Never Go Outside

The sky was a beautiful cyan blue...speckled and smeared here and there with beautiful expanses of marshmallow white clouds. High above, the sun gleamed and shone with intense, dazzling light, casting its mighty rays across the vast ocean of endless sky and wind. A light breeze was gently pushing at the trees of the forests, their leaves lapping at the air as an eerie silence fell over Equestria. It was many would call 'the calm before the storm', the last little piece of peace of harmony that could ever be savored before the floodgates of terror and battle spilled forth in great, terrible cascade of violence and destruction.

Here and there, a few animals would slowly and carefully walk about near their homes, fearful to venture out too far in case any of the 'madponies' were lurking. It was a dangerous time to be out in the world...but deep down, in the hearts of all who lived in Equestria, one could feel that a change was in the air. Something was coming: a turn, a twist, a shift. But of what, and whether it would bring Chaos or Harmony remained to be seen. But the signs could not be ignored, it WAS there...it could be felt in the sudden change in the wind, the way it buffeted about from the sudden beats of thousands of pairs of wing beats. It could be felt in the sky and air, the great hum and crackling of magic as it carried the distant booms and echoes of great power. It could even be felt in the ground from the many, many hooves that galloped onward towards victory or death, the earth shaking beneath them as they roared in the face of their oppressor.

Ear's perked all around, creature and critter alike as a distant chorus of never-ending voices cried in unison one word:

"EQUESTRIAAAAAA!!!!"

"EQUESTRIA!!!!!" roared the great and mighty Princess Celestia, her battle armor clattering loudly as she headed the charge towards a wall of Ravage infected ponies that charged back towards them. Behind her ran her freedom fighting citizens, civilian and soldier alike, ready to take back their land, risk and give up everything to reclaim Equestria, or die trying.

"EQUESTRIA!!!!" screamed the grand army of nearly three thousand strong, the steady ponies staring a force nearly five times their own size in the face, daring them to come meet them on the battlefield. From above, Rainbow Dash beat her wings heavily, her hooves outstretched and ready to clobber and destroy anything that got in her way of that free sky she so desperately wanted back. Twilight Sparkle, on the ground with Big Macintosh, Captain Nightmare and Shadow Squad, and Applejack galloped beside Celestia, each ready and all determined to make the day theirs.

"Twilight, it's up to you!" Celestia shouted, turning her head towards her former student "Take Captain Nightmare and Shadow Squad and find Discord! We shall hold the line as long as we can and catch up to you as fast as possible!" Twilight turned her head towards Celestia and nodded, spreading her magical wings and taking to the sky alongside Nightmare, Shadow Mane, and the rest of Shadow Squad, veering off to the right in a wide flank. Bullets and other bolts of magic crackled off in the sky after them from Discord's Loyalists in the city, the unicorn quickly flaring up a magenta shield around the seven of them, catching several of the projectiles.

"Stay within the shield! Don't stray too far!" Twilight shouted as enemy fire pinged off the shield. Their part of the plan was Discord, getting Twilight to him and getting him put down. It was Shadow Squad's job to get her there, by ANY means possible. If it meant their lives, they would give them without hesitation. NOTHING else mattered but Discord's death, and Twilight's life.

"Rainbow, you're up!" Macintosh shouted upwards towards the cyan pegasus, a salute going back down to him from her as she veered high up into the sky with the rest of the Pegasai. "Make it rain..." he muttered to himself, dipping his head back down to look forward into the oncoming storm roaring towards them. Rainbow soared at the head of the group, going higher and higher as bullets and magic shot past them. A few ponies were hit in the stream, many crying out and plummeting out of the formation and towards the ground. Many wounded and a few dead, the Pegasai continued to rise despite the fire, their part of the plan clear in their minds: 'Death from above'. To clear out the rooftops and Loyalists holding the many tall buildings was the plan, to help secure the charge for the ground forces, and to make sure Twilight was undisturbed by too much enemy fire, paving her way to the prize.

And finally...that left Celestia and the rest of Equestria...one clear objective in their minds...and that was to push. Push forward, never backward, keep going and keep going until they stormed through the gates of the castle and straight on to victory. Like a crushing tidal wave they'd move, their momentum never faltering for a second. All that would stand before them would either move...or get crushed underhoof. "EQUESTRIA!!!!" Celestia roared again as the massive army of Ravaged came charging towards them, hellbent on halting their advance.

"EQUESTRIA!!!!"

"EQUESTRIA!!!!!!"

"EQUESTRIA!!!!"

Celestia could see the very reds of the infected ponies before her as she flared up her horn, pointing it forward and screaming for one final time "EQUESTRIAAAAAAAAA!!!!" before unleashing a bolt of great magic forward. It tore its way down the center line of the enemy flanks, incinerating a good number but barely putting a dent in their charge. The army of Equestria let out a unified crash as the two swelling masses came together, crashing violently with a thunderous 'BOOM!'. Ponies flew into the air, swarming over one another as blood and screams flowed across the ground and sky. Macintosh charged forward with Celestia, the two of them never pulling back on their speed, stomping and crushing anything in front of them. "Keep going, do not slow, do not falter! Push! PUSH!!!!" cried Princess Celestia, the ponies behind her slicing and shooting when they could at their assailants, pushing straight for the gaping hole within the wall that was their ticket into the city.

From high above, Rainbow Dash tipped her wings, angling herself from a position of ascent, to descent. "Alright everypony, let's make for these punks a rain they'll NEVER forget! DOWN!!!! DOWN!!!!" The Pegasai roared with fury, their swarming mass dipping and diving downwards, plummeting straight for the city. From the rooftops, the Loyalists clad in their black, ornate armored shouted in panic, throwing whatever fire they could into the sky, whether it was magic, spears, or bullets. Rainbow Dash ducked just under a bolt of magic coming straight at her, the fur on her back being singed only slightly as around her, several ponies took the lethal brunt of the volley, a good number already tumbling out of the sky.

Twilight, far on the right flank, watched as her attackers turned their guns in the direction of the diving Pegasai force, clearly labeling them as the more dire threat. She looked backwards towards Celestia's force, watching as they crashed through their enemies lines. They had slowed, becoming more and more bogged down by the relentless waves of attackers...but they did not stop. Behind the force could be seen stragglers of both sides who were lucky enough to not get trampled to death by friend and foe alike, and who were not fighting a vicious battle of their own. Celestia was nearing the make-shift entrance to the city, which meant that Twilight needed to speed up her part of the plan. If she couldn't get the Chaos Lord to go down quickly enough, she was worried he might something desperate...and a desperate Chaos Lord was nothing to trifle with. She beat her wings faster, pushing her team onwards over the city and towards the citadel.

