Petra pulled the sunflower off her face and could breathe again, but what surprised her was that her mask, which she had left behind in her universe before arriving here, was back on her face. She believed it had to do with Sunflower's magic powers.

Snake grunted as she realized her cigar had been replaced with a thick sugar stick. She smiled as she checked her pockets and found the note that Otacon had left for her. She put the note and the big sugar stick back into her belt pocket and could see the others all fully awake and alert.

"Sunset Spider, you said-" but Snake was cut off as Petra corrected her.

"Call me Petra. Petra Parker, we're inside this flower because Sunflower is holding off that creature you told me about." She turned to the others, seeing them all ready for a fight. "I have no idea what happened outside, so stay on guard, everyone!"

Everyone nodded and watched as Petra and Haze forced open the petals, making a gap to see out. They were kind of shocked to see...

"Huh? Where are we?" questioned Haze, putting her foot on the outside but still holding back the petal.

Everyone could see they weren't in the same place anymore—just an empty wooden white floor. Petra told everyone that her spider-sense wasn't triggering, so it was safe for now, making them all step out.

"I think Ms. Sunflower moved us..." said Shiko, looking behind the giant budded flower.

Soraya faced her, asking what she meant by that. This made Shiko's only point, making everyone join her side and see what she meant. They could see the entrance of the stairway, which was destroyed and covered in rubble. They could also see the flower's stem burned black and sizzling as if something had cut it, trying to stop it from escaping to this floor.

Soraya kneeled and looked at the burns and then at the covered entrance. "I have a bad feeling Sunflower might have given her life to save us..."

Petra walked over to her, not thinking so.
"She's too stubborn for that since she's like me, especially since she wanted to save those kids, right? Come on, let's find a way out of here."

Soraya nodded, and everyone walked away and stood in the middle of the floor. They could see it was a normal-sized floor, the same size as the ones in a living room inside a house. They all looked at the same thing that was in front of them, which was a vast wooden door with wooden art of eight colored ponies and symbols under it.

AJ tipped her head, wondering something. "You don't think we made it to the top floor, do ya?"

Snake placed her hoof under her chin and wondered that herself, but since she remembered how vast the inside of this tree was, there was no way they had already reached the top.

"Can't be. We only climbed only eight floors. Even with how long those stairways were, we won't have made it even halfway up." Snake looked at the door, wondering what this door truly leaves to.

Everyone approached the door and felt the wood, which felt like everyday wood. Nothing felt weird about the door, yet it looked like the door that Snake and Haze remember seeing at the bottom floor.

"We'll have to open it and find out then," Raina suggested, stepping back a bit.

Shiko turned to her. "But how? I don't see any doorknobs or a means to open it."

Petra cracked her fingers and placed her hand on the door, looking at everyone.
"Leave this to me."

She pressed her hands against the door and pushed it, but the door wouldn't budge. She gave it her all, but no matter how hard she tried, the door wouldn't open. She then tried to punch it, but her fist did nothing, not even leaving a scratch. She walked back to the others, feeling a little defeated.

"No luck," she answered their looks.

Raina walked to the door and looked at the art, seeing the colors and symbols.

"What are you looking for, Raina?" asked AJ, getting closer.

But before answering, Tanya shoved them away as she walked through them.

"Leave this to me! I've seen this before in cartoons!"

Tanya clapped and then rubbed her hands.

"Okay, it's GAME TIME!"

She started yelling nonstop, making the others stare at her in confusion until she finally stretched her arms out and pointed them at the door.

"OPEN SESAME!"

The room was dead quiet. Until Soraya started laughing at the stupidity, Snake and AJ looked confused. Raina felt secondhand embarrassment; Haze just wanted her to stop, and Shiko just smiled because she found it cute. On the other hand for Petra, she thought that it had to work, as she also thought about doing that.

"Oh, come on! Open, damn it!" yelled Tanya, stomping her feet.

Soraya finally calmed herself and walked up to Tanya.

"This is serious. Do you really think that stupid saying was going to work? This isn't a cartoon or a story. This is reality."

Tanya folded her arms and rolled her eyes.

"I know, but I'm trying my best here."

Soraya sighed, rubbing her forehead.

Haze shook her head, took out her sword, and told everyone to step aside, as she wanted to try and cut her way through.

"Kid, that isn't going to work. We saw Petra punch that door and leave no scratches or signs of damage, and she has superhuman strength. There's no way your blade can cut through that," Snake told her, walking towards the door.

Haze lowered her sword and placed it on her back.

"Fine."

