> Sun Never Sets
>  by CrownofDissonance
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> SP/00- Darkness May Dawn
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"On thousandth year, on longest day,
She will return to end her war,
The stars will aid in her escape
And darkness reign forevermore"

    She knew the stories, everyone here knew them. But for Twilight Sparkle, it was not enough to just hear a legend, to have it told to you. Who was the first to record the Legend of the Two Sisters? They had built their entire Order around this story, their Order of Light, that worshipped the Sister of Light from the legend, but yet so much of it seemed like it was left to hearsay. Despite being born into it, Twilight had always been a skeptic.

    But now that she was properly going through the Order's deepest library, reading through their records and accounts, she understood. She began to comprehend what this legend was, and the warning within it. A warning excluded from the tale they told, the warning of the Light Sister's evil counterpart. The Sister of Darkness.

    Twilight almost felt silly. This was an old book, but it was hardly an official record, it was more of a storybook if anything else. But... the almost exaggerated tale told here, about the Dark Sister and a dream-eating monster that merged with her soul, about how she would use it to return in a thousand years... All of it seemed to be hinted at in proper Order documents. Other records had been covered up with black ink or erased altogether, but there was only ever one reason that kind of thing happened.

    Secrets.

    But yet, for some reason, this storybook lay untouched, and Twilight began to worry that something set in motion a thousand years ago was dangerously close to coming to fruition. She needed more information, but there was only one other place here in the Order's main temple that she could go. The Forbidden Archives, a place restricted to all but the highest ranking members of their Order...

    She stopped herself there. Was she really considering breaking into a restricted area just for the sake of confirming a legend? Was it really that important? Maybe... Maybe it was. If the rumors were true... If they were true, they were all in danger, weren't they?

    These thoughts could be dangerous if she aired them out.

    "Twily, is that you? It's late, why are you still up?" 

    The voice of her brother made her pause in her reading. She didn't startle or jump, but her focus was very much broken. She stood near a shelf, totally engrossed in the page and what they could mean, and slowly looked over to see him watching her with concern. It was late, after all, the only light in this room was from a set of candles on a desk behind Twilight. She'd been obsessed with figuring all of this out as of late.

    "I've just been caught up reading." Twilight replied. "Sorry, I'll finish up for the night."

    Her brother nodded, but stuck around in the library until Twilight closed her book and put it back on the shelf it came from. At first, she felt like he was watching her with some kind of suspicion, but she reassured herself that he was just doing his job as chief guardian of this place. Indeed, when she turned to look at him again he only showed concern.

    "Is something wrong, Twilight?" He asked. "You look stressed about something."

    "It's... can..." Twilight started. "Can this stay between us?"

    "Of course," He nodded. If there was anyone she could trust, it would be her older brother. 

    "You know the Legend of the Two Sisters?" Twilight said.

    "...Yes. What's this about?"

    Twilight sighed. She might as well tell all.

“I’m worried about the Dark Sister’s return.”
> 00- The Legendary Demon Hunter
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

    "You've heard of it, haven't you? The Legend of the Two Sisters?"

    "Long ago, when demonkind ruled over the earth, two sisters harnessed the powers of demons to fight against them, sealing the gate to their realm for the sake of humankind."

    "In taking on their powers, they became aligned with demons themselves, but vowed to cleanse the world of evil and maintain harmony."

    "To do this, they split their powers evenly, one commanding the powers of light, and the other controlling the power of darkness. Together, they watched in hiding, ensuring demonkind would never gain a foothold in their world again."

    "However, their powers had a price- they were given the strength and longevity of demons, but a slow corruption would creep into their minds and threaten to consume their hearts."

    "The Sister of Light held strong against the corruption, but over time the Sister of Darkness succumbed, threatening to reopen the gate she once vowed to protect. They battled against each other, one for power, and the other to save her sibling, the fate of the world left to whoever was left standing."

    "After a long duel, Sister of Light finally stopped her corrupted kin, and had her banished to the demon realm for the good of the world."

    "Weak from both battle and the scars of a sister lost, she continued to keep the world safe. She sought out others with latent demon power and trained them to control their Inner Demons, so nobody would ever face the same fate as her sister again."

    "For the longest time, I thought it was just that, some obscure legend, but I discovered it was true. The Sister of Light still exists, and watches over the world to this day."

    "How do I know this, you ask?"

    "Well, for starters, I met her students. Both of them."

-----

    Ring, ring!

    In a run down storefront in Canterlot's inner city area, a phone rang. 

    Ring, ring!

    Though this was a place of business, the back half of the building was a small apartment that was the owner's current place of residence. 

    Ring, ring!

    The front room was well furnished, with a set of bookshelves in one corner and a desk just in front of them. Several chairs were in front of the desk for clients to use, and one for the owner was on the opposite side. Near the entrance was a cabinet and a coat rack, the latter having a long, yellow, leather coat with a red trim hanging on it. Along either side of the tail was the mark of a red and gold sun. There were thick curtains over the windows, and it was lit only from a light fixture on the ceiling. At the moment, the place seemed to be closed.

    Ring, ring!

    The phone was on the desk. It was an old, digital phone, blocky, but with a built in answering machine. It was reliable, and more useful for business. In the center of the desk, there was a soft wrapped, unopened package, and laying on the long edge of the desk was a huge, ancient-looking claymore. It's long handle was a dark grey color, and it's crossguard held the shape of two closed wings, with a tendril of flame going up the flat of the sword. It's pommel had a shape in line with the sun imagery on the jacket.

    Ring, ring!

    The phone was not being answered. The owner was home, but was in the shower, and could just barely hear the phone over the sound of rushing water. It did quickly shut off though, and shortly after a tall, slim woman with long red hair with golden highlights came into the front office wearing only a light blue towel around her body, and around her neck, a silver, sun-shaped amulet with a red gem at its center. She reached for the phone, leaning over the short chair behind it to do so as she answered it.

    "This is Sun Never Sets," she spoke with a slightly raspy voice, and in a rather casual tone, sitting down in the chair and kicking one of her legs up on the desk as she did so, "You a customer, or looking to sell something?"

    "Is this the residence of Shimmer?" A woman's voice replied. It sounded familiar, a bit higher pitched, and much more professional and serious than the owner's. "Celestia's most prodigious demon hunter?"

    "Who told you that?" Her name was Shimmer, Sunset Shimmer, in fact, but this person's tone made her wary. Her eyes narrowed, and she glanced at the phone distrustfully.

    During her second year of high school, what Sunset had come to call her Inner Demon took over her body. She was stopped by a demon hunter named Celestia, who was also the school's principal at the time. Now reformed, Sunset spent her time in high school training with Celestia to control her demon and use its power to stop other monsters, many of which began to come after her at Canterlot High.

    "A reference."

    "Well," Sunset feigned ignorance for the time being. "I don't know anyone named Shimmer, but-"

    "You think I'd forget what your voice sounded like, Sunset?"

    Upon hearing her name, Sunset realized who she was talking to. "Twilight Sparkle?"

    Twilight Sparkle was her classmate who transferred from a school with much higher standards, and she too had the power and darkness of a demon within her. Training with Celestia alongside her, Twilight's powers developed rapidly, though she seemed to have a harder time controlling her demon. Both in academics and in power, Twilight had always been a step ahead of Sunset.

    When the time came, Celestia had her two students duel for a magical amulet said to hold immense power. The victor would become its safekeeper, and be trusted as Celestia's strongest.

    Somehow, against all odds, Sunset won that duel.

    "It's been four years, Sunset..." Twilight's tone remained casual, but held a hint of condescension. "But I haven't forgotten you."

    After their graduation from high school and subsequent duel their friendship would slowly fade as their lives diverged. Not keeping up with Twilight was one of Sunset's few regrets, but it wasn't for lack of trying. Twilight went home to Crystal City, and within the year she'd stopped answering Sunset's calls.

    "What's this about?" Sunset asked, responding with a similar tone. "Surely you're not calling me up because you miss me."

    "No, I want to make you an offer."

    "Oh yeah?"

    "For the amulet Celestia gave you all those years ago."

    "Oh..." Sunset drew the word out, as if a suspicion was confirmed. "You're still mad about getting your butt kicked, aren't you?"

    "What?" Twilight's surprise drew a calm smile from Sunset. "No! This is about the fate of the world, I need that amulet!"

    "Always so dramatic, Twilight," Sunset rolled her eyes, but still held a playful tone, "Celestia told me not to let anyone have it, and that includes you."

    "Celestia was wrong to let you have it..." Sunset heard Twilight sigh over the phone. Her voice was now angry, speaking up out of a frustrated huff. "If you don't give it to me, you're going to have a much bigger problem on your hands."

    "Is that a threat?" Sunset asked the question genuinely and cooly.

    "No. It's-" Twilight paused, letting anything she was feeling go, "Whatever. When the time comes, we'll see who truly deserves it."

    "What's that supposed to mean?"

    "You'll come to understand soon enough."

    "If you wanted a rematch, you should've-" Sunset began, but was cut off by a dial tone. "...just asked."

    Smirking, Sunset tossed the phone back onto the receiver. She hoped that maybe one day they could be friends again, but whatever Twilight was hung up about now would probably have to be resolved first. 

    Whatever that last bit meant, Sunset would probably need to get dressed for it, so she put that to back of her mind and started to unwrap the package on her desk. She had made a bit of money during her last job and needed some fresh clothes, and after a week of waiting they were here. Inside was a plain black shoulder cut top with a greyed out sun mark on it and a pair of blue jeans. Excellent. But first, she probably needed to get something to wear under it. She left the new clothes on the table, and went back into her home area.

    Several moments later, there was the loud sound of space being torn, as half a dozen monstrous, shadowy creatures materialized in the office. Dark robes covered their entire bodies, and they stood a foot taller than a regular person. A single, glowing light shone through their wrappings, marking an eye for each of them, and they all brandished swords that burned with a soft, black flame. 

    Sunset came back through the door moments later, now wearing nothing but her underwear and her amulet. Her eyes were directed down at a cell phone as she came into the room, and looking up from it she was not visibly shocked to find demons in her office. She was more... inconvenienced. This wasn't anything new, demons going after a known demon hunter made sense, didn't it?

    "Not even going to knock, huh?" She said, holding her arms wide in an annoyed fashion, but giving them a rather cocky, amused smile at the same time. "I'm getting dressed!"

    All eyes went to her, and with a unified and aggressive scream, the demons all ran forward to attack her. A split second earlier, she made two swipes her cell phone, and a fast paced punk-rock song began to play loudly from it.

    She was about to make a mess of her office.

    Sunset stepped to the side, moving behind her desk chair and kicking it up at the first of the attackers. Their blades easily cut through it, but it gave her enough time to plan her next move. She quickly had the two top drawers of her desk opened, one containing a large handgun, and the other containing a bag of lollipops.

    The demons spread themselves out, getting ready to rush her from all angles, but Sunset was already in the process of kicking her desk upwards and launching it at the three directly in front of her, sending the gun, her clothes, the candy, and the sword into the air in the process. The other chairs flew with the desk, bouncing between the other demons as they scrambled to regroup.

    Other threats were closing in around her, but the closest thing to her were her jeans. In one fluid motion, she caught them mid-air, slid onto her back, and kicked her legs up as she pulled her jeans down over them, striking one of the demons in the chin as they approached. Her still falling gun was next closest to her, and as she grabbed it she spun on her back, making movements similar to a breakdancer as she fired in several directions at several other demons before jumping back up to her feet. Her phone went into her back pocket, the music still blasting from it as she moved.  

    Her free hand caught her top on the way back up, and she tossed it again as she shot up the closest demon to her and kicked it into the wall so hard it vaporized into a shadowy cloud upon impact. Then, the gun was tossed up, and she held her arms out just in time for the top to fall perfectly on her body and catch the gun again in the process. Now that she was dressed, she made to grab her huge sword off of the ground.

    Two more came at her from behind her, and she sliced through both of them while bringing her sword to the ready. They too disappeared into darkness, and Sunset spun to address what she had left to deal with. 

    As she turned, she found one of the of the demon's blades was inches from her chest, and moving even closer alarmingly fast. Her blade came up to intercept, and she came up with her gun in her other hand, making brief eye contact with the demon as she held the block. She gave an unamused shrug, and immediately blasted it into another cloud of shadow.

    Two left, and they both jumped for her at the same time, their blades struck in quick succession, leaving her with only enough time to adjust her block. Despite its size, she swung her sword about with ease, it's weight not phasing her at all. Strike after strike eventually had her backed into the wall, and she missed a beat, leaving her guard open. She didn't pull her sword close to compensate, she instead swung outward, taking one of the demon's heads, but being stuck through the chest by the other. 

    The blade pierced all the way through her and stuck into the wall behind her. Rather than show a sign of pain, Sunset let her head fall, shaking her head disappointedly as her blood began to leak out of the opening in her and onto her shirt. She clenched her teeth and her fists tightened around her weapon. The demon, expecting her to be defeated at this point, showed surprise when an incredibly angered glare was suddenly shot in its direction.

    "This was a brand new shirt!" She shouted, pulling herself off of the wall, and putting a bunch of bullet holes into the demon, who in any other situation might've been able to deflect them with its sword were it not embedded in Sunset. In her anger, she kicked the bag of lollipops in the demon's direction, bouncing it off of its face. She then yanked the blade from herself, completely ignoring the rapidly healing wound in her chest, and tossed it at the demon, impaling it the same way she had been. Her own sword joined the first one, and the demon was quickly reduced to nothing.

    She turned off the music at this point. She was alone in her office again, but was now frustrated with no means of relief.

    No matter how well she could harness the powers of her Inner Demon, she could not fix the hole in her shirt on her own, and she'd have to spend some time getting the blood out of it. She could probably call up Rarity, she might be able to fix the hole somehow, but for now, she wasn't going to be able to wear it. 

    She sighed, and shook her head. Putting her gun away, she held her hand out and caught the bag of lollipops, opening it up and unwrapping one. Out of all of the things that people got addicted to, this was her vice. It went into her mouth, and she immediately felt her frustration relieved as she focused on its flavor. 

    Her desk was righted and pushed back into its place, and she set the phone back on it. She pulled her ruined shirt off, and went back into her room to get something else to wear.

    Ring, ring!

    Again, the phone rang. 

    Another sigh, and Sunset came back out, wearing a sleeveless blue top now. She answered the phone with a much more annoyed tone.

    "Sun Never Sets, customer or seller?"

    "Mentor," Sunset recognized this voice immediately. It was Celestia. "I need to see you, Sunset."

    Sunset rolled her eyes, putting the phone between her cheek and shoulder as she recovered her sheath, returned her sword to it, and put it on her desk. 

    "This is about Twilight, right?"

    "Yes. I'm assuming you've seen her already?"

    "She just gave me a call and said she wanted my amulet. Isn't she supposed to still be your pen pal, or something?"

    "Twilight stopped writing to me a while ago. Things have changed between us." Celestia's voice always had this smugness about it, even though she held a facade of being collected and smiley all the time. But right now, her voice was alarmingly serious.

    "Why does she even want that amulet anyway?"

    "She wants the power it contains... Sunset, the gates of the demon realm are slowly reopening, and I fear Twilight may only be led to open them again."

    "What? Why would she want to do that?"

    "I believe her Inner Demon is resurfacing."

    "And... I'm gonna have to stop her, aren't I?" Sunset asked, taking Celestia's silence as a 'yes'. "Can't you do anything?"

    "My attentions are drawn elsewhere." 

    In her back pocket, Sunset's cell phone buzzed. There was a text message on it, one from Rarity. Rarity was a dressmaker, one who had a shop in town, and one of the few friends Sunset had kept in touch with after high school.

    There's something in the boutique, help. Monsters.

    Celestia's voice brought her attention from her cell phone. "There's more, though gates are already beginning to open, and I believe Twilight is only a part of the picture-"

    Sunset was more wrapped up in Rarity's situation. "There's something happening at the Carousel Boutique."

    "Listen to me, Sunset-"

    "Rarity is in trouble, I need to go! We'll have to talk about this later."

    "Look, I-" Celestia cut herself off suddenly, saying something quiet under her breath that Sunset didn't quite catch. "Fine. Just... don't let Twilight get the amulet."

    "Got it."

    Sunset hung up, and grabbed a handful of lollipops before heading to the door. At the foot of the coat rack, she stepped into a pair of black leather boots that came up halfway to her knees, and produced a pair of keys from one of her coat's outside pockets, shoving the lollipops in their place. Off the rack, she put her yellow coat on in a single motion, holstering her gun in one of it's inside pockets, right across from a matching gun in the pocket opposite. With one, she was formidable, but her training emphasized the use of two guns together, and as such she was at her strongest using both of them.

    Slinging her sword over her shoulder by a strap on it's sheath, she opened the door. It was grey and cloudy outside, and the city streets were unusually quiet. Locking the door behind her, she made her way to the motorcycle she kept parked on the curb and got on it, speeding off down the street.
> 01- The Guardian Angel
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The sound of gunfire and police sirens several blocks away gave Sunset a sense of urgency. The police had a pretty quick response time in Canterlot City, they'd be there before she would. No cars were on the road today. Good thing, with the sky as cloudy as it was it was likely to rain soon. Sunset needed as little interruptions to her driving as possible.

    Out of the corner of her eye, she caught movement on the rooftops to her right. It was big, the way it moved reminding her of a wild animal chasing something. Chasing her. She could've sworn she could hear a rhythmic thumping accompanying it's movement, but it was hard to make out over the rumble of her motorcycle. She quickly glanced over her shoulder, spending a small amount of her demonic power to slow time long enough for her to get a good look. Her Demon Reflex, as she called it, allowed her to slow the flow of time around her, and let her still act at a normal speed if she so wished. 

    When she looked, though, nothing was there. Whatever it was had seemingly disappeared.

    She made a mental note that she was likely being followed.

    She neared an intersection, and seeing that the light was about to change she sped up. As she crossed it, however, something suddenly cut across in front of her, missing her by mere inches. Time slowed for her again, but more as an involuntary reaction this time. Rather than resume time and let it pass at normal speed, her attention was fixed on the motorcycle she nearly collided with.

    Unlike her own black and chrome chopper bike, this one was a streamlined sportbike, with a blue and white paint job. A single mark on the back indicated it belonged to Canterlot City's police department, and the navy blue, armored uniform its rider wore did seem to indicate they were an officer of some sort. The patch on their shoulder wasn't one of the CCPD though, instead it had imagery of a pair of gold and white wings wrapped around five letters: SRAPH. An acronym, but not one she knew. They wore a helmet, and no other features were easily identifiable on them. Something told her they were both headed to the same place.

    She continued forward, not breaking momentum. She was certain this person, whoever they were, didn't seem to notice her as they continued without any disruption as well.

    There were more gunshots and police sirens in the distance. Hopefully she'd make it in time.

-----

    "This is Police Sergeant Colt broadcasting on all channels, we need backup near the intersection of Ivory and 5th, multiple monster threats are present!"

    "This is Seraph Agent Flash Sentry," came the radio response, "I'm on my way to provide assistance, over."

    A small scale monster threat had been reported in Downtown Canterlot. In most cases, the police alone would not be enough to take care of it, so a specialist was deployed to take action. That specialist's name was Flash Sentry, and he raced down the road on a police cycle given to him by the local department.

    "Copy that, Agent Sentry," The police sergeant's voice seemed quite distressed. "What's your ETA?"

    "I'm on Parsley Street at the moment, I'll be there in two minutes, tops. Over." Though Flash sounded calm, he was also quite tense. As a member of the Supernatural Response and Protection of Humanity agency, he was often expected to work alone. His three years as a police officer prior to joining had given time to become proficient in containing situations, and he scored perfectly in tests of strength, awareness, ability, and even driving in extreme conditions, but all of his training had been in the context of operating in a team. 

    He had attended Canterlot High, a school infamous for its interaction with the demon realm, though despite what his bosses at SRAPH believed, he didn't have a lot of experience dealing with them. He had seen a lot of them, yes, but others who were more magical than himself dealt with them. By joining SRAPH, he hoped to change that.

    Though lonely, Flash figured it would be best if he worked on his own anyway. His first and last mission working with other SRAPH agents left them all killed by demons and him to barely escape with his life. Though his survival impressed the agency's higher-ups, he was only 23- far younger than he would've liked to experience something that traumatizing. Still, he pulled himself through, so that nobody else would ever have to suffer such losses so long as he was there.

    Flash shifted his body to the side and slowed, bringing the bike into a turn on 5th Street. Up ahead he could see where the police were blocking the way and squeezed his bike's throttle a little more.

    'Small scale incident' was what he'd been told, but as he pulled up to the intersection of Ivory and 5th where the police cruisers were blocking the way, he saw more than a dozen police officers shooting it out with twice as many creatures, appearing to be animated, faceless mannequins, with blades fixed to their hands. They were spread out in the street, backing the police force against their barricade as they came forward at a hurried walking pace. The standard police pistols didn't seem to affect them, but one of the officers firing a shotgun at the oncoming mob seemed to be getting more work done. By the way he was pointing and directing the other officers, Flash assumed him to be the sergeant. 

Flash parked his bike, and removed his helmet, allowing his soft blue hair to retake its natural shape. Though he had to keep it cut short, it still held a natural upward spike to it. He left the helmet on the bike handle, and drew his weapon as he moved in past the police cars. 

    His handgun, dubbed the Spectre 50, was a bit larger than an average officer's, firing higher caliber rounds that proved to be more effective against monsters in SRAPH test scenarios. He kept the weapon pointed towards the ground as he approached, the standard safety carry he'd been trained. 

    "Sergeant Colt?" Flash addressed the police sergeant as he moved in behind him. 

    Colt fired his weapon, and looked back at Flash. Colt was much older than Flash, his balding head and greying hair showing signs of age, maybe premature aging, but the combo of sunglasses and mustache he kept made him looking both respectable and intimidating nonetheless. 

    "You the Seraph Agent?" He asked, his gruff voice matching the voice on the radio.

    "Yes," Flash nodded. "Agent Sentry. What's the situation?"

    "We've got a bunch of these mannequin monsters coming out of the street by Carousel Boutique down there."

    "Carousel Boutique..." Flash recognized the name, realising that one of his friends from high school might be in trouble. "That's Rarity's shop!"

    "Rarity?" Colt pumped his shotgun back, then forward, taking another shot.

    "I went to school with her."

    "Heh," Despite the danger, Colt seemed quite laid back. "Childhood sweetheart or something?"

    "No, no, nothing like that," Flash shook his head, and kicked himself internally. This was an official mission, he needed to not get distracted. "What's your plan of action?"

    "I thought you Seraph guys were the ones with the plan."

    "Right," Flash looked at the oncoming monsters. SRAPH would categorize these as Minor Demons, as they acted in a group and none of them seemed to be calling any shots. They were made of some magical substance, resistant to bullets despite appearing as normal material. They weren't fast, but they didn't care at all about a few bullet holes. It seemed they needed a lot of bullet holes to be stopped, or big ones at the very least.

    Flash gave them a name as he analyzed them: Blade Mannequin.

    The police were holding them back, but they would eventually run out of bullets. Flash knew they'd have to be fast. "We'll have to push through to the boutique. I bet there's a bigger demon in charge somewhere inside."

    "What?" Colt asked. "We can hardly handle these ones, how are we supposed to fight a big one?"

    "Leave that to me, just back me up."

    Flash brought his gun up, and lined up his sights with an oncoming monster. Pulling the trigger, he found his weapon was powerful enough to take a chunk off it, causing its chest to explode and crack like stone would. It stumbled back, and another one ran in front of it. Flash readjusted his sights, firing at the other one and stumbling it as well, and then finishing them both off, each taking one more shot before collapsing. 

    Around him, some of the other officers were starting to get overrun. Their weapons weren't as effective as Flash’s or Colt's. One officer was knocked to the ground, but as the demon brought both of its bladed hands back to finish him off it was blown to pieces by Colt's shotgun. He ran over and helped the other officer back up, calling for the others to fall back.

    Flash wouldn't be able to join them; he had a Mannequin right in front of him. It took a shot from the Spectre, but was swinging its arm around before Flash could let another shot off. In his off hand, Flash drew a combat knife from a sheath on his chest and parried the blade arm as it came around. In the same movement, he dragged the knife across the Mannequin's upper arm, finding it to be wholly ineffective. 

    That was fine, Flash just wedged the knife into the demon's shoulder joint, raised its arm up and crossed under it, firing his gun off point blank into its back, then the back of its head, bringing it down in the two swift motions. His whole body shook, adrenaline surging through him as he performed the maneuver. He spun to the side just in time to dodge another one behind him, locking its arm with his knife again as he finished it with his gun. 

    Behind him, the police squad took aim, but most of the Mannequins were going for Flash. They wouldn't shoot into the melee in fear of hitting him.

    More kept coming at him, and he took them down, though not with ease or grace, as their blades came much too close for his comfort. His blocks were getting sloppier and his gun was soon vacant of bullets. His specialized hand-to-hand techniques, all centered around disabling opponents via pressure points, were useless here as these Mannequins apparently didn't have soft spots to exploit. A side kick to the chest was enough to stumble the closest one long enough for Flash to slip away and rejoin the police squad. 

    Their numbers hadn't been thinned, and he couldn't sustain that kind of intense combat for long periods of time. Unless they changed their tactics they weren't going to get anywhere. The police formed their defensive line and began firing again, but Flash looked around for something else, something that might give them some kind of advantage. He attention turned to one of the police cruisers behind him, and an idea began to form.

    It wouldn't come to be seen, unfortunately, as his thoughts were distracted by the sound of a roaring engine and something shooting down the street towards them. Ramping off the hood of the police cruisers was a black and chrome chopper, its rider one that Flash immediately recognized. It was his ex from high school. The one he had always watched fight demons.

    "Sunset?"

    Both her red hair and yellow leather coat flowed freely behind her as she passed over him, both hands off of the handlebars as she drew a pair of oversized handguns and pointed them in opposite directions, moving almost too fast for him to see as she began blowing the demons away in a whirlwind of bullets, bringing the bike to a stop near the Boutique's generously sized parking spaces.

    Hopping off of the bike, she rolled, bringing both guns up towards the remaining demons in front of the officers.

    "Everybody get down!" She shouted, and as she began firing, the squad of police officers all threw themselves to the floor without question. Flash, only bringing himself to a crouched position, looked up, and watched as more monsters began to pour out of the Boutique's entrance as she mopped up the last few demons near the police officers. 

    "Behind you!" Flash shouted, her expression changing to surprised for a split second before dodging out of the way of one of the monsters, narrowly avoiding its strike. He hadn't seen her hands move, but Sunset now was holding a sword, which she wielded masterfully against the monsters as they began to surround her.

    She blocked attacks from all directions at once, while somehow still delivering attacks of her own.

    "What the hell is she?" Flash heard Colt ask.

    "Really good at killing demons," Flash replied. "I'm going in to help her, you stay back and make sure none slip by us."

    "Alright..." Colt let out a sigh, then raised his voice as he addressed his squad. "You heard him, ladies and gentlemen, let's get this perimeter reformed!"

    Flash ran to Sunset's mosh pit of blades, watching as she made quick work of most of the demons by the time he got there. He took shots at one as Sunset turned to slice through another, her sword shattering them in the same manner his gun did. The last one, she cut through the neck, holding it there at the tip of her blade as it struggled against it. Flash watched as she just held it there, keeping the demon from going anywhere, but not finishing it off. After a few moments, she looked over to Flash.

    "Well? Do you want the last one or not?" she asked.

    "What?"

    She rolled her eyes, and drew one of her pistols, shooting the demon's head and turning it into a rubble-like rain on the ground next to it.

    "Is that really you, Sunset?" Flash asked. He hadn't seen or heard from Sunset since they graduated. He could only guess as to what she had been up to.

    "Do you know some other half-demon chick with a huge sword?" Sunset let a cool smile show through, one hand on her hip as she let her weapon rest over her shoulder.

    "We can catch up later, right now we need to get this situation under control." Flash turned his attention to the boutique's entrance. Now that he was closer, he could see a strange white glow coming from beneath the doors. 

    Sunset's smile faded. "Do you even know what's going on here?"

    "Something bad," Flash said, with much certainty.

    "Mmh," She nodded. "You should probably let me handle this."

    "What? I'm on official business here, I can't just leave!"

    Sunset's eyebrows raised, as she noticed the patch on his shoulder. It was the same one she saw before at the intersection. 

    "Oh? I guess you are. Congrats, by the way. You're making it further than I am..." She walked towards the door, putting a hand on its handle. "At least let me go in first."

    Flash tilted his head. "Why?"

    Sunset brought her sword back down, and tapped its edge. "You don't want to be in front of me while I'm swinging this thing."

    "After you, then."

-----

    The doors leading into the shop had some kind of light screen, and walking through it led to a place that simply wasn't Carousel Boutique. At least, it wasn't the same Carousel Boutique that Sunset remembered. The first noticeable feature of their surroundings was the lack of color. Everything was a black void, their surroundings only identifiable through the outlines of the room around them. Strangely intricate formal wear was set up on clothing racks and shelves, with infinite fractal designs sewn into them, something that hurt Sunset's eyes if she looked for too long. Other tables were empty, but seemed like they should've held a display as well. 

    Overall, the room had the general shape of the boutique's main floor, but everything was positioned differently, including doors, walls, and...

    In front of them, standing guard in front of a door behind a counter, were two Mannequins resembling the ones seen outside, but were twice as tall and wore flowing white dresses. Just like the others, their arms ended in long, straight blades, but they kept them crossed in front of their chests, not responding to them as they entered.

    "What is this?" Flash looked around. 

    "A pocket dimension in the demon world." Sunset said. She approached the dressed mannequins with sword slung over her shoulder, inspecting them without getting too close. "I've seen this happen before, when Twilight's Inner Demon manifested for the first time."

    Flash recalled the event, remembering portals to other, stranger worlds being opened around the school. He tried to not think about the strangeness of it all, instead pondering how it might've came to be.

    "Do you think Rarity's demon manifested?" Flash asked. Having to fight one of their friends wasn't something he had prepared to do today, but he mentally braced himself for that possibility.

    "I hope not," she said, sounding just as displeased with the thought. 

    Flash took a few steps towards the mannequins, taking a closer look at the small blue gems around the edge of their dresses. These weren't Boss Demons, but they'd certainly be more formidable than their smaller counterparts.

    In his head, he gave them a name as well: Elite Blade Mannequin.

    "These things seem like they'd come out of the mind of a dressmaker."

    He was right, but why would her demon manifest now of all times? In both Sunset's and Twilight's cases they had been in such extreme mental pressure and desperation that their demons manifested almost out of necessity, needing relief in form of violent outburst. Though busy days running her shop may be hectic, they wouldn't create enough stress to push Rarity to that point, would they? 

    "You're not wrong."

    The only way forward was through the door, and as Sunset neared the door, its two guardians came to life. Flash jumped back, but Sunset already had her sword up, blocking their initial swipes as they both took swings at her. Behind her she heard Flash's gun going off, and saw small, corresponding dents being made in the demons. She'd have to keep them away from him, she knew he wouldn't be able to sustain a direct hit.

    Flash circled to the side, getting an angle on the demon to the left so that Sunset wouldn't be directly in his line of fire. As he landed shots on its head, it turned towards him momentarily, only to have Sunset put a cut on its shoulder, tearing the dress and recapturing its attention. Just in time, too, as Flash had just fired his last shot. In an almost mechanically precise movement, he let the empty magazine fall from his weapon, replacing it with a new one the moment it cleared the magazine well. 

    Sunset slashed against both of the demons furiously, but her weapon's edge did minimal damage. Its mass and weight did more than anything, as each swing chipped away at the Mannequin's stony exterior. One dragged its blades on the ground, circling in front of it and sweeping at Sunset's feet. It received a staggering blow to the head as Sunset jumped over it, and landed on one of the tables just behind her, but the other demon put its arm blades beneath the tabletop, and flipped it up and backwards, Sunset still on it.

    She let out a uncontrolled shout as she spun, her back striking and cracking the wall behind her, and the table smashing against her front and breaking apart. Several splinters dug into her face and hands. They made her skin itch, but she was too busy pulling herself from the wall to remove them.

    Both of the demons now turned their attentions to Flash, one running up on him quickly and raising an arm back to strike him. Fear shot through him, but his well trained reflexes took over, and he ran beneath the demon's arm, firing his weapon into the back of its head as he went. Over and over again, he pulled the trigger, until its head shattered and turned to dust, sending its body falling backwards onto the ground. As it fell, he saw Sunset, sitting up against the wall across from him with one of her guns outstretched, its barrel smoking.

    "Good job," she said, getting back to her feet. "You got her!"

    His expression shifted to confusion. Did she fire the killing shot? He couldn't tell if she was patronizing him or supporting him.

    "Hey! Stay focused!" To his side, the other demon was bearing down on him. Still focused, Flash raised his weapon to fire again, it only gave the clack of an empty magazine. He had miscounted his shots.

    Fear overtook his training. The monster was two steps away from taking his head, and he needed to move. All he could manage was a weak dive to the side, but that put him on his stomach and facing away from the threat. Rolling onto his back, he saw the Mannequin slicing a long rack of clothes in half, a rack that could've just as easily been him. As his eyes widened and his breathing quickened, he found his trembling hands inadequate to reload his weapon. Luckily, Sunset was there with him.

    A shorter, wheeled rack of dresses abruptly crashed into the demon, pushing it back a few feet, but failed to knock it over. Sunset followed the rack, jumping on it and swinging her sword in an upward arc, launching the huge demon into the air as she made impact. She jumped again to follow it, appearing above it before it even began to fall back down, and matched her upward cut with a downward one. With the demon already flying up, the force of Sunset's opposite cut was amplified, and with a perfect 90 degree cut she sliced right through what gave her trouble before. She landed just as the dismembered demon pieces faded into a shadow cloud, dresses and all.

    Flash felt his fear subsiding, but as he let his head meet the floor at his back it was replaced with a mixture of disappointment and embarrassment. Said embarrassment was doubled as Sunset held her hand out, offering to help him up.

    "I had that first one, you know." He took her hand, and she nodded as she helped him to his feet.

    "Yeah, those were good shots." Her tone was genuine, but it didn't make the feeling go away. "I'm surprised that gun did anything to them, honestly."

    "Seraph Command knows what works and what doesn't."

    "Do they have any magical stuff to give you guys?"

    "Uh, well..." Flash stuttered. The SRAPH higher-ups frowned on the use of magic, due to its unstable nature, but more importantly they didn't understand it well enough to use it practically. It didn't help that they rejected help from groups of magic users that offered it to them. "We don't need magical stuff."

    "Uh-huh." Sunset didn't seem convinced, but didn't question further. "If you ever want to use one of mine, all you gotta do is ask."

    "No, this one works for me." Flash took a calming breath, and finally managed to put a new magazine in his weapon.

    "Neither of mine need to be reloaded."

    He held up his hand, shaking his head. "It's fine, really."

    Sunset shrugged. "Suit yourself. Let's go, then."

    Beyond the door the Mannequins guarded was what Sunset assumed to be the alternate version of Rarity's work room. A table with fabric and needles was up against one wall, and across from that was a regular, non-demonic mannequin. In front of them, on an area elevated by a few short steps, a woman in an elegant, dark blue dress stood away, facing a mirror. The dress had dozens of tiny diamonds across its flowing length, reminding Sunset of the night sky. The woman's hair was long, curled, and impossibly vibrant, glistening in a deep purple color.

    She said nothing, seemingly lost in her own reflection.

    "Rarity?" Flash took a step towards her, but Sunset held her arm out, stopping him. He glanced to her, and saw her shaking her head discouragingly.

    The woman turned her head, a set of piercing blue eyes with vertically slit pupils glaring back at them. The skin on her face was deathly pale, blackened veins showing through it, and she bared a set of sharp, fanged teeth. A power radiated from her, one that Flash recognized immediately. She was the source of this, she was indeed a Boss demon.

    "Not Rarity," Sunset said. "Her Inner Demon- A demon of Vanity."

    "How rude!" The demon's eyes became angered, and her tone was stained with an odd echo. It was Rarity's voice, mixed with a scraping demonic voice, and it sounded quite different speaking in such a sinister tone. "This area is off limits to customers!"

    The demon turned, her dress flowing around her as she did. Sunset took steps to the side of the room, moving towards its center.

    "Yeah, well, there was no service out there!" Sunset said. She was smiling, to Flash's confusion. "Who owns this place, anyway? Looks like a trash dump, haven't seen a single good dress in here."

    "I- Wha-" The demon's anger was interrupted by a moment of surprise before returning in full. "You dare mock my skill? My dresswork is the finest in all of creation!"

    "Hate to break it to you, but regular Rarity could make a dress ten times prettier than you could." Sunset was enjoying this exchange, complete contrast with Flash's growing concern over the demon's anger.

    "And what would you know of fashion?!" The demon moved closer to her, challengingly, nodding towards Sunset's clothes. "Look at that ragged old coat, and in such a garish color- bright yellow, ugh, that looks terrible on you!"

    "Hey, it compliments my hair!"

    The demon opened her hands up, and in a flash of white light, materialized a set of eight oversized sewing pins in them. Their tips were razor sharp, and each had a white diamond on the end. 

    "I think you'd look better in a bloody red!" The demon tossed the pins straight at her in a tight spread, but they only came close enough to brush her as she jumped, twirling in the air and perfectly dodging each of them. Behind her, they embedded themselves in the wall and exploded. Landing on her feet and readying her sword, she shot the demon a challenging grin.

    "You missed," Sunset said, "Think you might want to take my measurements first?"

    Another flash of light, and Rarity's demon was now holding a huge sewing needle, at least 4 feet long, with a thick length of thread tied around its end. She held it by its eye, pointing it towards Sunset the same way one would a sword.

    "Not necessary, darling. I'll cut it down after I'm finished!"

    Flash raised his weapon, but saw the demon's open hand point towards him, and a set of pins were suddenly being cast his way. Sunset was in front of him faster than he could process, deflecting the pins with her sword, and he fired off two shots as he moved out from behind her. The demon raised her hand, summoning a small shield of a diamond-like substance to appear before her to block the bullets. Right after it disappeared Sunset dashed forward, thrusting her sword out as far as she could reach, but the demon seemed to float backwards, just out of Sunset's attack, responding with a needle thrust of her own.

    Sidestepping with less breathing room than she hoped, Sunset tried to swipe across, stepping into the strike more, but the demon swiftly and smoothly floated away again. Flash adjusted his position, nearing the work tables and lining up shots with where he thought Rarity's demon might move to next. He found that no matter how accurate he was, the demon was always ready with her shield. 

    More pins materialized, and he kicked the nearest work table over and dove behind it, the pins piercing through it and coming to rest inches from digging into his face. They glowed white, and a soft ringing became audible. Flash frantically rolled away moments before the pins exploded, sending bits of the table in all directions. Coming back up he saw Sunset still chasing the demon around the room with her sword, not making any progress on her.

    "Sunset!" He called to her, kneeling behind his cover and taking another shot. "Use your guns!"

    Sunset jumped back, evading another thrust and drawing her pistols. The demon projected her shield to defend against Sunset's shots, but Flash firing from a different direction forced her to take immediate evasive movements. Sunset found herself facing down another volley of sewing pins, and dodging them required her full attention. 

    With Sunset occupied, the demon whipped around and threw her needle at Flash, who only barely sidestepped the sudden strike. Her shield went up in Sunset's direction as she recovered from her dodge, and Flash realised he had an opening. The demon's hand curled around the length of thread in her hand, still tied around the needle, and pulled her weapon back to her. If he was going to get a hit in, now was the time, but his gun was empty- he had been counting his shots this time.

    Without thinking twice, he pulled his knife out from its sheath and tossed it with a well practiced flick of his arm. The next moment, to Flash's amazement, his knife was sticking through the demon's hand. He actually did it! She recoiled, letting out a high pitched shriek as she failed to catch her returning weapon and it dropped to the floor beneath her. 

    It wasn't enough to bring her down, but it stunned her long enough for Sunset to dash forward and impale the demon on her blade. All action stopped, and Sunset just stared at the demon as she pulled her weapon back. The demon stared back for a long moment before letting out a short, pained gasp.

    "For the record..." Sunset began, drawing one her pistols and putting it right against the demon's face. "I think my coat is pretty stylish."

    The demon didn't have a chance to respond as she was blasted onto her back. Arms and legs spread, she closed her eyes, a defeated groan escaping her lips as her head tilted to one side. She slowly reverted back to her normal form as an average girl in a beige dress, completely unharmed and unconscious. The knife that once pierced her hand fell, and was now several feet away from her. Around them both, the room started to flicker, the reality distortion fading as everything returned to normal, and they were left standing in a non-destroyed version of Rarity's work room. 

    They were in the normal world again.

    Sunset gave a tired sigh. "Well, I'd say that was fun, but actually I just shot my friend in the face and I don't know how to feel about that."

    Flash looked down at Rarity. Indeed, there was not a scratch on her. "She's okay, though."

    "Damage to a pure demon form is superficial," Sunset said. "If you're overshadowed, your body gets released as it was. Still, it was her face, and I did shoot it."

    "It wasn't her, though."

    "Eh." Sunset tried not to think about it too hard. Wanting a change of subject, she looked down at Flash's knife, kicking it up to her hand and offering it to him. "That was a good throw, by the way."

    The compliment took him off guard. Was that sarcasm, or was she actually complimenting him? 

    "I- uh..." He resheathed the knife, breaking eye contact with Sunset as he searched for a response that sounded cool. "Thanks."

    Behind her, a sphere of white and black energy rose from Rarity's body. Flash's hand rose, a single finger extended in its direction, prompting Sunset to look over her shoulder. She saw the orb, but her attention was stolen by something moving quickly behind it.

    A creature was standing in the corner, presumably it had been waiting there the whole time for reality to restore itself. It was a light purple color, made of a smooth metal with scratches here and there across its body. Its head was angled, tapering into a pointed nose with a long jaw running beneath it. Two glassy black spots on its face were in the place of any eyes. The mouth formed here wasn't filled with teeth, but instead had the same smoothness as the rest of its head. All of this was at the front of a long body with four clawed feet beneath it, on powerful legs, and a jointed tail running from its back. Along its spine were several sections where its plating angled upward, creating a row of sharp spikes all accented in faded green, matching its shoulders and underside. 

    It was a huge, robotic canine, and its sights were focused on Rarity. 

    Before Flash or Sunset could really register what it was, it jumped forward. With a circular device that opened up like a hand mirror held in its tail, it began to extract the shadowy energy from Rarity's body.

    "Hey, what are you doing?" Sunset asked, an aggressive tone in her voice as she approached the mechanical hound.

    It spoke, but not in reply to her. Its voice had a high, synthesized scratchiness to it, but its tone was deeper, and it seemed well articulated despite speaking in terms of commands.

    "Magic extraction: Completed." Noticing Sunset was now pointing her sword at it, the dog backed away, exchanging the magic-capturing device for a short, single-edged blade that it kept concealed in its body. It held the weapon high over its head with its tail, carefully backing away.

    "You took her magic?" Flash asked, moving towards the room's entrance while keeping his gun level with the new threat. "How?"

    "I don't answer to you..." The dog said, its head tilting, watching both Flash and Sunset, who prepared for it to make a move.

    Behind Sunset, not present in the room in the demon world, was a window leading outside to the alley behind the Boutique. The mechanical dog threw itself towards it, its blade crackling with energy as it swung around at Sunset. She parried the strike, landing a clean counterattack as the dog ran past her, cutting into its side, but not stopping its momentum. The dog crashed through the window, shattering it, and made a run down the alleyway. 

    Sunset followed, jumping through the window and drawing one of her pistols, firing as the dog dug its claws into the side of a taller building and climbed up it at a running pace.

    Flash made it out the window just in time to watch Sunset turning the corner at the end of the alley and running down the street.

    "Sunset, wait up!" Flash chased after her. Soon enough, they were both outside the front of the boutique again, watching the dog run off across the rooftops.

    "Sunset!" Flash called again as she hopped back on her motorcycle. She gave him only a momentary glance.

    "I can't let that thing get away, Flash."

    Flash let out a frustrated sigh. "I want to know what's going on here. I want to help."

    "You're just gonna get in my way. Let me do my thing."

    Sunset took off down the street in the same direction the hound went, leaving Flash feeling confused, but not discouraged. After all, he had a job to do.
> 02- The Dark Disciple
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

    "It's over, Pinkie!"

    At the intersection of Eighth and Sage Street, a woman in a long, lavender coat wielding a katana sword faced off against a giant, three story tall demon taking the form a black, scaled lizard. With four legs, a massive tail, a grinning mouth full of disturbingly human teeth and a split tongue hanging from it, she looked to be more than a match for the average looking woman. Atop the monster's head was a mess of flat, stringy pink hair, contrasting the woman's neatly pulled back violet ponytail. A single pink highlight did streak through her bangs, which fell just before her thick-rimmed, squared glasses, adjusting the vision of a pair of similarly violet eyes.

    There were several blocks of destroyed buildings leading to the two of them, a written report of the mayhem taking place. Knocked over light posts and cratered pavement was crowned by a burning bakery three blocks away, the site where this battle began. Police and Fire Rescue teams moved in, while heavily armored SWAT units were deployed a block away. They assessed the monster, but didn't dare get too close.

    Where there wasn't the sound of the monster's claws or tail smashing against something, there were sirens, a familiar sound that day.

    "Oh, Twilight..." The monster said, in a light, yet growly voice. Her tone was a disturbing combination of threatening and sing-songy. "This party can't be over, I haven't finished my meal yet..."

    The monster swept a claw at Twilight. She jumped backwards and drew a handgun from inside of her coat. It had a large, smooth frame, with several cables running from the back to the barrel. It fired in a rapid stream of blue streaks, the bullets coming out of it burning on impact with the monster she called Pinkie.

    "Ah! Those sting! Stop that!" The monster covered her face with a claw, reaching behind her and gripping firmly around a stoplight post. With a mighty pull, she ripped it out of the ground and swung it down towards Twilight like a crude club.

    Instead of jumping again, Twilight holstered her gun and put both hands on her blade, one on the grip and one at the end, planting her feet and holding a strong block against the stoplight post above her head. It crashed loudly against her blade, and the metallic, high-tech boots she wore dug into the ground. Twilight shifted her weight, and sliced across, sliding her thumb across a switch on the handle of her weapon. Just like her bullets, her blade crackled with a blue energy, vibrating at an extremely high frequency and heating up until it sliced straight through the thick metal.

    Drawing her gun again, Twilight peppered the demon's face with bullets as she ran up the severed end of the pole, narrowly avoiding her claw as it came up to grab her. She jumped, and used the raised appendage as a spot to kick off, leaping through the air and landing on the demon's snout. She immediately drove her sword down into the monster's head, only piercing the surface of her thick scales, before being quickly knocked off as the demon recoiled. She tumbled as she dropped to the ground, but righted herself mid-fall and landed on both feet in a wide stance. 

    Twilight looked up. Her sword was still embedded in the demon's forehead.

    With one gun still in hand, she drew a second one from her opposite side, and raised them both. The demon swept across with what remained of her stoplight pole, and Twilight cartwheeled over it, both guns firing while airborne. The pole crashed into a building corner, knocking pieces of it off in jagged bits. Part of the second story wall was exposed, with enough cracks for Twilight to run up part of the wall and pull herself up into the building. 

    She heard the demon speak again in her eery, chipper tone.

    "Smile!" Looking down on Twilight, the demon opened her mouth, and inside it a ball of light formed just above the center of her tongue. Twilight ducked just before a huge, pink beam of energy put a hole down through the building at an angle. Twilight felt the heat from the beam as it passed her, melting through the second floor and continuing on into the first floor of the building adjacent. Strangely, there were bits of sprinkles falling from the burnt holes where ashes should've been, and instead of smoke they smelled of burnt bread.

    As soon as it subsided Twilight pointed both guns at the ceiling, firing them in a perfect circle until the bullet holes made a perforated ring above her. A single kick to the center of ring and Twilight had a opening to jump through to the next floor, just in time to miss the demon's pole crashing through each floor, leaving an open tear on the building, and every story exposed. She saw the demon charging up another beam as she landed, and turned to fire her guns into the demon's open mouth. The demon gagged and coughed, the beam dispersing as she looked to the side and spit out the spent lead. 

    "Ack!" The demon grumbled, and watched Twilight as she jumped through the new hole in the building, landing just a bit above her on the building's roof.

    "Try that again if you want more!" Twilight challenged, keeping her guns pointed in the demon's direction as she looked almost eye to eye with her.

    "No! Bullets are not tasty!" The demon jabbed her pole at Twilight again, but aimed low, the metal breaking the brick wall at an upward angle and further breaking the roof at Twilight's feet. She put her guns away and vaulted over the edge of the roof. Twilight pressed her metal boots together, and in a flash of bright blue light a metal hoverboard materialized. Digitally stored in her boots, and no bigger than a long skateboard, it could be summoned anywhere there was room, and easily glided over any terrain. The bottoms of her boots magnetically stuck to the board as she placed them in their proper position.

    As the pole was removed from the building, Twilight landed and grinded along it, a neon trail following her board as she raced towards the demon. She kicked off as the demon brought the back end of the pole up, launching her high into the air.

    Twilight's feet left the board, and it disappeared in another flash as she landed right back on the demon's head. She slipped, almost falling again, only a moment of tension gripping her before she caught herself, taking her sword in both hands and dragging it down, energizing it and using her momentum to slice all the way through the demon's back. Now in control of her fall, Twilight ramped off of the demon's tail as it flicked upwards, completing the cut as she landed far behind her in a forward roll.

    Coming up to a kneel, Twilight slowly brought her blade into its sheath around her belt and following that, the demon split apart into two clean pieces that fell to either side. The demon then exploded into a cloud of shadowy smoke.

    When Twilight turned, she only found a normal girl with straight, pink hair lying unconscious in the middle of the street where the monster once was, without a scratch on her. This girl was once her friend, Pinkie Pie, lover of all things sweet and fun. Twilight was likely sacrificing what friendship they had, but hopefully, she'd understand once this was all over. She needed the magic of her Inner Demon, it was the only way she could save her from what was coming.

    "Twilight!" A synthesized voice called out from the rooftop across the street. It was the robotic hound she sent to capture Rarity's Inner Demon. It jumped from the roof, landing right in front of her. She took the circular magic capturing device from its tail.

    "Thank you, Spike," Twilight said, petting him, and receiving a nuzzle on her hand, the same way a normal dog would've. "Good boy."

    "Do you have Pinkie Pie's magic yet?" Spike asked.

    "Not yet..."

    Twilight looked to the orb of black and pink energy forming above Pinkie's body. It was a good distance away, as she was in the center of the intersection, but nothing Twilight couldn't reach by walking. Before she could, she heard a rumble from behind her, down the street. She turned to look as Spike became alert and backed up cautiously.

    Coming straight for her, riding down the ruined street on her motorcycle was Sunset Shimmer, her sword held out to the side and lined up with Twilight's head.

    "Twilight!"

    Twilight's Demon Reflex kicked in as she leaned back, Sunset's blade only a millimeter over her nose as she passed. She caught her balance and turned, drawing one of her guns and firing three shots at Sunset. Still passing by her, Sunset spun her sword around, deflecting the shots as she pulled the bike into a slide. Her foot dragged against the ground as she brought the bike to a stop, kicking up a trail of dust as she did so. 

    "Sunset." Twilight stared her down, putting her weapon away as she took several steps closer. "What a way to greet someone you haven't seen in a while."

    Sunset looked to Twilight, then behind her, to where Pinkie lay. Though the sight of her friend like this infuriated her, she suppressed it with a cool tone. "So, turning our friends into demons, huh?"

    "It's out of my control now, this is the only way I can save them."

    "Save them?" Sunset looked around her. The street had impact craters in it here and there, and more than a few buildings had sustained damage. "They're hurting people. Destroying the city."

    "They're all going to trigger off sooner or later, anyway. Better to do it when I can contain them."

    "It's a neat trick, I'll give you that much. I didn't know that it was possible. Forcing someone's demon out like that..."

    Twilight looked a bit disheartened as she heard those words. There was a hint of desperation in her tone. "It's not me doing it. But still, I need their power, it's the only way to stop all of this."

    "Celestia already told me what you're trying to do, Twilight. I can't let you open the gate to the demon realm."

    "She doesn't know anything..." Twilight scowled at mention of the name. "She didn't listen to me when I tried to warn her."

    Sunset said nothing in response, but raised an eyebrow.

    "The gate is already opening, Sunset," Twilight continued. "It was always going to open, but this is the only way I can stop what's coming behind it."

    "Oh?" Sunset smirked, "And what makes you so qualified, Miss High and Mighty?"

    "It's up to me. I'm Celestia's most gifted student."

    "Most gifted student?" Sunset pressed the tip of her sword against the ground, balancing herself as she leaned off of her bike. "I've got an amulet and a 1-0 record that says otherwise."

    "I have more control over my power than ever before..." Twilight held the magic-capturing device close to her chest, pressing a button on the side of it. It flipped open. Sunset recognized it, Twilight used the same device to detect and capture magic when they first met. And just like before, it released the captured magic back into her, causing her to radiate with a dark purple glow for a moment. Closing the device, she hooked it on a chain she wore around her neck, and tucked it beneath her shirt. 

    She then held out her hand, and in it, she materialized a long, slender object. It was the weapon Rarity's demon wielded- a huge sewing needle, with a length of thread hanging from it's end.

    "...and I'm much stronger than you."

    "What a claim..." Sunset gave a cocky smile, "How about we have our rematch, then?"

    Twilight took a fighting stance, holding her new weapon out and prompting Sunset to turn her bike forward and mirror the action with her sword.

    "Twilight, we shouldn't get distracted," Spike said, approaching her as the two kept their eyes locked. "We really need to continue forward."

    "No, Spike," Twilight said, now a focused look in her eye, "It is time for our rematch."

    "This isn't necessary, Twilight." Spike said. "You're just gonna get yourself hurt."

    Spike, the last time Sunset saw him, was much smaller, as he was originally made to resemble a puppy. Eventually, he was given a voice module and a more intelligent AI system. He could speak, and think, and feel, and learn.

    Twilight had obviously upgraded him further since they last met. His body shape more resembled a huge wolf, with smooth, angular armor plating and sharp edges everywhere on him. The weapon holstered on his back was new too, but she figured he'd be used for combat if Twilight still had interests in the demon world.

    "If I can get the amulet now," Twilight said, "It'll make things easier in the long run."

    "We don't need the amulet though-"

    "I need it!" Her head turned, anger now being cast in his direction. He shrunk away, nodding a fearful compliance. "This is between us, Spike, so back off!"

    "Just... calm down..." Spike nervously replied. He was quite expressive for being an AI. Twilight's work was impressive. "You don't want to fight while angry..."

    Looking back to Sunset, Twilight gave her a nod, closing her eyes for a moment and calming herself. "You're right, Spike. Besides, we can't leave yet, we need to get Pinkie's magic."

    Sunset glanced back at Pinkie and the energy floating above her body. Personal scores aside, she wasn't about to let Twilight get more magic.

    "Come on, then!" Sunset revved her bike's engine challengingly, and Spike retreated to the rooftops above them. "Let's rock!"

    "With pleasure."

-----

    "Agent Sentry! What the hell happened in there?"

    Sergeant Colt had Flash off over on the side in the aftermath of the battle at Carousel Boutique. His squad of police officers were securing the area now that the demon threat was over, and one was leading the store's owner out to them.

    "A lot," Flash replied.

    "While you were in there, another incident happened out on 8th Street. We heard reports of another monster, a big one," Colt said. "We were told to stay here though, and secure this place. They're deploying heavier units and calling for an evacuation of the city."

    Another monster? Flash blinked. This was turning into a lot for a first mission. "Alright. I need to get a report from Rarity before I leave."

    Colt nodded, and Flash went over to Rarity, who was very shaken by the entire experience. She eased up slightly seeing someone familiar.

    "Flash? Flash Sentry?" Rarity seemed to have not have expected to see him. 

    "Agent Flash Sentry," He replied, letting a faint, comforting smile show through as he pulled a notepad and pen out of a pouch on his back. "I work with a group that fights monsters, I need to ask you a few questions."

    Rarity nodded, and did her best to calm herself down. Not much was accomplished, though her rapid blinking did slow. "O-of course! Yes..."

    "What happened before the police arrived?"

    "There were..." Rarity stared at the space in front of her, her eyes passing through everything as she recounted the details. "Monsters... Horrible, horrible monsters outside! They were looking for me, coming for me... So I sent Sunset a message, surely she'd know what to do, dealing with these sorts of things- then I called the police..."

    "The monsters, they found you?" Flash quickly wrote down the important points of her story.

    "Yes..." Rarity shivered, and closed her eyes. "It was dreadful, I tell you, absolutely dreadful!"

    "What did they do to you?" Flash looked up to Rarity, maintaining eye contact as he continued his note taking.

    "The smaller ones surrounded me," she said, her voice shifting from fearful to resentful, "Handled me rather roughly. Lackeys, no doubt. As repulsive as they all were, I know a common type when I see one."

    "There was a bigger one, I'm guessing?"

    "Yes, she said nothing, but obviously was in charge..." Her voice shook again. "All I remember is her eyes, those terrifying, piercing green eyes..." Her whole body shook now, fear rushing back into her.

    Rarity's voice became an inaudible, hushed squeak, and she screwed her eyes shut again. She looked as if she was going to fall over. Flash held his hand up.

    "You don't have to go any further, Rarity. I think you've given a good enough picture."

    Her eyes shot open, urgency spreading across her face and mixing with her fear. "No, you don't understand, she reached out, and... and..." Immersed in the horror of her memory, she gasped, raising a hand to her forehead before she fainted, falling back towards the ground.

    "Woah!" Flash quickly caught her, and after a few moments of securing his hold around her, she opened her eyes. She stood, catching her breath, and tried to calm herself again. "That's... all I need from you." Flash said. "Thank you."

    "What happens now?" She asked, arms wrapping around herself.

    "The police will wrap things up here. There's reports of another monster, though, I need to deal with that. Stay safe."

    "Yes..." Rarity said, concerned, but still nodding her understanding. "You too."

    As he made his way back to his motorcycle, Sergeant Colt began to walk with him. He put his hand on his shoulder, getting his attention.

    "What is it, Sergeant?"

    Colt suddenly was holding his shotgun in front of Flash, motioning for him to take it.

    "Take some more firepower with you, son."

    Flash nodded, and accepted the weapon, as well as a handful of shells that Colt also gave him. It went over his back by its strap, and the shells went in the pouch on his back.

    "You sure you won't need it?" Flash asked.

    "Things are wrapped up here. You need it more than we do."

    "Well... thanks." 

    Flash mounted his motorcycle, and took off down the street. 8th Street, that's where he needed to be. Sunset didn't want him in her way, but he was sent here with a job to do.

-----

    Sunset charged forward on her chopper, taking another swing at Twilight as she passed. Ducking again, Twilight lifted her hand, firing a series of oversized sewing pins at Sunset, just like Rarity's Demon. Sunset kept moving, making a wide circle around as each pin passed behind her, until she was coming straight at Twilight again.

    This time, Twilight rolled, coming up on her knee and tossing her needle at Sunset as she approached. She kept one hand around the thread as it shot forward. It was somehow infinitely long, more thread would always be in Twilight's hand as she let it pass through. Sunset brought her blade into a defensive angle, and deflected the needle as she came at Twilight again. 

    Twilight pulled on the thread, and the needle came back into her hand, its length shortening as the distance between them closed. Instead of throwing the needle again, Twilight created eight more sewing pins that she fired off in a zig-zagged pattern. Sunset weaved around them, and with both hands on the handlebars, flipped over the front of her bike, then brought it all the way over her head and swung down with it. The bike landed perfectly, and Sunset was back on it, but Twilight was out of the way, summoning her hoverboard beneath her. Squeezing her bike's accelerator, Sunset brought her front wheel up again with a burst of speed, the wheel being the striking end of the bike she was now wielding.

    Twilight's foot came off her board, and she threw a high kick into the bike's front wheel, stopping it as Sunset brought it down again. The tire spun, but the metal boot Twilight wore did not give. Sunset's balance was suddenly shifted back as Twilight edged her board forward, her eyes widening as her balance tilted.

    She had only seconds to react. Holding out a hand behind her, Sunset planted it against the ground as she fell back, her one arm supporting her entire body and motorcycle. The rest of the second was spent squeezing the bike tightly between her legs, bringing her other hand to the ground, and spinning the whole cycle around her in a dangerous circle.

    "What th-" Twilight was taken by complete surprise, and the front end of the cycle struck her hard, knocking her off her board and onto the street. She tumbled over her shoulders, and barely managed to land on her feet. 

    Now, Twilight was the one needing more time. Keeping her spinning momentum, Sunset tossed her bike at Twilight with her legs. Twilight kicked off the ground, jumping over the bike, and kicking off of it as she lunged forward with her needle. Sunset rolled on her back, the needle piercing the ground inches from her body.

    Sunset kicked into Twilight's arm, and she let go of the needle, backing away and giving Sunset the time she needed to get back on her feet. Then, as if reading each other's minds, they both drew their pistols, the pair of paired weapons coming out in such synchronization that Sunset might've thought she was looking into a mirror. 

Down the street, Sunset's bike landed cleanly on both wheels.

    Twilight stepped back, her gun having a full arm's length behind it as she assumed a stance that resembled a martial artist's, the stance of a specialized gunfighting form she and Sunset learned from Celestia.

    Body to the side, one gun held high across the chest, the other outstretched and low, and both pointed towards the opponent. While impractical for anyone without demon powers, the form allowed one to use guns in a mixture of close-combat and ranged techniques, all of which requiring magic and superhuman reflexes to avoid oncoming bullets.

    With a hint of a smile on her face, Sunset assumed the same position, knowing she could deflect any attack made from Twilight so long as they both held it. 

    "Really, Twi?" she asked playfully. "I was always better with guns than you."

    "Show me you haven't lost your touch."

    "You first."

    Twilight took two steps back, tilting her chest so it faced Sunset. Arms swinging parallel, she created a horizontal line of bullets in line with Sunset's stance. In response, Sunset took only a single step forward, and twisted her body perpendicular to Twilight's. With both guns level with hers, Sunset shot out the middle set of oncoming bullets, their bullets colliding and canceling each other out, creating a space in the bullet wall for her to slip through. 

    Twisting her body around again Sunset brought her hand over in a punching motion, squeezing the trigger of her weapon. Twilight replied with a single shot to cancel it, and three more of her own as she held her ground, taking several different stances that allowed her to fire back at Sunset while fluidly dodging. For each one, Sunset responded with a matching stance, blocking each of Twilight's attacks as she replied with one of her own. Back and forth they went, until both of their arms crossed at the wrist, their guns pointed upwards as they applied pressure to one another.

    "Those are neat guns you've got," Sunset looked over Twilight's weapons, which looked rather futuristic compared to her own. "Made 'em yourself, I'm guessing?"

    Twilight didn't reply. They began another series of strikes, each one firing off split seconds after the other predicted their move and batted their hand out of the way. Sunset knew how this went, neither of them would gain ground on the other until one switched things up, so she swept her leg at Twilight's in an attempt to trip her.

    She jumped backwards, Sunset knew she would, and Twilight went into a full backflip, allowing to Sunset to take free shots at her. Twilight wouldn't let her get a hit in, however. She twirled mid-air, dodging just so that all of Sunset's bullets whizzed by. Landing in a kneeling position again with her wrists crossed and her guns held sideways, Twilight returned fire. Again, their bullets collided halfway between them in an array of blue and white sparks, dropping to the ground harmlessly below. 

    There was another pause in the action. Many a training session came to stalemates like this. Again, one of them would have to make a move, and between the two of them, Twilight was more likely to play it safe.

    Sunset jumped into a side roll, scooping up the fallen needle weapon and tossing it at Twilight. Her Demon Reflex slowed time for her as she ducked to the side, but Sunset felt this time distortion and her own Reflex triggered to match.

    Both guns firing off again, Sunset ran towards Twilight. If she focused, she could will her bullets to act out of time with her, making them that much harder to dodge. Twilight still shot her bullets down, and as she neared she suddenly came out with her own sword in an attempt to cut up at Sunset. She heard only the sound of steel on steel. Apparently, Sunset had the same idea, and they now stood facing away from each other, their swords now drawn.

    "Guess guns aren't going to cut it, huh?" Sunset said, putting both hands on her sword.

    "I guess not," Twilight did the same. 

    Again, the two were mirrors of each other as they went through another back and forth of sword strikes, each delivering and deflecting blows with an ease that came only through years of practice. Sunset's strikes were quick and powerful, and Twilight's were carefully calculated cuts backed up with superior footwork. They trained together, they knew how the other moved. Sunset brought kicks and jumps into the fight, and Twilight flicked the switch on her blade, igniting it in a sparkling blue light. Eventually, they came into a bind, the strongs of their blades sparking against each other.

    "Modified your sword, too?" Sunset inspected Twilight's weapon.

    "And you're still using Celestia's old one."

    "It's all I need."

    Sunset pulled back, and came in from another side, leading to another bind.

    "You'll never get stronger if you deny a chance to improve yourself." Twilight's thumb pressed forward on a slider along her weapon's hilt, causing her blade to glow brighter. 

    "Why fix what's not broken?" Sunset's blade held strong against Twilight's, its magical construction not giving to Twilight's technological might.

    Sunset became relaxed as she blocked blow after blow, continuing as Twilight sidestepped and readjusted her angle of attack.

    "Focus in on the wrong things..." Sunset said, her breathing steady over the frantic clashing of swords, "You'll just end up weighing yourself down!"

    Sunset struck a blow on the backside of Twilight's blade, and its energy fizzled out. A hum of interest passed her lips as she realized that it could be disrupted. Twilight's balance was put off ever so slightly, and Sunset made a quick jab in, holding her sword in one hand. 

    "Forget your mistakes..." Twilight replied, pushing Sunset's arm aside and cutting across, "You'll repeat them!"

    Sunset leapt over Twilight's head and took a mid-air swing as she came back down on the other side of her. Their blades collided again as Twilight turned, but this time she pushed her away with all of her strength. With no footing on the ground, Sunset was thrown, landing out in the middle of the intersection.

    Time resumed, and the sewing needle continued its course, embedding itself in the one stoplight pole still standing on the street corner. Sunset landed on both feet, but slid back and had to bring a hand to the concrete to stabilize herself, tearing the skin there in the process. Gritting her teeth, she watched the skin on her palm slowly restoring itself, more annoyed than in pain. Looking past it, she saw Pinkie and her energy floating above her. She couldn't let Twilight take it...

    As soon as she had the thought, Twilight was in the air directly above, sword held over her head and dropping down. Holding her own sword up, it was now Sunset's turn to launch Twilight, tossing her back into the second story of the destroyed building on the corner. She heard crashing and crumbling of walls.

    Lifting one arm and pushing herself to her knees with her other, she reached for the pink and black swirl of energy. It was attracted to her hand, and absorbed into her body with a warm, tingling sensation. As energy completely merged with her, she heard a cheery yet growly voice in her head.

    Sunset! Hi! It was Pinkie's Inner Demon. With her thoughts, Sunset replied.

    Are you going to try and take over my body, Pinkie? She asked, addressing the demon by her host's name, not knowing what else to call her.

    Of course not, silly! I would've already done it if I could.

    Right. Sunset thought. Can you help me fight Twilight?

    Well, sure! She's being a meanie. The demon growled, quite displeased with Twilight's recent actions. She let that dark spirit lady just grab me, and then she cut me half! Can you believe that?

    You were rampaging through the city, to be fair.

    Ah, I guess I was. Hey, ideeeeaa! The demon's voice took high pitched tone, scratching at the inside of Sunset's mind. I can be a gun for you! You like guns, right?

    I guess.

    Well put that sword away, cause here I come!

    Doing as she was told, the demon's energy formed in her palm, swirling until it materialized into a huge tube of black metal with pink highlights along its top, and imagery of several brightly colored balloons on the side. A long barrel protruded from the front, the words 'PARTY TIME' were engraved along it, and a handle protruded from the bottom, forming a trigger where it met the body and also forming into the stock. Sticking out from the side in front of Sunset was the priming handle, and atop the body was a scope. She was holding a cannon, a huge, scoped cannon.

    Twilight ran to the edge of the building's second story as fast as she could, just in time to find Sunset pointing her new weapon at her and pulling the trigger.

    The sound of streamers firing off accompanied a loud crack, and Twilight jumped away from the building as a high explosive shell smashed into the wall behind her. It shook the structure, causing bits of it to collapse, creating a cloud of not just dust and shrapnel but also confetti. It's windows all shattered, and the faint sound of echoing laughter was heard after the thunderous explosion.

    "Wow." Sunset said, in awe of power of her new weapon.

    Still in her jump, Twilight kicked off of the stoplight pole, and went straight for Sunset again. As her sword came around, Sunset stopped her attack with body of the Party Cannon, Twilight pushing off and found herself standing several meters away from Sunset. The cannon was primed, and Twilight heard Spike call out behind her.

    "Twilight!" He shouted. "We need to leave! Get Rarity's magic and let's go!"

    Twilight gave only a single moment of reasoning, but in that moment concluded that Spike was right. 

    "We'll have to have a proper rematch later, Sunset," Twilight said, turning towards the sewing needle sticking from the stoplight pole. 

    "What? You're not getting away that easy!" Sunset fired again. Twilight, mid run, contacted the cannon shell with her sword at a shallow angle, deflecting it into a building across the street. Still running, she drew one of her pistols and fired it back at Sunset.

    Sunset's free hand was just raising one of her own as five new holes were made in her chest, the blue streaks burning her flesh and slowing her natural regeneration. Exhaling sharply, she reestablished her grip on the cannon again as Twilight grabbed the needle and reduced it to energy, taking it back into her body. The weapon faded, and with her katana's blade ignited she sliced through the stoplight pole, then kicked it over in Sunset's direction before turning and running off.

    The pole toppled over towards her, something she could easily sidestep, but she remembered Pinkie's unconscious body. She'd be crushed...

    Imitating what Twilight had just done, Sunset focused on the cannon and absorbed it into her, after which she was greeted by the demon's upbeat tone.

    Hey! She's getting away!

    Not important! Sunset thought. She held her arms above her head and caught the falling stoplight pole. A grunt of effort turned to a shout as her whole body strained, heaving the length of metal aside in an absurd feat of strength. 

    Meanwhile, Twilight sped down the street on her hoverboard, with Spike following close behind. By the time Sunset made it to her bike, she would've lost them.

    "Dammit!" She swore aloud, to no one in particular, watching Twilight turn a corner two blocks away. 

The demon made a surprised, gasping sound. How this was accomplished, Sunset wasn't sure. Language!

    Could you just be quiet? Sunset thought, willing control over this other demon in her mind. I don't need your commentary on everything.

    There came no response. Sunset smiled for a moment, but then gave an exhausted sigh. She took a seat on the fallen stoplight pole, and popped a fresh lollipop into her mouth. Shifting it about with her tongue, she felt a pleased smile creeping onto her face, and a better mood following it.

    The SWAT unit down the street finally worked up the nerve to come over, seeing that the fighting had stopped.

    About time.

-----

    Flash Sentry pulled around the corner to 8th Street, finding a couple knocked over stoplights, torn up asphalt and a few destroyed buildings-  a fight that was already over. Fully armored SWAT officers were checking out the wrecked corner building and securing a perimeter. And of course Sunset was there, legs crossed and laid back on the stoplight with her hands behind her head. She was talking to the officer in charge, evident by her lack of helmet and aviator sunglasses. They always had sunglasses. She had a strong, athletic build, short cut orange hair, and was a Captain judging by the marking on her shoulder armor. As Flash neared, the two gave him their attentions.

    "I was wondering if you'd show up." Sunset said, pulling a lollipop from her mouth. "I was just telling Captain Spitfire here what the deal was."

    "Is that..." Flash looked over to the girl laying in the street, being helped up by two of the other officers. "Is that Pinkie?"

    "Yep." Sunset nodded. 

    "Who are you?" Captain Spitfire tilted her head, lowering her shades as she looked to Flash.

    "Oh, excuse me," Flash dismounted his bike and showed the unit patch. "Seraph Agent Flash Sentry. I've been assigned to deal with the demons here."

    "Well you're not doing a very good job of that," The captain deadpanned, her rough and gravelly voice carrying much disappointment. 

    Surprised, Flash could only stutter. "I- well, I'm-"

    Sunset waved a hand dismissively. "Go easy on him. He was dealing with another situation."

    "That's the problem. One Seraph Agent isn't enough," The captain shook her head. "We need a whole team of you guys. We've got reports of another big one in the business district. And on top of that, smaller holes are opening up and letting little guys come through."

    Sunset looked off into the distance. "Seems like the gate's opening faster than Twilight thought."

    "Twilight was here?" Flash asked, sounding off-put. Last he knew, she was a demon hunter just like Sunset. Though her help would likely be needed, Sunset's presence alone challenged his self-importance. The two of them together would make Flash borderline useless.

    "That's the girl we saw before? Fighting the lizard monster?" The captain asked. 

    "Yep," Sunset said. "She's not about to help us out though. She's trying to open the gates up."

    "Why would she do that?" Flash asked, now surprised. "Isn't she on our side?"

    "I don't know, apparently not." Sunset sat up, letting her legs dangle. "All I know is that she needs to be stopped."

    "Right." Flash nodded. "We'll do what we have to, then."

    "No, I'll do what I have to." Sunset pointed to Flash. "Do not fight her. You can't beat her, I promise." She paid no attention to Flash's disappointed frown as she addressed Spitfire. "Neither of you."

    "Watching her cut that monster in half..." The captain started, nodding her grim understanding, "I wouldn't dare try."

    The radio piece on Flash's shoulder buzzed softly, and he held a hand to both Sunset and Spitfire as he plugged an earpiece into it and listened in. There was a conversation happening between Sunset and Spitfire, but he was focused on the voice in his ear.

    "...Demon sighted at Canterlot City Convention Hall, civilians are cleared but we're being overrun, we need backup-" The voice was cut off by a cry of pain and a stabbing sound, likely the speaker meeting an unfortunate fate. Flash pulled the piece from his ear.

    "Sunset, we need to go," He said. "Another demon."

    "Alright, where to?" Sunset hopped to her feet and properly secured her sword around her back.

    "Convention Hall. Downtown."

    "Okay," Sunset pointed to the captain, giving her a nod as she walked to her bike. "Get Pinkie somewhere safe, then you might want to bring your guys down our way."

    "Civilian safety is our priority," Spitfire said, "However... I've got my radio frequency on one-four-oh point eight-five." She nodded to Flash's radio. "Give me a call if you get in a bind, I'll see what I can do for you."

    "Will do," Flash nodded, mounting his bike again. Though he'd like to talk to Pinkie, he figured another demon threat was more important. 

    Flash had a feeling he knew who it was, too. If he remembered correctly, there was a rock concert at the Convention Hall that was supposed to take place today.
> 03- The Cyborg Vigilante
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The sun was beginning its decent in the sky as Twilight glided along through the city on her hoverboard, heading towards its center. A bridge running over a wide highway separated the currently burning heart of the business district from the outlying housing sectors, and there was much traffic on the roads leading outward. The crisis was escalating, going from a single demon outbreak to many citywide. Twilight knew it would come to this. She alone couldn't have stopped it. If only Celestia had listened to her...

    The bridge had no traffic going in, allowing Twilight no obstacle to cross it. As she did, she reached for the circular device hanging around her neck and pressed the button on its center. A set of thirty-six rectangular LED lights were arranged in a circular pattern around its circumference, one every ten degrees, and the three topmost ones were all lit up in a soft pink color.

    Though there were a cluster of buildings before her, Twilight knew where her device was pointing her. A skyscraper with broken windows and fire visible on its upper levels stood out against the other ones, untouched. A hotel, from the looks of it. As far as she knew, one of her friends was in the convention hall connected to the hotel. The demon she was after was picking its targets carefully, Twilight knew the intention was not to cause mindless destruction. At the moment, it wanted the magic of her friends.

    She came to the end of the bridge. The main street it led into was in complete ruin. Destroyed vehicles were scattered about, and the once smooth pavement was jagged and torn around three distinct marks, as if someone had pulled a huge rake down the center. 

    Twilight's board had no trouble traversing this, and she definitely wouldn't have to worry about any other drivers on the road now. As she passed by a nightclub with its doors left open and its sign knocked out of place, she noticed herself crossing a shadow cast from the club's roof.

    The device around her neck beeped softly. Twilight felt eyes on her.

    "Twilight Sparkle..." Came a gentle, yet disappointed voice.

    Twilight froze, slid into a stop, and spun all the way around. A tall, slender woman stood atop the nightclub, wearing a striking golden blazer jacket, with a pair of slacks in a soft magenta to match. The colors reminded Twilight of the setting sun. The woman jumped, landing on perfectly on the sidewalk below in a pair of wide-heeled knee high boots, each with a series of clamps running down the backs of them. Running in heels was hard enough, jumping in them? Impressive.

    "Celestia," Twilight said, her eyes meeting her mentor's. She hadn't seen her since the day she'd lost her duel with Sunset. "It's been four years, three months, and thirteen days..."

    Their eyes were the same color, a vibrant violet. Twilight's carried a look of surprise, anger, shock, and fear all at once. Celestia's carried only a stern solemness. Her mentor's hair flowed gracefully behind her as she walked to her former student, it's pastel pink color faded over the passing of time. 

    "Call me old fashioned," Celestia said, her lips straight and holding back a deep emotion that Twilight couldn't quite name, "but I would just say... 'it's been too long.'"

    "Do you finally understand what I've been trying to tell you?" Twilight asked, her voice shaking slightly. Celestia's calm approach almost felt threatening to Twilight. She came to a stop just outside of Twilight's striking distance.

    "What about it? That the Sister of Darkness is returning?" She replied, crossing her arms. "That you need to gather as much power as possible?"

    Twilight blinked, then glared at her. "You're certainly not going to do anything about it."

    "You've learned nothing from my teachings, Twilight," Celestia shook her head. "Where are your friends?"

    "They're in danger, they won't be able to control their magic!" Twilight raised her voice, a controlled resentment building. "And without their magic, we can't do anything when the Sister of Darkness returns."

    "What makes you think you can control it?" Celestia asked. "You could hardly handle your own magic when I first found you."

    "I'm much stronger than when I left you..." Twilight's fist tightened as a surge of anger slowly crept over her. "Stronger than Sunset, too."

    "Are you?" Celestia's brow raised. "Are you really?"

    As much as she wanted to believe she was, she thought back to her encounter with Sunset earlier that day. They were still evenly matched. "That amulet should've been mine."

    "Do you even know what that amulet contains? You speak of using its power without even understanding what its power is."

    "It..." Twilight was certain she knew, but for some reason her words failed her. "It contains the essence of the Sister of Light..."

    "Is that so?"

    "That's what everything I could find on it in the Order's archives pointed to-"

    "The Order? The Order of Light?" Celestia let out a short, annoyed laugh. "Oh, the Order knows very little about the Sister they claim to worship..."

    The Order of Light was all Twilight could consider family, before she met her friends at Canterlot High. They kept careful record of demons and their interactions with the world since their founding. "What would you know about the Order?"

    "Only that they banished you for digging too deep into their forbidden archive," Celestia said. "But I'm not here to lecture you on your past mistakes."

    Twilight's banishment was a painful memory, one still felt three years later. She didn't appreciate it being brought up. She spoke slowly, now with complete resentment for her former mentor. 

    "What are you here for, then?"

    Celestia frowned. "I want you to think about what you're about to do, Twilight. You're facing an enemy that can only be defeated through the power of harmony, and your actions are creating anything but that."

    "My actions?!" Twilight shouted, slowly losing her grip on her temper. "If you would've given me that amulet-"

    "Yes, your actions." Celestia's tone was calm, but powerful, and when she spoke Twilight fell silent. "Your actions are what caused these demons to appear, to torment your friends, and nothing you're doing is actually fixing the situation. Your actions, and nobody else's-"

    "Shut up!" Twilight drew her sword with intent to attack, but before the sunlight even had a chance to shine off of the blade, Celestia had vanished.

    A moment passed before her pride began to burn. She nearly choked on her own throat at the realization that she, in all of her conscious pursuit of power and control, had just lost control of herself. Shaking, Twilight resheathed her weapon and quietly turned her board back towards the burning hotel.

    "Are you gonna be okay, Twilight?" Spike asked. "I really think-"

    "I don't need to hear what you think right now, Spike." Twilight said, doing her best to get a grip on herself. "I just need a moment...."

   As she moved herself forward through the ruined street, she spotted a group of huge, horned demons wielding axes cutting down a squad of police officers.

    Lucky her, an easy fight was just what she needed to set her mind at peace.

-----

    It was always a shame when a rock concert was interrupted by a demon attack. 

    As civilians fled the scene, fearing the skeletal, taloned monsters with the shriveled skin and burning red eyes, one person stood unperturbed. She wore a short sleeved, blue denim jacket, and a teal blue shirt beneath that. Hair of blue and purple streaks fell back down her neck, and was jaggedly cut off where it fell in front of her face. Slung over her back was a long, one handed sword, with serrated teeth running along its one bladed edge. There was some geared mechanism in its handle and back edge, and a short lever sticking out from its guard. Soft blue eyes looked on uninterestedly as she twirled a revolver in one hand, waiting for the crowd to clear out with an almost bored expression.

    One of the fleeing audience member tripped, and a demon jumped atop them.

    Bang!

    It was blown back from the force the girl's revolver, and the trembling near-victim was helped to their feet so they could scurry along.

    Bang! Bang!

    This happened several more times, the flash from her gun illuminating the dimly lit room for brief moments. Eventually, the crowd was out of the front half of the hall, and all that was in front of her was an empty stage and a whole mess of demons that needed cleaning up.

    With her right hand held behind her back, the girl flicked her revolver's chamber open. Having emptied its load saving people, she needed fresh bullets in it. The spent casings fell as she tilted the gun back, and she bumped a pouch on her waist, launching six fresh bullets into the air. She brought her left arm around, and in a single smooth motion, caught the rounds in her gun and closed it back up with a single, smooth flick of the wrist.

    If they hadn't before, the demons definitely noticed her as she began firing again.

    As they rushed at her, she seemed to move impossibly quick. She was a blur as she snapped between aiming positions, gunning six of them down and reloading within the breadth of a second. One jumped at her, and she sidestepped it, giving it a sharp kick and following with a single shot to the chest. She kept herself moving, kicking and firing and dodging with grace, taking on all that came at her while keeping her right arm concealed. 

    Before long, she was alone, except for one demon still up on the stage at the end of the hall. She took the form of a tall, strong woman, with a toned body, wearing a sleeveless leather jacket and a spiked collar. In one hand, she held a guitar in the shape of a jagged thunderbolt, with a sharp blade along its bottom edge. She wore dark mascara and eyeliner, and had the slitted red eyes of a demon. Long, messy hair flowed down her back in every color of the rainbow, and she made a challenging gesture to the newcomer.

    "Rainbow Dash." The girl spoke tauntingly to the demon, walking slowly up the steps of the stage. "Big fan, think I could get your autograph after the show?"

    "Why wait?" The demon grinned a malicious smile and spoke in a high, raspy voice. "I'll give it to you right now..."

    "Oh?" The girl asked. She mocked flattery, crossing her gun over her chest. "You'd do that for me?" She was coming up the steps now, standing across from the demon on stage.

    "Of course..." The demon let out a short laugh, spinning her guitar around and wielding it like an axe. It started to spark with electricity as her fingers brushed its strings. "Anything for a fan... Where do you want it?"

    "Why don't you come here? I'll show you."

    The demon dashed forward, lightning fast with her guitar-axe in outstretched arms. A light glimmered behind her eyes, and time slowed for the girl as she put her revolver away, and put her hand on the weapon on her back. Adjusting her own weapon, the demon struck the moment she made contact.

    The girl drew her sword, parrying the strike and nearly landing a hit on the demon's shoulder. She squeezed the lever on the sword handle as she brought it in for another blow, the motor inside buzzing loudly and its bladed teeth spinning like a chainsaw. It clashed against the axe, biting into it repeatedly as they came together again. 

Heated sparks flew off of the demon's weapon. She pushed against the chainsaber, feeling each inch rotation shift her grip just a little bit more, but a strong shove in between beats was enough to knock the weapon from the girl and leave her wide open.

    Though, she didn't seem worried, in fact, she invited the demon to strike.

    "Sign right here..." She said, finally bringing her right arm from behind her back. To the demon's surprise, it wasn't a fleshy human arm, it was made out of metal. Not just any metal, either. As her axe blade collided with it, some magic within it glowed brightly, absorbing the lightning from her weapon. It's construction was likely demonic in nature. 

    In the bright flash of magic following, the demon could see the girl's legs were made of the same material, and her torso likely was too. She wasn't a regular human. Good, she wanted a challenge. 

    "Who am I making this one out to?" The demon sneered, their faces inches apart.

    "Starlight Glimmer."

-----

    Crossing the bridge to Canterlot's more business centered areas took only a few minutes for Sunset and Flash, though the police blocking the bridge wanted more than a brief explanation. Sunset casually threatened to cut one of their cars in half to remove its obstruction, but a panicking yet smart-thinking Flash showed his SRAPH badge. The police let them through without the use of force being necessary.

    "Did you really have to do that?" Flash asked, as they made their way across the bridge on their bikes.

    "I didn't do anything," Sunset replied.

    "Threatening the police? Are you crazy?"

    "They were obstructing public safety," Sunset said, receiving an eye roll from Flash. "It's not like they're doing anything useful. I'm probably the only one that can stop them all."

    "Hey, what about me?" Flash glanced over to Sunset. 

    "You and me, yeah."

    On the other end of the bridge, they found the main street forward had been completely trashed. Even without the cars strung about, the street was too torn up for their bikes to cross. The two of them looked up at the burning hotel a few blocks away, and down in front of it Sunset could make out several large demon forms.

    "What did this?" Flash was focused on the destruction on the street in front of them.

    "I dunno," Sunset said, her focus aligning with his. "Something big."

    "Don't you know all about demons and stuff? What are they doing here?"

    Sunset shrugged. "You're the expert on them, aren't you?"

    "Aren't you?"

    "I'm just an expert on killing them."

    "Hmm..." Flash looked closer at the damage, then down to the hotel building. "Another Boss demon, maybe?"

    "Boss demon?"

    "Yeah, it's what we call demons like the one we saw at Carousel Boutique- Rarity's demon." Flash said. "They're super powerful, and order around other demons."

    "Maybe. Right now, there's one at the Convention Hall, we need to get there." Sunset spotted an intact side road accessible from an undamaged portion of the main road. That looked like a way forward, so she carefully guided her motorcycle around the cracked ground until she reached the smooth road again. The hotel was attached the Convention Hall, but this way, they could go around it, not through it, to save themselves any unnecessary fighting.

    Flash and Sunset made a turn onto a street running parallel with the main one. With nothing in their way but a few abandoned vehicles, they were able to pick up the pace. They wouldn't be stopped until they passed by the hotel, when a strange featureless figure jumped down at them from a bridge connecting a parking garage to the Convention Hall. 

    Whoever or whatever is was, its arm held the shape of a scythe blade as it came at them, but then reshaped back into a normal arm as it landed. Sunset and Flash leaned to either side, driving around the sudden attack. The figure reached out with its other arm, and it stretched out, taking the form of a straight blade that sliced through the bridge's supports. Sunset made it past the figure, but Flash caught its elbow into his chest as it spun around.

    Flash fell back off his bike, and did his best to roll on the ground despite his uniform sleeves tearing in the process. Sunset had little time to react to the bridge above crumbling and dropping on her, but just barely managed to jump her bike through the collapsing rubble with her Demon Reflex. 

    "Flash!" She spun to a stop, jumping off her bike and landing back on the other side of the bridge to go back for him.

    There he was, on his back with his handgun drawn, pointed straight at the strange, shapeshifting creature. It seemed ethereal in nature, not formed of shadows like the other demons, but like a vaguely human shaped mass of lightless energy, too dark to even be considered black. Glistening white dots were present within the creature's body, like faint stars in a spacey void.

    Flash was firing at an upwards angle, and the creature had it's back to the still jumping Sunset. As Flash pulled the trigger, the creature shifted, and a hole appeared in its middle where Flash was aiming. The bullet passed right through it, and Sunset was lined up in his sights on the other side.

    She was already deflecting the shot, but Flash still recoiled in shock, not meaning to have fired at her. He backed himself up as quickly as possible, his arms burning from having scraped against the street, and nearly was speared through by the creature's arm as it shot towards him. Before it made contact, Sunset came crashing to the ground and severed the creature's arm with her blade.

    It spun, phased only for a moment, its arm quickly reforming itself and whipping around at her. Now loose and free flowing, the whip-arm slapped Sunset across the face before it wrapped around her, constricting her arms before she could swing her sword again. It brought her close, and Flash saw a pair of menacing green eyes opening on its face. They seemed to paralyze Sunset as she looked into them.

    Flash made the connection instantly. This was the monster that Rarity described to him. He pulled out the shotgun slung around his back and took aim. 

    The weapon howled as it spat out a wide spread of pellets, taking the creature off guard and stumbling it as it failed to shift around them all. Another shot went off, and Sunset wriggled free, slicing through the creature as it attempted to avoid Flash's shotgun. 

    The creature didn't bleed, it simply split apart when cut. Bullets stumbled it, but didn't pierce through. Whatever this thing was made of, it was definitely tough. Despite that, it knew it had lost its advantage, as Sunset relentlessly hacked away at it. It attempted to flee, stepping back and shifting apart, but Sunset kicked it against the wall of the Convention Hall and pinned it there with her sword.

    Stepping back, she drew her pistols, firing a rapid flurry of shots into the creature as it failed to morph and shift away again. Pulling her sword out of it, she kicked up and off of the wall before summoning the Party Cannon, and fired it off as she fell back down. The blast put a hole in the wall and reduced the creature into an inky pool of sludge. 

    The cannon's energy merged back into her as she landed.

    "What was that?" Flash asked.

    "You're just full of questions today, aren't you?" Sunset replied. "Some kind of shadow monster? I don't know."

    "Rarity said she saw it before transforming." Flash said.

    "Did she?" Sunset listened, but was more focused on what remained of the creature. Its liquified remains quickly flowed across the ground, making its way for a sewer grate in the street. It was retreating. "Looks like it's gonna be back for more soon, so let's go."

    "Wait, what about my bike?" Flash pointed to his motorcycle, which crashed into the rubble of the bridge as it fell. Half of it was crushed, the other half bent into an unrecognizable mess. 

    "We've gotta leave it, Flash." Sunset said, not looking back as she stepped through the hole she made in the Convention Hall. "I'm just glad that you're not under that bridge with it."

    "I almost was..." Flash muttered. "How am I supposed to keep up with you after this?"

    "Don't worry about that, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

----

    Starlight grabbed Rainbow's demon by the blade of her guitar-axe, and tossed her in the other direction. Her metal arm sparked against the infernal weapon, but its magic didn't hinder her. The demon caught herself quickly as she flew towards the ceiling, and spun the axe around, holding it like a guitar, and fired a rapid series of lightning bolts from it by picking at its strings. Starlight ran to recover her chainsaber, and revved it up again, dodging around lightning bolts as she did. The demon came at her, transforming into a lightning bolt and streaking into Starlight, bashing her against the stage's back wall before she could react.

    The demon held her guitar as an axe once again, and quickly found herself in another bind with Starlight. This time, Starlight put her right hand on the back of the weapon, and held much stronger. She wouldn't let the bind last either, throwing an uppercut that launched the demon into the ceiling. Rainbow's demon smashed against the stage lights, and the beam supporting them from the ceiling, and the entire assembly fell. The entire stage darkened as the demon was crushed behind a pile of metal. 

    Starlight wasn't sure if the fight was over, but her question was soon answered. She saw the fallen metal beam become electrified, and it suddenly shot up into the air, the demon holding it over her head as she hovered in the air over the stage.

    "Hey! This equipment is expensive!" Starlight smirked. "Hope you've got a big bank account."

    "Oh, please, I'm worth more than you'll make in your life!" The demon hurled the huge, electrified length of steel, giving it a spin as it left her hands. With her Bullet Reflex active, Starlight jumped, and ran along the length of the beam, revving her sword and slicing through it in front of her. The lightning moved up through her weapon and was absorbed by her metal hand, and by the time she reached the end of the beam, she tossed her weapon to her left hand, and threw a punch straight down on the demon's head with her right.

    "Hope you've got a will, too!"

    The absorbed lightning discharged on impact, amplifying the force of the punch. The demon hit the floor so hard she bounced back up right before Starlight could even start falling. A glimmer in her eye, Starlight's Bullet Reflex activated again.

    "No, stop! I won't.... lose..." The demon howled, helpless as time slowed to a crawl. Starlight ran her chainsaber through the demon in twenty different directions, splitting her into dozens of pieces in the blink of an eye and landing on the ground in a kneel.

    The blade went across her back, and she turned to the mess of a demon she'd made. There was little blood, surprisingly, yet the demon still writhed in pain in many pieces on the ground. A piece of her head with a slice taken off just below the eye looked up at her. 

    "Such power..." The head's jaw formed words raspily, no neck or throat beneath it to give a proper voice. "Are you some kind of demon?"

    "Nope," Starlight shook her head, and brushed her hands off. "Just a girl that's been to hell and back a few times."

    "Ugh...." The demon let out an agonized sigh. Starlight drew her revolver, and leveled it with what remained of her head.

    "And by the way," Starlight continued, "I get paid pretty well taking down big shots like you."

    The demon's head fell silent to the final gunshot heard. The remaining pieces of her body faded into a swirling cloud of shadow, leaving behind a normal rainbow haired rocker girl. Rainbow Dash. Starlight's jests before their battle were true, she would've liked to get her autograph, but now wasn't the time. Rainbow was alive and intact, but not conscious. What would she do with her, Starlight wondered, just leave her here? Her orders were to deal with the demon problem, but she had to do something about the knocked out civilian she just created.

    Her thoughts were interrupted by an orb of blue and black energy rising from Rainbow's limp body, the demon's energy was separating from her. 

    Starlight reached out to grab it, her mechanical arm designed to hold its magic, but a voice from a balcony overlooking the stage stopped her. Someone was... applauding her?

    "Hey! Nice job." She said. Turning, Starlight saw a redhead wearing a yellow coat, with a huge sword across her back. Indeed, she was clapping, apparently having watched the fight go down. "I'm gonna have to take that magic off your hands, though."

    "What? Like hell!" Starlight shouted up at her. "I beat her, I earned it."

    The other girl jumped down from the balcony and landed a meter in front of her. "Yeah, well, it's pretty important. She's my friend, I need her magic so I can stop more demons from popping up, so if you don't mind..."

    "You're friends with the Rainbow Dash?" Starlight shook her head. "Who even are you?"

    Both eyebrows rising, the girl reached into her pocket, and pulled out a lollipop. "Just a fellow demon hunter. Maybe we can trade for it?"

    "Trade? Quit wasting my time." Starlight glared, and raised her revolver. "Stand aside, or I'll blow you away."

    "Ah, so you want to duel for it! Okay."

    Bang! 

    The revolver fired off, but Sunset had already vanished, tossing the lollipop into the air. It arced over Starlight's head, and she spun around, now barrel to barrel with Sunset, holding a gun of her own. Catching the lollipop, Sunset unwrapped it with her mouth, and after spitting the paper out, she gave it a lick. 

    "You're gonna have to keep up."
> 04- The Tangling of Interests
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Flash Sentry knelt down behind a row of seats on the balcony above the Convention Hall's main stage, and spoke into his radio.
    
    "Captain Spitfire, it's Agent Sentry. Where are you right now?"

    He waited, the earpiece connected to his radio giving him nothing but static for a few moments before a response came.

    "We dropped Pinkie and her friend off at the police station, and my team is moving towards the business district. We lost contact with a team of officers at the Coyote Hotel and need to get them out if they're in trouble."

    "We're in the Convention Hall." Flash said. "We've found another of our friends and we'll need someone to take her to safety once Sunset's secured her demon."

    "That, we can do." Spitfire said. "Also, both Rarity and Pinkie reported seeing the same green-eyed monster before transforming."

    "We ran into it earlier." Flash thought about that possibility. It didn't seem like an ordinary demon, but Flash wouldn't have classified it as a boss. "It didn't look like a leader, but you never know."

    "We'll be there soon, hang tight."

    "Understood." Flash removed the piece from his ear, and peeked over the balcony looking down on the stage. A concert may have been put on here before, but now, it was the stage of a battle, with music equipment strung about and a beam from the ceiling jutting up from the ground at an angle. At its very tip, he could see Sunset balancing gracefully and firing her guns at another demon hunter with purple hair, who fired back with a revolver.

    The other girl looked a bit younger than Sunset, fighting with much aggression and vocalizing her efforts through shouts and short battle cries. Though she had defeated Rainbow Dash's Inner Demon, Sunset seemed to be giving her more trouble, and those shouts became louder and angrier. 

    Flash was amazed, though he felt he shouldn't have been, as Sunset shot down all of the other girl's bullets with her own. When they got right up on each other, they threw punches and kicks, but still attempted to shoot off their guns. Smooth, relaxed, and with seemingly little effort, Sunset matched the girl hit for hit, then swept her off the tip of the beam with a surprise spin kick. As gravity took the other girl down to the floor, Sunset kicked off the beam above her, flipping herself upside down, pointing both of her guns down, and twirling in repeated circles as she rained a storm of bullets onto the other girl. 

    The girl's eyes glimmered, and she threw her chainsaw sword into the air above her as she fell. Landing on her back, she caught it in her left hand and twirled it like a helicopter blade, intercepting all of Sunset's shots moments before impact.

    There was a loud crack behind Flash, followed by something rocking the ground beneath him. Then, there was rumbling, like thunder, but closer. It was something he'd never heard before, but knew nonetheless. 

    A building, or part of one at least, was collapsing.

-----

    On the fifteenth floor of the Coyote Hotel, there was a little bar and grill restaurant. The city was calling for evacuation, a demon attack, they said. All of the hotel's staff, as well as the people staying there, were long gone, and whoever didn't escape would've been history anyway. 

    There was one, however, that stayed behind.

    On the floor, wiping down a table with a cloth towel, was a wide shouldered woman, with a muscular frame and a head of long, blonde hair held back by a ponytail holder. She wore a pinstriped suit, not the revealing outfit of an eye-candy waitress. No, she was the manager, as indicated by the tag above her chest.

    "I could've been down at Dash's concert..." She sighed, her accent that of a country girl's, not often encountered in Canterlot's city areas. She vigorously scrubbed her rag over a dark brown spot of blood on the table. "Ugh... Why does demon blood have to dry so quickly?"

    Broken windows were all around her, but the floor had been swept clean. Portions of the walls and ceiling had come down, and burn marks streaked across the walls, but any ashes and rubble had also been swept away. All of the dishes and glasses behind the counters were clean, as well as every other table in the room. Behind her on a counter, there was an ornate lever action rifle, with a box of cartridges next to it.

    Soft, green eyes looked on boredly as she polished the wooden surface until she saw her own freckled face in it. She wanted to smile, as that was the last table that needed cleaning, but her day had been a long one. At least there were no more customers to serve.

    As if to contradict that thought, the elevator just outside the restaurant's entrance gave a sharp ding. Someone came through the doors, and the manager went to turn them away.

    "We ain't open right now, there's a bit of a crisis goin' on..."

    "I know, Applejack." Entering the dining area of restaurant was Twilight Sparkle, her purple coat and thick glasses immediately noticeable, and her face one the manager knew well.

    "Oh, Twilight! I should've known you'd show up to help," Applejack said, relaxing a bit as she greeted her old friend. "Unfortunately, the show's over. I've cleaned up most of the demons here already."

    "You did?" Twilight didn't sound surprised, instead, she sounded suspicious. This took Applejack off guard, but she gave a cool response anyway, nodding to the rifle on the counter.

    "You can get a lot done with a little gunpowder, honey."

    "Right..." She seemed satisfied with this answer. "Well, there's only one more to deal with, in that case."

    "I just finished up cleanin' up here," Applejack rolled the towel up and tossed it perfectly into the sink from where she stood. "Maybe we can hunt 'em down together?"

    "Well, that depends. Have you seen a shapeless demon that looks like an... ethereal void of nothingness?" Twilight asked. Her tone was a bit cryptic, but from what Applejack remembered, she was always like that.

    "Hmm." Applejack put a hand to her chin, her focus shifting to the floor as she walked over to the bar counter and leaned on a chair. "Most of the ones that came in here looked like bugs, but I do recall one of 'em lookin' something like that. Pitch-black, like space, but it had off-putting eyes. Made my skin crawl."

    "What did you do when you saw it?" Twilight now sounded like a teacher, asking a student a question. The tone shift further stirred Applejack's suspicion, but she reckoned Twilight was a bit stressed. 

    "I shot it, of course. Didn't kill it, but..."

    "With your gun?"

    Applejack tilted her head, and raised an eyebrow. Her face almost naturally shifted to that expression. "Uh, what else would I have shot it with?"

    Something was wrong. Twilight's eyes pierced through Applejack's, looking right through them to her thoughts. Applejack knew the look, it was a look of someone who didn't believe a word she said. Somehow, Twilight had it in her head that Applejack wasn't telling the truth.

    And she was right.

    Sweat formed on her forehead.

    "You're a terrible liar, Applejack."

    Applejack sighed, and her body loosened as tension she didn't know she was carrying left her. She looked towards the ground. Twilight was absolutely right. She was a terrible liar.

    "What gave it away?" Applejack asked, not moving her head.

    "You have magic..." Twilight began.

    "And?" Applejack looked up.

    "The Tantibus can tap into your magic and trigger your Inner Demon, and does so through eye contact." Twilight paused. "It can also shape shift, and likes to morph itself around bullets."

    Applejack's face turned a slight shade of red, but she kept herself calm.

    "Maybe I didn't shoot it..." She said.

    "That would lead me to believe that you're not actually Applejack, either." Twilight continued.

    "What?" Looking up at Twilight, Applejack's surprise overtook her face. Certainly, she wasn't serious? "I know it's been a few years, but c'mon now..."

    Twilight gripped the handle of her katana. "No, I would never forget my friend. Applejack is the most honest person I know... would she really lie to me?"

    "Okay, maybe I did lie, and I shouldnt've..." Applejack's hands trembled as she held them up in a panic, backing away from the calm, yet threatening Twilight. "But I really think that-"

    "No." Applejack saw no movement, one moment, Twilight's sword was sheathed, and the next, it was being pointed accusingly at her in an outstretched arm. "The inversion of Honesty: Deception. Trying to talk me down is exactly what her demon would try to do!"

    She took aggressive steps forward, and Applejack backed up further. "Look, I'm sorry, I really should come clean with ya, Twi, if you would just-"

    Her quaking voice was cut off by the swiping of Twilight's sword through the air. The sound of metal clashing surprised her, as did the sound of flames bursting from Applejack's forearms. 

    The terrified Applejack was there no more, instantaneously replaced by a more determined one. She held her arm up confidently, stopping Twilight's blade with a black and silver gauntlet of demonic stone that now had formed around it. There was a matching gauntlet on her other arm, and a mantle covering her shoulders.

    "There you are, demon..." Twilight grew both excited and angered as Applejack's demon form manifested, but was surprised to see it was much more tame than she was expecting. She looked the same, the only immediate change was the slitting of her pupils.

    "You don't understand..." Applejack shook her head. "I've already mastered my Inner Demon, just like you."

    "You're lying." Twilight brought her sword around Applejack's other side.

    Cocking her fist back, Applejack threw a strong straight punch into the sword's edge, then blocked low as it came around again. With Twilight's tempo offset, Applejack quickly threw another punch that caught the weapon's handle, stumbling Twilight and knocking her sword to the ground behind her.

    Rather than push her advantage, Applejack stepped back, and held a guard up just in case Twilight had another weapon. "I don't wanna fight you, sugarcube, if you'd just listen..." 

    "I need your magic anyway. That's what I'm here for." Twilight kept eye contact with Applejack as she backed up and retrieved her sword. "If you're really my friend, just hand it over."

    "There's a reason I didn't tell you right away, Twi..." Applejack cracked her knuckles as she took a few steps forward, a pair of demonic boots forming around her feet at her will. "You looked like you were just itchin' for a fight when you came in here. It's almost like your demon is controlling you again."

    "No!" A switch within Twilight suddenly flipped at the accusation, her eye twitching and more of her frustration showing through. "No, that's not possible!"

    Applejack crossed her arms and gave defiant look. "Well now I'm definitely not giving it to you."

    "I don't have time for this. You're going to give me your magic, one way or another!"

    As much as she valued Twilight as a friend, sometimes friends didn't think straight, and sometimes they needed some sense knocked into them. Now seemed exactly like one of those times. Flames began to swirl around her gauntlets.

    "How 'bout I show you what I actually did to that demon, then?"

-----

    Starlight stood with her chainsaber ready, not bothered by the rumbling beyond them. Sunset had her sword drawn as well, but her guard was down, and empty hand pointed forward, beckoning for her to attack. After all of the fighting they'd done so far, she didn't even look tired. Sunset's cheek bulged slightly as she shifted the lollipop in her mouth.

    The relaxed look on her face, the way she took pleasure in taunting her every moment she could, the way she just sucked on that lollipop... It all pissed Starlight off.

    "I'm gonna knock that stupid sucker right down your throat!" Starlight shouted, revving her blade and lunging forward. 

    "You're welcome to try." Sunset replied, leaning in right next to the flat of Starlight's blade as she dodged its edge, so close she could see her reflection on its side. Starlight caught the tip of Sunset's blade in her palm, the metal scraping as she wrapped her fingers around its point. Sunset pulled it back, and the two crossed blades again, holding a lock this time.

    "What are you?" Starlight asked in a heated rage.

    "A bit more skilled than you, it would seem."

    "Oh, that's it!" Starlight pushed Sunset's sword to the side and threw a cross as her weight shifted. With her sword held horizontally, Sunset bashed the pommel end of her weapon against the inside of Starlight's elbow joint, knocking it out of place while also cutting across Starlight's shoulder with the blade end.

    Her mechanical arm didn't respond, and her natural one burned in pain. Starlight cried out as she staggered back, dropping her saber as she lost her balance. She nearly fell to her knees, but caught herself, holding herself together as best as she could. The cut was deep, and stung like hell, but she wasn't about to give up. "I'm not down yet!"

    "You might as well be," Sunset said, going to pull her lollipop stick from her mouth. Her fingers met air, though, and she found the end of the stick had been severed. "I only glanced your shoulder, and you're nearly on the floor."

    Starlight only stuttered a response.

    "You got the end of my lollipop though. You're pretty good."

    "Pretty..." Starlight let out a breath, and closed her eyes. Any anger was exchanged for surprise. "...good?"

    Starlight focused, she needed to not be bleeding right now. Drawing on the magic stored in her cyborg body, her cut began to slowly heal itself, but as the wound closed she felt the same intense burning as when the cut was made. With her left hand, she attempted to push her right back into place, but her forearm piece wouldn't budge. It was stuck, bent away from her chest, and she couldn't move it. When the pain of healing subsided, she opened her eyes and looked to Sunset.

    "What are you?" She repeated.

    Sunset was extending a hand to the blue and black energy above Rainbow Dash, and had it absorbed within seconds.

    "Someone trying to save her friends," Sunset replied.

    "No, I mean... You're not entirely human."

    "Neither are you, but that's kind of stating the obvious, isn't it?"

    Starlight didn't appreciate that. Furthermore, her suspicion was confirmed, Sunset was a demon. A sudden burst of anger getting the better of her, she scooped up her saber and rushed Sunset. To her dismay, she would only be blasted back by a shockwave accompanied by a loud, harmonic screech. In Sunset's hands was the same guitar wielded by Rainbow's demon. 

    "Ah, ah," Sunset said in a playful tone, watching Starlight roll off her back and hop to her feet. "I won our duel." 

    Behind them, there was another quake. This one felt like it came from the ceiling above them. Another crash followed it, sounding through the open doors of the theater area. 

    "You're a demon." Starlight clarified her previous statement. "I kill demons."

    "Look, I said you were pretty good, but I doubt you're good enough to kill me," Sunset let the guitar hang from a strap that materialized as soon as she let go of it. "Besides, we're on the same side."

    "What's that supposed to mean?" Her chainsaber, still on, rumbled softly.

    "I mean you need some work," Sunset absorbed Rainbow's demon back into her. "You've got spirit, but your technique is lacking."

    "No, you said we're on the same side? What are you doing here?"

    "Dealing with these demons." Behind Sunset, someone else came running through the theater doors. Noticing him, she gave him a look of concern. "Flash, I told you I had this."

    Flash shook his head. "You don't understand. Applejack is here too. Twilight's found her, and they're fighting."

    "Oh." Sunset's concern left her immediately. "Guess they're causing those quakes, huh?"

    "I guess," Flash went to Rainbow Dash, lifting her up and putting her weight over his shoulders. "Captain Spitfire is on her way to the Coyote Hotel, we need to get Rainbow there, she'll be safe with her."

    "You do that," Sunset nodded. "I'll go after Applejack."

    "Wait, what?" Flash blinked in surprise. "There's more demons in the Convention Hall, I'm going to need you to cover me!"

    "Get someone else to babysit you, Flash." Sunset made her way to the auditorium doors, looking back just as she opened them. "I thought you could handle yourself."

    Flash was left with Starlight, who watched the whole scene play out in a silent confusion. As Flash made a discouraged sigh, she spoke up.

    "Uh... Is she always that harsh with you?" 

    "Yep." Flash nodded.

    "Are you two..."

    "We're just friends," He clarified, "Dated in high school, just friends now. Friends and demon-hunting partners."

    "Doesn't seem like she's into the 'partner' part." Starlight said, turning off her chainsaber and putting it across her back. "Who are you, by the way?"

    "Seraph Agent Flash Sentry," He said, readjusting his hold on Rainbow. She fidgeted slightly, but didn't wake. "I'm here trying to contain the demon situation."

    "They send one guy for a citywide outbreak?"

    Flash gave her a smirk. "And who are you?"

    "Starlight Glimmer, I'm a Knight with the Order of Light. Kind of."

    Flash looked surprised to hear this. The Order, as far as he knew, wore either mystic looking robes or suits of plate armor. They had strict codes and rules, he certainly didn't imagine one in denim with spiked hair. His face conveyed his disbelief.

    "Before you ask," Starlight added, "I don't believe in all of their 'holy sister' stuff or do religious shit with them. I just kill demons, and they give me a paycheck and a place to sleep."

    "Right." Flash said. "Wish I had more time to talk, but I've gotta get my friend here somewhere safe."

    "I..." Starlight held the word out for a few seconds. "I can help you out, if you need it. If we can get to the parking garage, I've got a ride waiting for me. We could drop you off... wherever you said you needed to be dropped off."

    "You'd help me? You were just fighting Sunset a minute ago."

    "It's more for Rainbow than anyone else," she said, before passively adding, "It's a Paladin thing, protecting the innocent and stuff."

    SRAPH agents held a similar sentiment. 

    Flash nodded. "Lead the way."

-----

    On the roof of the multi-level parking garage across from the Convention Hall, a huge, grey RV was parked horizontally across several open spaces. Several periwinkle stripes ran along the bottom, and many panels of thick armor plating had been installed along the outside. Upon one of those panels was the spray painted image of a crescent moon, with a star tipped wand at its center.

    A young woman with messy, silvery-blue hair sat in the driver's seat with her legs kicked up over the steering wheel, causing her jeans to sag a bit. Her whole body was slouched as she sunk down into her seat, curling her back up in a way that couldn't have been good for her spine. She didn't care about that, her attention was on the fashion magazine she lazily flicked through. Soft purple eyes scanned the pages, not really that invested in the models and celebrities and stories and tips on this and that, but wanted a way to pass the time.

    She brushed a strand of hair that had fallen in her face, and reached to a cup holder beside her, holding an open bag of pretzels. Her crunching upon them was loud and careless, warranting the attention of the passenger beside her.

    "Do you have to chew so loud, Trixie?" Sitting in a proper, upright position, he looked down at Trixie as he asked the question.

    "Sowhy, Sunburhsht," Trixie replied, mouth still very much full of pretzels. As he gave her an annoyed look, she quickly swallowed her snack and repeated herself. "Sorry, Sunburst."

    He returned to gazing off at the tall hotel building. The fire in it had seemingly gone out, and he was deep in thought trying to figure out how that could be. No rescue teams had made it up there, maybe someone stayed behind?

    Sunburst pushed his large, circular glasses up on his face, and ran a hand through his short length of deep red hair, giving the back of his neck a scratch. Other questions invaded his mind, and he nervously played with the sleeves of the robes he wore. Often did he do this unintentionally, the blue fabric wearing away and coming undone in places he commonly ran his fingers over. Catching himself, he shifted his hand to stroke the short goatee he was growing, his facial hair being less likely to be permanently ruined than his clothes.

    "You think Starlight's okay?" He asked, giving Trixie another glance.

    Trixie shifted in her seat, rolling her shoulders and pulling up a sleeve of her dark blue top.

    "Probably," She eventually replied. "She can take care of herself. 'Specially when we're not around to slow her down."

    "I'm just worried, I guess."

    "I'm not." Trixie kept her gaze fixed on her magazine. "These runs are pretty routine by now. We drop Starlight off at wherever, she beats up some demons, we all go get smoothies, and the Order pays for gas."

    "But this one felt off," Sunburst said, "The Head Paladin was very secretive about giving us this mission. He didn't want us telling anyone where we were going, or how he even knew there would be a situation out here."

    "Sounds complicated."

Sunburst sighed. Trixie wouldn't understand, she wasn't a member of the Order, nor did she care much for their inner workings. She was just the friend kind enough to drive her house around for them.

    He would've said something else, but the floor of the RV suddenly shook as a huge clap of thunder broke both of them from any conversation they were having. The hotel a few streets away suddenly had a cloud of dust around its base, and every window on it shattered in a descending cascade, floor by floor, going all the way down to the ground in the span of several seconds. 

    "Woah, what was that?" Trixie nearly slipped from her seat to floorboard as she scrambled to sit up. 

    "I don't know." Sunburst said, concern streaking through his tone, but not showing itself fully.

    The two looked at each other, then back at the hotel. Nothing else happened, but both of them felt an uneasy tension in the silence. 

    "I don't like this." Trixie nervously swept her hand around her seat for her keys, grabbing them the moment she felt them and hastily starting the RV. 

    "B-But we told Starlight we'd wait here." Sunburst said, his concern becoming more and more apparent. "Couldn't we just wait for her to come to us?"

    "Nope, we're gonna find her and leave." Trixie said impatiently, spinning the steering wheel around. She put her foot down on the gas pedal, and set her massive RV home rolling out of it's parking space. Sunburst looked out the side window as they headed towards the ramp leading down through the garage, seeing swirls of red and black mist on the streets below.

    Another thunderous blast rang out from beside them as a wall on the fifth floor of the Coyote Hotel exploded outward. From it, a ragdolling body was thrown far across the street and down into the roof of the Convention Hall. Someone else jumped much more gracefully after the body, then smashed them through the roof completely. 

