The Witchblade EqG: The 13 Artifacts

Her name was Cozy Glow, a brilliant student entering Crystal Prep Academy at the age of fifteen. She was a master chess player, smart in many ways, and a kindhearted girl. But Crystal Prep had a way of targeting the kind and brilliant. Cozy was subjected to many forms of hazing, and several times brought it up to Principal Cinch, to which, the woman would say that she’d “Look into the matter,” but it was obvious to Cozy that she didn’t look at all. So, she bided her time, tried to remain a small target, believing that the students would find another girl or boy to mess with, however, even when a new batch of Freshmen students came in, she was still their favorite punching bag.

Cozy’s life changed one night when she was eighteen. She stumbled upon a package on her doorstep, her father worked in archeology, so it was probably something from one of his digs that he sent to their house. He was always doing stuff like that, of course he never sent anything important or valuable, just small things, mementos of his various digs sites and the memories associated with it. Cozy hefted the box into his study, where several other objects lined the shelves and some others the wall. The brilliant teen was in the habit of opening his packages and setting up his office.

Like Daddy have the time to decorate the room with all this. Poor guy just plops down on the couch the moment he gets here, Cozy thought wistfully.

She often wished she could go with him on his expeditions, exploring ancient ruins, uncovering lost mysteries of history, and finding artifacts from civilizations long past. It certainly would be a welcomed departure from the school, but she digressed. The package was a small wooden crate that was nailed shut, as was the case with most of his delivered items. Thankfully, she always kept a crowbar in his study for these occasions. Cozy jammed the butt of the crowbar into the crease of the lid and worked the lid until she managed to pop it off. When she looked inside, Cozy beheld a strange object.

It was a gauntlet, made of a gleaming, slivery metal. The tips of the fingers were sharpened into claws, and there was a ruby gemstone at the center. The gauntlet itself looked as if it were made of several strands of metal weaved together, it certainly was a far cry from the other knickknacks that her father would send to their home. This artifact looked as if it should’ve been a part of a suit of armor, which was weird because her father never sent things like pieces of armor or weaponry, such things belonged in the museum.

“Did Daddy mislabel this?” Cozy checked the address on the lid that she pried off, but when she read it, the label clearly had her home address on it. “If it was mislabeled, then Daddy’s going to be in trouble with the museum…oh dear…and this thing looks really important.”

Some of the things that her father taught her about armor and weapons from ancient civilizations was that they often served two purposes, some armors and weapons were highly decorative, studded with jewels and made of polished metal. Those types were normally used for important ceremonies, quite possibly by chieftains, kings, queens, or any kind of nobility or royalty. Weapons and armor that were a little more worn were the ones most likely used in war and battles in general. Sometimes a warrior would decorate their weapon or armor to make it personal to them and easily identifiable on the battlefield, but something like this, at least to Cozy, was part of a set of armor that might have belonged to nobility. Which was even worse because it could belong to someone important to that culture.

“Oh, I better call Daddy and tell him it’s here before his bosses yell at him.”

Cozy reached into the into the top drawer of her father’s desk and pulled out a satellite phone and called him immediately. The last she heard he was in the Middle East, in a location that might have been an ancient Sumerian temple. However, that was the last communication she had with him. Places that far out rarely had good service, which was why she had a satellite phone on hand in his office.

The line stopped ringing and was picked up on the other end, to which Cozy answered, “Daddy, it’s me Cozy, are you there? Hey, listen, I think you accidentally sent something that was supposed to go to the museum, but it went to the house. I’m sorry, but I already opened it. Anyway, do you want me to take it to museum here myself?”

Cozy waited for a few seconds but got no reply from her father.

“Hello? Daddy? Can you hear me?” Cozy adjusted the antenna back and forth, but it seemed she had a strong connection. “Dad, c’mon, this isn’t funny, answer me!”

{So that’s what he did with it, at least now we know where it is.}

Cozy’s eyes widened with fear, this wasn’t her father’s voice. “Who are you?! Where’s my Dad?!”

{Sorry to say, but he got in our way. We don’t take kindly to that. If you want, you can see him again, either in pieces or when you die and meet him in the afterlife.}

“I-I-I’ll call the police! I-I–!”

{Heh, yes, by all means, call the police. Half a world away and in the middle of a godforsaken desert, and you think the police are going to help? No, little girl, that’s not going to happen. However, we will be taking back that property. You see, I thought he might’ve sent it to his residence, cliché as it was. So, one of my associates should be there to retrieve it. You can either give it up willingly or die, the choice is yours. My advice, don’t be like your daddy.}

The line went dead, which probably wasn’t the right choice of words in her mind as the power to the house was suddenly cut, bathing everything in darkness. Cozy backed up until she hit the desk, causing the box to fall and spill onto the floor. The gauntlet skittered across the floor and hit the bookshelf on the left side of the desk. Cozy went to pick it up but was distracted when she heard a noise from behind her. She quickly turned around and gasped in pain. She couldn’t see a thing, but she felt a severe pain in her stomach. She could feel the presence of someone right in front of her but couldn’t see them. The clouds outside parted and finally bathed the inside of the study in moonlight, granting Cozy a glimpse at her attacker.

It wasn’t human, it was insectoid in nature, with a pitch-black carapace. It stood on two legs and had a curved horn in the center of its forehead. On its right hand was a forward curving sickle blade that was now impaled inside her. The creature raked its blade upwards as it pulled out, creating a large gash in the middle of her chest that spewed blood into the air. Cozy stumbled backwards until she hit the bookcase and slumped onto the floor. She couldn’t make a sound, the shock was too great and the pain excruciating, all she could do was sit there and feel her blood and some of her entrails pour out of her wound and onto the floor in front of her.

Cozy could hear her own heart beating, fast at first, but slowing down with each passing second. The rhythmic thumping sound became even slower, her vision blurred, but something drew her attention away from the creature in front of her. On the floor next to her was the gauntlet, the gemstone on the top of the hand was glowing bright, illuminating the entire room, and causing the creature to back away. Something in Cozy compelled her to reach out to the gauntlet with her right hand, and as if responding to her, the gauntlet unraveled itself and quickly attached to her arm.

The brilliant teen spasmed as she felt something entering her body, not only physically, but on another level. A power surging through every cell in her body, filling her up with an incredible heat inside. The wound on her chest rapidly closed, and the strands from the gauntlet whipped out and slashed through her clothing as it created some highly suggestive looking armor. When it was over, Cozy stood to her full height and glared down the monster. Her hair had become metallic, the spiral curls grew out a bit, and at the ends of each one was a sharpened arrowhead. Her skin was a darker shade of pink, and her eyes were black pools, the only splash of color where her glowing amaranth irises. Her armor was a dark violet color, some of the armor covered her neck and chin, with two strips of it rapping around both her cheeks.

The neck armor extended to cover her collar bone, and then spread out to both her shoulders, creating curved pauldrons for each. Her entire right arm was covered in armor plates, with the exception of Cozy’s left arm which only had plated armor around her left forearm and hand. More plated armor appeared around both of Cozy’s thigh’s, extending downward to create metallic boots. The armor around her b-cup chest, which wasn’t that much, created a “V” pattern that formed over where her nipples would be, and continued to form an armored codpiece that went around and covered half her rear, that same armor created a metal, ridged spine that went up her back and stopped at the base of her neck.

“What…What are you?!”

Cozy looked at herself, she could feel the power inside her, it was intoxicating, but most of all, it felt good. “Don’t know what I am, sweetie, but something tells me it’s perfect for killing you!”

The insectoid extended both its sickle blades and flared its wings. It buzzed through the air as it used its wings as propulsion to close the gap between them. Cozy dodged to the right, it was strange, the bug might as well have been moving in slow motion, at least that’s what it looked to her. By the time the creature realized she wasn’t there Cozy went on the attack, her entire right arm turned into a huge blade as she raised it and slashed down on the creature’s right arm, the very same one that impaled her earlier.