"FORWARD!!!!" Celestia roared, her army barreling through the Ravaged ponies who, despite their great number, could do little to halt their advance. Their diseased flanks were wider though, the far ends of the Ravaged turning inwards to surround them slowly. Celestia surged on even faster, using her magic as a deadly jackhammer to pound and blast their way through the middle, leveling anything she could in front of her to ash.

"DOWNWARD!!!" Shrieked Rainbow Dash, the cyan Pegasus front flipping downward through the air on top of a building with three others, the rest of the Pegasai touching down and unsheathing their blades. As soon as Rainbow felt her hooves touch the hard shingles of the roof, she brought front hoof up into the chin of a Loyalist soldier bringing his knife to bear, uppercutting him violently. Gunfire and blades clashing soon dominated the rooftops as the thunderous roaring of hooves reached the great hole in the wall of Haven City.

"INWARDS!!!" cried Celestia, her force charging straight through the hole in the wall and into a wide open courtyard. The princess gasped as on the fire side of the courtyard, a large, fortified line of Loyalists aimed their guns directly towards the force. She had only just barely been able to bring a shield up of magic before a great volley of bullets rushed towards them in a lethal cascade of death. Several ponies went down quickly before the shield could harden, catching several off guard. There was only a slight falter from the Sun Princess before she shouted "Flank! FLANK! Rear guard, hold this breach, do not let the Ravaged catch us on our backs! The rest of you, push around and forward, we MUST break through these lines." The reaction was immediate, two large columns of ponies shifting left and right, with Big Macintosh leading the left group and Applejack leading the Right, into the alleys and side roads while Celestia pushed forward, holding the magical shield wall in front of her as steady as she could. Behind her, the rear guard, a detachment of a hundred or so ponies, shifting into a defensive semi-circle, un-holstering gun and blade in preparations to hold back the flood they had only charged through so dangerously to get there.

Celestia dipped her head low as the galloped forward, her horn crackling with magic. She struggled to hold onto the shield as a relentless torrent of bullets and fire met her, hell bent on tearing her down. It was difficult to maintain a continuous usage of magic, even for her as she hadn't quite fully recovered from her re-horning, and it was clearly taking its toll on her. Sweat dripped from her snout and mane as her ponies shouted from behind her, encouraging her onwards and roaring death threats towards their foes.

From the right flank through the alley, Applejack and her column of ponies galloped through, catching many of the Loyalists off guard who were running that way to attempt to open a flank of their own. The country mare, with her eyes lit up like red and emerald fire, tore a knife from its sheath on one of her legs and pushed it into the neck of one such Loyalist in front of her, many of the other guards and citizen soldiers following suit with quick takedowns and quick executions of a rifle. The same push was working for Macintosh on the far left, the work horse roaring as he pushed his head underneath the belly of one Loyalist before him, lifting him up and rushing into a nearby dumpster with a great crash. The Loyalist's spine and neck broke upon impact, killing him instantly as Macintosh hurled his body towards his comrades, shouting "If ya stand against us, yer gonna get BURIED!!!"

As a few minutes dragged by, Celestia panted for air, her shield crackling slightly and starting to wane. She was starting to get a little worried when a mad rush of ponies from both sides of the enemy line came crashing through, barreling right into the rear. From behind Celestia, a renewed battle cry sounded off as the Princess's shield shimmered away, allowing her group to blast out into the front, eagerly rushing towards their attackers, ready for a bloodbath. For Celestia, she was pleased to see that her ground force was moving through swiftly and efficiently...but they had only made it through the wall...

...there was still a lot of ground to cover.

~~~

"My...isn't this a sight?" rumbled a massive, beastly griffon standing upon a cliff in the mountains overlooking the entirety of Haven City. His insignia of a Griffon General shone brilliantly upon the shoulder pads of his dark armor, displaying to the many hundreds of winged beasts perched upon the rocks around him that he was their center, their heartbeat, their voice, AND their claw that directed where they would strike down with the sword that was their army. The Major had scouted outwards earlier before the battle and urged the General to come witness the interesting spectacle for himself...and he was not disappointed. "It appears somebody beat us to the Equestrian Throne before we did...how...irritating." the General rumbled, the rock beneath him cracking slightly as he tightened his clawed grip on the stone. "Though I will admit," he went on as he turned his head to his Major "This is certainly amusing to watch none the less. The ponies fighting for their little land against a force many times their number...how patriotic."

The Major nodded, turning his head towards the General to meet his gaze as he said "Indeed sir, if you wish it, I can have our force come down upon them and give you the field within the hour if you so desire."

Smirking, the General turned his piercing gaze back towards the smoking city, watching the battle unfold. He paused for a moment, thinking before he shook his head and chuckled "Nay, I would like to see how this plays out first, besides...it's not like we can't just crush the remainder of what remains of either side in the aftermath." He took a moment to sigh, getting comfortable on his perch as he said "Though it would have been more fun if they could put up a more decent of a fight...the outcome is sealed anyway. Why waste good griffons?"

The Major grunted in approval, looking back out amongst the carnage and muttering "A good point sir, as always."

~~~

Rainbow Dash ducked under the swing of a Loyalist, twirling and pushing her own blade upwards at an angle and running her attacker through, felling him quickly. She panted and looked upwards and around, watching the rest of her small squad mop up what remained. She panted, pointing over to the next roof where another squad was in desperate need of help, shouting "NEXT ONE, LET'S GO!"

From below, Applejack bucked a Ravaged pony in the neck, snapping it instantly as Macintosh threw the limp body of a dead Loyalist into a group of his comrades, tying them up long enough for him to move in close for the kills. Celestia pushed through the middle, charging head long into the fray as her royal guard flanked beside her, dispatching stragglers here and there and raining hellfire bullets upon the lines the Loyalists struggled to keep hold of.