    "Uh... But..." Sunburst recoiled slightly, trying to express his immense disapproval of Trixie's rash actions while suppressing his natural aversion to confrontation. He only a managed a weak response. "It's dangerous?"

    "I don't care." With a firm grip on the wheel at ten and two o'clock, Trixie kept her eyes focused forward and turned down the ramp to the garage level beneath them. "Trixie goes where Trixie wants, when she wants."

    "What if we run into demons?"

    "Easy, we just run them over."
> 05- The Shreds of Cooperation
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Sunset Shimmer stood in an open lobby and looked up through a gaping hole in the roof of the Canterlot City Convention Hall. The carpeted floor at her feet had another hole smashed through it as well, leading down through to a cracked concrete floor.

    An impressed whistle passed through Sunset's lips. "They really tore the place up."

    Applejack is here too, huh? A rough, gravelly voice sounded in her head. It was of the recently acquired demon of Rainbow Dash. 

    "Yep." She spoke under her breath, replying to her.

    You better use me to take her out. The demon said.

    "Yeah? Or what?"

    We're going to have a problem.

    Hey! The upbeat voice of Pinkie's demon spoke as well. What about me?

    She's mine, Pinkie!

    "I'll use whatever I need to, thank you." Sunset said, inspecting the hole in the ground closer. She couldn't see anything immediately beneath her.

    Oh, tough girl, huh? Rainbow's demon took her attention again. Maybe you can do it without me, then. 

    "You're right. You saw how I handled that other demon hunter." In her mind, Sunset began to suppress Rainbow's demon. It was easy, like rubbing out marker on a whiteboard, but if she snuffed the voice out completely she wouldn't be able to summon her guitar form. "I don't really need you."

    Wait, wait! Upon feeling Sunset's mind pressing down on her, the demon began to plead. Please, just give me a chance! We can work together!

    Sunset smiled. "Alright, but I'm only going to use you when you'd be useful."

    I can be useful! I just wanted a chance at showing up AJ, that's all! You don't have to use me all the time, it was just a... just a request, yeah!

    "I'll see what I can do, then."

    Unlike Pinkie's demon, who was content with just causing destruction, Rainbow's demon wanted something else. Sunset didn't know what just yet, but the uncertainty was enough to make her wary. It didn't take much to put her in her place, but she was also quick to challenge Sunset. Her reliability was questionable at best. The last thing she needed was a weapon not working when she needed it to, or a voice in her head actively trying to argue with her during a fight.

    That was enough standing around in one spot though, she needed to get moving.

    Before she could, a familiar, synthesized voice called to her from... somewhere. For whatever reason, Sunset couldn't tell what direction it came from.

    "Sunset Shimmer."

    She didn't see anything move, but heard a mechanical shifting moments before an energized blade cut straight up through the floor beneath her. Sunset did a backflip over it as it came towards her feet.

    Catching her balance on her hands, she saw the blade cut across again, and pushed off the ground into another flip. Now back on her feet, she caught the lollipop she sent spinning through the air and returned it to her mouth, intending to enjoy as much of it as possible.

    The blade pulled down, but came back up behind her, cutting only a single line several feet from her. It missed. Unless... 

    Sunset's center of gravity jumped forward as the floor began to collapse, it had been cut out beneath her in a square. She drew her sword, finding herself sliding and falling as the floor tilted. She smoothly landed on the ground beneath and looked up, seeing a piece of the floor above coming straight at her.

    The demonic metal of her sword easily cut across the weaker materials, parting the oncoming floor just in time for Sunset to see who was right behind it- Spike, Twilight's loyal mechanized hound. On his tail was the energized blade that had cut through the floor, and he leapt straight through the sliced open slab of concrete and carpet with both paws forward, pinning Sunset to the ground with his heavy frame. 

    Both of Spike's front claws bared down on Sunset's blade as she held it firmly, one hand on the handle and the other on the end of the blade. She leaned her head to the side, avoiding his tail as it came down to stab her. The tip punched through the floor and retracted, but before he could bring it down again Sunset kicked both of her feet up into him and sent him spinning away.

    As he spun, Spike whipped his tail around, detaching the blade from it and flinging it at Sunset with deadly precision, before landing cleanly on all fours and producing another blade from a slot on his back. Sunset, still lying face up, brought her foot up, kicking the blade up into the air and catching it as she jumped to her feet. 

    The blade was red hot, glowing in her hand.

    "Ow!" She quickly threw it back up in the air after the pain of her hand sizzling registered, letting it clatter uselessly to the ground. Shaking her hand off, she rolled her shoulders and neck, looking up to her new opponent.

    "Spike! It's been a while," She began, letting her shoulders drop and relax. "Not just a puppy anymore, are you?"

    "No, Twilight's perfected my demon fighting capabilities." Spike said, his voice emotionless.

    "Is that so? In what ways?" Sunset asked. 

    "My frame has been reinforced with a resentite alloy- a material known for its resistance to magic. Demonic weapons will not be effective against me." Spike cautiously began to circle Sunset as he talked. Behind her was a set of bathrooms, and to either side was a long, wide hallway. "Meanwhile, my blades vibrate at a frequency high enough to cut any material on the molecular level."

    Sunset mirrored Spike's movements, nearing a trash can by the bathroom's entrance. Spike kept his head low, looking as if he would pounce at any moment.

    "Twilight's sword is the same way," Sunset said. "And she couldn't cut through my weapons."

    "Perhaps demon weapons are an exception..." Spike continued. "But I'm faster, stronger, and more durable than any human could be."

    "You and me both."

    Spike ignored that comment. "And my AI core, my mind... I won't bore you with the details. All you need to know is that my intelligence is beyond both human and demon comprehension."

    "That was pretty clever, cutting the floor out from beneath me like that," Sunset replied, finishing her lollipop with a soft crunch and tossing the stick into the trash can. "But I'm guessing you're still on Twilight's leash, huh?"

    "My primary directive is to help Twilight, yes." Spike nodded, his cold tone becoming proud for a moment. "I'm her number one assistant, after all."

    "So... You're here to stop me, then?"

    Again, Spike nodded. "Yes. Twilight says I have to kill you if you plan to interfere.."

    "Really?" Sunset said, "With that grand intelligence of yours, I'd think you know trying to kill me is a bad idea."

    "I can analyze my orders," Spike said, "But I'm not allowed to disobey them."

    "So you'd throw yourself at me because Twilight told you to?" She gave him a disappointed look. "What a waste..."

    Spike's voice rose up into concern. "You'd hurt her. I can't let you do that."

    "You know she's going to hurt a lot of other people if she's not stopped," Sunset's eyes narrowed. "I'm just doing what I have to."

    "As am I." Spike's voice again went cold, but there was something else there. Subtle, but there, like he couldn't quite suppress it all the way. Sunset knew the tone well. He was regretful. There was something in him that knew this was wrong. When Sunset had first met him, he had been free to make his own choices and had full emotional capacity. He was loving and loyal to Twilight then, just as any talking dog would love their owner, but now, it seemed that his collar was far too tight. What had Twilight done to him?

    "If you won't leave, I'll have to kill you, Sunset."

    Sunset mirrored Spike's regret. "That's a shame..."

    Despite being completely void of emotion, the regret in Spike's words were more evident than ever.  "I am sorry."

    "Yeah. Me too."

-----

    Getting punched through at least ten stories, a wall, and the roof of huge building was not what Twilight had been expecting to do with her day. She had to give credit where it was due, Applejack, or rather Applejack's demon, was an extremely skilled fighter- Twilight would put her on par with Sunset, just beneath herself. Applejack could match her speed, and even when ignited, Twilight's blade couldn't cut through the demonic stone surrounding her body. 

    Whenever Twilight thought she was about to get a hit in, the mantle on Applejack's shoulders would become animated, stretching across her body to protect wherever she was about to be hit. Only after seeing them protect her had she noticed that the shoulder pieces resembled a pair of clawed hands. With the same morphing ability, the weapon held her lever-action rifle securely across Applejack's back. The weapon seemed to have a mind of its own, perhaps Applejack really did have control of her demon? 

    No. Twilight couldn't accept that now.

    Keep on her, darling, don't let up! The voice of Rarity's demon echoed in her head. Though distracting, the voice sometimes gave helpful information. Either way, Twilight didn't have enough focus available to will her silent. She can't block forever!

    You're not helping... Twilight thought, sidestepping a punch engulfed in flames, then getting forced back again as several more punches followed. 

    They were in the Convention Hall's basement level, a wide open area with nothing but concrete beneath them in all directions. Plenty of space to move, but nothing to take advantage of but the other's mistakes.

    Well, excuse me... The demon's voice squeaked and scraped against the inside of Twilight's ears. Maybe if you switched to using me, you wouldn't have such a problem.

    Twilight rolled her eyes. This demon was just so pretentious and self-important, it was unbelievable. You're not exactly a fast weapon- I'd actually use you for your pins if I didn't have to carry you as a needle.

    A kick came at her leg, and Twilight blocked down, only to receive a punch to the face that laid her out in front of the elevator entrance. She was getting backed against a wall.

    Perhaps I could be something a bit more... wearable, if you'd like?

    What do you even care? 

    I'd rather not get killed again- And besides, I'd like to see you get revenge on that scruffy looking redhead for me. Of course, she was only concerned with her own wants.

    Fine. Twilight grumbled.

    Excellent. Don't drop me this time.

    In the midst of avoiding the flurry of fiery fists Applejack threw her way, a dark blue cloak appeared around Twilight's shoulders, short in length, and with a diamond clasp on the front. It was elegant, almost regal looking, and Twilight found that by reaching into it she could produce the same sewing pins she could with the needle.

    And so she did, she took a whole handful of them, five in total, and she tossed them in a spread pattern at Applejack.

    "What the-" Applejack ducked, assessing Twilight's new weapon as the huge pins passed over her head. "Is that another demon?"

    "Correct, dear!" Came the distorted voice of Rarity's demon, the diamond piece holding it around Twilight glowing with each word spoken.

    "Rarity!" Applejack knew the voice. "What'd you do to her, Twilight?"

    "Not Rarity, her Inner Demon," she replied. With her sword still in one hand, Twilight drew one of her pistols and fired off shots at Applejack. The stone mantle shifted to deflect the bullets, but this is what Twilight wanted. Behind her, beyond her perception, the thrown sewing pins halted mid-flight and turned back around.

    Applejack didn't see them hit her. All five pins pierced through her back, and whatever she was about to say came out as a choked grunt of pain. She didn't scream or cry, but her eyes widened, and her legs buckled. The mantle attempted to cover her body, and even tried to pull the intruding objects out, but before it made any progress Twilight clapped her hands twice. The pins promptly detonated, blasting Applejack forward and onto her face. Chunks of the floor came up during the blast, and Applejack now had a wide, bleeding hole in her back.

    "Very classy, darling." Rarity's demon complimented Twilight's sense of style, a hand clap was a delightful way to both activate the pins' explosive function and taunt one's opponent.

    "Can't just fight me in a one-on-one, can ya?" Applejack managed. Her wound was healing itself, and her mantle automatically moved to cover it up. Pounding the ground with a fist, she brought herself back up and held a close boxing guard, her gauntlets protecting her face as Twilight shot at her more. "Gotta team up on me with a demon?"

    With her wound healed, the mantle came back around to her front, but instead of blocking shots, the claws held Applejack's rifle, firing it from hip level as Applejack's fists stopped oncoming bullets. Twilight's focus shifted to shooting down the oncoming rounds, but at the same time she threw another set of pins out, then another, then a third.

    Punching the pins was enough to disrupt them, but Twilight had an endless supply, there was no way Applejack could knock them all out. She tossed them all around, so that they spiraled in from all angles, and Applejack had to keep spinning. It was only a matter of time until one hit her and she lost her momentum. Still, she kept her rifle firing and her arms moving, each bullet buying a few seconds more to come up with a plan, but eventually she'd have nothing more to shoot.

    Meanwhile, Twilight wore a confident smile. She had this fight figured out, all she needed to do was press her advantage.

-----

    "So, Starlight..."

    "What is it, Agent Sentry?"

    Flash followed closely behind Starlight Glimmer, Rainbow Dash still over his shoulders. Carrying her was surprisingly easy, she was much lighter than he anticipated. They walked through a dark hallway, headed towards a door with the faint light of the outside behind it.

    "Have you seen a spacey-looking demon with bright green eyes?"

    Starlight immediately stopped, standing straight and facing Flash. "Where did you see it?"

    "Outside of the Convention Hall. What is it?"

    "The Order calls it 'The Tantibus'. They say it's the herald of the end of the world or something." Starlight had mentioned she didn't follow their beliefs, but apparently this proved something. "If it's here, that means the gates of the demon realm must be opening up, too."

    "Sunset said something about that," Flash said. "About Twilight doing something to re-open it."

    "Twilight? Twilight Sparkle? What do you know about her?"

    "I used to go to school with her," Flash said. "We were friends at one point. Have you met her?"

    "She's the reason I'm like this," Starlight gestured to her largely cybernetic torso. "She's also the reason the Order took me in."

    "You mean she built your body?" Flash asked.

    Starlight rolled her eyes. "No, I mean she cut me in half, back when I was just some punk who had anger issues and thought she could play with magic. I brainwashed a couple of people, the Order got involved, and I thought I could beat her in a swordfight."

    "Jeez, I'm sorry. What happened after?"

    "She apparently felt sorry for me and dragged my somehow still living shoulder and head back to the Order," she rolled said shoulder as she mentioned it, "And as it happened, one of my childhood friends was their best science guy. He built me a new body, and Twilight convinced her brother- the Head Paladin, to let me stay with them, he made me an 'honorary paladin'. Really, I'm more of a contractor that lives in their temple."

    "You don't sound like you appreciate all that."

    "I just..." Starlight paused, thinking of how to explain what were complicated feelings about Twilight. "I would've appreciated it more had she took a little less off of me. Not like I don't appreciate her saving my life and giving me a home, she had every right to just let me die, but now she's connected to these demons... I don't know what to think of her."

    Starlight sighed, and pushed a hand against the door to the outside, peeking through it and ensuring the coast was clear before she opened it all the way. The city was desolate and empty, a mark of how bad the situation was getting, but at least no demons were around. She pointed off down the street towards the parking garage, and Flash could see the destroyed bridge a few blocks away, where he and Sunset had entered. Like before, she led, and Flash followed.

    "Do you think Twilight could've released the Tantibus?" Flash asked.

    Starlight thought about that. "Maybe. She got caught digging in the Order's forbidden archives and got banished. Might've found what she was looking for."

    "But why would she do that?"

    "I don't know, and I don't really care."

    There were a couple of important points Flash wanted to write down, but he was carrying Rainbow, so he visualized them in his mind. As far as he knew, the Tantibus was directly responsible for the demon outbreak, but he knew it was going after his friends from high school, so there was a vague idea of its path. Twilight was involved with it somehow too, though the details on how or why were unclear at the moment.

    There wasn't much time to think on it either, as once they reached the first intersection a gang of demons dropped down on them, led by a tall, robed demon with wrappings covering its entire body. Shorter ones of the same kind followed, as well as ones that resembled skeletons.

    "Reapers, leave them to me." Starlight told Flash, indicating the robed demons with a point of her sword. "You try and take out the Phantoms, they've got fire powers but aren't very tough."

    Phantoms, those were the ones that looked like skeletons. He had two more names for his mental records.

    "Uh..." Flash's handgun came out, and he slowly backed away, looking for the nearest bit of available cover. An abandoned car on a nearby curb would work. "Should I set Rainbow down first?"

    "Yeah, do that," Starlight gave Flash a nod, and he retreated. 

    Facing the tallest of the Reapers, she spun up her chainsaber, using its roaring engine as a means of intimidation. 

    "Don't be shy!" She shouted, her eyes sweeping across to the many foes closing in around her. "Step right up!" 

-----

    A roll, a sidestep, a parry. Gunshots and a sword combo.

    Sunset easily deflected another of Spike's blades, but the battle with him so far hadn't been one of trading hits. He was jumpy, lunging at Sunset when he could occupy her with something else, but otherwise used the length of his tail to keep her at a distance. If she tried to shoot him, he'd close the distance, but if she tried a sword attack, he'd jump away. On top of that, he cut out parts of the walls and ceiling to throw her way, giving her more obstacles to deal with.

    His hyper-intelligent mind was being put to good use. He knew he couldn't overpower her, so he was trying to wear her down. Still, it'd be smarter to just give up, as Sunset was gradually pushing him back down the hallway. She could start to make out sound of fighting echoing beyond, she was getting closer to Twilight. Spike couldn't keep her back forever.

    Spike stuck his tail into the ceiling, swinging backwards as Sunset slashed at him. He couldn't possibly have an infinite number blades in him, so tossing them while retreating wasn't going to last. Flipping himself in the air, a panel shifted on his back and a different weapon emerged, a slender cannon with a long barrel. Electricity formed up around it, and as Spike landed it shot out an arcing thunderbolt.

    "Rainbow!" Sunset called, holding her hand out and summoning the demonic guitar to her, strumming the bottom string which fired off a bolt of her own to counter. The two bolts struck each other, and the blast following pushed both Spike and Sunset back. She heard Spike laugh quietly as they both regained their footing.

    "Heh. I get it," Spike said, "An electric guitar. Funny. But I'm afraid demon magic won't work on me."

    "That's fine." Sunset went to strum again, and a shining ruby pick appeared in her hand. Her fingers pressed against the frets, and she quickly played a string of notes on the natural minor scale, finding that each note played fired off small bolts like a machine gun. Sliding her fingers from one fret to the next produced a curving bolt, and a chord sent out several arcs bundled together. Now wasn't the time for her to be messing around though, Spike was diving for her, punching right through the streams of lightning she was summoning. 

    The damage to him seemed minimal, as he said it would be, but Sunset had the guitar turned around in her hands and swung it at him like a baseball bat. Spike had no way to stop his momentum, and was sent sailing back down the hallway, crashing through a set of double doors and revealing the open, tall room where Twilight and Applejack fought.

    "Nice switch-up!" Rainbow's voice came out of the guitar. "Nice playing, too."

    "Thanks." Sunset replied, following after Spike. He dug his claws on the ground to slow himself, making deep marks in the concrete.

    Holding it back over her head as she ran through the opening, Sunset brought the guitar's blade down on Spike, landing a solid hit on his foreleg as he scrambled away. A whimper escaped him, sounding as if Sunset had hit an actual dog. He already had enough of her sympathy, though. His bladed tail was sturdy enough to block strikes from the guitar, but with most of the weight behind its striking edge, each hit knocked him off balance.

    As he blocked, Spike pushed away, getting into the air again as he charged up his cannon. It took a full four seconds, but he had started the cycle in advance.

    "Get out of the way!" Rainbow's demon shouted. Sunset wasn't holding the guitar properly to play a counter, but she became enveloped in electricity anyway as the demon pulled on her, teleporting her forward in a shower of bolts. 

    Spike was now behind her, and in front of her she could see the ongoing battle between Twilight and Applejack. Applejack looked normal, though, not in a demon form like their other friends were.

    "There she is!" The demon guitar began to spark again, but Sunset held her back and absorbed her energy.

    "No, we need to focus on Spike right now-" Sunset felt two claws throwing her to the ground, and the two of them had Twilight's attention as they rolled closer. 

    Applejack caught a break from the assault of demonic sewing pins, and now was her chance to move. Focusing in on Twilight, she pulled her fist back, and let the fiery energy build up there.

    "Spike!" Twilight called to him, seeing Sunset kicking him into the air and blasting him with her pistols. Coming to the aid of her number one assistant, she drew her katana and nearly took Sunset's head as she stood back up. 

    Spike came back down, damaged but still kicking, just in time to intercept Applejack as she rocketed straight to Twilight by a jet of flame from her gauntlet.

    "Back off!" He growled, his tail blade pressing against her knuckles.

    "Make me!" Applejack replied.

    Blows were exchanged on both ends, from Twilight's sword on Sunset's pistols to Spike's blade on Applejack's gauntlets. Sunset took gun-punches at Twilight, sidestepping past her as she targeted Spike as well, firing one gun at him and the other at her. Spike wasn't expecting this and got hit, leading into Applejack knocking him into the wall on the other end of the room. 

    Twilight's sword came around again, and Sunset switched back to the guitar to block.

    "Electric guitar. Cute." Twilight said, observing the electricity between their weapons.

    "Why is everybody bringing that up?" Rainbow's demon whined, as Sunset continued attacking with her. "I'm not cute, or funny! I'm a star! I'm awe inspiring!"

    "Right..." Twilight dodged a few more swings, then held up a block.

    As with Spike, the heavier weapon pushed through Twilight's guard, but Twilight moved with the push, reaching into her cloak and drawing more pins to throw.

    "This again?" Spinning the guitar to play it, Sunset ran forward and dropped to her knees, sliding along the ground and playing a power chord. A blast of lightning came out in all directions, destroying the pins and giving Sunset a burst of speed, which she used in another heavy downward chop.

    Twilight didn't try to block this one, instead, she used Sunset's back as a platform to vault over, then forced her into an awkward deflection, having to hold the guitar-axe behind her back at an odd angle. 

    It would've been the end for Sunset had Applejack not came in and took another swing at Twilight, giving her time to turn and line up another blow.

    With threats on both sides of her, and Twilight began taking steps away.

    "Pins, darling!" Rarity's voice advised. 

    "Can't reach them..." Twilight said, hyper-focused on her defending. The stress of fighting two opponents was starting to get to her. She needed to end this fast.

    Both Sunset and Applejack came in simultaneously, and Twilight stepped out of the way. Their weapons collided, and the two addressed each other for the first time.

    "Sunset?" Applejack looked surprised, which in turn surprised Sunset. She was completely herself, minus the slightly demonic eyes. She kept both wrists crossed, and held her gauntlets strong against Sunset's guitar. "You too?"

    "Actually, I'm trying to stop Twilight from stealing all of our magic."

    Applejack looked a bit relieved to hear that. "Oh, so you're here to help me?"

    "I thought you'd turn into a big demon or something, so I was expecting to fight you, but... I guess I don't have to."

    "Shouldn't we be fighting Twilight, then?"

    They still held their lock, and strangely, the guitar-axe resisted Sunset's attempt to move it away.

    "Hey!" Sunset got the guitar back but found that it didn't want to move with her. "Rainbow, what are you doing?"

    "Taking out Applejack before Twilight can!" The demon replied.

    "Rainbow Dash?" Applejack took a step back. "What's going on?"

    She struggled with the weapon and felt it tug her into attacking Applejack again. "We don't have to do this, Rainbow! Stop!"

    The attacks were sloppy and Applejack blocked them easily, but she wasn't sure how she should handle Sunset and her disobedient weapon. Maybe she could knock it out of her hands somehow.

    Again it came down, and again she blocked, but in the same instant she felt something spearing through her back. By the time Sunset finally reabsorbed the guitar back into her, Twilight had tossed the giant sewing needle of Rarity's demon out, and stuck Applejack right through. Standing near Spike, who she had been helping back up during the time before, she yanked on the needle's thread, dragging Applejack across the hard ground, until she came to rest was at her feet.

    "No!" Sunset summoned the Party Cannon, taking aim and desperately firing at the group, hoping Applejack's stone armor would protect her from the blast. Spike saw her coming, and reflected the shell into the ceiling with his tail blade, causing huge chunks of it to come down on Sunset. 

    She was only trapped under the rubble for a moment before she busted through it, coughing and covered in dust. 

    "Dammit, Rainbow," Sunset scolded her, "What the hell's your problem?!" 

    She was right there! We could've had her!

    Twilight was already extracting Applejack's magic with her device, the energy coming off of her in a orange and black swirl. The hole in her back managed to heal up just as her energy left her, leaving a nasty looking scar, but no lasting damage.

    Sunset met Twilight's eyes again. In one hand, she held her katana, and in the other, Rarity's needle. Spike was right behind her, ready to fight as well.

    "She's got Applejack's magic now..." Sunset whispered. "Thanks a lot, Rainbow."

How is this my fault?!? Rainbow's voice was muffled and silenced.

    "Unless you want to hand over that amulet," Twilight said, "We have no further business here."

    "Get back here!" Sunset aimed the Party Cannon and primed it, but Twilight gave a command before she could shoot.

    "Spike! Deal with her."

    Sunset took a direct blast from Spike's lightning cannon, the hit stunning her and giving him plenty of time to pounce. He took her to ground, and as he held her there a thought crossed his mind. He looked up to Twilight for clarification.

    "What about Applejack?"

Materializing her hoverboard and absorbing Rarity's demon, Twilight flew off past Sunset, heading towards the exit. "Make sure she gets somewhere safe."

    "Understood."

    All he had to do now was deal with Sunset.
> 06- The Shadow of Doubt
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

    A horde of demons was nothing that Trixie's ride couldn't pummel through. At full speed, it was unstoppable, reinforced specifically for the purpose of surviving demonic attacks. 

    "Do you have to hit every single one we pass?" Sunburst asked, nervously clinging to his seat as Trixie slammed the pedal against the floor.

    "It'll make it easier on us if we have to come back through here." Trixie smiled, feeling another demon bump the vehicle.

    "Hey, wait, there she is!" Sunburst pointed out a mob of demons with Starlight at its center. "Someone's with her, maybe- Woah!"

    Sunburst almost came out of his seat as Trixie spun the steering wheel to the side, slamming on the brakes as the RV turned, slowly sliding to a stop and mashing through any demons in its way.

    Starlight watched expectantly, not even flinching as Trixie's wrecking ball on wheels cruised towards her. It was almost like she knew it would come to a stop a mere inch from her. She looked up to see a smiling Trixie rolling her window down.

    "Abracadabra!" She said, then her grin turned to a complete deadpan. "Get in the van."

    "I thought I told you to wait for me, Trixie." Starlight said.

    "Yeah, well, we saw all the demons and the hotel exploding and thought it'd be best to come find you."

    "She," Sunburst said, leaning over to the window. "She thought it'd be best to come find you."

    "Who's your friend?" Trixie asked, seeing Flash approaching with Rainbow on his shoulders. "And why is he carrying Rainbow Dash?"

    "I met him at the concert," Starlight turned to him, and pointed her thumb back at Trixie. "Agent Sentry, Trixie. Trixie, Agent Sentry."

    "Waitwaitwait..." Trixie's eyes narrowed as she looked over Flash. "Sentry? Flash Sentry? As in, the coolest guy at Canterlot High?"

    Flash knew her as well, but for a far sillier reason. "Trixie Lulamoon? 'Peanut Butter Crackers' Trixie?"

    "Hey!" Trixie blushed, her preferred title during her high school years was 'The Great and Powerful' Trixie. "Those crackers were good, okay?"

    They weren't, she was the only one that ever ate them. 

    Starlight looked to Trixie, then to Flash, then back to Trixie. "Oh, good. You two already know each other."

    "We do." Trixie looked a bit disappointed at having the crackers thing brought up again. 

    "Anyway, we're trying to get Rainbow somewhere safe, would you mind giving him a ride?"

    "Sure, whatever... Get in."

-----

    The inside of Trixie's RV was nice, with a pair of long, couch-styled seats on either side of the interior walkway and a short table with booth seating at the end of the middle section. In the back, there was a half of a bathroom, half of a kitchen, and half of a workshop, and above them there was access to three separate platform beds and storage space.

    Starlight came in and had Flash lay Rainbow down on one of the couches. Sunburst came back to greet them, but was instantly concerned when he saw Starlight's mechanical arm bent backwards.

    "Starlight! Your arm!" Sunburst took it, lifting it up and inspecting the damage. "What happened?"

    "I took a few hits," Starlight said, not wanting to go into detail about the duel she lost.

    "You took the demon out, right?" Trixie asked, turning around in the driver's seat.

    "I did, but..." Starlight stopped herself. "I did."

    "Good." Trixie turned to face forward again.

    Sunburst still was fussing over Starlight's arm. "You really need to be more careful with yourself, come on- let me get that fixed."

    "Sunburst, I just want to sit down for a sec..." She didn't seem to want to go with him, but she let him lead her by the hand past the curtain to the back room. Their continued banter was still audible, but a question from Trixie took Flash's attention from that.

    "Where am I taking you?"

    "Coyote Hotel," Flash told her. "There's a SWAT unit there that'll get Rainbow out of here."

    Trixie shifted into drive and looked in the mirror, turning the RV in the right direction and heading off. "Seraph Agent, huh? So you're some kind of government goon now?"

    "Something like that." Flash took his pen and notepad out of the pouch on his back, and began to scribble down everything he could remember seeing that day. He described the different demons he saw, briefly stating their abilities and how to defeat them, as well as what he knew about Twilight and the Tantibus. Hearing the sounds of the pen moving, Trixie glanced back.

    "Diary?" She asked.

    "Taking notes. Trying to figure all of this out."

    Sunburst and Starlight came back through the curtain. Starlight's arm was back in its proper position, and Flash saw her flexing her fingers as she made her way to the front. 

    "Do you have a plan?" Sunburst asked, taking interest in Flash's writings as he sat at the table.

    "Not really," Flash said, "I was told it was a small situation, not a citywide invasion."

    "The Tantibus." When Starlight said the name it put a frightened look on Sunburst's face. "The Tantibus is the reason this is happening."

    "The Tantibus? That's what we're dealing with?" Sunburst went into a subtle panic. It had a mythical status amongst the Order's members, it was the thing that young scribes and paladins-to-be checked beneath their beds for.  "We need to get in touch with the Order-"

    "No. We can't," Starlight cut him off. "If the Order knew the Tantibus was loose they'd burn the whole city to the ground. Besides, we can handle it. That's why the Head Paladin chose us."

    "SRAPH Command would take extreme measures as well," Flash said. Had Flash not closed the demon portal on his previous mission, the town he was trying to save would've been bombed completely flat. A lot of damage was already done, but they were at least able to rebuild. "I'll come up with something."

    "I think you need a reality check," Starlight said. "You're not getting anything done on your own."

    "Hey, I've trained for this," Flash replied, defensively. "I'm perfectly capable of-"

    "Look," Trixie harshly cut him off. "Not even Starlight does anything on her own. Without me, she wouldn't have a ride anywhere, and without Sunburst she'd just be a severed head and arm."

    Starlight nodded. "We need to work together if we want to stop this."

    "Ugh, stop it," Trixie rolled her eyes. "You're starting to sound like some cheesy comic book hero."

    "Oh, shut up." Starlight playfully smirked at her, then looked back to Flash. "What I'm trying to say is this: we're on the same team here."

    Flash knew they were right, but until he knew he could pull his own weight, he didn't want to risk being the weakest link. "Last time I was on a team, things didn't go so well."

    She looked like she understood, but was cut off before she could respond.

    "Hey, Starlight!" Trixie pointed ahead, the Coyote Hotel was visible. The tall building was on elevated ground, and there was a flight of steps leading up to its front entrance. Part of the street curved towards the doors to allow for vehicle access, but that path was blocked by a line of cars left behind. The street itself had enough cars in the way, barreling through all of them wouldn't be practical. She'd still probably try it, though.

    The street was also crowded with demons of all kinds, as well as the bodies of those foolish enough to stay or not fast enough to escape them. On top of being ruined, this street was the bloodiest and most gruesome they had seen. Perhaps the demon concentration was related to the large structure they were raising just at the top of the steps to the hotel. 

    It was a spire of some kind, made of blood and bones, like some sort of hellish radio antenna. It stood several meters tall, and projected a red light into the sky from its tip. Flash recognized it, he had seen one on his last mission. It was used to summon larger demons, via blood sacrifice. Sunburst knew what it was as well.

    "What's that?" Trixie didn't seem too bothered by it, more just casually curious.

    "I don't care." Starlight replied before either Flash or Sunburst could answer. "We're breaking it."

    Trixie shrugged. "Alright. You do that, hero."

-----

    Just down the street, half a kilometer to the steps leading up to the Coyote Hotel, Captain Spitfire was just barely holding off an onslaught of demons. Her entire team of twelve was down to just three, and one of them was currently getting torn up by a beetle-looking thing. Her machine gun was doing minimal damage to them- it was a compact little thing that sprayed pistol bullets. Most of the meaty demons could soak up half a magazine before going down.

    Her last remaining squad member was burnt to a pile of ashes by a skeleton demon, but Spitfire didn't back down. Picking the boney demon out, she returned the favor, shattering them with several well placed shots. Unlike the bulky ones, they were fragile. 

    A big one with a sword was getting closer though, and try as she might, she didn't have enough rounds left to take it down. It sliced across her chest, and there was a loud crack as the ballistic armor she had on broke. She was still alive though, and by some luck, wasn't majorly wounded. That wasn't going to last long though, as the thing that knocked her down was about to finish her off.

    Except it didn't, because it was hit by a flying RV. Wait. A what? A massive, armor plated RV the size of bus flew over her head, scattering the demon in front of her aside like a bowling pin. It landed on two wheels, tilting as it turned around, the back end sending demons in every direction as it regained stability and passed back around, coming to a halt just behind her.

    Spitfire had no words.

    Starlight Glimmer kicked open the RV's side door and rolled out, slicing through an oncoming Reaper as it got close to the downed Spitfire. Following Starlight was Flash Sentry, who held out his hand and helped her to her feet.

    "Captain Spitfire, are you okay?"

    "Sentry! Good to see you again..." Spitfire put a new magazine in her weapon. "Thought I was cooked."

    Starlight's wild slaying of demons in front of them took their attention, knocking demons this way and that, making it look absolutely trivial. She flipped into one, kicking it to the ground with her feet while shredding another behind it with her sword cutting faster than the eye could follow. She took out a line of three with one bullet, and her fist punched a hole straight through a big one, draining its energy and recharging her own. Within a few minutes she had that section of the street cleared out. When finished, she gave her chainsaber a twirl, and turned to them, like she was expecting applause.

    "What..." Spitfire was in shock. What killed her entire team, this girl cleaned up in record time.

    "I'm gonna take that thing down." Starlight motioned to the spire, then turned to it. "You two get Rainbow out of here."

    Spitfire wasn't about to argue with her. All she could do was accept the sheer absurdity of it all. 

    "You have a ride?" Flash asked, watching Starlight hop over a stack of cars and run off down the street.

    "Yeah, right over there." She indicated a truck, about a third of the size of Trixie's vehicle, but just as armored. Across the side of it was the indication 'Special Weapons and Tactics'- the first letter of each word much larger than the ones following, making the acronym easily visible. 

    "Get it started, I'll be right back with Rainbow." Flash said, heading back to the RV.

     Inside, he was surprised to see both Trixie and Sunburst in relaxed state, reading through a magazine and a leather-bound book respectively. Trixie took casual notice of him, but he had Sunburst's full attention.

    "This is where we part ways, I guess." Flash said, taking Rainbow back over his shoulders.

    "Yep. See ya 'round." Trixie replied lazily.

    "Oh, before you go!" Sunburst sat up a bit. "I've got a two-way radio set to one-four-one point twelve. Keep in touch with us so we can meet back up again."

    "Will do. Stay safe." Flash gave them a nod, and rushed back to the SWAT truck.

    He pulled open the wide doors on the back, buckling Rainbow into the bench seat there, then circled around to the passenger seat. Making sure the safety was on, he rested his shotgun  vertically between his seat and the door, so he could relax without it pressing on his back. As they drove away from what looked like the beginning of the apocalypse, both he and Spitfire let out extremely long sighs, suddenly finding themselves short of breath. Even if momentary, this was the first break they'd gotten all day, a day full of fighting, destruction and carnage. Neither of them were really able to handle with the things they'd seen, but they were going to push through regardless. 

    They looked at each other, then out at the road, grateful that Trixie's van had more or less made a pathway for them. 

    "We've got..." Spitfire said, still out of breath. "We've got some equipment and medical supplies in here. Is that road rash?"

    Flash looked down at his arms, still red and scraped up from the tangle with the Tantibus. It didn't hurt, but he supposed that was just from the day's adrenaline. "Oh yeah. That's gonna hurt when I wake up tomorrow. If I wake up tomorrow."

    "Hey, don't think like that, you'll be alright. We'll make it." She gave him a supportive hand on the shoulder. "Even if you're looking death in the face you gotta keep that attitude up."

    "Right." Flash had looked death in the face enough times for one day.

    They reached the bridge leading back to the residential part of town, but what Flash saw beyond it filled him with dread. 

    Somewhere over the bridge, another bright red light was being cast up into the sky.

    The sky in turn began to change, from the grey-blue of a moderate overcast to a dark red, the same hue as the lights.

    "Oh no..." Flash muttered.

    "You've seen this before?"

    "Once. They use those towers to summon bigger demons in." Flash said. "They operate with human blood, which is why they need to slaughter people."

    "They seem perfectly fine slaughtering people either way..." Spitfire said. "Can we destroy them?"

    Imagery of Flash's last mission danced across his thoughts. He was covered in blood, and had his arms locked with his squad leader as she was being pulled through an open demon portal. She was kicking, screaming, struggling, but two demonic hands on the other end of her held a firm grip, and were much stronger than Flash. Beyond the portal was one of their spires, with several explosive charges set to it. His squad leader pulled one of her arms away, and put a detonator into his hand.

    After that, she pushed away from Flash, saying only one thing to him before she disappeared into the dark vortex.

    "Pull it!"

    Flash came out of this thoughts and answered Spitfire's question. "With explosives, yes."

    "You spaced out there for a sec, you okay?" 

    "I'm fine, just..." Flash paused. "I've lost people. Not great to think about."

    "My whole team just got wiped out," Spitfire said. "But right now they'd want me to finish the mission. Or at least get out alive."

    Flash agreed. Now wasn't the time for mourning, but he wished he could control when his memories came and went.

    "You're not losing me though, that's for sure." Spitfire said. "We're doing whatever it takes to get through this."

    "Whatever it takes." He wasn't sure how effective his self-reassurances were, but it was all he had at the moment. 

    He figured he should get his arms bandaged. The bleeding had stopped, but his skin had definitely seen better days.

    Locating a first aid kit between his and Spitfire's seats, he got to work.

-----

    "I can't help but notice that you're not clawing my face in." Sunset stared up at Spike with hesitance.

    Spike simply kept her pinned. Sunset wasn't the type to struggle, she just wanted him to get whatever attack he was going to do over with so she could land a counter hit. He didn't though, he just held her down until Twilight left, then continued to keep her down.

    "I don't want to fight you, Sunset."

    "Uh..." Sunset's eyes wandered away from Spike for a moment. "Didn't Twilight just tell you to?"

    "She told me to 'deal with you'. I know what she wants, but you can be dealt with in a non-aggressive way if we can come to an agreement."

    "Okay..." Sunset felt odd negotiating with someone she was just fighting, but honestly, she didn't want to fight him either. All of her current anger was directed towards Twilight. "What did you have in mind?"

    "Help me do the second part of Twilight's orders. Help me get Applejack to safety." When Sunset didn't seem to follow, Spike explained further. "If you agree to help me, you will be dealt with for the time being, and Applejack will be safe."

    "Oh..." Sunset understood now. Spike was using a logical loophole in his programming to exercise his free will. "That's... You can do that?"

    "Yes, so long as I can logically justify my actions through technicality, I'm not contradicting my directives." Spike backed off of Sunset, and allowed her to stand and absorb her weapon back into her. "Twilight does it all the time, except she does it to justify hurting people."

    "What's her deal, anyway?" Sunset asked. As angry as she was, she knew Twilight wouldn't act like this unless she had a reason. Even if the reason was unfounded, Sunset felt like the only way she could stop her is if she understood where she was coming from.

    "Twilight thinks she can destroy the Sister of Darkness when she returns by using the latent Harmonic Magic of your friends." Spike told her. "Twilight summoned the Tantibus, an extension of the Dark Sister, in hopes of destroying it early, but it escaped. Now she's playing catch-up with it, not only gathering magic, but also 'saving' her friends from it in the process."

    "The Tantibus, that's that weird space monster?" Sunset recalled fighting it before entering the Convention Hall.

    "Yes." Spike nodded. "While its powers have affected our friends, I’m pretty sure she was the first to be influenced by it."

    "How come she didn't turn into a monster?" She asked.

    "Look at what she's done, Sunset. She did."

    She couldn't disagree. "Are you allowed to say that?"

    "I am not allowed to disobey a direct order from her. However, my prime directive, my purpose for existing, is to help Twilight. She'll only hurt herself more if she continues this. She needs help."

    Behind her, Sunset heard Applejack's voice. "A quick kick in the ass is what she needs."

    Applejack had her torn and bloodied suit jacket off and tied around her waist, and beneath it was an equally as bloodied t-shirt.

    "Applejack, hope you're not too roughed up from that." Sunset looked over her. She was covered in blood, yet had no visible wounds.

    "A bit sore, but I'll live..." Applejack held her rifle pointed down, with her finger away from the trigger. "Though I don't think I can take any more hits without my powers."

    "Where should we take her?" Spike asked.

    "Take me?"

    Sunset clarified. "If it's not already, the city's about to be overrun by demons. I'm not about to let you get killed. You can hide out at my place."

    Motioning for them to follow, Sunset walked towards the same exit Twilight went through. She wasn't going to bring it up with them, but she had another problem to figure out. Deep within her, she felt an uncharacteristic rage building. Normally, she'd let go of such feelings, but this one was sticking to her. Everything Twilight was doing was so painful to watch, all she wanted was for them to be friends again. But yet, the more this feeling grew, the more she felt like she wanted Twilight's head on a plate.

    For the moment, she didn't let her concerns show. She kept a calm smile, and told herself that she'd handle things as they came. First thing on her list was to have a chat with Rainbow's demon.

-----

    I can't believe you, I can't believe you! Applejack's Inner Demon screamed in Twilight's head. I was at peace with her!

    "You mean..." Twilight's eyes widened. She sat on a tall rooftop, overlooking the destruction of Canterlot's business district. "No, you're lying. You wouldn't make peace with a human."

    I... think she's telling the truth, dear... Rarity's demon chimed in. I mean, I'd compromise with a human if I were stuck with them.

    I'm not some goon from a kid's cartoon! I don't just lie to folks for no reason! The demon's voice speaking in Applejack's accent was a bit jarring to Twilight, but she paid little mind to it. That girl taught me the benefit of bein' honest from time to time- and she learned a thing or two about when to lie to people.

    "No," Twilight shook her head frantically, "That's still corrupting her!"

    Corrupting her? Applejack's demon retorted. We were cooperating!

    "That's not possible, not unless..." Twilight's thoughts faltered, and in that brief period she felt the hint of self-doubt creeping into her mind. She stomped it out the moment she realised it was there. "No, I couldn't possibly be wrong."

    Oh, don't feel bad, darling. Rarity's demon said. Nobody's perfect...

    I don't think she's willing to believe that, Rares. Applejack's demon said, as Twilight put her face in her hands and clenched her teeth together. She's got her head so far up her-

    Oh, please don't make her angry! Rarity's demon said, defensively. She'll put us both under!

    I don't care! I didn't ask to be here, you know, I didn't-

    I didn't ask to be here either but I'm-

    "Enough!" Twilight forced them both into silence. "I'm not doing anything wrong! You two are demons, why should I be listening to you? You should be listening to me, because I'm in control here!"

    Both of them fell silent. She felt their presence linger, as if they were just staring at her with silent judgement.

    "I'm in control here." She repeated, needing the comfort that came with believing the statement. "I'm in control."

    Sitting here fighting with herself wasn't going to amount to anything, it was time for her to continue with her mission. The Tantibus needed to be found. Pulling out her magic-capturing device, Twilight activated its tracking function. One set of lights pointed towards the nearest spire, which she had a plain view of, but another one pointed off to the left. Only one of her old friends remained, but Twilight knew she wouldn't be in town. Fluttershy was a wildlife biologist, and last she heard, she was researching strange new creatures appearing in the slightly paranormal Everfree Forest.

    She singled out the signal and mounted her hoverboard, floating down to the street level to follow her navigator. Even as she descended, the height indicator on her tracker suggested that her target was even further beneath her. Still, she followed its direction as best as she could, until she came to an open manhole cover.

    If she did have a trail on the Tantibus, and she was certain she did, it had gone underground.

    "Great." Twilight didn't look forward to sewer crawling. She dismounted her hoverboard, climbed down the ladder beneath the hole, and immediately got back on it as to avoid putting her boots on the damp walkway beneath her. She could also cross the man made river of filth without having to get knee deep in it.

    She was going to make this as quick as possible.

-----

    Starlight Glimmer had no trouble clearing out the demons in front of the Coyote Hotel. Even when she reached the menacing horned creatures with axes, called Battlemasters, she was only hindered by the sheer amount of punishment they could take before going down. She had to climb upon the last one's back and punch straight through its heart to defeat it, but the amount of power it held there overcharged Starlight's body.

    All four of her external power cells glowed brightly through the back of her jacket, and gave her body the means to be faster, stronger and overall better than ever. 

    She neared the steps leading up to the demon spire. It was like a tall, branchless tree, sending a beacon of impending doom into the sky. And impending doom soon came. The trail of demon blood Starlight left in her wake was moving, slithering along the ground, moving the stairs until it was absorbed into the wide, circular base of the spire. Of course, the spire would accept all blood, not just human.

    A swirling black vortex began to form in front of it. 

    Through it, what looked like a knight twice Starlight's height stepped, wielding a gigantic two handed sword- oversized even for them. They wore a sinister looking suit of armor, black as the night sky, completely covering their body in smooth demonic metal. A blue trim ran along the shoulders and leg pieces, and on their breastplate was the sigil of a silver crescent moon. Two wide, dark wings sprouted from their back, powerful, imposing, but feathered, not something Starlight would've expected to see on a demon. Feathered wings were more often associated with angels.

    The face of this dark knight was completely covered as well, by a helmet with a slitted visor across the front. A long, metal spike protruded from the helmet's forehead, giving the appearance of a horn. It was likely just a decoration, but Starlight still half-expected for them to try and headbutt her with it.

    The knight said nothing. Starlight stood her ground, and even though she couldn't actually see their eyes, she felt eye contact between the two of them.

    "And you are?" She asked. No response.

    With a flap of their wings, the knight jumped into the air, clearing the entire flight of stairs and landing in a ready stance. Feet spread apart, they held their sword upward in a close guard, still choosing to remain silent.

    "Not a talker?" Starlight mirrored the stance, but held her sword forward, her body aligning with her weapon's edge. "Alright, let's just get to it, then."

    The dark knight only extended a gauntleted hand, and beckoned Starlight to attack.
> 07- The Residence of Evil
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The sky turned a darker shade of red, and the sun had seemingly disappeared from the sky. It was like the day had suddenly been cut short.

    Spitfire drove her armored truck through Canterlot City, finding less and less abandoned cars and more and more dead bodies in the illumination of the tall street lights. It was unsettling.

    With Rainbow Dash now awake, Flash Sentry had climbed into the back of the truck, sitting on the bench across from her. 

    "Demons?" Rainbow was shaken as Flash explained recent events, but she wasn't outwardly terrified like Rarity had been. She straightened her jacket out, and a determined look formed on her face. "Right. What do you need me to do?"

    "Just stay here, Spitfire and I will take care of things."

    "Oh no, I'm not sitting this out." Rainbow crossed her arms. "They're my friends too. If I can help, I'm going to."

    "We don't need to put any more people at risk than necessary." Flash said. "Besides, It's not like we're going to be charging head first into battle..."

    "About that..." Spitfire could see the police station up ahead, but there was a group of demons there, raising another bloody spire in the center of the gated courtyard out front. 

"We're going to have to find-" Flash began, but didn't get to finish his sentence.

A large demon with an axe slung across its back abruptly dropped in front of them, and Spitfire slammed on the brakes.

    The demon's fist hit the truck and it spun out of control, the back end smashing in between two parked cars to the side of the station. In front of them, they could see the demon taking heavy, threatening steps in their direction, with a car held up above its head in both hands.

    "Spitfire, come on!" Flash motioned for her to follow, kicking open the truck's back doors. He and Rainbow fell out in the alley running around the back of the station. 

    "No time!" Spitfire rolled out of the side door, leaving her on the other side of the wall of vehicles. She ducked as the demon tossed the car, and it topped off the pile, creating a barrier of metal between the alley and the street. 

    "Spitfire!" Flash called, looking at her through the shattered car windows.

    "Can you still reach the back of the truck?" She asked.

    There was another car crushing it in half, but the back of the SWAT truck was still open. On the ground, a bunch of gear had fallen out in a pile. "Yeah, there's some stuff here."

    "There's a disposable rocket launcher in the back, I need it!" Spitfire turned around, not pleased to see the demon getting closer. "Now!"

    It was a long piece of tube with a handle and a sight, one of the first things Flash saw in the pile. He held it through the car window, and she hastily reached out and grabbed it from him. 

    "Thanks!" She said. "Now go- I'll meet up with you in the police station after I take this guy down."

    Flash went back to the gear pile, seeing if he could take anything with him. It was mostly empty weapon cases, but buried among them he found a small handgun in a holster, a stun grenade, a pair of bolt cutters and a breaching hammer. The stun grenade went on a clip on his vest, and he picked the handgun out of the pile.

    "I guess I'm gonna get to help out after all," Rainbow said, looking quite excited.

    "Ever fired a gun before?" Flash asked, offering her the holstered weapon. 

    "Uh... Paintball guns." Rainbow said. She accepted it, but seemed a bit embarrassed that her answer was a no. "It's not that much different, is it?"

    "It kicks a lot more, for one." Flash watched as Rainbow took it, correctly placing the holster around her shoulder without him having to say anything. "Point it at the ground and keep your finger off the trigger unless you're going to shoot."

    "Yeah, yeah, I know how to be careful." Rainbow awkwardly removed the pistol's magazine and counted out the shots in it, and pulled the slide back to make sure the chamber was clear in a similarly unfamiliar way. She seemed to know what to do with it, but it was obvious she had little experience actually handling it.

    Flash decided to trust Rainbow's annoyed dismissal of him for the time being, and made his way down the alley. She was impatient and rash at times, but she seemed level headed enough, especially considering that demons were trying to kill everyone in the city. 

    The soft echoing of their footsteps was all that was heard as they followed the space between the two buildings. At any moment, Flash was expecting to hear a blast from the rocket launcher he had given Spitfire, or perhaps the repeated rattling of her machine gun, but as the silence continued he became concerned. Hopefully they would meet up again.

    The silence in general was strange, he at least expected to hear other demons shuffling and crawling about, but all he could identify was the distant stomping of the big one out in the street. It felt off.

    Their path eventually split off into two directions, one to a dead end wall and the other to a gated, chain link fence that lead to the back of the police station. The fence was secured with a heavy chain and padlock, and had a set of short spiked bits along the top, discouraging anyone from climbing over it. Even if he had the key, Flash couldn't get the padlock through to his side of the gate.

    "Locked." Rainbow said, giving the gate a shake. The sound of the links clanging together put Flash on edge.

    "Please try to be quiet," He said. "We're not going in guns blazing, this isn't an action movie."

    "Oh, sorry." Rainbow's hand retracted. "So we're doing this more like a spy movie?"

    "It's not like a movie at all, it's..." Halfway through the sentence, it occurred to him that Rainbow's understanding of firearms likely came through movies. Her understanding of anything dangerous would likely be through movies. He’d have to work with that. "If anything, it's like a horror movie."

    In simple terms, that was a surprisingly accurate way to describe his day. Rainbow's expression shifted, realizing what that might mean for them.

    "Oh." She said. Some of her eagerness left her.

    Flash turned back the way they came, and a few moments later he returned with the bolt cutters from the back of the truck. He clamped them around the metal chain and pressed in on the handles. 

    "Everything I've encountered today would've killed me had it not been for someone else saving me," He said. The cutters did their job well, breaking the chain apart and allowing them to open the gate. "We can't fight them head on."

    As Flash crossed the gate, Rainbow hesitated to follow. If she was afraid, it wasn't showing, but she obviously had some reservation.

    He put the bolt cutters down and turned back to her. "You sure you want to come with me?"

    "Yeah, of course," She didn't sound quite as confident as before. By no means was she obliged to, but she still was determined to follow through. "Our friends need us."

    "They do," Flash agreed. "So we need to stay alive."

    Following the path along the back of the police station led to a taller, steel railed fence separating the back alley from a boxed in yard. All of the station's outside lights were out, making it tough to see, but Flash made out a backdoor beyond the fence, and saw two police cruisers parked next to each other. It was a parking lot, with a road leading out of the back. A possible exit, perhaps.

    On their side of the fence, a door was immediately visible on the corner of the station's east wing. Unfortunately, it was made of reinforced steel and locked electronically, it didn't budge when Flash tried to open it. Checking around the side of the building they found another short gate dividing the front courtyard from the back alley, but also a side door.

    "This one's locked too..." Flash said, trying the handle. It didn't have an electronic lock, and looked to be made of a thinner metal. Seemed like a poor design, having another entrance easily accessible from the reinforced one...

    "What about that sledgehammer back there, you think that would work?" Rainbow asked.

    No way he was knocking down the first one, but this one seemed like a normal door. It would be loud as hell, but there didn't seem to be another way in. 

-----

    It took her a minute to get around the huge, axe wielding demon blocking her way, but as soon as she had an opening, Spitfire ran. 

    The demon was slow following after her, but took wide steps, somewhat making up for its lack of speed. She was only barely outpacing it. The disposable rocket launcher had a shoulder sling, but the weighty weapon smacked against her side as she pumped her arms, making running that more exhausting. The machine gun slung around her front was a bit more manageable, but it dragged against the hood of a car as she jumped over it, making more work for her to pull herself through. 

    Her body tilted too far as she came down on the other side of the car, she tried to roll, but her gear was too heavy, and she fell flat. Sparing a glance back as she picked herself up, she saw the demon's axe chopping down, biting into the car's roof and smashing it flat, just about cleaving it in half.

    Spitfire only had a moment to scan her surroundings before she would share the car's fate. The gates leading into the police station's courtyard were open, but many smaller demons were congregating around their spire, dragging bodies closer to it, performing some kind of ritual. What Flash said about them needing blood came to mind, and she spent her first moment correctly deciding that she would not go through the front. The only other immediate entry was around the left side, which had another alleyway around it. Police stations in these parts of towns always had to be packed in with other buildings.

    The west alley was her target.

    Again, Spitfire ran.

    Her hope was dampened as she heard metal creaking behind her. She didn't have to look back, she knew the demon was flinging another car, and she dove to ground. It passed over her, and landed right in front of the alleyway, catching fire as it slid. The path wasn't blocked off completely, but she was too weighed down to climb over a burning car and escape in time.

    Unless... 

    Spitfire remembered her tactical plate, it had been split in half by a demon before and both pieces were pressing against her body awkwardly. They had done their job, but weren't going to be protecting her anymore. Picking herself up and running again, she reached into her vest, her fingers slipping through the slot in the mesh and pulling out the heavy, rigid pieces of metal. 

    That was five less pounds she had to carry. It wasn't much, but she felt like she was going to have to jump over that car whether she wanted to or not, so she might as well lighten the load as much as possible. The footsteps were getting closer behind her, and following were subtle quakes in the ground. 

    With sweat drenching her entire body and the strain in her muscles reaching unbearable levels, Spitfire put her foot on the car, the heated metal stinging her for only a moment as she gripped the upwards facing door. She kicked up as soon as her hands made contact, trying to get as much momentum as possible to aid in the work of heaving her body and gear over the vehicle. Her hands burned sharply for the entirety of the six seconds it took to pull herself up, but then went numb as she fell onto her front on the other side.

    She didn't register any of the pain, she was focused on getting the rocket launcher ready. What she was about to do was risky, but she didn't want to leave this monster to roam about. Hopefully, his peers wouldn't miss him. 

    Traversing the burning car was no problem for the demon, just barely fitting in the cramped space between buildings to chase after Spitfire. She didn't bother getting up, she was scooting away in a sitting position, looking down the sight of the rocket launcher, lining it up with the car as the demon climbed over it.

    Hoping she was far enough away, she fired the rocket off, its payload digging into the car and detonating right beneath the demon, also igniting whatever fuel was left in its tank. The blast was deafening, and Spitfire rolled to face the ground, covering the back of her head with her hands. She felt bits of metal rain down on her, a few striking the armor plate she had on her back. That one was still intact, and held strong.

    After confirming that she was still alive, she peeked out to inspect the damage. The top half of the demon was nothing but unrecognizable pieces scattered across the alley, and portions of the walls to either side had collapsed on it. The bottom half was nowhere to be seen, but she was fairly sure it wouldn't be going anywhere anytime soon. 

    She threw the empty rocket launcher aside. They were designed to be single use, and weren't reloadable. Standing and checking over her senses again, she felt something alarming, and very off. Her entire body was in pain, that was to be expected, except for her hands. For some reason, she felt a tingling numbness in her hands.

    "Oh..." She breathed, looking down at her hands and realizing what she had done. "Oh, no..."

    Spitfire refused to wear gloves. During training, during missions, even while operating in cold weather. Unless she was going into a freezing snowstorm, she wouldn't put them on. They hindered her dexterity a considerable amount, and she had much quicker aiming and draw speeds without them. 

    Today was the day she would finally regret her stubbornness.

    The insides of her hands, from her palms to her fingertips, were a complete swirl of red and bright white. They were blistered all over, stiff to move, and most frighteningly, she couldn't feel them at all. Her hands had made full contact with the burning car, and her exposed skin was subsequently seared; she felt not a single nerve sending signals to her brain. Her senses were completely severed.

    She trembled and balled her fists. Had she worn the gloves issued to her, she may not have burned herself as badly, but she hadn't, and now her hands were scorched all the way to the bone. Just by looking at them, she knew she wasn't going to recover fully.

    This wasn't the time to be distracted, she needed to keep going.

    She did an inventory check as she walked down the alley. She had her machine gun, an extra magazine, a combat knife, and her radio. Not much. Everything else she had loaded up with at the beginning of the day had been lost or used already. Looking at it a bit closer, she saw that the radio had cracks along the casing- it was attached to the front of her uniform, and had taken some damage.

    "Oh, please work..." Spitfire whispered, moving her numb fingers across the switch and turning the frequency knob. No sound came out. The display showed jumbled information as well. "Ugh..."

    Keep going, she told herself.

    The path let out behind the police station, where a steel fence blocked her off from a parking lot. She neared the station's west wing, and could see a closed garage for the police cruisers to use. No lights were on though, so it was hard to make out anything else through the darkness.

    The only door on the side of the building was reinforced and had an electronic lock, not something she could access. Through a bit of fencing separating the side passage from the front courtyard, she could see demons wandering down the street. No doubt, they were investigating the explosion, and wouldn't be happy to see their heavy hitter in pieces. It wouldn't be long until they caught up with her.

    Perhaps there was an escape, pressed up against the fence to the courtyard was a dumpster. If she stood on it, she might be able to climb over it. She did just that, dropping to a kneel on the other side of the fence. The flat tops of the vertical railing dug into her hands, but she had no sensation associated with it. It was odd, but it made climbing easier in that way. 

    A few demons still lingered in the courtyard, and she laid herself flat on the grass, poking her head through a hedge to avoid being seen. She went unnoticed, instead the demons were focused on the spire. It was lighting up, glowing, but the demons didn't seem to be pleased with this. They were backing away and giving each other concerned looks, as if something was going wrong with their device. One of the skeleton ones cried out, and several others came over to help it.
    
    They exchanged words that Spitfire couldn't make sense of, but it was clear they were concerned. The tallest of the demons, only standing a head taller than the others, inspected things around the spire's base. A pool of blood was flowing into it from the surrounding bodies, but that's what it was supposed to do, right? Their leader held a clawed hand out, and they all backed away, readying their weapons as a purple swirling hole opened in the air before them.

    The spire lit up brighter. It was functioning, but not as the demons wanted. Something was walking through the rift it was making, something they were cowering from. The thought of something inspiring that much fear in a demon chilled Spitfire's blood as well. 

    Two faded purple boots stepped onto the paved ground. They were of a thick, smooth metal, bulky, and looked as if they had marched through the depths of hell. Above them stood a figure clad in a futuristic armor, their boots only a part of a just-as-bulky power suit with faintly glowing blue lights on the chest and shoulders. Their helmet was wide, with several cables connecting it to the rest of the suit, and a cracked, flat visor that completely masked their face. 

    Deep scratches and endless superficial damage told a story of a hundred battles, and the purple color scratched away to grey in some areas, but it only stood as testament to the armor's durability. They stood tall, this warrior, this hellish soldier, clearly something of terror to the demons present. The demons made no sound, nor did the soldier. For a long couple of moments, nobody did anything. The Hellsoldier didn't need to though, on their own they radiated a deathly energy. It was like the Grim Reaper was standing behind them, ready to collect the soul of whoever stood in their path.

    Then, the Hellsoldier took a single step forward, before instantly transitioning to running full speed toward the closest demon, pulling its weapon from its hands. Ducking down as the demon feebly attempted a counterattack, the Hellsoldier knocked it off of its feet with a sweep of their leg, then punched it down, shattering both its body and the ground on impact. 

    Seeing an ally getting his face stomped in, another demon rose his sword to attack, but the Hellsoldier caught the blade, and gripping it tightly, bent it into a ninety degree angle. It was then ripped away from the demon just as easily as the first, only to be stabbed right back through its chest. The Hellsoldier kicked this demon to the ground, then ran at two of the skeletal demons. The soldier held their arms up as the demons pelted them with consecutive fireballs, but the blasts of heat seemed only a light rainstorm; the Hellsoldier ran straight through them unhindered. Seconds later, the soldier closed the gap, taking the skeletal demons by their heads and smashing them together. The biggest demon present, right behind the two skeletons, howled and screeched as it brought its blade back over its head, attempting to intimidate the Hellsoldier before it struck.

    The attempt failed, and their leader was punched straight in the chest, a wide crater being made where the armored fist made contact, after which the demon flew backwards through the police station doors before it had time to even bleed. It was almost comedic, the impact didn't even break the hinges, the demon simply passed through the wood, making a demon-shaped hole at the center of where the two doors once met. Spitfire would've laughed, were she not desperately holding her breath, keeping as still as possible and praying to whatever gods there were that she remained unnoticed.

    Her request would be answered. The remaining demons fled out into the street, prompting the Hellsoldier to walk threateningly after them. Spitfire knew, the demons knew, and the soldier themself knew: Those demons were all going to die.

    Spitfire's heart was racing. Obviously, the Hellsoldier was no friend of demons, but she wasn't willing to place bets on their opinion on humans. They were likely a powerful demon themself, being able to toss around what Spitfire assumed to be regular footsoldiers. As weak as they might be compared to each other, even the weakest ones could easily take her out if she wasn't careful.

    Rising to a crouch and moving as quietly as possible, she crept to the now opened police station doors and went inside, hoping the Hellsoldier didn't have business in there too.

-----

    Any noise that Flash would've made hammering the door down was drowned out by an explosion somewhere on the other side of the building. Bringing the head of his hammer right on the handle he broke the lock in less than a minute, and he pried it open with the crowbar-like hook on the end. All that greeted his efforts was a barely lit hallway. Things looked undisturbed, minus a few blood marks on the wall and empty bullet casings on the ground. 

    Rainbow stuck close behind him as he gripped the breaching hammer tight in anticipation and entered the building. He wasn't sure how useful it would be as a weapon, but it was what he had on hand at the moment. 

    The main lights were out, the only sources were from emergency lights placed sparsely along the walls. The whole place seemed to be having power issues. 

    A buzzing sound caught his attention, and he plugged his earpiece into his radio, putting it into his ear. Rainbow stepped past him as he listened in, walking down the hallway to the nearest doorway. 

    "Hello?" Flash heard a rough, yet hushed voice over his radio. It was Sergeant Colt, he was still alive! "I'm picking up an open radio signal. If anyone is there, please respond..."

    "Sergeant Colt, it's Agent Sentry." Flash said, equally as hushed. "I'm in the police station. Where are you?"

    "I'm in the panic room, just behind the armory. I've got your two friends in here with me, we've been safe in here since the demons showed up but..." Colt let out a pained sigh. "I don't know how much more fight I've got left in me."

    "Are you injured?" Flash asked. He looked for Rainbow, finding she'd gone into a room with a tiled floor, and filled with lockers. She was looking through them, trying to see what she could find in the open ones.

    "Yeah, and there's not much I can do for it right now." Flash heard him take another painful breath in. "I've lost all of my squad on top of that..."

    They likely didn't stand a chance. "Are there demons in the station?"

    "Yeah, a good bunch of them. They tore everyone apart, there was nothing we could do..." As Colt talked, Flash tried to get a better grasp of his surroundings. Outside of the locker room there was a hallway leading into darkness and the door to a detective's office. 

    "How do we get into the panic room?" 

    "You'll need two separate badges with high enough clearance. Your Seraph badge should work for the first, but I don't know what to do for the second one. Maybe the police chief's badge? I don't..." Colt paused to cough. "I don't think he'll be needing it anymore."

    The uselessness of police in these kinds of circumstances was unfortunate, but not unexpected. It was something Flash struggled with during his time as an officer, it seemed anything out of the ordinary was enough to throw the police onto their back foot, no matter how extreme it was. There was too much protocol and yellow tape, it was like the laws they were enforcing were designed to make things harder on everyone everyone else with little regard for nuance. Once order was broken, there was little they could do to restore it without making it ten times worse first. And when demons and monsters and magic got involved, they might as well just stay out of the way.

    "I'll see what I can do, hang tight." Flash brought his attention back to Rainbow, but kept his earpiece in. The conversation ended, and was replaced with eerie silence. She was now pointing a flashlight around to darker parts of the room, revealing a small desk in the corner, on which was placed three keys on a keyring. 

    "Probably could use these, huh?" Rainbow looked at them a bit closer, seeing each one had a small bit of tape on them, with a few letters describing what they unlocked. "Admin, cells, and armory."

    "The Admin Offices, we need to get there."

    "Huh?" Rainbow asked. She wasn't aware of the conversation Flash just had. "Why?"

    "We need the police chief's badge, I'll explain on the way."

    Walking cautiously but hurriedly, Flash stepped out of the locker room and into the hallway. Nothing had changed, and he breathed a sigh of relief. A small part of him was expecting something to be creeping around, but so far, there was nothing. He quietly relayed the information of their friends and how to get to them to Rainbow, who only nodded her head, and kept the flashlight pointed in front of them. 

    Flash didn't know the station's layout as well as he'd liked, but knew that the Administrative Offices would be in the west wing, and the armory was in the middle of the station. Were the lights on, navigating these hallways would be much quicker, and maybe take a few minutes, but in the dark and tense atmosphere, the corridors seemed endless. It seemed very wrong, like it was a completely different place.

    Somewhere in the center of the station, they came to a crossing of hallways. Past the intersection was a metal blast door leading into the east wing. There was a regular door just past the intersection too, likely worth checking out if they couldn't move the blast door.

    There was another light around the corner, and as they passed Flash turned his head to see another emergency light where that hallway ended. It didn't reach into the hallway they were going down, though, so Rainbow still had to hold the flashlight.

    Flash propped the breaching hammer he was still carrying against the wall, bent his knees, and grabbing the blast door handles, he lifted up. It didn't budge. 

    "Here, let me help," Rainbow set the flashlight down so that pointed towards them, and put her strength in with Flash's. Even though her career was being a musician, Rainbow still stayed physically active and was surprisingly strong, but the door still remained where it was.

    "It's got some bolting mechanism," Flash said, shaking the door back and forth to find it wouldn't give in any direction. 

    "Let me guess, we can't open it without the power on?"

    "I wouldn't think so." Flash sighed. 

    "What even happened to the power?"

    "I don't know, maybe some power lines got knocked over during the demon attack."

    "Well, how are we supposed to get through? Knock the surrounding walls down?"

    Flash looked at the breaching hammer. Even if it were possible, it'd take way too long, and he'd likely tire himself out in the process. They didn't have that kind of time, nor did he want to get taken off guard by a potential threat.

    At the thought of that, he heard something behind him, coming from where the hallways crossed. Footsteps, something scraping along the ground, and a raspy breathing. A shadow was cast in the gap between walls, of a thin, tall figure, hunched over, carrying a large stick behind them. A demon, no doubt.

    Flash took the hammer and pressed himself against the wall, looking back to Rainbow and pointing to the wall opposite. He then made the shape of a gun with a hand, then pointed it at where the hallway crossed, specifically, in the direction the shadow was being cast from.

    Rainbow looked at him in confusion. She drew her pistol, but was unsure of the second command.

    "Watch the corner," Flash whispered. "If it crosses, shoot."

    "What are you doing?" Rainbow replied, just as quietly.

    Flash lifted his hammer a little, and then nodded back to the shadow, slowly getting closer. He inched along the wall, getting as close to the corner as possible without exposing himself. Rainbow held back as far as she could, looking down the sight of her pistol at the corner. She needed to be careful to not hit Flash, as he would cross her line of fire at some point.

    They just waited, the scraping and the footsteps and breathing getting closer, louder, until the demon was standing just at the edge of the hallway, but just out of their vision. The shadow was more detailed, but Flash couldn't identify it as one he'd seen before. However, he could clearly see that its weapon was a scythe. Maybe he'd have the advantage if he could get in close, behind the blade's effective reach.

    The demon stopped moving, and only its breathing was audible for the next few moments. It hadn't sensed them somehow, had it? Flash kept very still, the tension in his body ready to release at any moment into a hammer blow, but every second that passed strained him more and more. His arms were already hurting from scraping against the street before, and he was already starting to tremble. The thing could probably smell him, he was and had been sweating all day, and now was even moreso. Though Flash was used to the smell of himself he was certain no amount of deodorant would've been enough for the day.

    He nearly jumped as a sound took him completely off guard.

    Brrrr-ratatatatatat!

    Gunfire, somewhere close, but behind a few walls. The demon's shadow shifted, it heard it too. Flash had an opportunity.

    He came around the corner, swinging the breaching hammer into a demon two heads taller than him, catching an arm and sandwiching its whole body between the hammer and the wall. It was grey skinned, and had a head of long, flat hair that fell over its eyes, and appeared to have no muscle between its skin and bone. It had strength from somewhere though, it only recoiled for a moment before screeching in pain, and swinging its scythe around in a long arc.

    Flash moved his hammer to try and block, but the wicked, curved blade sliced straight through the handle, and the scythe's end was thrust into his chest. He fell back onto the floor, and drew his knife moments before the scythe's point dug into him. Both hands on the grip, the demon's scythe pressed directly onto the flat of his knife, and Flash saw his own terrified reflection on the other side. Somehow, he was pressing back with enough force to match a demon, but his strength wasn't going to last. 

    Bang, bang!

    Bright bursts of light behind him came before loud gunshots as Rainbow Dash fired at the demon. It stumbled, the bullets digging into its skin, but seemed to be less than wounded. Flash slid back, got to his feet, and readied his shotgun, a blast from the larger weapon enough to nearly knock the demon over. 

    Being quiet was out of the question, the demon's voice pierced his ears through the shotgun's thunder as he took another shot, sending the demon off course as it came at him again. He sidestepped, and it tripped off to the side, giving him another opportunity to shoot it in the back. It was now on the ground, and as he fired off the last shot in the magazine into it, it stopped moving.

    His heart was going wild. 

    "Is it dead?" Rainbow asked.

    Flash watched it. The ones Sunset killed always dissolved into a mist, but this one wasn't doing that. Drawing his knife again, Flash cautiously approached the demon. Should he stab it through the head? The heart? He settled on the heart, remembering seeing Starlight pull a demon's heart out and crush it during their battle in the street. Their heart seemed to hold their power, as Starlight seemed to regenerate herself from them. Flash couldn't do that much, but he could conclude that it was an effective way to kill them.

    He brought his knife over the demon's back and stabbed down, but the demon let out another shriek as it rolled over and desperately grabbed at his wrists with both its bony hands. It was strong, pushing back against him firmly at first, but Flash didn't give an inch, he was determined to keep on the pressure. But it felt futile, it was like he was trying to move the blast door again, but with twice as much resistance. Flash quickly moved both hands to secure his knife, and then he threw his knee down on the thing’s stomach, pinning all of his weight there as he shoved down with the knife even further.

    Slowly, the knife dropped, millimeter by millimeter, towards the demon's chest. The burning in Flash’s arms didn't phase him, he just glared into the demon's soulless, black eyes with anger, with hatred, and forced himself with everything he had to be stronger than it, if just for this moment. He wasn't going to let himself die here, not with people to save, not with a city still in danger, and most definitely not in a pushing match with what was clearly just some random grunt!

    When the demon's arms bent further back than its joints would allow, it began to flail under Flash's hold. In an instant, its resolve was overpowered, and as soon as it lost the will to resist Flash’s knife punched straight through its heart. 

    It gasped, seized up, then stopped struggling, and as Flash removed the knife, it slowly began to fade into the shadows. 

    Rainbow was shocked, but didn't quite realise the intensity of the feat Flash just accomplished.

    "You good?" She asked. "You looked like you had that under control, so..."

    "I'm fine, I just..." Flash was out of breath, his need for oxygen and the pounding of his heart distracting him from his sentence. "I don't..." The recovery was slow. "I..."

    Rainbow Dash put her gun away and offered a hand to the kneeling Flash. He took it, and she helped him up.

    "And you were having trouble with that door a minute ago..." Rainbow said. "What, were you just going easy on it?"

    Flash's mind was racing, trying to figure out what he had just experienced. In those moments, he did something he thought to be impossible. That wasn't all, he realised, for he had also deflected the scythe attack with his knife somehow. Granted, it was made from resentite, a material able to withstand demon-level force, but his arm had been strong enough to resist the strike too. It was unbelievable. His breath quickened again, and Rainbow Dash put a hand on his shoulder.

    "Hey! Are you going to be okay?" She looked into his eyes, but they looked right past her. They closed, and Flash took a deep breath. The aching of his body was making itself known again as he regained control of himself.

    "I..." He said, slowly. "I just matched a demon in strength. I don't know how, but I did..."

    "Think we could get some of that strength on the blast door?"

    Flash had a short spasm of pain wrack through his body, and he shook his head. "Nngh... No... No, I don't think I could do that again."

    "Well let's hope you don't have to. Maybe there's another way through."

    "Yeah." Flash wanted to take a minute, but knew there wasn't time. He'd have to keep pushing through. 

-----

    Spitfire stood in west wing's main lobby, branching off from a hallway to the entrance area. A blast door blocked the way to the west wing, and she heard gunshots going off behind it. She herself had just put a bunch of holes in a fat, pig-headed demon carrying some kind of double-barreled shotgun. It was lying dead on its back a good twenty meters away at the other end of the lobby. The bullets she had were designed to pierce through enemies, something that demons seemed susceptible to. As far she she knew, they all had healing abilities, so she reasoned a hole going straight through a demon would be more damaging than one fragmented inside it. The pain presumably wasn't a issue for them, it was a matter of overworking their self-healing.

    Fortunately, it was taken off guard, but unfortunately, it had also taken the whole magazine. Spitfire held onto it as she switched her new one, putting it in the old one's place. Her machine gun could fire standard police pistol rounds, if she had a chance to load that magazine back up she would. 

    To her surprise, she saw Flash Sentry and Rainbow Dash through a window beside the blast door. There was a meeting room of some sort on the other side, one of the few lights in the west lobby was pointing directly through it. No door on her side led to that room, though. 

    "Sentry!" He looked over as his name was called. The window, though reinforced with crossing metal wires and likely bulletproof, had chips and pieces missing on one corner, allowing her voice to carry through. 

    "Spitfire, are you okay?" Flash asked. He looked weak. Maybe he hadn't been as lucky as she was. He was still alive, though, so maybe he had.

    "I've been better. I was hoping to find you. My radio broke on the way in here."

    "Damn. I talked to Sergeant Colt, he's in the panic room, but we need the police chief's badge to unlock the doors to it. Can you get to his office from your side?"

    "I don't know." Spitfire looked behind her, towards the hallway marked 'ADMIN'. There seemed to be several portable shields bolted to the floor blocking the way. "I might be able to find a way around..."

    Flash turned back to Rainbow Dash for a moment. "Rainbow, give me those keys."

    She did so, handing him a keyring. From it, he pulled one of them off, and slid it through the small break in the window.

    "This is the key to the offices, it might help you get in another way." She took the keys, reading the tape on it and confirming it was the right one.

    "Thanks. One more thing. On the way in here, I... saw someone." Spitfire recalled the Hellsoldier, not knowing how to properly describe them. "Not a demon. At least, I don't think they were. Maybe they were, actually, 'cause they blew through a bunch of demons like it was nothing."

    "Were they a demon hunter, like Sunset?"

    "No, not like her. They had a big suit of... sci-fi lookin' armor. Punched demons through walls, but I don't think they're on our side."

    Flash didn't like the implication of more enemies. "I'll keep an eye out. Guessing I'll have to hide from them."

    "That's what I did, yeah."

    There was a pause, and the two of them just maintained eye contact, knowing it was time to, but not wanting to leave.

    After a moment, Spitfire gathered her resolve. "Well, time to go. I'll meet up with you somewhere, I'm sure."

    Flash nodded. "Yeah. See you soon, hopefully."

    "See you soon," Spitfire repeated, giving him the best smile she could. He and Rainbow continued on, and she turned her attention back to the lobby. There was a slot in the barrier for one to look and fire a weapon through, but it almost touched the ceiling, and there was no space for her to slip past it.

    On a short table near a few overturned chairs, there was an open metal container with foam lining on the inside. Three outlines were there, but only one was filled with an object, that object being a hand grenade. A dried blood spot was on the table, and trailed onto the floor. Spitfire followed it into a shadow in the corner, where the body of a police officer lay lifeless. 

    "Agh..." Spitfire felt a reflexive disgust in seeing a dead body. It was something she could never train out of herself, even when she had to fire a killing shot. She had been consciously suppressing it, but now, when she was alone and everything was quiet, it came out.

    She took the hand grenade and looked around for another door. There was one by the dead officer, it seemed he was trying to get to it before he met his end. As Spitfire approached it, she felt her foot kick something, and looking down she saw a pouch sliding across the ground.

    It was the officer's, she realised, and his handgun was also on the ground nearby. All the pouch had in it was three magazines worth of pistol rounds. Spitfire's eyes lit up.

    "I won't let these go to waste, bud." She said, addressing the spirit of the former officer. After today, she was willing to believe in ghosts and an afterlife. She'd like to hope that maybe her squad was still watching her back from... wherever they'd gone.

    She began to unload the pistol magazine, loading each bullet into her spare machine gun magazine. They held the same caliber of bullet, though these ones probably didn't have the same punch as the ones she came with. Thirty-six bullets total, four short of a full load. Spitfire could've scavenged more from his pistol, but a stirring behind her caught her attention.

    The pig-headed demon was shifting, rolling over, and pushing itself back up. 

    "Nothing down here wants to die, does it?" Spitfire muttered, getting ready to start running and shooting and hiding again.

    "Well too bad, cause I don't either."
> 08- The Point of Convergance
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

    There was a faint, distorted sound echoing through the sewer system beneath Canterlot City. Twilight didn't even need to use her tracking device, she was certain that her target and the source of the noise were the same.

    Her hoverboard made a soft whir as she glided down the tunnel, suspended over the water flowing beneath her. This particular tunnel was wide, made for people to go through, with dozens of smaller pipes feeding into the stream at the center. She moved, the echoing sound becoming more and more clear. There was gunfire ahead. Someone struggling. Fighting.

    Twilight heard another sound though, one closer, but so infinitely quiet that she couldn't locate its origin. It felt like it was coming from the inside of her ear.

    I'm in control.

    It wasn't of Applejack's or Rarity's demons.

    So very much in control, aren't I?

    It was her own voice, yet she wasn't consciously thinking. It thought with a will of its own. She replied to it.

    I'm in control.

    Her voice and the foreign one became the same. Not just in sound and in tone, but also in essence. Twilight's own thoughts reverberated with the distorted voice of a demon. How long had it been like that?

    No, I'm in control. The other voice, yet still somehow her own replied. Now fully aware, she felt as if she had made both statements. Had she been talking to herself without realizing it? Why did she feel like one of the voices was not hers?

    She ignored the change in her thought-voice, and spoke aloud. "I'm in control."

    Her speaking voice sounded normal. It was only her thoughts that changed. What was going on?

    She wasn't even moving anymore, she was just hovering above the sewer water, trying to sort out what was going on in her mind. Was it her two mental passengers? She released her suppression of them to question them.

    What are you two up to? She asked. Again, it was in that altered, demonic tone.

    Applejack's demon was the first to respond. I don't know what you're talking about.

    Twilight didn't believe her.

    Rarity's demon gave a response shortly after. You think we even have anything to say to you at this point? You were talking to yourself, dear.

    Twilight didn't believe that either, but for a different reason. She could've sworn the voice wasn't hers, that it just sounded like her voice but was someone else's.

    I wouldn't have any shame in having a conversation with myself... Rarity's demon said. Anyone as interesting as myself wouldn't, really...

    She suppressed the demons again, though not as violently as she had before. The sounds of conflict were coming from a wide path branching off of the main stream, a dry walkway with a lower ceiling. Twilight dismounted her board as she neared, peeking around the corner to see what was there.

    The glowing, vacant form of the Tantibus was present in a rounded room at the end of the path. It appeared in the shape of a person, with the outline of flowing hair around its head, and stretched its arms out in long punches to attack its targets, a woman and a four legged creature standing beside her.

    The woman looked easily twice her age, perhaps even older, but still moved with energy and grace. She had short, pale blue hair and deep, blue-ish green eyes, not the same shade as the Tantibus's bright green, but just as striking. Her weapon choice was unusual, rather than having paired guns, one hand held a big, boxy machine pistol with a long magazine in the handle, and the other hand a smaller pistol that fired a three round burst with each trigger pull. Also unusual was her clothing. She wore a long, black, sleeveless leather coat with a tall collar, and beneath that had a surprisingly formal navy blue suit, with a white ruffled shirt visible beneath that.

    Whoever she was, she was putting a lot of lead on the Tantibus, and was fast enough to dodge attacks from multiple directions.

    Fast as she might be, Twilight could tell that she was only a human, but the creature accompanying her was definitely a demon. Like the Tantibus, it had a grey, ethereal form, but was a bit more solid, with a furry texture to it. It took the shape of a small, armored horse, or rather, a unicorn, as a jagged horn curved upwards from its head. Its red eyes glared at the Tantibus, and it rushed in close as the human woman fired her guns from afar. 

    The shadow unicorn jumped into the Tantibus, a sharp set of crystalline spikes emerging from its body as it grabbed the spacy creature between its forelegs. The crystals sunk into their target, but the Tantibus was able to slip away, sending short tendrils out of its body to throw the unicorn into the ceiling. The unicorn let out a whimper of pain as it fell back to the floor, and the woman rushed to its side, jumping over it and shooting down more tendrils targeting her downed companion.

    A few bullets were enough to thwart the stretching tendrils and arms, but every time she would fire at the Tantibus's body, it morphed out of the way. Despite that, her guns fired fast enough that one or two bullets still made contact, but with more arms forming off of its body and stretching towards her, she couldn't focus her fire. Her arms spread out and then crossed as she fired her guns in familiar stances, stances that Twilight recognized from her training. Even with perfect form, she couldn't stop every attack, and before long the Tantibus had her surrounded with a solid wall of arms that quickly wrapped around and began to choke her.

    Twilight drew her sword and sprinted down the corridor, igniting her blade with haste. The Tantibus took notice too late, as the tip of her blade was already cutting into its body by the time it shifted away. As Twilight intended, the woman was dropped, and she collapsed on the floor as she struggled to return the air that had been squeezed out of her.

    Twilight drew one of her pistols and fired away at the creature, knowing that it would reflexively avoid her shots, but used that as a distraction to cut it clean in half with a swipe of her sword.

    This wouldn't be enough, unfortunately, each piece of the Tantibus threw itself at her from different angles, her Demon Reflex buying her just enough time to jump and twist out of the way. Each piece would then form into its own Tantibus. Twilight frowned. She'd have to reassess her strategy.

    It couldn't morph and attack at the same time, and it could copy itself if split. Copy itself? Maybe not. Twilight eyed the two forms to either side of her. At first, each one seemed to be its own entity, but she noticed something odd about the way they moved. One took a step, circling her, and then the other took matching step. There was a subtle rhythm to their movements, almost too quick to notice, but they weren't moving synchronously. A thought crossed her mind.

Perhaps they couldn't move synchronously.

    And as with any hypothesis, she would have to come up with a way to test it. Twilight sheathed her sword.

    Two pairs of arms shot out at her, creating a multi-layered cross attack that Twilight easily avoided with a handspring to the side. Just after pressing off the ground with her hand, Twilight drew both of her guns and aligned each one with a Tantibus copy. She had to go off her memory and spatial awareness for accuracy, as she landed facing away from her targets with her arms spread in a V-shape behind her. 

    She pulled both triggers repeatedly, then twisted herself around to find that one target created a hole in itself, but the other didn't get out of the way. Twilight's incendiary bullets were stuck in it, the bright blue rounds burning away in its black interior. The damage was disrupting its focus, so Twilight shifted her other gun to it and drilled it with both. 

    Her test went as expected. The Tantibus couldn't move both bodies at the same time, and that would have to mean that it still had one consciousness. 

    One consciousness that had to alternate between controlling the two bodies. It did it so smoothly that anyone less attentive might've missed it, but there still was a brief delay between each of their actions.

    However brief it was didn't matter, Twilight already proved she could attack both simultaneously. She smiled. With this information she was already coming up with multitudes of tactics to try out.

    She went back to her sword, giving the second Tantibus body a break from the endless gunfire as the first one came at her. It made fast, scissoring swipes at her with blade shaped arms, extending them at strange angles with each swing. Twilight deflected its blows, but the deformation of its limbs with each collision made blocking progressively harder. She stepped away, a sudden hit against her hand knocking her weapon loose from it, but she willed Applejack's demon into form, the clawed mantle reaching out and catching the sword to continue the defense. Her hands now free and gauntleted, she summoned Rarity's cloak and sewing needle, driving the weapon through the copy she faced. 

    It jumped back, and sensing the other one closing in at her back Twilight's Demon Reflex activated. The mantle shifted around and sliced off two oncoming arms, then stabbed through the Tantibus's body, but in the same moment she also pulled hard on the thread of the needle still stuck in the first Tantibus. Flames built up in her other, empty fist, and she punched straight into it, releasing a fireblast that splattered it on the ceiling and floor.

    She brought the same hand around behind her, aiming to backhand the remaining copy in the same fiery fashion, but it dodged back out of her reach at the last second. Its reaction was much faster, it only had to focus on one body now. 

    With both demon weapons under firm control and her Demon Reflex engaged, Twilight was pushing her mental strength to its limits. Her weapons would resist her given the chance, and slowing her perception of time required all of her remaining focus. That, on top of being actively involved in the fight, was starting to put strain on her.

    Stay calm... She heard herself say to her. Whether it was just a trick of the mind or if there was more to it, she couldn't say, but just following the voice's commands made things easier on her. 

    The remaining Tantibus fluidly shifted around her attacks, even with four hands to attack with it was still too hard to pin down. She pressed the attack, hoping to wear it out eventually, but the only wear was on herself. So much, that she felt a delay in her Demon Reflex, allowing for one of its tendrils to strike her chest, grab a hold of her and lift her off the ground. Processing the impact spread her mental resources too thin, and she chose to drop everything else to keep her reflex active. In slowed time, The Tantibus was stretching out and surrounding her like it had the woman, but her mantle grabbed the tendril and forced it away, completely free of Twilight's input. It followed up with a sword slash, cutting the Tantibus in half diagonally.

    She's resisting you. Stop her. Realizing she wasn't controlling Applejack's demon, she quickly reapplied her mental grip on her, causing time to resume normally. The Tantibus was in two pieces again, but before another copy could form completely she punched it apart with her gauntlets. It too painted the walls the color of deep space. The remaining body backed away, its form visibly shorter now. It had lost material from its copies. It prepared another attack, summoning many sharp, bladed bits from its body, but before it could do anything it was interrupted by a hole appearing in its front side, a muffled crack sounding from behind Twilight shortly after. 

    The woman had gotten back to her feet, and was now holding a long barrelled, scoped rifle in both hands. The rifle had a suppressor affixed to the end of its barrel, though its shots were still quite loud, and running the bottom length of the barrel was a piece of angled blade that curved into a point just past the tip. The bullet fired exploded inside the Tantibus with another, louder crack, and the marks on the wall behind it came out looking like a shotgun spread. This two-stage projectile was entirely effective against its target, stunning it and forcing more holes in it than it would've liked.

    The demon unicorn picked itself back up and rejoined the fight as well. It stomped a hoof on the ground, creating black crystalline spikes at the Tantibus's feet, keeping it held in place for a followup attack. Twilight exchanged Rarity's needle for two handfuls of sewing pins, hurling ten total in the Tantibus's direction.

    Between the bullets, the crystals, and the pins, it couldn't avoid every attack coming at it. It opened a hole in itself to avoid another rifle round, but half of Twilight's pins took it through, carrying it all the way to the wall behind it. Meanwhile, Twilight charged up another punch, using the fire burst to rocket towards the pinned Tantibus with her sword in her other hand. Two green eyes opened up on its face, but they met nothing but a solid stone mask made from the mantle covering Twilight's own.

    The sword ran it through and stuck into the wall, joining more than enough pins to keep it in place already. One foot on the demon and both hands on her sword, she clung to her perch, shaking in anticipation. She had it down, she just needed to capture it.

    She couldn't see, but she didn't need to, Twilight reached beneath her shirt and pulled out her magic-capturing device. It opened up as she activated it, but before she could point it at the Tantibus she felt herself slip, and suddenly light was hitting her eyes again. Her gauntlets were gone, absorbed back into her without her command. Why? Her hands trembled more, but out of panic now, and her grip slipped further.

    The Tantibus tensed, willing the liquefied remains of its copies into sharp shards that all shot directly back towards it. Fear disrupted Twilight's focus, her control had been completely taken from her by a single, subtle slip up. She couldn't get the mantle to obey her, and without its protection a countless number of Tantibus shards shot enough holes in her back to make her bare skin resemble a fleshy, blood covered cheese grater.

    She cried out as she felt her absolute everything burn, her throat tensing and choking as her chest was stabbed repeatedly, her heartbeat painfully staggering as intrusions threw its rhythm off. Through the pain, she clung to her sword, but the Tantibus broke free, shifting away and bolting straight to the ladder leading to the surface. Her Demon Reflex activated as her body began healing itself, but she only had time to register the bright white glow the pins were giving off.

    The unicorn demon reacted first, pounced on the woman as she tried to chase after the Tantibus, widening its form and shielding her. Twilight tried to summon Applejack's demon, but got no response, and the pins detonated right in her face. 

    Everything spun, and started to fade. Twilight blinked, shaking her head clear. She wasn't going to give up now.

    Come on, get up...

    The next moment she was sitting up against the wall, and the woman was standing over her. Her clothes were covered in blood, but all of her wounds had closed up and her bones had healed themselves. Her demon powers wouldn't let her be killed so easily.

    "Are you okay?" She asked. Her unicorn demon was laying on the ground nearby, watching them with a bored expression.

    Twilight blinked. Checking her mind,  she found both of her demons were still there, but neither would say anything to her. She'd need to be more careful with how she used them next time. There was a huge chunk taken out of the wall, but everything looked settled.

    "I think so..." Twilight said. Her eyes felt heavy, she rubbed them, and tried to stand up, but her head was dizzy, and she had to sit again. She missed something somewhere. She just took an explosion to the face, she should be sprawled out on the floor, not neatly sitting against the wall. "What happened?"

    "You've been unconscious for about ten minutes." The woman said. "And the Tantibus escaped."

    "What?!" Twilight's eyes shot open in anger. She had been so close, and it had gotten away. It was her fault, though, she realised, she had put herself in a bad position. She was the one that had blown herself up. Twilight sighed. "Every time I'm about to catch it..."

    "Ah, so you've fought it before?" The woman spoke slowly and deliberately, with a well practice cadence underlining her words.

    It's my responsibility to fight it. The voice in her head spoke without her input again. She ignored it.

    "Yeah."

    "You seem well acquainted with its abilities. I assume you've been following it for some time."

    Twilight nodded. 

    "Perhaps hunting alone is not the best approach." The woman offered a hand to help Twilight up, but she declined, preferring to stand on her own.

    "And... who are you?" Twilight asked, and the woman gave a cryptic smile. The rhythm in her voice took over completely.

    "I am, what thou wouldst proclaim me to be,
    Were I not, why else would I claim such to thee?"

    What a creep.

    Twilight's brow raised. "Poetry?"

    The woman's smile became softer at that, she gave a bow as she spoke normally again. "'Tis but a jest, you may call me Selene." She motioned to the unicorn demon still laying on the ground. "And this is Sombra. He and I are traveling companions."

    What aren't you telling me? 

    "Selene," Twilight returned the bow with a nod of her head. "I'm Twilight Sparkle."

    "The student of Celestia?" Selene's eyes conveyed surprise, but then suddenly switched to acknowledgement. "Ah, of course, who else would be powerful enough to stand against the Tantibus?"

    "You've heard of me." Twilight was a bit flustered, she wasn't used to being recognized by name. Usually she was only acknowledged after she mentioned she was Celestia's student.

    "Indeed, the tales of your strength are not exaggerated," Selene nodded. "Celestia's work has been of much interest for many demon hunting organizations, even more so now that she's gone into hiding."

    "Thanks, I guess." Twilight accepted the compliment, but still was uncertain about Selene. "And which one are you with?"

    "None," Selene quickly said, "I'm hunting the Tantibus on my own." So she was a freelancer, or had she been banished like Twilight?

    "And who exactly are you?" Twilight asked, trying not to sound overly suspicious. She had too many guns to be from the Order, but didn't dress like a SRAPH agent either. She didn't see her reload any of her guns, leading her to believe them enchanted. The sniper rifle was also interesting, usable as a melee weapon as well. She was traveling with a demon, and everything about the way she dressed and talked was completely out of place. She was a strange combination of edgy, mysterious, and archaic.

    Selene didn't answer, she just put the butt of her rifle against the ground, and leaning on it, reached into her coat. From it, she produced a small, leather bound book with a decorated tan cover, with many fancy golden lines making designs across the edges. What took Twilight's interest was the image at the center, a golden depiction of two unicorns with crossed horns.

    Selene opened the book, reaching the page she wanted without having to flip through it, and read, re-assuming her poetic tone.

    "On thousandth year, on longest day,
    She will return to end her war,
    The stars will aid in her escape
    And darkness reign forevermore"

    Behind her, Sombra rolled his eyes. Twilight found her to be almost obnoxiously enigmatic.

    "From the Legend of the Sister of Darkness, I know it." Twilight said. "That doesn't answer my question."

    She took a moment, snapping her book shut and looking up at Twilight. "I'm certainly not your enemy, Twilight Sparkle. You and I both wish to destroy the Dark Sister."

    "And so you're offering to help me?"

    Selene nodded. "Between Sombra and myself, we aren't enough to fight the Sister's body. But you, a student of Celestia- you may be the only one capable of matching her."

    Twilight liked the feeling that came with being the world's sole hope. It made her a bit more accepting of Selene's words, to the point where she figured it'd be okay to let her tag along. She obviously wouldn't answer questions directly.

    "Where do we have to go?" Twilight asked, taking her sword up from where the blast had thrown it. After ensuring there was no major damage on it, Twilight returned it to her sheath.

    "The demons are constructing an anchor to this world in front of the Coyote Hotel, that is where we will find the Dark Sister's body." Selene put her book away, and slung her rifle over a shoulder, clapping for Sombra to get up and come along with her. He looked annoyed, but did as she asked.

    "How will we destroy her?" Twilight knew she could contain the Tantibus in her magic capturing device, but a much more powerful demon would require something greater to contain it. The Tantibus was only a fragment of the demon, after all. 

    "I have the means," Selene said. "But she will need to be weakened first."

    "Enough standing around then, let's go."

    As they made for the ladder to the surface, another thought formed in Twilight's head against her will.

    She's hiding something.

-----

    Look, I just got excited, okay? Rainbow's demon gave her excuse to Sunset. I'm sorry.

    I want to trust you, Rainbow, I really do... Sunset replied. She had been talking back and forth with the demon for the past few minutes, as she lead Applejack and Spike out of the Convention Hall. Rainbow's demon sounded apologetic, but Sunset was reluctant to be as open with her. What do you think, Pinkie?

    Surprisingly, Pinkie's demon was much more stable than Rainbow's. 

    Eh, I think she's telling the truth. She said, nonchalantly. You just want to help us destroy stuff, right Dashie?

    I want to be a part of the team, really! Not only did Rainbow's demon seem regretful, she seemed to fear Sunset's ability to silence her.

    Sunset sighed. That'd be great, but if you keep trying to steal the show we're all going to end up dead.

    It's an impulse, isn't it? Pinkie's demon asked. The question was posed quite calmly, it was odd hearing her take such an understanding tone. You can't control it?

    I... No, I can't. Rainbow's demon sighed in her head, another odd thing to hear. I love attention. The demon's voice became giddy for a moment, before she sighed again. It's why I pushed Rainbow Dash to go through with being a performer. It satisfies us both.

    Despite loving attention, she was quite uncomfortable having two others sit and focus on her problems.

    Does Rainbow know about you? Sunset asked.

    Not like you do. I'm more of a subtle voice in her head. When we're together, I'm just another part of her mind.

    Sunset supposed this made sense, after all, something would have to be terribly wrong for her to hear her inner demon's voice constantly. 

    I know that feeling. Pinkie's demon said. But you can't let it get the best of you.

    And you're the one to say that, Pinkie? Sunset asked, calling back to her prior rampage.

    Hey, nobody's perfect.

    Behind Sunset, Applejack and Spike exchanged a few words to break the silence.

    "What'd ya reckon she's talking to them about?" Applejack asked.

    "She's probably reasoning with Rainbow Dash's demon," Spike replied. "I'm not sure why she's bothering with that when she can just force her to comply."

    "It's a bit better when you don't have to be at odds with your demons," Applejack said.

    "I thought an Inner Demon was, by nature, opposed to you?" Spike's knowledge of talking with demons was limited, as he only had Twilight for an example.

    "Maybe," Applejack said, "But coming to terms with the fact that we've gotta live with them is a hell of a first step."

    "Even if you're more likely to be dishonest?"

    "I was always capable of being dishonest, Spike." Applejack's expression became a bit more serious. "All this demon business just makes the choice feel a little more literal. As much as I hate to admit it, there'll be times where I could benefit from lying, and that demon is definitely going to push me to."

    "What will you do, then?"

    "I told her we'd cross that bridge when we come to it."

    Sunset put a lollipop in her mouth in a stressed manner, taking both of their attentions away. She had cleared things up with her demons, but still felt an off putting frustration thinking about Twilight.

    This is her fault... Sunset thought.

    Yeah, it is. Rainbow's demon agreed.

    And we're going to destroy her! Pinkie's demon cheerfully added.

    Destroy her... Sunset repeated, feeling very wrong thinking those thoughts about her friend.

    Sunset didn't want to destroy her, she wanted her to realise her mistakes, so she could recover and be better. Deep down, though, she felt like that wasn't going to happen. Her lollipop cracked between her teeth, and a piece of it broke off. She exhaled, further frustrated. Broken lollipops were the worst.

    They eventually came to a hole in a hallway wall, the same one Sunset and Flash first entered through. Stepping outside, Sunset was unsurprised by the red sky and the overall worsened state of the city, but Applejack gripped her rifle a little tighter.

    Applejack followed Sunset until she crossed over the rubble of a destroyed bridge connecting the Convention Hall to the parking garage in a single jump. Spike did the same, but Applejack took more than a moment pulling herself up over the broken walkway.

    Sunset's motorcycle was still on the other side where she left it. She got on, motioning for Applejack to join her. There was enough room to sit behind her, and she held onto Sunset, running her rifle down through the loop her jacket's arms made tied around her.

    "Can you keep up, Spike?" Sunset asked, looking to him as he scanned the area.

    "Yes. Lead the way."

    The engine of her bike rumbled, and she took off, taking the long way around the Convention Hall. She intended to go home, but as she neared the main street leading there, she'd find that fate had other plans. 

    The road quickly became broken and filled with cars, too much so for her to continue driving on. The only turn she could take led her to the street straight in front of the Coyote Hotel, where Starlight was fighting a huge, winged knight. 

    A fight she wasn't winning.

    "Change of plans." Sunset brought the bike to a stop, and glanced back to Applejack.

    "Uh... What are we doing?" Applejack gave Sunset a worried look as she got off of it and faced the battle in the distance.

    "That demon hunter needs help. I'm taking that demon out."

    "I'm right behind ya." Applejack got ready to follow her, but Sunset shook her head.

    "No, I want you and Spike and leave. Take my bike, get to my place. You'll probably have to go the long way. You remember where it is, right?"

    "I think so, yeah." Applejack nodded, but Spike voiced a concern.

    "What if you don't come back?"

    "Don't worry about that. I'll meet you there."

----

    Starlight Glimmer, even at full power, was barely a match for the dark knight. Not only could they swing their massive sword at impossible speeds, but they could create smaller, glowing swords of light around them that spun quickly in a defensive ring. The swords made it hard to get close, but as Starlight backed away, the knight threw them out as projectiles, summoning more around them to replace the ones lost.

    Starlight cut through the swords, using short bursts of energy to quickly dash in at sharp angles until she was in range to strike. Her chainsaber revving up, she swung into the knight's side, coming beneath their arm as they dashed in to meet her.

    Her saber bit into their armor, sending bits of metal shavings down towards their feet, but the damage overall was minimal. She cut again, making a 'V' shaped mark on their chest plate, and managed to shove them back a little bit before having to dodge again. 

    The knight's momentum was incredible, one attack smoothly flowed into the next, but their attack patterns eventually became predictable. Starlight met their blade mid-swing, catching its weaker end and pushing their balance off, then taking a step forward and throwing a punch with her metal arm. The cuts her chainsaber made weakened the chest plate, and her fist put a deep dent in it, but they weren't moved by the attack.

    The knight returned the punch, but being so much larger than Starlight, the hit knocked her all the way back into a building across the street from the hotel. She bounced hard off of it and rolled onto her face back on the street.

    "Ow! Ghh..." Starlight gritted her teeth as pain overwhelmed her senses. 

    The knight approached her, certainly coming to finish her off. She reached for her chainsaber, just a few feet in front of her, but she wouldn't get to it in time. Rolling herself onto her side, she drew her revolver and took aim, but the bullets she fired only bounced harmlessly off their armor.

    "Ah, shit..." Starlight sighed, and pulled the trigger one last time, only to be surprised by the knight suddenly being stumbled by a blast of smoke and confetti, with the sound of laughter accompanying the echoes of an explosion.  

    "Huh?" Starlight picked herself up, and looked to her left, seeing another demon hunter holding a cannon down the street. Of course, Starlight recognized her. Not by name, but her yellow jacket and red hair was unmistakable against the gloomy backdrop of the ruined city.

    "Hey! Why don't you pick on someone your own size?" Sunset Shimmer shouted at the knight, switching to her pistols as she came at them in a wide curve, firing away as she outran a volley of light swords. The knight's own sword came down, just barely missing her as she slid beneath it, then she switched to the cannon again. Instead of aiming downrange, she pointed it at the ground behind her, firing a shot off and blasting herself in the knight's direction. By the time she closed in, she switched weapons a third time, to the guitar-axe obtained from Rainbow Dash, and delivered a hard strike straight to the knight's head. The contact with their helmet created a loud, metallic ringing that reverberated through their entire suit.

    The knight was definitely disoriented now, and took all combinations of lightning blasts, bullets, cannon shells, and sword slashes from Sunset's collection of weapons. She switched between them all effortlessly, and her attacks came in long, unstoppable chains. Starlight frowned. She wasn't about to get shown up by her twice that day. The power cells on her back flashed brighter, and a new wave of energy surged through her body, giving her the strength to take her sword and stand again.

    Sunset's sword clashed against the knight's, their blades parting and crossing a total of three times before she was finally pushed back several meters. The knight immediately followed up with a rapid burst of glowing swords, and Sunset stood her ground to deflect them. As she did, Starlight came back into the fight, revving her blade again and catching the knight on the shoulder. The knight threw their elbow at her, but Starlight adjusted her sword to block, creating a long cut mark from their shoulder to their forearm before stepping back.

    Sunset stepped in again, and with one opponent on each side now, the dark knight took quick steps away until they could see both opponents in their peripherals. 

    "Get out of here," Sunset said. "This one's going to be too much for you."

    "Let me guess," Starlight shouted her reply, quite angry at the suggestion of being less than capable. "I still need some work?"

    "This isn't your garden variety boss demon..." Sunset kept her eyes on the knight, they cautiously eyed down both her and Starlight in kind. "This is the real deal!"

    Just by looking at them, Sunset knew this demon held incredible power. There was something familiar about them, though, something about the shape of the helmet and the insignia on their chest. A moment of thought passed, and Sunset suddenly recognized the symbol of a crescent moon, having seen it during her time studying with Celestia. She couldn't exactly remember why, but this demon had some huge significance. At times like this she wished she had retained what she'd studied better.

    "They're the reason for all of this destruction." Sunset said, the feeling of being vastly outmatched slowly rising above any other feeling. They had bumped into the boss of all bosses, seemingly at random. Without preparation, they weren't going to win this.

    "We're fighting together, then!" Starlight said, readying her weapon and charging in again.

    "No, wait!" Sunset held a hand out, but knowing that she wouldn't be stopped, just decided to follow in behind her.

    She ran at an opposing angle, but as they neared a dark, vacant figure flew across the sky, stopping in the air above the knight, and traveling in an arc right towards them. It was the Tantibus. It didn't attack them, instead just dropping down, merging into the knight and creating a glowing aura around them just as Sunset and Starlight closed the gap. With their massive blade in one hand, the knight held a bind with Starlight, and with their gauntlet they held another bind against Sunset.

    The essence of the Tantibus was flowing around their head, particularly out of the top and back, forming some sort of ethereal length of hair. A soft blue light glowed from behind their visor, and also from the gaps between their armor pieces. Their powers had combined.

    Another array of glowing swords formed around them, but instead of backing off, Sunset engaged her Demon Reflex, pulling away from her bind and stabbing at the knight's neck. The swords' movement crawled, but the knight moved out of time with Sunset, catching her off guard and striking her in the face with the pommel end of their sword. The blade end was keeping Starlight busy still, she too followed into their state of slowed time. She gave the knight a few more attacks to parry, but then grabbed one of their summoned swords with her mechanical arm, holding their sword to one side with her chainsaber and thrusting the glowing blade in at their shoulder joint.

    The sword struck, but fizzled out a moment later, and Starlight felt a burning sensation in her side. Another one of the swords still spinning around the knight cut right across her, forcing her perception of time to resume. As time sped up, she was cut through more and more by the ring of blades, until she eventually lost her footing and was slapped into the air by the flat edge of the demon knight's sword.

    Still bending time around them, the demon jumped up with a flap of their wings and knocked Starlight face first into the ground.

    Sunset was on her knees now, and Starlight was laying prone. They weren't close either, the knight stood between the two of them. 

    It wasn't over yet, though. A streak of blue light crashed into the knight from across the road and bounced off of them.

    Purple hair, purple coat, purple eyes. Twilight Sparkle landed on her feet, katana ignited and in a close guard.

    "Twilight?" Both Starlight and Sunset said in unison. Neither were pleased to see her, but at the moment, she was technically saving them. They wouldn't be complaining.

    "Both of you need to leave," Twilight said, "She's mine."

    "She?" Starlight asked.

    "Is that so?" Sunset cut in. She pressed her sword into the ground and stood herself up, getting ready to go another round. "Do you know her?"

    "Of course." Twilight said, looking into the demon's visor and addressing them with a full, sweeping point of her sword.

    "You're the Sister of Darkness: Nightmare Moon."
> 09- The Demon of Legend
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Twilight's blade met Nightmare Moon's, both glowing in shades of blue with heat of contained plasma and arcane flames respectively. Right up against each other, one would notice that Twilight's sword glowed more in a darker shade of blue, much closer to the purple of her jacket, where Nightmare Moon's held a much lighter tone. Sunset and Starlight watched on, recovering their strength for the moment, as Twilight held her own against the demon. Sunset remembered the story now that Twilight had said the name- the Sister of Darkness had supposedly been banished a thousand years ago by her counterpart, the Sister of Light.

    If the Dark Sister had returned, Sunset suspected there wasn't much any of them could do. She and Twilight were only so powerful, even their mentor would only last so long against the demon that almost threw the world into complete darkness.

    I can't think like that! A voice in Sunset's head spoke, but it wasn't Pinkie or Rainbow's demon. The voice sounded like her own, except it was upset and distorted.

    I have so much power... The voice said, sounding naturally malicious. She's weak, ancient, a relic of her time... I'll destroy her.

    Yeah! Pinkie's voice sounded. You tell you, Sunset!

    You've got this! Rainbow added. I won't let you down this time, I promise.

    Sunset was confused, her inner voice was completely contrasting what she was feeling. She didn't think she could win, she wanted to run away, make a better plan of attack, not lose it all in a street brawl. But somehow, this other voice of hers was something she could hold on to and bolster herself with.

    And Twilight... Twilight and Nightmare Moon were becoming a storm of steel, neither of them giving the other any moment of rest as they danced and dashed around each other. Their speed seemed equal, but Nightmare Moon clearly had superior sword skills- Unlike Twilight, she had no need to dodge, her blade handling techniques and footwork could easily handle anything Twilight could dish out. 

    I'll deal with her later.

    Twilight was going to answer her for actions, but her tone of voice was much more sinister than she wanted. But as with her resolve, her feelings towards Twilight became aligned with the voice. As unwelcome as it was, it gave her the strength to stand again.

    "Come on, girls," she said, addressing her demons. "Let's show this old fossil how to party!"

    On the other end of their makeshift arena, Starlight was going over her options. Nightmare Moon was a complete unknown to her, she had only heard of her strength through legend. She wasn't getting very far before, but now, Nightmare Moon was powered up. Of course, Twilight and Sunset had shown up, but neither of them were making much progress either. 

    Maybe if they all fought together they could take her down. The thought was a bit ego crushing, but she brushed that feeling aside. This was bigger than all of them.

    She still had three full power cells to work with, but Nightmare Moon's armor was a huge obstacle for her. Her chainsaber could weaken it, but it needed to make a lot of contact before the damage was noticeable. She still had a few more tricks to try, but all of them were more energy intensive, and if she were to drain herself completely she wouldn't have access to have any of her defensive or evasive techniques.

    There was something new though, Starlight noticed. Nightmare Moon's sword now had magic coursing through it. If she could make contact with it, even if only a few seconds, she might be able to recharge a little bit of power off of her. Blade to blade contact was enough, so long as her right hand had contact with her saber, meaning she could sustain her power by deflecting attacks. She'd have to play her cards right, but she certainly had more of a chance now.

    And so, as picked herself up, she took her weapon in both hands and held it close to her chest. Concentrating, she focused her energy through her cybernetic limb and into the handle of her chainsaber, making its blade shine brightly. Its teeth sparked and glowed teal, added heat and electricity hanging in the air around them. She let go with her right hand, and it remained in its charged state; it would stay this way for a while, until the energy she gave it was exhausted. She hoped it would last long enough.

    As it spun up, the teal glow blurred into itself, making the blade look almost solid. 

    Starlight ran forward, eager to get back to swinging it.

-----

    "Three young demon hunters..."

    Selene overlooked the battle at the Coyote Hotel from a rooftop across the street. Twilight had rushed ahead of her, eager to fight, but upon seeing that others were already fighting Selene decided to hang back. 

    "What do you make of this, Sombra?"

    The unicorn sitting beside her looked up disinterestedly. A soft grumble passed through his lips, forming into a short snort. It wasn't any of his business, he was just along for the ride. Under normal circumstances, he'd never consider allying himself with anyone, but the situation was dire, and Selene was a unique case. They had been both friends and enemies at different points in their lives, and the last time they met Selene had proved more than capable of defeating him. And at the current moment, his power wasn't what it used to be, so getting payback was not an option for him when she first asked for his assistance.

    For the time being, they were going to cooperate and depend on each other, no matter how much it bothered him.

    Of course, he didn't vocalize any of this, he stubbornly kept his fanged mouth shut. He hadn't uttered a word in two thousand years, but he didn't need to. Sombra was more a demon of grand action, though his current form was limiting to how grand his actions could be. As such, he would prefer they not engage with enemies unless they absolutely had to.

    "Mmh." Selene understood his thoughts without needing to say anything. "Perhaps we will get to do things your way after all. Our action doesn't seem necessary right now."

    Sombra's eyebrow raised, and he coughed as if he was saying 'I told you so'.

    They both looked down to the fight below, watching as the three demon hunters fought against Nightmare Moon. Each of them were powerful in their own right, with different styles and weapons and techniques, all of which seemed just barely capable of keeping up with the Sister of Darkness's mortal body. 

    The first of them, the cyborg in the denim jacket, hit fast and hard, with much ferocity behind each of her strikes. Her weapon was unusual, a glowing, spinning chainsaw on a sword handle. It must have been heavy, yet she was strong enough to swing it around wildly with a single hand. Her natural, organic hand at that. She also had a metal hand that appeared to soak up the magic from Nightmare Moon's sword. 

    Interesting.

    Then there was the woman in the yellow jacket. She seemed quite similar to Twilight in terms of fighting style, yet she moved in a much more relaxed manner. Was she another of Celestia’s students? She knew there were multiple, but Twilight Sparkle was the main one. This other girl had the simplest sword of the ones present, just an enchanted piece of demon metal from the looks of it, but she wielded it with such speed and precision, it was probably all she needed. Her coat also was similar to Twilight's, but had different markings and color. 

    Curiously, she had a lollipop in her mouth. Perhaps it helped with her focus. 

    Twilight herself fought just as well as Selene expected, judging by their encounter with the Tantibus. She made fast, fluid movements, powerful strikes, and always stayed a step ahead of her opponent. Her other weapons worked well together, the cloak, mantle, and gauntlets all being wearable, unlike the other girl’s weapons, which had to be used independently. Twilight was quite reserved in using them though, she much preferred her sword.

    Or were her other weapons less reliable?

    Just as Twilight seemed to be on the edge of losing her combat flow, she made a subtle adjustment in how she gripped her katana. Nightmare Moon's sword came at her, but she didn't parry the strike like she had before, instead twisting her body around the massive weapon and lunging forward at her with a stab. 

    Twilight's counterattack struck hard, puncturing Nightmare Moon's chest armor and finally forcing her to step back, but it came at a cost: The Dark Sister had readjusted her blade, and Twilight had taken a slash across the face. Everything seemed to pause for a moment as both Twilight and Nightmare Moon stared at each other, taking in the fact that they had both been hit. Selene expected one of them to make a move, but Twilight seemed to be frozen in place. Taking advantage of the pause, Sunset and Starlight charged in behind her, landing consecutive blows on the Dark Sister and looking to have the advantage.

Twilight was still stunned, though. A mental attack of some kind, Selene guessed.

