Ah, the void. The vale. Whatever you wanted to call it, there was something comforting about drifting in the space between space. I glanced back down my personal timestream to where I'd left Tempest and Jury just at the threshold of our world. Even though they could no longer see me, they were looking up at what they perceived to just be the sky.

I'm sure Jury would have loved to experience this place, but I needed my full focus on the work that was about to take place. I didn't want to risk losing sight of her and accidentally sealing her out of the world, after all.

With that thought, I turned my attention to the realm all around me. A place that didn't really encompass a single sense. One of sound and feeling, more than sight. Where thought had power as the magic of creation reacted if you knew just how to prod it. And luckily, I not only knew how, but I had a tool to help with the process.

I raised my active phase distorter, closed my eyes, and focused. As my timestream expanded out just as it did when I accidentally crossed worlds, I became aware of gaps which I immediately gave my full attention. I reached out physically and clutched at the open air, feeling something akin to water or sand shifting in my grip. Then, I pulled, carefully and slowly deactivating the distorter as I did.

I can't imagine what I must have looked like, but that hardly mattered. I could feel it working as my expanded timestream closed up on every side of the gap and forced it shut. That was one, maybe two.

"Thank God time doesn't really work out here," I huffed as I began to repeat the process.

I drifted back towards the threshold, satisfied with my appraisal of the void. I'd seen Discord on our way up, so I figured I could just ask him to double-check my work, but I was confident in the patch job I'd done. Thus, I was confident I could return to the world below and see what needed to be done on the physical plane.

Passing through the shimmering membrane that separated my world from the void, I-

"What the hell?!"

Immediately realized Jury and Tempest were nowhere to be seen. Meaning the hovercraft was nowhere to be seen and I was free falling. I was too caught off guard to scream and just tumbled, flailing my arms as I fell. A few things became apparent then.

First, my double's Citadel was still present.

Second, there was an active fire down in Canterlot and what seemed to be a battle raging.

Third, Jury and Tempest were racing the hovercraft in a tight circle near the mountaintop. Said hovercraft was smoking out one side and being pursued by one of my double's abominable alicorn clones which was dipping and weaving around Tempest's magic bolts.

"JURY!" I screamed. She glanced up and screamed as well before swerving and flying up to intercept me. As she did, Tempest's aim was thrown off as she stumbled allowing the alicorn clone a chance to close distance. Its horn bubbled with a sickly green energy and it thrashed in the air, clumsily attempting to line up a shot. I grit my teeth and readied my distorter. "Get a wand ready!"

Jury hesitated for just a moment before scrambling to grab one. At the same time, I activated the distorter. Time once again blurred and I was able to drag myself towards them. As soon as I was close enough, I grabbed the passenger seat and switched off the distorter. I grunted as the hovercraft lurched forward, both from the sudden motion and from the stinging inside my glove. The gems all over it were glowing red hot from overuse.

"Bedlam!" Jury cried, thrusting the wand at me. I snatched it up and glanced back just in time to see the clone fire its beam. Hissing at the burning, I switched on the glove again and both moved us out of the attack's path and pulled us closer to the abomination, where I could get a better look at the metal grafted onto its skull. As well as its controlling gem.

I leaped onto its back and raised my wand like a stake. At that moment, the glove made a sizzling noise and shut off on its own.

"Fuck," was all I could say before the clone screeched and zipped forward with a beat of its wings, forcing me to hold on for dear life. The thing hissed and roared before suddenly going still and glancing back at me with an uncanny awareness. It narrowed its eye but stopped thrashing long enough for me to drive the disrupting wand into its gem. The gem sparked and crackled before going dark. The entire time, the clone just stared at me, even as it shuddered and began to melt right out from under me.

"Eddy!" Tempest cried, catching me in her magic just as the entire creature liquified. I watched the metal headpiece fall with the disrupting wand still lodged in it, with a solid idea of what that glare meant.

"That's for stealing my Citadel and my Killer series," I spat as Tempest hauled me to the hovercraft.

From the mountaintop, we had a solid view of what was happening in Canterlot. There were plenty of guard pony, yak, and changeling bodies littering the streets, but there were also tons of ruined animunculi and puddles of clone goop making a mess of things.

No sign of Twilight, however.

"Where the hell is Discord?" I groused, looking back at Jury, who was inspecting the damage to the hovercraft. Tempest beside her perked up.

"As soon as everything stopped shifting around, he grabbed Fluttershy and teleported away," she explained, casting a glare at the scorch mark on our craft. "Good thing too. Your unkind duplicate seemed intent on striking here first."

"All the Badlam animunculi aren't putting up nearly as much of a fight as the original we saw at the Citadel," Jury added with a nod. "They're still using those explosion-propelled weapons, though."

I frowned and looked at her. "'Badlam?'" She recoiled and looked off to the side with a blush. I stared at her for a moment before shaking my head. "Well, if I had to guess, the main factor at play is the phase distorter. It's too delicate to mass produce as far as I know."

