Breathe in, breathe out. Go up, go down.

Cadance pushed with her wings, lifting herself up to an apex before slowly lowering herself down.

In out, up down. In out, up down.

“...Twenty three…” She grunted, “...Twenty four…”

In out, up down.

“Twenty five!” She flopped to the floor, breathing hard,

“Onto the next set then?” Shining Armor guessed,

“Yup,” Cadance responded, rolling on the ground and getting in a position to do sit ups, which she promptly started doing, “One… Two… Three…”

“And this is the last one?”

“For now,” Cadance paused between breaths, “I’ve got more later though.”

“Right,” Shining Armor said, “Well your armor should be done today.”

“Six… Seven… Good, we can go pick it up after I’m done here. Eight…”

“Okay, I’ll be just outside then,” Shining Armor replied curtly,

Cadance frowned, watching as her husband left the room. She quickly finished her workout, going all the way up to thirty before stopping. Grabbing her water bottle from off to the side, she slung a towel over her shoulders before making her way to the door.

“Ready?” She pushed out the door, taking a drink of her water.

“Sure.” Shining Armor responded, looking down,

Cadance gave him another look, but otherwise stayed silent.

“Okay, armor is done, when are you going to use it?” The armorer asked,

“We’re not sure, all we know is that I am going to need it soon, did you do the modifications I asked for?” Cadance asked,

“Yes, yes, and with great difficulty.” The armorer nodded rapidly, “To insulate not only against the cold but against the lightning? Not an easy task, but this ‘rubber’ material from Equestria has been quite useful. It covers most of the body now.”

“A rubber suit?” Shining Armor asked, “That hardly seems protective.”

“-With armor plates!” The armorer added, “And integrated crystal mail.”

“Can we see it?” Cadance wondered,

“Right this way, your highness,” The armorer said, “I have managed to create a one hundred percent sealed environment, complete protection from the outside elements, streamlined plating for enhanced flight capabilities, self-sealing helmet with wide view, flame retardant coating, attachment points for additional items…”

Cadance opened her mouth to say something.

“And yes, I have detailed it the way you asked.” The armorer finished, practically beaming.

Cadance smiled and nodded.

“How will she breathe if it’s completely sealed?”

The armorer scoffed, “There is toggleable option in the helmet along with connections for… what was it called again? Scuba?”

Cadance’s eyes widened, “I can go diving with it?”

“Not its intended purpose, but yes… probably… I haven’t tested it.” The armorer led them through a door, “Take a look for yourself.”

Cadance eagerly entered the room, only to stop just inside, “Woah.” Was all she said,

Shining Armor squeezed past her, “What is…? Oh. Oh wow.”

A heavily modified set of Traditional Royal Crystal Armor sat on a mannequin in the center of the workshop. What looked like a solid rubber piece covered almost every inch of the model, with raises in the surface revealing crystal plates embedded into it. Each one was smoothed over, completely removing the angularity that the previous set had, only for it to be added in other places. Spikes jutted out of recesses in the armor, pointed backwards, they weren’t sharpened, but they were certainly a deterrent for being grabbed. A lot of the bulk had been removed as well, making the whole thing look slimmer and more flexible.

“Really?” Shining Armor asked,

Cadance just stayed silent, a growing smile appearing on her face.

“You had to go with mandibles?”

Then there was the helmet. It was similar in design to the rest of the armor, smoothed over with spikes, flaps of rubber hanging loosely around the neck. Light blue crystal goggles dominated the top, allowing whoever was wearing it an incredibly wide view. They were slanted slightly, coming to points along the snout, giving the whole ensemble an intense look.

And of course, there were the mandibles.

Two crystal blades came out each side of the mouth, protruding past the actual helmet a few inches. Then there was the color, the rubber being a dull purple, while the crystal pieces were colored a dark pink. It was clear just who the design was based off of, if one only got a glance, they might think the worm was in the room with them.

“It looks amazing!” Cadance gushed, “It’s perfect!”

“Good,” the armorer said, “Then put it on, make sure everything fits.”

“With pleasure!” Cadance stepped forward giddily. She quickly pulled the helmet off the mannequin, then stretched it over her own head and zipped it tight before looking around experimentally.

“Do you need any help?” Shining Armor asked,

“Uhh…” Cadance began, drawing out her speech as the helmet affected it. “Maybe with the body.”

“It is only one piece now,” the armorer said, “It won’t be as complicated,”

“You say that…” Cadance stepped closer to the mannequin, “How do I get it off of this?”

“Ah, there is opening in the back, just undo latch and unzip.”

“Okay…” Cadance picked the mannequin up in her magic, turning it slightly as she began taking the armor off.

Once it was off, she spread it out across the floor before carefully stepping into it. She then pulled it up, struggling to slip her legs into each hole.

Shining Armor moved closer to help.

“I got it.” Cadance said, pulling the suit over her shoulders.

Only one wing came out of the slots in the back, the other fumbling underneath. Her tail got caught in the zipper, and when Cadance fixed it, she realized the helmet was supposed to go on last, so that it was over the suit.

After a few minutes of continued struggling, she eventually got it on right.

“Well?” She asked, “How do I look?” She struck a pose,

“You look like a worm,” Shining Armor deadpanned, “Does everything fit okay?”

“Just fine,” Cadance answered, stretching her legs and flapping her wings, “I feel like I could wear this all day.”

“Do you want to wear it all day?”

“...Kind of.”

Their trip back to the castle was silent. Even the nearby hustle and bustle of the Crystal Empire wasn’t enough to break it. Shining Armor just looked ahead as he walked, even as Cadance repeatedly glanced at him.

“Alright.” She eventually said, “What’s wrong?”

“Huh?” Shining Armor blinked, finally looking at Cadance, “N-Nothing’s wrong.”

She just gave him the look, “Okay, well if nothing’s wrong, then what’s not right?”

“I-” Shining Armor stopped, then sighed, “Don’t you feel like this is all a bit excessive?”

“Excessive?!”

“Yeah, as much as I like watching you work out, or getting awesome new armor, I can’t help but feel like it’s a bit… much.”

“A bit much?!” Cadance exclaimed, “Shining, dear, do you know what I saw in that vision? What happened? What’s coming for us?! I don’t want to waste a single moment getting ready for it.”

“I know,” Shining Armor said sincerely, “But Cadance, it’s been two months since you’ve had that dream, and you’ve been working ever since.”

“And? If we have time to prepare then we should be preparing.”

“But aren’t you tired at all?”

“Of course I am!” Cadance replied, “I never expected to be training non-stop, but it's something I need to do.”

“Would it kill you to take a break once in a while?” Shining Armor pleaded,

“It just might! This is a potentially world-ending threat.”

“That’s exactly my point!”

Cadance paused, then tilted her head.

“Whatever is coming is going to change the world regardless of what happens,” Shining Armor began, “I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I do know that things will change, I’m just worried that we might not be able to do things the way we used to.”

“Change is hard,” Cadance shifted her tone and leaned into Shining Armor, “and this coming change, will probably be the most difficult we’ve ever faced, but we’ll find a way, we always do.”

“Yeah…” Shining Armor mumbled, “But… I keep thinking. What if something happens? To us. What if we get hurt? What if we get separated? Or… What if one of us doesn’t make it?”

Cadance stepped back, her eyes widening as she inhaled deeply. “I-”

“I just want to do something with you before everything changes, and we won’t be able to anymore.” Shining Armor said, his eyes starting to tear up.

“Of course we can do something!” Cadance wrapped him in a hug, she fought back tears of her own, “I didn’t realize all this preparation stuff was getting to you so much.”

Shining Armor readily returned the hug, and for the next few moments they stayed in the embrace.

“Your highness,” A voice announced,

Cadance blinked, then cleared her throat as she pulled away, “Yes?”

The crystal pony addressing her pulled out a rolled parchment from their bag, “A message from Canterlot, they are requesting a meeting tonight.”

“Tonight?” Cadance repeated, “Well then… I suppose… Tell you what.” She turned to Shining Armor, “I have some more training to do in Canterlot, why don’t you come with me, and we can go out to dinner after the meeting?”

“That sounds… nice,” Shining Armor sniffed, “When are you leaving?”

“Soon,” Cadance answered, “I would like to get there before noon.”

“Oh,” Shining Armor realized, “I think I’ll take the train.”

Cadance gave a small eye roll and smiled, “I’ll see you there then, and Shining?”

“Yeah?”

“No matter what happens, I will always love you.”

“Are you ready?” Princess Luna asked,

“Ready!” Cadance replied,

“Then let us begin,” Princess Luna said, turning her rapier to align with her stance.

She held it up to her face for a moment, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath before thrusting the sword forward. A flap of her wings sent the rest of her after it, quickly closing the distance between them. Cadance flared her wings, bringing her own rapier up at an angle before jumping backwards.

The two swords clashed, a distinct ringing coming from them as they slid against each other. Cadance quickly parried the blow, forcing their blades to the side as she retreated further, sending a few of her own jabs back. Princess Luna easily blocked the attacks, then advanced further, keeping up the pressure.

They reached the edge of the training area, and with a single look back Cadance moved to the left. Princess Luna followed her movements and slashed, but met only open air as Cadance feigned to the right. In the momentary confusion she thrust forward, with Princess Luna scrambling to block the attack. She stepped back, Cadance gained ground.

They circled each other for a moment, their breaths picking up. Cadance struck first, unleashing an unrelenting flurry of blows with her sword. Princess Luna expertly avoided each one, dodging, ducking, side-stepping, blocking, and parrying. She followed up with a few counterattacks, halting Cadance’s advance. Their blades clashed again and again, almost a secondary action as they each searched for openings in their opponent’s defense. Eventually Princess Luna found one, twirling her sword around Cadance’s and throwing it out of the way. She stepped back, and the momentum switched as Princess Luna continued. She aimed low, forcing Cadance off her hooves and pushing, forcing her back again.

She reared up, and Princess Luna prepared a devastating strike, only for Cadance to flare her wings and take to the air. With a single flap she was above her, and Princess Luna raised her blade high. Another clash, and a single pink feather flittered down. Cadance then landed behind Princess Luna and with an immediate thrust, her blade sank into her tail, disappearing into the starscape.

That certainly gave her a jolt, and she leapt forward, turning mid air to match Cadance again, but she was already upon her. Almost face to face, Cadance whipped her rapier forward, the point searing past Princess Luna’s cheek. Her fur was parted, a line flashed across her muzzle, which ever so slightly began to sting.

She landed hard as Cadance retreated, watching with anticipation. Princess Luna touched her face, feeling the area. No blood, but it was still a solid hit. Her gaze softened, and the magic around her sword dulled out as it lowered to the ground.

“I suppose I will yield at that,” She conceded, “Excellent form, dear Cadance.”

She exhaled, allowing her own sword to drop, “Thank you, Luna, and thank you for doing this with me.”

“But of course,” Princess Luna said, “Despite my apparent relevance to this coming event, I will never stop trying to help. You are quickly becoming an excellent swordfighter, we will have to… Raise the stakes, as you say, for our next lesson.” She picked up both rapiers and set them on a rack off to the side.

Cadance gave a half nod, exiting the little arena they had. Princess Luna followed behind, quickly matching pace with her.

“There was something I wanted to ask you,” Cadance began,

“Oh? What might that be?”

“Do you know what tonight’s meeting is going to be about? There wasn’t any information in the message.”

“Ah yes, that.” Princess Luna said, “We will be deciding who will be our champion against this threat,”

“Oh!” Cadance’s eyes widened, “I thought it was just going to be… well… me. It’s why I’ve been training so hard,”

“Which has been taken into account,” Princess Luna nodded, “But there are others eligible, mainly my sister and I, and Twilight Sparkle.”

“Of course!” Cadance nearly facehooved, “I’ve gotten the feeling that she might be feeling a bit… left out recently, this could be a good chance for her.”

“As grim as it would seem, I have to agree.” Princess Luna replied, “Though there has been much more deliberation in this decision than that.”

Cadance tilted her head, “You guys have already decided? Don’t I, or Twilight get a say in this?”

“You will, during the meeting, it will be the last debate before the choice is final.”

“Alright, so who’s going to be there? Just us four?”

Princess Luna looked ahead, “We have requested aid from many sources, allies and enemies alike. Not many have responded,” Her face tightened, “Though there will be some in attendance. They will not hold sway over our decision, they will only provide what they can for this endeavor.”

“I see…” Cadance said, “And then what? One of us just fights the worm’s master?”

“In essence, yes, though there will be special preparations before that.”

“And what time is the meeting?”

“It shall start as soon as the sun sets, from there we will decide and prepare.”

Cadance just nodded, biting her tongue.

The moon rose, peaking above the horizon before separating from it entirely. The soft orange glow disappeared at the other end of the sky, leaving a darker purple which eventually faded to black. The stars then shone, quickly mirrored by the city on the ground.

All four princesses of Equestria sat at a round table, completely barren save for themselves. There were a few uneasy looks from the younger half, and more steady ones from the elders.

“Let us begin,” Princess Celestia announced,

They all nodded, and another moment was spent in silence.

“In wake of a vision of doom, we have decided to appoint one of us as a defender of the world, to take on the sole responsibility of countering this coming threat.” Princess Luna began,

“Before we reveal our decision,” Princess Celestia continued, “We shall all say who we believe is the most capable of receiving this mantle, starting with myself.” She inhaled deeply, “I believe, it should be me.”

Princess Luna nodded solemnly, Cadance stared at her, while Twilight gave a small gasp.

“I believe,” Princess Luna said, “Princess Cadance is best suited for this role.”

Princess Celestia winced, but otherwise stayed silent. They then all looked at Cadance, it was her turn.

“I believe…” She began, looking at each of them nervously. Her gaze eventually landed on Twilight, and she pursed her lips for a moment, “I believe that Twilight would do the best here.” She ended with a small smile.

Then it was Twilight’s turn. She took a much longer time to think, repeatedly looking at each of them, including her own hooves. She had the power to make or break this vote, either ending it in a tie, or choosing one of the three already voted for. She frowned, sweat starting to appear on her brow as she frantically glanced around.

Eventually, she placed a hoof on her chest, inhaled deeply, then exhaled. “Cadance, I believe Cadance will be best.”

She gawked, while Princess Luna nodded again. Princess Celestia though, she just closed her eyes tight and held her face in her hooves.

“Then it coincides with our initial decision,” Princess Luna announced, “Princess Cadance will be our champion.”

“What?!” Cadance exclaimed, “Really?! Me?!”

Princess Celestia let out a long and shaky sigh, “The decision was not an easy one, there has been much deliberation between history, relationships, power, and will, but in the end, Cadance was revealed to be the best choice.”

“I- I don’t know what to say. I mean, I kind of expected to fight, but I never expected to be chosen, especially when I was given a choice.”

“You do have a choice,” Princess Celestia said, “You do not have to accept this burden, you do not have to fight.” She pleaded,

Cadance stared at her, watching as her aunt broke down in front of them all. “No.” She stated, “I do, I have to fight.”

“Then,” Princess Celestia choked out, “The decision is final.”

“We will begin preparations immediately,” Princess Luna stepped in, “Then we shall speak to the delegates that have chosen to support us.”

Cadance only gave a half nod, she was more focused on Princess Celestia. She quickly moved over to her, wrapping her in a hug. “It’ll be okay, Celestia. Everything will be okay,”

“Will it?” She asked, “Every step we take only seems to bring us closer and closer to…” She trailed off, burying her face in her hooves.

Twilight soon reached her other side, and stretched out an uneasy hoof. Cadance readily grabbed it and guided her into a group hug.

“Sister,” Princess Luna said from off to the side, “We have been over this.”

Cadance glared at her.

She sighed, “Verywell,” and she came over to complete the hug, “We have discussed this for a long time, sister. There is no better alternative.”

“I know,” Princess Celestia sniffed, “But it doesn’t excuse the unfairness of it all.”

“Life… is unfair,” Twilight said slowly, “but we just have to keep going.”

“Have faith that everything will turn out okay,” Cadance finished, squeezing tighter,

A sniffle, “Right, right.” Princess Celestia stood straighter,

They all broke away, “Everything will be fine,” Cadance said,

“I do hope so.”

“Onto the preparations then?” Princess Luna asked,

“Onto the preparations,” Princess Celestia repeated, wiping the tears from her eyes.

Cadance blinked, “What more is there to prepare for? I’ve been training almost non-stop since the vision, I got the empire prepared, and I even got new armor made.”

“Wow,” Twilight said, “I definitely didn’t go that far.”

Princess Luna nodded, “All excellent developments, however you will need more than that. You may be standing alone against this threat, but that does not mean we cannot help you.”

“There is a spell-” Princess Celestia began, pausing due to the lump in her throat.

Another nod from Princess Luna, “A spell that will transfer our magic to you, granting you the power needed to face this foe.”