    Unfortunately, she wouldn't recover fast enough to back the others up. Nightmare Moon was almost immediately able to stand her ground, the single hit nothing to her in the long run. Just as Twilight had herself composed again, Selene saw magical energy pulse around her for a moment, but then all four of them became fuzzy blurs, seemingly teleporting around the immediate area. They were distorting time, she could tell, only picking up small pictures of the fight through brief moments playing out in normal speed.

    Several things happened. 

    One, Twilight got caught in an upward swing of Nightmare Moon's sword, and she was quickly slammed back down into the street when Nightmare Moon flew up after her. 

    Two, the red haired demon hunter exchanged sword hits with Nightmare Moon, and went into a bind with her. However, she wasn't able to react to the dozens of light swords being summoned above her head. When they dropped, she was pinned to the ground and kicked aside.

    Three, the cyborg's glowing blade sliced into Nightmare Moon's shoulder plate, grinding the metal down surprisingly quickly, but before she could cut all the way through she was shoved away. The demon came around with wide and rapid sword cuts as she advanced, forcing Starlight to jump back again and again, until she finally took a hit and was knocked all the way back to the edge of the main street.

    Concern flashed in Selene's eyes. Not one of them were getting back up. Nightmare Moon was too powerful, they'd need to retreat. She looked around for possible escape routes. The road leading past the hotel was clear, as was the main street leading up it. Following the road in the other direction there were two other figures, watching the fight with much concern in front of an RV. 

    Out of the corner of her eye, Selene thought she saw someone else standing on another rooftop somewhere, but when she looked they were gone. Her eyes went down to Sombra, who was looking in the same direction. His head turned back to her.

    "You saw that too, didn't you?"

    Sombra nodded.

    "Who were they?"

    Sombra's shoulders rolled, and he gave an uncertain hum. That was most voice Selene had heard from him since they'd been traveling together.

    Back in the street, Nightmare Moon had clearly defeated the three before her.

    "We need to get them out of here." Selene said.

    Sombra's eyelids fell in sarcastic anticipation.

    "They're our only chance of stopping Nightmare Moon. Even if we can only save one of them, we must do it." 

    A huff and an eye roll was all Sombra gave in response, before looking back to Selene expectantly.

    "I was thinking we focus on Twilight, she was agreeable to helping us."

    Sombra's eyes narrowed.

    "What do you mean we can't trust her? We can trust her enough."

    His eyebrows both raised, but his mouth retained its flat expression.

    "We're not being completely transparent with her either. She doesn't need to know everything about us, and we don't need to know everything about her." Sombra's face didn't change, and Selene continued talking. "What, do you want to grab the cyborg girl first?"

    Sombra shook his head.

    "The redheaded one?"

    A sign of acknowledgement. 

    "Why her?"

    Sombra didn't reply, but Selene got the feeling that he was trying to suggest that she was the most important of the three.

    Being done with their engaging conversation, Sombra's form melted away into a liquid shadow that scooped Selene off her feet and carried her from the building and down to the streets. 

    Selene appreciated the lift, but wasn't expecting it, and she squirmed a bit as her balance shifted. Sombra only held her tighter until he could set her feet back on the ground and resume his unicorn form.

    "I'd appreciate a warning next time..." She said, directing her attention to the battle of interest once more.

-----

    Nightmare Moon took long, heavy strides towards the downed Twilight Sparkle. A long cut across her cheek that stretched onto her chest was gradually healing itself, but she was still catching her breath. This fight was too much for her.

    Before the demon reached her, Sunset jumped in to intercept, holding a strong blade lock against Nightmare Moon. Her boots dug into the ground, and she had one hand on each end of her weapon, the grip used when met with more power than she could handle. She turned her head back to Twilight.

    "Both of you, get out here! We can't beat her!" Sunset held strong, but she couldn't hold forever.

    Starlight wasn't ready to back down. She may have only had one power cell left, but she was ready to give it all to this fight. Of course she was running in to help. "No way, I'm not leaving until you are!"

    Twilight held her sword out to the side, blocking Starlight's path. "She's right, we can't face her right now."

    Starlight pushed the sword down, but Twilight grabbed her shoulder as she tried to pass her. "Nightmare Moon is only going to get stronger if we let her go!"

    “She'll kill all three of us if we stay." Twilight said.

    Sunset’s hold slipped for a moment, and Nightmare Moon shoved her to the side. Stepping past her, she let out a sphere of energy from her hand that blasted both Starlight and Twilight back down the main street.

    “Hey!” Sunset called out. “I'm not done with you yet!”

    Nightmare Moon shifted her sword position, slicing through a party cannon shell just before it hit her.

    Sunset looked to the other two demon hunters again. “Seriously, go! I can't keep her here forever!” Bringing her sword back to bear, she desperately struck at Nightmare Moon, just to get her attention.

    Twilight did just that, but Starlight still had objections. She stared at Twilight in disbelief.

    "What, you'd just leave someone trying to help you behind?" Starlight asked, following after her as she sheathed her weapon and began to walk away.

    "Yes." Twilight's response was almost immediate.

    “She's going to die!” Starlight said, glancing back at Sunset before chasing Twilight further down the street. "You have to help."

    Right before she was on her, Twilight turned, replying only with an agitated, uncaring stare, so cold that froze Starlight in place. The look made her uneasy, its message loud and clear. No, she didn't have to help, and she wasn't going to.

    "Guess you really have changed..." She mumbled.

    "But you haven't," Twilight replied, bringing her face close to Starlight's to emphasize her intent. "If you stay here, you'll die for nothing. You're not strong enough to handle this, so go home.”

    “I am too!” Starlight glared at Twilight, shoving her away, but before she could do anything else Twilight swung her whole katana and sheath at her. With both hands behind it, she pressed the startled Starlight up against a nearby vehicle. 

    “No, you're not.” Twilight said, keeping her sword solid in its place as Starlight tried to push back against it. She pushed and grunted, but for all of her effort couldn’t move Twilight back.

    “I… am!”

    “Then prove it! Push me off of you!” Twilight kept her feet planted, and Starlight was completely unable to move her.

    Starlight’s fist glowed, activating and coming up from under the sheathe barring her, but Twilight caught her at the forearm. She tried to kick at Twilight, but she still couldn't move her, and the action only loosened her footing more.

    Her back slammed against the car as she finally lost her strength, and Twilight just looked at her with disappointment as she backed away.

    “Why do you care so much?” Starlight asked, after a moment of Twilight's silence. "Huh?"

    Twilight didn't respond, instead, she took steps away from Starlight, walking down the ruined main street.

    "Answer me!" Starlight called after her, but she didn't listen. Someone else was waiting for her ahead, a blue-haired woman.

    "Selene," Twilight said to this new woman. "We're going."

    "Is she coming with us?"

    "I don't care."

    Starlight quickly glanced to Trixie's RV, seeing both her and Sunburst watching with hopeless expressions. She made a circling motion with her hand, wanting them to meet her around at the end of the street, and they got back in the vehicle. Her eyes went back to Sunset, who was holding another block. She wanted to stay, wanted to keep fighting, but in her current state she knew it was a losing battle.

    Sunset's hold finally broke, and Starlight could only stand and watch as she fell onto her back, her lollipop coming out of her mouth and shattering on the ground. 

    Twilight was right, she didn't really have a choice. She had to be left behind.

-----

    Things were not going well for Sunset, but she was doing what she intended; giving everyone else time to get away. Laid out on her back, she spared a look to the side and saw the RV was escaping, leaving her alone with the Sister of Darkness. 

    Regardless of what happened, Sunset had achieved her goal. Everyone else was able to escape. Sunset wasn't afraid of something happening to her.

    Sunset, get up! Rainbow's demon shouted at her. You're not out yet!

    Come on, come on! Pinkie's demon shook her internally, but it didn't help. 

    "Looks like this is it, huh..." Sunset breathed. Nightmare Moon stood over her, her wings folded behind her back and her sword held low. The massive demon reached out with her free hand and grabbed all of Sunset's torso, lifting her up to meet eyes with her.

    "Come on! Do your worst!" Sunset struggled as much as she could, but her fight was gone. In her struggle, the amulet around her neck fell loose, catching the demon's attention. 

    "What are you waiting for?" Sunset shouted, not realizing why the demon was just staring at her. "A holiday card?"

    Nightmare Moon put her sword away, and without acknowledging any of Sunset's taunts, she plucked the amulet off of her neck.

    "Hey!" 

    The amulet… Sunset's inner voice said. 

    "Oh, you're not going to like what happens next..." She growled.

    Hold on, what happens next? Rainbow's demon asked. Aren't we about to die?

    Nightmare Moon disinterestedly threw Sunset on the ground, needing both hands free to loop the amulet's chain around her own neck. Sunset pushed herself back up, but the demon was suddenly right up on her, ramming her huge sword straight down through Sunset's chest and impaling her entire body on it. The sword split the street as it stuck up from it, leaving her dangling a foot up off the ground.

    All Sunset could give was a nearly silent gasp of pain. Losing the fight wasn't the important part, she was losing what she been trusted to safeguard. It was never about her rivalry with Twilight, Celestia was really trying to keep something like this from happening. A demon getting their hands on the amulet was infinitely worse than another of her students. And if that demon was one of the most powerful demons in history? Surely, the worst possible thing.

    Without any witty remarks or cool facades to hide behind, it hit her all at once. She had failed Celestia and everyone else she cared about. It was heavy, more than she was ready to process.

    "Child of Celestia..." Nightmare Moon's cruel voice finally echoed from within her metal suit. "So foolish of you to think you could challenge me and emerge victorious. Not even your master could defeat me in pure combat."  

    Sunset closed her eyes, and the voice took over her thoughts again. Angrier it became, angrier and more viscous. No! 

    Nightmare Moon took up Sunset's sword and examined it. As huge as it was, it was small to the demon, the length of a short sword to her. Still, she seemed just as interested in it as she was the amulet.

    You're taking what's mine...

    "Hmm. Redemption, the most underwhelming of Celestia's swords... Fitting, she would give it to someone as weak as you."

    You're destroying my home...

    Sunset was unable to respond, her body was locked up. The voice wouldn't let her move...

    You're destroying my friends... Her friends. If she failed, they would pay for it, not her. Twilight too, as much as she hated her right now. The thought of them suffering further because of her failure... Sunset's eyes began to tear as that thought overwhelmed her senses. How would she feel if she lost her friends to Nightmare Moon? Afraid, lonely, hopeless, sad... angry.

    So very, very angry. Furious, at herself, at Nightmare Moon, at Twilight, at the world that had taken what was most important from her.

    That anger dominated any other feeling.

    "I won't let you take them from me!" The voice screamed. Or did she scream it? She couldn't tell. Regardless, she felt every muscle in her body tense up, a renewed energy surging through them. The voice inside deafened her, every bit of anger at herself and her situation building within her until they broke through her skin in the form of brightly burning flames.

    The fire did not consume her, though, within it, she was transformed. Her skin's color turned to a pale red, it became thicker and rougher in all places. Her hair turned a brighter shade of red, and two leathery wings sprouted from her back, pushing straight through her coat. The coat itself seemed to merge with her body, becoming a golden brown, hardened carapace around her shoulders and torso that still flowed stylishly around her legs. Her eyes blackened, nothing but two narrow red irises in them, and her teeth became razor sharp. She felt powerful, more powerful than she had in a long time, and with this power, the voice within her become one with her own. 

    That voice, her Inner Demon, had been fully awoken, and the demon-turned Sunset was focused now on one thing: Vengeance.

    Somewhere, deep down, she was afraid, for she had never wanted her Inner Demon to resurface ever again. But currently that fear was being buried under layers of rage. It was not a wild, uncontrolled rage, though. No, she would regulate it, concentrate it, and focus it into a narrow stream that would pulverize anything in front of it.

    Pressing both feet on the ground, she pushed up against the sword sticking through her with all of her might.

    "I'm... not... through...with... you!" She declared, each word louder than the last. She forced her body around the obstruction in it, the hole in her gradually growing in size as she neared the sword's hilt, and ripping even further as she pushed past that. The sword's pommel broke through her collarbone, just beneath her throat, but her demonic regeneration was healing her so fast that the wound was already closed by the time she was clear of the weapon.

    For the record, that was the largest thing she had ever been shoved through her. Now, it was time to return the favor. She reached back behind her with both hands, pulled the sword from the ground, and threw it forward over her head at Nightmare Moon, who until this point had not been threatened by Sunset's transformation.

    Nightmare Moon caught her sword by the blade, but the tip of it breached her chest armor, and she recoiled a bit before readjusting to hold it properly. Sunset's own sword was released up into the air, and with her new wings she flew up to catch it. 

    "Let's see how you handle this!" Sunset flew towards the twisted knight, quickly forcing her to back away with just a few strikes of her sword. Nightmare Moon backed herself up the stairs, focusing on guarding against Sunset's much stronger attacks.

    Sunset pressed her as hard as she could, swinging her sword again and again, finding that she could channel her energy into it to bathe its blade in flames. She ripped away at Nightmare Moon's armor, cutting it up in ways that she wasn't able to before. Her anger, her thirst to inflict what this demon had inflicted on others gave her so much power, and she immersed herself in it completely.

    "You're finished!" The same demonic voice that was in her head came out of her mouth, making the air around them tremble. 

    With one last thrust, Sunset pushed her blade straight through Nightmare Moon’s chest, the armor there sufficiently weakened. She responded by immediately shoving Sunset away, breaking her grip on the sword, and backing up several more steps.

    She looked into Sunset's eyes, and gave an ominous reply.

    "This does not matter..."

    She reached out behind her, touching the demonic tower that had summoned her to this realm. Sunset closed in to get her sword back, but right as she grabbed its handle, the tower began to glow, creating a dark portal around Nightmare Moon. There was no time to pull her blade away, and she was pulled into the vortex with the demon.

    The portal closed, a broken lollipop being the only indication that Sunset had ever been there.

-----

    A portal suddenly opened, dropping Sunset and her opponent somewhere completely unfamiliar. Some kind of tall, rounded tower on the outer wall of a massive, ancient castle. The exact location wasn't important, though. She still had a fight to win. 

    Still tightly holding onto her sword, she pulled back from Nightmare Moon, bringing it around to fight again, but her blade met a cut that perfectly countered hers. Sunset's balance was thrown way off, and the far end of Nightmare Moon's sword cut across her fingers, the unexpected sting of pain causing her to release her weapon into the air behind her. It spun, and ultimately fell from the tower out of her sight.

    Nightmare Moon immediately stepped in before she could do anything else, capitalizing on her moment of vulnerability. She cut down through Sunset again and then grabbed her by the neck, choking her before she could summon another weapon. The area to her back was beyond the castle walls, the perfect place to dispose of her foe. She began a powerful spin, Nightmare Moon holding her arm low to the ground and dragging Sunset's face against it, getting muffled sounds of pain in response. 

    Upon completing a full two spins she put all of her momentum into flinging the smaller demon girl into the air, launching her far over the edge of the tower towards the forest surrounding the castle. She wouldn't let her just fall though, no, Nightmare Moon would summon a set of light swords to fire at her, each one striking her back up into the air just a little bit, making her fall incredibly slow and painful. 

    Eventually, Sunset lost hold of her anger to the pain of the glowing swords shooting through her, and she reverted back to her human form. Blurred voices in her head called out to her, but she couldn't keep them in focus. She couldn't keep anything in focus, she was falling and everything was spinning.

    The last thing she processed was Nightmare Moon flying up to her and spiking her downward with a swing of her sword, and then a cold numbness as she impacted hard against something.

Then, darkness.
> SP/01- Morning May Die
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

    "Where... Where did it go?"

    Twilight Sparkle held her sword unsteadily. She took a hesitant step away from the summoning runes engraved into the raised portion of the floor. She was bleeding. That thing got away.

    "No... Damn it!"

    "Twily?" Her brother's concerned voice sounded behind her. It was scolding, it caused her to jump. "What are you doing here?"

    "Shining Armor!" Twilight spun around to face him, the Head Paladin, who would certainly have to arrest her for what she'd just done. Shining's own blade was drawn as well, having heard signs of an intruder, but held it much more hesitantly seeing his sister there. "I... I... There's a monster..."

    "What did you do, Twilight?" He quickly picked up on what was going on here. The blood, Twilight's blood, poured out over the demon seal, there were knocked over bookshelves and containment lockers, and Twilight herself fell to a kneel in pain. "I know you were worried but... you couldn't keep yourself from coming in here, could you?"

    "It's not what it looks like, Shining, I swear... I was trying to destroy it!"

    "No, it's exactly what it looks like..." Her brother's features started to shift, his eyes glowed green, and both his uniform and his sword melted into his body as he became a single mass of empty, black matter that rushed straight for her.

    Her vision became the same color. Black.

    And then she was waking up on the floor of the forbidden archive's lowest level, bleeding from one hand and finding her vision spinning. Metal boots echoed through the halls, the guards must have heard the commotion.

    The Tantibus escaped.

    "Twily?" Accompanied with other knights this time, her brother, her real brother approached. "What are you doing here? Are you okay? What happened?"

    The Order would not be happy with this.
> 10- The Platinum Knight
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Twilight Sparkle guided her hoverboard over the stretch of ruined city, towards the bridge to Canterlot's residential area. Selene followed next to her, riding atop Sombra's back as he glided across the ground, his legs merging against the ground like a shadow would, seamlessly adapting to the rugged terrain beneath him. 

    "Where is Nightmare Moon headed?" Twilight tilted her head just enough to ask the question in Selene's direction before turning her attention back to where she was going.

    "The Everfree Forest. That's where her castle will be raised, and within it, the gate to the demon realm."

    "Castle..." Twilight repeated. "You mean the Castle of the Two Sisters?"

    According to legend, said castle was once the home of the Sisters of Light and Darkness, before they fell into conflict. After the Dark Sister was banished, the castle mysteriously disappeared. Having studied the legend extensively, she was almost certain there was some connection, but now there wasn't any doubt.

    Selene nodded. "The gate is a part of the castle; built into it, if my understanding is correct."

    Twilight brought her board to a stop just as she reached the bridge, looking down to the interstate highway it passed over. She would need to take it east to get to the forest, it was about an hour away from the heart of the city. The last Harmonic Demon on her list should be somewhere near the Everfree as well- her magic tracker would be able to point her in the right direction when she got closer.

    Sombra came to a stop behind her, his shadowy form solidifying into legs as he brought himself to a trot until Selene was at Twilight's side. 

    "How will she open it?" Twilight asked, turning her head to meet Selene's eyes. 

    "She needs the power of the Sister of Light, and the sword she used to seal it."

    The power of the Sister of Light? That was the same power contained in Sunset's amulet. Sunset's amulet! Twilight's eyes lit up as her mind connected the dots.

    "No..."

    "What's wrong?"

    She looked back to the Coyote Hotel, where they had left the other demon hunter behind. "Nightmare Moon already has the Sister of Light's power."

    Selene's eyes mirrored that concern. "Does she?"

    "It was given to Sunset by Celestia, contained in an amulet. If she's defeated by Nightmare Moon..." Twilight's voice trailed off as she became overwhelmed by her thoughts. "Oh, nonononono...."

    Beyond her attention, Sombra turned his head back to Selene, glaring at her. 

    "Yes, you were right, I suppose," She said quietly. Sombra's interest in Sunset was now fully understood. "Not much we can do now though, is there?"

    Had Twilight noticed this exchange, she might've asked about it, but she was lost in her thoughts. Her resentment towards Sunset clouded her judgement. Leaving her behind was a mistake, she let the amulet fall into Nightmare Moon's hands.

    How could you have let this happen? Her inner voice so cruelly asked. It's words cut deep at her, made her feel humiliation and regret.

    “Shut up…” Twilight whispered. She wanted it to be quiet, so she could focus on the task at hand, but no amount of mental pressure she put on the voice would make it do so.

    You should've dealt with Sunset when you had the chance. Twilight winced. The more she listened to it, the more she considered it's words, the louder and more painful it became to hear.

    And now... You've got even more to make up for. Twilight only closed her eyes, and took a deep breath.

    "Shut up!" She whispered again, hushed, but sharply.

    Her attention was pulled away from her inner voice when Selene spoke again.

    "Are you okay, Twilight?" She asked. Twilight tried to clear the voice from her head, and focused intently as Selene repeated herself. "Twilight?"

    She needed something- anything else to listen to, as long as it wasn't a voice in her head.

    "W- What?" Twilight replied, a bit dazed. She did her best to sound collected, but her response came out more frustrated sounding than anything.

    "You look unwell." Selene’s voice was gentle, understanding, she spoke as if she could see right into Twilight's mind. “Quite distressed.”

    "What do you care?" Twilight snapped, quite suddenly, and surprising herself in the process. "It's... just a headache."

    Selene didn't react to this, but still explained herself. “You're our best chance of defeating Nightmare Moon. You need to not be distracted.”

    “What I need is more power…” Twilight murmured, then repeated herself a bit louder. “More power…”

    Selene shook her head, alarmed by Twilight's almost desperate sounding response. She and Sombra exchanged sideways looks.

    "I'll need the rest of the Elements of Harmony to defeat Nightmare Moon," Twilight said, the act of planning things out in her head giving her clarity, confidence, and control. "Sunset has two of them, and the last will be near the Everfree, I'm certain. You said you had the means to finish her off?"

    "Yes. But I would suggest we track down the sword first? It'll buy us time, and be a powerful weapon against her."

    "The Devil Sword," Twilight looked up at Selene. She knew of the Sister of Light's sword. It was a legendary, powerful blade, supposedly lost to time, vanishing into history alongside its wielder. "You know where it is, don't you?"

    "Not precisely," Selene's eyes closed, and her head tilted slightly before continuing. "But I know someone who can help us find it."

    "Another demon friend of yours?"

    "Something like that."

-----

    Starlight ran as fast as she could, trying to catch up with Twilight and her mysterious companion, but they outpaced her, their hoverboard and unicorn demon respectively providing a much faster form of transportation on the torn up road. She was determined to catch them though, if only to get answers from Twilight.

    What happened to her? Among everything else, Starlight remembered Twilight the most for her compassion, for her willingness to save people. She gave Starlight a new life amongst the Order of Light, despite their overall disapproval of her. She became a mentor figure to her, teaching her the value of friendship and how to fight for it, and that it was something worth fighting for. Despite Starlight's personal resentment about being cut in half, she ultimately recognized Twilight Sparkle as a good person, perhaps one of the best kinds of people.

    But it would seem that her banishment was a turning point for her. When Twilight was accused of accessing forbidden Order secrets, Starlight was the first person to speak for Twilight's innocence, but... Twilight admitted to her trespassing and accepted exile. The leaders of the Order didn't care about her explanations, her claim of her actions being necessary, her warning of some forgotten darkness returning. Not even her own brother, the Head Paladin, was moved by her plea, he only solemnly recited the rules of the Order. They were clear: for the accessing of forbidden knowledge, she must be either banished, or executed. When Starlight asked about it, she was told to not worry, that Twilight didn't want her to lose her new home in the Order by associating with an outcast.

    Then, with a short goodbye, she left.

    After all of that time spent looking out for her, training her, and sticking up for her when no one else would, she just walked away. Not just from Starlight, but from her family, who she had a home with and had known for much longer. It hurt, but she thought she understood. Now though, after learning that her former mentor may have had some connection to this demon being summoned, and watching her be so careless and dismissive to those around her, her perspective of her was starting to shift further. The possibility of her being the cause of all of this destruction was not a thought that sat well with her.

    Something had changed, and Starlight wanted an explanation. So she ran as fast as she could.

    And when she got to the end of the street, Twilight was there, by the bridge to the residential area, discussing something with her companion.

    "Twilight!"

    She turned, and motioned for her companion to wait before swiveling her hoverboard around, and dismounting it. She took several steps towards Starlight, and stopped at the edge of the sidewalk.

    "I told you to go home, Starlight." She said, causing Starlight to slow her run, and come to a standstill in the middle of the street. 

    "Why are you doing this, Twilight?"

    "Because I'm the only one with the power to stop all of this. To save everyone." Twilight's tone was absolute, as if her self-importance was obvious to all.

    "You summoned the Tantibus, didn't you?" Starlight said. She didn't want to believe it, but everything she had learned about Twilight's actions pointed to this being the case. She could only assume it was the truth.

    "No, I-" Twilight's eyes widened in surprise, but then narrowed, a reaction to the accusing tone. "It had to happen that way, Starlight. You don't understand, nobody believed me when I learned of Nightmare Moon's return. I needed to destroy that part of her early."

    "That's no excuse-"

    "The Order wouldn't listen to me! They didn't understand how many people were in danger!"

    "And here you are, putting even more people in danger? This isn't the way, Twilight, you know this. Look at what's happened!"

    "No, no-" Twilight shook her head, both her eyes and her confident tone faltering. "This was unavoidable..."

    Starlight met Twilight's eyes. There was something about that change of tone, a subtle quake to her voice, and the way she shook her head with a hint of desperation. She was losing her composure. Somehow, she had convinced herself that everything she had done up to this point was justified, but Starlight's objection to that destabilized her resolve.

    It would only last a few moments before Twilight regained her delusional grip on herself. "It doesn't matter. I'm the only one who can stop this now. Not the Order, not Celestia, not Sunset..."

    "Not like this." As much as she once respected Twilight, any trace of morality that she once had was gone. That coupled with the fact that she was responsible for summoning one of the most destructive demons in history made her a clear enemy of the Order. "You can be better than this, Twilight."

    "You say that like you think you can stop me."

    "If you'd betray the Order, and everything you used to believe in..." Starlight began. She didn't want to fight her, but the Order's code was clear. Her feelings needed to be put aside right now, but she was still very hesitant in finishing her sentence. "It's... kind of my duty to stop you."

    "I turned my back on the Order because of what I believe in, Starlight." Twilight said. "Because I put my principles before their protocol. And right now, you have to make that choice too." Once more, her tone seemed to falter, but only for a moment. 

    She paused, recovered her composure, and continued. 

    "So what's it going to be?"

    Starlight was tired, and she only had a drop of energy left in her power cells, but if she could do something, she needed to do it now. Her eyes glimmered a soft blue color, and she reached back for her revolver.

    Time slowed as she drew, but Twilight still dashed straight into her faster than she expected, knocking her legs out from under her with her katana, still sheathed, before Starlight could even process what was happening. She nearly did a full flip sideways before crashing into the ground, and as time resumed she felt Twilight's boot punting her revolver straight out of her hand to the other side of the street. Starlight's head fell back, and Twilight just looked down at her disappointedly. 

    A moment passed, and Twilight turned and began to walk away. Thinking she had an opening, Starlight jumped to her feet and ran at her. Her arm reached back to her chainsaber with the intent to draw it, rev it, and strike in a single motion, but again, Twilight moved faster than she anticipated. Without even turning, Twilight thrusted her katana sheath straight back into Starlight's nose, disrupting her attack, and as Starlight so painfully recoiled she swung her undrawn weapon around again. 

    This time, Starlight caught the sheath in a firm grip, but Twilight drew her sword free and closed the distance between them. The pommel end of her weapon smashed into Starlight's cheek, and Twilight pulled her sheath back in the same moment, only to smack Starlight across the face with it in the opposite direction, laying her out on the asphalt again. 

    She returned her sword back into its sheath, and seeing that Starlight wasn't getting back up, she only sighed. For Starlight, it was equally as painful as it was humiliating, but she knew she should've known better. She wasn't strong enough to fight Twilight. She never was.

    "Just go home, Starlight." Twilight warned. "Don't make me do something I'll regret."

    Regret? Starlight would've shown surprise, had making faces not been painful due to bruising on it. Regret didn't seem to be something this Twilight understood. In the strongest voice she could muster, she managed to cough out a question, a question she asked before, but never got an answer to.

    "Why tell me any of this? It's obvious you don't care anymore..." As Starlight asked the question, Twilight's expression changed again. It wasn't like before, when Starlight challenged her reasoning. She didn't look desperate, or angered. She looked... almost sad. This wasn't the Twilight she had seen turning her back on her friends. For that brief moment, her mask fell away, and a Twilight who understood the severity of her actions was clearly visible.

    And with this new expression came a tone of voice. A calm, quiet, and somber tone, reminiscent of the Twilight she once knew. "I'm just trying to fix my mistakes. I don't want to have to fight any more of my friends..."

    Before Starlight could express any sympathy, the cold, uncaring tone returned to her. "So don't follow me. If you get in my way again, I'll- I'll..." As soon as it left, the quiet regret seemed to come back, challenging Twilight's mask of apathy. Her breath wavered, and she didn't finish her sentence. 

    She had to take a moment to collect herself again. "Don't get in my way."

    Twilight remounted her board, and motioned to Selene that she was ready to go. Starlight rolled over onto her front, and saw the two of them riding off down the bridge to Canterlot's residential area. That was that, she supposed. She thought about what Twilight said. Her mission was finished, and there was nothing else for her to do here. As much as she wanted to fight Nightmare Moon and save the city, she wasn't enough to make a difference. She never was. And now she was here, left even more confused and conflicted about Twilight than ever before, and laying in a useless heap on the ground. Maybe she should just go home.

    But if she did, and gave her report to The Order, they would surely take some sort of drastic measure. Letting Twilight escape was another concern, too. This situation was out of her hands, though. Like it or not, she needed help. And either way, she'd need to get up off the ground.

    She made an attempt to push herself up, but her head was still throbbing violently and her vision was sent spinning. Fighting through that, she managed to stand, but her body was both weak and heavy, resisting her will to move. Attempting to walk to where her gun landed, she found herself back on her knees within seconds. Even then, she couldn't keep her balance completely, toppling forward as gravity took away any ability to stay upright.

    Starlight hated losing a fight. She hated that she spent all of her energy battling Nightmare Moon for it to amount to nothing. She hated that she was dependent on batteries to even move. She hated that Twilight was so much stronger than her, that Twilight would betray her, and there was nothing that she could do about it. That Twilight was the reason she had this worthless body, that Twilight was the reason she was currently face down on the ground, unable to do anything but drown herself in frustration at Twilight.

    Except it wasn't Twilight's fault, Starlight knew this. Starlight's problems were Starlight's fault. Always. She tried to fight Twilight before and got herself cut in half. She tried to fight Twilight now and got force fed pavement. She had and still messed things up, because apparently she wasn't good enough.

    But she didn't have the energy to mentally beat herself up anymore. She didn't have the energy for anything, really. Her consciousness was beginning to slip, gradually at first, but then extremely quickly as the feeling of immense weight of her body dragged her into a forced sleep.

    As she drifted away she thought she heard the faint sound of an engine rumbling, and also of tires on a street.

-----

    Hurried footsteps echoed through an empty room from a set of tall, wooden double doors on one end. Faint light from the darkened sky above came through the wide windows to the left, illuminating several dozen rows of simply designed pews in a soft, orange glow. They were placed around a center aisle, leading up to a similarly designed altar. This was a place of worship. Not too grand, but sizable enough for the city of Canterlot.

    Looming behind the altar, the individual of worship was depicted by a stone statue twice the size of a person. The statue displayed a tall woman, with a slender but powerful silhouette, and hair wreathed in what appeared to be flames. It flowed from beneath a helmet that concealed her eyes and nose with a slitted face plate, but her lips held a stern expression, a steadfast warning. A form fitting suit of armor covered her body, and two angelic wings sprouted from her back, curling majestically up above her.

    In one hand, she held a sword close to her chest, pointed down, it's crossguard resembling a rising sun with many spokes, and the other she held outstretched at a downward angle, as if she were offering to help a defeated adversary.

    The footsteps continued, until a shadow of a woman crossed through the room's threshold. Then, a heeled boot passed through the door, with a strange clamping mechanism on the back of it. Another followed, and the sound of footsteps continued further as the boots brought their wearer further into the room, until she was past the pews, past the altar, and right in front of the statue.

    Celestia eyed the imagery of the Sister of Light with disgust. She felt an urge to destroy or deface it, but upon further contemplation she decided there were more important things to do at the moment. The Order of Light may not have had a presence in Canterlot City, but their religion certainly did. Though small in number and spread thin, legitimate followers of the Sister of Light popped up in all places, though they only had a real presence in Crystal City. 

    The idea of worshiping a demon as a saviour, a protector, as a goddess- it did not sit well in Celestia's mind. The legend may have spoke of the Sister of Light as a heroic figure, but heroes weren't meant to be worshiped like this. Respected, maybe. Revered and remembered, but not treated as deities. Especially when they weren't around anymore.

    Even if some demons were kind and caring for humanity, the sheer power they possessed was enough to bring out the worst in a human who wanted it for themself. This was why Celestia sought out those with potential to harness their magic and trained them, so they may use their powers to fight evil. But for this she was also branded as an enemy of the Order of Light, because they believed demonkind to be an absolute evil, outside of their saviour, and that humans should not use magic unless it was in the name of their goddess. Or at the very least, unless it was furthering their own agenda.

    Celestia found that amusing at the time, as one of their most gifted members, Twilight Sparkle, was also one of her strongest students. It wasn't so much now, seeing Twilight's course of action after being banished from the Order. Twilight clearly was on a dark path, one so very similar to the one the Dark Sister walked. And with Sunset defeated by Nightmare Moon, and Twilight's own student unable to convince her to stand down, it fell upon Celestia to undo what her former student had set in motion.

    That was why she was here, in a church dedicated to the Sister of Light, a place she otherwise wouldn't be caught dead in.

    She snapped out of her thoughts, looking away from the goddess statue. What she was here for was through the doorways to either side of the statue. They both lead to the same hallway, a long corridor that stretched beyond the main chamber in either direction, but was only a half dozen footsteps across. 

    Lining this hallway were more statues, smaller ones, all depicting either the Light Sister or various other characters associated with her legends. Each one was just slightly taller than her, and placed between windows, letting light through without much shadow cast. Several doors on the far ends led to offices of the church's staff, but in the center of the hallway, across from the two doors leading to the church's back entrance, there was a sunken in area of wall, where a locked display table showed off a set of relics once belonging to the Sister of Light.

    Beneath the glass lay four elegantly crafted handguns, each with two barrels in an over-under alignment. They were made of a golden orange metal, with a red gem in the upper receiver. Intricate silver engravings ran along the slide, all the way to the barrel, and each had handle grips of ebony. These were ancient, magical weapons, the personal weapons of the Sister of Light. Weapons also used by Celestia during her time as demon hunter, she gave them to this church for safekeeping after her retirement. They were what she was here for.

    Reaching into her pocket, she produced a small key, which she used to unlock the table, and lifted the glass covering her old weapons. She promised herself that she wouldn't fight again, but she knew it was a promise she couldn't keep.

    She reached out, and tentatively touched one of the handguns. The gem on it began to sparkle softly, responding to what little magic she still had. She still had enough power to wield them, good. In her mind, she said their names, taking the first two in her hands and feeling the familiar sensation of them synchronizing with her as she reached down and attached them to the clamping mechanism on the backs of her boots.

    Zenith, Nadir...

    Taking the second pair, she synchronized with them as well, the feeling of a familiar weapon in her hand giving her a bit more confidence in her ability to fight.

    Dusk, and Dawn...

    These four pistols were her loyal companions during her younger days of demon hunting. A smile crossed her face as she remembered the excitement and adventure she had in her life before the Order forced her into hiding. All she needed to complete her loadout was her old sword, another relic of the Sister of Light's. It should've been hanging on the wall above the guns, but when she looked up, all she saw was an empty display case. Strange.

    A dark, sly sounding voice interrupted her as she began to think of where it might be.

    "Silly, silly, Celly..." Celestia's heard it louder on her right side, but when she turned to look, nobody was there. When the voice spoke again, it was behind her.

    "Looking for something, are you?" It spoke in a teasing tone. A familiar one. She knew the speaker. She knew him well.

    When she turned again, she did so with both guns forward. Nothing was there.

    "That beat up chunk of metal, I assume?" This time, the voice came from all around her, but she couldn't see it's source. It was a demon, a demon she knew, and once upon a time she would've been able to sense him, but she wasn't as in tune with her abilities as she once was.

    "Awh, what's the matter? Out of touch, are you? How long has it been since the Platinum Knight lifted those guns?"

    She winced at the title. It was what they used to call her back in her prime. Celestia, the Platinum Knight. Being called that again felt odd.

    Celestia's eyes darted around. The direction of the voice was irrelevant, he could sound like he was coming from anywhere.

    "Just show yourself."

    "Ugh... You're no fun." The voice suddenly centralized itself. It was close, right down the hallway to her left. "I'm right here, Celly. I've been here. I can't exactly go anywhere..." 

    It was coming from one of the statues, one of a tall, serpent-like creature with curious features. It appeared to have the head of a horse, but with antlers, one of a deer, and the other a gazelle. It's body was of the same incoherent construction, an unholy assembly of various creatures, all attached to one being. It had an eagle's claw, a lion's paw, a goat's hoof, and a lizard's foot, all attached to a snakelike body and tail, and it held both a sinister looking grin and pose.

    By the small plaque in front of him, one would see that this was Discord, the Lord of Chaos, a powerful demon defeated long ago by the Sisters of Light and Darkness, and again by Celestia after breaking free.

    "This is you, Discord? The real you?" Celestia asked, surprised. "How did you end up here?"

    "Oh, the church needed some statues for their little history museum they've got back here, and it turns out that I'm just the draconequus for the job." He said, rather proudly, but still with a hint of sarcasm. "I've got a lot of experience, I'll have you know. Several thousand years, in fact."

    Celestia's expression fell flat. If this is all he was, he was harmless. The most he could do in this state is talk someone to death. "I don't have time to humor you."

    "Well hey now, I don't exactly get to talk to anyone around here, especially not anyone I really know... They can't know I'm the real deal."

    "Then why tell me?"

    Discord scoffed, and sounded like he was rolling his eyes. "I was trying to be helpful. There's a demon invasion going on, and if you're coming to get your weapons it must really be bad."

    Celestia crossed her arms, and raised an eyebrow expectantly. "Well, where's my sword?"

    "They were using it for some ceremony this morning..." Discord trailed off, his voice suggesting he was trying to recall. "Before the baddies showed up, of course. But they didn't really seem interested in the sword, which was weird, because it's yours. Everyone in the demon realm knows you. I thought for certain-"

    A pistol was suddenly thrust in the statue's face, and Celestia's normally patient tone broke into the subtle, angered one. Each word was spoken clearly, and with lethal intent. "Quit chattering. Where is it?"

    The demon was not phased by this, rather, he seemed excited. "Ooh, a threat! That brings me back... That look in your eyes, so fiery! Even if you're old and crumbling, you've still got that spark, don't you?"

    A moment passed, and Celestia's glare faded. 

    "Oh, but you're not going to let your anger get the best of you, are you? Of course not, you wouldn't hurt little ol' me, not while I'm in such a vulnerable position..." Discord's voice broke into a short, evil chuckle before continuing. "It's laying on the altar."

    "What?"

    "Go out there, have a look."

    Celestia lowered her weapon, and walked away, but before she was out of earshot Discord told her one more thing.

    "Oh, and you're not alone here. Once you get that sword, you better get moving. There's quite a few people out there who want the Sister of Light's blade. And the Platinum Knight's head..."

    Her head turned back as she approached the door. She knew as much, but what seemed like an honest warning from an enemy was suspicious. "Why tell me that?"

    "Because, between the Order, Nightmare Moon returning, and your runaway student, there's greater things at play here than just you and I. I need to make sure I get through this mess."

    "And this involves me, why?"

    "Oh, I can't spoil everything... You'll see in time, my dear."

    Celestia gave him a smirk. "Hmm. I'm beginning to think you might have a soft spot for me."

    Where normally he'd have a snappy reply, he had only silence. That was enough for her to leave.

    Back in the main chamber, Celestia spotted her old sword right away, laying across the altar, just as Discord said. It wasn't there when she first came in, was it? It must've been one of his tricks- he clearly still had some of his powers. That was something to be dealt with later, though. Gripping her two pistols tightly she focused on her magical connection to them, and they dissolved into energy that was absorbed into her body. She still had enough power to store her weapons, too. Excellent.

    With her hands now free, she focused on her blade, and reached out for it. It was an ordinary grey broadsword with a wide, double-edged blade, a V-shaped crossguard, and with a pommel in the shape of a familiar sun. It was called the Corona's Edge; a plain and unassuming weapon, not one that would be imagined in the hands of such a legendary figure. It wasn't nearly as fancy as the one the Sister of Light was depicted holding in the statue behind her, but it didn't need overwhelming grandeur to a devastating in the hands of a swordsman goddess. It was imbued with the Sister of Light's power—the power to get the job done—and that was all that mattered to Celestia right now.

    The moment her hand reached the weapon, a swarm of black-robed Reaper demons appeared all around her, at least a dozen of them, all swinging their own flaming swords in at her. Of course, she realised, they were waiting for her. Discord must have set her up!

    With only a moment to react, she threw her sword up and jumped straight into the air after it, clearing all of the other blades. Looking down, she saw them all strike together in the spot she was just standing, each of the demons were recoiling from the unexpected clash. Perfect. As she began to fall back down she brought her foot down on one of the demon's heads, stomping it into the ground with a shriek, and scattering the rest into a ring around her.

    At her will, the pistol on her foot went off in time with her landing, and she stomped down and fired the other one in the same fashion. A moment later, Celestia's sword came back down, landing perfectly in the demon's back as she stepped off it.

    "Waiting for someone?" She asked, taking a playful tone, even though she knew the demons wouldn't reply. She slammed a fist down into her sword, driving it deeper into the demon pinned beneath it.

    "Surely you're not here for this, are you?" She walked two fingers over her weapon's pommel, indicating it as the other demons closed in around her, waiting for a moment to pounce. Resummoning her pistols, she introduced a barrel to the first one foolish enough to attack and blasted it down into the floor. More followed suit, but she easily danced around them, firing all four of her guns gracefully as she dodged and weaved about. With one pistol, she parried a sword strike, then shot down three demons in three different directions at point blank range, balancing on one foot to accomplish this. A swing came at her leg, trying to topple her, but she shifted her weight onto a hand and split her legs across, putting bullets through two demons on either side, and swinging her arm behind her to line up three more consecutive shots.

    Tumbling forward, she landed with her legs still split, and began to fire in all directions, responding to attacks as they came; crossing her arms, spreading them, holding them at specific angles, easily holding back the onslaught of demons circling her. Not one touched her, and as she popped back on to her feet she gave one of the last ones standing a straight kick to the chest. Her boot mounted pistol fired straight through it, then lit it up a dozen more times as she served it a flurry of rapid fire kicks, finishing it off with a roundhouse kick that sent it flying over the altar and into the center aisle.

    She sensed another attack behind her, and rolled up onto the altar to dodge the last demon coming at her with a thrust. The guns in her hands vanished, and she finally drew her sword out from the floor, and coming up to a kneel, she took the demon's head with a single swing. 

    Behind her, out in the pews, she saw several more demons forming out of pools of shadow: a pair of tall Scythe demons, backed up by even more Reapers than before. The skeletal Phantom demons appeared in the furthest rows, flames pulsing in their hands, and near the entrance, a towering, horned, Battlemaster stood, his axe at the ready. Their various battle cries echoed through the room as they swarmed it, flooded it, each one here to shed blood.

    Standing over them on the altar, she faced them, again showing amusement at the situation. She was getting back into the swing of this demon slaying thing perfectly fine.

    "Hmm, seems like we've got a bit of a crowd this evening..." Celestia said, taunting them with a patient tone as they slowly shambled forward. "But unfortunately there won't be any service tonight."

     Celestia readied her sword, and took up a fighting stance, smiling as every demon in the room bolted towards her. This was it, she felt her energy coming back to her, and any hesitation she had with fighting again was gone.

    "So you'll have to say your prayers now."

    The Platinum Knight was back.
> 11- The Renegade Angels
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Flash put his hand on the door to the police station's armory, feeling for the doorknob and giving a twist. It was locked.

    "Rainbow, keys." Keeping his eyes on the barely lit hallway in front of him, he held his hand out behind him, and felt two keys being put into it. One of them was to the armory, and after a few moments of fiddling with them, he fit the right one into the keyhole just above the door handle. He put the keys into the pouch around his back, feeling like he'd need to hold on to them, and cracked the door open.

    They couldn't find a way to the administrative offices, so Flash decided they should head to the armory. Several more demons had stood in their way though, but with each encounter they had been lucky enough to have the upper hand. The first, a lone Reaper was taken by surprise, Flash managed to put it in a lock from behind and stabbed its heart through, dispatching it in the same manner as the scythe demon. 

    After that, a pair of Phantoms made themselves audible from around a corner, their bones rattling as they walked, allowing Rainbow and Flash time to coordinate an attack. Each of them picked one and took them out from across the hallway. Rainbow was a bit shaky, not having much experience with firearms, but both of the Phantoms went down before they were able to react. 

    From there, it wasn't far to the armory.

    Flash kept his gun raised as he slowly opened the armory door. It had two emergency lights in it, and several rows of storage cabinets forming short walkways to the other end of the room. They were all locked electronically though, and with the power out, they wouldn't be able to get into them. He had hoped to restock here; his ammunition was running low, with one spare magazine in his handgun, only four shots in his current magazine, and nothing for the shotgun. 

    Rainbow pointed her flashlight over his shoulder as the door swung open fully, but turned it off as she saw the room was adequately illuminated. Ever cautious, but convinced the room was safe, Flash stepped in, and Rainbow followed, shutting the door behind them. 

    "So why are there even demons still hanging around here?" Rainbow asked. "If they're looking for people to kill, you think they'd have ditched this place already..."

    "Not sure. There's a spire here somewhere, an anchor to their world that lets them come through. They might just be keeping an eye on it." Flash walked through the armory, letting his hand brush against the closed cabinets until it bumped an open one. Turning his attention to it, he found it contained four loose shotgun shells. Not as many as he'd wanted, but still useful nonetheless. He loaded them up right away, then continued on, coming to a stop in front of a heavy steel door, with two digital scanners on either side, giving off a soft red light. It had no handle, nowhere to pull, sticking out from the wall just a little bit.

    The panic room. 

    Flash knocked on the door, and heard a voice in his earpiece.

    "Sentry... is... is that you?" Sergeant Colt's voice came through his radio. Where he was tough and inspiring before, now he was tired and weak.

    "Yeah. I'm right outside the panic room," Flash responded. "Isn't there anything you can do to unlock it from the inside?"

    "No, the scanner on my side is permission locked too, I didn't realize when we shut the door."

    "You didn't know it would lock you in there?" 

    "We've never had to use it before..." Colt coughed, sounding to be in pain. "I didn't know it automatically locked when the door closed. Do you have the chief's badge?"

    "Not yet, I was just coming here to make sure the way was clear. I-"

    Flash felt Rainbow's hand shake his shoulder. "Something's coming..."

    Flash looked back towards the room's entrance, hearing heavy footsteps from beyond it. 

    "Hold on, Sergeant, I have to deal with something..."

    He turned his radio off, and pointed his shotgun at the door, taking quiet steps towards it. Rainbow was right, something was coming. The footsteps grew louder, closer, until they were just behind the closed door. Was it a demon? Flash waited, crouching close between the storage cabinets, hiding in the middle row where the shadows were darkest. 

    A demon would've knocked the door down in one manner or another, but instead, something curious happened. 

    The doorknob turned, and the door opened.

    Through it, came a huge figure in a dark purple suit of power armor, with a glowing teal lights accenting different spots, and a helmet with a crack along the visor. They were the hellish, menacing looking character Spitfire warned him about. And through their visor, they looked directly at Flash. They did not attack at first, they only stared at him. It was almost like they were surprised, like they weren't expecting to find a human in this demon infested place. 

    They then took a step forward, and then another, prompting Flash to quickly back away.

    "S-stay back..." He warned, keeping them lined up in his shotgun's sight as they slowly approached, their speed ramping up with his. They didn't comply, and he fired off a shot at them. There was the sparking and scraping of the shotgun pellets off of their armor, but little damage was done. He fired again, but upon seeing that his weapon was ineffective, he made his way towards the back of the room with much haste. 

    His back was turned, and he heard the Hellsoldier's footsteps pick up, and instinctively rolled to the side as soon as he cleared the row of cabinets. Just in time too, as the Hellsoldier charged past him, knocking several of the cabinets over with a wide swing of their arm. He needed to get out of there. 

    "Rainbow! Run!" He shouted, making his way as fast as he could down the left row of cabinets, hearing Rainbow's gun going off behind him. What was she doing? As soon as he reached the front of the room, he turned back. Rainbow was in the middle row, firing at the Hellsoldier, and then she ran between a gap in the cabinets to the right row, moving as fast as she could to Flash's side. 

    "What is that?!"

    "I don't know, we need to get out of here!"

    They both run back out into the hallway, going full speed in the direction that looked like it gave the most room to run, which also was opposite the direction they had come. 

    Behind them, with long, slow, ominous strides, the Hellsolider followed.

-----

    Spitfire's rematch with the shotgun-slinging pig demon did not go smoothly. She fired a burst from her machine gun, but her burnt fingers gripped the weapon far too tightly, and her accuracy suffered as a result. Only a single bullet hit the approaching demon, but it wasn't enough to stop it from swinging its shotgun arm around to his side. Without much time to think, she dove into the closest open room just as the demon pulled the trigger, and was surprised to find that it missed her by a huge margin- its aim was sloppy and rushed. She wasn't going to take that for granted though, if she wasn't fast, it could close the distance on her and accuracy wouldn't matter.

    Rolling forward and hopping back to her feet, she slammed the door behind her and dropped to the floor again, just as another spray of shotgun pellets perforated the thin office walls just above her head. That was two shots, and the demon's shotgun was double barrelled. Maybe she could catch it while it was reloading.

    Reassuming her less-than-solid grip on her machine gun, she kicked the door back open and let off an inaccurate barrage of bullets in the demon's direction, the gun shaking against her numb hands and kicking back into her shoulder. The demon took steps back as bullets tore through its body, but as Spitfire's machine gun ran empty it let out an enraged squeal and threw its weapon on the ground, opting to lunge straight at her. Spitfire didn't back down, instead, she braced herself, and held out both hands to catch the demon's, putting her heel against the wall behind her to get more leverage against it.

    The demon was wide, round, and heavy, grunting and snorting furiously as it did it's best to push her back. Strong as she was, she knew she couldn't hold this thing back forever, so instead she pulled one of her hands away and punched it in the stomach. She expected it's fat body to give some, but its mass was completely solid; Spitfire felt as if she had just punched a boulder. The pain was minimal in her hand, but the shock was felt all the way up her arm. The demon seemed to respond with pain though, and so with better footing, she punched it again, but harder, and again, one more time.

    The third punch did it, the pig demon recoiled back, it's balance shifting. Spitfire reached to her vest, and produced the hand grenade she found shortly before. The demon growled, roared a full, powerful roar at her, it's mouth wide open with teeth on full display, but an unintimidated Spitfire saw only an opportunity; the opportunity to lodge her hand grenade between its jaws. The beast let out a snort of confusion, and Spitfire pulled the pin.

    She then pushed away and ran back into the room as far as she could, wanting to get away from the now live explosive. There was no exit door, and the demon was recoiling in the doorway, so she dove into the corner and covered herself with a chair as best as she could as the grenade detonated in the demon's mouth. Nothing hit her, but the wall and corner closest to the door frame were blown apart, as was the demon. The hole made in the wall was fortunately placed, as it allowed her to get past the barricades blocking the hallway before.

    Spitfire still had her life, but she used up another magazine in that fight. She reluctantly swapped them out, hoping she wouldn't have to check through another dead body for more bullets.

    Going through the hall, it was a straight shot to the police chief's office. More fallen officers were strung about the place, but Spitfire noticed no unusual cuts, tears, or burns on them. In fact, all of them seemed to have died from ordinary bullet wounds. Well placed bullet wounds, in the head or neck. It was too clean to be from the demon with the shotgun, no, it seemed like someone else had killed these people.

    Spitfire kept her eyes focused ahead, navigating the tight hallway until she reached a locked door, one that the key Flash had given her fit perfectly. The key turned, but she heard something behind the door that made her refrain from opening it. Voices.

    "Please, I did what you asked, now let's leave." A man's worried voice said.

    "I need your badge." A woman's voice replied. She had a cold and annoyed tone.

    "W-what?"

    "You locked the Elements in the panic room, but I'll need to take your badge from you now so my team can... retrieve them later."

    "What? On whose authority?"

    "Mine." Spitfire heard the sound of a gun's slide clicking as the woman gave her response. "Now drop your gun."

    Something fell to the ground.

    "You lied to me, didn't you. Who are you?"

    The woman gave an annoyed scoff. "Wouldn't you like to know? Look here. Into my eyes."

    The man sounded as if he was going to resist, but the woman did something even more curious. She began to sing. Not loudly, and not with any words, she just vocalized a melody of low notes, arranged in an unnaturally smooth and intriguing manner. It was mesmerizing, even to Spitfire listening in behind the door. After her short, ten seconds of singing, there was a moment of silence.

    "Thank you, Chief Coppers." Dry sarcasm eventually came.

    "What... how did you... why did I do that? Who are you?"

    Spitfire heard a very quiet gunshot, then a slightly louder death gurgle from the police chief. The woman's gun must've had a suppressor on it.

    So the police chief knowingly locked innocent civilians inside the panic room, so some other group could take them away? Spitfire shook her head. She was going to have to deal with his killer as well, as she now had the chief's badge.

    Slowly, carefully, she unlocked the door, but waited again when she heard the woman talking.

    "It's Aria. Wha- 'Silent Lynx'. Whatever. I know the code names are important but I'm completely alone, Sonata."

    A pause.

    "Sorry, 'Staccato Sparrowhawk.' Look, I'm just letting you know that I have the police chief's badge, okay? Are you in the Seraph offices yet?"

    Another pause.

    "Ugh. I'll meet up with you, then. I- ... In the Seraph offices! Where else?"

    Spitfire felt the overwhelming urge to shrink away, to hide and let this mysterious third party just do what they came to do, but she pushed those thoughts away, remembering her duty to the citizens of Canterlot. However few were left. She waited, heard the footsteps getting closer, then shoved the door open at the last possible second.

    Beyond the door was an open, square area, with overturned desks making makeshift barriers, and doors leading off to separate offices to the sides, but her main focus was this 'Silent Lynx', who had been knocked onto her back by Spitfire's entrance. 

    By her outfit, she seemed to be some kind of infiltrator, wearing a black bodysuit with armor padding around the chest and shoulders and stacked with grey tactical straps and pouches. Her eyes were only somewhat visible through a pair of tinted combat goggles, and showed clear surprise Spitfire barging into the room. Spitfire only gave herself a second to look over her features before lining up a shot on her. She saw long, pulled back purple-ish hair, unnaturally pale skin with a light purple hue to it, and as she scanned her over the last detail she caught was the insignia on her shoulder, just beneath the padding. 

    SRAPH? Seeing it made her hesitate a moment, but it was one moment too late. Her target completely vanished.

    Lynx wasn't gone. Spitfire still scanned her surroundings closely. She was still here, she knew it. Close. Her gut instinct told her to check her sides...

    She moved quickly to check the corners of the room and ended up colliding with Lynx, who became entirely visible for the single second they were in contact with each other. Aiming for where she last saw her, Spitfire swung the butt of her weapon around forcefully, and Lynx's suppressed pistol became visible as it was knocked from her grip. The weapon fell to the ground, but it's owner was still out of sight. Spitfire took another guess at her position, quickly snapping into an aiming position. 

    The moment she went to fire, Lynx suddenly appeared again, but beside her, with both hands on Spitfire's machine gun as she attempted to wrestle it from her. The two struggled with each other, making eye contact for only a brief moment before Spitfire remembered the fate of the police chief that held her eyes for too long. Spitfire focused on the gun, but her arms were slowly wrenched too closely together, and her grip broke. 

    Silent Lynx backed away, disappearing with the gun the moment Spitfire let go of it. Spitfire moved to chase after her, but her fist hit nothing but air as she swung. She couldn't possibly know where Lynx went, but a few stiff clicks gave her position away clearly. Spitfire gave a sly smile. During their struggle, she had set the weapon's safety on- the trigger wouldn't pull all the way back, but there was no time to correct that.

    Spitfire's fist shot out again, catching Lynx straight in the chest and stumbling her. The logic of her invisibility suddenly made sense, as she blinked in and out of it again. So long as Spitfire was touching her, or something she was holding, she could see her. With this in mind, she took the front of her machine gun and yanked on it, bringing them into grappling distance again, however Lynx only shoved her back, releasing the weapon and disappearing once more. She could tell that Spitfire had figured her out.

    As quickly as she could, Spitfire flipped the gun back around and flicked off the safety, but by the time she was looking down its sight again the door slammed shut. As far as she could tell, Silent Lynx was gone. She hadn't even grabbed her pistol on the way out, and not too far on the floor from that was the police chief's badge. 

    The badge went into a pocket on her uniform jacket, but she also took the fallen weapon, and remembering how she had lost her own pistol only ten minutes after she had arrived in the city, decided that it would be a suitable replacement as a backup weapon. With some adjustment, it fit in her empty leg holster.

    She was alone again, and she needed to warn Flash about the infiltrator, but before she went to leave, a faint buzzing sound caught her attention. Looking back into the room towards the other offices, she saw the police chief's body slumped back on an overturned desk. A navy blue hat covered his face, but by the bullet hole punched through both his uniform and chest she could tell he was dead. Unfortunate, but from his conversation with Lynx he seemed to be her accomplice, at least until she turned on him. 

    The buzzing sound came from his radio- it was a standard short range device, just like the one she was issued, but something was transmitting to it. A voice was coming through the earpiece connected to it.

    "Chief Coppers, are you there? What happened? Coppers?"

    Spitfire took the radio off of his body, unclipping it from his uniform and attaching it to her own. Somehow, there was no blood on any part of it, but she felt some sort of irrational uneasiness, the same kind she felt taking ammo off of a fallen officer before. Though, all things considered, everything about the current situation was perfectly justified in making Spitfire uneasy. 

    The voice in the radio repeated its question, but this time, Spitfire put the earpiece into her ear and gave a response.

    "This is SWAT Captain Spitfire, Thunderbolt Unit. I regret to inform you that Chief Coppers is no longer with us."

    "They got him too, huh? Damn..." The voice was rough, whoever was speaking, he sounded to be in pain. "This is Sergeant Colt speaking. I'm locked in the panic room at the center of the station."

    Sergeant Colt. Flash mentioned him. "I know. I'm working with Agent Sentry on your rescue. I've got his badge, we can unlock the door for you. Can you get me his radio frequency?"

    "You... oh... Right."

    Colt relayed the digits of Flash's radio frequency, and Spitfire took mental note of them.

    "Thanks. Also, I ran into a non-demon hostile, some kind of commando wearing a fake Seraph uniform. I overheard her talking to someone else via radio, whoever she's working for is after the two civilians in there with you. If they find a way in before us... just be ready."

    There was some hesitation in Colt's voice. "I... I'll keep that in mind. Thanks for letting me know."

    "Hang in there. Spitfire, out." 

    She had what she came for, and then some. It was time to leave. Spitfire set her radio to Flash's frequency, and hurried out of the administrative offices. Hopefully she wouldn't have another run in with Silent Lynx.

-----

    Flash's earpiece began to sound off. Someone was trying to get a hold of him. He was still running for his life, but he figured there was enough distance between him and the slow moving Hellsoldier for him to stop for a moment.

    "This is Sentry! I'm kinda busy, but go ahead!"

    "It's Spitfire, I got the chief's badge. We're not alone here, I ran into an infiltrator who's also looking for your friends. We fought, she got away."

    "Looking for my friends? What? To just like, take them?"

    "I don't know, she called them the 'Elements', that's the magic thing they do, right?"

    "Right, but-"

    There was a loud thump on Spitfire's end. She was struggling with something. "Oof! Hold up, I'll get back to you in a bit..."

    "Spitfire? Spitfire!" Flash didn't like the radio silence in such a tense moment. 

    Flash checked behind him. Rainbow Dash was keeping up with him, but the Hellsoldier was out of sight. The soldier was slow, he and Rainbow could easily outrun them. 

    "Is she okay?" Rainbow looked concerned.

    "It sounded like she was being attacked. We're not alone in here... We need to get to her."

    "Oh, what are we supposed to do?" Rainbow's composure wasn't recovering as quickly as Flash's was. She was just as stressed, but didn't have the discipline to back up her resolve. As a result, her eyes shrunk, darted to the side nervously, and she began to shake. "We're not gonna make it out of here, are we?"

    Flash put a hand on her shoulder. He needed to say something to keep her worry at bay. "Don't worry, I've got an idea. We just have to keep moving."

    The reassurance seemed to bring her back. She nodded her head. "Right, right. Where to?"

    Flash took a moment to think. He didn't have a complete plan, but he knew that they needed to meet back up with Spitfire. His hasty attempts to visualize the station's layout gave him a roundabout answer. Spitfire entered the west wing through the reception, but they couldn't get through the doors connecting the reception area to the main body of the station. The SRAPH offices, however, connected the east wing to reception, and Flash's badge would allow him access to them. It would take a bit of backtracking, but if they could get to the SRAPH offices, they could follow Spitfire's steps from there. 

    "It's... it's this way, actually," Flash said, guiding Rainbow back the way they came. They'd have to go the long way around the station, since the main pathways were blocked by blast doors.

    Rainbow Dash reluctantly followed, but the two encountered no resistance on their way back. It was unsettling how, once again, everything was quiet and still, but they were as tense as ever. Rainbow kept the flashlight vigilantly swiveling around every corner, through every door, and under every desk and table, as if the light would somehow drive any lurking demons away. Flash kept his attention forward, listening carefully for the sound of any demon movement over the hum of the emergency lighting.

    They passed by the armory again, but the Hellsoldier was nowhere to be seen. That only put them further on edge. 

    As they moved, Flash thought more about the SRAPH offices. It was where he was supposed to report to after the mission, and periodically check in via radio, but clearly there was nobody here to report to, nor was he sure the radio equipment even still had power. He had no way to contact SRAPH HQ. There were a few other, smaller police stations in the different areas of Canterlot, but they didn't have SRAPH offices, they were coordinated through this one. This station was the station. Where would he even take the girls once he got to them? How would they get out of here?

    Was he even capable of saving anyone at this point? He didn't know for certain, but he had made it this far into this nightmare, so he figured he'd at least try.

    Eventually they came to the door to the SRAPH offices. It's electronic lock still worked, and the door unlocked as Flash swiped his badge across the scanner. As the device made a soft beep of recognition, Flash could've sworn he heard a soft shuffling from inside the room. His eyes met Rainbow's, both displaying a startled shock. They weren't alone. He drew his shotgun, took aim at the door, and made a motion with his head to Rainbow.

    "Get the door. Open it fast," Flash said, very quietly. "Stay out here, make sure nobody comes in behind me."

    Rainbow nodded, and pulled the door open.

    Flash saw nothing hostile inside at first. There was a long table in the center of the room, a few desks along the closest and furthest walls, and wide windows on the far wall showed the police station reception areas, which had been more or less trashed by its new infernal occupants. A dim, blue light shined from inside the room somewhere, something that took Flash off guard. It was somewhere to his left, casting faint shadows to the right, and definitely wasn't from an emergency light.

    Someone was in there. 

    Flash took a step inside, letting his shotgun lead the way. His eyes darted around, scanning the room as he nervously held his weapon's stock against his shoulder, a spring-loaded finger curled and ready to pull its trigger tight at a moment's notice. The room was wider than it was long from this angle; it was only a short walk past a few file cabinets to the door to reception from his point of entry. The closest wall was to his right, and he only gave it a quick glance before pivoting all the way left, more attentively looking into the rest of the room.

    At the far end, on a desk up against the back wall was the screen of a laptop computer, one he didn't recognize, with a cable connecting it to a small device off to the side. As Flash got closer, he could see another, full sized computer tower beneath the desk, one of the standard ones the station used. It had its front and side panels removed, and some components from the inside were missing. Most notably, the hard drive.

    He could also now make out what the screen was displaying: a progress bar, indicating that a file transfer was underway. Flash's brain made the connection.

    Someone was in here stealing data.

    Flash felt a hand violently grip his upper right arm, and another set of fingers forcibly lace between his own, preventing his fingertip from squeezing the trigger of his weapon as it was pulled away. In the same instant the weapon was ripped from his hands and tossed aside, and he was thrown face first into the closest wall, with his attacker twisting his arm painfully behind his back. Not only were the hands on his arms powerful, but the sensation of touch stung from the scraping he had received earlier. 

    There was a beat as his face was pressed against the wall, but he focused, and twisted his whole body forward, not resisting the force on his shoulder or arm, but accepting it. After a moment, there was enough room for his arm to twist free from their grip, but they forcefully shoved his other shoulder forward in response, knocking him against the wall a second time, but releasing his upper arm to do so. 

    Managing to muscle his arm free, Flash struck out with his elbow behind him, meeting resistance, but only seeing an arm held out in a defensive position as he turned his head back. He lowered his head, unfolding his elbow in an attempt to gain more leverage on the assailant, and saw a black bodysuit with a few faded, soft armor pieces, one carrying the insignia of... SRAPH? Who was he fighting?

    Flash pulled his arm back, completing his turnaround and coming face to face with whoever was trying to subdue him. In the light of the laptop he could make out a few key features, she was a woman in a dated SRAPH uniform, wearing what appeared to be complicated night vision goggles over her face. She had a long, high ponytail as well, which was dark blue color, and her pale skin curiously had the slightest tint of blue, as if to match her hair. 

    The infiltrator also had a long barreled weapon slung across her back, but instead of drawing it she cocked her fist again and dove in towards Flash, a strange look of glee on her face. Flash brought his forearms together and pushed directly back against the punch with his entire body, shoving her back into the long table at the room's center. She fell back over it, but caught herself and rolled to the other side, going down beneath it to take cover as Flash drew his pistol.

    Before he could fire, he saw the area he was looking at suddenly have a bright white light cast on it, and heard gunfire to his side. Rainbow Dash stood a few feet from the doorway, pointing both flashlight and pistol at where she'd seen the infiltrator disappear, blasting away with little regard for overall accuracy. Several of her bullets shot through the table, sending bits of it flying about and creating a small dust cloud. Several more hit the window, putting cracks in it, but not completely breaking the bulletproof glass.

    "Where'd she go?" Rainbow asked, circling the table to find that the target had moved. The flashlight swung around in accordance with her vision. She couldn't have gone far, the room was open enough, but there was too much furniture in the room for her to have many directions to go. 

    A pair of feet shot out from beneath the table between, striking Flash in the shins and causing him to fall forward, straight into the tabletop. Hands gripped the opposite edge from beneath it, and the infiltrator sprung back up, landing atop the table and kicking at Flash once with each leg; the first knocked the weapon from his hands and the second took him straight in the chest, pushing him again back towards the ground. In the same motion, she fired a wire-guided taser from a gadget on her wrist at Rainbow, sticking her in the arm. Electricity flowed through the wire and into her body, causing her to seize up and drop both her weapon and the main source of light in the room. Even as the infiltrator pulled the wire from her and retracted it, she collapsed on the floor, unable to get back up.

    "Rainbow!" Flash picked himself up and, using a chair to kick off, threw his entire body into the infiltrator, taking them both past the desks, straight through the damaged window, and onto the hard-tiled floor in a shower of shattering glass. As they slid to a stop, Flash brought his knee down on the infiltrator's ribs, the same way he pinned the Scythe demon from before. Following the form, he drew his knife and stabbed down at her, but she lifted her arm, the wrist mounted gadget containing her taser weapon proving sturdy enough to keep her from being cut. 

    There was more light out here in the main reception area, streaming in through the windows from something burning in the streets, and softly few emergency lights in the open area. Flash attempted to muster the kind of strength he had before, while wrestling with the demon, but could only manage to keep his opponent's arms crossed in a lock. That super-strength wasn't coming to him this time. Looking into the red lenses of her goggles, he addressed her for the first time.

    "Who are you, and why are you wearing a SRAPH uniform?" He asked, between heavy, pained breaths.

    She replied, in a happy, almost taunting tone in between struggling breaths of her own. "Awh, you don't remember me, Flash?"

    The voice was familiar. It wasn't quite right though, something had changed since he last heard it, and it was making it hard for him to identify her. As he racked his brain, he felt her pushing back a little bit harder. 

    "Have we met?" Flash said through clenched teeth, pushing down further with his knife.

    "Look into my eyes, Flash..." The assassin broke her off hand away, and pushed up her goggles, revealing the details beneath it. Two reddish-pink eyes stared up at him, narrowing as a smile formed on her face. Flash suddenly remembered those eyes, that face, the shape of her chin and nose, the way she almost looked innocent, despite once being amongst the most ruthless of SRAPH agents. "And tell me you don't remember."

    She began to sing. Not loudly, not with any words, she just opened her mouth and produced a short, high melody of long, connected notes. Flash's mind spun, not fully comprehending what was happening, overwhelmed by a sudden feeling of intense remorse over the incident with his first major mission two years ago.

    "You..." Flash whispered, feeling his will to fight leave him. As she sung, he moved against his will, releasing his pin on her, standing up, sheathing his knife and backing away. He didn't know if it was something about her singing, or this unexpected emotional response, but he couldn't attack her. He knew her. She was once one of his squadmates, designated Staccato Sparrowhawk. "Sparrowhawk? You died at Sire's Hollow..."

    She rose to her feet, and her little song stopped, giving a pleased nod in response. "Mhmm. But... I got better." Her perpetual carefree tone and smile confused him. She didn't draw her weapon, she left herself exposed. Flash wondered why he still couldn't move his body. His memories were connecting, as he kept his gaze fixed on her eyes... he knew who he was looking at, so why couldn't he move? Why couldn't he fight? Was she doing something to him?

    "What? That's not..." He wanted to finish his sentence, but here was undeniable proof that he was wrong. She was alive, right in front of him. The last Flash knew, Sparrowhawk had been killed defending a village from a demon attack. They just about bombed the place flat to destroy the anchors there, and Flash, being the one who activated the detonator, was the only one that made it home that night. 

    Now she was here, and the commando Spitfire ran into was undoubtedly another of his teammates. If they were here for his friends, there wasn't going to be any niceties between them. "Why are you here, what do you want?"

    "I want your Seraph badge. Mine's out of the system and there were no spares in the offices." She held out her hand and neared him as she spoke. "So fork it over."

    Flash's body did as she asked, despite his best efforts to resist. He reached into his pocket and removed the metal insignia of his privilege, handing it to his former ally. The longer he stared at her, into her eyes, the more he felt his will fade. He fought with all of his mental strength, but he eventually felt himself wanting to obey her. But right as the badge passed hands, the door to the west wing behind Sparrowhawk flew open, and a purple haired woman in a SRAPH uniform tumbled through it.

    Looking behind her reflexively, Sparrowhawk broke eye contact with Flash, and he felt his willpower return to him. He was in control again. There wasn't a better time to have that control back, either. He tightened his grip on her hand, twisted her arm up at an awkward angle, and threw a quick jab into her side with his free hand, and as she moved to counter the two fell into combat again.

    In the brief moments that their struggle began anew, Spitfire charged through the now open west wing door, her newly acquired suppressed pistol at the ready, but the elusive Silent Lynx disappeared again from her sights as she fired at the faint shadow she cast in the light shining through the windows. None of her shots connected though, and right as the weapon clicked empty, Lynx appeared beside her, landing a solid punch into the side of her head. She clutched the area of impact in pain, but fell in line with the punch, managing to stumble about fast enough to prevent herself from hitting the floor entirely. In doing so she collided with Flash, interrupting his melee with Sparrowhawk, who now took better notice of the fact that Lynx had also arrived. 

    Spitfire's vision blurred, blood rushing through her face as pain from the blow stung her senses. She scanned the area, trying to find a clue to where Lynx was, but ultimately realised she that there was only a few seconds until she would be right in front of her again, so she prepared for the worst. 

    She appeared again before Spitfire was expecting, revealing herself a foot away before grabbing onto Spitfire's wrist, and attempting to get her pistol back from her. Try as Spitfire might, Lynx was ultimately better at disarming people than she realised, so she just released her grip on the gun, giving it back and including a punch to the ribs as a bonus. Lynx doubled over, and Spitfire followed up by punching her into the ground and stepping directly onto her gun hand.

    Flash Sentry then suddenly crashed into her, and she took several steps back in her effort to stabilize the two of them. Neither of them fell, but by the time they recovered, Sparrowhawk had moved all the way back to the SRAPH office door. She drew the long-barreled rifle off her back and took aim down its sight, putting her goggles back over her eyes as she did so. Lynx had also gotten back up and joined her, taking aim with the pistol now back in her possession. Spitfire reached for her machine gun, but there just wasn't enough time.

    The closed, still locked door to the SRAPH offices exploded open, and the Hellsoldier, now standing in what was left of the doorway, promptly stole everyone's attention. 

    Lynx and Sparrowhawk immediately looked at each other, then both vaulted through the broken window, running past the Hellsoldier as they took steps towards them. The two rogue agents stopped for a moment in the offices, but then disappeared through the door leading deeper into the station. 

    "I've got the chief's badge, we need to go!" Spitfire bumped Flash in the opposite direction, encouraging him to follow her.

    "But Rainbow Dash..." Flash said, but when he looked through the doorway, he couldn't see her. She got hit standing between the two doorways, she should've been right there, but she wasn't. "Where is she?"

    Flash almost froze up right there at the thought of failing to protect her. He didn't notice the Hellsoldier turning their head to him, then to Spitfire, as if contemplating whether to chase them, or the other two that had already fled. 

    "We don't have the time, doubt the big guy's gonna let us through..."

    Chills went up Flash's back when he finally did make eye contact with the Hellsoldier again. Even through their visor, he could feel their eyes on him. Were they... judging him, assessing how much of a threat he'd be? Or did they want something he had? His hand tightened, and Flash found he still had his SRAPH badge in it. He hadn't given it to Sparrowhawk like she'd wanted, meaning they could go now, save their other friends... but they'd be leaving Rainbow Dash behind to do so.

    Spitfire was right though, they didn't have time, at least for now. They'd have the search the station later. Flash would do it personally, if he had to.

    The Hellsoldier's body turned towards them, and they began to take slow steps forward. Flash and Spitfire ran further into the main lobby, as far as they knew there was no way to reach the panic room from the west wing. The pathway leading into the station's central corridors was blocked off by a heavy blast door, but the door wasn't closed all the way, a halfway crushed, overturned vending machine kept the door from bolting all the way into the floor. 

    "Lift with me, Sentry!" Spitfire voiced Flash's thoughts as they approached the blast door. She slipped her fingers under the gap between it and the floor, gripped as tightly as she could, and pulled up with all of her might, a painful sensation shooting through her wrists, following the lack of feeling in her hands that she hadn't quite gotten used to. Flash did the same, only his pain localized in his upper arms, his muscles bulging and straining beneath torn skin and bandages, lighting his mind on fire in the process.

    The door eventually lifted, and Spitfire crossed under it first as soon as there was room to do so. Flash was ready to follow suit, but his hands began shaking, his grip began slipping away as he heard the Hellsoldier's presence grow ever closer. Spitfire grunted, lifting the door a bit higher, and for the first time, Flash noticed her fingers, scalded white and completely blistered over. His concern for her spiked, disrupting his focus further, but Spitfire lifted the door up a few inches more, as if to remind him to not get distracted.

    "Come on, Sentry..." Her voice was incredibly stressed, and Flash noticed she was doing most of the lifting between the two of them.

    He crossed beneath the door, turning around in time to watch Spitfire slam it down from chin-level, the heavy, dense metal crushing the vending machine that once obstructed it all the way, moments before the Hellsoldier caught up to them.

    Two sharp clicks were heard from beneath the door, the mechanical locks bolting it in place, and then there were a series of loud metallic bangs from the other side. Flash held his breath, taking nervous steps back as he imagined the Hellsoldier punching a hole through solid metal, but several moments passed, and the bangs stopped. Spitfire let out a breath too.

    "Didn't think that was gonna work," She said, brushing her palms off.

    "Spitfire, your hands-"

    "I know, Flash." Spitfire looked him dead in the eye and shook her head. "Nothing we can do for them right now."

    "There's an infirmary here, there might be something to treat them with, you really should..." He said.

    "No." With a single word, her expression sharpened, and she shook her head. She didn't yell, but she didn't need to. Her stern, powerful tone was enough. "I appreciate your concern, but we need to save your friends first. That's what I'm in this for, saving people. If all I have to trade for them is my hands, you don't have to ask me twice."

    Flash gave a nod of understanding.

    "Right, sorry. They just look... really bad."

    Spitfire sighed, nodding. She curled her fingers up, then let them relax. "Yeah. I can't feel them at all. I don't think I'll recover fully, but... I can still fight. So I will."

"Damn..." Flash looked away, not wanting to stare at her ruined skin for too long.

"Once we get to your friends and can leave, we'll see if there's anything here for me. Speaking of, do you have an exit plan?"

    Flash recalled Sunburst's radio frequency, he and Trixie might be able to come pick them up if they were still in the area.

    "Yeah."
> 12- The Cycle of Fear
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

    "Spike, can you hear me? Where are you?"

    "Twilight? Applejack is safe, we're hiding in Sunset's shop."

    "You let Sunset get away, you were supposed to deal with her!"

    "Applejack's safety was more important. I talked Sunset into helping me get her somewhere safe so she wouldn't be a threat-"

    "That's not what I meant, Spike. Now Nightmare Moon has the Sister of Light's power! That's what was in Sunset's amulet! She can use it to open the gate to the demon realm!"

    "Was I supposed to risk Applejack's safety to fight Sunset again? I can't beat her- you know that!"

    "If you hadn't- Ugh... Spike, why are you questioning me? You normally don't act like this!"

    "That makes two of us, you know. You don't usually send me into battles I can't win."

    "You weren't programmed to fear termination."

    "I was programmed to be of service to you, Twilight. And I'm not doing you any service destroying myself for nothing."

    "I guess that's not your fault, is it? Sorry, I just-"

    "Just tell me where you need me next."

    "Get to the Everfree Forest. Let me know if anything happens before I get there, but try not to get into any more fights if you can help it."

    "Okay. Is that all?"

    "No... There's one other thing. Someone else is here. Someone else we know."

    "Who?"

-----

    Starlight felt her head bump against something. Something hard, flat, and cold.

    She opened her eyes, and immediately closed them as she was met with a blinding white light shining down directly above her.

    Opening her eyes to a squint, she found herself in the back section of Trixie's RV, her legs hanging off the edge of Sunburst's workbench, laid across it like it was an operating table. Her vision was still a bit blurred, but it slowly became more focused. When she looked down she found her body completely bare, the naked flesh integrating with metal making her feel uneasy. She didn't like being exposed like this. Not only did it serve as a permanent reminder of her previous failures, she also felt ugly, disfigured, and incomplete. Before, she didn't ever think about the way she looked, in body or in clothing, but now... 

    Her body was designed for practicality, to keep her both mobile and alive. Her limbs, lacking muscle and skin, were little more than sets of dense metal bars that were arranged to optimally support weight, and her torso was just an armored, aerodynamic coffin that contained what few organs she still had. There were glowing lines along her body that connected into four big bright spots on her back, where her power cells were. She was sleek and powerful, but like a machine, not a human. Every aspect of her body was there purely as a means to an end, at realizing this destroyed the bodily confidence she never knew she had.

    It gave her a weird sense of whiplash, because she never cared about having a figure, or looking pretty, or what she wore. Only now that she was flat-chested, inhuman, and had rough, sharp edges did those things weigh on her mind, but the only solution she had was to just never think about it; she wore clothes that covered as much of her as possible and avoided mirrors at all costs.

    Flexing the fingers of her natural, left arm, she placed a hand on the metal plating encasing her heart, relieved to find that it was still beating. It began to beat faster in alarm as she noticed her right arm was missing. It was detached at the elbow, all she had to move was a metal stump at the shoulder. 

    She bolted up, finding Sunburst spinning around on a stool to greet her with surprise. He looked both stressed and tired, his red hair disheveled and his hands coated in a thin, dark, greasy substance, but he was happy enough to see her moving again. Behind him, on a counter connected to the mini-kitchen area, was Starlight's detached arm. She let out a breath of relief, he had just been working on it.

    "You're awake!" He let out a breath of relief, wringing his hands on a small blue towel, both cleaning them and venting some of his stress. "Thank goodness..."

    When she went to talk, she found a cough pushing its way through her throat.  "Ugh... What'd I miss?"

    "Me and Trixie found you out in the street. What happened to you?"

    "Twilight..." Starlight shook her head, slowly dispelling the fog covering it. As she remembered the day's events, she met Sunburst's eyes with urgency. "Twilight summoned the Tantibus. She thinks she can beat Nightmare Moon, but... You saw what happened. I tried to stop her but..." Starlight sighed, and looked down. "I'm not strong enough."

    "Hey, we still need you, Starlight. Don't quit on us now." Sunburst adjusted his glasses, and met her worried expression with one he hoped was reassuring, before awkwardly transitioning into the next order of business. "I, uh.... The Head Paladin has another assignment for us, he wanted us to contact him when you woke up."

    Starlight was disappointed to hear this, but begrudgingly accepted that she still had responsibilities to carry out. "Great. Let's not keep him waiting..."

    They stood, and Sunburst led them both to the front of the RV, and outside Starlight saw a completely desolate Canterlot City. Things were going downhill fast, the black clouded sky now had a sinister red glow that was bright enough to illuminate the streets despite the defunct light posts lining them. Not that there was much to see, though, any opposition to the demons was marked by charred, ashy ground, torn up automobiles, or crumbling city housing. Things were completely empty, except for the stray demon scrambling off the street as the RV sped by. 

    Trixie turned her head back slightly as she heard the other two enter.

    "Hey, look at you. I knew you weren't dead." Despite her dismissive-sounding tone, she smiled slightly as she turned her head back to the road. Starlight knew she was relieved to see her okay, too. "Twilight's at it again? Seems like you can't get a break from her, huh?"

    "Nope." Starlight smirked, and took a seat at the short table, sitting sideways in the single booth seat, and crossing one leg atop the other. In the other seat across from her, Sunburst was fiddling with a blocky radio communicator. A cable ran down the wall and into it, connecting it to some signal boosting device he installed in the RV. While most of the common radios only spanned a portion of the city, this one could reach all the way back to Crystal City.

    Starlight sighed, and let her head rest against the small, square window above the table.

    "So where are we headed now, Trixie?" She asked.

    "I was waiting for The Brains of this Operation to get us in contact with your boss. Right now, I'm just looking for a spot to stop that's a little less... demony." A strand of her blueish-white hair fell over her face as she said that. She blew it up out of the way, and mumbled quietly to herself. "There is no good parking in this part of the city."

    Sunburst played around with the radio's knob for a moment, and shortly after it made a soft buzzing sound. He took the microphone piece off the top of it, untangled the curled up cord connecting it to the radio, then pressed the button on the side to begin his transmission.

    "This is Order Scribe Sunburst, requesting further orders from the Head Paladin. Security code Lamda-13. Order Knight Starlight Glimmer is with me, recovered, and ready to proceed as well."

    A soft voice of the operator came through, she spoke her words quickly but clearly. "Security code is valid. Putting you over to the Head Paladin now."

    The next moment, the gentle but rough voice of the Head Paladin came through. "Sunburst, Starlight's there? Let me talk to her."

    Sunburst looked up at her, and passed her the microphone. She took it uninterestedly and pressed the button to speak.

    "Yeah, I'm here. What's up?"

    The Head Paladin paid little attention to her less-than-formal tone. "We have reports from external sources, but I want your first-hand account. What's going on out there?"

    "Well, apparently Twilight Sparkle is behind all this. She's... I don't know what she's trying to do. She summoned the Tantibus and inadvertently resurrected the Sister of Darkness. Now, the city's going up in smoke and we're looking at the end of the world or whatever."

    "We heard she was there in Canterlot, but... I didn't want to believe Twily was connected to this." On the other end of the radio, the Head Paladin sighed. "My little sister, too headstrong for her own good."

    Starlight and Sunburst shared a glance at each other, unsure whether to interrupt their commander's lamenting. 

    Lifting the mic, Starlight gave it a shot. "If it makes you feel better, she thinks she's doing the right thing- She's delusional, but... I don't know, maybe we can get her to come around?"

    It wasn't the most convincing she had ever been.

    "No," The Head Paladin's voice had a grim certainty to it. "She's made herself our enemy."

    Neither Starlight or Sunburst were able to voice an objection. 

    "The Order is quarantining Canterlot City, and will be initiating a Burning Ground operation." Burning Ground was a systematic sterilization of a tainted area, often involving collapsing demonic constructions, as well as the incineration of any organic materials that came into proximity of infernal entities. The collateral damage it caused was incredible, but was little more than a footnote to the Order. Smaller towns were often reduced to nothing, bigger ones left empty for weeks while they rebuilt. Who knew how much of Canterlot would even be left standing?

    "Wait, you can't do that yet. There still could be people here-" Starlight started, but was quickly cut off.

    "We'll save as much of the city as we can, Starlight, but demon corruption is dangerous. We can't-"

    "Yeah, you can't take chances, I know." Starlight had made it clear to the Order's higher-ups that she didn't like their methods on multiple occasions. The Head Paladin had become used to it.

    "We've already secured the outer residential areas, they're safe. The only place of concern is the city's center. We'll keep them under control, but I need you elsewhere."

    "And where's that?"

    "The Everfree Forest. If the legend is true, that's where the Sister of Darkness will be brought back in full, meaning Twilight will be there too."

    Starlight's voice trembled nervously. "Y-You want me to stop her? You do realize she wiped the floor with me without even trying, right?"

    "You were weakened, from what Sunburst told me. He's been upgrading your body. You're the only one there right now, so you have the best chance of stopping her. I have confidence in your ability to stop both Twilight and Nightmare Moon."

    Starlight grumbled.

    "If Nightmare Moon is allowed to regain her full power, it'll be the end of everything. Do whatever you have to do to stop her, Starlight. And make sure Twilight is dealt with accordingly too." The Head Paladin said. "Those are orders."

    She gave an uncertain mumble. "Yes, sir."

    "Right then. Check back in when you've made progress. Out."

    The transmission ended, and Starlight let out a defeated sigh, sliding down in her seat a bit.

    "We can do this, Starlight," Sunburst said, reaching out and putting his hand over hers. 

    "You're not the one throwing yourself into the fire." Starlight sat back up, and pulled her hand away, covering her face with it. "Oh, what am I going to do?"

    Sunburst stood up, giving her a concerned look. He searched for words that might ease her grief, but couldn't come up with anything convincing. "Come on, Starlight, you can't give up on us... We need you."

    The look in Starlight's eyes was almost painful. She really did look completely defeated. "I don't want to fight Twilight. I can't fight her. And Nightmare Moon, I'm not strong enough- You can't possibly expect-"

    The RV suddenly turned, then abruptly stopped moving, sending Sunburst stumbling and nearly throwing Starlight from her seat. Both looked up, alert, only to find that Trixie had pulled them over at a curb. The vehicle's parking brakes creaked and hissed, and turning the engine off, Trixie released what sounded like a long held breath, then stood up from her seat. She turned, giving the startled Starlight an extremely disappointed, borderline angry look as she approached.

    Trixie reached out, grabbed Starlight's shoulders, and lifted her until she was standing and both their eyes were level. Starlight recoiled, Trixie never had looked this genuinely upset over something this serious before.

    "Listen to me, Starlight." Her eyes narrowed, and she spoke with a level of frustration never before heard from her. "A little while ago, you enthusiastically jumped out of this vehicle and ran headfirst into a battle with some of the most disgusting things I've ever laid eyes on. Then, you went toe to toe with the Sister of Freaking Darkness and walked away. You started that fight, but Twilight didn't come in until the very end, then she took advantage of you when you were worn out."

    "Twilight is-"

    "No!" She snapped, her already high-toned voice peaking out. "Twilight Sparkle is a chump! I am not going to let my best friend sit there and mope around after you get disrespected like that. You know what you do? You get payback. You walk up to her, make her give you a fair fight, and you rub it in her stupid face when you finally take her down."

    That last sentence came out through gritted teeth and a growl, surprising Starlight further. Seeing her like this though, it did spark something in her. Somehow, she was passively absorbing Trixie's radiating frustration, and transforming that into a bitter confidence.

    "You are a rockstar, you hear me?" Right up in her face, Trixie watched as Starlight's expression changed to a determined one, and in turn, she too gave a determined grin.

    "Yeah..." Starlight nodded, her lips softening into a warmer expression. Her arm slipped beneath Trixie's and she pulled her into a close hug. "Thanks."

    "I'm just telling the truth," Trixie said, patting her on the back and giving her another, more sly smile. "I believe in you, and since when have I ever been wrong?"

    It was strange how someone that was so often self-absorbed could give such encouraging words, but Starlight appreciated it nonetheless. She felt Sunburst's hand on her shoulder, his softer, more collected voice backing up Trixie's.

    "She's right, you can do this. And we're right here with you too, remember."

    Even if the odds felt overwhelmingly against her, knowing that her friends had her back was an incredible feeling. She had known them for several years now, but it still wasn't something she was used to. Before finding a home with the Order she had nobody to depend on but herself, always desperately feeling the need to display her power, to prove to others that she didn't need anyone, but with her friends behind her? She didn't need to prove anything to anyone, she felt like she could move mountains. A voice of self-doubt still remained, though, but it did little to undermine this powerful feeling.

    She knew her strength, but perhaps she still had to prove it to herself.

    She took a much more collected breath.

    "Alright, let's do this thing."

    "Uh..." Trixie shifted a bit, trying to keep her supportive smile but sounding a bit uncomfortable. "You're gonna have to let me go."

    "Oh!" Starlight let her arm relax, not realizing how tight of an embrace she held around her friend. A small, sheepish grin crossed her face, and her head tilted down a bit. "I, uh... Sorry, Trixie. Thanks."

    Behind them, another sound of static came from the radio on the table, and a voice came through.

    "This is Seraph Agent Flash Sentry, are you there, Sunburst?" Starlight looked to Trixie, who went back to the driver's seat and restarted the RV's engine. Sunburst sat back down at the table, and answered the call.

    "I read you, Agent Sentry, what's your situation?"

    "Almost have our friends rescued- we could use a ride out of here, if you're still in the area."

    "That's not a problem, where are you?"

    "Canterlot City Police Station, inner city. Area is still pretty hot, so be careful. We'll be waiting for you in the back parking lot."

    "Got it, we'll be there soon. Out."

    Sunburst looked up to Starlight, who was leaning back against the side wall and listening to the conversation, arm crossed over her chest. "Let's get your other arm back on. I think you'll like the upgrades I've added to it."

    "If you're done working on me, I'd like to get dressed too." While her cyborg body was hardly considered indecent, she still preferred to be clothed.

    "Go ahead, I'll go get your arm ready."

-----

    The Canterlot City Church of Light was almost disturbingly still. A lone demonic anchor stood in a vacant parking lot before the tall, angle-roofed building, but there was nothing more along the curving road leading from the street to the church. Within the city, a church like this seemed out of place with a field between it and the street, but perhaps the church was out of place, and needed the faux seclusion. The inhabitants of Canterlot City didn't seem to believe in the story of the Sister of Light; the church was just as out of sight as the legend it was built upon.

    As they neared the gated plot of land surrounding the church, Selene brought Sombra to a stop and held up her hand, motioning for Twilight to the same with her board. Selene pointed her attention to flashes of light and the sounds of gunfire coming from within the church.

    "It would appear someone's beaten us here." 

    "They must be here for the Devil Sword," Twilight concluded, snapping her focus from one objective to the next.  "We have no time to waste, then."

    "Wait-"

    Selene couldn't stop her. Twilight tilted her hoverboard forward and made her way down the road leading to the church.

    Sombra looked back at Selene, giving her a look of disbelief. Was she seriously just going to let her charge in there? She sighed, and gave her response in meter.

"Of closed eyes and confident minds no light can reach,
    For only when lost will wisdom teach."

    Sombra rolled his eyes in the way he always did to her poetic nonsense, but followed in behind Twilight anyway at Selene's direction.

    Twilight found no demons around the church, despite the bloody spire posted there, and as she approached the tall, double doors of the church, the sounds of conflict had died down. Hopping off her board, Twilight pushed the doors open, walking through the front lobby space and looking about for any signs of trouble. She took in every detail of her surroundings, feeling her nerves shake anxiously as she took note of what was only a regular church. Nothing was out of the ordinary here, so why... why was there this lingering sense of electricity in the air?

    She approached the doors to the main hall of the church, where they'd hold their assembly, and she hesitantly placed a hand on one, expecting to find a demon army waiting for her on the other side. 

    There was an army there, but it was in no fighting shape. Remains of many shadowy forms were scattered across the room, strung over pews, and slumped against the wall, all mostly faded away, but clearly identifiable as demonic remains. Whatever army had been here was slaughtered, and their slayer stood victoriously over the last remaining foe, a terrified Battlemaster falling to its knees, and being bisected from its shoulder to its side by an ancient, grey blade.

    The demon fell away, disintegrating into shadowy dust, and behind it, on the backdrop of a statue of the Sister of Light, Celestia stood, her blade held low, but ready to cut down whoever was next in line. Her determined expression lit up with surprise as Twilight entered the room, mirroring Twilight's own shock.

    "C-Celestia?" Twilight was equal parts enraged and frightened seeing her former mentor at the center of such carnage, standing over a monster twice her size. She wanted to strike her, but a room full of dead demons was enough to make her think twice.

    "Twilight Sparkle." She still spoke gently to her. Twilight knew Celestia hated her by now, but she still hid it behind a charade of disappointment. "Still on your little crusade?"

    "That sword, give it to me." Twilight pointed to Celestia's blade, certain it was the one she was after, but Celestia raised an eyebrow to that.

    "I don't think so. Do you even know what this is?" Celestia asked.

    "It's the Sister of Light's Devil Sword." Twilight said, speaking calmly and carefully despite the uncertainty of confronting her mentor. "And I need it to defeat Nightmare Moon."

    "You still understand so little, Twilight." The way Celestia talked down to her, it was infuriating. "Stay out of this. I'll put an end to her."

    Twilight scoffed, pushing her feelings back to attempt a higher moral standing. "Oh, so now you decide to step up?"

    "I really hoped my students would've been able to take care of this..." Celestia paused, sounding somber and distant for a moment. "It seems I was wrong."

    For a reason she couldn't pin down, Celestia's words stung her in a way that no one else's could. It was like Twilight still subconsciously wanted her approval, and no matter what she did, she couldn't make that feeling go away.

    "No! It has to be me!" Her voice rising and her hands shaking, Twilight's anger began to trickle back into her. Halfway through her sentence, she tightened her control over herself, and spoke slowly, but still with force. "I will be the one stop Nightmare Moon."

    "No, my faithful student..." Celestia whispered, just loud enough for her to overhear. "Not like this."

    Not like this. Those three words threatened to break her walls, the dam she had constructed to keep all of her emotions at bay. Celestia thought she was better than her? That she somehow had all the answers? No, she concluded. Celestia was just as responsible for Nightmare Moon's return as Twilight was, if not moreso.

    "I'm not your student anymore," Twilight said, drawing her blade and pointing it towards Celestia threateningly. "And if you won't give me that sword... I'll have to take it from you."

    "Hmph..." Celestia brought the blade up into a high guard, ready for Twilight to approach. Her entire demeanor seemed to shift with the stance change. Her disappointment was no longer present in her voice, and her eyes seemed to look at Twilight differently. It was like a switch was flipped inside of her, and she was no longer the loving mentor Twilight knew. She was someone else entirely, a person she had never completely seen.

    Her voice was just as determined as Twilight's, and she spoke with an almost cocky confidence.

    "You'd like to think you could, wouldn't you?"

    Was that the hint of a smile on her face?

    All at once, Twilight understood. She was no longer being viewed as a student, someone to guide. She was being viewed as a proper adversary. An equal. 

    And for some reason she couldn't explain, this terrified her.

    Twilight's heartbeat quickened. She wouldn't let her fear get the best of her this time. Things would be different. 

    The voice in the back of her head seemed to agree, encouraging her with the faintest of whispers.

    Strike her down...

    Twilight bolted forward at full speed, drawing her katana into a full horizontal swipe as she neared her old master. Celestia didn't try to interrupt her, instead she backflipped out of the way, landing atop the altar behind her. Twilight chased after her, swinging her sword up from the floor, splitting the altar in two parts as Celestia jumped away again, this time landing behind her with enough time to ready an attack.

    Twilight spun, holding her sword up to block, but Celestia kept her momentum, not letting their blades touch for more than a moment before retracting just enough to slip her weapon in behind Twilight's guard. All she needed to do was shift her angle of defense over a little, but then Celestia would poke in again from somewhere else, all while keeping her body out of attack range. Forcing Celestia's weapon out of the way, Twilight stepped inside her striking range and took the offensive.

    Celestia met the far end of Twilight's sword with the close end of her own, and used the leverage to redirect Twilight's first attack completely. Their arms both shakily guided their weapons around in a complete circle before Twilight was forced to take a step back, giving Celestia the opportunity to poke at her again. 

    When she did, Twilight ducked under the attack, and engaged her Demon Reflex. Twilight knew Celestia no longer had this power after years of not using it, and she was certain it would give her the upper hand in this fight. However, as she jabbed forward with a counterattack, she found that Celestia was already holding her blade in the perfect guard position, and the clashing of their weapons was enough to shake her from her time-slowed state.

    Startled, she tried again, activating her Reflex the moment she was ready to attack, coming in with an overhead swing. Again, without breaking the flow of time, Celestia already had her sword held in perfect guard position by the time she had committed to the attack. Time resumed again as their blades collided.

    It had to be a fluke. Even if she could still feel when Twilight was stepping out of time, without the power to keep up with her, there was no way she could reliably block her attacks.

    One more time, Twilight came around Celestia's right side, and confirmed that she was going into a blocking position. Twilight smiled, she had her. As her Demon Reflex went off, she didn't follow through with her attack, she only feigned the strike before redirecting it into an attack on her left side. She had to bring the sword around in a risky, full circle motion to complete this, but with her time advantage she had more than enough time to complete the move without risk.

    To her horror, the instant she had committed to changing direction, Celestia's arms shifted. Nowhere near as fast as Twilight appeared to her, but she was just fast enough to switch over to a perfect left side block. With nothing to boost her natural reaction speed, she intercepted Twilight's fake-out attack and knocked her out of her Demon Reflex, throwing her off balance a third time. Celestia wasn't even looking at her. She had her eyes closed.

    Opening her eyes, Celestia only shook her head.

    Impossible. She was moving in real time, while Twilight was moving faster than she could possibly conceive. There was no way she could react that fast. Twilight would've felt if she was keeping up with her, but there was no moment of her tapping into any form of magic at all.

    "So predictable, Twilight Sparkle."

    Again, Twilight was shaken. "How... You don't even have magic anymore!"

    Twilight rushed in to fight her again, not giving her the chance to respond, but no matter what she tried or how she attempted it, Celestia knew everything she was about to do. 

    "Know your enemy, know yourself..." Celestia began, perfectly focused while repelling Twilight's attacks, "And you need not fear the outcome of any battle."

    Twilight growled. At this point, the pseudo-lesson mid combat was nothing more than a cheap insult. "You don't know me..."

    Celestia jumped atop a row of the pews, balancing along the backboard, and held a leg down, firing at Twilight with one of her boot mounted guns. Using her Demon Reflex to assist her, Twilight deflected the shots off of her blade, but as time resumed she found Celestia kicking the pew from the other end, nearly smashing Twilight between it and the one behind her.

    She managed to jump up and out of the way, landing atop them in the same manner Celestia did, and drew one of her pistols, firing forward as she closed the distance. Celestia lifted her sword, and twirled it around in a circle, bouncing the bullets up towards the ceiling while turning her weapon into a saw blade at the end of Twilight's path. 

    Twilight put her gun away, and gripping her katana firmly in both hands, she cut a portion of the pews off and flung it up at Celestia, who only brought her spinning sword down to properly shred the furniture, sending harmless pieces of wood behind her. Seeing Twilight had stopped, Celestia kept her blade moving, and tossed it straight at her.

    She found this attack strange, as Celestia was now swordless, all she needed to do was jump over the weapon, and she would have her beaten. Twilight did just that, she kicked off the pews and jumped high into the air, lunging straight for Celestia with her sword held outstretched, intent to drive it straight through her. For good measure, she even engaged her Demon Reflex, so she would fall faster than Celestia would have time to make a plan.

    But Celestia didn't move. She only looked up at Twilight, expectantly. Not accepting her fate, no, as gravity pulled Twilight down closer towards her, she saw... 

    Her breath trembled.

    She saw the faintest hint of a smile on Celestia's face.

    She was violently torn from her Demon Reflex as she felt a burning cut in her back. Celestia's blade had made a round trip, returning along the course it came and piercing straight through Twilight, pinning her against the wall behind its owner at full speed. It hurt like hell, but the reality of the situation began to sink in and she dangled there helplessly; from the very beginning, she had no power in this fight. 

    Not only had Celestia expected her to use her Demon Reflex, she was counting on it. Had she not used it, had she let herself fall in real time, the sword might've missed her, and she might've been victorious. But she didn't, she never would've, and Celestia knew that.

    "I do know you, Twilight." Celestia said, the slightest sadness in her voice as she pulled her sword free and let her former student fall to the floor. "All too well."

    Twilight rose to her knees. The wound in her chest and back healed rapidly, but the damage done to her crumbling perception still lingered. Celestia took a step back from her, but didn't strike her again. Instead, she looked alert, like something beyond her vision was shifting.

    There was, in fact, someone there.

    Behind Celestia, low to the ground, a shadowy form emerged, taking her attention away as the real threat jumped out from the opposite angle. Selene came in with a butterfly kick, striking twice across Celestia's face and knocking her back into the dark form, which suddenly erupted into Sombra beneath her feet. The shadow unicorn thrust his head forward, launching Celestia up over the pews and towards the remains of the altar.

    "Stay down, Twilight Sparkle!" The concern in her voice surprised Twilight. Was she risking herself to save her?

    Celestia righted herself mid-air, twisting around and finding the mysterious blue-haired woman flying after her with her bladed rifle at the ready. Her dark steed had launched her into the air as well, albeit in a much more controlled manner.

    Selene jabbed forward with the bladed end of her weapon, but then swung it to the side as Celestia blocked with her sword. The heavy ended weapon knocked the lighter blade from her grip, sending it spinning through the air away from them. Still with rising momentum, Celestia had more than enough time to return the favor, kicking up against the rifle and sending it out of her hands.

    As they fully began their descent, Celestia summoned her other set of pistols to fill her hands, and in kind Selene drew her own burst-fire and machine pistols. Noticing the boot mounted guns, Selene flipped herself feet first, grabbing Celestia's waist between her legs so she wouldn't be able to use them against her. 

    The two then exchanged a quick series of gun punches as their fall neared its end, blocking each other perfectly until Celestia spun her whole body around, launching Selene off and away from her as they faster approached the floor.

    Celestia's blade landed on the Sister of Light statue behind them, sticking right out of her forehead, and Selene's rifle clattered to the ground in the aisle.

    Both of them landed on their feet, equidistant from the statue. Their eyes were locked, and their guns were lined up with each other, ready to go.

    Despite being able to predict her perfectly, Twilight knew Selene was a complete unknown to Celestia.

    Maybe she'd have a better chance against her.
> 13- The Incedence of Awakening
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

    "Sergeant Colt, we're on our way down there. We've got trouble, so be ready to move as soon as we get the door open."

    Flash listened to his earpiece for a response, focusing on moving through the police station's hallways towards the armory. He let Spitfire lead the way- all he had was his knife, so he stayed behind her as she cautiously pressed on, her weapon raised and methodically scanning the area in front of her. 

    After a few tense moments, a response came over his radio, but not from the police sergeant. Instead, Rarity's voice answered him, speaking in a very hushed and concerned way.

    "I... I don't think the Sergeant will be coming back with us..."

    "Wha.." Flash was going to ask a question, but he put the answer together in his mind before he could speak the words.

    "He's probably dead. Ha.... ha... " Another voice came over the radio, one with a higher pitch, but with a much darker tone. It was Pinkie Pie, sounding uncharacteristically but understandably hopeless. Her laugh was forced, and conveyed stressed desperation. "And we probably will be too..."

    "Don't talk like that, Pinkie-" Rarity snapped at her, but then reigned in her frustration. "I'm sure he's just... just tired."

    "Is he breathing?" Flash asked.

    "Yes, but... he passed out not too long ago," Rarity said. "He looked terribly ill, started mumbling things, it was... frightening..."

    Flash could tell Rarity was trying very hard to keep herself composed, and did his best to sound reassuring to both of them. "You're getting out of here, I promise."

    "Maybe..." Pinkie began, a spark of morbid curiosity crossing her voice. "Maybe he'll turn into one of them..."

    Rarity shushed her. "Nonsense, darling, I'm sure he's... well... We'll be okay."

    She didn't sound like she was so sure, but she was hoping. Flash felt the same.

    "We're right here," he said, "We'll get that door open, just hang tight."

    Indeed, he and Spitfire were just coming up on the closed armory door. The halls looked about the same as they did before, but a closed door was an immediate red flag to any trained operator. In a procedural fashion, Spitfire stood ready right by the side of the door frame, weapon at the ready, and looking back to Flash expectantly. Since he didn't have a gun, he would open the door while Spitfire entered, allowing her to keep both hands on her weapon as she entered the room. 

    Flash put his hand on the door to the armory, and made eye contact with Spitfire before just barely whispering a confirmation to her.

    "Ready?"

    Reading his lips, Spitfire gave a nod and Flash pulled the door open, allowing her to enter. She immediately looked to her left, eyeing the corner, and then swiveled her torso around, taking slow steps forward as she peered into the surprisingly well lit room. The two emergency lights still shone brightly on either side of the rows of storage cabinets, a welcome change from the dark hallways. 

    Flash gently tapped her right shoulder as he entered in behind her, walking over to the opposite corner and reaching his hand out, making contact with the wall, and feeling across the back wall, going from one corner of the room to the other. He didn't want any surprises from Silent Lynx. Turning his head away, he looked down each aisle as he passed by them, keeping an eye on Spitfire in the middle. From there, he and Spitfire checked the rows between the storage cabinets in the same fashion, and the back wall where the panic room was. 

    "Center aisle is clear."

    "Left side is clear."

    "Back wall is clear."

    "Right side is clear."

    The process only took a minute, but it was agonizingly slow for Flash given the circumstances. He wanted to just rush in, but he knew Lynx and Sparrowhawk could be anywhere at this point. Neither of them were taking chances. 

    "Flash!"

    A voice from the doorway startled both of them, Flash spinning quickly and Spitfire lining her weapon right up with the door- but both were relieved to only see Rainbow Dash nearly sliding past the door and running through, a rectangular device with a cable hanging from it in one hand and Flash's Spectre 50 handgun in the other. She bolted straight to Flash, just about shoving both items into his hands and frantically trying to communicate something to him as her lungs attempted to resume something that resembled breathing.

    "I... the- the spies, and the... the big guy... they were fighting and..." She started, but then a cough punched through her sentence, and she nearly collapsed, catching herself with her hands on her knees. "One of them turned invisible- and... they're..."

    "Rainbow, calm down." Holstering his weapon and putting the other device in his equipment pouch for now, Flash did his best to support Rainbow before she fell further, lifting her arm over his shoulder and supporting her. She wasn't tired from running, no, she ran all the time, and was on the soccer team back in high school. No, she was shaking, stuttering, and her eyes were entirely shrunk down again. She was terrified, and just couldn't hold her composure. "Take it easy, just breathe."

    Flash felt a tap on his back as he waited for Rainbow to calm herself.

    "We're on a clock," Spitfire said. "We need to get this door open, Sentry."

    Nodding, he guided Rainbow to the end of the room, letting her sit on the floor as he and Spitfire produced their SRAPH badge and the Police Chief's badge respectively. They gave each other a glance, and simultaneously swiped it through the two digital scanners to either side of the panic room's heavy steel door.

    Several moments passed, Flash and Spitfire just watching the red lights on the scanners blink, and then turn to a forty-five second countdown timer. He became conscious that he was holding his breath, and hesitantly let it out. 

    Forty-five, forty-four, forty-three.

    He realized what this was, the panic room had a timed unlock on it. Why he wasn't told, he wasn't sure, but it seemed like Colt didn't know much about how the room worked. Now that he thought about it, it was odd. Why would someone who works regularly at the station not be familiar with their emergency procedures? Why would the chief not be in the panic room too?

    Forty-two, forty-one.

    "Agent Sentry?" Spitfire's voice drew his mind away from his thoughts. Her tone didn't make him feel any better though.

    "Yeah?" He looked over, but she didn't make eye contact with him.

    "Chief Coppers... he was alive when I first reached his office."

    "What?" 

    Thirty-eight, thirty-seven.

    "He was working with Silent Lynx, and I got there right when she decided he was no longer useful."

    The wheels of Flash's mind started to turn. The more he thought about it, the more off everything felt. The general unpreparedness of the station, the speed at which the demons were able to establish a foothold, how he hadn't heard a single thing over the radio from the station since his mission began. He couldn't speak, he only listened to Spitfire's discovery.

    "Did some sort of mind control thing on him, then shot him. Same thing I saw the other one try on you. Sparrowhawk, her name was?"

    Thirty-five, thirty-four.

    Flash was beginning to feel uneasy. His skin crawled, and he glanced over his shoulder at the door. The presence of Lynx and Sparrowhawk complicated everything. He knew them, they were professional and prepared thoroughly before every mission they undertook. If they had the Police Chief under their control, how much of the station's fall did they have a hand in? 

    "Thing is," Spitfire continued, "Coppers was complying with her before the mind control. He was crooked. And I saw a lot of dead officers on my way to his office, dead from gunshot wounds, not demons."

    Thirty, twenty-nine.

    Thoughts were now anxiously racing through Flash's mind. They had to have known about the demons, they had to have been waiting for them to show up. They knew that his friends would be there. And with someone so powerful on the inside, there wasn't a more perfect opportunity to raid the station.

    Twenty-eight, twenty-seven.

    "The chief was the one that locked your friends in the panic room with the Sergeant."

    Spitfire finally turned her head, but now Flash was the one whose gaze was fixed forward. His mind processed this information, and his head shook softly. They set this up. They planned this out, every step of it, and with him and Spitfire separated, neither of them would've been any wiser to it. 

    Twenty-five, twenty-four.

    "I would've told you sooner, but this is the first chance we've had to talk."

    Twenty-three, twenty-two.

    There was one question in Flash's mind now, given that Sparrowhawk and Lynx had a hand in this mission from the start...

    Flash met Spitfire's gaze with absolute seriousness. "Colt, did you talk to Colt at all before we met up?"

    "Yeah, once. He didn't sound okay."

    "He told me he was injured when I talked to him."

    Spitfire picked up on the suspicion in Flash's voice.

    Twenty.

    "Can we trust him?"

    "I don't know."

    Nineteen, eighteen.

    Flash felt his heart beat faster. He had to push his chest outward just to breathe.

    "He didn't pick up when I radioed in back there," he said. "Rarity did, said he was unconscious."

    As if on cue, Flash's radio sounded off in his ear. When he listened in, he heard rustling, like the radio was being rubbed against something.

    "Sentry... Agent Sentry..." Colt's weak voice came across.

    "Colt?" Flash responded. "We're about to have that door open, but I need some answers from you."

    Fifteen, fourteen.

    "Those agents..." Colt coughed, but unlike before, it sounded like he was choking.

    "You knew about them, didn't you?" Flash said. He kept his tone even, as he saw Spitfire  holding her hand low to her chest, gesturing for him to stay quiet as she turned around fully. She was listening for something. 

    Thirteen, twelve.

    "They did something to us... brainwashed the chief..." Colt had Flash's full attention now, as Spitfire became alert. She brought her weapon up, scanning around the room, something Flash kept in the back of his mind as Colt continued.

    Eleven.

    "Injected me with... something... Some kind of poison. Said they'd cure me if I complied. I know there's a time lock on that door, but... I don't know how much fight I have left in me."

    "No, there's only ten seconds-"

    Ten.

    "They'll be here, Sentry. The moment that door opens up. They want your friends."

    "Just hang in there..."

    "No... I..." The sergeant's voice softened to a whisper. "Get these girls somewhere safe, son..." 

    Nine.

    His radio went silent, and there was a soft thump from behind the door. Following that, a muffled yelp from one of the girls. 

    Eight.

    "Sergeant..."

    No response. Flash turned around, feeling his skin begin to crawl as he digested the sergeant's final warning in full. They'd be here. Spitfire was in the center of the room, staring at a particular spot in front of the door. Her weapon sights were trained on it, as if she was anticipating something to appear there from nothing.

    Seven.

    Knowing who they were up against, it wasn't out of the question. 

    Six.

    Flash was now listening close to his surroundings too, and his hand instinctively went down to his holster. Something shifted, and Spitfire tensed up.

    Five.

    He heard movement. Both of them did.

-----

    "Alright, that's everything. You still feel okay?"

    In the back of Trixie's RV, Starlight Glimmer slid an arm into her short sleeved denim jacket, putting it on as she stood up. Sunburst had just finished putting her back together and going over her upgrades, and gave a satisfied smile as his cyborg friend was once again back to normal.

    "Yeah. Thanks, Sunburst," She stared at her arm, slowly bending it back and forth at her elbow, then flexing her fingers. It looked the same as it did before, though many modifications had been made to it, as well as the rest of her body. She had stronger power cells, a limiter that kept her from burning herself out, and an experimental upgrade that gradually recharged her power off of residual magical radiation.

    Of course, cracking open and draining demon hearts was the fastest way to replenish her power cells, but with the passive recharged she was more sustainable than she was prior. And with a few more combat abilities at her disposal too, she would be more powerful in battle as well.

    "I know you're capable, but please be careful with yourself," Sunburst said. "Even if your body is my best work, it's not complete without you."

    Starlight smiled. "Heh. That's an odd way to say 'I care about you', but I'll take it."

    "I... yeah," Sunburst nodded. "Here, let's make sure your new Tether Hand works." 

    With both hands, he hefted Starlight's chainsaber off of his worktable, and stood as far away as he could while still holding the handle out towards her. Starlight reached out with her mechanical arm, and a bright teal, translucent energy projection of her arm shot out towards the sword. The fingers of the projected hand wrapped around the sword's handle, and when Starlight pulled her arm back, her weapon was pulled towards her, Sunburst letting go and allowing the projected arm to pull the sword perfectly into Starlight's grip. 

    "Yeah, seems to work." Starlight nodded, impressed by how smooth the ability felt. She slung her sword over her shoulder and onto its spot on her back, and focused on her revolver, also on Sunburst's work table. Sending out her Tether Hand, she swiped it off of the table, keeping the projected arm engaged as she manipulated the gun, twirling it around before tossing it backwards, catching it in her hand as the projection faded.

    "Looks good. Does it feel alright?"

    "Yeah, feels great," Starlight said. She imagined that on top of pulling enemies towards her, she could also use this thing to scale difficult terrain. "How far away does it work?"

    "About ten meters. Should be enough to be useful. Here, one more thing..." Sunburst presented her with another item, a pouch identical to the one that kept her ammunition but with a different mark across the front. One of a crescent moon and a star tipped wand at its center, the same image on the side of the RV.

