Author's Note

1. TWOG = The Amazing World of Gumball
   
2. The name Elizabeth is inspired from Rainbow Elizabeth Dash from Trials of the Heart

HEARTH'S WARMING EVE - revised

Now back to the situation in Erumoa…

Gamuboru and Daruwin were playing video game from their couch. Sat motionless between them is E-Sat, now in his normal non-mecha form: a small robot with clamps for hands.

Daruwin felt a sudden growl in his stomach in the middle of gameplay. “Gamuboru-san?”

“Nandeshou? (What is it?)” Gamuboru asked, eyes fixated at the TV screen.

Daruwin put down the controller and said, “Onaka pekopeko. (I’m hungry.)”

Gamuboru paused the game, grabbed the remote device on the couch and looked at E-Sat. “Oi, robotto! Daidokoro ni iku- (Hey robot! Go to the kitchen and-)”

At that very moment, without warning, Godslayer Fortepiano burst in through the ceiling, shocking Gamuboru. She slammed onto the floor with cracking BOOM! The very next moment, the brothers had found themselves both lying on the splintered floor, debris from the destroyed furniture scattered all over the living room. A gaping hole on the ceiling was visible up to the roof. E-Sat remained unmoving and unresponsive. In spite of the immense blow resulting from the forced entry, the small robot did not sustain any form of damage.

A little woozy, Gamuboru tried to get up. But a strong hand caught him by the collar of his shirt and immediately he was pulled up close to Godslayer Fortepiano’s angry face.

“Ahoka?! (What the fuck!?)” He made a pathetic attempt to tell off the intruder. “Sh-shitsukendayo…! (Le-leave me the fuck alone!)”

“Nandato?! (What did you just say to me!?” Godslayer Fortepiano shouted infuriatingly at the blue feline.

“Robotto,” Gamuboru called out to E-Sat, “tatsukete! (help me!)”

The Godslayer mocked the blue feline by showing that she holds the remote device in her other hand. Gamuboru’s face fell.

“Daruwin!” he shouted, gazing past Godslayer Fortepiano. “Hora?! (What the-!?)”

To his great dismay, the younger brother was sneaking away to the front door.

“Tsukaene yatsu dana (You’re so useless),” Gamuboru murmured his disappointment.

The feline gulped in fear upon making eye-contact again with the Godslayer’s angry glare.

Chuckling nervously, he said, “Go-gomen’nasai…? (I’m sorry…?)”

“Ie! (No!)” Fortepiano retorted.

Gamuboru and Daruwin both were tied up and hung helplessly from the top of a billboard, which bizarrely still stands unharmed in the middle the devastated urban residential area. The elder sibling was stark naked, while his brother had his mouth taped shut.

“Gamuboru-san?” Daruwin spoke in muffled voice.

“Urusai! (Shut up!)” and the feline started to cry.

Their punishment might seem a little too severe for kids of their age. But then again, in this world the brothers are really more trouble than they are worth by being everyday antagonist to other characters. Therefore, they did not really deserve that much sympathy. Seriously.

No longer under the troublesome brother’s control, Super E-Sat strode the street in Erumoa. He is equipped with jet boots, yet was unable to use them for unknown reason. Up the in the sky, Godslayer Fortepiano streaked in the same direction. Both headed out to Ritchiudo to meet up with Kurogane and Alkarin.

“I can’t believe this!” The Field Master was overly furious at her two subordinates. “What were those two morons doing while I was away!?”

Godslayer Kurogane had the Evil Turtle trapped in an ice crystal, but the creature through uncanny strength managed to break free from its icy prison. She and Godslayer Alkarin proceeded to run away and the indestructible creature in turn gave chase, its mouth chomping furiously at them.

“Shit, where’s E-Sat when you need him!?” Godslayer Alkarin yelled furiously while running.

Soon, they spotted over the neighborhood’s skyline the three Clay Colossuses, whom had reached Ritchiudo days earlier, rampaging through the city.

“Why can’t this motherfucker go after those three instead!?” Godslayer Kurogane cried to her Ensign.

An idea struck the minotaur. “That’s actually a good idea! Pray to Snowflake that this will work! Follow me!”

Godslayer Kurogane followed the Ensign into another street, apparently luring the Evil Turtle towards the colossuses.

***

After receiving medical treatment, Derpy was immediately committed to the asylum. Mental therapies had been arranged by Dr. Horses, but had to be postponed due to the pegasus’ aggressive behavior at present.

The tight restraint from her straightjacket could not stop Derpy’s derangement. Not even sedatives worked on her. None of the doctors and physicians were able to determine why. Another side effect from the Poison Joke, maybe?

No matter how many times she got knocked down after hitting herself against the padded wall of her cell, Derpy would get up again and continued, screaming aloud like a maniac until she eventually overcame with fatigue. However, she had not exactly given up yet. Leaning against the wall on her knees, she bumped her head at the wall repeatedly. Whether she was trying to break out or kill herself is not entirely clear, only that all her efforts are futile.

Outside the cell, Derpy was unaware that today she will receive a visit from a pony that she despised very much.

Tirek opened the box he held in his hand. In it was a raisin muffin, much to everyone’s surprise, except for Dumbbell who, for whatever reason, was bizarrely wearing full protective hockey gear.

“Ah, just as the doctor ordered,” the pegasus proclaimed.

“Really?” Dash was skeptical. “A muffin?”

“Trust me,” Dumbbell assured everyone there. “This will definitely calm her down.”

Sunset Shimmer felt uneasy of letting Dumbbell into the cell with Derpy still being violent.

“Maybe we should let one of the royal guards do it,” she suggested.

Yet Dumbbell remained confident that he can handle Derpy.

He said, “Hah! Don’t you worry about me! I've been in this situation before! Now everypony stand back!”

The pegasus entered the cell, saying, “Hey, Derpy! Look who’s coming to say hi!”

“Dinky!?” everyone heard Derpy’s response.

Mixed noises of struggle, chewing and hissing went on for a few seconds until Dumbbell flung out through the door and landed flat on his face. He got up and whooped triumphantly for surviving his second encounter with the deranged pony. In spite of his protective gear had been totally ripped apart, the stallion himself was in fact fine.

“She’s all yours, Your Royal Highness,” he said to Princess Celestia.

“Your Royal Highness, please let at least one of us accompany you,” Sunset Shimmer suggested.

As an Assistant Chancellor and a castle staff, she needed to act responsibly.

“I will be fine,” Celestia said.

“But-”

“Sunset Shimmer!” It appeared that Celestia was about to scold the unicorn as she usually does but instead she spoke calmly, “Please. I wish to speak to her alone.”

