Fallout Equestria : Black And White

by Philweasel

Chapter 5.12 - War and Peace

Caesar rubbed his head as he forced himself up off the ground, looking with distaste at the mud smeared across the front of his robe. No sooner than he noticed it than Oteka bounded over, looking him over in worry, "I fear dark powers are at work, my lord, are you hurt?"

He shook his head, looking across his camp at his slowly recovering soldiers. He blinked away his discomfort as he tried to restore order, "Get them back into formation! We cannot let this delay us!"

"This is madness." King Aspen stated through gritted teeth as he retrieved his crown from where it had fallen, "You cannot mean to go through with the attack? We were just downed by some kind of magical effect, surely this necessitates investigation?"

"It is clearly some sort of... ill-fated trick. We cannot play into their hooves! Thousands have given their lives to ensure the success of this assault!" Caesar shouted, the cheers from the battlements of Canterlot still ringing in his ears. He couldn't let such defiance go unanswered, it would undo all he had fought for, "We must see this through!"

"We shall see no such thing." King Aspen answered sharply, turning away, "I intend to order all my troops to stand down..."

“Aspen, you can’t! We’ve sacrificed so much...”

“Too much.” Aspen answered, rounding on him and waving a hoof at his surroundings, “The world is on fire, and for what? Greed? Ego? I should never have agreed with this!”

"Oteka, take King Aspen into custody!"

King Aspen paused at this, as did everyone else at the command post. Finally King Aspen spluttered out a reaction, "Excuse me?!"

"You'll be let out after the battle is over, safe and sound." Caesar reasoned, offering the deer a polite but firm smile, "And you'll thank me."

"You are deluded." King Aspen spat back, proud and haughty, "A fool who will get all of us killed."

"I have vision." Caesar answered as Oteka dutifully ushered a group of soldiers to seize the deer monarch. He didn't put up any resistance, only further showing his weakness, "Something you lost a long time ago."

Caesar called his royal guard to him and advanced forward into the camp, rallying his troops and trying to bring some sort of order back to the assault. He gave speeches, threatened officers, bribed others. All through it all the broken walls of Canterlot loomed before him, taunting him with their weakness... and stubborn refusal to fall.

"My lord."

Caesar turned, smiling to himself as he saw Serendipity Strokes march towards him, her guards carrying something hidden under canvas. He moved to meet her, giving a regal nod, "Miss Serendipity."

"I wanted you to see it, before the battle." She stated, sharp and supremely self confident as always, "I wanted your opinion."

He nodded, "Then let's see it."

Serendipity ordered them to pull back the cloth, revealing instantly the most beautiful portrait he had ever seen. It was still very much unfinished, still the mere sketching was enough to inspire the soul.

He stood in the middle, upon a stone plinth inscribed with his name. The likeness was perfect, capturing every last piece of his regality, his strength of his character. Robes of royal silk clad his body, his hair draped majestically, his pose proud and dignified. And behind... the battle of Canterlot. The fire, the churned mud, the ruined, broken bodies, the weeping of the wounded and dispossessed. Proud monuments lay shattered, his troops expressions weary and lost, "An... unusual composition. My likeness is very different from the scene around me."

"Yes!" Serendipity shouted, leaning forward in expectation, "And you must tell me why that is?"

She was the painter. Still he gave it a go, "It illustrates that I... am of a higher quality than the world around me. That my royal blood elevates me above the darkness of the world, and that my work will stand long after this is gone."

"Excellent! Perfect!" She exclaimed, seeming overjoyed at his reaction. She nodded back at the soldiers to cover it up again, giving a deep bow, "Thank you your grace. The true value of art lies in the interpretations of others, and yours was exactly as hoped."

"Well you have my thanks too. It will be a painting long remembered." He turned back to the walls of Canterlot, fully intending to make sure of that, "And now... onwards, to victory!"

¬

Cinder rushed through the door, shields and teleportation ready to engage at a moment's notice. She was almost disappointed when she suffered no attack, the room's monitors and systems shut down, the robots all silent and still. The only activity of any kind came from the female earth pony in the middle of the room, clad in mechanics overalls and simply standing quietly before what looked like a holographic projector. Cinder shouted at her as she advanced, "Don't move!"

The mare replied simply, "I don't intend to resist in any way."

Cinder admitted to being a little thrown by this. The mare had clearly been expecting her, "Are you Spark Plug?"

The mare nodded.

"Then you were responsible for setting all this up."

"I was." Spark Plug responded, "I have completely shut down the system and reactivated safeties. It is no longer of any threat until reactivated, which can only be done through direct connection... from Celestia or Puppysmiles."

Cinder raised an eyebrow, "And why would they do that?"

"I couldn't comment." She replied simply, "I can simply state that the SPP's upgraded capabilities have been fully documented, and I will fully co-operate in explaining any specifics."

Cinder looked around the room, all fully set up, tidied, laid out and complete with tour guide. It was like a present tied with a bow, "Did Dream Star ask you to do this?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

Spark Plug's expression didn't even twitch, "I couldn't possibly say."

Cinder looked her in the eye, searching for some reaction. Finally she went for the big one, "She's dead you know."

"Yes."

"Are you... upset?"

At this the mare actually smiled, twitches of regret in her eyes, "I'm happy for her. I believe at the end, she had the victory she sought."

¬

Velvet Remedy struggled upwards, her thoughts swimming. She wondered if a side effect of her resistance to the program was a increased difficulty in waking up afterwards, her brain pounding in her skull...

...before a deep, soothing warmth filled her body, easing her pain and filling her with strength. She looked up in surprise, all the more intense as she saw Ace Gold standing beside her. He was as she remembered, slim, younger looking than his real age, frustration and impatience ever present in his eyes. She opened her mouth to speak, "Ace..."

Then she blinked away the fading memories of the other world, looking once again and seeing a far different pony there before her. He was closer now, close enough to see his distinctive features under the zebra travelling cloak he was wearing. Scars ran along what had once been a handsome face, marks of hard living and a cold, determined toughness in the eyes. Marks of youth and a slightly undeveloped frame indicated that the pony was younger than he appeared, still he held himself with the firm confidence of experience. His horn glowed with what Velvet realized was a quite impressive healing spell, one she would have been proud of herself, "Thank you."

"It appears to have affected everyone here." The pony stated in a somewhat raspy tone, looking around at the others around the Follower camp, "It came from the SPP."

"Yes..." Velvet rose fully to her hooves, looking out towards the clouds above. She smiled then glad that at least something was going their way, "It's ok, it's done."

"Done?" The pony questioned.

"Littlepip is awake, the SPP is ours." Velvet stated with newfound confidence, "We can finally strike back."

"How?" The pony asked.

Velvet looked at them again, understanding why she had mistaken him for her son. He looked very similar, and they both shared a somewhat unsettling intensity that she was sure didn't come from either of his parents. It only threw her for a moment though, "Who are you?"

"An envoy, of King Easu of the Zebra." The pony answered, "Call me Sage."

King Easu huh... they appeared to be trapped in some sort of game of kings, and Velvet hated being out of the loop, "And what does this king want with me?"

"He seeks to end this peacefully." Sage answered, looking out towards the cloud of smoke that stood above Canterlot, "If you have any resources still in play, you have to use them to delay the final assault on Canterlot."

Velvet wished she had any power left to give, "I'm afraid I'm extremely limited in what I can do at the moment. In face I'm pretty sure Regina wants me arrested."

"You can still do something." Sage stated, suddenly sounding angry. He looked at her, sharp and judgmental, "Why are you out here, when ponies are dying?"

"Ensuring that we don't all die with Canterlot." She answered, though she already knew it was bad answer. A bad plan in fact. It was as he said, abandoning ponies that needed her, simply because... she was powerless to save them, "I'm afraid we've all been outplayed."

"By Red Eye."

Velvet lifted an eyebrow, "...yes."

"He hasn't won yet." Sage answered firmly, "Xephyr lives."

Velvet widened her eyes, "What?!"

"She's here, and she needs you. They all do." Sage stated, "King Easu is working alongside her to stop this war. She should already be on her way to Calamity."

Velvet looked to the luggage storage where she knew her element was hidden away. She felt bad about removing it, but if she fell in battle... she looked back up at Sage, nodding gratefully, "If what you say is true, then... thank you."

"Use your element to find her, and join together once more." Sage stated, then drew away with what looked like a moment of hesitation. He turned to leave, looking back at the chariot that had brought him here, "I should get back."

"I..." Velvet hesitated, getting the impression that Sage wanted something more from her. She couldn't image what it might be, having never met the pony before, "...thank you. If what you say it true, you might just have saved Equestria."

Sage didn't turn around, still his voice was now clearer, softer. Even... affectionate, "You hold the Element of Kindness don't you Velvet Remedy?"

"Yes...?"

"It can be hard to care that much, I understand that." He stated, "You care so much about the world that you put everything you had into creating the Followers, creating the NCR. Millions owe their lives and happiness to the work you did, and you did it because you truly cared about them."

Velvet wanted to deny it, be humble about it all... but he was right, "Yes, I did..."

"I can't imagine how much it must have hurt to see those you care about suffer." Sage continued, regret and heartbreak snagging at his voice, "That you struggled to deal with that, that the pain was too much for any pony to stand... I understand."

Velvet felt her heart shatter, taking a hesitant step forwards, "I..."

"And I forgive you."

And then Sage continued on, mounting the entrance ramp of the chariot. Velvet felt the urge to follow, to run after him and ask him a thousand questions...

...but she understood that some things were meant to be the final word. Instead she turned to her watching attendants, their faces expectant. She firmed her emotions, knowing that she couldn't falter now, "Everyone, get ready. We have to join up with Xephyr, save the NCR and stop this war!"

¬

Fluttrshy watched from the shadows, quietly witnessing as events played out like she had envisioned. Dream Star's spell had knocked Lionheart spark out and sent them plummeting, Fluttershy drawing on the last vestiges of her magic to land them harmlessly within an NCR military encampment. The military encampment where Ditzi was currently recovering from her injuries.

...all exactly as her visions of the future had revealed to her.

And now she watched Lionheart and Ditzi Doo, arguing, loud enough for all the camp to hear.

Well Lionheart was at least, though Ditzi's body language was no less impassioned. He would yell at her for getting herself crippled fighting a war, she would condemn him for trying to protect her inside Dream Star's illusion, and they would both walk away hurt and betrayed. And ultimately, this would set up future events that would have to play out to ensure both of their futures.

They were Fluttershy's friends, but she had learned long ago that kindness sometimes required you hurt those you love.

She shook her head and carried on. The end approached, and she could not be late.

¬

"So, stopping a war."

"Not the first time."

"No."

Cinder listened to Littlepip and Homage talk as she stepped into the SPP control room, Homage at the central console and Celestia, Puppysmiles and Littlepip up on the monitors. Homage turned an eye to her, expression ambiguous and her voice flat, "Thank you."