“All of our magic?” Twilight asked, eyes wide,

“Indeed, there is nothing to be gained from selfishness in this scenario, we must do all that we can to aid Princess Cadance,”

Twilight gave it a moment of thought, “Okay then, I’m ready,”

“As am I,” Cadance added,

“Good, though the spell will still take time to set up. In the meantime, we shall confer with what allies we have gathered.” Princess Luna said,

“How many are gathered?” Cadance asked,

Princess Celestia finally spoke clearly, “Of the many, many requests we have sent out, only three have responded in time. A member of the Saddle Arabian royalty, the Griffinstone general, and Discord.”

“Discord…” Cadance muttered, “Alright, let’s go see them then,”

“This way,” Princess Luna turned, “The spell will be prepared while we speak. Sister, if you would.”

“Of course,” Princess Celestia said, “Twilight, how about I show you how the spell works.”

She readily moved over to begin, but still cast an uncertain look towards Cadance, who mirrored it before the closing doors separated them. Princess Luna then quickly led her through the castle, and she soon realized where they were going.

The massive throne room opened up around them, the darkened windows contrasting heavily with the interior lighting. It made the stained glass look more like a simple mosaic. Aside from that, it was almost completely empty, save for three prominent figures, and a small number of guards at every entrance.

“It’s about time!” Discord said, tapping his foot, he checked his wrist, where there was no watch.

“I apologize for the lack of pleasantries,” Princess Luna announced, “However we are dealing with a matter of grave importance, which is why we have requested you here today.”

“What is it that you request of us?” An heavily accented voice spoke up,

Cadance looked towards its owner, and saw an incredibly young pony decorated in foreign jewelry sitting across the room. She then spied General Gavis Garfield near the entrance, and gave a small wave. He returned it.

“To put it simply,” Princess Luna continued, “We are requesting any magics or powers you are willing to give to us. Any amount will help, and should we prove successful, they will be returned with haste.”

“Oh goodie,” Discord slumped, “I had a feeling this was going to happen,”

“Hmph, is that all?” The Saddle Arabian princess asked, she removed one of her many necklaces and threw it across the room.

Princess Luna quickly caught it in her magic, bringing it close before looking up, “This is-”

“A family heirloom, said to bring good luck, very valuable.” The princess interrupted, “I expect it back.”

Princess Luna sighed, passing the necklace over for Cadance to inspect, “It will be returned,”

Cadance looked it over, admiring the beautifully cut emerald in the center, which was surrounded by incredibly intricate golden weave. It was pretty large, about the size of her hoof, and the whole thing was set upon a golden chain with silver inlay. She couldn’t tell if there was anything magical about the necklace, but she wasn’t good at detecting that sort of thing anyway.

The princess gave another harumph, and immediately exited the throne room, allowing the griffin general to approach.

“My apologies,” He began, “Griffinstone can only provide its military as support, but given what you have told us, it won’t be much help. Other than that, I can only wish you good luck in dealing with whatever this is.”

“Thank you,” Cadance said, she quickly set the necklace off to the side and bowed a little. “That means a lot to me.”

General Garfield returned it, before leaving the throne room as well, leaving just Discord.

“And what of you, Discord?” Princess Luna asked, “What are you willing to give?”

He just shrugged, “I dunno.”

“You are here for a reason, surely you are willing to give something. You, out of all that have come, are the most capable of helping, are you not?”

“I know,” Discord held up a claw, he slithered across the room until he was face to face with them, “I just don’t know what I want to give yet.”

“Well then, if you are dedicated to the cause, and are truly with us, then you will give everything.” Princess Luna said, “As are we, we are surrendering all of our power to Cadance for this threat.”

“All of my power huh?” Discord asked, tapping his chin, “Maybe, but maybe not.”

“Why not?” Cadance demanded,

“Because you wouldn’t be able to use it.”

“Again, why not?” Princess Luna asked,

“Because it’s my magic, all that fun chaos stuff. You probably know how to use all that pony magic just fine, but you will have no idea how to work my stuff.”

“That may be, but is there any passive benefit to your power?”

“Passive benefits…?” Discord tapped his chin again, this time with several more fingers. “I suppose you’d get larger, and probably lose a bit of symmetry.”

“How much larger?” Cadance asked,

“Hmm…” Discord began, he closed one eye and brought a thumb up as a paint brush appeared in his grip. He then began sizing her up, moving his arm back and forth as a sense of scale. “You’d probably be on the same standing as good ol’ Celestia.”

Princess Luna and Cadance shared a look.

“That is not a drastic change, but anything will help.”

“Will it?” Cadance asked, “I don’t know if I can fight as well like that.”

“Well you did ask,” Discord said, “I’ll still give it if you want.”

Princess Luna inhaled deeply, “Is there anything more specific you can give? Something more useful to our cause?”

“Well, now that you mention it, I might have something…” Discord trailed off, he then zipped open a hole in reality and peaked inside. “Let’s see here.” He began rummaging through it.

An excessive amount of noise came out, banging pots and pans, the beginnings of some song, high pitched squeaking, a chorus of rubber chickens, a kazoo.

“No, no, no…” Discord sorted, pulling out an obscene amount of fabergé eggs, “Aha! Here we go.”

He pulled out a stick, only for it to get caught on something. With a mighty tug, and the sound of something ceramic shattering, Discord presented what he had acquired. It was a staff of some sort, a long, metallic rod creating the handle, while a large pink orb sat on the end, a faint spiral visible within. Several petal shaped extremities came out of the base of the orb, while a small cross rose from the top. Cadance carefully grabbed the object and held it at an awkward angle

“There you are, my very own Rod™!”

“A rod, from Discord,” Princess Luna said,

“A Rod of Discord™.” He corrected,

“What does it do?” Cadance asked,

“It moves you,” Discord answered, “Just wave it around and say ‘Shamoogie’.”

“Shamoogie,” Cadance said hesitantly, waving the rod around,

Nothing happened, except for Discord snickering.

“Discord, please.” Princess Luna pleaded,

“Alright fine,” He relented, “Just wave it around a bunch.”

Cadance gave him a side eyed glance, but quickened her pace, twirling the rod around like a baton. The orb started emitting some sparkles, and the vortex within shone brighter. Just as Cadance was about to say something, her vision flashed, and suddenly she was on the other side of the throne room.

“Woah!” She called out, causing both of them to look at her.

“See, it works.” Discord said,

Princess Luna nodded, “A method of teleportation will certainly be helpful.”

“Don’t get your hopes up,” Discord began, “Without a better understanding of chaos magic, she won’t be able to control where she ends up.”

Cadance waved the rod again, reappearing a bit closer to the others.

“It also rarely goes past what you can see.”

“I think I’m getting the hang of this.” Cadance twirled the rod once more, and then she was outside, midair. “Whoop!” She flared her wings, managing to glide down to the ground safely.

Once she was still again, she looked up at the slightly illuminated windows of the castle and swung the rod again. Another flash, and she was even further away, almost to the entrance of the castle gardens.

Cadance grumbled and sighed, before quickly running back to the front of the castle to enter it properly. Discord and Princess Luna were still conversing inside, though she missed a bit of their conversation.

“-Still, short range teleportation will be useful, regardless of its endpoint.” Princess Luna concluded,

“Thank you, Discord,” Cadance joined in, “But can I really not control where I go?”

“You can probably figure it out,” He shrugged, then simply walked out of the castle.

Cadance stared at him as he left, “Did he just…?”

Even Princess Luna looked surprised, “Besides all of his power, that is a lot to give.”

“I’ll say,” Cadance said, tucking the Rod of Discord™ under her wing, “What about the other thing? The necklace, what is it?”

Princess Luna’s expression quickly turned, and she brought the necklace in question in front of them again, “This was… a gift, from Equestria. We gave it to them, last year.”

“Oh.” Cadance said, “Is it-?”

“It is not helpful, no.” Princess Luna sighed, putting it away, “At least we got something of worth from this. Come then, let us finish the spell.”

“Okay,” Cadance replied,

She trailed behind Princess Luna as they made their way back through the castle, hanging her head slightly. Just like the throne room, the corridors of the castle were almost completely empty, and the echoes of their steps followed their every move. Eventually they made it back to the meeting room, but Cadance stopped Princess Luna right before she opened the door.

“Celestia is really distraught over all this, isn’t she?”

Princess Luna looked at her, “She is.”

“I get that she never wanted any of this to happen, but she has to know that I have to do this,”

“She does, and that is what pains her most. It saddens me deeply as well, being forced to sit idly by as my past mistakes are resolved by another, but it must be done, and there is no alternative.” Princess Luna pushed open the doors.

In the room, Princess Celestia and Twilight stood amongst an array of sigils, finely drawn lines that encircled the entire room. The table had been moved, and a large open space sat in the center, with three smaller spaces surrounding it. It looked like everything was ready.

“Welcome back,” Princess Celestia greeted, “We are almost ready to begin,”

“How were things with the delegates?” Twilight asked,

Cadance pursed her lips, “Not the best,”

“We have managed to procure a useful item, from Discord of all people.”

“And the others?” Princess Celestia asked,

“Have unfortunately fallen through,” Princess Luna responded, “Remind me to brand all our gifts from now on.”

Princess Celestia looked up from her work for a moment, then finished sketching the final line on the floor. A soft glow came from the chalk-laden stone.

“It is ready.” She announced,

“Then let us begin,” Princess Luna said,

“Okay,” Cadance nodded, “Do I… just stand in the center?”

“Yes, it is where all of our magic will be funneled,”

“Do I need to do anything, or…?” Cadance asked as she carefully stepped over the lines.

The others also got into their respective circles.

“Simply open your mind, and accept our magic.” Princess Celestia said, “I am starting the spell now.”

Her horn flashed, and the chalk surrounding her and Cadance shined brighter. Cadance watched intently as Princess Celestia took a deep breath, and the magic around her horn extended. A tendril of light, it arced its way across the room before connecting with Cadance’s horn. She immediately felt the warm golden glow of Princess Celestia’s magic touch her, then spread throughout her body as it poured into her. She closed her eyes, shuddering at the unfamiliar feeling, the entire process took about a minute, much longer than she was expecting.

The cool serenity that was Princess Luna followed afterwards, and though Cadance kept her eyes shut, her brow raised in surprise. The magics mixed within her, creating an entirely new feeling, a slight prickliness as she started to feel a bit oversaturated.

Then came Twilight’s magic, a lively concoction that flowed smooth, yet steady, pushing Cadance even further. Light reached her eyes even though she held them closed, and it took her a moment to realize they were glowing. She opened them, just in time to see the last sliver of magic separate from Twilight’s horn, disappearing into her own a moment later.

The spell was complete, she had their magic.

Cadance took a deep breath, the air crackling in her lungs. She felt ecstatic, full of energy, ready to take on the world. Everywhere she looked was full of light, and she blinked a couple times to try and dull the effect. Slowly, the magic settled within her, and it was then that she realized her mane had been flowing as it dropped back down.

“I feel… great!” She said, beginning to pace around the innermost sigil, “This is weird! I feel so full, yet so… Powerful! I don’t know what else to say!”

Cadance finally looked around the room, and realized the others were quite the opposite. She stopped and stood still, though a faint jittering remained around her legs.

“Are you guys going to be okay?”

Princess Celestia blinked with half-lidded eyes, ever so slightly swaying back and forth, Princess Luna had sat down and hung her head, while Twilight appeared to get the best of it, managing to stay standing straight, but she still looked exhausted.

“We will be fine,” Princess Celestia said, “It is merely a reaction to the magic deficit.”

“How long will it last? How long will this last?” Cadance gestured to herself,

“As long as is required,” Princess Luna mumbled, “Then you may return our magic to us.”

“What… What else is there to do?” Twilight asked,

“Cadance has our magic now,” Princess Celestia responded, “There is little more we can do now besides wait.” Her eyes widened, “Oh, I do have one more thing, one moment.”

She turned to another door in the room and disappeared through it. Princess Luna then left the room without another word, and Princess Celestia came back a moment later, carrying a long wooden case. She stumbled a bit through the doorway, and Cadance rushed to help her, grabbing the case in her magic.

“What is this?” She asked,

“A while ago you asked me if we still had the worm’s armor, and I told you that it had been used up. While that is true, the only pieces left you can find are trace elements and replicas, the treasury has always kept some for future use. I figured now would be a good time to use it.”

Princess Celestia flicked open the latch on the case, allowing Cadance to open it. Velvet lined the inside, and sitting atop a cushion of fabric, was a heavily wrapped sword. Cadance gasped, carefully setting down the case as she pulled it out.

Twilight stepped over to her side, “What is that?”

Only the hilt was visible at the moment, but Cadance could already tell its quality. A dull violet hoof guard protected the handle, its intricate weaves creating a durable grip. The guard widened as it met the blade, forming a full cup hilt that merged with the crossguard. A heart-shaped pommel completed the whole thing, with crystalline facets etched into the metal.

Cadance moved upwards, untying the bow at the base and unravelling the fabric covering the blade. Slowly but surely, the whole sword was revealed, with only one sharpened edge, the blade curved away from the hilt, leading into a point almost a meter away. It was a more vibrant purple than the guard, and it shined brightly in the room’s lighting, clearly polished.

In awe, Cadance simply dropped the bunches of fabric to the floor as she stared at the blade, agape.

“I had it commissioned not long after your engagement with the griffins. It was supposed to be an anniversary gift for you and Shining Armor, but now…” Princess Celestia averted her gaze, “It seems as good a time as any.”

“This… Is… Amazing!” Cadance exclaimed, she quickly began testing it.

The sabre was well balanced, impossibly light, and held an edge so sharp she could cut a hair by simply dropping it over it. Twilight watched the two pieces of Cadance’s mane fall away from the blade.

“That’s pretty cool.” She said,

“Isn’t it?!” Cadance gushed, “Thank you soooooo much!” She wrapped Princess Celestia in a hug,

“Do use it well, and may it aid you in victory.”

“I will, I promise,” Cadance pulled away, she looked at the case again and pulled out an equally fine scabbard, with one simple motion, the blade was sheathed. “Now, is there anything else I need to do right now? Because I have a date.”

Princess Luna stepped out onto the balcony, quickly closing the door behind her. The cool night air met her fur, but it didn’t feel as welcoming as it once did. She looked up in the stars with a bit of despondency, watching as the moon shifted and shook as it was scooted across the sky. It stopped just below its apex, then it moved to the side a bit, then back, then further in the wrong direction until it was finally placed back in its set path.

It was then adjusted forward slightly, before it was corrected again.

With a sigh, Princess Luna focused more on the stars that were no longer under her control. She should probably be helping Cadance with that, but right now she just wanted quiet.

A chirp came from her left.

Her ears flicked to the noise, “It is only logical that you would be here, greetings.” Princess Luna spoke, not even bothering to look,

A click.

“I would assume you would be monitoring Cadance, but even I get lost in this castle sometimes.

A click.

“Tell me, do you know why she is here?”

Two clicks.

“You do, then you must know what is coming.”

A sigh.

Princess Luna sighed as well, “Look at us, two strangers to these lands, trying to integrate ourselves into an unfamiliar world.”

A puzzled chirp.

“Of course, some attempts are more successful than others.” Princess Luna paused for a moment, “Do you remember me? Do you remember what I have done?”

A click.

“There are many things I regret doing, falling to darkness, betraying my sister, unleashing such evils upon the world.”

A light growl.

“But I do not regret bringing you here.”

Silence.

“It is clear to me that you do not originate from here, you have come from a world of animosity and annihilation.”

A sigh.

“Yet, you belong here.”

A chirp.

“There are words to be said about your actions, and your place, but I have no qualms about your continued existence here.”

Silence. Followed by more silence, and it remained silent for a long time, but Princess Luna didn’t object, she simply leaned against the railing and watched the stars.

“S T O R M - W E A V E R”

“Pardon?”

The worm grumbled, and she finally looked at it. It then lit itself up, transforming before landing hard on the balcony, causing her to stumble a bit.

“Storm Weaver.” It spoke,

Princess Luna tilted her head, “Your name?”

Two clicks.

“Perhaps it was, and it is certainly fitting, but perhaps it is yours no longer, or rather, it will be.”

This time the worm tilted its head,

Princess Luna smiled, “May you survive your liberation, friend.”

Something is approaching…

Come dawn the next day, and the sun failed to rise, only for it to streak into the sky a few minutes later.

“I think I’m getting the hang of this.” Cadance said, angling her head as the sun lifted an inch higher.

“Do not expect to get it perfect on the first try,” Princess Celestia said, “There is fine, you will have to move it again in an hour anyway.”

“Every hour?” Cadance asked,

“Until you learn to move it gradually, yes.”

“That’s a lot of work.”

“Then you understand my life,” Princess Celestia cracked a small smile, but it quickly disappeared, “Hopefully this arrangement will not have to last, but until this threat has passed, you will have to bear our responsibilities.”

“Even ruling Equestria?”

“No. We are still capable of that.” Princess Luna interrupted,

“Your highnesses!” A guard burst out onto the balcony they were on, causing Twilight to jump,

She tripped over her legs midair, landing hard on her side. Cadance winced, and quickly moved over to help her.