Sunset Shimmer was taken aback, because for as long as she remembered, her former mentor never used the word ‘please’ before, at least when speaking to her personally.

Derpy had finally calmed down. She regarded the muffin atop her mane fondly, whilst humming a lullaby to it. The scene bore reminiscent to Princess Celestia’s behavior when she was Trollestia. As soon as she realized the princess’ presence, the pegasus immediately cowered to the corner.

“You’ve no need to be wary,” Celestia assured her.

Derpy hissed, “Leave us alone!”

“I will,” Celestia promised, “but you first must tell me the truth.”

Derpy knew what the princess wanted. “Twilight Sparkle.”

Instead of commanding Derpy, Celestia tried to persuade her with gentle words. “You have my word. This is the last you’ll ever see me. Just tell me where is Twilight Sparkle. I need to know.”

Glaring at the princess, breath steaming, Derpy considered for a moment before agreeing to tell.

***

Twilight Sparkle and Spike both gaped at the frightful sight ahead of them.

Ragingheart relished at this fortuitous moment. “Twilight Sparkle, Celestia’s favorite. What good luck. I could use you as a hostage.”

Sheer regret immediately came over Spike. “I should’ve figured your scheme is going to lead us into more trouble…”

“Don’t worry, Spike!” Twilight Sparkle said. “I’ll protect us both, just like last time!”

She cast a bubble shield around her assistant and herself.

“Both times it was your fault,” Spike grumbled.

He looked up anxiously at his boss when Ragingheart and her now fully-formed constructs started to advance towards the protective magic bubble. “Err, Doc? What now?”

“Now,” Twilight Sparkle said casually, “we roll ourselves away like a boss.”

So the pair worked their legs to get the bubble shield moving.

Upon seeing the magic bubble rolling away from them, the machine constructs picked up their paces and gave chase.

After hours of being chased around Everfree Forest, the magic bubble rolled off the ledge and freefall into Ghastly Gorge, along with its screaming occupants. Seconds later, Ragingheart’s minions also emerged over the ledge but managed to catch themselves from falling into the gorge.

Alerted by the presence of food, numerous quarray eels emerged from their holes from both sides of the rocky walls. Twilight Sparkle and Spike are still safely inside the bubble shield by the time they are completely surrounded by the gigantic eels. Numerous Mecha-Daleks soon landed, with other constructs brought along on their shoulders.

In their effort to capture the Twilight Sparkle, the constructs battled to fend off the eels. But the creatures, strong and highly aggressive, fought back. And so the battle escalated into extermination. Amidst the confusion, Twilight Sparkle and Spike made a run for it towards a small crevice on the cliff side, just big enough for them to fit through.

One quarray eel sighted the pair entering the crevice. It lunged its jaws at them but had its large head stuck in the crevice in the process. Soon enough, two Mecha-Daleks yanked the eel out of from crevice and dragged it away. As the eel gets pummeled to death, a Mithra scanned the crevice. It appeared that the crevice is very deep with no end in sight. Since the space is a little too cramped for the Mithra, the smaller-sized White Bunneh entered instead to track down and retrieve Twilight Sparkle.

***

“The hole exited into another part of the gorge,” Derpy said. “Neither Twilight nor her pet can be found after that. Maybe the quarray eels have finally claimed her…or maybe she had escaped into another hole. Either way, the search was abandoned as it turned out that she had unwittingly led my minions to Appleloosa. The rest is history.”

Celestia was fraught with disappointment. She had hoped to learn more of Twilight Sparkle’s whereabouts, but instead her fate remained ambiguous. So Derpy was only telling half of the truth. That should have been enough reason for Celestia’s former self to lash out at the wingless pegasus She gave Derpy one last glare before leaving.

Celestia left the asylum without saying a word to Sunset Shimmer. And no one, not even Dash, dared to speak about the princess. With that, it was now Godslayer Watterson’s turn to question Derpy.

From the corner, Derpy glared at Godslayer Watterson, with equal amount of hatred with that of Celestia.

“Are you here to kill me?” It was unclear whether she is being serious or sarcastic.

“If I wanted to,” Godslayer Watterson said coldly, “I would’ve done so back in the Battle of Canterlot.”

With the war over, the feline no longer looked fatigued after getting enough sleep over the past few days.

“Then what do you want?” the pegasus demanded.

“Tell me more about the person who gave you the Alicorn Amulet.”

Derpy chuckled. “You’re wasting your time, knight-errant. Beyond what I told Princess Celestia, I know nothing.”

“You must’ve seen what she looks like,” the feline insisted.

“It was dark, I was scared. She was wearing a cloak, with a hood. And I was lying in Poison Joke field the whole time she appeared and disappeared. But...there is one tiny thing I can tell you about her.”

“Anything, even the smallest detail, I want to know,” Godslayer Watterson said expectantly.

“In order to thank her for her help, I asked her name. It’s Zirconia.”

Zirconia… Nope, the name did not mean anything to him. Even if it is the mysterious figure‘s real name, it will not bring him any closer to unravel the SG’s origins and motives.

Before leaving, Godslayer Watterson said to Derpy, “By the way, whoever this Zirconia is, she never had any attention of helping you. She played you, like the way you played with Celestia’s feelings for Twilight Sparkle. All she wanted was to turn you reckless so all of you’d destroy each other.”

She smiled mischievously. “Like I said, I know nothing.”

Over at the counter, Sunset Shimmer spoke to a staff of the asylum. “Try contact Dr. Cheerilee from Manehattan. She’s an expert in foal psychology. Thanks.”

“After everything she had done, you still trying to help her?” Dash asked after Sunset Shimmer was done.

“I’m just doing what I feel is right,” the latter earnestly said, “Nothing more.”

Afterwards Dash, Sunset Shimmer, Dumbbell, Twinkleshine rested on the couch, along with Minuette and Amethyst Star who have returned to normal after being cured by the Elements of Harmony’s energy wave.

“Now that Derpy’s calmed down,” Dumbbell said confidently, “I think she won’t be causing any more trouble from now on.”

“But how did you know that’ll work?” Sunset Shimmer was really curious.

“I didn’t figure it out until recently,” Dumbbell admitted. “Everypony knows Dinky died of cancer at a young age. But seeing how Derpy still kept mentioning her name, it’d hit me that Derpy had only began carrying the muffin since that very moment. There could only be one possibility.”

