The trio had been walking for weeks, surviving off of their stored supplies as they trekked through the intense heat of the desert. Delta had taken to carrying supplies, it was part of his original function, and it helped Takeo and Twilight immensely. Not much had happened since they had left the Skeleton Coast and pushed deeper into the wasteland that had once been the cradle of Onorus. Remnants of the Ancient war were far fewer here, along with any other signs of civilization. After such a long journey, Twilight and Takeo could finally see the end. In the distance, on the horizon, was what could only be the Nocturne Facility that they had come so far to fine. Large aircraft hangars and warehouses, surrounded by fences and other defenses.

As Twilight and the others approached the gate of the looming facility, she could feel a chill running down her spine. This had been a place where the Pre-War government had stored magical artifacts deemed too dangerous to be left unguarded, and now that she was here, she could sense why. Tendrils of dark magic and malevolent energy seemed to permeate the buildings, it was very unsettling for the young woman. The three of them stopped at the chainlink gate beside a long abandoned guardhouse. Delta came to a sudden stop, both Takeo and Twilight turned to look at him with raised eyebrows.

“I am detecting an Arcane Dampening Field around this facility. I cannot enter, my power source would be deactivated.” He said in his monotone voice, Takeo approached the droid and grabbed his sword from the packs on Delta’s back, as well as Twilight’s rifle.

“Wait here, Delta. We’ll get what we’ve come for.” Twilight said reassuringly, the droid only nodded and stood there. The two walked past the gate, which had been rusted to the point that it practically didn’t represent an obstacle to the two. Twilight could feel something pulling at her, an arcane signature that was stronger than the others… Even with the dampening field. She figured it was as good a place to start looking as any, so she simply let her guide the path she walked. Takeo and Twilight remained quiet, neither one had grown to trust the other in the past weeks, despite their close proximity. Twilight had her suspicions that Takeo knew something about her meeting with this world’s Celestia.

The creaking metal of the decaying buildings punctuated the mood perfectly, both Twilight and Takeo were as focused on watching their surroundings as they were watching each other. The long journey had all culminated into this, the tension was growing more and more with each passing second. Twilight had expected, at least in the beginning, that this part of her journey would be one filled with happy thoughts. Thoughts of home, her friends and loved ones, and the amazing story she would have to tell them once she returned. Now, however, all she could think about was the sword Takeo kept on his belt. All she could worry about was what he would do if she made the wrong choice…

She was so caught up in these worries that she smacked right into the door that lead into one of the smaller hangars. The woman yelped, then shook her head a couple times before rubbing her nose. Takeo didn’t say anything, he just stood their watching her, his face hidden beneath his cowl. Twilight looked at the door, the faded sign read ‘Hangar 18’. She reached out and turned the handle, the door squealed on its hinges as she pushed it open. At one point in the past, she assumed that entering this part of the facility would’ve set off an alarm, but the desert had not been kind to the security of the ancient colossus. The two stepped inside, it took there eyes several seconds to adjust to the darkness. When they did, they were surprised to see there were only half a dozen metal crates in the center of the room.

Twilight and Takeo approached the crates slowly, reading the faded lettering on the sides. All of them seemed to have something to do with ‘The Zone’, Twilight assumed that was a pre-war moniker for something she had yet to encounter. She felt herself drawn to the smallest crate, as she walked towards it she could hear voices chanting in her mind. She wasn’t scared, for some reason she just felt drawn closer and closer to it. The voices became louder and louder the closer she got to the crate, until finally she reached out and forced the rusted latch open. The voices shouted loudly for one final second before falling silent. Twilight was staring down into the crate, staring at a solitary item. It was long, like a rifle, but it was made of partment with what looked like gold written upon the page. This was it, this was her ticket home, or her ticket to the past…

Twilight lifted the scroll from within the crate and extended it, it had to be thousands of years old, and yet the parchment felt as fresh as the day it was created. The ink, which indeed was gold, was just as crisp and clear, and despite the ancient language… Twilight seemed able to understand what it all said.

