Blazing Dragon

Chapters

The Fallen
Dark Side
Gone Too Soon...
Ressurection
Return
The Experiment, The Hidden Princess, And The Dark Soldier
New Friends & Renewed Enemies
CBS-01 Activated
I'd Give You Everything
Quiet Times and the Experiment from Hell
Prepare For War!
Reunion Among The Battlefield
The Prince Of Hell
Transcendence
War Of The Gods and Goddesses
The Last Stand
Dance With The Devil Pt.1
Dance With The Devil Pt. 2
Epilogue

The Fallen

Her hooves softly trampled the dirt beneath them. Her back was hurting, the sweat stung at her eyes, and her legs were beginning to feel numb. But she had to carry on. She was on a mission, and she couldn’t stop because of a few measly aches. If the legends were true, then perhaps they could help end the suffering of their world…

A young Unicorn filly bounded up to her loving mother. Even through the caked on ash and dirt, patches of her turquoise coat could still be seen. Her smoky gray mane and tail were matted down to her fur with sweat, but she didn’t care. She was but a child, and so long as she could play and avoid taking a bath, she would stay dirty forever. Besides, it wasn't as if water came too often anyway, and not being thirsty was way better than not being clean. Her mother held her close, as she looked into her eyes. Her heterochromia made her a bit of an oddity, but lovable none the less. The lavender hue of her right iris, and the light hazel of her left iris, both sparkled with child-like innocence and joy.

“Mommy! I keep hearing that Daddy coming back! Is it true?! Huh, is it?!”

Her mother frowned, “No, not yet, my little Sparks. Your father is still out searching for the Fallen…”

Sparks popped out her bottom lip in a pout, “Why is Daddy still out looking for them, instead of staying here with us??”

Her mother gently rubbed her head, “He is doing this for us, little one. The Fallen are the only ones that can save us all. Wouldn’t you like to be in a world where you can go out all the time? Where you can see the sun, and there'd be grass under your hooves everywhere you stepped, and have food and water all the time?”

The tiny Unicorn crossed her hooves, “I've never even seen the sun, or that much grass all at once, so I don’t care if I don’t get to see or feel them.”

Her mother gently smiled, “Well, the sun is the most beautiful thing you will ever see, and the grass? It’s softer than all the mattresses you’ve ever slept in. And…it’ll be because your father managed to find the Fallen.”

“Who are the Fallen anyway? Only the really old elders have seen them, and most of them are gone. Why does everyone want to see them?”

“It is said that they were once close friends with the Princesses from before the ‘Fallout’. Ponies, who can use magic beyond our wildest imaginations, even though not all of them are Unicorns. Even though they are supposed to be in their 80s now, they are stronger than anyone around. It’s even said that one of them is related to the Hell King, and can stop him.” she lifted the smaller pony’s chin, “Everyone needs someone to look up to. You say you look up to your father and I, right?”

The young filly nodded.

“Well…your father and I…” she turned to looked through the dusty, dirty window, “We look up to the Fallen….”

Such a distant memory to have crossed her mind. Her father never came back…and her mother died from disease and filth. She had to do this…she had carry on the legacy of her father, and bring the Fallen out from wherever they are, so that they could stop the Hell King. To help bring peace and happiness back to the land. To see the sun and feel the fields of grass that her mother spoke of so much. Grass sounded delicious right about now.

Her stomach rumbled. Loud.

She froze.

She might as well have screamed out her existence out into the world. They would be here any moment now. The sound of hunger had been too loud for them to not hear. Her ears swiveled faster now, waiting to hear any noise that would give away their position.

The first one attacked.

She quickly coiled her hind legs up, before bucking the creature in the teeth. It rolled and tumbled as she turned to face it. It had definitely been a pony when it was alive. It’s flesh was scarred, blistered and destroyed by the continuous black fire that spouted occasionally from random lacerations and crevices on it. It’s teeth were all crooked fangs, and it’s eyes were nothing but onyx colored orbs with gleaming red pupils. It had one twisted wing, and a small fleshy nub where the other should’ve been. It had been a Pegasus. It could’ve even been a friend that she had lost long ago. The flesh where it’s cutie mark should’ve been was gone now. It no longer matter who it had been before;

It was an enemy to all things good now.

It lunged for her again, and she fired off a blast of lavender magic at it, blowing a hole clean through it’s body.

It still came for her.

As she jumped to the side to avoid it’s tackle, another sprung up behind her. It dug it’s fangs into the meaty part of her shoulder and latched on. She let out a whinny before swinging around to throw it off. Another leapt out of the shadows. Then another. One bit into her thigh, the other into one of her forelegs. She couldn’t move. She was as good as dead. The one she had kicked earlier had gotten back up. It licked it’s dry, cracked lips as it honed in on her neck. She gave it a death glare. This wasn’t fair. She couldn’t die like this. If the gods and goddesses be willing…they will let her survive.

It lunged.

She braced for it.

It never came.

Her eyes went wide as she saw a dirty orange mass fly into it. An Earth Pony mare. She turned to look at her,

“Don’t move a muscle!!”

Something in Sparks knew to obey the command. She froze, even as the beast continued to gnaw away at her. And then she heard it,

Loud cracks in the air.

The monsters released their grip and dropping to the dirt lifelessly.

A maniacal giggle finished off by a quick snort.

She looked up to see another Earth Pony in a gnarled and leafless tree. Another mare, with dark pink fur, and an unnaturally straight mane and tail. She wore a black leather jacket, armed with various knives, small hammers, and a few vials of different colored liquids. The jacket was open, and in the middle of her chest, she bore a massive, circular shaped scar. Her face was dirty like the other mare's, but her eyes were a bright shade of blue. Her twisted smile faltered when she looked down at Sparks.

“You silly filly! You’ve gotta know that it’s too dangerous to be anywhere outside alone!!”

Sparks dusted herself off as the pink mare leapt from the tree and landed in front of her, “Thank you very much for your help. If it weren’t for you two, those things would’ve killed me off.”

“Yer damn lucky we were passin’ through here. Why the hell are ya walkin’ 'round out here all by yer lonesome anyway?”

Sparks turned to look at the orange mare that had questioned her. The mare wore a tattered brown coat, and a weathered, age-worn southern style hat. Both her silvery blonde mane and tail were tied up in thick, braided cords. Her hind legs had metal braces attached to them with screws that embedded into her thighs. Patches of her hind legs were covered with metal plates, and she wore horse shoes that had tiny spikes on the bottom. Her emerald green eyes shined brightly as she appeared to be staring into the Unicorn’s soul.

“I am on a mission to find the Fallen; the legendary six ponies who could kill the Hell King.”

The Earth Ponies shared a glance, before the orange pony spoke up again.

“Ya need tah turn ‘round an’ head on back tah wherever ya came from.”

Sparks arched an eyebrow, “What? Why?” she shook her head, “Nevermind. Look, I really do appreciate you both for saving me and all, but I have to do this.” she started to walk past them. The pink mare grabbed her tail with her teeth, and flung her over her head, smacking her into the dirt. She wheezed from the violent expulsion of air as the pony stood over her,

“We can’t let you do that, silly!” the pony stated rather bluntly, “We don’t want to let you keep going by yourself, and then feel bad if something happens to you.”

“My father disappeared looking for them!!” Sparks screamed. “All my life, I was told that the Fallen were the only hope to saving us all! They could bring back the sun, and the moon, and the stars, and endless water and grass, but more importantly, freedom and happiness!!” tears started to fall from the Unicorn’s eyes, “At first…I thought my father left because he cared about the Fallen more than he loved us. But as I got older, I realized that he did it because he loved us. So, the least I can do is carry on with my father’s mission, and find them…” she wiped the tears away and then gave the pink pony a hard glare, “Now, GET OFF OF ME!!”

The mare didn’t move. Instead, she turned to the orange pony. The emerald eyes bore into her once more,

“Tell me…what was yer pa’s name??”

Sparks stared back at her, “His name is Star Blast…why?”

The pink pony pulled Sparks to her hooves. She cleared her throat,

“My name’s Pinkamena Diane Pie, but I like to be called Pinkie Pie. And this,” Pinkie looked over at the orange one, “Is Applejack…”

Sparks looked back and forth between the two. Why did their names sound so familiar? Realization dawned on her;

They were the names of two ponies that belonged to The Fallen.

Sparks knelt before them, “I have spent the past decade searching for you. It is an honor, and a miracle, to have finally found you.”

Applejack gave a small smile, “Thank ya kindly, uh…what’s yer name exactly?”

“My name is Bright Spark, but everyone just calls me Sparks.”

“Well, Sparks…it’s a pleasure tah meet ya, an’ an honor as well.”

Sparks got a huge grin on her face, “Really?”

“You’re the daughter of the Star Blast!” Pinkie exclaimed. “He helped us with a lot of super-duper tough intel gathering missions.”

The Unicorn practically bounced with joy, “You met my father?! He found you?!”

Applejack nodded, “Yes he did. An’, he was one of the most amazin’ Unicorns that Ah ever met.”

“Do you know where he is now?” Sparks asked. “I haven’t seen him since I was a little filly…and it’d be so nice to be back with him. Although…” her eyes fell to the ground, “He’ll be heartbroken when he finds out that Mom is gone…”

Pinkie and Applejack exchanged sad glances before turning back to her. Pinkie stepped forward,

“Sparks…there’s no easy way to tell you this…” she coughed and cleared her throat, “We regret to inform you…that your father-”

Sparks shook her head. She had been to some of her friends’ houses when this happened. Soldiers would knock on the door….their mom or dad would answer, and they would start to say the same thing. By the end of it, the parent would be a pile of broken spirit and tears…and the next day, her friend would be the same way…

Applejack stepped closer and gently placed a hoof on her shoulder, “Ah have a feelin’ yer gonna be with us fer a while…so…Ah know this hurts, but ya need tah hear it… an' Ah need ya tah be strong about it.”

Sparks bit her bottom lip and nodded, as tears waited to be spilled. Pinkie gave a small nod, and looked at Sparks again, her expression was a lot softer this time,

“I’m not going to give you the statement that we tell other families…your dad was a great stallion, a hero to many, including the two Fallen that he saved…we couldn’t have picked a better pony to fight alongside us. Again, it is one of my deepest regrets to have to give you such horrible news…but I would rather it be one of us who told you then one of our fighters…”

Sparks nodded, and without thinking, hugged Pinkie as tightly as she could, “Thank you for that! It means so much…”

Pinkie smiled and lightly patted her back, “No problem…I can say that we all were so happy to have your dad as a friend. He saved two of my best friends…he gave me something I couldn’t afford to lose, and I thank him every single day for that.”

The Unicorn pulled away from her and nodded, thanking them once more for their kind words. Applejack placed a hoof on her again,

“Yer Blast’s kid, so ya best believe yer gonna have tah meet the others.”

Sparks’ face lit up, “You mean I-”

The orange mare nodded, “Yup! Yer gonna meet the rest of us!!”

Sparks couldn’t contain her joy any longer. She leapt into the air and clacked her hooves together. She took Applejack’s hoof into her own,

“Thank you, thank you! Words cannot express how much this means to me!!”

Applejack chuckled as she received the strong hoof shake, “No problem, Sparks. But we gotta get up outta here before more of them vermin come out.”

The Earth Ponies turned to continue walking, with Sparks in tow. Pinkie and Applejack conversed with each other, and Sparks was too awe struck to join in. She simply observed how these two seemingly normal and friendly ponies, were said to be the most powerful heroines to have ever existed. Were they all this nice or was it just these two? Was it because her father fought alongside them? She wondered how it was for him to join them in battle. To look beside him, and see these powerful mares fighting alongside-

“Wait a minute.”

Pinkie and Applejack turned around,

“What’s up, Sugarcube?”

Sparks looked between them, “My mom said The Fallen were really old. Like…well into their 80s. And that’s when I was still a filly. How old are you two?”

Applejack gave a small glare, “Ah know it ain’t right tah be askin’ a lady her age!”

Pinkie elbowed her before looking back at Applejack, “Don’t mind her, she’s just trying to be a bully. I’m 120, and Applejack is 124.”

Sparks jaw nearly hit the ground, “How is that possible that you guys are that old and look so young?! You don’t look a day over 50!”

Applejack smiled, “Everythin’ will be answered soon, when we meet back up with our friends.”

She turned and continued on, with Pinkie happily bouncing beside her. The Unicorn mare grinned with content before continuing the trek with the couple.

~MLP~

Sparks had expected more. Something greater, than what she was looking at right now.

It was a rundown old warehouse of some sort. At least, that’s what it looked like it was. When they got inside however, it was as if she stepped into a completely different dimension. The inside was nice and clean, and was crowded with various ponies of all breeds. Some were making potions of different kinds, some were creating weapons for battle, and some were posting massive maps of the world on all the walls. But there was one thing that they were all doing that they had in common;

Smiling. They all had genuine smiles on their faces, and hearty laughter.

Sparks leaned into Pinkie, “Why is everypony so happy? It’s weird…”

“Laughter is the greatest medicine.” Pinkie replied. “Most of us here have lost somepony we loved. Most of us have seen combat, and gotten into battles we knew we couldn’t win. Most of us...have seen some twisted, and to be completely honest, fucked up things. But one thing that we’ve gotten out of this war, is friendship. We are a band of brothers and sisters, whom through friendship, have doubled our joy, and halved our sorrows. If you can look death and despair in the eyes and laugh, then you my friend, are one tough pony.”

Applejack smiled, “Wow…that was amazing.”

Pinkie cocked her head to the side, “What was amazing?”

Applejack shook her head, “Ah’m still amazed that we’re married sometimes, Pinkie. Ya just blow my mind.”

Pinkie smiled and nuzzled up to her, “That’s the sweetest thing you’ve said all week! I love you too!”

The Unicorn once again found herself grinning at the couple. She wondered in a world without the Hell King, if she could find love like that too. She wondered about that and more, and didn’t realize she had spaced out until she bumped into Applejack’s flank. She shook her head and looked up to see a massive door was the reason they had stopped. Applejack looked back at her,

“Not many ponies have come intah this room.” She stated. “So what ya see an’ what ya hear, an’ say, can’t leave this room. Do ya understand?”

Sparks nodded and her expression turned serious, “I understand.”

“Good.” Applejack turned and started to push the door open, “Then let’s go.”

Pinkie stepped inside, with Sparks following her, and Applejack closed the door. The room was dimly lit, save for one corner that had a large table with various weapons, armor, and other mechanical items on it. Just outside of the light’s reach, a pair of cerise eyes focused on the trio. The eyes squinted,

“Who’s that mare with you guys? She looks kinda familiar.” A raspy voice spoke out.

Applejack patted the younger mare’s back, “This here is Bright Spark, but she said her nickname is just Sparks. An’ the reason she looks so familiar, is because she’s Blast’s kid!”

The cerise eyes lit up, “What?! No way!!”

There was the sound of a quick trot, and a Pegasus mare appeared from the darkness. Her fur was slightly grayish-cyan color, and her mane was cut into a short, prismatic Mohawk. Her tail was also brightly colored, with a few barely noticeable strands of silver in it. She wore a white tank top that was covered in oil and grease stains and a thick, brown leather tool belt. The detail that caught Sparks’ attention though, was that one of her wings was made completely out of metal rods with a cybernetic meshing, and the metal wing was painted to match as close to her fur color as possible. The Pegasus bit down on the tooth pick in her mouth as she smiled hard at Sparks.

“Well, well, I never thought I’d meet the little spawn of Blast. You definitely look like him.” She stuck a hoof out to her, “The name’s Rainbow Dash. Nice to meet ya!”

Sparks eagerly took the hoof into her own, “It’s nice to meet you too! You’re The Fallen Pegasus that was once the leader of the Wonderbolts! My mother told me she used to go to their shows when she was a filly!”

Dash nodded, “Yeah. But, of course, I’m not as fast as I used to be because of this thing.” She gave her prosthetic wing a few flaps, “But it does me well and gets the job done.”

“Ow! Rainbow Dash, stop leaving all of these tooth picks all over the floor! They mess up my hooficure every single time!!” a voice shouted out from the darkness.

Dash rolled her eyes, “Because that really matters, right?”

A Unicorn with earmuffs around her neck stepped out from the shadows, glaring at Dash as she did. Her coat, though covered in numerous scars of various sizes, was a splendid shade of white, and her long violet mane and tail had streaks of silver in them as well. A jagged scar that started near the base of her horn, ran all the way down over her left eye, and bloomed over her cheek. She had a burn scar that covered the upper right portion of her face, stopping right below the base of her ear. And the right eye, while it had retained some of it’s sapphire hue like her other eye, had a milky lens over it. To Sparks though, the Unicorn made the look work for her, and she appeared to give off an air of sophistication.

“Yes, it does! If you were a LADY, then you would know that! Instead, you continue to act like a grease monkey, whom can never take her hooves off of the machines and her mare!”

Dash pressed her muzzle against the Unicorn’s, “You got a problem with that?!”

The white mare’s horn glowed, “A problem that I will squash like an insignificant little insect.”

Pinkie jammed her way in between them, “We’re all good friends here, so how about we be nice, and make Sparky here feel at home!!”

The white Unicorn turned to face her, “Oh darling, I’m so sorry you had to see me behave in such an uncouth manner. Dash has the tendency to be a thorn in my side, and well sometimes, you have to act like a ruffian for other ruffians to understand you.” She stuck her hoof out, “My name is Fair Rarity-”

“There’s nothing ‘fair’ about her.” Dash cut in.

Rarity smiled politely at Sparks as she cocked back one of her hind legs. Dash looked at her in confusion, before feeling a white hoof slam into her side, flinging her back into the darker part of the room. Applejack and Sparks winced as they heard metal clanking loudly and glass breaking. Pinkie bounced in the direction Dash went, as Rarity continued once more.

“But Rarity works just fine, if not better. We don’t always have time to scream the entirety of a name while we’re in the midst of battle, now do we? Now what is your name?”

Sparks took the hoof into her own, and slightly bowed, “My name is Bright Spark, but most ponies call me Sparks. It’s a pleasure and an honor to meet you, Fair Rarity.” She smiled and winked at her.

Rarity giggled, a slight blush tinting her cheeks, “Oh my, you are quite a little charmer, aren’t you?” she cupped the younger Unicorn’s cheeks, “Why, you bear a striking resemblance to a handsome stallion from long ago. He was a charmer as well.”

“The thing that made him charmin’ though, was the love an’ devotion he had fer his kin back home.” Applejack stated.

Rarity nodded in agreement, “Yes, that’s true. Why, he spoke so highly of his wife and daughter that I wish I had been given the opportunity to meet them. It would’ve been nice to see the driving forces behind Blast’s actions…”

Sparks smiled harder, “What did my father say about me?”

“Oh, Blast said that you were the most beautiful creature that he had the pleasure of creating! Why, he would-” Rarity gasped as she realized what Sparks had said, “You’re Blast’s daughter?!” Rarity scooped the Unicorn into a hug, “Oh my stars, it is absolutely WONDERFUL to meet you!! Why, he spoke nothing but absolute praise of you and Violet Spark. How is your mother anyway?”

Sparks looked down at the ground once more, “She passed away when I was 17. I’ve been traveling ever since to find you all.”

“Rarity…why can’t you be the bigger pony when it comes to your fights with Dashie?” a sweet voice questioned from the shadows, as a pair of big teal orbs appeared. Rarity’s ears flattened down in shame,

“I’ve really been trying to be that pony…but that…creature…you decided to marry, can be just a teensy bit annoying and rude sometimes.”

“I know she can be-”

“Babe! Who’s side are you on?!” Dash screamed out.

“But you, as the more mature of the two, should be able to make the decision to end whatever argument you two have gotten yourselves into…” the eyes turned to face Sparks, “Oh my…I’m sorry, let me introduce myself. My name is Fluttershy…who are you?”

Sparks rubbed the back of her neck, “Name’s Bright Spark-”

“But we’re callin’ her Sparks.” Applejack finished, “Sugarcube, ya gotta come on out the shadows so she can see ya.”

There was a few moments of silence before a pony stepped from the shadows. She was a canary colored Pegasus, with a few grey hairs in her fur. Her pink mane and tail were incredibly long, with a lone, thick silver streak in each of them. Her mane covered one of her teal eyes, and she had a jagged scar that ran down the side of her neck and stopped at her collar bone. There were small metal rods that started in the middle of her spine, and disappeared at the base of her tail. Her left leg was made completely out of metal, and a soft whirring emanated from where a couple of visible gears turned. Her left thigh had metal plating on it, with three cyan and pink butterflies painted on it to match the real cutie mark on her right thigh. She smiled sweetly, baring a set of dangerously sharp fangs, as she looked down at Sparks,

“I’m sorry. Let me try again…” she slowly stuck her hoof out, “My name is Fluttershy...it’s really nice to meet you…”

Sparks carefully took her hoof into her own, “It’s very nice to meet you too.”

Fluttershy turned her attention back to Rarity, “Now, I’m going to need you to be the bigger mare in this. You know how my wife can be. She’s got a bit of a temper.”

“You’re the wife of the Fallen Wonderbolt…” Sparks said in disbelief. “That is so cool…”

Fluttershy blushed and started to hide her face behind her mane, “Thank you.”

“And I’m the wife of the most beautiful mare in the world!” Dash jumped back into the bright part of the room, smacking Rarity out of it, and into the dark. Fluttershy frowned and smacked Dash in the face with one of her wings. Dash rubbed her snout as she turned to Fluttershy,

“What did I do?!”

Fluttershy pointed at the dark spot that Rarity had disappeared into, “Go and help her!”

Dash grumbled and turned to go and help Rarity out of whatever she may have collided into. Pinkie bounced out of the shadows,

“There’s one more pony who wants to meet you!!”

Sparks nodded and nearly showed equal excitement “Who?”

A surge of power rippled through the room. The lone beam of light danced around as if it was blown in the wind. One by one, more lights turned on, until the whole room was lit up. Sparks could make out different parts of the room.

A large couch with a blanket with a few romance novels and few spools of thread sitting on it.

A small potted tree.

A stove with a few slightly rusted baking utensils.

And the entirety of the mechanical table with a ton of machine parts and half built projects.

And the source of the wave of powerful magic.

A dark lavender Unicorn stared down Sparks. She stood tall and had an air of regality to her, commanding the attention of all those around her. Her mane and tail had a slightly grayed shade of violet, with a pink and grey streak in them. Her glazed eyes had dark rings around them. Massive scars danced and stretched almost the entirety of her body, and a few lavender crystals spurted from her flesh. Her horn was slightly twisted and cracked, and she wore a noose that was broken and frayed at the end. Her lips were pursed into a thin line as she stared at Sparks. Sparks shivered as she felt like the older Unicorn staring deep into her soul.

“Hello, Bright Spark. I am Twilight Sparkle, but for you, I will be known as the First Fallen…”

Dark Side

Sparks couldn’t believe her eyes. The First Fallen…

She had heard the stories about her. She was the Princess that had sealed away the Hell King once before, and saved her friends, but at the cost of her Alicorn magic. She started to bow-

“Stop.” Twilight commanded. Sparks froze. Twilight stared harder at her. There was a flash of lavender aura in her eyes. “You think I’m some sort of heroine?”

Sparks nodded, “Well…yes ma’am. I mean-”

“I am no heroine meant to be worshipped.”

“B-but you chased off the Hell King and-”

“Sacrificed my Alicornhood to save my loved ones.” Twilight finished before letting out a small sigh. “I know that’s the story being told but…I didn’t sacrifice anything. At least, I don’t see it that way.” She glanced around at her friends, “I repaid my debts. Everyone sees me as a heroine, as a goddess. But I am far from it. Everything you’ve been told is a lie. I was once what the Hell King is; a violent and evil monster. I simply didn’t go as far because I have an amazing found family who stopped me. A family…that I don’t deserve. Family that I murdered in a cold-blooded, tyrannical rage. Pinkie, Dash, and Fluttershy…were killed by my own hooves. I destroyed Applejack’s back, made my brother…nearly burn Rarity to death. The scars that they all bear, are because of me.” she pointed at herself. “It was the Princess of the Sun, whom I tried to kill as well, who had to nearly kill me to stop me. And she should have." Her gaze fell to the floor in front of Sparks, “Then…that dragon you know as the Hell King…took what was inside of me, and used his own body as a vessel. The very gods and goddesses themselves spared me…and in order to bring my family back…the Sun Princess and I gave our Alicorn magic to them as their life source.” She looked over at each and every one of the older mares. “The Hell King is the reason I stand here before you today...”

Sparks slowly nodded in understanding, before ignoring her order and still bowing. Twilight let out an irritated snort,

“Did I not make myself clear?”

Sparks stood straight up, “You told me the truth. And now…you are continuously striving to right your wrongs. That…that makes you a heroine in my eyes…”

Twilight gave her an unreadable gaze for a few moments. Sparks stared back. Twilight sighed before turning away from her,

“We will speak again another time…”

She walked through an open door located on the other side of the room before magically shutting it behind her. Fluttershy’s fangs protruded as she gave Sparks another small smile,

“Oh my, you made her smile…”

Sparks eyes widened in disbelief, “I mean no disrespect…but that was a smile?”

Applejack grinned, “We’ve been her with fer almost a hundred years, we can tell a smile when we see it.”

Rarity trotted up beside her, “That was wonderful darling. Nothing more charming than words spoken from the heart…”

There was a loud rapping at the main door. Pinkie turned to the door,

“Yes?”

“Fallen Pinkie Pie…Fallen Fluttershy has been requested to come to the Meeting Hall for a Dark Hours mission. Its extremely important.”

“She’ll be right out! Thank you!”

Fluttershy sighed, “I don’t like going out at night…”

“We know, sugarcube…but until RD gets a workin’ set of night vision goggles-”

“Not really easy to do in a post-apocalyptic wasteland, AJ!” Dash shouted.

Applejack rolled her eyes, “Anyways…‘til that gets done…we’re countin’ on ya an’ the Dark Hour Brigade.”

Fluttershy hid behind her mane, and Dash wrapped her prosthetic wing around her lover, “Babe, you’re equipped for these types of mission, ya know? We need you."

Fluttershy silently nodded, and Dash nuzzled her as a thanks. Sparks stepped forward,

"Is there a way I can come with you on the mission?”

Fluttershy looked worriedly at her, “I don’t know…Dark Hours missions are very dangerous…”

“I’ve been traveling alone for almost several years now, even in the dark hours of Eventide. I’m sure I’ll be safer with a Fallen and other rebel fighters.” Sparks pointed out.

“Two Fallen actually.” Rarity corrected. “Fallen never go out alone. I shall be accompanying Fluttershy on this mission.” She looked over at Fluttershy, “Besides, we could use a but if extra Unicornian magic. She is Blast’s daughter after lol. Surely she’s inherited some of his magical capabilities. Ooh, the potential! As a matter of fact,” she placed a maternal hoof onto Sparks’ shoulder, “I shall make her my protégé! I’m sure she hasn’t encountered a Unicorn as powerful as I in quite a long time.”

Sparks eyes went wide, “Really?! Wait, is it that simple?”

Rarity arched a brow, “Who here would dare speak against any of us?”

“…Good point.”

“My my, so humble…” Applejack grumbled. Fluttershy sighed,

“Alright…let’s see what’s going on tonight…”

Fluttershy made her way towards the main door, with Rarity and Sparks in tow. They stepped out into a long, dimly lit hallway. When they stepped into an unlit portion, Sparks froze midstep as she heard the stretch of skin, the pops of bones shifting, and snarling. Rarity placed a reassuring hoof on her shoulder,

“Its only Fluttershy.” Rarity whispered. “She’s just…preparing for a Dark Hours mission.”

When Fluttershy stepped from the shadows, her coat was a paler shade of yellow. Her snout took on a more slender look, and far more fangs protruded from her mouth now. Her Pegasus wings had transformed into leathery bat wings. Tufts of fur sat atop her now larger ears, and her mane and tail took on a more feral appearance. She turned to look over at Sparks with crimson orbs,

“Let’s go.” She spoke in a deeper voice. Despite the underlying fear Sparks felt, she found the voice…sultry. “We’ll probably get a lot of enemies to sink our teeth into…”

The distraction from her voice was overridden with fear from Fluttershy’s statement. Sparks had heard the stories of Vamponies. There were even a couple that lived in her old camp. Despite the ones that had managed to ‘tame’ themselves while they were within the camp’s borders, she knew that they’d have no problem making a meal out of anyone unfortunate enough to cross them. Fluttershy tilted the younger Unicorn’s chin upward,

“We’re going into a room that will have other Vamponies in it, and they can smell fear.” Her snout scrunched up, “Calm yourself…you reek of it.”

Sparks gulped and nodded. Rarity leaned in as Fluttershy opened the door at the end of the hall,

“Forgive her…the personality change comes with the transformation…”

Sparks looked up at her, “Really? How is she able to become one at will? I thought they um…were always just like that.”

“The magic we wield allows us to use any powers we possess as we see fit. And I’d love to explain further, but we have a job to do…”

Rarity followed Fluttershy in, and Sparks trailed behind her. All of the creatures in the room were standing tall as they entered,

“Welcome Fallen Rarity, Fallen Fluttershy. It is always an honor to be in your presence.” One of the creatures in the room spoke up.

“Thank you, dear. You’re so sweet.” Rarity replied as she waved Sparks closer to her and put a hoof on her shoulder, “This is Bright Spark, and she is daughter of Star Blast.”

There were quiet whispers and murmurs of awe,

“She is also my new apprentice. With that being said, she shall be treated with respect and kindness. Is that understood?”

“Yes ma’am.” Everyone responded in unison.

“Perfect.” She outstretched a hoof to Fluttershy, “Darling, would you be so kind as to pass the files this way?”

There was no response, causing the unicorn to look over at her. A deep frown was etched into Fluttershy’s face while she was buried into a particular report. She dropped the file onto the desk and rubbed her temples,

“Goddesses above, are you kidding me? How did this happen?” she looked around at the group, “How were 14 fighters killed in a single night? Who was in charge of that mission?”

“Pitch Black was, Master Fluttershy.” A Vampony mare replied as she rose to her hooves. She was a black coated pony, with a low cut mane, save for a long strip that hung lazily over one of her amber eyes. She was covered in bandages, wraps, and gauze. A crescent moon with blood dripping from it marked both of her hindquarters. Fluttershy focused on the mare, her features softening,

“Was...was that the night-”

“Yes ma'am” the mare cut her off. “Y-you know how he was…an-and he-” she paused to bite back tears, “I'm sorry. I know its been a couple months, but its still fresh...”

“Oh Dee…” Fluttershy she got up an was at the mare’s side, “I’m so sorry…”

Sparks looked on silently, as one of the most powerful ponies on the planet comforted what she thought was one of the scariest creatures to exist.

“Go and take time to mourn, Apprentice. And I’ll make sure Dawn Breaker is pulled from further missions for a bit. Remember; shared joy is double, and shared sorrow-”

“Is halved sorrow.” Dee finished, before giving Fluttershy a saddened, but thankful look, “Thank you, Master Fluttershy.” She quickly excused herself from the room. Sparks leaned upward towards Rarity’s ear,

“Who is that?”

“That’s Dead Moon.” Rarity quietly responded. “She’s Fluttershy’s Apprentice. She took her and Pitch Black under her wings when they were younger.”

“I see…” she then looked into Rarity’s eyes, “And…I’m your Apprentice now, correct?”

Rarity gave her a small smile, “That’s correct.” She looked back up at the group, and her smile vanished,

“Can someone explain in further detail what happened that night?”

A dark brown Unicorn stood up, “Ma’am, somehow, the enemy have managed to get ahold of live ammunition, and the weaponry to use them. As much as we’ve tried to avoid using ammo on more sentient creatures…that battle has proven that we may no longer have that option. We’ll need to make more, provide them to our bases that lay further out on the map, and arm some of the posts in between them.”

“What’s the closest base from here with a lot of weapons?”

“Base A-45, Ma’am.”

“Shit…that’s a long way from here…” Fluttershy hissed.

“We didn’t have any choice, Fluttershy.” Rarity stated. “If I’m correct, that base only has Earth Ponies, Yaks, and Griffins there.”

The group sat around in silence, contemplating the safest method to get there. A soft knock at the door caught their attention. Fluttershy looked up,

“Who is it?!” Fluttershy barked out.

“Dead Moon, Master Fluttershy. May I come back in?”

“The girl never knows when to sit down and take a breather…” she stated quietly. “Come in.”

The door creaked opened, and Dee returned. Fluttershy raised a brow,

“Girl, when do you plan to relax?”

“I’m a tactician, Master Fluttershy. While I do plan to take up your offer in due time, I can still help, even in my current condition. I may have an idea to our current predicament…”

-MLP-

He sat upon his throne built of molten rock and bone. The smell of burning, rotten flesh and sulfur hung in the air. The screams of the tormented and damned rung in his ears. His view was nothing but near infinite blackness and hellfire.

And he loved it.

He picked up what appeared to be a pony’s skull and looked at it, “It’s a lovely day to be here, isn’t it?”

He stared expectantly at the silent skull.

“I mean, look at this view! Nothing but despair, fear, and suffering. Oh…and soldiers. Countless amounts of minions who would die for me. Not to mention the thousands of souls to play with when I’m bored. Its pretty cool, isn’t it?”

Still no response.

The massive beast rolled his eyes, “I don’t know why I talk to you. You’re such an introvert…”

“Pardon me, Great Dragon…”

He looked down at the puny thing speaking to him, “What.”

“I give you my most sincere apology to have to disturb you, but we have received news that some of the Hellions were killed off by the Fallen that were saving a Unicorn. Two of them were sighted near Canterlot.”

The drake arched a scaly brow, “Which ones?”

“The two known as Applejack and Pinkie Pie.”

‘Thank the gods and goddesses they’re still alive…’

He growled, “So why were they only ‘sighted’ and not ‘killed’?”

“We tried, Great Dragon, but-”

“I DON’T NEED ATTEMPTS, I NEED THEM TAKEN CARE OF!! GO AND KILL THEM, NOW!!”

The tiny creature flinched and took off. The dragon clenched his fist, crushing the skull within it.

‘They’re still alive…and they’re going to win…’

“Not again. Not with this body…”

“I implore that you calm thyself, Hell King. There is no power on the planet that can even come close to challenging your own.”

Hell King still kept a frown on his face, “You say that, but those six have proven to be a pain in the ass for over a century now. I want them destroyed.”

“Rest assured, Great Dragon. It shall be so…”

Hell King looked down at the source of the voice. He could barely make out the mare’s facial features in the dim light, but he knew that she was smiling. And she was, staring back at him with a smile he knew all too well, as he had once worn that smile before.

A pillar of fire exploded beside her, briefly exposing her. She bore a burned and tattered brown cape, clasped onto the shoulder guards of her faded silver armor. Her coat was still a deep, blackish-blue, now marred by large scars gain from a battle long ago. Her mane and tail still retained the flowing night sky that had not been seen by the eyes of the last few generations. Her horn was not slightly twisted, and she missed a few feathers from her wings, but she still retained an air of regality about her. Her deep turquoise pupils were nearly drowned in a sea of black. She may have not been as strong as the current vessel, but he knew she was powerful enough to bring back from the dead.

“I figured Death would’ve taken its toll on your body after all these years. I am…slightly impressed, that you were able to retain your looks for the most part, Eternal Slumber…”

Eternal gave a pleased smile, “Alicorn Magic can do some amazing things…only a fool would relinquish it…”

Hell King chuckled, “Yes…but Dragonian Magic has now proven to go beyond that.” He turned to look back at the view he had come to love, “However, I brought you back for a reason…”

Her eyes glittered with dark desire, “Are you implying that it is time for me to enter the fray?”

The drake’s smile shrank as he rubbed his chin, “I know you want to get out there…but not yet. I need to see if those pathetic little ponies will come.” He looked down at her, “Pass the word to the others to start attacking more frequently. If two of them will come out to save on measly creature, perhaps all of them will appear if we kill off a base’s worth of them.”

Eternal nodded, “Of course, Great Dragon. I shall take my leave right away.” She turned and disappeared into the shadows. Hell King narrowed his eyes while he looked off into the distance.

‘Please…help me…’

-MLP-

Sparks scratched her head, “So what you’re telling me, is that she got her powers because of a spell that went wrong? But that doesn’t make any sense…surely the effects of an improper incantation would’ve disappeared by now…”

Rarity smiled, “Well…even without the amount of magic she wields, Fluttershy was already a very special pony. She had a…particular trait that allowed her to use a very rudimentary spell. Perhaps she inherited from Unicorn genes from very far into her family tree.”

“But Miss Rarity-”

“Master Rarity, dear. Remember, you’re my Apprentice now.”

“Right…my apologies…” Sparks briefly internally chastised herself. “But how did Miss Twilight’s spell come into play?”

“That is uh…where it gets a bit confusing…”

“Please, shut up! We’re supposed to be quiet!” Fluttershy hissed.

“Sorry, darling!” Rarity whispered back. “She’s just as excited as your…situation, as we were!”

A Vampony quickly trotted up next to the trio. “I’m sorry to interrupt your conversation, but we’ve got enemies nearby.”

As if on cue, they heard screeching from something not too far up ahead. The group quickly got into fighting stances in response. The screeching and snarling ceased. For a moment, a pregnant silence hung in the air. And then…the silence was broken.

They leapt out from all around.

Fangs and claws dug into flesh. Hooves, fists, and feet slammed into faces.

The sounds of battle kicked off before Sparks could fully process what was going on. Five mutated creatures lunged at her. She rapid fired beams of hot magic at them, but was pinned down by two that managed to dodge her attack. One of them clamped down on her shoulder. Rarity jousted the thing through the neck and flung it off Sparks, before kicking one that had attempted and failed to flank her. A second creature quickly flailed behind the second and leapt, but Sparks fired off a massive beam, vaporizing it. Rarity smiled as she magically lifted Sparks to her hooves,

“Quite spectacular, Apprentice!” she turned to look on at the brawl, “It seems like our fighters took their training seriously!”

Sparks followed her gaze. Zebras caved in the bodies of their enemies wherever their hooves landed, while the Vamponies showed their ferocity in full as they tore the creatures limb from limb. It seemed like this battle would be over soon. That they would be victorious.

“Fallen Rarity, LOOK OUT!” one of the fighters screamed.

Talons clamped around the white mare’s throat and plunged into her chest. She punched the side of it’s head, dislodging it from her. Without hesitation, Sparks lunged at it. It had been a long time since she had seen a Griffin, and she had never seen one mutated before. Its eyes quickly settled on her before it leapt into the sky. Sparks looked over at Rarity with horrified eyes as she assessed her injuries. Lacerations on her necks, the chest flowing with blood. Her ears pinned at the sucking sound as Rarity struggled to breathe.

“Master Rarity, we’ve got to get you somewhere safe!” Sparks shouted.

Rarity tried to reply, but was only successful in starting up a fit of bloodied coughs.

“Please, don’t talk! You might worsen your injuries!”

Rarity’s right pupil pinpricked as she focused on something over Sparks shoulder. Her horn quickly flashed blue, and Sparks reflexively ducked as Rarity's magic shot over her head. Sparks turned to see the griffin had dodged it, before digging its talons into her barrel. Searing pain tore through Sparks, as she was knocked away from Rarity and rolled across the dirt. She tried to sit up and reorient herself, but was quickly shoved back down as the griffin pinned her. Sparks looked up at it. It was a dark green furred and brown feathered creature, and while it held the same, wild eyes of the monsters she had seen before, the gleam of sentience in them stunned her. It leaned in close,

“Go back to wherever you came from, before you get involved in something you’ve got no business being in.”

Sparks was shocked. Not from hearing a female’s voice come from it, but to hear a voice at all. These things never spoke. Before she could reply however, something far more terrifying bit onto the griffin’s wing;

Fluttershy.

She snatched the griffin off her, but she quickly got back up, seemingly unaffected by the attack.

“Finally, I get to meet one of the Fallen Pegasi in the flesh.” The griffin smirked, “The name’s Shekara.”

“I don’t give a shit about your name.” Fluttershy spat. “It’s not like I’m going to remember your face, especially after I tear it off your skull.”

Shekara scoffed, “Oh yeah? With what, your pathetic dull hooves? Good luck with that!”

Fluttershy sneered as something dark started to come to the surface, “I don’t need luck…”

“NO!” Rarity rasped out with shredded vocal chords. Sparks looked at her,

“What? ‘No’ what?”

Rarity looked on at Fluttershy, “Don’t, Shy! Don’t turn into it!”

Sparks turned back to Fluttershy, “What’s ‘it’?”

Fluttershy responded with a roar, making a noise that rival the feralness of the monsters they fought. Fangs started pointing in multiple directions, and the skin around her mouth tore open as her jaw unhinged itself. Her hooves split into separate keratin digits, and claws spurt from the tips of her wings. The crimson of her irises spilled out, blending in with the vessels that had burst in her eyes. She let out another roar, her forked tongue flailing about wildly and flinging bloody spittle everywhere. Shekara looked on in terror.

“Shit…” Rarity swore as steam poured from her wounds. Sparks looked on in awe at the rapidly healing injuries. The largest laceration on Rarity’s throat shut, and she spat out the remnant of blood in her mouth.

“That was amazing, Master Rarity! How-”

“No time to explain.” Rarity wheezed out. “We have a much bigger issue that needs to be dealt with.”

“It looks like the issue is about to be dealt with though.” Sparks replied.

Shekara turned and fled to the sky. Fluttershy pushed off the earth and rocketed towards her.

“That griffin isn’t the only one in danger.”

Fluttershy reached out, latching an iron-clad grip onto one of the Shekara’s hindlegs. She divebombed back to the ground.

“She can’t control herself when she’s like this. She can’t differentiate friend from foe.”

Fluttershy slammed Shekara into the ground with enough force to shove her intestines out of her mouth.

“She becomes a true monster…”

The yellow monstress twirled the intestines around one of her fingers, and yanked them out with a slurping pop.

“And we’re all in danger…”

Though Shekara was clearly dead and defeated, Fluttershy felt compelled to rip out one of her jugulars, before spitting them out into the dirt not too far from her. Her gaze then settled on Rarity and Sparks.

“Fluttershy…” Rarity stated in a warning tone as her she began to levitate earthen shrapnel around them. “Don’t.”

Sparks horn was surrounded by hazel and lavender light as she followed Rarity’s form. Fluttershy’s body slightly lurched in their direction, and Rarity fired off a volley of the rocks. The vampiric beast dodged with unnatural reflexes, and she was on top of them before they could move. Rarity shoved Sparks to the side and out of Fluttershy’s view in an attempt to gain her undivided attention. Fluttershy raised a hoof, and Rarity barely had time to throw up a forcefield before she was smacked to the side. Fluttershy sniffed the air, and smiled as she honed in on Sparks,

“You smell...of fear…delicious…”

She took off again, slamming and dragging Sparks through the gravel. Sparks looked up with terror, as Fluttershy’s jaw clicked and opened even further, ready to rip her apart.

A rumbling shook the earth, causing slight confusion between Sparks and Fluttershy.

A lavender crystal exploded from the ground, piercing one of Fluttershy’s forelegs. Another followed, and repeated the process on her other foreleg. They arched and twisted, digging back into the earth, and locking Fluttershy to the ground. Sparks’ vision took on a lavender hue, as an aura surrounded her and quickly pulled her away from Fluttershy’s vicinity. She was plopped onto the ground, and quickly got up to face whoever saved her,

“Thank you so much-”

She stopped, as she slowly looked up at the towering Twilight, who stood protectively over Rarity’s form.

“I-I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for you to have to come out here.”

“I didn’t come out here for you.” Twilight responded. “Rarity sent a distress signal, and I will not have a repeat of her getting hurt like she did when…” she stopped. Lightly shaking her head, instead rediverting her attention to the feral Fluttershy. The Vampony writhed on the ground, causing the crystals to tremble, before they gave in and cracked. Fluttershy ripped the shards from her legs, and Sparks realized that she too, had the same regenerative properties as Rarity. Fluttershy leered at Twilight, snorting angrily and licking her lips. Twilight’s eyes narrowed as they glowed a bright violet,

“This will end here, Fluttershy…”

Gone Too Soon...

They stood facing one another, power radiating off both of them.

Fluttershy, the once gentle and kind Pegasus, now a titanic and prehistoric amalgamation of nightmares that stared at its enemy with such bloodlust and rage, that she could easily put all of her civilized successors to shame.

Twilight, the once powerful Princess of Friendship and Magic, whose soul had hardened from decades of regrets and self-destruction, struck terror into the those she fought against, and awe-riddled respect in those she fought alongside.

Twilight looked down at Rarity, “Are you alright? How badly are you hurt?”

“I’m fine…” Rarity softly replied, “But there was a griffin that upset her. She’s never been triggered so easily. I fear we’re losing our Fluttershy to that…thing she’s turned into…”

“No.” Twilight snapped. “There will be none of this our Fluttershy and monster Fluttershy shit.” She looked back at the snarling Vampony, “She’s our friend. All of her, and we will save her.”

“And how do you propose we do that? Its not like we have the other girls to help us.”

“After she had that last outburst with Dead Moon, I implemented a spell to stop her…” Twilight trailed off as she took notice of Fluttershy’s statuesque form, who stared at her with pure bloodlust in her eyes. Despite the stillness, Twilight saw miniscule twitches in Fluttershy, recognizing that the muscles beneath the surface were tightening. She didn’t look away as she continued to speak,

“She’s entering the more feral stages of her powers…she’s waiting for me to drop my guard. Rarity, Bright Spark…I need you two to listen carefully.”

The other two Unicorns swiveled their ears in her direction, keeping their eyes on Fluttershy. They too, felt the dangerous shift in the air.

“We’re all ears, Dearest.”

“If you can cause enough damage to her body simultaneously, her Element will be forced to channel its magic solely into healing her wounds, and stop amplifying her vampiric powers. She allowed me to place a shard of Eventide crystal in her body...do you remember when I showed you where to let crystals form in an equine body to cause death?”

Rarity’s brow furrowed, though she held her gaze on Fluttershy, “That was for this, Twilight? Really? How appalling!”

“You can tear into me later, Rarity. Right now, we have to stop her. Now…as soon as I look away form her, she’s going to attack me. I won’t be able to perform the spell, so it’ll be up to you to do it.”

"Eventide crystals are different than regular crystals, Twilight. I’m still recovering from injuries from the griffin that attacked me. I can’t perform the spell on my own right now.”

“You have an Apprentice now, don’t you?”

Rarity shifted uncomfortably, “Well…yes? But she’s injured too.”

“You two will have to try. For Fluttershy, and for Rainbow, who will certainly kill us if we return home without her wife.”

“Sparks, how much do you know about crystal manipulation?” Rarity questioned.

“A little, but I’ve never dealt with the Eventide crystals before…”

Rarity tilted her head to the side, allowing the tip of her horn to touch Sparks’, “I’ll do a Knowledge Transfer spell, so we can be on the same page.”

There was a globule of blue aura that flowed from Rarity’s horn. It traveled down Sparks’ horn before burying itself into her forehead. She blinked a few times as she took in the information she had received.

“Thank you for trusting me with the knowledge, Master Rarity.”

Rarity nodded, “No trouble at all, darling.” Her expression grew serious, “We’re ready…”

Twilight smirked, “She’s probably going to beat my ass. So please…try to do it as quickly as possible.”

“Yes ma’am.” Sparks spoke up.

Twilight gave a slight nod, then took a few calming breaths of air as she readied herself. She quickly snapped her head towards Rarity and Sparks,

“NOW-”

Before the singular word could fully leave her lips, Fluttershy body slammed Twilight. Their bodies tumbled in the ash as she pounded away at Twilight’s body. As Sparks and Rarity galloped to get closer to hear them. Sparks observed that Twilight not only had the same healing power, it appeared to be stronger than what her teacher or the Vampony had.

Fluttershy snapped her horn off, it grew right back.

She broke her right foreleg, it crunched and snapped back into place.

She ripped her chest open, the muscle and fur immediately covered the wound.

“BRIGHT SPARK!” Rarity screamed. “THE SPELL!! NOW!!”

Sparks pooled all of her magic into her horn. Her side flared again with pain, reminding her that she still had a massive gash on the side of her body. It was making it hard for her to focus. She honed her gaze on Fluttershy, willing her magic to channel into her horn more efficiently. She couldn’t help but wince though, as she watched Fluttershy rain blow after body breaking blow down on Twilight. Blows that would’ve killed any normal living creature instantaneously. They quickly slowed down, then stopped, as the first two crystals exploded from the inner bends of her forelegs. Fluttershy froze, her face contorted in confusion and pain, as more and more crystals grew from her joints. Twilight’s wounds quickly healed up, and she sprang to her hooves. Fluttershy roared in frustration. Twilight, confident that she could no longer move, moved in closer and cupped Fluttershy’s cheeks,

“This is for your own good. Thank you for trusting me before, and I beg for your forgiveness…”

A crystal speared from the base of Fluttershy’s neck. The Vampony slumped forward, and Twilight embraced her in a gentle magical grasp and set her down. She breathed a sigh of relief, before trotting over to Rarity and Sparks,

“Bright Spark, go and check on any remaining personnel. We need to get those in critical condition back to the base immediately. Those not as injured will assist in the transportation.” She looked at Rarity, “Applejack will have to take Fluttershy’s place. I’ll have two squads accompany her for rotation of fighters that aren’t injured and can continue the mission.”

Rarity let out a weary sigh, “I fear that I may be getting a tad too old for this.”

Twilight smirked, “Old? You’re only 123. You’ve still got plenty of fight left in you.”

Rarity didn’t reply with her own jab, “The Element of Generosity makes my body have fight left. My soul however, is incredibly tired…”

Twilight frowned, and rested her forehead against Rarity’s, “Then allow me to be your spiritual strength until yours returns…”

Sparks smiled softly as Twilight began to gentle nuzzle Rarity’s cheek, who had a faint blush on her cheeks. She then returned the display of affection. Sparks, who was too distracted by what she was sure was a rarely seen moment, barely understood what was happening.

Rarity and Twilight had horror etched onto their faces.

She felt a sudden pressure on the sides of her neck.

Her eyes went wide as she felt the upper part of her spine crumble with an audible crunch.

Her vision was covered by swirling hues of the Eventide sky, and smattered with blood.

Rarity and Twilight’s screams rang in her ears as she hit the dirt with a heavy thud. Her vision spun as she heard something run up to her. Her eyes focused onto Fluttershy, who was lumbering over her. She stared up into her gleaming red eyes and smiled. Fluttershy smiled back, but not with the gentle smile Sparks had seen when they first met.

“I can no longer smell fear on you…”

"If the gods and goddesses have chosen this to be my death,” Sparks started in a rasped whisper, “then I accept this fate with dignity…”

Fluttershy’s face scrunched up with a mixture of irritation and disappointment, “Very well then.”