The insectoid screeched in pain as neon green blood spewed from the wound, coating everything it sprayed on in a glowing liquid. Cozy wasn’t done, willing her hair spirals to strike like snakes, each end harpooned the insect at a different point of its body, piercing through the carapace and hitting the shelf on the other side, effectively anchoring the creature.

“Tell me, what are you, and what did you do to my Dad?!” Cozy demanded as she willed the strands that had pierced through the insectoid to sprout spikes that dug into its tender flesh beneath its armored hide, causing it to screech again in pain. “I’m not asking twice.”

“AAAAH!!! I am a Changeling! And your father is dead! He’s dead! He’s dead! He tried to defy the Queen! No one defies her! He wouldn’t give up location of the Witchblade!”

Cozy looked at the gauntlet on her right arm, her gaze holding with the gemstone at the center. “So that is what this thing’s called…and he’s dead…” Cozy glared at the Changeling and willed more strands of her hair to lash out, this time wrapping around his neck, tightening until it was making choking sounds. “I assume you are a hive, correct? And a hive has a hive mind, so I’m sure she knows you fucked up, and that I got what she wants. If you’re listening, know that I WILL find you, and I will KILL you for what you’ve done! Until then…I’ll be waiting here, come and get your prize, BITCH!!!”

The strands that were around the Changeling’s neck suddenly turned into serrated blades, and with a quick twist, the Changeling’s head was severed from its body. The rest of the strands returned to Cozy’s head, and when it was over, the armor retracted back into a bracelet form around Cozy’s wrist, leaving her bare in her father’s study, with a dead monster and its blood coating half of her father’s personal belongings. Cozy fell to her knees and placed her face into both of her hands, and then she cried.

“That was the first time I used the Witchblade, from then on, I was attacked by Changelings, it was quite the game of chess as those creatures could look and sound like anyone, but they had one glaring weakness. When they changed into someone, they didn’t copy their memories, so if they wanted to become a perfect copy, they would have to stalk their intended transformation target and learn their mannerisms, either that, or they kidnap them, crack open their skulls, and ingest their brains to gain their memories. Kind of like getting a flash drive and downloading a file,” Cozy explained.

“A fucked up way of getting a file,” said Sunset.

“See, that’s what I said to Queen Chrysalis. Anyway, she wasn’t the only threat. Upon getting the Witchblade, I was opened to a whole world of supernatural goings on around the city and the world, I was granted access to a world that few were allowed to see. In a way, I felt special, and at the same time, I felt burdened. Aside from fighting off these supernatural threats, I also helped the local police with crime, much like you did, Sunset Shimmer.” Cozy glanced at the Witchblade on Sunset’s arm and sighed. “I had asked him, what made me worthy of wielding its power? Why me? It responded that I knew the darkness, and yet I maintained my kind heart despite what I go through at CPA. It needed someone who knew the darkness but was filled with light.”

Sunset remembered something similar had been told to her by the Witchblade. It was the Keeper of the Balance, so it would only make sense that it needed someone who knew both good and evil and had the right sense of mind to dispense justice upon one or the other when they stepped out of line.

“Any who, my final battle with Chrysalis ended up with her getting ahold of the Thirteenth Artifact, and that battle was legendary.”

Cozy dashed across the battlefield, jumped into the air, and thrust out her left hand. A huge burst of searing flames roared towards the insect queen, but she merely held up the Thirteenth Artifact and created a barrier that blocked her flames. Chrysalis counterattacked by releasing wild, violet lightning strikes and ripped up the earth and struck at the air and all directions. Cozy flared her bat wings and quickly began evasive maneuvers.

The land was scorched, bones of both Changelings and humans alike littered the area. The sky was blood red, and in the distance a river of lava flowed. Chrysalis, the Queen of the insectoid race of Changelings, had made her final move and took the Thirteenth Artifact as her own. After countless battles against the Artifact wielders, and finally bringing an end to the infamously dubbed “Trinity War” between Witchblade, Angelus (Fluttershy), and the Darkness (Shining Armor), Cozy at long last was able to face the one who killed her father, and not too long ago, her mother.

Their battle lasted for hours, causing untold havoc upon the Earth. Their very powers clashing caused blue sky to turn red, storms raged in other parts of the world, the land around them for miles was scorched bare, and the ground shook violently from time to time and released geysers that spewed lava onto the land that created rivers that flowed into the cities and towns. Chaos was the only way to describe what was going on, pure and utter chaos.

Cozy was on her last legs, and so was Chrysalis. However, it looked as if Chrysalis was tiring, and she wasn’t about to give the Changeling Queen an inch to breathe, she was ending this now. Cozy released two fireballs from her hands that curved outwards and angled themselves towards Chrysalis. Her follow up was creating a long sword, raising it into the air, and coming down with an overhead slash that created a crescent blade of violet light that headed right down the middle.

Chrysalis noticed the fireballs first and formed a shield to block them. Both fireballs hit and exploded upon impact, creating a large smoke cloud. The second attack cut through the smoke and struck the shield, making it shatter and causing a small shockwave to knock Chrysalis back. Cozy dashed at full speed at Chrysalis, cocking back her right fist as she laced it with violet flames. Chrysalis noticed this and fired a beam of pure energy straight for Cozy. The Keeper of the Balance created a metal shield with her left arm that took on the brunt of the attack as she pushed through.

With a loud war cry, Cozy buried her flame coated fist right in Chrysalis’ chest, causing the insectoid Queen to cough up its luminescent neon green blood. “You got one heart, but I have five more!”

“Who said I was done?! AAAAHAAAAAAAAHHAAAAAAA!!!”

A bright light and heat began to shine from within the wound. Chrysalis made to use the Thirteenth to stop her, but Cozy willed metal tendrils to lash out and hook themselves into Chrysalis’ arms, legs, and neck. She wasn’t about to let her get away. The buildup of power finally erupted inside of Chrysalis, creating a massive explosion for miles around and causing a pillar of violet light to rise into the air.

When it was over, only Cozy glow was standing, and the Thirteenth Artifact lied on the ground at her feet. The other eleven Artifacts floated overhead, awaiting their use.

“I had defeated the person who killed my father and mother, my friends, and everyone I cared about. But the world was broken beyond repair, so many lives were lost and being lost, and the world itself was going to come to an end. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do once all thirteen were gathered, but I knew what my only choice was then. To save the world, I had to remake it.”

Cozy grabbed the Thirteenth Artifact, the crystal orb shined as if acknowledging her as it one true wielder. The last hero of Earth slammed the Thirteenth Artifact into her gauntlet, just above the ruby gemstone. The eleven other Artifacts transformed into pure energy and zoomed into the Thirteenth, merging their powers with it and the Witchblade. Cozy felt an influx of power so great that she felt as if she was going to be destroyed before she could do anything to save the world. Her eyes shined bright white, and then her body released an explosion of white light that expanded rapidly in mere nanoseconds. The light grew bigger, consuming the land, the sea, the sky, the moon, the sun, the stars, and lastly, the universe itself.

“I saved the world, brought back my parents, and even created an ideal life for myself and my family. I made sure that world would be peaceful for years to come…however…that didn’t last long.”

Sunset raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean? You remade the world, why wouldn’t it be perfect to what you wanted?”

“Life, Sunset Shimmer, life and freewill! I made the ideal world, made sure everything was right in the world. But I couldn’t take away the ability of people being complete and total fucking morons!” Cozy exclaimed. “It wasn’t long before some power-hungry SOB started causing trouble, more supernatural threats, crime, and of course, the Thirteen Artifacts appeared again!”

Cozy began to laugh maniacally as she recalled her past exploits.