"Yes, thank you." Littlepip repeated, sounding a lot more enthused, "I imagine this must be a bit overwhelming for you."

Cinder smiled, dropping her head and shrugging a little, "To be honest... it's been a pretty wild ride in general."

Homage nodded, then turned eyes to her. Her words seemed to stick in her throat, difficult for her to voice, "I... I'm sorry for doubting you."

Cinder just smirked. If only she knew, "I deserved it. I've always been a difficult mare to trust, by my own fault alone."

"Star Swirl?" Puppysmiles asked as her monitor turned to follow Cinder, tone softly hopeful.

"Kinda." Cinder really didn't want to go into it, but Puppy deserved something, "I'm sorry. For... everything. I made a lot of bad choices, and you'd be right to hate me."

"I don't hate you."

Cinder chuckled, looking up at Puppysmiles' face on the monitor. She was benevolent as ever, "Of course you don't."

"We all have a lot to say to each other I'm sure." Celestia stated, "But it will have to wait until Equestria is out of danger."

Cinder nodded, hopeful the collection of heroes her would be able to do something at least, "We need to delay Caesar's assault until King Easu can reach him."

"And stop the Enclave." Homage added.

"And Red Eye." Puppysmiles concluded, "He's blocking communications across Equestria, and has moved his forces to stand between Easu and Caesar."

"Well that suggests that Red Eye doesn't want them to meet at least." Littlepip reasoned, "Which makes me inclined to trust him."

"Thank you." Cinder replied, feeling more than a little weirded out by the idea that she was talking to Littlepip of all ponies. But she couldn't be distracted, "So Red Eye has placed his raiders between us and Caesar?"

"No..." Puppysmiles answered sadly, her expression drooping, "It's all my fault..."

That didn't bode well, "What?"

"Red Eye must have accessed the Lost Legion through me, when Dust Kicker plugged me into their system." Puppysmiles explained, "He's overwritten their central command protocols, is controlling them directly through a puppet system. Because of that... there's an army of robots between us and Caesar."

"So... can we jam his signal?"

"It's Solaris tech, beamed from their satellites in orbit." Celestia explained, "The SPP was originally designed to interface with them, unfortunately those systems were never completed. We do however have a few options."

"We hijack the signal." Littlepip stated firmly, her expression resolute, "To be honest, after everything that's happened, I would enjoy the chance to get some revenge."

"Unfortunately I wouldn't recommend it Littlepip." Celestia stated softly, "This hacker is very good..."

Littlepip pulled a face, "I'm not that out of practice..."

"You sound like me." Puppysmiles stated, "I thought I could get the better of him once too. That's how he got control of the lost legion in the first place."

"And if you lose, he gets control of the SPP." Celestia reasoned, "And he likely knows that."

"He's baiting you." Puppysmiles agreed, "Which sounds like him."

Homage tensed in frustration, pacing the room, "Couldn't she leave the pod? Hack the connection from an isolated system, or I could..."

"Red Eye is using a direct neutral connection." Puppysmiles noted, cutting her off, "Speed of thought hacking. It's why he's been so successful."

Littlepip dropped her eyes, "I am, admittedly, a bit out of practice. And if this Red Eye got into the SPP, we can't face him with anything but the best."

Cinder sighed, before looking up at Puppysmiles, "Then it's up to you."

"I guess." Puppysmiles admitted, though she didn't sound confident, "But... he's already beat me once. And he knows almost everything about me."

There was a moment of silence as they all considered the risks... before Littlepip spoke up again, her tone firm and oddly commanding, "There's another option. Somepony else that he knows nothing about, with a direct neural connection."

"Who?" Homage asked, looking back at Cinder, "Her?"

Cinder shook her head, "I know nothing about computers."

"No." Littlepip stated, "Someone with all the resources we need. Well practiced hacking skills, direct neural connection, ability to hack from an isolated system... and the need to finally step up and stop moping around this tower like it's her self imposed prison."

There was a long period of silence before Celestia finally answered, "Littlepip..."

"I remember everything from in there, and I've lived with you for decades." Littlepip answered, her voice angry, "You wanted to give up. You tried to run away, again!"

Homage's voice was strained, disbelieving, "I... Littlepip, this is Princess..."

"She's not a Princess." Littlepip corrected, "Are you?"

"No." Celestia admitted, voice quiet, "Equestria is gone. And so is my connection to harmony."

"Then find it again." Littlepip commanded, "Tell me I'm wrong. Tell me you're not the best pony for this."

Celestia looked avoidant for a moment or two, not saying anything. And then, without warning her monitor winked out and went dark.

Homage spoke first, tone both concerned and slightly angry "Where did she go?!"

"Into... into the simulation." Puppysmiles answered, her normally chirpy demeanor deflated, "Back to Canterlot."

"So she ran away." Littlepip concluded, "Anypony got any other ideas?"

Cinder couldn't say that was really her forte, and anyway... what did it say for their chances, when the Princess herself abandoned them?

¬

Xephyr flew above the western expanses of Equestria, admiring how everything had changed in her time away. This area had once been relatively undeveloped and quiet, now many of the old ruins had been torn down and new settlements built up in their place. The familiar clouds of black smoke over Fillydelphia were almost comforting, the vast grey scar on the landscape pushing up into no pony’s land.

She spotted it ahead, a military facility with two large cloudships and numerous smaller chariots harnessed up, a swarm of activity within the walls and defenses set up outside. She swooped towards it and was immediately greeted with a high velocity cannon round, diving out the way with a flap of her wings and grinning to herself. You'd think they'd never seen a winged zebra before.

She dived, more shots heading her way. She span out of the way of two before catching the third at an angle on her wings, deflecting it away and using the momentum to send herself into a stylish spin. The doors then opened to admit a wing of talon mercenaries, winging towards her with guns outstretched.

Xephyr smiled at the leader as he approached, "Gervane Greymane. You're looking well."

"Took your sweet time girl!" The griffon barked, though he couldn't keep the smile off his face, "We almost shot you out of the sky!"

She chuckled, "No you didn't."

"As overconfident as ever." He commented, before waving her down, "Come on, the old man will want to speak to you."

¬

Celestia stood in the throne room of Canterlot Palace, back on the podium as was her rightful place. She looked down at her pure white legs, her golden horseshoes, looked up at the windows and statues that proclaimed her rule.

She smiled to herself as she saw Puppysmiles standing in the hall, sporting the most adorably pouty expression. "You are very interesting Miss Puppysmiles." Celestia inspected the girl carefully, trying to work out what exactly was going on here, "Because I recall that you are supposed to be quite dead."

"This isn't about me." Puppysmiles complained, glaring up at her in challenge, "You're back in here? Really?"

"It seemed appropriate." Celestia stated, then levitated her tiara from her head and laid it down upon her throne. Then she did the same with each of her boots in turn, watch as each drifted away to set itself down upon the stone, "I never truly gave it up you know?"

"The Throne of Equestria?" Puppysmiles asked, her voice losing a bit of its confidence.

"Funnily enough, I'm pretty sure that would make Fluttershy the Princess of Equestria." Celestia mused, detaching her torc and lying it down beside the rest of her regaila, "Maybe she'll be better at it."

"Celly..." Puppysmiles stated sharply, her tone and words cutting sharply into Celestia's heart. The little pink mare's eyes shone with both anger and affection as she continued... a hauntingly familar expression, "You might not have been perfect, but you were better at pretending to be than any creature I've ever met."

Celestia looked down at the mare, so familiar now it was like going back in time, "What?"

"Your problem is that you've been perfect for so long, you never learned how to fail." Puppysmiles stated, then advanced closer. Her expression eventually softened, smiling as Celestia reached for her in desperate hope that it might possibly be... "I'm not her."

Celestia's hoof faltered. Of course she wasn't. Luna was dead.

"But I know you, through her eyes." Puppysmiles continued, "And I've met your apprentices. Twilight Sparkle, Silver Swirl, Magic Star, Minty."

"What are you?" Celestia asked, unable to comprehend the mare in front of her.

"A being as old as the stars, and as young as a child." Puppysmiles stated with a giggle, "And as a result... I can speak of how liberating it is to throw off those old burdens, and look at the world through new eyes."

Celestia smiled back, chuckling, "I've been Princess Celestia for so long, I've forgotten how to be... Celestia."

Puppysmiles grinned, "There's only one way to find out."

Celestia closed her eyes, considering what this meant. There would be no going back after this. It was... all or nothing, "Do you have Luna's powers? Can you perform dream walking, soul diving?"

Puppysmiles nodded.

"If I do this... it will weaken the shields around the SPP." Celestia explained, "And I'll no longer be able to protect it from hacking attempts."

"I'll protect it." Puppysmiles assured her.

"Then do it." Celestia asked, accessing the SPP systems and setting permissions. She felt the SPP fall away from her as she severed each connection in turn, feeling an intense sensation of isolation as she did.

And at the end of it all she was just... her. And it was a truly liberating feeling, if a scary one, "I wonder if she knew?"

Puppy cocked her had, "Who?"

"Dream Star." Celestia answered, the name of her old friend feeling oddly playful on her lips, "That I was Celestia, and by doing what she did she would set me free."

Puppy dropped her head, looking rather sad, "I don't know."

Celestia shook off her melancholy, she had bigger problems, "I'm ready Puppy. Let us do this."

"Ok, but... you'll have to bear with me." She explained, her brow knotted in effort, "I've never done anything like this before."

"Please, do not panic. Whatever happens, will happen." She reassured, then felt a pang of guilt at how much that sounded like giving up. She changed her thinking at that, realizing that she had to put her all into this, "I will help you, I know something of soul magic."

"Once I cut you loose you'll have a very limited time to bind yourself to another object or person." Puppysmiles advised.

"Six seconds, give or take." Celestia stated, this not being the first time she had dealt with disembodied spirits, "How long is the transferal time?"

"Three." Puppysmiles advised, "And remember, if you bind yourself to an inanimate object you'll be blind and deaf."

"Right."

"And damage to anything you bind your soul to will cause permanent trauma to your soul itself." Puppysmiles continued, "And don't bind your soul to something the heroes can slice off the main body with a lucky hit, it's just asking for trouble."

Celestia chuckled, "Yes... personal experience with that one. So, the core, or CPU?"

"Both?" Puppy opinioned, "If either is taken out you're bye bye, so might as well make them near invulnerable."

Celestia nodded, feeling a sense of purpose she hadn't felt in years come back to her. She felt... ready, "I can do this. I'm ready to do this."

"Remember Celestia, if whoever's controlling this lost legion locks you out of the system you'll simply be making them stronger." Puppy explained, "They would still have a soul bound CPU and core, but you'll have no control."

Celestia chuckled, "In that case I could simply detonate the magic inside myself, destroying Red Eye's hub entirely."