“You have what you came for.” Takeo said, snapping her out of her thoughts, Twilight turned around and looked at him, still holding onto the scroll. “Now you must make your choice, right?” The woman winced internally… He’d known the whole time, and the coldness of his voice told her that he was not in a mood to be trifled with. “You can use that scroll to go home, to your precious little life, with your perfect friends and family… You can leave our world to rot… Hell, there are probably thousands of other worlds out there, thousands of other people just like us…” The man took a step towards Twilight, prompting her to take a step back. “But you’ll have to be the one to live with your decision…”

“But if I go back… Everyone you know, everyone that exists now, cease to exist… Even you.” Twilight replied as she looked at the scroll in her hands.

“Millions more died in the war, of the starvation and disease that followed. With one stroke all that damage is undone! Our lives are meaningless when you compare them to those that can be saved!” Takeo practically shouted at her. “My father… My mother… My grandfather and grandmother… They would have entirely different lives, and if it’s possible that they can be better, even in a slim chance… Then that is worth it to me. My father ordered me to protect you until journey’s end… We have reached the end. If you refuse to do what must be done…” Twilight felt her heart quicken as she saw Takeo rest his hand on the hilt of his sword. “I will do it instead.” Twilight knew that he wouldn’t be able to do it without the magic, but the determination in his voice told her he would certainly try… Even if he had to kill her.

“That won’t be necessary…” Twilight said softly as she looked at the scroll. “You’re right… My happiness is a small price to pay for the lives of millions…” She looked back at Takeo and saw him remove his hand from his sword. “Whatever happens after this… I won’t forget you. If I see your father and mother, I’ll tell them what you did for me… We may not have been on the best of terms, but you kept your word… I know that will mean a lot to them.” Takeo stood there stoically and nodded, then turned and started walking to the door.

“Goodbye, Offworlder… I’m going to look at the sky… One last time.” Takeo said softly, Twilight felt a pit in her stomach grow as she watched him walk away. When he had stepped outside, out of sight, Twilight looked at the scroll in her hands and unfurled it to read what it said.

“Ancestors of this world and all worlds… Grant me audience with those that watch over this plain… So that I may…” Twilight paused and took a deep breath. “So that I may right the wrongs of this world, and undo the damage that has been done.” The parchment began to glow brightly in her hands, she could feel the magic in her body surging to life all at once. Her skin began to emanate with a bright golden light. Her clothes and equipment were vaporized as she floated off the ground, all she could feel around her was warmth. Then, in what could have been an instant, or an eternity, Twilight felt the magic flying out of her.

Images flashed through her mind, images she’d never seen before. Buildings being constructed, snow falling on a calm plain, massive explosions that leveled the same buildings, wars on massive scales… It all zoomed by faster than Twilight could have ever thought possible. Until finally Twilight felt herself drained of magic…

[♠]

Twilight felt herself phase into existence, an odd sensation, one second she had felt every portion of her body was warm energy… But all of a sudden the cold sensation of air against her bare skin shook her into reality, when she opened her eyes she found herself standing in a wide open field. Grass spread for miles and miles around, she looked down at herself and saw that her armor and weapons were gone… Replaced by a simple purple gown, she could feel laurels on her head. The woman looked around in either direction and become very aware that she was not alone. There were two men standing to her left and right, one of which was wearing grimy looking fatigues with several markers of rank on his collar and a Colt Revolver in his right hand. He was tall, muscled, and bore the look of someone who had seen more than his share of war.

The second man looked far younger, his uniform was crisp and white, with gold braids and his own mark of rank on his collar. He wore a peaked cap, the brim shielding his eyes from the sun above, unlike his compatriot he held what looked like an advanced version of a Beretta M9. Both men looked very confused for a couple seconds, before they caught sight of one another and glared. Almost at the same time the two men began to take aim, Twilight stepped in front of them and glared.