Snake stood in front of the door, placing her hoof on it. Soon, Rainma joined her side and looked at the art on the door. Snake also took notice of the art and turned to Raina.

"Have any ideas what this colorful art is about?"

Raina shook her head.

"No. But I believe they might have something to do with this door. Look at the colors." She pointed at the blue balloon symbol and the pink pony. "Pink." She then pointed at the others in their symbols and colors. "Maybe they are the key to opening the door?"

Snake looked back at the art and wondered about it.

As those two tried to understand the art, the others just sat down and finally had time to rest. Haze took out her sword and stabbed the wood floor, then sat down and leaned on it to rest her back. Soraya and AJ sat, leaning their backs against the wooden wall. Tanya tapped her foot while Petra and Shiko sat beside each other and conversed.

"So, I got to ask. You had once driven a mecha before?" Petra asked, taking her mask off and looking at Shiko. "I heard the others talking about Angels and a destroyed Japan. Plus, you are wearing t-that..." Petra blushed as Shiko's large breast jiggled in her skin-tight suit. "Um, pilot suit?"

Shiko tilted her head, wondering why Petra was blushing.

"I drove a mecha before, but that was long ago. I drove a mecha called 'Unit-01' and fought the Angels with. But why do you ask, Petra?"

Petra snapped out of her trance and turned away from Shiko, scratching the back of her neck.

"I was curious, is all." She finally looked back at her, smiling. "Plus, as a superhero, I have been in multiverse battles with other Spider folks like myself. During one of those battles, I saw a Spiderman with a giant mecha! It was super cool to see in action!"

Shiko was interested and wanted to hear more, but Petra told her that her adventures might be too much for her, not knowing where to start.

"Just start with the first multiverse adventure you had!" demanded Shiko, getting closer and making puppy eyes at Petra.
Petra gulped as Shiko's breast was near her face, not sure how to respond to her. She couldn't think straight.

"Well, the first one was about these vampire-like clans called the Inheritors, who feed off Spider-people like me! This big dude called Morlun appeared in my universe one day and almost killed me! The dude was beyond intense, but I was saved by a group of Spider-people, who took me to the Cosmic Spider-Man universe where others were being gathered." Petra could see how invested Shiko was with the story. Even more so with her reaction to each big fight, battle, or villain she heard about, Petra couldn't help but stare at Shiko's bouncing breasts, thinking about how soft and lovely they were. "We had a big final battle against them, and in the end, we won, and if I remember right, the Inheritors are exiled to a universe called 3145, which is filled with nothing but radiation after some bad guy unleashed all nukes in the world all over the world. They are in some bucker or something at the time..." she coughed, trying to look away from Shiko's ample chest finally.

Shiko was amazed by the tale.

"That's so cool! And here I thought I had a crazy life!"

Petra chuckled as she scratched her head.

"Yeah, mine is more or less crazy and a little chaotic, but I love it," Petra said with a faint smile. "Even when I wanted to give up my powers and be normal again, I realized that my powers are a part of me. Like my uncle Ben once told me, great powers come with great responsibilities, and I must live up to that responsibility."

Shiko could tell the last part was very important, so she placed her hand on Petra's shoulder, grabbing her attention.

"Petra, no matter what, your uncle was right. Having power comes with responsibilities. It's something I learned a long time ago. You are a strong girl, Petra, and I hope you continue to be strong and fight the good fight. Because there is no other person in the multiverse better than you to do so."

Petra shut her eyes and smiled at the sweet words, thinking about her uncle Ben.
"Thank you, Shiko. You're very sweet."

Shiko returned the smile and turned her head towards the others, who were still trying to understand the art. As they watched, Petra asked her about her parents, remembering AJ talking about Shiko's father. Shiko answered it, and soon, Petra clutched her fist in rage, learning what kind of asshole Shiko's father was. Her age slowly faded as she learned of his fate, making Petra ask her something.

"What about your mom?"

"My mom's spirit was inside of Unit-01."

"I see..." Petra blinked. "Wait, what!?"

Petra quickly learned what happened to Shiko's mother, making her grab Shiko's shoulder and pulling her in a shoulder hug.

"Oh my god, that's horrible! I am so sorry, Shiko."

"It's fine. It was a long time ago."

The two just sat there, looking at Snake and Raina, trying to understand the art, until Shiko slowly looked at Petra, blushing. Petra caught this and asked if anything was wrong.

"Oh...it's nothing..." whispered Shiko, like she wanted to ask Petra something but didn't have the courage.

Petra looked at her, raising her brow.

"What is it?"

Shiko gulped and slowly faced Petra.