“I went through all that pain and heartache, just to have the world go crazy again?! What kind of bullshit is that, huh?! So, guess what, I found the Witchblade again and set to work on saving the world, again! And I did! However, things were different, the wielders were different, the bad guys were different, everything was different! So, I couldn’t just take out the typical people I thought I knew would become the bad guys later, I had entirely new bad guys to beat!”

“So, in changing reality and people’s lives, you changed the roles they played in the new world. The good guys became bad guys, and the bad guys became good guys. What happened to the Artifacts once you used them?” Sunset asked.

“They scattered to the corners of the Earth, the only thing that stayed behind was Witchblade, but I chose to let him leave, I mean, I created a peaceful world, what use did I have for the Witchblade?! But I fought the big bad at the end, won, and reset the world. This time taking everything into consideration and making sure that the world didn’t slip into chaos again! After the second go around, I decided to go out and seek the Thirteenth Artifact for myself, and I got it. I watched the world and I saw that patterns were emerging, the Witchblade would awaken first, then the Angelus and the Darkness, and finally, all the others would gather in Canterlot City for the final battle.”

This city was meant to be the site of the final battle all along, this was predestined to happen no matter what then? Sunset thought.

“Fast forward to this world, I decided to try and speed things along. You see, all those other events? They happened over the course of years, by the time I fought Chrysalis, I was twenty-five years old.”

Sunset’s mouth dropped open as she yelled, “SEVEN YEARS?!! B-B-But all of this…it happened in less than a few months! How was that possible?!”

A mischievous smile appeared on Cozy’s face. “Oh, that would be me. I sped things along by nudging some of the Artifacts towards people I thought were right to wield them.”

Cozy watched as a man and his group were walking along a snowy resort, the man she had her eye on was Mr. Zap, the father of one, Indigo Zap. Years ago, Cozy set up Sunset Shimmer to get the Ember Stone, and that worked perfectly. She just needed to wait for that tree to bear fruit, but now she needed another nudge. The Thirteenth showed her the location of the Glacier Stone, and with a little misdirection, she was able to get Mr. Zap to move towards the location of the Artifact, and thankfully he discovered it and took it.

A couple of years before this event, Cozy Glow was tracking down an unstable girl by the name of Sour Sweet, she knew she’d be a perfect fit for the Blood Sword. Upon following them to Japan, Cozy used the power of the Thirteenth to make Sour visit the store where the sword was being kept.

The Wheel of Shadows, Rapture, Heart Stone, and Spear of Destiny had already found their wielders, so there was little to do with them.

Cozy moved on to the Darkness, making sure that his ambition led him to the city of Canterlot. She used the Thirteenth to turn Rat Fink into a traitor for the King family, leading to the massacre of Sombra’s family and his girlfriend. Angelus was already in Canterlot, and soon so would the Darkness.

The Coin of Solomon was found by Sunset, which was good, her little pawn was doing her work for her.

Pandora’s Box did the choosing for Cozy, calling out to one, Adagio Dazzle. It was just a matter of tweaking her mind here and there, raising the anger in her and leaving little room for compromise. The expulsion of the Blood Sword from Sour Sweet did cause her some minor trouble, but after manipulating Adagio into singing the Box’s resurrection song, she was able to bring forth an even better wielder for the demonic weapon.

However, there was one variable she did not account for, one that was strange.

“You, the other Sunset Shimmer. In the four worlds before this one, not a single one had a second Sunset enter into the picture. I didn’t understand how this would affect the plan, but it seems it’s more or less come to the final conclusion,” said Cozy.

“If what you say is true, then it doesn’t matter what you do! The world will just keep going! I get it, you created a peaceful world, but then stuff happens that makes it not like that anymore, but that’s not because of you doing something wrong, people grow, people make mistakes, and those mistakes can have consequences to everyone, good and bad, you can’t control every variable,” said Sunset.

Cozy chuckled madly and said, “That’s why I’m going to erase everyone’s freewill in the next world. You’re right, creating a perfect world is hard because of the people and the choices they make. Which is why I’m going to take their choices away! I’m going to make a world where I have absolute authority! No freewill, everyone acts as I wish, and peace will reign forever!”

“THAT’S INSANE!”

“It’s the only logical conclusion, people can’t be trusted to make their own decisions. I have to do what I can to ensure that the world doesn’t destroy itself. I don’t expect you to understand, I’ve gone through several of these already.”

Sunset created a katana in her left hand and a claymore in her right. “I won’t allow you to do that!”

Cozy’s eyes changed to black pools; the amaranth color changed to violet as they glowed in tandem with the Thirteenth. “The Thirteenth Artifact is the ultimate Swiss army knife, Sunset. It can manipulate minds, locate other Artifacts, teleport myself, create force fields, longevity, and some other fun things. I know all of Witchblade’s powers, I’ve had him for far longer than you. Compared to me, you’re a total newb.”

Sunset charged for Cozy, but the experienced wielder unleashed violet lightning that ripped into the ground. The former unicorn stopped and jumped high into the air, she dismissed her sword and released a roaring blast of flames right at her enemy. Cozy smiled and swiped the air with the Thirteenth Artifact, creating a barrier that easily blocked the intense heat and power of the flames. Sunset growled in anger, but still she kept pressing the attack, descending rapidly as she got ready to slash with her katana.

Cozy Glow smirked, and when Sunset got close enough, she teleported away, making Sunset flare her wings and stop herself from crashing into the dirt. The mastermind appeared behind her, pressing her back against Sunset’s. “I know you’ve managed to figure out the power of your Crimson Form, although, mine was more of a Magenta Form. And from what I’ve seen, you’ve also gained access to the Legacy. But it seems you can only call upon seven. If you used it longer, you could’ve formed connections to other past wielders.”

Sunset willed the Witchblade to create spikes at her back, dozens of them shot out from Sunset, but Cozy easily hovered away from the spikes.

“Even if you did manage to do that now, it wouldn’t help you, because I know all of their tricks and powers.”

“FAUST ABOVE, WILL YOU SHUT UP?!” Sunset demanded.

Sunset called upon Fang’s spirit and transformed her armor. She dashed across the battlefield, like a lioness chasing down her prey. Sunset jumped into the air and ignited the vent on the back of the gauntlet, the rocket powered punch sailed towards Cozy, but again, she did not flinch. Cozy planted her feet as she took a wide stance, she then held out her left hand and caught the blow. A powerful shockwave was dispersed behind her, upheaving the dirt and rock as fissures formed that extended for yards into the distance.

“For one, Fang has incredible strength and heightened senses formed from her everyday struggle as a cavewoman to survive in a prehistoric era where beasts three times bigger than her wanted to eat her. A time where might, and ferocity made you the apex predator! However, for all that strength and speed,” Cozy’s left hand began to glow. “Her personality tends to affect you, making you think a little less and follow your instincts!”

Sunset was suddenly wracked with pain as violet lightning surged through her body. Cozy used that lightning to lift Sunset into the air and smash her to the ground, but she wasn’t done. She then shot Sunset forward until she hit the wall of the crater, with a swipe of her hand, Cozy dragged Sunset along the walls, grinding her against the rock and sediment while she was continuously getting electrified by Cozy’s attack. Sunset managed to focus her mind as she called upon Atalanta.

A green flash went off and Cozy suddenly felt her grip on Sunset slip. “Ah, the favored ward of the goddess, Artemis, Atalanta. Her speed is only second to Hermes, and her archery skills are second to none. The only downside is, she sacrificed the protection of the armor by lessening how much it covered her, allowing her to run even faster.”

Cozy raised the Thirteenth Artifact and slammed it into the ground. Violet lightning erupted from under the ground, tearing up everything around her as it continued to spread out. Sunset dashed at incredible speeds, all while keeping an eye on Cozy. She took this time to snipe her with her arrows, firing multiple shots from every angle she could manage. The lightning, however, intercepted the arrows, blasting them out of the air before they could get close. Sunset decided to change tactics and jumped as high into the air as she could, a blue flash released from her body, and she was soon donned in the same armor as Anne Bonney. Wielding the twin blunderbuss’, Sunset charged the pistols and fired a twin energy blast straight down at the lightning dome.