The Rearguard was having trouble though, with a non stop shower of bullets flying towards the opening in the wall, piling bodies higher and higher and slowly filling up the blasted in entrance with its own wall of bodies. Many managed to break through, being picked off as best as the Rearguard could do, hoping that their forward frontal lines could reach their objectives soon. None could even imagine what was going on with the stragglers outside, those who were left behind during the initial clashing of the two forces. It was a nightmare for them to be sure, the brave group fighting tooth and nail for every inch of bloody ground they could claim. Though the hour was dire for them they fought on regardless, knowing that every Ravaged they killed outside the wall was one less the Rearguard had to deal with inside.

"Fan out!" Celestia shouted as they reached the central square of the city, a large, open courtyard of sorts with a giant, ornate stone fountain located within its center. "Separate into your squads and groups and start completing your objectives, take the streets and houses, turn their own emplacements against them!" Quickly and efficiently, the army started to divide and shotgun outwards in a mad array of directions, hollers and shouts echoing from their snouts. "Main Guard, with me! We push on to the Citadel Gates!" A large detachment of Solar and Lunar Guard, along with a smaller group of civilian ponies formed in behind her, Macintosh and Applejack bringing up the rear.

"We're here Princess!" Applejack half shouted, half panted "Our squads're cleanin' up the rear alleys n' are reinforcin' the Rearguard!"

"EEYUP! We're ready ta go!" Macintosh added, nodding in affirmation as Celestia nodded back, turning her gaze upwards towards the Citadel. She could just barely make out the outlines of Twilight and Shadow Squad high in the air towards the right flank, starting their turn towards the dark fortress.

"Alright...let's move out, we're short on time!" Celestia barked, the force beginning their push forward. They surged and galloped around and past the fountain, moving as quickly as they could up the main street. Whatever attackers that tried to stop them were quickly met by flanking squads or Rainbow Dash's rooftop assailants, executing their parts and plans perfectly and paving the way for the Gate-breaking force.

"Keep moving forwards!" Rainbow shouted, leaping over the gap between two rooftops and tackling a Loyalist as he lined up a shot on Big Macintosh with his rifle. She snapped his neck with a quick flick of hooves, her squad following behind her and hastily engaging the enemy head on. Celestia led her force up a large stone stairway leading up towards the courtyard that held the gates, her unicorns already powering up their horns in preparation to blast through. As they galloped over the summit and onto the flat stones however...Celestia suddenly skidded to a halt, a heavy gasp passing through her teeth. Her force's charge quickly grinded to a halt behind her as they beheld a pony figure standing before the gates, barring their entrance through.

It was with a very heavy heart that Celestia whispered towards the figure "Luna...oh sweet Luna no..."

Luna, the Princess of the Moon, breathed with savage, rasping gasps, her legs shaking and her wings twitching as blood dripped from her nose and lips, pattering on the ground before her. Her eyes were not but a red, gleaming glow, and her horn crackling with deadly, sinister magic. "Oh gods...what has he done to you...?" Celestia breathed, looking upon her plagued sister in horror. She shivered as she went on "I wanted you to learn your lesson from the grave mistake you made...but this..." she felt her voice catch in her throat as Luna snarled, her red eyes narrowing and her stance growing low and at the ready, as if she were preparing to pounce.

"Celesta, ah think we can take her," Applejack muttered from beside her "Just give the word n' we can-"

"No..." Celestia interjected quickly, looking down towards Applejack. The country mare looked at her, confused as she opened her mouth to speak. A gentle white hoof pressed against her lips before she could say a word however, the sun princess continuing to speak "Take the force with Macintosh and make a wide flank, blast your way through another section of the wall and take the inner courtyards."

Macintosh leaned in towards them as he said "But...what bout' you, what're you gonna-"

Celestia quickly turned her head to Macintosh as she breathed "Once you do that, move towards the rendezvous point and link up with Shadow Squad, hold the entrance to the Citadel and ensure nothing gets past you, NOTHING must come between Twilight and Discord, NOTHING!"

Applejack whispered as Celestia lowered her hoof "But...but Luna...?"

"Leave Luna to me..." Celestia muttered, looking back towards her murderous looking sister "This...is a family matter." Applejack and Macintosh looked towards each other for a moment before nodding, quickly leading the force away towards the right flank, seeking a new entryway into the Citadel grounds...leaving the two sisters behind.

"So..." Celestia muttered, narrowing her eyes at her sister and fanning out her wings as she conjured up a sword of yellow, ethereal magic "Shall you come quietly, or shall I force Discord's influence from you the hard way dear sister?" Luna merely responded with a growl, two blades of dark lunar magic shimmering into the air and twirling around her, poised and ready to strike. Celestia gave a great, heavy sigh as she muttered "So be it..." bowing her head for a moment before charging ahead, bringing her blade up towards Luna in a vicious uppercut.

The Lunar Princess snarled in reply to her sister's words, a mind-crushing rage the only thing she could feel through her body as she crossed her blades like an 'X', catching Celestia's and shoving it away, dashing forward for a sinister counter attack. Celestia was ready however, swatting away one of Luna's blades with her own before ducking under the second, her head low and her horn pointed for the perfect strike, a non-lethal blast of magical energy bursting outwards from the tip, throwing Luna backwards against the gates.

Luna shook her head, growling as her eyes shone with a sinister hatred. She pushed herself off the gates, lunging at Celestia and bringing her blades to bear. The two sisters began a most deadly dance of swordplay, Celestia elegantly twirling her blade to the right and down, smacking away a strike and quickly heaving the blade to her left to catch her sister's other blade as it came in for a follow-through. Luna jumped to the side as Celestia's sword came crashing down from overhead in a heavy counter to her push, and quickly surged a large portion of magic through her horn and into her own blades, powering them up for a devastating strike. Celestia saw the planned strike coming quickly, having only just enough time to empower her own blade and to give a mighty horizontal swing outwards, catching both of Luna's blades with her own.

The impacting force of all three magical blades connecting made them shatter with a thunderous explosion, blasting the two alicorns away from one another. They landed roughly, Celestia's body aching with the magical singing of her fur as she struggled to stand. Across the courtyard, she watched Luna stand quickly, her horn gleaming brightly and powering up for what Celestia knew could be a fatal attack. She swore as she looked upwards towards her sister, her body aching. She empowered her horn quickly, drawing in as much power as she could as Luna lowered her head, roaring and sending a great, radiating beam of dark lunar magic towards her sister. Celestia had only just enough time to finish her own mana conjuring before she sent her own yellow beam of sun magic back towards Luna, their beams hitting in the middle ground between them.