"I...well, I..." she shut her eyes and burled out her words. "YOU DO SHOOT YOUR WEBBING FROM YOUR ASS, LIKE FROM YOUR WRIST!?"

Petra couldn't believe it. First, Snake, and now her?

"I MIGHT HAVE SPIDER POWERS, BUT I DON'T SHIT OUT WEBBING!" she yelled and looked into Shiko's eyes.

The two looked at each other, and then they started to laugh, which made Soraya look at them and shake her head.

"I swear, those two are perfect for each other..."

AJ nodded, agreeing with her. But they returned to their own conversation and watched the two just giggling at the silly question.

"So, you lived in Japan, and one day, you were just teleported to a different fantasy-like world?" asked AJ, still not believing Soraya's story.

Soraya sighed and told her yes.

"Then you somehow gained magical power after dying to some crazy assassin lady and learned you can return to a certain part of your life before your death...a save point like you said."

"Yes. It's strange, I know, but I'm just happy I'm allowed to talk about Return By Death to anyone!"

AJ tipped her head, wondering why that was.

"It's complicated, but the witch who gave me the power is allowing the penalties because our universe is in danger of being destroyed, along with the multiverse," explained Soraya, covering her heart.

AJ was a bit confused, not getting the penalty part.

"I'm not allowed to tell anyone about Return By Death, or the Witch of Envy will squeeze my heart, which hurts like hell, by the way!" shouted Soraya, hoping Envy somehow heard her. "And after trying to tell someone, I give off a high density of Witch Factor, at least for a short time, drawing any witchbeasts in the immediate area to me."

AJ nodded, thinking she understood a bit, but it was still confusing. "Like a moth to a flame."

"Yeah, and there's one person I never want to try to tell again about Return By Death..." AJ could see Soraya's expression becoming sad. "Because...if I try, she would die." Soraya clutched her fist hard. "And I promised her I'll protect her...not hurt her..."

AJ looked down, thinking about it.

"I see..." AJ took Soraya's hand, and when she looked at her, she gave her a small smile. "You'll protect her. I can see it in you. You truly love her, don't you?"

Soraya returned the smile and squeezed her hand.

"Yeah, I love her."

AJ didn't know if she should ask her this question, but she needed to learn something.

"The girl we saw when that monster transformed into, back in the loop floor. That was her, right? And we saw you looking at that snow-covered temple and seeing you dying in that ice storm with that monster roaring...is she..."

Soraya knew AJ was going to ask that.

"That monster wasn't her. That was a great spirit with whom she made a contract with. Her guardian or protector. In that Timeline, she died, and her guardian went berserk...using his Absolute Zero spell, he can freeze everything to a point where nothing can survive."

"The temple? Did she die there, too?"

Soraya didn't answer away, remembering how she died by those swarms of rabbit beasts. She could only remember how she was being eaten alive by those hungry rabbits. Remembering those sharp teeth sinking into her flesh, Soraya's body trembled, and she closed her eyes.

AJ could see how traumatized she was and understood what happened to her.

"Hey, it's okay. You don't have to tell me anything. I understand what you are feeling just by looking at the painful expression on your face." Soraya turned to her, seeing AJ with a gentle smile. "I had my share of horrifying experiences, and I'm still trying to get over what I've seen...nightmares made real..."

The two just smiled at each other and returned, looking at Shiko and Petra, who were swinging around the room with her. It seemed Shiko wanted to know how it felt to swing around as Spiderman.

Soraya looked back at AJ. She didn't know her well, but she remembered the timelines in which AJ was the one who survived against that monster. She spoke about something about her family and the Changers as she held Shiko's dead body.

"Hey, AJ?"

AJ turned to her.

"Yes?"

"I don't want to open fresh wounds since it seems you finally got over what happened to you, but..." she took a deep breath. "I'm sorry what happened to you. Sorry for the awful shit that happened in your life. I can't imagine how painful it must be to endure all that..."

AJ just smiled at her and shook her head.

"Thank you for your sympathy, Soraya. But I'm okay now."

Soraya nodded, understanding her. The two return to watch their friends, but AJ advises Soraya.

"Never stop loving her. You died for her so many times, so you can't let go of her. Always fight for her to the bitter end because..." AJ saw flashes of her family, making her cry a bit. "...because once she's gone, she's gone, and you might lose your weird powers one day when that happens. So, always keep fighting for her and never give up!"

Soraya nodded, promising AJ never to give up and always to fight.

"MAN!" shouted Tanya. Her foot stopped tapping, and she started to pace around. She was bored out of her mind.