The Vampony snapped her jaws around the front of Sparks' neck. A burning sensation bloomed from her throat and traveled across her body. Her ears reflexively flattened to her head in a failed attempt to drown out the sound of her throat being ripped apart. Her vision began to blur and blacken at the corners. She could barely make out Fluttershy’s sudden disappearance, being replaced by Twilight and Rarity coming into her fading field of view. She gave a weak smiled and tried to speak, only to hear the gurgle of her drowning in her own blood. The mares were saying…something, but she couldn’t make it out. She could feel her own breathing slow as her body spurred her on into the depths of a gentle slumber. Her vision jerked as the white one shook her. Wait…a third mare had appeared, between the two that were arguing at each other from above. Sparks couldn’t help but attempt to smile, as she realized it was her mother, reaching for her with her forelegs outstretched. She felt the hooves wrap around her, and let herself finally relax and slip into the darkness…

Author's Note

Yeah, I know, it's a pretty short chapter, but I chose to stop at this point for a reason. And you'll find out why...
In the next chapter!!!

Ressurection

Sparks gasped to inhale a mouthful of air as she snapped into an upright position. Her vision was blurred and she jerked her head around in an attempt to orient herself in the dimly lit room. What was she laying on? She pawed at the cool metal surface that was on either side of her, and cringed at the sight of the various tools that surrounded her. Had she fallen asleep on a table? How did she even get here?

She slid her body off the table, her legs nearly buckling over her own weight. She took a couple deep breaths and hesitant steps, and trudged towards the only door in the room. She started to reach up for the doorknob, but stopped when she heard yelling on the other side.

“I told you the base of the neck and the left ventricle for 15 seconds! Why didn’t you use it?!”

She recognized it to be Twilight. She waited for a response from whoever she was speaking to.

“You haven’t even done the damn spell on her yourself!” she heard Rarity scream. “Why would I risk killing her?!”

“You told her to do what?!” Dash boomed. “The fuck is your problem, Twilight?!”

“Her heart wouldn’t have been stopped for too long!” Twilight explained. “Her Element would’ve restarted it before attempting to heal the rest of her body!”

“It still would’ve killed her!! PERIOD!!”

“It probably would’ve stopped me from doing this…” she heard Fluttershy state softly.

There were a few seconds of silence on the other side of door.

“Ya can’t blame yerself, Shy. Ya had no idea what the hell was goin’ on.” Applejack attempted to comfort her.

“I know I’m dangerous!” Fluttershy shouted in a bitter tone. “That’s why I agreed to Twilight’s experiment!”

“Y-you…you what?” Dash questioned in disbelief.

Sparks frowned as she heard Fluttershy let out a heartbreaking sob. What had the Pegasus done that was so wrong?

“It’s Rarity and I’s fault, for failing.” Twilight stated bluntly.

“Excuse me?!” Rarity shouted indignantly.

There was the sound of a small fight breaking out. Sparks jumped back as she heard something metallic collide with the door.

“HEY, C’MERE! KNOCK IT OFF!!” Applejack shouted. “BREAK IT UP!!”

“Rarity, please stop!” Pinkie pleaded.

There were a few more sounds of a struggle before it died down.

“Get ahold of yerselves!” Applejack admonished. “Enough is enough!”

“Its never enough!” Dash spat. “We’re doing this for someone who wouldn’t hesitate to kill us right now if he had the opportunity to do so!”

“Shut your fucking mouth!” Twilight roared. “He’s still my brother!”

Heavy silence filled the other room once more.

“After all that’s happened…I sit here and wonder why the hell none of you have tried to kill me off…how were you able to forgive me? Why does everyone have to suffer for my crimes?” she heard Twilights voice start to crack. “I am haunted by the atrocities I’ve committed…but I will commit many more if it means I end this cycle…” there was a pause, “Rarity…despite the outcome of this situation…I have faith in my skills and yours. You know that while the spell is an extreme one, I’d never cause further irreparable damage to Fluttershy. I wouldn’t do that to any of you.”

There was more silence, before it was followed by the soft tapping of hooves on a hard floor.

“I…I know. But now, we’ve lost Bright Spark because of our mistake…” Rarity softly replied.

Sparks ears perked up. What was she talking about? She was fine. Tired, a bit cold, and definitely confused, but fine nonetheless. She pushed open the door,

“I’m alright, Master Rarity. See?”

All eyes turned to her. Jaws either dropped, or hooves flew up to pitifully mask their surprise. Sparks frowned in confusion,

“What?”

Rarity stared at her for a few moments more with horrified shock etched into her features. The snow colored Unicorn snapped her head in Twilight’s direction,

“What did you do?”

Twilight’s expression didn’t change. It hadn’t since Sparks entered. Her eyes flicked across the smaller Unicorn’s form,

“I did what I had to do.”

Applejack leered at Twilight, “Twilight, ya didn’t. Not again.”

Sparks eyes bounced back and forth between the mares, “What’s going on?”

“I’ve infused your corpse with Eventide crystals.” Twilight replied, as if she were speaking about the weather.

“My corpse?”

She felt the memories flood her mind. She had went on a mission led by Fluttershy and Rarity. They were attacked by a pack of mutated creatures. A Griffin had nearly killed her. Fluttershy had lost control of herself.

Twilight appeared.

Crystal Manipulation spell.

Her throat being torn asunder.

Her mother embracing her.

Sparks shook her head. This wasn’t possible. How could she be dead? She was standing right here. She placed a hoof to her throat, and flinched at the feeling of a crystalline, yet fleshy thick scar. She looked up at her mentor,

“Master Rarity, may I please see?”

Rarity didn’t answer, letting her gaze drop to the ground. The others followed, with only Dash keeping her gaze on Sparks.

“No one’s gonna do it, huh?” Dash questioned. She looked at Twilight, “You’re the reason she’s like this, why don’t you give her a mirror?”

Twilight shot her a glare, “Shut up, Rainbow Dash.”

“Fine.” Dash focused back on the smaller Unicorn. “C’mere, Sparky.”

Sparks immediately obeyed, following Dash to her workstation. The former Wonderbolt grabbed a thin sheet of metal and held it up in front of her. Sparks gasped as she took in her new, twisted form. Her fur was a far paler shade of turquoise, lacking the sheen of life. Lavender crystals jutted across her body, none of them longer than a few inches. Small patches of crystalline scales covered the massive scar, its sheer size being a blatant testament of her demise. There were splotches of dried and crusted blood splattered over her neck and face. It coated her mane, and stained her teeth. Her eyes widened as she looked at them in her reflection. They were glazed over, enlarged pupils circled by the rings of amethyst and emerald irises, and a thin band of dead blood running across the whites of her eyes. Another tell-tale sign she was no longer alive. Sparks spun around, her glare settling on Twilight. Damned be to her former title and current status,

“What did you do to me?!”

Twilight dropped the act of a war-hardened pony, slightly returning to her far younger self. “I infused you with Eventide Crystals. They’re…of my own creation. When I was the ruler of Equestria, I made them give off light, heat, and the capability to communicate with the public. But…what makes the Eventide Crystals unique, is that they’re alive. My element, The Element of Magic, has made them alive. And, when I, um…”

“Went batshit crazy.” Pinkie stated bluntly, though she lacked maliciousness behind it.

Twilight flicked Pinkie a look of irritation before continuing, “When I held the throne, I used the crystals to create…monsters…from them. Or, I could infuse a recently deceased animal with the crystals, and control them.”

Sparks looked back at her reflection, “So…am I just one of your puppets now?”

Twilight quickly shook her head, “No! No, I’m not a mad tyrant anymore, Bright Spark. You are in complete control of yourself. I’ve simply giving you the means to continue living.”

Sparks placed a hoof to the side of her neck.

No pulse.

She looked over at Applejack, “Can you please touch me?”

“Pardon?”

“Please? I need to see something.”

Applejack sighed and trotted closer. She placed a hoof on her shoulder and shivered,

“Yer freezing.”

Sparks closed her eyes and placed a hoof on her chest. No heartbeat either. She opened her eyes and looked back over at Twilight.

“I’ve just realized that I haven’t even been breathing since I woke up. I’m dead, Miss Twilight. You haven’t given me the means to live. You’ve simply tethered my soul to my corpse!”

“Bright Spark-”

Sparks wouldn’t let her finish. She broke into a gallop, fleeing past the group and out the door. She continued to gallop, ignoring the gasp of shocked soldiers who had seen her death firsthand. It wasn’t until she finally made it outside that she stopped and plopped down on her haunches. She wanted to cry, but her lifeless body couldn’t even produce tears to be shed. She heard a set of hooves trotting softly up to her. She looked over at the direction of it,

“It’s…Dee, right?”

The Vampony nodded, “Yes. And you’re Bright Spark, daughter of the great Star Blast.” She half bowed, “It’s nice to formally introduce myself to you.”

Sparks smiled, standing to return the gesture. “And you’re the Apprentice of Miss Fluttershy. The honor is mine as well.” She outstretched a hoof to shake, “And Sparks works just fine.”

Dee met the hoof with one of her own, before sitting and placing her other hoof on Sparks’ shoulder, “You’re cold…so it’s true. You really are dead.”

Sparks sighed, “I’m afraid so…”

Dee smiled, “Its alright. So am I.”

Sparks’ dull eyes widened, “What??”

Dee sat up straight, and under the light of multiple nearby Eventide crystals, Sparks was able to see the massive scar that splotched Dee’s chest. “You’re not the only one who’s had the ‘pleasure’ of dying in battle to Master Fluttershy.” She stated in a half-hearted sarcastic tone. “She ripped my heart out and chucked it a good 50 hooves away from me. Miss Twilight infused my heart with an Eventide crystal before putting it back where it belonged. It allows my heart to continue to pump blood. The only ones who know is the other Fallen…and now you.” she looked into her eyes, “Listen…Master Fluttershy really is a sweet mare. I hope you’re aware that she really is devastated at what she’s done to you. And please, understand that it wasn’t her fault. The Elements of Harmony…it does things to them. Things that no creature currently alive could ever begin to understand. And Miss Twilight…she’s really not as bad as you may think she is. She truly wants to help everyone.”

“Dead Moon?” a voice called out to her. They both looked over to see Twilight approaching them. Dee rose to her hooves,

“Yes, Miss Twilight? Is there something you need my assistance with?”

Twilight focused on Dee, “I just need a moment with Bright Spark.”

Dee nodded, “Of course, Miss Twilight.”

The Vampony quickly trotted off, leaving the two Unicorns alone. Twilight looked down at Sparks,

“Bright Spark, I’m sorry…for the emotional turmoil you’re experiencing right now. I understand your pain…truly, I do…”

Sparks leered at her, “How could you understand? You turned me into a zombie!”

Twilight frowned, “Do you still remember your parents?”

“Every detail of them…down to the way Mom snorted when she held in a laugh, or the way Dad’s eyes sparkled whenever he got excited.”

“How about your friends?”

“Yes. Every friend I’ve met, traveled with, and lost…”

Do you remember the joys and sorrows in your life?”

Sparks nodded lightly. Twilight tilted Sparks’ chin up so that she was looking at her,

“Look at me, Bright Spark. Really look at me.”

Sparks focused on her eyes. They were glazed over, blown pupils surrounded by a ring of dull purple. She too, had bands of dried blood streaked across her eyes, though they were far thicker than Sparks.

She too, held the eyes of the dead.

Twilight nodded, confirming her assumption.

“How? When?”

“I’ve been dead for 37 years. Suicide.”

“Who performed the necromancy spell to bring you back? Master Rarity?”

Twilight shook her head, “Rarity has something I lost decades ago; morals when it comes to the use of magic. She will never willingly turn to the dark arts, like I have.” Twilight looked over at the barren, dusty landscape, “When I was…corrupted, my body produced its own Eventide crystals to ensure its survival. One day, I could no longer handle the mental torment that came with the atrocities I committed, and I…I hung myself.”

“I’m…I’m so sorry…”

“Its alright. It was so long ago…” Twilight replied. “Anyway, I felt myself slip away…and then…I was back. But I was no longer breathing, and I realized I did not feel cold. I hung there for a few hours, even ‘fell asleep’ for a few hours, out of sheer boredom. Fluttershy was the one that found me, and I had to explain to my friends what had happened to me.”

Sparks bit her lip, before hesitantly reaching out to touch Twilight. Her coat was soft, and slightly warm.

“You said you were cold when you died. But…you’re actually kind of warm. How is that so?”

“Even after all this time, there’s no definitive answer that I can give you.” a small, barely noticeable smile tugged at Twilight’s lips, “But…I’d like to think that the love of my friends keeps me warm.”

Sparks giggled, “I like the sound of that…”

They gave each other friendly smiles, but the heartfelt moment was cut short when Pinkie bounded up to them,

“Twilight, we got a problem!”

“What is it?”

Pinkie started nervously trotting in place, “Its big! Super-duper big!”

“What is it, Pinkie?!”

“It’s Spike! There’s a message, a-and a crystal, the griffin-” Pinkie shook her head to get her thoughts in order.

“SPIKE’S FOUND US!! He’s sending a horde of his Hellions here!”

Return

The Mane Six surrounded the hologram of the Hell King that had emerged from the messenger crystal they had found on the body of Shekara. They could barely recognize their former friend. The corruption had twisted his face into something far crueler than they had ever seen him capable of doing. Twilight stepped closer to the hologram and glared up at him,

“You really think you’re going to be able to stop us by sending a measly horde after us?”

Hell King smiled, “Of course not, puny thing. But, I do intend to bring you out into the open.” He crossed his arms, “Its been 16 years since I’ve last seen you all. We’re loooong overdue for a little…reunion.”

“If ya send yer little herd of vermin ta us, yer just gonna be sendin’ em ta their deaths!” Applejack warned.

“Then I’ll send out more.” Hell King snarled. “I’ll send as many as I need to until they find you, and bring Twilight to me!”

Confusion overtook Twilight’s features, “What the hell do you want me for?”

“You have something that belongs to me, and I want it back!!”

They all slightly flinched at the ferocity of his voice. He cleared his throat and used the moment to calm himself. He looked down at her,

“Do you not remember, that I was once your only companion? I was the one who wished to further your goals of domination. All that power in your hooves, and you threw it away!” he sneered, “But not this vessel…in fact, he’s one of the most powerful vessel I’ve ever had. I intend to make good use of this body…” he pointed at Twilight, “So long as you hold on to my powers, I will scour through every part of this world, destroying it in the process until I find you. And once I siphon the rest of my powers from you, I’ll take yours too. Then…” a diabolical grin formed on his lips, “I’m going to force you to watch as my minions and I do delightfully sickening things to your precious little friends…”

Chills rippled through them as he straightened back up,

“Farewell…I’ll be seeing you again soon.” He started to fade from the hologram, before snapping his fingers, “Oh, one more thing!” his gaze settled on Rarity,

“You look absolutely horrendous, you deformed creature. I cannot believe this vessel once held some romantic inclination towards you…”

Twilight snarled as he cackled in their faces. She reeled a foreleg back and slammed it against the crystal, causing it to smash into a nearby wall and shatter on impact. She then immediately was at the side of a teary eyed Rarity. The others all had their eyes on Twilight,

“So what are we doing? If it involves cracking skulls open,” Dash stomped a hoof, “Then I’m all game.”

Twilight looked over each of them, “Go and get your Apprentices. We need to get them ready.”

-MLP-

Sparks sadly stared at her reflection in the mirror of one of the bathrooms she’d hidden herself away in. She had seen dead bodies before, but this was taking it to a completely different level. She stared a bit longer before Dee walked into the bathroom.

“I figured I’d find you somewhere that had a mirror.” The Vampony stated. She sat down next to Sparks, “I used to stare in the mirror for hours when I first died. You’ll learn to get used to it…”

“Its just…this is fucking crazy. I’ve only been around the Fallen for a few days, and in that time, I’ve died and been…resurrected, I guess? How the hell does that happen?” Sparks finished with a bitter chuckle.

Dee gave her a half-hearted smile, “Those mares are unlike anyone else. I’d be surprised if you hadn’t died after facing Master Fluttershy. She means well though….they all do. They treat us well, love, and care for us.” She looked back in the mirror, “And soon, we’ll be following in their hoofsteps.”

Sparks turned to her, “What do you mean?”

Dee was about to respond, but Applejack popped her head inside,

“Ah’m glad Ah heard ya’ll in here. We got a meetin’ ‘bout ta start. All Apprentices are attendin’, so let’s go an’ get a move on.”

“Yes, Miss Applejack.” The younger ponies responded in unison, before rising to their hooves and following Applejack out the bathroom. They trailed behind her as they entered the meeting hall. Fluttershy and Rarity were already seated, with empty seats right next to them. Sparks and Dee took their places beside their mentors. One by one, the other Fallen entered the room, with a trio of younger ponies shadowing them. Two stallions and a mare. The Earth Pony stallion that sat beside Pinkie had a dark violet coat. His electric blue mane was twisted up in to a dreadlocked ponytail, and his tail was coat into a small tuft. His eyes appeared to be slightly glassed and red, with rings of silver encasing enlarged pupils. He looked around the room with a goofy grin plastered on his face. He too, had many scars that told stories of the battles he’d been in, with one crossing over one of the grey smoke cloud Cutie Marks he bore. He clacked his hooves together as his eyes settled on Sparks,

“Whoooa, who’s your friend, Dee?” he chuckled, “She’s pretty…”

“Yeah, pretty dead.” The other stallion responded in a gruff voice. “She’s the one Miss Twilight brought back to life.”

Sparks leered at the Unicorn stallion seated beside Dash. His deep red coat, black mane and tail, all had a couple splotches of motor oil in them. His body, like the other stallion, was also laced with numerous scars. His left foreleg, right half of his face, and both eyes were made of machinery plates. The lime green light from his cybernetics eyes glowed brighter as he returned her glare,

“The hell ya starin’ at, zombie?”

Sparks quickly rose to her hooves, “Who are you calling a zombie, you trotting junkyard?”

Rarity clamped a hoof onto Sparks’ shoulder and forced her back into her seat, “Absolutely not! There will be no bickering while we’re here.” She focused her glare on the stallion, “And Patch, stop picking fights with everyone. Such uncouth behavior is absolutely uncalled for!”

Patch started to reply, but Dash smacked the back of his head, “Goddess dammit, Patch, sit down and shut up!”

“Yes, Master Rainbow.” He return to his seat, “I apologize for my actions, Master Rarity and…Sparks.”

The purple stallion sniggered, and Patch shot him a glare, “Shut up, Haze!”

Haze giggled a bit louder, before the Pegasus mare beside him roughly jammed a hoof into his ribcage,

‘Knock it off, before you two piss them all off!’

“Mind ya business, Skye.” Patch grumbled. She leered at him. Twilight let out an irritated sigh,

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know we were foal sitting while attempting to conduct a meeting.”

“Planning for what though, Miss Twilight?” Haze asked.

“Spike has located this base. We need to everyone and our supplies out of here before his horde gets here.”

“Why are we running?” Patch questioned. “We should just whoop their asses like we normally do.”

“We don’t know the size of the horde he’s going to be sending this way.” Twilight stated. “One day, you’re all going to take leadership over our Rebellion, an army that is well over one million strong.” she looked over all the Apprentices, “And they will all be looking to you for guidance, following your commands without question. Sending them into possibly an unwinnable battle is not an option. Not when there are lives at stake.”

The Apprentices all had serious expressions on their faces.

“Until then, you’re still under our command. So no, Patch Work, we will not be fighting this time. Not unless its necessary.” She grabbed a file from the stack of folders sitting in the middle of the desk, “Now, the nearest base is Base S-13-

Dash threw a hoof up, “Hold up, did you say S-13?” she shook her head, “We can’t go there. Not if we’re going to be carrying a lot of valuable cargo.”

‘But, Miss Dash, that base is only 4.2 miles from here.’ Sky stated, the small Eventide crystal embedded into the side of her head glowing as it telepathically voiced thoughts, ‘We should be fine if everyone here is going.’

“You’re forgetting that there’s a ton of Automaton Hellions in between here and S-13.” Dash replied.

“And that’s why you’re going with the first wave.” Twilight stated. “You’re the best and strongest mechanic we’ve got. If anyone can stop them, its you.” she looked over at Dee, “Dead Moon, you’ll go in the first wave in case Dark Hours fall before we make it to S-13.”

Dee nodded, “Yes Ma’am.”

Applejack raised a hoof, “Ah’ll go with RD, and help her knock out anyone that gets in our way.”

Skye clacked her hooves together and smiled, ‘I’m very excited to go on a mission with you once again, Master Applejack. I’ve been feeling a bit rusty.’

Applejack grinned, “Ah know ya’ve been itchin’ ta get back out there, sugarcube.”

“No, we shouldn’t have too many of our strongest fliers in the first wave.” Twilight argued. Purple Haze, you’ll go in the first wave.”

“Yes Ma’am.” Haze replied.

“After your squadron handles the Automatons, Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Bright Spark will go in the second wave. Rarity and I will keep a couple platoons of Unicorns to focus on teleporting cargo to the other base.” She looked at Rarity, “If Spike comes here himself, you’re going to swap out with Fluttershy, since she’s physically the strongest pony we’ve got.”

Fluttershy shook her head, “I’m only that strong when I transform into that monster, and I don’t want to until I learn how to control it…”

“You may have to though…” Twilight softly replied. “Don’t worry, I won’t let you kill anyone…I give you my word…”

Fluttershy looked for the reassurance in Twilight’s determined gaze, before silently nodding. The lavender Unicorn placed her hooves on the table,

“Alright, we’ve got to do this as smooth and as quickly as possible. Rainbow, Applejack, grab the first 450 creatures you see walking around here, and get them ready to go in the next half hour. Pinkie and Fluttershy, you two do the same. Your wave will be going out 30 minutes after they do.” She rose onto her hind legs, “Does everyone understand their part?”

The group nodded. Determination returned to Twilight’s features,

“Alright then, let’s get started!”

The group jumped up from the table and began to quickly go to complete their orders. Sparks Dee, and Haze followed Pinkie and Fluttershy into a room full of base occupants, and the Earth Pony’s face went serious,

“Hey everyone, listen up!”

All eyes focused on her,

“We’re heading to Base S-13 ASAP. Grab any food and gear you can carry and get moving!”

“YES MA’AM!” the room cried out.

Sparks watched in awe as creatures quickly but somehow in sync, gather up anything they could carry on them. Pinkie turned to Dee and Haze,

“Moony, Haze, go get geared up. We can handle rounding the waves up. Be ready to go when Dashie and Jackie are.”

Dee and Haze nodded before dashing to another section of the base. The base came alive as any and everyone got ready for the trek. However, only 20 minutes into their errands, everyone froze when the sound of a nearby explosion reverberated through the base and caused it to tremble. A few moments later, a massive Eventide Crystal exploded into the center of the room and nearly touched the ceiling. Twilight’s face appeared in it,

“EVERYONE, EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY!!”

The entire room burst into chaotic noise, as everyone still scrambled to grab whatever they could get. They flooded the hallways, making an attempt to escape before whatever caused the explosion was upon them. Most of the Mane Six reunited in the room, before Twilight magically popped in to join them. Her eyes settled on Applejack, Dash, and Pinkie,

“The horde got here far quicker than expected. I’m going to teleport you and the others to S-13. Please explain the situation to Base Commander Sound Warp. See if we can also get some Unicorns to help with teleporting rebels.”

Applejack nodded, “Gotcha girl.”

Another explosion shook the base, followed by the sound of snarling and hundreds of footsteps. Twilight’s horn glowed bright, “I’ll see you shortly!”

The room flashed in a brilliant lavender light. When the light faded, only Twilight, Rarity, Pinkie, Sparks, and Patch remained. Twilight let out a short series of ragged gasps and her horn fizzled,

“I’ve teleported everything in the Intel room, but the Fallen Quarters’ contents must get sent away. If they get ahold of anything in there, we could be in serious danger.” She tiredly tapped her horn, “Unfortunately, teleporting over 3,000 creatures and almost nine tons of gear and intel has burned out my magic. I need about 10 minutes before my magic completely replenishes.” She looked at Rarity, “I’ll need you to teleport whatever you can until that happens.”

Rarity’s horn came alight. “I’ll get started.”

There was another flash of light, and they appeared in the Fallen Quarters. Rarity immediately began to start teleporting any and everything in the room. She only had a few more items to teleport before there was loud banging at the doors. They buckled under the force of what was on the other side, before finally surrendering to the strength and flying out of the doorframe. One of the doors connected with Sparks. She spun until smacking into the wall on the opposite side of the room. Pinkie was quickly on her,

“Holy shit, are you okay?!”

Sparks shook the rubble from her mane and slowly rose to her hooves, “I’m…alright? Don’t know how, and I felt it, but it didn’t hurt as much as I thought it would.”

“Then you’ll be the luckiest one in this room.” A voice spoke out. All eyes focused on the slender dark colored Alicorn as it crossed the threshold. Twilight, Rarity, and Pinkie had a look of horrified disbelief on their faces. Sparks, Patch looked between them in confusion. Twilight took a step forward,

“Lu…Luna?”

The mare stepped forward, “It’s been so long since I’ve heard that dead name…”

Pinkie glared at her, “You monster…how the hell are you still alive?! We watched you die!”

The Alicorn smiled deviously, “The mighty Hell King deemed me worthy to assist in his domination. He brought me from the depths of that wretched state you put me in.” she took another step forward, “In return, he wishes for your demise, and I shall grant it.”

Rarity’s horn reignited with battle-ready magic, “You’re sorely mistaken if you think you’ll defeat us.”

A dark aura surrounded Eternal’s horn, “You don’t have an inkling of a chance in defeating me, you disfigured freak.”

Rarity snarled and started to charge, but Pinkie grabbed her,

“Don’t!” she leaned closer to the Unicorn, “She’s still an Alicorn, Rarity. She’ll kill you…”

“You and I both know I’m the strongest Unicorn here behind Twilight.” Rarity whispered back. “I’ll be alright, dear.”

The room began to tremble as bright sapphire light burned behind Rarity’s eyes. Eternal’s horn crackled in response,

“Let’s see how long you survive before I reduce you to ash…”

Rarity let out an angry snort, before taking a light step forward and vanishing into thin air. She suddenly appeared before a surprised Eternal. She rammed her horn into the meaty portion of Eternal’s shoulder, and fired off an explosion of magic that blew through the flesh and half of Eternal’s face off. Eternal’s tongue lolled out of the wound and she staggered backwards. Rarity looked on indifferently as her horn radiated fiery heat, searing the blood off and causing pinked steam to billow from it. Eternal looked up at her, black particles starting to form around the wounds. The temperature in the room dropped, and the lights began to flicker,

“Youf got some powuh, ah giff yoo dat.” Eternal stated as her maw began to repair itself. “But ah’ve got da powuh oof da Gweat Dwaguh…” she smacked her lips a few times to make sure her face had repaired itself properly and shot Rarity another look,

“And his blessed power far surpasses yours.”

She stomped a hoof, and a surge of magic pulsed through the air, making them all stagger on their hooves. Another wave pulse, and they were knocked to the ground, giving Eternal the opportunity to be on top of Rarity. The Alicorn reeled a forehoof back, and Rarity only had a moment to summon a shield around her. However, Eternal broke through, slamming into Rarity’s muzzle and snapping her jaw out of place. As she reeled her other forehoof back to prepare for a combo, Pinkie slammed the entirety of her weight into Eternal’s barrel. Sparks summoned magic into her horn, it crackling with her might as she prepared a follow-through attack. Eternal suddenly focused on her and smiled,

“What power…what dark, foul power. The Hell King would love to have you as one of his pawns.’

She started to slowly walk towards her. Pinkie helped Rarity to her hooves. Her jaw snapped and cracked, setting back into its correct location. She looked over at Patch,

“Patch, be a dear and get the girls out of here, will you?”

“Right away, Ma’am.” Patch replied, and began to wrap his magic around Twilight,

“No you fool, send the others away first!”

“Ah’m sorry! Yes, Miss Twilight!” Patch stammered as he began casting the teleportation spell on Pinkie and winking her out of the room. He then focused on sending Haze away, then settled his gaze on Sparks,

“You gotta get outta here!” his horn started to envelop Sparks in his magic. She fired a miniscule beam of magic in his direction, causing him to cancel the spell,

“Dammit, what the hell are you doing?!”

“I’m not leaving Master Rarity behind!” Sparks replied defiantly. She looked over at the older Unicorn, who’s gaze was still laser focused on Eternal. She galloped over to Rarity’s side, who briefly glanced at her,

“You should be gone already…”

“And leave you?” Sparks slightly shook her head, “I’m sorry, but I can’t do that, Master Rarity. It wouldn’t be right to leave my mentor to fight this monster alone.”

Eternal scoffed, “Me, a monster?” she let out a harsh chuckle, “Are you unaware of what you are? You reek of death. You shouldn’t even be here to allowed the opportunity to serve the Hell King.”

“And neither should you.” Rarity spat out.

Eternal rolled her eyes, “Enough of this foolishness.” She sent off another wave of magic. this time, the Unicorns stood their ground. Rarity looked back at Patch,

“Take your leave. We’ll take care of things from here.”

“A-are ya sure, Miss Rarity?”

Rarity nodded, “Tell the others we’ll meet up with them after we handle this…” she gave Eternal a look of disgust, “Insect infestation here.”

“Insect? How cute.”

“Fine.” Rarity snipped. “We’ll meet up with you after dealing with this low-browed, snaggle-toothed buffoon.”

Eternal snarled, and charged at the Unicorn. The room trembled, before an Eventide spear pierced Eternal’s side. She brayed out in pain as her wild eyes turned to Twilight,

“I wont let you hurt her.” Twilight growled.

Eternal roared out in anguish, “I WILL NOT LET YOU LEAVE THIS ROOM ALIVE!”

The gravity in the room shifted, causing the Unicorns to crumple to the ground. They tried numerous, futile attempts to stand as Eternal dislodged herself from the spear. She lightly dropped to the ground, anger etched on her face as she slowly made her way towards them, honing in on Rarity,

“Now all you’ve done is piss me off. I had planned to make your death swift, but you’re deserving of more suffering before I grant you that exit…”

Twilight managed to rise, “Stay away…” the ground trembled from the epicenter that was her, “Don’t you dare lay a hoof on her…”

An warbling orb of violent magic formed atop her horn. The earth buckled and slightly cratered under her might. Eternal smiled,

“Despite this little display of chivalry you’re attempting, it still won’t be enough to kill me.”

“Maybe not…I know I’m no longer an Alicorn…” Twilight’s head began to hang lung under the weight of the magic, “But I can make damn sure that you’re too hurt to do anything further!”

She fired.

The orb slammed into Eternal, then shrank to the size of a grape. Eternal let out a scream of agony as the orb began to disintegrate her body. The world went bright, and when the light faded, Eternal was gone. Twilight inhaled a gulp of air, before beginning to crumple under her own weight. Rarity caught her before she fell,

“Twilight, dearest, are you alright?”

Twilight rubbed her head, “I’m alright.” She paused as Rarity nuzzled her chin, “It just took a toll is all…” she looked over at Patch, “Teleport us to S-13 before a second wave of Hellions come through here.”

Patch quickly nodded, “Yes, Miss Twilight. Of course.”

He quickly focused his magic, and teleported himself and the group to S-13.

-MLP-

“Pardon me, Fallen…but why that I don’t have access to this door?” a pale pink Pegasus mare questioned as the Fallen and their Apprentices stood in front of a large metal door.

“Because you need to have Level 10 Security Clearance to access it, Commander Sound Warp.” Rarity replied in a polite, but curt tone.

“But I’m the Base Commander, I already have Level 10 clearance.” Warp stated in an irritated tone.

“Rainbow Dash reprogrammed it so that only our access codes allow entry, since we’ll be setting up here for now.”

“How are you all suddenly going to close off an area in my base?!”

Twilight quickly spun around, her dull amethyst orbs lighting up with magic, “What did you just say?”

The air around them grew thick as Twilight trotted up to Warp, her already towering form overtaking the Pegasus as she glared down at her,

“All bases in the Rebellion’s control belong to the Fallen, and we will do what we see fit with them. If there’s an area you no longer have access to, then its that way for a reason.” She narrowed her gaze, causing Sound Warp to wilt even further, “It appears that leaving one of our bases under your care has caused you to mistake her normally kind demeanor as a sign of her being your equal. If you ever have the foolhardy inclination to speak to Rarity, or any of us, in such a manner again, I will not hesitate to remind you of your place, and the vast gap of power between us. Have I made myself clear, Commander?”

“Y-yes, First Fallen. Forgive me for speaking out of turn. It won’t happen again.”

“See to it that it doesn’t.” Twilight snapped. “Now take your leave. We have business to attend to.”

The Pegasus bowed, before taking off in the opposite direction. Rarity looked up at Twilight,

“Twilight, dearest, while I’ll always appreciate you defending my honor, I’ll have you know that I have methods of intimidation in my repertoire as well…”

“I know, I know…but I won’t have some hardhead youngling showing her ass and disrespecting you, especially in my presence.” Twilight replied. She glanced down at a smiling Rarity, “I’ll defend all of you until my dying breath.” She quickly added.

“But like, since you’re already dead, can you do it until your undying breath?” Pinkie quipped. Twilight gave her a deadpanned expression and didn’t respond.

“Good Evening, Twilight Sparkle.” A synthetic female voice greeted. “Access granted.”

The door clanked and groaned as it slipped upward into the ceiling. Twilight started a brisk trot, the rest of the group falling in line. As they approached a second door, Dash quickly caught up to Twilight and whispered in her ear. Twilight whispered back, before they both turned to the group.

“The hell are ya’ll whisperin’ about?” Applejack questioned.

“Before Rainbow and I open this door, there’s something we need to tell you.” Twilight started. “Rainbow and I have been working on a project down here for about 16 years,

“And its probably going to blow your minds when you see it!” Dash exclaimed.

“I love blowing my brains out!” Pinkie squealed.

“Pinkie, that’s not how that goes…” Fluttershy quietly interjected.

“Anyway…” Twilight stated in a raised volume. “We need you girls to remain calm. Please hold all of your questions we explain everything, okay?”

The others eyed one another, then back at Twilight and Dash. They slowly nodded in agreement.

“Very well then…” Twilight turned and tapped a few buttons on a nearby panel. The door slid up, and Twilight and Dash stepped aside to let the others in before following. The Fallen’s eyes all fell on something in the center of the room. Their expressions were a mixture of shock, disbelief, and horror. Pinkie took a couple steps forward,

“Holy shit…is that-”

Twilight nodded, “This is Experiment CBS-01. But yes...It’s Celestia…

Author's Note

Damn, it's been a while since I've added to here. Sorry folks, it's been pretty busy for me. And it still is and will be for a while, so bear with me while I try juggle some things to get these chapters out to you.

The Experiment, The Hidden Princess, And The Dark Soldier

The sound of computers and machinery quietly humming floated throughout the room, as the Mane Six stared at the singular pony encased and suspended in a clear ooze within a massive glass tube. Celestia’s coat was no longer its pristine alabaster, now dyed a deep gray. A shining ebony helmet rested atop her head, blacked out eye sockets appearing hollow and lifeless. Circuity traveled throughout the tube and connected to the helmet, glowing a soft shade of pink as power coursed through them. Alloy plates had been fused to her legs, and ran along the sides of her spine. A short, thick Eventide crystal had sprouted at base of the back of her neck, with two thin pins embedded into it. Attached to the pins were thin metal tubes filled a slightly luminescent blue liquid. Millions of hair thin pink metal strands made up her mane and tail, and reflected the lights in the room. An thin spiraling Eventide crystal had sprouted from her forehead, reminiscent of a Alicornian horn. Numerous IV lines and metal wires were buried into her flesh, all running back to two machines located at the top and bottom of the tube. They beeped with a steady pulse and various numbers and codes danced across the screen located in front of the tube. Dash trotted up to the screen and studied it,

“Her stats show she’s still in the green.” She looked over at Twilight, “I’ll try to activate her again.”

“Activate?” Fluttershy repeated, “You can’t activate a living thing. That thing in front of us isn’t Celestia.”

“This is Celestia.” Twilight responded. “Do you all remember when she was on her death bed?”

The others nodded.

“Well, after she passed…I placed her body under preservation.”

“You did what?!” Rarity shrieked. She then shook her head, “You know what…I’m…I’m not surprised. But you?” she questioned as she turned her head in Dash’s direction, “I didn’t expect you to play a part in this!”

“I…I just wanted to help. I didn’t know Twilight had her until six months after.”

“An’ why didn’t ya stop her?” Applejack questioned as she stormed up to the two and honing in on Twilight, “What’s up with actin like yer a goddess?”

“Jackie’s right…this is…this is too much.” Pinkie agreed. “It’s one thing to bring Dee and Sparks back right after they died…but this? This isn’t right.”

“If it were Haze, you’d be singing a different tune.” Dash snipped.

“Fine.” Pinkie admitted. “I probably would…” she looked at the tube, “But that isn’t Celestia. It doesn’t even look like her.”

“Rainbow and I have been making some improvements to her in order to ensure a successful revival.”

“Improvements?” Rarity repeated angrily. “Twilight, this goes beyond dark magic. you’re tampering with laws the gods and goddesses have laid out for us!”

“Where are they now, as we face off against Spike?!” Twilight snapped. “CBS-01 could be an essential asset in this war!”

“Listen to yourself!” Pinkie screamed. “You didn’t even call her Celestia!!”

“She doesn’t even call herself Celestia anymore!” Dash retaliated with equal ferocity. The room grew silent. Dash took this opportunity to continue.

“A couple years ago, we activated her cardiovascular pump, and raised the transmission waves in central processing unit to a level of consciousness. When she showed signs of activation, we conducted a basic functions test on her. Movement, organ function, coordination, things like that. After, we asked her a series of questions to try an get a baseline for her level of sentience.” She looked up at the mare in the tube, “She passed with flying colors. She remembers everything. “She is aware she died a long time ago, and believes that that name died with that pony. So…she gave herself a new name; Burning Sun.”

“The one and only of her kind, Celestia the Burning Sun; CBS-01.” Twilight explained as she stood closer to Dash, “Believe me, I had no intention of pulling Rainbow into this initially. But…after the fight was had with Spike-”

“Ya brought back Celestia because of Spike?” Applejack questioned. “Ya did all this fer him?”

“Do you not remember what he did?!” Twilight exclaimed. “He beat us! Badly! He torn Rainbow’s wing off!” she pointed at Rarity, “He almost burned you to death, again!” she stomped a hoof, “Was his life not a big enough sacrifice? What about the tens of thousands we’ve lost in battle? Were their deaths in vain?” she looked back up at Burning Sun, “CBS-01 may be able to repay the debt everyone so far has paid.”

Dash cleared her throat, “We’ve been working on her for almost two decades now. Twilight’s scientific knowledge and my engineering have been able to give her strength that rivals an Alicorn.”

“And with Eternal Slumber’s return, we’ll need her more than ever.” Twilight added.

The other four mares wearily looked at one another. Fluttershy sighed and rubbed her left temple,

“So…does she work?”

"No, she doesn't work." Dash looked up thoughtfully at the cyborg, before back to Fluttershy,

"She lives."

-MLP-

The Apprentices sat at one of the posts that lined the outer gates of the base. Sparks smiled as she watched Patch, Haze, and Dee tumble around in a sparring match. Skye plopped down beside Sparks. The Unicorn flinched a little as she felt a wing rest on her upper back and shoulder. She looked over at Skye,

‘It’s nice to have a moment of quiet, isn’t it?' Skye asked as she watched the rumbling trio. ‘It almost feels like we’re in a world that is recovering from a global war.’

“I wish I could be a part of that world.” Sparks replied sadly.

Skye let out a soft hum of acknowledgement. Sparks used this opportunity to start a lighter conversation,

“So…you’re a Pegasus that can use telepathy?”

‘Yes, thanks to the Eventide crystal in my head.’ Skye answered. ‘Miss Twilight truly is someone I look up to…’ she looked on at the sparring match with a small smile on her face, ‘And I’ll do anything to make her dreams come to…like getting a little training in myself.’

Sparks chuckled as she watched Skye leapt into the match. Her smile quickly disappeared she felt a source of powerful magic nearby. She turned her gaze to a nearby forest. The others had stopped as well, looking at the forest.

“Did you guys feel that?” Haze asked in an unnatural serious tone. “Something’s over there.”

“Well let’s go and check it out.”

‘Let’s not?’ Skye replied with nervous energy.

Sparks joined the group, “If we managed to feel that, I’m sure the Fallen have too. I think we can handle whatever’s over here before they come to investigate.”

The other Apprentices let out small murmurs of again, before Dee hovered beside Sparks,

“Alright then, Sparks. Lead the way…”

-MLP-

“Where the hell did it go?” Patch scanned their surroundings. “How could something so powerful just disappear like that?”

“Maybe whatever it was like ‘Oh noooo, I better dip before I’m found!’…or something like that.” Haze responded. He let out a chuckle, “Or maybe it was never here at all. That’d be trippy.”

Patch let an annoyed snort, “Or maybe…you’re too high to see what’s going on…like usual. Just shut ya trap.”

‘Shut the hell up.’ Skye hissed at Patch, before looking up at Dee, who was hovering just below the treetops, ‘Do you see anything?’

Dee looked around, her eyes shining in the dim light as she scanned the area, “No, not yet…” she landed amongst the group, “Maybe if I…” her sentence dropped off as she got lost in her thoughts. She took a couple more steps ahead of the group and looked around once more. She opened her mouth, and let out a series of barely audible squeaks. Her ears swiveled around for a few minutes. They finally perked up and she snapped her head to the left.

“There’s something over there.” She whispered. Her ears twitched a few more times, “It doesn’t sound like a typical forest animal…” she broke into a furious gallop, “Follow me!”

The others quickly fell into a gallop. Within a few minutes, they came across the creature that pinged in Dee’s echolocation. The thing was surrounded by several Hellions.

“A Changeling?” Haze tilted his head.

One of the Hellions leapt at the creature, who snarled and dug its fangs into its carcass. The Apprentices looked on in disgust, as the Hellion shriveled up before their eyes.

‘Wait, don’t Changelings only siphon love?’ Skye questioned. ‘I doubt that Hellion had any love to give…’

“It doesn’t display vampiric tendencies…” Dee stated thoughtfully.

The creature dropped its wrinkled prey, and scanned the other Hellions. The remainder of the Hellions hissed and snarled, before dog-piling the creature.

“Let me go!” The creature snarled in a feminine voice. Patch growled in frustration,

“Whatever she is, she needs our help.” He started to move, only to have Dee’s hooves latch onto his shoulders,

“Wait a minute, we’re still not completely sure what she is. It has un-Changeling like properties, I mean, look at it!” she hissed.

Haze shrugged, “Meh, I’m down to help the hybrid chick.” He finished as wisp poured through mouth and nostrils. His lids drooped low and a frighteningly relaxed smile crossed his lips. He rose to his hooves,

“Yooooo, whats up you guys?!” he called out to the group. The Hellions and the hybrid focused their attention on him.

“A 7v1 isn’t really uh…fair, ya’ll.” He continued as he stepped further into the clearing. The Hellions snarled at him. He slowly arched a brow,

“C’mon, just chill. We could be friends if you want.”

In response, the Hellions all leapt towards him. Sparks looked on in shock, and Haze’s body seemed to liquify with the fluidity of his movements. He danced across the clearing, and with the feather light touch of a single hoof, snapped the neck of the closest Hellion to him. Another gentle sweep of one of his hind legs, crumpled in the skull of another. The others that were still “alive”, began to appear lethargic, their movements sluggish as they made pathetic attempts catch him. His hooves packed immense power behind their deceptively gentle touches as he executed the remaining Hellions. The smeared his bloody hooves into the dirt before walking over to the hybrid and helping her up,

“You alright??”

“I’m fine.” She looked over at one of her translucent light pink wings, a soft click emanating as she from it as she fluttered it against her hard body. “Other than a wing cramp, I’m okay…” she gave Haze a friendly smile, “Thank you for helping me. I greatly appreciate it.”

The rest of the group sized her up. Her coat was a deep, grayish pink with ebony chitin plates running along the tip of her snout to the base of her tail. Cat-like pupils were bathed in a pool of hot pink irises that occasionally dilated as she scanned the Apprentices. She flicked her translucent pink tail about,

“My name is Locust Charm. What about you guys?”

The group exchanged pleasantries and introduced themselves, before Dee took a couple steps forward,

“If you don’t mind me asking…what are you exactly?” Dee questioned, focusing on the holes near the bottom of Locust’s legs, “I’ve seen Changelings before…but not like you…”

Before Locust could explain, a loud thud drew the attention of the group. They all looked over to see Pinkie standing in the clearing with them,

“Why are you guys way out here in the middle of the woods?” Pinkie questioned. Before they could answer, she honed in on Locust,

“A halfling?” Pinkie questioned. She stood a bit taller, all traces of her normally friendly demeanor were gone, “You. You’re coming with me.”

Locust took a couple steps back, “W-what are you going to do to me?”

“Nothing, if you come peacefully.” Pinkie closed the distance. “But if you stepped a single holed hoof out of line, I will do whatever needs to be done to protect my family.” A dangerous gleam flashed behind her eyes, “Do you understand?”

Locust swallowed the lump in her throat, “Yes ma’am…I understand…”

Pinkie’s friendly smile returned, “Great!” she looked back at the Apprentices, “We need to start heading back to the base.” She rubbed the back of her head, “Although, I’m not going to lie, Twilight’s pretty peeved about this…”

Sparks stood tall, “With the utmost respect Miss Pinkie, I think helping her was the right thing to do. I wont speak for the others, but I’m prepared for whatever Master Rarity throws at me.”

Pinkie’s smile shrank, “We’ll see, kiddo. We’ll see…”

-MLP-

Dash let out an impressed whistle, “Well I’ll be…a Changeling hybrid.” She leaned forward, “What’s your name, kid?”

“Its Locust Charm, Fallen One.” Locust replied.

Rarity’s ears perked up, “Locust Charm you say? As in-”

Rarity was cut off as a surge of magic pulsed through the room. Twilight was suddenly towering over Locust,

“Locust Charm, Princess of the Hidden Changeling Hive, and the first Forbidden Hybrid. You’re very far from home.” Twilight’s horn crackled with dangerous magic, “Tell me why I shouldn’t kill you where you stand.”

“I came here under the presumption that you worked off of diplomacy first, not destruction…”

“That was before a global sized war broke out and destroyed three-fourths of the planet.” Twilight replied bitterly. “Despite the war, Changelings are still somehow showing they're monsters in all of this, feeding off of what little love is still left in this world.” a hum started to emanate from her horn, “So…you still haven’t told me why I shouldn’t incinerate you.”

Locust stood a bit straighter, “With all due respect, First Fallen, Changelings haven’t fed off love since my mother and father took control of the Hive over 30 years ago. We feed off the dark souls of the Hellions. Our Hive is friends with everyone who seeks refuge in our borders, thanks to my parents.” Her eyes glinted with determination, “As for a reason not to kill me…you just said so not too long ago. I’m the Princess of a hive. A hive that you have no idea how many Changelings it contains. I’ve done nothing to warrant an attack from you. If you were to kill me, you would have an unknown amount of Changelings and other creatures retaliate.” She cleared her throat, “So…may I please explain further my purpose for being outside of my hive without the threat of death?”

Twilight snorted angrily, but said nothing, allowing Locust to continue,

“My mother and father wish to speak with you, in hopes of forming an alliance.”

-MLP-

Hell King drummed his claws on his arm rest, while Eternal shifted nervously beside him. He looked down at her,

“You were defeated by a Unicorn that’s over 100 years old. How.”

“Twilight’s power has grown immensely. Far stronger than I had thought was possible. It was unexpected-”

He slammed a fist down on the armrest, silencing her,

“Unexpected?!” he snarled. “Don’t give me that bullshit!” he leaned in, spilling blackened smoke from his maw like a wispy waterfall, “You were my host…some of my power still flows within you! How were you not able to handle a pathetic old mare!”

She opened her mouth to speak, but was silenced again with a roar,

“JUST GET OUT OF MY SIGHT BEFORE I RETURN YOU TO THE EARTH!!”

Eternal nodded, “Yes, Great Dragon…”

She vanished from his presence. He let out an irritated sigh, before snapping his fingers and summoning an onyx colored mirror to hover beside him. His reflection however, did not how show the symptoms of corruption. The reflection narrowed his eyes,

“Looks like you didn’t get what you want.”

“The span of my existence goes beyond whatever your mind could comprehend. Time is not a concept for me.” Hell King let out a snort of irritation. “While the incompetence of these creatures have cost me my spoils for now, the contract of having you as a vessel is still a good compensation until then.”

“Even with my body, you wont win this war.” Spike stated. He gave a small smile, “My family is far too powerful to be defeated by the likes of you.”

Hell King scoffed, “Your ‘family’? You truly are an imbecile if you think of them as family. You’re a-”

“Dragon. Yes, I’m aware.” Spike cut him off, “Of course I know what I am. But blood is not the only thing that determines ‘family’. They’ve cared for me all my life. Twilight in particular…”

“Ah, the ‘best sister’ one could ever hope for.” Hell King assumed. “You seem to forget that she wont hesitate to kill you if she needs to.”

“No, she wont hesitate to kill you.” Spike pointed at Hell King. “And she knows that I wouldn’t hesitate to do the same if it means the safety of the world.”

“And yet, your brand of ‘sacrifice’ has only delayed the inevitable.”

Spike smirked, “Delayed you enough to where even your Alicorn couldn’t stop them.”

At this, Hell King roared in frustration and punched the mirror, bringing an abrupt end to their conversation as it shattered. Black flames quickly burned away the reflective shrapnel that were buried into his fist and cauterized the wounds. He snapped his fingers again, and a pair of gleaming purple eyes glinted from the darkness,

“You have requested me, Great Dragon?” a sultry voice spoke from the dark.

“Yes. I would like to see what you can do.” His gaze remained focused on the mirror fragments, “I expect far better results than Eternal’s, so do not fail me.”

“But of course, Great Dragon. I will give you a spectacular show of my strength…”

With that, the eyes disappeared. An unreadable expression crossed the drake’s features,

“Let’s see how you pathetic creatures handle her…”

New Friends & Renewed Enemies

“I want all of your opinions in this matter.” Twilight ordered. She looked over each of their faces, “We all need to be on the same page.”

“Ah don’t think we should be doin’ this.” Applejack stated bluntly.

Dash rolled her eyes, “If everything depended on your decision, we’d be living on some makeshift farm and waiting for our death.”

Applejack shot her a look, “An’ if everythin’ was left up ta ya, we’d be sittin’ here tinkerin’ with yer lil’ toys!”

Fluttershy started to raise a hoof, “Um, excuse me-”

“My ‘toys’ are high quality weaponry that are helping keeping us alive!”

Fluttershy’s ears pinned to her head, “Please stop fighting-”

“Oh yeah, sure. Too bad Twilight an’ ya decided ta make weapons out of creatures!”

