sound that could be heard, an ominous, rumbling choir urging the two warriors on.

Silent spoke up, his voice lowered considerably. “You are a truly fascinating mare, Scarlet Frost. I cannot decide if I see you as incredibly brave, or mind-numbingly stupid.”

Scarlet gave a short, humorless chuckle at that remark. She shook her head slowly. “Mayhaps I am both.”

Silent hummed. He shrugged his shoulders. “Maybe you are, Scarlet. Maybe you are…” He turned his eyes back to Scarlet’s, and for the first time in a long while, she saw the face of her old friend and brother-in-arms looking back at her.

“...Such a pity it has come to this,” he eventually said.

Scarlet felt a small pang of sorrow in her chest at that. Her ears lowered. “...It doesn’t have to end this way,” she said, some small part of her hoping that she could get through to him. “You can walk away from all of this. Put it behind you, start again with a clean slate. It’s not too late, Silent. Please… just walk away.”

Silent slowly began to trot forwards, closing some of the distance between them. “...No. No, it is too late. It’s been too late ever since you delivered your sabotaging testimony,” he snarled, his words growing thick with venom once again.

Scarlet backed up to maintain the distance between them. “You cannot blame me for your own decisions, Silent Edge,” she replied, ready to conjure her swords at a moment’s notice. “I am not the one who forsook your vows, nor am I the one who murdered innocent ponies. I did nothing more or less than bring the truth to light.”

Silent’s lips peeled back, revealing his tightly clenched teeth. “Don’t give me that!” he snapped, his wings flaring out aggressively, causing his cloak to billow out behind him like the wings of an enraged black dragon. “My entire life was devoted to the Lunar Council, to the Nightblades! Ever since I was plucked from the streets and given a purpose by my father, I have devoted the entirety of my heart and soul, my very being, to that one purpose! And just when I finally had what was promised to me within my grasp, your poorly-timed ‘truth’ ripped it all away! Everything I worked for over my entire life is gone, Scarlet! My rank, my comrades, my dream, my home! And I have nopony to blame but you and that rotten demon of a filly!”

Scarlet narrowed her eyes, her horn lighting up with magic. “...You will not touch her. Not while I still draw breath.”

Silent came to a stop, his expression blanking. He lowered his head and gave off a long, quiet sigh. “...Then I suppose I need to fix that, don’t I?” he asked, reaching a hoof up to undo the clasp of his cloak. The garment was immediately blown away by the wind, carried off into the night, and leaving Silent bare for the first time since he had arrived at Scarlet’s door.

His wings slowly unfurled, and the blades tucked between his feathers slid into view with a spine-chilling scrape. “You cannot defeat me, Scarlet. I have nothing to hold me back, now, and I will not fall victim to your wrath as I did before. You will die tonight, by my blade.”

Scarlet looked down for a moment, taking a deep breath. This was it… either she cut him down here and claimed vengeance for all of the innocents he had slaughtered, or she died protecting the things she loved. No matter the case, when all was said and done, she knew she could rest with a smile, knowing she had atoned for her mistakes, that she had done all she could do.

“...Perhaps you are right,” she conceded after a moment, lifting her eyes to meet Silent’s one more time. “Perhaps I can’t stop you. But it doesn’t matter. Even if I should die here, what waits for you in that cave will rip you to pieces.”

Silent smirked confidently. “Do you mean the dragon?” he asked. “If so, then lucky me, I’m not here to deal with him. Once I am through with you four, my business here will be concluded.”

Scarlet’s horn lit up, and with twin flashes of light, her swords appeared in the air at her sides. She met Silent’s gaze for several long seconds, searching for any sign of the stallion she once knew.

There was nothing. Her heart withered in her breast when all she found behind those fiery orange eyes was madness and murderous intent. She stared at him for several seconds before dipping her head in a solemn, respectful bow. “If there is anything left of the stallion I once called my friend in you… then I bid you good luck.”

Silent hesitated, his expression softening. For a brief instant, a mere fraction of a second, there was genuine reluctance in his eyes. He then mirrored the bow, his wings folding back. “To you as well… old friend.”

Nothing moved. It was as if the entire world was holding its breath in anticipation of the inevitable clash. The light of the moon slowly began to fade away as the dark storm clouds that Scarlet had seen earlier finally rolled in, smothering the heavens and bathing the world in shadows.

Lightning flashed across the sky, followed instantly by a near-deafening boom of thunder.

Scarlet and Silent sprang into motion. With a flap of his wings, Silent lifted into the air and sped over the grass for Scarlet, his hooves outstretched and his eyes burning with determination. Scarlet lifted her swords in front of her as she charged, a guttural battle cry tearing past her lips.

In those last moments, before their blades met, Scarlet thought back on everything that had happened up to this point, reminding herself of who she was fighting for and why. In her mind’s eye, she saw a skinny, frail, frightened earth pony filly, covered in wine and mud, looking back at her from the corner of her wine cellar.

“For her,” she thought before jumping forward to meet Silent head-on.

“For Primrose.”

Author's Note:

And so the final battle begins.

Comments

[The Voice in the Water]

Darkness and fire shall clash on the mountain. And when all is said and done, only one will leave.

Everything's been building to this final showdown. I'm giddy with anticipation.

[JMP]

These changelings really didn't deserve this. I'm not counting on Scarlet surviving this, to be honest.

[vren55]

[Quiznak]

"It's the final countdown!"

Oh hey, let's listen to that as the final battle ensues...

[Mocha Star]

This chapter is Like my manhood; a bit short but quite pleasing and leaving them wanting more when it's over!

[Skijarama]

10123801
I think we all could have gone without that particular tidbit of info, but, uh, glad you're enjoying it.

[Mocha Star]

10123842

Spoiler:

Silent: "Bring it."

Scarlet: (Loads magical artillery charges in wide spread, minimum yield)

Silent: "Parlay?"

Scarlet: "Say hi to the birdie and don't blink during the flash."

Fin

[harts fire]

the question now is will Scarlet die from her wounds?
we know Silent is going down.

[tom117z]

There would be a storm later.

Ah, good ol' symbolism.

A chance to meet with your idol among the Five, Twilight Sparkle.

Twilight emerges.

Scarlet: "Goddess, please share with you you wis-"

Twilight: "Wah! Pancake!"

Scarlet: "Wha?"

Twilight: "Awake! Yes, awake! I'm awake and it's oh Celestia how long has it been I couldn't have been tardier and there's so much to catch up on and books to read and oh gosh my report is centuries overdue and everything is horrible! Agh!"

Scarlet: "I... do not know how to feel about this."