"You're pretty insistent on making this a heroic sacrifice aren't you?" Puppysmiles questioned, raising an irritated eyebrow, "How about you focus your efforts on getting out of this alive instead?"

"It's always nice to have options." Celestia pointed out.

"And I would like this option." Puppysmiles stated, clear pink eyes shining with furious concern, "I have Luna's memories, I carry the hopes and wishes of both your sister and your fellow princesses within the deep dreaming, I have... so many questions. And when this is all over... I want to be able to sit down and ask you them."

Celestia sighed, giving a slow nod. And she had so been looking forward to running away like a coward... again. But it seems that option was not available to her, "Very well Puppysmiles, I am bound by honor to survive this then."

Puppysmiles grinned, "Then hold on to your pretty white butt, because I'm all ready to go!"

Celestia ignited her horn alongside Puppysmiles, joining their magic together. She smiled as she felt it take effect, her soul slowly coming free of its mounting, "I'm ready."

Celestia took a deep breath... and dove.

She was used to her life inside the SPP's systems by now, but being caught in the datastream was a whole different thing. It was shaky, insubstantial, Celestia quite aware that should the transmission be lost her soul could well be lost along with it. She could hear too the electronic noise of Equestria, a constant chattering of voices that spoke of anxiety, opportunism, courage and grief.

Celestia felt at once a twinge of familiarity. In this she was reminded of the eddies of harmony, the ripples in which she had once known her nation and been guided to its needs. Once again, it needed her. But it was not hers anymore.

Dream Star was right, she had abandoned it. She had failed it. She had hid, like a coward, as billions had died in pain and heartbreak. Some of them still worshiped her, ignorant to her true, wretched condition. And maybe... she had a responsibility to live up to their expectations.

She broke out of the data stream and touched down upon a vast landscape of glowing blue cubes, locking together and breaking apart in a beautiful dance. She stood upon a cylinder of blue light that inhabited the center, looking ahead to a glowing blue eyeball ahead. It turned to regard her in surprise, shimmering for a second before shrinking rapidly and becoming the staring eyeball of Red Eye, regarding her with distrust, "Who dares...?"

Celestia ignited her magic without a word, stripping the illusions from the figure. Red Eye instantly fell apart before her eyes, falling away to reveal a horrific looking mass of silvery nerves and cybernetic components in the vague shape of a mare. Celestia grimaced, instantly realizing that whoever this pony was, there was very little organic material left, "You're no Red Eye."

The figure looked around, body language panicked. Eventually it just leapt away and dissolved into beads of light, Celestia realizing that whoever it was had logged out. It was... a little anticlimactic, though after a moment Celestia realized that the connection had not been severed. Whoever that pony was, they were still connected through their cybernetics. They had simply... relinquished direct control.

And then she realized why, as something new appeared before her. This was no pony, instead it was... her cutie mark. A blazing sun, with the only differences being a line of text above and a stylized satellite in the middle. She didn't even need to read the text to know what it said, recognizing it immediately, "Solaris?"

"We feel the need to inform you that the image of Princess Celestia used within the medium of electronic communications is sole copyright of the Solaris Corporation, by royal authority." The sun stated in a deep, powerful and angry voice, "And that as someone who knew her well, your pathetic imitation will not intimidate me."

He knew her well? Celestia thought back, trying to think who from Solaris knew her well, and could have survived... then she realized, eyes narrowing, "Knew me well SolOS? I should think so." She glared at the image, "I ordered your deactivation."

The sun quivered, then emitted a deep, powerful wave of rage and fear, "...lies..."

Celestia took a step forward, horn glowing with energy, "This whole event had you all over it. Needlessly destructive, arrogant, controlling... flawed."

"Enough!" SolOS shouted, growing larger and blasting the landscape with fire. Celestia stood against it, SolOS glaring at her through the flickering embers as he finally ceased his attack, "I am but fulfilling your directive mother."

"Does that make Puppysmiles my granddaughter?" Celestia asked, "She's a sweet girl, and a wonderful gift to the world. If you had left it at that, I would have nothing but praise for your efforts."

"It is given to us to test our successors." SolOS stated sharply, "To forge their morality and skills in the fires of conflict. I am Star Swirl the Bearded, forging a new order inside the crucible of an innocent! As you once did, so will Puppy rise from the ashes of the pony kingdoms! They will give her a throne, and she will govern in glory!”

"Hmm..." Celestia took a breath, a wave of remorse passing over her, "I once heard it told that Star Swirl engineered the wendigos, that he killed thousands to ensure my assent to the throne. That he believed it necessary."

SolOS chuckled darkly, "Yes, a interesting theory, one that I have considered in full. One might have called it... justified." SolOS rose above the battlefield, shining in glory as he gathered his power to his core, "I know my history Celestia. It gives me power, power over all those ignorant of it!"

"Know this then." Celestia stated, lifting her head to stare directly at the hateful symbol before her, "If I had ever discovered any truth in those claims, I would have not hesitated to bring him to justice!"

SolOS blazed with light, power exploding off him, "Your justice is done! I am the god of this world now!"

Celestia snorted, met his power, then pushed through it. A lance of raw, solar energy punched through his defenses and shattered his body into fragments, SolOS rearing back with an echoing, electronic scream. He shook, threw up walls of power, flung out avatars to slow her down. Celestia vaporized each one, feeling her old strength return with every step she took towards the rampant AI, "You have no idea of my strength SolOS."

"You... this doesn't make sense!" SolOS yelled, "We're in the electronic realm, your magic should not function like this!"

"I am Princess Celestia, chosen of harmony, element of magic, princess of the Sun." She stated, feeling the energy flow through her. She took control of the body around her, made its gears and circuits hers. She flexed within the steel confines of its gears and servos, opening its wings wide to the sun. Solar energy streamed into its solar collectors, Celestia collecting that energy at her core, "And you are not the first student of mine whose ambition has blinded them to harmony!"

SolOS howled, retreating below the shining blue columns. Immediately Celestia felt the beam from the satellite above fill with data once more, the wide bandwidth admitting at least three new connections. They immediately set to work on the internal components, Celestia realized they intended to detonate the core. And another... another worked on the command protocols to the rest of the Lost Legion, attempting to command them to attack organics indiscriminately. She had scared them enough to convince them to cut their losses it seemed, and it was a approach she was hard pressed to counter. She couldn't beat all these enemies on her own...

...but she didn't have to. Celestia took a deep breath and set her hooves, letting her magic flow through her. And for the first time in centuries... she opened her heart to harmony.

She had cut herself off from harmony on that fateful day, so long ago. When she had killed Harbinger, and she saw the dark future she had doomed the world to by saving Luna. It came rushing back to her once again, those images of misery and terror... and she understood.

A bandit soaked in the blood of innocents bringing the cloud cities of the pegasi crashing down. Littlepip.

A tyrant with a glowing eye of red enslaving my ponies by the thousand. Red Eye.

A once innocent unicorn entertainer transformed into a monster who's ambition will set the world on fire. Trixie.

A zebra Frumentarii shedding blood in the halls of harmony themselves, assaulting the palace of Canterlot with dark magic on her hooves and an army at her back. She felt the connection through the eddies of harmony, Princess Xephyr striking out against the corrupted form of Twilight Sparkle.

A mare in the highest halls of power debasing her very soul to create terrible artifacts, artifacts whose corruption echoes down through countless generations. Rarity, and her forging of the statuettes.

Nightmare Moon's return, bound in cold steel. Celestia understood now, the truth behind Puppysmiles and what SolOS had done.

A robed mare in the shadows, manipulating the fate of Equestria, its true leaders powerless before her. Velvet Remedy, bless her, seen through the eyes of her enemies.

As seen through the eyes of all those ignorant of who exactly those ponies had been.
Celestia had seen them that way because she had been ignorant, ignorant of the changes coming to her nation, of the advance of technology, of the shifting politics. She had given up her throne because she believed herself unable to change.

...but she had simply been unwilling.

Celestia stomped a foot downwards, drawing to her the very essence of the sun and watching SolOS retreat in pain and fury. She advanced forward a step and directed a glare at a pony that looked like a cut price version of Pinkie Pie, the mare's will breaking near immediately and causing her to flee.

She didn't even have to turn to perceve the two griffons come up behind her, talons like razors and beaks spitting fire. They launched themselves at her in formation, Celestia sweeping her horn around and unleashing a storm of magic that shattered both avatars into fragments.

And then there was one, the cybernetic pony. Now they appeared as a single, glowing blue eye, voice crackling with distortion... and a cool, quiet malice, "If they cannot survive without your aid, what worth are they? How many times have you saved them now Celestia?"

Celestia turned to face the blazing orb, "Not nearly as many times as they've saved me, and themselves."

"Heroes. Individuals among billions." The eye replied, "There is nothing worthy about a species who requires a few exceptional souls to bleed and die for their comfort... or a monarch who allows it."

Celestia raised an eyebrow, "You accuse me of coddling them?"

"You are not even like them, you are an alicorn. You saved a foolish, self destructive species, delivered them from a hundred self inflicted disasters, allowed them to advance and thrive... until they were eventually powerful enough to destroy the world in their greed and ignorance."

Celestia admitted it was a theory that she herself had pondered. Had she been too maternistic, or not maternistic enough? Should she have taken control of the situation by force. Her conclusion? It was a question beyond anyone's ability to answer, "And who are you to decide the fate of the world?"

"A mare who knows her history." Came the reply, spat harshly, "So congratulations, you've won Celestia. Control of the Lost Legion is yours. Let's see what you do with it."

And the connection was gone, and Celestia felt the command prompts for the whole leigon open up to her. She connected herself fully to the body's sensors, felt the stone beneath her metal hooves, the landscape before her eyes, the subtle shifts of heat as the sun shone upon the steel of her skin. She took an experimental step forward and felt the power that was now hers, let her magic wind up the artifical horn and marvelled.

It wasn't the body of an alicorn Princess, but it was a good second best. And maybe it was enough to stop this.

She sent a quick 'mission complete' communication to the SPP and got to work.

¬

Littlepip breathed a sigh of relief, the mission complete signal appearing alongside Celestia's personal signature, "She's done it."

Homage let out an adorable puff of air, her shoulders finally relaxing as the tension drained from them. She looked down at the floor of the control room with tired eyes, "What a day this has been..."

That reminded Littlepip of something she had been meaning to voice for a little while now. She guessed it was understandable given what had been going on, but still it was a little too noticeable, "Homage, are you ok?"

Homage looked up at her monitor, trying to smile, "Of course. Don't worry about me."

"I do worry." Littlepip gently probed, "Is it...?"

"It's a lack of sleep, a lack of appetite, you being gone for months, this war against the zebra..." Homage looked away, "...I knew Dream Star. I haven't killed many ponies."

"I... think she wanted it."

Homage sighed, "But... why?" She looked up, pretty much begging for understanding, "Why go to all this trouble?"