As she paced, she was near Haze, who was still against her sword, eyes closed.

"Hey, Haze," called Tanya, but Haze didn't respond. "Haze?"

Still, no response, so she tried to wake her up by poking her face.

"Hazepo! Come on, wake up!"

Haze started to get annoyed as Tanya kept bothering her. She tried her best to rest, but this girl won't let her. Finally, Tanya poked her nose, and this made Haze lose it.

"WHAT!"

Tanya smiled as she sat down like a kid wanting to hear a story.

"Everyone else getting all buddy, buddy! So I thought maybe we can-"

"No."

Tanya was surprised by Haze's instant response.

"Huh?"

"You heard me, no," responded Haze, closing her eyes and leaning against her sword again. "I don't want to talk. I want to rest after everything that happened up to this point. We hadn't much time to rest, and I won't waste that opportunity to rest when possible."

Tanya frowned, thinking this would be an excellent chance to bond with her and learn a bit about her.

"Well, I think now is the perfect time! Plus, no one will bother us right now, and we are far from that creepy creature thanks to Sunflower. COME ON! PLEASE!" she begged as she rubbed her head against Haze's shoulder.

Haze's eye twitched, getting annoyed again. She looked at her and sighed, giving up.

"Fine! What do you want?"

Tanya smiled, happy she had won this argument and quickly started asking her a series of questions. Many of them were pretty stupid, making Haze groan with each one.

"How old are you?"

"23."

"Who is your favorite anime girl?"

"I don't watch anime in my universe."

"Really!?" gasped Tanya. "Okay, then, what kind of music do you listen to?"

"None. I'm not the listening type."

"What!? Okay, then, what's your favorite food?"

"Nothing."

"Okay, okay. Um, who is your favorite person?"

Haze was going to answer that question with a simple, "No one," but something stopped her. She wanted to say she had no one, but the truth was, she had someone—someone important, someone who meant the world to her, someone she would never leave, no matter the circumstances.

"Mira..."

Tanya was shocked to hear her answer. She looked at her and asked who that was, and Haze took out the photo that she was carrying and showed her. Tanya remembered now, how upset Haze was when AJ lost this photo.

"She's fucking hot," said Tanya, feeling turned on.

"Gimme that!" shouted Haze as she snatched the photo from her. "Don't look at her like that!"

Tanya chuckled and asked Haze if she was her girlfriend, making her blush and turn away. Making Tanya eye her with a smug grin.

"You like her, don't you?"

Haze's body language gave her away, and Tanya teased her.

"No, I don't! I just..."

"Did you least fucked her? Did she let you eat her out? Is she the dominant type or the submissive type? Tell me, does she like to wear cute lingerie? Does sh-OWIE!" yelled Tanya as Haze used her magic to drop a giant rock on top of her.

As Tanya tried to remove the giant rock, Haze looked at her photo, wondering if Mira was doing okay. She remembered telling her that she would finally leave Zara's sword in Aeris church to have a memorial for those two. Mira doesn't know she's on a grand quest to save their universe and others. Which made her look at Zara in the photo. She then looked at Tanya, who was still struggling to get the rock off, and looked back at Zara and sighed.

"...Let others in..." whispered Haze, using her magic to summon away the rock.

Tanya cracked her back and smiled at her.

"So hey, how you do that magic? I think I asked Snake about it, but she didn't answer my question."

Haze sighed and bumped her sword, making a yellow orb pop out. Then, she tossed it toward Tanya, who almost didn't catch it.

"That's how. Those are called Elements. Its crystallized Elements, naturally and man-made, call upon the Harmonystream to tap into the planet's power. There are different types of Elements, like fire, water, and thunder, but there are healing types a-and....huh!?" Haze stopped as she couldn't believe what she was seeing.

"Neat!" happily smiled Tanya, as she was using the Element to make the electricity appear all around her, making her hair stand up.

"H-How are you doing that?"

Tanya tossed the orb back to Haze and ignored her question.

"Hey, you let me use that orb thingy, so here!"

Tanya dug deep into her puffy hair, looking for something, while Haze was just dumbfounded and wondered why Tanya was digging into her own head.

"I remember I packed it before making the trip. Ah-ha!" shouted Tanya as she pulled out a black glove and tossed it to Haze, who caught it.

Haze just looked at the strange glove and looked back to Tanya.

"A glove?"

"Not any glove, a Death Glove!"

"What's that?"

Tanya just sighed, wondering how to explain this to Haze.

"Look, the short version is it's a gaming glove that allows anyone to play this!" Haze watched as Tanya dug through her hair again and pulled out a very weird item.