    "What's this?"

    "Explosive bullets." He said. "Courtesy of Trixie. Apparently they sparkle off in different colors on impact."

    "Like fireworks?" 

    "I guess, yeah."

    Starlight secured the pouch next to her other one, taking care to keep them far enough apart that she wouldn't get them mixed up in a heated situation. 

    With everything ready to continue the mission, she and Sunburst headed to the front of the vehicle. Everything seemed as it was before; Trixie was getting them to their destination as quickly as possible without wrecking the RV, the sky was getting darker and more ominous, and the city was feeling more and more empty. 

    That empty feeling would soon be interrupted as something landed atop the RV with a loud thump, followed by something heavier landing with another, louder thump and the sound of metallic scraping.

    Trixie didn't slam on the brakes, but she definitely slowed down, the sudden disturbances throwing the vehicle's balance off. All three of them looked up, concerned about whatever landed on them. 

    "Uh, what was that?" Sunburst was the last to react, but the first to speak. Starlight wasted no time in heading for the side door, and Trixie was already in the process of rolling her window down.

    "I don't know..." Trixie said, sticking her head out the window and yelling up at the strange woman she found standing on her vehicle. "But I don't appreciate hitchhiking! Get off my van, lady!"

    Starlight had the van's door open, and quickly pulled herself up onto the roof to assess the situation. She found herself landing between two combatants, presumably already fighting. One was a strange woman, wearing a long black coat and sunglasses with pulled back, curled orange hair, and with an unconscious blonde haired girl thrown over her shoulder. She faced off against a familiar, faded purple CANIS scout mech with a blade attached to its tail.

    "Spike?" Starlight recognized the mech, she was well acquainted with Twilight's companion before her banishment. The two always traveled together; if he was here, Twilight couldn't be far.

    Spike didn't reply to her, but did address the assailant in the dark coat.

    "Let her go!" 

    "Let her go? Atop a moving vehicle?" The woman had a dark yet playful tone, she clearly enjoyed toying with Spike's concern.

    "Hey!" Starlight interjected, drawing her chainsaber and pointing it towards the woman in a threatening manner. "Mind taking this somewhere else?"

    "Starlight, wait!" Spike warned, "Be careful not to hurt Applejack..."

    The woman suddenly let go of her captive, tossing her straight up into the air, and smiled cruelly as Spike went to jump to her rescue.

    Spike couldn't reach her in time, the woman struck his side with her bare fist, knocking him off of the van while experiencing no recoil on her end. Starlight attempted to reach out to catch her with her Tether Hand, but the woman then became a blur, disappeared, and immediately reappeared in front of Starlight and kicked her in the chest, sending her off the van to tumble on the street as well. 

    Still on top of the van, the woman caught Applejack back over her shoulder, then jumped off of it, much higher than she should've been able to. Landing on a nearby rooftop, she ran off.

    Spike picked himself up, and looked to Starlight.

    "Twilight told me you were here. Help me save Applejack and I'll..." Spike hesitated for a moment before carefully picking his next words. "I'll help you contain the situation."

    "I... What?"

    "I have orders to kill you should you plan to interfere with Twilight's mission. So long as you're aiding mine, I don't have to act on them. There isn't time to talk, though. We need to catch that Seraph operative."

    "Seraph operative? What?" Spike didn't offer further explanation, he just ran towards the nearest building, jumped up and dug his claws into it, scaling it until he was on its roof.

    Trixie had stopped her RV a ways down the road, and Starlight could see her waiting expectantly. Starlight just gave her dismissive hand wave. They'd have to meet up later again.

    Holding her arm out, she reached out with her Tether Hand and grabbed tightly onto a sign hanging off the side of one of the buildings. Instead of pulling it in, she got pulled towards it, lifting herself up until she could climb up and get foothold on it, then repeated the process with the roof's top ledge.

    Hopefully they could catch up.

------

    Voices, so many voices. Too many voices. So loud, so destructive. So angry, so venomous. Always screaming. It was painful and draining to be subjected to this.

    And Twilight didn't even have control over her own voice, it was drowned out by the voices of the demons within her.

    This is your fault! You should've overshadowed her when you had the chance!

    What chance? She's been holdin' us both down!

    Don't start with that- You had plenty of opportunities to overtake her!

    Maybe if you helped someone other than yourself we could get something done for once!

    Ha! Work with you, you mean? I'd sooner try on something from your closet!

    Like you could pull anything heavier than a needle through fabric- let alone your own weight!

    And so it continued. Seething rage, relentless accusations, pointless insults, all while Twilight tried to do so little as stand. She took a few steps, then nearly collapsed as the numbness within her skull spread to the rest of her body. She made it to the center aisle of the church, but could go no further, deciding to only look up at the next most concerning thing: the battle between Celestia and Selene.

    You're just too scared to do anything!

    I ain't! I just know you'd turn on me a heartbeat!

    Selene had already closed in on Celestia, avoiding her gunfire with dodges that looked too clean to be the work of time manipulation. She didn't have a Demon Reflex, she just somehow inherently knew how Celestia's bullets would travel. By the way she fired her weapons in tandem with punches, the way she redirected Celestia's attacks, the way each movement she made flowed into the next with a steady grace, it was obvious she too was a trained gundancer. Twilight had seen some of her moves before, but seeing the two of them next to each other, shooting and dodging and twirling about, pretty much confirmed it: The two were using variations of the same fighting style.

    Pushing one of Selene's arms down, Celestia jumped, the guns both in her hands and on her boots firing downward as she arced over her. With one arm displaced, Selene was only able to fire back with her machine pistol, but it fired fast enough to counter any shots that might hit her.

    The demon voices continued their bickering.

    Hmph, Twilight's made more use of me than she has you anyway!

    Maybe she's just sick of your voice in her head! I certainly am!

    Selene spun into a high side kick, going for Celestia's head as she landed facing away, but Celestia leaned forward and kicked back, putting one hand to the ground and catching Selene's leg in her own. Her boot gun went off and missed, but from there she swept her other leg across and tripped Selene, their legs tangling together as they both rolled onto their sides. Their backs twisting, they fired off more shots at each other, perfectly until Selene braced her arms on the floor and kicked Celestia away and bounced to her feet.

    Celestia let the kick push her back, and flipped into a handstand as Selene approached, surprising her with a counter kick that connected with her stomach. Selene fell in a painful yet controlled drop as the boot pistol fired off, dodging a bullet but putting herself back on the floor as Celestia made a fluid recovery. Standing upright, both hands lined up guns on Selene, but her attention was disrupted as Sombra emerged from the floor below lunging for her with both front legs outstretched.

    Sombra landed behind her, barely missing her as she ducked down. Still gathering herself, Selene looked up, watching as Sombra's horn stretched out, morphing into a long, sharp appendage that he slashed about. The edge was parried off of one of Celestia's guns, and it snapped back to its normal shape as bullets were put in his direction. Jumping past her, he attacked with his forelegs again, shaping them into barbed clubs, with crystalline pieces protruding from them. They carried too much force to parry, and as he stood on his hind legs and swung them around, Celestia was forced to back away. His balance shifted precariously forward as he pursued, something of which Celestia would take advantage. She lifted one of her legs completely up, and swung her heel down on his forehead, taking his balance away and knocking him face first into the ground. 

    Stomping down again, her foot met nothing, his body melting away, but the next moment would see him reforming behind her again and jumping in for a takedown. Except Celestia would raise one of her guns back without even looking and shoot several rounds straight through him, slowing his trajectory and dropping him to the floor for good this time.

    He would eventually reform back to his normal body, she knew she couldn't truly kill the living shadow with external damage, but he was out of the fight for the moment. Turning back Selene, she turned back to see her climbing the statue, trying to get to the sword still sticking out of the stone Sister of Light's head. Jumping up, Celestia followed, landing on the Sister's forearm and putting a foot on her upper arm, just as Selene would reach her shoulder. Selene reached out, grabbing the sword's handle but being forced to pivot out of the way as Celestia took a shot at her. Celestia did the same, avoiding Selene's return fire, and the two proceeded to have a close range gunfight around the statue's head. They circled around it, used it for cover, and avoided each other's bullets on the Sister's shoulders just as gracefully as they did on the ground. Hopping atop her head, Celestia managed to trip Selene up to the point where she fell from her place, giving her time to take her sword in both hands and pull it free. Selene controlled her fall, rolling down the Sister's arm and landing in her outstretched hand, both guns ready to fire.

    For all I know you're the one planning to betray me!

    Wha- That ain't true! I'm trying to get us both out of this mess!

    Twilight's focus on the battle slipped again as her head pulsed. The demon voices became audible again, and she only got a few pictures of what was going on as she tried to tune them out.

    You lying skank!

    Celestia deflected Selene's gunshots off her sword, as expected. Sombra crept up the statue's leg and surprised her, and she swung out of the way of both of their attacks. Selene held her high ground on the statue as Celestia dropped to the floor. Sombra got cut in half mid attack and reverted to his shadow form again, hopefully for a bit longer than last time.

    You selfish bitch!

    Selene wouldn't be able to hold her own without Twilight's help. They were both going to be needed to defeat Nightmare Moon, but... she couldn't stand, she couldn't quell Rarity or Applejack's demons.

    No. This spiraling loss of control had to stop, but how? Maybe... maybe she could reason with the demons? If she showed them that she was willing to work with them, maybe they could work together, to accomplish a common goal?

    That would be giving in to them, though. Twilight couldn't do that. She'd never do that. She had to be stronger than them. She had to retake control. To assert her power.

    My power... 

    That voice spoke in her head again, that voice that was also her own. But even as a whisper, she heard it loud and clear over the other voices. And with it, she had a sense of understanding. She let herself align with it.

    This is my power.

    She was the voice, and the voice was her.

    Beyond her, the ceiling shook. Celestia had somehow gotten back up on the statue, and Selene had taken her rifle back up and was taking shots at her. The two-stage spreadshot-rifle rounds glanced off Celestia's blade and went up into the roof, putting holes in it and bringing bits of it down. 

    Moving in close, Selene hopped up on the statue again, using the blade end of her long rifle to her advantage, poking up at Celestia and forcing her to defend with her ill-suited weapon. Celestia's sword met the metal of Selene's rifle blade, and a strange sparking occurred between the weapons. When they touched, they glowed brightly by some magical reaction between them. 

    Twilight might've been curious, but she was occupied with something far more important at the moment. Speaking with her inner voice, she found she could now easily restrain her demons, silencing them, and for the first time that day, truly clear her mind.

    She rose, a renewed power swelling within her. It felt cold, but burned at the same time, filling her with a feeling she hadn't felt in the longest time.

    It was her Inner Demon, burning beneath her skin and demanding to once again be released.

    The thought frightened her. Becoming a demon was everything she was trying to avoid. But if they didn't get the sword, Nightmare Moon could very well end up with it. Celestia couldn't beat her, not without all of the Elements, and certainly not without Twilight there. After all, she was the only one with the power to stop Nightmare Moon, it had to be her.

    If she failed here, everything she had done up until that point would've been for nothing. Hurting her friends, turning her back on Celestia. Sacrificing Sunset.

    Without her end, there was no justifying her means, and she would have to face the-

    No. Her inner voice broke her from her worries. I'm not giving in to you.

    Deep down, she was afraid. But right now, she had control. Her Inner Demon may resurface, but she would hold a firm grip around its throat, and she would make it work for her. She was no demon, she was stronger than a demon.

    The other demons within her had become silent. They could feel her commanding presence, and they obeyed her without words, effortlessly bending to her will. 

    With power, comes control, and I...

    Looking up at the battle, Twilight saw that Celestia still held the high ground. She fired her guns down on Selene with a huge advantage, who was forced to back away while only barely managing to match her shots with her machine pistol.

    Twilight summoned Applejack's gauntlets to her. She felt no resistance.

    I am in control.

    Her gauntlets burned brightly as she leapt forward, shooting straight towards Celestia. Taken by surprise, she just barely managed to jump out of the way as Twilight's fist slammed into the statue, breaking off the arm holding the giant sword and sending it crumbling to the floor with a mighty crash. Pulling her fist from the statue's chest, Twilight turned to follow Celestia's movements, putting the gauntlets away to launch a series of sewing pins after her.

    Celestia stepped around them, bringing out her sword and deflecting them the same way Sunset did, but the moment she tried that Twilight started throwing them low, making a circle of them at her feet as she dodged in place.

    When her foot bumped into one of the pins, she realised she was surrounded by them, but at that point it was too late. For the first time, Twilight saw Celestia look truly surprised. The pins detonated, and forcefully launched her up into the air.

    Switching back to the gauntlets, Twilight jumped off the statue and met Celestia mid-air. Her former mentor thrust her sword out, meeting the stone of Twilight's gauntlets head on and forcing them both to make an aerial recovery. She regained her footing, but only barely, while Twilight landed perfectly.

    A surprise to both of them, Celestia wasn't reading her former student as strongly. She couldn't have predicted Twilight's other weapons, and the tables had been turned on her. But with this advantage she felt the cold burn within her intensify, threatening to break her.

    She put away the gauntlets, seeing Celestia raise her sword and immediately going for her own. 

    One hand on her sheath and the other on the handle, Twilight waited. Celestia was running right for her, and would soon be striking distance.

    The burning flared further, but Twilight held it in. Her breathing tightened, her teeth clenched. Time seemed to slow, but it wasn't her Demon Reflex. It was nerves, accelerating her thoughts, her Inner Demon's feeble attempt to steal her control away. She paid no attention to that. 

    She only focused on her next move, the single cut that would finish this fight.

    Celestia's blade was held low and behind her, Twilight visualized her attempting an upward slash. All Twilight needed to make was a perfectly horizontal one, and she'd both counter it and cut her down in the same stroke.

    The freezing fire surged one last time, and she felt her hands begin to tremble. Her fingers melted and locked up at the same time. Her skin felt like it would split at any moment if she tried to hold this back any more. The power was incredible, but it needed to be restrained, it needed her control. So she focused on her sword, consciously pouring her power into it until it glowed a soft blue.

    Celestia was close now, she needed to make her move, but her whole body was shaking, vibrating with this force, a force she needed to release.

    And in one decisive cut, she did.

    In a fraction of a second, faster than a flash of lightning, Twilight's sword was drawn, cutting across at Celestia and releasing all of its built up energy in her direction. An impossibly thin beam of energy erupted from the blade, sending a ripple through space that went all the way to the end of the room, straight through the statue of the Sister of Light.

    It was so fast that even Twilight didn't catch what happened, but as she always did, Twilight followed through with her form, resheathing her sword. As she completed the motion, following the soft click of the katana's guard touching the sheath, the Sister of Light statue suddenly split at the waist. The top half of the statue fell forward, crumbling further and crushing the arm piece that already fell beneath it. 

    The icon was properly demolished, but Twilight didn't care about that.

    Glancing behind her, she saw Celestia facing away, having also made her cut, but she was kneeling... Kneeling like she had just come up out of a roll. There was blood on her sword, but Twilight noticed none on her own...

    Twilight did notice blood on her side though, where a huge tear in her coat had been made, and it slowly crept down her side and on to her leg. 

    She missed...

    Even on her back foot, Celestia still could read her. 

    "Impossible..." Twilight tensed up, feeling panic overriding everything else before she was flushed with rage.

    Said rage would only last a split second before evaporating completely, leaving Twilight to only feel the numbing fire she was trying to restrain burst through her body. It engulfed her, burning her flesh to a dark, deathly purple and transforming her completely. Her wound healed immediately, and her coat did as well, merging with her body and forming into a dark violet, leathery carapace, and wings of a similar texture and color unfolded from her back. Her hair became darker, matching the new extension to her body and contrasting her highlights, which seemed to now glow pink. The square glasses she wore were replaced with a round, mask-like ring of bright blue light. Two slitted, demonic eyes looked through them glowing with the same light as the mask. As her transformation finalized, the same light gathered at her forehead, extending outward in the shape of a single, straight horn.

    The power flowed through her, but it did not overtake her. She still had control.

    The demon-turned Twilight smiled a subtle smile, showing off a full set of dangerously sharp teeth. As she spoke, the distorted, scratchy voice that was in her head projected into the room.

    "I really am in control..."

    She turned to Celestia, who was making a hasty retreat to the doors. Making another empty swipe with her katana, she sent another energy cut out from it. Row by row, every pew in the room was sliced in half as Celestia ran, just barely escaping through the double doors in time, which also were sliced apart. 

    "Twilight Sparkle, wait!" Selene's voice was heard as a faint call by Twilight, who dashed after Celestia, moving so quick that she appeared to simply teleport to the door and kick open what was left of it, before teleport dashing off again.

    "We can catch her later, if we just.." Selene trailed off, as Twilight obviously was already gone. She looked back, checking on Sombra, finding that he'd recovered but was keeping his distance from the battle.

    "Come, let's not lose her..."

-----

    Celestia had what she needed, and it was now time to leave. Twilight Sparkle's demon form was too powerful for her to fight head on, so evasion was now the best tactic. Try as she may with words or action, there would be no dissuading Twilight from walking this path of darkness. The only thing that might make her think twice is the loss of something or someone important to her, but by that point it might be too late. Twilight always had to learn the hard way.

    Then there was the matter of her mysterious companion. The oddest thing about the woman was not her choice of weaponry, nor the familiar demon she fought with, but the fact that she, like Celestia, was a gundancer. The art was created by Celestia, and she only had taught it to a select few individuals, the woman traveling with Twilight not being one of them. 

    That would be something to ponder another time, though. Right now, she needed to separate them. Celestia knew she couldn't take a full-power Twilight, the woman, and Sombra all at once.

    Sword still in hand, she glanced behind her as she ran towards the church's entrance. Predicting Twilight's attacks wouldn't be enough now, Celestia knew that she couldn't match her speed or strength. It was still Twilight, and she knew Twilight. She was still in this fight.

    Even if she was a demon, slaying demons was Celestia's business.

    There was a blurry shape behind her that quickly formed into Twilight, floating in the air right behind Celestia. As soon as she saw it, Celestia rolled forward. Twilight's most common attack while in the air was a side cut, and the teleport technique required something to kick off of to use. Celestia completed her dodge and kicked the doors open, continuing her sprint with no momentum lost.

    Again, Twilight's blade met nothing, which only seemed to frustrate her further. 

    As Twilight followed her, storming through the doors and scanning the empty parking lot, seeing nothing but the demonic spire sticking up from the center of the lot.

    She didn't notice Celestia standing atop the door frame behind her, jumping down into action. With a diving kick, she slammed her boot straight into the back of Twilight's head. The hit didn't knock her over, but the bootgun there fired off, stunning her long enough for Celestia to flip back off of her and ready her next attack.

    A bullet wound to the head was trivial to Twilight, it healed back over in seconds. Growling, she spun around, engaging her Demon Reflex as she drew her sword for another attack.

    She would spin to see a nearly-still frame of Celestia falling, both handguns pointed at her, and a stream of bullets coming from them and pressing into her face and chest. In slowed time, the bullets were agonizingly painful and she fell out of her Reflex and took the hits. She winced as they shot through her body, but she healed through them and ultimately shrugged them off long enough to deflect one off her sword, then the next, then the next, then breaking into a teleport dash right in front of Celestia.

    But again, her feet weren't touching the ground as she came out of it, and with nothing to brace herself against, Celestia kicked straight into her. Celestia held the kicking pose as Twilight was launched back, keeping her leg extended and bringing her two handguns up. Three rapid-fire streams of bullets were shot into Twilight as she tumbled through the air, the stings of the bullets making focusing on a recovery difficult. 

    Twilight slammed into the demon spire back first before she could do anything, but with something to ground her she refocused, just in time to find Celestia's sword spinning towards her. 

    Celestia knew she wouldn't be fooled twice by that one. Twilight brought her katana up and she swung into the spinning broadsword, knocking it into the air away from her. In that time, Celestia was already hurtling towards Twilight with a flying kick. The hit threw her back into the spire, and upon landing Celestia caught her sword.

    Immediately, she drove it through Twilight, pinning her to the spire before she could make a counterattack. This was twice Celestia had incapacitated her. Shouting repeatedly in desperate frustration, Twilight struggled against the blade, finding that despite her power being immense, she was losing her focus to the pain. In a final attempt to strike back, Twilight let her thumb slide over the buttons on her katana's handle, igniting the blade to its full power while simultaneously pouring as much of her own energy into as she could.

    Her swing was halted as Celestia grabbed her forearm and twisted it around, easily relieving her of her weapon as she pushed her own further into her. Deactivating the katana, Celestia just shook her head.

    "How?! This power, my power... It's..." Twilight screamed her anger into Celestia's face, but it fizzled out as she realised she was beaten. She just let her head fall. "It's not enough..."

    The solemn look fell back over Celestia's face as she watched her once beloved student struggle. It honestly hurt, seeing how far her star pupil had fallen. She could've been something great, but instead chose this. She chose this.

    "If you can't contain your power, Twilight, it will never be enough."

    Some magic in Celestia's sword responded to the demon spire. This was the escape she intended, the sword would activate the spire, opening a portal straight to the Sister of Darkness's stronghold. Only now, both she and Twilight were taken into it, vanishing from the church's parking lot.

-----

    The two reappeared in a grassy opening, and before them, reaching up into the darkened sky was a giant castle. Along it's exterior wall were several lookout towers, and at the castle's center was a huge column that stood far beyond the others within its grounds. 

    Twilight recognized it, this was the castle the Sisters of Light and Darkness once lived in, the Castle of the Two Sisters spoken of in legend. They had been taken to the Everfree Forest.

    Celestia's blade, the very blade she had come to take was right in front of her. It was closer than that, even, it was sticking out of her chest, still firmly held by Celestia. As she pulled it from her, Twilight felt the energy surging through her fade, and she reverted back to her normal form before collapsing on the ground. 

    "I'm sorry, Twilight," Celestia sighed as she looked down at her. "I hope that you can eventually come to forgive me once this is all over."

    Twilight didn't respond. Again, she was feeling a mixture of shock, anger, and fear, and couldn't tell which one was winning. She couldn't consciously accept that she had just been defeated at her most powerful.

    "I'm not going to tell you to stay out of my way. In fact..." Celestia threw Twilight's katana down at her feet. "Go find Sunset, she's here somewhere. Settle things with her, and maybe you'll find your control."

    A weak, breathy laugh escaped Twilight's lips. "Yeah, right..."

    "She has the rest of the Elements, doesn't she? You're going to need them anyway if you want a chance at defeating Nightmare Moon."

    "It won't matter if she gets the Sister of Light's sword... She can open the gate to the demon realm with it..."

    "Can she, now?" Celestia's eyebrows rose in amusement. "What makes you think that?"

    "Selene told me Nightmare Moon's plan... With the amulet you gave Sunset, and that sword..."

    Celestia shook her head. "That's not all she needs, Twilight. There's one more piece of the picture, and without that, this sword is just a useless piece of metal. So gather the Elements, save your friends, or whatever you thought you were accomplishing before."

    Again, Twilight was quiet, only watching as Celestia turned and walked away. She stopped, giving her one last word of advice before leaving her to lay with only her thoughts.

    "And if I were you, I wouldn't trust that woman."
> 14- The Breaking of Faith
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

    "Spike..."

    "Twilight, where are you?"

    "The Everfree Forest."

    "What? How did you get there so quickly?"

    "Don't worry about it. What's your status?"

    "Applejack's in trouble, I'm currently chasing a Seraph operative that's captured her. Starlight is helping me, but I'll make sure she doesn't get in your way if it comes to it."

    "Maybe you can use that as a distraction to keep her from following me."

    "That's the plan. You sound hurt, though, are you-"

    "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine..."

    "It sounds like something bad happened."

    "My Inner Demon is back, Spike. I can control it for now, but I don't know how long that will last. Just save Applejack, don't worry about me."

    "But I am worried, Twilight."

-----

    Flash was incredibly aware of his own heartbeat over the hum of the emergency lighting. In the corner of the police station's armory, Rainbow Dash stirred, but Flash didn't want to spare a glance in her direction. He was keeping a mental count of the door's timer- there were only five seconds left on it.

    Four.

    Something else was in the room with them. Spitfire heard it, and had her head turned to the side. Somewhere to their right.

    Three.

    Flash drew his weapon, but had nothing to focus on. Backing up, he put himself against the wall in front of the panic room door, minimizing the directions he might be attacked from.

    Two.

    He listened as close as he could. There was nothing.

    One.

    Click!

    The door unlocked behind him, opening just enough to let a weak sliver of light escape from behind it.

    Spitfire backed up, sweeping her weapon across periodically as she quietly called back to Flash. "Get them out of there. I'll keep you covered."

    He didn't want to take his eyes off of the room, but he trusted Spitfire. Quickly but cautiously, he turned, pulling the door open to reveal the small metal walled panic space. Sitting on a bench up against the wall across from him, a concerned Rarity held a trembling Pinkie Pie, both quietly holding onto anything they could to keep themselves from breaking down entirely. Face down on the floor by the wall to the far left wall was the body of Sergeant Colt. 

A shame, Flash thought. He shook his head, but the fact that Colt a hand in this curbed how much he mourned the sergeant's loss.

    "He's dead..." Rarity breathed. Neither of the girls registered Flash's presence until he spoke up.

    "Come on, we need to go, or we will be too. We're not alone here."

    "Flash- Pinkie isn't... She's not..." Rarity stood, but it seemed Pinkie needed someone to support her to stand. "She's not okay."

    "Heh... We're next, aren't we?" Pinkie looked up into Flash's eyes, meeting them with a look far darker than he'd ever seen in them. Her usually curled and bouncy hair was flat and hanging over her face, framing her desperation that much more. "We're going to die here?"

    "No. Not if I have anything to say about it." Flash held his hand out in an offer to support her, but she pushed away, now standing independent of Rarity.

    "What are we doing then?" Rarity asked. "Where are we going?"

    "I have a ride on the way to pick us up behind the station. We need to be careful though, there's hostile agents here."

    "Hostile.. agents? What do you mean?"

    "Former Seraph Agents. Apparently they're trying to capture you two and-"

    Bang!

    As he led the girls out of the panic room and closed the door, there was a loud, ringing gunshot, followed by both of the emergency lights exploding and casting the entire room in darkness. 

    Rarity let out a startled yelp, and the sound of scattering glass and hurried footsteps filled the following silence as Flash and Spitfire scrambled to get a lock on the threat. Both of them were now completely alert, checking every angle around them as their eyes adjusted to the sudden darkness. They were a good distance apart, and between the two of them they could see almost the entire room. If something, anything moved...

    A blurred shape jumped in directly in front of him. Following that, a fist suddenly took him across the cheek and stumbled him away from his friends. Recoiling, he made mental note that they weren't firing weapons around the girls, they didn't want them permanently injured.

    As he re-centered himself, he looked for the blur again, but couldn't find it. A fist hit him again, knocking him back further, but this time he braced for it, and leaned forward. Silent Lynx suddenly became visible, and he now had his forearm putting pressure against her collarbone. Pushing through the pain, he ran forward, taking her straight into the wall behind her and introducing the barrel of his handgun to her chest. 

    To his friends, only a few feet away, he gave a warning.

    "Get behind me, go!"

    Rarity shakily nodded, pulling Pinkie away from the action and taking her to the opposite corner.

    Lynx's hand immediately shot out to push Flash's gun away, and her other hand slipped between her body and his pinning arm, making the injured skin there burn. The blasting of Spitfire's machine gun sounded off somewhere behind him, further disrupting his focus. Lynx wriggled against him, sliding to the side as he tried to realign his gun with her. Lifting her head up for a moment, she suddenly threw it forward, smashing her visor into his bare skull and pushing him away In the same motion she pulled the knife off of his sheath and swung it around at him, prompting him to just barely catch her at the wrist. Two more gunshots illuminated the room, from Sparrowhawk's rifle, giving him a better visual on Lynx's stance. Responding with an appropriate counter, he twisted her arm to the side, therefore redirecting her attack, but she smoothly cartwheeled along with his motion and let her whole body be thrown.

    From there, she slashed at him again, putting a small cut on his cheek as he evaded. They were now in the center aisle, and from what he could tell Spitfire and Sparrowhawk were having a shootout from the aisles on either side. They were directly in the crossfire. Not a great place to be...

    He pulled his gun in close, and aiming with his torso he fired off two shots as she closed in, but found the knife tearing at his uniform and his shots missing, the blade cutting through the layered cloth and biting at his skin. He buckled, and he saw her going in for a disarm. The moment it registered, he flicked his gun safety on and threw his weapon down, knowing that he couldn't stop her if she got it. She had him weaponless, but in willingly dropping his weapon he was now one step ahead of her.

    Flash saw her next move coming too, a forward knife thrust, the blade reflecting more light from the backdrop of gunfire. It would easily take him down if he didn't act fast. Adrenaline was again rushing through him, though he wasn't feeling it as vividly as he was before. He felt more like he had control of himself, like he was watching things play out slower than they actually were. He was unarmed now, with little means of defending himself. Defending himself wouldn't be an option, he reasoned.

    Pulling his arms close into his face, he pushed against Lynx's knife attack, aiming to take the hit at the shallowest angle possible as he threw all of himself into her. As expected, his forearms stung as the blade drew more blood from him, but better the bony parts of his limbs than his than the softer parts of his face. The pain wasn't any lessened, but he still sprung forward, one hand a fist crashing into her chin, and the other going for the knife. He caught her wrist again, but this time shifted his hand to challenge her grip on the knife.

    At this point, they just took turns punching each other as bullets flew back and forth around them. Neither of them were ready to let the knife go, but both wanted desperately for the other to release it. It was incredibly taxing for Flash, as his wounds were beginning to burn deeper into him, but increasingly frustrated grunts from Lynx suggested she was close to folding as well. Eventually, they caught each other's fists, and they were put into a raw pushing match with each other. In his current state, Flash wouldn't have the stamina to keep fighting like this. Rather than let her overtake him, he'd put the rest of his energy into driving his knee into Lynx's stomach, successfully knocking her breath and his knife from her.

    She reeled back, and Flash immediately dropped to a kneel, taking his gun back and squeezing off three shots, one of them going straight through her shoulder. As she fell, he heard gunshots go off to both sides, and with both of his weapons back to him he retreated to the back of the room, back to where his friends hopefully still were.

    Out of the corner of his eye, he caught the glare of Sparrowhawk's night-vision goggles targeting him. She would have no problem taking a shot in the dark, and he thought she was about to, until Spitfire lit her cover up from across the room. Sparrowhawk hid away, and for a moment everything was silent. Flash's eyes were alert as possible, though focusing was much harder now that he was cut up and bleeding. Spitfire didn't make any movements either.

    They were all waiting for one of the others to move.

    Amidst the silence, something else stirred. Starting as a quiet groan of pain, it echoed from the back of the room, behind the reinforced walls. It started out quiet, then quickly intensified to a horrendous scream of terrified agony. Flash heard Rarity gasp, and Pinkie squeak in fright. There was a disturbing, fleshy squishing, following more infuriated screaming. 

    Moments later, a huge humanoid demon crashed through the panic room doors and into the armory, skin glowing grey and with huge, hulking muscles. Tattered remains of a Canterlot City Police uniform hung to its body, and between its bald head and intimidating mustache Flash saw the pain-stricken, tortured eyes of Sergeant Colt. Whatever 'poison' had killed him also transformed him into something horrible, a demon, and he was now an immediate threat to all present.

    His hands had mutated into four-fingered talons, which extended towards Flash as he lunged for him, the intent to make him his first victim. Flash backed away, firing his weapon as he did, and found that the bullets did slow Colt's demon. Even Sparrowhawk seemed worried about this turn of events, she spoke openly into her communicator, despite him and Spitfire being in earshot.

    "The Type-C has activated. We need to get out, like, right now!" 

    "Girls!" Flash called his friends to him, putting himself between them and the newly formed demon. He saw Pinkie and Rarity, but not Rainbow... "Come on, move! Get out that door!" Spitfire was moving too, and he pointed to her before giving her a quick order as well. "Go with them, I'll catch up!"

    "This is no time to play hero, Sentry..."

    "No, that's not it. Rainbow's gone again. I'm not leaving until I know she's safe."

    "Right. Just don't get yourself killed."

    During this exchange, Sparrowhawk was firing on Colt's demon, but seeing that Flash and his friends were escaping, she turned their attention to them. Neither of them seemed to notice that Lynx's body had disappeared, nor would they have really had the chance to in the low lighting.

    A bullet punched through the door as Flash slammed it behind him. Spitfire and the others went one way, towards the main hallway, but Flash saw movement down the other direction. A smaller person, running.

    "Rainbow? Rainbow!" He called out, but if it was her, she didn't respond.

    He set off after her, but remembered Sparrowhawk would be behind him. Turning, he saw her, but getting ready to chase after Spitfire and the others. An inaccurate bullet in her direction drew vague interest, and another one glancing off of her shoulder armor got her full attention. Before she could snap to fire back, he was already around the corner.

    Flash turned quickly into an open office area lit by a single emergency light, one with many desks and workstations, but also one with no other exits. There wasn't anywhere to run, Rainbow had to be somewhere here. Hiding. He'd need to hide too, with Sparrowhawk close on him. His still bleeding cuts were a sharp reminder that he wouldn't be able to take her in hand-to-hand or in a straight shoot out.

    As she turned the corner, she immediately shot out the room's light. Whatever light was left in the room reflected off of her lenses, giving them a soft green glow as she scanned the office. Flash expected as much from her, but he wasn't expecting to see another soft reflection from across the room.

    From his place behind one of the desks, in total darkness, he saw a reflective shimmer move across a small strip of light coming in from the hallway.

    "Oh, Flash..." Sparrowhawk's carefree voice called out through the darkness. "You can't hide from us."

    She slowly paced through the room, scanning across the rows of desks as she moved. 

    "Or maybe you can, and we'll just grab your friend. She's hiding in here too, y'know."

    Flash kept still. He was focusing on that odd reflection. The wall behind it has a bloodstain... She kept saying 'Us'. Lynx was in here with her. That strange reflection had to be Lynx.

    "So if you're not gonna say anything about it... we're just gonna take her and go, okay?"

    Flash had one shot left in his handgun, and reloading now would make too much noise. He'd need to time his attack just right.

    When Sparrowhawk got close enough, he jumped out of his hiding spot, intending to take her by surprise and grab her, using her body as a shield to keep Lynx from firing at him. What happened was he was smacked across the face with the butt of her rifle, as if she had been expecting his exact movement, and soon after found himself on his back staring down its barrel. 

    "No!" He couldn't see from where, but Rainbow Dash had come out of her hiding spot as well, violently shoving Sparrowhawk to the side and pointing the bright end of her industrial flashlight right into her goggles, eliciting a shriek of pain as she took in the magnified light, feeling searing heat in the back of her eyes as her pupils were blasted with the intensity of what felt like a miniature sun right up against her face.

    Screwing her eyes shut, her headache would only get worse as Rainbow brought the flashlight back, then cracked her over the head with the back end of it, sending her sprawling out onto the floor. 

    "Get up, come on..." She came to Flash's aid, offering a hand to him, but Flash needed to warn her-

    "Rainbow, behind you!"

    Too late. Silent Lynx slipped an arm around Rainbow's neck and drew her suppressed pistol, leveling it with her head. Still on his back, Flash lined up a shot on her, but didn't dare pull the trigger.

    "Try anything and she gets it!" Lynx hissed. Rainbow glared, shivering in fear but at the same time looking surprisingly defiant. Rainbow actively struggled against her captor as she backed towards the way they came in. 

    "You wouldn't..." Rainbow muttered.

    "Don't test me."

    Sparrowhawk picked herself up too, prompting Flash to take aim at her instead, but she only dizzily rejoined Lynx, shoving her goggles up onto her forehead and cradling her head in pain as Flash slowly followed their movements from his spot on the ground.

    "Is the Type-C secure?" Lynx asked her.

    "I uh..." Sparrowhawk replied, very lightly. "I sent it after the others."

    "You idiot!"

    Sparrowhawk winced as her partner rose her voice. "Hey! You don't have to yell..."

    "Do you not realize that it'll kill them!?"

    "Nah..." Sparrowhawk gently shook her head. "Just the SWAT lady, hopefully."

    "We're not supposed to be putting the Elements in direct danger!"

    "Says the one holding a loaded gun to the head of one of them."

    "I-" Lynx stopped herself, then glared at Sparrowhawk. "Shut up. We're leaving."

    Their back and forth continued as they left the room, leaving Flash alone to collect himself. He was losing Rainbow. He needed to get up, but his wounded body wouldn't let him. Laying on the floor was easy, and it didn't hurt nearly as much to be up and around everywhere. 

    No. He wasn't going to let himself give out, not after coming this far. He could hear their footsteps quickening, moving at a faster pace now that they were clear from his line of sight. Flash holstered his weapon. He rolled himself over, put both hands on the floor, and pushed as hard as he could against it. It was a strain, as his entire body was ready to give out at any moment after an intense day of running around, fighting, and hanging on the very edge of his life, but he rose.

    First to a crawling position, but then to a kneel, and then, with a hand supporting him on a nearby desk, he pushed down with as much force as he could muster, bringing himself up into a weak, slouched over standing position. It wasn't optimal, but it'd have to do. Pain below his ribs drew his attention to a bloodied tear in his uniform, giving way to a dripping red gash. Unlike the slashes across his forearms, this cut hadn't slowed in it's bleeding yet. He pressed on it with a hand, keeping it covered, but also finding that his sleeves were coated in crimson, sticking to the skin on his forearms in a way he hadn't noticed until just now. 

    He wanted to run, but the most he could manage was a brisk walk. Fighting through dizzying pain and lightheadedness, while leaving a slight trail of blood behind him, he gathered up everything he had to chase after his former squadmates.

-----

    Just when Spitfire thought she was in the clear, a wall nearly crashed down on her.

    The monstrosity that once was Sergeant Colt blocked her way to the back exit, prompting her to quickly direct the two girls following her in the other direction. Colt eyed her threateningly, then let out a disturbing growl as he threw himself at her.

    "Back that way, back that way!" Spitfire opened fire on the demon, expending all of the ammunition left in her magazine as the towering demon chased after them. The bullets pushed Colt's demon back, he was feeling the impacts but it wasn't enough to stop him. Spitfire turned and ran before long, catching up with the girls and guiding them through a door right by the blast door she and Flash had shut not too long ago. They came into a small receptionist's office facing the main lobby, with a sliding window linking the two together. Unlocking the latch on their side, Spitfire opened the window, providing a small access into the lobby.

    "Come on, through here. One at a time... We'll loop around him and slip out the back that way."

    Watching the door they came through, Spitfire took inventory as the two girls hurriedly climbed through the small window, Pinkie first, then Rarity. They shook and gave fearful murmurs as Colt's stomping became audible from down the hallway, but Spitfire confidently reloaded her weapon. Back in the armory, one of the storage cabinets was blasted open by gunfire, and inside were two whole magazines for Spitfire's weapon. Even if she couldn't kill this demon, she had enough ammo to slow him down.

    Once Rarity cleared the window, Spitfire went to climb in, but thought better of it as Colt's demon entered the room and flung the nearest desk at her. The whole window shattered, and the wooden office surface bounced several times off the tiled lobby floor. The girls scattered, and Spitfire jumped through the now much larger window, which really was just a square hole in the wall.

    That hole was made even larger, as Colt's demon shoulder-bashed straight into it, managing to hit Spitfire and launch her into the overturned desk out in the center of the lobby. Her back took the most of it, but she still had a plate of armor and padding there. It lessened the impact, if only slightly, making the pressure even across her back rather than having it hit in any one place. 

    From her sitting position, she checked the sides of her vision, making sure the girls were okay before taking aim with her weapon. The demon pulled a claw back as it approached, a sluggish telegraph for his attack. Spitfire put a few rounds through his shoulder, causing him to recoil, then did the same to his other shoulder when he tried the same with his other had. He was still too close for comfort.

    He brought a clawed hand in again, an apparent attempt to smash her against the floor, but she rolled herself out of the way as the attack went through. The demon's fist broke the desk in half, claws scratching up the tiles as his head swiveled to track Spitfire, now up and running from him.

    Clearly, he was faster than anticipated, they wouldn't be able to get around him. She looked around, making sure Pinkie and Rarity were still in sight, then braced herself to properly take on the demon of Sergeant Colt. 

    She'd have to bring him down, or would die trying.

-----

    By the time Flash had reached the end a split in the hallway, Lynx and Sparrowhawk were long since gone. He didn't catch the direction they'd turned, and he couldn't know for sure which way they'd taken Rainbow Dash. Spitfire hadn't gone towards the back of the station though, he could hear her gun going off somewhere near the front. She had run into trouble.

    And as luck would have it, Flash would too.

    Where one hallway intersected with another, Flash looked off to his right and was instantly alarmed by what he saw. Giving off a faint teal glow was six and a half feet of greying purple power armor with an intimidating stance and a cracked helmet.

    The Hellsoldier.

    Had he more energy, Flash might've drawn his weapon, or maybe ran away. Right now though, he registered the threat, but wasn't in the mood to respond to it. Even worse, the Hellsoldier had found the shotgun Flash had dropped earlier, and held it forward and at the ready. 

    "Great..." Flash said, addressing the soldier directly. "Guess this is it for me then, huh?"

    The Hellsoldier didn't reply, but upon seeing that Flash didn't pose a threat, they lowered their shotgun.

    "What, you feeling nice today or something?"

    The Hellsoldier took a few steps forward, until they were face to face with Flash. Still silent, they looked from him, to the hallway behind him. Then, they kept walking, right past Flash, like he had suddenly vanished from their sight. They were going towards the front of the station. 

    Considering his friends were quite possibly in trouble, Flash supposed he should follow.

-----

    Nothing Spitfire was tried was working. Colt's demon just wasn't phased by bullets, and she couldn't keep dodging him forever. She was in no way prepared for those two rogue SRAPH agents to kick in the door with Rainbow Dash as a hostage, either.

    Too much was going on, she had just jumped out of the way of another of the demon's charge attacks, when suddenly, the thunderclap of another gun took her by complete surprise. A brief spike of pain shot through her shoulder as a rifle round went right through her, followed by a total, invigorating numbness. 

    She'd been shot. In fact, this was the first time she'd ever been shot. It wasn't anything like she thought it'd be. It felt almost painless, empty and surreal, so surreal that she couldn't bring herself to react fast enough to a followup going through her left leg. Her entire world spun as she lost all semblance of balance, but before she hit the ground she was given a solid whack by Colt's demon, a hit that both gouged her open and tossed her hard into the wall, taking away all sense of anything.

-----

    Flash heard more gunshots and a dangerously close sounding crash. He was tailing the Hellsoldier, not to close, but following them back through the pathway to the SRAPH offices and out into the main lobby. Lynx and Sparrowhawk might've gone a different way, but they seemed to all be headed to the same place regardless.

    He checked his ammo situation. He had one spare magazine, but it only had four shots in it. The one he had left was currently chambered, so a quick magazine swap but him at five shots, half a magazine. Not much, but he was going to have to make it work.

    After losing Rainbow, Flash thought that this mission couldn't possibly have gotten worse, but through the office's broken window he saw a scene that would quickly prove him wrong. Lynx and Sparrowhawk had all three of his friends rounded up and were being taken out of the front of the station at gunpoint. Upon seeing the agents, the Hellsoldier rushed in, but quickly was cut off as the demon of Sergeant Colt jumped into view and threw a solid punch into them, staggering them and halting their advance. 

    The rogue agents began to run at sight of the Hellsoldier, but Flash wasn't about to let them escape. Putting all thoughts of self preservation aside, he ran through the SRAPH offices and jumped through the broken window, catching himself very shakily but snapping off two shots at Sparrowhawk as she was covering their exit. Both shots connected, and she fell before the open door frame, bleeding and out of action for  the moment.

    One down, and Flash's determination was reignited. There still was urgency, but he couldn't fight like this forever. He needed to take Lynx down and escape, hopefully while Colt's demon was preoccupied with the Hellsoldier.

    He kicked open the police station's front doors fully, finding Lynx out of sight, but all three of his friends backed up against the demon anchor. It was glowing, lighting up, and a swirling purple vortex was beginning to form around it. Flash knew what this was... He was about to lose them.

    "Flash!" Rarity called out. "She's by you!"

    Flash immediately ducked, hearing the hushed blast of a suppressed weapon sound off to his right. He couldn't see her, she was cloaked, but from a kneeling position, he raised his weapon and fired it at the most likely place she'd be. He hit nothing, but her footsteps gave her away. She was moving. The spire lit up again, and in it's illumination he saw her shadow moving across the station's courtyard.

Got her.

    Two more shots and two more hits, all within the scope of a few seconds. Lynx came back into view, holding her pistol out as if she were going to fire, but with new bullet holes in her she was frozen still. She'd already had one in her, how many more could she handle? Flash didn't want to wait, but he had to confirm she was down. One moment passed, then another. She wobbled, wavered, and ultimately collapsed on the ground.

    The swirling purple vortex was opening in full, pulling his scared and screaming friends into it.

    Without thinking, he ran towards the anchor, his vision spinning from blood loss but yet managing to keep himself steady. He holstered his gun, put all of his body into sprinting towards them, wanting to clear the short courtyard in as little time as possible, not knowing how many seconds he had until they were gone completely. Rarity vanished through it, then Rainbow. He could see a look of terror on Pinkie's face, half of her body already through the portal, reaching out with one hand to be pulled free. Flash extended his own, just inches from her.

    A foot suddenly smashed against his face as someone else dive kicked their way into the scene.

    A woman with curled and voluminous orange hair, a pair of sharp, streamlined sunglasses, and a black trench coat dropped down in front of him, holding... was that Applejack over her shoulder?

    That made four of his friends that he lost, as she too was quickly tossed back into the portal moments before it closed.

    "Tisk tisk. So close, Agent Sentry..." The woman said, standing over him as he fell to his knees, holding his face where her boot struck him. He knew this woman, she was the one behind this, the one directing Lynx and Sparrowhawk. She took a cynical tone, mocking his attempts to save his friends. "What did you think you'd even do, hmm?"

    Flash's breath was heavy. He could hardly move his head to look her in the eye.

    "Adagio..." He breathed.

    "Surprised to see me?"

    Adagio Dazzle, Dr. Adagio Dazzle, rather, was a SRAPH researcher, a demon specialist that led one of the two groups his team split into during the Sire's Hollow mission. She would identify the source of the anchors, the types of demons in the area, and assist in destroying them. She herself often went on missions with a team, technically making her an agent as well, but her role was that of a researcher and scientist first and foremost. 

    During the incident, her entire team vanished without a trace, and were all presumed dead, but it was little surprise at this point to see her alive again if Lynx and Sparrowhawk were also. None of Flash's half of the group would be coming back though, as he bore witness to their demise.

    "You... You were dead too..."

    "Maybe so, but you know I'm just too good to stay that way. You see, my 'death' was all part of the plan..."

    "What are you talking about? My friends... Where did you send them?"

    "Don't you worry about that," She gave an ominous smile, and a short, sinister laugh beneath her breath. "They'll be in good hands."

    Adagio always seemed the type to keep secrets, but now, like the rest of her team, she seemed outright evil, cruel, even. She was smiling, fully enjoying seeing him in pain. What happened? Had she been possessed? Corrupted? Why were all of his former allies now turning on him? Had they always been like this?

    "I... I won't let you..." Flash began.

    "Won't let me what, now?" Adagio approached, her foot kicking him over with minimal effort and pressing down on his stomach. "Look at you, you can't even defend yourself..."

    The body of Sergeant Colt's demon suddenly flew over his head, right at Adagio, but she vanished into a faded blur before she was hit and the body crashed into the demon anchor. In the doorway, the Hellsoldier stood, pumping their shotgun's handle and charging forward. Where she went, Flash couldn't see, especially with the Hellsoldier opening fire on Colt's demon at the forefront of his vision. He didn't want to be in between them, so frantically moved aside, managing to crouch run at his best.

    His earpiece began buzzing at this completely inconvenient time, seeing as demonic roaring and shotgun fire were blasting his eardrums from fairly close range, and so he made his way back into the police station. Moving past Sparrowhawk's slumped body, he hid behind a smashed up desk, answering his radio in what he hoped was at least partial cover.

    "This is Sentry..."

    "Flash!" It was Sunburst. "Is everything okay in there? We're in the back parking lot waiting for you!"

    "I... I couldn't save them. They're..." Flash's throat was completely dry, and he gave a painful swallow, unable to cope with what he was saying. "They're gone." 

    "Well you need to get out of there, then! It sounds like there's trouble in there!"

    "I'll be right there. Hang tight..." The call ended, and Flash checked his surroundings again. In panic, he froze, seeing a blue-armored SWAT officer laying motionless against a heavily damaged wall.

    "Spitfire?"  He rushed to her side, checking over her body to check her condition. She'd been shot too, and was bleeding heavily from slashes in her front. He leaned in close, pressing his ear to her bloodied chest, listening intently. She wasn't breathing. He thought he heard something but... maybe, was it just in his head? Feeling across her neck, he checked for a pulse, and also felt nothing. His blood ran cold. No breathing, no heartbeat, no movement... She was gone.

    Flash locked up. She died for absolutely nothing, because he wanted to run off and save Rainbow. Maybe if they had stuck together, maybe if he was willing to cut his losses- What was he thinking? Rainbow was his friend! But Spitfire didn't deserve this, either. After all she'd been through, she had his respect, his admiration, even. Would it have been better if he'd left Rainbow behind? He didn't know. Shock overtook him. Flash closed his eyes and tried to regain composure, regain control, tried to not go back into his memories, to not go back to the last time he had to ask himself these horrible question-

    Bang!

    There was yet another gunshot behind him and a bullet pinging off the wall in front of him. He snapped back to himself, and looked back to see Staccato Sparrowhawk weakly raising her rifle and taking shots at him. Spitfire's machine gun was right by her, and so he took it up as made his way back towards the hole through the receptionist office, managing a brisk limp. Sparrowhawk took another shot, but her aim was off, and it only made Flash move faster.

    As he stepped into the back hallways, he realised Sparrowhawk was chasing after him, albeit just as slowly as he was limping away. She'd stagger a few yards, lean against the wall, and take a shot at him, and he'd duck down, swing Spitfire's machine gun around with one arm, and fire a small burst back at her. The back doors had push bars across them, and Flash exerted way too much energy trying to get them open. Sparrowhawk got closer, and nearly got him as he ran through the doorway, putting a hole in the door right next to his arm as it swung open. 

    Now outside, Trixie's RV was in sight, but he wasn't about to let it get shot up in the open, dark parking lot. Reaching into his pouch, he took out the stun grenade he'd been hanging onto since the truck crashed and pulled it's pin, tossing it back at the door as he moved away from it. He heard the doors open behind him, seeing and hearing the bright, intense light and sharp crack it produced even with his eyes turned away and his hands over his ears. Sparrowhawk let out an angered, painful, desperate sound of defeat, and sparing a glance back Flash saw her on the ground again, holding her head in pain.

    The door to the RV swung open and both Trixie and Sunburst came out to haul him in the vehicle. Both concerned, they laid him down on the couch with a towel beneath him, and Sunburst went right away to assess his injuries. 

    "Oh my gosh- What happened in there?" Sunburst glanced back to Trixie when he saw the severity of Flash's cuts. "Oh, no- Trixie, get my surgical tools and the first aid kit!"

    "Go! We need to leave..." Flash managed. Being able to lay down on something soft felt nice, but his entire body was still soaked in pain. They weren't out of the woods yet. "It's not safe..."

    "Stay awake, Flash. You need to stay awake right now..."

    "There," Trixie came back in with two separate cases. "We're picking up Starlight and getting the hell out of here!"

    Flash heard the RV start up and begin to move, and Sunburst shifted his limbs around, saying something, but he couldn't quite hear it.

    His focus was fading, he didn't catch anything else.
> 15- The Changing of Direction
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

    "Starlight, I'm detecting multiple enemies approaching from the street level."

    "We're going to lose her, Spike!"

    "I know, but-" Spike jumped the gap between two buildings to trail their unidentified assailant, but another mechanized hound would shoot up from the gap and crash into him, taking him back to the rooftop.

    It was similar in shape to Spike, though it was painted in a robust red and gold color, and had a longer, spear-shaped blade affixed to it's tail. Larger and more angular than Spike, it was a much more aggressive variant, built for faster and dirty combat. One of its claws raked against Spike's plated face, and in response he bit down on the appendage with his single-edged, toothless jaw. The other mech lacked the ability to bite things, its head being just a smooth rectangular piece, and it was unprepared for Spike to so readly grab onto it. 

    Another wolf mech climbed up from between the two buildings, cutting off Starlight before she had the chance to cross. This one was bigger than the first, with dark brown armor and a much wider, spiked ball on its tail. It lacked the sleekness of Spike, but also the angles of its partner, instead it was big and bulky, with a rounder, wider chest and smaller head, and much larger front claws. 

    "Reprogrammed CANIS mechs?" Spike rolled back to his feet and whipped his tail defensively at the one that targeted him. "One assault variant, one bruiser!"

    The bruiser zig-zagged its way to Starlight as she took aim with her revolver, shooting off quick shots that only glanced off its sturdy frontal armor. She threw a punch with her mechanical fist as it got close, denting it's shoulder but taking a hit from its clubbed tail. The heavy, blunt weapon knocked her off her feet, allowing the mech to jump on her and holding her still as it pulled its tail back to finish her off. Pulling her arm close in to her hip, she fired her revolver straight up into the mech's underbelly, three bullets hitting it at point blank and opening it up for her to drive it up and off of her with her knee. 

    She grabbed it's face, bashed the butt of her revolver into it and then twisted it until she was throwing it off the top of the building. Destroying it completely wasn't important right now, they needed to just get through.

    Spike had the same idea, as he clashed tails with a mech that outclassed him in straight combat, he prioritized attack patterns that would give the fastest takedown possible. Metal scraped together as their bladed tails wrapped around each other, bringing them both into a close, furious grapple. 

    As he butted heads with the larger mech, Spike was surprised to find there was an AI personality onboard it, one that spoke in a rough, challenging tone.

    "Little bitty scout drone thinks he's tough, does he?" The assault mech taunted him, overtaking him during their grapple and getting another solid scrape in on Spike's body.

    "Wow, they're putting voice synthesizers on the disposable ones, now?" Spike gave a sarcastic reply as he took another hit. 

    "Who do you think you are? We're specialized, independent units. Free thinkers!" The assault mech's tail overtook Spike's and his claws shoved Spike down into the rooftop. 

    "Yeah, following attack orders blindly really gives you a chance to think for yourself, doesn't it?" Spike let himself get pushed down, pressing his shoulder into the larger mech put him into a hold.

    "Shut up! You're some obviously just some defective little-" The assault mech suddenly was cut off from his insult as electricity suddenly surged through his body. The lightning cannon on Spike's back had partially deployed and was fired with its barrel shoved right up against his aggressor. He released Spike, reeling back, and in his daze Spike tackled him and drove his blade through the mech's hind leg, detaching it and leaving him pinned in place. 

    AI personalities allowed units to act fairly independently, but were prone to the same personality failures organic beings were. Spike was a fringe case, having his personality developed over a long time, he was more reserved and adverse to conflict, but this assault mech was clearly a hothead and a jerk, a common personality of mechs that were mass-produced for combat.

    Having dealt with the attackers, they continued running, hoping to eventually catch up with their kidnapper.

    "You little- Hey! Get back here!" The mech angrily called out to him, but Spike paid him little mind.

    Meanwhile, Starlight was looking ahead to see where they were being led. 

    Sounds of smashing, gunfire, and shouting all pointed her attention towards the Canterlot City police station. As they neared it, they could see something was definitely going on in the courtyard. A demon spire stretched into the sky, and before it, there was their SRAPH agent tossing Applejack into a portal made by it. Not good. 

    A big, burly demon flew into the scene from inside the station, tossed by some kind of super soldier in a suit of power armor, and then there was Flash, wounded and running away from it all. Spike jumped down first, going from a tall truck and then to the street, and Starlight followed his path. They ran straight into the danger, ignoring the demon and soldier to go straight for the hostile SRAPH agent, helping up what appeared to be one of her allies.

    The agent saw her raising her revolver as she approached, and as shots rang off, the agent became a blur, blinking out of the way and giving her ally time to escape. Surprised, Starlight shifted her aim to accommodate for the sudden teleportation, but the agent just warped away as she fired again. One more shot and the agent was right in front of her, holding her arm out right in front of Starlight as she ran past. 

    Her Bullet Reflex engaged, just barely ducking over the attempted clothesline and rolling to a stop, reloading her weapon and bringing it back to bear. 

    "Ah..." The agent said, the same sly smile on her lips that she had before. "You've got a trick up your sleeve..."

    "You look like you're playing for keeps..." Starlight said. "But if it's a trick you want, try this!" 

    Her Reflex activated again, and she snapped off six shots in quick succession, tracking with the agent as she repeatedly blinked in and out of reality. The agent could keep up with her, but Starlight saw that she wasn't actually teleporting, she was really spinning and flipping out of the way of her bullets at speeds faster than the eye could follow in normal time. Starlight put her empty revolver away and drew her chainsaber while the agent was still dodging, closing the gap between them and bringing her blade down on her.

    With both hands, the agent caught the edge of her blade, stopping the impact completely and bringing them both back to real time. Starlight was ready for this, just revving the blade up, and as the chainsaw teeth began to shred her hands the agent recoiled, a surprised look replacing her smug one. She quickly blinked away again. 

    A red hot blade flew in towards her new position, and she'd vanish once more as Spike moved moved in to attack her.

    She circled around the courtyard, letting the fight between the soldier in power armor and the huge demon play out, until eventually the demon was pummeled into the ground and tossed aside again. The soldier set their sights on the agent, and it was clear that it was time for her to leave. Taking aim with a shotgun, the soldier fired away, forcing her to relocate herself further until the weapon ran empty.

    Ending up near the doors of the station, two more very beaten and bleeding agents met up with her, one carrying the other over her shoulders. The orange-haired agent, the leader, pointed to the spire, and they both ran towards it, ignoring the soldier as they moved.

    Spike and Starlight both moved to intercept, but their leader would cut them both off. She grabbed Spike's tail and flung him at Starlight, sending them both tumbling to the ground as they collided. They didn't recover in time to stop her and her companions from activating the spire and making their escape through a swirling portal, disappearing completely. The soldier almost caught them, slamming their fist against the spire just as the portal closed, tensing in anger at their escape. 

    Shortly after, the soldier would also open a portal and step through it, leaving Starlight and Spike alone in the courtyard. She sat up, taking a moment to catch her breath after the fight.

    "What... What just happened?"

    "We lost her," Spike said. "This isn't good, we have no idea where she took Applejack."

    "Yeah, no kidding..." Standing, Starlight brushed herself off. 

    "I'm trying to get a hold of Twilight, but... she's not responding. I hope she's okay."

    "Come on, let's go find Trixie so we can get out of here."

    "You want me to come with you?"

    "Of course," Starlight nodded. "We're still good as long as I don't have to go after Twilight, right?"

    "Yes, technically," Spike said. "I want to help you... help Twilight."

    "Right, if that's how you have to say it." 

    "That woman, though. The Order had records on her. She's an ex-Seraph operative, a scientist who has a vendetta against the organization."

    "A scientist, huh? She's awfully slick for a brainy type. Does she have a name?"

    "Dazzle," Spike said. "Adagio Dazzle. According to Order records, she died several years ago, but apparently the reports were wrong."

    "Huh. Does Seraph know she's gone rogue?"

    "Not as far as the Order was aware. Her last mission was a Burning Ground-style operation at Sire's Hollow, a fitting mission to disappear after."

    Starlight's eyes opened, startled and concerned. "A Burning Ground was done on Sire's Hollow? And the Order didn't tell me?"

    "Well, technically Seraph doesn't call it that but it's essentially the same thing..."

    "But the Order knew? Spike, Sire's Hollow was my hometown, my dad still lives there!" With a frustrated huff, she put a hand to her head. "Ugh... I'll have to figure that out later."

    "I can only imagine what Adagio would want with Twilight's friend..."

    "We'll catch them, don't worry."

    Down the street, Starlight could see Trixie's RV coming around the corner. 

    Hopefully they could somehow get a lead on where this Adagio went. 

-----

    The Castle of the Two Sisters had a strange set of thick, thorned vines around it's entrance that Twilight couldn't bypass. They must've appeared recently, as Celestia entered the castle presumably without problem. The vines were unnatural, magical in nature, something was causing them to be there. The walls themselves reached too high for her to jump or climb over, unless she wanted to cut herself up on the thorns of a vine. Maybe there was a way to get rid of them. 

    With the castle inaccessible for now, she took out her magic tracker, and found it pointing her back into the forest. She now walked a narrow path through the Everfree, heading deep into it to find what she hoped was the source of these vines. Through the thick trees surrounding her, they were present along the ground, popping up quite commonly, with many having strange pink flowers blooming from them. A calming scent permeated the air around the flowers, something Twilight figured to be some sort of suppressant they released. She kept herself alert despite the forced relaxation actively felt while breathing.

    Perhaps she needed to relax for a moment, to better think about what she was doing. Right now, the only thing that mattered was taking care of Nightmare Moon. If Celestia's words were true, the sword was not the last piece of the puzzle needed. So, Twilight decided to let the resentment towards her mentor go. Maybe she even needed to let her resentment towards Sunset go, too. Maybe she wasn't the only one who could deal with Nightmare Moon...

    She violently shook her head clear. What was she thinking? Of course was the only one that could deal with this, all of this was her fault, her responsibility-

    Wait, no- Her fault? It couldn't have been her fault, this was all going to happen anyway.

    "Rrhh!" Twilight let out a frustrated sound to nobody in particular. Her thought process had been altered, thanks to her Inner Demon. She couldn't hear her voice anymore, she thought for certain she had control over her. In the moment, it very much felt like she had control, it felt like she was commanding her own actions, but now... It was as if the foreign thoughts had silently merged into hers, rendering any separation of herself from her demon impossible. Her left hand tightened around the katana sheath it carried.

    She took another deep breath in, and felt another rush of relief set itself upon her. It was simultaneously welcomed and rejected. The aroma of the flowers quelled her inner turmoil, but she had no wish to be pacified. 

    As her mind was made to relax again, a disturbing theory crept into her mind. Maybe the voice in her head didn't just become her own, but instead it had always been her own. What if she was, and had always been, a demon? Any attempt to counter that thought was only suppressed by the now intrusive scent surrounding her. It wasn't a hypothesis she was willing to test, nor did she know what to do if it turned out to be true.

    The mere suggestion terrified her, but she couldn't shut her mind off to it. She'd already accepted her Inner Demon as a part of herself. She needed its power.

    'She needed its power.' There was that dependent line of thinking again, but the acquisition of power was what Twilight had sought from the beginning. Of course she needed her Inner Demon, its power was her power.

    And again, she was back at that disturbing possibility.

    Wanting something else to think about, she released her hold over the other demons in her head, those of Rarity and Applejack. The control was effortless once her own demon's presence left. The two had long since dropped their argument, and sounded quite concerned with the state Twilight was in.

    Are uh... Applejack's demon started. Are you gonna be okay, sugarcube?

    I don't know. Twilight replied. 

    Rarity's demon sounded very contemplative. Applejack and I took some time to think about it, and given everything that's just happened... I think it's best if we... all try to work together? At least for the moment. All of this fighting, it's... well, it's not doing us any favors.

    What do you care? Twilight asked. She knew Rarity's demon cared only for herself in the long run.

    If you die, I don't know what's going to happen to us. She replied. I know you don't exactly like us, but maybe we should set our differences aside for the moment?

    Wow, Rarity, Applejack's demon said. I didn't think I'd hear that from you.

    I don't trust either of you, but... Twilight thought about how easily she could suppress them now. If they tried anything, they would be at her mercy. I can benefit from you, so... perhaps we should cooperate.

    One thing, though. Applejack's demon continued with a question. When we're through with this, will you let us back to your pals? Y'know, where we belong?

    I... yes. Twilight nodded. I never meant to hurt them, but I thought...

    I know what you thought, but you've had a lot more to think about since then. 

    Yes. I have.

    There was a short moment of silence. Applejack's demon wasn't looking to hit her point home any more than she already had. She would break the silence though, as Twilight came to a clearing in the forest bordering a lake. It was instantly familiar, this place was once the site of a summer camp she went to in high school. The buildings in the area had been removed some time ago, save one, the two room log cabin that used to serve as the camp's main office. It'd been repurposed, serving as an outpost for a group of wildlife researchers.

    Looking out across the lake, Twilight saw a full view of Dark Sister's castle. She didn't realise how long she'd been walking, but she had come all the way around the lake without noticing it. It didn't feel like she'd been walking that long.

    So where are we going now? Applejack's demon asked. What are we doing back at Camp Everfree?

    One more Element of Harmony remains. Twilight said, taking out her magic tracker and activating it. It didn't point in a specific direction, though, instead, it flashed in all directions, unable to choose just one. And I'm certain that it's the cause of these vines.

    There was the sound of sudden movement near the treeline. Branches snapping, and feet stomping against the ground. Three large creatures jumped out, wolflike predators composed completely of wood, with desne leaf patches resembling fur, and greenish-yellow eyes that shined with an otherworldly light.

    Twilight's sword came out and cut through the first of three as it attempted to pounce on her. Once severed it broke apart, and the other two began to circle Twilight from either side. They wouldn't come at her though, instead, a set of the same thorny vines would shoot out from the ground just before the closest trees and attempt to wrap themselves around her. She cut through them as well, but more surfaced closer to her, forcing her to give up her position and retreat. 

    A backflip and a roll put enough distance between her and the emerging vines and surrounding wolves, but as she readied herself to fight again she heard something else shifting behind her. From the treeline in the other direction another figure came, walking slowly, and accompanied by another three of these wooden wolves. A woman approached, just shorter than Twilight with an all too familiar magical glow around her. With flowing, light pink hair and soft blue eyes, she looked at Twilight with hesitance and curiosity.

    What little clothes covered her were complicated crossings of what seemed to be green plant growth, decorated with flowers growing directly off of them. As she neared, Twilight saw that they were actually growing from her body, covering her chest and hips and spreading into thinner vines that covered her arms and legs. Getting a better look at her eyes, Twilight could confirm her suspicions. Her pupils were elongated slits; this woman was a demon, the demon of the only friend she hadn't dealt with yet.

    "Fluttershy." Twilight said. From the way she hesitantly approached, Twilight thought that her friend might've still had some control of herself, in the same way Applejack did. Normally, she was kind and compassionate with a timid heart, meaning she might be willing to let Twilight take her magic without a fight.

    "Is that you, Twilight?" The demon responded. Her voice, calm and sweet, carried an uncharacteristic sense of firmness to it. She didn't sound hostile, but Twilight wouldn't describe the tone as friendly, either. "Why have you come here?"

    "I need your magic to defeat Nightmare Moon," She replied. 

    "My magic is the magic of the forest itself," Fluttershy said, having her wolves step aside as she spoke. "It's not mine to give, nor is it yours to take."

    "There might not be an Everfree Forest if Nightmare Moon wins, Fluttershy, this is important."

    "I know what you've been doing, Twilight." Fluttershy looked away, sighing with a distraught look on her face. "You're stealing magic for your own ends."

    "It's not like that! At least... Not anymore, I mean-" Twilight could see Fluttershy very much did have control of herself, though she clearly stated her priorities. "I have to do this, Fluttershy. I'm trying to ask nicely."

    "It's not like I could stop other demons on my own, but... Oh..." Fluttershy paused, seemingly having a moment of uncertainty with herself. After a moment, her tone became much more cold and dark. Her soft, curious expression faded, replaced with one of harsh apathy. "No. No! You trespass in my forest expect me to hand over what isn't yours? I know where you've been, what you've done, and even as a friend I can't bring myself to care."

    Twilight sighed, shoving any regret she had to the back of her mind. Fluttershy's demon raised one of her hands, and pieces from the wooden wolf Twilight destroyed began to reassemble in it. The wood joined and reformed with itself, taking the shape of a long staff that she held behind her back, in line with her forearm. She now approached aggressively, calling upon the other wolves to join her.

    "No?" Twilight asked. "Not even for our friends?"

    "It's your fault our friends are even in danger to begin with," Fluttershy's demon replied, very plainly. More vines began to break through the ground at her feet, lifting her up above her minions and giving her a height advantage over Twilight. "I'd be doing them a favor to strike you down right now."

    Even if Fluttershy would compromise, it was obvious her demon was beginning to overtake her. Eying the wolves circling her, and looking up to the elevated demon, Twilight locked her sheath to the magnetic clip on her belt and took her sword in both hands.

    "I guess I gave you a chance..." 

    Her boots kicked off the ground as she leapt into the structure of vines Fluttershy's demon stood on, slicing them apart with her sword. Following the jump, Fluttershy's demon landed in front of Twilight, thrusting her staff downward and stopping her in her tracks. The edge of Twilight's katana struck against the solid wood, but even her enhanced blade couldn't cut through the enchanted wood.

    In quick, controlled motions, Fluttershy's demon whipped the other end of her staff around, using Twilight's blade as a point of leverage. As Twilight moved to block, one of the wolves ran in low to the ground and went for her legs. Turning her torso away from the main threat, Twilight cut into the wolf, then summoned Applejack's gauntlets to her, using the stony fists to punch it apart as it recoiled. 

    The staff's end suddenly drove itself into her cheek before Twilight could turn back to her, hitting her in the middle of her punch's recovery. Backing away, Twilight activated her Demon Reflex, but another of the wolves leapt in to intercept her before she could focus in on the forest's stern guardian. They were reduced to twigs, but as Twilight exited her Reflex Fluttershy's demon was right on top of her again. 

    She blocked two staff strikes off her sword, then one with the back of her gauntlets, but caught a blow right beneath her ribs, shoving her back and nearly knocking her over. The staff was longer than her sword, and she couldn't readily get within striking distance. 

    Sheathing her katana, she focused on Rarity's magic, summoning the long weaponized sewing needle to her. It wasn't as long as the staff, but it's point was much easier to direct than the katana's. When another wooden wolf closed in Twilight found it wasn't quite as suited for close combat either. Striking the wolf with the blunt side of the needle only knocked it off course, and she needed to pierce it through to take it out, an action that left her open for Fluttershy's demon to make another attack.

    "Look at you..." The demon said, scowling at her. "Using the magic of our friends to cause destruction! Did they willingly give it to you? Did they know what you'd do with it?"

    Twilight knocked the staff aside as it was thrust at her again, and followed up with a thrust of her own, puncturing the greenery covering the demon's body and drawing blood. Backing away in pain, she adjusted her stance and allowed her body to heal, both her skin and natural clothing reforming. 

    "They understand now, Fluttershy. We've come to an agreement!" Twilight said, keeping her needle in line with the demon's weapon.

    "Well, if you want mine, you'll have to take it!"

    Twilight let out a disappointed breath. It really was going to be like this.

    "So be it."

-----

    "Well, well... I didn't think I'd be seeing you two together."

    "Do you know who I am, Discord?"

    In the back hallway of the church, Selene and Sombra both stood before the petrified form of the Lord of Chaos. He was the one she initially came to see, the one who would know where the sword was. Seeing as Celestia had it now, Selene figured Discord could at least tell her where the old demon hunter was headed.

    "Why, of course." Discord paused, holding it out for just a moment too long. His eyes couldn't move, but Selene was certain she felt herself being closely scrutinized. "Time may have changed you, but I'm not as forgetful as you may think, dear. Tell me, what do you call yourself nowadays?"

    "Selene."

    "Ah. Of course. So... what brings you here? Surely, you haven't come around to the so-called truth of the Sister of Light."

    "The Platinum Knight. Where is she going?"

    "Oh, I'm sure you know the answer to that. She has her little sword, she's off to settle things with Nightmare Moon."

    "To the Dark Sister's castle?"

    "Mhmm... In fact, she should be already there now. All of those anchors around the city, they all relay back to the Everfree Forest, you know."

    Discord was surprisingly forthcoming with this information. Selene knew him to be tricksy and conniving, she was expecting him to answer with a cryptic riddle, at least. He followed through with a question.

    "You came here for the sword, but missed it. So what's next for you?"

    Selene thought about that. Being separated from Twilight and having Celestia in the picture complicated things. Skilled as Celestia was, facing a demon like Nightmare Moon at the apex of their power after just coming out of retirement was a huge risk.

    "Nightmare Moon has become far too powerful. The Platinum Knight won't be able to stop her this time, but..."

    "But your plan to send her student in to fight her fell through."

    "Yes. I suppose it did."

    Selene was silent at that. She felt her skin crawl as she gradually came to the realisation that Discord was aware of her intentions. How much more did he know?

    "Your little mistake may be the end of them, you know. The end of you, too."

    Her little mistake. She asked if he knew who she was, but that statement suggested he knew more than her identity. He knew her intentions as well. Truly, to how much more was he privy?

    "Perhaps I should address that, then."

    "Facing Nightmare Moon, you mean? Just you and your untrusty steed?" Discord asked, talking with a tone of feigned concern. "You wouldn't stand a chance. At least, not without help."

    "What, are you volunteering to assist me?"

    "I don't do volunteer work, sweetie. But, I'm certainly more of a threat than shadow boy over there."

    Sombra glared at the statue, baring his fangs in clear resentment of the comment.

    "Also, if you want to get there some time today, you'll need someone to activate that anchor for you... Which, I can. Sombra can't, he'd have to haul you all the way out there on his back."

    "You're offering to help..." Selene began. His assistance would be useful. However, Discord never acted out of generosity, rather, he was motivated purely by his own interests. He was like Sombra in that regard, only he talked more. "But at what cost from me?"

    "Simple. Get me out of this skin tight sarcophagus! I can't do anything in this form anyway, so if you want my help..."

    "How do you think I could set you free?"

    "Oh, easy, you'd just need something else to bind me to, say... oh, I dunno, a magical amulet?"

    An amulet? Selene took her surprise in through a controlled breath. He was referring to a specific item on her person that she purposefully kept hidden. Could he really possibly have known about that? She sighed internally. Yes, of course he knew. What didn't he know?

    "You'd have to bind Sombra to something to get him to follow anything other than his own foolish ambitions," he said, enjoying the look of quiet bewilderment on Selene's face. "And 'enchanted jewelry' is a recurring theme with you demon hunters."

    Reaching beneath the ruffled breast of her top, she felt for an item suspended from a thin chain around her neck. It was a silver, metal amulet in the shape of a crescent moon, with a blue gem placed in the centerpoint of its two curves. This amulet was intended to contain the power of a demon, and though it currently held Sombra's within it, it had plenty of space for another.

    "Binding you to my command would only restrain you further. What do you have to gain from that?"

    "I have interest in seeing Nightmare Moon defeated too, you know. The deal is this: I give you my aid for the duration of this little adventure, and you release me when our business is through."

    While bound to her, he could be controlled, but fully releasing Discord was dangerous, and she didn't trust his intentions for a single moment. She would need his help, especially if he could activate the demon anchor to bring them straight to the Everfree. Perhaps there would be a way for her to subvert her end of this bargain. He most certainly would have this rigged on his end somehow.

    "Very well." Selene said, after a moment of thought. Sombra gave a small sound of disbelief and looked at her quizzically, but she wouldn't notice or respond. She held the amulet out towards Discord, invoking its power, causing both it and the surface of his body to glow a dark blue. Cracks formed in the stone, shooting up the surface of his body until the colored light burst from them. Shortly after, the lifeless depiction of the demon was blasted apart from the inside, scattering bits of it across the room as it was replaced by the furry, feathered, and scaly grab bag of living, breathing creature parts that was the Lord of Chaos.

    The glow surrounding him was drained away into the moon amulet, which flashed once in its blue color as the binding process completed. There was a moment of Selene just watching him, unsure of what his first actions would be now that he was free of his confinement. 

    He blinked, and then his face contorted, following an entire uncoiling of his curved, serpentlike body.

    "Ooooh!" He exclaimed, shifting his shoulders and stretching out his legs as far as they would go, bending back much further than a creature's spine should've been able to bend. Crisp popping sounds could be heard throughout his body, slightly startling Selene, and continued on as he flexed his claws, paws, wings and tail. More internal cracking sounded off as he bent everything back in the opposite direction, this time curling impossibly inward on himself to elicit as many more pops as he could. 

    While Selene was trying to process what exactly he was doing, he would finish it up and give sufficient explanation.

    "Goodness, you have no idea how much I needed a good stretch after fifteen hundred years of holding that pose and that pose only!" With a pleased sound of relief, he gave his shoulders another roll. "Stiff as a statue, I was. Whew!" 

    He relaxed, and his body fell back into its twisted, curved shape, and an oddly content smile would fall on his face as he looked down to Selene. With his body slightly curled like it was, he was at least two feet taller than her, but the dimensions of his body often fluctuated. He didn't go out of his way to ensure his body length ever stayed consistent.

    "I can only imagine," Selene replied. "Are you ready to go?"

    "Yes, yes, let's get on with- Ooh! What's this?" Dropping his dismissive tone for immediate curiosity, he floated himself towards Selene without any part of his body touching the ground. As part of his strange, levitating locomotion, he partially wrapped around her, eyeing rifle on her back, particularly the curved piece of blade fixed to the end of it. "Is this what I think it is?"

    He poked at it, getting a vaguely magical glow to become apparent around it, but Selene turned and gave him a nasty glare, one that clearly conveyed that she wouldn't be answering that question.

    "O-kaay!" He recoiled, unwinding from her and making sure he was floating at a respectable distance. "We can save questions for later." 

    "Good. I won't hesitate to stick you through with it if you become too bothersome."

    "Mhmm," Discord replied, smiling at the threat. "Understood."

    Sombra gave their new party member a distrustful look, and as Selene led them out through the church's main hall, he would stay in the back of the group and continue to keep an eye on Discord. He was not at all pleased with this choice.

    As she walked, Selene adjusted the rifle strap over her shoulder and pulled out her leather-bound book, flipping through it and reading through the writing within. It would have most of her attention as they walked through the center aisle, out the doorway, and into the main entryway. The words were ones she knew very dearly, the sentiments they carried an affirming comfort in dark times, the illustrative metaphor through meter a release for a troubled mind. As she read over them, internalizing their meaningful reminders of hope, she let a soft smile show through. 

    "What's that, a storybook?" Discord's voice, dead set on being a nuisance, was enough to take that smile from her.

    "A journal. Of poetry, mostly." She flipped a page. "Some self-written, some not."

    "Poetry? What good is that going to do us now?"

    "Just something to keep my spirit up. To lighten my mood."

    "Read me something then."

    "What?" Was he being serious, or was he just trying to further annoy her. She actually didn't mind reading aloud, but if he wasn't being genuine...

    "I'm in a bit of a bad mood myself. Read me something."

    It seemed reasonable, unlike his insistence of poking through her past. She turned her pages back, finding a short passage, and began to read.

    "And you need not fear, there's no need for tears
    I will take all your sorrow to keep
    And all good that it mine, I'll share with you, dear
    I'll hold you, and sing you to sleep.

    Though life leaves us hurt, and strife's like a curtain
    That cloaks how we feel deep inside
    We're in this together, I say this for certain
    In me, you can always confide.

    And eventually, things will be right."

    Discord smirked, not fully expecting Selene to oblige. 

    "It's very... touching, I suppose," he said. "Who wrote it?"

    "My sister." She didn't realize at first, but saying the words made her heart feel heavy. Her expression fell noticeably, something Discord picked up on, and surprisingly... he didn't press it.

    "Seems like a touchy subject," he said. "I'd rather skip the water show."

    "Indeed," Selene nodded, and just flipped back to where she was reading before.

    They exited the church, stepping into the parking lot. The anchor was there, but it was already glowing, activated from elsewhere. A portal was being opened, but not as an entryway. Something was stepping through, something huge, nearly the size of the spire. Another demon, this one a giant, four legged creature possessing the body of a horse and the torso of some kind of humanoid creature. Selene wanted to call him a centaur, a man-horse, but his skin was a dark, bloody red, and his facial features were very much like some sort of hellish bull. Two curved black horns sat just above down-folded ears, but a white, almost goat-like beard that ran the length of his chin and jaw. A black, sleeveless top covered his well-defined torso, whatever fabric mesh it was made of looking a bit too small for his wide chest and powerful arms.

    Blackened eyes scanned his surroundings, completely overlooking Selene and her companions as he drew his attention to the dark sky. The centaur's expression shifted to a grim kind of excitement, a malicious and evil relief. 

    "Finally... thousands of years of waiting, and I've finally gained enough power to escape my prison." His voice was deep, and his tone firm, even while talking to himself. "Now... To introduce this world to its rightful ruler."

    "Do know you have some competition." Selene took a few steps forward, looking up from her book for a moment. "With such plans world domination, The Sister of Darkness may want a word."

    "Eh?" The centaur turned his head around, surprised to hear someone else speaking. He squinted, the human addressing him a third his height and hard to identify at first, but upon seeing the demons following behind her he recognized all three of them right away. "Ah... so the band of the banished has come to challenge me?"

    Before she could reply, Discord leaned in close and hushedly spoke into her ear. "Are we really gonna mess with this guy?"

    "To 'root one weed is to 'root a thousand, lest we let our garden ruin."

Discord rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah..."

    "A traitor, a fool, and a broken king." The centaur addressed them in a calm yet threatening manner. Turning fully to them, he tensed his fists, rolling his head in a circle as he exhaled. "Three vessels of such powerful magic, dropped right into my lap. I will drain you dry, your power will make an excellent addition to my own."

    Selene gave a hint of a challenging smile. She shook her head, and her two demons spread out, readying themselves for battle.

    A subtle yet confident smile formed on Selene's lips. "Not in this lifetime."

    Between the centaur's horns, a sphere of orange magic formed, charging an attack. 

    "Lesser creatures..." he growled, raising his voice to a shout. "Bow before Lord Tirek!"

Looking down at her journal for a moment, she gave her response in meter.

"When power is sought, all trouble and woe come uncovered to find it,
    And all will be drowned and inevitably blinded..."

    Sombra  prowled outward, slowly approaching their new foe in a circular manner, while Discord lifted himself up above Selene, approaching the coming  fight from an elevated angle.

"Uh..." Discord looked down with  concern, as Selene didn't seem to be preparing herself to fight. "This isn't really the time for a reading!"

The centaur, this 'Lord Tirek', lowered his head, allowing his horns and the orb between them to  point fully forward, dragging one of his hooves along the ground in an  aggressive manner.

"Your strength measures not, when you are eternally destined to mind it..."

    Finally  looking up, Selene smiled in full anticipation for this battle. Her  tone was soft, but she read the selected piece with full intention of it  being a threat. Snapping the book shut with a single hand, she recited  the rest of the line from memory.

    "Without it, you're nothing, and will be reminded."
> 16- The Alignment of Intentions
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

    From a full run, Selene jumped.

    A beam of scorching yellow magic streaked into the parking lot, vaporizing the pavement as it swept across at her. 

    Just as her feet hit the ground, Sombra appeared at her feet, grabbing her and scooting out of the range of the rest of the attack.

    Energy still glowing between his horns, Tirek angrily stomped a hoof and loudly voiced his anger.

    "Stay still!"

    Charging in close, he came at Selene fast with an arm held low, but she jumped up again. Reaching into the sky, Discord appeared above her, grabbing her arm and floating her safely up over his attack, where she began to fire her two pistols into his side. The damage was hardly effective, more just mildly irritating than anything else, but he whipped around and closed in on her again. She was controlling the demons, if she fell, the others would follow. 

    But as he stomped his front hooves down, aiming to knock her over with the shockwave, he found her mounting Sombra again and zipping out of his reach. Another energy beam charged up, and this time he directed it behind her, drawing a semicircle in which to keep her contained as it fired. As she evaded, he quickly charged in, tossing a punch aimed directly where she was jumping.

    His fist came in, but she slipped out of the way again, causing him to crash right through the front wall of the church, taking most of it down, door and all, while tripping over himself in the process. He just barely stood comfortably in the entryway, and in this, Selene saw a means to get the upper hand.

    "Discord, get his attention, I'll try to get behind him."

    "Uh, yeah, alright!" Selene rode Sombra off down the entry hall, while Discord stood his own.

    Tirek was now eyeing him, getting ready for another charge attack.

    "Alright, tough guy..." Discord said, mostly to himself, "Let's see how tough you are."

    In a single claw, Discord summoned to himself a mystical and ornate looking bow made of silvery green metal and with intricate decoration engraved into it. In his other paw, he summoned three long, rugged looking missiles, grinning deviously as he balanced all three onto the string and drew them back. As he loosed them, they somehow ignited and rocketed straight towards their target, flying in a brilliant spiraling pattern and creating a huge cloud of smoke as Tirek ran right into them. 

    Coughing, Tirek slowed his momentum, sliding to a stop as he cleared his eyes of the cloud, and by that time, Discord had already relocated out of the way behind him.

    "Coward!" Tirek looked over his shoulder. "You're weak, Discord. Lord of Chaos? You're nothing more than a court jester!"

    "Well keep laughing!" Discord readied another three missiles onto his bow. 

    He swung his horns back and forth, lasering up into the ceiling twice and cleanly cutting a huge chunk of it down. Looking up, Discord quickly backed away, lowering his shot for just a moment. As the ceiling crashed into the floor, Tirek was plowing straight through it, taking Discord off guard and actively launching him back.

    Mid-flight, Discord relocated himself again, reappearing higher up against the back wall, and letting off another volley of missiles from his bow. As the missiles struck Tirek held his arms up, covering his face and firing through the smoke in a vertical line, slicing right through the wall to Discord's back. To evade, Discord flew in a tight circle around the magic beam, putting three more spiraling rockets on his face and effectively knocking him into a daze.

    Flying in close, Discord put his bow away and took hold of both of his horns. Just as he came out of his stunned state, Discord changed the direction of their relative gravity to the way they were facing and they both fell straight towards the weakened section of wall. He would've much preferred to change everyone's gravity, but his magic was in a weakened state, and also had a limit while bound to Selene's amulet. The local gravity change worked just fine, as it resulted in the entire world shifting ninety degrees, and him being able to slam Tirek headfirst through the entire wall with minimal effort. The result as he let go of him was quite amusing, as he crashed ungracefully onto the floor of the main assembly hall face first and slid quite a humiliating distance.

    "Oops," Discord brushed off his paw and claw on each other, looking to be satisfied with his work. "Did I do that?"

    Standing again, he let out an enraged roar, loud enough to crumble the already damaged roof. 

    "Worthless creatures! Your magic is mine!" Extending a hand, another orange orb formed, shooting off in Discord's direction. He flew out of the way, but by shifting his hand, the orb followed Tirek's direction, and the draconequus was ultimately caught inside of it. 

    A larger, more powerful bullet would strike the back of Tirek's head, as Selene climbed atop the horizontally bisected statue of the Sister of Light and took a shot at him with her anti-tank rifle. He swayed, looking as though someone had tossed a brick at him, and his hold over Discord broke.

    "Sombra, slice him!" Selene called out, prompting Discord to relocate to her side. 

    "Thanks for the save," he said. 

    "No problem. Attack him from here, if you will."

    "Yeah, yeah." 

    The shadow unicorn slid down beneath the centaur, shooting his body up as a single, curved spike as he glided across the surface of the floor. Tirek tensed up at the unexpected cut, and stomped directly down on Sombra, knocking him out of the floor and startling him still. His hoof lifted again, but as he stomped down a second time Sombra morphed into a mass of long spikes, punching straight through the hoof and painfully jabbing into Tirek's leg. 

    As he recoiled, Discord summoned another device to him, this time a comically large machine gun mounted on a little sandbag setup just before the statue, operated by a clone of himself wearing a olive green army helmet. The original Discord also donned an identical helmet, and loaded a belt of ammunition into the gun, looking at Tirek through a little pair of binoculars and nodding to his clone.

    "Light him up."

    The clone nodded back, and Discord then played the very important role of holding up the machine gun belt as it ripped through the rounds, making the sound of a buzzsaw as an obscene number of bullets began pelting their oversized target. The Discord Gunner was lifted up off the ground as he held tight onto the trigger with a claw, and held his helmet to his head with a paw. 

    Defensively holding out his hands, Tirek buckled under the endless gunfire, but found a fast defense. He took up the statue's giant sword, long since fallen to the ground, and held it protectively in front of his body. The bullets deflected off of the hard stone blade, and behind it, Tirek charged up a magic beam that ended Discord's little gun emplacement the moment he moved the sword to let it off. The clone, the gun, and the sandbags poofed into nothingness as Discord dove away to safety. 

    Tirek felt something land on the back of his horse half, and then suddenly reared back as Sombra's body turned into sharp, jagged crystals that stuck deep into him. Reaching behind him, he grabbed the unicorn demon and squeezed him tight in his hand, but his face distorted, his horn growing until it covered all of it, and shot straight out into Tirek's cheek. Sombra was thrown down, and splashed on the floor into his darkness as normal, but a victorious grin was on his face as he did.

    Together, they were wearing him down, but it'd be up to Selene to deliver the killing blow. At the end of the center aisle, she slid out, firing her burst pistol to get his attention. At the front of the aisle, Tirek fired a magic burst at her, sending it up all the way up to the ceiling and bringing solid chunks of it down. With Sombra's help, Selene weaved around these falling pieces, jumping off of him and kicking off a piece of rubble as Tirek brought the statue's sword edge down to crush her. 

    The heavy weapon split the floor apart, and Selene landed right on the edge, running up it and firing her guns as she approached its crossguard. 

    "Discord!" She called, hiking her foot up on the very tip of the guard and pushing up, putting herself in the air, halfway to Tirek's eye level. 

    "I'm coming, geez!" He relocated right above her, catching her hand and tossing her up higher with a flap of his wings.

    The orb between Tirek's horns lit up brightly again as Selene dove towards him, now holding her bladed rifle out forward. Landing with one foot on each of his shoulders, Selene's rifle blade punched right into his forehead, one hand bracing the barrel, and the other pushing on the stock. As he wailed in defeat the orange charge of magic let loose into the ceiling right above him, and the blade that pierced him lit up in a brilliant deep blue. It burned at him, seemingly disintegrating him in his place.

    "Forfeit your power, run off in shame
    Be stripped clean of all that you have but your name!"

    Quickly, his entire body began to burn, engulfed in the same deep blue light, until he was slowly disintegrating into smoky dust.

    "Not like this, not like this!" He cried, flailing about as he burned up, and the ceiling began to fall in on him. Selene kicked off of him, pulling her blade free as he became too weak to resist the collapsing roof. He tried to push himself free, but the blade of Selene's weapon still stung even as it was pulled out of him. Falling to a kneel, he just barely supported himself with his hands as all four of his legs gave out.

    Selene smiled, looking up at the once intimidating foe, now kneeling before her. Looking to Discord, she nodded in Tirek's direction.

    "You've been of excellent help," Selene said. "Would you like the honor of finishing him?"

    A wide grin crossed his face. "With pleasure."

    Next thing she knew, Discord was wearing a baseball uniform, with a batter's helmet over his head, and slinging a ridiculously huge bat over his shoulder. Stepping right up to Tirek's dazed face he moved the bat in a circle behind him, generating more and more energy as he wound it up.

    "No..." Tirek's eyes opened for just long enough to register what was happening.

    The deep, instantly recognizable sound of an upbeat organ tune would sound from somewhere imperceptible as Discord spun the bat up. The music built, ascending in tone and becoming faster in time with the bat as it wound so fast it became a blur. Selene's amulet resonated with the intensity, as his power was bound to it. Discord was putting all of his energy into this one single strike.  

    As the music reached its peak, he twisted his entire body forward, finally swinging the bat around and smacking the power-crazed centaur square in the nose.

    "NOOOOO-"

    Thwack!

    "-OOooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!......."

    With the volume and intensity of a gunshot, Tirek rocketed out of the main hall with an unbelievable velocity, back through the entryway, and up through what was left of the ceiling. His howl of defeat would grow quieter and quieter as he made his untimely exit, ultimately disappearing into the dark sky. 

    "Aaaaaaand he's outta here!" 

    The sound of roaring cheers and applause would come from absolutely nowhere, causing Selene another bout of Discord-induced confusion. Hesitantly, she joined in the applause, warranting an unamused glare from Sombra. A sharp, appreciative whistling came from right behind Selene, and when she turned she saw Discord there, out of the baseball clothes and without the bat. Looking back to where Tirek was, there was nothing. The applause stopped, everything was silent.

    Looking very pleased with himself, Discord again let his face fall to a content smile. "Oh, that felt great."

    "Did that kill him?"

    "Most definitely. When they're still alive they make a little gleam in the sky. If not, he'll eventually burn up after you stabbed him with the fragment of that Devil Sword. Anyway!" Discord pointed off towards the exit. "On we go, then?"

    "Indeed, to the Everfree Forest."

    Leaving the newly destroyed church of the Sister of Light behind them, the three approached the demon anchor. Discord snapped his talons, and they were taken away in a swirling purple vortex.

-----

    Twilight's hand firmly planted itself on the earth as she fell backwards. A smooth, massive plant stalk came from the ground beneath her, summoned by Fluttershy's demon in an attempt to flip her. Flip Twilight did, but upon successfully catching herself she sprung back up into the air, turning all the way back over to land on her feet.

    Fluttershy's demon balanced on the tip of the stalk, allowing its growth to push her forward as it curved in towards Twilight. Calling on Rarity's magic again, Twilight tossed out a set of oversized sewing pins, each one spearing through the stalk just behind the demon riding it. It was a calculated miss—each pin detonated in succession—blasting the length of the plant apart from the base up.

    Seeing the demon jumping for her from her perch, Twilight attempted to back up, but bumped into what still stood of another stalky growth she cut down a minute earlier. She was only now realising that the entire clearing they were fighting in was slowly becoming populated with the various plants Fluttershy was bringing forth to aid her. Short bushes came forth to slow Twilight's footsteps, vines threatened to constrict her body, and the forest demon herself relentlessly pressed the attack.

    Twilight slipped around the obstruction, avoiding a hit from the demon's solid wooden staff, and came back around the other side with Rarity's sewing needle ready. It stabbed in, but Fluttershy's demon redirected it off of the centerpoint of her staff and beat Twilight back. She adapted quickly though, switching to Applejack's gauntlets now that she had her in close range. Twilight's fists came out fast, and it was Fluttershy's turn to switch to defense. She sidestepped, avoiding the first two punches, but her staff caught the third hit right in the center, splitting the wood in two.

    Rather than retreat more, Fluttershy changed her grip on each piece of her weapon and wielded them as individual pieces. She stepped forward, dodging past another punch, and struck the two staff pieces against Twilight in a rapid flurry. Twilight's response was quick, deflecting the strikes off her gauntlets, and they continued their dance through the ever-changing battlefield.

    Sensing movement to her right, Twilight tilted her fist, activating her Demon Reflex and punching through another of Fluttershy's wooden wolves as it tried to sneak up on her. The demon backed off, watching as another threw itself onto Twilight's back, scratching into her and putting her into a tight spot. It too would be punched away, but in the time that took, Fluttershy's demon formed the broken wood around herself into a new staff, and summoned a set of vines from the ground to anchor Twilight's legs in place as she tossed the wolf off of her.

    Her legs were pulled tight, but Twilight didn't panic. She braced herself, switched back to her needle, and watched intently as Fluttershy charged in with her renewed staff. It came at her in an overhead arc, and so Twilight held the needle up at an angle, barring the attack off one hand, and just as the two weapons collided, she gripped the handle of her katana with the other.

    With a flick of her wrist and a slide of her thumb, Twilight painted the grass with demon blood. Her blade was drawn, held out to her side, and a long cut had been made into Fluttershy's middle. The demon froze, the attack stunning her, and Twilight made a follow up cut, slicing upwards along her chest. Kicking her feet free from the vines, Twilight activated her magic tracker, and shoved it against the opening in Fluttershy's torso. In a yellow and black swirl, Fluttershy's magic was pulled away, out of her body and into containment, reverting her back to the gentle and kind wildlife researcher she knew her to be.

    As the magic left her, all of the summoned plant life surrounding them shrunk back into the ground, leaving the clearing mostly undisturbed. The thorny, flowered vines began to retract as well, though, not completely. Very suddenly, the fight was over, leaving Twilight standing in front of a tired and disappointed Fluttershy. As she came out of her demon form, her clothes reformed into a plain set of hiking clothes, and she was entirely unharmed. Backing away from Twilight, she crossed her arms low and tucked them into her sides, and looked away with uncertainty.

    "I... I'm sorry. I guess you're really the only one that could've saved us anyway, huh?"

    Twilight nodded. "I didn't mean to hurt you."

    "I know. I just... The forest's magic is important to us. Me, and my demon. We agreed to keep it safe, but... if you need it... Please take care of it."

    "I will, I promise." Twilight's eyes fell away from her friend as well. The weight of having to take from the rest of her friends began to hit her, and she really wondered whether or not she was doing the right thing...

    But... she was going to be the one to defeat the Sister of Darkness, right?    

    No. She was doing what she had to, regardless of the morality. Even if she was wrong... There was no going back. If she gave up the magic she'd taken, there'd be no chance of stopping Nightmare Moon. The Elements, all together, were the key. Now all she needed to find was Sunset, get the last two from her, and she'd have her complete set. She was close.

    Fluttershy sighed, and gave a supportive yet sad smile. "I'll just stay here then. Good luck."

    She turned, and began to walk back towards the cabin on the other end of the clearing, and Twilight just watched. Fluttershy's magic was a unique case, as it manifested in part due to events that happened in this very forest. Her magic, and subsequently, her demon, was an extension of nature, very fitting for someone who already was in tune with it to begin with. Twilight didn't know how well Fluttershy could control her demon, but by the way she talked, it seemed like they had found some sort of compromise. Applejack had done it too, but could Twilight really do the same?

    Turning back to the lake, Twilight gazed at the castle in the distance. It was time to make her way back to it, and see about getting inside. If the vines blocking the door hadn't moved already, she should be able to move them with Fluttershy's magic.

    That was that, then. 

    She began to walk off in the direction she came, wishing she had more to say.

    A scream broke Twilight from her thoughts, and turning she saw a metal cable firing from the treeline near the cabin outpost, wrapping around an unsuspecting Fluttershy. Before Twilight could run to her, she was dragged off, two figures behind the trees taking off with her as a captive. 

    Immediately worried for her friend, Twilight ran after her captors, jumping up and summoning her hoverboard beneath her feet to catch up. Unfortunately, once she broke through the treeline it became difficult to maneuver her board through the forest. It collided with an uneven tree root and she tripped off of it, but caught herself quickly enough to continue chasing them on foot.

    She was closing in. As they darted past the trees, she tried to get a better glimpse of who she was dealing with here.

    They wore grey, armored uniforms and smooth, face concealing masks, not immediately identifiable, but visibly prepared for combat. The one not carrying Fluttershy turned to face Twilight as she approached, raising a short rifle and firing a few shots off while backpedaling. Dodging the bullets was easy, and as she did she took her magic detector tightly in her hand and absorbed Fluttershy's magic into her. Without a word of resistance from the demon, Twilight summoned the magic, forming the solid wooden staff and going straight in for the new enemy.

    The staff slammed one of the attackers, a woman with a ponytail hanging from behind her mask, straight into the ground. Twilight pressed it hard against the woman's chest, summoned up vines to keep her held down, then struck hard against her helmet to knock her out.

    Before she continued her pursuit, she noticed the markings on the woman's uniform, reading it off with little surprise.

    "Seraph."

-----

    As soon as consciousness returned to him, Flash immediately bolted to a sitting position and took in his surroundings. He was moving. He was still on the RV's couch, laying on a towel, but... he was out of his uniform, wearing instead a dark blue t-shirt, and all of the cuts and holes made in him from the day had largely been closed up. Everything was still sore and painful, but far less than it was, and more importantly, he wasn't bleeding all over himself. 

    Starlight sat on the couch across from him, noticing the sudden movement.

    "Hey, take it easy," she said.

    Flash blinked. His head still felt fuzzy from before, even as he adjusted to a more comfortable position. "What happened?"

    "Sunburst put you back together the best he could. You'll be okay, but you probably should rest some more."

    The bandages over his arms had been removed, and it seemed like his skin had been partially healed with red scarred areas of skin covering where open wounds used to be. Similar spots were present on his torso, where the knife cuts had been made. 

    "What... How?" 

    "Regeneration technology and a lot of patience." Sunburst came from the back of the RV, answering Flash's question as he joined them. "It's not perfect, but it can help heal skin and other organ damage with enough time. It's gonna hurt for a while."

    "Yeah, that's about been my day." Flash looked out the window, seeing a whole lot of nothing but open fields and trees outside of a long stretch of road. The sky was clear here, surprisingly. "Where are we?"

    "Leaving Canterlot City," Sunburst said. "Heading to the Everfree Forest. Starlight has been ordered to capture Twilight Sparkle and deal with Nightmare Moon."

    "So Twilight's connected to this?"

    "Unfortunately," she said, unexcitedly. "Where's your friend? The SWAT captain?"

    "Spitfire..." Flash's mind went numb for a moment, recalling the horrid image of holding her lifeless body. "She didn't make it out."

    "Oh..." Starlight saw the intense look of loss on his face, and understood. "I'm sorry."

    He shoved that feeling aside. There was more to be done at the moment. "Adagio. I need to figure out where she went."

    "About that," Sunburst said, "That hard drive you had in your bag, I had a look at it... where did you find it?"

    Flash quickly searched his memories for the source. Rainbow gave it to him, and she grabbed it from the station's SRAPH offices. Sparrowhawk was transferring data from it. Subconsciously, he had intended to give it Sunburst anyway.

    "In the station. The other agents were trying to get something off of it, I'm not sure what."

    "The most recently accessed files on it were security codes to an abandoned SRAPH research lab somewhere out in Everfree Forest. It sounds like that's where your agents might be headed."

    An abandoned lab, huh? Flash didn't like the sound of that. "Was there an exact location on it?"

    "Probably. I can look at the drive again..."

    Spike, laying on the floor behind Trixie's seat, raised his head, looking very alert. "I just received a transmission from Twilight. She's found the lab you mentioned... They've captured Fluttershy! She's tracking down her captors, and I have immediate orders to disregard previous commands and regroup with her."

    Flash and Starlight looked at each other, then to Spike. 

    "Can you get us a location?" Starlight asked. "She and I have business to settle."

    "I'll lead you when we're close."

    Trixie, up at the front of the RV, turned her head back to address their planning. "We've still got like, an hour before we get there. Maybe you can relax for a bit?"

    Flash stood up, ignoring the slight dizziness he still had. "I want to at least get geared up again."

    "Your guns and radio are in the back, but your uniform was mostly unsalvageable," Sunburst said. "I'm not about to send you out there like that though. Let's see what we have."

-----

    With no uniform available, Flash was given a brown, padded leather jacket from Starlight to go over his shirt. His cargo pants were torn in places, but they were still intact, and he could still get his pistol holster and storage pouches on his belt. The sling that held his knife and radio had to be lowered as his jacket got in the way of that, but he was otherwise ready for action again. Or at least, ready enough.

    Sunburst had a small reserve of SRAPH used ammunition on hand that he gladly let Flash take, giving him three more magazines for his handgun, and two for the machine gun. He was also given an injector full of whatever it was Sunburst had used to heal him, just in case he got hurt again. One shot was all he could spare, but it would apparently simulate the same recovery effect Starlight's body had. 

    Soon enough, they were driving along through a barely defined dirt road that ran through the forest, and pulling up to a clearing with a view of the castle from across the lake.

    "I'm just gonna park it here," Trixie said, picking a spot by the edge of the water to stop the RV. "This forest is getting a bit spooky..."

    "The last location I got from Twilight was a bit west of here," Spike said. He, Starlight, and Flash were all getting ready to head out, and Flash in particular felt a bit anxious looking up at the castle. Even without any abilities or demonic connections, he could tell that it was the center of all of this destruction. 

    Opening up the RV's door, Starlight stepped out first, taking note that the dirt and grass looked displaced and disturbed. There were shallow holes in some areas, and piles of dirt in others.

    "This was probably her," Starlight said. "Hopefully we're not too far behind."

    Swallowing his uncertainty, Flash stepped out of the vehicle too. It was easier to stand, walk, and move, all things appreciated, but he hoped he'd be able to keep himself this way. Only a few hours ago he was clinging to what was left of his life, and he knew how quickly he could be reduced to that again. 

    Spike crawled out of the RV after them, and after a moment of surveying the area, he pointed his entire body in a single direction. 

    "Good luck, you guys!" Sunburst said, watching them follow Spike into the trees.

    From an open window, Trixie added in. "Yeah, and don't go getting yourselves killed again! This is a motorhome, not an ambulance."

    Looking back, Flash smiled, but he knew he was going right back into the fire. Dead or alive, he was determined to see this through to this end. 

-----

    Sunset stirred, lazily opening her eyes to see the Castle of the Two Sisters above her. 

    "Ooh..." She sighed, and took a minute, letting her head fall back against whatever it was she was sprawled out on. 

    After a few minutes of just laying there, Sunset cleared her eyes out and reached into her pocket. There was a single lollipop left. Excellent. Unwrapping it, it went into her mouth, and feeling the delicious motivation on her tongue, she jumped up to her feet. Straightening out her hair, she brushed the dirt off of her rough, yellow coat and took a look around. She knew where she was, approximately. This was the Everfree Forest, but... there was this giant castle here now too. Her last memories awake involved getting beaten into submission by Nightmare Moon, she supposed that this was her castle.

    "Roll call," she said, shaking off any tiredness or pain, and spoke to her demons. "You two still with me?"

    Yep! Pinkie's demon said. 

    I'm here, are you okay? Rainbow's asked. How long have we been out?

    "Dunno, but sure hope that Miss Demon Queen hasn't started the party without us." Sunset's eyes impatiently swept across the ground surrounding her. She couldn't find her sword. Her pistols were still in their place, but her primary melee weapon was nowhere to be found. That wouldn't do.

    "I'm gonna need to get my sword back first, though."

    I think I saw it land over that wall. Pinkie said. 

    "No problem, then." Sunset said. The stone exterior wall stood taller than she could scale, but walking around the outside led her to a tall wooden door on the side of it. Some strange vines ran along the floor and into the door, but they didn't give much resistance, seeming to shrink out of the way as Sunset pulled on it.

    She entered into an open courtyard with a smaller entrance to the castle's tall center tower on the far side, but lying on the ground at the end of a tiled path was her blade. Strangely, nothing had yet attacked her, she was at least expecting some small guys to show up somewhere, but she was able to just walk over to her sword and pick it up with no problems.

    It went over her back, and she looked up at the castle's center tower. Above it, the dark clouds formed a ring shape, and Sunset felt the beginnings of light rain falling from them. Not just that though, from around the edge of the castle a huge, dark red and orange mass flew towards her. As it neared, she saw that it was mostly wings, huge wings that belonged to a gigantic, majestic bird of some kind. The bird landed on the outer wall, its talons tightly gripping the stone, and its beaked face looked down at Sunset threateningly. From its mouth, it released a jet of flame into the sky as a display of its power.

    "You!" A loud, ethereal female voice echoed from the firebird's mouth. "Your scent is familiar..."

    "I really need another shower, don't I?"

    The firebird paid no attention to her remark, instead, she asked a question. "Are you the human, the child of Celestia, that has come to face the Sister of Darkness?"

    Drawing her pistols and giving them a twirl, Sunset hopped in place from one foot to the other, psyching herself up for a fight so quickly after waking up. She was good, she had this, she was ready.

    "Flock off, featherface!" she shouted, giving a cocky, challenging look and raising both of her guns towards the winged beast. "Unless you want to come closer and find out for yourself!"

    "It's the only way to be sure!" The firebird spread her wings out, igniting them in flames, and then dove in to attack.
> 17- The Weight of Regret
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

    A small, strange bunker stood out in the Everfree Forest, concealed by trees and other naturally growing plant life, none of it the magical variety Twilight had come to expect. It was just one room; one room with an elevator lift behind a sealed door. Down it one would find the entrance to a secret SRAPH research facility, indicated SRAPH by the insignia written inside the lift and implied secret by the fact that it was underground.

    More sealed doors would lead inside, where smooth, clean, blue-ish grey corridors led to various parts of the facility, but the primary path leading straight across its length.

    It was here that Twilight chased the SRAPH agent that carried Fluttershy away, slicing through the bulky, sealed doors with her ignited katana as they locked in her face in an attempt to slow her down. The elevator platform sped down at an angle, carrying the soon-to-be diced sack of meat and the struggling, bound Fluttershy away from her. Not wanting to waste time waiting for the lift to return, Twilight mounted her hoverboard and jumped into the open shaft, grinding down the lift's central guide rail. 

    She accelerated faster than the lift, and soon the facility's entrance was in sight. The lift lacked a roof, and so the agent could shoot at her as she came down, but Twilight deflected the bullets as she slowed herself. She was coming in too fast, she wanted to land on the platform, not crash into it.

    It shifted direction, stopping moving downward and beginning to move across to the facility's entrance where it connected to it just as Twilight made contact, rolling off her board and coming back up just in time to see the agent tearing through the next set of sealing doors. This time though, an entire squad of agents were waiting behind them; all women in similar grey combat suits, faces concealed, and wielding rifles. As soon as the door opened, she had half a dozen guns trained on her.

    One of the agents gave a warning, identifying themselves. "Siren Division, stand down!"

    Siren Division. Twilight knew the name—they were an elite SRAPH task force that was formally shut down three years ago. These ones were either still operating in secret, or had defected all together. It didn't matter. Regardless of how good they were, Twilight was better.

    The moment Twilight made a move toward them, the agents unleashed a barrage of bullets that she had no problem deflecting or dodging. Her momentum was slowed, yes, but still she moved gracefully, cutting straight through the first's armor with her still ignited katana blade while immediately drawing one of her pistols to blast another, smashing in a third's helmet after switching to her enchanted quarterstaff and tripping a fourth up at the knees to then switch weapons again, jabbing them both with a multitude of her explosive sewing pins. 

    Another weapon switch. Her demonic stone gauntlets hit hard enough to make their armor useless, knocking the last one up against the wall and, pistol still in hand, shooting her down as she recoiled from the hit. As the two with pins in them managed to stand up and fight again, Twilight simply clapped her hands. With a small smoke cloud, the pins promptly detonated and blew the last two agents back across the hall.

    There was little time for her stop. She followed the chase down the main pathway, making a mess of any others that got in her way while only slowing gradually. Her target slipped away through another sliding, sealed door; one leading to an area marked "TESTING-MAIN".

    Focusing, Twilight activated her Demon Reflex, decreasing the time it'd take to get to the door before it shut completely. From her perspective, the two halves slowly rejoined each other from either side, and Twilight had just enough room to slip through as they slammed shut behind her. 

     On the other side, she found herself in a wide, square room with another door across from her, and five, clear paneled, human sized restraining pods, four of which holding one of her unconscious friends in a half ring around the center. A fifth would join them as a woman in a black leather trench coat with curled orange hair and long, streamlined sunglasses took Fluttershy from the agent, somehow pacifying her struggling and rendering her unconscious, then strapped her into the last pod.

    Twilight looked on in shock. This woman had all of her friends? She took a step in to intervene, but immediately sensed a piece of hot lead twirling towards her. Stepping in time with the crack of a rifle shot she literally dodged a bullet, identifying a sniper with a blue ponytail to the left of the circle of pods hiding behind a set of worktables with various devices strung across them. Facing the threat, Twilight felt another movement behind her following three rounds going through her back without an accompanying gunshot. Spinning again, she saw another purple haired agent with a suppressed pistol rushing her from the other side of the room, hiding behind various heavy machinery there. 

    She readied her katana to strike, but another sniper shot behind her corresponded with a pain shooting through her hand and causing her to drop the sword, resulting in the closer agent moving in and landing a solid punch on her jaw, then shooting through her again. Twilight brought her pistols up, but the agent vanished as she tried to line up a shot. Moving in behind her was the sniper firing a different weapon from her wrist as Twilight took her katana back up. A small, pronged cable stuck into her arm, and instantly recognizing what it was, she yanked it out of herself, then yanked it again, pulling and dragging the sniper to the floor. 

    Closing in on her, she found the stealthed agent reappearing and firing at her from behind, giving the sniper time to get back up and get another line on her. With her sword out, Twilight backed away, eyeing both of them as they closed around her. They thought they actually had her surrounded? Funny.

    "Sonata, Aria, that's enough," the woman in the center of the room said. "You don't need to put yourself at risk for my sake..."

    "She's gonna kill us, Adagio," the stealth agent said, in a dry, irritated way.

    "She already killed all of Alpha squad!" the sniper added, in a much more passionately annoyed tone.

    The one grey armored Siren agent near their leader, the one that delivered Fluttershy, also closed in, but didn't have anything to say.

    "We don't have to fight, you know..." Adagio said. "I think we can be of help to each other, actually. I'm Adagio Dazzle, head of the now defunct SRAPH Siren unit."

    Twilight turned. "What do you want with my friends?"

    "Their magic can be harnessed in ways that grant great power," she explained. "I wish to do away with Nightmare Moon, and these girls are the key to stopping her. But you already know that..."

    "Does that justify taking them without consent?" Twilight asked.

    Adagio laughed in a knowing fashion. "A little bird told me you didn't ask for their consent either when you stole their magic."

    "I-" Twilight stopped. She was right, and Twilight couldn't come up with anything to say to that.

    "Don't paint yourself out like a hero, honey..." Adagio's voice turned dangerous again, but with a subtle adjustment of her sunglasses her face shifted to tell a different story, settling on a sly, knowing smile. "I have a deal for you."

    "What's that?"

    "I know those girls don't have their magic, and I know you only have a portion of it." Adagio paused, watching as Twilight nodded a confirmation. "I know you're off to destroy Nightmare Moon, so if you can get the rest of the Elements, defeat her, and bring them to me, I'll release your friends."

    "Why do you even need to keep them?"

    "As a safeguard," Adagio explained, her expression showing that of perfectly sound reasoning. "If something were to happen to their current carrier, their magic will eventually return here to their original holders."

    "And if I refuse?"

    "Well..." Her smile widened, but her voice betrayed her face with a tone of a threat. "I can arrange for something to happen to their current carrier right now."

    Twilight glared at Adagio. She checked on the two other agents on either side of herself, watching their movements as they kept her at gunpoint.

    "But," Adagio continued, hostility fading slightly. "I thought I'd offer to make this easy on both of us."

    Resigning herself to a sigh, Twilight nodded and sheathed her sword. "Deal."

    "Excellent. Originally, I planned to confront the Dark Sister, but now, I'll just stay here, and make sure your little friends are safe."

    "Yeah, whatever," Twilight turned to the door.

    "There's a lift connecting this facility to the castle's west wing, you'll want to take that to get there..." Adagio pointed to the opposite door. "Go through that door. Dreary, show her the way."

    The grey armored Siren, designated "Dreary," nodded, motioning for Twilight to follow her. Reluctantly, she did, keeping all feelings over the entire kidnapping thing held back as much as possible. Dreary escorted her to a pair of smaller elevator cars on the facility's far end, these ones entirely enclosed. 

    As the car departed from the facility, she began to think through her next plan of action.