I inspected the one I was wearing and hummed. I twisted and pulled some of the gems, which had cooled off but were noticeably deformed. They plainly still held a charge though.

"Since he's stuck with only his Citadel now, we might be lucky, and he's only got one or two more prepared," I clenched my fist for just a moment and grinned as it activated. "Meaning we might have an advantage."

"Advantage to do what?" Tempest asked. Before I could reply, Jury gasped.

"Invade his Citadel, of course!" She cried. I blanched and whipped back around. She was beaming. "While he's distracted with the ponies in Canterlot, we can just sneak in and kill his whole operation! He's gotta have something like the Crystal Mind in there, right?!" Her expression held for a moment longer until she saw my uncertain face.

"What?" She asked, tilting her head. Tempest also turned to look at me with mild concern. I stared back for a moment before looking down at the city.

I had to find her. Had to make sure she was safe. She probably was, but I needed to know for sure. Needed... To ask her. To say nothing of my real plan, which was to have her use the bell to capture Badla... my double all at once. Chances were high that she wouldn't trust me. This was all too familiar to the crisis my three former employees caused years ago, and everyone knew how that ended.

But that was the whole point, wasn't it? Taking a chance on.. Well, friendship? Trusting her, like I do Jury and Tempest? My mind might've been screaming that this was a bad idea. Experience might've been giving weight to that thought.

But I had to try, didn't I?

"How's the hovercraft?" I huffed, adjusting the wrist of my glove. Jury slapped the panel she was digging in shut before shooting me a smile.

"A little banged up, but nothing that'll hinder us," she chirped. I nodded and turned to face them.

"Great. Let's get down to the city before they're overrun," I replied. Jury's expression fell, and Tempest flinched.

"What are you talking about?" Jury gasped. She thrust a hoof toward the Citadel. "We can just fly there while he's focused on Canterlot!"

"I-" I grunted and glanced back at the city below. "I can't abandon Twilight again. I need to-" Jury groaned and threw her head back.

"Of course," she muttered under her breath. "Just what? Can't stand the idea of not having her be a constant and unnecessary distraction?" She grumbled and trotted up to me. I sighed and rubbed my temple.

"No, it's," I hesitated, looked to the side, and rolled my hand. "It's personal." Jury blinked and looked me up and down.
"Personal?" She murmured, stepping close to forcibly meet my averted gaze. I winced and stared at her before sighing.

"I- I saw what could have been, Jury," I finally began. "I saw what would have happened if I never took the bell." She flinched and I looked off towards the horizon.

"I saw us. The three of us," I gestured to her and Tempest. "We were.. Happy." The rumble of the war below was the only sound for a few moments.

"What, you don't think we're happy now?" Jury finally huffed. I waved my hand.

"No, but this was something more. It's hard to pin down, but I think the main difference was-"

"Twilight?" She spat. I flinched and looked back at her to see she was glaring. I blinked and weakly shrugged.

"She was there, sure, but-"

"Right, 'cause she's all that matters," Jury groused, shaking her head and looking off to the side.

"Fucking- No!" I groaned, rubbing my forehead. "It was me. I was-"

"What? A better person? Nicer?" She interrupted, suddenly stepping towards me with a quiet fury in her eyes. "Who cares about that? And who cares about what they were feeling?" She stood directly in front of me and jabbed me in the knee.

"We're happy here, just the way we are," she spat. She glared up at me for a moment. "Right?" My jaw hung loose as I looked down at her in shock. After a few moments, I finally responded.

"Well, I thought I was," I muttered with a shrug. She fixed me with a hateful look for an equally long time.

"What the heck changed?" She demanded. I stared at her, weakly at first but then firmer.

"I guess I did," I replied. "And I'm the one who cares about the person I could have been."

"Since when?" She snapped, tilting her head. However, she didn't let me reply. "Since you realized it'd make her all warm and fuzzy inside?" I flinched and took a step back.

"You-"

"Where was this for the last decade?" She demanded, advancing towards me and forcing me back. She let out a bitter giggle. "Oh no! Don't tell me~ The same place as always!" I tripped and fell, but she kept advancing.

"Right on the throne with you, letting you make all those bad decisions like the one you're currently trying to make!" She barked a laugh as she climbed onto my lap. "Like letting her and her friends go free instead of locking them in Tartarus!" She pressed her nose to mine.

"Or making her a bucking Administrator for an entire region!" She hummed and tilted her head. "The Dragons, though? Oh, we can abduct their unborn just fine! The Hippogriffs? Air drown 'em!"

She adopted a venomous sneer. "And don't get me started on the Kirin." I wilted as she whirled back and hopped off. "But never Twilight! Oh no! Gotta wear nice soft gloves for her!"