Twilight slammed her hooves on the table, “Stop it!”

Applejack honed in on her, “What, ya think Ah’m just gonna keep my trap shut cuz they hurtin’ ya feelins?” she rose to her hooves, “Ah’m not one of yall’s lil' experiment, ya can’t tell me what ta do or feel!”

Twilight growled and she too rose to her hooves, dangerous magic pooling into her horn, “I said...stop it.”

Applejack’s eyes glowed a faint green, “An’ what the fuck are ya gonna do if Ah don’t?”

“ENOUGH!”

Everyone in the room froze as all eyes focused on Rarity,

“What are you two doing? The enemy is out there, not here! Nothing is going to get done with us screaming and fighting one another. Our anger should be focused on what has driven us to make the choices we’ve made; the Corrupted One.” A pleading look crossed alabaster features, “Please…that’s enough…”

Twilight and Applejack sighed and sat back down as their magic faded.

“I’ve let myself get far too emotional…” she looked back up at Applejack, “I’m sorry for snapping at you. I should’ve let the rest of you in on this years ago…”

“Mah apologies as well, pardner. Ah may not fully understand yer…uh...experiment, but Ah know you don’t make decisions like this lightly.”

“Can I make a suggestion?”

Everyone looked over at Fluttershy, who had a hoof lightly raised,

“We’re all ears, sugarcube.”

“Why don’t we give the Apprentices an opportunity to take charge?”

“Aren’t they a bit young ta be makin’ a…” Applejack lazily waved her hoof in the air in search of words, “Such a massive decision?”

“Any decision we make nowadays is going to be a ‘massive’ decision.” Dash stated. “The hybrid came alone in search of us, and from what Patch told me, she was busy fighting off Hellions on her own, and was friendly towards them.” She leaned back against the back of her seat, “Besides, she’s already in our base. If she acts out, she’ll be killed, and we’d deal with the fallout like we always do.”

Twilight sat in thoughtful silence for a few moments before speaking up, “Very well then.” She lit up the communication crystal, giving it a few moments before Haze appeared on the other side,

“You called for me, Miss Twilight?”

“Yes, you and the others.” Twilight stated, “Please come to the Briefing Room. We need to have a quick discussion with you all.”

“Will do.”

The communication faded, and within a few minutes, the Apprentices were filing into the room and taking their seats beside their respective mentor. Twilight looked over at Fluttershy,

“Since it was your idea, I think it should be you to share it.”

The Apprentices looked in confusion before Sparks spoke up,

“What idea?”

“Well, you guys are aware the meaning of being our Apprentices.” Fluttershy started. “And you guys won’t be able to learn what it’s like to make more influential decisions without giving you the chance to do so.” She scanned over each of them, “So, you’re going to be the ones to decide on whether or not we make an alliance with the Hidden Hive.”

Soft noises of surprise came from the Apprentices,

‘Are you sure, Miss Fluttershy?’ Skye questioned, ‘That’s a very big decision!’

“We’re aware, darling.” Rarity replied. “But when you’re in charge, every choice will have consequences, and how you respond to them will require further decisions.”

Twilight rose to her hooves, “Whatever decision you make, we’ll support it, and deal with the follow-up.” She started to make her way out of the room, the rest of the Fallen trailing behind her, “Take your time. We’ll be waiting for you.”

The door shut behind them, leaving the Apprentices in the room alone. Haze was the first to speak up,

“So, we’re doing it right? We’re gonna join em?”

“It would seem like the best option.” Sparks replied. “If and when the Hell King strikes again, we’re going to need all the help we can get.”

‘And seeing the way she finished the Hellion…’ Skye added, ‘Who wouldn’t want that kind of strength on their side?’

“It’s because their kind can do that, that we shouldn’t allow it.” Dee pointed out. “We saved her, and that should hopefully be enough to send her on her way without fear of retaliation.”

Patch arched a brow, “But you’re no different. You’re just a life suckin’ scourge yourself!”

Dee elbowed him in the gut. He wheezed, but still gave her a winning smirk. The vampony rubbed her temples and stayed silent.

“It seems like we’ve got a majority ruling.” Sparks declared. “So, here’s how this is gonna go…”

-MLP-

“Only three Fallen and Apprentices to go to the Hive?” Twilight repeated the plan told to the Fallen. “Can you explain that part to us?”

“Three Fallen should be more than enough if something bad were to go down at the hive. And with their Apprentices, it’ll be even safer. Well…as safe as it can be, given the circumstances.” Sparks started. “The other three Fallen and remaining Apprentices can stay here, and keep this base secure. We can be monitored with Eventide crystals, and if something happens, those that are there can handle their own until backup arrives. However, we believe that they won’t try anything.”

Twilight smirked, “I’m impressed. It would seem that my friends have done well in picking their Apprentices. It may not be long before you’re given more authority when it comes to mission setups.”

Sparks smiled back, “Thank you, Miss Twilight.”

“So, who are the three Fallen ya’ll picked?” Pinkie questioned.

“We believe one of each species, to keep things balanced.” Patch replied. “For the Unicorn, we decided it should be Miss Twilight, since she’s the figurehead for the Fallen.”

“For the Earth Pony, we chose Master Pinkie.” Haze continued. “Sorry to say this, Miss Applejack, but we’re kinda scared you might…beat the hell out of some Changelings for no reason…”

Applejack snorted angrily, “Are ya implyin’ Ah got a temper, colt?”

“Oh hush Applejack, everyone knows your and Dash are the two most hotblooded mares in the Rebellion.” Rarity teased. She scanned the Apprentices, “Please, continue.”

‘We chose Miss Rainbow Dash.’ Skye answered. ‘While she does share some similar…traits with Master Applejack-’

“What the hell, Skye? Whose side are ya on?!”

Skye giggled at her irritated mentor, 'My apologies, Master Applejack. I didn’t mean to offend you.’ she looked over at Dash, ‘Anyway, we chose her because if there’s any security systems that trap us there, she’ll be able to break them in a heartbeat.’ Her gaze then fell on Pinkie, ‘And while we all know that Miss Pinkie will help with maintaining a friendlier first impression, her skills in bioengineering. She’s got a good understanding of creature anatomy that is nearly on par with Miss Fluttershy.’

Pinkie nodded, “I’ve actually got a few potions that can melt chitin in a matter of seconds.” A dark grin appeared on her face, “And it would expose their tender, pulpy flesh, making them easy prey…”

“Reign it in, Sugar.” Applejack requested. “Yer gonna scare the youngins.”

“Anyway…” Fluttershy took cold of the conversation, “If you’ve chosen your Fallen, what about you guys?”

“Sparks will be going as extra spell support.” Dee answered. “Skye, because of her powerful hoof combat skills…” she looked over at the Pegasus, who simply smiled with a hint of pride in it. “And Haze, whose smoke can disorient almost anything that comes into contact with it. Plus, he’s our only Earth Pony” she finished sheepishly.

“Excellent! It seems like you all have everything in order.” Rarity’s Eventide crystal necklace began, “I’ll fetch Locust Charm from the interrogation room.”

Within a few minutes, a shackled Locust surrounded by four Unicorn soldiers.

“Remove the cuffs, guys.” Haze ordered. “There probably not gonna vibe with the idea of an alliance if we’ve got their princess chained up prisoner-style.”

One of the Unicorns nodded and began to unlock the cuffs, “Yes, Fallen Apprentice.”

The shackles fell to the floor one by one. Locust rubbed one of her wrist,

“Thank you.” she shook Haze’s hoof, “It feels nice to get those things off of me.”

“No prob, but you’d be doing us a huge solid by telling Miss Twilight where she needs to teleport us.”

Locust slowly shook her head, “I’m sorry, but I can’t do that…not yet. But I have no problem in taking you there myself.”

“I understand your apprehensiveness in us knowing the exact location.” Twilight began. “But we’d rather get there as expeditiously as possible. It would also save all of us the energy required to make the trek.”

Locust smiled, “With all due respect, please do not allow my appearance to deceive you.” her horn began to glow a salmon hue, “I may not be as powerful as yours or Fallen Rarity, but I’m capable of teleporting of us there.”

Her eyes glowed with their own light, as her magic surrounded those she intended to take with her. In a flash, they stood the base of a massive cliff. Changelings swarmed them nearly in an instant, and everyone took a fighting posture, save for Locust,

“Be still.” Locust commanded. “They will bring us no harm.”

The Changelings bowed to their princess. A bearded, dark grey Changeling slowly approached them. He bowed before Locust,

“It is a relief to see your safe return, Your Highness.”

Locust smiled, “Had you no faith in my return, Priest?”

Priest rose back up and mirrored her, “Of course I did. Our lady is far too headstrong to fall to mere Hellions.” Lime green magic focused in his horn, and the other Changelings followed suit. The cliff wall glowed in the same magic, before a section of it suddenly burst into rock dust and revealed an entrance. Locust began to lead the group inside, and they took note of the cavernous hallway was alive with thousands of fireflies as they danced in the air. There were speckle of Changelings grouped together, chattering amongst themselves, but stopping as the group passed by,

“Its Twilight Sparkle…”

“Is that Rainbow Dash?”

“Pinkie Pie…I read about her in the scrolls…”

“Who are those ponies with them? Are those their strongest fighters?”

“Maybe bodyguards…”

The whispers continued as they traveled further and further into the tunnel.

“This tunnel seems to go some ways down.” Dash pointed out. “How much more we gotta walk?”

“Not much further, Fallen Rainbow Dash.” Locust politely replied.

They continued to walk until the tunnel started to get brighter, upon finally reaching the edge of the tunnel-

“Whoa….” Everyone but Twilight stated in awestruck unison. While she remained silent, the same wonder was in her eyes. Locust turned to them and smiled,

“Welcome to my home…”

The tunnel opened into a massive caldera. Buildings made of clay, wood, and dried palm fronds dotted the bottom of the caldera. Holes that were drilled into the walls had their entrances covered with bright woven curtains. On the furthest wall opposite of the caldera’s entrance, A small castle made of blackened glistening stones was draped with hundreds of tapestries that matched those that lined the walls of the caldera. Creatures walked and flew around the caldera, giving buzzing life to what could normally be seen as an empty earthen bowl. All the creatures bowed in respect as Locust led the group to the tree. A couple of foals bounded up to them and gave a quick bow before their youthful energy caused them to bounce in place,

“Hi Princess Charm!” the Changeling colt shouted excitedly, “Are these the ponies that are gonna stop the Hell King?”

“Well they be the ones that bring by the Sun and Moon the elders talk about?” the Earth Pony filly followed suit.

Locust scooped up the filly, while the Changeling gently landed on her back, “Yes. Hopefully, they’ll be our friends, and you’ll be able to see other creatures besides the meanies outside of the colony.”

“Are there really other creatures out there besides us?” the filly looked at the group.

Locust nodded and smiled warmly, “That’s right…”

The filly squirmed out of her grip, and she trotted up to Twilight. The colt joined her, wrapping his hooves around one Twilight’s legs,

“Thank you sooo much for coming Miss Unicorn!”

The filly tapped Twilight’s other foreleg, earning her attention, “I really want to see the Moon.”

“Oh, do you now?” an amused looked gleamed in Twilight's eyes.

“Yeah, its way prettier than the Sun!”

Twilight couldn’t help but give the two a small smile, “My friends and I will see what we can do.”

The two foals let go of her legs and took off down one of the makeshift paths. Locust’s smile disappeared,

“Tis quite a shame. Those poor foals, being born into such a despairing and violent world…”

“It’s a sad truth indeed.” Twilight agreed. “I don’t want to delay any further. Please, take us to whoever needs to speak to us.”

Locust silently nodded and continued to lead them to the small castle. Upon entering it, the group was surrounded by several guards, who escorted them as Locust led them further inside. They stopped at two massive doors, and Locust turned to the guards,

“You’re all dismissed. I will lead them inside.”

The soldiers shifted with slight hesitance, before an armor cladded Griffin spoke up,

“With the utmost respect, we cannot do that, Your Highness. We have sworn to protect the crown with our lives, and cannot leave any of you unprotected in the kingdom’s most sacred room.”

Locust let out a defeated sigh and said nothing. One of the Unicorn guards magically opened the doors. The group entered the massive throne room, and immediately focused on the figure that sat on their thrones at the end of the room. A Changeling sat tall and proud. Her chitin was a glistening bluish black, and her translucent mane was a shimmering alabaster with a pale blue undertone. Her blue, compound orbs settled on them, and she gave them a welcoming smile,

“Ah, I see you’ve returned with an incredible find, my bullheaded daughter.”

Locust gave a slight curtsy, “I wouldn’t have returned to you in failure, Mother.”

“I would’ve accepted it, so long as you were safe.” she responded as she rose to her hooves and began her graceful descent down the steps,

“Princess Twilight Sparkle…tis an pleasure to finally meet you.”

Twilight remained stone-faced, “I no longer hold that title. I assume you’re the ruler of this hive…”

The Changeling’s smile faltered a bit, “That I am. I am Queen Sylphina. I rule with the guidance of my Consort, Scarab.”

“Scarab?” Dash repeated. She looked down at Locust, “That sounds like a Changeling name. I thought you were a hybrid.”

“She is. I am her father.” A strong voice replied. The group turned to the direction of the voice. A large and powerful looking forest green Unicorn approached them. He donned bronze armor plates that gave the appearance of chitin. His mane and tail were a firey orange, and the beard that covered his maw held streaks of dark gray. The armor clanked softly as he continued his approach,

“That is the name I chose when I became the queen’s consort.” He gave Twilight a polite bow, “Its an honor to be graced with your presence, your Highness.”

Creatures alike that witnessed the display began to whisper. Twilight gave a soft, irritated snort,

“Again, I’m not a Princess anymore. Please, do not lower your head to me.”

Scarab obeyed and rose back up, “You will always be the Princess I served long ago…”

Twilight squinted, her dull eyes studying him, as she tried to recall through the decades of faces she’s seen. Her eyes suddenly lit up, and a small smile appeared on her face,

“General Hyperion?” she took a couple steps closer, “Is that really you?”

Scarab smiled and nodded, “Yes, Your Highness…”

“I can’t believe you’re still alive!”

Dash’s brow furrowed, “Yeah, how the hell is that possible? You should be dead by now.”

She started to move in quickly to study him. Her quickness pushed the already uneased guards, who drew their weapons and aimed at her. Pinkie was suddenly beside Locust with a needle to her neck,

“Anyone attacks, and this is going into her jugular.”

Sylphina snarled and bared her fangs. Twilight’s horn sparked dangerously.

“Everyone, lower your weapons!!” Scarab barked. “They are not here to bring harm!”

The guards looked at one another, before looking to their queen. She continued to leer at Pinkie, a thick tension hanging in the air,

“Do as he says.” Sylphina ordered.

They slowly returned their weapons to their sheathes and holsters, but maintained fight ready postures. Pinkie matched them, returning her needle into the void that was her mane.

“Pinkie, I understand that you and the others are powerful indeed,” Scarab started. “But understand that you are within our kingdom. They are fiercely protective of the crown.”

“And I am fiercely protective of my friends.” Pinkie countered.

Scarab rose his head, displaying a posture of power, “I understand…but it would do you well to not threaten my daughter again. I respect you…but I will do what I need to do to keep my daughter safe…”

Another moment of heavy silence filled the room. Locust cleared her throat,

“Please…I know everyone is uneasy right now. We have multiple figureheads within close quarters of one another. It is understandable that tensions may run high. But…if I may, let me be the first to extend a hoof of peace…”

Sylphina gave her daughter an impressed look, before scanning the guards in the room,

“Guards…vacate the throne room. And have the maids and butlers see to it that our guest receive the hospitality of the Hive.” She focused on the group, “I ask that you treat us with the same kindness that we will give you. Let us make it so that our topic of conversation goes smoother than our introduction.”

Locust guided everyone to a nearby table. Castle staff immediately began to pull out their chairs, and they all took their seats,

“So…from what my daughter has told us, you wish to make an alliance with us?”

“I’m not even so sure after your guards almost killed us.” Dash grumbled.

“That does not disregard the fact that you had to have taken it into consideration to be here.” Scarab countered. Is it because you are aware we would be a great asset in the war?”

“We saw what Locust could do.” Pinkie stated. “Looks like she can suck the life out of Hellions and living creatures alike. Who’s to say that you wont try to kill us down the line?”

“I understand that our existence is still a concern for you. I apologize for the image my mother gave to you all.” Sylphina apologized. “It is in a Changeling’s very DNA to obey their queen, and it is something Chrysalis took full advantage of. She made them do terrible things…like attacking the Crystal Empire. I saw the flaws of my mother’s tyranny even in my youth, and knew I wouldn’t be like her when I took control of the hive.” Her expression darkened. “But then…she feasted on one of her own.”

Dash leaned forward, “No way…she ate another Changeling?”

“Yes…the love each Changeling held for the Chrysalis was the equivalent of unrequited love. After her defeat, the hive had a hard time getting back on its hooves. She got…desperate…and began feasting on our own.” She looked down at the table in disappointment, “At first, she did it in secret. If anyone found out, things would’ve quickly spiraled out of control. Even if there was no physical retaliation, hate surely would’ve taken over, and she would’ve starved to death. Back then…I could do nothing but look on in horror and shame, as my mother devoured her own subjects.” Tears started to prick the corners of her eyes, “One day…she ate one of my dearest friends, and I could take it no more.” She focused on the Fallen, “As soon as I had the opportunity…I killed her. And after her death, I made the colony aware of her treacherous deeds. And because of my birthright, no one questioned my authority as the new Queen of the Hive.” A small smile appeared on her face, “Some years into my rule, I met Scarab, and small band of ponies he was traveling with. They needed help…and what better way to begin changing the image of the Hive, than to give them said help?” she took one of Scarab’s hooves into her own, “And by doing so…my entire life changed for the better. He helped strengthen our military, and helped me change the Hive’s mindset. And the group he came along with helped spread the world of the helpful Hive. The love and camaraderie that flows in my kingdom is more than enough to sustain us. Love is willingly given here, and my Hive has not taken any living creature’s love in over 25 years.”

Sparks rubbed her chin, “Okay…but surely you guys don’t stay here every single day. What about when you’re away from the Hive?”

“Then we simply feast on the Hellions.” Sylphina answered.

Skye leaned in, ‘How though? Those things don’t feel love.’

“True…what they do have however, is unwavering loyalty to the Hell King. And that loyalty is still a form of love, albeit diluted.”

“If its so diluted, then it still should be a limited resource…” Sparks stated.

“You think that Hellions are few and far between?” Sylphina questioned. “The Hell King’s vile grasp reaches far and wide across the planet. They are everywhere, and for now, their existence brings us an abundance of food.”

“And what about you?” Twilight pointed at Scarab, “Sure, the Hellions may be feeding the Changelings, but what of the other creatures residing here?”

“We all do well here.” Scarab calmly replied. “The caldera has rich, fertile soil. Sylphina and I have had Changeling scouts go out as far as possible and bring back the seeds of as many vegetables and fruits as possible. And from those seeds, we’ve made many gardens within the caldera, and created a bountiful harvest. We have thousands upon thousands of pounds of food and seeds stored, in the event something happens to our gardens.”

“So, you’ve both managed to bring races of all kinds to co-exist with one another in this kingdom, and short of dealing with the Hellion, you all seem to be just fine.” She looked between Sylphina and Scarab, “The question shouldn’t be why we want to form an alliance with you…but why would you want to with us?”

“The food for the Changelings outside of the kingdom has been getting easier to find.” Sylphina started. “That means that the Hellions are getting closer and closer to our home. It wont be long before they find our colony and report it back to the Hell King, which would bring certain destruction.” She leaned forward a bit, “The stories of your battles and the victories that have come with them have been told far and wide. This place is our home…and we will fight to the death for it. But with your help, we could not only keep this place safe and barely survive, but thrive.”

“While that would definitely be the most desirable outcome for you, it doesn’t benefit us laying down our lives.” Sparks stated bluntly, “If this is going to be an alliance, we would need something from this too.”

“We understand that perfectly well.” Sylphina calmly replied. “We know that your purpose is simply to end the Hell King’s reign. Tell me, is it true that your rebellion is one million strong?”

Dash shrugged her shoulders, “Give or take a few thousands, yeah.”

“Imagine how much stronger you’d be with the assistance of our colony?”

“How much training do these soldiers have though?” Pinkie questioned. “I mean, I just held their princess hostage in a room full of them.”

“Our fighting style is not the greatest.” Scarab admitted shamefully, “After all, I was trained to fight with dignity and grace of Canterlot’s Royal Guard.”

“This is a world where you have to play dirty to win.” Pinkie replied darkly. “You wanna win a fight? You’re going to have to stab backs, slit throats, gouge eyeballs out…”

Dash looked over at her, “Pinks, only AJ and I understand that sick, twisted humor of yours. Knock it off, alright?”

“Who said I was kidding?”

“Anyway,” Twilight interjected to silence them. She focused back on the queen and her consort, “Bright Spark does have a point though. What do we gain by forming an alliance with you?”

“With the training of your troops, they’d be able to bolster your Rebellion overall, making your goals far more attainable.” Scarab answered. “We would also welcome all under your leadership into our home, where they will have access to fresh food, water, comfortable living conditions, and the metals and building materials needed for whatever machinery you make.”

Twilight drummed her hoof on the table in thought, before looking over at Dash and Pinkie, “What do you girls think?”

“If we set up base here, we’d have access to some good resources.” Dash replied.

“And adding a few posts within the area to help beef up security would should be beneficial.” Pinkie added. “And if there’s any place Jackie could do even just a small amount of farm work, I know she’ll be on board for it.”

“We could help teach their soldiers how to fight.” Sparks offered. “Let our commanders show them our training regiment and get them fight ready.”

‘That would help us expand our various fighting styles overall, making us all the more deadlier to the Hellions.’

The group looked at Haze for his opinion. He shrugged his shoulders,

“Hey, I just go with the flow.”

Twilight turned back to Scarab and Sylphina, “Very well then, we will accept your offer and form this alliance.” She stuck her hoof out for a shake. Scarab smiled and met it with one of his own,

“It will be a pleasure to stand by your side once more, your Highn-I mean…Twilight Sparkle.”

The group rose from the table.

“We’ll have a quadrant of the caldera open for you and begin construction of working some of the tunnels to expand them for your Rebellion.”

At the end of the conversation, the Fallen and the Apprentices took their leave. As they made their way back to the entrance of the Caldera, Twilight’s horn sparked. Her eyes went wide as the others turned to her,

‘Is something wrong, Miss Twilight?’ Skye asked.

“I just got a distress signal from Rarity.” Twilight’s horn burned bright, “We need to go. Now!”

She teleported them back to the base, and horror etched on all their faces,

“Goddesses…” Pinkie whispered.

The base had been destroyed. Bodies were strewn about the ground, and blood painted what walls had remained standing. Debris was flung everywhere, and the numerous fires that were spurting from them rose to the sky. Dee was standing beside a beaten and unconscious Fluttershy, her eyes wildly looking about at what had caused the destruction. Patch was also unconscious, his cybernetic limbs torn from his torso and carelessly tossed away from him. The metal portion of his face was fragmented, one of his metal eyes not lying too far from his head. Applejack groaned, and they looked to see her badly bleeding body protectively encasing an even worse off Rarity. The left half of the Unicorn's white face was soaked crimson and her left leg was barely hanging on by a fleshy thread of tendon. Twilight galloped over to the two,

“What happened?!” Twilight questioned as she stood in protectively over them,

“They came outta nowhere…an’ we weren’t prepared…” Applejack replied before spitting out some blood. Pinkie rushed to her side, and Twilight took Rarity carefully into her forelegs,

“Goddesses, Rarity, how did this happen?”

Even though she couldn’t see, Rarity tilted her head up to the sound of Twilight’s voice, “S-Spike…he brought her back…”

“Her? Who’s ‘her’?”

“Twas I that he brought to give a wonderful show! The Great and Powerful Trixie!!!”

CBS-01 Activated

An arrogant cackle rang through Twilight’s ears as the lavender Unicorn stared up at her enemy from long ago.

“You motherfucker…” Twilight snarled.

Trixie gave an evil sneer, “You don’t seem that excited to see me! Trixie figured you’d be far more excited than that."

The ground trembled as black and violet electrified magic encircled Twilight’s horn. Trixie arched a brow in amusement,

“Dark magic? My, my…Trixie didn’t know you’d turn to that.”

“I’ll turn to whatever is needed to be rid of you…”

Trixie chuckled “You really think things will be how they were when we were young mares?” she let out a snort, “Take a look. Does Trixie look like the rest of those stupid Hellions you fight?”

Twilight sized Trixie up as she studied her. The Unicorn’s coat was still a shimmering shade of baby blue. Her body was more slender, and now that Twilight was studying her figure, she noticed that the mare was larger than the average pony, only being slightly smaller than Luna’s Alicorn form. Her scleras were black like the other Hellions, but her irises had still retained their lavender hue.

“I see you have grown a bit-”

“But that doesn’t mean we can’t take you down!” Dash scream as she shot out of the sky above and dived towards Trixie. The mare tilted her head to the side to avoid Dash’s hoof,

“Please, you’ll have to do more than that.”

“Then how about this?!”

Dash quickly dipped low, then spun into a roundhouse kick, knocking Trixie off of her forelegs. Her chin hit the dirt, giving Dash to do an axe kick to her skull. The sound echoed with a sickening crunch as Trixie’s head smushed into the earth. She laid there motionless as Dash trotted around her body,

“Yeah bitch, you had what was coming to ya!”

Fluttershy, who had finally came to, summoned a bit of her strength,

“Dash! Get away from her!”

“Thank goddesses babe, glad you’re up! Wait, what-”

Before Dash could finish, Trixie latched onto her wings with her forehooves. Her horn glowed and sparked a light purplish hue. A spark matching that same sue ripped through Dash’s body, causing her to become rigid. Trixie smiled,

“As you can see…Trixie has learned far more than illusionary magic.” Trixie began, “Trixie has casted a paralyzing spell on you…well…in a sense.” She leaned into Dash’s ear, “You can’t move, but you can still feel everything that happens to you. From pleasure…” she breathed hotly into her ear and licked her jawline, before returning to her ear and nibbling softly on it. Dash’s face contorted into disgust, and Fluttershy used her bubbling rage to rise to her hooves and stand tall. The whites of her eyes began to bloody as her pupils constricted and her fangs grew,

“You keep your dirty fucking hooves off of my wife!!”

A snarl ripped through her, and Trixie shot her a look,

“Stay where you are.”

Gravity shifted, forcing a half feral Fluttershy to buckle under her own weight. Trixie sneered again,

“Trixie needs you to be still, so that she can give you a fantastic performance…”

She nibbled on Dash’s ear again and rubbed her hoof on the Wonderbolt’s chest,

“You know…Trixie has always admired this athletic body of yours…” Trixie whispered lustfully, though she kept her gaze locked onto Fluttershy’s own. “Why…if you hadn’t decided to pair yourself with that spineless fool…Trixie would’ve been showing you what you were missing out on. That matters not now…she will show you just how great and powerful she really is…”

Sparks horn lit up, “Skye, Haze, we have to do something…”

“Don’t.” Twilight ordered in a low voice. “She’s far out of your league.” She looked over at Pinkie, “Do you have any of your healing potions?”

“Yeah.” She took out a vial filled with magenta liquid out of one of her duster’s pockets, “Here. One drop in the small wounds, three drops in the bigger ones.”

“Are you done chattering while a show is being performed?!” Trixie screeched. The group shot a collective glare at her. She smiled,

“Good. Thank you.”

She returned to rubbing on Dash’s barrel, her hoof beginning to travel down south. Her lips curled into an even more sinister grin as Fluttershy’s snarling rang into her ears. Her focus on the yellow Pegasus’ suffering gave Dash the opportunity needed to briefly overcome her spell. She jerked her head forward, before slamming the back of it into Trixie’s mouth. Trixie snorted in pain and anger as she rubbed her throbbing snout,

“How dare you, you ungrateful little creature!”

She reared a forehoof back, striking Dash in the face with the back of it. She casted a stronger variant of the spell on her.

“Trixie was only going to show you pleasure, but now…” her eyes glowed a bright purple as she slid her forehoof to the base of Dash’s cybernetic wing, “you will feel only pain.”

She began to violently yank on it, slowly tearing the metal from flesh. Fluttershy writhed around, clawing at the ground and struggling to rise to her hooves as Dash cried out in agony. Trixie ripped the metallic and leather bound wing off, tossing it away from this with a sick pleased grin on her face. The sinister gleam in her eyes burned brighter as she moved to grab Dash’s real wing. Dash’s scream reached new octaves, drowning out the pops and crunches of it being pulled from the socket. The flesh began to rip open, exposing vulnerable tendons and veins. Twilight growled in frustration, and Fluttershy was driven further into her fury.

“Someone fucking do something!” The canary colored Pegasus roared. Sparks shook her head wildly,

“This can’t go on!” she stomped a hoof and pooled magic into her horn. She fired a rope of magic that snaked its way through the air as it rocketed towards Trixie. The unicorn dodged the attacked, but was forced to let Dash go and lose focus of her magic in the process. The now free Fluttershy leered at her,

“You’re going to wish to never fucking touched her!”

She charged at Trixie, fangs bared and claws ready to rip and tear. Trixie scoffed and used her magic to fling Dash’s unconscious body towards the monstrous beast. Fluttershy stumbled mid charge, outstretching her legs to catch Dash’s unconscious form. Dash was slammed into her with enough force to send them flying. Fluttershy landed on her back with Dash in her protective embrace. Trixie entrapped Sparks in her magic grasp and dragged her towards her,

“You’re quite a powerful, but annoying little thing.” Trixie admitted. “That beam could’ve actually damaged Trixie’s mane.”

The magic started to tighten around Sparks’ throat. The younger Unicorn clawed at her throat in panic. Her head started to turn to the left,

“Trixie can’t risk having you interrupting my show again. After all, the Great and Powerful Trixie has an image to maintain in the eyes of our king.”

Sparks’ head was beginning to turn beyond its normal capability. She let out a cry of pain. Skye started to charge, but Twilight held out a hoof. The Pegasus looked at her in confusion, but was only met with a small head shake. Twilight then looked down at Rarity,

“Are you still with me?”

Rarity nodded, “Yes, Dearest…”

“Skye Wave is going to look out for you for just a few minutes. There’s something I have to do.”

Rarity blindly reached out for her with her good foreleg, “Wait, please…don’t go…”

Twilight leaned down, brushing her muzzle against the side of Rarity’s face, “Don’t worry, I promise, I will always return to you…”

With that, she gently passed Rarity into Skye’s care, before galloping off. Skye, Haze, and Dee looked on helplessly as they watched Sparks’ head twist further and further. A dark expression covered Trixie’s face,

“Time to bring the curtain down on you.”

The magic surround Sparks grew brighter. An audible snap echoed around them, as Sparks head did a 180 and having her eyes fall the Apprentices that were behind her. Trixie belted out a baleful laugh as she dropped her unmoving body next to her. She smiled down at her own handiwork, then looked back up at the group,

“Now, who’s ready to see another ‘head turning’ performance from the Great and Powerful Trixie?!”

The response was a beam of golden magic colliding with her face. She landed on her back. The flesh on her face was gone, exposing a blood soaked skull. Empty eye sockets appeared to be trying to look around,

“Which one of you little ingrates did this to Trixie’s beautiful face?!”

“Contact has been made.” A synthetic female voice replied.

“And who the hell are you?!”

Twilight stepped up beside the mare, “This is CBS-01. She is of Rainbow and I’s creation.” She placed a hoof on the mare’s helmet, “You remember Princess Celestia, correct?”

Trixie rolled her eyes, “Of course I know of the ‘beloved’ Sun Princess. You and that foolish mare gave up your Alicorn magic for reasons unknown. Why did you anyway?”

“The reasons for our choices are none of your concern.” Twilight replied. “Of course, being stripped of her mortality, she met her end like any other living creature. I…preserved her, and what Rainbow and I created is the mare that stands before you now.”

Shock crossed Trixie’s features, “Impossible!”

Twilight smirked, “You know that my friends and I are capable of making the impossible, possible.” Her smirk disappeared, “CBS-01, finish her.”

CBS-01’s eye sockets glowed bright purple, “Mission Activated.”

She fired another golden beam of magic at Trixie. The Unicorn barely dodged it and fired off her own magic. It hit CBS-01 square in the chest and exploded on impact, kicking up dust and debris. When the dust settled, CBS-01 stood unmoving, a small scratch on her helmet.

“15% damage to chest armor. Four percent damage to cranium hull. Cranium hull still operational.” She took a couple steps forward, “Mission’s current status is incomplete. Mission completion requirement; Decimate the target.”

She charged at a blinding speed. Before Trixie could throw up a semblance of defense, CBS-01 pile drove her hoof into Trixie’s maw. Trixie staggered back, only to have CBS-01 yank onto her mane and deliver a flurry of punches to her head. Trixie, weathering through them, sent fortifying magic into her hoof and slammed it into the side of CBS-01’s helmet. CBS-01 momentarily spasmed and released her grip on Trixie. Trixie’s face slowly reconstructed itself while CBS-01 stood frozen.

“Error; 67% damage to cranium hull.” Her voice glitched out in a series of warbles. “C-Cranium is incapa-a-a-acitated. Unable to op-operate.”

Trixie smirked and wiped the blood from her lips, “Looks like your little abomination isn’t as strong as you made it out to be.”

“CBS-01, terminate cranium hull symbiosis!”

The light from CBS-01’s eye sockets shuttered off, “Cranium h-h-hu-hull symbi-i-osis t-terminated.”

The helmet groaned and snapped as it whirred and clicked. Steam poured from every crevice on the helmet. Trixie’s horn burned bright hot with magic.

“Oh no, Trixie won’t be upstage during her own show!”

She got ready to fire off another beam, but she froze. Her magic dissipated, and surprise overtook her features. She looked down to see the spear of ashen earth that impaled her, before looking over at Sparks. Her face morphed from shock to anger,

“You little bitch! Trixie killed you off!”

Sparks horn crackled as she smiled at her, “For someone who says they’re ‘Great and Powerful’, you suck.” She quickly summoned her magic, “Surely you know about necromancy!”

She fired a burst of violet and green magic at Trixie’s face, incinerating her face again, and taking her mane with it. She staggered back again, crying out in agony.

“Trixie Lulamoon!” the cyborg belted out in the ancient Royal Canterlot Voice. “You will pay for your crimes!”

Trixie looked up. Despite the blood that impaired her vision and painted it red, she could still make out the mare shouting at her. Her face was now exposed. Like the rest of her, the fur on her face was a glimmering ebony. Her large, purple irises were gleaming with burning rage. She summoned her magic and used it to grab Sparks and place her next to Twilight. The Fallen Unicorn smiled up at her,

“Thank you, CBS-01.”

“The CBS-01 protocol has been compromised.” The mare replied. “Memory Program; Burning Sun has been activated in its place.”

“What do you mean the program has been compromised?”

“It was badly damaged before I was able to terminate the symbiosis. The program is in dire need of repair.”

Twilight was about to respond, but was cut off when a bullet slammed into her collar bone. She dropped to her knees. Burning spun around to see a large horde of Hellions surrounding Trixie. Some had fangs bared and using their bodies to shield the Unicorn, while others has machine guns strapped to their barrels, aimed downrange at Burning and Twilight. Twilight magically extracted the bullet from her flesh and looked up at Burning,

“Burning, get us out of here.” Twilight ordered. “We need to make a tactical retreat for now.”

“Understood, Twilight.”

Her body emitted a bright golden light, briefly recreating the blaze of the Sun from long ago and forcing the enemies to shield their eyes. When they opened them, the group was gone. The Hellions looked around in confusion while Trixie trembled with rage. One of the Hellions turned to her,

“Great and Powerful Trixie, it appears they’ve escaped…”

“I can fucking see that!!” Trixie snapped.

The Hellion flinched, “What would you have us do?”

She ground her teeth together and stared at the hellion with glowing orbs,

GO AND FIND THEM!!!”

-MLP-

Sparks opened her eyes to see Twilight and Burning standing over her. She rubbed a hoof over her tired eyes,

“Where…where are we?”

“We’re in a hospital bunker.” Twilight answered. “This is one of the many that have been built for situations like this…” Twilight and Burning looked over at something, and Sparks followed their gaze. Pinkie was looking at them with red rimmed eyes,

“Girls…” her face started to bawl up. “Follow me…”

She choked back a sob, and slowly started to walk to a nearby door. Twilight helped Sparks to her hooves, and proceeded to follow Pinkie. When the Earth Pony opened the door, they entered a room with six beds, each of them with filled with a body hooked up to dozens of IVs and electrodes. Dee was the only conscious patient in the room,

“Miss Pinkie Pie, Miss Twilight…” Dee started, her voice raspy and filled with shame, “I’m so sorry…I failed as an Apprentice…”

Pinkie quickly shook her head, “Its not your fault, you guys were jumped.” She looked over at the sleeping Applejack, “I know you did all that you can do…”

A Griffin donning nurse scrubs approached the mares, “I’m sorry I didn’t bring you all here initially.” He apologized. “I saw you conversing with Apprentice Bright Spark, and did not wish to disturb you.”

“Its alright.” Twilight replied. “What are their statuses?”

“The patients here will make a relatively speedy recovery. However…Fallen Rarity and Apprentice Patch Work are the ones that are of greater concern…we have them in the ICU wing.” he looked down at his clipboard nervously, “Apprentice Patch Work’s injuries pertain to where his prosthetics meet flesh. While we can’t do much for him at this time, we can at least get him stabilized until Fallen Rainbow Dash’s blueprints for him get here. As for Fallen Rarity…” he hesitated.

“What is it?” Twilight questioned nervously, “Speak.”

“I’m…I’m not sure we have the means to heal her. She’s been placed in a medical coma, and we’re unsure of what her level of recovery will be when she comes to. Even then, the doctor stated that the scar tissue will make it so that she wont be able to see again…”

“Please, take me to her.” Twilight ordered.

“Yes First Fallen, right away.”

The stallion turned and began to lead Twilight to another room. Sparks started to follow, but Pinkie placed her hoof on her shoulder,

“Let her go alone…”

“But, Master Rarity is in there, an-”

“I know you’re worried about her, and I am too, to be honest.” Pinkie softly started. “But hopefully, this will Twilight the push she’s needed for years.” She looked down at Sparks, “I know that she comes off as the big scary mare that seems cold hearted, but deep down, she’s a very gentle soul. And she and Rarity deserve their own chance at happiness, no matter how slim it may seem right now…”

-MLP-

Twilight stared at Rarity’s expressionless face. She had felt tired for many decades, but this was a new level of fatigue for her. This was her fault. If she had been at the base instead of going to the Hive, she would’ve been able to keep her safe. She gently stroked Rarity’s cheek,

“I’m sorry, Rarity…” she bit her bottom lip, “I’m so…so sorry…” she scanned Rarity’s face, looking for any kind of reaction, “I wasn’t there. I wasn’t able to protect you. I know you would’ve given your life to protect that base.” She placed her forehead against Rarity’s, “My diva…I wish you could hear me…I know your romance books would never have a character profess their love like this…”

She placed a soft kiss at the base of Rarity’s horn, and started to stroke her mane. After still not seeing a semblance of consciousness, she pushed the nurse-call button. Within seconds, an Earth Pony stallion quickly trotted in,

“You called for me, First Fallen?”

“I need to speak with this bunker’s top surgeon as soon as possible.”

“Of course, First Fallen.”

The nurse quickly left the room. Within approximately five minutes, a middle-aged Unicorn mare walked into the room,

“Good Evening, First Fallen. I’m Dr. Red Heart. I was told that you wished to speak with me?”

“Its been a while since I’ve heard a pony with that name…” Twilight softly muttered to herself. “Thank you, Dr. Red Heart. I’d like to speak with you about possible options for Rarity’s recovery.”

“Absolutely. What questions do you have?”

“First, I want to know what exactly is wrong with her. It doesn’t make any sense that these wounds haven’t healed when she bears an Elements of Harmony. It can heal most wounds, save for severed limbs…” she looked back at Rarity, “Why are the other wounds she sustained not healing properly?”

Red Heart pushed her glasses up a bit, “Well…her blood work shows that she’s suffering from a virus that unfortunately, has dark magic that makes up its genetic structure.” She grabbed one of the chairs in the room and took a seat, “The last time I’ve seen anything close to this was when we had a patient that had been struck by the Hell King’s fire. As we’re aware, the Hell King’s flames are fused with dark magic that allows it to burn forever. Even when we were able to smother our the fire, the skin continued to suffer burns as if the fire was still there. Unfortunately…we lost the patient and two nurses in the process.” Her horn crackled, and a thick, leathery green book appeared. She levitated the book in front of herself and magically flipped the pages until she found the page she was looking for. “The last time this type of dark magic was used was during the attempted Griffin Genocide, which triggered the Fourth Equis War over 2,300 years ago.”

“I believe I’ve heard of it. It started with a ‘V’ correct?”

“Yes, its called the Void Virus.” Red Heart replied. “It destroys the cells that carry mana. Any creatures that don’t use magic of any kind, it wouldn’t have any real affect. But for those that use magic of any kind…it essentially kills the magic channels, shutting them down, and stripping the creature of its magic…permanently.” She looked over at Rarity, “For her though, the Element is a boundless reserve of magic. While that would normally be a fantastic property to have, the constant battle its having with the Void Virus is putting her body in a perpetual loop of creation and destruction, destroying and creating and causing pain throughout the entire process…”

Panic started to bubble in Twilight’s chest, “Well is there anything that can be done?”

Red Heart rubbed her chin, “Well…perhaps an Eventide Crystal could possibly help filter out the damaged mana cells…”

“Do whatever needs to be done, Red Heart!” Twilight demanded. “I don’t care what it takes!”

Red Heart rose to her hooves, “Please, lower your voice, First Fallen. There are other patients recovering as well.”

“Excuse my outburst, my closest companion is dying in your care!” Twilight hissed.

“With all due respect First Fallen, I am the doctor, not you.” she pushed her glasses up and looked Twilight square in the eyes, “Until you gain the same expertise and knowledge that is on par with mine, I ask that you follow the rules I have laid out at this facility.” Her expression softened, “I am not only the best surgeon at this facility, I can say with the utmost confidence, that I’m one of the best in the entire Rebellion. Please trust me when I say I will do everything in my power to raise Fallen Rarity’s chance of survival and recovery.”

Twilight’s shoulders slacked, “My apologies, Dr. Red Heart…I’m just…worried.”

Red Heart relaxed her posture as well, “I understand…”

“So…is there anyway I can help?”

“Well…the problem with the crystal filter option, is that its impossible for anyone to get a sample…”

Twilight’s eyes glowed, and a small Eventide crystal sprouted from one of her shoulders. Her horn glowed, and she ripped the crystal from her shoulder, her wound immediately sizzling as it closed up. She handed it to the doctor,

“You think you can start seeing what happens with that?”

Red Heart nodded her head, a little too excitedly, “I’ll have my team run every possible test right away. We should have results for you within the hour.”

The doctor quickly hurried out of the room, leaving the two Unicorns alone. Another fierce wave of fatigue washed over her. She rested her head on Rarity’s chest. Her vision started to blur as she listened to the weak, but steady thump of Rarity’s heart. It wasn’t until she felt something touch her that she realized she'd fallen asleep. She snapped upright, horn blazing with magic, and eyes wildly scanning as she laid a foreleg protectively across Rarity’s barrel. Her ferocity fizzled out when her gaze settled on the fear stricken Red Heart that slightly trembled before her.

“My apologies, Dr. Red Heart. Recent events have put me on edge…”

“Its quite alright, First Fallen. You just gave me a slight scare.” Red Heart replied dismissively, though the adrenaline dump she felt betrayed her words. “Now, I have the test results in reference to the Eventide crystalline filtration process.”

“And?...”

“It was…strange, to be honest. These crystals that you make are alive, in a sense.” She slightly shook her head, “Well…in a better way to phrase it, conscious. Even for the Void Virus to focus on the provided sample due to its mana content, but due to not being organic, and therefore, not having any mana cells to destroy, the infected cells simply become trapped in the crystal.” A huge smile appeared on her face, “First Fallen, you are the cure to a millenia old virus.”

“That’s great…and I absolutely plan to help with that in any way I can, but for now, I want to focus on Rarity. How much further will that speed up her recovery?”

Red Heart’s smile fell, “I’m afraid her condition is worse than we initially believed…”

“What?” Twilight hissed. “What do you mean ‘worse’, how can she have gotten worse in your care?”

“I am one mare, First Fallen. Once I have a patient stabilized, I have to go an assist my teams tend to other patients.” Red Heart calmly responded. “Fallen Rarity came with about 30 other patients with varying states of injuries.” She pinched the bridge of her snout in frustration before looking at Rarity, “I’m not sure what all the nurse initially told you, but the damage she’s suffered was already irreversible. She’d need more than just the filtration system. She needs a complete recycling of her blood, a new eye, a new right foreleg…” she looked back at Twilight with a somber expression, “And a new heart…”

Shock overtook Twilight’s face as she stared at the doctor, “…What?”

“The virus had already attacked her heart. The aorta, right atrium, and pulmonary artery have taken massive damage. A full recovery simply isn’t possible with her heart in the state it is. It’ll always need some kind of assistance. Even with the Eventide Crystals…”

Twilight’s eyes fell back to Rarity’s face. By the gods and goddesses, how much had her health deteriorated while Twilight slept? The lavender Unicorn looked up at Red Heart with determination in her eyes,

“Use me.” She ordered.

Red Heart’s eyes went wide, “I’m sorry?”

“Use my body to help bring her back.” She stated louder. “Take one of my legs, one of my eyes, my heart, take whatever you need to bring her back.”

Red Heart slightly shook her head, “I’m sorry, but I’m afraid I can’t do that. It goes against my Hippocratic Oath…”

“This is not the old days when the world was fine and dandy.” She looked over at Rarity, “Please, Dr. Red Heart, this mare is the little light I see left in the world…I’d do anything to see to it that she is well.” Her eyes darkened as she turned back to Red Heart, “And this hospital, like every other facility in the Rebellion, falls under the direct command of the Fallen. I will never ask you to sacrifice any member of the Rebellion to save the Fallen. That load will be ours and only ours to bear alone. With that being said…” she stood straighter, staring down Red Heart, “You are going to take one of my forelegs, one of my eyes, my heart, and use them in whatever means necessary to save Rarity. That is a direct order.”

Red Heart stared back in heavy silence, before giving a slow nodded,

“Yes, First Fallen…” she turned and started to head for the door, “Follow me. I’ll have an operation room prepped and ready for you shortly.”

Twilight began to Follow Red Heart. They made it towards the end of one of the corridors, where they bumped into Sparks and Pinkie,

“Will Master Rarity be okay, Miss Twilight?”

She gave Sparks a small smile, “She’ll be alright soon enough…”

Pinkie stepped closer to the Unicorn, her eyes searching, “Twilight…”

Twilight gave the Earth Pony a soft nuzzle, before pressing her forehead against Pinkie’s,

“Pinkie, you’re in charge for now, okay?”

Pinkie looked into lavender orbs will glassy but determined filled eyes, “Okay…”

Twilight pulled away, giving Pinkie a gentle smile that reminded her of their younger days, before continuing to follow Red Heart. Sparks looked up at Pinkie, “Are you going to be okay?”

Pinkie nodded, “I’ll be fine. We’re each capable of leading the Rebellion if necessary…its just…been a while since I’ve had to...”

Burning slowly approached them, “Pinkie Pie…please know that you are not alone. I am no longer the Princess of Equestria, but it does not mean I cannot provide you guidance when it comes to your leadership. And my main programming is to assist in the war against the Hell King.” She gave a curt bow, “Since you are the current sole leader of the Rebellion, and a current co-leader under normal circumstances, it is in my programing, and my honor, to serve you.”

Pinkie gave a small smile and bowed back, “Thank you, Princess Celestia.”

“With all due respect…I no longer go by that name…”

Pinkie’s smile disappeared, “Oh, right…sorry…” she got a serious look on her face, “Burning Sun, I need you to go to the administrative office and find out what the closest base is here.”

Burning stood tall, “Yes ma’am.”

Pinkie turned to Sparks as Burning left to complete her task, “You and I, we’ve got a lot of work to do…”

-MLP-

Trixie stood before the Hell King’s throne, head lowered and eyes to the floor,

“Apologies, Great Dragon. Trixie has failed you in destroying the Fallen.”

“I’d be more disappointed if you hadn’t given me the show you promised.” The drake smirked, “You also gave me that useful bit of information about Celestia. As…painful as this is to admit, its been a while since any of my army has gotten such a destructive hit on the Fallen. You gave me quite the show, as promised. Congratulations Trixie…your DNA shall be added to the experiment.” He snapped his fingers and summoned a vial. He levitated it towards her,

“Place your blood in the vial, and take it to the chamber.”

“Of course, Great Dragon.”

“I have something else for you.” he snapped his fingers again, and a small onyx orb covered in violet fire hovered in his palm. He leaned forward,

“Take this.”

“Forgive me if I’m overstepping any boundaries for asking…but what is it?”

“It’s just a little something that will amplify your magic.” his grin got wider, “That Alicorn Amulet you have doesn’t have shit on this.”

She took it into her magical grasp and bowed, “Thank you, Great Dragon. Your blessed gift shall not go to waste.”

“I would hope not.” He waved his claws dismissively, “You may go.”

“Yes sir.

She teleported and vanished from his sight. He snapped his fingers a third time, and the mirror once again appeared beside him. Spike appeared within it, fury on his face,

“You wont get away with this…”

Hell King got an amused grin on his face, “Ah, but I’m most certain I will.” He licked his lips, “The universe, starting with this planet, will soon be mine. So…I’m going to give you an option; you can either accept this fate, and watch as I recreate the universe to my liking. Or…continue to fight me, until you can no longer do so, and I rip and tear your soul apart and consume it.”

Spike growled, “I’ll never surrender to you. Nor will I let you break me.” he leaned forward, his face nearly pressed against the glass. “Just you wait…the moment I get the chance to, I’m going to fuck you up.”

Hell King chuckled, “Aren’t you just precious?” his face suddenly was void of its amusement, “Keep that up, and I’ll do vile, horrible things to your sister and her little friends. You know…I’m quite capable of shrinking down to a more…acceptable size. Tell me, how strong do you think you’d be if I made you watch as I took my ‘spoils’ from them?”

The implication was sinister and perfectly clear. Spike bit his lip, keeping himself from saying something that would bring that level of harm to his loved ones. Hell King smiled,

“Good little lizard.” He waved at the reflection. “We’ll talk later. I’ve got plans that I need to get in motion.”

The mirror vanished in a pillar of flames as Hell King rose to his feet. He walked over to his balcony, observing the ashen landscape of hellfire and despair he’d created. He looked over his shoulder,

“Black Light!”