“What is it?” Princess Celestia demanded,

“We’ve detected something in the North.”

They all shared a look.

“How far North?” Cadance asked worriedly,

“About-” The guard began,

The worm then crashed onto the balcony, actually causing its supports to buckle. The stone cracked, and the platform tilted, but it otherwise stayed attached to the castle. Cadance kept her stance wide, managing to stay upright as the others held on for dear life. The worm clicked wildly, its mandibles gnashing together rapidly and without direction.

“Woah woah woah!” She called out, “I need you to stop!”

It did not.

“STOP!” Cadance ordered, flying up closer to it

The worm refused.

The balcony lowered a bit more, teetering over the edge of the castle.

“STOP! PLEASE!” Cadance pleaded,

The worm stopped, and it relinquished its weight from the balcony. Pieces of rubble trickled down as metal groaned, but the platform held stable.

“Everypony okay?” Cadance asked,

“Fine, for now!” Princess Luna answered from off to the side,

“I am alright.” Princess Celestia said, holding onto a crack in the stone.

Twilight, who had slid down the furthest, was pressed up against the metal railing. “I’m okay!”

“Great,” Cadance turned to the guard in the doorway, “Can you help me get them up please?”

“Of course,” The guard said, eyeing the worm,

Cadance then grabbed Twilight in her magic and lifted her up to the door, once she was inside she moved onto Princess Luna, who managed to get in around the same time as Princess Celestia thanks to the guard.

“Good,” Cadance concluded before turning to the worm, “Now what is it?”

It was shaking, glancing around frantically, and chittering incessantly. Cadance’s eyes widened in realization.

“It’s here, isn’t it?”

The worm started coiling around her, “C A - D A N C E, G O, D A N G E R, M A S T E R”

“Hey, look at me,” She said, touching the worm’s head,

It stopped to look at her.

“Take me there.”

The worm reared back, screeching, “N O, C A - D A N C E, G O, D A N G E R”

She flew up, grabbed it by the head and looked it in the eyes, “You know we can’t run from this.”

The worm froze, falling limp in Cadance’s grip, it dragged her down slightly, but she was surprised to find she could hold it steady in the air.

“Please take us there.”

“Us?!” Twilight exclaimed, “I am not getting on that… him…” She trailed off,

Cadance looked at her, “You don’t want to come with?”

Twilight vehemently shook her head, and Cadance looked towards the other two.

“I will come with,” Princess Celestia bowed her head,

“I wish to spectate as well,” Princess Luna said, “There will not be much point in staying behind if we fail anyway.”

“Wha-” Twilight looked at each of them repeatedly, “Fine! I’ll go! But I won’t be happy about it.”

“Then get whatever you need, we’re going.” Cadance concluded,

The flight North was eerily quiet. Besides the rushing of the wind, no one dared make a sound. The worm moved slower due to its passengers, the other princesses weren’t flight capable anymore, and they certainly didn’t want to fall from this height.

The further North they got, the more nervous Cadance became. The landscape turned to a taiga below them, and it wouldn’t be long before they reached the tundra around the Crystal Empire, yet there was still nothing in sight, and the worm continued onward, showing its own anxieties. Every once in a while it would turn away, trying to go in another direction before Cadance reassured it. It would slow down, drop suddenly, or begin shaking wildly, and as snow appeared on the horizon, Cadance wasn’t sure she could control it much longer.

The frozen mountains of the North came into view, and the spires of the Crystal Empire came not long after. Cadance felt her heart sink as they continued further still with nothing out of the ordinary.

The worm abruptly stopped, jolting them all forward. Cadance felt Twilight press into her back, a similar chain of events happening down the worm’s segments. Despite the wave of complaints, everything went still, and Cadance felt them drop slightly as the worm shuddered.

She reached down and tapped its head, “Hey now, we have to keep-”

Then she saw it. A twinkle in the distance, high above the ground. An odd mix of dread and relief filled her heart, it wasn’t too close to the Crystal Empire, but they were here.

“This is it.” Cadance called out behind her, she nudged the worm again, “Come on, let’s go.”

It didn’t move, at least, not forward. The worm started shivering, dropping even further. A sense of weightlessness overcame them as they descended, the ground approaching rapidly.

“Work with me here,” Cadance said, “Stay up.”

The worm entered a downward spiral, the wind quickly picking up around them.

“Uh… Cadance?” Twilight asked worriedly,

“Please!” She pleaded, “At least land safely for them,”

Nothing.

“For us!”

The ground grew ever closer.

“For me!”

With a sudden jerk upwards, the worm leveled out enough to not immediately crash into the lightly snowed forest. It clipped a tree, then another, and another, and another as a singular path was carved through the forest. They dropped further, even as entire trees were snapped in half or upended, they did nothing to stop the worm’s trajectory. A spray of snow, sap, and pine needles awaited its passengers, and Cadance shielded her eyes as they finally touched down on the ground, creating cascades of snowy dirt to the sides.

They coasted to a stop close to the edge of the forest, the worm’s mandibles piercing into a final tree, causing it to slowly tip over. It never stopped shivering, which quickly became uncomfortable now that they were on solid ground. Cadance quickly dismounted the worm, helping Twilight off a moment later as Princess Celestia and Princess Luna slid off on the other side.

“Sorry about that! Is everypony okay?”

“We are doing fine over here!” Came from the other side of the worm,

Cadance nodded, then turned to Twilight, “Are you doing okay?”

She was quaking, almost outpacing the worm with her vibrations.

“No.”

“Are you dying?” Cadance reiterated,

“N-No.” Twilight said,

“Then you’re fine,” Cadance said,

She looked back where they landed, where a mess of broken trees and churned soil stretched behind them. It was at this point where the other two came around the front of the worm. Cadance spotted the twinkle in the sky again, then looked at everyone else.

“I’m going to go check whatever that is out, are you guys okay staying here for now?” She fixed her helmet into place, zipping it tight and making sure it was sealed.

Princess Celestia just stared at her armor, while Princess Luna held up a hoof, “For now, I believe I have spotted a better location for us to reside to the East, it is a small hill with decent cover.”

Cadance nodded, “If things go that way, I’ll try to steer around it.”

“That would be much appreciated, we should be off soon.”

Inhaling deeply, Cadance smelled the air around them. It was crisp, with a rising hint of pine, she wondered how long that would last. Then without a second thought, she flared her wings and took off, ascending into the sky again.

“Stay here, or stay with them.” Cadance commanded, pointing at the others as they started to walk away.

The worm let out a long, high pitched whine that ended in a low chittering, but it otherwise didn’t move.

With one last look at it, Cadance continued, flying higher and higher above the ground. From a distance, it looked like a twinkle in the air, now that she was closer, she could immediately tell it was much larger. She checked her sword, it was securely clipped onto her left side, the scabbard holding the blade well. To her right, the Rod of Discord™ was looped through one of her armor’s attachment points; it wasn’t as secure, but it remained in place even as she twisted and turned.

Drawing closer, flashes of light turned to beams, the purple color turned to an ever present glow, this was no mere sparkle in the air, it was like a miniature star, just hanging in the sky. Cadance approached it, hovering alongside it as it twinkled and flashed. It was completely silent, and it didn’t move, it just spun like a pinwheel. Despite its brightness, Cadance peered into it, squinting at its source.

Amidst the purple light, the radiant beams, and the constant rotation, there was a hole. A hole not unlike the one Discord created before giving her his rod. She circled it slightly, watching as the depth on the other side followed her gaze, like a broken mirror. There wasn’t much visible through it, just a splotch of purple, darker than the glow.

Something moved within, and Cadance’s eyes widened. The purple was transparent, a haze that blanketed the entire area in view.

Just like her dream.

Every hair on her body stood on end, stifled by her armor. Her breathing quickened, and she felt herself begin to sweat, despite it being quite chilly in the air. Cadance slowly backed away, not daring to take her eyes off the portal.

She froze, a new feeling rising up from within her.

Something was watching her from the other side.

Cadance dove, and not even a second later the portal exploded, a wave of heat washing over her. Giant balls of pink flame soared past her vision, arcing down to the ground and exploding down below. A small forest fire quickly started.

Pink flame.

Cadance steeled herself, descending for a few more seconds before leveling out and turning around. The sky turned teal, and the sun dulled, darkening as far as the eye could see. A massive form appeared in the sky, its tail end just exiting the portal below.

“You are no god… but I shall feast upon your essence regardless!”

A booming voice echoed down, sending shivers down Cadance’s spine.

This was it. This was the worm’s master. This is what she had to fight.

She looked at it more closely, seeing the glowing pink mandibles at its head, surrounded by gigantic pincers, easily able to crush her whole; if she wasn’t bisected entirely by them first. Four eyes stared back at her, shining the same light blue as the worm, only this worm was much, much larger. Complex metallic skin was layered down its entire body, blades upon blades lined its sides, and it radiated a strange essence.

Cadance felt heavy, her armor dragged and she struggled to stay hovering in the air.

The worm’s master moved, slithering through the air far faster than she would’ve believed. It soared above her, beginning a gradual loop in the sky, seemingly waiting for something. Cadance looked down where the worm was, and it was gone.

Or maybe it wasn’t. Large mounds of white occupied the space it once was, arranged in the general shape of the worm. It was just a bit too spikey to be snow. It had camouflaged itself, it didn’t want to be seen. Over to the side, further East, a small hill with multiple trees sat a fair distance from the rest of the forest, where three colored specs resided. The fighting would have to be kept away from there.

Cadance controlled her breathing, inhaling and exhaling repeatedly, gathering up the courage for her next action. She called upon the magic within her, firing up a beacon of light from her horn. If the worm’s master didn’t know she was here, it did now.

“What are you?!” She called out, her voice amplified majorly.

There was a slight pause to the larger worm’s actions, and it slowly turned to look at her again.

“I am,” the booming voice came again, a slight hissing following every syllable. “The Devourer of Gods, and you look… Delicious.”

Despite that, despite everything that was said before, and against Cadance’s greater judgement, she continued.

“Why are you here?”

“To cash in on a… return investment,” A rumbling laugh echoed down, the self proclaimed Devourer of Gods’ mandibles clacking loudly, Cadance imagined it would be smiling if it could. “You have something that belongs to me.”

Cadance pursed her lips, her hoof hovering over her sword hilt, “And what might that be?”

“A little birdie told me…” The haughty tone quickly turned menacing, “That a servant of mine has gone rogue… I require their termination, along with any other… consorts.”

The goggles of her helmet obscured her eyes pretty well, but Cadance still avoided looking in the direction of the worm.

The Devourer of Gods continued, entering the space directly above her, “You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you?”

Cadance considered her options. Giving the worm’s master what it wanted meant death, of how many she didn’t know, but both she and the worm would be first on the list, that was off the table. Diplomacy could be the answer, but that required they stood on equal footing, something Cadance wasn’t sure about just yet. The same went for fighting, and given The Devourer of Gods in its entirety, it was looking to be the most likely outcome.

Nevertheless, Cadance prepared herself, “I cannot give you what you want, but I am willing to negotiate.”

“Then you have chosen… Death.”

The sky turned purple, and The Devourer of Gods’ head angled down to face her. It moved, accelerating fast and halving the distance between them in only a second. Cadance’s eyes went wide, and instead of reaching for her sword, she pulled the Rod of Discord™ out and whipped it around. Her vision flickered just in time to see The Devourer of Gods pass through where she once was, the particles left over swirling from the huge amount of displaced air.

So it begins.

With a grimace, Cadance unsheathed her sword, watching as The Devourer of Gods slammed into the earth, a spray of dirt and stone flying out as it burrowed deeper, quickly disappearing beneath the surface. Cadance stared at the hole left behind, watching, waiting. From her position in the sky, she couldn’t see exactly what was happening on the ground, but nearby trees dumped their snow, and a cascade of rubble flowed into the hole.

Beams of light appeared around her, forming a web of sorts as they each led to her exact position. Energy started to gather at the ends, and not a second later each bolt rocketed forwards. Cadance dove, rolling to the side in order to avoid a stray pathway as the lasers converged. The air heated up around her, and she watched as the lasers spread out again, following their paths until they faded away.

The ground bulged beneath her, cracks quickly appearing in the snow covered soil. A moment later The Devourer of Gods burst out, heading straight towards her. Simultaneously, another array of lasers lined themselves up with her, and she entered a glide, quickly picking up speed and distance.

The lasers were easily avoided, but The Devourer of Gods was undeterred. Cadance felt her stomach turn as it approached, and she turned into a steep glide, almost tumbling in the air as The Devourer of Gods seared past her. She brought her sword around, slashing down against the worm’s body.

The metals clashed violently, and Cadance struggled to keep hold of her sword, even with her enhanced grip. Her blade slid across several sections, bumping against every spike and protrusion.

Only a shallow gash was left behind.

Blue covered the sky once more, and The Devourer of Gods returned to the air, another web of lasers appearing around Cadance. She continued downwards, almost touching the ground as she flew between trees. She readied herself for another incoming strike, but The Devourer of Gods remained in the air.

More lasers were dodged, yet it just coiled above her, waiting. The sky then turned purple, and The Devourer of Gods dove, once again aiming for her. Cadance quickly realized the pattern, and she ascended steadily to meet the incoming worm. A feign to the right afforded her another strike, and this time her sword slipped through to the complex mechanisms underneath, and still only a scratch was left.

This was going nowhere.

Cadance sheathed her sword, and before The Devourer of Gods could slip beneath the earth again, she charged her horn. The well, now ocean of magic within her coalesced into a beaming point of light at the tip of her horn. With a single thought, an intense multicolored beam shot down, striking The Devourer of Gods along the side before ending at its tail.

A warbling impact sounded out, but when the smoke disappeared, The Devourer of Gods was gone, another large hole left in the ground. Cadance watched the landscape carefully, there wasn’t much indication as to where the worm was tunneling, but the ground shook all the same. What little trees kept snow quickly lost it, and a few began to uproot and tip over from the disturbances, she could only imagine what it was like for others.

More lasers came, and soon enough the ground burst open. This time Cadance was ready, she twirled the Rod of Discord™ and teleported out of the way again, only to end up right alongside The Devourer of Gods as it rushed by. She was immediately caught in the turbulence and sent tumbling through the air. She was keenly aware of how close to the razor sharp armor she was, but as she fought to regain control, her hoof grazed it. Her whole body began to angle towards it as well, and with no other immediate options, she kicked off The Devourer of Gods.

A sharp pain enveloped her back leg, but Cadance quickly gained distance, entering the open air once again. Beams of light pinpointed on her again, but she kept going, easily avoiding the lasers. A glance back revealed The Devourer of Gods arcing back to the ground, slamming into it and forcing its way underneath.

Cadance took a moment to check her leg, gawking at the fact that it was on fire, with the same pink flames as her dream. The burning sensation engulfed her hoof, and it slowly crawled up her leg. She reached down to touch it, but stopped, that didn’t work before, nothing did, not even water.

Keeping an eye on the ground as she thought, Cadance did her best to ignore the growing pain. What was different this time? What did she have now that could help her?

Her gaze shifted to her sword, and a grim thought entered her mind. She turned the blade towards herself, but quickly shook her head, the flame was still small, that would be a last resort. Instead, she sheathed her sword and channeled her magic, concentrating at her back hoof. There, the magics in her were at odds with the flame, practically boiling as it spread. She quickly noted how slowly it was spreading, much slower than it was in her dream, almost as if the magic was blocking it.

Cadance inhaled sharply, then focused, pushing the magic against the flame. It stopped, then started receding as the magic beat it back. The fire shrank back to her hoof, then just the tip, and with a final shove, it was snuffed out. She didn’t cheer though, she felt the massive amount of magic it had eaten through just to do that, if she didn’t have the tidal wave of energy from the others then she doubted she could do it more than just once.

Looking back again, her jaw dropped. Now that the flames were gone, she could see just how badly hurt she was. Bad was an understatement. Her back hoof was split down the middle, the cut going so deep it almost reached her ankle. Cadance gagged at the sight of visible bone, and a new pain reached her senses, one much more physical and piercing. She grimaced, shuddering as blood poured from the wound, then paused.

The magic was active in her leg once more. The pain subsided, and ever so slightly the wound began to close, the two halves of her hoof coming together and stitching closed. It was disgusting to look at, yet Cadance couldn’t look away.

With a rumble and a boom, the ground exploded outwards beneath her, The Devourer of Gods once again rearing to strike. Cadance’s eyes went wide with panic, and she scrambled to get out of the way, but it was too late. She had lost focus for a moment and it had cost her everything.

She closed her eyes and braced.

A sharp pain lit up her side, most definitely cracking a rib or two. She was jerked to the side as two gigantic mandibles clamped down on her, holding her securely. That was it, no mortal wounds, no inferno of the soul, and distinctly no death. Cadance opened her eyes again and gasped as the sound of thunder reached her ears.