"The Death Drive Mk II!" she said as a spotlight hit the item, and Haze swore she heard trumpets playing.

"...what is Death Drive MK II?" asked Haze, seeing Tanya putting it between them.

Tanya laughed and smiled as her shades flashed with a bright light.

"A video game console!"

"Oh..."

"Yeah, oh. You can't play the newest, hottest, and most addicting game if you don't have the proper console! Luckily for us, I've got a prototype of a few games! Let's play some and talk! Become homies!"

"Um, no."

"Aww, why not?"

"Because I hate video games," replied Haze, tossing the glove back to her. "But also, how? There's no...no...ugh..."

Haze could see Tanya digging through her hair and pulling out random things like a mini fridge, a tent, a bunch of manga and anime, a bag of chips, and a ton more. Haze could not comprehend how the hell this was happening, but something caught her eye. It was a photo.

"Is that a photo?"

Tanya stopped herself from tossing the photo away and looked at it. She smiled as she looked at it.

"Oh...that's where it went..." Tanya showed Haze since she showed her hers. "This is my family! Silvio and his son. This cute little pink-haired girl next to the boy is my daughter, Jenny!" Tanya smiled as she looked at her daughter. "I named her after my sister...hoping her next dream is truly happy one..."

Haze could see Tanya tearing up and felt somewhat guilty for throwing a rock at her.

"Hey, I'm sorry about before."

Tanya looked up, wiping away the tears, and smiled.

"It's okay! I'm used to it. I was blasted by this super giant beam from this old fat lady and her shopping cart once! So a rock falling on me is nothing!"

Haze couldn't and would never understand what Tanya was talking about, but she wanted to make right with her. So she agreed to play this game console with her, which made Tanya super happy. Tanya returned to digging into her hair for the TV while Haze rested her head on her sword, waiting for this pain-in-the-ass girl to finish her setup.

Meanwhile, Snake and Raina were still trying to figure out how to open the door, but they had no luck. They tried to understand the symbols and the art on the door, but they couldn't understand what they could mean.

Snake took out the giant sugar stick and licked it. "If only Otacon was here, she might be able to figure out what those symbols meant."

Raina looked at her, wondering who this Otacon person was.

"I'm guessing she's super smart?"

"Yup! She's a genius!"

Raina chuckled, wondering what type of friends Snake had.

"What kind of person is she, Snake?"

Snake smiled and faced Raina. "Oh, she's a real nerd. She's the most intelligent, sweetest, and most annoying mare I ever met! She's my best friend!"

Raina laughed at the annoying part and asked Snake why she was so irritating.

"She's always going on about anime and weeb shit. Made me watch Wonderbolt Magical Girls one time. It's a sports anime with magical girls mixed in. She has the hots for this orange-haired mare and..." Snake stopped, seeing the puzzled look on Raina's face. "Something wrong?"

Raina rubbed the back of her head.

"Well, I don't understand what you are saying...what's an 'anime'? Is that some radio show or something?"

Snake was surprised by Raina's question and laughed, thinking Raina was joking around with her.

"Oh, come on! You're really trying to tell me you've never seen or heard about anime?"

Raina shook her head.

"Nope! Never."

Snake was taken aback by this.

"Damn, don't let Otacon know about this, or she will force you to watch every anime and every magical girl show!"

"Why would she do that?"

"Because that's what a weeb does. Trust me..."

Raina nodded, not understanding Snake. But Snake looked up at her, still amazed at how there was no anime in Raina's universe.

"Okay, I got to ask. What period are you from? Must be from the old days if you talked about radio shows..."

"Me?" said Raina, pointing at herself. "Well, it's the 1912s, why?"

Snake's expression was shocked, and she could not find the words to say to Raina.
"Uh...well..."

"Is there something wrong, Snake?"

Snake leaned against the door and took a massive bite from the large sugar stick.

"In my universe, it's 2014." Snake could see Raina surprised and continued. "And the fact that you are in the 1910s means you are the oldest one here!" she laughed as she saw Raina blushing angrily.

"Are you calling me old, Snake!?"

Snake stopped laughing and nervously said, "Yes."

This made Raina laugh, and she pushed her away from the door, telling her she wasn't the oldest one there.
"What? No way!" She turned around, all embarrassed. "I'm only 38! I'm not that old!" She faced Snake and opened her worn-out, faded blue coat, showing off her figure. "See! Does this look like an old lady, darling!?"

Snake sighed, realizing she had opened a can of worms.

"No..."

"Damn right!" she closed her coat and stared at Snake. "How are you anyway? 80's, I guess?"

