The Last Sunny Days of Equestria

It felt like the walls themselves had eyes, watching them from every direction. Sunny bristled in the dim caverns that continued their hellish descent into the abyss. The air grew thick, muggy, rolled under the heat waves. She resisted an urge to chow down more flowers, her stomach already stuff to the brim, and instead pressed closer to where Flash Sentry sailed next to her.

Between him, the Dazzlings, and Beatrix Belladonna, not to mention Sunset Shimmer's might combined with her own, what did she really have to worry about? The Elemental Titans had been dealt with, and surely Grogar couldn't be worse than them, especially since his fabled bell had supposedly been destroyed in ancient times? So why did she feel a sense of dread...?

To break her nervousness she asked over her shoulder, “So...what will you three sisters do once we win?”

“Depends on if we're really free,” said Aria. “I'm willing to pay for my crimes here, if that's what Twilight wants.”

“No!” Sonata stomped a hoof and sent a stone flying. “Rotting in a place like this won't bring Shining Armor back!”

“We're still responsible,” admitted Adagio who stared into the gaping maw of a cave beyond, the stalactites and stalagmites like teeth. “To be honest, when Sunset first purified us, it was so painful I was tempted to immediately turn back to my old ways. I figured we were beyond redemption, so I might as well double-down on what we'd already done. I wanted to run away.”

“But you couldn't abandon us!” Sonata beamed wide.

“No, I couldn't. It would be a betrayal of what I lived for. To avenge my siren sisters on those who abused us. We could be the last three. Equestria might remember our kind as nothing more than evil. Sonata, the weight of your crimes is far less than ours. Maybe you can redeem our reputation, with time? If we're still immortal...” Adagio brushed her cheek.

“I-I'll try,” swore Sonata with a salute of a hoof and a sniffle.

Aria nodded. “I know it's a lot to ask. We don't deserve it. I treated you terribly, insulted and hit you.... That's what hurts me most, more than the lives I've taken.” She shook when Sonata held her.

Beatrix broke in, “How about this? Say you three are free to do what you want. I don't have to leave this dimension immediately. Maybe we could travel around Equestria, see the sights, do some good deeds on the way?”

Flash smirked. “Sounds like a plan. We're invited too, right?”

“Of course!” Beatrix winked. “Something low-key. Think I've had enough of saving the world for now!”

“I'm in,” said Sunny. “I wanted to explore this place, but fighting Titans wasn't exactly what I had in mind. Hoped for something a little more laid back, like a tan on a nude beach.” She shot a sideways grin at Flash.

“I want to bring Inky Rose too,” said Beatrix. “She must feel pretty lost and alone here!”

Sonata bounced on her hooves. “Hooray! The more, the merrier!” She swished her tail about.

Despite their reservations the group remained blissfully unaware that Shadow Scythe observed their every move. She allowed them to close in, concentrated her forces on the other groups that attacked Tartarus, while the infiltration team walked straight into her trap.

Soon they would cross the final threshold, and there would be no hope to turn back...

*****

It felt like the entire horde poured down on Twilight Sparkle's party, and despite their power they began to tire under the onslaught, gradually forced to withdraw. She realized that stunt Rainbow Dash had pulled to beat a Titan had taken more out of her than she'd let on, that the act had almost burned her out completely and she'd barely had time to recover.

Around them were littered the remains of countless demons. “Just...a little more,” huffed Dash who slowed by the moment.

Applejack shook her head. “You'd best beat a retreat, sugarcube. The rest of us'll handle this!”

“Hey, I don't plan to hold you back!” Dash swayed, strained to focus, and winced when her body shimmered, both versions of herself divided with a pop. With her power spent Discord's Chaos Magic wore off the two intertwined pegasi. They crumpled from the air, AJ leaped to catch one on her back, while Fluttershy scooped up her human counterpart.

“Not good,” said Twilight who zapped more creatures to push them away. “We're down one of our strongest warriors!”

Pinkie Pie frowned, charged up a boulder, and it exploded in a spectacular cloud that buried a portion of the tunnel to buy them time. A rumble continued to sound when she said, “I think she'll be okay! But what now? Do we abort the mission?”

“Unthinkable,” said Rarity. “Too many depend on us! Perhaps we can meet up with one of the other teams?”

“I'll handle Dash,” said Tempest. “Once that's dealt with, I'll try to return with reinforcements!” She wrapped both Dashes in her aura and teleported out with a blink, a tricky feat in Tartarus which attempted to disrupt such magic.

“Another powerful soldier we needed,” lamented Twilight. “But you're right, Rarity, we have to join up with one of the other units! It's our only hope!” She recalled the other directions they were mounting their own assaults. “There!” She charged up a blast, let fly with a loud zap, and the rocks crumbled in a cloud of dust to reveal another passageway.