A Hellion suddenly appeared beside him,

“How can I be of service, Great Dragon?”

“See to it that Trixie’s bloodwork is completed. After that, bring me the Demon Unicorn’s prison crystal. Let’s see what happens if I release another powerhouse out into the world…”

“But of course, Great Dragon. I’ll see to it right away.”

The Hellion vanished, and Hellion looked back at the horizon and smiled,

“Soon…this entire world will be bathed in hellfire and ash…”

I'd Give You Everything

Despite all of the injuries and she accumulated over many decades of battles, Rarity had been fortunate enough to very rarely end up in the hospital. However, as the smell of sterilizing products assaulted her nostrils, she realized very quickly that was exactly where she was. She opened her eyes, but ended up only seeing white. She knew what had happened…she knew she had suffered what should’ve been fatal injuries…

So how in the world was she still alive?

“Good Evening, Fallen Rarity.” Red Heart announced her presence in the room. “I’m Dr. Red Heart; Chief Surgeon of this facility and the main caretaker for your stay here.”

Rarity’s ears flicked and turned to the direction of the voice, “Good Evening, I suppose.” Her head turned as if she was looking around, though the cloth kept her from doing so.

“Am I allowed to remove this cloth on my face?”

Red Heart’s eyes lit up with hope, “You’re able to tell that it’s cloth? Tell me, what color is it?”

“It appears to be Cornsilk.”

Red Heart’s brows furrowed in confusion, “I’m sorry, what was that, Fallen Rarity?”

Rarity waved a hoof dismissively, “Terribly sorry. Old habits die hard…its some shade of white.”

“Well…the fact that you can determine color is a sign of a successful operation. I had actually came to check on your progress.” Rarity heard a couple of hoof steps, “Let’s take a look now, shall we?”

Rarity felt one hoof gently brush against the side of her face, and the other lightly tugging at her bandages. Little by little, her world started to get a bit brighter. She could make out the blurred silhouette of the doctor standing over her,

“Fallen Rarity, I’m going to need you to close your eyes for me. I’ll need to dim the lights, so as not to damage the optic nerves.”

“Yes ma’am, I understand.”

She was starting to get antsy. She knew she shouldn’t have been able to see. The last thing she saw was Trixie’s horn, before she felt searing pain in her eyeball. The Element for some reason, while she knew it wouldn’t restore her sight, wasn’t dulling the pain in any manner. She knew something had went wrong. The world went dim again, sending her into a slight panic. She heard the doctor’s hoof steps approach her, and the hooves once again touched the sides of her face,

“Are you ready?”

“Yes…”

She felt Red Heart, slowly, carefully, remove the last barrier of bandages from her face. She slowly opened her eyes. She wasn’t able to see out of her right eye. Which was fine, she had gotten used to it. But as her vision cleared and returned to her left eye, she nearly wanted to cry.

“Doctor…” she sniffed, “How? How is this possible? How am I able to see again?”

“The First Fallen saw to that. She also saw to you getting your foreleg back.”

“My foreleg?”

She looked down at her right foreleg. It seemed fine. A few cuts and bruises, but fine nonetheless. It was when she looked at her left foreleg that she took a sharp inhale of air. this couldn’t be right. Her coat was white. It had always been white. White, and nothing else. But now…

It was purple. Lavender, to be exact.

“My leg!” she squawked. “Why the hell is my leg lavender?!” she tried to sit up, but pain shot through her.

“Please, Fallen Rarity, I ask that you calm yourself. You’re still trying to recover, and any stress could cause irreversible damage.” Red Heart turned when to grab a small mirror. She levitated it towards Rarity, “Perhaps you should take a look first. I’ll of course, answer any further questions you may have.”

Rarity took the mirror into her own magical grasp, and brought it to her face. She looked at her reflection. Her right eye, milky, but still blue. Her left eye…

Amethyst. A bright, sparkling amethyst.

“How…” she spoke softly. She was unable to say anything more.

“The First Fallen donated the organs necessary for the surgery.”

“Wait a minute. Twilight gave me an eye and a leg?”

“And her heart.” Pinkie added as she entered the room. Rarity looked over at her,

“She…she did what?”

“She gave you her heart.” Pinkie smiled. “In so many ways…”

“What do you mean by that?” Rarity slightly shook her head, “Nevermind. Where is she? Can you take me to her?”

“Not yet, Fallen Rarity.” Red Heart quickly replied. “We’re still unsure if the transplanted leg is fully functional. You need to heal some more before we can run begin your physical therapy.”

Rarity looked at her lavender foreleg. She carefully rose it and rotated the wrist,

“Looks like its functioning to me. Now take me to see Twilight.”

Red Heart hesitated, “Forgive me, Fallen Rarity, but-”

“She’s not going to give up, Doc.” Pinkie appeared beside Rarity’s bed with a wheelchair. “C’mon Rares.”

Rarity tilted her head up, “I’ve lost my eye, leg, and apparently my heart. I will not lose my dignity as well.”

She ripped off the bedsheets and turned to place her hind legs on the cold tile. She was a bit achy, but nothing that would keep her from seeing Twilight. She set her right foreleg down…

All was well.

She breathed a sigh of relief, then went to place her new, lavender leg on the ground. She began to crumple under her own weight. Pinkie scooped her up,

“Ready to get in the chair now?”

With her pride wounded, Rarity let Pinkie help her into the chair. Pinkie looked over at Red Heart,

“Is Twi’ awake?”

“Yes ma’am. I just came from her room about 10 minutes ago. I must warn you though, she is a bit groggy and irritable.”

Pinkie beamed, “She’ll be sure to lighten up once she sees us.” She looked down at Rarity, “Let’s get you to her room.”

She propped her forelegs on the handles and began pushing her out the door.

“Geez…I hate being in places like this. Its sooo boring and not fun. When we get outta here, we’re going straight to the colony. Locust and her parents were actually pretty nice an-…Rarity?”

She trailed off when she heard a sniffle come from the mare. She leaned down, noticing the tear trails on her eyes,

“What’s wrong?”

“Why did she do this?”

“You were on the verge of death, Rarity. Did you think she’d just let you die? Do you think any of us would?”

“But…” the Unicorn looked up at her, “She gave me her heart.”

“Well…she’s dead, so…its not like she was using it anyway.”

“But she was still using these!” Rarity used her new leg to point at her new eye, “And now she’s laying in her bed, probably-”

“Happy that you’re alive…”

Rarity fell silent, allowing Pinkie to finish taking her to Twilight’s room. She wheeled Rarity to Twilight’s bedside, and her smile disappeared,

“She’s all yours, Twi…”

Rarity looked over in confusion as Pinkie exited the room. Rarity craned her neck back to Twilight, taking in the sight before her. An IV was attached to her right foreleg. Her left foreleg…

Was nothing more than a bandaged stump.

Rarity placed a hoof to her lips as her eyes traveled up to Twilight’s face. The left eye was covered by a thick gauze patch and wrapped around her head in bandages. Her right eye was closed, and it appeared that Twilight had fallen back asleep. Rarity carefully stood up, choosing to stand on three legs as to not damage the leg that she had been gifted. Twilight’s ear twitched,

“Rarity…please sit down, before you hurt yourself…” her rasped voice ordered. Rarity leaned closer,

“Absolutely not. Scoot over.”

A soft smile appeared on Twilight’s face. She opened her eye to look up at Rarity,

“Seems like the operation was a success if you’ve already got this much energy…”

Rarity frowned, “Twilight…what did you do?”

Twilight avoided her gaze, “I…you needed it. And I…”

Rarity leaned forward even more, “You what?”

“…I…I needed…you…”

Rarity’s ears perked up and her face flushed red, “What?”

Twilight slowly forced herself to sit up. She looked into Rarity’s eyes and gently tilted her chin upward.

“I needed you.”

Rarity’s eyes went wide as Twilight closed the distance between them. Her lips were surprisingly soft, and her kiss amazingly gentle. Her lids fell shut, as she relaxed into the kiss. Her heart thundered in her chest, as she pulled Twilight closer and intensifying the kiss. When they pulled apart, time continued once more.

“T-Twilight…” Rarity stated breathlessly, the entirety of her face now bright red.

Twilight looked away sheepishly, “If I had more blood flowing, I’d probably be blushing too.”

“How long?...”

“Since we were in our 50s…”

“You’ve had feelings for me for over 70 years?”

“Yes. And I’ll have them for another 70 years, and even beyond that…” she met Rarity’s gaze and took her hoof into her own, “You were so easy to fall for, Rarity. Far too easy…and, I know I’m not a stallion…but I’d like to give and show you the love you absolutely deserve. Besides, you’re my closest friend, and I would lay my life down for you time and time again if it meant keeping your safe.” She smiled, “So giving you a couple body parts is nothing but a small price to pay for your well-being.”

“But your heart? What was wrong with mine?”

“Yours was infected with an extremely deadly virus, and would’ve kept pushing infected blood throughout your body. Giving you my eye and leg would’ve been pointless, so I simply did what was logical.”

Rarity giggled, “Giving me your heart in a literal and metaphorical sense was logical?”

Twilight groaned and dropped her face into her hoof. Rarity gave her a peck on the cheek,

“Thank you, Twilight…I’ll don’t know how I’d ever be able to repay you…”

“Well, there is something I’d like to ask…”

Rarity scooted closer, “Of course, Dearest…”

“All I ask, is for you to give me a chance. A single chance to prove that I’m worth dating, even if I’m a ‘zombie’, as Rainbow would put it.” She scratched the back of her head, “And of course, if you need time to think, or it’s something you end up not wanting to pursue further, I would understand and accept that. I will still love and care for you as my friend.”

Rarity gave her a small smile and a peck on the lips, “Oh, Twilight love…you had a chance far before this…”

-MLP-

Pinkie looked sadly before her best friends and her wife. Dash had gotten into one of the operating rooms first, due to the fact that Pinkie needed her help to rebuild Patch Work as well as prosthetics for Twilight. She’d also be needed in leading a group to start construction of their new headquarters at the Hybrid Hive that they’d allied themselves with. To be honest though, none of it meant much to her if she didn’t have her lovely Applejack by her side. She walked over to her bed and placed her muzzle against the farmer’s,

“Oh Jackie…I’m sorry I had to pick Dashie to get operated on first. She was in serious trouble, and we need her a lot right now. You’re both very, very important to me, and I want you to know, that even with my decision, I love you very much.”

“Ah know ya do, Sugar…an’ Ah love ya very much as well…”

Pinkie jerked her head up and looked into bright green eyes. Oh, how she loved getting lost in those emerald orbs. She loved the way they practically sparkled as she looked up at her.

Wait, why were they looking at her?

Pinkie reached over for the clipboard attached to her bed and flipped though a couple pages,

“Applejack, how are you awake? You’re supposed to be on a morphine drip right now.”

“Eh, it ran out a lil’ while ago. When the docs came in ta replenish it, Ah asked em not ta. Ol’ Honesty is healin’ me up just fine. Ah mean, at a slower pace than usual, but still gettin’ the job done.” She reached up and placed a hoof to Pinkie’s cheek, “RD’s got an role ta play. Far more important than mah own right now. So, go an’ make sure she’s alright.”

“Nah, she can stay with you, I’m good.” Dash stated in a dismissive tone as she entered the room, causing both of the Earth Ponies to snap their heads in her direction. Pinkie smiled and leapt onto her,

“DASHIE!! You’re okay!! Thank the gods and goddesses above!!”

Dash swatted at Pinkie, “Pinks, get off me!”

Pinkie kept her legendary grip on her, “I’m just so glad to see you’re alright!”

Dash looked over her shoulders. The surgery done on her real wing insured that she’d be able to use it again with time and rehabilitation. However, the cybernetic wing was gone, and the damage done was far greater than when she had lost her wing the first time. She let out an angry snort,

“Dammit…now I gotta make a whole to socket to attach a prosthetic wing to.” she rested her chin on Pinkie’s shoulder after surrendering to the powerful embrace, “It took me a year just to make that one…”

Ire crossed Pinkie’s features. It went unnoticed as Applejack spoke up,

“At least yer real wing is gonna be alright, once it heals up an’ stuff.”

Dash rolled her eyes, “Yeah, that’s great. Too bad I can’t fly with one wing!”

“You think you’re the only one that got the shit end of the stick?” Pinkie snapped as she released Dash. The Pegasus slightly flinched before glaring at up at her,

“I didn’t say that, but it does suck that I’m gonna be a clipped Pegasus for a while!” she pointed at her, “You’re perfectly fine, so what are you bitching about?”

Tears glassed Pinkie’s eyes, “Twilight…Twilight gave an eye, leg, and her heart for Rarity…”

The air was snatched from Applejack and Dash’s lungs,

“Wh…what?” Applejack questioned in disbelief.

“They had to use pieces of Twilight to save Rarity. She took a couple steps towards Dash, “And then there’s Patch, who lost every single mechanical part of his body.” She placed a hoof on the smaller pony’s shoulder,

“So, I understand that you want your wing back, but they need you.” Pinkie continued in a softer tone, “That’s why I gave the order for you to be operated on first. These doctors can make prosthetics, but they don’t come close to the mechanical miracles that you make.”

Dash looked down in shame, “Well…shit…Pinkie, I dunno what to say…”

Pinkie stood tall, the firey gaze of a leader in her eyes, “Don’t say anything. Just do what you do best!”

The sound of the door opening drew their attention. Sparks and Locust entered,

“When Sparks told me what happened, I came as fast as I could.” Locust stated. “I’m here for any assistance I can provide you.”

Dash looked at Sparks, “You brought the hybrid to one of our hospital bunkers? Why?”

“I told her to.” Pinkie stated defensively. Dash looked back at her in confusion,

“Wha-”

“I’m in charge right now.” Pinkie stated in a matter-of-fact tone. “I told you, Twilight’s way too injured. She’s unable to lead right now. Since I was the only Fallen still conscious, she left me in charge.”

The cyan Pegasus stared at her for a few seconds, before letting a small smile creep to her lips.

Big mistake.

Pinkie leaned forward, snorting hot air from her nostrils. Despite being known as the friendliest of the Fallen, the legendary strength and intimidating posture of the Earth Pony Tribe was on full display.

“I swear to the gods and goddesses Rainbow Dash, if you make one slick comment about my current position, I will fucking break you.”

Dash was immediately unaffected by her imposing stature, “The fuck you mean-”

Applejack brayed, silencing them both. The group looked at her as she cleared her throat,

“There we go. Now, Pinkie’s in charge right now until the others wake up, ain’t nothin ta be done about that, and ain’t nothin wrong with that!” she quickly added as Pinkie shot her a look.

The pink Earth Pony returned her blazing gaze back to Dash. The mares silently burned holes into one another. Sparks took a couple steps forward,

“Um…should we take our leave, Fallen Ones?”

“Please do…” Pinkie replied, her eyes never leaving Dash’s.

Sparks and Locust hurriedly exited the room.

Pinkie’s gaze softened, “C’mon Rainbow Dash, we’ve got work to do.”

Dash pointed at her wing, “My wing’s still busted. I can’t just trot out of here,

Pinkie rolled her eyes, “Please, out of the many many times you’ve been hospitalized, you never stay the recommended time. Besides, your wing has nothing to do with your legs.”

Applejack’s bedsheets ruffled as she slowly slid out of bed. She winced as pain flared through her ribs. Pinkie turned to her with concern,

“Jackie, what are you doing, get back in bed!”

“Ah can’t let a few lil’ jacked up ribs stop me from helpin’ out.” She smiled at her wife, “After all, they ain’t got nothin’ ta do with mah legs.”

She took the few steps needed to get to Dash and outstretched a hoof,

“C’mon RD. Let’s get this show on the road. Ya got work ta do an’ yer gonna need our help.”

Dash sighed, extending her own hoof to place into Applejack’s. Her tired expression turned to one of determination,

“Let’s do this.”

Author's Note

Sorry this is such a short chapter, readers. This was originally going to be longer, but I decided to put this in a smaller chunk due to the fact that the rest of it has a few kinks that I need to work out. I also have a few other projects I'd like to work on, and I didn't want to just leave this without adding at least SOMETHING on it for too long.

Quiet Times and the Experiment from Hell

It was like the entire world had been silenced.

The Hell King could do nothing more than send his Hellions out into the world to find the Fallen and their military. Some came back after decimating already empty bases. Some came back battered and beaten, after being attacked by rebel platoons in the middle of seemingly nowhere. Some didn’t come back at all. No matter the outcome, none came back with the news he wished for; The Fallens’ location. He stared blankly out at the void of the wasteland.

He was bored.

Where had his little playthings ran off to? Trixie had done well to cause them harm, but surely there were not so traumatized by her that they felt the need to remain hiding for this long. Such vile, disgusting little creatures.

‘Those vile, disgusting little creatures are my family…and your demise.’

He rolled his eyes at the nagging voice in his head, “You keep saying that. Have been for a while do, are you ever going to shut up about it?”

‘I will when they kill you.’

“I already told you, if they kill me, you go with me.”

‘I have no qualms with that.’

He smirked, “But Twilight does.”

Silence. Finally. His smirk turned into a full on grin at his verbal victory. His smile evaporated when the voice spoke up once more,

‘Twilight is my sister…but she is a leader. A leader that understands that the needs of many vastly outweigh the few. My life does not equal to millions…and that’s how it should be.’

Hell King let out a an irritated growl.

‘She’ll do whatever needs to be done to end your reign. You couldn’t even take over her body. That just shows how weak and pathetic you were…and still are.’

Hell King snarled, "I had complete control over her body! The only reason I didn’t get to keep it, was because you managed to somehow get me out!”

‘You think you were in control, but no…I could see it in her eyes. She was still in there somewhere, while you were like…a plant. A weed, to be more specific. You weren’t rooted in deep enough…it made it quite easy to rip you from your foundation.’

“Well then, it seems my roots are far stronger than before, since I have your body now. Thank you for that.”

‘You may have my body…but you’ll never have my spirit.’

Hell King rolled his eyes again, and pushed Spike’s voice to the back of his head. His ear fins perked up at the sound of knocking on his bedroom door,

“What?!”

“Great Dragon, we humbly request your ear, so that we may share wonderful news with you.” Eternal’s voice declared from the other side.

“Enter!!”

The door slowly opened, and Eternal trotted in with Trixie beside her. Their heads were held high, and Eternal’s eyes burned a bright shade of red. They both gave them a bow, before looking up at him,

“I sent out a small squadron of Hellions to go investigate the last base the Fallen were seen at. When they searched the area, they found a few pieces of Changeling Chitin.” Eternal reported.

Hell King looked at her with intrigue, “Is that so? The Changelings have managed to keep themselves out of my way and hidden all this time. I wonder how it got there…”

“We believe that the Fallen may have some sort of bond with the Changelings, or at least one of them.”

“Damn…that might be a bit of a problem.”

“Forgive Trixie for speaking out of turn, but how so? They’re just Changelings.” Trixie stated.

“The Changelings don’t have the same standards and ethics like the Rebellion does. No matter how long they’ve been traveling together in groups, if one of them dies, they do not care. The only one who remains important to the Changelings is their queen. They won’t hesitate or flee just because one of their own have been slain.” He smiled deviously, “Why, if I were to get them to fight for us…they’d pose a powerful threat to Twilight and her ragtag gang of misfit creatures…”

“What would you have us do. Great Dragon?”

“You and Trixie go and check out the area. See what you can find.”

“Perhaps I could be of some assistance as well, Great Dragon…”

Hell King calmly craned his head to the direction of the voice, while the two mares snapped their own. A large Unicorn stallion approached him, the faint red glow at the tip of his horn illuminating his dark grey coat.

“How dare you enter the chambers of our mighty King without permission!!” Trixie snarled. “Have you lost what little mind you have had left in that tiny skull of yours, Sombra?!”

“I do believe I was speaking to our King of Hell, not you, Lulamoon.” Sombra hissed back, baring his fangs at the mare.

Trixie’s horn burned brightly, “Why you conceited little piece of shit-”

“If you’re going to fight, take it outside. I don’t want any of your blood splattering the walls.” he gave another dark grin, “Or do I? It would add some color to this place.”

The three ponies slightly backed away from him. He focused on Sombra,

“Yes…I think you will be of some use to me at the moment…”

-MLP-

Sparks sat beside Patch on one of the many miniature cliffs that lined the walls of the hidden colony.

“Its wild…I can’t believe we’ve been here for over five years…”

Sparks looked over at the cyborg with a soft smile on her face. He had grown a lot bigger than when they first met. Whatever remained of his flesh was chiseled muscle that rippled under his bright, bold red coat. He had shaved his mane off completely, and opted to only grow peach fuzz on his chin and jawline. Thanks to the colony welcoming the Rebellion, Dash now had the material, tools, and means to not only repair, but upgrade all of his prosthetics. The plates of his prosthetics were painted a matte black. On the plate attached to his left hind quarter, Dash’s cutie mark was spray painted on it as her signature (something that Patch did not mind). He wore a white tank top like his mentor, which was also smudged with matching grease and oil stains. He donned a belt with only a Gerber tool and a hammer, as he was able to summon whatever tools he required.

“Yeah…it’s a strange feeling.” Sparks chuckled, “I remember how we didn’t get along when we first met. You were the trotting junkyard.”

“And you were the zombie freak.” He gave her a small smile, “I’ve gotta say though, you don’t look nothing like a freak now…”

Sparks smile turned into a bitter frown, “I’m still the scary, brain eating pony that some of the youngest creatures run from.”

Patch magically summoned a mirror and turned it in Sparks’ direction. She let her eyes fall upon her reflection. She had allowed her tail to grow out, but had her mane styled into a mohawk for efficiency. Her turquoise coat had regained some of its sheen from before her death. A row of Eventide crystals jutted out in a singular line down her spine, and two short crystals spurted from her shoulders. Her eyes had retained the light blue ring of death around the irises, yet there was the gleam of life behind her eyes. She wore a custom-made duster vest (made by the fashionista Rarity) that allowed the spine crystals to be exposed without obstruction, and it had the Fallen’s signature trio of diamonds stitched on the left collar. The vest was lined with small baubles and trinkets that she had collected over the years. Her smile returned, albeit smaller than before,

“There we go, made the pretty lady smile.”

She playfully smacked his shoulder, “Shut up.”

They shared a laugh and chatted a bit more, before Dee landed beside them. She had let some of her mane grow out, wild strands still covering one of her golden orbs. Her fangs were bared, and most of her teeth had turned hooked and serrated, given her a carnivorous smile. Her wings had grown, and her hooves had developed a more pronounced hook to them. Though they knew her to be their friend, she could easily be seen as an intimidating foe for any who had made an enemy of the Rebellion.

“So this is where you two have been hiding.” She declared. She plopped down next to Patch and looked over at Sparks,

“Miss Twilight and Miss Rarity have been looking for you. They want to do their bi-weekly check-up on your rotting corpse.”

Sparks rolled her eyes, “You’re so funny. Perhaps the smell of death is coming off your own upper lip.”

“Oh you were just dying to get that one in, huh?”

“That was hilarious, you blood sucking vermin.”

“I prefer ‘blood sucking demoness’, but I’ll let it go for now.”

“Fuck you.”

Dee gave her a sultry wink, “That can be arranged you know.”

Before Sparks rolled her eyes to the point where they remained in her skull, she teleported herself to the medical center of their headquarters. She slowly walked through the massive halls as she looked for Twilight and Rarity.

“We’re in here, darling!

Sparks immediately turned to the source of the voice and headed towards it. She stepped into the room to see Twilight and Rarity. The white Unicorn trotted up to her and pulled her into a hug,

“My darling, how have you been doing today?”

“I’ve been doing well, Master Rarity.”

“Please step over here, Bright Spark.”

Sparks pulled away from Rarity and walked over to Twilight, standing tall before her. The older Unicorn’s cybernetic eye glowed a bright purple as it beamed a line of light that scanned Sparks’ body. After it vanished, she summoned a small flashlight and put it to Sparks eyes,

“Pupil dilation is small, but it is there. That’s promising.”

She made the flashlight vanish and summoned a tongue depressor. Sparks knew the drill. She opened her maw, allowing Twilight to inspect it for a minute before taking the depressor out,

“Saliva production is in good order."

The depressor disappeared and was replaced with a notepad and pencil. She instructed Sparks to conduct a few exercises. After Sparks completed them, Twilight summoned a stethoscope. She placed the chest piece on Sparks, and Rarity stopped her idle chatter with her partner. Save for the barely audible whir of gears in Twilight’s prosthetic leg, the room was silent. Twilight’s expression morphed from sheer focus to slight confusion, then ended with surprised joy. She snapped back up,

“Goddesses.”

Sparks and Rarity leaned in, “What?”

Twilight’s eyes went wider, “You…you have a heartbeat.”

The other two Unicorns mirrored Twilight’s expression. Rarity shook her head,

“D-did we just hear you correctly?”

Twilight did a slight bounce as she trotted over to a nearby table. Rarity couldn’t help but smile as she saw the remnants of old Twilight shine through.

“Yes, you have a heartbeat! Its very faint, but I’ll be damned to Tartarus if I didn’t hear your heart beat!” Twilight jotted down a few notes in a book on the table, and flipped a few pages, “I wrote something down a few months ago. About…” she trailed off until she found the page she was looking for, “Aha! Here. I wrote it down a while back that its possible that Bright Spark’s DNA was reacting differently to the Eventide Crystals. That’s why her body is showing such noticeable signs of life, while nothing has happened yet to Dead Moon, who died two years prior. Of course, Dead Moon is showing some signs too, but not to your extent. Your genetic makeup, combined with the Eventide crystals, has given you a rudimentary version of Elements of Harmony’s regenerative powers.” She finished looking at Sparks, “Do you know what that means?”

Sparks’ brows were arched in absolute confusion, “No, Miss Twilight?”

“It means, that you can never truly die. While it may take you far longer to regenerate than any of the Fallen, your body will regenerate itself. You are the cure to Death itself!! Goddesses, the possibilities!!-”

Sparks’ jaw dropped as she tuned out Twilight’s happy rant. She couldn’t believe it. Never truly die? Was this the very moment her life was supposed to lead up to?

Did she really want to live forever?

Twilight’s rant died out as she realized Sparks wasn’t talking. She calmed herself and cleared her throat,

“Sorry, I got a little excited…anyway, while you not having the ability to die is quite a find, I’m more so focused on the aspect of your regenerative properties. Something that could hopefully be extracted from your DNA.”

Sparks refocused on Twilight, “Extract?” she repeated. “You want to extract whatever this is, and give it to someone else?”

“Yes? Of course I do.”

“But why?”

Twilight’s face faltered into confusion, “Why what?”

“Why would you want to bring this upon someone else?”

“Bright Spark, the calm we’re experiencing right now is a piecemeal. There’s still a world war going on outside of the caldera. We’ve had dozens of squads go out for hundreds of miles. Most of our bases have been destroyed. Medical bunkers annihilated. Rebel fighters to this day, are being slaughtered. While forming an alliance with the Hive has been a massive benefit, we’re still suffering major losses while we’re recuperating.” She took a couple steps towards Sparks. “We’re no longer the ‘One Million Strong’ army. We’re not even half that. And for each creature we lose, that’s a potential Hellion for Spike’s army. We can’t afford to lose anyone else, and we certainly can’t afford to give him soldiers on a silver platter. With your help…with your DNA, we can keep what few fighters we have left alive, and give all of us a fighting chance to survive to the end of this.”

“But at what cost?” Sparks questioned. “For them to be forever stuck somewhere in the circle of life? To have them watch everyone they know and love die off for eternity?” her voice rose with her anger, “I didn’t choose this! I didn’t choose to be like this, you made that choice for me!”

“I did what I had to do to keep you alive!”

“Then you should’ve just let me die!!”

Rage somehow silenced Twilight, while Rarity looked on in disbelief. Before either could respond, Sparks vanished, teleporting herself to the caldera’s secret entrance. She used her magic to open the entrance and slid into the massive dark forest that ringed the caldera. Breaking into a furious gallop, she put as much distance between herself and the caldera as possible. When she felt like she was far enough, she plopped down on a slab of rock and buried her face in her hooves and bawled like a foal. Her eyes did something that they hadn’t done since she died;

They produced tears.

And so, she allowed herself to cry, and be consumed by the dark thoughts of self-hatred that she tried her hardest to keep down. She didn’t know how she had been there, and it took her a moment to smell the trademark scent of burning herbs. She looked up to see Haze approaching her,

“Whoa…I didn’t know you were able to make with the waterworks. What’s going on?”

Sparks stared at him for a moment. He was taller than all of the Apprentices now, but was still a very lanky stallion. His eyes held a permanent glaze over them. His coat was a bit duller with age, but had retained its violet hue. His mane and tail were still vibrant electric blue, but he kept them both in a more manageable appearance. Wispy waterfalls of drugged smoke spilled from his nostrils, forming a ring like fog around his hooves. He snorted to clear the smoke while he waited for a response. She wiped her tears and gave him a pitiful attempt of a reassuring smile,

“I-its nothing serious…”

While still maintaining some of its aloofness, there was a slight concern in his eyes,

“I’ve known you for years now, dudette. I can tell when something’s up. And even if we weren’t close, I’d have to be an idiot to not see those aren’t happy tears.” He wrapped a foreleg around her and pulled her close, “C’mon, tell Ol’ Haze what’s on your mind?”

Sparks sighed, “I just found out that my heart’s beating again.”

She looked up at him, but was met with an attentive gaze. So, she continued.

“My body is bringing itself back to life. No one thought that it was possible, but here I am…a living testament to immorality, without the Alicorn shortcut. Miss Twilight wants my DNA to see if she can recreate the effect and pass it on to other creatures as well.”

“Go on…”

“But that’s not the life I want to live. Who the hell wants to live forever? I mean, look at the Fallen. There only over hundred years old, but you can see it in their eyes; they’re tired…worn out. Sometimes, they look like they’re ready to give up. I feel like the only reason they don’t is because they have one another.” She rested her chin on one of her forehooves and sighed, “That’s not to say that I’m not thankful for what they’ve done for me since taking me in. I’ve been taught to wield some of the most powerful spells that a Unicorn could ever hope to learn, thanks to Master Rarity and Miss Twilight. If I were to leave right now and be on my own, I could smite nearly any enemy that came my way, never having to worry about anyone else.” A dark chuckle left her, “And thanks to my newfound immortality, I could do that forever.”

“So then…why don’t you?”

Sparks looked up at him, confused, “What?”

“What you just said. Why don’t you just go and do it?”

Sparks shifted her gaze elsewhere. Why didn’t she? What unspoken bonds were actually chaining her to the Fallen and other Apprentices? She was only supposed to Find the Fallen and see if they could bring the end of the Hell King. If nothing…they were more inactive than they were prior to her finding them. So why? Why did she stay?

For love.

Because they loved her. Though it was not as blatant as parental love, it was obvious that the Fallen loved her dearly. They had taken her in, given her the tools to truly survive in this apocalyptic world of theirs. She had roughhoused, ate, slept, and fought alongside the Fallen and Apprentices for half a decade now. They were…

“Because they're my family…” Sparks finished her inner monologue out loud. Haze leaned closers, a smile on his face.

“That’s right…we’re family. That’s why you don’t leave. That’s why you do nearly everything that’s asked of you from the Fallen. Hell, that’s why they do the same. You’re not going anywhere, so long as we’re here. And what’s even better…this is your found family. The family that you got to choose.”

“So…what should I do?”

“Well…in your opinion, do you think being immortal will have more positive, or negative consequences?

“More negative for sure.”

“Would you ever try to do anything that would negatively affect your family?”

“Absolutely not. Not if I could help it.”

“Then if that’s what you think, then you should follow your heart.” He looked off elsewhere, “See, the thing about families, is that sometimes, we do shit to each that just throws each other’s vibes off. But you know what? Real family, blood or not, if they care for one another, will talk out whatever is causing the source of frustration.” He lightly patted her back, “Miss Twilight is a part of this family. If you don’t want to take part in whatever she’s got for you, you’re going to have to tell her. Sure, she’s going to be pissed. She’s going to yell and scream, and you’re probably going to be terrified, because lets face it; she is was fucking scary ass mare.” Sparks groaned while he continued, “But, she’ll get over it, eventually. Despite her very logical mindset, she doesn’t see you as an asset or tool to be used. She sees you as family too. So, its your body, and you have every right to decide what happens to it. And, because she sees you as family, she won’t force you to submit.”

Sparks sighed softly, “I hope so…because she didn’t give me a chance the last time.”

Haze gave a small smile, “Don’t be so gloomy, you’re gonna be fine. You know, I never got to tell you, but I’m the first Apprentice.”

Sparks gave him an intrigued look, “Oh really?”

“Yup…Master Pinkie Pie found me when I was around 5 years old. She didn’t just mentor me, she raised me, both her and Miss Applejack. So trust me, I’ve been around here long enough to see how these mares act. The formalities and titles are more so for show around the rest of the Rebellion, so don’t worry so much.”

Sparks nuzzled his cheek, “Thank you so much, Haze.” She gave him a cheeky smile, “You know, you’re a pretty intuitive stallion…”

Haze blue a smoke ring from his mouth, “Trust me sister, once you get those chakras aligned, you’ll see things the way I do.” He pulled away from her and rose to his hooves and waved at her, “See ya later...”

Sparks said her goodbyes as he walked away. Without reason, she froze in place. without turning her head, her eyes shifted to the direction of where Haze had walked off. He was still there as well, frozen mid-step, with his head looking over his shoulder back in her direction.

“Blue Unicorn…Purple Earth Pony…”

They felt nearly immeasurable magic ripple across their coats. They started to turn their heads,

“Don’t, lest your minds succumb to the horror of what they cannot fathom…”

They stopped. Haze turned until he could focus his gaze on Sparks, who was briskly, but carefully trotting up to her.

“Who are you?” Haze questioned.

“I am the voice that guided the Element Bearers long ago. I am the reason they still fight.”

“The reason they still fight?” Sparks repeated. “With all due respect, ‘disembodied voice’, the reason they fight is because we’re in the middle of a world war with the Hell King.”

“The Hell King? I see…so that is the name he now bears…”

“You know who he is?”

“Yes…I know who the Purple Dragon is…”

Sparks closed her eyes and looked in the direction of the voice, and gasped. There was a translucent form of a massive Earth Pony stallion, with a vertically split, two-tone coat, and a mane and tail that billowed like that of the Alicorns. She knew the form of this stallion from her mother’s teachings. She bowed before the stallion,

“It is…the utmost honor, to be in your presence right now, Great One.”

“The honor is mine as well, Blue Alicorn. It has been quite some time since I’ve seen a Unicorn with such mastery of the ‘Mind’s Eye’ spell.”

“Can I open my eyes?” Haze asked.

“No!” Sparks quickly replied, “No, don’t open your eyes, no matter what.” She focused back on the stallion, “What brings you to our realm, Great One?”

“Unfortunately, I come bearing news that does not bode well for this realm. This war is falling into chaos and turmoil, in such a manner that the gods and goddesses are turning their gaze upon it. Soon, I will be forced to bring this world to an end, in order to restore balance back to the universe.”

“How can we stop that from happening?”

“The dark weapon breathes. Its existence heralds the beginning of the end. Bringing about its destruction shall bring forth the wrath of the Corrupted One. Only by overcoming the rage of primordial evil, will the cycle cease.”

“Wait Great One, ‘dark weapon’? What is it? How do we find it? Where do we look?”

Silence was her only response as the surge of power dissipated. The stallion had vanished.

“Sparks? Is it safe now?”

“Yeah…go ahead…”

“Yooo, so…who or what was that?”

“No time to explain, we gotta go!” She enveloped Haze in her magic and broke off into a sprint, a goofy smile appeared on his face he cartwheeled in the air, unbothered by the fact he was being magically dragged by the Unicorn.

“Go where?”

“We’ve gotta tell the others about this!!”

-MLP-

Hell King lumbered into his dining room, and took a seat before the dining room’s table. There was a feast of jewels laid out for him, extravagant and an amazing sight to behold. He licked his lips and picked up a fat chunk of a ruby. Just as he was about to pop the jewel into his mouth, a Hellion donning a doctor’s coat excitedly trotted up beside the massive table,

“Mighty King of Hell…” The Hellion started. “I wish to pass wonderful news to you!”

“It must be if you’re risking death for interrupting my dinner…”

Surprisingly, the Hellion seemed unaffected, “It is my greatest pleasure to announce to you that the experiment Is complete.”

A vile grin spread across his face, “You don’t say?...” he rose from his seat and knelt down to be closer to the Hellion, ml;

The Hellion doctor quickly nodded, “Absolutely, Great Dragon.”

The Hellion quickly trotted off, with the giant dragon trailing behind him. They traveled down an immense length of halls before coming to a massive steel door. The Hellion pushed a few buttons on a nearby panel, and the door slid up, welcoming them inside. It appeared to be a massive laboratory, filled with massive steel and glass canisters, filled with twisted forms of things that were questionable to be considered living creatures. They passed them, heading straight to a canister that was the farthest in the back. Inside, levitating in the mass of green plasma, was a sleek, black Unicorn. Even while floating in the ooze, it was easy to determine that he was massive in his stature, and even appeared to easily be a head or two taller than the former Sun Princess. He did not have the same, slender forms of the Alicorns, and nearly every part of him was muscle. His mane and tail were a deep blue. His hooves faintly glowed a violet hue. A breathing apparatus that was linked to the top of the canister covered his mouth. Hell King smiled,

“He’s amazing. I’m not one to give out compliments, but…your team did an excellent job creating him…” he pressed on of his hands against the glass, “You look like you could fuck some shit up…” he looked down at the doctor, “Let’s start waking him up. I want to make this guy in action.”

“With pleasure, King of Hell.”

He went over to a long panel table that was covered in various buttons and knobs. He pushed a few of the buttons, then pulled the massive lever next to the panel. Hell King’s eyes lit up as electricity snaked it way through the canister. The Unicorn twitched. His eyelids started to flicker as he struggled to open his eyes,

“Yes, my dark prince…open your eyes for your king!!”

As if on command, the Unicorn’s eyes shot open. Like the other Hellions, his sclera were black, with emerald irises sitting in the center of the dark pools. Hell King smiled with sinister delight as the Unicorn’s eyes focused on him.

“Welcome to you new world, Dark Star…”

Prepare For War!

"So what you’re telling us, is that Ubenox spoke to you?” Twilight questioned. Sparks nodded quickly,

“Yes, Miss Twilight.”

“Are you sure?”

Sparks let out a slight frustrated huff, “With all due respect, any Unicorn worth their salt knows who he is. I know it was him.”

“Why did he choose to speak to you though?” Dash jumped in. “I mean, we haven’t had a vision from him in like what, 60 years?”

“He didn’t show up in a vision.” Haze stated. “He was actually there. Even I could feel the power he gave off.”

Pinkie slammed a hoof down, “No way! You two would be loco in the coco if you saw him for real!”

“I had Haze keep his eyes closed, and I used a ‘Mind’s Eyes’ spell.”

Applejack rubbed her chin thoughtfully, “So…'a dark weapon that breathes'…what in tarnation are we supposed ta do with a clue that weak?”

“Hold up.” Dash pinched the bridge of her nose with her hooves, “Are we really gonna try to follow a clue from someone who hasn’t spoken to us in over half a century?”

“He has yet to lead us astray.” Rarity defended. “We must keep our faith.”

Dash scoffed, “He’s someone that the Unicorns worship, not us.” She gestured to herself and Pinkie. “He can’t ‘lead us astray’ if he’s not here to begin with. Where’s he been since the world went to shit?”

“Dashie…its not like he’s some folkloric being.” Fluttershy placed a wing against Dash’s back, earning her attention. “We’ve seen him. We know he’s real. We know the evil that he’s talking about it real. Which means, we’re really on the brink of having our planet destroyed to restore balance…”

They all looked at one another. Twilight rose to her hooves,

“If he’s giving us this clue after six decades of silence, then perhaps…we’re nearing the end.” She drummed her forehooves on the table thoughtfully for a few moments before speaking again, “Rainbow and Patchwork, you two are going to go to the armories and make sure the staff are ready to start passing out weapons. Pinkie and Purple Haze, I need you two to go down to the bio-wing and start having our teams loading up the battle potions into their respective bottles and cases.”

Pinkie and Dash nodded.

“Applejack, you and Skye Wave are going to have the armorers start getting ready to pass out their stock, and when you get there, please make sure pick up the additional pieces for your hindlegs.

“Ah don’t need all that extra garbage on mah flank!”

“Jackie please, just go get the upgrades!” Pinkie implored. “We don’t have time to sit here and bicker about that!”

Applejack let out a defeated sigh, “Yes, Sugar…” she ignored the giggles from Rarity and Skye, while Dash made whip sounds. Twilight rolled her eyes, but still had a small smile on her face before looking over at Fluttershy and Dee, “Can you two start having our nocturnal fighters return to their barracks? They need to be getting rested up. Any of our support teams can get their weapons for them.”

Fluttershy nodded in understanding. Twilight turned to look at her Rarity,

“I need you and Bright Spark to let the council know to start sending the children, elderly, and injured into the fallout shelters.”

“What are you going to do, love?”

Twilight’s face hardened. “I need to speak with Sylphina and Scarab to have them have their troops start preparing as well.” She looked around at the group, “Does everyone know what their doing?”

The remainder of the group gave varying response of affirmation. Twilight gave them a friendly smile,

“Then good luck to you all…”

-MLP-

Twilight stood beside Sylphina and Scarab on the castles main balcony that overlooked that overlooked the Hive’s courtyard. It was filled to the brim with a mixture of the Hive and Rebellion. Sylphina took a couple steps forward,

“The First Fallen has requested that she speak you with you all.” her voice boomed loud and clear, commanding the attention of her subjects and those who followed the Fallen. “I ask that you give her your undivided attention just as we had done so.”

She stepped to the side, allowing Twilight to approach the railing.

“For decades, your kind has lived in relative peace and tranquility, despite the chaos and destruction that continues outside of the caldera.” She started. “And then, your Sovereign had the kindness to allow us into your home. They gave us food, a home, and more importantly, a chance to rebuild and share in the comfort that our Rebellion has not felt in decades. It is a gesture that even as the First Fallen, I’m not sure I’d ever be able to fully repay in turn, but and forever thankful for.”

There was slight roar of creatures in support of her words. She let a small smile flash across her lips before stomping her hoof loudly, making them fall into silence once more.

“But myself and the other Fallen, shall do our best to return in kind. We have shown your our ways, combined our forces, and fortified your home. Through this alliance, we have made ourselves stronger than possible alone, and now it’s time for us to show the enemy what we’re made of.” She looked around the courtyard, “The Hell King and his minions have started to rise up again. They bring with them a new weapon. Something that could destroy our hard work. Something that could kill our loved one. Something that not only threatens our home, but our way of life. We are in the process of bringing hope from the verge of extinction, and we shouldn’t let him take that from us!!”

Another round of cheering began.

“So we will don our armor! We will pick up our weapons! We will rally our troops! We will stand against our foe, and fight! And for generations to come, they will make songs of praises and share their stories us, of the mighty force that defeats the Hell King!!”

The cheering reached a new level of intensity. Twilight’s horn and eye glowed bright, as she reared up on her hind legs, and boomed out in the Royal Canterlot Voice,

“NOW, LET’S PUT AN END TO THE HELL KING’S REIGN, FOREVER!!!”

The cheering turned into a deafening roar in response to her command. sparks and Rarity, who had finished their task pretty quickly, watched Twilight’s speech from the crowd. Chills rippled through their spines at the power of her words.

“Wow, she’s…awesome.” Sparks stated slowly, nearly at a loss for words. Rarity got a proud and grin on her face,

“My dearest Twilight has always had a way with words.” Her eyes got the dreamy glaze of a lovestruck filly, “My silver-tongued warrior…”

Sparks smiled as she briefly looked at the other mare, who had a slight blush while she giggled and stomped her hooves in a cheer. She hoped that the time would come that they’d be able to cheer for the final time.

-MLP-

“Ah heard ya lil’ speech earlier!!” Applejack patted Twilight’s back, “Good on ya, Twi! Way ta light a fire in their souls!”

Twilight pulled Applejack into a half hug, “They need to be pumped up. None of us have had to deal with any of Spike’s warriors in five years, and its been…35 years since we’ve come face-to-face with him…”

“Yeah…if he knew where we were, he would’ve come straight for the colony.” Dash pointed out.

“Exactly. Which means, the next time we meet him…the fight isn’t going to end with a retreat from either side…”

Rarity stood beside Twilight and lovingly nuzzled her cheek, “We’ll do everything we can to get Spike back…”

Dash flicked Applejack’s barrel with her tail, “Let’s go AJ, I need to get those upgrades in place. I don’t wanna wait until the last minute to get them on and risk messing them up.”

Applejack let out another sigh of discontent before tailing being Dash to her ‘Awesome Room’, as her friend called it. Pinkie giggled and trotted behind them, disappearing from the room. Fluttershy’s brow was furrowed as she had been stewing in some unknown inner monologue. She decided to speak up,

“I just don’t understand how they can be so…calm about all this.”

Rarity’s head tilted a bit, “What ever do you mean, darling?”

“We’re about to, one way or another, put an end to a war that’s been going on far longer than we’ve been alive…” she started a slow pace in front of them, “And what if we can’t save him? Luna was possessed by the Corrupted One for years, and this was something far stronger than whatever dark magic turned her into Nightmare Moon. Once she surrendered to it…she had to be killed to stop it.”

Twilight and Rarity exchanged worried glances as Fluttershy continued.

“And then, there was you.” the Pegasus’ gaze hardened a bit as she looked at Twilight, “I have a question.”

Twilight arched a brow, confused by Fluttershy’s sudden change in demeanor. “What is it?”

“We saw Luna make her choice. She to become that thing that killed hundreds of creatures, including our daughter and Applejack’s sister. And those are the ones we knew of. So…I can’t help but wonder…if you made that same choice.”

Twilight’s jaw locked as she stared at Fluttershy, whom had lost all traces of her meekness. Rarity shifted nervously as she looked between the two,

“Fluttershy…what happened in the past should stay there.” She looked over at Twilight, “Love, you don’t have to answer that.”

Fluttershy gave her a sharp look, “What she did doesn’t lessen in its vileness just because you’re sleeping with her.”

Twilight stepped in front of Rarity, “Leave her out of this, Fluttershy.”

A growl rumbled deep from Fluttershy’s chest, “I love her too, but she involved herself. And for how long this continues, is up to how long it takes for you to answer me.”

The tension in the room shifted, and the pregnant silence that filled it was palpable. Twilight finally spoke,

“I did…make the choice...”

Fluttershy’s irises flashed crimson, “So you chose to become that monster.”

Twilight’s expression was one of regret, “When I made my pact, I only wanted to better the kingdom.”

“You turned Celestia into a helpless filly!” Fluttershy snarled.

“I didn’t know things were going to spiral out of control like that!”

“You betrayed us!! Treated us like we were your lesser!!”

“I wasn’t myself by the time-”

The Pegasus irises faded to crimson, “You murdered us!!!”

Rarity stepped in between the two, “Fluttershy, please, that’s enough!-”

“Look at you!!” Fluttershy hissed, fangs now bared for them to see, “She made Spike burn you alive!! She made you look like that!!!”

The air was sucked from the room as Rarity bit her bottom lip. Tears pooled into her eyes, and the crimson left Fluttershy’s eyes as she felt instantaneous regret.

“R-Rarity…I’m..I’m so sorry-”

“You may think I look like a hideous beast, but I have someone who loves me as I am. You say Twilight was a monster…but the only monster I see right now, is you.” she turned her snout upward, “Twilight, if you need me, I’ll be taking a soak to soothe my nerves.”

With that, she left. Fluttershy stared at the door, before turning back to Twilight, who dominated over her with her posture. She shifted under the intense glare.

“I was…upset, that Celestia wouldn’t let me prove what I was capable of. To let me show her that I could just be a pretty face to the royal lineage. The Corrupted One took advantage of that weakness in me, and I allowed it when I made my choice. I didn’t just fail her, but you girls too. Not only did I not better the kingdom, I helped in the near destruction of the planet. And…while in hindsight, we know it wouldn’t have worked, I was too weak and afraid to let the Corrupted One die off with me.” she took a couple steps towards Fluttershy, “I still feel that pain, that regret, and I don’t need you to make me feel shittier than I already do.”

She made her way past Fluttershy, leaving to go and comfort her partner. Fluttershy sighed softly to herself. She didn’t know how she would, but she’d do whatever she could to make things right…

-MLP-

Hell King looked down at his precious new creation. Beside the dragon, stood Eternal, Trixie, and Sombra. The three ponies looked at the Unicorn with distrust in their eyes,

“If I may ask, Great Dragon, who is he?” Sombra questioned.

Hell King let out a throaty chuckle, “This is Dark Star…a little experiment I’d been working on for the past 16 years.”

“I feel like I’ve seen his face before…” Eternal said softly.

“Because you have…” Hell King replied. His smile got even more sinister as he stared down at Dark Star, “But worry not…everything will be revealed in due time. But, I will point out, some of his strengths come from you.” he pointed at the trio. They looked at one another before bowing to him,

“It is an honor that you found our genes worthy of your creation.” Trixie stated humbly.

“I’d be honored too.” Hell King replied, his ego seeping between his teeth. He looked back down at Dark Star, who looked up at him with an unreadable expression. The drake arched a scaly brow, but ignored the pony’s expression,

“Dark Star…I have brought you into this world with but one purpose; To serve me. you will be my claws upon the world, doing my bidding without a moment’s hesitation.”

Dark Star gave a sneer that rivaled that of Hell King’s, “But of course, Hell Father. I will gladly carry out your darkest desires.” He replied, the base in his voice reminiscent of the deep rumble of a distant volcano.

A slight shiver jolted though Trixie. She looked between Eternal and Sombra. They both gave her a looked, giving confirmation that they could feel something…strange…radiating off the stallion. Hell King nodded in pleased content,

“You’re going to make a fine addition to my warriors…”

Dark Star’s horn sparked with a big of black magic, “I sense magic that is not of your own…”

Before the Hell King could ask what he meant, an armored Hellion rushed into the room. Her body appeared to be more beaten and twisted that normal. Her armor was badly damaged, showing clear signs of a recent battle that did not result in victory. She stopped in front of the group, gasping for air as she reached for something in one of her saddle packs,

“Mighty King of Hell…forgive my sudden intrusion.” The Hellion started, still struggling to breathe. “But we…we were ambushed…by…by the Fallen.”

Hell King knelt down, a dark sparkle lit in his eyes,

“You were attacked by the Fallen? Are you absolutely sure?”

She nodded, “Yes, Your Majesty…Applejack and Fluttershy were with a group of rebels. Their numbers were s-so vast. We were no match…”

The dragon’s brow furrowed, “So you fled for your worthless life like a coward?”