The swirling mass of magic that connected the two beams pushed back and forth between them, like a deadly game of reverse tug-of-war, with both alicorn's lives at stake. Sweat dripped and ran down across Celestia's body as her horn crackled and her head rang with pain. It was clear that Discord's magic was empowering her sister beyond her normal magical limits, and with Celestia still not fully recovered from the re-horning...the Sun Princess could only pray and pray to whatever gods or goddesses that still watched over that Twilight could reach Discord, and defeat him very soon.

~~~

Twilight Sparkle hit the ground galloping, Shadow Squad landing with her and quickly forming a defensive knot around the unicorn. Wind-Weaver pointed his rifle outwards, muttering "Alright...who's first?" Shadow-Mane and Nightfire looked around them carefully as Nightmare scanned the rooftops around them, watching for any movement. Sky-Driver's ears perked as he heard shouting coming from their rear, the sounds of hooves and guns loading drawing closer.

"Looks like they're trying to hit us from the rear" Moon-Lance grunted, turning his gun towards the entrance to the main street behind them.

"Aye, let's spread out and get ready for an ambush" Shadow-Mane barked, looking towards Twilight and Captain Nightmare "We'll hold here for as long as you need...so make whatever time you get count."

Twilight nodded as she said "Understood, Discord is going down, NOW!" With a quick look to Nightmare, she muttered "Let's go." and took into a gallop towards the front entrance.

"Right behind you!" Nightmare shouted, galloping in behind her and rushing towards and into the Citadel.

Shadow-Mane paused for a moment to watch them go before returning his attention back to the squad and muttering "Alright guys, defense pattern Omega-7, let's get to it."

"Oh sweet!" Wind exclaimed, hoof-pumping the air "Just like that move in Dandelion Fields during the Aurora Occupation, mad hype!"

Sky-Driver rolled his eyes, groaning in disgust as he ensured his rifle was loaded properly and shouting "Is EVERY little thing a joke to you Wind?! By Celestia's tail you're such a child."

At this, Moon-Lance merely chuckled as he patted Sky on the back and trotted past him, looking over his shoulder to say "Oh you're just a sore loser cause we keep beating your scores." He paused to load a round into his rifle and scan the rooftops for a good position to set up as he went on "Tell you what, I'll keep score for the both of us this time, just in case you panic and lose count yourself in the wicked heat of battle, ok?"

"You better be ready to start that count..." Nightfire muttered, his miniguns spooling up and his eyes narrowing towards the shadows dancing on the walls of buildings lining the main street "Cause we're about to have some numbers..."

Twilight shoved her way through the heavy iron-clad doors, Nightmare keeping close behind her. The main hall was decorated with sinister variations of red and black, tapestries displaying Discord in a myriad of ridiculous poses. The unicorn looked upwards towards the center stairwell, narrowing her eyes as a large squad of Loyalists rushed down the stairs towards them, blades drawn and at the ready. "You said you were a combat veteran Captain?" Twilight muttered, quirking an eyebrow and smiling towards the lunar mare.

"Only about a hundred medals worth of one, why?" Nightmare asked, returning the smile with a sinister one of her own.

Twilight's horn crackled with magic as two magenta blades swirled into the air around her, the mare lowering herself into a readied stance as she said simply "Now's your time to prove it."

~~~

At the very top of the Citadel, within the rotunda that once held Princess Celestia during her recovery, stood Discord, a very annoyed expression etched upon his face. Before him, in the middle of the rotunda, stood a door colored with the darkest, deepest color of blood red imaginable. Along its edges, tendrils of nightmarish, midnight-colored smoke whipped about like the tentacles of a monstrous demon. Discord's ears were perked, his expression souring as he listened to the quiet, soft whispers of an eerie presence floating through the door. "Oh come now, that is absurd!" he spat, crossing his arms and floating up into the air, leaning back lazily "I have done nothing except follow the specific instructions given to me since the very start of this whole operation!"

A cold, dark voice suddenly floated through the door. It was the most chilling, soulless voice that could have ever been conceived of in all known existence, its words dripping with despair, madness, and the rotting stink of death. It was as if it was the voice of Hell made manifest itself.

"Ponnnyviiiiille....Elementsssss of Haaaarmonyyyy...."

At this, Discord merely scoffed and held up his hands in exasperation, clearly unamused and unfazed by the soul-freezing whispers. "A setback that has cost us nothing but a little time, your return was inevitable anyway! Regardless of what these peasants do, you'll be up and out of there in no time, I can assure you of that." The voice whispered to him yet again, its tone unchanging and unwavering as it drew a heavy groan out of Discord.

"Necklaaaaace....Niiiightmaaaaare...."

"Oh PA-LEAAASE!" Discord huffed, face palming loudly and shouting towards the door "Even if she does have the necklace, it's not going to change anything. The damage is done, the balance has been shifted way too many times. Once the final world's balance shifts into Chaos, the Azilians will realize there's nothing left they can do but make way. It's in the bag!"

"The only bag that anything is going into is a BODY bag Discord, and I think I can conjure up one JUST your size!" Shouted a voice from the doorway, making the Lord of Chaos turn about in a hurry, an enraged expression forming on his face. Twilight Sparkle panted slightly, her hooves and some of her fur stained with blood. Beside her, Captain Nightmare let out a heavy breath, her left wing hanging and drooping limply beside her. The necklace around her neck gleaming with sinister chaotic energy.

"Oh poo..." Discord growled, turning to face his would-be assassins "What's your damage, honestly? Don't you two know a lost cause when you see one?" He lazily backstroked through the air, swimming towards them as he chuckled "You two wouldn't know defeat if it bit you on the ass, why bother?"

Twilight stamped a hoof, her horn flaring up as she shouted "Because there's ALWAYS a chance Discord! You gave us an inch and we took it a mile! If we're so 'beaten', how do you explain me and Nightmare here, ready to put a final stop to your chaotic tyranny once and for all?!"

Discord scoffed, dismissing the foolish words with a wave of his hand as he said "Oh please, this whole 'grand battle' thing going on outside? What a pathetic ruse! Adding more chaos to the mess is just the cherry to the sundae, why not have a little more fun before the end? Besiiiiides..." he cackled, poofing into thin air and reappearing between the two mares, an arm around each of them. He pulled them into a semi hug as he sighed happily, looking towards the door and whispering "Just think, with so many ponies dying outside, the griffons will just snowball on through in the aftermath, Equestria will be destroyed, and my work here will be done!" Twilight's eyes widened as Discord disappeared again and reappeared above them, playing with some puppet strings attached to a crudely made stuffed plushie of Twilight and a griffon, making them dance in the air "I really have to hand it to you Twilight," Discord giggled, making the griffon puppet tear the Twilight puppet's head off "You really make things too easy sometimes, it's hardly ever any fun anymore."