Snake chuckled at that and looked away from her.

"I'm 42."

Raina laughed, thinking Snake was joking with her, but she could see the expressionless look on her face.
"Wait, you're serious!? How the hell are you 42!?"

"Because rapid aging comes as part of being a clone," she said, making Raina not understand. Snake sighed and explained what a clone was and why she was created. Raina took all this information in and became sad for Snake.

"...I'm sorry I laughed at you. That wasn't very ladylike. Here, let me make it up to you!" Raina moved closer, took out a weird-looking bottle, and handed it to her. "Don't know if you drink, but I always have some on me!"

"Thanks, I'm not a drinking mare, but thanks!"

Raina smiled as she sat beside Snake, taking out a different bottle. She watched as Snake pulled the cork and sniffed the liquid.

"Wow, this smells horrible! What the fuck is in this!?" Raina was going to answer her, but Snake just drank it anyway and began to cough. "Fuck me! That's disgusting!"

"Yeah, it's a little rough, but once you get used to it, you will love it!"

"I'll pass," said Snake, handing her back the bottle but froze, as she could see her hoof looking weird until suction cups appeared all around her hooves, and just as quickly it appeared, they disappeared.
"Did you see that?"

Raina patted Snake's back and told her it was nothing. She drank her own and asked Snake something.
"...how long you have left?..."

Snake just looked at everyone as they kept talking to each other and becoming closer to one another.
"...Not long. The suppressors I have been using hardly work, and Otacon believes I have a month or less left." Snake sighed and asked for the weird drink back and started to drink. "I remember when Spark came to us, explaining to Otacon and me about the kids and how I showed against all the things I faced, from losing friends, being in countless battles for what's right, and finally being free from all it, that I kept fighting to the end." She took a long sip from the bottle and continued. "If my final hours are coming, I'll happily spend them helping some kids who need to know about moving forward through hardship and pain and never give up no matter what life throws at you."

Raina smiled at her, hearing her speech, and asked if she ever regretted anything.

"Hell yeah, I do. I have done many things in my life, both good and bad. I'm not proud of what I have done, and sometimes I wonder if I have changed. If I have become a better pony, or if I am repeating myself..."

"Repeating yourself? What do you mean by that, darling?"

Snake sighed, drank the rest of the bottle, and tossed it away.

"You see, Raina. I am not a hero or a role model. I'm just an old soldier trying to make things right in the little time she has left. Many ponies believe and expect me to be the perfect role model for others, but I'm not. I'm flawed. I have done many things I am not proud of, so I wonder if I'm repeating myself. By doing this last mission, I am trying to be something that someone sees in me...if I'm repeating what I already know. And what will happen to the kids if I fail? Will they keep repeating themselves until it's too late?"

Raina understood what she was talking about and took her hoof.

"Look, I may not know a thing about clones, but I think you're the right mare for the job. I mean, you are here, after all. You're doing it because you want to, which is the biggest difference between you and other people who have tried to be a hero rather than really caring about those kids. Look what you are worried about right now; it's about the kids and not about saving the multiverse; it's about the kids, not about being the hero. And that's why I believe you are the right mare for the job. You're not repeating yourself, Snake. You changed for the better. So don't worry, and let's help those kids."

Snake shut her eyes and remembered something on the night that Spark appeared and asked for her help. She wasn't sure if she should do it, but she remembered looking at Sunny and remembering how Raiden asked her and Otacon to save Sunny when she was a foal. Otacon and her raised her as if she were their own child. A happy filly that might be smarter than Otancon herself and enjoying the life that Snake, Otacon, and Raiden gave her. She couldn't bear to think what would have happened if she hadn't saved her...she couldn't dare think about it. The only thing in her mind was about those kids and what will happen to them. She couldn't leave them to their sad fates, especially with a monster like Fayth wanting to destroy the multiverse by using them like tools...Snake knew too well about being used as a tool for others...

Snake opened her eyes and saw the others gathering together but still enjoying their time.

"You are right, Raina. I might not have enough time left and not be the best role model in the multiverse, but I'll gladly spend whatever time I have left helping those kids. Because it's the right thing to do."

"That's the spirit!" said Raina, patting her back. She looked at the others and could see them coming over to them. She looked at the bottle and spoke to herself in her mind. "I don't have enough time, too, Snake. But I'll use all the remaining time I have to help someone else's children. I'll be the mother that my daughter should have had. I promise you, Annabeth. I'll make this right."

"Hey, you two! Any luck?" asked Petra, helping both up from the floor.

"Nope. Nothing," answered Raina, tossing her bottle away.