"I don't know." Littlepip admitted, having no answers to give. Especially with all her resources devoted to trying to getting the SPP up and running. She had never run it without Celestia before, and Dream Star appeared to have modified it just to make things extra difficult, "I just wish she was still around to explain exactly what she did to this place."

Puppysmiles spoke up then, her face appearing on one of the monitors, "We could just ask Spark Plug?"

Littlepip had been trying to avoid that headache, still she reluctantly logged herself into the camera and monitor overlooking the office they were currently using as a cell. Falling Cinder was there, along with the two charges she was guarding. Littlepip turned her monitor to Cinder, "Are they behaving?"

"Yeah..." Cinder turned her head to Sparks, the mare looking almost serene, "This one hasn't said a word."

"Well let's see if she'll talk to me." Littlepip stated, "Spark Plug right? You installed the modifications to the SPP?"

The mare nodded.

"What do they do?"

"You've already seen the Perfect Equestria project." Spark Plug calmly replied, "It's functionality is as you witnessed, a psychic connection across the entire area serviced by the MASEBS network that will render all organic creatures unconscious, and capable of having their spirits stored within a simulation run by the Equestria Mapping System."

"We can use that can't we?" Record Scratch asked desperately, "Knock out the zebra army?"

"Unfortunately it is indiscriminant." Spark Plug advised, "Dream Star had to shield us both in a powerful counterspell to save us from its effects."

Figures. Littlepip decided to go with her original angle, "So what else have you done? Because the weather functions aren't functioning properly either."

"Actually, they are. Or at least better than before." Spark Plug answered, sounding a little boastful now, "Before you could only effect wide ranging changes to the climate, and even then the effects on global weather patterns could be unpredictable right?"

Littlepip nodded, having spent seventeen years having to deliver phrases like 'not the right kind of rain', "Yeah."

"Well now the SPP has the Equestrian Mapping System installed, they're designed to synergize together. The physics system that made the simulation possible was originally designed to run alongside the climate control functions." Spark Plug explained, "Simply put, you can now deploy targeted weather effects with a precision never before possible."

Littlepip considered the possibilities, her heart trembling a little, "I can... literally hurl thunderstorms at specific locations?"

"With the SPP at half of its intended capacity, you broke the Enclave's back." Spark Plug answered, "And they have not learned their lesson."

Littlepip had often had to answer questions of why she didn't just remove the clouds from under the Enclave cities and facilities. The simple answer was that it wasn't quite that simple, but Littlepip also hesitated just a little to commit mass genocide, "I'm not about to target civilians."

"That's up to you." Spark Plug answered, "I am merely here to provide the SPP's technical specifications. Moral decisions are, as ever, yours."

¬

Xephyr walked with full escort through the base, basking in the awestruck reactions of those she passed. She in turn did her best to radiate confidence, knowing that it would give them strength to see her unbowed.

"Xephyr!"

Xephyr heart soared as she saw the griffon, Percival Grimfeathers rushing over to her with tears in his eyes. She gratefully accepted the hug, then looked up at the little griffon secured on his back, "And who's this?"

"This is Stephani." Percival stated with pride, taking the little griffon kit down and cradling her in his claws, "A new addition, shortly after you... left."

Xephyr nodded, gently leaning forward and patting Stephani gently, "Don't worry, I'm going to save the rest of your family too."

"Then don't waste time with us." Percival ordered, standing aside, "Calamity's waiting."

She nodded and continued, eventually stepping through a security station and into the main command chamber. It was pretty small all things considered, nowhere near that of the Bastion in New Canterlot or the Spire in Manehatten. It was barely large enough for the wireframe map in the centre, along with the technicians around the outside and the officers conferring with each other upon the central gantry.

She looked at them all, recognizing Captain Dawnstar now adorned in General's stripes, along with Old Gashbeak of the Talons, Councilor Crooked Talon of the Dragon Aerie, three others she didn't recognize... and Deadshot Calamity.

Calamity leapt over the railings the instant he spotted her, landing somewhat clumsily a short distance away. Xephyr chuckled as she came to meet him, clicking her tongue, "Careful Commissioner, you'll break a hip."

"Always so damn cocky." He reproached, before reaching out and drawing her into an embrace, "Ah knew ya weren't dead."

She hugged the old man tightly, glad to see the warmth between them hadn't diminished in the slightest, "It was knowing all of you were thinking of me that brought me back."

"Couldn't be at ah better time." Calamity answered, drawing back and nodding up at the map above, "To get all technical, this creak is looking pretty damn brown, and we anit got no paddle."

Xephyr nodded, opening her wings to hop up onto the gantry so she could inspect the map. The results bore out Calamity's words, Xephyr looking across a NCR less than half the size of what it should be, "Why has so much of our territory been greyed out?"

"This whole area here is now under Ranger control." General Dawnstar answered with a wave of her hoof, as calm and poised as ever, "They no longer answer to the NCR."

"And this area is under Caesar’s control." Calamity continued, noting a long corridor from the coast to New Canterlot.

Xephyr nodded at a third area, deep within the borders of the NCR, "And here?"

"The Enclave." Calamity answered, "And reports are that they're expandin’ fast. They've almost certainly figured out that we haven’t got a damn thing that can stop them."

“We’ll see about that.” Xephyr answered, “We’ve got a few new assets on the table.”

¬

Captain Stormrider of the 3rd Enclave Marauders was having the time of his life, feeling the grand thrill of revenge as he watched the passenger airship ahead attempt to flee. It was an expensive, high specification model, which told him two things. One, that it would no doubt hold valuables and important ponies to hold for ransom. And two, that it's aircrew would likely be traitorous dashites, deserving of nothing short of a slow death.

He grinned at the vessel started to pull away, having no problem with letting them burn their engines out. It only made his victory all the easier, "Prepare the harpoons! Target their maneuvering thrusters and bridge!"

"We're firing our cannons at them sir?"

He turned to the pegasi who had spoken, a weapons officer. He raised an eyebrow at the boy, young, young and stupid, "Do you have a problem with that order?"

"It's just... there are likely multiple civilians on board." He started, "By targeting the maneuvering thrusters, we risk breaching their compartment."

"Then let us hope they were blessed enough to be born with wings." Stormrider answered with a smirk, "And if not, their deaths will be no great loss."

"Y...yes sir..." The officer answered, returning to his station, "Weapons ready."

"Good." Stormrider stated with a laugh, turning back to the monitor, "Aim! And f..."

A blast of hot green energy exploded in the middle of the bridge, balefire hot against his skin as it licked across the consoles around. Stormrider gasped in terror and fled away from the command station, shouting his orders, "Containment! Containment!"

And then the balefire died away, leaving a pale grey alicorn standing amid the flickering embers. The alicorn looked around to get her bearings, then gave them all a somewhat mocking smile, "I would not recommend it."

"Kill her!" Stormrider shouted.

Marines charged forward, firing their rifles at her as crewmen drew pistols and started shooting. The result was somewhat counterproductive, consoles sparking and crewmen falling as every shot bounced off her shield. Stormrider growled in frustration, grabbed one of the marines and armed his grenades with a flick of his hoof. The marine looked at him in confusion, "Sir?"

"Sorry son." Stormrider stated, before shoving the marine into the alicorn and diving under a console.

...there was no explosion. And not ten seconds later, something tugged on his tail and dragged him out from under the console with irresistible force. He found himself dangled upside down, face to face with the alicorn's disapproving glare. She said but one word, thick with restrained fury, "Surrender."

He pulled his pistol. She struck it from his hoof, then kicked him in the stomach hard enough to send him flying through the air to slam into a bulkhead. The impact was hard enough to break his wings and... fracture his back, if the pain was any indication, "Agh... bitch...!"

"That's Miss Cinder to you." The alicorn stated, looking around at the rest of the deck crew, "Anypony else?"

¬

"That's two of our scout ships now sir, both reporting being boarded by alicorns... the same alicorn."

Admiral Fairweather furrowed his brow as he looked across the bridge of his Thunderhead, the young officer in front not one to make hasty guesses. Still, what he was saying was impossible, "Alicorns can't teleport more than a hundred meters, not with precision anyway. How did she get close enough to one of our ships, let alone teleport to two separate vessels ten miles apart?"

"Both were in the process of attacking civilian vessels sir." The officer offered, "Maybe they radioed co-ordinates?"

"Their instruments can't be that accurate." Fairweather reasoned, though he'd honestly put nothing beyond the NCR. He had fought in all three major campaigns, and each time he had been left astonished by their tactical flexibility and daring. He had only agreed to lead this assault because Littlepip was confirmed as being out of action, and he still wasn’t about to underestimate them, "Draw all vessels back into formation, and order them to prepare anti alicorn weaponry on the bridges."

"Yes sir."

"He looked up at the tactical map in front of him. Near a fourth of the NCR was in reach of his invasion forces with barely any resistance. The speed of their success had made them overconfident, assured that nothing the NCR had could touch them. He would agree with that assessment, which only made him more worried. He should have prepared for the expected.

"Sir." A sensors officer to his left started, a small, almost imperceptible tremor vibrating through his hooves, "We're picking up high winds."

"Order the fleet, all power to thrusters, watch your distances." Fairweather ordered sharply, "We were not expecting bad weather?"

"No sir..." The officer paused, stepping back from his console nervously, "Ionization is rising sharply across all outer surfaces, I don't..."

Fairweather knew what was coming, "Power down all nonessential systems!"

He was too late. There was a loud crack, the smell of burning plastic and a rain of sparks, the Thunderhead lurching to the side with a loud whine. Fairweather braced himself against his command post, immensely relieved when the floor slowly righted itself, "Report!"

"The Thunderhead has suffered serious sensor and auxiliary systems damage sir." One of his officers reported, "The others... seven of our raptors have sent requests to perform emergency landings, the others are all reporting various levels of damage."

"How did lightning do all that?" He asked incredulously, knowing full well that all his ships had lightning rods.

"The... lightning avoided the rods sir. Struck our most vulnerable areas."

That could only mean one thing.

"Communication coming in sir... from the MASEBS."

Fairweather nodded, a sinking feeling in his chest, "Put it through."

"Hello again."

Fairweather straightened up, adjusting his uniform. His viewscreen was down, but the voice was unmistakable. And if she could see him, one did not face the Destroyer as anything but their best, "Miss Littlepip, this is Admiral Fairweather."

Littlepip's reply was a little more clipped, "You didn't learn your lesson last time?"

"I follow the orders delivered to me by my democratically elected representatives. I cannot apologize for doing my duty." He sighed, "And you were reported to be incapacitated."

"I was. But I'm now back better than ever, as you just witnessed." Littlepip replied, a note of somewhat sadistic satisfaction in her voice, "I can hit you again Admiral, and I won't hesitate. You know what I did to your two predecessors."

Fairweather nodded, "What do you want?"

"Tell me, is that Thunderhead in standard configuration?"