    Do you really think she'll honor her end of the deal? She heard the voice of Fluttershy's demon. It was cold and mean, directly contrasting her original host. You should've ended her right there.

    I know, but... I didn't want to risk hurting their bodies if a fight broke out.

    I don't think it takes a genius to figure out that she's lying to you somehow, though. Applejack's demon said. 

    I know, but if she needs them alive, she won't hurt them. They'll be safe while I deal with Nightmare Moon, at least.

    How will you get the rest of us together? Rarity's demon asked. You need to find Sunset and deal with her too.

    Dealing with her will be easy. Twilight replied. And finding her?

    She laughed to herself, knowing exactly what she'd do.

    "She won't be able to resist a proper rematch."

-----

    The castle's lowest level was a single, circular room, dimly lit by clean, magical torches that illuminated the aging grey stone of the basement chamber in a soft blue light. A five-pointed star pattern spread across the floor, encompassing other circles and marks, all corresponding to the rooms overall connection to the demon realm's gate.

    It was here that Selene suddenly warped into reality. This room was familiar to her, she knew it to be directly beneath the castle's throne room, two levels below. The entire core of the castle was built around the one central tower and its function as the gate to the demon realm, and this room was the very base of that tower.

    "I brought us in as close as possible," Discord said, assuming a comfortable floating distance about Selene as she made her way to the room's only exit. "Something was interfering with the spot I was trying to open the portal though."

    "Likely the Dark Sister's magic. Worry not, we're close enough..."

    As if to contradict her intentions, a stone panel slid shut in front of the chamber's exit, locking them within. Following that, a dark, foggy mist formed around the walls of the room, and out from them a great swarm of demons poured, mostly of minor varieties already encountered. The black robed Reapers came first, more than she could count readily, but backed up by the much larger Scythes. The room was suddenly very full of hostility, and Selene found herself back in the center of the room.

    "'Worry not', she says..." Discord complained. "You just had to open your mouth!"

    "Stay close to me."

    "I hope you know what you're doing."

    Leading with her machine pistol, she quickly switched between targets, taking down each approaching enemy as quickly as she could. Sombra and Discord held in a close formation, and waited for Selene's command to take action. She glanced at Sombra, then indicated a Scythe demon for him to target. Stomping his hooves down, a crystal spike shot up from the ground and impaled the demon, holding it in place as Selene fired at it with her burst pistol. 

    Discord, floating behind her, fired a set of missiles from his bow at the same target, taking out a Reaper next to it in the explosion. Sombra charged in towards another demon, tearing into it with his horn as Selene gave him covering fire. They moved around like this, with Discord covering Selene, and Selene covering Sombra, until Sombra missed a beat and got hooked by a Scythe out of the back. Two Reapers rushed for Selene, and easily beat them back with a change of stance and well placed gun-punches, but Discord was having more trouble. His primary method of attack was time-consuming, and with a mob of swords harassing him, he had to continually relocate himself to avoid taking hits. 

    "Little help over here? I don't do closeups!" Discord had his bow put away, and was now wielding a spring-loaded boxing glove that fired out of an otherwise normal looking banana to fight back his attackers. The giant red fist did incredible damage to its targets, knocking them all the way back to the wall on impact, but it was slow firing and only hit one enemy at a time. As the demons surrounded him, Discord couldn't thin their numbers fast enough.

    Selene put her pistols away and brought out her bladed rifle, stabbing forward and using its length to keep the attackers away. The weapon's edge burned against the demons, stunning them as she swung in quick, hard to counter motions. With proper cover, Discord drew missiles into his bow again, five this time, and arced them up over Selene and rained them down on the slowly dwindling crowd of demons. The line of missiles crashing down cut a line through their circle, and Selene took aim with her rifle to shoot out those that remained.

    "Any more tricks?" Selene asked.

    Sombra eventually reformed up behind them, his growl alerting them to enemies behind. Reaching behind his neck, Discord created yet another bizarre weapon, a huge, two handed throwing star made of ordinary notebook paper. He tossed it in a curve, and it spun right along the edge of the demons surrounding them, slicing right through them and returning to his paw cleanly. Most of them split in half, then disintegrated, and he smirked.

    "How's that for a papercut?"

    In his moment of pride, a series of fireballs would hit him over the head, immediately reducing him to a mess of purple and black energy, melting him onto the floor in the same manner as Sombra. His attacks were powerful, but he couldn't take much damage before being knocked out. Selene and Sombra would have to buy him time to recover.

    The fireballs came from some of the last demons in the room; a group of skeletal Phantoms guarding a tall, axe-wielding Battlemaster. Sombra dove right into the smaller demons, dodging their fireballs as he scattered them aside, his body shaping into various dangerous shapes and piercing the demons with his crystal powers. His hooves smashed their bones into dust, and the rest of his body ripped them to pieces. Selene engaged the Battlemaster, her anti-tank rifle taking chunks off its shoulder and getting its attention as she moved in to stab at its legs. 

    She rolled out of the way of its axe, not wanting to call Sombra to her, and she put a round in the demon's chest. Getting close, she drew her machine pistol and unloaded into the demon's face before driving the blade end of her rifle through the chest hole she just made. The demon stumbled back, the blade's blue glow burning it from the inside out, and she finished it off with another rifle shot that pierced the demon through all the way. 

    With Sombra finishing off the last of the Phantoms, the room appeared to be clear, but a new entity was forming through the center at the very spot they'd arrived. It was a dark, ethereal shapeless mass, the color of deep space, and it floated in the air for a moment before taking a roughly humanoid shape. Selene gasped- she was well acquainted with this entity, and she'd gone to great lengths to ensure she could capture it. The entity too knew her very intimately, and as it raised its head, it stared at her with its terrifying, emerald green eyes.

    "The Tantibus..." Selene muttered. "It knew I'd be here. The Dark Sister knows we're coming."

    "Didn't expect to see that thing again. Nightmare Moon must really have it out for you." Discord said. He'd recovered, and relocated himself behind Selene, looking off at the demon as it prepared to fight.

    "Yes, it would seem so." Keeping her eyes on the Tantibus, Selene neared it, holding her rifle at the ready. She wasn't strong enough to take it down last time, but this time, things would be different.

    Without a word, she directed Discord to fire his bow missiles around the Tantibus, surrounding it with the explosions. As it shifted, Selene took a shot guessing where it would move to and hit it around its shoulder area. Its fluid mass blasting off of it, the Tantibus rushed forward, attacking much more aggressively than it did before. Selene got another shot on it, and before it reached her Sombra intercepted it, turning his body to needles as he threw himself onto the nearly liquid state creature. 

    It was cut into more than expected, but it kept moving forward, going straight for Selene. She adjusted her grip on her rifle and thrust it out, only making the Tantibus split itself apart and bring itself back together clear of the weapon's reach. Backing away, Selene slashed at its arms, severing the limbs as they shot out towards her. Sensing her vulnerability, Discord stepped in to cover her, using his boxing glove to splatter the Tantibus apart, forcing it to reform further away. 

    This dynamic went on for a long while, with Selene actively avoiding the Tantibus while her two demon allies attempted to keep her covered. Curiously, the more of it she cut off the larger it got. It wasn't noticeable at first, but after a few minutes of leading it in circles it was now Discord's height. She was worried, she knew what could happen if it got too close, but... her demons wouldn't keep it away forever. Selene could only run for so long. It would eventually catch up with her.

    A subtle, startling revelation was had as she watched the Tantibus further grow in size, disposing of both Discord and Sombra for the third time in a row. She shot it with everything she had, sliced and stabbed and slashed at it, but it only grew darker, larger, and more insurmountable. With nowhere to run, the demon's eyes peered into hers and she froze up, feeling a single emotion build within her. Regret. It forced her worst fears and memories to the front of her mind, mentally paralyzing her as it slapped her weapon out of her hands and closed in for the kill.

    It wasn't just in Canterlot, Selene had been running from this thing all of her life. She ran, tried to hide from it, tried to erase it, all futile attempts that only led it to destroying more cities, taking more lives. Nobody else could fight it for her. Because it was her problem. This creature, the Tantibus, was a demon born of her own mind.

    Not just a nightmare, but her nightmare. Her own fear and innermost sorrow made manifest.

    Her breath quickened, her chest heaved against the Tantibus's vicegrip as the corners of her vision went dark. The blackness spread, consuming everything in her sight save the Tantibus's eyes—she couldn't look away from its eyes. She wanted to struggle, but her body wouldn't respond. She wanted to scream, but her voice failed her. She wanted to cry, but this thing wouldn't even let her do that. Every horrible memory she went to the trouble of locking away burst out from its tight chains and flooded back to her in a sickening and twisted violation of her mind.

    Her vision suddenly suddenly returned, but not in the way she wanted. She wasn't in the castle's basement anymore, she wasn't anywhere in the Everfree Forest. She was now in an old, abandoned country house, not any kind of fortified structure, but a home. The front doors were closed, and the only light came from a set of candles lit around the fireplace. Above that hung a huge, dusty painted portrait of a woman with red hair, wearing a tan hat and vest and with her arms around two younger girls. One of the girls had light pink hair and a white dress, and was smiling, the one with light blue hair and a dress of darker navy looked a bit more reserved. Around each of the girls' necks was an amulet, a red-gemmed sun-shaped one to go with the white dress, and a blue-gemmed moon-shaped one for the navy one.

    Despite their drastically different features, Selene knew these people to be a family. This was a portrait of her mother holding her two beautiful daughters; Selene's sister, and Selene herself. This family was her family. This home was her home. 

    And in this scene she was placed into, she found herself wearing only tatters of clothing, weak and beaten, and with a heavy sense of failure on her mind. She stood with her arms outstretched, gripping the handle of a huge demonic dadao sword that radiated the complete dark essence of the night. Its thick, pitch black blade had a slight curve at the tip, and its spiked, short crossguard held the shape of a crescent moon, just like her amulet. It was almost bigger than she was, but with her arms held high she managed to bring its point towards herself.

    She panicked, but realised that she wasn't in control of her body. Her mind screamed out for her body to stop what she was doing, that she didn't want what she thought she did, that hurting herself like this wasn't the answer. But... nothing changed. She could only watch, trapped inside her own head.

    Tentatively, she held the sword's point to her stomach, left exposed by holes in her ruined top. Blood began to drip from her as her uneasy hands shook, the razor sharp weapon just ever so slightly cutting into her. With a deep breath, she steadied her hands, and then quickly sank the sword through her own flesh until it stuck out of her back.
    
    Pain raced through her senses, her body felt like it was on fire, and yes, it indeed was. A blue flame filled the gap from where her blood began to spill, slowly incinerating her from the inside out. Unable to alter this horrific memory, Selene could only feel agony as she gradually dragged her sword up through herself, cutting into her chest and spreading the flame into her heart and lungs. She struggled to breathe, she just barely kept her balance, doubling over onto the massive blade sticking through her and only causing more damage.

    The burning within her only intensified as deep blue flames began to overtake her entire body. The sword's energy pulsed again and the fire spread further, bursting from her skin and setting the wooden floor beneath her ablaze. She screamed in pain, holding tightly to the sword, twisting it within herself until she could no longer bear it and fell onto her back.

    Looking up, she realised that she didn't just fall, she somehow fell out of herself. She was now staring at her own bloodied back, her own deep blue hair, her own burning form, still standing upright and impaled on her blade. But she was now on her back, outside of her body, completely naked, only able to helplessly watch herself and her home be destroyed. A small fragment of the demon sword had broken away, the tip of it embedded into Selene's stomach. It was completely numb and didn't bleed, but other than that there were no injuries on this new body.
    
     While Selene backed herself away from this horrifying scene, the screaming of her old body died down, and in turn was replaced with bone chilling, maniacal laughter. Louder it grew, and as it did Selene saw the body begin to change. Her skin paled to unnatural, deathly tones, her stature grew in size and a pair of feathered wings sprouted from her back.

    Before a burning portrait of her only family she was watching herself transform into the most wicked, nightmarish creature she'd ever seen, while a blazing blue inferno consumed everything around her. And still without control of her human body, she curled up into a cowering ball on the floor, feeling nothing but the ocean of terror in which she'd been submerged.

    Her old body, now a monstrous and terrifying demon, flapped her wings and shot up through the burning roof, leaving the home to burn with Selene in it. Feeling the beginnings of smoke in her breath, she pushed herself to crawl to the door, slowly rising to her feet as she escaped into the garden out front of her home. The once tranquil place was long since abandoned, vacant of beautiful flowers that once grew proudly. Above her, she saw the bleak, empty sky of the demon realm, pitch black with no sun, moon or stars present to guide anything. She wasn't in the human world.

    She ran, but when she got to the center of the garden she saw another demon. It stood in her way along the stone path and Selene in the moment couldn't describe it's spaceless mass, but the Selene still that watched on recognized it as the Tantibus immediately. This was the first time she'd ever seen it and it terrified her then just as much as it did now. It reached for her, surely with the intent to harm her, and so she turned back, settling for finding another way out of this.

    Back into her home, where the ground floor was mostly in flames, but the staircase by the door was untouched. Holding her breath through the rising smoke, she ran up, turning down the hallway, and running for the room at the furthest end. Her bedroom, in childhood. She hadn't been here in years, but she knew that the window in her room faced the back end of the house—it was how her child self was always able to sneak out at night.

    Smoke crept into her room and flames licked at the floor. Hopping onto her bed, she ran her hands along the old, dust covered window that gave a view of the backyard. The latch was stuck, and she hastily attempted to work it open, she felt something on her bed jab into her knee. Beneath her pillow, there it was; her journal, and atop that, her moon amulet, sparkling innocently with its necklace chain tucked between the pages of the book. It was an empty vessel, containing nothing but sentimentality, but she took it with her, along with her journal.

    The memory continued to play out, with her journal and amulet in hand, she jumped out the window and fell into total darkness. It was like falling in a dream, endless and disorienting, and as this was a nightmare, suffocated in fear. But she held tightly to her journal and secured the amulet around her neck and tumbled on through the nothingness, the blade sticking out of her brushing uncomfortably against her bones.

    And as she was forced to relive this torturous nightmare, Selene folded. The Tantibus had her, and soon her demon half would be free to spread terror throughout this world and the next. All because her selfish desire for more power, and her inability to trust her sister.

    But seeing it all again made her think. She had the restraining capacity of her amulet, the supportive words of her poetry journal, and a piece of the demon's sword. She had a chance to end this. She could make this right. She would make this right.

    Breaking out of the memory forced upon her, she came back to reality and met the Tantibus's eyes, holding her mental ground as she defiantly held both of her hands up. It lifted her, right in front of its face, but Selene's resistance made it shudder and shrink. 

    "Enough! No longer!" Selene shouted, trembling. Her amulet pulsed beneath her clothes as she spoke in both fear and confidence. "You sided with her, because I would not accept you..."

    The Tantibus's grip on her loosened as she addressed it. "Because I would not accept my own wrongdoings."

    Gradually, Selene felt her feet touching the floor, and the Tantibus's form retracted, only holding her arms now. 

    "But my remorse will no longer control me!" Selene declared. "And neither will you!"

    It was again back to its normal size, and as it became still Selene could clearly see the shape that the Tantibus took was of herself. The eyes that she now gazed back into with understanding were her own, emerald green eyes. Not the eyes of a monster, but the terrified eyes of someone in pain. Eyes that needed not rejection, but compassion. As it withered away, Selene found herself holding onto the Tantibus's hands, pulling it closer, wanting it to hear her words.

    "The world we've lost has turned to ash,
    These things we'll not undo...
    But here we stand, forgiven past,
    To start ourselves anew."

    In that moment, she did what she had neglected to do all this time. She pulled Tantibus's form into a tight embrace, but instead of resisting, it quietly began to merge into her. Not to consume, but to become one with her, absorbing into her body until they, as one being, were finally at peace.

    And without a single scathing thought, she solemnly forgave herself. The mistakes she'd made were unrepairable, but starting now, she wouldn't stand to let another happen. The feeling of relief was overwhelming, but so was the weight of her jarring mental shift. Her trauma wasn't healed right away, it might never heal completely at all, but this was the first step towards recovery.

    Standing, she just breathed for a moment, but felt a new energy within her body. She approached the closed stone door, and focused. The energy in her pulsed, and her hair began to glow, turning a spectral shade of deep blue and glimmering like the stars in the night sky. The Tantibus's form appeared at her will, forming into a bulkier form that shoved the sliding stone door open, allowing them to exit. It looked to her, nodded it's compliance, and then faded away, and her hair returned to normal as it did. 

    She was in control of the demon that plagued her for so long. Now, there was only one more to face before she could end this all for good:

    Nightmare Moon.

-----

    The door responded to the power of the Sister of Light's sword.

    It silently slid open, but then resealed itself behind her. 

    From the bottom of a wide, curving staircase, a single pair of heeled boots echoed to the high ceiling of the castle's throne room, until a long shadow was cast from the orange glow of the chandeliers above. Sword drawn in a low guard, Celestia approached the Sister of Darkness for their final confrontation. She noted that the length of spacey hair around the demon's helmet was not present, but her armor still pulsed with a demonic blue light. The huge, dark knight stood away from her, staring out the tall window at the moon hanging just beneath the layer of bloody red clouds. Behind the knight were two thrones, the thousand-year old seats of power held by Sisters of Light and Darkness when they actively ruled on earth. Rain was falling, a storm was picking up, and as Nightmare Moon turned her head back to look at the intruder, a bolt of lightning blackened the sky for a moment, flushing the entire room in false shadow before returning to normal.

    "You've returned..." Nightmare Moon said, fullying facing Celestia and stepping between the two thrones. "The Platinum Knight. Celestia."

    Before the steps up to the thrones, Celestia stopped, standing in the center of the circular portion of the floor with a star of five points clearly marked out in it. It encircled the primary floor before the thrones, and was in line with the castle's central tower structure. She met the Dark Sister's eyes as she stood at the edge of the highest step.

    In her loud, booming voice, the demon spoke, projecting each word with malicious intensity. "You dare approach me in such a weak, pathetic form?"

    "Look who's talking." Celestia's stern expression held strong. "Have you seen yourself a mirror lately?"

    "I have become the most powerful demon in the underworld!" A gauntleted hand pointed threateningly in Celestia's direction. "Your insults are meaningless."

    "But at what cost was your power?"

    "What was the cost not?" Nightmare Moon replied, slowly and absolutely. "To obtain all, you must relinquish all."

    "Even your humanity?"

    "Especially my humanity!" she hissed, her fist tensing shut. "Only by cutting it away did I discover true strength... And because you cling to yours, you shall perish!"

    "I don't think so, little sister."

    "Little!?" Nightmare Moon shifted, standing at her full height and looking down on Celestia with infuriated scorn. She pulled off her helmet, tossing it on the ground, and allowed Celestia to see the anger on her face. Her skin was a sickly pale midnight blue, drained of color and with heavy scarring and jet black veins showing through, and her hair was of similar condition, loose and stringy, faded to almost white. Solid white eyes carried a thousand years' worth of built up rage in a face twisted up into absolute disgust. "Look me in the eye and tell me you truly believe you stand a chance against me. I hold all the power you could hope to have in a worthless trinket!"

    Pulling the chain from her neck, Nightmare Moon presented the sun amulet containing the Sister of Light's power. Celestia was still silent, unphased by this.

    "But so be it. If you refuse to accept your birthright..." Nightmare Moon's fist closed over the amulet, focusing on it, and taking in its power, exclaiming her intent as it began to rush into her. "I will gladly take it from you! And with it, I will have it all!"

A golden orange glow surrounded it, combining with her own silvery blue, but the golden light was snuffed out and consumed by the Dark Sister's power. Nightmare Moon's hair shifted, changing back to the softer blue swirl of light, and her armor buckled as she grew larger, her shoulders widening and her muscles strengthening while her armor fell away in places it was no longer needed. The portions around her chest, arms, and legs that remained morphed with her body, becoming suitable for her new form.

    Dropping the empty amulet on the ground, Nightmare Moon took up her sword, which was a little less ridiculously sized. She now stood twice as tall as Celestia, and she spread out her wings and walked down the steps.

    "No, you won't have it all," Celestia said, her head tilting down into a disappointed, resigned gaze, and her lips curling into a frown as her voice began to waver. "No matter how hard you try, you'll never have it all..." 

    Very slightly, Celestia shook, because inside her heart was breaking. Nightmare Moon's transformation didn't phase her, but her hands still gripped her sword a little too tightly as she came to terms with what she was about to do.

    "Because you just lost your only sister."

-----

    Sunset's pistols fired off rapidly as she ran along the inside of the castle walls. The firebird made passes, shot fireballs, and grabbed at her as she rolled and jumped around the courtyard. The bird came straight for her as her feet kicked off the wall, narrowly avoiding two talons smashing into the stone. As Sunset landed, she drew Pinkie's party cannon, blasted the firebird up against it and broke more of the wall apart. 

    The rain around them was picking up, and before long there was a mild storm overhead. 

    Righting herself, the firebird spun, igniting her wings in flames and breathing a straight stream of fire down on Sunset. Charred grass sizzled beneath Sunset as she ran out of the way, leaping atop a tall fountain and bringing out Rainbow's guitar-axe. She played a long, repeating riff, going up and down the neck of the guitar to create a consistent bolt of lighting directed at her flying opponent. The electricity struck right as the firebird swooped in again, and she was stunned and pushed back as Sunset readied her party cannon again.

    She fired, but in the time it took to bring the weapon up, the bird recovered and evaded the incoming shell.

    "Sunset!" Pinkie's demon chirped, the voice emanating from the weapon. 

    "What is it?"

    "I've got a new trick for you, twist me apart from the center!"

    "Is now the time, Pinkie?"

    "It'll help, I promise!"

    Doing as instructed, Sunset gripped the weapons two handles and turned them in opposite directions. The cannon screwed apart, splitting into two pieces, slightly changing shape to become a balanced pair of smaller cannons. Each handle formed an L-shaped grip that Sunset wielded like a pair of batons, each barrel running parallel to her forearms.

    Raising them up, Sunset targeted the firebird again, and the cannons fired a spreadshot of bright, pastel colored bits of sharp metal that burst in the sky with sharp, high pitched cracks. Sunset understood. In this form, Pinkie's demon became a confetti-flak cannon. Now, the bird had much more dodging to do as Sunset's cannon shots became faster and blanketed a larger area of the sky.

    Fireballs rained down on her, but Sunset could move around much easier with her weapon in this form. She landed a solid hit on the bird, stunning it as she continued to light it up and bring it closer to ground. When it was close enough, she pointed both cannons at her feet behind her, and blasted herself up towards her feathered opponent

    Drawing her sword, she twirled mid-air, slicing up multiple spots on her foe as she passed the great burning bird. Continuing the arc of her jump, she landed on a rooftop over the main walkway into the castle, and looked down at the falling bird. Her wings suddenly spread, catching herself last second and pulling back up into the sky, making one last attempt to take Sunset out with a howling screech.

    The attack came too quickly; the bird slammed into her, perching firmly on the walkway roof and tossing her down into the ground below. 

    "I thought not!" The bird cackled, breathing heavily and obviously worn out from the battle. "A true child of Celestia would've-"

    BangBangBangBangBangBang!

    Laid out on her back, Sunset's pistols fired off rapidly, catching the bird mid gloat and punching her full of holes. With a weak squawk, the bird reeled back on one leg, spun about in an exaggerated daze, and fell back off the roofing in a dramatic fashion.

    Sunset rose, and went over to the feathered demon. She lay still, but was still breathing, and had a few words for the demon hunter.

    "You really are..." She wheezed, "I am free from Nightmare Moon's servitude. As the guardian of this place, you have my blessing. One who could defeat me so easily could certainly defeat her..."

    Sunset paused. Where normally she'd end a battle with a witty line, or some cocky insult, this felt different. This was the first demon she ever fought that had expressed regret after losing. Other demons fought without thinking, but this one didn't. She was forced against her will, and Sunset was probably making more of this than she should have, but the bird had her sympathy. Having to kill her was... regrettable, if otherwise, it could've been avoided. 

    "Thank you," the bird said, and then promptly burst into flames, burning away until she was only ash.

    No time to dwell on it, there was a bigger demon to fry. She would've liked another lollipop right about now, but she had just finished her last one as she walked off.

    With her sword slung over her shoulder, she entered the castle, stepping into its main hallway and looking down either side. The hall stretched longways in both directions, but right across from her there was another, wider door, already slightly open. 

    Going through it, she found herself at one end of a long hallway, evenly spaced windows on either side showing interior courtyards in the now pouring rain. At the far end of the hallway there was a door with five indents on it, arranged in a star pattern around the centered indent, but in front of that, a woman blocked her path.

    Purple hair, purple eyes, and purple coat. Square glasses, and a katana sword held in one hand. The sight of her eternally serious face made Sunset feel every emotion at once, from relief, to resentment, to sadness, to hope. 

    This was Twilight Sparkle. Both her best friend and worst nemesis.

    There was a tense silence between them for a few long moments.

    "Sunset." Twilight began, her voice echoing through the hallway. "The throne room is just beyond this door, and inside, Nightmare Moon."

    "That's where we're headed then, right?" Sunset said. If they could get through this without a fight, maybe convince Twilight to stand down...

    "That's where... one of us will be headed." Twilight replied. "That door requires all five of the Elements of Harmony to open. You have two, and I have three."

    Something was different. Before, Twilight was much more hostile in tone, more condescending. She must've had some kind of change while Sunset was asleep. Did she get better or worse?

    "And let me guess, you still think you're the one who needs to destroy the Sister of Darkness, right?"

    Twilight nodded. "That's right. It has to be me. I need the magic you've taken."

    There it was again, that difference. She wasn't saying it like she was desperate, she was saying it like she was regretting it. 

    "I..." Sunset felt a lot of built up anger towards Twilight, but this change of tone was challenging all of that. The idea that Twilight might've been like the firebird, it just didn't seem right to have to fight her now. But she wasn't, Sunset reminded herself. She made these choices, and the only reason any of this was happening was because of her. Sunset's fist tightened. "I'm not giving you more magic. You've destroyed everything in your path because you wanted more power!"

    "Yes. I know. But I can't turn back now, either."

    The anger was washing over her again, taking over her thoughts. Sunset tried to control it, but in no way did she see this ending peacefully. But even through her anger, a heavy hesitation fell on her. 

    "Only one of us can go forward and possibly stand a chance against Nightmare Moon, only one of us can be Celestia's strongest." Twilight said. "And if it's not me... well, I never did stand a chance, did I?"

    The angry feeling was there, but now it was different, it wasn't aimed at Twilight anymore. It was aimed at what she was doing. How she was destroying herself in the pursuit of power. But in waiting for her here, right before the door to the final confrontation, Twilight was entertaining the idea that she might be wrong. And if Sunset defeated her, she would have no choice to but to accept that she was wrong.

    So, of course, one more fight would be the only way this saw conclusion.

    Her gaze lowered for a moment, and a smile fell across Sunset's face as she laughed softly. "So this is it, huh? Our rematch."

    With an amused huff, Twilight smiled as well. "That's right. You and me, settling the score for good."

    They both gripped their swords, slowly nearing each other as they prepared for a battle that may very well determine the course of history. But to Sunset it was about the fact that, if she could beat Twilight here, there might be hope for her. For the two of them. Her heart raced in anticipation of possibly saving her friend, but was betrayed by the excitement of a duel with someone whom she was so close.

    "Come on then, Twilight! Give me everything you've got!"

    "With pleasure."
> 18- The Dissension of Destinies
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

    "How far do you and Adagio go back?"

    "Just the Sire's Hollow incident. She was an integral part of the mission."

    "So you were there, too..."

    There was a light rain beginning to fall just as the small, desolate bunker came into sight. It was well hidden, but Spike led Flash and Starlight straight to it. 

    Inside was a door that looked like it had been violently forced open, an angled elevator shaft going down behind it. It was a long, dark drop, not one they wanted to risk sliding down.

    "There," Spike said. "Her signal goes underground."

    Flash located a terminal by the broken door, and put his SRAPH badge against it. He half expected it to be broken too, but the light flashed green, and the sounds of an elevator moving came from down the shaft.

    "I thought I was the only one that survived," he said, explaining his situation to Starlight. "My commander got pulled screaming into one of those portals and I watched the rest of my team get killed, but all of Adagio's team is still here, so I don't know anymore."

    "How do you think they managed that?" Starlight asked.

    "Adagio specialized in demon research, maybe she discovered a way to give herself superpowers." Flash shook his head. The thought was ridiculous, but she moved so quickly, and the others were shot multiple times but still managed to fight. "I don't know. But it's obvious now that she was the mastermind behind everything that happened at that station."

    "Mastermind?" Starlight crossed her arms. "What even is her deal?"

    "I wish I could tell you. I've only been following their breadcrumbs. From the way she talked about her 'plan', whatever it was, I get the feeling that this goes back further than demons in Canterlot. Whatever she's doing I'm putting a stop to it."

    The elevator platform rose to its place, allowing the three to board it and begin their descent.

    "Did Sire's Hollow ever recover?" Starlight asked.

    "There were a lot of casualties, but yeah, a team was sent to help them rebuild," Flash nodded. "Why?"

    "I was raised there. My dad would've been there during the demon attack."

    "Damn, I'm sorry-" Flash started, but Starlight raised a hand.

    "We'll worry about it later."

    As the elevator lift descended a loud alarm came into earshot, and the underground facility it was ringing from came into view. The bulky metal front door there had been sliced open, and through it a chaotic scene was visible in the flashing lights of a red alert. Bodies of Adagio's specialized Siren agents were piled in the hallway and a segment of the smooth metal wall had collapsed inward, some electronic bits in the light paneling still faintly glowing.

    The platform came to a stop, connecting to the door frame and allowing them to cautiously enter. Flash frowned. This place was giving him the exact same vibe the police station did except the danger was active.

    Machine gun ready, he swept his vision across the only way forward and looked for spaces a potential threat might hide. The main hallway was clear, but it was blocked off by another sealed security door with the marking of "TESTING-MAIN" that, when Flash attempted to access with his SRAPH badge, gave him a red light.

    "Twilight's signal ends here," Spike said. "She came through here, went through that door, and into this facility's core, but after that..." Spike turned his head, prowling around the hallway. He pointed to a small door down the hall near the entrance. It led to a cramped booth that had controls for the various larger doors on their side of the facility, as indicated by a monitor.

    Starlight hung around outside the booth, but Flash tried his badge on the door control console. Nothing. The monitor showed a layout of the facility with the main testing labs at the center and assorted other lab rooms ringing it. Circling the edge of the facility was materials storage and a living space, which hallways connected back around to its far end. 

    The entire facility was on red alert, but the only denied area was "TESTING-MAIN" and the surrounding area marked as 'the core', save for one door that led out as an exit. That told Flash all he needed to know. If Adagio was here she was likely holding out in the core. But what caused this sudden lockdown? Was it Twilight? Either way, Adagio only had one path of escape, and the only way to get to her was to go through it.

    "Flash!" Starlight called his name from out in the main hallway. He found her facing a side hall, facing a group of slim, quick moving demons that had long, stringy hair over their faces and had distinct three clawed talons at the ends of their limbs. Their thin, pointy jaws opened up and they each let out a loud screech that took the form of a sonic pulse that disoriented Starlight as she stepped up to fight them.

    With limited time to process things, Flash gave these new demons a quick mental categorization: Screechers.

    Spike was the first to land a hit on one, his tail blade cutting the firstmost of the Screecher pack apart with ease. Clearing her head, Starlight spun her revolver to an aiming position and shot two of them down, each one taking three shots before falling. One began to close the gap, but Starlight reached out and grabbed the demon up with a glowing teal projection of a hand, pulled it close, then instantly killed it with a punch to the head from her cyborg arm. 

    Flash took one in his sights, lighting it up with a burst of machine gun fire as it tried to single him out. He picked out another one, shooting it down as it went for Spike, but as soon as the fight began, it ended. Strange. Starlight looked to Flash expectantly.

    "So? Find anything in there?" she asked.

    "We're going to have to take the long way around, I don't have access to any of these doors."

    "Let's be fast then..." Spike said. "I'm getting another signal from Twilight, she's somehow in the castle now? Yeah, there's another lift in the facility that comes back up near the castle's west wing..."

    "That's where we're headed, then," Starlight said. 

    "Wait, let's deal with Adagio first. She's our priority right now."

    Starlight held a hand out to contest that claim. "Adagio is your priority, Sentry. Twilight is mine. I'm not letting her get away again."

    Flash wanted to bring up the fact that he'd probably need her help, but thinking again, maybe he didn't. Once they got to the other end of the facility, maybe they could just go their separate ways. 

    "Let's not keep either of them waiting, then."

-----

    The three of them moved quickly, clearing out each room they passed through as they went the long way around the facility. Demons had broken in, but none of them appeared in their usual, spectral fashion. They'd been there for some time, but were not at all in control. They were running. Not running specifically towards them, but away from something else.

    A large battle was had in the facility's cafeteria, where Starlight and Flash got held up by a Battlemaster supported by Scythes, and it was made all the more difficult as Screechers entered the area. Small but loud, they were effective at area denial when they had bigger demons backing them up.

    Starlight's Tether Hand had proved useful as a disruption tool though, pulling them out of formation and allowing Flash to easily pick them off. Spike held his own as well, able to use his body's mobility to get behind their stronger fighters and hit them from another direction. They did their best to keep pace though, running by demons that weren't directly in their way. 

    Eventually, they crossed through a door to a catwalk hanging over a large, noisy warehouse-like storage space that brought their progress to a halt. Loud, thunderous gunshots reverberated throughout the room over demonic shrieking, stomping, and scratching. A huge mob of demons amassed beneath them, some snarling and roaring ferociously, but others near the edge of the group turning and running away.

    At the mob's center was a figure in a worn out suit of purple and grey power armor, the Hellsolider, one hand holding a Reaper up off the ground by its throat and another firing the shotgun they had back at the station at the closest moving target. The Reaper was slammed hard down into the ground and had a boot stomp down on its chest, the Hellsoldier pumping their shotgun and firing straight down into the demon's mouth. A moment later, they were shoulder-slamming a Phantom which was just about to toss a fireball, bowling right through it and knocking its exposed bones apart.

    The Hellsoldier worked the shotgun proficiently, every shot hitting the intended target until the magazine ran dry. They then slung the shotgun over their back, and a long, curved, broken edged blade shot out from a holster on their left wrist. This weapon looked beat up, like it was salvaged from pieces of other weapons, but it served its purpose well as it carved through a Battlemaster's chest, burning a dark blue glow into the demon as it fell over. The Hellsoldier lifted the demon's signature axe-weapon over their shoulder, then decapitated its owner with a single, hefty swing.

    This battle continued, and Flash, Starlight, and Spike quietly moved along the catwalk above.

    "That soldier, they were at the station." Starlight whispered.

    "They must be who those demons were running from." Looking down, Flash noticed the soldier was moving the opposite direction, having started on the end opposite and was working their way to the side he came in through.

    Reaching the door, Flash and the others left the storage hangar behind them, and continued at the pace they held before. Eventually, they were in a corridor similar to the one they'd entered through, wider than most and adequately lit with paneled lights. At some point along the way the alarms stopped and the red flashing faded, though Flash suspected the lockdown was still in place.

    This was it. A lone, unlocked security door marked "TESTING-MAIN," leading into the facility's core was to their right, and to their left was the exit leading to the castle.

    "This is where we split," Flash said. "I'm going to get the girls to the RV, then I'll meet up with you."

    Starlight nodded, and headed toward the exit. "Let's go, Spike."

    Flash slid his ID against the security door, and it came open, revealing a narrow, branching hallway that he quickly stepped into. While the doors shut behind him, Starlight and Spike approached the two elevator cars leading out of the facility's back entrance. A fallen Siren agent with a palm-mounted ID was dragged to the activation console, and served to open the doors, and as Starlight stepped in, she saw Spike shifting uneasily.

    "Starlight," he said, a strange contemplativeness in his tone. "I've been thinking about things."

    "Yeah?"

    "Do you really want to fight Twilight?"

    Starlight's expression flattened. "Yeah. But not just because she's a danger to everyone. I have to deal with her, but she thinks I'm not strong enough to handle this."

    "Have you ever stopped to question why the Order banished her? After everything you've seen, do you think they were right?" Spike asked. "That things would be different had she not been banished?"

    "What, are you trying to get me to join her?"

    "No. I'm just thinking... Twilight may be delusional, but she was right about one thing: Nightmare Moon did return, and she was banished because she tried to do something about that. Isn't that... wrong?"

    "Hm..." Starlight considered it, and what Twilight told her about putting principle over protocol. "I don't know. Maybe. What are you getting at?"

    The elevator reached its stop after a long time of moving upward. The bunker it came up in was just as small as the other, and as Spike and Starlight stepped out into the forest, they immediately felt that the rain was picking up.

    "I want to see Twilight get over this," Spike said. "I want to help her, but she isn't going to let me. But you have free will. You might be able to stop her from doing something she can't undo."

    The castle was in sight, they were approaching it from the side, but there was an entryway in the exterior wall that Starlight could see.

    "That's what I plan on doing."

    "Twilight went silent a while ago, but in the last transmission I got from her she said she was headed for the castle's throne room. That, and..." Spike paused, his tone very apprehensive.

    Starlight didn't go forward right away, but she didn't turn around to face Spike either. "And?"

    After a long, drawn out moment, Spike spoke, his thoughtful voice becoming void of emotion. "And that I can't let you interfere with her mission."

    Starlight turned, watching Spike's stance lower and his tail blade curl up over his head as he poised himself to attack.

    "Spike..." Starlight turned to face him, drawing her chainsaber. "You can't take me."

    "I know."

    Starlight was slightly surprised. He was throwing himself away...

    "Do it, then."

    A red glare flashed behind his eyes as Spike leapt forward, claws outstretched with lethal intent. Starlight's eyes glimmered blue in kind, and she slashed right into him, revving up her chainsaber as her Bullet Reflex activated, granting her more than enough time to make the perfect cut. He was pushed away, tumbling over her shoulder and just barely landing on his feet.

    He charged up his lightning cannon, but Starlight reached out and grabbed him with her Tether Hand, pulling him close and popping him straight up into the air with a kick. Eyes glimmering again, her Bullet Reflex engaged for a second time in a row. She drove her spinning chainsaber across his body, cutting deep through it as he fell back to the earth in almost frozen time. The cut was clean, Starlight didn't need to go overboard. When time resumed, Spike fell to the ground with a muffled thud. He didn't get back up, the mech wolf only twitched and sparked from his place on the ground. 

    Starlight put her chainsaber away, feeling appalled by what she just did.

    "Starlight..." He said, voice weak from the overpowering encounter. "I'm... sorry..."

    Then, the lights on his frame went dark, and he was still.

    "Me too."

-----

    The access hallway was clear. Flash checked either side of himself and saw nothing, so he proceeded to the next security door, also marked "TESTING-MAIN." He came into a wide, square lab room with a locked security door on the far side and five, human sized restraining pods ringing the room's center, their backs to him. This was it, his friends were here.

    When he came around to the front of the pods, though, he found they were all empty. 

    A very uneasy feeling sank into his gut. He thought he saw something move out of the corner of his eye, and he spun around with his machine gun raised... but there was nothing there.

    Hearing it loud and clear, two boots dropped to the ground right behind him. Turning in place, he was met with Adagio Dazzle grabbing his wrist and pointing his gun up to the ceiling as he reflexively squeezed the trigger. Bullets shot off, the recoil disrupting him further as Adagio punched into his chest, using his own resistance as a slingshot to knock him back.

    Regaining his balance, he fired at Adagio but only hit one of the pods behind her, she had warped past his shots and levered the gun out of his grip, tossing it aside. Flash instantly switched to his handgun, but that too was knocked away as Adagio punched each segment of his arm, then chopped down on his wrist, forcing his hand to open and drop his weapon. He then went for his knife, but she caught his wrist again and grabbed around his waist, spinning him around and tossing him back towards the restraint pods.

    As gravity took him towards the floor, he shifted his weight onto his shoulder and rolled, messily conserving his momentum as he slid to a controlled stop and stood up. Down to his last weapon, he bravely drew his knife and faced the rogue SRAPH operative. She only adjusted her sunglasses, and fixed her curled, orange hair. 

    "Flash Sentry, how wonderful it is to see you again..."

    "Adagio! Where are my friends?"

    "Oh, you just missed them," Adagio said, the cruel tone ever present in her voice. "I had them moved, somewhere a little more... dramatic."

    She blurred out of sight, but Flash heard her reappearing behind himself, and so he spun around with his knife out and forced her to back away, following through with a stab that she narrowly evaded. Twisting her body, she aimed a punch at Flash's extended knife arm, but he was able to pull himself just in time to avoid it, taking a defensive stance again.

    They circled around each other, Flash's face serious, and Adagio's a collected smile.

    "Why are you doing this? You betrayed Seraph and everything you used to stand for."

    "I betrayed Seraph?" Adagio laughed. "Seraph is an organization. A rigid, uncaring machine, not a being with feelings to hurt. It's only natural they turned on me once I became too strong for them to control."

    "What are you talking about?"

    She was right in front of him again, shoving his arm back before he could swing the knife, grabbing his shoulder and punching him in the face. He was knocked back again, slamming against some heavy scanning equipment to the side of the room, but still catching himself on his feet. 

    Once more, she warped towards him, but he predicted it fully this time, catching her across the chest with his knife and cutting through the leather vest she wore beneath her trench coat. Clutching the cut in pain, she backed away, but shortly after she stood again, her wound disappearing as her flesh slowly regenerated. It was just like a demon's regeneration.

    "What are you?" he asked.

    "The next step in human evolution." Warping again, Adagio threw a punch at his stomach, warping back away when he blocked it. She tried again from his back, but Flash readily countered her attack and she disappeared again. "The successful result of my own research, my own greatest creation..." 

    Adagio reappeared beside him, but she only faked him out, and his reactive slash hit nothing. Flash backed away as she vanished, searching his surroundings as she continued to talk, listening for her voice to try and locate her. 

    "I'm the perfect Siren."

    From the left side she dashed towards him with her fist outstretched, but he rolled under the attack and she only punched a hole in the body of one of the scanning machines. Seeing her with her fist stuck, Flash came at her, but Adagio just easily warped past his rather aggressive moves. She linked her arm into his, binding his knife arm away, but he threw his elbow around into her face and pushed her back.

    When he swung the knife again, he just barely missed her. 

    "Why bring my friends into this? What did they do?"

    "I made a deal with the Sister of Darkness, before her body was resurrected. I bring her the Elements of Harmony, the weapon used to defeat her a thousand years ago, and she would give me the power of the Sister of Light."

    She moved again, coming in close and grabbing for his knife hand. Flash released the knife, tossing it across his chest as he let Adagio take his arm. His other hand quickly grabbed it out of the air, and with the handle end first he slammed his fist against her collarbone. Following through, he spun the knife into a reverse grip and repeated the action, but Adagio had already released him and retreated back out of striking range.

    "You'd let her open the gate to the demon realm?" He met her eyes through the polarized lenses again.

    "That wouldn't matter," Adagio said. They were still circling each other, slowly watching each other as they planned on how they'd attack next. "Because every event surrounding her ultimate resurrection was completely of my design."

    "And what are you gonna do then, huh? Once you have that power?"

    "I'll create a world where the line between humans and demons doesn't exist," she said. "Humans will never have to fear demons again, because we will all be part demon."

    "Or you'll turn us all into monsters, like Sergeant Colt!"

    "The only thing we did was reveal his true nature." Adagio faked a punch, but then stepped back, watching for Flash to open his guard. "The same will happen to all of you, humans and demons alike!"

    "What? How can you even do that?"

    "Oh, I don't need to tell you that." Adagio warped behind him, and again as he turned to slash her. Two, three times she did this, until finally, she grabbed his knife arm and pulled it straight up, then bent it behind his back and spoke to him in a teasing manner. "It's not like you'll be leaving here alive to tell anyone!"

    He tilted himself down, reaching for the floor with his free hand, having moved close enough to his fallen handgun to grab it right when she grabbed him. 

    "You didn't think I left that door unlocked by accident, did you?" Adagio asked, toying with him, drawing out her words as he struggled. "I wanted to make sure you died this time."

    Pointing his gun back under his arm, he fired, feeling both Adagio release him and a hot bullet casing get ejected into his jacket. Turning and gripping his gun with both hands, he fired again, keeping up with her as she dodged and weaved, warping around his bullets in a grey and orange blur. She went behind the restraint pods, initially using them for cover but then kicking one off of its supports in the ceiling and launching it directly at Flash. He dove out of the way, catching himself in a much cleaner roll, and firing at the now exposed Adagio again. 

    "Enough playing around." Adagio was again behind Flash, interrupting his reload and knocking his gun away, then catching his hands as he came at her with a downward stab. They struggled with each other, and she found Flash gave a surprising amount of resistance to her push. He spread his feet, bracing himself against her, pushing down with everything he had.

    One of his hands even jumped up and grabbed her wrist, pulling away. That couldn't be right, she had the power of a demon, Flash was only human. But yet, his grip was just as tight as hers. For only a fraction of a second she broke, but it was enough for him to pull one of her hands away, double up on the knife, and take a whole step forward, forcing the point that much closer to her heart. The blade was made from resentite, it'd kill her quicker than a bullet would, so she needed to not let him overpower her.

    Yet Flash strained and pushed with everything he had and more, because he needed to take her out, he needed to save his friends. Despite everything being stacked against him, he could. He would.

    But the loud crash of the locked security door just next to him being knocked off out of its frame by a grey, gauntleted fist distracted him long enough for Adagio to shove him back and warp out of the way. 

    Through the door, the Hellsoldier came, and they had Adagio in their sights.

    "You..." Adagio said, none pleased to see them. "Never can let anything go, can you?"

    The Hellsoldier gave their reply in the form of a rocket launcher held steady beneath their arm, shooting a screaming warhead directly at Adagio.

    Adagio didn't move, she didn't even warp away. Instead, she caught the rocket in two hands, stopping its momentum while keeping it from detonating. It was still being propelled forward; a hot jet of fuel blew out the back, but Adagio applied enough force to it to keep it held still, just giving a disappointed smirk. "Oh, no, that's not going to work."

    Struggling with the rocket for a moment she pivoted on one foot, letting the rocket spin her around a hundred and eighty degrees, then released the rocket back in the Hellsoldier's direction. In response, they charged towards it, throwing the launcher down and extending their wrist blade. They sliced right through the rocket as it came, disabling its payload before it detonated and rushing towards Adagio with the momentum and speed of a freight train. 

    Adagio stood her ground and made like she was about to catch the oncoming Hellsoldier, but simply warped out of the way the moment they made contact. Bracing their feet and sliding along the ground, the Hellsolider turned in time to see Adagio activating a button on the floor, creating a bright white circle on the floor of the lab room.

    The circle was directly in the center of the room, with a five pointed star drawn in the center of it, each endpoint connecting to the midpoint where Adagio stood. 

    "I suppose you'll live to leave this place after all," she said, giving Flash a waggling wave with her fingertips. "See you soon."

    The next moment, she summoned up a swirling purple vortex. This time though, the Hellsoldier jumped into her as she vanished into the portal, following her to wherever she went. But once they were gone, the circle on the floor faded and Flash was left alone. 

    Based on what she said, he had a pretty good idea of where she was going to end up, where everything was going to end up.

    The Dark Sister's castle.

-----

    Through the windows of the hallway leading into the castle's throne room, two silhouettes engaged in an elegant, exhilarating duel on the backdrop of a thunderstorm. Over the consistent rush of rain crashing down outside, the clashing of metal on metal rang throughout the hall's interior, backed up by the harsh echoes from each of the combatant's heavy boots.

    Sunset Shimmer and Twilight Sparkle crossed their blades in a very personal expression of combat, an intimate dance driven by every step they'd taken up until that point. Perfect as both friends and adversaries, there was no more even a battle conceivable than one between the two most gifted students of Celestia. And neither would want it any other way. Right now, they cared not for the fate of the world or who would defeat the Dark Sister, they were solely immersed in their own personal rivalry; to prove who was stronger, faster, and more skilled, whose ideals were greater—to prove who was simply the best.

    They matched each other blow for blow, their swords following arcs that perfectly intersected and intercepted the other. Their steps were completely in sync with a mutually understood combat rhythm that both were trying at all times to break. They stepped forward when at an advantage, backed away when losing advantage, and sidestepped when the opportunity arose. In the heat of the moment, they had only each other and the certainty of battle.

    Sunset put a few steps of distance between her and Twilight, holding her sword defensively as Twilight's came forward. A grin on her face, Sunset parried the attack, but also drew a pistol and shoved its barrel forward. She fired off several shots, but wasn't surprised to find Twilight doing exactly the same. Their bullets struck each other mid flight, cancelling each other out and driving the battle to a new level of complexity. The two now spun gracefully about, abandoning their stable swordfighting poses to fire their pistols at each other, their yellow and purple coats flowing around them as they did. 

    Swords now clashed while held in one hand, and shots were taken with guns in the other. Sunset twisted, firing off her pistol behind her back as Twilight stepped past a sword swing, then deflected Twilight's counterattack off of the same pistol. Sunset put her sword away, rolling to the side and bringing out both of her guns to put Twilight on the defensive, but Twilight did no less than keep up, bringing both her guns up in kind and meeting her shots halfway.

    Sunset pulled a fist back and dove in close to Twilight, trading a string of strong, powerful gun punches with her, each quick, rigid motion scraping the metal of their firearms together as they violently touched. Their guns fired off in unison, neither of them hitting their mark as each of them was equally as proficient at dodging bullets as the other was accurate. As their wrists locked against each other their guns kept firing off, sending bullets into the wide windows on either side of them. A loud cascading shattering followed, accompanying the wind and rain and glass that now spilled into the corridor.

    With an excited curiosity, Sunset met Twilight's eyes and held the wrist lock firmly. She tilted her head and read over Twilight's expression, mind racing to guess what she might do next. Twilight's balance shifted and she stepped closer, forcing their arms up to the point where their wrists crossed up over their heads and their elbows now pressed together. So much closer, and with both of them keeping their backs stable and upright, their noses nearly touched, allowing Sunset to feel her friend's warm, steadily paced breath on her face amidst the cold damp air leaking in from outside. A confident smile was spread across Twilight's face. She too was enjoying this.

    Time began to slow, Sunset engaging her Demon Reflex the moment she felt Twilight entering her own. Twilight opened her arms, splitting their single overhead wrist lock into two separate locks out to their sides. Sunset shook slightly as the pressure on each of her wrists mounted separately, focusing on keeping Twilight's guns pointed away while trying to get her own guns pointed on her. Twilight's left arm pulled back and she spun in the direction Sunset pushed, twisting her still bound arm to catch the back of her pistol's slide against Sunset's wrist and properly locking them together.

    She pulled her trigger, the barrel far from pointed at Sunset, but the action caused the slide to snap back and forth as it ejected a bullet case. Had Sunset not tilted her wrist, the slide would have punched right into her hand. Without lifting pressure from their wrist bind, Sunset circled around Twilight accordingly, adjusting her own pistol so its slide might bite into Twilight's forearm as she returned the purposefully missed shot. Maintaining contact on the other's arm was crucial to controlling the other's balance, but that balance swirled and shifted dangerously as they used the mechanical operation of their weapons as a weapon itself. Their arms that maintained contact swung dangerously between them, pushing and pulling and guiding the other in a symmetrical, reciprocating orbit, but their other arms became free to fire at any angle they pleased, forcing their bodies to shift and spin with that orbit to avoid losing the razor thin balance they each held.

    In their slowed state of time, their projectiles only travelled so far before coming to a crawl, creating a beautiful tornado of bullets around them, a storm of lead with a continuously shrinking center of calm. Their steps were forced closer, their twirls becoming tighter and each shot taken demanding more and more precision. At once, they fired their guns past each other, and their slides struck against each other, both jamming in the same instant. Seizing the chance to mix things up, Sunset ducked low, releasing her bind with Twilight to risk taking shots at her legs with her unjammed gun. As her arms dropped she tapped her pistols together, clearing the jam to again resume firing away. Twilight flipped forward over Sunset, firing one gun down, and used the snapback of the slide to unjam her other pistol as well. Sunset crossed under her, avoiding Twilight's shots as she came back to a stand. Twilight landed facing away, and they both had their guns cleared.

    Without turning around, Sunset twisted herself, punching behind her with a pistol while leaning back, finding Twilight again mirroring her actions.

    Their arms crossed, this time only at the elbow, each with a gun held just slightly away from the other's face. Sunset's other gun crossed her other arm and met Twilight's barrel to barrel.

    Time resumed.

    Right away, a chaotic cacophony of cracks, whistling and shattering exploded around them as thousands of time-slowed bullets suddenly blossomed outward from the eye of their deathly dance. All windows that had not yet been broken shattered instantly, and the walls between them, ceiling, and floor became instantly riddled with holes from the bullet impacts. 

    Their eyes met again, a look of playful, unsatisfied, amusement shared between them. Without words, they understood. This would not be enough.

    Flames erupted around Twilight's body as she summoned the gauntlets and mantle of Applejack's demon to her. The combat dynamic quickly shifted as her guns went away, and Sunset caught a flaming uppercut that launched her upwards. Her Demon Reflex went off as she sped closer to the solid stone ceiling, but reorienting herself, she used her heightened reflexes to shoot out a flat disk in the ceiling, which she kicked out as time resumed, landing on the slippery roof. 

    In front of her she could see the length of the corridor joining into the much taller castle wall, and behind her loomed the even larger tower the castle was built around. There was quite the drop to the courtyards on either side, one that would be hard to recover from if fallen down.

    After a few moments, Twilight rocketed up through the hole after her. Using the flames of her gauntlets to propel herself, she dove in at Sunset, crashing against the roof as she moved out of the way. In response, Sunset summoned Rainbow's demon, the axe-bladed lightning guitar. The heavy headed weapon smashed hard against the demonic stone of Twilight's gauntlets, sending sparks flying in all directions, but not breaking them. Across the flat of the roof, the two pushed each other back and forth, but this time with massive hits that flashed in fire and electricity. 

    Sunset slammed the guitar-axe down, one hand on the neck, the other on the body, getting as much leverage as she could out of it, but Twilight caught the blade with a gauntlet and punched over it with her other hand. Leaning out the punch, Sunset levered her weapon the other way, whacking Twilight in the leg with the head of the guitar end. She stumbled, and Sunset followed up with a solid hit on her head from the axe end, but the stone mantle on Twilight's shoulders shifted, protecting her skin from the cut of the blade.

    She still took the full brunt of the weapon's weight, though, and as she staggered away to catch her balance she summoned Rarity's magic, manifesting both the sewing needle and the cloak that allowed her to passively draw out pins. Sunset flipped her guitar around and played a quick, ascending riff on the lower strings that shot out powerful blasts of lighting as Twilight approached once more. 

    Flames surrounded Twilight's body, generated from the gauntlets, the accumulating blaze reducing the effect of the oncoming lightning. Reaching into the cloak, Twilight threw out four sewing pins, these ones set alight by the fire around her. Sunset adjusted her fingering on the guitar, playing a full chord that created a radius of lightning around her, individual arcs shooting out to destroy the oncoming needles. To her surprise, pins exploded with a far greater effect, the flames around them transforming each one into a great plume of fire. Sunset had to jump back away from the blast, and a huge screen of ember and smoke was left in its wake, concealing Twilight from her sight.

    Through the grey vale Sunset saw Twilight's shadow, but only for a moment before Twilight penetrated it completely, led by the piercing end of her needle. The body of the guitar blocked the stab, but in bracing herself Sunset was shoved back further. All of the flames surrounding Twilight condensed into an open fist, and she threw a strong straight punch right for the recoiling Sunset. Sunset tilted forward, absorbed the guitar's electricity into herself, transforming her into a lightning bolt for a split second as she dashed past Twilight.

    Behind her, a massive column of fire was let loose from Twilight's palm, scorching the entire length of roof and castle wall in a deafening roar. Seeing that she missed, Twilight looked back and got a picture of Sunset with the party cannon over her shoulder, a shot lined up and pulling the trigger. Demon Reflex activating, Twilight ran forward and jumped over the cannon shell in slowed time, then brought Rarity's needle down on Sunset as time resumed. 

    The needle was stopped by the body of the cannon, Sunset holding it out to block the attack, but then she did something Twilight hadn't yet seen. 

    Twisting the body of the cannon apart, Sunset transformed the weapon into two shorter cannons and wielded them like a pair of thick batons, gripping the L-shaped handles and letting their bodies and barrels serve as their striking ends. 

    For a brief moment, Sunset took the advantage, swinging the baton cannons one after the other in Twilight's direction, rotating her torso back and forth as she forced Twilight to back away and frantically deflect her quick strikes. Rarity's needle was much too thin to properly redirect the attacks, but Twilight also had a new trick to show off.

    Sunset saw Twilight's weapons switch, but didn't know what to expect. She kept the length of cloak around her, but came out with a long staff of dark brown wood, much sturdier than the thin metal needle. It was longer than the needle, too, as she wielded it in both hands she had a much easier time keeping Sunset and her baton cannons at bay. Fluttershy's magic.

    Bringing her cannons forward, Sunset opened fire as she batted Twilight's staff out of her face. Up close, the balls of metal confetti had less time to spread out, and Twilight's quick footwork and Demon Reflex let her just barely avoid cannon blast after cannon blast. She returned the gesture with barrages of sewing pins, and as Sunset followed her into the time slow, they quickly became surrounded with exploding projectiles.

    They wouldn't let them all pile up though, they'd flash in and out of the slowed time, doing everything they could to get an advantage, using every weapon they had at their disposal. The sky above them detonated into brilliant flashes of light and smoke, and as they fought, they became more and more soaked by the falling rain. Sunset's hair began to stick to her coat, but she had little time to push it to a more comfortable position.

    Amidst the combat, Twilight's glasses fell from her face and caught on the neck of her coat and the band holding her ponytail back loosened as her hair slickened. Deep purple locks fell in a messy curtain down and around her face as she and Sunset came into yet another close faced weapon bind. Breath shaky, bodies weary from the constant fighting, all they could do was tightly lock eyes. Intense expressions were exchanged, they traded looks of aggressive bitterness, heated passion, and subtle desperation. But in her eyes, over everything else, Sunset saw what truly drove her. She saw fear.

    "Why do you refuse to gain power?" Twilight asked, teeth gritting. The wood of her enchanted staff held strong against the metal batons which were starting to glow and sizzle from the pressure exerted on them. "The power needed to do what must be done?"

    "I am doing what must be done..." Sunset replied, her voice dry and raspy from exhaustion. "I'm standing for what's right, and fighting like hell to protect it!"

    Twilight's eyes narrowed and their weapons parted, coming back around to clash again at a different angle. When they came back, Sunset saw a different look in Twilight's eyes. They were alert, but not angry, focused, but like she had some kind of realization.

    "It has to be me, Sunset!" Twilight shouted over thunder and rain.

    "No, it doesn't!" Sunset shouted back. She swung her batons around aggressively, continuously pushing Twilight's staff to the side as she advanced on her. "You keep talking about true power, doing whatever it takes for the greater good, but it's all a bunch of cheap bullshit!" 

    The staff suddenly filled her vision, bashing into her forehand and knocking her back. Not letting her focus go, she beat the staff down and brought one of her batons into Twilight's side, letting it swing around in her grip for added momentum. With a gauntlet, Twilight grabbed the baton cannon's barrel, then caught the other one with the close end of her staff.

    Once more, Twilight and Sunset were brought face to face, weapons locked. There was nothing in between them except everything that was.

    "What's it even matter to you?" Twilight asked, shoving Sunset was away and jabbing her staff forward at the most direct angle, putting her and Sunset on equal footing as they again barred their weapons against one another. "Why do you obsessively try to get in my way?"

    Sunset's expression fell to the question. Was it not obvious that Sunset was doing this for the sake of their friendship? "You'll destroy yourself if you keep going, Twilight! Can't you see that?"

    "If Nightmare Moon wins, we'll all be destroyed anyway! The risk is worth it!"

    "No, it's not!" Sunset's voice rose even louder. "You're not worth it!"

    "Says who?"

    "Your best friend!"

    Lightning flashed in the sky behind them, drawing a pause to the action as the two took in each other's words. Neither gave the other any ground, but for a whole ten seconds, the only thing that moved were droplets of rain. It was never about the amulet, nor was it about proving who was stronger than who. Twilight knew full well the severity of her actions, but couldn't back out of their consequences. She wasn't trying to escape what she had set in motion; she was trying her hardest to take what she believed was responsibility for it.

    But unless she accepted that power wasn't everything, that she couldn't accomplish this on her own, she'd never be able to take true responsibility. She'd never be able to walk away. Her fixation on power would be her undoing unless Sunset could prove her wrong right here and right now.

    "You want to protect me..." Twilight said, as if that possibility never occurred to her. Maybe she understood now, maybe all she needed was for Sunset to remind her of their friendship, that she was still important to her. But, with a resolute shake of her head, Twilight would only narrow her eyes. She cast a powerful glare into Sunset's own, rejecting eyes burning their response into the back of her mind.

    "No." Twilight's face distorted back into that dark, almost anguished look of hostility. "I can't let you have this power!"

    But the look was different, conveying more than just momentary bitterness. More than just a passive feeling of dread. In response to Sunset's compassion, Twilight was... offended.

    And it hurt.

    The passive anger running through Sunset's mind began to rise to the surface, dismissing the hurt as her expression of care was rejected. A red glow began to surround her, swirling about inner power gathered. A similar purple glow enveloped Twilight, and their combat reignited with a powerful push against each other.

    All at once, Sunset and Twilight became immersed in their red and purple energies respectively, their forms morphing and shifting into those of their Inner Demons. Their eyes changed, their skin roughened and changed hues, and a concussive blast of their corresponding shades was released between them, blowing the roof apart and sending them both crashing back down into the hallway.

    They absorbed their demon weapons back into themselves and brought out their primary swords, coming all the way through their rotation of weapons. Sunset's claymore became bathed in bright red flames and she brought it against Twilight's katana, glowing with a powerful purple flame of its own. With their wings spread, they jumped about, flying around each other as their battle dragged on both through air and on ground. Their colors radiated outward, brightening their surroundings as they traded blows.

    It was different from the last time their demon forms emerged. They were in control now, each one perfectly focused on achieving their goal. Never had Sunset wanted anything more than stopping Twilight here, because despite all of the joking and silliness she brought to this job, when it came to her friends, she cared. Deeply. Doubly so for a best friend. Maybe even triply so. Best friend. That didn't even feel like a close enough way to describe it.

    In stunted unison they slammed feet first into the center of the hallway, rain pouring above them as their swords moved too fast to watch; even as they went into their Demon Reflex they were steadily accelerating. With both feet firmly planted, the two demons furiously attacked and counterattacked, perfectly blocking again and again, dragging their swords through the falling raindrops faster and faster, so fast that the raindrops were breaking apart quicker they could fall—making a completely dry dome around them.

    As their speed continued to mount to impossible levels, it was only a matter of time until one of them would falter. 

    They both came in, one final sword clash expending the last of their demonic energy and reverting them back to their normal forms. There was a beat as a sheet of rainwater suddenly dumped into their isolated pocket of dryness, further soaking their heads as they pressed against each other. 

    Their eyes were alight, each one of them determined to take it all.

    Sunset's claymore slipped, and with a powerful shove Twilight knocked it from her hand. It spun through the air behind her, digging point first into the floor and landing upright.

    And without a weapon, Sunset could do nothing to stop Twilight from driving her katana straight through her chest, knocking all resistance from her. Sunset choked, her anger giving way to despair from both the metaphorical and literal pain in her heart. Her legs gave out, and she fell on her knees at Twilight's feet.

    "Foolishness, Sunset..." Twilight looked into her former friend's hopeless eyes with overwhelming disappointment. "Foolishness."

    Sunset was too weak to respond. Her hands reached up to grab at Twilight's blade, but Twilight just as quickly yanked it from her. With a quick snap of her wrist, all of Sunset's blood flicked off the blade, and right as she sheathed it Sunset collapsed on her face. Pushing her fallen hair back, she fixed the loose band that clung precariously to it and put it back into a ponytail.

    "Without power, you can't protect anything..." Twilight said, taking her glasses from where they'd caught on her jacket and putting them back in their place in front of her apathetic, violet eyes. "Not me, and most certainly not yourself."

    Twilight pulled out the round, purple device, and held it towards Sunset's body. It opened, and Sunset felt the presence of her demons fading. Pink and blue orbs of magic rose out of her and into the device, the only magic left being the one of her own inseparable demon. 

    "Maybe one day you'll understand, Sunset..." Twilight said, redirecting the device towards herself and imbuing her body with the taken magic. "And maybe on that day we can return to our friendship."

    Sunset wasn't ready to let her go, but she was helpless to stop her as she approached the throne room door. Each point of the star on it was lit with the power of the Elements of Harmony unified, and the door split open in two parts, allowing her to disappear into the dark hallway beyond it.

    Sunset closed her eyes. She wasn't going to pass out, but she was having a hard time processing what had just happened. Her punctured heart was already healing over, but the emotional damage to it felt far worse.

    Even if Twilight could defeat Nightmare Moon, there was no guarantee that Twilight could come back from this. Twilight's Inner Demon had resurfaced again, and its power was already consuming her.

    And all Sunset could do was watch as her closest friend slipped away.
> 19- The Nemesis of All
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The rain began to pick up outside, clattering along the ground in buckets as the storm raged on, but for a single moment, all inside the great castle's throne room was still. Two swords were held at the ready by two knights of oblivion and platinum, facing with eyes locked. Two souls: one a fearsome, terrible demon, corrupted by the vast power she commanded, the other a mortal who rejected power for her humanity. One fought with overbearing strength and the other with precision and grace. One sought revenge, the other reparation. One wrought destruction, the other restoration.

    Two souls, each one the fundamental antithesis of the other.

    Two souls that could not hope to coexist peacefully.

    The moment passed, and they collided.

    Nightmare Moon launched into a dashing attack too swift for Celestia to evade. With her sword fully outstretched, the wicked demon knight glided across the floor of the throne room with a mighty flap of her wings, creating a single stinging point with which to catch her target in the next second. The movement was a blur, but Celestia rotated her wrists, pushing on one end of her sword's handle and pulling on the other, swiping her blade around in a quick, determined motion.

    She braced herself, absorbing all of Nightmare Moon's momentum as their swords slid to a halt against each other. Celestia couldn't match the raw physical strength of her corrupted sister, but the angle and point at which their blades touched offered her a far greater balance advantage. On top of that, she kept her back stable and upright, offering herself more than enough rotation to force Nightmare Moon away, who conversely leaned far too strongly into her attack. 

    The demon's giant sword shifted away, but quickly cut back around for more. Celestia met a horizontal strike with a perfectly vertical block, and while she recoiled, Nightmare Moon circled her weapon behind her and swung it again from the opposite side. With less than a second of delay, Celestia leaned back and watched the blade pass over her, seeing her own tense face in its reflection before arching her back further and catching her balance on a hand.

    Putting all of her weight there, she pulled her sword in flat towards her chest and let her feet leave the ground while firing off both of her boot mounted pistols. A curved line of bullets shot up at Nightmare Moon following the radius made by Celestia's feet, blasting her damaged chest plate and exposed face as the elder sister performed her evasive technique. Maintaining her flow, Celestia pushed off the ground, launching into an aerial flip that landed her outside of her younger sister's reach.

    The bullets in her face of minimal concern, Nightmare Moon quickly refocused on Celestia. She began to imbue her immense power into her weapon, causing it to radiate with bright blue magic as she watched her sister come back into a fighting stance. 

    Something Celestia noticed in that moment was Nightmare Moon's sword. Its surface was a metallic grey color, not pitch black. The handle was familiar, a long two handed grip with a moon shaped crossguard, but it had a curve in it that didn't line up with its oversized blade. The reason was obvious, Celestia figured that Nightmare Moon's original sword got damaged somehow, and she had a new blade put on the old handle. This was, however, a glaring point of weakness—Celestia's smaller sword had superior balance.

    "May I ask what happened to your sword, sister?" Celestia kept her tone flat as she studied Nightmare Moon's movements. After the brief sword exchange, the two were eyeing each other up, trying to predict what the other might do next.

    "I have been using it," she replied, her voice filing the room despite only answering a simple question. "Unlike yours, whose blade is now shaper than its wielder."

    "I think you'll find I still have my edge."

    With a grunt of exertion, Nightmare Moon charged forward again and as she swung her sword the magic within trailed behind it, leaving a scorching hot path wherever the blade was led. Opting to lean and step out of the way, Celestia's hair was blown back, the heated air quickly dispersing in her face as she waited for her moment to counter. 

    An angled downward slice came in and Celestia mirrored the cut, meeting her sword at a tight angle, Celestia's strong end right in the center of Nightmare Moon's, and with the same downward momentum. The opposing forces shoved their swords away, each of them recoiling with their arms high over their heads, and then again they brought them down in the same way.

    The sword clashes were loud, ringing, and distinct, the magical heat from Nightmare Moon's weapon blowing both of their hair back as they repeated these heavy strikes, waiting for the other to slip up. It was a game of strength, who could apply the most in the right spot. There was something else though, Celestia saw Nightmare Moon's blade edge very gradually chipping away under the repeated blows. Perhaps its integrity wasn't up to par, and with the right amount of force it could be broken.

    One more time, Celestia hammered down on the flat of her sister's blade, finally forcing the weapon down towards the floor. A long scrape was put in it, and the magical charge contained within it escaped, bursting out in a flash of color as its wielder was left open to attack. Celestia swung down on her hard, biting into the demon's already dented shoulder armor and breaking through it, digging against the chainmail beneath. Another blow opened up a portion of Nightmare Moon's body armor, Celestia's ancient blade forcing apart the plating on her side with raw impact force.

    Fighting an armored opponent with a cutting weapon was normally ill-advised, but Celestia was not using it to cut. All the sword's magic did in this state was increase its durability and amplify its force so when Celestia applied it correctly it became a semi-effective clubbing weapon. 

    Nightmare Moon staggered back as her armor sustained more damage, severely thrown off balance, but she held a gauntleted hand up as Celestia stabbed for the hole in her breastplate, catching the smaller weapon by the blade. Shifting her other shoulder forward, Celestia took one hand from her grip and punched one of her handguns through the broken steel instead.

    Stunned, Nightmare Moon recoiled repeatedly in place as her older sister filled her chest with bullets, her pride scarred as she was subjected to direct damage from the most trivial of weapons. Breaking free of her daze, her hand released Celestia's sword, then closed into a fist again as she whipped her arm forward into a punch.

    Celestia couldn't avoid the hit, the impact sent her back and spun her vision, but she caught herself at the foot of a staircase leading up to an interior balcony overlooking the thrones. The path circled around into another staircase going down along the throne room's opposite wall, the gap between them containing the stairs that led out of the throne room entirely. 

    Stepping back to retreat up the stairs, Celestia felt her body weaken. That one hit took a lot out of her. Stumbling, she watched Nightmare Moon stride forward. Even if she could match her in strength and speed, follow every move and attack at every opportunity, Celestia simply couldn't take a hit like her wicked sister could. Any slip up worse than the one she just made might spell her end. No less than perfection would do.

    Magic pulsed around Nightmare Moon, and several dozen swords of blue light appeared in the air behind her, each one pointed at the same target. Now forced to keep moving, Celestia turned and ran up the steps, weaving around the swords as they came flying at her and stuck into the stairs near her feet. Nightmare Moon kept her steady walking pace, effortlessly pressing the assault of summoned swords.

    With a flap of her wings, Nightmare Moon leapt from the bottom of the staircase, landing just behind Celestia as she reached the top. Turning to face her, Celestia barely stopped the demon's sword from taking her shoulder off, blocking at a less than ideal angle. Both hands on her sword, she did her best to meet the demon blade to blade, but found herself struggling to wield her blade with the same flawlessness as before. She was giving up much more ground as Nightmare Moon kept her attack up, constantly readjusting her footing just to not get knocked over by every attack.

    A malicious grin formed on Nightmare Moon's face as she sensed Celestia's resistance was beginning to fade. Her older sister sidestepped out of the way of one swing and redirected another, but avoided a locking blades completely. She was gradually wearing out, but the power of the Sister of Light combined with her own gave Nightmare Moon the energy to keep fighting through any injury. A well placed whack against Celestia's sword, and Nightmare Moon nearly dropped her to the floor. As Celestia stumbled, Nightmare Moon reached out a hand and caught her by the head.

    "What ails you, dearest sister? Do you grow tired?" Her grin widened, splitting across her face as she held Celestia high over her and proceeded to slam her into the ground at her feet. "Perhaps you should lie down!"

    Celestia's back ached from the impact and all of the breath was ejected from her lungs. She lost her grip on her sword, only able to focus on keeping her eyes open. 

    "Lie down and rest..." Above her, Celestia saw her sister towering over her, huge sword raised with its blade pointed down, moments away from nailing her to the floor. "Rest for eternity!"

    Taking in a deep breath, she wriggled in place, generating enough force to roll herself just as the sword pierced through the floor. Letting the breath out, she twisted herself up to her feet, summoning her pistols as Nightmare Moon reclaimed her weapon.

    With all her might, she kicked into the demon, firing off her bootgun and knocking her away from the sword. Nightmare Moon's magic pulsed again, forgoing the sword completely. She surrounded herself with summoned swords orbiting her body as her feet carried her forward into another punch. Her size forced her to punch down, and Celestia was able to jump to the side and pelt her with more bullets. 

    Each of the summoned swords around Nightmare Moon's body was an obstacle for Celestia to follow, spreading her already fleeting focus thin as she moved around the oncoming punches and kicks. She got shots in wherever she could, but the damage done just wasn't enough. The demon's magic pulsed again, and from above her shoulders two sweeping heat beams swiped across the ground in alternating rhythm with her physical attacks. They tracked in directions opposite of her movement, creating even more narrow pockets of space for Celestia to dodge through.

    Nightmare Moon threw out a high roundhouse kick as Celestia jumped over a beam attack, hoping to catch her in the air, but Celestia brought her legs in close to her chest and kicked her feet off of the demon's leg. Nightmare Moon's balance was disrupted, and Celestia catapulted over her head, landing behind her to take her sword back. 

    As soon as it was in her hands, more summoned light swords streaked at her, and she was forced to pivot in place and cut through them as they came. Nightmare Moon approached slowly, firing sword after sword with no needed physical input, and then fired her heat beams at Celestia as well. She angled them purposefully, stopping any kind of approach Celestia might make while also forcing the weakening demon hunter to dance and jump through even more flaming hoops. 

    It was too much, Celestia couldn't keep this up for much longer. She needed something to give her an out, but the only thing she could see was Nightmare Moon's approaching form. There, though, between them was Nightmare Moon's oversized greatsword, sticking up from the ground with its crossguard level with her chest. A last-ditch plan occurred in her mind and she jumped for it, ducking behind it and finding that it stopped all of its owner's projectiles. She then put her own sword away, and with both hands, pulled the incredibly massive weapon free and did her best to steadily ready it before herself.

    "Ridiculous," Nightmare Moon said, ceasing her other attacks to create a black sphere of dense energy between her palms, crackling with unfiltered power, adding more and more to it until its diameter grew wide as her shoulders. A condescending look in her eyes, Nightmare Moon thrust her palm forward, forcing incredible velocity upon it as it rocketed forth to smite her sister. As the tightly packed sphere of lightless magic grew close, Celestia braced herself.

    With great effort, Celestia heaved the demon sword around in an arc, cutting into the energy sphere right before it hit her. She didn't stop its motion though, it kept pressing against the sword, violent sparks of arcane power igniting against each other while Celestia struggled to keep the blade steady. Her entire body shaking, she gave everything she could to keep the rapidly vibrating sword held in place, her injured back and shoulders screaming out for her to give in, accept this loss so her struggle could end, but she refused. Slowly, the sphere began to shrink, the demon sword was absorbing its power, but as the glowing power radiated through it, it started to smolder and bend. It couldn't handle the energy, and in a ear-shattering blast of light and heat, it gave out.

    The explosion coincided with lightning outside. Nightmare Moon's oversized weapon finally shattered into a million tiny fragments, the sudden decompression of immeasurable power launching its handle back towards the thrones and Celestia along with it. She landed painfully on her face in the floor's central circle, her own sword and firearms scattering too far away to reach as she failed to right herself. A swarm of light swords appeared directly above her, hanging down and ready to drop. More appeared in an orbiting ring around her, honing in on her body as they too prepared to strike.

    Nightmare Moon jumped to Celestia's level, gazing triumphantly upon her sister defeated.

    "Hark, 'Tia!" Victorious, Nightmare Moon bellowed in diabolical excitement, revelling in seeing Celestia on her hands and knees. "Raise thine eyes and gaze upon her who truly is the greater of sisters! Or perhaps thou wouldst prefer'th a mirror? To gaze upon the face of the littl'r one?"

    Celestia weakly rose her head, tired beyond belief and sore all over. "You don't want this..."

    "Nay. I do." At that, the dozens of light swords surrounding Celestia all fell in at the exact same time, slicing and tearing and piercing her skin, but none of them actively striking through her. She cried out, writhing in pain as a hundred cuts opened on her arms, legs and back, shredding her clothes to pieces in the process. The swords stuck up out of the ground, pinning her in place, rendering her unable to move without the threat of further lacerating herself. "For sentencing me to a thousand years of isolation, to see you suffer is indeed the only thing I desire..."

    Blood began to dampen her skin as Celestia fidgeted, trying to hold still while her senses were constantly under assault. As Nightmare Moon finally stood over her, the summoned swords faded, and immediately she felt the demon's rough hand lifting her to her feet. 

    "We were supposed to protect this world," Celestia managed, her throat becoming tight. "Our powers were meant to be used together..."

    "But you rejected yours!" Nightmare Moon's heat beams fired off into Celestia's front, searing across her stomach in a crossed pattern. Her bare skin sizzled to the scorching thin flame slowly dragging across her body, but as her reflexes forced her to convulse in pain, she was held still by her sister's inhuman hand. It was unbearable, and Celestia screamed out again. "Speak not to me about intention when you purposefully betrayed it!"

    "You threatened our balance..." Celestia replied through fast, painful breaths. Another pair of burning cuts were made across Celestia's back, and after forcing her to remain beneath the flesh-melting rays, Nightmare Moon allowed her to collapse. "Ngh... You threatened the world!"

    "Indeed, you did nothing until I forced your hand!" When Celestia tried to move, Nightmare Moon's heavy metal boot came down hard on her back, crushing her into the floor until she was still. "And delivered now is your only reward. Watch as the world you love crumbles by the hand of the sister you never did!"

    Through the excruciating pain, Celestia felt a wave of disbelief strike her over the head like a warhammer. Never did? No, she had always loved her sister. When things were easy, when things were tough, when they saved the world together and when they lived in peace. The love for the only family Celestia had left is what drove her every action, even when she had to be banished. Especially when she had to be banished. Even now as a twisted, horrifying monster, Celestia still had nothing but love in her heart for her dearest, little sister.

    "I... always... loved you."

    "LIAR!" Nightmare Moon stomped against Celestia again, a pained resentment in her voice as some chord was stuck within her. She was no longer gloating of her victory, now instead taking out anger on her defeated opponent. "If not a liar, then a fool! Your negligence was evident enough, in failure as both guardian and sibling!"

    Being taken tightly by the neck, Celestia was lifted up to meet Nightmare Moon's eyes, the rest of her dangling beneath the demon's iron grip. Hearing Nightmare Moon's words, Celestia found herself faced with an undeniable revelation. What she mistook for stoic responsibility was in truth conceit, and because of it she let her beloved sister become something utterly evil. Her selfish inaction was no more excusable than her sister's selfish reaction, and now nothing remained of Nightmare Moon but pure, remorseless evil.

    "I am a fool then." Celestia's voice carried the despair of her realization, her total defeat, both in battle and in conversation. And as she always had, she resigned herself to powerlessness. "I was too scared, too self-concerned... I should've done more, anything more. Anything but silently allow you to suffer. I... I've failed you."

    "Of that matter, we are agreed," Nightmare Moon replied in her dark tone, but shortly after her expression became momentarily straight, eyes widening. Her grip didn't tighten, but it didn't become softer either. Celestia knew the look, some striking thought entered her sister's mind, a thought so striking that she just had to ponder it. It was like all of the self-righteous hatred she propped herself up on had suddenly been kicked out from beneath her. It frustrated her, whatever it was, bothered her, annoyed her, but she was thinking about it.

    After a moment, she spoke. There was much less malice in her tone, but she still looked directly into Celestia's eyes with the same intensity. "Before I end your miserable existence, have you a last request?"

    Celestia blinked. A mercy, extended to her? After owning up to the actions that led to Nightmare Moon's creation, the demon was offering her a single hearing? There was nothing she could say to save herself now, but perhaps that was the point. Perhaps the demon just wanted one last chance to laugh in her older sister's face before ending her. A moment later, she would have her reply.

    "I understand what I did to cause your pain..." Celestia began, her tone more certain than it ever had been. "And all I can ask is that you forgive me. Not for my sake, but for your own. Because if you do, even if you do kill me now, there might be a day where you don't have to hurt because of me."

    Then, after a moment of consideration, Nightmare Moon's face turned back into a vile scowl. 

    "Pathetic!" Her tone darkened, her fist tightly closing around her sister's throat, flushing her face with red and making her gasp for breath. "Arrogant fool! You truly believe yourself to have representation in my court of thought after inciting so much of my suffering? There are no strings in my heart for you to tug upon, sister! You've already torn it out."

    Celestia's hands scrambled, pulling at the tightening grip around her throat in a futile effort to break free. Her eyes began to water and her head became hazy as circulation was cut off, but she still managed to croak out one last thing.

    "For me, then, Luna..." Celestia choked, speaking her sister's true name with the last of her raspy breath. "Forgive me..."

    "For you, it is too late. Luna is dead."

    And from the bottom of her resentful and hate-filled heart, Nightmare Moon gave her venomous farewell as she squeezed out the scarce remains of her sister's life.

    "Dream sweetly, sister. Good night."

-----

    Twilight's mind was deafeningly quiet as she climbed the wide spiral staircase to the castle's throne room. She could hear the sounds of fighting above her; the clanging of swords, blasts and zaps of magic firing off, and then screaming. Celestia screaming. Twilight hurried her pace. If Nightmare Moon got Celestia's sword, it was all over. 

    As she climbed though, she couldn't ignore the audible silence amongst her thoughts. She had all five of the Elements of Harmony, and each manifested demon actively present in her mind. Given the rest of her time with these demons, Twilight at least expected them to be talking amongst themselves, if not to her, but they said nothing. They were definitely there watching her, Twilight wasn't suppressing any of them. It was... unsettling. 

    Twilight climbed up each of the stone steps as quickly as she could move her feet, regretting that she never fixed the balance problem her hoverboard had going over stairs. Running would have to do.

    But she was running in silence, and in that silence her mind wandered. She was trying not to think about her battle with Sunset. It was emotionally exhausting, especially upon realising Sunset's intent to keep her safe. Truthfully, she didn't want their friendship to end, but Sunset wasn't strong enough to carry this burden.

    A signal came through Twilight's communicator. It was Spike. Sparing just a moment of pause, she stopped her ascent to answer him.

    "Spike?"

    "Twilight..." Spike's voice was a faint, mechanical whisper. "I couldn't stop Starlight, but I tried..."

    "Spike..." Twilight's voice fell. She never meant for this, Spike was just supposed to be a deterrent. Twilight knew Starlight would blow right through him, but was hoping that she wouldn't be able to commit to it. Why couldn't Starlight have just gone home? "I'm so, so sorry..."

     Starlight, Sunset, all of her friends, even Celestia, and now Spike. She was hurting everyone that was close to her, but now she had her power. Her ends were about to be achieved, but she started to wonder how justified they'd truly be. 

    "Put yourself in standby mode, Spike," Twilight said. "Shut all primary processes off if you have to. If I make it out of this, I'm coming to find you."

    Spike didn't respond, and his signal went dead. Twilight hoped he was just following her instruction, but the harrowing possibility of her loyal assistant being beyond repair was blatantly obstructing her thoughts. She was hurting everyone she cared for. Too much for her to handle, she too shut her thoughts off. Continuing her race upwards, she finally reached the top of the curved stairs, hanging a right and going up the final flight of steps that led straight to the throne room.

    At the far end of the large round room, Twilight entered a grim scene of a monstrously huge Nightmare Moon, body surging and swelling with power, her fist tightly closed around Celestia's throat, her nearly naked body bleeding, burned, and bruised. 

    Hand shooting to her katana's grip, Twilight charged her power into the weapon, and then promptly drew it in full. As it came out, a thin line of her purple energy was thrown from her sword, slicing all the way across the room from the stairs and perfectly across Nightmare Moon's wrist.

    Her metal gauntlet was sliced like butter at the forearm, and Nightmare Moon roared in pain, reflexively dropping Celestia and searching for the new threat. 

    "Nightmare Moon!" Twilight shouted, approaching the demon with her sword drawn. "This is it!"

    When her eyes met Twilight's, Nightmare Moon let out a sinister laugh. "Ah, Celestia's disciple. Come to challenge me on behalf of your master?"

    "You got that right," Twilight said, glaring at the demon. Now was the time to use the Elements of Harmony, but when she called upon their power, she was met with no response. What was she doing wrong? It didn't matter, she could figure it out, but she needed to keep Nightmare Moon busy. Drawing upon her own power, her purple magic began to radiate from her. She charged forward, running headfirst into this decisive, final battle.

    As Twilight approached, the demon stood her ground, summoning swords, heat beams, and a sphere of dark energy to throw at the younger demon hunter. Twilight leapt past the sweeping beams, danced between flying swords, and slid down beneath the dark sphere, letting it pass over and explode behind her, all while her own magic swirled around her.

    When Twilight was right in front of Nightmare Moon, she jumped, magic flashing around her as she took the form of her Inner Demon once again and drove her flaming blade right through the demon knight's heart. Recoiling in pain, Nightmare Moon sunk a powerful fist into Twilight's chest, sending the furious purple demon girl skipping across the hard, stone floor like a rock on a lake. The katana still pierced through Nightmare Moon's chest, but its flame died down as its owner was parted. 

    Twilight wasn't out of the fight. She called on the demons of her friends again, asking them why they refused to answer her. No response. Pounding the floor with a hand and standing again, she drew her pistols, demonic energy flowing through them as she lit up Nightmare Moon with gunshots. Nightmare Moon threateningly strode towards her, stopping every bullet fired with nothing but her outstretched hand. 

    Twilight tried to go into her Demon Reflex, but as she did, Nightmare Moon was suddenly right in front of her, grabbing her by the leg and flinging her off back towards the thrones. Crashing into the ground without her guns, she rolled to the side and caught herself, then pushed herself up to stand. She reached out with her mind and grabbed her demons, screamed at them, forced them to even just manifest as individual weapons. Finally, they appeared, purely at Twilight's will, each one a different colored orb of energy circling around her. 

    Nightmare Moon's eyes widened fearfully, realising what Twilight had, and with heavy footsteps shaking the floor, she sprinted to stop her.

    "It's over!" Twilight declared, each orb spinning around her, orbiting her faster and faster until they became a blur of colored energy. Mixing with Twilight's own demonic power, the energy shot forward as a massive beam of pure white light, devoid of any color they had before. Twilight poured her power into this beam, all of the power she had, every ounce she'd acquired since her banishment from the Order. Since her final test from Celestia. Since the first night her Inner Demon ever took control of her body. Now, she was the one in control, she was using the Elements of Harmony to defeat the Sister of Darkness.

    As the beam struck Nightmare Moon, she was shoved back, the light blinding her and burning against her body, but she held both arms up and dug her feet into the ground. Twilight kept the beam held strong, but eventually Nightmare Moon took a step forward. A few seconds passed, and she took another. Gradually, the Dark Sister's shadow grew longer and longer as she neared the harmonic light. The beam was hurting her, but it wasn't working quickly enough. 

    In horror, Twilight realised that it wouldn't be enough.

    Nightmare Moon was a mere twenty feet from her when the harmonic blast ended, and Twilight reverted back to her human form. The demon just smiled, her fear long since evaporated.

    "They... didn't work..." Twilight said, power completely drained. "But..."

    Another evil and victorious laugh left Nightmare Moon's lips. "Ha! What a failure! To what troubles did you go to secure the Elements of Harmony?"

    "I..." Twilight started, frozen in disbelief. "I gave up everything..."

    "And yet, it was not enough." Nightmare Moon gripped Twilight's blade, pulling it out of her chest and tossing it aside. "You are not enough."

    She couldn't believe this. The Elements of Harmony were supposedly the very powers that defeated Nightmare Moon before. Why didn't they work now? Why wasn't anything working? As Nightmare Moon made her final approach, Twilight fell to her knees and cursed it all, tears beginning to line her eyes at the fact that she was about to die having destroyed everything she valued in life. Seeing Celestia's unmoving body not far away cemented this feeling. 

    But as she lamented into the ground, she felt a soft tug on her neck. Her magic tracker fell from beneath her shirt, and was dangling down in front of her face. Maybe... Maybe this small purple device that she used to steal from her friends could also steal from Nightmare Moon. As she stared at it, one of the lights flashed, pointing directly to the demon. If she could just get close enough...

    She looked up, a new determination filling her eyes as she sprinted towards Nightmare Moon.

    Scoffing, the demon shook her head. "You can't be serious..."

    Twilight held the tracker outstretched, flipping it open and holding it right up to Nightmare Moon's broken chestplate, and immediately it began to suck swirls of gold and blue energies from the demon's open heart. Unable to fight against the device targeting her, Nightmare Moon only struggled against it, trying to pull away as her magic left her. Twilight held strong, gripping the device with both hands as she pulled Nightmare Moon towards it.

    But it too would fail. The device emitted a high pitch beeping, began to spark and smoke, unable to contain the deep ocean of magic within Nightmare Moon. And with yet another triumphant grin, Nightmare Moon reached out and yanked Twilight's tracker from her, crushing it in her hand and letting it fall to the floor.

    "Clever, clever..." Nightmare Moon said. "But shady tricks are no replacement for strength!" 

    Twilight then felt Nightmare Moon's boot kicking her back to where she started, and as she was laid out on the floor yet again, she decided to just stay there as Nightmare Moon continued to speak.

    "I should thank you for delivering these Elements to me at little expense to myself," she said. "Everything is now in place to begin this world's end. To reclaim my true power."

    The orbs floating around Twilight fell fully away from her, each one settling into a spot in the room's central circle on each of the points of the star drawn there. Watching, pleased the marks on the floor began to light up, Nightmare Moon gave a grim smile of certainty, certainty that she would rule this new world.

    "The final judgement draweth nigh."

-----

    "Hey!"

    Starlight ran into the destroyed hallway, seeing a crumpled mess of yellow leather and red hair lying out in pummeling rain. It was the other demon hunter, the one stayed behind to save her. Her body was limp, and there was a big cut in the back of her jacket, but when Starlight reached down to help her up she was pushed away.

    "You..." Sunset looked up at the cyborg, content to stay in her place on the ground. "Made it this far, huh? Well there's nothing here."

    "Huh?" Starlight asked. "Come on, get up, we still have a demon to kill..."

    Sunset shook her head, closing her eyes. "Twilight just went in there, and the door sealed behind her. Nightmare Moon might have this one in the bag."

    "What? We have to get in there, then! We can put everything aside until we take out that demon-"

    "You don't understand..." Picking herself up, Sunset looked Starlight in the eye. This was the first time she'd seen the older demon hunter genuinely frustrated at something. "Twilight has everything she needs to beat Nightmare Moon, but she doesn't get it- That magic isn't going to work with her because she's been doing everything she can to force all of our friends away! She can't control them all. And even if she does kill Nightmare Moon, she's gonna become something worse..."

    "I know, that's why we need to stop her," Starlight said. Narrowing her eyes into a momentary distrust, she added, "Unless you still think I need work."

    Before Sunset could think to say anything else, those words resonated with what she had just said about Twilight. About forcing all of her friends away. Sunset had been doing just that, to protect them, but... she hadn't accepted help from anyone either, and used her friends' magic to her own ends. Maybe Sunset was the one who needed work after all.

    She composed herself, resuming her calm demeanor as she reevaluated Starlight. "Look, maybe I didn't give you enough credit before. If you've made it this far, you can obviously look out for yourself. What was your name again?" 

    "Starlight Glimmer," she replied.

    "That's a nice name. I'm Sunset."

    "Thanks, Sunset." Starlight gave a small, appreciative smile, but it turned to confusion as they approached the sealed door, coming out of the rain beneath a portion of the roof that still held strong. "How are we gonna get through that door, though?"

    The sound of footsteps behind them alerted them both.

    Flash Sentry ran down the broken hall, wearing a new, brown jacket, a rocket launcher held up over one shoulder and a machine gun slung from a strap beneath the other. He slowed, surprised to find two demon hunters there.

    "Hey, there's your ex."

    "Flash?" Sunset said, confused. "Dude, where'd you get a bazooka?"

    "Long story," he said, looking up at the tower before them. "This is where the battle is going down, right?"

    "Yeah, but Twilight beat us here," Starlight said. "The door's locked."

    "Twilight... Who's side is she on?" Flash asked. Out of the three of them, he was the only one that didn't have direct involvement with her. 

    Sunset frowned. "Her own side, unfortunately. Also a long story."

    Nodding, Flash turned to Starlight. "What about Spike?"

    Starlight looked away. "I had to take him out. Twilight turned him on me."

    Flash gave a disappointed look, but it didn't stay there for long. "Right. So... I gotta get in there."

    "Yeah, join the club," Sunset said. Not dismissively, but in a casual, grumbling way. "We need to figure out how to get past this door. It unlocks with magic, but I'm thinking we might be able to knock it down..."

    Flash shifted the launcher over his shoulder. "Think a rocket might do the trick? Of course, if I'm not getting in your way..."

    Looking down, Sunset sighed. She'd just decided she was going to do better about not pushing her friends away, but Flash was different. He was just a human, getting involved with demons that were way out of his league. But, he'd made it this far too...

    "Go right ahead." Sunset said.

    "Actually..." Starlight eyed the door, charging energy into her mechanical hand. It glowed a soft teal color as she built up two power cells worth of energy, then discharged it all as she drove her fist right into the center, not breaking it, but sending cracks along the small impact crater she made. "Hit it right there."

    With the others standing back, Flash raised the rocket launcher up over his shoulder and lined its sight up on the crack Starlight made.

    He pulled the trigger, and in the next moment a rocket shot across the hallway, causing an explosion that engulfed the immediate area in smoke.

    "No way," Sunset said, watching the smoke clear and seeing that the door was now blown in, broken into several pieces that now lie on the floor inside. "There's no way that worked. So where did you get the bazooka?"

    "Secret underground demon research lab."

    "It really is a long story," Starlight explained.

    "Uh, right. Let's finish this, then."

    Then, uncertain of their ultimate fates, the three demon hunters entered the castle's main tower and began to climb up the round, winding staircase they found inside, and as they did, they saw arcane designs begin to light up the tower's empty and open ground floor. Above them, a similar pattern shone down from the ceiling, coming from what surely was the throne room.

-----

Selene made her way up the spiral staircase as fast as she could. From the basement, it was quite a ways up, but they were already inside the main tower. With the Tantibus under control and Discord and Sombra right behind her, she had everything she needed to take on Nightmare Moon herself. The other demon hunters were at play here too, hopefully she could reach the throne room before any of them got hurt. Or even worse, before her sister got hurt. Having to fight Celestia before wasn't easy, and she ultimately resigned to holding back rather than fighting aggressively to avoid either of them getting injured. Nightmare Moon would get no such pleasantry.

    "Sounds like things are getting spicy up there..." Discord said, hearing the prolonged blast of a beam of magic firing above them. 

    "Someone's beaten us here," Selene said, pushing herself to go as fast as she could.

    "Here, allow me~" Discord snapped his paws, and Selene's world was inverted. She fell, but she fell up, landing on the bottom of the staircase above her. Sombra fell with her, giving Discord a death glare as he scrambled to find his balance. Catching Selene on his back, Sombra melted into the rough stone of the staircase's bottom curve, letting the flipped gravity pull them downward towards their destination, the bottom (top) of the chamber.

    They moved much faster, able to build momentum and quickly zip up to the top (bottom). They fell upward into the open space, but then Discord promptly flipped them back around, allowing them to land unharmed at the base of steps leading straight up into the throne room. These steps were shorter, but steeper, and as they climbed the three saw Nightmare Moon with the Elements of Harmony, ready to use their power to open up the gate to the demon realm. 

    Nightmare Moon, holding Celestia's sword, raised it above the center of the circle, about to drive it through her sister and place it into position to open the portal to the demon realm in full.

    "No..." Selene muttered, fearing that she might be too late. Jumping atop Sombra again, she pushed the demon unicorn to a full gallop, riding across the room at top speed to stop Nightmare Moon from ending both her sister and the world. Three of Discord's bow missiles flew overhead, all blasting the Dark Sister and causing her to drop the sword in surprise. By the time the demon knight turned to look, Selene jumped off of Sombra, letting momentum carry her forward and into her hollow altar, drawing the Tantibus's form into a giant, ethereal fist of vengeance. 

    "Not my sister, monster!" She cried, as she soared through the air with her fist cocked back.

    Following the motions of Selene's hand, the Tantibus fist collided with Nightmare Moon's face, slamming into her like a bus and sending her on a spinning launch into the thrones. The aged, royal seating scattered to the sides as her heavy form crashed into them, and the thoroughly stunned demon spilled out upside down, with her head hanging off the side of the steps to the throne.

    Twilight, defeated off to the side, looked up. "Selene..."

    "Stay down, Twilight Sparkle."

    Looking down at the circle's center, Selene saw Celestia's body completely still, nude and horribly injured. Her fists tightened, and she felt a fury very unbecoming of her calm, contemplative nature build within her. 

    "That power..." Nightmare Moon rolled over, bringing herself to a kneel as she faced her human half properly. Even at full power, that hit knocked all of her breath out. She felt it. Enraged, Nightmare Moon raised her voice, uncertain how her domination could so suddenly be in question. "What is this?!"

    At long last she was at the precipice of her fate, staring at her own distorted reflection, ready to destroy it, or be destroyed by it. One way or another, she would confront this manifestation of her every sin, and she would have her end. Matching Nightmare Moon's, Selene's hair became a flowing, spacey void, and as she cracked her knuckles, her power flared, left fist in her right palm, then her right into her left. Behind her, the giant, projected arms of the Tantibus did the same as she gave her reflection an answer, casting a gaze deep into the demon's eyes that fully conveyed her unwavering resolve. 

    "Your worst nightmare."
> SP/02- Daylight May Care
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

    "Regardless of her intentions, Your Grace, Twilight Sparkle, a Holy Knight sworn to uphold the rules and protocol that keep our Order safe, has broken her oath."

    In this chamber of trial Twilight Sparkle stood in shame, facing up to the Order's High Priestess as an Inquisitor served to declare her crimes to the court of judgement. Such matters were held publicly, and so her friends and family would be watching her as she went through this moment of darkness. The High Priestess would have the final say of Twilight's fate, but it would be this Inquisitor's job to outline Twilight's guilt for her. 

    "Not only that," The Inquisitor continued, "But she released an incredibly dangerous monster, with full knowledge of what it was. It's clear that not only has her faith been compromised, but also, unfortunately, so has our trust in her."

    The look the Inquisitor gave Twilight was beyond disappointed, she looked personally hurt. Of course, Twilight and Inquisitor Cadenza were close, of course she'd be hurt. She didn't want to be leading a case against her.

    The High Priestess shook her head.

    "There seems to be no mistake here, Twilight Sparkle. What you've done is unacceptable, but if you have anything more to say in your defense, please, do so now."

    Twilight nodded, but she'd been here for several hours discussing her trespassing and subsequent arrest. She had no more energy to plead, or sound desperate. "I went to stop it. The Tantibus, I went to stop it. I knew how dangerous it was."

    The Inquisitor asked. "Did you summon it?"

    "I..." Twilight didn't reply for a moment. "All I know is that it escaped. I failed."

    "Then, how did you know about it?" The Inquisitor continued. "How did you know of it's danger? Detailed knowledge of the creature in question is not readily available. How did you know unless you'd accessed information you shouldn't have?"

    Twilight denied anyone speaking in her defense. Normally, a Paladin could elect to speak on behalf of an accused, as they operated independently of the Inquisitors, but here Twilight refused. Twilight would have nobody speak for her but herself.

    "I..." She started, ready to recite the same excuse she'd been reciting for the past hour, but... something broke in her. The questions she'd had, the way this was all framed, she was being treated like a criminal when the fate of the world might be in danger. So instead of explaining herself, she asked a question of her own.

    "Why was the information hidden to begin with?" Twilight asked, her tone taking the slightest hostile slant with everyone in the room. "Did any of you have a plan to stop that thing when it escaped? How are we supposed to protect anything if we don't have knowledge of what we're fighting?"

    "Had you not interfered it would still be contained." The High Priestess said, keeping a calm voice despite Twilight's outburst. "But you don't deny that you've accessed restricted information?"

    "I-" Twilight choked a little, then her voice broke. Arguing was feeling pointless. "No. But please, tell me, are you really prepared for the Dark Sister to return? Is anyone here truly ready for what may happen? Or do we all want to just pretend she's just a legend?"

    The High Priestess was silent, both she, and Inquisitor Cadenza, and everyone watching seemed to not want to answer that question.

    "Our faith in the Sister of Light is strong, Twilight Sparkle," The High Priestess finally said. "If yours is not, then perhaps you should've spoken to us sooner about this."

    That answer only served to irritate her. Faith? The Sister of Light disappeared nearly a thousand years ago and left her followers to pick up her slack. What good did faith do when your goddess didn't have faith in you?

    "That doesn't matter." Twilight finally said, both resentful and in despair. "What matters is that I broke your rules. If you're going to punish me, then do it. I admit my guilt.."

    "Twilight-" The Inquisitor's professional and serious mask broke for a moment. She clearly wasn't expecting such an admission from Twilight. "I mean- the accused has spoken, Your Grace."

    "It appears she has." The High Priestess nodded. She too was reluctant to follow through. The High Priestess was known to be kind and gentle but... it was time to hand a punishment down. "Very well. Of the crime of trespassing and the accessing of forbidden knowledge, the Order of the Sister of Light finds Appointed Knight Twilight Sparkle guilty. Inquisitor Cadenza, this arm of judgement will defer appropriate punishment to you."

    "I..." The Inquisitor nodded, looking very uncomfortable with this task. Twilight tried not to think about how much she was hurting everyone present. Before, they loved her, they trusted her, she was one of them. Even though Twilight possessed demonic magic, they accepted her. 

    As the Inquisitor prepared to speak again, Twilight was just trying not to care.

    "Very well." The Inquisitor sighed. "Accused, the severity of your transgressions warrant only two options for punishment. Permanent exile, or... execution."

    With closed eyes, Twilight responded. "Exile. I guess I never really had a place here to begin with."

    Trying not to care, trying not to care...

    The way they were so reluctant, the way they hesitated, it made Twilight wonder for a moment...

    Did they really care? Did they pity her, or were they just too weak-willed to be harsh with her? Was this all an act? Or... was she really walking away from a family?

    As the trial concluded, to Twilight it no longer mattered.

    For she no longer cared.
> 20- The Sister of Darkness
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

    In the arcane glow of the Elements of Harmony, in the very heart of the Castle of the Two Sisters, a thousand-year plan to bring about revenge and annihilation was about to come to fruition. The Elements, condensed into orbs of energy, were fixed in place along each point of the wide star engraved into the floor, each one equidistant from a slotted, circular plate serving as the centerpoint. With the ancient magic powering the tower, lighting up the patterns engraved into the floor around it, the castle was truly active and ready to perform its intended purpose. The gate to the demon realm was ready to be opened.

    Nightmare Moon, with the power of both Sisters of Light and Dark, only needed the Light Sister's Devil Sword to undo the seal between worlds, to drive it into the centerpoint where the Elements aligned, her key to an engine of apocalypse. The only thing that stood in her way was the manifestation of everything she despised about herself; her frail and vulnerable compassion, her remorse, her hesitance, her sorrow and fear, everything that made her weak. Everything that made her human. 

    And yet, the woman that called herself Selene, alongside the demons at her command, proved herself to be a threat. The shadowy, demonic unicorn she rode gave her great mobility, the chaotic draconequus following her attacked with unpredictable power, and the shapeshifting dreamstalker intended to imprison her had been conquered, its indestructible body both shield and spear.

    But strip them away, and she was still only human.

    Nightmare Moon fought back against Selene, her heat beams and light swords and dark energy bombs again filling the throne room, but Selene would not let up her attack. Nightmare Moon's sword had been destroyed and her armor had taken a lot of damage. If Selene could tear her defenses away just a little more, she may be able to land the deciding blow. The Dark Sister had pushed her away to the far end of the room though, and was doing her best to keep the battle a ranged one.

    Selene spun in place, avoiding a light sword as it grazed the shoulder of her top, putting a rifle round on Nightmare Moon's shoulder plate a moment later. Already damaged during the battle with Celestia, the metal bent out of shape, and right as the opening was made Sombra immediately jumped up from a shadow and attached himself to Nightmare Moon. He fashioned his hoof into a piercing spike and jammed it right through the hole in her armor, stealing her attention away from any ranged attacks on Selene or Discord.

    His form shifted, and before Nightmare Moon could throw him away he burst from beneath the plating, ripping all the way down from the shoulder to gauntlet. The armor exploded outward, the layer of chainmail beneath breaking away as well, and with her now bare arm she flung Sombra off of her as hard as she could. The unicorn demon put cracks in the wall as he smashed against it, weakly dissolving into darkness as he was knocked out of the fight.

    Without Sombra, dodging Nightmare Moon's attacks became more challenging. Selene had to choose between moving and attacking now, and Discord found himself having to cover for Selene as she moved. Firing her rifle again, she tried to get an opening for Discord to attack, this time targeting the point that Twilight Sparkle had cut into Nightmare Moon's forearm plating. 

    A silent command given, and Discord flew in close as Nightmare Moon was recoiling, tossing his giant paper ninja star at her exposed arm as he went for the still covered one. The paper cut into her skin, going around her and hitting her several times until she ultimately caught it and ripped it in half. By that time, Discord had his giant spring loaded boxing glove ready to fire, lining it up on Nightmare Moon's face.

    Just as she'd noticed, Discord shot the glove off, the solid mass clocking Nightmare Moon in the jaw right before she brought her arms up into a guard. Her head snapped back, but she put a foot behind her and threw a punch in return only to find the floating creature of chaos had relocated to her other side. A second shot from the boxing glove crushed the weakened wrist armor as Nightmare Moon brought her guard up again, but she would catch the weapon by the spring on the third hit, pulling Discord in and knocking him into the wall opposite Sombra.

    He poofed out of existence, and to Nightmare Moon's surprise she felt the entire armor sleeve she was wearing slide off. The Discord she struck was a copy, the real one was behind her, wearing a little welding mask and had just sliced through her shoulder and arm plating with a huge circular saw. He wouldn't get out of the way in time to stop her from sending him into the wall like his copy, rendering him out of the fight as well.

    Selene and the Tantibus were all that remained, and as Nightmare Moon readied to rain fire upon them, she found they were already upon her.

    The Tantibus took its full form, a hulking mass of black space that rivaled Nightmare Moon's height, two long arms on either side of it throwing a wide, nigh-unstoppable punch as Selene rode upon its back, her hair once again flowing with deep blue ethereal magic. Nightmare Moon caught the Tantibus's punch with an unmovable guard, but a follow-up punch struck her core, denting the armor over her stomach.

    Nightmare Moon took the hit and threw her free fist into the Tantibus's head, and to keep Selene protected it did not shift out of the way, instead hardening its body and absorbing the damage. Back and forth, the colossal demons traded punches, kicks, knees and elbows in a chaotic and gritty brawl across the throne room floor. Selene held on tightly to the Tantibus, guiding its actions as she peered over its shoulder. It eventually came to a bind with Nightmare Moon, the two catching each other's hands and threatening each other's balance as they collided.

    Two glowing emerald eyes opened on the Tantibus's face, locking with Nightmare Moon's as they pressed against each other. Now, it was Nightmare Moon's turn to have her mind attacked, scoured for anything that might be used against her. The demon knight's own eyes widened, but she didn't crumble in fear, she continued to hold strong against the Tantibus and its mental assault on her. 

    "Useless..." Nightmare Moon growled, beginning to push the Tantibus off balance. It was weakening, Nightmare Moon was overpowering it. "You frighten me not!"

    With a jarring shove, the Tantibus was forced backward, but Selene slipped forward in her attempts to stay upright. She landed shoulders first, losing her grip on her rifle as she hit the ground and leaving her exposed to attack as the demon shielding her was forced away. 

    When she looked up, Selene saw Nightmare Moon with a fist raised up, ready to hammer down on the spot where she lay. The next moment, a dark, vacant mass shot straight into the demon knight's breastplate, forming into two of the Tanitbus's arms, and then into its full body again as it split the metal covering in two along the rupture already present in it. 

    Its unearthly claws dug through the infernal armor, peeling it away along with the mail and padding beneath to expose the greyed and corrupted flesh beneath it. There was already a bleeding, gaping hole in Nightmare Moon's chest, where her blackened heart was partially exposed from blade and bullet. Her demonic regeneration worked away to heal her wound, but it was torn again, held open by the Tantibus. Nightmare Moon's teeth clenched together in anger and she threw her fist into the Tantibus, sinking it into its body before forcing her fingers open inside it.

    Behind it, Selene watched a spot glow through the Tantibus's back, and then it erupted in an explosion of dark energy. The bottom half of its mass melted away as its top half splattered away from Nightmare Moon, and following its destruction Selene's hair reverted back to its normal, light blue form. The great demon now stood with her knees bent and her hand outstretched into a claw shape, smoke drifting from heated fingertips. She was beginning to show the faintest signs of strain, her bare and bleeding body heaving as she took a moment to recenter herself. 

    With all of her demons down for the count and without her primary weapon, Selene could only scramble backwards on her hands and knees as Nightmare Moon slowly paced towards her. The demon knight's signature light swords formed up around her, suspended above her shoulders for only a moment before repeatedly firing off in Selene's direction. Bringing herself to a kneel, Selene raised her machine pistol and just barely managed to gun the incoming projectiles down, but she couldn't manage to shoot back at their sender. 

    A ring of light swords appeared around her and she pivoted on one foot, twisting her body in a complete circle while firing both guns outward. She was fast enough to shoot them all down before they closed in on her, but Nightmare Moon was already summoning a pair of parallel heat beams to either side, forcing her into immediate dodging maneuvers. 

    Selene's body went horizontal as she twirled between beams, then she rolled right past Nightmare Moon as she hit the ground, dodging a swinging kick. Now behind her target, Selene brought both of her guns to bear, but bullets in the demon's back did little more than make her wince slightly. A split second later, Nightmare Moon whipped around with another sweeping kick that scraped up bits of the stone floor as her massive metal boot dragged on it.

    With one more evasive flip, Selene dodged the attack, but the follow-up came too fast to respond. Her extended foot snapped up high above her head, then Nightmare Moon threw her heel down onto the spot where Selene stood, striking her dead on with explosive force and sending her sliding along the throne room floor. 

    "How brave..." The demon knight began, continuing her gradual pace towards the weakly recovering Selene. "Risking your life to save those who care not for you. You would have such foolish courage, wouldn't you?"

    "That's right..." Selene's eyes narrowed as she looked up at her alter. "You cut that away, because you're a coward..."

    She rose to her feet, and through heavy bruising on her arms and wide, bloodied scrapes on her legs she brought her weapons up with her. The front of Nightmare Moon's body lit up with sparks as a stream of lead crashed against it, breaking away the remaining bindings of her armor. 

    "Fool..." The plating covering her back clattered to the ground, but even completely unarmored the demon knight just shook her head. She continued her pace forward unperturbed, willingly ignoring the bullets coming at her. "I need not courage, I have power."

    With a cast of her hand, Nightmare Moon brought forth another slew of light swords, firing them off immediately, but lunging forward after a moment's delay. Following behind her projectiles, she watched Selene attempt her less-than-graceful dodges again and caught her with a downwards punch.

    A cry of frustration followed a cough as Selene was crushed down into the floor by the demon's fist. Her entire body shuddered, hopelessly fighting the intense pain immobilizing it. And though weakened, stripped of her weapon and armor, and forced to use the full extent of her power, Nightmare Moon was still standing. Selene saw the demon's bleeding chest rising and falling, each breath full and pronounced as she was forced to inch the limits of her strength out that much more. There was no victorious smile on her face, only grim determination, because again, Selene rose. Not to a full stand, but with her knees bent and her hands stabilizing her balance, she looked up to the demon defiantly.

    "How do you persist? From where do you draw this power?" Nightmare Moon asked. Selene's weapons were gone, she had little means of fighting back at this point, but yet she kept getting back up. "You have lost nothing!"

    "Strength..." Selene said, "Does not come from that which we have lost."

    A cough cut her off mid-sentence. Blood splattered through her mouth as she did, causing her to cough again to clear it off her tongue. It felt like she'd bitten it at some point, it was what was bleeding...

    "True strength," She continued, wiping more blood from her cheeks and chin. "Comes from that which we give to others! And that's something you could never understand."

    She felt another uncharacteristic surge of anger pulse through her, giving her the strength to stand up again and finish her thought with a great projection of volume. Her hair shifted and changed back into the swirling, starry mass once more as her voice echoed throughout the room. 

    "YOU HAVE ONLY EVER TAKEN FROM OTHERS!"

    "SILENCE!" With a brief hand motion, Nightmare Moon dropped the hanging swords down, but before they could reach her a solid black mass formed above her head to intercept them. Sombra's reformed body stretched out as much as it could as he jumped into the attack, catching as many of the blades in him as he could before crashing to the floor and splashing back up into his normal equine shape just before Selene. His horn grew longer and sharper, and he thrust his head forward, slicing straight into Nightmare Moon's stomach as he charged in.

    Her hardened muscles gave great resistance, but the lance-like protrusion on the demon unicorn's forehead was impossibly sharp. Even grabbing his horn with her bare hands put deep cuts in them, and only after he dragged it up into her ribs did she manage to hold him still. Glaring at him, she summoned forth a pair of heat beams to either side of him and yanked up on his horn.

    The beams struck him, but their brightness did more to melt him than the heat, disintegrating him back into a pool of darkness on the floor. If the shadow demon had recovered, that meant the chaos demon would be back soon as well...

    Nightmare Moon spun around and held an arm out, catching an oversized solid wood baseball bat mid-swing inches away from her head. Its wielder, the wily draconequus that'd deceived her before. His grip was firmly on the bat, but Nightmare Moon reached out and took a firm grip on his neck. The smug look that was on his face while swinging the bat was quickly replaced by a look of shock; his eyes bulged cartoonishly and his long, snakelike tongue waggled frantically from an open mouth as he dangled there, reflexively releasing his weapon. He yelped and gagged and squirmed as Nightmare Moon caught the fallen bat and tossed him back into the air, striking him hard in the center of his body with it, hard enough to split him into two pieces.