Shiko looked sad as she heard the answer.

"...so, now what? There's no other way out of this room, and I don't..." Sounds of rubble being destroyed could be heard from below them. "...think going..." Shiko and the others slowly looked at the collapsed entrance of the stairway and saw it shaking. "...is an option...oh no..."

AJ and Petra got in front of Shiko. The gang took out their weapons and watched as a pair of claws tore down the rubble. As the dust cleared, they could see the dark figure standing before them, glaring at the group.

"...friends..."

The shadow creature finally caught up with them and they had nowhere to run; they had no choice but to face it.

"Shiko and Soraya! You two stay far away from the fight. The rest of you, get ready. We are dealing with this right now!" ordered Snake, glaring at the creature.

Raina nodded, holding her gun tightly.
"Right!"

Petra lowered herself to the ground, taking an iconic Spiderman pose.
"If it wants friends, then I'll happily be its friend by kicking its butt!"

Haze ready her sword and narrowed her eyes at the creature.
"Let's finally end this!"

Tanya started to whistle the No More Heroes theme and pointed her beam sword at the creature, smiling.
"IT'S GAME TIME!"

AJ H.U.L.L helmet covered her head, and the exposed visor showed her green eye, glaring at the monster. She pumps her shotgun.
"Let's fucking end this! I'm done running!"

Shiko felt so useless, while Soraya was already planning what to do if the others failed and faced Shiko.

"If they lose here! I will run up to the monster and get myself killed, okay? So please don't stop me, you hear! I can warn everyone that the monster is coming!"

Shiko sadly nodded, knowing how Soraya's power worked...which she didn't like one bit...

The shadow creature scanned the group, its red glowing eyes looking at them, and growled at the group as it started to dash toward them.

"Let's go!" shouted Snake as she and the others charged forward, meeting the creature head-on.

Both sides were getting closer and closer and almost collided with each other until...

DING

"Huh?" said everyone, even the shadow creature stopped, turning their heads to the left and seeing a new door resembling an elevator door.

"...was that always there?" questioned AJ.

"No...but..." Petra said but stopped as they heard the creature speak to them.

"...friends?" it said, shrugging its shoulders.

Suddenly, the doors opened, and a bright light blinded them.

"Damn, that's bright! But..." said Snake, covering her eyes with her hoof but seeing a figure inside the elevator, wearing all black but seemingly sitting in a weird-looking wheelchair. She could also see other figures behind her.

The creature was blinded too and tried to get a better look, but without warning, it was shot in the head and fell backward, going limp and lifeless.

"We're not too late, it looks like!" said the woman in the weird wheelchair, rolling out of the light.

As this happened, Spark slowly climbed up the vast roots of the Prime Tree. She wanted to fly, but even though her wounds had recovered, she was still exhausted from her fight with Fayth. She could hardly climb up the tree's massive roots, but she was glad that her body didn't fail her.

She looked up, seeing the giant black sphere of negative energy much more significant than when she first saw it. She had to keep going, no matter what. She knew that Snake and the others were still pushing forward, but she couldn't stop thinking about the other group racing to the top of the tree. She stopped to catch her breath and remembered about the kids...

"Alice and Twilight...Alice blames herself for her family's deaths and those killed by her invention. Having no friends because of who she is, losing the one friend she ever had, and wanting her brother to be happy without her, to hate her and not love her anymore because she took away his family and happy life..." Spark slumps down against the roots, hanging her head in sadness. "She's hurting herself by cutting her arms, wanting to punish herself for her mistakes, for the pain she caused to everyone. To remind herself that she doesn't deserve love or a place in the world. She wants to be free from all of it..."

Spark tried to stand but fell to the ground, crying.

"Twilight...a younger version of my mom...she sees herself as a huge failure who never got her cutie mark and a burden to her family for her actions in not wanting to see herself as one." Spark tried to get up but couldn't. "She believes she has no future and will never amount to anything. She believes she's a burden and has no support from her family or the mare she most looks up to. No friends...she has nopony...to help her through her problems and not see her as a burden or someone worthless. She doesn't believe in herself..."

Spark finally rose and kept climbing up, feeling the roots in her fingers.

"Both are lost souls, and I can't save them! Not by myself. I need Alice to understand and realize that no one deserves the pain and suffering that she's putting herself through! Same with Twilight, they need to see that! They need to see how others who suffered like them could move forward and find their own happiness, no matter how hard things get or how long it takes. To never give up and never give into despair. And no matter how bad the world can get or what the future has in store, they have people who will always care for them and never give up! Alice needs to see that, and Twilight needs to find the support she desperately needs!"