"Jury-"

"After all, she's the only one who matters! She used to be your friend!" She giggled again and stomped as she paced. "She hates you now, but who cares about that?"

"Ju-"

"WHAT ABOUT ME?!" She screamed, hopping just enough to slam her hooves down at me. "What about US?! EVERYTHING we built together?!" She heaved a few breaths and tears began to fall.

"Doesn't any of that matter?" She choked. "Don't I matter?" I struggled forward.

"Of course you do-"

"Then why are you choosing her?" She heaved. "Can't we be happy? Can't I make you happy?" She uttered a few sobs as she glared at me. I sat on my hands and knees for a moment. I glanced at Tempest who wore a reserved, but expectant expression. Mulling over everything, I finally found the words and rose to my feet.

"You two have always made me happy. That's never changed," I stepped closer to Jury, knelt, and placed my hand on her head. She looked up at me with tears still falling. "But what has changed is what I've made you." She recoiled slightly.

"I made Tempest fight the dragons, and let her get burned," I continued and slowly stroked Jury's head. "But I made you into me. And that's just as bad."

"What?" She quietly asked.

"Jury, you were plotting to blow up children. Foals. For my sake," I explained, drawing a momentary wince from her. "Even just a few years ago, that's.. That's not you." I closed my eyes.

"But it's who I made you into." I stood up and looked between her and Tempest, who stepped forward to stand beside Jury. "I ruined KS 6 because I kept her in Twilight's shadow. And I've ruined you two by keeping you in mine." My gaze again drifted to the horizon.

"I want to be better, so you two at least aren't being dragged down by me anymore," I murmured before clenching my eyes. "But I don't know how to start."

I opened and turned my eyes towards Canterlot. "I think she does, though."

"Eddy," Jury squeaked.

"Look, you, both of you.." I paced away, rolling my hands as I mulled over my words. "You're free. Proceed how you want." I paused and held my hands up, drawing a sharp breath.

"Just.. Don't let me make you any worse than I already have." Again, noise from below was all that could be heard for a minute.

"Jeez, get over yourself." I nearly stumbled before whirling around to look at Tempest in shock. Jury wore a similar if slightly teary-eyed expression. Tempest just rolled her eye. "I think I need to remind you that prior to our arrangement, I was already deep in the criminal underworld, Ed."

She nodded her head at Jury as she approached me. "And her? All you really did was help her find herself," she declared, standing before me and looking me up and down. "The three of us have always leaned on each other. Backed each other up, and covered each other's mistakes."

She raised an eyebrow. "Sure, initially you were more domineering and it took you a few years to finally trust us, but now we've got a solid circle set up," she scowled and I was violently yanked down to her eye level by magic. "So don't you dare say you ruined us." I wilted at her steely glare, but she softened after a moment, pulling me into a hug.

"We three have always been damaged goods. That's why we mesh so well." I stared ahead blankly as she squeezed me before she withdrew, offering a weary smile. "So, if you want to give self-improvement a try, I'm willing to give it a shot with you." I looked at her in shock and wonder for a moment before her ear twitched and she withdrew further with a slight blush.

"Well, that's my two bits anyway," she added, roughly clearing her throat and glancing back at Jury expectantly. I followed suit and saw she was looking back between the two of us with a hoof over her mouth. She met my eyes and her ears shot back.

"I-" She grunted and averted her eyes, trotting up to us slowly. "You gave me a chance to make so many things. I-"

She clenched her eyes and shook her head. "I don't want to lose that again." Her head and ears sagged as she looked back at me. "And I'm scared she'll take it away. Take you away." I looked into her eyes firmly, lost in thought for a moment. I glanced between her and Tempest before frowning.

"Well. All the more reason to change course now, and not give her more reasons to separate us, I guess," I weakly declared, more uncertain now than previously. I slowly rose and dusted my hands before looking down at my girls. Tempest still wore her weary smile, while Jury looked as uneasy as I felt. I nodded. "I'll beg her if I have to, to not separate us. But between you and me?"

I leaned in and cupped a hand to the side of my mouth. "I've got something of a scheme to butter her up." They both perked up.

"What?" They asked in unison. I weakly smiled and shrugged.

"Well, I was thinking, in addition to telling her about the critical weakness of Badlam's Citadel," I paused and winced with a groan, causing Jury to giggle. I huffed and continued. "Well, I was going to offer to try and replant the Kirin Grove. Use a few golems to speed up the process, you know?"

"Cute idea." I froze. "Counter proposal."

click

BANG

Jury fell over with a hacking squeal and started thrashing and gasping. Tempest whirled about and looked to the side in shock. Slowly, I managed to pry my eyes off of Jury's injured and bloodied form to look that way as well.

"Heya, Bedlam," my double greeted with glowing red eyes, a wry mechanical grin, and a smoking gun-barrel raised. "And, uh, that was for wrecking one perfectly good clone, buddy~."

Author's Note