Personies

The Alicorns fly above the streets of Canterlot, watching everypony fighting for survival against these grotesque abominations that ones were ponies.

Luna notices Celestia´s wet eyes.

"Don´t think about it sister the sad thing about war is you can´t save everyone, no matter how hard you try."

"I know, but still…"

Celestia falls silent.

Cadance flies closer to Twilight.

"It is really a shame we always meet us under such circumstances."

Twilight forces a smile.

"Yes it truly is."

"Here Twilight I think the orb is safer when you take care of it."

Cadance hands over the orb of sight to Twilight.

"Thank you Cadance, it means much to me that you entrust something so valuable to me."

"There is no pony in the whole world that I would trust more Twilight."

Twilight’s fake smile becomes one of true joy.

In the streets of Canterlot

"Don´t overdo it Spike you got that?!"

"I faced these things before but thanks anyway Armor."

Iron Will grabs one of the deformed cultists and throws him into the wall of a nearby building.

"Hu Ha don´t mess with Iron Will!"

Trixie runs to him.

"Hey how about some help here?"

A maggot like, large thing covered in the black tar, as wide as the street, crawls slowly towards them.

Iron Will gulps. "Hey Armor and the others maybe you want to join us for this one?"

Discord, Spike and Shining Armor are starring at the monster.

Inside the other world

Hunk observes his surroundings. "This place looks awfully familiar."

A wide platform rounded off in front of them, in the middle of the edge leads a stair upwards to a small circuit platform.

The other ponies looking confused at Hunk.

"No wait something is wrong about this all. My diary it wasn´t complete the truth as to be somewhere in my mind. Come on think!"

Out of the fog comes another Hunk, complete with his glasses, suit, red eyes, wings, horn simply everything is the same.

"Such foolishness. The truth is unattainable. It will always be shrouded in fog. Though you reach through the murk and the gloom to grasp something, you have no means to know it is the truth. In which case, why…? What sense is there in yearning for truth?"

Hunk is shocked. "What how can I have an other self?"

"You know what you really are and what you did."

The other Hunk forms swords out of the fog around him and swirls them around.

The ponies get ready to fight him.

"It is those efforts that I am calling useless… You are hollow. Empty."

Everypony charges towards the other Hunk.

At the bottom of the tower

Luna looks at the other Alicorns.

"So are we supposed to just enter, walk up the stairs and say hello to Ms. Secret?"

"At least that’s the plan." Cadance replies.

They enter and look up.

"Are you serious? No way I´m walking all that way." Chrysalis says and prepares to fly up in the air, but as soon as her hooves leave the ground slams an invisible force her back to the ground.

Luna lets out a deep frustrated sigh. "Oh well in that case we better start climbing up these endless stairs."

All of the Alicorns start to climb up the stairs, from time to time they look up, but there is no end in sight.

The streets of Canterlot

Discord performs some magic tricks like building a cage around the maggot, or freezing it to the ground but to no avail, it gets slowed down for less than a second and then continues crawling towards them.

A Pegasus guard flies over the creature.

"I will help you general! Don´t wo… WUAHH!"

The maggot opens it triangle split mouth and a long slimy, tentacle like tongue shoots out of it and grabs the guard. As fast as it came out it vanished back into the mouth along with the guard.

Shining Armor shouts out to the others.

"Retreat we can´t face it in a direct battle!"

Trixie shouts back at him.

"Which way should we go?"

Armor ponders about their options. "Let us rush to the main square and help the other soldiers!"

Along the way they have to engage in battles against zombielike ponies and abstract spiderponies.

Finally arriving at the town square they take a short breathing pause.

"I really thought our troops would have hold out longer, I just hope they did run away and weren´t killed." Shining Armor says while walking around the abandoned place.

Trixie looks around being a bit confused she asks. "Why is here no sign of any battle? Trixie means look at this, it looks like everypony just decided to stand up and leave."

Shining Armor agrees. "This would be clearly one of the most important areas to protect, then why is it so… clean?"

Shining Armor looks at the others they all seem just confused except Spike, he seems more frightened than confused.

"What’s the matter Spike?"

"Don´t you feel this? It´s weak but noticeable."

Armor concentrates and feels a small vibration.

"Something is definitely moving."

As soon as he said this tentacles shoot out of the buildings and grab them.