Fluttershy perked her ear to listen when a manticore rumbled. “What's that? You can smell our allies up ahead? Oh, thank you.” She beamed. “Come on, this way!” She waved a hoof and sailed in the air.

The party followed her lead. Trots and the scratch of claws echoed down the uneven tunnels. The distant sounds of battle soon intensified, Royal Guardsmen called by the hundreds to help storm Tartarus, a number of them slain in their desperate bid to hold the line. The Elements of Harmony and Spike raced to their aid, determined to turn the tide of battle.

*****

Shadow Scythe watched the drama unfold with a series of eyes she manifested about Tartarus with a tsk. “So many lives lost. And for what? To feed my growing power!” Each soul, slain by a demon, was consumed by Equestria's now soul reaper. They amplified her, little-by-little, prepared her to accomplish what her slain partner had ultimately failed to.

She'd cracked several barriers that protected the 'Coffin of Light and Darkness' but still couldn't broach it completely. No, she still needed more. Perhaps Sunny was the final key she needed? She observed Sunny's team, who was now less than a mile away, made certain that no demons would come between them, nor would any unwanted intruders interrupt.

A short time later the tell-tale clops sounded. “There it is!” Sonata pointed with a hoof.

“Careful,” warned Adagio who darted her eyes about the cavern. “Grogar could be anywhere!”

“Or maybe there's a trap,” said Aria. “I doubt he'd leave this place unprotected!”

Observing them unseen, thanks to an invisibility spell she could now easily work, Shadow Scythe waited and watched them approach the 'Coffin of Light and Darkness'. They looked about, saw Sunset Shimmer trapped under the coffin, and the reaper was laser-focused on Sunny and Beatrix in particular, certain that once she claimed their souls she would be nigh unstoppable.

Sunny traced a hoof over the casket's surface. “Looks like Grogar couldn't break the barriers. Think he hopes we'll do it?”

“Sounds like it,” said Flash with a nod. “Are you out there right now, watching us?”

“We could flush him out,” called Sonata. “Right, sisters?! A little song and-”

A whoosh sounded, Shadow Scythe's weapon hurled in a blur that broke its invisibility spell. Sonata's eyes widened, and tried to hop away, but realized it was way too fast. Another blur whipped by her. Feathers erupted. Blood splashed. Screams sounded.

“Wh-what...?” Sonata was knocked on her back, and stared up at Flash Sentry, limp atop her with a deep gash in his midsection. He winced and slumped atop her, barely able to push her out of the way and bleeding out with choked breaths.

“No,” cried Sunny who stared up at the source and watched the bloodied scythe return. “Shadow Scythe?!”

The reaper glared back, her scythe readied for another toss, determined to deal with the Dazzlings before they could sing their song, just in case it actually worked on her. A second attack was hurled at Sonata and Flash again, only for a blast from Sunny's horn at her full power to barely knock the blade aside with a ring. “Tch,” muttered the cloak figure whose own horn flared.

Sunny demanded, “Where's Grogar?!”

“Dead. As you all soon will be,” replied Shadow Scythe who fired off a storm of lasers that rippled about. Sunny raised a barrier to deflect them, her snout drawn and pushed to the limit to keep up. Blinks sounded in splashes of color while the pair teleported about the chamber, spells exchanged in flashy bursts, the rest of them barely able to keep up.

“Sunset...Sunny...they're amazing,” mumbled Flash who struggled to keep his eyes open.

“Don't talk! You shouldn't have done that for me,” choked out Sonata who clumsily attempted to patch his wounds with what she could find in their packs. “Don't you dare die! I-I couldn't live with myself if I knew you died for me...”

“He's hit bad. Could be a mortal wound,” said Aria who shook her head.

Adagio tied some bandages around his midsection and closed the binds with her teeth. “You're one of the few who seems to believe in us, Flash. Despite all we've done. That means you're our friend, too.”

He managed a weak smile, rested his head in Sonata's lap and closed his eyes.

“I'll look after him,” volunteered Beatrix. “Shame only Sunny can teleport, but if things look bad I could always open a rift to another dimension and take him somewhere safer? How about somewhere he can get proper medical attention?”

Shadow Scythe narrowed her eyes, determined not to let her prize escape. “You're not going anywhere!” Summoning the strength contained within the Cores, they shimmered and hummed in her breast, multiplied her power many times over, and she blinked past Sunny faster than she could react despite how much she poured into her most potent spells.

The reaper appeared behind the witch, who froze. A scythe flashed. More hot, sticky blood splashed over Flash Sentry...