Cozy, once again, scoffed at the attack. She pointed the Thirteenth at the incoming attack and fired her own powerful beam straight at them. The two beams met at the center, slamming into each other, and causing a thunderclap to roar throughout the sky. “Anne’s a wily one, pirate mentality and all that. The recreation of a blunderbuss using the Witchblade was very innovative, but sadly, she lacks speed, and is more like a fixed cannon that’s better used at a distance.” Cozy teleported again, allowing the twin beams to hit the ground where she once stood.

Sunset cut of the attack and scanned the area for Cozy, but she didn’t have to wait long as a violet construct blade pierced through her chest, causing Sunset to cough up blood.

“Face it, Sunset Shimmer, there isn’t anything you can do that I haven’t done. I know all the ins and outs of the Witchblade, and not just from using it, but from defeating two others before you in the past worlds.”

Cozy removed the blade, which was formed around the Thirteenth. With a thought, she ordered the Thirteenth to release a powerful energy blast. The violet crystal shined bright and fired, hitting Sunset in the back and carried her all the way to the few buildings that hadn’t been completely destroyed. Sunset slammed into one of them, but the beam caused an explosion that toppled the structure and brought tons of metal and cement crashing down on her, effectively burying her under the rubble. Cozy Glow teleported over the rubble and had the Thirteenth form construct chains. The chains flew down and weaved through the debris like snakes seeking their prey.

Once Cozy felt that she had her, she pulled up and forcibly ripped Sunset from the rubble below. The impact had forced her to change back into the default form, her body was cut, bruised, and dirty, blood trickled from the various wounds, but the healing process was starting to close them. “Look, sweetie, just give up. There’s no point in this struggle, I’m going to get the Witchblade from you. The only real question is how much suffering you want to endure before you give up.”

“Fuck you…y-you crazy bitch! I’ll kill you…no matter what happens to me…I’ll make sure you’re dead!” Sunset declared.

Cozy sighed, displeased by this response. [b]“Oh dear, I can see that your spirit is strong and resolute.” A wicked smile then appeared on her face. “I suppose I’ll have to break it.”

“W-What does that mea–?!”

Before Sunset could finish her question, both her and Cozy teleported away.

Rainbow Dash, Lightning Dust, Bow Hothoof, and Windy Whistles were all watching the news in a motel that was offering free rooms to evacuees. The cameras had been shooting from a distance, watching the battle unfold in all its ferocity. They had all gasped when they saw the nuclear level explosion going off, vaporizing half of the city, and creating a huge crater where once was city and homes. The whole time this was going on, Rainbow Dash was constantly tapping her foot against the floor, anxious about Sunset.

They couldn’t tell who was who, the cameras were zoomed in as much as they could go, but even still, they could only see specks moving around. The sound of thunder and the rumbling earth beneath their feet would catch her attention, but it was par for the course when you were witnessing such an event.

“She’ll win, Dashie, you know Sunset’s not a pushover,” said Lightning Dust.

“I know that…I just…I’m just worried about what comes after the fighting’s stopped…” Rainbow confessed.

“About the changing reality thing?”

“I mean, look at the city. There’s no way we can go back to Canterlot, the place is a disaster zone! Shy’s dead…AJ’s dead…we’ll all be scattered…I…I’m scared, Dusty.”

Lightning Dust put her arms around Rainbow, hugging her tight as she said, “I am too, I ain’t ashamed to admit it. This is worse than the Wendigos or that ‘Trinity War’ stuff.”

Suddenly, a flash of violet light went off in the room, making Rainbow and Lightning back away as Bow Hothoof stood in front of the girls. When the light faded, Rainbow saw Sunset, wrapped in chains made of violet light, while some girl wearing a Crystal Prep uniform was floating in the air.

“Rainbow Dash, the self-professed best at everything she does. Heh, it’s funny, in the third world, she was quite the school slut, ended up getting possessed by a Wendigo Spirit and nearly took control of every person in Canterlot City through a lust filled haze of debauchery and hedonism,” said Cozy.

“Girls, get out of here and–!” Bow began.

“Sorry, the parents aren’t major players here. Goodbye.”

The Thirteenth Artifact glowed, and suddenly, Bow’s neck was twisted until it was staring at Rainbow, Lightning, and Windy, who were standing behind him. The others watched in horror as Bow fell to the floor, dead. Windy fell to her knees and crawled to her dead husband, crying as she tried to form words. The Thirteenth Artifact glowed again, and Windy suddenly found herself being bent backwards until she was forming the letter “U” with her body, and a sickening snap echoed soon followed.

Rainbow Dash screamed in sadness and anger at what she saw and glared at Cozy. “YOU FUCKING BITCH!”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m a bitch, ‘Go fucking die’, ‘Fuck you’, blah, blah, blah. Seriously, can’t anyone come up with something original when they see someone die?” Cozy shrugged. “That aside, Sunset, how would like to see your friend suffer?”

“THIS IS BETWEEN YOU AND ME!!! LEAVE MY FRIENDS OUT OF THIS!!!” Sunset demanded.

Cozy giggled happily as she looked directly into Sunset’s eyes. “Hmm, nope, and since you didn’t answer me, I’ll choose for you.” Cozy snapped her fingers.

Instantly, a blade of light slashed through Rainbow’s legs at the thighs, causing her body to fall forward. Rainbow looked down and screamed in both pain and horror as she saw her legs lying on the floor and the stubs that were bleeding out.

“RAINBOW!!!” Lightning Dust shouted.

The blonde-haired teen didn’t think, she just lunged for Cozy Glow, fist cocked back and ready to punch her. Cozy waved her hand as if swatting away a bug, and when she did, Lightning was thrown by an unseen force right into the wall and knocked out.

“COZY, STOP!!!” Sunset pleaded.

“Nope.”

Another snap of her fingers and Rainbow as hoisted into the air by her wrists by two rings of light. Another ring of light formed around her waist and began pulling down while the rings around Rainbow’s wrists were pulling upwards. Rainbow continued to yell and scream as she felt her arms pop out of their sockets, but it didn’t stop there, the wrist rings jerked and pulled harder and harder until the muscle and skin tore. With one more hard pull, Rainbow’s arms were torn from her body. Cozy released the rings and let Rainbow’s limbless torso unceremoniously hit the floor.

Sunset’s tears were flowing at this point, rage and sorrow were raging inside her as she tried to break free of the chains.

“You see, Sunset, this could’ve been avoided if you gave up and let me take what’s originally mine to begin with. But no, you had to fight back and now your friends and everyone you love will suffer for it. And you’ll have to hear them curse your name as I do it,” said Cozy.

“Th…That all ya got…?” Cozy and Sunset looked towards Rainbow’s body. She managed to tilt her head up enough to look at them both, but it was evident in her eyes that she wasn’t going to last much longer. “Don’t let her…g-get in your head…Sunset…no matter what…just kill her…and save the world…We’ll always be…be friends, I don’t…I don’t hate you, you got it?!”

“Jeez, you’re tougher than the past versions of you. Kinda a shame, but oh well.” Cozy made a finger gun gesture, the Thirteenth Artifact moved to the tip of her finger and started to glow. “Bang!” A beam of light shot of the crystal and pierced Rainbow’s head, killing her instantly. “On to the next!”

Rarity’s family was staying at a relative’s home in the next town over, she and Sweetie Belle were huddled in a guest room, watching the events transpire on her phone. They’re viewing was interrupted when Cozy and Sunset appeared in their room, causing Rarity to hug her sister tight and act as a shield to her.