Trixie is able to free herself as is Shining Armor and Discord.

Spike and Iron Will also try to free themselves but with no success.

But instead of pulling them down they just hold them in place.

"What are they doing?" Trixie asks

More tentacles appear and trying to get a hold of the barely freed ones.

They free themselves once again with their magic but as soon as they destroyed one tentacle another appears.

"This is hardly fair." Discord mumbles angry.

Trixie and Shining Armor are too exhausted to resist any longer; they get grabbed by another pair of tentacles.

"This seems to be the end, it was an honor fighting alongside you guys." Armor says with is last breathe.

"May Equestria live on in the hearts of everyone." Trixie adds.

"If we somehow survive this I will buy you all a beer." Iron Will says laughing.

In the other world

Pinkie and Fluttershy holding up a protection around everypony as good as they can.

Hunk manifests crystal shards and throws them at the other Hunk, but he blocks them with his swords, still swirling around him like flies around a rotten corpse.

"Why are you standing in my way? Why are you keeping me from getting my memories back?"

"At your core, you know this… You just cannot accept it. So you seek an alternate form… a denial of your nature. You have no lost memories. If you have forgotten anything, it is this truth."

Other Hunk produces a flash and blinds Fluttershy as well as Pinkie, then throws one of his fog swords at Aj. She avoids it but then, *Splash* she is hit by another coming from behind. The instable looking blade pierces right through her back and comes out of her chest.

"*Cough* I… I´m sorry ya´ll."

She coughs blood and falls lifeless to the ground.

The others shout out, nearly simultaneously. "Nooo, this can´t be real!"

Other Hunk smirks and says "Close your eyes. Lie to yourself. Live in blissful ignorance… It is a much smarter way to exist." Before attacking again.

Inside the tower

"There I can see the light!"

Twilight points at the now visible opening in at the top.

They all are completely exhausted as they reach the top.

Breathing heavily Celestia screams at the pony standing at the edge of the roof and looking up in the sky.

"You! Why are you doing this?!"

Diamond Secret turns around.

"Why? Why not. Thanks to my brother this world became instable. I only do what is necessary, like always. You all will perish and from your ashes will rise a new empire, maybe even a new race. Wouldn´t that be exciting?"

"Wait a second. I´ve seen you before haven´t I?"

Diamond applauds unimpressed.

"Congratulations you remember me but from where could it be? Any idea?"

"I thought I was just hallucinating when I saw you in the mirror Sunset Shimmer was so obsessed with. Why just why do you do all this?"

"Always the same question. Why, why, why. Because sometimes things need to be done! Do you think it is fun to do this? I just roll with it. I know that you of all ponies should know how it feels to do something that breaks your heart, but it still needs to be done right?"

"There is nothing that we cannot repair if we had the time we could fix whatever you think the problem is."

"Oh Celestia kind hearted and reasonable like always, but enough of the talk are you here to stop me? Than go ahead I grant you the first blow."

Diamond points at her face.

Back in the other world

"It is the same for you all… You undergo suffering because of your search for the truth…

This world is filled with thick, heavy fog…

How can you find something when you know not what you search for?

And thus, you invite more suffering upon yourselves… It is beyond my comprehension."

Other Hunk pulls Fluttershy towards him with magic. The others trying to get closer but an infinite

Amount of blades keeps them at bay.

Hunk summons crystals and throws them at him, still they get ripped to pieces before they reach him,

Pinkie becomes her insane Pinkamena side and summons Surprise along, Rainbow Dash flies around and tries to gain enough speed for a rainbow explosion.

Rarity wants to get a hold on Fluttershy but other Hunk´s magic is just too strong.

He slowly drags Fluttershy on one of his blades. Fluttershy begins to cry, the blade is digging deeper into her abdomen, she screams in pain, while the blood drops down from her stomach down the sharp foggy sword.

"I will grant you one truth… You will all die here. You sought the truth, only to find death…"

He pulls the sword out of Fluttershy´s twitching body.

Rainbow Dash gained enough speed and rushes down onto other Hunk.

"You will pay you bastard!"

Other Hunk looks up. The last thing everypony sees is an incredible explosion in all colors of the Rainbow.

"Did we make it?" Rarity asks while grieving over the loss of her friends.

As the dust settles down Hunk, Rarity, Pinkie and even her other self, Surprise, are frozen in place.