“Enough!” She shouted, to her surprise the entire world seemed to shake, both men stopped and looked at her in surprise. It was all flooding into her mind now, the knowledge of those that had watched the world burn, she felt like she could see everything in every direction… Omnipotent… Of course, it was only a feeling, she doubted she was truly omnipotent. The man in the fatigues was none other than Dominic Occisor, Imperator of the Onorussian Republic… The man in the white uniform was Deacon O’Neil, the Chief General of the Kingdom of Equestria, and it’s acting head of state. One thousand years ago, at least for Twilight, these two had been at war… Which told her that wherever she was, she was in a place to put an end to the struggle before things got out of hand.

“Who are you?” Occisor asked in his gruff voice, holding his handgun ahead of him with an angered expression. “Why have you brought me here? Is this your doing, monarchist!?” He shouted at O’Neil, Twilight shook her head.

“He had nothing to do with this.” She said, the woman looked at one another. “I am Twilight Sparkle, though... Not from either of your worlds originally…”

“You’re a traveler…” Occisor said as he slowly lowered his weapon, though he kept a stern eye one O’Neil.

“A what?” The younger man asked, noting that his mortal enemy had lowered his weapon. In that moment, he could’ve tried to strike him down… But O’Neil knew that an attempt would likely lead to his death.

“It figures an arrogant pup such as yourself would not know…” Dominic grunted, he looked back at Twilight with a neutral expression. “She is an interdimensional traveler.” Occisor repeated himself, Twilight nodded as she looked at the two of them. “What purpose brings you here, Traveler?”

“Your salvation.” Twilight said flatly, both men’s expression’s shifted. “I have seen the ending of the path you both share now, if you do not come to peace… There will be no end of suffering.”

“I don’t buy it. This could all be some ruse!” O’Neil shouted. “Travelers? Unending suffering? Another one of your lies, Occisor!?” Dominic whipped his entire body towards O’Neil, his face one of intense anger.

“You don’t believe in traveler’s yet you look upon one now.” Dominic growled. “Remember, I am not of my plain originally either.” The man sighed quietly and looked back to Twilight. “What this boy says does not speak for both of us… You say that our world is in danger, that this war will bring untold suffering. What do you mean?” Twilight closed her eyes and held both of her arms to her side, the landscape around the group shifted… The grass was dark and brown, trenches stretched for miles and miles as two beleaguered armies slugged it out. The world was rubble, the clear result of Thermo-Arcane weaponry. “By Luna’s night…”

“Your children and your children’s children will suffer for your mistakes.” Twilight stated intensely as the landscape changed back to the grassy plains. “You must come to peace.” Dominic looked at O’Neil, the man appeared very much unnerved by what they had both just seen. “You men are two sides of the same coin.” Twilight pointed to Dominic. “Order… Regimentation… Aggression… Depression.” She looked to O’Neil. “Uncertainty… Freedom… Extroversion… Joy.” The woman looked at the ground between. “Both of you have two very different views of the world, two different upbringings… But you are also unique that both of you were not born into power, nor did you seek it for power’s sake. At least, not in the beginning.” The woman walked towards the two of them and put a hand on their shoulders. “At heart, you both want the same thing.”

“Peace…” Dominic said quietly as he put a hand in his breast pocket, his fingers running over an old indigo feather. He looked at O’Neil. “I have spent more of my life at war or preparing to war than I have at peace…” O’Neil could hear a slight tremor in the man’s voice. “That, second only to my family, is something I will defend to the death.” The man looked at Twilight, then back at the ground. “You’ve attacked my family, assaulted my son… For that I cannot forgive you… For the sake of my people, however, I will offer you an olive branch. This has become bigger than the both of us ever expected it to be.” The man slowly offered a hand out to O’Neil.

“I… Before this war, I had never heard a shot fired in anger before.” O’Neil stated as he looked at Dominic. “I saw through the looking glass into your world, I saw how strong your armies were, and I feared for my people that you would not be a man of peace… Foolishly, I attacked you.” The man straightened up. “I won’t apologize for doing what I thought was right for my people… But now I see, what is right for my people is for the war to end.” O’Neil reached his hand out and grabbed Dominic’s, the two of them shook firmly. Twilight could feel a change in her, in the world. In that instant, she remembered something.