Spark was nearly at the tree's base and could feel the powerful energies surrounding the dark Prime Tree. She looked up, seeing the negative energy. She tried moving again but suddenly lost her strength and fell back down to the roots, landing hard.

Spark could feel the pain blasting her whole body, but she didn't care. She needed to get up and try again. She tried to stand but fell and realized her legs were broken but starting to heal. She remembered the other two kids on the other side of the top of the tree that Fayth also brought here.

"No, how can I take those steps when I lost the means even to run..." shouted the rainbow-haired girl as she sat on the ground and looked at her prosthetic legs. She curled up in her knees and cried.

"How can I take those steps when the only thing that keeps me going, the one thing that made me, ME, are gone!?" She cried louder and shouted at the top of her lungs. "HOW CAN I TAKE THOSE STEPS WHEN I HAVE NO LEGS!!!"

Spark cried as she tried to stand on her healing legs, trying to understand the pain that girl felt when she lost both of her legs in an accident and how it changed her entire life, having to learn how to walk again and...

"I wanted to be a runner in the Olympics, but with my legs gone, that would never happen! I can't ever run with these awful prosthetic legs!" she looked up at Spark, crying harder. "I lost everything that made me, ME! I want my old life back; I want the old me back!" she sniffed, returning her head onto her knees. "If I can't have my old life back...my real legs back...then I don't want to live! My family and others only give me pity, and no matter how much they help me or show how much they care, I can't run anymore, and that's all that I ever wanted to do! It's all I ever cared about, and I have lost that chance! What's the point in living anymore?"

Spark finally stood up and started climbing again. She began to remember the other young pony that was next to the girl.

"I'm scared; I remember the burning pain as I fell! I became so scared to look at the sky that I became a shut-in! I can't sleep without having nightmares and wake up crying." cried the cyan Pegasus, covered in bandage wrapping. "If I didn't protect Fluttershy from those bullies back then, I wouldn't be like this! They wouldn't have covered me in that flammable liquid, and I wouldn't have burst into flames when I tried to do the Sonic Rainboom! Part of my wings and body are covered in burns that will never be healed! I'll always have these horrible scars on my body for the rest of my life! How can I live with this?!"

Spark reached the base of the tree once again and started climbing again.

The Pegasus bandage on her face came loose, dropping to the floor as she spoke to Spark.

"I lost myself that day, the pony I was always meant to be. My dreams were broken, and my heart was shattered. How can I keep going?" the Pegasus looked up at the white sky, peeking through the vast branches. "If I can't even fly anymore...what's the point of living...? Being a shadow of my former self?" she started to breakdown as the girl held her tight. "...I couldn't even get a cutie mark...I'm nothing..."

Spark found a small hole in the tree. It wasn't deep, but it allowed her to rest as she sat down and looked out of the endless multiverse trees.

"Rozelle and Rainbow Dash..." whispered Spark, closing her eyes to rest as she remembered the other group she had formed.

"Mom! Mom, wake up!" cried a young-sounding female voice.

"...H-Huh?"

The cyan anthro mare opened her eyes and found herself inside a tunnel made of wood. She held her head but quickly remembered about her daughter.

"Artemis!? Honey, where are you!?"

Soon, a dark blue futuristic device hovered out behind the high-tech-looking wheelchair, and soon, an AI Alicorn mare appeared, happy to hear that her mother was okay.

"Mom! You finally woke up!"

Her daughter landed on her chest, hugging and crying.

"Hey there, sweetheart! Don't cry. Your old ma is tougher than you think!" the cyan mare patted her back.

"I'm glad that you are okay!"

Artemis sat in her mother's lap, scanning the tunnel. She couldn't give her mother any info about where they were because, for some odd reason, her memory was wiped for the last hour. Her mom had the same problem in remembering.

Her mother activated her wheelchair and started to go down the long tunnel, not noticing the blue glowing wooden carving of a Pegasus.

She didn't know why, but she had a terrible feeling as they continued down the tunnel. She spoke to herself, seeing a light up ahead.
"Oh, Brigitte, why do I feel I should have stayed in bed this morning?"

Spark stopped there in her retelling as she saw Terra and her daughter, Celesta, looking at her with worry and shocked expressions.

"You got my wife and daughter involved!?"

End of Chapter 13

Author's Note

Now, we will be following the other 8 people for Dash and Rozelle!
Means more characters from other media/video games!

Edit: double checking for errors and grammarly changing words I didn't catch on the re reads(like Sunflower wanting to save the kids line. Not her kids lmao)