The Hellion shook her head, “They sent me here. Teleported me to the front of the castle.” She pulled out a large crystal, “They told me to give this to you….”

Hell King snarled as she snatched the crystal from the creature’s claws. They knew where his castle was? How long had they known? Did they know of he newest creation?

He snapped his fingers, engulfing the crystal in dark magic. it spun in his claw before hovering above his palm. It then sparked with its own lavender magic, dispelling the dark magic enveloping it. Hell King grunted at this observation. It would seem that Twilight had indeed grown in strength, if a simple messenger crystal could hold so much power. It flickered and displayed an image of Twilight, and Hell King couldn’t help but smirk,

“Wow, Trixie really did a number on you.” he chuckled, “You look like an experiment gone wrong.”

‘My gods…she did that to you?’

Twilight mirrored him, “You’re worried about my looks when you should be worried about the damage we’ve done to your army.”

His smile immediately dissipated. “Big talk for an old mare in hiding. What was the point of sending me this comm-crystal?”

“Hidin’?” Applejack suddenly appeared beside the Unicorn. She tilted her Stetson up and grinned at him, “But in order fer us ta be hidin’ we’d have ta afraid of ya, an’ that ain’t the case at all.”

Dash entered the hologram as well, placing her chin on Applejack’s hat, “And not only are we not afraid of you, we’re gonna kick your scaly ass all up and down that castle!”

“HOLD YOUR TONGUE, FOOLISH PEGASUS!!” Eternal bellowed, “HOW DARE YOU SPEAK TO THE MIGHTY KING OF HELL IN SUCH A MANNER!!”

Fluttershy scooted herself into the camera, a gentle smile on her face, “Spike…we’re going to do everything we can to get you back, okay?”

‘I look forward to it!’

“Give up your silly dream of seeing Spike. He, as you know him, is no more.”

Pinkie bounded into view, resting her chin underneath the farmer’s chin,

“Yeah right, we know he’s in there. We’re gonna make him come back to us.”

‘My family…’

Rarity trotted into view, sitting beside Twilight and curling her tail around the other other Unicorn’s prosthetic leg, “It would honestly be wise for you to surrender, and return Spike to us immediately.”

“We know where the castle is.” Twilight declared in a dangerous tone. “You’re not going to win this, Corrupted One. We’re going to destroy your kingdom, put an end to your tyranny, and we’re getting my brother back.” Her gaze softened, as if she knew she was looking at Spike behind the Hell Kings evil gaze, “Brother…I know you’re in there, and I just want you to know that I love you…very very much.”

“I LOVE YOU TOO!!”

Everyone gasped before the room fell into silence. Before any of the Fallen could say anything, Hell King smashed the crystal into dust. He belted out a roar that shook the very foundations of the castle. He snarled and raged on, and everyone in the room vanished in an instant to not be caught up in his fury. How dare this pathetic, insolent little soul still lodged in his body spoke out! He hadn’t actually spoken out in over six decades! Where did this sudden burst of willpower come from? He took a couple deep calming breathes in an attempt to bring his rage to a simmer, and snapped his fingers, summoning the mirror. The reflection gave him a snarky grin. Hell King’s rage started to boil again. He pointed at the mirror,

“Don’t speak. If you utter a single word, I will personally see to the rape and torture of your little family!!”

Spike’s grin evaporated, replaced with bared fangs and a rumbling growl.

“You think this is over, don’t you? You really think the Fallen are going to be able to kill me? This world already belongs to me, and I will not some weak, miniscule little rebellion take it from me! I’m going to destroy them, and after making you watch, I’ll take care of you next!!”

He snapped his fingers again, making the mirror vanish. He teleported himself to his balcony. He belted out another fierce roar, one that summoned all of his nearby minions into the courtyard. He slammed his fists on the railing, making certain that all eyes were on him,

“My legion…the Fallen have done us a great favor! They’ve done of the kindness of bringing the battle to us! Soon, you shall all have countless bodies to feed upon!!”

The creatures of brimfire and darkness snarled and hissed in a vile cheer.

“They think they stand a chance against us, but the power I can give you is limitless!! You will bring about an end to the Rebellion, and the Kingdom of Hell shall rule for eternity!!”

The cheering rose. He smiled and belted out a final command;

“GO FORTH! RIP AND TEAR! DESTROY THEM!!”

Reunion Among The Battlefield

Sparks was amazed at how much the world had changed in the three years she stayed near the hive. She thought it couldn’t get any worse, but somehow, it had. The bones of ponies and other strange species lay strewn upon the layers of ash that covered the ground. The air reeked of burning, decayed things and almost seemed void of breathable oxygen. Trees had fossilized, caked in dust and debri that made them look like bony fingers reaching out of the ground. A chill ran through her spine at the scene she was taking in. She didn’t know whether to be glad at the small sign of her body showing life, or terrified. The only sounds hitting her ears, was the sound of the mini Gatling guns tapping against her armor. She looked behind her. 4000 members of the rebellion slowly walked behind her. This was her brigade of fighters, her warriors that would follow her commands without hesitation. She had been training to be a leader since they joined the hive, but she never thought that her time to step up would come so quickly. She took a few calming breaths, then looked up at the darkened sky. Dash was supposed to be stopping by to check on her and the rest of the Apprentices, even though all of the Fallen and the Apprentices were wearing communication headsets. She figured that Dash just wanted to have some face-to-face time with each of them. As if on cue, the Pegasus landed beside her. She looked over at Sparks,

“How are you feeling, kid?”

“I’m okay, I guess. I just wish I had something to distract me right now.”

Dash looked away with a thoughtful look on her face, “You know, when I was just a little filly, I had one dream; to be a Wonderbolt. So I raced, and flew, and raced some more. I didn’t really care if I made friends or not. I just figured I’d make plenty of them when I became a Wonderbolt.” She smiled, “But then, ‘Shy came along.”

“With all due respect, she seems a bit…’shy’. No pun intended. I’m sure you didn’t see yourself being friends with her.”

The Wonderbolt let out a raspy chuckle, “Yeah…I know. I honestly didn’t. She was getting picked on by a couple of our classmates. I stood up to them, and in my race to defend her, I earned my cutie mark.”

Sparks grinned, “That’s pretty cool, Miss Rainbow Dash.” She grinned even harder, “Master Rarity told me you’re the reason that The Fallen got their cutie marks as well.”

Dash’s smile shrunk a little, “I guess…I mean, that’s what Egghead said, but I can’t take all the credit. Those girls are amazing all on their own, and I don’t think that I’m the reason that they’re that way.”

“Well…whether you’re the reason or not, you’re still absolutely awesome, Miss Rainbow Dash.”

Her smile returned full force, “Well thank you, Sparks. You’re pretty cool yourself.” She unfurled her wings, “I’m gonna go check on the others. Make sure they’re doing alright.” She flapped her wings, and hovered beside her for a moment, “Catch you later, kid!!”

There was a small wave of power that surged from her as she shot into the sky. Sparks’ armor rattled against her body, along with the soldiers behind her. She was glad she’d done crazy sparring in this armor.

-Flashback-

“This is the Multi-Kill Mesh Armor, also known as, the MK-MA!” Dash declared. “It’s a breathable form fitting mesh suit that allows interlocking titanium-alloy plates to be attached to it. Each place is also coated with pressurized diamond dust.”

“Perfectly good diamonds WASTED!!” Rarity screamed out. Dash rolled her eyes and carried on,

“Anyway, this shit is impenetrable to anything Spike throws at us.” She scratched the back of her head, “At least…it should be able to…”

“It should?” Twilight repeated. “What if it doesn’t?”

“Then we’ll all probably die.”

“Then what in tarnation is the point ta us wearin’ it?” Applejack questioned angrily.

“Because it’s better than running into a fight with no protection at all.” Dash replied bluntly. “And you seem to forget that I’m the best mechanic in the whole damn militia. On top of that, I have a great team of fellow mechanics that help me out. So, how about you have a little faith in me, shut up, and let me finish?”

Applejack snorted angrily, but said nothing. Dash cleared her throat and continued.

“Now, there’s two things that you have to know about the suit. First off, despite it’s sleek look, it’s actually heavy as fuck. The reason being, is because the amount of pressurized diamond dust that coats the armor. We put a lot on so that there won’t be any weak spots on it.”

“Well how much does it weigh?” Fluttershy asked.

“300 pounds.”

Pinkie was the only one in the group to not cringe. Twilight was the first to speak up,

“Rainbow…that’s a lot of weight, considering the fact it doesn’t even have any weapons mounted to it yet.”

Applejack sized up the suit, “That’s a good amount of weight, even fer me.”

“Annnnd that’s where I come in!!” Pinkie stated excitedly, as she bounced over to the suit. She grabbed the helmet and brought it over to them. She flipped it, so that the others could see the inside of it.

“See that teeny little pin, right there?” Pinkie asked as she pointed at it. “It’s connected to a series of signaling interface inside the helmet. This needle syncs up with your brain and shoots little pulses into it, making it send signals to the adrenal glands in our kidneys, and forcing them to pour adrenaline into the body at a slow but steady flow. It’s enough to let us carry more than it’s average amount of weight, without burning them out before they even get into a fight. The only thing to not like about this thing, is that when you put it on, this needles extends at an incredibly fast rate, lodging itself into your skull!!”

Dee got a pained look on her face, “With all due respect, Miss Pinkie, that sounds very painful, and somepony would feel that every time they put one of the helmets on. And what happens if it misfires and shoots in too far?"

Pinkie tapped her chin thoughtfully, “Maybe I shouldn’t have worded it like that.” She looked at at the helmet in her hooves, “But don't worry, Dashie and I calibrated the needle until, and tested it out on myself first before mass producing them. The perfect calibration has been set, and perfected. Besides, I didn’t want anypony dying because of an overlooked mistake on my part.”

Applejack took a step forward, “An’ yer always on me about takin’ risks! Dammit Pinkie, how could ya go about an' do somethin' like that that an’ not tell me?!”

Pinkie gave her wife an apologetic look, “I’m sorry, Jackie. I should’ve told you what I was doing…” she walked over and put the helmet back in it’s respective spot. “At least…I did my job, and the helmet works perfectly. The only thing you’ll feel when putting the helmet on, is a small prick to the forehead.”

Patch walked up to it to get a closer look at it, “Ah think Master Rainbow Dash an’ Miss Pinkie Pie did a fine job with this armor. Ah’d be mighty proud tah be wearin’ one in battle.”

Dash grinned and patted his back, “You keep this up and you might get the first of it’s future upgrades!!”

'With all due respect…I hope we don’t need upgrades.' Skye spoke out. They all focused on her,

“What makes you say that?” Fluttershy questioned.

'Because hopefully…this will be the last war we’ll ever have to fight in…'

-End Flashback-

“Brigadier General Spark.”

Sparks’ ears perked up as she heard her name being called out. She turned to see an Earth Pony Commander walking beside her.

“Yes? What is it?”

“We’re approaching out first destination, Ma’am. What would you have us do?”

“Deploy Battalions 10-16 here. They’ll become the center flank. I want the 5th Aerial Squadron up ahead, and have it split up into two parts. They’ll need to keep an eye out for Brigadier General Work and Brigadier General Moon’s brigades.”

“Yes ma’am.” The commander turned away and went to pass on the word. Sparks’ earpiece crackled as Fluttershy spoke to her,

“Sparks…you and I are going to go first. Are you ready?”

“Yes, Miss Fluttershy.”

Sparks tilted her head. All of her soldiers that weren’t staying in the area followed her. She continued forward, and looked to her left. She could make out a few silhouettes of ponies flying. For about half an hour, there was nothing. No sounds of war. Nothing but the sounds of their armor clanking and the beating of wings in the air. And then;

There was an explosion of sounds.

“Pinks, you got hordes on your left!!” Rainbow's warning reached all of their head sets.

Sparks flinched as gunfire rang out to her left. She felt a prick right above her horn, and her eyes went wide. She suddenly felt wave after wave of electricity coursing through her veins. She heard the screech of monsters on her right. A Hellion leapt in front of her and fired a pistol with a long barrel. Rounds ricocheted off of her armor as she turned and aimed her Gatling guns on the enemy. She fired rounds that pierced it’s already rotting flesh with ease. She spun around and faced her brigade group,

“BREAK INTO BATTALIONS, AND TAKE OUT THE ENEMY!!!”

The entire brigade group let out a war cry, as they split into massive groups and let loose on the Hellions. She charged into the fray, signal after signal blared into her head piece.

“Dash, there’s a horde of flying Hellions above your squadron!!”

“Ah’ve got hordes on mah flank an’ on mah right!!”

“Fluttershy, I need back up immediately!!!”

Sparks charged on, her mini Gatling guns automatically aiming in on Hellions that came within firing range. The sound of rounds bouncing off of her armor echoed in her ears. A Hellion landed in her field of view. She tackled it to the ground and stomped it’s skull in, before continuing on with her gallop. Voices continued screaming into her earpiece.

“Duuuuuude, there’s so many of these things!!”

“Yer tellin’ me! These vermin are all over the place!”

“MASTER FLUTTERSHY, LOOK OUT!!!”

In the distance, a dark blue mushroom cloud rose from the ground. Sparks skidded to a halt and looked at it. She tapped the button to activate her mouthpiece,

“Miss Fluttershy?!”

There was no reply in the earpiece.

“Somepony, get me a location for her, NOW!!” Twilight commanded. A mare answered her through the headpiece,

“It looks like she’s about 300 yards away from me, First Fallen!!”

“What is your location point, Commander?!”

“93 degrees latitude, and 124 degrees longitude, First Fallen!!”

“I want Bright Spark and Rarity over there, stat!!”

“I’m already heading there, darling!!”

“Yes, Miss Twilight!!”

Sparks turned and galloped in the direction of the cloud as quickly as she could. She saw a rainbow shoot across the blackened sky over her head and heading towards the cloud. She focused magic in to her horn, doing quick teleportation jumps in between her sprints. She came up to the scene of Fluttershy standing tall, soaked in blood and peppered with the ashes of the world. Her fangs were bared and her eyes were tinged crimson. Dee landed beside her mentor, splattered with the lifeblood of her fallen comrades and enemies. Across from them, stood Eternal Slumber. Her ebony eyes were shimmering from the various explosions across the battlefield. She pulled her lips back into a crooked smile, fangs spotted with blood,

“You barely managed to dodge that. No matter, I managed to take out some of your pathetic little pawns. It looks like we’ll be adding more soldiers to serve our mighty God-King.”

Fluttershy snorted, a light blood mist spouting from her nostrils. She took a couple slow steps towards the Alicorn. Eternal raised a brow, wondering what the Pegasus-now-turned-vampony was doing. Before she could blink, Fluttershy was but an inch away from her face. She let out something between a hiss and a shriek. Eternal’s ears folded against her head to block out the sound. Black blood oozed from her ears and nostrils. She fell to her knees from the sound. Fluttershy raised her forelegs up, before bringing them down on Eternal’s skull. Her head slammed into the ground, and her skull caved in under the pressure. Fluttershy removed her hooves from the skull with a soft, squishing sound, and she landed delicately back on the earth. She turned to Dee and Sparks,

“I’m fine here. Go ahead and-”

Her ear twitched, and her wings snapped open. She rocketed into the sky as a beam of black magic smashed the ground where she was just standing. It rippled through the surface, and caused the ground to become unstable. Sparks leapt to the side to avoid it, but the failing stability of the earth was starting to spread faster than she could avoid it. She felt hooves latch onto her as the ground crumbled under her hooves. She looked up to see Dash had grabbed her.

“Thank you, Miss Rainbow Dash!”

“No problem!” she landed somewhere where it was safe, and set the Unicorn down. She landed beside her and looked at the source of the attack. Sparks couldn’t help but get unsettled as she saw the shocked look on the old Wonderbolt’s face.

“No, fucking way!!!” Dash snorted angrily. Fluttershy and Dee landed on each side of them. The butter yellow Vampony also had a look of shock upon her face.

“My my, Eternal. It seems that they’ve gotten stronger. Or perhaps, you’ve gotten weaker.” A deep, throaty voice teased.

Even though Eternal’s skull was repairing itself, the part of her brain that controlled speech had yet to heal. She sputtered and made strange moans and groans in a futile attempt to speak. She slowly rose to her hooves and looked over at the pony speaking to her. Fluttershy arched a brow,

“Well, if it isn’t the Old Tyrant of the Crystal Empire…”

Dash stomped her hooves excitedly, “Oh my Gods, I can’t wait to put your ass back into the dirt! I’m surprised Spike decided to bring you back from the dead in the first place!!”

Sombra smiled, his fangs bared as well, “Because unlike Trixie and Eternal Slumber, I have ALWAYS been a master of the dark arts. That, and I’ve always been evil. Neither one of these silly mares can match me hoof to hoof when it comes to my vileness.”

“I head hurts...Fast than use to be…” Eternal slowly stated. Speech had returned to her mind, but she wasn’t able to put them into completely comprehensible sentences yet. Sombra shook his head and rose a hoof,

“Please, shut up. I’ll take care of them myself.”

His horn started to ooze with violet and lime green magic, and strands of violet magic lined his eyes. His fangs appeared to grow as his smile seemed to turn more dastardly with each passing second. The ground started to tremble beneath their hooves,

“You’re about to learn a lesson, my little fillies!” he cackled out. “You’re going to learn just who the most powerful fighter is!!”

Sparks’ horn whined with powerful magic, begging to be unleashed on this new (to her, at least) enemy that stood before them,

“And you’re going to learn that there’s always somepony that’s going to be stronger than you!! And that’s-”

“MEEEE!!!!!!”

The southern war cry that followed after was surprising to say that least. The group had a collective shocked look on it’s face, before a certain, country loving farm pony slammed into the ground in front of him. She stared into his vile eyes, without a trace of fear in her own.

“IT’S BUCKIN’ SEASON!!”

She spun around and quickly coiled her hind legs up like muscular springs. He fired off a bolt of black magic as quickly as he could. Applejack was undeterred though, and let loose those bucking legs that had made her famous all those years ago. Her hooves hit his chin with a sickening *THWACK!!*, and Dash couldn’t help but stomp her hooves with an energy that matched that of a filly cheerleader.

“Alright, Applejack!!”

Applejack leapt forward, as Sombra stumbled a bit. He shook his head, while Eternal belted out a laugh.

“I’m so glad I healed quickly enough for my mind to process that, because that was FANTASTIC!!” the Alicorn shouted between laughs. Sombra looked up at Applejack with bubbling hate, as he cracked his jaw back into place.

“That was…painful.” The smoky grey Unicorn admitted. He cracked his neck and stared at her, “Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to take my turn.”

His horn instantly flared up again, and he fired off at the group. He blasted Dash, making her slam into her wife.

“Master Fluttershy!! Miss Rainbow Dash!!” Dee bolted over to them. She nuzzled their faces. Dash patted her cheek,

“I’m fine, kid. Just…just give us a sec. Go check on the others…”

Dee jumped up and searched for Sparks and Applejack. The young Unicorn had shielded Applejack with a magic spell.

“Are you okay, Miss Applejack?”

“Ah’m fine.” The Earth Pony replied. “Looks like ya returned the favor of the day we saved yer hide.”

Sparks smiled, “It looks like I did…”

Their friendly conversation was cut short by another blast of hot magic shooting Sparks on the side of her armor. It jarred her bones, and she rattled from the shock of it. Sombra stomped the ground, and dark violet crystals shot out of the earth. One of the crystal pillars managed to rip off one of the plates of Dash’s armor.

“Dammit, dude! You fucked up my armor!!”

Eternal spread her wings, “I think I see the white one in the distance. You said you could handle them, correct?”

“I’ll do a better job than you ever could.”

Eternal rolled her eyes and took to the skies. Sombra’s smile had disappeared,

“Your souls will soon belong to our God-King…”

He stomped a hoof again. Rows upon rows of dark crystals shot out of the dirt. The Pegasus and the two Vamponies swiftly dodged the spires of crystals that were aimed at them, while Applejack and Sparks danced around to avoid the ones aimed for them.

“STOP MOVING AND ACCEPT YOUR FATE!!” Sombra screamed.

“Oh, I’m sorry, Sombra. But, we can’t do that.”

He couldn’t help but flinch as he felt something breathing on the back of his neck. He turned to see Fluttershy was hovering right above him. Magic whirled through his horn, but not quickly enough to avoid being bitten by Fluttershy. She latched down onto his neck, and all movement from him stopped. The others stopped moving and looked on at the scene.

“Why…why did we all stop?” Sparks asked the Earth Pony beside her. Applejack took her hat off,

“Welp…ain’t nothin’ we can do tah stop her now…”

Dee and Dash landed beside her. Dash took a couple steps forward before looking at Dee,

“Are you sure nothing bad is gonna come from this?”

Dee nodded, “Yes, Miss Rainbow Dash. Master Fluttershy has been training very hard to keep her powers in check. This situation will turn out no different than her training.

“WHY CAN’T I MOVE?!?!?!” Sombra shouted in confusion. Dee smirked at him,

“What you’re experiencing right now is known as the 'Shock Bite’. The toxins being secreted from her fangs now will course through your body, paralyzing you and melting your organs at a painfully slow pace. Eventually, your body won’t be able to handle it, and will go into shock.”

“Of course, since yer dead an’ all, that just means that yer gonna be sufferin’ a lot longer than yer supposed ta.” Applejack added. “So…have fun with that!!”

Fluttershy pulled her fangs out, the hook of them pulling a bit of his flesh off. She rubbed her lips with her foreleg and smirked at him,

“Your blood tasted delicious. Now...you can think about my sweet little compliment before you die…again.”

She flitted back over to her friends, leaving him to lock his legs out and topple onto his side. They all high-hoofed each other as Rarity called into their headpieces,

“Does anypony have a status update?”

Applejack pushed her mouthpiece button, “Ah got Dash, ‘Shy, Dee, an’ Sparks right by me. We took care of Sombra.”

“Spike brought back Sombra too?” Rarity questioned.

“Not only that, he brought back my grandmother as well!!” Locust stated in a strained tone. “She’s trying to turn my Changelings against us!!”

All of their head pieces crackled before Pinkie shrieked into them.

“I’m fighting Trixie now, and I need back up!!!”

There was yet another mushroom cloud made of magic not too far off in the distance. Applejack didn’t respond, but simply broke out into a fierce gallop towards the cloud, in hopes of that being where Pinkie was. Dash, Dee, and Fluttershy took to the sky, and headed in that direction. Spark's horn flashed brightly as she sprinted/teleported behind them. It wasn’t long before they had joined Pinkie and Rarity, who were facing off against Trixie and Eternal, who had joined the Unicorn in battle. Patchwork galloped up to the group,

“Ah came as quickly as Ah could!!” he looked over at Trixie and Eternal, “Ah’m assumin’ we’re gonna take ‘em out.”

Rarity took a couple steps forward, “We have to finish them off for good this time…”

Trixie snorted and let a snarky grin plaster itself to her face, “You really think you fools are going to be able to defeat the Great and Powerful Trixie?!”

“They’ve gotten a lot more powerful than when we fought them three years ago….” Eternal warned in a whisper. “The yellow one managed to actually deal a heavy blow on me…”

Trixie arched a brow, “Oh really?” she looked back her smile darkened, “Very well then…it seems like Trixie won’t be able to play around like Trixie did the last time we got to.” She licked her lips, “Even so, Trixie had so much fun getting 'in touch' with Rainbow Dash like Trixie did…”

Dash cringed, while Fluttershy let out a fierce snarl. Rarity and Patch got in front of them,

“Yer gonna have ta deal with Miss Rarity an’ mahself, so just back off!!” Patch demanded.

“We’ll do whatever we please, cyborg.” Eternal stated.

Sparks stepped forward and shook her head, “Oh no you won’t. This has gone on far enough.”

Her eyes started to glow as pawed at the ground. Trixie, smirked and stepped forward to face her challenger. Her eyes glowed white, and her horn got a baby blue hue to it. The magic formed to make it longer, then solidified.

“I don’t think I caught your name the last time we fought. What was it again?”

“I am Bright Spark, Apprentice and one of the Head Commanders of the Rebellion.”

“Good, good…It’s nice to know the name of the mare I’m about to kill.” Her horn crackled to life, “And no, I won’t be giving you any last words…”

Sparks let a small, calm smile work it’s way onto her face, “That's fine...I won’t be needing them anyway.”

Trixie’s smile vanished at the statement, and she charged. Sparks barely dodged it, as she felt Trixie's horn tear off the Gatling gun, and rip some of the armor’s plates with it. Before she could detach the other shoulder plated machine gun, the Alicorn was towering over her, horn lit ablaze with magic. Her eyes lit up with terror in them. Just as Eternal was about to fire off the magic, Pinkie head butted her. She rolled and tumbled in the dirt. Trixie turned and fired off some magic, searing the side of Pinkie’s face, and exposing the muscle.

“Pinkamena!!!” Applejack shouted, as she immediately dashed to her side. Steam rose off from the wound.

“I’ll be fine…” Pinkie stated, her teeth clacking loudly now that they were exposed to the open air. “Just…we need to split up. We don’t all need to be here.”

“No way, we’re not leaving! You’re hurt!” Applejack shouted.

“Pinks is right, AJ.” Dash agreed. “There’s too many of us here, and we’ve still got hordes left and right.”

“Well, I’m staying here.” Rarity stated. “I’m not going to leave my Apprentice. Dash, if it’s okay with you, I think that Patch should stay here as well. We’re going to need all the Unicorn magic we can get.”

Dash nodded, “You heard the lady, Patch.” She looked over at Dee, Fluttershy, and Applejack, “Let’s get out of here. They’ve got this.”

Fluttershy and Dee nodded, shooting off in different directions to help clear out some of the Hellion hordes. Applejack looked back at her wife, before reluctantly galloping off away from the. Patch was already firing his gatling guns and magic at Trixie. She teleported as quickly as she could around the battlefield, but Patch still managed to put a few rounds into her body.

“That’s not fair! You’re not supposed to have your little friends jump into the middle of our fight!!”

Sparks snorted angrily, “You’re one to talk!!” She charged at Trixie, only to feel a hoof crack into the side of her face. In her blurred vision, she saw Eternal towering over her again. She smiled and leaned down a bit,

“I never said that I played fair.”

Sparks cried out as Eternal jammed her horn into her shoulder. She ripped it out, taking some of the Unicorn’s flesh with her, and causing her scream to reach a new pitch. Eternal let out a cackle, but it was quickly cut short as her head was caught in a beam of burning, light blue magic. She flailed in pain and confusion, and was tackled by Rarity, who had also managed to spear her in her side. The white mare looked down at her Apprentice with worry etched onto her face,

“Sparks, are you okay, darling?”

Sparks was in complete shock. She could actually feel her pain. Her body was still was trying to figure out what had happened to it, as the throbbing in her shoulders started to course down through her foreleg.

“It hurts…” Sparks let out a tiny giggle, “I…I can feel it.”

Rarity tilted her head in confusion as Pinkie bounded up to them,

“Lemme see that wound.” Pinkie ordered, as she reached into her thigh pouch and pulled out a tiny vial with light blue liquid in it. The Earth Pony popped the top and let a few drops fall into the gash. It hissed and fizzled angrily. Sparks started to giggle maniacally as she felt the pain in her shoulder get worse, then start to subside.

“I can…feel…that….”

Rarity caressed her cheek, “Darling…are you alright?”

The turquoise Unicorn sprang to her hooves, a new pep in her step,

“I CAN FEEL THAT!!!”

Bits of gravel started to tremble, as the grin on Sparks’ face stretched to proportions that would even put Pinkie’s smile to shame. She let out a burst of giggles, shutting her eyes and clacking her hooves together.

“I’M…ALIVE!!!!!”

When she opened her eyes, lavender magic poured from her right eye. Her left eye glowed with a strange orangish brown hue. Rarity and Pinkie backed away from her.

“Bright Spark…” Rarity uttered out, in hopes of getting some response from the younger mare, though none came. Sparks teleported herself in front of Eternal, causing a pulse of magic to burn the air around where she once stood. Eternal already had no eyelids to open or close, but that didn’t stop her grotesque face from forming a look of surprise. Sparks grinned at her,

“Thank you, for making me feel so alive…”

With that, she fired off a powerful burst of magic. It engulfed the Alicorn, causing her to shriek out in agonizing pain. All of the ponies around them looked on in shock at the ferocity of the mare. Eternal fell to the ground, and Sparks was quickly on top of her, stomping into her midsection until she ground the bones and organs into mush matter and dust. Eternal’s screams turned into gurgled whimpers. Rarity and Pinkie didn’t know what to do. True, Eternal was the enemy, but this…this almost seemed too much. Before the two Fallen could do anything, Trixie had intervened. She tackled Sparks into the dirt, and began to pound away at her face. Sparks didn’t cry out however, but simply giggled as her head was snapped to the left and right. Rarity started to leap forward, but Pinkie outstretched a foreleg in front of her,

“Don’t…” Pinkie gently ordered. “I’ve seen this in my studies with Twilight…she’s having a complete sensory overload from the fact that she is now able to feel pain.”

Rarity looked over at her, “But shouldn’t we intervene?”

“Under normal circumstances, yes. But…this is not one of those cases. Sparks seems to have a raw reserve of magic that has now been unleashed. Remember when Twilight told us how she got her cutie mark, and all of that stuff happened? Well, it looks like the same thing is happening here. She probably can’t control her magic, and we don’t wanna be near her when something happens.” Her body suddenly started to convulse and her tail twitched violently. She immediately started backing up,

“We need to get further back than this…”

Rarity had been friends with the mare long enough to understand to listen to Pinkie. Patch saw the convulsions from where he was standing, and having heard stories about the Pinkie Sense, he knew to get as far back as he could.

“I…can…feel…each…punch!!!” Sparks cackled out between the blows, angering Trixie even more.

“If you can feel them, why do you keep laughing at the Great and Powerful Trixie?!?!”

Sparks didn’t answer her. Instead, she upper hoofed the mare, sending her into the air and making her land on her back. Sparks rose to her hooves, a smile still on her face. She smacked the side of her head. Hard. The helmet shattered into pieces.

“I thought Dash said that the armor is supposed to be impenetrable!” Rarity stated in shock.

“This is what I was talking about…” Pinkie replied. “She’s too strong for us to reach out to…”

Sparks’ horn glowed, and she shed the armor off as well. She looked at Trixie,

“Now…there’s nothing protecting me. Nothing that’s stopping you from hurting me.”

Trixie sat up and rubbed her head. She looked up to see Sparks slowing trotting towards her. She scooted back a little, instincts deep within her warning her about the threat in front of her.

“Nothing is in between us. So come on, oh Great and Powerful Trixie.” Her smile reached to her ears,

“MAKE.ME.FEEL.ALIVE.”

Trixie cried out as Sparks gripped her by her shoulders, “COME ON, TRIXIE!!! WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?! YOU TOO AFRAID TO FIGHT ME ALL OF THE SUDDEN?! LOOKS LIKE I’LL HAVE TO BRING THE 'GREAT AND POWERFUL' OUT OF YOU MYSELF!!!!”

Sparks proceeded to rapidly punch Trixie in the face. She was landing punches faster than the evil in Trixie’s body could heal them. Pinkie, Rarity, and Patch only looked on in horror, as they watched Sparks beat her into unconsciousness. Rarity glanced over at Eternal’s beaten form. She was still sprawled out and on her side. Her midsection was almost flat, ground into practically nothing thanks to Sparks’ hooves. She looked back up at Sparks,

“This is not how I’m going to allow my Apprentice to act.”

She broke into a quick gallop before Pinkie or Patch could stop her. She grabbed Sparks’ shoulder,

“That’s enough, Bright Spark!! We're here to defeat them, not torture them!!”

Sparks turned to look at her mentor, eyes burning angrily with wisps of magic in them, and her lips pulled back to expose teeth in a twisted, yet angry grin. Rarity was taken aback. She had never seen her like this. For a moment...

She was afraid of the younger Unicorn.

Sparks suddenly blinked a few times, and her angry expression turned to one of confusion,

“M-master Rarity?” she looked down at Trixie, who had actually passed out from the pain that had been inflicted on her. She gasped and let go of her, letting her collapse to the ground. She backed up and looked around at Pinkie, Patch, and the destroyed Eternal.

“Did…did I do this??”

Rarity had a somber look on her face, and slowly nodded her head, “I’m afraid so dear…”

Sparks was about to ask what happened, until they saw a violet and crimson streak race across the sky. It slammed into the ground, the dust on the horizon kicking up in a large cloud. Power rippled through the air in waves that managed to reach even Sparks and the others. For a few moments, the world was utterly silent. There was static in the head pieces for a few seconds.

“I want the other Mane Six here immediately.” Twilight ordered in an eerily calm voice. "And Bright Spark as well." Pinkie tapped her mouthpiece button,

“Okay, Twilight, but…where exactly is ‘here’?”

There was a burst of lavender magic that shot into the sky for them to see. It exploded, then fizzled into nothing.

“Got it. Now quick question; why only Bright Spark? What about the other Apprentices?”

“Since the beginning of the attack, Spike’s army has been divided into more manageable groups. Have the other Apprentices spread out and help the other commanders finish them off.”

“Gotcha…” she disengaged the mouthpiece and looked over at the others,

“You all heard her.” Pinkie waved a hoof at Patch, “Go and uh….kill stuff.”

Patch smirked as his horn lit up, “With pleasure, Miss Pinkie.”

With that, he vanished. Pinkie looked over at Rarity and Sparks,

“So, which one of you is going to teleport me over there?”

Sparks scooted up to the pink pony, “It’d be my honor.”

Her horn sparked with magic, as she teleported herself and Pinkie to where they saw Twilight’s signal. They met up with the others. The trio trotted up to them, now noticing the fact that none of the others were actually looking at them. They were all staring at something, jaws slacked and mouths agape.

“What the?...What are you girls looking at?” Pinkie questioned.

Dash grabbed Pinkie’s chin, and turned her to what they were looking at. She joined them, letting her jaw drop as well. Rarity and Sparks followed their gazes. What they saw made their heart bottom out into their guts. Sparks took a couple steps forward, a horrified expression on her face as the eyes of Dark Star bore into her soul.

“What’s the matter…you’re acting like you’ve seen a ghost…” he stated with a deep, growly voice, before letting out a low laugh. Sparks took a look at his thigh, staring at his cutie mark. She had to know. She had to be sure that it was really him. Tears started to build in her eyes when she saw what it was.

An explosion of bluish stars with a few rings of light behind them. She shook her head as if to rid of herself of the image, but it was too late. The cutie mark confirmed who he was. It belonged to only one stallion, and she uttered out the word that she knew him as.

“...Dad??”

The Prince Of Hell

Sparks stared at the stallion in utter shock and horror, as his mix-matched eyes bored back into her soul.

“Ah….my daughter…it is….quite nice to see you again.” Dark Star stated. Black magic wisps poured from his mouth like a smoky waterfall. Sparks slightly shook her head,

“Dad…”

He smiled at her, and his hardened expression softened a bit,

“Come…give your ol’ Dad a hug…”

Sparks’ hooves instantly started to carry her towards him. She stopped when she felt something clamp onto her shoulder. She looked over to see Dash holding her.

“That’s not your dad, Sparky. Not anymore.”

“I’m still her father, Rainbow Dash…just like I was your friend,” Dark Star’s smile disappeared. “Before you and Rarity let me be crushed to death.”

Rarity stepped forward, “You’re the one who jumped in the way, remember? And you did it to save Rainbow and I!! We would’ve never let you die, if we had been given the chance to save you, Star Blast!-”

He stomped a hoof. Fissures broke through the ground and shot towards the group.

“DO NOT CALL ME THAT!!!” he roared, causing the ground to tremble a bit more. “Star Blast died, long ago, saving your pathetic hides!!” he stomped again. Dash and Fluttershy took to the sky while the others dodged a pit that formed itself in the ground.

“I am Dark Star, prized warrior for my Hell-Father!!!"

A tear slid down Sparks’ cheek, “Dad, please don’t do this!!” she started to gallop towards him. Pinkie tackled her,

“Are you loco in the coco?!" Pinkie shouted. "What are you trying to do?!"

“Let me go!! He needs us!!”

“Bright Spark, he’s not the same anymore!!”

Dark Star chuckled, earning all of their attention,

“You’re damn right about that…”

His horn glowed a strange, violet color, with black electricity sparking around it. He rose onto his hind legs, and the magic atop his horn grew in size. He slammed down at the earth, and the magic made a humming sound in the air, before a massive beam shot across the battelfield. The air grew hot with sizzling magic, and a numbness ran through all of their bodies. A ringing echoed in their ears as the explosion filled the atmosphere. Pinkie was the first to get her senses in order, and when she did, she was horrified.

“…Sparks?”

The other Fallen slowly rose to their hooves, rubbing their heads and letting out groans of mild confusion and pain. When they all heard Pinkie, they focused on her, then followed her gaze. All of their jaws dropped, and Twilight’s normally calm expression was turned into one of horror.

“My gods...”

Sparks was standing tall, massive chunks of her flesh hanging from her skeleton, or missing altogether. Her bones had been replaced with EvenTide Crystals, and her body had pillars of steam and black wisps swirling around her. Her irises had retained their strange colors, while the whites of her eyes had turned pitch black. She stared straight ahead at her father, motionless. Dark Star arched a brow,

“So…you too possess some of Hell-Father's black magic??”

Sparks blinked a few times before she looked over her body, assessing the damage that had been done to her, “WHAT?!” she looked over at Twilight,

“Miss Twilight, what’s going on with me?!”

Twilight lightly shook her head, “I…I don’t know…”

Sparks turned away from her dad and took a couple steps towards them. The exposed parts of her crystal skeleton were clanking with each step, “W-what do you mean you don’t know?!” she snorted angrily. Black mist shot from her nostrils like a dragon, “Everything that has been happening to me, is because you tethered my soul back to my body!”

Dark Star chuckled and looked over at Twilight, “Good job, Twilight. I heard about you using necromancy, but I figured it was just a rumor.”

Twilight shot him a glare, “You stay out of this!!” she looked back at Sparks, her expression softening, “Bright Spark, please calm down. More than likely, this is just another side effect of your body coming back to life.”

“Just another side effect?” Sparks repeated. “I…this can’t be. I’m…scared…”

“You have nothing to be afraid of, my child…”

Sparks’ ears swiveled to the sound of her father talking. She looked at him,

“What did you say?”

He smiled at her, “I said there’s nothing to be afraid of.” He took a couple steps towards her, “That magic is powerful, and if you want…” he outstretched a hoof, “I can help you control it…”

Her eyes glazed over, while his seemed to shine brighter than ever.

“Come with me, Bright Spark. Let your old dad show you just how strong you can be…”

Sparks started to walk towards him, slowly at first.

The others took a couple steps forward, each calling out to her,

“Sparks, don’t go with him!”

“Snap out of it, Sparky!!”

“Bright Spark, stop!!”

A big grin worked it's way onto her face, as Dark Star’s coat and mane stared to turn back to the way it used to be when she was still a little filly. It was a shade of deep blue, while his mane and tail turned fiery orange. His smile seemed friendly and more inviting. More fatherly.

“Dad!!”

She broke out into a gallop. The Fallen were cheering for her, excited that she had finally been reunited with her dad. It seemed that her mentor was the most excited out of all of them. She was coming to give her one of her dramatic hugs right now.

*THWACK!!*

She hit the ground. Hard. Stars swam before her eyes as she sneezed a few times she tried to get rid of the ash that had invaded her nose. She blinked a few times before focusing on the white mare hovering over her. She felt hooves cup her cheeks. She looked up at bright lavender and milky sapphire eyes.

“Ma…Master Rarity?”

“Sparks...honey, I’m sorry I had to tackle you, but I just want you to know that I did it out of love!”

“I…what?”

Rarity helped Sparks to her hooves, “Please….don’t let Dark Star fool you...it was just illusion magic..."

“But…he’s my dad…if anypony can help me, it’d be him.” Tears started to well up in Sparks’ eyes, “I just…I miss him. I miss my dad and my mom…I just want at least one of my parents back at least…”

Rarity’s face screwed into an expression of sorrow and pity. Tears started to fall from her eyes, as she watched Sparks cry like a lonely little filly. She wrapped her forelegs tightly around her quivering form, letting the younger mare cry into her coat. Dark Star let out a loud sigh,

“Bright Spark, I know that you are much stronger than this.”

Sparks and Rarity looked over at him as he continued.

“I am still your father, and I have never led you astray. You were not meant to be crushed under the might of Hell-Father, but to stand beside him.” He outstretched his hoof towards her, “I will help you control the powerful magic flowing through you. If you join our side, you will not be seen as a zombie…as a monster. You will be known and respected as being one of Hell-Father's elite warriors, one of the powerhouses for his army.”

Rarity let go of Sparks, wiping her cheeks, and glaring at Dark Star,

“Do you really think that that’s the reason she’s crying?!” she screamed. “You’re a damn fool if you think so!! She doesn’t need Dark Star’s false promises of power and glory in exchange for serving that evil dragon! She needs Star Blast, holding her and loving her like a father should!!” she stood in front of Sparks, her glare never leaving Dark Star’s face. “I can’t believe how far you have fallen. You were a great stallion. You fought with a purpose. You fought not for glory, but for the peace and tranquility of all life that remained. You were…a great friend, Star Blast…”

“I already told you not to call me that! That’s not my name anymore!” Dark Star snarled.

Rarity shook her head, “Very well then! Since you are not Star Blast, you are not Sparks’ father. And since you are no longer her father,” she looked over sadly at the turquoise Unicorn, “Then that means both of her parents are gone…”

Sparks’ gaze fell to the ground. Rarity tilted her chin up, looking her in the eyes while still talking to Dark Star,

“But that does not mean she is unloved! I care about her very much! I will give her the love you can no longer provide her!”

A smile and fresh tears appeared on Sparks’ face at her mentor’s words. She felt a small rush of wind, and looked over to see Dash and Fluttershy landing beside her,

“We care about all of our Apprentices. They were hoof-picked by us, and receive the utmost care.” Fluttershy stated.

Dash smirked, “These kids are following in our hoofsteps, so of course, we have to be excellent examples for them!”

Applejack and Pinkie trotted up to join them,

“Shoot, we done raised a couple of 'em since they were still lil' fillies an’ colts! They may not be our blood, but that don’t mean they ain’t our kin!”

“They’re not just our students, they’re our close confidants as well! We go to them just as much as they come to us! THEY’RE OUR FAMILY!!” Pinkie added.

Twilight slowly stepped in front of the group, giving the black Unicorn one of the fiercest glares Sparks had ever seen,

“These mares behind me are my closest friends and family. The ones that are fighting for what’s right, are my family.” Her iris started to glow a little, “And I will do anything and everything…to protect my family…”

Dark Star belted out a hearty laugh, “I see you have corrupted my daughter’s mind. Okay…I can work with that…” he started to trot towards them, “She’ll just have to endure what I went through to understand just how great Hell-Father is…” he then broke out into a gallop, going fast enough to surprise them,

“I’LL HAVE TO KILL HER!!”

He suddenly vanished into thin air. It was but another moment in time when he reappeared, his horn drilling into Applejack’s side, cracking her armor in the process. The farmer let out a whinny, before she bucked him off. He hit the ground, then poofed into a small explosion of smoke and magic dust remnants.

“Was he a damn doppleganger the whole time?” Applejack questioned, as steam poured from her self-healing wound.

“No…” Twilight answered. “Somewhere in his little teleportation, he summoned that fake.” She quickly began looking around, “He’s around here…I can still feel him.”

Rarity suddenly gasped, “Pinkie, in front of you!”

Pinkie only had a second to blink, before she was tackled by Dark Star. The two tumbled in the dirt, hooves pounding away at each other. Pinkie snarled, spittle flying out of her mouth as she jammed a small dagger into the side of his neck. With ferocity, she gripped onto it, twisted and yanked on it, causing the puncture wound to tear open into a thick, wide gash. He let out a gurgle, before teleporting away from her. He appeared about 10 feet in front of them, blood pouring from his neck,

“You think…this can stop me?...” he coughed, more blood spurting from his wound and mouth. He chuckled,

“This is nothing…”

The wound healed almost instantly. He cracked his neck a few times before chuckling,

“I am the strongest fighter in Hell Father's army…do you really think that little toothpick would be enough to stop me?” he clicked his tongue, “Shame on you for thinking that...”

Rarity teleported towards him, then leapt into the air. She spun, her hind leg cracking into the side of his skull. He staggered to the side, but didn’t fall over. He shook his head,

“Now, Rarity, I don’t apprecia-”

Rarity silenced him by bucking him into the air, then jumping to drill her hoof into his chest. He wheezed out. The older Unicorn tackled him in mid-air, sending them both crashing back into the earth. The dust cleared, and Twilight gasped as she saw Rarity crumple into a pained heap. She galloped over to her, Sparks following right behind her,

“Rarity! Rarity, say something!”

Rarity weakly opened an eye, “I’m…I’m okay. I’ll be okay…”

Twilight and Sparks helped Rarity to her hooves. Twilight and Rarity’s horns suddenly flickered with black electricity,

“He’s right next to us…”

A moment later, Dark Star appeared. His horn was covered in a blade of thick, bubbling violet magic. His eyes were wild with blood lust, as he smiled maliciously down at the trio.

“YOU ALL CAN JOIN ME IN SERVING HELL-FATHER!!!”

He brought his blade of magic down.

Sparks felt something smash against her shoulder.

Sparks slammed into Rarity, causing them to both tumble and roll in the dirt. Stars swam through the two mares’ eyes. Sparks rubbed her eyes, her ears perking up as Rarity let out a horrified scream. The screams of the other mentors soon followed, as Sparks stared in horror at the scene in front of her.

Twilight was lying on the ground facing them. She was looking at them with her eyes wide open, the pupil was nonexistent in the white of her natural eye. Her flesh on the side of her body had been ripped to shreds by the acidic magic of Dark Star's horn blade. EvenTide Crystals jutted from her wounds, which were pouring with steam and magic as her Element began to heal it’s host. Her prosthetic limb was on the ground not too far away, a broken mass of gears and wires. Rarity pulled the broken mare closer to her, feeling Twilight’s ragged breaths against her face. Hot, salty tears rolled down her cheeks,

“TWILIGHT! LOOK AT ME!!”

Fluttershy’s ears perked up, followed by the others. The laughter of Dark Star started to ring in their ears.

“That’s not going to work. She’s unconscious, in case you can’t tell.” The chuckle rang out some more, “And soon, she’ll be dead.”

“Show your fucking face, Dark Star!!!” Dash screamed out.

There was no response. Only the sounds of faraway screams and the clashing of weapons. Dash growled and stomped an angry hoof,

“Dammit, I can’t believe he just vanished like that….” She looked back over at Twilight,

“How is she?”

“Her element’s healing powers are slowing down, for some reason…” Rarity replied worriedly as she looked down at Twilight’s fizzling wounds. Pinkie got closer to the couple and sat down. She reached into a satchel on her left hind leg and pulled out an Erlenmeyer flask with dark violet liquid sloshing around in it. She looked over at Sparks,

“Sparks, come here please.”

Sparks trotted over to her, “Yes, Miss Pinkie?”

“I need you to spit into this flask.”

“WHAT?!” Sparks and the others cried out in unison. Pinkie remained deadpanned as she looked up at Sparks,

“I’ve seen your test results from your bi-weekly checkups. Mixed with your blood, this chemical would bring a pony back to life, and let them live forever.”

“But ma’am, that’s gross…and-” Sparks was cut off as Pinkie placed a hoof on her lips. The Earth Pony got a hardened expression on her face,

“This is not a discussion, Bright Spark. Now do it.”

Sparks’ ears went flat. She was never one to disobey the orders of The Fallen, Especially when Pinkie Pie was the one to get serious. But, she didn’t want to place the burden of forced immortality on anypony, much less the ones she called her family. She glanced over at Rarity, who was staring up at her with pleading eyes. She took the flask from Pinkie, and reluctantly spat in it. The chemical inside bubbled, fizzled, and changed to a shade of lime green. Pinkie snatched the flask from her and tilted Twilight’s chin up, so that the Unicorn would be able to drink it. Twilight downed the drink, and her pupil rolled from underneath her eyelid. Twilight focused on Rarity, her pupil flickering from the size of the head of a pin to the size of a dinner plate. The group’s eyes went wide with horror as Twilight started to violently convulse in Rarity’s forelegs. Rarity looked up at Pinkie,

“What’s happening to her?!” she asked in a panic-stricken voice. Pinkie ignored her and cupped Twilight’s face,

“Twili-TWILIGHT! Look at me, okay? You’re going to be fine, but I need you to calm down and let the potion do it’s thing.”

Twilight’s convulsing died down to shudders. Pinkie softly smiled and nodded,

“Atta girl…”

Her ragged breathing began to normalize, and Pinkie let go of her face. Her gaze trailed over to Rarity, a tired smile working it’s way onto her face,

“I’m so glad that you’re okay…”

Happy tears fell from Rarity’s eyes, “Thanks to you I am…”

“W-where’s Bright Spark?”

Sparks leaned forward so that she’d be in Twilight’s field of view, “I’m here, Miss Twilight.”

Twilight feebly reached up and patted her shoulder, “Sorry I had to push you…it was the only way I could make sure you both made it out alive…” she slowly sat up on her own, and looked over at Pinkie, “Was that the immortality potion? How were you able to make it? Bright Spark wouldn’t allow us to.”

“It wasn’t a perfected state of the potion, just a reagent chemical to Sparks’ DNA.” Pinkie started. “Since the only way to make it work as an immortality potion is to use her blood, I used something else so that it wouldn’t make you immortal, it’d just help you heal quicker.” She paused for a moment before sheepishly adding, “Annnnnd maybe add another decade onto your lifespan.”

A mixture of relief and joy crossed Sparks’ features, as she looked over at the pink Earth Pony. Pinkie looked back at her and winked.

Twilight coughed a bit, “So…what did you use?”

Pinkie rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly, “Ummmm, I used-”

All of their earpieces crackled loudly. Patch’s voice was screaming through them,

“We need back up NOW!! They…they got Haze!!”

Applejack and Pinkie jumped to their hooves, and Applejack turned on her mouthpiece,

“Shoot a magic flare up intah the sky! Pinkie an’ Ah will head towards it!!”

Twilight slowly rose to her hooves, “I’m going with you…”

Applejack placed a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder, “Yer body still needs time ta heal. An’ besides, yer missin’ a leg.”

“There’s the signal!” Pinkie shouted, as she pointed up at the sky. She broke into a furious gallop. Applejack soon followed right behind her, and Fluttershy not long after. Twilight looked over at Rarity, Sparks, and Dash,

“They’re going to need your help. Go on without me…”

“We’re not going to leave you here.” Dash replied. “Well, I won’t, at least. Rarity however, will be going.”

Rarity snorted, “You can’t make decisions for me!”