"The griffons..." Nightmare muttered, a worried expression forming on her face "Goddesses above, what are we even going to do about them...?"

Discord cackled maniacally, holding his gut as the door started to glow a bit brighter in color. The laughter was cut short however as the Chaos Lord had to duck suddenly to avoid a beam of magenta magic that was aimed to blow his head clean off. "We FIGHT!" Twilight growled, lowering herself into a ready stance and narrowing her eyes. "Equestria's fighting for its life right now out there, I don't see any reason for that to change now, or ever, no matter who's invading her borders!"

"Oh, well then..." Discord chuckled, floating towards the door and crossing his arms, smiling as he said "I don't suppose if I invite a friend a long for the 'big fight'? It's going to be QUITE a good show, I can already tell."

"Nightmare..." Twilight whispered, chancing a glance over towards the lunar mare "What's with that door anyway...? Do you know what it is?"

The Captain shook her head, a shiver passing through her body as she whispered back "No...I don't, but I've got a very good feeling whatever is on the other side of it, it's not going to bode well for Equestria." She looked closely towards the door, the smoking energy and light whispers coming from the wood giving her a very uneasy feeling "It could be a gateway to Tartarus, or maybe even the realm that Discord himself came from. It could be bringing him reinforcements or...summoning some kind of dark entity to be used against us. Either way, we can't let that door open. No matter what!"

Twilight nodded, looking towards a smug Discord who sipped out of a freshly summoned glass of what looked like apple juice "Alright so what's the plan?" she muttered, looking between the door and Discord.

Nightmare narrowed her eyes, looking down at her necklace then back up towards the dark wood. "You deal with Discord," she said, her ravaged eyes gleaming as the necklace around her neck started to glow "I'll deal with the door. I figure if this thing is made of dark, Chaotic magic, I can use this necklace to manipulate it, maybe even cast Discord back to where he came from...maybe cast the Ravage as well."

"You think you can do all that Nightmare...?" Twilight breathed, staring towards Nightmare in concern.

The Captain sighed, shaking her head and shooting a death glare towards Discord "I don't know, but it's all we can hope to do now."

Twilight nodded, looking back towards Discord and narrowing her eyes "This ends NOW Discord, you're gonna pay for all the ponies you've hurt, tortured, and killed today, and for all that you've done to us in the past!"

Discord chuckled, waving his pawed hand horizontally through the air to his left, a black shimmer of magic humming in the air. He closed his clawed hand around the end point of the shimmer, a dark, ornate blade morphing out of the air. It was a large broadsword of sorts, with bloody runes lining its length on both sides. Along its deadly edge, a slight shimmer of red energy rippled, ready to cleave the unicorn in half with ease. "By all means Twilight Sparkle..." Discord spat, his sinister smile widening as he gave his blade a twirl and pointed it in her direction "Let's dance."

Twilight wasted no time as she hurled herself backwards into a backflip, her hind legs hitting the closed door behind her. She unfurled her magical wings, kicking off the surface with heavy momentum. She spun like a drill through the air, her blades whirling around her and slicing the air loudly. She crashed into Discord's blade with her own, the momentum from the strike pushing him back slightly and giving Twilight the moment she needed to land quickly from the forceful rebound and lunge towards him, both blades poised to stab. She sent the first forward for a jab while she twirled her body around with the second blade, a horizontal slice coming in for a follow through. Discord merely snaked his body to the left, avoiding the jab and slapping the slice away with a parry of his own blade.

The unicorn quickly jumped back, her blades twirling towards her and crashing together quickly in the shape of an 'X', catching Discord's countering downward slam in the scissor like grip of her weapons. She heaved her swords upwards, closing in the scissor grip and hurling Discord's blade upwards with the heavy push. Discord let the push carry his body around in a twirl of his own, allowing him to quickly turn with his blade and throw in a fatal jab of his own towards her. Twilight gasped, ducking as the blade passed right over her where her neck used to be, luckily shearing off a piece of her mane instead of her head. The unicorn flared her horn up quickly, pointing it towards the ground and sending out a concussive blast of magic into the smooth stone floor between them.

The blast detonated with a heavy force, propelling the two combatants away from each other. Twilight flew through the air for a moment before her back hit the stone, the unicorn bouncing up and twirling into the air. She let out a heaving yell as shot her blades outwards to the left and right like boomerangs, the whirling hum of their magical edges cascading through the air. She landed on all four hooves in a slide, her horn gleaming brightly with magenta magic, already weaving together a myriad of offensive spells to cast towards Discord. The Chaos Lord merely smirked as he tossed his own blade up into the air, the edge suddenly moving as if it had a mind of its own, twirling to clash against Twilight's blades that attempted to flank him. The blades clashed violently in the air all around them as the unicorn charged forward in a gallop, bolts of arcane energy rippling forth from her horn. Discord shot his own offensive spells of Chaos magic towards her from his hands, meeting hers in mid air and causing a series of mini-explosions to echo across the rotunda.

As the intense fighting raged on between the two powerful entities, Captain Nightmare carefully made her away around the far edges of the make-shift arena, crawling towards the sinister looking door. She could tell that this gateway was unlike anything on this earth, already hearing the dark whispers of some kind of undesirable language floating through her head. She took a quick glance over her shoulder to make sure Discord was too busy dealing with Twilight to see her flank, and once she was sure of his occupied attention, turned her own towards the door. "Ok..." she whispered, taking a breath "Ok...let's do this...give me something here door..." She closed her eyes, putting her front hooves upon the necklace and concentrating. The vials of blood began to gleam as Discord threw a heavy bolt of chaos magic towards Twilight, a roaring scream following it as he followed up with a large beam of laser-like magic. The bolt crashed over a small ethereal shield Twilight had barely managed to erect before the spell, and gasped as the beam hit the surface right afterwards. Unprepared for the attack, she felt her body rocket backwards and slam into a hard surface.