“If I remember correctly, that Anon-A-Miss thing was started by Sweetie Belle, well she’s one of the three, anyway. And Rarity, say, did you know in the second world, she had a total punk rock look and was in a band?! She’s actually pretty damn good on the guitar. Probably would’ve made it to the big times if she hadn’t gotten murdered by her gofer Coco. That’s what you get for treating your friends like shit, I guess? Tee-hee!”

The wielder of the Thirteenth separated the two girls with her power, making them float in the air before her and Sunset.

“You’re someone who takes pride in their looks, right?”

Cozy didn’t wait for an answer, she just raised her hand into the air, letting her index and ring finger point up. The brilliant teen then slashed the air in front of her, causing a cut to form on Rarity’s arm.

“Death by a thousand cuts, if you manage not to die, I’ll heal you and let you live.”

Cozy started slashing the air in front her wildly, and with each stroke a cut formed on Rarity’s body, slashing through her clothes, and leaving behind small gashes on her body. Blood splattered with each cut, and soon her entire body was starting to become stained with her blood. Cozy, despite the wildness of her strokes, was careful to avoid the major arteries, the point was to make them, and Sunset, suffer, sudden death didn’t work here. The whole while, both Sunset and Sweetie Belle were pleading and screaming for Cozy to stop what she was doing, but she paid them no heed as she continued to torture Rarity with a gleeful smile.

It took but a minute to create the thousand cuts, and when she was done, Rarity was bare of any clothing, with a thousand bleeding wounds all over her once flawless skin. She hung there in the air limply, having gone hoarse from the screaming, the door was being pounded on from the other side, but Cozy had sealed it to make sure that they weren’t interrupted.

“And yet another friend suffers because of you.”

“Don’t listen to her…” Rarity managed to say. “I will never blame you…Sunset…never.” Rarity turned her gaze to Cozy and grinned back at her. “Get on with it you…witch! Kill me then…I want to see my Jackie…!”

Cozy sighed in disappointment. “Geez, you’re no fun either.” Cozy made a knife hand gesture and slashed the air again, this time severing Rarity at the middle. Her top half was thrown onto the bed, while her lower half flopped onto the ground. “Hmm, now for you. I’m thinking, this.”

A violet aura held Sweetie’s mouth open, as thin ray of light sliced off her tongue, causing Sweetie Belle to scream as she gargled blood. Cozy made a gesture with her hand, and suddenly, Sweetie’s throat went red. She started making wheezing and gargling sounds, Cozy released her and let her stumble about in a panic.

“I just crushed her windpipe, and with the blood that’s pouring from her severed tongue, she’s going to suffocate to death, or drown in her blood, which ever happens first.” Cozy explained.

Sunset kept struggling, kept commanding the Witchblade to form spikes, blades, anything to break the changes, but the Thirteenth’s power was domineering, keeping her in check, and helpless as all she could do was watch as Sweetie Belle fell on the floor and thrashed about until she finally died.

“Now, I think we should go to the one you REALLY love the most.”

Pinkie Pie paced the room of the hotel they were staying at, her mother and father had left to get something to eat, while her sisters were stayed behind to keep Pinkie company. They knew she was worried about Sunset, and they knew the reason for that, because upon returning to them, Pinkie explained everything about the Witchblade and what was going on. As well as why the battle was happening in the first place.

“I can’t believe Sunset’s been Witchblade this whole time,” said Limestone.

“Really? I thought it was obvious,” said Maud.

Limestone looked at her sister with disbelief. “How was it obvious?! You’re telling me you knew the whole time?!”

“Yes, I actually knew on the day that she came and saved Pinkie Pie from that monster,” Maud clarified. “Pinkie saw her get seriously hurt, and they said her blood was all over the place, and yet she was okay. Then, at night, when the monster attacked, a girl in armor suddenly appears and saves Pinkie, a girl with red hair. Plus, Pinkie and her friends have been involved in magical mishaps before, why think this was any different?”

Limestone really couldn’t poke a hole in that logic, and it seemed that Marble was in agreement as she nodded her head to what Maud had been saying.

“I just wish I could find out how she’s doing. They haven’t reported on anything, and it’s been too quiet,” Pinkie noted.

As if the universe was trying to prove her wrong, a flash of violet light went off inside their room and made the Pie sisters huddle together. When the light dimmed, Pinkie gasped, seeing Sunset tied up and some new girl keeping her hostage.

“PINKIE, EVERYONE, RUN NOW!!! HURRY!!!” Sunset shouted.

“Too many extras, begone with you.”

Cozy pointed the Thirteenth Artifact at the Pie sisters; the crystal released a pulse of energy that rushed towards the four girls. When it hit, Maud, Limestone, and Marble suddenly burst, splashing blood and organs all over the room and onto Pinkie, Cozy, and Sunset. The wielder of the Witchblade’s mouth hung open as she looked upon her girlfriend, covered in the blood of her own sisters. Pinkie was in shock as she her body trembled, she raised her hands and saw the blood that was on them, and on her. As if just now realizing what happened, Pinkie screamed, horrified at what occurred before her.

“So many things I can do with you but doing them in a hotel room feels anticlimactic. Let’s go back to Canterlot, shall we?”

All three girls were swiftly teleported right back to the crater that was Canterlot City, Pinkie’s landing was not soft as Cozy didn’t bother to teleport her near the ground and let her fall from ten feet in the air. The pink party planner hit the ground hard, her right leg hitting the ground first as a snap could be heard before Pinkie started tumbling to a stop. Pinkie huddled in on herself as she held her hurt leg, hissing, and biting back a scream of pain.

“Yep, this is much better,” said Cozy.

“Just stop! I’ll give you the Witchblade! Just kill me! Please! Spare her!” Sunset pleaded.

“You know, I could never figure out what your purpose here was, Sunset.” Cozy turned around and floated closer to her. “Like pieces on a chessboard, I knew all the roles that the major players in this story played. Sun’s role was my Queen, acting on my behalf to help gather the Artifacts. Adagio and Twilight, my Bishops. The Blood Sword wielders, Fluttershy, my Knights. Indigo Zap, my Rook. Somnambula, Tempest, Sugarcoat, Rainbow, Applejack, Rarity, Sour Sweet, Sunny Flare, and Pinkie, all my Pawns. But you, I just couldn’t figure out your position on the board.”

Cozy flicked her wrist and the chains tightened up, releasing bursts of electricity that surged through Sunset’s body and made her scream for a minute before the sadistic wielder of the Thirteenth cut off her power.

“You were the one variable that never popped up in any of the other four worlds before this one, this one has been…unique. There were some parts that I didn’t see coming, others that happened as expected, and some had a few twists that went beyond my expectations. You’re an extra piece on the board, one that shouldn’t be here, and yet you are.”

Cozy pointed towards the distance at a certain spot as they floated down to Pinkie. “When the fifth world was ushered in, I took the Witchblade and buried it deep down under Canterlot City. I wanted to be prepared to give it to someone who seemed like a good match, someone whose movements I could control. But instead, you popped into this world, and Witchblade awakened, choosing you as its wielder. I can’t tell you how much I had to rethink my plans to account for you. Even now, I wonder if the other you would’ve gotten the Witchblade if you didn’t exist in this world?” Cozy shrugged. “We’ll never know, because once I go through with my plan, no one will ruin my perfect world ever again!”

“Just do it already…Just kill me and get it over with!”

Cozy thrust out her right hand and cupped Sunset’s chin. “No, Sunset, you need to learn this lesson. Because I don’t like unknown variables in my game, if you come back in the new world, I’m going to make sure you remember what happened here, so that you’ll forever be a broken, hollow existence, wishing for death and freedom from the memories, but I won’t give you that.” Cozy released Sunset and turned around lazily as she let a big smile form on her face. “Oh, Pinkie Pie~ It’s time to have some fun~”

Cozy’s Artifact released a blast of lightning that struck the curly haired teen, Pinkie Pie gritted her teeth and clenched her fists as she felt the painful surges of electricity course through her body, igniting every pain receptor in her body. The demented teen cut off the attack and watched as Pinkie went down on all fours, gasping from the pain she just endured. Cozy released another blast, upping the voltage. Pinkie Pie, again, clenched her teeth hard and fell to the ground, spasming out of control as smoke started to rise from her body. Cozy glow once again cut off the attack, but instead of her gleeful smile, she was frowning.