“I’m staying so that I can repair that prosthetic for Egg Head.” She tilted her head towards Sparks, “And Sparky here is going to stay and teleport some spare parts from the base. Since you’re the second strongest Unicorn we have, you have to go and help the others.”

Rarity looked worriedly back and forth between Twilight and Dash. Twilight nuzzled her and smiled softly,

“I’ll be okay, Rarity. You and I both know they’ll take care excellent care of me.” Her smile disappeared, “Now go and help them.”

Rarity sighed in defeat, before placing a gentle kiss on her lover's lips, “Please stay safe.” She looked over at Dash and Sparks, “All of you.” She hugged Dash and gave Sparks a peck on the cheek, “You two keep her safe, okay?”

Sparks and Dash nodded in unison, “Yes ma’am.”

Rarity smiled at them, before galloping off into the direction the others went. Dash looked over at Twilight,

“Alright, sit down so I can get your leg back on.” She looked over at Sparks, “Levitate EggHead’s prosthetic over here, then summon my tool kit, and my box of spare parts."

"Which one, Miss Rainbow Dash? You have alot of boxes..."

"The one that's in between the second calibrations table and the sawing booth."

Sparks vanished for a few minutes, then returned with a box of parts and a tool kit hovering beside her. She dropped the items next to the mechanic, then magically grabbed Twilight’s battered prosthetic leg. Dash reached into her toolbox and pulled out a mini-welder, a couple screw drivers, and began to work on her leg. Twilight looked over at Sparks,

“Bright Spark, tell me…how are you feeling right now?”

“It feels like something is crawling underneath my skin…” the younger Unicorn replied solemnly. “Something that wants to get out. I’m scared, Miss Twilight.”

“I didn’t know I passed on some of the Corrupted One’s magic to you…” Twilight started. “It seems your body has magnified whatever it did take when I brought you back to life. The fact that your entire skeletal system is now EvenTide Crystals, seems to be a proven fact of that.” She leaned forward, “Your scleras are black like an Elite…yet you’re not being aggressive like them. Maybe…maybe you’re immune to the black magic. You could be-"

“Hold still, Egg Head.” Dash cut Twilight off, as she lined up the limb to her shoulder socket, “I’ve gotta make sure this is going to be the right length before I reattach it.” She placed the hoof on the ground, making sure it was long enough for the lavender mare. After a few minutes, she reached into her tool box and grabbed a tiny plank of wood,

“Alright, I’m going to need you to lie down. Sparky, I’m going to need you to sit on top of her.”

The two Unicorns looked at her in confusion, but obeyed none the less. Dash hovered the wood over Twilight’s lips,

“Put this in your mouth.”

“Why?” Twilight questioned in a worried tone.

“We don’t have any anesthesia, Egg Head…” Dash replied in a regretful tone. “So this next part is going to hurt like a motherfucker, and you’ll end up biting your tongue off if you don’t use this.”

Twilight grimaced for a moment, then reluctantly opened her mouth to let Dash slip it between her teeth. The Pegasus looked up at Sparks,

“Sparky, pin down her other leg, and keep all of your weight on her no matter what. I need her to be still so that I don’t mess this up…”

Sparks nodded, “Yes, Miss Rainbow Dash.” She looked down sympathetically at Twilight, “I’m sorry, Miss Twilight.”

Twilight nodded in understanding as the younger Unicorn got into a comfortable and more stable position. Dash grabbed a laser pen from her tool box and lined the prosthetic back up with her shoulder socket,

“I’m going to reattach your nerves to the brainwave receiving wires, alright?” Dash started. “Like I said, it’s going to hurt like a bitch, but I need you to stay as still as you possibly can okay? I don’t want the nerves to end up attached to the wrong receiving wires.”

Twilight nodded again, then shut her eyes. Dash leaned forward and turned on the laser pen. Sparks cringed, as she watch Twilight’s eyes pop open, and scream as loud as she could with the wood still in her mouth. The younger Unicorn’s ears flattened against her head, as the sound of the small plank cracking under the pressure of Twilight’s bite hit her ears. Twilight started to tremble violently, her resolve to stay still quickly evaporating.

“Hang in there, Egg Head. I’m going as fast as I can.” Dash stated.

Sparks placed more of her weight onto Twilight. The older mare was starting to buck from the pain.

“Miss Twilight, you’ve got to stop moving! Look at me, please!”

Twilight’s eyes settled on her, wild with pain. She snorted repeatedly as Sparks firmly placed a hoof on her foreleg, and stared down at her with a hardened gaze.

“You have a fight to finish! You’re our leader, and we will follow you to the ends of the world! But we need you to stay alive for us to do that, and you can’t stay alive out here on three legs. So be strong, and let Miss Rainbow Dash finish!!”

Twilight vigorously nodded, tears streaming down her face as the smell of burning flesh and hot metal started to waft into the air around them.

“I’m almost done. Just a little bit longer…” Dash announced.

“You’re doing great, Miss Twilight. You heard her, she’s almost done, so just hold on until then!” Sparks encouraged.

The plank of wood splintered into pieces, and Twilight screamed like nothing else in their world mattered.

“Don’t let her bite down on her tongue!” Dash ordered.

Sparks used her magic to pin Twilight’s other leg to the ground, and moved her foreleg to Twilight’s mouth. Just as she did, Twilight bit down onto her, breaking the skin and causing blood to surface almost instantly. Sparks let out a quick, pained yelp, then looked down at Twilight,

“You’re our voice, Miss Twilight. You won’t be able to speak without a tongue, so I'll make sure you don’t lose that!”

The orange mare hissed in pain, as Twilight gnashed down on her foreleg. She could feel the heat of Dash’s laser pen on her face, and the smell of burning flesh was much stronger now. She glanced up at Dash,

“Miss Rainbow Dash, how much longer?!”

“Just a few more seconds, Sparky….” Dash squinted and leaned closer, “And…DONE!!”

She pulled away from the surgical site, and examined her work. Twilight released Sparks’ foreleg from her mouth, gasping as her body tried to make the pain go away.

She looked up at Sparks with regretful eyes, "I'm sorry, Bright Spark. You know I'd never want to hurt you.”

Sparks looked down at her foreleg. EvenTide crystals had formed a casing over the bite wounds.

“I think I’ll be okay…” Sparks stated sadly. Twilight propped herself up with her flesh foreleg, and looked over at Dash,

“Thanks, Rainbow. I don’t know what I’d do without you…”

“You’d be a three legged pony leading an army, kicking ass and taking names. That’s what you’d be doing.” Dash replied, a smirk etched on her face. “Alright, now do some basic leg movements. I want to make sure everything is connected properly.”

Twilight winced as she moved her prosthetic leg. She moved it in conjunction with Dash’s orders, until the Pegasus told her to stop.

“Alright, so it works…” Dash stated. “You’ll be able to stand on it, but not right away. It’ll hurt too much and you may sever the nerves. Let me hit Pinks up and see if she’s got a topical anesthetic on her. I’ll have Sparks get it.” Dash clicked her mouth piece,

“Hey Pinks, do you have any topical anesthetic in your medical kit?”

There was loud crackling, and the sounds of screaming in the background.

“Pinkie? Pinkie, what’s happening?”

There’s was more feedback. Magic exploded into an array of bluish lights and violet fire off in the distance. There was collective group of screams that even the trio could hear without their headsets.

“PINKIE PIE?!?!”

Another crackle went through all of their headsets. Pinkie was sobbing,

“S-s-she’s d-dead!!! She's fucking DEAD!! Dark Star got her!!!"

All three of their eyes went wide,

"Whoa whoa whoa, Pinks, who did he kill?!?!" Dash questioned.

Static. Crackle. Pinkie screamed and cried out at the same time,

"HE FUCKING KILLED RARITY!!!"

Transcendence

They were galloping as fast as their hooves could take them. Sparks’ adrenaline was kicking through her body so fast, that it felt like she was on fire. The tinnitus in her ears nearly drowned out the sounds of war that surrounded her. Her once un-beating heart, now thundered in her chest. Her legs felt like she was running through molasses, and tunnel vision had kicked in long ago. She hadn’t even realized Twilight was galloping beside her until she heard Dash screaming at her from the skies above,

“You’re gonna mess up your leg, Twilight!”

“I DON’T FUCKING CARE!!”

She looked over at Twilight. Despite just having the leg put back on, she was keeping up with Sparks. Blood poured from the socket, coating the prosthetic in a crimson hue. Dash was suddenly flying right above the older mare,

“Well, I’m not going to let you mess up something that I just fixed!”

She picked up Twilight, then shot off towards where the explosion happened. Sparks’ horn blazed to life, as she began of series of short teleportation jumps to the site. A few minutes later, she found herself standing beside Fluttershy, who stared straight ahead with wide, glassy eyes. The Unicorn followed her gaze, her breath catching in her throat, and her heart sinking in her chest.

Dark Star was standing across from them, in front of the rest of the Elites. Eternal stared at him with shock on her face. Trixie looked at him with a tinge of fear in her eyes. Sombra was taking in the whole scene with an amused look on his face. There were other Hellions, and fighters from the rebellion nearby. All fights in the surrounding area stopped and they all froze, waiting for either side to make a move.

“Rarity….”

Sparks’ ear swiveled towards the voice, then looked over. Twilight slowly walked towards her. No one around them moved, but simply looked on as Twilight treaded towards Rarity’s form. The mare’s armor had been shattered to pieces, and her brilliant white coat was now red-washed and tainted. Her body was badly burned, and a gaping hole in her barrel replaced where most of her organs should’ve been sitting. Steam flowed from the wound in a thick torrent, as the Element tried it's hardest to sustain it’s host. They all knew better though.

The damage was far too great, and she just simply didn’t have enough time to recover...

Twilight sat down beside her, and gently took the mare’s head into her forelegs. Rarity’s chest rose and fell just a fraction, as the mare struggled to hold on. Rarity slowly opened her good eye, and focused on Twilight,

“Darling…”

The lavender Unicorn choked back a sob as Rarity’s scratchy voice hit her ears. The white mare got a tiny smile on her face,

“Don’t cry, my love…you’re far too beautiful to be crying…”

Twilight rubbed a hoof through her lover’s blood soaked mane, but said nothing.

“We knew…when we started this war…things were going to get very dangerous…” Rarity continued. “We knew there…would be a lot of bloodshed, and sweat and tears. We knew that everyday…we were putting our life on the line…” she let out a wet-sounding cough then smiled again, “But what I didn’t know would happen…was that I would end up falling in love…while we were in the middle…of a war. I didn’t know...that I would wake up...and find myself wrapped...tightly in your forelegs…” her voice got even softer, “I didn’t know...that I would end up...falling for you, loving you, and...finding happiness from you…” she strained to lift her neck and head up, gently placing her lips to her lover's in a gesture of affection,

“I love you, Twilight Sparkle…and I always will…”

Twilight started to open her mouth and reply, but a lump formed itself in her throat as she watched the light in Rarity’s eyes start to dull. Rarity let out one last shallow exhale as her life winked out of existence. Twilight’s eyes went wide with horror,

“No…no…NO! NO NO NO NO NO!! You can’t do this to me!! You can’t leave me without hearing me say ‘I love you’ back! YOU CAN’T LEAVE ME AT ALL!!!” she gripped her closer to her, “RARITY!!! RARITY, PLEASE, DON’T LEAVE ME!!!”

Her screaming morphed into hard, uncontrollable sobs, as she started to rock back and forth while holding on to her lover’s corpse. A faint glow emanated from the white mare, and the tiny purple jewel that was the Element of Generosity slowly emerged, hovering in front of Twilight’s surprised face.

“R…Rarity?”

The jewel zoomed past her head, skidding to a mid-air halt in front of Sparks. The orange Unicorn looked at it through teary, confused eyes,

“Is this…is this one of the legendary Elements of Harmony?”

Fluttershy turned to her, “Yes…and its chosen you to be it’s next Bearer…”

The Element started to glow brightly and get closer to Sparks, getting warmer to her as it got near. She closed her eyes as a warmth enveloped her. When she opened her eyes, the Element was gone, and she felt stronger than she ever had before. She let out a sharp exhale and looked at the scene in front of her. Dark Star smirked at her,

“So…my daughter is now the Bearer of the Element of Generosity…” he slowly shook his head, “And I thought I was going to be able to save you from certain destruction, but it seems that you’re truly have chosen to walk the same path as those pathetic creatures you call your family…” he looked over at Rarity’s body and sneered, “Oh well…at least I killed off one of the conniving bitches that let me die.”

The ground suddenly shuddered, and gravity seemed to shift to a slightly higher level. The air started to get warm, and all turned to the source of it; Twilight.

“How dare you…” she whispered in a dangerously low tone. “You took the mare of my dreams…the savior from my nightmares…the love of my life...away from me…” her real eye had a wisp of lavender magic flowing from it. She gently placed Rarity back on the ground and rose to her hooves, “Dark Star...I will make you suffer. And after torturing you, making you cry out in agony until I feel like you have felt the same amount of pain that Rarity felt, I will end your worthless life. After that, I will rip your head clean off of your body, and present it to the Hell King…and show him what a pathetic little shit of a fighter you turned out to be…”

Dark Star snorted and let out a chuckle, “You can’t even defeat the other Elites. Do you really think you’ll stand a chance against me?”

The ground shuddered some more from the epicenter that was Twilight. Dark Star arched a brow while the others looked on in surprise. EvenTide crystals started to burst from the ground around the Unicorn, sparking with black electricity. Rainbow Dash’s eyes went wide,

“Somepony…call CBS-01. Now.”

Fluttershy turned on her mouthpiece and spoke as quietly as the environment would allow. Although, none of them were paying her any attention at this point. Sparks staggered back a couple of steps. Her body was reacting to the magic Twilight was giving off. The small crystals that had sprouted from her body long ago were growing, black sparks circling the small pillars. She then noticed something that she was sure the others noticed as well,

The EvenTide Crystals were starting to turn black.

She felt as if there was almost too much power coursing through her veins. The thing that crawled beneath her skin was now clawing it's way out, begging to be released. She wanted to attack all that had made her suffer, and return that same suffering tenfold, until she destroyed them. She could only imagine what Twilight was going through. The smell of burning ozone started to float through the air, as more and more black crystals started to burst from Twilight’s body. Neither of the two Unicorns noticed that CBS-01 had arrived. Dash looked over at her,

“Disengage CBS-01 Protocol. Activate Memory Program: Burning Sun.”

The light from CBS-01's eyes faded to nothing, and the Alicorn removed her helmet. She shook her mane a couple times before focusing on Dash,

“What is it, Rainbow Dash?”

“I know we rebuilt you and everything...but you still retain the memories of Princess Celestia…” Dash stepped closer, “So please…tell me that something, somewhere in you, remembers being a Follower of Ubenox, and knows what the hell is going on with Twilight…”

Burning Sun looked over at Twilight’s twitching form, and her eyes went wide.

“The Corrupted One’s magic and her magic are supposed to be separated, kept in different magical reserves in her body. But now…her rage has caused the two reserves to spill over into one another, and forming a type of magic that even I haven’t seen, but have heard of from my elders…”

“What was the magic called?” Dash questioned.

The crystals that had exploded from Twilight’s body had started to form a casing over her body, slowly forming a full body suit of some strange armor over her. The white and iris of Twilight’s real eye started to morph and fade into a deep, infinite black. The cybernetic eye popped out of her socket, as a new, onyx colored eyeball started to form itself. Her horn straightened itself out and grew to intimidatingly long proportions.

“It goes by many names, most of them lost over the course of Time…But my elders used to call it ‘GodFlow Magic’…” Burning Sun looked over at Sparks, “And it would seem that it’s starting to happen to Bright Spark too, though she does not have as much of the Corrupted One’s magic flowing through her as Twilight does…”

Dash looked back at Sparks. Sparks’ eyes had gone completely black as well. She gasped out, as her teeth turned into wicked fangs made of black crystals. Casings of black crystals had formed themselves around the lower halves of her legs, and her coat paled until it was an ashen grey. Her mane and tail had all of the hues sucked out of them, until they were both bleach white. Her hooves became hooked cloves of onyx, digging into the earth beneath them. Her coat bristled up, as each hair turned into individual strands of grayish crystals. A surge of power burst from them as they both stood tall and proud, black electricity sparking off of them.

“’GodFlow Magic’?” Applejack tilted her head in confusion, “So…what are they?”

“They are something…stronger than any Alicorn. Something stronger than Discord, or any previous Harbinger of Chaos.”

Twilight and Sparks’ eyes lost their shine. Their bodies went completely stiff as a massive surge of black electricity flowed off of them. There was a few moments of complete and utter silence in the world as they remained motionless. Then, there was a soft electrical hum in the atmosphere as glowing irises rolled from the backs of their sockets. Twilight’s were a shade of bright lavender, with matching magical wisps flowing from her eyes. Sparks bore a glowing orb of lavender with a wisp to follow, and a strange glowing orb of hazel from the other, with a tail of amber colored magic flowing from it.

“While us Alicorns…and Draconequui, and Dragons, and any other powerful living beings may bear magic with ease…these two, have in a sense…become goddesses among us. They are deities, that now walk among the living…”

Their heads slowly swiveled towards Dark Star’s direction, the crystal of Twilight’s body clinking as they both turned. The humming in the air grew louder as they focused on Dark Star. More electricity shot off of them, and their irises glowed brighter.

“And they are…in lack of better terms…very…very pissed…”

War Of The Gods and Goddesses

They could all smell the burning ozone in the air, and taste the electrical flavor of static on their tongues. Twilight and Sparks’ bodies clinked and rattled as they slowly started walking towards the Hell Prince. He smiled at them,

“Things are about to get interesting…” he stated. “Now we get to use our powers to the fullest…” he looked over his shoulders at Sombra, Trixie, and Eternal. Their horns started to glow with black magic as he nodded at them. He looked back at Twilight and Sparks, his horn glowing as well. Their bodies were engulfed in an orb-like wall of dark magic. None of the others could see what was happening inside of the black magic spheres. They could only hear the sounds of snarling and almost pained screaming. The spheres started to grow in size, before exploding into nothing. From the spheres, the Elite Hellions had grown to monstrous proportions. Fangs protruded from their mouths, and muscles rippled under their coats. Flickers of black fire hung onto their coats, manes, and tails. Their irises glowed brightly as they all stared Twilight and Sparks down,

“We’re going to grind you down until nothing remains of your corpses…”

Sparks’ jaw unhinged itself, and she let out a sound that was morphed between a roar and a shriek, that made everyone except Twilight’s ears fold down. The sound continued on, causing the ashes and dirt to rise up from the roar reverberating against the earth. It warbled out into nothingness, and her jaw clicked itself back into place. With that, she and Twilight broke into furious gallops, leaving small craters in the ground with each step they took. Pinkie looked around at the other Hellions, then at her companions,

“Well, what the heck are we standing around for?! Let’s finish smacking these assholes around!!”

The others let out war cries, before breaking off into small groups and resuming their attacks on the now surprised Hellions. Burning Sun didn’t move, but stared at the two beings that were charging at the monsters that were the Elite Hellions.

‘Oh Great One…is this the will of the gods? Do they wish for this to happen?’

The electrical hum in the air grew to deafening proportions, momentarily silencing and stopping everyone around the things Twilight and Sparks had turned into, and the Elite Hellions. Everyone stopped and turned to the two titanic forces of power that were about to clash. Time seemed to slow as the six powerful beings were moments before impact from each other. The hum died down into a pregnant silence, and then,

They collided.

There was an explosion of blinding white light, and deep, infinite blackness. Everyone was thrown off balance from the shockwave that came off of them. Dark Star felt fangs bury themselves into his shoulder. Sparks tackled him into the ground, the earth cracking under their weight.

“Really, daughter?! I figured-” he let out a grunt as she ripped a chunk of flesh off of his shoulder and clamped back down on the open wound, “You’d go after one of the others first!”

He drilled a hoof into the side of her face. She ripped off another piece of flesh as her head was snapped violently to the right. She let out another screech and snapped her teeth at his face,

“Gods, it’s like you’re teething all over again!!”

He grabbed her and slammed her into the ground. She quickly jumped to her hooves and growled. He towered over her, dodging Trixie as she flew over his head. Twilight fired a beam of magic at his face, and he roared out in pain. He blinked through the blood, and Sparks was looking up at him with sad eyes. He blinked again, and Twilight was mere inches from his face,

“I’m going to destroy you…” her voice softly echoed out.

The tip of her horn had a tiny orb of white and black magic sitting atop it. It got smaller and smaller, until it was a barely visible dot sitting on her horn. Another round of deafening electric hum rang out, before the upper half of his body was engulfed in the burning magic. He flailed his forelegs frantically in an attempt to get the acidic magic off of him. Black magic wisps poured off of him as his body started to rapidly heal itself. He wiped the blood and melted flesh away, exposing empty eye sockets and dark grey bones,

“You little shit!!”

He swiped a heavy hoof at Twilight. She slammed into the ground, loud cracking sounds resounding off of her crystal armor. Sparks moved in to help her, but was tackled to the ground by Sombra. Sparks screeched, and it was instantly cut off by a hoof to the throat. She gagged and looked up to see Trixie pinning her down. Both she and Sombra sneered down at her, exposing fangs of their own.

“You’re not the only one with a set of sharp little fangs.” Trixie stated.

“And I’ve had mine before you were even born, you little fuck.”

Her jaw unhinged itself once more, as she let out an ear piercing scream. While they were momentarily stunned, she clawed at Sombra’s face with her crystal hooves, then kicked him off to chomp down on Trixie’s snout. Trixie snarled out and thwacked Sparks off of her, smashing her into the ground with an audible snap. Sparks let out a pain-laced scream, earning Twilight’s attention instantly, and summoning her to her side. Twilight formed a dorm made of magic, and expanded it quickly, shoving the Elite in all directions. She looked down at Sparks’ body, noticing a crystalline rib bursting out from her flesh.

“Heal yourself…quickly, Bright Spark…” Twilight ordered, her voice echoing on it’s own. Sparks looked up at her,

“What’s wrong with us?” she questioned, slightly surprised that her crystalline vocal chords made a clinking sound when she spoke.

“We do not have time to figure that out right now…” Twilight replied. “However, we do know that we have the power to easily fight back against them….” She looked around as the Elite were banging against the dome shield. “So heal yourself, and let’s defeat them, for Rarity’s sake…”

Sparks nodded, “For Master Rarity.”

Twilight shook her head, “No…not ‘Master’. You are now an Element Bearer. We are equals, and she is just ‘Rarity’. Your fallen friend, and my…fallen lover…”

Sparks closed her eyes, and her rib slowly forced itself back into place, making cracking and snapping sounds as it did. Her crystalline coat closed over her wound, and she rose to her hooves. She looked over at Twilight and nodded. The Unicorn deity nodded back, and let the shield down. Dark Star and Eternal lunged at Twilight, while Trixie and Sombra went for round two with Sparks. They fought wildly at each other, tearing away at each other and ripping each other to shreds over and over again. For every bone broken in Twilight or Sparks’ body, the Elite had pieces of their body ripped off of them. And for each piece that either side loss, their god-like strength simply regenerated it. Sparks formed a blade of magic on her horn, and sliced Trixie in half. Her irises rolled into the back of her head, as her upper torso flew in one direction, while her lower half hit the ground elsewhere. The other three Hellion looked over at her, as Sparks quickly bounded up to the upper half of her body,

“Now, may your soul be cleansed from the evil that has tainted it, as I purge your mortal form from this world!”

Her body was surrounded by more black and white magic that formed a sphere around her. It expanded more and more, washing over Trixie’s body. She screamed out in agonizing pain, as her body was disintegrated into nothing. The lower half of Trixie’s body kicked violently, before exploding into black dust. Dark Star, Eternal, and Sombra looked on in shock, all three taking their eyes off of Twilight for but a moment,

And it was a fatal mistake.

Twilight rammed her horn into Sombra’s neck, and snapped her head to the side. Along with her horn, thick jugular veins tore themselves free of his neck. He gurgled out, and his forelegs buckled, forcing him to collapse. Twilight spun around, and bucked him in the jaw, propelling his body upward, and forcing him to stand on his hind legs for a second. He started to fall back again, his throat landing squarely on Twilight’s horn. She swiped her head in the other direction, this time, ripping out a portion of his windpipe. She fired up a quick burst of magic on her horn, burning away the piece of esophagus that was stuck on it. Sombra’s eyes went wide with panic, and Twilight leaned in until their snouts were nearly touching,

“May the deepest pits of Tartarus swallow you up, and rip your souls to shreds for all of eternity…”

She reeled back, then slammed her forehead into his snout. It crumbled, and he let out a gurgled wheeze. She leaned back, and did it again. Some of his teeth fell out.

Bang.

What teeth remained fell down his throat.

Bang.

The bones and cartilage that formed his snout crumpled.

Bang.

His face was now caving in on itself.

Bang.

His eyeballs popped and the juices flowed as tears.

Bang BAng BANg BANG BANG BANG BANG!!!!!

She head butted him until his face was nothing more than mush matter. His limbs twitched a few times, before stopping all together. She reeled her hoof back, then slammed into his chest, piercing his flesh and reaching around his organs. She pulled out an onyx orb in dark violet flames and placed it on the ground. She slammed her hoof down on it over and over, until it broke into minute shards. His body then followed the same fate as Trixie’s, exploding into magic dust remnants. She looked over at Eternal, her eyes glowing with a fierce light,

“You…you were the start of all this…”

She slowly starting walking towards the Alicorn. Eternal didn’t back down, but the tinge of fear in her eyes was as clear as day to Twilight. Dark Star lunged for Twilight, but was stopped when fangs snapped onto his trachea,

“Your fight is with me, Dark Star!!”

He shook his head, but Sparks held on with a powerful vice grip. While still hanging on, she used a spell to make her density multiply over and over, and Dark Star could no longer hold his head up. She continued still, more and more of the ground turning into gravel, as the pressure in the area grew too strong. Dark Star tried to rise to his hooves, all attempts were futile under Sparks’ weight.

“Bright Spark, release me!!” he roared. “Do…do as your father commands!!”

She ripped out a hunk of neck flesh, “You killed Rarity! She wanted to give me the chance to have a parent again, and you took that from me!!” she leapt out of the hole she had made, and head butted him in the chest. His ribs crumpled inward as he was thrown into the ground,

“Why?! Why did you kill her?!” she cried out. “If you didn’t care about her, then you should have at least let her live for my own happiness!!”

She punched him in the jaw, the side of his face smacking into the ground.

“But you didn’t let her live! You killed her without a moment’s hesitation, with no remorse!!”

His vision was snapped into the opposite direction. He caught of glimpse of Twilight tearing one of Eternal’s wings off.

“What’s worse, is that you relished it!! You smiled with glee! You were happy that you killed her!!”

Another blow to the face.

“Star Blast wasn’t known as a cold blooded killer!! He was known as a kind, benevolent stallion, who would throw his life down for even the weakest fighter!!”

*SMACK!* Twilight now had her hoof buried deep into one of Eternal’s eyes sockets.

“Star Blast was my father!!! YOU’RE NOT STAR BLAST!!!”

Sparks used the spell to further intensify her weight. She raised her hooves and slammed them down on his chest, forcing all of the air out of his lungs. He flailed a bit, but he couldn’t budge under her weight. She lifted her hooves just enough for him to breathe, then leaned towards him,

“You’re a monster. And I won’t lie, you’re a terrifying one at that…” her eyes glowed bright, and she leaned just a bit closer,

“But we can be terrifying monsters too, if you force us to be…”

She grabbed the sides of his face, then forced his head to look in the direction of Twilight and Eternal. She pressed her hooves down on his face and leaned towards his ear,

“I know the Hell King can use your eyes as if they were his own…” she started. “So, let’s let him watch as Twilight destroys Eternal…”

Twilight had gouged one of Eternal’s eyes out. Eternal was screaming. She wouldn’t stop, and it was pissing Twilight off. She smacked her in the face with a heavy hoof,

“Shut up! SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!” Twilight screamed, her voice booming and echoing at the same time, “YOU FORCED ME TO DO THIS!!! I DIDN’T WANT TO FIGHT ANYPONY, BUT YOU CHOSE TO SERVE THE HELL KING!!!” she quickly started raining blows on her face, “YOU BACKED ME INTO A CORNER, AND YOU ALL KILLED MY RARITY!!! SO NOW…I HAVE TO KILL YOU ALL!!!!”

Her hooves were moving at a near blinding speed. The only way Dark Star could tell that the blows were landing, was because Eternal’s head was getting flatter and flatter by the second. Eternal was no longer moving, but Twilight kept pounding away anyway. She beat her far beyond death, and until the same black orb that was in Sombra appeared from the brain matter and bone fragments that were once her skull. The crystal casing around Twilight’s maw moved, exposing a glowing lavender coat. Twilight opened her mouth, and a long, black, tendril-like tongue peeked out from glimmering hooked fangs. Her tongue wrapped itself around the orb, and her teeth bit down on it with a audible ‘click’. Suddenly, she opened her mouth, then quickly snapped down, her fangs shattering the spherical crystal into shards. Eternal’s body slowly disintegrated away as Twilight chewed on the crystal shards and swallowed them up. She looked over at Sparks and Dark Star, teleporting over to them and standing over the two Unicorns,

“Dark Star…you’re the only one left…” she pointed out in a matter-of-fact tone.

Sparks’ eyes glimmered with a bit of pity, as both her and Twilight’s horns started to form orbs of powerful, swirling magic,

“Somewhere, I pray that a bit of my father’s soul remains. And if so…I hope he understands that Twilight and I are doing this for the greater good.”

There orbs started to get bigger,

“And if he’s looking at me through your eyes, I also want him to know that I love him very much, and miss him every day…”

The orbs were now touching, melding together and growing still.

“Thank you for everything you’ve ever done, Dad…”

Just as they were about to fire off the magic, a powerful beam of sapphire colored magic collided with the side of Twilight’s face, making her stagger to the side and knock over Sparks. Dark Star slowly rose to his hooves, throwing a glance in the direction of the powerful magic. His eyes went wide with mild shock,

“How? What are you doing?”

Twilight scraped away the crystal armor that was barely hanging on, so that it could quickly replace itself. It covered her luminescent coat once more, and her glowing irises appeared back in her sockets. Sparks was looking in the same direction as Dark Star, her mouth wide and unspeaking. Twilight followed her gaze, and what she saw nearly made her irises vanish once again.

“My Gods…”

Not too far away from them, a white Unicorn mare stood. Her head was lowered, and her horn was still smoking from the remnants of magical heat it gave off from shooting. Her violet mane and tail lightly billowed in the wind. She seemed just a bit taller, and a bit more muscular, but Twilight nor Sparks paid that too much attention,

“Rarity…you’re okay…how can this be?” Twilight questioned, utter confusion on her face.

“Twilight, now’s not the time to overthink!” Sparks yelled with glee laced in her voice. She took a couple steps towards her, and Twilight followed. Neither of them even cared the Dark Star was slowly slinking away to further the already growing distance between them. But all three of them froze when Rarity fired another beam at the two mares. Now, the confusion was shining bright in both of their eyes, and Dark Star looked on with interest,

“What…Rarity, what are you doing?” Twilight asked, “I understand you getting enthusiastic and just trying to finish up Dark Star and accidentally shooting me the first time, but…” her sentence trailed off as Rarity rose her head. She opened her eyes, staring them down, and actually causing Twilight and Sparks to take a couple steps back. Both of their eyes were open wide, as sheer terror, denial, and hurt competed to portray themselves on their faces. Twilight said nothing, but Sparks shook her head just a few fractions of a degree, softly whispering a one worded mantra,

“No…no…no…no…no…no…”

Rarity bore an iris that was a pale blue, and a lavender iris that reflected back all the emotions Sparks and Twilight were going through. But instead of her scleras being white,

They were now onyx black.

Author's Note

Man, having to be awake for 24 hours always gives me time to spit out chapters!

The Last Stand

Spike had his claws pressed against the mirror, as he stared in wide eyed horror at what he saw in Corrupted Spike’s crystal pillar. Rarity was now a pawn that belong to the Corrupted One. One of the Fallen had truly…fallen. Spike looked over at the corrupted version of himself.

"What did you do to her?!"

Corrupted Spike chuckled, “This battle is practically taking place right outside my front yard…the very air itself is teeming with black magic.” He rubbed his chin, “When Dark Star killed her, I had the pleasure of watching. As soon as she did, I decided to…hmm…send a bit of my magic her way.”

"CHANGE HER BACK!!!" Spike roared. "NOW!!!"

Corrupted Spike belted out a laugh, “You’re not the one in charge here. I am. And now…whatever fragment of her soul that’s still left in that body…belongs to me now…”

~MLP~

The world seemed to come to a standstill as Twilight and Sparks stared at Rarity. Dark Star’s interested expression turned into amusement, as an evil grin worked its way onto his face,

“It seems like she’s finally made the right choice…to serve our mighty God-King…”

The two Unicorns ignored him, still keeping their eyes on Rarity,

“Rarity…why?...”

Rarity didn’t respond. Instead, she began a painfully slow walk towards them.

“You can either be destroyed by me,” Dark Star boomed out.

Twilight and Sparks glanced over at them,

“Or…you can be destroyed by her!!”

There was the sound of air rushing, and a light hoof step. Twilight and Sparks spun around to see Rarity was right in front of them. Before either could react, Rarity struck Twilight in the face with a heavy hoof. The blow didn’t send her flying. It didn’t even make her stumble. But, as her head snapped to one side, she felt her un-beating heart shatter, as if Rarity had struck her down with the most powerful of weapons.

Well…The Corrupted One had made Rarity become said weapon.

Twilight didn’t move, but Sparks instinctively shoved Rarity away from them. She stared at her with hardened eyes,

“We do not wish to fight you, Rarity…but you will leave us no choice if you continue to act this way.” Sparks warned, her crystalline vocal chords now clinking louder than before, “Stand down, or we will make you stand down.”

Rarity’s expression remained dead as she lunged for her. Twilight looked on in shock as the two Unicorns rolled around in the dirt, firing beams of magic off in random directions. Sparks cried out as Rarity stomped onto her chest. Twilight was still too shocked to move. Dark Star took this opportunity to gallop over to them and join into the fray. Twilight snapped out of her shock as she watched Dark Star pick up Sparks and slam her into the ground with enough force to make it shatter. Twilight tackled Dark Star, ramming her horn into his eyeball. He let out a pained howl, staggering back and giving Sparks the opportunity to get back on her hooves. She ripped her horn out of his socket, taking the eyeball with it, and tearing his face open. Twilight got ready to fire off a beam of magic, but was cut off by Rarity slamming into her. They hit the ground, and Twilight’s crystal armor shattered where Rarity had tackled her. Twilight looked up at her lover in horror, unable to fight back. An orb of magic appeared on Rarity’s head, and started to grow at an incredible rate. Her pupils shrank to pinpricks as Rarity reeled her head back, ready to unleash the magic. Twilight knew this blow wouldn’t kill her, but it would hurt like hell. Why couldn’t she move? Why couldn’t she shove the mare on top of her off, and strike her down? She just shut her eyes and waited for the magic to engulf her.

But it never came.

Twilight heard a rush of air, and a heavy thump. When she opened her eyes, Rarity was no longer standing over her, but pinned down by Sparks. The Unicorn was snarling at her, belting out that painful screech right in Rarity’s face. Twilight rose to her hooves, thankful for the younger Unicorn’s intervention. She turned to face Dark Star,

“I can’t do it.” Twilight stated bluntly. “The Corrupted One’s magic now wears the face of my lover. Because of that, I cannot attack her…” Her eyes started to glow, "You however…are fair game…”

Dark Star smirked, “You caught me off guard before, but rest assured, it shall not happen again…” he started to walk towards her, horn ablaze with dark magic. “Now…let’s get this over with…”

With that, he broke out into a furious gallop. Twilight was surprised, as she barely dodge his attack. He had gotten bigger. Faster. Stronger. Spike must’ve infused him with more black magic than he had the other Elites.

He rivaled her in strength now.

He suddenly turned on his hooves and speared Twilight in the side with his horn. Twilight let out a pained whinny as she was slammed into the ground. Dark Star peeled his horn out of her, then pressed down onto her wound with a heavy hoof,

“Our God-King is going to be pleased that I had taken down the leader of the Fallen…even though…you’re nothing more than a pathetic, worthless excuse of a pile of flesh…”

Twilight’s eyes shut tight with pain as Dark Star started to press even harder on her wound. Twilight opened an eye to see that Sparks and Rarity were in a stand-off, and too focused on each other to focus on the two of them. She managed to tilt her head and fire off a beam a magic at Dark Star’s face, but it didn’t even faze him,

“There’s no point in stopping this, Twilight. No matter what you do, you’re going to die.”

A couple of Twilight’s ribs cracked under the pressure. She let out another scream. Suddenly, the pressure was taken off of her side. Her body had time to heal, and she looked up to see that titan sized, Vampony version of Fluttershy tearing away at Dark Star’s back, and pulling him off of her. Twilight jumped to her hooves, and focused on healing her wounds as quickly as possible. Dark Star was holding Fluttershy’s jaws open, as he struggled to keep her from ripping his face off. He started to summon magic into his horn, causing a soft hum in the air. Just as he was about to fire the beam into her open maw, Applejack tackled him, releasing his grip on Fluttershy, and sending them both flying. They tumbled and rolled on the ground, raining heavy blows on each other. He shoved Applejack away, and glared at her,

“I’m going to tear you to shreds!!”

“NOT IF I GET TO DO IT FIRST!!”

The declaration confused him when he realized it hadn't came from Applejack's mouth. He looked up, and saw Dash dive bombing towards him. She slammed into him, kicking up a massive cloud of dust and debris. She stomped on his chest until she felt ribs crack, then jumped away before he could grab her. He sat up and snarled,

“Ganging up on me won’t make a difference!! I’m still going to kill y-”

His sentence was cut off as a hoof met his cheek. He staggered and hit the dirt, managing to catch a glimpse of Pinkie before he did. As soon as Pinkie landed, Applejack was charging at him again. He let out a frustrated roar, before smacking Applejack away. Fluttershy snarled, latching on to him again and pulling him into a headlock. He punched her repeatedly, but her grip didn’t lighten up in the slightest. He suddenly felt something cold being jammed sharply into his side,

“Move Fluttershy!!”

Fluttershy jumped back, and Dark Star only had a moment to turn to see the Gatling guns attached to Applejack’s armor, were digging into his flesh. There was a hum as the gears in the guns whirred to life, before rounds exploded from the barrel, and drove themselves into Dark Star’s body. Under normal circumstances, Dark Star wouldn’t be concerned with being shot at. But, with this many rounds, and at this close of a range, they were actually doing damage. He fell over, and his attempts to get back on his hooves were thwarted by the continuous barrage of attacks from the Fallen. He felt a particularly powerful punch to the jaw, sending him off of his hooves. Another heavy blow was delivered to his gut, as he was shoved back into the earth. The air was forced out of his lungs, and he felt a hoof press down on his throat. He looked up to see a pair of glowing, mix-matched eyes staring down at him. A growl rumbled deep from Spark's throat, before she let out an earth trembling, other worldly shriek. She screamed in his face, a light mist of hot breath and powerful magic covering him. Her scream died down to a soft clinking, then silence, and her fierce facial expression turned into one of utter despair.

“Dark Star…” she lightly shook her head, “No…Dad…” she placed a hoof to his cheek, “I’m really sorry. I’m sorry that I let you down. I’m sorry that I couldn’t save you…” she leaned forward and placed a kiss on his snout, “I’ll always love you, Dad…”

Her jaw unhinged itself, and a ball of magic started to form in her mouth. Dark Star shook his head,

“You’re such a foolish pony, Daughter!” he then mirrored her, his mouth opening to unnatural proportions, until a sickening snap sounded out, as his jaw popped out of place. He quickly formed an orb of black magic in his mouth. Sparks’ eyes went wide, and she quickly summoned as much magic as she could. The Fallen had let go of Dark Star, knowing the impact of the colliding magic was going to be massive. Dark Star and Sparks were screaming at each other, as the balls of magic got larger and larger. The orbs suddenly shrunk, before they both fired them at each other, their faces mere inches apart. The Fallen and any nearby fighters, had to shield their eyes from the explosion. When the light faded, and the dust settled, they all turned to see what had happened. Dark Star was laying in the bottom of a massive crater.

“Sparks!!” Applejack screamed out, before breaking into a gallop. The others followed her. Sparks was strewn out in the dirt, the light of her irises completely gone. Applejack scooped her up into her hooves,

“C’mon now, Sparks! Don’t tell me Pinkie an’ Ah saved yer hide fer nothin’!”

Sparks remained unresponsive. Dark Star slowly crawled out of the crater. He shook the dust off of his coat, then glanced over at Rarity, who was joining him and walking towards the Fallen. Twilight stood in front of her friends, ready to shield them from whatever Rarity and Dark Star threw at them. Dark Star looked down at Rarity,

“Ladies first…”

Rarity nodded, then slowly walked towards them. Twilight shook her head,

“Rarity, please don’t do this!!”

Dark Star started to follow her,

“This isn’t you!!”

Rarity’s slow walk turned into a light trot. Twilight’s eyes started to glow brighter,

“You’re my lover! We are your family! You’d never attack us!!”

Rarity’s trot turned into a gait.

“Please…” Twilight’s voice cracked. “Come back to me…”

The tip of Rarity’s horn started to build up with magic.

Twilight pile drove her hooves into the dirt, her expression was a mixture of sorrow, but determination,

“I won’t attack you, Rarity. I won’t let you hurt our family…but I won’t attack you.”

She broke into a fierce gallop, with Dark Star right behind her. Twilight closed her eyes, waiting for the blast of magic to explode on her body.

She waited. Nothing.

She waited some more. There was the sound of bodies colliding. A collective group of gasps sounded off behind her. She opened her eyes, and joined in the symphony of shock.

Dark Star was sprawled out on his stomach. Rarity was on top of him, her body engulfed in dark blue magic. The monstrous Unicorn underneath her was squirming and flailing about, but she too had used the same spell to increase her weight to near unbearable levels. He looked up at her,

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?!”

She ignored him, keeping her eyes directly on Twilight. Her mouth didn’t move, but they could all hear her words clearly,

’No matter what they do to me…' A tiny smile appeared on her face,‘I’ll never let them hurt my family…’

At this, the light in Sparks’ eyes returned once more. She slowly rose to her hooves and turned to face Rarity. A smile worked it’s way to her lips,

“I knew some part of you was still in there, Rarity…”

Rarity’s smile got a bit bigger, but then immediately contorted into a grimace, and black electricity coursed through her body. She gasped out,

‘I-I can’t hold the Corrupted One’s black magic away much longer…’ she twitched as more dark energy shocked her core. ‘You must destroy us both!’

Twilight shook her head, "No, we can save you!"

Rarity cried out as the magic continued to surge through her. She panted,

‘It’s magic is…unyielding. The Corrupted One is going to take this body…’ Another surge. A sad smile formed on her face as she looked at Twilight,'But you…you have my heart, my soul!! I will always love you-‘ she screamed as the corrupting magic started to reach unspeakable levels of pain. ‘I’ll always be yours!!'

Twilight shook her head in denial, but didn’t say anything. Sparks placed a hoof on her shoulder. Twilight looked over at her, and shook her head solemnly. Sparks gently moved her to the side,

“I will end your suffering, Rarity.” She stated, as black and white magic started to swirl through her horn. “Thank you for teaching me, caring about me…”

She lowered her head, the air around her started to get hot, and an electrical hum filled the air once more. The aura around her horn formed into a ball of magic on the tip of her horn. It shrank, and the hum in the air started to become deafening,

“Thank you…for loving me…”

She fired the magic, the recoil from it pushing her back a bit. The other Fallen behind her shielded their eyes. The beam of magic was screaming towards the two Unicorns. Dark Star frantically looked up at her,

“RARITY, GET OFF OF ME!!! DO NOT DISOBEY OUR GOD-KING!!”

A few tears fell from her eyes. The small smile on her face, got bigger,

‘Bright Spark…you…were the daughter I never got to have…’

There was a split second of silence, before the magic impacted them. The shock wave blew all but Twilight and Sparks’ away. A few more aftershock waves washed across the battle field. They died out, and when the ash and dust and debri settled, Twilight and Sparks remained rigid. The ground where the magic had impacted, had been utterly destroyed. There was no sign of Rarity or Dark Star. Sparks galloped over to the impact sight, and a few tears fell from her eyes. At the bottom of the crater, there were two crystal orbs. She knew they were what powered the Elite, but they were not onyx black orbs like the others. One was a deep, dark shade of blue, and the other…

A rich shade of violet.

Sparks trotted to the bottom of the crater and picked up the two orbs. She made her way back to Twilight and the other Fallen. She levitated the violet crystal and placed it before Twilight. She felt tears start to prick at the corners of her eyes as she placed the dark blue orb underneath her hoof. She wiped her tears away and focused on the crystal,

“I love you, Dad…”

With that, she shut her eyes, and put all of her weight down onto it. There was the sound of crackling, and then the orb shattered into tiny fragments. Her ears perked up when she heard a few tiny gasps from her friends. She opened her eyes, and for just a moment, her eyes fell upon a barely visible figure. A stallion, who’s coat was a brilliant blue, with a bleach blonde mane and tail. His eyes sparkled for a moment, as they met her own. He smiled at her, and got just a bit closer to her,

"I am so proud of you, Bright Spark...'

Sparks felt a light tingling sensation on her forehead as he kissed her, before he faded into the nothingness. She stared at the spot where she had just seen Dark Star. No…where she had seen her father…

Where she had seen Star Blast.

Sparks let the tears fall this time. She had managed to save her father from eternal damnation. Her joy was short lived however, as a sob from Twilight drew her attention, and the others as well.

“I didn’t see her…” Twilight whimpered. Pinkie walked over to her and placed a hoof on her back,

“Maybe her soul might’ve already left the crystal…”

“That doesn’t make any sense…” Twilight sniffed. “Why didn’t that happen to Star Blast? Did…did we not save her?”

Sparks placed a hoof on Twilight. Twilight looked up at her. Calmness and determination burned in her glowing eyes.

“Rarity has been saved. She sacrificed herself in a final act of love for all of us. I promise you, that her soul has been set free from the Hell King…”

Sparks didn’t know where the words came from…but they were spoken from the heart. Twilight knew this. A very tiny smile made it’s way to her lips,

“Thank you, Bright Spark…” she started. “Perhaps you are right…I pray to the gods that you are…”

A flash of lime green drew their attention. The battle worn Apprentices trotted up to them

“Ah felt a massive decrease in dark magic, an’ we figured ya’ll had managed ta defeat the Elite.” Patch stated.

‘We’ve destroyed most of the Hell King’s army.’ Skye started. ‘However, there are still a large amount of stragglers, but our squadrons and brigades are picking them off.’

Dee looked around at the group in confusion,

“Where’s…where’s Miss Rarity?”

Heavy silence fell amongst the group. They all looked at each other. Dash stepped forward,

“Rarity…she’s gone…”

Shock covered the Apprentices’ faces. Sure, they had attempted to prepare for moments like these, but they never truly thought that the Fallen could be killed off. A few tears started to fall from their eyes. Patch wiped his away and looked at their mentors,

“She’s really gone…that just don’t make a lick of sense…”

“She sacrificed herself to make sure the rest of us lived.” Twilight started, before looking over at Sparks. “Over the three years she had been Bright Sparks’ mentor and primary caretaker, she taught this young Unicorn everything that she knew. Bright Spark learned well, and honestly…” she smiled a bit, “I can see a bit of Rarity in her now…”

Sparks’ eyes started to well up with fresh tears. Twilight turned back to the Apprentices,

“When Rarity passed on, the Element of Generosity left her, in order to find a new host. It has chosen Bright Spark, to be it’s bearer. She is no longer an Apprentice…so when we rise up and defeat the Hell King…remember that she now deserves your respect as one of your superiors.”

The Apprentices nodded in unison, “Yes Miss Twilight.”

Patch stepped forward and at attention in front of Sparks,

“Ah’ll have great pleasure in servin’ ya, Miss Bright Spark.”

Sparks smiled, “Thanks, Patch.”

Applejack leaned over into Twilight’s ear, “Twi, we gotta go, while his defenses are lowered…”

Twilight nodded, then faced the group,

“Alright…this is it…we are at the boiling point. The peak of the war.” She turned and pointed at a building that was still off in the distance. “That is the castle of the Hell King.” She started. “He knows that we are here. That much, I am sure of. He probably knows that we have already defeated his Elites, and are heading towards him. Inside of that castle, there is an unknown amount of Hellions in there, waiting to kill us to protect that tyrant.” She looked back over her shoulder, “We will not allow them to succeed. We will not allow the Corrupted One to live another day on Equis.” She turned to face the Apprentices, “The five of you are going to help the troops find the stragglers. I assume there are still thousands upon thousands of them still trying to either fight back or escape death. You will take no prisoners, you understand?”

The Apprentices stood at attention, “Yes, Miss Twilight.”

They turned and bounded off back into battle. Sparks started to follow, but Twilight grabbed her shoulder,

“That is a job for the Apprentices. You are no longer one. You are needed elsewhere.”

“But I’m not a Fallen either, Twilight.”

“True, but you are an Element Bearer. And, you're the only pony we’ve encountered so far other than myself, that can use the Corrupted One’s magic against it. You’re too powerful to be finishing off those Hellions. We need your magic here.”

Sparks nodded in understanding. Dash started to hover above them,

“I’m going to go and scout out the area up ahead.” She looked down at her wife, “You coming with?”

Fluttershy nodded and flew up to her. Dash shot off, and Fluttershy took off as well to join her. The crystals casing around Twilight’s neck started to creep back up and encase her head. She looked back at Applejack, Pinkie, and Sparks,

“Let’s go and finish this…”

They nodded at her, then broke off into a blazing gallop towards Corrupted Spike’s castle.

~MLP~

Corrupted Spike rested his cheek on his hand, as he stared into the crystal pillar that was showing him what was going on outside of his castle. An image of the Fallen racing towards him was showing in the crystal,

"You’re running out of time." Spike stated, as he smirked at him through his mirror prison. Corrupted Spike shot him a look,

“Actually, your ponies are the ones who are running out of time.” He replied, an evil grin spreading on his face, “What do you think happens when a Hellion dies?”

Spike arched a scaly brow, “That’s one step closer to my friends kicking your ass.”

Corrupted Spike rolled his eyes, “No, you idiot. When a Hellion dies, my magic does not just disperse into the atmosphere. It returns to me…” He leaned towards the mirror, “I was actually getting weaker by bringing all of those ponies back to life.”

Spike’s eyes went wide, “Then why did you do it?”

The dragon chuckled, “Don’t you see? Even in my weakened state, I’ve managed to wipe out a vast majority of the rebellion. I’ve taken…millions of lives, without ever having to raise a claw myself…”

Spike growled, and slammed his fist against the glass, “YOU’RE A FUCKING MONSTER!!!”