These were not the hungry mandibles of The Devourer of Gods, rather they were the streamlined mandibles of the worm, her worm. It had come to help, shedding its camouflage and flying into the midst of the fight, and now it was carrying her to safety, or what could be considered safety in their current situation.

It had saved her.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!” She twisted in its grip, pausing as her back popped awkwardly.

She winced, the worm had saved her, partially. It had caught her in its mandibles, which it was currently keeping its inner mouth pieces closed tightly, but it was hard to catch anything softly when travelling at that speed. Still, she was alive, and hopefully she would recover from that injury as well; the pain in her hoof was already dying down to a throb.

The sky turned blue, the other giant worm rising into the sky behind them. The Devourer of Gods’ mandibles clacked, and its laughter echoed out around them.

“There you are…” It said, “Ready to fulfill your purpose? Or do you need to lose another one?”

The worm screeched in response, or at least it tried to, it was shaking so bad the sound came out as a jittery mess. Unintelligible, even for the worm. Cadance twisted in its grip, wincing again as pain flashed in her side. She placed a hoof on its face, just below an eye.

“We can do this. We’ll do it together.”

A shaky set of clicks was all she got, but the worm lessened its grip on her, allowing her to climb onto its head where she usually sat. It took a bit of coaxing, but they eventually started banking back around, taking care to avoid more lasers as they appeared. Together, they faced The Devourer of Gods, ready to continue the fight.

It disappeared.

Fading from view, all that was left was the highlights of its eyes as it moved away from them. A ridiculous amount of lines appeared around them, forming a gigantic grid of lasers. The worm kicked into action, zipping through the gaps with reckless abandon. By the time the bolts were travelling along the pathways, they were nearing the edge.

It wouldn’t be enough, the worm was much too large to fit in the spaces between, and far from dexterous enough to avoid intersecting with multiple paths. The lasers closed in, carving lines through the worm’s flesh, just barely missing Cadance, the extreme heat washing over her as one streaked past her face.

The worm screeched, but they were clear for the moment. Cadance looked back, and her eyes widened. The worm was ablaze with the same pink flame. It spread across its hide, sinking deeper into its wounds, crackling, burning. They started to slow, the worm’s once rapid and panicked actions reducing to just a sway.

Without a second thought, Cadance planted her hooves on the back of the worm’s neck and concentrated. Her magic surged, and she pushed it forward, quickly filling the worm’s body. She felt everything, the deep lungs it used to breathe, the not one but several hearts that gave it life, and the complex digestive tract that not only nourished it, but empowered it. Then she felt the flames burning deeper and deeper into its layers of muscle and flesh. Cadance pushed harder, feeling the ocean of magic within get divided in two from the action, but the flames were once again extinguished.

Sweat pooled in her armor, but she pulled herself together and took in a deep breath. Newly rejuvenated, the worm sped forwards to where The Devourer of Gods was.

The smell of sulfur reached Cadance’s nose. The worm abruptly stopped, nearly causing her to fly off.

Death

They both looked around frantically. Smoke began to gather behind them from the ground, nearby trees steaming and burning as any snow in the immediate area was vaporized. Ahead of them, a dark spot lingered in the air, growing in size as shadowy wings sprouted and crooked metal creaked into view around it. With a single flap, it disconnected from whatever was anchoring it in place while the beginnings of a cloak began to wrap around the mass of smoke.

Faint memories of familiar descriptions entered Cadance’s mind. A pitch black mirror, given life and the ability to control darkness. A spectre, amorphous and full of malice. She glanced down, and the worm. Together they were the sun hunters. The servants of the Devourer.

Darkness seeped from the mirror, diverging into many black spheres, they began to orbit it in odd patterns. The wraith finished forming, a wave of whispers echoing outwards. Beads of light blinked into view, encased in a strange metal; a multitude of lanterns hovered in the air around them.

Cadance bit her lip, and looked ahead. The Devourer of Gods’ eyes remained unmoving, watching from a distance as the two sentinels surrounded them. Looks like they had to be taken care of first.

The worm growled deeply, turning back around to face the spectre, a crack of thunder sounding out in the distance. Cadance exhaled, standing upright and leaping from the worm’s back, her back hoof giving a dull throb. She banked around, facing the other assailant as she charged her horn.

A single moment of silence passed, then everything devolved into chaos. The worm disappeared from beneath her, rushing forward to engage with the wraith. Meanwhile, Cadance started forward, rolling to the side to avoid an incoming ball of dark energy.

She reflexively pulled out her sword to slash, but a sense of familiarity fell over her. She had fought something like this before, and she stopped herself. Physical objects were eaten by those things, and she did not want to get her brand new sword destroyed. Instead, Cadance pulled back, unleashing a beam of energy upon the closest sphere.

It brunted the entire attack, only cracking slightly as it moved towards her. Eyes wide, she flipped backwards and tried again, managing to pop it. Several more enclosed around her, twisting and shifting in unpredictable directions, creating a minefield in the air. Cadance dove, aiming for the largest gap between energies, but the spaces opened and closed rapidly, and even past the initial few, there was no clear safe space.

The center of it all hovered closer to her, jerking the rest of the dark energy to the side. One sphere came dangerously close to her, so she rolled to the side and blew it up with magic. This time she used much more energy, resulting in a bigger blast, one that she was right next to. The dark energy exploded, sending her careening through the air, thankfully out of the way of any other balls, but the void followed after her.

Cadance quickly regained control, orientating herself and looking around. She was still surrounded by energy, and the dark mirror hovered just out of reach, not that she could have done much to it yet anyway. She ducked to dodge an incoming orb, turning and blasting another, she continued with the motion, picking up speed and sending more magic bolts to other orbs. Not all hit, and those that did weren’t enough to shatter, only damage.

Still, progress was being made, and Cadance deftly avoided another dark energy; she could heal cuts and breaks in a matter of minutes, but she was not confident in her ability to recover from what the energy did. Another orb lay in her path, and she moved to the right to avoid it, only for it to follow her movements. Instead, she reared the Rod of Discord™ again, reappearing on the other side of it. She whipped around and blasted it, shattering it.

With the odd orbits of the energy, there was a semblance of a pattern. Groups would both diverge and converge at regular intervals, never in the same location, but always an equal distance from each other. If it wasn’t so dangerous and deadly, Cadance imagined it could be quite the spectacle. She arced a beam across a particularly dense area, breaking a few and damaging many more.

By now, most had been sufficiently damaged that she could shatter them with a single hit. Cadance could spend a few moments attacking the greater whole, then focus down any dark energy that got too close without having to worry about dodging. The skies were beginning to clear, and though they remained teal in color, they became less crowded.

The void suddenly flashed, and all the remaining dark energy shot off into the distance. It then moved over close to Cadance, and she felt the breeze begin to pick up.

It was pulling her in.

She flapped her wings, quickly increasing the distance between them, but the wind dragged her forward, and the distance was already closing. Magic surged from her horn, streaking through the air and striking the void dead center. A distinct impact sound told her that it was vulnerable now, and she kept up the attack, sending blast after blast to slam into the encased darkness. It was only when a black sphere crossed her vision that she let up.

Cadance risked a look backwards, where more dark energy was gathered, much more. The orbs were lined up in patterns, each getting pulled towards the center as well. Several trajectories crossed paths with Cadance, so she moved, weaving her way through the air while struggling to keep her distance from the void.

With all this happening, she struggled to find many openings for attack, but with a few more well placed hits, the void let up. It emitted a shower of sparkles, and all the dark energy coalesced back into it, only to split back out a moment later. The strange orbits began again, only this time the pattern was denser.

There were more of them.

Cadance sucked in a breath, and started moving again. She began to regret not training much in aerial combat, but her wings flapped hard, and the magic within her seemed to correct her movements. Yet it wasn’t perfect, and the movements of the energy certainly didn’t help. At times the orbs would chase after her, and she would shoot forward, only to fly into her path, forcing her to stop. Cadance was pushed and pulled along invisible boundaries as she desperately tried to avoid the dark energy all the while retaliating with her own attacks.

It was agonizingly slow going, especially for a fast paced fight. Cadance would attempt to focus on a singular orb, whittling it down until it broke, but the complex movements prevented her from keeping a lock on it, and it wouldn’t be long before it flew out of her effective range, replaced by two more pristine orbs. Still, the overall damage was mounting, and soon enough the energy started to drop like flies.

Until Cadance was surrounded. Relatively strong dark energy enclosed around her, preventing any easy escape. She slowed, keeping in the center of the encirclement as it oscillated and shifted, the energies flattening around her as the pattern moved. She blasted the closest one, but it remained steady, so she hit it again, and again, and again until it finally cracked and shattered.

With the rapidly dwindling opening in sight, Cadance rushed towards it, flattening out her body. It closed all too soon, and she flared her wings to stop, quickly returning to the safest place in the center. All round her, the dark energy squeezed, the gaps between each sphere becoming too small and too risky to try to slip through. That was when Cadance remembered her other option, and she pulled out the Rod of Discord™ and swung it.

In an instant she was out of the frying pan and into the fire. A storm of dark energy swarmed around her, the dark mirror at the center of it, closing in on her. She ascended initially, rolling to the right to avoid an incoming orb and diving back down as it followed her. A few blasts of magic relinquished it of its existence, and Cadance turned to another orb. This time they came in pairs, circling around her and almost bouncing off each other. She carefully slipped through the gap between them and grabbed them, something that felt incredibly odd.

They pulled at her magic, lapping hungrily at any excess that wasn’t being focused on. She didn’t hold them for long, instead choosing to smash them into each other. An action she would quickly regret. The two dark energies slammed together, and for a moment they occupied the same space. They didn’t quite merge, rather they grew in size and intensity, forming their own miniature vacuum before exploding violently, sending Cadance tumbling through the air once again.

Her vision flashed as she righted herself, and she blinked rapidly to try and clear it. A dark blur entered her sight, and she leaned to the side to avoid it, only to sail directly into another one. She barely had any time to react as she stopped herself, but it wasn’t enough.

Her entire right leg sunk into the energy. Cadance gasped in surprise, which quickly turned into a scream as white hot pain immediately enveloped her arm. She reached over to try and brace herself against the energy but stopped, gravity seemed to flip for a moment, and she used that to wrench her arm free and pull back.

As she suspected, the armor around her hoof was gone, eaten away by the darkness within. Her leg however… was at least still there, albeit partially disintegrated. Patches of fur and skin looked to have been carved away, with deeper holes in the flesh beginning to drip blood. There wasn’t any damage to the tissue, just that parts of it were simply gone, and now the body was reacting to that.

This time Cadance couldn’t stop herself, bile rising in the back of her throat and filling her mouth. She just barely prevented herself from filling her helmet with vomit, and for a split second she debated whether to try and swallow it back down or try and take off her helmet mid battle.

That line of thinking jolted her into action, and she flapped her wings hard to get back up to speed. Dark energy still faced her from all sides, though most if not all of them were damaged. With her mouth still full, Cadance went about clearing the rest of the energy before continuing, the wounds along her leg already closing.

Similar to before, once enough of the energy was destroyed, the void in the center flashed, sending all the remaining orbs flying outwards. Cadance watched where they ended up for a moment, then quickly focused back on the void.

It had moved directly below her, and was beginning to suck her in again. That, compounded with gravity meant that Cadance was rapidly approaching unending darkness, no matter how hard she flapped her wings. She gulped, choking down some vomit and sending a bit through her nose. Wincing, she angled forwards to try and at least get to the side of the void, but it was then that the dark energy returned.

Giant spheres of black plasma shot past her vision, quickly being absorbed back into the void. Cadance didn’t have time to ponder the action, and as she dodged left and right, she failed to move forward. The downward pull tugged at her body, her armor sagged and her hair fell flat, her wings struggled to lift and the heavy breeze certainly didn’t help. She couldn’t even call for help. With her mouth effectively blocked and the worm busy with its own fight, it was do or die.

Looking up, the remaining orbs swirled in the air, waiting to return to their origin, but there were none above her, she was in the clear for the moment. Cadance turned and unleashed a beam of pure magic, leaning heavily into the recoil. The lance of pure energy slammed into the void’s casing, causing a multitude of cracks to form in the glass and the metal to glow orange with heat. It began to sag and deform from the unrelenting attack, and in only a few moments it yielded, puffing out more dust and sparkles.

Cadance only had a moment of respite before things began again. Countless orbs of dark energy filtered from the void, swirling and swaying in a dense pattern. It grew in size, quickly circling around to encapsulate her. She steeled herself, this fight was getting exponentially harder, but the dark mirror looked to be standing on its last legs, and one more large attack would be enough to hopefully defeat it once and for all. Provided she could get through the swarm of energy first. The one that was already closing in around her.

A distant screech reached her ears, and Cadance turned to look back. A fair distance away, the worm was fighting with the other entity, unleashing a variety of attacks, from ice to wind to water to lightning and fire, even going as far as to engage in melee combat. All to little effect, as the spectre twisted and turned unnaturally, disappearing and reappearing around the worm, taking only glancing blows. Though its robe looked more tattered, with smoke pouring out of puncture holes and cuts.

The worm showed much more damage, with many, many cuts lining its body, a steady trickle of purple blood flowing from each one. There was almost a pattern to them: lines trailing along flesh, specifically running between armor plates. It was hard to tell, but none of the cuts looked to be deep, only shallow slashes that most likely caused the worm quite a lot of pain.

It was being toyed with.

Cadance dove out of the way of an incoming orb, managing to gain more distance from the void at the center. Ripping off her helmet, she spit the rest of the puke out and gagged, then she inhaled deeply and whistled a single, low tone. The worm whipped around to look at her, immediately disengaging with the wraith and racing over. With that done, Cadance turned and blasted a few orbs that were getting too close.

A flurry of lightning bolts accented her attack, and several more dark energies were destroyed, signaling the arrival of the worm. It was breathing hard, a slight growl trailing after each breath, electricity crackled between its mandibles, and it had to wrench its view away from their attackers just to look at her.

“Can we switch?” Cadance asked, spitting more of the sour taste out of her mouth. “It seems like you’d do better here and…” She looked at the approaching servants, the void was more or less aimless, while the spectre moved towards them slowly, clearly trying to draw this out. “Whatever, maybe we can try fighting them together.”

The worm gave a single click between its growls, and surged towards the void, a wave of lightning following suit. Several more orbs were destroyed, which left Cadance with a clear view of the wraith as it approached. She hastily refastened her helmet and gathered some distance from the other fight.

The scent of sulfur reached her nose, overpowering the sour smell that now resided in her helmet. Cadance inhaled slowly, drawing her sword. Once they were close enough they began to circle each other slowly. She didn’t dare take her eyes off of the wraith, while it simply stared through her, its six eyes unmoving from within the hood. Its cloak billowed with smoke, bulging out in all the wrong places as something shifted inside. Odd lanterns hung in the air around them, more apparating around them every second.

Cadance didn’t know what it was, what it could do, or what compelled it to be here. But she did know who it was, and more importantly what it had done.

“Payback,” She muttered, angling her sword between them.

She moved first, thrusting forward with a downward slash. The wraith did nothing to avoid the blow, simply letting the sword sink into its cloak. The smallest of tears appeared in the fabric, smoke billowing out as it warped and shifted. Cadance readied another strike, but jumped back as a tentacle shot out of the hole, several more sprouting from other openings. The entire head portion of the cloak was replaced with a writhing mass of tendrils, each one tipped with jagged blades. A crooked mouth appeared within the lower folds, just below the crescent clasp.

Cadance watched in shock at the transformation, but readied herself all the same. Not a moment later the tentacles twirled and whipped, launching curved blades in her direction. She dropped, letting the projectiles pass over without much issue, only for another wave to come after her. Cadance flapped her wings, banking over to the side and rotating around the spectre. It hardly tracked her movements, more in favor of just filling the air with spinning blades.

As she dodged and weaved, the lanterns around them shifted. Those that were closer to her began to drift towards her, gaining speed until they were trailing behind her every move. The flickering flames inside remained unaffected by the high speeds, and as the distance between them closed, Cadance turned and brought her sword down upon the closed one. Her blade cleaved through the metal, causing the whole thing to snap in half, the flame inside immediately going out. The two halves then dropped, falling through the air before simply fading away.

The lanterns were certainly easier to take care of than the dark energy, but Cadance still didn’t tempt letting them touch her. It was then that a spinning blade shot past her vision, followed by several more. She immediately dove, feeling the edge of one clip her tail.

Death

With a shudder, Cadance looked around frantically, the attack had come from the complete opposite direction of the spectre, and looking over revealed more waiting to intercept her. Or rather, return, as several blades were still flying away, only for them to arc back and reorient themselves with her path again. An interesting attack, one that Cadance was quick to exploit, she immediately doubled back around, making sure to place herself between the blades and the spectre. Just as before, they came in waves, some more easily avoided than others, but eventually she was in the clear, with multiple blades flying straight towards the spectre instead.