“Dominic.” She said quickly, the man looked at her. “Your grandson is who made this possible… Remember his name… Takeo.” Dominic nodded dutifully as the world around them began to shift and change. In the world where the war between Onorus and Equestria raged, a purifying white light washed over the land. The armies doing battle were removed from the fields as the future and past changed, millions that had died were once again alive, trees and cities that had burned were restored as if they had never been touched by the fires of war. Twilight felt the energy rushing out of her body as her vision began to fade and the entire world around her disappeared, as did the two men that she had summoned to her presence. Things went white with a blinding flash of light, and once again Twilight could feel herself become weightless… It lasted for what felt like an eternity, before finally she felt herself falling to the ground.

Twilight’s vision returned to her just as she softly plopped on the floor of what appeared to be the Canterlot library, she felt herself panting as she looked down over herself. She was, surprisingly enough, dressed in her gear from the other world… Minus her weapons, of course. As she patted herself down the woman could hear the frantic sound of feet against the floor. Twilight stood up and patted herself down, brushing some of the dust off of her pants and onto the floor. Just as she finished that she heard a surprised gasp from behind her, Twilight turned around to find none other than Princess Celestia staring at her. Not the other Celestia, her Celestia. Alive and well… Before Twilight could say anything her teacher had rushed forward and grabbed her in a joyful hug.

“You’re alive!” Celestia said in a happy, if a bit surprised, tone of voice. After a couple moments, the two of them broke the hug. “You’ve been gone for nearly six months… I’ve been trying to get you back since you disappeared, and then… Here you are!”

“It’s a moderately long story…” Twilight said with a slight shrug, she couldn’t help but smile at the thought of being home. Home with her friends, her family, and more importantly… Running water. “I went to another world, at one time not too dissimilar from ours…” And as Twilight Sparkle launched into her tail of how she had come to know the other worlds Celestia listened with great interest. At times she’d giggle, gasp, blush, or cry… But in the end, she knew that the story would have a happy ending…

And it is here that this story has also reached its end, dear reader. I know, you are likely not used to my addressing you directly, but I felt this was as good a time as any. The story you’ve read here, and in the stories that preceded it, were by no means the great works of Homer or Tolkien, nor will I claim they are of the same quality. I first started this series years ago, when I was younger and far less experienced with the world. Since then, my interest has come and gone like the tides, and I hope that among those of you reading this now are still among the group who read my words when I first put them to paper nearly five years ago… This story has carried me through times of joy and times of despair, and it is with a bittersweet feeling that I should finally and truly put it to rest. So, dear reader… I will leave you with these parting words.

Dominic Occisor, Imperator of Onorus, father and husband, stood on the balcony of Canterlot Castle. Laid out before him was the emerald green patchwork of grass and crops that made up the countryside of Onorus, his home. The long period of war and death had been averted by a traveler, and peace had been ensured for the rest of the world. Other nations around the globe had started to come into the fold, and tension was almost nonexistent. As Dominic looked out on this, he reached into his pocket and withdrew a single indigo colored feather… He ran his fingers across the fringe, it reminded him of where he had been… Now that peace had come… All that remained on his mind was where he would go, with all his power and influence, he could do or go whatever he wanted… But for now, he was content right where he was.

And so after that, I’m pleased to say, Dominic Occisor and his family lived happily ever after...

Author's Note

So, I know this story likely should've ended long ago, but I couldn't stop there... Now, I've reached a point I'm pleased to call the real ending. Now I will likely move on to new projects and ideas, but I think I'll always have a special place in my heart for Dominic and the other characters of this story. I know it may not have been the best written story, or the best thought out, but I hope you enjoyed it all the same.

Hopefully we'll all see each other again in the future, in some story, some other time. I hate saying farewell, so... I suppose I'll just say... So long, for now.

With that, I leave you with the last clip of the day for this series. I thought it might be interesting. It's based off a rather interesting Podcast called 'The Adventure Zone', a bunch of brothers and their dad playing Dungeons and Dragons. I highly recommend it, just look it up online.