The wall gave way however from the force, the unicorn crashing through and onto one of the high roofs that made up one of the outward wings of the Citadel. She staggered to her hooves as Discord quickly hurried through after her, their swords following in quick succession and continuing their deadly dance of finesse. With a jerk of her head and a magical flash from her horn, Twilight's blades whirled back towards her, the mare shifting her hooves and lowering herself into a readied stance. Discord charged forward as his own blade returned to him, the Chaos Lord roaring as he through a heavy swing at her and screaming "Would you just DIE already Sparkle?! You have NO idea how annoying this is!!!"

Twilight leaped backwards in a twirl, her blades spinning around her middle and clashing across Discord's edge, parrying the strike away. She landed with a snarl, throwing her blades forward and engaging Discord in a deadly dance of sword play. The two clashed back and forth across the roof for a good few minutes, each slashing and stabbing at one another. Discord managed to slip through Twilight's bladed defense with one decisive blow, countering a slash of her own and running the edge of his blade along her side, slicing her skin open slightly with a six inch cut. The unicorn cried out suddenly as Discord followed up with a twirling horizontal slash, forcing the Unicorn off of the roof.

She dove backwards and plummeted through the air, twirling and throwing her blades upward to block a downward stab from Discord who quickly jumped after her. They clashed over and over, blade against blade rattling loudly and making it very clear that neither one was anyone close to backing down, now or ever. Twilight's magical wings fanned out and she beat them heavily, throwing herself horizontally through the air and turning her to take a dive to the right, soaring downwards towards the rooftops below. The battle of Haven City raged around them as Freedom Fighter and Loyalist roared and clashed with one another, bullets and magic flying around the two savage combatants.

The unicorn shot several bolts of magic backwards towards Discord, sending her blades outwards once more to fight him. They soared about, magic roaring back and forth between them and catching several of the buildings in the crossfire. Debris and rubble cascaded down into the streets wherever they passed over head. Twilight beat her wings heavily, soaring upwards and pointing her horn downwards. Her horn hummed loudly with energy as she powered up her next spell, letting out a furious roar as a large beam of magenta magic flared down towards Discord. The force from such a beam sent Twilight rocketing upwards, flying up past the hole in the wall where she had originally been shot out of.

Discord merely dodged out of the way, the beam slamming into one of the city squares below and incinerating it with a giant explosion of arcane magic. The Chaos Lord soared upwards as Twilight did a backflip through the air and beat her wings backwards with heavy force, sending her diving back downwards. The unicorn with a quick hoof to unsheathe Zecora's knife from its resting place in its harness, the lavender mare lining up a stab. Discord held his clawed hand upwards, a black ball of chaos magic forming within his grip. In mere seconds, the two met each other in the air. Zecora's knife stabbed the ball chaos magic, detonating it within Discord's grasp and blowing his clawed appendage clear off. Black blood spewed out into the air as the force of the explosion sent Twilight upwards into the air, the shrill screams of Discord piercing her ears for only a second before a searing pain tore across her side.

She found herself flying back towards the Citadel, crashing through the wall yet again and into the Rotunda. She hit the ground on her side, seething in pain as she slid across the floor and to an eventual stop. Nightmare gasped as she turned her head to see Twilight crash through, shouting "Twilight are you ok?!"

"Y...yeah!" Choked out the panting, exhausted unicorn. Her magical wings shimmered away as she tried to get to her hooves but fell short, collapsing again on her side. She peered towards the gash, a red-sticky splotch of raw, smoking skin meeting her gaze. Her fur had been singed away, some of her red muscle bubbling slightly from the impact of a dark, chaotic shot. "I...I don't think I can hold this up much longer Nightmare! How's it coming with that door?!"

Nightmare shivered as she looked back to the door for a moment, her teeth chattering in fright. "It's a dark entity unlike anything I've ever felt before Twilight..." she said, the necklace around her pulsating with a red glow "But I think I might know what it is...the dark whispering coming from the door. All it talks about is scales...balance...this necklace." She turned her head towards Twilight, pointing a hoof down towards it "I think it's the necklace, that it's the key! Think about it, the resonating magic within this thing only activated after large displays of harmony! It brought the Ravage virus to the world, it could be what's anchoring Discord to our realm, why it brought him back...to tip the scales between Harmony and Chaos back to a more favorable position!"

Twilight coughed, spitting out a glob of blood as she wheezed "B...but what does that mean? What scales...what're you talking about?"

Nightmare rubbed at her temples, groaning as the voices from behind the door penetrated her skull "I...I don't know! Think of it like the scales of justice used in Equestrian courts! Everything has a balance, even the world! Maybe you and the Elements of Harmony tipped them too far...and this is nature's way of tipping them back!"

"Seems a bit too far of a tip if you ask me!" Twilight groaned, gingerly holding her side as she stared towards the second hole in the far wall. She'd have to get up soon, it'd only be a few more moments before Discord would come rushing in, ready to resume their deadly engagement. She looked towards Nightmare, coughing as she said "So...what is this door then? A gateway to these 'scales'? Another result of them being tipped too far?"

"I don't know..." whispered the Captain, looking down at the necklace before taking it off and holding it in her hooves "But if these 'scales' are tipped too far into Chaos's favor...maybe, maybe if we destroy the necklace, we can tip it back into Harmony's favor! This thing has brought nothing but a massive wave of terror and destruction to Equestria, it's nearly wiped us off the face of the earth! This could be the one thing that can finally pull us back into the light!"

Twilight coughed, holding a hoof out to Nightmare as she said "Think about what you're saying Nightmare! That necklace has the Ravage, and it could be our only source for a possible cure! Are you certain that by destroying that necklace we can banish Discord from this world?! How do you know all this, how can you be absolutely sure Nightmare!??!"

For a few moments, the Captain stared towards the door, her head pained and aching, the voices beyond its dreaded passageway whispering and talking to her. After a tense pause, Nightmare turned her head towards Twilight and whispered "I don't know...but I feel that it's the right thing to do." Just as Twilight opened her mouth to speak, Discord rushed through the hole in the wall, his rage knowing no bounds as he let forth a mighty roar, charging towards the wounded unicorn with his blade clutched in his still existing arm. The mare gasped as Discord's sword came down towards her, being met with a thunderous clash of steel from Nightmare's own sword. The Captain had taken a stunning leap from the door just in time as she shoved her weight against Discord, forcing him backwards. The necklace had dropped from her clutches, clattering to the ground loudly away from Twilight.