Much to her disappointment, they were easily caught by its tentacles, which quickly retracted back into the cloak. Six purple eyes glared at her from beneath the hood, and the spectre disappeared. Cadance didn’t have time to wonder where it went, as several more lanterns were closing in on her.

She flipped around, smashing the first with her sword and dodging the second. The third met the bite of her blade, with the fourth following suit not long after. As the second reared around for another go, Cadance turned and blasted it, destroying it. Not a moment later did the wraith apparate above her, two glowing rings of energy separating from it. They each approached, the rings following her much more aggressively than the lanterns.

Cadance dove, quickly gaining distance as she slung her own bolts back. Those that impacted the rings didn’t do much, just causing them to swell in size as they tailed her. The bolts that hit the spectre however hit hard, creating large dents in its cloak and causing it to hesitate a little. Then it disappeared again, reappearing off to the side ahead of Cadance. Two more rings diverged from the residual energy.

Turning, Cadance began picking up speed as the rings followed her relentlessly. The first two had grown large enough for her to fit through the hole in the center, not that she would try to, as they collapsed in on themselves, exploding a moment later. In the wake of the smoke and sparkles, the other two rings approached rapidly, trailed by a few more lanterns, and with another teleport from the wraith, two more rings.

On a straight path, the rings gained speed much faster than Cadance did, so she rolled to the side, continuing into the turn while doing her best to keep the mines off her tail. Two were already increasing in size, bumping into each other at regular intervals. That did nothing to diminish their speed, but it certainly helped her avoid them when she turned.

Two more explosions, which left only two more rings, plus a number of lanterns. Instead, Cadance turned her attention back towards the wraith, pummeling it with bolt after bolt of magic. As fun as it was to watch the fabric of its cloak bulge and deform, Cadance knew it wasn’t her that was causing it. The spectre’s eyes warbled, and its hood warped and opened, a gaping maw taking its place.

With newfound speed, it charged towards Cadance. She barely had enough time to adjust her course as the last rings exploded, glowing teeth snapping at where she once was. She flew through the smoke, bringing her sword around and releasing a few slashes upon the back of the wraith’s cloak. It was upon her in an instant, whipping around and gnashing its teeth at her. Cadance just barely managed to avoid it clamping down on her wing, then her leg, even her whole head as it pushed forward ferociously.

With such an offense, it was hard to find any opportunities to strike, but Cadance managed to find purchase along its mouth, or catch the edges of its cloak every now and then. She continued to back up, focusing entirely on what was happening in front of her. More of the strange lanterns began to enter the sides of her view, but went ignored as Cadance defended herself. It was only when some drifted glaringly close that she decided to break away.

The wraith lunged forward, but Cadance was ready for it, she dove to the left and retaliated with another slash, opening up a larger hole in the fabric. Then she noticed the mass of lanterns behind her, each one picking up speed as they drew closer. With a deep breath, she pulled her sword close and readied herself.

The first lantern entered her range, and she cut it in two. The next two were taken in one fell swoop, but before the fourth could arrive, the spectre took its place. Cadance brought her sabre up and deflected the bite, the blade grinding against the needle-like teeth. The spectre surged past her, allowing her a moment to destroy a few more lanterns before turning to face it again. It lunged once more, but Cadance kept her sword between them, using it as a barrier.

A few more pokes and stabs, and the wraith pulled away, its maw receding back into the hood, teeth returning to eyes. Cadance rushed forward to slash it again, but before she could even complete the swing the wraith was gone.

It appeared above her, more rings of energy forming around it. They quickly gave chase, and Cadance was on the move again, alternating between attacking the spectre wherever it appeared, avoiding the incoming mines, and clearing out the lanterns that permeated the air.

Explosions littered the area around them, with minor pops and crackles coming from the destroyed lantern’s dying flames. It didn’t take long for the wraith to shift again, its grotesque mouth pushing out of the hood once more. Before Cadance could even dodge out of the way, a line of lanterns entered her vision, much closer than she would have expected. Like every other time, the first one fell easily, but with the wraith rapidly approaching from behind, Cadance decided to take her chances with the lanterns.

She pushed through a small gap in the center of the formation, only for one to slam into her side.

With all the mystical and otherworldly happenings as of late, it was a bit jarring to just be bludgeoned like that. That certainly didn’t mean it didn’t hurt, as the lantern had an ethereal weight to it, and it most definitely cracked a few bones. Pain lit up her entire left side, and Cadance was knocked out of the air. She desperately tried to right herself, but her left shoulder refused to move with her wings as she tumbled.

It took a bit of coaxing, but she was eventually able to even herself out, wincing at the newfound strain. She brought her left leg up to her chest, several parts of her shoulder popping and grinding as the joint moved. Looking back, the wraith was still after her, keeping pace with her every move, nipping at her heels.

They neared the ground, and Cadance sheathed her sword, instead bringing out the Rod of Discord™. With a single wave, her vision flickered, and she was behind the wraith as it bit down right where she once was. Flaring her wings, she slowed down enough to hover, then back up as the spectre turned to face her again.

Her horn flashed, and a nearby tree was ripped out of the ground, a spray of dirt and snow following in its wake. In a single movement, it was brought between them as the wraith lunged forwards. It clamped down hard on the trunk, easily biting through it. The log that was left in its mouth burst into pink flame, turning the once brown bark into a dull grey. With another flex of its jaw, the log crumbled to dust, and the wraith pressed onwards.

Cadance was ready for it, unleashing a flurry of blows upon its head with her sword, carving away chunks and patches of cloth all the while blasting it with the occasional bolt of magic. A single tooth came loose, which quickly dissipated into smoke. The wraith growled, and its mouth disappeared back under its now tattered hood, a mess of tentacles taking its place. Cadance continued backward, slashing through another lantern as she gained distance, a hail of blades following in her wake.

Ducking down, she soared just above the ground, watching as the curved blades embedded into the snow, only to wiggle a bit, then launch back towards her with fervor. Then they curved away, carried by the wind as it began to pick up. Cadance’s mane flew into her view, and the smoke billowing from the wraith began to flow in a single direction.

They both looked up, watching as countless orbs of darkness were absorbed by the dark void. The worm was among them, expertly dodging each one while not only keeping its distance, but gaining it as well, even as the wind near Cadance turned violent.

A scythe sank into her flank, causing her to gasp out.

Death

She couldn’t focus on her injury right now however, as the pull of the void was ever present, and ever increasing. By now the snow on the ground was being picked up, with the first layer of topsoil following soon after. Twigs and branches were lifted into the air, with the stray forest critter being taken along with them. Cadance flapped her wings hard, managing to stay stationary in the air. At the very least she didn’t have to dodge incoming orbs.

The wraith, although it was glaring at her, was too busy with its own escape to try and attack her. More and more smoke appeared to be pulled out of it, funneling all the way to the void. It shifted several times, alternating between a mix of flying away and teleporting, the lanterns that appeared around it simply being pulled away.

The suction grew stronger, and Cadance looked back as she started losing ground. Two cones had formed above and below the void, one made of snow, dirt, and other particles from the ground, the other from the storm clouds above. They crackled with electricity, surging every single volt downwards. Even from a distance, Cadance could tell the void was barely holding together. The metal casing around it shuddered, threatening to give way and collapse, a spiderweb of cracks interrupted the perfect dark in the center, and its wings of shadow flickered as they flapped, barely holding the thing aloft.

There was never a point where Cadance felt tired, the massive amount of energy within her keeping her active, yet she just wasn’t fast enough to escape the void’s pull. Soon enough she was being pulled back faster than she could flap, and even with a few cautionary swings of the Rod of Discord™, there was no progress being made. Trees began to bend and sway in the wind, with some being uprooted entirely, all approaching the unstable black hole in the sky. Even the worm appeared to be struggling, where once it excelled in flying away, it was now only holding its ground, and looked to be struggling just to do so.

After nearly a minute of this, Cadance felt the blade in her flesh slip out, flying towards unknown oblivion. Blood was leached from the wound, flowing in a thin stream along with lines of smoke from the wraith, and more blood from the worm. The pull grew stronger ever still, steadily increasing as time went on. The wind threatened to knock Cadance off balance, push her back, send her tumbling through the air. Through pain and strain she held steady, even as she was pulled further and further back. The last time this happened, the effect had lasted under a minute, now they were reaching for two.

They wouldn’t last much longer.

Cadance turned to face it, immediately getting pulled closer as she adjusted her wings. Charging her horn, she fired another beam straight towards the center, only for it to simply reflect off. The glass then shattered, and the metal casing collapsed in on itself. It exploded, creating a giant cloud of dust before a flash of light carved out a large sphere in the center of it. Then it was just gone, the suction immediately stopped, and the air flow normalized, pulling the dust back inwards in swirls and curves. The storm clouds rose back into the sky, while a gigantic pile of dust and snow began to settle on the now exposed bedrock below.

Cadance landed hard on the barren ground, a flash of pain lighting up her shoulder, which quickly magnified as it popped back into place. Bones clicked together like pieces of a puzzle, and she suppressed a gag as she looked around. The entire forest around her had been picked clean of anything loose. The trees that remained in the ground had their branches pulled upwards, and there was a distinct lack of snow anywhere nearby.

Looking ahead, she noticed the hill where the others resided, which thankfully still had some snow on it, though one of the trees had tipped over. The faintest flash of blue and purple was visible on the embankment, and there was movement of white among the snow. Cadance sighed in relief, and took off again to begin flying over.

A tentacle wrapped around her lag, slamming her back down to the ground. She yelled out, rolling across the dirt and facing up. The wraith hovered above her, several bladed tentacles pointed down at her, ready to strike. A crooked smile flashed within the lower folds of the cloak, and several more snaked around to hold her arms and legs.

Cadance flashed her horn to attack, but the spectre was quicker. It brought a single tendril down to the base of her neck, the blade pressing into her armor. It then tilted it, dragging the tip of it down across her chest, easily ripping through the rubber but getting caught on the crystal plates. Still it continued, tearing a hole in the armor and digging into her skin. Blood began to pour from the wound, and Cadance grunted and struggled, desperately trying to find a way out.

She gripped the Rod of Discord™ in her magic, but before she could swing it the blade pushed deeper, hitting one of her ribs. She let out a muffled cry, doing her best not to inhale in the slightest. The tentacle twisted, lining up the blade with her other ribs, ready to push deeper at a moment’s notice.

Whispering laughs echoed out.

Death

Death

Death…

Slowly, ever so slowly, the blade lowered. Cadance could feel it gradually cutting through her flesh, spreading her ribs apart, and coming dangerously close to her lung, which lay just in front of her heart.

A screech came from off to the side, followed by the crack of thunder. The tentacle jolted to the side, knocking into her sternum. Cadance rolled with it, using it as leverage to force the blade out of her body. Not even a moment later the worm slammed into the side of the wraith, knocking it away from her and carrying it back into the sky.

Cadance finally breathed, clutching her chest as pain lit up her ribs with each inhale and exhale. The wound was already healing, but it would still take some time, a steady stream of blood pouring from the hole in her chest. She began to feel light-headed, but couldn’t tell if it was from blood loss, over exertion, or just the near-death experience she just had. Either way she slowly stood, several parts of her armor dangling uselessly from her body.

Looked up, the worm continued to thrash the wraith around, pounding it with bolt after bolt of lightning. It, in turn, repeatedly stabbed around the worm’s neck and head with its tentacles, puncturing its armor and digging deep into its flesh. Cadance stumbled forward and flared her wings, but then the wraith teleported, disappearing out of the worm’s grasp and reappearing behind it. The two mines that came with it flying towards the worm and exploding along its tail.

Another screech, and the worm turned around to strike, but it was already gone. By the time Cadance got her bearings it was above her, and she immediately took off, just barely missing the incoming rings of energy. She flew over to the worm, listening for the sound of two explosions before turning around as well.

Together they faced the spectre, while it just stared at them, unmoving. They were all hurt, the worm had all of its cuts from earlier, which looked to have barely scabbed over, along with a few patches of holed flesh and the multitude of new stabs. Cadance was looking the best out of all of them, with her most recent injury already clotted and closing, leaving just a streak of bare skin along her chest. Internally however, her magic reserves were dwindling, and even though some had recharged throughout the fight, any more drastic actions would leave her spent.

The wraith… was difficult to tell. Its cloak was lined with tatters, with a couple of larger holes opened up along its sides. Smoke poured from each one, filling the air with the scent of sulfur, but it was hard to tell if it was actually injured. The only giveaway being that its eyes were now slightly askew.

During this time, Cadance noticed one thing. The hill was behind the wraith, and well within the combat zone, especially if the fighting continued the way it was. She only glanced at it for a moment, but that was enough. The wraith followed her vision, its own eyes landing on the hill behind it.

Then it was gone, reappearing just above it.

“NO!” Cadance screamed, and she rushed forward,

The worm immediately outpaced her, but with a flash of chaotic magic, she was closer. They both raced through the air, aiming directly at the spectre. It took less than a second to close the distance, but in that time the spectre was already reaching for one of the others. Cadance charged forwards, drawing her sword and slicing straight through the offending tendril. It dropped, fizzling into smoke a moment later.

She then turned and thrusted her sword straight into the depths of the cloak. It pushed back like rubber, but she pierced something, so she turned the blade up and pushed, snagging the clasp and breaking it.

The cloak fell open, and Cadance had the foresight to avert her gaze. An unholy shriek filled the air, a mass of writhing tentacles lingering on the edge of her vision. The scent of sulfur became overpowering, and harsh whispers echoed around them.

“You will die!” The wraith roared, “And I will relish in erasing every last memory of you!”

With a final exhale, smoke flooded the area, and what remained of the cloak fell limp, drifting down in the slight breeze. The others stepped away as it settled on the ground, fizzling and burning away. Twilight just kicked some snow onto it, watching as it melted and boiled.

“That was…” Princess Luna began, “Quite the spectacle.”

“It’s not over yet.” Cadance said, “Speaking of…”

The sky turned purple, a massive form reappearing on the horizon.

“Gotta go, stay safe!” She finished,

“The same goes for you,” Princess Celestia called after her, but she was already gone.

They all watched as Cadance and the worm rushed towards its master. Though they initially travelled together; Cadance riding on top of the worm, they quickly split as they drew near. It didn’t take long for flashes of light to fill the air, beams, bolts, lasers, fire, and lightning clearly illuminated the battle as it raged in the distance, even as more storm clouds gathered overhead.

“This is hard to watch.” Twilight said,

“You do not have to do so.” Princess Luna stated,

“I-” Twilight fell silent.

With a sigh, Princess Luna tore her gaze away from the ongoing fight. “I will admit this is stressful. Never in my life have I ever seen a foe such as this, and to watch Cadance, our one hope against it, struggle this hard is difficult.”

Twilight looked at her with a worried expression,

“But we have to have faith in her. I doubt the damage we saw on her armor was just superficial, I am at least glad our magic allows her to survive such mortal wounds.”

“It is not enough…” Princess Celestia muttered, not taking her eyes off the distant fight, “It never was.”

Princess Luna frowned at her, “They have gotten this far, have they not? And I know Cadance is not one to give up so easily.”

“This far.” Princess Celestia repeated, she gave a weak snort. “This whole thing has been a test. That… thing has been testing them, and they have only made it this far. They will not make it much further.” She hung her head, “We should have given them more.”

“Sister,” Princess Luna began, “We have given everything we realistically could have. Sure we could have used all the magic in Equestria, but in the time we had there would have been no way to acquire it all, and it would have taken more than one hundred unicorns just to make a difference. There is nothing else to give.”

Princess Celestia inhaled deeply, “That is where you are wrong, sister.”

She opened her eyes, bright, yellow flame bursting out of them. Her mane began to move again, gathering energy before it too burst into flames. Nearby snow began to melt, and a great deal of light began to emanate from her. Twilight stood in awe, while Princess Luna quickly stepped in front of her sister.

“Sister?” She began, “What are you doing?”

“In order to prevail we must be willing to sacrifice everything.”

“Please tell me you are not- Please think about what you are doing!”

“I have, Luna.”

“But this is dangerous, there is no telling what could happen if things go wrong!”

“And the alternative?!” Princess Celestia shot back,

Princess Luna shrank a bit, but held her ground, “Please think about yourself, sister, think about what this could do to you.”

“You said it yourself, there is no room for selfishness.”

With that, foreign magic enveloped Princess Celestia, and a bright flash of light shot out of her horn. The others covered their eyes, watching as the trees on the hill started to shift and bow. Trunks raised, roots pulling from the ground, stones and rocks brought up with them. Another flash of light, and all the pine needles fizzled away, leaving just blazing wood. Each tree split, the wood curving down and weaving itself through the unearthed stone. Bright veins of energy bulged out of the bark, seeping into the rock and turning it a light brown.

Three forms ignited with the same bright, yellow flame, and they wrenched themselves from the ground, raising up into the air. Iridescent crystals grew out of the first, the most prominent setting itself in the center. The second assembled a bulwark of solar stone, protecting from all but the most piercing attacks. Finally, the third spouted a deadly spike, dripping with energy.