“You’re not screaming, this should be excruciating, mind numbing pain, and yet you’re not screaming at all,” Cozy observed.

Pinkie rolled onto her side and looked up at Cozy and said, “I…I know what you’re doing…You want to hurt Sunset…You want her to hear me scream, to see me in pain…But I won’t let you…” Pinkie Pie rolled onto her stomach, biting her lower lip as she got onto her knees and panted from the effort. “Do whatever you want…I…I won’t break…Sunset’s…Sunset’s doing all she can to save the world…to fight for all of us…I can’t do much…but I’ll at least do this for her…I’ll be strong…!”

“Pinkie Pie…” Sunset whispered.

“Wow, that’s devotion and real love right there,” said Cozy. “You got yourself a real catch there Shimmy. But it’s too boring if you’re not even going to scream or anything. Ugh, the others were like this too, weren’t they? Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and now you.”

“The…The girls…you mean…?” Pinkie asked.

“That’s right, before we came here, I made Sunset watch as I killed them.” Cozy’s smile slowly returned. “I even killed Rarity’s little sister and we watched her suffocate to death, after we made her watch her big sister get cut up and then cut in half.”

Pinkie cried, but even so, she still wore a defiant expression. “If they were strong until the end…then…then I can too …! I won’t let my friends down…or my girlfriend!”

“And just like that, my torture-kill boner is gone. This world really is a weird one. Fine then, just die already!”

Pinkie glanced to Sunset and mouthed the words “I love you” before a beam of violet washed over Pinkie and obliterated her from this plane of existence. A smoldering crater was all that was left of where she once was, now Sunset was alone, her lover was dead, all her friends were dead, her…her sister…dead. She was alone, the city was in ruins, a scorched earth all around her, and soon Cozy would take what she wanted.

It was over…

She wasn’t a hero…

She was doomed to fail from the start…

This was her fate…

And soon, all of it would be erased…

“But you are not alone.”

~*~*~*~

Sunset found herself in the mindscape of the Witchblade, all around her were the seven past wielders of the balance keeping Artifact. “I can’t win against her…she was a past wielder…she knows all of Witchblade’s powers.”

Anne walked up and swatted Sunset upside her head. “Lass, what’s wrong with ye! Sure, that witch knows all of Witchblade’s powers, but she doesn’t know your powers!”

Sunset looked at the pirate captain and asked, “What do you mean?”

“Each of us had our own unique skills and abilities before we ever wore the Witchblade. For Fang, it was her survival instincts, primal strength, reflexes, and senses,” said Anne.

Fang nodded in agreement and flexed her right arm to show of her bicep.

Tomoe stepped up and said, “I trained to learn a unique fighting style that honored the Sun Goddess, Amatarasu. With the Witchblade, I became even stronger and honed that style into my own unique way of fighting.”

“I have the blood of the dragon running through my family’s veins,” said Mulan.

“I was a legendary trainer of heroes and warrior goddess of my homeland,” said Scáthach.

“I am a daughter of the seas, my tenacity and skill made me legend before the Witchblade bonded with me,” said Anne.

“For me, the graces given to me by my goddess, Artemis,” said Atalanta.

“And I was a chosen messenger of God, blessed with divine vision and skill to fight for the freedom of my people,” said Joan. “We each bring with us something to add to the power of the Witchblade, something that a new wielder can use. Tell us, Mademoiselle Shimmer, what uniqueness do you contribute to the Witchblade?”

Sunset thought about it for a moment, at first, she wanted to say magic, being a unicorn mare, she was gifted in magic, it was her destiny back in Equestria. However, that changed. Here in the human world, one was free to choose their own destiny. That scared Sunset, how were humans to know what they’re special talent was? How were they to know what they’re true calling in life was without one? It wasn’t until Sunset lived amongst them, and a bit after getting blasted by the Elements of Harmony, did she realize that this wasn’t a bad thing. It’s because humans did not have cutie marks it meant they were free to choose their own destiny, like being a permanent blank flank, they could explore and find out exactly what they want in life, free to stumble and fall, free to pick themselves up and try and try again.

So, what did Sunset have that was unique to her from all this freedom? One thing came to mind. “The Magic of Friendship, the ability to connect to others and together, wield a power unlike none have ever seen.”

The seven wielders smiled and moved closer to Sunset, the seven past wielders formed a circle and joined hands, each of them glowing in their respective color. Joan and Anne held out their hands to Sunset, silently asking her to complete the circle. Sunset smiled at her seniors and joined the circle, the moment she touched their hands, Sunset’s body began to glow red. At the center of the circle appeared the Witchblade gauntlet, each of the wielders’ lights shot straight for the gemstone, and in that moment, Sunset understood what unique power she brought to the Witchblade.

“I’m never alone.”

~*~*~*~

Cozy floated in the air as she looked upon Sunset, eyes closed and no doubt wallowing in despair. “Aww, don’t cry Sunset, she’ll come back. She won’t remember you, but at least you’ll get to see her.”

Suddenly, Sunset opened her eyes and a bright white light shined from them. Cozy backed away as an intense amount of power was pouring from Sunset’s body. More and more, and more still, the power kept increasing, pushing against the chains that bound Sunset, until they shattered, and bright rainbow light flooded the area, causing Cozy to cover her eyes. Once the light faded, Cozy looked, and for the first time in years, was shocked.

Sunset was on the ground, kneeling, but she wasn’t alone. On her right was Joan of Arc, Tomoe Gozen, Scáthach, and Mulan, and on her left was Anne Bonney, Atalanta, and Fang. Each of them appeared in the form of a construct body in association to their color, but the armor seemed to be as real as Sunset’s. Speaking off, Sunset had entered her Crimson Form, but it had changed since the last time she used it. Sunset’s helmet had wing frills on the side, and a spiraling unicorn horn at the center of the forehead. Her chest plate had a wing-like design that fanned out to the right and left, covering her bust and torso while still displaying a bit of chevage, and in the center was a gemstone that glowed with rainbow light. Her shoulder pauldrons had a half-moon shape to them, but then angled upwards at the end.

Sunset’s gauntlets were smooth and a little large, both had gemstones at the top of each hand that glowed with the same rainbow aura. Sunset had metal shorts that formed a belt around her waist, and around where the buckle was a fourth gemstone. From her knees downward she had boots on that had the same feather design as her helmet and chest plate, and just like her chest plate, there was another pair of gemstones located at her shins. Upon her back were two metal wing bones, and from them, burning construct feathers extended outwards. The armor pieces were glowing red, while Sunset’s eyes remained in their pure white state, along with the other seven wielders, and her hair was pure crimson flames that bellowed behind her like a magnificent mane.

“What…What the hell is this?!”

“I thought you said you knew all about the Witchblade’s powers, guess you missed one,” said Sunset in a mocking tone. “You didn’t account for my power!”

The eight Witchblade wielders each took on a fighting stance, Sunset summoned a sword to her right hand, the guard was shaped like a horse head, and from the middle of the head a seven-foot-long sword blade gleamed.

“YOU’RE power?!”

“The Magic of Friendship, with it, I have connected to the past wielders of the Witchblade, and now, together, we will fight! Together, we will bring balance back to the world, and together–!”

“WE WILL DEFEAT YOU!!!”