After piecing it all together, Sunset Shimmer said, “I see. Her mental illness began from there. Derpy was so traumatized, she couldn’t accept the loss of her sister. For some bizarre reason, she unconsciously chose to ponify a muffin as Dinky so that she could cope with her death. And here I thought she was just another eccentric pony…”

Dash could not agree more. If Derpy’s backstory had not been made known, she would have thought the pony was more irrational than Trollestia. During the entire conversation, Dash merely listened, not daring to comment anything, for fear of slip of the tongue. After all, her sarcasm is not going away anytime soon.

“I should’ve figured it out the first time saw it,” Sunset Shimmer said sadly.

“Sunset, you should really stop doing that,” Dash chided the unicorn, eliciting a confused look from the latter.

“What…?”

“The world doesn’t revolve around you, Sunset Shimmer. So stop taking the blame for everything.”

Dumbbell agreed with Dash. “She’s kind of right. Truth is we all should’ve figured it out. You see, in my younger days, I was the worst kind jock there is.”

Dash understood it immediately. “You bullied her.”

“Not physically though,” Dumbbell said. “But one day I went a step too far. I tried to take that muffin from her. And so I ended up being hospitalized and missed three consecutive Hearth's Warming holidays as a result. Due to that experience, I swear, I will never be a bully again.”

“So Derpy’s the one you’ve been talking about,” Sunset Shimmer realized, remembering the unfinished conversation they had back in Ponyville Prison.

Twinkleshine glared bitterly at Minuette and Amethyst Star. “Well? Don’t you two have anything to say?”

“We…err, every so often we made fun of Derpy too,” Minuette confessed. “For it, we almost had our throats ripped out.”

“It was totally not cool,” Amethyst Star said.

“But so is everypony else,” Minuette added. “Pinkie Pie, for instance, kept accusing Derpy of stealing her muffins. At one point, Fluttershy and even Lyra decided to pick a fight with Derpy.”

“Lyra did no such thing!” Twinkleshine scolded the blue unicorn, overly dismayed that Lyra was suddenly brought into the conversation

“Yes, she did!” Minuette insisted. “We saw her!”

Repressing her own anger, Twinkleshine said, “Not on purpose, I’m sure. She was besties with Derpy. It’s because you two treated Lyra just as badly. Even a passive pony as Lyra can snap when pushed to her limits.”

Minuette and Amethyst Star looked away to hide their guilt. Even if Twinkleshine was right, they do not have the guts to admit it.

“Speaking of Lyra,” Dash said, “is it possible that she’s...?”

“Honestly, I’m not sure if scouring the forest for them will yield any results,” Sunset Shimmer said somberly. “It covers an area bigger than Manehattan and Canterlot combined. And Derpy barely made it, so…it’s highly possible that we might never actually be able see Lyra or Bon-Bon again.”

A long silence fell over the lounge area.

***

It had been a week since the Battle of Canterlot ended. Many parts of the city remain deserted, since not even close to half of the inhabitants have returned to Canterlot. For many ponies, they have to stay wherever they are now, because the train service to Canterlot has yet to be normalized, so making a long journey on their own in the winter is practically suicidal.

It was such an unusual sight. With Hearth’s Warming celebration coming up in a few weeks, the downtown areas are usually vibrant with holiday decorative adorning all over the place, shops holding discount sales and ponies shopping for the holidays. But this year, the invasion initiated by Derpy/Ragingheart changed all of that.

Right now the market square should be bustling with ponies buying seasonal treats, looking for bargains or simply strolling around to pass their free time. But instead it was deserted, like the downtown areas, save for a few curious ponies looking at the debris from the destroyed clock tower and other battle damages. Hopefully, things will pick up in the coming spring, when reconstruction works will begin.

Families that did manage to return to Canterlot lamented what remained of their homes. Many buildings serving as both shops and residential accommodations have been destroyed or damaged resulting from the urban combat between Godslayer Watterson and the Reserves with Ragingheart’s forces.

No doubt they regretted their decision to return, instead of prolonging their stay at their relative or friend’s house. Saddened by their loss, all the families turned to Blueblood and Sunset Shimmer who are there to address them on the reconstruction process as well as their relocation to the emergency shelters for the winter month.

The residential areas in the uptown sections of Canterlot fortunately fared much better than the city, save some houses damaged by the MBP’s incursion. The same goes for the suburban areas.

In one particular neighborhood where Lionel and Featherweight lives, the father and son walked up to their closest neighbors, an elderly Earth pony couple whose house had been partially destroyed. With the front wall collapsed up the roofs, the house is almost unlivable. Lionel sincerely offered them to stay at his house for the rest of the winter, until the repair works are all done.

Back in downtown Canterlot, the Boy Builders have finished patching up the holes on the boutique with wooden planks and boards. The rough workmanship is only intended as temporary until winter season is over. Silver Spoon wanted to pay them for their service however Dumbbell declined since they did the same work for other ponies for free. So Diamond Tiara invited them inside the kitchen instead for some snacks and hot drinks.

And how are things in Ponyville? Initially the town only appeared to be intact throughout the invasion. Moving up to the western region, the scenery changed into a huge area of desolation. What used to be housing and commercial areas, all of it have been completely demolished by Ragingheart, rendering many ponies both homeless and jobless.

Tents have been set up all over the town square to shelter the homeless. In charge of managing the emergency operations is none other than Mayor Mare herself. Right after Ponyville was liberated, she had not have the chance to take a long rest from her ordeal. Although quite tired, the mayor will be able to cope as she is made for this kind of job, unlike manual labor.

Mayor Mare and her staff moved fast to meet the arriving pegasus guards and the Wonderbolts whom were carrying aid supplies in their saddle bags. With Canterlot cut off from Ponyville after the destruction of Canterlot River Bridge, transporting aids through land route was ruled out. In order to speed up the aid distribution, the Wonderbolts were summoned by royal decree to assist.

After giving out the aids to Ponyvillians, Spitfire came close to interact with Lightning Dust. But she decided to refrain in the last minute. Lightning Dust looked upon at her former captain ponderingly. For a second, she foolishly thought Spitfire was going to pick a fight with her before backing off. Little did Lightning Dust know that Spitfire actually did not mean to snub Lightning Dust and that her action had nothing to do with animosity.

It was just that Spitfire realized she did not know what to say to her to begin with, years after the incident that caused the fallout in their relations, so much she did not even try very hard to dispel the rumors spread by Rainbow Dash. Spitfire had indeed wondered whether her decision to dismiss Lightning Dust from the academy immediately was rash but her inaction had let years to pass by until it was too late to take it back.