Princess Luna and Twilight took several steps back as they began to radiate an intense heat. Princess Celestia just stood in the center of it as they began to circle her. She inhaled and exhaled deeply, her blazing mane flickering ever so slightly.

“Go,” She said, her voice carrying a new weight, “Extinguish the invader and protect our champion.”

And they were off, leaving a trail of melted snow in their wake.

“What…” Twilight began, “Was that?!”

“Guardians.” Princess Celestia breathed, roots of her own snaking up her legs, carrying small rocks and pieces of stone.

“They come from another world,” Princess Luna added, “And are incredibly dangerous.”

“But that’s good, right? They’ll help in the fight?”

“For now…” Princess Celestia grunted, her previous peytral snapping off as the beginnings of a new one formed underneath.

“The cons heavily outweigh the pros. They are not hers to control, and should they find that out...”

“They will not.” Princess Celestia interrupted, “There is only one thing that cannot find out about this, and they get closer to doing so every second this flame burns.”

The roots finished around her neck, spreading to other parts of her body. Another iridescent crystal formed at the center, it shined brightly.

“Oh,” Twilight said, “So they need to hurry it along?”

“You make it sound so easy.”

Cadance heaved, dragging another beam of energy across The Devourer of Gods’ body. An array of lightning bolts followed in her wake, leaving faint scorch marks in the metal. The magic within her was reaching its limit, threatening to give out with every attack. Yet she continued, for without it, she didn’t have a way to deal damage effectively.

The Devourer of Gods was tough, but with their combined attacks it was beginning to look a bit battered and beaten. It fought back relentlessly, filling the air with lasers and charging at whoever was closest. Between the two of them, it seemed to focus on Cadance the most.

That was until three more combatants entered the fray, immediately attacking the larger worm. They held a tight formation, the one with crystals and the one with thicker armor circled the third, each letting loose their own sets of attacks in order. As the blaze of flares and fires impacted along The Devourer of Gods, it let out a deep roar.

“So the light of Providence reaches here too? No matter, you will all fall before me.”

The sky turned black, shrouding the area in darkness. Only the periodic flashes of lightning and the bright glow from the guardians provided any light. Amidst them, the highlights of The Devourer of Gods surged downwards, disappearing beneath the earth a moment later. That gave Cadance time to regroup with the worm, and more importantly figure out just what their new allies were, if they could even be considered as such.

The three of them stood unwavering in the storm, great bouts of steam rising from the flames as countless raindrops vaporized around them. In the center of the formation, surrounded by a shield of fire, was an odd figure made of brown stone. Pulsing roots interlaced its body, and it was ablaze with yellow flame, a ball of light acted as a head, with a circle in the center serving as an eye. A spike jutted from its chest, and it watched the ground intently for any movement in the dark.

The others retained similar forms, with another flaming shield encapsulating the more armored of the three. A field of brownish rocks orbited it as it stuck close to the first, protecting them both. The only one without any form of protection was the one with crystals, as it hovered out in the open, though it still remained on the edge of the others.

The worm growled deeply when it saw them, and the rainfall began to increase considerably.

“You know them?” Cadance asked, “Are they good or bad?”

Before it could answer, the crystalline one turned to look at them. Though its wings of fire beat smoothly, the rest of its movements were almost robotic. The large crystal centered in its chest shined brightly, and two great streams of light shot towards them. Cadance reacted, and so did the worm, she dove to the side as it screeched, but the light followed their every move, moving much faster than they could.

It struck Cadance in the chest, and the worm atop its head. A great wave of heat washed over her, as if she had just stepped outside on a hot day, but after it subsided she felt… fine, good even. The dull aches and pains that remained from her injuries disappeared, and the wound on her chest finished healing in an instant, smoothing over as if it was never there at all. Looking towards the worm, a similar reaction took place, cuts thinned, stabs shallowed, and patches filled out. There was too much damage to mend all of it, but the worm was in significantly better standing than it once was.

It gave a puzzled click mixed with a growl.

“They’re here to help,” Cadance realized,

Lines traced the sky, congregating more around the guardians. Cadance welcomed the respite, watching as their formation tightened, when the lasers came, the orbiting rocks moved to intercept most, and those that broke through were simply absorbed by the shields. The crystal guardian remained undefended however, and it was hit hard; cracks beginning to line its body. Pink flames washed over its form, but with a flash of light they were repelled, the yellow fire beneath flickering slightly.

Cadance wasn’t an expert on tactics, but leaving your support vulnerable like that seemed… easily exploitable. There wasn’t time to discuss the issue however, as The Devourer of Gods burst from the ground once more, rocketing upwards to meet them. Cadance took her seat atop the worm, and together they moved, racing into the storm with The Devourer of Gods right behind them, the guardians following suit a moment later.

Clouds enveloped their vision, a dark fog that reduced it to only a few meters in every direction. Lightning flashed in the distance, periodically giving depth and contrast in the storm, but it was never enough to see clearly. Rain pattered against Cadance’s armor, quickly seeping into any cuts and openings that were made. Her goggles at least kept her eyes clear, and she peered around rapidly to try and get a bearing. The worm just sped ahead, twisting and turning at random intervals, yet never completely doubling back.

Cadance soon saw why.

Through the thick precipitation of the storm, four glowing eyes followed their every move, hovering just on the edge of their vision. They never gained nor fell back, preferring to simply keep pace with them. Turning slightly, Cadance prepared herself, now that she wasn’t healing from an injury, wasn’t expelling any fire, or wasn’t attacking whenever she could, the magic within her was surging, refilling much faster than it was before.

She focused, feeling the air crackle around her as her own arcs of electricity danced around. As soon as she felt it finish, she fired, unleashing a torrent of magic backwards. The pure, uninterrupted beam collided with the face in the storm, and as the worm ducked and weaved, Cadance fought to keep it centered.

One second.

Two seconds.

Three seconds.

Five seconds.

Ten seconds of continuous fire, and a roar echoed throughout the storm. The eyes turned away, but Cadance kept up the attack until they were well out of view. Once she stopped, she reeled, breathing heavily as the heat from her horn threatened to melt the rubber atop her head. It didn’t take long for more lasers to intersect their path, but they were easily outpaced as the worm refused to slow down.

It banked around the storm, eyes wide and observant. Cadance did much of the same, but even after several seconds, things remained eerily quiet even as the storm raged on. The worm suddenly jerked to the left, and Cadance tumbled to the side, barely keeping her grip. Not a moment later The Devourer of Gods shot through the clouds, an inferno of flame trailing behind. A golden glow began to shine through the storm, and a beam of light pierced the darkness, arcing across the now visible shadow above them.

Another roar sounded out, and as the light faded The Devourer of Gods’ shadow turned around and charged back down. The worm tilted up in response, steering clear of the attack as it continued away from them.

The distinct sound of something shattering met their ears.

“Do you know where it is?!” Cadance asked, shouting over the storm,

The worm gave a series of clicks, its eyes focused on something else entirely.

“Show me!”

It grunted, and several flashes of lightning shined through the clouds, illuminating a distant figure. Cadance squinted, the brief line of sight quickly obscured again.

“Let’s go!”

The worm clicked worriedly, but still began heading in the general direction. Sparkles lingered in the air as they traveled, beads of yellow light, faint embers in the wind that refused to die out in the pressing rain. Cadance looked at them solemnly, one of the guardians had fallen, and she had a pretty good guess as to which one.

Another flash of lightning lit up the storm, and The Devourer of Gods’ shadow was closer, along with two other figures. Stray attacks began to pierce through the clouds, the blue lasers from The Devourer of Gods, then floating boulders and sourceless fire from the rest of the guardians. When Cadance and the worm entered the battlefield, all the attacks shifted around them. Flames shied away, while the rocks would temporarily circle them during their orbits. On the other end, countless lines traced themselves to their position, the lasers following not long after.

Cadance jumped from atop the worm, coiling around a laser and sending a few blasts of her own at The Devourer of Gods. The worm disengaged, flanking off to the side as several lightning bolts struck out of the storm. The armored guardian flashed, chunks of rock freezing in place around it, they began to spin, picking up speed as they were sent careening upwards, dozens of flames following in their wake.

The Devourer of Gods simply charged through them, absorbing the impacts without a second thought. It struck the armored guardian dead center, completely obliterating it and continuing straight towards Cadance as she flew. Eyes wide, she flapped her wings, jumping back just in time for a near miss. The Devourer of Gods then turned around, ready to snap back at her. She pulled out the Rod of Discord™ and swung it, reappearing higher in the air. Another miss, but Cadance didn’t have enough time to react as The Devourer of Gods doubled back again.

Rolling to the side, she drew her sword, ready to plunge it into the slower moving segments below. Another violent clash, her blade met the damaged metal, and actually managed to bend it out of shape and scratch mechanisms below.

“Ha!” Was all Cadance said before she was on the move again.

The Devourer of Gods was quickly closing in, its turns becoming tighter and its movement becoming smarter. Cadance flipped through the air, struggling to gain any distance, and sometimes coming within inches of the giant worm’s awaiting maw. She used her blade to deflect glancing blows, once again using it as a barrier between her and her attacker, yet she continued to dodge. Her sword was made from the remnants of a nigh impenetrable armor, yet somehow she doubted it would survive a direct attack.

More lasers pinpointed on her position, and she didn’t have time to look for a suitable opening. The Devourer of Gods pressed her harder, and she tried desperately to move in the direction that looked the least dense. A wave of heat washed over her, and for a moment Cadance thought she was in the clear, until a laser pierced her wing, immediately disintegrating her feathers and setting her entire right side ablaze.

She yelled out, and simply dropped, The Devourer of Gods readily following behind.

A sinister laugh filled the air, though Cadance could only catch glimpses as she flailed. Every turn in the air showed giant mandibles getting closer, closer to killing her, closer to winning the fight. Cadance controlled her breathing, stabilizing herself with her legs. She could ignore the burning pain along her side if it meant not dying, so she turned to face The Devourer of Gods, enveloped herself in a shield, and unleashed every last bit of her magic

A delightfully colorful explosion lit up the storm, visible from even the Crystal Empire. Water was vaporized, clouds were parted, and nearby allies were most definitely caught as collateral, but the center of the blast was the most powerful, and only two beings were close to that point.

Cadance fell through the air, her vision quickly fading to black. She barely registered landing hard on something smooth, only to immediately slip off a moment later. Air rushed past her ears once more, she could feel it, yet she couldn’t hear it, only a high pitched whining that never changed tone. Something solid caught her again, coiling around her for a more secure hold.

It was damp, slick even, but undoubtedly warm. Cadance found herself snuggling up to it, even as several protrusions got in her way. They began to move, slowly at first, but picking up speed with every second, resulting in a nice rocking motion. Cadance smiled, relishing in the extreme comfort that she was feeling.

A new feeling began to rise up in her. The trickle of magic, completely familiar, yet unfamiliar with just how much there was. It pulsed throughout her body, congregating along her right side, and the top of her head. Like a heartbeat, it made her feel like she was holding her breath, yet she was breathing just fine, even through her helmet.

Helmet…

Why was she wearing a helmet? Cadance blinked, crossing her eyes, though still blurry, she became keenly aware of the light blue goggles that encapsulated her eyes.

That wasn’t normal. Something was wrong.

Her breathing quickened, and she blinked more to clear her vision. Barely illuminated clouds passed by overhead, and she frowned. Sitting up into a better position, Cadance looked around. She was wrapped up in one of the worm’s coils, shifting from side to side as it flew away awkwardly. A look backwards revealed a storm cleaved in two, another giant worm flying high in the darkened sky, and a glowing figure trailing behind it.

“Oh…” Cadance mumbled, “Oh.” She said, “Oh!” She realized,

She grabbed her head and shook it, only to stop and watch as ash dropped into view. Looking up, there was nothing where there should have been, and reaching up to feel, something crumbled at her touch. A flash of pain pierced her skull, and she groaned, pulling her hoof down to look. A black streak was smeared across it.

She definitely burnt herself out with that last attack.

Planting her hooves on the worm, she twisted to check her side. It was no longer on fire, but a huge patch of seared flesh awaited her, travelling from her midsection to the base of her wing. Speaking of, her wing was almost completely bare, with only a few shafts left, with more poking through every second.

Cadance blinked, watching as the tips of pink feathers pushed out of the fully formed shafts. They were regrowing, already, and rapidly. She had a much harder time looking away from the process, it was completely different from the previous injuries she had healed, and not to mention incredibly itchy.

Surely the same must be happening to her horn?

Looking up, Cadance was given no indication besides another dusting of ash.

The worm twisted, barely managing to avoid an array of lasers. Cadance clutched the coils as they shifted, and leaned forward when things evened out.

“Hey!” She called out, pausing as her own voice failed to reach her ears.

She was deaf. At least for the moment.

Still, her voice was heard, and the worm slowed a bit, allowing her to climb into her usual spot. Checking her armor, Cadance noted an empty scabbard, and a damaged Rod of Discord™: the entire lower handle being burnt away, leaving it to dangle oddly at her side. She quickly grabbed it, clutching it close so it wouldn’t fall.

Another look back revealed The Devourer of Gods was closer, though as the worm began to pick up speed again they matched its pace. Behind it, the remaining guardian followed relentlessly, sending blazing spears after it, only a few impacting its tail.

The Devourer of Gods though, was fine. After a point-blank explosion to the face, Cadance was disappointed to find it was only partially damaged, and very much still alive. At the very least its mouth was hurt, with only bare pincers remaining, and very real blood dripping from its mandibles.

At least she hoped it was its blood.

It was the same color as the worm’s blood, and it looked to be doing just fine. Cadance was out of commission though, and only time would tell if she could return to the fight. By now her secondary feathers had finished forming, and her primaries were quickly nearing completion. At least she could act as a distraction so the others could keep up their attacks.

Tapping the side of the worm, Cadance leaned down again, “C’mon, let’s finish this.”

She could only imagine its reply, and it slowly turned back around, the beginnings of an electric charge gathering around its mandibles. Cadance only felt it in one leg, and was glad to know her armor would have worked if it wasn’t so damaged.

Once again they faced The Devourer of Gods, and this time it didn’t disappear. Both sides began picking up speed, weaving through the air on a collision course with each other. The worm was fast, but The Devourer of Gods was faster, and they were looking to meet much sooner than Cadance would’ve liked. The wind shifted, quickly turning from a speedy breeze to all out turbulent, and it didn’t take long for a multitude of tornadoes to form.

Cadance struggled to keep her grip in the high winds, but watched as several tornadoes pressed up against The Devourer of Gods, the razor air grinding against its armor. But that was all it did, grind against its armor, it didn’t stop it, or even slow it down, and it certainly didn’t damage it in any meaningful way.

With a screech, the worm flipped, throwing Cadance off of it. She barely had time to extend her newly formed wing as the two worm’s collided mid air. Their jaws locked for a second, then they fell apart as the worm crumpled from the force. It was as if it had collided with an immovable object, though to its credit, The Devourer of Gods did slow down and veer off course.

“No!” Cadance cried out,

The worm fell limp, but The Devourer of Gods held strong, clamping down around its head and dragging it through the air, beginning to thrash a moment later. Cadance could only watch, tears forming around her eyes as she clutched the broken Rod of Discord™.

The air around her began to heat up, and a quick look back revealed the last guardian ready to give chase.

“Help him! Please!”

It gave no response, other than continuing its pursuit of The Devourer of Gods, which was now jerking the worm from side to side as if to tear it apart. It didn’t get far with its damaged pincers, but the motions seemed to breathe new life into the worm. It stiffened, then coiled, pushing back from The Devourer of Gods’ iron grip.

The two worms struggled with each other, which quickly devolved in them twirling around each other. It was a very one sided fight, The Devourer of Gods was longer, it was bigger, it was stronger, and its cosmic armor certainly didn’t help. It quickly began to overpower the worm, more and more of its flesh catching fire with pink flame. It screeched and thrashed, getting cut repeatedly with blades and jagged edges.

Then it erupted into purple flame, whisking away the pink and redoubling its efforts. In a matter of moments, the size issue was resolved, but strength was another thing. For every inch the worm pushed, The Devourer of Gods pushed back harder, squeezing, constricting, threatening to shred the worm to pieces.

Maybe it wasn’t a threat.

By now the guardian was in range, and it quickly unleashed a barrage of attacks. The holy spears impacted across the two worms, and their tightly woven fight loosened, allowing the worm to pull away. Electricity arced between its mandibles, sparks jumping up from the flames of its body. With a single motion, it breathed lightning at The Devourer of Gods. The fire came not long after, mixing with the charge and creating a low buzzing sound as the superheated plasma seared into it.

The Devourer of Gods roared, twisting in the air as patches of its metallic skin came away glowing white hot, the mechanisms underneath sagging and deforming with any movement. Yet still, it pulled away, retreating from the attack and retaliating with its own. Lasers filled the air, every single one aimed at the worm. It didn’t have time to get away, instead choosing to take it head on.

