VI:
Change of stage

A young woman was busy carving a branch she took from a tree on a nearby park using a knife. With no reason. Only kill time. It was a simple shape, a Y-shaped cane. She already had like 6 canes but she continued carving more.

She looked at her new cane. It reminded her of her best era, right before those six came to ruin everything. And right after she planned the perfect revenge, she was stopped by those creatures. She smiled evilly, exposing her fangs as her dead red eyes sparkled with joy as she pictured her ultimate revenge.

“Soon we’ll see each other again. I’m looking forward to destroy you all!”

A mirror forgotten in a corner of her room started glowing, calling her attention.

“Hey!” she greeted.

“We have to start moving.” said a voice from the other side of the mirror.

“For real?” asked the girl relishing her fangs.

“The Shadows have realized they are free. We have to start moving before their other selves intervene.”

The girl cheered in excitement, punching a wall so hard that she broke her hand. But she regenerated in an instant.

“So finally, we’ll fulfil our revenge!”

“You know what to do, right?”

The girl rolled her eyes. “I know, I know! I have to approach to the Great Master and their other selves. And you know what to do, right?”

“Of course! We have to accomplish our mission no matter what.”

The girl ended the communication with Equestria and went to get her hoodie and exited her apartment. It was time.

…

“Thank you for joining us for joining us to our sessions with the Great Master!” said Twilight, hugging her friend Sunset Shimmer.

“It’s okay Twilight! Even if I left the Order I must admit they show us interesting things.” smiled Sunset as she practiced a little ‘flashlight’ spell with her hand.

“You know? I never imagined I would be able to do such thing after I left Equestria!”

Fluttershy smiled. “Even if you don’t agree with our methods to make sure ‘education is for everybody’ I’m glad you wanted to join us for today.”

“And you are not the only one who thinks we are acting recklessly and stupidly.” said Twilight with a shrug.

“Yes they are!” said Sunset frowning.

“But we’ve helped lots of people by using them!” continued Twilight.

Sunset sighed.

“I can’t really argue with that. Thanks to you and your games I got my hands over some research papers I would have to pay a fortune for in normal circumstances!”

Twilight smiled. “I knew you would like it! We hacked that because of my suggestion. I knew they had something you needed!”

Sunset preferred to change the subject, she didn’t like the idea of her friends joining such dangerous and reckless people, but she better changed the subject. After all Twilight was an adult and could make her own choices.

“Are you sure the Great Master won’t mind me coming tonight?”

“Of course not! Lots of people who have left the Order join us every session and the Great Master receive them with open arms. You know her Creed. Education is for everybody.”

“The only ones she rejects are those who come wanting to destroy us, spies from the Government or the universities but since we can read souls, we catch them every time!” said Fluttershy happily.

“Yes the Great Master is very skillful and powerful. And since our enemies don’t know how magic works there’s nothing they can do against it!” smiled Twilight.

“You know you keep spreading knowledge with everyone eventually the others would be able to use it too, right?” asked Sunset.

“Yes but in the meantime we would do as much damage as we can to the system, and when they realize it would be too late and won’t have any choice but change it!” assured Twilight.

Sunset didn’t say anything but she was clearly upset with their friends for being this stupid. Their actions would have consequences. Why none of them thought why East Wind had to run from Equestria on the first place? But she knew arguing would let her nowhere.

In the end they arrived at East Wind’s home, and as the girls told Sunset she received her with open arms.

“Sunset Shimmer is so great having you with us! How are you, have you finished your thesis?” smiled East Wind.

Sunset smiled at East. As stupid as she was, at least she was a genuinely nice person and always willing to help.

“I just finished, and I hate to admit it but thanks to you!”

East Wind bowed before Sunset. “We are at the service of all knowledge.”

Sunset smiled and joined the knights and the other visitors to their night session.

It was just some basic equestrian magic. Sunset knew a few tricks, but the Great Master showed her more things that she ever imagined she would learn.

And as usual, the most distinguished students were East’s closest friends. Irish Coffee, Cream Cone and Emerald Horn.

The Great Master was happy to have them around, but always seemed sad for some reason.

It was a nice evening, they learned some magic, shared a few drinks and generally having a good time.

Then the door opened, revealing a girl dressed in tight yeans with a = mark on her tights, and a purple hoodie covering her face. Only a few locks of purple hair with an aquamarine strip were visible. And two red eyes glowing.

The Great Master shivered.

“Everyone behind me!” she commanded.

East Wind threw a magic attack to the creature’s head making it explode immediately.

Everyone turned to East, looking at her horrified.

“What have you done?!”

“You killed someone!”

But East Wind shook her head. “Kill her? You cannot kill an undead.”

The newcomer laughed as she regenerated her head.

“So, you are the one I’m looking for. You have faced our kind already don’t you, East Wind?”

East Wind charged her shadow power on her hands.

“What are you waiting for? RUN! I’ll keep her occupied! SAVE YOUR LIVES!”

The others nodded and started to run, but the stranger lift her hand askingfor peace.

“I am not at threat, not to you. Unlike the creatures who are still looking for you in Equestria, I am not here to kill the living. On the contrary.”

She took a dagger from her pocket and showed it to the Great Master.