The unicorn swore quietly as she started to crawl towards the necklace, dragging her lower half along as she pawed at the stone before her with her front hooves, trying her best to ignore the aching pain in her side. Nightmare clashed violently with Discord, the Captain huffing and trying her best to keep the Chaos Lord as tied up as possible with her. "Just have to buy Twilight time!" She whispered to herself, blocking a heavy blow from Discord and pushing back against it "Need to give her enough time to destroy it!"

The two of them clashed together heavily, Nightmare slashing and jabbing at Discord who merely swatted her blade away, throwing his own strikes back at her. "Give it up Discord, it's all over!" shouted the Captain, aiming a forward stab towards Discord, pushing her full weight behind it.

"It certainly is!!!" roared the enraged Chaos Lord, swatting her blade to the side with a horizontal downward slash and sending his blade forward towards her "FOR YOU!!!!" His blade pushed straight through her breastplate, the point slicing clean through her chest and pushing out through her back. Nightmare gasped as she staggered backwards, slowly looking down towards the blade protruding from her body.

She fell to her knees as she let out a hacking cough, blood starting to seep from her mouth as she looked to the area behind Discord, smiling as she heaved for air and gasped "No I mean it Discord...I...It's over..." She fell upon her side as Discord turned his head, gasping loudly as Twilight pointed her horn downwards, a great aura of magic shimmering around her horn.

"NOOOO! DON'T YOU DARE! TWILIGHT SPARKLE DON'T YOU-"

She released the magic without further delay, the spell flowing over the necklace and blasting it to pieces, the impact of the spell sending Twilight across the rotunda. In an instant, a guttural roar of monstrous volume came blasting through the door, the rotunda shaking violently as an aura intense magical energy wafted its way through the air. "What have you done?!" Discord screamed, conjuring for himself another blade and preparing himself to lunge towards Twilight "I'LL KILL YOU!" he cried, raising his blade "I'LL KILL Y-"

He stopped, the rotunda continuing to rumble and shake as if an earthquake had erupted beneath them. He looked down, staring blankly as Captain Nightmare's blade tore through his middle, cutting him clean in half. Nightmare finished her swing with a mighty yell, the grip on her blade loosening as well as her footing crumbling away, the blade and body of the Captain hitting the ground with a clatter and a thud. Discord could only stare in horror as his body quickly crackled and turned rapidly stone, falling into the floor. He shattered upon impact, the several hundred pieces that once made up his body scattering upon the rotunda floor.

The door, with its roars intensifying, suddenly burst open, great black flames roaring outwards into the rotunda. The pieces of Discord were quickly sucked into the chaotic abyss, unlike with the shattered remains of his necklace, passing through into the nightmarish void. The door quickly shut after it, bursting into flames itself before shrinking into a tiny, flaming ball. It hovered there for a few moments before it flashed brightly, and exploded into a great, magnificent golden light. The light flared outwards, crashing through the Rotunda and blowing apart the entirety of the ceiling and the walls, cascading outwards in a large pulse of immense magic.

It passed through Haven city and quickly beyond, washing over the land and all that stood upon it, the force from the wave blasting every living creature off of its feet and out of the sky. Rainbow Dash gasped as she was blown off of a building, tumbling through the air as the wave passed through her. She hit the ground with a painful thud, sliding for a moment before shaking her head and groaning. "W...what the...hay...?" She moaned, putting a hoof to her head and looking upwards towards the golden wave. There were sudden shouts and a few cheers here and there as Rainbow turned her head to watch a group of four ponies running down the street passed her. They were cheering and hollering as the whites of their eyes gleamed with a golden color, sparkling in the light of the sun. "What's going on!" Rainbow shouted, struggling to get up "What happened? Did we win?!?!"

Celestia's horn crackled and finally whined down, completely out of juice as she panted heavily upon her side. Her battle with Luna had dragged on much longer then she could bear, her energy sapped and depleted. She could hear the clopping of her sister's hooves drawing closer and closer as she shivered, hoping that maybe she managed to buy enough time for Twilight and Nightmare to succeed. She felt her breath catch as Luna walked up right next to her and stopped, her breathing loud and raspy. Celestia shut her eyes tight just after watching one of her lunar hooves raise up slightly. A step on the neck...how crude and cruel. Though it was no less then Celestia deserved still, according to the sun princess. Perhaps now she could die with a clear conscious, knowing she at least tried to right the wrongs and absolve the sins she had committed during the Ponyville Incident.

The princess blinked in surprise however, her eyes shooting open as she felt Luna's hoof gently press against her neck, rubbing it gently. She looked upwards with a shuddering gasp as a cured Luna looked down to her, the whites of her eyes sparkling with golden light. She smiled as she sank to her belly, tucking her legs under her and whispering "Dearest sister, we are so glad to see you are not too badly injured!" Celestia cried out suddenly, grasping her sister in a tight hug and clutching the lunar mare to her desperately. She wept tears of joy as Luna ran a hoof down her back, chuckling and whispering "There there Celly...thy secret is safe with us, we shall not tell any soul that we finally managed to best you at combat. It would be very embarrassing indeed, we are sure of it." Celestia choked out a laugh, the two of them clutching at each other and chuckling.

The city broke out into roaring cheers, the Loyalists quickly dropping their weapons and surrendering to their attackers as the once Ravaged stood tall, eyes golden with purity. It had seemed the Ravage had once again been defeated...but where was the pony responsible...? Where was Discord?

Twilight Sparkle dragged her body across the floor, tears streaming down her face as she groaned "Nightmare....Nightmare!!!" The Captain shook slightly as the pool of blood underneath her grew larger and larger with each passing second. The unicorn, finally managing to crawl over towards the wounded bat pony, sat up and dragged Nightmare into her hooves, her cheek resting against the higher portion of Twilight's belly and chest.

The Captain wheezed as she croaked "G...got him..." She smiled slightly, her breathing labored as flicked her eyes downward to look at Discord's blade shimmering away from her body, his magic dissipating from the world at last.

"Just hold on Nightmare!" Twilight panted, her horn crackling and preparing whatever healing magic she could muster "I can save you, just hold-"

She stopped as Nightmare put a gentle hoof on Twilight's, shaking her head and whispering "Twilight...no..." The unicorn opened her mouth to protest but was quickly cut off as she went on "I've lived...long enough dear. A good, full life is what I'm finishing the day with...and that's all I could ever had asked for."