Countless bolts impacted the worm, striking its head, body, and tail. It screeched loudly, but kept itself ablaze, its own flames repelling the pink ones. It then shrank back to its normal size, a tidal wave of blood dripping from the fire.

“Don’t get cocky!”

Cadance’s eyes widened, her hearing was returning. They widened further when The Devourer of Gods turned to her, rocketing towards her position a moment later. She gasped, flaring her wings and flapping backwards.

Bright purple light entered her peripherals, and the next instant the world around her changed. Gone was the darkened sky, gone was the destroyed storm, gone was the worm, the guardians, and The Devourer of Gods. All that surrounded Cadance now was an endless expanse of purple mist.

The Devourer of Gods disappeared through the portal, quickly followed by the worm, and then it was gone. Light then returned to the work as the darkness faded from the sky.

“They’re gone!” Twilight exclaimed, “What happened?!”

“They entered a portal,” Princess Luna deduced, squinting at the distant battlefield, “One of that ‘Devourer of Gods’ own creation I believe.”

“That is not good,” Princess Celestia added, she scratched idly at her newly made stone gauntlets, “Wherever they end up, it is sure to be at their disadvantage.”

Cadance flailed, quickly getting used to the lack of gravity. She righted herself, completely upside-down from when she first arrived. Looking around, she was greeted with purple, purple, and more purple.

Off in the distance a pink orb floated through the mist, the once faint vortex inside glowing brightly. Cadance gasped, and began awkwardly swimming over to it. She scooped up what remained of the Rod of Discord™ and tucked it under her shoulder. Once that was done, she looked around again, only to find a whole lot of nothing else.

She whistled, the single note piercing the mist and echoing back to her. It didn’t take long for her to get a response. A screech came from the distance, and Cadance squinted in its direction, watching as a faint figure slithered through the void towards her.

Relief flooded her heart, but so did worry. They were both here, but where was here?

The worm coasted to a stop in front of her, beads of blood filling the area around it. Cadance gasped, quickly making her way towards it. Deep cuts lined its body, marring chitin, scales, and flesh alike. Blood poured from the wounds, and with no direction to flow it simply gathered around the worm like a sheen.

Cadance touched its head, feeling it. Though she couldn’t cast spells, that didn’t mean she couldn’t use magic. She sent it forward again with a new purpose, to mend and heal. The process was undoubtedly slow, but the worm purred at her touch, its countless wounds closing once again. When she was finished however, she was faced with a glaring issue.

Her magic wasn’t recharging.

Her breath caught in her throat, and she looked around for any sort of cause, but only the purple mist was in view. She inhaled deeply, taking in the mix of odd smells that permeated the void. There was a difference to the air, a lack of most things, that included magic. The magic within her wouldn’t recover because there was no magic to recover from.

“Where are we?” Cadance finally asked,

The worm clicked shakily.

“Welcome… to my domain.”

Cadance’s face fell, and she moved closer to the worm.

“It’s not over yet!”

She tensed, flipping over its head and settling along its back. It sped ahead, travelling aimlessly in the endless expanse. The mist shifted around them, air flowing in ways it shouldn’t, fog coalescing into different shapes and figures.

There was something in there with them.

Something big.

Looking around frantically, Cadance couldn’t see anything, no direction, no safe space, nowhere to go. They had to get out of there, but how? The last thing she remembered was a flash of purple light, similar to the portal at the beginning.

The one used by The Devourer of Gods.

“I’ve a feeling we’re not in Equestria anymore.”

A flash of movement entered Cadance’s vision, and she whipped around to look at it.

Nothing.

Laughter echoed out, and another grid of lasers appeared around them.

“Go small!” Cadance commanded,

She leapt off the worm just in time for it to change, and together they squeezed through the gaps in the array. Once the lasers passed, the worm returned to its regular size, and Cadance latched onto its back again. They continued moving.

The presence never left them however, and more and more Cadance would see something appear in her peripherals, but every time she went to look it was gone.

“How do we get out of here?!”

The worm chittered, keeping straight.

Cadance frowned, and began thinking of what they could do. She didn’t know teleportation, much less any portal spells, not to mention she wouldn’t have the time nor magic to figure it out, and it wasn’t like she could cast a spell right now anyway. A glance up revealed that the tip of her horn was now in view… maybe, because her focus was on something much further away.

A gigantic form was trailing from above. Only slightly obscured by the mist, Cadance could tell it was much, much larger than The Devourer of Gods was before. Brand new body, brand new mandibles, brand new armor. They wouldn’t even come close to winning this fight.

“GO GO GO! Down!” Cadance commanded,

The worm turned downwards, speeding in a completely new, arbitrary direction. The Devourer of Gods simply followed from a distance.

In a panic, Cadance looked at what else they had. The worm didn’t know magic, and it certainly couldn’t tunnel between worlds. Her sword was missing, probably still in Equestria somewhere, not that it would’ve helped much. Her gaze eventually landed on the orb in her grip, and her eyes widened just a bit more.

The Rod of Discord™ could teleport, randomly, and only within view, but Discord said it could go past that, rarely.

Could it teleport between dimensions? Could it take both of them? Could it even still work?

It didn’t matter, it was their only option and it was either that or death. All Cadance knew was that it would take an extraordinary amount of energy to work, and she had already used half her magic healing the worm. Still, she focused, pouring the remaining magic into the orb, it glowed brighter, the vortex inside spinning and twirling faster.

“Home…” She whispered to it,

Just as she was about to swing it around, a familiar smell caught her senses. Cadance paused, breathing deeply to try and find it again. She only got a lingering trace, but it was stronger on one side than the other.

“There is no escape!”

Ignoring their pursuer for the moment, Cadance turned in the direction of the scent, sniffing.

“Go that way!” She pointed,

The worm begrudgingly followed her directions, only to jerk out of the way as a pink fireball tore the mist in front of them. Looking back, several more were coming in hot. Cadance called upon her magic, which was no longer there. She gulped.

“Left!” She called out,

The worm turned to the left.

“Right!”

The worm turned to the right.

Fireballs seared through the mist, some coming much closer than others.

“Up!” Cadance inhaled, “No down!”

And so they continued, narrowly avoiding the incoming fire all the while tracking the familiar scent. When the last fireball disappeared into the void, an otherworldly hiss assaulted their ears, and the large figure finally revealed itself. Four eyes, ablaze with desire, multiple mandibles surrounded by layered pincers, each massive and sharper than a razor, a terrifying amount of teeth laid behind them, gnashing, grinding, hungrily awaiting their next meal.

It took a long time for Cadance to move on to its other features. A multicolored bead resided at the top of its head, a swirling mix of pink and blue. The bladed armor returned, this time with the blades pointing forward instead of backward, ready to rend and tear whatever dared to get close.

Cadance certainly didn’t, and she doubted the worm did either.

They needed to leave.

She looked down at the glowing orb in her hooves again, it shined with magic, ready to activate on a moment's notice. Then the scent entered her nose again, stronger, somehow even more familiar. It was something she had only smelled once before, and it started to bring back memories.

Memories of family, love, wonder, and joy. Her first day ruling the Crystal Empire, her second, real wedding, meeting the worm, meeting Shining Armor, going to the worm festival with Celestia.

It could have been a trick, but now she had to make sure.

“Keep going!” She called out, not daring to take her eyes off their pursuer.

A grid of lasers formed around them again, their formation much tighter. Cadance readied herself, gripping the orb hard and tensing her legs. The worm screeched, and she jumped, soaring through the matrix as it shrunk back down. Her angle was off however, and she was quickly approaching the laser lines. Flapping her wings, she rolled, flattening her figure as she spiraled forward. Like a circus trick, she slotted through the last gap just as the lasers passed, completely unharmed.

A burning sensation started to crawl up her hind leg again.

Or maybe not…

Cadance quickly joined with the worm again, glancing back as the pink flames licked at her fur. She didn’t have enough magic to put it out, they needed to leave soon.

Yet again, the smell came, so strong it almost made her scrunch up. They had to be getting close, just a little further.

She had a hard time believing herself, but they continued to press on nonetheless, the worm now moving without her directions. The Devourer of Gods was noticeably absent, and that made her worried.

By now the smell was almost overpowering, and the purple mist of the void took on a pink hue. Despite the searing pain in her leg, Cadance began to search the area. The worm slowed a bit, but kept itself tense and ready to move at a moment’s notice.

A saccharine sweetness hung in the air, but behind it was the sharp smell of alcohol. Cadance immediately recognized what it was, and not long after she spotted something floating through the mist.

“There.” She spoke in a strained whisper,

The worm moved closer to the object, and when the last bit of purple fog cleared away, they saw what it was.

A bottle, light purple glass with a cylindrical shape. It was filled with a deep magenta liquid, completely opaque, a ribbon of fine purple silk was tied around the neck, and it was corked securely.

Cadance breathed in, and recoiled from the sheer intensity of the smell. This was definitely the source, but what was it doing here?

With laboured breaths, she snatched the bottle out of the air and held it along with the Rod of Discord™. As she did that, the mist shifted around them, and a bright light shined down. Looking up, another portal had formed above them, a blue sky waiting on the other side.

Definitely a trap.

“We’re done here.” Cadance said, cringing as the fire reached her thigh. “Let’s go!”

The worm took off, in the complete opposite direction of the portal. A growl echoed throughout the expanse, and a moment later it exploded, The Devourer of Gods slithering through. Cadance only gave it a single glance before focusing back on what was left of the Rod of Discord™. Tucking the bottle under her wing, she held the orb tightly in her hooves.

“Home,” She repeated, “Home. Home…”

Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath, and swung the orb as hard as she could. She almost fell off the worm, but nothing happened, not even a change in the orb. Cadance swung it again, and again, and still the void inside just swirled and spun. She stopped to stare at it, then she looked back.

The Devourer of Gods was getting closer.

“Come on!” She said, shaking the orb like a snowglobe.

Its glow only increased for a moment, the energy inside refusing to be released. Cadance frowned, raised it above her head, and slammed it down on the worm’s back. It bounced off the chitinous plate, and glowed a bit brighter. The worm chirped in surprise, and she did it again, lifting it up and smashing it down. The orb started shining brighter, the vortex shuddering inside.

Hammering it against the worm, Cadance repeated the action again and again. The Rod of Discord™ becoming a beacon in the void. Then it cracked, the well of magic inside brimming at the edge. Lifting it up one final time, Cadance prepared to shatter it, and with one final triumphant motion, nothing happened. The orb simply absorbed the blow.

The Devourer of Gods roared behind them, sounding closer than ever.

She couldn’t do it fast enough, so instead, Cadance leaned back, cocked her arm back, and chucked the orb ahead of them.

“Break it!” She shouted, ducking forward and hugging the worm tightly.

It snapped upward and caught it between its mandibles, and with a tremendous screech a bolt of lightning struck it, shattering it. The empowered chaotic magic surrounded them, twisting and pulling in different directions. Cadance felt her stomach turn, literally, as the energy seeped into their bodies.

It hurt. A lot.

After several agonizing seconds, Cadance’s vision flashed, and they were somewhere else. The worm smacked down on the ground, skidding across the barren stone a fair distance before coming to a stop. Cadance simply let go, sliding down its side and landing hard against the solid ground.

She laid there for a second, holding her breath and waiting, until a familiar sensation welled up in her throat. Ripping off her helmet, she coughed and sputtered, blood spilling out of her mouth. Purple blood, the worm’s blood.

Cadance stared at the viscous puddle on the ground before checking the rest of her body. Everything looked fine, but she still felt warped, that was when she noticed her entire behind was on fire.

“AGH!” She exclaimed, pacing in circles for a moment.

Then she stopped and focused, pushing her magic against it. The fire stopped, and it took a lot of effort to push it back. Cadance strained, fighting a war within her own body as more magic entered her system.

She had magic.

Gasping, she snuffed the last of the flame out before looking around. A clear blue sky greeted her vision, and though they were in the middle of a barren wasteland, a boreal forest extended out in the distance.

They were back.

“Yes!” Cadance cheered, “We did it! We got out! We-” She realized something. Quickly turning to the worm, she poked it in the side. “Come on! Get up, get up, get up! The Devourer of Gods is still after us!”

It groaned, and struggled to pick itself back up, clearly still reeling from the teleport.

“Okay! Umm….!” Cadance desperately tried to control her breathing, she watched the sky intently, summoning a shield around them and waiting.

Then she waited.

And waited.

And waited.

And waited some more.

It was hard to tell an exact time, but after several minutes had passed with nothing happening, Cadance slowly relaxed, keeping an eye on the sky the entire time. During that time, the worm slowly recovered, spitting up its own vile concoction, a mix of red blood and its stomach contents, Cadance was lucky enough to have already voided hers. It then coiled up from its limp position on the ground, chittering slowly and weakly.

A knock on her shield startled her, causing Cadance to jump up and release a bout of magic. It soared up into the air, bursting like a firework. She whipped around, horn charged and ready to attack.

Princess Luna flinched, looking at her strangely, “It is us, Cadance! Please calm yourself.”

She stared at them for a moment, Twilight and Princess Luna stood together, while a blazing Princess Celestia hung in the back.

“Right.” Cadance’s gaze lingered on her for a moment, then she took a deep breath, and another, “Okay, okay.”

Her shield slowly faded, and the other princesses walked up to her.

“Well? Did you do it?” Twilight carefully asked, “Did you win?”

“No.”

“What?!” Princess Luna stepped back, “What do you mean?”

“We didn’t win.” Cadance shook her head, “We just… escaped… and have been waiting here for it to come back.”

“Yet it has not…” Princess Luna pondered, “Were you at least close to prevailing?”

“No…” Cadance trailed off, staring at the ground, “Not at all.”

“Then… What happened? Surely you must have done something to ward off that… monster.”

Cadance shook her head again, “All we did was…” She unfurled her wing, levitating the bottle in front of her, “Take this bottle and… break Discord’s rod.”

“So either the bottle is of grave importance or…” Princess Luna looked towards Twilight,

She just shrugged,

“Or Discord’s rod has trapped it somehow?”

“Maybe.” Was all Cadance said,

That earned her a couple of uncertain looks, “How are you feeling?”

She took a moment to think about it. There was no pain, her superfast healing took care of that, and there wasn’t any fatigue, another benefit of having so much magic.

“Tired.” She eventually answered, “Scared, worried, happy, confused. I want to go home.”

“As do we all.” Princess Luna nodded, “But we must make sure things are finished first. Perhaps there may be some answers in whatever you have recovered.”

“What’s in there anyway?” Twilight pointed to the bottle.

“Liquor, I think.” Cadance answered, “I only found it because of its smell, it was familiar.”

“You have had it before?”

“I think so… there was something like it at the Crystal Empire. I um… drank it. It was good.”

Princess Luna let out a loud exhale, “Well then, perhaps we can have a toast with it once this is all over.”

“Yeah…” Cadance muttered, “That sounds good.”

She uncorked the bottle.

Immediately, the liquid inside bubbled out the top, overflowing and cascading down the sides. Cadance almost dropped it, then quickly tried to stuff the cork back in. The liquid pushed back, turning viscous and thick, clinging to the sides of the bottle. It increased in volume, soon equaling the bottle then dwarfing it with no sign of stopping.

“You drank that?” Twilight asked, backing away.

“No! This is different!” Cadance said, taking a step back of her own, “What do I do?”

“Put it down,” Princess Luna said calmly, “We don’t know what it is, so contain it.”

Nodding, Cadance carefully set the bottle down and surrounded it with a small bubble shield. They then watched as the liquid churned and frothed. It continued to expand, certain parts of it turning transparent as it thinned. Small tendrils began to form, snaking their way around the bottle and wrapping around each other.

Like a growing vine, the liquid rose, taking the bottle with it, and a figure started to take shape. Four legs reached down, a hoof coming together at each tip, a goopy tail spouted out the back, and two wings took shape on the sides. The liquid bulged towards the front, and a neck extended upwards, a head forming not long after, ending in a point with a horn.

The semisolid pony stood to its full height, and promptly bonked its head on the top of the shield.

“Ow!” A deep, womanly voice spoke, “What the fuck?”

She brought a hoof up to her head to rub it, the surface losing its shimmer and sharpening to fur, though it never lost its transparency. The tail and newly formed mane darkened considerably, turning a shiny purple as they bounced and curled. A similarly colored, heart shaped cutie mark formed on her flank. Eyes blinked and focused, staying almost the exact same color as her fur.

“What the fuck do you want this time? You overgrown earthworm.” She muttered,

“Umm…” Cadance began,

The unknown pony blinked again, and her eyes snapped upwards to look at Cadance, then she slowly spun in a circle.

“Ohhhh shit… I’m gonna need a drink for this.”

Princess Luna just stared at her.

“Uh, who are you?” Twilight asked,

“Hold on.” The pony said, she rubbed her eyes, muttering to herself for a few seconds, “You… will… have to… forgive my… words…” She nodded once, “It has been a long time since I have last spoken to another pony, I was certain I would never have the chance again.”