Cozy Glow growled, enraged that Sunset Shimmer would dare think that this would be enough to beat her, that she’d dare believe that she was the superior Witchblade wielder. “You’re a mistake, you should never have been in this world! I WILL ERASE YOU FROM EXISTENCE!!!” Cozy teleported many feet away from the group, and once she was far enough away, she released an enormous blast of power from the Thirteenth Artifact that practically eclipsed what remained of Canterlot City.

A thin beam of red light flashed, and then, the beam of violet light was split in two as both halves shot in different directions and away from the Witchblades. The thin red slash kept going until it reached Cozy, forcing her to cease her attack and teleport away. When she reappeared, she saw a huge gash in the earth where she would’ve been had she stayed. When she turned back to the group Cozy saw Sunset, her right hand raised with her sword pointed to the sky, showing that she was the one who cut her attack in half.

“You think just having numbers will make a difference?! This will end like all the ones before it! WITH ME REMAKING THE WORLD AS I SEE FIT!!! YOU AND WHATEVER WORLD YOU HAIL FROM, I WILL MAKE SURE THEY ARE ERASED FROM THE UNIVERSE ALTOGETHER!!!”

Cozy released several lightning strikes towards the Witchblades, but all eight of them diverged in different directions, the only indication of where they went were the different colored trails of light. Anne fired off round after round of cerulean energy at Cozy, at the same time, Atalanta was dashing around, appearing as a green lightning bolt as she rapidly fired one arrow after the other. Cozy was forced to create an omni-directional shield to keep the attacks from hitting her.

Just then, a ring of light appeared under Cozy’s shield, that’s when she saw Tomoe with her sword drawn. The ring erupted beneath her, streaming light from the ground up and hitting her shield from yet another direction while Atalanta and Anne kept the pressure on her. Cozy swiftly teleported away, her eyes shined with violet light as she slammed her hand into the earth, causing her aura to spread out through the dirt and gravel for as far as the eye could see.

The earth began to shake and rumble, large fissures opened, and chunks of rock and sediment rose into the air. With a wave of her hand, Cozy launched the huge chunks of land straight for her attackers, upheaving the battlefield to keep them from getting any footing. At the same time, she had the Thirteenth rapid fire lightning bolts that either pierced through the debris or zigzagged around it.

Through the floating masses, Fang bounded from one large slab of earth to the other, swiftly closing the gap between herself and Cozy. The wielder of the Thirteenth was getting ready to counter, but then sensed another approaching behind her. Cozy turned her head and saw Scáthach bounding towards her from the rear. She quickly used the Thirteenth to kick up a tornado that roared into the sky and drew in the upturned earth towards the turbulent winds. However, this did not deter either of the wielders.

Fang gathered her power and strength into her right fist and roared as she struck the wind wall with a blazing punch. The golden-brown energy erupted, creating a powerful shockwave that destroyed the floating pieces of earth around them and caused the tornado to wobble. Scáthach twirled her Gae Bolg around before thrusting at the other side of the wind wall. Both warrior women shouted in defiance of the tornado as they poured more of their power into the attack. The tornado could take no more as their twin attacks destabilized the tornado and broke it apart, leaving Cozy exposed.

Cozy started lashing out with crescent blades of light that slashed through the battlefield and far beyond. The ground rumbled below Cozy, and from it burst forth a giant orange dragon construct, the mighty beast roared as it struck Cozy with its large claw and sent her flying into the air, canceling out her earlier attack. The dragon gave chase, swiftly winding through the air to catch up to her. Cozy stopped herself from tumbling about in the air and formed a construct sickle, she descended straight down with the intention of meeting the dragon head on. The former wielder of the Witchblade readied to slash the construct but just as she did, the construct broke apart.

Within the construct was Mulan and Joan, both women had their swords alight with raging orange and white flames as they charged straight for Cozy. She was caught off guard by the attack for a moment, and a moment was all they needed. Both Joan and Mulan slashed their blades, cutting through Cozy’s body and severing her top and bottom halves. Cozy coughed up blood as she felt pain for the first time in an awfully long time. But she quickly called upon the Thirteenth, mending herself before the blow could be deemed fatal. That moment gave two more wielders time to attack.

Anne and Atalanta took positions in the distance behind Cozy, the Grecian warrior fired an arrow that blazed like a comet, while the Caribbean pirate fused her blunderbuss’ together to form a large cannon, to which she fired a beam three times bigger than the ones before it. The two attacks merged into a stronger one, their glow was the only thing that gave Cozy any indication that an attack was coming as she turned around and formed a barrier just in time to get swept away by the huge tidal wave of energy that was Anne’s attack. Cozy was not out of the woods yet as the arrow zoomed straight for her like a shark seeking its prey. The comet arrow hit with a great force that was aided by the tidal blast of Anne, Cozy wasn’t given an inch as the blast and arrow increased in power and caused a massive explosion that thundered through the sky.

Cozy was thrown from the explosion and spun in midair for a minute before slamming through what remained of the buildings of Canterlot City and landing in the middle of the street. Cozy released an explosion of power that lashed out at everything around, showing the level of rage that she had been pushed to thanks to the wielders of the Witchblade.

The wielders weren’t going to give Cozy time to counterattack or defend, Fang sure wasn’t any way. She dashed faster than a cheetah and blitz attacked Cozy. The brilliant teen was getting assaulted from different directions as Fang leaped and bounded off whatever she could, striking with her powerful fists and causing Cozy to receive broken bones and a mouth full of blood. The blitz attack stopped, but only so that Gae Bolg could come streaming in, the cursed spear pierced Cozy directly into her breast and released its spines. Cozy gasped in pain as blood filled her lungs and mouth, but rage was building, a rage that the Thirteenth Artifact responded to.

Cozy screamed in fury as she unleashed more of her power, tearing up the land. Fissures of violet light opened that went on for miles and further still, the sky began to rumble and roar as storm clouds gathered and spread out far and wide. Violet lightning shot down from the sky and struck anything and everything without prejudice. The earth responded in kind by creating jagged glaives of rock that jutted up and created deep canyons. Unfortunately, this level of destruction was not taking place only in Canterlot City, the power of the Thirteenth was reaching out across the world and causing natural disasters to occur everywhere. Cozy didn’t care, she was going to remake this world, so what if everyone and everything was destroyed, when she killed Sunset and obtained the Witchblade, she would remake the world and every living thing in it.

Tomoe appeared before Cozy in the blink of an eye, the fabled samurai drew her sword and slashed with amazing speed before sheathing her katana. Several bloody lines appeared all around Cozy’s body, and in the next moment, the lines were blasted apart as Cozy’s body was completely shredded by Tomoe’s attack. Bits and pieces of Cozy floated in the air, with the Thirteenth still floating where it once was. One of the pieces that contained Cozy’s eye looked as if it was about to roll back, but the eye shined in tandem with the Thirteenth. Suddenly, all the pieces of Cozy converged on the Thirteenth Artifact, forming around it as she made the final Artifact one with her body.

Cozy’s eyes shined bright violet as her entire body took on a dark violet color, and her hair transformed into a raging, spiraling embers of pink light.

The eighth wielder made herself known, descending from the sky like a Valkyrie. Cozy formed a giant construct sword and engaged with Sunset. The two went back and forth, slashing and defending, the ring of their blades echoing with the force of a nuclear explosion, the shockwaves of their power reverberated through the very Earth itself, causing more destruction throughout the world. Sunset broke off from their dual and ascended into the sky with the full intent on ending this battle once and for all. The seven wielders each took off towards the sky to join Sunset, each one transforming into pure energy as they streamed into one of the seven gemstones on her armor. In so doing, Sunset’s armor changed to a dazzling golden color, while her crimson fire hair turned bright white, along with the flaming feathers.