The unicorn's tears dripped gently onto Nightmare's face and mane as she cried quietly "B...but the griffons...we still have to fight the griffons Captain...we need you..."

At this, the Captain smiled a bit wider and shook her head, muttering "I've grown too weary of war...it's all I've known my entire life. From filly to mare, I've soaked my hooves in the blood of too many living creatures. I think...I think now it's time I finally got some rest." She looked up towards Twilight, her breathing strained as she whispered "I...lived...Twilight Sparkle...and I'll live still in the hearts and memories of the ponies I had the honor of meeting during my time here in Equestria...and that is what you need to do as well..." She reached a shaking hoof upwards, gently placing it against Twilight's cheek. The unicorn folded her two front hooves over the Captain's her tears flowing freely as she went on "Live...Twilight Sparkle, raise your family, enjoy the life you've been given back...clean, and pure." Twilight's eyes sparkled with golden light, her body cleansed and purified from the ravenous infection. "Live..." Nightmare whispered, her eyes drooping and closing as she grew still, letting out one final breath and whispering one final time...

"Live............."

Twilight Sparkle cried in anguish as Captain Nightmare died in her hold, the mare passing away with a peaceful expression upon her face. She held the mare tightly as the sounds of galloping reached the main door of the Rotunda, the heavy metal flying open as Shadow Squad, accompanied by Applejack and Big Macintosh, rushed through the door, weapons at the ready. "Twilight!" Macintosh shouted, a joyful expression on his face "We're all cured! The Ravage is gone n' left, we did it, we-..." he stopped suddenly as Twilight's sobs reached his ears, his eyes looking down towards the mare she clutched to her.

"Oh no..." Nightfire whispered, the rest of Shadow Squad pulling their helmets off and pressing them to their chests.

Macintosh walked over towards the two mares, slowly lowering himself to sit on his flank and to put a hoof upon his beloved.

For the ponies of Equestria, the day had been won, the war against the Ravage finally coming to a close.

From the very first day when Twilight hammered the first board into the windows of her home, hiding away in the darkness, to her nightmarish days as a Carrier, despairing as the Ravage tried to turn her against her friends, and finally to the final battle with Discord, the lavender unicorn took in a deep breath, sighing as a weight lifted off of her heart. She shivered as she stroked Captain Nightmare's cheek, whispering quietly to her "Thank you...." The ponies gathered around Twilight, each pressing a gentle hoof to Nightmare's body and bowing their heads, paying their final respects to her as she whispered one more thank you to her.

~~~

It was several hours later that Princess Celestia found herself atop the wall of Haven City, looking outwards across the fields towards the mountains that once held Canterlot. Beside her, Princess Luna held the same gaze, looking towards the moving bodies she could just faintly see on the horizon. "They are wasting no time it seems," Luna whispered, a heavy sigh passing through her "I do not know if this is a war we can win dearest sister...the odds-"

"The odds are always in our favor Luna," Celestia interjected, looking downwards as Shadow-Mane loaded a few bullets into his rifle, joining the reformed lines of what remained of the Equestrian army. "There are ponies out there, hiding and wondering what is happening to their world. They will need to answer the call...or accept the control of the griffon populace."

Luna turned her head towards her sister, a concerned look on her face. "What about Twilight Sparkle and the other Elements of Harmony? Where have they gone?"

"Home..." Celestia whispered, a small smile on her face "Twilight has gone to bury Captain Nightmare, and to take whatever refugees she can to a new land...somewhere where they can start again, live the lives they've fought, bled, and suffered for."

"Does this mean..." Luna started, looking out across the land around them "Equestria has been...destroyed?"

Celestia smiled, chuckling as she shook her head and said "No dear sister...Equestria can never be destroyed, it lives in the hearts and mind of all her citizens and those who fight for her." Shadow-Mane gave a mighty shout as he pointed his hoof into the direction of the advancing Griffon army marching across the fields. "As long as a pony is willing to do what they can to fight, to push back against their oppressors, Equestria can never be taken from us." The army of Equestria began its slow march towards their foes, some battered and many bloodied, but they marched on regardless. "We will fight in the streets...we will fight in the forests, in the rivers and in the skies, we will fight in the mountains and fight them wherever they dare show their beaks!"

Shadow-Mane broke into a trot as Celestia whispered "We fought the civil war, we fought the Ravage, we've beaten chaos and tyranny at every battle it's challenged us to, THIS, is no different. Their attack, their so called 'invasion' is nothing more than a desperation play, a scared and overburdened populace with nowhere else to turn to but war....but we are no strangers to it." The army shifted into a light gallop, hoots and hollers coming from various points within the ranks. They couldn't be stopped, no matter what was put in front of them. Dragons, changelings, Ravaged, it didn't matter anymore. All that mattered was freedom, and the sheer determination that any who would take it from them would be destroyed, no matter the cost.

"OOOOH YEAH!" Moon-Lance shouted in glee as he galloped behind Shadow-Mane "Maybe I'll finally get to beat my high score!"

"You're a psychopath, did you know that?!" Sky-Driver shouted from beside him "How many kills is that anyway, a hundred? Two??"

At this, Wind-Weaver merely laughed and shook his head, shouting over Moon-Lance "One hundred n' forty two! I know cause I've been constantly trying to beat it!" The three of them shouted back and forth at one another as the army surged forward, rushing ever so closer to their next greatest battle.

"CHARGE!!!!" Shadow-Mane roared, the army behind him letting forth a unified battle cry as they surged forward, a look of mad determination in their eyes. "Once more Equestria!" He shouted, watching the griffons coming closer and closer "Once more into the breach! Once more into the storm! For home and Harmony, for land and equality, for peace and prosperity! FORWARD!!!" They rocketed forward as the two armies drew ever closer.

"This is our time," Celestia shouted as she fanned out her wings, taking flight over the wall and flying out towards the army, Luna right beside her. With them came what remained of the Pegasai division of the army, their swarm rushing outwards to meet their enemies "Let our blades sink the message into their hearts! Let our screams carry the word through their ears, let our hooves stomp into their minds who we are!" As the armies grew seconds away from clashing, Shadow-Mane jumped up into the air, aiming his blade downwards towards the fist griffon who would be added to his kill count for the day.

"This is EQUESTRIA, and she will NEVER be defeated!"