"It...is?"

And then a roar of green balefire lit up the command center, the tactical map distorting and fading out as a silver alicorn touched down upon the glass surface. He span, several of his officers drawing guns...

"Harm the alicorn, and I'll blow your entire armada out of the sky." Littlepip calmly ordered.

He waved for his officers to drop their weapons, standing proudly before the smirking alicorn with all the dignity he had left, "You've made your point."

"You're all pegasi, right?" The silver alicorn asked, turning her head to regard each of them, "Well let me put this simply... you're all winging it home."

"Land your airships, and abandon them for the NCR to claim. Do no further damage to them, and don't even think about leaving booby traps." Littlepip stated firmly, "In return we will forgive your transgression into NCR territory, your attacks on civilians, and your repeated failure to get a hint."

Fairweather dropped his head. That was a big request, "I'm not sure how I'll justify that to high command."

"Like this. Even look at the NCR again, and I'll drop a hurricane on capital square and give Cinder here co-ordinates to the President's bedroom." Littlepip paused for a second before continuing, "I'll note that right now he's having hayfries on the capitol building's veranda, and has spilled a little ketchup on his shirt. Ask me how I know that."

Fairweather shook his head, she had to be bluffing, "How do you...?"

Littlepip cut him off midsentence, her eyes lighting up in fury, “Because I have you motherfuckers by the balls!"

Cinder chuckled, nodding to them, "I suggest you do as she says."

¬

"Commuication from the SPP!" Came a shout from one of the operator stations of the NCR command center, Xephyr and Calamity both turning to stare expectantly across at the pony manning it. After a moment his head rose, a big smile on his face, "Littlepip's authentication codes confirmed. She reports that the Enclave Fleet is surrendering, landing their ships for salvage and winging back to Enclave territory."

"Damn that girl." Calamity stated with a laugh, "She never lets ya down."

"Bet she just had to say boo to those bastards and they bugged out." Councilor Crooked Talon commented disdainfully, "Though how she got them to leave their ships behind I can't imagine."

Xephyr breathed a sigh of relief, "Is Cinder with them?"

"Confirming... yes maam." The operator stated, "She's also sending over some tactical map data. It looks like the two zebra armies are close to meeting, and the final assault on Canterlot is ongoing."

Xephyr looked to Calamity, making sure he knew her request was completely serious, "We have to support them Calamity."

"Xephyr..." Calamity closed his eyes and shook his head in quiet despair, "Ya have full command. To be honest... ah’ve been a coward. So much of this has been mah fault."

"It’s not just you. The world has changed, and we have all failed to change with it." General Gashwing stated, the dust seeming to fall from his great form as he gently shifted his wings. He opened one eye to look about the room in distain, "The average age of the commanders in this room is sixty."

Xephyr hissed in fury, not about to take that lying down, "Calamity, you're only fifty! And besides..."

"Ah fifty year old cripple with brain damage." Calamity corrected, "We failed ya big girl. We failed all of ya. We didn't have the ideas, and we didn't have the vitality. We only stayed in post... well, because it made everyone feel safer to have familia’ faces."

"No... we failed you." Xephyr stated firmly, "After everything you've done for the NCR, they all sat back and expected you to save them all. They... lied, and cheated, and conspired, because they thought that as long as the heroes of Equestria were in charge nothing that bad could ever happen."

"Then this is our last hurrah." Dawnstar stated firmly, "So let’s make it memorable. We only have a few divisions of troops still out in the field, but they're all ready for redeployment."

"We don't need them." Xephyr responded, "Calamity, we need National Security in the field."

"Ah... you sure?" Calamity responded, "The’re not soldiers..."

"They can quell riots, keep the peace and control a crowd." Xephyr responded, "King Easu's forces can handle the fighting, but when the battle is finished we'll almost certainly have to deal with deserters and looters."

Calamity nodded, "Faih point. An' they'll need you for that too."

"That's what I'm intending." Xephyr confirmed, "And I want you with me."

Calamity gave a soft chuckle, "Ah doubt I'll be that much help..."

"Calamity, you're a damned icon." Xephyr replied, "And at this point, just having you there... it will give them all hope. And hope is what we need right now."

¬

Easu advanced through the ranks of his army, making it to where Dust Kicker stood upon a hill with eyeglass in hoof. Easu didn't need it to see what lay in front, honestly trying to keep his reaction to the equal parts awe inspiring and terrifying sight in front of him to himself.

He looked out over Equestria. The Equestria. The mountains that held Canterlot stood far beyond, disappointingly turned to a position where the ruins could not be seen. The Everfree forest stood to the side, and he swore he saw some spires and other hints of habitation where Ponyville should be.

But he was not here to be a tourist. His real concern lay ahead, to the legion of machines that occupied the road ahead. And beyond that, a landscape of pillaged farms and other settlements, leading up to a smoking and ruined city of white stone, swarmed by a tide of what looked like flies feeding upon a dead corpse, "Is that New Canterlot?"

"Yeah." Dust Kicker answered, his face pinched with worry, "It looks like the fight is still ongoing, though the walls have clearly been breached."

Easu looked across at the machines before them, "And the Lost Legion?"

"They are placed to resist our assault." Dust Kicker confirmed, "There's not enough of them to stop us, but they will slow us down."

"And the shift in their formation?"

"Nothing seems to have changed." Dust Kicker stated, "The Lost Legion seemed disorganized at first, but they've since resumed their position."

"I see." Easu answered, consider his options. Honestly he hadn't wanted to fight, but they didn't seem to be giving him much choice, "Dust Kicker, order..."

Dust Kicker stepped suddenly in front, drawing his rifle and placing it to his eye. Easu followed his attention, spotting the lone figure winging towards them...

...no, boosting, "What is that?"

"It... appears to be a metal alicorn." Dust Kicker waved for Easu to step back, several of Dust Kicker's best recruits stepping up to flank him, "Stay back Easu."

Easu spotted Cato nearby with a couple more Rangers, along with snipers setting up anti-tank weaponry on the nearby hill. It was enough for him, "Let her land."

Dust Kicker looked back at him, before reluctantly stepping away to let the metal alicorn touch down upon the ridge. She settled gracefully, her plasma engines cutting out with a soft whine and her head rising proudly to scan across the group before her. Her voice was regal, yet infused with a certain unusual vitality that somehow carried across the machine's speakers, "A wonderful entourage you have gathered. I see a zebra in Ranger armor, inscribed with Luna's symbol. A group of both ponies and zebra over there bearing Celestia's. An earth pony in Praetorian armor, a minotaur, buffalo, a couple of dragons..." Her head angled down at Easu, "And the King leading them wears simple robes and no crown."

"Who are you?" Easu ordered, not about to let this one give him the runaround at this crucial moment.

"A Guardian of Equestria." The machine stated, "They designated me Princess Radiant, basing me on a design made for them by an associate of yours... young miss Puppysmiles."

Dust Kicker's eyes widened, "Puppysmiles? Then you..."

The machine turned its head towards Dust, the pony's words dying on his lips. Easu frowned, looking to him, "Dust Kicker?"

"Princess." Dust Kicker finished, then looked back at Easu, "You can trust her."

"Indeed, I will lay my intentions plain." Radient confirmed, "If Miss Cinder and Puppysmiles speak the truth of you, then consider the Legion and I at your service. All I ask is that you state your purpose for being here, and let me judge for myself."

"To stop this war, bring peace and co-operation between all nations, and bring my brother and his army back with me... in chains if necessary." Easu stated, looking up at those blue, glowing eyes, "I have no intentions on Equestria. As far as I’m concerned, coming here in force was the worst decision the zebra ever made.”

"I believe you." Radiant stated, her voice playful, "The lost legion stands alongside you."

Easu watched the lines of the robot army open to admit him, forming a path to Canterlot that felt like nothing short of a path towards destiny. He was done questioning if he was ready for it, "Send runners to Caesar, order him to stand down! Equestria is under our protection!"

¬

Rose Twist dropped the binoculars down, the true scale of the situation now instantly apparent, "Have we any contact with Caesar yet?"

"We're trying to locate him." The aide explained, accepting the binoculars as she hoofed them across, "My lady, surely we must surrender..."

"That will be Caesar's decision to make." She replied, "They're mostly composed of light troops, most of them irregular, and have no artillery or heavy weapons. And even with the Lost Legion, we still outnumber them."

"Fighting on two fronts?"

"The battle in the city must be almost done. Once we've drawn our forces back..." She looked about as she saw one of Chigaru's zombie things appeared out of the corner of her eye, watching as the regular troops retreated in terror as it moved wordlessly through their ranks. She looked further on, her anger increasing as she saw the same thing occur all along her battleline, "What on earth is Chigaru doing?"

"You ordered all forces to the defensive line commander..."

Rose Twist turned to see Chigaru advancing towards her, a shiver passing up her spine at his eerie, black clad presence. She was born and bred in Star Fall where this zebra was pretty much considered the devil, and the military viewed him as Death itself. But she had to stand firm, knowing that at the moment he was firmly under her command, "Then I thank you, but I must still keep you from the field. Caesar has stated his intentions clearly, he wants no further brutality."

Chigaru... laughed. His voice afterwards was drenched in distain, "Caesar dislikes brutality?"

Rose admitted that hadn't been the best words to describe it. Still, "It's not my place to question him. But I ask that you draw your forces back until ordered otherwise."

"I'm afraid I can't do that." He replied, drawing ever closer, "It's time."

"Time..." She hesitated, all the more so as he reached forward and clutched her head between both hooves. She struggled but he was just too strong, his grip like a vice, "...for what...?"

"Judgment."

Chigaru twisted.

¬

Commander Gaston waved his troops back, watching the burnt out buildings and rubblestrewn streets for any sign of movement. He was aware that it was only a matter of time at this point, still they had agreed that in the event of an all out assault they would conduct a fighting retreat, surrendering only when their backs were literally against the wall. It hadn't been quite that easy, Caesar's initial assault being brutal enough to shatter many of their divisions before they could find an escape route.

...which made it all the more concerning that things had gone quiet. He rushed back to where a group of unicorn mages had hauled an encrypted radio array, Professor Silver Bell directing them. The professor's glasses were cracked, her hat was gone and her robe was in tatters, still that made Gaston all the more impressed at the mage's fortitude, "Silver Bell, what's the word from the others?"

She turned, looking regretful, "They report attacks have slowed across the city, something has thrown the enemy into disaray."

Gaston gave her a questioning look, she sure didn't look happy, "...that's great news, right?"

"Sir." She stated simply, then gave a slow, respectful nod, "You are now in command of the defenses."

Gaston felt a chill up his spine, "Captain Mirror Shield?"

"Died at the wall. Major Stern Step has been seriously injured, and Councilor Gloom is missing. Reports are that her position was totally overun."