    To her amusement, there was no gore. As the bat broke his body he exploded into a shower of wrapped candy pieces before dissolving in the same way Sombra did. The bat disappeared with him, but the candy stuck around for a little longer, pattering on the floor like heavy raindrops before finally fading away.

    "Your pet demons will not save you." Nightmare Moon said, turning herself back to finish off her inferior human half. "Your compassion for them is naught but a useless sentiment- GHH!"

    Nightmare Moon was cut off into a choked sputter, finding a sharp, burning object spearing straight through the hole in her chest as she turned around. Whatever was splitting her skin felt like it was sapping her power, destroying her from the inside out. She looked down, and her jaw clenched in rage at what she saw.

    Selene gripped the handle of The Sister of Light's Devil Sword, and had it thrust directly into Nightmare Moon's heart. Blood poured out of the wound, nearly bathing Selene in it as she shoved it further through, twisting it in her own vengeance filled fury. With the ancient blade she brought the once mighty and terrifying demon to her knees, dragging her against the floor as she painted it with her insides. 

    Stunned, and in too much pain to resist, Nightmare Moon buckled forward, catching herself face to face with Selene's exhausted grimace.

    "Fool." Selene spoke with a dangerous growl in her voice, teeth clenched together, both whispering and shouting at the distorted, demonic reflection of her own face. "You've discarded everything you ever had, turned away from everyone that ever loved you!"

    Selene trembled, but Nightmare Moon did not show any other response than utter emptiness. Without victory, the demon was hollow, meaningless, and it started to feel more like Selene was only talking to herself. She felt her anger start to dull, and in its place a sharp feeling of sadness began to resurface. Not towards herself, but towards Nightmare Moon; a being incapable of experiencing anything but hatred, jealousy and pain, caged by her own insatiable thirst for power. Selene didn't just hate her, she pitied her. Pitied her, because she was once able to experience compassion, love and happiness, and maybe if she'd made different choices, things could've been different.

"And to what end?"

    Maybe if Selene herself made different decisions...

    "You are a pathetic, miserable creature."

    Selene's throat felt tight, and she took a weak and shaky breath. She pulled the Devil Sword from Nightmare Moon, and watched wordlessly as the demon fell backwards, collapsing on the ground with no further resistance. Selene felt no sense of accomplishment, like the demon, she too felt empty. Hollow. Almost painfully so.

    "It is no wonder you haven't any true power."

-----

    The low, muffled thump of Nightmare Moon's body slamming against the ground made Celestia stir. Her head was still dizzy, but she could open her eyes enough to get a picture of her surroundings.

    Nightmare Moon had been defeated, not by Twilight, but by someone else... Twilight's companion. Selene. Celestia felt familiarity when they first met, but now she was certain of her identity and a feeling of dread welled within her. Selene dropped the Devil Sword at her feet, and instead took up her own weapon, the rifle with the blade fixed to its end. A blade that, now with proper context, Celestia recognized as well. Selene had no intention of fully destroying Nightmare Moon.

    No matter the intensity of alarms going off in Celestia's mind, she didn't have the energy to stand or even shift into a more comfortable position. Celestia needed to stop her, if Selene defeated Nightmare Moon there was no way to predict what would happen next, but she still couldn't move. 

    Approaching the fallen demon, Selene took up the sun amulet on the foot of the steps, and holding it alongside her own moon amulet she began to drain the golden and silver energies from Nightmare Moon's body. Into the sun amulet went the Sister of Light's power, and the Dark Sister's own power went into the moon amulet. The demon was too weak to resist, but still clung to her hatred and need for power despite the hole in her chest beginning to shrink.

    "How... are you... so powerful?" Nightmare Moon asked, her voice still resonant and room filling, but with only the intensity of an echoing whisper. "I gave up... everything... I was so close... to true power..."

    Behind them, outside of their concern, Sunset, Flash, and Starlight came into the room. They talked amongst themselves as they assessed the situation, and shortly after Celestia felt herself being helped up by Sunset and Flash. Her body still wouldn't move, and they ended up pulling her away from the action. 

    "Stay with us, come on..." Sunset said. Celestia very much tried, wanting to warn the two of them of Selene's intent.

    Across from them, Starlight stood over a defeated Twilight, who picked herself up to a kneel. Twilight was unaware as well, neither she nor her student would be able to see what was coming.

    Selene looked down on her demon half with disgust, kicking her hand aside as Nightmare Moon feebly reached for her. As she spoke, the sun amulet joined its counterpart around her neck, and she took the attention of everyone present.

    "See now, abomination..." Selene began, her own breath heavy from the battle. Her tone was dark, almost as sinister as Nightmare Moon's once was. "How you have become the victim of your own creation, how you have fallen to the very thing you so foolishly expunged from yourself."

    "You are... only human..."

    "And you are only a coward. Hollow within, fractured and fragile without, with not even a face to call your own!" Selene's hands tightened around her weapon, pulling it closer as the darkness in her voice overtook her entire being.

    "You have nothing, either!" Nightmare Moon's body suddenly tightened. She attempted to sit up, to strangle Selene, cast some magic, to show her that she still was in control, but her effort was halted the moment Selene put her foot down, boot crushing right up against Nightmare Moon's throat and stopping her struggling with a cough. "You.. are... nothing!"

    "Yet here I stand, and here you lay." Leaning in close to Nightmare Moon's face, Selene shook her head. "But we are the same, aren't we? Incomplete without each other..."

    Unable to speak with her throat constricted, Nightmare Moon angrily choked out a violent hiss in reply.

    "We have hurt each other..." Selene's eyes softened, the bitter yet hopeless struggling of her alter again eliciting pity from her. "Lost one another... We need each other, don't we?"

    Then, with her moon amulet pulsing with energy, Selene raised her bladed rifle up over her head, one hand on the barrel and the other the body, preparing to spear it through Nightmare Moon's heart. Celestia shifted, her head rolling in place as she tried to get Sunset's attention again.

    "Stop her..." Celestia whispered, pained, but managing to look into her student's eyes. Sunset looked up to Selene, realising that something was about to happen, and she let Flash take Celestia's weight as she ran back across the throne room. 

    The blade began to sparkle softly with a blue magical aura, and with her gaze still fixed on the demon's, she delivered her final words to her in meter.

    "When judgement fell, your choice was cast
    You set your path apart from mine
    But in a circle, time has passed
    And now our fates shall realign!"

    The blade dropped, sinking directly into Nightmare Moon's heart and sparking wildly, igniting into a blue flame that burned the demon away, but as the fire spread, Selene's amulet lit up, and both of them were enveloped in a column of light shooting up from the demon's wound. Sunset stopped in her tracks, right at the edge of the glowing circle on the floor, lifting her arms protectively as the blinding magical release illuminated the entire room. 

    Twilight and Starlight dropped whatever conversation they were having, and Flash looked up from Celestia. 

    Celestia made a weak murmur, trying to shake herself free of Flash's hold. He only held onto her tighter, and seeing as she was beginning to slip away Flash reached into one of his pouches and retrieved the injector Sunburst gave him before he set off into the labs. Though he only had one, the fluid it contained was the same that repaired his injuries, and given the state Celestia was in, she needed it.

    Her wounds didn't heal right away, but she seemed to have better control over her body. Sitting herself up, she wearily shook herself awake and spoke to Flash in a raspy whisper.

    "Forget about me..." 

    "What's happening?" Flash asked.

    "She's returned... to herself." Celestia replied. 

    "What? Who?"

    The light intensified, starting from a bright blue and quickly increasing into pure white, peaking in a huge blast of magic that shook the throne room to its core. A deafening wind shot out in all directions around it, rattling the windows and tossing Sunset's hair back as she covered her face. Twilight, the closest to the detonation, was blown back despite failing attempts to hold on to the ground, only stopping after Starlight caught her by the arm. Heat radiated outward even as the light faded to a soft glow, and eventually to nothing.

    When it was all settled, neither the human nor demon at its epicenter remained. The anti-tank rifle with the piece of magical blade affixed to its end clattered to the floor, and then did her journal, then did the rest of her weapons, but there was no trace of the woman once called Selene, nor was there trace of Nightmare Moon. 

    In their place, rising from a crouched position, another woman rose, all skin exposed for only a moment before a form-fitting bodysuit of a pitch black fabric manifested around her. She faced away, with hair as dark and blue as the night sky and wearing heeled boots with strange clamps running along the backs, and as her head turned to look over her shoulder two piercing emerald eyes swept across the room. The woman's face was perfectly straight, a face that had the expressiveness of Selene's with the intensity of Nightmare Moon's, and had the same shape and features as both.

    "My sister..." Celestia's heartbeat quickened, seeing the intensity of her gaze heighten as the woman's eyes locked with her own. There was a deep, personal hostility in her eyes. Not a vengeful or sadistic hostility, but an emotionally aching and resentful one. The Dark Sister was once again whole.

    "Luna."

-----

    "Is it over?" Starlight asked.

    "I don't think so..." Sunset said.

    Flash came up behind them, weapon ready but not raised. "That's Celestia's sister, her true form!"

    The woman turned as the demon hunters surrounded her, keeping a respectable distance but also weary of her presence. She recovered her journal, dissolving it into a bout of her blue magic, now more pure and concentrated than ever. Looking across them again, her eyes settled on Twilight, the only one of them to look upon the woman with any semblance of recognition.

    "Selene..." Twilight began, but was cut off by the woman. She spoke calmly, but with purpose, not in a booming voice but with a harsh distinction from Selene's voice.

    "Not Selene, not anymore," the woman said. "I am what started this, and I will be its end. I am Luna." 

    "You were just another part of the Sister of Darkness!" Twilight said, the realisation of betrayal in her voice.

    "No, Twilight Sparkle..." Luna shook her head. "It was Nightmare Moon who was but a part of me. I, as you see me now, am the true Sister of Darkness."

    Twilight looked up at her, the shock slowing her movement as she came up to a kneel and reached for her fallen weapon. "You never wanted to defeat her, did you? You wanted to become one with her..."

    "This is the only way she can be defeated," the Sister of Darkness said, then paused for a moment in solemn contemplation. "The only way I can be defeated."

    Sunset interjected. "Okay, so you're back together. You still gonna try and open the gate to the demon realm or whatever?"

    The woman grimly nodded. "To settle matters with my sister, I must."

    "Settle matters with your sister?" Starlight asked. "Surely you can't just talk it out?"

    "We disagree on the very reason of our existence." Luna said. "We must fight."

    "Wait..." Twilight looked back at Celestia, then to this woman claiming to be her sister. As she was the Sister of Darkness, the realisation ignited in Twilight's mind. "Celestia... is the Sister of Light?"

    Starlight gave Twilight a sideways look. "She couldn't be! The Platinum Knight is wanted by the Order- they wouldn't have their own goddess on a hit list!"

    The woman before them only shook her head. "Your conclusion is in part correct, Twilight Sparkle. Like I was, she is incomplete. She sealed her true power away in the underworld alongside my own long ago, and hid her identity."

    "She never told me about that either," Sunset said, her eyes sharpening as her voice treaded a teasing hostility. "But let's not get sidetracked. If you're still trying to open this gate up, I'm afraid you're going to be disappointed."

    "This does not concern you." Luna said, giving Sunset only an annoyed glare. "None of this is about any one of you."

    "Maybe not..." Sunset shrugged, but drew her pistols anyway, spinning them both up into an aiming position. "But what kind of demon hunter would I be if I just let you cut loose all that evil into the world? That's not how your sister taught me at all..."

    Starlight nodded, readying her chainsaber, and Flash followed suit with his rocket launcher. Coming to a stand, Twilight joined them, drawing her katana and pointing it at this new, fully realised Sister of Darkness. At least for this moment, she would set aside her differences to fight with them. Fighting this enemy was her only true goal, after all.

    "Very well." Calling upon her magic, Luna lifted her hands, and the discarded scraps of metal that once formed her demonic armor dissolved into light from the ground, reforming into a set of four elegant cobalt blue pistols, each with two barrels in an over-under configuration, with sparkling green gems in the receivers and grips of ivory. Two fell into her hands, and two fitted themselves into the clamps on her boots. Both amulets fell over her chest and sparkled softly in their respective colors, and Luna's face shifted to the familiar determined expression Selene held while facing Nightmare Moon. 

    "For if I cannot defeat even you, then I have already lost."

-----

    The next three minutes held a tension as Celestia's calm yet determined sister decimated the four demon hunters atop the glowing controls to the demon realm's gate. Luna's pistols moved in all directions, following her body as she rotated perfectly out of the way out of Sunset's gunfire. She halted Starlight and Twilight as they jumped in front different directions, punching one and kicking the other, then shot down two of Flash's rockets as they shot across at her. The explosions and dust kicked up closer to him than her and he reflexively coughed and closed his eyes. In that time, Luna lined up one of her guns on him as she held a handstand, kicking her legs in opposite directions to knock Starlight and Twilight aside.

    Her bullets flew towards him faster than he could process, but Sunset was immediately jumping in front of him, intercepting the shots with her own. Flash moved aside, switching to his machine gun and opening fire when Twilight and Starlight were again pushed away. Luna returned fire, but purely defensively, her two guns only barely able to keep up with Flash's rapid fire. Not wanting him to get targeted, Sunset drew her sword and rushed in, but as she thrust her blade forward she found it getting redirected and one of Luna's bootguns going off in her face. The bullet dug into her forehead, and as she healed through it she fell back, watching Starlight catch a punch to the chest and Twilight a kick across the shoulder in the same stroke.

    While Luna was dealing with the other two, Flash jumped over the downed Sunset, knife drawn, and from a foot away used it to successfully deflect two of Luna's gun punches before coming up with his pistol and firing three shots straight through her chest. It was the fastest move Luna had ever seen an ordinary human pull off, and following that Flash managed to scratch her with his knife as he followed through.

    Stunned and surprised, Luna stepped back. Her amulets glowed as their power healed her wounds, but she still swayed. Flash's resentite knife stung deeper than a normal blade, slowing the healing effect of her magic. She dropped to a crouch, and Flash kept both his pistol and knife ready and the other three demon hunters rose to join him. 

    "You are but a mere mortal..." Luna laughed softly under her breath, smiling bitterly at her injury. "Either I'm getting old, or you fight like a demon."

    She jumped forward again, and now in her grip was the bladed anti-tank rifle, one hand on the stock and the other on the body, fully using it as a polearm. Flash jumped back as she thrust forward with it, just barely redirecting its tip with his knife. Her sudden attack made him backpedal, but he fired off his pistol as she advanced. Each shot he took was deflected off the body of the weapon, the Dark Sister shifting it perfectly in time with his counter shots and fluidly keeping the pressure on with each step. 

    His weapon clicked empty, and he daringly ducked beneath the rifle as it poked at him, finding Sunset's blade crossing to parry the attack. He spun back, letting her step in front of him, and then he heard the muffled crack of the rifle firing. The bullet spun by his head at a narrow angle, and when he turned back to the action he saw Sunset holding her sword perfectly vertical. The huge round would've bored straight through her and hit him, but she deflected it off the flat of her weapon. 

    Two more gunshots rang off beside them, and Luna's attention shifted to her defense. However, as she moved to block these bullets, they violently detonated into a small cloud of smoke, but then after a moment's delay they exploded again, this time into a multicolored shower of sparks. The firework rounds nipped at Luna's skin, but she was only stunned for a moment. Starlight ran towards her, taking a third and forth shot, but Luna dove forward, rolling beneath the bullets completely and leading the tip of her weapon right into Starlight's stomach. 

    A glowing blue katana blade would beat her rifle's end to the ground before it made contact. Twilight immediately brought her sword across, and Luna kept her forward inertia, cartwheeling over it and taking a swipe at Starlight mid-jump. The frame of her revolver scraped against the rifle's blade, and Luna landed on her feet in a firing position, barrel to barrel with the blue eyed cyborg. They both pulled their triggers at the same moment.

    Smoke and fireworks erupted in Starlight's face and she was blasted onto her back, though she was spared penetration from the anti-material round that punched into the floor just a meter away from her head. Looking up, she saw Twilight perfectly cut down three more of the rifle's rounds, unable to move position and getting more and more frustrated. Sunset slid in from a side angle, both of her pistols firing off and giving Twilight the time to draw energy into her blade, then make a space-tearing cut across the distance between her and Luna. 

    Luna jumped out of the way again, rolling horizontally over Twilight's cut and firing her bootguns horizontally in line with Sunset's pistols, evading and countering each of their attacks respectively. The launching of a rocket sounded off, and from Flash's corner a warhead launched into the scene, which Luna shot down with her rifle just after her evasion. Starlight righted herself again, expending a bit of her battery to do so, and then spent even more charging up her mechanical arm, powering up her Tether Hand and shooting it out to the spot where Luna was about to land. 

    The projected teal fingers came out quick, firmly wrapping around their target. Surprised, Luna tensed up, taken completely off guard as she was yanked over to Starlight. She just barely brought her rifle up to block as Starlight's chainsaber swung down on her, its spinning teeth grinding against the enchanted metal and forcing her into a close bind. 

    "Impressive..." Luna showed her the same bitter smile she showed Flash. "Not even half a human, and still resistant..."

    Rather than respond, Starlight brought her revolver up under Luna's guard, trying to fire up into her chin, but Luna pulled back and let Starlight trip over herself. Using the rifle as a lever, she caught Starlight behind the neck and sent her crashing into the floor. The stock came back up, smacking Twilight in the face as she attempted to dive in, and then the front end swung out in the opposite direction, bashing Sunset at the leg with the barrel as she tried the same. Her grip changed on her weapon, and she brought it into a full twirl in front of her right as Flash fired his shotgun off, deflecting every pellet completely. She held its end and thrust forward, leaning in to get its entire length, but he leaned to the side and fired again. 

    She took the hit, rolling straight through it and ressumoning one of her pistols as she jumped into him. With his off hand, he brought up his machine gun, and they both fired off inaccurately as she took him to ground. Before she could fire into him, yet another gunshot went off behind her. She tilted her head and let the round miss, then swung around with her rifle in one hand to meet a Twilight with both her pistols up. 

    There was a beat, a lull in the action as Luna looked back and forth between them, but soon found Sunset and Starlight surrounding her again. Her guns drifted, checking each of them as she backed away.

    Flash started to stand up, and keeping his gun in line with Luna's he found she didn't attack him.

    The four demon hunters were getting tired, but Luna was much less so. She looked only the slightest bit winded after everything she went through, but definitely ready for more. Her amulets sparkled softly as she twirled her rifle into a defensive stance.

    "Come now, children..." she said, giving all of them dangerous looks. "Do not be shy..."

    Each of them had a similar thought. There was no way she could stop all four of them at the same time if they all attacked together, in different ways. Sunset readied a grip on her sword, Twilight adjusted her pistols, Starlight charged up her arm and Flash pumped the grip of his shotgun. 

    Then, all at once, they came in. 

    Sunset jumped forward, letting her sword tip lead the way as she carved a path into Luna's immediate area. She put both hands on her rifle and attempted a counter strike, but Sunset then made a circling motion with her blade and scooped upward, shooting up into the air and taking Luna's rifle with her. Luna came back with her pistols, crossing them in front of her chest and firing at both Flash and Twilight, then sidestepping Starlight throwing a charged punch at her. 

    Flash closed in and fired his shotgun again, but Luna was close enough to kick her leg out and force his aim upward. In a snapshot of the moment, she was on one foot now, shooting down Twilight's gunshots and evading another of Starlight's Tether Grabs up close. Of dire notice was Sunset above her, both of her guns out and ready to fire down, but Luna shifted one of her pistols up, and targeting her own weapon, sent a bullet into it just as Flash spun his rocket launcher up over his shoulder and fired.

    In the next two moments, the bullet knocked into the rifle, and it spun stock first into Sunset's chest, knocking the breath out of her and sending her off course. Luna let Starlight's Tether Hand pull her in, but then kicked off of the cyborg the moment it faded, each bootgun firing into her twice before backflipping into the air and shooting Flash's rocket just as it passed beneath her. Its detonation launched Luna up further, meeting Sunset mid-flight and reclaiming her rifle. 

    Over the final moment Sunset was batted back down towards the floor, and mid-tumble Luna landed a rifle shot square into Twilight, and before she hit the ground she threw a spinning axe kick into Flash, launching him onto his back and successfully putting all four of them on the ground once more.

    As they turned on the ground, lying in their pained, beaten states, Luna shook her head with only disappointment to show.

    "Do you not understand?" She asked, to all of them at once. "You are not worthy as my opponents. This is meaningless."

    For a few moments, none of them stirred, but then a mound of purple fabric rose from its place on the ground. Twilight stood up, clutching her chest firmly with a hand, and with a strained grunt she pulled a huge rifle round from herself. She'd caught it before it dug too far into her, and dropped to the floor before tiredly drawing her katana once more.

    "Stay down, Twilight Sparkle." Luna met her eyes, a quiet hint of hesitation flashing on her face. "I really should be thanking you. Without you, I might never have become whole again."

    Twilight kicked into a dash, streaking across the darkened room and colliding with Luna's rifle blade first, finding her guard to be unmovable. Her katana moved back and forth in desperate attempts to strike her, but Luna effortlessly realigned her guard each time, continuing to talk as if nothing was happening.

    "I have no ill will towards you, child. Or your friends." As Luna spoke, she parried one of Twilight's attacks, forcing her blade up and coming back with a thrust, cutting off a thin strip of Twilight's coat. "But I cannot delay this any longer. I will not run from what has been set in motion. This is the only way to settle this matter."

    "Why?" Twilight asked, backing away from Luna to regain her balance. "Why do you have to put the entire world in danger to settle your rivalry!?"

    "It is no mere rivalry..." Luna explained. "My sister locked our powers away in the underworld long ago. The power we once used to defend this world." She glanced down to the amulets. "These two trinkets only hold a fragment of it. They pale in comparison to our true might." 

    Twilight didn't know what to say. "I- I don't understand..."

    "You of all people should," Luna closed her eyes for a moment. "Without power, you cannot protect anything."

    Twilight's eyes lit up in comprehension. Luna's drive for power was the same as her own. She wanted to control her fate, the fate of the world, but at what cost? Twilight faced the same question not too long ago. Was the power truly worth it? Maybe she would've before, but after all she had gone through she wasn't willing to risk it. Though she could understand, this was her limit, the point where the ends no longer could justify the means.

    With only a second of thought, she gave her response.

    "I can't allow you to do this." Twilight readied her sword again, and when her eyes came back up to meet Luna's, she saw the faintest gleam of sadness in her empty expression. "So we too must fight..."

    "Then you will die, Twilight Sparkle."

    With her eyes opened wide, Twilight leapt forward one last time, charging as much power as she could into her blade and bringing it around to the Sister of Darkness. She felt resistance sooner than she expected, and traded several blows with an opponent who still far outmatched her before finding a bootgun kicking her to the ground. 

    Without missing a beat, Luna aimed her rifle at the downed Twilight, who could only sit up weakly to meet her barrel with a desperate expression. Before she could fire, someone else called out to her. 

    "Enough, Luna!"

    The voice alone was enough to get Luna's entire attention. In the center of the throne room floor, Celestia stood tall once again, with the Devil Sword ready in both hands. Thanks to Flash's healing injection, her flesh and bones were restored and her strength had returned to her. As she rose to action a soft golden glow of magic enveloped her, and a soft, pure white bodysuit covered her previously bare form. She didn't care about Twilight or these other demon hunters, but Celestia? Celestia was her reason for all.

    Her older sister held her head low, genuine concern lingering in her eyes.

    "What do you plan to accomplish with all of this?" She asked.

    "I only plan to bring our struggle to an end, sister." Luna drew a shallow breath, and her voice shook as she met her sister's burning gaze. It showed very little, but there was some emotional response stirring in her as she confronted her sister.

    "You have all the power in the world," Celestia said. "You could end this right now if you wanted."

    "You could've ended this a thousand years ago." Luna replied. Her mask of stoicness finally cracked as she added a bitter remark to her statement. "You should've."

    "Luna..." Celestia's eyes softened for a bit, realising what she meant. "Please, I don't want to fight."

    Luna's gaze fell slightly, and her breathing shook. 

    Being the closest to her, Twilight noticed a subtle change in Luna's expression. Her lip trembled, and her eyes looked almost gloomy, not intense like they'd been before. This wasn't the vengeful Nightmare Moon, nor was it a desperate Selene. There was something deeply broken within Luna that could only be resolved by confronting her sister. Her reply was not with hatred or anger, but with sheer sorrow. 

    She blinked, and a single tear rolled from the corner of her eye, dripping down onto a fracturing facade of apathy.

    "But we must."
> 21- The Sister of Light
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

    A thousand years ago, two sisters dueled to determine the fate of the world in the castle they once shared. One was cast to the demon realm, and the other sealed the rift between worlds closed.

    A thousand years later and those same sisters were now dueling again in the throne room of the very same castle. Where four others failed to stop her, Celestia once again stood as the only thing between the Sister of Darkness and the end of the world.

    Her ancient broadsword barred against the equally ancient sword fragment attached to the end of the Dark Sister's long rifle, and as they pressed into each other a radiant array of sparks burst from between the weapons, casting light all around them. The Elements of Harmony still hung in their places at each point of the star drawn in the floor, around the controls to the demon realm's gate that took up the entire middle of the throne room. 

    Luna laid on her attacks relentlessly, refusing to falter against her older sister's defense. The Elements, the gate, the Devil Sword, they were all miles from her mind, in this moment she was zeroed in on one thing and one thing only: bringing Celestia down.

    The look in her eyes starkly contrasted Nightmare Moon's. There was no hatred on her face, only an empty look of conviction. No hatred in her attacks either, her strikes were fueled by that same empty motivation. It was for that reason Celestia's blocks were so perfect- Luna wasn't behaving as expected. She wasn't trying to read Celestia, she wasn't even making proper eye contact with her. All she did was fill every possible moment with a stab, a swipe, or a cut, occasionally drawing one of her pistols to fire or spinning into a kick, every step, every movement, every breath Luna dedicated to defeating her sister.

    It was unlike her sister to fight this predictably, Celestia noted, especially when Nightmare Moon had made relatively short work of her. It felt very, very wrong.

    Luna's blade came around high, and Celestia made a quick inward cut, striking the rifle's barrel and keeping the stabbing end at bay. As weapon binds did, the two sisters were brought very close together, and the forced eye contact seemed to weaken Luna's already questionable resolve. 

    No words were exchanged, but their glances spoke volumes. Celestia's still soft and concerned expression melted away at whatever Luna was hiding behind the mask she was so desperately trying to keep together. Her lips curled down, her nose scrunched up slightly. It took Celestia off guard. An agitated grunt passed through her lips as she pressed harder against Celestia's guard.

    "Luna..."  Celestia tried to speak gently, as she would if they were not fighting at all. "Please, stop."

    The grunt turned into a frustrated cry as Luna pulled her blade back and thrust low on her other side, tapping her blade against Celestia's before reaching out and catching her sister's sword arm. Celestia bent her elbow and shoved Luna back, but as the younger sister pulled her rifle away Celestia caught it by the end of the barrel, gouging her forearm in the process. Lifting her leg, Celestia kicked out and spun away, taking Luna's rifle at the cost of losing her own sword. 

    Rather than brandish her sister's weapon, Celestia tossed it on the ground behind her, bringing out her pistols and using them to parry strikes from the Devil Sword now carried by Luna. 

    With a pleading tone, Celestia called out to her sister again as they exchanged equal blows. "I don't want to do this, please!"

    There was no reply.

    Their dance continued, but Luna's internal unrest now began to show a bit more. She fired off her bootguns in conjunction with swinging Celestia's sword about, showing more irritation at her inability to hit her target. Their feet carried them around the controls of the demon realm's gate, and Luna made it a point to move closer to her fallen weapon. She kicked it up with her foot while bringing her sword down at Celestia, then rolled onto her back as it arced above her, using her legs to spin it over her body while steadily advancing, driving her sister back and back. 

    Celestia's pistols clashed against the twirling rifle, but with every contact made the inverted Luna swung the Devil Sword around at her ankles, forcing her to also parry with her bootguns. This felt more like the Luna she knew, attacking in wildly unorthodox methods, but the concern for her sister was still present. She was beginning to make the extent of her anger known. She was starting to shake and her breathing was getting heavier and more erratic. With perfect timing, Celestia simultaneously stopped the momentum of both of her sister's weapons, one of her handguns striking the rifle in one direction and a bootgun shoving the Devil Sword in the other, cutting her momentum off completely. In response, Luna pushed herself up off the ground and popped both weapons into the air.

    As she spun into a stand, she fired twice from each of her pistols, and as Celestia weaved around the bullets Luna caught her rifle and slashed down, grazing Celestia's shoulder and drawing blood from a second spot. Celestia backed away, clutching her new wound as Luna caught the Devil Sword, wielding her rifle in a single handed spear grip in her off hand. When Celestia recovered, she just watched her sister, holding her pistols ready but not firing.This elicited further frustration in Luna, so much that her jaw began to vibrate from clenching too hard. She was anticipating something, and whatever she was expecting never came.

    "Why, sister?!" Luna finally shouted, projecting her frustration through her voice. "Why will you not fight back?"

    "Because I want this to end." Celestia spoke firmly now, speaking in declaration rather than a request. "I will not fight you, Luna."

    Her feigned detachment was breaking away. Her eyes grew damp and she fought to suppress her emotions through gritted teeth. 

    "Then die!"

    For a moment, Celestia was overtaken with emotion as well. Not from the threat itself, but from the way Luna cried it out. It was a cry of pain. Words that others spoke with anger or disgust, she spoke with such palpable suffering. It was almost too much to bear witness to.

    And in that moment of stunned silence Luna dove straight into her. Celestia tried to move out of the way, but the burning blue blade cut across the soft fabric of her bodysuit, tinting more of it red as her side was split open. The Devil Sword tore across her back as Luna passed, but Celestia twisted her torso, reaching out with a hand as she pushed out in the opposite direction. 

    Her hand tightened around one of the amulets hanging from Luna's neck and she yanked it away, turning her sister back towards her as she fell. Feeling the tightness around her throat, Luna lowered her head and slid to a stop to avoid the chain from choking her, and as Celestia fell into a roll she pulled a small bit of power from the amulet. The boost of magic quickly healed both the deep cuts on her body as well as repaired the tears in her bodysuit, but she only took what she needed, no more.

    She stood to face her sister. They were each on opposite ends of the room now, equidistant from the centerpoint of the portal's controls. 

    Luna's voice calmed a bit, but she was just barely keeping her storm of emotions at bay. "Why, why will you not attack me? Do you want me to unleash the underworld on this mortal realm?!"

    "You had everything you needed moments ago," Celestia said, holding up the sun amulet. In the movement of taking it she stripped her sister of the ability to open the gate. "Why didn't you do it then?"

    Looking down at her chest in disbelief, Luna saw only the moon amulet hanging there. She wrapped her fingers around it tightly, growling as Celestia continued to pick apart her emotions.

    "It isn't about the portal..." Celestia eyebrows raised as she made a small connection. "You're afraid."

    Luna's expression darkened, and she didn't respond. Celestia drawing such a conclusion made her very uncomfortable, but she snuffed that out and let her anger pour forth again.

    "Afraid you might be wrong."

    "Silence!" She took up her weapons and called on her amulet's energy, but unlike Celestia, she didn't just take in a small bit, instead she absorbed its power in full, causing a swirl of silvery energy to form up around her. In a brief flash of light, her physical appearance shifted, transforming into a form that closely resembled Nightmare Moon's. Her stature didn't change, but her skin became rougher, gaining a tint of pale blue to it, and the veins beneath them ran black. Around her chest and shoulders, pieces of dark armor materialized, and her hair became ethereal once more. Her teeth became razor sharp, her irises became slitted, and two blue feathered wings sprouted from her back. 

    The ground shook as Luna pressed a foot into it and launched into a run at her sister. Rather than stand still, Celestia also charged forward, holding empty hands close to the floor as she did. Mid run, she scooped up the handles of two fallen weapons, the weapons of Sunset and Twilight: Redemption, the claymore, and Equinox, the katana. Both were weapons she forged long ago, having since mastered each of them before passing them on to her students. It had been a long time since she wielded either, but they still felt comfortable in her hands. Using them both together would be of no issue.

    With the katana held forward, Celestia aimed her swing for Luna's rifle, pushing it to the side as they collided at the center of the room. Bringing the claymore up, Celestia stopped the Devil Sword from taking another bite out of her, and then the katana joined it, both weapons pressing it away. Luna's demon form moved faster, attacked more ferociously, and hit harder, but Celestia still kept pace, keeping her eyes resolutely locked with her sister. 

    Over the clashing of steel on steel, Celestia continued her verbal assault on Luna's assertions. "Such big talk of absolute power and you're not even sure if you're worthy of wielding it, are you?"

    "I said SILENCE!" That was all it took to make Luna lose her cool. Seeing the disappointed eyes of her sister filled her further with that uncomfortable feeling, which in turn pushed her anger past its tolerable limit. She beat away at Celestia's blades, but was still unable to get past them. In her rage she poured berations onto her sister, trying to escape this new, creeping feeling of inferiority her sister's words stirred. "You fool, you think you can protect this world! The one who is not worthy of her power is you!"

    Luna's magic built up around her, forming into the familiar shape of glowing blue light swords. These ones were different from Nightmare Moon's, they were slim and sharp, more like daggers than rather proper swords. They formed into a protective ring around Luna, pointing away as they all orbited around her. Celestia's focus then split, she guided the katana to her side and sliced at the light sword protecting Luna, while the claymore focused on deflecting attacks from both of Luna's weapons. 

    "You absolute failure!" Luna shouted, accentuating the end of her sentence with a jumping kick into Celestia's block, shoving her back a few feet. "Sharing blood with someone so weak is embarrassing!"

    Leaping forward, Luna pulled her rifle back building tension in her upper arm as she prepared to thrust it down, but before she did she summoned two columns of light blades behind her, eight of them pointing down at Celestia and holding position as Luna's wings began to push her forward. Celestia looked up in anticipation. 

    "YOU should've been the one banished to the underworld!" Luna's voice cracked, and a bright blue streak of magic trailed behind her as she shot down towards the floor with her rifle held out, honed in on Celestia's position. She crashed into her, but Celestia swung her claymore around right before the rifle's blade hit her, knocking it from her grip and launching her back into the air. She caught herself in a flip, firing off the summoned swords as she landed and immediately dashing into Celestia again with another powerful flap of her wings. "YOU are the one who deserves to be alone!"

    Celestia caught the Devil Sword with both of her own swords crossed together as Luna came in, the impact straining on her arms and legs. Luna's attacks became stronger and stronger as her emotions came out, but also sloppier and easier to predict. 

    "I do not cower at the sight of myself like you!" Luna continued, bashing her weapon repeatedly against Celestia's guard. "Do not QUESTION my CONTROL of my POWER when YOU. HAVE. NONE!"

    On the last swing, Celestia leaned back and sandwiched Luna's blade between her own, redirecting her strike into the floor, where it smashed the stone apart and bit into it a good few inches. Celestia then kept both of her swords pressed down on Luna's, locking her weapon there and bringing them face to face again. Luna's demonic, slitted eyes were red with rage, twitching, her razor sharp teeth and on full display and jittering about with each painful breath, and the empty, detached expression she held long since destroyed. Luna's entire being was wrapped in fury, and being forced to look into those disappointed eyes once more only stoked her fire.

    "Tell me..." Celestia kept her tone flat, her focus directed, and her emotions composed. "Do you honestly believe you're in control of anything, Luna?"

    "SHUT UP!" Luna screamed, leaping over her sword and drawing her pistols, firing away as she punched and kicked them as close to her sister's face as she could. Again, Celestia backed away, this time doing nothing but evading her attacks. She didn't even use either of her swords, she just leaned, rolled, and weaved out of the way of everything Luna did. Her voice cracked again as her screams grew louder and more violent. "SHUT UP AND FIGHT ME!"

    More light swords appeared around them, shooting off at varied intervals as Luna continued her attacks, each one getting faster and more powerful than the last. Celestia gracefully brought the swords of her students up around her, cutting apart the light swords as they streaked in and simply avoiding her sister's gun attacks. 

    "You are just so much better than I, aren't you?!" Luna's volume dropped, as she took more hurried breaths, but Celestia had no problem hearing her as she kept as close as physically possible. "I am not worth your time to fight, is that it?"

    "Luna, I respect your strength, but-" Celestia paused to lean past a bullet. She hooked the claymore along Luna's pistol sight, swiftly redirecting it before it could fire again. "I've defeated you once before, and you clearly haven't recovered."

    "Quit STALLING!" Luna jumped into a forward butterfly kick, firing both of her bootguns while launching summoned swords from behind Celestia. Celestia spun backwards, slicing the line of light swords with her katana and deflecting the bullets off her claymore.

    "But I've hurt you-" She dodged a light sword, parried a punch off of her blade, and spun between three bullets. None of Luna's attacks were landing. "And after all this time... Here you are, still so hurt."

    "No! You are not ALLOWED to pity ME!" Luna howled, bracing herself on both legs and firing both of her handguns straight forward, creating a stream of bullets that Celestia simply twirled her katana to deflect. Luna kept the triggers held down and added in more summoned swords to smash against Celestia's defense. She kept them going, summoning even more to surround her sister, but she had her claymore at the ready to guard all other directions.

    "Have you not learned anything, Luna?!" Celestia glared into her sister's eyes, raising her voice for the first time. Though Luna was determined to keep this constant assault on her sister, having to look her in the eye while doing so still ate away at her. "After all of this time you've had to think, after losing your humanity and then regaining it, after conquering your worst self imaginable, you still insist on acting like a child?!"

    A growl formed in the back of Luna's throat. Her magic flared around her. Her assault did not let up. Celestia would falter eventually. She had to.

    "Would it even make you feel better if you did kill me?" Celestia's own anger began to spark as she put the pieces together. Not at Luna, but at what she was going through. Her tone became bitter as she pinpointed the root of her sister's pain and yanked it from its place. "Would you feel strong and powerful then? Because that's what this is about, isn't it? Despite all the power you've gathered you're still so weak!"

    "ShutupshutupSHUTUP!" Luna screeched at the top of her lungs, kicking off the ground and launching herself forward with her wings, diving right into Celestia's guard with just one of her handguns held forward. The katana swung down, striking the gun from her hand and knocking it to the floor, but Luna put her foot down to catch herself and snapped her momentum into her other hand the moment the first punch missed.

    The second punch connected with Celestia's arm, and the bullet struck her shoulder, causing her to drop the katana. Gripping her amulet, she called on its power and healed through the damage, only one hand on her claymore as she aimed another swing at Luna's gun.

    "How dare you suggest something so... so..." Luna didn't even finish her sentence, she just threw her gun barrel first into her the target of her anger.

    "So true?" Again, Celestia knocked the gun away with a brisk and effortless twist of her blade. "Look at yourself, threatening to destroy the world because you've convinced yourself you're inferior to me!"

    "No! 'TIS A LIE!" Her voice began to tremble as she raised it again. They'd come all the way back to where Luna first dropped the Devil Sword, and she pulled it from the floor as she came at Celestia, bashing it against her sister's claymore and producing bright sparks with every strike.

    The hits were powerful, each one staggered Celestia a little bit more, but they were coming quicker and quicker, she didn't have time to shift out of the way. She still wouldn't strike her sister, but the only way to keep herself alive was to hold her guard and keep talking.

    "Is it?" Celestia asked. "Is it really? Not once have you landed a true strike on me! You're not holding back, are you?"

    "SHUT UP!" Luna cried, and again Celestia felt the pain in her voice. Her anger was slowly becoming desperation. "DO NOT! MOCK ME!"

    Celestia winced slightly under the repeated blows, but she kept her feet planted and refused to strike back.

    "You COWARD!"

    Another blow.

    "You FOOL!"

    Another blow.

    "I HATE you!"

    Another blow, but it felt weaker.

    "I ALWAYS HAVE!"

    This time, Celestia pressed back against Luna's blade, trading deep burning in her arms for a moment to reply.

    "Do you really hate me, Luna? Enough to kill me?" 

    "Verily!" Luna broke away from the bind, bringing her sword back as she responded. Her eyes didn't convey hatred, she looked more desperate than anything. "So fight me, or DIE!"

    One more blow, and Celestia dropped to her knees. Another came in, but she still held her claymore up with one hand to block. Another came in, and another, and another. Luna was just blindly smashing it against her now.

    "SISTER!"

    Another blow. Celestia refused.

    "STOP THIS!"

    Another blow. Celestia refused.

    "WHY WON'T YOU FIGHT BACK?!"

    Another blow. It didn't matter now.

    "Do I not deserve it? Why, why, WHY?!..."

    Blow after blow after blow came in, and Celestia finally lost her grip on her weapon, falling to one knee.

    Luna hastily yanked the sun amulet away from her sister, standing over her not with triumph, but with even more frustrated desperation. She didn't strike her, instead she only kept her blade level her sister's neck as she continued to scream in her face.

    "Answer me! Answer me, now!" 

    Celestia was suddenly made aware of her own weighted breaths as she looked up into her sister's eyes. She closed her eyes for a moment to recover herself, then faced her again, this time keeping their eyes locked. Exhausted from both combat and her emotional outburst, Luna only showed so much pause as a slight tremble in her arms as she waited impatiently for her sister to respond.

    "Luna..." Celestia sighed. "I don't hate you enough to fight you."

    Luna gave a more angry exhale to that, her eyes narrowing.

    "In fact, I don't hate you at all." Celestia's expression shifted as she thought about everything her sister had been through, and how much of it was because of her own inaction. Playing the blame game wasn't going to get them anywhere, but she had accepted that she'd at least played a part in Luna's corruption. How, though she only wanted what was best for her sister, she might not have always known what was best for her. 

    "I love you, Luna, with all of my heart," Celestia said, looking through her sister's scowl and smiling briefly. "And I always will."

    Luna's eyes twitched, her fists shook around the handle of the Devil Sword, and her lips trembled.

    "And after coming to realize just how much I've hurt you..." She continued, "I can't bring myself to hurt you again."

    Luna took a shaky breath in, still not replying.

"I told myself I had strength," she said, her head momentarily lowering, "But in my moment of weakness I chose to sacrifice you rather than consider myself wrong. How wrong I was..."

Luna remained silent.

"So if you think that you can be a better guardian of this world, if you really believe that killing me will make things right..."

She looked back up, speaking with the same unwavering certainty she always had. 

"Then do it."

Immediately, Luna raised the Devil Sword high over her head, lining it up with her fallen sister. She looked down on her with the same scowl, but her hands still shook, her eyes still twitched, and her lips still trembled as Celestia kept her gaze strong, waiting for the blade to strike.

"I won't stop you. I can't stop you, because even now I still love you."

    "'Tia..." Luna breathed, every muscle in her body tightening as she prepared to bring the sword down. Taking a deep breath, she thought about what her last words to her should be. She didn't feel like she'd won, even with Celestia admitting to being wrong, she felt that if she'd beat her in a proper duel it wouldn't have mattered. She knew she had to feel something, but she only felt empty.

    Luna noticed a different look about her sister now. She looked strangely calm, accepting of her fate. Not filled with despair, but with some manner of bitter contentment. Most notably, Luna sensed nothing directed towards herself. She wondered why. She wondered why she herself wasn't feeling a rush of pleasure from seeing her sister defeated. She wondered why she wasn't driving a sword through her heart right now. 

    "I-" Luna began. She felt a lump form in her throat that demanded it be choked back down. Luna wondered why Celestia didn't hate her. Was she lying? Foolish? Was it even worth considering? Celestia still loved her? After everything she'd done? After inflicting so much pain onto everything around her, Celestia still loved her? Amidst all of these questions filling her mind, one preposterous thought shined through them all, tempting Luna to think it as the illogical conclusion to her behavior. She ignored it.

    "I-" The thought cut off her attempts to speak, and she saw Celestia's expression shift again. Luna knew the look, it was a look her sister made when something surprised her enough to make her think. It wasn't a look she made often, as very little surprised her, but seeing it sparked more questions in her mind. What did Celestia see?

    "I..." Nothing cut her off this time, but she still couldn't think of what to say. She blinked. Luna realised she had been just holding the sword up this whole time, she was hesitating for some reason. She needed to just do it without thinking but... No, she couldn't. She hated her sister, she wanted her dead. Drop the blade. End her. Take your revenge. But she didn't. That thought called out to her again.

    Why? Why was she feeling this way after fighting so hard? Was she always this conflicted? It wasn't about Celestia at all, was it? It was about herself. As she became aware of wetness on her face, she realised why Celestia looked so surprised. She was crying. Crying, because she finally realised what the problem was and didn't want to face it, that she still was too weak to wield her own power, and that even if she couldn't understand it, she appreciated her sister's love. And Celestia might be the last person in the world who could ever genuinely love her again.

     She couldn't ignore herself any longer, that suppressed thought broke into her mind.

    It's me I hate, not her.

    A soft whimper escaped her lips, followed by a whispery breath. Her vision became blurry, and her fingers slipped, the Devil Sword clattering to the ground beside her.

And after a thousand years of feeling nothing but grief and heartache and the suffocating desire for vengeance, all of Luna's anger faded in a single, gentle pulse of swirling silver magic. Reverted to her human form, she dropped to her knees, only able to muster two words to her older sister before her voice failed her.

    "I... can't..."

-----

    Flash rolled himself over, feeling a dull pain on his forehead where Luna's boot struck him. His weapons were scattered around him, one still strapped to him, tugging him down as he shifted, and the others were decidedly out of his reach. He heard something unusual as his senses came back to him, the last thing he remembered was a heel in his face before his senses were completely rocked and he hit the ground. Someone was crying.

    Turning his head, Flash saw who it was. The glow of the Elements of Harmony illuminated the image: The once powerful and terrifying Dark Sister, still with both of the ancient amulets around her neck, was crumpled up in the arms of the Sister of Light and in the throes of an emotional breakdown, sobbing uncontrollably into her sister's shoulder as faint moonlight came in through the tall window at the end of the throne room. Her older sister held her tightly, sincerely, eyes closed and focused on being as comforting as possible. Flash wasn't sure what to think. These affairs were beyond his concern, but apparently this reunion was a thousand years coming. It didn't surprise him that it ended in tears.

    "Why?" Luna asked through her cries, hanging tightly to her sister as she completely unraveled. "Why do you still care?"

    "Because I'm your big sister," Celestia calmly replied, gently stroking down her sister's back, recalling a line of a poem she wrote for her long ago. "I will take all your sorrow to keep."

    "'Tia..." Luna said, steadying her breath and staring down at the floor. "I don't deserve you."

    Celestia shook her head. "That's not true."

    "I've destroyed so much, I've hurt so many people, I..." Luna's eyes screwed shut again, and she pressed her face back into her sister's shoulder. "I'm so, so sorry... I was just... so... so scared... and angry... angry, because..."

    "Shh... Luna."

    "I'm a pathetic, miserable creature!" Luna's crying renewed, her fists tightening as she took in a shivering breath. Celestia only held her close again, willing to stay there as long as she needed.

    "Luna." Celestia spoke softly. "Things will be okay."

    Celestia continued to console her sister, but somewhere beside him, Flash heard Sunset let out a weak laugh. She was rolled onto her side, watching the scene play out from her edge of the room.

    "So all the big bad demon queen needed was a hug, huh?" She said quietly, more to herself than anyone else. She let out a sigh, an exhausted smile of disbelief on her face. "And they said devils never cry..."

    Was it over, then? Flash gathered his strength and sat himself up, gathering up his weapons and looking to see if Starlight and Twilight were any more recovered than himself. Twilight knelt in the corner of the room, watching Celestia comforting Luna with a confused look, and Starlight had both hands pressing down on the floor, gradually bringing herself upright. Twilight's head shook, but she didn't have the energy to object to the events unfolding. 

    "Sister..." Luna said, calming herself just enough to speak again. "I thought... I thought forgiving myself would be enough. That accepting what I'd done would make things easier but... when Nightmare Moon became a part of me again..."

    Celestia pulled away from the embrace for a moment, looking into her sister's eyes intently as she waited for her to finish her thought.

    "I took in all of her hatred, felt it so vividly it was painful, and I thought the only way to make it stop was to take it out on you..." More tears poured from her eyes again, and she held Celestia tighter as her entire body shuddered. "I still can feel it, it's crushing me... I want this nightmare to end!"

    After a long moment, Celestia slowly rose, supporting her sister and helping her to stand with her. She took another moment to choose her next words, wanting to form her thoughts completely.

    "I understand why you would hate me, and it's okay if you still do. But please know, your worth is not measured by your strength, because you're worth more than all of the strength in the world. You are my strength, Luna, my reason for fighting."

    Luna closed her eyes, a smile just gently crossing her face as she stepped away, her body at least calming itself. Her hands wiped the tears off of her cheeks, her breathing became slowed and more purposeful.

    Over their conversation, Flash thought he heard a pair of footsteps from behind him, but when he looked towards the entrance, nothing was there.

    "All I want—all I've ever wanted, is for you to be okay." Celestia said. Her breathing became more pronounced as well, and her emotions finally began to spill over. She too began to cry softly. "And after all I've done to push you away, I'll do whatever it takes to help rebuild what we've destroyed. I know things may never be the same, but... I just want my sister back."

    "Celestia, I-"

    Her older sister suddenly let out a pained, choked gasp, face contorting into shocked agony as the tip of an ancient broadsword burst from her chest, bloodied red after being shoved through her back. Luna watched in horror as Celestia fell to her knees, the Devil Sword left to stick out of her body as she gushed crimson onto the floor. 

    Flash was just as horrified, for behind Celestia was a tall woman wearing a black trench coat, with streamlined sunglasses that glistened in the soft arcane light surrounding them. A woman that, by her smug smile and voluminous curls of orange hair, Flash recognized immediately.

    Adagio Dazzle.

    "Excellent work, everyone..." She said, cruelly clapping her hands together in satisfaction of the scene currently playing out. "Well done!"

    "Adagio!" Flash started, picking himself up and raising his weapon to fire, but as she always did Adagio became a blur, blinking out of the way and easily throwing him back to the ground. Sunset stood, bringing up her guns and rapidly firing them both off as she approached, but couldn't quite get a hit on her as she again became a dancing blur. Leaning past her bullets, Adagio jumped directly above her and then stomped her to the ground with both feet.

    "Sunset, is it? The Legendary Demon Hunter?" Adagio teased, tilting her head upon seeing Sunset too weak to fight back. "Big fan."

    Adagio turned and quickly brought her hands together, catching Starlight's chainsaber by its sides as the cyborg swung it around from her side, fingers clear of its teeth. "Ah-ah, I've learned from last time..."

    Warping behind her, Adagio threw a spinning kick in the back of Starlight's head, knocking her to the floor next to Sunset. Twilight was the last to jump to her feet and face her down, scooping her katana up off the ground and pointing it towards her.

    "You! We had a deal!" Twilight said.

    "Mmh, but it wouldn't last..." Adagio said, warping out of the way of Twilight's initial katana swing. Her strikes were weary, much too telegraphed to land a hit on the siren. "You see, me and Nightmare Moon here also had a deal. I never intended to uphold ours..."

    With one hand, Adagio caught Twilight's blade, giving her a bored look as Twilight pushed with all her remaining strength and hissed her reply. "Damn you..."

    "Oh, don't feel too bad about it, now. Really, the plan was to make you all wear yourself out so that Nightmare Moon could fulfill her end of our bargain," Adagio pushed on Twilight's blade, then hopelessly beat her to the floor with a single punch. "Perhaps any one of you could've cut me down had you not worn yourselves down fighting! But lucky for me, I'm a good planner..."

    She turned to Luna, who still only stood mortified in seeing her sister on the ground dying. Putting her boot down on Celestia, she gripped the Devil Sword in both hands and pulled it from her with little respect for the body it was just impaling. Then, she smiled, giving Luna an expectant look. 

    "Now then," she said, gesturing to the orbs of magic around them. "I've brought you the Elements of Harmony, now I believe your amulets are mine."

    Luna shuddered again, this time in terror, but bravely shook her head. "You... You killed her..."

    "What's the matter, having a sudden change of heart?"

    In a flash, Luna transformed again, back into her demon form, and went straight for Adagio with her anger now rekindled, but found that she too was impaled on the Devil Sword before she could strike. Her fist was moments to striking the siren, knocking that wicked grin off of her face, but the sword proved to be an painful obstacle.

    "Is that love? For a sibling?" Adagio laughed. "Ridiculous... The only thing needed is absolute power!"

    The blade twisted through Luna's body, but she gritted her teeth and refused to let it impede her. Both amulets beginning to glow, Luna took a step against the blade, feeling it pierce her deeper but also feeling her regeneration burning against it. She took another step, fighting through the pain as she neared Adagio.

    Concern creeping onto her face, Adagio shoved the sword forward further, but was only met with Luna's hand taking her by the throat. She expected the concern to shift to fear, but Adagio only smiled as she was lifted up, looking deep into Luna's eyes and taking a breath in.

    "I have no further wish to harm others..." Luna growled, the echoing demonic distortion on her voice making it low and scratchy. "But for you, I'll make an exception!"

    "I think you'll find yourself more than happy to hand them over..." Adagio said, lowering her sunglasses and revealing two glowing red eyes. The moment she met them, Luna froze, and her hostility faded, releasing Adagio as this trance overtook her.

    And then, Adagio began to sing.

    Not with any words, but proudly, she vocalized a melody of mid ranged notes in a devilishly smooth arrangement, one that made Luna quickly change her aggressive tune. 

    On the ground, too far away to do anything, Flash felt a wave of horror course through him. He knew what this was, Sparrowhawk tried to do the same thing to him, but this... this was far worse. Luna relaxed fully, and Adagio looked surprised for just a moment before letting out a short, villainous laugh. The Sister of Darkness was under Adagio's spell, her mind bending to the siren's will.

    "Now..." Smiling, she extended her hand, pleased to see Luna unable to resist even after she pulled the Devil Sword from her. "The amulets, dear?"

    Luna, unable to do any differently, obliged, handing both of the amulets over and reverting back to her human form.

    Both amulets began to glow as Adagio brought them closer to the Devil Sword. 

    "Two amulets, a sword, and the purest forces of Harmony..." She brought them into place, and the sword began to float over the centerpoint of the glowing star, sparkling and glowing as the energies of both the Light and Dark Sisters flowed through it. Now energized, Adagio sunk the blade through the plate at the center of the circle, and the entire castle rumbled as some internal mechanism deep within it shifted. The circle glowed brighter, shifting and rotating in place like a giant cylindrical tumbler lock, bursts of dark energy erupting around it as its reaction seemed to tear through the universe itself. 

    "To unleash the greatest power this world has ever seen!"

    Her master plan was now seeing completion. The gate to the demon realm was opening, and Adagio was holding its key.
> 22- The End of the Line
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The dark, ominous clouds began to form in rings around the Castle of the Two Sisters, the rainstorm parting around it as a swirling rift appeared over the castle's main tower. A strange beam of light shot up from the tower and into the storm's eye, inverting the coloring of the backdrop beyond it. 

    Trixie drove slower than normal, surveying the thin gravel path before her RV. Sunburst picked up a faint, unidentifiable distress signal and was trying to locate its source. Both were startled out of what they were doing, neither of them were expecting to see the castle suddenly come to life. Sunburst showed great concern as he looked out the passenger side window.

    "Uhh... Is that good?" Trixie asked, not giving the castle anything more than a glance from the corner of her eye. She was far more focused on guiding her vehicle over the increasingly bumpy and rugged forest terrain. "Because that... Uh, that doesn't look good." 

    "No! No it isn't!" Sunburst stood from his seat and immediately went back to the radio by the RV's booth seats. "I'm gonna try to get a hold of Agent Sentry!"

    "Yeah, do that, we're about to have a problem!"

    When he tried the radio, though, he got nothing but static on Flash's frequency. On a laptop computer, he checked for the distress signal again, and found it still present.

    "I think Flash is trouble... Really starting to wish Starlight would let me install a radio on her."

    "The signal we're following is close to the castle anyway, right?" Trixie asked, her normally calm presentation giving way to panic as the stress mounted. "Please don't tell me we're gonna go to the spooky demon castle. I don't like the spooky demon castle!"

    "No, just keep heading towards the distress signal. We'll see if we can't contact Flash later..."

-----

    Inside the throne room, a huge burst of silver and gold energy was released up from the center ring. Adagio Dazzle stood at the center, watching a distressed and kneeling Luna attempting to clear her head. The Dark Sister was still being affected by the Siren's mind control, and purposefully kept her eyes away. Adagio had ample time to complete the ritual, placing the sun and moon amulets over the sword as the energy coursed through, allowing the demon realm to begin to fully open.

    "You..." Luna said, gripping her head as she tried to raise her will to fight. Adagio's control did more than just strip her of her will momentarily, it made it hard to gain control of again. She was angry again, and this time for a good reason, but the more she tried to express that anger, the dizzier she got. "You think you can contain our power? By undoing this seal, you're only releasing it back to me! Sooner or later, I will destroy you..."

    "Oh, I don't think so," Adagio said. She snapped her fingers, and in a swirling purple vortex, five figures suddenly materialised in the throne room, each a young woman who hosted an Element of Harmony. Unconscious, they floated in the air, aligning with their respective orbs of magic as they reabsorbed them.

    "These five humans are under my control already, and once their demons rejoin them, so will the Elements of Harmony. And with you unable to interrupt me, I can activate their power whenever I please."

    As she said that, each of the girls flashed in their corresponding colors, and a multicolored swirl of magic surrounded her in a wide radius, lining up with the glowing circle of the circle in the floor.

    Luna's fists tightened and she managed to lift her head, glaring at Adagio through the curtain of deep blue hair over her face. Moving the rest of her body was still a struggle. 

    "This was your plan all along, wasn't it?" Luna slowly came to the realisation, still locked in place by Adagio's glowing red gaze.

    "Well of course," Adagio said, a teasingly evil smile on her face. "The only variable was you and your human half, but as I'd hoped, that matter resolved itself."

    Luna growled. "You used me!"

    "Used you, just like you used Twilight Sparkle, right?" Adagio smirked, raising a hand as the rainbow magic began to form up into a beam of harmonic obliteration. "Sorry sweetie, you were always just a supporting act. There's only room for one star on this stage!"

    She fell into a bout of villainous laughter, but as she did the charged spell was suddenly disrupted. The rainbow energy around her dispersed as the toothed end of a chainsaber crossed in front of Adagio's face. Starlight stood, holding her blade level with Adagio's neck, ready to get back into the fight.

    "But your five minutes of spotlight are up!" Starlight declared, taking Adagio slightly aback.

    Two more sword blades crossed around her, Sunset and Twilight joining in with claymore and katana, making a triangle of steel around the siren's throat.

    "It's time for the diva to take her bows," Twilight said.

    "Yeah, the show's over!" Sunset added. "It's curtains for you!"

    Turning her head slightly, Adagio found herself looking down the barrel of Flash's handgun, and with her head surrounded by swords, she had nowhere to go. Blinking away wouldn't be an option; it wasn't true teleportation, only incredibly fast movement. As Adagio's eyes shifted, so did everyone else's; they were all waiting for Flash to also say something cool.

    After a moment, he took the non-verbal cue. 

    "And for our next performance..." He started, keeping in line with the stage-themed remarks. "A four-piece Siren beatdown."

    Sunset's eyes widened and her lips dropped a bit, impressed, while Twilight and Starlight shared looks of balanced amusement and annoyance. Even Adagio smiled a little, beginning her next egotistical tirade with a laugh and a round of sarcastic slow clapping.

    "Very cute... But I believe you're all mistaken," She began, quickly reassuming a poise of dominance. "The key has been turned, and my time has just begun! Soon, a new world will be born, and I shall be it's ruler!"

    The entire castle shook again, and the plate surrounding the Devil Sword lit up. The ceiling began to split, and more openings the size of the ritual circle came apart on every floor, revealing a hole straight into the sky where a circle of calm was forming in the storm overhead.

    "The only thing left to do is welcome you to the show."

    The platform they stood on shifted, and a beam of light shot up from the center, right up into the eye of the storm and distorting the clouds around it. The demon hunters were all thrown off balance, and Adagio quickly ducked down, becoming a blur as every sword clashed into each other above her. Moving around the Devil Sword beneath her, she swept her leg across in a wide arc, knocking the startled Twilight, Sunset, and Starlight off their feet, then continuing the rotation she kicked all three of them in separate directions, launching them all in a staggered spread towards the thrones. 

    Flash's gun went off behind her, but she easily leaned beneath the shot, grabbing Flash's arm and tossing him to the ground by it, twisting and dislocating it in the process. He was kicked away and rolled to a stop just outside the platform, which slowly levitated inside the beam of light. As it parted, Flash landed just short of the gap, clutching his arm in pain as he looked back up to the action.

    The disk-shaped platform slowly rose, and with it the Elements and Adagio, but Luna was still on it, and a silvery magic was swirling around her again, this time brighter than before. Her emerald eyes glistened, her hair lit up even brighter, and a field of light blue magic surrounded her, her excess power radiating from her body. With the portal to the demon world open, she no longer needed her moon amulet to access her demonic form.

    "The gate has opened!" Luna shouted, her voice echoing over the rushing magic around her. "My true power returns to me! Prepare to face my fury, witch!"

    Luna's demonic features returned to her, this time imbued with a righteous sense of vengeance as she spread both of her wings wide, but still Adagio just shook her head.

"Mmh. No thanks."

The Dark Sister again so foolishly glared directly into her eyes, and she was again stunned, summoning her pistols to her but unable to bring herself to attack with them. 

    "I..." Luna grunted, struggling to control her own mind as the siren began her song again. "I..."

    "Be a dear and destroy the rest of these idiots for me." Adagio commanded. Luna blinked, her magic flaring powerfully as her ethereal hair waved about in her unsteady trance. She was trying to fight, but the spell was just too much, and she lost control of her body, turning away from Adagio and scanning the room as instructed.

    Suddenly, the room became hotter, and Flash felt himself sweating. There was an even louder burst of magic behind them, followed by a huge swirl of golden energy. Something was burning, he realised, and soon he saw a small column of fire shoot up from atop the platform. A resounding, unearthly voice spoke out, rumbling and roaring like a combustion engine, causing the air around them to quake and tremble as existence itself was brought to a boil.

    The voice did not shout, instead, it spoke with clarity and precision, the sound like a heated knife cleanly slicing through the air.

    "Release my sister."

    From the edge of the floating platform, surrounded by her sparkling golden magic and cloaked in fire, Celestia rose. Her appearance rapidly shifted, her skin becoming bleach-white and her eyes blackening and becoming yellow dots more insidious than any demon seen before. Two beautiful white feathered wings burst from her back, and pieces of white-hot, orange tinged armor formed around her shoulders, chest, and head, her hair becoming a wreath of flames that built and fell with each of her tempered breaths. Unlike Luna, no abstracted manifestation of energy built up around Celestia's demonic form, instead, the air around her simply ignited.

    Out of all of the demon hunters watching this show of power, Twilight was the one who recognized this form first, it was the same entity depicted in the church, Celestia's own demonic form: The True Sister of Light. As her power intensified, there was no fiery outburst, instead the flames around her shrunk, compressing into a blazing thin veil that scorched the ground in which she walked. 

    And walk she did, approaching Adagio with an expression and manner of stride and an aura more threatening than Nightmare Moon could've ever hoped to exude. The space around her warped from the sheer heat emanating from her body, her glowing armor radiating so much raw thermal energy that the pillar of light coming up from the platform was getting outshined, the tint into the room becoming a warm orange rather than a cooled blue. Her boots left ashen black marks on the stone beneath her feet, and yet, her overwhelming temperature did not at all affect her.

    The True Sister of Light did not scowl, she instead only let out a pained and frustrated breath as her immense power replaced every other feeling with soul-searing anger. Her eyes looked directly into Adagio's, unaffected by her power as the siren tried her mind control trick on the Sister of Light. Adagio's eyes became nervous as she failed.

    Celestia's eyebrows rose, showing the slightest bit of amusement. She summoned her pistols, and held both of them at the ready.

    "Now."

    Adagio's eyes went from worried to collected again, and she let another cool smile show through. 

    "Release her?" She began. "Why, I've got a better idea..."

    Adagio pointed her finger forward, to Celestia, and turned back to Luna, who was still clutching her head in a desperate attempt to clear it. Once eye contact was made again though, it was all over.

    "Luna, destroy your sister."

    "No!" Luna shouted, but found her body disobeying her commands. The siren's spell was too powerful. "You can't..."

    Celesta's eyes widened, fear disrupting her anger for a moment. "Luna..."

    Adagio capitalized on that moment of disruption. She warped straight into Celestia, kicking her in the chest as Luna was overtaken. Celestia fell back over the edge, and Luna dashed off after her, punching her into the ground below as the platform ascended in full, taking Adagio and the suspended wielders of the Elements of Harmony away. As it left, two solid stone pieces filled the gaps in the ceiling, leaving a huge hole in the floor of the throne room and causing the entire tower to shake again. 

    Just before it did, Adagio gave her farewell.

    "You two enjoy yourselves, now."

-----

    Sunset scrambled to her feet, making sure she had both her sword and guns before rushing to help Flash. As the tower shook again, he rolled in place, slipping into the gap in the floor left by the ritual platform, where a long fall awaited beneath. She dove to the edge as he fell, reaching out and catching his arm just in time. He looked up, feeling an intense pain in his shoulder but hanging on desperately regardless. All of the weapons strapped to him made him considerably heavier, but it was of little consequence to Sunset's strength. 

    "Hang on!" She said, feeling the castle rumble once more. 

    "I can't..." Flash said, squeezing his eyes shut and gripping Sunset's hand with everything he could muster. "I can't move my other arm!"

    Above them, Luna was launched back across the room, landing near the thrones as Celestia kicked her away. 

    "Luna!" She called out, readying her guns. "Don't do this!"

    "I... won't..." Luna shook her head violently, but still found herself readying her guns as well. She frowned, feeling a forgein urge to fight her sister well within her again. That hatred was coming back, and it felt too real. "Do what you must, sister."

    "Luna, I..." Celestia's expression softened, looking very unbefitting of a demon of her stature.

    "For me, sister!" Luna's eyes darkened, and she shouted out in a mixture of anger and fear as she rocketed across the throne room, leaving a trail of silver and blue magic behind her.

    Celestia grimaced. This was different. She didn't want to fight her sister before, but now, incapacitating her might be the only way to save her. In the same fashion, she jumped across the throne room, meeting the Luna in the air over the wide gap in the floor, sending out a shock wave that shook the room.

    As they clashed, Luna felt her body become overtaken with her hatred once more, desperately trying to hold her defensive stance as she fought against the mind control. Celestia came close into her, her eyes still filled with a hesitation and fear for her safety. Luna's eyes replied only with a look of uncertainty before fading back into scorn. Her older sister's eyes reflected a heated frustration.

    "Hold nothing back..." Luna said, struggling to resist the urge to attack again.

    The Sister of Light's frustration reignited into genuine anger. She would save her sister, and the siren would pay.

    Flash dangled precariously in Sunset's grip. Unable to get a better hold on him, she just decided to pull up, but to her shock Flash slipped through her fingers.

    "Sunset!" He shouted, a scream of fear coming from him as he plummeted to the bottom of the tower, disappearing into the darkness before Sunset saw him hit the ground. 

    "Flash!" Sunset nearly considered jumping in after him, but felt another pulse of heat and a second blast blew her away from the hole. The Sisters of Light and Darkness were trading quick, powerful gun punches and kicks in the air above her, each one sending out huge waves of energy as they clashed, each of them unleashing the full extent of their thousands of years of experience upon each other. They twirled around each other, spinning and flipping and seemingly floating mid-air without even flapping their wings. They even ricocheted shots off of the walls at perfect angles, only to perfectly counter the others' bullets with another ricocheted shot.

    In the flurry of attacks the Sister of Light struck a particularly powerful blow directly into her sister's guard, knocking her back and sending her into the steps near the overturned thrones. Then, with a shout of exertion across her entire body, she lunged down at the Sister of Darkness, wings spread and leaving a trail of flame behind her, twisting her body mid flight and firing both of her guns forward. The Dark Sister replied by standing her ground and firing back, their bullets moving so quickly that even as the younger demon hunters followed the bending of time, they struggled to keep up with the speed at which the Sisters exchanged their thousand gunshots. 

    Some of the bullets even liquified as they passed through either Sister's heated veil, splashing the other with molten lead that broke their slowed timestate and resulted in the Light Sister crashing into her younger sibling at full speed. 

    They tumbled over each other, a screaming, furious ball of multicolored magical energies, feathers, fists and bullets, dropping any graceful combat for immediate trading of blows, the two great demons bashing their pistols against each other and firing them off with little regard for their own protection. It was brutal and bloody, but at full power, neither of them had the option of surrendering.

    Rolling to a stop, the Sister of Light found herself straddling her sister, and then proceeded to punch down on her with gun-filled hands. In response, the Sister of Darkness lifted her own pistols, deflecting the incoming punches with counter hits, returning point-blank gunshots that the Light Sister leaned back and forth around. The Dark Sister curled her body up, then kicked her older sibling up off of her, sending more bullets after her with her boot mounted pistols. Controlling her ascent with her wings, the Sister of Light fired her own bootguns, intercepting all given bullets and adding even more as her two handheld pistols aimed downward and fired in unison.

    For a brief moment, they both had all four of their guns trained on the other and were perfectly countering four separate waves of bullets the other was sending out. Even in slowed time, it was nearly impossible to keep up, but eventually The Sister of Light would propel herself down and dive straight into her possessed sister. The Dark Sister put a barrier of magic around herself, but Celestia smashed right through it. It did slow her down for a moment though, just long enough for her younger sister to roll out of striking distance, only catching the residual heat wave the crashing dive attack produced.

    Hopping to her feet, the Sister of Darkness came into a proper fighting stance, redirecting the Light Sister's increasingly aggressive punches and kicks as she lunged again at her, this time exchanging a proper set of gundancing techniques. Try as they might, neither of them could resist their Inner Demons demanding destruction and ruin. Celestia held on to what little semblance control she had, finding that she couldn't stop herself from fighting. Had Adagio done something to her too?

    It didn't matter. She needed to get Luna away from the others before she ended up hurting one of them.    

    She cartwheeled over the Dark Sister's head, who brought her arms into a cross to redirect another gun punch, but as a meditated follow up Celestia drove her knee up into her sister's ribs. Catching her just beneath her chest armor, Celestia flapped her wings forward right as she made contact, creating so much velocity over such little space that a cone of compressed air formed around it, and upon ultimate collision her sister rocketed away with the ear-busting sonic boom. The tall, ornate window beyond the thrones shattered in the blast and the Dark Sister was sent hurtling through it, shooting up into the sky above the castle.

    Celestia felt a sudden spike of pain in her heart, the act of striking her sister so hard knocking her out of her battlelust. Her body shivered for a moment, and she stared down at the leg she threw into that attack. The bit of her suit covering was charred black and smoldering from the impact. Fighting her sister, especially after she just reconciled with her, it felt so wrong... She cleared her hesitation, thinking about Adagio and how she would hold nothing back against her after Luna was secure.

    Then, again resolute, the Sister of Light flapped her wings and followed her sister into the dark and rainy clouds.

-----

    Sunset was in a state disbelief. She'd lost Flash. The drop to the bottom floor of the tower was incredibly steep, he certainly wouldn't survive a fall like that. In anger, she pounded the ground she knelt on, looking up at the Two Sisters battling in the sky through the broken throne room window. Seeing their true forms was simultaneously terrifying and awe inspiring, but given the circumstances Sunset felt more disgust than anything else. That orange haired lady was using the Dark Sister as a distraction, a pawn... 

    She'd used them all as pawns, she put on this entire party by tricking the rest of them into setting it up. Twilight brought the Elements of Harmony, Sunset brought the sun amulet, Nightmare Moon, or Selene, Luna—whoever it was brought the moon amulet, and Celestia brought the Devil Sword. Flash had gathered all of their friends together, leading Adagio to capture them, and Starlight... Sunset wasn't actually sure how Starlight affected the situation. She wasn't really even sure what she was doing here.

Twilight was here to defeat the Dark Sister, but that plan was now quite literally out the window. Celestia would have to do it, if anyone. Sunset saw her on her hands and knees, a disturbed look on her face as she probably tried to figure out where it all went wrong. Sunset wanted to go to her, to help her up and tell her that she still had her back, that she'd still help her clean all this up, even if she had a role in it all. They were friends, and seeing Twilight this distressed was really eating at Sunset. 

    Before Sunset could get back up, she suddenly scooped up her weapons and made a run for the broken window. Starlight quickly chased after her, weakly getting to her feet and calling her name. She sounded mad, but not the same kind of mad Sunset expected. It wasn't a pissed off kind of mad, it was the same hurt kind of mad Luna exhibited earlier.

    "Twilight! Where are you going?"

    At the top of the steps to the thrones, Twilight turned her head back, glancing over her shoulder to see her look at her former student.

    "There's nothing we can do at this point, Starlight." Twilight said.

    "What are you talking about?!" Starlight stopped in her tracks, looking up in confusion. "What about Dark Sister, or the demon portal?"

    "I wasn't enough..." Twilight looked away, closing her eyes and speaking with great despair in her voice. "It had to be me, but I wasn't enough."

    "So you're just giving up?" Starlight asked, pointing her chainsaber up at Twilight and raising her voice. "After coming all this way, you're just giving up?"

    "I don't have to explain myself to you." Twilight's grip grew tighter around her sheathed katana, and she turned to face Starlight completely. "None of this even concerns you, Starlight, go home!"

    "What happened to fixing your mistakes, huh?!" Starlight shouted, now with an accusing anger in her voice. "What happened to 'principle over protocol'? Or was that just a bunch of crap you made up to justify all this destruction?"

    Twilight's glare intensified, but she didn't make any aggressive action. Her tone lowered as she tilted her head forward ever so slightly. "Why are you even here, Starlight?"

    "The Order wants justice! If you think you can cause all of this and get away with it you've got another thing coming."

    Twilight shook her head, giving a slight scoff with a dark smile. "Justice? The Order? Do you really believe in any of that?"

    "How can you say that?" Starlight's disbelief showed through her anger for a moment. "The Order is my family, Twilight, our family!"

    "That's what I thought too..."

    Starlight's pissed off anger again broke through. Charging up the steps, Starlight whipped her chainsaber outward, but it was quickly deflected with Twilight's sheath. Without drawing her sword, she swung the sheath across as Starlight continued up the steps, but Starlight put her hand on the middle step and popped into a handstand, sweeping her feet at Twilight while ducking beneath her swing.

    "You did this, Twilight! All of this is your fault!"

    "Is that what you think?" Twilight jumped over Starlight's kick and stepped away, leaning forward in preparation to draw her blade. "Do you really trust the Order that much?"

    Coming back to her feet, Starlight revved up her blade and swung it several more times, but Twilight suddenly had her katana drawn and was guiding it into the side of her chainsaber, deflecting her strikes without contacting the teeth.

    "It doesn't matter!" Starlight caught Twilight's weapon at the hilt, and slid into a loose bind by the far ends of their swords. They didn't exert force on each other, but they kept the other's blades in check as they slowly circled each other. "I won't just stand by and let you get away with this..."

    "Starlight!" Sunset finally managed to get up and rushed into the fight as well, taking a swing at Starlight with her sword as Twilight backed away. "Have you lost it?"

    "She helped resurrect the Dark Sister!" Starlight replied, surprised to be crossing blades with Sunset again. "Betrayed the Order, betrayed me!"

    "The Order betrayed me, Starlight..." Twilight remarked, bringing her katana around at Sunset as while she was held up with Starlight. "And stay out of this, Sunset! This isn't about you either!"

    "Like hell! We're friends, Twilight!" Sunset and Twilight's swords clashed together, and Starlight drew her revolver. The purple clad demon hunter drew a pistol in her off hand and fired off a few shots just in time to intercept Starlight's firework bullets. The multicolor bursts went off between them, and allowed Sunset and Twilight a smokescreen to trade several more sword clashes behind. "I'm trying to help you!"

    "I don't need help! Just leave me alone!" Twilight shouted, cutting upward into Sunset's weapon and stumbling her down the steps, just barely managing to recover as Starlight jumped into her. Twilight held her katana against the rolling teeth of the cyborg's chainsaber, but only long enough to step in close, bash the pommel of her weapon into Starlight's head and kick her away too. With them both knocked back, Twilight turned and ran for the window, jumping out of it with any hesitation.

    Starlight moved to follow, but Sunset's sword blocked her path.

    "I can't let you go after her," Sunset said, a stern look on her face.

    "I thought we were doing this together!" Still angry, still gripping her sword tightly, Starlight got right up in Sunset's face. "Or am I suddenly not good enough again?"

    "It's not that." Sunset explained, not willing to fold on this. "She's my best friend, I'm not going to let you hurt her."

    "So we just let her escape? After everything she did?"

    "We've got bigger fish to fry-"

    "No, you have bigger fish to fry!" Starlight shoved a mechanical finger into Sunset's chest, pushing her back. "Twilight took everything from me! You see my body? I'm like this because of her!"

    "So it's personal, then..." Sunset said, finally coming to the realisation.

    Starlight brought her sword up and met Sunset's eyes with stubborn intensity. "It is."

    "Well, sorry to disappoint, but I've got business to settle with her too." Sunset slung her sword back over her shoulder and put her free hand on her hip. "So if you want a piece of her, you're gonna have to take a piece of me first."

    Starlight smirked, remembering how Sunset had also treated her like she was just slowing her down. In a way, it wasn't any different to how Twilight treated her. It thoroughly pissed her off.

    "Oh, I can arrange for that." She gave her chainsaber a threatening rev, and shot Sunset a dark, battle ready smirk.

    So much for working together.

-----

    Flash's vision suddenly filled with a dull, white light. Last thing he remembered, the Two Sisters' true forms were awakened, and then he fell through the gap in the floor after getting his shoulder injured, and his memory went out somewhere as he plummeted to the ground. He was somewhere blue... blue and metal. His eyes wouldn't focus completely, but he made out shapes that looked like a short metal table, a sealed glass door, and an overhead ceiling light. People were walking around him, and his arms and legs were bound to something. A flat table, he was attached to a flat table angled so that he only slightly leaned backward. 

    His right shoulder still ached, and he was completely shirtless. As his vision and hearing came back he could better make out the two figures in this room with him. One had a blue ponytail, the other had a purple one.

    Lynx and Sparrowhawk.

    "Is it doing anything yet?" Sparrowhawk asked, her chipper, curious tone taking Flash's immediate attention as he watched her study him like an object. "He's waking up, but did it work?"

    "We can't tell yet, the D-virus takes more time to show mutations." Lynx replied, her tone still as flat as ever. Flash saw that she was carrying a short tipped syringe, and suddenly became aware of a pain in the base of his neck. It was a sharp, pinching pain, the kind of pain he immediately associated with needles.

    "But didn't Adagio say that Flash was a Type-B?" Sparrowhawk asked, a hand almost innocently drifting to her chin. Almost innocently, were the two of them not certainly conducting some sort of immoral experiment on him. "Shouldn't he transform as quickly as we did?"

    "We died of external causes, Sonata." Lynx said. "Adagio said she didn't want him dead, because if he died we might not be able to control him as well."

    "I dunno about that, Aria. That bullet was pretty deep inside my head."

    Through gritted teeth, Lynx replied. Sparrowhawk would surely be the end of her sanity. "But it came from outside of your head, idiot..."

    "I can't believe Adagio even wanted to keep him alive in the first place..." Sparrowhawk said, completely disregarding the remark. "I would've just shot him and been done with it!"

    "Yeah, I don't get it either, but she just had this spur of the moment plan to give him the virus and kill him that way."

    Flash eventually lifted his head and addressed them. "What... what did you put in me?"

    "Demon virus!" Sparrowhawk smiled enthusiastically, as if unaware of the implied bodily horror of such a thing. "If it works, you'll get to be with us, and we'll all be a team again!"

    "Great..." Flash let his head fall back, feeling the point of injection tense up from pure anxiety. "And if it doesn't work?"

    "You'll die horribly and turn into a monster, like that police sergeant," Lynx said, no real inflection on her voice. "And we'll either use you to kill stuff for us or just kill you again if we can't control you."

    "Where's everyone else? My friends?"

    "Eh, they'll probably be okay." Lynx said. "Adagio should have them out on top of the castle now, she needs them alive to use their magic."

    Flash did his best to stay calm, despite being dreadfully aware of the blood pumping through his heart being poisoned. The two Sirens in front of him probably wouldn't offer any useful information for him. He looked over their uniforms, seeing that they'd changed outfits. They now wore a bit more armor, with suits resembling old SRAPH body armor, but in their blue and purple colors. 

    "Geared up for something?" Flash asked, finding it strange that the two were still hanging around.

    "Yeah, the labs are on high alert." Sparrowhawk said, rather nonchalantly. "Demons are trying to get in again, we've got all of our Sirens armored up and patrolling the place."

    "Sending any into the castle?"

    "Nah, Adagio's got that under control," Lynx said. "She took a few reprogrammed mechs with her, though. But that's not really important. We're actually here to ask you a question."

    "Yeah? And what's that?" There it was. Flash knew they had a purpose here beyond injecting him with whatever-it-was.

    "Your cyborg friend!" Sparrowhawk said. "She's got a ride hiding out somewhere in the Everfree... We want to go pay them a visit."

    "That's too bad," Flash cooly replied, "Cause I have no idea where they are."

    "Don't try and lie to us, Sentry," Lynx said. "We got a transmission from your radio of them trying to get a hold of you. You had a line to them."

    "They never said where they were." Flash said. "Last I heard they were on the move."

    "I don't believe you." Lynx said.

    "You two look smart enough," Flash replied. "Have you tried tracing their signal?"

    Lynx glanced over to Sparrowhawk. "Hit him with the taser."

    The gadget mounted to Sparrowhawk's wrist sparked to life, and she gave a smile of twisted pleasure. Without firing its cable, she stabbed the prong into his side and Flash instantly felt every nerve in his body get lit on fire as all of his muscles contracted at the exact same time. He forced his eyes shut, and focused on breathing. The sensation he felt scraped hard against the ceiling his pain threshold, but as he convulsed in place he just kept himself breathing, feeling it get lighter and faster as the burning continued. After a long ten seconds, Sparrowhawk pulled the taser free, and Lynx began asking questions again.

    "So you said they were on the move? Where did they come in?"

    "Dunno, I was asleep."

    He immediately got the taser again, this time jabbed higher up his chest. The electricity forcing his body into torment lasted a bit longer, and he found himself helplessly shaking even after it ended. His willpower was not rattled though, as Lynx would soon find after she continued her questioning.

    "Sonata's into this kinda thing," Lynx said, drawing attention to her partner's gleeful, excited expression. "We can do this all day, or at least until she gets bored."

    "Can't guarantee it'll jog my memory."

    "You've caused all of us here a lot of problems just by still being alive," Lynx's eyes narrowed slightly as her voice roughened. "We'll do it just 'cause we feel like it."

    "How humane."

    "Where did you get dropped off at? Who led you here?"

    "What do you mean 'who led me here'?" Flash asked, intentionally avoiding the answer. "You put all of three leaves on your bunker and called it hidden."

    More tasering. Flash's heart felt like it was going to burst from his chest at this point, but he still held on through the pain. He kept his eyes open, not wanting to pass out, worried the virus might take him faster that way.

    "I'm losing my patience..." Lynx said, her teeth clenched in frustration. "Talk, Sentry!"

    Through loose, shallow breaths, Flash gave his stubborn reply. "What... what happened to doing this all day, h-huh?"

    Overjoyed at the opportunity, Sparrowhawk went in to tase him again, but Lynx interrupted her with a shove. "Ugh, quit it, this isn't working..."

    "What if we just tased him for a longer time then?"

    "He'd just pass out, and then we wouldn't get anything out of him."

    "But were not getting anything out of him anyway."

    "Right..." Lynx thought for a moment. "We need to try something else."

    "What," Flash asked, doing his best to show a spiteful smile between breaths. "Gonna go get a bigger taser?"

    "Listen, Sentry." Lynx said, a sudden idea coming to her. "Here in these labs, we have a cure for the D-virus. If you tell us anything about whoever your contact is out there, we'll give it to you."

    "What, and go against your boss?"

    "We know they're aligned with the Order," Lynx said. "Having another organization that isn't SRAPH this close could be far worse than Adagio's little experiment failing."

    Flash thought for a moment. This was a more appealing offer, but was he really going to turn over his friends in order to save himself from such a gruesome fate as their demon virus? Would it even be worth it, if otherwise he'd transform into a monster that they'd inevitably have to deal with? His immediate instinct said no, but when he thought about it again... No, no, those were his friends, they'd be done for if they got caught by a squad of Sirens. If Sunburst and Trixie weren't killed, they'd certainly be put into the same situation Flash was in now. Screw that.

    Pushing his face into a glare, Flash gathered up all of the saliva he had in his mouth and spat it in Lynx's face. Unflinching, she gave her own icy glare back as she wiped her face clean.

    "Sonata, have as much fun as you like with him," Lynx said, turning and leaving the small room. 

    Eyes widening, the siren was absolutely elated to fire up her taser and stick it into Flash's body again, holding it there just before his senses went numb, but then cutting off the current before he lost consciousness, bringing him back for a minute or so before starting the process again.

    Eventually, Flash's sense of time faded, and he soon became well acquainted with the quickly blurring line between pain and numbness.
> 23- The Affection of Apathy
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Starlight had grown in strength since the last time she and Sunset fought. Their battle began up on the elevated portion of the room, in the tight area where the two thrones were supposed to look over the rest of the wide room. She was expending more of her energy, but also more vigilant about recharging herself, absorbing residual magic from Sunset's sword every time she parried or blocked. She dashed, flipped, and threw out her Tether Hand more frequently as Sunset dodged and rolled around her attacks. 

    The moon shining in through the shattered windows was now the only source of light in the room, and the softening patter of rain from outside indicated the storm was evening out. The sound of swords clashing would still continue to ring out from the castle's insides, however. It was nothing new, these halls had seen the crossing of many weapons over many a millennia.

    Facing away from the window, Starlight charged into a wild swing across, shooting forward but finding Sunset rolling to the side and diving into a similar attack, driving her sword with forward momentum that shot her across the distance between them. Starlight was still catching her balance though, and the tip of Sunset's sword dug into her side, and she was knocked onto her back in a quick, snappy motion. 

    "You want to take on Twilight, but can't even get a hit on me?" Sunset beckoned Starlight closer with a quick motion of her hand as she jumped to her feet. "Come on!"

    As she rose again, Starlight pounded the ground, and was tempted to launch straight back into Sunset. But she stopped herself, realizing that's exactly what Sunset was trying to get her to do, so instead, she drew her revolver, taking only a split second to load up the chamber and point it forward. 

    Before the first shot went off, Sunset brought both of her pistols up and was countering Starlight's shots with ease, slowly advancing as her two pistols controlled Starlight's one. Every six shots, Starlight would reload, but she did so fast that it didn't even matter. Six shots. Twelve shots. Eighteen. Sunset steadily paced closer. Soon, she'd be close enough to bring out her sword again. She always seemed to be one step ahead.

    Except Starlight was about to throw that off guard. As she reloaded for a fourth time, she spun back, snapping the cylinder shut and firing off one, two, three shots, but then on the fourth-

    BOOM!

    A cloud of smoke erupted right front of Sunset as she shot the bullet down. She let out a disoriented cough, but then-

    POP-POP-POP!

    A volley of miniature fireworks went off in her face, causing her to recoil again.

    Immediately after, Starlight jumped through the smoke, landing a cut right across Sunset's chest and going into a nasty combo of slashes that ended in an uppercut, sending her towards the ceiling.

    Sunset rolled with the hits, flipping herself midair and using the motions to bring her sword back out, barring it against Starlight's aerial strikes. Their blades met twice, Starlight kicking her legs and spinning her body with each motion, the impact of each hit pushing Sunset back into the air just a little bit. Starlight started into a third attack after a short delay, some mechanism in her mechanical body activating and thrusting her into an upward slashing spin.

    Rather than block this attack, Sunset kicked off of Starlight entirely, sending both of them higher into the air as they chased each other. Sunset brought her sword around, beginning her own string of midair moves, each one utilizing miniature magical bursts to provide her with her own upward momentum, further juggling Starlight with each landed hit while also keeping Sunset airborne. She cut across Starlight three times in her aerial rave, but before she could follow through with the down launching finisher, Starlight fired off her revolver again, right in her face. The shot hit her dead on and before she was expecting it, throwing her back and jeopardizing her aerial balance. There was another bang as the bullet dug into her, and Sunset was thrown higher up as smoke and bright lights popped off around her. Another firework bullet.

    Starlight's arm flashed again, pushing her horizontally as she sped into another of her charging sweeps, and cutting into Sunset as she fell from above. This time, Starlight kicked off of her, and the solid hit knocked Sunset further through the air. Sunset couldn't help but notice that the two of them were now suspended over the gap in the floor where the demon realm's portal once was. This air game they were playing just got extremely dangerous.

    Before executing her next move, Sunset pondered whether going into her demon form would keep her afloat. She recalled her demon wings only providing her with limited flight, they allowed her to glide more than anything else. Thinking better of it, she decided that she should save her magical energy for more sustainable options. Sunset instead dug around in her mind for a specific technique, one she was taught to use specifically during situations like this, but rarely ever used.

    Her memory spun through the four forms she was taught, recalling basic principles of the Lightdasher Form and how to begin the maneuver. She drew on her magic, and imagined a web of energy appearing to catch her. For a brief moment, a translucent red disc appeared beneath her, and she spun, pressing her feet into it and using it to bounce back into the air. Formed from her own energy, the disc sprung her forward into a sky dash, giving her extra momentum that she used to shoot right for Starlight. The two swung their swords again and clashed midair, but as they rebounded off of each other Starlight reached out, grabbing Sunset in her Tether Hand and reeling her back in to again use her as a springboard. 

    As she kicked up and off of her, she immediately tethered Sunset up to her level again, this time landing her rising upward slash attack and nearly throwing Sunset up into the ceiling. Sunset couldn't do another sky dash until her base of gravity reset—a fault of the magic used in the technique, it meant she had to jump on something again. Luckily, Starlight was directly beneath her, and was still moving upward from her previous attack. 

    In a rather risky move, Sunset swung her sword down, dropping a telegraphed chop right down on Starlight's line. The cyborg easily swung her sword around again, parrying the attack, but giving Sunset the proximity she needed to platform off of Starlight. The moment Sunset's boots made contact she flipped off and away, sending Starlight down and angling herself to land safely to land on the edge of the gap in the floor.

    The sudden kick made Starlight lose her grip on her weapon and it started to spin wildly away from her as she fell back. In a panic, she went into her Bullet Reflex, draining a dangerous amount of energy to reorient herself as she fell, and then even more to shoot her Tether Hand out and catch her falling chainsaber. Sunset felt this time distortion, and activated her Demon Reflex to match, watching Starlight as she thrusted into her horizontal air sweep again, charging across the gap and just barely reaching her with the end of her weapon. 

    Sunset braced herself to block the attack, executing the first swing of her main aerial combo in response, but as their swords collided Starlight's Tether Hand closed into a Tether Fist, socking her right between the eyes as they clashed swords. It didn't impart much force, but it hurt enough to break her focus, and time resumed for both of them.

    Still in the air, Starlight jumped off Sunset one last time and landed on the other end of the gap, near the archway leading to the stairs. She rolled to a stop, readying her revolver as Sunset closed in after her. But Sunset wouldn't have enough inertia to reach the edge, she fell just short of it and dropped out of Starlight's sight before she could shoot.

    It wasn't over, of course, Sunset was bouncing back up with a trail of faint red energy behind her, landing just on the lip of the drop and catching her balance on the tips of her toes. She spun both of her guns up as she landed.

    They'd both taken a fair beating, Starlight was looking to be more drained. She wasn't about to give up, though.

    Starlight rushed forward, firing off her revolver until it was empty and then pulling her chainsaber back to chop it down. Sunset took a few steps forward and spun her sword up to a ready position, deflecting each of Starlight's shots, and then caught her in a bind as she swung her sword.

    One foot dragging against the floor, Starlight pivoted back as their blades pressed together. A quick glimmer behind her eyes, she shoved Sunset's sword down and went into her Bullet Reflex, and in slowed time lined up a cut on the recoiling demon hunter.

    Squeezing the handle of her chainsword, Starlight swung, but Sunset suddenly sped up to her speed to deflect the attack before she and her weapon's edge bounced away in slow motion. Starlight tried again, but Sunset still kept up with her, their swords colliding before she could land a hit. 

    "Give it up!" Sunset taunted, forcing Starlight away with a quick swing. "You gotta be faster than that!"

    Sunset still had her back right against the hole in the floor, Starlight could keep pressing her, she didn't have any ground to give. Both of her guns came up, but this time Starlight leaned forward and ran in towards her twirling her chainsaber to defend herself as Sunset's bullets came at her. Soon enough, she closed the distance, and struck at Sunset again.

    This time, as Sunset brought her sword up and pushed against Starlight, the cyborg leaned away, allowing Sunset's balance to shift forward as she overestimated the strength she needed to deflect the strike. Now that she was mid-parry, Starlight engaged her Bullet Reflex again, and this time aimed her swing for Sunset's hand. Sunset kept up, but wasn't quite fast enough to recover and readjust her guard, and her sword was sliced from her hands and sent spinning away over the pit behind her. 

    Starlight smiled, she had her now. One more swing and she'd knock this annoying redhead down into the pit too, then she could chase after Twilight without interruption. 

    But as Starlight brought her spinning blade in, Sunset smiled too. Starlight's eyes froze in frustration, helpless to watch as Sunset leaned forward, into her attack, past it, right after she committed to the strike. Sunset pushed Starlight's arm away at the elbow and put a boot on her shoulder, kicking off of her and launching to a backflip over the pit, where she caught her sword and then created a glowing red disk at her back. The next moment, she was kicking off of it, bouncing back towards the ground and landing in a roll as Starlight fell onto her back, then she felt something pinning her sword arm to the floor, followed by warm metal against her chin.

    Just like last time, Sunset stood over a defeated Starlight, one foot pressing down on her arm and holding her blade level with her neck. Starlight struggled weakly, some fight still in her, but was completely immobilized. She shot Sunset a resentful look.

    "Why the glare?" Sunset asked between breaths. "There's more to this, isn't there?"

    "Go to hell."

    "You're awfully pissed about something," Sunset noted. "What did I do to you? This was nothing personal, I promise. But you've got this look in your eyes... If I didn't know any better I'd say you want to kill Twilight, and that's just not something I can allow."

    "Maybe I do." Starlight said, her voice low and her tone still hostile.

    "What I want to know is this," Sunset began. "If she's done so much to hurt you, why even bother chasing after her  now? After she's calling it quits?"

    "She's... She saved my life..." Starlight said, finally letting her expression fall. "She cut me in half, but it was to stop me from hurting other people. And then she brought me into the Order, gave me a family, turned my life around... But now she's treating me like I'm nothing!"

    Sunset's eyes softened, and she let her sword drift away. "So this is for your family? This 'Order' I'm hearing so much about? Or is it revenge?"

    "No, it's-" Starlight paused. Maybe she was just doing this because the Order told her to at first, but somewhere it changed. Revenge might've been what she called it then, but now it felt like something else. She looked up into Sunset's eyes with frustration as this strange feeling built within her. "I'm doing this... for me. Because she doesn't think I'm worth anything. Do you know what it's like to be treated like that by someone you thought cared about you?"

    A strange look crossed Sunset's face. Her lips flattened and after a pause she pulled her sword away, letting it rest on her shoulder.

    "Yeah, I do." She let off of Starlight, giving her a thoughtful look as the cyborg sat herself up. "Does it really matter what she thinks of you, though? If you can keep up with me, I think that says enough on it's own."

    "Maybe." Starlight sighed, glancing to her mechanical arm, balling it into a fist. "But I still need to prove it to myself."

"And you still can."

    Sunset held her hand out, offering to help her up. Starlight found it strange, Sunset had been in control the entire battle but yet... This was genuine encouragement from her. Where before, Sunset clearly looked down on her.

    "What?" Starlight looked up in surprise.

    "Come on, get up." Sunset said, smiling softly. "We've still got demons to fight, don't we?"

    Starlight let her pride leave her with a single breath before taking Sunset's hand. As she stood, she felt something else replacing that strange feeling of worthlessness, something more fulfilling, more meaningful. It was just as hard to put words to, but it was welcoming to her, and in turn she welcomed it,

    Another pause, and Sunset continued. "Just take a breather. You don't want to go against Twi while you're angry."

    "You're..." Starlight was still trying to process this new feeling, she didn't quite realize what Sunset was saying. "You're going to let me deal with her?"

    "Well, we probably shouldn't let her get away," Sunset said, turning back to the broken window all the way on the other end of the throne room. "And I've gotta go have a few words with Demon Diva upstairs."

    "What about your business with Twilight?"
    
    "Eh," Sunset shrugged. "We can square up later. I know she's done all this horrible stuff, but she's still my best friend, there's still good in her. So just... don't kill her, okay? Who knows, maybe it'll take you to remind her of that."

    "No promises." Starlight said. "I'm not going to hold back on her or anything, but... I know there's good in her too. I've seen it before."

    "Well, if I hear something happened to her..." Sunset gave a half-joking, half-dangerous smile. "You and I are going to have another one of these chats. And if that happens, I'm not gonna hold back on you, either."

    "Pfft. Right." With an amused smirk, Starlight turned, taking that as about as much of a blessing as she'd get and started off down the steps out of the throne room, turning right and descending to the level below.

    Looking around the darkened room, Sunset approached the deep chasm in the floor, thinking about how far down Flash might've fallen. It stung to think that he was gone, but maybe it was... no, it wasn't acceptable, she shouldn't have let him get involved in this. She sighed. No matter how capable he was, he was only a human, and he was ill fitted to get involved in matters of demons.

    She considered going back down to look for him, but she heard a commotion in the tower above her and was reminded of her goal. Adagio was at the top of the tower with all of her friends and an open demon portal, and she certainly would've sent more bad guys to stop her on the floors in between.

    "I'm sorry, bud." With Flash still on her mind as she turned to the stairs headed up, she spoke quietly to his memory. She was never one to get stuck on a loss, but she was kind of feeling this one. Regardless, she was determined to trudge onward.

    "I'll stick it to Miss Cheesepuff Head for ya."

-----

    When Flash came to, he was still strapped to the table in the SRAPH labs. Sparrowhawk had her fun with him until he passed out, and he'd surely be in for another round with her taser soon enough. Alone in the room, he struggled against his bindings, trying to think of what he'd do if he could escape. The door to the room was sealed, and he likely had his SRAPH badge taken from him, along with everything else. He could see his radio in a small storage locker off to the side, they hadn't bothered to close it and it looked like it might have some of his other belongings in it.

    Strangely, his shoulder wasn't hurting anymore, but he felt his skin begin to crawl and his blood felt heavier in his veins. The D-Virus injected into him was beginning to spread throughout his body, he could see black marks crawling down his collarbone and onto his chest. It was alarming, but he didn't feel any different yet. Maybe it would eventually give him super strength and he'd be able to bust out of the metal bindings, but that wasn't the case yet. Strangely, he didn't even feel sick or in pain, he had energy, but that only made him more aware of the virus in his body. He didn't like it.

    He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to burn as much time as he could as he waited. Some time passed, and he began to hear noises outside the room. Crashing, gunfire, panicked shouting and an alarm going off. A particularly loud thump rocked the wall next to the door in front of him, and Flash tensed up, startled, wondering what could be going on out there. Shortly after, he heard the click of the door unlocking and he froze up.

    The doors slid open, and Flash was struck with fear at who he saw. In their dark purple and grey suit of power armor, the Hellsoldier slowly paced into the room, their heavy boots stomping with each step as they wiped fresh blood off of their glowing blue wrist blade. This being knew where Flash was, and they'd come all the way through these labs to find him, most likely slaughtering any human, demon, or siren in their way. They stared at Flash for a moment, who was thoroughly frozen in fear as what he understood to be an emotionless killing machine slowly approached.

    As they neared, Flash quivered, but bravely looked into the Hellsoldier's tinted and cracked visor, making out a single detail of their face for a moment—an eye. It was a soft blue color, but not demonic or glowing despite redness around its edges and a huge scar running diagonally across it. The Hellsoldier rose both of their hands, and Flash held his breath, uncertain of what their intent was. If he was about to die, at least it wouldn't be at the hands of the Sirens. After everything they'd done he didn't want them to have that satisfaction. And maybe if he died and turned into a raging demon, the Hellsolider would dispatch him quickly before he hurt anyone. Certainly he wouldn't be too strong for them, right?

    Their powerful, gauntleted hands came in, violently seizing not him but the metal cuffs holding his arms to the table, and in a single motion they ripped the bolted pieces right off their platform and freed Flash's arms. This was the last thing he'd expected, he was still in shock as the bindings around his legs were removed too, and he was allowed to drop at the Hellsoldier's feet. As Flash was released he fell down on his hands and knees in pain, sore from being held still for so long. The Hellsoldier just looked at him expectantly.

    "Uh..." Flash didn't know what to say. He was confused, clearly, whoever was in that suit was capable of reasoning. They never meant him harm, that's why they spared him in the police station before. They could understand him, but Flash just didn't know what to say. 

    "You..." he breathed, looking up into the Hellsoldier's visor again. "You came all the way down here to find me?"

    The Hellsoldier gave a short, simple nod. 

    "Why?"

    After a moment of thinking, the Hellsoldier deliberately lifted both of their hands, balled one into a fist, and smashed it into their other palm in an aggressive fashion. Flash recognized something in that. If they weren't trying to hurt him, they wanted to hurt someone else? Thinking, Flash recalled them bursting in on his fight with Adagio in the core, and how aggressively they went after her when she finally showed up at the police station. They always showed up when the Sirens were around, and they always attacked them.

    "Adagio." Flash said, now certain that he and the Hellsoldier had a common enemy. "You're trying to get her too, huh?"

    In response, they went to the storage locker on the side of the room, opening it and pulling Flash's SRAPH badge from inside. They looked at it, then at him, then held it down for him to take.

    "My badge... you need my clearance for something?"

    The Hellsoldier shook their head, then pointed to Flash himself.

    "You need... me?"

    Another nod. What would they need him for? He was under the impression that they didn't care about him, but they did come all this way to save him...

    Flash found the rest of his clothes in the storage locker too, alongside his radio and tactical pouches. As he geared himself back up, the Hellsoldier looked away, impatiently balling their hand into a fist and then releasing it. They didn't seem to be the talkative type, Flash wasn't even sure if they could talk, but there was more going on in that helmet than one would think at first glance. 

    "I don't know how much help I'll be..." Flash looked away, then gestured to spreading black corruption on his neck and chest. "They've put their virus into me. I don't know how long it'll be before it takes me over."

    This time, the Hellsoldier just looked at him, not suggesting anything with body language or a head motion. Flash had to draw his own conclusions on what they meant. It seemed like they weren't going to stop him if he didn't want to help, but... Flash's friends were still in danger, the demon gate was open, and the Dark Sister was still out there. Who knew where Sunset and the others were? Or Trixie and Sunburst? For all he knew, he and the Hellsoldier were all that was left to stop Adagio from destroying the world. And even if he wouldn't be much help in a big battle, maybe he could at least save his friends and let the Hellsolider do their thing a little more smoothly.

    "I guess we'll just have to make it quick, then."

-----

    Sunset ascended the stairs of the castle's main tower as fast as she could, but found the floor above her had a strange veil of darkness separating it from the rest of reality. Demonic shenanigans, no doubt. Without hesitation she crossed the barrier, and was surprised when the first thing she felt was a gentle breeze brushing against her neck. Looking around her, she found herself in a dark forest, just before a flat, grassy clearing. In one direction there was a lake, but beyond that nothing but a black, empty void that seemed to surround and encompass everything. Another pocket dimension, Sunset realised, but this definitely wasn't Rarity's world. Who, then? One of her other friends? Presumably their magic was coursing through the entire tower, it could've been any of them.

    She racked her brain as her eyes darted around, trying to figure out who she should be expecting here. Amidst the trees, tangling between their roots were thick, thorny vines, the tips of which spread out into the clearing ahead.  Sunset felt a strange sense of numbness as she approached the vines, the pink flowers growing from them giving off an alarmingly soothing aroma. They relaxed her, but in a forced manner. It wasn't comforting, she was being made to feel sluggish against her will. Whatever was within those vines was trying to suppress her.

    She hurriedly made her way through the trees, breaking through the treeline and feeling the effect of the flowers weaken as she cleared them. Her awareness was suddenly set off by the sound of snapping twigs behind her though, stopping her in her tracks and tempting her to look over her shoulder. 

    Watching her from the darkness of the forest were a pair of greenish-yellow eyes, glowing with some otherworldly light.

    A rough, brown blur leapt for her, a huge wolf like creature composed completely of animated wood. Sunset leaned forward and drew her sword into a slash, cutting right into the wolf and splitting it apart before it had a chance to land a blow. It hit the ground behind her with a weak whimper, and turned again to looking at what now resembled a broken tree branch than a predator. 

    "Pfft." Sunset shook her head, disappointed, but her attention was snatched by a rumbling growl that was released from the depths of the forest behind her. Another wooden wolf jumped forth, a mouth full of tiny stake-like protrusions serving as teeth wide open, and two sets of solid claws held forward. Her sword spun back around and broke this one apart too, but another emerged from the forest from a different angle, and then another, and in short order Sunset was facing down dozens of these wooden wolves. Each one was relatively easy to destroy, but their numbers were great, and Sunset quickly found herself losing footing, needing more breathing room between each strike. 

    There was a shifting at her feet as she jumped back and the moment she landed a thorned vine burst from the earth with great force, causing Sunset's balance to reel back into a hurried backpedal. Yet again, there was another presence behind her, and she bent her knees, masterfully catching her balance and ducking back right as another piece of wood swung over her head. Letting her head roll back further, she'd see that this wasn't one of the wolf monsters. It was made from the same strange, animated wood, but it took the shape of a full length staff. 

    As she looked back further, she saw in her inverted perception a woman's body covered in a complicated crossing of plant growth. Her nose nearly brushed the woman's chest, and up that close she could see that her layer of organic clothes sprouted directly from her skin, accented with flowers and patterns of thin vines along her arms and legs. Looking up, Sunset saw familiar blue eyes were marred with the vertical slits of a demon glaring back down at her, soft pink hair falling around a face stricken with both pain and detachment. 

    Sunset twirled into the air as the demon swung her staff at her legs. She recognized it, that was the same staff Twilight used during their duel. She landed again, but another thick plant stalk shot up from the ground in time with the demon slamming her staff against the ground. This time, Sunset pulled her legs in and perched herself on the growth as it writhed about, taking down several more of the wooden wolves as they jumped for her again. Less came at her this time, the ones remaining instead chose to wait around her length of twisting plant mass, looking up at her as they impatiently waited for her to either fall or jump down.

    Sunset instead chose to focus on the demon commanding them, standing beyond the circle they made. Her eyes lit up with recognition. It was another of her friend's demon forms. Puzzling, Sunset thought, weren't their bodies all up on the roof? Adagio wouldn't leave them behind and risk them getting away, would she?
    
    "Fluttershy?" The stalk was thick enough to support her weight as its core, but Sunset chose to balance herself on its thinnest part, gently bobbing as the vine began to curl. Her eyes scanned up and down this friend-shaped demon, letting out an impressed whistle as she took in all of this demon's form. A cool smile showed on her face as her voice took on a darker, more tempting tone. "Ooh, that plant-top thing looks really nice on you."

    The demon didn't respond with words, instead her lips curled down angrily and she struck the earth with her staff again, prompting Sunset's perch to whip up straight in an attempt to fling her away. Sunset tilted herself forward and kicked off in time with the movement, catapulting far over the pack of wooden wolves waiting for her to drop and landing behind Fluttershy's demon, both her guns drawn but held out to the side with arms crossed.

    "And if you don't mind me saying..." Sunset continued, taking a step back as the demon attacked with her staff. "Those flowers really make your hair pop- Quite cute!"

    The demon's face scrunched up into an annoyed sneer, and she swung her staff again with vocalised force. Sunset pushed against it with one of her guns, redirecting the swing while shooting off behind her and blasting apart one of the wolves—they were now quickly closing in around her again. She also shot the demon another grin, pleased to see she was pushing her buttons. 

    "Oh, cute isn't your style, is it?" Three more rapid attacks came in, Sunset again redirected them with one gun while firing the other behind her back, keeping the wolves in check as she sparred with Fluttershy's demon. "How about... Beautiful? Breathtaking?"

    Fluttershy was usually timid and reserved, under normal circumstances these kinds of compliments would fluster her, shying away and hiding her face, but every kind word Sunset offered only tilted the demon's temper further. Sunset ducked beneath another staff swing in time with a wolf lunging in, and Fluttershy's demon ended up whacking it out of the air in an attempt to hit her. Wood shattered wood, but Sunset cartwheeled backwards and came back up with her arms out wide, shrugging her shoulders as if to invite even more attacks.

    "Ha! Powerful, maybe? Stunning?"

    Through clenched teeth, Fluttershy's demon growled. Her voice had the same signature scratch and echo that most demons had, and her tone had none of the softness Sunset was used to hearing in Fluttershy. Just from the growl alone, Sunset felt an intimidating and commanding presence in her voice. She attacked again, this time shooting a pair of twisting vines from the staff, reaching out to ensnare Sunset. 

    Sunset rolled to the side, coming up and immediately planting her feet as she fired both in front of her and to the left, splitting her pistols' lines to shoot down any more wolves brave enough to close the gap. More came, and Sunset had to shift her stance several times to cover all around her, raining down sheet after sheet of wood chips as she worked her guns. Her hold would be interrupted though. Thinner yet more flexible vines rose from the ground and grabbed tightly around her ankles, heralding another charging dive from Fluttershy's demon.

    Unable to move, Sunset locked her wrists and stopped the attack between the slides of her pistols, breaking them away as two rolling follow up strikes came in, one with the front of the staff and another with the back end. As it finished, Sunset caught the back end of the staff with the bottom of her pistol, then used her other gun to lock it by its front end, twisting it around until she could rest her chin on her wrists and keep Fluttershy's staff bound between them, all while giving the demon a darkened yet cheeky look.

    "What about hot?" Sunset pursed her lips, eyes widening in mock excitement as she watched the demon's confused reaction to the question posed. "Attractive? Sexy? That outfit is just the right amount of revealing... Can I say that? Like, is that crossing our boundaries as friends?"

    The demon had a mixture of anger and bewilderment written all across her face. She paused before striking again, and Sunset kept talking.

    "Maybe that is a bit much. Say, it's been a while since we've seen each other, maybe-" Sunset leaned back below a staff swing, then just as quickly popped back up to resume her banter. "Maybe we could just go get lunch or something?" Sunset noticed that the wolves seemed to be just as taken about as their master, momentarily stopping their assault. Of course, Sunset concluded, when Fluttershy was directly controlling them. When she paused, so did they. "Y'know, catch up? Talk about stuff-"

    Another attack came in, but during the time the demon was processing the shock of being asked on a date during a fight to the death Sunset managed to free her ankles from the vines around them, and was able to dash shoulder first under the demon's attack. She shoved her away, sticking one gun under her arm and firing it off into the demon's stomach, then again in the chest. The shots barely stumbled her, the demon came back with a flurry of attacks, and the wooden wolves jumped into the fight again too. As Sunset continued holding her own, the demon finally spoke up.

    "B-Be quiet!" Fluttershy's demon sounded to be in full disbelief, but still carried out her attacks with full lethality. "Be quiet and keep still!"

    Sunset caught her staff on her pistol again, but had to point the other behind her to deal with a wolf. 

    "Ah-ah." Sunset's tone went completely playful. "That's gonna have to wait until a couple more dates- Oh!"

"Stop that!" Fluttershy's staff quickly responded as she did, twirling in a full circle and striking a twisting Sunset on the back of her thigh at full force mid-wisecrack. Both of Sunset's eyes shot open, her back arcing in the opposite direction, but despite taking the hit she didn't fall. She was fully braced and now wore a dark look as she met the gaze of Fluttershy's demon.

"Do it again."

    "What?! No!" The demon's eyes widened. "Stop making it weird!"

    "What?" Returning to her joking smile, Sunset switched back to her sword and virtually scoring a free slash on the demon's body, catching her on an exposed part of her side before she could move to defend herself properly. "I'm not pretty enough for you, is that it?"

    "No, it's not-" Fluttershy's demon winced, but not from the sword cutting into her. It was some weird reaction she was having to Sunset being nice to her. "I don't care if you like how I look... You're just trying to steal my magic, you're just like Twilight!"

    "Actually, I'm trying to help you, Fluttershy." Sunset said, her tone becoming serious for a moment.

    "Help? I don't care what you think you're doing, I'm stopping you here!"

    Behind her, Sunset felt a warm draft on her back, followed by the scent of something awful. Turning, she saw that all of the wooden bits of the wolves she'd destroyed had converged into one single, massive wolf that now was breathing down her back. The wolf growled, standing nearly four times Sunset's height, and quickly snapped up the demon hunter in its powerful jaws, leaving only her leg to dangle form its mouth.

    Fluttershy's demon smiled as her super wolf tilted its head back to swallow it's catch, but it suddenly made a pained whine, trying to tilt its head back. Its jaw was ripped back open just as quickly as it snapped shut, and the demon gasped at the sight of Sunset prying the wolf's mouth open from the inside, that smug smile still on her face.

    "Whew! This thing's breath stinks, what do these guys eat?"

    In the next few seconds, Sunset thrust her sword through the super wolf's mouth and jumped into its throat, tearing it apart as she fell through it. Fluttershy's demon hastily jumped forward, aiming to meet Sunset as the wolf quickly imploded on itself, but the pieces of its were blown outwards as Sunset fired her guns in a circle from within it. 

    Sunset's boots caught her atop a mountain of scrap wood and wilted vines, and she looked down to find Fluttershy's demon laying on the ground, immobilized by a sizable chunk of wood sticking through her. It tore through her layer of plant clothes and seemed to immediately interrupt her regeneration. As Sunset approached, she shook her head, bared her teeth, and unable to recover her weapon, held her hands out.

    "No!" She shouted. "Get away from me!"

    "Fluttershy, I'm not here to take your magic." Sunset said. She held her claymore in a hand, but didn't hold it with the intent to strike. 

    "You can't proceed unless you do!" The demon replied, clutching the piece of wood sticking through her. "And I don't care what you say- at the end of the day you just want more power... Just leave this place!"

    "That looks pretty bad." Sunset nodded to the oversized splinter stuck in the demon. "I'm definitely not going to leave you like that. Here, let me help you..."

    "Stop!" She flinched as Sunset took a step, but was surprised to find that the demon hunter respected her request.

    "You're not going to pull that thing out by yourself, are you?" Sunset asked. "That wood looks like it's a problem."

    "I can... I can handle-" She stuttered, scared, but trying to sound abrasive. "Why are you trying to be nice to me? Is this a trick?"