Lightning Dust quickly dismissed the thought of whether she will ever be forgiven by Spitfire since the other royal guards were already taking off to return to Canterlot. After telling herself that her stint in the Wonderbolts is now in the past and she should move on, the pegasus took off to join her comrades.

Meanwhile, Spitfire led the Wonderbolts back to the academy. She decided that she will talk to Lightning Dust again at a time she felt is right to mend their relations.

***

There is one more week before Hearth’s Warming.

Unbelievably, Canterlot Royal Castle remain undamaged throughout the war. Against all expectations, Ragingheart’s forces never got anywhere near it, with all the battles took place mainly in the city and the outskirts. The story might turn out differently had the evil ‘Alicorn’ knew of Princess Celestia’s disappearance, at which point the castle and the entire city would have been occupied immediately.

On this day, a modest ceremony was held to award Dash, Zach, Discord, Blueblood, Gilda and all the Reserves for their gallant acts from the Battle of the Market Square towards the Battle of Canterlot. For the Reserves, the whole Equestrian Royal Guards witnessing Princess Luna awarding them the Medal of Valor was the greatest moment in their lives so far.

Additionally, Lightning Dust and Gilda also received the Medal of Merit along with Sunset Shimmer, Trixie, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon in recognition of their roles as the bearers of Elements of Harmony. With it, they ended the war by liberating the entire continent of the evil constructs. They did so swiftly and without needing to engage in actual combat. For many of the royal guards, it was an act of miracle.

The last recipient is Twinkleshine. She stepped forward to receive the Service Medal for exhibiting undivided loyalty in her service to Princess Luna. By right, she should have been given a higher award for her role in redeeming Princess Celestia. But in order not to disappoint the elder princess’ feelings, it had to be kept a secret. To make up for it, Princess Luna offered Twinkleshine work at the castle so that she may continue her service to the princess, to which the unicorn accepted with grace.

One final act by Princess Luna before the ceremony came to an end, she announced the Reserve Army is dissolved beginning from that day and that the Flim Flam brothers, Tirek, Nova and Lightning Dust are now officially promoted to the main army by her royal decree. The entire army gave their full applause in recognition of the former Reserves as their comrade in arms.

Of all the five newly members of the royal guards, Lightning Dust was the happiest. She had once imagined this moment, though it included a glorious hero’s welcome parade around the city. However right now she was content of what she has, because in the end, it is feeling of accomplishment that really mattered.

After the award ceremony ended, a banquet was hosted in honor for the award recipients and the rest of the Equestrian Royal Guards. Much to Tirek’s delight, the feast was prepared by Mulia Mule, who was safely away from Ponyville at the time of Ragingheart’s invasion.

As per usual, Nova accompanied Lightning Dust before they were joined by Gilda. It is too bad their relationship has yet to move beyond comrades. The Pegasus remained oblivious to Nova’s feelings for her, while that changeling still has not got the guts to tell Lighting Dust how he feels for her. Even though Dash did reveal of Nova’s affection to her, Lightning Dust still regarded it as a dumb joke.

Gilda, whose service to the royal guards has officially ended and will return to the Wonderbolts in the coming spring, although knew of Nova’s crush, could not be bothered to meddle in between those two. If Nova and Lightning Dust are truly made for each other, she was sure that their relationship will takes it course eventually.

At the next table, Flim and Flam indulged themselves in anything has apples in it. Discord tried out of some of the food, but he regarded them indifferently. Only after a servant came to serve a bowl of caramel coated-popcorns, his appetite became ferociously avid. Nearby, Diamond Tiara and Silvers Spoon, both feeling awkward at their surroundings full of royal guards, hanged out with Trixie, Sunset Shimmer and Blueblood.

Across the ballroom, a sullen and tired-looking Princess Luna was deeply absorbed in her own thoughts while gazing at the frozen gardens outside the window. Maybe there was something about the view that reminded her of her past, one which involves either her family or deceased friends. She only looked away from the windows when approached by Dash and Zach.

“Lord Watterson, Miss Dash,” the princess greeted the two, “how do you find our Mulian cuisine?”

“Scrumptious!” Zach said in delight.

“Just one thing’s missing,” Dash jested, “where’s the cheese?”

“Oh Faust,” Luna felt sickened at the mention of cheese, “please don’t mention that food again, Miss Dash. I’ve grown so tired of it after consuming the very same thing for years.”

“Speaking of tired, you do actually look tired, Your Royal Highness,” Dash commented.

“It is that noticeable?” Luna wondered.

“Well, yeah,” Dash was being totally frank, “it’s the same look Sunset Shimmer had when she’s tired.”

“Yes, I still have to go through more emergency aid and reconstruction plans after this. You could say, Miss Dash, that years spent the moon alone doing almost nothing has taken its toll on me. Oh, it will be so nice when my sister is able to resume her duty again.”

“How is she?” Dash wanted to know, as she had not come across the elder princess around the castle ever since they came back from the asylum.

“She’s rather sullen, withdrawn, more than usual,” Luna replied somberly.

“She’s still thinking about Twilight Sparkle,” Dash figured. “Princess Luna, may I ask you something about her if you don’t mind?”

Zach felt that the conversation might be getting too personal for him, so he excused himself. Luna gave her permission before reminding Zach to enjoy the rest of the food.

“Go on, Miss Dash,” the princess said.

“Were you aware,” Dash stated her question carefully, “that Twilight Sparkle was Twilight Velvet’s daughter?”

Luna was taken aback by the question. “Why- Yes, I’ve known it. But how did you come to know of this?”

“I found out by accident,” Dash revealed. “I swear no one tried to insult Twilight Sparkle on purpose. Believe me.”

With that, Luna explained the truth to her. “The late Twilight Velvet was our mentor and protector before we became the Royal Sisters. It was natural that my sister would treat Twilight Sparkle so favorably. But it shouldn’t have been done at the expense of Sunset Shimmer.”

“But it seems their relationship extended beyond teacher and student, don’t you think?” Dash wanted to know the princess’ opinion.

Luna nodded.

Dash gazed towards Sunset Shimmer at the middle of ballroom. Whatever she and Trixie were discussing with Blueblood, it was probably not related to official matters due to their lighthearted expressions.

Though she admitted her immaturity, Dash thought, she hasn’t exactly forgiven Princess Celestia. I wonder if I can…

When Luna came into the bedroom, she was very disappointed to find her elder sister had not touch her food. “Oh, sister! You will not come out of your room! You will not speak to anypony! But at the very least, eat something!”

But Celestia just laid in a sulk on her bed.

Luna felt frustrated by her sister’s behavior.