“OF COURSE I AM!!” Corrupted Spike roared back, “I AM DEATH AND DESPAIR, RAGE AND BETRAYAL!! I AM ALL THINGS DISGUSTING AND DISTURBING, VILE AND HORRIFYING!! I AM FUCKING EVIL ITSELF!!!” he placed a claw up to the mirror, “And thanks to your little ‘sacrifice’ all those decades ago…your face is now known as the face of Evil. You are the embodiment, of evil…”

He chuckled in Spike’s face, further enraging the imprisoned dragon. He left him to beat on the mirror, snarling and cursing at him, as he walked out to his balcony. He could see dust kicking up on the horizon and smiled,

“That’s right…come to my domain…the time to end this, has finally come…”

Dance With The Devil Pt.1

As the others walked up to the castle, they took note of its sheer size. It was a massive black beast, made of stone and hellfire, looming over them, daring them to enter. They stood outside, waiting to get word from the Pegasi that had shot off earlier to investigate. They didn’t want to hit them up on the headsets, in fear of exposing them if they were hidden. It wasn’t long before Fluttershy and Dash landed amongst them.

“There’s nopony around.” Dash stated. “Like, nothing. No Hellions, no demons, none of our fighters, nopony.”

“We can’t say the same fer the inside though, can we?” Applejack questioned. “There could be a bunch of ‘em in there, waitin’ fer us ta just mosey on in.” she pawed the ground with a heavy hoof, “Ah don’t know about ya’ll, but Ah’m done foolin’ around. Ah say we go in there, hit ‘em fast, an’ hit ‘em hard.”

Dash smirked at her, “I like the way you’re thinking, cowgirl!”

“Hold on now.” Pinkie intervened. “Does that really sound like a good idea? This isn’t like us just going and fighting a massive horde of them. We’re deep into Spike’s territory. This is his home. There are probably thousands of Hellions waiting for us inside. Not to mention this place is probably armed to the teeth with traps and gods knows what else.”

Dash snorted, “That’s what I’m here for, Pinks. You know, top mechanic, weapons specialist, and pretty much awesome in all things that have to do with making stuff?” she threw a hoof over the pink mare’s shoulder, “Have a little faith in me! In us!!” she looked around, “We’re the Fallen! And even if we weren’t, we’re still Element Bearers! It’s our job to put an end to all this!”

“Pinkie has a point though.” Fluttershy agreed. “This is still very dangerous. Not to mention…we weren’t prepared to lose…” she trailed off. None of them needed her to finish. Sparks stepped forward,

“I understand your apprehension about going inside, due to the fact that one of the Fallen has died.” She started. “Yes, it’s true, there are only five Fallen now…but there are still six Bearers to the Elements of Harmony. Six ponies, who bear magic unlike anything the new world has ever seen.” She stared Fluttershy straight in the eye, “I may be new to this role I’ve had to assume, but it does not mean I don’t understand the responsibility I now bear, and what lies at stake. The fate of Equis doesn’t just rest in your hooves, but in mines as well now. I understand that you all are counting on me just as you were for Rarity. You’re all my family, so even if the world wasn’t at stake, the fact that this puts my family in danger is enough to make me fill whatever role I'm needed to fill”

The others stared at her for a moment, eyes slightly wide from her speech. Applejack was the first to speak up,

“Wow, ya sound jus' like yer daddy. Ya definitely came from his loins."

Dash chuckled and looked over at her, “What the hell is wrong with you? You ruin the best moments.”

Pinkie patted Sparks’ back, while Fluttershy smiled at her. They then stepped aside to let Twilight stand in front of her,

“You had very good parents raising you, Bright Spark. They would be proud of you…and Rarity would be too…”

Sparks smiled, her irises glowing just a bit brighter. Twilight turned to look back at the castle,

“It’s now or never. I’m sure Spike already knows we’re here, so if there’s Hellions in there, we’ll have to try Applejack’s method…” she looked over her shoulder, “Are you all ready?”

The girls looked around at each other, before nodding at Twilight. Twilight looked back at the castle, then broke off into a gallop. The others joined her. Twilight used her magic to blow the massive doors clean off their hinges, and the others leapt inside. Faces that were once formed into rage and determination, now turned to confusion as they were greeted by quiet halls. Fluttershy transformed into her more vampiric form so she could see better, while Twilight and Sparks used their magic to make their horns glow.

“Where…where is everypony?” Applejack asked.

Twilight looked around, “I honestly have no idea…”

“Maybe the Hell King really did send all of his minions out into battle.” Sparks stated. “He probably thought that he could handle us on his own.”

Dash smirked, “Well, he was stupid to think that. He’s gonna be dead bef-”

“We’re not here to kill him.” Twilight cut her off. The others focused on her.

“I’m sorry,” Dash reached up and dug in her ear a little, “I don’t think I heard you right.”

“No, you heard exactly what I said.” Twilight replied in a monotone voice. “We’re not here to kill him. We’re here to defeat him.”

“Uh yeah, the only way to defeat him, is to kill him.”

Twilight spun around, “Why do you think that? Who gave you the right to be able to kill him off?”

Dash snorted angrily, “Have you forgotten what he’s done? He’s ended countless lives!”

“He’s still my brother!” Twilight hissed. “You have no right to kill him!!”

“Oh, and that means you have every right to let him walk away a free dragon?!” Dash retorted. Applejack stepped in between them,

“Twilight, ya can’t be serious. Ya can’t really expect us ta just let him live after all of this…”

“Spike’s still somewhere in there!!” Twilight shouted. “Don’t you remember the last time we managed to contact him? When I reached out to him and told him I still loved him? He said it back! He’s still in there, and if we have the chance to save him, then we have to take it!”

“Rarity was still there when her body got taken over too, and even she knew that his magic couldn’t be stopped!” Dash had jumped back in.

“Did you forget that I was once the Corrupted One’s host? I managed to escape from that!!”

“NO THE FUCK YOU DIDN’T, TWILIGHT!! You killed everypony, including your closest friends! The only reason you lived is because Spike absorbed that thing into him!! Do you realize that you'd be the Hell Queen, if not for him?!”

A mist spouted from Twilight’s nostrils, and her irises glowed bright, “And he proved that not only was he strong enough to even learn the spell to withdraw the Corrupted One from my body, but that he also still has retained enough sentience to speak out against it!!”

“That’s fucking great. He managed to talk to us. And then what happened? There was a big ass battle! You know, the one that’s still going on outside?! He sent all those Hellions, and the Elite to fight us! TO KILL US!!!”

“The Corrupted One did, not Spike! Spike’s magic doesn’t bring living things back from the dead! Spike’s magic doesn’t corrupt their souls, and cause them to do things they don’t want to do! You saw how some of those Hellions acted. Some of them ran off to gods-knows where, instead of back here! They don’t respect him, they fear him! Spike’s magic DOESN’T DO THAT!!”

“IT DON’T MATTER WHOSE DAMN MAGIC IT IS!!” Applejack roared, now back in the fray as well. “Whether it’s Spike’s magic or not, his body is still under the Corrupted One’s control! An’ so long as It has Spike’s body, It’s gonna keep killin’ every livin’ thing ‘til we’re all lifeless bodies buried in the ground! He has ta be put down!!”

“It’s not his fault!!”

“He killed Rarity!!”

“No he didn’t!! Dark Star killed her!!”

“AND MY FATHER WAS TURNED INTO DARK STAR, BECAUSE HE WAS KILLED OFF SAVING YOU GUYS!!!”

All attention fell of Sparks, as her statement enraptured their attention. Little billows of black wisps puffed from her flared nostrils and mouth, as she stared angrily at the trio of bickering mares.

“We can sit her and try to throw the blame at each other all day, but that won’t do anything. All we’re doing right now, is drawing unwanted attention to us, so please, do what you all need to do to decide what we do with the Hell King.”

Twilight, Dash, and Applejack looked at each in shame. They weren’t sure what to do. Dash and Applejack wanted to make sure Spike never did anything like this again, but they would need Twilight’s participation as well. And that still didn’t account for how Pinkie and Fluttershy felt. Pinkie walked up to Twilight, and tilted her chin upward so that the Unicorn was looking her in the eyes,

“Twilight…” she drew in a deep breath. She knew that the mare was not going to like what she had to say.

“We all think it’s for the best to do whatever it takes to end the Corrupted One’s reign. Even if that means…we have to kill our friend.”

Twilight moved her chin away from Pinkie’s hoof, “Easy for you to say…you may not have any problems killing off a friend, but I do. And that doesn’t even apply to me. Spike isn’t just my friend. He’s my little brother…”

“I don’t think he’d want you to be hesitating like this. I think…I think he would want us to stop him, no matter the cost.”

Twilight looked back into her eyes, “What do you know anyway?”

Pinkie lightly pawed at the ground, “Well…you may have raised him, and stuff like that…and believe me, he turned out a lot better than we had all expected. We all thought he’d revert to Dragonian tendencies, but clearly, you had done well. He loves us, dearly. When you were Corrupted One, your consciousness rose to the surface a couple times too. You were hurting, Twilight. When you were talking to us, was that the only time you were hurting?”

Twilight shook her head, “No…I felt like I was helpless.”

“Exactly. You caused some serious damage too, while the Corrupted One was in control of your body. So…just put yourself in Spike’s situation. You already kind of have, if you think about it. But just imagine…over 70 years of suffering and frustration. And Spike was no idiot. More than likely, he knew full well what he was getting himself into by becoming that thing’s host. Why do you think he was gone for so long after he did that? He probably knew what a danger he would be the moment he activated that spell. As for trying to save him…well…Twilight, you’ve never been the same since the Corrupted One left your body. In fact, you still have some of it’s magic in you. You still suffer from it to this day, over a century later…” she looked over at Sparks, “You’ve even managed to pass some of that magic on to Sparks. You’ve both have been suffering from this. Spike would be going through the same thing, maybe even worse because he’s been the Corrupted One’s host far longer than you had been. Is that what you want?”

Twilight looked down at the ground shamefully, “I’d never wish for such a fate upon even the worst of my enemies…”

“Then there’s no point in putting our friend…your brother…through the same thing…”

Twilight looked up at her. Her irises faded into the blackness of her orbs, and she let out a sigh. Pinkie lowered her head to Twilight’s level, and nuzzled her crystalline cheek. The crystal armor retracted back, exposing her head once again. Twilight returned the nuzzle, then looked at her friends,

“Thank you all for putting up with my behavior, after all these years. You girls are the best friends I could have ever asked for. No…the best family I could have ever asked for.”

They others softly smiled at her, before getting closer to her for a group hug. A throaty chuckle boomed through the halls, causing them to all jump into fighting stances.

“You truly think that you’re going to be able to stop me?” Corrupted Spike’s voice echoed again. “You are in my domain…my magic is floating in the air, traveling through the walls, flowing through the floors…” Bright blue flames came to life in sconces at the far end of the hallway, “Let me welcome you into my home…” The flames shot down the hall towards them, lighting it up in the process. The group’s expression turned into horror at what they saw.

Bodies. Countless bodies of Hellions, their husks lying in positions as if they had been scrambling to escape something. Fluttershy gasped and took a couple steps back away from a Hellion whose face was contorted into an expression of pure agony, and had it’s hooves outstretched towards her. Some of them were leaned up against the walls, mouths agape, and faces sunken in more so than before.

“You like it? I did a bit of decorating while you were out fighting.” Corrupted Spike’s voice started up again. “They weren’t really all for the idea, but you know…’my house, my rules’.” There was another small chuckle, “But please, feel free to make yourselves comfortable. After all…”

A set of bright green orbs with red magic wisp trails stared down at them,

”You won’t be leaving this place ever again…"

A jagged pillar of ebony rock shot forth from the ground, and slammed into Applejack. She hit the opposite wall with a heavy thud, before crumpling to the ground. Pinkie wordlessly bounded for her, but shrapnel rained down from the ceiling,

“Pinkie!!”

Sparks leaped towards her, horn ablaze, as she formed a dome of magic over Pinkie’s body. The shrapnel bounced off the dome, each piece lightly clinking to the ground. Applejack and Pinkie were enveloped in a veil of magic, and whisked over to Sparks’ sides. She tossed the Earth Ponies closer to the group, then sent the dome to hover over them. Dash banged on the dome,

“Put this damn thing down!”

More shrapnel shot out from the walls. The strands of her crystalline coat tucked close to her body, forming a shield. The shrapnel bounced off of her, and she remained completely unfazed. Twilight cocked her head to the side a bit,

“When did you learn how to do that?”

Sparks looked over her body, noticing it glimmer from the firelight, “I didn’t…”

The eyes at the end of the hall glowed ominously. A massive dark colored, scaly tail slunk out of the darkness. The group immediately honed in on it.

“I see that mere tricks are not going to work on you all…” the tail rose up a bit from the ground, “I am waiting for you, right down the end of this hall.” The tip wiggled a bit in a come-hither motion., “You can stand there and let me just kill you off…or you can come to me, and still be destroyed. The choice is yours.”

With that, the eyes seem to get higher, before swiveling around into the darkness. The tail soon followed the eyes. The fires in the sconces winked out, sending the hall back into a deeper shade of black. Twilight and Sparks sent glowing magic into their horns to light up the area around them.

“Well then…Spike’s called us out.” Applejack started. “No more games…this is it.”

She started to step forward. Pinkie grabbed her tail to stop her, then spat it out when she earned her attention,

“Hang on a second.” Pinkie protested. “We could be walking into a trap! We could step forward and more of the skewers could turn us into pony kabobs!”

Dash rolled her eyes, “Pinks, you’ve had acidic magic thrown on your face, been stabbed, been slammed into the ground, been shot at, been poisoned, and everything else that can happen to a pony under Twilight’s EvenTide. Are you really that worried about another little poke through the gut?”

Pinkie let out a tiny sigh of defeat, “Fine…I guess…”

Sparks smiled at her, “Then how about I go first, to make sure it’s good to go?”

The others looked at her,

“That’s too dangerous. You could set off a trap and be killed.” Fluttershy stated.

“Yes, but if I die, the Element will find another host, and you will have a new Bearer to assist you.”

Dash grabbed a hoof-full of her tail, then yanked the younger Unicorn back.

“Sparky, there’s a couple of things wrong with that statement of yours.” The Wonderbolt started, “First off, we have no idea who the next Bearer will be or where they would be in the world. Shit, we didn’t even know it was going to be you. So that’s a no go. Secondly,” she smirked and threw a foreleg over her shoulder, “We don’t want you getting replaced. If you go, we go.”

Sparks smiled at her, “Thank you, Rainbow Dash.”

“Rainbow Dash is too formal. Just ‘Rainbow’ or ‘Dash’ works fine.” Her expression turned serious, “Alright, nowhere to go but forward!”

Dash’s wings snapped open and she launched herself into the air. Fluttershy outstretched her wings and followed suit, while the four Earth-bound ponies galloped down the hall. Twilight and Sparks used their magic to open to the doors, and were greeted by utter blackness. The same glowing orbs from before shined bright across from them,

“My little ponies…” the eyes crinkled up at them, “Welcome to…my humble abode…”

Violet fire burst to life from sconces on the walls. Just as they did in the hall, they spread from sconce to sconce until they reached the walls behind the Fallen. And just like the last time, they did not light up a portion of the other side of the room. The tail hit the ground with a heavy thud, while the beast it was attached to remained in the shadows that it almost seemed to be producing on it’s own. This room was not littered with the rotting husks of dead Hellions, but was a polished, onyx floor. The smooth floor however, was marred by towering pillars of dark violet crystals and tiny craters that spurted black fire. A long violet rug strip cut the room in half, starting at the doors, before crossing the room and into the darkness from where the eyes stared down at them. Twilight took a couple steps forward,

“Show yourself! Now!”

A chuckle rumbled through the room, “You’ve done incredibly well to get this far, Fallens. I suppose that you deserve to see the new body of Evil…”

There was the sound of a single snap, and a massive pillar of fire rose up on each side of the eyes, showing the beast that they were attached to. Shock and horror carved themselves onto each of the ponies’ faces. Twilight slightly shook her head as she uttered out a sentence softly.

“Spike…what has this thing done to you?...”

Corrupted Spike was sitting in his massive throne chair and was much, much larger than they had remembered him to be. His color scheme had changed, his violet scales now a dark silver, and his emerald scales now dark crimson. The bone plates that ran along the top of his head and down his back were dark silver as well, and were longer than before, curving upward like upside-down scythes. Little plumes of black fire burned on random places on his body, each producing a small crackling sound as they devoured the oxygen surrounding him. The magic wisps from his eyes had gotten longer as well, and his pupils shrank to vertical slits as he leaned down a bit,

“Do you remember when you were my host, and I tried to make him better?” Corrupted Spike questioned. “Well, it was after I obtained this body, that I realized how pathetic yours was. Your Element of Magic made it quite bothersome. But now…” he extended his claws out to observe them, “I have more strength in one hand, than you have in your tiny little body. And let’s not forget the fact that you were an Alicorn when this all transpired. Now, you’re just an old Unicorn, leading four other old mares and a youngling who probably can’t tell the difference between her head and her own ass.”

Sparks snorted angrily, “And you are but a foolish lizard. You claim to be the most powerful being in existence, yet I see otherwise.” She retaliated. “In fact, you are one of the most disgraceful forms of magic that I have ever laid eyes upon. You cannot even bring the destruction that you so crave unto us, without the aid of some unfortunate soul who has crossed paths with you. You are the incessant whisper in someone’s ear, that nagging thought in the back of their mind, and a defiler of pure hearted creatures. You can only strike when someone is at their weakest, and even then, you are still not fully in control. You are so pathetic, that you don’t even have a true body to call your own…”

Corrupted Spike roared in anguish and rose from his throne. The crystal pillars rose even higher, before arcing downward, and shooting towards the Fallen. Twilight leapt in front of Sparks, her eyes and horn lit up with magic. The pillars stopped, mere inches from their faces, before turning back to aim at mighty dragon.

“I still have some of your magic, remember?” Twilight questioned as the pillars crept upwards towards him. “And these crystals were my creation. I will not let you turn them against me.”

Corrupted Spike smirked, “You don’t have it in you to kill me…” he smacked his hands against the pillars, shattering them into massive chunks. His smirk turned into a wicked sneer, “But that won’t keep me from destroying YOU!!!”

He quickly lunged towards the ponies. They all barely dodged him, his weight slamming into the wall so hard, that the entire room shook. Twilight summoned black crystal pillars from the walls, giving her friends a place to land. They looked down at him as he rose to his feet.

“What are we going to do?” Fluttershy questioned. “I mean, Dashie and I can fly to avoid him, but what about you guys?”

Sparks looked up at the crystal Twilight was on, “Do a knowledge transfer spell on me so that I can summon EvenTide Crystals too. I’m afraid I’ll mess it up based on the knowledge Rarity had given me all those years ago.”

Twilight’s eyes started to glow, “Step closer to me, the distance is still a bit too far.”

Sparks stepped closer to the edge of her pillar. Twilight’s horn started to glow, then flicker,

“Damn it. Still too far.” Her magic faded. “Let me try to get closer.”

Twilight started to walk towards the edge of her own pillar. Pinkie outstretched her hoof,

“TWILIGHT!!!”

Twilight looked down at Pinkie’s crystal pillar, only to have something else catch her eye. A stream of fire was screaming towards her at an inescapable rate. The fire consumed her, knocking her off of her pillar and sending her hurdling to the ground. Dash started to gallop to the jump, but Fluttershy leapt before her and dived down for the falling Unicorn. She knew they were too close to the ground, and wrapped her wings around them as she clasped her forelegs around the Unicorn. They hit the ground with a heavy thud, and rolled. Twilight tumbled out of her grip, and smacked into the wall. Spike charged at her, a gleam of bloodlust in his eyes. Fluttershy scrambled to her hooves, but she knew she wouldn’t make it this time.

“Twilight, get the hell up, now!!” she screamed at the top of her lungs.

Twilight’s glowing pupils returned once more, and she looked to see a massive hand ready to come down on her. It slammed down on her, each of the other ponies letting out cries of protest and horror. Everything was silent for a few seconds, before a chuckle rumbled out of Corrupted Spike’s throat. He raised his claws up, and looked down at the hand-shaped crater he created. Twilight was motionless, her crystal armor shattered, and her eyes completely black. Corrupted Spike chuckled, rose to his feet, and looked at the others,

“Now…who’s next?”

A screech emitted from Sparks was let loose into the room. Corrupted Spike turned to face Sparks, who’s eyes were glowing unnaturally bright. Her crystalline coat bristled up, reflecting the flames on the walls, giving her a bit of a glow.

“You’re going to pay!!” she screamed out, in a voice that was not completely her own, before charging at the mighty dragon. Corrupted Spike swiped at her, but she moved at a speed that gave the illusion of her vanishing into thin air. She landed on his arm, then quickly galloped up to his shoulder. She fired off a beam of magic that blasted his right eyeball, and made it pop almost instantly. He roared out in rage and pain, before grabbing Sparks and chucking her into the wall. Dash looked over at Pinkie and Applejack,

“Pinks, go and see if you can help out Twilight and Sparks. Applejack, you’re with me. You, me, and Fluttershy are going to distract him while she takes care of them.”

Applejack and Pinkie nodded in understanding. Pinkie started leaping from pillar to pillar to get down to Twilight and Sparks, while Applejack leapt on pillars to get closer to Corrupted Spike.

“Hey there, Hell King! I’m next!! Why don’t you see if you can take me on?!” Dash challenged. “I’m ready to whoop your scaly ass!!”

Corrupted Spike snarled and reached out to grab her. But, the loss of his eye had thrown off his depth perception. His ear frills perked up when he heard a whistle from behind,

“Howdy there! Ya seem ta be in quite a predicament!” Applejack pointed out. “C’mon now, why don’t ya use that unholy magic of yers ta heal yer eye?!”

He swiped for her too. Once again, his sight failed him.

“ENOUGH!! THE ONLY WAY TO BREAK YOU PONIES, IS TO BREAK YOUR SPIRITS!!”

He turned and looked down at where Twilight was. His eye opened a bit in shock when he saw that she was gone.

“Whoo-hoo! Over here!!”

He glanced up. Pinkie waved at him, before pointing at the mare that was on Fluttershy’s back,

“Is this who you were looking for?”

Fluttershy giggled and looked down at him, her red eyes gleaming with delight, “You seem very upset, Mr. Dragon.”

Corrupted Spike shot her a devilish grin, smoke billowing from his nostrils as he did.

“You seem to have forgotten somepony else.” He stated, small spurts of fire slipping between his teeth as he spoke. He started to turn his head towards his next available target; Sparks.

“Her…”

He inhaled a big gulp of air, before shooting off a massive wave of black blaze. Sparks struggled to her hooves. She looked up to see the fire coming at her, and knew that she wouldn’t be able to dodge it. The flames swarmed around her, ready to devour her in a never-ending blaze. Suddenly, there was a flash of brilliant white light with sapphire colored magic swirling through it, and the burning fire never came. When the light faded a bit, Sparks opened one of her eyes. Then, her other eye snapped open, and a huge smile made it's way on her face, while tears started to prick the corners of her eyes. She felt a lump in her throat as she tried to get a sentence out,

“You...you're here..."

The light faded more and more, until the source of it’s glow was visible. It was a beautiful, shining alabaster mare, that stood as tall as an Alicorn. She turned to look over at Sparks, her curled, violet mane bouncing a bit as she did. Her sparkling sapphire orbs gazed down at her, and she gave her a soft smile,

“Hello there, darling…"

Author's Note

Aw man, this story is coming to a close!! I wanted to make the fight one big chapter but then my mind was like:

"Here's an idea...how about we don't?"

So here we are...hope you enjoyed this piece so far!!

Dance With The Devil Pt. 2

The ringing in Twilight’s ears stirred her out of unconsciousness. Through her blurred vision, she could see Pinkie giving her a crooked grin,

“Hey there, sleepy head...”

Fluttershy popped into her field of view, “We’re so glad that you’re okay!!”

Twilight sat up, but winced as pain tore through her side. She looked down to see a massive gash on the side of her barrel, where the crystal armor hadn’t formed over yet.

“I don’t know why your armor hasn’t come back yet…but I injected the wound with a coagulant and a topical anesthetic. The anesthetic should kick in soon, so you should be okay.”

Twilight glanced over at Pinkie and Fluttershy, giving them grateful looks as she slowly rose to her hooves. She suddenly felt a wave of magic wash over her. It was gentle, soothing, and had a familiar aura about it. The light scent of lilac wafted into her nostrils, and her ears perked up as she faintly heard a mare’s voice speak. She tried to take a couple steps towards the edge of the crystal, but stumbled. Fluttershy quickly walked over to support her fellow pony, as they all walked to the edge. What they saw made them smile, tear up, and their hearts pound all at the same time.

“My gods…” Twilight felt herself start to tremble in excitement. “Rarity?…”

Sparks’ grin got even bigger, “I can’t believe this…I’m so glad that you’re here, Maste-”

She was silenced as a white hoof was placed onto her lips. Rarity shook her head,

“No dear. I’m no longer your mentor.” She moved her hoof away from Sparks’ lips, “One would not even call me a pony anymore. I am the Spirit of Generosity..."

She lightly stroked Sparks’ mane, her smile turned into a motherly, protective one. She then turned and faced Corrupted Spike, all traces of gentleness voided from her face,

“I have come to learn something, Corrupted One.” Rarity started. “I’ve learned, that no matter what you do, you will never win this war.”

“SHUT YOUR FUCKING MOUTH!!” the dragon snapped. “I DON’T KNOW HOW YOU GOT BACK HERE, BUT WHEN I KILL YOU THIS TIME, I’M GOING TO MAKE SURE YOU STAY DEAD!!!”

He reached out for the two Unicorns. Rarity dodged him with ease, while a still slightly dizzy Sparks scrambled to get away. Sparks felt hooves wrap around her torso, and looked up to see Dash had scooped her up. She dropped her onto a crystal pillar, then landed beside her,

“I can’t believe it! Look how tall she is! How is she doing this?!” Dash shook Sparks, “Or are you doing this?! Are you the reason she's tall too?!”

Sparks was still too awestruck that Rarity had returned, and slightly confused by her statement. The Spirit of Generosity? She was the previous Element’s Bearer, but that still didn’t make too much sense. Applejack hopped up to the crystal pillar they were on,

“While ya’ll are sittin’ here all willy-nilly, we got a bigger problem on our hooves!!”

Dash and Sparks looked down to see Pinkie and Fluttershy were dodging punches, kicks, and fire blasts from Corrupted Spike. Twilight focused her magic to heal her armor, before leaping onto the massive drake’s arm. He swiped at her, but missed, allowing her to leap onto his other arm and gallop up it to his shoulder. He spat out a wad ball made of molten rock onto her. It hit her with a loud *THWACK!!*, sticking to her armor and completely engulfing her. It hardened instantly, freezing her within it. He smirked and flicked the ball of molten rock off of him. The ball exploded on impact, and Twilight fell to the ground once more. She quickly leapt to her hooves, and charged towards him once more. Pinkie galloped up beside her,

“You can’t just keep trying to tackle him! Do you have another plan?!”

They saw Corrupted Spike’s fist coming for them, and began leaping up the crystal pillars. Rarity suddenly caught his eye, and he turned to pursue her. Twilight stared at the mare, entranced by her. Her coat, mane, and tail were glowing, and her eyes had a sapphire shine to them. Rarity fired off a blast of magic that seared off most of the scales on Corrupted Spike’s face. He belted out another roar of frustration and chased after her. She tore her gaze away from the scene to look back at Pinkie,

“I need to get closer to Bright Spark. If I can do a knowledge transfer spell, she can help me summon more of the crystals. That way, she and I can take turns being on the offense and defense.”

Pinkie nodded in understanding, before she jumped off of the pillar, and into the chaos in search of Sparks. Streaks of rainbow shot across the room, as Dash repeatedly slammed herself into the Dragon’s face, then zipping away before his teeth could snap down on her. Fluttershy, now further into the monstrous stages of her vampiric form, was also lunging at the dragon, spearing through his scales and piercing his flesh with her fangs. He’d swing at her, but her heightened speed made him miss time and time again. Finally, the pale grey coat of Spark caught her eyes. She was climbing higher and higher onto the crystals pillars. Rarity was close behind her, hopping from pillar to pillar. They stopped when they were once again out of Corrupted Spike’s reach. The Unicorns were exchanging a few words, before Sparks turned her head in Twilight’s direction. Rarity soon followed, before her sapphire orbs settled on Twilight’s form. Twilight could immediately feel a lump rising into her throat, and a grin spreading underneath her crystal helmet. The mare smiled at her for a few moments, before she turned and walked away from the edge. She trotted until she reached where the crystal burst from the wall, then turned back around. She lowered her head just a bit, before breaking out into a gallop. Her hooves pounded at the pillar, sending hairline fractures through it, as she raced towards the end of it. She coiled her legs tightly and leaned close to the crystal, before springing off of it. Sparks caught Twilight’s gaze for just a moment, as she leapt onto another pillar, the one that had been underneath her hooves crumbled away from the force of Rarity’s jump. Just as the glowing snow colored mare recaptured Twilight’s attention, she had recaptured Corrupted Spike’s as well. The massive dragon got a wicked sneer on his face, crouching down, and his irises turning into slits, as he honed in on her. He leapt into the air, and to the others’ horror, snapped his claws around Rarity’s body. He hit the ground with an earth shaking thud, thick torrents of smoke billowing from his mouth and nostrils. He pulled Rarity close to his face, his eyes glimmering with the blackest of desires for destruction,

“Finally…I have you in my grasp once more…”

Rarity stared back at him, not even the faintest glint of fear in her eyes. His grin got toothier and viler. He opened his mouth just a crack, and the back of his throat glowing with fire as he summoned it from his core. Rarity continued to look up at him. His mouth opened wider, flicks of flames reaching out towards her. Twilight lunged for him,

“LET HER GO!!!”

Corrupted Spike’s head snapped up towards her. A snarl rumbled up with the flames, and a roar soon followed after, as he belted out hellfire from his throat. Twilight threw all of her weight to one side to avoid the brunt of the spiraling fire attack, a few flames only licking at her armor. She slammed into his snout with enough force to hear an audible crack from both her armor, and his snout. She ‘thunked’ against his shoulder, before limply rolling off of him. Just before her irises faded, she saw Rarity staring down at her with wide eyes, screaming something out at her. Her vision completely darkened, she felt something collide with the side of her barrel, a tumbling sensation…then nothing.

~MLP~

"Get up…RIGHT NOW."

Twilight’s irises flashed back to life at the booming command. She knew who the voice belonged to, and wouldn’t dare to disobey. She rose to her hooves, her ears twitching as the sound of tinkling crystals reached them. She looked over to see Sparks rising to her hooves, her irises flickering, as if she were struggling to stay conscious. They both staggered a bit, as a surge of magic washed over them, filling the white void they were residing in with a soft humming sound.

“Look at me.”

They both turned to the sound of the voice. Ubenox stood before them, as proud and regal as a deity could be. His eyes however, burned with an intensity that Twilight had never seen before.

“Twilight Sparkle…Bright Spark…what have you two done?”

A chill ran through both of the Unicorns. Ubenox was never known to address a being by their name without the title of 'Follower' in front of it. Twilight knew this through the various encounters, and Sparks knew from her time reading any tomes that pertained to the arcane, and the rulers of such things. Twilight, the braver of the two, replied to him,

“I’m terribly sorry, Great One…but I don’t know what it is that Bright Spark or I have done.”

“I have gone against my code as a deity…” Ubenox started. “I showed faith in the faithless…”

“Great One…forgive me for speaking out…but what have we done?” Sparks questioned.

Ubenox’s eyes shined with a fierce light, “YOU ARE WASTING WHAT I HAVE BESTOWED UPON YOU!!!”

Sparks flinched, while Twilight continued to stare up at him. Slowly and carefully, she looked up and down his form. He was still massive, muscles rippling under his coat. And yet…

He looked just a bit smaller than she recalled.

His mane and tail still flowed, twinkling from the billions of stars within it, and the planets that floated across it, each reflected the light of their own respective suns. Still…

They didn’t seem quite as luminescent as she remembered them to be.

His coat was still cut vertically down the middle of his body. One side, a shade of deep ebony, while the other side was a shimmering ivory. But…

She knew that his coat was so much duller than she had ever seen it before.

She studied his eyes. They were still teal. They still showed knowledge that she knew most ponies couldn’t even begin to comprehend. Still shining with power that would make all ponies tremble before him. However…

There was a weight behind them...a tiredness unlike anything she had ever seen. A dark glint behind them that made Twilight’s eyes widen in realization,

“You gave us some of your own power??”

Ubenox nodded slowly, “Do you really think you both would have survived this long, with remnants of the Corrupted One’s magic within you?” Ubenox questioned. “Bright Spark's transformation was the signaling of something bigger at stake. The scale was tipping in Evil’s favor. The Corrupted One’s magic could now be transferred without it having to have taken over that being’s body. But now, I have given you so much of my strength that I do not even have any power left in my reserves.” His eyes crinkled up, and for the first time that Twilight had ever seen, he bared his teeth at her,

“YOU HAVE MADE ME INTO A FOOL!!” he roared out. His eyes shined brighter, and his mane and tail flared with angry power. Twilight stood up straighter, and stared him straight in the eyes,

“Tell us what to do, Great One.”

Ubenox snorted, “I have already told you what to do! You all had been listening to me up until this point!”

“No you haven’t. You’ve been leaving us clues and riddles, then leaving us to figure them out.” Twilight started. “You want to redeem yourself? Then help us!!”

Sparks was taken aback. It was completely unheard of to speak out without permission, but to shout back at the son of the universe? Twilight was going to die.

“YOU DARE TO SPEAK TO ME THAT WAY?!” Ubenox boomed. “SUCH TONES WILL BE RETRIBUTED WITH THE DESTRUCTION OF YOUR SOUL!!”

Twilight stomped her hoof defiantly, “You gave Bright Spark and I some of your powers. You cannot destroy me or her.” She then took her eyes off of him, and knelt before him, “But I still have much respect for you, Great One. If I speak out that is not to your liking, it is because I am simply concerned for the well-being of my family and my friends.” She then looked back up at him, still kneeling before him, “I implore you, to help us defeat the Corrupted One. You have already given us some of your power. Surely you could push the boundaries just a bit more, and just tell us what we need to do.”

The void that they were residing went completely quiet. Ubenox stared down at the Unicorns, his eyes searching them, as he contemplated his next words.

“I…cannot…” Ubenox slowly replied. “I cannot just give the answers that you seek. If I were to ever break the verbal code, I would never be able to speak to mortals again…” he looked off into the nothingness, “And by giving you so much of my magic, I have already gone against the gods. Whether or not you are able to stop the Corrupted One, I still will be punished for this misdeed.” He looked back at them, his eyes softening, “But…if you ask the right questions…then perhaps…I can help just a bit more…”

Twilight’s crystal helmet retracted back to expose her face. She smiled up at him. She quickly made it vanish, then rose to her hooves,

“Is there a way to kill the Corrupted One?”

“It's mortal form can be killed…but not his essence.”

Sparks stepped forward, “May I have your permission to speak, Great One?”

Ubenox nodded, “You may continue.”

“You have stated that there’s no way to kill it. But…is there at least a way to defeat it? Keep it from finding another host?”

He nodded, “There is…however, I cannot give the answer.”

Twilight started to speak, but Ubenox held up a hoof,

“Twilight Sparkle…for as long as your soul has been shining in this universe, you have always been one to over-analyze and worry about every single detail…” his gaze softened even more and a tiny smile appeared on his face, “There is a Spirit of Harmony that walks among you. Her purpose is to protect the Elements, and their bearers at any cost. Listen to what she has to say. Her role does not require her to make any pacts with the gods or goddesses.” He leaned down just a bit, his tired smile growing a bit bigger,

“She has free reign of her will. She can say, what I cannot…”

Twilight and Sparks smiled back up at him. The moment was cut short however, as the empty world around them started to tremble. He looked around into the nothing, then back down at them,

“I no longer have the strength to return you back to the waking world.” Ubenox stated grimly.

Sparks looked up at him, “Then how are we supposed to get out of here?!” the trembling got stronger, and they started to feel raging heat against their coats. “We have to go and help the others!!”

“Bright Spark, you are now the Bearer of Generosity! And whether you knew this before or not, you are more in tune with your Element than the other Bearers! Use the link to your advantage!!"

Twilight turned to look at the younger mare. How had the newest Element Bearer become the strongest one out of them? Her confusion rose to higher levels, as Sparks looked around in panic.

“Um! I need help, Generosity! Help us please!”

The void world around them continued to crumble into destruction.

“Nothing’s working!!”

“TRY HARDER!!” Twilight snapped.

Sparks flinched, then inhaled and took a couple of calming breaths. She opened her eyes, determination shining brightly behind them,

“HELP US NOW, SO THAT I CAN SAVE MY FAMILY!!”

In an instant, a set of ocean blue eyes appeared in front of her. They glanced over at Twilight, then settled back on Sparks. They started to glow, and Twilight and Sparks were enveloped in a swirling aura of blue and violet. The last thing they felt, was a strong yanking sensation, before Ubenox and the void vanished from their sight.

~MLP~

Sparks and Twilight snapped their eyes open. They sat upright and looked around. The battle was still going on. They were sitting on one of the highest crystal pillars in the room. Rarity was standing in between them,

“I will always keep you safe, Bearer of Generosity, and Bearer of Magic.” Rarity stated. She looked back and forth between them, “Are you two ready to jump back into the fray?”

Twilight slowly rose to her hooves. She looked up, and stared deep into Rarity’s eyes,

“Rarity…do you…do you remember who I am?”

Rarity smiled softly at her, “You are Twilight Sparkle, The Bearer of Magic.”

Twilight averted her disappointed gaze elsewhere. Rarity gently grabbed her chin, and tilted it towards her,

“You were also the last lover I had in my mortal life. And…the greatest one that I ever had. The one that was there for me for everything. The one who I would gladly lay my life down on the line for, my mortal one and spiritual one.”

Twilight let out a tiny chuckle of relief, “Thank the gods…I thought that you had forgotten who I was.”

“Darling, I may be the Spirit of Generosity…but I will always be your other half.”

The smile on Twilight’s face got bigger and goofier. She got on the tips of her hooves, but still couldn't touch the mare's muzzle,

"Um...you're...really tall. A little help please?"

Rarity giggled, before leaning down to nuzzle Twilight's snout with loving affection. Sparks felt bad that she had to cut their moment short.

“How do we defeat the Corrupted One?” she questioned. “Surely there’s a way to keep the cycle from repeating itself.”

“The Corrupted One feeds off of the desires and weaknesses of mortals. We need someone who has no desires to weaken them. Someone who can host the Corrupted One, without having anything for it to feed on.”

“A host? So…we’ll have to sacrifice someone else, just because they’re strong?” Sparks asked angrily. “Basically turn this whole thing into a ‘sacrifice a few for the many’ type of situation?”

“No…” Twilight answered in a soft voice. “She means someone that has virtually no emotions.”

“Someone like a robot?” her eyes widened. “Oh gods…you don’t mean-”

“Burning Sun.” Twilight finished sadly.

“But…she has feelings! She cares for us, just like anyone else!!”

“Yes, she does….but CBS-01 doesn’t. If we can get her to come here, Rainbow or myself can destroy her Memory Program, so that CBS-01 Protocol will activate in it’s place. She’d be a cyborg, completely devoid of emotions…making her the perfect container host for the Corrupted One.” She started searching the room for the cyan mechanic, “My headset is gone. We have to find Rainbow. She may still have another headset on her that works. She’ll be able to get in contact with her…”

“It’s not fair to her!” Sparks argued. “She cares about us, just as much as anyone else!”

“Burning Sun is Dash and I’s greatest creation!” Twilight snapped back. “She can be cold and calculating, yet gentle and sweet.” She looked down at the battle, “We tried to make her as close to Celestia as we possibly could…”

Sparks placed a hoof on her shoulder, “I’m sorry for questioning your judgment, Twilight. I know that she’s important to you, and I’m sorry you have to make this decision…”

She leaned forward and lightly nuzzled her cheek. Suddenly, the sound of screaming drew their attention.

“LOOK OUT!!!”

They looked to see Dash careening towards them. She slammed into the pillar, shattering it, and forcing the others to jump onto other pillars. She continued through the debris, and smacked into the ceiling. A few pieces of it fell from the imprint she had made, and she started to fall back to the ground. Sparks sprung into action, leaping off of her pillar towards Dash. She outstretched her forelegs, colliding into the Pegasus, and sending them towards another pillar. Sparks flipped them in mid-air, so that her crystalline coat would protect them while she was sliding against the pillar, and slamming into the wall. They laid there for a few moments, before Dash rolled out of her grasp.

“Thanks, Sparky…I owe you one…”

Sparks slightly rubbed her head, “Well, I’d like to cash in my favor now.”

Dash helped Sparks to her hooves, “Sure kid. What do you need me to do?”

“Does your headset work?”

Dash tapped her mouthpiece a couple times, then the ear piece.

“Yeah, but barely. Why, what’s up?”

“We need to get in contact with Burning Sun. We need her here.”

Dash nodded, then pressed down on her mouthpiece. “Burning Sun, please respond immediately!”

Crackle. Crackle. Static.

“I repeat, Burning Sun, please respond immediately!!”

Crackle. Static. Warbled sounds.

“This is Burning Sun. I read you, but not very well. What’s wrong, Rainbow Dash?”

“We need you at the castle pronto! When you get here, meet up with Sparky!”

“Good to go, Rainbow Dash. My ETA is 5 minutes.”

Dash clicked her mouthpiece off, “She said she’ll be here in five. Is there anything you need us to do until then?”

“We need to keep the Hell King distracted until she gets here, so that Twilight can do what she needs to do.”

Dash snapped her wings open and leaned down a bit, “Well hop on. Let’s go and make a BIG distraction for him.”

Sparks smirked and climbed onto the old Wonderbolt’s back. Dash galloped to the edge of the pillar, then dived towards Corrupted Spike. Sparks fired her horn up,

“Keep flying straight, but lower your head a bit! I don’t wanna burn off the top of it!” Sparks screamed.

Dash obeyed, and tucked her head down. Sparks reeled her head back, then shot off a beam of powerful magic, that exploded upon contact to Corrupted Spike’s face. The dragon blew the smoke from his face and smacked them out of the air. Sparks once again flipped them in mid-air, so that she would receive the brunt of the blow. They crashed into the ground, so hard, that they drilled a hole into the floor. Corrupted Spike reeled his fist back, preparing to deal a heavy blow. Sparks’ eyes snapped open, and she summoned a shield to protect them. It warped under his fist, but didn’t break. He snarled in frustration, and punched the shield again. It bent more under the weight, but still held it’s own. The dragon reeled back for the third time. Sparks looked at Dash,

“I can’t hold this up much longer! I’m going to teleport you out of here!”

“No way! I’m not leaving you in this pit!”

They both flinched when a loud crackling sound rang in their ears. They looked up to see hairline fractures all over the shield. Sparks turned to look back over at Dash,

“You will die if-”

*CRACK!*

“If I don’t get you out of here! Even if this punch doesn’t kill me, and trust me, it wont,-”

*CRACK!!*

“Then Fluttershy will when she gets her hooves on me for not saving you!!”

Bits of the shield broke off and crumbled into magic dust.

“WE DON’T HAVE ANYMORE TIME!!”

Sparks teleported Dash out of harm’s way, just as Corrupted Spike’s fist broke through the shield. He drove his fist into her body. She let out a wispy screech of pain. He smiled and raised his fist in the air again.

Rarity leapt in between the fist and Sparks.

There was a blinding flash of sapphire and violet magic.

Corrupted Spike froze his eyes growing wide with surprise, as his whole arm was immobilized. Thick strands of magic were wrapped around his forearm. Rarity was standing over Sparks’ broken form, her eyes glowing with a rich, royal purple hue,

“I will not let you kill this mare!!!” Rarity’s voiced boomed out threateningly, “Not so long as I am the Spirit of Generosity!!”

The drake tried to pull his arm out of the magic, but to no avail. He used his free hand to swipe at her. She summoned a wall of purple magic and looked down at Sparks,

“Darling, I need you to stand up.”

Sparks let out a small groan of pain. She cracked an eye open and focused on Rarity,

“Rarity…you saved me…”

“Get up!”

She struggled to rise to her hooves. Her legs trembled under her weight.

“Stand up, Bright Spark!!”

A wave of willpower coursed through Sparks, causing her to rise to her hooves quickly. With newfound vigor, she stood tall beside the white Unicorn, who gave her a small smile,

“Good job darling…I’m glad to see you’re back on your hooves.” Her smile disappeared, “Now…I, am your Spirit of Harmony. Your magic is my strength, and my magic is yours. So,” she outstretched her hoof, “Let’s help the others put an end to the Corrupted One's destruction.”

Sparks smiled and touched her hoof to Rarity’s. The moment they connected, another surge of raw magic radiated through the room. Corrupted Spike was tossed to the other side of the room, and landed on his back on the floor. Rarity’s body dissipated into alabaster, sapphire, and violet magic that swirled around Sparks’ body. It continued to flow around her, forming into thick tendrils of magic that lashed out at Corrupted Spike as he rose to his feet. Dash landed beside her,

“That was freakin’ awesome!” Dash stated excitedly. “But…where’s Rarity?”

One of the tendrils wrapped around Dash’s foreleg, momentarily startling her, and earning her attention,

“I am the magic in the air that protects the Bearer of Generosity.” Rarity’s disembodied voice replied. “And I will not just protect her, but all of you.”

“Wait…you’re ‘magic’? So…are you dead or-”

Dash was cut off as Corrupted Spike charged at them, with his fangs bared and claws glimmering from the fires lit around the room. He outstretched his arm, ready to grab them. Just as his claws were about to slice them to shreds, Applejack landed in between them. She turned and coiled her hind legs back, her body glowing with a bright orange aura. Corrupted Spike was going far too fast, and sailed over her, exposing his throat to her. She smiled at the opportunity, and bucked him in the throat. The muscles in his throat contracted violently, and he grabbed his throat as pain tore through it. He fell over onto his side, his pinpricked pupils focusing on Applejack.

“You…little…shit!” he managed to croak out, before the pain in his throat was too much for him to speak. Applejack simply smirked and joined the trio, giving Dash a high-hoof as she did. She stepped closer to Sparks and lightly swiped at the magic wisps surrounding her,

What’s up with all these tentacles floatin’ around ya?” Applejack questioned as she swiped some more at the tendrils. “Are they fer some freaky fetish of yers? Ya get yer rocks off fighin’?”

One of the tendrils smacked Applejack’s hoof,

“Really now, must you be so uncouth?”

Applejack’s jaw dropped, “Rares? But…how? Not that Ah ain’t surprised that yer here already…but Ah’m so confused…”

“All will be explained in due time, Applejack. The Corrupted One’s magic is being weakened the more we attack him. I can still sense Spike from within, and we must try to reach him. Only he knows the spell to place the Corrupted One into another being.”

Corrupted Spike started to rise up, but Pinkie cannon balled into the side of his face, knocking him back to the ground. She hit the ground with a heavy *THUNK*, but quickly rose to her feet,

“STAY DOWN!!”

She turned and galloped over to the others, while Fluttershy landed down beside Applejack. Corrupted Spike opened his eye, looking over at the group of ponies,

‘How are they doing this to me?’ he thought to himself. ‘This is different than before…I can’t even heal myself like I should be able to…’

‘It’s because I’ll never let you truly have this body.’ Spike’s voice replied from within. ‘I told you from the beginning, they will do everything that they can possibly do to stop you. They will defeat you.’

‘This body is mine, whether you want to believe it or not. I’ve already taken it, and I'm not going to let you stop me from healing it. And now...I’m going to destroy them before your very eyes with it.’ Corrupted Spike let out a wheezy chuckle, earning the attention of the ponies,

“You’re never going to defeat me. Do you understand?” He slowly rose to his feet once more. “I am all things wicked. I am the despair and sorrows of the world. I am the dark desires and twisted thoughts of all beings with a conscience. I am Evil itself.”

Small pillars of black fire started to rise up from between his scales. His wounds healed, and it looked like none of them had even laid a single hoof on him,

“And I’m going to be your end…”

He was on top of them before they could even react. He swiped up Dash into his grasp, and glared down at her as she struggled to free herself from his grip. Fluttershy snarled and shot into the air, fangs glimmering, and honed in on his face. He back handed her, sending her crashing into a wall and crumpling down into a dazed heap of a pony on the floor. He smirked at her, then turned his gaze back to Dash,

“Kick my scaly ass all up and down my castle…” he tapped his chin, “I recall a certain Pegasus telling me that.” He brought Dash closer to his face, “Well?! WHY DON’T YOU KICK MY ASS?!”

Dash stared him in the eyes. She inhaled, making a big, wet, snorting sound. She pulled her lips back and hocked a loogie on his face. He roared out,

“HOW DARE YOU!!!”

He inhaled, and fire started to rise up from his throat. Pinkie hopped onto Sparks’ back,

“Use these weird magic thingies to get me up there!!”

Sparks instantly obeyed,

“Rarity, get me up there!!”

The tendrils shot forth, wrapping around Corrupted Spike’s arm, and quickly helping Sparks make her way towards his mouth. Twilight followed suit, at near blinding speed. Her eyes went wide with horror, when she saw the color of the flames that were rising.

“The black flames…”

Twilight focused magic into her horn, and used it to yank Pinkie off of Sparks' back,

“Hey!!!” the pink pony screamed as she flew by from being tossed back to the ground by the Unicorn. Twilight used all of her strength to catch up to Sparks and yell out to her,

“Grab Rainbow!!”

Sparks galloped faster, faster than she ever had before. She saw the black fire crawling up his throat, ready to be released. She landed on his hand and fired off the beam at the back of his throat. Before her vision was enveloped by smoke, and her body was engulfed in the black fire, she heard Twilight zip by her. Corrupted Spike went into a coughing fit, while Sparks slammed into the ground, flames still licking away at her crystal coat. Her tricolor magic tendrils were lashing about, trying to get rid of the black flames. Sparks trudged her way over to the others. Twilight held up a hoof,

“Don’t come any closer!” she urged. “Those flames never stop burning. While it may not have any effect on you, if it were to touch the others, they will die from it.”

Sparks glanced over at Dash’s prosthetic wing. Her eyes widened when she saw a little spurt of black fire burning away at it. She pointed at the wing with a shaky hoof,

“She’s burning!!”

All attention was focused onto Dash’s wing, as the flames started to get bigger. They quickly swallowed up half of the wing, and were making their way towards the base of it.

“We’ve gotta get that wing offa her!” Applejack shouted.

Pinkie snapped her head in Twilight’s direction, “Twilight, make me a hatchet!”