Other Hunk is standing, grinning, there levitating one of his swords close to him, on it is the impaled Rainbow Dash. The blade goes right through her head, she doesn´t move at all.

"Foolish beings! Accept your end with dignity and grace!"

Meanwhile on the top of the tower

Celestia threatens Diamond. "If you do not give up right now we will make you stop by force!"

"Do your worst."

Celestia attacks with her sunray beam, Luna with her night beam.

"Oh near enough is not good enough!"

Diamond stands there like nothing has happened.

"My turn."

Diamond laughs and a blast wave tosses the Alicorns away. Only the magic barrier around the top of the tower stops them from falling off.

Diamond walks up to Celestia.

"Why do you want to deny so many beings their biggest wish? So many wish for this world to end. You all will be so much happier in the other world. Everything you desire will be yours. The only thing you have to do is dying."

Chrysalis, Twilight and Cadance are back up on their feet and attack with their magic beam, but it passes right through and nearly hits Celestia.

"You cannot defeat me. Just accept your fate!"

The main square

Discord is worried. "No I can´t let them die. They are my friends. At least that’s what Fluttershy taught me."

Three of the maggots crawling to their position.

"Oh that´s why they didn´t kill us right away. They want to feed us to the maggots." Trixie says like it’s no big deal.

The maggots come closer and nearly are able to reach them when of them is hit by a bomb and explodes, leaving nothing more than a black tarlike, bloody mess.

Spike looks up.

"The griffins! They came to help us!"

A whole squadron of griffins pass over their heads and are dropping bombs.

The other two maggots don´t stand a chance against the strength of the detonations.

The tentacles loosen their grip and are retreating back into the ground.

Shining Armor falls on the ground.

"So we aren´t alone after all. With these big maggots out of the way we can beat those things!"

In the other world

Other Hunk attacks Pinkamena in close combat.

She is able to avoid his attacks.

"You are quite talented, I am impressed."

Rarity, in her anger, is able to freeze other Hunk for a short moment, Pinkamena uses this opportunity, stabs him in his throat and jumps back to avoid a counter attack.

Other Hunk holds his wound.

"Stop this futile struggling. Even if you resist, it will all come to naught…"

Surprise flies above and charges down at other Hunk but she too is, just like Rainbow Dash, killed with little effort.

Pinkiamena falls onto her knees drops her knife and clutches her hooves at her chest.

Other Hunk readies one of his swords and throws it at Pinkie.

"NOO!"

Hunk jumps in front of her and gets stabbed he lands on his back looking over to Pinkie, only to see that she already has three swords stuck in her back.

"How could I fail? I´m sorry I doomed you all."

Hunk laughs at himself for having nothing better to say as his final words before closing his eyes.

Rarity´s will is broken. Seeing nearly all her friends dead and uncertain if the others are still alive.

"Why did this have to happen? That isn´t fair. Why is there nothing I can do?!"-She pounds her hooves at the cold stone floor.-"I would give my own life if only I could have another normal, happy day with all of my friends!"

A white light is going out from Rarity´s heart. Tiny light spheres floating at her dead friends and sinks into their hearts. They levitate slightly above ground and a flashing lightning blinds other Hunk.

As his sight returns he sees all the ponies he just killed, brought back to life.

"What…? How can you summon such strength for such a futile endeavor…!?"

Other Hunk is surprised and then realizes his swords are gone.

Before he is able to build new ones Aj and Rainbow kicking him with all of their strength.

The combined force is too much and he is pushed to the edge of the platform.

"It all is in vain."

Hunk tosses a crystal shard right into other Hunks heart. The impact is enough to let him loose his stand and so he falls into the fog filled nothingness below, without making so much as a beep.

Rarity absolutely exhausted stands near the stairs that lead upwards.

"Would you be so kind to support me Aj? I am a bit weak on my legs." She tries to get out a laugh but nearly suffocates while doing so.

Reaching the small circular platform they see Diamond Secret.

"She isn´t moving, why?" Fluttershy whispers to the group.

The ponies approaching her.

At the top of the Tower

The Alicorns are still attacking her even if only to buy some time.

"Oh I think I have to leave you for now I have some varmints to take care of."

She is about to vanish when Twilight has the presence of mind to pull the others close to her and holds on to Diamond.