“I brought you something,” she said, placing a banana bunch next to the plate of cold food. “If you still refuse eat, then I don’t know what I am going to do about you.”

“I’ve always liked bananas,” Celestia suddenly spoke

“Tia?” An expectant came over the younger sister.

“I’m not sure why though,” Celestia continued.

“You simply liked its taste, that’s all there is to it,” Luna stated. “Why in Equestria would anypony need a complicated reason to have a favorite fruit?”

“You remember.”

“Of course I do.” By now, Luna felt something strange about her sister’s behavior.

“What was yours, Luna?” Celestia with the use of her magic plucked a banana from the bunch and brought it up to her. “Or did you ever have one? I couldn’t quite remember it.”

“It was oranges,” Luna answered.

As she peeled the skin, Celestia said to her, “Can you see the irony, Luna? Though vaguely, an orange resembles the sun, while this banana looks like a crescent moon. Like your cutie mark.”

Luna was glad that Celestia is finally speaking to her, yet also worried that she might be going mentally unsound from all the depression over Twilight Sparkle.

“Tia, I’m truly worried about you.” Luna went to her sister’s side. “Please open up to me.”

Today is Hearth’s Warming Eve. Dash glanced around. It seemed only Princess Luna, Sir Blueblood, Trixie and Captain Discord had come to bid them goodbye after Zach decided it was time for both of them to leave for the Southern Kingdom.

Just then, Sunset Shimmer came rushing down the hallway to meet them.

“You’re leaving already?” Apparently the news came as a shock to her.

“We decided that we shouldn’t wear out our welcome,” Zach informed Sunset Shimmer.

“But still,” the unicorn said worryingly, “you can’t possibly journey all the way to the south in this winter?”

“We’ll manage,” Zach gave his assurance.

“Yeah, no sweat,” Dash said. With the Void, we’ll get there in just a sec.

“Anyhow,” Zach said, “we appreciate your great hospitality during our stay here. So, thank you.”

He and Dash courteously bowed their heads in thanking the ponies.

“It is our pleasure,” Blueblood said. “We couldn’t have made it without both your help, after all.”

Discord, looking almost sullen, wrapped each of his arms around Dash and Zach tightly. “Oh! After we fought together in the Battle of the Market Square, somehow I feel I’m going to miss you, my friend. And you, Miss Dash. I simply can’t be mad at you after all your effort for us.”

Dash scratched her head after the captain let them go. “Huh?”

“Copyright infringement,” Discord explained. “The Exquisite Ban Hammer- it’s exclusively made for my use.”

“Aw, c’mon, cap,” Dash said frivolously. “Yours is a magical weapon. Besides, mine’s more cool-lookin’.”

“There’s chaos god reincarnate living among you guys and you’re more worried about copycatting,” Zach joked, though that might be true.

“Nonsense,” Blueblood dismissed. “Coming out of battles unscathed has only proven that I possess extreme good luck in times of danger. It is not as baffling compared to how you managed to bring back Princess-”

“Blueblood,” Luna interrupted her nephew.

“Oh yes. Sorry, auntie.”

The princess tactfully made a mouth zipping gesture at Zach at which he responded by whispering “thank you”. He and Princess Luna have made a non-formal agreement that they will keep each other’s secret for eternity.

Sunset Shimmer suddenly remembered one last detail. “Lord Watterson, I never did manage to figure out on how to send Miss Dash home.”

Zach looked uncertain for a moment. “We’ll work something out, somehow.”

“So this is goodbye, huh?” sunset Shimmer said sadly to Dash.

“Yup.”

Dash bent down on one knee to give the unicorn a goodbye hug. She proceeded to do the same to Trixie.

Then, unexpectedly she found Twinkleshine standing right next to Trixie. “Huh!? When did you-!?”

There was a hopeful look on the unicorn’s smiling face, prompting Dash to relent. It appeared to be a normal hug initially. Dash almost believed Twinkleshine was at her best behavior now that she has an official job at the castle. That is, until she felt the unicorn’s hooves caressing her back.

“Twinkleshine!” Dash cried in dismay.

And so, she and Zach finally left the castle. After walking away from the main gate, Dash stopped to take one last look at the castle.

Zach looked back at Dash and asked her if there was anything wrong.

“No, nothing,” she told him. “I just had a…familiar feeling.”

It was the feeling of knowing that she will never return to this place again. It is very similar to how she felt on the day she left the air force in disgrace. But unlike the air force base which gave her nothing but so many unpleasant memories, she might be actually going to miss this one.

Luna whispered something to Blueblood’s ear.

“Lightning Dust, too?” the latter murmured. “Yes, of course, auntie. I will.”

In turn, the princess said appreciatively, “Thank you, dear nephew.”

Shortly, a slightly tired Sunset Shimmer came into the office. Luna exchanged greeting with her before leaving.

Sunset Shimmer passed a set of documents to Blueblood. “These are the newly revised budget and schedule for the spring’s reconstruction plans.”

Blueblood thanked her after receiving the documents. He then caught sight of Trixie passing the office.

“Trixie!” the chancellor called.

“Didn’t you say you two will be having dinner at Gilda’s house tonight?” he asked after Trixie came in.

“Why?” Trixie asked after she confirmed it.

“Why don’t you and Sunset Shimmer take the rest of day off?” Blueblood suggested.

“Me?” Sunset Shimmer said, confused. “But my leave only starts on tomorrow.”

“I just thought you both should make the most of these few days.”

Make the most? Sunset Shimmer initially did not understand but turned lively once she realized what those words meant. “Oh, thank you, sir! Thank you so much! Trixie, come on!”

She jostled Trixie out to the door. “Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go!”

“Sunset, why’re you in such a hurry!?” By then, she and Sunset Shimmer were already out in the hallway.

“Don’t worry about your unfinished duties, Trixie!” Blueblood said aloud from his office. “I’ll have somepony to get right on it!”

Twinkleshine stick her head in through the door with a gleeful look.

“No. Not you, Twinkleshine,” he said to her.

Upon hearing that, disappointment came over Twinkleshine. “Aww….”

Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were just about to leave for Gilda’s house when they receive an unexpected visit from Lionel and Featherweight. The colt made no attempt to hide how very happy he is to see the two mares again. After greeting each other, Lionel explained he wishes to give the sisters some bottles of apple ciders as a way of saying thank you for watching over Featherweight throughout his captivity.

The midtown area was pretty quiet. The street was mostly empty. A few shops have opened, with even fewer customers coming in and out. These are not typical sights for Hearth’s Warming Eve.