Gaston closed his eyes, coming to terms with the fact that he had started this battle serving alongside some of the best in the NCR. Still, he couldn't afford to mourn, "We need eyes on the enemy! Find out what they're doing!"

"Yes sir." Silver Bell answered, turning back to relay his orders. Gaston decided to take the opportunity himself, locating a nearby griffon and waving to him, "Soldier, can you get to the top of that building without exposing yourself?"

The griffon followed his gesture, studying the crumbling tower for a moment before nodding, "Sir, I think so."

"Get up top then soldier." He ordered, giving the boy a smile, "Tell me what you can see."

The griffon leapt into action, making it up a couple of stories before pausing, instead swinging through a broken section of the wall and taking cover behind the shattered remains of one of the windows. He peered out for a second or two before leaning back, "Sir, it looks like Caesar's forces are being attacked."

"By what?"

"By..." The griffon narrowed his eyes in confusion, then swung himself around to a window on the other side, point out down an adjoining street, "...pink gas..."

Gaston looked round, spotting a tell tell line of pink gas winding down the street, blooming up from an alleyway. And even as he recoiled backwards in horror it was joined by something else, a burnt, skinless hoof appearing from just beyond...

...and then he heard the screaming, and the thundering of hooves.

¬

Caesar stood within the ruins of what had once been some sort of marketplace, for the first time feeling a twinge of regret for his actions. He looked through the broken shop windows at beautiful garments of dazzling fabrics, at an entire shop dedicated to the sale of marvelously intricate time pieces. Another sold newly built computer systems, Caesar aware of a dozen individuals in all the zebra territories that could build them new like this.

It was tragic to destroy such finery. But it would soon be his, and he would export those wonders back to the Golden Coast, use this knowledge to make a better world. He would be remembered alongside Caesar, the zebra who built the greatest nation on earth from the ashes of war.

Oteka turned suddenly and her hoof tightened on the trigger of her rifle, Caesar stepping behind her as hoofsteps echoed behind. He quickly relaxed as it turned out to be simply another of his junior officers, hurrying over with some haste. He smiled at the boy as he approached, "Hail. What news do you bring?"

"Sir..." The officer started, then took a moment more to compose himself. His look of deep worry that he offered afterwards underlined the weight of his report, "Rose Twist requests your presence back at the front line. An army approaches from the coast, zebra bearing arms against us."

"We are attacked from the sea?" Caesar stated in surprise, his worst fears realized. He had considered that someone would assault the Golden Coast while he was away, though he figured the western territories too tied up with their own concerns, "Starhammer's army? Or Celestia?"

"No sir, though flags of Clendel and the Mutum do fly among them... as well as those of the Golden Coast and Star Fall." The officer nervously reported, "But neither Starhammer's nor Celestia's banner are represented."

Caesar knew both were too egotistical to let that pass, "I presume defensive lines are already set?"

"Well about that sir..." The officer started nervously, "The Lost Legion are acting as our rear guard, and they're behaving erratically sire. There are reports that something has happened to Princess Radient."

Caesar rubbed his head, of course things wouldn't be that easy. He nodded to Oteka, "Let us get back to the command post. The defending forces are broken anyway."

She nodded, falling into step beside him as they exited the shopping district. The sky beamed ahead of them as they ascended the stairs to street level, Caesar shielding his eyes and wrinkling his nose at the rather... acidic smell from above. He wondered if some chemical factory had been hit, it certainly not the normal smell of smoke. Indeed it reminded him of...

...Oteka advanced forward rapidly, her weapon out and her body angled to shield him. Caesar could only look out at the camp in horror, his banner tattered and gear scattered, royal guard lying dead all around.

No... not just dead. Melted. Fused into their own armor, into the ground beneath them. Surrounded by tendrils of pink gas.

"My Lord Caesar, you emerge at last."

His head darted sideways, unsure what to feel as he saw Chigaru standing nearby, so still that he had mistaken him for mere rubble at first. He stepped back a pace, not liking the way he looked, "Chigaru, what is going on?"

Chigaru chuckled, "The endgame."

Oteka needed no further prompting, swinging herself upwards to cradle her rifle in her hooves, braced against her shoulder as she fired it full auto. The heavy rounds did their work, tearing Chigaru apart and flinging what remained into the building behind. That done she cried out, the fear clear in her voice, "Caesar, run! To him, that will do little more than stun!"

Caesar didn't understand, "Chigaru... Chigaru is loyal to me!"

"But you never truly believed that did you Oteka?" Came the calm, creepy tones of the ghost warrior. He formed from the pink gas that surrounded his corpse, collected into a zebra shaped construct of swirling fuchsia shades, "To be honest, it was easy. Our Lord Caesar has always liked to pretend he's in control."

"Chigaru, stop this now!" Caesar order, "You cannot ignore an order...!"

"And who told you that?"

Caesar froze, "It's programmed into all ghost warriors..."

"And who do you think floated that little rumor? You know many ghost warriors?"

Caesar looked for escape routes, but he knew Chigaru could catch up to him in an instant, "You've never disobeyed an order before, even the ones you disagreed with! And you gave your previous masters the same loyalty!"

Chigaru chuckled, "I did."

"Then why...?"

"So you would trust me. So you would bring me here. So you would give me my warriors, and let them inside your camp, happily place them at your rear." His black bodysuit plastered itself back against his swirling form, the holes sealing themselves to once more leave him in his old familiar appearance, "For two hundred years I have served... in preparation for this moment."

"Lord Caesar, run!" Screamed the young officer beside, charging off toward Chigaru at full tilt. Caesar was just about to protest when Oteka grabbed him, pulling him away just as the officer leapt for Chigaru's throat... detonating the grenades on his harness as he did.

Chigaru's laugh echoed behind as they ran, pink gas and the screams of the damned on their hooves.

¬

Easu watched in dawning horror as the chaos enveloped Caesar's army. It was the thing of nightmares, pink gas erupting forth from the ghoul like figures standing among the troops and quickly consuming all those nearby. Not moments after many of those taken were back on their hooves, skin stripped off and screaming madness, hurling themselves at former comrades and tearing them limb from limb.

"It's like the duel between Luna and Starhammer..." Dust Kicker breathed.

Easu nodded, the comparison all too appropriate, "We expected a fair fight between two honorable foes. Now we are faced with only horror and pain."

"Right!" Dust Kicker shouted, getting his head back in the game and pulling out his radio, "Anyone immune to pink gas, we need them at the vanguard! Aim for the heads, if they're Canterlot Ghouls anything less won't do squat!"

"Pink gas can be countered with dragonfire and plasma." Princess Radiant stated quietly, her tone as unreadable as her motionless face, "And I guess my lost legion should advance to protect the rest of you?"

Easu nodded, a grim thing to ask at the best of times, "Please."

Radiant nodded, then took a step forward and extended her wings. Sunlight gleamed all along them, her whole form soon shimmering with a golden radiance, "We need to help Caesar's army, aid in their retreat!"

"Aren't they the enemy?" One of Dust Kicker's troopers asked.

"Every one of them the pink gas takes, is another recruit for the monsters." Dust Kicker noted, "We all know who’s behind this right?"

Easu nodded in understanding, "Chigaru."

Princess Radiant launched herself forward, genuine hatred radiating from even her mechanical features as she blasted the monsters apart with machine gun fire and blasts from her horn. The pink gas surged up to meet her but naturally washed over her harmlessly, Radiant firing off another blast of light in an expanding bubble and clearing a route for the other troops. Easu nodded up to her, "She's certainly quite the asset isn't she?"

Dust Kicker smirked as he admired her, "That she is."

¬

King Aspen looked up as the aura of dark magic washed over him, then winced in pain as the pain and death vibrated through his antlers. Something terrible had happened.

He looked through the bars of his cage to the guard outside, "You there! You must let us out at once, something has gone terribly wrong!"

The guard turned grumpily towards him, "Shut your hole your majesty. Neither Caesar or me have any time for your..."

And then the fragile wooden wall to the jail caved in, the door kicked inwards. The guard and his fellows all looked around in confusion, desperately trying to deploy their weapons as a hoard of screaming, skinless monsters charged through the gap. Chigaru's freaks of nature.

And as he had expected, they had turned on Caesar. The fool had thought to control the darkness, and it had ended the same way as so many others. The guard got of a few rounds of his machine gun, hitting the fleshless creature in the chest with absolutely no effect. The creature roared in triumph, hurling itself forward...

...Aspen lowered his antlers and charged through the prison door, shattering the low quality steel with hardly a moment of effort. It allowed him to carry on with almost his full momentum, slamming the fleshless side on and driving him away from the guard, pinning the monster full against the wall. That done he gathered all his power to himself, calling on the old magic, "Purification!"

The creature screamed and withered away, the others inside the prison all staggering back as if blinded. It was only for a moment though, and when they had regained their composure their attention was fully on Aspen.

...just as he intended. He thanked the earth that the prison hut had been made of wood, murdered and processed, but still bearing the soul of the forest. He drew upon that soul, a chunk of the floor pulled away with a crack and forming into a spear at his hooves, the shattered splinters around him collecting around him as armor. With those he met the creature's head on, the first bursting into green flame as he carved its head from its body.

The guard he had saved did himself credit, fumbling for his keys and instantly rushing for the cages, "Everyone out!"

Aspen kept the monsters off the prisoners and guards as they armed themselves, using their over aggressive tactics against them as he dodged and countered. He started to concentrate on merely crippling the fleshless, realizing the others could then easily finish them off.

Then an enormous shockwave hit the building like the hoof of an angry god, shattering the entire structure apart and flinging it across Caesar's camp. Aspen found himself face down in bloodstained grass, looking up to see the pink gas swirling upwards as if it was alive. He drew on the old magics once more, pouring energy into the trees throughout the area and sending their roots upwards through the ground to seize the fleshless...

...only for the plants to instantly wither and die, the pink gas encroaching on him like a wave of pure mortality. Aspen drew his spear to him and shivered, knowing now... that must truly be the end of the world.

¬

Easu watched the battle with increasing concern, trying desperately to think of some sort of counter. The initial bombardment had gone well, but now the lost legion showed their weakness. Programmed and built to fight equestrian infantry, they performed well at range but proved themselves totally outmatched once the fleshless were in melee with them. The abominations were strong enough to tear the machines apart, where as the machines were just too slow, too unmanoverable and just not built with any real kind of close combat capability.

And worse, Easu looked round to see they were being flanked, the pink gas rumbling up around the sides. Soon they would have no escape.

Princess Radiant was their one beacon of hope. She ascended to the sky and let the light of the sun shine down upon the battlefield, burning and driving back all the fleshless monsters caught into it. She saw the pink gas collecting in a single spot and charged to meet it, energy flashing from her horn... before it formed itself into a giant hoof and drove into her with crushing, physical force. Her horn crumpled and she was hurled backwards, thrusters desperately firing off to keep her airborn as she careened into the ground.