“And you are?” Princess Luna asked,

“I am Cirrus. Wait no! Fab- No. Mount- No.” Her face scrunched up as she thought. “What would you know me as? Aha! I am Amore! Princess Amore of the Crystal Empire.”

Cadance’s jaw dropped.

“Impossible…” Princess Luna trailed off,

“Who might you all be?” Amore asked, “I have not seen another Alicorn in quite some time, nor quite so many in one place.”

“I’m uh… Twilight,” She gave a small wave. “Hello.”

“L-Luna.”

“And I’m Cadance, also Princess of the Crystal Empire.”

Amore’s eyes widened as she said that, “Oh my.” She took a step forward, only to be stopped by the shield, “Uh, do you mind?”

Cadance pursed her lips, “Yes actually. I just met you and we’ve uh… been through a lot.”

“I would imagine,” Amore sat down, “It’s just…” She looked down at herself, then back at Cadance, “I don’t remember having any children…”

Cadance felt her face flush, “I uh…”

“That doesn’t mean it’s not possible!” Amore quickly tacked on, she then brought a hoof to her chin, “Then again… I might’ve had a sister.”

Princess Luna frowned, “Might have?”

“It’s been a long, long time.” Her face turned somber, “I don’t really remember, and there are times I choose to forget.”

“So…” Cadance trailed off, “You think we’re related?”

Amore’s expression quickly changed, “Of course! I mean look at you! Look at me!” she exclaimed, “Look, turn,” She motioned with her hoof.

Cadance shifted to the side a bit.

“Aha! See!” She also turned, pointing between their cutie marks.

“That could just be a coincidence.” Twilight said,

Amore rolled her eyes, “Alright fine, here.” She reached for her side, and her hoof disappeared into her body. A moment later it came back out with the bottle, her skin warbling from the disturbance. All the others cringed at the action, but she just pressed the bottle to the edge of the shield. “You can smell this, right?”

Cadance gave a small nod,

“Then there you have it. You’re effectively my niece.”

Cadance paused, then sat down, “Another aunt…” She whispered,

“You are not actually here, are you?” Princess Luna stated,

Amore whipped around and stared at her, her face twitching on the edge of a frown. “Ah yes, that.” She exhaled loudly, “I am here, just not… fully.” She pushed her hooves together, causing them to pass through each other. “This is all that’s left of me.”

“So you are… a soul?” Princess Luna asked,

“A spirit.” Amore corrected,

“In a bottle?” Twilight finished,

“That about sums it up,” She clapped her hooves together, “Now let’s move on, shall we?”

“How did you get like that?” Twilight continued,

“Let’s move on.” Amore repeated, her smile quickly turning forced,

She spun around again, her eyes landing on the large purple form curled up off to the side. She frowned, before her eyes went wide with recognition. Gasping, a much larger, more genuine smile appeared on her face.

“There she is!”

“She?” Cadance asked, looking between Amore and the worm, “Oh my goodness, I’ve been calling him the wrong thing this entire time.”

Amore glanced at her, then snickered, before falling into laughter.

Cadance frowned, “I didn’t know!”

“No no, it’s not that.” Amore chuckled, wiping a tear from her eye. “They’re asexual. It doesn’t matter which you use, just what they prefer. If she’s been letting you call her a he, then maybe he prefers it now.”

“Huh.” Cadance blinked, then realized something, “Wait! You know the worm?!”

“I should hope so! She’s my little baby! I practically raised her from the ground up!” Amore pressed up against the shield again, then huffed, “Can you please let me out now?”

Cadance took a moment to make sure her jaw was still attached before shaking her head. With a flash of her horn, the bubble split down the middle, falling away to the ground.

“Thank you,” Amore said before trotting up to the worm, she placed a hoof on its side, prodding it lightly. “Hey you, remember me?”

It shifted, slowly turning around to look. As soon as Amore entered its vision it froze, and stared at her for several moments, a slight jitter building up in its body.

“Yeah you do.” She smiled, “C’mere.”

It screeched, diving down and wrapping her in its mandibles. It then lifted her up, coiling tightly around her. Its tail began to wag, smashing up and down rapidly and causing the ground to shake with each turn.

“F A B S O L!”

“Easy there! Easy there! I know you like to play rough, and that I can’t be hurt like that anymore, but please be careful! We don’t want to set a bad example do we?”

The worm settled slightly, letting out the longest chirp Cadance had ever heard from it, it ended with a purr, continuing to twist around the other pink pony.

“Look how big you’ve grown! And what’s this?” Amore tapped on its armor plates and rubbed its scales, “What have you eaten?!”

The worm clicked excitedly.

“Show me.”

The worm burst into flames, blowing a stream of fire straight up into the air.

“Wow!” Amore exclaimed, completely unfazed by the fire around her. Her eyes then went wide, and she looked up at the worm with a bit of worry. “You’ve eaten dragons?”

“Dragons from our world!” Princess Luna called out,

“Right right, okay.” Amore paused to think, “I suppose that’s fine,” She then hugged the worm’s face, “Oh how I’ve missed you, Neyrune.”

“Neyrune?” Cadance asked,

“Neyrune.” Amore answered back, “It is the name I have given her, him.”

“N E Y - R U N E!” The worm repeated, ecstatic.

“Yes, I bet it has been a long time since you’ve last heard that.” Amore leaned in close, “You did it. You’ve broken your chains.”

“Actually…” Cadance stepped closer, “We might not be quite done yet.”

Amore looked at her and nodded, “Yes, I suppose there are many things to do now. Although…” She brought a hoof to her chin.

Pulling herself out of the worm’s grasp, she jumped back down to the ground to stand before them. She gave each of them a hard look, taking especially long with Cadance as she stared at her longingly. Sighing, her gaze eventually landed on Princess Celestia in the back, and her brow furrowed.

“You should rid yourself of that magic immediately.”

Princess Celestia, who looked to be actively obscuring herself from the others, averted her gaze. “Were it so easy. I would need my magic to begin the process, and that is something I do not have at the moment.”

Cadance finally got a good look at her, and she tilted her head. A blaze of yellow flame replaced her mane and tail, crackling in the light breeze. That was the most immediate change, but a closer look revealed much more. A mess of root and stone coiled around her body, covering most of her pristine white fur, with only a few spots visible around her joints. Even her cutie mark was obscured, but at least her face was visible, for what it was worth. Princess Celestia held a look of shame, keeping her face down and refusing to make eye contact as her eyes flickered and flashed with fire. Looking down at her hooves, the stone ground was beginning to turn orange from her touch.

“Oh, then let me-” Cadance took a step forward,

“No.” Princess Celestia interrupted, “Not yet.”

“She is correct,” Princess Luna nodded, “as dangerous as it is, we must make sure that the beast is gone, and will not come back in the near future.”

Amore’s expression of concern turned to one of confusion, “What do you mean by that? You’ve defeated The Devourer of Gods. It is finished.”

“Well… The- I- we didn’t- it’s not-” Cadance fumbled her words, “The Devourer of Gods isn’t dead.”

Like a switch, the cheery demeanor was gone. Amore’s posture changed, she leaned forward almost menacingly. Her face contorted, eyes losing their brightness and gaining a new hardness. Creases and wrinkles appeared around them, accentuating her already stern expression.

She looked older, distressed even.

“What?! How?!” She demanded, “You have my bottle! How else did you get my bottle?”

Cadance recoiled slightly, “We uh… we stole it.” She nodded, “Yeah, we stole it from the uh, the mist.”

“You were in…? But now you’re… But that’s impos… How are you not…?” Amore brought a hoof to her chin in deep contemplation.

“We were hoping to get answers from… well from you actually,” Princess Luna said,

Amore ignored her, beginning to pace in circles as she muttered to herself, a permanent frown affixed to her face. She made motions with her hooves, scraped shapes in the stone, and counted under her breath. Eventually she looked to the sky and inhaled, closing her eyes.

“Wait…” She opened them again and stared across the horizon, “This is Equus, isn’t it?”

“Yeah…” Twilight nodded slowly,

“The Devourer of Gods came here, right?” She pointed downwards,

“Also correct,” Princess Luna answered,

“And you fought him, together?” Amore gestured between Cadance and the worm.

“We did…” Cadance finished,

Amore immediately let out a sigh of relief, “Then that explains it.”

They all tilted their heads at that.

“How?” Princess Luna was the first to speak up, “What is this Devourer of Gods anyway?”

“Does it- he really eat gods?” Twilight shuddered,

“Pfft,” Amore waved a hoof, “The name is only a technicality, the only gods he’s managed to eat are demigods and primitive ones. While achievements in their own right, there’s no way he could go up against an actual one.”

“Primitive… gods?” Princess Celestia asked from the back,

“Yes, but what is he?” Princess Luna reiterated,

Amore glanced back at the worm, “A worm, the same as Neyrune, one that has had much more to… assimilate. And with aid from…” She audibly grit her teeth, “That bastard and his little cronies, he became what you saw today.”

“Then why isn’t he here right now?” Cadance asked, “Why isn’t he finishing what he started?”

“Because he started it,” Amore said, a hint of a smile crawling up her face, “Of all that power and potential, pride is his biggest weakness. When challenged to a fight, he is never one to back down, and you’d best be prepared to fight till the end. But if he were to start a fight, then lose at the hands- sorry, hooves of one of his own subordinates no less.” She let out a dry laugh, “I can only imagine the humiliation he’s feeling right now.”

“Then… He’ll leave us alone?”

“Oh absolutely not!” Amore exclaimed, “You may have won today, but you didn’t kill him. The Devourer of Gods is not one to forget, and I’m sure he’s salivating for the day when he will finally kill you.”

Cadance grimaced, “But, I can’t just wait around with all this magic forever!” She gestured to Princess Celestia, “It’s needed elsewhere.”

Amore snorted, “He’ll wait until you’re strong enough to face him again. Whether it’s honor, greed, or laziness, you’ll have time, I’ll give him that much.”

“What else can you tell us about him?” Princess Luna asked, “There were others with that monster, we only have surface knowledge on them, what are they?”

“Oh right, the sentinels, servants, whatever.” Amore sighed, “They are representatives of The Devourer of Gods’ largest spheres of influence. There is Signus, the envoy, representative of his ruthless killing power. The Ceaseless Void, the unending hunger for power. And finally,” She pointed to the worm, “The Storm Weaver, representing limitless potential. Together they formed a pact, in return for eternal servitude, they received part of The Devourer of Gods’ undying nature.”

“Undying?” Cadance repeated, eyes wide,

“That doesn’t mean he can’t be killed, you just have to try really hard.” Amore assured, “But make no mistake, you will meet them again, and while the Void is nothing more than a mindless killing machine, I know for certain that Signus holds a grudge.”

“Oh…” Cadance muttered, looking down.

Princess Luna stepped in front of her, “Why did The Devourer of Gods have possession of you?”

Amore scowled and snorted, “I was being used as a bargaining chip. A method of keeping others in line.”

“Neyrune?” Princess Luna guessed,

“Correct, he knew that she would not serve him without me, but instead of just killing us where we stood, he decided to try a different method to get what he wanted. That’s where my eternal servitude began.”

“But how did he acquire you like that?”

“He killed me.” Amore answered simply, “Though with no shortage of underhooved tactics.”

“But why go through all that trouble for the worm?” Twilight asked, “No offense.”

“They are the same species, and The Devourer of Gods had plans for the future.”

Twilight blushed, “Oh…”

Amore shook her head, “Not like that, it would be a cold year in hell when The Devourer of Gods decided to have children, not that he would even need Neyrune to do that. No, he wanted her for a little project of his.”

Cadance looked up, “What kind of project.”

“In the eyes of the Devourer, stagnation is abhorrent. He could not sit comfortably atop a mountain of corpses, but he could not reach higher without first descending to the bottom. So instead of sinking to that level, he decided to have someone else do the work for him, to gather the power he so desperately needed to reach the next level.” Amore gave a small smile, “It’s nice to know that came back to bite him so severely.”

“But wouldn’t that mean the worm- Neyrune is also on a pile of… bodies?” Twilight wondered,

“Oh he most definitely is,” Princess Celestia said,

“And therein lies a conundrum,” Amore added, “For The Devourer of Gods, power is a goal, and thus he kills, the enjoyment is merely a bonus. For Neyrune, killing is a consequence of survival. He is not among those that you can fault for simply existing.”

Princess Celestia let out an exhale, and the air heated up around them. She then gasped, and hurriedly shuffled away from the group.

“Celestia?” Cadance called out,

The sun above grew brighter, oppressively so, forcing Cadance to cover her eyes with a hoof.

Amore sighed, “She has finally come.”

“Cadance! Her magic!” Princess Luna shouted,

“R-Right! Celestia!” Cadance called out again, “Come here!”

“I can’t!” She responded, “You will be hurt!”

“But-”

A dazzling aurora shimmered above them, another figure of stone, root, and crystal descending from the light. This one was much, much larger.

“Wait!” Cadance yelled, she leapt into action, rushing over to Princess Celestia.

She tried to back away, but she wasn’t fast enough. Despite the blazing heat, the scorching stone, and the blinding light, Cadance continued, nearly tackling Princess Celestia as she neared.

“Your magic! Hurry!” She separated the golden glow within her, thrusting it out her horn.

Princess Celestia pushed her away, “It’s too late!”

“No!” Cadance cried, “Please!”

Burning tears streamed down Princess Celestia’s face, leaving trails of fire across her cheeks.

“I’m sorry.”

In a flash of light she was gone, the light overhead dimming ever so slightly. Cadance just stood there as the heat dispersed, the only thing left being a sparkle above the ground.

A familiar laugh echoed through the air, and the sparkle changed, its color morphing from a yellow to a light purple as it grew in size, creating another portal in front of her. There was no expanse of purple mist behind this one, just a serene landscape. Rolling hills, a small stream, and the edges of a forest off to the side.

Cadance slumped and fell, landing hard on her behind, her vision going blurry as tears filled her eyes. The others rushed up behind her, Twilight quickly wrapping her in a hug while Princess Luna and Amore inspected the portal.

“Well, there’s your invitation.” Amore spoke,

“To where?” Princess Luna demanded, struggling to keep her voice clear.

“Terraria.”

Cadance was hardly paying attention, she just sat there, leaning hard into Twilight as Princess Celestia’s magic returned to her reserves. She struggled to breathe, contemplating ripping off her helmet and destroying it, or at the very least throwing it away.

“She’s not gone, you know.”

“Then where is she?! Where is my sister?!”

“On the other side of that portal,” Amore said calmly, “I would advise against going in without preparing though. That world is full of malice and mistrust, and your sister is not the only thing that awaits you.”

“Th-The D-Devourer of G-G-Gods?” Twilight stuttered out,

“The tip of the iceberg. Now I’m going to take my leave.”

The blur of pink left Cadance’s vision.

“What?” She asked, standing shakily, “You’re leaving?! Just like that!”

“In a sense.”

“WHERE?!” Cadance demanded,

“That’s not for me to decide.”

Blinking, she watched as Amore approached the worm again; it had slithered up behind them during the commotion.

“It’s okay,” She whispered to it, “I’m ready.”

It was then that Cadance realized exactly what she meant.

“Wait! Why?!”

Amore turned to look at her, her face looking even more ancient.

“I should have died a long, long time ago.” She glanced at the worm, “There’s nothing more for me to do.”

“But-!” Cadance began,

The hint of a frown appeared across Amore’s eyes. “You want my knowledge?” She placed a hoof on the worm, “Neyrune’ll have it. He’s yours now, goodbye.” She closed her eyes and inhaled, then opened them again, “Oh wait, one more thing.”

Cadance hung on her every word,

“My vodka, someone needs to keep the recipe.”

“W-What…?”

“Just distill any alcohol with pure magic, genuine crystal catalyst, and horn shavings. It grows back, I promise.”

With that, her form shimmered and shifted, quickly flowing back into the bottle. It teetered slightly as it settled back on the ground, and not a moment later the worm picked it up in its mandibles.

“Wait!” Cadance tried again,

The glass cracked, then shattered, the pink essence flowing into the worm’s mouth. It shuddered, jerking in odd ways as its body absorbed the soul.

And Amore was gone, leaving nothing but a pile of glass shards across the stone, the ribbon of purple silk fluttering away in the breeze. Cadance caught it, and pulled it close.

The end.

Author's Note

For now...

So there you have it, the end of this fun little story. I suppose it's anything but little now, with over 150,000 words, it's certainly not a short read.

To my readers, thank you, it has been a joy to flesh out this story of mine, and I eagerly await its continuation. That's right, that cliffhanger is not the end, I mean come on, who do you take me for?

Yes this will be continued in a sequels at a later date, but don't expect it soon, there are other things I want to work on before that. Now I understand that a lot of you may have questions, and for a limited time only you may ask them: I will be hosting a Q&A in the form of a discussion post here