“Sad, isn’t it?” Zach said to Dash, both walking slowly on the sidewalk. “Hearth’s Warming to them is what Xmas is to us, just with a different theme.”

The latter decided to change the subject. “Nothing too personal, Zach but can I ask you about Sister Gazleen?”

“Shoot.”

Dash thought carefully first before asking. “After seeing photos of Twilight Sparkle, I’ve come to terms about this alternate counterparts thing. I’m Rainbow Dash, Sunny is Sunset Simmer, and so on. I didn’t think much about it before, but now I’m curious. Sister Gazleen’s looks kinda reminds me of…”

“Yes,” Zach confirmed what was on her mind, “Sister Gazleen is the Ethenian counterpart of Lightning Dust.”

Knew it, Dash thought. “When you interacted with Lightning Dust, did you feel anything for her?”

“No,” Zach explained. “To me, they are two separate individuals, two different personalities. I’ll use the word ‘heart’ as an analogy. They both have a big heart. But heart can have multiple meanings. One is courage, the other is compassion. The latter is what defines Sister Gazleen.”

“Oh. So do I have a counterpart in Ethenia?” Dash was curious to know.

“Yes.”

“What’s she like?”

“I don’t really know her.” Zach tried to recall the past encounter in his memory. “We just met briefly by coincidence. She resembles you a lot, but much, much older. I just know she works as a master pilot for the civilian space exploration program. And I think her first name is...Elizabeth. That’s pretty much it.”

An astronaut, huh? Dash imagined it her mind. Cool, I guess.

Just then, without warning, Lightning Dust swooped down right before them.

“Hey! What’re you doing here?” Dash asked the pegasus.

“It just so happens I was permitted by the captain to take an early leave,” Lightning Dust replied with a smug.

“No, I mean, what’re you doing here?” Dash repeated her question.

“We,” the pegasus emphasized, hoping that Dash can understand what she is getting that, “simply can’t let you two leave Canterlot. Not yet anyway.”

Who’s we? Dash wondered.

“Dash! Lord Watterson!”

Sunset Shimmer? They turned around to see the unicorn came galloping down the streets towards them.

Sunset Shimmer took a few seconds to catch her breath before speaking. “Please. Can I persuade you both to stay in Canterlot for at least another day? I’d like to invite you to our dinner at Gilda’s place tonight.”

“Sounds nice, but…” Dash turned to her feline companion. “Zach?”

“Thank you,” Zach said, hoping that the unicorn would not be too upset, “but we should really be getting back to Prince Umbra.”

Not about to give up yet, Sunset Shimmer gestured a puppy dog face at them. “Pretty Pleeeaaase?”

Dash grimaced at the face she considered silly. “Ewww! Sunset! That is so not cute beyond so many levels!”

Maybe it only worked on ponies and griffons? the appalled Sunset Shimmer wondered.

“Come Miss Dash, come Lord Watterson!”

Dash and Zach both looked away from Sunset Shimmer. What now?

Right across the street, Trixie was sitting on the porch of an unopened inn. “Trixie demands your audience!”

They approached the unicorn who carried a confident and mischievous look on her.

“Come before the Great and Powerful Trixie and witness her amazing performance!” she proclaimed.

Dash regarded Trixie suspiciously. “What’re you up to, Trixie?”

The unicorn smirked. “Oh, nothing overly spectacular. Trixie merely wanted to show you her prowess in magic.”

“Riiight,” Dash jested at her. “By magic, you mean magic trick. Smoke and mirrors and stuffs.”

“A pair of neigh-sayers, I see.” Using her unicorn magic, Trixie showed them a deck of playing cards. “Then Trixie would like to make a wager.”

Trixie shuffled the deck, while keeping a sharp eye on the card which she will force them to pick, known as the ‘force card’. Finished, she fanned the cards and showed their face at Dash. Each card has different rune-like symbol on its face- fire, lighting, tree, skeleton etc. However, unbeknownst to both Dash and Zach, one particular card protruded slightly from the rest. This is the ‘force card’.

“As you can see, these cards are in no particular order,” the unicorn claimed, “so Trixie has no way of knowing which card you will choose.”

She brought the cards face down to her left side. “Pick a random card from this deck, and Trixie shall perform the magic according to the symbol of the ‘chosen’ card. If Trixie fails, you both may go. But if otherwise, you must attend dinner with us.”

So she was being serious, Zach thought.

He signaled Dash to play along.

“‘Kay, you’re on,” Dash said to Trixie.

The unicorn pulled each card to her right side, slowly. “Pick any card you like. It doesn’t matter.”

As Dash reached up to pick a card, Trixie nonchalantly spread the cards a little more while moving the cards slightly faster at the same time. With perfect timing, she guided the force card right into Dash’s finger tips.

Dash pulled out that card, looked at its face briefly then showed it to Trixie. The force card is the snowflake card, exactly what Trixie wanted Dash to pick. Having fallen to a method known as the Classic Force, Dash had no idea that she has not picked the card on her own freewill. (This trick was learned from Silver Spoon’s book mentioned in First Blood act)

“Miss Dash, you have ‘chosen’ the Snowflake Card,” Trixie declared before taking the card from Dash and put it away along with the deck.

“So what now, Great and Powerful Trixie?” Dash asked sarcastically.

Trixie stood up then proclaimed aloud, “Now watch in awe as the Great and Powerful Trixie without using her magic makes snow fall-”

Snowfall? No magic? Dash and Zach both looked up and only then realized too late that they were duped right from start. Oh, crap!

Trixie kicked the wooden column to make piles of snow on gathered the porch’s roof to fall right on their face.

“Right on top of you,” she finished her sentence.

“We surrender,” Zach declared after spitting out snow from his mouth.

“Urgh,” Dash grumbled, wiping snow off her face, “shoulda given in to the puppy dog face.”

To Trixie’s surprise, the applause did not only come from Sunset Shimmer and Lightning Dust. Her display had unintentionally garnered the attention of passers-by and shop owners. There were no impressive magic spells nor dramatic fanfares. Yet watching Trixie fooled the pair using simple mind trick did manage amused them, thus lightening up their somber mood. Content with her five minutes of fame, Trixie graciously bowed to her audience.

Dash looked at the decorations around the walls and ceilings- mistletoes, holly streamers, flashing lights. There was even a decorated tree in the living room.

He’s right, she thought. Heart Warming Eve is this world’s version of Xmas.

Before dinner starts, Sunset Shimmer gave thanks to the Mother Goddess

After dinner, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon helped Gilda with the dishes. Meanwhile, Sunset Shimmer, Trixie and Dash had a long conversation in the living room. Though it is mostly between the two unicorns, as Dash preferred to hear they talk about their childhoods, some gossips about Lady Rara, trivial facts Trixie read from Silver Spoon’s books etc.