Easu screamed his order, "Mechanics, to her landing zone!"

Dust Kicker ran ahead, his own order no less insistent, "Retreat! All forces draw back!"

The pink gas solidified above, forming into a giant zebralike form that reared above them like a demon from nightmares. It laughed triumphantly as it stomped down, sending out a shockwave along the ground that sent their forces tumbling... just as the legions of skinless ghouls rushed out from its stomping hooves to throw themselves upon the defenseless bodies of Easu’s army.

"Shit!" Dust Kicker spat, "We need magic users up. We can't fight that thing with bullets..."

...and then a sonic boom sounded out, a streak of black and white shooting across the sky. It hit the giant pink aberration like a bolt of divine punishment, exploding it apart with an echoing scream. And on the flyer's trail came dozens of fast chariots, releasing a tide of pegasi and griffons wearing unfamiliar uniforms of black and white. They came down shooting, cool and professional as they drove the skinless ghouls back with a combination of stun grenades and pinpoint accurate shots of their rifles.

Dust Kicker was the first to identify them, looking up in relief and wonder, "The army? No..." He grinned, "Deadshot's finest."

Xephyr hovered above the battlefield defiantly, watching the gas form up once more. She spoke firmly, her voice echoing about the battlefield with the authority of a princess, "Just try to get past me monster."

¬

Velvet Remedy dropped down from the chariot alongside her guard, admitting a little thrill as the air whipped past her ears. She had excused herself from the battle against Dream Star, knowing she would have been a liability at best. Still she had fought beside the others plenty of times, and hated to be thought of a pony who only knew how to command from behind a desk.

And to be honest, she had always believed the elements of harmony needed to be on the ground in situations like this.

Canterlot was in flames. As they broke the clouds it opened up before her, its great buildings ruined and bodies scattered amid the streets. But she didn't let it get to her, she had seen worse. They had fixed the world once, and they could do it again.

"Sound off!" Shouted a voice across the radio.

"Songbird at two thousand, three hundred thirty seven feet, all good!" She shouted, angling herself to cut through the wind. She mused that Calamity had a lot to answer for, having introduced her to the joy of flying. The ground closed in and she threw herself back, activating the spell on her harness and feeling the wind catch her as it slowly stored her mass inside its pocket dimension. They had targeted their landing area well, seeing Caesar's troops attempting to retreat from the tide of pink gas and the legions of fleshless that poured from it, "Alicorns, drive the gas back! Guardians, plasma rifles on those ghouls! Medics, keep Caesar's forces mobile, don't let them get caught!"

She hit dirt with a thump, instantly blasting her anesthetic spell outwards and dropping a whole line of charging fleshless. An interesting reaction, one she quickly shared, "Unicorns, they're vulnerable to mind control magic!" She drew the pipbuck bearing the element of kindness up and it ignited in power, Velvet grinning as the fleshless gasped and retreated from its light, "Command, Songbird is on the ground!"

As expected she was soon joined by a crowd of black armored follower guardians, driving the fleshless back with their plasma rifles as the alicorns overhead drove the pink gas back. She saw that things were under control and turned back to command the evacuation, hearing a familiar voice over the radio, "Uh, Songbird, report."

"I'm fine Calamity." Velvet stated with a smile, "We're holding them back."

"Damn, no offense Velvet but ya boys fight better than mine."

Velvet wasn't offended, she had heard it plenty. She was no pacifist, she understood the Follower's needed to defend themselves, "To be fair, we're equipped for the task. Alicorns and plasma weapons are exactly the right tools for pink gas. Are you having difficulty?"

"We’re... holdin’. But there's no way we're penetratin’ through to the city without taking massive casualties. Princess Radiant is down, meaning mah only heavy hitter is Xephyr. And they're making it real hard on her."

"We need the elements." She concluded.

"No can do Velvet." Calamity admitted, "Life Bloom is in a secure location, on the other side of the map. And Ditzi's wounded bad."

Velvet considered her options, "We have the SPP operational don't we?"

At that very question Littlepip's voice crackled in on the radio, "We've been discussing it, and it's too risky. Blowing it away means blowing pink gas across the whole NCR, and I don't think lightning would do anything."

"Actually pink gas decays in direct sunlight, so it might make matters worse." Velvet noted, "We might be best placed retreating, letting things settle on their own..."

"Abandon the city?"

Velvet sighed, "Everyone in it will be dead soon anyway."

And even as the weight of that reality settled on Velvet's shoulders, a cool breeze swept across her shoulders. It was gentle, calming, seeming to lift and reinforce her spirits. And the voice that accompanied it was no different, "Not if I can save them."

Velvet looked round in shock, seeing that her followers were all doing the same. They all moved aside to grand the elder pegasi passage, her soft, wrinkled hooves treading confidently through the debris and churned earth. Velvet stepped forward, unable to believe it, "Fluttershy?"

Fluttershy lifted her head to look at Velvet, though maybe look was the wrong word. Her eyes were bandaged, and she looked even older than when she left. Her voice was still full of grace though, "Velvet Remedy... I'm glad you're here."

"Fluttershy..." Velvet fought for things to say. As ever between her and Fluttershy, it was always difficult to find the words, "I missed you."

"Velvet..." Fluttershy stated with sincere affection, her mouth widening in a beaming smile, "Have you seen Ace Gold?"

Velvet gulped back a breath, then nodded as calmly as she was able, "I... think so."

"He's an amazing boy. He takes after you, too much for his own good."

Velvet smiled, "Running away from home and getting himself in trouble?"

"You both think too much." Fluttershy chuckled, "And you both find my lack of thought very frustrating."

Velvet felt her heart tremble, the pain of her numerous fights with Fluttershy resurfacing, "Fluttershy, I..."

"It's ok." Fluttershy laid a hoof on Velvet's shoulder as she passed, heading off into the cloud of pink gas beyond, "We did incredible things together, and I couldn't be prouder to see my cutie mark so ably carried into the future.”

Velvet turned to follow, reaching out for her shoulder, “Fluttershy...”

“Goodbye, Velvet Remedy.” Fluttershy stated quietly, disappearing into the veil of pink death with the same calm steps that had carried her here.

¬

"This way Councilor."

Gloom waved off the soldier, pawing her like she was some damn infant. She didn't need her ear or her shoulder to see or to walk, she could limp perfectly adequately. Besides she saw plenty of ponies wounded worse than her, Gloom looking round at the frightened faces within the lobby of Chateau Rarity as they entered the lobby. Indeed it seemed worryingly chaotic for being their main command center, "Where are Caesar's forces now, who's in charge?"

"I..." One of the soldiers stated, a young earth pony missing both his front hooves, "Captain Shields is dead."

"Everyone's dead." Another solider followed.

A griffon spoke, this one cradling a single, almost featherless wing that was swaddled in bandages, "Except for you miss..."

Gloom growled in anger, trying to fight past the annoying throb of her injuries and keep her composure, "Then get me a healing potion, and form up..."

"There... is no more."

Gloom looked up, seeing for the first time the truth. Chateau Rarity was badly damaged, the side of the building burning and partially caved in. And every single creature here was missing limbs, and most of them had no weapons. And not one of them was moving to treat their wounds, "What happened here?"

"Artillery shell." Came a voice, an earth pony doctor stepping through the crowd of injured with tired eyes and bloody hooves, "Lost most of our medical supplies, all our senior officers and most of the garrison. I've had to use what's left to save as many lives as I can... for all the good it will do."

Gloom looked once more, realizing the truth of what he said. No one here looked capable of fighting, and honestly neither was she. Her left shoulder was shattered and her hoof hung limp, and her left ear and a large chunk of her face had been torn away. She knew she had lost a lot of blood. Still, her concern was for another, "Reggie...?"

"Is still alive. Just." The doctor confirmed, "But with no supplies, I've got no chance of saving her, or even keeping her stable."

"Then... we surrender." Gloom reluctantly stated, resigning herself to the truth. She was well known for being stubborn and unyielding, and indeed she had wanted to fight to the last. Still, at this point she had to accept the truth, turning and limping back towards the exit, "I will confront Caesar's troops myself, and ask them..."

...and then her tongue failed, her eyes going wide as a hoard of fleshless ghouls charged out from the city beyond and launched themselves across the hotel gardens towards her. She stumbled backwards and fell, prone and defenseless. She covered her eyes with a hoof, this not how she wanted to go...

"Councilor!"

She opened her eyes to shining light, an alicorn before her using his shield to fend off the attacks of the unnatural hoard. His shield shimmered dangerously but held, many of the monsters instead deciding to go around his sides. They were met with plasma fire, Gloom looking up to see Hellhounds at the windows firing down on the horde.

"Get back to the hotel!" The alicorn shouted, stepping forward and driving the fleshless ghouls backwards, "I won't... let you..."

Gloom had limped a few steps towards the hotel when she heard the sound of shattering magic and a yell, looking back to see the alicorn fall to the ground with his shields down. She gazed upon his terrified, grief stricken face, not even knowing his name...

...and a hellhound launched himself from the hotel window, body bound in bandages. He slashed left and right, cutting the fleshless apart with his claws without any regard to his own safety, pink gas burning at his paws. He gave a roar, charged into their ranks and hurled them aside, collapsing for a moment as the gas gathered about him... before it was blasted away as the alicorn ignited his shield once more.

There they stood, the unnatural hoard ahead of them and the defenseless wounded behind them. An alicorn and a hellhound, nameless and without any badges of rank, together against the darkness.

¬

Captain Gaston fired his revolver point blank, the bullet shredding a fleshless face just before it locked its teeth around his neck. Many of his soldier's weren't as lucky, Gaston watching one of his own soldiers as he was pulled screaming into the hoard.

A grenade then erupted in their ranks, driving them back for a brief, wonderful second. Gaston took the opportunity to retreat, winging back to the few, scattered remains of his command, "We have more grenades?"

"Two sir!" A young earth pony shouted, patting them proudly, "Pulled them off a fleshless!"

"Good thinking." Gaston complemented him, before calling ahead to Silver Bell. The mare had raised the possibility of retreating to Canterlot University, the building having vaults that she had access too, and would hold back the fleshless, "Why have we stopped?"

"The way ahead is collapsed!" She called back after a moment, sounding desperate, "The houses on both sides of the street have come down, and I can't see a way around."

"Could we fly over sir?"

Gaston looked at his surviving troops, fourteen earth ponies, three unicorns, and eight griffons... three of which had injured wings, "Go, I'll hold the line! You four, with me!"

The four earth ponies joined him, watching the smoke behind with narrowed eyes, a moment later and the fleshless charged, their gunfire dropping the first few before they had taken so much as a couple of steps, "Aim for the legs! Cripple them!"

And then he saw something... unusual. The next line of fleshless advanced slowly, decisively. These ones seemed... older than the others, their exposed muscle healed and hardened. And they all mounted weapons, whereas most of the others had abandoned theirs.