Twilight quickly summoned an EvenTide crystal, and used her magic to mold it into a makeshift hatchet. She levitated it over to Pinkie, who quickly snatched it out of her magical grasp. She held it high in the air, and smacked the blade down where the flesh and metal met. Dash cried out in agony as Pinkie yanked what few wires still attached the melting prosthetic to her. She tossed it aside, then reached into her thigh satchel to pull out a small jar.

“This paste is going to burn really bad, really quickly.” Pinkie stated, as she popped the lid and grabbed a small hoof-ful. “Just ride out the pain, and we’ll keep you safe until it stops.” She looked over at Fluttershy, who was still rubbing her head,

“You good to fly, Fluttershy?”

“I’ll be fine…” she scooped Dash up into her forelegs. “I’ll get her out of here, then jump back right into the fight…”

She flew up to the highest pillar in the room, while the others focused on Corrupted Spike. He pounded away at his chest, coughing up blood and smoke. He finally cleared his throat, and honed in on Sparks.

“You…you should be dead…my Hellfire should’ve killed you off….”

The fire continued to burn on her coat. Each crystal strand that was being affected by the black fire fell off, and was immediately replaced with another. Eventually, her old coat laid all around her, black flames still dancing around on them. She looked up at him,

“Where is the spirit of the dragon whose body you stole? I wish to speak to him!”

Corrupted Spike snorted and smirked down, “He has perished, and soon, you shall join him.”

He reeled his fist back, using his magic to engulf it in black flames. The magic surrounding Sparks peeled away from her, shaping and molding itself into Rarity. Corrupted Spike brought his fist forward,

‘NO!!!!!’

The dragon stopped, eyes wide with rage and confusion. His massive fist was mere inches from Rarity’s face, trembling as a war broke out within him. Rarity took this opportunity to speak up,

“Spike…I know you’re still in there…somewhere…I could feel your loving aura when we were outside.” She took a couple steps forward, “We need your help, Spike. Now more than ever.”

Corrupted Spike’s face contorted with suffering, as a voice struggled to escape his throat,

“I…want…to…help…”

Twilight’s eyes lit up, and she stepped closer to the drake, “Spike?! Thank the gods, you’re still alive!”

A pained smile made it’s way across the dragon’s lips, “I’m so glad…to see you too…”

“Spike, we need your help…we can’t truly defeat the Corrupted One without you…”

Corrupted Spike’s arm trembled violently,

“I won’t let you help them!!”

“I won’t let this go on!!”

He grabbed his wrist with his other hand, and pulled his arm back. He backed away from them in an attempt to keep them safe. The beating sound of wings in the air drew their attention, as Burning landed beside Applejack.

“Rainbow Dash summoned me here.” She started. She then looked up at Corrupted Spike, “Have I been called here to help dispose of the Hell King?”

“In a sense…” Twilight responded as she walked up to her. “We…we have a big mission for you to complete.”

“What is it?”

Twilight looked down at the ground for a second, then back up at her,

“We need your body…to use it as a container for the Corrupted One.”

Burning remained silent, her face expressionless. Twilight shifted uncomfortably,

“Please…say something.”

“That mission can be accomplished.”

Twilight’s eyes went wide, “Burning Sun…”

“Just tell me what I need to do.”

“We don’t want to have you dealing with the Corrupted One, nor do we want it feeding on your thoughts and emotions. So…we need to destroy your Memory Program, so that only the CBS-01 Protocol remains.” Twilight averted her gaze elsewhere. “I’m…I’m sorry…”

Burning tilted Twilight’s chin up, so that she was looking her in the eyes,

“Twilight…my purpose is to help in the war with the Hell King, in any way that I can. If I must be sacrificed so that the world is at peace again, then so be it. It will be but a small price to pay for the greater good.” She leaned closer to her, “I know that my spirit lies within my Memory Program…and to be honest…I would love nothing more than to be reunited with my sister in the afterlife…”

Twilight smiled softly at her, “And I would want nothing more than for you to be happy…”

Burning looked at the others, “You all have been destined for greatness from the moment you all were born.” She looked up at Corrupted Spike. “Fate has chosen to end my second life here, and help you all complete your destiny.” She looked over back at them. “Now…what else do you need me to do?”

“Stay out of sight, no matter what happens. When one of us calls for you, that’s when you show up, okay?”

Burning started to reply, but a gurgled roar emanated into the room. Twilight’s ears perked up, as did the other ponies’. They all turned to look at the dragon, who was looking at them with a pained expression on his face. His irises were no longer a crimson color, but bright emerald green, just as Twilight had remembered them to be. She took a couple steps forward,

“Sp-…Spike?”

“Spirit of o-old…to body of-”

Black electricity jumped all over his body,

“SHUT THE FUCK UP, LIZARD!!!”

“Body of new!!”

“What the hell is he talkin’ about?” Applejack questioned.

“Shut up, Applejack!” Twilight hissed. She looked up at the dragon desperately,

“Finish what you’re trying to tell me!”

“Possession…by CHOICE!!!-” he tensed up, “Is what I wish to do!!”

His massive hands wrapped around his scaly throat,

“I’LL CHOKE YOU UNTIL YOU’RE NO MORE!!” he screamed out. “I’LL KILL YOU OFF BEFORE I GIVE UP THIS BODY!!”

“You need me alive...to control this body...” he gurgled out.

“NOT ANYMORE I DON’T!!”

His eyes went wide. He let out a loud hacking sound.

“Stop him!!” Twilight shouted. “If he slips into unconsciousness, the Corrupted One will gain complete control again!”

Sapphire and violet aura tendrils rose up from underneath Rarity’s coat. She galloped closer to him, and the tendrils lashed out. They latched themselves onto one of his wrists, and slowly pulled his hand away from his throat. His gasped out, still struggling to breathe. Sparks leapt up some crystal pillars, and summoned one of her own. The crystal shot out towards the other hand, and pierced his forearm. It formed a hook on the end, and soon pulled the other hand away from him. He gulped in mouthfuls of air as he tried to normalize his breathing.

“Thank…you…” he spoke out, despite the fact that his body was still struggling to break free, against his will. “And through love so strong, an-”

The electricity returned with a vengeance, making his body tremble with pain.

“I…said…NOOO!!!”

“And void of strife!!” his eyes went wide and he focused on Twilight,

“I sacrifice my all…”

“I’LL DESTROY YOU!!!”

“AND GIVE YOU MY LIFE!!!”

The black electricity surged to levels unlike anything any of them had ever seen. It traveled through his fingertips, and down the crystal and tendrils. They hit Rarity and Sparks with full force, exploding on contact and sending them flying. The emerald irises vanished in an instant, replaced with the brightest shade of blood red. The purple wisps of magic were now long pillars of light that trailed from his eyeballs. He bared his fangs out at them,

“I’M NOT GOING TO PUT YOU INTO THE GROUND… OH NO...THAT WOULD BE FAR TO EASY!! I’M GOING TO TEAR AWAY AT YOUR FLESH UNTIL THERE’S NONE LEFT!!” he charged at them, “THEN I’M GOING TO GRIND YOUR BONES INTO DUST!!” he smacked Pinkie aside as hard as he could. Twilight barely heard the squeak of pain from her as Corrupted Spike still charged at her,

“AND WHEN I’VE EXPOSED YOUR BEATEN AND BATTERED SPIRIT…I’M GOING TO ENGULF IT IN BLACK FLAMES, AND LET IT BURN FOR ALL OF ETERNITY!!!”

He grabbed Twilight and clenched his fist. Twilight’s armor crunched and crackled under the pressure. He walked up to the nearest wall and drove Twilight’s head through it. When she was neck deep into the wall, Corrupted Spike walked down the side of it, dragging Twilight through the concrete. He pulled his fist out of the wall, then chucked her into the opposite wall. The sound of the impact stirred Dash into consciousness. Her ears twitched as she heard a couple of the crystal pillars near the impact site crumble and fall.

“Don’t try to move too much…” she heard Fluttershy softly order. “You’re still badly injured…”

Dash’s eyes snapped open, and that was when she felt pain surge through her back, more so in her shoulder blade. She looked over her shoulder to see that her prosthetic wing was gone. She noticed that the base of her wing was shredded and caked with dried blood at the end.

“Geez….Pinks fucked up my wing real good…I don’t think I can even hook up any of my other prosthetics up to this…”

“I know your wings are important to you…but we have a bigger problem right now…”

Dash saw Fluttershy look down over the side of the pillar. She followed her gaze, eyes resting on the dragon who was mauling Twilight in his rage. She immediately jumped to her hooves with a new vigor,

“We’ve gotta help her!”

Fluttershy gripped her uninjured shoulder, “Wait, you can’t go down there! You’ll get killed!”

Dash pulled away from her, “I can’t just stay up here while the rest of you girls keep fighting! What do I look like, a freakin’ punk?”

“How fast are you going to be able to go on your legs?”

“I trained my entire body when I was growing up. All of it. Now, I may not be able to go as fast as I can if I DID still have both of my wings, but I know damn well I can move fast enough to where I’ll be more than able to handle my own.” She walked to the edge of the pillar, “Now, I love ya babe. Really, I do. But you’re getting in the way of me helping the others. So, are you going to fly me back down to the ground, or do I have to start hopping until I get down there?”

Fluttershy let out a sigh of defeat, before scooping up Dash into her forelegs once more. She leapt off the edge and glided down. She saw Rarity reaching into a hole in the wall, and pulling Pinkie from out of it. She flew over to the couple,

“Oh my gods, are you alright?”

A massive shard of crystal was speared into Pinkie’s side. She winced as Rarity’s magic carefully pulled the offending object from the wound,

“I’ll be alright…” she studied the area where Dash’s prosthetic should’ve been. “How about you?”

Dash flapped her nub, “I’m great...” She looked up at Fluttershy, “Put me down. I have to go help Twilight.”

The sound of crashing rang out once more, as Corrupted Spike had grabbed Twilight, and thrown her into Applejack. Pinkie and Rarity’s eyes snapped open, as they rushed over to the injured ponies. Corrupted Spike slammed his fist down in from of them and sneered,

“I have not forgotten about you…”

He smacked Pinkie and Rarity again. Rarity’s body dissipated into aura that wrapped itself around Pinkie’s body in a protective shield just before impact. The dust cleared, and Rarity’s body formed once more.

“Thanks Rarity…”

Rarity smiled at her, and started to say something, but stopped. She felt a strong tugging sensation from within her core, and her eyes went wide. She snapped her head towards Twilight and Applejack’s direction. Sparks was standing in front of them, protecting them from the enraged beast. He roared at her, and she screeched back at him. Rarity’s body dispersed once more, and the magic mist rushed over to Sparks’ side. Rarity flowed and wisped around her body,

“Bright Spark…what are you doing?”

“Get Twilight and Applejack out of the way. I’ll hold my own until they wake up.”

Rarity floated away from her, and wrapped herself around Twilight and Applejack. She whisked them off, leaving Sparks and Corrupted Spike to stare each other down.

“You took so many lives away…” Sparks started. “And the ones that were left behind, were left with an unbearable weight on their shoulders. So many without homes…without families…without hope.” Her eyes glowed bright as she narrowed her eyes, “You took everything from everypony…and now…we’re going to take everything away from you.”

Her crystal coat clasped down tightly around her body, as Corrupted Spike shot out more black fire at her. She dodged it with amazing speed, surrounded herself with the weight altering spell, and slammed herself into his chest. They slammed into a wall with enough force to shake the whole room. The rumbling woke Applejack and Twilight up. Twilight rubbed her head and slowly rose to her hooves. Applejack tried to stand up as well, only to crumple under her own weight. Twilight immediately scooped her up into her forelegs and examined her over,

“Oh no…”

Applejack saw Twilight looking at the lower part of her body, and followed her gaze. Her right hind legs was a shredded fleshy nub from the gaskin on down. The braces around it were shattered and partially melted. Her left hind leg was bent at an odd angle, parts of the leg brace bent around it as well. Her bones were snapping and cracking as her Element tried to heal it, but was unable to do it well with the warped metal surrounding it.

“Shit…looks like Ah’m out of this fight…” Applejack stated as she grimaced. Twilight started to pulled the brace off, but Applejack put a hoof on her shoulder,

“Sugarcube, there ain’t nothin’ we can do fer me…”

Rarity nuzzled Applejack’s cheek, “I’m so sorry, Bearer of Honesty…”

“Ah’m okay…” she looked over at Twilight, “Are ya gonna send CBS-01 down there or what?”

Twilight looked out into the room, “Burning Sun!!!”

There was no response for a few moments, before Burning flew up to the pillar they were on,

“Yes Twil-oh gods…” Burning gave Applejack a quick nuzzle and turned to shoot a glare at the dragon, “The Corrupted One shall pay for this…”

“Did you hear what Spike was telling us? The incantation?” Twilight questioned.

Burning nodded, “Yes, I did.”

“I need you to go dow-”

They all froze when they heard Sparks let out a horrified wail. Twilight, Rarity, and Burning ran to the edge of the pillar. The deity Unicorn was clutching onto a destroyed pink Earth Pony. She was rocking back and forth, as Corrupted Spike lumbered towards them. The dragon inhaled, preparing to belt out more fire. Fluttershy swooped in and scooped them up as he shot the fire towards them. He looked up at the Vampony,

“COME BACK HERE WITH MY PREY!!”

He clamped down on her prosthetic hind leg. She felt the sudden tautness, and before her leg was ripped off, she threw the two ponies towards the closest pillar. Her legs came off, a flurry of sparks shooting off where a part of it still remained to the flesh. She screeched out in pain and spiraled into one direction. Corrupted Spike swiped at her, his claws nearly slashing her in two. The others gasped in horror as Twilight and Burning leapt into action. Burning caught Fluttershy before she crashed to the ground, while Twilight teleported Sparks and Pinkie to the pillar they were on. Corrupted Spike saw the flash of Twilight’s magic and walked towards them,

“Your end is near, Fallens. And when I kill you all off, I will finish spreading my black magic through whatever land remains untouched, and devour the souls of all who reside on it.” A vile sneer appeared on his face, “And then I will make more Elite Hellions, and send them out into the universe to destroy life wherever it may be…” he started digging his claws into the walls. “And when all life is gone…” he started to slowly climb up the wall, “I’m going to make the universe to my liking.” He licked his scaly lips, “My desires are so close…that I can almost taste them…”

Twilight looked on with sorrow and horror as she watched Applejack dragged herself over to Pinkie’s side. The pink pony face was littered with shards of black crystal. Bones were sticking out of her chest, and a slight sucking sound could be heard from the open wound. The flesh on her left foreleg and hind leg was gone, hanging together by a few thin strings of muscle. Her body was sizzling with steam and bubblegum pink colored magic. Applejack had buried her face into her neck, her own injuries forgotten, as she took in the mutilation of her wife.

“Fluttershy…”

Twilight turned to the source of the whispered name, to see Dash clutching onto the Vampony’s head. She was slowly stroking her cheek, whimpering as Fluttershy was trying to comfort her lover. She was still conscious, but her body was in no better condition. Her hind leg was still crackling with a few sparks from what remained of the prosthetic. A massive gash started from her shoulder, and jaggedly ran down her torso and to her right thigh. The wound was wide open, exposing organs that had also become mangled bits of flesh. Her heart was struggling to pump blood, as a bone fragment had been rammed into it. She smiled and coughed up blood, still trying to whisper sweet nothings to her loving Wonderbolt wife. The pillar started to tremble as Corrupted Spike got closer to them. Twilight got a determined look on her face and turned to Burning,

“We do this, now…”

Burning nodded, and they both galloped to the edge of the pillar. Just as Corrupted Spike showed his face, they slammed into him. They knocked him onto the ground, and Twilight summoned the weight altering spell once more. He struggled to move, and she summoned EvenTide crystals to act as wrist and ankle cuffs.

“Do it!!” Twilight ordered. “DO IT NOW!!!”

The mouth guard to Burning’s helmet retracted back,

“Spirit of old, to body of new!!”

“NO!!!” Corrupted Spike roared out. He started to gurgle up black molten lava.

“Possession by choice is what I choose to do!!”

The lava had bright flames coating it. His eyes got more feral,

“And through love so strong-”

Sparks leapt down there as he started to spit up the lava onto them.

“And void of strife-”

She summoned a small shield to push back the flames and molten rock.

“I sacrifice my all-”

He tried with all his might to spit her out. She looked back at them,

“HURRY!!”

“And give you my life!!!!”

Burning’s mouth opened as wide as physically possible. Corrupted Spike’s eyes went wide, and tendrils of black magic started to crawl up his throat. They pushed Sparks out of the way and seeped into Burning’s mouth. The magic rushed into her, the force of it making her stagger. The dragon’s eyes rolled into the back of his head and he went limp, while Burning started to convulse violently. Twilight looked up at her with tears in her eyes,

“I’m so sorry, Burning Sun!!”

Burning’s lips turned up into a small smile. Tar like drool flowed from her lips as she replied,

“May the gods guide you all into eternal peace...”

“Engage Protocol PX-MPBS…”

Burning stood up straight and her body went rigid,

“Are you sure wish to permanently exterminate Memory Program Burning Sun?”

Twilight choked back a sob, “…Yes…”

“Engaging Permanent Extermination of Memory Program Burning Sun.”

Her body started to rattle a bit. The mouth guard covered her mouth again. She closed her eyes, and they disappeared in the blackness underneath of her helmet. Violet orbs appeared where they once were, that looked down at her,

“Protocol CBS-01 automatically engaged. What can I do for you, Twilight Sparkle?”

Twilight started to give the next ordered but stopped. She looked on in despair as she watched CBS-01’s orbs started to turn a shade of crimson red. She took note of the small rattles that were snaking through CBS-01’s body. She cleared her throat and tried again,

“Call the Apprentices and have them come here immediately…”

There was a small click of gears and a few blips.

“I’ve sent out a GPS signal to their headsets. They should be here within the next 5-10 minutes.”

“Thank you CBS-01…”

The trio jumped onto the floor beside the unconscious dragon. Sparks teleported to where the other Fallen were, then brought the back to where Twilight and CBS-01 were at. There was a slight rumbling as Spike came to. He slowly sat up and looked over his body. When he saw that he was okay for the most part, he smiled,

“Thank you all so much…” his smile instantly vanished when he took in all of their injuries. “Oh Gods…no…”

The other four ponies looked up at him. They all gave him smiles,

“Glad to see you’re all right, Spike. I thought-” Dash coughed up a bit of blood, “I thought I was gonna have to kick your ass to get you to stop…”

Spike wanted to chuckle, but as he stared down at Pinkie and Fluttershy, he was unable to do so. “What have I done to you…”

Pinkie outstretched her hoof towards him, “It wasn’t your fault…”

He touched her hoof with the tip of his finger. Fluttershy reached up and placed a hoof on it as well,

“It’ll be okay Spike…you did what you had to do to save us before…”

“But it backfired. By the gods, did it backfire…” he looked over at Twilight, “All I wanted to do was save you from the Corrupted One’s influence…”

“It is finally done…”

They heard the voice of Ubenox, and shielded their eyes when they turned to face him.

“It no longer matters if you lay eyes upon me. My strength…is no more…”

They moved their forelegs and looked at him. His coat was faded on both sides, and his mane and tail were hanging limply. His once bright turquoise eyes were now glazed over, barely showing any sign of life. He still towered over them, but his body had lost most of it’s muscle mass. He treaded over to them,

“You all have done so well…and now the balance shall return to the universe…”

There was the sound of slight crackling, and they looked back at Sparks. Her coat was falling off of her body in patches, and was being replaced by her familiar turquoise color. Her black crystal teeth fell out of her mouth, and her normal pearly whites poked out from her gums. Her mane and tail reverted back to their smoky grey color. She shook the last remaining shards of her crystal coat off of her body and rubbed her eyes. Her sclera flickered from black to white, then back again. Her glowing irises went back to normal, as did the whites of her eyes. Twilight felt a tingle run through her body, and the damp air hit her coat as her body armor fell off of her. She shuddered as she felt powerful magic leave her body, and blinked a lot as her eyes returned to normal. Black and white swirling magic coming from her and Sparks flowed towards Ubenox,

“Thank you for helping us out, in our greatest hour of need…” Twilight stated.

They both smiled at him, though it quickly disappeared when the magic continued on past him, and flowed into the ceiling.

“What…what’s happening?” Sparks questioned. “Where is your magic going?”

Ubenox looked up at the spot where the magic disappeared, “I gave mortals my magic…I have been deemed irresponsible to bear so much magic. I won’t be getting it back…ever…” he smiled softly as he looked back at them, “But it was for a good cause. I find your kind very…intriguing…”

Bright firelight spilled into the room, as the Apprentices rushed in. They all broke out into collective gasps and other statements of shock, as they galloped over to the group, and to the respective mentors. Pinkie was the first to speak up out of the Fallen,

“We…we’re not going to make it…are we…”

Twilight bit her lip, refusing to answer. Ubenox walked closer to them,

“I’m afraid your wounds are far too grave for the Element to heal them…” he glanced over at Fluttershy, “As it is for the yellow Pegasus…” he then looked over at Applejack, “You…you and the blue Pegasus will live…”

Applejack spat up blood and looked at him, “An’ fer what? Fer me ta be paralyzed from the waist down, an’ fer R.D, who won’t ever get ta fly again…” she placed a hoof on Pinkie’s cheek, “An’ Ah don’t wanna live without mah better half…”

Rarity floated over beside Ubenox, “I know there’s something you can do about this…”

Ubenox looked over them, “Yes…I’ve already fallen out of the gods and goddesses’ grace…” he turned his gaze to the Apprentices, “Younger generation…I think that it would be wise…to make peace with your mentors…”

The Apprentices looked at one another in confusion. Skye turned to look back at him,

“Why?...”

“These ponies have gone through so much, battling with the Corrupted One for well over a century...They have restored balance to this world, and met their destinies. The Elements of Harmony will keep them alive for a very long time…” he looked at the older mares, “But…if they wish for it…I can help them pass on from the world of the living…”

“So you’re going to mercy kill them?!” Dee hissed. “I don’t care if you are a deity, I won’t let you kill them!!”

Rarity stepped in between them, shooting the Vampony a hardened glare, “Dead Moon…they're old…they’re tired and have been through so much, and for this to be the ending…This is not fair to them…None of them are going to want to live without their other half.” Her expression softened, “Surely this is not what you want for them.”

“Pardon me fer askin’ Miss Rarity…but why do ya keep referrin’ ta 'em like that? Are ya not…one of ‘em?”

Rarity shook her head, “No, not anymore. I have ascended to a greater plane of existence. One that allows me help you in ways that I would never have been able to accomplish before.”

“She is no longer ‘Fair Rarity’…” Ubenox jumped in and looked over at the mare, “She is the Spirit of Generosity, a being made of pure magic, with the memory of her past life. the source of power, the magic itself...that flows within the Element of Generosity…”

All of their eyes went wide. A big smile made it’s way to Rarity’s face,

“And it’s such a wonderful thing…there’s so much that can be learned from this.” Rarity walked over to Twilight and tilted her chin up, “Twilight…I know more about the Elements of Harmony than you will ever know in this lifetime…”

Purple Haze pulled Pinkie closer to himself, and then placed a hoof on Applejack’s shoulder,

“You two acted as the parents I lost long ago…” he stated softly, “I can’t bear to see you both suffering like this…”

Pinkie patted his cheek, “You’re too sweet…”

“An’ yer the weird lil’ son we never got ta have…” she looked over at Skye and pulled her close, “An’ as fer ya, mah lil’ Skye Wave…” she got a tired grin on her face, “Ah’m so proud of ya, sugarcube…”

Skye smiled and nuzzled her cheek, “Master Applejack…thank you so much for everything you’ve done for me…”

Dash stroked Fluttershy’s mane, while Dee and Patch sat next to them.

“Patch…kiddo…I’ve taught you all I know…” she started to stroke Fluttershy’s mane, “I know…you’ll be the best damn mechanic that’s ever existed. You’re gonna do wonders…”

“Thank ya kindly, Master Rainbow Dash. Ah’m mighty proud ta have been under yer tutelage…” he wrapped his massive forelegs around her, “Ya done so much…” he started to sniff a little, “Thank ya…fer everythin'…”

Dee nuzzled Fluttershy’s snout, “I’m so sorry that I couldn’t save you…why didn’t you call for me earlier, Master Fluttershy…?”

Fluttershy reached up and caressed Dee’s cheek, “Because…there’s a greater purpose…for you, Dead Moon…”

Dash chuckled and patted Patch’s head, “You got a bigger purpose too, kiddo.”

“There’s a greater purpose for all of you…” Ubenox stated. He looked up at the dragon. “Purple Dragon…you’ve done so well, through all of this. You’re one of the few souls that I’ve see managed to fight off the Corrupted One’s influence…” he looked over at CBS-01. The Alicorn was slightly trembling, her red eyes staring blankly at them as she awaited the next order, “Together…you all have done what no others were able to do…” he smiled as he scanned over them, “You’ve managed to stop the vicious, destructive cycle, that is the Corrupted One…”

The older mares smiled at him, and his eyes started to glow with a bright white light,

“And with the last bit of strength within me…I shall guide you one last time…so that you may get the peace that you so justly deserve…”

Epilogue

She leaned against her bedroom balcony railing and stared out at the night sky. A soft smile made it’s way onto her face as the stars twinkled back at her. She took in a big gulp of air and looked down at the city lights below. Slowly, lights were going off as ponies turned in for the night. She sat down on her haunches and closed her eyes, listening to her steady heartbeat, and feeling the light breeze on her face as it flowed through her mane. She heard wings beating on the air, that made her smile get even bigger,

“Hey there.”

She opened an eye, and looked to her left. A licorice black Vampony had landed beside her. She flicked her long snow colored mane out of her face, and her golden eyes crinkled up as she gave her a toothy smile. She arched a brow and looked at the mare,

“What’s up, cutie?”

The Vampony smirked and nuzzled her cheek, her toothy grin turned sensual, “I crave your loving touch. To feel the brush of your coat against mine…” she pressed herself up against the other mare, “I want you to satisfy me in a way nopony can…”

She rolled her eyes but maintained a smile, "As much as I would love to, I know you're just being a tease. What do you want, Dee?”

Dee’s sexy smile turned into a smirk, “I couldn’t sleep. I’ve been getting an urge to go there…” her smirk disappeared, “Sparks…do you feel it?”

Sparks’ smile disappeared, and she slowly nodded, “It’s been so long since we’ve gone…”

There was another pair of wings on the wind, as a Pegasus with a baby blue coat, and a wheat gold mane and tail reflected the moonlight from above. The pony gave them friendly smiles,

“Hello, my friends…it’s been far too long since we’ve seen each other…”

Sparks gave her a quick nuzzle, “Yes, far too long.”

Dee chuckled and threw and a foreleg over her shoulder, “They came far along with medicinal science, didn’t they? You have a beautiful voice, by the way. It still sends chills down my spine every time.” She tilted the Pegasus’ chin up so that she was looking up at her, “Skye Wave, the Siren of the Sky.”

Skye blushed and pushed the hoof away, “If anyone’s a Siren, it’s you. I’ve heard about your little escapades. You’ve been swooning mares left and right…”

Dee chuckled and sheepishly rubbed the back of her neck, “I uh…I may have flirted a bit here and there…”

They chuckled a bit, then started to cough as a smoky mist started to waft around them. The smoke got thicker and thicker and flowed away from them. It puffed up a bit, then started to form itself into an equine shape. It solidified, then flowed over the balcony and into the night, leaving behind a violet coated stallion. His electric blue mane was spikey, but it was cut to give a more manageable and cleaner appearance. His tail was spiky and matching in color, and but there was a few streaks of silver that running through it. His silver eyes bounced the moonlight off of them, almost giving his eyes a glowing appearance.

“Haze…” Sparks raised a brow, “That weird smoke shit still gets me. Seriously…how do you do that?”

Haze chuckled lightly as he walked up to them, “Now you know I can never tell you the secrets that were bestowed upon me.”

“You’re still a weird hippie, huh?” Skye questioned. Haze gave her a friendly smile before smacking her in the face with his tail. He rubbed the bit of scraggly hair that was on his chin, “Hey…where’s the grease monkey at?”

As if on cue, there was an explosion off in the distance. A small mushroom cloud bloomed into the air, and lights from buildings surrounding started to turn back on. Then, there was a flash of green magic that briefly lit up the room they were in, before the smell of smoke kicked in full force. A few wisps of residual smoke swirled around a muscle bound red stallion, as he coughed out violently. He pounded his chest a couple times, then looked over at the small group with bright eyes.

“Howdy! How have ya’ll been?!” his voice boomed, a big smile planting itself on his face. “It’s been a mighty long time since Ah’ve gotten ta hang with ya’ll!! Well…at least, fer everypony except Sparks.”

Sparks raised a brow, “Yeah…I just saw you last week because you caused a massive explosion in the Dawn Star District…” she pinched the bridge of her snout, “What did you do now, Patch?”

Patch nervously pulled at his beard, “Ah uh…Ah might have uh…made a chimera out of a hawk an’ a scorpion.”

“How did that cause an explosion?” Haze questioned.

“Because, Ah-it…well gah! Ah don’t have ta explain nothin’ ta ya!!”

“But you do have to explain it to me.” Sparks pointed out. “I can only keep the Council off of your ass for so long, Patch.”

“Then stop doin’ it. Ah don’t want ya gettin’ in trouble over lil’ ol’ me, oh mighty ruler of the planet.”

Sparks rolled her eyes, “I’m…I’m not the ruler of the planet.”

Haze scoffed, then chuckled, “Seriously? Your title is one of the most planet rule-y sounding titles that I've ever heard.”

“I didn’t choose the name, it was unanimously decided. And I didn’t even want this position. Twilight passed the torch on to me…”

“Well if you don’t want your position, I’ll do it.” Dee pointed out. “I’d have no problem taking over for you.”

Skye slapped her shoulder, “Oh shut up. You’re the Night Bringer, or some shit like that-”

Dee interrupted. “That’s not my title!”

“You’re already super important. The last thing you need is a different position that’ll make your head bigger than it already is.”

“Well excuse me for wanting to better myself.” She teased. “If I were in your horse shoes, I’d be aiming higher too, Mistress of the Land.”

Skye huffed and turned her snout upward, “I will not even dignify your teasing with a legitimate response.”

A flash of prismatic light shot through all of their eyes. They all lightly shook their heads, then looked at one another.

“They’re growing restless. Perhaps it’s time we leave.” Skye suggested.

The others nodded in agreement. Sparks looked over her shoulder and at the bedroom door,

“Guards! Come here please!”

In an instant, three silver armored Pegasi, and one golden armored Pegasus entered the room,

“You requested our presence, Grand Comma-” he stopped when he saw the others in the room. He and the others bowed before them,

“Forgive us…we did not expect to be graced with the presence of the Harbingers of Eternal Peace.”

Sparks smiled softly, “It’s all well. Please, rise. My comrades are none too fond of unnecessary bowing.”

“But of course, Grand Commander.” He guard replied. He instructed the others to stand up as well. He then stood at attention, “Is there anything you request of us, ma'am?”

“Yes. I just wanted to let you know that I will be taking my leave with the others. I will be returning in three days.”

“Understood ma'am.”

She placed a hoof on shoulder, “With that being said…there’s no point in you all standing here, guarding an empty room.” Her smile got a bit bigger, “So…why don’t you guy go ahead and go home tonight. Oh, and tomorrow as well.” She patted his shoulder, “And be sure to pass the word on to the rest of the castle staff. The Council can take over for me until I return.”

The golden guard nodded excitedly, “Yes, ma’am! Will that be all you request of us, Grand Commander?”

Sparks nodded, “That’ll be all, guards.” She playfully shooed them away, “Now go. Stop wasting your time here.”

All four of the guards gave them a curt bow, before turning and quickly trotting out of the room. When the door shut behind them, Patch lightly elbowed Sparks,

“Look at ya, bein’ all nice an’ shit.”

Haze nuzzled her cheek, “Not even the smallest act of generosity will go unnoticed.”

The Unicorn smiled at them, “Thank you…” she turned and started heading towards the balcony railing. Her horn lit up brightly with magic, as she summoned a portal that led to a mountain side,

“Let’s go and get out of here…”

She walked through the portal, and was soon joined by the others. They landed lightly on the mountain, facing an opening, with stairs carved in and spiraling downward. They started to trot towards the cave opening, but stopped when they heard wings clicking against something.

“You’re not going in there all by yourself, are you?”

The group turned to see a Changeling hybrid. Her coat was a shimmering black, and her chitin plates were shining as bright as the first time her friends met her. She smiled at them with pointed fangs, and gave them a curt bow,

“Tis a pleasure to see you, Harbingers of Eternal Peace.”

They each smiled at her and bowed back. Sparks remained bowed before her,

“Quite frankly, the pleasure is ours, Queen of the Hybrid Hive.”

The hybrid's smile turned from polite, to downright friendly. She trotted closer and pulled Sparks into a hug,

“It’s been so long since I’ve seen you guys!!”

“Your chitin plates make you look like a total badass, Locust!!” Dee complimented, “I mean, seriously, you look fierce.”

“Ah’ll say…” Patch eyeballed her and gave her a smile that was far too friendly, “Ya think a queen as gorgeous as yerself would do me the honors of takin’ ya out on a date?”

“You will do no such thing!” A voice barked out.

Patch flinched, and looked over at the source of the voice. A tall, muscular Earth Pony stallion stared at the group with piercing turquoise eyes. His mane and tail were a deep shade of royal blue that had a bit of a sparkle to it. His coat was split down the middle, one side was a rich black, and the other side was bleach white. Sparks eyes went wide when she realized who he was. She and Patch bowed before him,

“Never did I think I would see you here, of all places, Great One.”

The stallion held up a hoof, “Please…you grace me with such a formality.” He replied. “I no longer go by that name, or any of the names from my previous title, for that matter. I am simply an Earth Pony who has more knowledge and understanding of the world than others. The gods and goddesses decided that since I sided with the mortals so much, and ‘foolishly’ hoofed over my powers to them, that I should walk among them.” he stood a bit taller, “My name is Cosmo Trot, but my Hive name is King Scorpion.” He looked over at Locust and lovingly nuzzled her cheek, “As by my monarch title, it is obvious that I am the husband of this beautiful piece of art.”

Haze outstretched a hoof towards him, “Well then, it’s a pleasure to see you again, King Scorpion.”

Scorpion smiled at him, “No, the pleasure is all mine…” he looked over at the cave entrance, “Shall we?...”

Sparks started to walk inside, and the others soon followed. On each side of them, light blue fires started to appear in the sconces on the walls. They lit the way, showing them that they had further down to go. They walked down the staircase in silence, listening to the sound of their hooves clacking on the stone, and the sound of the fires crackling in the sconces. It wasn’t long before they reached the bottom of the staircase. The fires didn’t continue any further, and they were met with nothing but blackness. Sparks stepped forward,

“Um…it’s a little dark in here!” she shouted. “Can you turn on the lights please?”

Her question echoed into nothing, and then, silence. Then, as if to respond to her, there was a rumbling that emanated from the room. Little balls of white light started to poof into existence and hovered around the room. It wasn’t long before they were able to see the room in its entirety. The room was filled with a massive amount of gold coins and jewels of varying shapes, sizes, and colors. Along with the vast amounts of wealth that was there, there were books of every genre that were lying about as well. They stepped further into the massive space, but stopped when a growl rumbled into the room. A beast at the far end of the room turned and looked down at them, emerald orbs glowing and irises contracting as they focused on him,

“Ponies…you dare to enter my home…” the massive creature turned all the way to face them, “What reason do you have to be here?”

Sparks stood tall and proud, “We are here, to speak with the dragon who resides here! The Bearer of the Element of Magic!”

The eyes scanned over them, then crinkled up a bit. The eyes lowered down, the hovering balls of light exposing the massive dragon head that they resided in. His rich, violet and emerald scales glimmered in the light. A deep growl consistently rumbled in his throat, and got a bit louder before he started to speak,

“What is it that you request of me?”

“We request for you to drop the act, Spike!” Skye shouted. “Stop trying to act all big and bad!”

He snorted, thick torrents of smoke billowing from his nostrils,

“Alright, alright…you guys got me.”

The balls of magic light exploded into brighter shades, illuminating the room on a larger scale. His teeth shined brightly from them, as he scooped up all of the ponies into his grasp,

“Its so great to see you all again!” his voice boomed. “I've heard so much about you all!!”

“How so?!” Patch wheezed out, as they were all being hugged to death by the drake. Realizing his own strength, he set them down,

“My apologies! I forgot that I am much larger than I was before.” He beamed at them, “Its quite strange…that the most powerful beings in this day in age, are so fragile.”

“Who are ya callin’ fragile?” Patch questioned.

Spike chuckled, “Calm yourself…I know that you’re not at all weak by any standards.” He scanned over them, “The titles that have been bestowed upon you prove otherwise…”

Dee stood a bit straighter, “I do like the names that they gave us.”

Spike arched a scaly brow and gave them a toothy grin, “Would you care to state your title loud and proud?”

Dee beamed a bright, big smile, while Skye rolled her eyes,

"Ugh...here we go with this again...”

“I am Dead Moon, Whisperer of the Blackest Nights and Dreams!” she looked over at her Pegasi companion, and nudged her with foreleg. Skye let out soft sigh of defeat,

“I am Skye Wave, the Bringer of Bountiful Harvest and Flourishing Lands…”

Patch and Haze chuckled at her tone. She shot them a glare and smacked them with her wings,

“Why don’t you two show off then?”

Patch beamed and smirked, “Ah’m Patch Work, the Maker of Second Chances!”

“And I am Purple Haze, the Prophet of Change.”

All eyes settled on Sparks, who looked around and sighed,

“Do I have to? It’s so damn formal…”

“Well duh!” Patch shouted, “You are after all, the boss!” he got in her face, “Now, we all had ta say it, so say it!!”

Sparks rolled her eyes, cleared her throat, and brought her posture up,

“I am Bright Spark, Grand Commander of the New World.”

Spike’s spinal plates rattled a bit before stiffening, “Even though I am a hot blooded beast, that name still sends chill up my spine every time I hear it.”

Sparks smirked up at him, “And what about you? You think because you live way out of town, that you don’t have to use your title?” her smirk turned into a full on grin, “Come on, dragon…say it.”

Spike cleared his throat, and the expression on his face soured into an intimidating scowl,

“Who dares to disturb Spike, the Magic Dragon?!”

A heavy silence filled the emptiness of the cave. It stayed for a few more moments, before the pony’s exploded into a round of laughter. Skye flew up to his head and landed on his snout,

“What, was your dad named ‘Puff’? C’mon now, say the actual title!”

“I really don't like it. Who decided that that should be my title?”

“The populace.” Sparks replied. “Now go on and say it! The ‘Grand Commander of the New World’ orders you to!”

Spike boomed out with explosive laughter, wiping fake tears from his eyes as he looked down at her,

“Now is the time you choose to abuse your power? You do realize that we are equals in terms of strength, correct?”

“Spike…please, just say it!”

“Alright alright...calm yourself.” He cleared his throat once more, and spoke in a powerful voice,

“I am Spike; The Ancient Dragon King!!”

The others shuddered at his tone, and bowed before him. He blinked a few times in confusion,

“What are you all doing? Stop that!”

They giggled a couple times before rising to their hooves. More multicolored magic flashed through their eyes. Spike rubbed his eyes a few times,

“Let’s go…it’s been so long since we’ve all be together…”

Spike turned and walked to the end of the cave. Another set of spiraling stairs awaited them, and they all followed. They all walked in comfortable silence, until they reached the last step. The room was pitch black, and they were forced to follow Spikes thundering footsteps, as he walked deeper and deeper into the dark room. Spike snapped his fingers, and on command, prismatic hued flames burst to life on sconces throughout the area. With the room now lit, they noticed something that lie in the center of it. A glass pillar that reached from the ceiling to the floor, had more magic orbs of light floating around it. Encased within the pillar, was an Alicorn suited in a deep black armor. The pink mane and tail were dull and limp. The helmets eye sockets remained empty and black. Her coat still shimmered with pristine blackness, dark as the night skies outside. The others walked up to it, pressing their hooves against the glass,

“So…no signs of her struggling to escape?”

Spike shook his head, “Not anymore…the armor stopped trembling about 82 years ago…”

Sparks suddenly clutched at her chest. Her eyes were filled with a violet colored light, as magic matching in color, poured from her mouth in a thick waterfall. The others focused on her, and the magic that was starting to form itself into a Unicorn silhouette. The silhouette started to gain definition, and varying colors. The magically formed ivory colored mare opened her eyes, revealing dazzling sapphire irises, that sparkled as they settled on them,

“It is done…we have finally stopped the Corrupted One’s terror…” she looked around at the group, focused on Sparks, “Where are the others? I miss them all terribly…”

As if to respond, Dee, Skye, Patch, and Haze all gripped at their chests. Magic filled their eyes and poured from their mouths. Each torrent of magic formed itself into equines, until four other mares stood before them. They each wore proud smiles as they looked at each other, the cyan colored Pegasus was the first to speak up,

“You guys look awesome!!” she trotted over to the yellow Pegasus and nuzzled her snout, “I missed you…”

Fluttershy smiled softly and enjoyed the contact, “I missed you too…”

Pinkie leapt onto them, “I missed both of you guys!” she jumped away from them and onto Rarity, “And you too, Rares!” she skipped over to the orange Earth Pony, “But I missed you most of all, Jackie…”

Applejack smirked and held the pink pony close, “Ah wish Ah’d been reunited with that beautiful lil’ face of yers much sooner…” Applejack then kissed her, “Pinkie…ya don’t even know how happy Ah am tah see ya.”

Pinkie hardcore nuzzled into her lover’s neck, smiling all the while. She pointed at Dash,

“Dashie! My favorite pranking partner! How have you been doing?!”

Dash chuckled and snapped her wings open, “Oh you know, just being the Spirit of Loyalty and guiding Patch here. In other words, just being awesome.”

“Spirits of Harmony…” King Scorpion walked up to the mares and bowed before them, “It is an honor to meet you all once again…”

Rarity arched a brow, “Great One? You have become a mortal? How so? Was this of your own doing?”

Scorpion shook his head, “No…this was a punishment given to me by the gods and goddesses.” He smiled over warmly at his wife, “But little did they realize, that this fate they have chosen for me, has been a bigger blessing than the ones I’ve been able to bestow upon mortals.”

Rarity nodded in understanding. She looked back over her friends and the ponies, and her smile disappeared,

“Where…where is she?” she looked around again, “Why isn’t sh-”

“She is well…” Spike interrupted. “Relax, Generosity. I have more control over of my Element of Harmony than the others. After all,” his eyes glowed with a fierce lavender light,

“The Spirit of Magic has taught me so much, after all this time.”

He opened his mouth, and reached down his throat. The others looked on in awe and disgust, as his arm kept reaching down until it stopped at the elbow. He then slowly pulled something out from his body. He opened his hand, and magic shaped in the form of a six pointed star hovered in his palm. He then slowly closed his other hand around it, and clamped down tightly. After about a minute, he opened his hands, the magic had shaped itself into a slender Unicorn. She brushed her bangs out of the way and smiled softly at Rarity.

“Did you really think that I would leave you?” she gracefully trotted up to the other Unicorn and softly nuzzled her,

“I was there for you in the world of the living, and I shall stay with you in the realm that lies beyond…”

A single tear rolled down Rarity’s face, “Oh, Twilight…” she nuzzled her harder before standing on her hind legs and wrapping her forelegs around her lover’s neck, “I knew that. I should’ve known better than to even let that thought cross my mind…”

“Magic…” Scorpion smiled softly, “It has been two hundred years...I honestly did not think I would ever see you again...”

Twilight chuckled, “You used to be a deity. Even with your punishment, you and I both know that your lifespan will exceed that of any pony now, and future generations to come.”

Pinkie bounced over to Locust, “Halfling! I see you got a pretty big crown on your head! You're the Queen of the hive now?”

“Yes, Laughter. My mother passed away gently, whilst in slumber. My father soon joined her, and I was able to step up.”

A tiny frown graced Pinkie’s features, “You know, it’s kind of sad that you guys don’t know our names anymore…”

Everyone except Scorpion looked confused by her statement. Scorpion stepped forward and placed a hoof on the pink mare’s shoulder,

“Your names faded as Time continued on. No longer were you to be known by the names given to you at birth. Remember, all of you are the Elements themselves now, not just their Bearers…”

The other Spirits of Harmony stepped closer to listen.

“Such information that mortals can become the embodiments of magic would be life-changing if others knew about it. So...history only states that you all died fighting bravely in battle. It was an extremely rare occurrence that you were able to choose those who were meant to bear the Elements of Harmony. And because of your choices…” he looked over at the group of ponies that were chatting with each other. The older mares followed his gaze, smiling at the ponies that they once cared for and nurtured like their own children.

“They were allowed to know that you all taught them everything all those years ago. They still carry memories of your faces, of the love, whether it be tough or not, and care that you put into them. The Prophet of Change still remembers the Laughter and Honesty taking him in, and raising him as their child. The Bringer of Bountiful Harvest and Flourishing Lands, still remembers Magic giving her a way to speak her thoughts, when she didn’t have to do that. The Whisperer of Blackest Nights and Dreams…still remembers Kindness supporting her, when her brother was killed in battle. The Maker of Second Chances, will never forget Loyalty, and her abilities to build him a chance to continue on with a healthy life, just as he does for others now. And the Grand Commander of the New World…will never forget Generosity, the mare who gave her a second chance to have a mother who loved her, and help her stand against her father, the stallion who had became The Hell King’s darkest creation and weapon. And The Ancient Dragon King, will never forget Magic, whom he considered his elder sister, since the time of his birth.” He looked over the faces of the ethereal mares, who were smiling while tears pricked at the corners of their eyes,

“It is because of you all that they are who they are today. With your help, they brought about an era of peace that the universe has not seen in eons. So…for your safety, your names have faded with time, and when spoken, they hit their ears as ancient, untranslatable incantations…but I can assure you, that just because they cannot remember them, does not mean that they forgot just who you all are…”

The mares were sniffling now, earning the attention of the others, and drawing them closer. Each pony nuzzled their respective Element, showing concerned for the mares, and giving them as much attention as they desired. After a few minutes of consoling, they all turned back to the mare encased in body armor and glass. Twilight and Dash walked up to the glass, each of them pressing a hoof against it. Dash threw a wing over Twilight and looked over at her,

“We did good, huh Egghead?”

Twilight nodded softly while she sized up the mare, “Yes we did, my friend…” she turned and walked up to Sparks. The younger Unicorn met her gaze for a few seconds, before averting her eyes elsewhere. Twilight placed a hoof underneath her chin and tilted it, so that Sparks would be looking her in the eyes once again,

“What do you see in my eyes, Bright Spark?”

“I see an infinite amount of bubbling magic that could control the cosmos if it wanted to.” Sparks replied with a bit of a quiver in her voice. Twilight giggled softly,

“No young one…I was hoping that you’d be able to see…gratefulness. The infinite amount of thanks that I want to give you, for your time in bearing the Element of Generosity, and therefore, carrying responsibility in the protection of the Spirit of Generosity…” she looked over at the alabaster Unicorn, “I am sure that watching over her, is by no means an easy task…”

Sparks got a big grin on her face, “I can assure you, that she has been nothing but the best for me, and has been guiding me with the best of intentions, for all of this time. There is no inconvenience from her that is great enough to make me feel like protecting a Spirit of Harmony is a burden.”

Twilight was about to respond, but the slight clanking from within the glass tube drew not just their attention, but the rest of the group’s as well. They all focused on the armor inside, watching with wide eyes as the armor resting on the Alicorn, was quivering with the tiniest tremble. The tremble morphed into a rattle, and after a few seconds, the Alicorn’s entire body was shaking violently. Suddenly, it stopped, and everyone pressed their faces up against the glass. The inside of the black eye sockets of the helmets were filled with the faintest glow of a crimson hue,

“Corrupted One…” Sparks whispered softly.

There was no response. Not even the slightest movement from the mare trapped in glass. Dash stepped around her, and tapped the glass with a bit of force,

“Hey, I know you hear her talking to you!”

The orbs of red light slowly focused on Dash, glowing just a bit brighter than they did before. Dash smirked,

“Oh, so you hear me talking to you, huh?” her smirk got bigger, “You’re stuck in there. Do you hear me? You’re never going to get out. You’re going to sit in a body that you have no control over, and rot for the rest of your days. It sounds like a perfect fate for a monster who did the same to everyone else…wouldn’t you agree?”

The eyes glowed brighter, and the armor rattled harder. It continued on for a few more minutes, before finally going still. The angry eyes stared at her. Dash turned away from the tube,

“That thing isn’t going anywhere. It’s not going to hurt anyone ever again, so long as we are around…” she looked around at her friends, “Let’s get out of here, huh? It’s been a while since I’ve gotten to get a good flight in.”

The others smiled, letting out statements of agreement. One by one, the group turned away from the tube. They made their way to the stair case that led back up, and filed up them. Spike and Twilight were hanging around at the entryway to the room. They looked back at the Alicorn, then at each other.

“I’m so proud of you, Spike.” Twilight started. “Never, in my wildest dreams, did I think that we’d be where we are today. It was a long and painful struggle…but the end results were completely worth it.”

Spike smiled down at her, “Friendship can do a lot of things. That’s something that our generation was lucky enough to be able to understand.” He leaned down so that he was right in front of Twilight’s face,

“And I know that I had the best big sister in the world to teach me that. You were worth all the suffering I went through, Twilight Sparkle. And if I had to, I would do it all over again for you…”

Twilight’s eyes went wide, as a few tears streamed down her face,

“You…you said my name. You remember it?”

His smile got bigger as he was filled with pride, “I am the Bearer of the Element of Magic. Magic’s kind of my thing. You taught me quite a few things, sister. But…you didn’t teach me everything…”

Twilight got a child-like excitement on her face, “Well, you have to tell me what you did! Perhaps we can pass it on to the others!”

Spike scooped up Twilight into his palms, and placed her on one of his shoulders, “Or, perhaps not. Not everything can be taught.”

Twilight frowned, and crossed her forelegs, “You’re not being fair, Spike.”

Spike chuckled, “Don’t worry…I’ll tell you...”

He started to walk back up the stairs, his thundering steps fading as he did. The fires in the sconces throughout the room started to go out one by one. The room was sent back into darkness, save for the glow of the crimson lights within the tube. There was the sounds of more clanking and rattling. The eyes glowed brighter with determination. After a few hours, the rattling stopped for good, and the eyes faded into the blackness...

Author's Note

Aw maaaaan, this story was quite a doozy for me to write! The longest story for me so far...

Anywho! Thanks to all my followers who read the whole trilogy! It was quite a pleasure writing this for you guys, and I hope you all enjoyed it!!