As for Lightning Dust, she unfortunately was terribly drunk from the ciders Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon brought, thereby would not stop pestering Zach to hoof-wrestle with her, much to the latter’s great annoyance.

Later, Dash sat on the balustrade leaning against the column as she sentimentally watched Gilda and Silver Spoon below building a snow pony in the front yard. Right beside them is Trixie who was creating an angel-like impression on the snow. Her thought was interrupted when Sunset Shimmer and Diamond Tiara showed up at the balcony.

When Diamond Tiara looked down below over the balustrade, she became very crossed.

“Spoony, stop playing outside!” the elder Earth pony scolded Silver Spoon from the balcony.

Piggybacked on Gilda, Silver Spoon made the finishing touches on snow pony’s head before looking up at Diamond Tiara.

“Uh-uh!” she retorted with a quick shake of her head.

“Spoony! I’m serious! You might catch a cold!” Frustrated at Silver Spoon’s stubbornness, Diamond Tiara went down stepladder to get the younger Earth pony.

Sunset Shimmer came to notice Dash’s moodiness. “What’re you thinking, Dash?”

“Oh, just remembering things,” Dash said dismissively.

Sunset Shimmer guessed that Dash must be remembering her own past involving her family and friends.

“Hey, don’t be sad,” she attempted to cheer up Dash, “especially at times of festivities. Let’s get inside, have some hot chocolate. Do you like board games? I can teach you some of my favorites.”

Dash looked thoughtfully at the unicorn. “Sunset, there’s something I wanna talk to you about.”

Sunset Shimmer looked upon her quizzically. “What is it?”

Before Dash could say any further, a snowball abruptly struck her shoulder.

“Hey! Who did that!?” Sunset Shimmer angrily looked down.

“Hey, come on down, you two!” Trixie called out while waving at them.

“No, Trixie-” Without warning, Trixie’s snowball spattered on Sunset Shimmer’s face. She seemed to be very upset about this and it looked like she is about to snap at any moment.

For a second, Sunset Shimmer’s reaction had Trixie and Dash worried. Surely she should have gotten over the juice incident, right?

At the same time, Zach came out to the balcony. “Hey, you guys better get in quick! I think Lightning Dust-WHOA!!!”

Like Dash, he was awed by Sunset Shimmer’s transformation. Surrounded by a crimson aura, she gained a flame-like hair, her eyes and horns glowed ever so bright. To Zach, the unicorn’s current appearance bore reminiscence to Trollestia back at the castle ruins in White Tail.

Laughing menacingly, Sunset Shimmer spoke in a booming voice, “You’ve done it now, Trixie! You’ve committed a terrible mistake of awakening the raging she-demon that had laid dormant in me so many years. For that you shall suffer the consequences!”

Hundreds of snowballs rose into the air around Trixie. She along with Gilda and Silver Spoon overcame with fear, but not Diamond Tiara.

“Sunset Shimmer, stop it!” the Earth pony scolded the demon-unicorn. “It’s Hearth’s Warming Eve, for Faust sake! Not Nightmare Night!”

With that, all the snowballs dropped to the ground, and Sunset Shimmer reverted to her normal form.

“What?” she pouted her mouth, wondering why Diamond Tiara was not fooled. “Was it tooooo theatrical?”

“Please,” the Earth pony scoffed. “You are nowhere near Princess Luna’s level.”

Right, Sunset Shimmer took in what Diamond Tiara just said to her, next time I should try a transfiguration spell. Gain a red coat, black eyes and bat wings. That’ll show everypony in Canterlot.

Relief came over Dash.

“You actually had me fooled there,” she said to the unicorn.

Sunset Shimmer giggled. “I was kidding around, guys! Seriously!”

She looked at Dash with full enthusiasm. “Hey, Dash! Let’s go down there and get back at Trixie-oh wait! What was that you want to talk to me about again?”

After seeing Sunset Shimmer’s eagerness to have fun, Dash decided not to spoil her mood, thus ruining the holiday spirits.

“Nah, it’s nothin’,” she said with a small smile on her. “Come on!”

She ushered Sunset Shimmer towards the stepladder, ignoring Zach’s pleas.

“Hey, wait!” the feline called desperately. “What about Lightning Dust!?”

By then, Dash and Sunset Shimmer were already engaged in a snowball fight with Trixie.

“Watch out, Trixie!” Dash said playfully. “You’ll be the ‘Great and Apologetic Trixie’ when we’re through with you!”

Soon they were joined by Gilda and Silver Spoon, to the dismay of Diamond Tiara.

Meanwhile, Lightning Dust took Zach surprise by slumping on him from behind. Her face was so red, her eyes dazed and her breath smelled heavy with alcohol.

“Hic! Hey No-va!” she giggled. “That bucking idiot said you liked me. Hic! I want you to prove it.”

The pegasus tilted her head forward to bring her puckered up lips closer to Zach’s mouth. “With a kisssss!”

“GILDAAAA!!!” the feline’s scream pierced through the night, yet no one cared.

Somewhere in the castle, all the male members of former Reserves played poker while waiting for the next change of shift.

All of a sudden, Nova felt strange, anxious, for no reason.

“Huh,” he said, “I suddenly have this unsettling feeling that someone is trying to steal a kiss from my sweetheart.”

“You hear that, brother? Sweetheart,” Flim joked.

“Yeah,” Flam agreed. “And it’s not even official yet.”

With a wide grin across his face, Tirek slammed his cards lightly on the table.

“Royal Flush!” he declared triumphantly.

Seeing that their hooves have been outranked by the centaur, the rest groaned their disappointment.

Diamond Tiara shook her head to express her disappointment at Silver Spoon. Having caught a cold, the younger Earth pony was draped under a blanket and sneezing non-stop.

“Oh, don’t fret, Tiara,” Gilda said after lifting the snoring Lightning Dust on to her back

Diamond Tiara shot a look at the griffon.

“She’ll be fine,” Gilda insisted. “There’s nothing that a nice hot shower can’t fix.”

As Gilda carried Lightning Dust to the bedroom, Diamond Tiara ushered Silver Spoon to the bathroom.

“Go shower or no hot cocoa for you,” the elder Earth pony said.

Over at the table in the living room, Dash looked jestingly at the red-faced Zach who was sipping his cocoa.

“Hey, Zach! How was the kiss?” she asked.