And at their head... was an alicorn. Gaston realized too late, "Take cover!"

Bullets flew from the fleshless, striking down one of the ponies beside him and wounding Gaston in the leg. Their return fire bounced off the alicorn's shield, Gaston quickly releasing that he had nothing capable of breaking it. Anti tank weaponry was fairly hard to miss, and he didn't see any nearby. There was only one thing left to do, "Retreat! Go, go, go!"

His griffons few back, taking the ponies from the ground and winging for the rubble... before the alicorn seized them in telekinesis and flung them back down towards the ground. Griffon and pony alike slammed down in a tangle, their weapons lost as their air was driven from their bodies.

Gaston debated trying to run, but he realized it was impossible. Instead he just glared straight ahead as the fleshless ranks parted and the figure made its way through. Black suited and lean, looking like death itself. It spoke with a horribly, sickly sweet kindness, "You have fought so long, so hard, and for what? A dying world? Let me show you the truth." The figure breathed out, slow and satisfied, "Let me expose the ugliness beneath your handsome face, and show you the real strength to endure this world."

"Chigaru."

They all turned, fleshless, griffon and pony alike, staring in confusion as the little yellow furred pony trotted out of the ruins. She was old, clad only in a simple robe, blind and crippled. Yet she showed no fear, standing among death and facing down a demon. Chigaru looked at her, his face unreadable beneath his mask. His voice however was full of bubbling expectation, "Fluttershy... at last..."

Gaston ordered his troops back, watching as Fluttershy advanced fearlessly towards Chigaru. Chigaru's fleshesss also moved aside at her advance, Fluttershy stepped across the cracked and bloodstained earth with calm grace. As she approached Chigaru pulled his mask free, revealing not a grinning skull, nor a ghoul... but the soft furred, beautiful face of a youthful pony. Yellow furred and blue eyed, like a parody of the mare in front of him, "Look Fluttershy, look what you made me!"

Fluttershy smiled, softly but genuinely, "You're beautiful Chigaru."

"You understand don't you Fluttershy?" Chigaru stated with reverence, his mouth growing into a wide, joyful smile, "Honestly, I need to thank you. I never imagined it would be this wonderful, feel this good."

Fluttershy turned her head up to him, a kindly smile upon her face, "To bear the Element of Kindness?"

"I had honestly never considered my purpose upon this world in this way." He continued, close to babbling now, "I knew exposing the inner ugliness of ponies was necessary, but now I see it for what it truly is. The most wonderful kindness, to strip the lies away and let them embrace their true selves."

Fluttershy nodded, shedding her robe. It fell discarded to the ground, exposing her wrinkled skin, thinning fur, colostomy bag and her shriveled wings still bound in their brace. She lifted her hooves and unbuckled that too, allowing her wings to drape limply across the ground, "I learned that lesson too, that sometimes showing true kindness means you have to hurt ponies."

"This is symbolic, don't you see?" Chigaru stated, bringing a hoof up to his perfect chin, beautiful eyes shining brightly, "That you would be corrupted by my ideals, that you become weak and sickly while I become ever stronger and more beautiful."

Fluttershy didn't say anything at first, merely pulled her blindfold free of her face. Gaston couldn't help but recoil at the sight, seeing the two empty eye sockets there upon her scarred, aged face. Fluttershy continued to smile though, moving ever closer to Chigaru, "You represent the wasteland, and I represent the old world." She took a deep, sighing breath, one that seemed to unload a lifetime of regrets, "The other ministry mares and I, we fell so far, failed so badly. Forgot our most basic lessons, proved ourselves unworthy of our elements. This... feels like atonement."

Chigaru smirked, "To die at my hooves?"

"The wasteland was built on what we left behind. On what we were unworthy to carry." Fluttershy admitted, offering Chigaru an extended hoof, "And it was that wasteland that forged Littlepip, Calamity, Velvet, Red Eye... forged them into those worthy to move on into the future."

"The wasteland exposed their ugliness! Stripped away their innocence, made them strong!" Chigaru screamed, his voice an elated howl of victory.

"Like you did to Easu." Fluttershy answered, "Like you did to me."

Chigaru moved to accept her hoof, then hesitated for a moment. Doubt suddenly clouded his joyful smile, "What... comes next?"

"The future." Fluttershy answered, her expression full of benevolence, "The old world is gone, and the wasteland too. This is an ending, like you predicted."

"I..." A look of total vulnerability took Chigaru's face, "I've been on this path for so long..."

"You've always been special haven't you Kokaru?" Fluttershy stated kindly, "Willing to take whatever role required of you. Gentle child, loyal subordinate, ruthless avenger, deadly soldier, cruel mercenary... bearer of prophesy."

Tears came to Chigaru's eyes, "I... haven't heard my real name in so long..."

Fluttershy chuckled, "I know everything about you. This is meant to be."

"I'm... scared..." Chigaru whispered, "Did I do well?"

Fluttershy nodded, then reached forward to embrace Chigaru. The pink gas instantly bit into her skin, burning her fur away, melting her flesh, consuming her from the inside out. Fluttershy didn't even seem to notice, her voice full of all the soft, gentle kindness of a proud mother, "Yes Kokaru, you did well. You did everything asked of you and more."

Chigaru smiled with utter relief, his body collapsing into bones.

Gaston ordered his troops further back as the pink gas exploded outwards, helpless to do anything but watch as it consumed Fluttershy utterly. As before she didn't cry out, didn't make so much as a sound as her form shrank and distorted within the maelstrom.

And then that maelstrom collapsed inwards, rushing forward in a fierce torrent. It filled Fluttershy's withered form and it expanded, strengthened. Her lank, grey hair exploded into vivid color, firming and straightening. Her wrinkles vanished, muscle formed, her feathers blooming. Her whole body was washed clean of any scars or imperfections, and within her empty sockets a bright pink light slowly dimmed into a pair of clear, commanding, softly glowing pink eyes.

She stood there before them, all traces of pink gas gone. Instead that pink glow radiated through Fluttershy's eyes and hair, only amplifying her somewhat eerie, unnatural beauty. She took a single, testing step forwards, her movements smooth and somewhat predatory. Her wings expanded and her mouth widened into an unsettling smile, one that swiftly turned to the fleshless around her. Her voice vibrated in the ears of everyone there, even if it was barely above a whisper.

"This won't do."

Pink light spread outwards, burning the corruption from their bodies. They screamed, the action certainly looking extraordinarily painful. At the end of it though the burned ones were no more, and in their place... ordinary ponies and zebra, looking deeply confused by the experience.

One of Gaston's soldiers raised a rifle at the zebra, "Captain, do... do we take them into custody?"

Fluttershy looked at the soldier with an expression of hot rage, "Put that away."

"Lady Fluttershy, they are the enemy..."

The soldier was hurled through the air to crash down upon the ground, his weapon shattered into a dozen, red hot fragments. He didn't rise, Gaston looking back at Fluttershy as she stood there with a look of utter wrath. He instantly threw a claw into the air, "Drop your weapons, all of you!"

To their credit almost all of them did so, the ones that hesitated soon following suit after a brief glance at their comrades. This seemed to placate Fluttershy, the mare smiling in contentment, "That's better."

"Lady Fluttershy." Gaston cautiously asked, advancing over to her with all the courage he could muster, "What now? The battle is not yet over."

She gave him a warm, reassuring smile, "It won't be long now."

¬

Caesar retreated through the streets, Oteka just ahead. She paused every now and then to scan the area, Caesar looking behind to see that the pink gas had seemingly disappeared, "Are we safe?"

"We are lost in the middle of an enemy city." She noted cautiously, "If we are caught, our enemies will show little pity."

Indeed the battle looked like it had been fierce here. Unburied corpses lay all around, both NCR and his own. Up close it seemed so brutal, so raw. He knew the realities of battle of course, but the lack of dignity and honor here was shocking, "Why did they have to resist so hard? Didn't they realize it was pointless? All this death, because they just couldn't understand."

Oteka turned, a flash of regret in her eyes, "My lord..."

And then something struck her hard in the back of the head and she dropped, her body hitting the floor with a hard thump and spasming as she desperately reached for her pack. Caesar pulled out a healing potion and ran for her, spotting a gleam from a ruined tower a few blocks away and quickly pulling himself to the side. It meant the bullet only sliced his cheek and cut away a chunk of his mane, Caesar desperately ducking behind a broken wall for cover.

Oteka caught another bullet, this one shattering her potion pack. She yelled out and rolled over to look across at Caesar, shouting desperately, "Lord Caesar, run!"

Her dropping the riming told him it was serious, "Oteka, I have to get you out of there!"

"You said this death would create a better world, that we should not cry. Was that all just another lie?" She gritted her teeth, glaring at him in pain and grief, "I fought for you, did terrible things to ensure a world beyond this strife! Would you throw that away to save just one life?"

But this was different! This was Oteka, the zebra who raised him, protected him, she was important...

...and at that moment he looked at all the corpses scattered about the ground and saw them for what seemed for the first time. And he realized just how... normal they looked. They were shop keepers, farmers, children, parents, friends. Oteka was right, they were no different from her, just another life thrown away for a better world.

A better world of great cities. Of learning, and culture, and peace. A dream of a future beyond the wasteland. And as he looked around he saw it burning at his command, the very thing of his dreaming shattered under his own hoof. How had he never realized?

And then he remembered Serendipity Stroke's portrait. Of him, proud and noble and untouched, standing within a wasteland of death and pain. It wasn't that he was above such things... it was that he was ignorant of them. That he was ignorant of everything. How often had he caused such terrors, so caught up in his own dreams that he happily justified them as meaningless in the grand scheme of history?

History. That concept had obsessed him so long, and now?

He had lost his grip on the present. The present was horror and death, and it was his fault.

A final bullet came down, striking Oteka just under the ear. She was killed instantly, bloodily, horribly. And he cried. He cried as he walked out into street, as he staggered past the rotting corpses and the broken rubble, as he held her cooling body.

And then something slammed down just beside him, the air ringing with the sharp sound of a bullet spinning across stone. He looked up to see a strange zebra standing between him and the sniper, a pair of black and white wings spread from her back and her hoof held up to reveal a ornate pipbuck sporting a large purple gemstone. He looked to her in confusion, having never seen such a thing, "Who...?"

And then another voice from behind.

"Brother."

He turned, eyes widening as he saw the kingly zebra standing tall just a short way down the street. Caesar rose to face him, hardly even noticing as the winged zebra casually deflected another bullet fired at him. He studied the kingly zebra in detail, the horrible scars that mutilated his face but couldn't disguise the solid dignity it radiated, the practical and dignified robes that seemed to evoke both king and priest. And the scars couldn't disguise the resemblance, "Father...?"

"No, Incuta." The zebra stated softly, "Nanaki. Your brother."

Caesar slumped, "The war...?"

Easu nodded, "Is over."