    Sunset sighed. "Because you need it. Please, just let me pull that thing out of you, you look like someone's tried to put you to rest!"

    Closing her eyes, the expression of Fluttershy's demon changed. She still looked upset and angry, but her face gained a small bit of softness, and she looked more contemplative. Her demonic echo spoke in an uncertain, scratchy whisper. "O-Okay..."

    "This'll only take a second. I pull stuff out of myself all the time..." Using her sword to bite into it, Sunset carefully pulled outward on the length of wood scrap sticking through her friend. Her weapon formed a handle, and as she ensured her angle was aligned with the direction of the wound, she pulled the intrusion out in a single motion. Fluttershy's demon didn't make any pained response, she only looked a little relieved. The hole poked in her did slowly heal up though, and her clothes regrew themselves as well.

    "I've been nothing but genuine with you this whole time, Fluttershy. You look good, and I'm only trying to help."

    "Nothing but genuine?" The demon's expression changed again, but this time she looked far more like her host. Contemplative, but still a bit upset, but then also she suddenly blushed. "Even the..."

    "No, you don't have to go on a date with me, forget about that." Sunset waved her hand dismissively. "I can find another way to the top of the tower. I'll go get my bike and ride up the side of it if I have to. Just..."

    "Maybe... could we though?" The demon asked, her eyes darting nervously around. "I've... never really had anyone ask me like that before."

    "I was kind of joking around but... uh, sure?" Sunset put her sword away, and scratched behind her head. "I gotta go save everyone first. And figure out what's going on with Twilight."

    "I... I think..." Fluttershy's demon stood up, despite not having Fluttershy to bind her actions she held herself apologetically. "I'm sorry, Sunset. Twilight wasn't as kind to me as you were. I didn't care about anything but Fluttershy's safety, I was told that you just wanted our magic too. That's not true, is it?"

    "No, it's not." Sunset tilted her head. "Who told you that?"

    "The lady that kidnapped Fluttershy. She made Fluttershy believe it, actually, and I had no way of knowing better."

    Sunset kept that in mind. Adagio had all of her friends under control, but their demons weren't as compliant.

    "But you showed me differently, and now... I think I feel what she feels. Kindness. I've never felt it this strongly before..." The demon looked hesitant, but then suddenly offered the enchanted wooden staff to Sunset as a symbol of her surrender. "Oh, just take it! Take it and save her, will you?"

    "Fluttershy needs it more than me." Sunset politely declined, shaking her head. "Go back to her, and once I free you all just help her get out of here, okay?"

    The demon looked surprised again, but then nodded, a slight smile flashing on her face before she suddenly lit up in a warm glow, dissolving into a beam of soft yellow light that shot into the ceiling—reality was also returning to normal, the forest clearing quickly changed back into an open stone floor within the castle's main tower. 

    After the light faded, the room was cast in mostly darkness, leaving Sunset to find the staircase leading up and follow it to the next floor.
> 24- The Recreation of Destruction
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Twilight fell.

    Through the rainfall, she surveyed the area behind the castle, finding a long, open yard behind the main tower and deciding it a suitable landing spot. With a tap of her metal, mechanized boots, she attempted to summon her hoverboard to catch herself. The boots lit up, a neon blue energy emanating from them for only a moment before suddenly fizzling out into sparks. They'd certainly been roughed up, but were they broken? Twilight panicked, hastily engaging her boots again and nearly flipping headfirst when her board finally materialized.

    Placing her boots against the board's magnetic locks, she bent her knees and guided her board along a shallow curve, still falling, but coming down at a softer angle. Raindrops seemed to fall up into her face as she fell, she was accelerating into them, and she could barely see as they got on her glasses. Though her vision was scarce, the board's repulsors finally press against the ground and she then leaned forward, speeding up momentarily as her board dipped further down. With her coat sleeve she wiped her glasses clean to find herself almost level with the paved earth, and she straightened her board out as best she could.

    Where was she even going? It didn't matter, she needed to get away from everything. This courtyard was longer, and had a stone path that led under several arches and through a passage in one of the interior castle walls. Twilight kept her eyes focused on that path and rode along, not daring to look behind her, or even up in the sky where Celestia and Luna now held their battle. She needed to escape, to recover, to see if there was anything she could possibly do after the worst had come to pass. One hand held her sheathed katana, but she'd taken up something else from the throne room as well from her battle with Nightmare Moon.

    A strange sword hilt with a broken blade was held tightly in her other hand, a piece of the great two handed warsword wielded by Nightmare Moon. It wasn't a functional weapon in its current form, but a hint of a long term plan involved recovering the other pieces of it, putting it back together, and somehow using its power to... she didn't quite know. She didn't quite know what she would do. She secured it on her belt for now though, figuring it out would have to wait. Right now she needed to get away. The path, just follow the path.

    Her board made a concerning sizzling sound, and then the lights on it suddenly went out.

    Again, Twilight fell, but this time she was much closer to the ground and had far less control. She let out a pained grunt as she fell face first, sliding and rolling and scraping herself up as she violently came to a stop. Twilight's skin was ripped and restored and ripped again, her blood mixing in with the rain, but she eventually caught herself on her feet. She looked around for her board, the built in failsafe intended to return it to her digital storage hadn't engaged. Her boots were probably broken, she realised. She hoped they weren't beyond repair.

    There it was, it skidded about and crashed into a bush near one of the castle's interior walls. No time to retrieve it, though, there was a sudden voice and hostile movement sounding against the rainstorm behind her.

    "Well, well... If it isn't Twilight Sparkle."

    A dark shape shot up from the ground at a close angle right at Twilight's back, she only barely had enough time to turn and react. As she braced against the attack with her sheathed weapon, she found the piercing red eyes of a shadowy unicorn demon right up against her, front hooves barred with Twilight's sheathe and head reared back, ready to slice downward with the razor sharp horn on his forehead. It was Selene's demon, Sombra. It wasn't he that spoke though, the voice seemed to come from her side...

    "Making a courageous escape after resurrecting the Sister of Darkness, eh?" The voice taunted her with sarcasm, but she still couldn't pinpoint where it was coming from. She tried to ignore it.

    The sound of something big shuffling around alerted her to another attacker coming in from the opposite side. She shoved Sombra away just as he brought his head down, deflecting his horn off of her sheathe while also drawing her katana towards the new threat.

    She pivoted on a foot, bringing her blade around just in time to slice away a length of a long, stretching, pitch-black fist shooting right for her. It was another demon she was all too familiar with: the Tantibus, taking the towering titan-like form it showed during the final battle with Nightmare Moon. With faint sparkles shining within its otherwise void body, it pulled it's fist back, recovering the mass Twilight just chopped off. The sentient nightmare was now at full power, Twilight presumed, something to do with Selene having captured it.

    "Selene really had you fooled, didn't she?" The voice came from behind her this time, despite her certainty that she was being backed into a wall. "You really bought the little hero story she spun on you, but... surprise! She was the Sister of Darkness the whole time!"

    There wasn't time to look behind her though, Sombra made another move on Twilight in the seconds she took to regain her footing. Tilting her wrist and stepping back, Twilight brought her sword in and cut close to herself as Sombra approached, covering his neck and withers with a solid purple crystal as he tried to drive his horn upward at her. Twilight's blade hit the crystals, but didn't interrupt the unicorn's attack, forcing Twilight to back up again to avoid being speared.

    The crystals protruded further from his body as he held his head low, and then suddenly fired out of him in rapid succession. Twilight moved to cut through these bulky projectiles, but found that each one shattered into a shower of smaller pieces as her sword split them, and they still sprayed against her arms and face. As she recoiled the Tantibus dove in, winding up a huge punch that came in while Twilight was still deflecting Sombra's crystals.

    Seeing the attack coming in too late, Twilight shifted her focus from deflecting projectiles to countering the Tantibus's charge. Her response was inadequate, a crystal grazed her cheek, tearing deeply into it as Twilight's sword struck directly against the incoming Tantibus fist, taking on all of its mass directly. Twilight was shoved back even further, putting both hands on her weapon and struggling to redirect the momentum. As strong as her weapon was, it's curved blade wasn't designed to absorb hits like this.

    "And now..." The voice said. "The three of us are free to do as we please!"

    Twilight risked a glance back, but just as she thought, there was only a wall. Where was this voice coming from? Sombra melted down into the shadows, and the Tantibus fashioned both of its arms into long blades with which it prepared to make rapid scissoring sweeps. Yet Twilight still felt something else here.

    As the attacks came in, Twilight turned and dashed straight into the wall, diverting her inertia upward and launching herself off it. She got enough air to clear the Tantibus's strikes, landing on its head to jump a second time, repositioning herself behind it with a bit more room to breathe. The Tantibus turned to face her, but it didn't attack right away. Twilight  sheathed her katana as she followed her form into a resting stance, but cautiously watched her surroundings as she stood the dreamstalker down. Sombra formed up in front of it, watching Twilight but not attacking either. Both of them were still until a third demon appeared, casually resting on the Tantibus's shoulder.

    Right, Twilight remembered now, Selene had a third demon during the final battle. This one was long and serpent shaped, with the head of a horse but with antlers of a gazelle and deer, whose body was also just as bizarre, composed of a chaotic variety of creatures that never were intended to fit together. A smug smile was on his face as he eyed Twilight, making her quite uncomfortable.

    "The human and demon realms can mingle once more!" He said, still smiling as he gestured up to the demonic opening in the sky above the castle. "And it's all thanks to you."

    All thanks to her. Twilight quietly shuddered to herself. She didn't appreciate her failure being phrased in such a patronizing way.

    Twilight addressed this demon with the same stony look she gave every other underworld dweller. "Another of Selene's demons, I presume?"

    Rolling his eyes, the demon scoffed. "Selene's demon? Please, we were equal partners at best... but now, none of us are bound to her anymore."

    "Who are you, then?" Twilight asked. "And more importantly, what are you doing here if you're free?"

    "Ah, where are my manners?" he righted himself, hovering above the Tantibus and bowing proudly, a sly smile on his face as he came back up. "Discord, Lord of Chaos! You see, my colleagues and I decided it would be best to not leave any loose ends in this little scenario."

    "Loose ends?" Twilight frowned impatiently. "I have no business with you. I was just leaving."

    "No business?" Discord shook his head, slithering through the air until he was blocking Twilight's path. "I'm afraid we all have business with you, missy. For one of us, it's personal."

    The draconequus waved a paw at the living nightmare behind Twilight. The Tantibus shifted its head, apprehensively starting at her as if attempting to communicate, but it made no sound.

    "Personal? Because I summoned you, right?" Its eyes weren't fully engaged, so Twilight met them as she spoke to the creature. There was hesitation in her voice as she finished her thought. "And tried to kill you? That's what started all of this."

    "Ooh, be careful! It's that guilt that it craves, you know..." Discord said, sarcastically patting Twilight's shoulder. After a moment of Twilight rolling her eyes, he continued. "You're so self-important, aren't you? You honestly believe you incited this beautiful mess?"

    Twilight shook her head, disregarding the strange chaos being's attempt to degrade her. "I'm responsible enough for the things that happened here."

    Discord's expression shifted, giving her only a smug nod. "Maybe so. Regardless, we very much have reasons to want you... out of the picture."

    "And those would be?" Twilight shot him a wary glare, raising her guard a bit as her expression shifted. The threat in his tone immediately engaged her survival instinct. All of her mistakes played to these demons' benefit, right down to the reunification of Luna setting them free. "Didn't I end up doing you three a favor?"

    "Well, since you're from the Order of Light it's only natural Sombra wouldn't like you, and as one of Celestia's students I'm not inclined to like you either, but given the circumstances those reasons are rather petty."

    "Get on with it, then."

    "It's actually the Tantibus who brought it to my attention," Discord explained, making another quick circle around Twilight before rejoining his fellow demons.

    "Normally, it would've merged back into Luna, but it insisted that you not be allowed to escape, because..." He drew the word out, a claw waggling in her direction. "You have a piece of the Dark Sister's weapon, and we just can't let that float around now, can we?"

    Twilight looked down at the weapon's hilt hanging from her belt. "So what, you expect me to just hand it over?"

    "Well, that sure would be nice of you..." He summoned a long, rugged missile into a claw and pulled it tight against his bowstring, and as he did the other two demons spread out around Twilight in a hostile manner. "But we guessed you'd want to do this the hard way."

    Raising her katana sheath in preparation to draw her weapon, she looked up at the trio of demons with her head lowered. They were here to kick her while she was down, but she still had some fight left in her.

    "Good guess."

-----

    Starlight ran through the destroyed door leading out of the castle's main tower. The rain was letting up, but in the sky above her she could see bright blue and gold flashes in the sky as the Two Sisters continued to clash against each other. Twilight was around the back half of the castle, she'd fled in the direction opposite, meaning Starlight would have to circle around the central tower. No issue, there was a portion of the inner wall that had a gap in it, where the bricks forming a guardrail for those walking atop were crumbled and falling, and with her Tether Hand she was able to latch on to it and pull herself up to the top. Now she could just follow it around the wall around the perimeter of the castle, easy enough.

    Blocking her way a little further down was one of the castle's turrets, one of many towers spaced around the outside wall that served as a point of vantage to protect the structure. A ladder led up to it from the walkway Starlight ran across, when she got to the top she might be able to see where Twilight was headed, if she wasn't already gone.

    The ladder creaked and clanked as she pulled herself up on it, the metal it was made of somehow still supporting her heavy cyborg frame as she ascended. This castle had to be at least centuries old, Starlight expected the ladder to give out at any minute, but it held even as she stood atop the roof of the turret and looked down into the castle's backyard. The cyborg's eyes scanned the distance, and through the rain, she found her target. There, just faintly, Starlight could make out the signature flashes of Twilight's weapon near the furthest visible wall even if she herself was barely a blurry smudge against the darkness. She was holding off a trio of demons, but clearly was struggling to handle their numbers. Twilight only fought for a few moments before turning and fleeing, forcing the demons to chase her through a tunnel running through the castle's outer wall.

    Starlight had to keep pace if she was going to catch her. Rushing across the flat of the castle turret, she prepared to jump down the top of the next section of wall, but a mechanical shifting from behind her made her think twice.

    A robust red and gold blur flew in from behind her, and with an evasive flip back she watched the attacker crash to the ground in front of her. It was a large, angular wolf mech wielding a spear-like on its tail, the same assault-class CANIS mech that fought her and Spike before. Still fast and aggressive as ever, he again dove straight for Starlight, curling his body up mid-flight and whipping his tail into a powerful slam as he met the ground again.

    Starlight sidestepped the overly telegraphed strike and immediately shot out her Tether Hand, grabbing the assault mech while was still picking himself up and going straight into a scooping uppercut with her chainsaber. Mid-jump, she caught the mech in her grab again and tossed him over her back, launching him down into the top of the wall that made a path forward.

    "Back for more?" Starlight looked down on the mech with a hint of a challenge in her eye. This one had an AI advanced enough to speak, if she remembered correctly, but it was also advanced enough to be a total hothead, and therefore provoked.

    "Where's your little scout drone friend, huh?" The assault mech replied, in a tone just as challenging. "Did he get scared and run home?"

    Starlight's eyes flattened. She immediately brought her revolver up to fire, forcing the mech to dodge from side to side across the relatively limited width of the wall. Behind her, up on the turret tower, another mech jumped up to join her, the bulky bruiser variant, with brown plated armor and a spiked ball attached to his tail. The bruiser mech swung his tail around too, but horizontally this time, and Starlight had to jump over the blunt weapon several times as the mech continued it's spin.

    She tried to tether to the bruiser, but found that she was pulled towards him instead, he was too heavy for her to immediately reel in. This still worked in her favor though, as she bypassed another swing of his tail and landed several sword strikes on his head with her chainsaw blade fully revved. The bruiser swung his front claws around as Starlight closed the distance, but she let herself bounce off him, landing behind him and out of his attacking range.

    These two were the ones they'd fought previously, but she didn't expect a third CANIS mech to jump from the same outer edge and begin launching fireballs from his mouth. The heated projectiles splashed around Starlight, their shooter a dark grey wolf mech with a much slimmer profile than the other two, even more so than Spike. That being said, this mech had the same angled armor as the assault mech and looked just as threatening. Its tail was shorter with a standard blade but it had some kind of pack mounted on it's back. As a steady stream of flames suddenly burst out from the back of it and sent this new mech barreling at Starlight with both claws bared, she recognized what it was: some kind of rocket thruster. Wonderful, this hound could fly.

    Starlight ducked, and it slid to a stop near the bruiser, backing behind it as her revolver came out. After that, the red and gold assault mech jumped back up to their level, taking point in front of the bruiser.

    "Three of you?" Starlight said, keeping her gun held forward. "I really don't have time for this."

    "Yeah?" The assault mech chuckled cockily, his long spear tail held high above his head. "Me neither. Adagio wants all of you losers mopped up quick as possible! We're not holding back this time."

    "Heh.." Starlight focused, charging up three energy cells worth of power into her fist, causing it to glow a bright teal color. She took her chainsaber in her mechanical hand as electricity crackled about it, and her power began to course through her weapon as well. She held her revolver in her left hand, and for good measure, she summoned up her Tether Hand into a fist behind her. Three out of her eight power cells were currently overcharging her body. She didn't dare try this kind of play while fighting Sunset, as the slightest mistake could break her out of this state and leave her drained, but she was confident she could take these three CANIS mechs on her own.

    "Quick as possible, eh?" Starlight shook her head, smiling as her eyes glimmered their familiar teal color.

    "It'll be over before you know it."

-----

    Another veil of darkness blocked the path to the next floor of the castle. Sunset sighed. Of course it did. She wouldn't have been surprised if there were enough floors to this tower for her to have a bout with each of her friends' demons. If their magic was within the castle now, there was no reason they shouldn't all be waiting for her.

    But in this moment all Sunset had was herself, her weapons, and the sound of boots on cold stone steps as she put one in front of the other.

    "Alright..." Sunset spoke to herself as she approached the dark barrier.

    "Who are we visiting next?"

    Crossing through, Sunset felt heat on her body, like she was outside in the sun- she was, she now stood on the roof of a building overlooking the streets of Canterlot City. Though the sky and horizon were composed of the same empty void, Sunset saw an approximation of the sun above her, casting light on the landscape. The picture it showed was grim and hopeless- a giant, three story tall monster stomped through the streets, haphazardly swinging a long, scaled tail into buildings, stomping on the SWAT cars attempting to give resistance, and taking swings as armed helicopters with its claws.

    This huge demon destroyed the city to her heart's content, a wide grin split across her elongated, reptilian face, slitted blue eyes fully dilated as everything in her path was brought to nothing. Her dark grey scales shivered in delight as she closed her powerful jaws around a helicopter, her disturbingly human teeth utterly demolishing the metal contraption she swung her head about in the same manner would a dog with a chew toy. It was flung into the ground in a burning heap, the unfortunate souls within screaming out as they met their demise for this demon's entertainment.

    It tickled her, the way they struggled, the way they so uselessly resisted, the way they so wished to avoid perishing. They way they failed. And so her smile grew, wider and wider, until eventually her lips parted, and a sharp sound began to stutter and echo and reverberate from her mouth.

    She chuckled heartily.

    She crushed a building as tall as she was with her entire body.

    She laughed a full, high pitched laugh from deep within her.

    She opened her jaws fully, and from it fired a laser beam that decimated a row of tanks these silly mortals were attempting to stop her with. Tanks. Hilarious.

    She laughed, she roared, it was all just so     pointless. Pointless and hysterical. And soon enough she was standing alone in the center of town, a pile of destroyed metal, crushed buildings, and pastry scented ashes, waiting for more to come. More would come, they always would.

    But all that came was another voice, one that would challenge her violence-induced giggle fit.

    "Hey, what are you laughing at?" The demon turned her head back, finding the voice coming from a small figure out in the street a block away. "I don't see any comedians here. You killed everyone, Pinkie."

    "Eh?" Pinkie's demon turned around fully, her huge form gently shaking the asphalt as she calmly reoriented herself to face this newcomer. Her keen eyes narrowed, and confusion crossed her face as she looked over a yellow coated, red haired woman with a sword across her back approached. She knew this demon hunter.  "Sunset?"

    "Let me guess, you ate a clown somewhere along the way?" Sunset asked, arms crossed and smiling slightly, looking up as she neared the building sized demon. "Did he taste funny?"

    Pinkie's demon twisted her face into a sneer, her eyelids dropping as she processed Sunset's pun.

    "Boooooo!"

    Sunset's expression fell a little, the demon was not amused with her, but it suddenly came back to alertness as Pinkie's demon tossed half a car at her. Not worried in the slightest, Sunset drew her blade and simply sliced the vehicle in two, parting the metal harmlessly as it scattered apart behind her.

    "Pfft. Tough crowd." Sunset brought her weapon back, eyeing down the demon as she prepared for a fight. "I'm going to need you to stand down, Pinkie. I can't have you just running around killing people, now, can I?"

    "Oh, don't be such a silly-willy!" The demon rolled her eyes, waving one of her claws dismissively. "None of this is even real, I'm just having fun!"

    "Well I need to get through, maybe we could have more fun somewhere else instead?" Sunset offered, but only got a tail whipping around at her in response. As the demon swung her back end around, she felt the spiny appendage slamming into a cluster of short buildings to her side, but when she went back to look Sunset was gone. But to her other side, she heard the demon hunter's voice.

    "Seriously, there's gotta be something better to do than demolishing the town! There's a movie theatre on Kilgore Boulevard, maybe we can catch a kaiju film?"

    With another unamused glare, Pinkie's demon swung a claw in the direction she heard Sunset's voice coming from. She smashed up the roof of a particularly tall shop, seeing Sunset landing beside her digits and giving her that same cocky smile.

    "You think you're funny, don't you?" The demon asked, twisting her body around and giving her other claw a swipe at Sunset.

    "I think I'm hilarious!" Widening her stance, Sunset became surrounded in a soft glow, then met the demon's giant claw with a palm thrust, projecting some magic that created a transparent, domed barrier in the direction her arm was traveling. The demon didn't fully understand what happened, but her swing was somehow completely blocked, and Sunset hadn't even drawn her weapon. As the demon recoiled, Sunset still stood defiantly, but her boots dug a few inches into the roof below.  

    "Ah! What was that?" The demon shook her claw loosely, rubbing it with her other claw in pain.

    Sunset let out a quick exhale, then brought in another breath as she prepared her protective maneuver again. Another magic based form taught by Celestia, the Sentinel technique took the same energy Sunset used to propel herself in the air and turned it on its head. With this application, she could push away any kind of attack with just her magic so long as she got the timing just right. She'd use more of her magic up if her form was poor, and it had a much less forgiving window than using her blade to parry, but it could potentially stop massive attacks that her sword just couldn't handle.

    "C'mon! Let's see those hands!" Sunset stood still, goading the demon with a taunt. "High five!"

    "I'd rather play punchies!" Raising her arms back over her head, Pinkie's demon balled her claw up into a fist, then threw it down as hard as she could towards Sunset. Despite her size she moved incredibly fast, but Sunset didn't even try to get out the way.

    "Okie-dokie-lokie!" Still smiling, Sunset mirrored Pinkie's demon, crouching down and winding up a fist as she planted her feet, but her other and shot out in line with the demon's punch, palm forward, and perfectly blocking her with another Sentinel barrier. The impact was immense, the whole building creaked and shook at Sunset's feet, but for a fraction of a second, her guard braced against the sheer amount of kinetic force in its entirety. A fraction of a second longer and it would've shattered, but Sunset instead shifted her footing, diverting all of her magic away from the hand guarding and into her wound up fist.

    Advanced mastery of the Sentinel form allowed one to not only protect from attacks, but redirect them back at their attacker. And right now, Sunset held the full force of the demon's mighty, building leveling strength in the palm of her right hand.

    Her entire body springing up into a stand, Sunset threw this amplified mega counterpunch right into the demon's fist, striking her dead on, knuckle to knuckle. There was a bright flash of red magic, and in the next second Pinkie's demon was frantically stumbling backwards, her balance tilting all the way back until she crashed into a cluster of buildings across the street.

    "Woowooooah!" Her wide, heavy body smashed the shorter structures flat as she fell into them, she even slid a short distance before sliding into a crawling stance on all fours, spinning herself back into a run towards Sunset, who still stood atop that one tall building among a field of short ones. With all of her limbs, Pinkie's demon dove for the building, aiming to take Sunset down with it, but the agile demon hunter was one step ahead, jumping from the building and landing back down on the street as Pinkie's demon again barreled headfirst into brick, wood, and concrete.

    "Heh heh..." Sunset chuckled, finding genuine amusement in watching a demon so big and menacing slip around. "You gonna stop bashing your head against the wall, or do you want to fight me?"

    "You! Quit ruining my party!" The demon retorted, snapping back to a full standing position and cracking her neck back and forth. A pink magic swirled around her for a moment, and a broad strip of metal materialized over her shoulders, and mounted over her back on her left side was a huge, long barrelled cannon. It only gave a moment's flash before a huge shell blasted forth from it, but Sunset was already dodging out of the way. Behind her, an explosion of dust and confetti forcefully erupted, leaving the faint echo of laughter in the aftermath. Sunset knew exactly what that was; The Party Cannon. Two more shots fired off, and Sunset made her way across the street, closing in on Pinkie's demon.

    "You call this a party?" Sunset weaved around several more cannon shells, not daring to attempt to deflect them until she was closer. Standing still, she snapped into her Sentinel form pose, going between it and a relaxed pose several times as she tauntingly feigned her guard technique. "I'll show you a party- a block party!"

    "Geez-Louise, would you quit your yammering? You're starting to get annoying!" Pinkie's demon lifted a foot, and brought it down right as she forced Sunset to dodge with a shot from her shoulder cannon. To her surprise, she actually hit Sunset dead on, stomping her down into the pavement. When she lifted her foot, Sunset was indeed there, crushed down into the road in a demon-hunter shaped divot. She expected some pained response from her, but instead she was met with a quiet surprise.

    Under her breath, Sunset began to laugh. She opened her eyes, and brought herself to a sitting position.

    "Heh, heh... Ah, I stepped into that one!" Despite just having been crushed, Sunset still managed to somehow wear a carefree smile on her face. "Or, it might be more accurate to say that you stepped into it..."

    "I..." The demon paused, taken aback by Sunset's insistence on being nonchalant. Stepping back a few paces, the demon reached out and grabbed one of the still standing streetlights by its post, ripping it from the ground and preparing to swing it like a club as she did during her battle with Twilight.

    "Hey!" Sunset still had an amused look on her face as she got back to her feet. "Careful! You know how many idiots it takes to change one of those things?"

    "What?" Again, Pinkie's demon paused, sensing something strange within her at such an inane joke. She looked like she was going to swing, but instead her head turned to the streetlight she was carrying, and it was almost like a switch went off in her mind. "I- ...How many?"

    "I dunno, ask an idiot!"

    "Oh, you little-" She didn't even finish her sentence, she immediately swung her long, metal pole in Sunset's direction. Resistance was met, in the form of Sunset barring her sword against the pole, but something else happened. Pinkie's demon made a very strange face for a moment, her snout and cheeks wobbling and her eyes shifting between a handful of emotions over a few moments. As Sunset held the guard, she casually gave commentary on this as well.

    "Hey now, why such a... y'know. Long face?" Sunset made a hand motion to draw the image of a snout around her mouth, in reference to the demon's own.

    "Ah!" Pinkie's demon brought her weapon back over her head and prepared to swing it again. "I've had enough of your play on words!"

    "Oh?" Sunset easily rolled aside from the demon's next attack, more focusing on her response than anything else. She was breathing through hushed laughs as she responded. "I suppose you don't want to go see the Vocabulary Theatre later, then?"

    "Wait..." The demon's mind took but a moment to process the joke. Play-on-words. Theatre, plays, vocabulary, words—and once it clicked there was no time to suppress her response. A stuttered breath escaped the demon's mouth, like she was trying to put the brakes on a hurtling truckload of chuckles, letting out a loud snort of amusement, followed up by the greatest trying-not-to-laugh face she could muster. "You...  Y-You're an idiot!"

    "Ah, you got me!" Sunset said, quite readily, backing away as Pinkie's demon failed to strike through her urge to laugh. "Would you like to know how many of us it takes to change a light bulb, then?"

    The muffled laughter died down, but Sunset could clearly see the demon was cracking. She was practically biting her tongue, her long, forking lizard tongue, sucking her cheeks in and giving Sunset the most serious glare she could.

    "About four or five of us, we all have to stack on each other's shoulders!"

    Pinkie's demon attempted to pass her laughing off as annoyed scoffs. "Why don't you just use a ladder?"

    "Well," Sunset grinned, tilting her head up as she crossed her arms. She was really proud of this one, she too was trying not to laugh before she delivered her punchline. "Cause we're idiots!"

    The demon's tongue rolled out of her mouth, her cheeks puffed out, and her lips pulled inward as she refused to let herself succumb to Sunset's nonsense. "You're not- Kpfffft- Stoooop!"

    The pole came in again, but Sunset ran back, moving along the street and forcing the demon to follow after her. More cannon shots came in, but Sunset didn't seem focused on fighting back. Instead, she stopped at another streetlight, running up a wall adjacent and flipping herself to the top, meeting the demon eye to eye once more.

    "Say," Sunset playfully put a hand to her chin. "Why did the giant lizard demon cross the road?"

    "I'm not-" The demon again stopped in her tracks, realizing that she walked right into the joke. Her scowl intensified, but Sunset saw right through it.

    "Y'know, it doesn't matter, but since you're here..." Sunset held out the object she'd taken up off the ground on her way over, a large, round, glassy object, somehow still intact amidst the destruction.

    "You think you could help me change out this lightbulb?"

    The joke wasn't even that funny, but something about the way Sunset kept dragging it through the ground just cracked the demon up in a very particular way. The way she smiled, holding the bulb so earnestly, it was stupid, but... Pinkie's demon couldn't help but laugh. It was a raspy hissing at first, a surprised gasp, but then there was a shout of genuine tickledness that melted into a collection of chortles and giggling. It came so rapidly, the demon threw her head back and straight up screamed into the sky as she fell onto her back again, dropping her weapon and rolling helplessly in the rubble and wreckage she'd made.

    Seeing that her plan to amuse the demon into submission with tomfoolery was successful, Sunset laughed with her, hopping down from her perch on the streetlight pole and landing on the demon's belly, finding wobbly footing there as she was currently wracked with laughter. At some point, Sunset threw the light bulb off behind her, and in doing so drew both of their fun to a pause, but the smashing glass that followed was enough to strike it right back up again. This went on for several minutes, the two of them just stuck in a continuous uproar spurred on by the other's laughter, until either of them were unsure what they were even laughing about, or had been fighting about previously. Did it even matter?

    As Pinkie's demon eventually calmed herself, she resigned to just laying in the road, taking up all of it and then some, catching her breath with the widest smile on her face, a smile even more vibrant than when she had been blowing up tanks and smashing buildings before. Sunset too had fallen over, and was laying on her scaled chest, looking down with a similar bright smile.

    "So?" Sunset asked. "Feeling less smashy?"

    "Yeah!" The demon let out a happy sigh. The loose, stringy strands of pink hair falling around her face had fluffed up at some point in all of that, becoming all poofy and standing up on her head. "Definitely! This is waayyy better than what the orange haired lady promised!"

    "Wait, wait, orange haired lady, what about her?" Sunset was still catching her breath, but tilted her head at the mention of Adagio.

    "The lady that kidnapped my human body promised me a world of infinite destruction! It sounded like fun but..." The demon paused, still glowing from the laughter-onset happiness. "Maybe we could catch that movie later? That seems like it'd be a different kind of fun."

    Sunset smiled, finding the look of friendliness in a demon so large and intimidating slightly offputting, but easily overlooking it. "Yeah, but first... Gotta deal with this demon gate thing. You know how it is."

    "Oh right! Yeah..." Pinkie's demon nodded. "I guess I have to leave this place then? Go back to Pinkie's body? Or, do you want my magic?"

    "Nah, go back to Pinkie. Keep her safe, okay?"

    The demon smiled back, and returned with her own enthusiastic nod. "Mhmm! Okay!"

    Sunset suddenly felt an incredible crushing force around her entire body, not painfully crushing, but still overwhelming nonetheless. Her eyes slammed shut, and she felt a cool dampness as a mass of scales were suddenly pressed against her. As her eyes came open, she smiled again. It was just a hug.

    Touched by the normal yet totally unexpected gesture, she reached her arms out and tried to hug the great demon back, only managing to for a few seconds before she and everything around them began to fade into nothingness. Pinkie's demon dissolved into a beam of soft pink light, shooting up into the ceiling as reality returned to normal, the endless cityscape changing back to an open stone floor within the castle's main tower.

    After the light faded, the room was cast in mostly darkness, leaving Sunset alone to find the staircase leading up and follow it to the next floor.
> 25- The Duplicity of Treachery
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

    "Agent Flash Sentry, authorization confirmed."

    "Come on, come on..."

    Flash Sentry turned away from the elevator doors, watching panickedly as the Hellsoldier drove their fist through the head of a tall, robed Reaper charging towards them. Another one slipped past the armored titan's reach, and Flash allowed his reflexes to take over. His arms brought up Sergeant Colt's shotgun without hesitation, and he pulled the trigger. 

    B-woom!

    The Reaper stumbled back.

    Shk-Click!

    B-woom!

    Burning buckshot scraped against its body, and it nearly lost its footing.

    Flash let go of the shotgun, allowing it to dangle across his front by its strap as he went to his pistol holster for a quickdraw. 

    BangBangBangBang!

    Four shots dug into the Reaper's chest while it reeled back in its stunned state, just enough to allow Flash to move in close. Taking his knife in his off hand, he took one step forward and reached out as far as he could, sinking the resentite blade into the demon's heart in a well practiced motion before immediately backing off. The Reaper dropped its sword as it fell, both weapon and wielder turning to dust before they hit the floor. Two shotgun shots, four pistol shots, close in with the knife. Flash had the motions down now, but he was still on edge, scanning for the next threat the moment he confirmed the first one was out.

    The sounds of flesh and gore being torn and smashed filled the auditory void left by his gunshots. The Hellsoldier had already slain five more of them.

    That's how it had been for the two of them since they got out of his holding cell. The Hellsoldier led Flash to a weapon storage area, he got all of his gear back and a handful of extra equipment, and then it was an endurance match against all of the underworld as they fought their way through the lower end of the Siren labs. Ruined grey tiled hallways and sterilized white lights were all they had ahead of them, with only demonic blood to paint any color across it. 

    And of course, the Hellsoldier was the one carrying them for the most part. They didn't even have a gun, yet they'd taken out at least three times as many enemies as Flash. He kept trying to tell himself that it wasn't a contest, that it was their lives at stake, but somehow the feeling of needing to keep up with someone clearly out of his league enabled him to do just that. They'd made it all the way to the elevator, just the two of them, and all they needed to do now was hold off the enemies until it arrived. 

    But there were so many of them...

    A bright light from the darkest end of the corridor caught Flash's eyes, a fireball from a Phantom's bony hand, coming right towards him with little time to react. A mass of dark purple armor suddenly blocked the way as Hellsoldier intervened, carrying another demon by the neck and they batted the projectile aside with their forearm to buy Flash a couple more seconds. 

    He couldn't see the Phantom through the darkness, but Flash had an idea of its position, and that was enough. Putting his pistol away and dropping to a kneel, and shifted one shoulder forward and brought the rocket launcher across his back to bear. The next second, the Hellsoldier moved out of his way, and he had his sight lined up down the corridor. 

    "Rocket out, danger close!"

    Flash pulled the trigger.

    Shk-FWOOSH!

    A jetstream lit up the hallway as a rocket sailed down it, illuminating a host of other approaching demons in front of its primary target—the bleached white form of the Phantom, hand out and ready to toss another fireball. It wouldn't get the chance, as the rocket's detonation would blow it and any nearby away in a cloud of shrapnel and smoke. 

    There wasn't time to watch the detonation, sounds from Flash's side would rip his attention away. A sealed doorway had been broken through on the right side, and a taloned hand tore through the metal wall beside it and nearly hit him. The corridor was wide, but with another entry point it'd be harder to hold the doorway. Flash let the rocket launcher fall back behind him as he switched to Spitfire's machinegun, lining up the fast moving target that now burst from the walls. It had long, messy hair that covered it's eyes, and he could see it was carrying a scythe, but only after the curved blade whipped around at him. 

    BrrATAT-BrrATAT-BrrATATATATATA

    Flash's first few shots were on target, hitting the Scythe demon but failing to stumble it. It swung again, and he tried to loosen his trigger finger, tried to first in bursts, but he tensed up and tripped, falling into a sitting position with its third swing. He let off another volley of shots as he stood back up, but something grabbed his arm, another demon got too close.

    It's claws dug into his wrist, drawing blood, but he ignored the pain and grabbed the demon back, throwing his shoulder into and bending his knees until he could then shift its weight over his. As it flipped, Flash saw the sword in it's other hand, and drew out his pistol the moment the demon hit the floor. Following his momentum, Flash drove his knee down on the Reaper's chest, and then shoved the barrel of his pistol onto its wrist, pulling the trigger until the demon relinquished it's sword. 

    There was scraping and a shriek above him. The Scythe was bringing the point of its blade down on the two of them, but with a quick thought Flash traded his pistol for his knife and levered it around the back end of the demon's weapon, guiding into the fallen Reaper's chest. Using the downward pressure to jump back to his feet, Flash dove into the Scythe demon, taking his machine gun back up and emptying its magazine into it at point blank range before finishing it off with a knife through the heart. 

    Ding!

    The elevator door suddenly came open with a heavy, motorized sound. The Hellsolider, with three different demons impaled along their wrist blade, dropped what they were doing and went to Flash. He suddenly felt himself being lifted by the back of his jacket and taken into the elevator before he could recover from his previous takedowns. Just in time, too, there were more  coming for him fast, he'd just been lifted out of the way of a sword swipe and a fireball. 

    Flash was tossed inside, rather carefully by the Hellsoldier's standards, while they proceeded to drag their demon-loaded wrist blade along the doorframe and produce a nasty scraping sound. Each of the demons shishkebabed on it fell away in short order before the blade retracted, piling on the ground in a mound of ashes before the door sealed shut. Flash just let himself breathe for a moment as the action was brought to a pause.

    There wasn't a lot of room for them between the dark grey walls of the lift. Certainly not with a six and a half foot super soldier taking up most of it. Not that he was complaining, that same soldier was the sole reason he was alive at the moment. If they were on Flash's side, he wasn't going to ask questions.

    The Hellsoldier pressed one of the buttons on the elevator controls (the single most gentle action Flash had seen from the soldier thus far) and the two began to ascend. It probably would be a quick ride, but it felt painfully long to Flash. The Hellsoldier made little idle motion, they just stared at the door, patiently awaiting for it to open again. With nothing trying to kill them, Flash couldn't help but let his mind wander. What were they? Why did they come here to rescue him? What was their history with the Sirens?

    He wouldn't let himself get lost in thought though. With this pause, Flash went over his inventory, reloading his weapons and checking over his equipment reserves. He had more than enough ammo to last, and also had a handful of various grenades, a few remote charges, incendiary shotgun shells, armor piercing machine gun rounds, and two more healing syringes, the same kind that Sunburst gave him. Flash recognized that he didn't have the durability to survive any kind of demon attack, he'd pack enough firepower to ensure nothing would touch him. 

    Or so he thought, one of those Reapers clawed his wrist up... but when he checked his wound, he saw the bleeding had stopped. It wasn't completely healed, but a black substance had hardened over his broken skin and he didn't feel any pain. Pulling his sleeve up, he was alarmed to see the veins on his arms were pitch black.

    The Siren's demon virus was still spreading through his body. He closed his eyes. He let his head fall. The reminder stunted his hopes, seeing it actively affecting his body filled him with a dread far beyond that of oncoming danger. Trying to calm himself, he let out a shaky breath, but then felt a hand come to rest on his shoulder. It was strange, for a brief moment, Flash saw the Hellsoldier with their guard down, the eye visible through the crack in their helmet showing a pained expression rather than an angered one. They pulled their hand away shortly after. It only filled Flash with more questions.

    At once, a screen mounted above the elevator controls lit up and the sunglassed face of Adagio Dazzle appeared on it. She was outside somewhere, with rain and lightning in the background, but somehow her voice was perfectly audible.

    "Commander. Agent Sentry." She said. Neither of them were pleased to see her.

    "Adagio." Flash glared at her through the screen, and was certain the Hellsoldier was doing the same.

    "It would appear you've not given my subordinates any useful information, Agent Sentry..." Adagio said. "Shame. And you, Commander..."

    Her head turned slightly, addressing the Hellsoldier. "For as much trouble as you've given me I really don't want to have to kill you. I know what you came back to this facility for, and I think I have a proposal that can benefit us both."

    Flash glanced at the Hellsoldier. Their hands fidgeted and their breathing got audibly heavier. 

    "The sword fragment," Adagio explained, "You want to fuse your piece with the piece we have."

    The Hellsoldier looked at the retracted blade fixed to their left forearm. Now that Flash was closer, he could see the pitch black metal it was composed of had faint blue aura emanating from it. Whatever it was, it was incredibly effective against demons, burning them into dust upon contact.

    "Should you kill Agent Sentry right now, I will grant you access to it with no strings attached."

    "What? Kill me?" Flash backed away, understanding now why the Hellsoldier needed him. They did need him to unlock something for them, another piece of their sword.

    "I know you have no real attachment to him," Adagio said. "Remember, what happened to you is his fault, Commander."

    With a threatening growl, the Hellsoldier balled up their hand into a fist and punched the projection of Adagio's face, smashing the screen and breaking through the metal wall behind it. Though the remains of the screen fell black, Adagio's voice still echoed through it.

    "Hmph. So dramatic... Suit yourself. Our friends are waiting for you in the facility proper. I'd say I'll be seeing the two of you in hell, but I'm about to become it's ruler, and you won't be allowed entry. Ta ta~"

    "My fault?" Flash asked in disbelief. "Do... do we know each other?"

    Before he could get a proper response, the elevator stopped moving. Behind it, they could hear booted footsteps and harsh, female voices. Siren agents were waiting for them on the other side. 

    The Hellsoldier faced the door, motioning for Flash to get ready, but Flash reached into one of his pouches and produced a fragmentation grenade.

    "Wait. Allow me."

    The Hellsoldier nodded, stepped back, and let Flash take point at the elevator's opening, giving the grenade pin a sharp tug as he heard the motorized doors begin to unseal. He counted down from three seconds, gripping the grenade firmly as he prepared to throw it.

    In just another moment, the doors would open up.

    Just one more moment...

    Ding!

-----

    Starlight made a controlled jump off of the castle's tall turret tower, aiming herself to land on the length of outer wall that would take her further along the castle's perimeter. Behind her, a fireball flew over her head, and in front of her she had one of the hostile CANIS mech held tightly in the grasp of the energized projection Tether Hand. The bulky, brown wolf robot was held still by the giant teal fingers and was carried straight downward into the top of the barrier wall as Starlight fell. 

    She used the mech to break her fall, pummeling it into the solid walkway with repeated punches from the holographic fist coming over her shoulder, keeping the metal beast still with her mechanical hand as she did so. The mech let out a viscous, synthetic growl as it was beaten, but after Starlight was content in her assault she stood up and reeled a leg back, then kicked the downed machine with all of her might, sending it tumbling further across the wall. 

    With her revolver in her organic hand, Starlight loaded up a chamber full of firework rounds, aiming to finish of the bruiser as it scrambled to pick itself up, but the threat of a fiery red streak cut her off. The black armored wolf mech with the rocket pack landed between Starlight and the bruiser, forcing Starlight to readjust her sights to the active threat.

    She let off four shots, but the jumper opened up its mouth and spat out another molten fireball, the projectile incinerating her bullets mid flight as it hurtled towards her. With the wall's walkway enclosed by raised ridges on either side, dodging out of the way would prove difficult, so instead Starlight engaged her mechanical arm and held it thrust forward while charging into the fireball. The metal of her fingertips caught the scorching sphere, magic in her palm pulsing as her arm absorbed the radiating energy. Natural, chemical based fire didn't just form into a sphere like this, nor could it be held like a physical object. This fire was an arcane fire, fair game for Starlight's body to absorb. 

    The fireball shrunk in size as Starlight took it in, recovering quite a bit of battery before tossing what was left of it back at the jumper mech. With it's thrusters it easily launched itself out of the way, but Starlight now had the freedom to make a move while it evaded. She pushed herself forward and slid beneath the mech, firing the last two shots in her pistol up into it. 

    It was quick enough to deflect both shots off of its tail blade, but as it landed Starlight rolled up to a stand and tethered it, her projected hand reeling the mech right back in. Before Starlight could combo into it, the jumper did a quick twirl, activating its thruster and scorching it's immediate area with its heated backblast. Starlight had to move, deflecting incoming swipes of its tail with her chainsaber as it frantically fought for space. She tried pressing it, knowing the mech didn't respond well to close combat, but another set of metal claws crashed against the top of the wall elsewhere. The assault mech landed behind her, his body contracting as he prepared to lunge forward. 

    Leaning as far as she could to the side without going over the edge of the walkway, Starlight reached her mechanical hand out behind her and let loose the charged magic she'd taken in from the jumper, a jet of flame shot from her palm that followed her arc of movement. The assault mech missed his jump, his frame catching fire as Starlight lit him up and then cut him off with her chainsaber, revving it up as she dug the weapon into him and smashed him down out of his attack. 

    More shifting from behind the jumper, and the nimble mech boosted itself up and away. The bulky bruiser behind it charged in to give it cover and challenge Starlight's space. It's mace-like tail swung around first, but the jumper also opened its mouth mid-air and let off a fireball that came down at a shallow angle, aimed behind Starlight. She realised this too late, after evading the bruiser's tail with a backwards flip she saw she was right in its trajectory. 

    All she could do was conserve her momentum and try to jump back again, she got just enough height that the fiery orb narrowly missed her as her entire body inverted. When she landed, she looked up to see the three mech wolves still impeding her progress. She needed to wrap this up.

    "You call yourselves Artificial Intelligence?" Starlight taunted, holding her chainsaber in a straight guard. "I've met real dogs smarter than you!"

    "What'd you just say?" Their leader, the assault mech, growled his response with resentment. He seemed to be the only one equipped with an onboard personality.

    "I'm calling you stupid, tin can." Starlight spoke as infuriatingly patronizingly as possible, riling up the assault mech further.

    "Yeah? That's pretty funny coming from a sack of meat welded to a toaster!" The assault mech's long, speared tail blade sliced off a piece of the wall's battlements. "We'll see who's feeling stupid after we're done with you!"

    His tail whipped up, and the slab of wall shot into the air above him, where the bruiser threw its mass against it and slammed it in Starlight's direction. A light glimmered behind her eyes and she jumped forward, time slowing for her, allowing her to vault over and kick off the chunk of stone bricks hurled at her. The jumper's thrusters had already engaged, it was flying in over its two larger companions. Pointing her mechanical arm behind her, Starlight discharged the rest of the fire magic stored within it, propelling herself further through the air and meeting the jumper with a slash of her chainsaber. 

    She grabbed the smaller mech in her Tether Hand and spin kicked it further up into the air. The inertia threw her back to the ground, but she landed ready, bracing her chainsaber over her shoulder as the assault mech swung at her with both front claws, forcing a bind. The bruiser began another forward rush, but Starlight was still ahead. Her mechanical fist at full charge, she punched straight into the bruiser's chest and through its thick armor, halting its momentum completely. With her Tether Hand, she punched the mech again, launching it up and leaving her other hand free to grapple the mech still bearing down on her. With both hands, she flung the mechanical wolf over her shoulder, engaging her Bullet Reflex the moment it left her grip.

    In slowed time, all three of the mechs were airborne, stunned, and helpless to control their directions. Revving up her chainsaber again, Starlight went wild, slicing into the assault mech in a dozen different directions, shredding his bright red armor to a hundred pieces, then in the same breath turned to the bruiser and beat into it with her Tether Fist, crushing it's plating under a thousand repeated punches. Both chains of blows ended with downward strikes, and for a moment Starlight let time resume normally, so that each of them could slam down on the floor and then bounce back up into the air as she reloaded her revolver and rolled forward. 

    With only a second's glance, Starlight pointed her revolver back, pulling the trigger in a charged up fist right as the three mechs were aligned, the jumper falling from a huge drop, and the bruiser and assault rebounding up from the floor. A glowing teal bullet cleared the muzzle in a blinding flash, punching through the assault first, then the bruiser, and then finally striking through the jumper, puncturing it's thruster pack and finishing the three of them off in a spectacular explosion that decimated the castle walls. The ancient bricks shook and crumbled as the charred remains of the three mechs were tossed in all directions, threatening to collapse with Starlight still on it. 

    Indeed, parts of the walkway began to break away, and Starlight was too close to the collapse to fully escape the damage. As her footing shifted, slipping against the rain slicked stone, she did her best to tilt her body to the side and ride the wall down. 

    She spilled out on her hands and knees, landing on a smooth slate path running through the wide yard behind the castle's keep. 

    Falling from the wall didn't matter, this was the way Twilight had gone. She could still catch up with her from here.

-----

    "More power..."

    Twilight Sparkle's body erupted into vibrant purple flames, burning away at her until the form of her Inner Demon overtook her. Until now, the three demons that accompanied Selene until her final moments had been giving Twilight a hard time, quickly cutting off her escape and wearing down her already fleeting resolve. When she cut one down, the other two would distract her while the first recovered, and with her hoverboard damaged and left behind, she could only get so far before they'd catch up with her. With no way to contain them, she had to simply outlast them, which, in her feeble, weak, human form, might not have been possible.

    "I need more power!"

    And so, she turned to her Inner Demon, her only hope to knock all three of them out before any one could get back up. Tapping into this dark part of her mind gave her no comfort, it only stirred her underlying fears. Its power consumed her body, gave her strength beyond strength and speed beyond speed, but she felt no more in control than before. In fact, she was ashamed, infuriated even, that she'd have to rely on the power of her internal darkness. She hated it, but it was necessary. For the price of her pride, this power was her power, and power was all that really mattered at the end of the day.

    With her katana sheath held firmly in her left hand, Twilight jumped through the wide, open gate of the castle's outermost wall, giving her demonic wings a short flap and stabilizing her landing as she spun back to face her attackers. Discord was furthest from her, the chaos demon was readying a clawful of his missiles on his warbow and firing them off in high arc. Sombra was the closest, the shadow unicorn gliding in with his legs merged against the ground and shaping his horn into a long piercing weapon. The huge, void-colored body of the Tantibus was somewhere in between, shifting its mass to jump over Twilight and land somewhere behind her.

    "And now, this ends."

    Twilight's katana came out into a half draw just as the missiles closed in on her. Each one suddenly came to a halt just a foot away, and Twilight snapped her blade back into its sheath, breathing a raspy, growly breath as each missile simultaneously split into four separate pieces and harmlessly fell to the ground. Her sheathe then glowed a bright purple as Sombra neared. Dark crystals shot forth form his body, but Twilight batted them aside with her weapon's hard casing, finally drawing her blade in full as he leapt up and drove the tip of his horn towards her. 

    "So slow..."

    Her katana cut across the space in front of her in a horizontal shockwave, missing Sombra but striking Discord, far behind him, dead on while he was readying a followup attack. Following her arc, Twilight made a single rotation, both slashing diagonally into the base of Sombra's horn and moving out its reach, cutting right through him with her powered-up weapon. 

    Following her form, Twilight resheathed her weapon. Immediately following, both demons of shadow and chaos were cut to ribbons in what looked like a single stroke, despite one of them being a good twenty meters away and only seeming to be struck once. Tilting her head back slightly, Twilight caught a glimpse of two dozen massless, pointed tendrils stretching out from the Tantibus's body, reaching for her as it approached. Without turning, Twilight did a quick series of draws, four in total, cutting them down six at a time, then dodged out of the way at the Tantibus smashed two colossal fists down into the earth where she stood. 

    Spinning, Twilight faced the Tantibus properly now, her slitted, demonic eyes focusing intently as she zeroed in on it, her energy charging around her as she took in a breath. It brought its fist over its head again to crush her and summoned more tendrils from its back to impale her and charged up an energy attack in its eyes to fry her, but none of that would amount to anything. The ground around Twilight shook as her scabbard began to emit light, and she drew her sword in full once more.

    In a ring around her feet, a shockwave of energy was released in her purple color, and she dissipated into nothing as her katana came out. Her foe would have no time to adjust course or retaliate, for the next moment all time seemed to stop. In the next breath, a hundred thousand sparkling marks flashed through the area surrounding where just Twilight stood. The rain around them ceased to fall and the space fell grey and glassy, as if the rays of light themselves were having trouble making it through. 

    And in that brief pause, Twilight rematerialised, kneeling, slowly and deliberately guiding her tested and trusted katana blade back to the place it called home as she'd done a thousand times before and would do a thousand times again. No sound was made in the stillness that followed, not until the sword's guard just nearly touched the edge of its scabbard did the demon wielding it make a sound. 

    "Taste oblivion."

    Click.

    The sword met the sheath fully, and a hundred thousand slices erupted in all directions around Twilight Sparkle, tearing the Tantibus that gave her such grief for so long to uncountable pieces, shredding it down from a titan to tick with the ultimate decisive cut. In the release of energy following Twilight reverted to her human form, and the three demons that stood against her were nothing but dripping pools of darkness. 

    As things became still again, Twilight just stood, having exhausted all of her demonic power using her ultimate move and left to take in the scope of the power she controlled. She shook, trembled softly as she normalized her breathing. She felt like she was just coming back into her body. Was she really in control of this power? Could she ever be?

    She turned around, and began to continue down the path in front of her, now taking in her surroundings more as she shifted to this contemplative state.

    Surrounding her, decorating this entrance of the castle was a well kept and beautiful garden of short, straight flowering bushes, spaced out trees, and tall hedges. The rain didn't fall as harshly here, it was filtered over the branches and leaves of tall, white ash trees that rowed the tiled path that led out of the castle. 

    At her feet, remains of the Tantibus flowed away, passing behind her and heading back towards the castle. It retook a smaller, human-sized shape, Discord and Sombra reforming with it, but not engaging Twilight again. Instead, they retreated, glaring at her while slinking away into the shadows of the castle walls. 

    When Twilight turned back, she saw the reason they backed off; a great, majestic bird with red and golden feathers hovering above the garden before her. The bird's reflective eyes struck through the dark of the storm and watched the demons retreat with restrained hostility. A soft flame surrounded her taloned feet, but didn't ignite the nearby greenery. It was a phoenix, it's presence powerful and intimidating, but at the same time graceful and pleasant to watch.

    "Human..." The phoenix addressed Twilight directly, her voice ethereal and rippling through reality. Her eyes shifted down to the small demon hunter without a change in suspicion. 

    "Are you here to fight me too?"

    "No." The bird's head shook. "I am here to ask you a question. You are not worthy of a fight with me."

    "Not worthy?" Twilight shot an irritated glare at the bird, feeling any semblance of pride she still had singe at her. "I'm a student of Celestia. The inheritor of her legacy..."

    "My master doesn't champion the reckless or cowardly. If this is how you handle your battles, you have learned nothing from her."

    Resentment built throughout Twilight's body, but swiftly broke as Twilight came to realize the truth in the phoenix's words. The firebird continued as Twilight let her gaze fall.

    "But Celestia saw something in you, some potential for greatness, some spark of light. She believed in your ability to do good."

    "Just ask your question." Twilight said, wanting to sound hostile but only managing to gasp the words out as she was made emotionally weak once more. 

    "Is that spark still within you? Or have you been extinguished entirely? Is this where you abandon your journey, or will you see it through to the end?"

    "I..." Twilight tried to think. Despite her drive to save the world, everything she did only seemed to endanger it further. In her quest for the power to save everything, she inadvertantly destroyed everything. Even if she did manage to stop what she'd set in motion, what would be left for her afterwards? It was too late for her.

    "I don't know," she finally said, letting her head hang. "I don't know anything anymore, I've lost so much..." 

    Her voice trailed off. Even when everything else was empty, she felt vacant inside, she felt a hole within her she'd felt all this time, this want, this need for things to be better, and the only way to fill that void was to become stronger, so she could take charge of her own fate. She couldn't face these odds though, she'd already dug her own grave.

    So what should she do?

    "If you really are giving up," the phoenix said. "Then leave. Don't come back. And hope you don't survive long in whatever is next for this world."

    Twilight had no response.

    "I must go, to contain those other demons. Should we meet again, hope you have made the right choice."

    The demon hunter only watched as the great phoenix tilted her body forward and glided off towards the castle, curving up towards the growing tear in the clouds above the central tower.

-----

    Another floor, another dark veil that needed stepping through. Sunset did it without wonder this time. She knew what she was getting into at this point.

    The first thing Sunset felt in this particular pocket dimension was still, cold air. She was indoors somewhere. A place she recognized actually, the greys and dull blues around her soon formed into a hallway of the Canterlot Convention Hall. As soon as that realization was made, there was no doubt in Sunset's mind who she'd be meeting next, but the faint shredding of a guitar in the distance only served to confirm that thought.

    Sunset unhurriedly walked through the hallway, opening a set of double doors and unsurprisingly finding herself in the Convention Hall's open basement. What was surprising was that a battle was already happening here. Bright bursts of lightning and flame shot across the flat grey room, and at the center of the action were a pair of familiar demons, one a rainbow headed rocker wearing spikes and leather, the other a sturdy blonde in animated stone armor. 

    Rainbow Dash's demon held her signature guitar-axe in both hands, swinging it's wide blade into Applejack's demon repeatedly, using her lightning fast speed to her advantage. Applejack's demon kept her guard raised, her mantle and gauntlets shifting to protect her from each of the electric strikes. She stood her ground, pushing in close and throwing quick punches at Rainbow's demon, while Rainbow's demon darted around her and tried to utilize her weapon's reach. 

    As far as Sunset could tell, they were pretty evenly matched. They eventually took notice of her, both looking over as Applejack's demon wrestled with her opponent's lightning guitar up close. 

    "I don't mean to interrupt..." Sunset said, stopping a respectable distance from the two dueling demons. "But is now really the best time to be fighting amongst ourselves?"

    Through a struggling push, Applejack's demon replied with an accusing shake of her head. "Well maybe if some of us were thinkin' with our heads we could agree on that..."

    "Screw off, will ya?" Rainbow's demon shot back.

    Applejack's demon gave a deadpan look. "See what I'm sayin'?"

    "This is my mental pocket space, what are you even doing here, AJ?!"

    "I came here to help you, Dash!"

    "Liar, you came here for my magic, I bet!" Rainbow's demon won the pushing match, swinging away and launching Applejack's demon across the floor, her stone boots digging into the concrete as she kept herself upright. 

    Applejack's demon let out a low, agitated breath. "Nuh-uh. I came to help get us out of this predicament we're in!"

    "What are you talking about, I'm fine!"

    "And you're callin' me a liar? You're stuck here, sugarcube, just like I was! I thought I'd be a good friend and help you out!"

    Rainbow's demon made an agitated sound as well, but it came out as a higher pitched growl. "Some friend you've been!"

    The angrier of the two demons spun her guitar around and began aggressively playing it, rapid fire bolts of lightning beginning to shoot out towards the more grounded of them. 

    At this point, Sunset felt it was the appropriate time to step in, drawing her sword and jumping between the lightning and its target. Her sword caught the electricity and she immediately struck the ground with it, discharging the energy before it could flow into her and holding a relaxed guard in front of Applejack's demon.

    "Alright, Rainbow. Cool it."

    "You're defending her? Yeah, I expected as much! She was our enemy, Sunset!" 

    Sunset gave a shrug. "It was your fault she ended up in Twilight's hands in the first place."

    "Oh, you wish!" The demon shouted, closing the distance between herself and the demon hunter in a fraction of a second. "It's not my fault you couldn't handle me properly!"

    The guitar-axe swung in quick, but Sunset didn't give it the focus of a full bind, instead keeping their blade contact light until Sunset could draw closer. 

    "Maybe not," Sunset gave her a playful smile, spinning between strikes, gripping her sword in one hand and shoving Rainbow back as she did a short dash into her. "But maybe I wasn't trying too hard, either!" 

    "Come on, then!" Rainbow's demon challenged, holding her footing even as she was pushed back. "Let's see how you handle me now!"

    Another axe chop came down, but Sunset immediately met the demon's challenge, swinging her sword up into the inner curve of the axe blade and stopping it completely. Rainbow's demon only looked more surprised and enraged, but Sunset still kept her relaxed demeanor.

    "How's this?" She gave a playful smirk, grabbing the demon by the arm and redirecting her weapon into the floor. 

    "Try harder!" Rainbow's demon let go of her weapon with her unbound arm, and hit Sunset across the face with three machinegun jabs before Sunset broke away and backed off.

    "Ooh!" Sunset recoiled in pain, but was still smiling as she rubbed across her mouth and jaw. "Right on the lips, geez..."

    Dash's demon closed in fast, stepping forward and taking a swing for every step Sunset took back. She was fast, electricity crackling in wake of her blurred motions, but Sunset kept up, catching the demon and again shoving her back once she had the proper position. 

    "Think I can't handle a fast woman?" Sunset's lips curled up into a tease again. These demons always responded so well when she behaved unpredictably. Rainbow's in particular blushed furiously, her brows tilting downward in anger. With two fingers Sunset beckoned her closer. "C'mon! Show me a good time!"

    Eyes alight, Rainbow's demon obliged, playing a set of chords on her guitar that summoned lightning in tall columns, shooting out in erratic patterns.

    "Lets see you dance, then!"

    Sunset spun and rolled past the lightning columns accordingly, taking her sword in reverse grip and focusing her power on it as she did so. Channeling her magic through it, Sunset swung her sword up from a crouch, launching a diagonal wave of red energy that countered the white of Rainbow's lightning. Two more swings, and Sunset would drive two more energy bursts forth before closing the distance.

    Right as Sunset brought her sword to bear, Rainbow's demon vanished in a shower of electricity, reforming just out of Sunset's striking range.

    "Oh, don't be like that!" Sunset tilted her head, still smiling as Rainbow's eyes narrowed. "I thought we were friends!"

    "Friends?" Rainbow's demon smirked. "Do you think I'm stupid?"

    "Huh?" Sunset's demeanor shifted to the notable tone in Rainbow's voice. The demon capitalized on this, dashing right back in with her axe blade tilted forward. It would meet nothing, Sunset would duck and weave out of its path as Rainbow's demon advanced, slowly coming to realise that the demon was genuinely hurt.

    "You were using me!" the demon shouted, finally grinding her axe blade against Sunset's steel. "I was just a weapon for you, something to collect!"

    "What?"

    "None of you understand me, I'm not something to just be used up and thrown away..." Rainbow's demon shoved the point of her guitar-axe forward, pushing Sunset's blade out of position and making for a fast followup cut. "I'm a big freakin' deal!"

    Sunset pulled her sword handle close into her chest, making quick rotations to defend against Rainbow's heavy headed weapon.

    "Rainbow, I-"

    "Even as a friend, you never call me, you never come to my shows-" Several electrified swings of her weapon accentuated her words. "You only care 'cause I'm a star, huh? Cause I'm successful? Is that it? If not for that, I'd be useless, right?"

    "Listen to me, Dash!" Sunset aimed a sword thrust right into the hook of the axe blade, scooping it up and quickly bashing her pommel into the demon's stomach. She followed up with a wide cut, stumbling the demon back and forcing her onto the defensive. "You've got it all wrong."

    Two more sword swipes, but Rainbow's demon could only deflect one. She stepped back again as Sunset's sword dug into her.

    "I came all this way to save you because I care about you." Sunset leaned all the way back as she dodged a response, scoring another hit on the demon with a half circle swing. "Because I think you're worth something!"

    She then leaned forward and launched into a rapid series of sword jabs, all aimed at various angles. Rainbow blocked them at first, but as she continued, the demon's face lost some of its hostility, giving way to shock. 

    "You're stubborn as hell and a complete pain in the ass sometimes, but you're my friend, Rainbow!" One final jab struck against the flat of the demon's guitar-axe, and Rainbow was forcibly shoved away. She was visibly shaken by Sunset's words, her eyes showing something else beneath her resentment. A step forward, and Sunset came out with another slash, knocking Rainbow's guard aside for her finishing strikes.

    "You're not just your fame-"

    One. An upward swing that popped the demon into the air. 

    "You're not just a weapon-"

    Two. A matching cut to flow into the third.

    "And you're not something to just throw away!"

    Three. A huge swing from behind the back, charged with Sunset's power and blasting Rainbow's demon back against the wall. Lighting sparked around the demon's body, she twitched in place with a stunned look on her face for a moment, but she still rose with a reluctant will to fight.

    Before she could lift her axe to fight again, though, Sunset was right in front of her, pinning her against the wall with only a look. Leaned in close, she had a hand pressed against the wall just above her shoulder and held a very firm eye contact, her expression very flat and serious. In a way, it was amusing how Rainbow's demon, for all of her tough talk, leather, spikes, and general rough attitude, suddenly crumpled away when faced with a superior force. The demon was shivering, her slitted red eyes shrinking down, and her breathing a rattling whisper. Sunset even heard a residual hum from the demon, the same kind of sound an old, worn down neon sign would make. 

    Knowing her friend and seeing her like this, Sunset had everything pieced together. She kept her expression relaxed, speaking clearly, but not as aggressive as before.

    "You want to be important to someone, yeah?"

    "Y-Yeah." Rainbow's demon gave a weak nod.

    "You're important to me," Sunset said, tilting her head and letting a sly smile creep onto her face. "Remember that."

    There it was, Rainbow's face flushed red again. 

    "So, when's your next show?"

    "I- I, uh..." The demon's breathing became a bit deeper, and she tilted her head up in thought. "I dunno, actually. My schedule kinda got messed up by the end of the world."

    "Yeah? Maybe I could get your number, I'll give you a call once I've wrapped up saving it?"

    To this, Rainbow smiled. Laughed softly, even. The two of them had been friends for years. "Pfft, you're not slick- You already have my number."

    Sunset leaned back a little. "Ah, yeah, I do, don't I?"

    Rainbow's expression dropped again. "Look, I'm sorry for all of this, for giving you such a hard time, I was just... scared that I'd be wrong to trust you. I haven't been a very good friend at all, so just... let's try again maybe? If you really do care, I won't fight you, I promise. I'm all yours."

    The demon held her guitar-axe out in surrender, but Sunset nodded. "Not this time. Go back to your body, make sure she's safe after I spring you all."

    The demon gave a look of surprise. "Really? You'd just let me go?"

    Sunset nodded her head as she pushed away from the wall, allowing the demon to move freely. "Yeah. I trust you, Rainbow."

    Rainbow's demon smiled again, and her shoulders shifted up. Seeing that appreciative, blushing smile, Sunset felt a bit of heat on her cheeks as well, to which she turned her eyes up idly. These demons always responded to her playfulness in the best ways.

    At this point, Applejack's crossed arms and rolling eyes made themselves known. "Y'all gonna kiss now? Cause if not we should probably get a move on."

    Surely, Applejack's demon was being sarcastic with that remark, but the demon hunter found her eyes shifting back to the demon she was just pinning with interest, genuinely contemplating the notion for a few moments. Rainbow's demon's lips trembled for a brief moment and she only blinked once before giving response.

    "Want to?"

    "What, kiss?"

    "Yeah."

    Sunset's eyebrows rose. She supposed this little ordeal warranted that kind of release.

    Sunset shrugged.

    "Sure."
> 26- The Veracity of Deception
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

   The radio in Trixie's RV crackled with a distorted message as she drove deeper through the Everfree Forest, windshield wipers continually flicking the persistent rain from her view. No matter how much the storm softened, the rain would not leave.

    "Is anyon..." It was faint, but Flash's muffled voice came through a heavy sheet of static. "...picking up a radio frequency... interference within the labs..."

    "Agent Sentry?" Sunburst readily responded, looking up from a laptop computer that showed a general overhead map of the area. "Agent Sentry, it's Sunburst, I read you! Trixie and I picked up your distress signal, we're almost to you. What's your status?"

    The response faded in and out again. "...Negative on that distress signal... ...not mine, I don't know... ...labs are hot, overrun... I repeat, extremely hot..." 

    Sunburst heard gunfire on the other end of the radio before the static set in again.

    "Sentry? Sentry!" Static was all he could hear from that point. He let out a tense sigh, whatever was going on down there didn't sound good.

    The entire vehicle shifted as Trixie suddenly stepped on the brakes.

    "What's going on, why are we..." As Sunburst made his way to her, what he saw out in front of the RV answered the question in progress. "... stopping..."

    Amidst the trees of the Everfree Forest, there stood a short, strange bunker, just a short walk from where Trixie had brought the RV to a stop. She tapped her fingers along the steering wheel nervously as she shot Sunburst a side glance.

    "This is it, then, right?" Trixie's nerves were no better off than his own. "Secret bunker in the middle of the forest that absolutely screams 'entrance to the evil lair'?"

    Sunburst nodded, albeit shakily. "Uh, yeah, the source of our signal..."

    "The signal Flash just told us wasn't his?"

    "Yep."

    "We're not going in there, are we?"

    Sunburst looked at her, the two just shared a few of uncomfortable eye contact as Trixie awaited an answer.

    "I'm going in there."

    "You what?! You heard him, he didn't send that signal. We could be walking into an ambush, we need to get out of here!"

    "We can't just leave him behind, he could be in trouble!"

    Trixie gave a frustrated huff. "He's the one that has all the guns and the secret spy training! What are we gonna do? I can't drive this thing underground!"

    Sunburst went back to his laptop, and checked the status of the distress signal again. Strange, he noted it seemed to be coming from above ground. It could just be an issue with the limitations of the signal, or some kind of interference, but it seemed stronger than before.

    If it wasn't Flash that sent the signal, then someone or something else had led them here. Someone who knew they were nearby. He turned his head to look out the front window. Something near the bunker caught his eye, and then something clicked in his head, gears were turning. When he didn't say anything, Trixie turned in her seat to fully face him, unable to understand why he was suddenly looking straight through her.

    "We don't need to. I think... I think I know why we're here."

    "What?" Trixie scowled in disbelief as he pulled up the hood on his robes and opened the RV's side door, letting the sound of rainfall clearly come through. "Are you nuts? Sunburst, what are you-"

    "I'll be right back, Trixie."

-----

    Sunset's boots quietly clicked against a tile floor as she walked through the short hallway she found on the tower's next level. Despite crossing through the dark veil up a flight of stairs, she seemed to come out of a rather cozy elevator, and into a calm ambience filled with soft lighting, warm brown and tan walls, the sound of people casually talking and the scent of food cooking. 

    Immediately to her left as she walked down the corridor was a long, slightly frosted glass window with the words 'Pandora, Bar and Grill' written across it in big cursive letters, with less detailed figures moving about behind. It led to double glass doors of similar construction and walking past it led to a split in the hallway. It was welcoming and clean, as Sunset walked she reserved some caution, unsure of what she was dealing with. When she passed the door, a familiar voice spoke behind her.

    "Howdy, sugarcube."

    Upon hearing the voice of her friend, Sunset tilted her head slightly, but didn't turn all the way around. She knew that voice.

    "Applejack," she said, without turning but with an easygoing tone of voice. She'd somehow walked right by without noticing her. "I was wondering where you went after Rainbow disappeared..."

    Applejack's demon leaned back against the restaurant's window, her eyes on the floor and her arms crossed.

    She was dressed rather casually, contrasting her demonic appearance, wearing rugged blue jeans, a long sleeves, red plaid button-up shirt, and leather boots just a bit taller than Sunset's. Oddly enough, her signature weapon, the armored stone gauntlets and boots were not present around her body. Instead she held her head low, face contemplative, deep in thought about something and had been before Sunset arrived.

    "'Spose you're expecting a showdown with me? Pistols at high noon, somethin' like that?"

    Her tone was hesitant, and Sunset followed her example. In a relaxed manner, she drew one of her handguns and inspected it's slide, holding it at such an angle that Applejack's demon would be able to see as well. 

    "Yeah, in all honesty, I was. Would've been fun, I think."

    The demon behind her stood straight, letting out a relieved breath and tilting her head away. "Aw, shucks. I hate to disappoint ya, but I had something else in mind."

    Sunset let one of her heels fall back, and she turned to face her friend's demon. "And what's that?"

    Applejack nodded to the restaurant's doors. 

    "Wanna grab dinner?" She asked. "Manager's treat."

-----

    Flash wiped blood off his knife as he pulled it from the body of a recently neutralized Siren Agent, letting her fall to the floor alongside her squadmates. After seeing her give her last breath, Flash let out one of his own. That was the last one in this hallway. Handling enemies was getting easier for Flash, and he didn't know how he should feel about it. He didn't know how long it'd been, but he and the Hellsoldier fought side-by-side throughout the upper part of the hidden bunker, slaying demons and enemy operatives alike. 

    "How much further?" Flash looked to the Hellsoldier, who waited patiently for him in front of another sealed, mechanical door with a security clearance scanner on the front of it. Another lock to go through. Great. He'd lost track of how many they'd gone through at this point. 

    But when he approached with his SRAPH badge in hand, the Hellsoldier stopped him, holding their hand out as if to warn him of something. One of their gloved fingers pointed up above the door's frame, and in the glow of the facility's failing light systems, Flash saw the name of the area they were entering.

    CORE-D.

    "We're back at the core. Lynx and Sparrowhawk are there, aren't they?"

    The Hellsoldier nodded. Flash readied himself.

    When he swiped his badge across the scanner, Flash was greeted with a rather small observation room overlooking the facility's centermost chamber. Thick glass windows at 45 degree downward angles gave a view of the core, the place Flash and Adagio had their confrontation earlier. The tall, round room still had equipment and tables lining its outer ring, but in the center a space that once held containment pods had been cleared for something else. A device, bloody at the base, but mechanical at the top, the height of a short table, aligned with glowing demonic inscriptions in the floor. 

    Flash knew what it was, or at least resembled. 

    "An anchor? They're building an anchor?"

    The Hellsoldier placed their hand against the glass and pushed against it, testing its strength to theirs.

    Below them, in the chamber, a door slid open. Two figures ran through, the first a Siren operative with a purple ponytail and armor, sweeping the room with her handgun. Silent Lynx. Flash was expecting to find her here, but the person that followed her made his heart nearly stop. 

    Skin that was mangled and paled yellow, eyes that glowed a soft red, and slicked back fiery orange hair. 

    "No..." Though he had ample time to recover, Flash was again breathless.

    In a suit of grey tactical gear and a machine gun at the ready was none other than SWAT Captain Spitfire, the very same Spitfire he'd seen dead earlier that day. She was working with the Sirens? Flash couldn't believe it.

    "This is it." Lynx said. Neither of them could see Flash or the Hellsoldier watching above them. "Hold the sword over the beacon to activate it."

    From her back, Spitfire produced a curved piece of pitch-black metal, jagged and fractured on both ends, but with a refined edge on one side. It was fixed to a makeshift handle, the blade now part of a crudely fashioned sword that glowed a faint blue color. The same faint blue that emanated from the Hellsoldier's wrist blade. 

    Flash saw the Hellsoldier's hand twitch as Spitfire produced the sword. The former SWAT officer turned to the Siren, giving her a look of suspicion.

    "You said you had the cure."

    "And I do." Lynx stated, holding out a vial with a built in injector. Their words were somewhat distorted, being projected through speakers in the observation room. "Activate the dimensional beacon and I'll give it to you."

    "Once you give it to me, the side effects of this virus will be gone, yeah?"

    "Of course, the 'painful death' part being the most significant." Lynx sounded like she was getting impatient. "Come on, we need to contain this demon situation. You agreed to come this far..."

    Spitfire's hands tightened around the grip of the sword. "My powers will be gone too, though. The strength, the regeneration. Powers that you'll still have. How do I know you won't just kill me then? When I'm no longer useful?"

    "You're free to not take it, you know. You'll keep your powers, and there's a chance you won't die horribly or lose your mind. I only said you're probably not a Siren candidate." Lynx's tone shifted as she took a few steps away from Spitfire. "You're free to keep the sword after you've activated the beacon, too."

    Spitfire's eyes narrowed as she contemplated this.

    "I have no reason to kill you, especially with Sentry still alive." Lynx paused, then tilted her head slightly. "You still do want revenge, don't you?"

    Spitfire sighed in defeat. "Fine."

    "Now, hold the blade over the beacon."

    "Yeah, yeah..."

    Spitfire approached the device in the center of the room with the fragment raised, and at this point Flash heard the Hellsoldier grumbling their dismay to his side. 

    "That beacon," Flash asked, turning his attention to the Hellsoldier. "What's it going to do?"

    They only cracked their knuckles in response, backing up considerably before charging straight into the window, throwing their shoulder forward and tossing all of their weight into the glass. In their heavy powered armor, they smashed straight through a window that was likely reinforced and bulletproof, landing with a loud thump that drew both Lynx's and Spitfire's attention immediately. 

    "Sonata, now!" Lynx called out, to where Flash couldn't tell, but from a set of blackened window panels directly across the chamber a huge body came crashing through. A bulky, grey skinned demon with huge muscles and the remains of a Canterlot City police uniform clinging to his body landed on the opposite side of them. The demon of Sergeant Colt would again challenge the Hellsoldier as they entered the scene, and in another observation room with freshly shattered windows, Staccato Sparrowhawk stood with her scoped rifle ready. 

    The sound of frantic gunfire and stomping and smashing filled the chamber, but Flash ducked back behind the portion of the window that hadn't been broken, realising it was only one way. He quickly reconsidered that as bullets began to crack the glass, Sparrowhawk taking blind shots at him. They didn't go all the way through, but even bulletproof glass had its limits. Instead, Flash readied his rocket launcher, leaned into the shattered half of the window, and fired into the opposite observation room while jumping out of his own. 

    The Hellsoldier became the center of attention quickly as they brawled with Colt's demon, their glowing wrist blade colliding with the demon's hardened claws as they traded punches, swipes, and stabs. Spitfire let her machine gun loose on the soldier, but her bullets ultimately did little. When Flash jumped into the action though, rolling towards some bulky machinery as cover after his drop, she immediately snapped to target him.

    "Sentry!" She shouted, hostility present in her voice over the explosion of a rocket in the background. It confused Flash, he wasn't sure what he'd done to deserve her scorn, but there wasn't much use in asking with her shooting at him. 

    Colt's demon caught a fist in the face from the Hellsoldier, then was grappled to the ground. Their wrist blade fully extended, the Hellsoldier made to drive them through, but bullets bouncing off their helmet interrupted them. Silent Lynx was shooting them, they knew that, but they couldn't see her. The Hellsoldier growled to themself. She needed to be made permanently silent. With a wild guess, they swung their blade out and frustratingly hit nothing. 

    Flash quickly stepped between cover positions as Spitfire blasted her machine gun at him, returning fire with his own. The overturned tables and lab machinery were all made of solid metal, bullets bounced off of most of it, but Flash wasn't willing to gamble on how long they'd hold up. His magazine was running empty, and he could only guess that Spitfire's was as well, so he switched to his shotgun and popped out of cover again when he heard a break in her firing. 

    He immediately saw a problem. She too switched weapons, to a shotgun of her own, but hers had a big drum magazine on it and had an automatic firing mode. Flash just barely missed a volley of shotgun pellets streaking past his cover as he let his single shot off to Spitfire's three. She'd ducked behind a tall mechanical assembler of some kind, so Flash took the opportunity to ask a question while they were both concealed.

    "Why are you working with them, Spitfire?" Flash's hurt and confusion came out a bit more pronounced than he meant.

    "I had to, Sentry. I was wrong to think we could do anything to save anyone on our own." Spitfire replied, swinging out from her cover and scanning across for foe. "We were useless! All of us!"

    Flash came up again, taking a shot as Spitfire passed his hiding spot behind a still upright desk. Spitfire stumbled forward as the buckshot struck her, but shots didn't pierce through the armor on her back. He pumped the grip of his weapon again as she turned and fired back, spitting out four more shots from the hip as he dove to his next piece of cover. 

    "But now..." Spitfire continued, looking at the gaps between the machinery Flash dodged into. "Now I have the power to make a difference."

    "The Sirens aren't saving anyone, you realise that, right?"

    "No, Sentry. Humans are an active threat to themselves. We're saving everyone."

    Spitfire turned the corner around the blocky device Flash was hiding behind, surprised to find him coming up from a crouch and throwing his fist into her chin from below. She reeled back, letting her shotgun fall and drawing a pistol from a leg holster, but found Flash doing the same and closing in on her.

    Flash pulled his pistol's trigger, shoving Spitfire's pistol aside with his free hand, but Spitfire mirrored his moves, causing them both to fire off into nothing.

    "They've brainwashed you!"

    "They saved my life! The life you put in danger!" 

    Their wrists crossed and their pistols fired off again, but again neither of them hit the other. Flash reached for Spitfire's wrist again, but she grabbed him at the shoulder and went to press her gun into his stomach. He quickly kneed her ribs and gripped her elbow, bending her arm up to point her pistol away. She twisted, keeping her body from tangling while tangling Flash's arms further, and Flash had to readjust his angle of attack again.  Each of their movements were fast, strong, and calculated, and neither of them fired their weapons, understanding that shooting at the wrong time could disrupt the firer's momentum.

    "It's because of them everything went to hell in the first place!" Flash broke free of another grapple, finally getting a chance to bring his sights up to fire, but Spitfire quickly had her pistol holstered and drew the pitch-black sword she kept on her back. As Flash let off more shots in her direction, Spitfire held the wide bladed weapon out in front of her and the bullets were deflected off it's flat. "Do you really believe in what they're doing?"

    "Do you really believe in Seraph? That humans can stand a chance against these things?" Before Flash could adjust his firing angle Spitfire lunged forward, swinging the sword back over her head and then bringing it down where Flash stood. The blade missed him as he stepped to the side, but it cut straight through the table behind him. The sword wasn't particularly long, not as long as any of the other magical swords Flash had recently seen, but it still made for a threatening close-quarters weapon. "Regular officers might as well not even exist when the odds are that stacked..."

    Flash took more shots, but she was able to shift her blade to deflect them. She wasn't fast like Sunset, she had to stand still and focus while doing it, but it was still an effective way to disable his ranged weapons. His handgun eventually clicked empty, and she was only getting closer.

    "We were useless before, but look at me now! Look at yourself, Sentry! They gave you their virus too..." When she glared at him, Flash could feel her anger. It was so raw, so defeated, she hadn't just been brainwashed, it was apparent that she'd had an entire internal crisis after the Sirens brought her back. She was a vigilant and by-the-books idealist convinced her books were pointless and her vigilance was ill-spent. Flash knew what that felt like, he too had felt this same soul-crushing uselessness after the Sire's Hollow incident. The worst part of it was that he fundamentally hadn't changed as a person, and neither had she. This Spitfire was still the same Spitfire that wanted to act for greater good, but the shattering of everything she believed warped her idea of 'greater good'.

    She came at him again and Flash switched to his knife, holding it in a reverse grip as he angled it against the weaker end of Spitfire's blade. He was still shoved back, but his shorter weapon allowed for quicker recovery as Spitfire followed through with a third attack. 

    "You'd stop this. You'd let the world be at the mercy of those demons." Spitfire kept on Flash as they went back and forth. "You'd let more people die!"

    "I'm trying to save people, Spitfire! Do you not understand that?"

    Flash rolled beneath a swing and moved himself closer to the center of the room. If this was going to be a matter of blades, he wanted as much room as he could to move around. Checking the rest of the room, he saw the Hellsoldier was still tied up with Colt's demon and Silent Lynx, but Sparrowhawk was nowhere in sight. 

    "You're a kid playing hero, Sentry. It's time to grow up!"

    Spitfire's sword struck Flash's knife head on, and though he tried his best to deflect it, the impact was too much for him to handle. He fell onto his back, but before Spitfire could drop the sword onto him the Hellsoldier's purple and grey form blocked his view, their wrist blade crossing with Spitfire's weapon and knocking her back as well. Flash heard Spitfire's shotgun going off as the Hellsoldier advanced on her, and he loaded up his own as he got back to his feet. 

    Though Spitfire's gun did little against the Hellsoldier, Colt's demon charging into them and taking them to the floor definitely hindered them. Colt's claws scraped against the metal of their power armor, and they struggled against the rapid slashes. They struggled, this was the first time Flash had seen them struggle. Flash took aim with his shotgun.

    B-woom!

    The flaming rounds dug into Colt's demon and ignited him, repeated shots sending him into a daze and allowing the Hellsoldier to escape it's grasp. The demon turned its sights toward Flash, but Flash was already spinning his rocket launcher over his shoulder and lining up another shot.

    Shk-FWOOSH!

    The rocket punched halfway through the demon's body as he jumped for Flash, and when it detonated it nearly tore him in half. His body tumbled through the air and landed on the other side of the room in a motionless, bloody mess, just in time for the Hellsoldier to stand back up. 

    "Behind you!" Flash called, unable to ready another weapon as Spitfire struck the Hellsolider in the side of the head with her sword, the glowing black metal biting through their helmet and sending them spinning to the floor as they cradled their head. Flash scrambled for the machine gun dangling from his body, but suddenly felt a precise, searing pain shoot through his back and into his chest. His entire world blinked in black and white.

    Crack!

    Flash had been shot.

    It had to happen sooner or later, right? Nobody can live forever. Everyone makes a fatal mistake eventually, and it seems like Flash just made his. For all of his skill, tenacity, and grit, he was still only human. He'd left his back exposed to Sparrowhawk, neglecting to consider the fact that she was still somewhere in the room. The pain in his chest was sharp, a dull, lingering tingle that stabbed him every time he tried to breathe. In movies, people were always blown away in the direction they'd been hit, but, oddly enough Flash just felt himself come to stop. After what felt like forever, he fell backward, unable to stay upright. 

    "Good shot, Sonata." Lynx spoke somewhere above Flash, turning to address Spitfire. "And good takedown on the Commander. She'd been proving troublesome to deal with..."

    Flash's vision spun, only able to watch as the three converged on the demonic device at the center of the room.

    "Now..." Lynx said, her breathing showing signs of exhaustion from the fight. "Activate the beacon, Spitfire. When Adagio opens the portal, she'll have control of the demons in this facility."

    With reluctance, Spitfire nodded, holding the blade above the device and finding that a beam of light shot up into the ceiling as the sword's magic interacted with it. Slight tears of purple energy began to form up around the beacon, and then a swirling orb emerged above it. It was like a portal, but smaller, the device seemed to contain and control it, as well cast some form of otherworldly signal letting out a radiating pulse of power.

    "Good. Now let's finish these two off..." 

    When Flash raised his head again, he saw Sparrowhawk sticking the barrel of her rifle into the face of the Hellsoldier, who was slumped up against one of the lab tables, and Lynx approaching him with her pistol drawn. Even that subtle head movement took most of his energy, but he felt the sudden urge to move, like all of his muscles were coiling up, building tension with the intent to spring out. 

    His fingers curled up slightly. He was still alive. Along his hands he could see the deep, dark marks of corruption beneath his skin, the demon virus was keeping him from dying. Along with it, little blood came from the newly made hole in him, the same black substance that hardened over his arm taking its place. It made his chest feel heavy, but kept his breaths from becoming shallow. Slowly but surely, the will to move returned to him. He was still alive.

    Lynx got close, but Spitfire objected.

    "I want to do it."

    Lynx shrugged. "Suit yourself."

    She stood over him, raised her sword, but before she could strike the Hellsoldier sprung to life again, shoving Sparrowhawk aside and jumping for Spitfire again. Spitfire spun, slashing the Hellsoldier's helmet and taking them to the ground, but in doing so she gave Flash an opening. 

    Moving made the pain in his chest worse, forcing a cough through his lungs, but he did, reaching into one of his hip pouches and pulling out one of the two healing syringes taken from the weapon storage. Up against his neck it went, and as he injected its contents into himself he gradually felt his strength return. Amidst the confusion of motion he reached for his machine gun and brought it up to meet Spitfire as she turned back to him, pulling the trigger before she could make another move. 

    Only six or seven shots were left in the magazine, but that was more than enough to knock the wind from her sails. Her face seized into a shocked expression as she was given a chest wound to match Flash's, and when Lynx moved in to stop him he sat up, elbowing her and bashing her back with the butt of his weapon. All of his weapons were now empty, so his fist followed up on Silent Lynx as he rose to his feet, bouncing her against the floor and rendering her motionless.

    Staccato Sparrowhawk was next, he had only a few moments to respond to her raising her rifle to take him down. Tilting his shoulder forward he brought out his knife and slashed the barrel of her weapon, then stabbed it forward into a gap in her armor. He caught her in the ribs and drove her back first into the flat side of a machine assembler, pulling out and slicing her cheek as she attempted to jab her taser into him. She went limp and slumped down against the wall, and Flash stepped back, realising he just took down three opponents that were easily stronger than him. 

    Or maybe he was just barely on their level. Maybe they were equals. He didn't have the time to pat himself on the back though, his next concern was the Hellsoldier. They were knelt near the active beacon, their helmet having sustained damage and their hands holding their head in pain. 

    Flash ran to their side, crouching down to see how bad the damage was. Two cuts on either side ripped all the way through their helmet, and blood poured out onto the purple metal. Their breathing was pained and raspy, and they quickly collapsed onto their back.

    "Shit... Hang on, I have something." Flash reached into his hip pouch, he grabbed two healing injectors before leaving the weapons storage area, and was fully willing to give the second one to the person that saved his life on multiple occasions.

    The Hellsoldier rose a balled hand in protest, instead shoving something into Flash's own and backing away. Another injector vial, but this one filled with a green liquid and marked 'antidote'. 

    "The cure. But what about you?"

    The Hellsoldier shook their head. They pointed to the beacon and the orb of energy above it, drew their fingers closed and then quickly opened them, mimicking some kind of violent motion.

    "Blow it up, I get that. But you're bleeding out of your face..." 

    They only pushed him away again. They wanted the beacon destroyed.

    "Okay, I have charges I can set on it." Flash approached the device, attaching all three remote explosives he had to its base and turning back to them with the detonator in hand. "See? Done. Now please, just take the injector. You don't have to sacrifice yourself for me."

    A horrifying, screeching howl would cut them off, and Flash saw the Hellsoldier rising up a third time, shoving him out of the way and taking a hit from a huge, hardened claw. The decimated body of Sergeant Colt's demon still moved, wildly swinging at the Hellsoldier again, knocking their helmet off as they scored another hit on their face. From what Flash could see, the Hellsoldier's wrist blade shot out, stabbed the demon through the chest and then tossed him into the corner.

    Flash then felt himself being lifted up, and heard the sound of the beacon's purple vortex tearing open near the beacon as the Hellsoldier cast their hand at it. That same strong, rough hand pulled the detonator from his grip, and Flash suddenly saw two familiar blue eyes looking into his. They were the same eyes that he'd once seen terrified, the eyes of the last living person he saw during the mission at Sire's Hollow. One had a scar running through it, they were now hardened with both determination and suffering, but they showed the same urgent concern she always had.

    He saw those blue eyes, messy spikes of greying fuschia hair falling around them, Flash was looking into the incredibly maimed face of the Hellsoldier, but to his surprise, he had a name to this face. He knew who he was looking at. This was the face of Commander Tempest Shadow, the impossibly brave woman that led his team at Sire's Hollow, the woman that traded her life to save Flash's without even thinking, who then disappeared kicking and screaming into a demon portal. It was another face Flash never thought he'd see again, yet here she was, she'd been fighting with him all this time. But again, she was the one staying behind. 

    Colt's demon still roared and thrashed behind her, but Flash heard the rumble of an explosion before he closed in. By that point nothing was in his control, he was being thrown through the demon portal, and all of reality was converging to nothing as it closed.

-----

    "So I'm guessing this is the part where you tell my shake has been poisoned, or something?"

    "Ha! It don't taste that bad now, does it?"

    Sunset leaned back against the booth seat, looking down on the emptied plate that once contained a sizable burger and fries, and then at the glass cup from which she was sipping a strawberry milkshake. Despite it all probably not being real, the food Applejack's demon conjured in this space was admittedly pretty good. There were other people here, but they appeared as greyed out figures, Sunset couldn't see any details about them, not even the waitress and server staff. They made for a good atmosphere regardless, as did the TV mounted over the bar area, though Sunset couldn't make any sense of what it was displaying either.

    "Nah, it's good, really. It's just..." Sunset took another idle sip of her shake. The two had enjoyed a meal, several actually, Sunset would go on to make a pile of plates after not eating for an entire day, and they simply talked about how they felt about the circumstances that led them here. There was no fight, it was just open, honest conversation. Entirely unusual for Sunset. 

    "I wasn't expecting any hospitality on the way up here. If I didn't know any better I might say this is all just a drawn out set up to make me fat, happy, and easy to take down. Which..." Sunset finished her shake off, set the glass down, and let her head fall back as she got comfortable in her seat. She rested a hand over her stomach and closed her eyes. "You'd have done a pretty good job of that."

    "Well, now..." Applejack's demon shook her head and chuckled softly. "I know you haven't got a chance to talk, but me and AJ get along pretty well. Not much inner conflict to resolve here. I reckon the others have given you a hard enough time, I ain't lookin' to make things harder on ya."

    "I appreciate that. It sounds like things didn't go as smoothly with Twilight, though."

    "'Fraid not. She's lost it, there's no gettin' through to her."

    "Hey now," Sunset said. "She's still our friend, right?"

    "Friends don't do what she did to us, hon."

    "Yeah, but..." Sunset tried to make some kind of argument, but her words failed her.

    Applejack's demon sighed. "Look, maybe you can talk some sense into her if you see her again, but as far as I'm aware y'all ain't on speaking terms. Nobody's on speaking terms with her anymore."

    Sunset shifted in her seat and sat straight. "It's really like that, huh?"

    Applejack gave only a grim nod. "Only thing she seems to understand is a good ol' fashioned beat down. I don't like it either, but... she's made her bed, and sooner or later she's gonna have to sleep in it. And given how the two of y'all are closer than two shells in a shotgun, I'd say there ain't nobody more qualified to tuck her in than you."

    "I dunno..." Sunset looked down into her empty shake glass. "I don't want to fight her anymore. Not like this. If it wasn't over the fate of the world, maybe, yeah, it'd be fun, but... I don't want to abandon our friendship."

    "Hate to break it to you, but she's already abandoned you."

    Sunset sighed, standing and adjusting her coat. She took her sword from beside her seat and slung it back over her shoulder. She'd failed Flash and Twilight was a lost cause, but the rest of her friends still needed her. "Guess I should focus on saving who I can, huh?"

    "Hey now, I didn't call you here to make you all mopey. But I think that's the right idea. I know you're gonna turn me down, but do you want me to come with you the rest of the way?"

    Sunset shook her head. "Nope. You and your human body are my priorities. Thanks for the food though, and the talk. I think I know what I need to do now."

    "Right, then. I got one more question for ya, 'fore you carry on, something I've been curious about."

    "Yeah?"

    Applejack's demon grinned. "Did Rainbow taste good?" 

-----

    Rain washed over the metal body and rugged clothing of Starlight Glimmer as she passed through the castle's outermost wall. Through its tall, wide gate she ran, but found herself slowing down as she came out into a strangely calm scene. In front of her was a garden of flower covered bushes and neatly kept hedges, with a tile path surrounded by tall, white ash trees, that lead out into an open, grassy area, and beyond that an exit. It was spacious, wide, and peaceful, even in the rain, a stark contrast to the ruined castle behind her. 

    And directly in her path, standing in the grass before a semicircle of high reaching, bristly bushes was another demon hunter in a lavender coat, with long, ponytailed violet hair holding the sheath of a katana sword in her left hand. She was facing away, gazing out at something, and didn't acknowledge Starlight's approach. For a long moment, neither of them said anything. Starlight just waited.

    A gentle breeze swept through the garden, dragging a distinct scent through the air that both demon hunters recognized. 

    Rosemary. It was abundant in this garden, Starlight noticed. The blue, white, and soft lavender petals were peppered against green, needley bushes, the aroma they gave off was unmistakable against the humid, rainy air. At least, it was to the two of them.

    "This is it, then." Twilight Sparkle finally spoke, but kept her gaze forward. "I suppose I couldn't run from fate forever."

    Starlight's eyes narrowed. She wasn't sure if Twilight was directly addressing her, or just musing to herself.

    "Do you remember your initiation into the Order's Knights? You were blessed with rosemary petals."

     Rosemary held great significance to the Order of Light, it was used ornamentally in many of their rituals. They said it repelled demons, helped them to remember their goddess and faith. Starlight relaxed a little, lowering her weapon and slowly pacing across the other end of the grass patch, deciding she'd listen to where her former mentor was going with this. She came for a fight, she wasn't going to leave until she got one, but the shift of tone in the environment made the normally rash cyborg extra thoughtful.

    "Rosemary is said to symbolize remembrance." Twilight said. "And between us there is much to remember."

    Twilight then, at last, turned her head to Starlight, meeting her eyes as an equal for the first time. 

    "You got that right," Starlight replied. "You've got a lot to answer for."

    "I do." Twilight gave a solemn nod and turned to her student, her sheathed weapon held close to her body. "But on whose behalf are you asking, Starlight?"

    A subtle raise of the eyebrow and turning of the lip gave away Starlight's uncertainty.

    "If you're here on behalf of the Order, ask yourself, do you really believe in what the Order upholds? The preservation of power in the hands of those they deem worthy?" Twilight's eyes pierced through Starlight's, she knew that look, she was being looked down upon. But then, they shifted, softened just the tiniest bit. "Anyone less would've gone home, but you followed me here."

    Starlight's eyes closed and her chin fell. No, this was never really about the Order. This was about their history, about their personal feelings, a conflict of morality. This was about a master and her student, a betrayal, and revenge. She shook her head, and spoke firmly to Twilight. Starlight wasn't going to back down, not now.

    "I want to know why you did the things you did, why you changed. I don't care about the Order, or what they think about flowers. You're not the Twilight I remember."

    Twilight frowned, it seemed like she was expecting a different response. What Starlight said seemed to resonate with her, she looked distraught after a moment.

    "When I first met you, you were just as resilient and stubborn as you are now. I guess that's why you stood out to me. You and I are alike in that way." Twilight's eyes darted down. "I offered you mercy because I saw that you had a strong sense of justice, even if you were misguided at the time."

    "What's your point?" Starlight again began to pace, feeling a bit of impatience towards Twilight's rambling. "Do you think that somehow absolves you from what you did? That saving my life somehow makes wasting others okay?"

    Twilight shook her head. "No. We both know it doesn't, you know what's right and what's wrong when you see it, Starlight."

    "And? You're dancing around the question. I want a straight answer."

    A long sigh followed. "I left the Order because I believed they were wrong about everything. I'm sure you know this. They hoard power and knowledge, the means to change the world, but do so little with it. When I learned of Nightmare Moon's return, and saw how indifferent they were about it, I felt compelled to take matters into my own hands." Twilight's eyes came up again, looking almost disappointed, but not with Starlight. There was a tension within her, some confliction that remained unresolved, something that she would only ever let Starlight see. "Because I felt my sense of justice more pertinent than their rules and restrictions."

    Twilight relaxed a little bit. A bitter smile returned to her.

    "Because I put my principle over their protocol." When met with Starlight's nearly bored expression, Twilight continued. "Principle over protocol. Forgive me if I keep harping on about that, but that's really all there is to it, Starlight. It's everything I taught you. It's every action I've taken, everything I believe in. I thought I was doing the right thing, but now I'm staring at the ashes of everything I've burned."

    Starlight's expression changed at this. She didn't feel the same hostility she thought she'd feel. She didn't scowl, she didn't smirk, she only frowned in understanding. Things were starting to come together, and she saw a picture of someone so devoted to what they believed in that they were willing to sacrifice everything now questioning everything they'd done.

    Raising her head and meeting Starlight in her entirety, Twilight spoke with renewed clarity.

    "I am a student of Celestia, inheritor of her power and legacy. But for all my power, after everything that's happened, I'm faced with a question I can't answer."

    She paused, taking a breath that sounded... uncertain. Starlight could see it now. She was afraid.

    "Was I wrong?"

    Her sheath lowered, and her sword hand slowly reached for her weapon's handle in time with Starlight reaching for hers.

    "You, Starlight, are my student, one who follows in my own footsteps, but ever since I left you, you could no longer do that. You followed your own principles, you made your own path. And it's led you to stand in mine."

    In Twilight's eyes Starlight saw clear reservation after her expression straightened out, this was yet another thing Twilight didn't want to do. Yet she was so stubbornly committed, and nothing Starlight could say would make her stand down.

    "Only one of us will leave this place, and the one who does will have proven their principles stronger. I will own my actions, whether I'm right or wrong, and you, no matter why you fight, or who you judge me for, you- my faithful student, my own legacy- will be my answer."

    As Twilight's intensity rose, Starlight drew her chainsaber. Another breeze came through the garden and they were both surrounded by the scent of rosemary once more as they prepared for what would come.

    "Twilight..." 

    In a quick, well practiced motion Twilight had her katana's blade freed from its container. She held it in both hands, its edge nearly invisible as she brought it in line with Starlight, meeting her eyes and finally initiating their duel.

    "Show me what you stand for, Starlight. Face me!"
> 27- The Reflection of Vanity
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Spinning chainsaber teeth crossed with a demonic katana blade beneath the storm blanketing the Everfree Forest. In a garden of rosemary raged a duel between two demon hunters, master and student, a duel that meant everything despite having little effect on the grander scale. The gate to the demon realm was opening wider, a stronger distortion appearing above the castle's main tower as the bright blue and golden lights of the Sisters of Light and Darkness died down, but neither of them would notice that.

    Both Twilight Sparkle and Starlight Glimmer sought conclusion to their troubled and turbulent history, but regardless of who emerged victorious over the other, one would find answer on a blade or bullet, and the other would find answer in the silence that followed. 

    Twilight entered her Demon Reflex at every chance she got, warping around the garden arena as a blur while Starlight struggled to keep track of her. Starlight engaged her own Bullet Reflex when Twilight got close, but didn't press her with it, she wanted to save her power for other techniques if she could. Twilight was fast and overbearing, and as they exchanged sword hits and fired their guns off at each other with nearly even ability, Starlight knew that she couldn't defeat her with sheer force alone. She needed an edge, and lucky for her, she had one.

    Bending her knees and leaning forward, Twilight sheathed her sword momentarily before shooting off across the grass, her sword rocketing from its sheath as she came up into a rising tornado cut, her blade a swirl around her as she attempted to launch Starlight into the air. Kicking off the ground, Starlight evaded the attack, and reached out with her mechanical arm while Twilight was airborne. 

    The teal projection of her Tether Hand shot out and she seized Twilight from afar, reeling her in before she could regain her footing, allowing Starlight to lay into her with a brutal string of spinning slashes of her own. With each cut into Twilight's body, Starlight squeezed the handle of her chainsaber, slicing up her purple coat and the vest she wore beneath it with its spinning razor teeth. At the end of the combo, Starlight brought her sword back for one final hit, engaging her Bullet Reflex to slow time and give her a better window of opportunity.

    Twilight's Demon Reflex went off in kind, and with another impossibly quick draw her katana intercepted the chainsaber at the last possible moment, pushing them into a tight bind that forced time to resume. Starlight wouldn't let it last though, she brought her Tether Hand over her shoulder in a hurtling fist, taking Twilight off guard and knocking her clean off her feet.

    Twilight quickly righted herself and landed in a shallow angled slide, one hand braced on the ground. She returned her sword to its sheath, but then brought it to a half draw in a quick movement, snapping it closed just as Starlight jumped in to attack again. 

    "So slow..."

    The cyborg suddenly halted, finding herself caught in a dozen slashes striking her all at once, and following that she was blown onto her back. Twilight again drew her sword, pointing it towards the fallen Starlight in a gesture of disapproval. 

    "Make these moments count."

    Starlight rose to her feet again as Twilight returned her sword in her calm and focused form. Starlight focused as well, concentrating her power on her metal fist, charging it up as she readied her chainsaber in her other hand. With a dash forward, she met her former mentor in more blade to blade combat, finding that her sword strikes were easily deflected, but was unpredictable with her Tether Hand. With it, she caught Twilight by the coat and pulled her forward while winding up a punch with her metal fist.

    She swung her arm hard and fast, but Twilight narrowly leaned out of the way as she spun out of balance, catching herself just behind Starlight and igniting her katana sword. Starlight twisted her torso and slung her fist out to the side in an attempt to keep on her, but Twilight quickly struck her sword into the metal of Starlight's hand. Finishing her turn around, Starlight swung her chainsaber on the other side, keeping her forearm bound to Twilight's sword, but Twilight whipped her weapon's scabbard down to counter her swing. 

    "Is that all you have, Starlight?" Twilight met Starlight's eyes as they came into their bind.

    "Not even close."

    Beneath her denim jacket, Starlight's body began to light up with teal energy as she summoned more of it to her. A light glimmered behind her eyes and she pushed against Twilight's hold. In turn, Twilight too became enveloped in her own purple energy, but her entire form shifted, her skin faded to a purple shade and her eyes sharped into that of a demon's. Wings sprouted from her back and her clothes merged into her body, to Starlight's absolute surprise, Twilight assumed her demon form.

    Her resolve shook, Starlight had never seen Twilight like this before. She knew she possessed some demonic abilities, but this was beyond anything she'd seen from her. Twilight easily overpowered her in her shock, shoving hard into Starlight and casting her far back onto the tile path leading up to the castle with a single swipe of her sword sheath. Starlight rolled against the stone pathway, scraping herself against it as she struck and bounced against the earth, coming up with rattled, shaken breaths as she made an ungraceful recovery.

    The demon-turned Twilight was now right in front of her, having cleared the considerable distance she'd been thrown in less than a second. Frantically stepping into her Bullet Reflex, Starlight held a just barely manageable defense against Twilight's sword strikes, feeling heat pouring off of the katana now glowing with raw power as it came dangerously close to her body. Charging her own power into her chainsaber, Starlight forced another bind, but this time drawing her revolver in her off hand and snapping off six shots at point blank range.

    Time resumed as the bullets struck Twilight's chest, Starlight surprised herself with her reaction time. Refreshing her revolver's chamber, Starlight powered up her Tether Hand and grabbed at Twilight again, but Twilight sliced the projection in half with her katana before it reached her. A strange recoil flowed back through the broken tether and into Starlight, staggering her while Twilight drew her twin pistols. 

    The two guns began to glow just like her sword, and with a quick wing flap Twilight was suddenly looking down on Starlight from above with both barrels pointed down. A loud, ear-shearing sound ripped out, sounding like twenty chainsabers revving asynchronously. Accompanying it was a pair of energy infused muzzle flashes and a nearly solid stream of bullets being slung in her direction.

    Another burst of Bullet Reflex gave her just enough time to start running, twirling her sword in an attempt to deflect the shots, but there was no way she'd hold against such incredibly rapid fire. The buzzing continued as Twilight kept on target, eventually swooping into a glide and attempting to dive at her. Starlight rolled to the side as Twilight shot past, picking back up into the air with blinding speed. A bright purple streak even trailed behind her as she began to circle around into another pass.

    With several moments to prepare, Starlight drew up her power, focusing all available energy to her arm as possible, loading up six firework rounds and fully charging her revolver before taking aim. She was back out in the center of the grassy rosemary garden, there wouldn't be anywhere to hide when Twilight was back in line with her, so she began snapping off shots as soon as Twilight was in her sights. Still, she came in, pushing through the exploding, multicolored streaks and smoke in the dark sky surrounding her, each shot only slowing her minimally. Even with her aim disrupted she still had more than enough velocity to take Starlight down.

    But as she neared, right before she made contact, she saw Starlight's great projected hand shooting out into her, overcharged and crackling with power, and closing around her completely. Starlight then grappled Twilight with her entire body as she was tethered, and heaving with all of her might the cyborg caught the charging demon's momentum in full. 

    "You'll have to try harder than that!"

    Kicking off the ground, Starlight jumped backwards and twisted her core, driving Twilight straight down with everything she had. At Starlight's direction, Twilight was slammed face first into the ground, blowing her out of her demon form and causing a spiralling rush of energy to burn the grass beneath her. A shockwave followed that blasted through the surrounding scenery, sending petals up into the air around them. 

    Reverted back to her human form, Twilight completed her tumble and rolled onto her hands and knees. Starlight ended up on the ground as well, but in a far more controlled way, she was able to come up to a kneel much more readily.

    "You ready to call it quits yet?" Starlight growled between rapid breaths. 

    "Not... yet..." Rising, Twilight quickly brought her katana back out, deflecting an incoming sword swing from Starlight, then cutting down her Tether Fist again. 

   When Starlight stumbled back this time Twilight stepped right into her, driving her katana straight into her former student's chest, the glowing blade puncturing her metal body all the way through. 

    "Not until you show me all of your strength."

    A metal fist promptly shot out and smashed into Twilight's face, breaking her grip on the sword and allowing Starlight to react. Pain was the first thing Starlight felt as she was impaled, but as she gripped the handle of the katana she felt her body absorbing the magical energy within it. It was just enough of a boost to keep her up as she yanked it out and shoved it right back into Twilight.

    "You first!"

    Now each with a fresh sword wound, the two of them staggered away from each other. Dropping to a kneel again, Starlight recovered her dropped chainsaber while Twilight yanked her sword from herself, flicking her blood off of it and staring her opponent down as she healed through the damage. Starlight's power cells had been recharged from the stab, and the excess energy healed up her insides despite the hole in her.

    "Throwing yourself at me so recklessly..." Twilight shook her head. "You don't even know what you're fighting for, do you?"

    Starlight's expression was intense, tired, not showing signs of giving yet, but her eyes shifted with some kind of sudden understanding as she thought about the question. Here she was, holding her own against the person that taught her everything, that gave her everything and then pulled it all out from under her. 

    "No, Twilight, I do."

    They circled around each other for a moment as they rose but they were soon back to meet each other in rough, gritty combat. Starlight didn't fight with the same precision or fluid movements that Twilight did, she let her balance shift in and out, she attacked with bold strokes that often overexposed herself, and simply fought through the damage if she made a mistake. In return, she found herself pushing Twilight onto her back foot, and for every hit she took she could land one right back. 

    "I'm fighting for the people you walked away from!" Starlight's blade locked in with Twilight's, but almost like routine she brought her Tether Fist up to break the bind. Twilight cut away and aimed to slice it down, but it faded out just before impact, and Twilight caught Starlight's metal fist on her forehead instead. An easy fake-out, but Starlight had to follow up quickly. 

    "For our family! Our friends!" She buzzed Twilight with three quick chainsaber swings, but Twilight raised her katana sheath to deflect a fourth. A fifth strike, and Twilight brought her katana into a parry that cut through her hand, and Starlight dropped her own sword as her hand reflexively opened. No matter, Starlight pressed in with her mechanical fist glowing brightly. 

    "Everyone you'd put in harm's way!" Starlight's mind was on Trixie, on Sunburst, everyone back at the Order, her family and friends back in her hometown. Even Sunset and Flash, who backed her up, even if briefly, and had been friends with Twilight for longer. She told herself that this was about revenge, or that she had to prove that she was strong enough, or that she wanted answers, but this was what was on her mind as she fought with everything she had. This was what she thought about as her glimmering metal forearm gripped a sparkling katana blade, when she slammed her bleeding, fleshy fist into Twilight's jaw. The people that cared about her, the people she cared about.

    Starlight's Tether Hand shot out again just as her metal fist met the base of Twilight's blade at full force, she held Twilight still and launched her katana from her hand with a solid punch.

    "The people you don't care about anymore..." Starlight drew her revolver, but before she could fire Twilight was batting it out of the way with both of her pistols drawn. In fact, Twilight's response was so swift she knocked the gun up into the air before Starlight could get a solid grip on it, but the cyborg was not deterred. She stayed close and punched right into Twilight's guard, not giving her any space to shoot or punch back. 

    With Twilight recoiling, Starlight caught her revolver along the barrel just in time to whip it's handle into the side of her mentor's head, leaving her open yet again. One more hit, a charged up punch from her Tether Hand and Twilight was sent straight to the ground, sending another vast swirl of rosemary petals up into the air around her. 

    "And for myself." Starlight tossed her revolver up, flipping over and catching it by the handle. "But you don't care about me anymore either, so I guess I'm already covered."

    Sitting up from being knocked on her back, Twilight gave nothing in response but a tired glare. She wasn't ready to yield, but she looked at Starlight differently after hearing this declaration of care for others. It was like she was remembering something, she held a look of subdued surprise. The only thing Starlight knew for sure was that her reserved look was crumbling, that she was trying to refrain from feeling something but failing.

    "If you believe that strongly in what you fight for..." Twilight said, her purple aura forming about her again. Starlight kept her revolver aimed in line with her as her own body lit up with teal, now knowing that Twilight's demon form was coming.

    "Then fight!"

    Starlight's body reached peak power and her revolver flashed as it let out a glowing super shot, but Twilight dodged with instantaneous speed, reappearing next to her sword and deflecting the rest of Starlight's shots off it as she swiveled to track her. Right after, Twilight erupted back into her demon form, but Starlight fired one last shot, a shot she'd withheld from firing to bait out Twilight's transformation.

    Sliding into her Bullet Reflex, Starlight looked at Twilight's paled purple skin, her raging eyes, seeing another strangely expressive look in her face. She still looked as if she was trying to hold some emotion back, but had long since failed. With her weapon at full power, Starlight pulled the trigger. The round travelled quickly through slowed time and Twilight sped up to meet the bullet with her blade. 

    In this time, Starlight was sweeping her heel back, flipping her chainsaber off the ground and to her while revving it up, letting her Reflex end as she kept drawing power into her body. She needed to channel more power, as much as she could.

    If Twilight wanted all of her strength, she was going to get it. Bypassing the limiter Sunburst installed in her after the first encounter with Nightmare Moon, the one measure that kept her from burning out and crashing, she pulled energy from all available power cells. Her teal glow surged through her entire body, all of her frame lit up like a shining star and a resilient light glimmered brightly behind her eyes. 

    And with everything she had, she charged at Twilight.
 
    The two supercharged warriors clashed once more time in the center of the garden, bringing time to a halt as they expended all manner of attacks from sword and gun and wing and fist, becoming their own violent storm amongst frozen raindrops. With this much power flowing through her, Starlight's Bullet Reflex was fully optimized, she didn't even have to think to keep it up. She was matching Twilight step for step, swing for swing, and shot for shot, and for once in her life, she felt like she was truly fighting with reason. This fight was the most important fight of her life.

    This fight was where it would all end. One of them had to give out, only one of them could walk away. Their answer was so close.

    In a single frame of motion Starlight had leapt high into the air and had her blade fully charged and spinning, preparing to drop it down on a Twilight who had her sword in its sheath. 

    Starlight dropped, but found herself coming to a grinding halt as Twilight drew her sword halfway. She shook her head disappointedly.

    "You're not enough."

    She snapped her sword sheath shut, and Starlight was again blasted back by dozens of instantaneous cuts, but before she could be launched back all the way she caught a dozen more, and then a dozen more again, Twilight repeating the resheathing motion. She then finished with a full draw, shooting a thin beam of energy from her blade right into the falling Starlight.