Putting down the mug, Zach replied sarcastically, “It isn’t half as bad as being caressed all over by a certain white, perverted unicorn.”

Dash’s jesting look vanished instantly. Burned…

Gilda returned to the living room carrying boxes containing different board games.

“So who’s up for board games?”

Trixie raised her hoof eagerly. “Ooh! Me! Me!”

“Count me in!” Sunset Shimmer said with full enthusiasm.

“Anything to make me forget about that stupid kiss,” Zach sullenly said.

Dash was indifferent. “Whatevs.”

It was one past midnight. Everyone was fast asleep. Unlike Silver Spoon who was sleeping like an angel on her bed, the room where Lightning Dust was sleeping in was noisy from her loud snore. The pegasus’ face is still red from all the ciders.

On the couch, Dash awoke from her sleep for no reason. She looked up at the window. Snow was falling moderately outside. She then glanced around the room. Zach and Gilda slept on the next couches. The rest were lying fast asleep in their respective sleeping bags on the floor. It reminded Dash of one of the sleepover she used to go to during her high school years.

Dash’s flashback briefly turned the living room into AJ’s bedroom where all her friends are on floor in their sleeping bags, but she got to sleep on the bed after winning the game of rock-paper-scissors against AJ.

There were times when she wished those times never ended. Sunset Shimmer was right. Once in a while, one does feel regret when looking back, if only temporarily.

When her gaze fell upon Sunset Shimmer, Dash pondered if the unicorn could be convinced to truly forgive Princess Celestia. Dash saw a part of herself in both of them. She knew Sunset Shimmer still resents the princess and her favorite student, just as she is at Sunny, although that had begun to subside after meeting all these ponies, learning about their pasts and getting back her memory of her encounter with Brooke in Paragon. Maybe there is a grey area in the world after all.

As a friend, Dash feared that if Sunset Shimmer continued with her resentment, she might one day make a horrible mistake, a misdeed that is committed with deliberation, just as she did to Sunny and Princess Celestia to her younger sister. Words may be not enough to convince the unicorn. Another way Dash could think is show Sunset Shimmer how low her grudges had made her. And that her shattered dream, which started the convoluted chain of events that led her to this world, was probably bad karma for her own past wrongdoings.

Although Dash did mention to Sunset Shimmer of her human counterpart, she was sure the unicorn had not taken it seriously. Even Tirek who also has no knowledge on parallel universes, only playfully called her ‘Human Rainbow Dash’ because of her vague resemblance to the said pegasus. Still, it all sounded like a very bad idea. Dash was uncertain of what Sunset Shimmer will think of her if the unicorn learns the truth of what she had done to Sunny Emerson and former fellow air force trainee, Cloudchaser.

Finally, Dash shook everything off her mind, convinced that Princess Luna will somehow talk some sense into Sunset Shimmer when the time is right. She pulled the blanket further over to her neck, adjusted herself on the couch and tried to get back to her sleep.

A week passed and now it is post-New Year. Dash and Zach gave each of the six friends a friendship hug before they leave for the Southern Kingdom.

Silver Spoon accidentally sneezed at Zach’s winter clothes during the hug. The Earth pony was still coming down with the cold but she should be fine soon when she has Diamond Tiara to take care of her.

When it was Lighting Dust’s turn to hug Dash, she uttered a cry as if the hug was painful, eliciting giggles and chuckles from her friends. Judging from her blushed face, the pegasus might be experiencing the mother of all headaches caused by her drinking spree during the holidays.

Dash later apologized to Diamond Tiara, having remembered she never said thank you for taking her in when the Earth pony had found her. After Diamond Tiara admitted that she herself is not perfect, they forgave each other in case they had unknowingly hurt each other’s feelings after their initial meeting.

Dash and Zach both held their breath as Gilda gave them a tight squeeze. She is frighteningly strong under that calm demeanor. It is a wonder how this large griffon became friends with the small Silver Spoon first long before getting to know the rest of the gang.

Zach warily let Trixie hug him, fearing the unicorn might have one final trick up her sleeve. Even her sweet smile and assurance failed to convince him. He should have no reason to be so because Trixie was not speaking in third pony.

The hug between Dash and Sunset Shimmer lasted slightly longer as they exchanged final words. Dash actually felt glad she did not leave Canterlot immediately now that she is able to deliver her final message to Sunset Shimmer. Whatever Dash told her, the unicorn appeared to be uncertain by it but agreed in the end.

Dash waved her final goodbye to the six friends before walking off with Zach. This is it. They will never see each other again. What they can do now after making the most of their time together is to cherish the memories. Something that Dash had told Silver Spoon before.

***

It was already evening in Ritchiudo. Half of the city was devastated. But the Clay Colossuses were nowhere to be seen.

Godslayer Fortepiano was dumbstruck by the large gathering of the Erumoan Army whom are raising their hands up high whilst chanting “Yatta!” repeatedly. Aside from this ruckus, only hush is heard from the devastated surroundings. She has no idea what had happened here during her absence, as none of her subordinates bothered to send her an updated sitrep.

“Eirian-sama!” It was Donatsu Gunso, approaching and waving at her.

Godslayer Fortepiano quickly met up with the local.

“Doumo arigatou gozaimasu! (We thank you for all your help!)” Donatsu Gunso said with a deep bow.

Not understanding the situation, Godslayer Fortepiano asked, “Nani ga okita no desu ka? (What happened here?)”

The anthromorphed donut thus explained that those monsters had been completely destroyed by her lance’s pet turtle. For saving this country from further destruction, he expressed his deepest gratitude to Fortepiano.

“Eh?!” the Godslayer exclaimed in total surprise. What pet turtle???

She briskly brushed among the crowd of food-based soldiers. At the center of crowd, she spotted both her subordinates standing on a piled up remains of a toppled building. As part of the stage show, the Ensign held up high the fattened Evil Turtle, trapped in a glass bowl yet still menacing as ever, as if it was a hero. Yes, as crazy as it sounds, the evil incarnate was defeated by a mere bowl (as according to TWOG’s canon).

“Imposhiburu,” the Field Master uttered just moments before she collapsed.

As The Catgirl cruised through the vast blackness that is deep space, Fortepiano said to her subordinates, “This abomination is a double-edged sword! So, the answer is NO! We simply can’t afford to keep it!”

A crate was later ejected from the cruiser, moments before The Catgirl make its entry into the Void. It floated away for a while before eventually getting pulled in by the gravitational field of an enormous brilliant blue star. If somehow the Evil Turtle survive the incineration, then the prolonged intense heat exposure will do the trick. Hopefully…