Cozy’s eyes widened when she saw this, she felt something else that she hadn’t felt in a long time, fear. She didn’t know what she was witnessing, the powers she had when she was the Witchblade wielder were nothing like this, she was never able to use the power of the Legacy like that. Was Sunset Shimmer tapping into a new power, or was this truly the power that Sunset Shimmer herself wielded brought forth by the Witchblade? Cozy shook her head, she couldn’t afford to think like that, there was no real power in this, just because the armor changed when the other seven united with the armor, doesn’t mean she was any stronger. Sunset still only had her power and that of the seven, nothing more than what she herself once possessed. Cozy reformed her sword raising her power to greater heights as she prepared to end this exercise in futility once and for all.

Sunset waved her left hand over the blade of her sword, causing it to be infused with power, turning it into a pure blade of light. With that done, Sunset dove straight down for Cozy, and Cozy flew up to meet her. The Keeper of the Balance transformed her body into a gold and white comet that roared towards Cozy Glow, the former wielder expanded her aura and fed it into the sword, making it blaze with barely contained might. The two warriors met at the center, but what happened next happened in an instant.

When Cozy swung her sword at the incoming Sunset Shimmer, her body glowed and broke apart into eight pieces of light. Those eight pieces of light each took on the form of a wielder and slashed through Cozy Glow at the same time, aiming right for where the Thirteenth Artifact was. Cozy felt her grip loosen as the sword construct faded away. The eight lights regrouped to where they had split apart earlier, reforming the golden, angelic version of Sunset as she thrust her sword forward. The blade of light entered Cozy’s chest and came out the other end. The two of them landed on the ground as a pillar of sparkling gold and white light exploded into the sky and leveled what was left of Canterlot City, its suburbs, farmland, everything.

The pillar eventually faded and what was left was Sunset Shimmer, her sword still impaled in Cozy Glow below her. Cozy had reverted to her original state, but her body was rapidly disintegrating, transforming into ash that was getting scattered by the wind, she had lost.

“It’s over…Cozy Glow,” said Sunset.

“……Yeah…it is…but I still win.”

Sunset looked down at Cozy and asked, “And how do you figure that?”

“Look around you…what’s left for you here? What’s left for anyone in this world anymore?”

Sunset took a moment to look, and indeed, Cozy was right. The land had been devastated by their battle, the sky was still raging with storms, and no doubt the rest the world wasn’t faring any better.

“You don’t have a choice now…either you remake the world, or you can and live in this ruined reality. Your friends are dead, your lover is dead, the one you called a sister is dead, everything on this planet is dying right now, and whoever is left that you did care about is surely gone by now…”

Sunset gripped the hilt of her sword tightly.

“It’s always like this…The Battle of Canterlot…you’ll see. No matter how many times you remake this broken world, it stays broken. Peace doesn’t last, people can’t control themselves, they’ll give into their desires…their darkness…and destroy that which you suffered to rebuild.”

Cozy’s arms and legs were almost gone.

“There’s a reason why the Witchblade is last…it’s the balance. The Thirteenth is the key, but the only way to bring all the powers of the Thirteen Artifacts together and keep them in check is with the Witchblade…whether you decide to wield the Thirteenth Artifact like I did, or use the Witchblade again, sooner or later, you’ll be back here…”

“There’s a reason why you failed to create a perfect world, Cozy Glow.” Sunset removed her sword and released her transformation as she looked down at the defeated Cozy. “Because a perfect world doesn’t exist.”

“What?”

“You tried to make the world peaceful, but that’s not harmony, that’s not balance. There must be light and darkness, good and evil, too much of one or the other and the balance is undone. The Angelus sought order above all else and was willing to take the lives of those who were not worthy. The Darkness sought only chaos, spreading its influence to the world as it saw fit. Both are the extremes, and Cozy, you wanted that, an extreme. But that’s the thing about humans, they’re free to choose.”

Sunset walked around until she was next to Cozy’s head. She then knelt next to her and looked Cozy in the eyes.

“I come from a peaceful world of magic and wonder, and yet, despite that, we still manage to have our disagreements, our squabbles, prejudices, discrimination, and crime, as low as it is. I was a denizen of that world, and I was a horrible person, when I came here, I only got worse, because in my world, whenever you learn what makes you special, you get a mark on your body that shows you your destiny. I had one, but when I got here, this world gave me something, freedom. Freedom to choose who I wanted to be, and with that freedom…I became an even worse person than I was back home.”

Cozy chuckled. “Only proves my point…people can’t be left to make their own decisions…they choose poorly and make everyone suffer for it…”

“That’s true…” Sunset agreed. “But that freedom also grants people the power to change, to better themselves as I did, and my life became so much better for it. My friends, my family, and my lover, I wouldn’t have them if I didn’t embrace my change. The world can’t be perfect, it’s flawed, just like everyone has flaws. All you can do is fix what is broken and balance the good and the bad. People aren’t like pieces on a chessboard, Cozy, they’re static, they live, they think and feel and move of their own accord. If you take away that, life isn’t life, it’s just an imitation of it.”

Cozy’s body was almost gone, her upper torso and head were all that was left. “I see……it’s too late for me to change……” Cozy closed her eyes and sighed heavily. “Do me a favor, Sunset…don’t bring me back. I’ve come back too many times…and I’m tired. Just let me sleep.”

With those last words, Cozy’s body completely blew away into ash, leaving behind only the Thirteenth Artifact. The jewel was still glowing, despite being without a wielder, it hummed with power. Sunset raised her head and watched as the eleven spheres that contained the rest of the Artifacts assembled around her, as if waiting for her command. Sunset started to cry; this wasn’t how any of this was supposed to happen.

She wanted to live alongside Twilight and Sun, she wanted to marry Pinkie, become a cop, protect people with the Witchblade, and be a good friend. Instead, here she was at world’s end, with the very Earth itself tearing itself apart as if angered by the battle that had taken place. Cozy was right, there was no way anyone other than herself who could live on this planet given its current state, and if anyone else managed to survive, their chances of survival with the world as it was, were less than zero. The portal to Equestria was gone, the land had been scorched for miles all around, there was no way it survived, which meant there was no way for her to go back home to Equestria or evacuate survivors to Equestria.

Sunset looked down at the Thirteenth Artifact, it pulsed rhythmically, as if beckoning Sunset to use the power of the Thirteen Artifacts. “Hey, partner?”

}}} Yes, Sunset? {{{

“Will you stay with me ‘til the end?”

}}} I am with you until you are no more, our partnership is until death do us part. {{{

Sunset chuckled. “Huh, I’ve been married to you, and I didn’t even know it.” The former unicorn mare rubbed the gemstone of her bracelet and said, “Thank you.” With no other options left, Sunset reached out and grabbed the Thirteenth Artifact with her left hand. “Do you know what I have to do to start this?”

}}} Cozy spoke the truth; I am able to bind the others together and focus their power to invoke the Power. You must unite the Thirteenth with me. {{{

The Witchblade formed a gauntlet on her right arm, at the center of the forearm was a spot for Thirteenth Artifact to be placed. Sunset inhaled deeply and calmly exhaled as she placed the Thirteenth Artifact in the slot. The moment she did, both it and the Witchblade’s gemstone shined brightly. The spheres that contained the other eleven Artifacts broke as the Artifacts themselves transformed into pure energy. That energy was then absorbed by the Witchblade’s gemstone, as Sunset held up her right arm, letting the eleven enter into the gemstone. Sunset felt a rush a power the likes of which she had never experienced before in her entire life, it felt all consuming, all powerful, it scared her, no it terrified her, it felt as if her very mind and soul were going to cease to exist.

Sunset released a scream that echoed unnaturally loud in every direction. At the same time, a bright white light burst forth from the Witchblade, a light the swallowed the Earth, the Moon, the planets, the Sun, the galaxy, and then the entire universe…

And that is how my entire world was destroyed…

Not with a fiery explosion…

But in a blinding white light…

To the world where I made precious memories with the people I loved…

Goodbye…