    When this last beam hit, Starlight was frozen in the air like the rain around her, and had no way to stop a hundred more slashes from mercilessly ripping at her body. She held onto her strength though, her resolve, and willed herself to land on her feet. Twilight was preparing another attack, building up power in her sheathed sword and creating a ring of her purple energy at her feet. It was another one of her space-cutting strikes.

    She had one last shot at this. Starlight ran forward, venting more energy to propel herself as she closed in on Twilight. In the moment before she made her ultimate decisive cut, Starlight focused even more of her overwhelming power on her Tether Fist, so much that both the projected hand and her metal one sparked violently as she moved. Her natural arm was held at full length, her finger and thumb giving her a sight picture on her demonic target.

    Starlight came closer, and closer, and closer, and then threw her fist with everything she had.

    "You're..."

    Twilight's katana came to a half draw.

    Starlight's Tether Fist rocketed forward.

    "...Finished!"

    The space around them went pitch black for a fraction of a sluggish second, and then reality fell grey and glassy as time not just slowed, but seemed to cease entirely.  

    Starlight heard the click of Twilight's katana.

    Twilight heard the distinct hum of Starlight's mechanical fist.

    Neither had time to move.

    A hundred thousand slices then burst out around the two of them, a hundred thousand blinding white lines that filled all available space, but meeting each one was a teal-tinged burst of power, a rebellious display of strength that neither of them were expecting.  For every thousand cuts Twilight made, Starlight threw a thousand punches, creating a huge blast wave with the two of them at the center. 

    Time resumed, and flowers again surrounded them as they both were knocked away from each other. Twilight, having spent all of her energy for that attack, reverted back to her human form, fully surprised to see her student match her ultimate technique. Like herself, though, Starlight's attack took most of her power, and she too reverted out of her supercharged, glowing state. 

    Twilight still had just a little bit of strength left though, and with it she made to finish off her disciple. 

    Starlight was dazed, having used up so much energy in so little time, she nearly didn't respond to her mentor's final approach. She swung her chainsaber, but that was more as a sloppy response, and it was quickly beaten out of her hand again as Twilight stabbed her katana forward. Reengaging her limiter, Starlight used her metal hand to catch the blade, stopping it just inches away from piercing her.

    Even in her human form, Twilight's distress showed through her face. She looked nearly horrified at Starlight's ability to resist her, but still held onto her determination.

    "You're... You're the one who doesn't know what she's fighting for, aren't you?" Starlight's chest felt heavy as she drew breath, but she continued to do so despite being at her absolute limit. "You don't even have anything left to fight for..."

    "I'm fighting for the future..." Twilight breathed, pushing harder against Starlight's defense. She too was almost fully worn out. "So we can live in a world free of a demon threat. So we can live, period!"

    "Bullshit!" Starlight began to force Twilight back, gaining a little more breathing room through the struggling of her entire body. "You watched the world end and you chose to run away!"

    Her mentor's face twisted up in anger to that remark. "I had no choice!"

    The two struggled further, each growing weaker with every moment.

    "The difference between you and me..." Starlight was gasping through pained breaths now, pushing every inch of herself to keep fighting. "Is that I'll die... for what I believe in... Because I have friends that are worth fighting for..."

    "I'm fighting... for them... too!" Twilight managed.

    "Shut... up!" Starlight pushed back, leaving Twilight with only a furious glare. "Shut... the entire hell... up!"

    Starlight's mouth went dry, and she tried to swallow, but it hurt, and when it hurt her grip slipped. Screw it. Starlight drew up enough power to summon a Tether Fist, and she swung openly at Twilight just as her fingers failed. 

    "You'd just let your friends suffer!" Starlight shouted. Twilight had to cut down the projected fist, and Starlight pivoted back and threw a low punch into Twilight's stomach. "So you don't have to feel as weak as you actually are..."

    Twilight reeled forward, and Starlight scooped her up in her Tether Hand, dangling her in front of her for a moment as she looked into her eyes.

    "Killing me won't solve your problem!" Clenching her teeth, Starlight shook her head with a loud disappointment painted across her face. "Cause your problem is that you're a spineless coward!"

    Tethered still, Twilight was struck by Starlight's metal arm again, and again, until she finally swiped her sword at the projected fingers around her. When her Tether Hand broke, Starlight staggered back, her power sparking from her body as she was put into a stunned daze, but Twilight too was stunned. Starlight could clearly see Twilight's expression now, she knew what she was being told was true, and couldn't do anything but stare that truth in the face. 

    "Do you..." Twilight began weakly, watching Starlight attempt to clear her head. "Do you have the strength to kill me, then?"

    Starlight didn't have much strength for anything at this point. Things were spinning, she was completely and utterly exhausted. Her legs gave, and she placed a hand to the ground as she dropped to a knee.

    "Are you..." Starlight took another moment to just breathe. "Are you admitting you're wrong?"

    "If I am, then kill me." Twilight's head fell, but she still stood. She slowly walked towards Starlight, her arm extending to ready a strike with her katana. Starlight shut her eyes, mind scrambling to think of what she could do to defend herself.

    "If I am, then it's what I deserve."

    Twilight raised her sword.

    "But if not, then you'll die here."

    Starlight looked up and prepared to make a move. She didn't know what she'd do, but she needed to wait until Twilight committed to her swing.

    "Either way, this ends now."

    A sharp, shrieking whistle cut her off.

    A red hot blade shot in from seemingly nowhere and speared Twilight through the back, replacing any emotion on her face with instant pain. She spun, knocking two more incoming blades away with her sword before pulling out the one stuck in her. She was stunned, confused, but was only made more so when she looked in the direction they'd come from.

    Starlight heard a heavy metallic thump land somewhere behind Twilight, off in the direction of the castle's entrance. Similar metallic footsteps following were the all that was audible over the falling raindrops and her own weak breathing, but then she heard a familiar voice, a familiar, synthesized voice...

    "Twilight! Stop!"

    Starlight weakly lifted her head, she needed to confirm what she'd heard. Indeed, there he was.

    There, Starlight saw the wolflike shape of a purple plated CANIS mech, with two red eyes glowing through the humid darkness and a long, sharp blade affixed to his tail. The mech had heavy damage on one side of his face, but nonetheless stood definitely against Twilight. There was no way...

    A broken, almost teary breath crossed Twilight's lips.

    "Spike..."

    Twilight's voice tensed with angered confusion and genuine hurt that she was far too tired to mask. "Spike, what are you..."

    "I'm doing what needs to be done, Twilight!"

    "Power down, Spike." Twilight spoke with a dangerous, desperate anger in her voice. "That's an order."

    "Negative. That would go against my primary directive."

    Twilight took her sword so tightly that it began to tremble in her grip. "Explain. Yourself."

    "The last thing I did before I lost power was send out a distress signal." Spike said, a strange resentment in his voice, he too sounded very much unlike how Starlight knew him to be. "Sunburst and Trixie eventually found me, and he did what he could to bring me back online."

    Twilight's shaking softened as she was stunned by an uncontrollable flood of emotions. Her volume dropped, her tone weakened considerably.  "Spike..."

    "You knew I couldn't beat Starlight. She did considerable damage to my personality core when she destroyed me." Spike prowled forward slowly as he spoke, full hostility directed towards Twilight. "Sunburst had to activate my emergency self-repair functions, and when he did, when I came back online... I was given a choice. My memory was intact, but my base directives were corrupted. I was given the choice to reconstruct my directives based on pre-existing protocols..."

    Starlight gently righted herself, trying to get back to her feet as Spike explained his actions with an almost pleading tone.

    "...But I'm smarter than that. You created me, Twilight, programmed me to serve you. But you also raised me, taught me to know right from wrong, outside of rigid programming. From the beginning you showed me how rules can destroy intention, how breaking rules can save lives."

    Through thoroughly exhausted breaths, Starlight gave a bitter grin. She saw what he was getting at. "She taught you principle, didn't she?"

    Spike nodded.

    "You taught me that the people we care about are worth fighting for, even if they're the ones we fight against."

    Spike stood tall against Twilight's aggressive stance, defiantly meeting her eyes with meaningful intent.

    "So in that moment, I chose my principle over my protocol."

    Twilight's stance shifted again, losing some of its tension as she let out a breath.

    "My primary directive is still to help you, you and all of the people I care about, but you no longer have direct control of me."

    When Twilight spoke, her tone had gone back to normal, she seemed to have a bit more control of herself. "If you've gone rogue... Spike, I have no choice but to destroy you."

    "You've gone rogue, Twilight!" Spike snapped, lowering his head closer to the ground as he assumed a combat ready stance. His response was even more emotional than Twilight's, sounding to be as on the verge of tears that a machine could be. "You've abandoned everything you used to believe in and it's gotten you nowhere! I love you, Twilight! You're family, my family, and I can't stand to watch you do this to yourself. So you're getting my help, whether you like it or not!"

    Spike's tail blade flicked up, and the lightning cannon mounted within his frame deployed from his back. It began to charge up, and Twilight gave one final warning.

    "Don't make me do this, Spike... Stand down, recognize me as your master!" Twilight tilted her blade just so, and one last time, her voice fell. "...Please, Spike."

    "No." The lights behind Spike's eyes flashed his own warning. "I'm my own master now!"

-----

    Sunset stepped through the shadowy veil at the top of the tower's next floor. There was only one of her friends left to deal with, and presumably there'd only be floors of generic-brand bad guys the rest of the way up. Or maybe there were only five floors and she'd be meeting the cheeto head lady right after. Sunset kept note that either was an option, but decided to keep her focus on the present, which...

    Presently, she was in a dark void. Strange. Did she not go through the veil all the way? Did she take a wrong turn somewhere? She felt floor at her feet, and the air felt chilled, but she didn't actually appear to be anywhere. She kept walking, unsure of where to go, but after another half minute she stopped. Her footsteps were echoing off something, it sounded like she was somewhere wide and open. It was difficult to make out anything, she couldn't even see her hands in front of her. 

    But then, she suddenly sensed quick movement on both sides.

    She flipped out of the way, just barely dodging two thin projectiles from an unseen source. One grazed her cheek, and she felt cool metal pass by her. The moment she hit her feet she heard more shooting out, at least eight coming at her this time. More fast, evasive flips and spins, her graceful movements coming out in an astounding and impressive fashion. It was a shame that the lights were off and nobody was there to see her.

    But suddenly, they were.

    Two rows of powerful, focused lights came on with a single resounding, heavy click, putting much needed light on the empty area. It wasn't empty though, as Sunset's eyes adjusted she could see she was standing on a polished floor, and more things came into focus she could see a faceless crowd in dimmed seating before her. 

    She was on a stage, looking out into an audience, but the spotlight was not on her. Past the vast, red curtains in front of her, further up the stage, a tall, pale skinned demon with luminous purple hair and a beautiful midnight dress stood, gazing into a hand mirror with a long, purple rose tucked behind her ear. Rarity's demon.

    "Darling..." In a low, drawn out tone, vindictive yet careful, she spoke.

    "I can only assume that you've come...
    To see the beauty and power 
    of one far superior to yourself."

    Her head suddenly snapped back from the mirror and directly over her shoulder to Sunset, as she spoke with an exaggerated danger.

    "Or did you come to steal it?"

    The light on the demon dimmed, and Sunset suddenly found it centering on her. No details of the audience members had visible features, but yet Sunset could tell they were watching with both interest and excitement. The atmosphere was very strange, but with the spotlight on her and everyone else waiting patiently for her to respond, she knew what had to be done.

    A smile on her face, Sunset rose her head to the crowd and matched Rarity's dramatic tone.

    "Beauty and power, 
    Beauty and power...
    I fail to see why they're held in such high regard."

    Sunset paced forward a few steps, scoffing and turning her head to the audience. She threw up a hand as if to reach for something, then pulled it back as she gave a wholeheartedly overblown reply.

    "Have you truly reached the end of your sanity!?"

    The light from Sunset faded, and Rarity's demon came into view again. She was now staring intently into her mirror, lost in her own reflection as she continued this unusual exchange.

    "It is not by my hand that I possess such...
    Immaculate features. They were given,
    By a human that understands her own worth."

    Looking up from the mirror again, she dropped her eyelids the slightest bit, but shot Sunset a hugely pronounced scowl.

    "It takes a split from the self to comprehend one's inner perfection.
    A trait you doth mock. in. envy."

    The light went back to Sunset, and she gave her reply with a forward lean and a point.

    "But your perfections interest me not.
    You've betrayed your humanity,
    And cling tightly to the material!"

    Back to Rarity, who acted out her responses with emphasized disgust. 

    "Humans are but weak and foolish!
    The same can befall all virtue...
    As all virtue will inevitably turn to vice!"

    Sunset then jumped forward, the spotlight following her as she landed in a roll before Rarity and faced the crowd. She held her arms out, making wide gestures as she went on to proclaim her intent.

    "But I am here!
    To restore 
    What has been so easily lost
    Within your soul!"

    Spinning, she pointed to Rarity's demon, who was backed up to the edge of the spotlight. Her chin was raised, her slitted, demonic eyes alive with anger that, by all accounts, looked perfectly real. With her gaze burning away at Sunset, Rarity's demon tossed her hand mirror onto the ground, shattering it to pieces as she gave her scathing retort. 

    "What is a soul?
    A miserable little pile of weakness.
    But enough of this-"
    
In her empty hand, she materialized her long, weaponized sewing needle, sweeping it across and then pointing it Sunset.

"Harmony!
That is what you seek!
But instead, I wait 
In your path!"

    A grin on her face and fully enjoying herself at this point, Sunset dropped a kneel as she turned to the audience again.

    "Ha! You will fumble 
    In opposition 
    To my friendship!"

    Then, in a quick motion, she drew both of her pistols and fired them into the lights above. Nothing shattered, but the entire stage went dark as the gunshots rang out.

    When the spotlight came back, it was over Sunset, who now stood near the back of the stage on a raised platform, above Rarity with the same collected smile.

    "Though I encourage! 
    For an opportunity to battle
    A monster, as green-eyed
    As you..."

    With a bow, she gently beckoned for the demon to engage.

    "Would be a most generous rarity."

    Immediately after, the entire stage lit up, and Sunset began to hear music play from somewhere. It started with a drumbeat, a simple bassline on a dance piano, but then evolved into something fast paced as a dance piano took a lead part and both a bass and electric guitar joined in...

    Sunset jumped down from the platform, drawing her sword as Rarity summoned a formation of oversized sewing pins. As Sunset approached she fired them off in time with the music's beat, and matching the set rhythm Sunset weaved around them with ease. 

    Sliding into striking range, Sunset drove the tip of her claymore towards Rarity's demon. The demon turned outwards, her body facing the crowd, and met Sunset's blade with the point of her giant sewing needle, leaning into her movement and deflecting the blade away. Then stepping into a spin, Rarity cut across and struck Sunset in the back with her needle, not cutting her, but knocking her momentarily off balance. 

    She rolled with the hit, coming up with her back to the crowd. Sunset could hear a collective tense gasp from them as she precariously caught her balance on the end of her toes, but she briefly flashed them a smile over her shoulder. Rarity brought another set up pins up, but before she could fire them Sunset waltzed right in to strike, keeping each swipe, jab, and step in time with the music. Things were really picking up, and Rarity combined her needle's attacks with shots from her pins, but Sunset swiftly followed her movements. Still letting the demon take lead, she made wider, more dramatic swings, held more exciting poses, and kept herself in line with the audience's vision. 

    It wasn't a real fight, no, it was a fight to keep the audience, and by extension Rarity's demon, sufficiently entertained.

    Their weapons pressed together, and the demon gave a malicious grin to Sunset's cocky smile.

    "Oh, my..." The demon said. "Are you trying to upstage me? During my own show?"

    "Ah, excuse me. If you insist~" Sunset shifted her sword, allowing Rarity's needle to throw it up out of her hand as she spun away from her. Sunset then drew her guns out close to her sides and fired them at hip level, taking out six incoming sewing pins in quick succession, then shooting her sword's blade as it spun in mid-air.

    A bullet hit the back of the blade and it reversed direction, spinning down to drop on Rarity's demon at a rate even with the music's drums. 

    The demon brought her weapon up at an angle and easily bounced Sunset's off of it, but Sunset swept in with both pistols holstered and swiped the purple rose from Rarity's hair, twirling behind her and catching her sword in one hand.

    "Yes, I believe you are..." The demon's face mirrored Sunset's challenging grin, watching as the demon hunter put the flower through a button hole in the lapel of her coat. "Do you really think a simple rose could make you any semblance of fashionable?"

    "Would a Rarity with any other rose be less fashionable?"

    Sunset kept this up with Rarity's demon, battling her back and forth across the stage with her sword, adding in trickshots from her pistols to match the explosive pins she cast.

    "Don't think I've forgotten your past transgressions, dear!" Rarity said, tossing one of her pins directly into the ground behind Sunset, then making a long thrust with her needle to drive her back into it. "Surely, you recall insulting my divine creations? My entire sense of fashion?"

    Sunset flipped over the needle, letting it go off with much more space between them. 

    "Ah, you're still angry about that, are you?" Sunset held a close guard as the music softened, going into a bridge with only the piano and drums playing. "Perhaps I have misjudged you, clearly you know how to put on a show!"

    "It's too late for that," Rarity's demon declared, but withheld just the slightest bit of realism from her words. "You've stung my pride, and for that, you'll feel my wrath!"

    "You shan't touch me!" Sunset replied with a laugh, before putting her sword away and holding both arms open for Rarity to strike. The crowd let out oohs of excitement, and as the music picked back up into a back and forth solo between the guitar and piano Sunset and Rarity became a dancing tornado upon the stage, small pops of sewing pins going off everywhere and needle strikes hitting the air as the demon tried her best to pin the demon hunter down. 

    The crowd drew tense, gasping in awe as Sunset's claim proved true. With a final flip she landed downstage just before the edge, and gave both Rarity and her audience a warm smile.

    "But now that I've had a closer look..." Sunset began, "I admit, that is a gorgeous dress, and it suits you very well!"

    "You lie!"

    "Perhaps I can convince you, then!"

    The song's chorus came in, and Sunset was right back to Rarity, but she didn't do so to attack. 

    "The color, that oh-so intricate spiraling diamond design..."

    Though she continued to swing her needle and throw her pins, Sunset was doing something else, she was simply dancing around her in a circle, allowing the demon to take center stage and be in focus of the action.

    "It flows with your movements, both practical and eye catching..."

    To the rhythm of the song Sunset just dodged and twirled about the needle, and when pins came in, she caught them and tossed them up the stage towards the back wall, before they had a chance to detonate.

    "The way it frames your chest, brings in your waist, shows off your shoulders..."

    This continued up until the final bars of the song, at which Sunset then took Rarity's wrist, disarmed her of her sewing needle, and tossed it at the wall as well. Only then did she point to the back wall, directing a spotlight onto it, and revealed that all of the thrown pins were arranged in a perfect heart shape that took up the wall's entirety. 

    "I love it!" 

    With a spotlight still on the two of them, Sunset took both of Rarity's hands and spun her about, pulling her into a playful little dance as the song closed out.

    "But something's missing, isn't there? Something subtle, just a little something special..."

    Then, when it finished, Sunset had Rarity held low, leaned over her with a contented smile. Rarity's demon looked at the heart Sunset had made from her pins, and back then to Sunset expectantly. To finish their dance, the demon hunter gently pulled the rose from her coat and tucked it back behind the demon's ear.

    "There. Perfect."

    In a huge climactic finish, the sewing pins all subsequently detonated, two by two, running down the sides of the heart formation until the gesture of admiration was carved into the smooth stone surface for all onlookers to see. 

    The crowd cheered, giving a huge standing applause and as Sunset held Rarity there, allowing her to bask in the attention, the demon showed slight confusion.

    "Perhaps your coat is quite fitting of you as well," The demon said, in a stunned contemplation. "Very stylish, as you say..."

    "Thanks. Having fun?" Sunset asked.

    "Why... why did you play along with me?" She cautiously asked. "You didn't have to do any of that."

    "Maybe I wanted to make it up to you after what happened back at the boutique." Sunset replied, bringing the demon back up and allowing her to stand. "Human Rarity is in trouble, I need your help to save her."

    "Need, my help?" The demon blinked. Such candidness felt strange to her. "Do... do you want my magic?"

    "No, no. I want you to go back to her and keep her safe once I rescue her."

    "What do you have to gain from that?"

    "Uh, my friend has a better chance of surviving?" Sunset tilted her head. "Don't you want to go back to her?"

    "That lady, that took the rest of your- our..." With her walls down, Rarity's demon had this persistent uncertainness about her. "Our friends, she said that I should stay here, and just enjoy... endless attention."

    "I mean, you could, but do you really want that?" Sunset asked. "None of this is real. You've got, y'know, real people that appreciate you elsewhere."

    "What are you trying to accomplish? Don't you kill demons for a living?"

    "Only ones that are causing problems. You're my friend."

    A hand raised to her chest at that. "Am I? The human is the one you're friends with."

     Sunset gave a quizzical look. "Are you not a part of her mind?"

    "Well, yes, but, I usually stay... buried. She's quite afraid of me." Rarity's demon looked a bit sad to say this, but then her tone became casual again. "I probably intimidate her, my magnificence is immense, after all."

    "That's why you take hold of her so violently."

    "Right. She'll fight me... But I do need her to survive. I'm a very important part of her, you know, I like to think she would be worse off if not for me."

    "That certainly is a way to put it." Sunset said. She turned from Rarity, giving one last slick smile as she turned to the audience. "Go on then, if not for me, for her. For yourself."

    Rarity's demon smiled back. "Perhaps I will try a more... amiable approach with her in the future. Thank you, Sunset."

    Sunset only made another dramatic motion with her hands.

    "Now... You are set free!"

    Again, the crowd gave applause, and Rarity's demon dissolved into a white energy, taking her sewing needle with her and leaving Sunset alone on the stage. The crowd too dissipated, and once more Sunset drew a pistol and pointed it towards the ceiling with her stance wide and her other arm low.

    "And that, my friends...
    Is all she wrote."

    She pulled the trigger, and all of the lights cut to black.
> 28- The Fallen Angel
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

    In the clouded, stormy sky above a castle in the Everfree Forest, the blood of two sisters was shed in a drizzling, relentless rain and resounding lightning. Here at the storm's centerpoint was the worst of the weather, concentrated around this particular point while the surrounding areas grew more calm. It was as if all of hell itself was descending from these clouds, which it absolutely was. Above them, the portal to the demon realm was tearing open, spurred on by a beam of light shooting up from the tower, but neither could hope to stop it with the other at their throat.

    And here, the boundless combat experience of two ancient protectors of the world were unleashed upon each other in both the physical and the arcane to settle the fate of the world. They clashed again and again, pierced each other with bullets, bloodied each other with their divine strength, burned and melted each other's flesh with magical fire and light. But as the portal continued to open and the storm grew greater, the two sisters would only grow stronger in equal measures. 

    "Luna! Please stop this!" The Sister of Light pleaded, her wings beating frantically to keep herself afloat in the maelstrom.

    The Sister of Darkness winced, showing hesitation for only a second before shooting across the sky at her sister. She was still not in control of her own mind.

    Shaking her head disappointedly, The Sister of Light had no choice but to continue fighting. She didn't want to hurt someone she loved so much, but at this point she was getting numb to the hesitation.

-----

    The portal closed behind Flash Sentry, and he fell out onto his side in a calm, quiet area. There were no demons here, he was at the center of three curved bookcases, creating a circle around him with spaces between to pass through. From the ceiling, a chandelier burned with a magical light, bathing the room in a soft yellow glow. The room he found himself in was round, with more curved bookshelves ringing around the center until they pressed against the wall. Hearing the faint sound of rain on a roof from above him, he realised that he must be in the castle's tower, close to the top.

    Going to check his inventory, he realised he was grasping something very tightly, the vial that Tempest had given him before throwing him through the portal. The cure for the demon virus. The virus that was now pulsing through his veins, making distinct black marks beneath his skin, and causing it to turn a pale orange. He hadn't noticed it before, how much his body changed, but just thinking about it made his neck throb uncomfortably, like his own blood was consciously plotting to betray him. 

    Here it was, the cure. He had to use it, he had to kill the virus before it killed him.

    But if he did that, would he be strong enough to take on Adagio? He felt faster, stronger, and though not right away, his wounds still healed themselves. Was it not this power that got him here? Would he not have died sooner? 

    But if he didn't, what would become of him? Even if he did defeat Adagio and managed to somehow seal the demon world away, would he become like her? Worse? What if he was too late? How late even was too late?

    No. He wasn't going to risk it, not with this much at stake. Holding the injector level with his neck, he pressed it firmly into his throbbing vein and shot the cure's green liquid into himself. It hurt, and he gasped, collapsing as he felt his blood burn. Pain behind his eyes brought them to a water and him to his knees in an instant, but as he gripped his head in an effort to keep it from falling off he saw that his palms were beginning to shift. Over the course of a minute, his skin returned to a livelier shade, the deep, dark marks beneath it faded to a grey color, and with time, his senses began to even out. 

    Taking a deep breath, he felt pain in his chest, but not from within it. The skin felt tender, soft, like it'd been torn open and closed back up... like he'd been shot. He had been shot, and he'd used the healing injector to fix that. But now... he could feel it. He felt more pain in his arms, his shoulders, his stomach, his legs. It was residual, fading, but he still felt the damage inflicted on him.

    He smiled to himself, if tiredly. The virus was gone. If he died today, it wouldn't be as a demon.

    It was time for an inventory check, then. He still had all of his weapons and enough ammo, he supposed. He only had three magazines for his machine gun after reloading, he would've preferred having a few more. Though, having less weight on him might prove useful. There were also grenades of various types, but his spare healing syringe was missing. That wasn't good, he must've dropped it before crossing the portal. Still secure on his back was his rocket launcher, a weapon that he really hadn't had a chance to inspect closely.

    Unlike any weapon he'd ever seen, the launcher was a long tube with a blocky back end, with a handle designed to be gripped from an over-the-shoulder position. It had some sort of rotating mechanism in it that presumably chambered rockets automatically, but where it was loaded from, Flash couldn't see. There were ports along the back end that might be loading areas, and also a slide on the top that allowed access to the barrel, but they both seemed like awfully impractical spots to load a rocket into.

    Heavily on Flash's mind was the fact that he hadn't loaded it at all since he got it. He'd fired it a considerable number of times and not once did it fail to fire, but its operation was inexplicable. It had no detachable magazine from what he could see, just a slightly exposed bit that rotated with each shot. Naturally, he had questions, but he wouldn't get answers by just staring at the thing, nor was he going to risk pressing one of the buttons above it's handle. One looked like a safety, but there were others, and he couldn't be certain of their function. If he made it out of this, perhaps Sunburst could take a look at it.

    For now, he'd do what he'd been doing with it: pointing, shooting, and exploding. Adagio was about to get a heaping helping of all three. First things first though, he needed to get a hold of Sunburst and Trixie. Placing his earpiece in, he spoke into his radio, listening through the static for a response.

    "Sunburst, are you there? It's Sentry. I've made it to somewhere in the tower, I think."

    "Agent Sentry? Oh, it's so relieving to hear you again..." After a moment, Sunburst paused. "Wait- How'd you get there so fast, weren't you in the Siren's bunker?"

    "They had a portal set up down there. Backdoored me to wherever I am now."

    "Hmm... I can't get a lock on your signal, the storm seems really bad in a small area around the castle, I can only assume you're inside.."

    "Well, I'm going to need a pickup once I get my friends out of here. Got room for six?"

    "It'll be tight, but there's a spot for everyone. I'll tell Trixie to get one of the good parking spots this time. Stay safe, okay?"

    "I'll try. Is Starlight still out here? Maybe I can meet up with her."

    Sunburst sighed. "We don't know. But we found Spike, fixed him up, and he went off to go look for her."

    Flash nodded. "Got it. I'm going to find a way up there and finish this."

    "Understood. Good luck."

    "Sentry, out."

    When he took his earpiece out, Flash made his way to a staircase leading up on one end of the library. Up was the right direction, though he wasn't sure how far he up he had to go. He took a few steps forward, but a voice behind him would stop him before he got too far.

    "Flash?"

    Flash turned. On the other side of the room, there was a doorway that led to a staircase leading down, and standing in it was the harsh, surprised face of a red haired demon hunter in a long, yellow coat. She had a huge sword over her shoulder and two pistols in crossed holsters strapped around her back, and her eyes silently conveyed disbelief.

    "Sunset?"

    "You're alive, Flash..." Sunset's eyes melted into a relieved awe, but then shifted into something else. "How?"

    "Long story, we don't have time." Flash shook his head. "We need to stop Adagio before it's too late."

    "No." With a stern expression on her face, Sunset walked towards him. "I'll stop her. You're going to get out here."

    "What?" Now he was the confused one. "I'm not-"

    "Flash, I thought I watched you die back there!" Sunset's usually cool demeanor was not present, she was showing a full, uncharacteristic concern. "But you're not, you're still alive, so-"

    "Yeah. I am." Instead of backing away from her like he might've before, Flash turned fully and stood his ground. "And I'm going up there to stop Adagio."

    "No, you don't need to do that." Sunset said. "I'm here, I'll handle her. You're good, Flash, but you're only human. This isn't a job for a human."

    "This is more my job than yours, Sunset!"

    Without a word more, Sunset drew her blade from her back.

    "If you won't listen to reason, maybe I can just knock you out and leave you here out of harm's way, then."

    Flash's breath broke and his head fell as he tensed in frustration. Through his mind raced everything that'd he'd witnessed, everything Adagio had done to him, done to his team, his friends, to innocent people. He'd fought through so much to get here, lost people, endured everything, and now he was being told by someone who consistently underestimated him that he should turn around? 

    "You don't understand, do you?" Flash's head came back up.  "Adagio- that woman, no, that monster, killed my entire team and annihilated a village full of innocent people! She had people slaughtered and turned into puppets, and she's about to make our friends her next victims."

    Sunset was startled by Flash standing his ground. He saw her sword point to him, but he drew his pistol on her, taking her even further by surprise. When she brought up her blade, he walked past it unfazed, right up to her until his barrel was pressed into her chest.

    "After everything she did to me, this close to facing her, you're going to tell me to turn back? You turn back! This is my fight, Sunset! And I'm going to finish it."

    Her eyes shifted again, through her shock she looked like she was starting to understand, but still, Flash continued.

    "You'd never get it- my soul is crying out for me to kill her, to keep her from ever doing what she did to me to anyone else, to save our friends from a fate worse than death- And if all I have to give to make that happen is my life..." Flash said, taking a breath, taking a moment to realize that he meant every word spoken. "You don't have to ask me twice."

    When Sunset didn't respond, he lowered his weapon and turned away, but after a moment the demon hunter finally spoke.

    "I get it. I really do."

    Flash paused, sparing a glance back to her. 

    "It was my mentor who sealed that gate shut two thousand years ago." Sunset started, taking a much less hostile, but still forceful tone. "Celestia, the Sister of Light, whatever you want to call her, she gave me her amulet for safekeeping, but I let it slip. And now our friends are in trouble and MC Sings-a-Lot is trying to turn everything into demonville."

    Flash just looked down, thinking on what she was telling him. "What's your point?"

    Sunset's guard finally came down. She still looked focused, looked into Flash's eyes, but she'd made some connection in her mind.

    "At first, I thought it was all on me to do this. Not cause nobody else could, but because I didn't want to put the rest of you in needless danger. But you're still here, you've survived this far, and after seeing you, and Starlight- hell, even Twilight... I get it."

    Flash waited expectantly for her to finish.

    "I owe you an apology, Flash. If you're willing to step up to the plate, I respect that. I should've respected that a long time ago, respected you, and I'm sorry I didn't. But I think this is just as much my fight as it is yours. I'm a student of Celestia, the one she chose to pass her power on to- I think that counts for something."

    "I'm still going up there, regardless. I have a job to finish," Flash said. He wasn't entirely calmed down, but he appreciated Sunset's apology as he left for the door.

    "Of course. But you shouldn't have to go alone, so I'm coming with you."

    He gave Sunset the look of suspicion. "I'm not just gonna get in your way?" 

    "Nah. You've proved you can hold your own in a fight."

    Flash felt himself relax. This was Sunset acknowledging him as an equal, and it was... relieving, of all things, like a weight had been lifted off of him. He couldn't help but smile back to his old friend.

    "I'd be happy to have you."

    "Just one thing... You should let me go first."

    "Why's that?"

    With her sword slung over her shoulder, Sunset shot him that sly grin he knew her so well for.

    "You don't want to be in front of me while I'm swinging this thing."
    
    Flash let out a playful scoff.

    "After you, then."

-----

    At the very peak of the Castle of the Two Sisters, before a shining, legendary sword orbited by two amulets of extraordinary power, Adagio Dazzle stood with her arms raised in the blistering rain, smiling in devilish excitement. Surrounding her, spread out across the open roof in even intervals and encased in orbs of multicolored magic were five individuals that wielded the powers of harmony, suspended in the air and unconscious, each of them a piece of a fully primed weapon. Beneath her feet was the fully lit platform from the throne room, now crowning the castle's keep, where the glowing sword was planted at the center of an engraving of a five pointed star and sending a beam of light into the sky to part the raging storm clouds and shatter the barrier between worlds.

    She gazed back out at the two golden and blue lights in the distance overhead. Above her, the Two Sisters still fought. 

    Soon, soon their power would be hers, and this world would be reborn...

    But before that, out onto the overlook with her, came two pairs of footsteps amidst the pouring rain. One last matter to tend to.

    "Adagio!" A voice called out, a voice she was quickly growing to despite. Behind her, two figures approached with weapons drawn. "Your plans end here."

    "Yeah, let our friends go!" Another voice added.

    The siren did not turn. She knew who was there, and what they were there for. They were here for one last showdown.

    "Celestia's legendary slacker and the wannabe guardian angel..." Adagio began. "Do the two of you ever tire of failing your friends?"

    Her gaze fell, and she removed her streamlined sunglasses, staring at polarized lenses for a moment in thought.

    "I hope not, because you're about to fail them one last time."

    Without looking behind her, she immediately twisted her body and cast her arm out, tossing her sunglasses back before finally turning to face her opponents.

    Flash Sentry caught Adagio's projectile with impressively fast reflexes, but he was momentarily taken off guard upon seeing that it was only her glasses. All it took was that one moment and Adagio was immediately on him, thrusting her palm forward and knocking him to the ground. Her glasses flew back up into the air, but beside her, Sunset made just as fast of a retaliation, throwing out a quick series of gunshots and punches, but with empty hands Adagio redirected the flashing gun barrels safely away from herself.

    Tilting her head and swiveling her body, not a single bullet touched the siren. With her glowing demonic eyes focused on Sunset's movements, Adagio caught her by the elbow and pushed her arms up to the sky. Flash came back in with a punch and a loaded pistol, but Adagio batted his fist away and leaned past his bullet, then past two more from Sunset as she brought her guns back on target. With a sideways spin, she rolled under two more of Flash's shots while kicking Sunset in the chest, grabbed her by the shoulder, then spun again to throw a high kick into Flash's face and toss Sunset into the ground.

    The two demon hunters both slammed onto their backs, and Adagio just placed her sunglasses back onto her face with a smug smirk, having caught them somewhere in all of that action. She then turned away, pacing back towards the Devil Sword in place at the tower's focal point.

    "You're simply too late. Once the sword finishes absorbing the amulet's magic, the gate to the demon world will be opened in full, and through it, the power of the Sisters will be mine to command."

    "Why are you doing this?" Flash asked. He took aim with his weapon as he cautiously rose to a kneel. "What does this accomplish?"

    "Still so ignorant..." With a condescending frown, Adagio turned to Flash. "The Devil's Contract Virus, the 'D-Virus', was not intended to be a virus at all. It was a vaccination against infernal radiation, the arcane stuff of the underworld that erodes humanity and drives one insane."

    "Sounds like you still need to work on it." Flash's shotgun howled out against the storm, but Adagio just warped out the way of its spread as she continued to talk.

    "Hardly. I realized that only some of us would ever be strong enough to control it's side effects, and so it became a tool, I optimized it, made its side effects into strengths, and I used it to make myself perfect."

    Another shot, and she warped again, now slowly pacing towards Flash from behind. 

    "When the demon gate opens, the entire world will be besieged, but my Sirens will be the vanguard of a new order, and those given the Devil's Contract shall live to see a new world. My world."

    "Yeah, and who gets to decide who lives and who dies? You?" Flash swiveled, fired, and missed again.

    "Of course. My blood was the key to the virus's success. Would you believe that I have the perfect resistance level to demonic radiation? Only those with such power survive, Sentry- the powerless will serve them, or die."

    "You'd kill billions of people..."

    "You do realize that they are already dead?" One more shot, and one more warp. Adagio was right in front of Flash as his shotgun magazine went empty, one hand under the barrel and ready to yank it away. "Only a handful of people would survive the demon realm's invasion anyway, no one could save them all, even if they were worth saving."

    Sunset then intervened, dashing across the roof with her sword held forward. When her swipe came in, Adagio was gone, blinking back to wind up a punch, and then forward again to throw it in her direction. With the pommel of her sword Sunset caught Adagio's fist and shoved it aside, but when she swung her sword again Adagio reappeared behind her. 

    "Foolish girl. Nothing but a half-breed..." With her fingers held straight Adagio threw another palm strike into Sunset's back, but with a quick turn and small pulse of magic Sunset held out an open palm of her own and made a bright red, domed barrier between them. 

    "You really need to lay off the comic books, lady."

    Twice more, Adagio struck against Sunset, with a strong standing punch and a pivoting side kick, but twice more Sunset created barriers to block. Her sword was put away, these improved guard techniques required both hands to perform.

    "I mean come on, could you get any more cliche?"

    Blinking again, Adagio appeared behind Sunset, finally getting a fast hit past the demon hunter's defense. A front kick took Sunset to the floor, but she rolled up into a recovery and channeled the magic used to block into pushing herself into a dash of her own. She stopped right in front of Adagio, ducking under a high kick and sweeping low with a kick of her own. Her leg knocked Adagio off balance, but before she fell completely, Sunset engaged her Demon Reflex and swung her sword and launched her back towards the center of the platform. The moment she hit the ground she blinked again, reappearing in a standing position and giving Sunset a dangerous glare. 

    Flash's machine gun went off immediately after, tracking Adagio as she again began to blink around the battlefield. Again, Sunset activated her Demon Reflex, but this time she waited until Adagio was mid-dodge, sweeping in with her sword as the siren ducked out of the way of a projectile. Adagio's response was faster than expected, though, she leaned back further, caught herself on her hands, spreading both legs and kicking both Flash and Sunset back as they approached, dodging both blade and bullets alike as she completed her flip.

    Her long, dark coat fluttered behind her as she made her aerial maneuvers with malignant grace, adjusting her sunglasses again and putting both hands behind her back as Sunset charged her. Instead of swinging her sword, she jumped over Adagio, pulled her guns out and channeled her magic through them, spinning herself around and raining glowing red bullets down in a spiral around the siren.

    Another shot came from Flash's shotgun, a shell loaded with a burning incendiary spread, one that Adagio had no hope to avoid. Even though she dodged between the individual pellets, the flames engulfing them still burned her as they grazed her body. It was enough for Sunset to land a few more shots on her, dropping down with her sword and driving out vertical waves of energy from it as she directed power through it too.

    Their battle grew closer to the beam of light at the platform's center, to the shining sword sunken into the floor, and as it did each of the Elements of Harmony surrounding it began to glow. Adagio let Sunset approach, weaving tightly around the powerful energy blasts Sunset released from her sword. Flash closed in again too, rolling between her and Sunset as they pushed away from each other and coming up with his machine gun. 

    With one hand, he opened fire, peppering Adagio's area as she began her routine dodging, but with his other hand he tossed a live grenade to her left, doing his best to force her into its blast radius. Her response was too quick, too collected, and she caught the grenade, swiftly throwing it back in Flash's direction and forcing him to roll again, this time into her attack range. 

    The grenade didn't detonate, though, instead Sunset jumped in to block it, bouncing it off of her claymore and back at Adagio within the brief second she took to throw it back. Flash followed it as he came back up, readying his pistol and shooting the moment Adagio appeared next to it. 

    His bullet pierced the live explosive, setting off it's charge and detonating it right in Adagio's face. Again thrown back, she righted herself and shook her head clear, her sunglasses blown off and seething anger now visible in her eyes. 

    "You can't stop the inevitable..." Adagio began, bolting off in a blur as Sunset drew her pistols, but catching her with a jumping knee strike before she could fire. "The gate to the demon realm will open, and this world will fall. Only I can lead humanity to their destiny!"

    Flash again lit her up with his shotgun, but Adagio closed in fast to strip him of his weapons one by one as they began to trade punches. In his hands, the shotgun was the first to go, but Flash actually landed a hit on her before she could pull it away, and the flaming rounds ignited the tail of her coat. His shotgun clattered to the ground but he pressed her instead of backing away, smashing the front of his machine gun against her gut and letting more shots off as she reached to pull it from him. 

    The armor piercing bullets shot straight through her, but her angered glare only grew more so as she stumbled back. Flash backed away, holding the trigger of his gun down as Adagio jumped into a spinning side kick, dodging his bullets and aiming her boot at his head. Seeing the incoming attack Flash held his forearm up to stop her at the shin, but she then vanished into another blur as soon as she made contact. 

    To his left she reappeared, still mid air and shifting out of her side kick and into a powerful, rolling axe kick, her leg coming all the way over her head and causing her burning coat to leave a smoking arc in her wake. Flash blocked this kick as well, but she hooked her heel in and caught him with a quicker kick in the shoulder. One more disrupted his balance, and from there she easily grabbed him by the gun and slammed him on the ground.

    An eruption of energy and light was let out behind Adagio, and when she turned she saw a dark eyed, red headed demon with great leathery wings and a sword engulfed in flames charging right for her. Even with her incredible speed Adagio was unable to warp away in time, the demon-turned Sunset had her blade bearing down on her far too fast. She did manage to duck in time, and barely dodged several more viciously precise strikes as she made her way out of Sunset's range. When she did, though, she was greeted by Sunset's pistols, charging with red light and ripping out a vast flurry of bullets with pinpoint precision. The siren spun, flipped, and dodged just quickly enough to reach the center of the platform, where the Elements of Harmony began to gleam brightly around her in the light of the central beam.

    "Give it up!" Sunset shouted, her voice carrying its great scratchy distortion. "You're no match for a real demon!"

    Shouting, Sunset brought her claymore to bear and kicked off the ground, diving into Adagio with wings outstretched. As she did, Adagio lifted her hand with her fingers held straight out, and in a swirling array of rainbow energy, the Elements of Harmony crackled with power, focusing through Adagio as she met Sunset's dash and drove her hand forward with terrifying velocity.

    Flash watched in horror as Adagio's hand pierced straight through Sunset's chest and a brilliant beam of multicolored light engulfed her, burning away her demon form and leaving the demon hunter collapsed with a hole in her chest and smoldering fumes coming off her body.

    "But you're no match for the power of Harmony." With a cruel smile and sparkles of the Elements fading around her, Adagio then lifted her boot to stomp down on the fallen Sunset's head while she tried to get up.

    A rocket suddenly streaked into view, but Adagio caught herself just in time to blink out of its path and engage it's firer. She crashed into him, but he stood his ground, dropping the rocket launcher but catching her hand as she attempted another piercing chest strike. The beam of light began to surge brighter behind them, but Flash defiantly held strong against the siren.

    He broke off and readied himself as Adagio pulled her hand back, and leaned around another piercing strike as it came for him. Right after, he drew his fist down and threw a hook into Adagio's side, then into her shoulder, following up with an uppercut from his other hand. His hits were dead on and powerful enough to stumble her back, and he then took the last of his grenades and threw it at her feet as he backed up. It did not explode into metal fragments, rather, it was a burst of light and deafening sound, a stun grenade that left the siren dazed and open for another attack.

    Flash drew his pistol, and landed five shots on Adagio before she snapped out of her daze and spun away into a blur again. When she reappeared, she looked fully angry rather than casually irritated. This was the first sign of pain she'd ever shown, and she wasn't about to make light of it. 

    Shot number six was fired into the ground as Adagio appeared in front of Flash again, going for his throat and lifting him up off his feet

    "I underestimated you, Flash..." Adagio said, meeting his eyes with a tempered hatred. He struggled, unable to keep his hold on his pistol as she began to choke him. She reached into her coat and pulled something out, a green injector vial, the same kind Flash used to cure himself of her virus. But she noticed something else as she held him there, looking into his eyes. For the first time, she was surprised. His eyes were not like hers, they were not of a demon's.

    "You cured yourself. You're not under the effects of the virus... I really did underestimate you."

    "Yeah?" Flash managed, forcing himself to sway in her grip as oxygen failed to reenter his lungs. "Wouldn't be the first to..."

    With a quick motion he drew his knife and sliced across Adagio's forearm, and in her pained reflex she dropped both him and the injector. His first few breaths were deep and hurried, but he steadied them out as he slashed out again at the siren, making quick back and forth motions as he steadily pushed her back. The resentite blade stung at her body, weakening her demonic powers gradually with each pass it made through her flesh, but after a few moments of this she finally caught Flash at the back of the wrist as he finished a swing. 

    Flash was ready though, and crossed his handgun over both of their arms, shooting her three more times before a palm strike launched him back to the ground.

    "Do you really think you'll defeat me, Sentry?" Adagio let out a breath, her first sign of exhaustion, but Flash and Sunset were in much worse shape. "You, a human? Against a god?"

    "Careful," Flash shot back. "Your complex is showing."

    "Do you honestly believe this world is worth sav-"

    Adagio screamed out as Sunset's Redemption sword suddenly found its way through her back, a hole being torn in her own chest as Sunset's own was healing up. Even drained of her power, Sunset still rose to fight, twisting her blade through the siren as she doubled over.

    "I do!" Sunset growled. "I live here."

    "Then you..." Adagio bashed her elbow back into Sunset's cheek, pulled her over a shoulder by her head, and with a swift crunch of her neck she flung her ragdolling body further from the center of the ring. "You will die with it!"

    She then turned to Flash, after managing to pull the sword from her as she steadily marched over to finish him off. His weapons were all empty or dropped, and he had no grenades left. It was just him and his knife, with imminent death via orange hair and black trench coat approaching. 

    To his side, reeling in a sitting position, Sunset gave him an answer.

    "Use this, big guy-" With an effort-expending kick, she sent the dropped rocket launcher sliding across the ground towards him before falling flat on her back. "Make it count!"
 
Flash knew what he had to do. As fast as he could, he took up the launcher and came to a kneel, getting a sight picture on the silhouette of a raging, wounded siren taking staggering steps towards him before a towering beam of light.

    "Flash!" She cried, arms reaching out as she leaned into a run. 

    His sights aligned, he exhaled, relaxing himself as his finger curled around the trigger of his weapon. Time to end this.

    Click.

    Fw-WHOOSH!

    Across the peak of the castle a single rocket streaked, a jet of fire behind it lighting its own path past the dimmed Elements and the blinding white pillar. Streaked towards two enraged, panicked eyes, screaming out for more time. Even with her enhanced awareness and reflexes, Adagio simply didn't have the strength to jump away in the quarter of a second she had before impact, not with a gaping hole in her chest.

    "No!" Bringing up her hands and reaching out with everything she had left, she stared down the explosive just inches away from her face.

    And she caught it. She caught the rocket and braced herself against it, struggling as it wiggled and blew more fuel out the back, just barely keeping it from detonating with her bare hands and fleeting determination. 

    "This... isn't... over!" Adagio grunted, the tip of the rocket so very close to brushing her nose, the pressure sensitive cap on the end just itching to dig into her skin. 

    "It is now!" 

    Flash stood fully, and with a flick of his wrist he sent his knife spinning across the gap between them, embedding it straight into Adagio's still healing chest wound.

    The sudden spike of pain through her heart was all it took for her fingers to slip.

    In a huge explosion, Adagio was catapulted far across the roof, landing just on the other side of the light beam. In the smoke and kicked up dust, Flash searched for the vial of green liquid that Adagio dropped. There it was, laying innocently in an indentation within the lit platform. 

    Even after all of that, Adagio was standing back up, but Flash now had the means to bring her down. Running after her, he scooped up the antidote and threw himself into her as she rose in a daze.

    "You... You are only human!" Adagio cried, fighting with the last of her strength to stay upright. "An inferior creature..."

    "And you're a soulless monster!"

    They struggled, Adagio still had some fight left in her, but Flash's resentite knife sticking into her heart was sapping anything she had left. All she could do was grab him at the wrists and push, but he would eventually overpower her and jam the injector into the side of her neck. She seized up as the antidote flooded into her system, only able to let out a choked gasp as Flash took his knife and stabbed her again, then again, the power swirling through and around her dispersing as she was cut open by the demon nullifying blade. 

    Around them, the orbs of the Elements of Harmony faded, and their bearers came free from their entrapments, gently lowering to the ground around the edges of the roof's crowning platform. Flash didn't give them attention, at the moment, he was focused on the woman who'd made himself his nemesis.

    "No... I will not be defeated!" She screeched, squirming in Flash's grip as he pulled his knife from her one last time, leaving her to fall onto back as she bled profusely from her front. "Not by you..." 

    "You already are."

    "How? How..."

    Flash just watched her apathetically as she fell silent, feeling an immense catharsis from his act of violent justice. The glow of Adagio's eyes began to fade, her skin lightened in tone, and her struggling weakened. The cure was reverting the effects of the virus, she was succumbing to her injuries. Her hand still weakly scratched at the floor, but she couldn't lift her arm, she only stared up at the void in the sky above, at the edge of the demon world that was just out of her reach. 

    "Your first mistake..." Sunset said, taking her sword back and rejoining Flash as the battle died down. "Is that you assumed humans are weak. Your last mistake was that you thought you were any better."

    After a moment of catching his breath, Flash looked up at the beam tearing the two worlds apart, then down to the Devil Sword sticking halfway out of the slot in the ground.

    "So how do we close this thing? Just pull the sword out, right?"

    "I guess." Sunset said. "You want to do the honors, o slayer of evil? I'm gonna go check on our friends."

    "Yeah, got it." Flash nodded, and reached out into the bright white beam to take the Devil Sword from its resting place, pushing past the two amulets that magically levitated around it. 

    "Not yet!"

    Out of nowhere, Adagio's hand violently gripped his wrist and pulled him to the ground. She grabbed the Devil Sword and pulled it free, but also took up the amulets surrounding it. They joined together, back to back, and as they did they released yet another blast of illumination that corresponded with the two golden and blue lights dueling above them. A magical swirl surged out from the joined amulets, and with a loud lightning-like crack the lights in the sky went dark. Following, two figures could be seen descending from the sky. The two dueling sisters above had very suddenly lost their powers.

    "You're too late, the ritual is complete... Now, the power of both Sisters, Light and Dark, shall be mine!" 

    Magic surged around her broken body again, releasing a pulse that pushed Flash back before he could stop her. She wielded the Devil Sword high over her head, both sister's energies beginning to flow through it, and it began to transform. From a rather plain broadsword, the Devil Sword once known as the Corona's Edge became a much larger weapon, with a wide blade and an oversized hilt in the shape of the Light Sister's signature sun spokes. It was huge, burned brightly with golden flames, and as Adagio held it in both hands, her body began to restore itself. She did not just resume her previous form though, instead her features shifted into something worse.

    Somewhere past the perimeter of the castle the bodies of Celestia and Luna rained down like twin meteors, the two sisters remaining intact as they crashed into earth, but shaking the ground and making a huge cloud of dirt and dust that was visible from the top of the tower.

    Above them, the rift to the demon realm opened further, and the light beam at the tower's centerpoint widened, widening until it took up more of the floor. Shielding his eyes, Flash only got a glimpse of Adagio's transformation. He saw rough, scaly skin, eyes that changed shape and glowed a brighter red, and two wings that pushed through her coat, which was starting to merge with her body.

    She didn't have the Elements of Harmony, but she now had something that was perhaps far stronger. The powers of the Two Sisters combined.

    With the light blasting the area, Adagio was but a silhouette that slowly rose up into the clouds, ascending, and taking her transformed sword with her.

    "Awaken!" She called up into the void, in a powerful, echoing voice that made Flash's legs grow weak. For all of his ability, he was still unable to stop her.

    "Devil Sword Daybreaker!"

-----

    The immense, towering light was visible from the furthest end of the castle, where Twilight Sparkle held her katana blade barred with Spike's claws, fighting her own beloved assistant off with the last of her stubborn will. Starlight Glimmer had rejoined the fight as well, and the two of them were slowly wearing away at Twilight's resolve. Nothing felt right anymore, and with two people she once called family trying to stand in her way, she didn't know what to think.

    But all three of them came to a pause as the light in the sky heralded the coming of the underworld, as the rainstorm softened and parted as the blood red clouds became wrapped around the gaping hole in the sky. 

    "The gate to the demon world... It's... It's open." Twilight whispered, just loud enough for Starlight to hear.

    "Yeah, take a good long look." Starlight replied, her metal fingers pointing angrily as she verbally struck her mentor over the head with guilt. "You threw everything away, and this is what you got in return for it! Was it worth it?!"

    Twilight took a weary step back. She didn't strike Starlight or Spike. She no longer had the will to, she could only stare at the open hole in the sky, paralyzed with terror.

    The world was about to end, and it was her fault.

    She gave Starlight a trembling reply.

    "No. No it wasn't."

-----

    Sunset gathered up her friends as fast as she could when the beacon of light erupted into the sky. They were all weary and dazed, just waking up from being held unconscious for so long. They seemed to have a general understanding of the situation though, even as they weren't awake during their time in captivity. Each of their demon halves filled in the memory gaps on their own accord, having little conflict with their hosts.

    "What is she doing?" Flash called, seeing Adagio's form rising far into the clouds and disappearing through the void above. "How do we stop her?!"

    "I'm gonna have to go up there," Sunset said. "Into the demon world. Sorry Flash, but you're not gonna be able to come with me. Doesn't matter how tough you are, being around that much concentrated demon energy would kill you in minutes."

    "Don't worry about it." Flash said. "I should stay here and get everyone else to safety."

    Sunset gave a nod. "That's more important, anyway."

    "Hang, on..." Flash reached down, and then held out his rocket launcher for Sunset to take. "Take this. I met my old commander in the Siren base, it was hers, but she didn't make it out. Give Adagio my regards."

    Looking over the weapon, satisfied, Sunset smiled, but still held reservation. "You sure? This might be a one way trip if she doesn't doesn't go down fast." 

    "Positive." Flash nodded. "Just take good care of it. I'll want it back if we do see each other again."

    "You got it."

    "Sunset..." Rarity spoke up from behind them. "Are you sure you don't want our magic?" 

    "No, not necessary," Sunset held a hand up. "As long as Adagio doesn't have it, she can't shut me down. She'll have to fight me at my full power this time, no cheating. Plus, if you run into any other demons on the way down, you won't have to hide behind Flash."

    "Yes," Rarity said, somewhat downtrodden by this reply. "I understand."

    "Hey, whoa- What's this about a one way trip?" Rainbow asked. 

    "I'm shutting that portal no matter what," Sunset replied. "If I can't beat her, I'm sure as hell not letting her come back through."

    "What about our date?" Fluttershy's soft, brave voice came out. She seemed a bit less reserved than usual.

    "And we were supposed to see a movie!" Pinkie Pie added, her hair now returned to it's fluffy, bouncy state. 

    "Yeah, and..." Rainbow Dash started, but cut herself off with an intense blush. "My... next show?"

    To Rainbow's response, Applejack's eyebrow raised in a knowing fashion, the way it always did, but she too softened as she threw her own piece into the ring. "And you know I'm gonna wanna catch lunch with ya again."

    "I ask because we care about you, darling..." Rarity said. "If our magic would help your odds, we want you to take it."

    The others all sounded their agreement. 

    Still, Sunset shook her head. "Sorry, no can do. It might be different if I wasn't going alone, but if she beats me, then she'll have your magic again, and I'm not risking you guys for that. And no, you're not coming with me. Magic gets unstable over there, and you guys just reunited with your demons. You need to avoid fighting if possible."

    That was enough to convince them, if disappointing.

    "Don't worry about it, though!" Sunset let a confident smile show through. "If this is it for me, then know that you're all my very best friends. The best anyone could ask for. You're all worth it."

    After hearing that, Fluttershy suddenly jumped forward and gave the demon hunter a hug. Then, Pinkie Pie joined her. Then Rainbow, and Rarity, and Applejack. 

    "Come on, Flash!" Rainbow called. "Don't be that guy!"

    He too would join the group hug.

    And with all of them smiling, they shared that moment together, until Sunset had no moments left to spare. When they pulled away, Flash led her friends back down into the tower, and Sunset faced the beam of light shooting up into the portal to the demon world. She was alone, but she had the support of her friends- and Flash's rocket launcher- to back her up in the coming battle. To herself, she spoke, walking towards the great shining pillar.

    "Sister of Light, huh? And here I thought she was an average demon slaying principal. Looks like I've got some big shoes to fill."

    Nothing left to do here. Sunset stepped into the light, looked up, and felt herself being pulled towards the void, beginning to float through the sky against gravity until she met reality's border. There was one last song and dance before this show wrapped up, and Sunset wouldn't miss it for the world- this world, or the underworld.

    "Oh well. Time to pick up where Celestia left off."

-----

    Somewhere on the edge of the Everfree Forest, far from the opening of the demon realm, two siblings lay defeated in a smoking crater. The rain falling on them was cold, wet, uncomfortable, and the younger of the two was curled up and shivering on the ground, unable to move. The other, older and more collected, stood weakly before her sister with one hand offering aid, while the other barely clung to a pistol.

    "Celestia..." The woman whispered, her blue hair masking her eyes, and her dark bodysuit soiled with mud and dirt. She looked up at her sister, meeting just as messy, faded pink hair and a similarly earth-stained bodysuit of white. She did not take her hand. She crawled forward and reached for one of her own pistols.

    "Luna, come here..." Celestia's voice shook. After all of their fighting, it was finally over. The fate of the world was in question still, but their battle had come to an end. Neither had their powers anymore, they were now both mortal again. "You're hurt."

    "Yes, hurt, and tired, sister..." Luna managed, dragging herself along the ground. "Tired of anger. Tired of hatred. Of jealousy. For so long, hurt... is all I've felt, all I can ever remember feeling, all I am." 

    Celestia did not interrupt her, but trembled as she watched her sister's hand reach closer to her own pistol. 

    Was she going to attack again?

    "I just want... want..." Luna's fingers just barely reached the gun's handle.

    No, worse.

    With what strength she could manage, Celestia kicked the gun away from Luna's reach. Her younger sister promptly fell flat and let out a loud, choked sob.

    "I want this to end!" Luna cried, reaching out and grabbing Celestia's ankle with desperate hostility, but when Celestia raised her pistol on her, she fell still, only looking to her older sister's eyes with a grief stricken look written across her face. "All there is for me is pain..."

    "Luna..."

    "Please, end this..."

    There was so much pain in those emerald green eyes, pain for which Celestia herself was largely responsible, and now those same eyes were begging to be relieved of that pain. Her own sister was asking for capital punishment, to be executed at the hands of the person she wronged.

    "I don't want to hurt-" Luna choked up again, breathing deeply and swallowing heavily as she came undone. She spoke slowly, and on shallow breath. "Hurt you... or the world. Look at what I have done, done to the world we vowed to protect..."

    Luna took a deep breath, and an unbearable shivering wracked her body.

    "I destroyed it..."

    Another pause for breath.

    "You are the better of us, 'Tia. Better for this world. But this world is ending..." Luna swallowed again, while Celestia still stood in uncertainty. "I don't deserve another chance, sister. If this world will survive, it does not need me in it."

    Celestia's lip trembled, and her pistol sight wavered. 

    "There is only one way... One way to ensure that my pain does not become another's."

    In the rain, the two waited, waited for their end, still holding each other's gaze as the Sister of Light once more looked on at her kin defeated. With the twitch of her finger, she could extinguish a millennium's worth of grief, of wrongdoings, of tragedy and heartache, but with that same twitch she would also extinguish a millennium more of joy, happiness, of memories of her closest living relative, the last family she still had.

    The one person who stood with her against the world.

    "You're right," Celestia finally said.

    The one person she traded for the sake of the world.

    "There is only..."

    The one person she never meant to hurt, that she would do anything to reconcile with.

    "One way."

    The one person she loved more than anyone else.

    Luna's weak voice whispered against the rainfall. "End my suffering."

    She closed her eyes, but as her entire body shook Celestia cast her pistol aside, dropping to her knees and scooping her fallen sister up into her arms. She held her close, so close, but in a stunned silence Luna did not resist. Instead, she returned the embrace, holding her sister tightly, still desperately, but her face looked hopeful, even if that hope was only a faint reflection of Celestia's own. 

    Celestia waited a thousand years to see her sister and would wait a thousand more to see her sister well, if that's what it took. She would wait through the end and rebirth of the world. She would not only extinguish her suffering, but in its place she would also rekindle their sisterly love.

While the sky broke apart above them and the clouds began to bleed, both sisters just held each other in close, much needed comfort for the first time in what seemed like forever.

    "I will, sister. Your nightmare is over."
> 29- The Students of Celestia
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Sunset's boots splashed against a strange, purple shaded water as she landed in the demon realm. It was a vast, abstract dimension, with streaks of red and violet in the black sky casting similar, lighter purple shades across the distorted environment. At the center of the platform she stood on was a wide hole where this infernal water flowed into the rest of the underworld, but some strange field of magic kept her from falling through it. The platform she stood on was a wide disk that vaguely resembled the top of the castle's tower, overlooking the sprawling, craggy wastes of the demon realm. Behind her, a tall mountain looked with her, and down it a winding river flowed past a ridge above them, rolling into the shallow pool at Sunset's feet.

    At the end of the day this was just another open, circular arena, but nobody was here to fight her.

    No, wait. There was.

    Sunset drew her sword but only to hold it in a block across back, immediately feeling a strike and hearing the clanging of metal. Leaning forward, she pushed up and launched her assailant across the pit beneath them, looking upon her in full.

    Standing before her was Adagio Dazzle, the fallen angel, the corrupt SRAPH agent now infused with the energies of the Sisters of Light and Darkness. With two fully charged amulets around her neck and the awakened Devil Sword in one hand, her slitted, glowing eyes watched Sunset with interest. Her features were horribly distorted; golden and blue energies enveloped her, her skin was covered in orange scales, wide draconic wings protruded from her back, and a glowing black set of armor covered her body, a fusion of the armors worn by Celestia and Luna in their demon forms. 
 
    "Behold, power of the Two Sisters!" Adagio greeted Sunset in a distorted and very unstable sounding voice. Her chest heaved, her body radiated far more energy than a living being's should, but a maniacal grin was still carved into her face. The power within her was bursting out uncontrollably, but with great strain she was able to keep herself together. "Tell me, what do you see when you look upon the merging of Light and Darkness?"

    "It's like staring into a backed-up toilet." Sunset replied with a stony gaze, pointing her sword towards the demon. "And it's about time you get flushed."

    Her eyes widened, but in amusement, and Adagio began to laugh. It was an evil laugh, but with a dark smile Sunset joined her. For a moment, the two just stood in the darkest of dark worlds, momentarily forgetting the stakes of their confrontation and letting way to conceited laughter.

    "Oh, I like you..." Adagio said. "You look at the ultimate power and still you talk so tough."

    "Gotta have a sense of humor in my line of work."

    Adagio's body shifted again as her power flared, the powerful atmosphere of the demon realm causing it to surge through her with great instability. "Ah! This magic..."

    She grew in size, her face elongating, scrunching up in pain as her transformation furthered. The Devil Sword began to glow as her power became even more uncontrollable, it glowed and began to merge into her along with the connected amulets. Larger she grew, now she was starting to look like Pinkie's demon, but even more menacing, with wings and nothing but a wide flowing tail where her legs once were. The armor melted into her scaly skin, and she hovered in the air above the battlefield, gazing upon Sunset with ferocity. A swirling red and blue gemstone was embedded into her chest, and now fully transformed she now resembled a huge dragon-fish-woman, much like the very creature that gave her unit its namesake: A Siren.

    "This form, this power, incredible... Behold the Sisters' might!"

    Dark grin still on her face, Sunset only laughed again, putting her sword away and clapping her hands.

    "Hah! Now that's what I'm talking about!" She said, challenging the great demon. "I was gonna be disappointed if I had to fight you human-sized again. Without Flash holding me back I would've kicked your ass from here to kingdom come!"

    "Still you talk!" The siren replied, her voice now sounding refined, almost angelically pure despite her evil appearance. She bared enormously long claws on each hand, and showed off razor sharp teeth. "Let's settle this!"

    Drawing her sword again, Sunset nodded.

    "Alright, let's dance!"

-----

    "Come on, girls. Stay close. We're almost to the bottom floor."

    "We don't have to take it so slow anymore, Flash. This isn't the police station, and we've got our powers back."

    "We ain't outta the woods yet, Rainbow. Let's not get ahead of ourselves."

    "But this is a forest, not woods!"

    "Hush, Pinkie. Applejack's right, dear. It's better to be safe than sorry."

    "Uh, excuse me, Agent Sentry?"

    "You don't have to call me that, Fluttershy, we're friends."

    "Right, sorry. But someone's coming."

    The six traveling down the castle's main tower stopped their descent, footsteps all echoing for a moment until they indeed heard a seventh pair of feet. They were still walking, walking and growing closer, up the curved, round staircase. From the sound of each step, Flash could tell that whoever this was, they were in a hurry. He and the others continued down the circular staircase along the tower's wall, but motioned for them to stop when they reached the floor below, because whoever was coming up was just upon them.

    Flash raised his pistol, but when he saw who it was, his sights lowered.

    "Twilight?"

    Around him, five pulses of multicolored magic all blasted out simultaneously, and five unique demonic weapons were pointed at the approaching figure.

    Twilight Sparkle stopped in her tracks, her sheathed weapon held in her left hand as it always was, her spectacled eyes ever observant. But despite being aware of their presence, she did not look over to Flash and the five demons now present behind him. 

    Before she would have time to do anything else, Applejack jumped forward in a heated blast of flame and with a scowl on her face, her heavy gauntlet hand taking the purple coated demon hunter by the throat and slamming her against the wall. 

    "Woah, AJ-" Flash started, but the others all acted in kind. Rarity and Rainbow held pointed tip of needle and axe to Twilight's body, Fluttershy summoned vines from her quarterstaff to ensnare Twilight's arms and legs, and though not as large as she was in the city, Pinkie's enlarged reptilian form introduced Twilight's face to the business end of her Party Cannon. 

    Out of all of her friends, Applejack was the one who fumed with the most rage. With one flaming gauntlet cocked back, her burning, threatening glare filled Twilight's vision.

    "I'm feelin' mighty nice right now, so you're gettin' five seconds to talk before I pound you, Sparkle."

    Surprisingly, Twilight showed no response to this hostility. She just waited, eyes alert and expression blank. 

    "Why did you come back?"

-----

    Four rockets shot out in a curved trajectory as Sunset did an aerial spin with Flash's rocket launcher in tow. The huge demon that was Adagio Dazzle spread her wings and flew in rings around the arena, making for a surprisingly evasive target for her size. She swooped in and out, making passes at demon hunter with her claws as Sunset attempted to shoot her down. Eventually, she landed, opening her long, dragonlike jaw and letting out a high pitched, harmonic screech, a sonic pulse that destroyed Sunset's rockets before they made impact. Sunset took this as an opportunity to point the launcher at her feet and blast herself into the air as she jumped, giving her the vantage point to slash Adagio's mouth with a quick three hits.

    The siren hissed in pain, and as Sunset kicked off of her the demon summoned wide tendrils of dark, midnight blue magic reminiscent of the Tanitbus's liquid form. With spikes on their ends they shot out in great numbers, attacking from multiple angles to force Sunset away. The demon hunter cleared the tendrils with a flip, switching to her pistols and lighting up Adagio's center of mass as she fell. The great, dual-colored gemstone that was embedded in the demon's chest was a representation of the two amulets she'd fused with, the conduits of her vast power, but also an obvious target point recognizable by any self-respecting monster slayer.

    Adagio roared, sending out another harmonic pulse at Sunset. It was a loud, directed sound, but Sunset managed to escape the worst of it, only feeling the slightest dizzy as she rolled away. The follow up came fast, as Adagio swung her giant fish-finned tail around at her that she just narrowly avoided with a quick jump. Upon landing, she pointed Flash's launcher beneath an arm and let off three rockets blind, and when she faced Adagio again she found all three striking along her side face. 

    "Ah!" The siren recoiled, pulling her arms back in preparation for her next attack. "You'll regret that!"

    "Pfft, can't catch rockets with those big meaty claws, can ya?" Sunset taunted, posing with the launcher over shoulder to accentuate the insult. 

    "I'll show you what I can do with them!" In a whirlwind of motion, Adagio lunged forward and brought her claws forth in huge, rapid sweeping slashes, the ends of her claws glowing with heat that left trails of flame behind every strike. Rather than jump back, Sunset leapt forward, kicking off of the demon's head and flipping over her, shooting off another rocket and ducking under a retaliation swipe as soon as she landed. 

    The siren again roared in frustration as she hit nothing and was met with another explosion.

    "No worries, your face is catching them just fine!"

    In another burst of midnight magic, Adagio summoned another tangle of tendrils, these ones arcing directly after and following Sunset's movements. Charging up her own red magic, Sunset brought out her pistols and let off a few shots into Adagio's weak point before the tendrils got too close, to which she split her fire between them, planting her feet and shooting several of them down in multiple directions at once. Her powered up guns fired at an incredible rate, shredding each of the hardened spiked at the end of each tendril to dull nubs within seconds before moving to the next one. After, she brought out her claymore and swung it about herself in wide motions, cutting and shattering the stunted bits of solid energy. Before long, she'd broken through Adagio's attack and left her open for a counter.

    Wanting a change of pace, Sunset cycled back to Flash's launcher, charging up her magic and directing it into the curious weapon. With a swift shove of her palm, she sent the launcher's rotating loading mechanism spinning like a loaded revolver cylinder and then held down the trigger as she let her magic loose. 

    Three rapid fire bursts of rockets spat out of the barrel, one after the other, in groups of six, each one glowing red and infused with Sunset's power. Their explosions crackled as they covered Adagio in smoke, but still the siren drew upon her magic through the bombardment. The loading mechanism came to a stop, and Sunset felt the gun's powerful blowback kick into her shoulder. It was a lot, and she was still reeling back when Adagio launched her next attack.

    A dodge roll wasn't going to cut it this time, Sunset let the launcher fall back on it's strap and readied her Sentinel barrier, her palm guiding the magical shield up to counter Adagio's swipes. Her form was shaky and rushed, she felt her arms strain and her hair blow back as she performed the technique, a sign of poor timing. The second block was better, but the third failed to compensate for Adagio coating her claws in her dark magic, summoning more tendrils from them that whipped around after them. Sunset's barrier shattered, and Adagio swept her tail around again to slap Sunset back into the rocky wall on the edge of the arena. 

    Sunset wasn't out yet, she nimbly reoriented herself in midair and used another burst of her red magic to create a circular platform behind her, to catch her momentum and boost her back in the direction opposite. Now, she was streaking back towards Adagio with her sword pointed forward, aiming again for the gemstone on her chest. The glassy, red and blue stone caught several sword strikes before Adagio let out a burst of golden flames her body, forcing Sunset away and back to ground. 

    Adagio opened her mouth to sing again, letting out a devilishly smooth melody of mid-range tones that shook the entirety of the arena. From the misty demonic waters at her feet, a multitude of other demons emerged. Smaller ones, but in similar shape to Adagio, bearing both claw and fang and glowing with a dark purple energy. These smaller sirens came to their ring leader's aid, lunging for Sunset with little concern for their own safety. Each of them we cut apart in one hit, but as Sunset got to work she found that there was a huge swarm of them, all dancing to their singing master's tune.

    "How about I shut you up?" With another small charge of magic Sunset tossed her sword out, and it spun rapidly into the mighty siren as she held her head high. When it reached her, it stuck in place, continuing to spin without regards for the laws of physics, repeatedly slashing against the thick scales on Adagio's neck. Her song shortly stopped, and she looked down to see Sunset handling her minions with grace, gunfire, and hand to hand proficiency. 

    Knocking one mini-siren over, Sunset fired one pistol down into it while blasting all around her with her other, then she popped it into the air and kicked it into Adagio as she cleared them out. This was just as Adagio was batting her sword out of the air, to which it returned to Sunset's hand with the last of its power.

    "Yawn, I didn't come to fight goons." Sunset smirked, waving her hand dismissively. "Show me what you're really made of!"

    "How about I shut you up?"

    Building golden and blue energies around her body, Adagio again engulfed her claws in her dark, inky tendrils, and summoned a flaming vortex overhead that began to rain fireballs down on the demon hunter. Sunset zipped back and forth, dodging both dark and light magic, and as she jumped into meet Adagio again she focused her own red glow, using the last of her magic reserve to transform into her crimson-skinned demon form and dive in for the kill.

    She was cut off though, a dozen of Adagio's long, snaking energy tendrils shot out from her body and stuck through Sunset's in every direction, holding her still even in her demon form. With her body pierced at every angle, dangling upside down and facing away, Sunset cried out in pain while Adagio only cackled victoriously.

    "Fool, you are only half a demon- A mere disciple of the Sister of Light at that. You're nothing compared to her full might, let alone both Sisters together."

    "Oh yeah?" Through the pain, her demon form quickly burned out, but Sunset still sneered, giving a snarky reply through a pained choke. "Why don't you say that to my face?"

    "As you wish." The intruding appendages shifted so that the impaled Sunset could only look upon Adagio. "One student of Celestia could never hope to defeat me..."

    Suddenly, a single crisp swipe sounded out through the air, and an impossibly thin beam of energy sliced across the arena. Every tendril summoned from Adagio's dark magic was immediately cut to ribbons before shattering into pieces allowing Sunset to fall to her feet.

    Another voice called out across the infernal realm, challenging Adagio with a tone of confidence that rivaled Sunset's own. 

    "What about two students of Celestia?"

    Sunset looked up, and was surprised to see a purple coat, purple hair, and purple eyes.

    "What?" Adagio snarled.

    Upon the cliff to the back of the arena, Twilight Sparkle stood with her katana sword drawn and her sheath held in her off hand, scowling down at Adagio through her large, squared glasses.

    "I'm here to reclaim the Sister of Light's power! It should never have fallen to the likes of you!"

    After making her cut, she returned her sword to its sheath and jumped down into the pit, landing next to Sunset as Adagio recovered from the strike.

    "What do you think you're doing?" Sunset asked, turning to Twilight with an accusing tone. "Dropping in unannounced and stealing my spotlight? I had her, I was just waiting for her to let her guard down."

    "Come on." With a tone of slight annoyance, she gestured to Adagio dismissively. "You don't think she deserves to be the big finish, do you?"

    "Now that you mention it... You're right." Sunset turned the dangerous look she was giving Twilight back to Adagio, but Twilight took her aside again.

    "I'm here with a little gift from our friends." Twilight held an open hand up, showing off five uniquely colored sparkles of light orbiting in a circle. 

    "The Elements? You brought them here?"

    "I had to promise I'd give them back once we're through," Twilight explained. "But our friends really wanted to be a part of this, and I needed to make things right."

    "I'm surprised they'd trust you with them after everything you've done, you must've been on your hands and knees..."

    Twilight rolled her eyes. "As much as I'm sure you'd love to see that, don't get imaginative. Truth is, all five of them are holding me at mental gunpoint as we speak," Twilight held out her hand a little more, gesturing for Sunset to take it. "Part of the agreement is that I hand them over to you."

    "Yeah, I'm sure I'll hear all about it later." Sunset took Twilight's hand, holding it tightly and giving her a nod. "But if we're gonna do this, let's do this."

    The magic of the Elements flashed between them as they met each other's eyes, each color flowing through them as they took in their power. Rather than take it all for herself, Sunset passed half of the energy back to Twilight, she wanted Twilight to take this power with her. This surprised her, but with a smile she accepted the gesture. Following that a brighter flash surrounded them as their inner magics fused, a unique harmonic bond forming between them that resulted in them both sharing the power of the Elements as two complete conduits of Harmony, a full circuit formed from a troubled but true friendship.

    "The Elements will not be enough!" Adagio shouted, rearing her head back again as Celestia's two disciples stood united against her. "You are two separate halves- You'll never be greater than a whole!"

    Twilight took the first step, feeling the eyes of all her friends on her as their demons and magic swelled within her. With a sweep of her blade from its sheath she shook her head with confident smirk as she walked.

    "You should know better than thinking you're capable of handling the Sisters' power." She said, holding a single scolding finger in her direction. 

    "I think she needs to learn that the hard way," Sunset added, following in close behind Twilight with her sword also held ready.

    "Agreed."

    "Do your worst!" Adagio let out another musical screech, this time in a higher, ascending tone, and more of her mini-sirens rose from the water rushing over the battlefield. "You couldn't hope to match me!"

    With the power of the Elements of Harmony flowing between them, Twilight Sparkle and Sunset Shimmer ran forward, side by side, into battle, their swords brushing against each other briefly as they brought them around to bear. They moved with unmatched coordination, cutting apart the swarm of mini-sirens with katana and claymore, moving around and covering each other's weak points and giving no ground to their enemy. 

    Pink and yellow pulses of magic enveloped them, Twilight drawing upon Pinkie's split baton cannons and Sunset summoning Applejack's gauntlets, the two now delivering blunt strikes in all directions at blinding speeds. 

    In ten seconds flat, the mob of weaker enemies was cleared up, and Adagio stopped her song with a stifled cry of disbelief when she saw the purple and orange coats flowing together in mirrored perfection, both holding strong stances as they faced up at the towering demon. 

    Sunset charged up a jet of flame in her gauntlet and Twilight pointed both baton cannons at the ground behind her, and the two simultaneously blasted off at Adagio from opposite angles. Stony fists and metal barrels struck the demon and she swung her claws, managing a few strong parries but ultimately faltering to their unending attacks. 

    A blue pulse surrounded Twilight and a white pulse Sunset, the former taking up Rainbow's guitar and the latter Rarity's needle as their onslaught continued. Heat blasts and dark tendrils shot in at them, but Sunset tossed Rarity's explosive sewing pins to counter the stretching limbs, and lightning from Rainbow's guitar axe outshined Adagio's fire. Sliding in beneath the demon Twilight cut across her torso with the axe blade, striking twice more as she came to a stand. In kind, Sunset pierced the glowing gemstone on her chest with her giant sewing needle and swung around her by it's lengthy thread as she stuck more pins into the demon's sides. 

    The two landed in front of the stunned demon on opposite sides, exchanging knowing nods and tossing their weapons across to each other. Sunset caught Rainbow's guitar neck first and strummed a loud chord, then went into an extended solo as she slid forward on her knees, and as soon as Twilight had the needle, she summoned Rarity's purple rose and tossed over her shoulder at Adagio, detonating all the pins in her. Lightning blasts rattled her entire body and explosions shook her through her scales and to the bone, and with an anguished scream and a weak wing flap, Adagio fell to the ground.

    The two were far from finished.

    Twilight pulsed yellow and Sunset pink, and with Fluttershy's staff Twilight laid into the collapsed demon, tangling her in vines and dragging her further to the ground as she struggled. Sunset lit the demon up with Pinkie's party cannon over her shoulder, dual wielding it with Flash's rocket launcher for additional destructive power. Twilight pulsed orange, then Sunset blue. Sunset yellow, Twilight white. The two demon hunters cycled through their shared arsenal in a non-stop display of stylish and fluid carnage, unleashing a devastating tag team combo with every single weapon available to them.

    Together, with all of their strength and the strength of their friends behind them, Twilight and Sunset landed blow after blow on the what was now a nearly helpless devil. The gemstone on her chest was cracking, but she was still flailing and swinging her claws, eventually blowing the two of them back with a gust of wind from her wings and sending a discordant sonic pulse from her mouth to their eardrums in frantic effort to catch a break.

    As she held her screech, both Sunset and Twilight held their footing. Building up behind Adagio's offending soundwave were her long, endless and infinite tendrils, and overhead was a massive fiery swirl preparing to rain countless fireballs down on them. The two demon hunters stayed closed together, bolstering each other's resolve with a glance as they prepared their defense. Sunset readied Flash's rocket launcher over her shoulder, and as it charged up with her red magic Twilight came to kneel, bringing her up sheathed katana and pouring her purple magic into it as well. Adagio's wall of attacks closed in, Twilight brought her katana to a half draw, resheathed her blade, and then repeated the motion indefinitely, while Sunset spun the loading cylinder of her launcher and squeezed the trigger.

    Rockets and instantaneous sword slices beat back the long, spreading arms of darkness and rain of scorching hellfire, shattering and dispersing tendril and fireball and quickly pushing them back to their source. Sunset kept firing, Twilight kept slicing, until eventually they were no longer countering an assault but launching their own.

    Adagio's body was pelted from all directions, huge chains of explosions and space rending cuts halting any retaliation she had planned. Pain and punishment tore her apart from all directions, leaving her once armored scales broken and smoking. With one final rush in, the two students of Celestia thrust their swords into either side of the siren, and she howled once more in pain. 

    With both blades firmly embedded in her flesh, Sunset and Twilight both punched the ends of their swords, causing them to push all the way through and shoot out the opposite side of the quickly faltering monster. Catching Sunset's Redemption, Twilight carved her fury into her end of Adagio Dazzle, an act of justice to undo both the siren's sin and her own. Sunset caught Twilight's Equinox as well, tearing into her end of a stunned beast with her own righteous fervor, an act of vengeance for threatening all that she held dear. 

    One last stroke and the two smashed the gem on Adagio's chest, leaving her to wail and writhe in defeat as both blood and magical light uncontrollably gushed from her front. Against the two strongest students of Celestia, she was indeed no match. The two demon hunters tossed their swords back to each other and backed away from the pulverized devil, ascending not to godhood but a heap of chopped up pieces.

    "I think this show's just about over," Sunset said. "What say we wrap this up?"

    As she drew one of her pistols, Twilight drew one of her own to match, and they gave each other knowing glances. Sunset eyes shimmered excitedly as she gave her a smile, and Twilight's own sparkled with the same excitement as her own lips drew smug.

    "You remember how we always used to say goodbye?" Sunset asked, invoking distant memories of better times between the two of them. They had a cute little way of saying farewell when parting ways after a study session or meetup, a synchronized call and response that was their and theirs alone. Twilight nodded. Of course she remembered.

    They put their backs together and crossed their arms, aligning their pistols with each other as they faced down the great demon, the cruel and self-centered angel that had long since fallen from grace. The Elements of Harmony responded to their bond, their unity, their friendship, and each of the five orbs of magic lit up around them, surrounding the two of them in a colorful, swirling aura.

    "No! Don't do it!" Adagio cried, meekly raising a bloodied claw to shield her eyes from the beacon of light they formed.

    "So long..." Sunset and Twilight both spoke in unison, the multicolored magic forming around their pistols as they prepared to pull the trigger.

    "And goodnight!"

    BANG!

    In a spiraling cascade of rainbow light, the purest forces of harmony erupted from the demon hunter's two barrels, guiding two bullets straight through a demon that didn't yet know she was dead. 

    "No! I had it all, the power of the Two Sisters was mine!" Adagio Dazzle screamed out desperately as the rainbow light incinerated her pure demon form, reducing her to a lowly, power deprived human that fell through the hole in the center of the arena, down into the emptiness below.

    Finally relaxing from the battle, the two students of Celestia just watched the siren drop.

    "Man, those were some lame last words." Sunset said, resuming her casual tone.

    "You said it." Twilight replied, also back to her reserved self. "Now, as promised." 

    She raised an open palm, calling forth the magic of her friends, and with Sunset meeting her hand, the two released Elements, five streaks of energy racing off through the hole in the floor to rejoin their owners in the human realm.

    Slowly descending above the center platform was the Devil Sword reverted back to its form as a plain, grey greatsword, the sun and moon amulets once powering it separated back into two. As their magic faded, they fell faster, also dropping through the opening in the floor.

    Seeing them slip away, both of Celestia's students dove into the darkness after them, each following the separate drive in their hearts to obtain the falling powers.

    As they fell, Sunset found her hand closing around the sun amulet, and Twilight's hand caught the corresponding moon amulet. 

    Celestia's ancient greatsword was still in freefall somewhere in between.

-----

    Adagio Dazzle's body plummeted back to the human world with an untriumphant crack against the top of the Castle of the Two Sisters. The bright beam of light was no longer there, and the hole in the clouds was slowly growing smaller, the storm picking back up in intensity the more it did. 

    Defeated and barely clinging to her life, Adagio took in a barely audible breath. It hurt, but felt like a relief after the beating she'd just received. All of her plotting, all of her betrayal and sabotage, all of the power she'd obtained, it had all been for nothing, and now she lay powerless and ejected from the realm she sought to claim. As she pushed up against the ground, she realized that she couldn't feel her legs, the lower half of her body was unresponsive. She was paralyzed, nearly every bone crushed and every nerve ending fried. All she could do was look up against the relentless rain and try to drag herself to safety. 

    She could recover, she could come back, she'd cheated death once before, and she could do it again. 

    But a bright flash of lightning illuminated a figure amidst the rain that stopped all thoughts dead in their tracks, a figure that sent an icy cold chill down what was left of her shattered spine. A tall, bulky figure wordlessly approached through the falling sheets of rain. Adagio heard each of their heavy footsteps as loud as her own frantic heartbeat in her throat. Every moment the dark silhouette drew nearer, and from their wrist, Adagio saw a short, jagged weapon extend, a fragmented pitch black blade that glowed with all the darkness of night. 

    "You..." Adagio's voice was but a puny croak, a useless speck of dust against a hurricane. She knew who she was looking at, she had a name for this face. This was her prototype, this was her very first successful test subject. The one she led to die at Sire's Hollow. The one she sealed in the Armor of Resentment.

    The first of many she damned with her betrayal. 

    "I... saved you..." The siren managed. 

    The one whose life she made a living hell.

    "Could you really kill me?" Adagio gave an anguished glare as two fists tensed up before her. "I gave you life... I gave you strength..."

    The one she gave only pain and loss.

    "All I wanted was power..." Fear shot through the dying siren's entire body, as another flash of lightning revealed the condescending eyes of the one before her. Uncaring, unmoved, and unwavering. "The power to make this world right..."

    Those unflinching eyes only scorched terror deeper into her. 

    "Was I so wrong?" She began to plead, crumbling at the mercy of her original victim. "Do I deserve death? Do I- Ah!"

    She yelped as she felt a cold, heavy gauntlet take her by the neck and dangle her broken body over the ground. She came face to face with those pained, battle scarred blue eyes again, unable to look away as they scalded her vision, seared their pain into her memories. 

    "Please..." She whimpered, trembling in her captor's iron grip, her bloodshot eyes tearing as she felt the weight of her inevitable mortality collapse upon her. "Have mercy..."

    Take away her power, take away her influence, and this was all she was, a shriveling coward begging for something she never once considered granting another.

    Right then and there, the siren sang her final bloody song on the end of a broken demon sword, a shriek of horror against a chorus of a thousand raindrops that fell silent to a choked gurgle and a crack of lightning.

    Tempest Shadow had her revenge.

-----

    Out of the vacant skies of the demon realm, The Sister of Light's legendary Devil Sword, the Corona's Edge, fell. The greatsword landed blade first just before a waterfall, in a small stream running down the edge of one of the underworld's many great mountains. Handle facing the empty sky, the sword bit through the rock like it were merely paper, sinking a third of the way down the blade before coming to rest. Just up the mountain was a portal back to the human world, it was still wide, the rate of closure was minimal, and on the other end was a cliff, where the water fell off deeper into an abyss.

    Following the sword, landing just moments after were two demon hunters, one coated in orange, and the other purple. They were the followers of the Light Sister, trained by her in combat and philosophy. They were the inevitable successors of her legacy, but here at the horizon of two worlds their fates would cross one last time.

    Both Sunset Shimmer and Twilight Sparkle looked up the moment they landed. In nearly synchronous movements, they leapt forward in an attempt to take the Corona's Edge for themself.

    Twilight was just the slightest bit faster. Sunset's hand met nothing as she pulled away, staring down her best friend and perfect adversary before the rushing, clear water. With Devil Sword in hand, Twilight's face showed a strange, frantic desperation. One hand now held the sword she'd originally sought, and in her other hand was the moon amulet, one half of unlocking it's full power. Power she could use to destroy those who would do evil, to ensure the world was never threatened by another Adagio or Nightmare Moon again. 

    The power called to her, the power to right the incredible wrongs she'd done. The power to prove that she was still worthy of Celestia's legacy, power that would ensure her absolution. Power she could not be without. But to access that power, she needed one more piece.

    She looked to Sunset, gazing upon the red-gemmed amulet she held closely to her chest, and putting the moon amulet around her neck, she held an outstretched hand to her rival.

    "Give that to me."

    Sunset shook her head. She had Celestia's amulet again, the amulet that contained her power, power she was tasked with safekeeping, and she wasn't giving it up for anything. Not even Twilight Sparkle. It was her responsibility as Celestia's student to keep that power safe, to keep it out of the hands of those that would do evil. Even after Twilight came back to save her, she couldn't trust that her intentions were pure.

    "No way. You got your own."

    Twilight looked down at her own amulet, and then back to Sunset's as she too secured it around her neck. She'd already proven herself too careless, too irresponsible, Sunset would just lose that amulet again. Only one of them could wield this power.

    "Well I want yours too."

    Slowly, Twilight brought the Corona's Edge into a close guard, and the two demon hunters began to circle around each other.

    "We did it, Twilight! We saved our friends, saved the human world. You still need more power?"

    "Yes, I need to make things right. It's my burden, my responsibility."

    "Oh sure, it has to be you, doesn't it?"

    "You're wasting time!"

    Twilight charged forward, her new greatsword held firmly in both hands, but as she swung it at the last person standing in her way, the last person she wanted to be fighting, she felt incredible remorse for the things she'd done. But by bearing this power, the power of her master Celestia, Twilight could do justice to the world she betrayed in her arrogance.

    The only thing standing between her and self-redemption was her best friend.

    Sunset's claymore came out in time with Twilight's swing, and the two caught each other's blades in bare hands, dripping blood washing away into the rushing stream at their feet. When she looked into Twilight's eyes, Sunset saw not superiority or confidence, but shaking uncertainty and dread. The same fear Sunset saw the last time she met Twilight's eyes this close was still present and stronger than ever. It made her feel sick to her stomach.

    "We are the Students of Celestia..." Sunset began, struggling against the blade of the Corona's Edge as Twilight struggled with the blade of Redemption. "Not only do we carry her strength, but her soul!"

    With a great push, the two demon hunters slid backwards, their bleeding hands quickly healing over as they steadied their feet.

    "And my soul is telling me to stop you, Twilight." Sunset said, trying to keep as firm a look as possible. Great emotions were stirring in her, not excitement or comfort in the coming combat, but of her own fear. Fear of losing to Twilight. Of losing Twilight. "To stop you from destroying yourself."

    "The only person who can save my soul is me." Twilight replied. "And to do that, I need this power."

    Her expression finally broke, the hurt and anger from Twilight pushing her away finally getting the better of her. "I thought we were supposed to be friends..."

    For a moment, Twilight's lips faltered as well, a regretful tone overshadowing her.

    "Friends..." She repeated, Sunset's hurt eyes further stirring her inner fear. "Best friends."

    But with fates undeniable, they both pushed their feelings aside as they stepped forward to meet each other, to engage in a final, climactic duel. A duel that would settle everything between them, this time for good. At first their steps were slow, filled with hesitation, each one watching carefully for the other to strike, until Twilight finally took the initiative. The Corona's Edge clashed against the Redemption several times beneath the black, starless sky, the two demon hunters stepping and twisting their bodies around each other as their wills intersected once more.

    Steel met steel in equal measure, Sunset deflecting and returning attack after attack from Twilight as their speeds increased. Sunset began to feel that wonderful rush of excitement she got from dueling her closest friend. It washed away her hesitation, but she wouldn't let it cloud her intentions this time. She was focused on what she was here to do. Strike after strike, step after step, the sound of their blades clashing and boots splashing began to echo in a rhythmic way as they swung and blocked, dodged and jabbed, keeping each other as close as possible without allowing the other to land a hit. 

    Twilight held a high guard with the Corona's Edge as the Redemption bound against it, but in her off hand she drew the Equinox from its sheath, katana blade slicing out at Sunset's exposed torso. Rather than take the hit Sunset jumped away, rolling Flash's rocket launcher over her shoulder and letting out three shots back at Twilight as she glided backward. Putting the greatsword away, Twilight took up her katana in full and sliced through the rockets with her Demon Reflex engaged, challenging Sunset to face her in slowed time.

    Rather than draw her sword back right away, Sunset charged a bit of magic into the launcher, but placed it stock first on the ground and let loose six charged rockets into the sky above them. Their trajectories arced wildly, but they appeared to slow down as Sunset drew the Redemption again and entered her Demon Reflex, bracing it against the glowing metal of the Equinox. With her rockets slowly changing trajectory and waterfall coming to a crawl, Sunset aggressively stabbed forward with her claymore, giving Twilight's katana little room for an opening to strike back.

    Taking a note from Sunset's playbook, Twilight brought the Corona's Edge back out and made heavy, aggressive chops with it, finding that she could use it in the same manner Sunset used Redemption. Unlike Sunset, she had a second sword to use in conjunction with it, easily giving her the advantage in melee. She made a wide swing out, but as Sunset ducked she drew the Equinox again and swiped low, forcing Sunset into some difficult positions as she eventually came back to the Corona's Edge. 

    Time sluggishly trudged on around them, but Twilight successfully pushed Sunset back to one of the mountain walls behind her. However, Sunset's slowed rockets had now changed trajectory completely, and were all angled on Twilight as the Redemption struck the Equinox with a heavy, guard breaking strike.

    Time was forced to resume as they came into a bind, but Sunset immediately jumped back as six rockets shot straight for Twilight at full speed.

    Six simultaneous explosions rocked the cliffedge, and a wide cloud of smoke soon followed. To Sunset's amazement, the smoke cleared to reveal Twilight now standing considerable distance away, with the Equinox in a half draw. She'd cut down the six rockets and avoided the blasts, but Sunset was ready to charge up another huge volley.

    Just like with Adagio, Sunset launched rapid fire rockets all zeroed in on Twilight's position, and in kind Twilight repeatedly half-drew and closed her katana while the midpoint between them was consumed by another round of explosions and smoke. When the rockets stopped, one more space tearing cut shot through at Sunset, but the demon hunter was already leaping above it, crossing through the smoke veil and blasting at Twilight with both pistols drawn.

    The Equinox twirled in a defensive motion, deflecting the bullets with ease, but as Twilight held her ground Sunset slid to the side, shooting beneath the blade at her ankles and forcing Twilight to jump out of the way. Into a cartwheel she went, parallel to Sunset's slide and still deflecting gunshots off her blade as they passed each other, rolling to a stop facing away from each other.

    In bursts of red and purple power, both of them shifted into their demon forms as they turned to face each other again. The staredown was minimal this time, Twilight immediately teleport-dashed right up to Sunset and began a fiercer, more intensive sword exchange that ended with Sunset having both the greatsword and the katana smashed against her claymore. With a blazing fast dash of her own, Sunset came back into the fight with her pistols, weaving around Twilight's swords until she was forced to draw her own, now making the battle a matter of gun punches and kicks.

    Bullets flew in every direction but the direction they needed to go, lighting fast counters and parries and recoveries and surprise attacks were thrown, as their Demon Reflexes pushed to their limits. With a flap of her wings, Sunset pushed herself into the air as she twisted around Twilight's bullets, both oncoming ones and ones she'd fired minutes ago into frozen time. The rocket launcher came out again, and Sunset she fired rockets out a tight midair spread, then another wider spread as she hit the ground. With one hand still holding a pistol she fended off Twilight's two, swinging the rocket launcher around into the gundance as well. 

    With an upward kick, Twilight knocked the unwieldy launcher from Sunset's hands and into still time but Sunset only drew the Redemption again to take its place, her magic bathing its blade in flames. Not only did she jab at Twilight, she tried to bat aside some of the frozen bullets around them, making space for herself as her blade was repeatedly parried off of Twilight's guns.

     Twilight brought the Equinox out in one hand, her magic dripping off it's blade as she brought it hard against the weak end of the Redemption, breaking Sunset's focus and forcing her out of her Demon Reflex. Putting her other gun away gripped the handle of the Equinox, resheathing it and taking a low, powerful stance, charging up her ultimate attack. Calling on all of her power, Sunset willed herself back into her Demon Reflex, if only to make a recovery, but by the time she did the ground was already quaking and a bright purple ring had already formed around Twilight's feet. 

    Twilight was preparing her finishing attack.

    Another flap of her demon wings and she launched herself as far up and away as she could, reaching for the still falling rocket launcher and catching it just barely in time. Her hand reached the handle right as Twilight drew her sword and vanished in a burst of demonic magic. Time stood still, reality went grey, and a hundred thousand cuts shattered most of the projectiles surrounding them, but Sunset was already dodging, slipping beyond Twilight's ultimate decisive cut and landing in a kneel to mirror Twilight's own. 

    Twilight's Equinox clicked against it's sheathe, but she looked on in disbelief as her demon form evaporated. Sunset still stood, her demon form present and strong, floating in the air above her with a rocket launcher locked, loaded and glowing bright red. 

    Starlight may have countered her finishing move, her ultimate decisive cut, but Sunset just dodged it. She had no words. Not just any demon could do that, but Sunset wasn't just any demon. Currently, she was a demon with a rocket launcher. And though she had no words, no words could stop the uncountable number of explosive tipped projectiles coming her way anyway, though, only sword swipes could do that. And swipe her swords did, she drew both of them and ran in a wide arc towards the waterfall, surrounding herself with as many cuts as possible with her back to the wall and a cliff toward Sunset's. 

    With everything she had, she planted her feet and kept her blades moving, sweeping across again and again to create an impenetrable wall of steel around herself. If Sunset could counter her ultimate strike, she was determined to counter hers.

    By the time Sunset's demon form expired, Twilight was nearly worn out from the sheer number of targets she'd kept from detonating, but she still stood, so she still raised her blade. Sunset was in equal condition, coming out of her ultra rocket barrage short of breath and kneeling. But she too still stood, so she too readied her blade.

    "That's not all you've got, is it, Twilight?" Sunset asked. "A few rockets and you're out of action? I thought you were Celestia's strongest..."

    That comment sparked Twilight's ire, with the flame of her rivalry fully stoked she shot back a heated glare at Sunset. "I am!"

    "Then show me!" Sunset shouted. If this was going to be it for her and Twilight, they needed to do this right. But if she fell here, Sunset hoped that she was wrong. Wrong about everything, about Twilight, and their responsibility as Celestia's students. Cause if she fell, and Twilight was right about power being the means to her redemption, then she still had a chance. And that's all Sunset really wanted out of this. For Twilight to have another chance, to realize that power wasn't everything. She would find out soon enough.

    Behind them, the mountain began to shake. Not by either of their doing, but from the portal above them, the only way to get back to the human world.

    "The portal is closing, Sunset!" Twilight warned. "The amulets have been separated from the sword."

    "Come on then..." Sunset's head lowered, her eyes tilting down in hurt resentment. "You want this stupid amulet? Earn it. We're one and one. This is where we square up!"

    Twilight looked at her reflection in the rushing water beneath her feet, and thought back to their first duel, all those years ago. Their first duel for that very same amulet. Twilight didn't have any hard feelings against Sunset then. Why could she not accept Sunset as worthy of it now? She still felt a deep dread in her heart just thinking about what would await her should she return empty handed, should she not be Celestia's best. If not, she was worthless.

    So with a determined nod, Twilight held the Corona's Edge out in both hands and charged forward, her feet carrying her across the water as Sunset did the same with Redemption. Closer they came, and with them also came closer the conclusion of their battle. Not a conclusion they wanted, but a conclusion they both rushed towards all the same. One for the power to save the world, and the other for the power to save her dearest friend.

    Closer, they came, angling their swords as the moment to strike approached. Sunset drew a blade stroke down and across, while Twilight crossed hers out and to the right. There were no tricks, no demon powers activated, no other weapons drawn, just two swords crossing paths for the battle's single, final strike. 

    And at once, the two Students of Celestia collided. 

Time stopped for a moment. They each completed a single cut as they passed each other, stopping only after they had both made their strike. Both of them stood still, not looking back, holding their swords firmly. 

    Sunset had felt resistance on her blade. 

    Twilight had felt resistance on her waist.

    The Redepmtion nearly cut Twilight all the way in half, splattering her blood to be washed away by the water beneath them, but the Corona's Edge missed its mark entirely. 

    Her regeneration working overtime to keep her in once piece, Twilight fell forward with no more strength left, both the Corona's Edge and the moon amulet falling to the ground as she coughed and stumbled. Turning, Sunset swiped the Devil Sword up, but Twilight had recovered the moon amulet and was backing away as Sunset raised her claymore again.

    Twilight lost. She had one chance to prove her worth, and she failed. Clearly, she wasn't strong enough. And so there was no other choice but to accept that she wasn't worthy of this power. The wound in her side still healing, she staggered away from Sunset as she held the moon amulet to her chest.

    "This amulet is mine, Sunset. Perhaps the legacy of the Sister of Darkness is more fitting for me. I'll take on her burden instead."

    Sunset looked up in alarm, Twilight was getting dangerously close to the cliffedge. In her daze, it looked like she was going to fall. Putting both of her swords away Sunset rushed out to catch her, but was surprised when Twilight drew the Equinox and held it with the point to her chest.

    "Leave me and go." Twilight said, in both fear and certainty, holding her blade firmly. "Before the portal closes."

    "What about you?" Sunset asked, the pretense of their fight falling and her concern for her as a friend immediately rushing back.

    "It's better if I stay." Lifting her eyes to meet Sunset's intently, Twilight let her heel float back against the end of the cliff, hovering over the drop to the abyss. "This place is where a demon belongs."

    "Twilight wait-" Sunset rushed past the katana blade, fully prepared to run directly into it if need be, but with that same lingering fear in her eyes Twilight let her balance shift all the way back. Despite her fear, she showed a weak, resigned smile, and wished a last farewell to her best friend.

    "So long, Sunset..."

    Despite Sunset's move to catch her, Twilight fell, a single defiant slash cutting into Sunset's coat as she flicked the Equinox across, taking off a piece of the tail bearing her sun shaped insignia. As her best friend faded into the darkness below, that one scrap of her coat slowly fluttered along behind her, leaving Sunset alone with only the sound of the waterfall to frame her thoughts.

    Twilight was gone. She got the Devil Sword, they stopped the bad guys, the portal could be closed and the world was saved but... Twilight was gone. Sunset felt pain, a deep, aching pain, the pain from Twilight rejecting their friendship, but worse, because now Twilight didn't think herself worth their friendship. Something irreplaceable had just left Sunset's heart, and she was immediately feeling the crippling vacancy. Her best friend, Twilight Sparkle, was gone.

    Looking down again, Sunset saw a piece of purple fabric being pushed along by the flowing water. A small piece of Twilight's own coat had been sliced off in that battle too, and Sunset caught it just before it went over the edge. Shaking the water off, she saw her insignia on it; Twilight's pink six pointed star. She'd be taking this as a keepsake...

    Before turning and heading back to the portal up the mountain behind her, Sunset took one last look over the edge. There was a lump in her throat that she had to force down, but she had something to say, even if Twilight wouldn't hear her.

    "So long, Twilight..."

    Sunset sighed. There would be no response to her call this time. She really was gone.

    "And goodnight."

-----

    The platform crowning the castle's keep responded to the Sister of Light's sword, and Sunset was able to just ride it back down through the castle. Every floor above her closed up as passed, and soon she was back before the broken window and the empty throne room. She tried to walk as quickly as she could, wanting to leave things behind, but she eventually came to the central tower's blown-in door. This is where she and Twilight had their fight previous, where Twilight walked away victorious. 

    As she crossed the broken hallway she couldn't help but wonder what would've happened if Twilight prevailed during their most recent duel. 

    Sunset shook her head clear of those thoughts. The clouds above her were starting to clear up, but the rain still came down in a light shower. She pressed on, continuing to the castle's front courtyard, where she met Flash, Starlight, and Spike all waiting for her. 

    "Sunset!" Flash called, relieved to see her carrying the Devil Sword and the sun amulet, but then saw the grim look on her face. "Sunset?"

    Not having the words to respond, Sunset just handed Flash his rocket launcher, walked a ways past them, and tapped her foot impatiently.

    "I want to get out of here too, but..." Starlight began, her tone reflecting concern. "I can't help but notice that Twilight isn't with you."

    "The rest of our friends are waiting in the van, just up ahead." Spike said. "We were waiting for you and Twilight to get back."

    "You missed it," Starlight said, recalling the events in an amazed stupor. "Twilight actually came around. I was going to go back and help you, but she insisted I get out of here. She said 'It has to be me', in that way she always does, but it was different- she took responsibility for everything."

    "And she made this huge apology to all of our friends," Flash said, "Said that she wanted to make sure you made it out, especially, no matter what..."

    "She even agreed to come with Starlight and I under Order custody," Spike added. "She said she'd answer for everything she's done."

    "I knew you the two of you could pull it off." Flash continued. "We were so excited when the girls got their magic back. They remembered the whole thing, almost like they were there! The two of you fighting together, taking down Adagio..."

    As they went on, Sunset didn't have much in the way of response to give. Her head was fallen, her shoulders loose, and she was just staring out at a patch of grass. Flash put the pieces together quickly. He knew that look. His tone becoming cautious, he gently prodded at a fact he knew to be true.

    "Twilight... isn't coming back, is she?"

    Sunset didn't reply, but her heavy silence said enough.

    "Are you... crying?" Flash asked.

    "It's just the rain."

    Holding his hand out, Flash looked up. He could see the sun beginning to rise over the forest in the distance as dark clouds cleared away. "The rain already stopped."

    Trying not to sound too apathetic, Starlight leaned in to offer her comfort. "Did she at least do the right thing?"

    "I sure hope so."

    Twilight stayed behind in the demon world of her own free will, but Sunset couldn't help but feel like she'd failed her. This wasn't the end she wanted, but she supposed it wouldn't be any better had she and Twilight switched places. Was their friendship not worth sticking around for? Was Twilight still mad at her? Was she afraid of her?

    Sunset shook her head clear again. Everything hurt. She needed a lollipop, or something to distract herself with. These emotions weren't going to process overnight, she needed to put time and distance between this place.

    As luck would have it, a demonic cry sounded out from the castle's gates, around the four of them a small mob of demons appeared from a ghostly mist. They varied in size and strength, but were nothing they hadn't dealt with already. This was all of the distraction Sunset needed. A playful tone came back to her as she eyed up the approaching demons.

    "Looks like we've got a few leftovers!" Sunset announced, watching blade and fireball and talon prepare to strike. "Sorry fellas, but the show's over!"

    Flash took aim with his rocket launcher, Starlight drew her chainsaber, Spike flicked up his tailblade, and Sunset, with a smile on her face, took up both of her pistols. She'd still enjoy her battles, despite that empty feeling inside. She'd still find reason to cheer up, even when things looked down. The last thing Twilight did was show her a smile, so Sunset figured that she should smile too, and have strength for herself and the rest of their friends.

    "Oh, who am I kidding? We've still got time for one last song!" Sunset exclaimed, pointing to the sky as the four of them went back to back in the center of the courtyard. 

    "Come on, let's give 'em one to remember!"
> EP- The Sun Never Sets
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

    "What happened next? Well, nothing, really. The four of us killed all the remaining demons around the castle, headed back to Trixie's RV, and went back to Canterlot City to help out there. It took two whole months, but the city was eventually rebuilt. With the combined efforts of Seraph and the Order of Light, we drove out the remaining monsters with minimal civilian casualties. Starlight and her friends went back to Crystal City before long, back to the Order. Not sure what happened to them."

    "As for me, I still had things to take care of. I gave my mission report to Seraph's Regional Director, who'd come to see me personally after the event. I may have left a few details fuzzy, but I was mostly open with her on the things I'd seen. The Siren labs, the location of the castle, and how evil exists among humans, and good can exist within demons. I personally know a handful of demons with goodness in their hearts, Sunset and friends are shining examples."

    "Speaking of Sunset, her little business picked up quite a bit in the months following. She even brought on some of her friends to take jobs with her from time to time when the occasion arose. The only thing I missed was Celestia and Luna, I never saw them again. If they really are the Sisters of the Light and Darkness, the two that closed the gate to the demon realm, then Sunset and Twilight couldn't have done a better job following in their footsteps. It's just a shame that Twilight didn't make it back."

    "Hmm? Yeah, maybe Sunset knows what happened to the sisters." 

    "She's still in Canterlot, running her shop. Want to know the name?"

-----

    Ring, ring!

    In a recently remodeled storefront in Canterlot's inner city area, a phone rang on the front desk. 

    Through a door to an apartment area in the back of the shop, Sunset Shimmer came through, wearing a new black top with a faded grey sun design on it, one she'd just received in the mail. As she took a seat in her chair, she struck her heel against the desk and popped the phone off the receiver and into her hand, a casual smile on her face as she gave a friendly response.

    "Sun Never Sets," she said. "Owner speaking."

    A voice greeted her on the other end, then reminded her that she had arranged a meeting with them.

    "Oh yeah!" Sunset replied. "You're that artifact collector, right? The archeologist? Yeah, what time were you going to be by?"

    Her shop had been considerably busier in the recent months, there were more demon hunting jobs coming in than she'd ever had in the past. With the extra money she was able to fix everything up and then some, she had several displays of various valuables, weapons and gear around the front of her shop. Before, she'd buy the occasional cursed sword from someone trying to get rid of it, to keep for display or safekeeping, but now she had something of a pawn shop. Her storefront had become a place for residents of the city to sell any demonic collectibles that might still linger, and she would even sell some of her pieces to upstart demon hunters, granted they prove they were strong enough to handle them first.

    What wasn't for sale was the huge, ancient greatsword on the wall above her desk, easily the centerpiece of her collection. That was a special one, she told her customers, the sword of her mentor, and she was hanging onto it for her until she saw her again. Sunset's accomplishments were well known throughout Canterlot, but as time went on the celebration died down and life continued as usual.

    "One o' clock? Well..." Sunset paused, pulling out her cell phone from a pocket and checking the time. Not only was that a half hour from now, but she saw a new text message on her phone, from Rarity.

    Hey, we're all at the cafe on Rosemary, you want to come have lunch with us?

    "I'm actually gonna be out for lunch at one, how about two? I'll be back by then. Sure. Sounds great."

    Sunset hung up the blocky digital phone and gave Rarity a confirmation on her cell phone. Standing up, she reached into a pocket and pulled out a lollipop, unwrapping it and popping it into her mouth as she made her way to the door. She put on a new yellow leather coat, this one much nicer, recently made for her by Rarity after her old one was torn and cut up, and opened the door to a cool yet sunny day. 

    Locking up her shop, Sunset headed to the black and chrome motorcycle she kept parked on the curb. As she got on, prepared to meet up with her friends, she looked back and smiled at the newest addition to the store's exterior. She didn't know what she was doing before she got it, but now, it was her favorite thing about the place. Hung proudly above the shop's front door, shining like a crown jewel was a wide, bright neon sign, depicting elegant, crimson curved letters that simply read:


    Sun Never Sets

> SP/03- Twilight May Cry
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

    "So long, Sunset..."

    Twilight fell.

    "...And goodnight."

    Through the infinite and abstract darkness of the demon realm, Twilight fell.

    She fell until the cliffedge above her was just a speck, until all color of the mountain above became shrouded in shadow. It all faded to nothing eventually, but that was the fate of all who dwelled in this place, wasn't it? Such was the fate of the damned. 

    Twilight could only hold on to the faint hope that came with knowing that the human world was safe. That it had someone to safeguard it, even if that someone wasn't her. Someone truly worthy of the Sister of Light's sun amulet. Her left hand clung tightly to her own moon amulet dangling from her neck. This was hers, and so long as she had it, the gate to this place could never be opened. Her friends could be safe, safe from all of the darkness and horror of this realm, safe from her. That was all that mattered. 

    She closed her eyes and just felt the endless nothingness rushing around her. What would've happened if she defeated Sunset? Would they have traded places? Twilight contemplated the idea of Sunset being confined to this place, finding the thought unsatisfactory. Distressing, even. Not Sunset, Sunset didn't deserve this, she concluded. Twilight deserved this.

    After what felt like hours of falling and steeping herself in self-pity, Twilight eventually heard the sound of water splashing somewhere below. She tilted her head up, looking down to see the ground in the far, far distance, but approaching at a steady rate. Taking a breath in, she flipped her body around and prepared to land, bracing her body as she grew closer and closer to the very bottom of the underworld.

    Her boots passed through an ankle deep pool of murky, purple water and struck the rocky ground with a loud splash, Twilight landing in a kneeling position and rising to see a gloomy red sky above her and a bloodied, empty landscape around her. She felt the impact in her legs, but her body held, as did the hard infernal stone beneath her.

    As she took in her surroundings, a small scrap of fabric flapped onto her face, and pulling it away she saw an unmistakable sun-shaped insignia on a yellow, leather background. That insignia, just seeing it stirred something deep within Twilight. A piece of Sunset's coat had followed her down, it seemed. She'd sliced it off right as she fell, didn't she? It went into the inner pocket of her own coat, a memento of her closest friend to carry with her. 

    A small part of her found this outcome regrettable, but this was the best way to ensure none of this would ever happen again.

    There was a light from beyond the horizon that took her attention away. Both of her hands went to her weapon, which she'd held quite tightly the whole way down. In the sky, shining through the black clouds were a pair of ominous, emerald green eyes that struck at the demon hunter with memories of fear and hopelessness.

    The Tantibus. The nightmare creature that plagued her existence from the moment it escaped it's confinement. With a swift, decisive motion, Twilight unsheathed her blade and held it at the ready as its two eyes grew nearer, and it's void-colored, empty mass became more prominent through the darkness. It was larger than ever here, here in it's own realm it was only growing stronger.

    It would never leave her alone, would it? This demon left a scar on her that would never heal, but at the end of the day, it was merely a demon, and every demon could be vanquished. Twilight was more than ready to finally see the end of this cursed thing, but this burden felt a little easier to handle now that she knew the truth about the Two Sisters. The Dark Sister fell  to the demons within herself, but she still wanted to protect those she loved in the end. As the new bearer of her power, Twilight would strive to do the same, and if that meant inheriting those demons? So be it.

    "The last shadow of the Sister of Darkness, huh?" Twilight said, her entire body weak, but her spirit still strong and determined. "Luna was her name, right? If she could stand up to you, then so will I!"

    Twilight Sparkle charged forward, sword held forward, her boots kicking up more water as she let out a resilient battlecry.

    If she was going to walk the path of the Sister of Darkness, she was more than willing to do it right.