“This dagger was forged in hell, is the only tool in the two worlds that is able to kill our kind. This would send those six to hell where they belong. My partner and I were sent back with by Him to hunt them down and bring them where they belong. On His hands.”

The Great Master glared at the creature.

“What do you want from us? If what you’re telling me is truth go and chase them in Equestria and don’t bother us!”

“If we go, their other selves would intervene and I know they won’t be happy to see me or my partner. We have to lure them here where their counterparts don’t know how to use their power. But you do. Help us exterminate them Great Master, and free your Knights from this darkness once and for all!”

The room was dead silent.

“Who are you, really?”

“No one an inhabitant from hell. I don’t need to tell you who sent me here on the first place.”

Sunset shook her head. “I don’t get it. Hell? The Undead? What is happening here?”

“Don’t interrupt us Sunset!” commanded the Great Master. “At least not now.”

She faced at the stranger. “Why are you doing this? What is in here for you?”

The stranger sighed and continued. “Well, you may never find this out but being in hell literally a torture. I’m not gonna lie, I deserve every single moment of it. But my torture is nothing compared with what He haves in storage for them for escaping for so long. When my mission ends I’ll go back to hell where I belong with the only satisfaction that they are having a worse time than I do.”

“Who are you?”

“A sore loser. I still want to kill them for daring to stop my utopia twice. So what do you say? Show them where you are, lure them to me and me and my partner will finish the job.”

The Great Master frowned. “This smells like a trap, if I lure them here they’ll start killing us in this side of the mirror too.”

The girl smiled revealing her fangs much to everyone’s horror. “Oh believe me, they’ll forget about you as soon as they see me. We have some history together.”

The Great Master glared at the girl.

“Why should I trust you?”

“We share a common enemy, come on! Don’t you like the opportunity to get rid of the Undead Knights once and for all? I am your only hope to end this once and for all.”

East Wind remained silent, as the other smiled.

“I’ll give you time to think about it. I’ll come back on three days, what do you think?”

The Great Master turned her hands into fists as she charged more shadow power.

“We won’t be here. We’ll disappear now that an undead have found us.”

The stranger shrugged. “Fair enough. You’ll find me at the park nearby. You know how to recognize my aura, right?”

With that she turned and walked away not caring that the Great Master was ready to shoot her as soon as she saw something suspicious.

But she stopped after a few steps and turned to East Wind. “You are an admirable pony, Great Master. I remember when we met in Canterlot back in my timeline. We both fought for Equality but you did it the right way. And unlike me never isolated yourself, you straight forward fought the Crown. I wish I was like you.”

And with that the stranger disappeared in the night.

“What was that all about?” asked Emerald after an uncomfortable silence.

The Great Master turned to her students and Knights on this new world. Just like six years ago she had to protect them from the incoming threat that were the Undead Knights. And she would protect them, even if it meant to work side by side with an undead.

But the hardest part was about to come. To tell her Knights the dark truth of her self-exile from Equestria.

“It’s a long story folks. But I guess I owe you the truth. Let me tell you the truth of why I escaped Equestria, and everything I did.”

She told them about the Undead Knights, their origin. About her first encounter with the Undead Knights and her encounter with Spike and Night Terror. About the students demonstration and their desperate attempt to seal the creatures under the Sprout of Harmony.

In the end everyone was looking at the Great Master in awe. Too surprised to react.

“Impossible! You went this far only because of your thirst of knowledge?” asked Twilight in disbelief.

The Great Master sighed.

“I did. But this time I won’t make the same mistake twice. This is between the six nightmares and me. If you want to leave the order do it now. I won’t risk your lives, and I’ll protect you with mine as I did with my last Order. I came here to start from scratch away from those creatures, but it seem I cannot escape them.”

Sunset roller her eyes, annoyed. “If there’s something I learned is that you cannot escape your past. I get it, okay?”

“I know I can’t escape. And I have no choice. For the sake of my Knights back in Equestria I must get rid of those things to protect them. I hate working with that maniac but I have no choice.”

“I guess I’ll help you. I seriously don’t understand this whole timeline and undead thing but I cannot leave you alone.”

“Neither do I” said Twilight. “You’ve helped us so much that it would be cruel from us to leave you at the mercy of those undeads.”

“And what do you want to do now, Great Master?” asked Fluttershy.

“I have no choice but go to the other side to discuss the situation. It can’t be helped, the Crown things I’m dead but I have to face consequences. But my best friends know I’m alive. It would be nice to speak with them again.

Then she turned to the others. “So what do you want to do? Do you want to fight this battle or do you want to run away? Please take the second option, I don’t want to risk your lives fighting the undeads.”

Most of the Knights excused themselves and East Wind sighed in relief. But a few bowed before the Great Master and decided to fight at her side. It were Irish Coffee, Crean Cone, Emerald Horn, Flash Sentry, Eternal Feet and gardener Bushroot.

“Thank you, guys!

“Don’t thank us Great Master, let’s wait until the fight is over.”

“We have to cooperate with the other Twilight and her friends, right?” asked Flash.

The Great Master nodded.

“Yes, and the Knights of the Silence from the other side as well. Let’s hope everything goes okay and those things are done for good. I really hate with work with an undead but it seems that we have no choice.”

Author's Note

Anyway, the foreshadowing is over at this point I bet everyone knows who the final boss is. So I hope you liked it and as usual, read ya’ later!!